Author's note: I'm not even going to lie, the reason it took me so long to update was because this chapter was hellish to write. I don't know why, I was just having a tough time being inspired. (Maybe it's because this is just another chapter to finally set up the next major plot point in the story that I'm excited about writing) I'm not even really sure how it turned out. I was just so tired of tweaking it and reading it and then rereading it, I finally just decided to post it up. Okay…now I'm just ranting. Please forgive me!
Chapter 25
On the second day after Sansa and Arya's reunion, Lord Yohn Royce received word form King's Landing that Tywin Lannister had been killed. The story was that Tyrion Lannister, who had been sentenced to death for killing King Joffrey, had escaped the Black Cells, and before fleeing the city had murdered he is father. Arya had been with Sansa and Lord Baelish breaking their fast, when they had heard the news, and was surprised when her sister seemed almost relieved that the Imp had gotten away.
Only after she gave it some thought, Arya realized that if Tyrion had not escaped an innocent man would have been executed for Joffrey's murder. She supposed she should even be thankful to the man, he had managed to kill a man she detested before he fled King's Landing. She should be happy that Tyrion was free, after all he was family. Sansa was still technically married to the man. Arya was quite well versed in the laws of marriage when it concerned the Faith of the Seven, (she had asked Maester Luwin about them in detail when she thought she was going to have to marry Elmar Frey) and as far as she knew neither the High Septon, nor some Council of Faith, had granted Sansa and Tyrion an annulment. Which they needed, even if the marriage hadn't been consummated, to end the union.
Thinking about Sansa's marriage situation was enough to make Arya's head hurt and she often forced herself to push it out of her mind. It was just another problem to think about after they found Bran and Rickon, after they found a place they could call home, even a temporary one. Arya knew that their time at Runestone would soon be coming to an end. She had been contemplating that fact and trying to come up with a feasible plan on how to steal Sansa away from Lord Baelish from the moment she excused herself from the breakfast table. She spent a good chunk of the morning pondering those thoughts as she wandered around the castle's halls alone. She was only pulled from her thoughts when someone called out to her.
"Jeyne!" Exclaimed Lady Ysilla with her usual smile. Sansa walked beside her, both of them wearing their outdoor cloaks. "There you are, we were wondering where you had wandered off to. We were going to go watch the boys spar in the practice yard. Lord Robin seems eager to have Alayne watch his lessons this morning. Would you like to join us?"
"Of course." Was Arya's easy answer. "You two go ahead, I just need to stop by my room to grab a cloak. I won't be but a minute. I shall meet you out there." She didn't wait for an answer she just quickly started off in the direction of her room.
She was in such a hurry that she didn't pay particular close attention to her surroundings, so of course Arya collided into someone. Hands quickly reached out to grip her arms to steady her so that she wouldn't fall. Embarrassed she looked up to the person she had ran into, her mouth open, ready to apologize. However her words faded when she saw she was looking into the eyes of Petyr Baelish. For a few seconds neither of them said anything. Arya was trying to collect her wits so that she could deal with the man. Whenever they were in the same vicinity over the past couple days he seemed to be trying to test her by asking her questions about the Tollett family or about where she supposedly grew up. The questions were always wrapped in politeness and no one could fault the man for being curious, but Arya got the feeling he analyzed everything she said. Whenever she left his company she was always worried if she had given away some vital clue as to her real identity. Unfortunately for her, at this moment, he seemed to have that shrewd look in his eye that warned her that he was intent on having a conversation with her.
He was the first person to break the silence. "Lady Jeyne, where are you off to in such a hurry?" He asked with a practiced smile as he dropped his hands from her arms.
"Excuse me my lord, I was just going to get a cloak from my room." Arya hoped she had the right amount of contrition and embarrassment in her voice. "I apologize, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
"No harm done." Petyr reassured her, "I was just looking for Alayne, have you seen her?"
"She's with Lady Ylissa, my lord." Arya answered quickly enough. She wanted nothing more than to be away from this man. "They were headed to the practice yard to watch my cousins, Lord Robin, and Lord Andar spar. I was planning on joining them after I fetched my cloak. There's a chill in the air today."
"Yes, it does seem the weather is changing." Petyr agreed.
Arya nodded her head in agreement, and put on what she hoped was a cheerful smile. "Well, I should be going my lord, my friends will be waiting for me." She moved to start walking down the hall towards her room.
