Westeros (privat)

Grace nodded and watched him ride away. She sighed and watched the gate open. Behind the huge gate stood Robb, not looking very pleased. Grace looked at him, and got off Brego.
“Where have you been?” Robb asked, and his voice was filled with anger, but also worry. Grace nodded towards the woods.
“Out. I went to the lake” she said and Robb shook his head. He took Bregos reins, gave them to the stable boy and nodded for Grace to come with him. She picked up her shoes from the stables and went with him into the great hall. He sat down on a chair.
“Listen” he said with a voice that made it clear that what he was about to say was something she wasn’t going to fancy. She looked him in the eyes and sat down on another chair. He cleared his throat.
“I’ve been having a conversation tonight with one of my bannermen. He has a son who is about your age” he started, and Grace shook her head. She knew exactly where this was going. She stood up.
“No, I won’t” she said and Rob sighed.
“People are talking” he said and looked out the window.
“They think it’s strange that I haven’t found my oldest daughter a husband yet” he said and scratched his head.
“No, I won’t do it. I’m not going to be here forever” Grace said and crossed her arms.
“Well, we don’t know that. Queen Shireen doesn’t seem like she will change her opinions about your family and heritage anytime soon” he said and stood up as well.

Grace had never been so angry in her life. She had never been fighting much with Robb nor Talisa, she was too grateful for it. But this time, she couldn’t stop herself. The fight went on for several minutes, ending with Grace storming out and into her room, locking the door behind her. Robb stood there for a few minutes, trying to get her to open the door, but it was useless. When she heard his steps disappear, she took a big bag, and started to fill it with her belongings. She had to solve her problem once and for all, so she could go back to her khalasar. She decided to go on a journey to Kings Landing, to talk to the Queen. Maybe if she listened to reason, she would see that not all Targaryens were horrible.

Ashter sat at the table, he had a drink infront of him. He wasn't sure but he thought it was his third, and he would most likely keep them coming. For as it was now, Cisco were safe in the stable, he had a room, and were in somewhat safe environment. He would never let him go totally, knowing he needed to be prepared if something happened. But being in a town, he could let go a bit. Even if he was more careful, here in the North, since Petyr's relationship and history with the Starks. Ashter never knew what could happen, but he refused to live in fear. Instead he enjoyed life to it fullest.

"Hello stranger" a woman said, as she sat down.
"Hello" Ashter said, eyeing her. She had red hair, pale skin, typical for the north, light pink lips and big breasts. Her clothes, and way told him that she was a whore, and apparently he was her new pray. But she would be disappointed, he never payed for sex, and he would never go to a whore. Maybe it was because of Petyr, and what he did. Ashter despited whores, he didn't like that they sunk that low. And it was also the risk that the whore worked for Petyr.
"Want some fun?" the woman asked, stroking her finger over his chest and Ashter grabbed her hand.
"No, I want to be left alone" he said in a low dangerous voice, before he let go of her, and the woman looked at him in fear before she left. Ashter turned back to his drink. Debating with himself if he should go and find another woman, a woman he wouldn't pay. He longed for the company, and he had heard that the woman in the north were great, and he emptied his glass, before he stood up, and left the bar, he needed to find someone.

Grace packed a bag with the essentials. She put some of her spare money in a little leather bag and tied it to her belt. She tied up her long braid on the top of her head and covered it with a headwear. She changed from the dress to a pair of pants and a tunic. She took her cloak and snuck out the door and went down the corridor into the kitchen, which was empty since it was the middle of the night. She took some bread and fruits and put them in her bag. She wrote a long letter to Robb and Talisa, thanking them for everything and that she would return soon. She put the letter on her bed before going out to the stables.

Grace put a saddle and bridle on Brego, and led him out on the courtyard. She sat up on him and pushed her heels lightly on his sides, and he walked out the gates of Winterfell. Grace turned her head towards the gates when she passed.
“Sorry” she whispered and let Brago fall into a gallop which took her fast through the forest.

She let Brego gallop until he got tired, and tried to find the closest town. She got off Brego and led him to the stables, and the stable boy, miraculously, didn’t recognize her. She was just going to enter the inn when someone went out, a man she recognized since it was not many hours since she last met him. She tried and look like someone else, and hoped he would be too much into his own business that he wouldn’t notice her.

