Jon's POV

I wake from a stupor on the rocking wooden floor with Arya asleep soundly in front of me but jump once I notice Daario sitting against the door with a raised brow trained on me. I frown at the man turning to put my back to the wall once more and folding my legs under me. I look over Arya once more to see the parchments rolled firmly into her hand and wonder how long she has been asleep.

"Do you need food or water?" Daario asks lowly making me shake my head once.

"No. I am certain we have enough for the duration of the trip." Not entirely true, we would need water at some point, but Arya always seemed to get these things without me ever noticing or needing help. While it made me feel terrible, I couldn't argue her resourcefulness or the fact that she seemed to thrive from the tiny actions.

"I have placed some upon the cot. The winds favor us, a hard week and we can be upon soil once more." I watch as the man twirls a dagger within his hand, nearly distracted. I sigh, he may be being paid but he is sitting vigilant of us, armed even.

"Thank you for your help." The man's brows shoot up as he grins at my words making me scowl further.

"Ahh. There you are, I was worried for a moment Keeper. Frown slipped and everything." He jokes but the laugh bursting from Arya makes me startle.

"How long have you been awake?" I huffed, annoyed with both of them.

"The entire time." The answer comes from Daario making Arya sit up to throw him an impressed look. "Work on your eyelids, they twitch." He amends making Arya look at her hand with disdain.

"As I was telling Keeper, we will be upon soil in 5 days if the weather holds. The front is just south of the Run so we will have no trouble connecting with your king." Arya nods sitting upon the floor across from me with a tired sigh, tucking the scrolls into her belt.

"Have you been told much about the efforts against the Lannister's?" Arya asks making Daario hum in thought.

"Funny question for the princesses' favorite cousins." His words make Arya bark a laugh as I frown. Arya was a princess now. Robb will one day be King. Sansa would have been a princess. "Soldiers more than highborn it seems." Arya has controlled her laughter at this point.

"Well then what do you know?" I ask exasperated.

"Stannis Baratheon has hired us to fight the front, Lannister has gained very few allies and has little hopes of winning. King in the North has pulled forces with most southern houses alongside Baratheon. Barely a fight at this point." Daario comments dryly. "A show of force after he used the Wild fyre against common folk is understandable." We all fall silent, the creaking of the ship load in my ears.

"One of our own was there. Said he had never seen such effortless destruction." Daario grumbles out as I watch him scratch his beard. "Hard telling how many were lost. My commanders were more than happy to take the job." My mind goes to Sansa. To her ride with an enemy. To the loss that my mind never seems to wonder far from.

"I am certain your services go to the highest bidder." Arya says drawing me from the darkness within my mind.

"We were offered more. To what appears to be the losing side, the losing side that burned children. We were fine to take less money."

"Especially if it means you live with less money." Arya says back with a raised brow before both of them laugh knowingly.

"Especially." Daario comments. The silence settles as Arya lays back upon the cot once more with a sigh. I lay over onto the ground, staring at the planked ceiling. Effortless destruction. Such simple terms but they are not enough to describe the actions of that day. A day that Arya says never occurred. A day that makes me wonder what else waits for us beyond this ship. When we would be home, in Winterfell, together once more. Sansa. My heart seems to stutter painfully at the thought of her. I wondered how the boys were handling the loss. Did Bran go quiet as he tends to do when emotions become more than he cares for? Did Rickon rage the halls in anger while seeking solace in his mothers' arms?

"Did he see anything else that day?" Arya asks low making me roll my head along the floor to look at her silhouette. What is she looking for? What could he tell her?

"He had many stories to tell. Of battle, of the tourney, of idle society frivolity." The man says with a questioning tone.

"Any of it about our kin?" I allow my eyes to fall shut once more, hating the emotionless tone she used.

"Perhaps I can introduce you on the morrow."

"Perhaps."

"He said he saw the northern children sparring from the rooms balcony, the Lord he was protecting had a good laugh when the girl bested her opponent, knocking them clean onto their back, full skirts and all." As Daario's laughs a pained laugh falls from me as my arm flops over my eyes.

"She loved her dresses." Arya humors.

"As do many women." Daario shoots back.

"She was always tripping as we sparred, wouldn't abandon her skirts no matter how many times she fell."

