Episode one: A Cold Whisper {Game of Thrones} (COMPLETED)

Harley

The eight young wildlings trekked through the woods heading directly south. Erik, Farlan, Gregor, Mikah, Oliver, Jaelyn and Ari stood behind Harley, who led the way. She barely hesitated a moment.

"Harley - slow down!" called Oliver, panting like a running wolf.

But she would not slow down.

She could feel Erik's presence behind her. She had barely looked at the towering beast since they left, and went out of her way to avoid all contact with him at all cost. She couldn't stand to be near him, and even at that moment, leading the smallish group of freefolk, she could sense him there, behind her. Watching her.

They had been walking for many hours now, they left before dawn and it was coming dusk now. Harley remaining at a constant speed throughout the entire of the journey so far. Whenever her legs gave up, and she threatened to slow down or to take a break, the image of the white walker conjured in her mind. The army of dead men and horses. She would freak out, and continue speed walking through the large gaps between the thin-trunked trees.

"Harley," Oliver appeared by the wild girls side, "I think it's time we had a break, everybody is exhausted." he pleaded.

But Harley was barely listening. She could see the frozen, dead man in her head, laughing at them, mocking them. The white walker, the ice man. And she was but a weak little black crow, defeated by the wind and the snow.

She stormed off ahead of the pleading - hardly even recognisable - man. Harley was going insane, the reality of the army of wights was taking over her own true reality. Until she felt the tight grip of a hand on her left shoulder. She flinched at the touch.

"We're taking a break, now." the rough-looking man growled. Harley's insides squirmed, how dare he touch me, she thought. How dare he lay his hand on me.

The group of people stopped walking in unison, forcing their seemingly fearless, (but truly terrified) leader to come to a sudden halt, and rest her aching legs. She sat down in the cold snow, causing her upper thighs and arse to go numb.

Harley's whole body shivered in the cold, and she huddled herself deeper into her furs.

A familiar face approached her timidly.

"Harls... what's the matter? You're so tense."

"I'm fine - just don't wanna waste any time." she told her brother. They were sat a couple of meters away from the rest of the group. Farlan raised his eyebrows.

"Farlan," Harley started, "a bigger number of men have died than the amount of men that are living today - we can't fight back," she paused, "we need to run. I saw the army of the dead. They're coming. They're coming for us all."

Farlan bowed his head, "I miss mama already."

She was about to console him. About to place a hand on his shoulder, let him know she was there. She was about to take care of her brother, to hold him and never let go because he was all she had now and she had never felt a love for him as strong as she felt in that exact moment.

But then an arrow pierced his shoulder. His right shoulder. The shoulder that she was reaching out to.

Farlan screeched in pain, and dived to the floor as another arrow came shooting directly towards his skull. It missed, and flew through thin air until it eventually fell silently to the ground.

Harley took several moments to register what had just happened, but when she did, she jumped to her feet, grabbed her bow, and went as crazy as she looked.

Harley didn't care who she had just shot an arrow at. All she cared about was her brother. Her brother who had just been hit.

And then she saw it.

A human skeleton. Nothing more - just living, walking, human bones. Harley turned to watch her arrow fly right in between two of its ribs.

Thankfully, somebody else had better luck, and shot an arrow at the skeletons head. But she didn't even have time to check who had saved her life, for unfortunately, there were more.

Another two human skeletons appeared in the clearing. Harley whipped out her dagger and sprinted towards the one closest to her. She could see the rest of the group running to help.

Harley ducked to avoid a swing of the skeletons sword and dived out of the way as the other skeleton swung at her. When she rolled over onto her back, she witnessed Mikah beheading the skeleton in one single swing of his iron war axe. Erik was onto the skeleton, going for it with his steel hammer. He pounded the skeleton until it was merely a pile of shattered bones. He whipped his head up, looking wild and rough.

"Where are they? Are there more?!" he bellowed. The group of freefolk held up their weapons menacingly. They waited for several counts.

"I think that's them all..." Oliver breathed.

Harley became grounded. Her mind turned back to normal, and she shoved her dagger into the waistband of her leather trousers in a haste.

"Farlan!"

She scrambled toward her fallen brother.

He was still alive, but was bleeding excessively and slowly turning pale.
"Can anyone stop the bleeding?" Harley called out. Ari, Jaelyn and Oliver came rushing over to help.

"It hurts badly..." Farlan mumbled, "just get the arrow out. Please..."

"It'll be ok," whispered Jaelyn, "I'm here Farlan."

Harley stood back while Ari, Jaelyn and Oliver took care of Farlan.

"He'll be alright," Mikah said to Harley, giving her a small smile.

But Harley didn't hear it. Her brother's blood was a vivid red on the snowy white ground.

Harley ran from the clearing. She came across a slightly smaller clearing, with a little pond which she knelt by and drank from. Harley was truly exhausted. She didn't want to admit it to herself and certainly not to the others, but she was absolutely terrified.

Harley cried. She let out great long sobs and let her tears fall to the ground and sink into the pure, white snow. She let herself collapse onto her hands and knees like a dog, and sank further into the cold ground. She wanted the earth to swallow her. Absorb her into the snow just like her tears. In that moment, she wanted to disappear into nothing. To go somewhere where nothing can hurt her. Where nothing cared about her, or her mama, or her papa or her brother, so that they could live happy, and untouched.

Harley wanted to die, she could not handle this interminable pain and yet she prayed to the old gods and the new, for life.