Arya I
The winds of winter had stopped blowing so hard the last two days and since the night before the wolves were howling in a heartbreaking song. Something had happened Arya thought and her heart felt heavier than usual. She was supposed to be happy she had managed to kill the Late Lord Frey and avenged her family for that deceitful red wedding event. Yet Walder's death had given her little joy, for the man was dying already in his bed. In furious rage the Stark girl had killed many more before leaving the Twins towers, the blood of woman, man and children had drenched her hands that day. As it had drenched her soul since the day she left King's landing. She did not care, all of them betrayed her family and were not innocents.
Shaking her head at the memories, the grey eyed girl stared at her bloodied hands. A lock of dark brown hair fell to her face and she blew it off. It was only animal blood, yet so similar to human blood. It took her a while to track the deer and shoot it down, but the darkness of the night had not protected it enough. She had moved into the heart of the woods quiet as a shadow, quick as a snake and now she had plenty to eat. It was about time too, she thought and gazed to meat roasting at fire she had just lightened. She had strayed to near Harrenhal just to catch her prey and the forest brought back memories of her time with Gendry and Hot Pie. However, she could not dwell on that she had a purpose to fulfill and those days were long gone.
Her stomach growled with hunger and Arya closed her eyes listening to the sounds of the forest. Soon she would reach the Red Keep and kill the queen Cersei, ser Meryn Trant and Ilyn Payne, it was too bad that so many of her list had already died. To think that Joffrey would not die by her hands though was a pain in her gut that almost made her puke, but that was done Vallar Morghulis. Suddenly, she heard a branch breaking in the distance, something was moving and moving fast throughout the narrow paths of the woods. The girl got up in haste and cursed having camped so close to Harrenhal, the horse she had stole was now neighing wildly. With eyes still closed she could sense that the enemies were close now.
Where they human or animals, she could not hear sounds of approaching hooves or clothes scraping against leafs. Either way with the ruckus that her stallion horse was making, they would find her soon. Then there was the howling, wolves she thought with needle firmly at hand. Her heart beat wildly on her chest and she opened her eyes quickly, the pack had made a circle around her camp. They probably had been drawn by the smell of meat Arya thought, gazing at bright yellow shinning eyes surrounding her, she noticed one of them was bigger, the Stark girl felt herself being pulled out of her own body and crashed hard to the floor with a whisper: -'Nymeria.'
Her pack was standing around in a circle growling and waiting for her command, as she stepped forward out of the trees. They had been drawn by the blood and the smell of burned meat. Although also she had been drawn by that familiar smell of winter. Being the leader she had directed her cousins through rivers and prairies after that smell, for it comforted her. More now that her white brother could no longer be sensed. They were only three now, and one so far beyond reach… She stepped closer to the fire and bared her teeth to keep the other wolves at bay. She stared at the passed out girl and remembered… Wait she was that girl.
Arya woke up gasping, pain spread from her hip to her head. She had fallen to hard she thought looking up at Nymeria with wonder. Who would have thought she would meet her again. She smiled at her direwolf, she had grown so much. Sighing Arya sat down on the forest floor and looked down to the muddy earth. The white one was dead. Ghost, Jon must be grieving horribly. Would she ever see her big brother again, a sharp pain made her heart constrict, but she was pulled out of her reverie by the feel of the hot wet tongue of her wolf in her face. Arya laughed if felt weird to do so, it had been so long since she was truly happy, she petted her direwolf's back and said: -'It is nice to see you too, Nymeria.'
The wolf pack was now closer out into the light of the fire, but distant enough to run back into the dark forest. Now she would have to feed them or they would try to attack her, which she sincerely doubted that Nymeria would allow. Even so the direwolf had grown wild in their time apart, so you never know. With that in mind, Arya stood up slowly and walked carefully to her horse she pets him to calm it. The she walks to the leather bag sitting next to the fire, where there is a stock of still raw pieces from the big deer she had killed. With needle to help, she cuts medium sized bones and pieces which she throws to the ten wolves that surround her. She is amazed to see though, that many more wolves hide in the shadows. Nym she thinks how can you guide so many.
