Hi! I'm sorry I'm late. No excuses. Just got lazy.

Here's the next one. Please enjoy!

Ciao!

Koreen

Koreen looked back as she was hiking up the steep hill. She must be a few miles away from the castle, she figured. She could be moving faster is she was not feeling the ache on her abdomen, still throbbing and tight but the pain now bearable. She was still concerned with the bleeding although it was not as profuse as before. The antidote must be working, she thought.

She looked at the castle she left behind. The castle bell rang a few times. Although she was not sure what the alarm was for, she assumed that it was to alert the guards to look for her.

"We can all use Lastliv. It's a beautiful name you made up, just as beautiful as you…" she recalled hearing Jon whisper to her.

Koreen listened to Jon's failed plan of running away. She felt his honest intention of building a life with her. She fought her tears behind her closed eyes when Jon held her cold hands and touched them with his warm lips. She imagined the life that now seemed more of a fantasy.

She heard how Lady Stark intended to make them both leave Winterfell, even after Jon's pleading. She felt a sudden pang of guilt leaving Jon behind. However, Jon was to leave the kingdom with Lord Stark, as far as she heard. Oh, how glad was she hearing Jon and Lord Stark leaving Winterfell. Although she knew Jon will not be happy about his father's decision.

"No! I love Koreen, mother. And so our child she carries…"

She fought the fluttering in her stomach when she thought of Robb. She badly wanted to open her eyes when Robb was in her room. She knew that it was the last time she would see him. And her leaving was best for everybody. She could not imagine how he must be worried of her and their unborn child.

She was not the woman fit for Robb. She was certain of that. But Robb intended to fight his own mother for her and her unborn child. And she could never live with that. She grew up without a real family, and she could never live her life knowing she ruined one.

She continued hiking the hill when she saw from where she was standing that the whole castle was awake and she could faintly hear the noises from the horses' hooves. She needed to move faster.

She panicked when she heard the sound of horses steps growing louder, coming closer. She opted to run against the terrible darkness of the night.

Koreen was a great runner, as far as she could remember. She took a quick glance behind her to see where the sound of horses and men was coming from when she tripped over by an exposed tree root on the ground.

She stayed down on the ground when she heard voices drew closer.

"We will never find her with this darkness, my Lord." Said one of the men atop the horses.

"How fast can a girl without a horse outrun us, Ser Jory? We need to find her right now. She could be in real danger. " Koreen immediately recognized Robb's voice.

She crawled on ground carefully. Robb was so close. His face lighted by the torches brought by the guards. Her heart skipped a beat. She saw Robb's face full of worry.

"She cannot outrun us, I assure you, Robb. But if she is hiding, that is another thing." Jon spoke.

She exhaled a sigh of relief when she heard Jon's voice.

"I don't care! Find her, Jon!" Robb bellowed. Robb was hurt by the fact that she was decisive of leaving him.

Jon looked onto his brother. "There are enough of us to scatter amongst the woods and along the roads. There too many fire. I think it is best to use the moon light. Koreen is a hunter, a very good hunter."

She saw Robb nodded.

"We will meet here at the first rooster's call. We shall keep searching until she is found." Ser Jory promised as he delegated the areas for the guards to search.

Koreen kept herself hidden behind the wild shrubs. Her heart was pounding and her face was sweaty although the gusting wind was chilling.

"Robb, she made her decision." Koreen did not realize that Lord Stark was among the party until he spoke.

"I mean no disrespect, Father. But Koreen is carrying my child. I believe some entitlement is due to me regarding this decision." Robb declared.

She couldn't see Lord Stark. But she saw Jon awaiting his father and brother's judgment.

"I will look for her weather you help me or not, Father." Robb sternly said.

"Very well, then. We shall cover the south side. Jon, go with Jory and take north." Ned said.

"Yes, my lord." Jon said before speeding away.

Koreen still found it hard to breathe with her nerves even after they were gone. She thought she was ready to face the fact that she will never see the Starks ever again. But her heart proved her wrong.

She stood up from the floor and calmed herself down under a tall and thick tree. She tried to count in her head how many men Robb brought with him. It was less than two tens, but more than ten.

She heard them covering almost all land of Winterfell. And with her pace, she was most certain they will find her.

She almost immediately fell on her knees when she felt a sudden shoot of pain on her belly. She bit her lip, trying so hard to prevent herself cry.

But her tears came on deliberately. She instinctively wiped them.

