AN
Ok. This is it. I've been so excited about this chapter and i hope everyone loves it. With hope, it'll be as good in writing as it is in my head.
Thanks to all the reviewers. I really appreciate all of your reviews. Special thanks to blackeyedbandit.
I had to re upload the entire story and she reviewed the chapters all over again.
Ok enough of me. Here is chapter 10! Enjoy!
Arrangements were, they would go to the Baratheon's, and there they would all head to the party in limousines.
Personally, Arya could have done without all this complicated extravagance, but Sansa seemed absolutely smitten by it all, so for once, she held her tongue and went along with it.
When they arrived, Arya feared the commissionaires would check them, and they'd find her gun, but perhaps since she came with the Baratheons, they let them all go through without bothering to check them.
Walking into Cutler's Hall was like walking into a fairy tale. It was a stepping through the looking glass kind of experience. And they were all dressed for the part. The men in their tuxes, and the women in their long, elegant dresses.
Cersei wore a red dress and her hair was sleeked back into a neat bun looking as fierce as she looked beautiful. She was smilling the entire time, but like always, it never reached her eyes.
Myrcella's light pink dress matured her, making her look Arya's age.
Sansa, as always looked stunning in a strapless pearl colored dress, her red curls falling perfectly on her shoulders.
Arya made a mental note to avoid standing next to her throughout the party, just to avoid comparissons.
They were greeted at the staircase by a uniformed man, and Arya instantly knew this would be a long, "high class" party.
Sansa was glowing, looking from Ned to Arya, before turning to Joffrey.
Arya deeply wished she shared her enthusiasm, knowing too well that it would only make the night easier for everyone.
Robert held his hand out for his wife, and she took it with a smile as they headed up the stairs. Joffrey followed his father's example and offered his arm to Sansa.
Ned walked up to Arya and offered his with a wink. She smiled, rolling her eyes, but taking it and they followed Sansa and Joffrey up the stairs.
Right behind them were Rickon and Tommen, walking side by side with Jaime who's arm was laced with Myrcella's.
Rickon and Tommen were the first to make it to the top, as they'd made a game out of who'd get there first.
Ned was quick to give Rickon a warning look before they prepared to walk into the hall.
The first thing Arya noticed was the quartet set up on a stage at the end of the room. They were playing Coldplay's Clocks, which Arya had never personally liked. Played by a quartet though, made her change her mind.
There was portrait paintings all along the walls, between marble pillars. The ceiling was vaulted, and from it hung chandeliers. She really had stepped through the looking glass. She wouldn't be surprised if the Queen herself had been invited.
The hall was already full of guests. Most of them people she didn't know. The few she did, she had only met vaguely. They all turned as soon as they walked in and began applauding, either for Joffrey and Sansa, or Robert Baratheon. Arya wasn't sure.
Robert and Cersei both waved courteously, Joffrey walking a few steps behind them, smiled and nodded smugly.
Arya instantly felt uncomfortable, even with her father right next to her. She saw as people looked her up and down, and noticed as shock filled the faces of the few she knew upon recognizing her.
She avoided eye contact as they walked to the back of the room towards the stage. Once they reached their tables, the quartet had reached the end of the song, and the applause had ceased.
A man Arya had seen on television a few times walked up the stage and introduced the couple bringing everyone to applaud once again.
Another man came on stage and annouced dinner, and everyone took their seats and the quartet once again began playing, this time it was Hey There Delilah.
Arya noticed throughout the night that they played all of Sansa's favorite love songs.
Arya's seat was between Jaime and Tommen. As she sat, her eyes grew wide with shock at the sight of her table setting. There was easily over six pieces of silverware, and five different glasses.
To her left, Tommen grabbed the napkin and placed it on his lap before reaching for his place card with plump fingers. He couldn't reach and nearly knocked a glass over. Arya reached for it, placing it on his hand. She noted their table was set differently and she was thankful they'd remembered she was left handed.
Not that it matters. She had no idea how to use any of this. She wished now she hadn't dropped out of the etiquette classes, if only it would have saved her from the glares she was sure she would get during dinner.
"It's like a battle."
Arya turned to Jaime, who had leaned into her to whisper.
"What?" she wrinkled her nose, confused.
He was delicately fixing the napkin over his lap. He turned to her with a smile.
"Like a fight. Imagine you're to fight. You have to be prepared with the proper weapon." he said, nodding to the server who placed a raw looking pink roll infront of him.
Another server placed a plate with chicken and black pudding terrine in front of her.
"If you were to fight a bear, you wouldn't face him with a dagger, would you?"
"I could kill a bear with just a dagger. Couldn't you?" Arya said daringly.
