Chapter Text
Lori wrapped the scarf around her face and tightened her hood but once she was out of the cave, she was instantly covered in snow and ice. Breathing became as difficult as breaking through the snow to run.
It would have been impossible to cover her tracks but luckily the whipping snow was doing it for her. Or so she hoped as she fell yet again.
Lunging out of the snow that was trying to drown her, Lori smacked face first into the outer wall of the cave. Enough cloth and snow made the impact less painful and more shocking. Keeping a hand on the smooth rock, Lori tried to get a sense of what direction she was heading in as she kept moving.
It was impossible, Lori didn't know where she was without the blizzard, how could she be sure she wasn't going right back into the cave entrance. Her scream was sucked away by the wind when she felt herself pulled backwards.
Moments later she found herself in the entrance to the cave. The person that dragged her in removed their hood and scarf.
"Wow. You are lucky I saw you out there, kid. You could die in a blizzard like that! Good thing I found you! Just got back and was in a rush with news and I almost ran you down. Good thing though, probably would have frozen to death, you were headed for the woods."
Lori didn't feel lucky at all but declined to say so as it would be rude. Also, she was unable to get her teeth to stop chattering and catch her breath properly yet.
She let the twitchy young man drag her further into the cave and towards the growing sounds of chaos. The man stopped to stare at the group around Polliver and Asha and he visibly pouted.
"Ah, that isn't fucking fair! They finally catch a chick and Rast gets her first! Finally got fucking Polliver and everyone else gets to kick him to death while I do all the work."
The man then looked down at Lori as she stared back up at him and he turned red.
"Uh...never mind. Look, here, sit on this blanket and warm up. Stay there so you won't accidentally get hurt or...ah...see something you shouldn't."
He spun Lori to face the wall and sat her on a dirty blanket. Then he stormed towards the crowd and yelled with a fearsome bellow that seemed too big for his thin body. Starting to run, the man burst past the others and got a kick into some ribs.
Karl hollered and even while puking, Polliver laughed at seeing Karl hit the ground holding his ribs.
"Whoops. Sorry, Karl. I..uh...wanted to get in before you all finished and there was nothing left, ya know?"
Karl stood up and everyone stopped, including Rast who had already finished anyway. He was in the act of moving aside for another while he tended to his wounds. Rast managed to rape Asha but his nose was broken, any part of his body she could reach was covered in gashes and bruises.
Polliver laughed harder when he saw what Rast looked like and Karl kicked him in the head to shut him up. Turning to look at the thin nervous man, Karl growled, advancing upon him.
"Twitch, you fucking moron, you are supposed to be searching media for information. Not here kicking ME instead of our victim. Explain really fast why I shouldn't give you a beating for not listening to me?"
"Hey, wait! You should be thanking me! That little girl was outside, heading towards the woods, she could have died and I saved her! I'm a hero! Also, I heard news and came to tell you, it's really important. Way more important than even having revenge on this piece of shit!"
Twitch was waving his arms excitedly and yelling his words until Karl punched him the stomach. Putting an arm around the gagging man, Karl spoke in a chummy voice to him.
"You know how much I hate it when you make me discipline you, Twitch. I want you to calm the fuck down and tell me in a normal tone what the news is. Tell me nothing else, just what this exciting news is. Then I will tell you whether I think you are amazing or such a fuck up that I have no choice but to make you cry like a little girl...in front of a little girl."
Seeing the fun was over at least for a bit, the circle broke looser but everyone stayed close to hear the news.
Except for three that Karl had glanced at then pointed towards Lori. Those three stood around the little girl who was no longer facing the wall but looking with concern at Asha and Polliver.
The woman was half naked and bloody but her face only seemed angry, not traumatized. She was trying to fix her clothes enough to cover herself while watching Karl and Twitch. Asha sat up but couldn't stand up as she was tethered wrist to wrist to Polliver.
Lori was more concerned for Polliver, he looked way worse and couldn't even sit up. Bloody hands, stomped by so many boots, with some broken fingers held his head and he was curled up, barely moving.
"Okay, sorry Karl. Okay...uh...so I finally got through to some of our own further North. Arya and every fucking able bodied person that could has left! They all are going to take the pirates down as a fucking huge army! She left only that freed slave of Polliver's to run things! To protect rich little hostage of Arya's! The Piggy guy has done real good, he has made sure everyone is ready for the weather there and everyone is feeling safe. And get this, he has cast off the collar and is being called HotPie, he doesn't call himself that, but the others all do! They are all following this little shit who has suddenly become the de facto leader! All feel so ready to deal with the storm and he is feeding and sheltering even the poorest scum. They are all so fucking happy with themselves and that kid must be really feeling his stones for the first time ever! None of them would suspect an attack when they know all the danger is here not there but heading for the pirates! We can get there, strip Arya's fucking kingdom bare, steal the little baby to hostage along with Lori later. Be long gone by the time Arya returns!"
Karl stared at Twitch then a slow vicious smile stretched his face.
