authorsnote: the wheel turns...
side note I broke my thumb lol, so slower updates unfortunately...
do let me know watcha think
songrecs: bittersweet symphony - (I like the version from the crown)
Night fell as they fled the city.
He was on high alert, hand on his sword, the other in Sansa's, Ghost at his silent urging lingering at Sansa's skirts, they had their packs close to them, strapped to their backs and across their chests, and Jon knew he was acting suspiciously, eyes swivelling side to side, pausing at every street end to check either side.
And yet, he knew behaviour like this, that some would see as odd; especially in a same Pentoshi neighbourhood, would keep them alive. He didn't care if they looked strange, as he held Sansa back from crossing a road, as he took them down several small alleys to bypass main areas, as he tugged her hood down further at one point, he didn't care if people found them strange.
All he cared about was keeping Sansa safe.
That was his duty now, his duty and solemn promise to whatever Gods existed. He would protect her until his own death and would do so unwaveringly.
Sansa was his only family alive, and he felt a fierce burning need in his heart to see her safe, stronger than anything he'd ever felt. He would die to protect her, though he hoped it didn't come to that.
"Come" He said as they hurried past the main square. Pentos was busy at night, people drinking and dancing and having fun, they could not be among them. When had Jon last had fun? His last few weeks here with Sansa had been the most peaceful he'd ever known, and he'd take a peaceful existence over a wild one.
And yet, as he glanced at Sansa, her brow furrowed, features in a frown, hands trembling, he wished not just to keep her safe, but to make her happy to.
And yet, it always seemed as though the latter came at the expense of the first.
Some would argue he was being paranoid, moving them on so quickly, and yet Jon had always followed his instincts and they had never done him wrong. The man who'd broken in had their address, Sansa's name, and descriptions of them both, it was too much, they would be fools to stay put.
He did long for it a touch, for the peace they'd made here, the happiness, the two of them smiling over dinner, Sansa reading as he trained. Ghost at Sansa's feet as they lit a fire and talked long into the night.
But that was gone for now, to keep them, to keep her safe.
He hoped they could find that kind of peace elsewhere, that happiness somewhere new.
"Where are we going?" Sansa whispered as he skirted them around the square, and to a place he'd seen the week before, a tavern with a stable attached and a sign he couldn't quite read (though thanks to Sansa he could understand it more now) but the symbols told him what he needed.
"Away from here" Was all he offered, who knew was watching them here? Who knew if they were being followed? Here he couldn't tell, it would be impossible to pick a spy out of the crowd, but once they were on the open road or somewhere new it would be easier to recognise a familiar face, or spot someone acting strangely to follow them, for now they needed to be guarded.
And as Sansa nodded and they approached the tavern, he knew she understood. She was better at the game than him, politics which he despised, and yet even just here he had to play a part of it, and would to keep Sansa safe.
He had already sacrificed his honour to do so, abandoning the Nights Watch, and would again, personal honour meant nought if family suffered.
"Pull your hood down" He urged as they stepped inside, he had debated asking her to stay outside but he preferred to have Sansa at his side, where he could protect her.
That was his life now, decision after decision to protect Sansa. He would have to be more cunning, more alert, a better fighter than he had ever been. He had no choice now, he would have to be the best he could be, for Sansa.
As they stepped inside, he took her hand, slipping his fingers through hers, and Ghost remained at her feet. They got a fair few looks but he moved them quickly through the tavern, Ghost was notorious, but magic was more accepted in Essos, and the protection he offered outweighed his infamy, and beside, he never could have left his companion behind.
He moved quickly, approaching the bar, where an Essosi man served.
"Westerosi?" He asked, and the man shook his hand from side to side, indicating a little of the language, that would be enough.
"I need two horses" He said, trying to enunciate his words, he knew his accent didn't help him here, but he didn't want any attention brought to Sansa, not a touch. He also held up a hand to indicate the number two, which helped as the tavern owner nodded.
He didn't haggle over a price, he wanted to be in and out as soon as possible, and so 40 silver stags got them both a good horse, and a man led them to the stable outside the tavern and picked them out two steeds. Jon quickly checked them over and nodded, they were good horses, hence why he'd been fine paying a flat price, they were good steeds, and they could be on their way quickly.
He took an extra precious minute to fill their waterskins at the tap outside, the water was clean, and they had a while to travel, whatever direction they decided to travel in.
"Ready?" He asked, he knew neither of them were, being moved on so soon when they had finally settled in, and yet they had no choice, the man had, had their address, their descriptions, the risk was too high to stay put, and he knew Sansa knew that too.
