Author's Note: Okay…so… hey everyone. I guess I'm back. And let me say I'm very sorry for my long (but totally necessary absence). Long story short, I got pretty sick at the end of last year and even after I recovered (months later) it was very difficult for me to get my creative juices flowing. Even now, this chapter is a pretty tame one. So please bear with me as I find my creative footing again. I kind of wanted to write a nice sisterly moment with Sansa and Arya and of course give Rickon some love (after this season). After this chapter, things will start happening again. I have plans for Theon and Co on the Iron Islands and a little bit beyond. Jon will be entering the scene soon as well as some other things I've got planned. I have decided that there will be a sequel, because some of the stuff I want to happen will need more view points than just Arya and Theon. So in the next few chapters I will be wrapping up this particular story. Hopefully I will be able to make updates a bit more frequently. Just give me a couple weeks in-between as I get back into things. (I promise I haven't given up on this story)
Chapter 37
Sansa sat quietly on a bench, in her lap was some of the needle work that she still sometimes used to to distract herself from the burden of everyday life. For the moment it lay untouched and her eyes watched the flames of the fire that danced in the hearth. Her mind had wandered, for this had been the room that she had spent many hours attending her needle point with Arya and her mother, while her younger brothers played at their Mother's skirts. And for a brief moment she wondered if she should have stayed out of this room as the melancholy threatened to over take her. Her family was all but a shadow of what it had once been. For now all she had was Arya.
It was as if Arya had known what her sister's thoughts were, because from the corner of her eye, Sansa had glanced a movement and when she turned her head her sister lurked in the doorway. Her grey eyes just as clouded as they had been everyday since Theon's departure. Sansa sensed the younger girl still had a bit of anger, worry, and hurt running through her. She supposed she could understand why Arya had felt the way that she did, Theon had acted rashly when he stole away in the middle of the night leaving Arya in the safety of Winterfell's halls. He should have known what that would do to Arya, and yet Sansa could not blame him either. Although that might have been a bit of a selfish thought on her part. She would have been devastated had Arya went with him to the Iron Islands.
Instead of voicing her thoughts, Sansa simply raised an eyebrow at Arya and let a hint of a smile grace her lips. "And is your temper as black as ever?" Her tone was light to give it more of an air of teasing than of rebuke.
Arya's frown deepened slightly at that. "I haven't been that bad."
At her sister's look Sansa couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "No, I suppose not. The servants are terrified of you. Haven't you noticed Brienne and I are the only ones who will talk to you without it being a matter of importance? Even Pod goes out of his way to avoid you."
This seemed to give Arya pause. If she thought about it, there was a decided lack of human interaction since Theon had departed for Pyke. And, of course she wasn't one to go out of her way to talk to anyone unless they spoke to her first. She would have rather been alone to stew in her misery, so she could revel in her feelings of anger and fear, mingled with just a hint of guilt. The only company she truly tolerated at the moment had been Nymeria and even she was little comfort. She had thought she had been more subtle in showing her feelings. "I haven't been harsh with anyone. Why would they fear me?"
Still an amused smile played on Sansa's face. "Your very aura betrays you, Sister. It's as if you have a dark cloud hanging above your head. And you are not known for your even temper even on your best days." Sansa motioned for her sister to come and take a seat on the bench next to her. And as her sister did as she was bid, Sansa's tone became quiet and one of understanding. "Everyone understands."
Arya rolled her eyes at that. "Everyone understands that my husband is an idiot?"
Sansa scoffed. "Even you don't believe that."
The were both quiet for a moment, finally Arya filled the silence with a resigned, "no." She closed her eyes in frustration. It was just the two of them now, so she dropped the tough exterior she had hoped to maintain until her husband returned. She leaned forward rested her elbows on her knees and raised her hands to cover he eyes. Her entire body screamed of her weariness. When she spoke again, she uncovered her eyes and rested her hands on her knees, her voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm scared I'm going to loose him. We've had so many near misses where we thought the other dead or in a danger that we could not rescue the other. And I thought that when we said our vows before the heart tree that everything would be different, that we would never be torn apart again. And then he did this! He forced us to separate again, without even letting me have a say in it." By the end the anger born from fear started to creep in again.
