NOTE: Why hello again. For once I kept my promises! Here is the last chapter of the first book!
As I said last chapter, the second book will not come for some time now. Partly because I lost most of the work I had planned for it when my computer crashed so I need to start everything again (yay...) and also because I want to review my work here before anything else. So I will take a couple of weeks away from this story completely, then come back to see all of it again and probably edit a lot of the chapters ^^'
I know it's not ideal but I don't want to have something less... how can I say... interesting? If the foundation of my story are bad, the rest of it could crumble like a card castle. See what I mean? I know the first chapter will change the most already, and I have a pretty good idea of where I will go with it.
Then again, the story itself won't change at all so if you don't want to read again all of it, updated or not, well I won't force you of course!
Anyway, now to answer the reviews!
Shade: Hello there! I hope you will like the last chapter ^^ I worked quickly on it. Yes, Gendy will change a couple of things for Jon, but Jon's story at the Wall will already be different from what it was. He spent more time there. He is more part of the life of the Wall and the brothers than he was in the show. I hope you'll like this last chapter! And I hope you enjoyed your journey with me and my crazy ideas!
M: Hey there! Thank you very much! I always like how you write it's very interesting xD You go right to the point! I hope you'll like the last chapter and I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I enjoyed writing it ^^.
Ilio23: PLANS! I have Plans! xD
Winter kiss: well, there you go! ;) Hope you like it!
Here we are folks! Enjoy!
Chapter 23: You won't break me.
Year 298, Twentieth day of the Eleventh Month
The idea of fighting them crossed her mind. It stayed there a long time actually. There were at least twenty red cloaks around her. The Queen herself of course and that was without talking about the Goldcloaks who were lurking around. They did try to make themselves sparse, but with that cloak of theirs, it was pretty difficult to miss them.
But still, despite all of this, all of those men, far taller and stronger than her, an unarmed girl with small arms and barely sufficient in the difficult art of twisting a sword around her, she wanted to fight them anyway. She wanted to tear them apart with her bare hands if necessary, to rip off those cloaks to strangle them with it, to cut out everything she could find that might hurt them just as much as she was hurt. She wanted their death, their blood on her face, on her dress like her father's blood had soiled her that day. She wanted their screams.
I hate them. I hate them all. All of those disgusting snakes that dared be called human beings! I hate them!
They took Father, they were taking me from my sisters. They took our wolves! Our wolves! While I had tried so hard to protect-
But I have failed.
They took it. They took it all. I wish I could hurt them.
Kyria Stark was furious. Wild with pain and anger and need for revenge.
She needed something to fight against, something to release all the pain inside her. It had been that way since the day Ser Meryn had come to escort them to the Queen's chamber. Anything to make her forget her failure and the horrors awaiting her family now.
Maybe Sansa was right. Maybe she was making all of this around her. Her failures, her plans, her fault… Her visions.
Maybe…
But she couldn't help but feel what she felt! She had been the one with the awful dreams that plagued her nights, she had been the one with the understanding and the knowledge that maybe all of this was a warning for them. For darker times to come. She had been the one forced to watch time and time again her father's head roll to her feet, before seeing it happen despite everything else.
She had been the one to fail!
"Move, Stark bitch."
She moved her elbow, a furious need to break that stupid helmet with it bumping in her veins. The man laughed, easily catching the girl's vain attempt.
"What do you think you are doing traitor?"
"Careful here!" said another, "this one has claws!"
They were mocking her. Laughing loudly and pushing her around while she was held, powerless.
Gods but she hated them. The Queen most of all. She could feel her behind her. Walking alongside the group, the soft murmur of her dress on the floor. She was happy, wasn't she?
Why not? She had won. She had two Starks, a third one ready to be sold to a barbarian, and she had killed the fourth one. A wonderful day for the lioness.
Kyria bared her teeth at the man holding her. Oh, how she wished she could have been Frost.
The man laughed louder, his friend grunted. Another one moved behind Kyria. Oh to be Frost...
