Chapter 9
Even though it had been some weeks since she had seen it last, the capital was as familiar to Melara as if she had been there only any hour earlier. The air of the place was the same as when she had seen it last, as was the stench. Even as she stood in the gardens of the keep where she had appeared the smell of sour milk and the sharp scent of human waste as it made its way down to the bay was near overpowering.
Seven hells would it really bother anyone so much if there was proper drainage in this bloody city? The brunette thought to herself. I hate the Twins but at least it smells nicer there.
After a moment she brushed it off however and continued on her trek through the gardens. Now to find Sansa Stark and get the bloody hell out of here. I don't think the new boy king would have her any place but near his chambers seeing as how she is a conquest of war. So perhaps I should begin there first.
The moment Melara made her way out of the gardens and into the cool quiet of the keep, the stench cut off and she breathed a sigh of relief before turning around so she might get her bearings.
Despite the fact that she had only been there a few months earlier, the keep was still large enough that its hallways all looked the same at times.
I was staying near the Tower of the Hand and it is near there where I ran into Arya Stark the first time. I wonder where the child is right now. There are only a few people who know that she escaped but that is about become common knowledge when I bring Sansa Stark back.
She pulled the hood of her cloak more firmly over her head as she strode down the halls of the keep and up several flights of stairs.
Melara didn't go near the throne room as that place had a history all its own and she didn't want to become caught up in it.
As she walked she began to muse to herself. No one could see her or hear her as she had muffled her footsteps so she felt at ease enough to not race.
I wonder how Robb and his mother will react to the knowledge that there is only one Stark in the capital. Joffrey Baratheon and his mother really are idiots. She for not being able to control her son and he for cutting the head off of the Warden of the North as some sort of asinine show of strength. I wonder if he truly thought that war would be the cause of his actions or if he really is just too mad to care. I don't know whether or not the rumors concerning the queen and Jaime Lannister are true, but something tells me that all of the royal children look far more lion than stag.
She continued on her path keeping her eyes peeled for any sign of where Sansa Stark's chambers might be and then decided she might as well check the tower of the Hand as it was where the Starks were staying before this entire mess had occurred. It was certainly plausible that Lord Stark's eldest daughter was still being held there.
As she neared the tower, Melara was pleased to see that her hunch had been correct when she saw two Lannister guards in red and gold standing at the top of the stairs outside the door leading to the inner rooms of the tower. The symbol of the lion was emblazoned on their chests along with the red plumes on their helmets.
Even though she was disguised and no one could hear her, Melara was barely able to stifle a laugh. Because that isn't conspicuous at all.
She calmly walked up to the stair case and looked up it at the guards standing on top, wanting to scoff at their ostentatious uniforms. Lannisters rule this place now. Do you really need to have symbols emblazoned on your chests telling everyone who you serve? There is a war going on and rationing has begun in earnest in the capital. People are unhappy enough with the Lannisters as it is. Do you need to give anyone a reason to attack you?
Melara sighed to herself, knowing it was not her concern but thinking it was the sort of thing many a Gryffindor would do. But again, what the Lannisters did with the dress of their soldiers was not her concern. She was simply here to retrieve a stray wolf.
The brunette lifted her skirts and climbed the stairs quickly, taking them almost two at a time as the urgency of what she was here to do came upon her again. The guards might not notice her but she had a feeling it wouldn't be long before they noticed that Sansa Stark was missing and then the entire capital would be put on notice.
She shrugged. Again, what that is not my problem.
When Melara had come close to the guards and stared into their eyes that were as unseeing of her as they were of the wind around them, she got to work and removed the silencing charm from herself.
"Imperio."
The effects were instantaneous and a glazed look came over both of their eyes, giving the brunette a small smile. She leaned closer so they might hear her again. "You will open the door and then you will shut it."
Like robots they turned to do her bidding and once the door was open, Melara stepped inside waiting until they had shut it behind her.
The moment they had done so, she pulled her hood off of her head and released the charm disguising her. She felt her strength give a little from the effort of keeping up the magic but without her wand to focus her magic, it was harder to cast spells.
There didn't appear to be any guards around anyway, but she was prepared to put the spell back on her. Besides if she saw guards, she could stun them before anything happened.
However that wasn't always a good idea because if she did that, they might clatter to the floor and make a lot of noise alerting someone to the fact that something was wrong.
So even though it was annoying, Melara decided not using the charm was a mistake and placed it back about herself.
I am glad that apparating can be done without the use of a wand, she thought. If I have to use a lot of magic the odds are I won't have a lot of energy after all this is over.
With that she strode down the long hallway to the stairs at the other end of the tower and began to climb them. As far as Melara knew, Sansa Stark was the only person staying in the tower at the moment and that meant that the tower was virtually empty.
What a lonely place to be held a prisoner. At least in the Red Keep there would be people around.
And then she remembered seeing the boy king from a distance when she had been at the tourney a few months earlier and cringed. On second thought, maybe it is better to be as far away from the keep as possible.
When Melara had climbed to the top of the stairs she found herself faced with a long hallway in which there were chambers on either side. The doors were all shut and the place was utterly silent. There were no candles burning in the windows and there was nothing but a dim grey light coming from the moon and stars outside to illuminate the entire corridor. It was very bleak and very dull causing Melara to grimace slightly. She had never liked the keep very much when she had been here in the past, but since when had it become this gloomy and depressing?
We're in the midst of a war you idiot, would you like it if everything was sunshine and rainbows so you were distracted?
It was then that she noticed further down the hall one more Lannister guard stationed outside of one of the chamber doors on the left hand side of the corridor. He was standing erect with his feet shoulder width apart and his hands clasped in front of him.
Bingo.
Melara quickly strode towards him not bothering to hide the sound of her footsteps as this soldier needed to hear what she was going to say to him.
