Chapter 37

AN: Well after so long I'm back, sorry for the wait guys but to be honest 2021 was really shitty for me, especially the period from June to September. It was stressful, to say the least, and it took me the whole of October just to get my barrings. Then I had to spend the last two months making sure things stay good as they are. My schedule allowed me little free time and so no real time to write, so I apologize for the long wait and for the long hiatus but it is what it is. I have also revised the previous chapter with Margaery not giving herself up to Joffrey and taking drastic measures. Say what you will about doing that but to be truthful I wasn't in the best mindset when I wrote it originally, mostly angry and stressed out and I actually thought about writing a shitty ending and being done with the fic, a jackass move I know. My schedule is better now and will try to make updates more frequently than once in six months from now on and I also try to bolster the quality, there have been several people who pointed out the mistakes I made with the spelling and grammar, I'm not a native English speaker, but I believe my knowledge of it is decent. Also, I would like to thank qwm who had agreed to become my beta reader, he has helped with revising some of the original chapters, the guy has been of huge help to me and will be helping me in the future. I won't be answering any reviews this time, I have left that for the next chapter. As always I hope you enjoy the read.

The North

Brandon

Brandon, Rickon, Hodor and Osha had spent weeks in Greywater watch under the care of the Reeds. It was nice to finally be safe and warm for a change, not having to worry about Iron Born chasing them or sleeping in the cold woods. When they escaped from Theon's grasp and fled Winterfell the group had debated to where they should seak sanctuary first, Bran had proposed Castle Cerwyn as it was the closest and the Cerwyns were always loyal to his family, being in Winterfell so frequently that they knew it as well as the Starks. His idea was dismissed by Osha who said that the closeness was as much of an issue as it was a boon to them and had also reminded everyone about what maester Luwin said about Cley Cerwyn dying. Other locations were mentioned but some were either too far or they had no idea about their current state, they might be in Iron Born hands like Winterfell was. It was Mira who finally broached the idea of heading to her and Jojens family home in the Neck. The journey was long indeed but as far as they could tell it was the best option for now. Bran had spent the trip being carried around by Hodor or pulled in a stretcher by Osha. The small company had to avoid Iron Born patrols on more than one occasion and seeing men with the golden squid on their chests only made Bran think of Theon.

The Stark boy couldn't fathom the reason Theon did what he did, why did he betray them, why would he abandon Robb. Eddard had always treated Theon like a son, Robb had treated Theon like a brother and even Bran saw the Greyjoy ward as a cocky mischievous older brother even if he acted like an ass at times. For who knows how many times he asked himself when did it all change, when did the happy life they all shared start falling apart, and every time he came to the same answer, the day King Robert arrived. If King Robert had not come to Winterfell and taken his father south, his father would still be alive, his family whole and he would not have been stuck here, in Greywater Watch while lord Reed lead a campaign to retake the North for his family. Robb had left Winterfell and the North to him and he failed miserably at keeping them both and was now forced to rely on help from other lords to deal with what should have been his responsibility.

Lord Reed is a good and kind man, he looked like an older version of Jojen but smiled more than his young son. After they arrived at the Reeds castle lord Howland had spoken to him and Rickon in private and told them not to worry that he and other proud Northmen will aid house Stark in defending the North as honor demands. Brandon had heard stories about Howland Reed, how the Cranogman had fought beside his father during the rebellion and even saved Eddards life once. Bran always liked hearing stories about great heroes and battles and after some contemplation, he finally brought himself to ask about the times lord Reed fought beside his father. The lord of the Neck agreed to tell a few tales from his time in the rebellion and for a small moment, Brandon had forgotten about the plight that had occurred to him and his family. He listened to the man's tale of how he rode beside the Silent wolf during the first charge at the battle of the Bells and how he fought a Tarly knight in single combat using his trident. The older lord had later noticed the somber demeanor Bran sported and told the boy that he should not be too hard on himself, that he was still a child, and that what happened was not his fault. It felt comforting to have someone like lord Reed around but he left several days later with his forces to fight the Iron Born.

Rickon was restless like he always was, not truly understanding what was going on only made it worse. The answer to that issue came in the form of lady Reed who took the small boy under her care and had miraculously managed to calm Rickon down. She might not have been their mother but she was a mother still and she knew how to deal with a confused child, since then Rickon was seen practically hugging the woman's skirt where ever she went. It reminded Bran of how the boy used to be around their mother before everything happened. Rickon had even found a playmate in the form of a little girl who was the daughter of one of the guards at the Watch. Bran was glad that his brother was getting better, returning to his old happy self.

He himself had spent his time with Mira and Jojen, most of his time with Mira was just talking while his time with Jojen had become a mixture of strange lessons on warging. The lessons started after he mentioned to the Reed siblings that he had woke up with a taste of blood in his mouth several times and had even dreamt of running through the woods, Jojen being the one to piece the things together and tell Bran that he was a warg. The lessons were hard, it took a lot of focus to try to warg successfully and not just instinctually as Jojen said he had done in the past. Just as he was getting a hang of his new abilities a change happened again.

