Hello all.

I am so sorry it's take me this long to update. Unfortunately my laptop got broken Christmas eve started and it took me a while to save up for a new one. Luckily, I keep an in progress copy of my story in my dropbox but unfortunately, I lost the latest chapter so I had to re-write it.

Enjoy and keep those reviews coming.

Chapter 27 – Introducing: The Girls

The sound of the door slamming shut echoed through the room. The room itself, while richly appointed, was a mess. Tables and chairs had been disturbed and overturned; ornaments had been broken, like they had been knocked over in a fight. The bed curtains were currently on the floor, ripped from their posts and the mirrors smashed into multiple pieces.

Curled up into a protective ball in a corner of her new room was the broken, bruised and bleeding form of a girl verging on womanhood. Daenerys "Stormborn" Targaryen quietly whimpered in pain and fear. Pain from the sever beating her brother had just inflicted on her and fear that he would return and continue.

The siblings had just arrived in their new home after fleeing yet another assassination attempt. They had left Bravos after Robert Baratheon's assassins had found their latest home. While the siblings had escaped unharmed, their guardian had not been so fortunate and they had been spirited to Pentos and the home of Illyrio Mopatis, Merchant Prince and the so called cheese monger of Pentos who had welcomed them into his home only a few days earlier.

Viserys had been in a foul mood ever since they had arrived. He had come to his sister's room and found her crying for the home they had lost. He had then proceeded to berate her for her tears and foolishness, when Daenerys had forgotten the golden rule and spoken back to her brother, reminding him that he too had cried in fear and loss at what had just happened to them. Her words sparked his foul mood into a towering rage that had preceded the beating she had just received.

She had woken the dragon.

Viserys had knocked her around the room. Throwing her into the furniture, thrown ornaments at her, smashed the mirrors, grabbed her by the throat and held her down on the bed with one hand while the other hand kept hitting her face, all while ranting and raving as he beat his sister. She had instinctively grabbed for the curtains that surrounded the bed when Viserys had tried to throw her to the floor and the flimsy material had torn off the posts. After that, Daenerys had managed to crawl into the corner and curl up into a protective ball. Viserys had yelled at her for a few more minutes, aimed a kick or two in her direction then left, slamming the door behind him as he went.

Illyrio, who had heard the commotion from another part of the house, gently knocked on Daenerys door. When he didn't receive an answer, he opened the door and looked in. Seeing the state of the room and the girl child curled up in the corner, he turned to the servant that had followed him and ordered him to fetch his personal healer and some maids to both attend to the princess and clean the room.

"Princess?" was his tentative query. When he saw Daenerys flinch from the sound of his voice, he slowly made his way over to her, speaking in a gentle voice as he went in order to try and calm her and reassure her that he was not her brother.

"Princess? Princess, it is I, Illyrio. It's all right child. I won't hurt you."

Illyrio stopped in front of Daenerys and crouched down. He reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, feeling her tense up as his hand made contact with her flesh. He kept his facial expression calm, but internally he frowned as he saw the blood and bruising on her fair skin. While he has seen both free women and slaves in a much worse state then this, the current state of this particular young girl offended him.

"Come now Daenerys let me see. I cannot help you if I can't see the damage he did." His tone was still gentle.

Daenerys slowly uncurled her body and lifted her head towards Illyrio who sucked in a breath in shock. She was a mess. Viserys had inflicted a great deal of damage upon the young woman's face and body. One eye was fully swollen shut; the other was partly closed with swelling. She had darkening bruises on both cheeks, a split lip, a cut above her left eyebrow and he deemed it a miracle that her bloody nose wasn't broken. What worried him the most however was the dark handprint around her throat. Viserys it seemed had squeezed hard enough to cut off her breath, leaving behind yet another deep dark bruise. Illyrio may have had plans for the girl but those plans didn't include seeing her beaten to death at her brother's hand.

"Oh you poor child, he really did a number on you didn't he?" Illyrio said as he gently helped Daenerys up off the floor and towards the bed so she could sit on a more comfortable surface, all the while wondering if his and Varys's plans to restore Viserys to the throne of Westeros was a wise one. If nothing else, this incident proved that the cruel madness that infested the males of the Targaryen line had manifested even earlier in Viserys then it had in his father.

Daenerys, who had said nothing all this time, finally looked Illyrio in the eye and spoke.

