It was hot and crowded in the small house. You can't even call it a house, it was more of a one room hut. The small village was made mainly out of those small huts, and fields, and shacks.
It took us more than two weeks to cross the Reach and get there from King's Landing. Half of the village was burnt, and the people were scared to their bones. That little village was just on the border with Dorne, and it was at the end of a trail of completely burnt villages, abandoned or destroyed. The people here survived one assault, and they were very suspicious when we arrived. They thought we're raiders, just like the last group that murdered and raped their girls a week ago. They thought they were Dothraki, and it was hard to convince them otherwise when the actual Dothraki we had with us were pretty scary looking. Joqhu didn't help by rolling his eyes at them, either.
The Hound was grumpy and scared the little kids, and Brienne was a tall woman in armor who was nervous and unsure. She was good at representing her lady, but when it came to speech and talking for herself she was completely awkward. And then there was me, a young woman with a weird hair color and a strange accent. I decided to take control anyways, because no one else will. I had to convince the people there that we're on their side, and it took me a while. Then, we heard the gallops of two dozen horses from south, and I urged the people to get into the huts and shacks. The streets were almost empty when those ugly looking armored people arrived the village, and then the fighting started. I jumped out of the crowded hut and took my guns out. Some bad guy on a horse ran in my direction with his sword up, and got a bullet in his brain that made him fall of his horse.
There was a moment of silence when everyone gaped at my gun because of the loud noise it made. I was breathing heavily-it was a pretty long time since I actually killed someone.
An arrow flew near my head and I rolled to take cover under a wagon.
The village was in chaos. Dothraki slashed at soldiers, the Hound fought three of Cersei's people at ones. More of them came swarming into the village, and I think that now there were almost fifty. I saw one of our Dothraki warriors fall off his horse with an arrow in his throat. His blood came out like puke from his mouth. That was gruesome.
I swallowed and tried not to think about all of the blood and screams and weirdly bent bodies, and tried to spot the archer. I peaked beyond the wagon and looked up to find him shooting at our people from the tallest building in the village-that wasn't so tall at all. I didn't get a good shot at him from where I was, but I saw there was a ladder two huts away. I crawled out of my wagon and ran as fast as I could to the ladder. Another arrow whistled near my ear. I entered a different hut than I planned because I didn't have another place to take cover in. The family inside looked scared, but I didn't have time to acknowledge them. The fight outside kept happening, and I had to help me friends.
I climbed out of their window and ran to the hut with the ladder. The moment I started to climb, a sharp pain cut my shoulder. It was worse than I imagined getting scratched by an arrow could be. "Motherfucker!" I yelled and held my bleeding shoulder, gritting my teeth. But I knew it's not time to dwell in pain. I spotted then damn archer and now I had a good enough angle. He knocked an arrow. I hit the trigger, and the bullet pierce his arm, forcing him to drop his weapon. Then I shot his head and climbed to the roof of the hut.
The Dothraki screamers were as good as they get. Brienne was kicking ass, and the Hound was a fucking monster. Even Pod successfully fought the bad guys. We had two injured and one dead so far. I started shooting.
I took a big breath to deal with my pain, and took down five guys. It looked like we're going to win this fight, but then I saw one of our enemies sneaking into a hut with a family in it. I drew in a sharp gasp and ran to the ladder, then cursed in pan again as the pain in my arm started to get stronger. It's just a scratch, Andie. You've had worse. Come on, go, go, go!
I started to climb down, but the pain in my arm was too much. My hand just didn't have a good grip and I fell into a puddle of mud with a loud 'oof'. "Thank Hendrix for that soft landing." I grumbled and saw a man run to me with a spear. "Oh, give me a break!" I yelled, have in pain, half annoyed and raised quickly to my feet. I shot him in the throat and jumped ot of his way when he hit the floor with his spear. Collapsing to the ground. You can add like, seven, eight guys to you list of how many lives you took. I thought grimly to myself, and then I remembered why I climbed down in the first place.
