oOoOo
Chapter 12
Last Time:
Arya rolled her eyes and to everyone's surprise, the King began laughing. "Oh, dear Ned, I fear that we have a new Nymeria, the warrior queen on our hands."
Ned shook his head, "Sansa named her wolf Lady. Arya called hers Nymeria."
That sent the King off again.
oOoOo
"He seems to be…happier than I remembered," whispered Arya.
Cat shrugged and quietly replied, "Just be careful or you'll end up married to Tommen."
"Bleurgh," fake gagging was Arya's reply as she slipped off her boots.
Amused, Cat gestured for Arya to sit on her bed and then sat next to her. "The Queen and Joffrey might be gone but we still have enemies here, so be careful and stay out of trouble."
Arya nodded looking somewhat subdued, "I will."
"Good, now I will be sleeping on the lower floor of this wing but there are Winterfell guards outside your door. Call out if anything happens."
"I will see you at training in the morning," Arya said as she began changing for bed.
Cat slipped out and encountered Sansa and her mother outside the room.
"Ah Cat, is Arya in there?" Lady Stark asked with a gesture toward the door.
"She is my lady. She was just getting changed for bed," Cat reported.
Lady Stark looked relieved, "I had feared that we'd be chasing her all around the Red Keep. Although she has been much better behaved of late."
Cat smiled as Sansa rolled her eyes at the mention of Arya's good behaviour.
"I…" Cat paused; something was wrong. The guards were not at their posts. Keeping her voice low she stepped closer to the two Stark ladies. "My Lady, the guards are not at their posts. Something isn't right."
"My husband might have called them away," she replied quietly, keeping her voice down.
"Not without replacing them," Cat replied as she looked up to see three men approaching. They were armed and their grim faces and non-descript clothing had Cat drawing her blade. "Inside the room, quickly."
Lady Stark hesitated but obliged, taking Sansa's arm as Cat stepped past them.
The older of the men looked familiar but Cat couldn't place him.
"Kill her and get Catelyn Stark," hissed the older man.
The two men drew swords and charged forward. Cat danced out of the way of their attacks and killed the first as he overextended. The second barely managed to get his blade up as she took him in the eye. She pulled her blade back to stop it being trapped as he fell backwards.
She then advanced toward the older man who cursed and fled back the way he had come, disappearing around a corner. Cat didn't hesitate to pursue the fleeing man but to her surprise she found him slumped at the feet of Ser Barristan Selmy.
"Ser Barristan!"
"What is happening?" He demanded in a commanding voice.
"He and two thugs were threatening Lady Stark and her daughters. They attacked me, I killed two and this one fled," she reported. "I must get back to the ladies."
"I will come with you," he said as he followed her back to the door. Cat knocked and announced herself. "My Lady, it is Cat and Ser Barristan."
The door opened a crack to reveal Sansa and Arya in her nightshirt her blade in her hand.
Cat's eyes swept the room, and she was relieved to see nothing untoward. "I got the two outside and Ser Barristan got the last one."
Ser Barristan was frowning, "The man I dealt with was Allar Deem, a former gold cloak and one of the men that went missing with Janos Slynt at the same time Baelish did. I had best raise the alarm…if you can stay here and guard the ladies?"
"I will, Ser. But would it be better to relocate? The thugs knew where the ladies were," offered Cat.
"Isn't it over?" A pale-faced Sansa asked, looking at the two dead men.
"I don't know, but we shouldn't stay here. They knew to look here." Cat said quietly. "Sansa, get your dagger, Arya keep your sword out. Lady Stark, I fear that there may be others. So we must move to somewhere safer."
Catelyn Stark nodded and although pale her back was straight and her eyes hard.
There was a yell and then a clash of swords from down the corridor. Cat looked at the Stark ladies and nodded. "Right, there are stairs to the lower floors ahead. I'd rather go down than up."
Catelyn looked down the corridor toward the main stairs. "Rickon is with Robb downstairs with my uncle and Ned is with the King. Should there not be guards posted near the stairs?"
Cat grimaced and shook her head, "Those men came that way. I'd say they are gone now. I think my lady, that we should head to where Robb and the others are, downstairs. Their targets seem to be you, ladies. I need to get you somewhere they won't be looking."
"The rest of the family is downstairs. We should go to them," Catelyn urged, no doubt thinking that Robb and Brynden would have weapons nearby, not to mention more Stark guardsmen.
Cat slowly nodded, "But not by the main stairs. We can use the servant's stairway. Not as direct but safer."
Catelyn seemed torn but eventually agreed.
