Chapter 33: Valar Morghulis

It was a cold and empty place- the void where Arya's soul imprisoned herself. She had lost all feeling and had forgotten about the outside world. All she felt was that she wanted death to take her and free her of her suffering. All life had lost its meaning as her heart lay broken in pieces. Too much has been taken from her. She can no longer stand a world where the righteous suffer and the evil live to die in soft warm feather beds. Vengeance had lost all its meaning for her.

She lay there in the darkness, unmoving, holding the coin J'aqen had left her. 'All men must serve' she thought. 'All men must die' she replied to herself. Arya contemplated on the worth of human life and value of suffering. She wondered, "death is a gift, why must I keep on living?" She began to laugh and it echoed in the darkness. "Death is a gift!" she repeated and shouted onto the void. Arya sat up and flung her arms, spilling the fluid filled cup onto whatever floor there was. "Death is gift! And I am the one who walks with death!" she shouted maniacally laughing and gripping on to her hair. "No one has to suffer anymore! No one! Everyone must die… Valar Morghulis… Valar Morghulis…" she repeated in an eerie whisper.

Then, she felt the cold winds against her skin and saw the white of snow. She realized she was within Nymeria once more and she was running through a blizzard, apparently following a red headed figure.

"Sansa," she thought, "it could only be dear old Sansa, come home to the North." She followed her sister stealthily, wondering what she could be doing in the Wolfswood. Then she noticed the long slender object wrapped in black cloth, tied to Sansa's back. It could on be one thing- the sword that took Gendry's life. Anger and pain over took her and she began to be more carnal and instinctive. She began to ran faster towards her sister and in anger attacked her. "Damn that stupid sword! Gendry should not have to die for a stupid sword!" Arya shouted in Nymeria's head as her aggression rose. Sansa was visibly frightened but stood her ground.

"Nymeria please!" she heard Sansa plead, but Sansa unwrapped the sword and moved it in defense against her. Arya attacked her more fervently, trying to take the sword from her sister. 'That sword will kill you too!' Arya thought, as she felt the pain of losing her whole family once again. 'If you die now Sansa, certainly we will all be together.' Arya ran and lunged for an attack. She tasted blood on her tongue and knew that she had injured Sansa. But she felt week on her side and felt blood gushing out of her as well. They had both been injured, but she noticed that Sansa was a lot weaker than her. Her sister was not built for battle, let alone the wilderness. She was about to collapse. It was Arya's opportunity to finish her and liberate her from this world. Arya had Nymeria pounce on her and pin her down. And as Sansa collapsed to the ground she whispered, "Arya, please…"

It struck a chord onto Arya's heart. Her sister was fighting with all her might to stay alive and bring that stupid sword to whoever that damn warrior is. Arya had to retreat. Nymeria took several steps back and sat staring at the wounded Sansa.

"Valar Morghulis," Arya repeated once again, but then she stopped and cried, "Valar Dohaeris! If one must serve then I shall serve, but do not take my sister's life now! I shall promise you I will walk with death for as long death needs me, but give me this! Let my sister live and let the warrior of light deliver us from this darkness!" Arya shouted in the void hoping that the Stranger might hear her. Instead of a voice, the sound of coin dropping in front of her came. She picked it up and smiled calmly. Arya took a deep breath and returned to Nymeria's consciousness. She had to get Sansa to safety. At least that much she must do.

Death will claim them soon, but not today… Not today.

Sansa was bleeding badly and there was nothing much a wolf can do but try to carry her to safety. Arya could feel, from Nymeria's body, her sister going cold and icy. She was turning pale like a frozen corpse. Life was leaving her body slowly with every drip of blood that fell onto the white snow. Arya could feel the panic course through her. She knew it was her fault that Sansa got wounded so badly; it was her fault that she may die or worse, become a white. Arya refused to give in to the possibility and carried on. Nymeria was strong, thank the gods, and she was large enough to carry Sansa easily through the snow. Nymeria ran through the forrrest in full speed, hoping to get Sansa to the Wall in time. "I have to go to the Wall… I have to…" Sansa kept on repeating with the last of her strength. Although the Umber keep might have been closer to where they were, Arya felt that she had to honor Sansa's wishes. But she feared her sister might not make it, not through this blizzard.

