Disclaimer: Again. Not mine.

Note: Apologies in advance. I cannot format well because someone actually managed to uninstall microsoft offices in my laptop. Gods! And now, I can't find my installer as well. Therefore, I'm using One Note instead. So yeah, that is why chapter one quite a mess. It's hard to edit, and keep reuploading. So very sorry guys. Hopefully, I'd be able to find the thing before 90 days so I can edit these early chapters properly.

On a chipper note, thanks for all the comments, favorites, and follows! Gives me life, you guys. On to the story!

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"Grab her. Take her to one of the prison cells!"

Jon ordered the guards a few beats after that pathetic excuse for a lord's head hit the snow. They were alert enough that they actually grabbed her as soon as her brother gave the order. Needle! Arya looked up at her brother and sister as the guards grab her things and took her away.

Sansa looked sick, and it seemed that she was trying very hard not to vomit or not to faint, or maybe not to vomit and then faint. Yes, probably the second one. Arya bet Sansa would be hard pressed to live it down if that happens, seeing as she is still very much a lady as Arya remembered her. She fondly chuckled quite a bit at that. Oh, how she missed her sister and her ways! Though, with the few moments she spent in her sister's presence, Arya could tell that a lot has changed about her. Not just her.

If she was certain about something even before she decided to went straight to Winterfell after her visit to the Twins, it was that nothing will be the same as it was when she left home five years ago. Or was that six? Anyhow, she was right. A lot has change. There were more guards than usual, the castle is burned in some parts, everyone looked less trusting, and though it still felt safe and felt home, there was something in the air that gives her the feeling that everyone in here was antsy about something. As if some danger was hiding in the shadows waiting to pounce. Or maybe, she thought, I was the one who changed so much? But Arya knew that cannot be, everything has changed, no matter how small or big.

She was nervous when she talked to guards at the gate, no matter if she was wearing a different face, she fear they might still recognize her. For no matter how many times you could change your face, there was no way to change your eyes. And she has those Stark eyes. The distinct storm gray ones, just like her father's and Jon's, but less kind and a lot ruthless.

The guards didn't seem to notice as they let her in their courtyard to await their king and princess. Arya put up the hood of her cloak, she could not take chances, not yet. The guards may dismiss it, maybe even the lords, but not Jon and Sansa. There was no way to forget the familiar eyes of the father they grew up with, the eyes that you see every time you made eye contact with your brother, or your youngest sister. She will not take that risk. She came here for a reason. A reason she almost forgot about the moment she saw Jon and Sansa for the first time in a long time.

Jon still has that same solemn stern look about him, but instead of making him look like he was sulking as it did when they were younger, this time it makes him look strong and commanding. Just like their father. So much like father. She had half a mind to run to him and tell him who she was, tell him she missed him, and tell him that she always thought about him, but she keep herself from doing so. She contented herself in observing him as subtle as she could.

He looks older, and though that was something that she had expected, it was a different kind of maturity that caught her attention. Maybe it was the battle, maybe it was more than that, but Arya was sure Jon had seen something or been somewhere that gave him this aura of being older than his years. She would find out what happened to him. It would be challenging though. In her journey to Winterfell, she had stopped several times in taverns and inns and was able to gather information regarding what happened to Winterfell.

People like to talk about something while getting drunk, and do they talk a lot. Arya learned a lot about what happened during the battle led by her brother to reclaim Winterfell, things that happened before that. About Rickon, which felt like a stab in her heart. How brave Jon was, how he was able to gain the respect of the Wildlings enough to fight for him, how he was definitely the King in the North. But nothing much about his time in the watch, or what happened before that. She has to know more.

She turned her focus on her sister who was walking slowly beside Jon, and speaking very silently with him. Sansa has always been pretty when they were younger, but Arya was still shocked at just how beautiful she is now. She looks so much like their mother. More beautiful than mother. Again, she wanted so much to run and give Sansa a hug. She was her sister, she was learning to fight, she should've went to Sansa and saved her. She heard all about what she went through in King's Landing through the hound. It's my fault, I left her to those Lannisters! She also heard some soldiers in the pub talking about her sister being Alayne Stone. She was confused about that, but she'll find out more once at Winterfell.