Cat quickly led them towards the stairs. They found some bloody footprints and the body of what looked like a maid. Not allowing them to stop, Cat kept them moving toward the servant's stairs.
Then two men in leather armour appeared from a side room. They charged forward and Cat leapt forward to meet them. As she did Arya stepped in front of her mother and sister.
They hadn't expected someone like Cat. One managed to swing his sword at her before she killed him and was attacking the second as he desperately tried to defend himself.
Then they were lying unmoving on the floor.
"There are more of them than I feared," said Cat grimly as she flicked her blade to remove the blood. "Come we must keep going."
Catelyn gave the bodies a single glance before nodding. Taking Sansa's hand she led both her girls after Cat.
They had just reached the archway that opened onto the stairs when Cat heard men's voices. She raised her blade but hesitated when she realised that she recognised the voices. A moment later Syrio, Brynden Tully and Robb Stark appeared. All three held bloody swords and Robb had a cut on his upper arm. A grim-faced Brynden was carrying a terrified Rickon.
Robb's exclamation of "Mother!" alerted Catelyn to their identities and she had quickly taken a now crying Rickon into her arms.
Brynden explained that there had been a fire in another wing of the Red Keep and the chaos had allowed armed men to enter the keep. They had been cut off from the main part of the building, but Robb had seen his father, the King and the Kingsguard quickly overpowering the interlopers once the alarm had been raised.
They had been forced to move when crossbowmen had killed two Stark guards before they could take them down. They had then been attacked by a hooded man who Syrio had killed.
"They sounded like bloody Eossi," grumbled Brynden as he looked down the corridor and spotted the dead maid and dead attackers. "Damn, the bastards are on this floor as well."
"One at least was Eossi," Syrio said grimly. "The swordsman I faced was a sorrowful man…an assassin from Qarth. I heard his false, I'm sorry."
"Qarth?" muttered the Blackfish with narrowed eyes. "Assassins are expensive and rare, those from Essos even more so."
"Oh, I doubt that they are all assassins. The ones with the crossbows look like bandits," Syrio added with a shrug.
"They tried to capture Lady Stark, one of the ones we encountered was once a member of the city watch," Cat said with a nod to Lady Stark. "They can't have too many men and Ser Barristan has raised the alarm."
"Then we find somewhere safe and hold up until they are dealt with," said the Blackfish.
Which was good advice. They went down the stairs again and turned toward the servant's wing. There they found what turned out to be a room full of linens and mattresses. It had a door that could be locked, and the key was in the door. It looked as if it hadn't been removed for years and it took a few moments to work it free.
"Lock yourselves in," Cat ordered as she glanced up and down the deserted passage. "I'll find Lord Stark and let him know where you are."
"I'll go with you lass," Brynden offered.
"No, stay here Ser. I'm expendable and you, Syrio and Robb need to keep everyone safe."
Brynden looked like he would argue but eventually, he grunted in agreement.
oOoOo
Cat ghosted through the corridors and let herself be steered by the sound of fighting. Which was, predictably dying down. The attackers must have come through some of the secret passages beneath the Red Keep. Which too many people knew all too well. Baelish among them. Still, there was plenty to indicate that fighting continued.
There…she admitted with relief. The King was calling orders out and Ned Stark was beside him. Lord Stark and the King held bloody swords. Things must have been bad if the King had been forced to defend himself. She moved down the corridor and was about to call out when she saw a figure in a dark grey cowl kneeling with a crossbow aimed toward the King's group. The figure was well concealed in the shadows of a doorway. Very well concealed, acknowledged Cat. Such stealth was generally the mark of a professional. Only her training had allowed her to spot the motionless figure.
She moved forward silently before attacking.
To her astonishment, her blade missed as the figure swayed away at the last moment.
She was then ducking as the figure swung the crossbow toward her like a club.
oOoOo
Ned Stark was furious, but his cold anger was nothing compared to the King.
"I want some of these bastards alive," yelled the King as he tried to once more push past his Kingsguard. When the fire had started and spread, Ned and the King had been talking privately. The two men had their differences, but they had grown up under Jon Arryn and had many shared experiences. They had shared a few mugs of ale and then had walked toward the room where Robb was staying. They were accompanied only by Ser Mandon Moore when they had literally walked into a half dozen armed men. Moore had fallen with a crossbow bolt in his eye before they realised what was happening.
The thugs rushed them and the first to reach them was backhanded to the floor by Robert. He may be fat but some of his muscle remained hidden beneath. As the man fell Robert picked up the thug's fallen sword. His brutal action had slowed the attackers but not stopped them.
