My summary for this story is probably a terrible summary but I had no clue what to put down for it. This story has a weird outline. I had intended it to just be one really long chapter but decided it would be better told in chapters. Probably a good thing since this one chapter was much longer than I originally anticipated.

Jon Snow knows nothing, I own nothing, and GRRM knows and owns all.

Sansa

10 years since the wars ended

"Are we there yet?" whined Garth. The sun was starting to set and the Tyrell party was getting tired.

"We're only just getting into the North, so no, we're not there yet," came Sansa's tired reply.

Garth sighed dramatically and fell into a sullen silence. Cat was asleep already and Sansa was starting to ache from riding all day. They had finally reached the Neck and were passing by the swamps.

Thankfully, Garth was tired as well. Sansa didn't think she, or anyone else, had the energy to go chasing after the 8-year old around the marshes.

Sansa had hoped to reach the Barrowlands by about this time but it was clear that night was going to fall before then. That begged the question, do they continue into the night to Barrowton or do they find somewhere to make camp?

Luck would be on their side for they weren't as alone as they initially thought. A group of men seemed to come from nowhere and were making their way towards the Tyrell host.

Ser Vortimer Crane trotted forward on his horse, one hand on his sword, and called out for the men to identify themselves.

One man stepped in front of the others. "Good evening good sers and my Lady. My name is Byren Blackmyre. My Lady had heard of your coming Lady Tyrell. It is Lady Tyrell, is it not?"

Byren was a short man with dark curly hair that Sansa immediately recognized to be a crannog of the Neck. "It is Ser Blackmyre. Might I ask whom your Lady is?" She certainly didn't tell anyone in the Neck that they were passing through, yet it did not surprise her that news of her party traveled far.

"I am no Ser, Lady Tyrell. You may simply call be Byren. As for my Lady, I speak of Lady Meera Reed of Greywater Watch. Your men and children must be tired. If you would follow me, Greywater is not far from here. I could have you all in soft beds within the hour."

Garth seemed to perk up at the mention of Greywater Watch while the rest of the men seemed to perk up at the sound of beds. Sansa was quite curious to see Meera again. She had never got to know the girl nearly as well as her brothers had but they both only ever had good things to say. Plus, the last time she had seen Meera was right at the end of the war so it would be good to catch up with her.

"You and Lady Reed are too kind, Byren. We will follow your lead." Sansa replied courteously.

Byren gave a small bow, "Right this way my Lady," and was off into the marsh. Byren and his men were on foot but the horses couldn't go any quicker than his men if they didn't want to end up in the water.

Sansa had thought to ask Byren how they knew her and her men were so close but decided not to. Greywater Watch didn't recieve ravens either yet the place always seemed to recieve news anyhow.

A thought did occur to Sansa and she did ask Byren. "You keep saying Lady Reed but I thought her father was still Lord."

Byren shook his head, "Lord Howland has become very ill. He remains alive and thus, our Lord, but his daughter has since taken up all of his responsibilities. She is the ruler of Greywater in all but title. We have just taken up the habit of referring to her as the Lady of Greywater Watch. It is not to mean any disrespect to her father, of course. In fact, I'm sure he takes pride in the respect we show his daughter."

"What of Lord Howland's wife? It's been so long since I've heard word from any Northerners but I can't say I've heard any about the Neck."

Again, Byren shook his head sadly. "Lady Jyana has passed away. Should be two years soon since she did. I fear that is when Lord Howland's health first started to detoriate."

"Oh, that's so sad." Sansa then felt remorse for Meera. Her brother had died sometime during the war, then her mother died a couple of years ago, and now it seemed only a matter of time before her father went too. It seemed a large burden was placed on this girl in just a short span of her life. "And Lady Reed remains unmarried?" Sansa knew she was getting real nosy now but felt she had to know. What if she's a widow too, thought Sansa. How terrible would that be as well.

Byren gave her a long look like he was thinking on how to respond. "She...remains unmarried, yes. But fear not, Lady Meera has managed perfectly and while her father is sick, he has stuck around thus far to make sure is daughter is well looked after."

"So he does plan on marrying her to someone?"

Byren shook his head again. "I don't believe he intends for her to marry. Quite frankly, I don't think she plans to marry."

This just confused Sansa. Meera was his heir and even though she couldn't carry on House Reed, any children of hers would still inherit Greywater Watch. "But what of their line? Who is to inherit Greywater after she dies?"

