AN- hey guys, another new fic I want to try out. For some reason, my hype levels for GOT are off the charts, so this is another fic I just felt like I had to do. Anyways, R&R, and I hope you enjoy!
Delay of Executioner
King's Landing, Great Sept- Eddard Stark found himself in front of a crowd of thousands, calling for his blood. They had been led to believe that he was a traitor by Joffrey and Cersei. Ned looked around in the crowd, and saw Arya, being held back by Yoren. He knew she would be safe, so he went along with the plan.
"I am Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, and Hand of the King." He said, before he looked back at where Arya was, and saw that a group of the city watch were pulling her away from Yoren. He looked back at Cersei, and saw her smug smile, realizing that she knew that his trial would draw her out.
"I have been brought here today, to confess to the crime of treason. But I will not confess, for I have done nothing of the sort. Joffrey is not Robert's heir, He is not even his son!" He said, and the crowd as well as the Lannisters looked on in shock.
"How dare you!" Joffrey shouted, as two soldiers restrained Ned.
"Lord Eddard, if you will not confess, we will have a full trial, where King Joffrey will decide if you are guilty or not" Cersei said, hoping that Ned might agree with the plan.
"No, he won't judge me. The gods will be the ones who judge me. I demand trial by combat!" Ned said, getting a gasp from all those present. Ned was then pulled off of his feet and dragged back to his cell.
Red Keep, Small Council Chamber- The small council was called into session almost immediately after Ned's call for a trial by combat. Cersei was currently trying to calm Joffrey down, who was throwing a fit.
"How dare he spread such disgusting lies, I will have his head!" Joffrey said, before Varys spoke up.
"I am afraid you cannot, your grace. Lord Eddard has demanded trial by combat, and he must be given it" Varys said, and the other members nodded.
"Yes, when the Mad King denied Rickard Stark trial by combat and executed him, it started a war" Little finger said.
"I think the biggest problem we have is deciding who will be the champion to represent us, might I suggest the Hound?" Maester Pycelle said.
"Yes, I do believe he will perform perfectly" Cersei said, as the door opened and Janos Slynt entered, with two of his men behind him, holding onto Arya Stark. The young girl was kicking and struggling to get free.
"We have detained the wolf girl as you commanded, my Queen" Janos said, as Arya thrashed about.
"Let me go!" She said, before one of the guards slapped her, bruising her face and cutting her lip.
"Good work Lord Janos, have your men bring Arya to her sister" Cersei said, smiling. The men then brought led Arya away.
"Pycelle go inform the Hound of his duty, and Little finger, make preparations for the fight tomorrow. This meeting is adjourned" Cersei said, as the members of the council filed out as she and Joffrey walked out last.
Black Cells- Ned Stark sat in the dark, contemplating his decision. He knew Joffrey too well to know that the boy was crazed, and most likely would have not lived up to his end of the bargain. A light then shone from a fire as a dark form entered. As he got closer, Ned saw it was Varys.
"My my Lord Stark, what have you gotten yourself into" Varys said, but Ned brushed the statement off.
"Who is my opponent to be?" Ned asked, getting right to the point. Varys sighed.
"My lord, you have to fight the Hound" He says. Ned looks down at his bad leg. It has healed a bit, but not all the way.
"What of my daughters?" He asks, trying to change the subject.
"They have captured Arya as well, and she is with her sister" Varys said, deciding to leave out the detail of Arya being hurt.
"Well, I guess I have my work cut out for me tomorrow" Ned says, but gets a smirk from Varys.
"Not exactly, Sandor likes to drink wine before a battle, and I happen to have some milk of the poppy." Varys says, causing Ned to look up at him.
"And no one would notice if Clegane was just a bit out of it" Ned said, getting a smirk from Varys, as the spider turns to leave.
"I believe you are finally understanding how to play the game, Lord Eddard" Varys said, before leaving. Eddard looks down and feels a small piece of bread. He consumes it quickly and quietly, so that he may have something in his stomach when he goes to fight.
Sansa's Quarters- Sansa was currently stitching a rip in a dress up. Needlework had always calmed her nerves, and she was very good at it. She heard a knock at the door, and she turned to face it,
"Come in" She said, and Janos Slynt came in, with two of his men, carrying a ratty looking person with a bag over his face.
"This belongs to you" Janos said, as his men dropped the person with a thunk and left. Sansa then went over to the body, and pulled the bag off, revealing Arya.
