Oathkeeper

Chapter 27: What Lies Beyond The Remains

Brienne had been fighting to keep Sansa alive for days now. The horse held out for a while, running as fast it could before inevitably tiring. Occasionally they'd come to a complete stop, that way both her and the horse could stay somewhat hydrated. And everytime she sat by the river watching the horse drink from it. Brienne couldn't help but wonder if this would be the break that killed the love of her life. It was hard to recognize where the wall used to be, when the dragon was resurrected it spit frozen fire that seemingly burned it down entirely. Luckily the debris of the wall still remained. Small and sportaic piles of stone stuck out of the ground signaling to Brienne that they had finally arrived. Although spring was practically here, the further North you went the more snow still remained. The two were not prepared for snow in the slightest, but Brienne did her best to worry about the things she could control.

Brienne commanded the horse past the remains of the wall, crossing into a realm the two had never been in. For the first several miles, the place was a ghost town. Nothing but piles of bones buried underneath more bones and houses that caved in from the pressure of the dead army that marched south. Brienne wondered how they were going to find anything in a place like this, where no one and nothing could be found. Regardless the two pushed through the light flurry weather. 

The blonde's eyes diverted to Sansa who had barely regained consciousness since their departure from the Dreadfort. Brienne found her ear pushed up against the girl's chest every few minutes, and thankfully every time there was still a heartbeat. She hoped she would run into Jon, or Tormund, someone who knew their way around. Hell Brienne didn't even know what the medicinal herbs looks like. The more she sat in silence the more she was forced to accept that they might as well have been stranded out here.

Brienne gently tapped the backside of the horse trying to get it to speed up but it wouldn't. It couldn't. The horse continued to trot through the snow at an exhausting pace. Brienne looked around frantically for some sort of river, or area where they could sit for a minute but all there was was mountains, debris and snow.

"We're almost there, my love. Just a little while longer." Brienne spoke to the Queen when really she was trying to convince herself

They continued through the snow for miles and miles. The horse was beginning to stumble, clearly exhausted from its long journey. Brienne stopped contemplating on whether or not they should abandon the horse. They'd be slower on foot, but at least she could put his meat to good use. As the horrifying reality of silence dawned on Brienne once more, her ears perked at the sound of water sloshing. She looked around, finally spotting a stream for her and the horse to drink from. She dismounted the horse, secured the queen, and placed a hand on her back as they made their way to the river. The horse immediately trotted to the river, lowering its head to take several sips of water. 

Brienne grabbed the canteen from the horse's saddle and held it against the current of the stream. She practically drinks the whole thing dry before splashing it back in the water to refill it for the Queen. Brienne held Sansa's head up trying to get to wake so she could drink some water. The girl would stir awake for a few minutes, unable to do anything but drink water. The Queen took a few sips just before passing out once more. Brienne didn't need to touch the girl's head to feel the fever anymore, just being near her was enough to tell Briene they were running out of time.

The silence grew loud again, as Brienne rested anxiously trying to give the horse time to regain some strength. Brienne took a peek inside the saddle contemplating whether or not she should eat their last piece of bread. The Queen hadn't eaten anything, and Brienne was practically famished herself. She took a few tiny bites of the piece before stuffing it back into her bag. Just as Brienne was about to remount the horse, she heard a rustle in the woods.