Chapter 4

Sundas, the 18th of Sun's Dusk, 4E 204

King's Landing

Nakos sprinted towards Mjoll's room, broke down the door with a resounding "FUS!", and ran inside, crossbow at the ready. There stood Mjoll, with Grimsever drawn, standing over three dead bodies. The blade of Grimsever was drenched in blood, and so was Mjoll. Her ebony armor was covered in blood, but none of it was hers. There was not a scratch on her. The right side of her face was smeared with blood, making an eerie contrast to the dark blue tattoo on the left side of her face.

Mjoll breathed heavily and gave a small smile, "You're late…" She sheathed Grimsever, "You were attacked too?"

"Yeah."

Mjoll chuckled, "How do they look?"

"Better than yours," Nakos joked as he observed the bodies on the floor. One was decapitated; another had a gaping hole in his stomach; and the third's arms and head were a few feet away from him. "I wasn't this messy. This is going to take a while to clean up." He dragged the bodies to the balcony, "Who the hell would want us dead?"

"Oh, I can think of a certain someone," Mjoll was steaming, "Cersei. Wait until I get my hands on that bitch!"

"You're not going to do anything."

Mjoll looked at him in surprise, "WHAT?!"

"You're not going to do anything," he repeated, "We should make absolutely sure it was her before we do anything."

Mjoll was adamant, "It was Cersei! I'm sure of it! She practically threatened you and me a few days ago."

"Don't jump to conclusions." Mjoll started to argue, but Nakos interrupted her, "Mjoll. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

"Then trust me on this. Let me find out who ordered the assassination. And then we can… talk to them."

Mjoll sighed, "So what's the plan?"

"We need to be on our guard. Be careful who we talk to, and what we say to them. For now, everyone is a suspect until I prove their innocence. When I get the chance, I'll sneak into their rooms and see I can find any evidence."

"Does this include Tyrion?"

It pained Nakos to think that Tyrion could be a possible suspect. He trusted Tyrion, and he felt that Tyrion trusted him. He paused, and slowly nodded, "Including him." He changed the subject, "But first, we need to get rid of these bodies."

Mjoll picked up a body, "And then you're going to get me a new door."

Sundas, 1st of Evening Star, 4E 204

King's Landing

Over the past fourteen days, Nakos snuck into Tyrion's room, Varys' room, and Cersei's room. Tyrion was actually the first person Nakos investigated. He was relieved to discover no evidence that Tyrion was involved, but Mjoll was disappointed to discover that that there was a lack of evidence implicating Cersei. Mjoll was looking forward to introducing Cersei to Grimsever. But once Nakos proved Tyrion's innocence, Mjoll became more trusting of Tyrion and began talking with him more.

Over the same course of time, Mjoll visited Sansa Stark on several occasions, trying to forge a friendship. But Sansa was still afraid, though she did begin to open up a little more. She had several small conversations with Mjoll, but they never lasted more than two minutes. Tyrion talked with Mjoll about her visits and offered a job opportunity … a job opportunity that Mjoll was happy to accept.

"Lady Stark?" Mjoll knocked on the door.

The door opened and Sansa looked out, "Lady Mjoll. What are you doing here?"

"I am to be your new bodyguard."

Sansa stared at her in stunned silence. "Are you serious?"

"I am."

Mjoll began to enter, but Sansa stopped her, "No, I don't need a bodyguard."

"I think you do. I can see you're afraid. I am only here to protect you."

Sansa said nothing for a moment.

"My lady?"

"You can stay outside," Sansa finally said. "Guard the door."

"And what if an attacker comes in through the balcony?"

"Then I'll scream for help."

"You'll be dead by then."

Her statement left Sansa silent.

"I apologize, my lady. But that is the truth. I can better protect you if I am inside with you. I can protect you from threats both from the door and from the balcony."

Sansa walked back inside her chambers, leaving the door open. Mjoll entered and sat in a chair against the wall. Neither of them said anything for a long while. Then Sansa finally spoke, "Where did you say you were from again?"

"Skyrim, my lady."

"Skyrim?" Sansa repeated, "Isn't that the land where they have talking cats, and talking lizards?"

