Oathkeeper

Chapter 39: From This Day Until My End Of Days

The moment the dead knight's head bounced against the stone, the room fell in complete panic. Sansa clasped to her stomach and back in agony. The contractions set in, sending an awful pain up her spine. The Queen wailings faded into the background of the screams sounding through the hall. She looked out to the crowd again, watching as her world grew slow. A small army of hairless creatures  flooded into the room, stabbing any Northern in sight. Their skin was pearl pink, marked with scarifications. Sansa didn't have time to react to the inhuman creatures attacking a few defenseless members of the castle staff. Her heart raced as she hobbled to the end of the table.

The chaos of the room caused her to lose sight of her wife. She stopped at the edge of the stairs frozen in fear. As she turned to look out to the crowd for her wife again, an arrow soared through the sky striking the castle wall just a few feet above her head. Sansa stumbled into the railing as the pounding of her heart began to drown out the sound of slaughter. She clung to the railing taking each step carefully. Another contraction hit the Queen then came another painful drowned out roar. A pair of arms wrapped around her. She screamed again, only this time her adrenaline finally stepped in. She began to swing her arms profusely, striking the man repeatedly.

"Your Grace, it's me. It's me" Maester Horden spoke revealing himself to the Queen. Sansa turned to face the man, looking at him as a blessing sent by the Old Gods.

"Thank goodness you're here, my water broke. I've gone into labor" Sansa exclaimed. He paused for a moment, looking at the Queen with slightly parted lips and a blank stare.

"Alright, let's you out through the back He spoke, his surcoat over the Queen.

Sansa leaned into the man as the black thick wool coat masked her presence. They crouched, sneaking through the back entryway where no one was. Maester Horden opened the door quickly. Sansa stopped, looking of her shoulder to take in the horror one last time

"Did you see, Brienne?" Sansa questioned.

"I'm afraid not, Your Grace" He replied "Come along now"

The man grabbed her arms roughly. He feared she would rush back into the crowd in an attempt to search for the Lord Commander. He understood what it was like to fear for the life of a loved one, especially during times like these, but his main priority was getting the Queen somewhere safe so she can deliver her children. The cold night air hit them drastically as they snuck past the sept. They blended into the darkness as they crept past the creatures outside stealthy. Maester Horden managed to get the girl behind the tall strong walls of the Great Keep. He said a quick prayer for all who remained in the Great Hall before barring the doors.

The hue of Brienne's eyes changed from sapphire to a stormy shale blue as they grew wide in sight of all the chaos. One minute they were dancing and singing, the next there was a great deal of bloodshed. Brienne swayed back and forth, struggling to keep her balance as her fear-stricken guests shoved her in attempts to get away from the creatures. She remained unaware of what was attacking, having not seen anything more than the blur of those rushing past her. She began to push through the crowd in search of the source of chaos when she suddenly stopped. Stagnant in a sea of movement, her heart rate sped up like a horse as her mind honed in the whereabouts of the Queen.

Ser Galvin placed a firm hand on Brienne's shoulder, spinning around to face him. The contact snapped her back into reality. Then, two people back into them harshly. They turned to see the scrawny faces of the twins, holding an extra sword in each of their hands as they rejoiced in finally finding the Lord Commander. The men were dressed in their sleek black protective armors as being a member of the Queensguard meant being prepared to protect the Queen at all times. Ser Bael and Bjorn were assigned to guard the back entry way of the Great Hall that Maester Horden and the Queen escaped through. As some of the knights from all over the North finally caught word of what was going on thanks to Ser Bael and Ser Bjorn, they began to draw their swords.