The Long Term Effects of Reckless Behavior
Were her family to be asked what type of lady Arya Stark was the responses would be as similar as they were different.
Her father Ned would have just the slightest hint of a smile as he informed you that his youngest daughter was a bit impulsive.
Her mother Catelyn would insist that her daughter was Reckless with a capital R although her tone would hold the slightest hint of pride in that.
Her adopted brother Theon would laugh and tell you that Arya was completely feral.
Robb, her eldest true-born brother would roll his eyes and grudgingly admit she was a bit wild.
Jon, her favorite brother (though she would never admit to it), would tell you not to call her a lady and that Arya was a bit head strong.
Her only sister Sansa would sigh and tell you that Arya was no lady. That she was more a wild wolf than a girl.
Bran would smile widely at the thought of his sister and tell you that she was totally crazy in a tone full of admiration.
And the youngest, Rickon, would whisper to you in an awe filled voiced that Arya Stark was a rabid she-wolf and one day he hoped to be just like her.
And if you were to ask Arya Stark what kind of lady she was? Well she would hit you and yell "Do not call me a lady!"
It went without saying that Arya was as wild and reckless and all of the other statements her family said. More often than not her impulsive actions got her into heaps of trouble but she would not take back many of her actions. In fact there were five things that she knew she would never change, not for anything.
1. Cutting her hair.
Arya had only ever had her brown hair trimmed before. When she was fourteen her long brown hair reached past her butt. She often cursed it and threw her brush or comb at the walls when it got stuck in the tangles but her mother forbid her to cut it insisting that it made her features look less plain.
Arya was the first to admit that she was no one's idea of beautiful. She was small, 5'1'' and barely a hundred pounds (though she ate more than her weight in a week) and she had a long face and solemn looking gray eyes. The rest of her family save for her and Jon took after the Tully side and had auburn hair and blue eyes but she got stuck with the Stark look. Arya hated her long hair and often kept it pulled up in a ponytail but she refrained from cutting it because with her mother you had to pick your battles.
On the night that they went to the banquet celebrating celebrating the most recent million dollars made by Lordship Security Arya had her long hair pulled up in a bun. She had donned her favorite black dress that swished around her knees when she walked and poofed out in a circle when she twirled. On her feet where bright red heels that added five inches to her height. She thumped downstairs and twirled in front of her parents.
"I'm ready!" she announced happy to have once again beaten Sansa downstairs, not that it was that hard considering how long it took her sister to primp.
Ned had smiled and told her she looked lovely but Catelyn had furrowed her brow and her lips pressed into a firm line. "Not like that. Go change. Put on something acceptable or I will pick something out myself."
Arya went to protest but her mother simply held up a hand silencing her. "Go. And wash that foul lipstick off while you are up there."
Placing her hand on her red coated lips Arya thumped upstairs where she angrily donned a pale pink dress with cap sleeves and a skirt that didn't swing out near as far as Arya would like when she spun. She reached for her combat boots to be a rebel but as her fingers touched the worn leather she admitted to herself that it just wasn't worth the fight. She pulled on white flats instead and went down to where her whole family now awaited.
"Mush better." Cateyln said as she saw her daughter. "And take your hair down. It looks much better that way."
Gritting her teeth Arya did as her mother bid wanting the night to just be over. Jon reached over and shook her long hair out for her and Arya gave him a small smile in return.
The party was long and boring, full of endless drivel speeches about the company and the employees. Arya spent most of the dinner staring into space and whispering rude comments back and forth with Rickon and Bran under their breath. When dinner was over and everyone began to mingle Arya managed to steal half a cup of wine from Jon that he 'left' on the table by her.
The wine gave her the courage to get up and try to find someone to talk to but all she got were comments from her father's co-workers on how tall she had gotten since they last saw her (she hadn't grown in three years so most of them were lying) and endless comments on how pretty her hair was complete with people reaching over to touch it. After fifteen minuted of it Arya returned to her table where she spent the night trying to convince her older brothers to sneak her alcohol and succeeding with each of them.
By the time they returned home Arya was tired, annoyed and more than a little tipsy. After bidding her family good night she went upstairs and stripped off the foul clothing her mother made her wear. With a sigh she flopped happily onto her bed in her underclothes and rose her arm to put it under her head. Her arm however had other ideas as it got caught in her long hair.
Cursing Arya sat up and disentangled herself. Suddenly everything was just to much. She was sick of her mother dictating her clothing and every other aspect of her life she wasn't going to let her keep dictating her hair length as well.
Her mind made up Arya grabbed her scissors from her desk drawer and went into her bathroom. Staring at herself in the mirror she pulled a notch of her hair tight and began to cut just below her jaw line.