Ashter almost walked into someone. His thoughts were else where, so it was just luck that he didn't walk into the person. When he looked up, he saw a familiar eyes, a pair of eyes he had looked into a few hours ago, Lady Starks. He was wondering what she was doing here, and dressed like she was. Something told him that she wasn't supposed to be there. But he wasn't someone who put his nose in someone else business, unless it was needed, and here it wasn't. So he gave her a look, before he kept walking.

He stopped for a short second to check up on Cisco, to see that he was alright. The horse looked at him, when he entered the stable, but soon returned to eating and Ashter laughed.
"Guess I am not important enough" he said, patted the horse on the neck, before he left the stable. Now he needed to find a good woman to keep him warm, in the North.

Ashter hadn't needed to look for to long. As soon as he put down the hood, he looked less scary. And he knew he was good looking. It wasn't a big challenge, but tonight it was alright, some nights he wanted it easy. So with a woman at his side he walked back to his room, he preferred to be at his room, instead of an unfamiliar place, and the red head next to him, didn't seem to mind. With an arm around her shoulders, and her arm around his waist he walked back to the inn.

Grace sat down at a table, and ordered something to drink. She took a deep breath and started to think. This plan wasn’t very well planned, what was she going to do? She hoped that people wouldn’t recognize her the more south she travelled. She had never been far from Winterfells walls. Robb and Talisa hadn’t want the wrong people to start asking questions about why she had been “kept hidden” for her first eight years and why she didn’t look like neither Robb or Talisa at all. Grace had understood, and accepted the fact that she had to be kept contained within the walls of Winterfell or take very short trips outside of them. However, she couldn’t go back now.

Her first thought was to ask someone to help her get to Kings Landing, but then she had to tell that person why, and she didn’t have a good lie for that yet. At least not a good lie of why she had to go alone. She bit her lip and took a sip of her drink, when someone sat down in front of her. It was a man, and he did not look like a nice man.
“So, what does a pretty girl like you do here alone in the dark?” he asked and she looked at him.
“It’s none of your business” she said boldly. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself, but she didn’t want to talk to this man, either. He cleared his throat and looked at her.
“Well, it might not be, but a little girl as yourself won’t stand a chance against me, and I’ve decided I want a black-haired tonight” he said and put a knife in front of him, with the edge pointed at her. Grace thought for a second. Well, it was self-defence, no one could blame her. She quickly grabbed the man’s wrist, twisted it, and put his own dagger at his neck.
“The next time you decide to threaten a woman, you might want to think twice” she said coldly. She let him go, and he stumbled away to another table. She felt the eyes in the inn staring at her, and she tried to make herself as little as possible. She took another sip of her beverage and continued with her thinking. She had broken her first rule: don’t draw attention to herself. She had also basically broken her second rule: don’t let people know how good of a fighter she is. She would lose her advantages; pretending to be the weak little girl. She took another sip and picked up some ink and parchment from her bag. She put it down at the table and started to write.

Ashter woke up when the women closed the door. She had given him a good time, and he understood that it wasn't the first time she had a man between her legs. Ashter yawned, and glanced out through the window. He saw that the sun would soon rise, and he would do the same. Ashter preferred to get up early, and get moving, or at least start his day. If he slept for to long, he often got the feeling someone would find him. And he also wanted to take care of Cisco, not wanting the horse to stay inside all day.

Slowly he left the bed, stood up, heard how the bones on his back cracked, when they got into place. Sometimes he felt like he was getting old, which was ridicules since he wasn't older then twenty seven. But sleeping outside many nights, had that effect on him. Maybe he should take better care of himself, he had the money to do so, but he preferred to keep a low profile. And sleeping outside away from cities often, had that affect, that and his reputation. Because even if he was famous, people avoided him. He got dressed and walked down to the dining room.

Ashter sat on the table with bread, eggs, bacon and some water infront of him. It wasn't a fancy breakfast, but it would keep him going all day, and that was what he preferred. And after he had looked for Ciscos needs, he was enjoying his breakfast. He would soon keep going, but he wasn't sure to where, so he looked at the map next to him. He could stay in the North a while longer, or he could go south again. He wasn't sure what to do. He thought about his options, as he took another glass of water.

