James Flint's Story

Clara watched the waves, her stomach a little unsettled. She hadn't been on the water since that day, and while she was excited to finally go home, the watching the water, made her feel queasy.

"Here." Clara turned to see the Captain, with a slice of lemon in her hand. "It'll help with the nausea." She told her, and Clara could see there was a lot on her mind. Clara rose the fruit to her lips, and wined a little at the sour taste, but it did help. "Thank you." She said and Robyn was about to turn away but Clara took her by the wrist. "Captain...If you want to talk."

Robyn set her jaw. " Talk about what, Clara Snow?" She asked, impatiently, but Clara wasn't phased. "You're holding something in." She said. "I can see it, Robb can see it, he won't say, but I know he sees it too."

Robyn rolled her eyes, and snatched her hand away. " It's not important." She said." But you admit there's something on your mind." She said and Robyn threw her head back with a groan." Must you...."

"You're taking me home, You gave my brother purpose again, I owe you, I want to help you as much as I can." She said and Robyn sighed. "Fine, little word faery, If you must know, I hate the cold. "She said and Clara looked at her. "I do, I hate it, I hate being cold. and I find it remarkably foolish to start our search in the one place in the whole fucking world, we know he's not." She said and Clara took a breath. "That's not it, Captain, Robb loves you, More then he could ever say, and I'm sure he says it a lot."

Robyn huffed and walked away. It was clear to Clara that, she knew all that, so there was something else, something deeper.

Clara made her way to her brother, and sighed. "Talk to her, " She told him, nodding toward the Captain and she ducked into her quarters. "There's a lot on her mind, I think you need to talk to her," She said and looked at him with a laugh, shaking her head. "She won't talk to me, not much, but if anyone she'll talk to, it'll be you." She told him, with a pat on his shoulder as she walked toward the kitchen, wondering what Randell was down there cooking and hoped he didn't spit in it.

The sea seemed different, different than usual. Usually it held promise of riches, adventure and always a good fight. Now it seemed hidden, like a woman who refused to speak the words but teased with her eyes. The air had grown cold over the past few days, not a true Northern wind but no longer the balmy heat of the southern seas. Flint wondered if that was what it was, the seas change because the cold was coming. He rested his forearms on the rail and stared deeply into the blue waves. Each swell and crash, the faint shadows of dolphins or whales swimming beneath the surface. I helped to get his mind off the crypts of Winterfell.

"Talk to her, "

Flint looked up, his sisters voice snapping him from his minds wanderings. Clara was at his side, he hadn't even heard her approach. There were times she could be stealthier than Arya had been. Clara nodded towards Robyn who entered her quarters.

"There's a lot on her mind, I think you need to talk to her,"

She said and looked at him with a laugh, shaking her head. Flint stroked his goatee as stared after Robyn.

"She won't talk to me, not much, but if anyone she'll talk to, it'll be you."

"Aye, I think you might be right."

He thanked her and made his way after Robyn Sheva, weaving his way through the busy deck of The Harbinger with practiced ease. He stopped only once to answer a common question about whether or not Randell had spit in the food. As always Flint suspected he did but didn't volunteer that information. He put his sailors concerns at ease before heading to the Captains quarters and walking inside.

"Randell's spitting in the food again."

Robyn replied smartly with a sarcastic remark as Flint took a seat across from her. She was in her chair, feet on her desk, she was rarely in any other position while in her cabin. He noticed the far off look in her eye, as if she were anywhere but here.

"You're a thousand leagues away Robyn, I can see it in your eyes. So can Clara... but then again she's an exceedingly good read."

Robyn's eyes lowered and met his. They both knew each other too well to lie to one another faces. Secrets were one thing. When never shown any light they could remain hidden, but a scrutinizing gaze revealed all between the two of them.

"You know, I'm surprised you haven't asked me yet..."

Her questioning look made him smile.

"You haven't asked me anything about my past, about The North and who Robb Stark was. I haven't said as much but if you're wondering I'm an open book to you. Ask me anything and I'll tell you."

His words unlocked a chest of questions in her, he could see them rushing through her minds, curiosity and concern running wild. He leaned forward in his seat and looked into her eyes.

"I know this is difficult for you Robyn. It's hard for me too. Together, I think, there's nothing we can't do. So ask away I will tell you the truth, all the truth."

"Randell's spitting in the food again."

"Don't piss him off then," She said, as Flint took a seat across from her. Her foot shook lightly atop the other, as she reclined in her chair, only half listening to him, as her mind wandered. Where was he now? Did he truly die in that war, or did he forget about her, the little girl with the chip tooth and the love of a sweet peach.

"You're a thousand leagues away Robyn, I can see it in your eyes. So can Clara... but then again she's an exceedingly good read."

Robyn looked at him, unable to breath a false word as she had with Clara, not that the girl bought any of it.

"You know, I'm surprised you haven't asked me yet..." He said and Robyn cocked her head, confused.

"What?"

"You haven't asked me anything about my past, about The North and who Robb Stark was. I haven't said as much but if you're wondering I'm an open book to you. Ask me anything and I'll tell you." He said and she looked at him. She had thousands of questions, all wanting to tumble out at once. She had no idea where to even begin.

He leaned up, catching her in his steely blue gaze.
"I know this is difficult for you Robyn. It's hard for me too. Together, I think, there's nothing we can't do. So ask away I will tell you the truth, all the truth."

He said, and Robyn looked at him, her brow furrowing.

"What was it like?" She asked. "T-...To have..." She paused, unsure of how to continued. She'd wanted what he had once, her entire life.

