In which Arya finds out that not everyone and everything can remain the same.
*Year 304 After Conquest (AC) - New Future *
Winterfell is anything but a mere old castle. It's the place where rulers of the North reside. It's the seat of power of the entire Northern region. It's where the Northerners would seek to find their problems solved and ultimately their peace. And House Stark has been entitled to that honor and responsibilities since over eight thousand years, claiming a line of descent as it is no doubt one of the oldest lines of Westerosi nobility by far.
Those facts were what the last Warden of the North had told every one of his children. And Arya remembered it clearly as if it was only yesterday when her Father decides to call her in to his study one morning, reciting the history of House Stark. She had always wondered of their origins and those facts had only make her proud of her lineage and of her blood.
Those were the same facts that Arya had told Daenerys when the older woman had asked her about Winterfell in one of their counsel a while ago. She still remembered the subtle excitement the Queen had shown through, while she was telling her the stories and Arya can never comprehend why. Though, she can never truly understand the older woman in general anyway. Like her devotion and caring for example. Arya still doesn't know how Daenerys could stand being with her every day and personally taking care of her injuries since the incident with Nymeria. Not that she complained at all.
The same enthusiasm and eagerness can be seen from the silver haired queen at this very moment – albeit more pronounced this time – as Arya glances to her right from atop of her horse. She looks ahead again, taking the sight of the mighty castle of Winterfell from the hills for a moment, before guiding her mount to trot along the paths again where the others start doing the same.
The young woman had invited the dragon queen to ride alongside her after the second day of their journey and Daenerys had only smile fondly before concurring. The young woman was happy that she had asked and when Jon didn't object to the suggestion, it only makes her happier.
"You look troubled. Is your wound bothering you again?"
The young woman snaps her head to her left where Jon was. He waited expectantly as he guides his mount, trotting along the paths.
Arya looks ahead then. "It's nothing, I'm fine." She mutters as she grips the rein tighter. She can feel the scrutinizing gaze of her brother and the additional from the dragon queen's now. She decides to ignore them both and force her horse to trot a few paces ahead leaving Daenerys and Jon behind.
It lasted only for about ten seconds before they caught on, trotting at her right and left sides respectively.
"We should make a short stop to dress your wound again." Daenerys speaks up.
Arya subtly sighs before she turns and locks with concern violet gaze. "I'd rather not slow us down…we're only a few hours away from Winterfell and I'm sure I'll get the proper treatment there anyway."
Daenerys only stares back, contemplating before nodding her agreement. Arya can see the curious look from the older woman, clearly wanting to say or ask more of it. She silently thanked the Gods that Daenerys doesn't go through with her questions, probably because of the many sets of eyes and ears among them.
"Then, stop looking like that." Jon interrupts then, breaking her train of thoughts.
Arya tilts her head to the left, narrowing her eyes. "Oh, do you have problem with my face, dear brother? Should I wear another to your liking?" she asked annoyed.
Jon merely laughs away at her ridiculous words. "I only meant that you should stop your frowning. People would think that you're in pain or something." He said back, still with a smile on his face.
Arya scowl then as her mood worsen. She let out a grunt before focusing ahead again, ignoring her surroundings and trying to not think of how close she is getting to Winterfell and who'll be waiting behind those castle walls.
"This reminds me of the time when we were children, sneaking into the brothels. You wore that very same face when Father caught us red handed." Jon said happily, chuckling as he reminisce the past.
Arya frowns further. "I am not." She objects.
Jon held his gaze, unperturbed. "Yes, you do." He counters with a smirk.
The young woman was about to argue again but Daenerys' voice interrupts. "Sneaking into the brothels?" she asked with a raised brow, intrigued, clearly wanting to hear more of it.
Jon decides to do the honor then. "You heard it right, Your Grace. I was one and four at that time and Arya only nine when she decides that it's a lovely day to sneak into a brothel in Winter Town."
"You speak as if I was the one who planned it all out." Arya chided as she shoots dagger through her eyes.
Jon quirked an eyebrow playfully. "Well, it is." He concurs making his sister chuckle with disbelief.
"No, it is not. You're the one who wanted me to tag along because Robb and Theon left you out." Arya counters back. Jon had the nerve to laugh at that. If only they weren't atop their horses right now and if only he isn't her dear brother, Arya would have smacked the living shit out of him.
Daenerys silently watched the banter between the two siblings with a smile pulling on her lips. Watching the young woman exasperated and imagining 'little Arya' get into all kinds of trouble only magnifies the warmth inside her chest.
"That's not how I remembered it, little sister." Jon said back after regaining his composure. He focuses on the dragon queen then, completely ignoring his little sister irritated face. "As I was saying, Your Grace…when Arya decides that she wanted to visit the brothels, investigating what the fuss was all about, I couldn't stop her. I'm sure, you know how strong willed Arya can be?" he asked.
Daenerys steals a glance to the woman in question with a smile still on her lips. "I do, my lord. In fact, I have been the receiving end of her headstrong qualities a while back." She answered. Arya snaps her head to the dragon queen with disbelief which Daenerys happily took no notice of.
"Let me be the one to apologize for whatever grief she caused you, Your Grace." Jon replied bowing his head slightly.
Daenerys waves a hand to dismiss him. "It's quite alright, Lord Stark. I'm used to it anyway."
Arya can only chuckle with disbelief at the ridiculous turns of event. The last thing she expects from Daenerys and Jon would be them joining hands, conspiring against her. She wished she never invited the dragon queen to ride alongside them in the first place. At least then, she would have some dignity left. "I'm right here in case you've forgotten." She said annoyed.
"Of course we know that, little sister… We aren't blind." Jon answered a little too cheerful for Arya's liking. Before she can reciprocate, her brother already speaks up again, focusing to the dragon queen. "So, when we finally arrived at the brothel, we sneaked through the back door to avoid causing scene. Once we're inside, we literally have to duck and crawl all the way to get to where the action was." He tells vibrantly.
"I assume you two had a lovely day then?" Daenerys asked, contemplating whether she should feel humored or soured by Arya's success rendezvous.
"Oh, not at all as you imagined, Your Grace. We merely watched the others get to it. And then, later, a kind lass spotted us crouching behind the tables and instead of throwing us out, she put together a meal. So, we stayed a little longer than we should have. That's when Father came, reeling as he found us." Jon finished with a grin.
Daenerys mirrored Jon's smile. "That explains a lot." She mutters. Jon raised a brow in question. "When we were sailing to Westeros a while ago, I've hadpropositionfrom the Princess about the best brothels in town that I must visit. I would never assume that she was talking from her experience. Now, it's a must to see them for myself." She explained trying hard to keep a straight face.
Arya had lost the ability to speak a little while ago, so she only managed a breathless laugh, even though there's nothing amusing at all – well, at least for her – as she recalls the event Daenerys decides to share with. The young woman only had herself to blame for that.
"I could show you around Winter Town once we're settled, if you want." Jon offered.
Daenerys was about to answer when another already beats her to it.
"You would do no such thing." Arya quickly interrupts, snapping her head to his brother who looked startled at her sudden outburst.
An awkward silence befalls them after that, making the young woman squirm uncomfortably on her saddle. She clears her throat loudly before fixing a glare at the older woman. Daenerys only stares back innocently with no intention to speak, and Arya believes that if she hadn't interrupted just now, the dragon queen would have agreed to Jon's invitation. There's no way in hells that she would let that happened. Perhaps, she's overreacting but Arya doesn't actually care.
