Redfork Menace

Unraveled

When Shanda appeared back at Stone Hedge she had developed a slight limp. Sneaking inside had been easy enough, Martyn had still been on guard. And she had made her way inside moving silent and unseen all the way to her own chambers. There she collapsed exhausted, but there would be no rest for her now. She lay there for a moment trying to convince herself this was truly reality. First, she was an idiot. She had severely underestimated her opponent and it had almost cost her everything. If he had managed to drag her back to Raventree… She shuddered at the thought.
She pulled herself out of bed by sheer force of will and began readying a bath. Since starting her escapades in the borderlands she had refused all servant assistance in her room. She did her own linens, warmed her own water and got herself ready. It was easier that way, less questions. It gave her a sense of autonomy she had been lacking before. Despite how dangerous the situation truly was, she couldn't find it in her to stay away. The information would be useful and she couldn't bear to go back to her boring life before the nightly adventures.
Her father trusted her more than most, putting her in charge of the record keeping and allowing her a say on any matter pertaining to the honor of their house. But it didn't mean he ever listened to what she said. Shanda had too many brothers to count and inevitably her opinion was pushed down in favor of others. It was hard not to take it personally. How would she ever gain the experience to offer useful advice if she were stuck in these walls all day? Whenever she voiced these frustrations her father would simply urge her to look into taking a suitor up. She always scoffed at the notion that would take her away. And it didn't guarantee any more freedom than she had now, less factoring in children on any account.
She looked upon her face in a dingy mirror while she braided her hair back. The shadows under her eyes were a tad darker than usual but that could be explained away by working late. Fall approached and soon most of her time would be spent managing shipments for winter. Besides the dark shadows she looked the same as ever. Her shoulders throbbed with every heartbeat and she was sure a couple of ribs were bruised. Today was going to be hell. Taking one last look in the mirror she headed downstairs.
The sky was still gray, though lighter than it had been over the past two days. She knew something was wrong when Martyn was in the main hall waiting for her along with her father.

"Good morning Father, Martyn. What news brings us together on this day?"

The only family meetings they had usually preceded disaster.

"Martyn, tell your sister about the Raven you received."

Face unreadable Martyn pulled a slip of paper open before reading.

"To the many houses of the River lands. This is a formal warrant issued for the individual terrorizing Blackwoods lands, dubbed the "Redfork Menace". Countenance is small in stature, remarkably fast and responsible for multiple crimes in Blackwood lands. The charges include: Attempted assault, trespassing, illegal snare traps, and most grievously an attempt to harm the heir of Raventree. Further attempts by anyone to penetrate the land beyond the river will be met with immediate hostility.
Signed, the heir of Raventree Hall"

Shanda stood there momentarily speechless.
***
Benjicot Blackwood approached Raventree Hall feeling giddy. He'd nearly had her this time, the sly little Bracken who kept sneaking into their side of the borderlands. She was so fierce and fought valiantly. It was adorable. It was also incredibly irresponsible. The Brackens were all craven simpering cunts. They were unfit to sit on the land they owned and contaminated the air for the rest of the riverlands. But she was a pretty foul mouthed creature that considered herself so clever. He knew about her presence almost immediately. The guards might not have been sure about her existence but he had been.
As heir he knew all of his lands like the back of his hand, the borderlands no exception. With the increased tension and altercations surrounding the area he had volunteered to join the guard rotation. It would break up the monotony of his normal routine and show he wasn't too good to work just like the rest of them. After the first time she had appeared he'd sat back and waited, watching her movements and familiarizing himself with her mannerisms. He had studied her so intently that he had cracked her identity on the third occasion he saw her. Her bronze hair had caught in the moonlight where she lay crouched and he pretended not to see her. The answer to why she might be spying on them dawned on him with the flash of her hair. Amos Bracken was a blonde but his wife had auburn hair. Martyn Bracken had the same auburn hair and his twin was of an almost identical shade.
He could have died of laughter at the realization. They were sending her as a scout and spy? Whatever sneaking she did might pass the bar in Stone Hedge but to him she was loud, visible. She never stayed crouched low enough and ventured much too close. Sometimes she would lose track of time, focusing too intently. He hadn't lied about her skill in covering her tracks though, that was true. She had done well to step lightly and the snares had been a nice touch. But she'd used the wrong kind of rope, he was much heavier than the rabbit string she had brought. But he had played along because it was entertaining and she was trying so hard. It must be difficult to be surrounded by Brackens all the time, no wonder she was so keen to cross over into his land.
Ben's father trusted him to resolve the borderland conflict on his own. He could do it quickly and quietly but where was the fun in that? If it had been the normal scum, he wouldn't have hesitated to bring them to justice. But the nosy woman interested him and he wanted to escalate the issue. It was no sweat off his brow, he was dealing with a known threat with his Lord fathers permission. And he would bet all of the money in King's Landing that her father had no idea she was sneaking out at night into Blackwood land. He doubted she was planning to return anytime soon given he'd knocked her off her feet easily and given her a small taste of why it was so stupid for her to be there. All the same he wanted to make her nervous.
Inside the halls of his house he quickly made his way to the maester to put his budding plan into action. He wanted to announce a warrant for her arrest. He couldn't outright name her, not yet. But he could make it clear to her that he was threatening her, what had she called herself? "Bane of the Blackwoods and the Menace of the Redfork." He smiled thinking about it. It had taken all of his willpower to stay on his knees pretending to be restrained while she raged at him. It was so hard not to wrap her up in his arms and cart her off home. It would be too easy. No, it was better to do it this way. If he was lucky he might get a bride out of the situation.
Over the past moon the feud had been going nonstop. The late summer air did something that spurred them on, young men in a frenzy constantly causing rifts. Since Lord Grover Tully was older than dirt and not half as useful, it fell to his heir Elmo to dispense justice. Elmo had made it clear on their last summoned meeting that he was over it and rivalry be damned they better hold it together for a while. If Ben started a petty unnecessary fight over a Bracken spy terrorizing them and it was revealed the spy was the only daughter of Amos. Well, a marriage might be a fine way to try and mend the years long rift between the houses. He was frankly unconcerned with her house affiliation and would be honored to free her of it.