After talking with Stark I immediately rush towards the girl's room. The way Ned Stark was talking, it was clear that he would be confronting the Queen and others tomorrow. If I have to protect them then I have to act now.
While walking past the long corridors of the Red Keep, I look outside to see the darkness slowly fading. The night was almost over, none slept due to the King's death and maybe none will get any sleep for the time to come.
Increasing my pace I came directly outside their room, due to me taking Arya's pre-assigned room, now both of them were sharing one room.
Knock Knock.
Nothing...
Knock... Knock.
Knocking again with more intensity I waited until finally I heard some groans from inside.
"Who is it?"
"Open the door Arya. It's..." I was saying but even before that I heard a clang sound and the door swung open only to be followed by a muffled yelp.
"Arya..." Sansa glared daggers at the little girl who was grinning at me. I only needed one look to notice why, Sansa was furiously trying to straighten her hair out and if possible get into something more presentable than just her pajamas.
"Apologies for disturbing you this early girls but it's an emergency. Don't make noise and start packing your things quickly. We are getting out of here." I first look around to check if anyone was eavesdropping before getting inside and closing the door behind.
"We are going on an adventure." Arya's eyes, which didn't have a hint of sleep on them for some reason, lit up. Candles were utterly useless in this room with her around.
"I'm afraid not child. Your father thinks that the city is soon going to be dangerous for either of you to stay here. He asked me to take you back to Winterfell." I replied.
However, getting them out of the capital without others seeing would be extremely hard. I need help, someone to open the city gates, someone to hold back the news about our departure long enough until we are far away.
Even one Stark less and the North will be at war. However, if they only had one stark then they most likely would keep him alive.
I at least believe Cersei isn't that insane to kill Ned Stark while both of his daughters escape and they had only Ned himself from keeping North from rebelling.
'I have to do something about Joffrey though.'
"What? But what about father?" Arya's face immediately fell.
"Meaning we both gonna travel back to Winterfell." Sansa broke in while still hiding away in the darkness trying to fix herself. Not sure what's going on in her mind early this morning. She has woken up? yes?
"Just three of us. As for your father, he wished to stay."
Arya immediately shook her head, not liking where it was going. Have to say she got good instincts.
"Sorry child, but this is your fathers order not mine. I have been given the responsibility to take you out of here as soon as possible, I can't help it. Please be ready to depart within an hour. I'll be here before the sun's out. Make haste and make sure to cover your faces. We don't want anyone seeing you two." I said and was ready to get out when suddenly I heard this.
"Wait..."
"Hmm?" I turned back, seeing Sansa hesitate to complete her sentence.
"Hmm, what... what about my betrothal with Prince Jo..." Sansa said with such a small voice that if this was the noisy morning in King's Landing after the sun came out then none would be able to hear her.
Sansa hesitated for some reason, maybe because seeing this was Thor, her heart wasn't sure what to do. She remembers all her expectations crashing down when in the tourney, he made Myrcella the queen of beauty and love.
But she still didn't want to believe that there was no chance, saying Joffrey's name in front of him felt...
"For all intents and purposes my dear, for the time being consider the betrothal called off. Right now going back to the North with our lives is our sole objective." I said and made sure to give Arya a look.
Knowing how horribly foolish Sansa was in her early years, before practically getting raped, I hope that Arya keeps an eye on her. The last thing I wished for was her to run off to the Queen, requesting to stay here in the capital for the purpose of marrying Joffrey and giving him little princes and princesses.
However, the look on Arya's face didn't arises much confidence in me either. Something told me that she wasn't gonna listen to me.
Sighing, I gave both the girls one stern look.
"Be quick." I said and left, now I have to secure a way out of the city for them.
There is none who I can trust in the capital. The only way to really ensure their safety is to take them away from this damn city.
There is no way to save that Honourable Idiot, but perhaps I could make sure that this time around he doesn't lose his head on a pike.
If they are gone then Cersei won't have any leverage to hold against the North, none beside Ned Stark himself, meaning they won't kill him. But that's really stretching it. Even in the original Cersei never intended to kill Stark, she was planning on sending him to the Wall while keeping Sansa as a hostage in King's Landing to deter any war from the North.
But she gave birth to someone like Joffrey. What's stopping him from doing the same here? I have to do something about it.
---
[Castle Black]
Sandor groaned as he stirred awake, his body aching and stiff. A sharp chill bit at his skin, and he shivered violently. He blinked, trying to gather his thoughts. At first, everything was a blur. There was nothing but darkness and cold. His eyes took time to adjust to the darkness of the place.
