The Songs of Winter | Robb Stark

Chapter 17

Robb finally allowed me to join one of the battles, though he insisted I stay back, armed only with my bow and arrow. Carlisle, ever the adrenaline junkie, begrudgingly stuck by my side on Robb's orders to ensure my safety.

As Carlisle and I walked through the aftermath of the battle, the stench of death hung heavy in the air, with bodies scattered across the field. The cries of the wounded pierced through me, filling me with overwhelming sympathy and guilt.

"Don't dwell on it too much Song, if you don't kill them they kill you." Carlisle remarks.

As we continue walking I spot Robb from afar helping a girl aid someone who's injured. Carlisle raises his eyebrow "Let's go see what our lad got himself into."

Approaching Robb, I sit at his side while Carlisle positions himself next to the girl. With a smirk, Carlisle remarks, "No offense, miss, but this boys a Lannister soldier. Some of our own need assistance," he explains to her.

The girl raises an eyebrow at his comment. "Your men are not mine, my Lord" she replies, then addresses us all, "Help me restrain him."

Complying, Robb, Carlisle, and I restrain the man as the girl instructs him to bite down on a piece of fabric and lie still.

Protesting in fear, the man tries to resist. "No! You can't!"

"Bite on it," she commands firmly shoving it in his mouth.

Carlisle chuckles, offering some reassurance. "Trust me, it's better than biting your own tongue," he says, before turning to us. "Remember when..."

I interrupt him with a shove to the shoulder, signaling that now isn't the time for jokes in front of a suffering boy. Carlisle rolls his eyes in reply.

As the girl begins sawing the man's leg, l avert my gaze, feeling queasy at the sight. While blood doesn't bother me, the sight of flesh and bone is another matter entirely.

"What a way to spend my evening," Carlisle remarks dryly, his tone tinged with sarcasm, as the girl continues sawing, eliciting louder screams from the boy, requiring us to press him down harder as he tries to move.

"Do you lot always talk this much?" the girl interjects as she finishes sawing and begins applying medicine to the man's wound.

Robb shoots Carlisle a warning glare, but Carlisle, being Carlisle, ignores it and smirks. "Not usually, but your pretty face is quite distracting," he quips.

I glance at Robb, then motion gagging at Carlisle's attempt at flirtation, eliciting a small smile from him.

Rolling her eyes, the girl starts wrapping the man's leg. "You don't have to keep talking to impress me," she retorts. "It just makes you look more foolish than you already do." With that, she finishes tending to the man's wound and stands up.

We all rise to our feet and follow Talisa, our horses awaiting us in the direction she's going. I glance at her and ask, "What's your name?"

"Talisa," she responds with a smile.

Robb looks up at her and inquires, "Your last name?"

Her lips quirk up at this. "You want to know what side my family fights for?"

"You know my family name," Robb quips back. "You have me at a disadvantage."

Pausing by a cart, Talisa retrieves supplies to clean her instruments. "That boy lost his foot on your orders," she remarks, addressing Robb.

"They killed my father," Robb retorts defensively.

Talisa looks up at him, her expression curious. "That boy did?" she questions.