Was this their lives now? Running from spies and assassins in the night? If so, so be it, Jon thought grimly as he approached the horses, whatever it took to keep her safe.
"Ready" Sansa confirmed, as he helped her onto her horse, quickly lifting her by the waist, and waited until she settled herself in the saddle before jumping onto his own. Their packs secured, saddles firm, blankets in place, sword at his hip, Ghost with them, they were ready indeed.
"Lets get out of the City, then we'll decide" He offered, and Sansa nodded, Jon took the lead, spurred his horse and nudged him out of the stable, into the square.
It took a while to pick through the cobbled streets, but then they were at the road; a crossings, Jon thought, thankfully it was still earlyish in the evening, it wouldn't be nice to ride in the dark, but safer than being spotted.
"Wait" He said then as they approached the City edge, grabbing a length of rope tied to his horses saddle, he quickly looped it through Sansa's too, it would impede their speed, but he wasn't risking losing her as it fell dark, Ghost he could trust to stay close, he had better eyes than him after all.
"Now we go" He said with a nod, and nudged his horse forward, Sansa followed, but paused.
"Go where?" She asked, and he knew the fear in her voice matched his, they were alone here, alone in an unknown world they had to learn quickly, whilst hiding from spies. Only fools wouldn't be scared.
"Away from here" Was all he could offer for now.
They rode through the night.
It was scary, somehow scarier in some ways than her lone journey to the Wall, at least then there had been lights flickering on the Wall, fires lit, but here the road was dark, so few people traversed here at night, the same as so few people would traverse the Kings Road at night, there were no fires, no torches, and yet there was a crucial difference to the Kings Road.
There were no inns, taverns, nowhere to pause, nothing to light the way. It was scarier in that way.
And yet there was a deep comfort in that she wasn't alone, not anymore.
Jon (even though she couldn't see him) rode next to her, the gallop of his horse, the pull of the rope tethering them was a deep comfort to her, she wasn't alone anymore, she didn't have to ride alone.
There was still fear thrumming in her chest though, as they fled the place that had barely been called home for just a few weeks. Where were they going? She didn't know, and it was only when they were an hour outside of Pentos, riding relatively slow, side by side, did she ask.
Away from prying eyes, sure she could barely see but there were no sounds of horses or footsteps on the road, only their steeds, and Ghost, near silent lopping along beside them.
"Where are we going?" She still spoke quietly, though the air around them was silent too, almost eerily.
"I don't know" Jon said, and if they weren't in such tragic circumstances she would lie, Jon was not the type to offer empty comforts or lies, he was too honest for that, which in truth suited her.
She was done with white lies and fake courtesies, give her Northern brutal truths any day.
"Okay" And for the first time since they'd seen the man, throat ripped out by Ghost did her mind seem to settle, to calm down, her hands even stopped trembling on the reigns of her horse, as for now she had a purpose.
Something Jon was giving her more and more, and she had lacked for so long.
"We're heading East?" She asked.
"Aye" Jon said, "If we know where we want to go I can get us there, navigating is one of the first things they teach us at the Wall, I just don't know where we should go"
Sansa nodded to herself at that, before realising Jon couldn't see her in the dark, she would have giggled at the absurdity, did the dark not worry her so.
"The nearest lands are Andalos" She began, "But they are barren"
"Aye, thanks to Theon Stark" Jon said, and she nodded to herself, all Northern children were told the story of Theon Stark's revenge on the Andals, and the wasteland he had left behind once his revenge was sown, no, they would find nothing in Andalos.
"What about another Free City?" Jon asked, and she bit down on her lip, she'd been mulling the same thing, but worried, what if they just ran into the same problem? Spies? Cities were bustling and busy, but they were easy to spot.
There was no hiding in plain site with them, so perhaps they just needed to hide.
"Bravos is quite far" Sansa said, "The same distance as Kings Landing to the Eeyrie" She said with a little shake of her head, "And we might just have the same problems as Pentos"
"Aye" Jon said, "That was my worry too, but anything outside of the Free Cities will be full of bandits and cut-throats"
Yes, it was difficult, decide on being caught again, or risk the savagery of other lands?
She knew she'd rather have her throat slit than be returned to the Lannister's, but she hoped there was some sort of middle ground.
"What about Myr?" Sansa asked, chewing on her bottom lip still, an awful, nervous habit of hers, "It is less obvious than Bravos"
"But we'll stick out further" Jon said, they had both read about the other Free Cities, and they both knew the people of Myr had the Rhoynish look, and they most certainly did not.
