Chapter 2231: 25
Summary:
Catelyn reflects on her actions.
Tyrion finds out about Jaime's secrets
Arya continues on her journey south
Notes:
Thanks to GOT88 for the help provided with this story.
Chapter Text
The Lady of Winterfell
Lady Catelyn was sitting on a wooden bench in the small Sept of Winterfell. Her husband had this Sept built especially for her upon her arrival but it had never felt the same as the beautiful one back at home in Riverrun. She did her best in this small Sept, she lit her candles and prayed but sometimes she wondered if her gods could even hear her all the way in the North.
Septa Mordane and Sansa were also with her in the Sept and they were all praying silently. She prayed to the Father for he was responsible for justice. In the weeks following the council, Catelyn had been unable to control her nerves. She had been barely eating and when she did eat, it was only in the confines of her room. Catelyn had not been to the great hall in weeks. She only left her room to head to the Sept and she spent many of these cold nights restlessly tossing and turning, searching for sleep that never came. She had bags forming under her eyes and her skin was looking paler than normal. The fate of her family was in the hands of a boy who hated her and her family.
Catelyn knew that she shared some of the blame for this because she had treated the boy poorly, but how was she to know that he was her husband's nephew and not bastard son ? How was she to know that this boy would go on to become a dragon rider? How was she to know that he would have the power to enact a terrible revenge on her family? She grew up in the faith of the Seven and she had learned to not trust natural born children. They were to be separated from trueborn children and Catelyn had abided by her faith.
Her family would be destroyed all because she couldn't love a motherless child. She knew that her father and uncle would not sit ideally by and let Jon take away their lands, titles and positions so they would have to go to war. She remembered the size of the dragons at the council and she was no fool, if those dragons took to the sky then it would be almost impossible to defeat them. Catelyn needed Jon to show mercy on her family otherwise they would be destroyed.
Although, she did not see what else she could have done at the time , no woman in Westeros would have raised their husband's bastard amongst her own children. Not one woman would have treated him any differently and if they said otherwise , they would they were lying. Maybe if Ned had actually told her the truth she would have treated him differently. It hurt that Ned could not trust her with the truth, especially after all their years of marriage.
At first, their relationship had been difficult and how could it not be? She was not supposed to marry Ned, she was supposed to marry Brandon and she had gotten to know him well.
In contrast, she did not know Ned at all, she had only met him on the day of their wedding. After their rushed marriage in Riverrun, they had spent two weeks together in Riverrun and then Ned had rode off south to war, giving her nothing but a son in her womb . She had carried Robb for nine months whilst Ned warred in the South and she had spent many months wondering if he would ever get to hold his son. Thankfully, her husband had returned but to her surprise he had brought home a bastard.
Catelyn knew how the world worked, she knew that men often fathered bastards when they were at war. But she did not expect her husband to keep the boy, nor did she expect him to be so protective over him. Catelyn took this as a sign that he had loved the boy's mother so fiercely that he would never love her in the same way and this hurt. She had worked hard to find out who this mystery women was. Catelyn had heard of the rumors from the Tourney of Harrenhall and she thought that Ashara Dayne was the boy's mother but she had been wrong and Ned's reaction to her inquiry had deterred her from guessing again.
If only Ned had told her who his mother was, she would have treated him better. Perhaps, it was her own jealousy that her husband loved another so much that he insisted on raising her child amongst his own. To make matters worse, he even looked more like a Stark than her own trueborn children! That served to further fuel her jealousy and paranoia that one day, he would come and try to take what belonged to her children. This jealousy made her angry and she took her anger out on him and it had backfired and now it looked like it would cause the downfall of her family.
It was not part of her duty as a wife to care for her husband's bastard, yet this had put her family in danger anyway.
Catelyn opened her eyes and silently walked over to the corner of the Sept devoted to the Mother. She lit a candle and then she slowly fell to her knees and closed her eyes in prayer, she prayed to the Mother to ask for mercy on her family. They were still awaiting the response to their raven and Catelyn had been so nervous that she had sent three copies of the letter to ensure that Jon would get it, now all she had to do was wait.
Waiting was difficult and Catelyn could not keep her mind focused. Her thoughts constantly turned to Ned and Robb who had ridden south. Ned had told her that he planned to bend the knee to Jon and he would be going without her. She understood why her husband had left her behind, if she and Jon met again there was a chance the meeting would go badly once more and Catelyn did not want to risk that. Catelyn hoped that this act would be enough to save her family. She had already lost Lysa, she did not want to lose Edmure or her father and uncle
Robb was certain that Jon would not go to war against him, but he could not promise the same for her family in Riverrun.
Catelyn then slowly stood up and moved to the altar of the Warrior and knelt underneath the painted marble image. She lit a candle for Edmure, Uncle Brynden and her father, she prayed for the Warrior to watch over and protect them if they needed to go to battle. If they needed to go to battle, then s he prayed that the Warrior would keep them safe.
Septon Chayle entered the Sept, he was a young and cheerful man and he tried to lift her spirits with his rich and pleasant voice. However, Catelyn found herself thinking of Septon Osymnd, the Septon in Riverrun when she was just a girl. He spoke in thin and quavering tones and he would know what to do, he would help her in this crisis. But Septon Osymnd was dead now and he was unable to help her through this crisis.
Her family was in danger and yet there was nothing she could do to help them, all she could do was wait and pray. Ned had gone South to bend the knee, hopefully that act will help to convince Jon to show mercy on her family, Catelyn shuddered to think what would happen if they had to go to war. She had seen his dragons, they were fearsome beasts and she was not sure if any man or army could defeat them in battle.
