Chapter 3

A couple of days pass. I have settled into my new school, everyone had introduced themselves and we have all got our class schedules. Even though I didn't want to be here, I was glad that everyone did seem nice, though i couldn't shake the feeling that i didn't belong. There was a lot of girls here that did actually want to come to this school and learn, which shocked me. I thought everyone here was being forced to come this school like myself. I couldn't help but feel like i stuck out in this crowd of women. All of them was so beautiful and elegant, and what was i compared to them?

As we all sat in the hall at dinner times, on a large wooden table that seemed to go on forever, the girls around me cooed about all the Lords they couldn't wait to meet when it came time for them to find a suitable husband.

I do want to get married. I want to settle down and have a family, i always envisioned that i'd have two children, probably both boys. I'm sure they would look an awful lot like their father, the husband role was still a big blur to me. But this was all one day in the far future. I couldn't think about getting married, settling down and having children of my own when I still felt like a child myself! How on earth could I look after another human being when I could barely remember to brush my own hair in the mornings? I looked across the table to the pink haired girl who i'd recently learned was called Obella Martell. She was sat opposite me, her back hunched over as she ate her plate full of rice and what looked to be peas mixed in it. She definitely stuck out in the crowd, not only for her appearance, but her mannerisms as well. She didn't greet people the proper way, nor did she sit like a normal lady would sit. I felt more connected to her than any of these women in this room.

"What do you want?" I asked her. The other girls quietened down and listened to her response.

She glanced up at me, her black eye makeup was slightly smudged. To some this might have fooled them into believing it was a fashion statement, but to me i noticed it was from wiping away tears. Her fingers also held black smudge marks and her eyes looked puffy and slightly red. You wouldn't notice if you hadn't been looking, but i was. I wanted to know who these women that i was going to living with really were. And even though I'm sure this girl could beat my ass in a fight, I've discovered she isn't as tough as she makes out.

She gave a shrug and continued eating her food. The other girls slowly went back to their conversations, and I let them before I continued. "Where are you from?" I asked.

She looked up at me again, holding an expression of annoyance. "Dorne." She finally answered, going back to eating.

I've heard of Dorne, beautiful hot climate, desert like, but i have never been myself. Her home sounds so different compared to mine. Our land was beautiful, but it was usually covered in a blanket of snow.

"Did your family make you come here too?" I asked.

Suddenly she slammed her fork down on her plate. "Look, Arya was it? I'm not here to make friends, so i'd much rather not sit here and make stupid chit chat about shit i couldn't care less about."

I realised everyone was now staring at us again. So I couldn't exactly be honest and tell her the real reason i was talking to her. I wasn't looking for friends either, I wanted an alliance in helping me escape. But with her stinking attitude maybe i should go about this alone. I didn't speak to her again and soon became invisible in this crowd of women.

The next day was the first day of lessons. Looking at my class schedule it read, Speech ; Varys, room 236. So here I was, staring in the mirror at my reflection, I wore comfortable jogging bottoms and a baggy plain white t-shirt. I noticed my freckles that i'm sure most women would try to hide away with make up, not me. I liked my freckles. I grabbed hold of my hair and swept it up into a high ponytail before heading off for my first lesson in becoming a lady. I followed Myrcella who couldn't contain her excitement at attending the class.

Myrcella was a beautiful woman. She reminded me a lot of Sansa, in that she was just naturally perfect. Well, it felt to me like they was both perfect. No doubt they both had their flaws, but looking at Myrcella now it was hard to spot them. Today she wore a tight light blue dress, grey tights and dolly shoes. Around her neck she had a beautiful blue sheer scarf that drifted around her body in the breeze, making her look angelic. I'm sure any Lord would be more than happy in having Myrcella as their wife. Glancing down at my attire i'm sure they'd think twice before accepting me. I couldn't help but give a small smile to myself when i imagined their faces as they drifted from looking at Myrcella to then looking at me. What two completely different people we were.

"I've been looking forward to lessons since I arrived here! It's gone by so fast so far hasn't it Arya?" I gave a small nod as my response.

