[Chapter Size: 3500 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Arctic, 298 AC.
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"My lord... there is something ahead!"
A scout, responsible for observing all the surroundings of the road along with others, to detect any possible ambush or enemy before the king's entourage could suffer any attack.
This scout went directly to the man with the highest command, the Lord Commander of the Seven Kingsguard of Westeros.
Barristan Selmy quickly moved his horse forward to hear the situation, with him and most of the white cloaks also being part of this journey to protect the royal family, with only Ser Boros remaining in King's Landing due to his condition and the need to have a Kingsguard stationed there.
"Report what you saw." Barristan Selmy requested immediately.
The man seemed hesitant for a moment, but spoke, showing the situation was serious.
"There's a group of more than 300 men ahead on the kingsroad!" he said while Barristan Selmy's face turned grim the next moment.
"What's happening?!"
The thunderous voice of the king came right after as he emerged from the middle of the entourage where they were protected with the main carriages.
King Robert immediately wanted to know what was happening there, going to Barristan Selmy's side along with other Kingsguards.
"Your Majesty... there is a group ahead on the road... I was about to ask more about them immediately." the Lord Commander said as the other Kingsguards approached.
"What is this when we're so close to Winterfell, are they Ned's?" the king asked, looking directly at the man, growing even more agitated by the king's question, but he responded firmly.
"My king, there are 300 men on foot, all wearing black leather armor. They are standing on the road, all lined up. But they had no Stark banners, in fact... they were wearing the Arctic symbol." he said, waiting for the king to explode at that moment.
"Arctic?! What are they doing here?!" the king exploded as expected.
"Arya Stark uses the Arctic symbol. And she had hundreds of former slaves training outside Winterfell." Barristan Selmy gave his opinion.
"That's true... Let's go see this immediately." Robert Baratheon said at once as the men nodded.
"I believe it's best Your Majesty stay here where it's safe while we go check this out." Barristan said.
"I'm a warrior, and I will not stay behind. Let's go!" Robert exclaimed while the Lord Commander could do nothing but let him go as well.
"Ser Jaime and Ser Meryn Trant will stay with the royal family. All others, and fifty men, come with me." Barristan Selmy commanded the armed group of the entourage as they moved forward, leaving the others behind.
"What's happening?!" Joffrey, the crown prince, asked upon seeing his father leave without knowing what was happening, along with a group advancing ahead, separating from the main party.
"There seems to be a group with hundreds of men on the road ahead, they're going to check it out," Ser Jaime Lannister said.
"Are you saying there are men blocking the road?" Joffrey immediately exclaimed upon hearing that, while his uncle nodded to him, and Joffrey, already disliking the North, grew even angrier.
"Are the northerners doing this? How dare they?!" the crown prince exclaimed again, as the window of the carriage opened and the queen looked out with a furious tone upon hearing that.
"What are the savages doing now?!" It was at that moment that the window of the royal carriage opened with the queen looking at her brother and exclaiming in a bad mood.
"His Majesty went to check what is happening along with the Lord Commander and the others to investigate, sister." Jaime said, while Cersei looked none too pleased about it, as the entourage began to slow down due to the problem.
The queen hated the North. She saw it as barren and savage, with few cities despite its vastness, but it was a poor kingdom. Thus, she shared the same prejudice as her son.
In any case, the king's group continued riding for about half a kilometer, passing through another part of the forest, until they reached open fields, finding their other scouts analyzing the situation ahead.
On small hills before them, there was a group of men perfectly positioned with shields and spears, all wearing black leather armor, just as the scout had described, while the Arctic banner fluttered in the northern wind.
"What is this?" Robert muttered, analyzing the scene, looking with some distaste at the banner that symbolized his latest headaches over the past years.
"They've already noticed us. Two riders and a giant wolf mounted by someone are behind those men. We couldn't identify who it is, but we believe it's Lord Stark's daughter, as we've heard in the stories." the scout said.
He wasn't stupid and knew very well how to identify house banners and people, as well as rumors. After all, he needed to hear everything about the region and study it. That's why it was usually a nobleman guarding the king's safety as a knight—to be capable of identifying anything that might appear in the king's path and quickly deliver accurate information to his superiors.
