‘One Gold Dragon and you can have a cabin.’
‘I don’t have a Gold Dragon.’ Osha’s mouth twitched in annoyance. ‘I’ve explained our situation to you already. I want safe passage on your ship for me and my son until you reach the Last Hearth. There, you can leave us for the Umbers.’
‘No Gold Dragon, no passage.’ The fat captain sneered, shrugging his huge shoulders, nonchalantly. ‘I can't help you, I’m afraid.’
Rickon could sense Osha’s anger building up and he rested his small hand on her elbow. The tension left her body and she sighed. ‘Well, thanks for your help anyway.’
She grabbed Rickon as she turned, and they walked away from the captain. Osha was practically dragging the young Stark by his arm, as she walked away as fast as she could.
‘Osha, it’s his ship. It is his choice.’ Rickon said. They turned a corner, leaving the small harbour and heading down a dank, piss-smelling alley.
‘Whatever happened to a little Northern hospitality.’ the Wilding grimaced. ‘I would love to shove my blade into that bulging monstrosity’s stomach. I’d pull his mouldy guts out and hang him with them.’
‘Osha!’ Rickon cried out. She stopped, letting go of the little boy.
‘And then I’d let Shaggydog finish him off. People like that don’t deserve a wealthy life.’
‘He didn’t look wealthy. He smelt like the beggars we used to get in Winterfell.’
‘He didn’t look wealthy? Did you not see the size of him? Only rich men get good food to eat and you only get fat if you eat lots of it.’
‘Or if you don’t hunt.’
Osha smiled. Her smile turned into a laugh and she slapped Rickon’s shoulder.
‘It’s true!’ The Stark persisted. ‘Robb used to tell me stories of Wyman Manderly. He called him Lord-Too-Fat-To-Sit-A-Horse. Lord Manderly is the biggest man in the Seven Kingdoms and he got like that because he got his soldiers to hunt his meat for him. He stayed in his castle and only moved when his men brought him food.’
‘Oh, little Lord, you would make a great storyteller. My brother, George, used to tell stories like that. only they weren’t as funny. And involved a lot more bloodshed.’ Osha leaned against the wall and looked down at Rickon. ‘You do realise we have to get to the Umbers, yes?
‘I don’t care anymore. I want to go back with Bran.’ The boy looked down at his feet. ‘We didn’t have to leave him.’
‘You can stop with that sentimental rubbish. It’s not the sort of thing you should be dwelling on. We need to focus on getting on that ship.’
Rickon looked up. ‘We’re still trying to get on that one?’
‘We are going to get on that one, little Lord. And I know exactly how we’re going to do it.’ Osha tilted her to the side, a grin spreading across her face. ‘Where would Shaggydog be right now?’
Martyn Mystwater was having a boring day. His sailors were busy preparing his small, yet speedy ship, Black Night, for a voyage to King’s Landing, where he would bend his knee to the King and offer his trading services to the Crown. However, at the moment, Mystwater was stood on the harbour, Black Night swaying proudly behind him. He was waiting for the woman to return.
She had approached him twice already that day. Her and the boy, whom she claimed was her son, but was undoubtedly not. Mystwater didn’t know why she wanted to get to the Umbers and cared not either, but he did care for what she had under her clothes. She had asked for passage on Black Night and each time she asked, Mystwater had reduced his offer. He knew she would return for a third time and when she did, Mystwater would make his last offer. She would receive safe passage for herself and her ‘son’, as long as she would marry him after her business with the Umbers had concluded.
The captain stood on the edge of the harbour, a dim smile on his face as he tried to picture what the woman looked like underneath. That’s when he heard the growling.
The woman had returned. With the boy. And they weren’t alone. Prowling beside them was the biggest wolf Martyn Mystwater had ever seen in his life. It was probably the biggest one he’d ever heard of as well.
The wolf lifted its head at the sight of the captain and snarled, flashing its sabre teeth. Slobber dripped down from its mouth and landed on the cobbled floor.
‘Down, Shaggydog.’ The boy raised his hand and the wolf halted, head still down and golden eyes still locked onto Mystwater.
‘Good day, dear captain.’ The woman looked as happy as she sounded. ‘I require safe passage for myself, my son and our direwolf. Unfortunately, we have no means of payment but we assume our journey to the Last Hearth will be covered by the laws of Northern Hospitality. Would you be willing to allow us upon your ship for this journey?’
Mystwater stood his ground. ‘I’m afraid the least you can pay me for that journey would be a Gold Dragon. Which is hardly anything if all three of you are to travel.’
‘Shaggydog.’ The boy uttered the wolf’s name and it sprang to attention. It leapt towards Mystwater, who could do nothing but run. The fat man waddled off the edge of the harbour and went splashing into the black water beneath. As he surfaced, he hit his head upon the side of Black Night.
The captain frantically waved his hands about in the murky water, trying to keep himself afloat. A gaggle of people had gathered and looked down at him from the harbour above. He could see the woman as well, her smile even wider than before. The boy was laughing, his eyes twinkling with joy. The wolf was sat down by the feet of the boy, nuzzling his legs.
‘It’s yours.’ Martyn swallowed a gulp of seawater and coughed, spluttering it back up. ‘Go inside and pick your favourite cabin. Help yourselves to food. We leave at dawn.’
‘Thank you, kind Captain. This won’t be forgotten.’ The woman smiled and tossed something into the water beside Mystwater. It landed beside his head and sent a few splashes across his face. The Gold Dragon glittered in the sunlight before it sank slowly into the sea.
