Six months Ago
The wind blew across the summerlands. Jessikah Lannister shuddered, she was travelling north...but not by her choice.
Non. Do not think that. Back down there.
Jessilah looking over the soldier's shoulder. She couldn't see anything that looked like civilization. She saw the great, endless plains, and woods ahead of her. There was a swamp known as the neck just ahead of them, separating the three.
"I hate this," she said.
"We will be at Winterfell in a couple of nights," the soldier said, not even looking at her.
"Great"
It is the sunlight that wakes her. Her eyes snap open and the dim remains of a headache fade from her skull. Did She doze off? She doesn't remember being tired. The trip to Winterfell hadn't been a long one. She reaches up to rub her eyes, and the brief glimpse of day vanishes as shes exposed to the cold, windy air.
Her stomach growled. She had properly eaten two days ago. She had made due with scavenging the nearby woods for berries and roots, but haven't found much. She didn't know what was good to eat, and what wasn't.
Another day in this cold hell, Jessikah thought.
The trip to Winterfell had been quiet, the Starks had been welcoming. Sansa felt sorry for Jessikah after learning her fate.
Jessikah woke up, just as the sun was cresting high in the sky. It had been a week since she left Winterfell, and was now arriving at Castle black.
She continued on past the wall, one swift kick to her rear sending her stumbling forward. The Lannister Soliders then abandoned her in the frozen wasteland that was a week ago. Yes, she was surviving, and surviving well enough.
'Survive.' Thinking that word made the deep-buried feeling of rage curl her lip back and hiss at the very thought. Survive? She couldn't just survive. Cersei had banished her over her not agreeing with her. Cersei not wishing for her to survive. Tyrion's last words to her weren't to just survive.
Fuck just surviving. Lannister's can thrive, to grow stronger than they ever could back. They came here to be better. Why the fuck was she so stuck on just surviving?!"
There was a loud noise ahead of her.
"What's going on?" Someone asked.
"A woman showed up!"
That made Jessikah pay attention, she ran in the direction of the noise. She didn't have to run very far. There was a small mob of women not far ahead.
"Alright, that's far enough," she heard someone shout. "Who are you!"
Jessikah looked so scared and shaken up. But seeing the women, relief broke across her face.
"Oh, thank God," Jessikah gasped, running to the woman. She hugged her, which took the woman aback.
"D—do we know each other?" She stammered.
"No," Jessikah said, "but I was so goddamn scared that there wasn't anyone else here."
"You need some help?"
"Yes!"
The woman gently took the Jessikah's shoulders.
"What is your name?"
"Jessikah, Jessikah Lannister."
"Jessikah. That's a beautiful name," The woman smiled. "But what are you doing here, Jessikah?"
"My aunty decided cause i didnt like her descision to banish me here," Jessikah said. "A frozen wasteland, shes hoping i wont survive."
"Well we will have to change that" The woman snorted.
"That it was a place of freedom, that the women here were strong and big."
"'Women?'" The woman couldn't help but cock her eyebrow at that. "Did they say women, or woman?"
Jessikah blinked.
"Huh?" She asked.
"Yes. Many women?"
Jessikah blushed.
The woman gently took Jessikah's hand, and brought her to her camp.
"When I first came here, all I had was the dress I was wearing, a blanket, and a tent," The woman said. "Now I lead Crastor's keep, more than five blankets, and I can eat three meals a day."
"What do you mean, you can eat three meals a day?"
"The rangers stop here." The woman stared at her. "Yes, we charge them for food. Does that surprise you?"
"I…I never had to pay for food before…"
"You must have had a big family to feed you."
Jessikah nodded.
"Maybe we can work together," the woman said.
"What?"
"We can work together," she said. "There is nothing out here for miles."
"I'm not becoming a whore!" Jessikah spat.
"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. I meant that you join us here, you want to survive dont you?."
"Have you eaten?" The woman asked.
Jessikah shook her head.
"How long have you gone without food?"
"I don't know," Jessikah mumbled. "Its been a few weeks since i was abandoned out here."
"I see."
The woman stood up.
"Come with me," she said. "We'll get you some food."
"Thank you," Jessikah mumbled.
"We stick together, we keep each other safe, fed, and paid," the woman said. "We can make something for ourselves."
"I can join?," Jessikah asked. "Gods, I just realized something."
"What is that?"
"I never asked for your name."
The woman smiled.
"Gwen, Gwendolyn Forrester."
"Then I'd love to join you miss Forrester."
" Good cause i need a right hand woman to run this place with me " Gwen said
" I think i can handle that" Jessikah replied.