Well does Bran know secrets; well does he know the importance of keeping some information held back. Sometimes he hates how well he knows it--before, his only secrets were small and silly things, though they had seemed so important at the time: who ate Rickon's maple cake, who stained Sansa's white riding gloves, who trapped the sparrow in the kitchens. Now his secrets are more dire, and as he stares at the hawk, he feels that this must be dire, too.

"I will not tell. I swear it on my honor." It is a good promise--it might seem one too serious, or perhaps foolish to make when he does not know why the shapeshifter must keep himself secret--but Bran feels how important it is, and he cannot ignore that. Still, curiosity moves him to ask: "Are you in some danger?"