Day 12: Rekindle the Flame
Arya
The group of teenagers at the Hollow Hill were laughing and chatting while they ate their breakfast and the whole room smelled of bacon and toast.
The members of the Forgotten Fellowship hadn't eaten this well in a while and Arya was happy that she and Jaqen were able to make a difference by going to the large supermarket.
She did feel a bit guilty for stealing but there really was no other way for them to get food since no one would hire a teenager like them.
She looked around the room and smiled when she realized how many of them she had already got to know.
There were runaways of every kind at the Hollow Hill.
Arya knew that a few of them had run away from home because of their abusive parents or because they had been kicked out of the house after having a baby and others had settled down at the Hollow Hill after moving from place to place for years.
She wondered why Edric lived at the Hollow Hill but she guessed that it was a combination of feeling lonely and wanting to help other people.
Arya put her hand in her pocket to check if the coin Jaqen had given to her was still there.
His departure had come as a surprise to her.
He had asked her to meet him outside of the Hollow Hill and she had followed him.
"A man is sad to leave, but if a girl needs a friend she only has to give this to a Braavosi and help will come"
Suddenly he had kissed her and he pressed the coin into her hand.
"Valar morghulis" he had whispered before leaving.
She repeated the words in her head over and over again and she wondered what they could mean.
Arya didn't think she would ever get the chance to ask Jaqen what it had meant though because there goodbye had seemed definite.
She walked back to Sandor's corner and sat down on the bed.
He was doing sit-ups and he avoided making eye contact with her.
"Still thinking of leaving?" she asked him while she got Needle from her pocket and she started to flick the butterfly knife open again.
"Yes" he said "and you should leave too"
She rolled her eyes at him.
"You know..." she started carefully "you never told me what was up with you and Joffrey"
Sandor stopped working out and put his shirt back on after spraying some deodorant on himself.
She didn't think he was going to answer her question but strangely enough he did.
"My family invested in LannisCorp a long time ago when it was just being founded by the Lannisters" Sandor said while rummaging through his backpack so he didn't have to make eye contact with her "someone bought that stock as soon as the company started to become profitable of course, but when my grandfather's business almost went bankrupt Tywin returned the favour, some bullshit about Lannisters paying their debts of course"
Sandor picked up his bottle of water and drank some before continuing.
She could see that he didn't like to tell the story because Sandor was someone who would never ask someone else for help even if his company was going bankrupt.
"My family was thrilled of course and now every time the Lannisters throw a party or something like that we get the honour of sitting at the table which is the furthest away from theirs" Sandor said "that's why I've known Joffrey since he was a kid"
Arya knew what kind of parties he was talking about.
She had always hated it when her parents had a lot of their high-class friends over.
She remembered that one time at Robert Baratheon's birthday party she had thrown food on Sansa while using her spoon as a catapult.
Her mother had grounded her for that but the look on Sansa and Jeyne's face had made it all worth it.
"When Joffrey was a kid was he all ready such a..." she started before Sandor finished her sentence.
"Royal prick? Yes, definitely" Sandor said and they both started laughing.
She realized that she had never heard him laughing before.
Arya opened her mouth to say something but suddenly something happened.
Bright blue and red light shone through the cracks of the boarded up windows and they could heard the loud noises of police cars.
"The cops!" she could hear someone shout "run!"
Sansa
Sansa was sitting on a pile of pillows in the bay window seating while she rested her head against the cool window.
The sun had just started to rise and she was still wearing her little, blue pyjama dress.
There were large bags under her eyes and she hadn't slept at all since her party.
If she closed her eyes she could still hear the people scream.
She would be crying if she didn't feel like she had done that too much already but somehow she wasn't sad anymore.
She felt empty and maybe even a bit angry.
Sansa knew that Cersei must have had something to do with what happened.
She should have listened to her family and she shouldn't have trusted the Lannisters.
They never did anything without wanting something in return.
Cersei, Margaery and Joffrey had been the first people to flee inside of the house and they would have locked the door when she was still outside if Margaery hadn't stopped them.
She thought she had even seen Cersei smile for a moment.
Sansa shivered and she got up from her seat to put on a cardigan.
The hair pin Margaery had given her was laying on her vanity and she smiled when she saw it.
It had been a really nice gift and she couldn't wait to wear it even though she didn't think she would have the opportunity to any time soon.
She heard someone knock on her bedroom door and her mother entered her room.
"Oh Sansa" her mother said softly "did you sleep at all last night?"
Sansa shook her head.
"Oh what are we going to do?" her mother asked her and she seemed to have aged a bit over the past few days.
"I don't know" Sansa said shrugging and she hugged her mother.
"Your party should have gone perfect" Cat said "you were looking forward to it for so long"
Sansa bit her lip to keep herself from crying again.