"Come on then you pricks," Robert had goaded them. Ned had retrieved Moore's sword and was by his side. Then it was a chaotic melee until yelling announced the arrival of reinforcements. Stannis and Ser Barristan had appeared leading several guards as they cut down the remaining attackers.
Ser Barristan had first ascertained that the King was uninjured before Stannis reported.
"The fire is out, and we think all the scum are dead or fleeing. I have guards searching but they don't appear to have gained entry to the maiden vault."
"The guest wing seemed to be their target," mused the King. "And they used the chaos to skulk on in, damn them."
"We need men on the upper floors," Ned said grimly. "My family are upstairs."
"I don't think there were more of them, my Lord," said Selmy thoughtfully. "They might have been after your family Lord Stark, but those men are dead. I killed one and your swordmistress killed two before I raised the alarm."
Ned felt a wave of relief, but he wasn't going to be happy until he saw that they were safe. He was about to head upstairs when the sound of fighting came from his left. He turned and to his surprise, he spotted Cat fighting a figure in dark clothing.
The figure was skilled, but he could not escape her flashing blades.
Ser Barristan swore under his breath and moved forward as Stannis gestured to the guardsmen to protect his brother.
As Ned watched Cat's sword lashed out taking the figure in the throat.
To his horror, the figure didn't fall.
Black blood ran down its chest, but it simply kept fighting.
The King gasped, "What in the seven hells!"
"Sorcery!" hissed out one of the Kingsguard, Ned couldn't see who it was.
The figure hissed, its glowing blue eyes lending it a demonic appearance.
He could see that Cat was not panicking, despite its frightening appearance. She was now attacking the figure furiously, her sword and dagger flashing and finding their target more often than not. But the figure seemed uncaring of the injuries it was accruing.
The figure suddenly stopped engaging Cat and with a burst of speed brushed past her. It ignored her attacks as she recovered and charged Ser Barristan.
Another Kingsguard, Ned didn't see who was pulling the King backward as Ned stepped between his friend and the threat.
The Lord Commander of the Kingsguard had seen the figure ignore its injuries. So instead of trying for a killing blow, he struck to disable it. His first mighty blow took the…thing's arm off at the elbow. A devastating strike that would have felled a normal man.
It barely slowed his opponent.
Ser Barristan was not expecting it to fall and instead attacked again. His sword lashed out trying to take the figure's head, but it somehow got its remaining arm up, taking a cut to trap Ser Barristan's sword.
As he attempted to pull his sword free, Cat's Valyarian steel sword appeared out of its forehead and its glowing eyes faded before it slumped to the floor.
oOoOo
The Red Keep was being searched thoroughly. The King, his family and the Starks were being guarded by the remaining Kingsguard and dozens of guardsmen in addition to the men (and one woman) from Winterfell. The other nobles were locked up tight by their personal guards.
Cat let the Kingsguard take the lead as she tried to puzzle out how the hell a wight had appeared in the Red Keep. Actually, why was more of an important question. If it had been after the King or Eddard Stark, then that was almost logical, but it seemed that all it had achieved was to prove to several of the realm's leaders that they truly existed.
According to Ser Barristan, none of the other lords had been targeted despite their presence in the Red Keep. In fact, until the alarm had been raised few were aware anything untoward had been happening. Now the armed guards of the various lords were guarding them with grim vigilance as the rest of the palace was locked down.
oOoOo
Ser Barristan and the rest of the Kingsguard viewed the attack as a professional insult. Their skills and professionalism had been tested and in the words of Ser Barristan, they had fallen short. At least two members of the Kingsguard had been at the King's side since the incident as Jon Arryn and the younger Baratheon brothers were leading the search of the keep. Meanwhile trusted men, both Baratheon and Stark, guarded the King and his family for the rest of the night.
It was a mark of respect and the King's trust that the Stark party were included in that group.
The Royal family, the Starks and their most trusted guards had been gathered in the throne room as the search was conducted. That there had been former city watch Gold cloaks involved meant that the palace and its surrounds were considered unsafe until the search was completed.
The King's anger was cooling as he considered just how bloody lucky they had been. The Braavosi Cat…seven hells, all Ned's folk had shown their iron. He glanced over to where Lady Stark and Sansa were doing a marvellous job of assisting a Septa in keeping his children occupied despite the late hour and the presence of so many armed men. Despite this duty, it was clear that Catelyn was still listening closely to the discussion and the reports.
