Winter Is Our Fury

Chapter Nine: Eyes and Ears

Aris watched helplessly as Arya was escorted away by soldiers and as Hot Pie was led to the kitchens and Gendry was soon thrown into the smithy. Aris could only imagine what was waiting for her. Soldiers soon came for her, taking her by her arms and roughly guiding her and a what women were left. They were taken into the castle and into another courtyard to tents set up by the cooks, and they were left there.

A sack of potatoes were pushed into Aris's arms and she nearly dropped the heavy sack. The cook chuckled, "Start chopping." he roughly shoved her to a table were other women were doing the same. She felt the cook back hand her rear and she yelped as he laughed. She turned a deadly gaze to the cook as he marched off, balling her fists placing the sack on the poorly built table.

She was put to work with peeling the potatoes and passing them on to the others. The old women who spoke to them when they first arrived stood on the opposite side from Aris, peeling carrots with a sad face. Aris felt sorry for her.

She peeled for the rest of the day until her hands were dirty and hurting. She had to shake her hands back to life once she was free to leave. That was when she felt a tap on her lower back and she turned ready to strike the cook only to find Arya.

"Arry." she quickly lowered her fists.

"I have something to tell you." she informed and motioned for her sister to follow. Aris looked around her before following Arya into the ruins of the castle and sound themselves a little corner.

"Robb's wining the war." said Arya. "He defeated Tywin in a battle. Now they're calling him the King in the North."

"King?" repeated Aris with both shock and surprise.

Arya nodded confirming her words. "And the Young wolf."

"Did Tywin tell you?"

Arya shook her head, "No, I hear him talking with the other Lords. Robb has twenty thousand men and Jaime Lannister as prisoner."

"This might be good for us. If he says anything important, you come straight to me and tell me." said Aris firmly and Arya nodded in response. "Don't get yourself in trouble. Be careful around him."

"I know."

➵

The next morning, she was put to work again, only this time it was to chop up all the potatoes, at least three sacks worth. She glowered over the potatoes as she chopped them up and put them into a barrel. She began to wonder if this was her life now, to remain here and feed the Lannister army, chopping and peeling vegetables with a blunt knife for the rest of her life.

Just like the old women who wasted away working here. She was meant for something more, to be more, not a cook in the Lannister armies. She wished and prayed to the gods Robb would march his army on Harrenhal, take the ruins and she and Arya would be with him and their mother once more; and then advise to march on Kings Landing and take back Sansa.

But no, she had to fear for her life in the mean time. Was she going to be tortured if she didn't do what she was told, raped because they felt like it, or killed because Tywin discovered who she and Arya were.

She found it amusing, two Stark girls hiding right under his nose.

A handful of solders then marched into the cooks courtyard while escorting a person with wealthy clothes. Aris looked up curiously and found it was Lord Petyr Baelish, or better known as LittleFinger. He strutted like he owned the path which he walked with his grey robes and red sash.