She wore her bow across her body and so was her quiver and arrows. She was wearing the clothes she was wearing when she arrived in Winterfell. That was all she needed for the meantime. She needed to get away. That is the plan.

She instantly stopped on her trail when she heard voices approaching her. She mustered all the energy left in her and started climbing the tallest and nearest tree she could find.

She ascended the tree, branch after branch making sure she did it as quietly as she could.

She heard a couple of men's voices, growing louder as she climbed higher.

Koreen stopped moving when the men were close enough for her to hear their conversation.

"The guards are all out and about. It's not safe here. We should leave at once." Said one of the men, who were panting from the running.

There were many guards in the castle, and most men Koreen was familiar with. But at that moment, she could not recognize who owned the voice.

"No. Our order was clear. If we do not follow, we will not be paid." said the other, who then sat down at the bottom of the tree where Koreen was hiding.

"Our order was to watch and observe the Starks, we already have. And how sure are you that we were not thrown here to be disposed? Do you not find it odd that Edris ordered us to spy the Starks moments before Elmyr was summoned by the King and was brought to court?"

Koreen felt chills when she recognized the voice once she heard of the name. She remembered the stinking breath on her ears and the sharp knife on her neck.

"Edris thinks that the Stark boy tricked us-" the one sitting down reasoned.

"He knew about it!" the first one cut him off. "And he told us that he will find us but never told us where he'd be. And now here we are in Winterfell, when all of a sudden the castle guards are rummaging the land!"

"Edris will not betray us, Troy."

"Ferros, he left his own brother Elmyr. Why are you so certain he will not desert us?"

"Because I am a man of my word, Troy."

Another figure emerged out of the darkness. Koreen easily identified that sinister voice and frigid tone.

"Edris." Koreen sensed embarrassment in Troy's tone for doubting his commander.

"Feel no shame, old friend. I have put you in a very compromising position, I understand your skepticism." Edris said.

"Ned Stark has come back, Edris." Troy said, trying to brush off the awkwardness from moments ago. "I heard that he was no longer at King's call, and he was to stay here and retire. I do not think we can ever come near his traitor heir."

"Perfect. Then we can hit two birds with one stone." Edris declared.

Koreen's hand held tighter on the branch, controlling herself not draw an arrow and shoot. But it was too dark, and the leaves are covering the scene below. If she misses, she'll be dead for sure and so was the babe she carries.

"Were you right? Was it Ned Stark who had your brother arrested?" Troy questioned.

"I may never be sure. I do not have any way of finding out. Rumor has it that I too was going to be summoned by the king. I left King's Landing as soon as I heard."

"So what is your plan now?" Troy asked.

"I am not sure what my brother's fate will be. But you know House Debarba's words." Edris said.

"Do not get even. Get evil." Ferros recited.

"And evil the Starks shall have." Troy said.

From where Koreen was positioned, she could see a couple of men with torch on horses, riding in to their direction. She wanted to call onto them, but the better of her thought that that was a bad idea.

"Any idea why the guards are roaming the kingdom at this hour?" Edris together with Ferros and Troy ducked and hid behind the shrubs.

"No. We just heard the bell tolled and the guards were deployed."

"Then we might just have an opened window… with no guards to stand at our way." Edris said.

The three men went opposite the direction where the two guards headed. And from Koreen's view, they were to walk to the castle.

Koreen's knees slept which helped her not to feel the pain in her belly.

She carefully climbed down the tree, but still felt the sharp pain when she landed on the ground.

Koreen attempted to stand but her efforts failed. She then dragged herself to crawl to the tree behind her and lean on its huge trunk.

She took off the quiver and turned it over, letting go of her old arrows on the floor. Then another smaller pouch came out of it, which she immediately picked up. She opened the pouch and found vials of medicines.

She almost cried when she recalled that she was to learn how to read. She was so excited that Jon was going to teach her. But it did not push through.

There were several bottles of salves in the pouch. It frustrated her that she did not learn to read in time.

She drank the whole bottle of what seemed to be white thin liquid.

Then she waited. The pain did not improve.

But she did not have time. Koreen collected the arrows on the ground and put it back inside the quiver.

She sighed and gathered all the strength still left in her. She stood up.

The Starks were in danger. She needed to alert them. She would never be able to live with herself if something bad happens to any of the people of Winterfell.

Koreen failed to put the quiver over her shoulder and grunted when the pain grew stronger. She again fell to her knees.

She fought the tears from welling but they fell when she saw blood seeping through her trousers inside her thighs.

Then she felt a presence behind her.

"There you are…" he said.