Chapter 5
Kyoshi moves through the city towards the forges, a bag of gold dragons tucked into her clothes, She had been keeping to her oaths of never earning a fair day's wage. She moves the cloth out of her way as she walks into Tobho motts forge, she finds him in the front talking to a young knight.
"It'll be done in a few weeks, come back with youre gold then," he tells the boy who nods.
"I will sir," he says before turning and nearly running into Kyoshi, his eyes wide as he begs pardon and moves around her and out the door.
"More money than sense that one, his blade will go to waste," he tells Kyoshi with a chuckle.
"Is it done?" she asks and he nods.
"Gendry, bring out the strange armor!" he yells to the back the black-haired boy from earlier coming out carrying a heavy-looking open-top box.
"20 gold dragons for some of my finest craftsmanship." he brags as I walk over inspecting the armored chest piece made of black plates bound together with two black shoulder pads, then the metal gauntlets, and finally the chainmail undershirt.
Once happy with the quality Kyoshi pulls out the bag and tosses it to Mott who opens it moving the gold around.
"How much gold do you have hidden on you?" Gendry asks only to be silenced with a look.
"That is between me and the spirits," she tells him.
"Can I take this crate?" she asks and Mott affirms
"Take it," he says off handily.
kyoshi says her goodbyes and decides to take a long path to the castle to see more of the city surprised when she sees ned stark with his guards dead across the alleyway locked in a battle with a Lanister his men surrounding them, Jamie Lannister himself attacking ned her eyes widening when she sees a man go to stab him in the back of the knee, she picks up a stone and throws it with speeding it with her bending, the rock hitting the man in the throat with a sickening crunch.
"None of you try to get in between us!" Jamie Lannister snarls as his guards move back Kyoshi watches over their fight and seeing her chance slightly raises a stone on jammies back step causing him to stumble, Ned disarms him and puts his sword to the blonde's throat all of the Lannister men going to attack when Jamie raises a hand.
"Today is yours stark but my brother, I want him back.." Ned pulls his sword back watching as Jamie stands.
"Back to the keep with the lot of you!" Jamie commands his guards kicking his sword up and catching it, climbing onto his horse, and riding away leaving Ned stark surrounded by corpses. Kyoshi considers it a moment before making her way over to Ned whose eyes narrow when he sees her.
"The stone?" he asks.
"He was going to hobble you, Lord Stark."
"Then I owe you another debt, but I must impose on you once more to return to the keep before the guards arrive and bring Arya and Sansa to my solar, bar the door behind you, and wait for me and me alone." Kyoshi nods
"It will be done." Kyoshi looks to the bodies on the ground and pulls a dagger from one of their belts tucking it into her cloak and earning an approving nod from Ned as she makes her way back to the keep leaving him to clean up the mess, she makes her way to the keep, allowing the guards to examine her armor, earning an eyebrow raise and a chuckle before they wave her through and she makes her way to Aryas water dancing training.
"Ah, the titan is early today." he jokes.
"Something has come up, I'll need to take Arya early today at lord Starks behest." she shares a look with Syrio who nods taking the training sword.
"Run along boy, but be warned our next lesson will be much more difficult due to this." Arya nods before turning to Kyoshi.
"What happened, what does father need?" she asks curious.
"Where is Sansa at this time?" Kyoshi asks instead.
"With the Septon, it's time for her lessons."
"Then today her lessons will run short, can you lead me to them?" she nods and Kyoshi follows Arya through the keep to a heavy wooden door.
"They're in here," she says and Kyoshi knocks heavily on the door before walking inside to see Sansa and her septa practicing their stitches.
"Lady Sansa, youre father has told me to collect you, please come with me." she looks to her septa who nods and places down her project, the septa going to stand too.
"Just the lady Stark, you can rejoin her later after she meets with her father." the septa keeps quiet sitting back down Sansa comes to stand beside Kyoshi falling into step with her.
"Can you sew?" she asks curiously.
"I can, and I can cook, clean, and wash," she tells the girl as they make their way towards lord Stark's Solar, the two guards at the door stopping them.
"Lord Stark wants his daughters in his solar, and if any Lannister men come looking send them away," she tells them and they share a look before nodding.
"We will," they affirm opening the door for them, the trio heads inside and Kyoshi walks to the heavy wooden lunch table sets the box down, and flips the table over lifting it and using it to bar the door Arya gasping starstruck by her strength, and worrying Sansa.
"Has something happened?"
"Just a precaution, youre lord father will clear it up and come to get you when he can but for now, we will stay here and wait."
"Kyoshi, you hail from Essos yes?" Sansa asks trying to help the tense atmosphere.
"A little beyond Essos, I suppose but that's as close as I know."
"What was it like growing up there?" Arya asks.
"I was taken in by Kelsang and Given work in the Avatars estate learning how to be a maid."
"Are the Avatars a prominent family?"