"Thank you Magister, but this is my fault. I should not have said what I did to my brother. He was right to punish me."

This time, Illyrio allowed his frown to be seen.

"And just what did you say to incur his wrath in such a manner?" he asked, his voice still gentle.

"I reminded him that he was a scared boy, just like I am a scared girl. After everything we have been though, we are entitled to be scared are we not? Viserys took offence at that. He has always had a temper and violently dislikes being reminded of his shortcomings. He has also always been abusive and a bully. In Bravos, he used to beat children younger than even I in order to prove he was superior to them. All it ever proved was that he was cruel." She replied, in a moment of strength.

She suddenly cringed.

"Please don't tell him I said that Magister or he'll beat me again" She begged, fear infused in her voice as she reverted back to the cowed child, scared of her abusive big brother.

Illyrio gave her a gentle smile.

"Your secret is safe with me child and you are correct. After all you have been through; you are definitely entitled to feel scared. I know I would be if it was me and I don't have a King who wants me dead after me!"

He was about to say more when a knock on the door interrupted him.

"Magister? You sent for me?" Was the question by his personal healer. Behind him were the servants that Illyrio had also sent for.

"Ah yes. Come in please. Daenerys, this is Phillipo, my personal healer, he will tend to your injuries and help you feel better. Also, the women are Ilssa and Karna; they will be your personal servants while you are a guest under my roof. They shall attend to your every desire my dear. I shall leave you now so that Phillipo may tend to you in private. Ilssa, Karna, a word outside please." Illyrio commanded.

Illyrio exited the room with the two women behind him.

"I want one of you to stay with the princess at all times. If her brother should come to her, you are not to leave her alone in his presence and if he should start beating her again, you are to have the other fetch me immediately regardless if I am busy or not. If you should fail in this, I shall make sure to sell you to the cruellest slave master I can find. Have I made myself clear?" The women nodded. "Also, tell Phillipo to report to me after he has finished with the princess."

They nodded again and returned to the room.

Illyrio, while he had nothing to do with the slave trade and like Varys, despised such enterprises having narrowly avoided such a fate as a child, would not hesitate to do as he had threatened should the women fail to carry out his orders. He had plans in the works for Daenerys that included an eventual marriage to Khal Drogo and the Khal would not marry a soiled and broken girl, for Illyrio had no illusions about Viserys. He was positive that Viserys would rape his sister if the mood took him. Thankfully, Viserys was more interested in regaining his birthright and could be easily diverted by speaking meaningless flattery and stroking his ego. The Khal himself wasn't all that important to the grand plan but his forty thousand Dothraki screamers were.

He could only hope that Varys could keep them one step ahead of King Robert and keep the Targaryen's safe…

For now.

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Lord Selwyn and his daughter, the Lady Brianne, also known as the Maid of Tarth, had finally arrived in Winterfell. They were both seeing Winterfell in its prime. Full of life and looking majestic. They were both suitably impressed so far.

As they had been seen approaching, there was a welcome party waiting for them in the form of Lord Stark, Lady Stark and those of their children who weren't currently being fostered elsewhere. This included Sansa, the girl Brianne was to be a sworn sword to.

In the time since Tyrion and Jon had come back into the past, Sansa had changed from the refined but clueless southern lady she had portrayed into a confident and clever young woman. The lessons in politics and court intrigue from both her mother and Tyrion had taught her to use her intelligence in ways she never had before and the "outings" her mother had taken her on had torn the rose coloured glasses away from her eyes. She was now aware that the world was not a nice place and that she could easily become a victim if she continued to act as a silly little girl.

It was on one of those "outings" that Sansa had seen first-hand how cruel men could really be. Her mother had taken her to a small village near the Wolfwoods, when her mother was asked to sit in judgement as the acting Wardeness of the North. Three men had raped a young girl, who was a barely a year older then Sansa herself and had only just flowered into a woman the month before. The girl had been in the woods gathering herbs when the men had come across her. All three of them had ganged raped her and left her bleeding and severely injured after they had finished. The girl had just barely made it back home.

The girl's father had immediately hastened to Winterfell to report the crime and ask for Maester Lewin to come and attend to his daughter's injuries. Lady Catelyn had insisted on accompanying the Maester and brought Sansa with her along with a hunting party so as soon as the girl was able to give a description of the men, the hunting party would immediately hunt those men down and bring them back to Winterfell for judgement and punishment.

