A:N Hey all, I know its been to long and I don't want to keep you from the story. So lets chat at the end of the post! Enjoy.
There was a pounding sound all around him. Gendry groaned and shoved his head under his pillow. The sound did not go away. He figured it was the sound of his heart beating loudly in his ears. He shoved his head further under the covers. Gendry knew he had drank too much at the feast. His mouth was dry, his head ached and his body was sore all over. He was used to drinking, but not in the amounts he had consumed the night before. He cursed his brother and that Theon Greyjoy for suggesting that drinking competition.
"Lord Gendry?" A voice asked from near the door.
Gendry ignored the timid voice. He was asleep. If he just stayed still the idiots who were in his chamber would go away and maybe if he got some sleep he would feel better. No one else talked so he drifted off to sleep again. He was dreaming of Arya. They were dancing together and he was not an ass. They danced all night in his dream.
"I really don't want to do this." One of the young men at arms for the Baratheon household said as he walked into the room.
"You drew the short straw boy. Throw the water." A gruff voice said from the door.
"Then run like hell. He's going to be pissed when he wakes." Another man at arms advised. "I had to do this for the Lord Baratheon once. He came out of bed swinging his fists. I had a black eye for weeks."
"Do I have to do this?" The young man asked.
"Get it over with." The first man growled.
The young man took a deep breath and he lifted the bucket up to throw at the sleeping lord. He took a deep lung full of air and flung the water on the bed. Gendry roared and the boy dropped the bucket and ran out of the room as Gendry flailed and fought the soaked bed covers.
"Aaaarrrrgggggg!" Gendry snarled as he got the wet blanket from his head. He fell off the bed and tore across the room, getting his foot stuck in the forgotten bucket. He collided with the door to the room and was ready to rip the limbs off the boy who threw the water on him. Yet when he tried to open the door, it would not budge.
"I'm sorry my lord." A man called to him threw the door. "We are just following orders."
Gendry stopped his rampage on the door and thought back to last night when he had been sober. He remembered asking his men to make sure he was out of bed half an hour before sunrise so he could be in the training grounds for his spar with Arya. Gendry thumped his wet head on the door.
"Fuck. Good job men." He shouted from his side of the door. He heard a sigh of relief come from the men in the hall.
"Your welcome my lord." The three men all said. Gendry suspected they ran from his door as soon as they were thanked. He walked heavily to the washbasin and towel on the top of a trunk and dryer his hair as best he could. He managed to get the bucket off his foot and dressed for sparring.
The castle was still asleep when he left his room. As he walked to the great hall, he realized he did not know the way to the Starks practice yard. He was just about to turn back to his room and find the guardsmen he had frightened to tell him the way when he saw his opponent in the hall speaking to a young girl in servants clothing. He smiled broadly and walked over to her. His head still rang yet he walked with a eager stride to reach her before she could slip away from him again.
"Lady Arya." He said when he was sure he was in her field of vision. "How fortunate of me to come across you at this time. I was on my way to your practice yard to stretch and warm up before our spar."
"Fortunate is one way to put it." She said with a scowl. She was still angry at his humiliation during their dance.
"What would you call it then?" Gendry asked. He was waking up in stages and this verbal battle was awakening him better then a dozen buckets of ice water thrown on him.
"Dumb luck." She spat. Arya was not a morning person, but she forced her sorry body out of bed before the sun rose so she could prove to herself that there was no obstacle that could hold her back. "Follow me Baratheon, if you need someone to show you the way."
She turned on her heels and marched out of the doors of the hall. Gendry quickly followed. He watched her legs move in her men styled pants. He had to fight his will to not look over her backside and walk beside her.
"I have an inquiry to place upon you Lady." He said when they reached the courtyard outside the main door of the hall. They walked through an archway towards the stables.
"What is it?" Arya asked.
"What did your brother do to my cousin? She would not tell myself or Myrcella."
"If she didn't want to tell you I suggest you take the hint and leave her be." Arya snapped. They walked into the courtyard off the stables the Starks used for sparring.
"I could do that, but I am a protective person to those I love. She is timid and I do not want to see her hurt." He said as they stood in the middle of the yard. The sun was just showing over the horizon but the yard was still clocked in darkness. He could not see Arya's face, but he knew she was looking at him with a frustrated expression on her face.
"I think you do not give Lady Shrieen enough credit in her abilities to take care of herself. This is her battle to fight and if you interfere, you will rob her of her self-worth. Let the matter go. Now warm up. When the sun shines we will dance again. But this time it is you who will be made the fool."
Gendry stood still for a moment in amazement. The only people who spoke to him like that were his siblings. Everyone else did as he said. This girl defying him was frustratingly wonderful. He did not want it to become a habit, but it reminded him that he was just a man who could be denied.
"As you wish, my lady." He said to her.
Inside the chamber that was besides Gendry's Lord and Lady Baratheon were roused from fitful sleep from their eldest child's wake up. Robert groaned when he saw the sun had not even risen and Cersei chuckled as they heard threw the stone walls their son getting a bucket of ice cold water thrown on him.
"The boy is an idiot." Robert grumbled. "No girl is worth getting out of bed before the sun comes up."
"Now my love, we both know that is not true. You have awoken before the sun a number of times at my request." She kissed his jaw as she pulled the blankets of their bed up to her chin. She rested her head over his heart to hear the comforting sound of his heartbeat. She still had not told him of her fathers desire to make their Joff heir to the Rock.
"That was different. I had your sweet body to make it worth my while." Robert laughed. "He is just going to be fighting the girl."
The two lay together for a moment after that, lost in their thoughts. Robert had been plagued with dreams of White Walkers bent on taking his family away from him. He had fought the wraiths with everything he had, yet they still took his beloved away from him and he was always inches from her out stretched hand before she would scream and he would wake. He pulled her closer to him, to make sure to himself she was warm and real beside him.
"Robert my father came to me before the feast with an offer." She said slowly.
"What did the man want?" Robert disliked his father in law. He often told his wife the only good deal Tywin had ever made was when he gave his daughter to him. "I hope it was not another offer to increase our trade with him for lower prices. His lands are just as capable of producing as our own."
"No, it wasn't about goods. It was about Joff." She said. "Tywin want's to make our son his heir and disinherit my brothers. I told him no but he argued that I bring this matter to you."
Robert was shocked into silence. His first instinct was to bellow that his son would not become a pawn Tywin could play to get his heir to tow the line. Then he considered everything that would go into having his son sit as Lord of Casterly Rock. His desire to provide for his children was strong, but he saw what this barging would entail. Joff would go to live with the old man. His place was not is the east but in the west. One day he would go on to be the caretaker of Dragonstone. He would be his brothers right hand.
"I shall inform your father that we decline the offer." Robert finally said.
His wife kissed him hard and they fell into a dance they had done for twenty years now. Their bodies joined and they came together in a way that still made Robert marvel. In his younger years he never thought he would be content to just one woman. Yet here he was, content to bury himself deep into one woman. When they were finished the two lay together.
"No matter what happens," Robert said after he regained his breath, "our family will stay together."
Cersei kissed him and was comforted by his words. Together they would stay together.
Further in the castle of Winterfell the King was awake and sat with hunched shoulders. When Lyanna had come to his shared chamber with Elia in the pre-dawn light the first of his wives had been engaged.
"I don't care what pressing matter you think you had when you came in here. It is not your time and you should have waited until the morning!" Elia seethed at Lyanna.
