Author's note: After reading about the Dawn Age, the Empire of the Dawn, the Bloodstone Emperor and the Amethyst Empress, the origin of dragons and how they came to be ridden by valyrians and a lot of other incredible stuff in TWOIAF and other sources, I just couldn't resist fantasizing about magic in its full power, Asshai and Stygai, what the Shadow is, who the tiger – men are, what the Children of the Forest are really up to and what they all have to do with the Others and the long and unbalanced seasons.

Hope you like the story and please review!
I don't own any of the characters. Not making money, just having fun.

"In the name of Renly of house Baratheon first of his name the rightful king of the Andals and the First Men Lord of the seven kingdoms and protector of the realm, I Brienne of Tarth sentence you to die!"

Stannis looked up at the warrior woman standing in front of him.

So this was it. This was how he was going to meet his end. Powerless, defeated and alone. At the hands of someone who wanted revenge for killing his brother...
Strangely enough, Stannis almost felt good about dying by Brienne's sword. Because it wasn't just a sword of a random soldier he never knew about flung to kill blindly at command. It was the sword of justice for his family. The sword of truth about himself.

He flinched from the pain in the wounds on his leg that shot through his entire body.

"Do you have any last words?"

Last words! What could he possibly say to her of all people?!
That he was sorry for destroying his family?! Of course he was but none of them were here to listen. And there was no point in saying it to a stranger, who wouldn't believe him anyway.
That his actions were all for one purpose alone - doing his duty by the realm as he saw it? That duty was the thing that kept him going all of his life because there was nothing else to live for and he couldn't live otherwise anyway? In his heart of hearts he knew that was absolutely true, so he didn't need to say it aloud.
That he was trying his best to fulfill his destiny?! So much for his destiny! That was just too pathetic and embarrassing to say out loud.
Isn't it funny how a pair of beautiful eyes lit up with admiration and a couple of flattering words coming from wonderfully formed lips can destroy a man's sense and judgment and make him believe he's some sort of legendary hero, bound to save the world from destruction?!
Well, if he was stupid enough to believe the red woman and do everything he did, he deserved both defeat and death. He even deserved betrayal. Especially betrayal! He deserved to get as good as he gave when he led his innocent child to the slaughter. Her eyes… so full of love… so full of trust… For that alone he deserved to burn for all eternity in whatever hell awaited him on the other side. He actually wanted to!

There was nothing to say, except…

"Go on, do your duty."

The woman drew her sword and stood above him, her young ugly face filled with dead – set righteous rage. And for a split second Stannis wondered if this was the look he usually had on his own face. Did those around him see in his eyes that hard unbending truth of a warrior duty-bound to fulfill an oath or a destiny? Did Shireen see it when he murdered her?!
Once again Stannis flinched with pain but this time it had nothing to do with his wounds. This was the pain that replaced his soul these days. So constant and intense that he stopped even noticing it until now. But that made sense. Now was a moment of truth.

Brienne of Tharth raised her weapon above her head. In a few seconds it would all be over and he would face the unknown of 'Valar morghulis'. He wasn't afraid of death. He had seen it too closely too many times. And now was the first and only time he was going to really know it.
Stannis looked up and stared directly into the woman's eyes. Even though she was tall and strong, more so than many men, he could sense there was something very small and fragile about her. She looked tough, but he knew she was very young and not battle-hardened at all. Not really. There was so much she still needed to learn and no doubt she would do it the hard way. Well, he was going to teach her something right now. Everyone should see the eyes of the man they were going to kill. And of the man who was going to kill them.

Brienne screamed, her sword whizzed before Stannis's eyes and hit the ground next to him with a loud thud. For a moment both remained completely still as if they couldn't quite believe he was alive.

Finally Brienne broke the silence.

"As much as I'd like to, I won't kill you" – she said, sliding the sword back in its scabbard.

"You'd rather leave me to the Boltons?" – Stannis asked trying to sound indifferent.