"She thinks she's one of those beasts!" mocked the first one.
"What an odd little wolf! The savages in Essos will love her!"
"Bet they will! I'd love the lass any time!" mumbled the one who moved.
"Now sers," intervein the Queen with that sweet voice of hers. "Need I remind you of the value of our... guest. Lady Kyria is a noble lady. She had been promised a maid. It would not do for us to fail to keep our promises. You are Lannister men after all."
Oh if she dared say it-
"We pay our debts."
Good gods she wanted to kill her so badly it physically hurt her. Bitch.
"Of course." snarred Kyria, "you wouldn't want to have your clever little scheme backfire right at your face."
A chill ran through her back. One of the soldiers, the one who laughed before strikes her on the head.
"Shut up wolf bitch! It is your Queen you are talking about!"
Kyria snorted. Oh, this was too tempting.
"Not for long. You are shipping me across the sea."
"It does not exempt ou from basic courtesy. You are supposed to be of noble birth, little girl." purred the Queen. "Although you do come from the North. Maybe the courtesies up there are different."
Someone coughed 'savage' between their fist. She twitched. As if she was even able to recognize a good courtesy to a mummery made to shut her up. Vain vile woman.
"We do have courtesies. I just don't think you would understand them." Kyria growled.
Cersei twitched. Her face turned a deep shade of red, green eyes thundering with fury.
She wanted to laugh. She almost did. A part of her knew it was a bad idea to annoy Cersei like that, but she just didn't care anymore. Just like she hadn't care when it was Joffrey in front of her. She was done being careful. There was nothing those people could do to her that would have broke her now. She refused it.
I will not let you break me Cersei Lannister.
" How... difficult of you." the Queen managed to say between clutched teeth. And how funny it was to see her so obviously struggling with her temper. "Maybe we should reconsider our arrangements with the warlords. You are not the only Stark in town after all."
For a horrible moment, Kyria was scared. For Sansa and Arya, so young, too young to live any of this. But then her brain took the lead and it only took her a moment to see the holes in this plan.
"You won't though," she said confidently.
Cersei looked at her, head leaning on one side, like a cat watching its prey. She looked amused. In control. Kyria couldn't refuse the pleasure of crushing her pretty dreams of menace above her head.
"You won't though," she said slowly "You have no one else to rival Daenerys Targaryen. Arya is too young and Sansa is already promised to your boy."
"Sansa is a pretty little bird." hummed Cersei pensively, " Pretty enough to boil the blood of any savage."
"And you could break the betrothal to your boy. But who else would marry the little monster? Shireen Baratheon is too young and inaccessible with her Father in open rebellion and Margaery Tyrell is already married to Renly. Then, maybe Arianne Martell. But you wouldn't let a snake too close to your precious boy would you?"
The Queen's face paled with each word, then went angry red near the end. Kyria smiled.
"You have no other choice," she said again, just to push the woman a bit further.
As she already proved, she could not be armed now. There was nothing they could do to her if they wanted their little plan to work.
If she truly wanted, Cersei could easily find a lord whose daughter would be very pleased to wear a pretty crown on her pretty head, and though the groom was closer to the beast than the man wouldn't really matter to him. But it wouldn't be the same. Very few girls in the realm would be worthy of a King.
The Queen didn't like the lesson. Kyria didn't care. She didn't care about the Queen's feelings, nor did she care about her own safety at this point. Only the pain and the anger remained. To be able to lash some of it on that bitch felt good.
"Stop."
The guards obeyed, one of them pressing Kyria's arm harder. To the point of marking it certainly.
Slowly, Cersei walked around them, facing Kyria. Her long blond hair floating around her. Her throat twisted but Kyria didn't show it. She stood tall and proud, as much as she could while being held by a couple of barbarian wearing curtains.
"You are a smart girl," she started slowly," no one can deny that."
Kyria waited for the shoe to drop. Cersei was not the kind of woman to just throw compliments like that. Certainly not after Kyria's little speech.