"to have a family..."She asked. "All my life, I wondered, who my parents were, where they were from, did I look my mother or my father...?"She said, and swallowed.
"there was a man once, His name was Davos, and he was the closest thing I had to a father, he even named me...but he died in war when I was still small, You had once, what I always wanted....What was that like?"

"What was it like?"

She asked and Flint blinked, unsure where she was leading him.

"T-...To have..."

Her voice trailed off, her mind grappling with itself to find the words. Flint was silent and gave her the time she needed to find her voice.

"to have a family..."

She said suddenly, as if in relief. Flint blinked again, he'd never truly thought about what it was like to have them. He'd spent many long hours, days and weeks even years thinking about what it meant to lose them but not to hold them.

"All my life, I wondered, who my parents were, where they were from, did I look my mother or my father...? There was a man once, His name was Davos, and he was the closest thing I had to a father, he even named me...but he died in war when I was still small, You had once, what I always wanted....What was that like?"

Flint was silent for a few moments, as Robyn had earlier now he needed time to find the words he needed. How could he explain his father or mother and what it meant to have them? How could he explain the kinship he felt with Jon, that brotherhood that was born the day they came screaming into the world. How could he tell her of Sansa and the pride he had at watching her grow into a beautiful woman. What words were there to describe Arya and every foul word she learned or the joy he got at watching her use them at some important dinner. He had no words to tell her of Bran and Rickon, the youngest of them all.

"A family is like..."

Flint tried but his voice faltered, his northern accent came thicker all of the sudden and he knew why. It was his fathers voice he was using, his words he was about to say. He almost shed a tear right there. He took a moment and continued, letting his father and those famous words remain at rest.

"It's hard to explain Robyn, I fear I'm a poor wordsmith but I'll do my best. Family is... imagine a ship, a vessel that you love, that protects you and keeps you afloat no matter the storm. That was Winterfell, that was home. It seemed unsinkable."

He said with in lament, a sad smile playing across his sharp features for a moment before he continued. The light as the Grey Keep went up in flames still fresh in his mind.

"Now imagine a crew that you trust more than yourself. That have been with you for as long as you can remember. They would never betray you. They would die for you in a heart beat out of love, not fear or respect. You fight with them, laugh with them, mourn with them, but that love always burns bright."

He could see them again and he smiled. Sansa danced before his eyes, a magnificent ball hosted all the Lords and Ladies of The North and Sansa was the light of the event. Arya was chasing Nymeria through the woods, a stick in her hand playing as a make believe sword as she hunted trolls in the trees. Bran and Rickon laughed together as they listened to one of mothers stories in front of a fire. Jon stood solem and grim as always, his hand on his sword as his great white direwolf Ghost stood at his side, both starnding on the wall of Winterfell looking out into the Wolfswood. His father sat in the high seat, the crown of Winter atop his head, he seemed proud of his children.

"It's only through them that you learn that you cannot live in this world alone. You think you can, you grow up imagining yourself becoming so strong you don't need anyone. That you could go off alone and survive but you can't, no one can. It's in the winter that you learn that, it's your family that provides the teaching. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."

Robb looked up and barely noticed the shift in his accent at the end. His father had proven right again, as always. He got his point across despite Robb trying to hide it. Robyn was staring at him, an odd look on her face. He blinked and Flint tilted his head.

"As I said, I'm a shit wordsmith."

"A family is like..."
He began, his northern accent stronger now then it had been in a long while, it hadn't been this strong since the day they met in Eleanor's office.

"It's hard to explain Robyn, I fear I'm a poor wordsmith but I'll do my best. Family is... imagine a ship, a vessel that you love, that protects you and keeps you afloat no matter the storm. That was Winterfell, that was home. It seemed unsinkable." He said, and Robyn clung to his words, trying to imagine things as he spoke them.
His words were sad, as was his smile.

"Now imagine a crew that you trust more than yourself. That have been with you for as long as you can remember. They would never betray you. They would die for you in a heart beat out of love, not fear or respect. You fight with them, laugh with them, mourn with them, but that love always burns bright." He said, and Robyn imagined it. The way she felt for Davos, if she could find him again, she would fight for him, kill for him, die for him, for her love for him, it was how she felt for Casey, before his betrayal....but then what he said, breathed true, if she had a real family, in Casey, he wouldn't have betrayed her...no, she never had family, besides Davos, and he was gone, gone in a way that she would never know how much he loved her, if he did at all.

"It's only through them that you learn that you cannot live in this world alone. You think you can, you grow up imagining yourself becoming so strong you don't need anyone. That you could go off alone and survive but you can't, no one can. It's in the winter that you learn that, it's your family that provides the teaching. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives." He said, and Robyn looked at him, but she wasn't Robyn the woman, she was Robyn the orphan, clinging to the stories of ships and sailors, knights and pirates. She was a child listening to his words, taking them to heart. A lone tear touched her eye as she looked at him.


"As I said, I'm a shit wordsmith."

Robyn snapped out of it, looking at him, with a twitch of a smirk. blinking back the unfallen tears. "You did fine." She said, brushing her tears that had fallen away with a rough hand, and cold chill shook her spine. She didn't like feeling so vulnerable, she wanted that feeling of safety, but she wasn't sure if she was allowed such a thing. She had him, but for how long? How long would this last, this semblance of happiness.

As always, Robyn retreated into herself, not wanting to deal with the thoughts that plagued her. The confusion, the fear. She'd rather just forget it all then to deal with it but she started already, and she knew that Flint would not let her dive back into herself, he never did but did that stop her..... Of course not.

"If you tell anyone about all of that, I'll cut you in a place, we'll both regret later." She said, with a halfhearted smirk, unsure of where to go from there.