[Chapter Size: 3400 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Winterfell, 298 AC.
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The air in the courtyard changed immediately upon hearing these words from Trinsmy, and it took a few seconds before the first person reacted to the statement.
"What did you say?" Lord Stark asked in a slow and cautious voice to the man in front of him.
"We are here to kill everyone who hurt the princess of Arctic, Lord Stark." The man spoke in a serious tone, repeating himself without any fear of saying it in front of everyone there.
"You dare?!" The king was the second to react, roaring as he rose from his chair, believing that this was a direct threat to his injured wife.
"Are you angry after what happened? Your wife tried to kill the princess of Arctic, there is no excuse! And we cannot remain silent after what happened," Trinsmy exclaimed, as he removed his sword from its scabbard along with the other three royal guards behind him.
This caught the king himself by surprise as he was being threatened right there. "Prepare for battle!" Trinsmy shouted, as various weapons began to be drawn by all the Arcticans who had entered through the gate. They dismounted their horses, raised sword after sword, and the courtyard descended into chaos because of it.
Both the men of the Lannisters, Baratheons, and the Starks took up their weapons to prevent and control the chaos that was about to erupt with a possible attack from hundreds of men who had entered the castle.
All the nobles who were also there in the courtyard watching the interaction of this group were alarmed, and their guards tried to protect their lords quickly, surrounding them. Servants ran away screaming, while swords were also drawn by those whom the Arcticans saw as enemies.
Even the Unsullied also joined quickly, moving into position with their spears, approaching from the side of the courtyard where they had been placed by Arya before the arrival of the other companions.
"Stop this madness immediately!" Ned shouted, demanding that it come to an end. Even more so as it was happening in his home.
"You will not punish those who deserved punishment when they attacked the Arctican princess, but that does not mean we will not seek it now that we are here. We demand proper punishments for those who tried to harm Princess Arya!" Trinsmy was still the only active voice leading the possible attack.
"Stop it, Trinsmy! I don't want a bloodbath starting with us!" Arya intervened, speaking again aggressively both to the man and to the other royal guards of Jon who were with Trinsmy.
"We cannot simply ignore something like this, princess. You were attacked by that witch, the queen of Westeros. We will not allow this to go unpunished," the man said.
"You dare insult my wife in front of me, savage?!" Robert had already lost his patience by this moment and shouted, not caring to offend him.
"I do, fat man with a crown on your head! You are only alive by the mercy of my king, remember that, and you still dare defend the whore that is your wife!" Trinsmy said.
Ned immediately became concerned upon seeing Robert turning red with rage, clenching his teeth at that royal guard speaking like that in front of the entire courtyard.
It was humiliating for the king, something he had even forgotten, and everyone's reaction was almost as if they had been left speechless. No one had ever insulted the king like that, even knowing of his defeat at the hands of Jon Arctic—no one mentioned that event, knowing it could end in a hanging or with their tongue cut out... but that man had simply arrived and begun to mock, insult, and humiliate, all while holding swords before the enemy, with no fear whatsoever of facing them.
Quite the opposite: Trinsmy himself seemed eager to move forward into a bloodbath as he stared at the king without any fear, his face full of disdain.
All of Winterfell's guests were deeply concerned about getting caught in the chaos that was about to erupt.
"I told you to stop this madness once again!" This was Ned Stark's voice once more, louder than any he had used before, roaring like a wolf in the middle of the courtyard and making everyone look at him.
"I know you are angry. I am angry too," Ned began to this man named Trinsmy, focusing his attention on the royal guard who was threatening the king and insulting his wife. "She is my daughter, more than just a princess of Arctic. Remember that! I demand you sheath your weapons. You are in my home, and I will not allow you to start a bloodbath here in front of my children. I demand you stop this madness! If you want to settle your differences, do it somewhere else, but not here, in Winterfell—not in the North!!"
He roared, while the man looked at him indifferently, showing neither anger nor fear toward Lord Stark. He merely stared back, still holding the sword, before gripping it firmly and, instead of replying to the lord, turned to the princess, who was looking at him, pleading for him to stop this madness as well.