"I like to think I am too." No... really? She couldn't have guessed. "There is an important lesson to learn here, in the Red Keep. Something... vital."
The guard on her left slapped her loudly on the cheek, the steel of the gauntlet cutting the skin just above the cheekbone. Kyria blinked slowly.
"You are nothing if you have no power. You end up crushed, liked a bug under a shoe." The guard hit again, on the other side, and two others pulled her back, blocking any attempt to flee or defend herself. Kyria gritted her teeth, her legs twitching with the need to escape those beasts.
She twisted in fear when the guard in front of her started to pull out his sword. The Queen behind him smiled. Kyria pressed her lips together. Powerplay. She locked her arms and legs and looked at the man right in the eyes. There was a light in his eyes, a glint of pure joy that made her shiver. He enjoyed it. Powerplay.
"You should remember that Little girl." continued Cersei with her soft voice. "You have no power. If you want to keep your life, you should try not to provoke those who hold power over your head. Even without killing you, they can still hurt you."
They could, couldn't they? But they would never break her.
Do not let the break your will.
"You should remember who you are talking to. You are no longer the daughter of the Hand of the King. Traitor's daughter do not hold a lot of power nowadays."
With one move of her hand, the guards released her. Kyria almost tripped on her feet. She took a deep breath, holding back everything she wanted to say. She didn't let the fear made its way through her. SHe couldn't be scared now. She couldn't.
She pressed her mouth, and Cersei smiled again, satisfaction clear on her face.
Oh, I wish I could hurt you. I wish I could tear you apart like you tore apart everything around me. I want you to be as angry, as miserable as I am. I want you to suffer. To curl into a ball of nothing and to suffer the pain of your actions against me. I'll gladly tear apart each and every one of those guards with my teeth to reach your pretty face. Oh I wish I could be Frost.
A smile twisted its way into her face. I hate you, I hate you.
"What is so funny?" the Queen asked slowly.
"I really hope for the sake of everyone in this blasted place that someone will cut your throat in your sleep one day.
The guard strikes her again. She lost her smile to a swollen lip. Cersei lost her superior look for one of anger. Better.
"No one threatens the Queen!"
She snorted.
"What are you afraid of? The Queen's skin won't burn over a few words from a little girl like me." she rumbled slowly.
The man's hand was back on his sword. She decided to let go for now. She didn't want to lose her head.
Cersei studied her for a moment longer, her eyes burning like wildfire against Kyria's skin.
"Let's go, we wouldn't want Lady Kyria to be late for her journey."
Oh, what a pity that would be, indeed.
The road 'till the bay she was supposed to embark in wasn't very far from the keep. They went there on foot. Her, the Queen, and the mass of armed Lannister men around. Kyria didn't talk again, she had nothing to say to those people. Or well, nothing that wouldn't cost her her head.
Upon arriving on the bay, where a small bark was waiting for her, she had the -oh so delightful- a surprise to find Joffrey, the boy King in-person waiting for her, a large smile on his smug cheek still burning from his mother's slap, Kyria felt a smile tickle her mouth. Well, well, well…
"Lady Kyria! I couldn't let you leave before saying a proper goodbye!" he said joyfully. He looked twisted. "Aren't you please? We found someone to take care of you wolf bitch!"
Kyria chuckled darkly. The memories of his twisted face that day in the Throne room were still fresh in her mind.
Joffrey snarled, curling his mouth to bare pearl white teeth.
Large beast with fragile teeth.
Fitting indeed.
"What are you finding so funny traitor? You should be on your knees begging for the mercy of your King!"
"You are not my King." she said out loud. "Not anymore."
The effect was almost instant. The boy went bright red, an ugly puce deforming his face.
"How dare you! I am Your King!" he screeched.
"Not for long no." she said with a smile. "Not across the sea."
Stupid boy.
He turned an interesting shade of red, his face puffed and inflated like a big red tomato. With a puff of gold hair.
