1. Con$nued from Part One…

2. Brandon walked out to the graves and called everyone. He thought with pride that he might be croaking, but his voice could s$ll
carry.

3. “But Uncle Brandon—”

4. “It’s nice that you’re pretending that I’m perfectly healthy. Really, it is. But I have to talk to you as heir, not as my nephew. My
will is on the podium. It’s been witnessed. I’ve done what I can so that Arthur and Sabriel can’t pick up where I leK off. But—”
“What?”

5. Brandon frowned. “I feel like I haven’t been all the way here these last couple days. I probably should have been on my
deathbed, not siOng in my office—but the laws even apply to me, and then Piper—”
“Who’s Piper?”
“Didn’t I tell you?”
“No.”

6. “Well, I should have.” Brandon looked up and waved his hand around. “He’s a poli$cian. He keeps asking me who I’ve picked. I
keep throwing him out of my office. And now he thinks he’s concerned about my health.”

7. When Brandon didn’t say anything else, Will said, “What do you want me to do?”

8. “Go to my office now. I mean it. Here’s the key. Don’t you dare stand around and cry for hours on end. If I’m croaking, there’s no
$me to lose. You understand?”

9. “I—” Will wanted to protest, but this was important. “Yes.”

10. “Good.”
The snow melted. Brandon stood alone.

11. He put up a good fight, like he always did.

12. But in the end, Brandon’s fingers closed on thin air, and he had no choice but to go where Death would take him.

13. Will wiped away his tears as his uncle faded away.

14. But he knew what he had to do, even if he didn’t know what to do once he got there.
“Will—” Julian said.
“You heard him, didn’t you?” Will said. “No speeches. We have to go.” It would have been nice to give some kind of speech. But
Brandon would have wanted to be remembered in ac$ons, not words.

15. So Will kept walking. He didn’t know what to do once he got to Brandon’s office (well, Arthur and Sabriel’s now, even though they
weren’t around to occupy it), but he’d figure that out once he got there.

16. The phone rang when Sabriel was wai$ng for Arthur to finish lunch. “Hello?”
“Sabriel!” Will exhaled, then inhaled again. It sounded like he was gasping for breath. “You have to get here! Now!”

17. “Now? It takes the taxi a while to get here—”
“I mean it! There’s not $me for this!”

18. Will knew something was wrong. It wasn’t just the feeling of his uncle having died. It was a sinking feeling that he should have
go]en here sooner instead of wai$ng for the death itself. Brandon had been to work today, even though he was dying, but it
would have been so clear to everyone that he was ill, wouldn’t it?

19. “Uncle Brandon’s dead?” Sabriel asked.

20. Arthur looked over as he took the chili from the food processor to the stove. “What’s going on?”

21. Will didn’t look back. He pushed at the door of Brandon’s office. Locked. “Doesn’t anybody have a—“ he started, before
remembering that Brandon had given him the key. He reached into his pocket, pulled it out, and was about to insert it in the lock
when the door opened.
“Good evening.” The man looked familiar. Will didn’t know him yet, but he had a sinking feeling that this was Piper. “You must be
Will Stark. My condolences.”

22. “What the hell?” Sabriel shouted into the phone. “No, no, no. That’s our office!”

23. “Who are you?” Will asked.
“Glad you asked.” He smiled and clasped his hands together. “My name is Pius Piper, and I am the Law of Winterfell.”

24. “NO HE’S NOT!” Sabriel screamed into the phone. “How did—no, tell me later. We’re coming to Winterfell right now, and when
we get there, Piper’s going to be sorry!”

25. “We’re going to Winterfell now?” Arthur asked. “Final performances—”

26. “Because someone’s trying to take over!”
“What?”
“Uncle Brandon’s dead, and we’re in trouble. The chili doesn’t ma]er. Your final performances don’t ma]er. We have to go back
right now, this minute, so no one takes what’s ours.” Sabriel looked around, but there wasn’t anything nearby that she could pick
up and throw it across the room like she wanted to. “DAMN IT!”

27. “All rise for The Honorable Lucia Einaudi.”

28. A trial had seemed like the fairest way to se]le the compe$ng claims to Brandon’s $tle. They would decide who would inherit his
legacy by using his procedures. Sabriel probably would have objected to it and said that the best way would have been to throw
Piper out into the snow from the second‐story window of her uncle’s office. But Sabriel hadn’t been there to decide how her own
des$ny would be se]led.

