Disclaimer: I don't own the rights, characters, locations or plots from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Just as I don't own the rights to the characters, locations, or plots from Game of Thrones. They belong to their respective owners without whom this fanfiction would not have been possible. All reviews are welcome
Oxford University, 1700 hours
Dawn stepped out of the Clarendon Institute building, home of the Faculty of Linguistics, and into the cool winter day. She had been studying for an upcoming paper that was due a month from now. And it was just as well; Dawn was glad to have to have some semblance of normalcy after the return of magic when she was almost wiped out of existence. Her sister, the Slayer known as Buffy Summers was in London with Giles, Xander, and Willow setting up the Summers Institute of Higher Learning. With a dearth of training facilities for Slayers other than DeepScan, run by Kennedy Williams, or 'help groups' like the Underground run by Faith for wayward Slayers, the Summers Institute was going to be a school.
A real school, with real teachers, teaching real subjects- a school which would be open to girls who were both normal and Potential Slayers. In addition, the Potential Slayers would be trained in an underground facility below the school itself.
The whole idea was Xander's really. As Dawn tightened the scarf around her neck and walked alongside the pedestrians on the sidewalk, she remembered the day that her ex-boyfriend had come to Buffy with an idea, "X-Men!" That's what he said before slamming the latest issue of the comic book onto the dining room table in the apartment that Buffy, Willow, and Dawn shared- an apartment they were lucky to have thanks to Buffy's waitressing job and Willow's job at a computer gaming studio where she was working as a programmer. Dawn was having breakfast that very day when she chuckled at the idea that Xander explained.
"A place where we train Slayers," Xander clapped his hands together with a grin on his lips. All the while Buffy and Willow stared at each other, and then at Dawn, and the three of them then turned to Xander once again who had his palms on the table and grinning at the three women, "you know, like Professor Xav…"
"And the Institute of Higher Learning," Dawn finished with her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at Xander, "really? We're following a comic book now?"
Willow chuckled at the pout on Xander's face before shaking her head at Xander, "but Xand, remember the whole Slayer Council thing? It wasn't exactly the greatest idea of all time."
"That didn't go down too well, Xand," Buffy reminded Xander, "I had to return the money I stole to fund the Council? Remember? It's one of the conditions Riley arranged with the government so that… you know… we don't go to jail?"
It had been two years since the return of magic and Xander's big idea. And since then, Giles had been using his connections to the British Government to fast track the new Summers Academy.
'It's supposed to be completed next year,' Dawn thought to herself as she tightened the scarf around her throat while the cool wind went through her hair, 'Willow's using her magic to create the space for the underground training site, and…'
"Dawn Summers?" Dawn's train of thought was interrupted upon hearing a male voice from behind her. She turned around and was about to say that she was indeed Dawn Summers when suddenly, she opened her mouth wide open and gasped as a long blade was pushed into her abdomen while the middle-aged man with blue eyes and red hair pulled her in and whispered into her ear, "I've been looking for you and your blood for a long time."
Dawn groaned as the mysterious man hugged her close while people streamed past her; the people unable to make out what was happening thanks to the man's overcoat obstructing the view of the blade being stabbed into Dawn. To the people walking past, the two of them looked like any couple making out in the middle of the sidewalk.
However, Dawn felt her body growing still and, as much as she tried, she could not scream out for help. Dawn then felt the blade being taken out of her before feeling the warmth of blood that gushed out. She hoped that the others around her could see the blood that flowed down the front of her abdomen before she felt something hollow and cylindrical being placed against the wound. Dawn panted hard as the sting of the cylinder being pressed into her wound was excruciating, but she still couldn't scream. After what seemed like hours, but was really little over a minute, the man pulled the cylinder away and then whispered in her ear, "if you die, you die. But if you don't, then tell your sister that this is what she gets for playing God with the lives of people. This is my vengeance for what she, you, and your friends took away from me. And now, all of you will die… the world will end in ice and darkness before being remade with me ruling the world." The man then stepped back, releasing Dawn, with a smile on his face.
As Dawn crumpled to the cold hard sidewalk, she saw people rushing up to her asking if she was okay, as the man grinned down at her body while screwing a top into the wide cylindrical jar that held thick red liquid. The man then turned and ran as fast as she could while more people rushed to her aid with a few others running after the man. But Dawn didn't know if he was captured or not since her eye lids started getting heavier and heavier by the second.
