Chapter Text
Aria sat quitely at the table of the inn, tired and sore, but not speaking a word. Upstairs her sister slept, as she had, before Tyrion had awoken her with news from Riverrun.
"They have my son." Lord Tywin roared, seemingly calm for the situation.
"How could this happen?" A man moaned. "How? Even after the Whispering Wood, you had Riverrun ringed in iron, surrounded by a great host . . . what madness made Ser Jamie decide to split his men into three camps? Surely he knew how culnerable that would leave them."
Aria felt her anger rise as the man spoke. Jamie might have lost Riverrun, but she would not hear her husband questioned by a chinless fool of a boar.
"Have you ever seen Riverrun?" Arianna questioned hotly.When the man shook his head, she smirked, her anger clear in her eyes. "The castle is at the end of the poit of land where the Tumblestone flows into the Red Fork of the Trident. Two rivers make up half a trangle and then there is battle the Tully's open river gates upstream which creates a third side, compleating the triangle. Jamie knew that he would have to have three camps - one atThublestone, one at Red Fork and another between the rivers. There would have been no other way."
The men at the table seemed to notice her precense for the first time, all but Tyrion, who smiled at her gayly.
"The girl speaks truth, my Lord." The young courior said, voice flat. "We had spiked stakes all around the camps, but it was enough, not without any warning and the rivers cutting us off from each other. They came down on the north camp first. No one was expecting an attack. Mar Piper had been raiding our supply trains, but he had no more than fifty men. Ser Jamie had got out to deal with them the night before . . . well, what we though was them. We were told that the Stark host was east of the Green Fork, marching south."
"And your outriders?" The Mountian asked, face set in stone. "They saw nothing? They gave you no warning?"
The bloodstained messenger shook his head. "Our outriders had been vanishing. Marq Pipers work we though. The ones who did come back saw nothing."
A man who sees nothing has no use for his eyes." The Mountian declared. "Cut them out and gi-"
"Will you shut up!" Arianna snapped, face red. "We all know your lust for blood shed, but now is not the time."
Tyrion saw his father turn his face to study both Ser Gregor, as well as his daughter in law. He could see a shimmer of gold as the light shone off his father's pupils, but he could no have said whether he was looking on in approval or disgust.
Arianna, as it where, seemed to not care either way. "You said that they came at night."
The courior nodded, continueing on with his tale. Aria sat in silence, eyes narrowed, nodding at some of the mens words. It wasn't till his father smashed his cup agsint the floor, breaking it to peices, the Aria seemed to come alive. "There is your peace, Ser Harys. My sweet nephew broke it for good and all when he decided to ornament the Red Keep with Lord Eddard's head."
"You would have an easier time drinking from that cup than have peace." Arianna said softly, staring into the distance, stroking her Shadow-Lion's head. "Peace will matter little with Joffery holding the Stark girls as hostages, and the Stark boy holding Jamie as well. They will not ransom him, I can tell you that, and they will not trade him for his sisters. The boy won't, at least. His mother may. If you ask for a truce you will be weakened by it, ever so much. This is not a war that anyone will win." She finished, eyes flashing as she looked up to the Lords sitted around the table.
"Why are you even hear?" The Mountian demanded, eyes narrowed at the girl."You know nothing about war, wemon never do."
"I sat at my fathers councile meetings, and I use to discuss war with the men-at-arms we came acrossed, and, so far, I am the only one in this room aside from Lord Tywin and Tyrion that seem to understand the situation. All the rest of you are moaning like children, throwing ignorant ideas through the air as though this is a childs game." The Mountian moved to his feet just as Aria did, her eyes flashing as sparks flew from her finger tips. "SIT DOWN!" She thundered, throwing a hand out toward The Mountian, shooking all the others when he imedietly sat, a hard look upon his face. "They have my husband. I want him back, so if you will not act like an adult I will forcefully remove your from this room, do you UNDERSTAND?" She screamed.
"Leave me. All of you." Lord Tywin said calmly, eyes on the women before him. "Not you, Tyrion. Remain. And you as well, Kevan and Arianna. The rest of you, out."