"These aren't Ned's men... are they really those Unsullied, eunuch men, brought from across the ocean, serving Ned's daughter?" Robert murmured.
They were two hundred meters from the group, still standing there waiting for an order, even though Robert and his entire group had already been seen by everyone.
"Pāletēs hēn lentor!" [Move, troops! Open the path!]
But then, the perfectly positioned and still group of Unsullied began to move, with a cry in Valyrian coming from behind, as the men started to march from the center to both sides, banging their shields before stepping forward, marching in opposite directions, while everyone there—the king, his Kingsguards, scouts, and armed men—stood surprised to see a path opening among the Unsullied as the group split perfectly.
From there, someone came riding on her giant grey wolf, two meters tall—larger than an ordinary horse—beginning to pass through all the Unsullied until reaching the front of the group.
"By all the gods... is that Ned's daughter?" Robert murmured, impressed by such a display, while he hadn't said a word until she stood before them.
"All signs point to yes, my king," replied Barristan Selmy in a calm tone, though clearly impressed as well.
"Let's speak to her. She's waiting for us," the king said, though he seemed a little reluctant.
The men nodded, not asking the king to stay despite the tension. They knew it would be useless with Robert wanting to go no matter what, and they began to advance with the entire group, prepared for any attack that might come from those Unsullied.
Arya stood there still, along with her two Kingsguards and Grey Worm all at her side, watching the men approach, also prepared for any attack.
The same could be said of the three hundred Unsullied she had taken from Winterfell and marched here with the intent of receiving the king.
They came to within twenty meters, as the king's horse, along with his guards, stopped. Arya then advanced, along with her three main guards, and the king did the same to initiate first contact. Their men rearranged, standing face to face, five meters from each other, with the horses uneasy at the monster the armored girl was riding.
"Are you Ned's daughter?" Robert asked, impressed upon seeing her.
She was wearing Eldenmetal armor, with a bear fur cloak and her sword visibly strapped to her side, which drew a direct look from the Kingsguards—especially Barristan Selmy—when he saw the legendary lost sword of the Targaryens. It was a house weapon he had once fought with, and now he saw it being carried by Ned's daughter.
Barristan had surrendered to Robert for a reason, and when he arrived in King's Landing after the sack, he had expected to fight for the princes, Rhaegar's sons, but found only death beside them and had no choice but to continue serving the new king.
"Yes, it's me, King Robert of Westeros." she said, staring at the king with a feminine, yet firm voice, making the king raise an eyebrow, while the Kingsguards clearly didn't seem to like her words.
"It's Your Majesty, Lady Stark! You're speaking to the king of Westeros!" one of the Kingsguards demanded respect.
One of Arya's Arctic guards was about to respond to the comment, but with a gesture of her hand, he fell silent. Arya turned her gaze to the Kingsguard who had just spoken.
"You would be right, but only if I were a citizen of Westeros, which I'm not. So I may respect him as the king of the Seven Kingdoms, but he cannot demand my submission." she replied directly.
That made everyone fall silent for a moment, digesting her words, as once again Robert furrowed his brow.
"You are certainly very bold, Lady Stark, but still you should not speak that way in front of the king. You're on his land and should offer submission." Barristan Selmy said, trying to maintain reason.
"Tell me then, Ser: do you make every visitor to Westeros kneel before the king? Do you do that with the nobles of Essos? As far as I know, you don't. Do you do it with the bankers of the Iron Bank? I believe not." Arya replied.
Though they always showed respect and even bowed their heads, none of them knelt or showed full submission. After all, they did not belong to the Seven Kingdoms. It would make no sense for the great families of Essos to behave that way before a foreign king, and they would even feel insulted if forced to, since they were not subjects of the Westerosi crown.
Barristan was about to respond to Arya, but Robert interrupted him this time.
"You're certainly very bold, girl, to say such a thing in front of the king of Westeros." Robert said, narrowing his eyes at Arya.
But there was something about her that stirred him even more as he heard her speak that way, challenging him and his men.
Certain memories quickly started to flood his mind, reminding him of his beloved. Not that he felt any attraction toward Arya—though she was the most beautiful lady he had seen in the Seven Kingdoms in recent years—but remembering Lyanna certainly stirred him.
