In which our little wolf finds out that perhaps suffering is necessary to achieve something
*Year 304 After Conquest (AC) - New Future*
Arya can't believe what her eyes are seeing right now. It has been six long years since she last saw Nymeria in this lifetime. The direwolf had only been as big as a fully grown hound then but now, she was exceptionally larger, perhaps even larger than Ghost. Arya moves forward without hesitation, marvelling at how impressive Nymeria looked. A grin plastered on the young Stark's face and if anyone was to look at her, they would probably think she was crazy, advancing to the beast without the care in the world with a stupid smile pulling on her lips. Fortunately for Arya, someone else was indeed there with her at the moment. She felt her left arm being secured in a tight grip as the person yanked her backwards away from the feral animal, keeping a safe distance.
"Arya, what are you doing?" Daenerys practically hissed the words at the young woman's ear. The dragon queen keeps her gaze locked at the direwolf as her body tense further.
Arya turns around then getting back to her senses. "It's alright Daenerys… This is Nymeria." She explains, unable to wipe off the grin.
The dragon queen looks at Arya like she made no sense. Frowning, she shakes her head lightly waiting for the young woman to explain further.
"This is Nymeria," Arya said again. "She's my direwolf."
At the last words, Nymeria let out another vicious growl before she jumps over the boulder she was previously on, landing gracefully on the ground – despite her big frame – in front of the two women. Arya and Daenerys instantly stumble backwards at the sudden advance and proximity.
"Why do I have a feeling that Nymeria doesn't like you calling her yours?" Daenerys asked not really expecting an answer.
Arya's smile fell completely at the remark. Unease starts to creep inside her as she takes a really good look at the direwolf. Nymeria still bared its long and sharp teeth at them, her stance is one of that is ready to pounce and end her prey. And Arya realized that is exactly what the direwolf regards them as. Her preys. When Nymeria's dark golden eyes change its direction towards the dragon queen, her paws move forward as if to take her down, making Daenerys backed away instinctively.
Arya doesn't let the direwolf have the chance to attack though, as she shields Daenerys with her own body then. She clenched her jaw tight as she regards her long lost companion. "Nymeria, stop." She called, holding her gaze.
Nymeria's growl only grew louder, and Arya is sure she could sense the irritation coming off from the direwolf. As if on cue, the wolves' pack moves closer towards them, making their circle smaller and entrapping them further.
The young Stark swallowed a lump forcefully as she regards the direwolf again. "Nymeria, it's me…Arya." she tries for the second time, holding her palms up in the air seeking an understanding.
Mentioning her own name must have done something because Nymeria's golden eyes flicker to her grey ones then and Arya waits a few tense moments as they studied each other silently. When the growl lowered and was completely gone, the young woman starts to move forward in an attempt to soothe the direwolf completely.
But, before the young Stark can do that, the Targaryen Queen quickly interrupts. "Arya, no," she called out desperately breaking the calmness as she yanked the girl backwards again.
That does it for Nymeria as she shifts her attention to the dragon queen with a snarl, followed by the wolves pack starting to growl again.
Arya snaps her head behind her, addressing the older woman. "Just stay still, Daenerys… Don't worry, Nymeria won't hurt me." She assured.
Daenerys opens her mouth to argue but decided against it when the grey eyes in front of her send a pleading and quite convincing look that makes her mouth snaps shut in acceptance. Frowning, she gives the young woman a curt nod and decides to let Arya be. Her concerns for the well-being of the young Stark only deteriorate from this point on and Daenerys wished that she could be the one that protects the girl for a change.
Finding the consent of the dragon queen and believing that Daenerys will not try to engage herself in the exchange that Arya was about to do, she turns ahead to Nymeria again. The direwolf is still snarling at the silver-haired queen and the only thing that is stopping the creature from advancing and ripped the older woman apart is herself, as she is practically blocking its path.
Calmly, Arya takes a step towards her long lost companion then. "Nymeria." She calls carefully again. When the said beast snaps its head at her, she continues. "Come now girl, it's only me…Arya." She pauses and Nymeria's growl ebbs away as her golden eyes find greys again. "I'm going home to Winterfell. Do you want to come home with me?" she finished and waited expectantly.
