Arya froze outside her tent as the rest of the women hurried inside. The voices of her three guards sounded far away under the weight of Vargo Hoat's laughter. It rose upon the wind, coming towards her like a large tide in the ocean.
"You are all going to die!" He screamed between the laughter.
Suddenly, Arya bolted forward at the surprise of her guards. They called to her, rushing to stop her from going towards her destination. She broke out into a sprint, forcing the guards to chase after her. She ran through the campsite, the laughter growing louder. Before she could make it to the entrance of the tent where Vargo Hoat was one of the guards grabbed her arm.
"We cannot let you go in there, Princess Arya. We have specific instructions to take you back to your tent and guard you there."
"You will let me go at once! That is an order!"
The guard hesitated, but Arya's authority could not be ignored. His arm fell to his side as he watched her in defeat. She looked at each of the guards making sure each one knew that she had the control. There was no objection as she dipped her head down and stepped into the tent. The moment she did, the laughter ceased.
"Out," she commanded. The guards did not move for a moment, torn by what their commander had told them and what their princesses was now telling them. "Your princess has given you a command!"
The five guards left the tent single file, their eyes moving from Arya to Vargo Hoat. Arya refused to look at the man until they were alone. Silence rained down upon them like heavy smoke. Her heart pounded against her chest, and she was sure that the man could hear it. Fear rose from her stomach threatening to spill out, but she swallowed it down. She was the daughter of King Eddard Stark of House Winterfell. She would not show fear to this man.
Eyes of stone looked upon the man that had been badly beaten to the point she barely recognized the man she had met just days earlier. When he smiled, she noticed several teeth missing. She felt no sympathy for the man. He was a murderer, and right now he had information she needed.
"What did I just send my men out to find?" she asked, low and angry.
Vargo Hoat's smile grew until she was sure his lips would split open. "Nothing, Princess. Nothing at all." With that, he let out a loud coughing laugh.
No, she was sure someone was in the woods. There was no denying the feeling of being watched. There was something out there. He was lying.
"You are lying," she seethed, her anger barely in control.
"I can assure you, this is no lie. Your knight in shining armor will find nothing out there… but he and all of you will learn a hard lesson tonight."
Arya looked upon the man in confusion. His words made no sense to her. She took a step towards him without realizing it, her hands balled into fists. The urge to punch the smile from his face was almost too much to fight.
"They will fuck your sister first as you watch." Arya froze at his words, her eyes growing wide. "Her screams will be music to our ears and your tears will urge us on. When they are done with her they will slit her throat and finish the rest of your ladies off until it is just you. We will take turns as your knight watches and tries to fight to get to you, I am sure. We will kill him slowly in front of you, but we will leave you alive. You'll bring us a bounty worth our dreams."
With each word that came out of his mouth Arya felt the blood drain from her face. She took a step back, as if a large weight sat upon her chest. The way he said it… his words… there was a reason Gendry and the others would not find anything out in the woods.
"No…" she breathed, her eyes growing wide.
"It is too late, Princess," he whispered.
"Guards!" Arya screamed, turning towards the door.
"IT IS TOO LATE!" Vargo Haot screamed.
Arya ran into the night sky, her guards rushing towards her. "They are already here… in the camp!" she yelled.
The guards looked confused for a split second before they grabbed their swords and jumped into action. Arya grabbed a young looking guard as he ran past her.
"Go in the direction that Gendry and the others went. Find them and tell them we are about to be attacked." The guard watched her with wide eyes, as if she had spoken a different language. "Go! Now!" she yelled.
The guard took off into the shadows of the night as Arya said a prayer that he would make it to Gendry. She slowly turned in every direction, her ears listening for even the slightest odd sound. It was hard to hear over Vargo Hoat's screams. Perhaps he was messing with her, just to scare her.
As the moment ticked away, she started to think she had fallen into the man's sick game. The camp remained silent, unmoved, even Vargo Hoat had calmed. The wind blew through Arya's hair, as if caressing it.
"The calm before the storm," a solider whispered beside her. She turned and noticed three soldiers standing around her, their swords drawn as their eyes searched the night. Somewhere in the distance a tree branch popped causing Arya to jump. She wanted to be brave, but felt ashamed as fear washed over her.
