Carefully places chapter online and turns off all means of internet so I can't see the scolding I receive for taking so long aha.
They had travelled only a few days, the Wall still loomed tall behind them as Tamina's army that consisted of men both alive and dead moved further away from it. They had passed many towns which were laid waste from the wildling attacks from a few years back. So far Tamina hadn't come across anyone in which she had to explain that the Whitewalkers, the monsters from children's nightmares weren't monsters at all.
The army had set up camp from the night and Tamina had been enjoying the serenity of being alone with her thoughts, over the past few days she had noticed that not only her brother but Mance and Sir Davos were all keeping a vigilant eye on her, for reasons she did not know and was of little importance to address.
Lost in her thoughts Tamina didn't notice the Night King's return from looking for any trace of Jon until he was standing in front of her bowing his head.
"Yes?" She asked.
"I'm sorry My Queen, I sensed no dead while on our search, we found this buried in the snow" He said as he held up the familiar sword, Jon's sword.
Tamina held back a gasp, she knew that this was all that remained of him now but a small part of her still hoped.
"Thank you for searching" She said taking the sword from him.
She stared at the sword while fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall, she wouldn't cry in front of her men, she wouldn't look weak, not anymore.
As Tamina clipped the sword to her belt she looked up to see Mayla walking through the crowd of people, carrying bags that looked too heavy for her to be carrying on her own.
Tamina made her way over to her and grabbed one of the bags, startling her.
"Oh My Queen, y-you scared m-me" She stuttered, her eyes flickering around everywhere but Tamina's face.
My Queen?
"Please let me help" Tamina said tugging at the bag on Mayla's shoulder.
"Oh no, It's fine I have them" Mayla said nervously.
Mayla continued on her way as Tamina followed with a worried look towards her friend.
"Can I speak to you? Alone?" Tamina asked as she grasped her arm, trying to ignore the way it shook. Mayla nodded.
They both broke off from the army and made their way into a small clearing surrounded by dense trees.
Tamina stopped and turned towards Mayla then shook her head when she took in her appearance. She looked exhausted, scared and Tamina knew why.
"I shouldn't of let you come" She confessed.
A confused look washed over Mayla's face.
"Why?" She asked.
"You miss her. Your child. You're afraid of your safety and that of Cane's and thus the future of your child and I'm sorry that I have put you through this" Tamina explained.
"This has nothing to do with our child, it's you" She started to cry.
Now Tamina was confused,
"What?" She asked.
"What you did back at Castle Black, that wasn't you. The way you reveled in those men's deaths, no mercy just pure savagery. It scared me Tamina, you scare me" She cried.
"I have to act like that now Mayla, I can't be the frightened little girl anymore! I have to show no fear. I have to show no weakness!" She raised her voice.
"That was no act Tamina, that was just a glimpse of what you're becoming. One of those dead things with no heart and no feelings!" Mayla's tears stopped and the anger had started to seep through.
"They killed him Mayla! They killed Jon! How could you expect me to let them live when they didn't give him that mercy?" She questioned.
"You've known him for a moment, not a lifetime! If you weren't so starved for someone to love you or want you then you wouldn't be acting like this!" Mayla shouted then stood with her mouth opening and closing, regret flooding her eyes as she realized what she had just said.
"Tamina…I…I'm so sorry" Mayla started to cry harder as she reached for Tamina.
"Don't touch me" Tamina whispered, stepping back from her. "Please leave me" She said turning around not wanting to look at her for a moment longer.
Mayla ran off leaving Tamina standing frozen as her words ran through her thoughts again and again. Silent tears ran down her cheeks, at the sound of a horse's neigh she quickly wiped them away. She walked back towards the men with only one thought left in her mind.
It's true.
The cloaked man appeared from behind a tree as he saw the dark haired beauty make her way back to her people. The large army would soon make their way to Winterfell if they kept heading in the direction they were facing he thought.
"I'm sure the Queen would love to hear about this" He said to no one as he smiled, showing his yellowed, crooked grin with missing teeth.
The journey to Winterfell was a long and tiring one. Tamina kept to herself and spent most of her time with her horse, she ignored the worried looks her brother would give her when she would say that she needed to be alone but she was hurting.
The gates to Winterfell opened wide with great welcome as a raven was dispatched before-hand letting them know they were coming. There standing in the courtyard was none other than Sansa Stark, the Lady of Winterfell.
Her long auburn hair was pulled back in a long braid, standing out among the blackness of her mourning garb, she was still in mourning for Jon.
Tamina dismounted her horse and walked over to her, Sansa bowed before Tamina in respect and Tamina returned the favor.
"It is nice to finally meet you Your Grace, I have heard much about you" She said in a sweet voice.
"And I you, My Lady" Tamina replied with a smile, the smile quickly fell away when Tamina's gaze fell over the sad look in Sansa's eyes.
"I'm sorry for your loss, My Lady" Tamina said.
"I believe your loss was greater than mine, Jon was very fond of you" She replied.
Tamina smiled sadly.
"Do you mind if we talked somewhere private?" Tamina asked.
"Of course" Sansa replied and started walking towards the stairs, Tamina followed leaving her people behind.
They walked along the walkway at the top of the wall of Winterfell until Sansa stopped and turned to look out at nothing in particular.
"I know why you're here" She said.
"You want men for your army. I am sorry to say that there are none, most of them are dead and the few we have left are needed and if I'm being completely honest with you I do not want to see them die, just like everyone else I've ever come across" She said sadly.
"I understand. You're done with fighting, with the bloodshed that comes with it" Tamina replied.
"It's not that, I'm done with fighting and losing, I'm done with the people who deserve to die, continuing to live. We just received word today that King Tommen is dead, Queen Margaery is dead and now Cersei Lannister is Queen of Westeros. The bad people win and the good people die" She said.
