To Die For You If Need Be Chapter 4: Digging Two Graves

This is a Game of Thrones fic. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

This chapter has been edited due to content. If you want to see the unedited version GO HERE.

Arya Stark

The bodies of the Freys would start stinking up the place soon. They had thought that it was a normal feast and there was nothing to fear. But they were wrong as I had come to take revenge upon the House that had murdered my mother and brother. They had taken away my family from me when we had just been about to reunite.

I looked down at the massacre that was all my doing. After killing Walder Frey, feeding him his own children before, I had put on his face to finish tearing House Frey down. I had made sure none of the servants drank any of the poisoned wine. To the Freys, though, I afforded no such kindness.

They didn't deserve it.

It was odd to think that I had started out as a girl with dreams of adventure. Now my adventure had turned into something I had never dreamed. It was much bloodier and unlike the ballads Sansa loved. Murdering an entire House should have made me feel something other than pride.

But I felt nothing except pride about getting vengeance for my family. The nightmares about what my mother's final moments were like had haunted me over the last week. The closer I had got to the Twins, the more horrible they became. Robb had haunted me less as I imagined him fighting until he bled out.

I wasn't a child anymore and knew that Robb was most likely taken unawares. But I liked living that fantasy during the night. I liked pretending that my brother had been as strong as a god until the morning light.

A few servant women still stood in the dining hall. Their eyes went from the bloodless bloodshed to me. What monster did I look like to them? To inspire such fear meant they might still think I would kill them. They had seen me shed Walder's face and then an entire House died within mere minutes.

If the servants had been an enemy, I would've basked in the glow of their terror. But they weren't enemies, they were mere victims. It wasn't like they had much choice of where to live or who to serve. They were commoners after all.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I told one servant girl, her body frozen in fear. "I'm only after those who wronged my family. I didn't let you drink the poisoned wine, now did I?"

"No." The servant replied with a brief nod.

Without another word I continued my walk out of the dining hall. I counted every Frey and felt pride welling up in me. This wouldn't be the only House that fell to me. I still had to make my way to King's Landing and kill Cersei Lannister. She must think herself safe from all harm as now she was Queen of the Iron Throne. I would remove that illusion of safety from her.
* * *
The fire was barely enough to not make me feel the cold around me. My horse was sleeping after a long ride earlier. He looked peaceful but if there was any danger he would run away quickly. Which meant I needed to be aware of my surroundings.

I heard hooves and put a hand on Needle. It was early enough in the evening that someone walking by wasn't unexpected. Hopefully the small amount of foliage would hide me from those on the road.

The hooves belonged to horses carrying what must be merchants. A few riders were clearly mercenaries hired to protect the merchants. I guess they must be risking getting to Fairmarket late. It could be that they had thought they could get to the town quicker. And most people would do better in a town than on the road.

I could have Needle out in time to fight back if I had to. My horse snorted and the mercenaries looked toward him. When they looked our way I noticed something oddly familiar about one of the mercenaries. I didn't know them but...for some reason...

"Do you see someone?" One of the merchants asked, his voice trembling.

"Shut up." One of the mercenaries hissed.

I didn't trust that they would be peaceful if I showed myself. They might attack me to get rid of a potential problem or because they were frightened. I could offer my services but I didn't want to be distracted from killing Cersei. Working with them could add weeks onto completing my list.

"Clear." One of the mercenaries said and the group continued on.

The mercenaries were more cautious than before. So they just wanted a place to sleep or maybe a little danger. They weren't in bad shape which must mean that there hadn't been trouble. I could understand why the mercenaries were eager for a fight after that boredom.

After a half an hour I felt safe. No other sounds of horses or people could be heard. I felt myself start to fall asleep and it took all my will to stay awake. There would be time to rest soon but not now. I had to be sure that my horse and belongings wouldn't be gone once I woke.

Why had that one man looked familiar to me? Nothing specific came to mind and I realized he had been the same size as someone I knew. No, not someone I had met recently or was that familiar with. The person was a man and was important. He was someone I should have been thinking about before leaving the Twins.

Why should I have remembered this man before leaving the Twins?

****! Edmure Tully!

I had let my lust of vengeance allow me to forget about family. My uncle must be suffering and now he might die. It was likely that Walder had allowed Edmure to barely cling to life. I would have to make a hard journey back to the Twins just so he wouldn't die.