"It's not safe to travel around so carelessly…let alone a visit to the brothel." She continues, satisfied that her voice came out calmer and more composed this time.
When Jon is about to open his mouth no doubt wanting to retaliate, Arya shot him the deadliest glare she could manage. Jon shuts his mouth tight at the hostile look. He's pretty sure that his little sister just growled too.
Daenerys stifled a laugh at the overly protective display from the little wolf. She wipes out the affectionate smile before addressing Jon. "I believed Arya might be right in this one. Perhaps some other time, my lord?"
"Of course, Your Grace… A sight-seeing around the town is what I merely suggest. A brothel is no place for a Queen." He answered back, giving a look to his sister as to prove a point.
Arya rolls her eyes at that. She tries her very best not to stick out her tongue to her brother, knowing that childish display would win her no favor, especially to the older woman.
They continue their journey as they traded conversation every once and then which mostly happens between Jon and Daenerys. Arya was too busy sulking and feeling way too irritated to join them. And when she did, she would be left feeling annoyed all over again. The young woman doesn't really know why she was feeling grumpier than usual. But, seeing how comfortable and delighted Daenerys looks as she converse with Jon only gets under her skin.
She was too busy at being displeased of becoming a human bridge among the two that she didn't even realize how long the time has passed. A deafening silence ensues then as the group come to a stop, forcing Arya to do the same as she pulls the rein, halting her horse. She swallows a lump forcefully as she looks ahead, finding that they're near the main gate of Winterfell. All the anxiety from before suddenly comes back and hit her hard like the cold wind. Even though the weather was freezing, she could feel the beginning of sweat forming at the back of her neck. She grips the reins tighter and clenched her jaw, trying to get a hold of herself.
A hand suddenly caught hers and she look to her right to find Daenerys smiles gently. The older woman runs her thumb in circle in a soothing manner as Arya breathes out slowly, feeling the calmness spread through her. Believing that the young woman is less distressed now, Daenerys gives one last firmer hold before pulling back her hand.
Arya forced a smile, grateful for the older woman's presence. She glances to her left where Jon is looking at her with a taut smile before he speaks.
"Welcome home, little sister."
*
The bell from the monitor tower rang loudly in Arya's ears as they neared the Winterfell gates, announcing the arrival of the much awaited entourage. Jon was at the head of the group, leading them inside and the younger Stark tried not to panic when they finally entered through the archway of the opening castle walls.
Almost instantly as she trots in, she can feel more than see the many pairs of eyes trained on her or perhaps she was just being paranoid. Either way, she decides to focus on Jon's back and the presence of the dragon queen who rides beside her as she carefully guides her mount forward. They must have finally reached where they needed to be, because Jon halted his horse and gets down from it next.
Swallowing a lump forcefully, Arya mirrored her half-brother's action and landed successfully with her two feet on the cold ground. She was grateful that her knees didn't wobble thus successfully avoiding the embarrassment of landing on her face in front of the whole crowd. Slowly, she takes the surrounding of the courtyard. The first thing she notices is the many people gathering in line against the castle walls, which was hard to miss. And sure enough their eyes and lips are busy taking the new guests that just arrived.
When she focuses ahead again, Jon was hugging another man with short curly dark auburn hair. She only managed to see half of his face with Jon being in front of him, but that was enough for Arya because she knew instantly who that man was. His blue Tully eyes shine bright like a clear sky and when they caught hers, Arya froze. The gory images of her brother's impale body riding a horse with Greywind's severed head decides that it's the best time to make an appearance then.
Fortunately for her, it didn't last that long as she heard a gasp from not far, successfully grabbing her attention towards it. Arya changed her gaze to the left to find an older woman with watery eyes looking back at her as if she was in pain. Perhaps she was because she stifled another gasp then with one of her hand covering her mouth. The older woman's subtle weeping was becoming rather prominent by the seconds and it didn't help much when the courtyard suddenly rendered to silence except for the current obvious source of sound.
The young Stark knew she should do something about it. She knew she should comfort the older woman with soothing words and wiped away the tears that come out, but Arya realizes that even as she gets older, she will always cause her lady mother grievance. This occurring event is the living proof of that. With the heavy gaze from across her, Arya can't help but to feel self-conscious of how she looked. Absentmindedly, she tucked in a loose strand of the many unruly locks behind her ears, failing completely to tame her hair.
She left the mess of her hair and squared her jaw instead and moves forward then, presenting herself further. Her grey orbs stay locked with wet blue ones all the way through the courtyard until they were only arms apart. Being this close, Arya can't help but to examine the older woman, taking notice of her sickly pale skin and how thin she looked. The woman in front of her look nothing like the proud, confident and charismatic Catelyn Tully-Stark she called her Mother. The heaviness in Arya's chest only doubled at that as she could guess the rough years her mother must have gone through.
The older woman let out another heart wrenching sob then, before calling out suddenly. "My child." She breathed, finally moving forward to cradle Arya's cheeks with both her hands.
Arya smiled, letting a content sigh with the warm hands on her face "Mother." She called back as the words come naturally out of her mouth despite its lack of used.
Slow desolate tears run from Catelyn's unblinking eyes as she studies the young woman in front of her. She finally smiles wide, uncaring of the tears that still rolled out from her eyes as she caresses the young woman's cheeks. "Let me see you." She said as she gently tilts her daughter's head, trying to find any distress that could cause her.
And Arya let her. She enjoyed the feeling of being taking care of and for once in her life she craves it. When the sad blue orbs focus onto her grey ones again, seemingly satisfied, Arya didn't wait for another moment before she wrapped her arms tightly around the older woman's waist. She closed her eyes, gratified when her mother returns the gesture and strengthens her hold while planting kisses at the side of her head. When a single tear finally breaks and wet her cheek, Arya nestled further into the crook of her mother's neck, inhaling the familiar scent and the comfort it brings. In that embrace, she was cocooned well than any butterfly-to-be. She felt safe and her troubles disappeared.
"Are you really my sister?"
A voice sounded then, interrupting them. Begrudgingly, Arya slowly pulls away from Catelyn's embrace to find the person in question and her eyes caught a young boy standing beside her mother. He has unruly dark brown hair and the distinctive clear blue eyes similar to of her other siblings. As she takes in the sight of her little brother, another smile threatens to break free, but the young woman held it back and spoke instead. "That depends… Do you favour carrots or candied plum?"
Rickon give her a bewildered look before his face turns one of excitement. "Nothing beats carrots, of course." He declared, straightening his shoulder as he said so.
Arya still remembered a much shorter and younger Rickon running around with those orange-coloured vegetables in his hand, snacking on them. You would expect children to hate those kinds of food, and taking a like to sweet things instead, but Rickon wasn't like any other children. "Then, to answer your question…yes, I am. I'm your sister."
Rickon stares back silently for a moment, as he really takes the sight of the person in front of him. Without another words, he moves forward, closing their distance further as he pulls the young woman into a hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't recognize you sooner." He whispered as he tightens his embrace.
Arya's lips pull up into a smile as she hugs him back. "How did you get so tall?" she asked instead, dismissing his apology. She pulls away to face her little brother again.
The youngest Stark shrugs innocently. "I ate a lot."
Arya quirked an eyebrow. "What? Carrots?"
Rickon snickered. "Yes, that too."
