6th Month of 282 A.C. Holdfast
Knight Major Lord Rickard Stark
They were but a few days ride from King's Landing, Rickard knew that as surely as he knew that they would never make it to King's Landing. As he looked at the woman who was staring at him intently, and her husband, he realised this had been what his mother had spoken of all those years ago. In his arrogance he had thought he could avoid it, avoid the fate that it seemed the three eyed crow had set out for him all those years ago, and yet here it was, before him, staring him in the eyes. He knew trying to flee was pointless, he only hoped that they did not have Martyn and the men who had come with him slain, that would be bad, very bad. Rickard looks around him at the room where they have brought him and his men, and then looks back at the woman and merely smiles.
"What do you find so amusing my lord?" the woman asks.
"Only that it seems fitting that it be here that my destiny comes to fruition. Tell me how long have you been waiting for this moment?" Rickard responds calmly.
The woman looks at him intently then. "And what makes you think that we have been waiting for anything? That is highly presumptuous of you is it not my lord?"
"He always been presumptuous as the Knight Major, my love. It is why Aerys named him Knight Major in the first place." the man responds.
Rickard bristles at this and responds. "I was named Knight Major because of my service to the king during the war of the ninepenny kings and in the years that followed that."
The man looks at him then, his eyes hard and unflinching. "And what service did you give the king after the war?"
Rickard stiffens then, sensing that this might well be a trap. The woman speaks for him then. "Murdering those who the king thought responsible. Or was it his father who ordered you to do that? How many innocent people did you kill during that time? How many women did you turn into widows?"
Rickard feels his anger grow then. "I did what needed to be done. Those who died were guilty of treason. The Blackfyres might have been slain, but their bastards and their supporters remained at large. The realm could not afford another generation of war."
"So those who died at Bitterbridge, at Sunglass, at the Willow's Edge, all those people had to die? Did they need to suffer the wrath of the wolf?" the woman asks.
Rickard feels himself stiffen at the mention of those places, he is not surprised that they know of what happened there, they've always known. And yet he looks at the woman and then the man, and he knows what they expect him to say, and so he responds. "I regret those deaths. I have always regretted those deaths, and yet I made my peace with that long ago. Why then bring them up now?"
"We are not mentioning anything, merely citing examples of your cruelty. For you see, you are a very bad man Lord Rickard. You might think yourself above the southern lords, but we have been watching you for so very long, and we have seen how you are. We know you better than you know yourself." the woman responds.
Rickard snorts then. "What nonsense are you talking about? You could not be keeping an eye on me, unless you work for him, and I know for a fact that you do not work for him. Have never worked for him. So what is this nonsense you are speaking?"
The man speaks then. "You are your grandsire's descent well and true, just as your father was not. You are strong where your father was weak, you are hard where your father was soft. Some could argue that it is that, that has led to your daughter running off with a prince. For why else would a daughter of House Stark, do something so dishonourable? Unless it was her desperation to find her father's attention."
"You do not know my family." Rickard barks.
"Do we not? We know you, we knew Lyarra, and we know what happened there. The child that you killed, for the thing it would become if allowed to live. Do not pretend with us, my lord. For to pretend is to insult us, and we do not like being insulted." the man responds.
Rickard looks at the man, notes his muscular frame and then looks at the woman, and sees her holding the man's arm. "Is that what my father did then? Did he insult you? Did you kill him for that reason then?"
The woman laughs. "Oh no, we did not kill your father. Your father was smart, he knew what needed to be done to appease us. No, your father died because of his own foolish machinations. He was too foolish to realise that doing such a thing would not go down well."
"What are you speaking of?" Rickard barks. "What machinations?"
"Your father worked far too well with King Jaehaerys, he wanted something more than what the king's brother was willing to give. Why do you think the wood's witch came to court? Your father wanted to have the power he felt entitled to." the man says.
Rickard thinks back to something Lord Walder had said before Rickard had killed him, and he thinks on the things that have happened since Harrenhal, and something clicks in his head. "No, you cannot be serious. My father was many things, but he was not a traitor. He was not."
"Is it treason if you are replacing one prince with another? King Jaehaerys wanted the throne, your father wanted some power. Is it really so hard to imagine they might have made a deal to make sure that this happened?" the man asks mockingly.
The long nights, his father's anger, his mother's nerves. They all make sense now, and Rickard feels something akin to horror run through him then. "You lie."
