This Chapter will cover most of Brandon's Pov during the time period of the last two chapters. Thank you for reading, sorry I know I am letting some of you down. I am really trying my best. Anywho thanks for reading and I would love to know what you think!
Chapter 20: Mountains
I fight the urge to open my eyes as I come to. I try to hear the voices around me but it's all just noise at first. I don't think I can move. The pain in the back of my head is to fierce I can barely stay with it. I press my ungloved hand against the snow to stay conscious. I do not know what happened, but I do know as I hear boots coming closer and strain to focus on the voices.
"Lord Bolton said to check and make sure he is dead." One voice says.
"I did! I gave him four good kicks! Fuckers gone. " Another man says explaining the pain in my ribs.
"When I seen a body, the eyes is open!" The first tells again.
"Bolton told some boy to make sure his eyes was shut all respectful like. If you want, I can poke some holes in him?"
I know my sword is missing and my dagger but they're was a blade in my boot that seemed to remain there. If only I felt as though I could move.
"Lord Bolton says he's to be whole when we cart him in."
"Lord Bolton aint here!" The other says My eyes open to see the two men and their shock the closer one holding my dagger lunges forward mayhaps its adrenaline but I move quicker then him I grab the concealed blade and cut his throat the dagger drops in the snow next to me. I throw the knife into the other man's eye as he charges forward. I fall back into the snow now alone. I breath heavy struggling to catch my breath and wincing from the pain off my movements.
I knew these could not be the only men out here and if nothing else I was alone in the mountains I had to move I had to do something, but my eyes closed and everything went dark. Ethan Glovers words flow threw my head.
"Your Brandon Stark." He says as we ride up into the mountains. "The Lord of Winterfell."
"I am aware Ethan." I tell him I did not ask him to come but my old squire joined us. It felt like a lifetime ago that I was going to marry a southern girl and ride in tourneys like a southern knight, now I would never leave the North if I could help it. Even here in the mountains it was beautiful and strong, and it was home.
As I looked at the bit of Ribbon tied to my reigns I smiled, I did end up marrying a different southern lady, a woman instead of a girl and I would love her children. Rhaenys had given me the ribbon it was going to keep Blizzard and I safe on our journey.
"Are you sure? Because the Brandon Stark I knew would have thought about bedding the woman so keen on him in that Tavern instead of drinking ale and eating dinner."
"The Brandon Stark you knew wouldn't have thought at all, he would have just had sex with them." I tell him with a laugh.
"And now you just think about it when women flirt with you?"
"No, I think about my wife and how much I prefer her and that I would not risk what we had something cheap and meaningless. You should marry Ethan it might bring out the best in you." I tell him as we ride through the village, they stare at us as we come with pained faces but there is no resistance, they no why we are here and what they have done. It is the children I hear, first one but others join.
"The snow falls down upon us
but we will thrive as long as blood dont spills
We fear no snow, hail, or gust
Only when the wolves come into the hills
For the wolves have laws we must follow
The wolves have laws they instills
The wolf's words are not hollow
And whatever they swear they fulfills
If we do not obey, we will wallow
For the wolves have Steel for wills
So it's the wolf's oath we do swallow
Or they will come bringing the chills"
"The wolves come into the hills, a song all our children know if we do wrong the wolves come to set us straight." Their chief calls I look back to see Lord Boltons scowling face before I dismount. I let gave him an ear full when we met up and he had been pouting the whole way since. He was not cute when he pouted like Elia.
"Apparently you should have learned it better." I told him he was Brandon Norrey but they just called him The Norrey he was their chief. He was born the same day as me a few months latter then I and named for me.
"The Brandon please-" He begins.
"When I have to come up into the mountains to deal with your mess you will address me as Lord Stark!" I told him with a growl.
He lowers a bit all the trouble he has caused, and he did not put up a fight when he saw the army coming apparently he was willing to dirty fight other mountain clans but not his liege lord.
"Cregan Stark married a Norrey, were kin." He reminds as a last attempt.
"And my mothers' mother was a Flint but that did not stop you from pillaging their land." I remind.
"I did not tell them to do that."
"You did not stop them either." I bit back.
"It was a miserable spring as you must know, they were hungry. When one man has plenty and another has none he should share or expect a fight."
"A fair fight mayhaps murdering people in their sleep and taking their supplies is not it! Just because you're too proud to trade does not mean they are bad people it means the norrey need a new chief." I told him.
Justice was swift after that. There was little resistance and it was short lived. I executed Brandon Norrey a man who was named after me. The people did not weep for him he wasted their resources and was a terrible leader his brother was thought to be a better one.
"The men who were responsible were found and brought to ice as well, hanging would have been quicker but with how many there were it would have taken a lot of rope.
Bolton's men pushed a boy towards me younger than Benjen but older then Aegon.
"How old are you?" I asked him shaking he held up eight fingers.
"He's guilty." Lord Bolton said uncaringly, the scolding I gave him on the way up the mountains did little to soften him.
"And who did you kill?" I asked the boy who shook his head.
"I ate the food." He says softly trembling as he does it.
"Go back to your mother." I told him nodding and the guards let him past into a crowd where a weeping woman grabbed him up in her arms.
Bolton's white eyes stayed on me and I did not care I promised Elia I would show mercy to those who deserved it. I gave him a glare in return till he went back to work.
I left Ethan Glover in charge in the mountains with most of my forces to keep peace between the clans after we leave to keep peace and help the Flint's in their time of need. Which unfortunately meant I got to enjoy Lord Bolton's company instead of a friend and because I threatened him with an inch of his life we rode in silence for the most part.
