The Dragons of Winter
Chapter 19
Eddard
He found it hard to see the silhouette of the spider, seeing light after so much darkness was blinding him. Lord Stark had no idea if he was dreaming, or if someone had perhaps sent the spider to kill him; Ned was oblivious.
Lord Stark watched Varys stood there, so silent that if it had been dark, Ned would have not even known the man was in front of him at all.
The spider is good at going unnoticed, slithering around and stalking in the shadows, Lord Stark thought in his calm state. He could feel Varys' cool gaze on his, see the stillness in his posture. He looked so at ease; perhaps he is, but perhaps that mind of his is spinning with articulate words and clever little phrases to make me submit to him, Ned pondered.
His thoughts were interrupted however, by a flagon of wine hitting him in the chest. Ned grabbed it gleefully, feeling a flood of hydration wash over him as he gulped down the sweet Dornish wine. Once he'd finished and dropped the now empty flagon onto the stone floor, the spider's cool voice echoed around the cell as he spoke his first calculated words to Ned;
"I see you've enjoyed your wine, my Lord." Varys began, silence filling the room as the spider paused, "thank a Dornish friend of mine, a wine merchant who crafts the sweetest of summer wines. I asked especially for his most cloying wine, complimentary with what I am about to tell you, Lord Stark."
Ned Stark did not reply, for he was occupied with the task of trying to figure out the Spider's agenda, and he allowed more words to flow from his mouth as Ned listened intently.
"I presume you'd wish to know the current state of Westeros; your family, the Lannisters, dare I say your dear friend Robert." Ned found himself nodding his head, his mind buzzing with questions he could not find answers to in the company of his own mind.
"You would?" Varys asked, a dark playfulness in his silky voice.
"WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT LITTLE MAN?" Ned demanded, finally using his voice as his temper was lost at Varys' manipulative words.
The spider, showing no sign of fear, continued to speak, "Very well, my Lord. Your lovely wife Catelyn was so convinced your son Bran had been thrown from that tower by Tyrion Lannister, she took the man captive. Lady Stark was journeying to the Eyrie with the Imp her prisoner, when troubling news reached her ears telling her a different story of her son's attempted murder. She realized she had taken the wrong Lannister and let poor Tyrion go. I hear she has returned to Winterfell, where your son Robb is preparing to come to your rescue with his banner men in tow."
The mention of Robb shook him; he is just a boy…
"What else?" Ned Stark demanded, thinking about his daughters, and his nephew across the sea.
"Tywin Lannister is at war with Robert Baratheon, and I hear whispers of Lord Lannister sending an army to Winterfell, given that Robert's doesn't reach your home first."
I failed Lyanna, and now I'm failing my wife and children too… Ned thought in his mind, his heart swelling up with sadness.
Varys didn't pause for long that time however, and he began to speak once more almost instantly; "A sad little tale has flown around the Kingdoms, and even around Essos; a tale of a beautiful Lady wolf falling in love wi-"
"Don't mention her, don't pretend you care." Ned spat at the spider, who had an odd smile momentarily crawling up his monotone face. He really is good at confusing men, isn't he?
"The funny thing is, I do care, Lord Stark." He pronounced, "I care deeply, isn't that curious?"
Eddard was sick of his riddles and songs, "Who do you serve? Where do your loyalties lie, where have you weaved your web and where do your unsuspecting prey sit? TELL ME!" He shouted suddenly, feeling the ice in his veins thaw as his heated rage grew.
Varys bent down in front of Ned, his eyes unmoving as they bore into his own. A silence crawled into the room then, it is like the spider is studying me, watching my emotions, unlocking my inner thoughts. Soon the quietness passed however, and Varys began to speak, "I serve the realm, Lord Stark. It's as simple as that."
"It's not as simple as that!"
"But it is, Lord Stark. I serve those fit to rule, those who care for the people, the Kingdoms." Varys sighed, "That's why I'm concerned about your dear friend King Robert. He whores, he drinks and eats enough food to feed the whole of Kingslanding. He has no care for what he rules; some even say he's half mad as of late."
