She has always been Arya horseface.
Compared to her sister and her mother she never thought highly of herself as a woman, much less a girl. She was never the prim and proper Sansa or elegant and graceful as her mother. Arya was well aware of that, even when she was a young child. She was also aware of her difference compared to the other girls her age. While most girls would be thrilled at the prospect of marriage, Arya certainly wasn't one of them.
She could hear her brothers practicing outside right at that very moment. And how she envied them. She'd much rather be practicing archery then stitching. After all, she was a sturdy girl. Her hands were born for archery and swords. Not for needles. She could already hear their laughter echoing around the castle walls, and it made her heart ache with yearnign. Ary hated the idea of being proper. If it were up to her she would skip her lessons and join her brothers but her mother would never approve.
It was unfair. Sometimes she wished she were a boy.
"My father has found suitor for me."
Arya and the rest of the girls perked their heads up at that. "Congratulations Ingrid, you're so lucky." Sansa said with a smile making Ingrid's cheeks flush pink. While Arya scowled in grotesque. "What's so great about getting a suitor for?" Sansa and the rest of the girls laughed at her innocence. "Oh, to be young."
Merida mocked with a knowing smile. "When you're old enough you'll understand that being in the company of men can be much more pleasurable than just friendship Arya." Sansa teased making the other girls giggle as if she told some secret that she wasn't supposed to know.
"What else is there other than friendship?" She could already feel herself growing upset as they just laughed. This was why Arya could never be friends with girls.
"Someday when you see a man for the first time you'll know."
None of this was making any sense to her. And she frowned even deeper when the girls wouldn't stop giggling. She sees men every day, what else could she be referring to? "Is he handsome Ingrid?" Arya felt her stomach turn at that and made an excuse to leave her lessons early. She could never understand how girls had that type of mentality. There was much more to the world than sewing, and doing these lessons. Arya wanted adventure.
She playfully sneaked around the barn at the back of the castle and picked up her bow and arrow from behind the hay and stayed low so that she wouldn't be seen by her brothers. She watched enviously as Bran began his archery lesson. He was doing everything wrong.
While he was supposed to keep his eyes peered open for precision he squinted. His elbow hung lazily against the side of his chest when it was supposed to be bent upward. And just as she predicted, he missed his aim. Making Arya scoff...she could easily top that. "Its okay Bran, everyone messes up the first try. Do it again."
Jon said to him, though it was clear that he were trying to mask his amusement. Bran was taking too long to aim, and Arya decided to take advantage to show off her skills.
She lifted up her arm, and stood shoulder knees apart, breathed in and out...and aimed. Unlike her brother Bran, it hit the target. Her brothers looked around in shock, not expecting anyone to intervene with Bran's lesson. But when their eyes spotted Arya behind the fence of the barn, she curtsied, making them all laugh.
In his embarrassment Bran dropped his bow and chased after her. Arya, who didn't see this coming started running away from him as fast as her little legs could carry her. She knew she was fast...for a girl, and ran. "Try to catch me!"
She sang as Bran grunted behind her, visibly annoyed. Everyone around them laughed as she kept looking back to see if her brother caught up to her. Only to find that he didn't, instead he kept tripping and cursing at himself for being so slow that he couldn't catch up to a girl.
She looked back at him once more only to lose her footing against the slippery mud. Arya braced herself for the impact only it never came. "Woah…" A deep voice chuckled as strong hands gripped her little arms and pulled her back up.
"Easy there, little lady." He chuckled hoarsely. Arya eyebrows' knitted together at the nickname, "i'm not a lady." She said defensively as she looked up at the man. He was a dirty looking man, with muscular arms and greasy brown hair fanning over his eyes.
But despite his grungy appearance, Arya caught herself staring at him longer than any other man she met, for once in her life. He crossed his muscled arms over his chest and looked down at her with a smirk on his face. He playfully ruffled her hair only for her to bat his hands away. "Watch where you're going next time...m'lady." He chuckled.
"Stop calling me that!" He smirk widened, as he said nothing to her in response."Gendry!" Arya and Gendry's head popped up to another large and bulky man who came into their view. He looked angry at first, but when his eyes laid on Arya his face instantly softened.
"Lady Arya, my apologizes if my new blacksmith has caused you any trouble." It was now Arya's turn to smile.
"Gendry, pay your respects, this is one of Lord Eddard Stark's highborn daughters, Lady Arya Stark of Winterfell." Gendry's smirk dropped and his eyes widened before giving her a slight bow. "My apologies, my lady." But when his eyes peeked past his bangs, she could tell that his last words did not please her.
She stared at him for awhile until she a body collide with her on the ground. In her shock Arya had almost forgotten that Bran was chasing after her. And it gave him the upper hand on his attack, he wrestled her into the mud while those who saw couldn't bite back a laugh of their own at the display. Arya's eyes widened when she found herself being straddled by Bran, and they widened even further when he held a fistful of mud in one of his hands.
