Perhaps walking all the way to Sunspear had been a bad idea.

She had no bloody idea where she was, only that everywhere looked the same and she had not encountered a single person in four fucking days. Despite her complicated feelings for Oberyn, she did internally thank him for teaching her how to live off the land.

This wasn't even the first time something like this had happened to her. Only that last time, the weather had been colder, the ground even trickier, and she had had even less of a goal in mind.

(But just like last time, she was running from the inevitable.)

Elle saw the smoke in the distance at the same time she felt the tug around her heart. Her hand hovered over her chest, while her eyes stared at the cloud. It was too dark and too big to come from a lone hearth. And this realisation coupled with the familiar sensation could only mean…

She ran.

Shouts greeted her, as well as screams. People ran between the houses, hurriedly emptying buckets of water over the flames. The smoke invaded Elle's lungs and blurred her vision.

She coughed as she walked further into the village, desperately trying to figure out what she could do. The heat, the screams, the burning in her eyes threatened to overwhelm her. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest and she did not know how to stop it.

She stumbled over a body laying on the ground. A groan came out of its mouth.

Her disgust at herself threw her back into reality.

It? He was still a person, even if there was a disturbing amount of blood soaking his tunic. This man was suffering - and she was here to help, was she not?

Elle knelt down beside the man and inspected his wounds. A slash to his side, most likely by a sword. Nothing that could not be fixed.

"We need to get you to a healer," she said to the man.

He groaned again, but his eyes had opened at her words. There was no hope in his face, just defeat and pain.

She quickly looked up. Her gaze wandered across the people running around the street, trying to find someone who could help her.

"Hey!"

Only one man turned his head towards her.

"Could you help me here?" she asked.

"I'm a bit-"

"Please." Elle tried to put as much despair and conviction in her voice as she could. "Or do you not care what happens to your neighbours?"

The man grimaced but stepped over to her. Together, they were able to heave the injured man up and pull him down the road.

Elle tried her best, but she knew that the other man carried most of the weight. She despised how weak she was. Spears and daggers were children's play for her, climbing and running she could beat anyone who dared challenge her, but bodily strength was her weak point. She could only pray she would never lose her weapons in a fight.

They quickly arrived before a small house. The man pushed the door open.

The inside was completely overrun by people already. Nowhere proper to lie, nowhere proper to sit. The healer - Elle assumed this is what they were, considering their white aprons - were hurriedly running around and tending to the injured.

It was hot, so hot inside. Drops of sweat were already building on her forehead and it had not even been a minute. She needed to get out of here, and fast.

They found a spot on the floor for the man between them.

"Hold on," Elle said.

She let go of the man's arm, unfastened her heavy cloak, and spread it on the ground, glad to finally be rid of it. The man almost dropped onto it, his face pale as snow.

A healer was quickly beside them, assessing the injury. Elle let them to it and hurriedly followed the other man outside.

"Wait!"

"What?" The man turned to her, a frown clear on his face.

"I want to help."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Why would I not? Your village is currently burning to ash, you need every help you can get."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Come with me."

Luckily, she did not have to get too close to the fires still raging between the houses. The man - and quickly others as well - made her bring water, accompany people to the healers, and hold on to animals before a rope could be found to tie them down in a safer place. One of the cats clung to her even as she wanted to go help someone else, her claws piercing through her clothes. Elle found it adorable, despite knowing full well why she was so scared.

As she went to retrieve more water, something tugged on her shirt. She looked down.

A little girl stood beside her, staring up at her with wide, teary eyes. She could not be much older than Elle when she had left King's Landing.

"Do you know where my mama is?"

She knelt down. "No, I am sorry. But…"

Her gaze wandered around the village. The fires had died down for the most part, and some sort of calm had returned. Any immediate danger had been vanquished.

She looked back at the girl, smiling softly. "How about we search for her together?"

Hand-in-hand, they started walking down the roads.

Elle studied every person they came across, but she knew that the odds of the child's mother still being alive were slim. Of every person in the healer's hut, not many would survive the current day. Not to speak of everyone who had been trapped inside the burning houses.

And then, of course, there was the reason this fire had started in the first place. The wound on the first man could have only been inflicted to him by a sword or a spear. Meaning this village had been attacked by someone. A someone who could have very well taken people with them.

"Do you know where you live around here?" she asked the girl. Her hand was gripping hers so tightly. "Perhaps she is there."

"They destroyed it," she whispered.

And something broke inside her upon seeing the empty look in her eyes. No one, especially not a child this young, should experience such horrors. Lords and knights and kings were supposed to protect their people from these things, such was the agreement - live in my lands, pay my taxes, and I will protect you. Yet wars were seemingly more important.

Curse them all to the seven hells.

"Kalina!"

A woman came running towards them, her long black hair waving unbound behind her.

"Mama!"

The girl let go of her hand and ran towards the woman. She jumped into her arms, grabbing tightly onto her.

Elle smiled at the two, even if she could not completely ignore her jealousy. She had never been able to.

The one thing she had always missed in life, the one thing she had always desired so badly, was a mother's love. Sure, Ellaria had done her best to support her and ensure she felt loved, but after what Oberyn had said she could not be sure any of it had been sincere.

She wanted her mother back.

The woman looked at her, seemingly listening to something her daughter was telling her. Elle straightened her back and walked over to them.

"Kalina here tells me you took care of her," the woman said with a smile.

"Not for as long as she might have needed."

"Still. I thank you." She stood up. "I've never seen you around here. Who are you?"

"My name is Elle. I was looking for a place to stay for the night when I happened upon your village."

The woman eyed her clothing, the ash on her face.

Smilingly, she said, "You can stay with us, as thanks for what you have done today."

The woman introduced herself as Ivara and was already friendlier than all the people in the last village combined. She drew her a bath, handed her something new to dress in and told her she could keep it. Elle handed her the old clothes from the Night's Watch and told her the same.

The water was cold, but she did not mind. Welcomed it, in fact, especially after all the heat and stress of the day.

She leaned back, only keeping her face over the surface, letting her fingers run through her locks and carefully trying to detangle them. Maybe she would be able to wash them properly again one day. Perhaps when she returned to Sunspear.

Rightening herself in the tub, she stared at her hands. Brown ink ran from her fingertips all the way down her arm. She submerged them in the water, trying to get rid of the strange sensation.

Whether it was the warmer weather, the fire, or the bath, the dye appeared to be a lot less resistant than she had hoped.

She wrung out her hair and brown water flowed down her body. Only a couple more washes, and her natural colour might return in full. How she was supposed to feel about that, she did not know.

Over the following week Elle helped with rebuilding the village. Taking apart the destroyed houses, cleaning the roads, burying the dead.

Upon asking who had attacked them, Ivara sent a few curses to the Gods and declared the entirety of House Lannister would rot in the Seven Hells.

"What were they doing up here?"

"Who knows?" She dropped her wooden planks on the pile. "Maybe they already burnt everything else."

The goodbyes were not particularly emotional, but the people still thanked her in their own way. They gave her supplies and coin for her journey, and Kalina, who had followed her around during the week, gifted her a crown of flowers. Elle knew it would last no longer than a day, but she appreciated the thought.

This village showed her that the situation in the Riverlands was a lot more dire than she had previously assumed. Meaning she would have to stay a lot longer if she wanted to protect its people.

Perhaps this was a good thing. Perhaps not. But she had enjoyed the last week, despite what had led to it. Helping people was one of the few things that came natural to her.

The open road spread before her, the sun rising slowly over the horizon.

She still had no horse, but she would manage. And she would stay out of danger. Elle had had quite enough of that beyond the Wall.