Author's Note: Sorry I meant to get this up last Friday, but I got sick and just wasn't up to writing. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 4
The next few days were a blur of activity. There had been more formal announcements of Sansa and Joffery's betrothal and Ned being named the new Hand of the King. This meant that the men at arms and other servants who had been chosen to South with Ned were bustling around the Keep preparing for the long journey. Arya found herself just as busy as everyone else, but for a different reason. Her mother demanded that she entertain the Princess Myrcella, in the small hope that the two of them would become friends. Arya tried to explain to Catelyn that they had nothing in common and that forcing any sort of bond between the two of them would be difficult.
Arya even tried to suggest that Sansa would a better choice for keeping the Princess occupied. However her mother was quick to point out that Sansa would be busy preparing for her trip. The same trip that Arya was supposed to take, but had somehow talked her father into letting her stay at Winterfell. Catelyn was quick to remind her that since she did not have to go, she had plenty of time to spend with Myrcella. It was then that Arya realized she owed it to her parents to at least try to get along with the Princess. She had to admit that she hadn't expected her parents to give in so easily to her demands of not going to Kings Landing. She had a feeling that if she wasn't on her best behavior, at least until her father left, that they just might change their minds and force her to go anyway. She supposed a few days of activities she didn't enjoy was a small price to pay.
If Arya was being completely honest with herself, she should have been happy for the distraction. She didn't like thinking of the other changes Winterfell would go through once her father left. Not all of them were as pleasant as the thought of Sansa no longer being there. Since Arya would not be making the trip to Kings Landing, Bran would be taking her place. Her parents seemed intent on the idea that Starks and Baratheons should continue the tradition of friendship, by forcing their children to spend as much time together as they could. Since Robb did not seem fond of Joffery, Arya supposed her parents thought Bran might prove to bridge that gap of friendship. Arya would have thought that Sansa marrying the Prince would be enough, she didn't understand why her parents had to send Bran away too. Arya knew she would miss Bran, he was impossibly fun to tease, but he seemed excited about the adventure that going South might provide.
The harder goodbye would be Jon. Not long after the King's arrival her, uncle Benjen Stark, had arrived from the Wall. He was a ranger for the Night's Watch, and Jon had wanted to take the black for as long as Arya could remember. It was a dream would now come to fruition. It seemed that Benjen and Jon had finally managed to talk Ned into allowing him go to Castle Black. Arya knew this day had been a long time in coming. Being a bastard, Jon did not have many options. He would inherit no lands, no coin, and even though he would always be taken care of, and welcome at Winterfell, it would never truly be his home. Catelyn had always seen to that. It had always a point of contention between Arya and her mother, the way Jon was treated. Catelyn often thought that it was one of the reasons she found herself at odds with her youngest daughter so often.
That was just one of the many things Arya and her mother seemed to be at odd with. A gulf had grown between them in the past few years and it seemed to widen with each passing day. Theon was another one of those subjects that Arya knew would come between her and her mother. No matter how much she wanted to, Arya could not bring herself to confront Catelyn about her mother's fears concerning her friendship with Theon. Had her mother warned him against spending time with her? Had her mother noticed that at the feast a few nights before they had spent a fair amount of time together and had even spent a few moments alone? It had not gone unnoticed to Arya that since that night Theon had grown distant with her. But those were questions she dared not ask Catelyn about while there was still a chance that she could be sent to King's Landing with her father.
Luckily with Arya's busy schedule of needlepoint and tedious small talk with the Princess, she managed to keep her thoughts off those who would be leaving her and the one who seemed to be avoiding her. However, one morning, for the first time in three days, she found herself alone. The Queen had wanted to spend some time alone with her daughter and Sansa was too busy with her own interests to pay any attention to her sister. Arya felt a rush of freedom at the realization that she would have a few precious hours to herself. Her first thought was to hide herself outdoors, away from her mother's view, who would no doubt think she was getting into mischief if she didn't have anything productive to do.
Once outside she wandered into the main court yard which was especially busy with horses and men preparing to ride. The night before, King Robert had declared that he wanted to hunt, thus everyone made every effort to see that his wish came true. For a brief moment she longed to go with them only to remember that she would never be welcome, hunting was not an activity in which a proper would participate. To soothe herself she reminded herself that Winterfell would seem peaceful once the hunting party departed.
