TW ATTEMPTED RAPE

Chapter thirteen

When three becomes two

Sansa

It had been a whole moon since they had managed to escape from King's Landing. Sansa was struggling more than her two companions. Arya was good at foraging, no doubt from her childhood back at Winterfell, and she was also surprisingly alert to dangers and often pulled the other two off the road as she saw riders in the distance. Tommen was the most surprising however as he had a ability to cook something edible from anything that Arya found. Sansa often felt that she was a burden on her sister and her friend, so she tried to help by collecting firewood and setting up the rolls Arya had managed to 'borrow' from the red keep. However, Arya had obviously got two so the sisters shared, and Tommen had the others.

The trio however were running dangerously low on provisions and after many discussions between them it was agreed that they would head towards a village to get some meat and fish. It had taken them a week just to agree and then almost three days to get close when Arya pulled them into the bushes shushing them.

Arya and Sansa now understood each other better, a cause of being forced together for so long. Arya had confided in Sansa about witnessing the King's collapse and his behaviour, but both agreed to keep it from Tommen. Sansa had begun to get butterflies in her belly when speaking to Tommen and she knew Arya had noticed as she smirked whenever Sansa blushed when speaking. Moons ago the smirk would have enraged Sansa thinking the worst of Arya but now she knew it was just out of affection.

The sat under the bush in complete silence not moving until the sound of hooves were upon them and they strained their ears listening for any news of the capital or even their individual families.

"Are you going to join the war John?" One man said.

"Am I fuck!" This John replied. "Either way it'll be me who ends up in pieces on some field somewhere. The Lannister's won't mourn me, and neither will the Starks."

"From what I've heard the Lannister's will be too busy to mourn anyone." The first man laughed. "The prince missing and the little stark lord freeing Riverrun."

Sansa's heart leapt if Riverrun was freed it meant that Rob was winning. They only had to get to him safely and she was sure he would accept Tommen; anything was better than Joffrey. They continued to stay quiet until the sounds of hooves had long gone.

Tommen

Tommen's heart was beating so hard in his chest as they approached the village that he was surprised nobody could hear it. This was the first time since fleeing King's Landing that they were approaching others and he was sure they would be caught, and he would be sent back to Joffrey and his mother. He knew Joffrey would love to punish him for leaving and his mother would surely let him.

The past moon with the Stark girls had been a revelation. He was capable of helping with tasks his family would see as below them and he knew he was a part of the team the three had created. Arya was the leader and the protector, weird as she was the youngest, he was the cook and Sansa both helped to set up the camp and kept them going when times were tough. She was so gentle and knew exactly what to say when both he and Arya felt hopeless. Sansa was everything.

They entered the village as the sun was at the highest, Arya's thinking being that most everyone will be too busy to pay attention to three newcomers. Tommen made sure to stick by the girls and not get caught up in the throng of village folk. Arya, as usual, took charge and ordered some meats from the stalls and as they waited, he noticed her hand did not leave her hip where he knew her sword rested. Tommen's eyes darted around trying to make sure he could alert if he thought anybody was paying them unnecessary attention, it was therefore him who spotted the trouble first.

It began as most things did with drunk men arguing in the village square over the price of the ale one man was selling. It wasn't long until the whole market exploded, and Tommen found himself being pulled and pushed against a sea of people unable to see anything, but legs and stomachs of people and he tried to shout but his cries were lost on the wind. In years to come as he thought about that day, he couldn't recall how long it was until he was suddenly dropped on his face in the side streets.

Tommen quickly jumped up and pushed and ducked around fighting men and feeling women until he was back roughly where he had last seen the Stark sisters. He looked around frantically looking for the tell-tale red hair of Sansa and almost cried when he couldn't see it before remembering she was wearing a hood. It was several moments as he spun around desperate to find her when he heard her voice clear above the din of arguing.

"No. Please!" Sansa was shouting. Sansa was in trouble.

Tommen didn't hesitate and ran to where he had heard her in a little alleyway just off the main square. There she was. However, she was not alone. Her robe had been torn and the skirts on her dress were above her knee as a disgusting man older than her father was attempting to push them higher. It was the butcher who they had been buying meat off not so long ago.

Tommen wasn't stupid, despite to what his mother and brother believed, this man was going to rape Sansa. His Sansa. Sansa seemed to sense he was there, and her eyes met his pleading with him to help. He couldn't let her be raped. He looked around; he knew he wasn't bodily going to be able to stop this man. Tommen noticed the man had thrown a knife to the ground and without thinking he picked it up and crept behind him before burying it up to the hilt in the man's neck. The man just fell. No gargling. No pleading. He just fell on top of Sansa, who immediately got up and hugged Tommen who sank to the ground. This was where Arya found them.

Arya

Arya when the fighting broke out latched onto her sister's arm and pulled her to the edge of the square.

"Tommen!" Sansa shouted.

"Sansa. Stop! How many Tommen's do you know? We will find him after but shouting his name will pull more trouble to us and him." Arya wanted to pull her sword but didn't want to bring the fighting upon them when it was only her to protect her sister. Arya kept a eye out for Tommen but she couldn't seem to find him in the chaos that the village quickly became. Arya pushed Sansa towards the wall and stood in front of her in order to keep both a eye on the trouble and out for Tommen. She felt Sansa step to the side and turned to tell her to stay close and suddenly she was gone. Then it all went black as pain erupted on the back of her head.

When Arya gained consciousness, the fighting had stopped. She quickly made sure she still had needle and then set off to find her sister. Her panic increased the longer she couldn't find her until she looked down the last side street behind the butcher's stall. Sansa. Arya breathed a sigh of relief. Sansa was wrapped around Tommen, eyes wide and the butcher was dead next to them a knife protruding out of his neck.

It only took a second for Arya to take stock of the situation noticing the spray of blood on Tommen and Sansa's ripped cloak.

"Sansa. Tommen. We need to go." Arya tried. But they didn't move.

"You two. We need to go before we are found here. Sansa take some of the butcher's meat and put it in the bags. Tommen, here's my water skin wash your hands and face." Slowly they started moving but very methodically and Arya knew there was going to be questions. She quickly turned the butcher over and pulled his money pouch out and pocketed it.

After they were clean, they left the village quickly and Arya sat to think as Sansa and Tommen clung to each other. Arya knew she could get to Rob quickly but with the other two in the state they were there were only going to be questions and stoppages. She really didn't want to leave her sister but couldn't see another way.

Arya led them to a small fishing port two nights away from the village and spoke to a sailor with a small boat. The butcher didn't have enough gold to get them North or even for the three of them to Riverrun. But there was enough for two. She paid the sailor all but one silver stag and got the two settled in a small cabin.

"Sansa. This boat is going to Riverrun. I will meet you at the castle sister. Keep Tommen safe." Arya had tears in her eyes. She didn't know when she would see her sister again. She hugged her tight and then got off the ship and watched as it pushed off.

Arya watched as the ship became a speck on the horizon and then turned to start her own journey. Her journey home.

Next up we are back in Kingslanding with Ned back in some sort of power.

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