I don't own Game of Thrones. This story is not edited, try to ignore all grammatical errors. Thank you. Also, this story is getting quite AU from here on out. Future events will not be exactly like it happened it the tv show or characters aren't like how they are in the tv show. Just a heads up! :)
Chapter 22
When Everra woke up, she felt a sharp pain near her right hip, spreading towards the middle of her stomach. There's something damp pressed against where her stomach is on fire and something sticky as well. She recognises the feeling, the texture against her skin. . . but how?
She couldn't remember anything.
Images blurred into one until she could no longer tell what had happened and what had not.
Her eyes continually dragging shut did not help matters either.
"Lady Everra?" A familiar voice asked.
Everra could feel that person moving closer and realised that she was lying below a large tree, her head hitting the trunk.
Her thoughts were still incoherent, words were not coming to her lips as she struggled to reply.
"Don't move," Jon said, his face coming into view above her.
Everra frowned, looking around slowly, trying to minimise the amount of movement she was doing.
"What happened?" She managed to rasp out weakly.
She was slowly beginning to become more aware of her surroundings and heard a sudden crack in the distance. As if a twig had just snapped in the distance.
She tensed at the sound, a look of alarm appearing in her eyes but Jon quickly stated, "Its okay, its just Andromache or Ghost."
There was something he was not telling her. . . he had this hesitance and sadness in his eyes. No, not sadness more like regret. As though he had suddenly aged ten years in—. . . How long had she'd been sleeping?
That was when something hit her.
A realisation.
One that sent a sliver of guilt down to her gut.
"Jon," she asked hesitantly, "where is Lady Catelyn?"
He looked away briefly, his eyes flashing with something Everra could not identify. Pain, grief, sadness, anger, bitterness, regret. . .
No, she thought, no.
Robb.
"My lady," Jon said bluntly, all of the emotions Everra saw flashing in his eyes disappearing the moment his mouth opened, "Lady Catelyn is dead."
Grey wind was snarling and ripping at the lifeless corpse beneath him, his snout covered in blood. Robb almost winced at the gruesome sight but what as he looks down at himself, he knew he had no right to wince.
His armour was stained with blood- blood that was not his. Blood that he had spilt. From a mothers son, from a wife's husband, from someones father or brother. He knew it was necessary, he knew that. He was no fool.
That did not mean he liked it.
When he was in battle, Robb felt as though nothing was real. As if it were all some dream and that he was not thrusting his sword through someone. It was a peculiar feeling, one which deep down, he knew was an excuse.
For what he did not know or want to admit.
They had won the battle but that did not mean they had won the war. Robb constantly reminded himself of that.
He looked around him, the stench of blood and death suddenly overwhelmed him until he felt as though he was about to collapse. Soldiers both from the Lannister's and Starks lay on the floor beneath him. Flies had begun to swarm around the corpses and smoke could be seen rising into the
sky.
"Your grace?" A tired voice ask.
Robb turned around to see Ser Daavos staring tiredly at him, panting. He was leaning on his sword, blood and sweat splattered across his face. Robb felt relieved as he looked at him, glad that he was alive. A small selfish part of him acknowledged deep down that he was not relieved because he liked Ser Daavos a lot, or even enjoyed his company but because of her. She cared about the man in front of him.
Robb felt slightly worried as he thought of Everra, all he had heard from her in the weeks she had been gone was that she had succeeded in achieving the marriage alliance between herself and Renly, but other than that, not a word. Nothing. Nor from his mother either. He felt wary and had this undeniable feeling as though something was about to happen.
To him. To them.
"Ser Daavos," Robb returns after a few moments, "I am glad you are alive and not hurt."
"Thank you for your concern, your grace," the older man replied, diverting his grey eyes from his.
Robb regarded the man, careful not to reveal what he was thinking. He had always had a lingering suspicion that the knight did not like him, he did not know why, he had rarely spoken to the man but every time they had interacted it was always with the slightest hint of animosity and hostility. It grew when Robb revealed his decision to let Theon live. He remembered seeing the man eye him for a moment, anger in his eyes, before a pointed look from Everra made him divert his gaze.
Theon.
Robb tried not to think of Theon much and whenever he did happen to enter his thoughts he distracted himself with anything around him. He could still not understand how a man he considered to be his brother could do such a thing. How he could try rape and murder an innocent woman in his name.
Innocent.
