The house was quiet.

It hardly ever was, considering Arya Stark has four brothers, a sister and a cousin. It was only this quiet when everyone was out of the house, or if there was trouble.

Trouble. Am I in trouble again or am I in trouble again?

Everything was so quiet. Arya closed the front door and dragged her tired feet across the living room. It was in order, as usual. She was pretty sure Miss Mordane and the rest of the staff kept everything clean and organized. Next, she peeked in the dining room, pool area and the kitchen, where her Mom usually was. Still, no one was around.

The Stark mansion was modern and spacious. Everything was black and white. The furniture, while obviously on the costly side, was kept at a minimum. Despite the spacious area, no one would say it was cold and unused. For the Starks, this was home.

She decided to check the second floor to see if she'd have more success in finding anyone. She thought it was weird that the house seemed empty at 5 pm on a Friday. It usually meant that the house would be bursting with crazy energy because Friday meant tomorrow was a no-school-day.

"Oh, you're home."

Arya almost jumped out of her skin when her 14 year old brother, Bran, appeared out of nowhere.

"Jesus Christ on a bicycle! Bran!" Arya exclaimed, holding a hand to her chest, as if to slow down her heart's furious beating. She glared at Bran, but he only seemed to be amused by her reaction.

"Sorry," he replied, looking a bit sheepish but still grinning. "I was about to go down when I found you snooping around."

"I wasn't snooping around, dork!" came Arya's retort, rolling her eyes in a very Arya Stark fashion. "Where's everybody anyway?"

Bran pointed towards Sansa's room.

"Is Sansa in trouble?"

Bran shook his head.

"Uh," Arya continued, shuffling her feet in a nervous manner. "Am I in trouble?"

Bran shrugged.

Arya's brows furrowed. She doesn't think she has done anything to rile up her parents this week. Or has she?

"Maybe you should just get your butt in there, Xena. Mom's just talking to Sansa."

She playfully smacked his arm. "Stop calling me Xena!"

Bran laughed. "I don't know, Arya. Sometimes you're too much of a princess…a warrior princess, that is." With that, Bran turned and quickly went down the stairs. Where he was going, Arya had no idea. But what she did know was that her heart started picking up speed again. Nonetheless, she walked towards Sansa's room. The door was ajar, but she knocked anyway.

"Oh honey, you're home," Catelyn Stark said, smiling at her youngest daughter. "Come in here, please. I need to talk to you."

Arya slowly went in the room and sat on Sansa's bed. She pursed her lips to keep herself from saying comments that she knew would annoy the hell out of her sister. And her mother. But Sansa saw anyway; saw how Arya's eyes rolled and how her sister pursed her lips because of her pink bed. And pink carpet. And pink walls. And pink fuzzy slippers.

Fucking pink Barbie playhouse! Arya thought.

Her mom and sister were folding clothes and stacking them in a neat pile inside Sansa's suitcase. She has three suitcases full to bursting already. She doubt the one they were working on would be the last of them.

"What time are you leaving tomorrow?" Arya asked.

Sansa took three more pairs of shoes from the rack and placed them in her shoe luggage (leave it to Sansa Stark to have a shoe luggage). She paused at the task for a moment and looked at Arya. "My flight is at 2:30pm, so I have to be at the airport earlier."

They were silent for a while. Her mom and sister continued with the packing, while Arya leafed through the magazines that were scattered on Sansa's bed. Fifteen more minutes passed before Sansa went out of the room in search for her favorite shorts. Arya stated that they must be in the laundry, but forgetting to mention that she borrowed the shorts last weekend. She forgot to mention it to Sansa and forgot to return them in her closet.

"Sweetheart," Catelyn said, sitting beside Arya on the bed. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her daughter's ear and smiled. "Dad and I have to tell you something, but it seems like I will be the only one to break the news since Dad's coming home late tonight."

Arya just stared at her mother, although her throat felt as dry as a desert. She tried hard to wrack her brain for any trouble she must have caused but she couldn't think of any. How surprising.

Catelyn took a deep breath before continuing, "There are problems with the company at Storm's End, so Dad has to move there for a while."

Arya raised her brows in question. "Define for a while."

Catelyn sighed. "Well…at most is a year."

Arya stood abruptly from the bed. "What? Dad's leaving us for a year?"

Catelyn shook her head. "Since Sansa's going away for dance school, and Robb, Jon and Theon are now living in their own apartment, it's just you, Bran and Rickon at home. Dad doesn't want us to be apart for too long."

Arya was still confused. "How often are we flying over to visit him?"

"Oh honey," Catelyn took Arya's hand and squeezed tightly. "We're going with him to Storm's End."

"This is unfair, Dad! You know I have a life here! My friends are here! I go to school here! I grew up here! How can you make us all leave Winterfell?" Arya argued while she paced back and forth in the living room.

"Don't be a drama queen, it's just for a year." Sansa said, rolling her pretty blue eyes at Arya.

"Shut up! You're going to a dance school in the Vale! Why would you care if I get shipped to Storm's End?" Arya snapped.