Mjoll gave a small smile, "Yes, my lady. The Khajiit and the Argonians. There are also elves and orcs."

"It sounds like an… interesting place."

"It is. It can pretty cold too, especially in the North with the snow and cold air."

Sansa stood in front of a cloudy mirror, her image distorted, "I miss that. I miss that back home."

"Where is home for you?"

"Winterfell, in the North. They way you described the north of Skyrim sounds like the north of Westeros…" Sansa seemed to come out of a trance, "I don't know why I'm telling you this. I barely know you."

"I think we will get to know each other a lot over the course of time."

There was a knock on the door, and Sansa gasped, startled by the sudden noise. She quickly calmed herself, "Come in."

Mjoll got up from her seat, ready for anything. The door opened, and a black-haired woman entered. Her flowing pink dress seemed to glow in the light from the candles on either side of the door. The golden belt she wore reflected the light onto the walls.

Sansa looked at her suspiciously, "Who are you?"

The newcomer curtsied, "I'm Shae, my lady. Your new handmaiden." Shae looked at Mjoll quizzically. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mjoll. Lady Sansa's new bodyguard." Mjoll quickly searched Shae for weapons and found none.

Shae was obviously surprised, "Are you expecting danger?"

"One can never be too careful." Mjoll replied.

"I didn't know I needed a new handmaiden." Sansa said pointedly. She looked at Mjoll, and then back to Shae, "You're not from here."

Shae shook her head, "No."

None of the ladies moved for a moment, and then Sansa broke the silence, "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to tell me what to do."

"I shouldn't have to tell you to do things. You should just do them."

Mjoll and Shae exchanged glances. "What things?" Shae asked.

"Change my linens, wash my clothing, scrub the floor, empty my chamber pot, brush my hair." Sansa seemed to be getting impatient.

Shae closed the door, walked across the room, and picked up a brush.

"No."

Shae was taken aback, "You said to brush…"

"Not now."

"Your chamber pot is empty," Shae noted.

"Clean the table," Sansa ordered and turned to Mjoll, "Lady Mjoll, have you ever been a bodyguard before?"

"No, my lady. But I have traveled all over Skyrim, and I have had my fair share of fighting and killing. I've killed men and wild animals, including spiders -"

"Killing a spider is no big feat." Sansa interrupted.

"It is when they are as big as a horse."

Sansa looked wide-eyed at Mjoll, who simply shrugged. "I've also fought bears, sabrecats, and wolves."

Sansa brought her attention back to Shae, "Have you ever been a handmaiden before?"

"Yes," Shae said as she cleared the table.

"For whom?"

"Lady Zuriff."

"There is no Lady Zuriff in this city."

"She wasn't in this city."

Sansa scoffed, "Well, I don't know how they did things in that city, but in this city, handmaidens wait on ladies, not the other way around. And I don't have time to answer 1,000 questions and teach you how to do your job." As she spoke, it was obvious to Mjoll that Sansa was distressed and miserable, almost on the verge of tears.

Shae was obviously hurt, "Do you want me to leave?"

Sansa shook her head, realizing what she had just said may have wounded Shae, "Just brush my hair. And Lady Mjoll… keep an eye out."

"Are you alright, my lady?" Mjoll asked.

Sansa wiped a tear that had trickled down her face, "I'm fine."

The same night…

The Kingsroad

Laniel and Arya sat awake amongst the other sleeping recruits of the Night's Watch in an old tower. Arya was cleaning a thin sword, a little more than two feet in length. Laniel looked at the sword with interest. Arya noticed him, and handed it to Laniel to observe.

"This is a very nice sword." Laniel remarked as he turned the sword over, examining it.

"I call it Needle," she said, smiling.

"Needle," Laniel repeated, "That's a very good name for a sword. And it fits perfectly." He handed it back to her. "Who made it?"

"My brother, Jon. He's at the Wall."

"If I ever see him, I'll let him know you're safe."

Arya smiled, "Thank you."

The door opened and Yoren walked in, holding a leather wineskin, "You should be sleeping. Both of you," He sat across from Arya, beside Laniel. "Tomorrow's a long march. 30 miles if it don't piss on us." Yoren took a drink from the wineskin.

"I can't sleep." Arya remarked.

