The once clean water now looked like black soup, its warmth now turned to ice cold. The lady in red, Melisandre as she later introduced herself had requested that a bath be drawn for their 'gift'. But her tone though indicated that it was a request, more like an order. She had washed the auburn-haired girl herself, taking tender care to wash away the soot of the flames. Hope had bit her tongue back when the older woman had begun to clean her intimate spots. There was something about the woman that made the girl wary of her. A form of power that she had never seen or felt before.
The tent they were in seemed to be in a world of its own. The winds were warm and comforting, unlike how they were out in the snow. The confusion of the events hadn't left Hope the entire time she had been with Melisandre. She remembered seeing a girl burn at the pyre. She remembered tendrils of fire pulling her towards the pyre. But she did not remember how exactly she had come to this winter wonderland. She also did not understand the people here, dressed in the attire she had seen in the pages of books. And comic-con videos on the internet. Or was it the renaissance fair? Maybe both, the girl was not sure. This was more in MG and Wade's lane than hers.
"Rise my lady" the red-haired Melisandre spoke and Hope stood without a complaint. Water trickled down her nude form, which was quickly covered dried by the priestess. She then brought forward a robe that was very similar to her own and dressed Hope in it.
"The king wishes to see you after you're perfectly presentable" she informed Hope whilst she did her hair. But Hope was more focused on her appearance on the smoke before her that showed a clear reflection like a mirror. She looked very different from how she normally did. The robe she wore was loose around her arms, but it fit her snugly around her body. It exposed her breasts just enough to give everyone a show of her cleavage. There were intricate designs of dancing flames on the fabric. When Melisandre was done with her hair, made into a perfect copy of the priestess' hair, she put the final touch on the outfit. A ruby hung around her neck, attached to a necklace. The chains, if she could call it that, stuck to her skin like a collar. It too was crafted like dancing flames. When she went to touch the ruby, Hope felt a queer warmth from it. And she was certain that the jewel gave a light pulse.
"Fitting look for a servant of The Lord of Light" Melisandre spoke.
The Lord of what? Thought Hope. She had heard of the term before when she first found herself in this strange place. She did not voice her thoughts though. She simply just followed the priestess out of their tent.
The winter winds dug into her skin from the moment she stepped out and she felt a shiver run down her spine. But the cold went away just as soon as it came. Hope felt warm like she was sitting in front of an open fire.
As the two women walked, the older leading the younger, Hope studied her surroundings. She saw men everywhere, dressed in armor and sharpening their blades. They looked at her with reverence, as if she was a god in human form. They stopped in front of another tent, this one larger than the one they had been in. Melisandre told her to wait while the man who stood outside of it had gone in. He came out not long after and ushered them both inside.
Inside the tent sat two people, a man, and a woman. The man was tall and looked powerful and imposing with a sinewy frame and broad shoulders. He had a huge jaw with a beard that seemed to cling to it, dark blue eyes, and a fringe of black hair on his head. And beside him sat a woman that was just as tall as him. She sported a thin frame with large ears, pale eyes, a sharp nose, and a light covering over her top lip.
"Your Grace, I present to you the gift of R'hllor" Melisandre spoke with the utmost of respect in her tone, with a touch of arrogance and pride Hope noted. The man and woman sat before her looked at her with differing expressions. The man did not show any while the woman had a large smile gracing her features. But both of their eyes spoke of another emotion, grief.
"What is your name young one?" the woman asked.
"Hope Mikaelson" the auburn-haired youth replied.
"Hope Mikaelson" the woman tested the name on her tongue, looking just a bit confused. "R'hllor sends us a gift by the name of Hope. Right when we needed hope amongst us. He truly is kind and merciful."
"Ma'am, who is R'hllor?" Hope finally asked. A hushed silence fell in the tent as the couple sat before she shared a look. Beside her, Melisandre seemed to freeze as well, but that was too minute for anyone but her to notice.