"How dare you? How dare you talk to me like that? I am a KING! I am your King! I command you! You will do as I say you traitorous whore!" he spotted, a huge vein bumping on his forehead. " I could crush you like the pathetic insect you are! You mean nothing you stupid whore! Nothing! I could have your traitor tongue cut from your traitor mouth!"
As he spoke virulently, his four Kingsguards moved around him, ready to strike at the first sign of violence from her. Fear cracked her walls for a moment, gripping her throat at the idea of losing her ability so speak, like Ilyn Payne the King's justice. She crushed it before it could blow up inside her, determined not to let herself panic inf front of the pride who lurked around her ready to feast on her flesh at the first sign of fear.
She was no prey surrounded by starving lions, she was no weak little piece of flesh, barely standing on her wobbling legs. She was a wolf of the North. A wolf was no prey.
A lion might have claws.
But mine are long, and sharp young boy, far longer and sharper than yours. her brain sang.
She squared her shoulders and stoned her face. She would not hide or shrink in front of them. Joffrey looked furious still, puffed and red and ugly looking. The sea behind him cut a strange picture, mixt of the beauty fo the place, and the menace of the large boat lurking behind. A boat she knew she was supposed to embark in. To go marry a savage across the sea.
I won't break. I won't break. I will never let them break me into nothing. I will never break. Never. Never. Never.
She didn't let her mind linger on the thought of what those people had planned for her. She itched to just look around her, to find a way, any way, to escape them. To disappear into nothing. Vanish out of thin air. Like a mirage. She wanted to go away far, far from them, back North, North where it was safe, safe and secure safe-
No. No she couldn't let herself think that. She couldn't. Sansa was still locked up there, a prisoner for the rest of her life if they end up marrying the pathetic boy in front of her. Arya was locked up there, ready to be sold to the highest bidder, like Kyria was. She couldn't think of what would happen to them if she even tried to flee now. She could not escape now. She could not let her sisters suffer a similar fate. She knew, despite what she had said, that there was a chance for them to send Sansa or Arya if she did escape, or was killed trying.
She was furious, wanted them dead, wanted them to suffer, to be just as hurt and miserable as she was. But she was Kyria Stark. She would never abandon her sisters to their fates. Not if she had any choice.
"You grace. My Queen. My lady." grunted a guard somewhere to Joffrey's left.
Kyria blinked, watching the man bow to the furious boy. He was just as wrapped in red as any other Lannister man, but she did notice the way he greeted her along with the other people present.
"The boat is ready to depart," he announced slowly.
Joffrey's face changed immediately. He clapped happily, a huge grin on his face.
"Perfect!" he turned on her his eyes lighted with a manic joy. "You will go to Pentos and you will be sold to the Dothraki savage like the traitor whore you are! And you will be raped and destroyed by him and his entire army for as long as it will take for them to forget the stupid idea to try to take my crown! Am I clear, traitor?"
She bared her teeth. A part of her mind was aware of the noise behind her, the people who had seen them exit the Red keep and had followed out of curiosity certainly. She wondered if they were shocked by the boy King. She doubted doubted it very much. They hadn't acted the day of her father's death. No matter how much they screamed.
Why would they move? It was exactly like her dream. Faceless sheeps following the loudest sound.
The guards around her moved before she could even think of answering the boy. They lifted her, gripping her arms, twisting the skin gleefully, and throwing her to the large bark that had been placed right on the beach for them. Ten other guards were already there, adding to the ten others who seemed to follow her into the bark. She tripped onto the small boat gripping the edge of the thing to stop an unwanted swim into the deep waters of the bay. Some Redcloaks laughed mockingly, and it took her one moment to understand why. She hastily covered her legs, whose stockings were clearly visible with the way she had been treated.
"See!" laughed the King. " A Whore!"
More noises. She glimpses the faces behind the Queen, up there on the streets. Faces of people watching the scene with curiosity and fascination. Sheep.
