Andrew
A wind sighed into their room through the open window, rich with the smell of morning mist and rain, but all Andrew Stark could think of was the girl underneath him, her beautiful face, her soft moans, the heat of her, the mouth on his. They moved against each other in the first light of dawn. Joy kissed his ear and he nuzzled her neck burying his face in her thick golden hair. Her sweet fragrance filled his nose and he loved her smell be it on him or on her. Her scent made him move faster and deeper into her, his hand sliding over to her bosom to find a breast, rolling her nipple between his fingers. When she pulled him down for another kiss he spent his seed deep within her womb.
When he rolled off her to lay on the bed she rested her head against his chest. They had made love twice in the night and now in the morning. He had been in her half a hundred times before but somehow found himself eager for more. He wondered what his father might think of what he had become? Dishonoring a girl and himself by getting in her bed. The northerners had claimed that King Eddard was the most honorable man and what would the honorable King Eddard think of his son. He would be happy that he found Joy and mother too, she would be happy as well. "I love you, no matter what I'll always love you," she had wrapped her hands around him on that day Andrew had left her in that river. Even his father and mother had shared a bed even before they had wed. He has heard that story many times before. Of how Lord Eddard had fallen for the Lady of the Stars. His parents' life had been a happy one and he could have it too.
"How big is Winterfell?" Joy asked tracing some pattern over his chest.
"Winterfell is big, so big that the men on top of the walls look like small balls from the ground. The Wall is much bigger than Winterfell that it would be like comparing a dwarf with a giant."
She looked as if she thought he was making that up. "Have you seen it?"
"No, I haven't," Andrew admitted. "But my father has seen it and my uncle lives there. I've heard their stories."
"How could they build a thing as massive as that?"
"In legend, Brandon the Builder used the help of giants and mammoths to raise the Wall," Andrew told her. He had heard this story many times before from both his father and Old Nan. "They cut huge chunks of ice from some frozen lake and brought them with the help of mammoths and giants. The children of the forest also helped Brandon to build the Wall."
"The children of the forest?" Joy raised her head from his chest to look at him.
"Some kind of small magical people," Andrew told her. "They are all dead now."
"Did they help him to build Winterfell too?"
Legends said that Brandon the Builder had used giants to help raise Winterfell, but Andrew did not want to confuse her with more tales of giants and children of the forest. Only if I could show her Winterfell . . . give her a flower from the glass gardens, feast her in the Great Hall, and show her the stone kings on their thrones. We could bathe in the hot pools, and love beneath the heart tree while the old gods watched over us.
The dream was sweet . . . but Winterfell would never be his to show. It was lost to the Targaryens now, the seat of the King in the North. He had left it in their hands and ran away for his life. He had left his home for his life.
"If you want, maybe I could take you to Winterfell so you can see it for yourself," Andrew said stroking her hair. "We could go to Starfall as well. The Palestone Sword Tower is the biggest tower I've ever seen. And my mother said that in Oldtown, there's a tower even bigger than the Wall. We can go see it too. We will go to Casterly Rock as well, to see your home."
Joy chuckled at that. "You really do love me," she said placing a kiss at his cheek. "All I asked was a single question and you'll make all of it happen."
"Aye, I do," Andrew kissed her lips and then her wrist and palm.
He loved her, that much was sure for him. They shared the same bed every night, and he went to sleep with her head against his chest and her golden hair tickling his chin. The smell of her had become a part of him. Her beautiful face, the feel of her breast when he cupped it in his hand, the taste of her mouth . . . they were his joy. Many a night he lay with Joy warm beside him, wondering if it was even possible for him to have a family, especially with her.
She was too sweet and good to bring her into his life. He was a wanted assassin who plays with death with nothing to lose. Joy deserved better than him, better than this red slaughter he had as a life. But no matter how hard he tried he could not bring himself away from her.
"We should probably get up," she said, and sat upon the bed, "You said you want to go meet your friends."
"Yes," Andrew said and got away from the bed. It was past time he visited Illola and the girls. Illola should probably be worried sick by now with all the rumors claiming him dead.
"I could prepare you a hot bath."
Andrew looked at Joy smiling. "I had thought to share a bath with you."
