A/N: We're on a path of new character interactions so Arya meets yet ANOTHER person in this chapter! Also, a conversation with Tywin, cause it's been awhile since we've gotten one of those and they are my favorite :) Enjoy!

Chapter 14: A Woman's Power

The role of the Hand of the King was to balance seven kingdoms on the edge of a knife. One of the regions was always threatening to tip over the side and fall into chaos. Years ago, when Tywin was named the Hand to Aerys Targaryen, he had managed that chaos well enough. But then Aerys began to fall to jealousy and madness. He didn't like that his subjects considered Tywin the true ruler. So he spitefully refused to engage Rhaegar to Cersei, and he spitefully named Jaime to the King's Guard, relieving Tywin of his oldest son and heir. After that, Tywin left the Capitol and his post as Hand of the King.

Effectively, he proved that he was the true ruler of Westeros without ever saying a word. Shortly after he left, the realms descended into chaos. Ned Stark, Robert Baratheon and all of their allies rose up in open rebellion. And Tywin waited and watched, ignoring Aerys call for him to take up arms. Then, when Robert's victory was clear, Tywin decisively ended the war by sacking King's landing.

He did terrible things to ensure Robert's total victory and to prove his loyalty to the new crown. He did the dirty work so that Robert could play the hero. And then he offered up his daughter for marriage: an alliance to secure his family in this new age.

Tywin had a dark reputation as a man without any honor. But he did know how to bring about peace in the seven kingdoms. The most effective tools were wisdom, violence and marriage. He aligned the Lannisters and the Baratheons with Cersei and Robert's marriage. Now both of those houses would be linked to the Tyrells through Margaery and Joffrey's wedding. It was not a guarantee of peace, but it did help considerably.

So now he faced the question of what to do with Arya Stark.

As the second daughter of house Stark, she was a valuable hostage but she could also bind the Starks to the crown. In light of the current peace, there was no need to rush an engagement. She was still a child. But if the North ever did rise up again, her sons would be potential heirs to Winterfell.

Arya Stark would not enter willingly into any engagement. It had been over a year since Tywin had first met her, and he could easily tell that by now even though marriage had never been discussed. But he could at least find her a match she could tolerate.

Tommen was a possibility. He was around her age, and not yet promised to anyone. Once Stannis was dealt with and Tommen came of age, he would inherit Storm's End. It was a better match than most second daughters could hope for, especially the daughter of a recently rebelling family.

Not that Arya Stark would care about whether or not it was a "good" match. But at the very least, she seemed to like Tommen well enough to hold a conversation with him. Or so her guards had reported.

Cersei would be absolutely furious at the notion. Her rage would cause a headache for all involved and she might try to have the Stark girl killed. That was the main problem.

Tywin could bring peace to the Seven Kingdoms several times over. But sometimes managing his family was the most difficult task of all.

For now, he would not tell Cersei. Better to wait for that. But he did call Arya Stark to the next morning to inform her.

"I...you want to betroth me to Tommen?" She looked absolutely shocked by this idea. Tywin wondered if she had been willfully ignoring the possibility of marriage for as long as possible.

"I'm not certain yet," Tywin said. "It would tie the Starks to the Baratheons. It's as good a match as you can hope for."

"I haven't hoped for any match," Arya said. "I don't want to marry."

"I suppose you hoped to remain unwed for your whole life then?" Tywin raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," she said. "What's so strange about that?"

"It's not strange to hope. But it is impossible for a lady from your family," Tywin said. "You're my ward, which means it falls to me to make a match for you."

Arya's expression was sullen, like a child's. But then, she still was a child who would not come of age for another few years. She still had childish notions about the future.

"I suppose I am a hostage. I should have expected you to use me to make connections," Arya said flatly.

Tywin's mouth twitched, amused. "It's not because you're a hostage. It's because you're a lady. Your father would have forced you into a match too. To some northern lord maybe. That's what all fathers do for their daughters. They find them husbands."

