Bitterroot Valley mary, mary, quite contrary

When she asked why, as children do, Rickon was briefly thrown for a loop. Did he explain to her that he felt responsible for his familial tragedy, and subsequently fled? Did he say something vague and unhelpful that she wouldn't even understand at this time? Or did he just outright lie to her? Would she even know the difference? Kids are complicated, he concluded, simultaneously deciding to find some sort of plaintive middle-ground between the truth and a lie. "Well, my home got really dangerous, so I'm out here looking for a new home... a new Heda to be my mentor and leader too."