Once the Septon finished singing his hymns, Catelyn slowly rose to her feet and straightened out her skirts. She decided to head to the rookery in the Maester's tower to see if a raven from Jon had arrived. She quickly walked outside and entered the castle courtyard, she looked up and she saw the sun straining to break through the thick grey clouds. A cold wind blew across and Catelyn hurried towards her destination.
As she made her way to the rookery, she passed by the entrance to the crypts. In all her years at Winterfell, she had never gone down there and why should she? It was a place that the Starks buried their dead, it was a place where she did not belong.
Yet, Catelyn felt herself slowly being drawn towards the solid ironwood door. The door was tall and intimidating but surprisingly it opened easily. Catelyn stood at the top of the stone stairs to the crypts and took a long deep breath. She reached to her left and took a lantern that had been left on the side and then she descended down the stairs.
The door swung shut behind her and the sounds of the outside world were gone and only then was Catelyn aware of how eerily quiet it was. Every step she took seemed to echo loudly in the large cavernous underground space. She could hear her breath and it was so cold she could see it condensing in front of her. Catelyn walked slowly through the crypts and she raised her torch high in the air. The light from the lantern flickered and it made the statues look older and more unforgiving.
She walked for a short while until she stopped in front of the statue of who could only be Lyanna Stark. Catelyn looked around the statue and saw fresh blue winter roses on the floor next to her statue. She had never met Lyanna but Catelyn was sure that this statue was looking at her harshly. Her stone eyes looked cold and unforgiving and Catelyn found herself unable to hold her gaze. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes fell to the floor.
"I am sorry," she whispered. "I am sorry for the way I have treated your son, I am sorry for not giving him a home. I am sorry for not loving him," Catelyn spoke into the silence. She was ashamed to raise her head and look at Lyanna's statue. She felt tears wet her face and she broke down into sobs that wracked her body.
The fate of her family was in the hands of a child that she had neglected growing up. Catelyn knew that she was wrong for doing this and she only hoped that her mistake would not cause the demise of her family. She opened her eyes and wiped the tears from her face. She looked up at Lyanna again and found that her expression had not changed and this unsettled Catelyn. Perhaps, Jon would not have mercy on her family after all, perhaps this was what she deserved.
Catelyn heard a noise and she quickly jerked her head to the right, the noise came from further down deeper in the crypts where the old Kings of Winter were buried. Catelyn shook her head and quickly walked away from the statue of Lyanna and towards the stairs that would take her up to the surface.
She quickly hurried out of the crypts and then headed across the courtyard towards the rookery. As she climbed the stone steps to the rookery, she noticed a young man heading down the spiral stairs. He was average height and he had long jet black hair that fell down onto his shoulders and he had startling pale blue eyes that caught Catelyn by surprise.
"My Lady," he said with a small bow and Catelyn nodded her head in return. Catelyn looked at the man as he continued his descent downwards. Catelyn shook her head and continued upwards, she had not been keeping up to date with all the comings and the goings in the castle. He was probably the son of a lord or a squire, it did not matter to her.
She reached Maester Luwin's rooms below the rookery and knocked on the door. She knocked then waited. Then she knocked and waited some more. After the third knock, she pushed open the door and found that he was not in his room, this was not unusual, he had other duties to take care of in the castle. She decided to take a seat by the window and wait. It wasn't long until Maester Luwin returned.
"Lady Catelyn," he said in surprise once he entered the room "If I had known that you needed me, I would have come to you,"
"There is no need," Catelyn said quietly. "I was just waiting to see if a raven came,"
"Nothing came this morning when I checked my lady. I was summoned away to deal with another issue in the castle so perhaps one came whilst I was away," he said and Catelyn nodded eagerly. Hopefully, a letter would have arrived and all she would finally be put at ease.
She waited impatiently for him to return from the rookery and her heart fell when she saw him return.
"No raven came today," he said sadly and Catelyn swallowed nervously and she felt her stomach roll. "My Lady, I have not seen you in the halls often, are you feeling unwell?"
"It is just the nerves," she said with a fake smile.
"I understand, but my lady you need to eat. You are the Lady of Winterfell and you are still needed to help run the household," he said and Catelyn knew that he was right. She still had her duty to do but it was difficult to concentrate on that whilst her family was in danger. Then Catelyn remembered Arya, Sansa, Bran and Rickon they were still here and they still needed her.
"Something to calm my stomach would be nice," she said and she saw the Maester nod his head and he turned around to face his shelves. She watched as he quickly pulled bottles from the shelves and mixed them together, eventually he poured the mixture into a bowl and gave it to her to drink.
"This should calm your stomach," he said with a smile. Catelyn took a small sip of the silvery mixture. It tasted bitter, like dried leaves but Catelyn forced herself to take another sip, and then another. She would need her strength in the upcoming weeks, she needed to be strong for her family.
After she had finished the mixture, she pushed the bowl to the side and remained in Maester Luwin's tower for the rest of the day waiting for Jon's raven. She brushed and combed her hair, washed and changed her clothing and ate a warm bowl of mutton stew but still the waiting was hard. The sky had started to grow dark again when she heard loud knocking on the door to the rookery. She turned and was surprised to see Ser Rodrik burst into the solar, his face was red and his breathing heavy.
"Lady Catelyn, Arya is missing," he blurted out and Catelyn froze. How could this be true? She had seen last seen Arya yesterday, or was it the day before? Or was it the day before that? Catelyn was ashamed to realise that she did not remember the last time she had seen her daughter. She had been too consumed with thoughts of what was happening in Riverrun that she had neglected to think of her own children.
"Have you checked her room?" she asked as she quickly stood to her feet.
"We have, it's neat and tidy but she is not there,"
"How long has she been missing?"
"At least two days my lady. It was only this evening at dinner that Sansa commented that she had not seen her sister in days. Then, we all realised that we had not seen Arya,"
Catelyn shook her head and wrung her hands. This was all her fault, if she had been more attentive this would never have happened. She had failed her family again.
