Hello my lovelies, here's another one, thank you so much for the feedback on the last chapter :)

Loras Tyrell did not much care for politics or power, he cared about lust and love. And if he knew one thing in the moment chaos erupted around him, is that he loved his sister and he had to help her. Swift as a fox, he ducked away from the commotion and started running towards the Red Keep. People were tumbling into his way, but he just shoved them away. No guard paid him any attention, and he was fully intend on using that to his advantage.

He was breathing heavily by the time he reached his sister's chambers. Hurriedly, he started going through her stuff, finding exactly what he was looking for. In her trunk he found a small bundle of simple linen next to the dagger he had given her on her last name day, and he did not know why, but he threw it into the saddle bag he had found in the wardrobe.

The young man looked up with panic in his eyes as he could hear footsteps in the near distance. Of course! This would be the first place they would look for her. What to do now?

"Over here! Quickly now, boy!" he suddenly heard a loud whisper and noticed a gap in the wall. Whoever had spoken to him was clearly behind it, and he had no other choice but to risk it. If the guards were to find him here, they would probably imprison him. Swiftly, he made his way over and slipped through the small gap in the wall. It closed behind him, and he was plunged into darkness. A moment later, he heard loud voices in the room he had just left.

"There's no one here! Meryn, report to Lord Tywin! You two! With me!" he heard a gruff voice before it became silent once again. The sound of a match being lit broke that silence and to his surprise, he was face to face with Varys, the Master of Whisperers.

"Follow me," the Eunuch said quietly and started moving. Carefully, they made their way down a long, winding staircase, deeper than Loras thought possible. He was utterly confused.

"Where are you taking me? And why are you helping us in the first place?" he finally found the courage to ask.

"I assume you were on your way to the stables with this. Or maybe the shore? Where is it your sister intends to meet you?" Varys replied calmly.

"We do not intend to meet anywhere. I had no idea what she was about to do, but I need to help her. She is my sister, after all," Loras said and heard a small chuckle.

"So you just acted on impulse? Hmm… it seems I have underestimated you," he said, amusement still evident in his tone of voice. They had stopped now, and Varys was holding the candle that was the only source of light between the two.

"How did you intend to get this to her, then? Were you going to ride out and find her?" he asked. Loras stopped to think for a moment.

"No, I cannot possibly do that. They would never let me out of the city. She has interfered with the justice of the Gods, I assume they will ask for her head?" he said, looking for confirmation.

"I do not know if it is her head they want, but they will certainly want to capture and imprison her," Varys replied. "I have contacts that could find her, but I do not know how long it will take, and she is currently without a weapon."

"Not for long. If there is one thing I know about Samaya, she can make a weapon out of every object. You see this cut on my forehead? She did that with one of Margaery's dolls when we were children," Loras chatted away, smiling at the memory. How he wished they could all be children again, with no worry on their mind.

"Let us hope so. I understand she has a close relationship with her horse?" Varys asked.

"Yes, Shadowfoot barely lets anyone else ride him," Loras confirmed.

"Good, then I have an idea. One of these tunnels leads directly to the stables. We should put this bag on the horse and set him free. Maybe he can find her, and then she has a little help," the older man suggested.

"That is a decent plan, but the guards will never let a loose horse pass through the gates," Loras voiced his concerns.

"No, which is why we have to distract them. I will tell you exactly what to do, follow me," Varys said and started walking while explaining his plan. Loras was still suspicious about the Eunuch's involvement in all of this, but given his lack of options, he followed.

"You think she's dead?" Dyron Charlton, guard of the gate to the Red Keep, asked his fellow brother in arms, Derren Rocke, as they were staring out into the busy streets. Usually, there would be more of them, but they were all out and about looking for the young Tyrell girl.

"Dunno. I mean, that's a big drop down that cliff," Derren answered with indifference. He did not really care about the girl, but he was glad that she had killed Gregor Clegane. He had served him once, and he was more monster than man.

"I guess. I hope she can swim," Dyron commented and watched as a cloaked figure approached the gate from the city.

"Who goes there? Show yourself!" Derren called out and the man removed his hood. They were both surprised to see Varys standing before them.

"I presume you know who I am? May I pass?" he said coolly.

"Not so fast, eunuch. Why were you in the city in the first place? We did not see you leave the keep, where have you come from?" Derren questioned him. It was highly suspicious behaviour.

"I know many ways in and out of the Red Keep, but would I really walk in through the front door if I had something to hide? I was visiting some children, you can ask at the orphanage, if you so please," he explained.

"Well... I suppose so. Nevertheless, we're gonna have to take you to our captain. After you," Derren said in a teasing voice and gestured into the yard. Varys walked past him, ready to comply. He could see Loras' head peeking out behind some barrels next to the gate. One of the guards followed him, while the other remained at his post.