"I've been trying to tell you, but you will not let me get a word in edge wise." Lyanna finally let her temper flair. Over the years her headstrong nature had been tempered and she kept her head more often then not.
"If you could tell us something that was sensible I would not be upset." Elia shouted as she paced. "Yet you come to us with a strange rumor of Others! Of all the things you could have come here with you pick Others. Being here is making your brain soft."
Lyanna wanted to scream her frustration. To march to her brother, collect the arm that was proof and then thrust the thing under Elia's nose. But she held herself. She did not want to leave this room. She felt that something was going to happen with in this chamber. Conversations with the Dowager Queen had made her pause and think. Rhaella had said to wait for Rhaegar to make a move in the fide between herself and Elia. She kept her calm and spoke in a normal tone of voice.
"Elia. Please listen to me. I have important news I must speak. The Others are coming. I know you think it is a story I told to the children, but it is the truth. My brother Ben has come here with proof. If you would stop shouting I can explain it all to you if you listen." Lyanna spoke, raising her hands in a manner that showed she had no malice in her words.
"I do not believe." Elia started another tirade.
At this Rhaegar finally spoke. His voice cut across the woman like a whip.
"Enough." Rhaegar looked at his first wife with fire burning in his eyes. He was fed up with Elias constant attempt to keep him to herself. He was sick of this feud. He was going to settle this matter for the last time.
"Rhaegar this is my time." She started.
"It is not only your time! When matters of importance arise, it does not matter whose time it is. I am King and I will hear this. I do not care that it is Lyanna who comes to us with this news. She herself has said when she came that she just now determined that the evidence was genuine and she came here with haste. Now shut your complaining and sit with me to hear of this development, as befitting your status as a Queen." Rhaegar said to his wife. Elia looked at her husband with shock but sat in the chair next to the cold fire.
Lyanna stood in a shocked silence for a few moments. Never before had her husband spoken to either wife in such a brisk manner. He had always placated to their wills. He had never silenced one in such a way before. This made her pleased in some ways and weary in others. She put the thought aside and spoke. She told her fellow queen and King of the arm her brother had brought from the wall. She told them of the tales of the Others, of the danger they possessed and the history lesson of the last time the Others had appeared in the word.
"Benjen has the proof with him. Once he is rested I will show it to you." Lyanna concluded.
Rhaegar sat nodding his head. He was unsure to believe Lyanna, but he always gave her the benefit of the doubt. He told her as much.
"We shall see this proof then meet with both your brothers. In this matter I trust them to know lore of this matter more then I." He stood and walked over to her. He smiled down at her. "You made the right choice in coming this morning to me with this news." He placed his hand on her cheek.
She pressed her face into his hand. She loved him. Despite all the hardships they had endured she loved him as much now as she did when they had gotten to know each other twenty years ago. To her Rhaegar was not just a king, but a man. One who had given everything to keep her safe. She never forgot the sacrifice he made. She had tried to be there for him any way he needed her to be. Looking at the concern on his face made her love him even more. Their moment was ruined by the sound of Elia clearing her throat behind them.
"As convincing as you might sound I still have my reservations. Now Lyanna could you depart for your chambers. I would like to dress for the day and I have a pressing matter I myself must discuss with Rhaegar." Eila said coldly.
Lyanna just blinked at the other woman then nodded her head. Rhaegar opened his mouth, undoubtedly to tell her to stay. She kissed his palm as he removed his hand from her cheek. She told him with her eyes that it was all right. She walked out of the room. She stood in the hallway with her back to the door. For the life of her, she wished her life were different. She would not trade her family for the world, but she would alter things if she could. A door down from her opened and Rhaella looked out from her door.
"My dear what are you doing outside that door? Thinking of provoking a sleeping snake?" Rhaella laughed at her own joke.
"No. I already did that." Lyanna said as she walked away from the door.
"Then why don't you come inside my chambers. I believe if I ring for tea someone will bring us some." She said.
Lyanna entered her mother in laws rooms and smiled.
"Benjen and I used to play in this wing of Winterfell when we were children. It was in disrepair back then. My brother restored it beautifully." Lyanna said as she sat in a chair by the fire.
"I told Rhaegar when he first came to me with the scheme you and Elia crafted years ago that you two fitted together. The three of you were all well suited." Rhaella said with a weary sigh.
"That was years ago Rhaella. Times change. People change. Elia changed, I changed. The only one who hasn't in this relationship is Rhaegar. We've had this conversation before. I try to be what this relationship needs me to be, I always have. I'm so tired of trying to hold this family together." She said sighing.
"I don't mean to be crass my dear but that is a lie, a god damned lie." Rhaella said with no change in her voice or smile on her face.
"Excuse me?" Lyanna stuttered.
"You have done everything Rhaegar has asked, everything the children needed, but when it came to the woman you once believed to be your sister you have not done a single thing but hide from her. You are Queen Lyanna, of house Stark! You cowered back from a woman who in your younger days you would have told what to do. Now you let your family become ripped apart. But it doesn't stop there. Oh no. Now many factions of the kingdom are against you. All because you and my son did not stand up to Elia and her imbecile demands at the very start." Rhaella said as she stood beside the back of a lounge chair in her sitting room.
"Rhaella that is not what happened." Lyanna said in outrage. "You have been there, you saw!"
"Lyanna my sweetheart. I love you, you are one of my children now. I am glad you are in my life and the life of my son. But even you cannot deny that you came to us as a wild untamed thing and you let the people you love most sap your strength away. I had hoped that being here, in Winterfell, would remind you that you have something strong in you. And you did make a nice display last night at the feast. Now you have to work on being more, showing the people you are their Queen and the war they fought over you, on both sides, was for a good cause." Rhaella smiled at her and walked to embrace her.
Lyanna let the words sink in as the older woman hugged her. Since her mothers death at a young age and much of what many would consider her own childhood years having been spent with Rhaella Lyanna now saw Rhaella as her mother. When she was a new mother and a newly made Queen she had looked to Rhaella for advice. She had followed Rhaella's directions. Now she realized she should have remained herself. Not let things change her to much. If she had not been altered by the pressures of life in King's Landing she could have reasoned with Elia. Showed her their old friendship was still possible before things had gotten to out of hand.
"I know my words are not what you wished to hear, but the time has come that I speak words that may seem cruel." Rhaella said looking her in the eyes. "It will be for the best if you stop doing things the easy way. Take this hard path and it will be worth it in the end."
Lyanna gave a small laugh.
"Elia said those words to me when she asked me to wed your son along side her. She knew the seven kingdoms would not be in favor of this, but said that it would be an event that would one day make the kingdom strong. I went along with it all because she made it all sound so possible. I was just a stupid girl then. But I am not a stupid girl anymore." She smiled and stood to her full height. "Thank you for reminding me. I must leave you now. All the young ones are to tussle soon. I best go and dress."
When Lyanna left Rhaella sat down and rubbed her temples. She was not so old as to think she knew what was best for the realm. But since she had watched her son be burned and was forced to save everyone in King's Landing by putting a sword in her brothers heart her life had forever changed. She had tried to sit back and let her son rule, and for the most part he did a proficient job of it. Yet he let his personal life consume him, like he once let some lines in a moldy old book.
"Rhaegar my son. I failed you. If only we had waited this could have been avoided." She said to her empty room. She dressed for the day and put the thoughts from her mind. She was going to watch the young ones pretend to be warriors.