Jaime smiled. "You know what i mean, you little smart ass!"
Arya smiled smugly.
"Like that, for example." he pointed to her food. "Which one would you use?"
Arya looked over the forks, before pointing at the smallest one. Jaime shook his head.
Arya scoffed."Which one then?"
He picked up a knife and slide it over his terrine, spreading it on a tomato toast. Arya rolled her eyes.
Jaime continued to help her throughout the dinner, not keeping any comments to himself. Arya never liked the guy, but tonight he seemed pretty decent. For a Lannister.
After dinner, they dimmed the lights, leaving on the candles on the table and the pale pink lights that lit the pillars along the wall.
The quartet got off the stage and an unseen dj began playing music. Couples were quick to fill the dance area at the center of the room.
Arya was left alone at the table with Tommen, Rickon and some other boy she didn't know.
Her thoughts trailed to her gun. She could feel it there. Against her skin.
She had done a good job of securing it on, so she hadn't had the need to go and adjust it in the ladies room. That she was glad of.
She always hated going to the restroom at parties like these. They were always packed with girls fixing their hair, dresses or makeup.
Arya was sure she could empty out the restroom by merely pulling out her gun. She smiled.
From her seat, she spotted Joffrey and Sansa dancing gracefully. Everyone around them who wasn't dancing was smilling at them.
Sansa looked happy.
Behind them, she could see Cersei dancing with Jaime. Sansa and Joffrey were no match for them.
Song after song played, and couples came and went from the dance area at the center of the room. Few, like Joffrey and Sansa, never left it. Joffrey's dwarf uncle, Tyrion never missed a song either, though he danced with a different girl every other song, making vulgar faces at each of them, bringing smiles from them, Whether they were young or old, they all seemed charmed by him.
The music was cliched. But then so was this entire ordeal. This was merely the engagement party, though, and Arya reminded herself she still had a wedding to surive. She groaned at the thought.
Not one of her favorite songs had played. Not one of her favorite artist, and this was beginning to make her feel even more restless. She had already chewed off all of her nails, and having her gun at arms reach but not being able to take it out was torturing her.
She had also grown weary of the glances she was receiving. She had already rejected a guy who came walking up to her with a smile and every intention of asking her to dance plastered on to his stupid face. Arya glared at him and shook her head stiffly, trying to save him the trip, but the idiot was as stupid as his face and he walked all the way up to Arya anyway, holding his hand out to her.
"May i have this dance?" he had asked, and Arya had told him she was allergic.
The guy had smiled, perhaps taking Arya for a tease.
"To dancing?" he was flirting.
Arya smiled and had leaned into him, making sure he heard her clearly.
"No, to morons."
The expression on his face had been priceless. Perhaps the highlight of her evening so far.
Now though, she noticed the guy talking to some friends and glancing her way. She rolled her eyes and stood.
She decided to head down to the cloakroom and fetch her mobile from her coat.
The hallways were pretty empty except for a few staff and the men at the door, who smiled at her courteously as she walked past them towards the cloakroom. She found her coat and dug though the pocket. It was a quarter past 9.
You have got to be kidding me!
She had a missed call from Robb. She called back.
"Arya."
"Mom"
"Hi dear. How is everything."
"It's...perfect. You would love it."
"Any family?"
"Not that i've seen."
"Of course. How does everyone look?"
"Like royalty. I'm wearing a long dress and 20 inch heels. I look like a real lady."
Catelyn laughed. "I'm sure you look beautiful. Take pictures of everyone. I want to see them all when i get home."
"I could send them Robb's phone, if you'd like."
"That sounds excellent."
"Alright. I'll go take them right now. I need something to do, i'm dying of boredom."
"I'm sure you are!" Catelyn laughed out.
"Sansa is enjoying herself, though. That's what matters."
" Thank you. For doing this for her. I know it isn't easy for you, so thank you For trying."
"It's not so bad. Not really. I even got asked to dance."
"You danced?"
"No," Arya laughed. "But, i got asked to."
Catelyn laughed again. Arya hadn't heard her laugh so much in a while. She could hear in her voice though, that she was weary, and that she missed home. That she missed them all. Her voice sounded just the way it did when she called them during their trip with the Baratheons.
Longing.
"I love you Arya. Give everyone a kiss for me. Congratulate Sansa for me. I tried her several times, but i don't think she has her phone."
"I will."
"Alright. Good night dear. Don't dance too much, now." Arya rolled her eyes. "I'll be waiting for those pictures. I love you."
"I love you too. Goodnight."
Arya hung up and walked back up to the party, taking her time up the stairs.
