Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or storylines except for a few OC's that will come into play later. I gain no profit from what I will write.

Summary: With all conflicts resolved in Westeros, Arya has set sail west to find what lies beyond where all the maps end. She may or may not regret searching for the answers she has. She will eventually realise that even with all her experience, she couldn't have prepared for what she will find.

Chapter 1: A Lost Voyage

Eyes closed, head to the sky, sitting cross-legged and leaning against a crate fixed to the deck. Despite the winter furs she wore, Arya felt a chill run through her body, causing her to shudder as another strong breeze enveloped her. Were it not for the wind; it would be safe to say that one wouldn't be able to feel the cold with the thick furs she wore. It was a relatively calm night; the seasoned sailors would call it a sea state one, maybe two. Although she hadn't spent a great deal of time on ships in her life, she found that it was starting to become second nature. Taking a deep breath, Arya looked at the flawless night sky; the moon was full and shining brightly, the surrounding sky lit with stars that looked like they were sewn into the most beautiful tapestry.

With all hostilities put to rest, her home was finally at peace again. With Bran as king of the Six Kingdoms and Sansa Queen as the North, she knew Westeros would recover. Especially with her brother and sister surrounded by wise and loyal advisors.

Looking aft of where she sat, she watched as another crew member came into view and disappeared below deck. Thankfully, everyone on the voyage shared the same dream of finding a new land west of where all maps ended and understood they might never return. The crew consisted of seventy-one personnel, primarily men and some women, all hailing from different parts of Westeros. Although the majority were from The Iron Islands, they were, after all, known for being born to sail.

Arya had begun to have doubts for a couple of weeks now. It had been three and a half-moon's since they had set sail from Kings Landing, and after sailing around the southern part of Westeros, stopping in Dorne and Casterly Rock to replenish supplies, there was nothing but open ocean, and the morale was beginning to drop. The crew started to argue that they would soon reach the point of no return and wouldn't have enough supplies to make it back.

'Two and a half-moons... seventy-eight days', she thought to herself.

To distract herself in her downtime, she would think of everything that had transpired in her life, though only one and twenty. Arya hoped she had seen all of what people were capable of and that there would be no more unpleasant surprises.

A smile pulled at her lips as she thought of a fellow crewmate from the Iron Islands. He was a large and hairy man named Semar who looked to be in his early fifties, who, despite looking the part of a hardened sailor who had spent his life on ships, was very kind and warm. He had taken her under his wing, so to speak, despite her being reserved and had insisted she learn how to sail correctly, she agreed, glad that it was him who was teaching her.

Despite being a kind man in his way, he had no manners and was always blunt and sometimes a bit too descriptive. She remembered when he had explained the sea states to her. "One, the water is like glass. Two, the waves are about half a foot high and are just breaking, showing the white caps." He covered each of the various states before getting to seven, "Seven, the waves are twenty feet or so high. Which is a bit shit, but you can have fun with it! Grab the ladder bay and crouch. Time your jump right, and you can jump the whole thing. Mistime it, and it'll hurt like hell. Now" he had said as he began coiling a line, "after seven comes sea state bullshit, which is."

"Shit?"

At that, he had just smiled, replying, "Fuck oath! Shit."

It was late, and she felt herself starting to get tired. Rising to her feet, she made her way to her cabin, saying goodnight to a couple of night watch crew members before she collapsed on her bed, ready for sleep.

Seven Hours Later

Arya woke with a shock as she hit the deck, jerking awake from the fall; she quickly realised as she immediately began to roll uncontrollably across the deck that the ship was being thrown about violently in the swell. Arya regained her footing and quickly prepared herself to go on deck; she stumbled as she fastened needle and her valyrain steel dagger to her belt; having a blade of any kind was always helpful when it was rough. Once they were secure with an extra strap, she rushed out to find that the calm sea she had gone to sleep to had turned into something very different.

She saw the captain next to the helm shouting orders to the crew. They were rushing about as quickly as they could as the ship's rocking made them move slower as they tried to maintain their balance, which was made more difficult by the strong winds.

Spotting Semar, she made her way over to him, knowing he was as good a person to give directions as any, given the circumstances. As she approached him, he dropped to the deck, using all his weight to pull a loose line tight.

"Tie this off!"

Arya quickly secured the line as Semar put everything into keeping it taut.

"Argh, there you are! Thought you might be gone!" Even though shouting, it was challenging to hear him.

"I fell out of bed!"

"I told you to always tie yourself down before sleeping!" he yelled mockingly with a wide grin. "No sympathy here, dumbarse!"