Unfortunately he moved to walk with her. "We're going to the same place, allow me to walk with you." He said smoothly.
"Oh, no, that's alright my lord, you go on ahead. I'll still have to-"
"I insist, my lady," he said with that smile that almost seemed like a smirk. To anyone else it would seem like he was being friendly, but with Arya already knowing this man to be untrustworthy, everything he did put her on edge.
"Of course, my lord." She said trying her best to keep any hint of annoyance out of her demeanor as she started to lead him towards her room. She made no attempt to start a conversation with him, and neither did he, at least not at first. In fact he didn't open his his mouth again until they had made it to her room, she retrieved her cloak, and joined him again outside her door where he had waited for her.
"Here let me help you with that, it's a shame the weather is already turning this far south," Petyr said reaching for her cloak. She allowed him to drape the garment over shoulders. "Winter is coming." He felt her stiffen at the words he used as he hands brushed her shoulders. Although, being the clever girl she seemed to be, she managed to recover herself quickly. If he hadn't been such a close study of human nature he might have missed her reaction all together. It was just another puzzle piece into who the young Tollett girl was. He had his suspicions about her, almost from the start, especially after she started paying attention to Alayne. He in turn paid close attention to her and her cousins. Now, with her reaction to him using the Stark words, she had all but confirmed her identity.
Arya kept her voice even and forced herself to relax. She raised her eyebrows, hoping she looked curious, "excuse me, my lord?"
"Oh," he brushed off the question, then offered her his arm, which she took hesitantly. "I simply commented that winter was coming. The Stark words, which always sound so ominous, are unfortunately also very true. I fear that after such a long summer and the wars that Westeros was forced to endure, it will make for a very cold and hard winter."
Arya simply nodded her head.
"I don't suppose you would have realized the devastation that happened because of the war, it barely touched the Vale. The Riverlands and the Westerlands were particularly hard hit. I'm sure even the North is feeling the effects as well, with Balon Greyjoy's raiders and most of the able bodied men following Robb Stark off to war, they probably aren't completely prepared for what's to come." He cast her a sideways glance, seeing if he could pick up any reaction to what he was saying, especially about Robb Stark. He was impressed to see, that she wore a mask of indifference.
When Arya spoke, she chose her words carefully. She knew he was mining her for information. "Is everything really as bad as all that?"
"Unfortunately." He said, then in an attempt to reassure the young woman, even though he knew she didn't need it, he added, "but you have nothing to worry about Lady Jeyne. Lord Robin has the Vale well in hand, he will help his people through the winter."
This time she did look at him, with genuine curiosity. "Yes, I'm sure he will, with your help of course. The people of the Vale will owe you much if this winter will be as hard as you think it will be." Arya suspected this man liked having people owe him things. It was only after she said it, that she realized she had said the people of the Vale and had not included herself in that number. She hoped it was a slip that would go past Lord Baelish.
"I'm only doing my duty as Lord Protector of the Vale." There was a glibness in his tone that Arya could barely detect. "
"I have no doubt of that, Lord Baelish." Arya said quietly, talking to this man was exhausting, she hated having to second guess every little thing she said. He was smart and she knew he could read between the lines. She was out of her depth.
"But enough about war and politics, I'm sure that sort of talk doesn't interest you at all." Petyr said, and then much to Arya's relief he let the conversation lapse, at least for a little while, as they continued walking. It wasn't long before they found themselves outside and heading in the direction of the practice yard. They were nearly there when he spoke again. "Lady Jayne, I must say thank you for your kindness towards my daughter."
"She's pleasant company, my lord." Arya said easily.
"Yes, I am quite fond of her. It isn't often a noble born girl would extend friendship to a base born girl. I believe that Lady Ysilla is also opening up to her because you're on such friendly terms with Alayne." He commented.
Arya frowned, she knew exactly how bastards were often treated, she had seen how Jon was treated. Maybe not by her or her brothers, but her mother, Theon and even Sansa had treated him differently than a true born child. It was simply the cultural norm to look down on bastards. It was something that always bothered her, even as she loved those who were the worst offenders of what she considered an injustice to Jon. She offered Lord Baelish a hard glare. "Some of the best people I know are bastards. I don't see why they should be looked down upon for a mistake their parents made."
