My Kingdom Awaits Chapter 7
Sansa was getting impatient. She knew that the journey to The Twins would take longer now that all of their forces had joined, meeting the Northern Lords along the way as well as their banners from The Reach and West. Ravens told of The Stormland armies and Northern forces that had already surrounded Lord Walder keep from the east and north. He would not be able to retreat without great losses. They had stopped again insisting that she needed to rest. What she needed was blood atonement. Her thirst for vengeance was greater than it had been with The Boltons.
"My Lady, or Your Grace…" Sam mumbled. "Oh right, Sansa." He corrected myself sheepishly. "Jon insisted that you relax after breaking your fast, for at least an hour or two." The dragons and Ghost were lounging about around where she sat on a blanket amount a few early wild flowers that were growing. "He's already going to raise quite a bit of The Seven Hells once he realizes you sent most of your guard ahead to scout."
"Sam I have a pack of Direwolves, Two Dragons the size of large windmills and Arya to protect me. Brienne and Sandor are within shouting distance. Now tell me how much longer will I be resting?" Sansa asked turning her head when she picked up the rumbling of a few drums in the distance. Drogon immediately took to the air and flew in the direction of his master, Rhaegal swooped down and before Sansa knew what was happening Arya was pulling her up to mount the Dragon, securing her arms around Sansa, to make sure she would not fall off.
"How to do make the damn thing fly?" Arya asked digging her heels in. "Sansa that black boat coming down the river is Euron!" Sansa shielded her eyes and gazed in the horizon.
"Rhaegal, sōvēs!" Sansa cried hoping it was the right command. Sure enough the dragon took off in a slow trot before entering the sky. Sansa leaned down and trembled, she had only ever flew with Jon or Daenerys. She knew this meant that there was a dragon rider in her womb. She was grateful for the catch of eggs they had found in the crypts of Winterfell and on Dragonstone. She willed herself to look down and was thrilled that the vanguard had double back, Sam and Gilly were protected. Rage began to surface again, Euron had evaded capture, he truly was a master of any waters. He had to be coming back to rescue Cersei, his queen. Sansa leaned and tried guiding the dragon towards the ship. The instincts to guide and steer the dragon had to be coming from her unborn child. The limited commands she knew were helpful, but something was controlling her movements.
"What are you doing?" Arya asked. "This is not a fight we need to lead, look Jon comes, Drogon has fetched him." Arya said. A screech behind them rang out and in an instant, Viserion had joined them from the Capitol. The bond with his brothers so strong that he had to have been traveling since the hour of the wolf, aware a threat was looming. Sansa watched as the men on the boat worked frantically to raise more sails, thinking speed could save them from dragon fire. On a smaller boat she saw a crudely made horn and realized Euron had thought he found a dragon's horn. Before he could order a slave to sound it, Rhaegal swooped in.
"Dracarys." Sansa whispered quickly watching while the boat was instantly engulfed in the flames and turned to ash. On one of the larger boats an abnormally large looking crossbow was being set up, but Jon had already arrived and quickly set the entire boat a flame, crew and all. The dragons and their wings quickly pushed the remaining boats ashore, the vanguard quickly surrounding the boats and forcing them to their knees. The dragons landed in the distance and Jon quickly made his way over, helping Arya as she helped Sansa slide down into his reach. "I'm fine, I swear it." She replied as his hand immediately covered her stomach. Viserion lowered his head and the noticed a scroll attached to his neck.
"Tyrion and Varys send word." Jon said as he used his teeth to break the wax seal. "Euron stormed the Capitol soon after we left. There are great casualties to some of the city guard. Tormund and Grenn were gravely injured but Grand Maester believes strongly they will recover." Jon said turning to the captives. "Loras fetch me a block."
"No, Jon. Dispose of them quickly with dragon fire. We must go on now to the Twins and then find Euron and Cersei." Sansa said as she scanned the rest of the letter. "He managed to get her, her monster and Qyburn out."