Such a long way they had followed, all the way from river run. She ate a piece of her cooked meat and watched Nymeria eat hers. The grey fur of the direwolf had dirt on it, but Arya found it beautiful. Too many wolves, they would draw too much attention. What were they, a hundred perhaps? If she kept her speed, in four to five days she would reach the Red Keep, well at least to flea bottom, then she would work her way up to it. However, if this pack at back she could not do so. One look at Nymeria and they would know. Tomorrow she had to reach the King's road, staring at the flames she recited her night prayer: -'Ilyn Payne, Queen Cersei, ser Meryn Trant and Dunsen'. There were so few names left and Dunsen she could barely remember his face. What would she do when her revenge was done was the last thing she thought before falling asleep.
For the first time in a long way, Arya felt warm and well rested as she woke. The girl had slept on top of Nymeria, the fire was already extinguished and a hundred wolves laid next to them. Squinting her eyes she looks up to the sky through the leaves and thick branches of the trees. The sun is almost all the way up, she had slept too much. She stands up in a rush and ties her things to her horse, at least it had time to rest. She feeds it a sugar that she stole from the Twin Towers and quickly mounts it. She is surprised to see Nymeria standing in front of the horse and a bit bigger than its size. She finds herself wanting to mount the direwolf, but quickly shakes the thought away and says: -'You must stay, Nymeria. I will be back for you and maybe we will go see Jon.'
She turns her horse around and darts in the direction of the King's road. She was not stupid to travel directly on the road, but she could follow it making her way inside the forest. Staying clear of the open road would avoid dangerous encounters with the Queen's men and also with the Brotherhood Without Banners. When she was just a blonde maid at the twin's castle, it reached her ears rumors that the true daughter of Ned Stark was alive somewhere in the river lands and that the brotherhood were trying desperately to find her. But Arya knew better, she had no wish to become ransom material as she sure would, if they found her again. So quick after leaving the twins, she became no one, a pox ridden red haired no one.
Sometimes though she felt like she was being chased, though they would probably lose her definitely when she reached the lands of the crown. Arya ran her fingers through her short disheveled hair as she galloped faster, maybe she should find another face to hide her obvious Stark blood. However, she had spent so much time being no one that she longed to be herself once again, to ride a horse, to shoot arrows, dance with needle and speak of winter. Arya had almost lost those memories back at Braavos, but now her identity clang to her like the memory of her decapitated father. Arya had lost the person she was to the service of the faceless men and their god, yet at the same time she had found herself.
She was now independent and stronger then before, clever and more perceptive than before, quiet as a cat, quick as a snake. And now she was Arya again, she wanted to slip the sword that Jon gave her slowly inside the Lannister Queen heart and look at her eyes as she received the gift of death. The lion would soon learn that wolves did not forget. She remembered staring at Tyrion's familiar face when they were on the ship back to Westeros and thinking that she could would never forget, neither forgive. She was near the King' road now and making good time, when she heard the sounds of man maybe half a mile up the road. Breathing in and out she closed her eyes and opened up her senses. The air was fogy and dense with the smell of smoke.
Suddenly she was flying though to flap her wings was a dull notion to her. To stop made her lose height so quickly that panicking she willed herself to start flapping those things in earnest. Her rapid heart beat was driving her insane, but as she stabled herself and the cold wind upon her wings soothed her mind. She was now soaring above the trees that covered the place that humans made un-fetching noises. Their sounds so weird and not melodical that in spite of the, she uttered a beautiful sparrow cry. She looked down in between the canopies of the trees and descended towards the sounds of men. Down at the road ten-four men followed the road. She dove to get a closer look, eight walking and six at horse back. Ilyn Payne, lannister men.