"Buffy," Dawn whispered before closing her eyes as her blood pooled on the sidewalk.
Three Hours later.
"I'm looking for Dawn Summers, I'm her sister, where is she!" Buffy yelled out after rushing into the hospital and approaching the reception desk where the nurse looked up with eyes wide open, "where is she?" The nurse at the reception desk stared at the wild eyed girl, and then at the concerned faces of the redhead and brown haired, patch eyed, male rushing in behind her before turning back to the blonde who slammed her hands onto the surface of the table and yelled, "where is she!?" The nurse noticed a security officer walking towards them just as the redhead held onto the blonde girl's shoulder while the male leaned forward and gently spoke.
"This is Buffy Summers," the man said pointing at the blonde whose eyes were wet with tears and, at this point, panting just as the security officer arrived at the desk and asked what was happening.
"We received a call about my friend's sister being admitted to this hospital after an attack a few hours ago," the redhead, Willow, said eying the security officer and then the nurse behind the reception desk, "we were in London when we got the call and… and Buffy's really concerned."
"May I have a name?" the nurse asked Buffy who had her eyes closed while taking a deep breath.
"Dawn Summers," the man, Xander, said just as the doors to the lobby opened once again and a grey hair older man rushed in."
"Buffy, Xander, Willow? Where's Dawn?"
"Sir, are you with this group?" asked the Security officer as he raised his hand at Giles.
"I am," Giles nodded his head, "I'm a family friend."
While Giles and the others were explaining to the guard that Buffy didn't mean to sound so hysterical, the nurse was checking the computer for Dawn's condition, and then her wing and room number. After finding out everything she needed, the nurse took a piece of paper and wrote down the details before standing up onto her feet.
"Your sister's in intensive care," the nurse said as Buffy's eyes went wide and her face paled, as did Willow, Xander, and Giles. "the details are on the piece of paper," the nurse explained while handing the piece of paper to Buffy, "I will inform the doctor that you are on the way."
"Is she going to be… okay?" Buffy asked, her own voice sounding so far away. But all the nurse could do was say that the doctor would explain everything. Buffy muttered "thanks" silently while Willow and Xander gently placed their hands on her shoulders. The nurse then asked the security officer to escort the group to the intensive care wing.
A few minutes later.
Buffy's eyes were blank as she is tend to the doctor explaining to her, Giles, Willow, and Xander the condition of the pale brunette who could be seen through a window in a private room. She was under a blanket with all sorts of machines being hooked onto her while a hanging blood bag was attached to her wrist.
"She lost a lot of blood," the doctor said while Buffy stared at Dawn through the window, "but luckily people attended to her. Some pressed down on the wound to stop the bleeding while another started CPR. So we are hopeful that her brain continued to receive oxygen, and…"
"When will she wake up?" Buffy asked softly.
"Her MRI was clear, her X-Ray's…"
"When will she wake up?" Buffy hissed turning to the doctor while her body remained towards Dawn.
"Tonight is a critical moment," the doctor explained, "if nothing untoward happens tonight, then she should… and I mean should… wake up within the next twenty four hours. When she wakes up, we'll know if her brain was affected by the blood loss."
"Thank you, doctor," Giles whispered placing his hand on Buffy's shoulder.
"I'll be back to check up on Dawn in an hour, in the meantime Miss Summers," the doctor said while Buffy looked back and stared at Dawn, "I would suggest that you rest. After all, your sister will need you as she recovers."
"Did the police catch the person responsible?" Willow asked turning towards the doctor.
"I'm afraid I don't have that information," the doctor said, "but I do know that officers will be coming along soon to ask you questions about the attack. I mean if Dawn had any enemies, or…."
"I get it," Buffy whispered staring at Dawn, "thank you, doctor." The doctor then nodded his head before turning around and walking away. One he was out of ear shot, Buffy spoke softly, "Willow, find out who did this. Whoever stabbed her must have Dawn's blood on him or her.. Do a location spell. I…"
"Buffy, you need to…"
Buffy looked at Giles with anger in her eyes before saying, "I need to find out who did this and why." Buffy then turned to Willow who stared back at her, their eyes locked together, "Willow, I need a location spell, find the one who did this." Buffy then turned to Xander, "Xand, call in any Slayers we know… Slayers we trust… that are operating in Oxford. I want a Slayer guard watching Dawn's room."
"I'll make the call, Buffy," Xander said.
"I'll get a location spell ready," Willow added. Buffy nodded at them before turning to Giles, and then to Dawn while Willow and Xander rushed off.
