Chapter 4
Kyoshi finds herself in a void floating above the world before flying across the world quickly finding herself watching over two pale-haired teens
'The Mother' it whispers in a million voices before she is pulled into the earth appearing in a snowy forest, a black-haired boy and an older man who looks like him speaking.
'The warrior' itt whispers again before she is drawn into a tree appearing in a steaming castle watching a woman sitting over a boy in a bed.
'The crone.' once more pulled appearing in Kings Landing standing on the street of steel watching a boy hammer steel.
"The Smith.' she's pulled again into the keep looking at a golden-haired man laying next to the queen and she tries to brace herself as she feels the pull again landing in a red hair girl's room watching her brush her hair.
'The maiden'' pulled through the castle again she's in front of a small bald man
'The stranger.' and once more she is pulled, standing over the queen and a golden-haired man lying next to each other in bed.
'The father' she hears before she is yanked back into her body and rising with the sun.
Kyoshi climbs out of bed and dressed in her old uniform, she looks to the part of her wall where the tunnels enter her room the rock shifting slightly making access to her room a difficult affair she smiles before leaving her room and heading for the stark rooms the guards letting her in, she pushes open Arya's door finding the girl asleep on the bed, her blankets thrown onto the floor Kyoshi chuckles softly to herself moving to the curtains and throwing the doors open flooding the room with light arya groaning trying to pull blankets over her eyes grasping at the sheets.
"Lady Arya, it's time for you to share a meal with youre father."
"Mhm." she mutters rolling out of bed and onto the floor with an oomph kyoshi walks over to her and stands her up grabbing the blankets and quickly making the bed, looking over to see Arya still standing where she left her eyes drooping.
"You stayed up late last night didn't you?" she asks looking at the bedside table and seeing a stack of books.
"You like to read then?" she asks moving to the dresser and picking out what she hopes to be a suitable outfit for a noble setting it on the bed beside Arya helping her dress and leading her from the room towards where her family and sister are waiting for them helping her into a seat Sansa staring up at her. 'The Maiden' she thinks
"Youre real," she says under her breath.
"Yes, my lady," Kyoshi responds, wondering who Arya had told about her.
"This is Kyoshi, she's to be Arya's Handmaid.'' Kyoshi bows in greeting as Sansa looks at her again before remembering her courtesies.
"I welcome you into our service Kyoshi." Ned moves Arya's plate under her slumped head, the smell of bacon seeming to perk her up a little as she grabs her utensils a mini pitchfork, and a knife.
"If I may be excused lord stark?" she asks
"You may return to youre other duties." she bows again and makes her way back to Arya's room tidying up and gathering her dirty clothing leaving the room and making her way down to the laundry room pulling her sleeve up and dumping the water into a drain using her bending to pull more water into the basin from a barrel in the side of the room and handwashing Arya's clothing and hanging it on a line., she moves on from this part of her job beginning to wash more of the clothing piled around the room knowing a task will help her focus.
'Two princes. But which do I need to know, and what threat am I to battle in the north.' she works for a while losing herself to it before standing and moving to leave the room making her way to where she was told the maesters tower would be knocking on the door, an elderly man pushes the door open and looks up at her.
"Wow youre large."
"So I've been told, Maester I was wondering if you have a book on the north I could peruse."
"And you are? I don't seem to remember you," he says, sounding every bit the old fool but Kyoshi has dealt with far better liars.
"I am Lady Arya's new handmaiden and was hoping to better understand my lord's family."
"Ah, a bit of self-betterment to improve in a task, you can read?" she nods and he walks back into the room, the walls filled with book after book, a strange form of storing paper in Kyoshi's opinion.
He leads her into the room making his way from shelf to shelf seeming confused as he pulls down a dusty tome seeming to buckle under its weight, Kyoshi decides to play along walking over and taking it for Pycell who moves to another shelf and grabbing a second,
"What's youre name again?" he asks,
"Kyoshi."
"Well Kyoshi when youre done with these I expect them back in perfect condition or I'll be speaking with your lord Stark." Kyoshi nods.
