Chapter 115: Reuniting with the Northern Nobles

Arya slipped in nimbly, then gently closed the door and slid the bolt across.

By the faint light of the candle she held, Sansa recognized Arthur Bracken, who was covering her mouth.

How could this person be here?

Sansa was utterly bewildered.

Arya whispered, "It's me, sister, do you recognize me?"

Hearing this familiar voice, Sansa suddenly realized that the "little boy" who had entered behind her was actually her sister.

Because her mouth was covered by Arthur, she could not make a sound and could only nod to show she recognized her.

Bracken whispered a warning: "Your sister and I are here to rescue you. After I let go, you must not scream, understand?"

Sansa nodded, and only then did Arthur release her.

"Arya, how did you..."

Before Sansa could finish her words, which were filled with both blame and concern, Arya had already thrown herself at her.

The tall and short sisters embraced tightly, using their actions to pour out the longing from these past few months of separation.

Arthur noticed that two lines of tears were streaming down the corners of Sansa's eyes.

Although he could not see the face of Arya, who was being hugged, he imagined the younger sister was the same as the older one.

In these past few months, the two of them had fallen from being the daughters of the Hand into the mire; one lived in the Red Keep in constant fear, enduring Joffrey's humiliations and the mockery of the nobles of the Crownlands every day; the other had disguised herself as a boy, left King's Landing to head north with a group of grown men, and after the Night's Watch member Yoren who protected her was killed by Gold Cloaks, she had lived a precarious life, never knowing where her next meal would come from.

After a long while, the sisters finally separated and whispered to each other about their respective experiences.

Arthur felt that now was not the time for this, so he spoke up to remind them:

"My ladies of Stark, shouldn't we be leaving?"

It was the dead of night, a good time for an escape.

If they waited any longer, and the servants who rose early to attend to the Gold Cloaks and the Knights woke up to wash and dress, they would likely not be able to get away.

Sansa nodded, "I need to pack my things."

This was acceptable.

After Sansa changed into her everyday dress, the sisters worked together to help pack Sansa's clothes, hair ribbons, accessories, and other odds and ends.

Of course, there was also that doll specially made for Sansa by Lord Eddard.

After packing a large pile of items, they finally wrapped it all up in a bedsheet.

Arya, without standing on ceremony, let Arthur carry it on his back, and the three of them prepared to set off.

Thump, thump, thump.

Just then, a burst of footsteps suddenly came from outside the room, which made them instantly tense up.

"Sansa, what are you doing? Are you changing the bedsheets? Open the door quickly," the person outside shouted.

Because Sansa had reached the age of having her monthly period, the old maid who monitored her paid close attention to this, and this person checked the bedsheets two or three times every day.

Arthur silently placed the bundle on the floor, walked lightly to the door, drew the hand-and-a-half sword he wore at his waist, and then signaled for Sansa to open the door normally.

Sansa understood and pretended to complain: "I was just thirsty and got up to drink some water; you've disturbed my rest."

Then she walked slowly to the door and slid back the bolt.

Relying on the authority of the Queen Regent, the old maid was very rude to the former Hand's daughter. She pushed the door open, ready to scold her, but felt a chill at her neck.

Even worse, a powerful hand blocked the mouth she was about to scream with.

Arthur looked at Sansa and asked, "Shall I kill her?"

This old maid had only happened upon them and had done nothing truly evil, so it was better not to kill if possible.

Sansa looked at the maid who was usually very unfriendly toward her; although she wanted to let Arthur kill her to vent her anger, she could not harden her heart.

Shaking her head, the eldest daughter of House Stark whispered, "Just don't let her interfere with our actions."

The old maid also calmed down and nodded desperately, signaling that she would be obedient.

Arthur was swift and decisive; he struck her on the head with his sword hilt, knocking her unconscious, then used the handkerchief hanging from her waist to tie her hands behind her back, stuffed her mouth with the old maid's stinking sock, and dragged her under the bed.

After shouldering the large bundle, the three of them left quickly.

The journey was without incident.

Under the cover of night, after dodging a patrol of Gold Cloaks, they re-entered the underground near the Throne Room, then made their way to the black well and headed toward the sewers.

After passing through layers of stone corridors, wooden spiral staircases, and natural stone caves, they finally smelled a pungent stench.