Their time at Greywater Watch had come to an end when a messenger bearing the sigil of house Liddle came to the keep with a message from Lord Reed that it was safe to come back to Winterfell. The Northerners that set out from the Watch had linked up with the Clansmen of the North and cleaned out any reavers on the road and around Winterfell and had even repaired some of the damage to the Starks ancestral keep. And so with that news, the group minus Rickon and Osha set out once more but this time followed by a contingent of Manderly riders who had arrived at Moat Cailin led by Ser Marlon Manderly, lord Wymans cousin. The smallest Stark and the wilding woman stayed due to lady Reed insisting that for now, until the things settle down that the little boy should stay in the Neck with her and Mira. Brandon had to be placed in a back of a cart during the entire trip, this made him miss the contraption lord Tyrion gave him, at least with that he could ride and not feel like a cripple. Ser Marlon promised him that they would reach Winterfell safely and he had kept that promise.

When the hoast comprising of hundred riders and Bran's group arrived at the hill that looked over Winterfell his heart fluttered when he saw the Stark direwolf standing proudly on the walls of the ancient keep. As they came closer he saw men manning the battlements, Northmen and not Iron Born. In the courtyard, they were greeted by lord Reed, a large man who introduced himself as Torren Liddle, the commander of the clansmen who had been defending Winterfell for some time.

"Winterfell is yours my lord," Lord Reed said with a bow.

"Thank you for your effort lord Reed, house Stark will not forget this," Bran said, trying to sound as lordly as possible.

"Forgive us, my lord, for if we had arrived sooner, the damned squids would not have even come close to the castle let alone step foot into it," Torren said in a raspy voice while bowing.

"There is nothing to forgive my lord," Bran said from Hodor's back.

"I suggest we move into the great hall, there are things that we need to discuss and that you need to be brought up to speed my lord," Howland said to Brandon. Bran nodded and they left for the castle. Once inside Bran sat on the high seat that had somehow survived the fires even if I was slightly charred at the bottom.

"Lord Reed, if you will," Bran said, trying to sound as much as Robb. He felt happy to finally be back in his home after everything that had happened. He did feel some anxiety but he forced himself to put on a brave face and soldier through it. He had lost Winterfell once, he had failed in his duty but that won't happen again, he was determinant of that. Robb had left him in charge and he will fulfill his duty just like Robb and his father would.

"The Dustins and the Ryswells had been successful in their efforts of retaking Torrhens square and pushing the major contingents of Iron Born away from the west coast with the help of the Mormonts and the Flints. There are still pockets of resistance but they are small. The Iron Born had tried to launch counterattacks but had been fended off. Lord Glover with the help of lord Wull had managed to break through the walls of his own castle but the Greyjoys had barricaded themselves in the inner keep, that was the last report we had from them. Lord Denys Dustin had engaged a band of Iron Born led by lord Drumm and killed the reaver, although he did lose an eye for his effort. Lord Glover had captured Harras Harlaw during the storming of the walls while Asha Greyjoy remains trapped inside the keep."

"The old coot still has some fight left in him after all," Torren laughed. "The squids are getting what they deserve and we are getting out land back, a good situation overall," Liddle added.

"Anything else?" Bran asked.

"Victarion and Aeron Greyjoy had left the North around the time we set out to fight them. Asha was left alone. From what we gathered from the prisoners they received word that Balon died and immediately left for the islands. We had also rebuilt a good part of Winterfell, the most important parts that is. We had also managed to get a maester from the clans to come to Winterfell, he had also brought ravens with him so Winterfell is not cut off from communication with the rest of the North."

"Then why didn't Asha leave?" Bran asked, genuinely interested for an explanation.

"According to what lord Glover got out of Harlaw, Asha stayed to look for her brother but due to lord Glovers arrival became bogged down in a siege."

"That is all good to hear," Bran said. "H-Has there been any news about Theon Greyjoy?" he added a bit reluctantly.

Howland shook his head. "Since the sacking no but there is something we feel you should know my lord," Howland paused for a moment to look at the boy before continuing. "During the effort to retake the castle the Boltons had betrayed Lord Cerwyn and Ser Rodrick, it was them who killed both the northerners and the Iron Born while sacking Winterfell."

This caused shock to fill the Stark boy. He never thought fellow northerners would do something like that, betray their own kin. He and the rest of the group were hiding in the crypts when it all occurred and when he saw the destruction he thought Theon did it out of spite but he was wrong it seems.

"Why? Why did they do it?" Bran asked the older lord.

"We do not know the reasoning behind it but we know the culprit. I had sent men to watch the Bolton lands until we deal with the Greyjoys and then we will see what to do with the Boltons."

Maidnepool

Arya

"Robb Starks movements had been erratic for the past moon or so. Our scouts had only spotted small contingents of roaming outriders. There have been a few small skirmishes but the Starks seem to refuse to march down to the Trident and as far as we can tell there is a contingent of Riverlords at Stone Hedge," Ser Lyle Crakehall reported. "Cowards I say."