Petyr's lips quirked at the small outburst. She certainly did seem passionate about how baseborn children were treated. Another puzzle piece had to fit into place, making it clear that Jeyne was indeed Arya Stark. Sansa had mentioned to him that her sister was fond of their bastard brother. He made no indication that he knew who she was, instead he gave her a surprised look. "Are there many bastards from where you come from?"
Arya cursed in her mind, realizing that she had again offered more information than she intended. She was quiet as they finally reached the practice yard and came to a stop. Her mind was racing as she tried to come up with a way to cover her blunder, but she had a feeling it was already too late to fool the clever man. She was beginning to panic. "I… uh… well, there aren't that many in truth." She hoped she seemed sincere. "But I was on friendly terms with the ones I did know of." The lie was thin, and knew it.
Again, that shrewd look was playing in his eyes as he observed Arya. Something must have caught his attention because his gaze turned away from her to look over her shoulder, and a bit of a smirk appeared upon his lips. "Ah, it seems your cousin has come to rescue you."
Arya wasn't certain but she though she detected a subtle threat in his words, but she could have also been imagining it. She turned to look at who had drawn his attention, and saw that Theon was the cousin he had been referring to. She quickly turned back to Baelish and offered him what she hoped was a friendly enough smile. "Thank you for accompanying me Lord Baelish, I'll leave to you go talk to Alayne." She nodded her head toward where Sansa and Ysilla sat watching Lord Robin spar with one of Runestone's men at arms.
Lord Baelish simply nodded his head in return, offered a genial smile to Theon who had just stepped to where they stood, and then simply walked away.
"What did he want?" Theon asked when he was certain the man was out of earshot.
"I think he might have figured out who I am?" Arya muttered quietly.
Theon looked at her, from his expression she could tell he was concerned. "Why would you think that? Did he ask you about your true identity?"
She shook her head. "No, not out right." Her mind was still replaying through the short conversation she had with Littlefinger. "But I think he was trying to get me to unwittingly give him clues as to who I was." There was a small amount of fear in her voice, "I think I might have given them to him too. I wasn't as guarded as I should have been. He said the Stark words to me, he talked of bastards, and saying how I was kinder towards his base born girl than normal noble ladies would be. I might have given us away just by wanting to spend time with my sister! If he knows who I am, that means he's probably figured out who you are too."
He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to give her a reassuring smile. He doubted it worked, she could see through his false pretenses, and even he could hear the doubt in his voice. "That doesn't mean he knows anything." He had been concerned about the man too, he was always too curious. Perhaps the safety that Runestone had offered these past few weeks had made them too at ease and they hadn't been paying close enough attention to what they had said or did around Baelish.
"You heard Sansa, he's smart and he's calculating. I'm surprised we were even able to fool him as long as we did. We have to leave. I don't think we're safe here anymore. Whatever we're going to do to slip Sansa out of Runestone we have to do it soon, before he decides what it is he's going to do with us." Her voice was tinged with panic.
Theon cast a quick glance towards the person they were discussing, thankfully Petyr wasn't paying attention. "Arya," he said quietly as he removed his hands from her shoulders, trying to act casual, "calm down. If he sees you like this, you'll only confirm any suspicions he has." That seemed to give her pause, he saw her close her eyes and he knew she was trying to calm herself. "We shouldn't talk about any of this out in the open. Let's go join him and the others, pretend that nothing is wrong and after our midday meal we'll discuss our next move."
"Okay." Arya opened her eyes. From the look she gave him, he could tell that she had calmed down enough to be able to pretend that everything was normal.
"It's going to be okay." Theon told here with as much conviction as he could before he started to lead them towards the others.
—
"I don't understand why you all cannot just come with me tonight." Sansa stated stubbornly.
Arya, Theon, Olyvar, and Sansa had all crowded into Arya's room at the first chance they got that afternoon. They had come up with a plan, it was simple and unimaginative, but they did not have a lot of time to work with. Arya supposed there was a certain beauty in the simplicity of it, perhaps a man as complicated as Lord Petyr Baelish wouldn't expect something as straightforward as this. Olyvar was merely going to smuggle Sansa out in the dark of night and take her to the farm where Podrick and Brienne were waiting for them. Once Sansa was safely within Brienne's care Olvyar would return to Runestone, and then after a few days time when things had calmed down, they would rendezvous at another location.
