Once in her feather bed, Arya could not find sleep. It was not very late, and she turned in her bed for what felt like hours, thinking about their conversation, at the way he looked at her and the way she stared at him like one of these fools. At one point, she stood up and just walked in her room, and then got out, taking Needle and a pair of boots with her.

'A girl should know better than anyone who gets a man's attention.'

If he wasn't that much of a tease, maybe 'a girl' could find some sleep more easily

Only the few torches were lighting the corridor as she stood in front of the door of the room Jaqen was assigned. She did not know what she was doing there.

She made sure no one was around, for it would look suspect for her to be out of her room so late, and only wearing some sort of tunic, that served her as sleepwear. In fact, she was mostly afraid of Sansa's or Jon's reaction if they would be to know that she visited the foreign assassin at night.

Me. Afraid of what my siblings would think. What the hell happened?

She held Needle tight by the grip, and pushed the door open.

"Jaqen?" she whispered.

She entered the empty room, making sure to close the door so no one would see her if they passed by, and sat on a chair near the fireplace, the only real source of light of the room, let alone the few candles here and there. She wondered where he could be this late, but remembered he was quite fond of bathing, and that she had seen the giggling maids pass by with a bunch of towels and pots.

One man does not need this much supplies nor this many chambermaids to bathe , she thought.

Well, it's Jaqen, that's probably why these girls were giggling like some aroused hens

It made her angry, but she could not quite place why, so she quickly forgot about it.

Being in his room oddly made her feel closer to him.

She stared out the window, and her glance fell to his bed, freshly made by the chambermaids.

He sleeps in this bed , she thought, and then tried to imagine him sleeping. It was strange imagining him in this very vulnerable way, so peaceful.

She could not help the flashing images of him wearing nothing but a pair of sleeping underclothes. She tried to stop them but could not resist the tempting pictures.

She had actually never seen him bare chested, but she had seen other men, and tried to picture how he would look, according to the way he trained, and to the fact that the rest of his body seemed quite muscular.

Quite 'pleasing to the eye', like Sansa said before

"Is a girl looking for something?"

She froze, and flushed, then turned to see him. As always, she hadn't heard him come in.

He was wearing his night's clothes already, a gray shirt and brown tied up pants. His shoulder-length red and white hair seemed still a bit damped from his recent bath.

This was not a good idea.

He casually leaned against the stone wall next to the door, pretty far from her.

"Hum...yes, actually, I was…looking for you."

At this he arched his brow, and she continued.

"It's been a while since I haven't trained properly, and since we're both busy all day long…"

"Hmm, but a man has seen a girl spar everyday with the knight who swore to protect her."

"Yes I trained a little with her, but she's not as good, I mean… training is not as efficient as if I would be to train with you"

He smiled, and she had to restrain herself not to bite her lip.

"Apparently the training a girl claims to be not efficient enough is hard enough for her to be sore at the end of the day.", he said smirking.

"I'm not sore, I can still fight.", she spat out frowning, trying to believe her own words.

It was only partly a lie, she had been so tired after her training sessions these past few days, and her muscles were so sore that she went to the bath-chambers almost every time after sparring, but nothing seemed to ease the pain. But she had gone through more difficult situations, she had trained harder, back in Braavos, to become a Faceless Man, so she knew when her body could still go for a few hours. And even if she inwardly denied it, spending time alone with him was great enough of a motivation to forget about the pain for a while.

But still. He caught the lie.

He took a few steps towards her, and they stood in front of each other, separated by the lit fireplace.

"Hmm" He nodded in irony.

His voice was so deep and his stare so intense on her, she felt her jaw harden and he knees squeeze together.

This was not a good idea.

She stood up ignoring his mocking glance and unsheathed Needle. He laughed quietly.

"A girl knows how to fight already, but she doesn't know how to take care of herself after her hard training. If she continues to neglect her body the way she is right now, it is no wonder that her training sessions will become less and less efficient. Maybe a man should teach a girl the ways to take care of herself this time."

She frowned.

"I'll sleep better after I train."

"A girl knows she is wrong, and she is not listening."

She rolled her eyes

"Fine, tell me what I need to know about 'relaxation', and I'll apply what you taught me after we trained."

He sighed, and remembered how stubborn she had always been.

"What is the best way to get better?" He asked quietly.