"We have so many enemies, Giles," Buffy whispered while Giles stood next to her. Buffy started to feel an emptiness in her while imagining a life without her younger sister. For the first time in a long time, she was in a state of fear… although she didn't show it to Giles. She mentally tried to go through those who had reason to hurt Dawn, or hurt her through Dawn- and it was a long list. 'Whoever it was that stabbed Dawn, he or she better watch out.' Buffy thought to herself, 'I'm coming.'
Unknown Island, UK.
The man who stabbed Dawn stood at an alter in the ruins of an ancient castle on an island off the coast of Cornwall. It was thanks to a spell that he was able to teleport from Oxford to another location where he was able to use half of the blood in the jar to open a chest he had spent nearly two hours digging up out of the ground. It was a long rectangular case that had been buried long ago, centuries ago, but the case looked as it did the day it was buried.
It hadn't aged a day.
"You have what we need to open the doorway?" a female voice asked from behind, "Collin?"
"Yes, Amy," Collin replied getting up to his feet after the case was pulled out of the ground, and laid on the hard ground next to the freshly dug up soil. He stared at the case while saying, "and it's all thanks to you."
"They killed the people we loved," Amy said as she remembered the year without magic, the horror and screams that came from the flayed young man, Warren Mears, who was held together by magic before he literally fall apart once that magic was gone. "So we make them suffer."
Collin nodded his head with his back to Amy, "thank you for seeking me out after my Melanie's death. Thank you for.."
"She was in my coven, I felt her passing when I was in Paris burying what remained of Warren," Amy said.
"The elixir I bought was working," Collin said looking at the case before he crouched down and grabbed the cover, "she was getting better by the minute, and then…"
"Buffy destroyed the seed of wonder," Amy said, "she wiped out magic from this realm and…"
"And Melanie suffered," Colin said opening the case to reveal a metal sword- the blade had runic symbols that travelled down its length. He reached down and grabbed the hilt, his fingers wrapping around the tightly wound leather, "she would have lived… I saw the magic work… I saw… I saw her getting better and then…"
"The magic in the elixir failed," Amy nodded her head as Colin stood back up.
"She withered away… she was screaming pain for two days straight," Colin said turning around and facing Amy, "the witch that performed the ritual said that the elixir became a type of poison in her body and… and then…" Colin shook his head before reaching into his tunic and then handing the sword and the jar of blood to Amy, "it doesn't matter now, do what you have to do. You've already helped me with one part of my vengeance, and now do this for me."
"What you're asking for is to bring on the the onset of darkness," Amy asked with her eyes narrowed, "are you sure? I mean I'll use my magic to protect myself and…"
"With this sword in hand," Colin said as his eyes turned yellow and fangs extended out his mouth, "and this amazing work you did grafting a demon into my soul, I will control an army. An army of the dead."
"With Dawn's blood combined with the magic in the sword," Amy said, "you can tear open a gateway that'll connect you to the other realm you saw in your dreams. You can control the dead, and bring them here… you will rule, and…"
"And Buffy's head with be on the end of a pike," Colin said. Amy nodded her head before she walked towards the alter. She placed the sword on the surface before pouring half of Dawn's blood onto the blade. Colin walked up to Amy and stood next to her watching the blood get absorbed into the blade, the ancient runes starting to glow one after another.
"I call on the old gods, the ancient gods that long walk this Earth," Amy whispered a spell as she handed the jar containing the remainder of Dawn's blood to Colin. She then turned and grabbed the hilt before pulling the sword out of its case, "the gods that granted power to Merlin to separate Excalibur to blades of death and life. I call on those gods to restore power to this blade, the blade of death, I beseech the gods to use the blood of the Key to bind magic to the blade so that it can grant everlasting power."
The sword them glowed bright red in Amy's hand before she handed it to Colin, "you wanted power? You have it. With Dawn's blood absorbed into the blade, you can slice open a portal to the other realm and bring the creatures in your vision here, and every time you kill with the sword… be it man or demon, the blood staining the blade will transfer power to you."
"Good," Colin said as he stared at the blade. Before looking at Amy, "but the power that will course through me after killing my enemies won't harm me, will it?"
"You're half demon now," Amy pointed out, "you won't be affected. But if a human kills anyone with that blade? Then they'll go mad from the extra power that'll flow into them; power which would corrupt them. So mad that they would eventually turn into a mindless demon that would burn at the touch of the sword."
