Alayne
Alayne did not know what it was about the group of travelling brothers that put her at such unease. At first she thought it was just her fathers voice in her head telling her to be wary around strangers. Especially strange men, men who could easily guess her secret. But the feeling persisted. No matter how many times she told herself she was being a silly foolish child, she could not shake the feeling that a cold wind was blowing over her naked skin. Making it shiver and prickle against her will.
She was snapped out of her uneasy thoughts by a hand on her leg and a low voice in her ear. "Alayne my sweet child, have you forgotten all of your courtesies?" Despite her best intentions Sansa could feel the muscles of her leg tense under his hand, she could only hope that littlefinger hadn't noticed.
" Forgive me father. It's just been such a long day and I am awfully tired. I hope my Lady Waynwood will forgive me and that the brothers who travelled such a long way to get here take no offence." Glancing around the table Alayne noted that most of the brothers were to engrossed in their food and drink to even notice the bastard girl at the top of the table. A kindly looking septon two seats to her right smiled at her.
"Please my dear, we take no offence at your distraction. It has been an exhausting day for us all." Alayne smiled at the septon and quickly tried to pick up on what her father and Lady Waynwood were talking about.
"...Lady Waynwood now is not the place to discuss such bleak situations." One look at her fathers face and Alayne could see the annoyance that pooled in his eyes as he talked to her.
" Now is the perfect place to discuss this. They say the outlaws are getting more ruthless and vicious with every passing day. The wolves are even bolder than they were two years ago and there are tales of fire and war across the sea and on Dragonstone..." Lord Baelish quickly held up a hand to silence her.
" Please my Lady anymore talk of this and you will scare my lovely daughter to death." His hand went to her leg again and he looked at her with eyes full of concern. " Alayne my dear, you look as if you are about to fall asleep into you soup. If you would like you are more than welcome to leave this dull and dreary talk for a warm bed." Alayne murmured her thanks and goodnights to those around the table. Getting up from her chair she quickly kissed Lord Baelish on the cheek and went to walk out of the hall. It was on her way out of the hall that she noticed the large hooded brother at the end of the table and the way his covered head was slightly turned in her direction, as if he was watching her descent to the back of the hall.
Distracted by the niggling, prickling sensation washing over her skin again, she didn't notice the slight raising of the floor beneath her feet. Stumbling slightly over her own limbs, Alayne felt herself steadied by a large hand that was attached to an equally large brother. Feeling herself blush as the hand lingered a moment longer than necessary she quickly said her thanks and darted out of the hall.
Hours later lying in her bed Alayne tried to make sense of what Lady Waynwood had said at dinner. In her opinion, Lord Baelish had helped to minimise the threat that the outlaws posed to the vale and while the problem would never be completely eradicated they were nowhere near as bad and brutal as they were at the start of winter. Although the winter had only lasted two years what it lacked in length it made up for in the ferocity of its storms. She had heard whisperings that the gods were punishing them for the sins of their rulers. Thinking over Lady Waynwoods words again Alayne could not help but think that she was being unfair in placing the problems of bolder wolf packs at Baelish's door.
Sometimes at night Sansa would pretend that the howling of the wind was really the howling of wolves, she wished it so much that she thought she could understand what the wolves were saying, how they were howling for their brothers and sisters against the inky backdrop of the nights sky.
A pretty little talking bird, repeating all the pretty little words they taught you.A voice suddenly rasped in her head, he was right Sansa realised again. She wasn't a wolf anymore all the wolves were lost or dead and no matter how hard littlefinger tried she wasn't a mockingbird either, all I am is a little bird flitting from branch to branch in hope of protection. She suddenly felt like the night air was suffocating her, pressing her down into the feather bed until nothing remained of her. If only Winterfell was still standing I could go home. But it wasn't, Sansa told herself firmly there was no where for her to go. If she left the Vale and Littlefinger's protection the last remnants of Winter would most likely take her life and if she managed to survive that, she was sure the outlaws and the Queens men would pick up where Winter failed.
Losing herself to the hopelessness of her thoughts, Sansa Stark went to sleep that night dreaming of a rasping voice at her neck and warm large hands moving themselves over her body. In the morning she could still feel the ghost of his touch on her as she busied herself with covering the red which had begun to peek through her brown hair.
The Kindly Septon
The Septon couldn't remember the last time that he had had both a bed to sleep in and a warm meal filling his belly. The only thing that could make the night better would be the feeling a soft warm body next to his as he fell asleep. But those days were behind him now, the only thing he had to comfort him on these long,cold and lonely nights were his prayers to the seven. Sighing in contentment at the feeling of being warm and full, the septon looked around the hall for the first time, quickly noting that more chairs were empty than filled. He had heard tales along his travels of knights who had perished in the swirling white winds of winter and villagers forced to eat their own dead just to see another sunrise. Upon hearing the last tale Pate had prayed to the mother above for three days straight for the salvation of the dead and the living alike.
Pushing his plate away from him as he finished his meal the septon looked up when he heard a voice address their party. " You must excuse my daughter, the journey up here tired her greatly I fear."
" My Lord as I told your daughter we take no offence. The journey was a long and hard one we are just as exhausted, if not more so than your daughter." Looking into the Lord Protector of the Vale's face the septon couldn't shake the feeling that he was being evaluated in someway, like he was merely a horse to be ridden rather than a human being.
" Yes, it must have been a long journey for peaceful men such as yourselves to face the outlaws who roam the wilderness of the Vale." Pate tried to search for the meaning behind the Lord Protectors words, finding none he decided to speak the truth.
" It was My Lord. Though I must confess that I came upon the group of travelling brothers after they were indeed set upon by outlaws."
" Oh how awful." It was the Lady Waynwood who spoke this time rather than the Lord Protector, who was still watching him intently as he continued.
