Alongside Roseroad, Near to Highgarden
Her Soul, at last, was unconquerable.
They had been through the fiery pits of hell, they had been beaten, ravished, left for dead, and attempted to be separated- yet, like a phoenix, they had risen from the ashes of their suffering. They had flown the cage like birds, and sailed, together, in the wind, bursting forth and offering light and hope in their wake.
Unconquerable.
At last, after spending so long being broken apart, she felt she was ready to rebuild. She would never rebuild to what she was before - what was the point? If a building cannot withstand a storm, why rebuild it to its former state, only to face ruin once more?
She was to rebuild her fortress to be stronger, to withstand every storm her father and Maester Leland believed she could, she would have sharp jagged edges around the outside, spears poking up from the ground that shot to her turrets, and they would protect the inside. They would protect her innermost being. It would protect her Soul, her former Lyra locked safely inside, and her conscience.
And then, in the dungeons of her inner fortress, there would be the Monster. It scared Lyra and the girl kept it locked away, but she could use it against itself. Should enemy ride to her door, should she be beaten again, broken again, crippled again, only then would they know the wrath of the Monster.
The days had blended together with no tragedy befalling her, and she found companionship in Trynn, the awkward, buck-toothed, lazy-eyed red head, Arkadah, an Outsider like her, and his feeble but terribly sweet wife, whose name was no longer "little old lady", as it had been to Lyra for some weeks - it was Nella.
Arkadah spent some time teaching Lyra each day the lessons Leland never lived long enough to teach her. As the girl and her Soul were stronger now, due to the hardships they had endured, Lyra had the power and authority to tell Lev with her mind what to do.
And now, after five years of dreaming, she could do what she never thought she could.
She could order him to change species with her mind.
No longer did he change based on his personal, childish decisions, and no more did he flutter between species according to Lyra's emotions - he listened purely to his master.
Eagle! She would announce in her mind. She would think of an Eagle's power, their clarity, and their sheer brilliance. As an eagle, Lev would embrace the power of confidence needed in a battle, the clarity to navigate the world and balance its problems. He would take to the skies and twirl around and be, at last, free.
"Your chains are gone, my dear knight!" Ser Kaelo yelled in joy from afar. He practically pushed Nella over in his pride to hurry over to her.
"You did it!" Arkadah shrieked, "You changed your Soul at an age no one has done so before." Then he knelt by her side and Lyra noticed he had tears in his eyes. As soon as the tears pricked his eyes, he turned around and Trynn's face appeared, her smile vibrant, grinning at her.
The three chatted excitedly among each other, and Lev looked on proudly, giving his master a gentle nod.
"My ahead, my sweet master, embrace this new you" he spoke wisely.
And like the hope of spring arriving after the cold, misery of a long winter, she shattered her silence with the only word that seemed appropriate. The name of her Soul: "LEV".
At the sound of his name, Lev unfolded his wings and took to the skies. He flipped and twirled and circled, and cried in glee.
"LEV!" Lyra screamed in excitement, a smile returning to her face. "LEV, MY SOUL!" she screamed. Her voice was raspy, the words odd to say, but they were good. The little girl leapt around the camp and followed her Soul as he swooped and rejoiced.
"Lev, Lev, Lev, Lev, Lev" She spoke at once. It felt so good, it felt like nothing she'd ever felt before.
After his dance, her Soul glided down to join the joviality of the humans, his master and Chief. He landed on her arm as an eagle, and beamed in pride at his master, but quicker than a blink, Lyra had ordered him to become something else.
His two strong wings turned into the legs of a white wolf, the clawed feet of his former eagle landing as the other feet of the symbol of house Stark. Her Soul was a wolf. The warrior and her shadow stood in triumph: they were strong enough to withstand the storm because they were the storm.
She was her father's little wolf.
She was Lyra Stark.
She was unconquerable.
