ZIRTYS PERZYS → podrick payne

CHAPTER EIGHT | maps

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ZIRTYS PERZYS
CHAPTER EIGHT
maps

"FORGET THE MAPS,
FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCTS."
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Elia's room is quiet, bar the heavy sighs of Brienne's and the scratch of Podricks quill across the parchment. Elis pauses from her own reading and sips slowly from her cup, her eyes are on Brienne who is slouched in a chair in front of the fire, map slung carefully over her lap. Her blue eyes scan the paper slowly with her eyebrows pinched, she pauses every so often on a spot on the map before shaking her head and sighing loudly. Brienne had been the loudest in objecting to Elia's idea to travel north separately.

"I swore an oath to protect you, my lady." She protested, ripping the papers out of Podricks hand and throwing them onto the table, "I cannot honour that oath if I am not by your side."

"I will have three armoured knights with me, Lady Brienne," Elia said, "More if my meeting with the Cerwyns goes well, Sansa has nobody. She needs you more than me."

Brienne sighs, startling Elia from her musing, standing from her chair and pouring herself a cup of wine. She frowns at Elia when they meet eyes, "I'm still not sure sending you north by yourself is a wise idea, Lady Stark."

"She won't be by herself, Lady Brienne." Garlan smiles from his spot on the floor, he and Gray are bent over a game of cards. There are few copper pennies in a pile on the floor in front of them, a small pile in front of Gray and an even larger stack next to Garlans knee, it's not hard to see who's winning.

Gray nods, eyes not moving from his cards except to peak over at his brothers' hand. He sighs, throws his cards down and smirks at Elia. "We'll be with her, father as well."

"You'll forgive me for not being too confident, my lords." Brienne frowns as she watches Gray pout when his brother pulls the coppers into his larger pile. Podrick snickers quietly when she rubs her eyes and turns away from the boys, "It's not safe."

"I'll be with you until Castle Cerwyn, Brienne." Elia turns back to her paper, "From then on I'll have three knights and however many men Lord Cerwyn can spare."

"If Lord Cerwyn agrees to fight for you, my lady."

She glances at Brienne, "Which he will. He hasn't declared for the Bolton's nor has he declared for Stannis."

Podrick glances between the two women, "That we know of, my lady."

Brienne nods, "It is simply too dangerous to parlay with other houses until we can get you and your sister to Castle Black, my lady. One wrong move and they'll turn you over to the Bolton's."

"I need you to trust me to do this Lady Brienne," Elia sinks back into her chair and rubs her hand over her stinging eyes, "I need you to trust that Ser Garrett and his boys will keep me safe."

Brienne snorts, "I trusted them last time and look what happened, Lady Stark. All three of you ended up in the dungeons. I don't trust them because they have already proven they can't be trusted with your safety!"

Gray opens his mouth from the floor but it's interrupted by a firm knock on the door, Elia calls out for them to enter and Garrett pokes his head through the door, expression hard.

He nods at Elia, "You have a visitor, Lady Stark. Boys, with me."

Garlan and Gray troop out the door after their father and after a moment Wylis slips through, a small bundle cradled in his arms. Elia stands to greet him, pausing when the bundle wails quietly and Wylis shushes it with a smile. "I did tell you I'd bring him by for a visit. We named him Eddard, Ed for short."