Warning: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire, nor this Story.

This story deserves to be available for readers to read. This Story was removed, it deserved to be available, Original Author is Blackwolf2019 as i don't own this story or its work.

Comments and everything below is from the OA.

Chapter 18: Even the Dead can cause suffering

Hope you all enjoy, feel free tae comment as always!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Arya

Harry Arryn's execution by Jon was something the Northmen had been happy to see. He'd turned a trial by combat into an execution by the Old Way. And the Vale and Rivermen were honour bound to obey the outcome. Arya and Jon doubted they would keep their word on that matter. The Northmen had just killed the Lord of the Vale, for all that he was using Sansa and threatening the North. Lord Baelish had a mixture of fury annoyance and nervousness on his face as her brother proved himself the King in the North. It was beautiful. He wasn't the only one that was displeased. The Vale Lords were not happy at all as Lord Arryn's head rolled onto the field as her sister made fake wails of grief. Her sister made a great mummer, the Vale and Rivermen seeming to believe every tear. Arya knew better though. Every tear was either fake or a tear of joy. Sansa Stark wanted that outcome. And sadly, she wanted to stay with the Lords of the Vale and Riverlands. Arya had seen the hurt on Jon's face as she made her claims that she would never return to Winterfell and that his offer to take her home was meaningless.

"I don't need to hear a bastard give me absolution for being married to an Arryn. It should have been you dead on the floor!"

Arya had told him any word she said against us would be a lie, a mummer's farce to make the Southerners believe her for whatever plans she had. But the words seemed to shock him briefly as the Lords of the Vale formed up around her, the widowed Lady of the Vale. That shock had only been for a moment, ending as Jon growled and sent for the soldiers to get the Wights. That had brought the fake tears and shouts of war to silence. The Vale and Rivermen had been terrified at the sight. It was a hard thing to see them, and impossible to call it a trick when Jon cut a leg off one and it kept moving. Littlefinger had no response for what had been placed in front of him. For a moment at least.

"You may reconsider our offer when you realise you need allies."Baelish had said, trying to regain that easy-going façade.

Val had responded harshly to him."We're not after allies. There's enough Dragon Glass to kill the others for the Northern army. What we're telling you to stay out of our way or you'll be looking like that."

Most of the Lords present had seemed fine with that.They probably want us all dead after this.All but two Lords had offered and insisted on aid. Lord Blackwood and his force of five hundred men, mostly archers, had decided to come North. And Lord Royce was to send his Robar, his second born and five hundred as well. The rest of his forces were to stay South until he could send more. Those two houses were of the First Men. And the wolves had trusted their words so Jon and the Northmen had accepted. And now they were riding for the Moat, to wait for the forces of the Vale to leave and the extra support to come.

Jon was looking slightly pensive as they rode.

"You know she was just playing a farce, don't you?" Arya asked him.

Jon nodded and smiled. "Aye, Arya. I know. She reminded me of words said a long time ago. Words that don't bother me anymore."

She remembered how the term bastard had affected him when he was younger. It was good that he didn't care about those words anymore.He's always been my brother. I'm glad those words no longer harm you.

Jon then started to grin. Wolfish to the core. "I was more surprised that she wanted to stay with them. I could barely stand most of them."

"They'll probably hate you more now that you've made them keep the Wights." Val said lightly as she rode up beside Ghost.

Arya could hear some of the group start to snigger at that. Arya started to laugh as well.

Jon grinned. "I'm sure they can keep them under control. Something to make Baelish nervous about if he ever comes North."

The Northmen started to laugh louder as they rode nearer to the Moat. The group was enjoying themselves after seeing the fight. Great Jon Umber and Harrion Karstark had been pleased to see the King was a fighter. And the Northmen in general had been happy to see the Vale Lords punished in some form for not fighting with Robb.And what better way than to kill their liege Lord?Arya thought as she rode. Then she felt something from Nymeria. Looking to her she was on alert. Jon had must have felt the same from Ghost. The wolves in the pack were all alert. Jon motioned for the group to stop.

"Everyone close in. Someone's after us out there." Jon said firmly.

The Northmen all followed suit. They all formed up, unsheathing their weaponry as they waited. The wolf pack had made a strong formation around the horses, sniffing out for threats. Arya listened for something. She could hear the winds. Through Nymeria she could smell people watching them in the woods that marked the border between the marshes of the Neck and the fields of the North.

The silence was broken by a Northman shouting up front. Running towards them and shaking his hands.

"Ambushers! They mean to kill you!"

The Northman's voice was cut short as an arrow pierced his throat, sending the Northman to the ground. Blood spurted out of his throat as he died. Jon snarled viciously.

"Shields up!" He roared to the Northmen.

Arrows started to Volley in the air. The wolves started to move and dodge them whilst the rest battered onto their shields. Whoresbane covering both himself and Arya under his. The volleys went on for a few moments before the ambushers seemed to tire of it. Instead moving out of the shadows. There were about a hundred of them, some on horse and none in any recognisable colours. Though there was one she did recognise among them.Thoros of Myr.

Arya didn't have time to shout curses at the brotherhood without banners as Jon shouted loudly, almost a howling like the wolves.

"Kill the bastards!"

It was met from a roar from the Northmen as they started to ride into them. Arya among them. This would be her first proper battle, the rest being either one on one or much smaller groups. She unsheathed Needle as she charged into the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood wasn't any real match for her as she made quick stabs at their necks as Nymeria and the pack hammered into them.