"My lady, you need to get back to your tent. We will protect you and the others from whatever is out there, but you being here at the front is too dangerous."
Arya turned to respond that she had no intentions of leaving when something flew past her straight into the guard's chest. His eyes grew large as a strangled sob left his lips. The other two guards had no time to react before they, too, were hit in the chests with arrows. The guard who insisted she leave stumbled forward straight into Arya and they both fell to the ground.
Panicked, she rolled him onto his back and shook him, as if they would help him to rise again. "No!" she cried. His wide eyes turned to stare at her, his mouth opening in silent words. Blood pooled down his shirt covering his chest. With a shaky hand he pushed his sword towards Arya, begging her to take it with his last look. She took the sword, her vision blurred by unshed tears. The moment the sword was in her possession the guard breathed his last breath.
Arya looked around, desperate for help, but what she saw was a carnage of death and destruction. Vargo Hoat's men had infiltrated their camp, and with them came double the numbers that Arya's guard had. Arrows made of fire flew through the night's sky hitting their target. Tents burst into flames as screams broke the silence of the night. Guards ran to the fight only to be stopped in their tracks by death. They were strongly outnumbered, for Gendry had taken a lot of the men into the forest on a ghost hunt. Even if they returned, their numbers would not match what had befallen them. It seemed only two tents remained unharmed. The one Vargo Hoat was in and her own.
"Sansa," Arya breathed.
She stumbled to her feet, trying to keep in the shadows as much as she could. Still, an arrow flew past her, barely missing her by inches. She fell to the ground with a scream. Arya began to crawl as all around her screams of anger and agony played like a melody. She was close to her tent, but she would have to make a run for it. Closing her eyes, she said a prayer to her father's gods and scrambled to her feet. As fast as she could, Arya ran towards the tent. She held the sword tightly knowing it gave her the only protection she had. She made it to the tent and ran inside. At first, the ladies screamed not realizing it was her.
"It is me," she called to them, hushing their screams.
Sansa ran towards her, throwing her arms around her sister and sobbing in Arya's neck. She held tightly to her sister, knowing in only minutes they could all be dead.
"What is going on?" Beth asked, frightened.
"We are being attacked by Vargo Hoat's men. There are many of them… more than there are of us. We have to move, now!" Arya answered, realizing if they stayed in the tent they were as good as dead.
Vargo Hoat and his men had the upper hand, for this was their forest, but she and the ladies had to take their chances. They would run from the camp into the forest until they could find a place to hide, and hopefully Gendry and the others would find them. She did not know where they had gone, but she knew the direction they went. Her and her ladies would head in that direction.
"Find anything you can use as a weapon, preferably something sharp. The ladies searched the tent, turning over furniture in search of something to protect themselves. Arya grabbed a knife and put it in Sansa's hand. "If it comes down to your life or theirs you shove this deep into their chest, do you understand?" Arya asked her, low.
"I… I…," Sansa struggled, her eyes wide in fear.
"They are going to rape us, Sansa. Our deaths will not be swift like the rest, do you get that? We all will suffer. I will not die that way!" Arya said.
Sansa wrapped her small fingers around the knife and craddled it against her chest. She nodded her head in understanding, causing relief to flood in Arya. All the women found something to use as weapons, but as they turned to leave the tent they heard a voice outside.
"Come out, come out, wherever you are." The man laughed.
"Get behind me," Arya whispered. The ladies did as she said. Arya slowly moved the sword behind her out of eyeshot of the man now entering their tent. His clothing was dirty and torn in places and the fabric of his shirt barely covered his bulging stomach. Thick and clumped blond hair sat atop his head, and when he smiled his teeth were blackened and rotting. The stench coming from him was enough to choke Arya. She swallowed down her bile and met the man's stare with coldness.
"My, you all are pretty young things," he said, licking his lips. He took a step towards them, but Arya held her position in front of her ladies. His eyes roamed from Arya's face to her feet and back again. She fought the urge to hide from his piercing stare. She needed him to step closer, needed him to get in range of the end of her sword. Taking a quick glance, she realized he was unarmed. It would be a fatal mistake.