Yoren glanced at Laniel, "And what's your excuse?"

"I'm just keeping an eye out."

Yoren nodded, "Very vigilant. I like that." He offered the wineskin to Arya.

"I don't like the taste," she said.

Yoren chuckled, "Well, you don't drink it for the flavor, to be honest." He handed the wineskin to Laniel, who took a drink. Yoren leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He peeked and saw Arya staring at him, "What?"

"How do you sleep?" she asked.

"Same as most men, I think."

"But you've seen things, horrible things."

"Aye. I've seen some pretty things, too, but not nearly so many," he tapped Laniel on the shoulder, "What about you?"

"I've seen things, like you," Laniel said, "Done some horrible things too. But… it was a necessary evil, you could say."

"How do you sleep when you," Arya paused, "when you have those things in your head?"

Yoren sat up, "You didn't see that. I made damn sure."

"See what?" Laniel asked.

"Her father's execution."

"I close my eyes and I see them up there," Arya said, "All of them standing there… Joffrey, the Queen, and… and my sister."

Yoren took another drink from the wineskin, "You know, we've got something in common, me and you. You know that? I must have been a couple of years older than you. I saw my brother stabbed through the heart right on our doorstep."

Yoren went on to describe how his brother was murdered by a boy named Willem. Yoren said that he regularly thought about revenge and ultimately made it a ritual to say the killer's name before falling asleep. When Willem returned to town, Yoren killed him with an axe and then rode to the Wall to join the Night's Watch. He chuckled a bit, "Well... that'll help you sleep, eh?"

A horn sounded outside and men began shouting. Yoren jumped to his feet, "Get up, you lazy sons of whores!" he yelled, "Arm yourselves." The recruits got up and followed his orders. Yoren brought Gendry and Arya to him, "Keep out of sight, both of you." They started to argue, but he cut them off, "Keep out of sight. If things go wrong, you run. Do you hear me? You run along North and don't look back."

Laniel rushed outside, along with the older recruits. The younger recruits including Gendry and Arya ran and hid amongst bushes, while other recruits stood a few feet behind Yoren. A soldier rode up, "Where's the bastard, Crow?"

Yoren was curt as always, "Got more than a few bastards here. Who's asking?"

"Ser Amory Lorch, sworn Bannerman to Lord Tywin Lannister," he motioned to the Gold Cloaks behind him, "These men from the capital requested our assistance. Drop your weapons in the name of the King."

"Now, which King would that be?" Yoren sneered.

"This is your last chance," Lorch demanded, "In the name of King Joffrey, drop your weapons."

Yoren simply spat on the ground, "I don't think I will."

Lorch scoffed, "So be it."

He motioned to a crossbowman, who fired a crossbow bolt, hitting Yoren in the shoulder. Yoren fell to one knee, but was unfazed, "I always hated crossbows," he taunted, "Take too long to load." With a long swipe of his sword, he cut the crossbowman's throat. A few other soldiers attacked and Yoren fought alone, killing several of the men before the rest of the soldiers pierced him with their spears, putting an end to his resistance. Lorch rode behind him, took his sword, and drove it through through the back of Yoren's neck.

When Gendry and many of the other recruits saw Yoren killed, they began to fight back. Laniel was chased by three soldiers. He led them in a chase into the woods and slipped into the shadows. He could hear the soliders' frustration as they lost track of him and smiled to himself. It had been a while since he had used his true skills. He silently prayed to the Dread Father Sithis, and began stalking the soldiers as they searched through the bushes and woods. He slowly made his way behind one soldier, covered the soldier's mouth, and slit his throat. The soldier's muffled gurgling went unnoticed by his companions. Two remained. He sat very still and watched them. They continued deeper into the woods, and there was quite a distance between them. Laniel could still here the commotion from the Night's Watch. He had to act fast. He slipped behind the remaining soldiers, one after the other, and assassinated them. He quickly switched the last man's armor for his armor, took their weapons as his own, and walked back to the group, closing the visor of the helmet to obscure his face. As he walked back, he saw the recruits, all captured. One young boy was lying on the ground, dead. A stab wound in his neck. A bull's helmet lay on the ground by his head.