They could have been at it for hours as Arya's gaze softens and Nymeria returns with one of her timid look that the young woman remembered watching and adoring when she was a child and Nymeria a pup. A smile is beginning to form at her lips as she felt the familiar change in the direwolf. "Come home with me, Nym." She said, pleading now.
But, before Nymeria can formulate any kind of answer, a loud shriek interrupts their moments. Arya turns around so fast that it was a miracle she didn't pull a muscle as her breath caught in her throat. She mutters a few obscenities when a large black-red winged beast makes an appearance. Another louder shriek came out from Drogon as he lands himself exceptionally close than Arya would have liked on the ground. He doesn't care that he didn't have any clearing around the area and the trees end up being the victim as it breaks in awkward angles at the weight the dragon inflicted.
Arya shifts her attention to the older woman then. "Daenerys, why is Drogon here? Did you call him?" she asked desperately.
The dragon queen is still looking up at her dragon with a surprised look for a moment before she turns to seek grey ones. "No, I did not." She replied.
Drogon immediately let out a snarl as he regards the wolf pack that has retreated behind Nymeria. The direwolf doesn't let the action intimidates her as she let out her threatening growl instead. That seems to spark the other wolves as they imitate their leader. The tension was so thick in the air that Arya could slice it with a knife. But, unfortunately for her, she doesn't own a knife, a dagger or any kind of weapon at the moment to protect Daenerys and herself from the possible clash of the beasts.
Arya looks to the older woman again, restraining not to move that much, afraid that the slightest action will trigger a fight to break out. "Daenerys, tell Drogon to leave. He's only making it worse."
Daenerys looks at her with a frown. "He's only trying to protect me, Arya." she reasoned, sounding bitter.
Arya let out a huff of annoyance then. "I have the situation under control before your dragon came flew in without warning."
Daenerys narrows her eyes, not impress. "Well, Drogon must have sensed my discomfort when your direwolf intends to maim me just a moment ago."
"I stopped that from happening, did I not? Nymeria won't hurt you… Now, please tell Drogon to leave."
Daenerys was about to speak up again when another vicious growl comes out from Nymeria then. Both women can only stare wide-eyed as the direwolf moves its paw out, advancing. Arya immediately stands in its way, spreading her arms wide apart. "Nymeria, no." her voice sounded loud to her ears even though Drogon was snarling back as if to challenge the direwolf. The young Stark suddenly feels warm and can feel the beginning of sweat at the back of her neck.
"Drogon, iōragon ilagon," Daenerys shouts firmly, making Arya turns her head to the direction.
When her grey eyes caught sight of the glowing fire from the dragon's mouth that soon subsides after the dragon queen shouting, Arya cusses under her breath. If she let it go on any longer, Nymeria would start to attack without care if its opponent is a breathing-fire dragon. And, it doesn't need a wise mind to figure out which one will end up in a pile of ashes.
At the exact moment, Nymeria bristles further after that and the young woman reckon the direwolf had interpreted that act from the dragon as the first offence when she suddenly starts advancing again. It happens so fast that Arya doesn't even realize her body had moved. When Nymeria dashes forward with its jaw open, ready to rip Drogon apart, Arya bolts towards the direwolf, not really thinking what she was doing.
Later, when she jumps onto Nymeria and they end up topple down the ground and Arya finds the sudden pain that course through her right arm, only did she realized what had happened. She heard Daenerys shouting as her body rolls over the ground with the additional weight. A whimper escapes her when she comes to a stop, sending another wave of pain on her right arm as she ends up kneeling on the ground with her arms securely held around the direwolf, successfully stopping its advance.
"Arya!" Daenerys voice sounded again, more desperately this time.
The young woman forces her eyes to open then. The first thing she sees is the grey fur of the direwolf as her face is practically buried under the soft and warm furs. When Arya pulls her face away, she founds that one of her arms is around Nymeria's neck and another is between its jaws. She swallows a lump as she finally realized where the pain was coming from. The young woman didn't have time to examine her injury when the older woman calls her name again, distressed clearly sounded in her tone.
Arya tilts her head to find the silver-haired queen then and found that the older woman is still where she last stand. Drogon's massive form loomed behind her. "I'm fine." She croaked. "Daenerys, I'm fine. Tell Drogon to leave, now…before something worse happened." She said again, pleased that her voice came out strong the second time.
The silence is deafening to the young Stark's ears as she waits patiently for the dragon queen to act.
