randomosity | [For Hannibal] Alliance of Fire

Hannibal gave her a slight smirk. "My future bride will be a more fierce Lady Bolton than any of her predecessors. Which way did the cat go?" He asked.

They immediately began to track the large cat. He looked at Margaery. "Do not hesitate with your first shot." He warned her.

Margaery broke out in a grin when he paid her such a compliment. She found herself suddenly eager to become Lady Bolton. Eager to please Hannibal. Eager to become stronger.

She notched another arrow as they tracked the cat. She nodded when he warned her and she kept as alert as possible. One of the guards pointed out a large track, they were getting closer.

Margaery tensed as she heard a low growl to the left. Her eyes moved but her body didn't. Slowly she moved and aimed at the brush to the left. All she saw amidst the brush was a pair of golden eyes. She didn't hesitate, Margaery loosed the arrow and hit between the cat's eyes.

The wolves were by their sides as they hunted and they remained quiet. Their ears were laid back and the hair on the back of their necks was raised as they stalked alongside their masters.

Hannibal could smell the cat and also had an arrow prepared as they moved. He saw Margaery move and listened as her arrow whistled through the air. There was a loud yowl when the cat was hit. The wolves bared their teeth and prepared to keep their masters safe from the cat. After a moment that sat down with their ears perked up and their tails wagging. Hannibal smiled proudly at her as he sent his guards to collect the dead creature. They left the arrow sticking out of the cats eye. "Well done, the eye is the perfect weak point in a predator to strike the brain and kill the animal." He said.

He ordered the guards to tie the dead creature down upon her horse. "It is your clean kill My Lady. I am the only living Bolton to have killed a large cat with a single shot." He said as he helped her back into the saddle. "We should return to Winterfell." He said.

He could feel the storm approaching.

Margaery smiled at the praise and saw where her hit had landed. "I'm afraid that is simply a matter of beginner's luck. I only saw the eyes and fired promptly."

Margaery got into the saddle with Hannibal's help and smiled down to him. "All the same, it's a satisfying kill indeed." Her first real kill on a hunt, a large cat from the North. She felt strong, powerful.

But she nodded when he said they should return. "Yes, agreed. Quit while we're ahead, no?" She smiled. "I'm ready."

She was practically wiggling in excitement. She'd proven herself an able huntress.

Hannibal was extremely proud of her. He gave a whistle and the wolves began to howl and yip in excitement to announce their successful kill. They rode back at a slightly quicker pace.

The wolves went straight to their kennel. Roose Bolton had heard the wolves and was curious what they had captured. He saw that the rose carried the trophy. Perhaps the thorns were more lethal than many assumed.

Hannibal gave a bow to his father. "You have picked a fine bride for me father. She is a natural huntress that is fearless." He said as genuine praise.

Roose gave a nod before looking at Margaery. "Well hit My Lady." He said flatly before turning to return indoors.

Hannibal dismounted and reached up to assist her out of the saddle as well. "That was high praise from him." He assured her.

Hannibal hoped hoped his brother was watching this. His men removed the body. "What would you like as a trophy from your prize My Lady?"

Margaery rode skillfully beside Hannibal and could scarcely keep from laughing in triumph as they returned to Winterfell. Ramsay also heard the barking of the wolves and came out with his father. All the color drained from his face as he saw her kill.

Margaery tipped her head to acknowledge Roose's compliment. "Thank you my Lord, your son taught me well."

After a moment Ramsay sneered. "Hardly sporting, brother, putting your kill on the lady's horse!"

Margaery narrowed her eyes at Ramsay. "Difficult though it may be for you, I did indeed kill this beast on my first hunt. I couldn't very well return empty handed, now could I? What sort of hunter returns from a hunt with no prey?" Margaery smirked.

Ramsay pouted, and growled some curse before stomping off. Margaery smirked, pleased with herself as she moved to slide from the saddle with Hannibal's help. She thought on his question a moment. "The teeth and claws - and anything else you yourself deem useful, my Lord."

Margaery glanced to the cat, then to Hannibal. "Forgive me but...might we visit the crypts now? The Stark land was kind enough to give me good game, I should like to pay the previous residents proper thanks."

Hannibal nodded and his guards knew what to collect for him and bowed in understanding of what they were to save for Margaery.