Holding my bleeding shoulder, I ran to the hut. I saw the bad guy sneak and heard screams, and kick down the door.
Three kids were hiding under a table at the side. A body of a dead villager was splayed in a puddle of blood that poured out of his stomach, and in the other corner of the room and man was ripping the clothed off of a screaming, begging woman.
I saw only red, and sharply said, "Get off her, or your death will be worse than the one you gave her husband." He didn't hear me. "I said," I growled, "get the fuck off her!" That caught his attention. He turned around and looked at me, unimpressed.
"I don't fucking care what you say. Your savage queen's going to kill me anyways, so I better get some cunt before you do that. Maybe yours?" His smile lacked some teeth. Then I saw he had a knife in his hand, and that he stabbed the woman he was assaulting in the heart with so much force that the knife got stuck in the wooden wall behind her. The kids screamed behind me as he tried to draw his knife out of his dying victim, blood dripping out of her mouth. I almost screamed, but couldn't give him the satisfaction. I pressed my lips and drew my gun out in a second, shooting at his hand.
"You fucking bitch!" He screamed in pain. I didn't mind his screams and shot his ankle. He screamed again and fell to the floor as I walked to him. I forgot about the pain in my arm, about the guilt I felt over killing even the bad guys, about me wanting to give people the cleanest, painless death, because I'm not a sadistic monster like I was raised to be. But this man, this scum, doesn't deserve to live. He doesn't deserve a clean death. But then, when I heard the fighting was over out there, I remembered we need someone to lead us to Cersei. I looked down at the scum who was making an effort to spit at my face. It was so bad he only hit my boot. That granted him a kick to the jaw from said boot.
"Andie!" I heard Brienne behind me. "I heard multiple shots, are you-" then her eyes fell on the ugly man I was standing over with his multiple gun shots. He was bleeding, and so was I.
"We should burn the bodies." I said and turned to her. I gulped when I saw the terrified, now orphaned kids shaking under the table. How come I was less than a monster after acting that way? I still saw red, I still wanted to finish he job. "And for him… we need to keep him alive. He will lead us to Cersei." My breath was heavy as I walked passed her and out of the door.
The village looked like it went under some kind of massacre.
In one moment all of the violence, and blood, and death and pain downed on me, and I emptied my stomach on the spot.
The Dothraki had a funny way of treating their hostages. I mean, not really funny. Even though that ugly rapist I shot couldn't really walk, they wouldn't let him sit on a horse. He was dragged behind us with a rope tied to his hands, naked. It was their way of humiliating him.
Joqhu mended my arm. Damn, how I wish we had antibiotics now. A little bit of sterile thread to saw the cut and some modern medicine would do the trick and my wound will be fine in a few days.
But not here. Here they put some weird stinging oils on it and wrap it with some cloth. It didn't get infected, but it still hurt like a motherfucker. Especially in the dry heat of the desert.
We burnt our two dead men and the murdered villagers in big pyres. For the enemy's troops-well, we had to do something with the bodies, so we burnt them as well in a big pit out of the village. That was nasty, but necessary.
"We're close." The limping idiot said one afternoon. I didn't want to know his name, so I just called him 'the limping idiot.' Sometimes Clegane would call him 'cunt' or a 'cock sucker', either offensive to someone, but the Hound always called people in those names. I looked around at the hills and short cliffs that surrounded us, suspicious.
"Oh, are we now?" Clegane asked and looked back at the idiot, he had a fever, and his wound started to stick really bad. No one would spare healing ointments on him. It was pretty clear that we'll kill him when he's no use to us.
But it wasn't just this. When I told Joqhu about everything this guy did, he decided to do his best to make him suffer. I didn't argue.
"Yes," the limping idiot said and almost collapsed on the ground again, only the force of the horse that dragged him made him move. "Yes, we are." There was a strange smile to his face and my eyes grew wider. I caught Brienne's expression, the same as mine, as we understood what it going to happen just a moment after.
I heard a dozen arrows whistling at once as I jumped off Diana onto the ground with my hands on my head. Some horses got hit and I heard their whines.