She stopped right before walking back into hall, and began to type a text.
"You should be here with me, Jon."
She pressed send and walked in through the doors.
"Ok, let's get this over with."
xxxxxxxxxx
"My uncle Jaime fights dragons." Tommen boasted proudly to Eric, the boy who sat with him and Rickon, who in turn squinted his eyes in disbelief.
"You're full of shit!" Eric cried.
"He does! He fights men too. They wear masks and the swords have a safety tip, but he has other swords. With those he kills dragons! He told me so himself."
The boy, Eric, rolled his eyes and shaking his head. "Dragons aren't real."
"Yes they are!" Rickon and Tommen both said at the same time.
"Are you calling my uncle Jaime a liar?"
"Yes. You and him both!" Eric said daringly.
Tommen's eyes filled with tears and Rickon quickly turned Eric's attention from him.
"My grandfather has a mansion in Spain and he has a room full of old things he's collected during his travels. He keeps a fossilized dragon egg in a glass case. It's this big!" Rickon stretched his arms as far as he could to show Eric and Tommen the size of the egg.
His right hand hit something and when he turned, he saw he had knocked over a tray from a server's hand.
"Damn it!" the girl complained as she went down on her knees to pick up the deserts from the floor. Rickon slid off his chair quickly joining her on his hands and knees, helping her with the food.
"I'm sorry." he said, picking at the small cakes quickly.
"It's fine," she held stopped his hand with hers. "don't trouble you'self." she told him in a thick, northern accent.
He pulled his hand away gently and continued to pick up the small frosted cakes and the spilled desert shots, placing them on the tray that sat on the floor between them.
She looked upset, occasionally glancing around her.
"I'm sure no one noticed." he assured her.
She clicked her tongue. "Like no one not'iced me spill that woman's drink earlier."
"You're new?" he asked, handing her the tray with the food they'd picked up.
"Can you tell?" she smiled. He shook his head impishly.
"Wanna know a secre'?" she whispered leaning into him.
He nodded, leaning the rest of the way, so his ear came right by her mouth.
"I'm really jus' a undercover princess. That's why i don' know shit about serving."
Rickon giggled. She must have heard their dragon banter.
"pleasure to meet you, princess." he whispered with a smile.
She smiled too, and it reached her blue eyes. She looked down, pretending to be coy. "Pleasure's all mine littl' lord."
"Rickon!"
They both turned up to Arya, who was standing over them.
"What did you do?" she asked as she helped him stand. She turned to the server girl as she stood. She had wild dark hair and looked out of place, despite her server uniform.
"It's a'right, It was my mistake." she told Arya while turning to Rickon and smiling.
"Osha!" a server called from another table. The serving girl walked up to him without another word.
"Mother wants a picture." Arya told Rickon as she took a napkin from the table and dipped it in a water glass. She handed it to him.
"You have something on your sleeve." she said.
Rickon took the napkin and wiped at the smudge of candy.
"Hold still" Arya told him, as she took the picture. She took another since the first had come out blurry. By then Osha had returned with a tray full of new deserts and she placed one in each of the other boy's plate, and two in Rickons.
The boys ate theirs quickly. They were now arguing about video games.
"Are we leaving soon?" Rickon asked Arya.
"I hope so, but i doubt it." Arya made a face and took a raspberry cake off of Rickon's plate.
"Hey, that's mine!"
"I didn't see your name on it." Arya taunted childishly.
"It was on my plate."
"Well now it's in my stomach." she stuck her tongue out and left in search of Sansa.
xxxxxxxxxx
The lights were dim, her favorite song playing in the background, her cheek gently resting against Joffrey's as they slow danced to "their song".
It was the perfect moment.
She took in his scent, savoring the moment. She wanted to remember every detail. His warmth. His arms around her. The shade of his eyes in the dim room. Everything.
She pressed her lips lightly against his cheek, planting a delicate kiss.
"I love you." she whispered.
He pressed himself closer to her at that, sighing through his nose. Sansa smiled.
Suddenly her eyes popped open when she felt his hands slide down her back and rest on her ass.
She pulled away quickly, turning around to see if anyone had seen.
A few girls were giggling from a table, and a few other people, thankfully no one she knew, were staring at them.
She felt her face heat with embarrassment. Joffrey rolled his eyes at her.
"What now!" he said, clearly annoyed.
Sansa didn't think twice before grabbing his wrist and pulling him around the dancing couples and through the crowds of people and tables towards the main exit.
Out in the hallway, two men talking forced her to find another place to talk.
Joffrey muttered and complained the entire way until Sansa pulled him into a smaller unused hall across from theirs.
