Next one! Enjoy!
Once Samaya had caught up with the Dothraki, she kept Rhaegal soaring over them. She knew she had to stall him to do so, but she did not want to arrive in Highgarden without protection. The thought of what the Lannisters had done made her sick. They had taken her home, possibly burnt it to the ground, left corpses everywhere and worst of all, killed her family. Tears were flowing freely as she thought of her grandmother. Besides all the misery the woman had caused her, she still loved her deeply. The world would feel a little emptier without Olenna Tyrell in it.
When the castle appeared on the horizon, Samaya was relieved to see that there were no billows of smoke rising from anywhere. Either the remaining folk had put it out, or the Lannisters had not bothered setting anything alight.
Her throat was dry and her heart beating so fast it threatened to explode in her chest as she looked upon her home. The Briar labyrinth, the Godswood… she circled overhead to get a first look at the extent of damage. Corpses were sprawled everywhere, it looked like a ghost town. There was no sign of life. Tears gave way to fury. She would kill every single Lannister for this…
Her escort had stopped at the gates, and she landed Rhaegal with a loud thud. The dragon had been screeching in pain when they had arrived, adapting to his rider's heartbreak. Now, however, he roared loud with anger as she descended from his back. At the sound, heads started to appear on the curtain wall. Sam quickly realised it were mostly children, or farmers. Not a single one of them seemed to be in a soldier's uniform.
With determination, she stepped through the gates and turned around to face those staring at her from up high. She saw a few little ones aiming bows at her, but she knew they would not fire.
"The Lannister army who has attacked Highgarden has been destroyed. My name is Samaya Tyrell, and I have come to restore my home," she announced loudly, and the bows immediately dropped. To her surprise, Maester Lomys appeared from one of the gatehouses. He was limping, and seemed to bleed from his shoulder, but a smile graced his face.
"I knew you would come," he said as he reached her and gave a deep bow that made him lose a little bit of balance.
"Maester, you need to lie down. Have someone look at your wounds," she quickly said, supporting him by the elbow. He gave her a sad look.
"Who would look at my wounds? I am the only healer left," he answered.
"How many survived?" Samaya asked him, her expression concerned.
"Hard to say… it's mostly children and a few farmers. I was in the labyrinth when they attacked, I haven't made it up to court yet. I sent a few of the little ones, but they only found a handful of survivors. We put them up in the gatehouse, and I tried to treat them as best as I could, but all my medicine is in my solar," he explained and Samaya nodded. She turned around to the group of Dothraki, who were eying her with an almost bored expression.
"Which one of you understands the common tongue?" she asked, and quickly, a rider came forward.
"I am Kovarro, bloodrider to Khaleesi," he announced himself.
"Kovarro, take one of these children and have them show you the way to the maester's solar. Grab all healing supplies and return them to this man," she instructed. The rider gave her a nod and turned to the small group of children that had gathered around them. They looked at the foreigner in fear.
"Boys and girls, these men are here to help us. Who wants to ride with their leader and show him to my study? We need the healing supplies from there," the Maester asked the little ones. They still looked frightened.
"This will be the fastest ride of your life, Dothraki are better horsemen then any in the Seven Kingdoms," Samaya added, teasing them with a broad grin. That got their attention, and a girl of about 10 years stepped forward and held her hands up to the rider. He almost smiled at her and lifted her up in a swift motion. A moment later, there were galloping off to get what the maester needed. Samaya turned to the rest of the Dothraki.
"See if you can fix the gates, to give us a little protection against raiders. Maester, please stay with them if you don't mind," she said and they all nodded in understanding.
"Children, I have a task for you," Sam then said and crouched down on the floor. They gathered around her eagerly.
"I will take a few men and ride up to the castle to make sure no bad men are hiding in there. Wait a little bit and then follow me. You remember the Great Hall?" she asked and they all nodded eagerly.
"Okay, think of this as a treasure hunt. You are allowed to go everywhere, do you understand? Go to the kitchen, the chambers, the kennels, anywhere you like. The treasure we are looking for is any kind of food. Whatever you find, you bring to the Great Hall," she instructed them in a kind voice. Some smiled at her, others were still shy and frightened.
"But there are dead men everywhere," one of the older ones said. Sam sighed, she did not want to expose them to the sight of death, but she had to establish some sort of ruling order to survive.
"I know. Bad men came and killed them. It will take some time to give them proper burials. These men have died to defend Highgarden, and they will be honoured and never forgotten. Do not look at them, if you can help it. Death does not come peaceful in battle," she tried to ease them. When no more questions or arguments came, she got back up and gestured for five Dothraki to come with her.
"Dickon!" she then screamed, and he appeared, leading his horse. He had hidden in the background, in case any of the children or other survivors recognised him. Sam quickly mounted his horse, and looked at him with a stern face.