"Oh… one more thing," the bald man stopped and turned around. Both men walked up to him, listening to what he had to say. He looked at the one staying behind and smiled.

"I wish you a wonderful day," he said cheerfully, confusing them even further. As he turned to walk away again, the smile did not disappear from Varys' face. His little manoeuvre had worked, as he could see Loras shooing the packed horse out of the gate while he was wishing the guards a wonderful day. Maybe now the girl would stand a chance.

Her feet had started bleeding, Samaya noticed with little wonder as she crouched behind one of the sandy dunes. She had been walking for a while now, and her shoes had disappeared with her fall. After she had lunged off the cliffs, she was almost knocked out by the impact of her body into the water, but she was too excited to give up. She had killed the Mountain, one of the most fearsome men in this Realm. She knew they were going to hunt her down, so she had started swimming as fast as she could. When exhaustion had gotten to her, she had crept ashore a safe distance from the city. She had ripped apart her dress above her knees and wrapped the excess fabric around her head. The water had washed out all the dye from her hair, and it was falling down her shoulders in a silver curtain. There was no way she could risk anybody seeing it.

Catching her breath, her mind was racing. What to do next? Where to go? Carefully, she peeked over the edge of the dune and spotted a small hut at the border of a distant forest. With any luck, she could ask for help, or at least steal an axe or anything similar from the backyard. Swiftly, she started running. The sun was about to set, and the beginning twilight would help mask her figure. Hopefully, she would not run into any trouble.

The closer she got to the little building, the more she could observe. Smoke was rising from the chimney, so somebody must be inside. Some crops had been planted in the area, but it was too little for a proper farm. She could not see a horse or stable, but over the front door were two small antlers, tied together with seaweed. She could only guess what that meant, and hoped for friendliness rather than hostility.

Carefully, she walked up to the little house and knocked loudly. A dog's barking was the only sound she could make out from the inside as she waited patiently. A few moments passed before the door was opened an inch. An old, weathered face appeared. The man looked friendly, but spoke with a grim voice.

"Who are you? What do you want?" he said after scanning her from head to toe.

"Hello Ser, I mean no harm, I got thrown off my horse and separated from my father, would you be so kind as to give me direction?", Samaya started off. She was careful not to ask or tell too much until she had an idea of who he was.

"And whose side are you on? Lion, stag or wolf?" he asked after a few seconds. Samaya was surprised by this question, but the political situation in this country was still chaotic. However, she would have guessed that so close to King's Landing, people were loyal to the Crown.

"I am on no side, since I have no interest in politics or the Wars of Kings and Lords," she finally said and watched with relief as his brows lifted and he opened the door a little further.

"Fair enough. Come on in, child, you look very worse for wear," he said and turned his back to her. She could see now that he was leaning on a cane as he was walking, limping heavily on one leg. The dog she had heard before came running, a little mutt that looked mean, but immediately jumped up at her with joy. She laughed as she bent down to pat his head.

"Dog likes you that means you're not dangerous. Most likely," the old man commented as he sat down on a small table after getting a cup from one of the makeshift sideboards. The inside of the little hut looked hastily built and worn, dirt and dust covering a lot of the higher surfaces. He poured her a glass from a big jug at the table and gestured for her to sit down. Sam crossed the room and obeyed, taking a sip of what luckily turned out to be water.

"Thank you," she said as she put it down, having drained it hastily. She had not realised until now how thirsty she was. The man filled it up again and started talking.

"So, child, what's your name?"

"Emely Redding, good Ser," she answered without hesitation. It was a name she often used when sneaking out of Highgarden, a name with no meaning, since the last of House Redding had died a long time ago, and it had been an insignificant one to start with.

"Never heard that name, but I guess you're not from around these parts?," he inquired further.

"No, my family lives in the Reach. We had travelled to King's Landing to watch Margaery Tyrell get married," she answered swiftly.

"I heard that did not go so well now, did it?" he commented and chuckled. Samaya smiled shyly.

"No, apparently not. I wasn't there, but I heard it was gruesome," she said as she took another sip. "Would you mind telling me where we are exactly? I seem to have lost all sense of direction," she added, impatient to know her options.

"Well, you must have come down the Kingsroad, which is west from here. You go east, you'll reach the Wendwater, you go South, through the Kingswood, you'll reach Bronzegate and Storm's End. But I reckon you're eager to get back to the Reach? The Roseroad starts about half a days' walk north-west from here. It'll take you to Bitterbridge in a day's ride," he explained.

"Have you lived here long? Samaya could not contain her curiousness. The man was interesting, and she wanted to know how he ended up here. He laughed at her question.

"Washed up ashore a few moons ago. Found this little hut, abandoned except for the dog. Figured it was better living and dying here than to go back home," he said casually.

"And why is that?" she continued asking.