She snapped out of it and returned her focus on her sister which was now just a few feet away from her. Arya do not She still carries herself like a perfect lady, but there was something different in her now. Something that wasn't there when they were younger. She couldn't pin point what it was until Sansa spoke to her.

Instead of a modest, unsure girl hiding behind her courtesies, she can see a young woman with just enough show of confidence and strength to be taken seriously, but not to be thought of as a threat. Sansa has become very smart and very dangerous. Arya never would have noticed Sansa playing her and trying to manipulate the situation had she not trained with the faceless men and could detect lies and insincerity easily.

She smiled, who would've thought? My dear sister has learned a lot, she got fire in her eyes and defiance in her stance. Something good came out from everything she went through, at least. Arya cursed herself inwardly for thinking that way. No! I would gladly take that naïve, hopeful, Sansa who believed in songs and knights and princes if that means she didn't have to endure any of the things that the gods let her suffer alone! And she would, to be honest, she would willingly have that Sansa over this Sansa if it meant her sister didn't have to experience all the pain she did.

Yes, Arya knew about it. Because as opposed to people not talking about what Jon went through, and she isn't sure if she was thankful or hated them for it, the people on taverns and inns were not shy to talk about what Sansa had been through. How she was married off to that bastard Bolton, which they assumed that she was forced or tricked to it because there was no way someone who knew him would willingly marry him. How some whores said that according to the soldiers they bedded, the princess Sansa was imprisoned in her chambers and was raped and beaten by that monster every night. They talked about how he liked to torture people by flaying them, some even whispered about how they think he used to flay Sansa as well.

Arya remembered being sick to her stomach upon hearing these, abruptly standing up and leaving a few coins at the table. She would run until she can't anymore and then she would kneel on the snow and sob. Not Sansa. Sweet, gentle, all-smiles Sansa, who sews perfectly and acts like a lady in any given situation. Except during father's execution when she screamed and cried for them to stop it. That was definitely not an action befitting a lady. She would then curse the gods because why? There were other ladies out there, why Sansa? She's been through a lot in King's Landing, now she had to suffer this in the North? In Winterfell even? Are the gods truly mocking us?

Arya was snapped out of her contemplation when she was shoved non-too-gently in one of the prisons. She glared at the Knight of the Vale who just smirked at her before closing the cell door and locking it. It was roomy, the walls are concrete, and the door is like a normal door, except it was metal and has a small rectangular hole which serves as a window. She assumed that it was useful so the guards won't have to open the door when she wanted to talk to them or vice versa. Well… She pulled down the metal lid over the window, …I am not in the mood to talk at the moment.

She let herself adjust to her surroundings. It does not look like a prison cell at all. It is more like a small room, with the benefit of privacy and all. It was dark but not very much so, and she could still make out a desk and a chair at one corner of the room, a cot in another corner, and a couple of pails in the corner farthest from the bed. Not that it mattered how dark it is, she was well-acquainted with it after all. Arya sighed, decided to lie down and thought her plan through.

She originally planned to return to Winterfell and bring the head of Walder Frey to the Boltons as a warning before she kills them one by one. After all, they were another traitor to the Red Wedding. However, her plan changed when she heard about all the talks of the people. Winterfell is back to her brother and sister. The Direwolf flags are waving proudly again around the North. She almost decided to just return to King's Landing for the mountain and Cersei so she could finish of her list, but she wanted to know how they are faring. That, and she longed for home, for her family.

The new plan is to go see them as someone else and not Arya. They still have enemies, and she learned during her time as a cup bearer for Tywin Lannister that traitors are made and not born. So she would go to Winterfell, observe, and find out who from their allies might be potential traitors when the time comes that an opportunity to gain more will be presented to them. With Cersei Lannister as queen, she does not doubt that Jon and Sansa will have to be more careful. She would need to see how Jon rules and how Sansa handles the castle. She needed to make sure they will not be swayed by anyone to turn against each other.

The idea of gifting her siblings Frey's head came later on. She was a day away from Winterfell when she decided that she does not want to be a servant, nor a soldier. She already know how her brother and her sister acts around them. She needs to be someone unpredictable. Someone they would not care to offend or be angry with. She needed to be someone they would consider as neutral or unpredictable so they would be confused how to react and would just give in to honesty.