Even if he no longer remembered exactly what she truly looked like, he could still relive her through this girl. And if anyone could describe what Lyanna was like, Arya would certainly be the perfect example.
She was mounted on a giant wolf that made Robert's horse tremble along with all the others just by standing in front of them—despite the somewhat safe distance.
Arya remained silent, seeing that the king hadn't finished.
Then he continued.
"But you are... a perfect copy of your aunt." he said, opening a nostalgic smile. "Brave and fearless. And I see you've got sharp words too, which is quite different from your father, isn't it? But still, that was a trait of Lyanna as well. Haha."
He began to laugh awkwardly, while the guards looked surprised, glancing at the king, who now seemed embarrassed.
"Forgive me for that. I remembered things I had long forgotten... Things I didn't expect to recall today." the king murmured, turning his eyes back to Arya.
"You look so much like her, girl... It reminds me of my youth, before I wore this damned crown and got fat like this." he murmured, before sighing. None of his Kingsguards interfered or interrupted.
"Well... what am I saying?" Robert came back from his thoughts and stared at the girl again.
"I won't make you kneel before me. But still, why am I seeing three hundred soldiers in the middle of the road to Winterfell?" he asked again, now in a more severe tone.
"I'm here to ensure the king's safety during the next two hours of ride to Winterfell. After all, the roads have become a bit unsafe lately in the North, while we investigate signs of human trafficking... like what happened ten years ago." Arya replied.
"And you command all these men? I also see Kingsguards... I remember those armors well. I fought your brother, which became a disgrace for me, and not even my own Kingsguard could do much." Robert commented, looking at the Arctic royal guards with the kingdom's symbol on Bari and Jill's chests, wearing the old Arctic Kingsguard armors, while the newer ones are made of Valyrian steel.
"Yes, they all obey me. I'm sure you've heard about the training I've had with them over the past year through your master of whispers." she said, before continuing:
"And these two here are Bari and Jill, my two royal guards."
"Wait... a woman?" Robert raised an eyebrow at that, now noticing the shape of the chestplate more carefully on one of the guards, with both wearing closed helmets.
"Yes, women fight in Arctic too. Some are better than the men." Arya said.
The Free Folk had their spearwives, and even though most men were stronger and fought better, some women stood out and could be deadly. A few had even become Kingsguards. Though fewer in number compared to the men, there were still some.
"I really want to mock that... But coming from this place... Well, maybe we can test that in Winterfell's yard. And you seem to know how to fight too." Robert muttered, eyeing Dark Sister, which he'd heard was now in Arya's hands, along with rumors that she had already killed people.
"I can hold my own." Arya replied calmly.
"'I can hold my own'... There was a rumor on the road that you killed a Faceless assassin. Kinda hard to believe." Robert murmured, while his guards were already smirking in disbelief at Arya.
"You know how rumors tend to exaggerate things." Arya said, before continuing, wanting to end the conversation and not insist on proving herself—after all, she knew what she had done and didn't need to prove it to everyone.
She then continued.
"Anyway, would you like me and my men to accompany you to Winterfell? Since we interfered, I hope that won't be a problem." Arya said.
Robert heard that from Arya and nodded, still looking at her and remembering Lyanna.
"Alright. Let's head back and continue on to Winterfell," Robert decided, as his eyes began to turn, preparing to return, leaving a few behind to monitor the situation.
"My king, then... do you think we should've let the girl act that way?" murmured one of the Kingsguards, returning to the entourage, clearly dissatisfied with the situation.
"Let her be. It's not every day we see ladies like that... I wonder if her sister is like that too, maybe she can knock some sense into my son." Robert said.
"And to think I'd remember Lyanna again... My sweet Lyanna... Now I feel like killing that dragon prince a hundred times over." Robert murmured, still trapped in love with a ghost from the past.
Arya remained there as they returned. A group of Stark men came shortly after, once the king had disappeared from the area with part of his men.
This group was led by Robb. He passed through the Unsullied, stopping nearby and looking at his sister, stunned to see she had left Winterfell without informing anyone, taking the Unsullied with her.
No one quite understood what she was doing, as she had simply taken her men saying it was for a military exercise. But as soon as a rider returned saying the king was on the road near Winterfell and had already passed by Arya on his way to the castle, Lord Stark immediately ordered his son to go out with a group of men to find her.