"Practice makes you better."

"Care is like any other exercise, a girl can only get better at it if she practices taking care of herself. So, what are ways to practice taking care of herself?"

She lowered her weapon, but still held it tight.

Urgh, he is so annoying. But arguing with him never ends well for me anyway.

She inhaled sharply, and made sure he could see it was not what she came here for, which made him chortle.

"Well, there is sleep, but I already practice for that quite a lot", she said, mimicking his ironical tone.

She looked at him, and he was waiting for another answer.

"There is also stretching, but this too, I can already do well. I was also already taught meditation and praying, and practiced it ever since."

He was still waiting for something else, but when she said nothing, he answered:

"Did a girl's teachers at the Faceless Men never show her how to knead her muscles? A man can recall his sister, the woman a girl used to call 'The Waif', would sometimes suppress the nods and tightness' for recruits that served well."

The only thing she could remember about physical contacts of this kind with her former masters was this one time the Waif had broken her left arm so she would learn to use her right one. And the Waif genuinely hated her, she had suspected her to appreciate making the break so painful. When she could fight well enough with her non-dominant arm, the Kindly Man had come with many different oils and twisted her injured arm in all directions to put it back in place. She remembered that it was very painful, and in no way releasing.

"Apparently not."

"Why does it matter? I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own anyway."

He smiled, but it was almost unnoticeable, and she was starting to get where he wanted to.

That was not a good idea at ALL.

"How convenient then, that a man and a girl are two in this room."

He went to the door and bolted it quickly. At her confused look, he said:

"A man is pretty sure it is not suitable for Lady Stark of Winterfell to be in a man's room in her sleeping garment this late in the night, he would not want the chambermaids to start rumors."

As he came nearer, she felt her cheeks burn and stared awkwardly at the floor, not knowing where else to look at. He turned around her, cleared her neck from the strands of chestnut hair, and placed his hands on her shoulders. He was behind her, and her grip on Needle was so tight that her knuckles turned white.

He put his hands on the part that connected her neck and shoulders above her tunic and kneaded it.

Ah… how did he know it was exactly there?

It was where she ached for a few weeks now. Her head fell forward and she let out a sigh of release. His thumbs traveled to the exposed lower part of her neck, and pressed there.

He saw her tight grip on Needle.

His hands traveled upwards, and pressed the muscles of her neck. Then, they slowly moved down, always applying pressure, and Arya let out a soundless 'Ah' in release.

His hands on me...

He kept on massaging her back, and it felt better and better.

"The lesson can still go on, a man and a girl can do two things at the same time."

She thought she would give him the answer he wanted, afraid that he would take his hands off if she didn't.

"The Waif taught me how to prepare ointments that release the tightness in the muscles after a hot bath."

She turned her head to see his reaction.

His smirk grew larger, and he briefly exposed his white teeth.

"That is indeed another way, but a girl knows a more effective one, that, a man is sure of."

At her interrogating look, he got closer, a wicked smirk on his lips.

He smelled of ginger and cloves, and she felt a tightness in her lower stomach, some kind of pressure waiting to be released. She had missed his scent, exotic, yet somehow like home. His lips were very close from her ear, and as he whispered she could feel his hot breath, and it sent shivers down her spine.

"Does a girl not recall? In the bath chambers a few nights ago, a girl seemed to know quite a lot about this very way of relaxation"

Her expression dropped.

Hells

Their eyes met, and she immediately looked away, very able to recall what he was talking about.

I should've locked the door, why did I not lock this fucking door, she cursed herself.

She felt her cheeks flush so red right now that she was sure the color of her face looked like the fire warming the room, and making it so SO hot she found it hard to breathe (or was it him right next to her, their bodies so close that gave her this impression?)

He saw me...urgh

That damned bastard, doesn't even have the decency to keep it for himself.

And he dared tell 'her' once that 'a girl' lacked honor?

He walked in front of her again and put his hands behind his back. Their faces were in front of each other's, although he was much taller than her and needed to lean down a little.

He had this smirk back on his face, which made her wonder if she'd rather slap him or kiss him right now, but she was too mortified to do anything.