"What the fuck is wrong with you!" he spat as she slammed the door behind him. She turned to look him in the eye.
"What is wrong with you! I have friends in there!" She pointed to the door. "My father, my brother and sister. Your family is there. What gives you the right to grab me like that!"
"Hey!" he yelled just inches from her face. "I'm practically your husband."
Sansa gasped in disbelief. "So that gives you the right to humiliate me." she replied though clenched teeth. "To just drug me and try and take advantage of me, like last night!"
He grabbed her throat with his hand and pushed her until her back slammed onto the wall. She gasped with pain, closing her eyes and turning away from him.
With his other hand he grabbed her face to make her face him. "Look at me!" he whispered violently, his hot breath fanning against her face. He had been drinking, she noted. She opened her eyes, slowly bringing the up to look into his.
"You belong to me! That's what marriage is about. That's all the mother fucking right i need!"
Sansa couldn't believe what she was hearing. She couldn't believe this was really happening. On her engagement party. This was suppose to be a special night.
But with Joffrey's hands tight around her neck and face, and her heart hammering agaisnt her ribcage in fear of him, it was more like a nightmare. She had no idea who this man was, and why she wanted to marry him.
She fought the tears, but they were too quick to well in her eyes.
"Not if I don't marry you." she whispered, as they rolled down her cheeks. He tightened the hand around her neck.
"What did you say?"
She shoved him away from her, using all her force fueled by her sadness and anger.
She wiped at her tears, walking around him, never giving him her back. "Maybe i don't want to marry you! Not if this is what I'm getting myself into."
Joffrey turned away at that.
Sansa stared at his back, waiting. He said nothing. She had expected her words would earn her a slap. She had prepared herself for it. But instead she was just left to stand there, staring at his back.
The moments passed in silence, until he finally spoke.
"Go then!" he choked out. Was he crying? "Go tell everyone out there the wedding is off! Tell them my love wasn't enough for you. How could it be?"
He was crying.
Sansa let out an exasperated breath, taking a step towards him.
"I try!" he yelled as he turned to face her. His face was wet with tears. "I try to be good to you. I buy you things. Last night, i wanted it to be special. I wanted us to celebrate our engagement our own way. I'm sorry, Sansa, that i let Sandor take you home. It should have been me." he sniffed thickly. "I'm sorry i'm not good enough for you!"
Sansa took another step towards him. Joffrey recoiled from her. "Go!" he yelled, his voice thick with mucus. "Everyone is already here!" he pointed towards the door. "Go tell them all that i'm not good enough for you! Tell them you don't love me." he shrieked as he fell to the floor.
Sansa ran to him, hugging him against her chest. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me. I love you! Of course I love you! You're my whole world. I was just being stupid. I'm sorry!" she began to weep, hugging him tighter.
She had forgotten how sensitive Joffrey was. How insecure he felt. How much love he needed.
They stayed that way a few minutes, until she was sure he was calm. She pulled away and made him face her, kissing his face lovingly.
"Better?" she whispered. He nodded as he stood, clearing his throat.
"You shouldn't have seen me that way." he said as he fixed his jacket.
Sansa rose off the floor with a smile. "It's fine. We'll be married soon. We're suppose to be comfortable enough to cry in front of each other."
He gave her a sideways glance. "I thought you didn't want to marry me."
"I was just being stupid. I don't know what came over me." Sansa said quickly.
He walked up to kiss her, wrapping her in a hug. "Probably the same thing that came over you last night." he said between kisses.
"Im sorry" she whispered against his lips. "It was probably just the drugs."
"I didn't think Sandor driving you home would have upset you so much. You don't have to be afraid of him. He's a good dog, does just what his master tells him. You should start getting used to him being around."
Sansa shook her head. "He doesn't upset me. I'm not scared of him. It's just odd how he's always with you."
Joffrey shugged. " He's good to have around."
Sansa giggled. "To intimidate the big nasty bullies for you." she joked.
Joffrey wrinkled his face in disgust, no longer hugging her. "What's that suppose to mean?"
"Nothing." Sansa said quickly. "It was just a joke."
Joffrey scoffed and rolled his eyes, walking to the door. "We should go back before you say some other stupid thing and ruin the moment." he held his hand out for her and she took it as they walked out of the room.
"My ass does belong to you, you know." Sansa said sweetly while hugging his arm. Joffrey smiled. "Just don't give it so much attention in front of others. Especially family."
"Afraid they'll get jealous?"
"Something like that." Sansa said with a smile. Joffrey suddenly spun her around so her back was against the doors to their hall.