Joy punched his arm. "Not now, my royal wolf."
"As you say, my sweet lioness," he teased. "Is that because if we shared the bath we won't be able to meet them?"
"Oh, shut up, Andrew Stark," Joy told him putting on her nightgown. "It is you who can't keep your paws off of me."
"My paws?" Andrew chuckled. He caught her wrist and pulled her against him. "But you love to have my paws on you." He kissed her fully on her mouth. Joy deepened the kiss and pulled away from him before he could bring her to the bed. She left him to prepare their bath.
Joy was already dressed by the time he came back from the bath. She was so excited to meet some new people from his life especially the ones who had raised him. It only took little time for Andrew to put on his clothing.
They had already decided to walk the way. Joy loved to walk and Andrew was more than happy to walk with her. It might help him with learning about Rhaegar too, a word or two slipped from a drunken sailor or some westerosi guards still searching for him. He had thought Rhaegar to be better than this. He had let him get away twice now and he'll never get a third chance, Andrew was sure about that. He is not ready to give Rhaegar a third chance.
Joy preferred to go the long way, down the Ragman's Road along the Outer Harbor, where the sea was there before them and the sky above, and a clear view across the Great Lagoon to the
Arsenal and the piney slopes of Sellagoro's Shield. Sailors of hundred different places hurried and rushed along the way as they passed the docks, some calling down to their crews and shouting orders from the decks of tarry Ibbenese whalers and big-bellied Westerosi
cogs. Andrew never got any useful word he had wanted to hear about Westeros. He had hoped to get at least a bit of the king but there was none.
Some drunken men growled at Joy along the way, but once they saw him beside her they had a good reason to back away. Joy gave a knowing smile and shook her head as he chased another one away.
The long way took them across the Bridge of Eyes with its carved stone faces. From the top of the Bridge of Eyes, Andrew could look through the arches and see all the city: the green copper domes of the Hall of Truth, the masts rising like a forest from the Purple Harbor, the tall towers of the mighty buildings of the Braavosi nobles, the golden thunderbolt turning on its spire atop the Sealord's Palace... even the Titan's bronze shoulders, off across the dark green waters. But that was only because the sun was shining down on Braavos. Somehow the day had turned out to be one of them sunny days. If the fog was thick there was nothing to see but grey.
They crossed the Pearl House on the way. Andrew looked at the brothel as he crossed it. The board from which he had hung Viserys Targaryen stood still but the rope had been taken down. They had managed to clean most of the blood from the white paint with which they had written the word Pearl House in neat letters but there was still the dirty brown stain on them, the stain of the dried blood of Viserys Targaryen.
He remembered the day as much as he remembered his name. He remembered the fear on Viserys' face as he told him who he was, he remembered the crack and crunch of the bones as he punched his face in, he remembered the chokes and gasps and he hung him from the brothel. Nothing had made him so happy as that . . . except for her, he looked at Joy.
If he knew one thing and one thing only it is that he loved her. He knew that Joy was too good and sweet to be with him. It was easy to forget that sometimes, when they were laughing together, or kissing. But then the dreams would come back with blood and gore and bitter goodbyes, and he would suddenly be reminded of the wall between their worlds. She had no reason to be in his life of shadows, she deserved better, a better life and a bright one at that without blood and swords and well away from his dark and bloody one. His whole life had revolved around a sword but now when he was with her he didn't even want to wield the sword anymore. He had even left Frost back home. No man can own both a woman and a sword, Andrew knew it.
There was chill in the air. With his jacket flapping, he made his way along the cobblestones toward the Ragman's Harbor with Joy. They stayed to the smaller, darker streets, where he was less likely to encounter anyone, there were still men searching for him.
The best alehouses, inns, and brothels were near the Purple Harbor or the Moon Pool, but it was the Ragman's Harbor which sported many numbers, where the patrons were more apt to speak the Common Tongue. He passed the Inn of the Green Eel, the Black Bargeman, and Moroggo's, places which had been the fellow inns of the Foghouse. He crossed the Outcast Inn, the House of Seven Lamps, and the brothel called the Cattery, and far away in a neat place between two canals stood the Foghouse.
