A Wolf with a coat of Darkness – chapter 12
I do not own ASoIF/GoT or Warcaft/WoW
Rated M for everything wrong with the Cult of the Damned and the Scourge (including but not limited to cannibalism, human experimentation, murder, rape, slavery, torture, sadism)
The first day after purchasing their home, the two girls set down to actually making it livable.
Despite their closeness they each picked a separate bed chamber, leaving one free. The rooms had large windows to the inner yard and balcony and small, tiny ones to the outside. Double beds, large wardrobes, night stands, desks. The house as a whole was fully furnished. They felt strange, having lived in a derelict, old house with barely anything in it for so long where as now, things in the house were almost… luxurious. There was even a large silver polished mirror!
In the back of the storage room on the bottom floor, Myranda got down to carving the second gateway where as Sansa got to work actually filling said storage room. After instructing Myranda to keep the front door closed and locked, the red-head wondered the streets. Truthfully, she did not know where to go in order to get anything. She remembered that around the river and the gate there it was mostly fish and other things which she had only seen in books. Crabs, clams, squids and the likes. Back then, any desire to get a closer look was quickly killed by the overpowering smell coming from all the stalls.
Keeping to the wider, main streets, she eventually ended on what she quickly learned to be called the street of steel and the meaning behind the name was quickly made apparent to her. All the shop, everything, was connected with making things out of the aforementioned material. Though that mostly meant weapons and armor, the street ringing with the sounds of hammers pounding constantly on metal from all sides.
Despite this clearly not been what she was looking for, the red-head remained on the street, her previous brisk pace slowing down as she observed the shops all around her from horseback. As she watched the wide assortment of weapons on display, her mind went to her sister.
Arya.
Far, far away in the north. Oh, what mischief would she be currently up to? Would she have started to target Bran or Robb now that she was no longer present there? Would she still run around in the muddy courtyard with little regard for her dress or that of others? Would she still fight with the lowborn in mock battles?
A smile crept up on Sansa's face as she though that now her poor little wild sister would be the sole subject of Septa Mordane. She can almost hear all the shouting and complaining from both sides. She even had to stop herself from laughing as she pictures her sister in a proper southern dress, her hair all made up and fine and all the while, a massive sword, as big as her, clutched in her hand. That image was so outrageous, so comical, so improper, so offensive…
So Arya.
With a smile beneath her hood, Sansa's gaze roamed around the many shops dotting the Street of Steel and the many wares within. The red-head stopped her horse in the middle of the street as she observed an old blacksmith hammer away at a white-hot piece of metal, sparks flying in the air. Should she… get her sister something? A gift? An…apology?
'A peace offering.' Sansa laughed beneath her breath. 'Here is a sword, please don't hate me?'
It sounded silly… it was silly. More than that, it was stupid. What did she know of swords for her to order one? And a sword as a gift? Stupid. With some minor anger at herself, she turned her head back forth and spurred her horse onward, refusing to look at any of the other shop on this street.
When she returned at noon to their house, she was greeted with brave Sir Boo barking happily at her entrance. His presence meant only one thing. The gateway was not only finished, but was actually working. Quickly leaving the horse in the small stables and closing the main gate and locking it tight, Sansa also applied a hefty layer of ice on the lock and door bar. And if someone, somehow, managed to get through, she mentally directed their knight to stand opposite the door and stop anyone that tried to enter.
Entering the storeroom and maneuvering around several shelves to reach the back, she saw the gateway. It looked so normal. As if it was a doorway into another room as opposed a magical portal. With slight hesitation, she went through and indeed emerged into the bedroom back in the fort.
A smile once again crept on her face. Happy for how much this would make their lives easier and pride in her friend for having actually done it. She found Myranda, trying to organize their two chests and attempting to bring them through the gateway and into the house.
Since they have decided they would be staying mainly in the house, the two brough the two chests with spellbooks with them while leaving behind most of the gold in the fort. After leaving a chest in each of their bedrooms, the two returned to the fort and got down to securing it. The fort did not have many windows and the ones that it did have were too small for anyone to actually pass through, even a child. So that only left the main gate, though Myranda reminded her of the doors on the roof as well. Sansa initially found the notion stupid, but relented nonetheless.
The two barred the main gate as well as moved a table to it to block it further, though with some effort. As Myranda was about to head upstairs, Sansa stopped her, asking for assistance in laying down wards. They were two simple ones that would need weekly refreshment. First was a statis ward, meant to keep things as they are, to stop things from moving. Or more simply put – keep a closed door closed. Ofcourse, with enough force, someone would be able to open it, but a single person alone stood no chance. The second was a sensory ward linked to both of them, meant to alert them should anyone approach the door. They even tested it with Sansa moving away from the door and Myranda running to and from it, each time she did so Sansa feeling burning, prickling pain in both her arms.