"Have you searched the castle?" she asked and he nodded.
"I am just about to lead a party out into the Wolfswood to search for her," he said.
"I will come," Catelyn said immediately.
"My lady, we will be gone for a while, we do not plan to return until the morning," he said warily but Catelyn shook her head. She could not stay here and wait any longer. She could do nothing to help Ned and Robb at the moment, but she could still help Arya.
"I will come Ser Rodrik, I will find my daughter."
The Dragon King
It was another grey, cold and windy morning on Dragonstone as Jon stood out on the balcony of their rooms at Dragonstone. He looked out at the stormy grey waters of the Narrow Sea as they angrily crashed against the beach below. They had sent the entirety of their Dothraki and a large portion of the Unsullied ahead to Maidenpool a few days prior. They would leave behind a force of 2,000 Unsullied to garrison the castle and to protect Daeron whilst they were away.
House Mooton had declared their loyalty for House Targaryen and therefore Maidenpool was the ideal landing place for their forces. From Maidenpool, they could head west towards Harrenhall and Castle Darry and then eventually, West into the Westerlands. Jon knew that eventually they would encounter Robert Baratheon, he would not sit idly in Kings Landing whilst Jon took his lands and this was something that he wanted. If Robert left the capital to face them in the field then he would not stand a chance.
Jon paused to consider what would happen if Robert didn't leave the city. They would have to siege it without the use of their dragons and whilst this would not be impossible, it would lead to an increased loss of life. The city itself was already starving and a prolonged siege would only make it worse, Jon hoped that it would not come to that.
He headed away from the balcony back inside. He was already dressed in his Valyrian steel armor as they would be flying to the Vale today to try and rally the entire Vale behind him. They already had the support of some houses such as Egen and Corbray, but Dany hoped that they could convince other Vale lords such as Lord Royce to join him. Jon hoped that without Robert present, they would be more receptive to joining their side.
Once the Vale was secure, they too would march West towards Harrenhall to meet up with their main host. Jon hoped that today their army would get even bigger. Jon had heard that Robert was a warrior and he knew that he would not back down, but the same could not be said for his men. When faced with a bigger army and three dragons, Jon expected the majority of Robert's men to flee.
"Are you ready to go?" he heard a soft voice ask. He turned and saw Daenerys standing in the doorway to her dressing room. She was dressed in her light armor that she wore to battle, Jon hoped that they wouldn't need it but he would not have her leave unprotected.
Since Tobho Mott had arrived on the island, he had designed her a new set of armor. This new chest piece was made out of metal that had been colored a very dark red, similar to the color of wine. Jon noticed that he had the bright red three headed dragon engraved into the center of the metal. It was not a full suit of armor, but it would be enough to protect the vital organs in her chest.
"Are you okay my love, is it too heavy?" he asked as he saw Dany shift the armor slightly.
"No it's fine, I'm just trying to get comfortable," she said but Jon pursed his lips.
"Can you move okay?" he asked in a concerned voice which seemed to annoy her slightly
"I'm fine Jon," she said as she did some stretches to prove her point. "I told you we would do this together, you are not going to leave me behind," she said firmly and Jon nodded, he knew he was not going to win this argument.
"Don't forget your dagger," was all he said and she nodded in return.
"Let's see Daeron and then we'll go," she said as she led the way towards the Nursery. Daeron would be staying behind with Rhaegar for today but when they were at war, it would just be Daeron and her handmaidens. Irri and Missandei had gone on ahead with Grey Worm and the Unsullied, but Doreah and Jhiqui would stay here with Daeron. It also helped that Dany trusted Margaery and Shireen who would also be staying on the island.
They headed towards the Nursery and as they approached, they heard music and singing. They pushed open the door and he was pleased to see his father on a stool playing a song for Daeron on his harp. They stood in the doorway as Daeron sat perfectly still on the floor, captivated by the song. They both stood quietly in the doorway and listened to him sing, he truly had a beautiful voice. Jon noticed that Ghost was also in the room lying down next to Daeron.
"I would love it if you sung to me like that," Dany whispered to him and Jon gave her a playful push to her shoulder. It was only when he finished singing that he noticed they were standing in the doorway.
"Are you two leaving now?" he said as put his harp on the ground.
"Yes, we'll be leaving shortly," Dany said to him. "I will return to Dragonstone today but Jon will spend some time in Maidenpool to check on our armies before returning,"
"That's good. We'll be safe," he said as he helped Daeron to his feet. Jon watched as he slowly managed a few steps towards them before Dany quickly walked forward to scoop him up.
"Mama and Papa are going away today" she said softly. "We will return later sweetling," She passed him to Jon who gently kissed him on his nose.
"Be good today my son," he whispered and Dareon gave him a puzzled, mischievous look in response. He gave him one final kiss before he put him back on the floor.
"I'll keep him safe today," Rhaegar said as Daeron slowly walked away towards Rhaegar.
"Make sure he eats properly, try and feed him some fruit as well. He likes bananas but not the peaches. He usually sleeps after he has his lunch. If the weather clears up, please try and take him outside for a while," Daenerys informed Rhaegar who just smiled at her.
"Dany I will be fine, I have raised children of my own," he said as he gently rubbed her shoulder. "Besides, I have your handmaidens who will help me, don't worry, he will be fine,"
Jon could tell that Dany was still nervous but she settled for giving Daeron one last kiss before they left the room. Jon called to Ghost who followed them through the castle and out towards the beach.
"Did you saddle Anogar?" he asked as they stepped outside. It had started to rain lightly and Jon pulled his cloak tightly around himself.