She did not anticipate however, the extent of the changes she would see in her siblings. How Jon was now more forthcoming with his commands but still reserved with his thoughts, and how Sansa has grown smarter in her actions and conversations. Those changes would make it more difficult to see through their masks and break their walls of courtly manners. But Arya likes challenges, if anything, she just needs time to think how she would go about it. Maybe after a nap ideas on how she would handle her siblings would be of abundance.

She was drifting to sleep when several knocks on her metal door was made. Arya groaned, she does not want to enter into a conversation yet. She was sure the guards talking to her would report everything to Jon or Sansa. Definitely Sansa, if she was as smart as Arya thinks she is, the she would definitely be wanting reports. She needed to make this as short as possible since she still haven't figured out how she would handle her siblings. All she knows is that she has to handle them very carefully and diverse from each other. She sat up on the bed and try to focus.

Three more knocks and she finally decided to answer but she did not open the small window, "Yes?"

"I'd like to talk to you my lady. If that is alright?" Shit. Sansa of all people! Arya groaned silently, she knows she have to be careful. Her sister is not someone she should underestimate. She needed to decide on a facade she would use for Sansa.

"You call me my lady, your grace, but you put me in a prison," she answered calmly. It's not enough though, she needed to put Sansa on edge. Maybe later.

She heard Sansa sighed, "I'm so sorry, my lady. It was not my wish that you be put here. I'm sure my brother was just shocked as well. I would talk to him about this and try to reason with him, worry not."

Gods, she's good at this. She sounds really sincere and innocent, she even wants to downplay her influence on Jon. It is obvious though with the way Jon paid attention when Sansa spoke to him earlier in the courtyard while walking towards her. She was able to read her lips. Brother, let me do the talking. Jon has absolute trust in her judgement. Arya would bet needle that they were ruling together, but making it seem that it was only Jon who does. How clever. Definitely Sansa's idea.

"Thank you, your grace." She answered shortly. She heard her sister fidget before speaking to her again.

"My lady, are you of the North?"

"Does it matter, your grace?"

"Well…no, not really. It's just that…umm…" Sansa paused and exhaled deeply, "It's just, if you are not of the North, then you do not really needed to address me as your grace." Arya listened carefully, and she knows that Sansa wasn't exactly feeling awkward or timid at all. Her sister has become a good actress. Sansa is fishing for information, it seems.

"Nonsense, your grace. I am in your lands and therefore should afford you the respect that was expected from your people." Arya is sticking to her calm detached tone. Not amicable, but not impolite either.

"It truly is fine, my lady. Several of the people we have with us here at Winterfell are free folks, and they do not kneel to me and my brother. They just call us by our names."

"Really?" That, Arya genuinely didn't know. She knew of the free folk in Winterfell, but she thought they kneel to her siblings as well. Jon and Sansa are proving to be really good rulers or really bad ones.

"Yes, my lady. So we would not take it against you if you do not address us as your king and princess. If you are somewhere from the East or from the South, we would totally understand."

Arya smiled, her sister is definitely good. Wanting to know where she is from as subtle as possible. Her courtesy had been perfect, maybe it is time to ruffle Sansa's armor a little.

"Worry not, your grace, I am not under anyone's rule but my own, and I would gladly kneel to you and your brother."

"Well, then, thank you, my lady." Sansa, always so polite. Arya figured she would like to see her sister a bit out of sorts.

"Of course, my princess. If I could kill for you, then I certainly could kneel to you." Arya answered her with a bit of malice on her tone. There was silence. Then Arya heard her sister sigh again.

"About that. You said you are not under anyone's rule, so why did you do it? Why kill Walder Frey for, I assume, the Red Wedding?" Now that is a sincere question. Arya knows this one is definitely something that Sansa wanted to know. Of course, Arya would not reveal the truth. She also would not give Sansa an answer, if only to piss her off.

Arya yawned and was back to her earlier tone, "I'm sorry, your grace, it seems that I need to rest for a while."

Sansa abruptly responded with a bit of annoyance, "My lady, you say that you will kneel to me, that is equal to you accepting me as your princess, is it not? As your princess, I demand that you answer my question truthfully."

"And you said that you would understand my qualms in being under your rule, and yet you are forcing me to give information that I hold dear, through a command, your grace."