Sansa frowned, in both sadness and compassion. She could almost feel her sisters pain and fear as if it was her own. She scooted closer to Arya and draped her arm around the younger girl's shoulders in a small hug. "I think that he might fear that too. Perhaps that's why he left, perhaps he fears his father will mean to do you harm. From what I know of the Iron Islands, his match with you would not be a welcome thing in Balon Greyjoy's eyes. He might have even already had some Iron Born lady picked out for Theon long before any of these wars erupted. Perhaps Theon would rather be parted with you for a little while, to ensure that he would not be parted from you forever, should his father seek your death to free his son of a wife."
"Balon would not be so stupid." Arya dismissed.
"Balon has tried to break free from the rest of Westeros, Balon has tried to invade the North with his small band of raiders. So Balon has done some fairly stupid things in the past." Sansa countered, "and when it comes to you, I doubt Theon would take any chances, for it's not just his father he has to contend with. He has to seek the help of the entire Iron Islanders if he is to help free the Mallisters, Edmure Tully, and then go on to help Stannis take the Twins. Our King," Sansa said the title carefully, almost as if she had to remind herself what they had offered to gain Stannis Baratheon's help, and then she said again, "our King has given both Theon and his sister a monumental task. And I also think he knew that being away from Winterfell, from me and eventually Rickon would be hard on not just you, but the rest of us as well. Father often had to leave Mother so that he could do his duty."
In Sansa's words Arya detected truth, for she had heard those same truths from Theon's mouth in his initial arguments for her staying here. After a few moment's silence, "I suppose," Arya relented as cast her gaze at Sansa. Looking at her sister, listening to her defend Theon's actions made her mind flash back to the dream she had on the night that Theon had left. Robb had pleaded her husband's case in that dream, and now hearing Sansa's words while Arya was awake did not make Theon's leaving any easier. Again there was a silence as Arya lost herself in the memory of that dream. Then almost without thinking she said, "you're not the first one to try to talk sense to me in this way." And now Arya lowered her voice. "I dreamed of them Sansa."
"Of who?" The tone in Arya's voice had heightened Sansa's curiosity and she couldn't help but wonder if the dream was no ordinary one.
Arya had stayed silent for a moment. She had yet to share her dream with anyone. She had felt it too private and she was scared that any of the magic she may have felt would fleet away from her once she told someone of what she saw. She lifted her grey eyes back to her sister, and for a brief moment she felt a sudden guilt when she looked at the curious gaze Sansa returned. She had made promises in that dream, to her mother, and to Lady, to give her sister their love. Had Lady ever visited her sister?
"Robb and Grey Wind." Arya's voice was now only a whisper, and Sansa had to strain to hear her sister. Arya cast her gaze away to look once more at the fire. She wasn't sure she should feel foolish for telling her sister or guilt that she hadn't told her sooner. "And of Mother and Father. And Lady."
"Of all of them?" Sansa asked, and Arya could hear the jealous tinge in her sister's voice.
Arya's only response was a small nod of her head and then she looked to her sister again. She saw the sad frown and the hurt look in her eyes startled Arya. She had not meant to make her sister feel such discomfort.
When Sansa spoke next, her voice was measured as if she was trying to hide any hurt she had felt. "I…I have only dreamed of Lady." Sansa admitted.
"It was only a dream." Arya said in what she hoped was a dismissive way.
Sansa let a small smile tug at the corner of her lips. "No, it wasn't. Or at least it didn't feel that way, otherwise you would never have shared with me that you dreamt of any of them." She shook her head when she saw Arya's disbelieving look. "I've dreamt of them too Arya…but only in that vague, shadowy way that dreams are. For you to even question it means that it was too vivid for you to dismiss it as just a dream. Perhaps you've only convinced yourself it was a dream, because of what it might mean to you if it was really a vision."
"It isn't that." Arya snapped. She let out a small sigh, realizing that her sister spoke true again. It was hard to admit being this vulnerable, first with how she feared for Theon and now with how real that dream had felt to her, "I'm sorry, you did not deserve that tone from me. It's true, I think that I am just afraid to believe it to be real because I want so desperately for that to be real." She shrugged helplessly at her sister, not knowing if she was explaining herself properly.
Sansa quietly nodded, "I think I understand." Then with a note of desperation in her voice, "what did they say to you?"
"Mother and Father, that they were proud of me, and that I was doing fine. Robb made a couple of stupid japes, and told me not to be angry with Theon." At that Sansa smiled a little and nodded her head in agreement. "And I think Lady meant for me to extend her greetings to you."
Sansa was quiet, and Arya could see the pain in her eyes. After a moment of silence Arya ventured one more thing, "Bran wasn't there. If this was a dream, perhaps…"
"Perhaps he's still alive." Sansa finished for her. "Out there somewhere and maybe we'll find him." With those words, a touch of hope colored her tone and then she fell quiet. Then her voice became a quiet whisper. "I envy you Arya."
