A/N: Hey guys I'm backkkkK! Hope you like this new story of mine :D Full author's note at the end :D

Chapter One: A New Start

Arya Stark was sulking in the back seat of the family car, looking out the window with her headphones in, blasting Linkin Park at as loud a volume as she dared. She had never been so furious with her father, not in all her sixteen years of life. Not when he had allowed Jon to join the army at eighteen, or when he had taken Sansa's side over that horrible fight that had made Arya lose her best friend Mycah.

Arya's father, Ned Stark owned Starks and Co., a major company in exports and imports, and was therefore a board member for a lot of international companies.

It just so happened that one of the companies Ned was a board member of was Baratheon Inc., a factory that produced building materials. Ned's best friend of many years, Robert Baratheon, was the owner, after having taken it over and renaming it Baratheon Inc. from Targaryen Inc., following the Targaryen family's fall from grace, when Aerys Targaryen, many years ago, had gone insane and burned himself, his wife and his two sons alive.

Robert's company was having difficulties, so Ned and Catelyn had agreed to go to King's Landing to help him rectify the mistakes he had made. Unfortunately, because Arya was underage, she was obliged to go with them, a fact that she hated with every fibre of her being.

Arya had been to King's Landing once before, when her family had holidayed there one year. It was a dirty city, full of people, litter, polluted air and noises. She much preferred Winterfell, with its clean, fresh air, its organisation, its sparse population and the homey feel to it. Sansa, her seventeen-year-old sister, had of course loved King's Landing and saw only the glamorous side – the parties and the connections she could make, and she was glowing with happiness at the thought of moving there for at least a year. Arya wondered if Sansa still fancied Robert's eldest son Joffrey, and if she would make it as obvious as she had done the last time they were in King's Landing.

Arya felt someone nudging her shoulder and pulled an earpiece out, glaring at her 14-year-old brother Bran. "What?" she asked.

"We're here," Bran said. "Get out." Arya did so and Bran followed. Arya stared at the large double-storey house with cold eyes, before she saw her father stand next to her.

"I know this is an adjustment," Ned said quietly. "But I need you to make an effort, Arya. It's not forever, with any luck we'll be back in Winterfell in a year." Arya softened; she knew her father hated King's Landing as much as she did, if not more.

"I'll do my best, dad," she said. Ned kissed her head and they entered the house, which was completely furnished for them, courtesy of Robert's gratitude.

Arya wandered through the house, getting used to her surroundings. The house did have a homey feel to it, she had to admit. The hardwood floors and light walls reminded her of her home in Winterfell.

Arya wandered up the stairs and eventually found herself in front of a door that had her name on it. She entered and saw that she had a double bed with a dark purple bedspread, a bookshelf, a desk and a window seat. Arya went to the window and opened the curtains, her breath taken away at the view – that of Blackwater Bay, and the city underneath her. "Wow," she whispered.

After packing her things away, Arya decided to do some exploring, so she went downstairs and got her converse on. "Where are you going?" Catelyn asked her from the dining room, where it looked like she was going over papers.

"Just for a walk," Arya replied with a shrug. "I have my phone with me."

"Alright," Catelyn said warily. "But stay in crowds, and call if you need to be picked up."

"I will," Arya promised. She got her wallet from the entry hall table and left.

Arya had no inkling as to where she was going, but she felt some kind of freedom in being allowed to walk the streets. She did as her mother requested, and stuck to the main areas.

Arya checked the time on her phone – six. She had an hour and a half before she had to be home on time for dinner, and found herself outside a pub called the Blacksmith. Arya hesitated for a moment before entering the pub and going to a bar stool.

"Hi," a man's voice sounded. Arya looked up and saw a rather large young man behind the counter.

"Hi," she replied. "What can I get to drink in here?"

"Depends," the man answered. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen," Arya answered, fishing in her wallet for her fake ID.

"Really?" the man sounded sceptical.

"Don't judge on looks," Arya said as she handed him her fake ID. The man looked it over before studying her face. Arya held his gaze evenly and after a moment the man handed her ID back to her.

"Fair enough," he conceded. "What'll you have?"