" It is My lady. The Brothers had come to give aid and comfort to the people who had suffered and were still suffering during the Winter. Instead one night when they set up camp a group of outlaws came upon them with the thought that they would have food and coin on them." Pausing to take a drink from the wine in front of him, pate quickly glanced around at the brothers who had settled themselves at the end of the table. He mostly saw faces red from the wine and glum from their travels, he let his gaze rest upon the hooded novice at the end of the table before he continued. " Sadly when I found them the Elder Brother of the order had suffered mortal wounds and was close to death. The only thing I could do was to ease his pain as he and others left this world."
" Forgive me Septon for asking but how did the others manage to survive?" Lord Baelish said as his eyes flicked towards the large shape at the end of the table.
" Some of the novice's were skilled in fighting before they said their vows." Pate said as understanding suddenly flashed across the his mind.
" I must admit I was worried when I first saw how many more mouths there were to feed but...and I hope holy men such as yourselves do not mind me asking this favor of you. But winter has left the Eyrie in dire need of repair, our sept needs tending to as do the broken windows, out of place stones around the castle and the roofs are also in a shocking state." Littlefinger paused to stroke his pointed beard as he looked around the table. Meeting his eyes Pate had a horrible sense that what ever was about to be asked of him and the brothers he would have to agree to it.
Alayne
" Ser Lothor if you would excuse me I would like to have a word with my daughter before the day's business commences." Ser Lothor quickly excused himself as he walked out of Lord Baelish's solar, closing the door behind him Alayne pulled out a chair and sat herself down, wondering what her father wished to talk to her about. " What would you say if I told you that I invited the septon and his brothers to stay with us for awhile?"
" I would ask if we had enough supplies for ten more people. Mya can only carry so many provisions and with winter not quite at an end yet..." Alayne started before her father interrupted her.
" Ever the practical thinking my daughter." Littlefinger said as his eyes drifted downwards towards the tops of her teats. Resisting the urge to cross her arms to cover herself Sansa continued.
" But you had already considered that." Nodding slightly knowing she meant it as a statement rather than a question, he took a sip of tea as his eyes returned to her face as he began to answer her.
" Yes quite so. I must admit that was my first thought when that sorry bunch first stumbled across us, bleating their pious nonsense. But every one has their role to play and the brothers will do quite well here for the time being. Can you guess why that is sweetling?" Alayne loved these times with her father, making the connections and facts come together in her mind. She couldn't help but feel proud when the right answer bubbled forth from her mouth and caused a small smile to form on her fathers lips, how the corners would slightly rise in what could only be described as an expression of bemusement. But the girl buried deep inside of her. The girl who had had a pack of her own and who had kept a bloodied cloak beneath her summer silks hated it. It made that girl feel like an animal being trained.
" The extra hands can help fix what was broken during the winter storms and they wouldn't require payment, at least in gold."
" That was one of my reasons. Come now Alayne can you guess the others?" Alayne's mouth turned downwards into a frown. Straining her mind to think if more reasons as to why her father would welcome ten more mouths made hungry by physical labor. Lowering her head in defeat, with eyes placed securely on the table in front of her Alayne shook her head.
" Oh Alayne you disappoint me. Well it seems that Lord Robert's illness is back with a vengeance and a septon could grant that his passage from this world as one of peace." Alayne could understand the reasons behind that and had to fight to stop a blush from staining her cheeks. She remembered watching Sweetrobin get weaker and weaker, at first she thought it was just winter taking its toll on his already fragile body. But late one night when she couldn't sleep she sought out her father, thinking that if she couldn't sleep than at least she could ease her boredom by talking to someone. Walking towards his door Alayne remembered the sense of foreboding that followed with every step, the ways the candles flickered against the darkness of the night, the hushed voices leaping out amongst the shadows. If sweetrobin died with a group of septons at his bedside, it would mean that if suspicions arose they would be that much harder to prove. " Coupled with that, some of those brothers could be used for protection now that our gallant Ser Shadrich perished in the winter snows." Littlefinger said as his eyes glittered in the early morning sun.
Alayne didn't want to think about Ser Shadrich now. Not now when the wolf girl inside of her kept screaming to be let out. " But father, Septon Pate and the brothers have taken a vow of peace, they won't break those vows to take up arms for a man they would have only heard rumours about."
" But a man who breaks his vows once is more likely to break them again." And more likely to stab you in the back. But she refrained from saying that, Lord Baelish liked her to puzzle things out, but only by repeating the opinions he gave her. Besides she knew that he neither craved nor cared for loyalty, he only cared about figuring out a persons next move before they knew it themselves. Loyalty was not needed once you understood what the core of a person was made of. " Now sweetling which god do you pray to?"
Alayne's answers were automatic by now. "The Maid and the Mother." Raising an eyebrow as if asking her why, she continued. " The Mother aboves song gives comfort to the tormented. It is my favourite from the Sept I grew up in."
" Very good. Did you have anymore questions from last night."
" Lady Waynwood said that the outlaws were getting worse and that Dragonstone..."
" Lady Waynwood couldn't find her way out of an open room. To answer your question the outlaws aren't getting worse. The Lady Waynwood is merely angry that young Harold is more interested in you than you are in him, her talk of outlaws is her way of reminding me that my hold on the Vale is conditional on Robert Arryn and peace and that greater men would be happy that their bastard daughter was in serious talks to be betrothed to the heir of the Eyrie." Stopping again to sip his tea Alayne waited for him to explain why Dragonstone was suddenly a topic of conversation. " Now come give your father a kiss before the day starts." Dutifully Alayne bent down and kissed her father with a closed mouth kiss before starting the days work.
A/n Hi thankyou so much for reading and I want to apologise for any grammatical and spelling errors.