CHAPTER 4

A hunt had begun for the direwolf that attacked Joffrey and bit his hand so he told his mother.

A soldier said, The wolf's not here. Look down by the stream."

Arya was hidden from everyone telling her direwolf to leave. She said softly, "You've got to go. They'll kill you for what you almost did to Joffrey. Go on... run. Go! Leave now!"

Another soldier said, "It's a direwolf."

The first soldier said, "I'll check down here."

The second soldier said, "I think I heard a noise."

Arya said urgently, "Go!"

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Jory came up to Ned outside and said, "My lord! My lord! They found her. She's unharmed."

Ned asked, "Where is she?"

Jory Cassel said, "She's been taken directly before the King."

Ned demanded, "Who took her?"

Jory said, "The Lannister soldiers found her."

Ned snarled, "Right, get back."

Jory said following him, "The Queen ordered them to bring her straight to her. They have Lyarra already." Ned growled.

Ned shouted angry, "Back! Back to the inn. All back!" He was angry they took his children and didn't say a word to him.

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Now back at the Inn where everyone is staying. Ned comes pushing through the soldiers into the room they are all in. Arya runs to Ned.

Arya said pleading, "I'm sorry."

Ned asked looking at Lyarra across from him being physically held by two soldiers, "Are you hurt?" Lyarra shook her head no and jerked free from them holding her and glared at them.

Arya said, "No."

Ned said, touching Arya's face, "It's all right."

Ned growled, "What is the meaning of this? Why were my daughters not brought to me at once or notify me?"

Cersei snarled, "How dare you speak to your King in that manner?"

Robert snapped then said apologetically, "Quiet, woman. Sorry, Ned. I never meant to frighten the girls. But we need to get this business done quickly."

Cersei sneered, "Your girls and that butcher's boy attacked my son. That animal of hers nearly tore his arm off."

Arya said outoud, "That's not true! She just... was going to but Lyarra stopped her. Nymeria never even touched him. He was hurting Mycah."

Cersei said, threateningly, "Joffrey told us what happened. You and that boy beat him with clubs while you set your wolf on him."

Arya shouted, "That's not what happened!"

Joffrey spat, "Yes it is! They all attacked me and she *pointing at Lyarra* threw my sword in the river."

Arya shouted, "Liar!"

Joffrey shouted back, "Shut up!"

Robert shouted, "Enough! He tells me one thing, she tells me another. Seven hells! What am I to make of this? Where's your other daughter, Ned?" Lyarra couldn't believe this farce and nobody asked her what happened yet as the only adult.

Ned said flatly, "In bed asleep."

Cersei said motherly, "She's not. Sansa, come here, darling." Lyarra rolled her eyes and saw how the queen was being blatantly manipulative to Sansa.

Robert said condescendingly, "Now, child... Tell me what happened. Tell it all and tell it true. It's a great crime to lie to a King."

Sansa looked at everyone in the room but avoided Lyarra's eyes and said, "I don't know. I don't remember. Everything happened so fast. I didn't see."

Arya shouted, "Liar! Liar liar liar!"

Sansa shouted, "Arya!"

Ned growled, "Stop it! That's enough of that."

Arya was so angry shouting, "Liar liar liar!"

Lyarra shouted, "Stop! Arya!"

Cersei sneered, "She's as wild as that animal of hers. I want her punished!"

Robert sneered at her, "What would you have me do, whip her through the streets? Damn it, children fight. It's over."

Cersei said hatefully, "Joffrey will bear these scars for the rest of his life."

Lyarra asked shocked, "Scars? From what when he landed on the ground and probably got cut on a rock after I took his sword away from him? He had the sword at Arya's throat saying he was going to gut her and called her a bitch and a cunt when she stepped between them to defend the butcher's boy. Or did he cut himself when I made Nymeria sit after smacking her nose to make her stand down because he was threatening Arya and the boy? The direwolf never even touched him. I was watching them the whole time from a small distance and the boy was playing with Arya peacefully. They both had silly little sticks as swords and chased each other having fun. Your son and Sansa walked up and it escalated. I ran up in time to take the sword out his hand and yes, I threw it in the river because he had it at my sister's throat. Untrained boys have no business threatening people with weapons until they are trained properly to use them!"