In truth he wasn't at all looking forward to being captured and tortured for who knows how long by the bastard Ramsey, who definitely wasn't one to miss his fun. Stannis much preferred a quick and easy death as anyone in his position would have. But if this was his fate… well… so be it!

"No" – Brienne answered severely – "I'm going to trade you."

"Trade me?" – Stannis said surprised – "What ever for?"

"Sansa Stark" – Brienne replied contentedly – "A false king for the child of lady Catleyn. I'll take you to Winterfell and demand they set her free. I shall fulfill both my vow to lady Stark and my promise to avenge king Renly."

"Roose Bolton will never give up the Stark girl" – Stannis chuckled at the extraordinary nativity of the plan – "Not for me, not for anything else. You're a fool to even try. If you go anywhere near Winterfell and start bargaining, Bolton will have you captured and locked up in a cell before you can blink."

"Do you think I will believe anything you say, kinslayer?!" – Brienne snorted crossly.

"If you've got any sense you will" – Stannis shrugged his shoulders – "Don't you realize that Sansa Stark is the key to Bolton's grip on the North? Do you seriously think he will give up his crucial leverage for nothing?!"

"How self – critical of you" – Brienne said, raising her eyebrows.

"I'm not being self – critical, I'm being objective." – answered Stannis calmly.

"Are you?!" – Brienne asked sarcastically – "I thought you were simply trying to talk me out of my plan."

"Of course I am, you idiot, but for your sake"

"Oh really?!"

"Lady Tarth, take a good look at me" – Stannis sighed a bit irritably – "I have no army, no power, no gold and no family. All I have left are my wits and my sword. Of what use could I possibly be to the Boltons? You, on the other hand, have a father who would pay a handsome ransom for your freedom and safety. And if for some reason he doesn't, no one would even think to second guess the decision of the Warden of the North to kill a prisoner, who, incidentally, tried to kidnap his happily married daughter in law under the ridiculous pretext of promising her dead mother something completely irrelevant."

"I am not trying to kidnap her! I don't know that she's happily married!" – Brienne cried defensively – "And my vow is not ridiculous!"

" No need to convince me" – answered Stannis as he watched Brienne's face closely. He could see the inner struggle she had between her brain that knew he was right and her heart that didn't know anything except the fact that she wanted him dead and Sansa Stark free.

Luckily for all involved, Brienne finally accepted that her enemy was right and decided to revoke her plan. But the trouble was she was at her wits end about helping Sansa. Was the girl really happy with these monsters that murdered her family?! Brienne could hardly believe it. But she couldn't very well spend her whole life waiting for the signal as she has done for the last three months.
Suddenly it hit her! 'All I have left are my wits and my sword' – he had said… Stannis Baratheon may be a murderer and a bastard… and he may have lost a battle, but he is still one of the greatest commanders in Westeros. She had often heard her father and her superiors at Storm's End praise him very highly. The brilliant strategist and the fearless battle general, equaled only by Tywin Lannister himself. Surely he could think of something! And it wouldn't hurt to have a skilled warrior at her side.
Even the likes of Stannis should have the decency to help the daughter of an old friend.

"Very well" – Brienne said reluctantly – "I won't give you to the Boltons but only for lady Sansa's sake mind. If I should be captured there would be no one left to help her"

"A wise and selfless decision" – Stannis grumbled as he watched Brienne's face redden with annoyance. Strangely enough he was actually beginning to enjoy teasing the poor girl. She was rather funny when irritated. Dangerous, but still funny. Like an overgrown five year old.

"If you want me to spare your life, kinslayer, you have to help me" – Brienne said importantly.

"And why in the seven hells do you imagine I would want you to spare my life?" – Stannis asked honestly.

"You can either die here of cold and blood loss, or you can help me free lady Sansa!" – Brienne replied forcefully – "I'm not just offering to save your present worthless life, I'm giving you a chance to do something good with it"

Stannis couldn't argue with that! He may be crushed into the dirt, fallen beyond all redemption… His soul may be devastated and his life worth nothing… but he still had his brains, his skills, his experience and hard – earned knowledge. And Stannis could think of nothing better than using them to help a lost little girl. Perhaps more than one, he said to himself as he looked at the tall young warrior standing in front of him with her hand on her sword. Brienne was desperately trying to look confident but it was clear to anyone she was in over her head. And more to the point it was his duty to help Eddard Stark's daughter for her father's sake as much as for her own.

