[Chapter Size: 2400 Words.]
Third Person POV.
Winterfell.
...
...
Daemon waited as the first people among the group arrived at the entrance gates, while the banners of House Cerwyn and House Tallhart could be seen. They were the only houses that had joined Daemon's campaign marching through the North.
But Daemon set the banners aside, for there were people before them, as he saw his wives approaching him and leaving their horses behind as they drew near, with Ygritte being the most hurried.
She went straight to Daemon, embracing him. "I missed you..." Ygritte murmured, while Daemon opened a small smile.
"I know..." he said with his usual arrogance. "But I missed you too. Now, let's talk later. Stay by my side." He asked, as the redhead stopped at his side.
Soon after Ygritte settled, Daemon received a hug from Val as well. "I want you to stay by my side too." He asked once more. The maester, who had been the closest person, had to step aside so Val could stand there.
Soon after Ygritte and Val's horses were taken away by castle servants, the banner of Benfred Tallhart came right after, with him following alongside his men.
He dismounted and approached Daemon before stopping. "Your Majesty." He said, kneeling before the king.
"Rise, my lord." Daemon said, and Benfred did so, while Daemon continued with his voice echoing through the courtyard. "Welcome to Winterfell, the place where we shall bring justice to the North after all that disgrace."
Benfred nodded, moving his head. "Of course, Your Majesty. I am certain of it." He said, stepping aside, while the Cerwyns stood right next to the Tallharts, when a cart stopped.
From it came out a Lady Cerwyn with her son, who was fully armed for battle, yet looked almost like a squire, the boy obviously wanting to show everyone that he was a warrior too, and had come victorious from the south. Daemon had proposed to teach the boy, at least in the North, since the position of squire should have been with someone else.
The woman approached carefully with her son, while bending her knees.
"Your Majesty, I am here with my son, Lord Cerwyn, to answer your call." She said. While the boy drew his sword and thrust it into the ground.
"Your... Your Majesty." Grey said.
"Welcome to Winterfell, my lady, my lord. You and your son shall have a place here. You are safe here, and we offer bread and salt. And I must say, Lady Cerwyn, your son has shown bravery, more than I could have imagined." He said, though referring to a boy. Still, he had to give credit for the boy standing by his side in battle and taking a life for the first time during the campaign against the ironborn, even if on many occasions he trembled in fear.
Lady Cerwyn sketched a smile upon hearing the king's praise while her son gripped the hilt of his sword. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Your praise is most welcome, and his father would be proud to hear of his son, so young, taking responsibility for House Cerwyn." She said.
"Now, you may rise. I will ask the servants to bring you bread and salt, as well as you, Lord Benfred." Daemon said as the two Cerwyns left the place.
Other names from the free folk were arriving, while Daemon exchanged a few words and shook the hands of one or another man.
At the same time, other carts began to approach. One in particular had a lock, and it was brought closer. Daemon signaled for his men to open it.
They removed the lock and, upon opening it, Lady Dustin emerged, with a disheveled appearance and eyes full of venom, aimed directly at Daemon the moment she saw him in the middle of the courtyard. Perhaps even surpassing the legendary hatred she held for Daemon's own uncle, Lord Stark, she could not restrain herself.
"Take her straight to the dungeon. I am certain Theon will be pleased with new company." Daemon said calmly, as she was dragged by force.
"I curse you, you bastard! I curse you and all your kin, along with your damned mother who bore you!" She screamed, as she was pulled away. Everyone looked horrified at her outburst, as she still stared at Daemon with all that hatred. Daemon could feel the ghost of Lyanna stirring in fury.
She had no idea what she had just provoked in that moment.
At the same time, Ygritte growled at his side, Benfred drew his blade, and Barristan Selmy was about to act.
"Do nothing, Lord Tallhart and Barristan. Let me handle this later. She is but a foolish woman, out of her senses, and not very wise to judge the king when he is about to decide her fate. In any case, take her to our dungeon beneath Winterfell." Daemon finished, as his men began to shove her away without the slightest care, her voice breaking into another scream.
The atmosphere was heavy after that, but Daemon remained there, unbothered, until Lady Cerwyn tried to break the silence by turning back to him. "Your Majesty, we have received some letters from the south." She said cautiously.
"I believe I know what you are speaking of. I received some as well, but that does not matter now. What matters is leaving the delusions of the south to be dealt with later. For now, you must be weary from your journey. Let us first see you all rested." Daemon said as everyone agreed with him.
They all began to enter the castle, as the Cerwyn and Tallhart men carried their lords' belongings. Jon went to the free folk who had come from the South; of the supposed 5,000 men, 4,355 still remained, with 645 having died on the battlefield.
Still, it was a crushing victory in Dustin territory. They had the aid of the weather that Jon summoned with his Thu'um, conjuring a storm to confuse the ironborn while they were slaughtered, most of them inside their tents, realizing the attack only when it was already too late.