"Winterfell!" She shouted as she stabbed one that thought to knock her off her horse. She kept doing the same with each and every one, parrying quickly and getting past their defences as they made strikes and thrusts at her. It was short work for the Northmen. The brotherhood had skill but nothing compared to the Northern Lords and soldiers, all veterans in some form. Arya smiled as she made her way through the brotherhood and Nymeria at her side. How she imagined it since Nymeria came into her life. It was becoming a massacre for Brotherhood.

To the right, Arya could see Great Jon Umber and Whoresbane Umber brutally hacking at their attackers with their Great swords with the soldiers. They looked furious at the attack. Harrion Karstark and Sigorn were both defending their sister as they fended off the attackers. Alys was holding a knife behind her brothers. She was stabbing any that were trying to come near their horse. Jon looked like Theon the hungry as he rode into them, gutting them where they stood with Long claw, Widow's Wail at his back. Val was much the same as her knives cut through them all while the wolves were tearing at them.

Arya and the group made short work of their attackers, leaving only five that had surrendered. Before meeting their captives, she went to see who had warned them. Looking at the dead man she realised it was Harwin. The one who had chosen to stay with the brotherhood, wanting to protect the smallfolk. She felt a wave of sadness at him. He'd wanted to save them before the brotherhood could do anything. Arya closed his eyelids for him and muttered a silent prayer.All men must die but it is all the sadder when they were trying to do right.

Arya turned ice cold as she made her way to the captives. Jon and the Northern Lords looked angry. The wolves were snarling. Ghost and Nymeria especially. They almost looked rabid. Only two Northmen had been killed and four had been injured. And five members of the brotherhood were captive. Thos that were left were being dragged to the front, Thoros among them. One was hooded. Ghost and Nymeria seemed to be snarling most at the hooded one as Arya took her place beside Jon, Val and the Lords. Jon was snarling at Thoros.

"Red Priest."

Arya heard Jon spit the words with rage.

Thoros, a usually jovial man from her memories, looked uncomfortable in Jon's presence.

"You've met one before?" He asked nervously.

Jon growled. "A priestess, tried to burn a girl alive. I cut her head off."

Thoros' darker skin paled.

"Who ordered this?!" Sigorn shouted angrily. Bronze dagger in hand.

Thoros went silent. Karstark punched him.

"Answer the question!" He yelled.

They were answered by a pained rasp from the hooded one. It was only a single word. A woman's voice.

"Usurper."

The wolves had started to snarl much louder at the woman. Val unhooded her, revealing her mother. Arya took a step back.You died with Robb.

The Northern lords all looked shocked. Val and Sigorn looked confused at the reaction. Her mother looked at her in a sparing, unimpressed glance then stared hatefully at Jon. Her mother's face had turned bitter. She could see age lines, a scowl at her lips and bits of skin that didn't look fresh. It looked dry and dead in some places. Her hair looked much the same. Looking further down she could see her neck, slit to the bone. It was pulsating with blood dripping. It wasn't natural. Jon was staring at her mother solemnly.

"But your mother died at the wedding." Great Jon said, shock evident in his voice.

"Red priests can bring people back from the dead."

Arya said as she looked at her mother. Her mother turned and gave another unimpressed stare at her. She felt uncomfortable under it.

Thoros nodded, "Beric gave his own life for hers after Harwin asked. Though he clearly regretted it. She was too far gone in my eyes."

"A Red Priest can't properly bring someone to life." Jon said quietly.

Her mother sent more pained rasps towards Jon.

"Oath Breaker."

"Usurper."

"Traitor."

Lady Catelyn's hateful words got angrier with each word.Did you think this of him before? Was it more than coldness?Arya questioned sadly as she looked at her mother. If she could be called that.

"Murderer."

"Thief."

"Bastard."

More blood was oozing from the slit throat as the words became more spiteful. Jon didn't flinch. He just looked at her with solemn grey eyes as the wolves snarled.He doesn't care at all what she says anymore. He's just judging her actions now. All Men must die and Jon won't tolerate someone who tried to kill us.

Why did you do it?Arya thought as she looked sadly at her mother. She'd had a cruel fate done to her at the Red Wedding. And now a crueller one brought back like this.I want you to turn back to how I remember you, even if you tried to kill Jon.

In her sadness she almost didn't see the knife her mother had hidden, thrusting up to attack Jon. He and the wolves were quick to see it but Arya was nearer to her mother as she used needle to deflect the knife. Arya didn't realise she had countered until she had taken Needle out of her mother's chest. Arya moved herself away in horror as she realised, she'd done it. Her mother looked surprised for a moment as she started to fall forward in pain. Blood was oozing more out of her throat at another pained rasp.

"Traitor."

Her mother had placed her hand over the bleeding wound. Her other hand on the ground as she bent over, trying not to die. Arya couldn't look away as her mother' face looked up, staring bitterly between Jon and her. Then she heard Jon's furious snarl and the sound of steel unsheathing. Jon had unsheathed Longclaw and swung his sword cleanly at her mother's head. It dropped quickly, leaving separated blood and puss.

"The blood's thick. She's been long dead on the inside." Sigorn stated glumly.

Arya barely heard it as she felt Jon embrace her in a tight hug after ordering the body burnt. She sobbed for her dead mother.All men must die but it doesn't stop the pain.

Hope you liked the chapter. To any that would expect the crannogmen tae have dealt wae them before this. They took out about half of the brotherhood that had been hidden before the ambush. Lady Stoneheart didn't know that until they started tae attack.

I felt that arya stabbing stoneheart in the heart would be a good choice, dealing the killing blow tae someone she doesn't want to. Also felt like Jon would be furious that catelyn would put arya in that position. And he cut the head as both an execution and fir everyone tae see it as him that did the killing blow.

If anyone has any questions, feel free tae ask

we'll be going south fir a bit now in the next two chapters.