"Because if we all disappear at the same time, things would look bad for Lord Royce." Olvyar explained to Sansa. "If Lord Baelish has figured out who Arya and Theon are, then he'll suspect that Lord Royce knew too and had helped us escape. You're wanted by the Crown, Lord Baelish could make it look like Royce committed treason."
"He's been good to us, I don't want to put him or his family in any more danger than they already are in for helping us." Added Arya.
"And if we stayed, and you disappeared, it might give Lord Baelish some doubt as to who we are. He would rightfully assume that Arya would want to stick close with the only family she has left." Olyvar continued. "We're lucky to have hid Brienne and Podrick away so that he wouldn't know we have other allies willing to help us."
"I don't like it." Sansa said shaking her head. "It's too easy, he's going to figure out what happened as soon as he realizes I'm gone."
"That's why we do it at night. Hopefully he won't even notice until morning, and by then you'll be long gone." Theon spoke.
"And the first thing he'll do is search all of the local farms and settlements." Sansa countered. "Where exactly am I supposed to hide from him?"
"Another reason that we thought it would be a good idea to stay behind for a little while is so we could interfere with the search effort." Theon answered. "I already discussed with Lord Royce where you should go after Olyvar takes you to that farm Pod and Brienne are at. He suggested the three of you leave before sunrise tomorrow morning. That should allow you enough time to get a significant lead over Lord Baelish. The farmer you are staying with should be able to lead you to Grey Glen, the seat of house Tollett, Lord Uthor will be able hide you should Baelish look for you there." He held out a rolled scroll to Sansa, that was sealed with Royce's sigil. "Give this to Lord Uthor, it explains who you are and that he is to help you in any way possible. Lord Royce trusts this man."
Sansa took the parchment, a frown still tugged at her lips.
Hoping to ease her sister's mind, Arya said, "it's only for a few days. Brienne and Podrick will take care of you."
"I know that." Sansa murmured quietly to Arya. "I just don't like that we have to be separated. I guess I'm just frightened that I'll lose you again, only this time permanently."
Arya gave her sister a genuine smile. "I'm not so easy to get rid of Sansa, you should know that by now."
A hint of a smile ghosted upon Sansa's lips. "I suppose you aren't." Then she looked to Theon and Olyvar. "Alright, when am I to leave."
"Tonight." Olyvar said. "Lord Andar has shown me the secret tunnels that lead out of the keep. All these old castles have them. He's already arranged for someone to be waiting nearby with horses for us. We figure about an hour after supper you should feign fatigue, and retire for the evening. I'll follow a little bit later. Do you think Lord Baelish will check up on you before he retires?"
Sansa nodded her head. "He usually does. I suspect that tonight will be no different."
"Okay, well once he has done so and you are sure he will not catch you, sneak out of your room and meet me here at your sister's room. We'll have to be careful, but I don't think we'll have any trouble sneaking out of the castle." Olyvar said, "then we'll ride for the farm. I'll leave you with Brienne and head back here. It'll be a tiring night but I think we can handle it."
"It seems easy enough." Sansa said quietly, but she was left feeling unsettled.
—
Sansa hugged her sister tightly. "Be careful, and keep your wits about you when your around Lord Baelish. He analyzes everything, I've seen the way his mind works." She was trying to hold back her fear and sadness, she was trying to be strong and brave. She almost would have believed she was those things if her heart wasn't beating so fast with worry.
"I will." Arya held on awkwardly to her sister. "Listen to Brienne, she's a strong warrior and she'll do anything to keep you safe. She promised our mother that, I'm sure she'll tell you the story about how she came into our mother's service if you ask her. Your first reaction might be to not trust her, but know that she is loyal and I trust in her completely."
Sansa nodded her head and pulled away, wiping a stray tear that had leaked from her eye. She gave her sister a mournful smile. "Don't do something so foolish that you'll get yourself killed."
Before Arya could answer, Olyvar opened the door to Arya's room and poked his head in. "We should leave now before someone ventures down this hallway."
Sansa nodded then looked back to her sister. "Goodbye Arya."
"It won't be long until I'm annoying you again." Arya said with a small smirk, "I'll see you soon."
