ARYA

Arya felt happier with Needle back, although she was wondering about the Mountain. The countess had wounded him, but unlike the footsoldiers, she hadn't killed him. Instead, he had been sent back to Harrenhal. When Arya had asked, Sybille said only that he was too useful to kill quickly, and that he would be kept alive to an appointed time.

She sat opposite the countess in her large black carriage, she was lying on one of the benches, half-sleeping in the darkness. She could barely see Sybille, who was reading one of the books that had been captured after the battle with the Northern force. She was always reading, except when the carriage stopped, often just before sunrise, and the large pavilion was set up for her to retire to. Arya mostly slept during the journey, except at day, then she would ride with the knights, and be trained in the arts of war, as Antonius called it. The knight was silent, but he had allowed her to call him by his strange first name, rather than his family name.

In the distance Arya heard a sound that had been absent for far too long. The howling of wolves. She opened her eyes fully, listening for the sound.

"Listen to them. Ze children of ze night. Vhat music they make.", Sybille was losing her accent, speaking more like Arya did by the day.

"It sounds like home, at Winterfel we often heard them."

"Ze moon is full, despite ze clouds they sing. Come. Let us greet them.", as the countess said this the carriage came to a halt, and she stood up.

Arya followed her outside, into the rainy night. Sybille looked up to the sky, until there was a clearing in the clouds, and she stared right at the moon. She said only one word: "Come."

Not to Arya, not to any of her servants, or anyone near her. Nothing happened, but the distant howling stopped. The column of dead men came to a halt, and Sybille moved through them, followed by Arya. There they stood for some time, before the countess put her hand on Arya's shoulder, a gesture that certainly was meant to comfort her.

She looked at the dark forest, and could make out movement. Soon thereafter a wolf appeared, followed by another. Arya lost count, even as the wolves all bowed their heads. But she didn't see it. She saw only one wolf. Larger than any of the others, grey, with dark golden eyes. She walked forwards, towards Nymeria. And her dire wolf came to her, alone of all the wolves free from whatever spell bound them to Sybille.

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For the rest of the journey to Riverrun Arya spent a lot of her time with Nymeria. And at night the countess asked her about her bond with the dire wolf. Now Arya was alone in the column, with only the wolves and the marching dead around her. Not even any of the knights. The countess had ridden off with them, telling her that she should stay behind for now.

Finally she approached river, and could see Riverrun lying in the distance. Enormous numbers of dead soldiers were assembled on the bank of the river. She knew how to quickly count them. The skeletal warriors, those who had weapons, were gathered in columns a thousand strong, each with a single numbered banner. The rest, those who had been farmers, merchants or even children in life, were assembled in mere mobs. Sybille believed in order, and had assembled them in groups of roughly ten thousand, but without real banners. Only poles. But her attempt to count them failed, as she was interrupted. A small group of riders approached, one of them carrying the black banner.

At their head rode Sybille, who rapidly approached Arya.

"Arya, could you come with me for a moment? There are things that we must discuss.", she said as she dismounted.

The girl dismounted as well, and the countess took her hand.

"I am truly sorry", she said, going a little through her knees to put her face level with Arya's.

"What is wrong?"

"I have spoken with the leaders of the army on the other side of the river. Your mother was amongst them."

"My mother?", she exclaimed, happiness in her voice, "can I see her?"

"If you want to do so. But I have to tell you what she told me. She said that she wanted to rescue your sister, and for that reason she has betrothed you."

All the happiness was gone. "What!? To who?"

"She did not tell me everything, but she said that your brother had to cross a bridge, and you were traded for passage over it. This man has no lands, no titles and no wealth, and does not stand to inherit anything."

"Frey.", Arya growled, more like a wolf than a girl. "Why did she do this to me?"

She felt Sybille's fingers move over her face, free of the black gloves that she always wore. They felt cold, even as they swept her tears away. "I don't know. I once had a mother, centuries ago. Everyone always said that she was the nicest woman in the world, a true proper lady, kind and sweet. But not to me. Just like my father she hated me. Saying that I should have been a son. And that I should do my embroidery, and be silent, a proper quiet lady, not a real person, more a decoration than who I was. Who I truly was."

"Really? But how did you break free?", she asked, some hope sounding through the sadness and anger.

"When I was going to be sent away to be married to a baron who was twenty years older than I was, I fled. I fled into the night. I took one of the horses and fled into the forest. I did not know where to go, but I had to. And there, in that forest, I met my new father. He was kind to me. I became his daughter. He gave me his name, and I remained at the court of Drakenhof."

"How? Was he secretly you father?"

"Oh no, he only took me as his daughter, together with my new mother. That is something that the count or countess can do."

"Could you do the same?"

"I am the countess now. My will is the law."

For a moment Arya considered taking the offer. But she loved her mother. And even Sansa. And now Sybille is going to wage war against them. But she also likes the countess, even though she did kill Hot Pie and so many others. She was nice to her, one of the first since her father was murdered. It made her feel horrible, and afraid.

"Are you going to kill my family?"

"I hope not. But I will fight them if they refuse my demands. I hate killing, but sometimes I have to. To create peace. Have you seen what was done to these lands? That was not just the work of one party in the war. Both did that. Both have killed thousands, and I will enforce peace. I will create a new law, and there will be no more such horrors."