Hello everybody! Here is the next chapter! The Red Wedding! Get ready this is gonna be a hell of a ride.
Chapter 7
3rd Person Pov
Jon was forced into fancy doublets by his friends on Lady Catelyn's orders. They were laughing at him and calling him a tamed wolf. He was ready to deck them all in the face. Arya also laughed at Jon. It left him in a rather sour mood. However, he put it all behind him and sat down with Lady Catelyn and Rickon to his left and Arya to his right. Ceara to the right of her carrying her daggers, Arya carrying one on her and Catelyn also carrying a dagger. Grenn was outside next to Ghost's stall in the stables dressed in small folk clothes. All of the men outside had mail underneath their clothes along with the men inside.
The vows for each couple were taken separately. Edmure got the prettiest of the Frey girls and Ser Bryden got the one with the sharpest tongue. She obviously tried to warn him but he smiled and said he already knew. She smiled wickedly. They had at least one Frey on their side. After that the feast that was prepared was expensive for the times and no doubt paid for by Lannister gold.
Tom Sevenstrings and some of the other Brotherhood members that could play took over for the hired musicians. They would play a song called the Wolves of Winterfell that played to the tune of the Rains of Castamere. Ceara was rather ingenious when it came to scaring people. Ser Bryden took his bride away early to get her out of the cross fire. Rickon was also taken by Ceara who left to get her armor on, leaving another dagger with Arya.
The bedding began and then the Brotherhood began the song. The Freys looked around and realized when Tom sang that we knew what was going on. One Frey had tried to sneak up on Lady Catelyn only for Jon to practically disembowel him. He was left, covered in blood and he stood up.
"You were allied to the Tully's. Bound by honor to serve them and fight for them should they need it. You agreed to the marriages between Ser Bryden and Edmure to two of your daughters along with my sister to one of your sons. Yet you betrayed our cause and trust, and tried to murder us in your own home. Violating the sacred guest right, for a little money and some power. Late Lord Walder Frey will be taking a whole new meaning after tonight."
The doors are kicked open and Ceara enters with a modest suit of armor and the sigil of House Reyne on her breast. She was carrying Brightroar, and Longclaw with Ghost and another dire wolf following behind her. She threw Longclaw at Jon and Sam handed him Dawn. He caught the sword and faced the coming Freys.
Everyone launches into the melee. The Freys not expecting any kind of fight were slaughtered by the veteran host. When they underestimated the women, especially Ceara and the Sand Snakes, they were utterly destroyed. Even Arya was forcing men to their knees. The end result was a blood stained hall of the Frey Keep. Walder Frey had to watch helpless due to his severe gout which had flared up leaving him unable to walk much less fight.
After the Freys are subdued the living remnants of the House are taken outside, except for the children. They are also kept away from the windows so as not to see what will happen. They start from the youngest of the living Frey's, bastard or not, and go up in age. Avoiding Walder Frey's eldest daughter who did pledge fealty to the Northern host. Walder was left screaming at them to stop. However, they didn't care for his screaming and once his eldest child died he wailed like a Shadowcat in heat. Jon came up behind him and stabbed his heart and Ceara slashed his throat.
With that the Red Wedding was over.
8
In King's Landing
"Hah! That bastard traitor is dead! Along with all of the bastards that followed him!"
Joffery was cheering at the news of the destruction of the Northern host. Tywin seemed content with himself and had a triumphant twinkle in his eye. Cersei was smirking and the other lords seemed content. Varys was hiding his joy behind his sleeve and Tyrion looked at him. He winked and Tyrion had to hide his glee. Knowing that all of them were absolute fools and that the Northern host had survived.
"Bring me Sansa Lannister! We must tell her the joyous news! Now you will have to get her pregnant uncle! You will have to go to Winterfell soon!"
The guards leave and bring in Sansa a few minutes later. She has her head down and looks as demure as possible.
"You called for me your grace?"
"Your bastard brother is dead. He and his traitorous host were destroyed at the Twins."
"I am glad that such criminals are dead your grace. Traitors should deserve no different."
"You aren't going to cry for your mother, and little brother?"
"I will cry for my brother as he was too young to understand that his family was doing such criminal acts, but my mother was a traitor and the King was a base-born whom I did my best to avoid, you grace."
"Yes, the poor child. Would your cripple brother know what his family is doing?"
"I do not know my lord. I have not seen him in such a very long time, and I do not know how the war would affect him." Tyrion is proud of his young wife, she had learned that Joffery thrived off of reactions, and if you give him none then he will leave you alone.
"Lady Sansa, as soon as you are with child. You and Lord Tyrion will be going to Winterfell."
