This chapter shows the minor events happening between the characters, before ending in a reunion at the end!
The Vale:
Lord Royce had been traveling for twenty-one days by the time he arrived at The Vale.
It was refreshing to him to be back home, but he knew he could only stay a fortnight before having to return to Winterfell.
The young Lord Robin was standing by The Moon Door when he walked into the large chamber, where many men had been executed before.
"My Lord," he greeted with a bow, his face never changing from his regular stern look.
The fifteen-year-old young Lord ran towards him happily, embracing him with a smile.
"Lord Royce, I've been waiting," the boy was nearly a man, but still looked young for his age.
He was pale with brown hair and big eyes, but Lord Royce believed that the young boy looked better than he had when he had left for Winterfell initially.
"Are you feeling well, my Lord?"
"Quite well, Maester Colemon says my seizures are getting better and that I'm gaining weight!" The young Lord answered proudly, "Myranda and Mya say that I'm beginning to look more and more like Father. Do you think I could be strong like him too? Do you think Winterfell will make me strong?"
"It is possible Lord Robin," Lord Royce replied, "Lady Sansa believes it'll do you some good and says that her brother has created tough men out of boys like you while he was Lord Commander."
"I can't wait to meet King Jon! Will he be back from Dragonstone by the time we get to Winterfell?"
"I'm not too sure about that, but you'll meet him once he returns."
'Hopefully, the Bastard will be burned by the Targaryen bitch,' Lord Royce thought as he feigned a smile, 'then Lady Sansa can be the Queen Of The North and perhaps she'll be willing to marry Robin.'
The Lord tuned out the fifteen-year-old as they walked through the hallways of The Vale. He knew that he had to return with at least half of the soldiers he had left at The Vale but had been told by Lord Baelish not to bring all of them in case something went wrong in the North.
He was to bring seven thousand more soldiers with him to Winterfell, as well as Lord Nestor, who was the leader of their cadet branch and High Steward of The Vale. He also intended to bring Lord Nestor's son, Albar, and daughter, Myranda – the latter of which Lady Sansa had been fond of.
"Can we bring Mya too?" Lord Robin asked excitedly at one point during their walk, "Myranda would love it if we brought her too."
"Yes, Mya may be a useful asset," Lord Royce said.
"When will we be heading to Winterfell?"
"In a fortnight, my Lord. So, why don't you go rest while I set up the arrangements? Perhaps write to your cousin and inform her that I've arrived."
"I can do that!" Lord Robin was excited, "I'll write to Sansa right away!"
The young Lord bounced away, leaving the older man feeling exasperated as well as impressed that the sick boy seemed to be so much healthier.
'Perhaps time without his mother and Nestor's strict guidance has been good for him.'
Winterfell:
Dear Cousin,
Lord Royce has arrived home at The Vale and says we'll be leaving for Winterfell in a fortnight. He is bringing back seven thousand of our soldiers, as well as Lord Nestor and his son – and your friends, Myranda Royce, and Mya Stone. I hope you are pleased!
I look forward to seeing you again.
Your Loving Cousin,
Lord Robin
As Sansa read the small letter, she smiled at her little cousins' enthusiasm before handing the scroll to Maester Wolkan.
"Please, make a copy of this and store it somewhere safe," she said as she rose from the desk and walked around it, "also let me know when you've finished reviewing all of the scrolls written by Maester Luwin. From the time King Robert arrived in Winterfell until the time it was burned down."
"Yes, your Highness," Maester Wolkan bowed as the Lady Of Winterfell and Princess Of The North left the chamber.
Sansa found herself walking through the courtyard and heading to The Godswood where she was sure she'd find her little brother.
When she arrived, she found Meera Reed by his side and smiled at the sight.
"Your Highness," the woman curtsied awkwardly upon noticing her approaching, "my apologies, but your brother is currently in a vision and mustn't be disturbed until he returns."
"Oh, that's fine," she replied with another smile, trying not to look confused by her statement, "I wouldn't mind speaking to you. Bran told me that you wrote to your father last night about coming to Winterfell, do you know when approximately he'll arrive and how many men he'll be bringing?"
"We don't have many soldiers, but my father hopes that the two thousand, eight hundred that we do have will help. He's sending every man and woman that can fight, over the age of sixteen years old."
"My brother wishes for young boys and girls between the ages of ten and sixteen to also be trained, does your father know about this?"
"I'm not sure your Highness. It's difficult to send ravens to Greywater Watch, and if he did receive my letter, he might not be able to send one back in response. I'm sure upon his arrival; we'll know more."