Edmund had heard that the children would be gathering to show off their skills of combat. He thought this would be the opportunity to speak Cat about Lysa and the steps they could take to get Robin away from her deranged mind. He woke before first light and dressed. He walked out of his room and reached his sisters bed chamber. He paused before the door, unsure what to do. Should he knock, go find a servant to take a message into his sisters rooms? He just was unsure.
His hand was poised to knock when the door swung opened and his sister stood in the doorway. Her face looked shocked to see him outside her chamber before the sun rose. She placed her finger to her lips and walked away from the room. Edmure knew he was supposed to follow so he did. They walked to a workroom of sorts and his sister sat herself down on a couch.
"Sorry to drag you here Ed. This workroom is the only place I find comfort. Ned said it is all in my mind, but it still works to sooth the babe."
"I wouldn't care if we talked in the catacombs as long as we were private. Cat we must go before the King and have Robin removed from Lysa. I think she killed Jon. Cat our sister is insane."
"You have no proof that she killed her husband. If, and only if we have proof of this can we go before the King." Catelyn said evenly. Her child kicked viscous at her ribs and she shifted in her seat.
"We have no proof of that, only whispers. But of her madness we have proof. Both from the mouth of the men of the Vale, Robin and our uncle. As well as her actions of the feast." Edmure was referring to Lysa's outburst at the girl Shrieen Baratheon.
"A mothers actions can often seem like madness. One display is not proof." Cat said evenly.
"The Baratheon girl is not the only one Lysa let fly her harsh tongue upon last night. She also unleashed her madness on Margaery Tyrell. Both the girl and Robin can speak of this." Edmure said hotly.
Catelyn was stunned at this news. She had seen her nephew depart the feast hall. He had looked pale and tired from the heat of the hall. She had heard that the boy had the shaking sickness, Bran and Edmure had told her this. She had not thought to send anyone with the child when he left the hall. This news was intriguing.
"Tell me how this happened." Catelyn demanded.
Edmure told her the tale the two young people had relayed to him. As he spoke he watched his sisters face darken. Once he was finished telling his story the room was silent. He watched Cat form her opinion. He could almost tell her the answer she would say. Yet he waited until she was ready to speak.
"This is troubling news. Yet I still do not think it warrants going to the king. We will continue watching her. She is our sister and I do not feel right throwing her to the King. Family comes first in our words. We do not give our family over to the dragon."
"Catelyn the other words are Duty and Honor. If we allow Lysa to continue she will bring dishonor upon us all and we will not be doing our duty to the realm if we let Robin be in her clutches. We must put an end to this." Edmure said with passion.
"If you go forward with this I cannot at this point stand behind you. We need more proof Edmure." She waved her hand in the air and cut off any argument he would raise. "Go now. People are raising and the young ones will be in the yard. It will be expected of you to be there. Leave me to contemplate all you have said. I will bring these matters to Ned. Tomorrow we can speak again over this matter. Let me rest. This child is strong, and I grow weary already. I need my strength for the days to come. After the dual the rest of us have business to discuss."
Edmure left his sister and walked to the great hall. He stood for a moment trying to decide what to do when two men entered the hall from the opposite end. Despite the distance between himself and the two men he knew who they were. Willas Tyrell and Oberyn Martell spoke to one another as they walked to the door lead g out of the hall. Edmure thought it strange that the two would be together. After all Oberyn has crippled the other man. Edmure followed slowly. They could only be heading to one place. The precious yard where the others would be gathered to watch his niece square off against the Baratheon boy.
"My favor is for the girl." Oberyn said. "She reminds me of my daughters. Woman are better warriors then men at times."
"But Gendry Baratheon is a strong man. He will be able to over power her. He is skilled. I have seen him fighting with the men on the journey here. He is no simpleton when it comes to combat. His uncle is one of the best swordsman in the realm." Willas replied.
"Better then your brothers?"
"Jamie Lannister has years of knowledge on my brothers. He has even used his skills against real fore, not just in tournaments." Willas said.
"Jamie is skilled. But I am better." Oberyn boasted.
"Care to test that while we are here?"
"No. I have decided not to engage in sport. I told the youngest one, Rickon, I wools show him more of Dornish fighting skills and I will. But go against Jamie Lannister? No. If anyone here should go against him in a play with swords I would have his former Brothers do so. I think they still have unsettled business with him. Let Arthur Dayne fight him. That would make a better show."
Edmure cleared his throat when they had reached the stables and the two in front of him turned to see him walking right behind them.
"Lord Edmure. Have you come to watch your niece this morning?" Willas asked. "We were trying to decide who to place out bets on. Care to weigh in on the matter?"
Edmure smiled. He was finding it easy to be around people who did not fawn over him, the way the people of the Riverlanks usually did. He suspected all the high nobles were reveling they were with others if their rank who they could be themselves with, to some extent. No one was higher then them but the king. But they were all used to being below the king, yet always above those around them. Now, with each other they could be just themselves.
"I favor family ties in this one." He replied as the three walked closer to the yard.
"I should have known you would side with family in this. It makes me want to change sides just to spite you." Oberyn said.
"We agreed last night we wouldn't do that. You've put in for Arya Stark. The purse of good was wagered. No changing now." Willas said with a smile.
"Now much did you bet?" Edmure asked. They were at the yard now and quite a few were gathered to watch.
"If he loses I get his stallion and he has to sit next to my grandmother at the next feast and has to make her smile. If I lose he gets 200 gold dragons."
"And you come to Dorne for a month." Oberyn said smiling. "One has not lived until one comes to Dorne."
"How about I add 200 extra dragons to Arya winning. I'll throw in a visit to Riverrun and all the wine you can drink." Edmure said with a smile.
"I think we can accept this." Willas accepted. "Either way it is a win for me."
"Will you come to Dorne, Lord Edmure?" Oberyn asked.
"I will. If the offer stands. You get your 200 gold from Lord Willas and I keep mine and we visit each other. I call that an even deal." Edmure smiled.
"Accepted." The three stood and looked around at the others gathered around.
Sansa stood beside her sister as she bent over and touched her palms to the ground. She was excited for this spar. Sansa spoke to Arya as she stretched.
"Don't forget he is male and bigger then you."
"Sansa most males are bigger them me." Arya replied. She was trying to clear her mind, but was unable to with her sister jabbering on in her ear. She rose from her stretch and started rotating her shoulders.
"From what I can see he will favor heavy swings." Bran said, adding his opinion. "You will have to be quick. Never stay in one place to long. Don't go directly against him."
Arya dropped to a crouch and sank completely to the ground. She spread her legs and crawled her fingers out as far as she could. This stretched her spine as well as her legs. She moved on to trying to lay her body flat on one leg while her hands were wrapped around her feet.
"All you need to win are three strikes." Rickon popped up. "Like Sansa said he's big. He won't have your speed. I know how you move. I do not think he is as fast as I am. And I bet he uses a heavy sword. Tire him out, them move in fast for the win."
Arya pulled her legs together and tried to block it all out. She moved back to the balls of her feet and started to stretch her shoulders and neck again. She closed her eyes. She tried to see what she would do.
"Don't try to tire him. Just get the three hits in right away." Robb said as he watched Gendry. "I got him drunk last night so he won't be feeling too good this morning. He probably has a roaring headache. Just be loud and you will win."
"Robb!" Sansa said shocked. "You got him drunk last night so Arya would win a dual? That was your plan?"