29. Both sides approached the podium where the judge sat.
“Let me make sure you understand how this is going to work,” Lucia said. “We have two days. Piper, you’ll present your challenge
to the will today; Starks, you’ll present your defense of the will tomorrow. Both of you can make opening statements on your own
behalf on your day of the trial. Are we clear?”

30. “I want to make an opening statement today,” Sabriel said. “Not tomorrow.”
“Why?” Lucia asked.
“So that you don’t forget that our claim is the right one.”

31. Lucia looked at Sabriel for what felt like a long $me before saying, “That will not be necessary.”
“I think it is,” Arthur said. “If you hear a whole day of Piper’s evidence unopposed, it will be all the more difficult to understand
our case.“
“It will not be unopposed,” Lucia interrupted. “You s$ll have the ability to cross‐examine.”
“But not to make a statement of our case?” Sabriel pressed.
“Correct. You may proceed,” Lucia said to Piper.

32. Lucia looked at Sabriel for what felt like a long $me before saying, “That will not be necessary.”
“I think it is,” Arthur said. “If you hear a whole day of Piper’s evidence unopposed, it will be all the more difficult to understand
our case.“
“It will not be unopposed,” Lucia interrupted. “You s$ll have the ability to cross‐examine.”
“But not to make a statement of our case?” Sabriel pressed.
“Correct. You may proceed,” Lucia said to Piper.

33. “Your Honor,” Piper began, “Brandon Stark may have created a legal regime that could govern us aKer two genera$ons of
lawlessness, but he ul$mately stumbled when he failed to provide for what would happen to that legal regime aKer his death. He
set forth the requirements for wills in detail, including that each will be witnessed—but his was not.

34. “And even if his will could overcome this defect, its provision for succession was so unreasonable that we cannot enforce it. How
can the du$es of the Law be split between two people?” Piper stopped in front of Arthur and Sabriel’s chairs, then turned back
toward the podium. “They cannot speak with one voice on the most important issues of our day, as I would be able to. So when
they inevitably disagree, it will be a recipe for chaos.
“Now, I call my first witness: Natalie Horn.”

35. “What is your occupa$on?”
“I worked as an assistant to Brandon Stark.”
Piper took a couple of steps toward Lucia, then turned back to Natalie. “What du$es did you perform in that job?”

36. “I answered the phones and arranged his calendar, as much as it’s possible to do when no one can call before reques$ng a
mee$ng six out of seven days a week,” she said. “I also kept records of his orders and opinions to send out to the other judges so
that they would know how he was interpre$ng his Code.”
“And did he confide in you?”

37. “Should we—“ Arthur said to Sabriel.
She rose as Natalie was about to answer her ques$on: “What do you mean by ‘confide’?”

38. “Was your rela$onship strictly professional, or did you ever have personal conversa$ons?” Piper clarified.
“Some$mes he would talk about what was going on at home—at his home,” Natalie said. “He talked to me right aKer his brother
died and about his nephews and niece.”

39. “Did Brandon ever talk to you about who was going to be his successor?”
“He was preKy open about it when Lily was going to succeed him. But aNer she got fired, he never talked about it.”
“And did he ever speak to you about his plans for aKer he died?”
“No.”

40. Piper nodded. “Now, when did you no$ce Brandon becoming ill?”
“I first started to no$ce right aKer his brother died.”
“How did it affect his work?”
“Some$mes he would forget what he was saying in the middle of a sentence,” Natalie said. “There would be sentences in his
opinions that didn’t make any sense. And he tried to limit his trips between the courthouse and the office because it hurt.”

41. “Do you think Brandon was of sound mind in the last days before he died?”
“Objec$on—“ Sabriel started.
“No. I do not,” Natalie answered.

42. “All right. Let’s talk about the night that Brandon Stark died,” Piper said. “What did you do when he leK the office?”
“I was looking for a draK opinion on his computer when I found a copy of his will,” she said.

43. “And is this the copy of the will that you found?” Piper held up a piece of paper.
“It is.”
“What is that?” Sabriel said to Arthur. “We have the will here—“
“And was the will witnessed?”
“No.”

