Chapter 9: The assassin's blade
Hello good to see the good reaction that my return to this story has made; this chapter will focus on my main OCs in different edges of the North as to delve better in both character development and the new North's world building.
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Nisai Glacies, 298 AC – Winterfell
Rickon was finally asleep, after a day of playing with the little Stark in the godswood Nisai was tired and famished.
The last week had been hard; Lord Eddard, Sansa, Arya and many others like Jeyne Poole and the Guard Captain Jory Cassel were gone, they have left for the south, traveling to that cesspit of corruption and arrogance known as the capital.
Jon was also gone alongside her uncle Kal, they have departed for the Wall, part of her was hoping that the stubborn Jon would change his mind and refuses to take his vows to the Night's Watch after a few weeks.
She missed him a lot already; she was missing the others as well.
In Winterfell and Wintercity remained only Robb who had taken the position of Warden of the North in his father's absence, with the aid of his grandmother Lady Kaina; Rickon and Bran; the last still resting near death in his bed with his distressed mother Lady Catelyn next to him.
With most of the Starks away or under complications she had taken the role of 'babysitter' for the youngest wolfling. It was not an easy task in truth; the boy was sad, angry and very confused for the departure of most of his family, he was only six he did not understood completely the reasons behind it all, he was thinking that everyone has abandoned him.
Also with his lady mother refusing to leave Bran's side it was even worse, he felt left out and had only Robb, his grandmother and Nisai for comfort and company; and the two formers were busy ruling Winterfell and the North.
She had taken a short leave from the University to aid the Stark's household, the request of her aunt Kaina had been accepted by the Council of the High Scholars.
Near Rickon's bed was resting the huge black direwolf that the youngling has named Shaggy Dog; everyone in Winterfell was terrified of that beast, unlike Grey Wind, Robb's direwolf Shaggy was very wild and hostile to everyone perhaps a reflection of its master's personality. The only ones capable of controlling the black wolf and his master were Robb and Grey Wind or Lady Kaina and her wolves.
Thankfully the black direwolf also constrained himself from attacking Nisai, if the wolf dare to bare his fangs on Nisai, her spectral bat Mirage squeaked with hostility and bare her own fangs on the wolf; that seemed to deflate any wildness on the black beast.
As a great surprise to the Stark remaining household, Lady Kaina's pet the she wolf known as Huntress was pregnant and expecting a litter within a few months. A curious message from the gods perhaps as it had only been months since the discovery of the direwolves pups by the Stark family. Lady Kaina had declared that she intended to gift the pups to Benjen's family; if Huntress gave birth to four pups just as Benjen's children there would not be a soul in the North that dare to deny that it was the will of the gods.
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"How is your mother doing?" she asked Robb as she accompanied him to Bran's room.
"She is not well, she is refusing to sleep; rest or leave the room and she is barely eating" he explained.
"By the gods" she answered. "I am so sorry to say this, but we need to convince her to get out of her depressed state, she is no helping anyone Bran and herself most of all by acting like this" she sentenced looking at the heir of Winterfell with pleading eyes.
Robb looked at her and then to the ground, he was clearly in agreement with her, but was hesitant to confronting his mother with this.
"How is Rickon?" he countered.
"As good as he could be" she answered. "He feels lonely and angry; he doesn't fully understand why everyone is gone and busy. I am glad to help but there is little that I can do, Shaggy Dog is acting as angry and frustrated as Rickon, all of the servants are afraid of it"
"Ser Rodrik is talking about confining the wolves to the Godswood but according to Maester Luwin the howling of Bran's wolf is helping Bran, when Bran was getting weaker the sound of the howling apparently made his heartbeat stronger. And keeping Rickon from his wolf is not going to help him cope with all of this"
Robb looked to the ground, paused in the middle of the hallway looking at her, Nisai felt a nose around her stomach, she and Robb were the same age and he was far taller than her, but his face reflected a level of distress he had not seen before, it was clear that he felt he was not ready for all the responsibilities of being acting lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.