"Yes, I managed to get it on him yesterday, he took it surprisingly well," Dany said. After the disaster with the dragon armor , Tyrion had put his efforts into designing saddles for them. The saddles were made out of leather and they were quite comfortable, much more comfortable than sitting on their tough scales. The dragons were much more receptive to this design which was an added bonus. They reached the northern part of the beach and then Jon closed his eyes and called for Vedros.
He waited for a few moments before he heard a loud roar and he saw his dragon make her way gracefully through the clouds to land gently on the beach. Jon gently walked up to her and rubbed her gently on the snout, and he got a happy purr in return.
Both she and Anogar were huge and the ground trembled every time they took a step. Their eyes were bigger than his head and some of their teeth were longer than his legs. Vedros seemed to be much happier since they had discovered the clutch of eggs. She dipped her wing and Jon slowly climbed on and got himself comfortable in the saddle before he turned to look at the beach. Ghost and Vedros stared at each other for a few moments. Then, Vedros released a small puff of smoke and Ghost started to wag his tail happily. Jon chuckled at the little interaction and watched as Ghost made his way up Vedros's wing to settle in front of him.
One of the advantages of the saddle was that Ghost would be able to come with him into battle. So whenever Jon got off Vedros, Ghost would be by his side on the ground. Jon looked up and saw that Dany had mounted Anogar and she was waiting patiently for them to be ready.
"Come on girl," he whispered to Vedros who gave a loud screech before lazily taking flapping her wings and taking off. As Vedros climbed, Jon felt the wind and the rain cut into his skin like daggers so he closed his eyes and trusted that she would lead them to where he wanted to go. They climbed higher and higher until the wind started to howl loudly in his ears then suddenly it stopped.
Jon opened his eyes and he realised that they had gone through the clouds and they were now on the other side. The turbulent grey clouds had been replaced by a carpet of fluffy white ones and thankfully, the rain had stopped and the wind had quieted down.
He looked to his left and he saw Dany on Anogar who were soaring gracefully. He lazily dipped one wing into the clouds as he flew.
"Let's have a little race, girl," he said to Vedros in his mind and Vedros gave a loud roar in return . Jon smiled to himself as he felt Vedros start to beat her wings rapidly and increase her pace. Anogar gave an angry screech and Jon knew that he was up to the challenge. Anogar was slightly bigger, but Jon knew that Vedros was faster.
Vedros flew lower so she was skimming over the clouds and they were inching ahead. Anogar was not happy about it and he seemingly put on a burst of speed to take the lead again. They went back and forth for several minutes and he heard her musical laughter on the wind. Vedros started to edge ahead until suddenly Anogar gave a loud roar and dived through the clouds. Vedros quickly followed her brother through the clouds and Jon once again closed his eyes to protect his eyes from the wind.
When he opened them he was amazed by what he saw. They were now in the Vale and the mountain tops were covered in a thick blanket of snow. He saw frozen rivers and streams snaking their way through the trees down the mountain to the valley floor. Along the sides of the mountain were tall evergreen trees
Anogar took them lower and Jon noticed that he was headed towards a castle in the side of the mountain, next to a milky white river. This castle was further down the mountain and as a result, there was no snow in the courtyard. As they flew lower and lower, Jon noticed that there were several men in the courtyard and they looked like they were arguing.
Anogar flew lower and then Vedros gave out a large intimidating roar and Jon saw all the men stop and turn up towards them. Some men dropped their swords in shock and looked up in awe at the two dragons descending. As they flew lower, Jon was able to see the banner flying on the top of the castle. It was three black crows flying on a field of white carrying red hearts, the sigil of House Corbray. House Corbray had declared for them at the council.
The men slowly backed away and left the center of the courtyard clear, Jon landed first and as soon as Vedros touched the ground, Ghost jumped off and stalked around the courtyard making sure it was safe for Dany. There was just enough space in the courtyard for both dragons to land and Jon heard, and felt, Anogar land across from them.
Jon quickly climbed off Vedros who gave a low warning growl towards the men who were lined up opposite her in the courtyard.
"What is going on here?" Jon shouted "Why are you fighting?"
"King Aegon, Queen Daenerys, thank the gods that you are here," he heard a man say, Jon turned and saw that it came from Lord Lyonel Corbray who walked forwards and then fell to his knees in front of him.
"Lord Royce has come down from the Eyrie to try and bully Vale lords into supporting King Robert," he said and Jon heard Vedros give a low growl. Then, he felt the ground tremble and shake as one of the dragons took off into the sky.
"Where is Lord Royce?" he heard Dany call and he saw one man step forward. The man had grey hair and eyes the color of grey slate. He wore a thick fur coat and Jon could see his bronze armor beneath his cloak.
"Lord Royce, is it true that you are trying to rally the Vale lords to support the Usurper?" Dany asked and Jon saw the man nod in response .
"Why do you wish to fight for the Usurper? Have you not seen our dragons? You will not win this war. By fighting for the Usurper, all you are doing is sending countless men to unnecessary deaths," Dany told him.
"There would be no unnecessary deaths if you had stayed in Essos," he said bitterly and Jon frowned and shook his head.
"Lord Royce, we are asking you to do the right thing. Think of the men that are loyal to you, by fighting against us you are sending those men to their deaths. I am asking you to do the smart thing and bend the knee," Jon said and as if to prove his point he heard a loud intimidating dragon roar, it was Vedros.
Jon saw that Lord Royce did not react but several of his men behind him visibly recoiled.
"Lord Royce, why do you fight for Robert Baratheon?" Jon asked,
"My reasons are my own," he replied in a gruff voice but Jon and Daenerys both knew better.
"It's because he was raised to the position of Warden of the East by King Robert after the war in the Vale, he is doing this out of loyalty," Daenerys said and Jon nodded in agreement.
"We admire loyalty, it is one of the things that we look for in those that follow us, but loyalty has its limits," Jon said but Lord Royce shook his head.
