Night Fires
Even in the dying light of the blood red sun, Stannis' fiery heart sigil stood out clearly from the white background of the sailcloth.
"Whose ships are those?" Lady Ailyn gasped, staring at the plain white sails following Stannis' flagship into the harbor.
Lord Tywin didn't answer her. Instead, he reached over and clasped her shoulders, turning her to face him. All violence was gone from his grasp and his countenance held no trace of his previous anger; instead, there was only anxiety.
"Go to the Maiden's Tower and stay there," ordered Lord Tywin, looking earnestly into her face.
Ailyn didn't pull away from him this time; she didn't feel threatened.
She nodded, meeting his eyes.
"Promise me," he insisted urgently.
"I will," she assured him.
Once she agreed, he moved his hand to her lower back and urged her forward.
"Go. Quickly."
She fled back into his chamber but stopped as she was nearing the door and looked back at him. Lord Tywin had removed his Hand pin and was already undoing the fastenings of his doublet in order to get his armor on. He paused and looked at her impatiently. Behind her, a loud, uneven cadence of fists pounding on the door added to the din of the ringing bells.
"Take care," said Lady Ailyn, over the noise, looking at him meaningfully.
Before he could reply, she turned and flung open the doors, stepping back to get out of the way of Ser Jaime, Ser Kevan and a handful of other knights as they barged in. None of them gave her a second glance as she slipped out behind them and ran back to her room. Another small troupe of guards passed her on the stairs.
Outside her room, the two guards who had been with her since she arrived in King's Landing were looking about nervously. Both relaxed slightly when they saw her coming toward them.
"My lady, we must get you to the Maiden's Tower," began the dark haired one but she waived him off.
"Fifteen minutes then we'll go," she said, pulling open the door and walking in.
Gana and Din looked over at her in relief. Gana had already belted on her own set of daggers and laid out Lady Ailyn's bow and daggers.
"Gana, get my dress. Din, loosen my corset and braid my hair," ordered Lady Ailyn, shrugging quickly out of her gown and letting it drop to the floor. Gana went to her wardrobe and pulled out the dress she knew her mistress wanted while Din deftly loosened Ailyn's laces so she could move more easily. Then, Din went behind Ailyn to braid her hair while Gana appeared in front of her bearing an iron grey dress in both arms. Ailyn smiled and touched the silver hawk emblazoned on the bodice.
"Are you sure, my lady?" asked Gana hesitantly.
"This is the dress Lord Darren and I made together. The hidden metal plating was his way of protecting me when he was not at my side. I will need that reassurance in the coming hours," explained Lady Ailyn quietly, holding her arms out so Gana could help her slip it on.
"But…this is also the dress you asked to be buried in," whispered Gana worriedly.
Ailyn shared a look with her maid and friend.
"Should the worst happen… I am merely saving the Silent Sisters the trouble. But I do not think it will come to that. I have faith in Lord Tywin," said Ailyn stepping into the dress and helping Gana pull it up. Din finished her hair and helped Gana lace up the back of the dress. It was heavier than Ailyn remembered but she soon adjusted to its weight.
Gana handed Ailyn her belt with her daggers and Ailyn strapped it tightly to her waist. Ailyn frowned suddenly and turned to Din.
Lady Ailyn bent down and pulled a dagger from her boot and held it out for Din.
"I don't want you to be unarmed Din. Please, take this," offered Lady Ailyn.
Din shook her head 'no.'
Ailyn opened her mouth to insist but Din held out her own hands, and with a sharp flick of her narrow wrists, a thin, sharp blade appeared in each hand. Ailyn looked up at the girl in surprise. Din merely smiled; a knowing, chilling smile. With another rapid movement, the blades were gone.
"Now I know why you insisted on long sleeves even in the south," muttered Gana in admiration.
Ailyn smiled at her.
She went for her quiver and bow and then to the door.
"Lead on," she said to the rather surprised looking guards.
They moved swiftly down the hall. Everywhere, there was confused shouting and noise. The sun had gone down and the castle glowed in the firelight. They followed another highborn lady and her sobbing daughter up the stairs to the Maiden's Tower. The entry way was barred by a heavy oaken door and flanked in front of it were at least twenty guards. The door was partially open and Lady Ailyn could see women already clustered inside looking terrified. Her guards took up posts with the others and Lady Ailyn steeled herself a little before stepping inside with the other women.
