When Maester Luwin had gone from the room, Anera rose from her perch on Theon's chair. She moved to join him in front of the window, taking his arm. He stiffened momentarily, allowing himself to relax after a moment. "What?" he asked her.
"Nothing," she said. "Are you all right?"
He pulled free of her grip. "Of course I'm all right. What kind of stupid question is that?"
"I meant no offense, my prince," she said, biting back a retort.
He turned to face her, his green eyes locking with her blue ones. "You hated me," he stated. "You should still hate me. I took you captive. Why are you here?"
"I promised I could serve you," she said, and he shook his head.
"You're lying," he said. "I can tell. Tell me the truth, or you'll regret it."
She hesitated, taking him by the hand. She smoothed her thumb over his knuckles. "I don't hate you," she admitted then. "Not anymore. Or, at least not as much as I did before."
He rolled his eyes, starting to pull his hand away. She tightened her grip, looking at him closely. "I'm telling the truth," she said.
He seemed to think for a moment. "You helped them escape," he said, and the silence that followed was agonizing.
"I did," she said finally. "But I had to."
Before Theon could answer her, she kissed him, pulling him close so their chests were pressed together. She freed his hand to wrap her arms around his neck, and when they broke apart gasping for air, she let her forehead rest against his. "I don't hate you," she said once more. "And perhaps I never did."
Theon called his men to the yard the next morning. Anera watched from a distance, listening as Theon spoke. "You hear that?" he said as the horn's sound sliced through the morning quiet. "That's the mating call of the Northmen. They want to fuck us. Well, I haven't had a good fuck in weeks. I'm ready for one."
Anera rolled her eyes at that. Theon caught her gaze as the men laughed, and he offered her a smile to show he was joking before he continued speaking. "They say every ironborn man is worth a dozen from the mainland," he said.
"Aye!" the men agreed.
"You think they're right?"
"Aye!"
"We die today, brothers. We die bleeding from a hundred wounds with arrows in our necks and spears in our guts, but our war cries will echo through eternity. They will sing about the Battle of Winterfell until the Iron Islands have slipped beneath the waves. Every man, woman, and child will know who we were and how long we stood. Aggar and Gelmarr; Wex and Urzen; Stygg and Black Loren- - ironborn warriors will cry out our names as they leap onto the shores of Seaguard and Faircastle."
"Aye!"
"Mothers will name their sons for us!"
"Aye!"
"Girls will think of us with their lovers inside them!"
"Aye!"
The horn blasted again, and Theon was grinning as he shouted, "and whoever kills that fucking horn-blower will stand in bronze above the shores of Pyke!"
"Aye!" the ironborn cried.
"What is dead may never die!"
"What is dead may never die!"
Theon let out a war cry. He was cut short suddenly by a hard hit to the back of his head with the butt of a spear. He dropped and Anera's eyes went wide. "Thought he'd never shut up," one of the ironborn stated.
Another shrugged. "It was a good speech. Didn't want to interrupt."
One of the men put a bag over Theon's head as a few others turned to look at Anera. "What do we do with her?" one asked, and the others had no reply.
Maester Luwin pushed his way forward. "What is this?" he asked. "What are you doing?"
Anera let out a scream as an ironborn stabbed Maester Luwin in the stomach with his spear, forcing the old man to the ground. "Let's go home," the man said simply. "One of you take the girl if you want her."
Anera hurried to Maester Luwin's side, ignoring the ironborn that surrounded her. "Please don't die," she whispered. "Please, please, live."
He looked up at her, shaking his head. "Go with Theon. You can protect him."
"I won't leave you," she stated.
He moved slowly, squeezing her hand. "Go. Go with the ironborn. Stay with Theon."
She nodded obediently. "I'm sorry this happened to you," she said.
"Bran and Rickon are here. With Osha and Hodor. They've been hiding in the crypts," he said softly.
"They'll be safe," Anera said. "It's Northmen who are outside the walls. They'll protect them."
"And you need to protect yourself. Go. Hurry."
She nodded one more time, getting to her feet. She closed her eyes, holding back tears as she ran to follow the ironborn.