Ten minutes later the floor and counter were both coated in her long brown looks. Putting the scissors down Arya ran her hands through her new hair and watched it fluff up around her head like a cloud. Grinning she gave her reflection one last look before heading back to bed.
Walking downstairs the next morning Arya was greeted with a double take from Bran with a thumbs up before her parents turned to see her. Her mother dropped her coffee cup where it shattered on the linoleum floor. She nearly stepped on it as she rushed to her daughter and put her hands in her hair as if she would not believe it was gone until she touched it herself.
"Arya." she breathed. "Why would you do this? Your beautiful hair.."
"Kept getting tangled in everything. Honestly mother it was more bother than it was worth. I like my hair like this." she insisted as she pulled her mother's hands from her hair and walked to the table taking a spot next to Jon. He reached over to tussle her hair and laughed in mirth at how it poofed up.
Two days later Arya was still not used to her short hair. She had gone to a salon to have it fixed up a little and the end result was something she was quite happy with. She was browsing in her favorite music store one day when a man with strange white and red hair stopped at the shelf next to her.
"Pretty girl has pretty hair. A man likes." he said in an accent that hinted at Bravosian.
Arya blushed and looked down at the CD in her hands. "Thanks."
The man took the CD from her hands and turned it to examine the title before handing it back to her. "A good band. Pretty girl has good taste."
"Uh ya. I really like the guitar." Arya said as she began to turn away.
"A man plays the guitar. He teaches as well." Arya turned back at this comment biting her lip and taking the man in. He was older, probably near thirty and admittedly attractive. The most striking thing about him was his hair. Arya got no murderer or creeper vibes form him so she shifted her feet and asked.
"You teach guitar?" when the man nodded she found herself blurting. "Can I have your number?" realizing what she said she blushed as the girl across the aisle tittered at her. "I mean your shop number. Where you teach?" she ended blushing furiously.
"Pretty girl can have the man's card." he said brandishing one at her with a smile.
Arya took it and left the shop quickly, leaving the CD she had never planned to buy at the counter on the way out.
2. Learning to play the guitar.
Convincing her parents to let her play the guitar was no easy feat. In the end(after four hours of arguing and fifty-two no's from her mother) she managed to get a compromise. She could learn guitar only if she learned the piano as well. Reluctantly she had agreed and the lessons where tacked on to her numerous other lessons that her parents forced her into.
Her parents found her a piano teacher and made to find her a guitar one before she informed them she had found one on her own. She had gone to the website on the card the man, Jaqun H'ghar, had given her and it seemed legit enough. Calling and scheduling an appointment was nearly as hard as getting her parents to agree was.
He answered on the third ring (the second time she called, she had hung up the first). "Valar Morghulis."
Arya bit her lip and made to twirl a lock of hair around her ear before she remembered she cut it off. "Uh hi. This is Arya Stark. We um met at the CD store yesterday."
"Ah the pretty girl. What can I do for you Arya Stark?"
"Um." Arya admonished herself for being so nervous. She was setting up a lesson time not a date. "I wanted to start taking lessons with you."
"Wonderful. Do Monday Wednesday from 4-5 work for Arya?"
"Yes that's perfect." she said sighing in relief. She had half expected him to be full.
"A man will see you than."
Arya insisted on having her own guitar for lessons so her parents bought her a purple Fender. She ran her fingers over the strings like a lover's caress and taught herself some basic notes in the days leading up to her first lesson. When Monday finally came she nearly sprinted form her dance lessons to the guitar studio. It was a small building above a coffee shop called the Java Chip. She had to enter the coffee shop to get to the studio, she was waved up the back stairs by a man with a crooked nose and long brown hair when he saw the guitar case in her hands.
The stairs were dark and the walls were a deep red. The door to the shop read "Valar Dohaeris." The door opened just when Arya raised her hand to knock and Jaquen bowed to let her come inside. The room was small with three guitars in the corner, two acoustic and one electric. There was an amp behind them. There was a blood red couch and two black armchairs. Arya sat unsuredly in one of the armchairs.
"A man wants to teach but first a man must be paid." Jaquen said sitting in the other chair.
Blushing Arya pulled the money from her left boot. If Jaquen thought her place of storing money was weird her did not show it. He merely pocketed the money and grabbed a guitar as she pulled out her own.
"And now pretty girl we play."
3. Getting a job at the Java Chip.
Arya managed to convince Jaquen to add another hour to their lessons a week after only three meetings. She practiced so much in the first week her fingers bleed. Soon the blisters formed into calluses and she began advancing at a rate even Jaquen seemed impressed with. After ten months she could play nearly all of her favorite rock songs and was slowly beginning to write her own.