The room was fuller than she was expecting but then, there were more guests than usual in the palace due to the weddings. At her entrance, much of the commotion in the room died down as all the women turned to look at her. Most looked merely shocked or affronted. Queen Cersei, though she was wearing a corset made of gold outside her dress, laughed not so quietly into her wine cup. Only Lady Genna was grinning at her. Lady Ailyn curtseyed to all of them and then went over to one of the window slits. The courtyard below was a hive of movement. She could hear horses clattering and neighing and the unsettling sounds of sword fighting already drifting over from nearer the harbor.
Ailyn glanced over at the door that was still open. Din had placed herself unobtrusively next to it while Gana had followed her to the window.
"How long before they think to close the door?" murmured Gana.
"If it's still open in a quarter of an hour, I'll close it myself," Ailyn whispered back.
Most of the women had begun talking again in low voices. There was a growing circle on the other side of the room of women and girls who were praying. The two Queens, Margery and Cersei, were seated side by side sharing a flagon of wine. Some were still staring blatantly at her.
After a short time, the guards closed the door to the Tower and Din deftly slid the bolts into place. And then they waited. There was an occasional explosion which startled everyone but from where they were, Ailyn couldn't make out what was happening below. Moonlight and firelight caught the metal plating on the soldiers and swords below but they were too far away to tell who was winning.
A movement on the wall near the tower off to Ailyn's right caught her eye. Ailyn squinted in the darkness. Perhaps the light was playing tricks on her but she thought she could make out more than a dozen shapes on the wall attaching the Tower to the rest of the palace.
"Gana, do you see that?" whispered Lady Ailyn quietly to Gana, not wanting to alarm anyone until she was sure. Gana took her place at the window and looked out into the darkness. She watched for a few beats and then replied in an equally low voice, "I can't be sure."
"Should we alert the guards?" asked Gana, turning her head to look at her mistress.
Lady Ailyn looked over Gana's head out into the darkness then over at the heavy door, weighing the options.
"To be safe, yes I think I will," determined Ailyn, turning around to do so. However, unbeknownst to Ailyn, Cersei had walked up behind her and now stood in her path to the door.
Lady Ailyn paused and took a small step back to curtsey.
"Forgive me, Your Grace, I did not hear you," apologized Lady Ailyn, straightening to meet the Queen's snide gaze.
"You do realize how ridiculous you look," said the Queen, eyeing Lady Ailyn's bow and daggers.
Ailyn looked pointedly at Cersei's golden corset.
"My armor is no different than yours, Your Grace," she replied evenly.
Cersei's green eyes narrowed.
"We have guards to protect us."
"Indeed we do, but should they all chance to be killed, we are on our own. In the event of that occurring, I would rather be prepared than not," reasoned Ailyn, her fingers itching to go to a dagger.
Cersei laughed derisively again.
"And how many men have you killed, Lady Ailyn?" demanded the Queen patronizingly.
"Twenty one, Your Grace, including the man who tried to murder your lord father," Lady Ailyn shot back, trying desperately to keep her anger under control.
The smug smile slid off the Queen's face but a new, cold glare replaced it almost instantly.
"And will you die for me, if the situation arises?" prodded Cersei in a dangerous voice.
The two women glared at each other for a tense minute.
"Let us hope it does not come to that, Your Grace. If you will excuse me, I need to have a word with the guards," she answered, sidestepping away from the Queen.
"How dare you turn your back…" Cersei began to snap at Lady Ailyn but suddenly, alarmed shouts and the sound of blades being drawn filled the room.
All the women went silent and Ailyn motioned Din away from the door. She complied readily and came over to stand near Gana. The jarring noise of men in pitched battle grew in intensity. Two girls off in the left hand corner of the room started crying. Several others began to pray in earnest. The rest remained motionless, staring in mute horror at the door.
What came next was worse.
A long silence stretched over them.
Lady Ailyn looked at Cersei, who finally looked mildly concerned; at Genna, who was frowning; and then at Queen Margery, who was biting her lips and trying to look brave.
Then a frantic pounding on the door made them all jump.
"Queen Cersei? Please open the door. The Tower is nearly lost. You must be moved to safety!" cried a masculine voice from the other side of the door.
Queen Cersei moved forward to answer the request but Lady Genna and Lady Ailyn hurried to stop her. Ailyn caught the poisonous look Margery, the other Queen, shot at Cersei's back before it was replaced with a vaguely curious expression.