44. “They pulled that un‐witnessed copy right off Brandon’s computer!” Sabriel protested. She stood up belatedly. “Objec$on!”
“Overruled.”

45. “It’s all right,” Piper said. “As a will without witnesses is per se invalid, I have no more ques$ons, Your Honor.”

46. “Right. I got this,” Sabriel got up to cross‐examine, holding the will that Brandon had given to Will in her hand. “Do you recognize
this document, Natalie?”
“Yes, but—“
“Can you tell me what it is?”
“It—looks like it’s the will of Brandon Stark—“

47. “And it says here that it becomes effec$ve one month aKer the copy that Piper showed you, right?”
“Yes.”
“And this clause says that the will supersedes all previous wills, correct?”
“Yes, but—“

48. “And it says here that it becomes effec$ve one month aKer the copy that Piper showed you, right?”
“Yes.”
“And this clause says that the will supersedes all previous wills, correct?”
“Yes, but—“

49. “And is that your signature where it says ‘witness’?”
“I—“ Natalie started.
“Yes or no, please,” Arthur said from his seat.

50. “Yes,” Natalie admi]ed.
“So you admit that the will is‐‐”

51. “Yes,” Natalie admi]ed.
“So you admit that the will is‐‐”

52. Jocelyn Morgan cut her off, each word barely making it past her lips, yet audible: “What…is she doing here?”

53. “Playing my part in the administra$on of jus$ce, as is proper for the founder of Winterfell,” Sansa Stark answered, walking into
the courthouse. “Go on, great‐granddaughter.”

54. Sabriel stared and turned away from Natalie to face Sansa: “You’re—my great‐grandmother—“

55. “I said, go on.” Sansa sat in the seat that Natalie had previously occupied, right next to Piper.

56. “But that can’t be—“ Jan stared. “She works in my lab—“
Will raised his voice: “Are you just siOng there because that’s the only unoccupied seat, or…” He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“Order!” Lucia instructed.

57. “I’ll answer the ques$on—can I answer the ques$on? I’m tes$fying for my friend Pius—“

58. “No!”
“You can’t!”
“How could—you traitor!”
Lucia cleared her throat: “ORDER IN THE COURT!”

59. “Please state your name.”
“I’ve been going by the name Alayne Stone,” she said. “But I am Sansa Stark.”
“And what is your occupa$on?”
“Right now, I’m an inventor,” she said. “But before I died, I was an ecological guru. I’m the reason that there are plants hanging
from the ceilings of almost every house in this town,” she added.

60. “Excellent. Now, do you recognize this document, Miss Stark?”
“I do.”
“Can you iden$fy it for us?”

61. “This is a declara$on I draKed approximately six months before Brandon Stark’s death. It names you, Pius Piper, as the Law of
Winterfell pursuant to my powers as the—“

62. “OBJECTION.” Sabriel stood, shaking. “You have no power here! Any power you might have had as the founder of this family is
Will’s now, because he’s your heir!”

63. “You never learned to respect your be]ers, did you, girl?” Sansa snapped at her.

64. “You’re not my be]er! You’re nothing. You’re dead.”
“And I’m disappointed that I’m related to you,” Arthur added, standing up as well.

65. Lucia cleared her throat. “If you do not sit down when you are not examining the witness, I will hold you in contempt of court.
That warning goes for all of you,” she added. “This is not a conven$onal situa$on, but Sansa Stark has returned, and she s$ll does
have some power. The objec$on is overruled.”

66. “I have no further ques$ons, Your Honor.” Piper took his seat again.

67. “You cross‐examine her,” Sabriel said to Arthur. “I can’t even look at her right now.”
“Neither can I,” Arthur said.

68. He got up and approached Sansa anyway. “Wonderful to see you back, I guess,” he started, trying to be cordial.
“Thank you. You’re—“
“Arthur. Can you tell me about the circumstances of your resurrec$on?”

69. “Objec$on. Outside the scope of the direct examina$on.”
“Sustained.”

70. Arthur stood s$ll, trying to think of another ques$on. “Had you ever spoken to Brandon about who he wanted to succeed him?”
“ObjecSon.”

71. “Sustained. Please limit your ques$ons to the ma]ers discussed on direct examina$on. I believe that it is confined to the
declara$on submi]ed into evidence,” Lucia said.