"I will be the judge of that," he said firmly.
"What about all of you ?" Dany said as she walked past Lord Royce to speak to the men behind him
"Do you wish to fight against our dragons?"
Jon saw several of them look towards him nervously before one ginger haired man towards the end of the line bravely shook his head in no .
"What is your name?" Daenerys asked as she stepped towards him, Jon was not worried because Ghost was by her side.
"Rodwell, your grace," the man said quietly. Jon took a good look at him, he was a middle aged man and he was not even wearing armor, only boiled leather. He was no more than a common man who had been forced to join this conflict.
"Rodwell, do you wish to fight against our dragons?" Daenerys asked calmly and he saw the man shake his head again.
"No your grace,"
"Then, bend the knee and join us. We are not here to burn down your homes, we are here to help you. We have plans to improve this realm, we will build schools for your children and several other projects which will benefit the realm. All children will have the opportunity to build a better life for themselves irrespective of their birth. We have the support of the Reach and we will be able to feed you all throughout this harsh winter. Please, don't throw away your lives for a King that does not care for you," Daenerys asked and Jon watched as Rodwell slowly fell to his knees after her speech, he could not have been prouder of her in that moment.
Slowly, the rest of the men fell to their knees in front of them until it was only Lord Royce and a few others on their feet. By the looks of them, these men looked highborn, perhaps they were part of Lord Royce's family. If that was the case then, Jon knew they would follow him and copy what he did. It would be difficult to convince them.
"Lord Royce. Your men do not wish to fight for you. You cannot win, bend the knee and you will still keep your lands and your titles," Jon said to him and he saw his grey eyes look at him curiously. Jon heard Vedros roar loudly and then he saw Anogar fly low over the castle. The loud beating of his wings sounded like thunder and he released a quick blast of jet black flame into an empty part of the courtyard. His flame was so hot that Jon had to raise his hand to shield his face from the heat. Anogar gave a screech and then took off again with a loud thunderous flap of his wings. What was once a grey stone slab had been completely reduced to a charred black mass by his fire.
Jon watched with a smirk as Lord Royce's wide grey eyes stared at the scorched earth in front of him. His mouth was wide open in disbelief and he slowly shook his head from side to side. Vedros gave a roar that seemed to shake him out of his stupor because he then fell to his knees. Clearly, he had underestimated the power of their dragons.
"Thank you for making the right decision Lord Royce," Jon said calmly. "Will you be able to rally the rest of the Vale Lords behind us?"
"Yes your grace," he said quietly and Jon looked at Dany who nodded. At the council they had not shown off the strength of their dragons, perhaps they should have. Maybe a live demonstration was the best way to win these Lords to their side.
"Lord Corbray," Dany called. "We would like you to mobilize your troops and meet us around Castle Darry,"
"I have already called the banners, we are ready to march,"
" Good. How long will it take you to reach Castle Darry?" Jon asked.
"A week," he said and Jon nodded, that would be perfect, their forces should arrive around Castle Darry at that time, this was ideal.
"Good, see that it is done," Jon said firmly.
"As you command your grace," Lord Corbray said with a bow.
Jon turned towards Daenerys who gave him a nod and a smile before she looked up at the sky. Lord Royce was their main opposition in the Vale and it seemed that their dragons had cowered him into submission, now that the Vale was secured they could go back home.
The Dragon's Hand
Tyrion Lannister was starting to grow used to boats, it seemed that he spent the majority of his time travelling on them. He travelled from Kings Landing to Pentos on a boat. He travelled all the way down the Rhoyne on that small pole boat before finally taking a long voyage back to Westeros. He had grown to appreciate being on the sea, and this ship in particular was one of the more comfortable ones in their fleet. He had a large desk to sit and read at, his window was a nice size and his bed was soft and comfortable.
Asha Greyjoy led the way aboard her longship, the Black Wind as they made their way through the arbor straights towards Old Town. They should arrive at Lannisport within the fortnight. The King and Queen had given them the support of their sellswords which brought their numbers to 5,000 in total, which should be more than enough to take his father's castle. Tyrion and Jaime followed behind in another war galley, the Queen Rhaella. It was one of the warships that had been given to them by the Sealord of Braavos. It had 100 oars and two large black sails with the Targaryen sigil embroidered onto them. Asha had brought 15 longships with her and the King and Queen had spared another 5 warships of their own, the rest would remain behind. The majority of their fleet would stay and blockade Kings Landing whilst some would remain on Dragonstone to protect the island and ferry the Prince away if necessary.
Tyrion's thoughts turned from the now toddling Prince Daeron to his niece and nephew. Tyrion was eager to see Tommen and Myrcella again. He had not seen the children since he had left and he wondered how they would have grown over the years. He wondered if they would still remember him. He knew that his sister would be there, she would still remember him and likely still hate him. Still, he was not worried about Cersei just yet. She would not be expecting this attack and by the time they took the castle it would be too late for her to send for help.
Tyrion smiled to himself as he imagined taking his father's castle, the castle his father swore he would never have. It was his by rights. Tyrion had not specifically asked the King and Queen about this, but he was sure that after they had won the war, they would grant him Casterly Rock. Jaime was still a Kingsguard and Cersei was Cersei.
Although Tyrion was unsure abou t what he would do once he had Casterly Rock. As their Hand, he would naturally have to spend the majority of his time by their side in Kings Landing, he probably would not be able to spend a lot of time at the Rock . Perhaps, the best course of action would be to appoint a castellan, or better yet, he could have Tommen hold it for him.
As long as his status as a bastard did not get announced to the world, then Tyrion saw no good reason for him not to be able to hold Casterly Rock. He was part of the main Lannister line and the role will teach him responsibility. The King and Queen were already doing a similar thing with Shireen in the Stormlands.