His eyes had this light in them, they were almost glittering because of the nearby fire (or was it her being right next to him, their bodies almost touch- No, he's only making fun of you right now, it's not like 'that'')

"A man did not mean to embarrass his lovely girl. He did not stay long, he struggled to keep his own hands from wandering all around his body, at the tempting sight of a girl, so he decided to leave before he would have lost the combat."

How could he talk about this so easily? Does he not feel just the tiniest bit of shame?

Well, maybe it would be like 'that', whatever 'that' means, if he too, can't keep his hands still whilst thinking about he- Shut up, he's making fun of you.

No he wouldn't, she thought, he's always been so protecting towards her, he wouldn't be this cruel, right?

She wondered what he had seen.

Did he just see me from a far? Gods I didn't even close the door, he just had to walk by to…

Did he see me naked? No, surely he wouldn't have stayed if he saw me undress, he probably just walked by when I was in the water already…

But still… ugh…

He really did not need to bring that up, what does he want anyway? If this is a way to embarrass me as a revenge for ignoring him…

Gods I don't get this man

Coming back from her thoughts, Arya decided that if he was comfortable with this matter, she too would be, because there was no reason why she should be the only one embarrassed. So she gathered all the courage she had to say something, remembering that she had been silent this whole time.

"So, a man sneaks on a girl while she bathes, and finds it a good idea to tell her while she holds a sword?", she said, creasing one of her brows.

"That is not the answer to a man's question, lovely girl."

"And what would you have me answer, Jaqen? Yes, I did… this in the bath-chambers, but I don't see how telling you will make me more educated." she spat out in frustration, her face loosing the straightness she had just gathered.

His smirk grew larger, and she couldn't quite place the way he looked at her right now, amused, maybe?

"Does a girl relax this way often?"

Her eyes grew wider and her mouth fell open.

"Wha-...NO, but- How can y- why are we talking about this?!"

He came closer to her, which made her take a step back, but that did not prevent him from coming even closer. He only stopped when she was pinned against the wall, trapped between the latter and Jaqen's lean body, their bodies only a few inches apart. She noticed that his shirt was a bit too large for him, which allowed her to get a peak of his hairless, muscled torso. She gulped before looking up to meet his eyes, not glittering anymore but now completely alight.

"A man is only trying to help his lovely girl, he can teach her how to use these lovely hands of hers,-

He placed a hand on her cheek, and the sudden contact made her shiver. The pressure in her belly was getting more and more intense.

-and after a man has taught her, he can promise it will feel much better than it does already."

She bit her lower lip, and then cursed herself for not being able to control it.

'his' lovely girl… He had called her 'lovely girl' only in Harrenhal, and she had not realized until recently that she had missed this endearment, and now he called her 'his'- you sound like Sansa, ugh, how is this even possible?

What the hell is he doing to you, you're just standing there like a fool while he's openly mocking you, say something for fuck's sake!

"And what tells you I want you to teach me?", she spat out again.

She tried to sound angry, but failed miserably and only sounded confused. She cursed herself many times in her head and knew exactly what he was about to say.

"A girl also needs to get better at lies"

She closed her eyes and sighed in frustration, which only made him smirk.

"Moreover, a man stayed long enough to hear what name a girl was calling in the midst of her ministrations, and he could not be more flattered.", he said, an arrogant look in his eyes.

Fucking bastard

Well, if he decides to play THIS game, then...

"So you did stay for quite a while, must have been one hell of a struggle with your hands" she said, as mockingly as she could.

He raised a brow in surprise.

"But a man's hand are experimented, they obey. And when it comes to this kind of training, they know what to do. A girl's don't- He took her trembling hands with the tip of his fingers and placed them on her hips.

-A man tells a girl what to do, and a girl comes back tomorrow fully composed. So she can properly train fighting with the teacher she has missed so much, yes?"

She opened her mouth to protest, as she looked at her hands, held by his strong grip, she noticed a bulge at the level of his crotch. She knew enough about men to know what that meant. And she had a better idea.

She set Needle down, and put on the most innocent expression she could.

"I see… but a man should know by now that a girl never does what she's told. Moreover, she would feel bad thinking about a man leading a battle on his own against his wandering hands-

It was her turn to take his hands with her skinny fingers. She switched the roles and placed his hands on her hips with hers on top. She felt a dampness between her thighs.

Want

His expression was now serious and hers, amused, but they did not break once eye contact.