Beside her, Sansa was talking to Myrcella and Tommen. Arya was still armed and had seemingly decided to act as a guard. Gods, look at them. The Stark family stood brave and steadfast. Good blood and good parenting…unlike his children. Oh, Tommen was a good boy, soft but good and Myrcella was a kind girl. Somehow, they had avoided whatever had gone wrong with Joffrey. He had been a warrior and seeing the martial Stark children had stirred some quickly suppressed jealousy. Not that he truly blamed Ned or Catelyn.
Perhaps a marriage linking their houses was still possible…Robb was only a few years older than Myrcella. He shook his head tiredly. He could worry about that after they had sorted out this mess.
oOo
Catelyn began to relax as the reports began to arrive. The Palace was being methodically searched. They had found several dead guards, servants and even a cook. Killed to keep them quiet no doubt. But it appeared that assassins and thugs were dead. She stifled a yawn as she looked over her family. A tired-looking Robb was talking quietly to her uncle Brynden, Syrio and Jory. Cat stood near her girls and the royal children. Her eyes studied the room looking for possible threats. Ned would have to reward her bravery and for her part, Catelyn would ensure that the young woman always had a place in Winterfell. Her gaze shifted to her girls. Arya and indeed Sansa had been brave girls and despite her concerns about their training she had to admit that their skills did ease some of her fears. No, the surprise had been Cat. Catelyn knew the younger woman was skilled but from what she had heard she had been one of the heroes of the hour.
Eventually, an 'all clear' was sounded and those gathered (save the guards and the Kingsguard) sought out their beds.
oOo
The Small Council Chamber
The Grand Maester's hands were shaking as he entered the meeting chamber, "Your Grace?"
Robert turned to look at the elderly man with an expectant look, "Well?"
"I confess that it...to be truthful I know not what it is. Something drove that body on long after it had received a mortal wound. Many mortal wounds." The Grand Maester looked uncomfortable as he cleared his throat. "There have been unreliable reports that such things have been seen in the East. Sorcery, shadowbinders and the like."
"Syrio reported that one of the men was a Sorrowful man, an Eossi assassin," added Ned.
The King was frowning, "Assassins in the keep, Eossi or not, are bad enough. But I want to know just what the seven hells that was. Contact the citadel and the Faith. We have to know what we are facing."
Ned grimaced as he considered the abomination Cat and Ser Barristan had killed. Tamo's warning was running through his mind, "Your Grace, Tamo, a friend of Cat is a visitor to Winterfell. She is a seer who gave a warning of ill omens beyond the wall. Something tells me that these events are connected but I cannot see how."
Jon Arryn sighed running a hand over his face, radiating exhaustion. "Sorcery or not, I am concerned at how easily they entered the supposedly secure parts of the palace. If not for some luck, we could have been facing a disaster."
"Luck, ha! Ned and I took them head-on," King Robert grinned and then sobered. "Yes, we were lucky. Had they all had crossbows we would have been fucked."
"We can't rely on luck. Not against attacks like this. Whoever organised this must have known that we would hunt them down without mercy. So they either don't care about repercussions or they think we can't find them," Stannis ground out. His expression was far grimmer than his normal admittedly grim look.
"Or they were desperate," mused Renly. "Eastern assassins can't be cheap."
"Perhaps they thought to use Lady Stark as a hostage?" Ser Baristan said grimly. "That might stay our hand."
"If only we had been able to take one of the bastards alive," King Robert lamented. "Are we sure nobody besides those traitorous goldcloaks were helping them?"
Stannis shook his head, "The Lord Hand and I spent a few hours this morning talking to those lords nearest the fighting. Only lord Tyrell had anything useful to add. Or more truthfully, his son Ser Garlan."
"Well, what was it?" The King demanded.
"Garlan was returning to the rooms his family are using after meeting with one of the Tyrell bannermen. He noted that the gold cloaks that usually stood watch at the inner doors were not standing their post. He was set on investigating when he smelled smoke. Before he could raise the alarm, he heard the calls of fire." Stannis looked somewhat less disgruntled as he continued. "It appears Garlan has a good head on his shoulders. He ran to his family rooms, warned them and then dashed off to assist as he could."
"Brave of him," Jon Arryn said approvingly.
"He joined with several palace servants as they attempted to fight the fire. Luckily, he was armed because they ran into two gold cloaks who attacked him. He dispatched them easily enough. He sent a page with a warning and his message reached us as our search parties reached that part of the Red Keep. Ser Garlan recognised one of the Gold cloaks, Wil Porton."
The Grand Maester frowned, "Porton was the Gold cloak who oversaw the guards in the guest wing. He disappeared at the same time as Slynt."
"They can't all have been corrupted by Baelish," Stannis ground out and then paused. "Baelish was a rat, but I cannot believe that he knows sorcery. So, who is helping him?"
