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THE SKINWALKER
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Three days after the events of that week, Arya and Edric left Pinkmaiden to go west. They had scoured the area around Pinkmaiden and had found the altar. When they got there, Arya's flashback recognized it from her dreams and the smell of the wolves was still there. That's when they found a golden broach that must've fallen off one of the capturers. It was shaped in a grapevine and had something engraved on the back of it that vaguely decipherable as "Sw… Jeyne". Edric deducted these hadn't just been poachers if one of them wore a golden broach. It wasn't very difficult to figure out where they had come from. The grapevine was the sigil of House Redwyne of the Arbor, a trade island of the coast of Oldtown. Other than that, they could not find out what the words meant. Arya thought it referred to Jeyne Swyft, a girl that had accompanied late King Robert to Winterfell. King Robert had asked her father to become Hand of the King, and not much later, Sansa and Arya had left with him for King's Landing. She remembered the Swyft girl as a nice, pretty maiden with a gap in her teeth. Her house had its holdfast in the Westerlands, but Arya did not know where. It did not matter. Their biggest lead was the Arbor now, so Edric and Arya decided to make their way to the west and grab a ship south. The Crag was the closest port nearby, but on foot it would take them at least a week to get there, so they begged Lord Beric to provide them with horses. As usual, he was reluctant, but he did not object and let them go, on the condition that the Septa would go with them. It was a strange request, but they agreed.
The morning of their departure, Arya observed the Septa for the first time. She had been there when she had a wash, and she had helped them finding the altar, but Arya had never really noticed her Her real name was Septa Lemore, she learned soon enough. Now that she did notice her, she realized that the Septa was in fact a very beautiful woman. In fact, she now saw how voluptuous her robe fell around her chest and how she kept 'forgetting' to bind the lock of hair underneath her cap. Arya remembered how Septa Mordane had always made sure she bound her hair under her cap. Septa Mordane had called it a virtue to be plain. If not a Septa, who was she, really? Why is she here? Had she ever been a true Septa? All these questions darted around her mind, and finally she decided she didn't care.
They rode for hours that day, until at sundown they found an abandoned farm, where they held up in the attic. Edric had packed some bread so they ate that for supper. They would need the rest of the provisions for later on the road. They were unsure where and when they would have another chance to get more food, and for a minute, Arya considered if she had made a mistake.
"Everyone, get some sleep, we have a long day tomorrow. I'll take watch tonight." Edric said decisively, immediately establishing that he was here to lead them, when in fact he had no idea where they were going. Yes, they had made a plan, but infiltrating the land of the Lions, without being seen? And then trying to board a ship headed for the Reach? There seemed to be a lot of uncertain variables that they would have to deal with. He estimated another day ride until they would arrive at Golden Tooth. Perhaps they could get some food there. Edric yawned, but stood up and moved closer to the window that overlooked the farm. From there he periodically checked their perimeter, but he found himself checking up on sleeping Arya as well. There was something about her when he was with her. He couldn't help himself around her. He could relate to her and had found their sudden connection weirdly frightening. Had the Faith brought them together? What was it about her that made him feel so uncomfortable? He had noticed from her eyes that she had suffered. He saw the pain when he looked at her, and far more than anything, he wanted her to be fine.
Morning came and they headed further west as early as possible. The roads were quiet, but as they progressed and approached the city, they stumbled onto more travelers and houses. They asked several people passing by on the situation in Golden Tooth and heard two-thousand Lannister army had occupied the city, intending to march North on Riverrun. There was no way they could sneak into the city unnoticed now, so they took a side road and avoid the main route to Golden Tooth. It would cost them a lot of time, but it was far safer for the Septa and for Arya. The side road ran alongside a long stretch of water that they would follow to Ashemark, another Lannister city further west. Just as they had crossed the river over a bridge, coarse laughter came out of the woods and seven poorly armored men surrounded them and pulled them off their horses.
"What do we have here?" grunted one of them. He had a scar on his left cheek and held a short axe in his hand. The others were just standing there snickering while he talked. "A nun, a maiden and a knight. Fair trio. But the real question is, what are they doing on this road? A little dangerous for you high folks, isn't it?"
"Step away, stranger, we have nothing of treasure. Let us on our way and we'll forget about this."
"Nothing of treasure? Look at the pretty faces of your companions, ser. We are not after your gold, we'll even pay for a piece of that meat."
Edric nodded at Arya and drew his sword. One of the bandits charged on Edric, who easily deflected and put an end to the man's life with a stroke of his sword.
