Chapter 17

The raid had done more damage than a few hundred men. A lack of sleep and the late return of those who DID come back meant that Theon and his army got a late start to the day. By the time they were making camp again, it felt like they'd made absolutely no progress at all, though their Night's Watch guides assured Theon they had. The lands beyond the Wall all looked the same to the King in the North. It grated at him, knowing his sister was somewhere, hopefully close by, yet still out of his reach.

And then these… Daughters of Ayla came again in the night. There were less of them this time, perhaps only a thousand and they took less too. But once more, all of the sentries were grabbed, even though Theon had doubled their numbers. When the disappearances were finally discovered, Theon led his men out into the cold. They found no one. Where ever the wildling women were taking their men, it was not a place that could be found by wandering about in forest in the middle of the night.

Less men came back in the morning this time, far less. They could not speak of where they had gone, as it seemed they'd been blindfolded at some point on the way. They came back without their weapons as well, but shamefully enough, it wasn't until the next night that Theon realized what that meant. The next night, with the entire camp on high alert and everyone ready to be taken by wildling women for nefarious purposes… the Daughters of Ayla hit their supplies instead.

Food, water, clothes, weapons. Most importantly, dragonglass. All of their sentries had been armed with dragonglass weapons of some sort as well and on both days, those that returned did so without the precious material. Just like that, Theon's army was in jeopardy. The young Lord Commander was counseling at least a temporary return to the Wall. Not only were they now low on food and water to feed men numbering in the tens of thousands, the damn wenches had carried away half of their dragonglass, which was already in short supply.

Theon would not hear of turning back though. Not without his sister, not without Lyanna. They had to push on, even as he heard the men grumble and glare at him behind his back. The Hungry Wolf didn't care, so long as they didn't show their insubordination to his face. And those that did quickly learned why he was King fucking Stark.

His titles and what not did not help him here though. Their issues continued to crop up as they tried to push further north along the Milkwater. The Lord Commander assured him that the Wildling City and the site of the battle that had killed his predecessor was getting closer by the day. Theon believed the young man, if only because as they got further north, the Daughters of Ayla seemed to almost grow more desperate in their attacks.

Theon didn't quite understand that they weren't getting desperate, they were getting bolder. While it was still a minor portion of his men, the number of deserters, or at least those that did not come back from their nightly 'kidnappings', increased by the day. A man who was kidnapped more than once was more likely to not return and when Theon heard boastful tales from some about how more than one woman would come to them if they were 'exceptional', he'd seen red and outlawed such talk in the camps.

Yet, despite holding his dragonglass dagger to his side each night, the female White Walker, this Ayla that the wildling women worshipped as a Goddess, never returned. That didn't help him sleep any better, as when he did he inevitably dreamed about her touch and the feeling of their coupling. It was shameful, this betrayal of his lady wife and their coming child. In the end, Theon barely slept at all as a result of this.

That only led to the Hungry Wolf growing shorter and shorter with his men. The ban on speaking of their 'nightly encounter' with the women of the forest did not help either. King Stark was fraying at all ends and even those who had followed him loyally across an entire sea were beginning to worry. Those that had merely answered the call to meet at the Wall were another case altogether.

The first desertion came from the Tallharts and took two thousand men from Theon's army. The bastards made sure to leave when the fucking wildlings were making another raid to, so Theon didn't even get to chop off any heads for the betrayal. When they left, it began to spell the end, but the Stark King was too stubborn to admit it. He continued to travel along the Milkwater and routinely commented that the less men they had weighing them down, the faster they could move.

To say that Theon Stark was losing his mind might have been a bit premature… but not to the men who no longer wished to follow him into this insanity. At the very least, Theon could count on the Night's Watch. Those men had not deserted and though the young Lord Commander counseled calmly about returning to the Wall to reassess, Theon knew the man was not a coward.

The Night's Watch was loyal, of that, Theon could be sure. They would follow him to the end of the world to kill White Walkers and wildlings. Soon, he would find this wildling city and together, they would raze it to the ground. That would no doubt rejuvenate his men and raise moral. The supplies of such a place would also be a welcome boon. Once the city was put down, Theon could turn his army towards finding his sister. She had to be close by, especially if the wildlings were worshipping the White Walkers as deities now.

Theon knew he'd find Lyanna soon. He'd stick his dragonglass dagger into Rickar's heart and perhaps the heart of Rickar's father as well for good measure. Then, he would take his sister back to Winterfell. Everything would be fine. Everything would be just fine…

And then, two weeks into the madness, Ayla returned.

