Even years later, the general perceptions hadn't changed. It didn't even matter which part of the continent you lived in. In fact, a girl in The North was having a similar inward struggle to the one Cersei had experiencing the same kind of fear Cersei had felt when she was her age. It probably would have surprised them both to learn how much alike they were. And yet, Arya was so much like her brothers. She was expected to be a lady. But that wasn't the life for her.
Of course, her father supported her to the best of his ability. Her mother had her own fears, but Arya couldn't help that. She wasn't like Sansa. She didn't enjoy the same things her sister seemed to.
She had heard the king was coming to Winterfell. To her, this was exciting. She would get to meet new people, some of them she had only ever heard about. She did enjoy learning about new things and people.
At the same time, this visit scared her a little. What did it mean? Would things change somehow? She got the feeling her parents thought they would. But she didn't fully understand it yet.
But she did know she couldn't stay inside any longer. So she and her direwolf went outside. It was a nice day. She could enjoy the fresh air for awhile. It appeared there was no one else outside. So she could explore a little if she wanted to.
But then she realized she wasn't alone. Sansa was one of the last people she wanted to see right now. She tried to hide, knowing why her sister was here. But it was pointless. Sansa knew most of her hiding places by now.
"Mother will be upset if she finds out you ran off again." she wanted to be gentle with her. But Arya needed to learn.
Arya frowned. "You know how boring I find a needle. They're not interesting. They do the same things over and over again. And if you mess up, you have to start over."
Sansa nodded. "All the more reason to practice."
Arya sighed. "I'm not you. I can't just sit inside doing the same boring things all day."
Sansa frowned. "You're a lady Arya. You can't just do whatever you want."
More like she never got to do what she wanted. Not really anyway. Still, she followed Sansa back inside. There was no point in fighting after all. This was the way it had always been, and it was the way it would probably always be.
