Strange as it was, Robert and Ned would co of their own free will to play with Axel. Robert was forever pulling ridiculous faces that sent Axel into fits of laughter, while Ned watched over them both with a quiet smile. One might think Robert led and Eddard simply followed, and that would be true enough, but the one thing Ned would fight to the death for was the right to teach Axel to fence. Jon overheard the argunt and announced in front of everyone: "My son will be taught only by the strongest." Everyone knew it was a pretense, but boys need nothing more than an excuse. From that day forward the two of them were forever disappearing to the training yard. They even started keeping a tally of wins and losses. Ned held the lead by two points.
I cannot speak for others, but for my part being with Axel was a joy. He only cried when there was cause, aning when he was hungry or in need of changing. He was a fiercely curious child with boundless energy. Once sothing caught his interest he would demand it without relent. What lted my heart more than anything was watching him try to read books. The little babbling sounds he made ward through. Every day I gave thanks to the old gods and the new for the gift of motherhood.
At five months Axel learned to crawl. At six he spoke his first word: "mama." At eight months he took his first unsteady steps. By a year old he was running from his nursemaids at full tilt. Only I, Jon, and Ned could settle him down. Robert he would not listen to, though this did not seem to trouble Robert much. Now Axel watched Robert and Ned train, which only made them push harder, for they loved basking in the admiration of their little brother. The sight of their grave, boyish conversations made laugh for a very long ti.
"If Robert and I are brothers, and Lord Jon is a second father to us, then Axel is our brother," was what Ned told solemnly, and Robert backed it with a nod.
Aside from watching Lord Arryn's wards at their training, Axel adored playing with toy soldiers, listening to stories, and running and hiding from his nursemaids. The nursemaids, for their part, had no love for the chasing and the searching, and so did everything they could to encourage his other interests. They played soldiers with him themselves, told him stories at great length and very often, but it helped little enough, for when the stories grew dull Axel would make his escape. Once they found him with an aged mber of the Arryn household guard, Ser Matis Templeton, who had been recounting his adventures to the boy. Axel grew deeply fond of this old guardsman and, whenever boredom found him, would slip away to hear of his thrilling exploits. That was how Axel ca to have his first sworn sword.
When Axel was four years old, I was with child. Every mber of the family rejoiced at the news. Letters arrived from all of them assuring us of their daily prayers for the health of the child and myself. Flattery, perhaps, but welco all the sa. I hoped that when the ti ca I might pay a visit to Runestone. For all that my family and I had quarreled, the years had worn my anger down, and what remained was a longing for my brothers, for my childhood ho, and even for my father.
Axel, my little knight, treated as though I were made of glass. His attempts to help with everything only caused more trouble than they prevented, so we found ways to distract him. Jon gave him the task of choosing a na for the child. From that day forward he was no bother at all, spending nearly every free hour in the library, reading about his ancestors and trying to settle on the finest na possible. The rest of the castle found this quietly amusing. In the end we decided that if it was a boy he would be called Ozric, and a girl, Alyce.
I could not wait to hold my second child in my arms.
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