"Well?! Will you help lady Sansa or won't you?!" – Brienne asked trying to hide the little nervous shake in her voice.

Stannis was many things, but most of all he was a born fighter, a very stubborn one at that. And stubbornness is what remains when all hope and strength are gone. The one thing that pulls you through when all else fails. This was the main principle that guided him through his entire life. No matter how many times he fell down, he was always too stubborn to quit, so he always got up.
And he'd be damned if he didn't do it again now!

"Of course I'll help her" - Stannis said with a steel determination in his voice very familiar to those who knew him - "I'll help the both of you."

Brienne nodded, tore off a few pieces of cloth from the sleeve of one of the dead soldiers and threw them to Stannis. He bandaged his wounds as best he could, than picked up his sword, thrusted it into the frosty ground and leaned on the hilt as he got up, his face distorted with a grimace of pain.

"Get my dagger, will you? It's there" – Stannis said as he pointed at the corpse of the soldier he had just killed.
Brienne sighed irritably for appearances sake, but she knew perfectly well he wouldn't use his injured leg if he could possibly help it. So she pulled the daggar out of the man's throat, put Stannis's arm over her shoulder and helped support his weight. It was relatively easy, since Stannis was just a little taller than she was. And his armor was rather light.

"How long do you think they'll keep looking for you?" – Brienne asked trying to think of some place to hide that was both safe and near enough to the castle in case Sansa should decide to signal her tonight.

"Not long. Might've stopped already" – Stannis grunted, trying to ignore the burning pain in his leg – "They didn't chase any of the men that managed to run far enough away from the battlefield. Too lazy to waste their time on deserters, so I doubt they'll want to bother identifying bodies. Most likely they've decided I'm dead and if not, I'm no threat or use to them anyway."

"Good" – said Brienne quite pleased to be spared the trouble of having to hide her prisoner and then go looking for Podrick – "Our camp should do well enough then."

"Whose camp is that?" – Stannis asked curiously.

"Mine" – Brienne snapped - "And my squire's. He can't fight properly yet, so I left him to guard the camp and wait for my return."

"You mean you're trying to save the Stark girl alone?"

"Yes!" – Brienne said bitterly – "And I would've done so long ago if she had trusted me and not that bastard Littlefinger!"

"Baelish?" – Stannis hemmed – "He's her guardian now, is he?"

"Yes. Because he's her uncle by his marriage to lady Catlyn's sister."

"Jon Arryn's wife married to that piece of filth!" – Stannis snorted disgustedly.

"He was so smug and pleased when lady Sansa chose him!" – Brienne added angrily ignoring Stannis's remark - "The liar who claimed to care for her and then sold her to the Boltons!"

"Littlefinger can be very convincing, when he chooses. And in this case he probably didn't even have to lie" – Stannis said, gritting his teeth as another wave of sharp pain shot through his leg - "The daughter of his beloved Cat?! He cares for her all right..."

"What?!"

"Sansa Stark is a pawn in his game, but a prized and cherished one. Just because he uses her, doesn't mean he doesn't want or like her."

"How can he care for her and use her at the same time?!" – Birenne asked completely confused and outraged.

"See, this is why young girls trust people they shouldn't" – Stannis answered in a mentor's tone, deciding to remain silent about the fact that he himself was in no position to criticize.

"You seem to know him well" – Brienne replied mistrustfully, but with a shade of admiration in her voice.

"We served on the Small Council together for over ten years. Of course I know him well" – Stannis replied through gritted teeth.

