Help from a stranger

Edmure POV

I was cold. I shivered as I felt my body freezing, yet at the same, I felt like I was burning from the inside. My head felt like it was splitting apart into thousands of pieces. It was hard to open my eyes, and everything was blurry and spinning when I did. My stomach churned, and I tried to move to the side to throw up, but I couldn't move.

Someone hearing my groans helped me to turn, and a bucket was provided for me to throw up. I had nothing but the acid in my stomach. The smell and the taste of it stayed in my mouth. My stomach was in pain. A cup was shoved to my lips, and I eagerly drank the cold water, washing the terrible taste in my mouth.

My vision was still a mess, but I could hear voices around me. I was weak, so weak that I couldn't move a finger. My body was simultaneously burning and freezing. The world around me felt like it was spinning around me. The voices got louder, but so did the banging pain in my head.

"Your grace, you shouldn't be here," And an old, weathered voice sounded worried.

"How is he?" A young feminine voice asked in worry.

"It might be luck that he is still alive, or he is just that tenacious. In my years, I knew many who would have died, and they weren't even injured as much as he was."

"Those scars?" I felt a soft, small hand touch my skin and shiver.

"Your Grace, please don't touch him," The old voice almost cried his request. "From the chains we found on the plank, he floated on. I strongly suspect he is a slave."

"How can people be so cruel?" I could hear a tremble in her voice.

"You have seen it before, your Grace," The old man spoke softly. "People are cruel, more so than we can imagine. I am sorry."

"Will he live?"

"I am no maester or a healer. I can only do so much," The old man said. "We need to reach a city to find medicine and a healer. Until then is up to him to endure."

"Is there nothing we can do?"

"You did more than enough, your Grace."

"Not nearly enough. He is in so much pain, ser. I wish I could do something."

"Sometimes it is hardest to do nothing, your Grace. We have no choice but to wait."

Once again, I tried to open my eyes, and once again, I got sick. A hand helped me to turn into a bucket once again. A cup of water was forced upon me, and I took it eagerly. I wanted to ask where I was and who they were, but my throat was sore, my mouth didn't open as I wished, and I could only groan in pain.

…

It was a lovely day for fishing. Uncle Brynden let out words of annoyance as Axel forced him to teach him how to swim. Elia played with Arianne by the coast while Gerald and I sat on our little boat, trying to catch something. Behind us stood Riverrun, tall and proud. Knights stood nearby, protecting us with their vigilant eyes.

Yet when I turned to look at the water, I found myself looking with one eye and half of my face burned. One eye was bleeding, and I reached to touch the water. A hand emerged and grabbed me, dragging me into the water. I fell and tried to get away to the surface, yet when I freed myself, I saw only red.

Everyone was gone, only leaving blood red river running, taking me with the stream. I tried to swim, but my hands and legs felt heavy. I heard screams of pain and agony. I saw my children floating in the river, my knights were cut to pieces, Riverrun was burning, and a man stood on the coast, looking down at me with one eye.

"It is enough for today."

…

When I woke, I felt like my bones were breaking. I was wet with my sweat. The blanket felt heavy the pillow was soaked. I was so cold that I tried to curl up into a ball to keep myself warm. But my body hurt so much. With a little movement, I felt like I would fall apart. I could do nothing but groan silently in pain and despair.

"Bring more water," I heard a voice, a voice of an old man. "Clean his body and bring more blankets."

"Ser, he is burning up," A younger male voice said as I felt him touch my head. "We need to reduce his fever fast, or he won't last the night."

"How long till we reach Astapor?"

"At best, it will take until midday tomorrow."

"Then he will have to survive. We will not let him die," The old voice almost shouted. "Clean his sweat, change his blankets, and bring more water."

Why? Why did they save me? Why are they helping me? I wanted to ask, but I couldn't. Astapor, why was I so far from home? How much time has gone by since I was captured? I couldn't die. I had to survive. Even though I felt like I had come back from hell, I had to endure the pain. I will stop him no matter what. I will not let him destroy everything I worked so hard to achieve. I will kill him for what he did to Patrek.

…

When I was awake, I was in pain. When I slept, I was in hell. The ship's rocking made me sick. I was pathetically weak and would throw up whenever they gave me something to eat. I was exhausted. The pain wore me down, and I couldn't even groan anymore. It felt like I had been like this for all eternity, but from the words the voices said, it had only been a couple of days.

"I am sorry, your grace," The voice of an old man was always the first thing I would hear. "I don't think it is safe to land there. We should go to Yunkai."

"He won't survive that long, will he?" The voice belonged to the young girl but was firm and determined.

