Maya smiled pleasantly when she saw the familiar Targaryen ships sailing to the ports of Lannisport. Bronn raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a look that made her roll her eyes at him.
"What? I can't smile?"
"It's weird. You Starks are usually glum."
"We need Daenerys on our side especially since she's most likely set to kill Jaime," Maya explained. "I don't want to give them another reason to be crossed with us. We will welcome her men into Casterly Rock and decide a plan for King's Landing."
Maya started to walk away from the ledge as Bronn questioned in shock, "You're going to siege the Capital?! That wasn't the plan."
"Well, it is now."
"You told Jaime-"
"I know perfectly well what I told him," Maya replied coolly. "I remember. I am going to give them Casterly Rock so that they can somehow win this war. I will also help them."
Bronn shook his head. "What about your son? Your family? The boy still needs his mother."
"I am doing this for my family," Maya said evenly, about to lose her patience to this man. "You didn't see what I saw in my dream of the Night King. I saw him and he touched me. I don't know what he wants with me or my son, but I don't plan to find out."
"You know," Bronn started. "I was surprised that you didn't follow Snow to meet her. Why?"
"Truthfully, I'm quite frightened of the Night King so wherever Jon goes, he will follow. It's best I set my sights on Cersei for now. I can't risk my son's life. I won't," Maya told him. "I deal with Cersei and Jon deals with the dead. It's best this way."
"If what he says is true then I think we should be working together not against each other if we want to kill the dead bastard," Bronn said before he departed.
Maya held the tiny wolf stuffed animal in her hands and then put it in her pocket before going to greet the Unsullied.
. . .
Hope delicately ran her hands down the back of Winter as she laid on the ground. She stared up at the blood-red leaves of the weirwood tree. Winter knocked her nose into her arm. Hope smiled at her and continued to pet stroke her fur.
"This tree means a lot to Northerners," Robin said as he sat beside her. "They have faces because of the children of the forest who carved them into the trunk. They believed that the trees are gods. They're only in the North now because of the new gods. The Seven. Father. Mother. Smith. Maiden. Warrior. Crone. The stranger. No one prays to them anymore."
Why, Hope wrote.
Robin shrugged. "Because what good is praying to the gods if they all do is give no mercy. A woman prays to the maiden to protect her maidenhood yet it is taken from her. In battle, we pray to the warrior for victory and yet we lose. We pray to the crone for guidance and wisdom when we have none yet it only makes us lose in the end. We pray to the father for justice yet all I see in the world is injustice. Pray to the mother for protection of the people we love and yet they are taken from us causing heartbreak. We pray to the smith for strength yet all we get is weakness."
And the stranger, she wrote in question.
"No one prays to it. It is the face of death and is far from human. We don't pray for death, Hope."
The stranger is someone I used to pray to when the other gods had failed me. I prayed to them, hoping for a quick death, but instead it let me live, Hope wrote quickly. I wonder why the stranger let me live.
"Because they're not your gods," Sansa said from above causing them to sit up quickly. "Lord Arryn, I apologize. I need to talk to my niece."
Robin looked to Hope who gave him a nod. He kissed her cheek and left the Godswood.
Sansa day on the log and patted the seat beside her. Hope sat beside her as Sansa chuckled at her appearance. She picked at the leaves and dirt on her hair, throwing them on the ground.
"The Old Gods are your gods. They've always been, Hope. Do you know why you were named that? Hope?" Hope shook her head. "My sister, your mother she once told me that it was because you were the light to her darkness. Your mother is a very a strong person, she called herself the Mocking Knight. Ser Dorren. She is a very good fighter and that's what she wanted to do. Fight and become a knight, but because she was a woman and a highborn, she wasn't allowed to. So she pretended to be a man, the people loved her or well him because he fought for what was right. She had a plan to be the savior that Westeros needed, but then you came along and changed everything for her. She became a better person, stronger and loving. Then she lost you and she adapted."
Why are you telling me this, Hope wrote.
"Because when you meet her, she may deny you," Sansa said sadly. "She was told they buried you. She's come to terms with your death even though she still misses you. Maya loves you, but she doesn't like vulnerability. She doesn't like to get hurt. Your father will protect you, he doesn't deny you. It will take some time, but don't worry. You're a Stark of Winterfell. You know how I could tell?"
Hope shook her head.
"Because you were drawn to the old gods, they brought you back to us," Sansa with unshed tears in her eyes. Hope let Sansa wrap her arms around her as she came to terms with the fact that she was never a bastard.
She had a family. A house.
. . .
Jaime sighed as he set Hope on the saddle with a smile. She looked extremely frightened of the horse. He gave her an assuring smile before he sat behind her and held the reins in his hands.
"If you fear the horse then it will know. Have trust, Hope. Confidence."
Hope scoffed and wrote quickly, Have you forgotten what life I lived? I was a bastard.
Jaime looked down in sadness as Hope sighed and patted his hand. She looked apologetically at him as he shook his head. "It's alright. I know it will take some time. I just want to spend time with you before your mother gets here. She will not let you out of her sight I'm afraid."
Hope frowned for a moment before she gave him her best smile. Jaime then taught her how to ride a horse.
Arya watched from the shadows as studied the girl who claimed to be her niece. Arya noticed how the girl looked nothing like a Stark or a Lannister. Arya was set to kill the queen until she heard the rumors of a white haired girl claiming to be the once dead daughter of Maya Stark and the Kingslayer.
She then turned away and returned home to investigate these claims. Arya's hand tightened around Needle as she watched them.
Arya had her doubts about her. It all had to do with her appearance and the fact that she acted nothing like a Lannister or Stark. Arya couldn't ignore these claims because if she had then there possibly could be another betrayal again to their family. They could lose everything because of this girl.
Arya couldn't let this happen. She took out her bow and arrow, aiming for her only.
"Don't," Bran said from beside her suddenly.
Arya looked behind her, her arrow still pointed to the girl. "Why not?"
"It's her," Bran said simply. "She was kidnapped and beaten nearly to death. She's a survivor. She's your family."
"How do you know? She could be lying."
"Not from me." Bran said impassively. "I see everything. I saw her one day. She's a Targaryen. Maya is. That's why her daughter has white hair. Maya's hair is supposed to white, but your father always dyed her hair so that she wouldn't be seen."
Arya placed her bow and arrow down, whirling around to face him. "That's impossible. Maya is a Stark through and through."
"Because she was raised that way. Just like Hope was. She's different than you are and that frightens you, but it shouldn't. There are those who wish to use her, so protect her."
Arya let out an angry sigh. "Are you sure, Bran? We can't have any mistakes."
"I'm not Bran. Not anymore."
Arya rolled her eyes. "Fine. Three Eyed Raven. Are you sure?"
"If she wasn't important then why would I bring her back? The memory of her is painful to Maya."
"If she's a threat to our family then I will not hesitate to put an arrow through her chest," Arya promised.
"I don't think you will," Bran said. "But think what you will, Arya Stark."
TBC…
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