~:Winter Has Come:~
The Apprentice
The snow was falling heavily as Sam made his way from his chambers across the yard, his breath steaming from his reddening nose as the fresh snow crunched under his feet. Winter was here and Sam knew that time was short, he knew what was coming for them all. The Wall would not stop them, the Night's Watch could not stop them, but he had to find a way.
Once inside he pulled down the hood from hisblack fur cape and brushed off the snow before it could melt before making his way to the library. Most of the Maesters and apprentices like him were in bed or at least back in their chambers at this hour, but Sam could not sleep.
Picking up a old brass lantern he made his way to the back of the library and opened a heavy wooden door which creaked on it's ancient iron hinges. The flame flickered and danced as he carefully made his way down the stone steps into the archives far below the Citadel, his heavy footsteps echoeing off the cold stone walls. Jon had sent him to learn whatever he could of the White Walkers and Sam was determined not to let his friend and his brothers down.
Sam loved to search through the dusty shelves, through the endless scrolls, tomes and parchments for anything that had knowledge of the White Walkers and dragon glass which he had used to kill a one while defending Gilly. Slayer they called him on his return to Castle Black, though Sam only did what he had to. He was no hero.
Most of the scrolls held the knowledge and wisdom gained by the Maester's over the centuries. Most of the tomes were records and accounts but, he did find some which looked promising. Sam thought that the library at Castle Black was impressive, but compared to the Citadel it was tiny.
At first Sam didn't want to become a Maester, but he knew that it was the best way he could serve Jon and the Night's Watch. Sam wasn't a warrior and he certainly wasn't brave. Yes, he had killed a White Walker but he had no control over what he did that night, acting purely on instinct. It gave him chills and made his heart raced just thinking back to that terrible night. He could still see those glowing blue eyes. He could still feel the cold, a cold like he had never felt before.
Although he hadn't earned any links towards his own Maester's chain yet he was making good progress with his studies and he had earned a few small privileges. Access to the archives though was due to him being a man of the Night's Watch. Some of the other Maester's didn't approve but Sam didn't care, he had a mission to do and he wasn't going to let anything stop him. He wouldn't fail his brothers, he wouldn't fail Jon.
Sitting at his usual old wooden desk he placed the lantern down and opened the ancient tome in front of him to where he had marked it a few nights earlier. The pages had yellowed with age and the text had faded quite badly that it was almost unreadable in places, but that hadn't put Sam off. He knew that any knowlege he could gain could save many lives in the war to come.
The Lady
The cold white flakes fell silently and melted on her pale cheeks as she looked out over the Vale far below, covered in a thick white blanket of fresh snow. It had been falling steadily for eight days and nights now and Sansa thought that it looked so beautiful, almost magical even as it glistened in the early morning light. The nights had become long and bitterly cold, the days were short and just as cold as the nights. Winter had finally come to the Vale.
"When winter comes. You'll hear no lions roar. No stags grazing the fields. No roses growing in the meadows. No snakes in the sand. The sun will cease to warm the land. The krakens will freeze where they swim. The flayed men will rot and wither. No trouts swimming in the river and no falcons flying in the air. Not even the dragon's breath will warm you in your halls. Only the wolves will howl in the night." She whispered to herself, her breath steaming from her lips.
Even though she was wearing her thickest wool dress and hooded cape the icy wind blew through them, making her shiver. Pulling her hood down she walked back into her chamber, closing the balcony doors behind her for the last time. It had become too cold to stay so high up in the mountains and it was now time to leave the Eyrie and head for lower ground to shelter for the winter at the Gates of the Moon.
Most of the servants had already left ahead of her and the castle was almost deserted now. Lord Robin and Lady Sansa were to be the last to leave as was custom when leaving the Eyrie for the winter. They were to be escorted down from the Eyrie by Sansa's new protector, the Lady Brienne.
Sansa felt almost sad to leave the Eyrie behind and thought it strange how she considered this to be her home now, though Winterfell would always be her true home. It had been so long since she had left Winterfell for King's Landing with her father and her little sister all those moons ago, she was just a naive young girl back then. She was to marry the prince and be queen and have little princes of her own some day. So much had changed since then but she was still a wolf at heart, a Stark of Winterfell and nothing could ever change that.
