Patrek Mallister

Patrek looked up from his book and watched Greatjon Umber exercise. The older man had lost much of the muscle mass he had once boasted. He was one of the strongest men in Westeros once, the man still dwarfed Patrek but he was most definitely smaller. GreatJon was at turns full of rage or melancholy but had always been kind to Patrek and Marq Pipar. Marq Pipar had lost some of his bluster but would occasionally snap at him or Greatjon. Their imprisonment had been terrible and they had not spent a single day in the past six years apart.

The Red Wedding had been difficult on all of them. Especially when they paraded their king in front of them with Grey Winds head attached, they laughed. Greatjon and Marq had charged them and hurled obsceneties. The Frey men had beaten them and Patrek had wished that he had attacked too. His leg had been hurt in the fight, their maester had tended to him but nothing changed the fact that he was a prisoner of the men who had killed their King and the Lady Stark.

The only thing that made their imprisonment bearable was the new Lady Frey. She was a pretty young merchant's daughter who was as much a prisoner of circumstance as he was of this cell. She would bring them books, quills, ink, and occasionally snow berry pies. Sophia had promised one for the men guarding them and another for them. Since her arrival they had finally received news from the outside and for once there was hope on the horizon.

Daenerys Targaryen had allied with the lost Starks. Gretjon Umber was preparing his body for battle, swearing he would fight in the vanguard if it would kill him. Marq had joined the older man along with Patrek, neither could keep up. The man seemed like he had some force driving him forwards to become stronger by the day. The Lady Frey had smiled kindly at that and promised to pray for them. Patrek was worried, it was getting late and she always visited or sent something up for them.

A few months ago she had brought him a book of poems, when he reached for it their hands touched and the Lady blushed. It was wrong, he knew she was married but she was the only beautiful thing he had seen in years. Sophia had deep red hair the color of wierwood leaves and aqua green eyes that reminded Patrek of the waters by Seaguard. She was kind and beloved by the guards who always looked forward to her treats. Sophia had brought a few carved effigies of the Seven for him and Marq to pray to, and even offered to bring a small wierwood sapling she had spied in the forest for GreatJon. She pouted a little when Lord Umber kindly explained that it would not last long indoors. Instead she brought GreatJon a medallion carved from wierwood of his house sigil.

Patrek was in love, with a married woman who could very well be pregnant with the child of Walder Frey. She had told him yesterday that she was two months late and she could not hide it from the maester for much longer. Even if he wasn't a prisoner of her husband it was hopeless. Perhaps Walder had found out about her condition and kept her movements restricted, or she could have miscarried. Patrek stood up in fear at that thought and called out to the guards.

"The Lady Frey, is she all right?!"

"Shut up back there, it's none of your concern!" The burly one, Boros, called out. He had always been an ass.

Julien, another familiar guard appeared. "She and her guards were attacked by that thrice damned wolf pack, the Lady is ok but the men…were massacred. She was in hysterics when she made it back and fainted. They carried her up to her room a while ago. I don't think we'll be getting any pies." Julien looked worried, he had always been kind and never abused them or laughed at the jokes made about the Red Wedding.

"Thank you." He called out.

"Calm down or you'll get the poor lass in trouble." GreatJon said in a lowered voice. "You don't need the men asking why a prisoner is so concerned with the Lady Frey."

Patrek nodded, GreatJon was right, he sat down and tried to seem disinterested. An interrogation about their relationship was the last thing he needed. He tried to read the last book she had brought for them, a book of Northern Tales my maester Cressen.

A timid knock sounded at the door and Patrek looked over his shoulder. The guards welcomed Sophia and she shyly offered them a plate of apple tarts. "I'm sorry I lost the snowberries, I was so frightened I dropped the whole basket." Boros and Julien thanked her for the treats and dismissed her apology.

"You should be resting my lady." Julien said with concern and Patrek craned his neck to see her. She was wearing a blue dress with a white cloak and a brown satchel while holding a large black cat.

"I could not sleep, please don't tell on me. The maester would just give me some sweet sleep and that always gives me headaches." She clutched the cat to her chest and looked up at the men with pleading eyes. Julien nodded and offered the plate back to her but she refused. "The treats are for you two, Lord Frey plans a hunt for the morning. I fear I gave you more work."

Julien nodded and bowed with Boros. She walked past them and set the cat down before taking her seat and smiling kindly at him and the his companions.

"Are you alright my lady?"

