Chapter Text
Ayla stared at the sunset over the balcony. It was an incredible sight she still thought amazing after all this time living here, and yet, today she couldn’t appreciate it.
“You look like a woman who has something on her mind,” Ella said softly so her voice would carry and wake the three little angels sleeping in the nursery.
“I have a bad feeling,” was all Ayla replied, rubbing her hand over her heart. “I…”
“Mother senses,” Ella whispered, equally anxious. “Yes, I understand.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m just…” she trailed off.
Ella remained quiet. The worst thing right now would be empty reassurances. They watched in silence for a few more moments. Then the sea swallowed the sun and bathed the land in darkness, and suddenly the quietness of the night was broken by Nymeria, Lady, and Shaggydog, howling loudly and long. The difference in tune was obvious from just a few hours ago: rather than a welcoming feeling, it transpired a dark cloud of grief.
“I’m going to the godswood,” Ayla announced, clutching the winter diamond pendant around her neck. “No need to wait for me for supper.”
And she left in a rush. Ella swallowed dry. Ayla had had a bad feeling, the kind only a mother could have. No. No, I will not think like this. My brother is there. Ned is there. And Jon takes after his mother and fathers when he’s got a blade in his hands.
A new brightness drew her eye from the west, where the sun had just set, to the east, the peak of the volcano. More lava was oozing from the top, tinting the night sky with fiery light. The Dornish lady took a deep breath. The volcano had erupted when Daenerys had been in a delicate situation. But Dany lived, she reminded herself. Then she decided to focus on that. She called for the maids to watch over the boys, who were soon to wake up, as she left in search of Maester Wolkan. She needed to ensure that no other cloud of ash would cover the island. The last thing she needed was to be cut off the world when they more than ever needed to receive ravens.
Then she went to her own chambers, where Dawn was sleeping. She could make the journey in half the time as a regular raven, and Ella just couldn’t sit back and wait for over a week for a raven there and back.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ned was in the middle of explaining his plan when the silver direwolf stood suddenly from his side and rushed to the door, scratching it to get out. The man frowned, a bad feeling taking over, and stood quickly, following the wolf down the corridor. A blur of white passed by them so fast he was nearly invisible and Ned felt his heart skip a beat, speeding up the rest of the way to the Lord Commander’s solar. He could hear Ghost growling inside and more than one man yelling out in pain. The silver direwolf rushed forward, now that Ned knew where to come, and joined the fight inside.
Ned froze on the doorway, his blood freezing in his veins, and he faltered. “No! No, no, no, no!” He ran into the room, kneeling next to Jon, pulling him into his arms. “No, not my son! Jon!”
Benjen froze upon the door as well, trying to comprehend the scene in front of him. He saw the blood puddled on the floor, saw the gash on Jon’s chest, but his brain refused to accept it. It wasn’t true. It simply could not be.
“I… I will get… the… Maester Aemon,” he mumbled, though Ned was too incoherent to understand.
Ghost sat back on his haunches, howling in pure grief, his muzzle red with blood. Ned could only cry, doubled over Jon’s chest, his eyes hazed by tears, sobbing.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Addam was fuming outside the dining hall. He had half a mind to make Greyjoy pay for the treacherous words he spoke, but he couldn’t. The foolish boy was merely parroting the lie they had allowed the realm to believe in order to protect Jon and Daenerys.
“Ser Addam!” Wex exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. “I thought you were with the lord.”
“No, he went to their rooms with the lady,” the knight replied. “I saw her come down with Orys, but I thought he stayed in.”
“I thought so too, but I just went there and the room is empty. Jory said Lord Stark is alone with Lord Benjen and Lord Robb went to speak with Lady Margaery.”
Addam stood up straighter. “Where is Lord Tarly?”
“My guess is the library,” the guard replied with a shrug.
“Send a couple of men to their room just in case and go check the library, have a man with Lord Tarly at all times as well, I don’t like the look of these men here, and we have had proof they are ready to raise in mutiny,” Addam said, seeing Ghost in the courtyard. “I’ll see if Ghost can give a quicker direction to—” Ghost suddenly stopped his play with Grey Wind, whooshing out of the courtyard. “Get more men,” Addam said, rushing after the direwolf as fast as his human legs could carry him.