"A warrior protects his family. I did it for Arya. His uncle is Jamie Lannister and his father is Robert Baratheon. He probably knows a few tricks Arya does not. That was my way to help Arya out without getting in the fight myself."
"I don't think you need to worry." Jon said from behind the circle of Starks. The others turned to smile at their cousin. His siblings were with him. Aegon looked a little pale in the half-light of dawn. Rhaenys looked regal in a velvet green dress. Robb blinked twice and stood taller. He was still in the clothing he had worn at the feast and his face had the lines of the wood table still on his face from sleeping on it all night.
"Jon I think you are right. Lady Arya will do just fine on her own. Don't you think Ser Arthur?" Dany asked with a smile.
The Kingsguard stood behind his charges and looked around the ground. Many had come to watch the fight. He looked over to the boy who was stretching himself and saw his family were giving him hints. He winced at loud noises, he moved slowly and he was sweating already. He saw his uncle talking to him. Jamie was once Arthur's brother, so he knew some of the tricks the man would tell his nephew. He smiled and looked down at the girl.
"I would listen to your family. They have assessed the situation well. But never take things for granted. You might find he was putting on an act to get you to think he will be slow this day. What style do you prefer?" He asked Arya.
Arya stood a little in awe of the man addressing her. She had heard stories of the great knight since she was a small child. They had been some of her favorite stories. To have him giving her pointers was a dream of her.
"Water Dancing. I prefer Water Dancing. But I am not ignorant to other styles." Arya said softly. She heard Rickon snicker and whisper to Bran. He was hushed by Sansa.
"Water Dancing suits you. Now remember to watch him move for the first few moments. Look for his vulnerable places. I know you are already aware of these things, but it is always good to be reminded. Do not wear yourself out in your effort to tire him. I'm going to tell you what I always tell Prince Aegon, use your brains more in this fight. They are your best weapon." He smiled down at Arya. "I've heard whispers coming South of the Lady of the North with her sharp blade. You could be a legend someday if you continue to hone your skills."
"She and Bran used to argue about her becoming a Kingsguard when we were small. Bran said a woman could not be, Bran would be the Kingsguard, Arya would be a Lady. She gave him a black eye." Rickon said to Jon with a laugh.
"Is that why Bran is now set on being a Maester?" Jon asked.
"He wants both knighthood and the chain. He knows he could be knighted now, but wants to become a maester first. Don't let his bookish ways fool you. He is as blood crazy as the rest of us wild Northerners." Rickon smirked and Jon returned the smile.
The sun entered the yard to signal the fight would start. Arya took a deep breath and reached for her sword. It was not her normal sword. She kept a number of the thin Bravosie swords in her workroom on a rack. This one had dull edges, so not to inflict to much damage on her opponent. Her mother had suggested this one when she fought Gendry.
"You do not want to maim the man, just win." Her mother had told her. With those words in mind she decided to use her right hand for the fight, not her left. She was left handed, but the did not want to maim him. She smiled at the thought of evening things up between them. This fight wouldn't end quickly, it would take long enough to teach the man a lesson.
She made her way to the center of the ring. Arya watched her opponent walk to her. He carried a dull blade as well. It was not a long sword. He had chosen a bastard blade. Arya found it odd. She would ask him while they circled each other in the moments they measured one another why that sword.
"I want a nice, clean fight." Jory said. He would be the one calling out the strikes. "No blood, just strikes. If there is blood the fight will be called off. No unnecessary injuries. If there is no winner after an hour the match will be a draw. Stand and face your opponent, bow, and let the dual begin." He moved out of the circle.
Gendry bowed to her and she returned the movement. He was smiling as he looked at her. She stood to the side, making less of her body available. He held his sword in both hands, waiting for her to make the first move.
"So this is how you wish to start? Me making the first mover?" She asked. She stepped to the side, forcing him to move with her.
"I have learned my lesson last night. You must lead. This is your dance my lady." He said. Arya could not tell if he was making fun of her or not. She calmed the hot retort that was on the tip of her tongue. She swung her sword lazily in the air by his head. He moved back. He swung his sword at her and she blocked it smoothly. They circled again.
Arya was still smiling when he pressed the opening she had left. She blocked him. The clanking of their blades rang. He was strong, Arya gave him that, faster then she first thought too. She spun and danced around him, never where he had expected. She was playing with him and they both knew it.
"Is this how you win my lady? Not with skills but with tricks?" He asked.
"You said for me to dance my stupid lord, so I am dancing for you." She spun away and swiped at his legs. He jumped over the thin blade.
"I bow to your skills. Now I grow tired of the play." He engaged with a rapid succession of movements with his sword. His blade kissed hers and the shock of each impact sent tingle down her arm. She threw herself onto the air and vaulted over him to land behind him. She swatted his backside with her sword and they were called back to starting positions.
"That was nicely done Lady Arya. I thought I had you."
"You can't have me Lord Gendry. I am as swift as a wolf."
"Isn't it as swift as a stag?"
Arya attacked first, backing him up with the speed of her attack. He kept his composure and held her back. He smirked at how his words unsettled her. He knew some of sayings the Water Dancers used to calm their minds. Swift as a deer was one. Twisting her words was a way to rile her up.
"Tell me lord, why do you use a bastard blade? I thought you'd favor a great sword." She pulled back and they circled again, their blades meeting in less frequent strikes as they talked.
"I knew you would have a one handed sword today, so I decided to use this one to try and match your skill."
"You could never match my skill."
She looked at him and her thrusts became frantic again with her anger. It was now Gendry's time to dance. He spun, blocked and countered every attach she made. He used her own body against her and spun her around to deliver a pat with the flat of his sword on her buttock.
They were called to the center to begin again. Arya's cheeks were tinted pink. She glared at him. He smiled at her and she wasted no time to puch the attack on him. Before anyone could see she snaked her sword under his guard and pointed her blade at his neck.
"Two to one in favor of Arya. Back to the center." Jory called. He smiled at the speed his lady had gotten the last score from. "The time is almost up. Hurry this along" He whispered to Arya as he stepped back from the circle.
Arya shook her arms and waited for Gendry to take the first move. He mirrored her stance this time and held his sword in one hand like she was. He swung at her. They met and he twisted to bring them together chest to chest.
"I'm going to even the score now."
"No you aren't'."
"Yes I am." He kissed her and she pushed him away. She back peddled and he took her moment of confusion to touch the flat of his blade on her arm.
"Foul!" Rickon shouted.
"No foul. It was a clean hit." Joffrey retorted.
Gendry smiled and Arya glared at him.
After a moment Jory made his ruling.
"The last hit stands. Point. But if the boy tries that again he will be facing me and my blade will not be dull."
Gendry did not smile as he took his position for the final point. Arya switched her sword to her left hand. She was going to end this. She attacked with a calm she did not feel. She let her mind go from anger at his kiss to the bliss of being freed to use her skill. She hacked and twisted, she spun and flipped her body around him. Gendry had given her a weapon to use against him. Her very body. He was having trouble following her but he kept blocking her attacks.
"You will pay for that kiss Baratheon."
"It was worth it. Why did you change sword hands?" He blocked her swing at his head.
"I'm left handed."
She rolled to the ground and came up behind him. He jumped as she tried to hit his legs. He spun to see her on her feet already.
"You are fast."
"I should hope so." She jabbed at his hand with the point of her sword. He blocked and spun away. She taunted him again, making her tunic press against her body, showing the curves to her chest. His eyes were drawn there against their will. She tried to strike his lets again but he evaded her. They moved together, neither getting the advantage. Time was drawing to an end, but neither paid attention to the seconds being called down. The two fighters were lost in their battle.