"Where in the seven hells am I?" He tried to move around, but his body was too cold to move. He knew that the Wall was supposed to be cold, but this was freezing. If he didn't do anything, then he'd freeze to death.
Slowly, his memories returned. He had brought the Stark boy to the Wall, planning to dump him there and leave. He had no interest in staying, only in finding the Imp. However, before even he could say anything, he was captured.
Apparently, the stark have notify the rangers of the all to capture him on sight.
'TCH.'
Before he could even decide his next move, the black-cloaked bastards of the Night's Watch had seized him. They hadn't even let him speak. The first blow had come fast, and then darkness swallowed him.
And now he was here.
His breath came out in white puffs as he looked around. The cellar was dark and damp, the stone walls covered in frost.
"Damn those Starks..."
"And damn the Night's Watch." He wrapped his arms around himself, cursing under his breath. If they planned to leave him here, he'd freeze to death before sunrise.
"Oi!" he called out, his voice rough. "Anyone there?"
Silence.
He shouted again, but nothing. No response. Apparently, he was alone in the cellar. Meaning he can't even explain his side of the story.
He gritted his teeth. "FUCK... GET ME OUT OF HERE..." Maybe due to cold or hunger he became even more agitated and shouted aloud. Maybe someone would hear him.
He was right, someone did hear him. Just not someone he would wish to meet.
"Grooooo." A low, guttural growl echoed through the darkness.
Sandor stiffened. His blood turned to ice.
He knew that was no man, or animal he knew of. His heart started to beat faster just hearing that growl.
He slowly turned his head, scanning in the shadows, but the darkness obstructed his view. The growl didn't appear again, but he didn't dare let out a quiet whistle, let alone call for help.
"Seven..."
Seeing no way out, he could only wait. He might or might not freeze to death, but practically calling whatever made that horrible sound would definitely call the Stranger.
So he stayed there, doing nothing, waiting for someone to come to him naturally. But the cold was eating at him, numbing his limbs, making his mind sluggish. His vision blurred at the edges. He was close to passing out.
Then, he heard it.
A faint caw.
His eyes snapped open. At first, he thought he was imagining things. His mind was playing tricks on him, trying to give him hope where there was none. But then he heard it again—clear, sharp, real.
A crow.
Sandor forced himself to focus, searching the dark corners of the cellar. The dim torchlight barely illuminated anything, but he scanned the shadows carefully.
There—
It took a moment, but he finally spotted it. A raven, perched high on an old wooden beam. Finding it in the darkness had been as hard as spotting clean land in King's Landing, but he had done it.
"That..." But the real reason he was able to spot it was because of what was in its mouth.
The raven held something in its beak. A key. Seven please the key wasn't dark or he would never have spotted the bird.
Sandor stared, unable to believe his own eyes. The bird flapped its wings, then dropped the key onto the cold stone floor near his cell door.
He hesitated. This was surreal, a raven helping him escape. For a second he started to question his rational thinking until he cursed himself and stumbled forward, grabbing the key with frozen fingers. He jammed the key into the lock and turned it.
Click.
The door creaked open.
For a moment, Sandor just stood there, stunned. 'It really opened?' He turned back to the raven, and that's when he saw it.
A third eye, staring straight at him.
A shiver crawled up his spine. Bran. The boy had spoken of this. The three-eyed raven. Now he wondered, maybe staying in the cellar was safer.
The bird let out another sharp cry, snapping Sandor out of his thoughts. It flapped its wings and pointed with its beak toward the farthest, darkest corner of the cellar.
Sandor's gut twisted. That's where the growl came from. He just kept on staring at the darkness until the raven flew off toward where he was looking, only to land down and glare at him again. Calling for him again.
Oh, he knew what it wanted. Following him? But why? Does this raven is a demon trying to lure him to his nest? Hound never believed in things like this, but he had to when a raven was helping him break out of prison.
Sandor clenched his jaw. His instincts screamed at him to run, but something else—something deep inside him—made him take a step toward the shadows.
Ever since that boy has talked to him, this has been in his mind. He didn't believe in those things, but after fighting with that Hammer bastard, he had to say that his perspective was changing.
That day he first-hand realized power which mortal flesh can't fight against. Then there was that Champion of the Storm God thing that boy told him. How could a book possibly written a century ago have the same hammer drawn on it that almost killed him?
He had to know. And so, Sandor, with steady breath, took a step towards the darkness.
xxx
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