"This is a toilet, isn't it?" Sansa, who was in the dark, held her sister's hand with one hand and pinched her nose with the other as she asked.

Although one could smell a hint of King's Landing's stench in the Red Keep, it was still acceptable and did not affect daily life.

But this smell before her nose was enough to suffocate someone.

If it weren't for her sister and the outsider, Sansa felt she could have fainted from the smell.

"Pretty much, it's a sewer of the Red Keep that connects to the Blackwater River," Arya replied.

Sansa was a little worried: "Doesn't that mean my dress will get dirty? I only have one or two dresses I can wear."

The weather had turned cold, and since her father's death, no one cared whether she had thicker dresses to wear.

So she could only worry about these things herself.

Arya, who was in the lead, began to be annoyed with her sister again, "At a time like this, you're still worried about a dress? Once we escape and get home, you can sew as many as you want."

They had reached a section where they had to wade through foul water to proceed.

Sansa was silent for a moment; Mordane, the septa who taught her to sew, had already been killed by the lion family's red cloaks.

After nimbly tying the backpack into a secure knot, Arthur stepped into the foul water first, then offered a gesture of rapport: "It's alright, if you don't mind, I can carry you across this sewer."

Arya looked back and rolled her eyes at Arthur, "You certainly know how to curry favor."

Sansa recalled her father's previous judgment that this person was "worth associating with" and agreed to the proposal.

So Arthur, carrying the bundle, hooked his right arm under her knees and wrapped his left arm around her shoulder blades, reaching under Sansa's left armpit to lift her up.

Understanding Arthur's burden, Miss Stark reached out and draped her arm around his neck to make walking a bit easier for him.

The three of them began to move forward again, only this time Arya walked at the very back.

If the light had been any brighter, the two in front would surely have seen the disdain in her eyes.

It was just a little bit of foul water, was it really worth all this?

After walking for a long time, the three finally reached the confluence of the Blackwater River and the foul-water ditch.

The sky was already beginning to brighten, and the three hurriedly climbed onto the sandy bank to the side.

Once Arthur set Sansa down, he began to discuss matters with the two Starks.

"You must reach the coalition camp first; only then can you arrange your next steps. Now, there is a question: are you willing to reveal your identities? There are three thousand Si Ta Ke Bu Bing in the coalition, as well as a large number of Northern nobles and Knights loyal to House Stark, so there should be no problem regarding your safety."

Sansa glanced at her sister, "I heard that Marquess Bolton is commanding the coalition, so let us reveal our identities."

If the late King Robert had not gone north, Sansa's betrothed would have been Domeric, the legitimate son of Roose Bolton, so she still held a favorable impression of the Marquess.

"I cannot trust the Leech Lord." Arya not only loved adventure but also enjoyed hearing anecdotes about powerful warriors, which meant she had a good understanding of the heads of certain great houses.

Setting aside the act of using leeches to draw his own blood, even the long-standing Bolton saying, "A naked man has few secrets, a flayed man none," was enough to make one fearful.

The two sisters discussed it for a while and decided to let Sansa reveal her identity, while Arya would continue to hide under the name "Ary."

This was fine, too; it was like putting eggs in two different baskets.

Among the four great houses of the North, the Dustin family had only sent a small number of troops south, and the Manderlys of White Harbor had only sent one thousand infantry and five hundred riders to join.

As for the other two, House Stark and House Bolton had basically sent their entire armies south.

But considering that the coalition contained a large number of second-tier Northern noble soldiers loyal to House Stark, once their identities were revealed, the Leech Lord would have to cater to Sansa instead.

Because the rallying power of a Stark was far greater than that of a Bolton; it was not impossible for Sansa to unite the Northern nobles and strip Bolton of his position as Commander.

While the two were discussing, Arthur also explained to them how Roose Bolton always sent Stark soldiers and loyalists of House Stark to the front lines in every battle.

Because the land was vast and sparsely populated, the people of the North did not have many opportunities to interact, so they were generally very straightforward.

Whatever the Commander ordered, the Northern nobles and soldiers executed without the slightest hesitation.

This was also the reason why, in the original story, Roose Bolton was able to send the pro-Stark soldiers to their deaths while preserving the bulk of his own forces.

"I will speak to Marquess Bolton about this; when we attack King's Landing, let House Bolton take the first credit."

Although Sansa was a bit naive now, she was not stupid.