Podrick was pacing nervously up and down in front of the ruined little hut that served as their camp for the last two months as he waited for Brienne to return. She had been gone for over two hours and although she was the best fighter he had ever seen, the young squire was getting more and more worried by the minute. Brienne had ordered him to stay at the camp, but now he wished he had disobeyed her. What if she was captured or killed by Stannis Baratheon or the Boltons?! What if he could've helped her?! How could he find out if she needed his help now?! And what in the world was he supposed to do to if she was gone?!
Suddenly he heard slow, heavy footsteps and rusping of armor from behind the bushes. He felt his heart stop for a moment. Gulping down the fear, Podrick quietly picked up his ax and crept up behind the thick bushes that hid him from whoever it was on the other side. He soon found a little gap in the bundle of branches and peeked through it. He couldn't see anything except the snow that covered the ground.

"Podrick!" – Brienne's voice called making him jump with fright – "Get over here!"

Relieved and happy, the young squire threw down his ax and rushed out of his hiding place.

"My lady, I…" – he cried, but stopped midsentence when he saw the man his mistress was practically carrying on her back. He was half – conscious and limping badly. Podrick had never seen him before, but from what he had heard back at King's Landing, he could guess, who he was. But why in the world would his mistress want to save a man she swore to kill?! Whatever the reason, he wasn't going to ask.

"We need a fire right now!" – Brienne said hastily.

"Are you mad, it's too dangerous!" – the man groaned.

"Shut up before you pass out" – she snapped and turned to Podric again – "Have we got any wine left?"

"No, my lady" – the squire answered perplexed – "And we don't have any firewood either… I dropped both the bunch and the rabbits when I saw…"

"Then go get it! Right now!" – Brienne yelled – "And when you've done that, run down to the village and get some wine!"

The lad took off as fast as his legs could carry him. And an hour later he was sitting in front of the fire, skinning the rabbits and taking occasional glimpses at Brienne who was digging into one of their sacks looking for bandages, needle and thread and lord Stannis who was asleep wrapped up in her cloak. His armor and weapons lay next to him.

"Oh! Finally!" – Brienne sighed irritably pulling out everything she needed – "Podrick, why are our things in such a damned mess?!"

"Sorry, my lady" – the squire answered meekly, deciding not to make the point that the mess always occurred after his mistress had been anywhere near the sack.

"Is the wine hot yet" – Brienne asked.

Podrick wiped his hand on his clothes and felt the liquid in their small cauldron with his finger.

"Yes, my lady."

"Good! Bring it over here."

Brienne sat down on the ground next to Stannis and woke him up by taking of the bandages that were soaked in blood. Podrick carefully took of the steaming cauldron and put it next to Brienne. She blushed a little bit when Stannis untied his breeches and took off one trouser leg exposing two deep wounds on the side of his right leg. One on the thigh, one just above the knee…

"Normally the clothes covering wounds should be cut off" – he said, breaking the rather awkward silence.

"Are the wounds very serious?" – Podrick asked shyly.

"No" – Brienne shook his head – "But he's lost a lot of blood."

"How d'you know when a lot is a lot?" – Podrick asked not knowing what else to say.

"When the heart races, the injured looks pale and feels dizzy. But in this case there's little to worry about. With rest and treatment he's very likely to recover soon" – Stannis replied, looking skeptically at Brienne who was trying rather clumsily to thread the needle - "When the injured's breath is heavy, his heart beats so fast it seems like his chest is about to burst and he has no idea of what's going on, he's in trouble. Anything worse – he's a dead man."

"Have you ever treated a wound, Pod?"– Brienne asked nervously when she finally managed to get the thread in place.

"No, my lady" – the lad answered a bit meekly. He wasn't at all keen on healing.

"Obviously, neither have you" – Stannis sighed – "Leave the thread alone. Clean the wound first."

"I know what to do"! – Brienne snapped and thrust the needle into Podrick's hands – "I've seen maesters do it many times"

Then she took her cup and dipped it into the cauldron.

"You might want to get a piece of cloth first" – Stannis frowned.

"I'm going to!" – Brienne said irritably.

"Why does she need cloth?" – Podrick asked as he watched Brienne cut off a piece of a bandage and dip it into the wine.