"Of course Lord Hand. I will try my best to provide an heir to my lord husband." Tywin nods towards her obviously proud of her new attitude as well.
"You may go Lady Sansa."
"Of course Lord Hand." She curtsies politely and leaves the council chambers.
Little did they know what would await them.
8
Jon decided that it was finally time to have a talk with his estranged mother. He hadn't really had time to speak with her when she arrived and in the weeks following. So he guessed that now was as good a time as ever. He summoned her to his tent as he refused to sleep in Walder Frey's room.
He was struck by how pretty she was. She was a little shorter than himself and her hair was long and black as night. She had the tan skin that her fellow Dornish had. She also had violet eyes framed by large lashes. She had aged gracefully and didn't look a day over two tens.
"Your grace." She curtsies.
"Please call me Jon. I am you son, am I not?"
"You are my son, but I left you as a babe. I did not think I had the right to call you by your name."
"I am not angry at you. I'm just glad that you are alive. I always thought that my mother had died giving birth to me."
"It was close, but I managed to make it." There is an awkward silence. "How were you treated? I know that the Northerners don't exactly like bastards."
"I was treated rather well. All things considered. The only person that outright hated me was Theon Greyjoy, our former ward. Lady Catelyn didn't exactly like me but she was more afraid that I would steal away her son's inheritance."
"You have your own."
"She didn't know that. I can't fault her in that reasoning. She was more neutral towards me."
"I see, hm, maybe we should begin at the basics. What is your favorite color?"
The two spoke well into the night. While they weren't exactly like every mother and son in the Seven Kingdoms, they had begun such a relationship.
8
Lady Catelyn was intrigued by Ceara Reyne. She had heard of the stories surrounding her, but Catelyn had never been one to trust rumors. Many said she would fight alongside the Westerlanders wielding a Valyrian steel great sword. Many of the men held great respect for her, none more so than Lord Karstark. Some of the women said she was whore that was in Jon's bed and other unsavory things she dared not repeat. Catelyn decided she would talk to the young girl herself.
The young woman came into her chambers with grace but in a similar way she had seen the men that had come back for war had. She was a warrior, no doubt about it. She was beautiful, but her dress was simple and rather lack luster, compared to many young girls she had seen in the past. Her hair was in a simple braid and her eyes were hard.
"Lady Reyne, I am glad you could make it in such a short time."
"It was no trouble at all, my lady. May I ask what this meeting is about?"
"Well, I wished to meet you myself. I have heard many rumors and I wish to speak to you rather than listen to whispers."
"A fair practice, my lady. I can only assume that you wish to know if I am in his grace's bed or not? I will tell you I am not. You can have a septa check me. I am a virgin."
"There will be no need for that. I have heard rumors that you are related to Tywin Lannister-"
"That is true. He is my grandfather, unfortunately. My mother was his bastard child on a woman from House Reyne. The Red Lion's eldest daughter to be precise. My grandmother is still in the East, married to one of the surviving members of House Blackfyre. They live comfortably and her husband dotes on her and the people she came with. He raised my mother. I wish I could say the same."
Catelyn was taken aback by her forwardness but she was glad that she didn't have to deal with a liar.
"I see, I have to be honest I have heard worse."
"Yes, women are always cruel when they wish to be in a man's bed and he refuses them. If he has a woman near him they always say cruel things."
'That is true. What of the brothel rumor?"
"What of it? I don't listen to rumors. I grew up an orphan in Lannisport. The Lannisters care about the Westerland small folk as much as you care about mud that gets on a new silk dress. When you're an orphan girl the only path that is set out for you is to become a whore. When I was nine the Madame of the most prominent brothel in Lannisport was looking for a successor, and she came to my orphanage. She took me in and started to teach me her trade as one of the spider's most prominent underlings, and as the runner of a brothel that was essentially a place where whores could be in peace along with their bastards."
"What happened?"
"The war happened. When war or any sort of problem arises for the Lannisters there is an abuse of the small folk. When you don't pay taxes you are killed. That is what happened. I can only hope some of the women and their children managed to get out. My friend Declan was trying to get the children and some of the women with infants out."
"Let us pray to the mother that such a thing happened."
"Yes, but I never really believed in the seven. The seven are for the rich. When you are poor even if you do pray to the seven it is never answered. I tried a lot as a child, but my friends kept dying and my belly and soul were left empty. Forgive me if I am apathetic towards your religion."
"I see," and Catelyn didn't see a warrior or a whore in the moment. She saw a little girl who wanted nothing more than the suffering to stop.