As his thoughts turned to Shireen, he remembered the last conversation he had with the Queen about the girl. Tyrion could understand why she would object to using her in this way, but his approach was just pragmatic. It was something that he learned from his father.
His father was a cruel man, and Tyrion knew that in his mind, the ends always justifies the means. He was desperate enough to appeal to him directly for help at the council and this gave Tyrion confidence. His father had no real plan to deal with these dragons. In fact, knowing his father, he probably did not believe they existed until he saw them for himself. His father had a very unique ability to ignore the most obvious things. Like his family for example. Tyrion was sure that his father had no idea of the truth regarding Cersei's children.
His father had tried to appeal to Tyrion by saying that they were still family and they should not go to war with each other. Yet, he had been oblivious to the fact that it was his cruel actions that had sent Tyrion off on this path in the first place. If he had only treated him like a son, then he would not be in this situation. In fact, had he not brutally murdered Princess Elia and her children then he would not have to fear the dragon's wrath.
Tyrion knew that he would never forgive him for what he had done to Tysha and even taking his prized Casterly Rock from him could not replace the pain that he still felt from Tysha's loss.
Tyrion knew that his father would take his brother Ser Kevan with him to war, now that Jaime was gone, Kevan would become the person he trusted the most. Aside from Kevan, Tyrion knew that there would be a few of his uncles and cousins in Lannisport, likely Kevan's children that would stay behind to guard Lannisport and Casterly Rock.
He decided to leave his cabin to head above the deck to look for his brother, Jaime would be better suited to making the battle plans. He found Jaime alone on the prow of the ship staring into the distance, his brother had been quiet on the journey and Tyrion knew it had to do with his sister.
"Cheer up brother," he said quietly as he reached him. "We'll see our sweet sister soon and then we'll be able to put this mess behind us once and for all,"
Jaime was quiet for a few moments before he released a loud sigh.
"I haven't been thinking of Cersei lately,"
"Then what's on your mind? You're never usually this quiet," Tyrion asked and he was starting to grow concerned. If his brother was having second thoughts about this, he had to find out now and change their plans. He continued to look at Jaime who would not return his gaze.
"How well do you know the King?" he asked nervously after a few moments and Tyrion grew unsettled by his tone.
"I have worked with him for around a year now, I would say that I know him well,"
"Do you know his feelings about the Starks?" Jaime asked and Tyrion was truly unsettled now.
"He cares a lot for the children, he grew up with them after all. They are his siblings in everything but name and blood ," Tyrion began "I also think that deep down, he also cares for Lord Stark, he was a father to him for many years. I do not think he truly wishes to go to war against them,"
He saw Jaime nod slowly and continue to look out over the ocean.
"Why Jaime? Why do you want to know?" Tyrion probed and he saw his brother shift from foot to foot uncomfortably.
"What did you do Jaime?" he asked in a tired voice. He had a bad feeling about this.
"After Jon Arryn died, the King took the court to Winterfell to name Lord Stark as his Hand. I went along with Cersei and the children. Whilst we were there, Robert went out hunting with Lord Stark and some of the others and I stayed behind with Cersei. Cersei and I had the afternoon to ourselves so we hid away in some dusty broken tower,"
"And you got caught," Tyrion interrupted and he shook his head. "So Lord Stark knows about your indiscretions? Although that does not make sense, if he caught the two of you he would have told Robert and Robert would have had you both killed,"
"Well if you're quite finished interrupting me," Jaime said with a pointed look and Tyrion raised up his hand apologetically. "We were caught, but by the boy, Bran. He climbed up the side of the tower and he saw us,"
"What did you do?" Tyrion asked
"Cersei saw him first and she screamed and pointed so I quickly pulled him in and asked him what he saw. I don't think he understood what we were doing but I couldn't take any chances. I pushed him out of the window," and Jaime ducked his head in shame.
Tyrion was stunned, Bran was just a boy, likely of age with Tommen, and Jaime had nearly killed him.
"Why?" Tyrion whispered.
"I couldn't take the chance that he would tell someone what he saw. Joffrey, Myrcella, Tommen, Cersei and I would all have been killed if he told someone. Father would have started a war over this. I did it for love, I loved her and I did it to protect our secret,"
Tyrion was stunned into silence. Whilst Jaime had a point, Robert likely would have killed them all and a war would have broken out, it still did not justify what he did, this was not a noble act. Even worse, it seemed like it was for nothing. Tyrion had heard that Bran was awake but he had not mentioned this incident at all.
"Jaime, why didn't you tell the King? He grew up with Bran,"
"I did not know how he would have taken it! I was there at the council and I was going to tell him that day but the Queen said to save it for later. I saw the King at the council and he did not look like he was in a good mood so I decided to save it for a better time but it never came,"
Tyrion shook his head.
"Jaime, you need to tell him. He will find out eventually,"
"Will you tell him?" Jaime asked nervously and Tyrion shook his head, Jaime was family, and family was most important.
"No, I won't tell him but I'm sure he'll find out. The King and Queen sometimes have dragon dreams where they see events that have happened in the past," Tyrion said and he quickly explained the concept to him. As he was talking, he remembered when the King had told him about that dream of the strange blond woman. Tyrion briefly wondered if the King had figured out what his dream had meant.
"So you think the King might find out about this in a dream?" Jaime asked in disbelief and Tyrion nodded.
"It's possible but you need to tell him first. Jaime you said you wanted to change and do some good, in order to do that, you need to tell him the truth about this," Tyrion said and he saw Jaime run his hair through his hands.
