69 Sleep child
She sat in her room in the great, old castle watching the cold body of the child in her arms.
All the tears she had were used up in the last moments of the innocent baby's life when the little girl begged for her mother for help before her eyes closed for all eternity.
Her blood covered hands brushing through the beautiful hair with a simple, yellow, blood stained ribbon in them felt freely between her fingers.
There was so much she wanted to change, to allow the girl to eat with her hands whenever she wanted to, to show more of love and affection to the child yet now... now it was too late for all that.
The doors of her room opened and the wind brushed the hair of the white body hidden under the blanket in the mourning mother's arms.
Ser Bryce entered the room and his heart filled with anger wanted nothing more than to tear the beasts that were capable of doing such a deed to a five name days old child apart.
He looked one last time on the bloodied and tear stained, unmovable face that just some time ago had the brightest smile he ever saw.
"My Lady..." his gentle, almost unnoticeable whisper called his Liege. "My Lady..." he said again a bit louder yet not more than the wind dancing inside.
"Speak." a simple, cold word enough for him to know the state his Lady was in.
"We found the girl, she was escaping to Duskendale... she will be brought to you shortly." Bryce didn't even want to think about the future that was in store for the traitor at Lady Dustin's hands.
He could clearly tell that the woman was regressing to her old self, while closing off her heart to others, her state could be compared to the time when his young Lord's father was killed.
"Bring her to Neverwinter. I won't be able to control myself if I see her now." his body had goosebumps and he wasn't sure if the reason for it was the cold or the emotionless voice he just heard.
"By your command my Lady..." he did everything he could to avoid looking at the woman and her inhuman, beastly full or pure rage eyes.
"How did the beggars get so close?" she asked before he left.
It was clear she was on a hunt to track and kill everyone involved, no stone would be left unturned.
"The House Stout knights left their posts and went whoring. They were reprimanded and will be let go." he froze as for the first time since he came inside Barbrey turned her head swiftly and looked directly at him.
"Let go? LET GO? And why is that Ser Bryce?! Is it not enough that I lost this child because of your incompetence and now this?!" she was vivid. "Get Ser Hadrian here! I should have never agreed for him to stay in Lannisport when you oh brave Ser can't even protect my family!" she stood up with the child in her arms.
The small hands of the small girl limply fell to her sides...
"My Lady... please..." Ser Bryce tried to placate her, but it only made things worse as the woman wasn't thinking clearly.
"Please what? My child is dead because you all couldn't do your job! MY CHILD! Ser Bryce." she slowly slid to the stony ground painfully sobbing again.
The knight knew it was better to leave her alone for now than to push her more, he left the room and closed the doors behind himself.
When he exited the room there were rows of men on each side on the corridor guarding it in total silence.
Be that as it may, each of them knew they failed their Lady... failed little Bri...
Dreaming of begging for a second chance? That was ridiculous, each one of them had their honor so no matter what was said or not, more then one wanted to fall on his sword if it only would redeem themselves in their Lady's eyes.
"Don't do anything cowardly lads... the Lady still needs our service." Ser Bryce knew what they felt, he was feeling the same way as each and every one of them.
His guilt was even more advanced than any of his comrades as he couldn't keep the child alive until the doctors came to help.
"Ser Bryce... we-we can't let this go..." one of the youngest guards said clenching his hand on his shield that stood at his feet.
"And we won't... but now we need to support our Lady with everything that we can." he turned and walked between the rows of guards.
"You're forgetting one thing Ser's..." Arthur was to the side leaning on the wall.
When he had everyone's attention, even Ser Bryce that stopped and turned his head curiously he continued. "How will we tell young Lord about this..." this sentence made them remember that Lord Dustin treasured the girl like his own sister and their faces fell again.
"I will send falcons to Qyburn and Ser Hadrian, they will know what to do." He finished and walked to the captured knights cell as Arthur moved up to him.
"How are you!" his words were probing his friend as they walked to know if there was something he could do.
"I'm fine." even after hearing Bryce's reply he didn't believe it.
"It's clear you are not... I... wouldn't be..." Arthur opened himself a bit before his long lasting friend.
Ser Bryce instantly stopped in his tracks, the light of candles illuminated his posture with the reflection of the flames flickering on the walls.
"What do you want me to say? I couldn't save a small child from dying, we let the perpetrators escape and in the first place allowed someone to get so close to our Lady with bad intentions... of course I'm furious... ashamed... I don't know! You're the one with flowery words!" the warrior was never good with expressing himself.