"I'll protect them." he nods.
"I've given you a book on histories and a book on myths, the lady Stark seems to enjoy stories of old." he looks to the window.
"Oh time already, I need to be somewhere." Kyoshi lets herself be led from the room thanking him again and taking the books up to the small room she shares with several other maids setting the books on her bed. Looking back to the secret door and decided she would investigate it tonight. She looks to the sun noticing it is almost time to ensure Arya Stark eats her midday meal she leaves her room making her way towards where Arya starks dancing lessons would begin today surprised to see Arya with a wooden sword moving through what would be the closest thing to a bending form shed seen.
"Ah, youre minder than Boy." Syrio Forell mutters seeming to size Kyoshi up before moving towards her with the sword going to swing it Kyoshi, moving fast Kyoshi draws her metal fan pressing it against his throat, grabbing the wooden sword in her other hand and holding it away from her, Kyoshi blinks, realizing he's not a real threat.
"See boy that's how a warrior should be, ready to react in a moment." he goes to pull the wooden sword finding it immobilized.
"Crafted like the titan itself, may this one have his sword back?" kyoshi lets it go fanning herself with the fan as she looks to Arya who stares up at her in wonder.
"Dancing lessons?" she asks with a raised eyebrow and forell laughs.
"The braovsi water dance."
"The Katas remind me of my home."
"Kata? I have not heard this word."
"It's a series of exercises developed to teach a certain fighting style, my homeland has quite a few of them."
"Kata.. I like that I'll have to remember it, would you be willing to show me the one for youre fans, you seem to have at least a partial grasp on them?"
She looks to Arya who nods enthusiastically.
"I suppose, though I am far from a master I've just picked up the art in the last few months." she pulls out the other fan dropping into a familiar stance the ache in her body a distant memory even if the scars would be with her for the rest of her life, she moves through the katas finishing the kata and looking to see syrio watching intently.
"Bravo, The warriors of youre home must be truly magnificent if this is what a novice looks like."
"They are truly a sight to behold," she says her mind flashing back to Rangi.
"My master could put down any knight in this palace if she was here." Syrio smiles.
"I'll let you two run along, but I would like to speak with you more about the fighting styles of youre home, where was that again?
"Essos is where I remember growing up, but I lost my parents young so I don't know where we're from before that." Syrio nods, knowing she's lying.
"Run along boy, and eat a large meal or tomorrow will be worse." Arya nods, determination burning in her eyes. He strides from the room after saying his farewells Kyoshi looks to Arya.
"I'm here to remind you you have lunch with youre septon."
"But she's rude," Arya complains
"What does she do?" Kyoshi asks
"She doesn't like that I'm not a proper lady and she tries to embarrass me in front of the princess and Sansa." Kyoshi crouches down to look the diminutive girl in the eye.
"Keep youre face strong, Respond to her jabs with simple answers. Be as sturdy as the earth and let her attempts run over you like water." Arya looks into her eyes and seems to steel herself once more with a nod.
"I'll do it."
"Good, and if she gets too much out of hand I'll speak with her, Woman to Woman." And that makes Arya grin the stark guard chuckles as Arya goes into the room Kyoshi straightens up heads back towards the maid's area preparing a bucket of water and a rag and grabbing a duster heading back towards Arya's chambers pushing open the doors and walking in setting the bucket on the floor beginning to clean, she feels the stones behind her shift slightly knowing someone is watching, quicker than anyone her size has the right to be shes on her feet rushing towards the wall ripping the hidden wall open and grabbing the terrified child by the shirt lifting him from the ground his feet dangling.
"Lots of tunnels in this place huh?" she asks him and he nods eyes wide.
"I'm going to list names and you'll tell me who you work for, Little finger, King Robert, Ned Stark, Cerci, Varys." she sees him flinch at that one and smiles.
"Go tell him I caught you, and that I know he's been trying to watch me."
She drops him and he rushes off Kyoshi bending bricks out of the floor to trip someone and then steps back forcing the door shut and shifting the bricks to seal it. Going back to her cleaning sure Varys would make contact with her eventually. She finishes her work and goes to retrieve Arya's laundry now that it should be dry
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Kyoshi watches the city from atop the wall, she wouldn't be needed for a few hours and decided to take her meal away from the others.
