Chapter 151 — Robb Stark, King in the North
Sansa vaguely remembered that on that night…
she had dreamed of kissing her knight once again.
Even now, days later, she could still feel that lingering warmth on her lips—
soft, moist, unforgettable.
That lively little "fish" still seemed to dance teasingly across her tongue.
Or perhaps…
it hadn't been a dream at all.
And so, along the journey, she kept her head covered beneath her cloak, returning once more to the composed, proper lady Arya remembered.
But what truly made Sansa shy wasn't that.
It was…
what she discovered the next morning.
A faint stain between her legs.
Sticky.
When she secretly checked while tending to herself—
it was blood.
Panic seized her heart instantly, filling her with fear.
But as the daughter of a great noble house, she quickly remembered what it meant.
If she were still in King's Landing, she would have been terrified and helpless.
Because it would mean she would soon be married to Joffrey—
and she had no desire to share a bed with him.
But now…
she was in the Riverlands.
On the road home.
Guarded by the moonlit knight sent by the gods.
And she had found her sister again.
"If it were him…"
"Ah—Sansa, what are you even thinking?!"
Her face flushed like a ripe apple, and she pulled her cloak even lower to hide it.
Walking beside her, Arya still looked as scruffy as ever with her shaved, uneven head.
A large, luxurious feathered cloak—woven in red and green—draped over her shoulders.
Inside it, wrapped snugly, was a small child peeking out curiously at the world.
The cloak belonged to Jalabhar Xho.
So did the horse Arya was riding.
This "servant" of Podrick had now been reduced to leading horses in front of a Stark lady.
Fortunately, he had Gendry for company.
The two of them chatted and joked along the way, making the journey less dull.
Arya, meanwhile, kept glancing at Sansa with suspicion.
Her sister had been acting strange these past few days.
But there was little time to dwell on it.
Whenever Arya asked, Sansa only blushed furiously and scolded her—
saying she should have paid attention during Septa Mordane's lessons instead of dozing off.
And whenever Sansa thought of Septa Mordane…
she couldn't help but remember the sight—
of her head mounted on a spike beside their father's.
Her eyes reddened again.
Arya, on the other hand, was completely baffled.
Up ahead, Podrick Payne, leading the group, paid no attention to Sansa's unusual behavior.
He rode forward, scanning the terrain carefully, trying to orient himself.
"It should be just ahead… if Robb hasn't moved on yet…"
As he spoke, he swung his sword, cutting down the tall grass before him.
And suddenly—
a vast expanse of shimmering lake appeared.
The disturbance startled a flock of black swans drifting upon the water.
Under the morning sun, the lake gleamed brilliantly—
like sheets of gold leaf spread across its surface.
It stretched endlessly into the distance, like a piece of sky fallen to earth, occupying half the world.
"Truly breathtaking…"
"A scene worthy of poetry—clear waters shimmering in sunlight, misty mountains cloaked in rain."
A moist breeze brushed across Podrick's face.
The scent of lakewater mixed with fresh grass filled his lungs, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
The waters of the Gods Eye lapped gently against the shore.
Thick brambles grew along the banks, alongside reeds swaying softly in the wind.
And not far from the water—
on a patch of open ground—
stood a rough, makeshift camp.
It seemed he wasn't the only one who had chosen this place.
At last, having reached their destination,
Podrick's lips curled into a faint smile.
What entered Podrick's sight was a camp.
Smoke rose from clusters of campfires, and a large banner fluttered loudly in the wind—
upon it was a silver-grey direwolf racing across a white snowy field.
That was the sigil of House Stark of Winterfell.
One of the most powerful "Great Houses" of the Seven Kingdoms, and the ruling house of the North.
They held vast lands, with countless bannermen.
Their words—"Winter is Coming."
Beneath that banner, many other banners also flew.
A grey-green field with a black lizard-lion—House Reed of Greywater Watch.
A bear standing in a green forest—House Mormont of Bear Island.
A white sunburst on a black field—House Karstark of Karhold.
And House Tully of Riverrun, with a silver trout leaping across red and blue stripes.
Besides these, there were many more—
far more than Podrick had expected.