"Ah yes," Colin whispered staring back at the blade in his hand, "the great Excalibur could never be wielded by a pure demon." He then looked up at Amy once again and smiled, "but a half demon… or rather a human that was made into a half demon. Now that is a different thing all together."
"That isn't the full sword," Amy said shaking her head, "the half of it that gives life has been hidden away. Every spell I tried was unsuccessful. But you don't need that blade, you just…"
"I wonder," Colin whispered staring at the blade. He had been ignoring Amy until now when he turned his head and stared at her once again. His eyes wandered her body before settling on her chest, where her heart would be, before looking back into her eyes, "what would it feel like to have the power… the life essence of a human be transferred into me through the blade."
"I assume it's like when you drink blood," Amy said staring into Colin;s eyes, a chill going up her spine. Colin had the sword pointed down while he stared at her and tilted his head. Amy wondered what was going through his mind, she wondered if she could really survive what was coming should he open the portal. She wondered if, in her own anger for vengeance against Willow and the others for the death of Warren, she made the right choice in helping Colin. She met the man in Paris after the witch who had tried to help cure his own wife from a genetic disease referred her to him.
Amy told Colin what happened; about what Buffy had done in destroying the seed of wonder which wiped out magic from Earth. She explained everything, and then they worked together on ways to bring Buffy and her Scoobies to heel. The both of them wanted vengeance.. It was the very thing that connected them. Then a year later, after having tracked down Buffy, Willow and the others using non-magical means… magic returned. Upon the return of magic to Earth, Colin's plans changed. He started having dreams of the dead walking in a frozen wasteland, of beings in armour with pale skin and blue eyes. He told Amy, now his lover, of his dreams but the blonde witch couldn't make heads or tails about the creatures he described.
The dreams went on for six more months, and he saw a great battle with dragons in the sky, a vast army of the living against the dead. He dreamt of the living being wiped out, and the dead succeeding… now with three dragons on their side. He watched the destruction of a vast castle surrounded by snow before the army of the dead moved on. He saw dead bring down untold destruction as the world turned to darkness.
And Colin wanted that power. He wanted to control the dead. He wanted to use the dead to kill the living on Earth. He wanted to begin with Buffy. In his mind, she was the one responsible for killing his wife, and then he wanted the world brought down on its knees since his wife was no longer in it.
But he needed to become powerful first, Colin had Amy search for a Pell that would combine his human soul with that of a vampire. It had taken moths for the both of them to search for a spell… in the end, they found it in London. Amy then performed the ritual which bonded Colin's soul to that of a demon… a Vampire. Now he was able to not only kill by drinking the blood of human, but he could walk under the sunlight, he could control his urges- he basically had all the abilities of a vampire, with very few of the weaknesses.
But even with that power, there was a chance- A small chance, that Buffy could defeat him. And so, Colin and Amy searched for a way to the other realm… the one in his dreams.
And Amy was the one who found it.
With the sword in one hand pointing towards the ground. Colin walked up to Amy, grabbed the back of her head, and then pulled her in. The both of them kissed passionately for several seconds before pulling back. Amy whimpered before opening her eyes to Colin's smile and saying, "when you want to return with your army, all you have to do is swing the sword, and a portal will open back here."
It was just then that there was a gust of wind from behind them. Amy and Colin turned around to find a blue tear in the air that rippled and fluctuated. Amy frowned at the tear before turning to Colin and saying, "it's Willow, I can feel her magic."
"Come with me, honey," Colin whispered before he raised the sword in his hand towards the tear. Colin glanced sideways at the smile on Amy's face as she foolishly dropped her defenses at the thought that Colin would turn around and slice the air behind them. That he would open a portal to the other realm, taking her with him… she would be his partner in bringing the darkness to Earth. And the both of them would be together for all time, just as it should have been with her and Warren.
However, just as Willow and Buffy, who was in a black tactical suit with wooden stakes attacked to her thighs, a sword on her back, and a dagger on her left hip, rushed through the portal. It was then that Colin, to the surprise of Buffy, Willow, and Amy herself, stabbed the blonde haired witch in the chest. Amy turned her head and stared in horror at Colin who said, "I'm bring my wife back when the darkness comes. I don't need you- it'll be just me and her."