"What are you waiting for? Get up and show me where you hid my brother," she said and the Tarly boy complied. Together, they rode off towards the castle, followed by the foreigners who were to help her rebuild all of this mess…
Jon Snow was standing high upon the cliffs of Dragonstone, waiting for any word from the Queen or her armies. She had ridden off on her dragon, together with most of the Dothraki to avenge the recent attack on Highgarden.
It came as a surprise when they had received the news. Jon had only just showed her the cave, and for the first time, she had dropped her cold exterior and actually started to bond with him a little. It showed in the fact that she had asked his opinion on what to do next when Tyrion and Varys delivered the news.
The remaining dragon was sleeping a few cliffs below Jon, but suddenly stirred. He let out a loud roar that was immediately answered by one of his brothers. Jon searched the skies eagerly, and soon saw the massive Drogon approach. He scanned the rest of the sky, but it seemed there was only one dragon, not two, as he had hoped.
The Queen landed right in front of Jon, and to his surprise, Drogon let him touch his snout. He knew that Rhaegal had taken to him, but it seemed that Samaya's dragon had a more outgoing disposition than the other two, especially Drogon. He was so immense, it commanded respect. His heart was pounding heavily as he slowly stroked down his scales. Jon thought he had gotten used to dragons by now, but alas, he had not.
Daenerys looked at him in shock before she descended. She joined Jon at the dragon's snout, and he gave her a small smile.
"Who would have thought the King in the North would be a dragon tamer?" she said and he just snorted.
"I think it takes far more to tame a dragon than to pet its snout," he answered and she smiled at him coyly.
"What happened?" he asked a few moments later, his face now concerned and stern. The Queen started walking, and he joined her side.
"We found the Lannister armies on the Goldroad, and we made them pay for their crimes. The survivors will return here with the Dothraki," she quickly explained. Jon did not want to know the details, he could only imagine what the dragon had done to the enemy army… But there was one thing he had to know.
"And the Lady Samaya? Is she still on her mission?" he asked in a quiet voice. Jon did not understand why he was so worried about her, she had a dragon, after all, but for some reason, he needed to know she was safe. Daenerys gave him a long, scrutinising glance, but finally answered.
"No, she arrived with Rhaegal and the Princess Arianne of Dorne just as the battle was over. I sent her to Highgarden to salvage what's left of her home," she quickly explained, her tone of voice a little harsher than before.
"So she had been sent to find the heir to Dorne?" Jon concluded. He still had not known why Samaya had to leave Dragonstone again. Daenerys nodded.
"Yes, and she fulfilled her mission. That is why I gave her leave to return to Highgarden. She will remain there until I send for her again," she informed Jon, whose heart sank a little at these news. He had looked forward to seeing her again, but he understood… her home had been attacked, she needed to go back and restore what was left of it.
"I understand," he commented, and looked at the ground. The Queen stopped walking at his words. When he found her gaze, she was looking at him in an angry manner.
"Are you in love with my sister?" she asked him bluntly. Jon was taken aback by her question. He swallowed hard before he answered.
"Your Grace, I merely ask because the Lady Samaya believes me when it comes to the Army of the Dead. You have given me permission to mine the dragonglass, but I know you are still not fully convinced. I know that you take her advice under consideration, and I had hoped for her return so she could speak to you on my behalf. Yes, I admire your sister, but there is no place for love in times like these," he said, his tone a little pleading. The Queen held his gaze for a long moment, before she sighed deeply.
"Forgive me, I just… I do not know you very well, Lord Snow. You seem to share a bond with my sister, and I am protective of her. I did not mean to accuse you of falsehood," she finally told him.
"You want to get to know me better?" Jon asked incredulously, to which the Queen nodded lightly. He gave her a crooked smile then. "Then please stop calling me Lord Snow," he added and they both started laughing. Maybe she was finally dropping her cold exterior. Maybe he didn't need Sam to make her believe him…
As they walked back to the castle, and she told him more details of the battle, he was only listening with one ear, though. His heart seemed to be pounding, trying to reach his brain. Telling him that he would still need Samaya, but not in a political way. He needed her for his own selfish reason… He needed her to be happy.
They did not know how long they were sat in the dark, cold tunnels in the bowels of Highgarden when they heard noises.
"Ser Bayard, wake up!" Willas shook his companion. After Dickon Tarly had shoved him behind a tapestry, he made his way down seemingly endless steps in complete darkness. He did not know these parts of the castle, his injured leg having hindered him from exploring in his youth. At one point, he misjudged his steps, and tumbled down a flight of stairs. When he tried to get back up, he realised that his good ankle was twisted, and he could not move.
