Beyond the North.

❝ I learned the language of the earth... ❞

Alanna was born a member of the noble and ancient House Stark; a beautiful lady of winter. Her life was seemingly going to be safe, warm and comfortable; she was the blood of the direwolf, after all, and the North had raised her with the care that only its children know how to appreciate.At six years of age, however, she discovered that things would not be as easy as she had believed. The dreams that came to her at night showed her strange images, complex puzzles that, with time, became reality. At first, she thought they were nothing more than mere coincidences... but with each new occasion in which the situation repeated itself, the young girl gradually realized that that was not the case. Lord and Lady Stark never agreed with their daughter, of course, but none of the reasons and stories they tried to convince her with worked. It’s wasn’t just her own experience, it was something inside of her: the young Stark knew everything was real; as real as the coldness of snow... but she couldn’t quite comprehend it. Where did that ability come from? Was it a gift, or a curse? Was there any way to control it, or was she at the mercy of her dreams? All those things she could see, her predictions... could they be changed? The only thing she had were the tales of old, ancient stories about giants, magical dwellers of the forests and dark perils that lurked beyond the Wall.Although her curiosity and desire for knowledge did nothing but grow, for a time she did an effort to go on with her life away from those matters. That was, of course, until a group of members of the Night’s Watch came to Winterfell.Alanna and her ten years of age could not help it. Despite the knot that her own idea made her feel in the stomach, she knew they were the only ones allowed, or who dared, to go beyond the Wall. The only way she would ever have to learn more about her dreams... and perhaps about herself. Even thought she didn’t really want to, the young girl cut off her hair and dressed up as a common boy. She knew the black brothers only accepted males, so she pretended to be one who wanted to train with them in order to take the black one day. Taking every precaution possible and leaving behind a family that, due to being already used to her mischief and sudden absences would not suspect anything, she went off with the Night’s Watch.Alanna eventually found herself at Castle Black, and she dedicated her scarce moments of peace to study the place and the order’s functioning for weeks. When a group of black brothers was finally assigned to go on an expedition beyond the Wall, she took advantage of the gained knowledge and her own ability to sneak out in order to slip away with them.No one saw her; and that meant two things. First, that her plans had worked. Second, that when the time came for the expedition to go back, they left her behind. She had ran off to the forests as soon as she had seen the opportunity, in search for her so much desired answers... and, as it could be expected, there she got lost. She had been particularly careful with her ideas for the return to Castle Black, for her return to the hearths of Winterfell and the warm embrace of her parents... but those very ideas had been carried away with the cold wind that blew amongst the leaves.She was alone. Alone, lost, with very limited provisions and no further defense than a simple dagger.Nights were the worst part. Long, freezing, sleepless... full of unsettling whispers whenever she went. It was never long before she had to pick up the few things she carried with herself and run away, once and again, from the savages, from beasts... and rarely did she escape the attack of the latter unscathed.

She thought she would not live to tell the tale. Tears of pain and fear burned her cheeks as she escaped, covered in bloody wounds. She wouldn’t have been able to tell for how long she ran, but she could still hear the howling when she entered the cave in which she ended up losing conscience. Ironically, it was that pack of wolves which, after twelve days of wandering, changed the young girl’s destiny.It was not there, however, where she woke up. She was somewhere else, in a clearing she had never stepped on before... and surrounded by a group of strange creatures she had never seen in her life as well. They referred to themselves as ‘those who sing the song of earth’, but, as they explained to the girl, humans like her called them the ‘children of the forest.’
They took her in. They treated her wounds, helped her heal and gave her a name with which to call her dreams: greensight. The children never went near the Wall, nor did they ever risk getting seeing by the Night’sWatch, so they did not take Alanna back to them. They did, however, accept her among them. Alanna studied with the children, trained with them; she lived with them for years. The young girl saw her abilities grow, awoke and acquired new ones; she learned the arts of the children and was gifted with their knowledge.Strange times, those were; a bittersweet period. She could not say she was unhappy there, with those who sing the song of earth. She was free, and it had been her own choice to stay with them... but her heart sank every time she thought of Winterfell. Alanna would not have been able to tell how much time had she been away from her home, but she missed both it and her family.
She couldn’t have measured the time that had passed either when she saw a black brother once more, the same day in which, during one of her outings, she decided to venture herself farther away from the Haunted Forest. It was an expedition, bigger than the one she had taken advantage of in order to cross beyond the Wall. She went back to the children, to bid her goodbye. Her hosts had no objections, and she parted in search of the expedition with their blessings.The return of Lady Alanna Stark was the most talked-about event in the North for the rest of year, and it continued being so much time later. The young daughter of Lord Stark had gone missing at ten years of age, and had been mysteriously found six years later at the other side of the Wall. The mischievous and joyful girl everyone had known had transformed into a beautiful and graceful young woman, yet as silent and secretive as winter itself. Alanna put special care in observing every single detail of things, and soon she proved to be exceptionally smart and perceptive, but no one managed to get a single word from her about what had exactly happened during tthose six years. The only clue they could speculate with was the weirwood bow she had brought with her, which nobody was allowed to touch. The Stark’s heart finally felt at home, but she knew that, despite the innumerable dangers and dark mysteries that lived beyond the Wall, a part of her would always miss the ancient people who had taken her in and the many things she had learnt from them.Since then, Lady Stark lives her life among the walls of Winterfell and its adjacent forests, perpetually surrounded in mystery and the many rumours that circulate about her. Witch, savage, her maidenhood surely lost to one of them...
Alanna never pays attention to any, even though they are responsible for the questionable reputation she has. Truth is, she actually likes them. They allow her to stay on the sidelines and simply observe in silence. In the end, all that she wants is to finally find the balance between her dreams and reality.