"If the Northerners were cowards then they wouldn't be winning this war now would they," lord Oldflowers pointed out which made the Crakehall knight glare at him. Arya stood to the side watching the lords discuss her brother, in all of her time being there and listening to them theorize her brother's next move, one thing always stayed the same, Robb was moving his troops in a strange manner and refusing battle. She knew her brother, he was not a coward but not even she could guess what he was up to. This uncertainty unnerved the Lannsiters and some of the Reachmen but lord Tarly always stayed calm, his expression was as if it was carved from stone and maybe a bit sour. The combined Reach and Westerlands army had done little since they came here apart from solidifying their hold on the southern part of the Riverlands, something they mostly had before. There were arguments that the army should march on Riverrun and deal with the wolves once and for all by the Westernmen but lord Tarly had repeatedly reminded them that only a fool goes into battle blind. He told the Lannisters that their overconfidence was the reason they were in this situation, something that didn't go over well with them. There was tension between the two forces, they were allies but it was obvious that they didn't like each other. The Wetsernmen wanted to regain their wounded pride while the Reacher lords preferred caution.

The Reacher lords were certainly an interesting lot, lord Tarly, for instance, was the calm and logical man who always sported a serious if a bit sour expression, he reminded Arya somewhat of her father. Lord Oldflowers, well the man had a matching name considering just how old he was but he man loved to jab at the expense of the much younger commanders. Ser Bulwer reminded Arya of Smalljon Umber for more reason than one and the Hightower knight always seemed to be scanning the room, carefully watching each person.

"Don't play smart with me old man, I can still swing my sword unlike you," Ser Lyle barked, letting some spit leave his mouth.

"A good commander does not let hot-headedness cloud his judgment, I was young once too and had learned that lesson. It seems that it's time for you to do the same boy," the old man replied back, his voice laced with mirth. Before Ser Lyle could retort lord Tarly intervened, stopping any further arguments.

"That is enough! Both of you!" Lord Tarly commanded. "Lord Oldflowers has point, Ser Lyle. Robb Stark has so far outplayed everyone he has faced, this will have to be done surgically and not by charging in blind. He has the Riverlords on his side who know these lands better than we do, we might have fresh troops but his are veterans, not to mention he has a cadre of highly experienced commanders to advise him. This war will end before winter comes but it will not end tomorrow just because you wish it. Now does anyone here have anything further that would like to add?"

No one said anything, they just shook their heads, this meeting has been going on for three hours now and it was obvious that some of the younger and less patient men had enough of it and wanted to have a recess.

"Then you are free to leave," Tarly said, it was an offer but a command, and the men cleared out the room, leaving only lord Tarly and Arya. Arya immediately went to clean up the table where moments ago the commanders were sitting, moving their goblets and plates. Lord Tarly brought a map of the Riverlands closer and examined it carefully. The man tapped on his goblet and Arya knew what it meant so she immediately grabbed the pitcher with some Arbor gold and poured it into the cup. Once done she moved to the side. Tarly took a sip from the goblet before he looked at her. "It seems most of the able commanders Lannisters had have been either killed or captured by the Young wolf. What is left are men with skill at arms but little experience at wagging actual war and too busy seeking glory to see the bigger picture," the lord paused for a moment and then continued. "And what is your take on this, what do you think Robb Stark is up to?"

"You are asking me?" Arya asked the lord surprised. Granted, Tywin Lannister did ask her similar questions when she served him but Randyll Tarly had rarely if ever done it before but he did watch Arya with a kin gaze, something she noticed early on.

"Well, there isn't anyone else in the room, so yes," lord Tarly said, his voice stern and his gaze locked on her. Sometimes she thought that a stone could crumble under the gaze of Lord Tywin and right now she had a similar impression about lord Randyll.

She measured her answer carefully, she knew from her experience with Tywin how he appreciated her answer or was at least amused by them so she did the same here. "Robb Stark has a talent for war, just like his father. He is being careful now that the crown has regained the loyalty of the Reach, he won't take any rash actions. He is waiting to see what his enemies will do first."

Tarly looked at her, a thoughtful gaze washed over his eyes. "So, he is stalking his prey, waiting for them to make the first move, one that would be made in a false sense of security and then attack. Just like a wolf." the lord mussed over. "And how do you know that his father was a good commander?"

This question made Arya go stiff, her heart beating slightly faster, she had thought her answer was good enough but she had made a mistake after all. She knew she had to give a convincing answer. Her father never liked lying, he hated it and had taught all of his children that only bad people lie but she had no choice now or did she.

"I heard from people around my home. Everyone knows he fought in Robert's rebellion and in the Greyjoy rebellion, a man like that has to be a good commander," Arya answered. Lord Tarly hummed in approval.