Thankfully, a short while later, the light of a candle illuminated the hallway he had ended in, and Ser Bayard appeared, bleeding profoundly, and dragging his body along painfully slow. He had told Willas that he narrowly escaped, but that most of their men seemed to be dead. The heir to Highgarden did his best to help the knight with his wound, and they finally managed to stop the bleeding. However, Ser Bayard had lost a lot of blood, and was weak and unable to move.
That's how they had ended up here together, dragging out the inevitable. Death. It would take days for Willas' ankle to heal, and without food or water, they would soon perish. Ser Bayard was drifting in and out of consciousness, but seemed to be awake now as the other man shook him vehemently. Their candle had burned out a long, long time ago, but their eyes had gotten used to the darkness.
Footsteps echoed closer, and Ser Bayard sat up in pain as he drew his sword. They would not give up without a fight. It turned gradually brighter around them, the light of torches illuminating the dark spaces around them. There were no voices, but soon, figures appeared in the distance. They seemed big and menacing, and Willas' heart sank. They would slay them just like they did the rest.
Just as he was making peace with his fate, a voice sounded, and he had never heard anything sweeter in his life. Samaya had found them.
"Willas!" she burst out of the pack and raced toward them. Without any hesitation, she crouched down and hugged him so tight, he feared for his airway.
"I found you, I finally found you. Thank the Gods!" she whispered as she looked him over, taking in his state. He gave her a weak smile. His sister greeted Ser Bayard almost as warmly as he had done him, and immediately grew concerned at their wounds.
"Kovarro, get Ser Bayard to the maester as quickly as you can!" she told one of the men that had come with her. Willas watched in amazement as a wild-looking man with long hair and a dangerous look stepped forward and picked the knight up of the floor.
"Can you walk?" Sam then asked him, and he shook his head.
"No, I hurt my good ankle. Will you carry me, sister?" he asked jokingly. She chuckled a little but shook her head.
"Time to redeem yourself, I think," she turned around and to his surprise, Dickon Tarly stepped forward. He seemed relieved at Willas' survival and gently put his hands under his knees and arms. Carefully, he lifted Willas up.
"I am sorry for what happened," the Tarly boy whispered quietly as they started walking. Willas just nodded, his expression hard, but with a glint of relief in his eyes.
"It does not matter now. You saved me from certain death, that's all that counts," he answered in a grave voice. He was already concerned with what would wait for him outside of these tunnels. His sister walked besides them, holding up a torch.
"Sam, what have they done to our home?" he asked, grasping for her hand. She gave him a tight squeeze, her eyes turning sad.
"Most of the soldiers are dead, their corpses still scattered everywhere. Maester Lomys survived, he's down at the gatehouse with the injured and the children that got away unscathed. Daenerys has sent me here with 30 Dothraki soldiers to rebuild. I am to stay until she sends for me again," she quickly explained. Willas nodded, taking in the information.
"And the army that attacked us?" he then asked. Sam's expression changed, and she looked hard all of a sudden.
"Daenerys ambushed them at the Goldroad. Most of them died, I do not know what she intends to do with those that surrendered," she confessed.
"I do not want to see even one of their faces here ever again," Willas replied, to which Dickon cleared his throat, obviously uneasy in this situation.
"Relax, you are the exception," he quickly told the Tarly boy. They were nearing a small door now, through which daylight was shining through. Willas could not wait to be out in the fresh air again. He did not think he would live to see the sun shine again.
As their party stepped out from behind a pillar and into the courtyard, his breath hitched in his throat. It was not the sight of the corpses strewn around in a careless manner, or the smell of death that brought fear into his heart. It was the massive dragon sitting where a beautiful fountain had once been. As they emerged, he stretched his neck and gave a loud and mighty roar. Willas' mouth fell open in shock as his sister stepped forward. Only now did he realise that her hair was not black like it had been his whole life. No, it was silver, so pure and bright, it shamed their mothers'.
"Do not fear, brother. He is fighting on our side," she said quietly and he stared at her in shock. Their grandmother had told him, but he never truly believed her story. His beloved little sister… he just did not think that there was this side of her that she had kept secret from him all these years.
As Samaya walked up to the dragon, and it bent his head down so she could put her hand on its snout, Willas swallowed hard. He better start to believe it now…
Of course I let Willas live... and I was not ready to say goodbye to Ser Bayard, either. I hope you agree with my choice ;)
Neve: thank you too for appreciating that I spared Dickon ;) I just really liked him so much in the show, such a waste that he had to die there.
Nicolaclair: thank you so much! I hope you're happy that he did indeed survive ;)
Hitman: well, Jon is King in the North, he has to think of succession, so it only makes sense that he will take a wife at some point. also, they are all young and good-looking, so I think that these things will just happen naturally ;)
Thanks to all the other reviews as well! You guys really always make my day, and this story would not continue so quickly without you!
So please drop my a line if you have any thoughts on this one, or what will happen next. Do you think Sam will stay long in Highgarden?