Thank you to the people that wrote a review, you have no idea how happy they make me. Chapter isnt that long but after this one shit is really gonna start to go down. Also thanks to the people that followed i didnt expect that many people. Hope you enjoy :D
They had been travelling for almost four days trying to find the 'ghost of Lyanna Stark' but that wasn't the main reason why the brotherhood had started travelling further up into the north. They had begun to hear stories of women going missing then being found skinless, they had heard rumour after rumour for why the women were kidnapped and skinned. But each one was more ridiculous than the last. Harwin had become more focused on the rumoured ghost than the evil creature that had been stealing women.
He had seemed to become obsessed with the subject repeating himself over and over again "It's disrespectful to them, why can no let them rest?" no one carried on the subject but he always brought it back. Gendry kept out of the subject not wanting to be dragged into the conversation that would bring up his old friend.
"Moat cailin" One of the brothers shouted, Gendry looked up to see the outline of a crumbled building that was surrounded by wet roads and small pools full of weeds. They followed a road which was covered with a small layer of water. The light was fading quickly and soon it would be pitch black, Gendry quickly remembered the stories of the road long snakes that were found past the neck and suggested that they turn in for the night which was met with roars of agreement. They found the foundations of an old square building which would keep away the damp and creatures they didnt want to share a bed with.
Gendry settled down on to the musty smelling ground and looked up at the sky reminding himself of the many times he had slept under the stars but every night he did, he always would fall asleep regretting one thing.
...
She had be moving slowly the past few days, if Nymeria was out there she wanted to make sure her childhood wolf caught her scent. She had been stopping every few hours taking detours off the king's road and making water in the woods as well as leaving stray hairs and spitting on the ground, it would either get her killed or would lead Nymeria to her. Since reaching the neck she had only made it to the beginning of the barrowlands.
Arya hopped down from Rhaenys, pulling her sliver horse over to one of the thick brown trees and tying her to the trunk. She found a tree that she could climb and crawled her way up. She wasn't a silly girl Arya knew the dangers of the north especially as she was leaving a trail. She tucked herself in between the branches and waited for sleep to take her. She waited for hours then she finally started to drift as she thought of the bed she would be staying in tomorrow. She was only an hour or two away from Burrowtown which was slightly off track but they would have an inn and Arya longed for a bed with furs.
She leaped through the forest smelling her master's scent as her pack followed behind her. She pushed herself through the underbrush searching for the girl she once knew. She longed for her scent to engulf her and to be nuzzled by her.
Arya woke up to hear the sound of hooves hitting the dirt road; she pulled herself up letting her head poke out of the top of the tree. Then she saw it the banner of House Bolton, the house that betrayed hers by stealing Winterfell. She jumped down from the tree and ran to the road, it was times like these she was glad of her womanly ways and the feeble hearts of men. She stepped into the road exposing herself to the man on the horse. She watched as the rider slowed down then came to a complete stop. She looked at the man and watched him stare back. She stepped forward and placed the smile on her face that she had learnt in Bravos with the faceless men.
"Don't you know better than to walk out into a road when a man is ridding?" The man smirked
His smirk wasn't like the ones she has seen before, this smirk made chills run down her spine and her hairs stand on edge. "Pardon me Ser, I was hoping you could help me" She pulled her shoulders back exposing the small mounds of breast she had "My horse, I tied her to tight you see and I was hoping I could borrow your strong arms for a second?" she blushed falsely
"And if I do this favour what do I get in return?" He man smiled climbing down from his horse and leading it towards where she stood
"I have no coin but I'm sure I could think of something we both would enjoy" Arya purred as she walked in the direction of her horse but took a wrong turn intentionally and led the man into a small dark opening in the thick of the woods
"Where's your horse" The man grunted
"I lied, I saw you coming and I wanted you. I had to have you" she stepped forward pushing the man up against the tree; the man flipped her over digging her shoulder blades into the rough bark. He began to slobber his way up her neck then aimed for her lips but Arya quickly peck her way up to his ear then whispered "valar morghulis" then she shoved needle into him seven times until the whimpers stopped,
she dragged his horse over to the rider's body then removed the horse's saddle and covered her hand in the man's blood and painted on the words onto his beast's skin and slapped it's behind to make the horse bolt off, she knew the horse would find its way back to the castle where it came from. She searched through the man's body and bags and found a bag of coin, food and wine. She walked back to her horse and led it to the man's body them she threw him over the back of Rhaenys and lead her to the road she had stolen the man from. She shoved the man's bloody remains on the ground and stripped him down to his pale skin then dug her hands into the wounds then rewrote the words she had written earlier over his ghostly skin. She stepped back to admire her work. Winter is coming.
...
"Winter is coming?" Lem read aloud to the group as they looked over the naked man.
"The stark words" Harwin breath, Gendry could hear the terror in his voice but could see it in everyone else's eyes. He wasn't scared, Gendry was angrier that scared. Someone was trying to place fear in people by playing a sick joke. No one could seem to let the Starks rest in peace instead everyone seemed obsessed with them. He knew they were the rightful owners of the north but he just wanted them to forget, he just wanted to forget.
"There's a town not far from here we will go ask around and see if anyone has seen or heard anything" Harwin said coldly leading is horse off the kingsroad and down a small path.
...
Arya could smell the stench an hour before arriving in Burrowtown and was met with what he expected. Thick black smoke rose from the once building and charred bodies littered the ground. She climbed down from Rhaenys and tip toed her way through the rubble. She had been to Burrowtown only once before and remembering the house of Dustin and the villagers she passed by. Arya side stepped through the ash and then saw the glint of a shield and pulled it out the wreckage, the shield had the house Dustin sigil. Then a low voice called for her to turn around.
...
"You there, show us your face" He demanded of the figure. The figure slowly turned to show that it was a women not just a women the ghost of Lyanna Stark.
"Lyanna" He whisper all the memories of the girl he knew came flooding back to him. Harwin fell to his knees in awe. She was still as beautiful as she was back then. Some of the men joined him on the floor but the ones who had never met Lyanna stood there awkwardly. Then Harwin heard Gendry clear his voice
...
That wasn't Lyanna Stark, he had never met the women but he knew who the figure was and it wasn't Lyanna Stark or her ghost. It was Arya stark is old friend.
"Harwin thats not Lyanna, That's Lady Arya Stark" He stated flatly not wanting his emotions to show.
"Ser" is old friend said smirking at him.
Thank you for reading. Please write a review they make my day and i always feel very on edge once ive posted a chapter so they really help. Sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes.
The way Arya is portrayed in this chapter is not how she will always be, i think she is abit lost and is craving the place she belongs at the mo. So i am sorry if she is coming across abit heartless