"Amy!" Willow yelled before she gathered a magical blast in the palm of her hand just as Buffy took off running at Colin while pulling the sword from the scabbard on her back. Willow fired the blue and red blast which was supposed to simply immobilize Colin who pulled out the sword and then held it, it's blade held across his body, against the blast. The blast was simply absorbed into the blade, much to Willow's surprise while Amy crumbled to the ground bleeding out into the grass.
As her vision started to fade, Amy had tears running down her cheeks at the betrayal against her. She stared at Colin who was smirking at Buffy running at him. Her attention, or at least what remained of the strength she could focus, was concentrated on the jar of Dawn's blood in her hand. She used her magic and teleported the jar to Willow's side; something the redhead noticed as she looked down, and then back at Amy.
In the meantime, Buffy leapt at the man, swinging her sword with all her strength. However, she was surprised when he ducked, moved to the left while she was still in mid-air before she could react. He then stood up just as she landed on the ground. In one fluid motion, Colin grabbed the back of Buffy's collar, and then pulled her back and threw her towards Willow.
"Oooofff," Willow grunted as Buffy rammed into her, the both of them falling on the ground while Colin kicked Amy until she lay on her back. He then stabbed the sword through her chest. He smiled as the sword then absorbed Amy's life force which traveled through the blade and into his body. Collin could feel the power grow inside him while he stared, and then snickered, at Amy's body starting to turn into a dried out husk. Buffy and Willow looked on stunned as they got back onto their feet. Once Amy's body was dried up, Colin pulled the sword out of Amy's chest, and then stepped back.
"Slayer," he said with a sneer.
"Who are you? Buffy demanded as she took on a defensive position while Willow prepared a more powerful blast, "Willow's location spell followed Dawn's blood here. Why did you stab my sister, why did you try to kill her?"
"Enjoy the time you have left," Colin whispered with a maniacal grin before turning and slicing the air behind him. Then jumped through the resulting tear in space while Buffy and Willow stared in disbelief. It was only a second later that the two of them saw the tear start to shrink. Willow used all her considerable power to hold the tear open, at least for Buffy to get to wherever it was that Colin went to, and then bring him back to face justice. But even Willow, who was christened the most powerful witch in the Earth realm, was unable to hold back the sealing of the tear.
"Find out what he did," Buffy growled before she ran towards the tear, "and then find a way to bring me back." Buffy rushed, enraged, her mind only on the man who nearly killed her sister, headlong into the tear just before it closed.
Buffy!" Willow cried out as the tear slammed shut. She panted hard with eyes wide open before looking back at the jar artly full of Dawn's blood. Willow quickly picked it up, an dthen opened a portal back to the hospital where Giles, Faith, and two other Oxford based Slayers- Rennes and Carolanne were guarding Dawn.
Unknown regions between realities.
Once Colin tore the fabric between realities using the powers of the Key combined with the sword, the backlash… the massive amount of energy for such a deed… was felt by the beings known as the Powers that Be. At least that's how they were known in the Earth realm. In the other realms, they were known by other names.
In the realm that Colin's tear led to, some of the Powers were known as the Old Gods of the Forest, some were known as the New Gods of the Seven, then there was the many-faced god, there was the lord of light… the Powers were known by many more. And they all stared at Earth- their very cosmic being quaking at the unnatural occurrence that had just taken place.
And it was then that they saw the flash of light. A violent flash of white light that caused a shockwave of epic proportions as it travelled outwards through every single dimensional wall. The Powers were aware of the Others, the Whitewalkers, making their way through another realm. The people in that realm would fight… but they would lose. And that was only because were in such disunity that they were destined to lose.
But now the Powers sensed their one of their champions from the Earth realm travelling through the tear after the one that had caused the tear in the first place. They sensed the dead friends and enemies of the other realm waking up- the Powers sensed a great change that could very well give humanity a chance to survive.
All they could do was watch and wait.
The Trident, Westeros, seventeen years ago.
Rhaegar felt his ribs shatter.
He felt his own bones enter and pierce his heart, lungs, and other internal organs.
The pain was only a second in real life, but to him, as Robert Baratheon pulled back his war hammer with a look of rage on his face, the pain lasted for hours. Rhaegar fell himself thrown back as the rubies which adorned his chest plate fell off and into the waters of the Trident thanks to the war hammer's impact. He then felt himself impacting the water which immediately turned red with blood, his eyes glaring at Robert who bore his teeth at him before turning around and limping away. Rhaegar knew that Robert was badly injured as well, and the last thing going through his mind was that his hope that the Usurper would die as well.