After doing the same to the door on the rooftop as well as the tower top and checking once again all windows, the two returned to their house, closing the gateway behind them.
A whole week passed.
The two girls were eagerly exploring the city, though they were always together. Sansa had become somewhat weary after the warning of the previous homeowner, but her friend was quite enthusiastic about roaming and thus, she did so as well. Some places stood out more than others. Sansa remembered the strange feeling she had when the two entered the white imposing building of the great sept. The red head felt as if an ever-increasing weight was falling on her shoulders with each step that she took upon the polished marble floor. She barely registered the judging gazes from a few septas as they looked at her and her revealing clothing. Instead, Sansa remained focused on the seven large statues in the center, her head quickly altering between looking up at them in hope and lowering her head in shame.
She stood in the center, spinning beneath the great domed roof, hoping for any sign, anything. Even a negative sign would have worked for her. But the great temple remained quiet, the bronze statues silent. The cold air within the building pierced her to the bones and even the rays of sun streaming through the stained-glass windows could not warm her up. With a single tear streaming down her face, Sansa left the temple, never casting a second glance behind her.
Her favorite spot without a doubt was the harbor. Along the river, past the last of the houses and cabins and out towards Blackwater Bay. The endless expanse of water before her, the noise of the city far, far behind. She remained upon the rocks for hours, basking in the sun and observing the many, many ships coming and going. She wondered what they were, where they were coming from or where they were going. What they were carrying. From time to time, she made up stories.
As a child, she always dreamed of the south, of traveling. Now, she wanted only to go home, but her sense of wonder nevertheless was present and she spent hour thinking. Thinking of what lay beyond the horizon, despite knowing the answers, if only roughly. As her blue eyes followed each ship that set out, she wondered if she was on that ship just where it would take her. Perhaps some place that no one knew who she was, what she had done? In the back of her mind, she knew that no one here was aware of that as well, but there were quite a few damning evidences. A few books, a happy dog and a silent knight.
The sky was overcast and the air smelled of rain. Sansa was sitting on the balcony, idly flipping through one of the spellbooks without reading too deep into it as she enjoyed a glass of lemon water. She was uncertain if she enjoyed the bitter taste of it. There were times that she loved it so much she wanted more and more and then, there were times that she forced herself to finish the glass, if only as not to waste the lemons. But she nevertheless kept on drinking that despite how much she craved something stronger.
Infact, she was almost frightened by it. A fear of becoming a drunk was gnawing on her mind, weighing heavily. As a child, she had seen a pair of guards getting flogged for drinking and falling asleep on duty. Even now, she well remembered their state, barely able to remain awake and standing even under the gaze of her father. But at the same time, the numbness that things like rum and ale brough to her was a welcoming sensation. The relaxation of her muscles, the disconnect from the world around her.
A flash illuminated the sky above, a thunder reverberating through the glass a few moments later.
Sansa actually enjoyed such weather and with any luck, it would start to rain. Just the thought of it made the hairs on her back stand in excitement and anticipation. Like anyone else, she did not actually enjoy been out while it rained, but if she was inside, it was a whole different matter.
The rhythmic pounding of water on the roof, the coziness that the cool, fresh outside air brough when it fought against the warm inside air. Her gaze briefly wondered to her bedroom, wondering if there was some thin blanket that she can prepare for when the rain started. She had already moved around a pair of chairs to the edge of the covered balcony, raising up her feet on one as she sat on the other.
A banging from the door let her know that Myranda had returned, though she was not startled, having felt the presence of the knight return as well.
Hearing the door bar sliding into place, the little girl emerged on the balcony before her not long after, the knight remaining by the door.
"So, how was your day?" asked Sansa.
"It looks like rains so I ran home." Pouted Myranda. "But I did find a great shop! You will love it! Tailor's place. They got everything. Dresses, pillows, sheets, curtains. Even custom orders!"
"And you got a pillow?" asked the red-head in amusement.
"Pillows! Four! An azure one, a baby blue one, a scarlet one and a seafoam one! Though why do they call it seafoam? I mean, when we went to the sea and there was foam, it was not that color."
"I don't know. Guess the sea was greener when they named it? Its my first time seeing the sea as well, you know."
"Did you go watch the boats again today?" the question caused Sansa to raise an eyebrow at her friend.
"Yes?" she answered with a hint of annoyance.
"You are not…not planning on leaving me, are you?" Sansa stood frozen for a moment as her eyes widened before her features softened.
"No, no, it is not that." She sighed out before continuing "Remember how I told you how I always dreamed of coming here as a child? Well, I also dreamed of the sea. Winterfel…Winterfel is in the center of the North and the North is larger than all other kingdoms combined and the sea was always something far, far away. Something unreachable." She paused for a moment.