In his mind, he wanted to cuff Jon ‘round the ears. He really needed to accept that he couldn’t just walk around without at least a guard with him, especially in another castle. But now that Ned was finally going to tell him the truth, perhaps he would stop being so bull— he stiffened. From the end of the corridor, he could see the Lord Commander’s door open and sobbing coming from inside. There was a thunder of clunky footsteps behind him and he saw Wex, Leeds, and another five Starling guards starting to climb the stairs at the bottom of the tower.
Unsheathing his borrowed sword, he rushed down the corridor and his lungs let out all the air in them when he saw the scene inside. His heart broke in a million pieces. I failed. Again, I failed again. I failed Rhaegar, I failed Lyanna, now I failed their son. He stood unmoving, incapable of processing anything but pain.
Then there was a groan from across the room and Ghost growled. Addam saw the man lying on the ground, a deep bite on his left leg. Ser Alliser Thorne. He crossed the room to him, seeing as Ghost only raised his hackles. His antipathy for the man aside, the direwolf’s reaction was telling enough. The guards arrived then.
“Leeds, get the Lord Commander to his room, Maester Aemon will see to him later; then get these other fuckers to the ice cells, make sure none of them die before they can be sentenced. I want Thorne in a room out of the way where I can question him,” Addam bit out, focusing his anger towards something productive.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Robb pulled away from Margaery when Grey Wind scratched the door from the outside. He was about to ignore his companion when he insisted, so Robb sat up and stood from the bed.
“What is the matter with him?” Margaery asked, setting her neckline to rights.
“Don’t know,” Robb replied, also straightening himself, “I thought he was bothering the cooks in the kitchens.” He opened the door and Grey Wind moved away from the room. “Go find some venison, boy,” Robb said with a chuckle.
But the wolf didn’t share his levity, whining and motioning to leave down the corridor again. Robb frowned, recognising he wanted to be followed.
“Stay here, Margaery, I’ll have some guards sent up and I will—”
He was interrupted by Ghost’s howling and a feeling of dread took him by surprise through his connection with Grey Wind. The albino was howling in grief. There was only one reason Robb could think of for this. Pale, he reached for his cloak.
“I’m coming with you,” Margaery said, fastening hers quickly.
“Absolutely not,” Robb decreed. “I have no idea what’s happening, you are staying here with guards posted until I know it’s safe.” And he left quickly, not leaving room for argument.
Margaery clenched her jaw, then went to the door, finding three Tyrell guards. “Do you know the way to the dining hall?” she asked. She had looked for Dany after her first talk with Robb, being told where she was, and had only gone to her rooms for more layers of clothes before joining her when Robb had changed her plans. The guard nodded. “Good. Take me there.” Margaery found Dany laughing with Sam in one table, Theon Greyjoy looking sour to the side.
“Marge!” Dany greeted with a smile. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Then she frowned. “What is the matter?”
“I don’t know. I was… I was talking with Robb when Grey Wind came and called him away. Didn’t you hear the howling?”
“No…” Dany looked around the room: the brothers were talking loudly and someone was playing a song. “There’s too much noise in here. What is it?” A group of Starling guards stormed into the room, making everyone stop and look.
“Party is over!” Addam exclaimed. “Everybody back to your own rooms, and no one is leaving after. Anyone found wandering will be cut down.”
The brothers scrambled to leave the room and Dany felt her breathing quicken. “Where is Jon?” she asked Addam, noticing his face was even more stony and deadly than when Theon had been mouthing off.
“I am escorting you there, Dany, come on,” was all he said.
“Addam, what happened?” she insisted.
“Dany, I… I can’t… I will take you there. And if you don’t have five guards breathing down your neck at every moment, so help me gods!”
Dany felt her heart sink and quickly followed out of the room and through the narrow, creaking stairs to the Lord Commander’s solar. She screamed in pure agony, her legs failing to hold her weight, and Margaery held her up. Addam crossed the room and stopped by Ned, delicately putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Come on, let’s—”
“No!” the northerner exclaimed, clinging to his son even more strongly. “No! I’m not… no!”
Benjen brought Maester Aemon into the room then.
“Uncle,” Daenerys said weakly, “please. There… there must…”
“Clear the table,” the maester ordered with a wavering voice, “and lay him there.”
Robb stood up and pushed everything out of the way, uncaring for the mess, then Benjen wrestled his brother away and Addam picked Jon up. Ghost whimpered, nosing his inert hand.
“Tarly, I need eyes,” Maester Aemon said and Sam scrambled to help. “So?”
Sam tried to get the doublet open, but the clasps wouldn’t cooperate, so Addam took Rhaegar’s old Valyrian steel dagger from Jon’s belt and cut it away like melted butter. Jon’s bare chest came into view then and the knight finally let a tear escape from his eyes.