Ser Arthur just looked at him and didn't know what to say... Like an author who started the plot, but was lost for words few sentences in.
"You... will get over it..." they looked at each other for a moment and then softly chuckled at the same time.
"That was the lousiest thing you could say at the moment Ser Arthur." Bryce still had the remnants of the smile on his lips.
"It worked didn't it?" Arthur was embarrassed, but would never confess to it.
"Aye, it did. Thank you..." they moved again.
Hearing steps going his way a boy nervously placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Matthos Seaworth was the one guarding the room that was improvised as a cell for now.
Inside, three knights of House Stout were cuffed to the chairs unable to move or speak.
Like his father and brothers the boy wanted to serve the Lord and Lady of House Dustin to his utmost, even with his life if the need arise.
Never before did he see such a House and probably he never will, but that was not important for him.
Seaworth and Dustin's, both of them were functioning as one big family.
How many times did both houses met for a feast, that was impossible to count as every seven days when his friend Brendan was still here they ate as a big group.
He just loved as his mother frequently smiled from the bottom of her heart thanking the Old Gods to which faith they all convert from their original one, The Seven.
Their life was good and now someone came into it and destroyed the peace they had.
This... he could not forgive.
For the first time he saw his "aunt Barbrey" that was always nice and understanding for him during his childhood loose her composure like that, but she was not to blame... They all loved Bri...
Two figures came into his view.
"How are they?" Arthur didn't see them yet.
"Alive. What of our Lady?" Matthos wondered if he should go and see her.
"Bad. But our Lady is a strong woman, she will come out of it." Bryce faith in Lady Barbrey was unwavering.
"And what of them?" Matthos pointed at the doors with his chin.
"With who?" Bryce's sight never left the boy. "The three bodies we've found after the assassins attacked?" all three stayed in circle silently watching each other and coming to a silent agreement.
Matthos was the youngest, but at the time the most eager to prove something and the older men didn't mind as they were just like him when younger.
Then all of them had the same thought and decided on the same thing communicating with just their eyes before taking out daggers from their belts while walking inside.
Next events do not need to be described, but it involves a lot of shouts, pain and torture before the men died.
Meanwhile upstairs in Lady Dustin room.
The doors opened again, the Lady wanted to explode and vent her anger on the people that couldn't leave her alone to mourn the child in peace.
She didn't hear the usual armor clanking she normally did, this time the steps were soft and calm without any pressure or urgency in them.
The person that entered didn't speak, only waited for her to acknowledge their presence.
Looking up to her relief she saw the brown robes of her priest with a yellow rope sash in the middle.
"You're going to bother me as well Ethan?" her eyes returned to the body.
"My Lady... it's time to let Bri go... The Old Gods are waiting..." his soft voice like infused with calming magic that soothed her nerves.
"Give me some time priest." Barbrey said defensively, the thought of last goodbye weighed heavy on her heart.
"No my Lady. There are people to kill and blood to spill..." he wasn't the type of priest like the ones in faith of The Seven.
Before, Ethan was a normal, devoted knight of the Reach, as a fifth son in his House he couldn't inherit anything, so he chose the next best way. Selling his sword.
7 years ago he found a stable position in House Dustin employment, later he converted to Old Gods feeling the freedom and real devotion to the religion.
There were no septs, offerings of gold or gems and pompous priests just waiting to grab everything you had to fill up their own coffers.
Old Gods thought you how to live with your decisions, mostly didn't tell you the rights and wrongs, no.
The most important thing was to live with yourself after you made your choices.
Of course there were taboos as well frowned upon by the Gods like r*pe or breaking the guest rights.
Ethan was chosen to serve by the Children of the forest and serving he did.
"I cannot Ethan, not like that. Not now." Barbrey watched her shaking hands.
"I understand my Lady, we all mourn her..." he saddened when the child's smiling face came to his mind. "but we have to live on. Blood must be payed with blood, the Old Gods agree." seeing that it only had minor effect on her, he came closer and kneeled on one knee with his head lowered and eyes looking at the floor. "My Lady... please excuse my brazenness... what if the young Lord is next?" now that got her attention and never before seen bloodlust oozed out from her. "I and the Gods understand the situation and no one will tell you to forget the child my Lady, but even if your motherly heart bleeds you still have the responsibility to the House. We all need you now more than ever." his tone didn't increase even for a second and the Lady felt that he was saying it all from the bottom of his heart for her and her House good.
"Day and night..." Lady Dustin stood up and gently placed Bri's body on the bed. "Sleep my child... you will soon have a lot of company begging for your forgiveness..."