Sure enough, the brunette could see his eyes darting about underneath his helm. He was no doubt wondering what on earth was making the sound because he couldn't see her.
That was the last thing he did before Melara walked up to him and looked right into his eyes. "Imperio."
Instantly his eyes glazed over and she knew he was now as senile as a dog that was only a few hours old.
She leaned closer so she might whisper into his ear. "You will let me in and you will shut the door behind me. But you will announce me first and then you will leave us alone."
Mechanically the guard turned and grasped hold of the door handle. Melara quickly let go of the charm and revealed herself, knowing it wouldn't make a difference and that it would completely unnerve Sansa if she were to see the guard open the door with no one there and she were to randomly appear.
The girl would know of her magic soon enough.
Sure enough the moment she had released the charm on herself and the guard had opened the door, she could see the form of a young woman sitting by the fire with her embroidery on her lap. The bed across the room was unmade and looked as if it had not been slept in all day and there were candles burning through the room.
The girl was staring at her sewing with unseeing eyes and it was only when the guard who was still under the effects of the imperious curse spoke that she looked up.
"A visitor for you Lady Sansa," the guard said robotically while Melara focused solely on the auburn haired girl in front of her.
I can see that both she and her brother take after the Tully rather than the Stark side in looks.
Sansa had deep blue eyes just like Robb but her hair was far more scarlet than his was. Robb's hair appeared almost black with some red tones in it while Sansa's hair was as flame red as a blaze. It appeared almost blood red in the light of the fire while her skin appeared almost ghostly pale.
When she looked up, those deep blue eyes appeared watery and Melara realized with a grimace that she was trying to hold back tears. At the sight of the unfamiliar brunette however, the red head quickly schooled her features.
Melara was a little impressed with how fast she could become an unreadable book.
She turned back to the guard who still had not shut the door and fixed him with a glare. "That will be all, thank you ser."
"My lady," he said in the same monotone answer he had used with her outside and shut the door before returning to his post.
Melara turned back to the red head who had set her sewing aside and was looking at her with an unreadable expression but she felt it contained a slight fear. "Who are you?"
Melara raised an eyebrow as she looked the girl over. Time in the capital had not been good to her it seemed. While her hair was done in the southern style and her dress was elaborate like that of a court lady, there were faint circles beneath her eyes and the dress seemed to droop on her form. Her shoulders were slightly hunched and she appeared small in the chair in which she was sitting.
Gods I need to get her out of here and get some food in her. An explanation would be helpful first though.
"Who am I?" Melara asked slowly. "I am someone who's come a long way looking for you."
"Who would be looking for me?" Sansa asked. "I'm the daughter of a traitor. I'm not important enough for anyone to notice."
One look in her eyes and Melara knew that the girl didn't believe a word she was saying. It was simply something she had no doubt trained herself to say in order to survive in this place.
Melara didn't blame her. Sansa Stark was a political prisoner and there would be no one here who would speak for her. If she spoke up for herself she would be treated even more harshly than she already was no doubt.
"Come now," the brunette said sitting down in the chair opposite Sansa's and pushing back her hood so that her long black curls fell free. "You don't believe that and neither do I. And to answer a question that is no doubt coming, no I am not a servant of the Lannisters."
From the wary look Sansa was giving her, the brunette had a feeling that that question had been on her mind. "Who are you?"
Melara had wondered for a long time if she should tell Sansa the truth and then had decided it would probably be better to. Robb didn't know the truth but he would soon enough and if she told Sansa her lie now it would lead to another complex situation that she didn't really want to deal with. She's already lied to two Starks, she wasn't planning on hiding the truth from a third. It didn't even make sense to at this point really.
"My name is Melara Frey," she said and watched Sansa's eyes went wide and her jaw slackened.
"But what is a Frey doing in the capital?" she asked in a low whisper. "Aren't the Freys supposed to be fighting against the Lannisters?"
"After your brother liberated Riverrun and my father pledged him his loyalty, yes they are," Melara put in. "That is sort of why I am here."
Sansa looked at her for a long time, obviously confused and then something that looked suspiciously like hope entered her eyes. "Did Robb send you? And if that were true how did you even get in here? I'm never allowed to see someone unless one of the royal family is with me. You didn't pose as a servant did you?"
Melara chuckled. "No, but that might have been a good idea. But it was something I didn't need to do. I have my own ways of getting past the guards. As to the question of whether or not your brother sent me…yes and no."
"I don't understand," Sansa said in a small voice.
Melara sighed. "No I don't suppose you do. It's a long story and one I will be happy to tell you when we are both away from here."
Sansa glanced at the door and sighed, the hope in her eyes dying. "There's no way out of here. I would have tried one if I had been able to find it."
"Oh there's a way out," Melara said surprising the Stark. "But you wouldn't have known about it unless the right person had shown it to you."
She could tell she was making very little sense to her betrothed's sister so she figured that she might have to further explain some things.
"Your brother is currently fighting his war in the Westerlands," she said in a low voice. "They had just taken the Crag when I left to come and get you and their end goal is to capture the seat of Casterly Rock that way the Lannisters have no stronghold left to return to. Harrenhal is no great defensible place and it is worth little to Tywin Lannister when compared to the lions' ancestral seat."
"Do you think they will take it?" Sansa asked.
"I hope so," Melara muttered. "I have a feeling that the fate of this war depends on it. But at the moment, that is not important. You getting out of here is."
"How am I going to do that?"
"Well," Melara said "if there is a way in, than there is a way out and I have that way."
She could tell Sansa wanted to hope but was afraid to. "Did you come here alone?"
"I did."
"But…But you're a woman and it would have taken weeks to get here. How did you not run into bandits on the road? I've heard stories of what they do to women. Awful stories."
"I have to," Melara said. "But in this case it took far less time for me to get here than you might think. And it will take far less time to leave that you might think too."