The young woman only chuckle at that. The sound of heavy boots against the cold ground, clearly of someone approaching draws their attention then. Arya looks over her shoulder and saw her older brother slowly nearing them.
Robb stops right in front of her then. "Arya." he calls out, trying to smile but failed miserably. The young woman didn't mind it that much because she didn't know how much she would miss her brother's trademark grimace until she saw it at this very moment.
"Robb." She calls back with a small smile. His face softens at that and he looked more relaxed as seconds pass by. The young woman was grateful that the horrid images of the non-existent past didn't make their way inside her head as she finally able to appreciate her brother's presence in front of her.
Robb looks almost unrecognizable with his stubbles and his stocky build. Though, his blue eyes and thick red-brown hair was still familiar. But, what stood out to her the most was the crown that he adorned atop his head. The iron spikes that surmounted around the bronze open circlet are hard to miss. And if she looks harder, there are some kinds of runes incised on them.
Her gaze finds his blue orbs again then, noticing how Robb shifts his weight uncomfortably as he regards her and the young woman can see the calculated stare from him as if he was waiting for her to make the first move. It was almost like Robb didn't know what to make of her presence there. Arya would have taken that offensively if not for the uncertainties that radiates through him at the same time. It was subtle and perhaps if she didn't learn the art of faces at the House of Black and White another lifetime ago, she wouldn't have notice. But, the furrowed lines of his brows and the clenching of his jaw betrayed his emotion and they only strengthens her guessing of how tense and doubtful he is. She cannot help but to notice how familiar that feeling was because she knows she felt the same way as her brother, before.
Arya remembered how afraid she was at seeing her family again. She feared that they would blame her for what happened, for Father's and Sansa's death and for seeing the things that she should have never seen back at the broken tower if not for her nosiness. But, what she didn't understand is how Robb looked almost as frightened as she was. His stance goes rigid again as the seconds went by and his eyes turn sad, as if he was hurting.
The young woman realized then that she didn't want her brother to feel that way towards her. After all, he has nothing to be shameful of. Her feet seem to agree and without wasting any more time, she all but strides towards her brother, not stopping until her arms is tight around him. The tension from Robb disappears as he finally puts his arms around her too. A soft sigh enters her ears then followed by him tightening his hold on her. When they finally parted, the young woman felt his absence as the cold wind swept by to take their rightful place again.
"I want you to meet my son, Eddard… your nephew." Robb speaks up, a genuine smile pulling on his lips. The young woman returns it evenly as he turns, reaching for a boy behind him that stood among the lines of people.
The young boy looks up to her with curious gaze. Arya steps closer then, before she goes down on one knee to stand levelly with the small boy. His dark brown eyes sparkle under the sunlight and his straight auburn hair was messy, like he was just crossing a storm. Naturally, her smile widens. "Hello there, big guy… It's a pleasure to meet you." She speaks, putting her hand forward.
The young Eddard reached out without hesitation and shakes their hands gently then. He stares at her without a word but his gaze speaks enough as the dark brown orbs regard hers with sturdy and innocence of a child's.
"You must forgive little Ned, Lady Arya… he's a bit reserved with people." A voice suddenly interrupts them and Arya looks up to find a beautiful woman smiling down at her while she caressed the young boy's hair affectionately.
Arya stands up then, as she takes in the new presence in front of her. The woman has thick, softly curling brown hair and large brown eyes. A sweet smile was still plastering on her smooth and unblemished pale features. And because of that, her beauty shines through further. The young woman had a guess of who the older woman was, given her uncanny resemblance of the young boy. But, before she can address her, Robb already did.
"This is Queen Margaery. Little Ned's mother and my wife." He introduced.
Her grey orbs can't help but to glance atop her head where Margaery is wearing a much smaller crown. It was similar in design of her brother's but the silver roses added around the circlet gave off a feminine touch for the wearer. The young woman curtsies then. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace. "
"Oh please, my lady, there's no need for such formality. We're family now." Margaery speaks up then still with a sweet smile.
Before the young woman can speaks up her mind, Margaery closes their distance and wraps her in an embrace. Arya was not expecting such intimate gesture from The Queen in the North for their first meeting so it was no surprised that she didn't return the gesture. Margaery doesn't seem to mind that as she pulls away and still regards her happily.
Arya shifts her weight uncomfortably as she stared back, dumbfounded by the older woman friendly demeanour. She glances to Robb where a grin is plastered on his face, no doubt amused at her awkwardness, as he takes his stands beside his wife.
The silence stretch for a bit longer before Jon decides to save his little sister from further embarrassment. "You're bleeding again." He interrupts, reaching for the young woman's arm.
Arya looks down to her bandaged arm then, where the white garment around it is slowly seeping with her blood, making it stained with red spots. She was about to retaliate when another hand suddenly reach for it too, dismissing the hold Jon has on her.
"Let's head inside now. The Maesters will take good care of your wound." Catelyn speaks up, as she examines the bandaged arm with concern.
Gently, Arya brushes off the older woman's hold on her. "It's fine mother… I'm in no pain or whatsoever." She assured with a smile. Besides, she can't leave just yet when there is clearly an introduction that she needed to do.
The young woman glances towards the silver haired queen then, where she was fixed at the same spot, in the middle of the courtyard. Tyrion, Jorah and Yara are standing faithfully at each of the Targaryen Queen's side, with the foreign army behind them. The violet orbs find her grey ones naturally and she moves forward then, bringing the other three with her. Arya mirrored Daenerys action then, where Jon followed her and then Robb too. They stop when they're close enough within hearing range.
Despite the usual cold air of the North, Arya would say that the weather today was the best she's seen. The air is sweet, the sun shines brightly with no clouds covering it and there are birds in the sky. Though, all those things don't seem to affect the air around the courtyard. There was a deafening silence as everyone eyed each other warily.
The young woman can't help but to feel unsettle about this. She decides that it's best to get this over with anyway. Straightening her stands, she looks to Robb then. "Robb, this is –"
"Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen." Robb interrupts, his blue orbs stayed onto violet ones. "Yes, I know." He murmurs.
"It's actually Queen Daenerys Stormborn, of House Targaryen, Your Grace." Tyrion suddenly cuts in, correcting him. Robb's gaze landed on the Lannister dwarf who stands beside the dragon queen, as he fixed him a cold stare.
Daenerys stood her ground. "And you must be Robb Stark, The King in the North and Arya's brother." She trails before continuing. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
"Is it?" Robb asked then.
"I beg your pardon?" the dragon queen asked, confused.
Robb's gaze returns to the silver haired queen again then. "Is it really a pleasure meeting me?"
Another silence stretch on after Robb's last spoken words. Arya shifts her weight uncomfortably as she regards Daenerys and her brother in turn, trying to find a way that this won't go sour than it already is.
The silence lasted a while longer than Arya would've like as Daenerys remain stoic. But, Arya knows the older woman enough to notice the tension lines from her features.
"I assure you, had I not felt that way, I wouldn't be here now." The Targaryen Queen finally said back.
"People always act differently than what they spoke of." Robb responded.
"And are you one of those people?" she asked back, not backing down.
"I know of one who was. When he promised justice to be served, he ended up burning and murdering those who seek it instead."
A beat passes in silence as the Wolf King and the Dragon Queen stared unblinking at yet for another moment, weighing each other out. Arya wanted to cut in and start defending the older woman, but she knows Daenerys will gain nothing out of it. So, reluctantly she stays in silence and hoping for the Targaryen Queen to stand her ground. The violet orbs then flicker to find hers at that moment and almost instantly Daenerys eyes softens as she locks gaze with her.