"How good are you with that tiny thing?" Daario asks making Arya hum before I hear her feet hit the ground.

"Want to find out?" Arya asks with a hint of excitement that makes me sigh as I shift to sit up once more. I stand quickly when I realize he will engage her in the small space, sitting upon the cot crossed leg I watch them make quick tight movements, each aware of their limited space. Wishing I was home, asleep in front of a stone hearth, with Sansa and the wolves within reach.

Sansa's POV

Sensation came hurtling back as a hand grasped at my shoulder to roll me with trembling fingers. My mind sluggish as I tried to make sense of the darkness around me. Hot pain burned as water gushed from my throat.

"Fucking honor." Someone pants as they support me and the world floods back with a rush, Jaime, the jump, the water. My hands raise shakily into the dark, grasping his arm weakly as I gasp air in greedily. My lungs burning with every breath as my body trembles. I feel a hot hand land on my face and turn into its warmth.

"Fucking nuisance." Jaime grumbles half-heartedly.

"Jai." I pant as the barely audible word dies in my throat. Everything feels overwhelming, including the warm hand that drifts towards my neck. Torrance. Jaime grunts as he pulls me into a sitting position.

"We have to move. They will be looking." He grumbles as my eye adjust to the light of the moon and I finally see his eyes glinting in the darkness back at me. His hands move tugging the weight on my chest plate around and I catch a glimpse of my poorly covered chest as he hastily straps it back into place. My mind jumbled as I nod meekly. I'm alive? I'm alive but Torrance is gone.

My leg burns as Jaime pulls me to my feet with a pained groan. I would apologize to the man, that I owe my life, but my throat still fills raw and my body still feels out of control as I make to follow him. Our feet sluggish in the shallow water as they sink in the sand. The world feels like it is moving too fast. I'm moving but some part of me is still dead in the water. Sinking into the abyss I had barely crawled out of. Torrance.

"Come on." He pants as he moves into the woods, turning towards me with a grunt as he grabs my arm to pull me forward urgently. I suck in greedy breaths as I push to move faster with him. I would not have made it this far to die now. Well, to die again. The realization settles over me as I look at the back of Jaime's' head as he drags me along. He brought me back. I'll never understand it, I'll never be able to repay him, I turn my hand to grasp his arm back as he stalls to look at me questionably. My voice is too raw to speak so I hold his arm tighter and try to convey my gratitude as he gazes at me. Grumbling something under his breath he squeezes my arm back before he starts dragging me once more. It feels as if hours have passed as he drags us into a stream, both of our limbs moving stiffly as we continue our path in the darkness. My feet slipping and tripping over rocks.

The moon is high in the sky before he drags us back onto the land. My mind is numb, having only concentrated on my movements, no room for any other thoughts as he marches us through the darkness. He stops, his hand releasing me. I fall to the ground, barely holding myself aloft with my arms as he moves to my left. Torrance. My mind flares with images but my body is too exhausted to move or react.

"Come on." Jaime appears in front of me to point at the dark whole in the side of the hill. Barely visible in the darkness I crawl forward to realize it is truly only a crevice under the brush he has moved. "Get in." He huffs and I move without thought, lying in the shallow ditch. My back to the packed earth as Jaime lays beside me. I feel him move around a little before the brush is falling over us once more, the darkness all consuming. His body is warm against mine and I fall asleep before my head hits the dirt.

I wake to Jaime lashing out in his sleep. Grunting as pain sears into my thigh he connects with. I grasp his breastplate, tugging harshly to wake him as silently as possible noticing the brightness of the day beyond our shallow ditch. His eyes fly open frantic, pushing to pin me to the ground. He pants eyes widening as he recognizes me before pulling his hands away slowly, his head falling to the earth with a pained sigh. I still feel tired, throat raw, leg burning as I shift it slightly.

"I will go out first." Jaime says as he rolls quickly from the cover, rising far too slow from the ground to have been any good but it's not as if I was fairing any better. I shift under the brush as he stops circling the area to spot danger. Everything hurts as I struggle to push to my feet. Jaime grunts in some worried, irritated way before moving to help me but I stop him with a look.

"I can." I say not recognizing the hoarse voice that leaves me. "I will." I say more firmly as he looks doubtful. Taking far more time than should have been needed I finally make it to my feet. He nods once a bored look upon his face as he looks around.

