Winter Is Our Fury

Chapter Twenty One: Wolves To The North

Aris dreamed she was running through the trees with incredible speed. Birds fluttered out of trees over head, the wind howled in her ears as she ran. She didn't know why she was running or where she was going, but she was running. She didn't feel like this was her body, something was wrong.

There was an echo in her ear and she came to a holt as her eyes spotted movement ahead.

"My lady." said a voice. Aris' eyes shot open to see Wyllim overhead. "We're moving." and he left to attend to his horse.

Aris sat up and brushed off the leaves that stuck to her clothes. She slung her quiver and bow over her shoulders and pulled on her boots.

"That's a fancy bow you got there." said Codyn strutting past to his horse with his own bow and arrows.

"A friend made it." replied Aris standing to stretch.

"Oh, a friend?"

Aris turned her gaze to Codyn wondering where he was getting at. He chuckled, "I'm assuming your friend was a smithy and he just gave it to you?"

"How did you...?"

"I wouldn't exactly blame him." he pulled the straps to the saddle securing it. "So where is he now?"

"...He was taken."

"By another women?"

Aris sighed heavily. "Why do you talk so much?"

"He never shuts up." Jelissa informed with a chuckle. "Even in the face of death."

"You know me so well." Codyn blew a kiss her way and she pretended to dodge it to which Codyn placed a hand over his chest heartbroken.

"My lady." called Wyllim and she headed his way beside the horse. "You're horse." he motioned.

"You don't have one?" she noticed the lack of numbers in horses.

"I can sacrifice a few hours to walk." he smiled kindly. "It's no trouble, Lady Stark."

She stuck her foot in the stirrup and hoisted herself up onto the saddle and took the reins. "Thank you, Wyllim."

There was something special about Wyllim, he was so mysterious yet his demeanour was kind and gentle despite being such a big man. "My pleasure, Lady Stark."

Smooching noises came from Codyn. He stood by his horse with his arms wrapped around his chest pretending to kiss the air with his lips puckered. "Oi, Wyllim. Do you wanna send her a card with your heart?!" laughed Codyn and Jelissa turned and playfully punched his arm.

Wyllim sighed shaking his head with a small smile. "Don't mind him. He's always like this."

Aris chuckled nervously in response. "It's alright."

"Enough with the child's play." said Russyl lifting Randyl up onto the horse before climbing behind him. "We have to move or we'll never make it to The Twins on time."

"So?" Codyn's voice said behind Aris and he nudged his horse to catch up beside her's. "This smithy. What was so special about him?"

"Nothing... why do you want to know?" Aris replied confused.

"He likes sticking his nose where it doesn't belong." said Jelissa. "One day he'll get it chopped off."

"I'm trying to make small talk." he explained. "What was him name? Where is he from? Why was he special...?"

"Gendry. His name was Gendry." Aris said. "He was a bastard from Kings Landing. There's nothing special about him at all."

"But you like him?"

"He was... nice to me."

Codyn hummed interested until Wyllim turned around and said, "Will you stop pestering her... I'm sure The Lady doesn't want to be questioned about everything in her life. She's been though enough and it's our duty to return her home."

"Alright alright." Codyn held his hands up in defence. "I see how it is."

Jelissa groaned loudly, "You boys bicker like a pair of girls."

"Girls?" Codyn scoffed. "More like a highborn Lady of the supreme court, thank you!" Aris couldn't help but chuckle at his statement. "See! At least someone finds me funny."

"I think you're funny too." Randyl's little voice pipped up from the horse ahead.

"Thank you little man!" there was silence for a moment until, "...So, was he good looking?" and a collective groan erupted followed by several shouts of 'shut up!'.

➵

They stopped by midday to rest the horses and eat what provisions they had around a small fire. Some pieces of bread and apples. Aris could hear the Stark army from their spot in the woods, all the clanking of steel and thundering hooves of horses. She kept looking over her shoulder every few minutes expecting Stark men to come bursting through the trees. She was so close yet to so far.

"We're almost there, my lady." Wyllim reassured.

"I know... It's just."

"You're afraid you won't make it in time." he said and the look on Aris' face fell with a heavy sigh. Wyllim stood and circled the small fire and sat beside her. "I understand."

"How?"

"See Randyl." Wyllim motioned to the young boy who watched Russyl demonstrating on how to hold a sword. "His mother was Russyl's daughter. His only daughter and child. Randyl's mother died at childbirth and the father..."

"He's a bastard." Aris inquired.

"Yes. Russyl would tell me Randyl used to wait everyday for his father but he never came."

"That's unfortunate." said Aris. "I have an older brother, Jon Snow. He was also a bastard of my father." she looked over her shoulder when the distant shouts grew louder for a moment.

"Robb is there, My Lady. The Twins are just a few miles ahead. We'll make it." Wyllim firmly stated.

"Thank you." Aris smiled kindly. Having someone to reassure her was comforting. Robb was waiting and she knew it. She was going to make it. She told herself. She was going to make it.

Aris glanced over to Randyl who held a stance with Russyl's sword, struggling to hold up the heavy weapon. "Good, now swing." Russyl ordered and the boy swung the sword wildly and nearly dropped it.

"No, no, no!" announced Jelissa and unsheathed one of her short blades. "He needs something light to start with." and flipped the blade around in her fingers to hold out the handle to the young boy.

"Thank you." Randyl smiled and took the blade finding it easier to wield.

Russyl chuckled crossing his arms. "Show me you're stance." and Randyl took the proper position. Aris wanted nothing more than to hope on a horse and go to Robb, sitting around was wasting time, time spent on lounging around.

"Russyl!" called Wyllim beside Aris. "Lady Stark is growing anxious, I think it's best we get moving again." and he stood.

Russyl nodded, "Alright. Saddle up!"

Aris was quick to kick out the fire and head to her horse, untying it from the tree and before she mounted, she noticed Wyllim.

"Are you sure you don't want to ride?"

"Uh... it's perfectly alright..."

"I insist."

Wyllim was dumbfounded, he didn't know how to reply until Codyn marched past and nudged his arm. "The Lady insists." he whispered under his breath. Wyllim shot Codyn a look to which he shrugged with a smug smile. "He says he'll join you!" Codyn shouted.

"I...!" Wyllim flailed his arms defeated. Aris mounted the horse waiting for him to join her. He clenched his jaw and approached the horse, hesitating before climbing behind Lady Stark. 

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Oh.... I don't know what just happened............