Rolling her eyes, she asked how what needed to be done. Semar quickly gave her directions, and she set about doing the tasks assigned. They mainly were ensuring cargo was secured and assisting others where needed. Given the conditions, there were things that she couldn't do on her own that others could. While she was excellent when it came to stealth and fighting, there were limitations given her size, strength and experience at sea. Strength was just as helpful as body weight, both of which she didn't have much of when compared to many experienced sailors. Even though her hands had been calloused, she had gotten substantially stronger since they had set sail; she was still weaker than the seasoned sailors.

The conditions only worsened over the next six hours; the wind picked up, the waves grew larger, and heavy rain hammered down on them from the nearly black clouds. Everyone was directed to ensure a rope secured them at all times. Arya didn't know how many, but it was believed they had lost at least ten overboard. With nothing they could do to rescue them, those remaining battled on. Arya's arms were burning, and she could feel the exhaustion threatening to break her. Arya knew she wasn't the only one, with the same fear and determination on the faces of everyone else.

As she struggled to resecure a line holding down some cargo, made more difficult from her hands shaking from the freezing rain and strain, she heard a bell being violently stuck, followed by the chain of screams rapidly spreading from person to person. "ROGUE WAVE! BRACE!"

Arya didn't need another warning; she planted her foot on the rope she was working on and grabbed hold of a railing, and held it as tight as she could. Squinting as she looked up, she could feel the rain stinging her face, and there she saw an enormous wave coming straight for them.

She looked sideways to see Semar holding on next to her. "WELCOME TO BULLSHIT!" he screamed at her before dipping his head.

Dropping her head, she closed her eyes tightly and held on as hard as she could. It seemed to her that there was no storm for a moment, and it was as it had been the previous night. Then the wave struck; the force was more significant than anything she could have anticipated. The wave swept her off her feet as she held on for dear life. She knew what she tried to save was gone, and right now, she didn't care. She felt the wave pass. She looked up and took in the scene around her; some of the railings were torn off. Cargo carried away, and she knew some of the crews were gone now as well.

Next to her, Semar coughed as he raised his head; he looked around then looked at Arya.

"WHAT DO WE DO?" she shouted

"JUST HOLD ON!"

Over what seemed like an eternity, Arya held on with all she had, never willing to take the risk to give herself even a moment of respite by loosening her grip, even slightly. Then she heard the bell again, and again followed by the chain of screams "ROGUE WAVE! BRACE!"

Next to her, Semar raised his head and looked at the wave coming towards them. This one was much larger than any other. His head violently whipped around to meet Arya's eye. All confidence was gone, and his eyes looked devoid of emotion or feeling. He quickly stumbled away from her; she tried to watch as she screamed at him to come back.

A moment later, he was next to her and holding the closest bit of timber he could find. It was a large section of the railing that had been broken free.

"THIS IS IT!" he shouted as he pulled her fastening free.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Arya was franticly trying to stop him, the fear more than evident in her voice.

"THIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE!"

Not having the strength even to hinder him slightly, she watched as he masterfully secured her to the timber quicker than she would have thought possible. He then warped an arm around her and held her tight.

"LET GO!"

She forced herself to release her grip on the railing and held on to the timber he had secured her to as best she could.

"SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE!"

Before she could respond, the rogue wave struck. The massive wave instantly engulfed her as she was torn free of Semar's hold. Holding her breath and keeping her eyes closed was all she could do. She could feel the timber she held onto trying to break the surface, but every time she thought it might be close, another wave pummelled down, pushing her deeper beneath the surface until finally, she felt the air. Coughing up seawater and gasping as fresh air filled her lungs, she looked around, trying to see the ship. She caught a glimpse of it; it was already 200 feet away and capsized. All hope faded; if she weren't here, she would have been able to feel her tears as she knew this was the end.

She wanted to die, get it over with, but her body forced her to fight on. As she rapidly turned her head back and forth to try and see where the next wave would crash onto her from, she could feel her hair whipping her face, it stung each time, but she didn't care.

With no concept of time or how long she held on, Ayra felt the rain get lighter and the sea calm. She didn't release her hold but took the pleasure of loosening her grip slightly. As time passed, the sea continued to calm. With her remaining strength fading and exhaustion taking control, Arya could feel herself drifting off. Her eyes were about to close when something caught her attention in the distance; with the last of her strength, she raised her head slightly and saw land. Too tired to smile, a thought crossed her mind 'I knew it.' Finally, with no strength remaining, everything turned dark.

Characters

Arya: A member of House Stark from Westeros

Semar: A Sailor from The Iron Islands in Westeros