Chapter 49: As Darkness Approaches

3rd Month of 299 A.C. Winterfell

Lord Benjen Stark

The nightmares were growing stronger, as they always did around this time of year. Visions of a bloodied bed, and a dark hand, of a woman screaming in pain as a man raped her, these were the visions and dreams, nightmares Benjen Stark had to suffer through. Constantly waking up half convinced that they were happening right in front of him, he always awoke with blood on the sheets and his body drenched in sweat, and he was never sure how to handle that, or how to explain it. His wife knew how to handle it though, she always had, but she was in Barrowton now, safe and sound, away from those who might do them harm, at least he hoped she was, there were times when he wondered if they had made the right decision doing as they had done regarding the Ryswells and the Dustins, still it was better to do that than to be sorry later. Taking a drink of water, Benjen looks at the two ladies sat before him and marvels at how strong they both are, Catelyn is still grieving, but she is not lost to her grief as she might've been, and Wynafryd, the new Lady of Winterfell looks strong and healthy after a difficult birth.

He puts his cup down and speaks. "As I am sure you both know, word has come from the north, from the wall. It appears that Lord Commander Mormont is dead, truly dead, and that the brothers of the Night's Watch are to hold an election to choose his replacement."

"I had thought we had ascertained that many moons ago, why is it coming back to this now?" Lady Wynafryd asks.

Benjen sighs slightly. "We had thought he was dead my lady, and we were acting as if he were, but there were parts of our group that hoped he remained alive. Mormont was a strong man, and he knew how to fight, whoever they choose as his replacement will not be anywhere near as good as he was."

His nephew's wife looks at him curiously then. "So what are you suggesting then my lord? Are you suggesting that the wildlings will stand a greater chance of breaching the wall now, than they did before?"

For a moment he considers lying to her, but he knows that that will do nothing, he will need to return home soon, and he would rather have both his niece by marriage and his goodsister prepared for what might happen. And so with this in mind he says. "Yes. Mormont was a rock who kept the warring factions together, and ensured that their rivalries did not spill over into out right fighting, but Mallister and Pyke have never liked one another, and their men's loyalty was always to them not to the watch itself. Thorne is not a leader, a fighter certainly, but not a leader. I do not know, but I have a feeling this might well have been engineered into happening."

Lady Catelyn speaks then. "What do you mean by that Benjen? Surely you cannot think that someone within the watch is working with the wildlings? I had thought they despised one another?"

Benjen looks at his goodsister and smiles sadly. "I think that was once true, but there have been reports coming through from our sources there, that there is a group who thinks that the wildlings should be let in. The Watch is not what it used to be, it cannot stand against whatever host Rayder sends against it without aid. We cannot lose our resources here, not with Balon Greyjoy coming close to our coasts once more. As such, Umber must make sure that his lands are secured, otherwise there will be trouble once more."

He hates the look of fear that crosses his goodsister's face then, but before she can speak, Lady Wynafryd speaks. "How likely is it then that the wildlings might cross in full force? How many of them are under Mance Rayder's banner, do we know?"

Benjen shakes his head. "I am not sure of how many there are, but I do know that the time is coming where something will soon need to be done there."

"An expedition north?" his goodsister asks.

"If it comes down to it, perhaps." Benjen says simply.

A heavy silence falls over them then, and in that silence Benjen finds himself wondering whether or not he and Ned have underestimated the wildlings, he told Ned everything he had learned when he was in Lorath, but he wonders if perhaps they should have done more about it. There were times when he felt as if they were simply taking their time over it, and not really acting as they perhaps could have done. Now he wonders if this is their comeuppance for that. Shaking his head, he focuses when Lady Wynafryd asks. "What do you know about Edric Stark my lord?"

Benjen looks at the Lady of Winterfell in surprise then, and asks. "Why do you ask my lady?"

He notes the look that passes between her and his goodsister, and he wonders at it. "I saw something when I was looking through the archives a few days ago that caught my eye and I was wondering if you might explain it."

Stealing himself for the questions that are to come he says. "Certainly, if it is within my power to do so I shall try."

The Lady of Winterfell is silent for a moment as if sizing him up, eventually she speaks, and her voice is calm. "What happened to him? His brother Jonnel was named Lord of Winterfell and died before the Blackfyre rebellion, but there is no mention of him as Lord of Winterfell during that rebellion or after. Where did he go?"