The snow was getting deeper and deeper as they went farther North. The trees had barely been visible and they seemed a lot shorter than they should. Certainly, there wouldn't be any dangers along the way, Arya hoped. However, things were never that easy for them. With a whiff of the wind, Nymeria caught the scent of danger. Soon enough, a giant mountain lion was blocking their way. It was poised to attack and looked blood thirsty. Nymeria growled in aggression, and positioned herself to try and get away, but the lion tackled her and threw her onto a tree. She was able to throw Sansa on to the snow in time, but Arya worried Sansa could've been hurt by the fall. She glanced at her as Nymeria stood up. Sansa show no signs of life aside from her obsessive hold on that infernal sword.

"I have to protect Sansa!" Arya growled in Nymeria head and she lunged to attack. Several times she and lion met and struck each other blows. It did not take long before both were exhausted and heavily injured, but neither would relent. Nymeria huffed and growled. It was her last chance. If she fails, the world will plunge into eternal winter and her sister will die. She cannot let that happened, especially not in the face of a lion. Nymeria ran at full speed and jumped with her teeth bared and aiming for the lion's neck. They both landed, bleeding. A slash had caught Nymeria's face and deep gash bled heavily, but she was still the victor. The lion collapsed and bled to death in the snow.

Nymeria rushed to Sansa's side and found her to be hard and frozen- almost like ice. Her once pink lips have lost all it's color and had her eyes been open, Arya suspected they were no longer the same blue she got from their mother. Nymeria howled as Arya cried for her sister.

"No Sansa! Please don't turn into one of them, you cannot turn into a white!" Arya wailed as she cried for her sister. Nymeria licked Sansa's face, hoping to warm her seemingly dead body.

"I'll do anything, please, God with Many Faces, I shall give you my life… just restore my sister's." Arya screamed and she lost all consciousness.

From the battlefield, Aegon heard the wolf cry and had to stop his fighting. He felt a deep pain in his heart as if it were dying. He looked down onto the carnage below and conflict began to fill his features. Aegon could not decide if he would heed the call of his love or should he stay and fight with his men.

They were losing the battle. Even with three dragons, they could not see the end to the numbers of their enemies. The white walkers even seemed to grow in numbers. Their fallen comrades had been reawakened one by one as whites and soon all of them will be dead as the cold winter wind. Aegon's heart fell to further despair. He tried to search for Drogon's and Viserion's flames but they were too far apart for him see them. Aegon was certain things were not any better wherever they were. He had been given charge of defending the western part of the Wall, and here in this remote area, the bloodshed was catastrophic- what more tragedy was happening in the middle?

Once again the wolf howled in the distance and Aegon's heart was crushed and he fell to tears. "Sansa," he thought. He wished to see Sansa once more. He wanted to live and tell her he loved her- only her. More tears began to fall from his eyes when he felt the horror. "Sansa could be dead," he thought. Without thinking much, he pulled Rhaegal's reins and flew to wherever the wolf was crying. He knew his actions would dishearten his men, so he blew a great fireball against the enemy before completely retreating.

It did not take long before Aegon reached the land over where Sansa lay dying. He could see the crimson blood from up above and he descended in haste. Aegon could not understand what Sansa was doing there, but he was certain she was dead. He cradled his love in his arms and he wept and wept for her. Her skin had turned so cold that it seemed like it would melt against the fire in his blood. "Sansa… Sansa, please…" he begged and begged but she did not move or breathe. Aegon embraced her and stroked her long red hair. He soon found the wound on her side he covered it with his fur cloak.

In his grief, he was unable to notice the dead lion nearby and the barely breathing direwolf beside them. It was only when Nymeria howled that he noticed the direwolf's presence. Aegon did not understand what the wolf was doing and he grew afraid but Nymeria bowed before him and approached with caution. The wolf showed him the sword Sansa held on to and Aegon realized what it was.

"Damn the Gods! Lightbringer!" he cried, deepening the pain in his heart. He knew the legends, but he did not truly believe that the woman he loved had to die to forge the sword. He took it from Sansa's dead hands and he raised it against the Sun. It did not feel burning as it should and bothered Aegon. It gave him hope that Sansa might still be living. "Lightbringer is not yet fully forged. Sansa! Please live!" he shouted into the nothingness as he threw the sword to one side and embraced Sansa's body once more. "My love, please live…" he said and he kissed her frozen lips with all the warmth and love he could muster.

Nymeria watched them and bowed. The blood from her wound refused to stop bleeding, and she felt her life ending. The exchange was complete and Sansa was safe.

Back in Winterfel, Meera Reed began to shout and cry hysterically- calling for Bran to come to Arya's room. Life had left his sister completely, and all was left was an ice-cold body.

Author's note:

I know I've been building up to the great battle for several chapters now, but it'll be the next one, I promise. Enjoy!