Ned felt a pang in his heart as he remembered his friend Robert; not the fat King that sat the Throne, but the boy he met in the Eyrie who he considered his brother. The boy who loved Ned's sister, would die for her even. That boy is dead, replaced by a man slowly dying from the weight of a crown.
"Who is your better King then?" Ned said quietly.
"I prefer the idea of a Queen and two Kings, my Lord." At that Eddard tensed, three? "The dragons must return; Queen Daenerys Targaryen, King Jon Targaryen- "
"Who is the third?" Ned demanded, his mid buzzing at Varys' revelation.
"Patience, my Lord. I'm assured you know the deaths of Queen Elia Martell and her two children, Rhaenys and baby Aegon. The deaths were atrocious, and I hear you and Robert conflicted on the topic of the babes' deaths. The truth is however, that the infant battered by Ser Gregor Clegane was not Aegon Targaryen…"
Seven hells
"… The real babe was taken from Kingslanding before the sack, and he is now a man living in Essos."
Ned didn't know what to say, or think.
"Why should I trust you?" Lord Stark managed to choke out.
"Trust me, Lord Stark because I am the one who arranged for your daughters to escape from the capitol. Trust me because I am the reason they're far away from Robert, and the Lannisters or anyone else who wishes to harm them." Varys said as relief flooded into Ned's body; Arya, Sansa, they're safe…
"Trust be because I'm going to smuggle you away from here as well."
Arya
At first she hated the sea. She hated how it swept all around her, its openness granting the little ship no cover to hide.
During her initial days aboard, she dreamt of Robert's war ships chasing her and Sansa. In her dreams, as the ships advanced in their masses, Arya always called for help, screaming for the dragons to save her and Sansa. But in her dreams, the two dragons she knew never came, but a different dragon she was unfamiliar with flew on to the boat. It would scoop her and Sansa into the air and leave the war ships trailing behind until they disappeared.
After that dream, Arya always reacted differently; sometimes waking in puddles of sweat, sometimes screaming and sometime waking up in a complete and serene state. It confused her.
However, as the days dragged on, Arya began to appreciate the fact that Robert wouldn't come. Her feelings of anxiety were replaced with a peaceful mood. Arya enjoyed watching the waves that occasionally gently lapped against the boat, and sometimes violently thrashed and rocked it. She loved listening to the sailors and their stories, though sometimes she struggled to understand what they told her, given that their accent were so thick. Some came from the Summer Isles, others from Braavos, Slavers Bay and some from places she'd never heard of.
"What is Braavos like?" She asked a Braavosi sailor she had taken a special liking to one day.
The man chuckled, reminding Arya of Syrio's warm laugh, "Braavos is like everything!" He glanced at Arya, noticed her perplexed expression and laughed again. "Sorry, I'm no common tongue talker!"
"Speaker." Arya corrected him with a smile.
He laughed again, "You see? I try to explain Braavos better now… Braavos has everything that is good in the world. Secrets, noise, music! I love very much the city! Understand?"
Arya understood.
Arya gave the sailor a final smile before peering around the boat for Sansa. As expected, her sister wasn't present amongst the loud sailors, or the any of the other bustling crew aboard the boat. Sansa spent the majority of her time gloating in their shared cabin. With nothing to sew with, Arya's sister slept or sang quietly to herself to pass the time.
Sansa's melancholy mood caused Arya to remember what was happening in Westeros, though any scraps of news about her family or the fat king had long since become stale after her time aboard the ship. Sometimes, Arya would sleep curled into Sansa's arms and listen to her weeping. Occasionally, Arya would let her own tears slip from her eyes, given that she had no idea if her father was alive, or if Robert had killed him.
Being in Sansa's arms often reminded Arya of her Lady mother, safe in Winterfell with Robb, Rickon and Bran. She hoped her younger brother was walking again, perhaps even climbing the castle walls once more. If not, she thought, Bran flies amongst the birds in his dreams, and rides Summer during the day through the Godswood.