"Though I know it's late…" The dragon queen trails, her eyes linger at the grey orbs a little while longer before she settles onto blue ones again. "But, on behalf of House Targaryen, I sincerely apologize." She paused, making sure that Robb heard her loud and clear before continuing. "I truly am sorry about what my father did to your family, and everything that your family had to endure because of it."
Robb was rendered to silence as soon as the words left the dragon queen, clearly not expecting such humbleness from her.
"Children should not bear their parent's sin and a daughter certainly should not bear her father's sin." Catelyn suddenly said breaking the silence as she slowly moves closer to where they are. She strides pass Robb and stops right in front of the Targaryen Queen then. "I heard that you saved my child." She inquired with a small smile.
Daenerys gathered herself again at the sudden change of topic. Her gaze naturally flickers towards her favourite person as she remembered their first encounters. "Arya saves herself… I only happened to be there." The dragon queen answered truthfully. She can almost feel the disapproval coming off from the young woman at her choice of words, but Daenerys is not going to lie just to win a favour.
Catelyn chuckles softly at that as she reaches down for Daenerys hands. "A 'thank you' won't be enough for bringing my child back to me…but it's all I have." The older woman said quietly as she holds the silver haired queen's hands firmer. "You'll have my gratitude as long as I shall live." She finished with a smile.
Daenerys mirrored the action. "That is more than enough, lady Catelyn."
Catelyn gives one last stroke on the dragon queen's hand before she releases them. "I'm sure the journey must be tiring, Your Grace. We've prepared quarters for you and everyone else at Guest House." She turns to Robb then, waiting for him to say the next words.
Robb held his mother's eyes on him as he regards her in silence. Finding only the resolute look from the older woman, he sighs softly then before looking passes her shoulder to lock gaze with the dragon queen again. "We can continue our talk once you've settled in... Anything you require, you need only ask and the maids will attend to them." He said.
Margaery decides to step in as she walks closer towards the group then. "Allow me to walk you to your room, Queen Daenerys." she offered with a gentle smile.
The dragon queen tilts her head in return before she follows the North Queen's lead. She glanced towards Arya one last time where the young woman assured her with a nod.
As Margaery and Daenerys disappears at the corner of the castle walls with her advisors in tow, the other maids started to tend to the foreign army then, guiding them towards their respective quarters. Little by little, the courtyard emptied of its occupant.
"Let's get you inside now." Catelyn orders softly, patting Arya's cheek with such fondness in her eyes.
Arya's gaze flickers towards Robb who is speaking in a hush tone with Jon not far from them. "I'll head inside in a short while. I wanted to visit the crypts first."
Catelyn follows her daughter's line of sight and decided. "I'll bring your meal to your room then. You still remembered where your room is, I assume?"
Arya nods her head. "I'll see you there, mother."
Catelyn smiles approvingly as she placed a kiss gently onto her daughter's forehead, and heads inside. The young woman walks closer to her two brothers then. Jon notices her advance and stops talking as he smiles warmly at her. Robb turns around, regarding her similarly. His stance looks less stiff than before.
"Jon said you made me a tomb?" she asked Robb with a grin.
Both men let out a chuckle. "Aye, I did… Would you like to see it?" Robb asked.
When Arya accepted the invitation, Jon decides to retreat to his room and get some well-deserved rest, leaving her to Robb's care as the two proceed their way to the crypts. As she follows her brother's lead, a familiar face caught her attention along the way. She saw the Ironborn Captain talking with a man at the corner of the courtyard, away from the others. The man is sporting a smug smile as if something was amusing him, while he talks to Yara. The gestures triggered the memory at the back of the young woman's mind as she finally recognized who he is. His lean stature and handsome appearance was always a trademark he adorned ever since he was young and she's certain that man is Theon.
The two siblings are still talking animatedly with each other, not caring with their surroundings and Arya felt a twinge of relief at seeing Yara's bright features, happy that she's not the only one that get to reunite with their long lost family. The young woman decides to leave the Greyjoy siblings on their own as she hastens her footsteps to match Robb, following him to the Crypts of Winterfell.
*
"My nose isn't that big, is it?" Arya asked indignantly. Her gaze stays rooted at her tomb since her eyes first lay upon it in the crypts.
Robb seems to seriously think about her question for a moment. "It definitely doesn't match you accurately since you've grown quite a bit now." He finally said with the faintest of grin at his own comment.
"That's not a no." she observed.
Robb only shrugs as his grin grew wider, agreeing which she responses with narrowed eyes. The silence stretched for a while as both of them share the comfortable moment.
"I'll get some men to take it down." Robb speaks up breaking the silence. Arya looks to her side to find blue orbs on hers. "After all, you're still very much alive."
The young woman looks ahead again at her much younger statue as she mulls over her brother statement. A strange feeling she can't quite pinpoint wash over her as she looks at the stone carvings making the hair at the back of her neck stands at ends. "Perhaps you should not…at one point, we're all going to end up in here anyway." she could feel her brother's gaze heavily on her.
There was a definite silence before Robb speaks again. "If that is what you wish."
Arya moves deeper to the crypts then, as she comes upon Bran's tomb. Similar to hers, Bran's statue is of a younger version of himself. She can't help but to recall her strange dreams of him a while back. Of course, in her dreams, he looked much older from the stone in front of her. She wonders how could she perfectly capture Bran's older self in them. The thought strangely convinced her that perhaps he was indeed alive in this timeline.
Sansa's tomb stands next to Bran's and she wills her feet to go closer. As her sister's stone eyes look back at her, she did her best to brush off the images of Sansa's lifeless blue orbs that replaced them. Clenching her jaw, she forces herself to pull away from the stone eyes and moves pass it, finally arriving at her father's tomb last.
Her father stands tall with the family heirloom, Ice in his grips. The stones captured every part of him perfectly. From his hair to the boots he wears. "It looked exactly like him." She commented with a faint smile.
"I had the best stone carver made it."
The young woman tears her gaze away from her father's tomb to look at Robb. The corner of his lips pull up though his eyes stay rooted at their father, wearing a longing expression on his face. She turns ahead again to escape the guilt that was beginning to claw its way back. But, to her horror it was replaced by the image of her father's lifeless body falling down the ground, his blood pooling under him, soiling the ground. She could even smell the sharp coppery of the blood and the noise of metals against metals, assaulting her ears. Her chest tightens, finding herself harder to breath as she was transported back into that day of the Lannister's raid. Her knuckles turn white from gripping too hard and her jaw clenched so hard to the point that it was starting to hurt. She heard her name being called but she was too immersed by her father's lifeless eyes scrutinizing her.
She feels the tight grips on her shoulders next and then the flashes of her nightmares vanishes as fast as they came. She was greeted instead by her brother's stricken face. His blue orbs search hers frantically as his hands firmly on her shoulders.
"Arya, what's wrong?" he asked, shaking her slightly.
She closes her eyes, trying to get a hold of herself again. A force smile comes out as she locks with her brother's concern gaze. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired is all." She assured and pulls his hold away from her shoulder.
Robb doesn't look the least bit convinced of her reason but he takes it regardless as they decided to end the visit in the crypts. Arya is grateful that her brother doesn't ask anything further of what actually happened back there. She tries her best not to dwell over her seeming-out-of-nowhere flashback as they walk to her room side by side.
