As she splashed some water on her face, Arya heard It over the muted sounds of the people passing nearby. A soft, but constant, crunch. The sound of a cloak as it was walked by the wearer. The high pitched clanking of metal on metal as it approached the tent. Her hand moved silently to the scabbard at her hip, silently pulling out the valerian steel dagger. Swift as a a deer, quiet as a shadow, but she was not afraid. This is what she knew.
"Your Grace." Called out a male voice on the other side of the tent flaps. The guard.
Arya relaxed her arm slightly but remained in place. The tent opened and Bran was pushed in by Ser Brienne.
It must have been Bran's chair I heard. She stored the sounds in her mind so she could recollect them next time.
She took a step forward out of the shadows and was pleased to see Brienne quickly reach for her sword. Bran would be well protected.
"Princess Arya, please excuse me, I thought..."
Arya waved her hand dismissively and sat down on the nearest trunk. "You do not need to apologise for protecting my brother but if you call me that again..." she allowed a slow grin to be portrayed on her face.
Brienne studied her for a few moments before nodding.
"Ser Brienne, please allow me to speak with my sister before we pack to leave. She has many things to do before she departs in the morning." Bran's lofty voice spoke though he didn't look at her. He never seemed to look anywhere, Arya noted.
"Your Grace... I would feel happier if Prin- your sister were to help us pack and we could be on the road before it gets any darker."
"We shall not be long. We will depart within two sand turns. The Queen of the North has already departed. I feel it would be best to spread out the departures."
"Yes your Grace. I will wait outside." She gave a nod to Bran and another to Arya before she strode from the tent and took her place outside.
"Is there going to be trouble on the road? Have you seen it?" Arya asked, standing up and walking over to face Bran.
"I deem it wise to go in separate convoys, we don't want all three Starks in the same place for now."
They sat in silence for a while.
"Has Jon already gone? I would have liked to say goodbye to him." The small voice of the girl she once was broke through.
"Ser Davos is taking him to Dragonstone. From there I will announce his sentence and the remaining Unsullied and Dothraki will watch as he departs on a boat for the Wall." Bran explained, he looked at her as if only noticing now that she was sat so close to him.
"You wanted to speak to me before you left. Take your time." His fingers clasped in his lap, he gave a small, welcoming smile.
Arya scrunched her face up and looked down at her hands, picking at one of the last of the scabs from the day Kingslanding fell to Daenerys.
"I didn't expect to live." She mumbled
"And yet here you are." Bran replied kindly.
Arya rolled her eyes before turning to look at her brother and being overtaken with emotion at his smile towards her. So much had happened to her little brother, so much she could and should have protected him from. Instead she had been selfish and stayed away, consumed by her need for revenge.
"I haven't told him."
Bran nodded to confirm he knew that she was speaking of Gendry and the truth about his parentage.
"Today, I should have spoken out, he could be King."
"Would he have wanted that? You said to Sansa he should be in control of his own destiny. Do you think by revealing all to him then and there he would have been free?"
Arya shook her head. "No. At least I don't think so."
"Will you tell him?"
"I don't know, will I?" She asked curiously
"I cannot see until a decision has been made."
He closed his eyes and waited. Arya wasn't done yet, he could tell from her fidgeting.
"Father said I look like her, like Lyanna, do I?" She asked him.
"Sansa favours the Tully side of the family where as you favour the Stark side. You are similar to Lyanna in many ways. Both in looks and temperament. Uncle Benjen thought it too, the last time he saw you at Winterfell, when Robert Baratheon asked father to be the hand of the king."
"Can you remember father? As you, not as the raven?"
"I can recall so much of Ned Stark, sometimes I wonder if the memories are truly mine."
They sat there for a time both thinking of Eddard Stark and the time with his family that was cut short due to his loyalty and honour. Arya thought of Jon, languishing in a cell and now being banished to the Wall. It wasn't fair. How could she even think of staying in Westeros when he was sent away?
"Have you made your choice yet?" Bran asked.
"Which choice?"
He gave the briefest of smiles.
"There are many choices you could make, I see them all. I see the choices you make afterwards and the many paths you could tread."
"Which is the best one?"
"They all have their merits. What may be the best one depends on you. The Arya Stark who used to play with practice swords with her brothers and wish she were one of them is different from the Arya Stark you are now. What may have seem exciting as a child may not now. Similarly what you thought you would never want you find yourself wondering about."
Arya chewed on her lip as she tried to process the thoughts that were running and jumping in her mind.