"We should stick to the river." He says turning to make his way back to the sound of water. I push myself to follow, focusing on my steps to distract me from the hot pain in my leg. I frown at the one shoe still hanging on as I move about slowly. Hitting the water, I allow the single shoe to push free and watch it flow swiftly back towards the ocean, wondering where my brother and father were at this moment.

"Red." Jaime calls dryly without a backwards glance to urge me to keep moving. I do as he commands, uncertain of where I am or how I would escape without his effort. Arya. Arya would be proud. I chant to myself as the silence stretches and the sun climbs over the sky with our progress. I feel the tightness in my chest grow, from exhaustion or pain I am not certain. A flash of movement across the shallow water catches my attention. Fish school close to the edge with their scales reflecting back at me. Hunger has not presented itself, but I knew we would not go far without nourishment. The tiny amount of determination I can muster fuels my gentle steps as I pull the blade free. I notice Jaime stop at the sound, turning back to me from where he has progressed beyond me at a good distance. I try to recall watching the Blackfish show Robb this once many summers ago.

"I am a Tully." I tell myself as I lunge, the blade piercing a lazy fish. The pain at the movement steals my victory. Pain burning in my chest while my leg screams to give out. The other fish have moved off but this one would do. Jaime is at my side looking at the speared fish still pinned to the river bottom by my sword with a chuckle.

"Damn Red." He leans down, one hand still rising to his ribs, but he smiles as I lift the sword and he pulls the fish free before looking up at me once more smile fading from his face. "Over did it, though didn't you?" He comments pushing me pack into a standing position. I hadn't even realized I was still leaning forward awkwardly until the pain seared through my chest at the movement once more.

"Sorry." I grunt as he huffs dryly looking to the opposite side of the stream.

"You caught lunch Red. Come on." He holds his arm out for me to grab the bend without making eye contact. "Let's see if I can find a hot enough stone or we can make a fire to cook this." Sword still grasped limply in my hand I relish the feel of warm dry land to my bare feet as he guides me into a slight dip in the land. I frown as he guides me to a tree before helping me ease down upon the ground. Sword still grasped as my head tilts back to the sun.

"Thank you." I murmur before he grunts, and I hear him move away. Drifting in and out to the sounds of him cleaning the fish. He shakes me awake sometime later, my eyes fluttering at the hours that have passed. I feel him pull on my chest plate as his hand raises in front of me with flaked chunks of white fish meat cupped in offering.

"Took a while to cook on stone." He comments as I look blanky at the food. "Take some." He urges with a frown and I raise a trembling hand to his still feeling sapped of all energy. He grabs my wrist to steady my hand and I grasp a few pieces. Not interested in the least in eating as I chew on them reluctantly. I shake my head as he tries to push more at me. He sighs before eating the remainder quickly. A water pouch appears in front of my face and I take a few drinks as he stays silent watching me.

"I have not found sufficient shelter Red. We need to continue on until we do." My eyes fall shut. Father, Mother, Arya, Robb, Jon, Bran, Rickon. I chant as Torrance's face pushes to the front. Torrance. I would not fail him. I grasp the sword that had fallen from my hand in sleep and attempt to push myself up. Jaime grasps my arms pulling me up sharply with a pained grunt and we both sway for a moment.

"A fine pair we are." He jokes releasing me as my eyes droop despite my feet being beneath me. "Come on." He urges me back towards the water and I frown stepping back into it. I am a Tully, but in this moment, I could never see water again. I look to Jaime who seems to be staying closer than he was before. Torrance would have loved this; I humor to myself about the man.

"Torrance loved many things." Jaime comments making me realize I had said the words aloud. I feel energized by the man's comment and stare at the back of his head. My heart surging with the idea that this man holds knowledge I do not have of my husband.

"Tell me." I urge as he looks over his shoulder with one eye shut to the bright reflection of the sun off the water.

"He loved to spar. Was always quick on his feet." He says as he turns to face forward once more, and I grasp the words like a lifeline. The man once my enemy continues to save me, leading me away from danger, from death with colorful tales of the man I love, his failed trails, his sharp tongue, Jaime Lannister paints a picture of a man he admired despite having been his superior.