"Time!" Jory yelled out, but his voice was lost to the clashing of steel agonist steel. They fought on for another ten minutes. Gendry was starting to tire and Arya saw this. He was not as fast as he had been but Ser Arthur's advise flashed in her ears. She sped up her attacks and she pressed him to the wall. He used to get her to come up to him. He wanted her close. He would not loose, but maybe he could make it a draw. She slid her sword under his guard and was advancing with the point at his heart while his blade was reaching for her side. They made contact with each other at the same moment away.
"Blades down you dumb asses!" Jory roared.
They dropped their swords and looked at each other.
"Time was called. Those last points are void." Jory said with anger in his voice.
"Time was not called." Arya insisted.
"It was. This is a draw."
"No. I got the last point." Arya insisted.
"I had you while your blade was coming for my heart." Gendry retorted.
"I remember a foul being called on you. Because of that I should win."
"I was given the point. We were tied when time was called."
They glared at one another. Neither wanted to be the loser of the match. A draw was acceptable to a loss. Arya did not want this to be a draw. She was angry and at times her anger got the better of her. She picked her sword up and holding the hilt with the blade pointing away from Gendry she hit him in the stomach with all her might.
Gendry doubled over and regained his breath but his brother, who was close to them took hold of her arm.
"That was a cheap shot. If you were a man I would return the favor." Joffery yelled.
"Get your hands off my sister." Bran said. He was closest to Arya. The menace in his eyes was frightening.
"She hit my brother while he was unarmed. This is not something that can be ignored." Myrcella spoke up.
"He took advantage of her when they fought. Using a dirty trick to get a point." Rickon said as he skidded to a stop in the circle of the others. Joffrey still held Arya's arm.
"And she was using tricks of her own while they fought. Don't think we couldn't tell she was moving her body differently after that kiss." Shrieen put in.
"A good fighter used every weapon at their disposal. She would have been a fool to have not done so." Robb said.
The Stark and Baratheon all glared at one another as they stood in an angry knot. Many of the others tried to break them apart and a shoving match broke out. Names were called, bodies pushed. Minor brises blossomed as someone's elbow connected with soft bodies. Sansa howled in shocked pain as she clumsily threw a punch which landed on Joffrey's back.
"Enough!" Aegon yelled out in his Prince voice. The squabbling stopped. They all looked to the prince. He stood on a barrel and glared at the rabble at his feet. "The dual is done. There will be no more fighting. The match ended on a draw. This is done now."
The Starks and Baratheon's separated, yet stayed in the yard looking at the prince.
"This is not a time for fighting, but a time to build friendships. I demand that the two who started this fight apologize to one another. In my opinion, they both acted foolishly. Their actions made the rest of you lose your tempers." He scowled at Arya and Gendry on then. They both blushed with shame at his words.
"Sorry Lady Arya."
"I'm sorry as well Lord Gendry."
"Now that the apologies are completed my brother has mentioned that our hosts have organized a hunt on their woods. It is time for those who wish to go to change and depart. Breakfast will be served now, after the meal the hunt begins. Take this time to calm down before we are in each other's company." Aegon jumped from the barrel and walked out of the yard with his brother and sister behind them.
"Well that went differently then I expected." Rhaenys said as they entered the great hall.
"I knew neither would win the match. Those two could not beat each other. Gendry would not loose to a woman and Arya's pride would not allow the slight he gave her not be avenged. The only outcome would have been a draw." Jon said as they sat and allowed servants to bring them breakfast. The others trickled into the hall.
The great tables were gone and long tables were placed around the room. There was no seating arrangements for breakfast because most of the heads of the families were not present so their children sat where they wanted.
"I think it was a beautiful fight. They moved so fast. I hardly could follow them." Dany said as she buttered toast.
"Well Arya is a Water Dancer." Jon said to his aunt.
"I wonder why and how she learned that style. It is not something common in the realm." Rhaenys commented.
"It is a question I want to know the answer to as well." Jon said.
"Maybe you can find the answer out while we are on the hunt." Aegon said as he fell on his eggs.
"You think she will join the hunt?" Dany asked.
"I am sure she will." Jon said. "She is supposed to be one of the guides for those who just want to ride, not hunt."
"If that is an option I will be joining the party. I must change. Rhae are you going to come?"
"No. I am going to stay. The castle and grounds are large enough for me to explore." Rhaenys answered.
Dany left the hall and departed to change. The watchers of the fight entered and many told those who had not been in the precious yard what had happened. Theon sat watching the others in a spot by the fire. He had been late making his way to the fight. He had seen the kiss that Gendry had given to Arya. He had laughed at the ploy. Now he ate waiting to approach Sansa and start his courtship of her. He wanted to go on the hunt, but only of the lady was going.
"I just never expected things to get so out of hand." Sansa said to her sister. "I am got t to have a brushed hand for weeks. My sewing hand no less!"
"You did not have to punch Joffrey in the back in the confusion." Arya said with a smile.
"Well no one was doing anything to get that boy to release you. It was my duty to try." Sansa said crisply.
"Sansa if I wanted to be free of him I could have done so."
"Then my bruised hand is for nothing?" Sansa asked angrily.
"No. Your effort is appreciated. You are the only one who tried to free me. Next time you attempt to punch someone do not hit them on a shoulder blade. Maybe ask Jory to teach you one on one combat?" Arya said.
Sansa made a sound as she sat at a table. She looked at Theon and smiled. He took this for a cue to walk over to their table.
"Sorry to interrupt and for overhearing but if you would like to learn hand combat I would like to offer my services." He said smoothly. "At least while I am in Winterfell."
"Thank you Lord Theon. But I am not sure that is proper." Sansa looked at Arya who was avoiding her gaze. Sansa blushed as she looked back at Theon.
"Just between us I could show you how to lay a man flat on his back with one hit, even made by a hand as delicate as yours my Lady." Theon smiled at her and lifted her injured hand. "I can tell you didn't use the proper portion of your fist in the blow. If you had just rolled the wrist slightly it would have taken the shock of the impact and you would have had less pain."
He rubbed his thumb across her colored knuckles. Sansa winced but did not pull her hand back. The coolness of his hand made her pain not so sharp. She would have let him hold her hand for longer if her brothers had not joined them then.
"Greyjoy!" Robb said with a shout seeing Theon. "Sit with us. I did not see you in the yard during the duel. Let me tell you of it before the hunt. You are going with us?"
"I was going to, but there was another matter that came up. I was going to show your sister how the Iron Born throw a punch. It seems the Lady needs to learn how." Theon replied.
"Sansa was going to ride with us. Take the ladies on a slower ride. Are you not going to anymore?" Robb asked his sister.
"I still plan on going. I was just about to tell Lord Theon this when you came over."
"I would like to be taught how the Iron Born fight. I've heard you all fight dirty and use tricks." Rickon said as he too sat at the table.
"We don't fight dirty." Theon said. "It is not our fault the lot if you are soft green men." His tone was friendly so none took offences to him calling them soft.
"Ride with us and we can discuss this more." Robb said as he ate. "The prince was right. This time is about making friends. I for one think the Iron Islands have been apart from the rest of us for too long."
