Arya - 1

Arya hated feasts. Every time the king called all the noble lords and ladies together she had to

wear in a tight dress and sit quietly through a long dinner. She was struggling through both tasks when Septa Mordane harshly whispered under her breath for Arya to mind her posture. Arya straightened her spine and suppressed her immediate desire to roll her eyes.

The night's feast was meant to celebrate the new heirs to the throne. The king had yet to make the announcement, but Arya's father had told her in an attempt to coax her from her room without too much of a fuss. When Arya had refused to let Septa Mordane enter the room to prepare her, Arya's father had strode confidently into the room. He perched on her bed and leaned down until his lips were near her ear. Then, in a soft whisper, her father had told her the royal secret and made her promise not to tell. The gesture reminded her of Jon. Back in Winterfell, he would always be telling her secrets that only she was meant to hear because he trusted her to keep them. Those secrets had usually been about old Nan having something stuck in her teeth not the next ruler of Westeros. She much preferred Jon's secrets over her father's.

"Septa," Sansa asked pulling Arya back to the crowded hall. "Why are there empty chairs at the king's table?"

"I don't know, my dear," Septa Mordane said. "Perhaps there will be guests of honor."

"At the king's table?" Sansa said more than asked. "That seems rather odd."

"Well, perhaps, they forgot to remove settings what with the, hum, change of, hum, titles," Septa Mordane stuttered out.

Arya thought that was a rather nice way of putting the act of treason that Cersei Lannister had committed. Arya had always known there was something wrong with Joffrey. Treats him right to be a bastard and lose everything, she thought. She hoped he froze on the Wall. As soon as Arya had the thought, she regretted it. Her mind went to Jon again. He was on the Wall and if Joffrey was sent there that would mean Jon would have to live with Joffrey for the rest of his life. Arya didn't want Joffrey near Sansa or herself, but banishing him to Jon didn't seem quite fair either.

Arya looked to Sansa. She was smiling prettily and listening to something Jeyne Poole, sitting by Sansa's side, was saying. She wondered if Sansa missed Joffrey, after all, they were betrothed and Sansa had been so willfully blind to his evils. Arya looked at Sansa's smiling face and tried to see, the way Syrio Forel had taught her, but all she saw was Sansa's smile. Not happiness, not sadness just a vacant, pretty smile.

"Sansa," Arya said to get her attention, "are you okay, with Joffrey gone I mean?"

"Of course, I'm fine," Sansa said but Arya saw that her smile faltered, only for a moment, but a chink in her armor did appear.

"He was a cruel boy," Arya said trying to sound kind. "I am happy that you will have the opportunity for a much better match."

"He was meant to be king and I would have been his queen," Sansa said finally letting her smile drop. "Who could possibly be a better match for me?"

"Maybe there will be a new heir," Arya said thinking about the news her father had shared. Then remembering it was meant to be a secret she added. "And being queen is not the only thing that matters. In fact, it sounds tiresome."

"Of course you would think that," Sansa said. "I deserve to be queen and I almost had it. The new heir has not even been born yet and I am already much too old to marry someone who hasn't even been born."

Arya didn't want to correct her so she just nodded and turned away from Sansa. She never understood why Sansa wanted to be queen. Arya didn't even like being a lady. She hoped she'd never have to marry a lord and have little lord babies. She wanted to be a knight or a water dancer.

When the king entered the room, Arya was far away lost in her daydreams of duels and battles that she would likely never face. The crowd's uproar quickly brought her focus back to the feast. This was the first time the king had made an appearance in court since the Lannister's arrest. Arya had expected him to look different somehow. She thought that he might have learned some greater lesson from the ordeal and start to look more like the noble king her father had always described him as. Instead, he looked just as plumb and red-faced as ever.

The king labored into the room. It was slow work smiling and greeting ever lord he passed. He eventually made it to his spot at the head of the Great Hall. He lifted his hands in an obvious request for silence. The room immediately quieted down until you could hear a pin drop.

"Lords and Ladies, thank you for being with us tonight. I know that there have been rumors and allegations moving around this castle. Some of them are true, but most of them are completely false, so let me set you all straight. It is true that Cersei Lannister has committed treason. She was found guilty by my small council. Her children are not mine and will face exile. The kingdom has had a troubling few days, but we are still standing. I have told you the past now to the future. I have chosen a new heir."

