A Song of Ice and Fire [EPILOGUE]

Howland Reed rode from Winterfell on the cobblestone paths by the river. Ned Stark had given him a task and he intended to fulfill it. Duty was important and none more so than this. The fate of the North rested on this. He was heading towards the coast and would find a ship. He heard the snaps of twigs behind him and sent the horse into a strong gallop.

"Craven bandits!" he shouted back at the men now littering the road. They shouted something back, but he couldn't hear the words. Before he knew it, however, he was flung from the horse. A rope trap had been set underneath him and he hadn't even noticed. He landed with a hard thud and a few broken ribs, he'd wager. His horse had three arrows in its neck and he feared the poor beast had broken a leg or two during the fall.

He limped further down the road as the voices attempted to catch up with him. He slinked down into the river and let the water carry him on. Only...they seemed to have expected it. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by bandits on all sides. He grabbed hold of a mossy rock in the center of the river near a bridge. It seemed this was his grave.

But...his lady, Catelyn Stark, was standing on the bridge above him. She looked sickly, but alive. He let out a gasp of joy. "My lady! Lady Catelyn, it's Howland Reed! Your friend and ally!"

She spoke to the man beside her and he said, "Our Lady has no friends. Only vengeance."

Howland knew they must have her as prisoner or else why...?

"My Lady, please. Your husband and my liege lord, Eddard Stark. He has me out here for a task. Please let me leave so I may fulfill my duty."

She glared down at him before waving her hand. A rope came down and he grabbed hold. He was lifted up and onto the bridge, but was greeted by sword and arrow... until a hand reached out for his.

Lady Stoneheart showed mercy and, in return, gained an ally on her quest for vengeance.​

arachnidsGrip arrived in Essos to meet with the queen, Daenerys. He had been tasked with meeting her to see if she was interested in an alliance against common enemies. arachnidsGrip intended to complete his duty for his friend and lord. Or die trying.

He entered the magnificent marble-floored pyramid and gazed in awe at the sculptures and statues. This queen was certainly making a name for herself and she had the strength to back it up, it seemed. She sat in a stone seat and gazed down upon him. She was shadowed by Barristan Selmy. He had once guarded King Robert, but clearly his allegiances had never waned.

arachnidsGrip bowed to the queen and said, "Greetings, your Grace. You do me great honor in meeting with me."

She nodded and dismissed the rest of her guards, along with Barristan Selmy. arachnidsGrip had had his belongings confiscated before entering and he had been thoroughly searched. The queen walked down and beckoned him towards a dining table. She declined to speak of business until they had eaten and shared bread and salt, customary to show protection over a guest.

arachnidsGrip and the queen then shared a glass of wine and he felt like they had actually begun to like one another when he started having trouble breathing. His throat became tight, constricted even, and he dropped the glass of wine. The queen gasped and dropped her own glass. Poison? Or something else?

As he collapsed, he grasped at the queen's garments. She backed away from him, clearly in terror. Out of the shadows, another man walked slowly towards the one gasping on the ground.

"Fear not, Queen Seth Rollins. Only this man's glass was poisoned. The Many-Faced God desired this one, but you...you are for another time." He bent over the man and when he stood, his face had changed. He now looked exactly like arachnidsGrip who continued dying on the ground.

"Valar morghulis, my queen. And be safe." The man left and the queen stood still. Her blood frozen and her soul terrorized.​

Khal Drogo waited patiently for his wife to return. He had come along with her on her conquests of the lands of Essos, but he still enjoyed pillaging and destroying more. His desire for blood was always quenched by her however and he found himself wanting nothing more in life.

They had lost their child to an evil witch, but that had only sparked the fire in his heart to give her her desires and dreams and he intended to live up to that.

He reached over for his glass of wine and lifted it. It was frozen solid. The heat in Essos would never allow for ice and he had never seen it before in his life. Khals spent most of their lives in the Dothraki Sea, but he had seen snow and ice before.

He threw the glass down and picked up the bottle of wine, but it was frozen as well.

He then noticed a very strong chill and wheeled around. An ice-like creature, pale and blue, with bright blue eyes, stood before him. The creature looked ethereal, but not unlike a human. Drogo grabbed his arakh and threw it towards the foul beast. The weapon shattered like glass as it connected with the creature.

It smirked and began walking towards him.​