"Well, there's no one here to be jealous." he said as he began to kiss her neck. Sansa giggled.
"Joffrey," she laughed. "We can't." she whispered, but she didn't push him away.
He kissed his way up her neck all they way to her lips.
Sansa felt her insides coil with desire as he deepened their kiss. She dug her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. Then the hall doors opened.
Joffrey pulled away quickly, his face flushed from kissing. Arya stood at the door, wide eyes going from Sansa to Joffrey.
"What do you want?" Sansa demanded angrily.
"Mother wants a picture." she held her phone for Sansa to see.
Sansa huffed, but began fixing her dress. "be quick about it." she told her.
"I'll be inside." Joffrey said, walking around Arya towards the door.
"Don't you want to be in the picture?" Sansa called.
"I'm fine." he said, and disappeared into the hall.
"You two are disgusting." Arya said as she searched for the camera in her phone. "that could have been father, or Rickon."
"Just take the picture! And i want to see it before you send it."
"I want to see it before you send it." Arya mocked her childishly and snapped the picture.
"Let me see." Sansa called after her. Arya was already walking back into the hall.
"You look fine!" she yelled back, though she probably didn't hear through all the music.
Her feet were really beginning to ache now. One more picture left and she could sit. She wanted desperately to get home and yank them off her feet and shoot a few holes in them.
Her father wasn't dancing, and she hadn't seen him by the bar. She was having a hard time seeing anything, as most towered over her, despite her heels.
Finally, she spotted him at the end of the room with Robert.
She began walking to him, but by the time she got there he was walking out the back door into a hallway with Robert and another man she didn't know. She spotted Cersei a few feet away.
"Where are they going?" Arya asked her. Cersei lifted a shoulder and swigged the rest of her drink, placing the empty glass on the tray of a walking server and taking two full ones from it.
"Business, i suppose." she let out uninterestedly, offering her one of the drinks and taking a sip from the other. Arya shook her head at it.
Cersei narrowed her eyes at her. "How old are you, child?"
"I'll be 17 soon."
"Then what's the problem?" Cersei asked offering her the glass once again.
"Don't like the taste."
Cersei laughed, finishing her drink in one gulp. "You don't drink it for the taste. You drink it to forget." she said handing Arya the empty glass and walking into the crowd.
Arya looked down at the empty glass in her hands, weirded out by what had just happened.
"Drinking?"
She looked up to see Yoren. Yoren in a tux! His hair sleeked back in a half ponytail
She smiled, setting the glass down on the table to her left. "No." she told him.
"And not dancing either. What the hell'r doing here then?"
"Torturing my feet." she pulled up her dress to show him her left shoe, careful to keep her gun concealed. He laughed.
"Sansa did a good job though. Almost didn't recognize you. You actually look your age for once." he teased.
"You clean up well too." Arya tugged at his jacket's lapel. He pulled off a suit rather well.
"I'm looking for your father."
"So am i. He went in there, with Robert and some man."
Yoren's gaze followed where she pointed. "hmmm."
"yea." Arya said.
"Honor me with this dance then? While we wait." Yoren said, holding out his hand for her.
She had refused three guys already, and Jaime Lannister who had the audacity of assuming his help during dinner was enough to make her dance with him.
"I can't dance. I look stupid." she told Yoren, trying to be polite about it.
"Me too!" he said, taking her hand. "Lets look stupid together."
Arya rolled her eyes but allowed him to lead her into the dance area.
He wasn't lying when he said he didn't know how to dance, but they were pretty safe about it, sticking to light swaying. By the end of the song, Yoren excused himself to get a drink, leaving Arya alone again.
Another song didn't follow, instead the stage was lit and everyone began to applaud as Robert walked up there, followed by Cersei Joffrey and Sansa. Arya searched for her father and found him standing at the side of the stage.
Robert raised a hand to quiet the crowd as he walked up to the podium that had been placed at the front of the stage. The man that had introduced them brought up a microphone for Robert.
"How are we all tonight?" Robert asked into the microphone. All the guest began to cheer and clap. Robert smiled. "I want to thank you all, on behalf of my wife Cersei and I for being here on this special day with is a special moment in the life of my son Joffrey and my soon to be daughter in law Sansa and i feel honored that you've all taken the time to be here to share it with them."
There was more cheering and applause. When it died died down, Robert began talking again.
"Over the years, I have seen my son, Joffrey..."
Arya flinched at the sound of three shots that brought silence for about a split second before scattered screams were heard from all over the room as everyone looked around the up at the stage were Robert fell forward, against the podium. It slid forward under his weight and off the stage, and on top of it, Robert's body.
Sansa's scream pierced the air, and everything happened very quickly after that.