Closing her eyes she could still picture every stone tower, every chamber, the glass gardens where fruit and vegetables and flowers grew, the ancient crypts, the gloomy Godswood and the Heart Tree with the long scary face keeping watch over the little black pool that sat beside it. The Great Hall where they feasted, the Broken Tower and the castle yard where her brothers used to play with Arya trying to join in.
She could still see the faces of the servants and her family, Septa Mordane, Old Nan and Maester Luwin, even Hodor the giant stable boy. All of them were gone now and the Bolton's held Winterfell as wardens of the north. 'Traitors!'
Carefully pulling out the direwolf sigil that Arya had made for her she smiled. The stitches were crooked but Sansa didn't care, she wouldn't have had it any other way. To her it was perfect and the most precious thing that she owned. She would never part with it. 'Where are you Arya?' She thought to herself as she sat on her bed, waiting patiently to leave. 'I hope you're safe, I hope to see you again soon.'
Sansa hadn't seen or heard from her Arya since she had left. She had only heard rumors of a girl and a giant wolf in the Riverlands, hunting down Freys and possibly killing the Kingslayer Jaime Lannister. But she hadn't heard anything new for several moons and felt concerned for her sister.
A sharp knock on her chamber door broke her thoughts. Sansa quickly stood and straightened her dress and cape as her protector entered and bowed her head. A giant of a women with straggly blonde hair. She had arrived at the Eyrie several moons ago with her bumbling squire having sworn an oath to her mother to protect Sansa and Arya and keep them safe. At first Sansa wasn't sure if she could trust Brienne, but having heard her full story it was clear that she was an ally.
"My lady, it is time."
Sansa took one last look at Arya's gift and smiled before safely putting it into her pocket. "Yes, let's go."
The Little Wolf
It was late in the evening and getting colder as the sun barely showed above the walls of the keep, but the little wolf didn't care. The snow fell silently, resting and then slowly melting in his messy hair, but he didn't care. His arms and legs ached, but he didn't care about that either. He swung hard and true, over and over as he hit the straw mannequin with his wooden training sword. "Theon Greyjoy". He said with one thrust. "Walder Frey." He said with the next. "Roose Bolton, Ramsey Bolton..."
"I think you've practiced enough for one day my lord. You should come inside where it's warm." Osha said as she watched over him, leaning against the grey stone wall for shelter.
"Just a little longer." He replied as he continued with his routine for a few more moments before finally sliding his practice sword into his belt and walking over to her. "Come Shaggydog." He called out to his direwolf who came walking over to him.
Slipping a thick fur cloak around his little shoulders she walked him back inside followed by Shaggydog. "You're improving. Your brothers would be proud." She smiled down at him as they walked up the stone steps to his chamber.
Rickon missed Bran so much and hoped that he was still alive, Hodor, Meera, Jojen and Summer too. Everyone else was gone. Mother, father and his sisters Arya and Sansa. He knew that Jon was at the Wall, though he had heard no news in many moons now and hoped that he was still alive too.
His home, his true home Winterfell was held by the Bolton's. Someday, once he was a man grown he hoped to take it back. But for now Winterfell might as well have been on the far side of Westeros. The snow was thirty feet deep and travelling had become almost impossible. Winter was here!
The Princess
It had been weeks since they had set off from Castle Black but they had been stuck for ten days now. The snow was thick on the ground, deep enough to bury a horse and it was falling heavier by the day. Her fatheralways seemed to be with the red priestess, while her mother had largely ignored her. But, at least Ser Davos kept her spirits up.
"I knew the weather in the north was bad, but I never expected this." He said as he sat beside her, brushing the snow off his shoulders and shaking it from his grey hair. "Aye, the northerners can keep their snow and ice, too cold for my old bones." He smiled at her.
Shireen smiled back at him. "I've never seen snow before. It's a beautiful as they say it is in the books." She said as she closed the book that she was reading. Shireen loved to read books and discover things hidden in their pages. Tales of dragons and knights and heroes.
Davos nodded as he smiled back at her. "Aye. In small amounts from the warmth of a castle I would have to agree." He paused as he looked her over. "Are you keeping warm enough princess?" He asked as he noticed her shivering a little.
