Chapter Thirty-Six
The air south was so heavy that Nyra had discarded her cloak long ago. With each mile, she felt as if she needed to loosen her corset strings just to breath. At first, she wanted to blame that on the child, but he could not be growing that fast. The baby didn't seem to enjoy the heat either. He turned and kicked restlessly. He really was a child of the North. The King's road had gotten them safely so far, but Nyra would have felt much better if they were somewhere covered.
"My lady," Erik spoke up as the sun began to sink down. "Perhaps we should stop for the night."
Nyra wanted to stop hours ago. Her body ached all over. Her legs seemed to be taking the brunt of the pain. They ached from top to bottom from just being in the saddle. But she knew they couldn't stop. They had already lost a day due to unexpected rainstorm. They rode through most of it until it became too hard to see. They would need the extra time now.
"No," Nyra finally confirmed. "We need to keep going."
"But my lady," Erik started. "This road is dangerous at night."
"Nightshadow will warn us if anyone comes around."
The night was a little darker than usual. The moon was only a small, white slit that barely casted any light around them. Nyra would have preferred to had more light. She could feel Soren tighten against his bit as the night grew darker. They would have to stop soon.
Soon came quicker than she wanted. Nyra pushed herself to the point of almost falling off the saddle. After the second time of feeling Soren yank on the reins, she decided a grove of thick trees near the road was safe enough for the night.
Erik helped her down from the horse. She felt the baby and her legs almost scream in protest. The ground felt strange as she walked around. The wood was thick with dried leaves and pine. They would make the fire smoke more than she liked, but in the dark, maybe no one would see it.
"My lady," Erik started. "I will take first watch."
Nyra nodded. Sleep was hard at first. Nyra had not slept on the ground in a very long time. It was cold and hard. It took her a moment to get used to it. The baby seemed to be finding hard too. He was kicking and moving around. When she finally fell asleep, her dreams were filled with blood and fear. She dreamt of Robb, her child, and Jamie. But it was the last dream that woke her late in the night.
Nyra woke suddenly and felt as if her body was on fire. She dreamed of dragons. It was a rare and strange dream filled with so much fire. The land was as dead and burnt as the bodies that littered it. She felt the sand burn her toes and heels as she kept walking. Walking toward what she didn't know. The wasteland before her was nothing she knew. The heat was even hotter than what they had been riding in and the breeze felt as if it would tear her down if she stood still long enough.
"Nyra," a soft voice said to her.
Nyra turned to find a young woman walking toward. She was younger than Nyra but her manner seemed so much older. Her long blond hair hung across her bare shoulder. Her bright eyes seemed purple. Nyra didn't know the girl, until something moved on her shoulder. It was black. Then, she noticed a cream colored one moving around her arm, and a green one wrapped around her thigh. The black creature rose up on her shoulder, letting out a small roar. Nyra's blood ran cold as she stared at the only three dragons in the world.
The girl or the dragon didn't seem to notice that she was anywhere around. It was as if she was a specter walking through their world uninvited. She fell in step with the girl, looking around. Something about the land before her seemed familiar. The wind suddenly picked up, causing the dragons to growl and screech. When the wind hit, Nyra knew where she was. She was just south of the wall. She stared around what used to be green grasses and trees.
"No," she whispered as kept walking.
The ground that was usually cloaked in snow was now black with ash. Tears and smoke burned her eyes. It was strange that the smoke had not cleared yet. The fires had longed burned out. She took one more step when a sound broke the silence that almost engulfed her. It sounded like a child. Nyra moved as fast as she could toward the sound. She came around the corner where the only unburned thing stood.
It was a gods wood. The tall werewood stood over everything. The red leaves casted eerie reflections around the person under it. Nyra moved closer trying to see him. Shadows danced across his face, but she could see his armor. It was dark and had the sigil of the direwolf on it. As she moved closer, she saw that it Robb's old armor. However, the man before her was not her husband. His had Robb's curls though and the same tint to his hair. His eyes were darker though. Nyra started to call out when the wolf forward. It was not Gray Wind. The fur was darker, and he was leaner.
"Summer," Nyra whispered.
The reality slammed into Nyra almost enough to wake her. The man before her was Brandon Stark. He stood taller than his own older brother. The girl that she had followed walked forward to Bran. He smiled. She knew the smile. It was the same smile that Robb gave her when she returned to him. Summers growled lowly at the dragons. The relationship was uneasy and fragile.
"It is finished," the girl said.
Bran nodded. "And my nephew?"