Hannibal heard her request and bowed his head in agreement. He glanced up at the sky and noted the clouds forming above them. "We can indeed My Lady. We should not longer there for long. It looks like the storm will strike sooner than later." He noted.

He took a small leather pouch to tuck into his belt along with two small flasks of ale. He then offered his arm to lead her to the crypts.

Margaery smiled when he agreed and took his arm when offered. She leaned into him as they walked, finding herself comfortable already being on his arm.

"Thank you for teaching me," she smiled up to him. "I'm very glad that I was able to take down such formidable prey, but I would not have been able to do so without your help."

The crypts were dark and dank, and Margaery very much felt like an intruder, as though all the eyes of the Kings of Winterfell were glaring at her.

He smiled to her. "You are quite welcome My Lady."

He picked up a torch at the entrance to the crypts. He led her slowly through the maze of the crypts. He took her to the most recent tomb and lit it up. "This was the sister of Ned Stark. She is the last Stark that was properly buried." He explained.

He bowed his head in respect to her stone likeness. "Soon those that have followed you will be where they belong." He said to the stone. He had sent agents out secretly to recover the bodies and store them at Harrenhal in a secret crypt he had set up while they were camped their earlier in the war. He assumed that Bran and Rickon Stark were still alive since he had not located their bodies. Nor had he found Aria Stark's body.

Margaery looked to the stone statues, until they came to Lyanna Stark. She looked up into that stone face, then bowed her head in respect. She was silent for a good long while. When he spoke she mentally noted his words, but simply kept her head bowed and remained silent.

After a few moments she released his arm and moved deeper into the caverns. Her dark eyes swept through the stone faces. Margaery pulled the fur cloak tighter about her as the caverns grew colder.

"Even in Highgarden we have nothing like this..." she whispered.

Hannibal stepped up behind her to continue and provide light. "These tombs date back to when the North was ruled separately from the south and back to the first men. The North remembers." He said with a sense or reverence.

He would remain close to her, there was nothing living down here. Even his wolves were wary of coming down here.

The phrase, 'the north remembers', it resonated with Margaery. She looked up to him with wide eyes, tilting her head. The Boltons had indeed been sworn to the Starks for centuries. Sometimes, considering the great differences between the clans, it was easy to forget how they came from the same region.

Margaery felt cold and unsettled here. She looked up to Hannibal, rubbing her arms for warmth. "Shall we leave the deceased to rest in peace?"

Hannibal gave a nod as he put an arm around her to hold her close. "Indeed we can." He said as he slowly led her back towards the entrance of the tombs. He was on alert in case that whore from the kennels decided to make an attempt while his brother was recovering.

He could hear the air shifting beyond the caverns and noted a chill in the air. He hoped the storm wasn't too strong so that they could move into the castle safely.

Margaery took his arm and leaned into him as they moved towards the entrance of the crypts. She too could hear the wind and a cold shiver ran through her body. Just the thought of a harsh winter storm made her nervous. Even she could tell from how the wind howled that the weather had taken a wicked turn. Margaery shivered, and for different reasons she too prayed that they could get back to the castle.

Hannibal continued to hold her close as he felt her shiver. "Are you cold My Lady?" He asked as they made it to the entrance. He frowned when he saw a wall of white before them. His eyes narrowed as he looked to see if there was a hint of a path back towards the main keep.

He could not see a clear path, but his men knew they were here. They would create a chain of bodies to guide the way to the main hall. It would take them a bit of time to do so carefully. He moved to sit her in a covered alcove near the main entrance. He produced one of the flasks. "Would you care for some ale My Lady? My men will have a path for us to follow soon. We will not be here for long." He promised her.

All Margaery could do was nod. Even so, she did it stiffly. At the offer of the flask, she nodded again and took it. She tipped the flask to her lips and sipped the ale. It helped warm her belly a bit, but otherwise, she still felt cold. Margaery burrowed in against Hannibal, pressing her face against his shoulder.

This was one aspect of the North that she could live without.

Hannibal opened his tunic slightly for her and then pulled her close so that her face and neck were pressed up against his bared chest. He wrapped his cloak around the pair of them tightly. "Is that a bit better My Lady?" He asked. He heard a few footprints in the snow through the storm and knew his men would get to them soon. Once they formed the chain, the end man would search for the entrance of this place.