Arya said nothing for a few seconds, and a flash of guilt that the gods had seen fit to send her a vision of her family and not Sansa slashed at her heart. "I…" She trailed off, realizing that she had nothing to apologize for and knowing that her sister was not angry with her, she only regretted that she had been unable to see Robb and their parents again. Finally Arya said quietly, "perhaps they will come to you one night too."
"Perhaps." Sansa echoed, but the word sounded hollow in her ears.
—
It was morning, early morning, and Arya had just slipped out of bed to start preparing for the day. As of late she had been in the habit of waking before her sister and any of Winterfell's highborn guests. It was hard for her to stay in bed when she couldn't sleep. Her bed chambers seemed a bit darker and colder now that Theon was no longer sharing them with her. She hated to admit it but she had grown accustomed to his warm body beside her. And since his departure she would rather get busy with the day than laze in bed feelingly lonely in the mornings.
She dressed in simple attire. It had not gone unnoticed to her that Stannis didn't seem to mind if she was dressed the proper attire for a Lady of her stature, and no one else said anything to her if she decided to wear leather leggings and a course linen shirt with a loose wool tunic over her shoulders. She also kept Needle at her hip. Things were still unsettled in Westeros, even if Winterfell seemed calm, she felt safer with the sword on her person.
She was just belting the weapon when there came an impatient knocking at her door. She looked in its direction expectantly, and she was just about to bid her visitor to come in when the door burst open Suddenly. She was surprised to see that it was Sansa who had so rudely rushed in, and Arya was going to comment on how unladylike her sister was being when she noticed Sansa's face. It was flushed and her blue eyes were shining. Sansa's hair, that was usually so properly styled, was pulled back simply at the nape of her neck with a hastily tied ribbon. Several strands were flying around her face. Her sister also seemed to be having trouble breathing, no doubt from rushing to get to Arya's chambers.
Instantly Arya's heart froze, had something happened? Was her sister bringing her some terrible news, instantly her mind went to Theon and Olyvar. "What is it? What happened?" Her terse words and sharp tone caught Sansa's attention immediately.
"What?" Sansa asked in confusion, it took only a moment to realize that Arya had jumped to the wrong conclusions. She couldn't help but let out a carefree laugh, which only made Arya's eyes harden. When Sansa saw her sister's expression she shook her head quickly. She could not let her smile fade though, she was simply too happy. "No, it's nothing like that!" Sansa cried. "It's Rickon. He's here, he arrived maybe a half hour ago with Lord Umber and a dozen of his household guard. Our brother is home."
It did not take long for the words to sink into Arya's brain. She felt a smile of her own coming to her lips. "He's here? Now, at this early hour? I thought he would not arrive for another few days. Why is he early?" She leaned forward grasping her sister's arm. "Why didn't anyone come and tell me?!"
Sansa laughed again and took hold of her sister's hand. "I do not know the answer to any of those questions! Nor do I particularly care at this moment. All I know is that one of my maids had come to wake me this morning and told me that my little brother was breaking his fast in the main hall. I came straight away to get you. Come, let us go see him."
Arya's hair was still a tangle from her night's sleep, and she did not care how she presented herself. She had been annoyed when she had found out that Theon and Sansa had discovered that Rickon was alive and had even met with him, while she had been playing her part as Ramsay's bride-to-be. But now her brother was here, and their family was once more close to being complete. At this moment she had wanted nothing more than to see Rickon. She kept a tight grip on Sansa's hand and started to pull her sister to the door. "What are we waiting for?" She looked to where Nymeria lay on the floor before the hearth of the fireplace. "Come Nymeria, I believe both of our brothers have come home."
It only took a few moments for the two sisters and Arya's wolf to reach the main hall, where true to Sansa's word, they saw a small party of men sitting at a table nearest the largest hearth. Arya instantly recognized the largest man as being the man whose fingers were taken by Robb's dire wolf back when the war had just been in the planning stages. She smiled a little as she remembered the moment that Jon Umber had laughed off his injury and knowing that was the moment that her brother had gained the respect of the Northern lords. Her eyes drifted, looking along the ranks of the Northmen looking for the tell tale signs of her brother.