"Leave now and you'll live," Edric warned them, but soon two others leaped at him and cornered him from two sides. Arya pulled out Needle and rushed towards one of them and planted her steel in his fat belly. Stick 'em with the pointy end. With two men down, the odds had changed tremendously. "The boy first," said their leader. The three of them had no trouble parrying Edric's cuts and then one of them managed to inflict a wound that opened up his leather doublet and blood streamed out in a thick stripe down his shirt. Ned emitted a scream, and swung his sword around in anger, hitting one guy in the arm and another in the leg. Suddenly their leader jumped forward and held his knife at the Septa's throat. A dog was standing a little further watching the scene and here and there barking at the show. Meanwhile Arya was surrounded as well and Edric crunched down and held his arm around his shoulder.
"Now, if we can all remain civilized, no more blood has to be spilled," the man said, "You are coming with us."
Arya noticed Edric had collapsed and tilted his head backwards. She rushed out and kneeled down with him. His eyes had turned pale white and there was no emotion on his face. "No, Edric!" she screamed.
The dog attacked the bandits from behind all of a sudden and in that moment Septa Lemore had picked up his knife and stabbed the man in his heart. She turned around to the others and looked merciless. The dog growled viciously and charged at the thug's calves. A groan of pain pierced through the air and finally the band of brutes got scared and scattered back into the woods. Arya was still bowed over Edric, holding him up in a desperate embrace. She heard a shallow cough and saw Edric's irises returned to him, but she didn't let go of him for a while.
"I thought I had lost you," she murmured.
"Step away Arya, his wound needs to be taken care of before it festers," said Lemore, while she got out some bandages and a phial with milk of the poppy. "Here take this, it will help you relax while I clean out the wound." She gave him the phial and opened up his shirt to take a look at the deep cut in his shoulder.
"No milk of the poppy," Edric said, "we don't have time for that. We need to move on before a Lannister patrol sees these corpses and us. They can't find out Arya is here."
The Septa got out a cup of wine and poured it over his wound and wrapped the bandages over his upper arm. Edric grunted in pain, and pressured the bandages. Arya helped him strap his shield on his back and threw his arm around her shoulder for support. The Septa sifted through the bandits' pockets and took whatever coin and supplies she could find and the three of them made their escape.
That night they slept on rocks in the woods, out in the sharp cold wind, surrounded by the wild animals that haunted the dark. Arya took watch and gave Edric some rest. Septa Lemore decided to stay up with her.
"Are you doing alright?" Lemore asked her, handing her a cup of warm carrot soup she had made for supper. "I can imagine that after today you are feeling a little restless. Don't worry, though, Edric is a fighter, he will pull through just fine."
"It's not that," Arya confessed, "I know he will, but I can't shake what happened with back there. The dog, he just attacked. I've never seen any dog do that, not even my wolves do that. It was as if it was possessed."
"The Seven work in strange ways, but they saw the righteousness in you and our cause. Maybe that's why they helped."
Arya chuckled. "The Seven? How would you know, you're clearly not a Septa of the Faith. You are too young and pretty to be a Septa. I know because every Septa I met was grey and old. I saw you grabbing that man's knife and stabbing him in the heart. That was not according to the Faith. And you also don't bind your hair under your cap."
"You are a very diligent young lady, aren't you?" she answered with a grin. She untied her cap and let her flowing dark hair loose down her robe.
"Then who are you?" Arya asked with distrust.
"One day I'll give you an honest answer, but for now I need to go south. You don't have to trust me. I understand if you don't, but I'll help you in any way I can, you have my word on that. Now, if you want I'll take watch for the rest of the night."
Arya had no choice but to believe her. They would be stuck with her for the whole way south and she had taken care of Edric's wounds after all. A stinging wind encroached her vest. The air had been getting colder these past few weeks up north and now they could even feel it blowing below the Neck. Winter Is Coming, Arya thought. The words of her house burned on the back of her mind. Not only the words, she saw the crypts, the halls, and steam coming from the hot springs underneath Winterfell. She thought of running around the court and the corridors, swift and silent as a cat. She thought of Bran and Rickon and Jon, and even of Sansa, regretting how they had separated. Arya had no idea where she was, but promised herself that if she did, she would find her and tell her that she was sorry for what happened to Lady and everything else in King's Landing. Their time apart had made her realize that she hadn't always been a very good sister to her. A tear rolled over her cheek when she took a moment to replay everything in her head. She repeated the names. Dunsen, Raff the Sweetling, Ser Meryn, Ser Gregor, Ser Ilyn Payne, Queen Cersei, King Joffrey. Valar Morghulis. All men must die. Arya laid her head down and closed her eyes.