"Arya!" She said, as she helped her little sister to her feet.
"Sansa, is that you?" Arya asked, as Sansa nodded and sat her down on he bed. Sansa then went over to the other side of the room and got some cloth and water.
"Yes Arya, its me" Sansa said, as she began to clean the cut on Arya's face. The sisters were silent for a few minutes, before Arya spoke.
"Do you think father can win?" Arya asked, worry in her eyes. Sansa bit her lip.
"I don't know, all we can do is pray and be there when he fights" Sansa said, as she finished with the cut. The older sister noted the bruise that had formed, and decided that tomorrow that Arya would keep it covered.
"Here Arya, let me run you a bath, you smell horrible" Sansa said, with a small giggle. Arya smiled and punched her sister in the arm playfully. The two laughed as they had their first real moment together since Eddard had been arrested.
Morning- Eddard is escorted to a large plaza, where many people are in attendance. He looks up to where the "Royal" family is, and then a little too his right to see Varys, who gives him a nod. Eddard smiles a little before he searches for his daughters, finding them next to the Lannisters. Arya wears a veil, confusing Ned. As he reaches the center of the stadium, he comes face to face with his opponent.
"Your a dead man Stark" Sandor says, as he draws his longsword. His words are a bit slurred, almost as if he is drunk. Ned is handed Ice, and he pulls the massive blade from its sheath, and positions himself for the fight.
"I will not die today Clegane." Eddard says. Joffrey stands and raises his hand, silencing everyone.
"Fight!" He yells, dropping his hand down. Sandor swings undisciplined strike at Eddard, who parries them. Ned knows that he can't over power the hound, so he looks for openings. The Hound goes for a wild swing, which ends with his sword in the dirt. Ned quickly strikes him in the ribs. Sandor pushes Ned back, before punching him in the arm. Ned winces, but stays on the offensive, as Sandor can hardly keep up.
"What the hell did you do to me?" Sandor says as he barley parries a strike at his leg.
"Nothing, I have been in the Black Cells" Ned says, as he pushes the Hound back, only for him to charge back at Ned. Sandor then gets in a lucky swing, and slashes Ned's bad leg, causing him to fall over. Ned looks up and sees the Hound approaching, he pulls him self up and blocks Sandor's slash. Ned sees his daughters out of the corner of his eye, both standing and watching with worry. He saw the large bruise on Arya's face, and felt his rage boil. He pushed Sandor off him, and swung at him with all his might. Sandor raised his sword to block, only for the superior Valyrian Steel sword to break through the Hound's blade, and bury itself deep into his neck. As the Hound drops dead, The crowd erupts into a mix of cheers and boos. Joffrey is irate, while Cersei glares at Ned. Sansa and Cersei both run down from their seats and happily embrace their father. Ned collapses as the glomp him, laughing at their energy. There celebration is cut short by the sound of slow clapping. They look up and see Cersei, standing in her booth clapping.
"Well done Lord Eddard. You have won your freedom" She says.
"Aye, I have. And I formally break the engagement of my daughter to your son" Ned says.
"Very well, you may take her and go" Cersei says. Ned begins to hurry his daughters away, only for two gold cloaks to stand in their way.
"What is the meaning of this? You said we could go!" Ned says, causing Cersei to chuckle.
"I said you and Sansa could leave, I never said anything about Arya. She still needs to be held for her crimes." Cersei says.
"What crimes!" Ned shouts angrily. Cersei then points at Joffrey's hand.
"She and that butcher's boy attacked King Joffrey while we were on the kings road. Your other daughter even admitted it. My husband was lenient, but now there is a new king. And he will show her true justice." Cersei said. Ned holds Arya close to his side, as the gold cloaks put their hands on their swords. Arya slowly pushes away from her father.
"It's okay father, take Sansa and go" Arya says. Ned looks down at her, and back to Sansa.
"I won't leave you after you've been alone for so long!" Ned says. Arya pushes away from him, tears in her eyes.
"I said I'll be fine! Now go before they arrest you again" She says. Ned leans down and kisses her on her forehead. Sansa hugs Arya, and the family members part as two guards lead Arya away. As Ned leaves with Sansa, he walks by Varys.
"Can you get her out of the city and to Winterfell?" He whispers. Varys shakes his head.
"With your man Yoren under watch and Winterfell being the first place they would think she would go, no. But maybe I can get her somewhere else where they won't find her" Varys says as the two walk towards the city gate.
