Arya was faced with that dreadful question again 'What are you going to do?' This time, it was her older brother Jon who asked her that. Out of every one of her siblings, she never expected Jon to ask her such a question so she was surprise when he sat her down and with a very serious look on his face and began talking to her. She was getting tired of that damn question. It taunted her and got under her skin. 'What are you going to do?' Well, she didn't fucking have a clue and that was exactly the problem. Everyone around her seemed to know what they wanted yet she didn't even know what she wanted for dinner.
Everyone in her family was famous, her father Ned Stark was a famous child actor who despite hanging out with some really bad people, managed to keep up his acting career until he retired ten five years ago. Her mother was a famous singer from Riverrun, who retired as well and became a music teacher at the Wall University. Her older sister Sansa had decided to follow in her mother's footsteps and became a singer as well, her older brothers Jon and Robb went into modeling while doing some acting on the side. Jon was the star of The Wall magazine while Robb had been named King of the North in Winterfells men's magazine. Her younger brother Bran was a very skilled stunt actor and when he started on a film he did his own stunts. Even her youngest brother Rickon was already ready to start in a new movie called Shaggydog.
Arya was the only one in the family who had never done anything. Thus making people ask her 'What are you going to do?' They always waited for the answer to be "I'm going to do acting" "I'm going to do some singing" "I'm going to do some modeling" But they were never ready for her honest answer which was a simple "I don't know". They always got mad at her even though they already knew what her answer was going to be. She began getting frustrated every time her mother would send someone and she would even curse them out. But this was different, this was Jon and Jon had always been her favorite brother.
"Tell me sweet sister, what are you going to do?" His tone was soft but his face was hard and serious, his grey eyes locked on hers
"I don't know Jon, you're like the 100th person to have asked me that" She rolled her eyes
"Why don't you know? We've asked you since you were 13, you're 17 now. People are wondering why you've never been on TV or the big screen or even singing on a stage! They're expecting you to come out anytime now"
"Jon, I don't want that. I've never wanted to be famous. What if I just want to keep a low-key profile? What if I want to be a teacher or work at a bank?" She asked him
"Well, do you really want to be a teacher?" He looked at her
" No, I hate schools but it was just an example. I just don't know why you guys are rushing me to become something" she said frustrated
"Because it has always been dad's dream for all of his kids to become famous successful people and you're the only one that's missing"
"Gods Jon. You guys jut don't understand. I don't want fame, I already have that whether I'm doing something or not." She said with a frown. Everywhere she went there were paparazzi following her around like lost dogs and that made her blood boil. She was always known as Arya the Stark girl. The girl with no career. No one knew her as just Arya, the girl who loved to play sports and was pretty good at fencing.
"And success, well I don't want to be a successful actress or model and we all know i can't sing even if my life depended on it"
"You never tried acting, or modeling"
"And I'm never going to" she said defiantly "Jon, I don't want to have this conversation with you. I don't even know why mum sent you" She said crossing her arms across her chest
"Well, mum didn't send me. It was dad" He confessed.
It shocked Arya that the person who had sent Jon was her father and not her mother. He never really pushed Arya when it came to that, he always said that eventually she'll find what she really wanted to do.
"Why, why would he sent you?" She couldn't help but feel hurt about that
"Because he's going to Kings Landing" He said averting his gaze
"He's what?" She was completely surprise by the news "Why is he going to Kings Landing? He hasn't been there in ages. Is he having a fight with mum?"
"Arya stop asking questions and let me tell you" Jon chuckled "He's not fighting with mum, well not anymore."
"What do you mean not anymore" Arya interrupted
"Let me explain it to you" He told her
"Robert called dad up a month ago and offered him the main role in this film he's working on. Dad didn't want the job but Bran was offered a role in it as well and he doesn't want Bran off in Kings Landing all by himself, so he decided to take the offer. I believe Robert also begged him to take the role, claiming dad would be perfect for it. Anyways, mum wasn't too happy about it so they were angry at each other for a while"
"Where the fuck was I at? how come no one told me anything? I didn't even know they were mad at each other" Arya exclaimed
"Cus you were off in your room like always, avoiding the outside world. Plus dad hasn't announced it yet, he told me cus I over heard him talking with mum and Bran knows cus he also got offered a role in the film. But that's not the case, Mum and dad are fine now, if you haven't noticed" He said rolling his eyes. Arya knew exactly what he meant. The amount of noise coming out of their parents bedroom was driving her nuts.
"Anyways Arya, that's not the point. The point is that father wants to take you with him to kings landing, he wants to keep you around his work in case you get interested. But he wants to know whether there's something you want to do" he explained to her
"Why hasn't dad come and talked to me? Why did he sent you instead?"
She didn't like the idea of her dad not being straight up with her. Her mind was full of questions, one of them being a very obvious one. Why hadn't he come to her himself? He knew how much Arya hated when people beat around the bush an at the moment her father was practically beating the bush into pulps. She couldn't help but feel angry towards him.