The word sounded strange when used to describe the formidable woman in question. Innocent she was not, she was cold and more experienced in the art of killing despite the fact that she was at least a year younger than him. Robb admired her. More than he liked to admit.
More than he would let himself admit anyway.
"Your grace!" voices were calling from the distance. His lords wanted to speak with him, to discuss what would happen with the prisoners.
Robb suddenly felt tired, so tired he was almost swaying on his feet.
The two men nodded at each other in their last act of acknowledgement towards each other and Robb somehow knew that Ser Daavos was thinking of Robb in the same way. After all, the only thing they had in common was her.
There was fire and flames that erupted around her and surrounded her. People were screaming and yelling but one scream echoed throughout the rest. It sounded as though the woman screaming was doing it as though she was feeling all the pain and grief she had ever felt in her life at once.
There was a shadow approaching her, standing above her. Where eye's should have been there was only darkness but there was something familiar about the shadows face. Everra looked up from where she lay on the ground, her eyes widening as she finally put together whom the shadow looked like.
"Robb?'" she whispered.
"My lady wake up!" A voice was exclaiming loudly, shaking her shoulders.
Everra's eyes opened immediately, startled at the sight of Jon directly above her.
When he realised that she was awake his hands immediately left her shoulders, leaning back.
"You were screaming, my lady, and shaking," Jon said, his voice small.
Everra nodded her thanks and propped herself up on her elbows, slowly, the pain in her stomach erupting once more. Her cloak was spread above her and she hesitantly lifted it from her body, peeking down at her stomach. She was met with the sight of a soaked cloth pressed down against her stomach, the dress she was wearing had a long gash, revealing the pale skin beneath. Blood stained the skin surrounding the large wound and Everra laid on her back, sighing.
"Who did this to me?" She asked, looking up to look Jon in the eye.
His eyes were conflicted as he looked at her and debated whether or not to tell her the truth. What he saw anyway.
"Tell me," she said more affirmatively, her green eyes flashing.
"It was a shadow," he whispered, his brown eyes downcast, "With Robb's face on it."
He gulped loudly, the sound filling the air. A small bark echoed shortly after followed by a snarl.
Still Everra's face was not affected. Her eyes had widened slightly and she felt something near her heart. A piercing feeling was rushing through her chest, a feeling she had not felt in a long time.
Hurt.
"A shadow?" she asked quietly, "sent to kill me?"
Jon looked at her sadly, his mouth twisting, "One was sent to Renly Baratheon too and he is now dead," Everra finished with him.
Her eyes flickered downwards and her face was tensed as she concentrated on the ground below, her eyebrows drawn together.
"I am guessing I am no longer betrothed am I?" she asked softly, her eyes flickering back up to Jon's.
Jon hesitated again, a loud breath leaving his lips.
"I. . ." he drifted off, "No you are not."
"Stannis?" She asked, "He's gotten all of Renly's soldiers has he not?"
Jon nodded limply.
"Are any of the Tyrell's dead?" She asked.
"No," Jon answered.
Everra nodded, her mouth twisting bitterly. She shook her head as if trying to ease some thoughts from her mind and tilted her face to the other side, away from Jon. She needed to be alone for a few moments. Some time to process.
Jon looked down at her and felt conflicted. Robb was his brother, he loved him but she had taken him in, given him a home, a future and he was thankful to her for that. If Robb did try to kill her, he did not know whom he would chose.
He felt obligated somehow, to do something and so he hesitantly placed his hand on hers.
Her hand was cold when he touched it and he almost recoiled at the feeling before relaxing and gripping onto her hand more tightly.
Everra dreamed of screams laughter and a woman with dark red hair, with a snarl on her face. Another man was next to her, mounted on his horse, he somehow looked familiar, Stannis.
"I don't trust fanatics," she was saying.
The man snarled at her and suddenly burst into flames.
The image disappeared and then she was suddenly in her tent, braiding her hair when a sudden scream erupted throughout the camp. She finished the last braid before tying her hair and a grabbing one of her knives, peaking her head through the exit of the tent. People were scattering all of the place, yelling and running, panic etched on their faces.
Everra stepped out of the tent fully, taking in the scene around her before retreating back into her tent and reaching for her cloak. She wrapped it around her shoulders, tying it together before exiting the tent again, gripping the knife tightly in her palm.
The fire was spreading now and had almost reached her when she grabbed the skirt of her dress and began to ran in the opposite direction, shoving though men and brushing past them. It was only when she had been running for a good ten minutes did she think of Jon and Catelyn.