“Addam?” Dany called weakly.
“What do you see, Tarly?” the maester insisted.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Dany,” Sam said, tears filling his eyes as well. “There’s… there’s nothing… it went straight through the heart.”
The maester faltered as well, but Addam’s quick reflexes kicked in and he held the elderly man up and helped him to a chair.
“No!” Dany yelled, pushing Margaery’s arms away and crossing to the table, taking Jon’s hand in hers. “He can’t…” And she finally lost it, dissolving in tears.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Gendry was picking up a loaf of bread at the bakery when he heard the howling. Hot Pie shivered, goose bumps erupting with the sound.
“Them wolves are loud today,” the boy said.
“Yeah,” Gendry murmured. It was true that it was the second time in so many hours that they were all howling together, something that was unusual, but even if he knew next to nothing about wolves, there was something different about their howling. “What’d think it means?”
“Don’t know,” Hot Pie shrugged. “Haven’t you seen Arya?”
“Not since the reading lesson this afternoon. But that was before the first round of howling.”
“I’ll tell ya what, I think Nymeria is smarter than them other wolves,” Hot Pie said, now rolling up some dough.
“Why, you know a lot of wolves?” Gendry asked, amused.
“She don’t look like a beast, do she?”
“Nah, no she doesn’t,” the smith agreed. Then the very topic of their conversation pushed the door to the bakery open.
It was a testament to just how much different than mindless beasts the direwolves were that no one even flinched. People in the Blessed Island, especially in the castle and the Midnight Village, were more than used to having them around, so no one batted an eye at the she-wolf’s presence.
“Hey girl,” Gendry greeted, scratching her head, “watcha doing here? Where’s your human?” Nymeria closed her eyes and enjoyed the petting for a moment, but then moved to push Gendry out of the bakery with her snout. He was a few paces from the door when she turned back and pulled Hot Pie by his sleeve. “I think she wants us to follow her…” the smith said as they left the building.
“Bloody smart wolf, told ya. Think Arya is in trouble?” the baker asked.
Gendry snorted. “Knowing her? Very likely.”
Nymeria guided them all the way down to the pier, but then instead of going to the main path where the boats where moored, she led them to a nearby clot of trees.
“Seriously, Nymeria?” Arya asked quietly when she saw them coming.
“Uh, why are you hiding in the dark with a satchel?” Hot Pie asked. Both Arya and Gendry shushed him — the last thing any of them needed was to get caught.
“You can’t be thinking of running away, milady,” Gendry said quietly.
“I’m not running away, stupid. I’m going to the Wall.”
The smith barely held back an eye roll. “Will it scar me for life to ask why?”
“You really are stupid,” she huffed. “There was something about that last howl, alright. I just know there was. There is something very, very, very wrong up there. And I hate sitting still.”
“But you’re never managing to get away!” Hot Pie exclaimed, prompting new shushes.
“He’s right, though,” Gendry continued. “You’re gonna need to be able to fool those six patrolling guards and steal a boat…”
“Don’t be stupid! They’re my brother’s, I’m not stealing it! Besides, I’m not gonna take it with me, I’m gonna leave it at the dock at Sunstone! It’s called borrowing!”
“Yeah, I was getting there.” Gendry rolled his eyes. “So, say you manage to fool these six guards long enough to get into a boat, you’d have to row pretty fast to turn the first corner down the lake into the river before they see you and raise the alarm. If you manage that, and that’s a great big if, there are sentinels posted every 30 yards or so down river, alternating sides, so that’s gonna be a real easy trip. Then you have to pray that you can get to the dock at Sunstone and fool the guards around there as well. And, even if you do manage to do all that, you’re gonna have to be bloody lucky to have a ship departing north. You won’t be able to buy or bribe your way in, so you’re gonna have to stow away. And all that, if you weren’t counting on enough chance already, you’d have to accomplish before your stepmother notices you’re gone and raises the alarm. ‘Cuz after she does nothing is departing the harbour until you’re found, stowaway or not.”
Arya deflated in dismay. “I… I hadn’t thought that far. I was… I was going on a step-by-step thing. Figured if I could get the boat… how do you know about the sentries anyway?”
“Watch posts need ironwork when they’re being built,” Gendry said as if it were obvious. “It was all hands on deck after the attack on Lady Starling, so I helped there instead of making weapons. I’m good with details so Lord Starling and Ser Addam had me making… what’s the word they used… oh, intricate keys! Hard to copy and mess with.”
