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The black horse trotted down the rocky path as Adrena Vlakov fixed her hair in a way that seemed boyish enough to convince the Night's Watch that she was a man who wanted to join. It was her ultimate plan- to fool everyone into thinking she was just a boy who'd been thrown out by her family for not being manly enough, and then kill Jon Snow when he least expected it. If that didn't work out, she would just kill him then and there.
She had been on the road for about a week and she believed there to be another week left before she reached Castle Black. She had people in all places who kept tabs on the Starks for her. She had promised them endless riches and women if they helped her and she was a woman of her word- they would get their payment. After all, she was the Lady of Blathe now with Lorelle being dead.
Adrena came upon a place where she knew would offer food and a place to rest if she paid them well enough. Pulling her jacket closer to her for warmth, she swung her leg over the horse and landed on the ground. She grabbed the reins of the horse, tying him up with the other horses that resided there. The wind was chillier than usual, and she had a feeling that once she got back on the road, she'd be fully into the North soon. With that thought on her mind, she pushed the door open, immediately being engulfed by the warm air. Adrena let out a deep breath, smiling at the man who was pouring wine into another's cup. He set down the glass and rushed over to her.
"How can I help you, Ser?" It was odd to be called Ser as she was not a knight or a man, but she applauded herself for being able to pass as one. It's exactly what she wanted. If she was seen as a woman, she'd be taken advantage of and no one would take her seriously. If she were to pull this off, no one needed to know that Adrena Vlakov was on her way to the North.
"Just a meal and a room for the night." Adrena did her best to mask the girlish tone to her voice and rested her left hand on her sword as he watched her closely. But then he cleared his throat and nodded, and she dropped the grip on her sword, following him to a table. She took a seat, allowing him to fill her cup with wine before scurrying off to fix her a meal. The young woman leaned back in her seat, bringing the cup to her lips and gulping her wine.
"Adrena Vlakov." Her breath got stuck in her throat and she attempted to hide her panic at someone knowing who she was. Her brown eyes flitted to the man who took a seat across from her, Kristof Bolton. She only relaxed in her seat to give off the impression that she wasn't afraid, but she knew what this man was capable of, and she was never on his bad side and she never wanted to be.
"Keep your voice down, Bolton." She said with an edge to her words, glaring at him. Adrena had never been much for formalities and now with no one controlling how she spoke, she definitely wasn't going to use them. Plus, she'd been close to this man once, and when she said close, she meant close.
"You cannot fool a man, Vlakov. If you're going to pose as a man, you have to do a better job at hiding those." He glanced down at her chest which she figured had been covered by her over-sized coat. Adrena kicked his shin under the table, glaring playfully at him, having fully relaxed now.
"I did quite well at fooling him." She pointed out, motioning with her head to the man who was fixing her plate. He threw his head back in laughter, watching her face scrunch up in confusion.
"Not once did he believe you were a man. I threatened to have him killed if he didn't address you as Ser." Adrena groaned and placed the cup to her mouth, downing the rest of her wine. There was no way she was going to be able to pull this off. "What are you up to, Vlakov?"
"I'm going to kill Jon Snow."
-
The next morning she stood outside in the cold weather, pulling the jacket closer to her body. Kristof stood across from her, looking her over as she readied herself for the rest of her journey. He had helped her make herself less conspicuous and more like she was a young boy on his way to Castle Black.
"Thank you for all that you've done for me, Lord Bolton. You're not like your uncle and I appreciate that." He perked an eyebrow up at the formalities and she let out a small laugh, throwing her leg over the horse and pulling herself up. Her eyes landed on the handsome man and her lips perked up in a smile.
"What will you do once you've killed him?" Kristof mused, placing a hand on the horse's neck and brushing it softly with his palm. Adrena grinned down at him and let a hand trail the side of his cheek, bringing his eyes to hers.
"I'll come back to you before I go hunt down the rest of them." Her hand dropped the reigns of the horse and she raised them, signaling for the horse to go forward. Adrena trotted off and looked back to the man, smiling once again before the horse took off running.
Adrena noted that the closer she got to Castle Black, the colder she felt and the more her anticipation grew. She longed to drive her sword through Jon Snow's back and watch as the blood fell from his lips and he took his last breath. Sometimes, she felt herself slipping into the thought of it, and she feared herself. Adrena felt as if she was going mad. Mad with revenge, mad with pain, mad with the fact that she just wanted her father back.
It was easier to focus her pain and anger on one person at a time. If she was too focused on killing Jon Snow, then she didn't have time to stop and think about how badly she missed her father, and how much she'd changed without his guidance to help her. So, for that reason, she was going to get her revenge and end the Starks. ___
author's note: hi please leave feedback, negative or positive so i can fix things if need be <3