Maester Lewin had insisted that Sansa sit with the girl while he examined her and administered healing. He explained to Sansa that the girl would be feeling ashamed and scared due to what the men had done to her, although it wasn't in any way her fault and would need another female presence in order to comfort her while he was there as she would be fearful of all men.

Horrified hadn't even begun to cover how Sansa felt about what had happened to the girl and finally she understood why her mother had insisted on the knife fighting lessons. When they returned home, Sansa threw herself whole heartedly into the lessons, determined not to be used as the girl had been and had rapidly improved to the point that the men who had taught her in Bronn's absence had remarked that it would be a stupid man indeed who tried anything with her.

When Ned and the rest of the men had returned from the Wall, Bronn had tested her with another ambush. Only this time, Sansa had turned the tables on him. He had ended up against the wall with one knife at his throat and another knife against his groin. Bronn had been impressed and praised her improving skills. He then started teaching more advanced techniques while her mother and Tyrion continued her lessons in politics and intrigue.

"Lord Selwyn, Lady Brianne, Welcome to Winterfell." Was the genial welcome given to the southerners. Selwyn and Brianne dismounted their horses and return the greeting.

"Thank you Lord Stark, we are pleased to be here. I must say, your North is a very big place. Big, but beautiful." Was Lord Selwyn's reply.

Lord Selwyn of Tarth had never been this far north before and hadn't known what to expect from the Northerners. When they informed their various hosts along the way that his daughter was to be Lady Sansa's sworn sword, their hosts had congratulated Brianne and said that she must be an exceptional fighter as Lord Stark would accept nothing else as a protector for his eldest daughter.

The first time this had happened, Selwyn had expressed his surprise that they would accept that a woman could be just a formidable warrior as a man. His host had just laughed and told him that here in the North, the women were a hardy lot who knew that their family's survival could one day depend on them being able to fight and even kill those who would attack them. The Wildlings, they also pointed out, also had women fighters, spearwives they were called, who could be even more formidable then the men and with the harsh existence they lead beyond the Wall, such skills were a necessity and anyone who had met the women of Bear Island weren't foolish enough to suggest that a woman had no place wielding weapons unless they wanted said weapons used upon them!

Lord Selwyn and Lady Brianne were brought into the great hall and given guest rights then shown to their rooms and informed that dinner would be an hour after sunset. As it got towards dinner time, Cat and Sansa made their way to Brianne's room with a welcome gift of clothing designed by Sansa for the woman warrior.

They knocked on the door and entered Brianne's room when bidden to. Brianne was standing in the middle of her room in a dress and immediately Cat saw that Tyrion had been right. Brianne looked ridiculous in a dress. The cut of said dress was in the southern court style and really didn't suit Brianne's tall frame at all. Cat was now glad she had listened to Tyrion and gotten Sansa to design new clothing for her.

"Lady Brianne, I am pleased you chose to accept our offer. This is Sansa. She is who you'll be protecting." Cat told her.

Sansa and Brianne sized each other up. Brianne had initially thought that she would be protecting a typical lady and had no problem with that but as she examined Sansa closely, she could see that this was not entirely true. The way Sansa held herself and the way she moved spoke of some sort of weapons training and she could see the slight outline of a knife or dagger along the inside of Sansa's sleeve.

Sansa also examined Brianne closely and found that rather than be put off by Brianne's looks, she found them reassuring.

"I am pleased to meet you Lady Brianne. Please accept this welcome gift of clothing that I have designed especially for you. I think you'll be pleased." Sansa told her with a smile on her face.

Brianne was a bit hesitant to accept the clothing, knowing as she did that she looked silly in female clothes but as they were a gift of welcome, she could hardly refuse a gift from her hosts. Brianne took the clothing and looked them over. She was surprised. They had been designed to be worn while fighting but they were also in a more feminine cut then she was used to. They were well designed she decided and smiled at Sansa in pleasure.

"I thank you Lady Sansa, these are some of the finest clothes I have seen and someone must have informed you of my height and body shape for they look to fit me well."

Sansa returned a pleased smile at Brianne at the praise.

"I am pleased you like them Lady Brianne. Why don't you choose an outfit and wear it to dinner? If you'll allow it, I would like to stay and assist you. This way I can also see what alterations need to be made so they fit you properly. I understand that an outfit that is designed for fighting in must fit properly so it doesn't hinder you in any way"

Brianne gave her consent for Sansa to stay and Cat excused herself to oversee the preparations for dinner, giving the two women time to get to know each other.