“I can still make it! It’s dark, if I don’t have a light, they won’t see me! And I put pillows in my bed so if Ella peaks in she’ll think I’m asleep!”
“It’s a three-hour trip, Arya,” Gendry reminded her. “And that’s if the current is really helpful and you keep rowing. You can’t row, alone, that fast or for that long, your arms are too skinny.”
“Well, I’m a girl, I don’t spend all my days hammering swords or pulling dough.”
“Come on, let’s get back to the castle,” Gendry said. “I doubt you’re the only one who noticed anything wrong with the howling. Besides, d’you really want to do this to your stepmother and aunt?”
Nymeria nosed Arya’s arm, making her sigh. “You’re a little traitor, you know,” she said, burrowing her face on the she-wolf’s neck. “There’s something wrong with one of my brothers,” she said quietly. “I can feel it.”
“If that’s true, getting lost in the North is not going to help him,” Hot Pie said.
“The castle is the best place to be, Arya,” Gendry added. “You’re never going to make it to Castle Black before they send a raven.”
She nodded, breaking away from Nymeria and following Gendry and Hot Pie back through the village and up to the castle.
“Thank you,” Arya said at the courtyard. “I was about to do something very stupid and impulsive.”
“What are friends for?” Gendry asked.
“Here,” Hot Pie offered her a cinnamon roll. “To sweeten your night.”
“Thanks, boys,” she said with a smile.
“Lady Arya? Is something the matter?” a guard asked.
“No, nothing at all.”
With a last smile, she vanished inside the castle. Nymeria licked each of their faces, prompting laughs, before following.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Arya blushed when she walked into her chambers: Ella was sitting on her bed hugging a pillow to her chest.
“You know,” the woman started, “for a girl who doesn’t like silly nonsense, you do seem to have suddenly acquired a great love for Sansa’s frilly pillows.”
“They’re comfortable?” Arya mumbled.
Ella sighed. “Did you intend to drive me mad with worry?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Did you have a plan or just an urge to go?”
“Does it make a difference?” Arya asked, disconcerted.
“Yes, actually, it does.”
“I had an urge to go and a half-baked plan, which my friends convinced me was a stupid and reckless plan,” Arya confessed. “I truly am sorry. I just… there is something wrong, Ella!”
“I know. You were not the only one who noticed it. Did you really think getting lost in the North would help? Did you really think that… if something bad did happen, you disappearing without a trace would help anyone or soothe our worries?”
“I’m sorry,” Arya mumbled, blushing and feeling very guilty for the distress she saw in her stepmother’s eyes. “I wasn’t thinking about that. I was just… I was being selfish and reckless.”
Ella exhaled, but reached to hug her. “I think it’s commendable that you want to protect your family, sweetie, but you can’t do it at your own expense. You have no idea of the dangers a two-and-ten-year-old girl would face on the way to Castle Black. I just want you to be safe and aware that your actions have consequences.”
Arya nodded and hugged her back just as strongly.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ser Barristan flinched and ducked when another cup flew by his head and across the room, smashing itself against a wall. Jaime rolled his eyes, bored.
“What do you mean, the Wall?” Robert asked with a slur.
“We received a raven just now, Your Grace,” Maester Byren repeated, unflinching, “in which Lord Stark stated his safe arrival at Castle Black, where he expected his eldest sons to return soon so Lord Robb and Lord Starling can report what they have found in the lands beyond the Wall and Lord Stark will negotiate with the Watch the matter of what is due to them in taxes.”
Robert belched. “Counting coppers!” he exclaimed loudly. “The ungrateful fucker is once again counting them fucking coppers!” He then stood up, scrambled to his bed, where he fell face first, and started snoring.
“Ser Barristan, may I return to the door?” Jaime asked.
“Go, go, and send for the squire,” Barristan said. He then noticed that the maester came closer to the bed. “Is something the matter, Maester?”
“Ser Barristan, I know that the care for His Grace falls to the Grand Maester, but I wonder if I may examine the King,” Maester Byren asked. “In your presence, of course.” Ser Barristan nodded, curious, and the maester opened the sleeping man’s eyes, hummed in displeasure, then came closer to check his breath. “Ser, Lord Stark trusts you, so I hope I may as well.”
“My interest is the safety of the Crown, Maester.”
“Who brings the wine for His Grace?”