Constantly letting Stark soldiers lead the charge, wasn't that just depleting her own house's strength?

After finalizing the details, Arthur gave his black cloak and hood to Sansa.

Just in case, her identity had to remain secret until she met with high-ranking Northern nobles or heirs like Robett Glover, Medger Cerwyn, and Herman Tallhart.

Taking advantage of the fact that it was not yet fully light, the three moved rapidly toward the camp west of King's Landing; naturally, they encountered Stark soldiers blocking the Mud Gate on the way, and Arthur left after ordering them to stay alert.

In any case, Sansa would be able to reunite with the Northern nobles this morning, so there was no need to hide her whereabouts.

Walking quickly to his own camp, Arthur had Arya hide behind the tent area of the Qohor Mercenaries, then had his servant Meidan call for Patrick and Raymond, who were still fast asleep.

Among the nobles of the Riverlands, the dozen or so Freys were looked down upon by the Northerners, and only these two managed to get along well with the Northern nobles.

Having them go call the Northern nobles to reunite with Sansa was just right.

Going to Bolton's main tent was impossible; there was no telling what kind of trouble that old man might stir up.

Yawning repeatedly, Patrick asked, "Why are you up so early?"

He did not even notice the figure in the black cloak standing behind Arthur.

The more mature Raymond did notice, but he did not ask.

"Wake up, I need your help. Go to the Northern camp and call..." Arthur assigned the Task to them.

After hearing clearly, although the two were very confused as to why Arthur was doing this, they still went out to call for people.

Sansa took the opportunity to take off the black cloak and hood, tidying her hair and dress.

Before long, Robett Glover's voice sounded outside the tent, "Arthur, what are you doing? I'm very busy today; the trees by the Blackwater River are almost all cut down, and I have to take men to cut wood further away."

He entered with Lord Medger, and then discovered the red-haired woman in the tent.

"Who is this?" Robett felt the hair color was very familiar, but for a moment he could not recall where he had seen it.

Since his seat was very close to Winterfell, Medger Cerwyn recognized at a glance that the red-haired woman was none other than the sister of their King in the North, Sansa Stark.

"My lady, I cannot imagine how you have survived this time. To rescue you and your sister, more than twenty thousand of us came south; now that you have returned to the Northerners, you will never suffer the slightest grievance again."

Lord Medger was known for his eloquence; seeing Sansa still wearing a summer dress, he had already guessed her living conditions in the Red Keep, so he hurriedly began to offer comfort.

Sansa also had a deep impression of this man; Medger Cerwyn had often tried to marry his daughter to her brother Robb, so he had visited Winterfell many times.

"I am very grateful for everything Lord Cerwyn has done for me and for House Stark..."

During her time in the Red Keep, the thing Sansa learned most was various polite phrases; although she was also moved, she habitually responded with them.

Robett also realized Sansa's identity and began to comfort Miss Stark as well.

Subsequently, a large number of Northern nobles arrived one after another, such as Harrion Karstark of House Karstark, Lord Harys of House Hornwood, Willis, the eldest son of the Manderlys, and so on.

Of course, Roose Bolton could not possibly come; as the Commander of the army, Patrick and Raymond could not summon him.

After the Northerners reunited with Sansa, they escorted her toward the main tent.

With a Stark present, the Northerners could be said to have a backbone, and their morale became high.

"My lord, it is said that Miss Sansa Stark has escaped from the Red Keep and is now surrounded by the lords, heading this way."

It was that same Bolton spy, with an extremely mediocre appearance that made him impossible to pick out in a crowd.

He ran into his lord's tent and reported in advance.

The Leech Lord was washing up, and upon hearing this, he spat out the salt water in his mouth.

"How did she escape? Did she appear in the Stark soldiers' camp first?"

The spy replied: "It was Arthur Bracken's camp; she appeared there first. After Arthur called the Northern nobles, they began to advance toward here."

This bit of information was enough for Leech Lord to react.

That Sansa did not come to meet the Commander of the allied forces first clearly meant she did not trust him.

Although the nobles of The North were slow on the uptake, they would eventually react and figure this out.

This was somewhat disadvantageous to his status within the allied forces.

Marquess Bolton steadied his mind; it was just a little girl, he did not believe he could not handle her.

"Call the guards, I will go to welcome Miss Sansa personally."

He instructed the Personal Guard standing in the tent.

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(End of this chapter)