Arya still kept to her other lessons and managed straight A's in school but every-time she was at home all she heard about was how she should be more like Sansa or Robb or anyone but Arya it seemed. Arya began to hate going home more than anything so when she arrived early to her Saturday lesson with Jaquen and saw the 'Now Hiring' sign in the window to Java Chip she did not think twice about filling out the application.
The second Tom, the owner, saw her filling out the application her grabbed the form she had filled out of the hours she could work and nodded stroking his chin. "This'll do. Hot Pie go take that sign down." he yelled over his shoulder at the cook.
Arya was in a stunned silence as he clapped his hand on her shoulder and announced "You're hired."
As easy as getting the job was convincing her parents to let her keep it was not. Her mother did not see why she wanted a job as they had enough money and gave her a good allowance. She didn't need to save for college she needed to focus on her grades.
"I just want my own money to spend so you don't get upset when I buy clothes you don't like. Or music you don't like!" Arya insisted.
Ned ran a hand through his hair and placed his hand on his wife's shoulder. "Let her keep the job. It'll be good for her." Catelyn's mouth formed a thin line but she silenced her protests knowing that if Ned was on Arya's side she had lost.
Ned turned to look his youngest daughter in the eyes. "You will stick to your lessons and if they or your grades slip you will quit this job. Understand?"
Arya had nodded solemnly before grinning wildly and throwing herself into her father's arms, giving both her parents a kiss on the cheek.
One thing Arya had been unaware of before Tom hired her was his absurd love of music. It was so absurd he kept a small stage in the corner of the shop with a keyboard, mic, and guitar on it that anyone could use at anytime to do anything. The performers certainly kept the time going fast and Arya enjoyed some of them a lot, like the singer Marillion(though he was a bit of an ass) and the wild eyed poet Osha. The one thing Arya had not anticipated was at the end of the last shift of her first week was for Tom to pick her up and to carry her on his shoulder across the surprisingly crowded shop and to toss Arya on the stage.
People began to cheer as she clambered to her feet and glared at Tom.
"Seven hells! What was that for?"
"Tradition!" he cried hoping onto the stage with her. "It is custom here at the Java Chip that if an employee survives their first week they must sing a song to the masses!"
"Why?" Arya demanded brushing invisible dust off her maroon pants.
"Because we embarrass ourselves up there all the time and its nice to see you do it for a change!" Osha called from her table earning her several laughs.
Grudgingly Arya did have to concede the woman had a point although she never made people come up here.
"Which is why at least once a week every employee of mine must come up here and sing a song or read a poem." Tom told her throwing an arm around her shoulder.
"This wasn't in my job description." Arya muttered darkly earning her some laughs from the crowded table of men in front of the stage.
"Does that mean you're quitting?" Tom asked raising his eyebrows in a challenge.
Arya huffed her breath out through her noise. She had only ever played for Jaquen but she never sung for him or anyone. She didn't even sing in the shower. She thought she had a nice voice but she didn't like to show it off because once when she was singing to the radio to loudly Sansa had told her to stop being so immodest. Even though she wrote her own songs now she still only performed for herself and Nymeria. But sometimes you have to face your fears and Arya Stark was never one to turn down a challenge.
"Give me the guitar." she said thrusting her arm out. The crowd began to cheer and a man in a yellow coat began thumping his hands on the table in front of her. Tom strapped the beat up baby blue Strat to her torso before speaking to the mic again.
"Please welcome Miss Arya Stark!"
Arya squared her shoulders back before adjusting the mic down nearly a foot to her height as Tom hopped off the stage to join the crowd before her.
"I expect a raise for this." she announced earning her another laugh.
She had written plenty of songs by now but none that she wanted to share with strangers. A lemon colored coated man was pounding on the table in front of her and they were chanting her name, 'Arry' the nickname the cook Hot Pie had given her. She saw him leaning against the counter and Jaquen sitting next to him. The crowd seemed to full her lungs as she took a deep breath and her fingers began to dance on the strings as she played the opening to her favorite rock song, "Cherrybomb."
She caught the grin of a dark tousled haired boy, his blue eyes piercing through her so uncomfortably that she closed her eyes as she started to sing. After she was done the crowd cheered wildly and rose to their feet. She blushed a deep red and bowed before putting the guitar back.
"A raise you shall get!" Tom cried at her as she made to get off the stage. The boy with pretty blue eyes appeared before her and offered a hand up to help her down.
"Thanks." she said as she slipped on a patch of wet floor and tumbled into his chest. Arms thick with corded muscles wrapped around her waist and she looked up breathlessly into his blue eyes and crooked grin.