Hadn't he married a Frey? Had I accidentally killed her? No, there hadn't been a Frey Lady in the feast which meant she could be safe.
* * *
It had been a hard ride to rush back to the Twins. The structure was imposing and not silent. There were a few servants walking around and they stood still as I approached. There was barely contained fear on their faces and I knew why. They must think that I was there to kill every one who was in the Twins.

"I'm here to free my uncle Edmure Tully." I said and saw them grow even more nervous.

Had they killed him? I knew how anger had transformed me and worried the servants had killed anyone of royal blood. I should have remembered him before leaving the castle. I shouldn't have been so consumed with a need for vengeance that I forgot family. Wasn't I killing people on my list because of my family?

"What have you done to him?" I asked calmly but the servants must have heard a different tone.

"He is alive and imprisoned. As is his wife and child." One of the servants replied. "We didn't want to kill them but are undecided if they should live."

"They will live. They are my blood."

I wanted to reassure them that I wasn't here to kill. I also wanted to run my blade through something again. And someone who wished my family harm deserved to die. No, the Lannisters and Freys but not these people. They couldn't have been treated kindly under Walder's rule. Of course they would lash out against anything that reminded them of the Frey. It was astounding, then, that they hadn't killed my uncle. I don't know if I could have shown that much restraint.

"It should be our decision." The servant said and did her best to appear brave.

"I was the one to kill House Frey, not you." I replied. "It's my decision on what should be done with Edmure."

"And who shall rule the Twins?"

"My uncle."

She looked like she was going to argue, but that didn't happen. Instead they put my horse in the stables and took me down to the dungeons. All those we walked by stared at me. I didn't know if they saw me as a savior or a monster.

"Uncle Edmure?" I asked when I stood in front of his cell.

"Arya?" He asked as his gaunt face looked at me. "Is that you?"

There was a woman and child sitting behind him. Those must be his wife and child. She didn't look at me too fondly and there was a guarded look to her eyes. I could understand that. I had murdered her family. She might think that I wanted to kill her as she had Frey blood thick in her veins.

"Yes." I said as I opened the cell door. "I shouldn't have forgotten you."

"You killed House Frey." Edmure replied. "I can understand how that could be distracting."

He held a hand out to his wife and she took it. She stood up with their child in one arm. If I hadn't known he had married, I wouldn't have thought they were married. Of course royal marriages were less about love and more about political power. Which was one of the reasons I didn't want to be a Lady. I didn't want my life defined by anyone but me.

"Did you mean to spare Roslin?" Edmure asked.

"Yes." I replied.

"See, Roslin, she won't harm you."

The woman's gaze didn't change. She had no reason to believe I would spare her life. All she had was my word and her husband's confidence. It was highly likely that they felt nothing for each other so his confidence would mean nothing. But, for now, there was no way to attack me. The servants must have talked about the show I had put on. There was only one way I could have learned those skills.

Edmure lead the way out of the dungeons and Roslin had to support him a few times. He had been imprisoned since the Red Wedding. Which meant this must have been one of the longest stretches of times he hadn't been sitting. It must have been more than painful for him but he only had a small grimace on his face the entire time.

"You killed all of them?" Edmure asked once we were outside.

"Yes," I replied calmly. "They murdered my mother and brother. Of course I wasn't going to let them live."

"The Lannisters didn't hire a Faceless man to assassinate House Frey?"

"I won my way out of the House of Black and White."

They looked at me, their eyes wide in shock. No one just left the service of the House of Black and White. The idea was pure insanity. So if I could just walk away it meant that I had done something that forced the Faceless Men to let me go. All I had to do was kill the Waif who was sent to end my life. The deed was enough for me to go back to my mission of avenging my family.

"They won't come seeking you?" Roslin asked.

"No." I said. "They won't come after me."

I looked up as snow started to fall down from the sky. Winter had come and the lone wolf would die. I didn't care if I died as long as Cersei's blood was spilt. I could die moments afterwards and still be happy. Then I could tell my mother what I had done for her. It would be good to see her again.

"I owe you a great debt." Edmure said. "If not for you then I would still be trapped with no hope of escape. Walder would have killed me the moment I couldn't be used."

"You're family." I replied. "You don't owe me anything."

He didn't owe me anything especially since I had nearly forgotten him. The servants might have killed him. They would have killed Roslin as she was Walder's daughter. They wouldn't care that she now bore the Tully name as that didn't change where she was from.

