Arya Stark awoke with a loud bang on her door. She grunted and turned but refused to open her eyes. Another loud knock prevented her from going back to sleep. With a sour look on her face Arya decided to get up.
"Shit, can you stop that!" She bellowed in frustration
"Arya, father wants to speak with you" Her older sister Sansa replied behind the door
Arya grunted again, displeased and annoyed. She hated being awoke on Sundays. They were her days. The days she loved so much.
"Tell father he can wait!" Arya screamed, taking her sweet time to get off from bed
"This is serious Arya, he has gathered the family"
The whole family? Arya thought. It had to be something serious after all. After ruffling her bed hair, Arya scrambled out of bed, her barefeet hitting the cold marble floor. Nice and cold just like she liked it. She loved the feeling of coldness, just like the remanding of her family.
"Alright, alright I'm coming" She replied to her sister. After a while, she heard her sister's foot step lingering away from the door.
Arya disposed of the big white t-shirt she was wearing. A big goofy grin appeared across her face as she hugged the shirt to her. The shirt belong to Gendry. He was best friends with Jon, Robb and Bran, Arya's older brothers and somehow she had become his friend as well. That was 9 years ago. She recalled that day as she went hurriedly into the bathroom. She didn't want to make her father wait on her. As she brushed her teeth she remembered back when she first met Gendry. She was 9 years of age and her brothers were fourteen. At that time they had started high school at Kings Landing and met Gendry Waters. One night Gendry slept over at her house and they've been friends ever since.
Now Arya was 17, almost 18 and he was 22. Over the years, the platonic feeling transitioned into more serious feelings. At first Arya denied it, but on her 15 birthday she realized she couldn't be just friends with him when he kissed her on her cheek and gave her a rose, gently saying "Mi'lady"
But Gendry didn't know of these feelings. No one did and no one was ever going to find out. Gendry was older than her and had other girlfriends. He only saw her as a little sister, as far as she knew.
Arya pushed away the thought of Gendry, she had no idea how they got in her head in the first place but that was something that happened very often in her life now. She finished brushing her teeth and walked over to her closet and fetch out something nicer to wear to meet with her father and the rest of the Starks. Once she was dressed and ready to go, in a plain white T-shirt that also belonged to Gendry (shirts that he would often leave behind when he stayed over) and black skinny jeans. She didn't bother putting on any shoes and without any further ado she left her room and made her way into the dining room.
Her family was all seating on the big oblong table. Her father, Edd Stark sat at the top of the table, followed by her lovely mother, Catelyn Stark, her older brother Robb Stark, half-brother Jon Snow, and her older sister Sansa Stark. The seat next to her was Arya's and right next to Arya's sat Bran Stark and next to Bran sat Rickon Stark, the youngest of them all.
"Arya, you're finally here," her father said with a light smile that touched his eyes
"Hello father" Arya said in a low voice as she made her way over to her seat
"You're probably wondering why I have sent Sansa to awaken you on this fine early Sunday. I know how much you love to sleep in but I must admit what I have to tell the family involves you my dear child," Her father's word scared her a little. What could be so important that he had gathered the family here and demanded her presence as well?
"Well, what is it?" Arya asked bluntly, making her mother glare at her
"Watch your manners Arya" Her mother said in a harsh but surprisingly sweet tone
"I'm afraid to tell you all that the Stark's company is about to go bankrupt" Her father's word left everyone at the table shocked. Sansa looked like she was about to faint at any minute.
"But, this dilemma could be easily solved if we join forces with the Baratheon's"
"What do you mean, join forces?" Jon asked confused
"Stay out of this bastard!" Catelyn spit
"Quiet woman!" Ned said angrily "After speaking with Robert for a while, he told me he'll helped out the company if , if Sansa and Joffrey became a couple" Ned sighed
Robert Baratheon was the owner of The Baratheon Companies and he was also Eddard Starks oldest friend. If Arya wasn't mistaken, Robert had begged her father to get his oldest son, Joffrey to date Sansa and become a true family after all, but father had refused. He didn't like the idea of giving up Sansa as if she was free meat. But now the circumstances were others and Ned had no other choice.
"Robert is a vile man when he wants to be, he had nagged me to get you and Joffrey together for a long time, now he finally found a way to force me into it" Nedd explained. But his explanation was pointless to Sansa. She leaped out of her chair in joy and ran straight to her father and embraced him in a tight hug and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you thank you thank you!" She sang in happiness. The grin on her face was big and made her look like a fool.
"Oh lucky you" Arya rolled her eyes "I was awaken on a beautiful day to hear this load of crap"
"Young lady watch your language!" Her mother scorned again
"Father, but there needs to be another way!" Robb protested. Jon didn't want to say what he thought about the affair because he knew his step mother wouldn't appreciate his comment so he just remained silent. But Arya knew Jon wasn't pleased either. Arya hated the idea to be honest. Joffrey was a real royal pain in the ass!
"There isn't any other option. And as you can see, Sansa seems to be very happy with the idea" Nedd said, looking at his sons.
"And Arya, this wasn't the reason I sent for you today, there's something else I need to tell the family, this knews concerns you the most," He said with a grieve look on his face.
Arya was worried. What can her father possibly have to say? That he was shipping her off to the Vale because of her behavior in school? That she had to stop hanging around her brothers?
"Well, can you get to it?" She said, swallowing the lump in her throat
Sansa scrambled back to her seat, the big grin still plastered all over her face. Arya braced herself for what ever her father had to say.
"Well, Robert thought it would also be a good idea if, if" Ned Stark was at lost for words, something that had never happened before. Arya's heart was beating out of control as her father try to find the right words.
"Well, Robert thought it would also be wise if Tommen and you also dated. He's a year younger than you but I'm pretty sure you'll learn to live with that"
Robb, Jon, Bran and Rickon tried their best not to laugh. Restraining the laughter only made it worst and without warning Robb's laughter filled the dining room followed by the others.
"Dad, you can't be serious, Arya would never agree to something like that!" Robb said in between laughs
"Yeah, Arya would rather die than date Tommen" Bran put in
Arya couldn't find her voice. Her dad couldn't possibly be serious, but by the look on his face, he was. Sansa sat speechless beside her while her mother tried her best not to scream at her children for being so rude. Ned looked at Arya apologetic and that's when she found it once again.
"I don't have a choice, do I?" Her voice was small but audible
"In afraid you don't" her father looked at her apologetic
Robb and her other brothers all laughed again. Arya have them all murderous glares that shut them up for good.
"You're going on a double date tomorrow, with him and Sansa and Joffrey" Ned told her. By this point she was furious and everyone had realized it. Her brothers didn't laugh and her mother looked uncomfortably from Ned to her daughter.
Without a warning Arya got up from her seat and stormed off to her room. A few minutes later, Robb and Jon were knocking on her door, pleading with her to let them in.
"Come on Arya, open up!" Jon knocked
"Go away, I want to be alone," she said, tears rolling down her face.
Arya was furious! She could care less about Sansa and Joffrey dating, but her and Tommen! A guy younger than her ! She couldn't take that. She wanted to be with Gendry, not with some 16-year-old fool!
She couldn't believe she had just thought of Gendry that way. Yeah she knew long time ago that she liked him more than friends but she never wished to be with him. Mostly because in her mind she believes that gendry doesn't share the same feelings. Rubbing her watery eyes with the palm of her hand, Arya got up from bed and opened the door to let her brothers in. She didn't want to think of gendry, she didn't want to feel needy of him.