Sandor ran on stage and grabbed Sansa protectively, carrying her off the stage, Joffrey ran alongside him, shielding himself behind Sandor.
Cersei too was being dragged off to the other side of the stage by her twin brother Jaime. People began pushing their way towards the main exit. Children cried, women yelled out names, men gathered their families. It was a cacophony of panic.
Everyone pushing. Faces slamming into faces, people falling to the floor, while shoes and heels stepped over their bodies. It was madness.
Arya's eyes searched near the stage for her father, and finally spotted him standing right by the stairs. He was staring right at her. He was about to signal something to her, when a man came to him and punched him.
Arya screamed, but amongst the rest of the screaming, not even she heard herself.
She stretched her neck desperately around the heads of the people pushing their way towards the exit, but when she spotted her father again, he was being dragged out the back exit by two suited men.
Everyone was pushing against her, towards the front of the room as she violently shoved opposite of them towards the back of the room. It felt like swimming against the waves.
When she finally made it though, half the hall had emptied out. She ran through the back door and down the long corridor, her father and the men where nowhere to be seen.
She stopped for breath, leaning for support against the wall. There was no sign of them. She had lost her mobile during the chaos sand had no way of calling for help. She bent over and fought with the strap on her leg, pulling the gun free of it. Turning the safety off, she began running down the hall again, her ears and eyes alert for any sound, any sight of anything.
A few meters down and corridor ended leaving her two options. Another corridor that went left, or a door.
As soon as she heard the screams coming from behind the door, she grabbed for the door knob. It was unlocked.
It opened to a stairway going down. By the looks of it, it lead to the basement. She could hear the screams louder now.
"Tell me where it is!" she heard a man yell.
"I don't know." It was her father. Arya's insides clenched with anger. She closed the door behind her.
"You're not talking huh? He's not talking!" the man laughed before she heard what sounded like someone being kicked, and then Ned's sudden sharp intake of air. He began to cough.
Arya walked down the stairs as quietly as the heels allowed. It was too late to take them off now.
Her palms were sweaty, but she held the gun tightly, her finger ready at the trigger.
"Look, Martin is dead, my friend Mikael here just put a few holes on Robert, so he's as good as dead. You are the only one that can tell us where that will is, so we can do this the easy way, or the hard way!"
Arya had reached the bottom of the stairs. There was a short empty hallway with three doors along its wall, but Arya could tell the men held her father right around the corner at the short corridor. She began to make her way quietly towards the end of it, the voices becoming clearer.
"I have no idea where it is, and if i did, i wouldn't tell you." Ned said between gasps.
"Wasn't there a boy with you? Also those two lovely girls of yours." a second man which hadn't spoken before said.
"That's right!" cried the first voice. "Sansa, the bride to be, and the other lovely dark haired girl.
"Don't you dare!" Ned yelled before the air was kicked out of him.
Arya was at the edge of the hallway, her back against the wall. She leaned her cheek to the wall, and slowly slid it to the end, just enough to take a quick peek.
Thankfully the men's backs were to her. Idiots. She thought.
Her heart nearly stopped when she saw her father. There was blood all over his face. In his mouth and from over one eye. The other eye was already beginning to swell. Her chest heaved with pain at the sight of him.
Then Ned looked up and for a second their eyes locked before she pulled her face back behind the wall. She looked down at the gun in her hand. I can do this. You can do this, Arya.
"Your birthday." Ned called out weakly. Arya froze.
"What?" the second man yelled, kicking Ned. That was when Arya walked out from behind the wall, hand stretched forward, pointing the gun at the backs of the two men.
Before she could do anything though, a hand came over her mouth, and another around her arms, locking them to her waist and pulling her back into the smaller hallway and towards one of the door along the wall. It was some sort of closet.
Arya kicked, but the arms were strong and she was pulled inside quickly, and the door was closed. She fought against the man until he came around her into view. It was Yoren. He pushed his hand roughly against her mouth.
"Shut up." He mouthed, taking the gun from her hand.
Arya tried to push herself around him. She had to save her father. He took his hand off her mouth and shoved her against the wall of the closet. He was about to say something, when three shots rang in the air.
Arya pushed Yoren to the wall with all her force and ran out of the closet and around the corner of the corridor. Her father was on the floor, coughing out blood, while more blood began pooling around him. The men turned around to face her. One raised his gun to her.
Then a shot rang right next to her.
Then another, and both men collapsed to the floor.
Arya stood there in shock as Yoren stepped beside her, her gun pointed at the dying men.
She ran to her father then, dropping to her knees next to his body. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. Only blood splurted out.