"Did you know Sansa would tell Tyrion, about Jon?"
Bran nodded. "It was a choice she made."
"If she hadn't, would Daenerys have reacted as she did? Would all those people have died?"
"Power corrupts the mind as does jealousy, envy and fear. It makes you see what isn't there and not see what is there."
"Will you ever give me a straight answer?"
"Yes."
"Do I tell Gendry the truth? About his parents?"
"You must judge what you think is best, as Jon did. As Sam and I did."
"But it will change everything."
"You weren't so concerned when you asked Daenerys to make him a Lord and give him Storm's End."
"That was different." She snapped.
"How? You could have misjudged him. He could have sided with her in the battle, he could have hunted you down for spurning him. He could have had a claim to the throne, joined with Daenerys and their child be placed on the throne as a Targeryn-Baretheon ruler."
"He wouldn't do that." She replied firmly.
"No? What makes you so sure sister?"
"Because I know him, he would be loyal to the Starks."
"Why?"
"You know why." Through gritted teeth she had the urge to push Bran from his chair to make him stop.
"I have witnessed little of Lord Baretheon face to face. However, the effect he had on others is evidence of his character. I am told by those that are still alive to do so, that he is his father by looks alone. He would not hurt you sister, I know you fear he will leave you again. It is one of his greatest regrets that he did not heed your words and escape with you as family."
"And which of your spies or memories have told you that?"
"None of them. It is there for all to see."
Silence fell amongst them as Arya processed all he had told her.
"And look what happened the last time a Baretheon fell in love with a Stark." She mumbled.
"Lyanna Stark fell in love with another."
"Well I wouldn't do that."
"No." Bran gave a rare smile. "The feelings you have for your friend are much stronger. You are as fiercely protective of him, as Nymeria is of her pack.
For if you weren't, you wouldn't be unsure of your adventure and you wouldn't be worrying of hurting him by telling him about his mother."
"What would you do? As Bran not the Three-eyed bird thing."
"Brandon Stark would have asked his sister for advice."
"So I should speak to Sansa? She would be livid and see him as a threat."
"No, he would have sought the advice of his other sister, who didn't care about convention or what was expected of her, who acted on her feelings and emotions because she knew she was right, even when she wasn't because she believed in herself. She knew who she was."
"I don't know who I am now, Bran."
"So go and find yourself again. That is what you wanted to hear was it not?"
"So I should go?"
"It depends on whether you think your place is far away or closer than you think."
"You know, you may be the King and all but you are still very annoying, is that treason?"
Another rare smile
"Not from a sister to a brother. Make your choice. Only you can."
They sat in in silence for a while until Bran looked across to her and asked
"Will you stay for the Coronation?"
"You care about things like that?" Arya asked, confused, pulling at the scab again.
"No but Lord Tyrion will persuade the Council that it is needed to cement alliances officially and let everyone know where they stand, or sit in my case."
"Did you just make a joke?" She turned to look at him in surprise
"It has been known."
"I wish you were just Bran again, not the bird thing or the King."She asked softly.
"Will you ever just be Arya?" He asked smiling at her knowingly
She rolled her eyes.
"We are many people." He continued without waiting for her to answer "You are Arya Stark, Nan, Weasal, Arry, Salty, Blind Beth, Mercy, Night King Slayer, Bringer of Dawn, Lady Stark, Princess of the North, Princess of the Six Kingdoms. Shall I go on?"
"You've made your point, but if you call me Lady Stark or any of that Princess crap I will tip you forward from this chair, treason or not King Bran the Broken, first of his name." She smiled.
"I really think you might. So, sister, what name will you take when you depart?"
"Why should it matter? Can't I just be Arya of House Stark?"
"If that is what you wish, but you are also heir to both the Six Kingdoms and the North. You will find it difficult to enforce your preference to others. Not all know you like Ser Brienne or Lord Baratheon who I have decided I will be naming as Lord Paramount and Master of War within the year."
"Great. He'll love that." Arya replied sarcastically.
"If this is your weird way of getting me to stay, it's doing the opposite."
"You asked for him to be made a Lord. I agree, he will be a great Lord.You will return but only when you are ready. Though if you think you will find the answer there, you may be disappointed."
"What answer? I'm going to explore! I'm going to see what lies across the world! That's all the answers I need! I will find the things you have asked me for and send them back whilst I continue east.
"Yes. And you will enjoy your travels.For a while. But the answer to your question is here in Westeros. Who is Arya Stark?"