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Robb Returns by The Dark Scribbler
 Books » A song of Ice and Fire Rated: K+, English, Fantasy & Adventure, Eddard S./Ned, Robb S., Theon G., Domeric B., Words: 627k+, Favs: 6k+, Follows: 6k+, Published: Jul 16, 2015 Updated: Sep 287,742Chapter 20
Jory
The day and a half that it took the Black Betha to get to White Harbour were bloody interminable, to use a word that he had once heard Old Luwin once use. The wind was brisk but there was only so much speed Ser Davos could get out of the ship. Jory spent the time watching the crew go about their business and worrying about his charge.
Fortunately he had Ser Davos himself to keep him company. The older man was quiet and calm and had a habit of speaking nothing but sense, leavened with a bit of good humour every now and then, as if he could sense just how tense Jory felt. Lord Baelish's man Mikon seemed to be the only villain on the ship – which was not to say that the crew were made up of good men.
"Oh, some would slit your throat for the right price," Ser Davos had told him the previous morning. "But they're loyal to me. See, they know me. Sailed with me. Gods help them, they trust me. And for the most part they're good lads. They'll get us to White Harbour safe, believe me."
And they had. Jory could see the white walls now in the distance as the ship cracked briskly along, with one of Ser Davos's sons at the tiller as his father kept an eye on the sails. Little Robert Arryn was next to him, solemnly pointing out things like black-headed gulls and the odd strangely-shaped whitecap that reminded the boy of something funny.
That was the other thing. The boy had, well, not started the trip well. He had clung to Annah, the one person that he really knew on the ship and had spent a lot of time wailing for his mother and complaining about the smells. He'd also had one of his shaking fits, which Annah had dealt with matter-of-factly. And then Ser Davos had somehow worked his spell on the little boy. He'd been quiet and matter of fact – not gruff, just quietly informative. He'd told the little lordling what the new birds were, how the ship sailed, what at least some of the smells were (others had been glossed over), what some of the knots were called and above all some of the safer sea shanties. And young Robert Arryn had been coaxed a little out of his shell.
He looked to one side. Annah was watching Ser Davos and his stern little guest with a fond smile on her face and her arms crossed under that bosom of hers. He looked away. He had more important things than that to worry about. White Harbour awaited.
The moment that the ship tied up at the main wharf Ser Davos sent word to Lord Wyman Manderly about the identity of his passengers and within the hour an honour guard led by Ser Wendel Manderly, second son of Lord Manderly, was at the wharf, ready to escort them all to the New Castle. Ser Davos joined them for the ride up, which was fast and nervous on Jory's part. He did not trust as easily as he had before and he knew it. Which was both a good thing and a bad thing. He needed to be alert and yet not a paranoid fool.
Lord Manderly was in the main hall and was still as huge as ever and as jolly – but Jory had always had a shrewd suspicion that there was something more to the man than just a fat jolly loyal man. And that suspicion was proved that day. Lord Manderly had welcomed the little lordling with just the right amount of deference mixed with joviality, quickly putting the tired little boy at his ease.
Whilst one of Lord Wyman's grandchildren (the one with greenish hair for some reason) played with young Robert in the corner of the hall, Jory, Ser Davos and Annah all clustered around Lord Manderly. "Lord Stark sent word of your coming and I shall send ravens to Winterfell and King's Landing to tell of your safe arrival," he told them quietly. "But I was most alarmed to hear of the man on your ship Ser Davos. And you said that you had word on who this man worked for?"
Ser Davos coughed gently. "Lord Petyr Baelish," he told the Lord of White Harbour quietly.
Lord Manderly absorbed this piece of information with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Interesting," he said softly. "And most worrying." He seemed to mull things over for a moment and then he nodded. "My son Ser Wendel will escort you to Winterfell with two dozen of my most trusted men. I doubt that Littlefinger has too many men here in the North but I am not going to take any chances. Not with the only heir of Lord Arryn in my hall."
"Thank you my Lord," Jory said, feeling a little of the worry leach away. "That would be right noble of you."
"It would indeed Lord Manderly," Ser Davos rumbled. "I must return to King's Landing and report this all to Lord Stannis."
"Please give him my regards," Lord Manderly replied, still visibly thinking. "And tell him that I will do my duty to Lord Arryn by the escort to Winterfell. What will you do with Littlefinger's man?"
