The birds were chirping. The sun was up. Myrcella blinked but saw nothing. She felt her eyes blink again. They were open but she couldn't see a thing.
"ARYA?!" She screamed. She felt her face get slapped as she fell back bracing herself against something. What would she fall on? A rose bush of thorns, a tree? A rock? A river? Just ground. Myrcella let out a sigh of relief.
"What was that for?" Myrcella demanded.
"Sh! Shut up Martyn. Remember. I told you to call me Arry. And I blinded you for blatantly disobeying me."
"I am your princess! You should be obeying me."
"Keep saying I am the princess and you're gonna get yourself raped and beaten then held ransom for all the gold of Casterly Rock and all of Westeros knows your mum will pay it." Arya replied. "Get up. We have to keep going." Arya took Myrcella's hand helping her to stand.
"How am I supposed to walk if I can't see where I am going?" Myrcella asked irritably.
"Listen." Arya said stopping abruptly. "Listen to the birds. Listen to the trees."
"It's all just normal sounds to me."
"Listen harder. There's an echo in the breeze. Has far is the river?" Arya asked.
"I don't hear a-"
"Shut up." Arya snapped. They stopped and listened. Sure enough there was a river but it was far.
"We're headed in that direction." Arya said firmly.
Later in the day they stopped to eat a small amount of bread and wine.
"Mother only let us have one cup at feasts. But it wasn't fair. Joffrey always got as much as he pleased." Myrcella said as they sat eating.
"Father tried to make the same rule but obviously I never listened." Arya replied sipping her wine. Arya looked up at the Blind Princess. "What region is this wine from?"
"How am I supposed to know? I haven't the experience to-" Myrcella began setting the small tin cup down in the grass.
"Smell it."
"That won't help-"
"Just smell it? I'm sure your septa taught you about the lands of westeros. The different regions. What they're like."
Myrcella raised the tin cup to her nose and sniffed. "It's king of salty, but kind of sweet. But it's been soiled by something. Sand maybe. Is it from Dorne?"
"That is right. Your brain always lies. Your eyes don't always see what is right but your other senses might. Eventually you'll be a master without your sight." Arya said. Syrio said the eyes always saw the truth. He obviously has never been blinded by the House of Black and White.
"Are you going to keep me blind all the way to Kings Landing?" Myrcella asked changing the subject.
"Do you want me to?"
"No."
"Then yes." Myrcella sighed and took another swallow of the Dornish wine."
That night Arya pulled the sleeping princess onto a cart and veered off the Roseroad and headed north and west to Casterly Rock.
The scarred woman with the green streak in her matted dirty blonde hair, and a cut lip held closed by a bad stitch crept into massive keep where the Lord of Darry was visiting his father Ser Kevan Lannister before Ser Kevan Lannister left for King's Landing. With one blue eye and one red she searched for the one who was nearly dead.
"It is a mercy." The scarred woman said to Lancel Lannister who was sickly and depressed lying in bed as she slid the knife between the ribs in his chest.
Myrcella woke to the sound waves crashing against rocky shores. Carts rolled back and forth. Drunks and radicals were clashing swords. The smell of fish, feces and other foul things made the air stink.
This place was too noisy and crowded to be anywhere along the Roseroad.
"We've taken another detour, haven't we? To Lannisport." Myrcella asked Arya. She knew of Lannisport from the stories her mother told her.
"Good guess. You're right."
"Mum use to complain how she hated the city in the day but had fun sneaking out at night."
"Did you ever sneak out of the Red Keep?"
"Never."
"That's a lie."
"How could you know?"
"I know everything."
"Liar."
"Listen."
"What now?"
"My heartbeat." Arya put Myrcella's hand to her own neck. "Not lying. Your own-" Myrcella's heart was beating faster than Arya's. "Lying. So tell me everything."
"Tommen wanted to get a toy he saw when we ventured out one time. It was a doll of some sort but mother said no so I offered to take him once everyone was asleep so we went. Just the two of us dressed in peasant clothes with dirt on our faces. And no shoes covering our toes." Myrcella sighed missing her brother. "Of course I'm sure you already know because you know everything."
"Okay I lied but I am just good at lying. I've been made to lie. I don't know everything but I can tell when others lie. Every night we'll play a game. We will each tell a lie and a truth and the other person has to guess the lie and the truth. It's a dangerous world and being able to lie, believe it or not, will help you." Arya said.
