A/N: Hi there. This is a fanfiction I dreamed up a few nights ago after a fight with my own sister. I realized how similar we are to Arya and Sansa. I'm older than her but act more like Arya, while the opposite is true for my sister. So I wrote this, feeling close to Arya at the moment.

Basically, I poured all my emotions into a fictional seven year old from medieval times. Send help.

Disclaimer: If I owned the series I wouldn't resort to posting fanfiction online, would I?

Sticks and Stones

Arya sat in her cold room, her arms crossed and eyes puffy. She didn't understand why Mother had told her to go to her room so harshly. She hadn't done anything wrong! All she did was pull Sansa's hair and… kick Jeyne in the shin… and… bite Beth's hand… Well, she didn't start it! She just defended herself! So why was Mother punishing her?! She should be punishing Sansa and her friends. It's not fair.

Sansa always gets away with everything because she's a 'proper lady' and therefore more believable. Arya thinks that being a highborn or lowborn, proper or not, shouldn't have anything to do with how trustworthy you are. Arya thinks that has to do with your character. Or at least that's what father says. Robb and Jon have believed her over Sansa many a time. But unfortunately, Mother doesn't see things the same way Jon and Robb do.

Father was off on business in White Harbor and had taken Theon Greyjoy and Robb with him. That left Bran in charge of Winterfell, officially. However, Bran was a child of four and did not know how to run The North. So it was Mother that was truly in charge, as she handled everything instead of Bran. Since she had been so busy, Sansa decided to take it upon herself to be Arya's mother whenever their real mother wasn't around. Arya had enough of it when Sansa had told her to grow up because she'll never be able to do things that men do. She said she would never become a proper lady, nor a victorious knight. She said that with her looks, no one would wish to wed her. Sansa and her friends told her she looked like Jon. They put lots of emphasis on Jon being a bastard. No, Arya thought, Sansa wasn't acting like a mother at all. She was acting like a bully.

That's what Sansa is. She's a bully. She and her friends are bullies when they call her those wretched names and laugh at her foolish attempts to fight like a man grown. They say she'll never be a proper lady and she doesn't know why that hurts her so. She doesn't want to be a proper lady, so why does she cry every time they inform her of that? She likes horses, so why does she cry when they tell her she resembles one? She's proud of being so sneaky, so why does being called Arya Underfoot feel like being stabbed in the stomach? She loves Jon dearly, so why does she feel shame when they accuse her of being like him?

The fire had gone out in her chambers long ago and she didn't bother replacing it. Maybe if she is lucky the cold will kill her. Uncle Benjen says it does at The Wall sometimes. She hasn't seen him in so long. It feels like an eternity. She loves uncle Benjen nearly as much as Jon does. Bran and Rickon are fond of him, but they've met him only once or twice. Sansa thinks he's fun but she doesn't like his stories. Robb admires the man greatly, but it's hard to beat Jon and Arya's love for him. Uncle Benjen is always kind to Jon, even more so than Father. Arya thinks that's because Father doesn't wish to upset Mother by always showing affection for his baseborn son, while Uncle Benjen doesn't have such a burden. She also suspects it has something to do with how she and Jon resemble the Stark family. Uncle Benjen misses them dearly.

Jon, Uncle Benjen, and Father never fail to encourage her in her antics, even if they are unladylike. They love her for her, and wouldn't change who she is for the world. She knows that, deep down, Mother loves her for her, too. Maybe Sansa does too, if you squint a little. It's just at times like these where she wants to feel like that don't, because that makes it easier to understand why they treat her the way they do. Like she is a stupid little girl with dreams that will never be.

Arya is snapped out of her thoughts when the door pushes open and in walks Mother. The young she-wolf turns her head so that it's facing the wall – she refuses to look at her mother. She has been sitting in here for an hour and Mother just decided to check on her? That's ridiculous. Mother sat on the bed, looking at her daughter for a moment. Then she tried to face Arya towards her. It didn't work. She pulled harder and harder but Arya was glued to that spot.

"Arya," Mother pleaded, "will you please look at me?"

She let out a puff and turned, slowly, until she was staring at her Mother in the eyes. If looks could kill, this one would.

"Thank you. Now, do you understand what you did was wrong?" Mother asked kindly, her blue eyes shining in the moonlit room.

Arya thought for a moment. No, because I didn't do anything wrong! They started it! "Yes, it was wrong of me to kick Jeyne and pull Sansa's hair and bite Beth."

"YOU BIT BETH?!" Mother practically screamed. She looked the same way Sansa did when Arya found that snake.

"N-no… it was more of my teeth grazing her skin." Arya spat out quickly. Mother didn't even know about that and she had to sit in her room for an hour? That's overkill.

"Arya Stark!" Mother scolded her. "You are seven years of age! You are no longer a babe like Bran and Rickon anymore! You're nearly a lady! You cannot bite people!"

Arya sighed, looking down at her lap. She knew she shouldn't have done those things. Especially bitten Beth Cassel. After all, her father was the Master of Arms. He could have numerous opportunities to… if he ever wanted to, he could… "Yes, Ma'am."

"Are you going to apologize to the girls?" Asked Mother. Arya nodded her head a yes. "Good. They will too."

Arya furrowed her brow. They will too? Does Mother why she did those things to them? Of what Sansa said to her? She was about to open her mouth when Mother cut her off.

"I remember something my Septa used to tell me. She said, 'Sticks and stones may break your bones but words will never hurt you.' Remember that next time, wild one. They are just words. They cannot make you bleed." She left then, with some remark about seeing her in the morning.

That's not true, Arya thought, mulling over her mother's words. Words hurt the most. I wouldn't mind sticks and stones over Sansa's words. Then, she had the most genius idea. Perhaps a naughty one, but she still craves revenge. Maybe Sansa needs to know what hurts. And Mother says that sticks and stones do that. Sansa never argues with Mother.

Don't worry, dear sister. At least the words won't hurt you.