"We're being ambushed!" Podric yelled in a half-hysteria.
"No kidding!" I yelled back and took cover behind a huge limestone. Then we heard horses galloping out way. I peeked behind my shelter and saw some of out men got hit, but not critically. Then I remembered how painful it was to get scratched by one of those things and decided to bake a personal cake for each of these brave warriors who kept fighting with arrows sticking out of their backs. Joqhu was a skilled archer himself and jumped to crotch on the back of his moving horse and shot three arrows up. They all hit their targets, and three enemies fell from the cliff. Wow, if we make it out alive I have to make him teach me how to use a bow like that.
Then the cavalry came and there was chaos, just like a week before at the village. I was shooting, Brienne was yelling "Winterfell!" and slashing at man, and Podric was at her tow.
Well, if she had something to shout for, maybe I should find something as well. "New York City!" I screamed as I shot with both of my guns at the same time, hitting two enemy soldiers in the chest. They had armor, but it wasn't bulletproof, and small holes appeared on their chests, drizzling with blood. I swallowed again and ran to the fight. Someone jumped at me with a sword and I ducked quickly, trying to kick at his ankle unsuccessfully. He was quick enough to raise his foot and kick me in the guts. The feeling was awful, but I didn't let myself get lost in the pain. I know I'm out of shape, I didn't fight in a long time-the fight at the village was the first in a few years-but I can't let it get in my way. I have to suck it up and remember what to do in real life action.
I was back on my feet and he slashed at me. I jumped back just to avoid his sword and shot him in the left lung. He stumbled and tried to stab me, eventually falling to his knees, gasping and coughing blood.
I turned to find a soldier slashing at one of out Dothraki, so I shot him in the back. Nasty move, I know, but no less effective. The Dothraki nodded at me and turned to kill another soldier using his arakha. I kept fighting, hand to hand combat as well as shooting and killing and what not. I turned again, only to trip on a dead body of one of our people. I used my fingers to close his eyes before standing back up and shooting another Cersei supporter in the face. Yuck, that's messy, dude.
Brienne was pulling her sword out of somebody's torso when I saw another man coming from behind her. I was about to shoot him, but she drew her sword just in time to turn around and slash at him.
Everywhere around us, was full of dead body. It was quiet again, now. Horses were running about in panic, some were wounded on the floor. It seems like we fought about fifty men, and lost seven. Daenerys was right in assuming we will be good, but I think she was overconfident. I hope there's really only about hundred supporters and not anymore that hide somewhere, because our group is getting smaller. The Hound was panting, his face and armor coated in blood. Actually, all of us had blood stains on our body and clothes. I looked at myself, and my fancy dragon-themed clothes where full of red splashed, even some piece of a brain I blew out of someone's head. That never happened to me before, and I turned away and emptied my stomach on the desert floor again.
Then there was a mad laugh echoing and I turned to see who that was. That limping idiot was still alive. I started to walk to him in some king of a trance, not with that red anger Ii had before, but with something way deeper. One Dothraki was swinging his sword at him in anger but Joqhu lifted his hand to stop his friend, shaking his head and gesturing to me. I stood above the crazy laughing fool and put the end of the barrel of my gun to his forehead. I gritted my teeth, thinking about the awful person I might've become in that short expand of time. I was an assassin, but I never considered myself the cruel kind of killer. No, that's not me. And that idiot was still laughing his brains off. No, I'm not wasting anymore bullet on him. Ii won't let him corrupt me more than he already did.
I took my gun back, and gave him a strong blow to the side of the head with it. The heavy metal did its job, knocking him out, and from now on-I don't care if he's going to starve in the desert or die of his wounds when we'll leave him here.
We didn't find enough wood the burn all of the bodies, so we only burnt our fighters. Then, we had to keep going. I had no idea what is going to happen to all of these dead people, but I hope there are some carnivorous animals here that wouldn't let them jut rot. Shitty people or no, it's disrespectful, and also very polluting.