For me, it had dragged. Every minute that ticked by felt like an hour for me. But secretly, I was looking forward to classes just to have something to do instead of sitting in our room, walking the garden and eating. Also, I hadn't seen Gendry since our brief encounter and I was sure I would see him soon now that lessons had started.

We walked into the classroom 236 and took a seat at our desks. Looking down I noticed carved into the desk was the name Cersi with a heart around it.

"Good morning Ladies." A gentleman said as he entered the room. He was a plump man with a bald head that gleamed in the bright ceiling lights, like a bowling ball. He didn't wear a suit, but instead baggy soft material trousers and a plain flowy baggy top. Sort of reminded me of that 60's peace and love style of men's clothes.

He stood at the front of the room and scanned the room, looking at us all individually. "My name is Varys, and I am your teacher for the next hour. During this hour, I will begin with what we will be doing for the rest of the year. Which is teaching you all proper manners, and talking properly. Does anyone have any questions so far?" He asked and continued to look around at us all.

No one responded so he continued, this time moving behind his desk to take a seat as he spoke to us. "Can anyone tell me why it is important to speak properly?"

No one answered so he continued. "We need to use proper language when speaking so that we don't come across as uneducated. Being polite and leaving out profanity is such an important thing when speaking to people. We don't want to address someone we have just met and give them the wrong impression of us do we Ladies?"

Everyone shook their head. I tried not to laugh. How ridiculous did he sound? Why should using a slang word change the way someone views me? If it did maybe i wouldn't want to be one of their friends. This went on for a while, with him saying a sentence a normal person would say, and then telling us it was wrong and showing us how to correctly say it. I glanced over at Myrcella who was engrossed in every word he said. She'd study him, and write down everything he just said as if it was the lord himself speaking to her. I tried to hide the annoyance I felt from my face as I raised my hand.

"Yes…. Arya is it?" Varys asked scanning the paper on his desk to find my name.

"Yes, umm i need to use the toilet." I said and stood up.

"Yes! Right there, perfect example!" Varys said, clapping his hands together with excitement. "Ladies would never use the word Toilet, you should say Lavatory from now on."

I gave small nod and continued on my tracks for the door. I could feel everyone's eyes watching me as i moved around the desks, heading for the exit. My hand opened the door and I was near freedom when on the other side of the frame i bumped into something. "Ow."

I heard the door squeak closed behind me and glanced up. Gendry's half smile looked down at me. "Sorry." He said and rubbed his shoulder, "I wasn't expecting someone to come out the door during lessons, never mind someone basically running out of there."

"I wasn't running." I argued back and began walking down the hall towards the toilet… well i think it was this way at least. To be honest seeing Gendry has thrown me in a spin and i was a little disorientated. I tried not to think of little contact we had made when i bumped into him, my hand had rested against his chest just for a brief moment, but it was enough for me to notice that his chest felt hard under my palm. Maybe he was hiding some muscles under those clothes. I felt my face start to flush at the thought of him under his clothes. Wow, i need to stop, what is wrong with me?!

He fell into step next to me, keeping up with my quick pace easily with long strides. Oh what i'd give to be taller. "Where are you running too?"

"A Lady shouldn't speak of such things." I teased, flashing him a smile.

He laughed, "Fair enough…" He paused slightly, looking at me from the corner of his eye. His lips parted in a big grin, the he slightly licked his lips as he turned to look forward, watching were he was going. I felt my heart speed up it's pace as i admired him. The room was filled with a bright yellow glow from the sunlight streaming in through the giant windows on either end of the hallway. The light danced over both of us, but gave Gendry such a dreamy look to him. He wore a a grey baggy jumper today and plain blue jeans, looking smart but also casual. I definitely felt under dressed at this school. His brown hair looked styled messier than I remembered. But his eyes, his eyes were still the same crystal blue that i thought about when lying in my room trying to pass the time. "How are you finding it here so far?" He asked, his voice was quiet, but still made my skin tingle just hearing it.

I felt my smile drop from my face. "You know I don't want to be here Gendry. How do you think it's going?"

He looked over to me. "Why are you so adamant that you don't belong here? Give it a chance, it might open your eyes to the good things that you can learn here. Every day things as well, not just speaking properly." I saw him give a slight roll of his eyes at that last part, he tried to hide it from me but i caught it. What did he think of these lessons, did he also think they were stupid?

