for your reading pleasure...

Chapter 3

Since she had agreed to marry the queen's nephew, lords and ladies had constantly called her on; some would send her gifts like pearls, or silk. All useless and all only adding to her bale. Today Lady Archreas would be sending her personal dress maker to help make more suitable dresses for the very unfashionable Stark girl.

Arya woke to the loud knocking at her door. She snuggled into Nymeria's fur and her, the wolf give a light growl. If her maids had the sense of a pin head, they would send off the unwanted visitor and let her sleep.

The door to her room burst open with frilly cloth and loud voice. Nymeria got up and growled at the intruder. The doorway stood a plumb oily man with combed back blackish blue hair and a matching curly beard, he was escorted by six others, all dressed like various species of birds. All wide eyed and slack jawed at her on the floor.

"Look at the state of…quick!" the big man said, snapping his fingers to two of the birds to grab her and wash her. Arya jumped up and began to protest when her maids came forward and led her out of the room to a tub set up in the main room that joined her and her brother's rooms together. He had left earlier this week, after the queen had told him of Arya's acceptance. Her brother had changed.

The maids scrubbed her raw. Arya could hear the grit leaving her hair as she watched her other maids tidy her room at the command of the fat man. When they were satisfied with the redness of her skin they help her out and threw a soft cotton robe about her after patting her was not enough material

Nymeria was on the bed watching the birds with hungry eyes as if decided which would be the tastiest. The plump man was sniggering with the birds speaking Lorathi and trying not to let on that they were talking about her.

"It would be easier to dress the beast."

"A pretty face for sure but no teats or hips."

"The dragon lord better like little boys."

"We will need a good corset and a big skirt." The plump man said smiling .

"What are you doing?" she hissed when the one bird wrapped a silk ribbon about her chest.

"We need your measurements, my sweet lady." The plump man said. She nodded reluctantly as they poked and measured her.

"She is so skinny."

She decided it would be best to just get it over with so that she could go on with her day. She just needed to keep her mouth shut and let these idiots finish their work. She tried to ignore the look of disgust one poufy looking creature was making as she took in the scattered array on dirty clothing on the floor. Arya was sure some of it might even have blood on it. But with would be done with soon, she should just relax and let her mind wander.

"A broom has more curves."

Their powdered hands felt queer on her skin. To delicate, not a callous on them. She shook her head. Nymeria had curled into herself and watched with something like amusement. It probably looked strange to her to see her companion like this.

"The poor lord."

They were all laughing and her anger was at its limit especially after getting pricked in the buttocks by a bird.

"Such a waste."

"That is it! OUT!" She yelled, slapping their hands away and removing the dumb robe, walking naked to her dresser. She could hear their gasps at her lack of modesty as she tugged on from leathered pants and a loose fitting tunic. They were still looking at her as she pulled on her boots. Without looking up she spoke.

"Did you not hear me? I told you to leave, birds."

They straightened and gathered their sewing stuff in a frenzy before flying out of the room. The fat man gave her a fleeting look, his whole face red with indignation. She made sure to wink at him.

One of her maids walked in looking at the room as though it were a bear's cave. Arya looked at her with her brow raised in expectation and the maid looked down.

"I'm off to the training grounds, don't worry about the mess it will only get messier." She said standing up.

"Oh but I don't think-" Arya walked past the shy maid whose eyes widened as she made to follow after Arya.

"Lady Arya! You have a guest." The maid finally cried. Though it was rather unneeded since Arya could see the man sitting at her dining table. He looked at her when she walked in, looking at her outfit and smiling.

"What the hell are you doing here?" The maid squeaked at her lady's manners. Arya folded her arms. She wasn't quite ready to play the doting betrothed. His smile only grew. The damned idiot! He rose from the chair.

"I was hoping my lady would join me for some light hunting?"

It caught her off guard. He could see it on her face. He stepped in closer, so that there was less than two feet between them.

"I'll get you home before it gets dark." He promised and her nostrils flared.

"I'm ready when you are."

"There's my girl."

The forest was on the outskirts of the city surrounded the eastern side of King Landing. Arya had been in it on occasion for walk s and such or to set snares. She had never been in it on foot to hunt boar or elk. He had grabbed them both a spear. Nymeria followed but then went off on her own. He seemed to know what he was doing. She assumed if her betrothed could do it so could she.

She was quiet on her feet but she felt her heart pounding with excitement. Her mother had never let her go hunting and she had never had a reason to go. It was only her and Aegon, he said too many would be too much of a burden. They had to go deep into the forest and stay down wind .

She walked behind him, taking the chance to observe him. To see him walk about the forest on sure feet and his posture loosen like an overbearing robe. Maybe he wasn't the stupid prick she had decided he was. Something about being away from people made her feel instantly better. There were no ladies to frill about like idiots or lords with upraised noses only the air, the dirt and the trees.

Arya was halted when she walked into Aegon, who seemed completely ignorant to her.

"Stay here and be quiet." He whispered. He walked off, disappearing behind the trees.