“His squire,” the knight answered, confused. “A cousin of the— oh. You suspect him of altering the wine?”
“Not him, perhaps, but someone. Without a sample myself, I would say that it smells and looks like a simple enough herb is made into a tea and then mixed to the wine. It would make the King seem drunker more easily, and also exaggerate the effects of the wine. It would also cause greater dependence.”
Barristan nodded. Robert did seem to start getting drunker and drunker, much more than usual, overnight. “Can something be done about it?”
“He can’t be cut off wine suddenly or he’ll suffer,” the Maester stated. “But if you cut off the altered wine, it should help bring him back to normal.”
“I’m afraid our King has always had quite the kindness towards wine.”
“Regardless, this is likely to kill him if it is not stopped,” Maester Byren said. “Should I inform the Grand Maester? Lord Renly, perhaps?”
“If you wouldn’t mind, Maester, I should like to handle it myself,” the knight said. “Until Lord Stark gets back and takes over.”
Maester Byren nodded, bowed his head, and left the room. Barristan stayed a moment longer, contemplating what to do. Pycelle was in Tywin Lannister’s pocket, likely to be into the scheme or at any rate unlikely to help; Renly was a hothead, who would likely declare war on the Lannisters without thinking of any consequences. With Ned Stark gone to the North, that left one person in King’s Landing who could prevent the disaster that Robert’s untimely death would cause. And Barristan cursed under his breath when he got to that conclusion. Involving Varys into this would be alike to making a deal with the devil. But it wasn’t like he had any other option. The Master of Ships was cunning, though, and had a taste for the game regardless of his northern roots… perhaps… but then again, Varys was privy to another little secret. He would know why they couldn’t let any sort of chaos erupt, more than simply loyalty to their king. Why they needed to secure things and butcher others before Robert could die.
Barristan hated it, though. He was a knight, a soldier, not a politician. But in King’s Landing, in the game of thrones, you either played, or the game smothered you.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The room seemed unmoving. Dany had stopped sobbing, but tears still bathed her face as she sat next to the table, clutching Jon’s hand like a lifeline. Ned had slid against the wall to sit on the floor and was staring unseeing into his bloodied hands. Everyone else was just…
Addam brought out his sword when he heard the door opening, though he knew there were ten guards posted outside and many others patrolling the wing. Ser Davos rose a hand in surrender, the other holding a basket.
“Firewood,” he explained. “I thought… to last through the night.”
Addam nodded, sheathing the sword and going back to stand behind Dany. Ser Davos crossed the room to the fireplace and built up the fire, poking it until it roared back to life. He then noticed that the maester was shivering and took off his own cloak.
“Maester, can I…”
“You are very kind, Ser,” the old man replied. “But I’m afraid it won’t help now. This is not the warmth I need.”
“Would you allow me to escort you closer to the fire?” Davos insisted.
“That would be most kind, Ser, thank you.”
Uncountable moments later, there was another knock on the door and Melisandre walked in. She looked around, frowning when she saw Jon lying on the table.
“But this cannot be… I… I saw him. Fighting in the Riverlands.”
“I’m sorry, my lady,” Ser Davos said, standing up, “but he won’t be fighting anymore. We should leave the family…”
“I have been to Essos,” Addam said suddenly, his throat raw and his voice unsteady. “I’ve seen what red priests can do. Can you fix this?”
Dany lifted her head, blinking. “Fix… but… how?”
“The Lord of Light is very powerful. If one has a powerful conductor as well… there is power in a king’s blood,” she whispered. “If the maester…”
“No, not my uncle,” Dany said, standing up but not letting go of her husband’s hand. “If it is Royal blood you need, here, have it,” she thrust her other arm forward.
The red woman smiled softly. Then she came closer to the table. Ned didn’t move from his stupor, but Benjen saw the potential danger of the situation.
“Royal blood?” he asked, giving Addam a look, but the knight was too busy staring at Melisandre.
“The Lord of Light is capable of many things,” the priestess said after a moment.
“Can — you — fix — this?” Addam asked again through his teeth.
“You…” Dany was shocked. “You mean you can bring him back?”
“I can perform the spell and say the words,” Melisandre said. “The Lord is the one who decides whether Lord Starling is worthy or not.”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
My dear beloved readers,
Here is the sequel to the very evil cliffhanger from last week :D I hope you guys enjoy. As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
Our dear Allegra, the last news I have, is improving awesomely, so let's keep sending prayers and good vibes :D
I'll see you guys again next week :D