A Dance of Frost and Flame

Chapter 6. White Harbor

It was Visenya's first day utterly alone. She was immediately hit with a longing to be home upon waking up. She had cut and removed a piece of her shirt to wrap around her injured ankle. It did nothing more than help with some stability as she limped around the thick snow. The pain had consumed her, so she didn't stray far from the cave.

She had encountered a frozen pond earlier that day. She broke it open and sipped the cold water with her hands cupped in a bowl. The water was perpetually freezing, but she didn't find much care in view of the fact that she felt so dehydrated. Frostbite was farthest from her mind as she drank eagerly.

Finding food proved to be less successful. With such a fresh snowfall, she had no luck finding any animals, and her hunger gradually increased. She sat now, back in the murkiness of her cave. The fire was burning to her left, but she had collected some burnt coals that had cooled off on her right side.

She reached for them now, and with her hair lying flat, she brought it in front of her chest. Her hands grabbed the pieces of coal and rubbed them evenly on her hair, starting at the top of her head and working down.

She knew she couldn't stay here; the South was too far and dangerous to travel to. If she came across Southerners who recognized her, it wouldn't work out well in her favor. She had no choice but to go North. Most people here had never seen her, and White Harbor had to be near. She'd be safe if she could make it there without coming across any Hightower supporters.

She assumed she was located north of Moat Cailin. Barrowton was possibly the same distance; they were loyal bannermen to House Stark, but she did not think she would feel safe and protected there, having never met them. The Manderlys had already made their support known and had more soldiers.

It was the best option for her. She had to go East, but not too far North, for fear of being met with Bolton men. Their trust was a fickle thing. They only ever took action if it was in their own best interest, and from this point, they likely knew the Hightowers had an advantage over the upcoming war.

Visenya then cursed herself for not having paid much attention to the teachings of the North. Perhaps if she had spent more time learning about the landmarks, she would know exactly where she was. However, she did her best to recall Aegon The Conquerer's painted table back on Dragonstone; the memory may help her find the home of the Manderlys.

Her hair was now ashy and black, and Visenya's feature that she inherited from her Targaryen lineage was safely disguised. She had no idea how she would cross the river between her and White Harbor, but that was a problem for later.

When she exited the cave, Visenya checked the sky. It was still snowing, so she would have to wear her hood up to cover her hair. One glimpse of her white hair, and men and women alike would immediately figure it out.

After giving her head one last coating of ash, she attached her quiver to her back, sure to keep the embroidered dire wolf hidden. Her first destination was back to the pond, where she had a drink of water. She removed one of her leather gloves and used it to scoop small amounts of water.

It wasn't as sufficient as using her hands, but at least then she would not be walking around in the cold with them wet and risking frostbite.

After drinking, she used the sun to determine the direction of the East and started that way. Her hood kept her head and ears warm while her hands remained inside her cloak and close to her body.

It had already been a tiring journey. Her ankle gradually slowed her down, and hunger gave her shaky, unstable legs. She knew she had to be getting closer to the White Knife River, as she had crossed the Kingsroad a while back. The evening was approaching when she finally heard the noise of rushing water; she was near.