A steel sword was on his belt, a short cooper red bear was growing on his chin, he looked as the lord of winterfell he was meant to be, a Stark through and through but she could see behind the façade, he was still pretty much a child not ready for taking the role imposed on him since his birth.
"I am going to talk to my mother, try to convince her to pull herself up" he declared. "You go and continue with your studies and take care of Rickon" he ordered.
"Yes Lord Stark" she answered half teasing, half serious.
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I t was night when she was trying to read a book of anatomy and medicine back on Jon's room (she had taken it as her own while she was staying in Winterfell, she felt a like she was intruding but she also felt that by staying there Jon was not completely gone from the castle and her life) that she finally heard the bells or alarm.
She abandoned the room and asked a servant on the halls what was happening.
"The library tower is on fire" the male servant answered. "Go back to your room my lady, there is no cause for concern" he added before running off.
Her gut was screaming to her that something else was wrong; with all the distress she needed to find Rickon and convinced him that everything was fine. Her ears could hear a lot screams and shouting outside, as well as the absence of the wolves howling that she had gotten use off on the last weeks.
While walking through the hallways towards Rickon's room a grey fur large creature rushed right next to her, almost making her tumble. It was one of the direwolves, either Robb or Bran's, to her surprise Mirage flew over her head following the wolf, waving her wings in either panic or excitement.
Before she knew what she was doing her feet had another idea as she sprinted following the wolf, as she reached Bran's room she heard some maniac laughter that made her skin crawl. Passing through the door she found to her horror and surprise a scene that she could have never imagined.
"What da fuck…" she said not caring about proper language.
Next to the sleeping Bran was Lady Catelyn Stark smiling with both hands bleeding, Bran's wolf was next to her licking her face as she laugh and in the floor with a terrible gashing wound on the neck was a completely filthy man, unknown to her, his stench was overwhelming, Nisai wanted to puke for the smell alone.
"My lady?" she asked approaching the wife of Eddard Stark. "What in the gods happened?" she asked, as tears appeared on her eyes finally understanding the scene, when looking at a knife stained red with blood on the floor next to them.
Someone was trying to kill lady Catelyn or Bran…?
"He said it was mercy that no one was supposed to be here" Lady Catelyn spoke without breath looking at Nisai.
"Guards!" Nisai shouted, calling for help as she helped the injured lady of Winterfell back on her feet. "Guaaardsss!" she called again.
Maester Luwin and Robb arrived soon accompanied by half of the guards of Winterfell. They were as shocked as her when looking at the scene upon them. Together they wrapped Lady Catelyn in warm blankets and led her back to the Great Keep, to her own chambers. Old Nan and Nisai undressed her and helped her into a scalding hot bath after washing the blood off her with a soft cloth.
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Four days later, as Nisai continued taking care of Rickon, Lady Catelyn finally awoke and summoned a meeting on the conference room; Nisai was surprised to find herself invited to such a private gathering.
Rodrik Cassel came with Robb, Nisai and Lady Kaina, Lord Eddard's ward Theon Greyjoy, and lastly Hallis Mollen, a muscular guardsman with a square brown beard were there as well. Mollen was the new captain of the guard Robb said. The young Stark was dressed in boiled hardened leather and ringmail armor, Nisai saw that a steel sword was hanging at his waist.
Lady Kaina ordered Robb to close the door.
"Who was he?" Catelyn asked them referring to the intruder that had tried to assassinate her and Bran.
"No one knows his name," Hallis Mollen told her. "He was no man of Winterfell, my lady, but some says they have seen him here and about the castle these past few weeks."
"One of the king's men, then" she said. "Or one of the Lannisters', he could have waited behind when the others left."
"Maybe," Hal Mollen said. "With all these strangers filling up Winterfell of late, there's no way of saying who did he belong to"
"He'd been hiding in the stables," Greyjoy said. "You could smell it on him."
"And how could he go unnoticed?" Lady Catelyn said sharply.
Hallis Mollen looked abashed. "Between the horses Lord Eddard took south and those we sent north to the Night's Watch, the stalls were half-empty. It was no great trick to hide from the stable boys. Could be that Hodor saw him, the talk is that boy's been acting queer, but simple as he is…" Hal shook his head.
