exsiliumlogs | sos el hijo de la nada, sos la vida que se va

[ the heat hits first. like walking into a wall. from wet to wet with one place made cooler and another felt hotter.

the girl breathes in and slowly lets it out. she squints into the setting sun. another hour mayhaps she estimates of sunlight. an hour to find their target and find cover. the encroaching night will only make things near impossible. and, she walks carefully to the edge of the land they were deposited on over wet grasses and loose mud, dangerous.

she can see a road turning away to her left like a snake over the mountain. below her and to her right, the road is gone. only mud. mud and debris and a beheaded snake.

and they've a little girl to find.

the girl wears no face. this is no place for cat of the canals or blind beth. she must search with arya stark's brother, but that does not mean arya stark is welcome. he wants her not. neither does she. ]

Edited 2013-09-03 02:09 (UTC)

[ maría sofía had to order the food for them. while robb stayed with the girl, she kept outside with the direwolves. they were supposed to be masked; from the comments, she had figured out people thought them merely dogs, and smaller than they truly were. some had asked her if she was blind, to which the girl had snarled at them. a few had tried to pet the wolves. nymeria had quickly put an end to that.

the cool air at her back tells her the door opened seconds before maría sofía calls her in. "Jeyne! Come!"

the girl follows her in, the direwolves at her heels. maría sofía leads her past the tables and past robb waiting in line for their food to a separated section with tubes and a pool of balls. maría sofía jabbers on happily while she takes off her shoes and puts them in a shelf. she jumps into the ball pit and calls for them to join. grey wind follows her up and hesitates at the edge, looking at the balls as if he does not understand what this is. nymeria lingers by her mistress. ]

I don't want to.

[ colored balls and slides. she turns away. that girl is such a child. ]

Edited 2013-09-03 02:56 (UTC)

[ it was a mission neither wanted to go on, not truly. the sudden heat is suffocating but all robb could think of are the words he spoke, the ones responsible for the heavy air between them.

part of him wishes for nothing more than to make amends, but another cannot make peace not yet ─ not while she still denies him and his family with every breath.

but they have a girl to find, to recover, and he cannot think of that now. robb steels himself like he has done many times before, before going into battle. squinting into the sun, then the area surrounding them. they have little time before nightfall and not knowing what enemies awaits them. ]

We must move.

[ his tone is by no means sharp, nor is it soft. hope clings to it fruitlessly, hope that he can fix what he has wrought even though he has no knowledge as to how. ]

[ she does not answer him. does not look at him. for a moment, she seems not to have heard him. she remains unmoving at the edge. then she walks until the land starts sloping and she climbs down.

no matter what care she takes, the ground is treacherous. a thick slick mud soon covers her shoes and clings to her legs. it's easier to slide down and she does: sitting down and using her hands to stop or crawl a distance as need be. she doesn't know how they'll find a girl in this mess. even the direwolves with their senses will have difficulty.

and she doubts too the girl will be the only one here. if they find someone else first, should they leave them buried in the mud?

when she can walk again, she picks a direction and walks. there are obstacles everywhere: trees, fence posts, she thinks she can see the roof of a house in the distance sticking out of the mud. and there's pools of dirty water. her shoes fill and the mud sucks at her and it becomes a problem just to keep herself moving with her feet sinking deeper and deeper into the mud with every step.

she hasn't met her and she already hates the girl. ]

[ no response. robb inhales sharply, following after her. his pace is slower but he manages, keeping up as much as possible trekking through the mud. he did not cloth himself in armor, a decision well made it seems for moving through the mud in armor would have proved problematic.

quietly he repeats the description of the girl they are to find, resting a hand on his sword.

arya's struggle does not go unnoticed, firstly he looks for another path ─ for something not caked in mud, something dry and would be stable beneath their feet. ]

Stop, you are only going to get stuck in the mud. Let us find dryer ground.

Afraid of getting dirty, Your Grace?