The girl suddenly looked sad. She place a hand on Bran's shoulder.
"I'm sorry my love. He is dead."
Bran nodded and suddenly turned to Nyra. Nyra felt confused and exposed. She had walked in this world as a ghose. Now, it was as if Bran could see her and was trying to tell her something. Then, Bran stared at her for a long moment and nodded.
She sat up, looking around, her heart pounded in her chest. The fire had burnt out hours ago. There were only small embers that showed there had even been one. She looked around. Where was her escort? Her hand quickly reached for her sword. Something was very wrong. Nightshadow must have been hunting. She didn't hear or feel him near her. She pulled Challenger closer when a loud snap made her turn her head.
The man who stepped out of the shadows was not a man she knew. He was dressed roughly with a torn cloak and sleeves. Nyra gripped the sword handle.
"A little lost wolf," the man said with a strange yet familiar voice.
Nyra felt her blood run cold. She began to move back, pushing against the ground. The man quickly rushed toward her. She brought Challenger up in a swift swing. The man jumped back with a cackle. Nyra kept putting the distance between them when she suddenly fell over something. She fell flat against the ground, the sword flying from her hand. It took her moment to realize what she had fallen over. It was Erik's body. Nyra let out shaky breath when two rough hands yanked her up. She tried to reach for Challenger as the man pulled her to her feet.
"Let me go!" she screamed. "I am the Queen of the North!"
The man that held her laughed loudly. "We don't care what Queen you are."
He moved closer to where the fire had been. The two men held her tightly as he walked forward. The moonlight hit his chest as he moved forward. She saw the symbol of the Freys on his breast plate. She could not think of his name. It was one of the many middle sons.
"And I know exactly who you are," the son said as he touched her face.
Nyra pulled her face away from his finger. She should have known this was going to be a trap. The King's Road had been too easy to get through. She felt the men pull her closer when Soren let out a loud growling whicker.
"Leave him alone!" Nyra screamed.
The horse was fighting, trying to get free of the other Frey guard holding him. He would never allow them men to take him, but couldn't do much to help her now.
"What are we going to do with her, my lord?" one of the men asked.
The Frey looked at Nyra for a long moment. She could see that even in the dark he was assessing her. She tried to keep her eyes up at him. She couldn't bear the thought of the Freys knowing she was with child.
"We could take her back to Father," he said and then out of nowhere had her by the throat. "Or we could kill her."
The one holding her right shoulder ran his hand down the front of her dress. "Or we could take her."
Nyra wanted to scream. Who would hear her? She felt the man's hand run down the front of her dress. Tears ran down her face. Her fierceness was failing her with the child. As his had slipped into the dress, she felt it suddenly return. She bit down on his arm. Blood rushed into her mouth as his other hand smashed into her face.
"You little bitch!"
Everything happened in a blur that Nyra could barely remember any of it. A fist connected with her face. She stumbled a little, trying to keep her footing. She couldn't fall. However, it didn't save her. The other man yanked her up and fist slammed into her stomach. The scream that tore from Nyra's throat was harsh and loud. She fell to her knees, gasping for breath.
"No, no, no," she whimpered.
"You think we were going to let you have a little pack of wolves," the leader said and suddenly kicked her hard.
Frey brought his leg back to hit her again when she heard a loud growl. Nyra looked up to two strange shadows moving through the camp. It may have been only one. She couldn't tell with her vision blurry. All she knew was the men were being attacked and were not sure what to do.
Nyra fell back, staring up at the stars. She could see the strange, red comet. It seemed brighter now as she fought to control the pain she was feeling. Another boot toe smashed into her stomach before she heard the savage ripping sound that came from his arm. It tore from his body as a painful yelp rang out. She wanted to vomit the pain was so bad. She heard the prayers in her head as she prayed for the child that would now never be born. She also prayed for her death to be swift.
"Nightshadow," she whispered.
Nyra heard the cloth rip through the pain. She tried to fight but didn't have much luck. The men suddenly had her arms pulled back. She wondered where her wolf was now. There were faint growls and snarls close to her. She felt one of the Frey press against her body when blood splattered on her face. She looked up as a head rolled away from her body. She looked up at the face before her swimming in pain. It was covered in dirt with a long, shaggy beard. She felt arms lift her from the ground.
"Robb?" she whispered.
"Not quite."
Nyra looked at the face one last time before drifting off. She wondered if it was all just some terrible nightmare. She heard Nightshadow whine as the man moved her. And she was almost certain that it was Jaime Lannister that was carrying her to safety.