Regaining her senses and her feet she stood and ran a hand through her hair with a blush. "Sorry." she muttered.
"Its alright." he said with a shrug. "I'm Gendry." he said holding out his hand.
"Arya."
4. Trusting her instincts
Arya had been at Java Chip for over a year when her sixteenth birthday came around. Her family took her to dinner at a fancy restaurant that was completely not to her taste. She spent the whole time whispering rude comments to Rickon and drinking from the glass Jon's wild haired girlfriend Ygritte had given her. The girl simply placed her cup of gin and tonic next to Arya's water glass and winked at her before picking up Arya's water instead.
After a never ending dinner full of her parents and eldest brothers political talk they finally returned home. This was the part Arya was waiting for, presents.
From her parents she received her own car as she had gotten her license that morning. It was the one that Sansa used to drive but she was leaving for college in Storm's End in a week and wouldn't need it there.
Robb and his new wife gave her some books on the history of sword fighting. Theon a music notebook and guitar picks. Sansa gave her a surprisingly cute sweater with a wolf silhouette on it and Bran and Rickon had gone together to get her a framed and signed picture of her idol Joan Jet.
Jon gave her the best present of all, a small steel sword perfect for her new jousting lessons, (The amount of effort she put in with her parents to take the lessons was astronomical.)
"Every good sword needs a name." he warned her as her handed it to her and she ran her fingers over it loveinlgy. Their eyes met before she grinned and the both spoke, "Needle!"
Soon everyone began to retire for the night promising to do breakfast before the eldest all left to go back to school or work. After hugging everyone the second time and receiving more birthday wishes Arya finally managed to head upstairs where she stripped herself of her boring white dress and shrugged her way into tight black skinny jeans and a red and black stripped mesh tank top. Lacing her combat boots she reached for her favorite worn hoodie before frowning and moving her hand away. Stepping over Nymeria where she was sprawled across the floor Arya picked up the sweater her sister had given her and removed the tags before slipping it over her head. Smiling she grabbed her red beanie and shoved it over her ears and tucked her wallet and cell phone into her pocket.
She had just began to ease her window open when the door to her room opened. She jumped back into the room in fright expecting it to be her parents only to see all of her siblings crowded in her doorway.
"I told you she would sneak out." Sansa said hitting Robb on the shoulder, "You owe me twenty dollars."
"Don't be back to late." Jon said as he made to shut the door.
"We'll cover for you." Rickon whispered just before the door snapped shut leaving Arya alone in the darkness again.
She breathed a shy of relief before laughter bubbled up from her chest. She made the entire climb down the house with a grin on her face.
Two streets down Hot Pie and Gendry were waiting in Gendry's old Dodge pickup. She scooted onto the bench seat and laughed as Hot Pie threw confetti over her.
"Happy birthday!" he cried.
"Dude you know you're cleaning that up right?" Gendry asked as he pulled out winking at Arya over his head.
Java Chip had decorated for her birthday. There were streamers, balloons and more cupcakes then she could count. She sat on the counter munching her forth one and nursing her third drink of the night when she felt someone pull themselves up next to her.
She found herself facing Gendry and bite back a smile. Over the year or so that they had known each other the two had become good friends. Truth be told Arya often wished that they were more than friends but Gendry was twenty and she was only now sixteen. He worked in a garage and she was in high school. He was in the Brotherhood Without Banners with Tom and Lem and the other guys and Arya loved to watch them practice and see how his muscles tightened as he hammered on the drums. He often played without a shirt which was an added perk.
The two of them often played music together, even writing songs together a few times. Arya had started to perform small concerts at the store and was finally asked to open for the Brotherhood whenever they had a show.
They talked over stupid stuff for hours and often they would cuddle together on the couch in the house the Brotherhood shared and watch old movies. Arya had finally admitted to herself she had feelings for him three weeks ago and since then she found it hard to not blush or smile like a goon in his presence.
"Hey." she said to her cupcake as he nudged her shoulder.
"Hey. Happy birthday. I got you something." he said holding out a small newspaper wrapped square. Arya looked at him then in surprise. The rest of the band had gone together to her a shirt made. It was a picture of her from one of their first shows bent half over her guitar and her hair flying wildly as she sung into the mic. Her stage name was printed over it "The Lone Wolf."
"I thought you guys already got me something." she said taking the package.
"The guys did. This is just from me." he explained. The drinks were really starting to get to her because Arya could have almost sworn he was blushing.
"Thank you." she whispered turning it over in her hands.
She could practically feel Gendry roll his eyes. "Would you just open it?"
