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VIOLENT NIGHTS
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FOR SOME TIME, DAHLIA WEAPT. Her eyes were run red, her nose itchy, and her cheeks stained with tears. Her sister, her beloved, beautiful sister...gone. What had been done to ensure her such a cruel fate?
When it was announced that she was gone, Edric wasted no time in pulling Dahlia out of the crowd. They still had a job to do, if not for Valencia, than for her cause. They would still help Valencia's husband, Robb Stark in hopes of seeking revenge against the man who murdered their sister.
They had travelled for a number of days, and well into the night. Each day, Dahlia would find herself weeping for her sister, rubbing her swollen eyes and wiping her running nose. Valencia deserved better than to die the way she did.
But over the days, due to her grief, Edric had not been as rude as he normally was...he was surprisingly kind and attentive. Regularly, he suggested they stopped so she could eat and drink before they'd continue, and at times he would allow her to ride on his own horse so that she may get some sleep. And once, he had given her a piece of cloth to rid herself of her tears. She had been grateful for that.
It was hard to find a distraction from Valencia, considering that herself and Edric did not speak much and the country was wide open for thought. The only thing she could focus on other than Valencia was Tulip, and the copper chain hanging outside Edric's armour.
She could see it now, peaking out and shimmering in all it's coppery rust, it was queer against his chainmail. She once again saw the etchings on the ring. She leaned forward on Tulip more, her neck straining to get a peak at the writing. Her lips parted, her grip on the reigns loosening.
Her eyes almost caught the gleam of a few golden words when she felt herself loose her grasp on the reigns all together. Her feet slipped from the stirrup, and her body hit the ground roughly within seconds.
Her eyes, which she had squeezed shut from impact opened as her lungs lost air. She gasped for air like a fish out of water, her ribs ached and her hip stung. She wrapped her arms around her knees, the feeling of tears prickling her eyes. She expected to hear Edric laughing at her clumsiness, but instead he was kneeling down, trying to coax her into sitting up.
She groaned and squirmed, Edric grasped her arms as gently as he could muster and pulled her to her feet. "Being winded may hurt, but we have to keep moving," he coaxed. Her head began to pound at the sudden impact, and her legs felt like water. Her side still stung, and she held a hand to the soft skin, knowing there was going to be a bruise.
"Come on, you can ride with me." She nodded without complaint and let him get her up on the horse easily, he then tied Tulip and the pack horses saddle to his own. He nestled in front of her, so she could hold onto him as they rode through the morning.
They rode all through the day, into the late afternoon, and the darkest parts of night. The only time they stopped was by a stream so they could refill on water, and release themselves.
The ache in Dahlia's side had subdued, and her legs no longer felt wobbly. Her head still hurt, especially with the harsh sun of the South. She was uncomfortable all day long, she would wonder how Edric stayed on the horse all the time and not complain. Her stomach felt queasy from all the swaying, and her fingers ached from clutching Edric's mail. She had noticed he had tucked the copper chain back underneath his steel mail, catching on that the chain was what made Dahlia fall from her horse.
It was nightfall when Edric had stopped, he was getting irritated by how many times Dahlia had yawned.
"We'll stay here for the night," he grumbled sliding from the horse.
Dahlia's eyes widened as the dark orbs looked around. She could restrain from scrunching up her nose in disgust, "here?"
Edric rolled his eyes and grabbed her roughly, bringing her to the floor.
"Yes here," he snapped grabbing two bedrolls and stuffing them in her arms. "Lay these over there, I'll get a fire started," he said before moving away to get twigs and dead leaves.
Dahlia swallowed, her eyes glancing down at the bedrolls in her arms. What am I to do with these? She asked herself with clear confusion.
With a heavy sigh, she moved to where Edric had instructed. She let one fall to the ground while she inspected the other. It was a deep brown and smelt strange, multiple holes had been torn inside it and seemed to be the same itchy fabric like her over-shirt. She squirmed uncomfortably, but did as asked and untied the ties holding it all together. It took her a while to full unravel it without getting mud on the material, but once she had finished, she felt proud of herself.
Although it was a simple task, her happiness peaked over how tired she was. Originally, she had assumed she and Edric would be staying at inn's along the road, she had been sadly mistaken.
Edric returned once she had successfully rolled out the second bedroll, it seemed to be in the same condition as the first one. Within minutes, a small fire had built, keeping Dahlia warm against the cold night. She had her clock wrapped around her body, rubbing her hands together while Edric laid down, his back facing her.
"May I see your chain?" She called, once realising he wasn't asleep.
He remained still, and Dahlia assumed he hadn't heard her, she went too speak once more when he turned around with a groan. "Why?" He snapped, his voice raspy with sleep.
