"Loose." I released the bow, seeing it fly and hit the target in front of me about fifty feet away, having me sigh as I saw it was off a good inch or two from the middle of the target. It was snowing again, the lint snow hitting the ground and on top of my cloaked shoulders as I reloaded another bow and drew back. I was with Jon and Arya, both of whom were shooting from their own bows and watching em take my turn.
Jon was helping me with my shooting skills, along with how to block and use a sword since I had no clue what I was doing and how to protect myself incase I had no bow or arrow in hand. It was harder than I thought, since I had no training. But with Jon's help and patience, along with Arya and her training from Syrio, I was getting better and better, bit by bit.
"I missed." I said aloud in a mutter.
"You did hit the target." Jon insisted with me, having me glare and release another bow, not hitting it even farther from the precise target.
"Damnit." I said in a groan, grabbing another bow and hearing Arya and Jon chuckled next to me.
"Well. you are just as stubborn as Rob was when he was learning." Jon said in a light tone as I glared over at him. He looked at his own target, took out a deep breath and released the arrow, having me watch and see it hit the target dead on, Arya doing the same a minute after him. I looked back at my target, having me see a certain Queen's head on the target and how much I hated her, how much I despised her and wanted her to suffer. I took out a deep breath, then releasing the arrow and seeing it hit the target dead on.
"See, what changed from the moment before?" Jon asked me aloud, having me look over at him with a smirk on my face.
"I pictured Cersei in my head." Arya grinned from her spot as she placed her bow back in the holder against the target, then getting Needle from its spot next to the target and starting her Water dance routine from it. Jon then placed down his own bow and grabbed his sword from his hip.
"Let's do some training with the sword." He said to me, having me nod my head and move over to the spare sword that he and brought with him from The Wall, placing it in my hands like he taught me before. He smiled, nodding at me showing that he liked what he saw so far. I held it out in front of me, turning my body to the side slightly as I waited for him to throw out the first strike. He ran to me, his sword up and about to pounce on me, but I blocked it with ease and aimed for his side, having him block me. This went on for awhile, having him catch me plenty of times in one of his traps and a blade almost touching my skin. Before I knew it, however, I was getting better and better and more of the workers in Winterfell stopped their chores and were watching with both fascination and interest, smiles on their faces and hearing some of them cheer made me want to try even harder than I did before.
There was one moment where I caught Jon from one of his traps with his sword, having em get my own sword barely close to his throat and seeing him smile as I eyed him. The people around us cheered, even Arya cheered with her own sword in hand as I pulled my sword away and I heard Jon chuckle. He placed his sword away as he eyed me from his spot, looking at me up and down with a satisfied look on his face, as if he was the teacher and I was the student.
"You're getting much better with the sword." He said in a grin, placing a hand on my shoulder and having me nod my head at him, "More of a warrior now than a dress maker."
"Thank you." I replied back to him, but the moment we had together was shorted lived, since a rider from Winterfell came racing through the open area from the front archway, stopping the horse and looking around in a frantic state. Something must of gone wrong, having Jon and I walk over and see the man look at the both of us.
"Milord, Milday, the local village down the road is being attacked, from soldiers from the South." He said in a frantic tone, having me look over at Jon with worry in my eyes. I saw anger soar through him and I then watched him as he looked behind me at the workers there.
"Ready our horses." He said to them in his lower tone. I saw the workers rush to out horses as he looked over at me.
"We need to save those people." he explained to me, the both of us walking over to the main weaponry area, having me nod in agreement.
"I'll come with you." I said to him, having me eye me and then having me stop him by placing a hand on his hand and giving him a stern look.
"I can fight and defend myself, you know I can. I cannot sit by and watch die because of me." I explained to him, seeing him watch me and think about it in his head. I was stubborn when it came to what as well, knowing that I was not going to let others suffer when I could at least defend them and protect them from others. I was once in their shoes, in need of protection and safety. I would look to the high lords to help in that, knowing that they had enough honor in their blood in honor to protect the realm and their people. Now it was my turn to protect. Jon finally nodded his head, having me grin as I saw a worker hand me my bow and arrows in the sheath.
"Sansa and Arya will stay here and hold down Winterfell while we are away," Jon explained to me as I noticed another worker bringing over two horses for Jon and I.