"It was a miracle he survived so long. But we can't risk our lives for one. I am sorry, your Grace."

"You always apologize. You are a knight, I am a queen, yet we can't save one person. Do we deserve our titles?"

"I am sorry, but I will not allow you to risk your life for a stranger."

"Even if he will die?"

"Even if he dies."

"I will not die," Words came from me for the first time. "I will live. I can't die."

I felt cold hands helping me stand. I held my hand, waiting for my shield and sword, but I only heard a laugh. Patrek looked at me apologetically. I smiled softly at his antics and stood up. The world spun around me, and I almost fell, but Patrek stood beside me, helping me take my steps.

I walked out of the cabin to the deck of the ship. I heard the old man's voice, but I had to concentrate on my steps, so I ignored him. I walked to a rail of the ship and saw a city. Someone was yelling in front of the ship. The knights blocked his path. I dragged myself to the bridge connecting the ship to the dock.

I heard yelling from behind and shouting from before me. A man in front of me spoke in broken bastard Valyrian. I could understand only a couple of the words. Something about king and toll: behind him stood a hundred or so men with spears and shields, but they didn't look like they knew how to use them.

"There is your sword, Edmure," Patrek said, pointing at the knight's standing near me sword belt.

Before I lost my vision again, I grabbed the sword, and before the knight realized it, I drew it and swung at the man, yelling something at me in broken bastard Valyrian. Warm blood spilled on my face. The voices got louder. I didn't understand what anyone was trying to say by their yelling. I only saw Patrek pointing at the men rushing at me.

"There is your shield, Edmure," He said.

A spear went for my head. I didn't have the strength to block, so I just fell on the man turning my head to avoid it. My sword pierced the poor leather armor. Warm blood covered my hands. I took the shield as the man fell to the ground. Another spear flew towards me, but a knight stopped it. He tried to say something and even grabbed my arm.

Everything was spinning around me. Yelling and shouting entered and left my ears without me being able to understand anything. But I saw Patrek standing next to me, pointing in the direction where I needed to go. So, I went, lifting my shield and blocking a spear. I stabbed a man in the throat.

Knights poured out of the ship killing the men in poor armor as I walked forward. I didn't even realize that the shield I took was already broken when I tried to block another spear. It pierced my arm, but by now, I could feel myself getting lost. I couldn't lift my sword even with Patrek helping me.

"I will not die," I said as he looked worried at me. "Patrek, you will have to wait for me a bit longer."

"Protect that man, in the name of your queen Shireen Baratheon," the old man's voice filled my ears as I fell to the ground.

Davos POV

To say it was shocking would be an understatement. The man who couldn't even talk and barely clung to life killed the Buther King and a couple of his men before falling to the ground. Chaos reigned on the harbor, and with the Buther King dead, everyone started to fight among themselves. The knights loyal to her Grace cut down everyone that tried to come closer.

"Ser Davos, we need to protect them," Her Grace put her hand on mine.

"We will take the man back to the ship," I said.

"No, we need to protect these people," She pointed at women and children trying to hide from the chaos.

"With all due respect, your Grace, your safety is my priority. We are already risking a lot trying to save that man."

"I will not watch innocent die again, ser," I couldn't do anything when she spoke with such a firm voice, just like her father. "I order you to protect them, ser Davos."

"Everyone secure the harbor," I yelled. "Protect the women and the children, in the name of your queen Shireen Baratheon."

The men bashed their swords on their shields and moved forward. What was I doing? I should order them to retreat. It wasn't our fight. I had to protect Shireen as I promised her father I would. But when she looked at me with such unyielding eyes, what could I do but listen to her?

While the knights were securing the harbor, I went to the red-haired man. He was barely breathing, and he was burning. I could feel the heat from his skin, and now he had another wound in his arm. He kept mumbling that he had to live and something about Patrek. I dragged him back to the ship and had someone put him back to bed.

"Your Grace, the harbor is secured," One of the knights knelt before Shireen and reported.

"Thank you for your service, ser," She said before walking down to the harbor and speaking loudly in Valyrian.

"I ask for forgiveness for causing so much trouble," A knight from house Florent translated to me. "But I beg you for help. I need a healer and medicine. I will compensate anyone who helps me in gold or grain."

I was about to tell her to return to the ship as everyone looked warily at her, but before I could, an older woman came forward and bowed her head to her Grace. Soon others started doing the same. Some even went on their knees and began to beg for something in Valyrian. I didn't understand what was happening, but Shireen looked at me and then back to them before nodding.

A.N. As always, If you want more, up to five advanced chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852