Then Sansa turned to Theon who sat quietly on Arya's bed, letting the two of them have a private moment for their goodbyes. He stood up when he noticed her attention on him. She took a few steps so that she stood in front of him. She peered at him carefully, "I expect you to keep-"
"To keep your sister safe." He interrupted with a smirk. "Don't worry, I'll do my best, but she does a pretty good job of taking care of herself."
Sansa offered him a smile and then gave him a brief hug. "Stay safe Theon." She said as he returned the hug awkwardly. It was true they and never been close growing up. But she supposed that deep down inside of her she had come to see him as a brother, especially in light of all that she had lost, he wasn't one of those people that had been taken from her. She also had no doubt that he would be her brother by law at some point in the future. With that thought she pulled away, nodded to both of them a goodbye and then moved out of the room.
Once Sansa left, Arya and Theon didn't speak for a while, Arya lost in thought and worry, and Theon mentally going through their plan, trying to anticipate any problem that might arise in the next few hours. There was so much that could go wrong, that he was determined to be prepared for anything. It must have been a good fifteen minutes before he decided to break their silence, he would end up driving himself mad if he continued to worry about the what ifs.
"Olyvar will keep her safe," Theon said to her. He walked over to where she still stood, looking at the door. He must have startled her out of her reverie because she gave him a confused look as if she had't heard what he said. A small smile touched his lips he reached for her arm so that he could gently pull her into a light embrace. "Olyvar will take care of her, and then she'll be safe with Brienne. You said it yourself Little Wolf, you'll only be parted from her for a few days."
She allowed herself to relax into his arms, being in his company would probably be the only time she would allow herself to put her guard down until they were well away from Lord Baelish. "I try to keep telling myself that. But I was unsettled by the idea of being parted from Brienne and Pod, it's worse now that Sansa has gone, especially since we were only reunited for mere days. I don't like my family being split apart like this. We're all safer when we're together."
"I know." He said, and he was in complete agreement with her. "Let us just get through these next few days, we'll all be together soon enough." He tilted his neck down so that he could allow his lips to brush her forehead lightly in affection, then reluctantly pulled away from her. "Come on, Olyvar and Sansa are probably well away by now. We should go stroll around the castle, let the servants see us, so they can tell Lord Baelish that we were here all night when he questions them tomorrow about Sansa's disappearance."
For the next hour or so, that was exactly what they did. They made sure that plenty of people saw them, several of Petyr Baelish's guards were in the group that observed them talking and laughing as if they didn't have a care in the world. They finally returned to Arya's room, only when it was so late that it would seem odd for the two young people to be wandering about.
"I'll stay with you, until Olyvar gets back, probably in another three hours or so." Theon said as he gracelessly plopped down on her bed.
She let out a small frustrated sigh, "I wish you could stay until morning. I'm going to have a hard time getting any sleep tonight as it is, it's easier for me to relax when you're here."
"I know," He said as he tugged at her hand, forcing her to sit down next to him. "But we're going to be under enough scrutiny as it is tomorrow. I doubt someone finding out that we've been spending our nights together would made us look good."
"I understand the reasoning behind you going to your own room tonight," She said a bit petulantly, "but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
He gave her an amused smile. "Alright then, why don't you try to get a little bit of sleep before Olyvar returns. We're going to need our wits about us if we're going to get through tomorrow." They both moved to take off their shoes, allowing them to be somewhat more comfortable. Theon adjusted himself on the bed so that he reclined on a couple of pillows. Arya laid down so that she was able to rest her head on his chest, letting the rhythm of his heart beat lull her into a calm.
Theon wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. He eventually heard her breathing even out so that he knew she had fallen asleep. At some point he must have dozed off as well, because before he knew it he was awoken by a soft knock at the door. Their sleep must have been light, because the both shot up as soon as they heard it. Arya had been the first one to the door, opening it up just a crack she saw that it was Olyvar. She backed up so he could quickly slip into her room.
"Everything went according to plan," was the first thing that Olyvar said, and even he found himself surprised by the ease of Sansa's escape. "Nymeria even found us on the way and followed us to the farm. Your sister was was quite happy to see the wolf. I think she might have calmed Sansa down. The farmer was a bit unnerved, especially since it seemed like Nymeria was intent on spending the night there with Brienne, Podrick, and Sansa."
Arya smiled a little at that, "she'll probably follow them to Grey Glen as well."