"What of Gendry?" I asked him aloud, seeing him eye me as he took the reins of his horse in his gloved hand, "He can fight, I've seen him. We need strength on our side in case something is to go wrong."
"He can come too." He nodded in agreement, "I'll grab him and we'll be off." I watched him as he mounted his horse, looking like a true noble as he rode over to the forge. I mounted my own horse as well, feeling the cloak on my shoulders and my braided air against the cool wind as Arya ran over with Needle in hand.
"You're going to help those people with Jon?" She asked me aloud.
"And Gendry. You and Sansa need to stay here and protect Winterfell, you have some of the Brotherhood here to help you." I explained to her aloud, having her nod her head with a small look of determination on her face, but then her face when hard with the new question coming out of her mouth.
"It's the South that's burning down the villages, isn't it?" Arya asked aloud, her voice was cold and distant from me now. I slowly node my head with a stern look on my own face. I knew that she hated the South as much as I did, she had a right to. She then eyed me, her gray eyes were now dark and filled with hate and anger.
"Give them Hell."
I released my first bow, seeing it soar through the air and hit my target dead in the back. We rode into the village, having me see the damage that was already done to the houses and buildings. Fires were already spreading and people were running around in a mad daze: afraid and worried for their lives. But I saw who it was that was doing this, the ones in gold cloaks and killing people left and right:
The South.
I threw out another bow at another cloak man, seeing him fall to the floor as Jon and I rode into the area, killing people as we went and trying to get the gold cloaks away from the small folk. Jon went to the left, sword in hand and was doing a good job with the cloaks that were around him. I went to the right with Gendry, Gendry with his hammer in hand and was swinging at the upcoming cloaks who were approaching him. The more I shot at them, the more confident I was getting, and the more I was morphing into a warrior for the North.
All I could hear was screaming and all I could see where people running around with their children, blood being spilt on the floor and ground and having me hate the South even more for what they were doing, all for me and because I was still alive. I killed as many as I could within the few precious minutes we had, Jon and I had a group of Brotherhood Men behind us and helping us with the Gold Cloaks as we got their numbers down little by title, slowly but surely.
The men of the South were catching on to us, trying to stop us and get us off our horses, but we were too quick for them to try and fight back. I looked over to the right of me, seeing Gendry already off his horses with a few other Brotherhood Men, fighting off the cloaks and seeing him launch a man sky high in the sir with only hitting his hammer up against the man's face. But I saw someone about to strike him from behind when I threw up a arrow and within seconds I released it, seeing it soar and hit the man int he chest. The man screamed out, hitting the floor on his knees and fall on his back, still crying out as I rode over to him and hopped off my own horse. Gendry turned around, grabbed the mean by the cloak and hoisted him in the air, having me see the man hovering over the ground slightly as the rest of the old Cloaks threw up their hands in surrender. Jon walked over to stand next to me as I had another bow out, pulled back and aiming at the man as he watched me, stilly gasping and grunting in pain from Gendry holding him in a harsh manner.
"Why are you attacking our villages?" Jon asked him as I looked behind me at the Brotherhood Men bringing the surrendered Gold Cloaks to our direction, having me notice that the weapons that Gold cloaks used to have were now in the hands of the Brotherhood.
"To find the Stark Bitch." He replied in a grunt, almost spitting on Jon at the same time with a smirk on his face. I looked back at the man, seeing him eye me now and seeing the now shock look on his face as I approached him, bow in hand and a stern look on my face. I was right above him, since he was still on his knees and watching me with the arrow still attached to his chest and was still being held by Jon in a vice grip.
"You found me." I merely replied, then striking him across the face with the bow and seeing blood pour from his mouth. He grunted in pain as I faced him down, having me then look over my shoulder at the Brotherhood Men.
"Take these cloaks out to the woods…finish them off and leave their weapons and armor." I explained to them all, having them nod at me and then take the cloak away. It sounded harsh for me to say such a thing, but now I had a new mindset and a new motive, and they were not going to stand in my way from that at all. I looked back at the man at Jon's mercy, seeing him eye me with a busted lip and with heavy breathing.
"We spare him." Jon said aloud as he looked over at me with his leadership stance and stare, "We can send him back to the South, to send a message to Queen Cersei."
"I will not say a damn thing to my Queen about you." He snarled at the both of us, having me see Jon's grip on his shoulder tighten harshly.
