A Jon Snow sequel: Beyond the North (GAME OF THRONES)

XIX. Arya

Kings Landing disappeared beyond the horizon with every wave swallowed beneath the ship. Arya stood, eyes glossy and brimming with grief. The disappearance of Westeros felt like a funeral; a funeral of her past, her siblings, her home, and her father.

The crew consisted of one hundred and fifty men on board the large oak vessel, all men rooting for Arya's plan of exploration. She never showed it, but there was an aching feeling in the back of her mind of the unknown. She placed a hand over the railing on the second level, looking out amongst her men as they worked.

"Captain!" came the voice of a younger boy, no more than fifteen. Arya's eyes shifted swiftly to the young man, an excited grin on his face and a map in his hands.

"Broderick, what have you got for me?" Arya spoke gingerly. She rested a small hand on needle who lay perfectly in its scabbard.

"I was wondering if I would be able to be in charge of the navigational charts!" Broderick smiled brightly, his golden hair shimmering against the sunlight.

Arya's eyes shifted to hold confusion, "You'd like to navigate?"

Broderick laughed, "No, no.. I wish to draw the charts of the new land and the journey to get there." Arya's expression softened, this young man was so thrilled to help in any way possible. She gave a nod of affirmation, sending the boy into a frenzy of excitement.

"Thank you!" He bowed, practically skipping off to gather his supplies. Arya chuckled, she remembered being young and excited for adventure. The sun beamed down onto the crew and Arya took this as a sign that good things were coming.

On the eighteenth day of the fourth month, clouds covered the sky hiding the sun. Arya woke with a splitting headache the likes of which she's never felt before. She hobbled out of her cabin upon hearing a commotion on deck. She watched as the men scrambled to secure her ship with an impending storm on the horizon.

"What's going on!?" Arya shouted, her brain throbbing against her skull.

A strong man covered in scars named Elias hollered back, "We're heading into a storm!" Arya gawked at the swirling cloud vortex ahead of them. That achy feeling returned along with the prickling of bumps down the nape of her neck. She moved quickly, pushing the pain in her head aside to commandeer the vessel and crew. They needed to make it out safely.

Waves began to strike the deck, water coated the ship nearly knocking crew over with each sweep. Arya struggled to remain on her feet, her small stature proving to be not as tough as the rocking of her ship. She watched men slip, some even sliding off of the rocking ship and into the black depths. After what felt like an eternity, the boat suddenly stopped rocking. The crew gathered to their feet, heavy rain continued to soil their clothes.

"Captain!" Broderick hollered. He ran over to Arya's side assisting her to her feet.

"I'm alright, I'm fine," Arya smiled softly. A moment of silence passed before a striking, shrill voice called out from the distance causing the girl to cover her ears. It reverberated for a few minutes, the sound frequency nearly broke her eardrum. She stared at Broderick and cried out, "What is that terrible noise!?"

Broderick ignored her, his green eyes staring off towards the water. Arya repeated his name with no luck, the boy seemed hypnotized, entranced even. His feet began to carry him down to the lower deck where all of the other men stood gazing out in the same direction. Arya was so confused, terrified of what was happening. No matter how much she screamed for her men to listen, it was as if she was mute.

One of her men, Aeron, stepped towards the railing overlooking the ocean. The ear-piercing noise continued, his leather boot lifted onto the top of the railing.

"What are you doing!?" Arya quickly moved to the steps, slipping as she ran. By the time she reached the spot where Aeron stood, the man had jumped down below. His body plunged beneath the waves and the noise stopped. Arya stared in horror and the other men ran over to join her. Their trance like state dissipated.

"Aeron!" A voice shouted. The man emerged from the depths, gasping for air before swimming further out from the ship. He completely ignored the calls from on deck. He swam a few yards when his body disappeared once more; it was as if he got sucked underneath. In his place, a different figure emerged.

Eyes glowing like a feline in the night, with skin pale as the moon. Sandpaper like skin and a long fin atop its head, shaped almost like hair. It parted its lips revealing a mouth filled with serrated teeth. Arya covered her mouth, what was this creature? So human like and yet, so alien.

Its gills opened, pulling in air as that sharp cry left its mouth. Then, it sank beneath.

Soon, hundreds of glowing eyes surrounded the vessel and hundreds of cries called out to the men. Arya watched one by one as they jumped from the railing into the ocean and listened as their painful screams echoed alongside that of the alien's. Arya grabbed her men's clothing, tried to pull them away but her efforts proved fruitless. All she could do was witness the deaths of her men with the outline of land in the distance.

The darkness of the midnight sky cast not a single shimmer on the water. Depths as black as a raven consumed a hundred men that night and the shrill of the monsters below finally silenced. Arya sat clutching the railing on her wooden vessel, the ship's rocking coming to a slow. When the blood curdling screams of her men being torn to shreds came to a halt, her dark eyes opened.

A moment of peace nestled on the open sea that night. Arya stood slowly, seeing more of her men lying on the deck all of them seemingly dazed and confused. They had almost made it.