"Ug…and now…I don't know. Guess I wonder if it would not be better to pick up and leave on one of the boats. Just the two of us. I mean… so much has changed. We are Necromancers! We have no place here!"
"Says who?" asked Myranda with a slight edge to her tone.
"The king, the faith. Basically everyone."
"We can change their minds! Magic is…magic is a tool! Yes, a tool! There are good and evil mages just like there are good people and bad people."
"Yes, but we are the bad kind!"
"No we are not!" argued back Myranda with some fire.
"We raise the dead! It does not get worse than that!"
"You know full well what happened after someone dies! For months we were taught that! We are not evil, Sansa, we are not! Remember why we ran away!"
"I wish it was that simple…" returned the red-head.
"Just decide. Do you want to see your family or not." Finally stated Myranda, her voice interweaved with exasperation, annoyance and genuine worry.
After a sleepless night of tossing and turning, Sansa stood before a blacksmith shop on the street of steel.
Her initial resolve upon leaving the house was titanic in size, but it dwindled with every step she took. For maybe an hour she wondered the street up and down, observing every shop, every craftsman, trying to make a decision.
In the end, she settled on a shop that was worked by a person appearing her age. Not for any reason related to his craft, for she understood little of it. No, it was that in her mind a person her age would be easier to talk to. A person her age would not ridicule her for her lack of knowledge.
Despite making her choice, she remained outside of the shop in the middle of the street, silently observing from beneath her hood. The boy inside cast an occasional glance at her before returning to his work, creating this air of annoyance that further discouraged Sansa from approaching as he was busy fighting the heat of the forge.
After plunging a hot piece of metal the color of straw into water, the boy left the metal to rest upon the anvil and turned fully to her, taking a few step in her direction.
"Can I help you?" he asked as he wiped his brow and hands with a piece of cloth that was already dirty.
Sansa was frozen for a moment, startled and unprepared before composing herself.
"Ye-" she cleared her throat "Yes. I would like to order a sword." She said with an awkward pause following her statement. The boy looked at her expectingly, waiting for her to continue but to no avail.
"Why don't you come inside and discuss it with my master. Set down all the details and the likes."
She followed the boy to the back of the shop, past racks and rolls of swords and spears, the occasional mace or axe sticking out here or there. In the back, an elderly man with a bald head and a trimmed white beard was hard at work polishing a sword with a variety of small stones from behind a table.
"What are you doing here, Gendry! I told you to tend to the front and to finish that piece before noon!" he grumbled, looking up from his work, startling Sansa, though her now named companion paid little heed to the harsh tone.
"She wants a sword, though to bring her to you."
"Well, let her pick one and come here for the payment."
"I was hoping to have one forged to my desires." Interrupted Sansa. With a softer, yet cold tone, the elderly blacksmith said:
"We are busy for over a fortnight. And it will only get worse with the king and the new hand returning. Half the kingdoms' knights are expecting a tournament."
"I can wait two weeks." Said the red head, causing the man to shake his head.
"Apologies, but we must focus on the actual fighting men for such orders. Just pick from the ready ones."
Wordlessly, Sansa unbuckled a pouch on her waist and moved to the table, her insides now having shifted from anxiousness and nerves to anger. Dropping the pouch straight onto the sword on the table, a metallic twang heralded the many gems and coins that spilled from the inside. A silence followed after the last coin settled.
"Gendry. Take the kind's lady's specifications."
With great satisfaction did Sansa walk home that day, the noise of the city or the occasional stare at her outfit not bothering her. She weaved around the many colorful people, stopping at a few stands to pick up some food for home. As she was idly paying for her goods, her mind still far away back at the shop, thinking of the order she had just placed, she vaguely overheard two guards grumbling nearby.
Sansa was unable to make out everything, but she heard a few sparse words.
.Harrenhal.
Slowly moving to the two men, she put on her most pleasant and innocent voice.
"Apologies, I could not help but overhear. What was that about the king and Harrenhal?" they looked at her weirdly, a strangely-dressed woman approaching out of the blue.
"Just that we have but a few days of peace and quiet at most. The king is at Harrenhal."
"Thank you." Mumbled Sansa as she turned and left, almost stumbling her steps as fresh fear gripped at her. She did not know the exact location, but knew that Harrenhal was between here and Riverrun. That meant that the majority of the journey was done and that indeed but a few days remained.
That night, she again found little sleep, her mind trying to come up with ways to introduce herself to her father.
Got stuck for weeks at about 2/3 of the way with this chapter, hopefully the next will come out faster. A bit more of the internal struggles of Sansa. I felt that especially as a noble that was catered for most of her life, she would have a hard time making decisions, thus her second guessing herself about whether or not to meet her family.
Thank you for reading.