Asoiaf: I Have a Wolverine Template

Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Maria Vengeance and Consigliere
...
Maria POV

I sat alone in the courtyard, hands covering my face, the remnants of a nightmare still clinging to me. My past, the brothel years, haunted me like a shadow I couldn't shake. I felt dirty—absolutely filthy.

All the men I had pleasured did so with hollow affection, masking cruelty behind smiles and false words. Men who abused me, using my body for their own vile gratification, men who were evil to their core. Their disgusting actions haunted me now, replaying in my mind. Why am I remembering this? Why can't I leave it behind?

I should move on, I should be stronger. But the memories clawed at me, refusing to let go, a reminder of the dirt that still stained my soul.

Lost in my thoughts, a sudden thud echoed across the ground. I looked up to see a figure fall from the sky, landing on his feet with the grace of a predator.

He wore a hood and mask—the scourge of Lannisport, my savior. Richard. The man who had saved me from that life. The boss of the Lionheart family. My boss.

"What seems to be troubling you so late at night, Maria?" Richard asked as he approached, his presence commanding even in the silence.

"I could say the same to you," I replied, trying to mask the vulnerability in my voice.

"Just finishing some favors," he said, removing his mask. His features were familiar yet jarring—a boy who had grown into a man far too quickly. Richard's face, though still youthful, bore the sharp lines of someone who had seen too much, lived too fast.

"Now then, you haven't answered my question. Why are you up so late?" His gaze pierced through me, probing for answers I wasn't sure I wanted to give.

"I... I've been having nightmares," I mumbled, unwilling to reveal the full depth of my torment. I looked down at my hands, ashamed to burden him with my past.

"Of what?" His voice was steady, unrelenting.

"Madam Allayne... what she did to me. The brothel women, what they subjected me to. I felt trapped, but now it's better because you saved me. It's better now." I tried to convince myself as much as him.

Richard's eyes softened briefly, but his expression quickly hardened. "Do you want revenge?"

I hesitated. Revenge? The word tasted bitter in my mouth, yet something inside me stirred. Yes, I wanted them to suffer. I wanted them to feel the helplessness they had inflicted on me. But something held me back—my morals, perhaps. Still, the burning in my gut, the anger, refused to let me be.

"They pay protection money," I said quietly, trying to justify my inaction. The madam contributed to the Lionheart coffers, after all.

"So what?" Richard's voice was fierce. "Protection money is a requirement, not a favor. They've never done a favor for me, and they've certainly never done one for you." His gaze intensified, unwavering. "You're my family, an important part of it. We're Lionhearts. If someone crosses one of us, they cross us all. Now, will you take your revenge or not?"

Richard stood and extended his hand to me. I looked up at him, then at his hand, my heart pounding. He was right. I wasn't weak anymore. I wasn't that helpless girl they could break. I wanted revenge. I wanted to see Madam Allayne and the others suffer.

I reached out and took his hand, my eyes gleaming with newfound resolve.
...
Jon POV

The next day

It was early morning when my men and I made our way to the brothel. This visit wasn't for pleasure; it was a mission. A mission to capture Madam Allayne.