-x-X-x-

Driving the Stark King crazy was certainly an enjoyable affair, but one that Ayla wasn't too sure could continue on for much longer. At this point, her little 'army' was nearly equal to Theon Stark's remaining forces. She supposed it probably helped that the Daughters of Ayla did not chase after the thousands of men deserting his army. She always sent scouts to make sure the fuckers were actually going back to the Wall and their lands, but so far the freezing, starving Northmen hadn't diverted from their path back down south.

Still, at this point there really wasn't a reason to harass an army that was almost not an army. After all, she had the loyalty of a thousand of Theon's men already and he didn't even know it, didn't even seem to realize it. Was the Stark King so blind that he did not realize the Night's Watch had been helping her and her Daughters from the beginning?

It certainly seemed so. The thousand brothers of the Night's Watch that Theon was using as guides were the only ones to not betray his cause. A couple hundred had been taken to keep things from looking suspicious, but the 'crows' always returned the next morning. Not a single black cloaked man had taken the Daughters of Ayla up on their 'offer'.

But then, of course they hadn't. The so-called Night's Watch were in fact wildlings. The men they took enjoyed the lay, but when morning came, both man and woman knew that their duty was with their God and Goddess. It amused Ayla to no end that Theon mistook a loyalty to her father for a loyalty to himself.

The only real irritant was that boyish Lord Commander urging the Stark King to return to the Wall. That wasn't something Ayla wanted right now. But it was probably what her father wanted for whatever reason, so she left it alone. Still, with much of the camp emptied of dragonglass and Theon's army diminished, Ayla had decided it was time for another all out 'attack'.

Just about ten thousand wildling women had assembled. The 'Night's Watch' was in position to assist once more. And Ayla… Ayla was ready to take advantage of the confusion. As her girls moved into position and took down their targets, Ayla snuck up to the King's tent the same way she had before and slipped inside. Theon looked to be asleep and she crept ever closer, glowing blue eyes sparkling as she smiled wickedly.

She reached for him… and that's when the human acted. His eyes snapped open and his arm came up, not trapped within his furs like last time. In it was probably the last piece of dragonglass in the entire camp, a dagger that Theon had kept close to his person for this very purpose. The blade slices through the air and quite suddenly, Ayla is missing a finger. A cry of agony leaves her throat as she falls to her knees, purple blood leaking from the stump as she quickly covers it up to staunch the bleeding.

Theon Stark rises from his bed and looms over her, bloody dagger in hand and glinting in the torchlight. He stares down at her with an unreadable expression on his face and she looks up at him with pain and anger and rage in her eyes.

"You know where my sister is, don't you?"

Ayla glares in silence and Theon puts the blade to her throat, causing her to tilt her head back away from it. She hisses out a one-word response.

"Yes."

"And you will take me to her."

Ayla presses her lips tightly together for a moment and considers the ramifications of such an action. Considering her father didn't tell her to do what she'd been doing, it made sense that he'd have his own plans in place. Hell, he probably wanted Theon to come to him. Might have even expected it before now but thanks to her, the King in the North had been… delayed.

"Yes. I will take you to her."

A rather feral grin spreads across Theon Stark's face. It's not all that sane and Ayla can't help but be a bit pleased by just how far she's pushed the man, even as agonizing as the loss of her finger was. Reaching out, he grabs her by the hair. Ayla allows him to drag her to her feet, mostly because he keeps the dragonglass blade at her throat as he does so, until eventually he has her pressed up against his chest and is pushing her forward.

"Walk. Those of my men you HAVEN'T taken yet this night will want to see our new prize."

Gritting her teeth all the way, Ayla does as she's told and together they both stumble out of Theon's tent.

"MEN OF THE NORTH! TO ME! RALLY TO ME! SEE THE FACE OF OUR ENEMY!"

Ayla's glowing blue eyes gaze out around the much-emptied camp even as men begin to approach, slowly but surely. Her eyes widen, but not in fear as she notices one thing in particular about the men that her Daughters have left behind this night. Theon notices it too, even as a young Lord Commander steps out from amongst a thousand crows and bows his head to the Stark King.

"Your Grace. Is that…?"

Theon grins ferally.

"Oh yes. This is one of them. A White Walker. More beautiful than she has any right to be, but a monster nonetheless. She'll lead us to my sister. Yet… is it truly only crows that were not taken this night?"

And indeed, that is what his eyes might suggest. Ayla is grinning now in delight, thankful that Theon cannot see it. Even with the dragonglass dagger to her throat, she has never felt more in a position of strength as the young Lord Commander responds with a regretful tone.

"Unfortunately so your Grace. While the wildling women that follow that one took many, it seems that the Boltons also used the opportunity to desert in the middle of the commotion. As you well know, they were three thousand strong."