Arianna waited till all the men had left the room before blazing at Lord Tywin, something that Tyrion was shocked to see. "How do you plan to retrive my husband? Do you even have a plan? Or do you plan to sit here, drinking, mincing over words like wemon."
"Lady Arianna -" Tywin started but was stopped by the slaming of a chair agaisnt the wall. Arianna had not moved, but the men knew she was responsible.
"DO NOT CALL ME THAT!" She bellowed, voice like bells booming in a sept tower. "You will call me Aria or Arianna or nothing at all. I am tired of being a Lady. Ladies do not know how to do anything aside from sew and brith children and run a house. If YOU will not make a move to recue my husband then I will." She continued slamming her hand agaisnt the table.
Tywin looked at the tiny woman before him for a long moment before shaking his head. "You will return to King's Landing with my son, who will act as Hand in my place."
"Like hell I will." Arianna raged, sparks floating through the air around her like embers. After a moment, Tyrion realized that they were embers. "I have stood by idle long enough. I have been meek, as a Lady should be; I have been calm. I will not be any longer."
That being said, Arianna turned on her hell and stormed from the room, doors slamming shut behind her with a crash.
"You know that she will leave now." Tyrion said, taking a deep drink from his goblet. "She's head strong, that one, much like my dear captive brother."
"I am well awear." Lord Tywin said slowly. "I only hope that she truly realizes what she is drawing herself into."
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Arianna sat on the floor, her looking glass before her and a sharp dagger in her hand. Sighing deeply, she closed her eyes and grasped her hair in a fist, slicing through the heavy mass quickly. She continued to hack and chop at her hair till it swung down near her shoulders. She knew that she didn't look like a man, but if she pulled the hair back, and pulled a hood over her face, she could achive the look she would need during her journy.
Throwning a lightly packed bag out her window, she turned to her sister, who sat on the bed, and hugged her tightly. I want you to stay close to Lord Tyrion. He will protect you."
Elia nodded, her face sad. "I won't see you again for a long time, will I?"
Arianna nodded, buring her face into Elia's hair. "You won't, more than likely, but if you ever miss me, just remember that I will return. I will never leave you behind, Elia. Never."
"I love you sister."
"As I love you." Arianna whispered before moving away, climbing through the window, and jumping down, where Valiant already lay in wait."
"I see why my brother consented to marrying you." A soft voice said from the shadows. Lord Tyrion emerged then, his mis-matched eyes dark. "You are just as foolish and brave as he is."
"Jamie would never just abandon me." Aria said, throwing a cloak around her shoulders and her double-curved bow and quiver. "I will not rest till he is home."
"I don't belive that you will." Tyrion agreed, helping her to throw her bags over her Shadow-Lion's back. "If you manage to kill yourself during this, I fear that my brother will be very put out."
"I won't die." Arianna said, climbing astride Valiant. "Tyrion, I need you to do something for me."
"What would that me, Lady Aria?" Tyrion asked, smiling as she frowned.
"Take care of my sister. Do not allow Price Joffery to hurt her, nor the Queen. Keep her safe, teach her well." Arianna said quickly. "If anything happens to her . . . "
Tyrion nodded. "I understand, Aria. I will see to your sisters safety, at all time, while you are away."
"Thank you." Arianna said gratefully and she squezzed her knees, cuasing Valiant to turn toward the woods. "Don't let me down, little man. I may have to hurt you if you do."
Laughing, Tyrion threw a large skin of wine to the woman before she could leave. "Save it, for when you find my brother. Celebrate and give me neices or nephews who do not aspire to kill all they come into contact with."
Smiling, Arianna laughed. "We will."
With that she was gone, dissapearing into the shadows as if she was nothing more than one herself. Tyrion sighed, waving sadly after her. He knew that she would have a long journey ahead of her, but he had confidence that she would survive.
Meanwhile, Aria leaned down low agsint her Shadow-Lion, reaching out a hand to stroke her neck as she ran. "Go Valiant. Go like the wind, but twice as fast."
As if she understood her masters words, Valiant speed forward, eyes bright and head high, just as her master sat on her back. They would save Jamie, Arianna knew. She would't stop till they had.