Robert said with ridicule, "You let that girl disarm you?" He turned to Ned and said, "See to it that your daughters are disciplined. I'll do the same with my son."

Ned said stoically, "Gladly, your Grace."

Cersei stomping her foot, "And what of the direwolf? What of the beast that savaged your son?"

Robert said, "I'd forgot the damned wolf."

The soldier said, "We found no trace of the direwolf, your Grace."

Robert went to walk out, "So be it."

Cersei said nastily, "We have another wolf. You Stark's, do you know how to behave once out of the North, do you?"

Robert said flippantly, "As you will."

Ned said not believing him, "You can't mean it."

Robert said frustrated, "A direwolf's no pet. Get them a dog. They will be happier for it."

Sansa pleaded, "He doesn't mean Lady, does he? No no, not Lady! Lady didn't bite anyone! She's good!"

Lyarra spat menacingly, "Don't you dare, those creatures didn't even touch that violent brat!" Lyarra went out of the room. Cersei was about to explode.

Arya shouted, "Lady wasn't there! You leave them alone!"

Sansa pleaded, "Stop them. Don't let them do it. Please! It wasn't any of the animals!"

Ned looked at Robert angry at him, "Is this your command... your Grace?"

Cersei asked, "Where is the beast?"

The soldier said, "Chained up outside, your Grace."

Cersei sneered, "Ser Ilyn, do me the honor."

Ned said angry, "No. Jory... Take the girls to their tents and check on Lyarra. If it must be done, then I'll do it myself."

Cersei nastily said, "Is this some trick?"

Ned snapped, "The wolves are of the north. They deserve better than a butcher."

Once outside, before Ned lays to rest the direwolf. Ned asked walking up to The Hound, "The butcher's boy... You rode him down?"

Sandor said flatly, "He ran... Not very fast." Ned knew this was wrong, all wrong.

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Lyarra quickly grabbed everything in bags in her tent. It was all together and she knew something like this was bound to happen. She was glad her horse was still saddled. She snuck out and hurriedly tied everything on the saddle. She went to Ned's tent and tossed in her letter she had written before in case something like this happened. She went straight into the woods. She got far enough out, mounted, putting on her black cowl cloak and started running the horse as fast as she could heading northeast towards White Harbor. They were south of Moat Cailin traveling along the water of The Bite. She got as far away as possible pushing her stallion hard to put distance between them and the Lannister soldiers.

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Ned went to the place where the direwolf was chained and Lady remained. He was glad Lyarra had the sense to give BenJen Moonlight before she left. He felt it, she was gone. He ran to her tent where everything was gone, then to where the horses were and her stallion was gone. He sighed standing there defeated for a while and saddened by her having to leave, but understood why. She was right all along and he slowly went back to the pen walking slowly. He figured he would give her as much of a headstart to find a hiding place.

Ned killed the direwolf, Lady, instantly and as painlessly as possible on the King's orders. It wasn't fair to his children what Robert did to them because his son was a liar and his wife a vengeful woman. Sansa wouldn't say anything and Lyarra the adult told the truth as did Arya and they killed that completely innocent boy on a lie by their son. Sansa's innocent pup died for nothing. Lyarra was right all along. This was going to be a nightmare job and trying to keep his children safe. He walked slowly to tell the king that his daughter had left. Lyarra had an hour head start.

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Lyarra is riding by and she finds a cave among the rocks. It was disguised by large boulders in front of it and heavy vine growth covering the entrance. It was big enough to fit her horse inside. She lit a candle and went inside looking around. Nothing was living in it. There were old dilapidated ancient crates lining the walls with debris and it was musty. She brought her horse inside and sat at the entrance behind the scrub. After a while of leaning against the rough stone wall entry, lightly sleeping, Lyarra heard horses coming. Sure enough, it was the Lannister soldiers. She watched them looking and riding by looking around but passing by rather quickly because the cave was unnoticed. She estimated about six soldiers. They probably sent another small contingent north to Moat Cailin too. She just leaned back and rested for now.