Slowly as to aggravate him further she pulled the wrapping off. Holding the small white box in her hands she looked up at him before removing the lid. Inside was a small silver wolf pendant hanging from a silver chain.
"Gendry." she breathed running her fingers over it lovingly.
"You like it?" he asked nervously.
"I love it." she said smiling at him before frowning down at the necklace. "But this is too much. I can't take this."
"Sure you can." he leaned so close to her ear she felt his nose brush her skin. "Its not real silver."
Her heat hammering a samba inside her ribs she whispered. "Help me put it on."
Slowly Gendry drew the chain from the box, reaching behind her to drape it around her neck. His fingers grazed the sensitive skin on her neck and she shivered. Clasped the necklace settled on her sternum just between her small breasts. Her fingers clutched it happily as she turned to face him, surprised to find the faces so close.
"Thank you." she whispered as he licked his lips.
"You're welcome." he said gruffly beginning to pull away from her.
Some animal drive took Arya over than. That or the drinks she had consumed that night because almost of their own accord her hands wrapped themselves around Gendry's neck and pulled his lips down to hers.
5. Not letting Robert Baratheon introduce Gendry to her family.
Two years later the weekend before her high school graduation Lordship Security threw a huge banquet to celebrate their recent milestone of money making. Her family all came into town for it deciding to stay the week until graduation for some family time. The house was packed with Robb and his wife Jenye and their five month old daughter. Jon and his now fiance Ygritte, Theon and his girlfriend Pia and Sansa and her boyfriend Sandor. As well as the parents and the younger three Starks.
The night of the banquet Arya donned her favorite dress, the one that swung around her when she spun and her bright red shoes. She left off the red lipstick knowing that sometimes you have to fight your battles with her mother. Over the last two years Arya surprised her parents by throwing more vigor into her extra circular actives and school work than any of her siblings. She still kept her job and she was still (secretly) dating Gendry but she put forth so much work so her parents couldn't complain about it. As such her parents were being much more lacks and letting her wear what she wanted.
Off course they did not yet know that she was not going to go to college like they expected and was instead going on a nationwide tour with the Brotherhood. That was a discussion for later though.
The banquet was full of guests and dinner was a hectic affair. Their party was to large to all sit at the prestigious front table so their parents went up there alone and the siblings filled a large table by themselves and laughed themselves sick through the four courses. When all the desert was finally cleared their parents finally joined them only to be quickly followed by Robert Baratheon himself.
"Ned!" he cried clapping his long time friend on the shoulder. "I almost forgot to introduce you! We found another one of mine! This one is the oldest so far, his mother died without telling either of us, poor thing, but his great aunt tracked me down! Been tested and everything. This one's mine!" Arya rolled her eyes at the antics of the Baratheon man. His recent acknowledgment of his bastard children (who were numerous) was all the business tabloids could talk about it seemed. So far she liked nearly all of his children well enough but they had all only met in passing. The only one she could not stand was Joffery but she didn't really think he was his son.
She looked up in vague interest as Robert waved forward a fit young man in a tailored suit who looked as uncomfortable as he did dashing. Arya's eyes widened at the sight of his familiar tousled black hair and saw his bright blue eyes take her in with an appreciate glance. Arya felt a rage take over her then as her hand clutched the wolf pendant around her neck. Gendry had told her a few weeks ago that a man claiming to be his father had contacted him but he had not wanted to talk about it so she had not pressed for farther details.
Robert pulled Gendry forward so he was in front of the table and only two chairs away from her. "Stark brood this is-"
An animalistic need took over her and the wolf inside her demanded she mark her territory before Robert Baratheon introduced the love of her life to her family by claiming him as his own. Raising to her feet her eyes locked on Gendry who began to smile as he saw the look in her eyes.
"You should wear suits more often." she said cutting off Robert's words as she placed her hand behind Gendry's neck and pulled his face down to meet hers. She kissed him just long enough for it not to be considered chaste before she turned back to face her family, savoring the shocked looks on all of their faces. Well minus Bran who was gleefully accepting the fifty dollar bill Robb was sliding him.
"I'd like all of you to meet Gendry Waters. My boyfriend." she said as he slipped and arm around her waist and extended his other hand to shake her parents hands, both of whom looked like they were in shock.
A familiar upbeat song began to play over the radio and Arya glanced at the small dance floor which was still empty.
"This party could use some shaking up. Would you like to dance kind ser?" she asked Gendry with a smile as she stepped away and extended her hand to him.
Grinning he placed a light kiss on her knuckles. "I would be honored my lady."
Frowning Arya punched him lightly on the shoulder as he led her to the dance floor. "Do notcall me my lady!"