"Just a little shaken up," Today she kept her distance and had no books or quills, but he could not begrudge her forgetfulness at a time like this. The cat curled at her feet. Patrek found it odd since Sophia had been scratched by a cat as a young child and never liked the beasts since. She also said that they sometimes gave her and her mother sneezing fits.

"The beast is not bothering you?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow and looked down at the cat.

"You told me they sometimes give you sneezing fits."

"Oh that, I must have grown out of it." She said with an odd smile and she bent down and stroked the beast. "This one is a good friend, she tells me things."

"Lass, you sure you don't need to rest?" GreatJon asked. She blinked then Patrek heard a grunt and a clatter another thud sounded and he saw Julien fall to the ground. Sophia stood up and went to the men, she took the keys from Juliens side and rushed to the cage."We have to move, Now. Leave everything grab their weapons and follow me."

"What's going on is this a trick?" Marq asked with suspicion while Patrek looked on in confusion.

"If you don't move your ass I'll make GreatJon carry your stupid ass out myself." She snapped. Patrek had never seen her curse, much less call Jon something other than Lord Umber. "Move or die."

The men followed her and she guided them down the steps until they reached the bottom of the tower. Sophia held her hand up indicating they should stop, there were voiced out in the hallway and someone laughed.

"I'll take care of them." Greatjon said holding up Juliens sword Sophia clutched his elbow, "No, I'll distract them and come back when it's safe."

"No, I have been held prisoner by these sons of whores for too long, tonight I get justice for my king." Marq nodded agreeing with him but Sophia grabbed him and shoved him away from the door. Only it wasn't Sophia, it was another girl with angry grey eyes and brown hair.

"You don't know how many are out there." She hissed. "I promised to get you out of here with as little bloodshed as possible. I command you to stay and wait for my signal."

"Witch" GreatJon hissed while Marq and Patrek looked on in wide-eyed amazement.

"I have a name, Arya Stark and I have your justice right here." She said pulling out a head from her satchel. "A gift for the gods."

Walder Frey, the man they had spent the past six years hating was dead and this small girl was holding his head like a street vendor would hold a gourd. Something dawned on Patrek and a sense of dread filled him.

"Where is Sophia? What have you done with her?"

Arya looked up at him and bit her lip. "I needed her face,"

All he could see was red and Patrek charged at her but GreatJon held him back. "I liked the lass too, but this is your queen."

"She wanted to die, she thanked me before it happened. She didn't want to have that mans baby and when I told her I was going to get you out she thanked me." Arya said in a hushed tone.

Patrek stilled and looked at her. "It was a gift, the final gift and she thanked me for it."

"I loved her." He said weakly.

"I'm sorry." He looked up at her and the harsh expression was gone from her face only sadness.

Patrek slumped down to the floor and buried his face in his hands. He was being ridiculous, crying over another man's wife but he loved her anyways.

"I'm going to distract them, count to twenty then follow me out." She left them behind and Patrek heard Sophia's voice call out. He covered his ears, he didn't want to hear Sophia's voice coming out of that thing.

"Come on boy, we need to go." GreatJon said gently as he helped Patrek up.

Arya stood in the hallway and shoved something into her satchel.

"We need to move, the whole castle will be on alert."

They followed her lead as she navigated through the Twins taking them towards the Eastern gate. They halted.

"Why are we stopping? The gates are right around that corner through the door." Marq asked.

"Because I don't know what is around that corner stupid. Keep a look out." She let down the cat she had been carrying and her eyes went white.

"Warg." Greatjon whispered in wonder as the cat calmly disappeared around the corner.

"What's that?" Marq asked.

"Something the children of the forest taught the first men." GreatJon said with a smile.

A moment passed before Arya awoke from her trance.

"Can you all swim." Patrek and Mark nodded but Greatjon didn't.

"I can paddle." He said gruffly and Arya sighed.

"You might have to paddle fast. We're going out that window and along the ledge. We'll only have to swim for a few feet. Then we run towards the trees. Seaguard and Umber men are waiting. The water is freezing and your bodies will seize up, don't scream." She rose up to the window and disappeared. They followed her along the ledge until it ended and she stopped. "They will hear the splash unless you wait. Wait for the wolves to howl. She leaned back against the wall and her eyes went white again.

A lone wolf cry sounded and suddenly dozens more joined in until the noise was almost deafening. Arya dropped down into the cold water below and they followed, swimming towards the call of wolves.