"I heard you found Nymeria." Robb's voice brought her out of her reverie.
"I did…but, she ran away." She told him with a pause, thinking of the last time she saw the direwolf. "I don't think she's coming back to me. She's got a whole pack of wolves behind her now… Her own family." Despite her bitter words, she finds herself smiling anyway.
"I've had multiple complains of an unprecedented number of wolves prowling the Trident…I never knew that their leader is Nymeria." He commented.
"Complains?"
"Yes… Mostly from the lords that thought they possessed threats to the people." He trails, finding curious gaze from his sister. "But, they never attacked the common people, only bandits that cross the borders and The Neck. So, I leave them be."
"Thank you for not hunting them down."
A soft chuckle left him. "You're welcome. How was she?"
"The wilderness treats her good it seems. She's enormous and she's so beautiful… She's even bigger than Ghost and I think she's probably bigger than Greywind too, once I see him." She flashed a proud smile but it was gone when she sees the switch on Robb's face.
His clenched jaw and his furrowed brows look like he was in pain or trying to withstand them all at the same time. There was a definite silence as her last words echo in the hallways. Arya waits for her brother to speak but it doesn't look like he's going to do it anytime soon as his eyes seem to be far away instead, engrossed in whatever memories his mind decides to.
"Robb, what happened to Greywind?"
The question lingers as Robb continues his walk silently. For a moment, Arya thought he didn't hear her but the subtle flinch from him when she said the direwolf's name proves her otherwise. So, she decides to let him speak at his own will.
"Greywind died protecting me." Robb suddenly said, slicing the heavy silence. Their steps instantly halt in the middle of the hallways.
"Did it happen during the war with the Lannister?" Arya asked quietly as she studied his profile.
"No. It was after the war… I was on a hunting trip with a few of my men when we came upon a group of outlaw. We were outnumbered and I would've died if not for Greywind ripping apart my attacker, but he took a sword in exchange for that." He explained in a flat, expressionless tone.
Arya felt the stab in her heart. Their direwolves are always apart of them and she can only imagine what that must felt like for Robb to lose his companion. Even in this new timeline, she can't seem to save Greywind's life. "I'm sorry." She offered.
He looks to her then. "As do I."
They continue striding along the hallways in silence after that, occupied by their own thoughts. Until Robb suddenly stops his track in front of a wooden door which Arya is highly familiar of.
"Mother has been keeping your room as it is since you left." He told her, as he opens the door wide.
Carefully, Arya steps inside her room. Her eyes are automatically drawn to her bed where her lady mother is. The older woman was tucking the bed sheets before she notices another presence inside the room.
"You're here… I was beginning to worry you might have lost your way." Catelyn reprimands with a slight smile. When Arya doesn't say anything else, she leaves the perfectly made bed to stand in front of her daughter. "I've changed your sheets into a new one. It should be comfortable enough but if it's not, let me know, you hear? And I'm sure you're starving…when have you last eaten? You looked underfed and undernourished. The food is being prepared in the kitchen. I had the cooks made all your favourite dishes. You still loved kidney pies, yes? The Maesters should be on his way and we can take a look at your wound. You can clean up after, I'll ask the maid to draw you a bath."
The young woman blinks a few times bewildered and overwhelmed by her mother's attention as she tries to absorb everything in her room all at once. She's not sure what to answer back, so she only manage a "Yes, mother."
Nonetheless, Catelyn looks satisfied by that, so Arya released a silent breath she didn't know she held. The older woman excused herself then to check on the food in the kitchen, leaving her two children behind.
Robb flashes an amused smile as soon as Catelyn disappears from sight. "It's been a while since she's been so lively." He murmured.
"Well, I'm having a dilemma on what I should do first. Eat, get stitched up, or a bath?" Arya asked with a frown.
A laugh escapes Robb at her remark which she ends up mimicking. A beat of silence pass by as she studies her brother's relaxed demeanour. He looks a lot like her older brother she once remembered. "Robb, we should talk." she starts. He brushes off the last remnant of his smile as he lock gaze with his sister, waiting. "About Queen Daenerys and why I come home with her."
Robb's face hardens in an instant and the young woman feels slightly dejected at his reaction.
"We should…but for now, you should rest. I'm sure you're exhausted. We'll catch up later once you've settled." he said back instead. Decided not to push him further, Arya nods lightly, concurring.
Robb pulls her into his embrace then. "It's good to have you back home, sister." He declared with a lingering smile, before turning around and left the room.
As the door closes, the young woman walks towards her bed then, finding the steel helm she placed at the bedside table six years ago is still left untouched. Looking around now, she couldn't find any changes at all. It was as if it was only yesterday she had left Winterfell. There was some sort of serenity because of it and she lets the tranquillity envelops her as she lies on the bed. Her lids grew heavy and she decides to give in, making a mental note to find Daenerys soon after.
*
When Arya awoke some time later, she found herself still on the bed, in the same position as the last time she shuts her eyes. Her gaze strays towards the ray of sunlight that shines through the open window as she slowly regains her bearing. She brushes the last remnant of her sleep before she realize there is another presence beside herself in the room. She turns her head towards her side then.
"Mother?" she called hesitantly, wondering if she was dreaming.
Catelyn looks up, finding grey eyes on hers. She smiles widely in return. "Good morning, sweetling. Did you have a good sleep?" she moves to stand up from the chair she sat. Resting the knitting tools she's been working on earlier on the chair, she strides towards the bed then.
A frown automatically forms on the young woman's face as she heard the greeting. "How long did I sleep?"
"You slept through the whole day." Catelyn informed landing herself on the side of the bed. "I found you sleeping soundly when I return with the food yesterday." She smiled warmly.
Arya brushes her eyes with the back of her hand, getting rid of the evidence of how well she slept. In doing so, she notices her wounded arm is all bandaged up with new and clean strap of cloths. She feels less pain around them too.
"The Maester stitched you up last night… I suppose you were too tired to notice his working on your arm." Catelyn speaks up, answering her daughter's silent inquiry.
"Oh… I guess so." Arya trails before continue. "I was hoping to see Maester Luwin. I suppose I'll have to find him later and thanked him."
Catelyn stiffened before she controls her face again but Arya didn't let that go unnoticed. "Mother?" she addressed.
"Unfortunately, Maester Luwin is no longer around, child."
"Where did he go?"
A beat of silence pass between them, before Catelyn smiled sadly. "He passed away, just a year after the Kingsroad attack."
"Oh." The young woman doesn't know what else to say at the unexpected news. She felt the familiar pain in her chest but she expertly ignored it like she always did. She finds her mother's gaze again who is waiting expectantly.
"How would you like a bath?" the older woman asked, trying for a change of subject.
Arya gladly took it. "Yes, please."
*
The young Stark walks slowly along the hallways to the Great Hall as she savours every crook and cranny of the walls of her home. She had just finished her bath a while ago which she took quite a handful from her lady mother when the older woman insisted on bathing her. Arya had rejected the offer immediately, knowing full well the scars all over her body will not go unnoticed. The least she wanted was to explain where the scarred mark came from. Though Arya was sure she couldn't escape from telling her family about her slavery, she decides to stall them as long as she can. Disappointment was written all over her mother's face as she finally concurred, placing a set of new clothes on the bed and left the room without another words.