"I will, I will tell him when I next see him. You have my word," Jaime said and Tyrion nodded. He walked away from Jaime and headed back to his room below deck. This was something he did not see coming and truthfully he was not sure how the King would handle it. Tyrion knew that he truly cared for his siblings that he grew up with in Winterfell
If he found out that Jaime had intentionally tried to kill Bran, Tyrion did not know what punishment he would consider in return. Tyrion realised that it was a good thing that Jaime did not tell him after the council, the King had been in such a foul mood that he might have considered killing Jaime on the spot.
However in the past few weeks, his mood had mellowed and Tyrion hoped that he would choose a suitable, and more merciful method of dealing with this issue. Hopefully, the King would account for the fact that Jaime was confessing to his own crimes in the hope to repent.
Tyrion entered his cabin and reached for his bottle of arbor gold, he would have to do his best to manage this situation. Perhaps Tyrion was wrong to suggest that Jaime tell the truth. If Bran had remembered who pushed him, then surely he would have told someone by now. Perhaps, it would be best to leave this situation in the past.
Tyrion sighed in frustration as he took a sip of his wine, he would have to think long and hard on how best to handle this situation.
The She Wolf of Winterfell
Arya Stark was sore and tired. Her plan had gone well, she had snuck out into the Wolfswood and she was now on the tail of the army marching south. She had managed to fit in with a group of boys who were tending to the horses at the back of the march. They were older than the stable boys at Winterfell but no less silly. At first, they had made fun of her voice but Arya quickly showed them that she was able to handle herself. They walked together during the days and they camped together at night. Arya had to be careful not to get too close, if they found out she was a girl, her little deception would soon be over.
Arya worked hard to fit in, after the day's march she would help them tend to the horses before she would sit around their campfire and share their food. Olyvar was the youngest of the group. He was short and squat with short curly black hair and brown almond shaped eyes, his voice was higher than Arya's and the other boys made fun of him because of that.
Hullen was tall and lean, with short straight black hair and bright vibrant green eyes. Lastly, there was Karlon. Karlon was the oldest of the group and he had long black hair and he was a similar height to Hullen. Karlon was the only one of them who had come with a weapon. His axe was a cruel piece of iron that was far too heavy for Arya to lift. Karlon and Hullen were the best hunters and that meant that Arya and Olyvar were in charge of cooking whatever they caught. They had no tents, so they slept out in the open in their cloaks.
This evening, she had an entire leg of rabbit to herself, it was the first warm piece of food that she had in days. The meat was tough and definitely needed some spicing but she would not complain. As she sat around the cackling campfire, she listened to the boys speak.
"Do you reckon we'll see a Dragon?" Olyvar asked somewhat nervously.
"Of course you idiot, that's why we're going south, to fight the dragons," Hullen replied as he bit into a piece of his rabbit.
"I heard the Dragons are so big they can eat an entire horse whole," Karlon said.
"I heard they could eat an entire auroch," Hullen said with a small hint of a smile and Olyvar shook his head.
"If they are so big then why the fuck are we going South towards them?" Olyvar asked.
"I heard Lord Karstark wants to go to war against the dragons," Karlon said as he licked the grease from his slender fingers before he threw his rabbit bone to the side.
"Aye, so did I," Hullen said grimly "Bloody fool,"
"Careful Hullen, you never know who could be listening," Karlon said as he took a drink from his skin before he passed it to Hullen
"If we do go to war against the Dragons, what do we do? How do you even kill a dragon?" Olyvar asked and Arya could see how nervous he was.
"I dun no ," Hullen said with a shrug. "But I won't be sticking around to find out,"
"Craven," Karlon muttered and Hullen laughed darkly.
"I'd rather be called a craven and live than be called brave and die," Hullen told him but Karlon shook his head.
"Then why are you even here?"
"Don't have a bloody choice, do I?" Hullen snapped. "When the Lords call their banners what choice do I really have?"
"It's our job to fight for our Lord and if Lord Stark wants us to go South to fight that's what we must do," Karlon replied.
"What are we fighting for? Do you think I care who sits on the bloody Iron throne? Do you think whatever King wins this cares about me ?" Hullen demanded and Arya saw his eyes shine brightly in anger.
Arya had never considered this before. It was not fair that people like Hullen had to go and fight in wars that they did not want to fight in. They were all young men, probably of a similar age to Robb or Jon. They probably all wanted to stay at home with their families and help to prepare for the winter.
But she knew that Jon would care about people like Hullen. That's why he planned on building these schools, these plans would help them. She knew that Jon was good and she trusted him.
"What do you think Harry?" Olyvar asked quietly as he turned towards her. Arya took a deep breath and did her best to make her voice sound a little different.
"I think that Lord Stark would not force his men to go South just to die in a fight they would not win. I don't think Lord Stark wants to go to war," Arya said as she remembered what her father had said to her. He planned to bend the knee to Jon and when he did that, there would be no war.
"How do you know what Lord Stark wants," Hullen snapped and Arya scowled at him.
"Because Lord Stark cares about his people. He's not an idiot. King Aegon wants to build schools and improve the North and Lord Stark agrees with him. King Aegon is a King who cares," Arya said adamantly as she folded her arms across her chest but Hullen shook his head and laughed.
"You're young, you don't know how the world works," he replied dismissively. "All these Kings and Lords are the same, they use us to get what they want and when they're finished, they just leave us by the side to feed off the scraps,"
Arya felt her temper rise, how dare he judge Jon and her father like that when he didn't even know them.
"Enough Hullen, you've had too much to drink tonight," Karlon said quietly as he reached out to take away his drink. "You never know who could be listening," he said as he gazed out into the surrounding woods. Arya stayed quiet and huddled tightly into her cloak. It was shaping up to be another cold night. She heard laughter coming from other parts of the camp but she knew that she had to stay here with this group.