72. Sabriel stood up. She had had enough. “But that rule isn’t as ironclad as you think it is—“

73. “I am holding you in contempt of court. You may no longer examine witnesses. Mr. Stark, are you going to challenge the
declara$on or not?”

74. Arthur looked at Sansa and scratched the back of his neck. Try as he might, he couldn’t think of any way to challenge Sansa’s
declara$on naming Piper as the Law. “No further ques$ons.”

75. What was leK of Sabriel’s game face disintegrated as they got back to the house. “This is a disaster,” she said.
“That’s the fiKeenth $me you’ve said that,” Will said.

76. “Well, it’s true,” Sabriel turned on him. “A trial? Before a judge who’s clearly been bought? You didn’t pick that bitch, did you?”
“It’s not like I knew anything about the judges—“

77. “Were you thinking? You should have held up that will and said, our way or get out of here! You should have been just as willing
to fight for us as that—that bastard was to fight for himself! I don’t want to hear it, Will.” She put her fingers in her ears and
stomped upstairs.

78. “You don’t blame me, do you?” Will asked Arthur.
As Arthur looked at him without saying anything, Will’s heart sunk. “I understand why you did it,” he finally said. “But I wish you’d
fought harder for us.”

79. “I’m sorry,” Will said.
“I—“ Arthur paused. “We should go up and prepare for your tes$mony tomorrow.”

80. They found Sabriel by the chess table, her face blank. “Ready to go?” she asked.

81. As they prepared, Will leaned on the desk and stared at the chessboard, remembering what Jan had told him the other day about
playing against himself. In a way, they had all been playing chess against themselves, unaware of the outside world except as an
abstract force to contend with as they tried to make the world be]er in their ways. But now, everything was changing.

82. Instead of going back to the house with everyone else, Julian went back to Bri]any’s house to celebrate his daughter’s toddler
birthday.
Bri]any had named her Valen$ne. It seemed like an odd name to Julian, but he hadn’t been around to object to it.

83. In any event, Valen$ne had her toddler transi$on that night, and Bri]any had invited all of the neighborhood simselves.

84. AKer coming downstairs to feed Valen$ne and taking her up to her crib again for a moment’s rest, Bri]any came over to talk to
Julian about their daughter.
“She’s been a total darling,” Bri]any said. “Even though changing diapers in the middle of the night is never fun—”

85. Julian interrupted: “How can you possibly be celebra$ng?”

86. Bri]any tried to smile, but instead, her mouth just looked pinched. “Because Valen$ne’s just a baby, and she doesn’t know
anything about the horror show that happened back there. And I’m a Popularity Sim. I can’t let my daughter grow up without
some kind of celebra$on.”

87. Julian had to admit that as he spun the noisemaker while wai$ng for Bri]any to blow out Valen$ne’s candles, he had managed to
put Piper out of his mind for a li]le while.

88. As for Valen$ne, she knew a crowd that was gathered around her when she saw one, and she flashed a big smile as she came
down from her toddler toss.
Valen$ne’s personality is 6/7/6/6/1 (Aries).

89. “I was not expec$ng to be a father at my age,” Julian was telling the simselves. “She’s adorable, but I thought I’d finished with
toddlers aKer—”

90. Julian’s speech was cut short when he turned his head and saw his daughter looking up at him.
“Hi there, Valen$ne,” Julian said, turning to her.

91. She hadn’t learned to speak yet, but it was pre]y clear to Julian that Valen$ne wanted him to pick her up.

92. “There,” he said aKer a snuggle. “Happier?”
Valen$ne smiled and made a noise that might have been a giggle.
“Good.” Julian smoothed the back of her head. “I’ll be living here with you as soon as I can.”

93. Because they hadn’t been allowed to give an opening statement on the first day of trial, Arthur stood to speak once the trial
resumed the next day.
“May it please the Court. As you know, anyone challenging a will has to prove by clear and convincing evidence that it is invalid.
This is a heavy burden, and Mr. Piper has not met it.

94. “We have the will of Brandon Stark with us. He did everything he was supposed to do to create a valid will. It is wri]en, signed,
and witnessed. And it clearly states that my sister Sabriel and me are intended to be the new Laws of Winterfell.
“And even if the will is somehow invalidated, my uncle was always clear that he intended us to succeed him. So was Will, our
brother and the heir. He will tes$fy about his intent that we become the Law of Winterfell.”