"My sons Dale and Allard are watching over him. I trust my crew, but every port has factors and merchants and, erm-"
"Spies, Ser Davos. Spies and ne-er-do-wells. I admit that freely. Every port has them. And the Fingers are not too far away. I would be surprised if Littlefinger does not have anyone in this city in his pocket. And we shall not take that chance."
"Your pardon my Lord," Annah piped up, "But before we leave White Harbour we must visit an apothecary. Young Lord Robert's medicine for his falling sickness was knocked over the voyage and half of it was lost."
"I know of an apothecary here in White Harbour my Lord," Ser Davos stated quietly. "I must sail on the next tide after we finish provisioning, so mayhaps we should do that at once."
"Aye," Lord Manderly said and then waved a hand at them. "Off with you then. Jory Cassel, please stay and guard the Young Eagle."
Jory had little intention of letting young Robert Arryn out of his sight any time soon, but still nodded and said all the right words. He had given Lord Arryn his word that he would see his son safely to Winterfell and he would damn well keep that word. So he watched Ser Davos and Annah as they hurried out and then turned his attention back to the hall, where the little lordling was now listening sleepily to a gentle tale of boats on the sea, as told by Lord Manderly himself. He smiled as the boy slowly subsided onto his side and was then gently wrapped up in a blanket by the girl with the green hair, before Willets carefully took him to his room. Jory followed and then nodded at the man as he left, leaving him to guard the door.
He minded not the wait. He had stood guard before and he welcomed the time to think. Thwe escort to Winterfell would be a good thing, but it would add to the complexities of the trip. Inns would have to be taken over, shelter found. The North was a hard land and any man who took travelling over it lightly was a fool. A dead fool. And so he stood and guarded and measured the distances and times that lay ahead of them with his mind.
It was just an hour or so later that he heard hurried steps to one side and he turned his head to see Willets again, with one of Lord Manderly's men. "Lord Manderly requests your immediate presence in the hall," the latter panted. "It is most urgent."
Jory frowned, nodded at Willets, who assumed his place and then followed the man to the hall, where he found Ser Davos and Annah once again next to Lord Manderly. The Lord of White Harbour waved him over the moment that he noticed him. As he approached the trio he could feel the tension surrounding them. Ser Davos looked worried, Lord Manderly was scowling and Annah – well, she was straight of back, white of face and furious of countenance.
"Jory Cassel," Lord Manderly barked as he approached, his chins wobbling, "Your counsel is needed."
He frowned. "On what matter?"
"On… the matter of the medicine of young Robert Arryn," Ser Davos said in a low voice. "When we reached the apothecary he said that he could discern what medicine it was with but a few sniffs. When he did so he frowned and then he sneezed and then, well, he blew his nose and accused us of some dissemblance. That the medicine was anything but."
Jory felt his eyebrows fly up. "It is not medicine?"
"Nay," Ser Davos said, still as quietly as before, "It is not. It is a combination of chalk and some metallic powder the name of which escapes me. The apothecary said that too much of it acts as a poison. And that over time it can provoke fits of fainting or shaking."
Jory stared at the group in horror. His first reaction was to think that Baelish's man Mikon had been able to replace the medicine with poison. And then his second reaction was to blink hard and then stare at Annah. "Over time it can provoke fits of fainting or shaking? Where did you get it from?"
"Lady Arryn." Annah said the words in a cold fury. "Lady Arryn gave me the medicine. She said that it had been 'recommended' for her son. 'Recommended'! I would like to meet the rogue who recommended that! Meet and geld the man!"
Jory rubbed his forehead in bewilderment. "This makes little if any sense," he said with a groan. "Unless… someone wants Lord Arryn's son to be dependent on that poison?"
The others looked at him and he knew that he had the right of it. "So we must stop giving him the medicine?"
"No," said Annah with a sigh. "Apparently it is best that we diminish the dosage step by step. By the time that we reach Winterfell he should be free of it."
"I will return to King's Landing as soon as possible," Ser Davos said between gritted teeth. "Lord Arryn must know of this."
"And I will increase your escort to fifty men," Lord Manderly said tersely. "Get that boy safe to Winterfell Jory Cassel. Get him safely there."
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