Margaery was slightly confused and a little apprehensive as he opened his tunic. But then he pulled her in close and she buried her face into his neck. The warmth of his skin passed into her and she sighed against him. Again she nodded and kept her face buried against his neck.

She heard the footsteps and tensed against Hannibal. In her logical mind, she knew it was just the guards coming for them. But deep inside she feared that it would be Ramsay's sneering face that broke through the wall of white. So she kept her face buried. Margaery wasn't aware, but she wrapped her fingers around his cloak and kept him close.

Hannibal continued to hold her close. He spotted the guards and picked her up easily. "Let us go inside My Lady." He said. "Hold on tight." He said as he kept her pressed up against him.

He carried her and followed the trail of soldiers to the main hall. The ones on the end placed a hand on his shoulder and slowly began to trail inside behind him. It took nearly five minutes to get into the main keep. Hannibal gave a nod to his men before stepping inside and striding quickly towards the stairs. He would carry Margaery all the way to their separate chambers in the tall tower where there was a fire roaring in both of their chambers. He set her on her feet once they were within his chambers. She was right in front of her chair before the fire. "Here you are My Lady. Let me know if you still feel a chill." He said.

He was not in the least bit winded from carrying her such a distance. He was exceedingly strong.

Margaery found herself amazed by his feats of strength. She kept her face buried into his neck as he carried her into the castle. Roses didn't do well in the cold. It seemed like forever until she felt the heat of the fire and stirred to life again. Margaery glanced up as he set her down and helped her settle into the seat. She pulled her cloak tighter about her and curled into herself in front of the fire.

"Did you...carry me all that way?" She asked. His strength certainly was impressive.

The pups turned in circles as they entered, and Moanna toddled up to Margaery and yipped playfully, sitting at her feet and squirming in excitement until Margaery reached down and stroked her soft little ears.

Hannibal noted that it seemed to be taking her quite a bit longer to thaw out than he had thought. He was removing different layers and moved to remove her cloak that was soaking wet from snow. He was down to a simple tunic and his trousers. He helped her out of her gloves and boots before he regarded her for a moment.

He gave a slight smile at her question. "I did indeed. You are quite light My Lady." He said before frowning slightly. "Are you still cold?" He asked her.

Margaery moved as she needed to for him to remove her wet clothes. She already felt much better. But she was still shivering. Margaery looked up to him sheepishly as he asked how she felt. "I'm afraid I am - forgive me, it seems my body has not yet adjusted to this climate."

She felt weak and silly, still shivering from only being outside a short while. "You must think me foolish indeed, to still be this cold," she looked to the fire and another shiver rolled through her.

Hannibal shook his head when she continued to shiver. He moved to lock his chamber door as he returned to her side. He put some hot coals into a metal pan that he then moved to slide beneath the bed to warm it up. He stood by her side and picked her up. He set her by his large bed. "Your clothes are wetter than I had thought. You will grow warmer if you were bare and slipped beneath these covers." He said as he began to undo the strong leather laces for her.

The fabric would begin to fall off of her body from the weight of the water alone. She would have to take the pants off on her own.

Margaery yelped slightly in surprise when he lifted her. This made Moanna jump up, already protective of her Mistress. But when she realized the man wasn't hurting her, Moanna curled up near the fireplace.

Margaery looked to Hannibal with a suspicious smile. But she let him begin to undress her. The wet dress fell in a wet heap at her feet, and Margaery reached to peel off her wet pants. She faced forward though, keeping her front hidden from his view and glanced over her shoulder.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you had some control over the weather in an attempt to get me in this position, naked in your bed," she teased, covering herself with her hands and sliding into bed, pulling the sheets up over her.

Hannibal was a bit relieved that she showed a bit of spirit at his instructions. He did not watch her, but he did listen as she slipped beneath the covers. He turned to face her. "I am a very patient man My Lady. I did not need such a ruse for you to wind up in my bed." He said with a slightly smug look on his face.

He moved to lay down on top of the covers next to her. "If you are still cold the only thing more I can offer is to join you beneath the covers. If that is necessary, it would be best if I were bare as well. However, I can keep my small clothes on if that would make you more comfortable." He said. He gave a whistle for the pups to come up on the bed and curl up around them for added warmth. Even Moanna was atop the bed.

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