"Do you know my brother?" Sansa asked.
"I do," Melara nodded.
"How? Women aren't supposed to be in war," Sansa said as if this was something she had been told since birth. "Battles are men's work."
I'll need to change her mindset if she's going to be my good sister, Melara thought to herself. I have no intention of letting her sit back and think that its only men who can defend her. No woman should be like that awful Muggle princess Cinderella who waits for someone to come and rescue her.
"That's not entirely true," she said slowly. "Because your mother is there as well."
Sansa's breath caught and her eyes filled with tears once more. "My mother and Robb are together?"
"They are and they are very eager to get you and your sister back and take revenge on the Lannisters. If the war goes the way I hope it will than perhaps they will get exactly that. I can't make it so that the war never happened but I can bring you back to them and end your time in the capital once and for all."
Sansa's eyes had grown huge and tears were beginning to spill down her cheeks. She seemed very fragile and in that moment she reminded Melara a good deal of Roslin and she felt her protective instincts kick in.
They won't hurt her anymore, not if I have anything to say about it.
"You can do that?" she asked.
"I can."
"But how? I've dreamed of rescue and leaving this place ever since my father….my father…." She had to stop there as tears were beginning to spill like rivers down her cheeks.
Melara sighed and reached out to take her hand. "I can't bring your father back. But I can bring you and your sister back to your brother and your mother."
"My sister isn't here," Sansa whispered in a voice so low that Melara barely heard her. "She escaped in the chaos when my father was arrested. I don't know where she is."
Of course Melara already knew this but for the moment she decided not to make that public. "That complicates things then. You will have to tell your brother when we return."
"Why?" Sansa asked dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief and gripping Melara's hand with her free one. "Why would you do that? Help me in this way?"
"Like I said it's a long story," Melara said. "But I can tell you some of it now. The long and short of it is, I know your brother and I am doing this not only for you but for him also."
"Why?"
"Because I am supposed to marry your brother."
"What?" Sansa asked in stunned whisper.
Melara chuckled. "That was my reaction too when I learned the news. When your brother's army was marching to Riverrun to liberate it from the Lannisters he had to use the bridge at the Twins in order to cross the river. My father wanted something in return from him. And that something turned out to be a marriage contract for me. Your brother and I are set to marry upon the conclusion of the war."
"I see," Sansa said although she looked as if she were in a daze. "And that's how you know my brother."
"Well," the brunette said. "The truth is my brothers are in your brother's army, all four of them and I was concerned for their wellbeing so I told my father I would be staying with my good sister and I went after them and posed as a healer in your brother's army. That's how he knows me."
"Seven hells," Sansa muttered and then blinked at herself causing Melara to laugh. "So my brother doesn't know you are here at all."
"He has no idea."
"And how do you plan for us to escape?" Sansa asked. "There are guards blocking almost ever entrance to this place."
"They will not even see us," Melara said. "As far as any of them are concerned no one came in and no one left and when someone sends for you in the morning we will have been gone for hours."
She didn't think it was possible for Sansa's eyes to become any bigger but she was wrong. The girl opened her mouth but Melara cut her off. "I'll explain what I am about to do to help us escape later. But right now it is more important that we escape so I can. Do you have anything you want to bring with you?"
Sansa quickly looked about the room and then hurriedly got to her feet. "Everything I have the Lannisters gave me and I don't want to bring anything of theirs from here."
Just then her eyes caught sight of something and she blinked hard as if to ward off tears. "But there is one thing."
She hurried over to the bed on the other side of the room and dug into the top drawer of the table beside it.
A moment later, she pulled out a strange looking doll that looked out of place in the rich red and gold hangings of the room.
"Is that all?" Melara asked.
Sansa nodded clutching the doll in her arms. "I don't want anything else."
"Good," Melara said nodding sharply. "Then take my hand and for the love of all the gods do not let go."
"What are you going to do?" Sansa asked warily but she took the brunette's hand nevertheless.
"Something unpleasant," Melara muttered and then before Sansa could ask anymore questions, she gripped her hand tight and spun on her heel, apparating out of the tower with Sansa in tow with a crack.
When one of the servants would come to retrieve Sansa in the morning they would both be shocked and bewildered by her disappearance from a locked room that was heavily guard in an isolated tower.
Sansa Stark would not set foot in the capital for a long time to come.
Ω
Sansa and Melara reappeared in the forest grove outside of the Crag a second later with the darkness surrounding them like a cloak.
She had to steady the Stark girl who immediately stumbled upon their arrival in the woods and almost fell. The brunette led the red head over to a nearby rock so she might sit and catch her breath and hopefully ward off any nausea she might have as a result of the trip.
"Are you alright?" she asked after a few moments.
Sansa didn't answer, keeping one hand on her stomach and the other on her head as if she were suffering from the effects of a headache.
"What…What was that?" she stammered and Melara gave her a grim smile. "That was what I used to get us out of the Tower of the Hand. Look around you."
Finally Sansa was able to bring herself to look up and Melara watched in amusement as she looked at the dark woods around her that were so unfamiliar. "Where are we?"
"We are just outside of the Crag, where your brother's army is encamped," Melara said calmly. "In fact I am surprised that some of the lights aren't lit."
"But…But how?"
"Magic," Melara replied and nearly winced when she saw the wary look on Sansa's face return. "Oh for the love of the gods don't look at me like that. Why is magic something that everyone thinks of as taboo? It's those bloody septons isn't it? They've poisoned anyone from having an original thought that wasn't put there by the Seven. What I wouldn't give to blow up that thrice damned sept and all the other ones in the country to prevent their poison from spreading."
"You don't believe in the Seven?" Sansa asked absently. "But you're from the south."
"So?" Melara asked somewhat bitingly. "I don't believe in any gods. Religion is simply a tool for people to gain power over the weak and the helpless."
