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[HARRENHAL COURTYARD, NIGHT]
Doran and Oberyn leaned forward with curiosity. They wanted to see what that Faceless Man was going to do now. Will he help or is he luring the girl into a trap to save himself and fulfil whatever mission he is on?
"The sour cherries was all crushed up and ready."
"Shut up."
"Probably in the piecrust by now. In the oven. The nice, warm oven."
"Shut up. What did you bring?"
"The cheese could be better. I did get some nice sausages."
"What did he want us to do about those guards?"
"He didn't say. He just said, Walk through the gates."
"What about the guards?"
"He didn't say anything about the guards."
"What, he left that bit out? It's a pretty important part, don't you think?"
"We have to trust him."
"Why? Because he killed someone for you?" Sansa asked her sister.
"I don't know what she is thinking!" Arya argued.
"Of course you do! It's you!"
"Girls enough" Ned said somberly and both girls shut up.
"Trust him? You trusted him to fight with us when you set him free and he ran."
Sansa threw Arya a look.
"I want to go back to the kitchens."
"Shut up. Stay here if you're afraid."
[ARYA gets up and walks towards the gate. GENDRY and HOT PIE follow. When they reach the guards, they realize that all have been slaughtered. They walk through the gate.]
Arya threw Sansa a look.
Oberyn and Doran both stared with a small frown. The assassin was doing too much. What was his angle?"
[STANNIS'S FLEET]
"I admire you, Ser Davos."
"I thank you, Your Grace."
"Pleased to hear it. Some highborn fools call you Onion Knight and think they insult you. So you take the onion for your sigil, sew it on your coat, fly the onion flag."
"My son wishes me to change it. Three mermen with tridents, something like that. I understand why the older families look down at me."
"Do you? Why?"
"Because he was a smuggler?" Renly asked sarcastically.
"Ser Davos has paid for his crimes and now leads a better life" Shireen defended the Onion Knight with a glare.
"And what does that change, girl?" Renly stared boredly, "Any Lord of good standing will not see him and accept him as one of them because of his past."
Shireen glared at her uncle but said nothing since her Father forbade it with a look.
"My father was a crabber."
"And?"
"Well, sons of lords don't like to break bread with sons of crabbers. Our hands stink."
"And where were those lords when Storm's End starved?"
"Many fought bravely for your brother. Many fought for the Mad King."
"You defend these men who insult you behind your back."
"Some are happy to do it to my face."
"We were forgotten. Robert and Ned Stark, they were the heroes. The glorious rebels marching from battle to battle, liberating towns from the yoke of the Mad King, while I held Storm's End with five hundred men."
Both men in question shifted uncomfortably. True as it was, neither wished for a reminder of that time.
"No one has forgotten, Your Grace."
"No? Robert did. He gave Storm's End to Renly after the war. Renly never fought a day in his life."
"You were my heir, and Dragonstone is the seat of the heir" Robert clarified.
"A Targaryen heir. You are a Baratheon. Why not change that?" Stannis challenged.
Robert had nothing to say to that.
"He was only a boy."
"Then why'd he give him Storm's End?"
Robert's frown deepened.
"First, we ate the horses. We weren't riding anywhere, not with the castle surrounded. We couldn't feed them, so fine, the horses. Then the cats. Never liked cats. So fine. I do like dogs. Good animals. Loyal. But we ate them. Then the rats. And then you made it through the lines. Slipped right through in your little black sailboat with your onions."
Renly frowned. Had it been that bad? He had been young, it was no surprise he wouldn't remember it, but listening to Stannis say it... Stannis never exaggerated...
"And potatoes. Some salted beef, I believe."
"Every man in Storm's End wanted to kiss you that night."
"I was relieved they did not."
"Robert told me to hold Storm's End, so I held it. Then he told me he was giving it to Renly, so I gave it up. Insult or no, I gave it up. Because Robert was my older brother, and he was the king and I've always done my duty. But now, I'm the rightful king by every law of Westeros. And when I sit the Iron Throne, you'll be my Hand."
"Your Grace, I pray I serve you well."
"I expect you'll be the first crabber's son to wear the badge."
"You trust him greatly" Robert noted.
"He is loyal and unashamedly frank about his thoughts. He is someone whose company you will yourself enjoy" Stannis explained.
That was high praise coming for the man.
Robert took note of it.
[QARTH]
[DAENERYS TARGARYEN peers through a boarded entryway. SER JORAH MORMONT approaches.]
"Careful, Khaleesi. Xaro owns this city and the warlocks have a thousand eyes watching for you. I found one. A ship with a good captain. She leaves for Astapor tomorrow."
"Astapor?"
"We cannot stay here."
"Looks like this man doesn't know that you won't be able to leave the dragons" Rhaegar said as he shook his head.
"They have my dragons. A mother does not flee without her children."
"They're not your children. I know they call you the Mother of Dragons and I know you love them, but you didn't grow them in your womb. They didn't suckle at your breast. They are dragons, Khaleesi. And if we stay in Qarth, we'll die."
"You should sail to Astapor. I'm sure you'll be safe there."
"You know I would die for you."
"He says that, but he speaks like a craven" Jaime muttered.
"I will never abandon you. I'm sworn to protect you, to serve."
"Then serve me. If my dragons are in the House of the Undying, then take me there."
"That's what the warlock wants. He told you so himself. If you enter that place, you will never leave again. His magic is strong."
"And what of my magic? You saw me step into the fire. You watched the witch burn. What did the flames do to me? Do you remember?"
"Until my last breath, I will remember. After I have forgotten my mother's face."
"He's so smitten" Olenna rolled her eyes. The Targaryen needed loyal men, not men who have a boner at the sight of her.
"They are my children. And they are the only children I will ever have. Take me to them."
[WINTERFELL]
"We should bury them."
"I'd leave 'em up a few more days. Sends a message."
"Fucking savages" Jon muttered under his breath. Lyanna gripped his hand and squeezed it.
Jon smiled at her tightly.
"If they haven't got the damn message yet, a few more days won't help."
"As you say. But it don't hurt to let 'em rot a while longer. What's this?"
"Gold for the farmer. For his trouble."
"His troubles are done. He's feeding the crops now."
Ned's eyes hardened at the Ironborn. Not Theon, the other. The devil on the boy's shoulder.
[MAESTER LUWIN approaches and looks at THEON and DAGMER.]
"His wife, too. You want to keep a man silent, you silence him."
[LUWIN walks over to look at the burned bodies of BRAN and RICKON.]
[CUT TO DARKNESS]
[OSHA lights a candle.]
"She's alive" Catelyn sat up. She left them. The fucking whore left them!
"Got as far as the farm and then doubled back. Walked through the stream to throw off the hounds. Hoped this would be the last place they'd think to look."
Ned's eyes narrowed. He dared not hope. Yet...
"You're right so far."
"Who was that out there hung up at the gates?"
"Must have been the farmer's boys."
Catelyn and Ned sucked in a sharp breath.
"He killed them and burned them and passed them off as the little lords?"
"They mustn't know. Bran would blame himself."
"They'll never hear it from me. The little lads have suffered enough."
[LORD BRAN STARK sits just out of sight, having heard everything. HODOR and RICKON STARK sleep.]
Catelyn let out a strangled cry before embracing her son, who was equally in shock. He was alive... Theon did not kill him. He was alive! But... but two boys died because of him... He didn't know whether he could forgive himself... or Theon... Even if he hadn't done it yet.