The woman laughs then. "Why would we lie Rickard?" that is the first time the woman has used his name, and it unnerves him. "We have nothing to gain from lying to you. And besides, it is something you, yourself have thought of many times, why else would it be coming forward now?"
"What point are you trying to prove?" Rickard demands.
"Point? Who said we were trying to prove a point my lord." the woman says. "We are merely speaking with you, about the things that we all know have been plaguing you for some time."
Rickard looks around nervously, his men are looking at him curiously. "Oh do not worry, they know not what we speak of, they hear, but they do not comprehend." the man says.
Rickard sighs then. "I presume then that there is not a chance that I cannot leave now that I am here."
"No, there is not a chance of that happening. You sealed your fate when you walked through the door. So we might as well begin talking properly." the man says.
Rickard sits down then in the chair offered by the woman. He looks at the two of them then and sighs. "So, seeing as I am not leaving here. What more is there that you wish to speak of?"
The man laughs then. "Well first, you can start by addressing us by our names Rickard. It is wrong to not address your elders by their names."
Rickard sighs then, looks at the man and the woman and says. "Lonnel Snow and Arrana Stark, how have you managed to remain alive for this long? One would have thought that you would have died the moment the green men gave you up for dead."
"We have survived in the ways that some of the old kings of winter survived. We are a pack, and when the pack dies we shall die as well. But seeing as you refused to die, we remained. And therefore, we shall continue to survive so long as the pack you have created survives." Lonnel Snow says.
Rickard looks at the man and asks. "How is that possible? I had thought that the magic of this was broken when my grandsire died. How is it then that it remained?"
"Willam was not someone to think beforehand. When he went off to fight the wildlings, he came to me and made me promise not to break the link. I think he knew he was going to die, and as such wanted to make sure his son had the protection that could be given." Arrana Stark says.
Rickard stares at the woman. "And how have you remained as you are?"
"Through sacrifice. The three eyed crow is not the only one drawing power through the weirwoods. We are as well. And as such we are continuing to draw strength from the woods and continue to thrive." Lonnel responds.
Rickard looks at the two of them then. "And what of the events that have damaged the family over the years. Have you not gotten involved in them?"
"We have and we have not. When Beron died, I made sure Willam and his brothers were protected, otherwise Serena would have had them murdered." Lonnel says.
Rickard stares at Lonnel, and then looks at Arrana. "And you were okay with this?"
"I did not want our family to die. I wanted them to grow up and survive." Arrana says.
Rickard looks at them both, and as he hears the sound of hooves coming from outside he looks at them and asks. "Do you know what is going to happen next?"
"We do, and I am sure you do as well." Lonnel responds. "And yet, we could not respond to any questions that you might have for them, otherwise that would ruin the plans that all have put in place."
Rickard sighs then. "And what of the eunuch? Surely you know of him?"
"We do." Arrana says.
"And what do you make of him?" Rickard asks, despising how desperate his voice is beginning to sound.
"He is someone who might have more plans than you do, and he is a viable risk to the order that you are trying to establish." Lonnel says.
Rickard looks at the man and says. "And what precisely is this thing that might make the order fall through?"
"Oh we could not tell you, not without making things happen that are not meant to happen. As such, we must say that now is the time for you to leave." Arrana says.
"Leave?" Rickard asks. "What do you mean leave?"
"Oh, you thought that this was happening alone and separate? I do not think so." Lonnel responds laughing. "We know what you are like my lord, and as such, we took precautions."
"What precautions?" Rickard asks, his heart beginning to hammer in his chest.
Before either man or woman can reply, Martyn comes to him and says. "My lord, we have seen men outside the walls."
"Do they fly banners?" he asks.
"No, my lord, but it seems as though they mean to have their way with us." Martyn responds.
Rickard looks at the couple before him and growls. "What is this?"
"This is the end for you my lord." Lonnel says.
"It is time you met the end. The Stranger, the Gods of old have need of you in their service. We have made sure that you join them. All of you." Arrana says.
"You said my men would be unharmed." Rickard roars.
The heat begins to grow within the holdfast, and Rickard has a deep sinking feeling in his stomach. His mother was right, the time has come. The end is here, he looks at Martyn and says. "I am sorry Martyn." his friend merely nods.
"We, are known for many things, and lying is one of them. It has been nice speaking with you, but now it is time for you to die." the voices say, and Rickard dies screaming as flames engulf the holdfast.