Hello my lovelies... sorry for the long wait, I was slammed at work. But thank you so much for all the amazing reviews, I squeal like a baby every time I read one. Hope you will enjoy the new chapter! xx

When Sam arrived in Storm's End two days after her chaotic flight from Bronzegate, it seemed like Brus was nowhere around. She had trudged through the dense forest by foot, never far from the road, but also never visible to other travellers. If the search party had returned, she might have missed them.

The sun had just set when she arrived at the gates to Storm's End. Its massive single tower was rising toward the sky like a fist, a suitable symbol for a house that was strong and stubborn. Sam wondered who held the castle now. As far as she knew, there were no Baratheons left except Stannis, and he was supposedly off North to gather some more support for his mission against the Crown. She slowly rode towards the busy harbour, contemplating politics.

Despite the time of day, ships were still being loaded and readied to leave the port. Sam was facing two new dilemmas now. The first was the question of where to go next, and the second was what she was to do with Shadowfoot. She knew that not many ships would have quarters for a horse, and even though she had some gold now, she had to be careful on how to spend it. Paying for herself and the horse might diminish her finances drastically.

She dismounted and continued on by foot. The first ship she saw was a colourful galley, which was just being loaded with cargo. There was a man standing in front of her, watching the loading process and giving out commands. He had blue hair, which was a Tyroshi custom, but gave instructions in the common tongue. His clothes suggested that he was moderately rich, and Sam decided to try her luck.

"Excuse me?" she approached him carefully. The man turned around and looked her up and down before answering her. His eyes were hard, but kind.

"What can I do for you?" he said brusquely.

"I am looking to buy passage on a ship. Are you taking on any travellers?" she answered with a friendly smile.

"In fact, I do. If you have the gold, I might even have a proper cabin for you," he turned to her fully now, and she could see that he was missing both his little fingers.

"Money won't be a problem. Where is it you are going?" she said, still very careful.

"Volantis is my next destination. But you're gonna have to leave your horse behind. Got no room for that beast," he answered, suspiciously eying Shadowfoot. Sam's heart painfully throbbed in her chest. Just as she had expected. But Volantis was not a bad goal for her travels. If she remembered correctly, it was a busy hub for trading of all sorts, which meant loads of ships and other traffic.

"How much?" Sam asked, maintaining eye-contact with the man.

"Three Gold Dragons, and that includes food," the captain said and smiled. She saw that his teeth were surprisingly well maintained for a sailor.

"When are you leaving?" Sam asked further.

"As soon as the ship is fully loaded. Night makes for quiet waters, and the stars will guide our way," the man told her.

"Let me just find a place for my horse, and I will be back as soon as I can," she said and the man stuck out his hand.

"Where I come from, we shake on business," he said with a small smile.

"So be it," Sam replied and took his hand. She just hoped he would not try anything shifty with her.

"My Lord, I have some news," Ser Bayard Norcross stood in front of the interim Lord of Highgarden with a big smile on his face. Willas Tyrell looked at him suspiciously. It had been a few dark weeks here in their beautiful home, ever since news of Sam's disappearance had reached his ears. He was utterly concerned for his little sister, and just hoped that wherever she was, she was at least safe. Olenna Tyrell had travelled to King's Landing to deal with the Tyrell's newest scandal, Margaery's and Loras' imprisonment by the Faith. He had been left alone in Highgarden to keep things in order, but felt like he failed to do so more with every passing day.

"Go ahead, Ser Bayard," he said to the man.

"This morning, a stable boy from Storm's End arrived at Highgarden. He was riding Shadowfoot, and he brought a message," the knight said, and Willas immediately shot up from his seat. Loras had written to him explaining how he had set the horse free, but nobody knew if it ever found Sam.

"What was the message?" he said hastily. Ser Bayard stepped closer and handed him a tiny scroll. Willas opened it quickly, finding that the paper was rough and dirty, and without a seal.

Dearest Brother,

I hope this will reach you, and when it does, do not fear for me or my safety. I have left this country and do not know when or if I will be back. I love you dearly and leaving breaks my heart, but there is only misery here for me. Please take care of Shadowfoot. I hope we meet again. With all my love,

Sam

"Has anybody else seen this? Or talked to the boy?" Willas asked after a few moments.

"No, my Lord," Bayard replied.

"Good. If he wants to return to Storm's End, give him a fresh horse and ample supplies. If he wants to stay, tell him he can have a position at court in return for his silence. Make sure he does not tell anyone, if this had gotten into the wrong hands, all of our heads would be on the line," he instructed quickly.

"Yes, my Lord," the man said and turned to leave.

"Ser Bayard?" Willas said and the older man stopped and turned back around. "Do you think she will survive? Do you think she will be safe?" he asked the knight that had travelled so far with his sister.

"Sam is tough in more ways than she lets on. If she's made it to Storm's End after jumping off a cliff in King's Landing, I'm sure she can make it anywhere," Ser Bayard replied and gave his Lord a re-assuring smile. Willas nodded solemnly.

"I sincerely hope so," he said as he watched the knight leave, his heart a little lighter than before.

Sam was standing on the edge of the ship in the warm morning sun, watching the coastline of Essos pass in the distance. She had been at sea for about a week, and after sailing out of Shipbreaker bay and manoeuvring through the Stepstones, they had just passed the Isle of Lys and were on the final leg of their voyage.