[ half japing, half mocking. she tacks on the style because she knows he will not like it. she keeps herself moving forward. her direwolf jumps ahead. nymeria sniffs the air, snorts. abruptly, she turns down; the girl drops down to a sitting position to slide after her.

a leaf pokes out of the mud. what she thought was a leaf. a feather, more feathers, a wing and she pulls a drowned chicken out of the muck. she flings it away with a sound of disgust.

nymeria scrabbles at the remains of a chicken coop. ]

Leave that! [ she calls. ] Keep looking!

[ when the direwolf looks up, she points to the side. ]

Go!

[ your grace.

it stings like a slap, his jaw twitches but he says no more. pushing forward instead. grey wind stays by his side ─ at least until the chicken is revealed, bounding forth only to stop a distance away, head lowering and shoulders tensing.

robb and arya aren't the only ones in need of making amends. ]

Grey Wind. [ much is in the call and the other direwolf understands instantly, turning from the chicken coop to return to searching for their quarry. ]

The mud is impeding our progress, that is all. [ comes his answer finally. ] We would have an easier time searching walking on dryer footing.

You really think she'll be where it's easy?

[ she stands up, sweeping mud off her breeches. she's angry now and it bleeds into her voice. ]

Is that where you like to look? Where it's easy for you?

[ robb frowns. swallowing his own anger at the accusation. ]

No, I do not like to look where it is easy. You mistake my intent.

[ is she is speaking about the girl they have been sent to search, or herself? he does not know in truth, neverless he can taste the bile of guilt in his throat. ]

I expect nothing easy on this task, nor have I ever expected it in others.

[ she glares at him a moment before turning away with a scoff. her hands are shaking and she clutches at her tunic to hide it.

she ought to keep calm. she ought not care. her throat feels too tight with recriminations unsaid and tears unshed. rather than give in and cry and scream like a child, she keeps walking.

nymeria waits for her to watch up, whining softly. the girl pets the animal's snout as she passes her. the direwolf licks her cheek as if to ascertain she's well before taking the lead again.

get the girl. leave. that's all they need to do. she can do this. ]

[ her reaction makes him think it is herself she talks of. it does little to aid his state.

robb's fingers curl around the hilt of his sword, enough to send a tremor through his hand. underneath his gloves knuckles turn white. ]

If there is something you wish to say, say it.

[ there is much she keeps from him, he is not so blind as to not see. words bottled up and kept from her lips for one reason or another. ]

[ keeping an eye on their surroundings, she can't quite bite back a humorless smirk. ]

Since when do kings care for what bastard girls think?

[ you are no bastard girl. ]

A king should care what people think, no matter their standing.

[ the girl turns around, smirk firmly in place. ]

I think you're an arse. I think I'd rather have my nails ripped out than be here with you.

I think your sister is happier off dead.

[ breath flees his lungs and his mask cracks. the king becomes more like the boy in a single blow. ]

Arya- [ the name comes unbidden through a stricken expression. she may as well have run him through. ] You cannot mean that.

Why not? [ a madness seems to have seized her. the words come and she cannot put a stop to them if she wanted to. ] It's true. Your sister was lost. She prayed long and hard for her brother and he never came. At the House of Black and White, the priests promised her peace. So she drank from the black pool and there she died.

[ a truth, an exaggeration, a lie. can you tell which is which? ]

[ truth? he knows not what to make of her words, they only deepen the pain one his face. what does she mean by this? what does she mean he never came, he would tear apart the seven kingdoms to find her, to save her and sansa from the hands of the lannisters. ]

I was coming, I am. Were Tywin Lannister not in the way I would have taken King's Landing already, I would have already found you and Sansa.

[ the false humor vanishes. ]

I'm not in King's Landing! I've not been in King's Landing in two years! Do you get that? No one came for me! I kept myself alive! No one else tried! I sacrificed everything!

[ her freedom, her pride, her name, her very self. ]

You don't know what I've had to do! You don't know what's happened! [ what will happen, what awaits him, what awaits them all. ] You can't fix it! It's done! So just let me be!

[ her voice breaks on the last word. to her shame, she feels the sharp sting of tears. ]

[ i. she says i and he cannot restrain the relief his feels, it mixes with the hurt and is swallowed up. she speaks like she is arya, even thought her words are sharp and confusion.

yet from what he can gather he fails her. he truly fails her. and the pain from that thought alone runs deep. ]

You are right, I cannot fix it. [ there is a lot he does not know, it seems. ] But I cannot let you be. I already lost you once, Arya. I lost you, Sansa, and Father in one fell swoop. Do not ask me to sit idle and lose you again.

