"Look at him, all wrinkled like a little old man. He's hideous."
"You looked exactly the same when you were born."
"You saw me when I was born?"
"I'm two years older than you, Beth. Of course I saw you!"
Watching Martha and Beth bicker over the cradle, Lady Linna Rost felt a mounting headache. She couldn't very well throw them out, however. The taller girl with the vibrant red hair, Martha, was the one whose magic had pulled her back from the abyss.
Is the skin of every Sunwalker so flawless? Linna wondered, catching a glimpse of Martha's tight, radiant complexion. She self-consciously pulled her own sleeve down to hide her pale, tired hands.
"Lady Linna," Aldric's voice drifted from the doorway. She flinched instinctively. Though a full day had passed, the memory of that cold dagger sliding through her flesh was as vivid as a fresh burn.
"I... Lightbringer," she stammered. "My husband, Ser Aven, is still at Riverrun serving the Young Wolf. I cannot sign away his lands or his name in his absence. If you permit it, I will send a messenger to seek his counsel. If he agrees, House Rost will follow the Dawn."
Thanks to Martha's Holy Lay, Linna hadn't just survived; she was sitting upright in her chair, healthier than a woman who had experienced a normal labor, let alone a surgical one. Out of respect, the other Alliance lords remained in the hall, leaving only Aldric to visit the "Ladies' Chambers."
Linna was a Bywater of the Crownlands, a house deeply tied to the Iron Throne. Her brother, Jacelyn Bywater, currently commanded the Gold Cloaks in the capital. With a brother serving the Lion and a husband serving the Wolf, her path was a razor's edge. Even miracles couldn't force her hand easily.
Aldric nodded, his expression one of calm understanding. "The St. Maur's Alliance is built on mutual aid, not coercion. If House Rost wishes to stand alone, that is your right. Nine of the eleven Harrenhal vassals have already joined us. When we leave here, we go to reclaim the Harding lands and restore order to the displaced smallfolk. If you find the world grows too cold for a lone house, you may reach out to us then."
Linna offered a sweet, practiced smile. "I believe in your goodwill, Lord Aldric. A man blessed by the heavens would surely never stoop to deception."
Aldric paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. Clever woman, he thought. She's using my own 'saintly' persona to bar my path.
"Martha, Beth," Aldric said, turning to the girls. "Do not disturb the Lady further. Children born of the 'Shadow-Suture' are far more fragile than those born of the natural way. They are susceptible to the world's impurities. You hovering over them only invites the draft. Come."
Linna's smile vanished. She grabbed Aldric's sleeve, terror dawning in her eyes. "Wait! My Lord... what do you mean, 'fragile'?"
Aldric feigned a troubled frown. He looked at Linna, then at the infants. "Lady Linna, you are a mother of five. You know the Mother's Way. Is it natural for a child to be pulled through a wall of steel and skin?"
Linna's heart sank. "No... of course not."
"Anshe intended for a child to be shaped by the passage of birth," Aldric explained, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Have you ever seen a clean skull? It is made of three plates. In the womb, they are open—a channel for the soul to enter. In a natural birth, the pressure of the mother's body closes those plates, sealing the spirit into the flesh.
"A child taken by the knife never feels that pressure. Their skulls do not close perfectly. The essence of the soul can... drift. If they grow strong, the bone will knit in time. But if they fall ill while the channel is open, the soul may simply slip away."
Linna went white. "No... you're lying. If it were so dangerous, why would your people use such a technique?"
Aldric's gaze turned mournful. "In my home, it is a desperate measure used only when the alternative is a double grave. But my home is a land of the Sun, where the Light is everywhere. When a child falls ill there, we carry them to the nearest Sept, and a Friar seals the gap with a Blessing. You, Lady Linna, were on the edge of the Stranger's embrace yesterday."
Linna looked at Martha and Beth. The two girls nodded solemnly, though Martha's eyes betrayed a flicker of confusion.
"Lord Aldric," Linna whispered, "could you leave Martha here? To... to guard the children's spirits?"
