A New Recruit

Chapter 1: A Daring Escape

Thump, thump, thump. Drina whipped her blonde head of hair backwards. They were gaining on her. Slowly, but surely, with each thump of their leather boots, she was that much closer to certain death.

What wouldn't a bunch of Lannister soldiers do with a poor peasant girl who's only crime was a hungry belly? A swift death. Drina thought that fate to not be so horrid anymore. Perhaps something worse than death. Drina shook her head. She most certainly did not want to even breathe life into that terrible thought. With a last ditch effort for freedom, Drina made a sharp left turn into the ale house. She prayed to all seven gods that somehow, someway they would figure she bypassed the establishment and escaped down the road.

Entering the crowded ale house, she inconspicuously made her way to a lone, dark corner just in case the ravenous pride of lion soldiers did enter. She locked her emerald eyes onto the ale house's entrance, not daring to move, for fear of attracting unwanted attention to herself. Just breathe and act natural. After nearly half an hour of frightened vigilance, Drina let her shoulders fall. She would live to see another day, or two.

With the 5 copper coins remaining in her possession, she bought the establishment's most potent liquor. Without so much as pausing to look into her wooden cup, she gulped down the fiery drink. She grabbed a hefty chunk of bread from her leather satchel. All this over a stale bit of bread? Drina scolded herself. She knew exactly what the legal punishment for stolen food entailed. Maybe I'll join you Grenn. There's much to tell you. Drina's stomach rumbled still. Where her next meal would come from, she did not know. Drina inwardly scoffed at the injustice.

"Runnin' from a few lions I see," said a young fellow with dark brown hair. "That takes guts. Most people get caught. How'd a blondie like yourself get so good at it?" he asked with a surprisingly intact smile.

Blondie? Confusion and fear left over from the events of the evening left Drina unable to respond to the youth. She dumbly stared at him. The dreaded fear that someone would turn her into the Lion's den kept her lips more tightly sealed than one of Lord Lannister's letters of correspondence.

"What's wrong with you, eh? Lion's got ya tongue?" He teased along with a nervous chuckle.

In a way, exactly that. She remained as stoic as before yet continued giving him attention by keeping eye contact.

"Hey, are you okay?" he said, quieting his tone. "Them soldiers didn't hurt ya, did they?"

"No. I was just running from 'em," Drina cautiously replied.

"Oh okay, that's a relief. I thought ya were hurt something bad for a moment," he said. Drina was taken aback. Why should he care? Bryan paused. Then, he suddenly perked up as if ashamed for forgetting his manners. "The name's Bryan," he announced with an open hand reaching towards Drina.

"Drina," she said warily shaking the stranger's hand.

"So, is there a chance you'll find it in yourself to answer my first question about those bloody Lannister lunatics, Drina?" Bryan dared to ask.

"Well, I don't know really," Drina answered. "I've just kind of always been a fast runner. I guess my sneaky run into here helped get those Lannister loons off my tail."

"Ha, good one" he said with a slight chuckle.

"Huh?" she asked, widening her green eyes.

"The 'loons'," Bryan readily replied. "I haven't thought of that one before."

"Oh, thanks then, Bryan," Drina said with a slight blush adorning her cheeks. Gods this isn't the time to be acting the maiden.

"Anyways, the real reason I came over to ya was to make a proposal of sorts," Bryan admitted. Drina shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "No, no. Not that kind of proposal," Bryan clarified unable to resist smirking.

"Now, this is a serious question Drina, of great importance, so think carefully before answerin'." Bryan said raising both of his eyebrows, creating earnest sincerity in his warm, brown eyes.

"Aye, get on with it then," said Drina impatiently eager to get back to her dinner. As eager as anyone could be for thin ale and hard bread.

"So, me and a few friends of mine, who shall remain nameless for the time being, saw ya great escape past those Lannister soldiers. And we thought to ourselves, that is one quick fellow," said Bryan. "One of my friends told me to follow in after ya to recruit ya into our little...well organization as ya say."

Drina looked vaguely skeptical at the term but told Bryan to continue with his tale. Just who is this blithering fool anyways?

"Long story short—"

"Too late," interrupted Drina, with a barely a hint of a smile.

"We want ya to join our band of misfits," said Bryan frankly. "What do ya say?"

Drina took a few moments to collect her thoughts. She had just nearly lost her life running from some brutish Lannister soldiers, and now she was being asked by some stranger to join their "organization" of gods knows what. What happened to the good girl who always did her chores? The girl who prayed to the Seven and was devout in all its teachings? The girl who obeyed the law? That girl died long ago. She's long gone along with the ashes that remain of her old life. Maybe it was time to start something new. To turn the next page in the book of her life. And to forget the previous chapters.

That's just what Drina thought when she said that small, but powerful, life-altering word.

"Aye."