Lorch was addressing them, "We're looking for a bastard named Gendry. Give him up or I'll start taking eyeballs."

All the other recruits began to look at a worried Gendry. He was about to speak when Arya spoke up, "You want Gendry? You already got him." She pointed to the dead boy on the ground, "He loved that helmet."

"Good. Then our work here is done," He addressed his men, "Let's move out."

Laniel quickly and quietly went to Shadowmere, "Disappear, Shadowmere. Come when I call you."

Shadowmere galloped into the dark woods and faded into the shadows. Laniel took another horse, and joined the convoy to Harrenhal, staying in the very back.

Tirdas, the 3rd of Evening Star, 4E 204

King's Landing

Nakos, Tyrion, and Bronn all stood on the walls of the Red Keep, looking over Blackwater Bay. Bronn and Tyrion were in conversation, but Nakos wasn't listening. He was deep in thought as he stared out into the open water. It had been almost two months since he left Skyrim. He stood there, thinking about his friends in the Thieves' Guild, the Dark Brotherhood, and the Companions. But more importantly, he was thinking about his children, Sofie and Alesan. He missed Sofie's laugh. He missed Alesan's taunts toward the wooden dummy as he struck it with his elven dagger, pretending he was an Imperial soldier. He missed their childish arguments and games. He wondered if he would ever see them again. A tear trickled down his face.

"Ser Nakos?" Tyrion's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes?" Nakos wiped the tear from his face.

"You were thinking about Tamriel, I take it," Tyrion observed, "Do you miss home?"

"I do, especially my children. I don't know if I'll ever see them again. Lady Cersei has imprisoned me here at King's Landing and I don't think she has any intention of letting me leave this city." Nakos considered mentioned the assassins. But he thought better of it and kept it to himself, although Nakos was now beginning to wonder if Cersei really did give the order to the assassins, even if he didn't find any evidence implicating her.

"If you wish, I can talk to my sister," Tyrion offered.

"It won't do any good.

"I could try and convince her," Tyrion offered again.

Nakos raised an eyebrow, "Do you really think you can convince her to let me leave?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. But it's worth the try."

"Lord Tyrion!" A voice called from behind them. They turned and saw a black-haired young man in plated red leather armor running toward them.

Tyrion addressed the young man, "What is it, Podrick?"

"Lord Tyrion. Ser Nakos. It's Joffrey. He and Ser Meryn are torturing Sansa. In front of everyone in the Great Hall."

"Where's Lady Mjoll?!" Tyrion and Nakos asked simultaneously.

"She's there too, but one of the Kingsguard is holding her hostage so Joffrey can have his way with Lady Sansa."

"That son of a bitch…" Nakos clenched his fists in anger.

Tyrion wasted no time in getting to the Great Hall, Bronn and Nakos right behind him. Tyrion stormed in, "What is the meaning of this?" he yelled.

Several people stood in the Great Hall. As Tyrion, Bronn, and Nakos approached the front of the room, they saw Joffrey standing in front of the Iron Throne. To Joffrey's right was Mjoll, who had one of the Kingsguard behind her, holding a knife to her throat. At the front of the stone steps, another Kingsguard was standing above a beaten Sansa, her silver grey dress torn from her shoulders.

When Joffrey saw Nakos, he was visibly shocked. He looked at Mjoll, then back at Nakos. His surprise turned to smugness as he smirked at Nakos. Nakos noticed his reaction, but it went unnoticed by Tyrion, who had stormed over to Ser Meryn, "What kind of knight beats a helpless girl?"

"The kind who serves his king, Imp." Ser Meryn shot back.

Bronn clicked his tongue, "Careful, now. We don't want to get blood all over your pretty white cloak."

"Someone get the girl something to cover herself with!" Tyrion said to the crowd. He turned his attention to Joffrey, "She is to be your queen," he walked up the steps to Joffrey, "Have you no regard for her honor?"

One of the Kingsguard took off his white cloak, wrapped it around Sansa.

Joffrey shrugged, "I'm punishing her."

Tyrion scoffed, "For what crimes? She did not fight her brother's battle, you half-wit."

"You can't talk to me like that," Joffrey yelled, "The king can do as he likes!"

