3. Eyes on the road.
Catelyn
Her feet were wet. He hair was wet. He clothes were wet.
"Sorry excuse for a road, isn't it?" her uncle Brynden's horse caught up with hers. "But with all the rain we've been having, it's getting boggier and boggier"
"It's almost as if the gods were crying."
"Well, that's certainly one way of seeing it."
"It's almost as if they didn't want us to go there."
"Still with the omens, Cat?"
"She doesn't like this. She's restless."
"Who? Your wolf? Cat" he wanted to admonish her for being so superstitious.
"Look at them. Together with GreyWind. They keep howling and pacing. They sense things, Uncle. Things we don't know. Things we can't see."
"Don't worry. This will all be over soon. By tomorrow evening, we'll be drinking all our sorrows in Frey cheap wine and Frey crappy food, sending your brother off to his lovely bride" he joked.
.
Later that day they arrived at the Twins and were escorted inside by two of Lord Walder's sons.
"The wolves stay outside" one of them said.
"Must that be so?" Robb retorted. "I'm sure your father would not appreciate you insulting two such valuable members of my family" he threatened in a not too subtle way.
"They're beasts."
"They're coming with us."
"Your responsibility" the young Frey replied and turned around leading them inside the castle walls.
Catelyn petted Nymeria and willed her to stay by her side and behave. She looked up and saw the Frey banner on the battlements. She turned around and saw the all the different banners of her son's army displayed on the yard waving together with the grey direwolf and the blue trout of her two Houses.
.
.
.
Arya
It was not raining, yet she still felt wet.
They were resting in a farm they had found on the road and had not been on the run for a while. Yet she still felt tired.
The farmers were very kind. Yet, she was still apprehensive.
It was not her, Arya realized.
Stay with me, behave, a voice had said and she had felt a warm hand tousle her hair gently.
.
As she went to sleep at night, she pictured herself in a big castle. Two castles to be precise. Two towers joined by a bridge. She recognized the flag. She had seen it before. Another memory hit her as her eyes found a pink flag with a flayed man in a cross waving together with other the banners she knew well.
Her mind took her back to another castle. Another life, one might even say. Not Arya, but Weasel. She was serving a man, an important man. Tywin Lannister. And she saw the letters, the correspondence, the messages. And sigils. A lion, two towers and a flayed man.
It was a trap.
Arya quickly rose and woke her companions.
"We need to go" she ordered them.
"We just got here to the farm. Let's stay and eat and rest and sleep" Hot Pie complained.
"We need to go" she insisted
"Where?
"Shouldn't be far now."
"How do you know?" Gendry asked.
" I just know" was all she said.
She got to her feet and started walking, but nobody was following her.
"Are you coming?"
"Arya, we'll be safe here for a few days. We can stay and help these people with the farm. We've got food and shelter. Why leave?" Gendry tried to reason.
"I need to go."
"Where? Why?"
"My family."
"We can be your family" Hot Pie smiled at her. "Stay."
"I need to go. They're waiting for me."
"How do you know?" Gendry insisted
"I .. I can't .. I have to go."
Nobody said anything for a few minutes.
"Good luck Arry" Hot Pie said looking at his feet.
"Take care Arya. Hope you find your family." Gendry's downcast tone spoke volumes as to how the three of them felt.
She gave her dear friends one last look and walked away. Walked towards the big river, and the towers, and the flayed man. She walked towards the soft hand caressing her hair and telling her to stay with her and behave.