Arya glared up at him. "My father knew I did not want to marry."

"I'm sure your whole family knew. But then, that didn't keep your brother and mother from bargaining you away to the Freys for a bridge, did it?" Tywin asked.

Arya stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"When your brother needed to cross the bridge at the Twins, he sent your mother to barter for passage," Tywin said. "Walder Frey wanted to marry you to one of his sons. Your mother agreed. Your brother accepted."

She looked stricken by this news. "For...a bridge?"

"It was an important bridge," Tywin said. "That's how the world works, Lady Arya. Now, I suppose I could let Walder Frey's son have you. But I didn't make that promise, your brother did, and Walder Frey is useless to me at this point in time. Binding the Starks to the crown's family? That's very useful."

"And I don't get any say," Arya muttered. "Not with you and not with my family."

"No," Tywin agreed.

"That doesn't seem fair."

"The world isn't fair."

"That's what people always say when they don't want to bother changing things." Arya glared up at him. Her tongue was still sharp as steel.

"You can argue if you want," Tywin said. "You can argue until your lungs give out. But unless you can make a reasonable case, it won't matter. It didn't matter with my children either."

"I'm not your child I'm your ward," Arya retorted.

"Then you should expect even less sympathy," Tywin said flatly. "This discussion is at its end."

Arya started to raise her chin, like she usually did, but corrected herself at the last minute. She was learning. Even as she argued and protested, she was learning. Instead, she held his gaze in the silence before she turned and left.

Tywin exhaled. And she was the easy one to tell.

He did not want to even think of Cersei's response to this news.

The next morning, Arya sat in the garden plucking petals off of flowers. She did not know why. The flowers had not done anything to her. Being born a woman had done this to her.

When she was a child and she first learned that girls and boys were treated differently, she had prayed to the gods to turn her into a boy so that she could become a knight. When she found out the gods did not answer such prayers, she resolved that she would be a warrior despite her gender.

But always the expectations of a lady hovered behind her. Her father promised one day she would marry the lord of a holdfast and have children who were warriors. Her mother reminded her that she must dress like a lady. Her sister stood beside her as a constant reminder of everything Arya was not.

When Yoren cut her hair, Arya felt almost freed. She didn't mind pretending to be a boy. No one told her to act more like a lady when she was pretending to be a boy. Most men were stupid enough to believe the trick. In boys' clothes with boys' hair, Arya might as well have been a boy. Until...

"You'll do no such thing. This one's a girl, you idiot."

Tywin Lannister had seen through the disguise. Then he discovered her name and she once again became a lady, expected one day to marry. Over the past year, her hair had grown back to her shoulders. Soon it might go all the way down to her waist. Shae liked the growing length, but Arya wished she could cut it all off again. She loathed being a woman at that moment. Even if she wasn't a hostage, she would not be free.

"Pardon me, Lady Arya."

Arya looked up in surprise to see Margaery Tyrell standing before her. She had seen her around the court but had never expected to speak to her. She was Joffrey's betrothed after all, and Arya was only a hostage. Yet here the future queen stood.

"Lady Margaery." Arya stood and made a hasty attempt at a curtsy. "May I help you?"

"Not with anything especially important. I only wanted to speak to you. It has been some time since you came to court and we haven't spoken at all." Margaery smiled brightly. "How are you enjoying King's Landing?"

"Not very well," Arya said. "I'm a hostage and my father died here."

Arya cursed herself immediately. This was not the person to complain to. She could rush to tell Joffrey of any treasonous comments.

But if Margaery was offended she didn't show it. "It was a grave loss for you I'm sure. And I have heard my husband to be has not been fully hospitable to you since you arrived. I came to apologize for that."

"Why would you?" Arya asked suspiciously.

"Because that's the kind thing to do," Margaery said. "Will you walk with me?"