"I know" she said "I wanted it to be perfect"
She noticed that her mother was crying when she let go off her and Catelyn quickly wiped away her tears.
"The garden is clean again" her mother said "so I guess that's a start"
Sansa smiled at her mother and she was glad that Catelyn hadn't made her help cleaning the garden.
She didn't think she would have been able to.
Suddenly she noticed that her mother had placed an envelope on her vanity.
"What's this?" she asked while she picked it up.
"Oh you'll never believe it" Catelyn said crossing her arms in front of her chest "Lysa is getting married to Petyr"
Sansa couldn't believe it indeed.
She had never imagined that her aunt would marry again and especially not to Little Finger.
"I don't get why she's doing this" Cat said "I'm a hundred percent certain that the minute something happens to Ned, Petyr will be at our doorstep asking me for my hand all over again!"
Sansa couldn't help but chuckled at that.
"Mom, if I didn't know better I would say that you're jealous" she said with a cheeky smile.
"Oh please!" Cat said "I just don't want her to get hurt again"
Sansa shook her head while her smile wouldn't disappear from her face.
She had never been to a wedding before but just like every girl she had dreamed of hers for as long as she could remember.
"Are we going, mom?" Sansa asked Catelyn.
"I don't know" Cat said biting her lip "it's a bit short notice and I don't really want to either"
"When is the wedding?" she asked.
Catelyn sighed.
"Next Sunday" she said "apparently they can't wait any longer to get married"
A wedding would be the perfect distraction for Sansa.
"I really want to go, mom!" Sansa said.
Catelyn sighed again but she wasn't going to tell Sansa that she couldn't go to her aunt's wedding.
"Fine" she said "Lysa did say that she would love it if you would want to be one of the bridesmaids"
"Really?!" Sansa said smiling.
Being a bridesmaid would be amazing.
"I'll go call Lysa then" Catelyn said with a smile and she left the bedroom again.
Jon
Jon was laying in Ygritte's bed while she rested her head on his chest.
Her red hair lay spread out over the pillow like a fiery flame while the afternoon sun shone through the small window in her bedroom.
He had never felt so peaceful before like he did right then underneath her white sheets.
She breathed softly and she had closed her pretty eyes.
He admired her face which he loved like nothing else.
He liked everything from the freckles on her cheeks to her adorable pug nose.
"What are you staring at?" she asked still sleepy even though it was already noon.
"You" he said and he pressed a kiss on her forehead.
"Stop it" Ygritte chuckled without opening her eyes and she shoved him playfully.
He took hold of the hand which she had used for that and pressed a kiss on her knuckles.
Ygritte chuckled and rolled on top of him with her knees on either side of his hips.
She pinned him against the bed and kissed him.
"So what are we going to do today?" she asked him while she started to move her hips.
"I already told you that Tyrion Lannister was going to come over" he said but she was distracting him "so we can't do this right now"
Ygritte bended over and kissed his neck.
"Are you sure?" she whispered.
"Yes" he moaned but he didn't really want her to stop.
He knew that he was going to give in if he didn't stop her now and that would be very awkward when Tyrion did arrive.
Ygritte gave him a hurt look and he used this moment of weakness to get off the bed.
"Jon Snow, come back here!" Ygritte said with her hands on her hips.
"Come on, don't make this so hard for me" Jon said "you know that I promised to meet up with him"
Ygritte crossed her arms in front of her chest while she frowned at him and watched him get dressed.
She sighed when she noticed that she wasn't going to get her way and she put on one of his shirts.
"I'll go make coffee" she said while she walked away from him in his blue shirt which barely covered her ass.
"Tea?" he asked her hopefully.
"Forget it"
He laughed to himself while he followed her into the kitchen.
Apparently they had just gotten up at the right moment because the doorbell rang.
Jon Snow opened the front door and he was once more grateful for the fact that Ygritte's friends hadn't stayed over last night.
She had told him that Styr and Orell lived at her apartment too but this wasn't entirely true.
There was an unspoken rule among Ygritte's friends from the orphanage which meant that they could stay at someone's house without asking it first.
Ygritte even admitted that she wasn't sure who did and who did not own a spare key to her apartment.
Tyrion Lannister was just like Jon remembered him: short and blonde with a pair of mismatched eyes.
Jon didn't trust the Lannisters but he had to admit that he did trust Tyrion.
Tyrion was a few years older than Jon and he had given him a tour of the school during the freshman information day.
Everyone had been talking about the AV club as if it was the most prestigious group of people in their school but in reality they were only doing this because there weren't enough members and they were afraid that they would have to close the club.