Sansa took another deep breath and looked up at her. "So you're…a witch then? Does my brother know?"
Melara really did grimace this time. "No he doesn't know. But I need to tell him soon. And I would prefer if we didn't use the word witch. I'm no follower of the Red God whose servants burn others with fire. They also burn others with magic hoping to take their powers, gods no, that's not who I am."
"Then where did the magic come from?" Sansa asked.
"I was born with it," Melara shrugged. "I'm of the mind that everyone has the ability to practice it, but few realize it so they don't."
"Do you know anyone else who was born with…magic?" Sansa asked as if the word were a foreign food on her tongue.
"No," Melara replied. "But that doesn't mean that there aren't others. I'm just someone who has the ability to do it."
"I don't know a lot about magic," Sansa said slowly. "But its always been a word associated with Lord of Light who's worshipped in Essos. Its always meant bad things."
"Always?" Melara asked raising an eyebrow. "Do you think that the Wall that is to the north of Winterfell and has been around for thousands of years was constructed by hand? You don't think something like that was built with the help of magic?"
She could see from the widening of Sansa's eyes that it was something she had never considered before. "But how is that possible?"
Melara shrugged. "I don't know. But I think it's safe to say that not all magic is bad. After all the Wall has protected the rest of the realm for millennium and I am convinced it was the work of magic."
"I thought it was giants," Sansa asked.
"And how do you propose the giants came to be?" Melara countered. "If they do exist it is only north of the wall and why is it that there are no giants south of the wall if they are simply normal people?"
"You think they were magic as well?" Sansa asked.
"I think the world is far bigger than you think is it and that not all things you have been told are good are so and vice versa."
"Well," Sansa said slowly getting to her feet. "For what it's worth, I don't think you're bad. You came for me when no one else did and you got me out of the keep."
"I came for you when no one else could," Melara corrected. "Don't make the mistake in thinking that your brother wouldn't have marched into the keep and rescued you if he was able. An entire Lannister army stood between him and you."
Sansa cast her eyes downward and Melara was certain she could see tears forming again. "I know. I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Melara replied. "You've suffered a lot. It would be surprising if you weren't a little bitter from it. But its over now. Now do you want to see your mother and brother?"
Sansa nodded so vigorously that she thought her head might fall off.
"Good," Melara said smiling. "Let's go then."
Sansa was very quiet on their walk to the camp and the brunette didn't blame her. This was obviously overwhelming and she could tell the girl didn't quite believe that the horror of the past few months was over.
But when they came in sight of the lights of the camp, Sansa stopped dead, her face becoming an ashy grey and she began to tremble.
"Are you alright?" Melara asked in concern.
"Its over," the red head whispered. "Joffrey, the queen, my being a prisoner…its all over."
"Yes, it is," Melara replied. "And now you can sleep peacefully for the first time in what I am sure is months."
She suddenly felt Sansa throw her arms around her neck and felt the younger girl's trembling increase tenfold.
"Thank you," Sansa whispered between soft sobs. "Thank you."
Melara patted her back as she often did with Roslin when she was upset. Young and naïve as she was, she was beginning to like Sansa. And she didn't deserve what had happened to her and to her family. Melara was glad that at least one part of the nightmare was over for now.
"Come on," she said. "Its time to get you home."
She imparted to Sansa as they walked into the camp that no one would see them because she had placed a spell around them making them invisible. But she didn't think the Stark girl was paying attention because her eyes kept darting this way and that as she took in the activity and the men in Stark livery that were going past.
Because it was the night time no one was really about but there was enough activity to hold the red head's eyes.
Finally when they reached the center of the camp and stood several feet from Robb Stark's tent, Melara paused and turned to Sansa.
"Here is where I leave you," she said and watched the red head's face freeze in fear. "Don't worry, I am only going back to my tent. All you have to do is go inside and your mother and brother will be there. They are going to ask you how you got here but I would ask that you don't say my name. Mostly because I don't think they would quite believe it but also because I'm not ready to reveal my magic yet…soon but not yet. When they ask just say that a friend helped you escape."
"Alright," Sansa nodded. "But you will tell my brother who you are and what you can do?"
"I will," Melara assured her. "Hopefully within the next few days. Your escape from the capital will signal a shift in the war and hopefully it will bring the morale of the men up enough to keep them fighting to overthrow the Lannisters."
Sansa took a deep breath and nodded. "After all you've done for me it's the least I can do. Thank you."
"You're welcome," Melara replied. "Now go on in. I've kept you waiting long enough."
Sansa nodded and started for the tent. Just before she entered, Melara lifted the charm disguising Robb's sister and then hurried away herself back to her tent.
There was going to be plenty of excitement in the next few minutes and she wanted to be well away before it started.
When she returned to her tent, Melara quickly released the charm concealing her and got ready for bed. She felt strangely satisfied as she slipped beneath the sheets and pulled them up to her chin.
It's a wonder I didn't try being nice when I was back at Hogwarts. God knows if I did I might have been less miserable. What a waste of time that was.
Ω
Thankfully Melara's sleep was dreamless and she awakened the next morning feeling refreshed and in a good mood.
There were going to be many changes brought about today she was sure of it.
She had no sooner changed her clothes and washed her face when there was the sound of running feet and Olyvar rushed into her tent. His hair was wild as if he had just jumped out of bed and his clothes were rumpled as if he had dressed all in a rush.
"Ollie whatever is the matter?" Melara demanded.
"The king is about to give a speech," her out breath brother gasped. "He wants all in the camp to be present for it."
Melara frowned. "A speech? A speech about what?"
"Just come on!" her brother snapped. "You can find out when we get there. It's probably better that you see it with your own eyes. You might not believe it otherwise."
As he rushed out of the tent again, Melara allowed herself a moment to privately smirk. You'd be surprised at what I believe brother.
