AN: I added another little paragraph to the previous chapter, check it out if you haven't read it yet.
After their company had left Highgarden, they rode southeast towards Nightsong, seat of House Caron. When dawn approached, the small castle became visible on the horizon. Since they were still too close to Sam's home, they set up camp at the edge of a forest and rested for a couple hours.
In the late afternoon, they were getting ever closer to the Red Mountains of Dorne. Samaya and Beric stared at the red giants in awe. Never before had they seen this intense colour in nature. As the sun set, it cast the last, golden rays at their tops and it looked like they were on fire. Sam felt another strange feeling of foreboding. What if their whole world would go down in fire? What if this whole war for the Iron Throne left them all in ruins?
"We are not far from the Tower of Joy, should we set up camp there?" Willam asked their company as they were nearing the foot of the mountains.
"Do you think it's safe?" Samaya asked him with a concerned expression. After all, the Tower of Joy was one of the most infamous places in all of Westeros.
"All that is to be found there now are 8 cairns filled with the skeletons of some of the best warriors this land has ever seen. I heard travellers usually avoid it, for fear of ghosts," the knight answered her.
They agreed to camp there for a couple hours, and after another short ride, they reached the site where once stood an enormous tower. As the men set up a fire, Samaya stared at the ruins. History had turned into legend, and speculations had risen. Everyone knew Ned Stark rode here with 6 companions to battle three honourable members of the King's Guard, but only he and Howland Reed returned. She wondered which one of the 8 small hills she could make out in the darkness was the final resting place of her ancestor, Ser Gerold Hightower.
After settling down by the fire, none of the companions felt much like talking, and so she just stared into the flames. She wondered how things were faring in Highgarden. Had her father been furious when he'd discovered she had left? Had her mother felt betrayed? All her hopes lay with her grandmother. She hoped the old woman was able to sort out the mess.
"You should get some sleep, Sam. We'll be back on the road in a short while, just before dawn," Bayard said, bringing her mind back to the present. She looked at the other two figures, sleeping soundly around her.
"Please wake me when you need some rest. You don't have to be the only one to keep watch," she said and the man nodded. It was hard to find comfort on the stony ground, and she felt like the sand – which had gotten more prominent the further south they travelled - had crept into every fold of her clothing, but she fell asleep after a short while, exhaustion sending her into a deep, dreamless slumber.
"Sam! Wake up! Quickly now!" hands shook her vehemently and Beric's voice sounded panicked. Sam opened her eyes to the first signs of dawn, and rolled around to look at him.
"What is the matter?" she asked sleepily as she rose. The other two were hastily packing up their belongings.
"We saw a group of riders approaching from the south, we need to take cover!" Beric instructed and dragged her to her feet. They quickly made their way over to a big pile of stones, hiding with Bayard and Willam.
"How many?" she asked the latter in a whisper as the sound of hooves galloping drew ever nearer. Willam held up 6 fingers.
"They do not look noble. Dressed in rags, with grim faces," Bayard whispered.
"We are dressed the same way. Maybe they mean no harm," Sam told the man, who shot her a doubting look. They could hear the riders dismounting their horses a short distance away.
"Fire's still warm, somebody must still be here," a man said with a harsh accent and a deep snarl. Goosebumps formed on Sam's skin. He did not sound like a nice character at all.
"Spread out and search behind the rocks. Maybe we'll get a couple pieces of gold, some nice jewellery," another commanded, and her hand flew to her dagger. She shot a pleading look towards Willam, who quietly drew his sword. He motioned for the other two men to get into position, and for Sam to stay down. Her bow was on the ground behind him, she had no choice but to stay put.
Seconds seemed like hours as the men waited for the attack, and then, suddenly, they charged forward with fierce noise. She could hear the sound of metal meeting metal, and quickly crawled over to where her weapon was. Sam never had to shoot at another human, and her heart was pounding. This was so much different than a hunt for deer or other game.
Once she'd readied the bow, she cautiously peeked up from behind one of the massive stones. To her right, Willam was fighting one of the men, while Bayard and Beric were running towards the rest, one dead body already behind them.
Of the remaining four men, three were charging at the father/son duo, while one was quickly getting up on a horse. She realised he wanted to make a swift getaway, and drew her bowstring. After taking a shallow breath, she released the arrow, which soared just past the rider. Sam cursed silently before getting into position again. Anger clouded her vision, and as she released, she watched with a sick sense of satisfaction as the weapon hit its mark, and the man fell off his horse.
A loud scream of agony drew her attention away from the man she'd just shot, and she realised that Beric was on the ground, clutching his bloody side while his father was battling two men at once. Sam tried to aim her bow at them, but they moved too quickly for her to take a safe shot. Only a short moment later, she was charging at them, dagger ready. One of the two foes shifted his attention towards her and met her with his sword ready to slice through her flash. Sam ducked instinctively, raising her dagger up over her head, where it found its mark in the man's stomach. He fell to the floor with a loud groan, and she pounced on him. Without second thought, she cut his throat, getting covered in blood as it sprayed out of him. The man's eyes lost every sign of life while she's never felt more alive.
A figure sped past her, and as she turned around, she watched as Bayard and Willam beat the last remaining scoundrels. After the life had left them, it became eerily silent. Sam crawled over to where Beric was on the hard floor. His hand was on his belly, which had turned dark amongst all the blood, but as she looked at his face, she lost all hope. His eyes were staring blankly at the sky, but his chest moved no more. Their mission had claimed its first victim.
So, a little bit of a filler – I wanted to make it longer, but I'm under some time pressure and still wanted you to have something new to read, so please forgive me.
Let me know your thoughts – likes, dislikes, guesses about what is to come? I'd love to get your input