"Everyone does know of the late lord Starks skill and honor, a man many admired and respected, even myself. It was Eddard Stark who won Robert Baratheon his crown. The late king liked to brag how he won three battles in a single day but those battles were won against his own bannermen, not against the Targaryens. He then lost his next battle to me, the only battle he and the rebels lost during the war, a victory which was stolen from me," Tarly said, practically growling the last part out. "It was the northern army with the bannermen of House Tully and Arryn that saved Robert from being captured at Stony Sept and it was those same men who fought in the battle of the Trident. Robert was a good warrior, no one can deny that and in the end, it was that skill and luck which made him victorious over Rheagar. But if it weren't for Eddard Stark and his bannermen Roberts rebellion would have been nothing more than a footnote in history. The Tullys only had half of their troops while the rest sided with the crown, Arryns had lost a quarter of their troops due to them siding with the crown or fighting against the Vale loyalists. Without Ned Stark, Robert would not have had the numbers to do what he did. It is truly a shameful thing what happened to such a man, an honorable man branded a traitor."

Arya just stared at the man in front of her, taking all he had said in. She had heard stories about the wars her father fought in but this is the first time she heard that her father is the man who was for the most part responsible for the Baratheons taking over the Iron Throne. What surprised her more was that a man who sided with the Lannisters was actually commending her father. Lord Tarlys commanding voice broke her out of her thoughts.

"Clean out the remaining cups and you are free to leave, I won't be needing anything from you until the evening," Arya nodded, cleared out what remained of the cups and dishes and left to find the people who had been her companions since she arrived in Maidenpool. This time instead of Hot Pie and Gendry she had Wenda, Ed and the rest of their company. The sellswords had remained in the town after lord Tarly hired them as extra help. They mostly just lounging around, doing an odd job here and there. Brendel and Rolly would usually be found drinking and gambling with other knights and soldiers, but there was one peculiar thing about Rolly, he avoided any place where men of house Caswell could be found like a plague. Maxwell busied himself by either bringing in game from his hunts for the army or practicing his archery. Roland and Ed would most often be found together, keeping a low profile as Ed said. Wenda unlike her two other compatriots didn't really care much, she went and did what she liked. There was an issue with the soldiers being pushy with her and thinking her one of the whores which usually ended with broken teeth and wounded pride. One time she kicked a Hunt soldier in the balls so hard all that came out of his mouth was a high pitch sentence, "Everything is purple." before he collapsed on the ground.

Arya walked out of the keep and onto the streets of the war-torn town. The Reachmen under lord Tarly had made an effort to repair the settlement, houses that were burned were fixed and now housed some of the soldiers and knights. Dolorous Edds company had taken a small merchant's house near the harbor as their own so that's where Arya was heading. The house was easy to stop, it sat on the corner of the main street and it had its door and windows painted red. Once in front of the dwelling Arya knocked twice on the door.

"Who the fuck is it? If you are some fancy prick looking for Wenda, do us all a favor and go away!" shouted the person from inside, it was Edd.

"It's me," Arya said. Some scuffling was heard from inside and a moment later the doors opened and everyone's favorite grey-haired pessimist stood there blocking the entrance. He eyed her for a moment which made Arya raise an eyebrow at that.

"What?" Arya asked with a hint of annoyance.

"You are late, again. Wenda is not going to be happy," Edd said. Arya pushed her way inside, a frown plastered on her face while a small smirk adorned Edds.

"It's not my fault, I had to stay during the war meeting, I have just been let go," Arya complained.

"Yeah, I don't really care but Wenda does," Edd said as he closed the door and walked over to the table which had a flagon of wine on it.

Arya looked around the house but failed to see her mentor anywhere, the only person who was there beside Edd was Maxwell who was asleep on a bench. "Where is she?"

"You didn't get here on time so she went to get a few extra arrows, she should be here soon," Edd paused for a moment before he decided to ask her a question. "What's the news with the lords, is anything going to happen soon?"

Arya shook her head. "No, the northerners are continuing with strange troop movements, the lords don't know what to make of it. Some are frustrated that there hasn't been a battle yet while others are being cautious," she answered and then asked her own question, something that she had asked Edd or the others every once in a while. "Any news about the Hound?"

Edd shrugged. "Same as the last time, deep inside a cell, It's strange that lord Tarly has yet to send him to the capital but I'm not going to pretend I know the motivations of highborn.

Arya quirked her brow. "But you are highborn."

"I might be a knight and a Tollett but I wasn't born in Grey Glen like you would think, I come from a small, impoverished branch who became farmers. I don't know how and there's no reason to ask how anymore."

"And how did you get your knighthood?" Arya asked.

