She was thrown face first into the hard ground. Grunting, and with about a thousand curses on her tongue, she got to her knees, hands bound tightly behind her back.

A dozen men were standing around a table, dressed in leathers and furs. They looked grim, and beaten.

"Your Grace, we found this girl with the Butcher of Sallydance."

The man at the head of the table sat up straighter in his chair. He had auburn curls, a strong jaw, and wide shoulders, noticeable even through the thick leathers he wore. Robb Stark, King in the North, was only a year her elder, yet he had been aged by the war. He shared little in appearances with his sister, and lesser even with Jon.

"And where is Lord Vypren?" the king asked.

"I killed him. His corpse is rotting in a ditch somewhere."

"And you did not think that, as he was a traitor to the crown, I would have liked to execute him personally?"

Robb had a quiet danger about him, almost like a wolf on the prowl, ready to attack at any moment.

"Well, I-" the man stammered. "He was already half-way dead, I just finished him. Besides, we brought you her."

"And who is she?"

She had to take control of the situation quickly, despite the tear streaks that were still visible on her face.

"I am the Golden Paladin," she cut the man off. "And I demand you release me right this moment."

Murmurs went through the tent, careful and curious glances shared between the lords. Robb Stark leaned forward.

"How do I know that's true?"

"Your Grace," the man said. "She is lying, The Butcher himself-"

"Your Grace, I remember her." A tall man in red and silver spoke up. "She looks like the woman I met who has also claimed to be the Paladin. I think she speaks true."

"Your Grace, she is lying," the man tried again. "The Butcher claimed her as his whore."

"That is not true!" Looking at the man who had spoken she said, "Lord Umber, I remember you as well. You saved a friend of mine by intervening in a dispute." That said friend had later died she did not feel the need to add.

The lord gave a short nod towards his king, seemingly confirming her claim.

"Your Grace, she is a Lannister!"

Unrest spread amongst the lords once more.

"No, I'm not!"

"Then why is there a lion on your necklace?"

With every breath she took in, she pushed the treacherous pendant further outwards. The chain almost burned around her neck, and for the first time in her life, she wished she had left it in King's Landing.

Robb Stark stood up and slowly walked around the table. She stared at him with a blank expression, trying not to let her fear and anxiety and exhaustion show. He stopped before her.

She did not look down as he took the pendant in hand, nor as he let his thumb brush over the lion's head on it. His eyes switched up to her face, studying it.

"Where did you get this?" he asked.

"A friend gave it to me."

"And you did not think to question such a gift?"

"It is just a lion, Your Grace."

"Everyone, especially the Golden Paladin, should know the meaning of such a symbol. Meaning that you are either a liar or a hypocrite."

"I say we kill her," a fat man with a rather ugly moustache threw in. "What good would a captive be to us at this point?"

"Do we know if House Lannister misses any of its ladies?" the only woman in the tent beside her said. "We could trade her in."

"What is there left to trade in?"

Shouts started filling the tent, every lord throwing their opinion into the round, their voices overlapping, invading her ears, protruding into her mind, making her break down, scream inside herself-

"You're all in danger," she shouted desperately. "There are Lannister forces following you to the Twins, set on destroying you."

The fat man laughed loudly. "And why should be believe you? You're a Lannister yourself."

"I am not," she hissed back. "I am the Golden Paladin and-"

"The Butcher said she knows nothing of his plans," the man threw in. "But who says she isn't following her own?"

"Clearly, you are trying to turn the populace towards yourself, then reveal your true allegiances and turn everyone against us."

"Why would I-"

"Enough!" Robb Stark shouted. He frowned, letting out a loud breath. "I don't have time for this at the moment." He looked at the men around her. "Lock her away, I will deal with her later."

Hands wrapped around her arms and dragged her out of the tent. She wondered if she should scream something else at them, telling them more of what she knew, but she was simply too tired. She did not fight back as they walked with her through the camp, nor when they threw her into a cage and tied her to a wooden post. Maybe this would be the end. Maybe her affection for a monster had doomed her.

a/n: only four chapters left. how the time flies