[Summary: In a response to Arion214 asking why Bran did not appear at the feast in Winterfell early in _A Game of Thrones_.]
Pam, thanks for your post, and all the kind words about A GAME OF THRONES and "The Hedge Knight."
As to your question about Bran... well, he =is= present at the banquet, of course. Jon doesn't mention him, that's true, but of course there are hundreds of others who are present as well that Jon also fails to mention... and Bran is an everyday familiar sight to Jon, who is likely more curious about the guests... the king and queen, their children, the Lion and the Imp.
That's one explanation, anyway.
The other one is that the author just slipped up and neglected to mention him.
But either way, he =was= there, definitely. There's even a moment in A CLASH OF KINGS when he thinks back on that feast.