Byren looked like he was thinking of the words to choose when Sansa realized she was acting like her 8-year old son. Asking so many questions, some too personal to ask that she felt she was probably making Byren uncomfortable.

"Forgive me, Byren. I think I've asked enough questions. Sometimes I remind myself of my children when I start to talk gossip about old friends." Sansa wasn't sure if she could consider Meera her friend but, then again, she was offering her and her children hospitality.

He only smiled and gave a small laugh. "There is nothing to forgive Lady Tyrell. Come, Greywater should be just up ahead."

What Sansa had expected to see was a castle just sitting right in the middle of the marsh, as ridiculous as that sounds. Instead, she was met by a city of houses and buildings made of wood that seemed to sit on the water itself.

The floating fortress, though it floats it's certainly no fortress, thought Sansa.

Then again, looks can be very decieving. The crannogmen were usually short and slim men compared to the rest of the North. Yet, her father and Bran both remarked on their incredible skills in battle. No doubt their unassuming looks have worked to their advantage over the years.

The sun was finally just setting out of the sky when they arrived. "I'm sure Lady Reed would like to see you. She'll be right this way," Byren Blackmyre said as he led Sansa and the Tyrell host right into the heart of Greywater Watch.

Arya

3 years since the wars ended

Arya woke up early in the morning as she did every morning and walked the castle walls. She would sometimes stare off into the distance for hours before she would decide to leave. She would have dreams of running away from Winterfell, away from everything that was normal for her. Dream of returning to Braavos and even further than Braavos. She wanted to see the other Free Cities.

She knew she shouldn't be having those thoughts and dreams. She had gone through hell and back just to be able to finally return to Winterfell. But now, having seen a bit of the world, she couldn't help but yearn for more. Winterfell was restored to a greater state than the likes of anyone alive had ever seen. After the war, people came from all over the North to assist in rebuilding the castle and town. But with everything done, Arya felt like she wasn't truly needed here anymore.

Again, she knew she shouldn't think such things. Sansa was gone now, though she wrote quite frequently, and her brothers were here where they belong. Arya just couldn't shake the feeling that Winterfell wasn't where she belonged. Atleast, not anymore.

Arya even envied Sansa a little bit, until she remembered Sansa just traded one home for another. Now that she has a baby now, she certainly won't be going anywhere anytime soon. That was just it with Arya. She didn't want to just remain in one place. She wanted to be everywhere.

As the sun was rising, she decided she was bored and went back into the castle to find Bran or Rickon. Rickon was probably off hiding somewhere. Guests from White Harbor had arrived a few days ago and Bran had been making Rickon attend him on most of the matters.

Arya did find it a little strange how much Bran insisted Rickon learn all the things that was expected of the Lord of Winterfell, but she just put it off as Bran trying to raise his brother properly. Someone had to do it since their parents were gone and Arya was certainly not mother material. Bran has the patience and intelligence, let him worry about Rickon all the time, Arya would tell herself.

She found Bran in his solar with Winterfell's maester and fat Lord Wylis Manderly. "Ahh, good morning Lady Stark," Wylis said with a slight bow of his head. Atleast, as much as his three chins would allow to bow.

"Good morning Lord Manderly, maester, brother," She said to each in turn. "Don't mind me, I just find myself bored is all."

Bran laughed, "You must be if you've come to listen to us prattle on business and nonsense. Oh, I'm sorry Lord Manderly, do continue."

She listened to them talk on the management of the North's Navy, now that war was good and gone. "Perhaps the smaller ships could be turned into fishing vessals. The larger ships could be used to travel across the Narrow Sea and any extra could be taken apart for wood," Bran suggested.

"An excellent idea Lord Stark. I'll put the plans into motion once I've returned to White Harbor. Did Wylla come and see you. I know she was interested in spending time with you and your family," Fat Manderly said.

Arya nearly scoffed out loud but knew it might offend Lord Manderly and bring a disapproving look from her brother. It was obvious to Arya that Wylis Manderly was clearly trying to sow the seeds for a bethrothal between his youngest daughter and her brother.

"We did. She is a very special person you have there, Lord Manderly. I'm sure Arya could tell you the same," Bran responded. Arya wanted to laugh. Both She and Bran seemed to be riddled with potential marriage prospects these days but they handled them completely different.

Arya would simply deny and blow everyone off right to their face. Bran would find polite, courteous ways to deny them. Sometimes they wouldn't even realize Bran had rejected their offer until much later.