Sansa nodded, "I look forward to meeting your father. My father was always speaking very highly of him. Bran didn't tell me much about how or why you and your brother joined him and helped him across The Wall, but I appreciate that you did and kept him safe all the same. I'm sorry about your brother."
Meera smiled sadly, "thank you, your Highness. My brother died serving Bran, as was his mission. The Reeds vowed to serve the Starks, and my brother kept that vow. The former Three-Eyed Raven told me Jojen knew when we left home what his fate was, and yet he decided to go anyhow. I'm proud of my brother."
"I understand, was your brother like Bran too? Did he have visions and warg into animals?"
"Jojen had visions, but couldn't warg. He was only meant to do as much as needed to bring Bran to the cave. He was never much of a fighter, though, so my father sent me with him to protect him."
"Your father knew about everything, then?" Sansa asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"Yes, and he was devastated upon learning about the fate that would behold your family. It pained him that he wasn't able to intervene, but as Jojen said – it was all destined to happen and had to for us to be prepared for The Long Night and Battle Of The Dawn, as well as to save the seven kingdoms."
The Lady Of Winterfell listened as Meera spoke the words her brother had told her the day before. It pained her to think that way, but she was doing her best to understand and believe her younger brother.
Just before she was able to respond, however, Bran spoke;
"You came to tell me that our cousin will be heading to Winterfell in a fortnight."
"Yes, Bran," his older sister replied, feeling slightly uncomfortable, "and I was also speaking to Lady Meera about her father and his men. He's sending two thousand and eight hundred men from Greywater Watch."
"They'll arrive in eight days. They were already halfway there when we arrived."
Meera was surprised about this, "so my father never received my letter that I sent yesterday? Bran, why wouldn't you tell me about this?"
"I thought you would remember that I asked Edd to send a letter from Castle Black and to tell him to leave in a fortnight and meet us here. We can't afford to waste any time, and it's a long journey, and your people surely needed time to prepare. He's also a necessity to help me with Jon when he gets home."
"To help you with Jon?" It was Sansa's turn to be confused, "why would you need Lord Howland Reed's help with Jon?"
"It has to do with what I need to speak to him about," Bran explained, before turning back to the tree.
"And I suppose you aren't going to share with me what this important business is that you have with our brother?"
"I can't at the moment, Sansa, but everything will be in the open soon."
Meera noticed the annoyance radiating from Bran's sister, but knew better than to say anything about it.
"Fine," she replied after a couple of beats of silence, "I'll leave you and Lady Meera to your visions. I have work to do anyhow. Please, don't spend too much time outside. I don't want you to get ill."
She turned from her brother and swiftly left the Godswood, without bothering to look back.
Once she had left, Meera turned to Bran, "it frightens her that you're keeping a secret. This involves her too Bran and you know she has been through so much. You need to trust your sister with – whatever this is that you need to speak to your brother about."
"It's not that easy Meera," he explained, "I don't know who Sansa is anymore. If she's still the same as she was when we were children – she may not take the news well. Jon needs to return home safe from his meeting with The Dragon Queen before she knows."
"It's going to make her anxious and suspicious of you."
"Until Lord Baelish is taken care of, we need to be careful and suspicious of her as well," was his answer.
While all of this was happening in Winterfell and the Riverlands to the Stark children, other events were taking place in the South and Bran Stark could see it all;
Daenerys arrived on Dragonstone and started creating her plan to take the Iron Throne. She had sent her Unsullied soldiers to Casterly Rock on the advice of Tyrion Lannister and had sent Ellaria Sand and Yara Greyjoy to Dorne to retrieve the allies they had there. Lady Olenna Tyrell was sent to Highgarden to retrieve her gold and food to pay for the war that they were facing and feeding all the soldiers that stood behind The Dragon Queen.
While Daenerys did that, The Red Woman was returning to Volantis to return with soldiers for The Long Night. She had been waiting for The Dragon Queen when she arrived at Dragonstone and had advised her to summon The King Of The North. Melisandre had known that she should leave before Jon came, in case he told everyone of her crimes and executed her before she could fulfill her purpose.
Jorah Mormont had gotten treated for his Greyscale at The Citadel against the orders of the Archmaester, by Samwell Tarly. He was now traveling back to his Queen to serve her again.
Euron Greyjoy was on his way to King's Landing to swear fealty to Queen Cersei and would arrive in two days from the conversation Sansa had with Bran in the Godswood of Winterfell.
Travelling, with Samwell Tarly & Gilly:
Two weeks after treating Jorah Mormont, Samwell Tarly had decided to leave The Citadel and return to Jon. Gilly and the four-year-old, Little Sam had set out on the journey with him.