Lord Selwyn was already in the great hall seated at the head table when Brianne and Sansa walked in. Seeing Brianne in the clothes that Sansa had designed had confirmed that he had made the right decision to allow his daughter to accept Lord Stark's offer. He had never seen his daughter looking so comfortable in her own skin before and thought that she looked absolutely beautiful in her new clothing.

Tyrion and Jon, who had known Brianne in the Time Before, had looked at Brianne and their jaws dropped in surprised awe. To them, she had always had a beauty of her own regardless of what she had dressed in but in these clothes, they thought she looked stunning.

The clothing resembled something close to what Dany would wear when riding Drogon, with a long jacket type top, fitted close to the torso with a slight flare over the hips before the material dropped to her knees, leggings and boots. The outfit was in the colours of Winterfell grey and Tarth blue. With the addition of a leather belt with silver studs that was designed to accommodate a sword, the outfit was both practical and feminine.

Tyrion couldn't wait for Jamie to meet her looking like this. He knew Jamie had found her intriguing and a mystery and while they had initially rubbed each other the wrong way, they eventually had gained great respect for each other and an attraction had formed between them. Tyrion hopped that this time, Brianne would be enough to turn Jamie's head and affection away from Cersei.

"Lady Brianne, it is a pleasure to have you here. May I introduce you to the rest of my family?" Ned asked the tall warrior woman.

Brianne nodded and was introduced to Robb first. Robb she thought to herself was a charming young man but a bit rash in his actions and words and found Rickon to be a delightful boy who was full of mischief. Brianne was surprised to be introduced to Jon though. She, like everyone in the south had heard of the Bastard of Winterfell but she hadn't heard that Jon had been legitimized as a Stark. No one had. It seemed that that piece of information hadn't made it south of the Neck yet and Brianne could imagine the talk and rumours that would occur when the south found out. The boy would be in for a hard time if he ever went south as most of the southern Lords would find it distasteful that a bastard had been elevated to the ranks of nobility.

"Lady Brianne, it is a pleasure to meet you. I would like to thank you for accepting my father's offer to be Sansa's sworn protector. My sisters are precious to me and Sansa will grow into a great beauty that will attract all sorts of attention both good and bad. It reassures me that such a formidable warrior will be watching over her. I hope you will also get the chance to meet Arya. She is a feisty girl who would just love the chance to learn fighting techniques from you." Jon said to her with a smile on his face.

Jon was happy to see her. In the Time Before, she had been one of the most loyal and faithful friend to the remaining Starks and had protected Sansa like a mother bear protects her cubs. In her, Jon had met his match as a fighter and had asked her opinion many times when it came to planning battles against the dead.

"Lord Jon, it is a pleasure to meet you as well. I am also pleased to have accepted your father's offer. I was wondering if I may ask something of you?" Brianne replied. Jon nodded his head.

"I have heard stories from many of my hosts here in the North about your formidable fighting skills, May I prevail on you to honour me with a sparring session? I have heard that your style is an unconventional one and I wish to test myself against an unfamiliar style of fighting. After all, a swordsman cannot improve their skills if they do not fight against those who fight with a different style." Brianne asked him.

Jon once again nodded his head in acceptance. It seemed that those who had witnessed his fight with Thorne had spread the story around. It gave him another layer of protection and respect from the Northern people and a reputation as a fighter not to be trifled with lightly.

Finally, it was Tyrion's turn to be introduced.

"Lady Brianne, may I present you to Lord Tyrion Lannister, Friend of House Stark, Friend of the Nights Watch and Friend of the North." Ned said.

"Lady Brianne, it is my great pleasure to meet such an accomplished woman and may I say you look absolutely stunning in the clothing that Lady Sansa designed for you. It also seems that I am not the only one who appreciates how stunning you look. The men in the hall haven't stopped staring at you since you walked in. I imagine that you will receive many offers for courtship while you're in the North. I hope to get to know you better while I am still here for you are an intelligent, interesting woman. I greatly admire the fact that you didn't let anyone stop you from perusing your dreams of being a warrior." Tyrion said with a look of admiration of his face.

In the Time Before, Tyrion and Brianne had formed a tight friendship after he had arrived in Winterfell at Daenerys's side. Initially, she had been suspicious and distrustful of him, thanks to Cersei's actions and words, both before and after she was "The Queen," but had quickly seen that he was more like Jamie then his cruel, power hungry bitch of a sister.