Just as darkness came over him, Rhaegar's thoughts turned to the people he loved.
'Lyanna, Elia, Aegon, Rhaenys… forgive me.' Rhaegar then took his last breath. And when darkness took over, he felt himself sleeping while floating in nothingness. At least that's how it was until a flash of bright white light. The light forced his eyes open before a blast of energy washed through his body and then there was a sensation of falling. Darkness was all around him before he started to feel his physical body, and then he looked downwards to see a spot of light coming up towards him.
And he screamed.
Dorne, Westeros, Seventeen years ago.
"Promise me, Ned," Lyanna took a forced breath while looking at her older brother carrying the baby she had just given birth to, "you… you know…" Lyanna had tears in her eyes while feeling her body start to go numb. She could smell the winter roses that were being kept in a vase of water near the side of the bed; a bed that was covered in blood. Lyanna knew she didn't have long for the world and that she felt herself slipping away.
"Promise me, Ned," she whispered at Ned, "promise me."
She saw her brother, the new Lord of Winterfell, turn his head to look back at her, his younger sister with tears in his eyes. Lyanna received news months ago that Rhaegar was killed by Robert, and she knew of the latter's hatred for Targaryens. Lyanna knew that Robert would do anything to kill the child in Ned's arms, "promise me, Ned."
'Protect him,' she thought, "please. Protect him."
"With my life," he whispered, his voice cracking under the strain of watching his young sister dying before him, "he will grow up at Winterfell with a brother. With other brothers and sisters to come. He… he will be my bastard, Lya… he…"
"Thank… you," she breathed while closing her eyes. Ned his eyes wide open with tears beginning to fall down his cheeks, then handed the baby over to the midwife and then reached down to hold Lyanna's hand.
"I… I…" she whispered at Ned with every breath burning her lungs, "love… yu…" And that was the last words that Lord Eddard Stark would ever hear from his beloved sister. It would be Howland Reed who rushed up the stairs of the tower to break into the room. He would look on in horror at the sight in front of him before rushing to Ned and gently prying his hand off Lyanna's. Reed would keep the secret of what he had seen in that tower, including the truth of the baby, for years and years. And Ned would raise the baby as his bastard, Jon Snow.
As for Lyanna, the darkness took her over. It was as if she had a body still, but was floating in the ether, asleep. Suddenly, there was a blast of energy that went through her, followed by a sensation of falling. Opening her eyes, she saw a bright white light that seemed to come towards her.
And she screamed.
Kings Landing, seventeen years ago.
Rhaenys remembered screaming under the bed, she was told by her mother to go to the secret door that lay beneath the bed. Elia told her daughter that she had to go through the tunnels, where the little birds, would be waiting to lead her away to a ship in the water. Rhaenys was nearly at the grate, she could see the eyes of the 'little bird', a child a little older than Rhaenys, opening the grate so that she could slip in.
Suddenly, she heard Elia scream out in anguish. Fear gripped Rhaenys' heart, and then she heard a disgusting 'spotch' sound. Rhaenys turned around, and crawled away from the little bird's hand that had been reaching for her. From under the bed, Rhaenys witnessing the man known as the Mountain slam the blood covered body of her baby brother against the wall.
And she screamed in horror. Realizing what she did as the Mountain turned around towards the bed, Rhaenys turned and crawled as fast as she could to the open grate and the child who was reaching out for her. She was nearly there… Rhaenys nearly grabbed his arm when the mountain grabbed her ankle and then pulled her out from under the bed. She stared at the horrified look on the child's face before she was punched repeatedly in the face, and then slammed onto the bed. Her face stinging in pain as she cried out, Rhaenys saw her mother, her frail mother, rush at the Mountain in anger.
"Stay away from her!" she yelled. But the Mountain swatted her away. Rhaenys screamed in fear when the Mountain turned towards her and then raised his great sword over his head. Rhaenys and Elia screamed just as the sword was pushed into the little girl's body. Rhaenys opened her eyes wide and her mouth formed an 'O' as she gasped for breath. Rhaenys felt the first two stabs from the Mountain's sword before her body became numb and she had blood going up her throat and down the sides of her mouth. Rhaenys heard the screams from her mother continue through the sixth stab before darkness took her.
And now, Rhaenys felt as if she was in a deep sleep. She felt herself floating when suddenly her eyes opened to a bright flash of light. She saw a wave of energy wash through her before falling towards a white light. And she screamed in fear.
