Hello to all yee brothers and sisters.
Chapter 50: I Shall Shield Your Back
Jon
He was awoken by the shouts for war, for blood and he got up to investigate the reason for this commotion.
Arthur, his brother was the one with several others and a wagon carting in some dead bodies and one of which was Greatjon Umber. "That took her! Jon, they took her!" He didn't understand and it was then he saw Nymeria and his eyes widened.
Arya was kidnapped by Euron Greyjoy, several hundred were slain and Moat Cailin was almost burnt to the ground in just a few short hours from his sister coming back home.
He was enraged and had to find an outlet while Arthur, his twin being blinded by rage called for a meeting with Mya and Mance on marching South to get her back because that's the only place that she will be.
Euron has no real ally other than the Lannister's, it makes the most sense because the Tyrell's won't treat with him and neither will Dorne. Cersei Lannister makes the best place to take his sister, and because their families have too much bad blood to take Arya anywhere else.
He remembers hearing about Arthur's lashings by the order of the Queen and King, it made him grip his hand tightly around Longclaw.
"Asha will sail the combined fleet and Queen Mya's soldiers to the Crownlands while myself and Mance lead the Northern and Free Folk force down the Kingsroad," Arthur said and looked at them all, Mance and Mya shook their heads which boded ill.
"My people have bled enough fighting other human armies, Dread Wolf, I promised to fight the Night King... Not the Lannister Queen." Mance told his brother, Arthur grit his teeth and took a deep breath.
Mya sighed, "Robert threw the Vale's might at Cersei once, Jaime Lannister and Randyll Tarly destroyed that might and killed Yohn Royce in the aftermath. Because of that, Lyonel Corbray was able to seize power." He's heard, much to Arthur and Arya's dismay when the Vale was defeated. "Fighting on rage proves to be too costly, Arthur, we must first deal with the threat at hand."
"You yourself planned to invade the Crownlands, Mya." He mentioned and the former good sister nodded.
"I did, in a few years' time when the Vale had gotten back to full power... But then you came, and I had seen what we will face so I brought who I could to help defend the North." Jon scoffed and leaned on the table, it was then that Asha and Theon spoke.
"My uncle doesn't treat his captives well, especially women and girls." Asha told them and Theon spoke next, "So, I vote we go down the Narrow Sea. King's Landing is where he will be heading and we can cut him off before he passes the Gullet." Yes, a plan he can agree to.
"The Night King will be making his move soon, we need every soldier here to fight it." Brandon said finally and grabbed Arthur's hand, "I love Arya but we cannot let the Night King get past the Neck, if he does... Then all is lost." He doesn't believe that, Jon's mind then remembered himself giving Needle to Arya before they left home.
That same Needle was gripped in his hand, he looked up to the assembled leaders and cleared his throat to speak.
"Then a single ship will do." The room turned to someone that might have been affected the most, Edric approached the table and strapped Dawn across his back. "I will rescue her myself, myself, and three ships will sail down the Narrow Sea and get Arya back."
His and Arthur's mother, Ashara stepped to deny Edric with a fearful stare. "You are the leader of House Dayne, nephew, you can't be so foolish." Jon commended Edric's bravery and smiled, stepping up as well.
"And I will join him." Arthur turned to him sharply, "Brother, we need our armies here, but a handful of ships and the fiercest men might do better than any fleet could." He and Edric looked at one another, certain to be the ones to go.
Arthur, Mya, and Mance knew the risks of throwing their men against another Kingdom when the Night King could strike at any moment and so approved of the mission and sent ravens to ready the five fastest ships in their fleet and readied near 300 of the fiercest warriors to fight under him, Edric, and Asher Forrester, and Asha and her brother, Theon.
He was readying her horse when he heard footsteps and turned to see Nymeria dressed with her sister's weapons at her side.
"You want to come, too?" He surmised and the Dornishwoman nodded, even had her own horse ready for the ride to White Harbor. "Why do you want to, she's not your family or your Princess." She shook her head and put a hand on her hip,
"I could've been killed when I chose to stay here, or raped and given to that monster but your brother let me remain. I am over my grief and now I want to aid in protecting your home, your family." Well put, he chuckled and nodded to her request to come along and save his sister.
Arthur was waiting at the gates, he dismounted and embraced him tightly.
This would be the second time he was away from home, this time he knows he'll be fighting and killing someone but unlike most times before this, he will be enjoying the deaths that Longclaw will claim.
"Look after Ghost, will you?" He asked and Arthur nodded, his wolf looked at him beside Dusk and Grey Wind and Nymeria. "And, brother, what we spoke about... I want to hear it all when I get back." He told him, especially since he's let it go on after this long and he's been quite patient about it.
No more waiting.
"I promise, and Jon, I wish I could have gone with you." He does as well, more so bring the might of their armies to King's Landing. "Be safe. Bring her home." He was tasked and he nodded, mounting his horse and pushing on with his company to White Harbor.
Sansa
She hasn't stopped crying, Nymeria comforted her but the wolf to is upset by the way her sister's return was.
