A/N: Hello everyone! Today's chapter is from someone else's point of view. I really hadn't planned on this until I wrote it but I found it necessary for you to know what the has been going on with the flower sisters while they were seperated from Sansa. They're not going to take up much space within the story, but I needed to write this one chapter at least. I've also been stuck with writing again for a while now. I'm literary four sentences into the next chapter but everytime I try to sit down and write it just doesn't feel good. So here's to hoping that inspiration will strike this week so you can all get your weekly update.
"Aila, what is going on?" her sister was afraid, she could tell. She wasn't entirely sure either. And that frightened her more than the man with the burned face.
"I'm not sure, Mea," was the only thing she could reply. Not just because she really didn't know, but also because her leg was practically trying to kill her. She had broken it a few days ago. She wasn't exactly sure how many days as everything seemed to blur in that dark place they had just come from, but she guessed it were around four days. She could still remember the hot stab of pain that went through her as she had tripped over that damnable root.
They had been running for their lives at that time. It had been quite in the forest before. And they held out well enough with their knowledge of edible and non-edible food from nature. Mea had cut herself while trying to claim an edible root for themselves. And that had been the start of their chase.
The scent of blood had attracted narrow reflecting eyes in the dark of the forest. They had noticed them just in time. As they had started running the shadowcats set off towards them. They were desperately fast and Aila had known even before they ran that she and her sister would not last long.
It was Mea they went after at first. The scent of blood luring them to their prey. But Mea outsmarted them by a hair by climbing up a tree. Most of the trees in the forest were high and had a smooth surface. Impossible to climb at any normal given circumstances but apparently possible when in dire need of a place to hide. Mea had disappeared quick as a cat herself while down below the real cats clawed at the bark of the tree. Surprised by the cunning of their foe. That hadn't lasted long unfortunately.
While Mea had climbed up the tree she herself had blindly kept running. The darkness and treacherous rocky ground making it impossible to keep up good speed. It had only taken so long before she found her foot stuck under an upstanding root and her leg twisted as she felt to the ground. The noise had reached the shadowcats keen senses immediately and they were happy enough to leave their unreachable prey for the easier one.
As she lay with her face buried in the forest ground with her eyes shut tight she heard the cats growl menacingly while they circled her. There must have been around three of the vicious beasts. She remembered how fear had overwhelmed her as she prepared to roll over at the last possible moment. But before they could even take a second step towards she heard a 'thunk' and then the noise of one of the cats turning wildly around.
In that moment she dared peek up towards the cat and just then a large nut coming from one of the trees hit another cat in the side. It didn't hurt them but set them off into complete confusion as they tried to figure out what was happening.
It had been Mea of course. Sitting high in her hiding place trying to get her hands on anything she might throw to distract the cats from eating her sister. She kept throwing anything the woods were willing to provide her with, including a smaller branch of the tree that almost hit her own head.
The cats were distancing themselves from her and she tried to think of a hiding place for herself but found none. Her eyes felt instead on the stick her sister had just thrown her way. Her mind raced as she fumbled with her dress's pockets to get the only thing out that might save her life. She threw herself towards the stick. Her leg painfully yanking loose from the root it was still stuck under. She reached the stick only just with her body still sprawled on the ground and desperately set to work while the cats were still distracted. Mea started yelling as she noticed what was happening to distract the cats even more. They growled and jumped at the tree frustrated at this uncanny foe they just couldn't reach. They never saw what exactly happened before one of their furs caught fire.
While they were switching preys and weren't watching her she had set to building a fire. The Gods must have been with her at that moment for soon she was approaching the cats backs with the burning stick in her hands. Their fluffy tails swished around and it wasn't at all that hard to make one of them go up in flames. The stench of burning fur and flesh soon reaching her nose. The others whirled around in anger making to jump at her but the burning weapon made them freeze in fear.
While the burning cat howled in pain and tried to roll off the flames, the others decided they'd had enough and ran off to the shadows. It took only one more step towards the last remaining animal for it to go limping after its pack, fur slowly smoldering away.
After they were alone again she quickly dropped the stick before the flames could lick their way up to her sleeve. It was obvious then that the adrenaline was fading as the sensation of incredible pain shot through her from her leg. Not wanting to put any more pressure on it she dropped back to the forest ground and the world faded to black.
She had no idea how her sister managed to get out of a tree so high but when she opened her eyes again she was sitting beside her. A campfire lighting up the place close by.
They decided to keep moving even with her leg most likely broken. Never had anything physically hurt so much in her life. But she knew she had to keep up at least a little pretense towards her sister or they would never make it out alive.