"Where?" Ned asks.
"I can send her with a trusted man to Essos." Varys answers, shocking Ned.
"What, who do you trust for something like this?" Ned says, and Varys gives him a wryly smile before leaning in and whispering the name to Eddard, who's eyes widen.
"Are you sure?" Ned says, getting a nod from Varys
"Yes, he is a good man, as you said so yourself." Varys says. Ned contemplates for a moment before sighing.
"Fine, but make sure she is safe." Ned says.
"She will be, but remember you may not see her for awhile . She won't come back unless he knows its safe" Varys says, getting a nod from Ned as they reach the gate. Ned helps Sansa onto a horse as he gets on his. Ned looks back at the city one last time before leaving.
"Goodbye Arya, be strong, for winter is coming" He said as he and Sansa begin their journey to Robb's camp.
Red Keep, a few days later- The small council was in meeting once again, to discuss their plans for the war. Joffrey sits smiling smugly in his seat as the other members arrive.
"Let us begin, is their any word from your people on how close Ned Stark is to his son's camp?" Cersei asks. Varys nods.
"A day away, your grace. Two at most" He says.
"He is an experienced warrior and tactician, he won't make things easy on us." Petyr Baelish says. Joffrey laughs.
"We will destroy him and all those who oppose me,even my uncles." Joffrey says.
"Yes, Renly has is backed by House Tyrell, as well as the Stormlands. Stannis has many ships in his navy" Pycelle says, offering his "wisdom".
"Dealing with them is a problem, but I believe we should decide what to do with Arya Stark." Cersei says.
"I have already seen to that" Joffrey says, surprising the others.
"What do you mean?" Cersei says, as she has a bad feeling in her gut.
"Before the meeting, I ordered a couple gold cloaks to take her to the docks and drown her" Joffrey says, a twisted smile on his face. The others look on in shock.
"We needed her! They have your uncle Jaime!" Cersei says, surprising Joffrey.
"What? How?" He asks.
"It doesn't matter, now that we lost our last chance to get him back" Cersei says. All the council members look down and think of what they can do next.
"Everyone, get out" Cersei says with venom in her voice. The members all leave, followed by Joffrey a few moments later. Cersei angrily throws her goblet against the wall, shattering it. As the members of the council leave, Varys spots one of his little birds, a young coal boy.
"Go tell our friend that he needs to hurry to the docks" Varys says, and the boy nods and hurries off.
Docks- Arya feels herself being dragged toward the water. She notes how the many sailors just look away as she and the guards pass by. She is led to a secluded spot, and the guard grabs her by the neck.
"Sorry about this little girl" he says as he throws her into a shallow part of the water. As she tries to get up, he holds her head down. Arya realizes that this is her execution, and struggles to free herself. Her lungs burn as she feels like she is fading, only for the guard to be pulled off her by a hooded figure. The figure brandishes a sword and stabs one of the guards, before pinning the other to a wall.
"You made sure to kill Arya, and when the other guard went to stop you, you killed him. Am I clear?" The hooded man says. The remaining guard nods fearfully, and hurries off. Arya climbs out of the water, coughing horribly. The hooded man helps her up, and hands her Needle.
"A gift from Varys, he wanted you to have it, now come on" The man says as he leads her to a nearby ship. He helps her on board and then into the cargo hold, where a crude bed is prepared for her.
"Who are you, and why are you here?" She asks, confused. The man pulls back his hood revealing his face.
"I am Barristan Selmy, and I am taking you with me too Essos." He said, shocking young Arya.
"But Ser Barristan, what about my family?" She asked.
"We will return when it is safe for you, but not before then." He said. Arya nods, understanding the risk of traveling to her family.
"Before we go, we have to make it so you are hard to recognize." He says, pulling out a dagger. Arya looks alarmed at first, but realizes what he intends to do and lets him. Barristan begins to cut her hair, and after a few minutes she looks very much like a young boy.
"Good, now to give you a name" Barristan says. Arya thinks for a moment.
" Arry, it sounds like my old name at least. " She says. Barristan nods and walks to the other side of the hold. He lays down on a small pile of straw.
"Get some rest, Arry your gonna need it" He says. Arya nods and lays down in her makeshift bed, and drifts off into sleep.
AN- Hey guys, I hope you liked this. I just felt like writing it, so I went for it. Anyways, remember to review!