"The Mad King did as he liked," Tyrion retorted, "Has your Uncle Jaime ever told you what happened to him?"

Ser Meryn stepped forward, partially drawing his sword, "No one threatens His Grace in the presence of the Kingsguard."

"I'm not threatening the King, Ser. I am educating my nephew," Tyrion looked over his shoulder, "Bronn. Nakos. The next time Ser Meryn speaks, kill him."

"Gladly." Nakos drew his cross bow and aimed it at Ser Meryn.

"That was a threat," Tyrion turned to face Ser Meryn, "See the difference?" He turned back to Joffrey, "And what of Lady Mjoll?"

Joffrey said nothing, but just stood there, obviously robbed of his fun. Joffrey motioned with his hand and the Kingsguard behind Mjoll released her, roughly pushing her forward. Mjoll quickly turned around and punched him hard in the face before calmly walking down the stone steps and standing next to Nakos and Bronn. Bronn couldn't help but laugh to himself.

Tyrion walked back down the steps to Sansa, and offered his hand. She took it, and stood up. "I apologize for my nephew's behavior." Tyrion said as he, Bronn, Sansa, and Mjoll walked to the back of the Great Hall to leave. Nakos stayed behind for a moment as he and Joffrey stared each other down. Then Nakos turned on his heels and followed them.

Mjoll escorted Lady Sansa through the hallways back to her chambers, "You're not serious about being loyal to Joffrey, are you?"

"Joffrey is to be my husband," Sansa answered matter-of-factly, "And I am to be queen."

"Why would you stay with him? He was about to kill you. And he would have killed you if Lord Tyrion didn't put a stop to it.

Sansa said nothing.

"Forgive me for speaking my mind, my lady, but if you're not careful, Joffrey will be the death of you."

Sansa still remained silent.

They reached Lady Sansa's chambers and found the Kingsguard who gave her the white cloak by the door. Mjoll looked intently at him, and recognized him as the soldier who stood next to the king when she and Nakos first arrived at King's Landing. When Mjoll first saw him all those days ago, he was quite a distance away. But now that she was closer, she could get a better look at him. His long, brown, scraggly hair hung down to his shoulders, partially covering the horrible facial scarring on the right side of his face.

"I apologize if I startled you, my lady," he said, "I simply wanted to see if you were ok."

"I'm fine," Sansa walked past him, and into her room.

The man narrowed his eyes a bit as he looked at Mjoll, "I remember you," he said with a small smile, "You're the stranger from Skyrim. From Tamriel. You were there at King Joffrey's Nameday. You were quite the fighter."

"Thank you. Although I wish I could have done something to protect Sansa."

"She is alive. As are you. That is all that matters."

Mjoll nodded, "Did you fight at the Nameday tournament as well?"

"Aye, I did. I knocked the man over the walls. The king enjoyed every minute of it."

"And did you?"

"I think killing is the best thing in the world. But I'm not a sadistic bastard like the king… or my brother."

Mjoll scoffed, "And yet you love to kill. How does that make you any different from the king? Or from those who kill for the sake of killing?"

"Do you love to kill?" The man asked.

"I only kill when I have to."

"And when you do, do you enjoy it?"

Mjoll was silent.

"I thought so. I can see it in your eyes. You say you only kill when you have to, and that is probably true. But when you do, you enjoy every minute of it."

Mjoll still said nothing, but there was some truth to the man's words. When she fought bandits, wild animals, and draugr along with Nakos, there was a rush that she enjoyed. She could feel her Nordic blood flow and ebb through her body as she fought and killed. If she wanted to be honest with herself, she did enjoy some part of it.

"I'm right, aren't I?" the man asked.

Mjoll smirked, "Perhaps."

The man chuckled, "Perhaps…" he repeated.

"Hound!" Bronn came walking up the hallway, "Lord Tyrion requires your assistance delivering King Joffrey's Nameday present."

"People call you 'Hound'?" Mjoll asked.

"Aye, they do."

"What is your given name?"

"Sandor Clegane," he answered. "What is yours?"

"Mjoll... the Lioness."

"No surname?"

Mjoll shook her head.

"The Lioness," Sandor repeated the words and gave a small smile, "A good name. It suits you well."