The keep had seemed crowded since the King had come with his family, his guard, and a host of other retainers. It would almost seem a blessing to have even a fraction of that number reduced. She watched over the bustle of the courtyard from an inconspicuous space near the stables, content with the fact that it wouldn't be long before things would quiet down, if only for a few hours. Her father seemed to be happy talking and joking with King Robert, it made her wonder about the two of them and what their friendship had endured over the years. She saw Jon and Robb, standing near Prince Joffery, the three of them clearly uncomfortable with each other. She doubted her brothers were intentionally ignoring Joffery, but the two seemed to be only talking to each other, while Joffery just glanced disdainfully in their direction every once in awhile.
She hadn't yet spied Theon in the throng of people, she knew he was supposed to be going with, but she supposed her father had sent him on some errand. She let her eyes wander from face to face for a few moments, hoping she would spot him. Maybe she could talk to him before they left, perhaps he would be able to tell her why he was ignoring her. When she could find no sign of him, she grew bored of watching the others milling about and simply slipped away from the main court yard to find the solace had been waiting for. It didn't take her too long to find a quieter area that wasn't seeing as much foot traffic. Sure she could hear the hubbub of the main court yard, but it seemed distant and for the first time in a few days she felt like she could breathe.
Arya let her feet guide her towards an old unused tower of the keep. She had rightly concluded that this area wouldn't be nearly as crowded as it normally was due the hunt. However, that did not mean that there would be no interruptions to her solitude. Her interest was piqued when she heard a small whine coming from just around the curve of the tower. Arya quickly followed sound and when she rounded a the building she was confronted by Bran's dire wolf pup. She raised an eyebrow in amusement at the pathetic look that was playing on his features. She knelt down next to him, gently petting him on the head. "And what seems to be the problem with you boy?" It felt wrong not calling him by a name, but Bran had not yet picked one out for him.
Again the puppy whimpered, and he seemed to be staring at something up above her head. She craned her neck hopping to see what vexed the pup. She shaded her eyes against the morning sun and there she saw her brother Bran scaling the wall. He was nearly halfway up the tower. Arya couldn't help but look up in awe at her brother, he seemed fearless. In the back of her mind something was telling her that it was foolish for him to be climbing that hight, and she was just about to call for him to climb back down when the wolf pup whimpered again. It seemed Bran's wolf didn't like being left behind by his master.
"You better get down from there, little Lord Stark." A voice called, from behind Arya. "I know for a fact your mother made you promise not to go climbing again."
Arya stood up from Bran's wolf quickly and turned to stare at the voice's owner. "Theon!" She said with a smile, she couldn't help it, she was always happy when she saw him.
He was still looking up at Bran when she called his name, he had known she was there but he made a point to only focus on Bran. But when he heard her voice, his eyes automatically jumped to her direction. For a few seconds all he could do was stare at her. That uncomfortable, constricted feeling came to his heart. It was the same feeling he got every time he glanced her way for the past few days. It was why he had been avoiding her, he was still not yet ready to confront the feelings he seemed to be developing for her. He blinked his eyes once, when he realized that he had probably stared longer then would be considered polite, and then cleared his throat.
"Lady Arya." He responded to her, in an even, polite tone. Then quickly turned his eyes back to Bran. "Bran…"
"I'm coming!" Bran called back, disappointment dripping in his voice. But he was true to his words, he had already started descending down the wall.
Arya frowned at Theon's seemingly cold reaction, but quickly shook off the hurt to look up at her brother. It was true, if her mother found out that Bran had been up there she would be livid. Not that she could blame Bran for wanting to climb. When she thought she could get away with it, she would scale a few walls herself, but she had never ventured as high or as difficult climbs as he did. She would never admit it to him, or anyone else, but when it came to heights, Bran seemed to be the braver one. As she watched him now, she even had to admit that he was the more skilled climber.
It didn't take him long to get to a hight where he could simply jump the rest of the way down to where Arya and his dire wolf were. He gave Arya a big smile, then leaned down to give his pup a few pats on the head. Finally he let the smile fall from his face and looked sheepishly at Theon. "You're not going to tell my mother, are you?" His look was hopeful.
Theon gave a small sigh and then moved closer to the small group. He gave the younger boy a perplexed frown. His voice was reluctant. "No, I don't suppose I will." He shook his head slightly, but Arya could see there was a spark of amusement in his tone. "But you realize you're going to hurt yourself one of these days if you keep it up."
Arya grinned, "I doubt that. He seemed perfectly at ease scaling down that wall." She turned to look at the wall Bran had just challenged. "I doubt you could have done as well Lord Theon." Then turned back to look at him with a smirk.