Jaime Lannister, who had been in his sister's chamber keeping her company when the Arcticans arrived, immediately ran out when he began to hear the chaos. He asked another guard to watch Cersei's door and sprinted to the courtyard, while Tyrion stood nearby at the castle's entrance, watching the whole commotion unfold with concern.
He had even thought it might be amusing, but as soon as he heard the first words from the royal guard directed at the king with the intent to harm him, any hint of amusement vanished. Tyrion began to watch cautiously, especially now that his brother was leaving through the castle entrance with a wild look in his eyes after hearing of his injured sister being humiliated in such a way.
"Stop, Jaime! Don't go!" Tyrion tried to say, but Jaime only looked back in anger and continued toward the courtyard.
"Be careful, Jaime. This is no game," was the only thing Tyrion managed to say to his brother in the end, who merely shrugged and kept going, approaching the Arctican royal guard and the Stark family.
"Please, stop this here, don't…" Arya said, almost pleading, while the royal guard looked at his companions, who also seemed unwilling to continue with that fight.
Trinsmy only clenched his teeth — he clearly didn't like leaving those fools unpunished, and if it were up to him, he would be killing everyone without caring about the consequences, given the threat they posed to the princess of the Arctic royal family, whom he serves.
"You dare insult me?!" The king's voice was full of rage when it was heard again.
"Robert, not now! Before you start a war here!" Ned intervened, but Robert looked at him with fury.
Trinsmy was about to respond when another voice arose from the side. "You dare insult my sister?!" With long strides, everyone turned to see Jaime Lannister approaching, gripping the sword at his waist as a threat, after Tyrion had failed to stop him from going forward.
"You…" Trinsmy looked at his appearance and insignia before scoffing.
"You called her a whore? Say that again!" Jaime glared at Trinsmy with a hateful look as he drew closer and closer.
"I remember you… You're that fool who thought he could defeat the king by trying to capture him during one of his trips in the South. Back then, you came as an arrogant young man only to end up defeated and captured as our hostage… pathetic. And you think you can demand anything after your sister tried to harm someone from the Arctic royal family? I think you're nothing more than a hand slightly above average with a sword and a golden ass, Lannister." Once again, Trinsmy spoke, pouring disdain into every word to provoke Jaime.
'Above average?! He mocks me!' Jaime exclaimed inwardly upon hearing this.
"But let me tell you something, I myself want to kill your whore of a sister. My duty is to kill and exterminate all those who dare challenge those I swore to protect through the oath with our gods." He simply said, drawing horrified gasps around them.
"You dare?!" Jaime Lannister roared once more, drawing his sword and charging at the Arctican like a madman, while the latter mocked and also advanced toward him. Ned Stark immediately pushed his children away from there, and people began to back off as the two men met in the middle of the courtyard, each wanting to kill the other before anyone could stop them.
In the next instant, both moved their blades against each other, the metallic clang roaring in the air, while no one dared intervene. The Lannisters watched the Arcticans cautiously, waiting to see the outcome, and the Arcticans, in turn, would not interfere in the fight as long as the Lannisters didn't get involved either.
The exchange of blows was quick, with three strong impacts resounding in the courtyard.
"For a savage, you fight quite well." Jaime tried to mock Trinsmy, as if he hadn't even taken the fight seriously in the last moves.
"Curious to hear that from you, little kitty, when you're using a sword forged in Arctic. Tell me, are you so inferior that you need to use weapons from the people you call savages?" Trinsmy provoked, playing with the lion's nickname to turn it into "kitty," which only enraged Jaime further.
Tywin Lannister's son quickly began launching several more aggressive attacks against the Arctican, who only wore a mocking smile as he defended himself with ease, blocking blow after blow. This made Jaime lose even more of his composure.
No one said a word. The king, despite his fury, remained silent, watching the fight. The queen, on the other hand, kept her head out of the window, watching her brother with the hope that he would kill that arrogant man after being so openly insulted. She waited to hear his cries of lament for his insolence.