[ she laughs…and she cries. ]

I'm not yours to be found anymore.

[ a howl draws her attention. she looks behind her to find both direwolves several feet away. while nymeria howls, grey wind digs at the soft earth. it looks metallic.

abandoning the conversation, arya hurries toward them. one of her boots gets half-pulled off by the mud so she simply removes them both and continues on bare feet. she dumps her shoes by the direwolves and tries to see what they're looking at.

a car. she remembers the name. it smashed against a tree or else the tree smashes into it. broken glass litters the area; more mud fills the inside. there's a man, his blood on the window and the wood. behind him, a girl struggles to remain awake, trapped by the mud and branches. when arya looks at her all she can find is fear. ]

Hold on! We'll get you out!

[ robb hasn't the time to reel from that sting when he hears the howl, head snapping in the direction of the direwolves. he swallows the lump in his throat, shifting priorities ─ the girl, focus on the girl.

the sight is heavy, the man's blood staining window and wood. something in robb prays that this man is not the girl's father.

he looks to the tree, at the branches then to the mud. he moves around to the girl's side without a word, pulling branches and mud from the car. trying to free her. ]

Check the man. [ robb thinks him to be dead, nevertheless... ]

[ arya clears as much as she can. finding the door handle, she tries to pull on it. the weight of the mud around the car stops her attempt cold. with nothing else, she grabs the broken remains of the window and struggles inside. her hands are cut open, her leg. she knocks her head against the roof, but she's finally inside the car.

she can tell he's dead before she touches him. as her eyes adjust to the rapidly dimming light, she can see where the steering wheel smashed his chest in. for a moment she thinks his shirt was always dark until she spots the white lapels.

arya searches the body quickly, fighting water and earth. in his pocket she finds a leather fold and on his belt a gun. she pockets both to clean and peruse later.

leaving him be, she turns her attention to the girl. a dark bruise the size of a golden dragon peeks out of her hairline. a dry cut under her eye gives it a puffy look. she won't stop shaking. when arya grabs her hand, it's freezing. but her grip is strong and painfully tight.

arya tries to clear more space, but no matter how much mud she flings outside the level doesn't seem to go down. ]

Move! [ she yells only for the girl to shake her head. she grabs at the gray belt at her shoulder. the line of it is etched into her neck. "It won't move!" ]

[ he curses the glass, the mud and water, fighting to free the poor girl. the lack of reply from arya confirms his suspicions about the man, he is dead and there is nothing to be done for him. the girl is not and if anything they will save her from the same fate.

the mud fights him at every turn but the branches are easier, he breaks them free without much effort and tosses them aside. to be eaten up by the mud. with them gone he tries also to lower the level, to little avail. ]

The strap, it is trapping her! [ honestly he has no idea why it is pressed against her neck so but that isn't the point. he pulls a dagger from his belt and hands it to arya. ] Cut her free, I will clear the glass. Once she is free from it we will pull her out through here.

[ she takes it without a word. the girl flinches when she sees the blade and arya hisses at her not to be stupid. ]

I'm not going to cut you!

[ picking the point furthest from her, arya cuts through the strap. it's arduous work; the dagger is sharp, but the strap is thick. arya's sweating as she saws through it. when it drops, she expects the girl to move, but she still seems to be trapped by something.

holding the dagger by the hilt between her teeth, arya plunges her hands into the mud again. her fingers find another strap across the girl's lap. between both of them, they pull it up. arya watches the cut edge disappear into the mud until it comes up again, wet and filthy, and is promptly tossed aside.

taking the dagger in hand again, she grabs the girl by the elbow and drags her up. arya all but shoves her at the smashed window for robb to pull her out. ]

sos el hijo de la nada, sos la vida que se va

DAY ONE ⚔ ya no sé quien es el dueño de tu vida y de la mía

DAY FOUR ⚔ despojado de tu casa vas sin rumbo en la ciudad

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