DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GAME OF THRONES OR ANY ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS

Chapter 2

Three weeks they'd been on the road, cutting across country, headed North, always North. Austin had resorted to stealing from farmers as they passed their lands just so he could feed both himself and Edric. The road was hard, with little more than the cold earth to sleep on each night.

The pair of them had made good time through the desert, all things considered. They'd even pushed as far up the Reach as Ashford, where Lord Leo had taken them for beggars. His mistakenness had led to a pouch of twenty gold dragons right out of his own pocket. Austin used half and bought them food for the next month or so.

Currently, Austin and Edric were halfway to Bitterbridge, where they would take the Roseroad to the Kingsroad, then on to Winterfell. Studying his surroundings, he took in the quiet of the wilderness around him, listening to every sound. There was a peaceful sense to it, as everything seemed to be in the reach. No phantom winds or sandstorms, only the calm of crop fields and forests.

"How much longer, cousin?" the heir to Starfall asked, breaking the silence that had held the pair of them captive that day.

Austin half turned in his saddle to look at his cousin. "To where? Bitterbridge? Or Winterfell?"

"Winterfell," Edric clarified.

Austin sighed. "We're not even halfway there yet."

Edric groaned behind him. Austin was going to lose his mind. The incessant complaining and bawling from Edric was seeing to that. While he understood that Edric was a young boy of eight, Austin himself was merely thirteen, not even a man yet. Responsibilities like this were not meant for boys as young as them.

I'm sorry aunt, but I may end up killing the kid before we even get halfway there, Austin said to himself.

The pair had fallen into a sort of routine over the past couple of weeks. Wake, eat, ride, eat, sleep. It was monotonous, but Austin knew it was necessary, especially since he was constantly looking over his shoulder, as if waiting for men to show up and force them back to Starfall.

Today, the pair had awoken as usual, saddled their horses, and took off at a trot. But after a few hours of riding, the sound of hooves ahead forced Austin to hold his hand out, signaling Edric to stop as they waited for the rider to show himself.

The rider emerged from a bend around a small grove of trees ahead, giving Austin a full view of him. He looked rugged, a dark hood obscuring his features, and had a sword in plain sight, draped across his knees. In Westeros, there was only one reason that a hooded figure would have his sword drawn on the road.

"'And over all your gold and food," the man said, his accent revealing that he was clearly not of noble birth.

Austin's eyes darkened, his violet orbs blazing in anger. He was already angry enough at the loss of his home and aunt, and now this common brigand had the audacity to try and rob him?

The young Dayne responded by drawing his own steel. "Come any closer and you'll wish you hadn't."

The brigand chuckled as he removed his hood. "Is that shiny castle-forged steel supposed to scare me?"

"The sword shouldn't, but I should," Austin responded, his mouth set in a hard line.

The brigand let out a burst of laughter as he dismounted his horse. "Boy, you're lucky I'm letting the two of you leave with your lives. Now hand over all your gold and food before I get angry."

Austin mimicked the action, moving to stand between the bandit and Edric. He held his sword at his side and rolled his shoulders, readying them for a fight. The bandit shrugged, muttering something about stupid kids as he approached Austin, holding his sword at the ready.

He aimed a quick strike at the base of Austin's blade, clearly meaning to simply knock it from his grasp, but Austin maneuvered his blade out of the way and batted the strike aside, causing a look of genuine surprise to etch the features of the brigand. He tried another few strikes, all of which were stopped or diverted by Austin.

The Dayne, having gained some confidence, went on the offensive. He chained his blows in quick succession, targeting a different part of the bandit's body each time, but made no headway. It was evident that the brigand was more skilled than he'd been letting on, as Austin wasn't able to make even the slightest dent in his defenses.

Austin shuffled backwards, holding the sword out again, ready for his opponent's next assault, which came swiftly. The pair danced for a few minutes, neither gaining the edge, until the bandit rolled forward, grasping a fallen branch and bashing it against Austin's leg at the same time that their blades met, causing the sword to fly from Austin's grasp as he fell.

The bandit pressed the cold metal of his sword against Austin's neck as Edric began to cry. "No! Leave him alone!"

Austin stared upwards at the victorious sneer of the brigand. "Not bad, son. But you fight like an honorable knight. I don't. Now hand over your gold and food before I have to do something that neither of you are going to enjoy."

Austin raised his hands in surrender, an idea forming in his head. "The way I see it, you have two options here. One is to rob us, in which case, we'll probably die anyways. The other is to help us reach our destination, and you'll be rewarded more than you can steal in a year."

The bandit raised an eyebrow at that. "And where is it you two young lads are heading?"

"Winterfell. We need to reach Lord Stark."

"So, why would Lord Stark pay so much for two little whelps like you?" he asked.

Austin slowly shook his head. "All you need to know is that there'll be a reward. The rest is our secret to keep."

The man seemed to think it over for a minute before slowly lowering his sword and sheathing it. He hauled Austin to his feet, smiling as he did so. "You're smarter than you look, boy."