The women sighed and the men exchanged bewildered looks at each clash between the skilled fighters.
Arya said nothing, only watching as the two fought. Everyone could see that Jaime Lannister was starting to lose ground, growing more and more tired, while the Arctican seemed perfectly fine. No one there imagined that, although Trinsmy's armor looked heavier than Jaime's, it was actually light, strengthened by Jon's magical runes.
At a certain moment, Jaime seemed to panic as the Arctican began to attack at high speed, blow after blow, revealing that up until that moment, he had only been toying — and now was finally taking the fight seriously.
And in that clash, Jaime couldn't even react when, with a swift movement, Trinsmy broke through his defense. He felt himself lose contact with his sword…
No — he had lost contact with his entire hand…
Gasps and cries erupted from all sides, with Tyrion Lannister barely believing what he saw: his brother's hand being severed from his arm.
Suddenly, Jaime felt dizzy, losing his footing, his green eyes trembling in disbelief at it all. Blood gushed from his hand, and he had a few seconds before processing what was happening. His body still felt no pain… until it came.
"AHHHHHHH!!!" He looked at the hand lying on the ground beside the Eldenmetal steel sword before letting out a scream of pain that everyone could hear. The man simply clutched at his severed arm as the blood spurted from where his wrist and hand no longer were.
"This is one of the best swordsmen this kingdom can produce? What a joke. The little kitty couldn't even handle a savage," Trinsmy mocked openly, without the slightest pity for his opponent.
Lord Stark and Robert Baratheon were stunned by what had happened.
"Jaime!" Cersei screamed from her chamber with all the strength her voice could muster, desperate.
Trinsmy stepped back, placing the tip of his sword on the ground, ready for any other attack from another man there in the courtyard. This opened the way for the first person to run to Jaime, who was screaming in pain while clutching at his severed wrist — it was Tyrion, terrified.
First, the sister had lost her beauty, the most important thing to her. Now, Jaime had lost his sword hand — the one with which he wielded the skill he was most proud of. The Arcticans seemed to know exactly where to strike each Lannister, taking from them what they valued most.
Trinsmy cast a quick glance at Tyrion, staring at him coldly, before Tyrion shrank back in fear and turned toward the castle.
"Please, call the maester! A maester, please!" Tyrion shouted desperately, as Luwin was already making his way toward them.
"Please, save my brother!" Tyrion demanded, still in despair, as the maester examined the cut and looked toward Lord Stark. Ned glanced both at the Arcticans and at Arya, who was also quite lost — for the first time in Winterfell, not even she could control the fury of the Arcticans.
She had no control over the situation.
Lord Stark merely nodded to Luwin, who quickly ordered some men to place Jaime on a stretcher, tying cloth over the wound as the blood continued to pour without stopping.
Jaime fainted shortly afterward, after drinking milk of the poppy, and was carried inside the castle, while the queen demanded to leave her chamber immediately to go after her injured brother.
"You dare harm a Kingsguard here in Westeros?! No matter who you are, do you want to start a war?" The king finally spoke, and although he had never liked Jaime Lannister — and might even have liked to see this happen at some point — this was not the time. Many expected him to speak out; no one was pleased to see someone like Jaime Lannister mutilated in such a way, and by foreigners, especially after the queen had been attacked.
"You think I care about your opinion, fat king?" Trinsmy mocked, without the slightest fear, already used to insulting everyone — even a king of Westeros.
"My patience is running out before I order you killed, I swear it." The king was enraged, but again, Trinsmy continued.
"Will you send another Kingsguard? I'll be happy to do more than cut off a hand. Send as many as you like, I don't care." Trinsmy taunted.
"Please, stop this, Trinsmy!" Arya was the one who spoke.
"I will not let these idiots get away after having threatened you," Trinsmy said, looking at each one of them as his sharp eyes bore into all present. Some felt fear, others anger, but among the latter, none had the courage to step forward.
This man had simply toyed with one of the greatest swordsmen of the Seven Kingdoms and defeated him without mercy. Could anyone there truly handle him?