"We found where he'd been sleeping" Robb put in. "He had ninety silver stags in a leather bag buried beneath the straw."
"It's good to know my son's life was not sold cheaply," Catelyn said bitterly.
Ser Rodrik looked at Lady Catelyn with inquisitive eyes. "So Lord Kalinos theory was right, someone may have in the tower when Bran fell and the boy could have seen something he wasn't meant to see"
"Beg your pardon Ser Rodrik?" Nisai asked. "Are you saying Bran was pushed out of the tower and this attempt on his life was meant to kept him silent"
Everyone expressions of concern, Catelyn and Robb were the ones showing most distress.
"Who did lord Kalinos suspected?" Lady Catelyn demanded.
Ser Rodrik looked hesitant to answer, but he was saved from having to confess when Lady Kaina answered for him. "My brother found long strands of golden hair, perfume and signs of a couple using the broken tower as a private place for secret affairs… basing on the evidence he found, he determined it was Queen Cersei Lannister and one male companion the ones dwelling there at the time"
The entire room was silent, now they knew why Lord Eddard and Lord Kalinos had been so secretive to reveal their suspicions.
"So the queen may have ordered this…" Nisai found herself saying. "I knew there was something suspicious in that Lannister bitch the first time I saw her" she declared to the surprise of the entire room, no one show a trace of distaste for the way she had spoken of the queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Theon's lips even curved into the shadow of a smirk despite the seriousness of the situation.
"He came for Bran," Catelyn said. "He kept muttering how I wasn't supposed to be there. He set the library fire thinking I would rush to put it out, taking any guards with me. If I hadn't been half-mad with grief, it would have worked."
"By the gods, those Lannisters bastards, how could they have done this?" Robb stated, clenching his fists in anger.
The meeting was interrupted when the servants returned with a plate of food fresh from the kitchen alongside them, arrive Maester Luwin.
"How is my son, Maester?" Catelyn looked at all the food and found she had no appetite.
Maester Luwin lowered his eyes. "Unchanged, my lady"
It seemed it was the reply Lady Catelyn was expecting, the Lady of Winterfell looked at her bandaged hands, Nisai was a healer she has helped Maester Luwin to treat the lady's wounds, the assassin's blade had cut deep, almost to the bone.
Lady Catelyn sent the servants away and looked back to Robb.
"We must keep Bran safe. If there was one killer, there could be others" she declared.
"How many guards do you want, my lady?" Hal asked.
"So long as Lord Eddard is away, my son is the master of Winterfell," she told him.
Robb stood a little taller. "Put one man in the sickroom, night and day, one outside the door, two at the bottom of the stairs. No one sees Bran without my warrant or my mother's."
"As you say my lord" the Captain of the guard answered.
"Do it now," Catelyn suggested.
"And let his wolf stay in the room with him," Robb added.
"Yes," Lady Catelyn said. And then again: "Yes."
Hallis Mollen bowed and left the room.
"Lady Stark" Ser Rodrik said when the guardsman had gone. "Did you have a chance to notice the dagger the killer used?"
"The circumstances did not allow me to examine it closely, but I can vouch for its edge" Catelyn replied with a dry smile, looking back and forth between her hands and Ser Rodrik. "Why do you ask?"
"We found the knife still in the villain's grasp. It seemed to me that it was altogether too fine a weapon for such a man, so I looked at it long and hard. The blade is Valyrian steel, the hilt dragonbone. A weapon like that has no business being in the hands of such as him. Someone gave it to him."
Lady Kaina looked troubled. "Robb, close the door" she ordered.
He looked at her grandmother strangely and did as she told him.
The two ladies of Winterfell exchanged gazes and immediately understood each other.
"What I am about to tell you must not leave this room" she told them. "I want your oaths on that. If even part of what I suspect is true, Ned and my girls have ridden into deadly danger, and a word in the wrong ears could mean their lives."
"Lord Eddard is a second father to me," said Theon Greyjoy. "I do so swear."
"You have my oath," Maester Luwin said.