"Wait, Cersei," whispered Genna, taking her niece's arm.
Cersei looked at her aunt in mild annoyance.
"How do you know those are Lannister guards speaking?" asked Lady Ailyn coming to stand with them several feet from the door.
The Queen looked taken aback, as if the thought would never occur to her.
"Who is your commanding officer?" demanded Lady Genna of the men outside the door.
There was an unsettlingly long pause and then a voice called out, "Lord Stafford Lannister."
Cersei Lannister frowned and Lady Genna shook her head, "My cousin has been dead for almost a year."
"I suggest you move away from the door, Your Grace," said Lady Ailyn, her hand going to rest on the dagger at her side.
With her hand still on the Queen's arm, Lady Genna and Cersei began to back away from the door.
"What's going on?" cried a frightened lady from behind them. Several other women called out fearful questions, and then the Maiden's Tower was buzzing with terrified talk.
A loud bang on the door caused several girls to scream loudly. Then, there was another, and another as the men outside tried to break down the door.
Lady Ailyn looked around to Gana and Din. Both girls' eyes had gone wide. They were also standing beside a sturdy table with several plates of food on it.
"The table!" shouted Lady Ailyn above the noise.
Her maids instantly went to opposite ends of the table while Ailyn unceremoniously swept the food onto the floor.
"What are you doing?" someone shouted at her.
"More guards will come for us," cried another.
Ailyn ignored them and gripped the table edge firmly in her hands as did her maids. She counted to 'three' and together they slid the heavy table several feet toward the door.
Ailyn looked over her shoulder at a stunned knot of three younger women standing nearby.
"You three, come over here and help us!" demanded Lady Ailyn waving them over.
None of them moved but when Ailyn shouted "Now!" they scrambled to the table edge. Together, they managed to maneuver it against the heavy oak door.
Lady Ailyn turned to Lady Genna and Cersei who were still standing nearby.
"I think you should consider taking the side door and fleeing, Your Grace. They asked specifically for you," said Ailyn.
"I will not run," snapped Cersei peevishly.
"You are no good to your father dead, Cersei," chided Lady Genna, who was still holding onto her niece's arm.
"They'll never get through that door before reinforcements arrive," argued the Queen who hadn't budged despite the commotion going on around her.
On cue, the wood of the door made an ugly splitting sound and a small web of cracks appeared near one of the bolts. Gana, Din and the three other girls leaned against the table, pushing it flush to the door.
"What makes you think any will arrive? Any barriers we put up will only hold so long. If it breaks down completely…" Lady Ailyn trailed off.
"Is there no way to alert other guards to our situation?" asked Lady Genna over the increased sound of banging and sobbing women.
Lady Ailyn looked around the room, taking stock of everything to hand. An idea gradually took shape.
After much shouting and coercing, Lady Ailyn managed to find four women who were equal to the task.
"I want you to take the sheets off these beds, set one end on fire and let it trail out the window. Hold onto it as long as you can, then let it go and start over with a fresh sheet. This tower is high enough that someone must see it," explained Lady Ailyn hurriedly, gesturing for them to use windows on opposite sides of the tower.
They all looked afraid but determined and that was all Ailyn needed.
Meanwhile, Queen Margery had come to stand with Lady Genna and was helping to urge Cersei to leave.
"The King, my husband, needs you Cersei. You must do this for his sake," argued Queen Margery as several more cracks appeared in the Tower door.
Half the women in the Tower had already fled out the side door. The other half were standing around waiting for direction from one of the Queens or were too terrified to move.
Cersei Lannister shot Lady Ailyn one last baleful glare and then turned to leave with Queen Margery, calling for the remaining women to join them. Lady Genna didn't budge.
"You must come with us. Tywin would never forgive me if something happened to you," urged Genna, looking at her with concern.
Lady Ailyn smiled at her.
"I'm sure he's been angry with you before. You're family," replied Ailyn hurriedly, looking at the door.
"Please, Ailyn. He…he needs you," insisted Lady Genna taking her arm.
"He needs his family more. I'll try to hold them back as long as I can. Go," commanded Lady Ailyn turning away from her.
"You can't mean to sacrifice yourself! It's not your responsibility to stay," barked Genna, in a tone remarkably like her brother's.
