The Knight's Daughter

Chapter 15

Three Months Later

I hold the reins of the horse as we walk across the frozen mud path. A few people walk around us, staring as they go in and out of their houses. For three months we have been going to small villages, attempting to remain unnoticed, as we travel to the Wall. My father says that Lord Commander Joer Mormont is paying him for his assistance and that Castle Black is the only safe place in Westeros for us. 

Not a day goes by that I don't think about Gendry, but every day the pain slowly goes away. I have accepted the fact that I will most likely never see him again, and I am grateful for the time I was with him. Just as Gendry said that night, 'whatever time I have left I want to spend with you' and we did. Before we left the Brotherhood, I gave the coin that Jaqen H'ghar had given me to Arya. I have a feeling that she will have better use of it than I would.

We stop before a tavern and tie the reins to a post. The tavern goes silent as my father walks into it with me following closely behind. My attention immediately goes to the group of men, one of them forcibly grabbing a poor tavern maid. I remember the faces of these men, the ones who were looking for me and Gendry, the men who killed Yoren and captured us for Harrenhal. Lannister men. 

I wait for my father to leave, but he instead walks further into the tavern. My heart beats quickly as we sit down on the opposite side of the tavern. The short hair I once had is now to my shoulders, and although I still wear the boyish clothing, I can no longer hide behind my disguise of a male. 

I take a bite of the stale bread and swallow it with warm ale. The men stare at me with their crude looks, something I have grown used to from living in Baelish's brothel. 

The father of the tavern maid pleads to one of the Lannister men. "Please, she's a good girl."

"Shut your mouth and pour us more ale, and we may not take her with us when we're done with her." I stare at the man in disgust and when he turns our eyes meet. 

"I know you," He stares in our direction. I subconsciously hold my breath, hoping he doesn't remember me from Yoren's group. "You're the Hound." 

"Pour our new friend some ale." He walks over to us, sitting across on the other bench of our table. The man looks at me before moving his attention to my father.

"So what brings you so far up North?" He asks.

"I could ask the same of you, what are you doing up here?" My father responds, ignoring his question. 

"Just keeping the King's peace." He takes a drink of his ale. "I've been stuck with your brother, meaning no offense."

"None taken."

"He's good, the Mountain is, the best at what he does, but torture, torture, torture. You spend enough time putting the hammer to people you start to feel like a carpenter making chairs. Drains the fun right out of it, and what's life without a little fun."

The man laughs and continues to drink his ale. He then turns his attention to me. "But I don't need to tell you that, aye?" 

My father looks at me and remains silent while the man laughs at his own comment. 

"You know what? You should come with us," He then points to the tavern maids father. "His kind, they've always got something hidden away somewhere. Gold, silver, more daughters, always something if you know how to make them talk. And there's plenty in between here and King's Landing. You can do well for yourself, we certainly have been." I look at my father, knowing he won't listen to this man's proposition. 

"I'm not going to King's Landing." He states plainly and the man pauses for a moment. 

"Think about it, we can do whatever we like, wherever we go," He then touches his leather chestplate. "These are the King's colors, no one's standing in his way now. Which means no one is standing in ours."

"Fuck the King." The whole room goes silent and the other men stare at us. My father takes a long drink from his cup.

"When I heard that Joffrey's dog had tucked tail and run from the battle of the Blackwater, I didn't believe it. But here you are-"

"Here I am."

"I'll tell you what, we'll trade you. We will forget we ever saw you and in return, we have a go at your girl." I place my hand on the hilt of my dagger.

My father stares at the man in silence. He then turns to me. "Stand up." confused, I stand from my seat, the men smiling from theirs. Suddenly my father flips the table onto the man and draws his sword. I walk backward until my back hits the far wall, trying to get away from the conflict. I watch as my father cuts through men with a single swing of his sword. He knocks others down as their swords clash against one another. I grab the dagger at the hilt of my belt and hold it in my hand. A few men beat my father to the floor, kicking him repeatedly. However, he kicks one of the men down, grabbing his sword and piercing him through the stomach. He kills one's man with his own dagger, and soon they are all dead.

I stand amongst the dead bodies, the tavern maid runs to her father and they exit out the back door. My father then bends over and grabs a sword off the ground and hands it to me. 

"You'll need to learn how to use one." I hold the heavy sword in my hand and grab a hilt from one of the men, placing it around my waist. I follow my father outside the tavern where people stare at us from the safety of their houses. We mount our horses and slowly leave the village and tavern behind. 

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A Week Later

The horses move slowly across the field of snow. I can see a large wall of ice in the near distance. I adjust the wool blanket over my shoulders, greeting its warmth greedily. As we get nearer to the gates, I can hear the bustling and talk of men. We stop in front of the gates as they open slowly. 

An older man wearing all black approaches us. "Welcome to Castle Black."