Chapter X
We set off towards the North in a fast speed. It was hard for me to tell if the two men following me were happy to be heading away from the war, or sad about it. Many of Robb's warriors saw it as their duty and honor to serve him in the war, and they were more than willing to pay with their lives to rescue Lord Stark and his daughters. But there were those who were scared and could not wait to get home to their family, and it was very uncertain if that would happen as long as they stayed in the army. Northern men were not deserters, they just were not, but an opportunity like this, to go home for a little while, to leave the war behind them for at least some weeks, that could be precious to any of them. If they were quick about it they might even have time to visit their family. But I did not ask them about any of that. I knew my place still; I was not a lady, I was a servant of the Stark family and that did not put me in any higher position than them. One thing that I had learned was to not ask too many questions.
They did not speak, and neither did I, so we traveled during silence. All that you could hear was the sound of the horses' hooves against the ground and the sound of squirrels and birds in the trees lining our path. We traveled like that for hours and the sun was going down when we finally stopped for a short break. We had been riding all day and we had not stopped until now and even though I was a used rider my legs and bum were sore. After we dismounted our horses I stayed by the animals and ate a piece of bread while my two guards went into the woods. I could only guess what they did but since we had been riding for hours non-stop I guessed that they needed to take a leak. Since they were guards it might have been a good idea for one of them to stay with me but I was too deep into my own mind to think of that at the moment, and I do not know what they were thinking.
I heard the sound of a twig breaking and thought that it was my fellow companions coming back but as I turned around I realized that I was wrong. I could not scream before they caught me and I could not struggle much. They were big men with large muscles and I could not fight them back. As they put a bag over my head I could hear a roar, a scream, and then another one; my two guards were dead.
All was black, black as night, for I do not know how long. My hands were tied and then I was put on a horse, it felt like my own. I had no reins to hold on to and no way of steering my horse. I just sat there, trying to get a grip on what was going on but I could not. Later on I was told that I was escorted like that for a week. They would only take the bag off my head so that I could do my business in the woods. The first time I was afraid that the men were going to take advantage of me but after a couple of times I realized that it was not going to happen. They gave me food, just enough for me not to starve, and I could have water any time I asked. Other than my request I did not speak. It was a silent journey, just like the one that I had had with Robb's soldiers, but everything was different.
After all those days in silence I suddenly started hearing voices. At first I thought that it was all in my head, but then I realized that we had slowed down, that I was actually hearing voices right next to me. My horse came to a halt and I was lifted down. I was guessing that we had reached our destination and I guessed right because I was put in a tent, bound to a pole with my hands behind my back, and then they removed the bag.