Dahlia pursed her lips and looked down, "why do you hate me so much?"
Edric sighed heavily and sat up. It was never his intention to make it seem like he hated her, he disliked her because of her naivety, how innocent she was. She was just some dewy-eyed girl who was never told of how the world worked, and lacked the common sense too see how it was. In a way...he envied her.
She was hidden by the cruelness of the world, untainted by life, and ignorant with innocence. She could not see the harshness of the world she was born into, she had never experienced hate, or inhuman ways, only peace and serenity. He had seen the barbaric ways of men, he saw through the facade, he saw it all in every person. At times, he wished he was as innocent and wide-eyed as Dahlia, but he was a man, and he needed to be strong.
"I don't hate you," he stated, sitting cross-legged, his nails picking at their beds. Dahlia raised an eyebrow, shuffling so she was closer to the crackling fire.
"Then why are you so mean?" She asked. Edric almost laughed at how much she sounded like a child, he pitied her, for whatever came for her in Kings Landing her childish ways would not last long. Whether Dahlia knew it or not, she was playing the game of thrones now, and she could never escape it until she won along with Robb Stark, or she died along with her sister.
"Because you need to learn," he stated. "The world isn't what you think it is, it's not bright and colourful, filled with happiness and laughter. It's evil and murderous. I am merely preparing you for what you so willingly dove into."
Dahlia had her knees drawn to her chest, her face fanned with orange light as she trembled. "I didn't want to do it," her bottom lip quivered. "I wanted to go home, but..." she trailed off, her eyes meeting his. "I must do right by my family."
Edric pursed his lips and nodded, he understood her, he wouldn't be doing this if Valencia had not asked. "So must I, and if it means I must protect you. So be it." A silence slid between them quickly and swiftly, and Edric soon broke it. He reached around his neck, taking the chain between his fingers and raising it above his head. He kindly presented it to Dahlia which she hesitantly took. "This ring belonged to the woman who raised me, it was her wedding ring."
Dahlia took the ring between her slim fingers, inspecting the fine golden band with deep interest. It was old, and worn, but once very beautiful. With it's fine golden shine, and engraved words, but Dahlia could not read the words, for they had been worn with time.
"It's very beautiful," she smiled handing it back to him. "Who was she? The woman who raised you?"
Edric slipped the chain over his neck. "A wet nurse by the name of Klara, she was quite young when I was born, no older than us now. She was married and already had a son, and a daughter, but when my mother left me in Storm's End, she adopted me as her own, in a way. Renly took care of me, he fed me, clothed me, and made sure I had everything I could ever want. But Klara was more of a mother than my real mother was, and her son was the brother I always wanted. His name was Theo, and his sister, Cassandra."
Dahlia looked upon him with a growing sadness, how he spoke of Klara and her family...it was clear she was no longer with them. "What happened to them?"
Edric inhaled sharply.
"They died," he answered. "A long time ago it seems..."
"I'm sorry," murmured Dahlia. She mustered enough courage and reached over to her brother, grasping his hand, trying to show him some compassion. "She sounds like a good woman, and her children sound lovely."
Edric smiled sadly at her, his eyes moving down to their joined hands. Surprisingly, he did not pull away, instead he continued to allow her to hold his hand.
They said no more after that, and soon enough, they both laid down and pretended to sleep. Yet both knew they wouldn't gain much.
Sometime during the night, the moon at it's highest and the air being colder than ice. A twig snapped nearby.
Dahlia, who couldn't get to sleep jostled awake, sitting up and staring into the heavy darkness. Another snap echoed in the cover of night causing Dahlia to flinch in her bedroll, fear creeped up her spine as more snaps followed. "Edric, wake up, something's not right."
The raven-haired boy stirred, opening his eyes, she could faintly see his whites of his eyes through the darkness. "What?" He groaned pulling himself into a sitting position.
"I think someone's out there," she whispered, bringing her knees to her chest.
Edric inhaled sharply, standing up and making sure the fire was out. "I'll go check it out, don't move."
Edric ventured off, leaving a frightened and freezing Dahlia to handle beneath her thin blanket.
More snaps echoed all around her, she prayed it was Edric coming back for her. A chillness settled in the air, she heard the horses stirring. She lied down, pulling the covers over her head and squeezing her eyes to a tight close, praying to any God who listened to her.
"There's someone here," a voice growled, a slippery chill ran up Dahlia's spine. She trembled underneath the cover, squeezing her eyes even tighter.
The sound of crunching leaves, the whines of Tulip and Edric's horse. Her skin was drenched in sweat, and her eyes throbbed from holding them together so tightly. The covers made her incredibly hot, and the thumping of her heart in her ears made her insides churn with pain.