"A lot of luck and good circumstances," Edd replied cryptically. During her time with the group, Arya had got to know them well enough but Edd besides being a pessimist was also cryptic, rarely giving Arya a straight answer whenever she asked anything about him. She had come to the conclusion that he was hiding something, something that she had no means to find out about, at least not for now. Another thing that interested her was the reason they stayed here, yes they were sellswords and had signed a contract with the reach men but they got a good sum for the Hound and Maidenpool wasn't exactly a place where one would spend their coin right now. Arya knew that she would not get anything out of Edd so she decided to sit down and wait for Wenda to return so they could continue with their lessons, besides the bow, Wenda had also started teaching Arya how to use a dagger. She had barely been sitting down on a chair near the table when Ronald came bursting into the house, his face red as his hair and his breathing ragged, he looked worried. Edd walked over to him, helping his comrade stand straighter.

"What is it, what got you all rilled up?" Edd asked.

"R-Rolly… Caswells…. Some of the men recognized him and told their lord that he is here. They barged into the inn while we were playing dice with some of the Kennings men, lord Caswell is demanding Rolly be handed over to him, Brendel sent me here to get you," Ronand explained quickly, it was barely comprehensible but both Arya and Edd understood the weight of the situation.

"Fuck!" Edd shouted in frustration, then sighed. "Well, I should have known this would happen. Come on, let's make sure that Rolly's past stupidity does not bite him in the ass today," Edd said as he kicked Maxwell awake and told him to grab a weapon, he doing the same. The three men and exited the house with great haste with Arya following behind them. Edd noticed her and shouted for her to stay away but she ignored him and continued to follow. In the street, they bumped into Wenda who by the expression on their faces quickly realized something is wrong.

"What is going on?" the blond woman asked.

"Rolly is about to get his head chopped off by an angry lord if we don't stop it," Edd answered, not stopping his stride for even a second.

"Would anyone tell me why would a lord want to kill Rolly?" Arya asked, more like demanded to know.

"Well, Rolly may or may how not have broken both of lord Caswells arms and half of his ribs the last time they met," Edd said with a hint of agitation and this answer truly took Arya by surprise. Rolly was a big man but he was jovial and goodhearted from what she had gathered so that revelation that he had done something like that was shocking, he must have had a good reason for that.

When the company got to the inn, they were met by the sight of Rolly and Rendel standing outside with their swords drawn and were surrounded by a dozen or so Caswell men at arms while a weedy and short man with wispy hair stood at their back, an angry glare focused on Rolly.

"Finally, you are going to get way to deserve. You should have stuck to hammers like your father, a commoner like you masquerading as a knight, that is a crime on itself. Add that to your crime of attacking me, a noble, your sentence will be death," the weedy man said hatefully.

"Careful little pups, you wouldn't like to accidentally stab yourselves with those blades now would you?" Brendel said. Arya had learned that the old veteran had fought in pretty much every war since the War of Ninepenny Kings and that he had a knack to call anyone who is younger a green boy who still remembers the taste of his mother's milk.

"Go fuck yourself Lorent you fucking twat," Rolly barked angrily "you were always a coward and you are a coward now. You don't have the balls to face me yourself like a true knight and send these men to do your dirty work for you. Aye, I attacked you, I beat the shit out of you, I was the first person to step up to face you in a true manner, you never faced a real foe in your life, every person in the sparing yard at Bitterbridge cared more about what your father would do to them if they even bruised you until I gave you all the pain you should have got in one swoop. The only reason you became a squire and a knight was because of your father, while I did it how it should be done, by earning it."

"What does a peasant like you know of knighthood, you are a blacksmith's son who has forgotten his place," a malicious smile formed on lord Caswells lips. "I will make you remember your place before I hang you for your crimes."

"Alright that's enough!" shouted Edd and everyone's attention turned to him. Besides the Caswells and Edds company a number of Lannister and Reach men had come to see what all the commotion was about.

"Who are you to decide anything!" spat Lorent while glaring at the new arrivals.

"Ser Eddison Tollett, knight of the Vale, and the man you wish to hang is sworn to me," hushed whispers were heard coming from the soldiers around them, each concerning the presents of a Vale knight in their army. "I have known this man for years, he has served me honorably and with distinction, I do not know the full details of your issue with him but I can vouch for his title as a knight. If we could solve this predicament without unnecessary deaths that would be preferable," Edd added. Arya looked between the two opposing groups, the Caswells numbered eleven men all equipped with swords while Edd group had six of them, two being archers. The Caswells had the numerical advantage and other reachmen were nearby so talking might be the best option in this situation.

"This man you claim to be in your service unjustly attacked me and beat me, an heir to a noble house while he was nothing more than a peasant. Striking a noble is punishable by losing one's hand, that man had done much more than merely strike me, I could have died."

"If you almost died from that, then you truly are a weak and pathetic creature," Rolly said, his eyes blazed with fury. Arya just watched the exchange, she had a feeling that this won't turn out well if the situation continues like this. Rollys words only infuriated the lord even more and Arya could have sworn she heard Edd curse Rolly under his breath. The tension became even more evident, Edd and Ronald gripped the handles of their swords tightly, while both Maxwell and Wenda had their hands on their bows.

"Listen, friend, we don't want any trouble, we are all here for the same reason," Edd said trying to calm the situation.