Tyrion had been the only one who told him that joining the AV club wasn't the best possible move if you were concerned about popularity, of course the club had changed a lot since he joined but he still appreciated it.
"Good to see you, Tyrion" Jon said awkwardly "come in"
He wasn't really sure what he had to say to Tyrion since he didn't know him that well so he offered him some coffee instead.
"Would you like some coffee?" he asked.
"Sure" Tyrion said who seemed a lot more comfortable than Jon himself.
Ygritte had to reach a bit so she could get the third mug from the highest cupboard and Tyrion smiled at Jon as if he wanted to say "nice job"
Jon blushed a bit while Ygritte handed them both some coffee and hopped onto a counter top while holding the third mug.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Jon asked him.
"As you know my sister is running for Prom Queen" Tyrion said.
Jon nodded while he drank some of his coffee.
He never liked its bitter taste but Ygritte didn't drink tea.
"I've set up the section on the school's website where you can nominate people and vote for them" Jon said.
"Exactly" Tyrion said and a small smile appeared on his face "so it wouldn't be too hard for you to make sure that a fourth girl is nominated, right?"
"Don't look at me!" Ygritte said loudly "I don't do pageants"
Tyrion smiled and he drank some of his coffee.
He didn't seem to have a problem with the bitter taste.
"I think that you'd agree with me if I told you that Cersei's tyranny has to be stopped" Tyrion said "we need someone else on the throne, someone people listen to and who really wants to help them"
Jon thought about it for a little while but he didn't know if he was ready to mess with the system.
"I'm not asking you to cheat so this girl can win, I only want her to be nominated" Tyrion said "someone who everyone can rally behind, not just the north and not just the south"
"Someone new" Jon said with a smile and he knew exactly who would be cut out for the job.
Jeyne
The bonfire burned and crackled while Melisandre said her prayer and asked R'hllor to bring back the dawn.
No one was really listening though.
Once a month Stannis organized a large bonfire so the students of their school could get together and worship R'hllor even though most students didn't even believe in the Red Faith.
Jeyne officially worshipped the Old Gods but she had not been to a Godswood in a long time.
Just like Sansa she preferred the septs of the Seven but too be honest there weren't many people who truly believed in any God at all anymore.
The only reason why people came to Stannis' fires was the fact that it was another excuses to have a party and try to sneak in alcohol.
Jeyne was sure that Stannis would immediately stop these gatherings if he knew about half the stuff that really went on after Melisandre said her prayer.
She shivered while the wind tugged at her short dress and she was grateful for the fire.
Ramsay hugged her from behind and nuzzled her neck.
She would have loved that a few days ago but now every touch startled her.
The cut on her cheekbone hadn't completely healed yet but she had buried it underneath several layers of make-up.
There were bruises all over her legs and arms from when he had pinned her to the wall and later to his bed.
She told herself not to think about that because she might start to cry all over again.
He hated it when she cried or when she told him something hurt too much.
Jeyne heard him make some kind of comment about Stannis, who was watching Melisandre with his usual solemn face, and his friends laughed with him.
They're just as afraid as I am, she thought bitterly.
She really was afraid for her own life and Theon's.
Ramsay didn't make threats he wasn't willing to follow through.
Jeyne didn't know anyone who could help her.
She could only think of one person Ramsay might listen to which was his father Roose but Roose was even colder than his son.
The man had heard her cry and scream and he had seen her leave his house covered in bruises and he had done nothing about it.
She looked around to see who had showed up and who hadn't.
Jeyne didn't see any of the Starks, except for Jon and his ginger girlfriend, and she didn't see the Lannister twins either.
Margaery and Joffrey were present though and she thought she had seen Tyrion too somewhere.
She noticed that the crowd suddenly went quiet and when she turned her head to see what was going on she saw Theon.
Melisandre coughed once in an attempt to regain the attention she had never really had and she continued her seemingly endless speech.
Theon was wearing his favourite leatherjacket but he still looked different than usual without his smile.
"Look everyone, Theon Turncloak, has showed up too" she heard someone say and the students surrounding the fire laughed nervously at that.
Theon didn't respond to that and he walked to his friends.
She could see that the group of friends, which he shared with Robb, shot each other nervous looks while they tried to decide if they were or were not going to let him join them.
Jeyne bit her lip and she wanted to run to him and wrap her arms around his neck while she told him that she knew he hadn't done it.
Ramsay's held her a little closer as if he had read her mind and she banished the thought.
Theon
Theon stayed quiet during Melisandre's prayer and his friends didn't talk to him either.
He had always known that they were really Robb's friend all those Glovers, Umbers and Manderlys but it still stung a little.
He didn't really know why he had gone to the fire, maybe it was because he had wanted to show them that he didn't care what they thought of him but too be honest he did care.
