Chapter 20 – Talla – Hero
Talla's eyes widened when she saw Winterfell for the first time. She had always imagined the castle differently; grimmer and colder. But it looked rather interesting with its round towers and a tree with red leaves in the backyard. Completely different from Horn Hill. Besides, everything was covered in snow and it looked wonderful. But why were there so many tents around the castle? An army? But no, the soldiers were all different, as well. Maybe these were all the inhabitants that wanted to live in Winterfell but had no place?
So, for a moment Talla could forget her grief and just marvel the wondrous sight, but then she remembered why she came here in the first place and the grief returned.
The carriage drove into the yard and the inhabitants of Winterfell stared at her as if she was some foreign beauty. No, she knew she wasn't a beauty and definitely not foreign, but maybe for Northerners, the people in the South were as foreign as people from Essos were for her.
Her maid told the guards who had arrived in this carriage and someone sent for her brother.
Sam, she smiled to herself. How she missed him. First, he had suddenly joined the Night's Watch and then he had left for Old Town. He had written her several letters, explaining his sudden behaviour when he had fled Horn Hill in the middle of the night, and where he had been going. Therefore, she knew he was in Winterfell right now.
"Talla?" her brother's irritated voice reached her ear. "What are you doing here?"
Talla spun around and ran towards her brother, hugging him fiercely. "I've missed you," she replied and the tears she had tried to hold back on her journey, now streamed over her face. "I wanted to grieve together."
"Oh, Talla," Sam sighed heart-brokenly and stroked her back in a comforting way.
They stayed like this for a few moments and Talla didn't care that everyone could see them, here she was finally with her brother once more – and she wouldn't leave him soon!
After a while, she straightened again, wiped her tears away and smiled. "How are you, dear brother?" she wanted to know in a hopefully light tone.
"I'm fine," Sam answered at once, smiling as well. "And you? And mother?"
"Mother!" Talla shouted angrily. "Mother cried for a week when we heard the news about Father and Dickon," she gulped as she remembered that horrible moment, but continued in the same way, "and then she accepted to marry Lord Edgerran."
"Of House Oakheart?" Sam asked shocked.
"Yes, the same. She told me she was too young to be a widow. But really, after not even a month after Father's death?" She shook her head in disbelief. "So, you see I couldn't stay there."
"But how did you know I was here?" Sam inquired with the same astonished face he already had as a boy.
"Silly," Talla scolded him playfully. "You've told me yourself in one of your letters."
"Of course," Sam mumbled, blushing. "I'm glad you're here. I've missed you too, you know."
Talla smiled when her gaze fell on the sword at Sam's side and she shook her head in amusement. "I can't believe you actually stole Heartsbane. Well, it's definitely yours now." Her face turned sad again when she remembered why the sword was Sam's now.
Sam nodded in the same grievance, then he led her inside while the servants brought her trunk towards the guest rooms. "I guess we should go see Jon. Winterfell is a bit preoccupied at the moment, so we'll need to find a room for you. But even if there aren't any available, you can stay with me and Gilly and Little Sam if you like."
"I'd love to," Talla smiled and was already glad she came. She preferred the hustle and bustle of a full castle than the quietness at home. Here she wouldn't have a lot of time to reflect what had happened and her grief would at least vanish throughout the day. "Why is Winterfell so preoccupied? I saw the masses of tents outside. Is there another war raging again?"
"Um, kind of," Sam admitted but felt somewhat uneasy. "See, I've not written about it so not to upset you, but yes, there's going to be a huge war. So, maybe it wasn't the best idea for you to come…"
"Well, now I'm here, so tell me, what's going on?"
"Um, I'll explain later. Now I want you to meet my best friend Jon, so you can freshen up in your room after this long journey. I'll tell you this evening, alright?"
Talla nodded and for her brother's sake replied gleefully: "I always wanted to meet the King in the North, especially after everything you've written about him."
Sam smiled and while they walked towards the Great Hall, he explained that this King in the North was already the second one, after Robb had died, and his sister listened to him with the same eagerness she had possessed when they had been little.
In front of the Great Hall, Sam told the guards his request and they were allowed to pass.