She heard their loud boots circle her camp, the soft chime of metal tapping close by.
Please leave, please leave, please leave. She begged inside her mind, her thoughts wild and frantic.
Then, she heard the whine of Edric's horse, it's teeth snapping at something. A man spat, cursing about the horse before approaching Dahlia once more. She cupped her mouth to stop herself from crying at, feeling his boots toes hit the edge of her bed roll. She knew he couldn't properly see her in the dark, but to have him so close terrified her.
"Well, isn't this suspicious," one man called. "Three horses, a stomped out fire and two bedrolls."
Her heart dropped.
Suddenly, her covering was yanked violently off her body, a torch was forced in front of her eyes. She screamed at the three men standing over her.
They all chuckled at her. One of them, a fat man with a fatter face reached down with his sausage fingers and grabbed hold of her arm, thrusting her to her feet. He pushed her into his chest while her arms slapped and her legs kicked to get out of his grip.
"Grab hold boys, this ones slippery." The fat man said, hooking his hands beneath her arms while the other two reached for her ankles.
"Get off me!" She screeched, her nails digging into the fat mans face. He suddenly dropped her, cursing at her for scratching him the way she did, only now her legs were in the air with two large men holding her. Thrusting her leg forward frantically, she caught one in his manhood before rolling and attempting to crawl to her feet.
Only, the fat man lurched forward grabbing hold of her waist from behind, lifting her off the ground and onto his chest. She wailed, begging that Edric would hear and come running. "Quiet bitch!" The fat man hissed, roughly pushing his fat arms into her stomach.
"No wonder you can't get a woman, Gorge, your too fat." One of them smirked.
"And fuckin' ugly," the other added both laughing.
The man, Gorge snarled at them. "Shut up, you cunts. When I'm finished with 'er, maybe I'll be nice enough to share 'er. I know how you like 'em broken in and crying, Redge."
Dahlia cried, her stomach becoming tortured by his rough grip.
"Aye-" Suddenly the man across from her spurted blood out of his toothless mouth. A iron tip of an arrow penetrating through his tongue. Dahlia gasped, spats of blood spraying onto her cheeks.
"What the fuck?!" Gorge screamed in her ear as the other man spun around, they had their swords drawn now.
"Who's out there!" The other man bellowed, his sword, dingy and rusted pointed out towards the darkness, the torch on the ground creating a halo of light.
A soft whizzing sound caught her attention. An arrow suddenly pierced through the air, zooming passed her head and striking Gorge in the face. He wailed letting her go, she fell to the ground with a yelp, getting a mouthful of dirt as Gorge screamed covering his eye which had an arrow sticking out of it.
Another whizzing sound burned through the air, Gorge's screams were silenced with another arrow to his other eye.
"That's it," the other man sneered reaching down, grabbing Dahlia by her hair and lurching her to her feet. He pressed her tightly against him, using her as a human shield. "Whoever's out there, come out now or I slit your girl's throat!" He pressed his rusted blade to her soft skin, digging it in roughly.
Everything was quiet, not a twig snapped, nor a whizzing sound from Edric's arrows. Until the sound of Edric's voice called out in the darkness.
"Harm her, and I'll make sure they never find what's left of you."
Dahlia was suddenly violently spun round, the blade at her throat digging deeper into her soft flesh. Her eyes were like a wild animals, full of fear and as wide as the moon, her brown eyes staring at her brother for help. He held a sword in his hand, twirling it as he glared down at the man holding her captive.
Without hesitation, Edric thrusted his boot forward kicking the torch at the man's feet, he began hollering and yanking Dahlia around as his boot caught fire. Then, a choking sound erupted in Dahlia's ear.
The yelling stopped, and blood spurted onto her shoulder and neck. The blade at the her throat left her trembling skin and hit the grassy ground, and the grip of the man loosened. She stepped away, spinning feeling the warm trickle of blood down her arm. The man that had held her was standing by swaying, his neck cut wide open. He dropped with a sickening thud, revealing a bitter-looking Edric.
Dahlia heaved in heavily, trembling with eyes not looking from the dead men lying around her. Edric approached her, his thick heavy boots snapping leaves and branches. He reached for her gently, taking out a piece of rugged cloth and handing it to her. "Clean yourself up, then we leave. Who knows how many pricks are out there," she took it gratefully, frantically wiping away at the warm blood on her skin.
Once she was done, she handed it back to Edric after he rolled up the bedrolls and fastened them to the horses.
"Come on, we need to go."
Dahlia nodded, scrambling on Tulip frantically, wishing for the night to be over.