Northern Conqueror

Chapter 27: Reunion and Redemption

Chapter 27: Reunion and Redemption

Winterfell took up arms as riders under a Lannister banner approached. It might have been eight men but the guards all stood ready to react the moment anything happened.

The gate opened and the Starks gathered to welcome Jaime Lannister back to Winterfell.

He dismounted and handed his reins off to one of his men while Ser Bronn of the Blackwater moved to Jaime's side. He scanned both Stark girls somberly before a smile flickered across his lips at the sight of Brienne. That smile died when he looked at Bran, who stared at him.

"I never imagined she'd send you," said Sansa. "Though I suppose Cersei has few she can trust these days."

Jaime maintained his frown as he looked to her. "How much of your letter is true?"

"All of it," said Sansa. "The Night King marches on the Wall and Jon Snow is a lie my father told us all."

"And there's proof of this?" he asked resting his false hand on the pommel of Widow's Wail.

Sansa nodded. "Unless you're in a rush I'd prefer to wait for Jon's return to settle that. He should be back in a sennight or so, but as for the wights we can show you them now if you'd like."

Bronn and Jaime shared a look. "You have one?"

"Three," Sansa corrected. "Jon took our other one."

"You keep 'em in the pantry?" Bronn asked with a laugh.

"Something like that," Sansa nodded. "Theon, could you bring one to the great hall?"

"Of course, Sansa," Theon bowed his head and hurried off with a few others.

"Where is the king?" Jaime asked as he followed Sansa and Brienne toward the great hall while Arya, Rickon and a pack of guards followed.

"Meeting with lords," she lied easily. "The Manderlys think they've found a dragonglass cave, so Jon went to check on it."

"Dragonglass?" asked Jaime.

"White Walkers can only be killed by valyrian steel and dragonglass, and wights can only be destroyed by those or fire. Wights keep fighting even when run through with swords and everything shatters the moment it touches a White Walker or his weapons."

Jaime and Bronn looked to each other and the men he brought. "And you know this how?"

"Jon's killed wights and White Walkers," she answered simply. "So has the free folk's leader, Tormund. Most of the free folk were there to see the wights slaughter thousands when Jon went to bring them through the Wall. They saw Jon shatter a White Walker. There are still some here, feel free to ask them if they don't sing about it tonight."

The hall tables were cleared out, leaving plenty of space for Theon and two others to bring out a rotting corpse struggling against the chains and ropes binding it. The Lannister men stared at the corpse as it screeched at them, struggling to break away from the guards to attack them.

"Theon," Sansa said, and with that Theon drew his sword and stabbed the wight through the chest.

"Mother's tits," Bronn said watching the creature swipe at Theon, who took his hand from the hilt, leaving the blade sticking through its torso.

Jaime stared at it. "And the only things that can hurt it are fire, dragonglass and valyrian steel?"

"I think Wun Wun might have crushed some, but he's special."