Nico was just about ready to kiss her career goodbye, and she was not sure she cared. To think she had come so far, been a fencing champion in all three weapons, and have helped her female team win several medals, only to end it all as she was being asked to comment the fencing world championship with a misogynistic asshole seemed a little dramatic yet very likely. It was not her fault his boss had not deemed him worthy of commenting the male sabre competition. For Christ's sake, the guy just had no sports credential, except if you considered eating your weight in junk food several time a day as a skill. Todd was just a tool like she had rarely seen, and she had seen a lot.

She tried to calm herself down, telling herself that she needed to make it through this day. She had had the producers on the phone earlier, and they had promised to try and pair her off with another journalist for the women's foil day tomorrow. She wished that could be done.

Furthermore, she only needed to stay strong for a short while. They were into the last round, determining who would get gold and who would get silver. The match would have Arya Stark facing off Ros Landing, the current champion. However, the challenger was impressive. For a fencer who was playing her first championship as an adult, she had been a delight to discover. At times she was teasing, annoying, pissing off her opponent on purpose, and at other times, it seemed like she had just decided that she did not have time for whoever she was fencing, and she would be so aggressive, she should have entered the competition under the label "pissed off she-bear".

"The last encounter, are you ready Nico?" Todd asked, forcing her to acknowledge his being there.

He had been chatting his head off for the last fifteen minutes or so, never noticing she was only humming non-committedly.

"You know I am."

"Care to make a bet?"

"Let me guess, you want to bet on Ros, don't you?"

"Well of course," the tool said. "I have learned many things in many days, and one is never to bet again one sure thing!"

Thank the Lord, they were in a cabin, away from the audience, and especially, away from the cameras.

"You did not know about Ros when this day began…"

"I've learnt."

The wrong lesson, she finished in her head.

"Alright, I'll bet on the Stark girl."

"That's just your crush on Sansa Stark talking…"

Wait what? How stupid was he? Sure, she had noticed earlier that the woman was in the audience, but she had not said anything about having a crush or whatever on her. She liked the actress, what was there not to like? However, she was not her type, she was way more into her friend, Brienne Tarth; Why did Todd have to bring up her sexual preferences on TV, getting it wrong too?

"We don't know how they're related, and no, it's my fencing background talking. You've witnessed the same fights as I have. Ros is an amazing fencer, don't get me wrong. She is in her prime, she is winning almost all the time, she came back swinging from an injury, but what I've witnessed today from Arya Stark makes me believe she is the underdog, and who doesn't like the underdog?"

"I'm more of a cat person myself, and Ros is my kind of kitten."

Do not kill. Do not kill. Do not kill. Wait for the microphones to have been shut before you kill.

"Whatever, you're on."

There was no way she was losing to this asshole. Arya had better bring on her a-game.

They made fake chit-chat, as the two fencers entered the fighting arena and climbed on the mat. They were both in their bubbles, but Ros took the time to smile at her fans, and wave at the audience.

Nico was very superstitious, came with the territory. No matter how thankful you were for the people who supported you, you kept your head in the game until the referee made the last call. Furthermore, it reminded Nico of Xhao, who had tried to assert dominance over her young challenger and had ended up in tears.

Stark was not in the same mind frame, only keeping to herself, not even trying to get a final piece of advice from her trainer, a weird and intense woman Nico had been sent to interview a few hours ago. The young girl, or woman, was just keeping to herself, bending her épée several times, seeming to be telling herself things in a low voice.

The referee called for the women to get in place and Nico felt her level of anxiety rise up. She did not know the girl, but who could hate on an underdog?

Both women let the staff wire them up, and they were asked to touch the other to prove things were working. They both went soberly for the other fencer's wrist, something that looked non-aggressive. They pulled on their helmet, and Nico had noticed the way Arya had spared one last look for the weird party that seemed to be there for her, composed of three actors and a couple of man she did not know. One of them was waving a phone, which looked pretty weird but whatever.

The referee whistled and the game started.

It lasted thee rounds, but Nico would have sworn it ad lasted ten days. She was seating like a prostitute at church, and she had to remind herself that she could not kill he co-host. Next year, she was staying at home, or witnessing from te benches, but she could not let money lure her and let her make such a bad decision as trusting a guy named Todd.

Ros got the first three touches during the second period, which had Nico's heart beating lie drums at a tikki party. Arya got one touche in before the second period was done. Todd was already acting like she had promised to give him her first born about their bet, and it was becoming harder to remember how to be zen.