As his eyes wandered over the crowd, ignoring the king who clenched his teeth without knowing how to give a direct answer to the Arctican, Trinsmy seemed to challenge anyone to face him and his demands… Then Trinsmy's gaze returned to the princess.
"Stop this now. We will not spill any more blood in Winterfell, even if they tried to kill us. I don't want you to start chaos in my home," Arya said in a tone more serious than any she had ever used with Trinsmy before.
"You know very well that from the moment they tried to set up an ambush against you, we are at war, correct?" Trinsmy reminded her, while she seemed to think about the situation for a moment before nodding, making it clear she would not remain silent after this.
Ned saw this and turned his gaze to the king, who was on a platform, seeming torn between sending several Kingsguard to attack him or not. Barristan Selmy, at the king's side, looked concerned about the situation. He had seen that man's skills and knew that all the Arctican royal guards were far superior to those of Westeros.
It now seemed that Bari and Jill were either weaker than Trinsmy or had simply been holding back the entire time. Trinsmy was faster, stronger, and even more refined, having toyed with Jaime Lannister — which made Barristan wonder how these people were so strong.
And then there was Arya herself — when he looked at the girl — she was stronger and faster than all the boys her age. She was compared to the strength of a grown man, yet at the same time more skilled and without losing delicacy. There were no excessive muscles, only a lightly defined body, from what he could see in the few visible parts like her neck, since she always hid her body under dresses and training clothes. But he knew she never appeared muscular or large.
She looked like a delicate girl, yet with a monstrous strength far beyond what her body could show…
The Lord Commander could only presume that in Arctic there was some secret that made all of them so powerful — and, with so much mystery surrounding that place, it would be no great surprise.
In any case, he turned to the king and approached him. "My king, I believe nothing good will come if we engage in conflict here."
"How can we do nothing? He just declared war against the Seven Kingdoms!"
"My king, I will give you my opinion, if you allow… but war has been inevitable since Arya Stark was ambushed in the forest. Furthermore, leaving the queen unpunished is what led to all this," Barristan Selmy said.
"What are you talking about, Lord Commander?" Robert looked as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"My king, we know very well that the queen is somehow involved in this. We can pretend otherwise, but her actions have consequences far too heavy… and that has enraged these people," Barristan tried to advise the king, while he looked frustrated and lost.
"Sheathe your weapons!" the king shouted at last after thinking for a moment, while Ned Stark let out a sigh upon seeing the Baratheon, Stark, and Lannister men pull back, the latter a bit more cautious as they slid their blades back into their scabbards. Arya remained silent, waiting to see the Arcticans' reaction, as they still held their weapons.
Trinsmy was about to say something, but Arya stepped forward.
"Enough of this! We will decide this with Jon. If you continue with this madness, you will shame Jon. Let him decide what to do when we arrive in Arctic."
Arya chose to appeal indirectly to the name of the King of Arctic, the only one Trinsmy truly respected at that moment. He seemed to hesitate for the first time; he was not inclined to obey Arya's orders or listen to her opinions, but when the matter touched on Jon, he had to sigh and put away his blade — and all the others did the same.
Arya's two royal guards, Bari and Jill, exchanged glances and sighed, while Arya also exhaled in relief.
"I don't want to see any more of these Arcticans in front of me, no matter who they are. Just take the girl and get off my lands, because the next time we meet, it will be on the battlefield!" the king roared, beginning to descend from the platform with heavy steps, accompanied by two Kingsguard.
Trinsmy was about to mock — that man hadn't even beaten them in a naval battle, so how did he think he could defeat Arctic in open field? All the Seven Kingdoms would tremble before Arctic's power when the time came. He was ready to say this out loud, openly mocking the southerners, but Arya cut him off.
"Stop it. Enough. It's over," she said in a serious tone, and Trinsmy merely shrugged.
"Either way, let's prepare to leave. We will return to Arctic immediately, princess," he declared in the end, while Arya just watched him, not wanting to argue any further.
Now, she only needed to say goodbye to her family and to everyone she knew before finally returning home — her true home.
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