Ashar called her to their weapons lesson but she wasn't interested in practicing, she would much prefer crying being in the godswood but her brother's mother was very insistent.
"Sansa, you mus stop, now." How can she say that, her sister wasn't captured by Euron Greyjoy, the worst of Theon's family.
Theon, she remembered in the days before this she had finally accepted him back. For a long time, the ward had been a brother to her like any of her actual brothers, and her cousin, Jon.
She smiled when he volunteered to go with Jon, they had one last conversation where he promised to bring her back no matter what the cost. She had gripped his cloak, pulling him close to hug him and whisper that she wants them all back, even himself.
Arthur is in a state, what with Mya Stone and her army's arrival to their sister's abduction, Cersei's preemptive strike against them is what she expected as many others do. She will be doing much of the managing here at Winterfell, her and Ashara plus her sister, Allyria.
She had once counseled Arthur to heighten patrols around the coasts, and add a thousand men to the Moat's defenses but he asked why to which she answered that they cannot turn their backs on Cersei, Arthur rightly denied it by explaining that the Lannister's are on their last legs, now, since they excluded the Tyrell's.
And the Tully's had gathered a new host to protect their borders, so she had been reluctant and let it be yet, in her mind, she regretted not bringing it to Jon or one of the minor Lord's to help her change Arthur's mind, or even have Lady Ashara do it.
It's too late, now, as Cersei got what she wanted. She can only hope Jon gets to Euron's ship before he passes the Gullet.
"I said I don't want to practice, I want to be left alone." She told her brother's mother, laughing a little in her head.
Once, long ago Arthur was under her own mother's household but now she appears to have switched places with Arthur and Jon.
Ashara gave her a sympathetic stare, "I'm sorry about what happened, Sansa, I wish I could do something but listen... Jon will bring her back, I'm sure of it." She believes her but so much has been done to her family and she knew it was a matter of time before the gods would rip their good fortunes away.
Ashara reluctantly let her be, she left without a word whilst dropping her bow then making her way to the godswood to pray. As she was passing by the Eastern gate she heard a commotion, arguing between several guardsmen and two strangers seeking entry.
With Jon and Edric off getting Arya back, a new captain of the guard was needed so Asher volunteered Gared Tuttle, Lord Forrester's squire who earned his knighthood after the battle of the Twins where Walder Frey and Roose Bolton betrayed her brothers.
He seems to be struggling with denying them entrance into Winterfell, after Stannis's assassination attempt and those Dornishwomen, security seemed to be lacking in her home so Arthur and Jon tightened it. Before she fully arrived to turn whoever it was away, she was stunned at their shapes.
Her eyes widened as she recognized them both as Brienne Tarth and her husband's squire, Podrick Payne. She hasn't seen them since Joffrey's wedding and murder, so, brushing her nervousness she continued walking towards the commotion and entering into the scene.
Brienne spotted her immediately and knelt, "My Lady, I am gladdened to have finally gotten to you." She didn't understand.
"You were a companion of Ser Jaime, so why are you here?" She demanded to know, Brienne rose from her standing position a little shamed for her known past of being close to the man who leads Cersei's army.
"Your mother charged me to return Jaime to King's Landing in exchange for you, I tried to do my best on that but you were married to Lord Tyrion and later went missing." Sansa narrowed her eyes, trying to find some flaw in Brienne's explanation but couldn't. "Jaime gave me this armor, and a squire with two horses then told me to fulfill my duty, to find you and bring you home." A little late on that one, Littlefinger had already done so.
"As you see, I am safe and sound. Your oath to my mother is accomplished, Lady Brienne." She dismissed them but Brienne frowned, not moving an inch. "I am quite fine, you two so you don't have to remain tethered to my mother's commands." She again stated this and got more silence in return.
Eventually, the giant of a woman knelt to one knee and unsheathed her sword then laid it at her feet. "I cannot, my Lady... As I have no desire to be anywhere else, so let me swear my sword to yours and protect you, and all of House Stark from all harm."
She was tongueless for a moment, considering it and while still thinking about her little sister. "I accept you into my House and you shall always have meat and mead at my table and warmth of my hearth. Now rise, Ser Brienne of Tarth." The taller woman rose and had a proud smile on her face.
AN: Hope you all enjoyed the update, sorry for the short chapter, again. The next one will be longer.
Guest 1. Yeah Almost married to a Frey. Her companion Gendry dies. and Now is captured by Euron Crows-Eye. But the Starks have won a great many victories, it's only natural that the streak would end in some way.
CEW. Indeed she does as their pain is a two-way street, a good thing they got nothing but time to sort their traumas out. It is true, the Greatjon Umber's absence is going to be felt within the Stark camp, especially to his grandson which will appear soon and is going to be felt in future battles against the dead and the South.
Guest 2. Unfortunately, Jon, Theon, or Edric will be the ones to settle this score. Mya and Arthur's drama is red hot, going to need some serious talking to to settle it for the sake of their alliance and soon to be alliance with Daenerys.