With that, he turned and walked down the hallway, leaving Mjoll with a bit of a smile on her face.

Later that night…

The cool night winds blew across King's Landing. It reminded Nakos of the night the assassins attacked him and Mjoll. But this time the roles were reversed. This time, it was Nakos who was the predator and Joffrey was the prey. Of course, he wasn't going to kill Joffrey. But after the silent confrontation with Joffrey, Nakos began to wonder if Joffrey was in fact involved with the attempted assassination, and not Cersei. Or perhaps both of them worked together. Nonetheless, Nakos wanted to make sure he found the culprit before acting.

Nakos walked through the hallways and made his way to Joffrey's chambers, situated at the end of a brightly lit hallway. To Nakos' surprise, there were no guards posted outside the door. Nakos smirked; this could mean two things. Either Joffrey was not inside or he was cocky enough to think that he didn't need guards outside his room. But Nakos wanted to be sure Joffrey was not inside.

"Laas", he whispered. No red auras appeared. The coast was clear. Nakos knelt in front of the door and picked the lock. He opened the door just enough so he could slip inside. The room was empty, but brightly lit with many candles all over the room. Nakos extinguished some of them with a flourish of his hand. He needed the shadows in case Joffrey came back.

He quickly but quietly searched through the chambers, but he found nothing. Nakos cursed to himself. He was sure that there was something here that would point to Joffrey, or perhaps, Cersei as the ones who ordered the assassins. He searched the room a second time, and still found nothing.

A noise outside the door startled him. He quickly reignited a few candles on the wall with a small fireball, leaving the others unlit, and sank into the shadows. There were three voices on the other side and he recognized two of them as Joffrey's and Cersei's. The voices seemed to be in the middle of an argument, but they were muffled by the door. The door swung open and a very angry Joffrey burst in, "How are they alive?!"

Cersei followed close behind him, and Ser Meryn and another Kingsguard entered behind her. The other Kingsguard remained by the door, while Ser Meryn followed Cersei and Joffrey.

"How are they both still alive, Ser Meryn?! You promised me the assassins could do the job! You promised me that Mjoll and Nakos would be dead. And then I have to see them in my throne room! Alive!"

"Why didn't you kill Mjoll right there in the throne room?" Ser Meryn inquired.

"I was going to, once you killed Sansa. But my uncle had to ruin the fun. I would not be in this situation if you would've done you job and found me some competent assassins!"

Ser Meryn tried to defend himself, "The assassins said they could do it."

"This is the second time the assassins have failed us," Joffrey said, "One of them failed when he couldn't kill Bran Stark. And now they've failed us again."

"Bran Stark had a direwolf," Cersei added, "Nakos and Mjoll didn't. And yet they still managed to kill the assassins. What does that say about your competence, Ser Meryn?"

Joffrey began pacing the room, "There were three assassins for each of them! How the FUCK did they not kill them?!"

Ser Meryn did not have an answer.

Joffrey waved his hand at Ser Meryn, "You're dismissed."

Ser Meryn bowed and left the room along with the other Kingsguard.

Joffrey laughed softly, "Well… it seems I underestimated the both of them." He looked up at his mother, "I did this for you, you know. I heard how you talked about them. How much you hated them. I wanted to do something for you. And I've failed."

Cersei sat in a chair, "Don't you worry. Nakos' time will come again. Mjoll's time will come again. Their time will come again. They disrespected you at your Nameday. And they have disrespected me ever since they got here. If I get the chance, I will kill them myself." Cersei smiled an evil smile, "A Lannister always pays her debts."

"What about Uncle Tyrion? He likes Nakos. And he made that bitch Mjoll Sansa's bodyguard."

"Let me deal with Tyrion. Nakos has no idea who he is dealing with. He doesn't know what I'm capable of."

Nakos boldly emerged from the shadows directly behind Joffrey. Cersei leaped from her chair in astonishment. Joffrey followed her gaze, turned around, and saw Nakos standing right behind him.

Nakos smiled, "Good evening, your Grace."

Next Time:

Laniel makes a mysterious ally, chaos ensues in King's Landing, and Nakos confronts Joffrey and Cersei... more than once.