"No!" Arya let out in anger, her hands searching for his wounds. His eyes were gazing up at her, speaking what his mouth couldn't. He coughed once more, before they closed slowly.
"Yoren!" she called over her shoulder in panic."Daddy!" she yelled as she tried shaking her father awake. He wouldn't open his eyes. He wouldn't wake up.
Two arms were around her then, pulling her away. She began to shout in protest, but the arms were too strong.
Yoren forced her to face him.
"Look at me. Look at me!" he yelled at her, holding her face tightly. She didn't want to. She couldn't open her eyes. He slapped at her cheek until she did.
"Look at me. Yes, that's right." he said, looking down at her eyes sadly.
Men could be heard yelling from up the stairs. That's when Yoren lifted her off the floor and ran towards the end of the hall, away from the stairs. Away from Ned's dead body.
He opened a door he hoped was an exit. It wasn't. It just led to another hall. Bloody hell.
He ran down it, as Arya clung to him.
Her father was dead. He was really dead. She closed her eyes against the image, but it only became clearer.
Yoren stopped running suddenly.
"Oi! You're not suppose to be here!"
Arya looked up and saw a young man standing before them. He looked like security. He pulled out a radio and spoke into it.
"I found her. She's with the cop." he said, looking at them.
Radio:
"Alright. Bring her in. We've found the shooter. He was found dead in the basement, along with two of Baratheon's security guards. It's confimed. It was Ned Stark"
Yoren dropped her on her feet and before the man could say another word, and shot him straight in the chest.
Arya walked back, ready to run, but Yoren quickly caught her arm.
"Grab his arms." he told her.
She stood there confused, still trying to recover from everything that was happening.
Yoren took her shoulders and shook her, and spat to his side.
"You want to die? Is that it?" he pulled her gun out and pushed it against her head. "I'll save you the trouble, and shoot you right now, if that is what you want!"
He pulled the gun away from her and shoved her towards the dead body on the floor.
She grabbed the hands, and they both pulled the body into a utilities closet not far from where Yoren had shot him.
Inside bent over the dead man's pants, unbuttoning them.
"Take your dress off." he barked back at her.
Arya had known Yoren all her life, but she had never been afraid of him. Right now she felt as though she were in a room with a stranger. She had no idea what he would do next.
"Now!" he yelled, yanking the pants off the corpse and throwing them at her.
Arya grabbed the pants and pushed her legs into them, as she watched Yoren work at the man's shirt.
She unclapsed the back of the collar of her dress and turned her back to Yoren as she slid off her body. It was soaked in her father's blood.
Yoren tossed the shirt back at her, giving her his back as he opened the door a small fraction to peek out through the crack.
Arya began to button the shirt while she kicked the heels off. The blood on the shirt was still fresh and it stuck to her back and chest.
Yoren closed the door and turned to face her. He dug through his pocket and came out with a pocket knife.
Arya's eyes grew wide as he opened it and grabbed her bun and began sawing at her hair.
"What're you do..."
"Shut up!" he whispered, continuing to saw, glad he'd had the knife sharpened a week ago. Arya closed her eyes.
When he was done he wrapped her hair and the heels in her dress and stepped up on a shelf to reach the ceiling tile. Pushing it aside, her threw the bundle inside, sliding the tile back in place.
"Put his shoes on!" he commanded pointing to the shoes, and walking to the door to take another peek.
"They're pinning the attack on your father." he whispered to her.
Arya's eyes snapped up. "What?"
"Shh... we need to get you out of here. The Lannisters are behind this, i would bet my cock on it."
"Sansa. Rickon, we can't leave without Rickon."
"They've got her. Rickon was with the youngest Baratheon. It's most like they've got him too."
He turned to her, looking her up and down. He pulled his jacket off and tossed it to her. She slid into.
"We're in the basement. My car's all the way around the other side, and that sorry son of a whore," Yoren kicked the half naked corpse, "told whomever was on the radio that you were with me so we can't be seen together."
Out of his pocket he pulled out his car keys. "Valet parking my ass." he muttered to himself and opened the door, looking to both side before be ran off leaving Arya to follow.
The shoes were too big, and the pants too loose and long, sliding under her feet which made it hard to keep up. They ran through two double doors, and they were outside. She could see the flashing red and blue of all the cop cars on the other side of the building, but Yoren led her through the buildings, until they came to the parking. It was full of cops. Yoren cursed and threw his keys on the floor and pulled her towards the opposite direction.
Yoren took her through building after building.
Whenever they would see someone, Yoren slowed down to a casual walk, but mostly they were running. Until a car came to view and he let go of her and ran to it.