"Thank you." Myrcella said softly.
"For what?"
"For helping me." If you hadn't find me I'd be killed. Or worse."
"If I remember correctly, it was you who found me." Arya replied.
"But it was you who didn't abandon me." Myrcella added.
The bells of Lannisport began ringing.
"What has happened? Is the city under siege?" Myrcella asked turning towards the direction of the tower.
"No." Arya replied.
"Di'n't you hear? The Lord Lannister of Darry is dead!" Peasant boy passing yelled at them.
"There's a Lannister Lord of Darry?" Myrcella asked.
"Lancel Lannister. Ser Kevan's eldest son! Cousin to the Regent Queen!" the boy yelled. Myrcella ran after him.
"Wait!" Myrcella called.
"Martyn! Step!" Arya yelled as Myrcella ran up the steps.
"Why are you following me?" The boy asked stopping.
"Tell me more!" Myrcella begged out of breath.
"I'm not a high born. I've already told all I know. Go away." the boy said turning sour. He pushed Myrcella. She punched him.
"Rotten kids!" An old woman said hitting them all with a broom stick.
"Run!" Arya yelled. They ran to the edge of the road. The beginning of the Goldroad? No. It was less busy. The Riverroad. they diverged from the path and hid in some trees by a shallow pool fed by a small stream.
"Stay here. I have to go back."
"Why?"
"He knows too much."
"He knows nothing. He's just an orphan boy."
"He saw us. He saw you."
"Nobody knows what Myrcella looks like. Especially now. Even I don't know what I look like." Myrcella said sitting down dipping her sore feet in the water. They were a little bloody from running. The water stung a little but it didn't matter. Arya said nothing but Myrcella could tell she was still there contemplating wether or not to kill the peasant boy. She heard her companion's breathing. Her heart was still beating.
"You killed him, didn't you?" Myrcella said finally referring to the one the bells rang for.
"It was a mercy." Arya explained.
"Death is so final when life is so full of so many possibilities. That is what Uncle Tyrion said when your brother was unconscious and Uncle Jaime said it would be mercy to kill him."
"Jaime Lannister wanted Bran dead?" Myrcella could tell Arya was upset.
"It all makes sense."
"What does?" Myrcella asked turning on her rock taking her feet out of the water and setting them on the ground.
"I never liked the queen but I never thought she would be-"
"What? Tell me what you're thinking."
"You're a bastard. On the day of the hunt, Bran couldn't go because he was too young. Even Robb and Jon couldn't go. Why didn't Jaime Lannister go? He is a knight of the Kingsguard. Why wouldn't he want to be with the king?"
"The Kingsguard also protects the queen." Myrcella explained.
"But they weren't in the castle. Neither of them. Bran went climbing so he wasn't at the castle either. And father was always reading books about the Great Houses when we were in King's Landing and- You're a bastard." Arya finished.
"What?"
"I'll be back later." Arya said taking off. No doubt to kill the orphan boy.
So Mother vanished with Uncle Jaime in Winterfell. Bran never falls but he fell from that tower. No not fell. He had to be pushed. By Uncle Jaime? Impossible. Uncle Jaime has never wished anyone ill will but- if something happened, something they didn't want anyone to know- and Mother hated Eddard Stark- and I don't know why. I thought he was rather kind. And they said he was a traitor and took hhis head after he claimed Joffrey wasn't the rightful heir and- Stannis Baratheon. And Renly Baratheon. And Balon Greyjoy and Robb Stark. Ugh! The War of the Five Kings. I should have never snuck into Grand Maester Pycelle's study. I should have never read all those raven scrolls. I could leave Arya to worry about all this. But why would Uncle Jaime want Bran dead? Why did Joff take Ned's Head? We're bastards- of incest.
When Arya returned, both girls said nothing. They walked along the River Road headed North. They were headed away from King's Landing now, but for some reason Myrcella knew Arya would keep her word even though she was so good at lying. If Arya wanted to kill me, she would have done so already. Besides I am not part of the list she whisperes every night. But there is a time and place for everything. Or maybe someone else will kill me just for being my parent's offspring. I am blind but even I can see death is everywhere. Why aren't I worried? Myrcella thought as they walked.