"Shall we let you go then with peace, or with your head on a spike?" I asked him in a small tone, pointing my bow at him to have it under his chin, forcing him to look up at me and seeing the hate in his eyes.
"It's your choice, but I will not have another Gold Cloak murder another family in the North, not while I am still alive." I explained to him in a cold tone, having my voice sound as if I was a Queen myself. It made me think of Sansa and of Cersei, the Game that both had to play since they were women of power and women of voice. I was becoming one of them, and it was showing in my boldness to kill and my boldness to think.
"You'll be dead before the summer comes, Queen Cersei will be sure of it." The man said to me in a deadly tone, having my only watch him and now that his threatening words meant nothing to me. But then I heard something behind me, a snarl and a rip in the silence. Everyone turned, even I did, and just in time. For what was running towards me was a large black direwolf, huge and with white fangs of teeth and haunting. It wasn't Koda, it was another dog. He ran over to the man, jumped on them nd Jon released him, having me hear the man scream as the direwolf ripped his throat. I knew this direwolf, and it made my heart stop for one moment.
Shaggydog, so that meant…..Rickon.
I whirled around from Shaggydog, seeing a small boy with a young wilding woman next to him, her hand on his shoulder as a means of protection as he was there, looking stern in the face. It was not the same look as I was used to, the look of joy and innocence as he harbored before, this time, it was the look of maturity on him. But I was beyond glad that he was back with us in the North, back safe and sound, though he was older and looked more bolder in his stance.
Shaggydog finished with the man, who was now dead with no neck at all. The direwolf then trotted back to Rickon, whom was still at the edge of the village with the woman who was clutching a spear in hand and was holding onto him as well. Shaggydog went back to his side, towering over him since he was still so small and lean compared to the direwolf and his vast fur and body. Jon was shocked, since I saw it on his face as we both walked over to him, not running, but walking since we both were still under the belief that this was not reality but a dream. This cannot be the same Rickon, not the same boy whom was filled with joy and innocence, it was just like Arya all over again: he was different and filled with darkness.
"Rickon." Jon breathed out in both relief and shock. Rickon immediately ran over to him, as fast he could as Shaggydog stayed with the woman, who still looked a bit hesitant and a bit scared. Rickon collided into Jon, whom picked him up since he was still young and small enough and I could see Rickon clutching him for dear life. How long as it been since Rickon as seen him last, not since he was a smaller boy perhaps. The other Brotherhood Men that were around were getting things back to order as they realized that Rickon was another Stark child that was found and safe. AS Jon placed Rickon back on the floor, Rickon looked over his shoulder at me, a big grin was on his dirty and worn but I still see saw some of his curly auburn hair against his Northern face and his wide eyes that once were filled with joy, but now I suspected they are filled with fear and worry.
"Nora!" He said in delight as he rang over to me, hugging me close and was up to my chest now. I hugged him back, seeing that he has not lost his innocence of need of joy in his life, not once awhile he was away from home. And from what I was feeling his embrace with me, the small trembling and the tightness of his arms around me, I was getting the hint that he did not want to release me. Was he think that he was afraid: afraid of this being a dream. I would be too if I was in his position, since this was too good to be true.
"I've missed you so much." He murmured into my chest, having me feel his lips move against my shirt as he said it. I smiled as he pulled away and looked up at me. I could see on his face and how his clothes looked that he was been out on his own for a very long time, at least, away from Winterfell and away from safety.
"How do you find us here?" I asked him aloud in wonder.
"We heard the loud noises and Shaggydog lead us here." He explained to us in his light tone.
"Us?" I asked him aloud, having me see him nod his head and point behind us to the woman, whom was still standing with Shaggydog and was looking, at this point, petrified.
"That's Osha. She worked for Winterfell and has been with me, Bran and Hordor since Winterfell was made into rubble!" Rickon explained to me aloud in a excited tone.
"Wait, you saw Bran?" Jon asked aloud, having Rickon look at the both of us now with confusion. he and no idea all that as happened to us, not at all really, since he was on his own and was trying to survive.
"What's going on?" he asked aloud, having me see that not only has he grown from I saw him last, but he too has grown in his maturity and his way of thinking. Jon and I looked at each other with both horror and confusion.
How were we going to to tell him?