I laughed slightly, "Like what? How to curtsy?" I stopped and gave him a curtsy. "See, I can do that just fine."

He stopped and i could tell he was holding back a laugh. "Well, that was one of the worse curtsies i have ever seen."

"No, it's perfectly fine!" I argued back and did it again to prove my point. This seemed to be too much for Gendry and he actually burst out in laughter. Even though I was annoyed, I couldn't deny how nice it was hearing his laughter. It seemed to seep into me, taking away the terrible sadness I had felt since arriving here and filled me with a little warmth.

He wouldn't stop laughing so I charged up to him and punched him in the shoulder. He acted like it didn't hurt, but i knew i hit him hard enough to leave a sting. My older brother Rob had shown me how to throw a punch when i was growing up, maybe i knew something here that those other ladies didn't. He still continued to laugh, which wound me up even more. I went to hit him again, harder this time but he caught my fist. I tried to pull back, but he held me there in his grip, gave my hand a slight squeeze before letting me go. I stared at him, looking into his eyes wondering what was going through his mind right now. Glancing down i looked at his lips, they was slightly parted and i noticed his breath was a bit uneven as he breathed in. Maybe he was feeling that same tension i was.

"Do you think it's a good idea to punch your teacher?" He was standing very close to me, so close i could reach up and cup his cheek with my hand. But i didn't.

I gave a small shrug and stepped back. "Maybe not, i always used to fight with my brothers, it's my defense now. I may not know how to cursty properly, but i do know how to land a punch."

As if reading my mind he suddenly turned from me, and looked down the hall in the direction we was heading.

"Yes, you definitely do know how to land a punch Arya," He gave a small laugh while rubbing his shoulder. "We will have to go over that curtsy though." He said and continued walking like nothing had just happened. I caught up with his pace and followed him right to the next hallway, not even sure where I was going anymore.

"So, are you going to answer my question from the other day?" She paused to give him time to think. "How old are you?"

"And once again m'lady, that it none of your concern." I gritted my teeth at that word.

"Come on, i'll tell you my age if you tell me yours." I tried bargaining, this usually worked with my brothers when I said I'd give them some of my ice cream if they give me some of their crisps.

"I already know your age Arya, I am your teacher after all." He paused and looked at me. "Why do you want to know so bad?"

"I'm just curious." I said, trying not to make it obvious that i in fact just wanted to know more about him. I found myself thinking of him most days, wondering what he was doing. Thought about his blue eyes. But I actually didn't know much about Gendry Baratheon at all.

He didn't say anything for a while, looked into my pleading eyes and gave a small sigh. "I'm 22. Are you happy now?"

But i wasn't, i wanted to know more. "Why do you want to be a teacher?"

He again stopped walking and I did too. "That's a bit of personal question, don't you think?"

I shrugged, "Not really, again just being friendly and curious."

He nodded towards a sign on the wall, glancing at it, it read 'Lavatory'.

"I don't want to be a teacher." He confessed. As I looked into his eyes I could tell he was being honest, but the answer really surprised me, I couldn't imagine it was true.

"Then why are you here?"

"Because it is what's expected of me. My father will retire soon and someone has to take his place. Sometimes, and you will learn this, you have to do what is expected of you Arya, even if that means sacrificing what you want."

I didn't know how to reply to that so instead just watched him as he continued walking down the hall. Why would you do something you didn't want to do? It didn't make sense to me. Wouldn't every day be a miserable day? Life is too short, we are only here for a short amount of time and I feel you should spend your days doing the things you love.

Once he was out of site, i walked into the ladies toilets, wondering how on earth I was going to find my way back to my class.

Thank you so much for reading my story! I hope you're enjoying it so far.

I have a plan of where i want this story to go, it will probably be around 16 chapters long. I haven't included anything with her parents, if you would like that let me know. If not i will just keep it about this school and Gendry :)

Also i am sorry but i don't have a beta, so i'm only noticing mistakes when i re-read. When i notice them i will go back and change anything i find. Sorry, hope you understand!