The Twins, three years ago.
"The Lannisters send their regards," was the last thing Robb Stark heard before Roose Bolton stabbed him through the heart. It was the ultimate betrayal- the Freys attacked the Starks and their allies under guest rights. Robb was stunned when the arrows pierced him, he was stunned when Talisa was stabbed in her belly, he was stunned when he watched all his fellow northerners slaughtered. The last thing he remembered was calling out to his mother before Bolton stabbed him.
As he fell to the floor, Robb heard his mother scream while slicing the throat of Walder Frey's young wife with a dagger. And just before the darkness took him, Robb saw his mother murdered.
'Sansa, Arya…. Jon.' Those were the last thoughts going through Robb's mind before he slipped away. He felt himself floating in nothingness with his mother, Catelyn, next to him. Robb could feel his body, but it felt as if he was asleep… he felt a sense of self, but nothing else at the same time. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light that forced him to open his eyes. As a wave washed over him, Robb cause sight of his mother before the both of them screamed out loud while feeling themselves falling towards a bright white light.
The Red Keep, three years ago.
Before slipping onto darkness, before feeling himself floating in nothingness with his eyes closed, Tywin Lannister felt the arrows that pierced his skin. The third arrow piercing his heart. His own son, Tyrion, killed him. It was something that was an insult- the Lion of Casterly Rock being killed by the Imp. All he wished for as he lay silent with his eyes closed in nothingness was for vengeance- he dreamt about killing his youngest son the moment he slithered out of Joanna Lannister. He wanted to forget family for just a second so that he could throw Tyrion down into the rocks at the bottom of the cliff that held the castle.
But now he had no chance for vengeance.
At least that's what he thought before the bright white light that flashed. Tywin had his eyes forced open just as a wave of energy washed through him. It was then that he heard more screams in the darkness before what he knew to be the screams of Joffrey, the Mountain, and Oberyn Martel yelled out in the darkness.
But Tywin stared transfixed at the light that was coming towards him, the light he felt himself falling towards. And he smiled.
'Vengeance is coming.'
Braavos, a year ago.
She didn't see the blade. She didn't see the blade before it stabbed her. She was in disbelief as she stared into the cold eyes of the girl she tormented, the girl she hated, the gilr she despised.
'Arya Stark' she thought with hate in her heart as her sword fell clattering to the ground. She cut her throat. Arya stabbed her needle through her heart, and she hated the Stark for it. She never thought that Arya should be one of them… a Faceless Man. She wanted Arya to fail. She wanted Arya to die- which was why she was ecstatic when ordered to kill Arya to appease Death.
But instead of Arya dying, she was the one who died. A Girl was the one who died.
She wanted to scream out loud while she slept floating in nothingness. Suddenly, her eyes were forced open by a bright white light. She called herself the Waif, and she smiled hysterically as she fell towards the white light beneath her after an energy wave swept through her body.
"Stark," the Waif growled as she fell, "I'm coming for you."
Jon's Solar, Winterfell, now.
"I should have been…" Sansa looked away from Jon and shook her head before looking back at him in disbelief. She was angry at him- there was no two ways about it. She didn't say anything when Jon rode in through the gates of Winterfell with the Dragon Queen, Daenerys Targaryen, and her retinue of advisors, select few of her Unsullied, and a few of her Dothraki while the others prepared tents in the camp being set alongside the Northerners. Sansa nodded her head at one particular man in the Queen's retinue, her former husband Tyrion Lannister. Turning back to Dany approaching her with Jon be her side, Sansa put a smile on her face. After all, she was a lady and so acted the part she had to play.
While Arya welcomes Jon with a hug, Sansa welcomed Daenerys with a curtsy. The redhead then welcomed Tyrion and the others before having them escorted to their rooms. But the glance she gave Jon was enough for the latter to know that Sansa was not happy. And now, Jon had to face his sister's anger as she crumpled the message he had sent her by raven from Dragonstone after having secured Cercie's pledge to help them fight the long Night.
"I should have been consulted, Jon," Sansa whispered shaking her head. She didn't want the others in the castle to hear the now former King in the North and the Lady of Winterfell having an argument, and she did her best to keep her voice down, "do you sincerely look down on me that much that you would make a decision such as this on…"
"I am the king, Sansa," Jon whispered while he glared at Sansa who stood her ground and didn't flinch, "I…."