"Watch" – she answered and started to wipe the skin around the wound.

"From the cut, not to it!" – Stannis hissed through gritted teeth – "There's no puss in there yet!"

"Now pour the wine directly into the wound" – he continued breathing heavily and clenching his fists – "Good! Again! No, not on the second one yet! Always stitch up before going for another wound."

"Where did you learn all this?" – Podirck asked in awe.

"Battle experience" - Stannis answered.

"You'd better drink this" – Brienne said giving Stannis a full cup of hot wine. He poured it down his throat in one gulp.

"Right… "- Brienne said nervously taking the needle from Pod – "Approximate wound edges, don't insert the needle too close or too far and tie nods tight enough to hold, but not too tight."

"Correct" – Stannis nodded and clenched his teeth, bracing himself for Brienne's slow and clumsy stitching.

The three of them were very glad when all was finally over and both his wounds were stitched up and bandaged.

"Now" – Stannis said lying on his back – "Tell me about the Stark girl."

"There's not much to tell" – Brienne sighed, turning over the rabbits that were strung up above the fire – "I offered her protection, she refused it. When Bealish took her to Winterfell, we followed. When we got here, she was already at the castle, so I asked a loyal servant of the Starks to give her a message, that if ever she needed my help, she should light a candle at the top of the broken tower and I would come. We've been watching out for it every day for two months, but to no avail."

"Is that all?!" – Stannis asked after a heavy pause.

"Yes"

"Do you mean to tell me that the two of you have been standing sentry gazing at the tower every day for two months without even thinking of trying to find out what was actually going on at the castle?!" – Stannis said completely stunned and not really believing his ears.

"The old man swore his wife would give lady Sansa my message!" – Birenne said defensively, starting to feel like a prize idiot under the gaze of piercing deep dark blue eyes.

"Didn't it ever occur to either of you that the man or his wife might have been captured, interrogated and killed before they had a chance to give the girl your message? Or even worse… after?" – Stannis asked and sat up - "Or that they might be spies for the Boltons? Or that Sansa Stark might be locked up and unable to give the signal?"

"If the Boltons knew we were here ready to help Sansa Stark they would've come after us" – Brienne replied lowering her eyes, completely embarrassed at being so foolish – "They didn't so they don't know."

"Either that or they correctly don't believe you to be a serious threat" – Stannis sighed – "May I ask how you intend to get into the castle if you do see the signal?"

"Er… through the gate?" – Podrick asked quietly.

Stannis didn't even answer. One look was quite enough to convey all his thoughts on the matter.

"And I suppose I'm wasting my breath asking if you fools have even the slightest idea about where you're going? And by that I mean the structure of the castle, location of its towers, rooms, passages etc.? How were you planning to find the girl if you somehow managed to get past the gates?! Ask for directions?!"

"More or less…" – Brienne replied shifting the rabbits again and not daring to take her eyes away from the fire – "Anything else you want to say?!"

"Say?!" – Stannis snorted – "What can I say, except…Brienne of Tarth… beauty and brains!"
"Aaaaaaaargh! Damn you!" – he screamed as Brienne's fist landed on one of his wounds.

"Don't you dare insult me!" – she yelled.

" It's not an insult if it's the truth!"

"Oh yes it is!"

"It's not my fault, all the truths about you are insults" – Stannis shot back.

His insensitive remark was immediately followed by another hit, but this time he caught her fist before it could deliver its message.

"Stop being so childish" – Stannis said calmly, holding her hand firmly as she tried to free it – "There's nothing wrong with making mistakes. Even stupid ones. As long as you face the music and learn."

"Stop insulting me and I'll stop being childish"– Brienne grumbled and jerked her hand, trying to free herself from Stannis's iron grasp.

She twitched irritably as he loosened his grip and moved away to sulk on the other side of the fire.
Stannis sighed and rolled his eyes. What in the world did those two think they were doing out here?! Two children without a bloody clue!