They had been traveling for ten days and had been sorting through the books Samwell had stolen from The Citadel when they had come across something strange.
"High Septon Maynard wrote in his journal that he annulled Prince Ragger's marriage and married him in a secret ceremony in Dorne," Gilly told Samwell proudly as she read, "I'm getting so much better at reading, Sam! Even Little Sam is beginning to speak a little bit. Do you think he'll be smart like you?"
Samwell was reading through books about The Long Night and answered her with feigned interest, "I'm sure that if we defeat The Night King and his army, Little Sam will be brilliant."
His lover smiled widely at that statement and continued reading, "will Jon be there when we arrive at Winterfell?"
"I'm not sure, but you'll at least get to meet his sister."
"Have you met her?"
"No, but I've heard of her. Not many nice things, but they were just children, after all. My brother and I didn't always get along when we were younger, either."
"Do you think we'll ever get to see your brother and sister and mother again?"
"Probably not, unless my brother becomes Lord Tarly and agrees to ride North to help us fight the dead."
"I enjoyed your sisters' company," Gilly told him with an air of awe in her voice, "she had such pretty dresses and was going to teach me how to sew and cook and do other things, like dancing and writing."
Samwell looked up from the book he had been reading and smiled, "I'm sure Jon's sister will be more than happy to teach you how to make pretty dresses and dance and write. She was one of those ladies from what Jon told me."
This comment had Gilly beaming, "I'm very much looking forward to meeting her!"
"We won't be there for quite a while, but I can start teaching you how to write if you want. I need to put these books down and rest at some point," he offered, enjoying the expression of joy on her face.
He had always loved the fact that Gilly was so hopeful and happy to be alive, despite everything she had suffered and all the awful she had seen. It made Samwell confident as well, and he hoped that if Jon won The Battle For The Dawn, he would be able to spend the rest of his life with Gilly and her son.
'I love her so much,' Samwell thought to himself, 'I'll help Jon and protect my family.'
King's Landing:
"I want you to go to Highgarden."
Cersei Lannister was sitting on her bed while her brother, Jaime Lannister, got dressed before the servants brought their Queen breakfast.
"Why would I go there?" Her brother asked, perplexed, "I told you that Tyrion is going to hit Casterly Rock first. We have time to stop Olenna from returning to Dragonstone, but the Unsullied will be at our home within eight days if the spies are estimating properly. We should send half our men there to defend-"
"Defend our home?" Cersei interrupted with a sneer, "and protect all our fond childhood memories? Like our mother dying and that monster being brought into the world?"
She rose from the bed and walked over to pour herself some wine, "let the beast have Casterly Rock. We'll send eight thousand Lannister soldiers to defend it, and that should match the Unsullied scum. You'll take ten thousand Lannister soldiers to Highgarden and meet up with Lord Tarly and his men."
"Lord Tarly?" Jaime was once again confused, "he's vowed to serve Olenna. Why would I meet with him?"
"He's the future Warden Of The South and Lord Paramount of the Reach. He's giving you four thousand men to join you and will be leaving another four thousand of his men at Hornhill with his son. They will wait for our command to come forward if needed, or join on later in The War For Westeros."
"Lord Tarly is a loyal man. Are you sure you can trust him to betray the Tyrells?"
"Lord Tarly is proud and loyal to the crown. He will fight with you when you arrive at Highgarden. You will then find the Tyrell gold and bring it back to King's Landing, as well as the storage of food."
"Okay, what do we do after we take Highgarden?" Jaime asked, "how long are we letting Tyrion have Casterly Rock?"
"My priority is Highgarden and taking back the adjacent lands that belong to us, like Riverrun. I've already sent two thousand men to deal with the situation there and to recapture Edmure Tully and bring him to me. The traitor was released after the massacre of The Freys and is leading them."
"Yes, I heard about that. The remaining Freys and the ones that were loyal to Robb Stark have been laying siege to Riverrun for two days. I have to say, Tully has more guts than I thought – to attempt to take back his home after being granted freedom. I thought that he was a coward when I-"
"Threatened to kill his wife and child?" Cersei interrupted, "most men will yield to that. Now that he has been released and has four thousand soldiers wanting to make right the sins of their father, he thinks he can win. We'll need to show him and the other rebels that they can't beat the Lannister army."
"The Lords and Ladies are getting brazen after The Battle Of The Bastards. They believe that if Sansa Stark is safe and can take back her home, they can as well. We're outnumbered, and everybody knows it. When we lose our childhood home to Tyrion – it isn't going to change their minds on that subject."