"I'm fine." She replied, even though she did feel a little cold if truth be told. Shireen had never been one to complain or make a fuss, but she could tell from the look on Ser Davos' face that he knew that she wasn't telling the truth. "I'm a little cold and hungry, but I'll be ok." She admitted, coming clean.
Ser Davos couldn't help but smile. "Don't you worry princess. As soon as we take Winterfell from the Bolton's we'll warm ourselves by a log fire and eat hot soup and hard bread until our bellies burst or we can no longer move."
Shireen couldn't help but giggle a little. She liked the sound of that, all except for the 'bursting bellies' part. "Can my father really take Winterfell? The walls are supposed to be a hundred feet high? Do we have enough men?"
Ser Davos nodded slowly but she could tell that he was unsure. He always paused a little before answering her questions if he wasn't sure of the answer and he was a rubbish liar. "Your father seems to think so and I have little reason to doubt him." He replied as he stood. "An neither should you."
"I hope you're right Ser Davos."
The Blacksmith
It had been a long, hard journey but finally Gendry had made it to the Inn of the Kneeling Man, he only hoped that his old friend Hot Pie was still working there. It had been so long since he had last been there, but he had nowhere else to go.
When Ser Davos had first set him free he had thought of going back to King's Landing and being a blacksmith's apprentice again but thought it was too risky. If he had been recognized by one of the Gold Cloaks who knows what would happen to him. Thrown back into a dungeon again? Tortured perhaps? Maybe they would take his head and put it on a pike? Gendry could not say, nor did he intend to find out!
He had wanted to stay with the Brotherhood Without Banners and be a smith for them before the Red Woman had taken him and he hoped that they would take him in again. It felt like this was where he belonged, a place where he had purpose.
He felt the heat from the fire on his face as he entered, it felt so good compared to the icy wind and snow which he had battled against for the last week. He had almost forgotten what warmth felt like on the road. He was hungry too, though he had no coin for food.
A travelling bard was singing to make some coin as Gendry looked around the room for a spare table. A thin rake of a man who wore patched rags for clothes. He had dirty blonde hair and equally dirty mouth. Gendry had never heard a song with so much cussing and that was saying something from someone that grew up in Flee Bottom. Unfortunately there was no sign of Hot Pie, but luckily there was an empty table in the far corner, so he walked over to sit and wait as the bard started to sing a more familiar song.
'From there, to here. From here! To there!
All black and brown and covered in hair!
He smelled that girl on the summer air!
The bear! The bear!
The maiden fair!
Oh, I'm a maid, and I'm pure and fair!
I'll never dance with a hairy bear!
I called a knight, but you're a bear!
All black and brown and covered in hair!
He lifted her high in the air!
He sniffed and roared and he smelled her there!
She kicked and wailed, the maid so fair!
He licked the honey all up in her hair!
From there to here. From here! To there!
All black and brown and covered in hair!
He smelled that girl on the summer air!
The bear! The bear!
The maiden fair!'
Gendry smiled and watched from his table as some of the others joined in singing and clapping before Hot Pie finally walked out from the kitchen holding a wooden bowl and a plate of hard bread. Wanting to keep a low profile Gendry kept his hood up and his head low as he raised his hand up to catch Hot Pie's attention.
Moments later Hot Pie walked over. "What can I get you?"
Looking up Gendry smiled. "Hot Pie, it's me."
"Gendry?" A broad smile appeared on Hot Pie's chubby face, recognizing him straight away and took a seat opposite him. "Is Arya with you?"
Gendry shook his head. "No she isn't. I haven't seen her, have you?"
Hot Pie leaned in so that they could speak quietly. "I have seen her, but not for a few moons now. She's doing really well." Hot Pie went on to explain everything that Arya had told him since the last time they had met. "So, why are you here?" He asked.
Gendry was pleased to hear that Arya was doing well and really hoped to see her again soon. He had often wondered what happened to her and if she had ever made it back to Winterfell. He had heard various stories on his journey and hoped that she was safe. "I want to join The Brotherhood, smith for them. Do you know where I can find them?"
"You're in luck! Speak to that man over there. He's the new leader of The Brotherhood." Hot Pie replied as he pointed over to a large, aging man wearing a scaley black armor. He looked a little rough, but he was a highborn. Gendry had been around enough to know a highborn when he saw one.
"Calls himself the Blackfish."