The third period though? No one had prepared her for that. When the referee whistled it's start, Arya got a touché in the next five seconds. They were head to head, toe to toe, whatever you wanted to say. Ros did her best for the next forty-five seconds to get another blow in, then seemed to decide to wait it out, and force a "mort subite" on her opponent. That sounded like a good plan, except she would have needed to have Arya be on the same boat, which was not the case, by far. When the first minute rolled past, the younger fencer managed to gain the advantage, forcing Ros to rethink her strategy. She tried to attack, and both fencers landed a touch at the same time, shortly before the second minute was over. Todd was spewing nonsense about his kitten being about to teach the bitch (his words, definitely not hers) a lesson. The next sixty seconds were the hardest, and whatever her link to Sansa Stark was, the actress seemed on the verge of exploding, Tyrion Lannister of all people managing to keep her quiet.

Forty seconds to go. Arya had the advantage, except she lost it when Ros managed to get a touché in. They were back to square one and may seasoned warriors were known to start making mistakes upon losing their precious advantage. Arya did no such thing. She seemed to look to the sky and waited for the referee to start the timer again. This time, she got one touche in, a real prowess considering she had left her flank open for Ros to strike her. The older fencer would hate herself for missing tis opportunity, especially when five seconds before the game was called, Arya managed to pull another miracle, another Hail Mary, and stab her in the thigh.

Nico was not aware she was yelling, but Goddamn it, she was! Todd was all but screaming for her to shut up, but when the final bell rug, Arya Stark took off her helmet and pumped her fist several times, shouting at the top of her lungs.

Almost like they were a blog and glued to each other's hips, the Stark group climbed down the benches and went straight for the young fencer, grabbing her, kissing, before throwing her in the air, time and time again.

"Marianne is going to try an interview," Nico repeated after she heard it in her earbud.

"Thank you Nico, I'm trying to get the new champion's attention, but I'm not getting much success," the journalist pretended to laugh.

Who could blame her? Getting close to the girls was impossible.

"Sansa Stark, could you spare us a moment?"

"Nope! I'm just Sansa, you want to talk to the girl I'm so proud to have as my sister! Guys, put down Arya!"

"Not sure they'll listen…" Tyrion Lannister said.

"What about you, Tyrion, can you spare us some time?"

"Absolutely not. You don't speak in lieu of the Queen."

"Good man," Arya Stark said, as her crowd finally let her down.

Marianne managed to get a few words with the new champion, but her crows kept on saying their name, and "I'm a Stark, Worship my sister!"

It made Nico laugh, but she knew it was not good TV.

Finally, the referee asked the crows to walk further away, as they repaired the medal giving ceremony. The two fencers who had lost to Ros and Arya had managed to squeeze in their match and the podium was complete.

Nico felt enthusiastic, and even euphoric, for it felt like it had been such a wonderful day. To think that the player o one had heard about was about to receive the highest medal in her category….

Nico was always a bit hypnotized by the Stark crowd, how proud they seemed of their sibling, how they could barely hold themselves in order to let their youngster have her prize. Sansa Stark was seating down next to Tyrion Lannister who was holding both her hands and whispering in her ear. If there were any paparazzi around, there was their money, for sure…

Finally, the podium was set up, and the three winners each took place on their steps. The judges started with bronze medal, then the silver one. Nico wanted to ask Rodd for his firstborn but was too afraid of the disaster this man's loins were bound to produce.

He was commenting on everything, being so fucking misogynistic, but you had to pick your battles. It was not every day you got to see a new champion get the recognition they deserved.

The judge passed the medal around Arya's neck, who pretended to bite it to make sure it was not a fake.

Such a cheeky girl.

Then she screamed:

"For Rickon!"

"For Rickon," her crows repeated with her.

"For Robb!"

Once again, they all chimed the same phrase, looking overwhelmed with emotion.

"For Mama and Papa!"

Which was repeated with even more feeling.

Though she had no idea why, Nico wanted to cry, but she could not.

As if to break her for her emotional spell, the two Stark girls exchanged a glance, and though they were nothing alike, oh yeah, you could tell they were sisters…. Arya started barking. No, not barking, howling, like a wolf.

Which her family and newly acquired fans started doing in earnest altogether, even though only a handful knew what it had to mean for them. Nico wished she was part of the cool crowd, but let it slide.

The boys barked the loudest, and Sansa seems to forget about her stature as a Hollywood actress as she joined in, in a lovely voice. Tyrion Lannister looked at her, and she tucked on his hands. He rolled his eyes, then howled with the rest of them.

"What did we unleash on this world?" Todd asked.

"Not we, they. We did not do anything, they're the one doing it and being amazing at it."

"You look seduced… Sansa Stark looks mighty fine, I'll grant you."

"So does Brienne, what wouldn't I do to be her new squeeze…"

"Alas, you're not tall and male and redhaired..."

Chaos ensued, not in the commenting room, but downstairs when the family decided to reclaim their champion.

Oh boy, what a wonderful day to be part of.