"Their trails lead that way," Joqhu said as we kept walking as far from the little warzone as we could. "We should camp for the night soon and get some rest."
The next day we were riding under the burning sun for hours, and running out of water pretty fast. We had to wash the open wounds of some of our warriors, and the blood off out faces. I hoped we're not going to die of dehydration when one of us spotted a small castle in the distance.
When we got closer, we saw two guards at the doors. They were about to yell for reinforcement when we recognized them as Cersei supports with lions decorating their chests, but Joqhu was fast and shot them both in the throat.
We stormed the castle, and it was almost empty. I let the maids and servants go, and so did Brienne. The Dothraki weren't a merciful. They've got an order to kill traitors, and here even the people who were washing Cersei's sheets were traitors.
We kicked down a double door to a big room, and it took me a moment to take it in-there was a man there in black robes, who looked about sixty, and a giant knight in full armor. Two maids were shivering next to a bed, and on that bed, sat a beautiful, tired looking pregnant lady. She had a small green vile in her hand, and se was about to drink it. Poison. No, Cersei, I'm not letting you get away with that.
I drew my gun quicker than I thought I can, and shot in the direction of her hand. It didn't hit her, but the noise was startling enough to make her drop the vile to the floor in shock. Her green eyes grew wide when she looked at the hole in the stone where the bullet hit, and then she collected herself, her face turning into a calm resting bitch face. "A trial by combat…" she said and swallowed. "I demand a trial by combat."
I blinked and looked at Brienne in question. "That's the law of the Seven Kingdoms." She said, clearly unhappy about it. I wanted to say we don't care, most of us are not here and she should answer for her crimes in a court full of people which their lives she had ruined, but Sandor Clegane pushed passed me.
"I'll fight for Queen Daenerys." He said and looked at the giant knight. That's when I took a better look at him-he had a sickly purple color to his skin, and his eyes were bloodshot. Was he…?
"And Ser Gregor will do the fighting in my name, the true queen, Cersei of House Lannister." She said in such confidence, as if she wasn't in disadvantage.
I caught the Hounds hand without thinking, "Are you fucking kidding me? I can take him down with one shot, don't kill yourself for that stupid tradition!" he shrugged his hand away forcefully.
"No, I want to do this. I wanted to kill him since I was a little boy." He growled.
"I won't let him kill you." I decided. "I will shoot him the moment I see you're going to lose."
The Hound gave me a scary glare, "Let him finish me before you finish him, then."
I looked away, angry at him and angry at Cersei and angry at everyone. We don't need anyone of us dying again. We practically won. It's just ego and manipulation, now. Cersei knows Sandor wouldn't give up the chance to kill his brother.
The fight wasn't held in that tiny room, of course. It was set in the huge empty dining room in that castle. We were the only audience.
I had a silent agreement with the others-whatever the outcome may be, I'm going to gun down the Mountain and we're taking Cersei up to Winterfell. Law or not, she will get justice.
It started well enough with the Hound charging at his brother with a heavy sword in his hands. Gregor tried to block him, but he was hit with such force that he almost stumbled to the ground, giving Sandor enough time to strike his leg with the flat of his sword. The Mountain knelt and the Hound cut was of his armor's strips with his sword. The big metal sleeve started to roll down his arm. Then he sliced the second strap, and the Mountain had to shake his armor sleeves off to grab his sword. Sandor charged, but then wit a swift movement, his brother stood back on his feet, and slammed one of the long metal sleeves in the Hound's face.
I drew in a short breath and reached for my gun. Sandor stumbled, but didn't fell. He spat two teeth out with a lot of blood. The time he took to refocus was enough for Gregor to get rid of his sleeves and they fell on the floor with a loud hollow sound. He swung his sword and hit the Hound's leg. He grunted in pain and gave a strong blow to Gregor's side, and now two of the straps that held his chest plate were undone and left his side exposed. One bullet, I was thinking and gritted my teeth, trying my best to respect the Hound's wishes.
Sandor gave a strong blow to his brother's sword hand, and his giant two-handled sword flew out of his grasp. I started to feel hopeful, sitting on the edge of my seat. I couldn't breath steadily, worried too much for it.
