6. Through these eyes we finally meet.
Mother and daughter ran to one another. No words were spoken for a long time, just a silent embrace that carried so much meaning. They were oblivious to the commotion around them.
The fighting had come to a stop inside the hall. Walder Frey was brought to his knees in front of Robb together with his some of sons and grandsons. The remaining Bolton men eyed the body of their Lord bleeding out on the floor and surrendered their weapons. "Why?" was all Robb asked them.
"It was Tywin Lannister." Arya's words shocked everybody in the room.
"How do you know?"
"I was there when he wrote the letters. I didn't make the connection at the time until I knew you were here."
"How did you know we were here?" her brother asked.
"I just knew" she shrugged her shoulders.
"Arya?" Robb prodded her but his mother just shook her head pleading him not to ask any further. They both knew how.
"Our men are outside, my King" a voice reminded them.
Robb divided his men and put them to work. Some were ordered to put surviving Frey and Bolton men in chains and take them to the dungeons, while the rest followed him outside to help the men in the yard. Ignoring their wounds for the time being, the men and women in Robb's army followed his orders. Brynden Tully went himself to fetch his nephew Edmure from his wedding chamber.
GreyWind howled at Nymeria and bolted after Robb.
"Go" Arya told her wolf. "Go help"
"She's already helped a lot" Catelyn said after they had left.
"Yeah, she did. She's a good wolf."
"She helped me a lot"
"And she helped me too. When I was alone at night I knew I wasn't alone."
"I can't believe you're here" Catelyn said almost in tears. Her hands caressed the side of her daughter's face and her fingers combed her hair. The gesture felt awfully familiar to both.
"What's going to happen now?" Arya wondered.
"Simple. We just need to get Sansa back and go home" she smiled.
"And Bran and Rickon"
"You saw them. They're alive." It was not a question and Arya just nodded.
Arya helped her mother up and helped her walk to the yard. She had insisted her mother rested, but the older woman would hear none of it. She needed to make sure her son and her brother were safe. The wound in her back still burned but had fortunately stopped bleeding. It was a relief for the both of them when they met up with Edmure. He was coming back from the fight with news for them. His uncle Brynden had taken him from his bed and put him up to speed with what was going on. His newly wedded wife Roslin had broken down in tears admitting she and the whole castle knew about the plot. She was quickly taken with the rest of her family to the dungeons and then both Edmure and Brynden had made their way to the yard. As the fighting was all but finished, Edmure had decided to go find his sister to make sure she was safe.
"And we are safe" Catelyn reassured him.
The stench of blood in the yard was nauseating, but there was a sense of relief at the sight of their banners still waving in the wind. Their eyes searched for Robb, but it was Nymeria who met them first. The big wolf stood between mother and daughter, whose hands came together as they both started to caress its fur.
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The cleaning and rounding up of prisoners took the biggest part of the night. By dawn, all the men and women who had taken part in the plot and had not succumbed to their wounds, were either executed or taken to the dungeons.
Plans had changed now. A plot had been thwarted, but the fighting continued. They had a home to reclaim. But they would do it together. The pack had wandered apart for a while, but they would come together. Soon. And nothing would tear them apart. Ever again.
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Moonie: Thanks! I'm gald you like the parallels between the points of view (Arya and Catelyn). That was the main idea behind this piece. And Robb's last words at the Red Wedding ...