Lady Ailyn turned to look at Lady Genna.
"If I don't then who will? If I am lucky, I may be able to lessen their numbers. If not, then I will be with my husband again. Take those women with you," said Ailyn gesturing to the ones holding the sheets out the window. She turned to the other women helping her maids hold the table against the door and told them to go. They readily ran for the door.
"Please!" begged Lady Genna as the wood near the top bolt splintered alarmingly.
Ailyn took her hands impatiently.
"I have no regrets. Tell Lord Tywin…" she paused and looked to the side, searching for words as the battering on the door pounded in her ears.
"Tell him that, I've felt more alive in the last few months than I have in the last four years," confessed Lady Ailyn, squeezing Genna's hands with a warm smile.
Ailyn repressed the sudden pang she felt as she realized the words were true and not just something kind to say. It surprised her and confused her in a way she didn't have time to analyze. There was a louder bang and the table Gana and Din were bracing themselves against, jumped back a few inches.
"Please go," insisted Ailyn, dropping Genna's hands and turning to her own maids.
Ailyn crouched down and helped them shove the table back against the door. She caught Genna's sad, green eyes one last time before she vanished through the doorway. Ailyn looked at her maids.
"I can't ask you to stay with me," said Ailyn, through gritted teeth as she pushed on the table.
"You don't have to ask," replied Gana loyally, not moving.
Din merely shook her head and stayed where she was.
Ailyn swallowed the knot in her throat as the top bolt gave way and the door bent in with a sharp creak.
"Keep your heads down," hissed Ailyn, pulling her bow off her should and nocking an arrow, aiming at the small opening.
A long sword shot through the opening and began to hack downwards at the remaining bolt.
Ailyn took a quick breath, her heart hammering in her ears, moved in line with the opening and loosed an arrow through the gap. She didn't hear it connect but a choked scream and the sudden withdrawal of the blade told her she had hit her target. She pulled another arrow as a wave of angry epithets spewed from the opening.
Suddenly, a small dagger came spiraling toward her. Ailyn spun around, out of the way, as the dagger tore at the side of her dress but clinked harmlessly against a metal plate. While Ailyn tried to regain her balance, Din hopped up on the table as lithely as a cat, pulled a dagger and slammed it into the opening. She yanked back the dripping blade as another anguished scream pierced the night. Ailyn moved out of sight from the opening and nocked another arrow as Din jumped down and helped Gana shove the table into the door.
The battering grew intensity, the table jerking back farther and farther with each blow. An ax appeared at the jagged hole and easily began cutting through the remaining bolt. Ailyn moved to the side and loosed another arrow but there was no scream this time. Desperately, she pulled another but something appeared in her peripheral vision, halting her movements. Ailyn's breath caught in her throat as the ghostly shapes of Lord Darren and her father shimmered in the candlelight off to her left. They both looked achingly sad as they watched her.
She froze, staring at the apparitions when the last bolt gave way and the door burst open, shoving the table back several feet. Gana and Din were thrown to the ground.
A thin man in heavy armor burst through and charged at Lady Ailyn with his sword raised. She screamed and loosed her arrow at the man's throat, jumping back out of the way of his blade. The bolt glanced off his neck, and a short spurt of blood spattered her dress. The man groaned and clutched at his neck, falling to his knees and dropping his blade. Ailyn dropped her bow and pulled a dagger as she scrambled back over to him before he could rise. She screamed again as she slammed the dagger into his back.
Another soldier charged in but Gana slashed at his stomach. The man swore and backhanded her, knocking her back to the ground. He didn't see Din get back up on the table and launch herself at his back until it was too late. She wrapped one arm over his chest as she fell and dragged her own blade across the man's throat.
"Stop, you bastards, in the name of the King!" shouted someone outside the door before anymore could come through.
The clanging noise of renewed battle filtered in from outside as Ailyn shakily made her way over to the door and carefully peered out. The remaining attackers were surrounded by red Lannister cloaks. Ailyn fought the urge to faint and dropped down by Gana who was lying in a daze on the floor. Din had stood up from the man she killed and went over to the one who attacked Ailyn and made sure he was dead.
Ailyn tried to slow down her panicked breathing and raised Gana up against her, cradling her in her arms.
"Gana, can you hear me?" asked Ailyn, brushing her friend's hair back from her face. The girl's eyes were watering and her lower lip was split and bleeding but she managed to focus on Ailyn and nodded.