Sansa audibly gasped and Septa Mordane huffed, but their sounds were drowned out by the murmurs that broke out around the room. The king has chosen an heir to the throne how odd, they whispered. He can't just pick a king it is a birthright, some mumbled. Even, hope that the king would choose their own household could be heard from a few of the more few naïve lords.

"I have children. Unclaimed until now but some nearly grown and with the Baratheon blood. Meet your new princes and princess. Prince Edric Baratheon, Princess Frayrid Baratheon, and Prince and heir to the throne Gendry Baratheon."

The king said each name with a sweep of his hand and a child emerge from a door behind the king. Each came out a little differently. Edric strode with all the pride of a prince. Frayrid kept her eyes downcast and only looked up shyly once or twice. Gendry was neither bold nor shy and with each step, he somehow seemed both comfortable and uncomfortable with his surroundings. He walked with his head held high, but his eyes darted around the room like a trapped animal. To Arya, it seemed as if he was afraid someone would jump out at him with a sword drawn.

The crowd seemed unsure of how to react. They stared at each child if you could even call them that, Gendry looked in his mid-teen years and even Edric, the youngest, looked to be about Arya's age. The silence hung in the air for a moment before the king noticed it.

"There you have it! Now drink and be merry. The realm is safe," the king yelled throwing up his flagon of wine.

The crowd broke out into a cheer. Most of the group looked genuinely pleased, but a few of the higher born lords' smiles looked forced. Arya could hear their mumblings about false kings and incompetent bastards. She felt her blood boil.

"Just because they're bastards doesn't mean they aren't capable of being a great king," Arya told one pair of passerbyers. She wanted to yell, but instead, she said it in a harsh but low voice. They still heard her and scoffed at the idea.

Already, Arya thought all three of the bastards looked fitter to rule the realm than Joffrey ever did. Arya let her eyes slip towards the bastards again. All three were standing near their father, but Edric was the only one that looked close to him. Edric's eyes were cast up towards him and he was so close his clothes brushed up against the kings. The other two kept a respectful but noticeable distance and their eyes seemed to be looking anywhere but in the king's direction.

Arya wondered what it would have been like to be raised a commoner and then thrust into court. She looked at Gendry, the oldest of the bastards and future king. He looked so ordinary. He was neither pretty nor gallant. He had been well cleaned and dressed, of course, but some things couldn't be hidden. His skin was leathery and his hair was short. His movements were agile but not graceful. She was sure he could be lethal but she suspected he would lose almost instantaneously in any knight's tournament. He was no prince, but there he was not only a prince but future king. Arya's staring was interrupted when Gendry's eyes suddenly darted to hers.

A proper lady would have looked away, that is what Sansa would have done, but Arya had never been a very good lady and Gendry didn't know the customs anyway, so she kept staring. Gendry's eyes seemed to be looking her over in the same way that she had just moments before assessed him. Arya wondered what he saw. Was she full of the same contradictions?

Arya was unwilling to be the first to look away but she was growing impatient. Gendry seemed to be just as unwilling to look elsewhere and before she was aware of it they had entered into a staring match that she was determined to win. Finally, Arya smiled. It wasn't the large grin she would have given Jon or the coy smile Septa Mordane had taught her, but just a friendly welcome. As if it were magic the smile worked, Gendry returned the smile looked her over once more and then broke eye contact. She had won.

Arya turned her eyes away a moment later. She felt uncomfortable, but when she looked around no one seemed to have noticed the moment she had shared with Gendry, which seemed ludicrous. Their stare had left her breathless and seemed to have lasted for an hour, but the room kept moving as if nothing had happened.

Gendry, Frayrid, and Edric took their seats after the king finally finished speaking. The room was arranged in its typical fashion for feasts. The crowd was far larger than any secondary hall could seat so the Great Hall had been arranged. The room was filled with tables and benches which sat lords, ladies, knights and, even, members of the lower households. The king always sat at the front of the room in a large chair and table raised higher than the rest of the room's occupants. Those who sat with the king was custom to change. On this day, Renly Baratheon and Eddard Stark sat at the ends of the table and his children filled in the previously empty seats. Gendry sat in-between the Hand and the king. His place just to the king's right symbolic of his new position. The other two siblings sat to the king's left first Edric and then Frayrid.

When the royal family finally sat, the king commanded the room to continue drinking and eating before immediately partaking in the aforementioned delights himself. The room quickly followed him and the sounds of merriment filled the room once again.

Arya returned to her plate eating silently and only occasionally stealing glances at the head table. She noticed Gendry look her way a few times, but every time she would attempt to return the gaze his eyes shifted away. She found it so frustrating that she eventually stopped looking. After nearly a half hour of only focusing on her plate, Arya's thoughts were interrupted.