"He sent me cus he knows you'll listen to me. He didn't want you to say no and he knew you would. Arya, all dad wants is for you to have a career like the rest of us" he sighed
"I don't want to have a bloody career like the rest of you! I want to enjoy my life Jon, without having people follow me around. I'm only 17 and I want a normal life and shit. I'm sorry brother but this time I won't be listening to you" she said getting up.
She ran up to her room ignoring her brothers call for her. She was tired and fed up and all she wanted to do was sleep. She wanted people to stop asking her about what she wanted to be or do and she wanted people to stop viewing her as Arya Stark the daughter of the famous Ned Stark. She wanted to be normal and to have a chance to be herself. No one even knew or cared what she liked, they always forced something down her throat and she was forced to take it. Well she had enough. When she opened the door of her room she was greeted by her husky, Nymera. The dog practically tackled her and Arya couldn't help but laugh, despite being angry. She closed the door behind her and at on the floor with Nymera on her lap. She nuzzled her fur and let the dog lick her face, making her giggle. For a moment she lost herself and forgot about everything and everyone. She closed her yes and took a deep breath and before she even got time to open them someone burst through her door.
"Shit, what the fuck?" She exclaimed as she opened her eyes
"what are you doing here Theon?" She asked
"Hello little lady, I heard a certain someone didn't listen to their favorite brother" he smiled at her
"I'm not in the mood to talk to you" she snapped.
Theon was her adoptive brother and the families rapper. Just like her brothers and sister, Theon had decided to go into the industry and was actually quite good at his being a complete ass, he shared some good memories with Arya but he was in no mood to be nice to him today.
"I'm in the mood though" he said as he closed the door behind him.
"Get out Theon" she said angrily, but Theon just smiled at her as if he knew something that she didn't. Despite the death glare that Arya gave him, he sat down beside her and nuzzled Nymeras fur.
"So, you still don't know what you want to do huh?" He asked her. The smile never leaving his face
"None of your business" she said looking away from "It is my business little wolf. I ain't no Stark but I sure do see you like a little sister and you're making me worried"
"Me? Worrying you? How so Theon, please enlighten me" she rolled here eyes at him
"You're the only one who doesn't know what they want to do, everyone is giving you plenty of choice for you to pick yet you're reusing all of them. " he said matter-of-factly
"No one is giving me choices. They're just telling me I need to be something and that I need to live up I my name. What the fuck is that Theon? I don't want to be famous I don't want none of what you and my brothers have or my parents! I just want to be Arya, just plain and simple Arya"
she practically screamed at him yet he remained calm and composed with a smile on his lips
"You're stubborn " he simply stated "Very stubborn and childish"
"Ugh, shut up " she said shoving him
" I'm being honest. You keep saying you don't want fame which is something you already have. You keep saying you want to be just Arya and you don't seem to understand thy you could have a career and be just Arya. There must be something out there that you like to do" he old her
"I for know what I like to do but I know I dot want to play this game of being famous. I want to be ordinary"
"Let me put it to you in a simple way. You can't be ordinary cus you come from a famous family. Everywhere you go you'll be known as Arya Stark, so why won't you do something so that people can acknowledge you as that as well? You're 17, if you were ordinary like you say you would be faced with the same question. I don't know why you're complicating your life and everyone's. Just think about down thing that you like to do and then do it. People are starting to think you're just a freeloader"
She looked at Theon and found him with a serious look on his face.
Shit.
That meant he was duper serious. She didn't know what to say to that . She honestly didn't know what she wanted to do for the rest of her life and she knew that if she picked a simple job as a teacher or an accountant she would still be bothered by her family's fame and that the only jobs that really suited her were jobs she refused to do. She was in a pickle. Especially since her dad wanted her to go to kings landing with him.
"Are you still here or are you thinking" Theons voice broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to reality.
"I'm here stupid" she rolled her eyes
"Good, cus I want to tell you a story"
"Oh brother" she sighed
"It's a good one, don't worry" he assured
"Okay then, get to the point " she told him
"When I was 15 I was faced with that same question. I was going through some stuff you know, I didn't know what I wanted to do and just like you I had many options. I could either join the industry like you Starks or I could become a fishermen just like my old man. But I just didn't know what I wanted and every time your mum or dad would ask me I would get so mad and tired. Then one day Robb came up to me and this little dyke was just 13 at the time and he already knew what he wanted to do. 'Imma be king of the north one day, just you wait' he told me with such pride. It made me extremely jealous how everyone around me knew what they wanted to do. So I locked myself in my room one day, didn't let anyone in, didn't even eat dinner. I just sat in my bed and thought about my future and what I loved doing" he still had that cynical smile plastered on his lips, making Arya wanting to slap it off
"And your point is?" She asked him, she was really in no mood to talk to him
"If you let me finish my story I might get to my point" he snapped
"Hurry up" she grunted
"Like I was saying, after I locked my self in my room, I turned on my radio and began listening to my favorite rapper, Kanye West. In a matter of seconds I found myself rapping along with him and I was quite good. Then it all clicked in my mind, the thing I loved doing the most was rapping. I was always rapping and singing and it always filled me up with happiness and so I ran down the stairs, leaving the radio on and headed straight to Ned's studio. I told him that I wanted to rap and he made me write something for him and when it was done, he sent me to your mums uncle, since he has a studio and all. When I got there I showed it to him and some of his buddies and they all loved it and I've been a rapper ever since. "
"That was a nice story that I've never heard before and I'm glad you shared it with me but I still don't see the point" she told him
"The point is, that all I had to do was sit down by myself and think about what I really wanted to do, which is something I've never seen you do little wolf. You're always playing with your brothers or with me or getting into trouble and you never seat down to think" he looked at her seriously.