But she followed him and didn't bother pulling a cloak over her head when she did so, wearing only a pale green cotton dress in the same style that she had seen many of the servants in the Twins wear.
When she set foot outside the tent Ollie was already gone but she saw men hurrying in the direction of the king's tent and smirked to herself again. It would seem Robb is about to make public his sister's return.
She picked up her skirts and hurried in that direction. The sun was just beginning to come over the tops of the trees and casting a shadow of light on all it touched illuminating everything around.
Let's hope that's a good omen.
Before long, Melara ran into a large crowd of men and wondered to herself whether or not the whole camp had turned up to hear the news.
"What is happening?" she asked one of the men standing on her left.
He gave her a long look as if wondering who she was before he answered. "The king is about to make a speech. Odd thing that."
Melara looked about the crowd and her gaze immediately slammed into Wyn's who was standing several feet away with Ollie, Ben and Will. His eyes narrowed when he saw her as if to ask if she knew what was happening. She merely shrugged her shoulders in response.
It wasn't long before the flap on the King in the North's tent was pushed aside and Robb Stark himself strode out dressed in his usual furs, sword at his waist.
There was a spring in his step however that Melara knew was only visible to a few and he all but blazed with an energy she had never seen before. He had always had something driving him as long as she had known him, the grim desire for revenge propelling him and his army forward to righteous vengeance, but now it seemed that some of the grief she had seen in his eyes had lifted.
Her being one of only two people in the camp to know the cause of it gave her a reason to smile.
Once the army saw their king, the broke out in whispers and muttering. Melara didn't dare look at her brothers again. She had a feeling that Ben and Wyn would corner her soon enough.
Robb raised his hands for silence and instantly the crowd quieted.
"My lords and good sers, I have called you here today to reveal some momentous news. Last night the old gods chose to smile upon myself and my family and return someone we long thought was lost."
The king moved aside the flap of the tent from where he was standing and the entire crowd strained forward to see who was coming out.
A moment later, a small red head emerged holding the hand of her mother. She looked vastly different from when Melara had seen her the night before. The sadness in her face was gone and her deep blue eyes were dry as a bone. There was a smile on her face that had not been there before and it must have been the imagination of the brunette but she no longer looked as gaunt as she had when the two had met twelve hours earlier.
Upon seeing Sansa Stark, the entire camp and the gathered lords burst into murmurs and whispers that carried on for several minutes before Robb Stark raised his hands again.
"How is this possible?" Melara heard someone whisper behind her and she smirked to herself.
"This is a day of celebration my lord," Robb Stark called out again, his voice becoming stronger and deeper as he spoke, taking on the hue of the north itself and that of their ancient kings. "My sister who was unjustly imprisoned has been rescued and returned to us. She arrived some time in the night by help of an unknown stranger. Perhaps this stranger was one of the old gods themselves. I know not, but I do know that we have been smiled upon this day. My sister is out of the clutches of the Lannisters and will never return to them. While my other sister Arya is still missing and will be found, we may now rejoice that the lions have nothing we now desire. And we still have a prisoner very valuable to them."
The murmurs continued and Melara realized with a shock that he was talking about Jaime Lannister.
Hopefully they can use him as a bargaining chip to separate the rest of the north from Westeros and King Robb will finally be recognized as that.
"My sister's return changes many things for the north," Robb Stark went on. "From this day forward, the Lannisters have cause to fear us. Winter is coming!"
"Winter is coming!" the crowd roared back and for a brief instant, Melara felt goosebumps rise on her arms.
She suddenly had a feeling that she had changed the fate of Westeros forever.
Most of Robb's speech she tuned out after this and quietly slipped away, hoping that no one would notice her as she went back to her tent.
Her brothers knew her too well for that however and a few moments after she had arrived in her dwelling place all four of them showed up.
Perwyn stormed in ahead of them all and fixed her with a glare as withering as she had ever seen. "Did you do it?"
"What a greeting," Melara said sarcastically. "Nothing like good morning dear sister, how are you, did you sleep well?"
"Do not play coy," her brother snapped. "Answer the question. Are you the one behind Sansa Stark's sudden return?"
Melara glared at him. "Do you really wish to know?"
"Would I be here asking if I didn't?"
Melara sighed and then pulled the flap of the tent closed before muttering the muffliato charm.
"Yes," she said turning back to her brothers who were looking at her expectantly. "It was me."
There was a long silence that followed her words and then finally Wyn did nothing but sigh and sink down in the chair beside her bed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It didn't make sense for her return to be the cause of anything else but you. Why did you do it?"
"Do you really have to ask?" Melara asked. "I am to marry Robb Stark, the four of you are fighting in a war between Starks and Lannisters and the more days that pass the more men both sides will lose. Possibly yours will be one of them. I did it to minimize the loss of life. Sansa Stark was a hostage in the capital and her brother was fighting to free her. How many men would the Stark army have lost trying to get her back? My magic ensured that that would never happen."
"I see," Ben said. "While I can't say that you weren't a little reckless…I do think you did the right thing. The war may be over that much faster because of this. But this will complicate things for the Lannisters. Their bargaining chip is now gone."
"Which only leaves the question where on earth Arya Stark is," Will mused. "How far do you think she's gotten by now?"
"I don't know," Melara admitted. "When I spoke to Sansa last night she told me that her sister had disappeared on the day Lord Stark was arrested and their retinue was slaughtered. She didn't know where she's gone."
"Perhaps she is making her way north to Winterfell," Ollie suggested.
"Maybe but she is little more than a child," Perwyn said. "I don't know how a child would be resourceful enough to survive on the road."
"I suppose we will find out soon enough," Melara replied. "But for now, at least we can all take pleasure in knowing that the Lannisters have nothing more to bargain with."
