Of Lions, Wolves, and Dragons (Jon Snow)

39. Journey North

Joellyn was still riding with Brienne and Podrick followed closely behind them.  The three of them rode in relative silence.  Joellyn assumed that Brienne was licking her wounds.  She had promised Catelyn Stark that she would help her girls, but Arya ran away and Sansa refused Brienne's service.  Her honor compelled her to continue to watch over Sansa from afar, but it still had to have hurt Brienne that Sansa did not want her help.  Podrick was likely embarassed at what had happened with the horse and the Knight of the Vale earlier.  Joellyn just liked having silent time to look at the scenery and try not to think about all that had changed.

In just a few short months, she went from having a marriage arranged for her, being terrified of meeting Oberyn, falling in love with Oberyn, then being widowed.  At the same time, Tyrion was blamed for Joffrey's murder then lost the trial by combat that had made Joellyn a widow.  On top of all of that, after leaving King's Landing, Joellyn found out that Tyrion had escaped and killed their father in the process.  She wasn't sad about her father's death, but so many things had changed in such a short amount of time that it was hard to cope.  So it was nice to get out of the capital and do something so out of the norm for the rest of her life's story.

Brienne pulled their horse to a stop at the top of a large hill.  Joellyn looked down the hill ahead of them and saw Moat Cailin and the party that Sansa was traveling with.  As the party began passing into the keep, she heard Podrick groan from behind them.

Joellyn turned and asked him, "What is it, Pod?"

Podrick sighed, "How are we going to get through Moat Cailin?  I don't think they'll like us traveling through.  Especially not with a Lannister, no offense my lady."

Joellyn shook her head.  No, the further north they got the less favorable the Lannister name was going to become, "No offense taken.  You're right."

She turned back to face the front as Brienne urged the horse to begin forward again saying, "We don't go through.  We go around."

From behind her, Joellyn heard Podrick counter, "It's miles out of the way to go around.  We'll lose sight of them."

Brienne shrugged, "Doesn't matter, I know where they're going."

Joellyn though about the path Sansa's party was taking.  Moat Cailin would lead them further north.  The realization hit her suddenly: Littlefinger was taking Sansa back to the north to Winterfell.

Joellyn gasped, "Brienne, didn't my father give Roose Bolton the title Warden of the North?"

Brienne nodded solemnly.  Roose Bolton had helped her father kill Sansa's mother and Robb's men.  As far as anyone other than Varys, Ary, and herself knew, Robb was dead.  Even with Roose's title as Warden of the North, the Bolton's would still never have a legitimate claim on the North.  If Sansa was returned to Winterfell, their claim would be legitimized.  Joellyn felt her heart drop into her stomach.  Littlefinger had convinced Sansa that he cared about her, but here he was using her as a pawn in his plans again.

Joellyn sighed in frustration, "Brienne, Sansa won't be safe in Winterfell with the Boltons."

She felt Brienne take in a deep breath and sigh in return before saying, "We can't stop her from getting there.  The best thing we can do is to get to Winterfell and see if Sansa still has any allies that will help us help her."

They rode in relative silence for most of the rest of the day.  They lost sight of Moat Cailin quickly, but they were going to be able to make it around.  It would just be a long journey.  When Brienne stopped for the evening, Joellyn slid down off of the horse gently and began to stretch her muscles out.  Riding on a horse for so long had been making her uncomfortable, so it was nice to be able to stand and try to work out the sore muscles.  Especially since she still had not fully recovered from Arya's hard hit.