Arya swallowed away the guilt and decided to get on with it. She got inside the tub and sighed contently as the warm water touched her skin. She scrapped every part of her body that she could reach, cleaning away all the grime and dirt. When she got to her hair, her hands stopped. The last memory of a certain Naathi braiding her hair came pouring in uninvited. Arya clenched her jaw hard as she willed her fingers to untie the braid one by one before washing them clean. She couldn't afford to think about Missandei now. Because once she did, she's afraid that she would not stop. And so, she dismissed the older woman from her mind and lock her away.
The young Stark finished her routine in record time and moved on to get dress. She silently thanked her mother when she found shirts and trousers in the bundle along with a muted brown and blue leather jacket. The three headed dragon brooch was pinned above her right chest where it belongs soon after. She let her hair down and pulled half of her hair back securely, wearing it like she always did before.
A set of steps echoes through the stone walls then, bringing her mind back to the present time and to the hallways she's walking through. She stops her track and looks over her shoulder to find a man not far from her. Having been noticed, the man walks over to join her. A small smile is playing on his lips as he did so.
Arya turns around fully then, recognizing the tall and lean man coming her way. "Theon." She acknowledged.
Theon grins wider at that. "I thought you wouldn't recognize me, Arya." he greets as he joins her.
"You don't change much."
A smirk graces his features then. "I'll take that as a compliment."
Arya resists the urge to roll her eyes. "You can take it however you wish." She turns around and continues walking to where she intended to.
Theon hastens his steps, matching hers. "So, how you've been?" he starts.
"Good. And you?"
"Great… I heard you lived across the narrow sea all these years?"
"I did."
An awkward silence befalls them after when neither said anything more. She takes a glance to his profile and looks away again when he decides to do the same.
"Come now, are you not going to share more of it?" he inquired.
"No."
A mirthless laugh left his mouth. "I don't remember you being so reserved when you were a child."
"I believed it's called growing up. You should practice it."
"Ouch Arya, you don't have to be so mean." He pouts as he puts his hands atop his chest dramatically.
The young woman let's out a silent sigh as she tries her best to ignore the person beside her.
"The Targaryen Queen is really something isn't she?" his voice resonates again, finding something else to talk about.
Since the topic is something of her interest, Arya looks to her side then, finding black orbs on hers. She waits expectantly for him to elaborate.
"The tales and songs people sang about her do her no justice… She's much prettier in person." He commented, sniggering. Arya choose not to respond to any of it, so she stares back ahead, quickening her steps as she tries to get to the Great Hall faster and away from Theon sooner. This is all are becoming rather tiring.
"You two seems quite close…Does she confides her secrets with you at night when no one's around?"
Arya immediately halts as she turns to face him fully. Her gaze bore to the black ones in front of her, sending warning that he should not take this further.
But, Theon doesn't seem to understand or perhaps he just doesn't care. "Don't get me wrong, Arya…I'm merely impressed at how wrapped up you got the dragon bitch around your finger. Is she any good in bed?" He continues still with that smirk of his.
As soon as the words left his mouth, her body moves into her own accord as she closes in on him – so close in fact that she can feel his breathing on her face. The black eyes in front of her blinks uncharacteristically fast as he still tries to process the abrupt action.
Arya clenched her jaw tight and fixed him a stare that could have frozen the entire castle. She snarled more than spoke. "If you ever call her by that name again, I'm going to cut your tongue and force it down your throat."
"Wha- What?"
"You heard me."
Theon opens his mouth as if he was about to say something but he closes it back and swallowed down the lump in his throat instead. The young woman turns away then and left him to his own, knowing that if she doesn't, someone will truly lose a tongue. She takes few deep breaths to calm down as she ponders about what he just said.
Was she too obvious in her admiration of the Targaryen Queen that even Theon could take a guess of their close relationship? And how dare he even speak that way about Daenerys. That thought alone brings back the cold fire igniting within her.
When she finally arrives at the last turn of the hallways, she takes another deep breath and settle to her usual calm demeanour. Stepping inside the Great Hall, she finds her family already seated at the rectangular table. Jon notices her presence first. He calls her with a smile, making every heads turn her way. Rickon sat at Jon's left and Robb was seated at the head of the table where father used to be.
The young woman let out a small smile, already forgetting what happened in the hallways as she strides towards them. "Good morning." She greets them, taking a seat beside her mother. Catelyn returns the smile and Arya feels a little bit better.
"How are you feeling, Lady Arya?" the voice came from beside her mother. She turns her head to find Margaery waiting expectantly with a small smile.
"I feel much better and cleaner." She finally answered.
Margaery smiles, amused. "I'm glad."
Theon comes in then, taking a seat next to Jon, opposite her. She could feel Theon's heavy gaze on her but decides to ignore it.
"Well, let's eat." Robb speaks up then, motioning for the maids to serve them.
Catelyn wastes no time in putting quite amount of food on Arya's plate as soon as it reached the table. "You must be starving. You haven't eaten in a day." The older woman mumbled as she placed another serving of some kind of stew among her already full plates.
Arya lets it slide as she takes the first spoon of the broth. It was rabbit stew. She loves them very much, so she takes another spoonful relishing her hunger. As the young woman enjoyed the delicious taste, she wonders if Daenerys would have liked them too. At that thought, she pauses and puts her utensil back down.
"Where's Queen Daenerys? Is she not breaking her fast with us?" she asked to Jon. She can't believe that she has forgotten about the older woman.
Jon looks up from his plate then, finding his sister's gaze on him. She waits patiently as he chews and swallows the last bit of his food. He looks as if he was thinking of his answer all the while but then he turns his head to Robb instead which she follows.
"She's in her room I suppose. I have the food brought to her." Robb finally answered, casually taking a spoonful of the soup to his mouth.
"Why is she not here? We have plenty of space left at the table." Arya inquired.
The table goes silent then. Everyone stops their eating as they regard the two– except for little Ned who is still ripping apart his bread, caught in his own world. Arya can feel the tension shifted in the air though she cannot understand why.
Robb looks displeased by her question as he swallows down his food. "Because, this is only for family." he states as a matter of fact.
The young woman frowns. "But, she's our guest."
"And I've provided her and her army the best service Winterfell can offer; walls protecting her from the cold, feather bed to rest, and food should she's hungry."
"But, she cannot join at our table?"
"No."
The silence was deafening to her ears as Arya tries to make sense of the situation. This can't be right. She must have heard it wrongly but Robb's harden gaze tells her otherwise. She looks to Jon for help, but he looks away, clearly having no intention to voice anything. She brushes off the disappointment as she regards her older brother again but Robb already has his attention to his plate and soon everyone else follows.
They were eating their meal as if nothing had happened or nothing is of importance. She looks to her mother – where the older woman only gifted a force smile, and then her brothers, and her sister-in-law to gauge their reaction but to no avail. Bewildered by their reaction, she looks to her plate again absent-mindedly and can't help but to catch the glimpse of pleased look Theon has on his face.
*
As soon as the breakfast was over, everyone disperse to their respecting duty for the day. Jon left for Winter's Town as he has a meeting with the merchants there which he brought Rickon along. Queen Margaery took little Ned to his early revision with the Maesters as she always did the other mornings. Theon left for whatever reason that Arya could not care less. And her lady mother wanted to spend some time with her but Arya politely declined as she needs to speak with Robb privately, more so after what had happened during breakfast.
"Are you going to Father's study?" she asked, as she joins Robb along the hallways, walking by his side.
Robb turns his head to her then. "I am. I'm using it now… I have it for private meetings with the other lords, or when I just wanted some time alone."
