Previously on PotG: The wildlings leave the wall. Robb Stark asks Jon and Steffon to contact Nathalia. Sansa finds out that Olenna and Margaery knows about her and Jaime.
Chapter 31 The Games Have Changed
*Nathalia*
"If Robb Stark had sent a whisper, why are we still here?" Alessandra whines while trying to brush the snow from her hair. The winds have become stronger and the cold sharper. Winter is coming.
Nathalia had just finished sending another letter to her little Dany. Last she heard of the girl was when she arrived in Slaver's Bay. Poor girl, Khal Drogo had died of a deadly poison. The sooner she could fix this Westeros mess, the faster she'll be able to help Dany with her quest to regain the throne. She tries her best to offer her best guidance but it was hard with former Viserys' incessant questions.
Her name is called again.
"I already gave the guardians a command to pack up. What are you on about?"
The answer she receives is a groan. "It's not you, I swear. Dyllonjustgetsonmynervessometimes. Do we bring Ghost with us?"
If she hadn't been paying attention from her folding of her clothes, Nathalia wouldn't have caught the second sentence. "Intercourse would be the proper way to solve that tension, Ally." She smirks when her friend pretends to be scandalized. It's not a scandal for guardians to participate in safe coitus during their time in Westeros. In fact, their heavenly bodies are often celebrated in the feast of the flesh as they liked to call the day before a new coven is blessed down Westeros. They are simply unapologetic with their lust.
"Ugh! It would be too weird, he looks too much like Gabriel,"
The cracking of the fire is loud, too loud, for the previous chatty atmosphere.
"I—I'm sorry," Alessandra is the first to speak.
Nathalia tries to play it off, and starts putting on her blue gown. She may not approve of the wedding but she will not dishonor the sanctity of a marriage with her choice of clothing. "It's alright," She says as she tries to do the back laces.
A warm hand swats her hand away, "I'll do it, princess."
She rolls her eyes at Alessandra's good-natured jesting. "Did you know?"
"Know what?"
"Of Gabriel's marriage,"
The sudden yanking of her laces is enough to convey annoyance. "Of course not. I would have told you. It surprised me almost as much as it did you."
"Then why not send a whisper?"
"Well I didn't want Jon to find out about your past lover that way,"
Nathalia purses her lips in thought. "Point taken,"
"You would have fainted,"
"I get it," She grinds her teeth. Sometimes Alessandra likes to taunt her too much.
"There, all done."
Nathalia blows a breath. The cold of the north is making her skin pale, irritating her even more. She doesn't have an inkling on what would happen once she reaches Robb Stark's camp. However, she cannot wait to get back. Jon's been far away for long enough. She misses him.
"I'm surprised Lord Walder allowed Edmure Tully to wed his daughter, especially knowing that Robb Stark went behind his back and married another," The comment is said with curiosity and disbelief.
Nathalia scowls, "That's what I'm worried about. He's usually not this understanding," She hears the heavy shuffle of cloth before Alessandra appears in front of her. The two women nod before exiting their room one last time.
Their presence alerts the ready guardians waiting in the field. Nathalia is glad that all of them has enough sense to realize that they could be handling a bigger problem them their initial. A war in Westeros means a possibility to become one of the most famous guardians. Only a fool would pass up an opportunity like this. Apparently, not all, she muses as Alessandra hisses a question to one of the guardians in the location of Dyllon. Nobody could reply until the man himself exits from the stables with a direwolf following him.
"Ghost!" Nathalia exclaims suddenly, surprised that the animal could take such a liking to another male. The direwolf, recognizing her scent, immediately scampers away from Dyllon to affectionately nuzzle himself against her shoulder. Chuckling, Nathalia can't help but think of how Jon would love seeing his friend.
"You know him?" Dyllon asks, confused that such an animal would take affection with Nathalia. Still, it's Nathalia. She could probably charm a snake to do her bidding. He starts to wonder when he started seeing her as a friend instead of the villain he painted her out to be.
Nathalia seems to think whether to give him a hint to the direwolf's owner. Finally, she speaks. "The Lord of Winterfell had gifted each of his children a direwolf. One of them took the black but left when he heard of his family's troubles,"
That is enough to sate him. He wonders if he would meet this boy one day.
The sudden quiet prevents his thoughts from wondering further. Nathalia, a bit nervous on what they might find in Robb Stark's current status, offers her hand to Alessandra. Not long after, all guardians form a large circle. She keeps a hand on Ghost's head to make sure the direwolf could be calmed if the journey proved too stressful for him. They all recite what was taught to them, how to summon the winds to take them wherever they wanted. Instantaneously, it starts their journey. Sam and Pypar stand by the stairs, watching them as they disappear from their home. The disappearance of the helpers lifted a heavy burden off their battered shoulders. For everyone knew, wherever a helper goes, trouble follows.