"Girls," Septa Mordane said. "You have yet to greet your lord-father and you must introduce yourself to the new princes and princess."

Arya would have normally groaned at the practiced courtesies, but on this day she was more interested in meeting the new royalty than sitting quietly through the rest of the meal. She nodded to Septa Mordane and then stood. She was surprised to see Sansa silently following her. It wasn't that she expected Sansa to put up a fight, on the contrary, Arya had expected Sansa to eagerly rush to the new prince's side. Arya looked at Sansa curiously and was given a glare in return.

"Don't you want to meet the new prince?" Arya whispered as they walked to the royal table.

"I've already lost my prince," Sansa said dramatically. "I don't want another, especially if he's practically a commoner."

Arya would have replied, but they had reached the table.

"Girls, you both look lovely this evening," her father said peering down at them from his high spot on the table. The king was in a heated discussion with a nobleman, but Gendry looked at them curiously.

"Thank you, father," Sansa said with a bow of her head.

Septa Mordane gave a pointed look to Arya, but when Arya didn't say anything Septa Mordane said, "The young ladies came to say their congratulations to the new royal children."

"Of course," her father said nodding towards Gendry. "Prince Gendry, may I introduce you to my daughters Sansa and Arya Stark."

"My prince," Sansa said with a perfect curtsy. Her tone was formal and cold. Gendry gave her a tiny nod in return.

"Your grace," Arya said. She attempted a curtsy as well, but Arya's was performed with swift uncertainty instead of practiced grace like her sister's. Gendry nodded at her as well but now his mouth was formed into a tiny smirk as if he was laughing at her poor excuse for a curtsy.

"It is my pleasure to meet you both," Gendry said slowly as if he was uncertain of each word. Even though the words he chose were fine his commoner accent was noticeable. The consonants were said harshly and he clipped a few words shorter than they should have been.

"Are you finding your transition enjoyable, my lord?" Sansa asked.

"Err," Gendry stuttered. He pushed his hand through his hair as if he was stressed to be forced to continue talking. "Yes, it's all very…majestic."

Arya laughed. She couldn't help herself. Septa Mordane glared at her and her father shook his head.

"Majestic hardly means you're enjoying yourself," Arya said still laughing. "It means uncomfortable clothes and constant supervision."

"Arya," her father said wearily, but he stopped when Gendry laughed.

"And are you finding your stay in the castle enjoyable, m'lady?" Gendry asked through a smirk. Arya felt her own cheeks rise when he clipped the "my" in a very unprincely fashion.

"It certainly is majestic," Arya responded.

Sansa's eyes darted between the two as if she were appalled by the exchange. She finally broke the silence and said, "Thank you for your hospitality in hosting us."

"You've been here for longer than I 'ave," Gendry said looking towards Ned confused. "and I don't bring you your tea and supper."

"As a prince, you are responsible for all that goes on in the realm and all that happens in King's Landing is due to your family's graces," Ned explained.

"What about the children too poor to feed 'emselves? Does that fall under our responsibility as well?" Gendry asked. When Ned didn't respond, Gendry continued. "Is this my future? Praised for actions I'm not responsible for and exempted from the consequences my actions cause."

Sansa looked stunned. Arya was too, but she suspected the thoughts running through her head were different from those of her sister. She thought of the Mycah, the butcher boy that had died because of Joffrey's command. Joffrey, the Hound, and the rest of them had blamed Mycah but really it had been the prince and king's command that had killed Mycah. For so long, it had felt like she was the only one to see that.

"The duty of a king, which you will one day become, is to monitor the lands and the people who call those lands home. How you choose to do that will be up to you," Ned said carefully. He looked over at Robert. The king was caressing a serving girl and paying them no mind. Ned looked back to Gendry. "I have often told my own boys, the man who passes the sentence shall swing the sword. If your actions lead you to leave the children sick and starving on the streets than you should bear witness and the blame for that. An honorable king sits, watches and decides with his eyes never turning away."

"I don' believe I'm the blind one," Gendry said angrily.

"No, I never said you were," Ned said. He seemed to have a deep sorrow in his voice. He looked to Robert and then down at the girls, and to Arya, it seemed he was just remembering that they had been standing there the whole time. "Girls, move along."

"Yes, father," Sansa said nodding and already walking away. She looked pleased to be moving on from discussions of honorable kings and starving children.