Arya was not one for being ordered around and if her future husbands expected her to be a stupid little air head he was in for a whole other sort of hell.

Her train of thought ended when she heard something, moving. She followed the sound. Her heart beating and her nerves strung tighter than any bow. She pushed back the bit of shrubbery and saw the biggest boar she had ever seen, it's nose submerged in the mud looking for grubs and roots. The spear in her hand felt heavy with expectation. There was no time to think when the beast froze for a mere second before turning on her, she moved deftly, out of the reach of the deadly tusks . On her back ,her spear went through the flesh and the boar huffed out its last breaths.

She couldn't move and pushing the boar off her was proving more of a challenge then first expected.

Aegon came running back to see her on the ground panting, with the massive corpse resting on her leg. His eyes widened at the sight of her and she noticed he didn't have his spear. With the adrenaline leaving her, she could feel the throbbing pain in her left ankle. Aegon was at her side forcing the boar off her foot and looking her over for any cuts or wounds. When his eyes landed on her foot and his brow creased.

"Why didn't you stay still?" He asked, taking the boot off her foot. Arya bit her lip, it was already starting to swell. She thought she would retch when he started prodding the flesh. She whimpered when his hand grazed the front of her foot. He looked up at her and she felt her face go red.

"Help me up." She said biting back the pain and trying to sound as unaffected as possible, not looking at him although she knew full well he was looking at her. He let out a humourless breath.

"You can't walk on that."

"I can do whatever I want!" she barked and she made to get up on her left leg unconsciously, instantly her eyes fluster and she thought she would pass out. Aegon caught her against his chest before sweeping his arm under her knees as the other tucked under her arm.

"We need the measter to take a look at that." He sounded exhausted. Arya watched his hair swish back and forth, the pain was making her somewhat delirious. She was still focused on his hair when he looked down at her. He frowned and shook his head and Arya tried not to follow the hairs undulating pattern. Shit, she was dizzy.

They were out of the forest and now the sun buzzed onto her eyes. She turned her head into his chest, the scratchy tunic on her face. All she could smell was sweat and heat , it was comforting and she was fighting the desire to close her eyes and sleep. Pain always made her sleepy.

There were murmurs and sniggers as they walked through camp. She could feel the heavy weight of eyes all over, of judgement. Some of the bawdier ones threw jokes at them.

"Looks like milord caught himself a she-wolf."

"Wonder if he got to spear her."

"Is that why she ain't walking."

Arya felt flushed with anger at the crudeness of her men. She would be the limping joke for the rest of her life. From her angle it looked as though the Targareon was getting some colour to his lordly little cheeks. His jaw was even clenched.

"I believe if you walk at little ways into the forest you'll find lady Stark's trophy lying dead for dinner." He hollered to her men and then to her he murmured, "they're a little dull."

"well they get the job done."

"Yes, it is broken." The measter said, pointing out the obvious by tapping her ankle. Arya bit her lip and clenched the arms of the chair in the measter's chambers.

Aegon was hovering about, beside the old fool. Arya bit her lip and looked away. He was making her mad, embarrassed and edgy all at once.

"You can leave now."

He didn't even acknowledge her.

"You will have to keep off your ankle for perhaps a month. No running, or riding, you might need some help carrying anything so let you men do your heavy lifting." The wrinkly old fool wrinkled some more as he tried to smile. She casually wondered if he would still try this foolish grandpa measter act if she flipped him the bird.

Aegon went to help her out of the chair. She was about to rebuke but the idea of making a fool of herself and then having to depend on him in front of two of the most insufferable people ever was enough for her to accept his arm.

He adjusted himself to take some of her weight and try to match her limited height.

"Thank-you Measter."

Before, it would have been her brother Jon helping her limp to her room, now her betrothed. She knew the tears were waiting in the corners of her eyes but she would not let them fall. Not now. She wasn't sure what was going on anymore. When she had finally saw her brother she had expected things to go back to normal. She thought he would laugh and smile when she showed up at the wall with her men. They didn't embrace initially, which was the first sign. Brother Jon was gone.

"For a first time hunting, you did rather well, Lady Arya." Aegon offered.

Arya didn't offer him anything in return until they reached to door of her chambers.

The guard outside her room had gapping look, not quite sure what to do. Arya shuffled Aegon off her and limped to the idiot.

"Thank-you, my lord but my guard can assist me now."

Aegon frowned for a moment and then composed.

"Of course. Ser, make sure the lady doesn't over exert herself." And with that he turned sharply on his heels and left her.

The guard brought her into the apartment, leading her to her room.

"No take to so the commander's room please."

He tried not to raise his brow but wordlessly did what she said. Arya limped to the chair in the corner of the room, covered in the deep light of the ending day. The room was hollow and dark. It looked recently cleaned, but just knowing her brother had been here made the loss of him more keen. Arya looked at the room for as long as she could and then out the window, to watch the sun die out as it always had. The irony was that she knew where all her surviving siblings were but could reach none of them.

She had never felt more alone.

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