"And mine, my lady," echoed Ser Rodrik.
"You have my word Lady Catelyn" Nisai declared.
Catelyn Stark looked at her son. "And you, Robb?"
He nodded his consent.
"My sister Lysa believes the Lannisters murdered her husband, Lord Arryn, the Hand of the King," Catelyn told them. "It comes to me that Jaime Lannister did not join the hunt the day Bran fell. He remained here in the castle" the room was deathly quiet.
"Lord Kalinos went with Lord Damian and Jon to the Wall in order to extract information from Lord Tyrion without raising suspicions" Lady Kaina explained carefully referring in a formal matter at her two brothers in order to show the delicacy of the situation. "Whatever the queen has done, even if she has ordered the hit on Bran, her partner and lover at the tower is certainly not as protected as her" the old woman explained.
Everyone remained quiet; they understood what Lady Kaina has said.
"So it is likely that Queen Cersei may have hired the assassin to keep Bran's silence" Nisai suggested. "Or the Kingslayer did it in order to protect her sister and her lover" she added.
"Whoever was with the queen in the broken tower, my brother claimed that footprints left in the dust showed that it was that male companion of her the one who approached the window from where Bran may have been spying them" Lady Kaina explained. "If we find more evidence we can confront the queen and force her to surrender her partner to us, if not then the news that the queen has a lover and that she tried to have the hand of the king's son killed could destroy her reputation" she sentenced.
"Aunt, are you speaking of blackmailing the queen of the Seven Kingdoms and daughter of Tywin Lannister?"
Everyone remained in silence for a moment, before the old Lady Kaina took a deep breath and spoke.
"Lord Tywin Lannister is one of the most powerful men in Westeros, he is brilliant, ruthless and worst of all…patient, despite his upbringing he is neither arrogant nor short sided. I have known him since we were both children, he is the worst enemy you could seek but his eldest children are not like him: Cersei Lannister is as arrogant as she is cruel, she does possess a certain level of shrewdness but she is short sided and impatient; the kingslayer is similar in that regard, he is also arrogant and resentful and he is not as politically skilled as the rest of his family; it may be a testament of the gods taste for irony and dark humor that the only true child of the great Tywin is the dwarf Tyrion" she described with a shadow of a smirk on her face.
"I believe that Cersei Lannister could have a lover, if only to stick it back to her husband for constantly disgracing despite the dangers that cuckolding the king could bring upon herself and her children. If she is smart and ruthless enough she may have already taken measures to have her lover disappear…" she made a pause, everyone was silent listening to her briefing of the Lannisters; it was clear that the old Wolf Matriarch had spent a lot of time studying the opponents of House Stark and knew their ways well.
"If she is fool or arrogant enough, her lover could still be close to her and most importantly he and she may resort to do something drastic in order to protect themselves and the secret. We need to act with caution and confront the king and queen only and only when we have gathered enough evidence to bring the actions of the queen and her lover to the courts" she explained. "If not we will need to take care of this through a more subtle approach" she stuttered for the first time.
"By the gods' grandmother, are you suggesting to assassinate the queen or her lover?" Robb asked with a pale face.
Lady Kaina's fading golden eyes looked at her grandson with deep coldness.
"For now we will keep a close eye on the queen and her movements, when my son and the girls reach the capital they will not be completely in the dark. I have already sent word to some of my contacts on King's landing to provide intelligence services for Eddard about the affairs in the city" she explained looking around the table.
"If it comes to it, we must do whatever it is necessary to protect our family and people, alongside the stability of the realm, our enemies are not above killing women and children as the fate of the Reynes, Tarbecks and the heirs of Raegar has illustrated" she declared.
"Bran did not fall, now it is clear he was thrown" she finally sentenced. "And I am certain that the Kigslayer and the queen may have ordered the hit" she added leaving the entire room in completer silence.
"The boy had always been sure handed in the past," Maester Luwin said thoughtfully. "He knew every stone in Winterfell, climbing even during wind and rain"
"Gods," Robb swore his young face dark with anger. "If this is true, the Lannister will pay for it." He drew his sword and waved it in the air. "I'll kill the Kingslayer myself if he has anything to do with this!"