Talla looked around the hall with wide eyes. Everything looked so different from home! The walls and floor were built from grey rough stone, the furniture from massive wood. There were no pictures or ornaments at the walls, only a few also grey banners with the Stark's direwolf sigil on them, and merely a few candles lit the room. If there hadn't been people inside it, it would have looked deserted. Her gaze came around to look at the few people that stood in the middle of the room, talking.
Sam stepped towards them. "Jon, my sister Talla has arrived," he announced joyfully.
A man with curly black hair turned around, smiled and strode nearer.
"Talla, this is Jon Snow, the King in the North," Sam told her proudly.
Talla curtsied at once. "Your Grace," she said and hoped she hadn't forgotten her childhood lessons.
To her surprise, however, Jon chuckled. "Please, you don't have to curtsy before me." He offered her his hand and she took it. "Welcome to Winterfell," he greeted friendly but Talla realised that something was bothering him. Then he turned around and pointed with his hand to a beautiful young woman with long white hair. "May I present Queen Daenerys, Queen of the Andals and First Man, the Unburnt, um…." He stopped, pondering, then he winked at a girl with bushy brown hair and very dark eyes. "You know it better, Missandei, can you please continue?"
The girl smiled, then said in a solemn voice: "You stand in the presence of Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, rightful heir to the Iron Throne, rightful Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains."
Talla didn't listen to this long list of titles. She stared at the white-haired woman and rage started to boil inside her. Finally, she turned to her brother and demanded to know furiously: "What's she doing here?!" while pointing accusingly at the so-called queen.
"Um," Sam shrunk under her intense gaze. "Um, you know, things changed since…" He stopped and stared at his feet.
Talla faced the Mother of Dragons. "She killed our father and brother. Her dragon burnt them alive!" Her voice grew into a shriek, filled with rage and grief. "They only fulfilled their duty as bannermen and stayed loyal to Crown and country till the end, and for that, they were killed in this horrible manner! And now she is here instead of a cell?! No, she has to pay for what she has done!" And without thinking about her actions, she stepped forward towards the white-haired witch. She wanted to scratch her face and pull at her hair until this woman felt the same pain she still felt inside her heart because she would never see her father and brother again!
Quickly the guards rose their spears and swords, but there was only one person brave enough to step in her way immediately.
She stopped at once and stared at the small man in front of her. She knew one dwarf. Was this person him? He looked different than he had around 15 years ago. His hair was darker, he had a beard and a huge scar in the middle of his face. But then she saw his eyes, his beautiful miss-matched eyes that gazed at her with the same curiosity and kindness they had all those years ago.
"It's you," she whispered in awe, and all of her rage was left for utter surprise, slowly followed by joy. "You're Tyrion Lannister."
"I am," he confirmed, still looking warily at her.
A guard came closer, eager to grab her, but Tyrion lifted his hand and the man stopped.
"You're my hero," she whispered, smiling, now oblivious to everything around her except for the man in front of her. "Do you remember?" She would never forget that day:
When Talla had been around 10, the Lannisters had visited her father and Horn Hill for a tourney in honour of Samwell's 14th name day. She had worn a wonderful green dress she had made herself (with the help of her mother, of course) and her hair in the fashion of the adults. She had been so happy until she had wandered off on her own between the tents and a few local boys thought it would be fun to hurt a high-born girl. They had called her mean names, shoved her into the mud, and pulled at her hair, destroying her hairstyle, dress – and dignity. She had cried many tears but they hadn't stopped until someone called in a loud, authoritative voice to leave her alone. The boys had turned around and laughed at the small man in their way.
"And why would we be scared off by a dwarf?" they had shouted in glee.
"Because my father is Tywin of House Lannister," Tyrion had announced in a voice that left no doubts. "Now off with you before I also get my brother Jaime – you know, the Kingslayer."
The boys had looked at each other and probably thought it best to believe the man and not face the consequences if they were wrong. They hurried away, but not before shoving Talla once more into the mud.
Tears streamed over her cheeks at this humiliation when she saw a hand in her line of gaze. Still sitting on the ground, she looked up at her saviour who smiled at her reassuringly.
"It's alright, my lady," he said. "They're gone now, and I'll make sure they'll never bother you again."
Slowly Talla took the hand that was as small as her own and let herself help to get up. Now she was a head taller than her hero but she didn't care. He had saved her, and she would be forever grateful for this.
"Thank you, my lord," she told him, blushing furiously.