Arya gasped as she slipped back into her own body. Slipping inside the animals skins was becoming easier to her, but she had not complete control. It had felt strange being in a bird. Each animal felt different to her, but none was as comfortable as being Nymeria. She tied her horse to a tree and dismounted it, quickly grabbing a hold of her bow and arrow. They were just ahead and Stark girl would not miss this opportunity. Her grey eyes glittered with the perspective of killing Ilyn Payne the man that executed her father with his own sword. And so she ran through the woods in haste, dodging in between the branches and taking cover behind the trees, until she reached a good view of the men at the road. Swiftly she pulled her bow out and shoots the last man of their entourage.
The man fell to the muddy ground with a thud. The one before him turned around startled and received an arrow to the eye that shoot throughout his head. He too fell ungraciously dead to the earth, making the horses go wild and the knights sweat by try to control their mounts. She took the moment to shoot one of the riders directly to the chest. As he fell to the ground and his horse darted away, men shouted out of order and scattered to take cover. Three down, eleven to go. Arya turned away from her spot and ran forward to get another place for clear shoots. The men were now hiding in their spots, with their weapons out and the horses were urged inside the forest paths to search for the attacker.
She should have planned that better, they were too many. At the distance she could hear the wolves howling, it was too soon for their songs. Nymeria had followed her. She slipped rapidly inside the direwolf's skin, it was running fast towards the men and her pack was drawing a circle around them. Arya took another arrow and shoot another rider through the neck. To her left though another rider had spotted so she ran for her life dodging behind the trees. She could not be fast as a horse, he would run her over soon she thought, but as he was approaching Nymeria jumped at his throat throwing him off his horse. Arya sighed in relief, but changed her running direction back towards the road. She shoot another arrow to a walking man's back. There was a knight near the man that gazed straight into her eyes.
The knight to had a bow, but before he could shoot it wolves came out of four corners making his horse cram. Arya had already shoot her arrow though, it missed the rider and hit the horse. The animal lost its balance throwing its rider to the ground, the wolves would do the rest. She turned away and spotted him, Ser Ilyn Payne riding away from impending doom with another mounted man. However, before her stood three un-mounted men that would slow her down. She unsheathed needle and darted towards anyway, screaming: - 'Nymeriaaaa!' The men seemed surprised by her appearance and one of them was laughing before she cut his throat. It had not kill him, holding his throat he screamed: -'Bitch, you fucking cunt!' and dashed towards her.
She slipped needle inside his stomach and ducked his blow easily. His death was enough for the other ones to take her seriously, when they were about to start fighting the direwolf appeared and they ran away. Arya looked directly into Nymeria's eyes demanding a favor. In less than two seconds, she had sheathed her sword and was now laying on top of the wolf holding her fur for dear life as she ran up the road. She slipped inside her and could smell the path ser Ilyn had followed, before long they were upon him. She urged Nym to stop and jumping up she pulled her bow and shot his horses leg making it roll to the ground. Ser Ilyn was almost crushed by it, but he managed to roll away. His sword though landed far from his side.
The other rider had run away. Arya darted towards his swords and reached it before the man could recompose himself. Ilyn was an ugly bald man that reeked like sewers, she stared at his pockmarked face as he realized she held his sword. Yet his pale eyes stared back at her in defiance, so standing tall she swirled his sword in her hands and said: -'Ser Ilyn Payne, so glad you stuck around for your execution.' The bald man spoke nothing, he was a mute she remembered. However, he made a sign for her to handle his sword as he walked slowly towards her. Men trusted so much on their skills, Arya smirked he would try to take it and she would kill him with his own sword. She looked back to Nymeria who was standing at the distance and in cue the man bounced upon her.
She sidestepped him and sweep her foot under him, making him stumble, quick as a cat she brought down the large greatsword upon his neck. With a serious face she stared at his head roll of his body and said: -'With the courtesy of House Stark, Ser Ilyn'. She let go of his sword and walked towards Nymeria the grey wolf stared at her calmly as she said: -'We will have our revenge for our brothers and sisters, Nym. I swear, but now you must stay behind.' She turned her back to the direwolf, she had to get back to her horse and back to her path towards King's landing. A scared girl had left in hiding and now a fierce woman would return, Arya thought. Tonight the wolves would dine the lions.