"Perhaps I'll send his head to the whore in Winterfell and her bastard brother," Cersei had continued muttering to herself about Edmure Tully and what she saw as a betrayal from him and The Frey's.
Her brother sighed, "Cersei, are you listening to me?"
She looked at her brother as if noticing that he was there, "I don't care if the Lords and Ladies are getting bold. We'll bring shame to them and prove them wrong. We'll take back our lands and kill them all. Armies don't always win wars – you will go to Highgarden and get the Tyrell gold. Let me deal with the rest – you leave at dawn. You should go rest."
His sister was now speaking to his like an ordinary servant, and he didn't know how to respond, "I'll leave you to your planning then, your grace."
If Jaime had learned anything about his sister in the last few months, it was that there was no point in arguing with her and questioning her. The sister that he could once speak to about anything was long gone and in her place was a woman that he didn't recognize. They hadn't spoken about the death of their son since it had happened, and the pain and confusion were eating him up inside, but not her.
His sister didn't seem affected by the death of their last child. Perhaps the last good piece of Cersei died when Tommen committed suicide, or maybe – Jaime considered, he had never known her in the first place, and that thought broke his heart.
Nonetheless, Jaime felt like he had no choice, but to follow his sister into this war no matter what the outcome. He had done too many things for love to turn back now.
Two days before Cersei sent Jaime to Highgarden, an unexpected guest had arrived at Kings Landing;
Euron Greyjoy, with ten thousand soldiers and a thousand Greyjoy ships – all of which he had pledged to the woman that currently holds the crown. Despite the reputation of the Greyjoy family and Jaime's advice to send him back to his island, Cersei had accepted his supposed vow of fealty.
The woman that had now been labeled by the Lords and Ladies, and commoners of Westeros as 'The Mad Queen' since she had blown up the sept – knew that she was outnumbered, not only by The Dragon Queen and her savages, but by the armies from Dorne and Highgarden that had pledged to her.
She was also still receiving ravens from her Northern spies that were claiming the King Of The North and Lady Of Winterfell were trying to build their army and had The Knights Of The Vale at their back.
She had sixty thousand Lannister soldiers remaining after The War Of The Five Kings. She knew she had enemies surrounding her and would have no hope of winning the war if she didn't create allies and take back the lands that – in her mind – belonged to her.
Cersei was getting desperate but refused to show her fear to anyone – even her brother, whom she had sent away so she could get some real work done and he could do the one out of two things that she felt he was suitable for. If Jaime felt like his sister had changed, the same was true for the other.
'He has gotten soft,' she had begun to believe, 'if Euron Greyjoy follows through on his promise to me – He may be better at leading my armies and putting fear into my soldiers and enemies.'
She supposed all she could do now was wait;
She would wait for her brother to either succeed or fail at his mission. While waiting to see if Euron Greyjoy was a real alliance and to know if he succeeded or failed with his acquiring of her 'special gift,' - a gift that would be a blow to The Dragon Queen and send a clear message throughout the Seven Kingdoms.
In The North:
Arya was nearly at Winterfell, and her anxiety had abated slightly. She had heard while traveling through the villages that her brother, Jon had left Winterfell and was currently sailing to Dragonestone to try to ally with The Dragon Queen. She had also heard that her sister, Sansa was in charge of Winterfell and that the 'crippled son' of Ned Stark had returned home.
Whispers were going through the North about how Theon Greyjoy hadn't killed the two Stark boys and had saved Sansa Stark from Ramsay Bolton. Despite this good news, Arya was uneasy about the fact that she had yet to hear any whispers about her youngest brother, Rickon.
She supposed she'd get the rest of her answers when she arrived home and reunited with her sister and younger brother. She was disappointed about not being able to join with Jon but hoped to do so upon his return from meeting The Dragon Queen – a prospect that many people were unhappy about.
"Are you feeling better, Little Wolf?" Sandor Clegane asked, riding up beside her.
"I'm not a 'Little Wolf' anymore."
"No, I suppose not," he gruffed in response with a small smile, "do you think your sister is still a Little Bird?"
Arya grimaced at this question as she thought about it. She had heard that terrible things had happened to her sister, and she wondered how that had shaped her.
"I'm not sure," she responded after a couple of quiet moments, "I don't know whom she has become."
"You're afraid she'll reject you," Sandor stated, "people like us are often rejected, but your sister spent years alone in Kings Landing. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you, even if you are a strange Little Wolf."
Arya glared at the man that people referred to as The Hound as he laughed and trotted off.
They had returned to their old habits of bickering and teasing, except now it wasn't cruel or hateful but almost endearing. Arya felt confused about this but had found comfort in her relationship with Sandor.