"I'm not a friend of yours, I'm a lord and I will have justice," Caswell spat angrily.

"Then let the gods beside," the voice of Wenda was heard and everyone's attention turned to her. "Seeing as the situation here is little more than a dick measuring contest..."

"Not how I would put it," Rolly cut her off, annoyance clear in his voice. "It's a matter of honor."

"Honor or not, the best way to solve this is simple. Both of you are knights, so let a trial by combat decide," Wenda said. For a moment everyone just continues to stare at her before the silence was broken by Rolly's voice.

"Fine by me," Duckfield said. "So what's it going to be Loren, are you going to be a man and fight me like a true noble or would you let your men do your dirty work for you like a common thug."

Lord Caswell turned his attention from Wenda to Rolly, a hate-filled glare of the lord met the challenging gaze of the knight. Caswell looked indecisive for a moment, uncertainty replacing the hate in his eyes. The soldiers looked at their lord with questioning gazes as did a few others. Lorent must have realized the situation he was in because in a heartbeat the uncertainty was turned into smug determination.

"Fine, let the gods beside then. Once I win you will get what's been coming to you for so long," Caswell. The Lord told his men to make room and soon a small arena was formed by the onlookers and in its center stood Rolly and Loren with their swords drawn. They stood still, just eyeing one another until Loren attacked first, a strike which Rolly blocked easily. Loren threw several more strikes at Duckfield. As she watched the dual, Sirio's lessons echoed in Arya's mind. She noticed that Loren's footing was decent enough, his strikes were sloppy and had little power behind them. The sound of metal hitting metal echoed in the street, Rolly had just blocked a strike aimed at his head. What followed could best be described as Ser Rodrick giving a painful lesson to Robb during practice, Rolly went on the offensive, throwing powerful strikes left and right, his form excellent, he pushed Loren to the edge of the arena until with one final strike the exiled reachman disarmed the lord and put a small cut on his face, just below the right cheek. Loren looked on in disbelief at his opponent, as if he could not fathom the fact that he had just lost.

"I believe the matter is settled then, Ser Rolly Duckfield won the trial by combat and is proven innocent by the gods, which means he gets to keep his life and honor," Edd said to which Caswell looked at him with a strange look in his eyes. "Unless you wish to dispute the validity of the trail, there are at least thirty people here who would vouch for Ser Rolly," he added with a smirk.

Lord Loren Caswell just stared at Edd with his eyes wide and mouth open like a fish while Rolly sheathed his blade and proceeded to move towards Brendel and Ronald.

"Glad to see that over," muttered Wenda.

"Did you have to antagonize him so much?" Ronald asked while glaring at this companion and friend.

"This has been years in the making, if I was about to die due to him, I rather die letting him know exactly what I think of him," Rolly responded. Arya listened to the conversation between them and then looked behind to see that lord Caswell and his retinue were leaving with an angry stride shouting that this wasn't over. The group was about to head back to their home when a rider rode through the street shouting on top of his lungs.

"ALL MEN READY TO MARCH, THE STARKS ARE COMING!" It took Arya a moment to realize what the man had said and then her eyes went wide as she heard the words, Robb was coming, he was coming here. Excitement, hope and fear all rolled into one filled her. She might see her brother soon.

Tyrosh

Jon

Jon Snow, Aemon Targaryen, whatever his real name is he didn't know anymore. He had spent who knows how long cooped up in his room, just trying to get to the realization of what or who he is. Ser Arthur revelations hit him hard, he could not help but resent the man slightly, just like he did his supposed father for keeping the secret from him, his parents for doing something so stupid. He understood that Rheagar and Lyanna were in love but why flee, why leave messages instead of coming clean, yes it would have been a scandal but at least that way war could have been avoided and all this mess they were in how wouldn't even come to pass by extension. Arthur could have ridden off with the prince or without him and told the Starks what was going on but instead, he stayed obedient to Rheagar. He had to right to judge the knight for his loyalty but he still did not the less.

Nightmares started plaguing him once more seeing Eddard dying, Arya suffering, Sansa being held hostage, he cared for them and he let each of them down in some way. The feeling of guilt only made the dreams worse and worse, like the one he was having right now.

Jon stood in the throne room of the Red Keep, his blade in his hands, the shiny metal covered in blood. He was frantically looking around, looking for someone, anyone he knew.

"SANSA! ARYA!" he shouted but no answer came. Then at the bottom of the throne appeared a knight in all while armor with a girl of red hair and wearing a blue dress behind him. The girl's back was turned towards Jon but he knew who it was. "SANSA!" he shouted again and again no reply came. The knight in white pulled his blade out and started walking towards Jon. Jon could not see which knight of the kingsguard it was, the armor was white but plain looking and a helm covered the man's head. Jon ran towards the knight with determination, swinging his blade first and impacting the blade of his opponent. Their swords clashed, his opponent was skilled but Jon was determent to win, he had to win. He parried the white knight's strike and immediately went for the knight's head, his blade hitting the helm, the helm coming off the man's head and the knight staggered back due to the strength of the blow. Now Jon saw the face of his opponent, green eyes stared into grey, a cocky smirk was plastered on the man's familiar face.

