Golden Winter || Robb Stark [on hold]

Chapter XXXIII

XXXIII. Battle scars

"Are you sure about this?" Titus speaks as he tightened another strap on her armor.

"What else could possibly go wrong?" Reau asked, with a slight shrug.

"If anyone found out about this, we'd both die." He answered but he did nothing to stop her as she sheathed her sword.

There was to be an attack, at nightfall on Oxcross. The Lannisters were training men to fight in the war that they started. This was meant to be an easy fight.

"No one will find out." She spoke, though now that he said something, hesitation crept up on her slowly.

"Just stay close to me, alright? If you end up dying, I swear, Fauna will never let me hear the end of it." Titus said, crossing his arms.

"Calm down, Titus. This battle would be a sure victory. I heard my father say so, the people here aren't even real soldiers." Reau said, putting on her helmet which hid her golden hair and majority of her face.

They both headed outside towards their horses. Night was upon them and it was only a matter of time until they were headed to bloodshed.

"Not real soldiers? I'm not sure I know what you mean." He answered, confused as he saddled both their horses.

"Father said that the Lannisters are getting desperate that they are getting commoners from Lannisport and training them to fight." She replied, getting atop her horse, patting the animal softly as she did so.

"Your father surely knows a lot." He raised an eyebrow, before climbing on top of his own horse. "Does he know if we're winning this war?"

Reau gave him a look then, a serious look and though she did not speak at all, she gave him the answer he didn't want.

"Oh." Titus looked down, he really did want this war to end. He wanted to go back to Braavos, after all.

She gave him a sad smile before turning her head to the direction of the men already lined up.

"Shall we?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

~~~

With the darkness covering their flight, they took off, most of them on horses and as they arrived at Oxcross, everything was quiet, as if the whole army was composed of dead people.

Reau hated it. She was almost tempted to make a sound if it meant that it would break the silence. Just as she thought of it, a familiar figure came up to her.

Grey Wind.

It was as if he sensed her presence and was sniffing around her horse. Probably wondering what she was doing there. Direwolves and their senses.

Suddenly, the wolf moved forward and silence descended upon them again like a blanket. She heard some laughter from the camp ahead, followed by screams and almost immediately after, they attacked.

Reau winced at the sound, making Titus turn to her worriedly. He had no chance to ask her if she was alright since the whole army descended upon the camp.

It was horrible.

A clash of blood and men. Upon her horse, Reau felt invincible as if no one could touch her and the men she knocked down were merely dummies like the ones she practiced with.

It was only when she was knocked down her horse when she felt the reality of everything.

Landing on her ankle, Reau let out a cry of pain as she felt something snap. She fell to the ground, her ankle collapsing at the pressure and her helmet being knocked off of her head in the process.

Looking up to see the man who had knocked her off her horse, she was surprised to see, not a knight but a man in his nightclothes, holding a sword and trying to steal her horse?

Putting pieces together, she reckoned that the man in front of her was Ser Stafford Lannister, he looked far too comfortable in his nightclothes unlike the men he trained who slept only in grey tunics.

What a coward, she thought.

While the rest of the men fought for their lives, here was their leader in his silk nightclothes, trying to steal a horse to run away from the fight.

As if he sensed her watching, he turned to her figure, raising his sword to run her through with it.

Reau's heartbeats quickened and the pain heating up in her ankle dulled a bit while she stared death in the face.

She was going to die. She was actually going to die with no one by her side and for the first time since the battle started, Reau Bolton felt afraid. 

Just as Ser Stafford was about to bring down his sword, Reau met his eyes. Even with fear coursing through her veins she would not die a coward.

Suddenly, something flashed behind Ser Stafford's eyes. A familiar recognition, as if he knew her from somewhere.

"I know you. You are no Northerner." He whispered in shock, as if he could not believe his very eyes.

He was about to say more, his mouth opening but a sword impaled itself in his torso.

It took everything in Reau not to scream as blood was splattered all over her. Although she regained herself quickly, grabbing her helmet and placing it upon her head once more.

As she rolled out before the body of Ser Stafford could fall on her, she saw Lord Karstark with a fierce look on his face. A man relishing in the carnage. 

Pushing herself up, Reau whistled to catch her horse's attention and thank goodness for Sambrar, she immediately heard her. Sambrar held still as Reau struggled to climb atop her back, her ankle roaring out in protest.

She knew that it would be easier to stay on the ground but if she did, she would surely die. 

The last thing she wanted at that moment was to end up like Stafford Lannister, his corpse lying on the ground while men desecrated his body, stepping on it and confining it deeper into the ground.

As she continued to traipse through the men fighting, with her ankle surely broken, Reau only thought of one thing.

Ser Stafford said he knew her and he seemed to believe it, saying that she was no Northerner.

But how can that be?