"There will always be bad people in this world Sansa but it's only when the good people give up is when they truly win and you know it" Tamina pleaded.
Sansa still looked unconvinced, a personal battle was raging behind her eyes. The will to fight was still there but the means was fading.
"We have more than enough men, it's the support is what we need. The support of the House of Winterfell. The support of the North" Tamina said.
Sansa stared over the wall of the castle as if pondering for what seemed like a lifetime, she turned to face Tamina, with a different look in her eyes this time, determination.
"I personally would love to see that vile bitch removed from the throne" She said smirking.
Tamina smiled.
Two horns blew. The sound echoing over Castle Black and they knew what it meant. Wildlings.
Ed headed down near the gate with a few men at his side, he approached the man who had run down from the top of the Wall.
"How many?" Ed asked the man.
"Two on horseback" he replied.
"Wildlings don't have no horses, not anymore" He ponded out loud, "Let them through!" He shouted to the men gathered in front of the tunnel.
A horse's cry could be heard from the tunnel as it burst through the men and into the courtyard. A girl with dark curly hair had hold of the reigns, both arms were wrapped around a young boy who sat in front of her.
The boy looked around from his high perch on top of the horse as if looking for someone. He eyes finally landed on Ed who stood in front of his men wearing the Lord Commander's cloak.
"You're the Lord Commander?" He asked.
"Aye I am and you are?" Ed asked back to the boy.
"My name is Brandon Stark of Winterfell and this is Meera Reed" He replied, the girl hoped down from the horse and brought Bran with her, she held him close to her chest so he wouldn't fall.
"My brother is Jon Snow I wish to speak with him" He replied.
Ed winced at his words.
"Uh My Lord I'm afraid you're unable to" He said.
"Why? Where is he?" He asked, his words pleading.
"I'm sorry but he's dead, My Lord" Ed said hating himself to be the one to break the news.
"No… H-how? Wh-what h-happened?" He broke down.
"He was betrayed by his own men" He said.
Bran collapsed both from exhaustion and shock of his brother's death as Meera lost her grip of him.
"Please you must help, over the Wall we fought the Whitewalkers, they're coming here and they will kill everyone. They must be warned" Meera pleaded with Ed.
He gave her a sad smile.
"Come on men, help the boy up to a room. We'll get you both fed and rested and then we can talk, we have a lot to talk about actually" he said, signalling Meera to follow him as the men carried Bran after them.
She clutched the goblet in hand as she poured another drink, the blood red wine nearly toppling over the edges of the glass. She stared out beyond the balcony that led to the nosy city below. Her city.
A knock at the door jolted her from her thoughts and she turned her head slightly as a person appeared in the doorway, she knew who it was before he even spoke.
Sir Jamie Lannister stood as he watched his sister hardly acknowledged his presence.
"A man is here to see you, Your Grace" he said in a voice void of emotion for his sister that he loves or loved as he wasn't so sure anymore.
She nodded her head slightly and turned her gaze back to the city.
Now that she had her own 'little birds' scattered around the realm she knew it would be only a matter of time before one would come back with news, hopefully something that was of interest to her.
The only thing that mattered now was her life. Her children are dead, her family gone and Jamie could hardly look at her anymore. She had done everything she thought would save her family but instead lead them to a quicker death.
Cersei stood from her chair placing the goblet on the table and walked over to where her crown sat. She would wear it often to make sure people knew their place, always below her. They would never degrade her again like they did that day she walked.
She left the room and made her way to her throne to meet with her spy followed by the terrifying man beast.
Cersei entered the throne room and sat down, Jamie appeared at her right and stood by the throne, while the man was at the bottom of the stairs on one knee bowed down. She motioned for him to rise and speak.
"My Queen" the man bowed, "I have news from the North".
Cersei's jaw clenched at hearing the man speak of the North, if she could she would burn it all. It had all started the day her husband King Robert decided to go and meet with his dear friend Stark, a month of travelling in that Gods forsaking carriage for nothing. It didn't matter now, they were all dead and she was the only one left.
"What of the North? I would say it is nothing but decaying bones and fallen castles now, not anything worth reporting on" She asked.
"There is an army, my Queen" He said.
"Oh another one?" She stated, her bored tone seeping through.
"Has all the northerners that are left up there gathered together to avenge another dead man?
How many are there this time? Twenty…. Thirty men? Should my army start cowering behind their mother's skirts now?" She said sarcastically.
"No there were… Thousands… Hundreds of thousands of men and woman. They have seemed to have come from over The Wall and leading them is a girl" He said.
"The Wildlings were defeated I was told" She stated.
"They weren't bloody Wildlings" He said forgetting he was talking to a Queen.
"Well maybe your eyesight isn't as clear as you believe and if that is true then I should relieve you of the burden of having such useless eyes" She threatened.
"Your Grace" Jamie growled as a warning.
"Did I ask for you to speak?" She snapped.
"No my Queen" He sighed and bowed his head.
"Then don't" She reminded him.
She turned back to the man,
"Obviously this girl and her army will make their way down to Kings Landing and will be slaughtered before they even reach the gate as we will be ready for them. Send word to the others and have them keep an eye on the incoming threat of The North and report back to me" She said dismissing the man.
"Cersei?" Jamie spoke up.
"You are dismissed Sir Jamie" She spoke still staring at the retreating spy, Jamie left the room without saying another word to her.
Cersei sat on the throne in silence, another war is coming she thought, another time where Lannister will win, more death, more pain, none would be hers, there was no one left she cared for.
She was alone.
She was the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
And she was ready for them.
Not going to lie here but I'm feeling the pressure of this coming battle because I wish I could write them better! (Sad face)
Wow it was both weird and awesome to write from the POV of the other characters aha