One step. Two steps. Three steps. The man was in reach. With swift accuracy Arya pulled the sword from behind her and shoved it through the man's chest. His eyes opened in shock, never seeing this coming. Anger rose in Arya, anger so strong it choked her. With all her strength she shoved the sword harder into the man until the point of the sword came out of his back. He fell at her feet, dead.
Arya rolled him over, her hands soaking in his blood. She would not think of that… could not think of that right now. She grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled, yet it would not budge. She had driven it so deep into the man she could not get it out. Frustrated, she kicked his dead body. She would have to leave it behind.
"Let us go," she said, in hushed breaths.
Taking one last longing look at the lost sword, she led the ladies to the entrance of the tent. Arya peeked outside to see what awaited them. The fight was still raging, but not close to their tent. Their way was opened, and Arya led them in shadows towards the direction Gendry and the other had gone earlier. They crept as quietly as they could as each watched their men fall in defeat. Arya prayed the ladies would not scream.
They came to a clearing, and now the true test would take place. They would have to make a run for it in the open, and pray Vargo Hoat's men would be too preoccupied to see them. Arya stopped as the ladies waited for her instructions. Going as a group would draw attention.
"Beth, you and Osha go first. Run as fast as you can until you reach that line of trees up ahead right there," she said, pointing towards a group of large trees. "You remain there, hidden behind those trees, until Sansa and I join you. Once we are all there we sprint straight ahead and will not stop for anyone… not unless it is Gendry and the others. Does everyone understand?"
Everyone nodded their heads in understanding. After several seconds of composing themselves, Arya motioned for them to run. Beth and Osha took off towards the trees as fast as their legs would carry them. Arya did not watch them, for her eyes were trained behind her to see if they were spotted.
"They made it!" Sansa whispered.
Arya grabbed her sister's hand, meeting her frightened eyes. "You run and do not stop for anything, do you understand. Promise me."
"I… I promise," Sansa whimpered. Arya stood with Sansa by her side and both girls took off as fast as they could.
"Hey! Stop them!" The voice screaming behind them was like a sledgehammer blow to Arya's back. They had been seen. The sound of pounding footsteps followed them. They would not make it. Arya had a split second to make her decision, yet it felt like a lifetime. She loosened her hold of Sansa's hand and slowed.
"Keep going. Find Gendry," she yelled, before coming to a complete stop.
Sansa's mouth came open in a sob, yet she did as Arya asked. She kept running. Arya kept her back to the men running towards her. Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession as her fear took over. This was not her plan, but she prayed the men would be satisfied with her, which would give Sansa and the others a chance to escape and hopefully find Gendry.
Hands grabbed her arms roughly and spun her around. Five men stood before her, all looking like the one she had killed in her tent. They pushed her forward, back towards the carnage of the camp. Bodies lay everywhere. Some of them were her men, but not all. She took comfort in knowing some of Vargo Hoat's men lost their lives tonight.
The moment his name came into her mind he appeared. He was talking to a group of men, but the moment their eyes met she became his focus. He turned completely towards her smiling his toothless smile. As much as Arya tried to fight it her fear won out and she began to struggle against her captors. The last place she wanted to be was standing before this man. Her captors pushed her towards him, but she was able to stop before she ran into the man. He watched her, his smile never falling, until a shout came from her tent.
"McConnell is dead!"
Vargo Hoat's smile slowly faded, being replaced with rage. "McConnell was my cousin," he said, angered.
"He should have stayed away from my tent," Arya shot back.
Arya had no time to prepare herself for the pain as Vargo Hoat slapped her across the face as hard as he could. She fell to the ground, grabbing her offended cheek immediately. For a moment she saw nothing but black spots in her vision. She fought against the darkness taking her under, fearing what would happen to her if she lost consciousness.
"Load his body up and take him home. Gilda will want to bury her husband beside their three dead children," Vargo Hoat said.
The man would have raped her and the other women had he had the chance. Hearing of a wife and dead children would not make Arya pity him. He should have been home with his wife. His blood was still on her hands. Arya drove them into the dirt to cover them. She no longer wanted to see the blood.