Arya did not have to look long. The men had become silent when the two sisters had entered, and a boy Arya barely recognized shot up from the bench that he had been sitting at. She was was able to gain a closer look at him as he scrambled away from the table and started to race towards his sisters. Arya caught her breath as she looked upon her youngest brother. She realized now why she barely recognized him. He was taller now, he was nearly the same height as she was. His facial features had also matured, and while it was obvious he was still a boy, life had forced him to grow up and he no longer had the innocent look of a child that he had when she had first left Winterfell.
When Rickon reached his sisters, he nearly plowed into them, wrapping his arms around both of them in a brotherly hug. "I couldn't wait to see the two of you again. I made them travel through the night so that we could get her faster." He said with unbridled excitement. Just as Rickon had met his sisters, Shaggydog came out from behind the table, padding forward to meet with his own sister. He yipped at Nymeria, who gave him an appraising glance, before barking out her own greeting, both of their tales wagging happily.
Arya could not help but laugh at the wolves and Rickon's enthusiasm. "I've missed you, too, Rickon." She returned his hug, and tightened her grip on him slightly. Seeing Rickon there, being able to touch him, brought home the fact that another part of their wayward wolf pack had come home. She blinked furiously to keep the tears that threatened to come to her eyes from actually falling.
After a few seconds into the hug, Rickon pulled away quickly and looked at his sisters wearing a small pout upon his lips. "I've been here for a little while, now. I wanted to call for you both right away, but they made me meet with King Stannis. I had to bend my knee and make a lot of promises of loyalty before they let me do anything. And when that was done they told me the two of you had been sleeping and that I should probably wait until after I broke my fast to wake you." He gave Arya a teasing smile. "They tell me you're especially unpleasant if you're woken early."
Sansa had caught Arya's frown that threatened to turn into a petulant pout and she allowed herself a small chuckle. She took her brother's hand and gave it a small squeeze. "It's no matter. I was brave enough to fetch her once I was told that you had come. Although neither of us would have minded being woken up if it meant that we would be able to greet you." She widened her smile. "You're Lord of Winterfell now Rickon, you could have ordered them to come and wake us. We all would have been obligated to obey." She said jestingly.
Rickon allowed himself an almost shy, sheepish smile before he became more serious. He lowered his voice and his two sisters had to strain to hear him over the boisterous sounds of the other men in the hall who had gone back to their meal after watching the initial reunion. "I should not be considered the Lord of Winterfell, what of Bran? You don't suppose he is dead?"
Arya shared a look with her sister before bringing her attention back to Rickon, they both had strong feelings about Bran and what his fate was. "No." Arya's voice was firm as she stated what both she and Sansa felt in their hearts. "We do not believe he's dead."
"But how do you know?" Rickon insisted, but Arya could tell that he was relieved to know that his sisters had not given up on their brother.
"It's just a feeling." Sansa said quietly. The thought of Arya's dream still mystified her, and she wasn't sure she could use it to justify their beliefs to their youngest brother. "We will refuse to even entertain the notion until any one of these Northern lords can give us definitive proof. And in the mean time, you need to act as Lord of Winterfell, you are Eddard Stark's son."
Rickon stood a little straighter as Sansa's words sounded in his ears. He was still solemn when he spoke next. "And when our brother returns home, I will gladly give up the title to him. But I understand what my duty is. I will do my best." Then he paused a moment, "so long as the two of you would be willing to help me."
Sansa's heart swelled to hear her brothers words, and nodded her head approvingly. She leaned forward and gave Rickon a small peck on the cheek. "Father and Mother would be proud."
Arya nodded her head in agreement, and with a grin. said, "And I dare say you would have a hard time getting us not to help you. Between the three of us Winterfell will be safe in hand, along with the rest of the North."
For a moment Rickon gave Arya a perplexed look. "And Theon will helptoo, right? I would have thought he would have come down with you." He gave his sister an impish grin, "I had been told the two of you had married." He saw Arya's expression go stoney and quickly added, "I'm really very happy about that! You two always seemed to get on so well, and it is good now, that he is now truly my brother. I always felt like he was…"
He trailed off as Sansa started to laugh. "Don't worry Rickon, Arya's not grumpy with you. It's her husband she's upset with."
"Why?" Rickon asked innocently.
"Because went off to do something stupid." Arya said with annoyance. And before Rickon could ask any questions, Arya set about explaining to her young brother about what her husband was doing as they walked toward the table, where they would join the other Northmen in breaking their fast. And despite Theon not being with her, she was still able to feel happiness that Rickon was home.
Author's Note: Thanks again for those who commented and prodded at me to get back to writing. Also thanks for those who have stuck with me despite my long absence.