They soon arrived at the Winter Town, where they unmounted and stopped to get food at an inn.
Arya and Sandor ate together, while The Brotherhood Without Banners had learned to give them space. Occasionally Beric would look over at them and smile as if pleased that the two were finally reunited.
"Lord Robin of The Vale is sending more men North for Princess Sansa!" They overheard from a table a couple of feet away, "do you think the Princess intends to use them to overthrow the King?"
"Definitely, why would she want her bastard brother to have the North?"
"Everybody knows that they only won The Battle Of The Bastards because of her! Moreover, he wants to align the North with Daenerys Targaryen – of all the people!"
"An army of dead men are coming to kill us all from the other side of The Wall."
The group at the table laughed, "no wonder he wants to align with The Dragon Queen! He's as mad as her father is."
Arya could feel the anger brewing inside of her, but before she could rise from her seat and start an altercation with the people that were insulting her brother – Sandor grabbed her arm gently.
"It's not worth it," he hissed in her ear, "they're just peasants sprouting rumors. They don't matter."
She sent them a look of disdain and then ripped her arm away from him. She then left the inn and returned to her horse. She was ready to continue the couple hours ride to Winterfell.
The Brotherhood Without Banners and Sandor had paid for the meal and drinks and had followed her outside quietly. They prepared their horses without a word and followed her as she mounted and trotted off.
Arya's blood boiled and her anxiety returned;
What if those people were right?
What if Sansa was planning on betraying Jon?
Whom would she side with – her beloved brother, or the sister she had once hated and now she barely knew?
These thoughts were driven out of her mind a couple of hours late when she saw her childhood home for the first time in years.
She could see the Stark banners hanging over the walls and could see the repaired walls and new battlements.
She smiled and couldn't help sighing in relief, before kicking the sides of her horse and sending it off into a run.
She only allowed the horse to slow down when they were ten feet from the gates. She climbed off the horse and walked up to the guards that were currently on either side and were talking among themselves.
"Where are you going?" One of the men asked as she approached.
"I'm Arya Stark – this is my home," she stated firmly, "I know Princess Sansa has been left in charge. Please, send for her, and she'll confirm who I am."
The two men looked at each other as if asking each other silently if this dirty young woman could indeed be the Princess they had been told would be arriving back home within a couple of days.
They looked behind her and saw four men on horse and noticed that one of them had a burn mark that they were told by the Lady and Lord Stark – a companion that was accompanying her would have.
There was also a dire wolf following several feet behind them, with several wolves following it.
"We'll go retrieve Princess Sansa right away, err – your Highness," the men bowed and walked into the castle, holding the gates open for the young woman and four men who were still upon horses.
As Arya walked into the castle that had once been her home, she looked around and noticed that not only did the castle look different, but so were the faces. Wildlings and Knights in The Vale armor were walking around the courtyard as well as other Lords and Ladies that she didn't recognize.
It seemed to take several minutes for the two men to return, but when they did – Arya noticed that a woman was with them.
She had long auburn hair and blue eyes, and she was taller then she had been the last time they had seen each other, but Arya knew whom she was looking at and without thinking she rushed forward to embrace her.
To her surprise and pleasure, the woman embraced her back wholeheartedly;
"Arya – we've been waiting for you to come home," Sansa sobbed, "I've missed you so much."
Arya held on tight to her older sister for what seemed like several minutes, before finally letting go and looking at her face.
"I missed you too," she said through her tears, "I started heading home as soon as I heard that you and Jon had taken back Winterfell. I know that Jon's gone, but I heard that Bran's back."
"Bran is back, and he told us you'd be arriving home soon, and that The Brotherhood Without Banners and The Hound would be coming with you."
Sansa could see her younger sister was perplexed by this, but she felt the need to address the four men before explaining the situation to her;
"Ser Sandor, Ser Beric, and company – I'm pleased to welcome you to Winterfell and have already gotten chambers ready for you before you travel to Eastwatch. We suggest you stay for a fortnight to regain your strength before starting your journey. We also have arranged companions to go with you."
The Brotherhood Without Banners bowed at the auburn-haired beauty and thanked her, but Sandor was looking between the two sisters with concern. He felt the need to stay in Winterfell and protect them, but then a figure walked up to the group and sent a chill down the once undefeated soldier.
The person that had walked up was Brienne Of Tarth, an unconventional woman that looked more like a knight than a lady. She was also the only person ever to defeat Sandor Clegane.
The two sisters looked at each other, both aware of Sandor Clegane's impulsive temper and Brienne's defensive nature.
'This reunion isn't so joyful,' Sansa thought as she looked between the knights.