"You might be right, but I also have the good sense to realize just how dangerous it is." Theon countered lightly. He allowed himself to glance her way, and for a brief moment it seemed like nothing had changed between the two of them. For just a second he thought maybe things could go back to the way they were. But then he realized that he had to force himself to look away from her. He didn't have to do that before he realized that she was no longer a little girl.
Theon practically gritted his teeth in frustration as he turned to Bran. "Anyway, your father asked me to come find you. I think he would like to say good bye before the hunting party leaves."
Bran didn't seem to have any clue as to what was going on between the two of them (to be fair, Arya didn't really understand it either), so he just nodded his head. "Alright." With that he beckoned his wolf and started to run towards the main court yard.
Once Bran was out of sight, Theon's body tensed with the realization that he was now alone with Arya. Without so much as a glance, he stiffly nodded his head in her direction. "Good day, Lady Arya." He wanted nothing more than to get away from her. Just being near her seemed to be a distraction, and the infatuation that he had seemed to catch when he was alone with before lingered. In fact it seemed to be growing in her presence. He needed to leave.
He was about ready to make his escape when she reached out and grabbed his arm. "Theon, have I done something wrong?" She looked at him her grey eyes full of confusion and hurt. She could tell that there had been change the way he felt about her, just from the cold way he treated her. She was no longer certain that it had anything to do with her mother's disapproval of their friendship.
Theon looked down to the hand she kept on his arm. He could feel the warmth of her touch even through the thickness of his shirt. He wanted to close his eyes and relish in that warmth, it seemed to radiate further within him the longer her hand stayed there. It took effort, but he made himself ignore the fact that she was touching him. Finally he brought his eyes back up to hers, even though he knew it was dangerous. He regretted the hurt he saw there.
He shook his head gently. "You haven't done anything."
Arya raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Oh?" She asked, a storm growing within those grey eyes, she felt she was being lied to. She didn't like being lied to, especially by someone she thought was a friend. "Is that why you have been avoiding me?"
Theon knew he couldn't brush this off, she wouldn't let him. He tried to think quickly, to think about what he could possibly say that would appease her. She was clouding his thoughts, so it was difficult. As the seconds went by, he could tell that she was getting more and more annoyed with him because there was no answer forthcoming. He needed to get away from her, it wasn't lost on him that he was finding her more and more attractive the angrier she seemed to become. Her cheeks flushed with a hint of pink and her lips trembled slightly in anger. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes from the storm that raged with in hers. She was holding him captive and she didn't even know it.
Finally he just blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "Sansa."
She looked taken aback by his reply, but only for a moment. In her mind it made sense, hadn't she even accused him of having feelings for Sansa a few nights ago. "Oh." Was all she managed to say, even that managed to sound hollow. Why had her stomach dropped when he had mentioned her sister's name? She recovered quickly enough to say, "I think I understand." She hoped that it had sounded sincere.
To him, the words most certainly had sounded sincere. And it felt like the equivalent of being punched in the gut. She hadn't even blinked when Sansa's name fell from his lips. Any kind of feelings he thought he might have detected from her that feast night were purely platonic. He quickly masked any disappointment his face might betray with his ever present smirk. "I'm sure you do." He pulled away from her quickly, for she hadn't lifted her hand from his arm. He felt a chill immediately as he lost the contact, but he resolved not to betray his feelings and turned quickly way. Calling over his shoulder. "Your father is expecting me. We'll talk when I get back." A promise he had no intention of keeping. He needed to stay away from her.
She dully nodded her head, only to realize he couldn't see her. He was out of sight before she could yell after him. She wasn't certain, but she had felt like something had shifted in their friendship, in those few moments that they had been alone. She felt a pang of sadness ripple through her heart. This change, whatever it was, it felt as if she were losing a friend, and her lips turned down in a frown.
Suddenly she felt a nudge upon her left hand. She looked down to see her own wolf pup trying to get her attention. She couldn't help but smile. Nymeria must have somehow gotten out of the kennel and sensed that Arya needed a friend. "Hello Nymeria." She said as she rested her hand on the wolf's head. "It seems you knew I needed some company." She let out a small sigh. "You know me pretty well girl." At least someone understood her. "Come on, let us go for a walk. Maybe it will help me clear my mind."
Nymira barked in agreement. Arya let out a small chuckle and let the wolf lead the way and thoughts of Theon were put to the back of her mind. It never occurred to her that she should have talked to her mother about what she had caught Bran doing earlier that day. She just concentrated on the small amount of freedom she had for the day.