-perhaps a man should not tell a girl, but showher first what she's supposed to do, surely his experimented hands can prove her that it is the best way she can take care of herself."

For a short moment they both looked deeply in each other's eyes and smiled.

Her hands slowly went from the top of his hands to his forearms.

"A girl plays with fire."

Oh please

You started this

"Is a man afraid to get burned?"

He smirked again.

"Does a girl know what she is asking?"

"Does a girl look unsure?", she tried to say seductively, unable to control her reddening cheeks.

He courteously bowed his head, and she was pretty sure that she saw lust in his glistening eyes.

"A girl has more courage than sense."

She started to focus on her breath, the warmth of his body, his sparkling eyes.

Her hands came to rest on his shoulders.

She tip-toed and did her best to elevate herself. Once their eyes were at the same level, she could feel his breath against her nose. She blushed, and hesitated before taking her decision.

She closed her eyes and softly brushed her lips against his.

It was a quick kiss. Her first. He did not move. He opened his eyes, and the way she was looking at him was unsure and full of hopes, too much for him to stand.

Not enough

His hands moved to grip her waist, and this time he leaned down to reach her lips. The kiss was not chaste and unsure like hers, but wanting, more like a need.

Gods

She wrapped her trembling hands around the back of his neck, and felt strands of damped hair around her fingers, and a fervent and passionate dance commenced. Arya let instinct take over, she was not thinking, she was just acting, she was a slave to her own body, and so was he, both of them were unable to show any kind of restraint in front of the newly discovered obsession.

Is this right?

Gods this feels good

The tingle in her stomach intensified. She felt the wall behind her scratch her back. His lips were soft against hers, and his hair felt fresh and silky around her long fingers.

"Open your mouth, lovely girl.", he said against her lips.

For once, she did as she was bid.

Gods Gods

Her heart was hammering in her chest.

She parted her lips, and his tongue invaded her mouth. The new sensations their rubbing tongues brought made her arch for him. His thumbs started caressing the sides of her waist.

She gripped the collar of his shirt and brought him closer, so that their chests were touching. She heard him inhale sharply and felt his hands wander higher as the harden peaks of her breasts, not well concealed under the thin fabric, crashed against his torso.

Her heart was plundering, and she was pretty sure he could feel it too, even through the layers of cloth.

He tugged at the sides of her short night gown, and she smiled at the fact that it looked like he was asking for permission. She had not been in such an empowered position towards him since Harrenhal, when she had given him his own name.

Feeling bold, she untied the front of her tunic, and his hands quickly moved underneath the fabric to touch the bare skin underneath, tracing the scars that the Waif's knife had left on her pale skin, his work. She felt exposed, but was reassured by the fact that her undergarments were still hiding her.

They parted for air, and she took the occasion to remove his shirt as well.

He looked even better than she had imagined. His torso was lean and his muscles defined. His golden skin was almost glowing due to the lighting.

He moved and kissed the sensitive part behind her ears, nipped at the side of her neck, and it made her giggle and moan a little.

She started caressing his naked torso and exposed abs. Her touch was light and a little nervous, he could sense that.

He ceased suckling the soft flesh of her neck and said with his raspy, deep voice:

"First, a girl has to know her sensitive spots."

To that, his hands found their way underneath the thin cloth that covered her breast. It surprised her at first, but she quickly leaned into the touch.

"A lovely girl's breast fits perfectly in a man's hand.", he whispered in her ear.

She blushed, and bit the inside of her cheek to control the sounds of whimper. He rolled a thumb over one of her harden tips, and she gasped.

He crashed his lips against her open mouth, and their tongues fought for dominance. He left her mouth and traveled down her little chin, her sensitive neck, and ended up on the snow white skin of her left breast. He ripped the fabric and threw it carelessly on the floor.

The sudden act made them both quietly laugh. His hands went down her back when hers found their place back in his thick hair. He took the peak in his mouth and swirled his hot tongue around it a couple of times, which made her throw her head back and open her mouth in want. He started kneading her bottom, and gently bit down her aroused tip.

It made her shut her eyes and her legs tremble and go weak.

Her rapidly caught her and took her to the bed, his mouth now on the other breast, giving it the same treatment. He laid her down on the pillows, and his hands moved to remove the last piece of fabric she was wearing.