"Is it a convenient time now for us to speak?" Arya inquired.
He stares at her for a moment before nodding his consent. They continue striding along the hallways then until another familiar wooden door greets them. Robb unlocks the door before stepping inside and inviting Arya to do the same.
The inside of the room hasn't changed much. The big desk and chairs are still at their place by the windows which Robb had them opened immediately to light up the room better.
"How do you find Winterfell so far now that you're back?" his voice resonates then bringing Arya's focus back at him. He takes a sit at his chair, waiting.
The young woman strides forward as she sits opposite him, the wide desk separating them. "Everything seems to stay the same as I last remembered it." She starts, locking with blue orbs. "But also some things do not."
"Things are bound to be changed, one way or another… It's what we do, Arya; people change every day. We change our mind, our responsibilities, and our perception." He said it with a grim look on his face as if he's the only one that truly understands the implications of it.
"What was your question again?" she asked lightly, quirking her brows.
Robb gaze soften then as he let out a soft chuckle. A beat of silence passes comfortably before he speaks again. "No matter what changes, this is still your home, Arya, and we're still your family."
She smiles softly. "I know that."
"I can hear the 'but' that is about to come."
"There's no 'but'. Only that."
They exchanged gaze as they weigh each other in silence. Seeing the resolute look on the young woman's face, Robb nods his acceptance then.
"Jon told me about your time away across the narrow sea." He starts again, looking at her guardedly like he wasn't sure he could talk about it without offending her. But, Arya is actually a bit relieved that she doesn't have to tell her story twice.
"How much did he tell you?"
"He told me about your escape from the Kingsroad attack and how you ended up in the fighting pit later." He paused before clenching his jaw tight, remembering how hard it was to hear from Jon what happened to his sister. "I'm sorry I couldn't find you sooner."
The young woman smiles reassuringly. "It's all in the past now. Let us not dwell on it further."
Robb loosens up at that, concurring. He gets up then, striding towards the corner of the room where the refreshments are. After offering a glass of wine to the young woman, he takes a sip himself before leaning beside the table. "So tell me, what do you see in Daenerys Targaryen?"
Arya puts down the goblet on the table as she looks up to her brother. She guesses the wine really is needed by the direction of where this is going. "What do you mean?" she raised her brow slightly.
"I tried to put myself in your shoes, Arya but I still could not comprehend why you would come home with her."
"She saved me, Robb"
"According to her, you saved yourself…or was she telling lies now?"
A soft sigh escapes the young woman. She had expected that Robb would be so much harder to convince than Jon, if the breakfast incident is of any indication. "Truth be told, brother…even if I did saved myself from that fighting pit, I was nowhere near the state of good health. The day I escaped was after I fought with the Manslayer – that's what they called him in the arena. We all had our infamous nicknames and mine was Accalia, which means she-wolf…isn't that ironic?" she asked with bitter smile. "I won against him but I was badly injured myself; broken ribs, bruised body to name a few and the cloths they gave me were so thin that it barely protects me from the scorching sun and the cold wind at night."
Robb flinched at that, but Arya still continues. "So, even if I got out there alive, Robb, I'm convinced that I would die somewhere in the middle of the desert due to exhaustion or something worse… If it wasn't for Queen Daenerys that brought me to the Great Pyramid and have the healers there nursed me back to health, I don't think I'll make it."
Robb looks down to the goblet in his hands. "I didn't know you had it so rough." he said softly.
"Well, what do you expect? That they would care for the slaves they bought? That they would perhaps treat us as if we're their children?" she paused as the haunted image of the many horrendous ways her former master treated her back in the fighting pit flashed through her mind. She can still feel the phantom pain he inflicted all over her body. Her fists tighten at that until she can feel her nails digging through her skin. "They don't even treat us like a human being." She finished through gritted teeth.
Something must have flashed across her face because Robb suddenly looked alarm as he slowly advance towards her, leaving his goblet aside. When he's finally near her, he carefully cradles her face with both his hands. "I'm sorry sister… I truly am."
Only then did Arya realize how her body is shaking as her breath comes in short spurts. She stares into the concern blue orbs as she slowly composes herself again and her breathing finally turns to normal. When Robb finds his sister seems to be herself again, he lets go of his hold. She takes the opportunity to turn away from the concern gaze then, and reaches for her goblet before gulping down the content, quenching her sudden thirst.
"Are you alright?" his voice sounded behind her.
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure? I could get the Maesters for you."
The young woman turns to face him then. "Robb, I'm fine. I just got carried away, that's all." She said with finality.
Robb doesn't seem to agree with her conclusion but his sister already dismissed him as she takes back her seat. He pours another fill of wine into both their cups before he decides to the same and sits down. Seeing Arya is a lot calmer now, he tucks away his concern as his gaze finds the three-headed dragon brooch she wears. "So, you've declared for House Targaryen now?"
Arya follows his line of vision, understanding what he meant. "I swore my fealty to her."
Robb let out a tired sigh. He had hope that she would deny it. "Why would you do that, Arya? Do you not think about the consequences what your action may lead?"
"It was with that thought that I did what I had. Queen Daenerys gave me her words that she won't harm us as long as we don't interfere with her claiming the Iron Throne." She argued calmly.
"And what happened after she won? Do you think she will leave us alone? Do you think she will let there be another King and Queen in the North – in her nation, under her rule?"
"It has been done before and still is… You let King Robert ruled his side of the country. So, surely the idea of her doing the same will not be as far-fetched." She retaliates.
A mirthless chuckle left him as he looks away. "She already got her claws deep in you." He mumbled under his breath but it was loud enough for her to hear it.
"What does that supposed to mean?" she asks with a frown, feeling a little irritated by his insinuation.
"It meant that your opinion is biased, Arya…so forgive me if I still had doubts with everything that you said about Daenerys Targaryen." He turns to lock gaze to the now rigid grey ones.
"Biased? Which part was I being biased about? I merely asked you to put some faith in her… To put some faith in me."
"Was it? It sounded like you were kissing her ass and bragging to me about it."
A disbelief chuckle left her throat as Arya stared at her brother unblinking. "Did you really just say that?" she asked still unbelieving. That was the last thing she expected to hear from Robb.
"I know she spent every night with you in your tent, during your travel back home. Now, tell me why she would do that if she has nothing to gain out of it?" he reasoned.
The irritation is completely gone now; instead Arya felt the rising anger course through her veins. "Did Jon tell you about that too?"
"Jon didn't have to tell me anything. I have eyes and ears everywhere… Do you think I will let the Dragon Queen and her army roam free in my land without knowing what she did and planned?"
Another mirthless chuckle left her uninvited. Suddenly, she understood why Theon had behaved like that back in the hallways.
Robb leans his body forward then. "Arya, the last thing I want is you getting hurt." He continues much softer this time. "Why can't you see that she's just using your gratitude to her advantage? Whatever she said, whatever she promised were all part of her plan. You know her history; how many men has she married just so that she can be Queen and control a country? What makes you think that you're any different?"
That was the last stretch that she could handle as her body shot upwards. "You don't even know her." she growled down to him.
"I don't need to know her well to know that." He answered unperturbed by the outburst. "Somewhere deep inside you, you know that I'm right, Arya…because if I'm not, you wouldn't have reacted this way and be so bothered by it now, would you?"
The young woman clenches her jaw tight as she tries to control the fury within her. "I reacted this way, Robb because you're being such a cunt…that's why."