"Drogon." Daenerys starts, swallowing down bile at the image of the young woman injured form. She held her chin up to the dragon. "Ziry iksos sỳz. Kesan daor sagon ōdrikagon. Henujagon." She commands, displaying all her confidence she could muster.
The black-red dragon regards Daenerys with a tilt of its head for a moment before it let out a huff of air and spreads out its wings and finally flew off as per instructed. The dragon queen let out a breath as she watched Drogon's form grew smaller in the darkening sky. She turns ahead to the kneeling girl again, finding her much in the same state, with the direwolf's sharp teeth sunk onto her flesh. "Arya," she calls hesitantly at her frozen state. Even the direwolf is perfectly still.
"I'm alright Daenerys. Don't come near me yet… I don't want to scare off Nymeria." Arya said back, calmly.
Daenerys can't help as a mirthless chuckle escapes her, disbelief at the young woman's choice of words. "You don't want to scare off Nymeria?" she echoes back incredulously. Before she can retort with another remark about the girl and her now bleeding arm, the said girl interrupts.
"Daenerys, please… I need you to trust me."
The silver-haired queen bite the inside of her own cheek, reluctantly agrees at the request as she held her advance towards them.
Hearing no other argument from Daenerys, Arya focuses her attention towards Nymeria again. The direwolf was unbelievably silent as her golden eyes finally found her grey ones. Arya tries to move her arm from its long canine teeth that have sunk deep into her flesh, but she ends up seeing black spots at the movement, sending sharp cold pain over her body. A quiet whimper escapes her in response which Nymeria ends up mirroring. Arya felt worse at that sound.
"Hush now, girl… It's alright." She coos, landing her face on Nymeria's soft furs, suddenly feeling exhausted. She let out a chuckle as the silence grows. "This is not how I dream of meeting you…" she trails. "And I've dreamed of you many times before since I lost you. I've missed you, Nymeria." She admits with a sigh.
A beat passes as Nymeria relaxes – as relaxed as she can be with an arm between her mouths – though, only slightly. Deciding that the direwolf is less distressed now, Arya clenches her jaw and straighten her shoulder as she tries to move her right arm again. Nymeria seems to understand the notion and opens her jaws moderately, making space. The young woman takes the chance to carefully take out her arm then. She stifles a scream as her flesh slides away from the sharp teeth, letting out a grunt instead.
The wound from the now open flesh bleeds out as there is nothing that stops them. Instinctively, Arya cradles her bleeding arm to her chest, as she stumbles backwards and ends up sitting on the ground. She tries to even her breathing as she stares at the large bite mark over her torn sleeves. The crimson blood is trailing down to her cloth and is beginning to soil the ground. With the adrenaline now gone, she can feel every stab of the open wounds and how much it truly hurts.
"Arya!" another familiar voice sounded then. She looks over her shoulder to find Jon and his men running towards her and Daenerys.
Speaking of Daenerys, the young woman almost forgot about the silver-haired queen. She glanced towards the older woman then and was greeted by the sight of Daenerys horror looks as she sprints forward. Arya wanted to ask the dragon queen what else could possibly horrify her but her head is heavy and is already plummeting to the ground as her body soon follows. At the corner of her eyes, she sees Nymeria fled along with her pack and then Ghost running after her before the violet eyes replaced them.
Daenerys mouth is moving, Arya noted. But, strangely she can't make out what the older woman was saying. She focuses on Daenerys purple eyes instead that seem too distraught and worried for some reason. The violet eyes are still quite exceptional despite it all and Arya wished she could stay lost in her favourite colour for a little while longer, but the black spots she keeps seeing only intensify and soon it overthrows everything else.
*
It was considerably warmer than Arya last remembered as she slowly regains her bearing. She could feel her sore limbs and aching muscle are less agonizing than before as she settles comfortably on the bed that she's lying. She could even ignore the murmurs that are floating around her as she tries to find a more comfortable position to further settle in the strange calmness. But, the tranquillity shatters when she tries to shift her body at an angle, sending a sharp piercing pain through her right arm, making her groan pathetically. She didn't even care that she sounded pitiful as the excruciating pain overwhelms her and tries to swallow her whole. The murmurs floating around grow more prominent and Arya swears she could hear her favourite voice among them calling her name. She wanted to answer back and opens her eyes but the discomfort over her right arm strikes again and she only managed another grunt.