Judging by the way Wylis Manderly beamed at Bran and seemed to puff up a bit, Arya wagered he completely missed Bran's rejection as well. "Well, I'll leave you to your maester and your sister. I do believe I haven't had breakfast yet," Wylis said before bowing and leaving.

The maester seemed to adopt a sterner look once Lord Manderly had left. "You'll need to have a bride sooner or later, my Lord." It seems the maester saw Bran's rejection as well.

"I'm not marrying Wylla Manderly or any of these other offers," Bran stiffly replied, gesturing to a pile of letters.

"My Lord, Winterfell will need an heir."

"I have an heir. Rickon is my heir. You want to set someone up for a marriage, start looking for matches for my brother."

The maester just sighed and seemed to give up. He simply nodded his head, bowed, before excusing himself and leaving Bran with Arya alone. Once he was gone, Bran let out a long sigh and rubbed his face with his hands. It was in these small moments that Arya would feel guilty. Guilty that her little brother had so many burdens to bear.

"Bran...why won't you entertain marriage? Wylla Manderly is actually a sweet girl," Arya couldn't help but ask. Maybe if her brother married, he'd find his own happiness that otherwise evaded him. "You never know, a wife might be just the thing to make you happy."

Instead of answering her question, he asked his own. "Are you happy, Arya?"

Arya found herself caught off guard by the question. "Am I Happy? Of course," Arya lied. The last thing she wanted was to give Bran more burdens to bear.

"You don't seem happy."

"When do I not seem happy?"

"Every morning. Every morning I can see you from my window staring off into the distance. Like you would rather be elsewhere."

Arya sighed and knew Bran would get the truth out of her one way or the other. "I don't know to be honest. Some days I do feel content and others...not so content."

Bran just nodded in understanding. "Sometimes I feel like that too. You know what might help?" Arya shook her head. "A husband might fix that."

Arya was about to angrily tell Bran she wasn't going to get married until she saw the humorous look on his face and realized he was messing with her. His face did get serious again after a moment. "I refuse to get married for perhaps the same reason you won't. It'll prevent us from doing what we truly want...or from what we know we have to do..."

Bran was getting cryptic again but Arya knew better than to try and probe deeper. She knew Rickon would try all the time to no avail. Instead, she just accepted Bran's words for what they were.

Deciding she had enough with the dark mood, she decided to follow Lord Manderly's example. "Well, all this talk has me hungry. Are you hungry?" When Bran shook his head she decided to rephrase her question. "Have you eaten anything?" Again, Bran shook his head. "I'll send someone up with a plate of food. I expect you to eat it," She sternly said.

Bran merely chuckled. "Yes, mother." he replied sacrastically.

She was hardly anything their mother was or even Sansa. With father, mother, Robb, Jon, and Sansa all gone, Bran was now the most responsible one. However, the one person he seemed to neglect the most was himself. The least Arya could do is at least keep an eye on him like she knew he kept on her, Rickon, Winterfell, and the entire North.

Arya left her brother and went down to the Great Hall to eat some food. She sat with the Manderlys, who were telling her stories about the variety of people who would sail into White Harbor. Afterward, she put a plate of food together and was looking for someone whom she could make bring the food to Bran.

"Lady Stark, a moment," Arya turned to see Hallis Mollen walking with a girl behind him. She looked around Arya's age and she thought she looked familiar. When they got closer and Arya got a better look at her attire, Arya realized it was Meera. "Lady Reed just arrived and was requesting to see Lord Stark."

"Meera! It's been so long," Arya said as she gave the girl a hug. Meera had done much for their family and had been a nice female companion to have.

"Almost three years," Meera agreed. "Too long, but I'm sure you know how busy things can be when you have homes to rebuild and duties to attend to."

"Well, I know about rebuilding but only Bran would really know about duties. I was just going to see him now, you can come with me." Arya dismissed Hallis and led Meera towards Bran's solar, conversing with Meera with how things had been.

When she was looking at the plate of food, Arya started to explain, "Bran keeps himself so busy sometimes he forgets to eat. I'm worried one day I'll find him starved to death, still at his desk at work."

Meera giggled, "I see some things never change. I remember Jojen and I always having to practically force him to eat because he would just get lost in warging into Summer."

They arrived and walked into the solar to find Bran busy writing out a long piece of paper. He glanced up for a second started to thank Arya for the plate when he froze and stopped writing all together. "Meera?! What are you doing here?"