Ser Rodrik bristled at him. "Put that away! The Lannisters are a hundred leagues away. Never draw your sword unless you mean to use it. How many times must I tell you that, foolish boy?" Abashed, Robb sheathed his sword, suddenly a child again.
Lady Catelyn said to Ser Rodrik, "I see my son is wearing steel now."
The old master-at-arms said, "I thought it was time."
Robb was looking at her anxiously. "Past time," she sentenced. "Winterfell may have need of all its swords soon, and they had best not be made of wood."
Theon Greyjoy put a hand on the hilt of his blade and said, "My lady, if it comes to that, my House owes yours a great debt."
Maester Luwin pulled at his chain collar where it chafed against his neck. "All we have is conjecture. This is the queen herself and her beloved brother we mean to accuse. She will not take it kindly. We must have proof, or forever keep silent."
"Your proof is in the dagger," Ser Rodrik said. "A fine blade like that will not have gone unnoticed."
"There is only one place to find the truth of it" Catelyn declared. "Someone must go to King's Landing."
"I'll go," Robb said.
"No" Lady Stark told him. "Your place is here. There must always be a Stark in Winterfell."
"I must go myself" she declared
"My lady," said Maester Luwin, "is that wise? Surely the Lannisters would greet your arrival with suspicion."
"What about Bran?" Robb asked, he looked utterly confused now. "You can't mean to leave him"
"You are the Lady of Winterfell" Nisai finally stuttered surprising everyone. "They will recognize you the moment you set foot on the Crownlands" she declared.
"Nisai speaks the truth Catelyn" Lady Kaina said. "The Spider Lord Varys or any of the Lannisters agents would know sooner or later that you have leave Winterfell and immediately connect the dots to your secret arrival at the Capital"
"Also not only Bran but Rickon need you my lady as well" Nisai added and the face of lady Catelyn contorted into terrible shame and sadness.
"Then who will go?" Ser Rodrik asked.
Nisai took a deep breath and spoke with conviction. "I will go"
Everyone looked at her surprised; the face of her aunt was unreadable, Robb was about to protest but Nisai cut him off.
"There is no risk of me going to the Capital; I am the bastard daughter of the White Bat of House Nocturna not a member of House Stark or its household. I can go to King's landing undetected and then stay there in order to help Sansa and Arya, as well as helping lord Eddard finding the truth" she declared.
"Despite my reservations, I am force to agree" Lady Kaina said with sadness on her voice.
"But how do you plan to go? A young lady traveling by the King's road is not a good idea" Ser Rodrik told them.
"I can go to White Harbor and take a merchant ship to King's landing, if the winds are good I may arrive on the capital before the royal caravan" she explained trying to keep fear out of her voice and face.
"You can't go alone" Robb sentenced.
"I will go with her" Theon offered himself.
"No" Lady Kaina sentenced. "She will go with an escort of loyal praetorians, under disguise; when my brother Kalinos arrives from the Wall with lord Tyrion; we will keep appearances and then my brother can also go to King's landing to join my son in uncovering the truth behind both Lord Arryn's death and Bran's failed assassination attempt" she explained.
"I give you my word Lady Catelyn" Nisai said looking at the lady of Winterfell. "I will do all I can and more to help and protect Lord Eddard, Sansa and Arya when I arrive on King's landing"
Lady Catelyn thanked her and gave her a hug making Nisai felt strangely warm and embarrassed.
I wonder what Jon would think about this.
"I will go prepare everything for your journey Nisai" Robb added.
She grabbed the fine dagger and in that moment all her doubts and fears came at once, she was going to the lion's den itself, putting herself and her family in danger; but his love ones were being threatened by southerners who did not know the meaning of honor, hardship and sacrifice and who have not earned their place they have cheated and threatened their ways into them.
By the Old gods of the North she would teach the lions of the west just how sharp the fangs of wolves and bats were when in winter and in the shadows of night.
Darkness and winter is coming to House Lannister.
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Disclaimer: I don't own Game of Thrones o A song of Ice and Fire.