"No, the Avatar is a prominent religious figure of a sort. Their word can settle many political matters so they carry great power."
"What gods do they follow in Essos?"
"There are many spirits, the fire nation follow Agni the sun spirit, The water tribes follow Tui and law the ocean and moon spirits, but there are many spirits throughout the land."
"So similar to our old gods then," Arya says with a nod while Sansa seems deep in thought.
"And what was the Avatar like" Kyoshis seems to lose herself in thought.
"Yun… Yun was amazing, He handled the turmoil of our age with grace and charm and he treated me like a friend even though I was just a servant in his home. He was my friend and I miss him every day." Kyoshi wipes at the tears pooling in her eyes and they let her sit with her memories the two of them busying themselves to pass the time until a knock echoes at the door kyoshi walks over.
"Who is it."
"It's me Kyoshi," Eddard calls through the door and Kyoshi grabs the table dragging it away, the door opens, and Ned Stark and his guards enter the room surprised to see Kyoshi moving the table.
"Are we safe for now?"
"We will be safe, I have my guard on high alert and King Robert is to settle this matter."
"When?"
"In one hour Jamie Lannister and I will meet with the king to settle this matter, I came to update you on the situation and to leave extra guards with my daughters, Arya Sansa go with the guards to youre rooms. He commands and they both stand going with the guards leaving Kyoshi and Ned in the room.
"You've made a habit of helping my family, it's a breath of fresh air in this city. Now for recompense, Ned walks over to his desk pulls open a drawer, and pulls a key out unlocking it and counting out 5 gold dragons.
"You saved me from being hobbled, this should show my thanks." he picks it up carrying it over to Kyoshi handing it over.
"If you take that and buy a room on a ship leaving this city I will understand and not hold it against you." he offers giving Kyoshi an out.
"I'm not leaving lord stark, I'm part of this now and I plan on seeing it out to the end." he inclines his head.
"And once more you prove yourself a woman of honor." he moves towards the door.
"Return to youre day, Gregory will guard you against anyone attempting to lash out towards me, now I need to prepare for my day." kyoshi grabs her box giving Ned a bow.
"Good day lord stark."
"Good day, Lady Kyoshi." he returns as she leaves, the guards at the door moving out of her way one of them following her down to the group chambers.
"Please wait out here, and don't stop any of the others from entering. This room is not only mine." he nods taking up a post near the door Kyoshi places her box down near the foot of her too-short bed balling up her blanket and using it to cover it bending open a small area of the wall where she hides her gold and tucking the 5 more pieces next to her golden headpiece. She grabs a change of clothes and turns walking back out the guard looking at her.
"Will you follow me everywhere?" she asks and he nods.
"What if I go down to the sea to bathe, are you going to follow me then? Or will you wait at the Red keep?"
"I.. I will wait out of sight miss, but it'd have to be close enough for you to call for me." he stammers and she hmms,
"Then I'm going to bathe, if you peek I will know," she warns walking through the keep bag in her hand.
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"I can't believe the King Slayer fled the city, i'd think him craven if I hadn't seen him fight." the road around Kyoshi for 200 feet shakes with her rage at the coward.
She storms back to the keep with her guard on her heel heading towards her room throwing her clothing onto her bed heading back out before heading for Arya's room starting to straighten it up, making her bed changing out her candles, collecting her clothing and heading down to the laundry room washing her clothes and hanging them up, Kyoshi knows that Arya will be gone from her room for a while longer goes and collects a bucket of soapy water and a brush heading back up her guard on her tail leaving him by the door and beginning to scrub the floor.
"You are very thorough." Varys's voice says from behind Kyoshi but she doesn't bother to look back from her work.
"I clean when angry and I refuse to do a bad job."
"How very prideful of you, I wanted to tell you that the king is planning a hunting trip and while he is away things will begin to fall apart. Without him underfoot Ned will sit on the throne and he will try and fix what he can during that time and all his enemies at court will retaliate."
"Then we will have to be ready to save him, Can you get him out of the city if things turn bad?" Kyoshi asks as she moves to the next part of the room
"I can prepare a ship, and I can sneak maybe one of the starks out but not all three, sadly you will need to pick." and here it is, the test to see what kind of person Kyoshi is by Varys.
"You get out lord stark, tell me the name of the ship and I will rescue Arya and Sansa from the palace."
"You will sneak past all the guards with two political prisoners in a palace you barely know? How exactly do you intend to spirit them away?" he asks amused and she stands looking over the damp floor, waving her hand causing all of the dirty water across the floor to fly back into the bucket, a stomp of her foot opening the secret passage.
"I will fight my way out if I have to, and not a man can stand against me," she promises him and Kyoshi can see his disdain for magic written upon his face.
"That answers a few of my questions and gives me many more. I do so hope that one day you will explain all of this to me." with that, he turns walking through the tunnel and closing it behind him, Kyoshi picks up the bucket and leaves the room to dump the bucket and to prepare for what is to come.