"Have you been on the road long?" Edmure asked.

"I don't mind sleeping outside." I replied. "Once I kill Cersei then I'll return to Winterfell."

"You're going to kill a queen?"

"She's just a man like anyone else. I can get into the Red Keep where she won't be expecting me."

"And what if you're caught?"

"I won't be."

What if I was? I knew that I could die just like anyone else. Something could go wrong and I didn't know how slowly Cersei would kill me. It was shameful how afraid the prospect made me. I should accept death if it was for a good cause. And wasn't avenging my family a good cause? Yes it was.

It wasn't like there would ever be a chance for me to really return home.

"I assume you'll want to head to King's Landing soon." Edmure said sadly.

"There's no one else but me that will dare kill Cersei." I replied. "I can't allow her to breathe for much longer."

"It might do you good to rest in one place. No one can constantly fight."

I wanted to reply that I could. I had enough training to not rest until the Lannister queen was dead. I didn't care who sat on the Iron Throne after her. For all I knew by killing her I would end my own life. At least I could see the family I had lost then.

But after a moment's thought I realized staying at the Twins was the best option. Even though I could go for a long time without rest, the longer I did so the harder it was to form a plan. If the tiniest mistake was made in King's Landing, everything I had fought for would be for nothing. Cersei would continue her rule and hold me up as an example of how powerful she was.

Roslin didn't look as if she wanted to agree. But as Edmure's wife, she would have to. Why would anyone want that life? Had she ever wished for something different or did she want this? Did she like her status in life even though she wasn't free?

"I guess I haven't had much rest recently." I admitted. "If you don't mind me staying here, I'd like to stay at the Twins for a little while. Once I'm rested and have a strategy for killing Cersei, I'll leave."

"You can stay for however long you need to." Edmure promised.

I held back a sigh of relief. Staying here would not remind me of Winterfell, but it was the best I could do. It was here that I had been meant to reunite with my mother so long ago. Now I was reuniting, just not with her.
* * *
I went into the bed with Needle in easy reach. It was odd to sleep in an actual bed and I should've been more relaxed. It wasn't like an assassin was going to kill me now. But the image, once imagined, was stuck in my mind. It was only because of practice that I was able to get to sleep.

Would nightmares of my mother and brother being murdered appear tonight? Would Jon again be in my dreams? Would Sansa appear?

My dream began with me practicing archery. No one was there and I continued to practice while hoping my family would come to me. Once I shot my last arrow a familiar figure started walking towards me. I smiled at him. He wasn't family but if I saw him again, I wanted him to be.

I kissed Gendry and we embraced, our bodies now naked. He pushed me on the ground and our kisses deepened. I had never ****** but the sensation in my dream was nice.

Our sweat mixed and he howled. I laughed. I prayed that Gendry was still alive. If he was then I wanted to feel how ******* him truly felt. Was it this good? Was it better? Was it worse?

"I love you, Arya." Gendry whispered into my ear.

"I love you, Gendry." I replied just as softly. "Are you alive?"

"I'm here. I'm not leaving your side ever again."

"But this is just a dream."

"Then we won't wake up."

Suddenly I was walking the streets of Braavos. There was a man who had caught my eyes. He didn't seem to me to be just another man. It was the fact that most common men didn't hold themselves how he did. His belt answered who he was. It had a bear which meant he was Ser Jorah Mormont. The disgraced knight who had fled to Essos.

"Why are you here?" I asked and everyone else disappeared.

"I'm seeking passage to Oldtown so that I can fulfill Daenerys' command." Jorah answered confused as if he realized he was in a dream.

"I meant why are you in my dream?"

"You know why I'm here."

"Am I feeling guilty about letting you live? Am I worried about meeting you later?"

"What happened before?"

"I...um...do you know Gendry?"

"You know I don't."

I looked at him and wondered what he meant. He was only part of my dream, he wasn't really Jorah. Even if I thought he didn't know Gendry, he could. But that probably wasn't the case. Which meant the connection wasn't between him and Gendry.

Could it be that I let Jorah live because, no matter his faults, he was a Northerner? In a strange way he was a reminder of home to me. Maybe it was best I stayed at the Twins as if I could let Jorah live, I could make other mistakes.

Or was it right to have let Jorah live?