After several hours, she saw the contingent detachment moving off heading north just like she thought to meet up with the others headed to Moat Cailin. The sun was up, so Lyarra lit the candle again and started looking around inside the cave curious of the rotted debris. She started looking inside the crates that were so rotted they fell apart in her hands. She found rotted bags and burlap sacks all decayed.

Once she moved the debris aside on a pile, she gasped because she found an old skeleton in the back placed against the wall with its clothes rotted. She searched the rotted clothes and found a looking glass she remembered called 'Myrish Eyes', two rings and three chains of gold chains with a key and a strange small 3x3 wooden box on it like a pendant. There was also a dirty old set of valyrian steel daggers, a longsword and a rotted purse of coins on it. She put it all together and set it aside and went through the crates and found tons of gold coins, silver coins and cut gemstones. She opened up the little box and found it black inside. She turned it upside down and gold and silver coins spilled out mixed with cut gemstones and gold and silver nuggets. She was grinning from ear to ear and dumped it all back in. She stuck her finger inside of it and it never came out the other side but disappeared.

Lyra stopped to eat and gave the horse some carrots and apples she had in her food stash. When she finished, she lit another candle and got busy counting. When she was done, she counted 81,550 gold dragon coins and 53,421 silver moon coins. She dumped all of the coins and gemstones into the box with the coin. Lyarra smiled and thought how fortunate she was to find all that money. She wanted to go to Braavos. They couldn't reach her there.

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Ned Stark had found Lyarra's note when he was packing up the next morning on the floor of his tent. It said……

'Father,

If you're reading this letter, something went terribly wrong, I had to leave or flee to safety and couldn't go all the way with you to King's Landing. I know these craven people would do something terrible just not specifically. I just hope it was above The Neck because once below it could be almost impossible to run. I love you, always remember that and thank you for your love and teachings. I was very mad at you not doing what I wanted you to do, but you are your own man. I must respect that.

Please tell Sansa and Arya that I love them both dearly and left you this letter to make sure you tell them that for me. I pray we will see each other again. I will pray for all three of you and for your safety every day you are in that horrible place. Don't trust anyone father, think of every one of them readying a dagger to kill you as soon as you turn your back as in royalty, nobility, soldiers and even the small folk. Please believe me and be careful.

With All of My Love To You All,

Lady Lyarra Stark of Winterfell

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Ned hung his head and went to tell Arya and Sansa.

Arya cried out, "I want to go with her and now it's too late! It's all your fault Sansa! You deserve to lose Lady for lying! Lyarra told the truth and would have lost Moonlight for it in payment if she hadn't gave him to Uncle BenJen! Mine ran away all because of you and that lying rat of a prince! Micah is dead too because you lied! Lyarra can never come back now! I love her more!"

Sansa said upset, "I didn't want Lyarra to have to run away. I'm sorry. I love her too."

Ned said, "Lyarra told the truth anyway and the queen wanted all a direwolf dead. I don't think it would have mattered now. They were angry at me for letting her run away and have two detachments going to Moat Cailin and around The Bite looking for her." Ned was glad she was out of this and stayed safe. He couldn't understand why Robert was angry that Lyarra ran away and had the soldiers pursue her. She wasn't his daughter or a prisoner. He thought, 'Curious?'

Arya said angrily, "I hope they never find her. She is smart enough to get away from them. I know it. Lyarra is the smartest person I know. Those soldiers are dumb and they are gonna miss her right under their noses."

Sansa said, "I'm going to pray for her to get far away from their reach."

Ned said sadly, "I will too. Let's get everything ready to go now."

They finished packing up their belongings and were on the road. Arya decided not to talk to Sansa anymore during the rest of the trip for the next fortnight because she was angry from her lies, the way she moons over that craven lying Joffrey. She determined that Sansa was the cause for Lyarra having to run off. The silent treatment drove Sansa crazy.