Arya wanted to laugh at her brother's bewildered expression. "What? Am I not allowed here?" Meera said, pretending to be offended.

"What? N-No, of course you're allowed. You just...I didn't think you'd be here." This time Arya and Meera did both laugh at Bran's stammering and his quickly reddening face.

Meera walked around Bran's desk and threw her arms around his neck into a tight hug. One he returned after he got through his shock. Arya started to feel like she was possibly starting to intrude so she placed the plate of food on his desk, "Don't you forget to eat. I expect an empty plate to be returned and to see you for lunch," And then she was gone to leave them to catch up on their own.

While she enjoyed Meera's presence, Meera was ultimately Bran's friend more so than hers.

A month had gone by and both Meera and the Manderlys still remained at Winterfell. Arya was grateful for Meera's presence. She usually had a way to lifting everyone's spirits. She would see her sharing jokes with Rickon. Arya found Meera to be an unexpected challenge in the practice yard, not used to fighting a trident and net.

Bran, himself, seemed to find more time to take off of work and would hang out more. A couple of times, Arya would walk into Bran's solar and expect to see him at work like he usually was. Instead, he would be laughing and talking with Meera.

Arya told Rickon this as they were preparing for another training session. "Man," Rickon groaned. "That only means the work he isn't doing is going to end up as my work."

She only laughed at her brother. "Shouldn't be so much of a sissy, Rickon. It only makes me beating you that much more embarassing for you."

As she expected, he rushed her to try and catch her off guard. She merely parried his thrust, side-stepped, and tripped him. "Besides," she continued, "I haven't seen Bran enjoying himself so much in years. You should happily take up more work for him."

Rickon jumped back to his feet and was instantly back in a ready position. "So tell him to marry her and then she can stick around forever," he said just before he swung at her.

She blocked it easily enough and continued to trade blows for a bit before she slipped around him. Before he could spin in time, her sword hit him in his back. "I don't think he will. I already suggested it to him. He remains too stubborn to marry."

Rickon climbed to his feet mouthing a few curses. "Well, that just makes him like you then," he said, as he brought himself back into a ready position.

Arya had to admire her brother's persistence. There wasn't a man in Winterfell that had been beaten the amount of times Rickon had and always came back for more. Sometimes, it would make her feel guilty. Sparring allowed her to vent out her inner frustrations and discontent, usually at Rickon's expense. He never seemed to take it personally, though, despite the number of bruises he would always end up having afterwards.

It would be hard to tell to anyone who would watch their training, but she could tell Rickon had gotten much better than when they first started. She didn't know if he just really wanted to beat her, he really wanted serious improvement, or if he was just a glutton for punishment but she happily indulged him all the same.

After another hour of fighting, Rickon was finally too tired to continue going. He limped off to soak in a bath, leaving Arya to her thoughts. Thinking about Bran and Meera brought up thoughts of another person whom she hadn't seen in years. A certain Bull that she was sure was probably smithing somewhere or doing something dumb.

She had hated Gendry for awhile for choosing the Brotherhood Without Banners over her and her quest. At least, she wanted to hate him for it. After so long though, she simply missed his presence and stupid remarks. Sometimes, when she'd stare off Winterfell's walls, she'd imagine finding him out there somewhere.

She wasn't sure what she'd do if she found him. She didn't think it likely that they would pronounce their love for one another and get married. She wasn't Sansa for gods sake. No, Rickon was probably right. She'd probably do what Bran was probably doing. Keep her feelings to herself and just enjoy the company for as long as it would last.

Thoughts of Gendry only amplified her unhappiness. Before long, she couldn't focus on doing anything productive. She began to snap at people for no reason and preferred the solitude of Nymeria over even her brothers.

It reached a peak when a session with Rickon ended with Rickon's sword hitting her over the head. She fell to her knee and Rickon dropped beside her. "Wow, sorry about that. Didn't think I'd actually hit you."

Normally he wouldn't have, despite his skill getting better. Arya found that she was too distracted to even continue practicing. "I'm fine. That was a good hit, I think I'm done for today," she said.

His face grew more concerned. "Are you alright, Arya?"

She rubbed her head, "Don't worry about. It's fine, it's not even bleeding."

"That wasn't what I asked. We both know you should've blocked that. It seems like there's something wrong with you these days. Don't ignore the question either. Bran does that enough to wear on my nerves."

