𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 || 𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑾𝒐𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒓𝒚 𝑶𝒖𝒕

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑿𝑽𝑰𝑰

CHAPTER XVII
300 AFTER CONQUEST

BENGET

The sound of deep, elegant notes flowed clearly and colorfully from his lute. It was bigger than his own prior, and was made from solid oak instead of ironwood. Somehow that must've made the difference, because to Ben, the lute of Mance Rayder sounded much better than his own ever did.

He sat nearly side saddle, riding with ease with just one leg hung down the right side of his stallion, with his other foot up across his knee resting as he held his lute and continued to play for what was nearing several hours. Val smiled, not needing to say a word as Ben shot her a wink and a smile in her direction.

"The Dornishman's wife was as fair as the sun,
And her kisses were warmer than spring.
But the Dornishman's blade was made of black steel,
And its kiss was a terrible thing!

The Dornishman's wife would sing as she bathed,
In a voice that was sweet as a peach.
But the Dornishman's blade had a song of its own,
And a bite sharp and cold as a leach!"

"Mance used to sing that one all the time. I still don't really know what a Dornishman is."

Val said between the pause in the song, and Ben chuckled as he simply continued strumming the strings of the lute with ease, the words of the song known to him just as easily.

"As he lay on the ground with darkness around,
And the taste of his blood on his tongue.
His brothers knelt by him and prayed him a prayer,
And he smiled and he laughed and he sung!

"Brothers, oh brothers, my days here are done,
The Dornishman's taken my life,
But what does it matter, for all men must die,
And I've tasted the Dornishman's wife!""

In sharp fashion, he finished the song with a laugh and a smile, letting the notes die down in the air as Val clapped her hands with a grin.

"In another life I think you'd make a great bard."

"In this life I was one for a while."

"A warrior, leader and a poet. What else can you do, Stark?"

Ben grinned as he eyed his Val, raising a brow.

"I can do anything in the world, my dear. I can tame wolves and ride dragons. I can sing songs in languages dead to these lands. From the furthest corners of the eastern lands to as far west as west can go, I can do bloody well anything, Princess."

"Except have some humility, it seems."

She joked as he rolled his eyes, the grin remaining as he began to strum the strings to the lute once again, absentmindedly humming as the couple continued to ride. And ride they did, for a few more hours, occasionally saying a few words to each other, singing a song together or it be left to him to sing alone. It was nice. It was calm.

But as the crest the next hill before them, Ben groaned when he saw Castle Black, looking something awful, along the Wall. The massive tents belonging to the Stag's army were spread across the land just past the walls of the castle itself, near and close just in case.