"See, no need to worry." Theon said as he started to return his boots to his feet. "She not only has Brienne looking out for her, she has Nymeria. She won't let anyone or anything touch your sister."
"And the person Lord Ander had waiting for you with the horses, did he seem trust worthy?" Arya asked.
"I didn't recognize him as anyone from Runestone," Olyvar answered. "But I think he might have been under the impression that I was helping Sansa run away to meet up with a lover her father didn't approve of. I have a feeling that might have been a story Lord Andar gave him just in case he was questioned by Lord Baelish." There was a note of amusement as he relayed the last part.
Theon chuckled, "that might not be a bad story to feed Littlefinger when he asks if know you about her whereabouts."
"We'll have to thank Lord Andar for the idea." Arya said deadpanned, it was clear she was having a hard time finding any humor in the situation. She was far to worried that something would still go wrong.
Olyvar dropped any attempt to lighten the mood when he realized how tense the Stark girl was. He looked to Theon curiously, he seemed to be asking a silent question. Is Arya okay? Olyvar knew that if he had voiced it out loud to the girl, she would have been too proud to answer honestly.
Theon gave one small nod of his head to reassure Olyvar that Arya was fine. Then he stood up from where he was seated and covered his mouth to hide a yawn. "I'm sure you're exhausted Olyvar, you should go get some rest. The next few days will probably not be pleasant for us, you'll want to be prepared."
Olyvar nodded, "I'll see you two in the morning, try to get some rest yourselves." He looked specifically at Arya when he said this.
She rolled her eyes, but she was touched by his concern, "I'll try. Goodnight Olyvar."
Once Olyvar had left the room, Arya turned to look at Theon. She couldn't help but frown because she knew he was about to leave her for the night. She reached and rested the palms of her hands on his chest, then raised herself on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his before he could say good night. It was a gentle, lingering kiss that made him wish he could stay. When he lifted his hands to rest them upon her waist he felt her hands grasp the material of his shirt tightly, it was as if she was trying to hold him there. Even though they both wanted to continue the moment, they broke the kiss.
"I love you," she whispered.
He knew it was her way of saying goodnight to him, so he smiled and whispered, "I love you," back to her, then left her to, if not sleep, then to get her rest.
—
On the morning after Sansa slipped away from Baelish's care, things were a bit chaotic, which Arya thought could only help their situation. Petyr had been furious, and his anger was terrifying because he was quiet. He didn't rant and rave, no, he let it simmer beneath the surface. He questioned everyone within the walls of the keep mercilessly and everything he said was laced with veiled threats. Arya had tried to feed him the story of Alayne running off with some lowborn boy, but before she had even finished the ludicrous story she knew that Baelish didn't believe her.
Once Baelish realized that no one in the keep would give him any useful information, he sent out search parties. Lord Royce supplied him with all the men he could, to help further the search along. Even Theon, Olyvar, Andar, and Lord Royce himself joined in several of the searches if only to give the pretense that they were worried about Lord Baelish's daughter. But still not a word was heard from the girl.
On the fourth day of Sansa's disappearance, Lord Baelish received a message via raven. After Petyr had read the message, there seemed to be a subtle shift within his behavior. They could tell he was still worried about Sansa's whereabouts and he still seemed determined to find her, but now he seemed calm. Every once in awhile Arya would get the distinct feeling that he was watching her and when she looked at him he didn't even bother to turn away. Instead he simply offered her a small smile. It seemed whatever news he had received in that message, made him feel more friendly towards her. She could not help but wonder if he had found some proof that she was responsible for Sansa's disappearance and he was trying to get her to let her guard down so she would reveal something to him.
On the fifth day, Arya knew that Theon and Olyvar were going to be joining one of the search parties to keep up appearances. So on that morning she was in no hurry to make her way towards the dining hall to break her fast. She had no desire to sit through a meal with Lord Baelish when neither Theon nor Olyvar there to help her through it. In fact once she was dressed, the thought of leaving her room seemed to overwhelm her. It wasn't so much that she was scared of Littlefinger, it was more like she was worried that he would find a way of tricking her into giving away some key piece of information. He seemed to be very good at that, so she thought it might be safer for her to stay within the safety of her room.