Outside the Foghouse there would always be several serpent boats tied up awaiting patrons who enjoyed the hospitality of their inn. Today it was almost free. Two lanterns hung in the front flanking the front door.
"Is this the one?" Joy asked when he stopped before the inn.
"It is," Andrew replied. He knocked the door once, twice, before the third knock the door opened and Ivanna eyed him through the little opening of the half-opened door.
He smiled widely as he saw the girl who had been like a sister to him. Ivanna threw open the door and put her arms around his neck to embrace him tightly.
"Andrew," she hugged him tightly. "Where were you?"
Before he could answer he heard Illola's voice behind her. "Ivanna who's-" she trailed off at once she saw Andrew. She rushed to him at once and hugged him. Ilaena and Sarrera came next, both of them hugging him at once and asking questions.
"I was away just for a work," he told the girls. Illola gave a look at him and backed. It was then she saw Joy behind him.
"Who's this?" she asked.
The girls turned all at once to see Joy behind him. Andrew stepped behind and took Joy's hand.
"This is Joy," he told them, his eyes never leaving hers. He hesitated about what to say after that. "A . . . A good friend of mine."
From the looks they gave him, he could tell they did not believe him. Even Joy's smile said that they did not believe him. The girls pushed him aside and embraced Joy at once.
"Aww, she's so pretty," Ivanna told him.
"Yes," Ilaena agreed with her. "How did you manage to get her, Andrew?"
Sarrera was so busy talking with Joy that she did not even pay a mind to him.
Illola welcomed Joy and took her inside. Joy turned to look at him, surprised and Andrew nodded at her. He followed them inside.
Joy had an easy time with the girls and they welcomed her as well. It made him happy to see her talk and play and laugh with the girls who had been a part of his life. Ilaena gave her lessons on the high harp, and Ivanna showed her new cooking tricks. Sarrera and Joy shared a song in Ilaena's music which broke all of them into laughter.
The girls took Joy into their company as if they had known her all their lives. Ilaena asked him as to why she had chosen him? While Ivanna asked if she had a hard time trying to teach him smile. I know how to smile, Andrew thought to himself. Sarrera whispered something to Joy and her sisters that he couldn't hear what she said but it must have been something funny because all of them laughed at once.
He was looking at them when Illola came to him. She gave him a tankard of rum and sat beside him. "So what happened?" she asked. "Where were you?"
Andrew took a long drink of his rum. The liquor was strong and heady; sweet at first, but with a fiery aftertaste that burned his tongue. "That's a long story," he told her. He told Illola everything that had happened right from the day to the present day. He told her how he rushed off to meet against an army in a mad rage, he told her about Rhaegar, about the arrows, about the canal and about Joy. How the golden lioness had saved him, how she knew his secret and how much he loved her.
"I like her," Illola said when he finished, looking at Joy laughing with her daughters.
"I do too," Andrew said smiling and took another drink of the rum.
"Besides you need someone to teach you to smile."
"I know how to smile."
They shared a good talk while the girls and Joy continued their talks and plays. For supper Joy helped Illola and the girls to make bread and meat. They sat down together and had a good time. They had not planned to stay the night in the Foghouse but the girls made Joy to stay there for the night.
They came up to his room to spend the night. It had not changed one bit from the day he had left the room.
Joy looked around the room and turned to him. "This is your room?"
"Yes," Andrew told her and took off his jacket.
She moved over to the table and looked at all the things. "What is this?"
Andrew looked at her hand and saw the one thing he possessed from his past. His star and direwolf pin, the one he had worn on that day the Targaryens have killed his family. He got it from her hand and looked at it. The silver direwolf head was fixed over a silver sword and had a falling star enclosing them in a half arc, starting from the hilt of the sword and ending at the point of it. When he grew up Illola had made it as a pendant in a chain for him. It was the only reminder of who he was and his past.
"A reminder from the past," he told her. He took the chain and clasped it gently around Joy's neck. The chain was long enough to fall a bit below the collarbone. "Joy, I-"
Before he could finish, Joy covered his mouth with her own. She broke off the kiss and rested her forehead against his. "Shut up. I know what you did and why you did it," she told him. "I'll be with you Andrew, always. In whatever you do I'll always be with you."