Arya hesitated a moment. She had never heard anyone, except maybe her father, discuss lordship in such a way. She considered the fact that Gendry wasn't a lord, and wondered if maybe that was why.

"It was a pleasure to meet you," Arya said looking up at Gendry. He had been staring at Ned but at her words, his eyes went back down to hers. "I hope you never lose sight of the children that you worry for now."

"M'lady, I hope you never lose your tongue," Gendry said with a smile.

"Don't encourage her," Ned groaned. "Move along, Arya."

Arya nodded. She looked back to Gendry and smiled one more time before moving on. Arya didn't turn around, but she could feel Gendry's eyes on her. She continued forward to meet up with Sansa and Septa Mordane who were already conversing with Prince Edric and Princess Frayrid.

"Oh, and here she is! This is Lord Stark's youngest daughter, Arya Stark," Septa Mordane said when Arya stood in front of Edric.

Arya dropped into her clumsy curtsy and said her niceties. Both new Baratheon siblings acknowledged her but they went back to the discussion they had been having. Arya took the opportunity to look at the two heirs.

Frayrid was beautiful, so beautiful that Arya couldn't recall seeing anyone prettier. Still young, Frayrid was a girl of fourteen. She had the traditional Baratheon coloring with dark black hair and blue eyes. She also had pale skin that looked as delicate as porcelain. The only unBaratheon trait was her tiny stature. Though Arya had never seen a Baratheon woman, Frayrid tiny frame was a stark contrast to King Robert and Gendry. Frayrid had her hair pulled back in the Southern style and she was in a lovely blue silk gown that brought out the color of her eyes. Those eyes were looking curiously at Sansa as she spoke in detail of a perfect afternoon tea.

Edric's eyes were much less curious. They were blue but darker almost gray and they looked relatively bored with Sansa's story. Edric might have looked similar to Gendry if he had lived the same life, but Edirc's wealth was just as apparent as it was on the Starks. His hair was well groomed and looked soft to the touch. His skin was pale and not touched by the sun. When Arya looked down at his hands, she could see that they were uncallused and his nails were finely cut. Having only just turned 13, he was younger than Gendry and the same age as Arya herself.

"Would you like to join us, Arya?" Frayrid asked. Her voice was beautiful and sweet, but she spoke slowly and softly. Like Gendry, she seemed to be searching for each word carefully and pronouncing them as if unsure how they should sound. Her accent was not as apparent as Gendry's but it was present.

Arya shook her head and focused back on Frayrid. She didn't want to accept the offer not knowing what the proposition was, but she also didn't know a way to refuse. Before she could decide, Septa Mordane interrupted and accepted the offer on her behalf.

"Lovely," Frayrid said with a smile. The smile looked heartfelt and for a moment Arya felt guilty for wanting to refuse her offer. "I'll be sure there are lemon cakes for you, Sansa."

Lemon cakes, Arya knew what that meant. They'd be having tea together. There was no meal Arya hated more than tea because it wasn't even a meal. Just another reason for the ladies of the court to sit together gossiping and watching the men do important work around them.

"Oh I cannot wait," Sansa said looking genuinely pleased. "I am sure you will be receiving plenty of guests in the next few days and I am just so excited you're making the time."

"House Stark is a strong ally," Edric said mater of factly.

"Oh, that isn't why…" Frayrid said. Her eyes had gone wide and a slight brush went over her cheeks. "You, both of you, just seem so lovely. It would be nice to have a friend. I did not mean to offend."

"No offense was taken," Sansa rushed in quickly to appease Frayrid who still looked startled.

Arya glared at Edric. He had only been at court a few days and his first thought was of allies and false friendships. It happened of course, but he didn't have to be so rude.

"We would love to have tea with you," Arya said feeling as if she had been silent for too long.

"Good, if you are certain," Frayrid said.

"We are," Sansa nodded with a soft smile. "We should let you return to your food, but we will see you tomorrow Princess Frayrid. It was a pleasure to meet you both."

Sansa, Arya, and Septa Mordane said their formal farewells and headed back to their table. When they were sitting, Arya felt eyes on her. She looked up to see Gendry staring at her once again. Arya cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow in question. Gendry nodded his head toward Edric and rolled his eyes. Arya laughed to herself and stuck out her tongue.

"Young lady," Septa Mordane said sitting in front of her and blocking her view of Gendry. "Put your tongue back in your mouth."

Arya rolled her eyes and said, "Don't worry Septa Mordane. I won't lose it."