Hear me Roar - English version

CHAPTER 27 - "I'm listening"

               I decided to leave the Royal Road a few days ago. It is too dangerous to walk alone. The woods are not much safer but, at least, the soldiers sent to look for me by Joffrey will have more difficulty following my trail.

               I am not sure that he really wants to see me again. For a few weeks now, I have not given the king any pleasure. Now that Meryn Trant, the only man who agreed to help his rape his wife is dead, he no longer has access to my body. Furthermore, I stopped trying to manipulate him. To charm him will not help my situation, I realized that.

               Maybe Joffrey is glad I'm gone. After all, it's a vacation for both of us.

♐︎

               Arrow helps me with the hunt, she's a bloodhound. So, we eat our fill every day. The nights are long. I don't have anyone to take shifts, so I only sleep in one ear.

               I don't know exactly where Robb's camp is, but Varys' information is accurate enough to know where I'm heading. By my estimates, I'll be there in two days.

               When we walk, I try not to get too lost in my thoughts, at the risk of not finding my way. So, I pass the time singing.

               I wish I had something more interesting to tell. I admit that, when I left the capital, I thought I was going to live a great adventure. Hopefully, the return trip will be a little more exciting.

♐︎

               Maybe I spoke too quickly.

               Alerted by a cracking of branches to my right, I pull an arrow out of my quiver and tape my bow. The noise stops, the person watching me tries to make me believe that he does not exist, or that he is the fruit of my imagination. The tension between us is still too strong to ignore it. I am not fooled.

"Who are you?" I throw, without really knowing where to look. "Show yourself, I won't hurt you!"

"Promise it!" answers a man's voice a little further to the left.

"I promise you. Your turn, now!"

               A sound of foliage echoes behind me but I do not have time to face it as I am plunged into darkness. A sack of jute covers my head while my attacker ties my hands behind my back.

"I can't promise you, pretty."

"Who are you?!"

               The only answer I hear is Arrow growling.

"Don't touch my wolf! She's from the North, she'll kill you!"

"Like you, little girl?"

"Only if you hurt her! Untie me!"

               When I feel myself taking off, I struggle in all directions. This fool is not alone, he could not lift me with his only strength while I gesticulate at this point. Unless he is a colossus.

               They put me on a horse whose warmth reassures me. I see nothing, but he is there. He binds me to reality. We walk long minutes during which I do not say a word. With a little luck, if I am kind, they will release me quickly.

♐︎

               My captors only allow to see once out of sight, hidden in a cave. The light of the fire burns my retina, forcing me to close my eyes. Again, in the dark, I work to understand the situation in which I find myself.

"Who are you?" I ask again.

"Everyone and no one at a time" answers an unknown voice.

               He's not the man I met in the woods. But how many are they?

"What do you want from me?"

"No harm, I assure you. It's just dangerous for a pretty girl like you to walk in the woods."

"I'm not walking around! What I do in these woods is none of your business! So now let me go!"

               I hear other men laughing a little further. A burst of rage forces me to open my eyes and stare at them.

"You are guilty of high treason" I yell. "You will be killed for that!"

"We don't betray anyone, little girl" he corrects me. "King Robert is dead, no one governs us."

"The Brotherhood Without Banners..."

               Also called the Brotherhood, the Brotherhood Without Banners is responsible for restoring justice in Riverlands. Despite the conflicts, they do not take a stand but simply execute the criminals and help the little people.

               They are good people. But they remain over-trained soldiers who would only make a bite of a young, puny queen who never leaves her ivory tower.

               Unfortunately for them, my tower was made of wood, and it caught fire.

"You are the Brotherhood" I repeat. "And you are Beric Dondarrion!"

               He's the one who brought me here. I didn't recognize his voice. I haven't seen him for a long time.

               A year ago, now, my father sent Ser Beric to the Riverlands to stop the Mountain. This one, under the orders of Tywin Lannister, crossed the region by destroying villages and leaving dead fish. They were threats against my mother.

               When Robert died, the men responsible for killing the Mountain decided to continue their mission.

"Majesty."

"Ser Beric, can I know what hit you? I could have you executed immediately."

"It won't be useful."

"You were found alone wandering the woods" exposes the second man. "You are not a threat."

"And you are?"

"Thoros of Myr. At your service, majesty" he adds with a gross bow.

               I know that name, he fought alongside my father in the Greyjoy Rebellion. He was the first to enter Pyke's castle with his sword in fire. You read correctly: a flaming sword that only died out when he decided.

               The believers will explain it to you by saying this is the will of R'hllor, Thoros being a red priest. Me, and I'm in a good position to know, I lean for magic.

"It's you!" I'm shouting. "You control the fire!"

               His laughter echoes in the cave, violently bringing me back to the reality of my situation. I am held here by a dozen men, unarmed. I'm at their mercy.

"I don't control fire, little one! The Master of Light grants it to me."

"I don't believe in R'hllor."

               I was raised in the North with respect for the Ancient Gods. And I'm not even sure I believe that either.

"Why did you kidnap me if you don't want to hurt me?" I ask Beric.

"Rumors are coming across the country very quickly, child of the North" Thoros says. "Your fight with Meryn Trant is even faster than others."

"So, you know..."

"We know" says Beric kneeling before me. "And we have reason to believe that you can do all this through the Master of Light."

"I told you: I don't believe it. If I can do "all this", as you say, it's for another reason. It's still unknown to me... but I'll find out!"

"What if I told you that we can help you control your powers?"

               If he's right, I could use it as a weapon. I won't be overwhelmed by my emotions, letting them take control. I could make myself useful, help Robb win this war, free Sansa, and do justice to my father.

"I listen to you" I announce with a confident voice.