CHAPTER 28

The next day while it is snowing hard, in Shireen's tent, she plays with Davos' stag figurine next to a fire and on top of her book. Stannis enters the tent.

Shireen asks concerned, looking that he didn't have on his coat outside, "Father. Aren't you cold?"

He replied flatly, "No. What are you reading?"

She smiled up at him and said, "The Dance of Dragons."

He asked, "What's it about?"

She said smiling at him taking interest in her, "It's the story of the fight between Rhaenyra Targaryen and her half-brother Aegon for control of the Seven Kingdoms. Both of them thought they belonged on the Iron Throne. When people started declaring for one of them or the other, their fight divided the kingdom in two. Brothers fought brothers. Dragons fought dragons. By the time it was over, thousands were dead. And it was a disaster for the Targaryens as well. They never truly recovered."

Stannis asked her, thinking of the similarity to him and Renly, "The dance of dragons"? Why is that a dance?"

Shireen said shrugging, "That's just what they call it."

Him being under imaginative said, "Doesn't make much sense."

She said thinking about it, "I think it's poetic."

He asked her, "If you had to choose between Rhaenyra and Aegon, who would you have chosen?"

She said wisely, "I wouldn't have chosen either. It's all the choosing sides that made things so horrible."

Stannis said flatly, "Sometimes a person has to choose. Sometimes the world forces his hand. If a man knows what he is and remains true to himself, the choice is not a choice at all. He must fulfill his destiny and become who he is meant to be. However much he may hate it."

Shireen felt sorry for him and the burden he must be under. She said compassionately, "It's alright, father."

He looked at her weakly, "You don't even know what I'm talking about." Stannis knew what he came in here to do and now he felt like she was giving him permission to do it.

She softly smiled and got up to approach him and said, "It doesn't matter. I want to help you. Is there any way I can help?" Shireen innocently unconditionally loved him.

He said stoically, "Yes there is."

She said, smiling so very innocently, "Good, I want to. I'm the Princess Shireen of House Baratheon and I'm your daughter." They hug.

He said stoically in her ear as he held her for the last time, "Forgive me."

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Lyra was in position, her knife in hand and bow ready with her and watching diligently as she made a wish, "I wish that myself and Shireen Baratheon will be completely immune to all fire." The magic swirled to make it happen.

Outside of Stannis' camp, Shireen is flanked by guards as she walks towards a pyre, clutching the stag Davos gave her. When she arrives at the pyre Melisandre stepped in front of her intimidatingly.

Shireen had never liked Melisandre and demanded, "Where's my father? I want to see my father." She was nervous because she could sense bad intentions.

Melisandre smirked unfeelingly at her and said, "It will all be over soon, Princess." Shireen blanched in fear at her words. She balked tried to run. The guards dragged her to the pyre and tied her up to it as she screamed.

Shireen screamed, "Where's my father? No! You can't do this, father! Where are you?!" Stannis stood there just watching from the crowd like a coward as his daughter panicked in fear.

Shireen repeatedly screams, "Let me see my father! Where are you, please?!"

Selyse standing next to him, smiled like a lunatic in a trance saying, "It's what the Lord wants. It's a good thing. A great thing." He looked over at her and back to the pyre.

Melisandre shouts out over the snow storm, "The year is now, my Lord! For you we offer up this girl, that you may cleanse her with your fire and that its light may lead our way!" Shireen is terrified screaming. Lyra is creeping up slowly.

Selyse was still in a delusional smiling state saying, "If we don't act then we'll all starve here all of us, but if we make this sacrifice…"

Melisandre yells out over Shireen's terrified screaming, "Accept this token of our faith, my lord and lead us from the darkness! Lord of Light please show us the way!"

Shireen screamed on her fanatical mother's dead ears, "Mother, please mother! Mother, please mother!"

Selyse said detached, "I can't."

Stannis grabbed her arm digging his fingers into her flesh and growled, "There's no other way. She has King's blood."

Melisandre shouts out, "Lord of Light protect us, for the night is dark and full of terrors!"

Shireen screamed louder, "Mother, don't do this please! Please help! Don't do this! Please, father! Mother, help!" Lyra was very close concealed in the heavy snow coming down. She aimed her arrow at Melisandre's torch forearm.

Melisandre goes to light the pyre. Selyse breaks away from Stannis' grip, runs towards the pyre and is stopped by Stannis' men.

Lyra let go of the arrow that pierced through Melisandre's arm dropping the torch on her own hair and clothes. The Red Priestess saw Lyra's face under the hood of fur and screamed out, "You! I saw you in the flames!" She then starts screaming and rolling in the snow to put out the fire.

Lyra slices the ropes on Shireen's wrists. Throws her bodily over her shoulder and runs into the heavy snow falling.

Stannis is in shock and shouts out to the guards to find his daughter and the other person. Selyse was horrified that it all went wrong and she was too weak in her faith and caused it to happen. Stannis is conflicted and enraged at someone taking his sacrifice to success. He himself charges off into the snow to get his sacrifice back. Yes, not his daughter, his sacrifice, while Melisandre was still in the snow dousing the last of the flames to cool the burns she was suffering. She remembered the woman from the flames. She kept seeing the woman as a revenant spirit helping her Red God R'hllor. He was presenting to her this woman, but she didn't know why.

Selyse said in a panic, "Oh, no… it's my lack of faith that did this." She stood up, took a rope to the nearest tree and hung herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lyra is running in zig zags through the heavy snow and said, "I wish that Shireen and I were at my camp." They disappeared and instantly reappeared at the camp.

She said out loud, "I wish that my camp was completely invisible to Stannis and his men."

