WILOW-Ch.391: Saving the "Damsel"
Ser Damon's Camp
POV of Mannequin Sansa Stark
Mannequin Sansa woke up with a start and found a hand clamped on her mouth.
And without delay, she gave the response that was appropriate according to the memories she possessed.
She bit down on the hand and tried to run, but a hand snaked around her waist and pinned her to the place, stopping her from moving.
She tried to shout for help, but no words came out.
She kicked and flailed against the man holding her to no avail until her struggles became weaker and weaker, and tears started pouring down her face.
That's how Sansa Stark would have reacted if she were in his place. At least, that's the conclusion she drew from the mannequin based on her memories.
Back when she was in King's Landing, she had expected to be raped. She even prepared for such an event as best as she could.
But frankly, while she hadn't been raped in King's Landing under the captivity of the mad child King, she hadn't imagined that one of Ser Damon's men, who had rescued her, would rape her.
After all, the reason they rescued her was to use her as a bargaining chip in the war. Raping her could eliminate that bargaining chip.
But all of that didn't mean much to her. Ultimately, her only job was to act like Sansa Stark. Nothing else.
The hands clamping on her mouth became a little loose, and she could hear the man saying something to her.
"Shush… It's me. Stop struggling." The voice said, and she stopped struggling instantly.
She knew that voice.
She turned around and got a proper look at the man she'd thought was about to rape her.
Even in the small amount of moonlight filtering through the tent, she could still see the elegant and regal-looking face of Lord Bolton, her master.
"L... Lord B… Bolton?" she said. While still acting in a manner befitting her role.
"You can stop acting. You've done a wonderful job so far. But keep your appearance until I take you to Dreadfort." Her lord said.
And with her lord's words, her face, which had once reflected fear, surprise, and relief, suddenly became devoid of all emotion, cold and expressionless, even though she still possessed Sansa Stark's features.
"As you wish, my lord," she said.
"I apologize for appearing unexpectedly, but some things happened at the last minute." Her lord said. "I didn't want others to find out that I'm here. And today was a great opportunity."
"You don't need to apologize to me, my lord..." she said, but then, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on her, she instantly became alert to the situation they were in.
Or the situation her lord was in.
Now that her lord had lifted the order for her to act like Sansa Stark, her true priorities had returned. Her priority now was her lord's safety.
And her lord was in the enemy territory. Surrounded by 300 men.
If things took a turn for the worse, her lord could be in danger.
She looked up at her lord and whispered. "My lord, this is currently enemy territory, and it is dangerous for you to be here. You must move to a safe place immediately."
"There's no need to worry. Today, Bolton's men will rescue Sansa Stark, and your mission to take Sansa Stark's place will be over. I'll take you to Dreadfort shortly and bring the real Sansa here." Her lord said.
She frowned and said, "Still, you should move to a safe place now, my lord, in the camp..."
That was as far as she went before the howls of direwolves took over the camp, and the ground started shaking from the hoof beats of hundreds of horses.
A moment later, the sound of screaming, fighting, and dying started coming from every corner of the camp.
Then she heard some footsteps from outside the tent, and her lord stepped away from her and hid near the tent flap.
"Lady Sansa. We must…" Ser Damon said before he was put into a chokehold by her lord.
The knight put in a desperate effort to protect himself, but it was all in vain, and he lost consciousness a moment later.
Then two other Red Cloaks whose names she couldn't remember entered the tent, took a look at the unconscious Ser Damon being held by her lord, and the fight began.
There was no contest.
Her lord was far faster than the two of them and slit their throats with Ser Damon's sword before they could react.
The two guards gurgled and then fell to the floor.
She didn't even need to intervene. Or rather, events had unfolded too quickly for her to intervene.
Her lord threw Ser Damon's sword to the ground, drew his own sword from its sheath, and held it to Ser Damon's neck.
A little force, and Ser Damon, like the other two Red Cloaks, would drown in his own blood. But his lord did not use that force, and turning to her, he asked...
"This is Ser Damon Lannister, right? How has he treated you since they rescued you from King's Landing?"
"He didn't do anything he shouldn't have, and he generally behaved well. They knew Sansa Stark was their biggest bargaining chip against the North, and they treated me accordingly."
"I understand. Then it would be more useful for us to take him as a prisoner." Her lord said.
Then he put the man down on the floor, put his sword back in its sheath, and tied Ser Damon's hands and legs with a piece of cloth.
The sounds of fighting and dying had almost stopped by now. Only the moans of pain and wails of the dying remained before they were swiftly cut off as well.
A few seconds later, she heard footsteps outside the tent, and another man entered. She instantly recognized him as Varko. Her lord's sworn shield.
"My Lord. The camp is clear." Varko said, then looked in her direction before nodding.
"Good." Lord Bolton said. Then, he pointed at Ser Damon and added, "We're taking him prisoner."
Varko nodded and put Ser Damon on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before leaving the tent.
Once Varko had left, Lord Bolton turned toward her once again and gave her his hand. "Now I will take you to Dreadfort."
She nodded and took her lord's hand.
The next moment, she and her lord disappeared from the tent in the camp and reappeared in another room.
Two people were waiting for them in the room, and she knew who they were at a glance. Lady Lyra and the real Lady Sansa Stark, whose place she had taken until now.
Seeing them arrive, Lady Lyra looked at her and said, "You can change your appearance. Your next task will be to review, organize, and report back to me the information coming from the spy network. Therefore, you must appear as a castle maid."
Lady Lyra was the one her lord had put in charge of the mannequins, and therefore her word was of utmost importance to the mannequins after his lord's.
"As you wish, Lady Lyra," she said, and then changed her appearance to that of a castle maid.
While in King's Landing, she had the opportunity to collect DNA samples from many of the maids and servants, and this kind of superficial alteration was quite easy for her.
Then she saw her lord extend his hand to the real Sansa Stark. "Let's go, Sansa. You won't have to hide your identity anymore. You can finally be reunited with your family." Her lord said.
"But Domeric, I don't want to go back. I want to live here and continue taking lessons from Lady Barbrey. The mannequin can continue to take my place. Or you can arrange her death in the war. That way, no one will look for Sansa Stark anymore."
It seemed Lady Sansa had no intention of reverting to her true identity.
"Unfortunately, that's not possible, Sansa. Staying here under a different identity is causing significant problems for you and others. Mannequin took your place so you wouldn't go to King's Landing. And now that she's back, you need to go back too. I don't intend to send someone fake to your family." Her lord said.
"But..."
"Sansa. I'm not kicking you out. If you want to come back to Dreadfort, you can. But you have to do it under your own identity, like Arya. Now, take my hand. We need to go."
Her lord spoke sternly, and after Lady Sansa took his hand, they both disappeared from the room.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.392: News from Beyond the Narrow Sea
Ch.393: The Approaching Lannister Army
Ch.394: A Clumsy Attempt and A Bizarre Request