"Arya!" Catelyn said disapprovingly. "Stop talking to your sister like she's stupid! I swear your behavior is getting out of hand!"

"But she is stupid!" Arya replied.

Ned Stark pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep, calming breath. "Girls, sit down. Please."

Sansa sat beside Catelyn while Arya took a seat beside Ned.

"Arya," Ned started, turning to face his youngest daughter. He knew she loved this place, but he also didn't want to be away from his family for too long. Especially not when three of them were already living away from home and one more is going away tomorrow. "I feel that this would be best for our family. I have to fix a problem with the company down in Storm's End, and I can't do that if I have to worry about the rest of the family here at Winterfell. Please, do this for me."

Ned Stark rarely asked them for anything but right now, he was practically begging Arya to go with this decision. Arya was a father's girl through and through, and she didn't have the heart to say no to him.

Arya sighed heavily. "Anything for you, Dad."

"What the fuck? Who took my car keys?!" Gendry Baratheon shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

He whirled around and found his youngest brother, Tommen, looking up at him with the car keys in hand. "I didn't take them, Gendry, I swear! It was…" Tommen paused, looking around to make sure they were alone.

"Joffrey hid them."

Gendry sighed. "Thanks, bud. I have to go, I'm late for class." He added, ruffling his brother's hair before walking off to grab his jacket.

Tommen stood there, staring at him with wide eyes. He looked like a lost puppy. Gendry smiled and knelt in front of him. "Don't worry, I won't tell Joffrey you gave them back."

The young boy looked relieved. "Okay."

Gendry got back up and stood at the foot of the stairs. "Get down here, dickwads…" He looked at Tommen and shrugged before looking back up the stairs. "We're running late! Come on, you Starks!"

Soon, several pairs of feet came bounding down the stairs, almost crashing down Gendry. "Oi! Watch it, dickwad!"

"Watch your mouth, bro! Tommen's in the room, in case you don't know." Jon Stark said, shrugging into his jacket.

"What's a dickwad?" Tommen asked, his face scrunched up in thought.

Robb laughed. "A dickwad is a handsome man." The second Stark brother explained.

Tommen looked thoughtful for a moment. "Gendry's the most dickwad, then? Because he's the most handsome among you?"

Everyone laughed except for Gendry, who looked like he wanted to punch Robb in the face. "It doesn't mean handsome, Tommen. It's not a nice word, so don't go using it around Mom and Dad."

"Come on, guys," said Jon. "We're running late already. We'll see you later, alright. Tommen?"

With that, the four adults rushed out and piled into Gendry's black '67 Impala.

Arya had trouble sleeping that night.

She already agreed to moving with the family to Storm's End, but she couldn't shake the feeling of dread about actually doing it. She grew up in Winterfell; she loved it here, where everything seemed relaxed and stress-free, and the weather was cold even during the day, and the weather at night brings evening chills. She is a Stark of Winterfell, and she couldn't think of anything that could make her say goodbye to this place.

Except Ned Stark, of course.

She was annoyed that Sansa's leaving for dance school. It was something her sister had been dreaming about since they were younger, and now she's about to make it happen. With someone as pretty and graceful as Sansa Stark, no wonder ballet dancing is her passion. Arya, on the other hand, has the grace of a cow. I have no talents like Sansa, she'd often say to herself, but everyone would argue with that.

Despite her lack in grace, Arya Stark had a voice that many people envy.

She doesn't sing in public, though, much to the dismay of her parents. But she always sang for her brothers whenever they asked her to.

Her brothers.

A thought came into mind, and for the first time since her parents broke the bad news, Arya Stark found herself grinning like an idiot.

Arya went down for breakfast the following morning with a pounding head. She slept so little in the night that she lay awake thinking about other arrangements she could come up with and running possible arguments with her parents.

"Mom, Dad, I thought about some other arrangements we could come up with." Arya said, pouring a glass of orange juice for herself and grabbing a piece of bacon to munch on.

"There's no need for that, Arya. We have already decided." Catelyn said.

"But…"

"I talked to Robert and Cersei last night and they would be happy to take you in for the rest of the year." Ned said without looking up, as he turned the page of the newspaper he was reading.

Arya raised her brows. "Are they in need of more children that they're okay with taking in another Stark into their home?"

"That's rude, Arya," Catelyn remarked, shaking her head. "The Baratheons are good friends of the family. It's just them and their three sons at home. They were nice enough to offer their guest house when your brothers started attending Uni. Your father and I don't feel comfortable with leaving you here with just the staff, so we thought the Baratheons would be the best option."

Arya nearly choked on her bacon. "So you're telling me I have to go live with their sons and my brothers in King's Landing? Don't they have other girls at home?"

"I'm afraid it's just Cersei," said Ned. "Unless you prefer to move with us to Storm's End?"

"No! No! It's fine! King's Landing it is." Arya said quickly.

Ned and Catelyn looked at each other and sighed. "King's Landing it is, then."