Her feign had only lasted so long.
After the first day of walking Mea had discovered that her broken leg had twisted in a way that made a shimmer of bone visible. There was not much keeping up pretense after that. The wound looked like it was opening up more with every step she took. It didn't help that the ground was constantly turning up and down with treacherous rocks sprouting from the earth everywhere.
Mea had insisted that they rest for at least one day. While she herself mostly slept, her sister set out to find any sort of herb that might turn the festering of the wound down. She came back with various growth but even from afar she could see that these were not the herbs she had intended to find.
She knew the intentions of her sister. Mea would tell her about how she knew of the medical purposes of these plants, while really they were just roots and leaves with no medical purpose at all.
Now it was up to herself to make her believe that too. And maybe, just maybe, if she believed hard enough they really would have some effect. So she shut her eyes and chased out all doubt about the herbs when her sister set to clean her leg.
When the next day came the wound did somehow seem cleaner. And even though the hurting hadn't become any less, it was enough to keep them going for the day. They even chatted along the way to keep the mood light. But it hadn't taken long before they ended up going over the events that led to all this again and soon a cold silence seemed to envelope the world around them.
The burning sensation in her leg had only grown after that and it became harder and harder to keep up a regular pace to the point that even Mea struggled to help her along the way. They were both short of breath when at last the forest seemed too thin around them and refreshing daylight started to break through the trees, trying to ease the path before them. They both laughed from relieve when it seemed they would make it out of that horrible place after all.
They had only put one step out of the forest when they heard the ruckus close by. Fear gripped their hearts as all hope seemed to be smashed right out of their bodies. They would not be able to escape or defend themselves this time, she knew. Only then did they hear the shouted words. It was their names. There wasn't time to prepare themselves before a tall but slim body hurled itself their way.
The friend they had mourned for suddenly returned to them in the strangest fashion. But with her came the thundering black horse with its massive rider on top. They had only needed to get one glance at his mangled face to know what they were up against.
Both of them immediately shoved their friend behind them. The Hound was well known throughout these parts. Multiple times dead but always returning. He was the Stranger himself, some people said. And with a face like that, there was little room for doubt. They were no match at all for him.
When the brute roughly shoved her sister away she thought they were done for sure. But the strangest thing had happened and he had talked. Angrily, but also not violent.
No weapons were drawn, no necks broken, no tricks. And then he had just turned, grabbed the massive horse's reins, and walked away. And to top it all Sylene had apologized and ran after him. Never had anything so peculiar taken place before their eyes. And so they were left there together. Snow still making its slow but steady way to the ground, the silence almost deafening.
They clutched each other while their figures went out of view.
"Aila," her sister started again. "They said the Hound had died, before he returned. Then they said he was dead once more. But that was him, for sure," her voice was small but she sounded very sure. "And Sylene... Aila, you saw the mountain clans. Their bloodlust. There is no way she could've escaped... What if..." she swallowed. "What if the stories are true, what if some people really do return? Aila, are we safe?"
She didn't know the answer, not truly. But something had started clicking in her mind. It was only a small thread but it was a possibility and she would take any lead she could get right now.
"I don't think that's it, Mea. Do you remember when we talked about men? Back when... when everyone was still alive?" She didn't wait for an answer but went straight on. "Sylene, she was so flustered hiding her face in her scarf like that all of a sudden. She said that there had been a man who kissed her but nothing more. But she said he had left forever. Do you remember the silence after that Mea? Nobody dared interrupt it." The memory still felt so very fresh, it had taken place just before the attack.
"What if she thought the man she loved was dead? And that girl from the Vale, Petyr Baelish's bastard, she was about to marry of course." The picture became clearer and clearer as she went on and a look of understanding started to bloom on her sister's face too. "Even though she is bastard born she is a good match for one such as the Hound. It would make sense why she didn't feel comfortable about talking about maidenheads too, wouldn't it? She might have heard the rumors that he wasn't dead after all and fled for fear of not being able to marry the one she truly loves." It all made so much sense suddenly.
"But, Aila, who could ever love the Hound? After all that he's done..." Mea chimed in. It was exactly the point that would ruin the theory she had put together so nicely.
"Sylene would never stand for that." Mea was right of course. It was a crazy theory made by a mind desperately in need of rest. She let out a long hold in sigh.
"So what do we do then? Leave Sylene with that monster?" She was oh so tired. Her leg screaming once more. Mea didn't answer. They just stood there huddled together until the shapes started to reappear through the snow again.