As the weeks progressed, and the Royal Procession along with it's new addition made it's way through to warmer lands, the difference between the North and the South was layed bare once more...
The sun became warmer, beckoning them further south with it's warm embrace. The grass became greener, and the clouds retreated. Prey became common, as the King so boisterously and repeatedly exclaimed. The Northeners started looking like lost pups searching for their mother, and the Southerners had regained their joyful colours back and celebrated accordingly along with their King.
They had stopped at an inn, a local favorite it seemed, only a day's ride away from the nearest castle, Darry. The King and his new Hand had left for another hunt, while the Procession rested before they would finally cross the Trident and ride for King's Landing uninterrupted.
His mood was in an upswing as well. For he had been fortunate enough to scan through Winterfell's library, and increase his wisdom through books he hadn't seen before. While he wouldn't dare to say that the extended stay as a result of Brandon Stark's fall was a good thing, he would say it helped, no matter how much it disgusted him to admit, Seven forgive.
Just as well, another thing that helped was not having to constantly look after Cedran and Arn. Even if the latter continued his blasphemous and ignoble activities, he'd abandoned the whoring entirely after the affermentioned fall, while that may only be because of 'self-image' that made a man wonder why he hadn't stopped his excessive drinking.
He hadn't even seen Cedran all that often, boring the boy to death had been Winterfell's most suprising achievment.
Although now that they had come South, Sal could see something shift within the Second Son. Whenever he wasn't with him, he would often spot him with the Baratheon men, and by extension his Uncle, Renly Baratheon; thirdborn son that had profited from his older brother Stannis' misfortune and ascended to the seat of Storm's End. They would laugh and drink together, and most interesting of all was their hushed whispers...
They were scheming.
It was not unkown to him, this constant game of whispers. The years he'd spent in King's Landing had taught him there were eyes everywhere, your every move was reported to somone, and you had to be careful to not get them set on you. Those eyes reported to the gamemasters, and those gamemasters shared those whispers in the right moments to further their gains.
He was not upset to have been left out of them, whatever games they were playing he wasn't interested. Seven willing, he'd be able to fulfill his duties to his wards and see them to adulthood before being sent on his way. Not looking after his shoulders everytime somone passed by him and losing sleep over all of this danger he'd been subjected over the years.
He was content to do what he was doing now, strolling through the woods, the sound of the Trident in his hears and with only the company of his thoughts. Often he would feel like the most dignified company he had was them, and often he would feel most comfortable under the sun's comforting gaze, Seven watching over him as he graciously benefited from all of their gifts. It's what kept him going over the years when he would find himself without a purpose.
One would feel the need to question why one would need to have a purpose to keep going at all, he'd weigh it on how his life had been leading up to this point, it had not been easy to get where he was, he'd only done it through sheer devotion.
He stopped beside a tree, putting his hand on it's rough surface as he contemplated. His gaze went up and down the bark, making out that it was an elm. The tree's leaves shined with sun's light, and made it seem like it was dwarfing it's own kin and gave it a divine look, a wonder of the-
"-you little cunt!"
His head whipped around at the direction of the yell, barely audible over all of the noise coming from the flowing river. He immediately recognized it to be the voice of the Crown Prince, his hand moved to unstrap the mace hanging from his hip as his feet carried him to the direction the sound came in a sprint. He'd automatically assumed the worst, what could have happened to get Prince Joffrey to shout?
He ducked through the branches and avoided the roots on the ground as he hastily ran to the source of the sound, the sound of the river filling his ears cut by a painful shout. He burst through the treeline and almost found himself on the waters, but was able to stop himself in time.
He found the Prince laying on the ground, clutching a bloody hand with Sansa Stark kneeling before him trying to help. The girl leapt to her feet upon spotting him, eyes widening as she spotted the weapon in her hand and she flinched, he quickly strapped it back on his belt and knelt beside Prince Joffrey.
"My Prince, you need a Measter," He held his hand out for the Prince to take.
The Prince looked at him with tears staining his face, took his hand with the fine one and was promptly lifted to his feet, an arm around Sal's shoulder as the Bastard turned to the terrified Stark girl, "My Lady, what happened here?"