*Jaime Lannister*
He watches his twin take another sip of her third glass of spiced wine. Gods, since when has he started to notice how dark her heart really is. How did he start to see the abomination they both created? He studies her appearance. Her red gown fits her perfect body as she arches an intrigued eyebrow at their father's speech. Jaime sighs heavily, showing Tyrion how bored he is by rolling his eyes. His little brother snickers in response and lifts his goblet in false appease.
"They're watching us; I know of it. Be careful with your words."
"Are you not a bit paranoid, Father?" Cersei is the only one who dares talk to their father this way.
Tywin Lannister turns his steel eyes towards his only daughter until the smug queen begins to cower in his gaze. "We cannot underestimate Nathalia. I've seen her in battle—both in the ground and behind its execution. She's cunning, dare I say. Now we're considered her enemies."
"And how do you know of this?" Cersei drops the glass on the table. The only sound present in the room is the roaring fire and the meeting of goblet on wood.
Tywin stares at the open window. "I've had men report that she's aided Robb Stark in his camp. We are an enemy of the Starks. She's part of the rebellion,"
"Rebellion?" Jaime could not help but utter in disbelief. He's part of this "rebellion". Better it be called an uprising. He knows his family would not stand a chance against Nathalia. The most he can do is ask for an exile instead of an execution. However, the death of Ned Stark turned his plans into nothing. The Stark boy will be out for nothing but blood.
"You sound surprised," His twin suddenly sneers, her beady eyes looking at him as if silently judging him. "I would have thought you'd join them given all the time you've spent with the Stark whore,"
He bites his tongue from saying anything that could jeopardize his act of fealty to his father.
"YOU'RE USELESS, THE LOT OF YOU!" Tywin Lannister is not someone to be met in the eye while his voice booms for your obedience. "A man pining for the enemy, a woman jealous, and…a dwarf."
Tyrion chuckles from sipping his wine. Not like he hasn't been called worse by his father. He finds the whole thing amusing to watch since Jaime appears to be the most uncomfortable in the watchful eyes of their father and Cersei. In his first act of pretense, Jaime Lannister is not a manipulator of the games. He appears only useful in action.
The action does not go unnoticed by their father as Tywin sends a harsh glare towards him, "Anything on your mind, Tyrion?"
The little man drowns his goblet in one go. "Not at all, father. Just a bit parched."
The rest of the night is spend discussing Joffrey's wedding with the Lady Margaery. Gods help me, Jaime thinks miserably. What he would give to spend another night between Sansa's legs.
He was just walking along the corridors—hopefully unnoticed towards Sansa's chambers—when a heavy arm lands on his chest and drags his back to the wall. The echo of his hit is enough to shock him before he acted. Reaching down—wait, down?
"Natasha?" He groans. She is still suffocating him with her petite frame. "What in the gods?"
She stares at him with her cold, icy eyes. Nathalia's sister she is, through and through. Despite the lesser known sibling, she has made sure she matched her sister with her wit and provided her with the best information in the monarchy. Now, it seems she's taken Nathalia's brute strength too. "Lannister, going somewhere?"
"Yes," He grits his teeth and wonders how she'll respond to being pushed. "Hopefully safe and asleep to my chambers,"
Before he can notice what she's about to do, a punch makes him stagger towards the floor. Gods, what have I done? "She's a child, Jaime!"
"Who is?" He's too busy caressing his face to comprehend what she meant.
"Your lady wolf, Lannister."
"What? Oh."
"Nathalia will kill you," She's frantic. It dawns on Jaime that she did this out of fright instead of a planned attack. "And she'll kill me for letting it happen!"
Finally conceding, he sighs. "No, she wouldn't."
"What do you mean?"
"She was well aware that I was taken by the Stark girl long before she decided to send me back to King's Landing." He stands up, keeping a short distance between them in case she decided to attack him again.
"But she's a sixteen year old girl!"
He flinches. Gods, she makes him feel like a filthy old man. Suddenly, he doesn't feel like going to Sansa's room tonight. "Yes, I'm aware."
"You're old enough to be her father!"
"Well, yes?"
"Gods, Jaime." Exasperated, she runs a hand through her thick mane. When she found out what had transpired during Sansa's wedding night (by the obvious evidence of the blood on her beddings and Tyrion's absence from the room), she had gone ballistic. She wondered how much of their relationship she had missed to be clueless at how the pair are infatuated with each other. Cersei had been complaining about Jaime's absence from her chambers and Jaime began to act as if he's been appointed as Sansa's guard. If there was ever someone who looked at the lady the wrong way, he was quick to retaliate with a few chosen words. "Cersei must not hear of this, you do know that? If I were to forbid you, Sansa would know and she'll resent me for it. I can't handle her pulling away from me, not now. Not when Robb Stark has done what he did."
"Which is?" He hadn't heard about Robb Stark at all. He was too busy with bedding the younger sister. Surely, if Nathalia won't kill him, the family would surely torture him for defiling their lady.