"The bastard," Ser Jaime Lannister said in a mocking tone. "Ready to die like your father," This infuriated Jon and he pressed the attack once more, Ser Jaime blocking expertly. "You should have seen him on his knees, begging for mercy."

"SHUT UP," Jon shouted in anger and swung his blade.

"But you aren't a bastard now are you. Should have known Ned Stark could never beat Arthur Dayne, poor old Eddard was an average swordsman at best, he wouldn't have lasted ten seconds if it wasn't for his companions. The honorable Ned Stark won the fight because another man stabbed Arthur in the back," Jaime Lannister continued to talk as the blades clashed, his aggravating smirk not falling for a second.

"SHUT UP AND FIGHT!" Jon scream.

"So much anger, you really are related to Aerys," Ser Jaime mocked. "Well, that's something disputable. No one ever bothered to tell you that, not the honorable Eddard, not Arthur or the loyalists who had ample opportunities, who else knows, your uncle Benjen, did the Tyrells know but cast you aside anyway? Seems like it to me. Forced to live a life as a bastard, always unworthy of the things you craved, respect, adoration, love."

The last word echoed in Jons mind as he swung his blade to the right only for it to be parried by the Kingslayer. More blows were exchanged, Jon trying his hardest against the kingsguard but the man always seemed to be ahead of him.

"Hit a nerve did I?" Ser Jaime asked mockingly. "Your supposed father didn't love you enough to keep you at Winterfell so instead pushed you into the hands of another, your adoptive family didn't love you enough to listen to you, to not throw you away at the first opportunity. The woman you loved chose a charade, a mummer play for the sake of power instead of loving you the first time around and then pushing you away the second time for the same reason. Face it, no one cares for you, no one ever did. I doubt that even Rheagar and Lyanna would have loved you had they lived."

This made Jon snap and attack the Kingslayer with all he had, his attacks more powerful but uncoordinated, sloppy, he behaved more like an animal than a knight but he didn't care all he wanted was to kill the Lannister. His eyes blazed with hate and animalistic fury as he attacked the white knight. Then he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, looking down he saw the Kingslayers blade sticking out of it. Jon winced due to the pain, he tried to pull his blade for one last attack but had his hand caught by the Lannister. Furry left Jons eyes as he felt blood slowly drain from his body. Ser Jaime pulled his blade out and let Jon fall to the marble floor on the throne room.

"Honestly, I expected more from someone who has ties to both the Starks and Targaryens, both families had a certain aura of greatness, but It seems I was wrong. You can look upon your sister if you wish, you came here for her after all," the Lannister knight said. Jon only saw the man's boots leave in the corner of his eye as he looked towards his sister. He tried to crawl towards her but had not straight left, the only thing he could do is try to reach out for her with his hand.

"Sansa," Jon said, his voice barely a whisper, sharp pain went through him as he spoke. He watched as finally, his sister turned around towards him, what he saw made his eyes go wide in horror. Sansa's face was beaten and bruised, almost unrecognizable, the front of her dress was covered in blood, and worst of all, where once were bright blue eyes now stood empty red holes with blood coming from them.

"You promised," she uttered in a pain-filled voice. "You promised that you would protect me. YOU PROMISED!

Jon woke with a start from the nightmare, his breathing was ragged and both he and his bed were covered in a cold sweat. He took a few moments to compose himself and gather his thoughts before grabbing a jug of water from a nearby table and downing half of its contents. He placed the jug back on the table and then starred at the wall of his chamber blankly.

"Another nightmare," he thought as he rubbed his eyes. It seemed like every time he closed his eyes a horrible dream would come to him. He knew the reason for it, it was the manifestation of his stress and guilt but it still pained him to see things as he had just seen every night. He could do nothing to stop them. It wasn't just the guilt he felt but also the anger at himself, if he tried harder if he was a better knight he could have done more before. A knight is supposed to be an embodiment of virtue, honor and martial prowess, it feels like he failed at all of those things. Summer knights, he heard Smalljon call the people of the south during the tourney and that's exactly what he was, a knight but only for summer, for nice and peaceful times, for tourneys and pretend. A knight is supposed to protect the ones he cares about, to protect the innocent, to uphold his vows, he failed in every regard. The things were only made worse but Arthurs revelation, he truly didn't know what to think anymore, about himself, about the world, about anything. He just continued to stare at the wall, melancholic thoughts filling his mind. He didn't know how long he stared at the wall but at some point, exhaustion overwhelmed him and he fell asleep once more.

"A true warrior does not give in to despair," a voice said from next to him. Jon quickly opened his eyes and turned his head around to look for the source of the voice, only for his eyes to go wide at the image in front of him, there sitting on the bed, was his father, Eddard Stark. Jon just stared at the image for a moment, not believing his senses before a dry laugh escaped his lips.