Theon lets out a curse and shakes his head.

"Once I have my sister back, I will take my revenge on all those that abandoned me up here in this frigid place. Craven, the lot of them. Still, I trust no one more than the Night's Watch with the handling of this monster. Bring forth rope and lots of it. Her kind are stronger than twenty men put together, I know that from experience."

Ayla stays still as the rope is brought forward. She even stays still as she ends up wrapped in it. Theon does not pull the dragonglass dagger away from her neck until he is sure that she is completely and utterly secure. Then he kicks her into the waiting Lord Commander's arms… and is promptly ambushed by the brothers all around him.

The Hungry Wolf's eyes bulge in surprise as he's quickly disarmed and forced to his knees by a number of crows. He shouts in outrage, but nobody pays him any mind, least of all Ayla, who gives the Lord Commander a pretty smile as he quickly begins to untie her. She likes the way his cheeks are flushed and his eyes will not meet hers. It's been a while since a boy showed such an obvious crush on her.

"I apologize Goddess, I did not wish to leave you in his hands for so long, but I feared for your life."

"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?! WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Ayla ignores Theon for a moment longer to throw the young man who has technically saved her life a bone. She runs her uninjured hand down the side of his face and leans in to place a chaste kiss across his brow.

"You did well darling. My father will be quite proud of you."

The shudder that goes through the Lord Commander could be called orgasmic. Ayla isn't sure if it's due to her or due to the mention of her father's approval though. In the end, she doesn't care. Her attention goes back to Theon and she stalks over to him, a smile on her face even as she finally manages to wrap her bleeding stump in cloth so that the purple blood stops flowing from it.

Theon is panting heavily now, his voice growing quiet as she approaches. Her smile just grows into a wide smirk.

"You… you witch. You've taken control of them, all of them. How? How did you do this?!"

Ayla just laughs and backhands the King in the North across the face.

"That was for calling me a monster you fuck. I didn't bewitch anyone Theon Stark. Look around and realize the truth that's been in front of you this whole fucking time. These aren't the Night's Watch. They're fucking wildlings! While you were off across the sea raiding with my brother, my father had the old Night's Watch destroyed and replaced. And no one in the North even knows!"

Then, she leans down and grabs his face, her lips smashing against his own and her tongue diving down his throat before Theon can even react. When Ayla pulls back, Theon is wide eyed and breathing even heavier than before. Her smirk becomes a suggestive grin.

"And that was for calling me beautiful. Finally showed some bite, didn't you King Stark? I was beginning to fear you were all bark, but in the end, you do have teeth. Amusing."

Gritting said teeth, Theon glares up at the female White Walker he'd held captive moments before.

"What do you plan to do with me, monster?"

Ayla's nostrils flare at that, but in the end, she keeps her smile on her face.

"Do with you? Why, I'm going to do exactly what you asked of me, O' King in the North. I'm going to take you to your sister."

Theon's eyes widen fractionally but Ayla has already turned away from him, back towards the Lord Commander.

"Send some of your men to my Daughters. Tell them that plans have changed. They may keep any Northmen that they can seduce away, but the rest must be released. You and your crows will be here when they return. Theon Stark was stolen in the night and when he does not come back… well, I trust you can convince those that remain to go home. If not, let them hunt for him for a few days and THEN take them back to the Wall."

"… Goddess, what about you? Surely you do not expect to travel to your father alone with this man? You need an honor guard."

Ayla glances back at Theon and sees the beginning of a plan in his eyes, as if he truly thinks he could take her once they're alone together. Best to just disabuse him of the notion now though. With her smirk still on her face, the female White Walker lifts her uninjured hand into the air and snaps her fingers. A moment later, the Free Folk in black cloaks all around her are startled as rotted corpses and skeletons shamble out of the trees around them and past them to gather before her in the center of the camp.

Theon Stark is transferred from living hands to undead ones, but he is just as secure if not more so.

"Not to worry my darling Lord Commander. Do try to remember that neither I nor any of my family are ever truly alone."

The young man nods solemnly, eyes shifting to the wights only once or twice. Theon isn't so reserved.

"GET THESE FUCKING THINGS OFF ME! I SAI-MMPH! MMMMRGGH!!"

Ayla rolls her eyes as she has one of the wights stuff a gag into Theon's mouth. Then, without another word to the 'Night's Watch', the female White Walker turns north and begins to move, her wights and their squirming, struggling cargo going along with her.

-x-X-x-

Lyanna the Younger had quickly discovered that the only person in this forsaken place that was worth speaking with was her ancestor. And so here she sat, watching the pregnant female White Walker do something she'd never have expected in a million years.

"You have a question child. Speak your mind."