They ate and then when they had finished the group walked out into the courtyard to the horsed gathered there. Arya stood back and waited for her family to pass. She wanted to find Jon and get his take on the dual. She saw him speaking to Gendry. Arya scowled. She had wanted to talk with Jon alone. She slowly approached and fixed a smile on her face she had seen Sansa use when she was dealing with something she would rather not do.
"Cousin. I wanted to know if you would ride with me and not participate in the hunt. And Gendry, the offer stands for you as well. As a way to show there are no hard feelings between us."
The two looked at her with smiles on their faces. She gave a thanks to the Old Gods that she had done the right thing with her offer. Jon reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. He was thanking her for her tact.
"I would love to just ride in the woods with you Arya." Jon said.
"I accept the offer as well. I hunt enough in my own lands. Thank you Arya." Gendry smiled at her and it changed his face. It made him look younger then his face he usually wore.
"Come." She beckoned them and led the way to their mounts. They swung into the saddles and waited for the rest of the parties to join them.
Arya was pleased to see many of the younger people of the visitors chose to join them. She saw Arianne astride her horse smiling at Margaery. Unlike her jovial looks last night Margaery looked solemn this morning. She had slept fitfully the night before. Her conversation with young Robert Arryn had left her in deep thought of what her grandmother had told her the objective of this trip was. They were there to find matches for herself and Willas. Her grandmother had her eyes on the prince foe her precious rose. Margaery had thought being the future queen would make her happy, now she wanted what the boy wanted, love.
"What has wilted you this morning?" Arianne asked. She was concerned for her new friend.
"It is nothing." Margaery lied.
"I know a falsehood when one is spoken. What is the problem, truth this time. I am worried for you. You look as if you have not slept." Arianne was a person who reserved her feelings for her people and family. Other people had to earn her compassion. Yet she had sensed in the Tyrell girl a kindred heart in her.
"I spoke to a boy last night about love. He had a passion and conviction for his lady that put me to shame. It has made me think over the goals I have been set to achieve." Margaery confided.
Arianne looked over to the girl. She had wrestled with this before. In her teenage years she herself had thought she had an attachment to a boy who lived in the castle. He was a bastard of a nobleman. She and her lover had spent three months loving one another. When she was fifteen she had gone to her father to ask if she and the boy could wed. Her father had denied her request. She had been broken hearted when he said no, yet she understood his reasoning. Her aunt was Queen, there was a burden on her family they had never been forced to abide by. So she had the boy sent from the palace and she hardened her heart to love.
"We are not allowed love." Arianne said not to be cruel, but to be helpful. "In Dorne we once had the freedom to be with whoever we wanted. But now because of our close ties to the throne we have to play politics. If not for my devotion to the family I was borne from I would be married to a beautiful man, the mother of four children now." She confessed to her friend. She had never said these words to anyone before. Not her brothers, not her beloved cousins.
Margaery looked at her companion in awe. She had never expected to hear such a confession from her. She reached out her hand and placed it on the woman arm beside her. They looked at one another communicating heart break and friendship over the hardships women of their stations had to endure.
"I have a confession." Margaery said. "Last evening I thought you were using me to plot against the competition. I was resolved to sever our friendship. Now I see you are like me. A relationship has been forged between us and it will be strong for years to come."
Arianne smiled at her and would have kissed the girl if they had not been astride their mounts. Instead she squeezed the hand on her arm and smiled brightly.
"From now let us forget what we have been sent to do and enjoy ourselves. I think we shall not venture to the Northern realm for many years."
"I agree. Let us soak up the wildness of this country and let it make us wild." Margaery smiled.
"Since we are all gathered," Robb's voiced boomed out over the assembly, "we can ride out of the gates."
Their rather large group left the courtyard of the castle and they clattered out into the road that lead into the woods. There was much talking, laughing and even friendly arguing from everyone gathered. The words from their prince still rang in their ears about the gathering being about making friendships and all present tried to do so. Myrcella watched everyone smiling and enjoyed the woods around her.
"Lady could I ride beside you?"
Myrcella stiffened. The prince was looking at her with a soft smile on his lips and she returned it hesitantly. She had wanted to ride alone for a time longer, but she nodded.
"Yes Prince Aegon. I would enjoy the company." She replied.
"I wanted to ask now if you would dance with me at the feast this evening." He smiled at her again and she looked ahead of them to where Margaery was riding.
"I would your grace, were it mot for the fear of another accident happening." She replied smoothly.
"Have no fear of that my lady. I have already decided to have Ser Barrister by your side glowering at all who come to near you to prevent such a mishap from occurring again. Look, he is already doing the job." The prince pointed behind them at the older man on his horse. Myrcella gave a small chuckle and blushed.
"I would think that the members of the Kingsguard should be protecting their real charges, not silly girls. I am sure my brothers can watch over me." She looked back at the knight and he winked at her causing her to laugh.
"A sound more beautiful then the songs of the birds. I pray sweet lady make that heavenly sound again or I will surly die from the chill." Aegon said to her with such feeling she could not help herself and laughed again. "I would give my life to hear your laugh everyday for the rest of my days."
"I would laugh for you more your grace if you wish, but I do not think your life should be the cost. How about just the privilege to ride beside you until the party divides." She smiled at him.
"Laughs only during the ride? What about the other part of my request? I was very serious. Your laugh on my life for the rest of my days." Aegon said solemnly.
Myrcella opened her mouth to answer him with a ridicules request when the riders in front of them started to pull their mounts to a halt. They had come to a fork in the road. This was where their party would break into two. Those who wanted to hunt going one way, those who wanted to ride going the other.
"I fear this is where we part your grace." Myrcella said with as bright of a smile as she could muster. She had enjoyed the conversation she and the prince were having. She found once she got over the fact he was the prince she could talk with him as if he were a friend.
"Yes. Oh how I wish I could ride peacefully in the woods with you, my lady. But I am for the hunt. It is a sport I enjoy greatly. It is only now I am having second thoughts on my decision." He frowned as he watched as more of their group splintered away from the main road.
"My father is a great hunter. I have rode with him many times. Maybe I can change my mind. I could come with your party in the hunt." Myrcella said, thinking aloud. She had a habit of doing so. Gendry always told her he never had to ask what she was thinking about because she always said what she was thinking before she had formed her opinions.
Aegon's face blossomed into a radiant smile as he reached out his hand and made to touch her face. It hung between them for a moment before he cleared his throat.
"You would do this? So we can continue to speak with each other and you will laugh for my pleasure?" He raised his brow in question.
"Yes your grace. I can do this for you." She answered.
"Wonderful. Come we must ride to the rest of our hunting party." The two rode to the fork in the road with their shadow Ser Barrister behind them. Myrcella sat tall in her saddle as she rode to the group. Most of the men looked at her with surprise on their faces, her brother among them. Joffrey rode to her side shaking his head.
"No. You are not allowed to come with us."
The prince glared at him, but the two Baratheon siblings were looking at one another and did not see their princes glare.
"And why not? I am just as good of a hunter as you." Myrcella looked at him, her head held high, as their mother was fond of doing when she was denied something.
"Because I wanted to be the one to bring the kill down. Every time you come with us, none of us has a chance. You charm the animal we hunt I to just laying down at your feet and they let you have their life. Where is the sport in that? Or the fun for any of us? I say no sister. You can't come." Joffrey said.
"It is not my faulty you can not track an animal unless it is in front of you. Now I am coming with you. Move aside you weak huntsman." She moved her horse forward and the prince looked from one blond to the other. Joffrey finally looked over to the prince and gave him a wolfish smile.