"A good question," agreed Robert as he turned to Ned who was listening quietly to the small council's discussion. "Ned, your seer warned of trouble in the north, could this be linked to that?"
He could see Ned thinking that through, "I don't know. Damn, I wish she had come with us. Tamo was a priestess and from what she has told us she is educated in things that we know little of in Westeros."
"A raven perhaps?" The Grand Maester suggested. He didn't look convinced or indeed happy with the talk of sorcery.
"I will ask Cat, Tamo may have said something to her," Ned didn't sound too positive. "But I doubt it as I am sure she would have told us."
"What of the Faith?" Jon Arryn asked. "Have they sent word, Varys?"
Varys sighed dramatically, "Alas the High Septon seems somewhat doubtful of our reports. He has claimed that such unholiness could not possibly exist."
"The man is useless," muttered Robert.
Jon shot Varys a look, "I will speak to the High Septon, most urgently."
"The Citadel has sent word that they are searching the archives for anything pertinent," the Grand Maester assured them.
Robert turned to the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, "Ser Barristan, what of the city and the Red Keep?"
Ser Barristan frowned, "The Red keep is secure, your Grace. We have good men from loyal houses bolstering the few gold cloaks left in the palace. The rest of them are keeping the peace in the city as well as searching out any trace of Baelish or his cronies." Ser Barristan had relieved the acting head of the gold cloaks, a man named Dorret, of duty and had appointed Ser Jonas Manning, a crownlander with a good reputation and a sound knowledge of the city and Blackwater Bay. "The gold cloaks are being brought to order by Ser Jonas. Although he has sent more than two dozen packing. Lord Stark's men have been most helpful as well as the Stormlanders in helping search out the passages beneath the keep and the other secret ways." He nodded to Ned who nodded back.
Robert looked pleased although a frown soon appeared, "Good, although I'll be happier when we find Littlefinger. Varys make damn sure that your little birds are keeping an eye out for the rat."
"I will your Grace," replied Varys smoothly.
"Right, that's it for today, Jon, Ned, Stannis and Ser Barristan please wait a few moments."
Once the others had left Robert looked over the four men, "We must find out what is happening and who is behind this. I trust you four implicitly. If there is some threat in the North, the crown must act. The problem is that we know too little, and the source of our information is a foreigner, no offence Ned, that might not be believed. We need more."
Ned looked thoughtful as he considered what he might do to uncover more, "You know that I have asked Lord Commander Mormont for more information, hopefully, that will give us more to work with. My brother Benjen is the First Ranger, and he knows more about what lies north of the wall. I trust him to root out any threat there. Mayhaps we will hear more soon. If you will it, your…Robert, I will ride to the wall."
Robert considered and then shook his head, "Hold off on that Ned, I need you in Winterfell coordinating things not weeks away at the wall. Damn it, I'd ask you to stay here but I know you would tell me no."
"There must be a Stark in Winterfell."
Jon Arryn cleared his throat, "Ned, you are needed here, but I agree with Robert you are needed in the North more. Alas, the realm has other problems on the horizon. Tywin has gone silent in the West. Cersei and Joffrey…they were difficult, but their deaths have created a rift with the crown that leaves us in a difficult position that has become dire with the disappearance of Baelish."
"Why would Tywin be a problem, his grandson will be King?" Ned asked looking at Jon with some confusion.
"Because the crown is in debt to Tywin. A third of the crown's money came from Tywin and Baelish borrowed heavily from him as well." Jon gave the King a look that showed his frustration and concern.
Robert looked angry for a moment and then shook his head, "Aye, we…I have been foolish to listen to that rat. Your point is made Jon. We borrowed Ned, heavily from both the Iron Bank and Tywin. I let Baelish persuade me that the finances could be mended but…it appears the rat lied as he lined his own pockets. I curse my stupidity, my disdain for counting coppers has led us here."
Ned tried to school his expression, but he must have failed as Robert sighed, "Alright say it."
"Robert, you were never trained to run the Seven Kingdoms just as I was never meant to be Lord of Winterfell. We can weather this, but we must present a united front. Let Tywin see that you are taking the lead once more. Summon him and broach the matter of finances. Make him or his brother Master of Coin. The Old Gods know I dislike him, but he is competent. He must see that his best plan is to help strengthen the throne so that his blood will sit in due time. As for the Iron Bank, they will want their money, as they say, they get their due. But nothing says that you cannot negotiate with them."
Robert studied Ned in silence before sighing and grumbling, "You always did have your head on straight, Ned. Very well, I'll court the Old Lion and send an envoy to the Braavosi."
oOoOo