"Surrender!" He cried. Making Arya laugh as she twisted and turned to try to get her body away from him. She may be a girl, but she hated feeling so helpless. She was about to give in when her mother and father stepped in to save her. "Bran get off your sister at once!" Lady Catelyn Stark cried out horrified at her children's behavior in public. . Bran grunted and did as he told, but once he was a few feet away from her he turned around and threw the handful of mud at her face. "Bran!" Lord Eddard roared angrily, but he ran off. Despite being dirty, Arya couldn't help but laugh. "Arya that's enough!" Lady Stark cried out making her laughter fall short only for a few giggles to escape her lips. "Get back to your septa and get dressed."
A tight scowl tugged at her lips when she heard Gendry and the large greasy man laugh behind her. "We'll be having guests soon." She muttered. Arya frowned and ran away from them, and headed back up the steps and into her bedchamber. She has always been a disappointment to her mother. Once dressed and properly bathed Arya had to fight the urge to go look for Bran and give him her revenge.
She did her chores for the afternoon, scowling the entire time, only to be saved from her misery when she heard a knock at the door. "Its open!" She called out, Jon Snow stepped in her doorway and closed it shut. "Why do we have to make our beds every day when we're just going to make a mess of it again later?" She grumbled.
Making Jon smile at that. "Its just called being proper." He answered making her roll her eyes. "I don't get it, why does everything have to be so proper?" She folder her arms over her chest. "When you're older you'll understand Arya." Arya's brows knitted, "everyone keeps saying that...I want to understand now!" She cried, making Jon's eyebrows arch up. "Understand what?"
"Why does everyone and everything have to be so proper?"
"You can't run off every time Arya. You know that."
"But i'm tired of all this! I don't like these things."
"Arya, one of these days you're going to trade in your attitude for a dress." He chuckled.
"I don't want to! That's Sansa's doing not mine." She grunted and fell back onto her bed. "What do you mean by Sansa's doing?" Jon arched an eyebrow when she didn't say anything and hid her face into her pillow. "Arya?" Arya groaned. "I hate going to septa's lessons Jon. I'd much rather be training with you." Jon chuckled and sat down on the bed next to his little sister. Arya was definitely not like the other girls and he admired her for it. He wanted her to value herself and to stop comparing herself to Sansa. It saddened him.
"One day Arya, you'll grow older and you'll begin to change. One day, i'm not saying right now...you'll eventually want to do the things that Sansa and the other girls talk about with men." He smirked when he saw her sit up and her face change into disgust. "That's gross." She shivered. "Do you do that sort of thing?" He barked out a laugh…
"Yes, but with women, and I find it very pleasurable and soon when you come of age you will too." There's that word again. "But that's not really what I want to talk to you about." Jon said, making Arya's eyes lift up to his face. "I'm going to be leaving Winterfell soon, and I brought you a gift. I think it may be something that you might like." He reached around him and pulled the satchel gently off of it to reveal shiny metal that could only resemble a sword.
"Is that real!?" She asked excitedly as she jumped off the bed and reached for it. "Wait, it is be careful with it. It may not look much but it's deadly and can kill." He smiled warningly at paid no mind to that and held it in her hands, allowing herself to enjoy the weight of it. "Its beautiful." She whispered in awe.
"A great sword like that deserves a good name." He pointed out as Arya's smile widened before twirling the sword around in mid air. "Needle." She whispered with finality. Jon smiled at that only to take a couple steps back when she rushed up to him with the sword waving in front of her. "Careful with that." He scolded as he held his hands up. Arya frowned and set it down on the bed, and once she did she was instantly in her brothers arms with her hands dangling on his neck.
"Do you really have to go?"
"I will be back." He promised.
And with that he sadly let his little sister go and left her alone in her bedchamber. She didn't know when she will see Jon again...but she hoped it would be soon. He was her only friend in Winterfell, and possibly the world. She heard the door knock again and before anyone could see it she hid needle back into the satchel and placed it under her pillow.
"Come in!" It was her father.
"We need to talk Arya." Arya noticed the sudden change in his father's tone. He looked stressed as he approached her. "About what?" She asked him with a raised eyebrow. "About your upcoming nameday." Arya has forgotten about her nameday. He gestured her to sit down and when he did he looked hesitant to speak.
"I found a eligible suitor for you, Arya." And just like that, Arya's world fell apart.
"No!" She screamed, startling him.
"I'm only fifteen, why don't you set him up with Sansa instead!?" Eddard Stark sighed.
"I suggested that Arya, believe me I did. I even offered that he'd wait a few more years until you were 18 but he was insistent. He claimed that he waited for you for too long."
"What do you mean father? Who is the man that you speak off?" She said as her voice was full of dread.
He said nothing, and left her...he only said that she will know in a few days time.
And Arya knew that she couldn't do this anymore.
She was going to leave Winterfell.
And soon.