Now that she thought about it, Theon Greyjoy was actually right about this. She never actually sat down to think anything. She just did whatever made her comfortable and she never really put much thoughts into what she wanted to do when she was older. If it was up to her, she would live the rest of her life playing with Nymera and running around.
"So?" Theon asked, and eager look on his face "have I made my point clear?"
"Yes you idiot, you have." He replied
"So are you going to think about what you want to do?"
"Maybe I will, I make no promises" she said as she petted Nymera who had seemed to fallen asleep on her lap
"It's not a maybe I will, it's a yes definitely " he said matter-of-factly
"If I say I would think about it would you get out of my room?" She asked him, she appreciated Theon trying to help but at the moment she really wanted to be on her own and actually think for once, like he had told her to do.
"yes I will. But you have to promise me you'll think about it Arya. In three days I'll be back for an answer" he said as he got up from the floor, dusting off his pants
"Yeah yeah, I promise" she said entwining her little finger with his, sealing the pinky promise
"That's my little lady. Now, another thing" he said before walking towards the door
"What is it this time?" she said looking up at him
"Um, I know about the kings Landing thing and I know your dad wants you to go with him, he thinks it'll be a good shot for you and I think so too. I think a girl like you shouldn't be stuck here in Winterfell. You got so much life inside of you Arya, you should be out there exploring the world, so think about that offer to" when he finished he didn't even wait for her to reply, he just opened the door and walked out of her room, leaving her with lots of thought running wild inside her head.
She grunted in frustration because just like always, she didn't know what to do. Why Theon said had hit her stronger than she had imagine it would hit her.
People always told her she had a lot of potential in her, but she just didn't know what to do with that. Would she find that in kings landing? She wondered. It was a new different world full of possibilities and new hopes and maybe she would find what she loved doing while she was at kings landing. But she highly doubted that. If he hadn't found anything that pleased her while at Winterfell she would not find anything that would please her in kings landing.
"Why is this so hard" she said with a sigh. Nymera was peacefully sleeping in her lap and Arya wished she was a dog instead of a human so that she would have to worry about anything.
That night, after Arya had finished eating dinner with her family, her father pulled her aside and sat down with her. He apologized for not coming to her himself and for sending Jon in his place. She forgave him and he hugged her tightly, whispering in her hair "My little wild wolf" and then pressing his lips to her forehead.
She loved her father with all her soul, so despite hating the conversation the two of them were having, she listened and paid full attention to his words.
"I want you to know, that anything you decide to do I would be fine with. If you chose not to go into the industry I'll support you and so will everyone else. But Arya, you're already 17, you refuse to go to college and have chosen to study at home, you don't know what you want to do yet and time is running out. I don't want you to always be dependent of us, we are here now but we might not be here tomorrow. I'm worried Arya." He looked tired and worn out and Arya felt sadden by his expression
"Dad, i just, I don't know. I know I need to know but I just don't. I've never sat down to fully think about what I want to do and I know you mean well when you ask me or when mum sends people to ask me but dad I'm tired. I'm only 17 and I'm not even a senior in my online classes. One more year and I'll be done with that. As of now I don't want to go to college cus I don't know what I want to do with the rest of my life. I don't want you to think I'm going to live my life-like this forever. I'll eventually figure something out" she was honest and her dad looked as of he was about to cry, she was scared for a second, thinking that he was about to break down and cry but when he spoke his voice was firm and clear
"You're a tough one, but I know you'll figure out your destiny eventually. In the meantime though, I would love it if you came with me to kings landing. I think you'll like it there" she was great full her dad didn't push the subject more but she didn't know how to answer his proposal
"I dunno dad , I love Winterfell and I know people here, they don't treat me like a celebrity here and over there they will" she didn't want to move to kings landing cus of that reason
"You could always ignore them, that's what I've always done and It has worked out well for me" He gave her a light smile
"Dad, I dunno. Can I have time to think about it?" She asked
"I leave the next week. I'm going to tell everyone when you make up your mind"
"Okay dad, I promise I'll think about it" She assured him
And she did. After going to her room that night, she sat down on her bed and thought about her options. She still didn't know what she wanted to do, or what career path she wanted to pursue, but she did know that if she agreed to go to Kings Landing with her father, she would make a lot of people happy. With a sigh, she got up from bed and headed downstairs to find her dad.