Finally aware that they might cause a scene, Natasha closes her eyes and whispers a few chosen words. Jaime notices how the words from the outside become jumbled. He knows that whoever's listening wouldn't be able to understand what they're conversing about.
"He has sullied his relationship with Walder Frey by marrying a fucking healer,"
"Without Nathalia's consent?"
Her piercing eyes is nothing like her sister's dark, brooding ones. "She was unconscious when they performed the ceremony."
"Gods," He snorts out a laugh. "She'll kill him before me, surely"
She laughs too. They both know of Nathalia's temper and had vowed to stay away from it as much as they could. Nathalia was not to be made an enemy of. "Don't tell Sansa, Jaime. Please."
"Why would I? She'll worry for her brother more."
That makes her pause. Her heart-shaped face takes on a thoughtful expression, as if it finally dawned on her just how much Jaime Lannister adored Sansa Stark. "You hurt her, I break your neck."
"I hurt her, I pluck off my own balls."
*Nathalia*
Riverrun is a chaotic nightmare when they appear. Walder Frey's soldiers mix with Robb Stark's and it's difficult to determine who was ordered to kill who. Gods. They were probably too late. Nathalia hopes that Jon is smart enough to defend himself. Robb Stark, for sure they targeted his young healer. She needs to get to them fast.
Dyllon grabs the measly soldier who squeaked at their sudden appearance, no doubt frightened to discover a merry band of powerful individuals. "Robb Stark. Where is he?"
"T-t-the wed—ding milord," The soldier shakes visibly.
"Which way?" Gabriel. It was almost as if Gabriel is currently with them. Nathalia pushes away thoughts of her forgotten love and focuses on the charging direwolf beside her. With a look to her right, Ghost tears Walder Frey's soldiers who were crowded in a nearby stable. A whine from the inside is enough reason for her to determine Robb Stark's direwolf's current state of distress. She watches as Ghost tries to destroy the entrance but fails. With a wave of her hand, she summons a wind to break the confines of the stables. With both direwolves free, she knows that any men outside the castle is left to their animosity.
"He's useless," She says and starts walking through the entrance of the great castle. Her coven follows her dutifully, taking care of any who dares stop them. But no one is stopping them. They would be too stupid if they try.
The Great Hall is filled with dead bodies. Two in particular catch Nathalia's attention. The healer's dead body is circled with a pool of blood coming from her stomach. With her chest heaving, they both know that there is nothing more that they can do to save her life. Seven hells. She was with child. Catelyn Stark, blood oozing from her neck, lays lifeless with her eyes blank and open. An arrow had penetrated her, and had sent her to her death it seems. Nathalia thinks of the last time she had spoken with the woman. She called her out on her inability to accept Jon Snow when in fact it is not Catelyn's fault that Ned Stark had chosen to hide the truth from her. Now, the lady died trying to throw herself between Robb Stark and the arrows.
"The Lannister sends their reg-," Roose Bolton turns in surprise before he could finish his statement. Nathalia had heard though, and she is too eager to show him how to deal with traitors.
"You're a waste of air, Bolton." She snarls. Raising her arms, she calls for the winds to wrap themselves around his neck. Immediately, the abominable man starts choking. Then, she turned to Walder Frey who was busy cowering his table. "You killed an unborn babe,"
"N—Nathalia," He cowers behind his great table, eyes widening in surprise at her appearance. He's always been someone Nathalia despises, treating women like toys and fathering too many bastards. She wonders which of his spawns he married off to Edmure Tully. Now, he had done the unthinkable. He'd reacted dishonorably and killed too many innocents in the process.
Twisting her arms, she lets Roose Bolton fall slack on the floor. His empty eyes stay open despite his obvious death. Walking slowly, she doesn't let her gaze fall from Walder Frey's shaking body. "You've never been an honorable man,"
"So you fight for Robb Stark, then?" He falls slack on his chair, eyes begging to blink but cannot. His fate is sealed and he knows it.
"I fight for peace," She narrows her eyes.
"There will never be peace!" He loses his composure. Death, she discovers, brings out the real personality of people. "Not while that Targaryen bitch is gathering armies across the sea, not while that Lannister whore is behind her son's throne!"
"Women," She sneers. "We hold the real power behind stupid men, don't you think?"
The winds begin to change, almost beginning to ravage the whole castle with its strong pressures. Behind his seat, Walder Frey shakes uncontrollably. His family cowers in the sidelines, fearing for their lord. With a gasp, he covers his throat. He clutches and clutches the invisible force keeping him from being able to breathe. No, he doesn't deserve the mercy of a quick death. He begins to weaken with his arms falling slack to his sides. With a heavy cry, Nathalia pours all her strength so that everyone could see the great Walder Frey combust from the inside. Within seconds, he turns into ashes.
The games have changed.
Dun dun dunnn! Hello, I'm back and I'm very sorry for the last two years. I hope this chapter compensates for my disappearance. Don't worry ;) there will be a reunion scene in the next chapter.