Jon was accompanied by his spearwives, even though he had told them they could take a bath and wait for him, with the servants showing them their quarters, yet they still refused to leave his side.
He went to the free folk while asking them to organize together with the rest of the vast camp outside Arctic, while Daemon ordered the space to be expanded even more, cutting down hundreds of trees because dozens more men were ready to arrive at Winterfell as well. Perhaps the castle had never held such a large army within its walls as it would in the coming weeks—no less than wildlings, how ironic.
In any case, Jon kept talking with several people before returning to the castle, while Ygritte and Val still accompanied him the entire time.
His mother seemed a little impatient, in an invisible state always behind him. She could not reveal herself publicly, nor did Val or Ygritte sense her presence.
And strangely enough, she became the subject that Ygritte brought up as they were entering the castle. "So... what's this story about a ghost in the crypts of this castle?" she asked.
"Tsk. Do you believe that? That's men's delusion." Val said.
"You say that after seeing everything Daemon can do?" Ygritte replied. "I'm just curious, is it true that you have a ghost in Winterfell?" she asked.
"Perhaps so, but that doesn't matter now." Daemon said, not wanting to get into it, for he was certain his mother would appear only after some time, especially with him being so busy now with the first people arriving in Winterfell.
The women exchanged glances at that comment, but said nothing more as Daemon led them straight to the hot springs of the castle.
"Wow, I haven't seen anything like this since that cave where you took my virginity." Ygritte said excitedly, while Val stared at her in a strange way.
"What? Should I say I ought to be fragile like some southern lady, blossoming in the moment you asked for me like a blushing maiden?" Ygritte said laughing, as she undressed and followed Daemon already into the water.
"No... but you act as if it wasn't important." Val said.
Ygritte just looked at her and shrugged, while Daemon remained silent. Before long, Ygritte grabbed him.
Val, with no choice, also removed her clothes and joined them, not failing to show satisfaction with the hot waters surrounding her, finally being able to cleanse herself. Trying to ignore it as well, though Ygritte already wanted to make love to Daemon right there.
At the same time, Lyanna's ghost did not enter the baths, though she could hear some of the women who had gone in with Jon.
With nothing else to do, she left the place and began leaving the hot springs and bathing chambers, moving through the castle as she passed guards and servants organizing the stay of the other nobles.
Lady Cerwyn had brought many servants with her, since Daemon had written that Winterfell lacked people. Lyanna only stopped when she saw the Old Nan speaking with someone. She always watched the woman, for she was the only one who had survived from her time and was still there.
And soon she left her talking, while no one could notice her presence, she floated through the corridors, passing through walls. The advantage of being a spirit was that no wall or door could stop her.
Lyanna could still remain in that world for some time, but it was limited, so she took advantage of it to be near the son she had never seen grow, who had now become a man under extreme conditions. Now he was a conqueror seeking vengeance.
It was not Lyanna's wish to see her son become an avenger and conqueror. Obviously, she wished he would never need to do any of this, but things had turned out this way: her son sought justice for his sister and brother, for the scheme plotted against the Targaryens and against Rhaegar.
In any case, she entered a damper and darker place, where she could hear dripping drops falling against the stone floor, along with the sound of rats running and gnawing on scraps of food. There were no guards there, knowing they were stationed at the entrance door of that place.
She looked carefully at all the cells before her, while searching for the one she sought.
"How dare he put me in a place like this?!" Lyanna could hear a woman's growl, filled with pure rage.
Then she moved forward, not without first noticing that she passed in front of the cell of that Theon Greyjoy whom Daemon had mentioned earlier. He was a Greyjoy taken from his family after his father's rebellion, raised among the Starks and given a better place than Daemon, but later he betrayed Robb, her brother's eldest son and heir of Winterfell.
Later, according to Daemon, that Greyjoy had been taken by the Boltons, broken and tortured, and had become something that trembled with fear at all times. Only the growl of Lady Catelyn echoing beside his cell made him shrink in terror.
However, Lyanna's target was not him. She advanced to the next cell, where a woman clenched her dress with fury and rage, as though it were unjust for her to be there.
Lyanna remembered all too well her earlier words in the courtyard, as fury also surged in her chest, even as a ghost.
"You called him a bastard." She said before Lady Dustin's cell.
The woman, who had been irritated until then, immediately lifted her gaze, searching for where that female voice had come from, but saw nothing.
"Who said that?" she asked cautiously.
"You called my son a bastard. How dare you!?" The voice echoed again, as Lady Dustin turned her head, searching for who was there. Nothing. The door had not opened, everything seemed empty. Even Theon seemed disturbed by it—there was no one else among them.
Lady Dustin certainly panicked at hearing those words. She realized that only one person could have said such things.
"Lyanna..." she murmured.
"Yes. I came from my tomb as a furious mother after hearing your words, that came from your cursed mouth." Lyanna said, materializing before her.
Lady Dustin panicked upon seeing that supernatural thing, something more terrifying than any magic power Daemon had ever displayed before her.
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