She stopped in her tracks but people continued to barrel forwards, their shoulders connecting with hers.
She turned around, her eyes skimming over the crowd, trying to find any sight of them but the crowd kept on carrying her further on, Tyrell's and Baratheon's forming into one.
Her head was telling her to move forward, to survive as that is what she did best, no matter the cost. Thats what she had always done, followed her head and never her heart. Had silenced it, until it was nothing more than the occasional whisper. The rare temptation. She could hear the whisper now, calling to her. . . .
He's your brother, it was whispering.
Everra closed her eyes tightly, clutched her knife tighter in her palm and began to run against the crowd, her eyes almost squinting away from the brightness of the fire in front of her.
"Jon!" she yelled, her eyes skimming the crowd, "Jon!"
That was when their was a large pain against the back of her head and she fell onto her stomach, drifting into unconsciousness.
When she woke it was only a short time later and people were still running and yelling around her. She managed to lift her head slowly, peering around her. The fire had spread around the camps and now most of the screams were no longer of panic but of excruciating pain.
Jon? She thought, where was Jon?
She felt somebody watching her, something that made a shiver run through her spine. Her muscles tensed and she began to pat the grass around her, searching for her knife.
She felt a presence above her and slowly lifted her head to look at the. . . thing above her. It was darkness in the form of a man, he was holding a long, large sword, his dark silhouette standing still. Everra's long fingers managed to grab a hold onto the cool metal of her knife and she gripped it tightly.
He raised the sword above his head, lifting it so it was directly above her head but before he could bring it back down, Everra leapt forward, shoving her knife into the shadows stomach whilst scratching the area near his hipbone.
She groaned in sudden pain as the sensation of a knife driving through a point in her stomach and a long scratch appeared near her hipbone. Exactly where she had injured the shadow.
She fell onto the floor, looking at the shadow whom merely reached for the knife and yanked it out of his stomach, unaffected.
She gasped loudly, pain evident in her voice as she clutched her stomach, blood seeping through her dress and onto her fingers.
They were moving.
Everra could tell even though her eyes were closed and when they opened she was realised that she was elevated above the ground, her legs on either side of a horse. She blinked slowly, realising that both Andromache and Ghost were on each side of the horse, where as Jon was leading it, clutching its reigns.
The pain in her stomach was still there, lingering under the surface. Thankfully, the bleeding had stopped, due to the cloth wrapped around her waist, covering the wound, though it was sticking to her skin.
Everra noticed how Jon's tunic was ripped haggardly at the bottom.
It was the same colour of the material around her waist.
Her mind began to drift off to Lady Catelyn and most frowned as she thought of the older woman's death.
She did not like the woman, she would not say differently just because the woman was dead but the love she bore her children was admirable. If only she had extended it to a child whom did not pick whom brought him into he world.
Though Everra knew she was being rather hypocritical, defending her brother and criticising Catelyn while she had done far worse things in her shorter lifetime.
Her eyes began to drift shut as the pain in her stomach erupted once more.
When she woke, she was lying on the ground once more, her back against a tree. The sky was dark and Jon had just begun to start a fire, though a small one, rubbing his hands together. Andromache sat on the side of her, purring.
"She has not left your side, my lady," Jon said when he noticed that she was awake, "You have a very faithful animal."
"When did she get here?" Everra rasped out, moving her eyes from Andromache to Jon.
He shrugged and replied, "I don't know, she was there when I found you. When that thing was beginning to disappear. . ."
A heavy silence fell upon them as he finished his sentence.
Everra looked around, her eyes narrowing, "Is it safe here?" She asked, "We are out in the open."
"Ghost and Andromache will keep us safe," Jon said, "they haven't slept for longer than an hour since we left."
Judging by the black circles around his eyes, Everra knew that they weren't the only ones sleeping for only an hour.
"Go to sleep," she instructed, "get some rest. Your the only one of us whom is still up on their own two feet, you must be able to think properly."
Jon looked at her doubtfully and said, "My lady what if you fall asleep?"
"If I feel myself falling asleep I will wake you up, Jon," Everra replied, coldly.
There was no room in her voice for discussion.
"Rest," she commanded.
The pain suddenly came back in full force, so suddenly that she gasped loudly, her jaw tightening as the pain spread throughout her body.
Jon stood up quickly, rushing over to her and knelt by her side, grabbing onto her shoulder.
