01 ❄ winter is coming

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

[ Standing in the middle of a red stone room stands a young girl; within her hand is a wooden sword and here is a look of fear across her face. While she is in the room alone,there is blood all over. Pooled on the floor and even on the walls. She glances around her, turning in a circle and the moment she looks back at her sword it has been replaced with a thin blade. One that she knows well and grips in her left hand.

Outside the room come the rustling of bodies moving and the clanking of armor hitting against armor. A voice with a heavy accent is heard, dislocated from its body. ]

And what do we say to the God of Death?

Not today.

Go.

[ With those words, she runs into the hall behind her, grabbing a torch as she does. She's now running down the darkened hall. The light of the torch lighting the walls and elongating the shadows. The sound of a person falling behind her makes her run faster. Her legs are screaming, but she pushes on. She seems to be running an endless loop. A paradox. The same length of hall over and over again until suddenly she stops and quickly turns around. Her sword drawn up, the torch falling to the ground, and she's ready to attack. ]

Stay back.

Comments

non-timeskip for sake of relevance XD

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

[She's used to breaking through; her purpose right now is to end a stalemate and move on. But at first, she doesn't notice the tell-tale signs of the loop herself - at first.

She does notice her situation, and to be ready, Ami transforms before letting anyone see her. It's Mercury who finally runs down the darkened hall and Mercury whose own sword rises when Anya's is pointed at her.]

I didn't come here to take your life, but if you raise that sword against me, I'll defeat you. Understood?

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

[ Arya didn't lower her sword. ]

You could be saying that! The Queen's words to get me to lower my guard so you can kill me, just like she had everyone else in my father's family killed! I'm going to defend myself.

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

I don't know anything about a queen [aside from one who's very, very dead] but it's just as you said: I'm going to defend myself. Feel free to attack! - if you don't value your life.

[Until then, Mercury does not attack either.]

While you decide, just what is this place?

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

Are you stupid or something?

[ She lowers her sword slightly, but keeps it in her hand incase she does need it. ]

You're in the Red Keep.

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

[She doesn't even bother getting mad at the insult. Her sword lowers the same miniscule amount as Anya's.]

Rather than that, consider me a foreigner. [Very foreign. Unless she's stumbled into a world more parallel to her own than she'd like to think, and the 'queen' turns out to be Beryl after all.]

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

Are you from across the Narrow Sea?

[ She reaches down to pick the torch up again and gets a better look at the woman. ] You are dressed funny and your hair is blue.

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

Maybe even further than that.

[She doesn't glance down at herself; she knows her uniform well enough: the frustrating resemblance to the uniform of her former loyalty, the black tulle and markings always mindful of Metalia's darkness, the charm on the chain at her waist and bracer on her arm.]

This place seemed like I should be ready to fight, so I came ready for battle. [Yes, this is considered a battle uniform.]

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

You're a warrior? [ There was a look of pure delight on her face and she finally let her sword drop to the floor. ] I've never heard of a woman as a warrior before. Always men. It makes me sick.

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

[Oh, see, she enjoys showing the fools who think a girl can't be any use or a worthwhile opponent to be taken seriously. They learn a harsh lesson.]

This from a girl already carrying a sword? This place has women warriors.

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

I only have the sword because Jon had it made for me before he went to the Wall and father got me lessons.

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

[Ok, now? She's almost impressed.]

And you're saying even without any skill, you weren't afraid to challenge me?

['Father got me lessons' doesn't sound like someone ready to challenge a fully trained soldier.]

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

I have skill! Syrio Forel, master fencer and former First Sword of Braavos, gave me lessons in waterdancing.

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

So that's where your confidence comes from.

[A borrowed name, her master's name. Well, there are worse things to place trust in. Mercury nods. The Soldier of Water and Wisdom is far more interested in 'waterdancing'.]

Show me. In a place like this, there are enemies to defeat with it, right? [Why else be so on-guard, after all?]

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

I had confidence long before Syrio became my instructor.

[ She turns and starts to head down the hall again, this time ti doesn't loop, but leads into the stables. In the waking world there were bodies slaughtered and the boy she stabbed, but they weren't here. Just clothes tossed all over and the trunk she found Needle in, but there was no need to look for it because the blade was in her hand. ]

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

[The waking world is never as tidy as the dream world can be. Mercury follows, alert to their surroundings, straining to listen for any out-of-place noise to signal an enemy.]

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

So, what's your name?

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

[She gives her full title intentionally, to underscore her connection to the water.]

The soldier of Water and Wisdom, Mercury.

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

What kind of name is Mercury?

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

[One not to mock. Her head raises proudly.]

The planet where I was born. My planet. My power is guarded by that star.

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

Really?

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

What's the point of it being a lie?

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

People lie all the time.

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

Then, take it as a lie if you want. [She has nothing to prove to this girl.]

[ofwinterfell.livejournal.com]

[ She starts heading down the hall again since she has nothing mroe to say. ]

[waterfell.livejournal.com]

[Mercury is no longer the type to call out, to ask someone to stay or wait, to chase after them. She lost those feelings a long time ago. She doesn't even bother to turn fully back towards Arya. The words are called back over her shoulder instead.]

So you plan to fight alone here?