Backstory: Decade after the War of Five Kings. Now after 10 years this war is dubbed "10 Year War" since it is between Stannis v. Bolton still. The 10 Year War is not 10 years straight but 10 years of battles, long hiatus, Northern Houses switching sides, etc. This chapter describes the resolution of the 10 Year War. I was inspired by real world political events in creation of this story-NOW proceed and read on.
Jeyne Poole started her way to the kitchens to fetch Lady Arya and Lady Walda a bowl of soup. Exiting the library tower, greeted by presence of the wind and it friendly companion, snow. The grounds were already filled up from the previous blizzard. As of now the winds made the fall lightly, little specs of snow fell graciously.
Carefully and as quickly as she could, Jeyne descended the stairs. The next challenge for her was trudging through the snow to get to the kitchens.
"I need a bowl of soup for Lady Arya." Jeyne arrived, hurriedly closing the door shut. "And for Lady Walda as well!"
"Umph!" Melarie Hastwyck, the last cook of Winterfell, waved a wooden spoon in dismissal. Stirring up the pot of soup. "If she can kill both the father and the bastard AND their men, why didn't she made the line extinct by killing Fat Walda? Eh? Most of us are either sick, starving, or both! And we still got to feed that pregnant bitch!"
"Shut up Melarie." Jeyne says. "We don't know why, and I'm sure Lady Arya has a reason to do so."
During this past month the Boltons' awaits for Stannis's arrival to Winterfell. Tensions had risen between Boltons allies, the Manderlys and the Freys, Lord Bolton sent the men out not too long ago. But even with them gone there is still need for food and water. Malnutrition and sickness is common amongst servants, as well as death by them is too. But from the horrid treatment they had received since the Boltons' occupied the Keep they were saved, saved by Lady Arya.
Lady Arya came days ago. Alone. Declared herself as the Stark heiress and defeated the Boltons' singlehandedly. One woman against more than 7,750. And how did she do it? It was sorcery. Men stood still by her presence, she didn't even needed a hand to cast her power to kill them all-but not necessarily all. She spared men who claimed to be loyal to the Stark Household, and their Lords swore to Stannis. From listening to conversations between Arya and the maesters the lady is still unsure to trust the men. After seizing control of Winterfell Lady Arya held a meeting at the Great Hall, declaring her rights and plans ahead as the season progressed into spring along with warning everyone who dares to go against her.
"Well, I hope so too, child. And I also hope everything and everyone gets better by Spring-or better yet sooner. I'm tired and I hate having to be the only cook who is well and able to cook!" Melarie rants as she stirred, she waved Jeyne over to her side. "Come here, child."
Jeyne went and stood next to Melarie. The cook used the ladle, pouring a portion of soup in each bowl, when finished she placed the two onto a tray giving it to Jeyne Poole. "Now off you go, child, but be sure to come back and help me with dinner."
After placing the tray onto the cart she headed off to the library. As quickly she can be and as quickly as she can go directing the cart in the snow.
"-thanks for your input but I do not give a damn." Once Jeyne entered the library the cart's wheel squeeks between the melting snow and the concrete as she heads to the table where the two Ladies and the four Maesters sit.
"My apologizes Lady-"
"Don't apologize to me, Maester Tybald, you should be the last person giving me advice." Arya snapped. "I do not plan to go to battle with Stannis, I do not plan on doing so because this shit has been going on for years. And do not play me like a fool Tybald, I know where you stand."
Jeyne stood patiently by the cart. Hands in front, clasped together. Standing there until Lady Arya takes notice of the hot soup waiting for her.
With the wave of Lady Arya's hand Jeyne immediately served the two bowls to her and Lady Walda.
"Do you need anything else, Arya?"
"No, but I have a request." She says. "Can you and Melarie ration out the foods? I want a list on how much food is left and make sure we have enough of it to last until the first day of spring. I'll come by the kitchen before dinner time."
"Yes, my Lady." Jeyne and the empty food cart went on back to the Keep's kitchens. Squeeking along the library's concrete floor. The cart trudged through the slow, it was a matter of time when she finally got to the kitchens.
"Lady Arya wants us to ration out the foods-"
"They are already rationed out." Melarie stated, cleaning the stove and the countertops.
"Maybe she wants us to ration it out according to how many people here now," Jeyne Poole said, "she said she was coming to the kitchens to check how we rationed things-"
"Can you talk and help an old woman out, little girl?" Jeyne quickly rushed to Melarie's aid. Grabbing a nearby rag to clean the wooden countertop island.
"Why didn't you left the cart back in the library? It would've saved you time going back and forth there to fetch some dirty dishes, eh?"