"This is true," Will said. "Now the issue is what to do with Jaime Lannister who is still languishing in a holding cell. He's going to be the most complex issue the king will need to deal with."
"I thought it was the intention of the king to sue for Northern independence," Ollie asked.
"It is," Wyn said patiently, "but in order to do that he needs to get rid of all the Lannisters around him. Whether that is by bargaining with Lannister or by killing him."
Melara frowned. "Do you think he's going to do the latter?"
Ben shrugged. "There are some who want him to, especially Rickard Karstark seeing as how Lannister killed two of his sons in the battle of Whispering Wood."
Melara grimaced. "Gods, and I thought Joffrey was a sick bastard."
"All of the Lannisters are sick dear sister. Tywin Lannister is the most ruthless and power hungry bastard to walk this earth. Take away his intelligence and you would have King Aerys come again."
"From what I hear Joffrey Baratheon or perhaps should I say Hill, already has a patent on that name," Melara muttered to herself.
"Aye, he does at that," Wyn muttered. "Gods I need a drink."
"A little early for that brother," Ollie smirked.
"Don't remind me."
"So what does this mean for the future of the war?" Will asked to no one in particular.
"It means the war is going to continue," Melara said with grim certainty. "I spoke to Robb Stark a while ago about this very thing. He is set on getting revenge from Joffrey and he won't stop until he has his head."
"I do hope he realizes that means he is going to have to take out every single Lannister in order to accomplish that."
"Well he is an ambitious man," Wyn muttered. "You'd have to be in order to smash the Lannister army as many times as he has done and capture the golden lion. But the game has just been changed by you dear sister and now I believe the Starks have the upper hand."
"Arya Stark is still missing," Melara pointed out. "Suppose the Lannisters retrieve her first?"
"Then you will rescue her," Ben said in a matter of fact tone. "It seems father has given Robb Stark an unknown gift when he and Catelyn came to a marriage agreement for the two of you. When is Robb Stark going to find out that you are responsible for returning his sister to him much less who you are?"
"With regards to the second part, hopefully very soon," Melara replied. "But as to the first, he will not."
"Why ever not?"
Melara opened her mouth to respond when all of a sudden there was the sound of footsteps outside of the tent. "Lady Talisa are you there?"
The brunette quickly canceled the silencing charm and her brothers got to their feet. "I am. Come."
A younger boy who looked to be a squire poked his head through the flap of the tent and blinked upon seeing the four Freys there.
Perwyn nodded at her. "Thank you for your assistance Lady Talisa."
"Not at all Lord Perwyn," Melara replied seamlessly transitioning into the professional relationship that was required when she was dealing with her brothers and someone else was around.
The four of them nodded at her swiftly and left the tent without another word. Melara turned back to the squire once they were gone. "Yes?"
"Forgive me my lady, but his grace the king has requested that you come to his tent immediately."
Melara frowned wondering what on earth it could be this time. "Very well."
She bent down and retrieved the bag at her feet before following the squire out the door of the tent.
The walk was only a few minutes long but Melara felt her senses begin to grow sharper as she looked around.
Even in the early morning light everything seemed to be brighter and in richer colors than it had been before.
Things are beginning to look up for this army, Melara thought to herself as she walked. Let's hope it stays that way.
A moment later they arrived outside of the large grey tent belonging to Robb Stark and the squire stole in to announce her. "Lady Talisa is here your grace."
Melara smirked as she stood outside of the canvas flap.
"Good," Robb Stark replied. "Send her in."
"No need," she said stepping through the flap and nodding at the squire who quickly fled when he saw her. "I believe I can announce myself."
She glanced about the tent interior and took in the appearance of Lady Catelyn and Sansa Stark who were sitting in two chairs by the table in the center of the room. Robb Stark was standing on the opposite side of it where maps and small figures were laid. His large direwolf Greywind was lying with his head resting on his enormous paws just inside the door of the tent.
As Melara stood there, the great beast got to his feet and padded over to her. She bent down in front of him with little fear and looked into his large amber eyes that were gazing at her with a keen intelligence.
A moment later, the wolf seemed to have achieved what he had been looking for as in the next instant, he stuck out his tongue and licked her face.
It was so surprising that Melara almost reeled back before she controlled herself. After a second, a small smile colored her face and she began to laugh.
She got to her feet and ran her hand lightly over the wolf's fur. "Now that's a much better greeting Greywind, thank you."
The brunette turned to Robb Stark then who was watching the situation intently. "You sent for me your grace."
He nodded, his deep blue eyes watching her every movement. "I did. I wanted you to see to my sister here. While she appears none the worse for wear, I want to be certain."
"I'm fine Robb," Sansa whispered doing her best not to meet Melara's gaze. The brunette could tell that the words she had spoken the night before about acting as if the two didn't know each other were coming back to her.
"You were a prisoner of the Lannisters for months sister," Robb insisted. "You might have been fed daily and clothed but that is all they would have done with regards to your wellbeing. Am I right?"
The red head chose to look down at her hands which was all the answer everyone in the tent needed.
"Sansa love," her mother said taking her hand while the other rested on her belly. "You can be truthful with us. There's no need to hide anymore."
The red head seemed to tremble for a moment before she opened her hands that were tightly clenched and revealed two long lines of indentations that looked suspiciously as if she had pressed her nails into them repeatedly until permanent marks had appeared. The angry red lines stuck out starkly in the skin and her mother pressed a hand to her mouth.
"Seven hells," Robb muttered.
Melara made no sound and instead moved over to kneel down next to the sister of the king so she might examine the scare more closely. They appeared to be self-inflicted and made under extreme stress.
No doubt living as a prisoner for months forced her to seek some way of releasing her emotions.
Sansa's hands trembled as Melara ran her index finger gently over the palms of both of her hands.
"How long have these been here?" she asked in a quiet voice.
"A moon perhaps, maybe two," Sansa said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. "I don't really remember."