"My lady are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.
Everra gulped loudly before managing to pant out, "Your knife."
Jon frowned and asked, "What? Why-"
"You need to put the blade in the fire and press it onto my stomach to stop the bleeding," Everra cut in, glaring at him fiercely.
Jon visibly paled at her words, "No-" he stuttered, "I can't- What if- what if I kill you?"
"You won't," Everra snapped, "Now put the edge of your sword in the fire."
Jon hesitantly rose from where he was next to her and unsheathed his sword, carefully placing it so that only the edge of the sword was put in the flames.
"We need to unwrap this cloth," Everra said, shifting slightly, "I need you to help me."
Jon nodded and moved forward to sit next to her.
"You're going to have to lift my back so that I will be able to unwrap the cloth from my waist, is that clear?" She asked, her green eyes dark.
Jon nodded, wordlessly and gently placed his hands under her back, lifting her gently. A small gasp of pain escaped her lips as she was lifted but she quickly got her hands working and managed to unwrap the cloth, placing it on her other side.
Jon put her down quickly and looked worriedly at her as she winced, her discomfort evident on her face.
"Water?" she rasped out, "do we have any water?"
Jon nodded and jumped to his feet, running to the horse and getting his water, running back and gently pressing the sack to her lips. When she was finished her removed it and placed it on the ground next to him, looking at her, concern building in his chest.
She looked down at her stomach, where there was a large hole in her dress and was relived that she would not have to cut it more. She had no desire to have a knife anywhere near her at the current moment.
The wound was bleeding once more, a small trickle of blood running down her stomach. A thought occurred to her as she was staring down at her stomach and she frowned, looking at Jon.
"Do we have anything for me to bite on?" She asked.
Jon frowned and replied, "For what. . ."
For when she screamed.
She did not say it aloud, but the answer was obvious in her eyes.
"Would cloth be alright, my lady?" He asked, looking down at his shirt.
"No," Everra replied, "its not. . . strong enough."
Her eyes scanned the ground until it came upon a medium sized twig and she managed to lift her arm to point at it, "There, bring me that."
Jon nodded once more and leaned over to get it, gently dusting it with his fingers, removing all the ants and other bugs.
"That will just have to do," she muttered, shifting upwards.
They sat there in silence for a while, Everra's eyes drifting towards the sword in the fire. She felt a small pang of an unfamiliar feeling near her heart before she steeled herself against it.
"Jon," she said, her eyes meeting his, "It's time."
Jon swallowed loudly, his face paling once more, looking quite ill.
Before he stood, Everra handed him the blood stained fabric and Jon hesitantly wrapped it against one of his hand and made his way towards the fire, grabbing the sword's handle gingerly.
Everra gulped loudly as Jon turned around gripping the sword in his hands. The edge had transformed to a menacing orange and Everra could practically hear it sizzling from where she lay.
Grow up, she snapped to herself harshly, you've been through a lot worse.
She grabbed the fallen branch and curled her the hand into fist, her nails digging so hard into the skin she was sure she drew blood.
Jon sat down carefully next to her, careful not to turn himself or her accidentally.
"Are you sure. . ." he drifted off, knowing it was useless.
Everra nodded wordlessly and place the small branch in her mouth, biting onto it tightly.
Jon closed his eyes and pressed the burning tip on the wound.
Everra was trying as hard as she could to keep her yell of pain deep in her throat but was failing tremendously and her muffled shouts could be heard. Andromache had begun snarling at Jon and Ghost had woken, coming to Jon's side.
Everra managed to place her arm on Andromache back and and squeezed, the smooth fur beneath her fingers almost comforting.
Something wet and unfamiliar began to cloud her vision and she realised indignantly that her eyes were brimming with tears.
These Starks were making her soft.
A/N Hey guys, its been a while. How are all of you? Anyway, thanks so much for the response to last chapter, I am so happy to say that we have over 100 FAVOURITES FOR BLOOD MUST HAVE BLOOD AND OVER 50 REVIEWS! Thank you so much guys! It means a lot.
As you guessed Marvelmyra in your review, (which is not showing up for some reason), things are getting quite AU from here so expect to experience some major changes. Though I am so happy for how this story is going, I am really sad to say that I will not be updating for about a month. I have exams and other important school work to do and i need to to focus on them so this will be the last chapter for a while. Sorry about that guys, I hope you understand. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. tell em your thoughts in the review section. Until next time!