She could totally imagined how Sansa must have looked on the other side of the door. She probably look affronted. Arya smiled when she heard Sansa shift after a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, my lady. I was just truly curious. Forgive me for forgetting my place." Arya smirked, Sansa was not sorry at all.

"There is nothing to forgive, your grace."

"I can see that you do not trust easy, my lady, but may I at least know your name?"

Arya knew that this would make Sansa hate her or love her as a prisoner, but she would deal with it because she needed to keep Sansa's interest. Her sister might give up her curiosity after their talk today, and Arya wasn't having it.

"My name is Lady, your grace," she chuckled for effect, "Although my mother would swear I act more like a savage wolf than a proper lady."

"What?" Sansa's feathers were ruffled, alright. However, Arya knew she needs to push her sister a bit more. An annoyed Sansa is far more interesting than the polite Sansa.

"I was kidding, your grace. I heard the story about your wolf, Lady. I mean no offense, however."

"You mean no offense? Well, my lady, I am quite offended." She could tell Sansa is very close to snapping. She can't have that either, she only needs her on the edge.

"Forgive me, your grace. I assumed incorrectly." Her asking for forgiveness was sincere, because she hated to hear that tinged of pain lacing her sister's last response.

"Forget it." Arya heard Sansa turn around and make a couple of steps away from her cell.

"Your grace," she called. She heard the steps stop. "What is it, my lady?"

Arya opened the lid so she could see Sansa, it was dark enough that her sister would not notice the color of her eyes. She saw that Sansa turned around to face her, so she was smirking when she answered, "Alayne, your grace. Call me Alayne."

She almost burst out laughing when she saw Sansa's reaction, she certainly let annoyance show in her response though. "You do not want to tell me your name, fine."

"Too easy to rile you up, your grace."

"Stop. Just, stop," Sansa said indignantly as she walk away from Arya's cell.

Arya laughed, "Anything for you, my dear princess!" She called out. She heard Sansa's huff even as she turned on the corridor, and she laugh louder.

Oh how she loved annoying Sansa. They were older now, but still, it gives her quite satisfaction in successfully riling her sister. She's so responsive to my baits. Arya was smiling as she lie down on the cot. She never felt so happy in a long time. I definitely missed making Sansa forget about her ladylike manners!

For a few more moments, Arya felt at home before she drifted off to sleep and dreams of hunts and wolves.

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N/A: Preview to Chapter 3:

"What's going on here?" Sansa bristled as she saw the commotion on the hall. There was that girl being dragged and forced to kneel in front of an enraged Jon. Their bannermen and a number of soldiers and wildlings started gathering in the halls.

"Where did you get this?!" Jon bellowed at the girl as though he had not heard Sansa's question. She decided to walk toward her brother to calm him down. It is not wise to show this many people what makes him lose his temper like this. What angers you, affect you.

"Brother, what is going on?" She asked as she grab his left arm. Jon startled a bit, as he directed his right hand to the girl. It was then that Sansa noticed that he was holding a very thin sword.

"She have this in her possession!" Jon answered her, still enraged, as if that explains anything.

"And?"

Jon whipped his head to look at her, and she saw the pained expression hidden under the anger in his eyes. "This," he said waving the sword somehow, "belongs to Arya."

Sansa was shocked, she looked at the sword properly. She wouldn't recognized it specifically, but she hasn't seen any sword like that except for Arya's. The topic of her sister always pains her, but still, damage control.

"Jon, maybe it just looks like Arya's sword?"

"No. I'm the one who gifted her the sword, before we left Winterfell. This is Arya's." Jon answered solemnly, as if in a trance. Now, Sansa is in equal parts panicked and angry. She walked closer to the kneeling girl whose expression is just passive, just observing them. That angered her more.

"How did you come by my sister's sword, my lady?" Sansa asked in a low voice. She felt overwhelming fear when the realization that this girl might have actually killed her sister.

The girl smiled, "A beautiful sword, ain't it, your grace? I like beautiful things."

Sansa tried to appear calm even with her blood boiling. "Do be careful for with your next words, my lady. I've killed before, I'm not oppose to doing it again. The time for japing is over," she stated coldly. She thought she even felt Jon shiver behind her.