So that was exactly what she did. She had flagged down a servant who had happened past her door, told the woman that she was feeling ill, and asked if it would be too much trouble to have her meals brought to her room. Arya enjoyed the solitude, and the not having to second guess everything she was doing or saying. It was actually kind of relaxing. Things seemed to be going well, until there was a knock at the door. She had thought it was just the servant coming to pick up the empty plates from Arya's midday meal. So without hesitation she went to the door and opened it, only to be surprised that Lord Baelish himself stood before her. For a brief moment she stared at him stunned.
Upon recovering herself, keeping her voice as neutral as possible, she asked, "Lord Baelish, what can I do for you?"
"I was wondering if I might have a small moment of your time?" He inquired.
At first Arya didn't say anything, she regarded him carefully, wondering what game he was going to play with her today. In turn he kept his calculating gaze upon her, causing her discomfort go grow and realizing that he was waiting for her to speak, she said, "I'm sorry my lord, can this wait until tomorrow? I am feeling a bit ill, I'm afraid my worry for your daughter, my friend, has begun to take its toll on me."
"That is what I wanted to talk to you about my lady," was Petyr's smooth reply. "I have received word that she might have gone through Gulltown to board a boat that would take her further South. I shall be leaving in the morning to investigate the matter first hand. I thought to maybe question you further, perhaps there was something you left out, something that would explain why Alayne would run away with this boy you said she claimed to love. Perhaps you know more than you think you do. Even the smallest detail could be vital. I won't keep you too long."
Her heart soared a little when he mentioned that he would be leaving Runestone, perhaps this was Theon, Olyvar, and her's chance to make their way to the others. But she was still uneasy about having to deal with Littlefinger on her own. "I'm sure I told you everything…"
"Please, my lady," Petyr said gently, "I know you worry about her almost as much as I do. Lord Royce has allowed me the use of a private sitting room. I know it would be improper for a man to visit a young lady's bedroom without a chaperone." The way he said that to her, as if there were some double meaning in his words, gave her pause. Was he alluding to the fact that he might know about Thoen's nightly visits, or was she just reading too much into his words?
Arya tried to think up some excuse to not have to go with him. Nothing she could come up with seemed believable, or at least it wouldn't be without causing Lord Baelish to become more suspicious of her and her motives. She realized that if she wanted this man to leave Runestone altogether, perhaps the best course of action would be to answer his questions. She began to steal herself for the verbal spar she had no doubt would happen and finally said, "of course my lord, if you think questioning me again about Alayne will help to find her, I would be happy to oblige."
"Thank you." He said and this time he allowed himself a genuine smile, then offered her his arm.
She took it hesitantly and then he started to lead them away from the safety of her room. They were half way to their destination when she realized she did not have the comforting weight of Needle at her hip. She hadn't bothered to wear the weapon as she had expected to spend the day confined to her room. It was a mistake that she could not remedy now. She realized she probably wouldn't need her Needle, they were within the confines of Runestone, Lord Royce and his men would be able to keep her safe from any immediate threat this man might pose. But she still felt naked without it and her agitation only increased as they walked further.
Thankfully, it didn't take them all that long to reach their destination, and Arya lost some of her fear when she saw that two of Runestone's guards were waiting at the door to the room they were going to be be conducting their meeting in, even if it was a bit odd. She cast a sideways glance and Lord Baelish, "is there a reason there are guards at your door?"
"Oh," was his offhand response, "I just got the distinct impression that you and your cousins don't trust me all that much. I thought you would be more at ease with guards you trusted being close by. Especially since Lord Royce was called away." He led them into the sitting room and offered her a seat.
She sat down slowly, looking at him with apprehension. "Where did he go?"
"I believe there was some land dispute between a couple of nearby farmers. I'm sure he will return before nightfall." Petyr turned away from her to give his attention to a small table that held a couple of goblets and a carafe of what appeared to be a red wine. "Some wine Lady Jeyne? I found it always helps to calm the nerves."
"I..I suppose some wine would be agreeable." She looked about her surroundings, carefully taking note of anything she could use as a weapon should the need arise. Finding out that Lord Royce was no longer at the keep put her on edge, despite the fact that it was his guards that stood just outside the room. If Lord Baelish tried anything all she had to do was call out to them.
