Chapter 274: Time to Return to the Dreadfort
Winterfell, Stark Lands
POV of Domeric Bolton
The King looked tired of the Queen's shouting, and so he shooed her off.
The Queen got up from her chair and was about to leave when Domeric said. "Your grace."
The Queen turned and looked at him, holding the Lion's Claw in his right hand.
She sneered at him. "What is it? Have you not humiliated my brother enough already?"
"This is not about your brother, but the Lion's Claw. Do you and your family want it back?"
Greed and shrewdness ran in her eyes, and she spoke, "The sword belongs to the Lannisters. You may have tricked these people and taken it from Jamie, but you won't fool me." She sneered, "Don't think that this will be the end of it."
"But it does not belong to the Lannisters anymore, does it?" Domeric said. "That's what it means when you bet on something: if you lose the bet, then the goods go to the winner. I don't know how they teach the women in Casterly Rock, but if you don't even know such simple things, then that is really disappointing."
"Are you insulting your Queen, Lord Bolton?" The Queen asked with an edge to her voice.
"Hardly. I'm merely stating facts." He said, "But if House Lannister still wants the Valyrian sword, then I have a proposal for you."
The Queen's eyes narrowed at that. "What's the proposal?" she asked.
"I heard that in order to build the Lannister fleet again, your father paid a great deal of gold to the Summer Islanders to buy 30 of their famous Swan Ships."
And it was true as well. Swan Ships were some of the best warships in the world and were excellent for fighting pirates and other low-tier ships.
Since the Iron Islanders used similar ships to the ones used by the pirates, they should be easy prey to the Swan Ships. Maybe that was the reason why Tywin bought them at a high price in the first place, as the Iron Islanders were the main sea threat to the Westerlands.
He had always wanted some of those ships for himself, but the Summer Islanders had never sold them to anyone. And buying them by using magic would make it look suspicious to others.
He could have also stolen their designs, but those ships could only be made from a special wood found in the forests of the Summer Islands. It would be like knowing the process to reforge Valyrian steel but not having any metal on hand.
All in all, he had not thought that he would get his hands on their ships any time soon.
So, when he had first heard the news that Lord Tywin Lannister had paid an enormous sum of gold to buy those ships, he had lamented not trying more on his part to buy them as well.
It seems like with enough gold, you can buy just about anything in this world.
The Queen's eyes narrowed even more at that, as if challenging him to continue speaking.
Domeric did. "30 Swan ships for the Lion's claw. Your father has already shown the whole of Westeros that he's still capable of shitting gold. Why not send some of it my way?"
The Queen gaped at his audacity for a few moments before she laughed. Her laugh rang across the entire courtyard as the crowd had gone silent when she started speaking. "You might think that your small fleet and this desolate wasteland will always protect you. But be warned, Lord Bolton. Your time will come. I'll see to it myself."
With her piece said, she got up and left the courtyard.
Domeric turned to the King and Lord Stark before nodding to them before leaving as well.
Domeric had nothing left to do in Winterfell now. He had gotten what he wanted from the King and Lord Stark, and his duel with Jamie was over. So, after spending the night here, he planned to leave tomorrow and head for Dreadfort.
Just as Domeric was about to enter the building Lord Stark had reserved for them, he heard someone call out to him.
"Lord Bolton."
Domeric stopped and turned to see Arya Stark running toward him.
By the time she reached Domeric, she was already out of breath, and after regaining her breath, she attempted a clumsy, ladylike greeting. But it could not be said that she was very successful.
"Hahaha... Arya, you don't have to be so formal around me. At least not unless we're at a formal ceremony or meeting. You can treat me the same way you treat Robb. Also, you can call me Domeric." Domeric said with a laugh.
"Thank Old Gods..." Arya said, visibly relaxing. And then she continued. "Congratulations on winning the duel. Ser Jaime is one of the finest swordsmen in the kingdom, and you managed to defeat him despite being 17 years old."
"Thank you for the congratulations and praise. But I don't think you're chasing me just to congratulate me. Spill the beans." Domeric said.
"Is it true that you will take me with you to the Dreadfort? When the King read your demands, he said you would bring me to Dreadfort, and father told me he agreed to it." Arya asked. But Domeric could tell Arya already knew the answer to her question. She probably wanted to confirm it from his lips, Domeric thought.
"That is true. In my lands, girls can carry weapons, ride horses, and learn to fight just like boys. Seeing your admiration for Ygritte, I thought you would enjoy living in the Dreadfort. But if you wish to remain in Winterfell, I can speak with Lord Stark again and cancel our agreement." He said.
And he meant what he said. He had no intention of taking Arya by force. If Arya didn't want to come with him, he would speak to Lord Stark and tell him he had given up on taking Arya with him.
But Lord Stark seemed willing to send Arya to Dreadfort, and if Domeric told him that Arya didn't want that, Lord Stark would likely speak to Arya and convince her to go with Domeric.
"No, no, no. Don't do that. I want to go to Dreadfort. But can I take Nymeria and Lady with me? I don't want to leave them behind," Arya said quickly, as if afraid Domeric might change his mind and leave her behind.
"Lady? Sansa's direwolf? Doesn't she plan to take it with her to King's Landing?" Domeric asked.
But in truth, he knew the answer to his question very well. Sansa had sent word to Domeric this morning, through Layra, asking if there was a way to bring Lady to the Dreadfort.
Domeric had then spoken to the Imposter Mannequin, impersonating Sansa, with the System's Companion feature and told her to leave Lady in Arya's care rather than take her to King's Landing.
But despite knowing all this, he still played along and acted surprised.
"Sansa said this morning that Lady would not be welcome in King's Landing and asked me to look after her. So, I do not want to leave her here while I go to the Dreadfort," Arya said.
"I see. Well, that's not a problem for me. You can bring Nymeria and Lady with you. There are many direwolves in Dreadfort. They can make friends there. But tonight is our last night in Winterfell. We leave tomorrow. So, you need to get ready today and say goodbye to everyone," Domeric said.
He was planning to send word to Lord Stark and Arya during supper tonight, but since they'd met, it wouldn't hurt to mention it now.
"Oh. Okay. I'll go get ready right away." Arya said, turned around, and started running towards the main keep.
Arya seemed quite excited about going to Dreadfort, and that put Domeric's mind at ease. He vividly remembered, from his stay with the Dursleys in his previous life, what it felt like to be forced to live somewhere he didn't want to be.
And frankly, he didn't want to subject any child to that feeling.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.275: Bandit Attack
Ch.276: 24 vs. 200
Ch.277: Arya Starts Making a List