Kyria slowly stood, locking her eyes with his. She wished she was Frost. To dig her claw inside his sloppy flesh, to tear apart that face, those eyes. To destroy this awful inhuman little boy who had the audacity to think he could tame a wolf.
She wished she could kill him. She would have done anything to have a blade right now. A knife, a sword, anything. To cut him until he would stop moving.
Her hands were trembling with the need. She watched him, that monster of a boy laugh gleefully as he told loud for all to hear everything he wanted the Dothraki to do to her. She watched the Queen smile in satisfaction, her eyes bright like the cat who got the canary, as her boy displayed his madness for all to see. She watched them becoming smaller and smaller as the boat went farther from them.
When she was far enough, she opened her mouth.
"You will die painfully bastard!" she screamed. "Not today, not tomorrow, but you will die painfully! And you will deserve every last bit of it!"
The boy King screamed, squeaking like a pig, his face red with outrage, but she couldn't care less.
Nor did she care for the strike she earned by one of the guards or the hateful words the Queen shrieked back at her. She didn't care of being thrown back on her behind by one guard who pushed too hard, or the way they started arguing between them about the proper way to treat the traitor's daughter.
You won't break me. I will never let you break me.
As soon as they reached the boat, she was locked into what seemed to be her cabin. There was only a small bed, one little window, and her chest.
The guards talked behind the door for a time. Then they walked away.
When the silence fell on Kyria, her manic smile fell with it.
She was alone.
Like a puppet without its strings, she fell on the bed, shook with heavy sobs that ripped off her chest like a hot knife.
You won't break me, you won't! She kept thinking between her sobs.
Don't let them break your will. Don't let them and they won't.
she cried until sleep finally claimed her.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo-GOT-oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
What was this place? He didn't like it. Wild sister and little sister were in something similar, and none of them could go out. It was small and cold and unfamiliar. And none of their companions were there.
Where was his two-leg? He was supposed to protect the two-leg! He snarred, biting the long cold trunks that locked him inside the thing. He wanted to go out! Out!
He barked. The sound loud and chilling coming out of her throat. Low first, then louder and louder.
OUT!
OUT!
OUT!
Sweet pack sister whined. Wild pack sister barked with him. Louder and louder.
"Why can't they shut up?" groaned one of the two legs that weren't them.
" I don't know. Dumb beasts." said the other.
He looked at them, baring his teeth to threaten that red-clothed two legs who dared separate him from his own two legs.
"The Queen asked us to kill them..."
He barked. Come! COME! Come and Try! He'll rip them apart at the first occasion! Those who dared think they could kill him! His pack sisters! Never!
"What, you wanna try? I don't want to die. But go ahead if you have a death wish!"
The other one looked white and fearful. Pathetic two-legs! They locked him in this thing, in the dark and away from his two-leg. They had locked him away from his pack and they dared try to hurt him?! They dared?! THEY DARED!?
If only he could tear him apart. His muzzle, his eyes, his chest. Rip of every part of it. If only there was nothing to stop him from feasting on that thing.
He barked again. Wild pack sister barked too. Soft sister whined, curled in a corner of her own prison. The weak two-legs cowered in a corner, their fear tasted bitter in his tongue. He growled again, and one of them squeaked like the prey did in their small wood around this place.
Oh, if there was nothing to stop him…
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo-GOT-oOoOoOOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Kyria woke up with a jump, her heart in her throat. She gasped a couple of times, her hair sticking to her face and neck with sweat. She pulled them away, slowly processing what just happened.
The dream. She had dreamed. No visions, no nightmare. But one of those. A laugh built its way through her throat, still hoarse with the bark she hadn't made.
"Frost…" she breathed, happiness finally going through her mind.
Frost was still alive!
Tears soon joined the laugh she couldn't contain anymore. Frost! Her Frost! Nymeria and Lady yes, too, but Frost!
Her Frost! Her companion! The one she had been linked to practically from his birth!
