"JORY!" (Y/n) exclaimed with a slight squeal. Her hands quickly moving to cover her breasts, as she sunk into the water. The bannerman's mind filling with a thousand thoughts, as the captain continued to stare at her, wide eyed.
"I..........I.........I can..........well, explain.............." (Y/n) spluttered out. As Jory just stood in the doorway, not moving. Not saying a word. Only looking.
"It's not what you think.........well.........maybe it is, but really........I can explain. I..................." (Y/n) continued to splutter, as she reached to find something to cover her form, so that she could remove herself from the bath.
"You........you're a woman............? You lied to Lord Stark. My uncle. To me." Jory interrupted. The captain suddenly getting a suddenly and strange feeling of anger. An awful feeling of betrayal.
"Well, yes.........but there is a good reason for it. I wanted to be a bannerman. It is the only thing that I have ever wanted. It was what I was meant to do. My father trained me every day to be good enough to serve in the household guard. It is the only thing I.............."
"You lied." The captain interrupted again. Watching as the person that he had known as Sebastian Sharpe for the last month finally pulled herself from the water. Her hands gripping the shirt that she had managed to reach, to her naked form.
"I didn't do it to hurt anyone. To hurt you. I would never do that. I just wanted............."
"Leave! You do not belong here. Women are not allowed to join the household guard. Get out now. Go back to your home. You should never have come here in the first place. I will inform my uncle and Lord Stark of your deception in the morning." The highly confused Jory ordered. Lowering his eyes to the floor to avoid the woman's beseeching gaze. His mind filled with so many emotions, both good and bad. Feeling as thought he was drowning under the deluge. The captain at once happy that he finally knew what that nagging doubt about the young man, had been. His heart pounding violently as she made her way over to him. The captain able to see her exquisite form through the now sodden shirt. Wishing he could reach out his hand and place his fingers on her flesh. But then, he was angered that she would deceive everyone. That she would deceive him.
"Please Jory, don't. I want to stay here. To continued to show the men my father's techniques. To stand by your side.........."
"Leave! And that is an order. Go now, or I will have you run out of Winterfell." Jory countered. The captain turning to leave. Doing his best to ignore the sounds of crying as he left.
>>-------------------------------<<
(Y/n) had rushed back to the barracks. Fighting back the tears as she went. She had thought about going after the captain. Thought about trying to argue her case further. To try and tell Jory what he meant to her. But she had seen the look in his eyes. She hadn't meant to hurt anyone. To lie to anyone. Especially not him. All she had wanted to do was fight. To serve House Stark as her father and grandfather had before her. Yet now it was all over. Now she had lost her chance. And worse, she had lost Jory.
Quickly she packed her few belongings back into her bag and dressed back in her father's old clothes. She hated to think that the captain would have her run out of the castle, but she wasn't going to take the chance. As soon as the master-at-arms and the lord paramount of the north found out that she had lied, she would be told to leave anyway. So, why stay? Why remain somewhere she could not be what she wanted. Could not be with who she wanted. No. Jory was right she didn't belong there. And given that, she would never return. (Y/n) taking one last look around, before she vanished into the night.
>>------------------------------<<
Jory had rushed back to his room. Dropping onto his small bed, as he pushed open the door. He had thought about going back to the bath house. Thought about allowing Sebastian, or whatever her real name was, to explain. Yet his mind was so confused. He was overjoyed that that she was a woman. That that explained why he had noticed so much about the young bannerman. How he had come to feel. The way that she would look at him. Yet he couldn't fight the feeling that she should not have lied. That she should have come and spoken with Lord Stark. With his uncle. That if she really was the child of Guthrie Sharpe, then they might have been able to find a place for her. But deep down he suspected not. No woman had ever served in the household guard in the long history of the Stark family. And given that, and despite her lineage, the captain knew that she would have been turned away that day. Told by his uncle to return to her home. To find a husband and have children. To raise them like a good woman should. And then send her sons to join the guard. Jory shaking his head, as he realised that he must have sounded so much like his uncle when he had told her that she didn't belong.
Suddenly he sat up. The friendship that had grown between he and Sebastian over the last month, could he really lose that? Could he lose her. Or the chance to get to know the real Sebastian? The chance to see if those feelings in his heart were true. Were real. She had said that she didn't intend to hurt him. Didn't intend to deceive him. That she wanted to stay and stand by his side. That all she had ever wanted to be, was a bannerman. The captain of the guard jumping to his feet and throwing open the door. His feet racing as quickly as they could carry him to the barracks.
>>--------------------------------<<
"Captain!" A voice called out, as Jory got closer to the room where he hoped Sebastian would still be. The captain stopping in his tracks, as one of the men that bunked in the same room as Sebastian came up behind him.
"Sir. Its Sharpe. It looks like he's gone. Me and the others got back from the village, and his belongings have vanished. His old clothes. All that's let is his uniform." The man informed Jory. The guard furrowing his brows, as the captain spun on his heels and headed out the castle. Hoping that Sebastian had not got far. That he would be able to find her. That he would be able to bring her back. To apologise for what he had said.