Show me the path I must walk

[ladywinter]

Who: Catleyn Stark and you
What: Nightmares
When: Now!
Where: Catelyn's brain. She apologizes in advance
Rating: PG13 to R, depending. For violence and blood. This is also your warning for potential ASOIAF spoilers




You are in a war camp, the bustling of soldiers all about you. A tend stands nearby and in the tent, you can see a troubled young man, pouring over maps. An iron crown sits on his head, looking far too heavy for him.

Woods surround the camp, blocking almost the entire horizon. Two paths cut through the forest, each leading to a new location. Strain as you might, you can’t see anything beyond the wilderness, except for the ends of the path. You have choices, but not many.

One path leads south to a walled city by the sea. A large keep stands at the top of a hill, looking down at the filth and squalor of the city below, as if in judgment. This is a place of power. Somewhere where important things happen and there’s something compelling to you to reach it. A sense of urgency, as if something needs to be done- and soon.

The other path leads north to an isolated castle, the lands around it covered in ice and snow. Even if you’ve never seen it before, you know in your bones that this is home and it’s a sight for sore eyes. But you’ve neglected something, haven’t you? Something important. And it’s in danger now.

[Sections coming: At the camp | To King's Landing | To Winterfell]

Comments

Stay at the camp

[ladywinter]

[Maybe you try to comfort or advise the young man. Maybe you want to look around. Or maybe you are just hesitating for a moment. For whatever reason, you've decided to stay where you started.]

[persequor]

Robb!

[ Arya charges him. For the moment, she does not wonder how he is here or when she found him. Her brother, that is all she needs. ]

[ladywinter]

[There's no reaction. However enthusiastically Arya may greet him, Robb ignores her. It's almost as if he can't see or hear her at all.]

[persequor]

[ She skids to a halt at the lack of response. ]

Robb?

[ Approaching slower, she grabs his elbow. ] Robb! Robb, it's me!

[ladywinter]

[He continues to ignore her, shoving her off his elbow as if it were some unknown weight. An annoyance, nothing more.

You can't reach him.]

[persequor]

[ Hurt spams across her face. She takes a step back before seizing him again. ]

Robb, look at me! Robb! Robb! You stupid—look at me!

[ladywinter]

[Finally, he looks up, but not at Arya. He hears something and moves swiftly out of the tent, drawing his sword.

It growling and it's not the familiar sound of a direwolf.]

[persequor]

[ Arya hesitates before running after him. ]

[ladywinter]

[The men of the camp are already lining up in defense of it. The threat is obvious- lions are encircling them, crouched, preparing to leap.]

[persequor]

[ Fucking lions ]

Robb!

[ Whether he's ignoring her now doesn't matter. She won't lose her brother to lions, she won't. ]

[courageous_wit]

[Hermione is familiar with campsites. She approaches the stranger cautiously]

Are you all right?

[ladywinter]

[He continues to stare at his maps, engrossed. It's almost like he doesn't hear her at all. He rubs his forehead, obviously in distress.]

[courageous_wit]

[that makes her frown. Perhaps she shouldn't disturb him; he certainly has that look she gets when she's deep in thought. So instead she looks around the camp to get a feel for where she is this time]

[ladywinter]

[It's very much what you would expect of a medieval war camp. Damp, dreary, cold. Tents line the area and you can see the lords of the group talking and debating among themselves. It all seems very normal, if grim.

Until the growling starts; it's coming from the woods, edging ever closer, and eventually it becomes loud enough that the men draw their swords.]

[courageous_wit]

[Hermione only has her wand, and she has a feeling it might not work in this place. She edges closer to the camp so she can stay out of the way of the fighters]

[ladywinter]

[They come slowly, creeping out from behind the trees.

Lions. They crouch, ready to spring but not yet attacking. ]

You! Girl! Over here! [One of the men gestures for her to get behind the group.]

[courageous_wit]

[lions are the symbol of Gryffindor. She's not afraid of them. She steps forward to meet the men]

Yes?

[ladywinter]

"Stay back. They aren't known for being merciful. You may not be a wolf, but you're in the company of them and that's enough."

[The line up in defense of the camp, the troubled young man from earlier joining them.]

[courageous_wit]

Is that right? And what is it about wolves that bothers you?