She also wondered if Jon's raven had arrived. It would have been over a week by now and Arya was sure that Jon would have gotten the raven by now and he would have replied. Arya realised that she would not hear what he said, her father would keep that news private. Still, Arya was confident that Jon would have mercy on her mother's family. Her mother may have treated Jon poorly, but Jon was kind and she was sure that he would do the right thing.
She missed her mother, she had not seen her much lately and Arya was worried that she was unwell. However, Arya knew that she had to leave Winterfell in order to see Jon again, she did not want to wait behind.
Arya felt a wave of guilt pass over her, if her mother was unwell, then her running away without leaving a note would only make her feel worse. Hopefully Sansa, Bran and Rickon would help her through this difficult time. Whilst her parents and Robb were away at the council, Sansa was the Lady of Winterfell and she had helped Bran to run the castle. Arya knew that she would be capable of doing the same again if her mother was unwell.
During this time, her relationship with Sansa had improved and Arya was sure her father would be proud. Arya wondered what would happen if she got up and walked into his tent. Her hair was cut short and she was a lot dirtier than she had ever been but she was sure that he would recognize her. Would he send her back to Winterfell or would he let her stay with him. Arya decided to wait a few more days, the further away from Winterfell they were, the less likely he would be to send her home.
Arya stood up from the wooden log she was sitting on and then she went to stretch her legs. She walked towards the back of the camp and looked up at the sky. Her father was at the front of the march with Lord Reed or Manderly. Lord Bolton and his forces were at the rear of the camp and they brought up the rear. Arya had seen Lord Bolton on numerous occasions as she usually had to tend to his horse and help to set up his tent. She was sure that the Lord of the Dreadfort would not recognize her but she did not want to take any chances.
The sun was very low in the sky and it bathed the land in a soft orange glow. She would have to head back to the other boys before it became dark. She walked to a tree in the forest a bit away from camp and quickly made water, hopefully she would be able to get through the night without having to get up again.
She finished and then she made her way back towards the camp. As she walked back, she saw a rider approach a top a brown horse, his long black hair was bouncing as he rode. It was difficult to see him in the fading light but Arya could clearly see his pale blue eyes. He came from the North and Arya was naturally curious as to what he wanted.
As she made her way towards him. She remembered what Syrio had thought her all those months ago. Quiet as a shadow she told herself as she slowly walked forward, careful not to make any noise.
The rider seemed to be waiting for someone in particular so Arya was able to slowly approach. She ducked behind logs and hid behind tents as she slowly made her way towards him. Light as a feather Syrio had said.
Suddenly, a man approached from the shadows. Arya looked closely and she saw that it was Lord Bolton. He wore a black cloak but she could tell that it was him, he had the same long gaunt face. They stood behind his tent and Arya had to make a choice. If she got closer, she might be discovered, and she would not be able to see what they were doing. But if she stayed here, she would be unable to hear what they were saying.
Arya was about to leave her cover when she saw the man reach into his pocket and pull out a folded piece of paper, maybe it was a raven scroll. Lord Bolton quickly took it and hid it beneath his robes. The man held out his hand expectantly and he was given a small pouch in return. She saw Lord Bolton quickly turn away whilst the man got atop his horse and then he rode further into the camp.
Arya was confused, what did he give Lord Bolton and who was he? She decided that the rider was not important, what was important was what Lord Bolton received. She decided to follow him.
She kept low and stuck to the shadows as she made her way quickly through the camp towards Lord Bolton's tent. It was easy enough to find, he had the flayed man of House Bolton flying high above his tent. She stopped a few meters away from the entrance because he had guards outside his tent. They were Bolton men and Arya knew that she would not be able to get past them.
Arya sighed in frustration. She needed to see where he put that letter.
Then, Arya was struck with an idea. She looked around on the floor in the fading light and found a few rocks, they weren't too big, but they would serve her purpose all the same. She collected her rocks and then she moved around to the side. She crouched down and hid in a gap in between two tents. The guards were to her left and Arya was half hidden by these tents.
She took the first rock and threw it at the guard.
She missed.
The rock had gone too far and it sailed harmlessly over his head. Arya cursed and then she adjusted her aim again. She took a deep breath and then threw the second rock and this one hit the first guard in the leg.
Arya immediately ducked behind her cover and then peered out to look at the guard. He was discussing something with his partner and then he was pointing at the rock by his feet. His friend just shook his head and laughed it off.
Arya picked up the next rock and then she threw it, slightly higher this time. This one hit the second guard on his shoulder and Arya heard him curse loudly. She saw both men abandon their post to search for the person who was throwing rocks at them.
She quickly moved backwards between the two tents and hid in the shadows, out of their sight. The men loudly walked past her hiding spot and then Arya quickly burst out and headed in the opposite direction. It was dark now and she silently approached the entrance to Lord Bolton's tent. She knew she did not have much time.
She flattened herself into the cold muddy ground and then she slowly lifted the bottom of the tent flap. Arya looked inside and saw Lord Bolton over to the right with his back towards her. He had something in his hands and Arya was sure it was the letter he had received earlier. Arya was not sure what to do, it would be impossible to read the letter now and she could not stay here forever in case the guards returned.
Then, she saw Lord Bolton turn towards a candle, he picked up the candle and held the letter above the flame and Arya was powerless to stop the letter burning in front of her eyes.
She waited as long as she dared before she dropped the tent flap and hurried away. Arya was sure of it, that letter was now gone. But what could possibly be on it that Lord Bolton wanted to pay for and then burn?
Arya shook her head as she walked back towards her camp, she would have to follow Lord Bolton very closely in the next few weeks. He was hiding something, and Arya was determined to find out what it was.
Notes:
Thanks for all the love and support this story gets. The next chapter is called 'The Red Door' and it should be out 5th April.
As always, let me know what you think, comments are always appreciated
Thanks for reading
Sleepy
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