Game of Thrones: The Storm

S1E3 - Lord Snow

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As the days ticked down until you would all arrive back in the capitol, you decided to have a word with Lord Stark. You hadn't had a proper conversation with the man since you all left Winterfell. 

"My Lord," you greeted, pulling your horse to walk next to his.

"Laramie," he looked over at you before back on the trail.

"This journey has not been an easy one on your family," you began, looking around at the world that was cast in a beautiful glow from the early morning. 

"No, it hasn't," he agreed, looking back over at you as you spoke. "Can't imagine it's any easier on you, being in service of your father... he told me about the places he sent you, the training you've done. It's no life for a young girl."

You looked over at him with an almost lost expression. 

"I think the only reason he sent me away was to keep me safe," you defended your father and his choice, even though a part of you wished he never made it.

"The last time I saw you, you were just a little girl under the King's protection. You were safer in King's Landing with your father... not hundreds of miles away."

You looked over at him before back onto the road again, a small knowing smile blessed your lips.

"King's Landing was just as dangerous for me when I was younger as Astapor, Meerreen, and Yunkai. I think the safest I've ever felt was when I was on Bear Island, and the best I've ever been treated was when I was in Dorne," you explained.

"You should have stayed in Dorne then, seeing as you have more family there than you probably have in the capitol," he jested with a small smile. You returned it, but only half-heartedly.

"I beg to differ."

Lord Stark's smile faded slowly at your words, replaced by a solemn expression as he studied your face. Ahead of you, the morning light danced across the trail, casting long shadows from the trees, and for a while, all that passed between you was the creak of leather and the soft clop of hooves. 

The sound of soldiers talking and the wheels from the wagons rolling along the dirt path nothing but background noise now. 

"You speak like someone who's seen too much to want to call the Capitol home," he finally said, voice lower than before. "So, if not for your father, and your siblings... who do you have left there?" 

You hesitated, your blue eyes drifting toward the horizon and catching the sun, making you squint. 

"There are still people in the Capitol worth protecting, I think. Worth standing for. And maybe," you added, a bit more quietly, "some things I still need to face."

He looked over at you, there was something in his gaze. It wasn't pity, and not concern exactly, but a deeper understanding from where you came from. An understanding from a man who had faced his own reckoning more times than he ever cared to admit.

"Then face them with your head high," he said. "Whatever your father made of you, whatever the court is turning you into...  it's still your life. Don't let them take that from you." 

"...I won't." 

A raven passed overhead, its shadow flickering across the trail. A couple minutes passed and neither of you spoke, both watching its flight as if it carried the weight of the future. Almost like a warning. Turn back, don't go into the Capitol. 

Eventually, he broke the silence one final time. "When we ride through those gates, they'll all be watching, waiting to see which of us falters first."