"You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into your grace; my sister is not like normal women. This is the only time we will talk about this. But if you hurt her I do not give two fuck's in hell who you are. If you hurt her I will come after you." With that, he turned his horse away and he rode to the front of the hunting party.
Aegon sat on his horse in stunned silence for a moment before his Kingsguard rode up beside him. The old man looked on the boy with a sad smile on his lips. In many ways he thought of the kind knight as the grandfather he wished he had been borne from.
"Alright old man. What is it?"
"I was just thinking my prince, is a girl worth so much trouble?" The man asked.
"From the moment I saw her I knew she would be a way to heal the realm. And not only that but I like her. So yes, she is worth it. Now let's hunt." Aegon rode after his lady. Barrister waited for a moment until his Brother charged with the two other royal children rode over to him.
"I'm for a peaceful ride in the woods." Ser Arthur said as he reigned up beside the older man. They looked at one another wordlessly communication to each other how tired they were. Not for many years had the Kingsguard had been tasked to deal with troublesome kings and their heirs. In their White Book the tales of those who came before them spoke of bravery that was now legend in the realm. This generation was something different.
"I'll take the wolf prince. You have the heir?" Arthur asked.
"Yes. I'll watch over the heir while he tries to make the Storm girl fall for him. Gods I wished this was easier." Barrister wiped his hand across his face.
"Your years are showing old friend." Arthur said.
"Watch it. I may be getting old, but I can still say a horse. You make sure Jon kept his head. His mother's blood doesn't make things any easier only more difficult then they will be. The King has his meeting today with the heads of the houses while we babysit the young ones. Who knows what will happen now that they are here."
"We can't worry about that now. We have our charges to look after. If anything were to happen to the Princes or the Princess there will be three Queens after our hides." Ser Arthur rode after his party while Barrister rode away.
Arthur rode after to his prince. He fell in a steady walk behind the prince he was supposed to watch. He also kept his eye out for the Princess Dany. She was talking animatedly with Lady Sansa and Theon Greyjoy as they rode down the path. Jon was in deep conversation with Arya Stark.
They rode in in happy conversation thought the woods for some time. They came to a knotted oak in the woods and something Arya said to Jon made him give her a devil may care look. He kicked his horse into a gallop and the girl shot after him. Arthur swore and shot after the two.
Arya laughed as she chased her cousin in the wolfs wood. They had been arguing who could ride the road before them best, but Jon took it upon himself to prove he could ride better then her. They tore down the path at breakneck pace. They galloped down the path until they were separated from the group. Jon's horse eventually out ran Arya's. He was slowing to turn back to find the others when Jon heard a noise. He had come across a bridge. Jon slowed his horse down to a walk. He heard a sound coming from the side of the bridge. He stopped the horses and looked into the forest. No one was visible, but he swore he heard someone.
Jon had heard a noise as he approached the bridge. It was a soft crying in the direction of the woods. He dismounted leaving his horse tied to the bridge and walked into the forest. The crying grew louder. Walking slowly he saw the brush was disturbed. Taking pains to not make more noise he saw something white ahead.
Laying in the snow, he saw a girl cradling a monsters head in her lap. She was singing to the beast. Its large body was matted in blood. Jon stilled. The monster could only be a dire wolf from beyond the wall. Jon cleared his throat, the girl holding the creature spun around with a bow raised, and an arrow notched pointing at him.
"Easy there." Jon said with his hands raised. "I mean you no harm."
Jon stood still looking St the girl. Seeing her face, he was amazed by the stunning wrath in her eyes. Jon had never seen any woman look like that. Her blond hair flew in the wind and she looked like an avenging death goddess come to earth. She was clad all in white, from her cloak to her boots.
"Stay back." She snarled at him.
"I just want to help. Are you hurt?" He asked speaking to her like he would a wounded animal.
"It is not my blood. It is hers." She said.
"The dire wolf's?"
The creature whined and her body convulsed. The girl looked down and gave a cry of alarm. She reached down and rubbed her hand over the beast's abdomen. It was then that Jon realized that the creature was pregnant. Jon rushed to the animal's side. It tried to snarl at him but her body quivered and Jon was forgotten. The girl was pulling something from the creature. She placed the small wet mass by the mother wolfs head. She licked the babe until it was clean. Her body shook again. Jon moved the first pup to the mother's tit where it latched on and nursed. Jon and the girl, the wildling, worked at the labor for some time until six pups were whelped. When the last pup was borne and cleaned by the mother, she whined. The girl stroked her head and spoke words Jon had never heard before.
Jon looked at the lives he had helped bring into the world. There were five dark colored wolves and one who was pure white. Jon stroked the small white body. This wolf was slightly larger then his littermates. He ate silently where his siblings sucked greedily making small sounds as they ate. The great silver head of the mother wolf lifted and licked along Jon's hand where it rested on her babies back. Jon found himself trapped in the mothers gaze. She seemed to be trying to tell him something but he was not smart enough to understand what she was trying to tell him. He finally broke their eye contact and looked back down at the nursing litter. The white one was no longer eating but scooting around with his eyes wide opened looking at its mother. They were the scarlet of fresh blood.
"His eyes, they are opened!" Jon exclaimed.
"That one is going to be different. He is pack but different, other." The girl said as she watched the white one. There was a soft smile on her lip that Jon felt an answering one form on his mouth. He really looked at her now. Her white clothes were still somehow white as pure snow even after the bloody mess they had assisted in. Her blond hair was not as light as his fathers, grandmother or aunt's but still the closest thing he had ever seen from a person outside his family. He half expected her eyes to be lilac but they were a grey with a touch of blue in them. She looked like a princess to him.
"How was she hurt?" Jon asked after an awkward moment when she caught him watching her.
"Some of your southern brethren were chasing her in the woods. I only saw the chase because they stopped under the tree I had been hiding in. These same men had been chasing me for a time. They almost captured me too, but I was to quick footed for them and their hounds. There were five of them. The hounds were no threat to her, but the men with spears and bows were. I took three men down with my bow, she dispatched the fourth and their leader got away. But I marked him, so that if I come across him I can finish what we started this day. No man has the right to attack a being who carries life with in her, no matter what species the being is." She said with a conviction in her voice Jon had seldom heard from one her age.
"My Lady if there is anything I can do to assist you I will be willing to help." Jon said.
"I am not a Lady you Southern men love to hide away in your big stone homes. I am a free woman and I need no mans help to kill a man." She assured him.
"I meant no offence. I just, what I mean is that I am not like most men. My father is the King. I am Prince Jon of Westose. My uncle is the Warden of the North, Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. If you consented we could find this man who chased you and injured the mother wolf." Jon hoped his words sounded sincere to her. He meant every word he said.
She scoffed and shook her head sadly.
"Silly Southern Prince. There is nothing you could do but get in my way. My clan has told me of your ways. The man who I think of as my father, he is a King. The Free Folk chose him. They follow him not because his blood came from great men but because he is great. He told me never to trust you kneelers from below the wall." She looked back down at the wolf. "She has lost to much blood. I fear she will not make it. I can not get her to safety."
The girl looked at him then. She looked directly in his eyes and he felt as if she was looking deeper into him then he himself had known was there. Jon had to fight himself to not look away. He kept his black grey eyes locked on her grey blue ones. Jon could not decide if it took an instant or hours but she finally seemed to have made a decision about hm.