"It's over. More guards have arrived," whispered Ailyn resting her head on the top of Gana's.
Gana clutched Ailyn's hand as Din came over by them.
Ailyn smiled at her and said quietly, "I'm glad I met you, Din."
Din smiled: It was the first time Ailyn had seen her truly happy. Ailyn held Gana close and pulled Din in for a hug with her free arm which she returned fiercely.
Two Lannister guards came through the door behind them.
"My lady, are you hurt?" asked one of them, as they both stopped nearby and lowered their hands to assist the women.
"No, we are not hurt. What's happening?" demanded Ailyn as she let the guards help her to her feet, followed by Gana and Din.
"The battle is over. Stannis has been killed and his men are fleeing," announced the guard holding onto Lady Ailyn.
Ailyn let out a deep sigh of relief.
"What is your name, please, my lady?" he asked.
"I am Lady Ailyn of House Greystone. These are my maids," replied Lady Ailyn.
"Good. The Hand wishes to see you. Where are the other women? We are supposed to bring Lady Genna and Her Grace Queen Cersei with us as well."
Ailyn gestured weakly to the side door and several more guards went down that passage to find them. A few guards helped Lady Ailyn and her maids back to their room.
Ailyn took off her bow and quiver but retained her daggers. She helped Din make Gana comfortable in a cushioned long-chair and supervised while Din tended to Gana's bleeding lip. When Ailyn was satisfied, she drank down a large cup of wine to steady herself and ease the shaking in her hands. Then she followed the guards up to the Hand's chambers.
The doors were open and soldiers and commanders were coming and going. One of the men brought her inside and she saw Lady Genna and Cersei standing by the fire. Genna looked happy to see her; Cersei barely hid her disappointment. Ailyn went over by them despite the Queen's glare.
"Ailyn, are you hurt? Did they get through?" demanded Genna, looking her over, her green eyes lingering over the blood spatter on her dress.
"I'm not hurt and two of them got through before our guards arrived," replied Ailyn taking Genna's outstretched hand for support.
While she was speaking, Ailyn looked across the room at the cluster of men around Lord Tywin's desk. The Hand was standing, leaning slightly on the desk, his face dirty and flecked with blood. Though he looked a little pale, he was barking orders to the men in front of him. Ser Kevan was at his side as always, occasionally glancing over at his brother as he spoke. On Tywin's other side was Ser Jaime, looking exhausted and annoyed.
"And what happened to the two soldiers who got through?" asked Cersei only half interested.
"They didn't make it," replied Lady Ailyn shortly, not wanting to relive the experience just yet.
Cersei rolled her eyes and turned to face the fire, her mouth set in a pout.
Finally, Lord Tywin gave his last orders and Ser Kevan motioned for them to come forward.
Lord Tywin sat down a little unsteadily in his chair as they approached.
Ailyn frowned, trying to shake the feeling that something was wrong. He met her eyes, then glanced down at the blood. He frowned at her but she gave him a small smile to assure him that she was unharmed.
"Is it over?" demanded Cersei, coming to stand before her father but keeping her eyes on her twin. "Is my son's reign secured?"
"Yes. Stannis is dead. I saw his body myself," replied Ser Kevan for Lord Tywin.
"The fighting was ugly. They seemed to be more concerned with felling Lannisters than just soldiers," growled Lord Tywin, glaring at no one in particular.
Genna looked worriedly at Kevan who glanced at Lord Tywin again.
He's sitting down and we're all standing above him, realized Ailyn.
"Cersei, Jaime I want you both to go to Tommen, get him on the throne and make sure he stays there. It's important that people see their King on the throne after a battle," ordered Lord Tywin, looking to his son then to his daughter.
"We will have to begin rebuilding the walls were they've cracked and find some ships to guard the harbor while we are weakened," said Tywin, more to his brother than anyone.
Cersei started to argue with her father about being sent away and Kevan talked over her about her duty, all the while looking sideways down at his brother. Ser Jaime made a snide remark to Lord Tywin and Genna moved forward to speak as Lord Tywin glared fiercely up at his son.
"There is an important issue which has not yet been addressed," said Lady Ailyn over the noise. The Lannisters fell silent and five sets of green eyes locked on her. She met Lord Tywin's sharp gaze and said quietly, "You're wounded."