Snippet #1515400

Birgitte stood frozen for a moment as she watched Isabel break free of Thoric's gentle grasp and run towards the doors, the guards standing in front of it did not seem to know what to do and before they reacted Isabel had slipped out of the doors. Birgitte felt the last of the ice around her crack as she watched her daughter run headlong into the battle and numbness was the last thing she felt at that moment. A fierce rage rose up inside her so great she thought she would scream with it, her whole body felt like it would break apart with the strength of it. It was as though all of the pain and rage she had felt since the ball at King's Landing had just been released from where she had inprisoned it.
How dare they! This is my home, my pack! These mangy curs will not harm my pack!
Without a second thought to Nathanial's orders for her to remain safe inside the Keep she walked purposefully back to the exit and to the two guards standing in front of it. She reached forward and gripped one of their swords and drew it in one motion. The guards did react then as the man still armed drew his sword but looked unsure whether he should be protecting the lady of Wintefell or stopping her and the second man still looked confused and yet was beginning to grow angry. He felt a fool for allowing himself to be disarmed so easily and was also angry that she would take his weapon and leave him without one. But then he saw the expression in her eyes and his anger faded, how could he begrudge her protecting her own? Thoric however was not so easily swayed as he was a man who followed his orders and he was not about to let Birgitte put herself in danger no matter the situation.

"My lady, I cannot let you go out there." He said quietly but firmly.
"Then you will have to force me to stay as I am going out there. My daughters are out there." Birgitte did not notice that she had said daughters and not daughter. If asked she honestly could not say if she would protect or harm Leiliana. But however much she and Nathanial had claimed otherwise to the king she was still very much their daughter, their blood and could not be forgotton.
Birgitte gripped the handle firmly and glanced back at Thoric questioningly a challenge in her eyes, Thoric sighed seeing that she would not be swayed and that he woule have to hurt her in order to keep her inside. His Lord would not accept that and so Thoric moved to stand in front of her and he removed her hand from the handle and gripped it with his own calloused hand.
"Form up." He snapped to the guards standing a little further back and they hurried to obey.
"If you insist Lady then we will keep you safe."

Birgitte nodded gratefully and once more stepped out into the chaos and carnage that was everywhere she looked. Immidiately her escort formed into a protective circle backs inward determined to let nothing through their guard. Birgitte sought Isabel and found her only a few steps from the doors, she seemed to be searching for something and Birgitte realised then that she was searching for her sister. Birgitte reached Isabel and the guards moved around her daughter to enclose her in the protecive circle, Birgitte clasped Isabel's hand in her own for a brief moment and allowed her to see the anger and determination in her own eyes.
"If this is something you must do daughter, then we will do it together."

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Nathanial was so tired and as he fought he began to wonder if this battle would ever end for it showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. He knew he should be glad as it meant that his men were making it very difficult for the bastard prince and the Thorneir dogs to win but at what cost to his own men? He angrily thrust his blade into the chest of a man who charged at him seeming to care naught for his own life, he had never wanted this, none of it. All he had wanted was to keep his family safe and give them a life of peace. How had things become so twisted? How had he failed as lord and father to have his family torn asunder and his home beseiged. And who did this bastard prince think he was that he could so easily take the Wolves in their own den? Yes he had a larger force but they fought with no order simply throwing themselves in however they wished. Whereas his men fought like a pack, organised and with clear orders and goals. His heart felt heavy as he was reminded then that it was Quincel who had drummed this into them not Nathanial. Yes the men followed him and were loyal but their true commander had always been his brother and that had worked well for so long.

He watched as the man he had just killed slumped to the ground with an incoherant gurgle and Nathanial wiped his blade disgustedly on the snow, war was such a waste of life and he hated the necessity of the battle he now fought. But this was his home, his heart and he would not abandon it. Let the Thorneir dogs try and take it and he would show them that they had made a fatal error in rousing the wolves's ire. If he won this then there would be nothing left of Thorneir as he would not allow their betrayal to go unanswered, they would pay for it in blood and tears. He was not normally a vengeful man but this time he had been pushed too far, been forced to endure too much pain and shame. Another ran at him and he ducked the man's wild swing before slashing at him with Wolfclaw, the man screamed as the blade sliced across his stomach and he dropped his sword as he vainly tried to keep his insides from falling out. He fell to his knees in his own blood and gore and Nathanial taking pity on him thrust his sword into the man's chest to kill him. Whilst he wanted these men dead he was not sadistic or vindictive and he had been taught since a child that stomach wounds were the worst kind and if you did that to your enemy and left them to suffer then you were no worse than they.