By the time Arya had reached the car, Yoren had it running. She stepped in the back seat and he drove off like mad.
Her father was dead. She closed her eyes and laid herself on the back seat. She repeated it over and over in her head but the more she said it the less real it sounded to her.
Yoren drove a while, turning so much, Arya stopped trying to follow which way he was taking her. The streets began to grow darker, and when she finally sat up to see where they were, she did not recognize the area.
He stopped infront of a building. Arya looked out the window, trying to figure out what this place was.
Yoren turned in his seat.
"Get off."
"Where are we?" she asked as she opened the back door, sliding out. Yoren rolled his window down and handed her the back her gun.
"Ring apartment 6. I need to get rid of this car." he said, and before she could ask anything else, he was gone, leaving her standing, staring at the shrinking car lights.
She stood there until she saw the car turn right and then ran across the street, to the building Yoren had pointed to. She wiped her sweaty hands against her pants as she walked closer to the buzzer.
When she reached it, she didn't press it right away.
Instead she stared at the button numbered 6.
She didn't want to press it. She could just leave.
But where?
Yoren was her father's friend. He brought her here, and whomever this was must be someone he trusts.
But who?
For all she knew, whomever was suppose to be up there was already dead. In their place was one of those Lannister men. With a gun.
Arya closed her eyes, exhaling. A passing car made her jump, and she decided to press the button, disliking the bright light over her head, making her visible to everyone.
There was no answer.
She pressed it again, repeatedly this time.
A voice came from the speaker. It was a man.
"Do you have any idea what time it is? Who is this?"
Arya searched her head, trying to place the voice. She dug deep, but it just made her head hurt. She didn't recognize the voice.
"Hello?" the voice called.
Arya pressed the button speaking into the intercom.
"Let me in." she said.
"Who is this?"
She closed her eyes, leaning her head against the wall next to the buzzer. She couldn't bring herself to give her name. She tried thinking. Who could this be? The voice didn't ring any bells. She felt tears coming, but she pushed them back.
She took in several breaths to calm herself before pressing the button, and leaning into the intercom.
"Please. Please let me in." she whispered, unsure if she has been audible enough.
For a while, nothing happened. There was no answer and Arya couldn't bring herself to press it again. She wasn't going to give her name, so she just stood waiting. After about a minute of nothing, Arya was about to walk away, when the door buzzer rang long and loud.
She jumped to the door and pushed it in, nearly falling to the floor. Her feet felt like lead as she began to climb up the stairs, but she made it all the way up to apartment six.
She didn't knock right away. Instead she pulled her gun out of her pocket and, wiping her sweaty right hand on her pants. She let out a deep breath and was about to knock, when she heard a gun cock behind her.
"Drop the gun. Turn around slowly."
Arya blinked back in anger, tightening the hold on her gun. She could feel her heart beating against her chest. Fear cuts deeper than swords, she repeated Syrio's saying over and over in her head.
Calm as water.
"I have a gun pointed to your head. You'll be dead before you can pull the trigger of your gun. So drop it!" the man yelled.
Quick as a snake!
She spun swiftly, gun pointed straight forward, ready to shoot.
"Arya?" he said lowering his gun and climbing down the stairs going up to the next floor, where he'd been hiding.
Arya let out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes and dropping her hand to her side.
"Gendry."
AN
ok, so a lot is going on in this chapter. This chapter is the reason i began writing this fanfic. The background chapters came out of nowhere, and i could't resist writing those, but this will be the last chapter to lack Gendry, because, as you can guess, Arya and Gendry are now tied together after this.
We have a bit of Sansa/Joffrey drama. I HATE HIM!
A tiny bit of Cersei/Arya and Arya/Jaime.
Rickon meets Osha!
I've introduced a few more characters. I have, in other chapters introduced Theon, Brienne and this chapter has Osha, Tyrion (if only mentioned) and Jaime.
I don't think i'll be getting too much into Tyrion. He's a brilliant character and i can't bring myself to write him out for fear of no living up to him.
Jaime and Osha, as well as Brienne have been introduced for a reason.
I've done it. I've killed Ned Stark for you all again.
This is a modern take on the story, so i needed it in order to set things in motion.
However, a more chapters in i will start adding a few of my own stuff.
This was a very exhausting chapter to write. I wanted to get things as right as i can.
For those of you interested, Cutler's Hall is a real place in Sheffield.
The hall described in this chapter is the main one. I will put the link on my fanfic profile for those of you interested in checking out their website. Its a beautiful place.
Again, thanks for your reviews! Keep them coming. Tell me what you all think of this chapter!
Thanks!