There’s something very nice about remembering fics you read years ago. Maybe you remember the plot perfectly, maybe the rest of the fic is only a blur aside from a handful of vivid scenes, but you remember the way it made you feel. And sometimes you dredge up the memory - the premise or a favourite scene or a few lines that stayed with you - and your heart aches a little bit, the way it does when you think about books you enjoyed as a child.
To all the fanfiction writers out there: your work is beautiful and meaningful and it leaves an impact. I promise.
"Perhaps not," Catelyn said, "but Brandon is dead, and the cup has passed, and you must drink from it, like it or not."
He takes the responsibility to heart, and with hesitant grace.
Parallels
"Brandon. Yes. Brandon would know what to do. He always did. It was all meant for Brandon. You, Winterfell, everything. He was born to be a King's Hand and a father to queens. I never asked for this cup to pass to me." - Catelyn II AGOT
Bran had never asked to be a prince. It was knighthood he had always dreamed of - Bran II ACOK
I want to be a knight. Bran took another sip of the spiced honey wine from his father's goblet - Bran III ACOK
Bran wants to be a knight, but he'll end being a leader like Ned.