"You are a brilliant moron after all! You heard that, everyone! Looks like we are taking a little trip to fuck shit up! Then we can take our fat little hostages and our riches and head South. Fuck the snow, fuck the war and all this bullshit, we are finally getting ours!"
Everyone hooted and hollered while Karl went to stand over Polliver, lightly kicking at his foot to make him move.
"And you are all coming with us. I would rather beat you to death here but...it would be more meaningful to leave you crucified on Arya's door for her to come home and see. Also, I bet your Piggy would do anything for you...if I told him to let us in or I'll start cutting off your limbs, I bet he will open that door for us."
Polliver looked up at Karl and shook his head. His words were slurred but made sense still.
"Won't work. Piggy wouldn't let that boy be in any danger even if you made me a fucking torso in front of him. Last order I gave him was to protect that boy. Also, if he is doing so well and Arya felt he could be trusted with the castle, what makes you think he would wreck that for a former Master and a bunch of fucking degenerates? He knows most of you, you know him, saw him enough times following me around while I put scum where it belongs. You know he doesn't need a collar and leash to be loyal. He is loyal to me and to Arya. He won't let you in."
Before Karl could try and argue that, Polliver rudely passed out.
Arya giggled and Miller scowled at her.
"You are very cruel. You are a really mean woman. Does pregnancy make you this way or were you always a sadist?"
"Let's see...Gregor allowed me to join his crew when I was just a rich little teenage brat. I had to have been at least a bit mean and sadistic for him to take me in, don't you think? Besides, I am not being that cruel. I am simply letting Malcolm and Charlie finish bonding before I alert them to our heated tunnel is all. Now if I didn't let them in here at all, then yeah, that would be really cruel."
Miller shook his head and looked back through the small monitor at the two that looked like killer snowmen. Then shook his head with prim disapproval at Arya.
"Sibling bonding? Yanking each other out of huge snow drifts and taking turns killing pirates they can only see when they are almost on top of them?"
Arya giggled and Miller sighed.
"You are having entirely too much fun for a pregnant widow, a new leader in her first major battle!"
"I argue that I am having just the right amount of fun for a pregnant widow that is a new leader in a first major battle! Would I deal with it all any better if I was dour and serious? Would a more grim attitude make me stronger, braver or smarter? If I didn't thrive on this type of shit, I never would have joined with Gregor in the first place. My sense of humor is my weapon and shield. I didn't get it from my family and I didn't really get it from Gregor either. He had his own kind of humor and only he ever understood it. But for whatever reason, I have this way of seeing things, I feel some things stronger than others. Like seeing the humor in every fucked up thing and my sense of revenge sometimes takes me to a whole new level. Well, this time I am using the humor and not the revenge. Be glad for that. Oh look! Malcolm fell and dragged Charlie down with him. And that pirate just can't figure out how he saw the two go invisible! And down he goes to Charlie...heh..oh come! How are you not laughing at this?"
Samara could take no more. It was simply too much and they have not just beaten and flayed Raff. Now the pirate was ordering Shane to remove fingers and toes. Shane managed to take one toe and cauterize it. Now he was actively arguing with Euron rather than simply trying to stall.
The thought of them hurting Raff more, the thought of Euron hurting Shane at all, it was overwhelming. She got Charlie's crossbow and went to have a suicide mission. Halfway to the rafters, Samara heard a whisper.
"Max? Why are you following me? Go downstairs and try to think of a safe way to stall that damned pirate. I bet I can get an arrow through his heart before his men get a shot through my head."
With a slightly sad and ashamed face, Max stepped aside to allow two pirates holding guns at her to come forth. Samara lowered her crossbow and tears filled her eyes.
"Ah, Max...why?"
"Because you are going to get yourself killed this way. You need a better plan and you just aren't strong enough to find one right now. You are wounded. And your mind is not at top shape right now. Shane and Raff aren't going going to be safe with you dead. Raff himself will be dead if you just keep hiding. This is for the best, I'm sorry."
Samara snarled quiet curses as the two pirates came closer and one of them whispered something to her. She burst into tears, nodding and allowed them to take her downstairs.
Krl tried rousing Polliver and torturing him for a secret entrance into Arya's fortress. If they can't trust that the Piggy will let them in the front they must go in the back. It was a useless endeavor. Losing fingernails, an earlobe and a toe made the man scream in between his laughter.
Karl gave a glance at Asha but the woman joined in the laughter.
"Dude, he doesn't know me or like me. I am his fucking enemy, remember? Pirate? Yeah?"
Nodding, Karl punched Asha for her laughter then looked back at Polliver with a sigh.
"Okay. I can't get you to talk. Got it. I hate doing this, but you aren't leaving me any option. Rast, get the little girl and let's go into another room. Ah, shut up all of you bitches!"
Karl roared at the sudden uproar of the others at allowing Rast near the little girl.
"Do you want out of here or not? Well, I do too and this is our fucking way out with the supplies and cash we will need! I will only let Rast touch her if she won't tell me what I want to know. I will use my own methods first, promise. Now gag and tie those two screaming assholes until I get back. Keep them tethered together."
Lori did her best not to cry as Rast dragged her into a smaller and dimmer part of the cave.