"You say your uncle is of this land you call the North? I have heard that this Stark has five children. The mother needs tending to. If you want to help me I charge you to take her and her pack back to the stone castle of yours and heal her. You and the children of this Stark will each raise a pup from this litter. In a week if they are still alive I will find you and consent to your help looking for the beast that attacked me and my companion."
Jon was stunned. He could not speak for a moment. When he finally found his voice again it was horse.
"You wish for me to take them back with me? She was your companion? What are you doing here?" He demanded.
The girl was speaking again to the wolf in the language Jon could not understand and the wolf mother licked her face tenderly. She stood and swung her bow onto her back.
"In one week I will find you. If they all, and I mean all, survive I will tell you a tale." She was backing into the woods as she spoke.
"Wait!" Jon yelled and stood as well. "What is your name?"
He did not know if he was imagining but he thought he heard a laugh from the direction she had vanished in.
"Val."
"Val." Jon repeated.
The wolf whined again and Jon knelt back down to stroke her head. He was still amazed she had not ripped his throat opened. He sat there and realized his guard and the rest of the group were probably looking for him. Jon knew he would need help getting the family out of the woods. He was just unsure what the dire wolf would do with more people near her and her babies. She had grudgingly accepted his help, he did not want to push her over her limit, especially in her condition.
"Hello, um," Jon looked around thinking of something to call her. "Hello North." He finally settled on. He figured the name would work for her. She was the living representation of the greatest house of the North, and she was from father north as well. He stroked her side and looked her in the eyes while he spoke. He felt a little silly speaking to a wolf, but he did the same with horses. He let his mind go to the place it went when he talked to the other animals.
"North soon others will come and find us. They are friends and they will help me bring you and your family to a safe place where you can heal and they can grow. Do not be afraid of the new humans. I will not let anything hurt you now that I am here." He used a reassuring voice and he hoped she understood him. "When we move you it may hurt the wounds you have. Please do not eat anyone."
He laughed and she huffed at him almost in a laugh herself. Jon looked at her in amazement. He felt that she had heard his words and more importantly had understood him. He stroked her muzzle and she licked his wrist. This was the closest he could think to show her he meant her no harm, placing his arm so close to her mouth. He took the lick as her way of saying she would not kill whoever found him. His theory was shortly put to the test.
"Jon!" He heard many voices calling for him.
Jon stood and walked to the tree line of the little clearing he and the dire wolves were in.
"Here! I'm here" He shouted back.
The sound on running feet were heard in the woods drawing closer to him. North growled and Jon retuned to her side to sooth her.
Ser Arthur and Arya were the first to find him. He sat with the white wild pup on his lap and the mothers head on his legs. They stood with wide eyes and opened mouths.
"I need your help with what I found in the woods." Jon said to the two stunned people before him.
Arya took a step closer and North looked at her without growling and she fell to her knees beside Jon and looked at the other puppies as well as the wounds on North. When Arthur tried to come closer North exposed her razor sharp teeth but after Jon spoke to her she stilled but kept a watchful eye on him.
"Jon do you know what you have found?" Arya breathed as she looked down at the puppies.
"I found a dire wolf." Jon said with a shrug.
"The first one to be seen this side of the wall in hundreds of years." Arya replied.
"They are ours now Arya. We have to raise them and heal the mother. Will you help me get them back to Winterfell?" He asked. He knew more had come to his small clearing but he only had eyes for his cousin. He needed to make sure she would help him.
"Yes, of course. How will we move them?" Arya asked. She held out her arm to let the she wolf smell her. North sniffed her offered hand and then lapped at the fingertips of the girl.
"I suggest we send for a wagon. They can be loaded in at the bridge. We can make a litter for them to be taken from out of the woods." Gendry said. He had come to the clearing to see where the prince had diapered to.
"That sounds like as good of a plan as any." Arya said. "Can you find a few polls long enough? We can use my cloak to hold them."
"Bagging your pardon Lady Arya but yours will not be large enough. I have a blanket with my horse. I will go collect it." Arthur said to the group. He wanted to get away from the dire wolves as fast as he could.
"Bring Sansa back with you. Tell her we need her here. And Bran as well. He will have some ideas as well." Arya said.
"I'm here already," Bran said, being noticed for the first time. He walked right over to the wolf and did the smelling ritual with North. She didn't lick his fingers but didn't bite him either. "The litter and wagon are a good idea. I have a few ideas about how to treat her wounds. Do you think she will allow for her gashes to be stitched? That would help with her healing."
Jon looked at North and saw the weariness in her eyes. He figured once she slept they could stich her up. Jon told Bran that might be possible and the other boy went off into the woods with Theon and Gendry to find the right sized polls for the litter.
By the time the skeleton of the polls were made Ser Arthur returned with Sansa behind him. At first Sansa was too frightened to come close, but as soon as the blanket was draped on the polls she was no longer frightened. It all changed when Arya handed her a pup. The small thing nuzzled into Sansa's arms. She started to hum a lullaby to the sleeping pup in her arms.
"She is beautiful." Sansa whispered to Arya.
"Jon said they are to be ours. One for us Starks and one for himself." Arya said cradling two sleeping pups. Jon gave Sansa a second pup. Bran held two as well. Jon had given the white pup to Arya to hold while he got North on the litter.
She growled when they moved her and the girls gasped when they saw the pool of blood on the ground. Arya demanded to know what had happened to her to cause her to be wounded to the extent she was in. Jon gave told them his story while they worked to get North comfortable. He noticed his voice made her whimpering less.
"A Wildling was here? She spoke to you and you still breathe?" Theon asked as he stood holding one of the polls with Gendry on the other. Both were straining against the weight of the massive wolf.
"She seemed civilized." Jon said dismissively. He had not mentioned that she would return in a week.
"She is as good as we can manage at the moment. The wagon should be here shortly. Dany rode back to the castle to collect one. She had wanted to come help but she had the fastest horse here." Ser Arthur said. "I sent the others of the party back with her as well."
"Alright let's move her then." Jon said as he went to help pull the wolf out of the forest.
A:N Just a few words from me. This one gave me issues from the start. I had writers block for a little bit of it, rewrote parts multiple times and had issues with my tablet. So instead of making this one super long, because there was supposed to be more to this post, I decided not to tempt fate and post this before my tablet got ran over by a train or something.
Second note, I just wanted to put out here that I am not going to be doing flashbacks in Wars, but plan on doing short, 5000 or less words, one shots about characters. I have a few that I want to do and a few some readers have asked me to do. They haven't started yet because I tried to start them off with Roose Bolton but he is a slippery suxker who is not easy tp pin down even in my own mind. So I'm putting this to you, my lovely readers: Who should get the first one shot flashback? PM me or stick your vote in a review.
Third note; not to long ago I posted a first chapter for a story I called The Night Queen. I have set it in my Wars universe, but it takes place way in the past. I started it as a way for my curiosity to be satisfied. You don't have to read it to be on track with Wars, they don't over lap. But it is one fun story. I'm not saying at some time in Wars the mythology I'm making won't be referenced, or that the end of Night Queen won't tie into Wars, but that will be later on. So if you want to know more about the Great Other, the pale woman who turned the 13 Night Watch Comander, Gods, dragons and all the other stuff that makes the world of ASOIAF a different world look at that story.
And last note, i swear, I just wanted to thank you all who read this, favroited, follow and review. It really means a lot romme. Without your cheering I wouldn't be doing this, well i would but the files would be sitting in my tablet taking up room with no one but me read it. So thank you all for being amazing and supportive and awesome.