Benjen remembers a conversation he had once long ago with a man in Lorath, a man whose family has returned to Winterfell, whilst he remained in Essos, he swallows nervously and then speaks, fighting to keep his voice calm. "He rebelled against his brother, he believed that his wife was the rightful ruler of Winterfell, and whilst Lord Jonnel was Lord Cregan's oldest surviving son, Edric's wife was Lord Cregan's oldest son's heir, and so the fighting began. Lord Jonnel died during that war, and then the Blackfyre rebellion happened, and Edric was killed and his brother was named Lord of Winterfell."

"And what of his children? He had two sons did he not where did they go?" Wynafryd asks.

Benjen thinks on this question for a moment, an image of burning and his nightmares coming to the forefront of his mind, hesitantly he says. "They disappeared, where they went none know, though there were rumours that they travelled east to lands that would suit their purposes, there are some who argue that they ended up with the Golden Company and the exiled Blackfyres, but I do not know for sure, none do. Why do you ask my lady?"

His nephew's wife looks at him for a moment and then says. "Because this note was left in my rooms yesterday and I wanted to know more about who might have sent it." Wynafryd puts the note on the table before them, and Benjen picks it up and reads it quickly, feeling his breath hitch when he finishes it.

"Do you know who left it in your rooms my lady?" he asks quickly.

"I do not, no my lord, what do you think it means?" his nephew's wife asks.

Benjen thinks for a moment before replying and once he has thought of a decent answer he replies. "I think that we must double the number of guards on your rooms, both of you, as well as Rickon. We cannot allow anyone to enter your rooms without your express permission."

"Why?" his goodsister asks. "What is the matter Benjen?"

Benjen looks at his goodsister and asks her. "Have you read the note?"

His goodsister shakes her head. "I did not even know there was a note until just now."

"Read it." Benjen says handing the note to his goodsister, and watching as she reads the note and her features slacken.

She looks at him and says. "I agree Benjen, we must double the guard, and must prevent anyone from entering or leaving without our express permission."

"Why, what is so damning about this note? It is not a threat." Wynafryd says.

Benjen looks at his nephew's wife and says. "It is not a threat, not directly at least, but you must not leave here, not now."

"Why?" his nephew's wife asks.

Benjen looks at his goodsister and is relieved when she replies. "Because the people who sent this note are the same people who attacked Arya."

"How do you know?" Wynafryd asks.

"Because their sigil is the same." Benjen says pointing to the wolf skulls on the crest at the top of the note.

He watches as Wynafryd's skin pales, her voice is soft when she asks. "What will you do?"

"I will head south, I must gather men and I must check our borders. I will return before the moon is out." Benjen says, standing then, as the two ladies stand he nods to them before walking out of the room and toward the stables, calling out to his men as he goes. Soon enough he has some two hundred men mounted and ready to leave. His son Torrhen had begged to leave, but he told him to remain, where he is going, and with what is happening he does not want his son there. As the gates open he looks at the two ladies standing there watching, he nods his head and calls out. "I will be back before the moon returns." With that he digs his heels into his mount and leads the party of men southwards.

It does not take long after they have left Winterfell for Benjen to begin feeling slightly uneasy, the lands of the Tallharts fade into the distance, and the feeling of uneasiness only continues to grow, he barks out commands to his men making them get into formation, when arrows come whirring down from out of nowhere. Benjen watches as his men are struck down unable to fight foes they cannot see, calling a halt to his march he roars out. "Come out you cowards, and fight like actual men."

There is no answer though Benjen had not expected there to be, instead the arrows continue to rain down onto his men, somehow they miss him, but he thinks that that might not be by accident. He remembers the discoveries that Ned had made long ago, about there being others out there, and he remembers the horrors of that night long ago, when innocents bled and the sky wept red with fire. He knows who has come, and he knows now that the time for speaking is over. He bellows a command and leads a charge through the hail of arrows towards the trees where the archers are hiding, swords drawn he and his men cut down the archers who are out of arrows, and then he leads them to the heart of the encampment and finds himself staring at a monster.

"So you have come then, Benjen Stark. Of the false line." The figure says his voice gruff.

"And you have returned from your hell have you? What do you want?" Benjen replies.

The figure moves forward then, a longsword in their hand. "I have come to claim what is rightfully mine. What you stole from me. What your family stole from me."

"My brother told you that it was not yours, it was never yours." Benjen growls in response.

The figure laughs, cutting down more and more of Benjen's men as he comes closer to Benjen, eventually the man is standing right in front of his horse, staring at him with hate filled eyes. "It was always ours, and now you will not be there to see it become mine again. Now, time for you to die."

Benjen feels the sword cut through his horse, and he manages to leap off before he is crushed, but in the fall an arrow hits him, and another, and another, he manages to stagger up, swaying he rushes toward the figure, but his sword is not there, and he is running at a monster, and monsters always win.