The Finding of Lya Stark

Injured

I awaken acutely aware of the stabbing pain on my right side from my chest to my shoulder and down through my arm, as well as the sound of someone's ragged breathing. It takes me a moment to realize it's my own sounding in my ears like, hopefully, a lot louder than it actually was. I open my eyes and sit up feeling dizzy immediately. I lean forward closing my eyes putting my left hand on my leg to keep myself grounded. I'm terribly thirsty but need to figure out what's going on first. I know the arrow is firmly lodged in me and there's nothing I can do about that.

I open my eyes breathing hard with the effort. I slowly look around starting with looking to my right. There's a tree blocking my view so I look straight in front of me. I jump seeing a huge direwolf my breath becoming heavier than it already was. I'm sweating from all this strain and start to panic that it's going to kill me. Something moves to my left and I look to see another slightly smaller direwolf. It seems to be looking at me in concern as I hunch back over in pain as the skin tried to move to accommodate my head moving to the side.

I relax slightly remembering I had found Lady. When the pain recedes to the ache I look back at the one in front of me and surmise that it must be Nymeria, Arya's direwolf. She would be so happy to see that she was alive. If only I knew where she was. Wherever she was she was doing better than Jaime was. I had realized that I recognized one of the words he had uttered, "Bolton." I knew a Bolton, he had brought the news of the boys to King Robb and us. I also remembered that they were known for flaying men alive. Jaime wouldn't last very long at their hands.

"Jaime," I say out loud. "We need to go save him. And we need water. And to not die," I say. I hold my hand out to Nymeria who stands and runs to me sniffing my hand. She sits as I work my fingers into her fear and start using her to pull me up. Once on my feet I start dry heaving the pain blinding me and my dehydration making it all worse. "Water first," I say. She gets down and I manage to somehow pull myself up so I sit on her like a horse. I wrap my hand in her fur and scream a little as she stands. I slump forwards. "Water, we need water," she starts walking and I pass out again.

The first thing I see is Jaime's body lying in a pool of blood, his head missing. Then it's Robb lying in a pool of his blood, and then the woman he had been flirting with lying in a pool of hers as well a clear stabbing wound on her slightly bumped up belly. Then there's Catelyn lying in her own face down. Sansa is kneeling half clothed, bruised and a little bloody. Arya is filthy covered in dirt and blood with no signs of other bodily harm. This plays on a loop over and over again.

I'm jolted out of my fitful sleep by a sudden burst of pain. I hear a whine of a dog near me but am holding my breath in pain writhing on my side. It fades but the pain has gotten worse than earlier. I see there's a small stream and manage to crawl down to it slowly nearly falling over numerous times. I finally reach it and drink from my one hand until I feel ready to burst.

I then go about trying to clean my wound. I know that the arrow has to be removed but I can't break the shaft, and I didn't think I would be able to pull it out. Maybe some other spot but I couldn't when I could barely see it. Even moving my left arm towards it sent shooting pain through my body anyway. I fall asleep again to the same dreams.

I wake up in darkness one of the wolves curled up next to me for warmth but I'm shaking violently. I'm freezing and feel like I'm dying. I know that I actually am at this point, and am so sick that I have to do something soon. The face of Tywin and then Jaime flashes across my vision as if I was in a dream again but I realize that he can help the both of us.

Tywin would do anything for his son, and he wanted us to marry meaning he wouldn't let me die. But how was I supposed to get to him. I didn't even know how to get to Casterly Rock if that was even where he was. He could easily be anywhere, we were in the middle of a war. That's when my thoughts turn to the men who were sent to protect me. I manage to drink a little more water through my shaking body but it's difficult. I climb back up on Nymeria. "Find those men, hurry," I say starting to lose consciousness again. I hold on tightly with my left hand.

I'm awoken from the loop of people dying over and over in my mind in time for Nymeria to lie down and gently move so I'm lying on the ground. She nudges my head and I pull away. I'm warm now, too warm. I feel as if I'm on fire. She whines and I hear the sound of men talking. I realize she had found them like I asked. I slowly get to my feet stopping to lean on her to get my balance as I sway with dizziness. I stand using my left arm for support to go from tree to tree.

Out of the darkness I see faces. Some of monsters, and some of people I know. People who are dead, like Ned, and the Targaryens. I just want to stop and lay down giving up but the thought of Jaime dying keeps me going. I finally stumble into a small clearing and see real people. I fall to my knees holding myself up with my good arm. "Tywin," I gasp out. "Bring me to Tywin," I fall forward and am unconscious before I hit the ground.