—
It was a few hours later, Arya had figured it it was mid afternoon and she knew her time alone was coming to an end. She knew her mother excepted her back to start preparing for supper. Her stomach rumbled slightly, she was getting a bit hungry. Her mid-day meal had only been an apple and some crusty bread that she had managed to sneak from the kitchens. During the course of the day she found herself again within the Godswood. She was sitting lazily with her back against tree that stood near the weir tree. Usually it was a place she came to for peace, setting near the ancient tree with it's wizened face some how always brought her solace. She was probably one of the few people who felt that way, but it meant not many people would bother her here.
Arya let out a small sigh as she let her hand glide over Nymeria's back. "I think we should probably go back girl. Mother will likely be getting worried about me."
The wolf let out a little whine, as if to show she didn't much care for that idea. Arya smiled lightly, it almost seemed as if sometimes they could understand each other. "I know, I don't want to go back either. We'll probably have to play nice again." Arya frowned. "You'll have to be tied up in the kennels again." She moved her hand to scratch behind Nymeria's ears as if to say she was sorry. Arya's heart broke a little when she heard the defeated whine her wolf gave as a response. "I know, I know. But it shouldn't be for very much longer. Pretty soon all the visitors will be gone and you can have a little more freedom."
Nymeria nudged her muzzle against her cheek as if to say that she understood. Then she nudged Arya a second time. Arya looked at her and laughed. "Okay, okay girl, we'll get going." With that, Arya stood up slowly brushing off any stray leaves and dirt that had accumulated on her dress. She gave one last look toward the weir tree. The moment her eyes locked on to what was considered the 'eyes' of the tree, her skin prickled, like the air had been charged with an unseen force. She looked around quickly to see if anything was amiss in her little part of the wood. But everything on the surface seemed normal, Arya just couldn't shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
She looked down at Nymeria, who also seemed to sense something was amiss. Deep within the wolf's chest a slow, low rumble could be heard and in a few seconds it intensified into a full growl, until finally she barked. Nymeria's behavior only fed into Arya's rising panic. "What is it girl?" Arya looked around the clearing wondering if there was someone lurking in the trees of the wood. Again, everything seemed normal.
She combed her mind desperately trying to figure out why everything seemed to feel so wrong. She was wondering what her next move would be when Nymeria seemed to have decided it for her. The wolf pup suddenly took off toward Winterfell. Without another thought, Arya ran after her.
With how fast she could run, it didn't take her long to make it back to the keep. Winterfell was her home and she was supposed to feel safe there, but that feeling of safety would not come. Despite the fact that everything around her was normal, she knew that something bad had happened. Her first thoughts were of her brothers and her father, of those who had gone on the hunt. She franticly careened towards the main house, knowing that if there was any news there was the place she would get it. However before she could reach it there was a loud scream coming from the keep's oldest tower. The one Bran had been climbing earlier. Instantly she turned towards the sound, she thought it had sounded like her mother. The fear was growing sharper within her heart.
By the time she reached the tower she had to push her way through a small crowd of servants. At the center of it all, she found her mother huddled on the ground next to what Arya thought was a body. Bran's wolf was also there, walking back and forth growling at anyone who dared come close to the two figures. Arya's heart started to pound as she looked upon the scene. It wasn't hard for Arya to figure out that the broken figure beside her mother was Bran. She shuddered realizing that the boy must have fallen while trying to climb the old tower.
What happened next was a blur. Sansa must have heard the commotion and came to see what was the matter. Once she saw her brother's broken body she grabbed Arya's hand. Arya was so numb she could barely feel it. Maester Luwin had been summoned almost immediately. Thankfully Bran's wolf let him near so he could examine the boy. Someone must have called for Septa Mordane, because she had started to pull Sansa and Arya away from the scene. Arya could hardly hear anything beside the dull roar in her ears. She seemed confused, the worry she felt for her brother making her unable to think, her fear was starting to rule her thoughts. She felt so helpless, she wasn't sure if he was dead, and even if he was still alive she couldn't do anything to help him. She screamed silently within her head. She let the Septa slowly lead them away.
The moment before she was out of earshot she received a brief second of clarity. She heard the three words that gave her all the hope she needed to get through the next few hours.
"He lives still." The Maester said calmly.
Her brother was a wolf of Winterfell, like herself. He would fight. He would live. She knew it.