Grace sat in the inn for a while, before she paid for a room and went upstairs. She closed and locked the door and sat down on the bed. She started to regret her decision. Maybe she should have stayed in Winterfell, but at the same time, she didn’t feel like she belonged there anymore. Especially not since Robb had suggested, or more like demanded, for her to get married with some man she didn’t know. She shook her head at the thought, and didn’t want to know what her father would have said if she had been getting married in Westeros. When she thought about it, her feelings about her decision changed again. She really wanted the Queen to resolve her issues with the Targaryen dynasty. She lied down in the bed and closed her eyes, and fell asleep more quickly than expected.

The next morning Grace woke with the help of birds outside her window. She dressed herself, braided her hair and put it under the headwear and took her belongings. Breakfast was included in the price she paid yesterday, so she sat down at a table. She rolled up the parchment she had written the night before and tied a knot around it. She reminded herself of trying to find a raven which could carry the letter for her. She wanted her father to hear about her whereabouts before Robb Stark could reach out for him. If Khal Rhaego found out his daughter was missing, he would defy the Dothrakis fear of water and come with the whole khalasar to find her. That was something Grace didn’t want to happen. She noticed in the corner of her eye that someone sat down at the other end of the table she was sitting at. She feared it was the man from the night before, but a quick look proved her fear wrong. It was the Outsider. Grace inhaled sharply and focused on her breakfast, poking the eggs with her fork.

Ashter played with his long white fingers over the map, dragging them from city to city, almost like he would feel where he wanted to go. It would be a fascinating way to find out where to go. It was of course not possible, but still a fun thought. Ashter had been in all the big cities, except the capital more then ones. And he had payed a visit, to all of them this year. So he wasn't sure if he wanted to go back, to any of them. At least not so soon. So he turned his eyes to the smaller cities, especially the ports, where he knew people was less interested in who visited, as long as they payed. He often had a good time in the ports, and he could often make money, one way or another.

As he was on his way to take another bite of the bacon, he saw that a woman sat down at his table. Ashter looked at her, seeing who it was all to well. He had thought she would run back after one night at the in, releasing how it was in the real world. He figured wrong, maybe it was more Arya in her then he had thought. She had proved not to be a covered when they met on the road, but then she had Winterfell to return to, to safety. She could return now as well, even if it was a bit further. So why hadn't she?
"Why aren't you home, with your parents, my Lady?" he asked without looking at her.

Grace heard the Outsider speak, and she lifted her head and looked forward, not looking at him. She sighed and opened her mouth.
“Let’s just say there is something I have to do which doesn’t involve my parents” she said and poked around her food with her fork. She didn’t feel like eating, she wanted to get back out on the road. But now when she had been recognized, she wondered what she needed to do to disguise herself more. Could she dye her hair again? If she dyed it red or something people might not recognize her, as they thought her natural colour was black. She really wanted her blonde hair back, but if she did that, people would ask questions about why she looked so much like the Targaryens, platina blonde hair and purple eyes were their significant marks, after all.

She bit her lip, she thought of asking the Outsider for help, but if she did, she would have to tell him why she wanted to go to Kings Landing, and that wasn’t an option. Except if she lied, of course. She tried to think of a lie that could be a good reason to go to Kings Landing. Seeing Arya? But why would Grace go alone to see her? She couldn’t think of a good lie. She got frustrated, why did people have to recognize her? Couldn’t people just forget how she looked like? She took a bite from her eggs and waited for the Outsider to respond, if he even wanted to converse with her. She hoped he wasn’t too inquisitive, but she had to come up with a good lie anyway, for future reference. This was probably not the first time someone would recognize her during this adventure she was on.

Ashter looked at the woman at the end of the table. A bit questioned by her words. It wasn't to uncommon for children, or in this case young adults to want to do something without involving their parents, he was in some way the same. He took back his life, from Petyr, and cut him out of his life. From now on he did what he felt like, without involving him. But he was a male after all, he had that going for him, it was easier. Lady Stark was a woman, and few of them did anything like that. Then she was related to Arya, and that may say it all. But even with that fact, it was uncommon for them to do something like this. It was true that women had got some more freedom since Shireen became queen, but Ashter knew that what ever the Lady was planing to do, it would not be approved by her parents. But he would not try to stop her, would be kind of hypocritical of him to do so.

"Then I wish you all the luck. I would say be careful out there, but after yesterday, you seem to be able to handle yourself" Ashter told her as he stood up, and vent over to the counter to pay for his stay. When he had done that he gathered his things at the table, he had decided to go to Planky Town. It would be a long journey, but that was half of the fun for him. So with his backpack at his shoulder, he went to the stable to get Cisco ready.