"R'hllor" Melisandre began, "is our Lord of Light, the Heart of Fire, the God of Flame and Shadow. The nemesis of the Great Other, whose name may not be spoken." Hope would have asked more about this Great Other, had the mere mention not send the other three occupants into a darker mood. Even the flames in the tent seemed to dim at the mere mention of this thing. "R'hllor commands the fires, the shadows are his children and do his bidding. He cherishes innocence and life both, which makes the sacrifice of innocence to him all the more dear" Melisandre finished, the mood lightening and flames seemingly growing brighter. But Hope's mood did the complete opposite of that.
At the mention of sacrifice, the image of the burning pyre came to her, the image of the soundless screams of the girl. A sacrifice, Hope realized and turned to the man. "How did I get here?" she asked.
"You were sent here by The Lord of Light, to guide us-"
"I asked him" Hope cut Melisandre off before she could go on one of her praising tangents about her god. The man fidgeted under the gaze of the younger femme while the woman beside him seemed to deflate.
"A sacrifice was made so that The Lord of Light could make our path to Winterfell easier. So that we might be able to take the Boltons down and bring justice that is due to them" the man spoke.
"And what sacrifice was it? Did you burn someone at a pyre?" Hope asked. The words never came from the man, but the look on his face was enough of an answer for the auburn-haired youth.
"There is power in King's Blood" Melisandre spoke up, her voice losing the tone of reverence it had before Hope had cut her off.
King's Blood? Hope thought. Then she began playing a scenario in her head, of where she found herself, of how she found herself, of the people that were present there. The man is referred to in a way that royalty would be referred to, she thought. The thought had been enough to make realization dawn on her.
"You burned your own child" a look of disgust came of Hope's face.
"Princess Shireen was offered to R'hllor. What else is a bigger sacrifice to parents if not their child? Their blood" Melisandre explained. A look of grief had passed over the faces of the man and the woman at the mention of the sacrifice. They are desperate, Hope realized. But that did not do anything to put out the flames of disgust in her.
"I can't believe this" Hope muttered loud enough for all three of the tent's occupants to hear. "You sacrificed your daughter, your flesh and blood to some god so that he might bless you?"
"Not just any god, child" the woman spoke up, her voice quivering but still holding its kind of steel. "He is the Lord of Light! He lights the path to fight against The Great Other."
She's more telling herself than lecturing me, Hope thought as she watched the woman closely, how her eyes seemed to betray her words. She had been against it Hope understood. She clenched her hands into fists and a stubborn look settled on her face.
"If he is as benevolent and merciful as you say he is, why would he demand a sacrifice. Should he not just help you on his own? Should he not denounce such dark practices?"
Hope's questions had pushed the occupants in the room into silence. The man and woman looked at her with not rage, nor did they look like they agreed with her. They are brainwashed, Hope concluded. And the only one who could do this would be the priestess beside her she realized.
A hand grasped her arm gently yet firmly and her attention was brought to Melisandre. The priestess' face showed only serene calmness, yet her eyes burned with a kind of fire. "Allow me to show you why it is necessary" the woman spoke and gently pulled Hope towards one of the burning braziers in the tent. Hope struggled against her hold, fearing that she too would be burned in the flames as a sacrifice to some god. But that did not happen.
Melisandre had Hope stand before it, the priestess standing behind her. "Look into the flames Hope" she whispered into the girl's ears and Hope felt a shiver run down her spine. The priestess' hands massaged her shoulders and Hope felt herself relaxing. Her blue eyes stared into the flames, her mind trying to fight the action but failing. The flames looked normal to her, just dancing tendrils moving with no strict plan. And then she saw it, shadows moving in the flames. Her heart began to race as the shadows began to grow bolder. Her eyes widened just a fraction and she felt a pulse of warmth come from the gem around her neck. A pair of dark ice blue eyes were staring back at her from the flames.