She began to get a little irritated but knew her brother was only concerned for her. She was thinking of an excuse when, before she knew it, she was telling him everything. Her need to leave Winterfell. To see the Free Cities. Even her need to see Gendry again. By the time she was done, she almost hated herself for sounding so weak in front of her brother.

Rickon just listened for once, not interrupting or having anything to say. When she was finished, then he broke silence. "Arya...just do what you want to do. As much as I bitch about all the work Bran makes me do, I stay here because...well...I want to stay here. I think it would be cool to see other parts of the world but at the same time, I couldn't really care for it."

He left it at that and left Arya to think about what he said. The following night, she was sitting on her bed thinking when Nymeria's head jerked towards her door. A second later there was a knock. "Who is it?"

"It's Bran. May I come in?"

"Yes," she replied. As if she would tell him no. She was curious as to why the late night visit also. The door opened and Bran wheeled himself in before closing the door.

"How're you feeling?"

"Fine. Don't tell me you came all the here to ask me that."

"I didn't. I came to tell you that the Manderlys are returning to White Harbor in three days. Lord Manderly has some business that'll need attending that he has put off for too long now. That and I think he's finally caught on that I'm not marrying Wylla."

Arya couldn't fathom why Bran was telling her any of this. "Why does any of this matter to me?"

Bran let out a long sigh and just observed her for a minute. When she was about to say something, he spoke first. "In case you want to leave with them."

Arya was stunned. "Why would I want to leave with the Manderlys?"

Again, Bran was quiet for a moment before replying, "Because White Harbor is as good a port as any that you'll find in the North. From there, you would be able to take a ship just about anywhere."

She couldn't believe her ears. "...Are you telling me to leave?"

"Of course not...I'm just telling you, if you want to leave, that'd be the best way to do it." Bran looked her in her eyes and continued. "Rickon told me what you said to him, though I've already suspected most of it."

Arya could only look at her feet. When she said nothing, he gently continued, "Both of us can see you are not happy here, Arya. As much as we both love you, it hurts us to see you like this...We'd rather know you're somewhere where you are happy or with someone who makes you happy, than to see you get worse each day."

Arya didn't know what to say. As much as she always thought about it, she always thought that her brothers would feel like she abandoned them if she left. Now, both of them were telling her that she should go. Part of her felt a sense of relief but another part felt sad. It really would mean leaving her home and family behind.

"You don't have to make a decision today. Like I said, they leave in three days. Just think on it." After that, he left her to dwell on the conversation.

She thought long and hard on it over the three days but in the end, she felt like she already knew her choice all along. She told Bran her choice and he only nodded, "I thought so. Or perhaps I hoped so. It doesn't bring me joy to see you leave, but it does give me joy that you'll find something out there to make you happy."

Arya hugged Bran and couldn't help the tears that came down her face. "I'm sorry," she choked out. "I should've been stronger for you and Rickon."

Bran tightened his hold on her. "Don't say that. You're one of the strongest people I know. Some of us just belong elsewhere. Just promise me one thing."

"Anything."

"Promise me one day you'll return. It doesn't have to be forever. Just promise that you'll come back home one day."

"I promise."

They held eachother for awhile before they had to let go. Later in the day, she told Rickon her decision and he embraced her as well. "Where will you go?"

She didn't know. She could return to Braavos first, go visit one of the other Free Cities, head to Storm's End to make her way to Highgarden and Sansa, or she could even go to King's Landing and look for Gendry. "I don't know. I think I'll start with White Harbor first, then just see where the sea takes me."

"Be safe," Rickon told her fiercely. She almost found it comical that Rickon was telling her this. Almost. "I'll never forgive you if I hear that you just died somewhere."

She wanted to laugh but couldn't. She just nodded and promised him that she wouldn't do anything reckless.

The Manderlys said their farewells as well and gave Arya the time she needed to say goodbye to everyone. The last place she visited was the Crypts to say goodbye to the statues of her father and brother. She wondered, for a moment, what her life would be like if they had lived but immediately decided it wasn't something worth dwelling over.

Nymeria seemed to lick Summer and Shaggydog, as if saying goodbye in her own way.

Her guilt for leaving was eased by the encouraging smiles of her brothers and Meera, whom she told to keep an eye on Bran for her. As she was leaving to start a new part of her life somewhere else, she said a silent prayer to any god who would listen to watch after her family, to be there in their time of doubt, and to help her keep her promise to Bran to return one day.