"I dreamed of you last night, and a voice I've feared all my life whispered to me that I should help you." a voice says from behind her and she turns to look at Varys.
"The spider, I saw you in my dreams too."
"My little birds tell me very little about you, which says a lot."
"There is not a lot to tell, I'm just a maid my lord." she takes the last bite of her food before standing towering over the Eunic.
"I'm curious about what youre after. Many people spoke of a massive woman walking the perimeter of the keep in the past few months and I refuse to put too much stock in the words of a being that requires the burning of a child's genitalia." Kyoshis eyes flash blue for a split second and Varys steps back as Kurick growls in the back of her mind, the hunter finding a new prey before Kyoshi forces him back.
"Not all can be trusted, but I am the bridge between the spirits and humanity i have been sent to find a prince by spirits of nature, but I don't know which one." Varys looks at her before steeling himself and grinning, this he can use.
"What I am about to say is treason, but I know of many princes, but none of them are in this castle, I've taken a particular interest in two of them and a princess."
"Two blonds in a desert?" she asks and he looks at her appraisingly.
"Youre nature spirits are a lot more forthcoming." he looks to see two guards turn the corner.
"Undo whatever you did to seal youre room, I'll come to speak with you when the bell strikes 12." Kyoshi nods returning to her spot, casting her eyes towards the street of steel and deciding she needed to visit a certain blacksmith. She walks past the Lannister guards down to the kitchens and washes her plate before heading through the castle towards the front gate, making her way towards the street of steel looking through the shops until she finds a familiar one walking inside.
"We don't sell dresses, especially ones in youre size."
"But you do work leather and craft armor, my armor was destroyed, and I'd like to commission a new set." she reaches into her coin purse pulling out some golden coins from her homeland, and placing them on the table.
"This will be a start, so what do you want." the man calls for a gendry to get a book and the blackhaired boy comes up from the back setting a book ink and quill on the table tobho mott writing down the armor Kyoshi needs.
"That will be another 20 gold when I'm done, do you have it."
"You will get your gold, and Gendry I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you." she knows she's seen his face somewhere before but can't place it as she leaves the shop heading back towards the castle knowing it's almost time to resume her work.
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Kyoshi waits in the small chair in her room, the rest of her roommates asleep as the wall shifts slightly Kyoshi pushing it open and finding Varys with his hands in his sleeves.
"What do you want Spider?" Kyoshi asks softly.
"Follow," he says and Kyoshi follows him letting him lead her through the building and into a dark room deep beneath the castle
"The things I am about to say will get both of us killed if you tell anyone, do you understand?" Kyoshi nods.
"Jeoffry is not a prince, he is a bastard born of incest, and a monster in the form of a child. He's young now but hell be cruel and lead the world to ruin if sat on the throne, I have two princes and a princess being raised across the sea, and am making deals for one of them to take the throne when Robert dies and throws the kingdom into turmoil."
"And you think the Targaryens are the answer, I've gathered that they are mad, that's the reason Robert rebelled."
"What other option do we have, the realms been falling apart since the mad king's rule, I've done my best but without a proper king on the throne will be brought to war."
"And one of the Targaryen's across the sea is a proper ruler? Have you taken the time to see them? Speak to them."
"My people have told me…."
"And you trust youre people?"
"In this matter yes." kyoshi looks around the room again.
"You took a big risk telling me this, what do you need of me? Tell it to me straight."
"Ned Stark is putting his nose in places he shouldn't stay close to him and his daughters and if it comes to it try and get them out, Ned Stark is one of the few truly honorable men left and he is instrumental to keeping the realm stable."
"And King Robert?" she already knows the answer but asks anyway.
"It may be far too late to save King Robert, it's already been arranged but I can save Eddard."
"I'll help you Spider-" Kyoshis eyes start to glow and her voice echoes.
"-But if you put another mad king on the throne I will bury him beneath this castle."