"Maybe we need to go further East" Jon mulled, "It will be easier to hide if we weren't in the port cities right next to Westeros"
"But it is so much more dangerous" Sansa fretted, and Jon's silence told her the truth, honest again, he wasn't going to lie to her.
"What about Qohor?" Sansa thought then, "Still a Free City, not completely savage, but further away"
"We can start there" Jon agreed, and she raised an eyebrow, "But I think any spies will check all nine of the Free Cities, and decide we might be hiding in the furthest away"
"Wouldn't that be Volantis?" Sansa asked.
"True" Jon said, and she nodded.
"So Qohor?" She asked.
"It's a joint decision" A ghost of a smile passed over her lips then, Jon always said that, clearly the democracy of the Wall had rubbed off on him, she said as much, and his laughter warmed the dark around her.
"Qohor then" She said, before a yawn broke through her voice.
"Here" She felt Jon nudge closer then, and felt his hand grab her waist, pulling her over to his horse. She moved with him, unsure what he was doing until he settled her in front of him, pulling the other horses reigns close.
"Its too dark to sprint, so sleep Sansa" He said, and her smile grew then, she wanted to protest, went to, but another yawn broke free and Jon laughed. "Sleep"
It was warm and comfy as Jon wrapped his cloak around them both, nudged the tethered horses forward, and placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, how could she say no?
"Night Jon" She said through another yawn.
"Goodnight Sansa" He returned, and the sound of his voice, the rhythm of the horse, and Jon's warm, reassuring presence lulled her to sleep … on the journey to Qohor.
"Someone found them"
He was silent as he walked his old friend through the hidden gate, Maegor had made many a secret passageway in the Keep, executing the builders so none would know them, he had found most, not so arrogant to believe all, but enough to suit his purposes, as this one did now, ignoring the dragon skull they passed, and instead making use of the quiet corridors, they had much to discuss after all.
"Who?" He asked, for that was not part of the plan. His little birds kept their distance, reported on the Stark girls movements but stayed back, the thieves and usual smugglers and cut-throats had been subtly ordered to leave her be, and so who had dared overstep the line?
"I managed to get to the body, they fled and left it behind, Westerosi in dress" His old friend said, only his connections could get him this.
"Littlefinger then" He returned, concerned, none could be worse than getting their hands on the Stark girl, none, "The Queen doesn't have the oversees resources, nor the Hand"
"And Baelish does?" Illyrio asked, eyebrow raised.
"For her?" Varys said, well aware of his enemies obsession with the Tully girls, now Sansa, before it had been her Mother, how distasteful. "Absolutely"
"Well his man won't report back, his throat was torn out"
"A mercy" Varys said with a shudder, "Her bastard brother would have been no kinder"
"They've gone to the road" Illyrio said as they walked the corridors, silent, no birds or spiders sang down here, he made sure of it, "But we can't track them, my reach is limited outside of Pentos and the West"
"I know" He lamented, the Starks were known for many things, their courage, honour, justice, but not their cunning, and yet the two had fled in the night, dangerous but wise, and had not uttered a word of their destination until they'd been long down the road, and away from spies.
"My birds will check all of the free cities" He said with a nod, the plan already forming, "They'll find them"
"And watch?" Illyrio asked.
"Just watch" He nodded, "For now"
"The bastard boy will be a problem, he abandoned his vows for her after all"
Varys nodded at that, certainly a problem; Starks didn't just abandon their vows after all, which meant he valued his kin over his vow, prying them apart would be troublesome, but necessary, unfortunately for the boy.
"The time will come and we'll part them" He said, "How much money do they have?" He asked.
"Not enough" Illyrio said, "They've been conservative, but they can last another couple of months, at most, they'll find worse pricing the further East they go after all"
He nodded, "Indeed, though I wonder how far East they'll go, the boy is skilled after all"
"Very skilled" Illyrio said, "I managed to pay a man in the Watch to tell me, before he took a tumble from the Wall"
"A tragedy I'm sure"
"Quite" His friend said, "But he told me the boy is near legendary with the blade, carries Valyrian steel and fights like he were born with a sword in his hand"
"Then he'll protect her" He said, "Suits our purposes for now"
"For now, and when it doesn't?"
"Sansa Stark is the Key to the North, and may be key to our plans, she could unite two Kingdoms under her, the North and the Riverlands, she is crucial, the bastard boy is not"
"Agreed, then we watch?"
At that he bowed, as the two went to part ways, "Watch and wait my friend, watch and wait, the game changes around us"
"It does indeed" He replied before disappearing into his shadows, and the spider scuttled into his.
so to qohor? we'll see...
do let me know watcha thought
speak soon