Her hands were awkwardly on both of her sides, not sure what to do. As he started pulling her underclothes down, she looked away again. She felt the air of the room against her wetness, and felt very exposed, and she unconsciously brought her knees back together a little.

He was on top of her, on his knees between her parted legs. With one hand, he traced the side of her jaw, and turned her head so that she was looking at him again, smiled at her and kissed her deeply.

"A girl looks so beautiful right now."

His other hand moved from her outer thigh to her inner thigh, and just lingered here for a bit, the time that she got used to the new sensations.

"Now, show me how able these hands are.", she said smirking.

He chortled, and, seeing her confidence restored, he moved his hand further, parting her legs, and gently circled her folds with a finger, still looking at her in the eyes. He saw her open her mouth suddenly, bathed in a whole new dimension of sensations.

He brushed his fingers on her bundle on nerves, and she squeezed her eyes shut and let out a moan.

He did it again, faster and rougher this time, and her breath started accelerating. His touch was so different from hers, like an immediate awakening of pleasure in her body. Although she did not have anything else but her own fingers to compare his to, she knew.

He is VERY good

He dipped one finger in her wetness, and rubbed it again a couple of times before pushing it through her tight entrance. She expected it to hurt, but it slid right into her as if it was the place it always belonged to, and her body shuddered as if it was the only thing it was made for, being indulged by this man.

She heard him whisper very quietly, and she would not have been able to get it if she had not trained as a blind girl to enhance her hearing.

"Gods, Arya..."

It made her smile in satisfaction and triumph, she was turning him as crazy as he was turning her.

He moved his finger back and forth, deliciously rubbing against her inner walls, caressing her waist with his free hand.

He kissed her again, and her hands discovered his muscular back, the tight muscles of his arms, his soft and warm skin.

He added another finger, and started rubbing her core with his thumb, and going faster, harder. She started to meet his thrusts with her balancing hips.

"You feel even better than I had imagined.", he whispered very close to her ear.

At this moment, Arya started loosing all her rational thoughts. She curled her toes and planted her nails in his back.

"You squeeze around my fingers, a man can tell you like it...", he purred teasingly.

She smiled, but she could not think any reasonable thoughts anymore. His raspy voice, his touch, everything, every damned thing about this man was just too much for her to handle.

He kept going, plunging in her, harder every time, her muscles squeezing around his deft fingers.

"And this is just a glimpse of a man's abilities, can a girl imagine the other things he could do to her? Bending her in all sorts of positions, making her scream again and again until only a lustful mess remains of her…", he whispered tentatively in her ear before gently biting it.

Yes, yes, I would let you do anything…

Hells, what is this feeling, I can't think anymore

This feels so good

She felt her inner walls and then her whole frame trembling, and waves of heat through her body. She moaned his name in between pants. He too, had to open his mouth for air, and his breath accelerated.

He curled his fingers and pushed them deeper, and hit a spot that made the light of the room flicker.

Oh Gods, so good, too good

Her back arched and she threw her head back, crying out, scrapping his back, leaving marks.

His fingers kept moving, stroking her faster to intensify her orgasm.

When she found her breath again, he kissed her deeply, and she put her hands around his cheeks.

He took his fingers out, drenched in her arousal, and held them to her mouth.

"A girl should be dirty too. This is her work." he said, with an arrogant and pleased look, still hovering on her.

"I believe a man is quite responsible for it" she threw back with the same arrogance, pushing his hand towards his mouth.

He smirked back, and sucked slowly and loudly at his fingers, not breaking eye contact, making sure she saw all of it.

"A girl tastes just like winter.", he outed, his tone impregated in strange fascination.

Her cheeks turned red, and she took a deep breath and leaded her trembling hands towards his crotch.

He caught them before she could do anything.

She looked at him even more confused.

"Ah ah ah, the lesson is about self-care tonight, lovely girl, this kind of practice will be for another time."

She felt sort of relieved, smiled at him before he once again ravaged her lips.

"Gods, Jaqen…"

What she felt, it was unexplainable. New, yet familiar. Home, but mysteriously attracted.

This man is going to be the end of me

He laughed quietly, kissed her forehead, her nose, her chin, her cheek before rolling to her side, holding her tight. He pulled the sheets over her naked body and caught her in a tight embrace.

"Sleep now, my lovely girl…"