STRANGER IN THE VILLAGE
Lyanna was out and about in the village visiting her favourite merchants and stalls. It was a gloriously sunny afternoon and she wore her favourite clothes to wear whilst not at school, a grey romper and cardigan. Septa would never approve but Septa was not around to tell her off.
Lately, school has been so much better ever since parents' day. Dany came to pick the children up after school every day and spoke with the Septa often. She was slowly but surely getting out more and Lya was happy for it. The other girls began to be her friend again and Lyanna, Ed and Jai were the most popular pupils in school.
The villagers were very kind, as always when the children would visit. They were familiar with the beauties of the village and enjoyed their company. Tai was a beloved citizen who did a lot for the village as a builder and they were all aware that Ed, Lya and Jai were his children and so treated them with kindness as the children knew to treat the villagers with also.
Lya stopped at the armoury where Torbin worked, the black smith. Torbin had only been working in the village for a few months and he and Lyanna quickly became friends as she came to realise that he wasn't from Essos and had very exciting stories to tell. She snuck up on the old man who was once a soldier from Westeros.
"Boo!" Lyanna said as she crept around the corner startling him, causing him to slightly jump.
"God's child. Haven't you anything better to do?" The man spoke with a Westerosi accent, similar to her mothers.
"Nope. Got anything new?" Lya asked with a cheerful smile as she walked into his workplace.
Torbin smirked as he had always enjoyed the girl's company. He pulled out his latest work, a silver sword with a dragon handle that had red embroidered eyes. Lyanna beamed at it thinking it was absolutely magnificent. Torbin was the best sword maker ever!
"Wow!" she said getting closer. "Can I hold it?"
Torbin eyed the child suspiciously.
"Be very careful." he said as he gently handed her the sword.
It was heavy and shiny. Delicate and beautiful. Lyanna smiled as her eyes lit up looking at the precise detail of the dragon's head, eyes and scales.
"Is that the winged beast who flies off the coast every night?" she asked.
Torbin smiled and nodded.
"Clever girl, aye. I drew it from memory… I still remember the terrifying beast from my time as a soldier in Westeros."
"You've seen the winged beast?" Lya said, turning towards him, her grip on the sword loosening a little as she got excited.
Torbin quickly took it from her seeing her lose focus. He sighed looking at the handle of the blade… remembering the day…
"Not a winged beast… but a dragon." Torbin corrected.
"A dragon?" Lyanna repeated, getting closer, keen to hear more.
"Yes. A dragon. It came soaring down from the sky and demolished a hundred men all at once as it rained fire from above. Men were scolded and burned alive in their suits of armour… I've never seen or heard anything quite like it."
Lyanna gulped thinking that to be a horrible way to die… and a horrible thing to witness. She shuddered thinking about the dragon that was so close to home.
"My mother said that we are safe here and that it won't hurt us… but… I don't know if I believe her…" Lyanna said, her voice unsure.
Torbin sighed. He didn't want to frighten the child… but he wouldn't put it lightly either. He pulled up his sleeve revealing a large burn mark that had scarred and travelled from his wrist to his shoulder. Lya gasped at seeing it.
"Dragons won't hesitate to kill you… especially when there is a mad Targaryen on its back ordering it to spew its fire on you…" Torbin said, remembering the day in the grass field.
"The Targaryens… " Lyanna said as she inspected Torbin's arm. "We learnt about them in school… They once reigned as Kings and Queens of Westeros… but there are no more Targaryen's left anymore..."
"Nope. Not since the death of the mad queen." Torbin said spitefully while packing up some stuff to clean. "Good riddance."
"Who was the mad queen?" Lya eagerly asked, very interested to hear the story. She followed him around as he got back to work.
"I can't remember her name… she was a Targaryen. She destroyed Kings Landing slaughtering the innocent citizens who lived in the city." Torbin said. "Women and children too…"
Lyanna felt her heart drop at hearing such a horrendous crime. What kind of person would have the heart to burn children? She imagined the mad queen to be ugly and have horns sticking out of her head and skin like scales.
"That's… horrible…" she said.
"It happened a long time ago. Nothing to dwell on now. I left the city before it all happened. It was definitely a tragedy and one that will haunt the capital for centuries…" Torbin said. "Now run along child… I've got a lot of work to do here."
Lyanna sighed as she wanted to hear more but didn't want to further annoy the black smith. As she was about to leave, she spotted a sword that immediately caught her attention. It was small and skinny… almost like it belonged to a child. Her eyes lit up.
"Torbin… who does that belong to?" Lya asked as she pointed to it.
The black smith turned his head.
"Uh. That belongs to a visitor who dropped it off to me this morning." Torbin said while sharpening a blade. "She asked me to thoroughly polish and clean it… it's an old thing… best to be replaced if you ask me… but the woman insisted on keeping it so I did what I could."
Lyanna took the liberty of grabbing the sword, unable to stop herself. She felt drawn to it. The blade was blunt from years of use and it was as if it were worn out. She smiled at it as she carefully waved it around. She liked that it was not too heavy and the handle fit perfectly in her grasp.
Torbin looked at her and smiled. She clearly liked the sword… any child would.
"I was meant to drop it off to her about now. Might you do the job for me child? The woman is staying at the inn."
Lyanna turned to Torbin with a bright and eager smile and nodded.
"Of course I can! I don't mind!" Lya said. She sheathed the sword in its case and ran off. She heard Torbin yell out for her to slow down but Lya was too excited.
Eddard hid behind a bunch of barrels at the dock. He crossed his eyes at seeing a large ship having anchored up. It was not a trading ship, but a private one. He was curious to know who it belonged to and who was visiting the village. They didn't receive many visitors… so it was strange.
Ed snuck closer to get a more thorough view. The ship had sails with a picture of a… dog on it? He tried to remember which house had a dog sigil but he wasn't great with remembering the names of noble houses and their representing sigils.
He figured he would ask his mother later.
Lyanna had detoured from the path to the inn to the forest and was now concealed by the trees. She eagerly unsheathed the small sword and gazed at it. It felt natural and as if it belonged in her grasp.
She took a stance and waved it around fluidly so that it flowed with her movements. She pierced it into thin air as if she were impaling something. It was her first time using a real sword… she had only ever used sticks.
"You're good." a voice said, causing her to jump and turn around, sword at the ready.
A woman with her hair tied back walked up to her with her hands clutched behind her back. Lya breathed heavily as she approached.
"Who taught you the basics?" the woman asked as she looked on at her, eying her grip on the sword that wasn't too tight yet wasn't too loose.
Lya didn't know whether or not to respond. She didn't recognise the woman to be from the village and her mother had told her not to talk to or trust strangers… but there was something about this woman that made Lyanna feel a certain way… a way that… almost felt intriguing and welcoming.
"Erm… no one…" Lya shyly said.
The woman came to be only inches away from her. She stopped standing in front of her, she smiled. Lyanna looked around and licked her lips nervously as she still slightly kept the sword up.
"Do you know the first thing about sword fighting?" the woman asked. "Stick 'em with the pointy end."