"Sorry, I didn't think of that."
"There's no need to say sorry, girl, that's on you."
Their interaction ended there. They both silently cleaned the kitchen together. Olivar, Tranis, Gillis, Lina, Korb, Torbin, Alix, Katherin, Markas, Anera, and-numerous of other cooks had did there duty here in the kitchens of Winterfell since the War of Five Kings but many of them died. The 10 names-plus Melarie-are the only cooks she remembered when she married Ramsey. They either killed themselves or slaughtered ruthlessly-but majority of the cooks and the rest of the household died of starvation. Most were fairly young, and Melarie here is sixty-and-five years old-older than the youngins.
Melarie Hastwyck is from the Riverlands. She has been a nomad all her life since her mother was a cook as well. She traveled to all Seven Kingdoms of Westeros by the time she was ten-and-one, a year later her mother died of sickness-and she had to support herself. Melarie's brothers were already loyal to House Frey of the Crossing, it was only logical for her to go back home. One of the first tasks she did was to prepare the food for a wedding, the infamous Red Wedding of Robb Stark and Jeyne Westerling. Melarie described the event to Jeyne Poole as atrocious and unfortunate, but claimed that Robb Stark "had it coming a metre away." Eventually, Melarie was sent to Harrenhal as the head cook, Melarie refused to talk about the horrors of Harrenhal to Jeyne Poole even though she explained the events that transpired at the Red Wedding to her, one time the cook admitted why so, "a King should expect his demise, but we shouldn't," and left it at that. Jeyne wished Melarie would've known Robb as a person, he is a sweet and honorable young man. Melarie arrived at Winterfell as a replacement of the previous deceased cooks. She expected to die soon too since everyone else around her go through their process of death, but now its only her, Jeyne Poole, and their children living. Melarie is a lucky woman who is alive and well to tell the younger woman and others her story. And she's quite proud of it too.
"How's Aianna and them?" Jeyne Poole refers "Aianna and them," as the several fortunate children who still is alive, placing emphasis on Aianna because she is the most rambunctious of them all.
"They've been sleeping since forever," Melarie says, she grabbed a nearby broom. "I won't be surprised if they died because of the chills."
"Then why don't you wake them up then?"
Melarie shrugged and started sweeping. "More food for us."
Annoyed, Jeyne went to the servants quarters. Through several corridors and a flight of stairs, she entered the one of the five rooms. Each room usually occupied a maximum of thirty servants each-150 total, now it is down to two and seven children. One room satisfied the nine of them.
"Hey!" Jeyne Poole lightly shoved Morsan, the youngest one of them all, Morsan is only six and a sickly little boy at that. It is obvious that little Morsan is on his way to a slow and painful death. "Wake up!"
When Morsan started to stir up from his sleep Jeyne began waking up all the others: Aianna, Grag, Ellion, Inan, Fabiar, and Keira. "All of you, wake up, you all need to eat!"
"I'm too tired, plus Melarie doesn't want us to eat!" Aianna sat up from her bed. "And what happens if we eat all the food up before springtime Jenny? We would all eat each other up!"
"Don't say such nonsense!" Jeyne scolded the girl.
"I'm too sick, eating food is a waste for me." Morsan whined.
"I'm sick too!" Grag exclaimed, pouting.
"I'm really hungry." Ellion said quietly.
"I'm hungry too, can you spare us leftover bread?" Inan implored.
"Bread?! I want soup! I'm starved I want to eat EVERYONE!" Fabiar wailed extending his arms out.
"I want to go to back to sleep to forget about this." Keira laid back down, exhausted, in her covers.
This is horrid. I hope spring will come soon for all of us. "I'll see if there is some stale bread for you all to eat." Jeyne left to fetch some food.
"Don't you start cooking, I already put everything away." Melarie chided Jeyne once she came back. "You are not going to cook for those children, let them die off."
Jeyne Poole ignored the cook, rummaging through discarded food. Melarie watched the young woman.
Underneath the garbage Jeyne found a gem. A full loaf of overcooked bread. Jeyne Poole shared a glanced at Melarie. "I'm going to give this to the children, they need it most." She stormed off to the chambers before Melarie could protest any more.
"ThankyouJenny."
"ThankyouverymuchJenny."
"ThankyouforthebreadJenny."
All that was a mouthful for the children. They rushed their words to stuff themselves with the pieces of bread. Satisfied, Jeyne Poole watched as they eat.
Author's note: I'm happy to be back on Fanfic. Hurray! But I won't fully be back on track until this upcoming summer, I have midterms and finals coming up-so off to studying for me! I'll be back soon. So stay tuned and wait patiently my fellow readers.