"That's alright," Melara assured her before reaching into the bag at her feet and pulling out a small vial of the moonstone mixture. She uncorked the bottle and poured a bit into her hand. "This is going to sting."
Sansa nodded and Melara carefully poured a little of the silvery mixture into the redhead's hand and slowly began massaging it into her palm. The sister of the king made no other noise other than to flinch a few times.
Melara was privately impressed with her resolve. She seemed fragile but was obviously made of some stern stuff. Moonstone could be unpleasant when it was first applied and as she worked the salve into Sansa's hands Melara could feel her gradually becoming less and less stiff as if some inner tension was being soothed away.
After a moment Sansa closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "That feels much better thank you."
"You're welcome."
"Is there anything else?" Catelyn Stark asked. "Is there anything else that monster did?"
At the rather sharp question, Sansa's eyes shot open and her blue eyes darted fearfully about the tent like a cornered animal.
And Melara knew she was hiding something.
So too did Robb apparently for his eyes narrowed at his sister. "Sansa…what did Joffrey do to you?"
The redhead's lower lip began to tremble and when she spoke again, her voice was so low that they were barely able to hear her. "That…That wasn't all. But I…I only want Lady…Talisa to tend to them. Could you please wait outside?"
A look was exchanged between Catelyn and Robb, the former of which leaned forward as much as her large belly would allow her and gently lifted her daughter's chin so she could look into her blue eyes that were filling with tears. "Sansa love, you're safe. You can tell us anything."
Sansa shook her head, keeping her eyes closed then. "I don't want to upset anyone mother. Your time is almost here. You're carrying father's last child and I don't wish to upset you. Please."
Melara took a deep breath and looked up at the King in the North and saw that his eyes were blazing with a blue fire she had never seen before. But after a moment he seemed to master himself and nodded sharply. "Come mother. We should give Sansa and Lady Talisa a moment."
Catelyn Stark looked incredulously up at her son and appeared ready to protest. "Robb – "
"Now mother," the young king said in a voice that betrayed no argument and the older red head looked up at him in surprise. She sagged slightly when she saw that he was serious and allowed him to help her to her feet.
"We'll be outside if you need us sweetling," she said to Sansa, her own voice trembling as Robb led her to the door of the tent.
Melara got up to close the flap but was stopped by Robb who had led his mother outside and then suddenly seized a hold of her hand. "You will do what you can for her?"
His gaze on her was so intense that it almost made her uncomfortable.
Almost.
She nodded. "Of course your grace."
He gave her a sharp nod as if he were trying to keep himself in check and then walked out of the tent, sending the flap swinging closed.
Melara waited until she was sure he was gone before turning back to the red head who was trembling like a leaf. The great direwolf who had not moved from the tent after
Robb padded over to Sansa and licked her hand causing the girl to utter a choked laugh.
"Well then," the brunette said moving to occupy the chair that Catelyn Stark had occupied moments earlier. "What happened?"
Sansa was quiet for a moment before she raised a trembling hand to the collar of her dress and pushed it down as far as she could.
It was then that Melara caught sight of an ugly red scar beginning at the top of her shoulder and making its way out of sight down her back beneath the cloth of the dress.
A sick feeling entered the brunette's stomach and she had a cold feeling that this wasn't the only other scar that Joffrey had inflicted upon her.
"I take it this isn't the only one," she said and Sansa shook her head, refusing to meet her eyes. "No."
Melara paused to process that for a moment before she gave a sharp nod. "Right then. In order to dress them, I will need to see them."
Sansa paused for a moment before nodding, some of her resolve returning. "What do you need me to do?"
The women of the north were indeed made of stern stuff then.
"Turn around," Melara said.
The red head hesitated for a moment before doing so and Melara carefully unbuttoned the back of her dress until the pale skin appeared.
Her eyes went wide and she felt sick in the next moment.
The fair skin of Sansa's back was riddled with scars, some short and some long but most were red, angry looking and appeared fresh. Some were jagged as if she had been beaten with an object that was itself not smooth and then others were straight lined that looked as if they had come from the flat of a blade.
What the bloody hell did that monster do to her?!
It took a massive effort for her not to react to what she was seeing but her long silence was telling enough.
"Its awful isn't it?" Sansa asked.
Melara felt the need to lighten the mood then. "Don't take this the wrong way Lady Sansa, but as a healer I've seen a lot worse."
"Yes, I suppose you have," the Stark girl said softly. "And even though your name is not Talisa, you're still a healer then?"
"I am," Melara replied. "That's one thing that hasn't changed."
"Good, I'm glad."
Melara took out some of the moonstone mixture and again slowly worked it into the skin on Sansa's back.
"Why is it so cold?" the red head asked.
"Moonstones retain the cold from the elements until they come into contact with skin," Melara explained. "They're formed by water, sand and the light of the moon which is why they are always found in water. There is a large stream outside of the Twins where a large quantity of them form every few weeks or so. That's where I found the ones that make up this mixture."
"Will it get rid of the scars?"
"I hope so. Some maesters claim that moonstones have magical properties that regenerate skin tissue and this is somewhat true."
"Somewhat?"
"I used this same mixture on a wound that your brother suffered from a few days ago," Melara explained. "I can only assume by now that its been healed. Hopefully your scars will respond the same way. The physical ones at least."
There was a long silence between the two women and when Sansa spoke again it was in a broken whisper. "He used to say that he was punishing me. That I had to pay for my traitorous family's crimes because father was dead and Arya was gone. For every battle that Robb won he would call me into the throne room, strip me and then have his guards beat me while he watched."
It was a good thing that Sansa couldn't see her because Melara was hard pressed to keep herself from bristling with rage. That sounded like something that crazy bint Bellatrix Lestrange would have enjoyed. The woman would have fit right in with Joffrey as his personal torturer of the prisoners.