"Arya!" Robb murmured, looking toward his sister, while she gave a small smile.
"You're late, brother. I've already spoken with the king. They'll be coming right after." she said, while he frowned.
"Why are you doing this?" Robb asked.
"Because it was necessary." Arya replied.
After all, she knew she needed to have that conversation with the king here before they arrived at Winterfell—and not in the middle of the castle courtyard, where it could cause trouble for her father.
There, she resolved the situation perfectly with the king himself, showing she wasn't someone who could be commanded like the nobles of Westeros. This would solve some problems that might arise at Winterfell.
Though his reaction to seeing her wasn't quite what she had expected—he compared her to her aunt Lyanna with such intensity, clearly expecting more resistance—it actually seemed to help him better accept that she was not one of his subjects.
The king's entourage finally came back into view a moment later, following the road, while Arya began shouting orders to her men. The Unsullied banged their shields in unison before beginning to march, giving commands in Valyrian.
The men, already split with an opening in the center, began to march to both sides, clearing the road for Robert and his entourage.
"I'll let you lead the king since you're here, brother. I'll be guarding the road and my men on the flanks." Arya said, beginning to move out, leaving Robb a bit lost as she rode toward one of the flanks to advance alongside the Unsullied.
It was an impressive sight for the king's entourage to watch the men move aside in perfect formation, opening a path as they marched.
When the group aligned, the king, Ser Jaime Lannister, Joffrey, Cersei, Barristan Selmy, and the others each had their own thoughts as they saw the girl atop the wolf, calmly riding down the road, accompanying the advance.
Meanwhile, Robb approached the king to present himself, and behind him came the thirty Stark men he had brought along, with Ser Rodrik Cassel among them.
"So you're Ned's boy? Well, you didn't get your father's coloring, but you look a great deal like him. I'll enjoy talking with Ned's son about the childhood we had," Robert commented, studying the young man with a broad smile. He was pleased to see the heir of the man he still considered his brother.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Robb gave his respects, as his position required.
"I heard about the situation with the Faceless assassin. Must not be easy knowing you were a target of those damned face-stealers… especially knowing he killed two people to get to you," Robert remarked, continuing to ride slowly.
"It certainly isn't, Your Majesty. But my sister managed to defeat him," Robb murmured.
"So it's true? She really fought a Faceless assassin... and won? She does seem quite impressive," Robert commented.
"Yes." Robb nodded.
"And do you think that assassin was sent by him? Your brother... the one beyond the Wall?" Robert asked, curiosity in his tone.
Robb shook his head. "No. I don't think he would do that. We're not on the best terms, but... my father and my sister... they say there's no reason for him to do something like that."
He still had some doubts, especially with the strange rumors that had begun to spread out of nowhere between Wintertown and Winterfell, but his father had already dismissed the idea, saying that even though they didn't have a close relationship—and despite many of Robb's own mistakes—Jon wouldn't do something like this, and in the end, Robb believed that.
"I see," Robert murmured. "Well, I'm sure someone who joined us on this trip will be very happy to see you." Robert said, while Robb looked confused.
And at that very moment, a horse rode up along one side of the procession, advancing toward the front. Everyone turned to watch the scene, as a red-haired woman appeared mounted on a horse beside a man in armor bearing the black fish on his chest—Brynden, the Blackfish.
They were immediately stopped from approaching the king and Robb for security reasons.
"Robb, my love." Catelyn Stark was back in the North.
As soon as she heard that Robb Stark had met with the king at the front of the column, Catelyn quickly left her carriage. She had learned first that her daughter was there too, but she didn't feel ready to face her—yet Robb, after hearing about the Faceless assassin, had immediately asked his uncle to take her to him, and Brynden had placed her on horseback, knowing Catelyn wouldn't back down.
"Mother..." Robb murmured upon seeing her standing behind the guards who were preventing her approach, not knowing what to think. After all, she had been forbidden from setting foot in the North and had sent no letter about her supposed visit.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 282 - The Winterfell Banquet 03.
Chapter 287 - The dilemmas of Winterfell.
Chapter 297 - The Trial at Winterfell 02.
Chapter 305 - It's Time to Teach.
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