Afterwards, Tyrion had brought her back to her mother (who had hurried away with her to the castle to change into another dress) and in such a tactful manner that no one except her mother and maids had seen her in her dirty dress.
She hadn't seen him after that ever again, and thought she never would, but kept listening to any news from King's Landing, regarding him.
"You saved me from those boys," she told him now. "Do you remember?"
He seemed to actively think about it before his eyes widened in recognition. "Of course," he whispered as if to himself. "The little girl in the green dress – on your brother's name day."
Her heart swelled at these words and she realised that the crush she had developed after their only encounter had never left her in all those years. They looked into each other's eyes, and everything around them became unimportant.
Suddenly someone cleared their throat. Talla looked up and saw Daenerys staring at her coldly. "You attempted to hurt me," she said matter-of-factly. "This is treason."
Tyrion wiped around in an instance. "Please, your Grace," he started but was interrupted by her intense stare. At the same time, Sam and Jon had moved closer to Talla, ready to protect her as well, but she had only eyes for Tyrion who wanted to rescue her once more.
"But since you are the sister of the man who cured my most loyal friend," the queen continued, smiling shortly at an old man with sad eyes, that Talla hadn't even noticed before that, "I will overlook this incident. But," she emphasised in a firm voice, "if something like this ever happens again, you will meet the same fate as your father and brother have."
Talla gulped in a mixture of grief and rage but felt suddenly two hands holding each of her arms as if to restrain her if necessary. One was her brother's, but the other was to her utter surprise Tyrion's.
"I know war can be painful sometimes, my lady," he gently spoke, "but try to see both sides of it and seek comfort in your brother's company."
She nodded slightly and let herself be led out of the hall, over a few corridors and into a room. She would not be able to make her way back later without help, she realised, but she didn't care. Tears blurred her sight and horrible images swam through her mind as she imagined how a dragon's fire burned a body.
Someone gently made her sit on the bed and the two hands left her. She looked up at the sudden loss of contact, searching the room. Jon, Sam, and Tyrion were with her in what looked like a guest room, probably her room for the time being; she found her trunk next to the bed.
Sam sat down next to her on the bed and put an arm around her shoulders in a comforting manner.
"I'll leave you to it," the King in the North mumbled, exited the room and closed the door behind him.
"I should leave, too," Tyrion stated and moved towards the door, but Talla stopped him.
"Please, stay," she whispered and looked at her hero desperately. She liked his comfort, she wanted his comfort, as much as her brother's. She knew it was insane – she had only met this man once, 15 years ago – but still, she couldn't bear to let him go so soon after she had finally found him again.
Tyrion looked at her surprised but sat down on a chair in silence.
Talla turned her head to look at her brother. "I don't understand why she is here. Or why you are here with her," she spoke in confusion, her voice weak from crying although the tears were already drying on her cheeks.
"Much has happened and much has changed since I left and since our father and brother… died," Sam told her in his best teaching voice. And so he, with the occasional help from Tyrion, told her everything: about the White Walkers and the Long Night to come, about the need of Daenerys' dragons and armies, and about the importance in life to know when to forgive and when to forget.
Afterwards, Talla remained silent, there was much she had to think about. "I'd like to have a moment for myself if you don't mind," she finally pleaded without looking up.
"Of course," Sam agreed at once although she could hear the worry and hurt in his voice. She wasn't angry with him for not grieving as much as her, she knew that Father had never been good to him, but she still wanted, no needed to be alone, to sort her thoughts. "I'll fetch you before dinner. Gilly will be happy to see you again."
A small smile crept onto her face as she remembered the lovely wildling girl and her little nephew. For her, the origin of Sam's partner didn't matter as long as the woman loved her brother and was supporting him.
Sam stood up from the bed and after kissing her head, he left for the door.
She heard Tyrion stand up as well but to her surprise, he came to stand in front of her. Irritated, she looked up and met his wonderful brown and green eyes looking sorrowful and regretful.
"I want you to know that I tried to stop her from burning your family," he told her sincerely.
Talla watched him a moment but found no hint of lying. "I believe you," she replied. "Thank you."
He nodded at her and left the room as well.
When Talla was alone, she fell backwards on the bed and started to cry anew. Here she was, thinking that she would find solace in Winterfell, but crying bitterly in the growing dark of a strange castle with the reason of her grief ruling it.