Arya recalled Bran's bright smile, and how that smile must have quickly faded when Cersei and Jaime shoved him from the broken tower. A dark cloud ascended on her mind when she thought of the Lannisters, alongside feelings of hate she felt for only Robert and the Lannisters. She couldn't describe the hate she beared for the Cersei, Joffrey, Jaime and Robert. It was like whenever she recalled them, all her mind could think of was death; it scared Arya.
That night, Arya dreamt of sneaking into the fat King's chambers, slipping past the guards and padding to his bed where the King slumbered before pulling needle from her belt and stabbing the King until his white sheets were stained a bright crimson colour.
When Arya woke from her dream, she woke up with a smile beaming on her face.
Jon [half a moon later]
After weeks of brooding, Jon had finally allowed himself to rest his head for a full night's sleep. He hadn't felt so calm in what felt like years as he dreamt dragon and wolf dreams throughout the night and into the morning. He roused when beams of golden sunlight were shining onto his face and Pentos was buzzing with music and noise under the clear blue sky. Jon couldn't help but smile.
"Jon!" A voice as radiant as the sun called from outside his chambers. Jon smiled even more when Daenerys marched into the room, wearing a flowing white dress that flew behind her as she strode to Jon's bed.
"Jon, I've got some news…" Suddenly, Jon's calm state faded from his mind almost as quickly as his smile changed into a frown. News… the word caused Jon to sit up immediately, locking his eyes into Dany's.
But instead of pouting sadly like Jon was, Daenerys' face was lit up with a smile, much to Jon's astonishment.
"What is it?" Jon asked with caution, eyeing Dany.
Her arms curled around Jon's neck as she pulled him into an embrace, laughing, "Arya and Sansa have left Kingslanding!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Jon's face was smiling and beaming in a mutual fashion to Dany, all his negative thoughts and feeling smouldering in seconds.
"Seven hells, I-" Jon began before Daenerys cut him off.
"There's more Jon. Ned! He has escaped as well!"
"What?" Was all Jon could say, astonishment and elation taking his words from him.
Daenerys laughed again, her face flushing pink with joy, "Ned escaped from his cell, he wasn't there when the guards came to deliver him some food!"
"Where could he be now?" Jon said, not expecting an answer from Dany, who at that point looked just as sceptical as he did.
"I don't know…" She admitted after a pause, "Perhaps he's returning to Winterfell? Or maybe he's coming here?" Daenerys uttered, with uncertainty thick in her voice.
"And how in seven hells did Arya escape with Sansa in tow?"
"Perhaps she explored the castle and found a way out?" Daenerys suggested.
"I hope they have all reunited in Winterfell, I hate thinking of my family separated and so far from home." Jon stated.
As he spoke, something darkened in Daenerys' face; anger mixed with worry plain on her face.
"What is it Dany?" Jon asked her, running his fingers through her silver locks.
She looked like she did not wish to say it, but she spoke anyway in a quiet and hushed tone, "What if…" She eyed Jon, her amethyst eyes unmoving from Jon's own as she paused and continued to speak, "… what if Robert tries to attack Winterfell? He's ruthless!"
What she said hit Jon like an arrow to his chest; the death of my family… just how it happened years before, but with the dragons and not the wolves. Arya, Sansa, Robb, Rickon, Bran, Eddard, even Catelyn… all dead!
That was when Jon was certain of it. He knew what they had to do;
"Daenerys, we need to get an army."
NOTES: PLEASE READ!
Hello! I'm sorry I hadn't updated in a while… school has been stressing me out recently However, I should start writing more often now so expect more frequent updates from me!
Just wanted to clarify the ages of the major characters at this point in the story (roughly 18 months have passed so far since the start of my story):
Daenerys: 14 (nearly 15)
Jon : 15 (nearly 16)
Arya : 11
Sansa : 13
As you can see, I've mixed the TV show ages with the book ages. So, Arya and Sansa have their show ages while Jon and Dany have their younger book ages (:
See you soon x