Brianne was stunned. She had of course heard of Tyrion for he was something of a curiosity to most. He was a dwarf who had been allowed to live and bare the Lannister name. Brianne and her father had often talked about the other noble houses of Westeros and knew that Tywin Lannister was a hard, cold, practical man who wouldn't let emotion get in the way of his plans. That he hated his second son for being the cause of his beloved wife's death was common knowledge. Therefore, the fact that he allowed the deformed baby to live had been quite the shock to the realm. Deformed and dwarfed babies were commonly left outside to die of exposer in Westeros so Tyrion was a rare creature indeed.

Brianne had met Tywin once and instantly didn't like him at all. He had looked at her with cold, indifferent eyes that seemed to judge her as unworthy of being her father's heir. He had spoked to her in condescending tones and dismissed her as unimportant. Brianne had felt insulted that he couldn't even give her the respect that an heir to a noble house deserved. From the warm greeting she had received from Tyrion, she had determined that Tyrion was nothing like his father.

What had also surprised Brianne and her father was the way Eddard Stark had introduced Tyrion Lannister as Friend of House Stark and Friend of the North. The relationship between the two great houses wasn't a hostile one but neither was it warm and friendly. Coldly polite would be a more correct definition for the relationship between the two. Brianne was positive that the title of Friend would apply to Tyrion Lannister only and never on the rest of his family.

"Lord Tyrion, it is a pleasure to meet you as well. If I may correct you on one thing though? I don't think the men stare because they think I look "stunning" as you put it but stare because there is a "Lady" wearing pants instead of a dress. I sincerely doubt that offers of courtship will be coming my way." Brianne replied. She was a bit weary of Tyrion's comments and thought that he made small fun at her expense but as she had received much crueller comments in the past and that the comments seemed to be given in a good natured way she decided to let it go.

"My dear Lady Brianne, if we were anywhere else in Westeros, I would agree but I have found that here in the North, a person is judged on their deeds and actions and not on their looks or appearance. Take me for example, anywhere else in Westeros, I would be a target for scorn and ridicule but as I have helped the Nights Watch, who are regarded with a great deal of respect from the Northern people, I am judged to be a good man who had done what he can to help them. Although, I do admit that drinking Greatjon Umber under the table has also improved my reputation here in the North as that is something that has seldom happened in living memory." Tyrion said with a laugh.

Brianne also laughed. Even in Tarth they had heard of Greatjon Umber and his reputation for drinking others under the table, so for a man of Tyrion's stature to accomplish such a feat was worthy of respect indeed.

As dinner progressed, Selwyn's heart swelled with love and joy every time he heard his daughter laugh so freely. Brianne had always been such a serious child ever since her mother and brothers had died and to see her bantering with Jon and Tyrion, with Sansa and Robb also joining in the fun convinced him without a doubt that this was the right place for her to be. He had also seen the admiring stares of the other men in the great hall and it gave him hope that he may have grandchildren to spoil rotten one day.

By the time that Jon and Tyrion were ready to leave on their expedition to Old Valyria, Brianne was firmly established in the Stark household. She had established herself quite quickly as a formidable fighter and one of the best currently in Winterfell. The only one she couldn't beat was Jon and that was only because his style was strange and unpredictable due to the meshing of several different disciplines in his style.

She had even won Bronn's respect as a formidable opponent when she beat him in a practice fight.

While Brianne preferred to follow the knightly code of honour, she was far from stupid. She may fight with honour but she was well aware that most others wouldn't, so when she was receiving her training as a younger girl, she was also asked to be taught all the underhanded tricks that were possible to use in a fight and taught how to counter them. Brianne refused use them unless she had no other choice but knowing when the other guy was about to use them against her, helped keep her alive.

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A few days after Jon and Tyrion had left, a guard approached Ned.

"My Lord, there is a young man at the gate, requestion permission to speak to you. He claims that you asked him to come to Winterfell." The guard said.

Ned frowned. He wasn't sure what this could be about. He had been busy tending to matters that had arisen that only the Lord of Winterfell can do. He decided to speak to the young man in question.

"Let him in and bring him to me in my solar. Do you know his name?" Ned asked the guard.

The guard nodded.

"Samwell Tarly, My Lord."