"My way is still the old way." Jon turned to his northern lords and asked their assistance in beheading the traitors. He dealt the first blow, in a clean swoop taking the head clean off the captain in charge. Ghost trotted towards Sansa and Arya held her hand, flinching along with her as 50 or so mean looking pirates lost their heads. "Search the boats." Jon commanded. He had the bodies piled up and surrounded with wood for a pyre. Drogon quickly set the bodies aflame. "You'll fly with me to The Twins." Jon said leading her over to the dragons. He gave commands to the armies and sent a raven off to the troops surrounding Lord Frey. Soon Jon and Sansa were in flight, she began explaining what had transpired.
"I had planned on having a song played as we surrounded him. Gendry has singers and musicians with him." Jon explained. "The March of Wolves seemed appropriate." Sansa nodded and tried to gently relieve some of the pressure from the firm arm around her, holding her to him as the flew. Jon was stiff and his jaw was set. The term "waking the dragon" had never been used with him, she had witnessed it with his aunt, and it terrified her. With the Dragons flying full speed ahead the bridges surrounding the Twins were soon in sight. With a mere nod of his head the dragons engulfed bridges with flames. They soon landed and quickly sent short bursts of flames over the walls and into any small opening where there could be archers.
The eerie calm of the harps and drums rang out and Sansa wondered if The Lord of The Crossing was feeling the dread that her mother had felt when that damned Lannister song had started to play out. As soon as the armies had joined them, and the castle was completely surrounded war cries began to ring out. Revenge and Vengeance for King Rob could be heard, Winter has come again, and just King of the North rang out. Arya unsheathed needle and a dagger and looked to Jon.
"A girl needs a name." She said with a smirk.
"Walder Frey, I Jahareys Stark Targaryen", Arya giggled at his use of his full name till Sansa cuffed her on the back of the head. "Sentence you and your family to death." Jon said mounting his dragon again. "We will erase you and yours from our histories you have been fouling up my kingdom for far too long." Sandor rode up and swooped Sansa unto his horse with him and trotted her back from the walls. She watched with a small smile on her lips as the dragons screeched and began breathing fire on the walls. She watched as the stones began to change to a red hot colour and parts of the wall began collapsing. A few hours later rubble surrounded the inner keep.
"Bring me the Freys." Jon said as he dismounted and accepted his sword. In the end Lord Walder was carried out by The Great Jon, dropped in line with his numerous offspring and few supporters. Ghost growled from Sansa's side and Rhaegal hung his head down and nudged her in a comforting way.
"You pledge loyalty and men to your King and then conspired with his enemies, killing him and his pregnant wife at a wedding. You cursed your family when you sided with the losing side." Sansa said in her queenly cold voice, betraying not a single emotion.
"One King hide behind his mother's skirts, this one behind his wife." Walter choked out. "Rob cried for his mother, did you know that? Right before I had him stabbed through the heart. Then I cut his head off and sewed his wolf in it's place. Your mother…."
"I'm not here to listen to tales of your dastardly plots." Sansa answered holding up her hand, halting the men from striking the Freys down where they stood. "Bring forth our present for Lord Frey." Sandor came from the back with a crate. He dropped it to the ground and lifted the top, hauling out the man inside. "Did you really think you could hide an heir from us?" Sansa asked. Arya stepped forward with a dagger and slashed Black Walder's throat. "He was the one that slashed my mother's throat. I promised your line would end." Sansa said stepping back. Arya dragged Lord Frey from the group.
"Dracarys." Jon said sending the flames from all three dragons into the Freys. "Take the castle and fill it with the oil and straw. Seal any entrances and exits." He commanded. "Leave the bodies for the crows." Arya turned to Walder Frey.
"My name is Arya Stark. My face will be the last you see." She said before kicking him in the chest. The wolves were on him in an instant.
"Sam you have ravens do you not?" Jon asked as the army set about filling straw and oil about the keeps. Sam nodded and reached for his parchment. "Send word throughout my kingdoms and across the sea. Anyone who is even rumoured to provide safe haven for my enemies will meet their end through fire and blood."