"So… what do you think we should do?" – Podrick asked, knowing Brienne would never do it herself now, no matter how much she wanted to.

"We sneak into the castle to rescue the girl of course. Without waiting for any kind of signal."

"Really?!" – Brienne snorted resentfully – "And how does the great master general propose to do it?! "

"Quickly and discreetly" – Stannis answered with a grunt that was actually his version of a chuckle.

"D'you mean to say you know how to get around the castle gates?!" – Brienne asked dumbfounded.

"Of course I do"– he said importantly – "And I have a fairly good idea where to look for her. You didn't seriously think I was marching on Winterfell without a battle plan, did you?! I found everything I could about Winterfell from Jon Snow before I even started to think of siege. And, by the way, that is what you two should've been doing these last two months."

"Well if you're so clever, why aren't you sitting in the great hall of Winterfell celebrating your victory right now?!" – Brienne asked spitefully, glad for the opportunity to get a bit of her own back.

"Because no battle plan in history has ever survived first contact with the enemy. Attack, assess improvise, adapt, overcome. That's how you do it" – Stannis explained trying his best to feign indifference – "But in this case my real enemy was the cold. I lost half of my forces after our first clash and would've surely lost the other half had I turned back. So I had to gamble. I knew Roose Bolton was never one to act if he could get what he wanted by waiting. He would've stayed behind his walls believing himself safe and watched me freeze to death in my camp without any casualties. Winterfell is neigh unbreachable solid rock, but it does have one weakness… the overlaps are made of wood. All I had to do was feign siege preparations, send twenty good men into the castle through the secret passage that only Starks know about, set it on fire and catch the Boltons outside the burning keep. But apparently Ramsay Bolton is the smart one in the family. So here I am."

"A risk against a certainty…" - Brienne said quietly not feeling so vindictive anymore for some reason – "But why the north?! Why not try and attack King's Landing again?"

"Because the Night's Watch pleaded for help against the wildlings. They were completely overwhelmed by Mance Raider. Castle Black would've fallen had we not come in the nick of time."

"But why you?"

"Because out of all the lords they asked for help, I was the only one that answered. Little did I know, the wildlings were the least of my worries" – Stannis sighed – "Anyway, let us get back to the matter in hand."

Brienne would dearly have liked to know what Stannis meant by the wildlings being the least of his worries. She never considered herself too bright, but it was plain even to her, that it was something far more complicated than just the struggle for the Iron Throne.

"Yes" – she said, dismissing the idea – "When do you propose to do it?"

"Tomorrow night would've been perfect. When all the Boltons will have been at the victory feast. But that's not possible."

"Why?"

"Because I can't help you. And don't even think about going alone. You'll fail" – Stannis said categorically, shaking his head.

"But it would take weeks for your wounds to heal!"– exclaimed Brienne.

"Not that long! They don't need to be fully healed. Just enough for me to be able to run and fight through the pain."

"Still…"

"You've waited for two months, what's another week?! We could use the time to find out more about the guards, the castle routine…"

"But tomorrow would be perfect, you said so yourself!" – Brienne said stubbornly.

"Even if I tell you everything I know about the castle, you need all the help you can get!" – Stannis replied getting annoyed with the silly girl.

"Beg pardon, my lord" – Podrick interrupted quietly – "You said we'd go once you could walk through the pain?"

"Yes…"

" Would 'Milk of the poppy' enable you to make it tomorrow?"

"A large dose of it would. And tight bandages" – Stannis replied eyeing the lad curiously – "But where the hell are you…"

"I have two bottles. Would that be enough?" – asked Podrick taking two small ampules of milky – white liquid out of his breast pocket and giving them to Stannis.

"Ample!"

"Where in the world did you get them?!" – Brienne asked as her jaw finally managed to return to its proper place.

"Ser Bronn gave them to be before we left King's landing" – the lad answered - "He said I should always have a couple of bottles on me and acquire them whenever I can by any means necessary. And never tell anyone I have them."

"Smart man!" – Stannis said with a touch of admiration lifting his eyebrows.