A few seconds later Petyr held out a goblet of wine to her, which she took carefully in her hands. She stared into it thoughtfully for a moment, but neglected to lift it to her lips for a sip. While she contemplated her wine, he poured himself a cup and than took a seat that was opposite to hers. He took a sip of wine before he captured her attention by speaking, "it was wise of you not to trust me my lady."
She looked up at him, "excuse me?"
"I was commending you on your choice not to trust me. If I were in your situation, I would be hesitant to trust a stranger." He said simply.
"I..I am not sure I follow, my lord." Her eyes narrowed slightly. "What situation is it that you think I am in?"
There was nothing friendly about the smirk that came to Baelish's face, but his voice was still trying to retain the charm he always spoke with, "come now, we've been dancing around your lies for the last seven days or so. I know who you are Lady Arya, I'm assuming the young man who follows you around almost constantly is Theon Greyjoy. I haven't yet figured out who your other cousin is. No doubt probably some noble lord you managed to save from that wedding." He paused a moment to sip his wine. "Butthat doesn't really matter. Anyway, I'm fairly certain that you know that I know who you are. You don't have to bother denying it any longer."
Arya's heart thudded, he had put everything out in the open. Why had he done that? Was he just trying to get her to tell him where Sansa was? Did he have some other motive for confronting her? Was he going to turn her over to the Lannisters? The Freys? The Boltons? He looked down at the goblet she held and realized that she was shaking. Without much of a thought she quickly brought the cup to her lips and drained half the liquid in one gulp. Finally she brought her attention back to Baelish. "What is it exactly that you want?"
He seemed satisfied by her response and the smirk softened into a small smile. "I only have your well being at heart, my lady. I am sure Sansa told you that I married your Aunt before her death, that makes us family by law. That makes you my responsibility."
"Yes, she told me all about you and my Aunt Lysa" Arya practically spat.
Petyr frowned at this, "yes what happened that day was," he searched for the right word, then finally settled on, "unfortunate."
Arya paused a moment to fight off a yawn, she hadn't realized just how tired she truly was. Matching wits with Petyr Baelish only seemed to fatigue her more. "Unfortunate? You killed her." She accused.
"Only to protect your sister." Baelish explained, and Arya doubted the truth in those words.
"I…I don't believe you." Arya said, blinking her eyes as if trying to keep herself awake. Why had this fatigue crept up on her so fast? She had been wide awake only moments before. Unwillingly her head bowed down and the goblet half full of wine came into her view and then it dawned on her. Lazily she picked her head up to look at him accusingly. "What did you give me?"
He offered her a satisfied smile. He seemed quite pleased with himself. "Nothing to worry about, my dear. Something that will only put you to sleep for a few hours while we transport you to a different location. Just rest now." He said putting his own cup down on the table next to his chair and then stood up.
She couldn't even find the strength to respond to his words as the fear of what he was doing to her settled in. Her eyelids dropped closed once more and it was all she could do to force them open again, she watched as as Petyr bid the guards from outside to come in. A fleeting thought went through her mind that they perhaps weren't loyal to Lord Royce after all. She felt the goblet of wine slip from her now relaxed fingers. She vaguely felt the wetness of the spilled wine on her lap, and then registered the soft thud of the goblet as it fell to the floor. Her eyes closed and she couldn't force herself to open them again. She had not yet lost consciousness, she could still hear the men in the room talking. The last thing she heard was Petyr directing the guards to take her to a small fishing boat he had waiting for them. That fishing boat would take them to a larger ship that was waiting for them off the coast near the Fingers. Petyr promised them that they would be paid once Arya was delivered safely.
Her last thoughts before whatever poison Baelish had given her claimed her completely were of her friends and her family. With any luck Sansa was still safely hidden away with Podrick and Brienne. Theon and Olyvar however, they might be in danger. Did Baelish have something planned for them? Even if he didn't, she knew Theon would not take her disappearance well. The last thing that flashed through her mind was, gods she was going to have to find a way out of this before Theon Greyjoy did something extremely stupid. And then she slept.
Author's Note:
Malyx Blackfyre: No of course it didn't end well, and you seem quite happy by that don't you? :)
Senpen Banka: Thanks you so much. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint.
Jean d'arc: Yep… they were reunited only to be ripped away from each other again… I'm so mean.
Emilystark713: Thank you! I'm happy you're still enjoying this. Sorry it took me so long to get a chapter up!