"Look at that direwolf banner… and besides the Northern houses, there are also banners from the Riverlands."
"It seems we didn't go the wrong way. Robb Stark should be there."
As Podrick stopped, Sansa and the others stepped forward, their eyes fixed on the direwolf banner shining under the morning light.
The sisters' vision blurred with tears.
They had finally found it.
The distance wasn't far.
Perhaps because the camp had only just been set up, or simply because no one expected danger near the shore of the Gods Eye—
Podrick and his group were only noticed after walking along the lakeside and pushing through the grass.
"Who goes there?!"
Bows were drawn, and weapons were unsheathed.
The patrol that encountered them seemed to have just left the camp and immediately ran into Podrick.
Fortunately, seeing that there were women among them, they didn't attack right away.
There were more than ten riders, surrounding them with tense expressions.
Faced with their questioning, Podrick did not immediately give his name.
Instead, he pointed behind him—toward Sansa, who had kept her hood on for days.
"Please inform Robb Stark."
"Tell him his sisters have returned home."
Calling the King in the North by name caused some dissatisfaction among the riders.
But upon hearing those words, they were immediately shocked, their gazes turning toward where Podrick pointed.
Sansa lifted her hood, revealing her auburn hair and clear blue eyes.
Her delicate features, inherited from House Tully, made her unmistakable.
One of the riders recognized her.
"Sansa… Sansa Stark?!"
"It really is you!"
Shock turned into joy almost instantly.
"It is me…"
Sansa nodded, holding back her tears.
"Is my brother Robb in the camp behind you?"
Before the man could respond, another figure squeezed forward.
Wrapped in a red-and-green feathered cloak, looking like a strange, colorful bird, the scruffy "boy" shouted excitedly—
"And me!"
"I'm Arya Stark! Tell my brother I've come home too!"
The patrol leader stared for a moment before finally recognizing her.
"…Welcome back, Lady Arya."
Though his expression remained somewhat strange.
The return of the patrol with people quickly drew attention.
Especially when someone rushed to the king's tent shouting that his sisters had returned—
the entire camp was stirred.
In the end, Robb Stark personally came to receive them at the camp entrance.
But once inside the tent, only three remained:
Podrick Payne, Jalabhar Xho, and Gendry.
The three girls were quickly sent away to be cleaned and taken care of.
After all, Arya's current state was… too dirty.
Inside the tent, Robb Stark was visibly overjoyed.
But looking at Podrick, he suddenly seemed to recall something.
"My apologies… may I know your name, my honored guest?"
"On behalf of House Stark, I thank you for what you've done…"
His expression stiffened slightly.
Only now did he realize he hadn't asked the name of the man who returned his sisters.
He rubbed his hands awkwardly, his face slightly red.
At his feet, his direwolf let out a low whine.
Podrick withdrew his gaze from the wolf and answered calmly:
"My name is Podrick Payne."
The moment the name was spoken—
the tent fell silent.
Podrick Payne.
The name alone meant little.
The Payne family was not particularly important.
But when combined with that first name—
it had already become widely known.
The fall of King's Landing.
The battle at the river gate.
And the man who stood alone against an army—
those stories had spread across the Seven Kingdoms.
Podrick Payne.
The man who blocked the gate alone and fought his way out of Randyll Tarly's encirclement.
Even storytellers would not dare write such things.
Yet they were true.
And now—
that person was sitting before them.
The man who had disappeared after that battle—
now appeared again, and had brought back the Stark sisters.
Silence filled the tent.
Podrick frowned slightly, feeling uncomfortable under their gazes.
"…Is something wrong?"
Robb Stark leaned forward, eyes fixed on him.
"…Are you truly Ser Podrick Payne?"
"Yes."
Podrick replied simply.
"…Why?"
"…Nothing… I'm just… surprised."
Robb took a breath and composed himself.
"Ser Payne, I am deeply grateful."
"But…"
His expression grew serious.
"You once served the Lannisters."
"So why… return my sisters?"
"This is no different from betraying your vows."
Podrick understood.
He shrugged slightly.
"Because I heard Sansa praying in the godswood."
"And I promised her."
Then he added casually:
"As for Arya… I just picked her up along the way."