Catelyn never had to worry about the small folk. They were always fine and well taken care of by first, her father, and later, her husband. She never knew of their problems, and now that she did she felt sick.
"I am sorry if you are left reeling from the revelation. However, I was taught to tell the truth and not sugar coat it or romanticize it. But then again I was also taught that a woman's greatest weapon is between her legs, but I don't believe in that."
"I also heard that you are rather close with-"
"The Imp? Yes, he is my uncle by blood, and was the only father figure I ever had. Had I been a few years younger he would have claimed me as his own, but I was too old for it to be believable."
"I see, I arrested him once."
"Yes, I know, but I believe you were wrong in that particular inference."
"Why is that?"
"My uncle wasn't a murderer, especially not one of small children."
"And I had a witness who said it was his knife that was used."
"And who was this witness."
"My dear friend Peytr Baelish." The girl burst into laughter.
"Y-you actually believed w-wh-what he had to say? The man who claimed he took your maidenhead! You think that is something that a friend would do?" She looked at Lady Catelyn incredulously.
"What?"
"It was a well-known fact that he claimed to have taken your maidenhead. I can tell that it is a lie, but then again almost everything that comes out of his mouth is."
"Why would he lie?"
"Most likely to get to you. He's been in love with you for years. Now that he thinks you are dead he'll most likely try his luck with Lady Sansa."
Catelyn's face turned pale and she withered. Ceara became concerned at her appearance and felt dreadful for making her look so old.
8
Ceara was nervous, and for good reason. She was going to infiltrate King's Landing. She had overheard of Tywin's plan to melt down the Valyrian great sword Ice. She decided that they had to get it from the Lannisters, as they had no right to do so. She was invited by Varys to work in the palace as a hand maiden to Lady Lannister. She kept her head down and her eyes and ears peeled.
She was met by Shae who was Sansa's only handmaiden. She was a pretty foreign girl with a strong accent. They were both in thin pink dresses with very little decoration. Sansa seemed very hesitant to accept her, and Ceara was left with a lot of free time. She tried to avoid the Tower of the Hand. However, she did one day meet Tywin in the halls.
Ceara was doing her duties and carrying her lady's clothes that were freshly laundered.
"Who are you?" Ceara turned around careful not to drop anything.
"My name is Ceara, mi'lord Hand." She curtsies as best as she can carrying her load.
"Are you of any noble blood?"
"Not that I know of mi'lord. I grew up in the Lannisport orphanage, mi'lord."
"I see, return to your duties."
"Of course, mi'lord."
Ceara had felt his confused stare at her back as she left. No one really paid her any attention besides the occasional male soldier trying to force themselves on her. However she always finished them off with Essence of Nightshade, and a few sweet words.
Her days consisted of her duties but her nights were much more interesting. She would don her dark breeches and tunic and run through the Red Keep trying to find a way to get Ice. The night before Tywin was going to take it and melt it down she got her chance.
Ser Illyn Payne was an older man, and that night he came into his room, which had the great sword, completely drunk and smelling like whores. She was already inside and presented herself as a gift from the Lannisters. She had come with Arbor gold and he was ready to enjoy himself only to have his drink be poisoned. She had used a fairly common poison so no one could suspect who. She then took the great sword Ice and hid it in a compartment under one of the black cells in the Red Keep.
Ceara had gone straight to bed after that and the next day the Keep was on lock down. They immediately suspected Sansa and her handmaidens and she was dragged before the small council.
"Hello, and you are?"
"Ceara, yur grace."
"You are Lady Sansa's hand maiden?" asked Varys
"Yes, mi'lord. I have been for about three moons now."
"Explains how common you sound. You are learning proper speech yes?"
"Of course yur grace. But it's a little hard."
"Enough with this idle chatter. Your lady stands accused of stealing the great sword Ice, and murdering Ser Illyn Payne."
"Lady Sansa? Mi'lord, I know she's a traitor's daughter but what use does she have with a great sword? Mi'lady can't wield it properly and she would 'mmediately be accused."
"You haven't seen anything strange about her? Haven't heard her hatching any plots?"
"Yur grace, Lady Sansa hatching a plot would be like the mad king still living. It's impossible, she couldn't hatch anything more than I can hatch a chicken egg."
"I see, thank you for your testimony, Ceara."
"Yur welcome, yur grace, mi'lords." Ceara curtsied clumsily and was escorted out.
Sansa was deemed incapable of such an offense and they dropped her as a suspect. Ceara knew it was only a matter of time.
So I hope you guys like. Sorry if the Red Wedding wasn't all that amazing. However I hope you enjoy.