"Cause I was on the wrong side in the Battle of the Blackwater. I was Stannis Baratheon's cartographer. Lucky I did not die when all the ships were set aflame. Now, I live here, with dog, and I try not to get involved in anything ever again," he explained to Samaya's surprise.

"I can understand that. Thank you for your kindness," she said and smiled at him.

"I hope you won't tell anyone you found an old deserter here? I like living like this, wouldn't wanna die on the gallows after I've swum through fire," he asked with an amused tone. Sam chuckled.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe. I'd appreciate if you did not mention my appearance here as well," she said.

"No worries, child. Even though you are clearly lying about how you got here, I do not mind. Like I said, I try to stay out of other people's business. Do you have any weapons on you? Food or other provisions?" he asked in a light tone. Samaya was surprised that he clearly saw through her lies, but he did not seem too fazed by it.

"No, I've got nothing. I did not exactly plan this… journey," she confessed.

"Well, I've found a dagger in one of the cupboards you can have. Afraid I'll need the rest of the weapons myself. But you can have some beetroot and berries if you want. And a bed for the night, I think. It is not wise to go out into the woods at night. Bandits and such all over," he suggested and she smiled thankfully.

"That would be greatly appreciated. It's not often one finds kindness amongst strangers these days," Samaya said and saw his eyes glint cheerfully as he laughed.

"Well, it's not always a beautiful young stranger lady that's asking," he commented and they laughed together. Maybe she would stand a chance of survival after all if there were more people like him in this world.

Early the next day, Samaya was standing at entrance to the little hut, staring out into the dark forest in front of her. The man, whose name turned out to be Hugar, was just readying a small bundle of provisions for her. She was not certain about where exactly she should go, but a plan had started forming in her mind, and she would try to stick to it. It would be immensely difficult to survive the long march, but she had to try.

"There you are," Hugar said as he hobbled towards her, extending the small bundle.

"I cannot thank you enough, my friend," she smiled gracefully as she took it and secured it on her back.

"Well, us outlaws have to help each other. Be careful and stay close to, but not on the road. Worse than bandits out there these days," he said as he gave her a heartfelt pat on the shoulder. Samaya turned to leave as they both froze when the sound of a galloping horse reached their ears.

"Inside! Quickly now!" Hugar immediately said and shoved her behind him. He closed the door and peeked out through the small window facing the front of the house. Samaya's heart was pounding in her chest. Had they found her already? What was she going to do? Fight them or try to slip away?

"It's only one horse, but there's no rider," Hugar suddenly said, gaining her attention.

"Let me see," she stood next to him and peeked out as well. Her heart skipped a beat at the familiar sight. Smiling, she bolted to the door and outside. She ran towards the animal who started neighing excitedly. As she reached Shadowfoot, she buried her face in his mane and held on tight to him.

"How did you find me, my friend? Who set you free? Oh, how glad I am to see you!" she said as tears gathered in her eyes. It was the most welcome surprise. She rested her forehead against his nose as he nuzzled her ear playfully.

"I take it he's yours?" Hugar came up behind her and laughed.

"He is indeed. Though I do not know how he found me," she said in disbelief.

"Intelligent creatures, horses. It's no wonder. If they like you, they stick with you to the end," the old man commented. "Seems like the Gods are on your side, Emely."

Sam nodded in confirmation as her gaze fell to his back. Not only had someone saddled him, but there was a small bundle attached to it as well. She carefully untied it and peeked inside. Her dagger, some riding clothes, and, to her immense surprise, Rhaegar's ring were the things it held. Who had packed this for her? She was absolutely baffled.

Shadowfoot was still trying to get her attention and as he turned around, she let out a small gasp of surprise. Her bow was attached to his other side, complete with a quiver. How nobody had stopped the horse to try and get it she did not know, but how lucky that he had found her. If she ever found out who set him free and sent her belongings, she was going to reward them handsomely.

"That's a fine bow there. It's not often you see Dragonbone in Westeros," Hugar said, having come closer. Samaya looked at him with curiosity.

"Were you really only a cartographer?" she asked in a playful tone.

"I was a cartographer as much as you were just mere foot folk," he answered and they both laughed. His mind was sharp, and it was no wonder he saw through her act. However, he did not ask further, which Sam was thankful for.

"Would you stay with him? I'll quickly change into these clothes," she asked as she walked towards the house. It would be a great relief to have proper riding clothes, not only a ripped dress. Her chances of escape had just risen immensely.

A short while later, she was waving at the man as Shadowfoot took her into the dark forest. She would never forget the kindness he had shown her, and hoped to meet more people like him on her journey. Looking ahead into the wilderness, she gripped the reigns tightly and led her horse forward.

"Let us see where this road takes us," she said quietly and started her adventure.

Tadaaa... we're getting there! Sam's finally free of the city and off to new ventures. Where do you think she will go? I'd be honoured to hear your thoughts ;) xx