"Arya... She was- fooling around with that Butcher's Boy," Her voice was trembling, and it looked like she was barely holding back the tears. He must have terrified the girl when he burst through the forest.
"She made her mutt attack me!" The Prince shouted in his ear, it took nearly all of his willpower not to react, "I want her found! I want her dead!" The Stark girl flinched, it looked as though she may cry at any minute, he needed to solve this, quickly.
"Lady Stark, can you inform the camp of what happened here? I'd rather not make the Prince wait," His voice was soothing, aiming to calm the girl, who nodded and shakily steadied herself on her feet, leaving the waterskin she was holding on the ground and forgetten as she turned around and ran to the direction of the camp, while he trailed behind, much slower and with a prince screaming into his ear about decapitation.
Stumbling into the camp with the bloodied Crown Prince leaning onto him was not the best way to stay out of the eye of the Queen...
Sal thought this as he stood before King Robert and Queen Cersei in the Great Hall of Castle Darry, moments after the Stark girl who had caused all the trouble had been found. Everyone of the nobles that were traveling with them were present, and everyone's eyes were focused on the said Stark girl. The poor girl had been hiding for almost the whole day, and when she was found by the Stark men, all covered in tears and filth, she'd been forced to stand before the King and Queen without any moment of relief.
As for him, he was 'asked' to be here to tell everything he had seen. Which was not a lot mind you, all he had known of the ordeal was what Lady Sansa and the Crown Prince had told him, and they were either in shock or injured. Which had the tendency to be quite the effect on one's judgement, and there would be conflicting point of views.
Cedran had been livid of his involvement in the altercation, yet he had displayed a somewhat concerning lack of reaction to learning his brothers injuries. He'd discarded it as 'trivial' and had immediately taken him out of the hunt for the missing Stark girl to make a plan.
"My father will surely ask for your testimony, if you want to remain at my side you'll need to speak in favour of my mother. No matter what you may have seen,"
"I have seen nothing, just heard."
"Then lie,"
"Lying is ag-"
"Fuck your faith, you are needed at my side,"
"My Prince-"
"This is an order Salomon, you are to speak in favour of the Queen and support my brothers side, if not my mother would surely have you killed. On my head be the consuqences,"
"Are you sure of this Cedran?"
"Some of us don't believe as you do,"
And that had been the end of it, part of him had been disgusted at himself when he'd just resigned himself to do it, but it was an order he couldn't refuse. Particularly because his duty has not yet been completed, the Prince still had a long way to go. He would have to repent, but in the end wasn't that what all of them would do?
"Bastard!" He heard the King's voice, "Joffrey says you've seen what happened, speak up! Tell me what you have seen!" It was obvious the King was stuck between his friend and his most valuable ally in the Queen's family. He stepped forward and bowed before the King, his gaze briefly wandering to the Queen only to see her full attention focused on him.
So much for subtlety, again.
Sal opened his mouth to speak, but the words came hard, stuck in his throat before he had o force them out, "I heard a wolf and a scream, Your Grace, and when I ran to find what it was, I saw the Prince bleeding."He closed his ears to all the mutterings that caused, but there was one among them that o one would be able to ignore...
"You're lying!" The Lİttle Stark that had caused all this trouble shouted, she may have been right, but no one would care.
"Silence!" The King roared, and it was once again so, "Childeren fight, but that damned wolf,"
One of the Stark Guardsmen stepped forward, "We found no trace of the direwolf, Your Grace."
"No?" The King looked somewhat relieved, "So be it,"
The Queen was not pleased however, "A hundred golden dragons to the man who brings me its skin!"
"A costly pelt," King Robert said, he looked non too pleased and non too caring... "I want no part of this, woman. You can damn well buy your furs with Lannister gold."
"I had not thought you so niggardly. The king I'd thought to wed would have laid a wolfskin across my bed before the sun went down."
"That would be a fine trick, without a wolf."
"We have a wolf,"
A pause. "As you will. Have Ser Ilyn see to it."
As the voices once again rose, Sal could only be shocked at how easy it was...
Sorry for the late update, my keyboard was broken and I had to buy a new one.
Anyone is welcome to leave any question they might have in the reviews below.