"Great, now I'm going crazy too," Jon said.

"Perhaps, or I could just me the manifestation of your sleep-deprived mind trying to cope with everything, who knows?" Eddard said in a lighthearted tone.

"So what, have I been cooped up here for so long that my mind has decided to play tricks on me?"

"No, not tricks, just a way to cope. Every man, even the bravest soldier and knight has to cope with stress somehow and you have been putting yourself through a lot of it. You have no reason to be so hard on yourself Jon, you tried your best, no one is blaming you for anything."

"How can you say that? I failed, I should be blamed, my best as you say wasn't good enough, I could have tried harder, I could have done more. I could have saved you..." Jon said and finally started to cry. A hand was placed on Jon's shoulder.

"Son, you did all you could, if you tried anything further, you would have gotten yourself killed, another life lost pointlessly would mean nothing. This way to get to live, to get a chance do to more. It was my decision to come south, I should have known the risks, Starks don't do well south of the Neck."

"But I'm not your son or a Stark am I?" Jon asked in a sad tone but there was also anger there.

"Do you truly believe that? You always were my son, you are my blood, I might not have fathered you but I raised you, to me you were just as important as Robb or Sansa or any of your siblings. You have Stark blood through your mother, my sister Lyanna, so you are a Stark and always will be, no matter what anyone says. You also have Targaryen blood in you also, there is greatness in you Jon. I tried to hide it from you, a mistake on my part perhaps but what is done is done and nothing can be changed now."

"Why did you lie to me, why keep it a secret?" Jon asked pleadingly.

"For several reasons, some selfish, some spiteful but mostly out of fear. I lost too much to the south, my family was almost wiped out, you were the last part of my sister I had and I could not lose anyone else, it would have been too much," Eddard said, his tone heavy. "And it's happening all over again. War everywhere and the Starks scattered to the winds."

"Robb is winning the war, he was a chance at beating the Lannisters," Jon said.

"Just because he won several battles, it does not mean that he is winning the war, the tide can turn at any moment, usually when we least expect it. He is outnumbered and with few allies compared to the Lannisters. He needs help Jon," This time is was Eddard who wore a pleading look on his face.

"And how I'm to help him? That was my goal when I set out from Bitterbridge but now I don't know anymore. How is one supposed to grasp the fact that his entire life was a lie, that you are actually a prince and heir and not a common bastard, that everything you believed in was false?"

"Is everything in your life a lie?" Eddard asked, sporting the stony gaze of the lord of Winterfell and the Warden of the North Jon knew well. "Is your love for Robb, Sansa, Arya a lie? Is your brotherhood with Loras a lie? Did you not earn your knighthood and not had it simply handed to you? Are all of the victories you achieved through your skill false?"

Jon stared into the dark grey eyes of lord Eddard, grey meeting grey before he answered. "No, everything you just said is true."

"Lad," Eddard said in a gentle tone. "You might not have lived your life as Aemon Targaryen but you have lived is as someone who had had the love of his family and earned the respect of men. You didn't have everything handed to you as most nobles in the south, you did it the hard way, the way we northerners do it. I might not have made the best choices concerning you and I regret it, believe me, but know that Lyanna would have been proud to see the man you had become."

The two just stared at each other, father and son, silence filled the room for a long moment before Jon broke it first. "Thank you," he said silently. "What should I do now?"

"Why are you asking me?"

Jon put his head into his hands. "I'm confused, it's hard to think with everything going on. On one hand, I still wish for nothing more than to help Robb and fulfill the promises I made to Arya and Sansa but I also have become embroiled into this Targaryen plot or whatever it is, I simply don't know what to do," Jon said, asking for guidance from the man he called father.

"Do you remember what I said to you and Robb after your first major argument?"

"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths," Jon said still remembering Eddards words well.

"Exactly, summer is over, winter is near and the pack must stand together. You have the means to help the others, use it, a wolf is not afraid to show his fangs when necessary."

"So I do both then?" Jon asked.

"Only you know the answer to that question," Eddard answered. Jon looked thoughtful for a moment, even hesitant but he finally brought himself to ask.

"And what of the..." he started but did not finish.

"The Tyrells," Eddard said in a stern tone. "They have always been an ambitious lot but unlike the Lannisters, they know honor at least they used to. I can not tell you how to feel about them but what I can tell you is that a son is not guilty of the sins his father had committed. What you decide about them and her is up to you, just make sure it's the right choice," Jon didn't reply to Eddard's words, he merely nodded, and just after he blinked the shadow of his father was gone. Jon tried to blink several more times to make sure he was seeing right but his eyes opened and instead of looking to the side of his bed he was looking at the ceiling. It took him a moment to realize that what he saw had actually been a dream, probably the first good one he had in a while. He lifted himself up and moved his legs over the edge of the bed, the words of his father still echoing in his head.

"Achieve one thing by achieving the other," Jon muttered and looked at the door of his chambers.