It was a question, but Arya knew better than to refuse a future queen's offer. She fell into step beside her, trying to look as dignified as possible.

"I hear a rumor we might be sisters soon," Margaery murmured.

"Has that rumor really already spread that far?" Arya asked.

"Well it's not official, of course, but everyone in the Capitol has ears and eyes," Margaery said. "They absorb everything."

"Then Cersei will have me killed by tonight." Arya sighed. "It's not as if I have a choice in all of this."

"What is your concern, Lady Arya?" Margaery asked. Arya still had not decided whether or not to trust the kindness of her expression. "Do you not wish to be married to Tommen?"

"I do not wish to be married," Arya said. "To anyone. Tommen is not the problem."

Margaery gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's the burden of a woman in this world, isn't it? We want power, but no one gives us power on our own." She rested a hand on Arya's arm. "We gain power through marriage and children. That is the game that has been set before us."

"And I have no choice but to play...Is that it?" Arya asked bitterly.

"There's no shame in that, is there?" Margaery said. "A woman can be strong even if she is married. You think your mother is strong, do you not?"

"Yes, of course," Arya said without thinking.

"I think my grandmother strong. I'm not sure I've ever known a stronger person in my life," Margaery said. "But they both married. Do you think less of them for that?"

"No," Arya said quietly.

Margaery smiled and continued walking down the path, drawing Arya along with her. "Have you read much history, my lady?"

"Yes. A lot," Arya said.

"You're familiar with the Targaryen conquest then?" Margaery asked. "Aegon and his sisters?"

"Obviously," Arya said. "Visenya was always a hero of mine."

"She was a great warrior," Margaery agreed. "What about Rhaenys?"

"I've read about her, of course," Arya said. "She was the prettier of the two. She loved music. But she didn't fight as much."

When she read about the Targaryen conquests, Rhaenys always reminded her of Sansa. The great beauty beloved by all. Arya could never have hoped to reach those heights.

"Yes, she didn't fight as often with her sword," Margaery said. "But she fought more than all of them with her dragon. They say she rode twice as often as both of her siblings combined. And yes, she was beautiful and graceful and everything a proper lady is taught to be. But she is the one who established the Rule of Six which has protected women for centuries. The common people loved her. And her line went on to form the Great Targaryen dynasty. After she fell in battle, her brother and sister set Dorne ablaze for her. No one could say she was not just as strong as Visenya and Aegon."

Arya glanced down at her feet as they walked. "No. I suppose not."

Margaery stopped and turned to face Arya. "There are many ways for a woman to be strong, Lady Arya. In this world we must use every tool at our disposal. One of those tools is marriage. Another is children. Marrying Tommen will not make you weaker. I promise."

Arya managed a small smile. "Maybe there are many ways for a woman to be strong. But I've never been good at most of them."

"You will learn. You're young," Margaery said. "I wasn't always as you see me now. I had a cousin who used to call me pig face you know."

"When I was young, people mistook me for a boy," Arya said. "They still might...if I cut my hair again."

"See? We have something in common you and I," Margaery laughed as they continued along the path. "And I think your hair is lovely. So thick and dark. You must try braiding it." If she was faking her kindness she was very good at it, and even Sansa could not compare with her manners and courtesies.

Margaery had to be strong if she could be engaged to Joffrey and still smile. She had to be strong if she was to be his queen. Arya could respect that but she did not want to rule. She did not want a holdfast or a dynasty. She wanted freedom.

For a woman, that seemed even more elusive than power.

A/N: I quite enjoyed writing both of the conversations in this chapter, especially the interaction with Margaery. Mostly because I like confronting some of Arya's internalized misogyny of thinking women can only be strong if they engage in masculine hobbies like fighting. Cause that's not fair or true! Also I like Margaery a lot lol. She's in my top ten favorite characters.

No Jaime this chapter, for those of you who are concerned about his well being, but he'll be back next chapter. Until then, review subscribe etc!