The captain, whose name turned out to be Donor Hotirah, had made true on his promise, and given her a small, but comfortable cabin to sleep in. She had introduced herself as Emely Redding once again, and he had not asked many questions, although he had invited her to dine with him every single night since they had left Westeros. He was surprisingly entertaining, a mischief in his youth, travelling on ships from city to city, and stealing to survive. They had cut off his little fingers in Yunkai, after he got caught stealing a goat from a farmer. Afterwards, he relied on hard work to earn a living, and soon discovered his knack for trading in rare goods. Now he owned three ships and made a good living.

Sam inhaled the salty air and closed her eyes. She was getting a little bored already, and had started helping out the other men on board with menial tasks. Yesterday, she had spent the whole day mending ripped sails. Once again she cursed herself for not being able to sew better, but she thought that they would probably hold for a while.

"Miss Emely," she heard her fake name and turned around to see one of the small boys who helped on the ship looking at her.

"Yes, Aronos?" she replied with a smile. The boy was clever and quick in learning, she had even taught him some sword fighting the other day.

"You looked a little sad there. Do you miss your home?" he said carefully as he came closer.

"It's not so much my home that I miss, but my family," Sam said with a long sigh.

"I never knew my family. I don't know if that makes me lucky or sad," he said matter-of-factly. Sam smiled at him.

"I suppose it makes you lucky because you can never miss them, but it's also a little sad that you have to make it on your own at such a young age. But do you want to know something good about that?" she said in an excited tone.

"What's that, Miss Emely?" the boy was curious.

"One day, you will find a beautiful girl, and you are going to ask her to marry you, and she will give you gorgeous children, and then you have a family of your own. And your children will grow up with a loving father, and never know the same pain that you feel sometimes," she told the small boy, whose eyes had grown wide.

"You really think a girl would ever want to marry me?" he said in an adorable tone. Sam laughed loudly.

"Of course, dear Aronos. You're kind and you're sweet, and now you even know how to hold a blade. Any girl would be lucky to have you," she answered with a cheeky wink. The small boy blushed and quickly hurried away. Sam looked out onto the sea again, the smile sticking to her face this time. Maybe that's what she could do as well. Find a new family and forget all the pain life had brought her thus far.

Tyrion Lannister was slowly sipping on his wine, standing on one of the balconies overlooking the city of Meereen. He felt safe inside this pyramid, even with Daenerys gone. At his feet, the city was slowly descending into chaos, and he did not know what to do next. He was grateful to be reunited with Varys, even though their upcoming meeting with the masters of Yunkai, Astapor and Volantis was not in the eunuch's favour. Tyrion was convinced that they would come to a conclusion. He had to prove to Daenerys that he was on her side, and establishing peace in a troubled region was just the way to do so.

"My Lord," a soft voice from behind him gained his attention. He turned around just to see the ever-so-lovely Missandei standing there, hands crossed in her front, a nervous look on her face.

"Yes, what is it?" he answered in a gentle tone.

"There is a woman in the audience room who demands to speak with you and Lord Varys. She wouldn't give her name, but said that she knew you. She told me to tell you: I married a donkey in the end anyways, and see where it got me," the girl gave the message and Tyrion's eyes widened. How could that be? He remembered these words, but by the Gods… was it true? Quickly, he hurried past Missandei and towards the lavish chamber in which they received the commoners. On his way down the steps, Varys caught up with him.

"Tyrion, there is something you should know," he started to talk, but Tyrion shushed him. He was more interested to find out if it was really her. Two Unsullied pushed open the great doors for him, and they filed into the room. His gaze fell upon a tall, slender boy. Clad in rags, his clothing was worn from travel, and his short hair jet black. As he turned around, Tyrion gasped. It was no boy at all, but the woman he knew as Samaya Tyrell.

"Lord Tyrion, Varys. Glad to see you are both in good health," she started talking, smiling at them politely. Tyrion was a little speechless. He had been sure that the girl was dead. And even if she had survived that fall, why on earth would she come to Meereen? Quickly, he tried to regain his composure.

"My Lady Tyrell, this is an… unexpected surprise?" he said, even though it sounded more like a question than a greeting.

"Oh, I see. You haven't told him?" the girl answered and looked at Varys with a bemused expression. Tyrion followed her gaze and saw that the man was uneasy.

"The occasion has not presented itself, Milady," the eunuch answered and to Tyrion's astonishment, bowed before her. He was utterly confused.

"Would any of you be so kind as to tell me what exactly it is you are talking about? And why is it that you have come to seek us? Your family is still married to the Crown!" he interrupted in a loud voice.

"Forgive me, Lord Tyrion, but I have travelled a long way. I came here thinking you would know the reason, but now I see that I have misjudged the situation. Please, will you allow me to clean up before I will explain?" Samaya said, and now he saw that she did seem very tired and beat. He swallowed his irritation before he answered.

"Of course, Lady Tyrell. Missandei here will show you to some chambers and make sure you will get suitable clothes. Whenever you are ready, please come find us," he said and gestured to the former slave. Samaya smiled and followed her out of the room. As soon as the door closed behind them, he turned to Varys.

"Explain. Now!"

Thoughts?