And then, just when I thought my friend's going to finish his opponent with a stroke to the side, the Mountain almost jumped at him and reached for his throat with his bare had. When the Hound fell on his back, he dropped his sword, wiggling under his brother's weight. Looking at them fighting, I almost forgot how big Sandor was. His brother was really a fucking mountain. I glanced to Cersei, who had a smug look on her face, then to the struggling Hound and his monstrous brother. My heart was racing when I saw he won't make it. Fuck your ego, Sandor. Fuck the rules, too. You're my friend.
I drew out my gun and shot without thinking twice. The bullet grazed the back of the Mountain's helmet with a loud thump and sparks flew out of it. It was enough the make him confused and lessen the grip on Sandor's throat. My friend finally managed to bring his hand to his belt and took out a dagger. First, he stabbed his brother's exposed side, his dagger cutting the chainmail easily. Then, he took the dagger out and stabbed him again, and again, until his brother growled in pain and rolled off him. Sandor stood up and kick his brother, who started to bleed and tried to stand back up. The Hound reached to the Mountain's helmet and pulled it off his head. His face was too gruesome to look at, and I looked away when Sandor Clegane shoved his dagger through his brother's skull with a sickening sound.
There was silence, that silence after death I got used to now. Then, Cersei Lannister tried to protest.
"You helped him!" She screamed at me. "You helped him!" She stood up abruptly and her advisor, the old man in black robes I learned his name was Qyburn, stood after her. I let out a breath Ii didn't know I was hold, and pointed both of my guns at them.
"Not another move." I said coldly. Qyburn looked somewhat curios. Cersei was pissed, but tried to collect herself and think of another plan. I didn't care, not moving my eyes off of her until our men came and took her away. Then, I glanced to Brienne that was at my side. She nodded solemnly to me.
I finally had the courage to look at the Hound, who still stood above his brother's dead body with a bloody dagger in his hand. He felt my gaze and looked up to meet my eyes. He was angry, really, really angry with me, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he spat on the ground and went to pick up his sword.
I tried not to care about his anger. It's just ego, I know it. But I'd really prefer to be called a 'cunt' over his stormy silence.
/Jon/
Two and a half months have passed since Andie left. One and a half months since King's Landing's new popular religion turned into that of 'love', 'peace' and 'John Lennon'.
He wrapped another opened wound, and wondered what the Night King is planning.
Something was off by the way the attacked weren't as common as they were at the start, and it worried Jon very, very much.
He looked at Daenerys from across the room, reading her scrolls and letter with her advisors. Her belly was swollen now, and there was no point in hiding it. They didn't marry yet, though. Jon didn't have an answer, he didn't know what to think. He needed an advice by someone who's not involved in the politics of Westeros. He needed Andie's advice.
"Your Grace!" a young squire barged into the room, panting. His cheeks were pink from running and from the cold of outside. Jon recognized him as one of Sam's squires.
Both Jon and Daenerys stood up from their sit and the young man was confused, not sure who to announce the message to. Jon blinked and exchanged glances with Daenerys. She was amused, and so was he. He turned to the squire, "Just tell both of us what it is, boy."
The boy swallowed and nodded, blinking, "A message came from south. The part you have sent to catch the Mad Queen is making its way back to Winterfell."
Jon tried not to look too pleased. Andie's coming back.
Daenerys raised an eyebrow, "And?" she asked, and then Jon remembered that there was an actual mission that had to be fulfilled.
"They have Cersei Lannister with them. They're going to bring her to a trial before you, your Grace."
A/N:
Hey people! phew, finally I managed to write that chapter! Took me some time, but there it is.
The pace might change from now on. like I said before, it's going to take me longer to post chapters now, but I intend on (trying) to write longer chapters, too.
And yeyyy I can't wait for Andie's return to Winterfell, and Jon, and who knows? Maybe Cersei's going to be served some justice :)
Let me know what you think!
~A Girl Has Many Names~