Startled from her staring, Lady Lyanna blushes as Queen Lyanna looks up from her knitting with glowing blue eyes.

"I… it's just not what I would expect someone like you to be doing."

"To be fair dear, you've never met someone like me."

Lyanna the Elder had a point. Biting her lower lip, the young Stark blurted out the first thing that came too her mind.

"Do YOU want me to marry your son?"

There's a pause and then the Night Queen is setting down her knitting tools and letting out a sigh.

"No."

A simple, blunt answer. Lyanna the Younger continues to worry at her lower lip though.

"D-Does the Night King want it? W-Will he transform me into one of you against my will?"

"He might. I could not say one way or the other my dear. And for that, I am sorry."

A shuddering breath escapes her lips as the human girl stares down into her pale white hands, imagining them as a vibrant blue.

"What… what happened to you? Why are you the Night Queen? Why are you so loyal to the Night King? You have CHILDREN with him!"

The myths spoke of Brandon the Builder's sister only in passing. The histories were of two minds about her, but neither had spoken of this. According to the legends, either Lyanna Stark had sacrificed herself in some final battle in order for the Wall to be built, or Brandon the Builder had sacrificed her in order for the Wall to be built. The human Lyanna had always preferred the first story. But she'd never imagined THIS was the truth.

"That is quite a lot to answer… but you deserve honesty from me my child, so I will explain as best as I am able. The Night King stole me away at the end of the Long Night. I was not the only one, though I was the only human. Alongside me, he also took prisoner several Children of the Forest who had personally wronged him. They are all dead now, as torture and eventual execution was the fate he had planned for them from the beginning."

The Night Queen takes a moment to breathe, but Lyanna is riveted and stays silent as the female White Walker continues.

"My fate was not to be one of torture or death. Instead, the Night King had taken me for companionship, and ultimately, he transformed me into what you see before you now. I did not forgive him for quite a long time, but it is important to note that the very fact I COULD choose to not forgive him was a sign that he was not completely the monster we thought him. If the Night King so chooses, he can crush my mind and my will with a moment's thought. In two thousand years, he has never done this. He has also never forced me into his bed."

Another pause, though this time it looks as if the ethereal, ancient beauty is merely collecting his thoughts.

"It was… lonely up here in the North back then. I could not return home given my new form. My own brother or his descendants would have killed me without a second thought. And so, over time, I grew to accept my place at the side of the man who took me. What he did was not right and neither were my son's actions just, I assure you of that. And yet, two thousand years later, I have embraced my role as the Night Queen. And… I think I may love my King, as wrong as that sounds."

Lyanna doesn't know what to say to that. It's romantic… sort of? In a sense? She still doesn't want to marry the other Lyanna's son though. The human woman opens her mouth to say this, when Lyanna the Elder suddenly tenses up, her glowing blue eyes widening dramatically. She stands and her knitting falls to the floor forgotten as Lyanna the Younger stands with her.

"What? What is it?"

"… Your brother is coming."

For the briefest of moments, Lyanna is ecstatic. Then she realizes what that truly means. She is not idiotic and she is not blind. Squeezing her eyes shut, Lyanna asks a question she truly does not what the answer to.

"What… what will the Night King do to my brother and his army?"

"You misunderstand me child. Your brother does not approach with an army, nor does he come of his own free will. My daughter is bringing him to her father so that he may face judgment."

The Night Queen's response causes Lyanna to open her eyes and furrow her brow in confusion and worry.

"J-Judgment?! My brother has done nothing wrong! H-He even saved your son's life and returned him here from across the sea, as foolish as that was! You and your damn King have no right to judge my brother!"

The female White Walker suddenly turns on Lyanna and the Queen's glowing eyes seem far more menacing, far more monstrous than before as she looms over the suddenly frightened young woman. When the Night Queen speaks, it is with a frosty tone, the warmth and familiarity of before completely gone. This is more what Lyanna had expected.

"Your brother maimed my daughter with dragonglass Lyanna Stark. I would tell you to pray for him at a heart tree, but my King had them all destroyed. Perhaps you can try praying to him instead for your brother's salvation."

The ancient, pregnant evil turns and sweeps out of the room and Lyanna is left gaping after her in horror. She can't blame Theon for attacking a White Walker with dragonglass after all that's happened. She can easily imagine the circumstances that would lead him to do so.

That doesn't stop her from fearing for his life. The Night King had not seemed a particularly forgiving creature, the one time she'd interacted with him. Shivering from something more than cold, Lyanna Stark wraps her arms around her chest and squeezes her eyes shut. She doesn't know what to do. She doesn't know if there's anything she CAN do.

-x-X-x-

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