She put down Shireen and brushed off the snow on them both. Lyra told the men to all stay in camp because they were all invisible at the moment. She led Shireen into her tent that was warmer with a brazer burning brightly. She took off Shireen's coat and magically made a warm bath appear with steam coming off of it. The child had the wooden stag in her grip still not letting go of it. Lyra dropped her fur coat and took off all her weapons and boots. The child was traumatized not saying a word.

Lyra said softly to her, "It's going to be alright little one, I'll help you take a hot bath and get warm clothes and food for you. You're very safe with me, child. Ser Davos is even here too. I took him into my camp yesterday. You can see him tomorrow, ok?" She got her clothes off, into the hot bath and bathed her to warm her up from head to toe. The child was very cold and scared, not doing anything but looking ahead of her in a daze gripping that wood carving in the water.

Once Lyra got Shireen out of the tub, dried off, dried her hair and got her dressed in heavy warm clothing, she made two hot bowls of venison stew appear on the table. There was also hot tea with honey and a couple hunks of crusty bread. Lyra sat next to Shireen at the table, with her arm wrapped around her and started to eat.

Lyra said softly to her, "Come on, sweet girl, I need you to eat something to warm your insides up." Shireen slowly picked up the spoon and put a spoonful in her mouth. Her mouth exploded with flavor. She began eating heartily.

Shireen whispered in between bites, "It tastes very good. We have been eating horses for two weeks now." Lyra kissed her head holding her arm around her still.

Lyra said softly, "It's all my cooking here. My soldiers and guards love when I cook for them as we camp. I am really good at hunting to find game. Rabbits, deer, boars and even fish are all in my favorite recipes."

Shireen said sadly, "The camp hadn't had much luck in finding animals. The horses were freezing to death and starving. They had nothing to eat with all the snow."

After they ate, Lyra took a warm bath while Shireen laid down on the pallet covered with furs looking out into the tent at nothing in particular holding her stag. Once Lyra was dressed in warm clothes, had made the tub vanish. She laid down with Shireen, behind her covered in blankets and furs. Lyra gathered her up into her arms and had the little girl's head on her chest and shoulder. She was petting her hair and holding her tight to her body.

Shireen asked sadly and meekly, "Are you going to be my mother now?"

Lyra kissed her head squeezing her gently and said, "Yes, if it alright with you. I will be your mother now. I'm Lady Bear Lyra Mormont of Bear Island. You will never want for love, affection, freedom and the courage to be the beautiful woman you will become. I have three little children, five, four and one name days old. We all live with a big white lioness who are with my husband, Lord Jorah Mormont on Bear Island at home. I came here to save you. You will come live with us until you're old enough to rule over Storm's End, my lovely little girl. You can read all the books you want, learn everything you wish and be my darling girl from now on. It will be different from how you have lived before, but hopefully better. You will never have to be alone or want for more love ever again in your life as long as I live. I promise." Shireen started crying hysterically in a heartbreaking way as Lyra comforted her, until the girl fell asleep exhausted.

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In the morning they packed up everything and Lyra led the entire group headed to Winterfell. Davos had come to Shireen that morning with two guards to break their fast. She had shown him that she had the stag with her always. He grabbed the little girl and cried that it meant so much to her.

Shireen asked him sadly in a whisper, "Why did my father and mother try to burn me to death? I don't understand."

Lyra watched with a frown as Davos wrapped her in his arms and said, "I don't understand it either, little one. I would never have let him without a fight. I think that was why he sent me away to get me away from stopping him. The Red Priestess told him it was the only way to be king, I guess. They were all doing her bidding. Lady Lyra and I will never let anyone do anything like that to you again. As a knight, I will be your sworn shield and die before anyone can harm you." Davos looked up to Lyra. She nodded in agreement with what he said. He smiled hugging Shireen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they got closer to Winterfell with Stannis at her back following a day behind them, Lyra noticed a tall blonde woman appearing stepping out of the woods. Lyra approached her.

Lyra said to her kindly, "I know why you are here, Brienne of Tarth. I am a greenseer. Stannis is a day behind us going to try to commit suicide by attacking Winterfell with 1,500 men. He deserves to die more than for the murder of his brother Renly with blood magic by the red witch. He tried to murder his only daughter by burning her at the stake alive. The most heinous of his crimes is his fanatical greed and ambition to be king by any means necessary. I have taken his daughter from him and spared her that kind of pain and horror. Take his head and meet us at Winterfell to get warm by the hearth with a full belly. I am Lady Lyra Mormont of Bear Island." She put out her hand. Brienne was stunned at how friendly, capable and direct this woman was.

Brienne shook her hand and said, "Thank you Lady Mormont. I will see you soon when my task is done."

Lyra said, "Just ask for me. My dear friends the Stark's are like family to me. They will bring you inside no problem. I will notify them that you're coming. Can I provide you with anything to ease your comfort?"

Brienne said smiling shyly, "You wouldn't happen to have a rabbit or two?"

Lyra put up her finger, went back to the horses and came back with a bag of vegetables and a mutton shank. She handed it to Brienne. Brienne looked inside and smiled at Lyra.

Brienne said bowing, "Thank you, my lady. You have been most helpful and kind."

Lyra said, smiling at her, "Anytime, Lady of Honor and Oath." That made Brienne smile big at the woman's respectfulness when they had never even met before. Lyra waved at her and mounted up with Shireen in front of her on the saddle. She wrapped her arms around Shireen from behind and kissed her head making the little girl smile. The girl hadn't wanted to be very far from her since she saved her. They rode on to Winterfell.