"I'm sorry, Lady Linna," Martha cut in sharply. "Beth and I are warriors of the Dawn, not nurses for high-born babes."
Aldric shook his head. "They are the only women among my Sunwalkers, and I cannot force them to twist their wills. Do not worry, Lady. Your children were born under the Light's witness. They will find their strength."
As he led the girls out, Linna opened her mouth to plead, but no sound came. She felt the weight of her husband's trust warring with the terrifying "truth" of her children's souls. She picked up one of the infants, watching its tiny, fluttering eyelids, and wept. "My babies... my poor, sweet babies... what am I to do?"
Outside the chambers, Martha hurried to catch up with Aldric. "Commander... is it true? Will they really get sick because of the 'Shadow-Suture'?"
Aldric didn't look back. "Probably. Most infants do."
"So you don't know?"
"I'm not a midwife, Martha," Aldric said, his voice impatient. "I've only read about the procedure. I'd never even seen one done before yesterday."
"Then you did lie to her!"
"Is it a lie?" Aldric stopped, his eyes flashing. "In a ruin like this, without walls or grain, those children are in danger whether their skulls are closed or not. Have you forgotten how many infants we saw dead in their mothers' arms on the road from Oxcross?"
He sighed, his anger cooling into a cold, hard resolve. "The road to saving this world is long, and I don't know if I'll live to see the end of it. We start with the lives we can see. If I have to use fear, or violence, or a few 'pious' lies to ensure those children grow up with dignity and food in their bellies, then I will. The Sun doesn't care about the mummers' script, only the day it brings."
The girls went silent, their expressions hardening. "As you command, Lightbringer."
In the Great Hall, the census was underway. House Rost's steward, Eddie Bronson, was working with the Staff of Shadows to tally the granaries.
Karlo, Dean, and the other lords sat in the corner. Aldric approached them, snatched a cup of watered ale from Malin's hand, and drained it.
"Well?" Karlo asked. "Did the bird fly or fold?"
"She's wavering," Aldric said. "But she'll come. If she doesn't, we take her with us anyway. Being a woman doesn't earn her a pass from the New Order."
Dean nodded. "Fair is fair."
"We give her a few days," Aldric added. "We need time to refit the wagons and drill the recruits from the Polk lands regardless. If she hasn't found her 'resolve' by the time we march, we'll provide it for her."
On the final day before the march, Aldric visited Linna one last time, flanked by the Council of Lords.
"Lady Rost," Aldric said bluntly. "Your answer?"
Linna looked at the sea of armored men behind him. "Lord Aldric... tell me truly. Do I have the right to refuse?"
"Of course," Aldric shrugged. "You may stay in this hall. You may keep your name. But the people of these lands are now free under the Light. They may move and plow as they wish. Ser Aven's remaining guards are not enough to protect them, so the Alliance will take up the duty of the shield."
"And if the peasants leave?" Linna argued. "Who will plow my fields?"
"You have servants," Aldric replied. "And you have your health. You will find that honest labor is a fine cure for high-born boredom. You will survive."
"That is impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible," Aldric said, his voice cold and steady. "The commoners have lived that way for a thousand years. You will learn to adapt."
Linna went silent. "And if I agree?"
"If you join us," Aldric said, "the ladies of Polk, Ward, and Fisher are already at St. Maur's. There, Friars of the Light can watch over you and your children day and night. You will never have to fear for their breath or their blood again."
Linna looked at her children. Gratitude and noble pride clashed in her heart. Finally, she lowered her head. "I... I will join the Alliance, temporarily. But the final vow must wait for my husband. I will go to the monastery, but I must send a messenger to Riverrun so Aven knows I have not been abducted."
"Reasonable," Aldric agreed. "Write your letter. I will provide ten riders to escort your man to Riverrun and bring him back to the monastery once he has seen your seal. We are not here to steal wives, Lady Linna. We are here to steal the future."
Linna looked at him, a shiver running down her spine. "Thank you, Lightbringer."
"The Light shines on all," Aldric replied. "Equally."
70+ chapters are available now and daily updates! @patreon.com/zefyrus