As of cue, a loud howl was heard somewhere on the boat. Then two. Then three. And Kyria laughed again. Clapping her hands and falling back on the bed.
Frost was alive!
Whatever could have happened to her now, it didn't matter. They couldn't break her. They had been foolish enough to keep her Frost alive.
She could work with that. She could plan from this. She could yes. And she will.
There was no way in hell she would go through the QUeen's plan. She had to find a way. There was no Queen here, no King, only guards. ANd with the wolves... She could work with this. She could. She could plan and have back some of what was stolen from her.
She had more than a month until Pentos. It was enough. It had to be. For now, they were afraid of them. But nothing could say the Dothraki would be to. She needed to do something before. She could do that. She could do that. Yes.
Frost was alive. Nymeria was alive. Lady was alive. She could plan the rest.
You won't break me. You won't.
"The lion will never tame the wolf," she whispered to herself, her smile so big it hurt her cheeks.
She had no idea what would happen to her now. Or to her family. Maybe things would be different, maybe not. Maybe all she tried to do was useless, like-
Maybe she couldn't change the fate of her family. But she couldn't do anything about it. She was shipped in another continent. She couldn't do a thing. She needed to survive. TO survive long enough to come back here. She refused to despair. This was what they wanted and she refused to give them what they wanted. Not now, not ever.
They will never break her will. She was a wolf. She was Kyria Stark. Of Winterfell. The eldest daughter of Lord Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. She bared the blood of the first men. The Blood of Kings that lasted eight thousand years.
She was a wolf of the North. The Lion could not tame her. No more than a horse Lord. No one would break her.
She was a Wolf.
The End.
Kyria Stark will return.
And here we are my friends!
What do you think? Good? Bad? Awful?
I know it is not very much of a conclusion, but at least you have part of your answers. I hope I didn't disappoint you with this ending. I always planned to end it like this, at the very edge of Kyria's journey. Right before the real story begin. Much like it ended in Season one, with Dany and her baby dragons being the last image of Game of throne. Conveniently, this time it's Kyria and the wolves xD. Now is it an omen for what will happen next? Huh, I wonder... xD
It's strange to write by Kyria's point of view again after so long.. We left her in an entirely different mindset! As you may have certainly noticed, Ned's death affected her a lot, and not necessarily in a good way. SHe's very angry and it shows xD I wanted to make her almost feral in her grief as if everything she had held close to her chest since the beginning of it all was suddenly coming out and she just didn't care anymore if it would hurt her in any way. She's just letting it all out. Like a beast who broke his cage. Hint Hint.
Again a scene with Cersei... I definitely don't like this character... I just can't seem to write her as I want! I don't know what the problem is but it's annoying! I don't want her to be too nice but I seem to be only able to write her as mean and stupid! I mean yes, later in the show Cersei is sometimes portrayed as mean and frankly not as smart as she thinks she is, but come on! Season one is where she is at her best! She kills her husband she protect her family and she put her son on the throne! The only time she manages to do better is when she destroys the sept! And it's not even as good because there is ZERO subtility in destroying an entire building! Full of people! I mean come on!
So yeah I don't like her. Actually this part was way more vicious at first, but again, subtility. So I did this instead... Hope you liked it!
If you have any questions or requests for the next book, or even the update of this one, now is the time boys and girls! I may not necessarily add everything you will say, but I noticed you had a lot of interesting ideas and I'd love to see what you have in mind for the rest of the story!
I will try to update as soon as I can, but it will take some time for me to have everything ready. Maybe by the end of the year? I don't know...
Anyway, thank you all for following this all this time, I hope you liked my story! And I'll see you all very soon!
Bubyyye!
And YES I kept the wolves! Of course, I did! I have plans, PLANS! I will explain how they can still be alive in the second book ;)
I will send a message before I start posting the edited chapters of this story, and another when the second book will come out ^^ I'll see you all very soon!
Take care, and thank you for supporting me all this time! it has been a long journey!