"Get her up!" They jerked Arya from the ground and held her in place. Vargo Hoat stepped closer to her, coming to within inches of her face. His hot breath made her want to gag, but she refused to look away from the man. He wanted her to fear him, wanted her to cower, but she would refuse.
"I warned you, Princess. All you had to do was release me and none of this would have happened. We would have only taken you. All of these lives are on your hands," he whispered in her ear.
Arya jerked away from his face, her eyes staring into the distance at the darkness. When the first bite of guilt struck her she pushed it away. None of this was her fault. She was not to blame… he was.
"And where do you think you sent those women? To him? I was not entirely truthful with you earlier." At this, Arya met Vargo Hoat's eyes. The man was smiling broadly again, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight. Dread swallowed Arya as her mind became a jumbled mess.
"We set a trap for your knight and his men. A slaughter, really. You see, Princess, no one is going to come and save you. They are all dead."
The strength seeped from Arya's body and she slumped against the man holding her. It could not be true. Gendry was not dead. If he was not dead where was he, then? "You are lying!" she screamed.
Something was thrown at her feet, yet she refused to look down. She heard the thump of its weight, heard it settle just inches from her. Others joined the first one at her feet, until she could no longer not look. Her eyes traveled slowly towards the ground, and when she saw what was there she let out a sob of grief.
At her feet was a pile of armor with the familiar direwolf etched in each one. One in particular caught her attention, one she had touched so lovingly over the past few days. Gendry's armor lay on top of the others, bloodied and dented. It could not be, not him.
"You bastard," she whispered. "You bastard!" Over and over she screamed trying her best to get free, but it was to no avail. Vargo Hoat watched her with a smile, enjoying every second her tears fell from her eyes. Arya fought until there was no fight in her left and she gave up.
Behind her, she heard cries and whimpers. She did not have to look to see that Sansa, Osha and Beth had been caught. The women were thrown to their knees beside Arya, but she could not take her eyes away from Gendry's bloody armor. He was gone… dead. A grief unlike she had ever felt overtook her.
"Sandor?" Arya heard Sansa whisper beside her. She watched her sister reach for the armor and pull it towards her. Tears flowed down Sansa's eyes as she stared at the bloody heap with wide eyes. "Sandor… no…," she whispered, sobbing softly.
"The princess is not to be touched… but let her watch," Vargo Hoat said, laughing.
With large smiles the men overtook Sansa, Osha and Beth. They dragged them apart, holding them down on the ground as the women screamed. Two men held Arya as she started to fight again. "No!" she screamed. "Do you not understand that with all of us you will receive a higher ransom, you bastard!"
Vargo Hoat stopped immediately, holding his hand up for his men to stop. "Why would I receive anything for hired help?"
"My… my father is a good king. He will pay just as much for their lives, unharmed, as he will for my life. I swear this on my life. Do no do harm to them and you all will be richly rewarded!"
"I do not believe you," he responded, turning to leave again, but this time Sansa's words stopped him.
"My name is Sansa Stark, eldest daughter to King Eddard Stark. I am betrothed to Prince Joffrey Baratheon, son to King Robert Baratheon of King's Landing. I swear on my life he will match what my father will pay for our release."
Arya watched her sister, watched her strength in fighting for her life. Sansa may have just saved them all… only if Vargo Hoat believed them. Two kings. Two ransoms. It was every thief's dream come true. The seconds turned into minutes. The man looked between Arya and Sansa, the wheels in his mind working overtime. Arya begged him to believe it. She pleaded in her mind.
"Get them up and bind their hands together." It had worked. Arya slowly closed her eyes, thankful for the turn of events, but she had no time to be thankful long as Vargo Hoat grabbed her arm and led her away. They did not get far before a sound behind them caused everyone to still. Vargo Hoat slowly turned, his face showing his confusion. Arya turned with him, her eyes searching the darkness but seeing nothing. Still, the sound grew, until she realized it was the sound of a horse. Suddenly, through the thick brush, a lone rider broke through. Arya felt the air leave her lungs as she recognized the rider.
It was Gendry. He was alive… for the moment.