"You were the king," Sansa clarified, her face red, holding up the message she received weeks ago revealing that he bent the knee to Dany, "you were the King." Sansa nearly screamed out- instead she hissed the sentence in anger. "The Northerners made you king because we didn't want to have a Southern ruler. You know this, Jon," Sansa whispered shaking her head as Jon closed his eyes and looked away.
"Do the other Northern houses know?" Jon whispered, unable to stare his sister in the eyes.
Sansa sighed taking a step back away from Jon, and looking out the window to the cloudy sky, "no. I have not told them."
"Sansa," Jon whispered turning his head before he stepped forward, and then reached out before gently held her hand. "You're right, I should have consulted with you before I made this decision. But I know in my heart that this is the right thing to do. I know."
"She…"
"The Queen saved our lives when we travelled beyond the wall, she sacrificed her dragon to save us, Sansa." Jon placed a hand gently on the side of Sansa's head and felt the redhead lean into the hand, "I believe in my heart that she is the right ruler for Westeros. She is the one this country needs right now."
"Do you trust her?" Sansa asked.
"With my life," Jon replied taking his hand away and reached for Sansa's hand, "just as I trust you with my life."
"I…." Sansa and Jon stopped talking and stared at each other, their eyebrows narrowed in confusion when they felt a gust of wind coming in from outside followed by a sniffle and the sound of someone crying. Sansa and Jon then turned their heads towards the large table in the solar which was piled high with parchments before making their way around the table. And what they saw shocked them down to the bone.
"Please.. I.. I beg you do not harm me. Please," Jon and Sansa stared at the girl in a bloodied silk dress hiding underneath the table staring up at them, "please, I… I… please, do not harm me."
It was just then that there was a knock on the door, and before Jon could ask whoever it was to come in, the wooden door swung open hard and Ser Davos stepped in with a worried look on his face.
"Your Grace, my Lady," he panted with his eyes widened staring at Jon, and then at Sansa, and back to Jon once again, "it… it's the queen, she's been attacked."
White Harbor, Westeros, now.
Adrienne opened her eyes with a gasp before she turned to her side. She panted as she rose up on her feathered bed, her feet placed flat on the stone floor. Her fingers grasped the blankets either side of her as a tingling sensation travelled throughout her body. Adrienne thought the sensation was familiar, but at the same time, she didn't recognize it.
'It feels like a long-lost friend but… but it feels as if the name is in the back of my mind,' she thought while getting up to her feet, 'I try to remember the name, but the more I try, the further away it gets.'
She then rubbed her forehead waiting for the tingling sensation to subside.
"Mother?" a soft female voice said while knocking on the wooden door in the home that faced New Castle, the seat of House Lord Wyman Manderly. Adrienne's husband was one of the Lord's personal guard sent to aid Robb Stark during the War of the Five Kings. However, he died at what became infamously known as the Red Wedding.
And his death left Adrienne with a broken heart and two children to raise on her own- a boy who was now fifteen and a girl who was now eleven.
"Come in," Adrienne said after making sure that she was modest as she wrapped her blanket around herself.
The door was pushed open, and just as the gap between the door and the doorframe was wide enough, a girl in a blue and white dress with black curly hair and green eyes rushed inside. She ran to Adrienne and hugged her tight.
"Good morning, Kara, my sweetling," Adrienne said before looking up at her son who was nearly a splitting image of her husband, "good morning, Dorian." As she hugged her daughter, the strange sensation was still spreading through her body. Taking a deep breath, she thought forward to her day with the children- they were to travel in a convoy with various types of food; fish, poultry, pork, vegetables- to Winterfell. Adrienne could tell something was happening especially with the call by the Manderley's for the small folk to take shelter at the New Castle.
Those who were travelling to Winterfell would be taking shelter there, and that included Adrienne and the children.
"After we break our fast, we will gather up some of our belongings," Adrienne told Kara as she pulled back and looked into her eyes, "in the meantime, you will help your brother pack the fish we caught this morning in salt."
"Yes, mother," Kara grinned while Dorian ruffled her hair.
"Now go, the both of you," Adrienne said nodding at the door, "I will meet you at the table to break our fast."
"Yes, mother," Dorian said nodding his head before he and his sister walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. Adrienne then sighed before looking down at her arms. She saw the hairs stand up while the tingling sensation continued through her body, and then it suddenly stopped.
And it left Adrienne even more confused about what was happening, 'why was my body tingling? And why do I feel that there was something familiar I should remember?'
TBC.