"You're a different lord then your brother." He says I cannot bring myself to care or look at him I am already thinking about home, about seeing Elia again after what felt like an eternity.
"So?" I ask uninterested already thinking of being in my love's arms again. At this rate we would be back to winterfell in a matter of weeks I thought about little else, how once we were close I would charge ahead ride all night if I must to return to my love.
"Different liege lords have to be served differently." He says simply I hear steel being unsheathed before I can fully turn, I am hit in the head twice before I can move the pain makes me fall I hear Blizzards nay as I black out.
Now I lay in the snow and I think it would be easier to stop fighting but that is not who I am.
The plan was to head back up the mountain dangerous but the quickest way to help. I imagine my loved ones. Ned telling me the most strategic why to survive, Benjen saying if anyone could do it I could, Elia saying loving things in my ear, Rhaenys looking for Blizzard sure he will come back for me. Aegon just says "Stark" In that loving and hopeful way he does. Sometimes I see my father. I work so hard to be like him to lead like him and I am still failing. I don't get far before I'm found by a Wull.
I convinced him to take me to his chief before killing me. Hugo Wull recognized me immediately.
"Bolton will pay for this!" Wull barked when I told him what happened as his medicine woman tended my wound.
"You should be dead." The old woman said.
"That seems to be becoming a habit of mine." I told her simply.
"Men with wounds like this die if not from the gash from the swell of it, yours did not swell. Why?"
"I don't know, I don't remember anything after the pain and I just woke up in the snow."
"Mayhaps the north is not done with you The Brandon." The Wull said almost proudly.
"I am not done with Bolton." I growled. "Any news from Winterfell?"
"Nothing, at least not in the mountains." The Wull promises.
"Well I must leave the mountains and I am asking you to come with me." I said.
"Its my duty to follow house Stark, it is my honor to follow you, The Brandon who came to the mountains to right the wrong done here as though we mattered as much as the other houses."
The Wulls have the greatest force in the mountains, we had to descend carefully to not look like an army moving. When I got to Hornwood I found Bolton did not have that problem.
"Yes the army passed by near here but it passed on your way up as well same Banners less men, I assumed you were with them." Lord Hornwood had said. Lady Mormont had rushed out of the room the moment I walked in.
"And they went back to Winterfell your sure?" I asked.
"Yes, I am sure he is seizing power, I never would have thought it of him. Not because he is such a tender man, but he seemed more patient." Lord Manderly muses.
It made me think about what he said about different lords, could I be the reason he was so desperate?
"STARK!" I heard and turned wide eyed to see Aegon running to me he happily jumped in my arms his sister not far behind him.
"Silver, Rhae!" I called as I pulled them into my arms and found myself smelling their heads and it did kind of comfort me or mayphaps it was just holding them in my arms.
I look up finally to see Catelyn with her boy, a young girl follows it takes me a moment to realize she is Berena Hornwood, she holds in her hands little Jon who whines and wriggles.
"Elia!?" I asked sudden hope and rage that I was not taken to them at once all at once dashed when Lord Hornwood shook his head. "Mama!" Jon screams for her but she is not here.
"Will you bring her back?" Rhaenys whispers I don't have the heart to answer I just pull her close and kiss her head.
"I will go speak with lord Wull and get my men ready." Lord Hornwood promises, his wife goes with him and Berena curtseys before handing me Jon and following her brother out.
I Bounce Jon remembering Catelyn thinks he is my son her blue eyes are fixed on me as I sit down pulling Rhaenys onto leg and then Aegon onto the other putting Jon against my chest I was tired but the children made me feel better.
She sits acrossed from me after a few moments. Rhaenys tries to calm Jon but it's hardly any use. Aegon just happily stairs at me and Jon keeps whinning the person he wants is not here. This is the first time Catlyen I have really been alone together in sometime, but I cast that aside.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Lord Bolton came with stark banners he-"
"Manipulated Benjen." I guessed and she nodded.
"Elia did not trust him." Catelyn tells me.
No I thought Elia wouldn't. But Benjen was lord while I was away and it was his call and he would trust our banner why would he not.
"Is she….." I cannot finish the question it chills my bones thinking of him killing her.
"She was alive the last time I saw her. Boltons men stuck and we had to escape she pushed the children into my arms but she would not leave Benjen." Catelyn admits.
I feel the tear on my cheek Catelyn and I both ignore it as it runs down my face.
"We thought you were dead." She admits. "I thought you were dead again." Something is soft in her blue eyes as she admits it like it broughtback all the night s she mourned for me in the past.
"I'm one tough fucker to kill." I say I watch her nose scrunch as I cuss she always hated that.
"He tried to kill Ned too, or have him killed but Ned's fine. He's raising an army to take back Winterfell."
"What!" I asked concerned.
"He will do it." She assures. "He has the support of the north and my father." She promises I kiss the children's head one by one as I place them onto the floor before getting up.
"I know he can do it, so will Bolton and men like that don't let their hostages go when they know they are beat." I told her and she seemed to understand.
Aegon quickly clings to my foot. I pat his hair before saying. "I have to go silver."
"DON"T LEAVE ME!" He cries waking his sister.
"I have to!" I tell him knowing he won't understand.
"Where are you going? Your hardly in condition for a fight Brandon." Catelyn chides.
"To go get hostages of my own. Bolton has a wife and a son he may not be a loving man, but he will not want his line to end and he took all his strength to Winterfell." I tell her no clever smile or cocky grin this is the most serious I have ever felt I was not the wild wolf anymore I was the Direwolf of house Stark and I was ready to bring winter to Bolton.