"How long?" she asked.
"Weeks," Sansa whispered back and barely restrained a flinch as Melara kept rubbing the mixture into her skin until her back was shiny. "He began almost as soon as he took my father's head. He took me up on the walls of the keep and made me look at father's head on a spike."
She was trembling harder now and Melara placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her from continuing to upset herself. "It's over now Sansa. It won't happen again."
The younger girl nodded shakily and Greywind let out a whine before licking her hand.
Melara reached into her bag and pulled out a roll of bandages which she gently pressed against Sansa's back to trap the mixture against her skin.
When she was done, she buttoned the back of Sansa's dress back up and got from her chair so she might look the auburn haired girl in the eyes.
Tears had spilled over onto Sansa's cheeks and her lower lip was trembling while she desperately tried to hide it.
Gently Melara took hold of her chin in her hand so that the two might look at each other.
When Sansa finally raised her eyes to meet Melara's jade ones, it appeared as if the sister of the king was trying desperately to keep herself from falling apart.
"It's alright to cry," Melara said softly. "You don't have to hide anymore."
That seemed to be all the encouragement that the red head needed for a strangled sob burst forth from her lips then and the next moment she all but fell into Melara's arms as a wellspring of grief seemed to well up inside of her and had come pouring out.
While she wasn't the sort of person who was affectionate, Melara held onto the red head, saying nothing and simply smoothing her hair back.
There were no words she could say to take away the pain that Sansa had suffered, so instead she simply held Robb's sister…and let her cry.
Ω
About a half an hour later after Sansa's grief had given way to exhaustion, Melara led the younger girl over to the bed in the corner and let her lie down on it before she covered her with one of the furs.
Even though it was Robb's bed Melara didn't think he would mind.
She had no sooner pulled the fur up to Sansa's chin when the flap of the tent opened and the king in the north strode back in sans Catelyn.
He took in the scene before him, his sister in his bed and the healer tucking her in and locked eyes with Melara. "How is she?"
The brunette sighed. "Better now. Her physical wounds will heal…it's the emotional and mental ones I'm worried about."
In the light of the tent, Robb's face appeared ashy grey as he took in her words. "What did he do to her?"
Melara shook her head as she bent down to retrieve her bag. "I don't think you want to know your grace. At least not yet. Let her tell you in her own time. I think it was easier to say it all to me because I don't really know her. Just give her some time."
Robb stared down at his sister, barely noticing when Greywind nudged his hand.
"I wanted to rescue her," he said hoarsely. "I did. It's why I started this war, not just for her but for father and for Arya and for Bran. I started it to take vengeance from the Lannisters that wronged us."
"Revenge is a pure motive," Melara admitted. "And you would have been right to do so."
Robb looked up at her and she was surprised to see an almost tortured look in his blue eyes. "Was I though? All its done is bled the realm and subjected Sansa to that monster Joffrey's cruelty."
"She would have been subjected to it whether you called the banners or not," Melara broke in. "Don't blame yourself for something that would have happened no matter what you did."
Robb nodded. "Will she be alright?"
He seemed desperately to be holding on to some hope of putting his family back together and she couldn't blame him. Other than her brothers, Melara had been a lone wolf her entire life never needing anyone and never asking for help. Because of her magic she hadn't needed to.
Now she wondered what it would be like to be needed in this way.
"I don't know," she replied. "But she's here. And that's enough right now."
Robb nodded before turning to her as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "Thank you my lady."
She nodded and turned away. "Of course."
As the brunette moved past him, his hand shot out and seized a hold of hers stopping her.
She looked up and saw his blue eyes blazing with an intensity that was familiar and at the same time entirely different.
It was then that she realized they were standing very close.
"No," he said in a low voice. "Truly…thank you. Since you've come here its been a strange habit that you have been the only healer to tend to all three Starks in this camp."
She gave him a small smile. "I suppose its just my bad luck."
He didn't laugh which made her wonder what on earth was going through that mind of his. His deep blue eyes swept up and down her face but seemed to linger for longer than usual on her lips. "I suppose so."
Melara froze then as a sudden realization came over her all at once. He's going to kiss me.
Her suspicion proved correct for in the next moment he leaned down and covered her mouth with his own.
He moved his lips slowly over hers and once she had gotten over her surprise at his gesture, Melara began to mimic his movements, kissing him back.
Melara pressed her hands to his chest as an almost giddy feeling coursed through her and she felt his arm enclose her she could feel the hard muscles of his body through his tunic which set her heart to racing and her breath to hitch slightly.
He pulled her even closer to him and a part of her wanted to melt with the contact.
A part of her was screaming at her to step away, back off, do something to put some distance between them but the primal part of her didn't care.
After a moment however, reason returned and with a herculean effort Melara forced herself to break the kiss and step back.
When she met Robb's eyes again, she was surprised to see they had darkened slightly as they took her in.
With a strained effort, she stopped herself from shivering at that look.
There was a long silence between them and Melara knew she had to leave now or else she never would.
"Stay with her," she said softly. "Someone should be here when she wakes up."
Robb simply nodded and she walked out of the tent as quickly as she dared, feeling his eyes on her up until the moment she closed the flap of the tent behind her.
It was only then that she let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. This was bad…this was very bad.
I suppose that's one way to say thank you, Melara thought to herself grimly. I just hope he doesn't make a habit out of it. Otherwise I might have to come up with a way to say your welcome. And I don't think either of us is ready for that.
Ω
And I'm back! It's good to be back with this story even though its only been a few weeks since an update. Things are finally heating up between Robb and Melara and so I have decided that if not in the next chapter, than in the one after that will she tell him who she is. She needs to now that the two of them are beginning to develop feelings for each other and the war has changed. Things will continue to heat up in the coming chapters, both between Robb and Melara and in Westeros as a whole. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to review!
