Conversations with the not so dead
Author's Notes: Thank you for all the reviews! It's much appreciated :) This is probably the final Tomard POV. The song Rock of Doom is courtesy of Pennsylvania on . Thank you for saving me the trouble of writing it! As always Enjoy and Review!:)
Rating: M; it's Game of Thrones, anything less is not Game of thrones :D
Summary: Companion piece to my other fic, the Raven's Plan. A series of conversations from minor characters perspectives.
Tomard III
The day started as any other. Breaking his fast with the other guards. Their duties given out to them by Ser Roderick. Nothing new, the same as yesterday and the day before.
And then people began arriving at Winterfell.
First the Onion Knight- who is now, some how, Hand of the bloody King now, then Barristan fucking Selmy himself, then Wildlings! Wildlings! Wildlings that were welcomed into Winterfell! What the fuck?! Since when were Wildlings friends? Two of them had actually been slain by Robb and Theon in the first life! Though the third, Osha, the spearwife, had actually saved Bran and Rickon. So everyone was glad to welcome her, including Tomard. Wildling or not, that made her alright and welcome in his book. Then Tully men showed up with prisoners. He'd missed the last arrival, but he'd heard rumors of Freys in Winterfell. They brought even more outlandish rumors as well with them, something about the story of the Rat King being true. Others about Faceless Men in Westeros. Most didn't make sense.
Though maybe he'd get some answers now, a Tully man was sitting opposite him in the barracks enjoying the evening meal with them.
"Hey, you brought the new prisoners?" Tomard asked.
"Aye, gift's from Lord Edmure," the Tully man answered. He paused and gave Tomard a look, "I'm Desmond."
Tomard nodded, "Tomard," he introduced himself, "Who'd you bring?" he asked making conversation.
"Lothar Frey," he spat the new in disgust, "He's the one that murdered the Queen, Talisa Stark and her unborn child," he further explained in disgust, "He'll die soon enough. The other one is Lord Robb's traitorous little squire, Olyvar. He's for Lord Robb's judgment."
Tomard's own anger ignited now, dark deeds indeed! He sneered angrily, "Fucking Freys."
"Aye, fucking Freys," Desmond agreed vehemently.
Murmurs of agreement echoed from the others had the table, irrespective of which house they were sworn to.
Next to him, Varly spoke up, "I heard that Lord Edmure killed all the Freys."
Desmond snorted, "I wish. Just the ones that took part in the godsdamned Red Wedding."
The man next to Desmond cut in, "Hey Ser Stevron was innocent and he died for the Young Wolf fighting the Lannisters. He didn't deserve to die with the rest of his traitorous kin."
Desmond sighed and grimaced, "And Lord Edmure is marrying Lady Roslin...again."
Tomard let out an annoyed snort, "Why the hells would he do that?"
Desmond shrugged, "Damned if I know. Even if she is a cute little thing...there has got to be better Ladies then her," he finished in annoyance.
Tomard took a bite from his meal and thought over all that Desmond had said. Quiet descended on the table for a while before one of the Riverlanders began singing, and before long all them joined in as everyone else watched and listened.
House Frey had stained themselves in blood
when they had broke Guest Right,
Lord Walder Frey slew King Robb Stark
in his own halls one night.
Then Arya Stark, avenging blood,
baked two Freys in a pie,
slew Walder Frey, poisoned his sons,
and left them all to die!
With judgment like a Rock of Doom
the Starks and Tullys tell
that Walder Frey and his fell sons
are damned to Seven Hells!
Yes, Walder Frey and his fell sons
are damned to Seven Hells!
When Brandon Stark brought us from Death,
by turning back time's wheel,
Edmure Tully called Frey's sons forth,
and ordered them to kneel.
Black Walder and Lothar came forth,
the worst of Lord Frey's gang,
of them, plus one, the Starks will judge,
the rest the Tullys hang!
With judgment like a Rock of Doom
the Starks and Tullys tell
that Walder Frey and his fell sons
are damned to Seven Hells!
Yes, Walder Frey and his fell sons
are damned to Seven Hells!
"And who are you," Black Walder said,
"that I must bow so low?
As an Anointed Knight, of me,
Trial by Combat's owed!"
Lord Edmure threw him to the ground,
and beat that cursed sot,
then grabbed a stone and crushed his head,
and killed him on the spot!
With judgment like a Rock of Doom
the Starks and Tullys tell
that Walder Frey and his fell sons
are damned to Seven Hells!
Yes, Walder Frey and his fell sons
are damned to Seven Hells!
His eyes were wide and he gaped at the Riverlanders as they finished singing, little Underfoot killed a Frey? Maybe more than one? "Which one did Lady Arya kill?" he asked in surprise of Desmond
Desmond gave him a big satisfying smile before answering, "All of them," he laughed loudly, "Every last fucking one of them."
Tomard gaped, "All of them?"
Desmond nodded, a gleeful expression on his face.
"What did you mean baked two Freys in a Pie?" Varly added in a perplexed tone.
Baked? Pie? Thought Tomard is surprise, he'd missed that part.
"Lady Arya killed Black Walder and Lame Lothar and baked them into a pie...which she fed to Walder Frey, before killing him," Desmond explained with a satisfied smile, "The next day she poisoned them all and then walked out proudly declaring that Winter came for House Frey!"
"Couldn't have happened to a more deserving person or house," added another Riverlander enthusiastically.
The rest of Riverlanders started laughing nastily at that.
They may have said more but Tomard wasn't listening anymore. He couldn't hear anything over the roaring of blood in his ears. Little Underfoot had done what?!
He swallowed fearfully, there was vengeance and then there was what she did. Suddenly, the wariness of the Manderly and Reed men made so much sense.
He looked around him and found Varly pale and gaping at Desmond, "How the fuck did she do that?! Didn't...didn't anyone notice anything? She killed their lord? And no one noticed?!"
Desmond's smile turned even wider, "No."
"How the fuck did she mange that?!" Tomard exploded in disbelief. The Freys were know for their incompetence but not to notice your own liege Lord was dead?!
Desmond shrugged, "It's easy when you're a Faceless Woman," he said offhandedly, not understanding what the issue was.
No. Because...no. Just no. Because Arya Underfoot was a Faceless Woman. An unstoppable assassin of unparalleled skill and competence.
The silence in the barracks was deafening as the Riverlanders smiled and the Stark men stared, just like Tomard not believing their ears.
Tomard stumbled out of his seat, leaving Varly and the Riverlanders behind. Numb with shock and forgetting the rest of his meal, he stumbled out of the suddenly very stuffy barracks and into the clear and chilly night air.
He broke into a cold sweat. She'd baked him a pie. No no...no one he knew was dead...he shook himself. She wouldn't do something like that to him...right?
His mind was aflame with the revelations, how in the name of the Old Gods and the New did Little Underfoot become a Faceless Man?!
In his mind's eye he saw her, the little girl he knew, her smiling face staring up at him, innocent and friendly. The pranks, the mischief she always got up to.
How did one reconcile that with what the Riverlanders were saying about her?
And the Manderly and Reed men had known! And they'd kept silent! No wonder they'd been so wary of her!
Arya Stark, Arya Underfoot, Arya Horseface...was a Faceless Man.
And it terrified Tomard.
Author's Notes: He he, hope you all liked this! :D As always, Enjoy and Review! :)