Arya rides into Town

Gathering Forces

Arya knocked on the wooden door. She heard feet shuffling on the other side. The door creaked cautiously open to reveal the face of the mother whose cart Arya had ridden on to enter the town. She looked tired, pale and frightened.

"Why haven't you left?" Arya asked, and her voice brought the patter of small feet before Lisa's eager face appeared. The young girl threw herself at Arya.

"I thought you'd sleep with me last night. Where's Saskia's dress? Why don't you come in."

The mother duly moved back, allowing her daughter to drag Arya inside. The room was large enough for a double bed and a small mattress on the floor for Lisa to sleep on. Her father was still in bed, lying on his side and facing the door. It was obvious he'd taken a beating. His face was swollen, and both eyes were turning black, one wouldn't open.

"What happened?"

"Guards came this morning and accused him of being a murderer. They've taken everything we have." The mother sat on the bed next to her husband and took his hand. "We don't have any money to pay for the room, but we're too afraid to leave."

Arya swallowed. Was this another cause of her rash actions? "I'll take care of the room. Have you any food?"

The mother shook her head.

Lisa clung to Arya's dress. "I'm hungry," she squeaked.

"Can you be quiet? Silent like a little mouse?" Arya bent down, speaking at Lisa's level. The girl nodded. "Then come with me, and we'll find some food."

"Will we see bad people?" Her eyes blinked with fearless excitement.

"They won't bother us," Arya said, and Lisa brought herself to attention as if she was a soldier. Arya turned to her parents. "I'll get you something to eat. Whatever happens, you need to get out of this town in the morning."

The mother nodded, holding her husband close.

"Will you come with us?" Lisa pleaded.

"I've things to do here." Arya took Lisa's hand and opened the door. "But I'll come after you and make sure you are okay."

"Promise?" Lisa tiny fingers squeezed one of Arya's.

"I promise." Arya led the girl down the stairs. The bar area was already rowdy with thugs who'd been terrorising townsfolk all day. They demanded their fill of food and ale. It had made Arya sick to serve them, forcing a smile while trying to move among them and avoid their barbaric hands. A few locals huddled in the corner, spending what few coins they could scrimp together on the cheapest food, while trying not to draw the attention of the Lord's men.

Arya waited with Lisa for a few moments in one of the rooms next to the kitchen used to store barrels of salted meats and ale. After lifting Lisa onto the lid of one of the barrels, Arya moved into the kitchen before plating up some meat, cheese and bread. Other staff and the tall, thin cook with ginger hair, assumed she was getting food for paying guests and didn't question her. Arya passed through the bar before circling back to the storeroom and delivering a generous portion of food to Lisa.

"Eat this quietly." Arya handed over the plate, and the young girl began devouring the feast. "I'll get some more for your mum and dad."

Leaving Lisa happily munching on a hunk of cheese, Arya moved back into the common room, and she served up several large tankards of ale before concealing more food in the folds of her dress and returning to Lisa. The young girl was almost on the verge of being exposed. Having finished her meal and grown bored of waiting, she'd been peering out of the storeroom trying to spot Arya.

"I told you not to move," Arya whispered, pulling Lisa back into the shadows.

"I didn't know where you were. I was scared."

"It's okay," seeing that she was about to cry Arya ran a reassuring hand through the girls long blond hair. "Let's get back upstairs. I've got more food. Quiet though." She pushed pressed a finger against her lips.

The girl nodded, wiped the crumbs from her mouth, and took Arya's hand insisting she led the way.

After delivering supplies to the grateful couple, and managing to pull herself away from Lisa's hugs, Arya worked hard the rest of the night with Elsa until eventually, the patrons managed to stumble out of the Inn and head to their dwellings.

"It's too dangerous." The Innkeeper shook his head while he listened and chopped at cloves of garlic, prepping for the next day. "We can't fight them all. There's too many."

"You don't have to fight them all." Arya was sat on one of the tables. All the staff, apart from one young boy who helped out, had either gone to bed or home. The Innkeeper was called Garret, someone who Myra had told Arya might assist their cause. "Just help us get the food out of the store. We can give it to the who need it. Myra says the people still trust you; believe in you." Garret was respected because of how tireless he had worked in keeping the town together during the war. While many of the menfolk were away fighting, he'd opened the Inn up as a place people could meet and eat cheaply. Even fortified it in case the war came to their doorstep. What no one had expected was the real enemy would come to Bitterbridge when the war was over.

"They'll just retake it."

"I'll make sure they have nowhere to store it." Arya persisted. "Myra is helping, and she's gathering others."

"Your mother's helping." Garret wiped his hands on his grubby apron as he looked at Elsa.

"You know how she feels about the Lord," Elsa said

Arya was also aware of how Garret felt about Myra, which was why she'd brought it up. Myra had told her that if he was resistant it might be the best way of persuading him. Arya had an inkling that Myra also had a soft spot for the Innkeeper.

"I know, but..." Garret kept wiping his hands even though they were already clean.

"Myra said if you stored some of the food here, they wouldn't find it because they wouldn't look." Arya could see he was wavering. "They didn't search here today did they?"

Garret shook his head. "As long as we keep his men happy, they leave us alone."

"Exactly," Elsa said. "And we'll easily be able to sneak food out to the people who need it."

Garret looked at them both, rubbed his hands once more and then nodded. "What's the plan?"