"Vodka lime and bitters," Arya answered, knowing full well that she had to be cautious about how much she drank. The man turned around and Arya flicked through her phone, sending her best friend Lyanna Mormont a message, letting her know that she had arrived in King's Landing.

As she started sipping her drink, she watched the man behind the counter clean. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Hot Pie," the man replied.

"That's an…interesting name," Arya said. Hot Pie shrugged.

"When your mum had a dream that one day she would own a bakery, it makes sense," he told her. "At least, that's how she told me I got my name."

"I'm Cat," Arya lied.

"I know," Hot Pie said. "I studied your ID, remember?"

"Right," Arya said with a smile. "So do you just work, or do you study as well?"

"I just work," Hot Pie said. "I never was one for education. What about you?"

"I study," Arya replied. "I'm majoring in international affairs."

"Impressive," Hot Pie told her. They were interrupted when a raucous group came in.

"Hot Pie, my man!" Arya heard a deep voice call out brightly. "Get us a drink, would ya?"

"Right on it, Gen," Hot Pie called back. "Sorry," he added to Arya as he started making a series of drinks.

"That's alright," Arya replied with a smile. "A guy's gotta work."

"Hot Pie, my darling." Arya jumped about a foot in the air and looked over at the man who had spoken – she didn't hear him come up. "Who's your girlfriend?"

"This is Cat," Hot Pie explained. "She's not my girlfriend, Gen." The man called Gen smiled at Arya who managed to hold his gaze…but oh those piercing, electric blue eyes –

"Bit young for that, aren't you?" he asked. Arya glared at him.

"I'm eighteen," she said. Gendry raised an eyebrow as he looked her up and down.

"She's eighteen," Hot Pie told him. "I've checked her ID. If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have served her anything." Gen slid his gaze back to Arya.

"I'm Gendry," he introduced himself, holding his hand out.

"I'm Cat," Arya replied, shaking his hand before grabbing her drink. "And this is for thinking I'm not eighteen."

"What-" Gendry sputtered as Arya poured her drink over him and heard Hot Pie, and the other people, yell with laughter.

"See you around Gendry," Arya said sweetly as she left money on the counter and left.

Arya smiled widely as she walked home; that had been the best part of her day by far. She arrived home at seven-fifteen and took her shoes off before going upstairs to rinse her mouth out, to get rid of any hint of alcohol on her breath.

After dinner, Arya was on her laptop on her new window seat when there was a knock at the door. "Come in," she called. She looked over when the door opened and smiled at her father. "Hi daddy," she said.

"Hi Sweetheart," Ned replied. "Can we talk?"

"Of course," Arya said at once. She set aside her computer and sat next to him on the bed. "What's up?"

"Your mother told me you went out today," Ned said.

"Yeah," Arya confirmed. "I wanted to explore a little."

"You need to be careful, Arya," Ned said seriously. "King's Landing is not Winterfell."

"I know that," Arya said quickly. "I stayed in main areas and with crowds." He didn't need to know about her trip to the pub. Ned kissed her head.

"If ever you go out, you must let us know," Ned said quietly. "You must always have your phone on you. We don't want to treat you like a child, because you are growing into a young woman, but out there is dangerous, Arya. I need you to understand that."

"I do," Arya assured him. "I promise I'll be cautious and I'll always let you know."

"That's all I can ask for," Ned said softly. He kissed her head. "I love you Little Wolf."

"I love you too dad," Arya replied. Ned left and Arya shut the door behind him before collapsing on her bed.

She loved her father more than anyone in the world, and she loved the freedom he was giving her in going out basically whenever she wanted. He had always been supportive of her, from when she was a child and wanted to hang around her brothers and play outdoors, to when she had her first crush and had her heart broken, to now understanding that she couldn't be cooped up in a place like this.

A/N: Hope that was okay guys! I know it's been like two and a half years since the last time I updated anything, but this plot bunny has been begging to be released! So, as you guessed it, this is a Gendrya fic, though Arya lying about her age and name is necessary to the plot. Which I don't know what the plot is yet, but hey it'll reveal itself at some point.
Leave a review if you loved it, hated it, whether you want me to improve on anything or if you just feel like it :D I missed this so much!