95. When Will went up to the seat, Arthur asked for his name and occupa$on, like Piper had done with his witnesses.
“Right now, I’m a trash talker.” Will brushed the hair out of his eyes. “And I am the heir of House Stark.”

96. “How did you become the heir?”
“My parents offered me the posi$on, and I accepted it. A couple of months aKer that, my dad died, and the leadership of the
family came to me.”

97. “Can you describe your first formal act as the heir?”
“My uncle—Uncle Brandon had called us at Oldtown to ask for advice. He asked for my opinion about who should succeed him as
the Law aNer Lily was fired.”
“What did you tell him?”

98. “I said that both of you should do it.” Will paused. “ ‘You’ meaning Arthur and Sabriel Stark.”
“Why did you want to choose us together?”

99. “It was important to choose two people because both you and Sabriel have other du$es to Winterfell. One person alone might
not be able to handle both being the Law and those other du$es. And you see things together that you don’t always see
separately. Arthur, you’re more level‐headed and even‐handed. Sabriel, with you, no one will ever confuse the obliga$ons of the
law with just plain guidelines. It has to be this way.”

100. “And do you recognize this document?”
“Yes.” Will examined it. “I wrote it when I came back to Winterfell. It names Arthur and Sabriel Stark as the Law of Winterfell,
jointly. Based on my powers as the heir.”

101. “Objec$on,” Piper said. “Because Sansa has returned, the powers of her ‘heirs’ mean nothing.”

102. “Overruled,” Lucia said. “As I said yesterday, they both have some power, so I’ll allow it.”

103. Arthur looked at Sabriel and saw his sister grinning. “She actually overruled one of his objec$ons!” she mouthed.

104. Arthur turned back to Will with new confidence. “Did you have any other conversa$ons with Uncle Brandon about our
succession?”
“Yes. We talked about it right before he died. He warned me‐‐”
“ObjecSon.”

105. “How do we know that the witness is telling the truth?” Piper asked, approaching the podium. “No disrespect to the heir—“
“I’m sure,” Will mouthed while Piper was talking.
“But Brandon Stark can’t tes$fy for himself, so you could say anything.”

106. “Because your witnesses have never lied,” Sabriel said to herself.

107. “Brandon is dead. It’s impossible to call him to the stand and ask him to tes$fy for himself about what he warned Will about,”
Arthur said. “If this was any other witness, maybe you’d have an argument. But the dead can’t tes$fy for themselves.”
“Be that as it may, the objec$on is sustained,” Lucia ruled.
Arthur ran through the examina$on that they had prac$ced and tried to think of what else might be relevant. “No further
ques$ons.”

108. Piper walked up to cross‐examine Will. “Tell me, why hasn’t Brandon Stark signed the document that you drew up for your
siblings?”
“Because his will demonstrated his intent. Clearly demonstrated his intent,” Will elaborated. “My declara$on just backs it up.”

109. “I see. And you are aware that the posi$on of Law is tradi$onally only for one person?”
“Yes, but—“
“No further ques$ons, Your Honor.”

110. “Thank you,” Lucia said. “I have made my decision.”
“Already?” Sabriel blurted out.
“Yes, already.” Lucia cleared her throat. “A full opinion on my reasoning will be forthcoming,” she said. “Judgment for Piper.
Costs—“

118. As Sabriel went up to stand with Arthur, she gradually became aware that Piper was daring to talk to her.
“That was not something I wanted to do. I respected your uncle greatly, and I hate to interfere with what his wishes seem to be.
But the law is the law.”

119. Sabriel slapped him, puOng as much force into it as she could. “Fuck you!”
“Language, Sabriel,” Sansa said.
She con$nued. “You don’t get to tell me you’re sorry,” she said. “You do not get to speak to me! If you’re that sorry, then give me
back what’s mine!”

120. “Violence? I thought you were be]er than that.” Piper didn’t cackle or do anything plainly devious. He looked genuinely
disappointed.

121. “I thought you were be]er than lying and chea$ng your way here,” Arthur snapped back.

122. “But the law is on my side. And now, I am the Law. Speaking of which, I have important work to do.”