They all thought he was a Turncloak and they were afraid to even be seen with him.
Theon couldn't deny that he had been jealous of Robb before.
Robb seemed to have it all: a loving family and real friends.
Robb knew exactly where he stood and what was expected of him.
He would graduate from high school and go to some kind of prestigious university and afterwards he would start working at Baratheon Industries just like his father had done.
He would marry a nice girl and they would have a nice little family together.
They would live the perfect white fence dream while Theon was still trying to figure out who he really was.
Theon knew that his father didn't really want him to work at KRAKEN even though he had never told him so.
He didn't know if he even wanted to work there either but it stung that his father had already made up his mind about the fact if he would be capable of doing so.
Melisandre had finally concluded her prayer and someone started the music.
He didn't feel like staying.
Theon didn't want to give them the pleasure of laughing at how lonely he must look without Robb.
He muttered a goodbye to his friends but they kept pretending that they couldn't hear him and he walked away from them and the open space in the forest where the bonfire was held.
The clearing wasn't too far from the road but it provided a nice secluded environment which was perfect for something like the fires of the Red Faith.
"Where are you going?" someone asked from behind him.
Theon sighed and turned around.
"What do you want?" he asked him in a tired voice.
He really wasn't looking forward to having to deal with Ramsay now.
He just wanted to go home and forget about what had happened.
"I told you we weren't finished yet" Ramsay said.
"Listen, I don't give a shi-..." Theon started before someone hit him hard on the back of his head.
He collapsed onto the ground but two rough hands pulled him up by his collar so his upper body was erect while he was still on his knees.
"Alyn , Grunt, don't let him get away" Ramsay instructed and the two boys twisted his arms behind his back.
He tried to get back on his feet but Grunt kicked him down again.
"Ramsay, stop it!" he heard Jeyne shout and he noticed her for the first time.
She was crying and she tried to run to him but a boy, who he thought was called Damon, stopped her and harshly grabbed her arm.
Ramsay went down on one knee in front of him and looked at Theon with squinted eyes.
"Do you think he's handsome?" he asked Jeyne suddenly.
"Stop, please, I'm begging!" Jeyne cried.
A smile appeared on Ramsay's face.
"Wrong answer, love" he said and he punched Theon in the face.
His nose made a terrifying cracking noise and he feared it was broken.
Ramsay hit him again and again until his world existed only of pain and blood and the inevitable truth that he was going to be hit harder next time.
His eye was swollen when Ramsay finally stopped hitting him and Theon spit out one of his teeth.
There was a cut above his eyebrow and blood kept trickling down into his right eye which was the only one he was able to use right then.
Jeyne had kept screaming while Ramsay had hit him but no one had come to help them.
Apparently the students at the fire couldn't hear them because their music was too loud and they were too far away.
Theon didn't want to cry but the pain was unbearable and every inch of his body hurt.
"Fucking Freak" Ramsay said when he looked at the little pool of blood which Theon had spit out along with his tooth.
Suddenly Ramsay's pale eyes flickered.
He got back on his feet again and walked to Jeyne who immediately tried to hit him with her tiny, pale fists.
Ramsay was too strong for her though and he easily took hold of her wrists so she couldn't hit him again.
"Kiss him" he said still smiling that evil smile of his.
"What?" Jeyne asked surprised and terrified and she turned even paler than usual.
"That's what you wanted, right?" Ramsay asked "you little slut"
He pushed her in Theon's direction and she fell down on her knees in front of him.
"You don't have to do this" he wanted to tell her but the only noise he managed to make was a soft whimpering sound.
Jeyne looked at him with big, scared brown eyes while she wiped away some of the blood on his face with her pale hand.
The delicate touch of her cold hand seemed almost soothing but everything would have felt that way after a beating.
She looked so pale that she seemed to glow and he noticed that there was a cut on her cheekbone.
"Do it now!" Ramsay shouted and she flinched at his words.
Then she delicately pressed her lips on his bleeding and cracked ones.
It was almost cruel how her lip-gloss tasted of raspberries and he almost didn't noticed how much it hurt when she touched him.
He felt so sorry for Jeyne who had to touch him while he was laying on the ground covered in blood and mud and cold sweat.
It was Ramsay's plan of course to humiliate them like that, to show them that he was in control.
"Was it like you imagined?" Ramsay asked Jeyne with that same smile on his face "was it all you've ever dreamed of? Did it make you wet?"
"No!" Jeyne shouted crying and shaking.
"Good" Ramsay said and his smile disappeared "let that be a lesson for you, you're mine okay? And I don't even want to see you near anyone else, Jeyne, you just can't be trusted"
"I'm sorry" she whispered and Theon thought for a second that she was talking to him instead of Ramsay "I'll be good now, I promise"