Robb's face shifted at that and Arya decides that this conversation they're having can never return civil again after this. So, she pushes her chair away, making a loud screech in the process. Without another word, she walks out the room but not before slamming the door close harder than she was supposed to.
*
The chilly breeze that slams Arya's face did nothing to ease her burnt up anger even after some time has passed since her heated discussion with Robb. She had taken refuge at the Godswood wanting some time alone and was hoping that no one would come here to find her. As of now, no one has yet to find her and she relished in the limited time she has before someone finally did.
As she stares at the God's crying face planted on the heart tree, she can't help but to replay her brother's words at the back of her mind. Even if she had denied him earlier, there is still the tiniest doubt that is starting to crawl its way inside as she sat here in solitude. Truthfully, she could understand where her brother was coming from. She would have never believed it herself that Daenerys would come to care for her if the older woman had not initiated kissing her in the first place. After all, she has so many flaws than strength that could appeal to the older woman. And there's no reason that could benefited Daenerys other than her connection to the North.
The young woman was brought out of her reverie when her ears caught sudden movement behind her. She stands abruptly before turning around to face the rattling bush across her. She waits with baited breath, ready to attack whatever that is going to come out of there. But, relief washes over her when a white direwolf comes out of it instead. Ghost glances at her briefly, acknowledging her there before he walks away to the other direction where Arya had come from. A soft chuckle left her freely as her stance relaxes further. It seems that this is not the first time the direwolf had used this way to get inside the castle. She wonders if she should be worried that there's an unsupervised opening somewhere in the Godswood.
But, the thought got cut off when another direwolf emerges from where Ghost came out from. Her lips quirked up on its own volition then. "Nymeria." She calls softly, unbelieving and relived at the same time.
Nymeria studies her intently from a far. Arya swears she sees the direwolf gaze shifted towards her bandaged arm. "I'm fine, Nymeria… You didn't hurt me that much." She assured, moving her right arm around to prove a point.
Nymeria moves its paws forward then until she's closed enough to sniff Arya's wounded arm. Before the young Stark could response to any of it, Nymeria licks the back of her hand as the sound of silent whimper comes out from the direwolf.
Arya stares levelly at the golden orbs in front of her. "It's alright, girl." She pets her softly before wrapping her arms around the direwolf and sighing contently. "I'm just glad you survived after all this time."
Nymeria pulls away and decides to lick her face clean then. The young woman can't help the widening grin adorning her face and the chuckle that comes out as she returns the favour of brushing and petting the direwolf at her favourite spots affectionately. It goes on for a little while longer until a foreign movement caught both their ears, interrupting their moment. She looks over her shoulder to find familiar violet eyes are staring back from not far. The dragon queen made no action to move as she looks at them both with mixed reactions. Arya doesn't blame her since their last encounter with the direwolf was disastrous.
Nymeria nudges her nozzle softly to Arya then, taking her attention again. The young woman strokes her companion softly. "Are you going to your family?" she asked with a strained smile. Nymeria moves to lick Arya's cheek again in confirmation. "Alright, I'll see you around, Nym." she bids her goodbye and stroke Nymeria one last time before the direwolf turns and retreats to the same path that she came from.
"Nymeria hates me, doesn't she?" Daenerys voice sounded then.
The older woman is now standing close to Arya's side taking the direwolf's place just a while ago. Daenerys looks a lot cleaner now with her fresh set of cloths. It's the same black attire she always wear; the only difference is the grey sash on her shoulder instead of red. "Hate is a strong word. She doesn't hate you."
"Of course…she only despised me then."
Arya laughs softly at that, not sure whether it's because of the way the older woman slightly pout as she spoke or at her sarcastic reply. "Don't worry, she'll come around eventually…like I did." She assured. Daenerys seems to be satisfied by that as she gifted the young woman a small smile.
"How did you know that I was here?" Arya asked, changing the subject.
Daenerys moves to the horizontal large trunk that Arya sat on a while ago. "I saw Ghost coming out from here, so I got curious and decided to investigate… I'm glad I did." She turns to the young woman behind her with a grin.
Arya joins the older woman and sits down beside her then.
"So this is the Godswood?" Daenerys shifts her gaze to the Heart Tree's carvings.
"It is."
The silver haired queen stares at it for a while longer. "It certainly is fascinating. I've always read about it and saw how it looked only in the books." She confessed.
Arya doesn't say anything to that as she is too absorbed by Daenerys profile. And now that the subject of her troubled mind is actually right in front of her eyes, her mind can't seem to shut up about what Robb had said and as each moment goes by, her doubts only ends up doubling in size.
Daenerys turns her head to the side, finding grey orbs already on her. "How do you feel now that you're home?" she asked lightly, expecting for Arya's favoured answer.
But, the young woman gives no indication that she was delighted at all, instead she spoke. "I don't think Robb will give you any aid in claiming the Iron Throne."
A heavy silence envelops them then as they stare, searching one another before Daenerys breaks their gaze and looks ahead. "I can't say that I'm surprised by that... I can sense our disagreement from the first time we met at the courtyard." She said calmly.
"Are you not angry?"
"Angry of what? That things didn't work out the way I wanted?"
"Of me." Arya simply said.
Daenerys frowns, clearly not expecting that kind of answer. "Why would I be angry at you?"
Arya was ready to reply but decided against it and looks away instead. She sighs softly. "Forget it."
Daenerys reaches down to take Arya's hand in hers. "Did something happen?" she asked worriedly.
The young woman glances to their joined hands. Despite the cold air, Daenerys skin is always warm to touch. "It doesn't matter even if it did." She was too frightened to explain what had happened, in fear that the older woman will actually agree to what Robb had claimed.
"Of course it mattered." The dragon queen argued.
"Why?"
"Because whatever it is, it happened to you…and you mattered to me."
The violet orbs are begging Arya to see their worth, to see how earnest and truthful she meant in every word. And the young woman had the urge to slap herself hard for doubting the older woman even for a second. Robb doesn't know what he's saying. The concern and obvious care from the older woman in front of her is the living proof of that. "I'm sorry…I just– I had a rough day is all." she assured.
Though Daenerys wanted to ask more of it, she decides to store it away for later as her gaze softens instead, wanting to see the woman beside her smile again. "Perhaps it was because you missed my awful lullaby last night. You know how it always helps you get through the next day." She japed lightly.
Arya's lips quirked up slightly then. "I do miss torturing myself to sleep with it."
"Well then, you'll find it harder to miss once we're back on the road. I'll sing to you every night until you grew tired of it."
The young Stark can't help the building grin. "You're not going to tell me to stay here in Winterfell?"
"I'm taking you wherever I go, Stark." the dragon queen said with finality.
It was hard to control her face, but Arya tries her hardest. "Don't I have a say in this? After all, I'm the one that has to withstand that terrible voice of yours every night."
Daenerys shrugs slightly. "You might find this surprising but, I'm not always an absolute angel. I'm a selfish person and letting you stay here, while I'm hundred leagues away will only make me miserable… Besides, I love you too much to let you out of my sight."
Arya stares back unblinking, as she was too stunned by the sudden confession. The air around them seems to take a stand still as Daenerys last words linger in the deafening silence. Arya wonders if she perhaps had heard it wrong. Though, Daenerys seems to hear her silent inquiry for she held her gaze and spoke more clearly with a brilliant smile on her face. "I love you."