Austin glanced up at Edric, who was still in his saddle, unsure of what was happening. "All the same, there's no guarantee that I can trust you."

The bandit turned sellsword shrugged. "As long as there's gold in it, you've got nothing to worry about. Unless someone offers a higher price, of course."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Austin muttered as he retrieved his sword and replaced it in its scabbard. The Dayne returned to the sellsword and held out his hand. "I'm Austin, this is Edric."

The sellsword smirked at Austin's attempt of a handshake. "Bronn. The name's Bronn," he said, taking Austin's hand and giving it a firm shake.

Austin's ass hurt. He was saddle sore, as he'd been for the past few weeks. Judging from Edric's demeanor, he was as well. Bronn had taken up position at the head of the party, as he undoubtedly knew Westeros far better than Austin did.

"So, Bronn, how long have you been fighting?" Austin inquired.

The sellsword snorted. "Since I was five. You have to fight to survive, especially in Fleabottom. Killed my first man before I was twelve, been selling my sword ever since. Fought at the Trident for one of the Reach lords, forget which. I stole a horse and left when the King killed the Prince, though."

"If my father had been there, the Prince wouldn't have been killed," Austin muttered.

"So where are the two of you from, eh?"

Austin paused. He wasn't sure he could trust this sellsword with that information. "Dorne," he answered finally. "The Red Mountains."

Bronn nodded. "And why in seven hells would two Dornish boys from the Red Mountains need to get to Winterfell?"

"Why does a sellsword need to steal? Shouldn't you be out there selling your sword?"

Bronn chuckled. "And what do you think I'm doing right now?"

"That's only because I hired you," Austin protested.

"Exactly!" Bronn said. "What? You think every sellsword just walks up to a lord in his castle and asks to be paid? We have to find opportunities, boy. We don't have the luxury of growing fat and old in the same place."

"We weren't growing fat," Edric said, crossing his arms with a huff.

Bronn laughed again. "All you lords think your problems are worth worrying over until you step outside the walls and open your eyes to the real world."

"I didn't say we were lords," Austin said coldly.

Bronn shrugged. "Didn't have to. Castle-forged steel, sword training, fancy clothes, good horses. Made it easy for me. Doesn't matter who you are as long as I get paid in the end. This ride better be worth it."

Austin sighed, resigning himself to a long few weeks of worrying about the sellsword. "How far to Bitterbridge?"

"We're already here," replied Bronn as they crested a hill. Below them sat a large castle, with a small surrounding village nestled on the bank of the river Mander. A well-traveled road passed through the village before crossing the river via a large, stone bridge, which the castle took its name from. The fields surrounding the castle were green and rich with livestock and crops. This was the Reach, after all.

"It's so green," commented Edric, who'd never left Dorne in his life.

Bronn nodded. "Aye, it's green. Seems every land has a different color to it. Dorne is red with sand, and the North is just gray."

"So what now?" Austin asked.

"Well, we rest here for the night, it'll be getting dark soon, then we continue along the Roseroad until we get to the Kingsroad," Bronn replied. "Come on."

The sellsword spurred his horse forward, headed down the gradual incline. Austin looked at Edric and sighed one last time before following.

"Where's Bronn?" Edric said from his seat on the bed.

Austin shrugged. "He said something about spending his gold on entertainment because he was going to need some for the next month with us."

Edric nodded and lay down on the bed. The young lord was clearly exhausted. Neither of the Daynes had slept much lately, especially Austin. He waited for Bronn to return, the young sellsword smelling of wine, before allowing himself to fall asleep.

Austin woke several hours later, at relatively first light. Edric was still asleep, and Bronn was passed out drunk on the floor. Austin slowly removed himself from the bed he and his cousin shared to make his way into the main portion of the inn they were staying at. Placing one gold dragon on the counter, he asked the innkeep for enough food for three. He took the breakfast, an assortment of bacon, bread, and cheese back to the room for Edric and Bronn.

The two of them slowly woke up, their noses smelling food. The three ate in silence, scarfing down every morsel eagerly. Bronn finished first, and rose to buckle on his sword belt before heading outside to saddle the horses. Austin waited for Edric to fully dress before following the sellsword.

The sun was barely visible over the tops of the trees, yet almost the entire village was alive with activity, looking to get an early start on their everyday tasks. Austin ignored them, however, and set off towards the stables behind Bronn. The sellsword had already saddled two of the horses, and was working on the third when the two lords of House Dayne arrived.

"Saddle up, fancy lads. We've got a rough stretch of road ahead of us. Best to get a nice head start," Bronn implored, lifting Edric onto the smallest of the horses.

Austin chuckled. "You know, you're unusually nice for a sellsword."

Bronn turned to look at him. His eyes were cold and caged off, hiding his emotions. "Only to children," he stated ominously.

So what'd you guys think of Bronn? This is like twenty year old Bronn as well, not the Bronn we know.

Rest assured, I have great plans for this story, and much will end up different than the show. Leave a review if you like it or have any suggestions! I have the overall plot mapped out, but if you guys like details, feel free to suggest them!