"She's in pain. Do something!" a desperate voice which sounded a lot like Jon resonates clearly then.
"M'lord, I have stitched her up the best I can. Perhaps the milk of poppy could do the rest?" another foreign voice answered.
A beat of silence passes before Arya heard the rustle of movement and then it was replaced by someone reaching for her neck. She let out another grunt, more of an annoyance for being manhandled than anything. When something was pressed against her closed lips, she musters up her energy into pushing it away with her good hand.
"I don't want that." She croaked with her eyes still shut.
Somehow, it seems to do the trick when the person who attempted to mouth feed her puts her back down.
"Are you awake, little sister?" Jon asked. His voice sounded on edge and so close to her ears. Even though Arya can't see him, she could imagine the worried look of his face.
Arya groans in response before trying to utter the words again. "I don't need the milk of poppy." She said with finality. She had gone through a lot worse than this and although a direwolf's bite is among the top injuries she had adorned, the young Stark was sure she could handle the pain on her own like the rest. Besides, she could not afford to lose consciousness again, especially with Nymeria still out there. The direwolf must have felt bad for what happened and Arya wanted to find her companion to let her know she was alright.
"You're in pain… It'll ease your suffering through the night." Jon reasoned with a stern voice that leaves no argument.
The young woman decides that the only thing that can convince her half-brother is to show him that she doesn't need it. She wills her eyes to open and blinks a few times to adjust the current low lighting she was at. The ceiling of a tent is the first thing she sees before she takes her surroundings. There were a few candles that light up the corners of the tent and it conveniently spreads through the inside space. When she tilts her head to her right, Jon is there, by the bed. "You look terrible, Jon. Did someone die?" she japed, trying to light up the mood. Her voice came out weaker than she'd expected.
Jon's answer was the grim look of his face, clearly not amused. "No, but someone was in a great potential of losing an arm only a few moments ago." He said instead.
Arya let out a tired sigh as she gingerly props herself up. After successfully sitting up, she leans against the stacked pillows behind her back. "Oh, come now brother…that's a bit of exaggeration. Nymeria wouldn't hurt me." She replied but when Jon shot her an incredulous look while glaring down to her bandaged arm, she continues. "This is my own doing… I simply got in her way."
Jon let out a resigned sigh as he closed his eyes, gathering his thoughts. Arya takes the opportunity to examine the entire tent then. She was not surprised to find they weren't alone as her gaze locked with violet ones across the tent. Daenerys was standing at a corner silently with Tyrion, Jorah and another man who Arya assumed was the healer that tended to her a while ago. Naturally, she shifts her attention towards the dragon queen again and noticed that the older woman is sporting a stony expression on her face though her purple eyes are telling another story as she returns her gaze. Arya swears she could see a spark of fire there if only she could study them a bit longer. Unlucky – or was it lucky – for her, Jon's voice brought her attention towards her half-brother again.
"It's true when they say old habit never dies…your scaring me to death with one of your stunts is a proof of that." He reprimands with a slight shake of his head. His dark grey eyes shine with unspoken tenderness even though his tone is one of scolding.
Arya let out a slight grin at that before shrugging it off.
Another sigh escapes Jon resignedly. "Please don't get into trouble again, little sister… Robb will have my head if anything were to happen to you before we get to Winterfell."
Arya let out a small smile then. "I can't promise that, but I promise I'll try."
Jon was about to open his mouth to reciprocate when a Northern soldier, wearing a Stark's direwolf breastplate burst through the tent unannounced. All heads naturally snap towards the man then.
The soldier halts midway when he realized all eyes are on him. He clears his throat awkwardly before he speaks up. "M'lord…your presence is needed outside." His gaze fixed on Jon as he waits patiently for a reply.
Jon's response was only the scrutinizing gaze directed at the man, clearly annoyed at being interrupted. The soldier shifts his weight uncomfortably to one side at that reaction.
Before Jon can let out his lecture, Arya decides to interrupt and save the man then. "Go on Jon… I'll be alright here." She assured.
Jon turns to her. "Are you sure?" he asked though his features clearly show reluctant to do so. Arya nods, gifting a small smile.
A defeated sigh escapes Jon. He rises from his seat by the bed and leans down to the young woman, taking her head with both his hands before landing a kiss on her forehead. "Call me if you need anything, you hear?" he asked, waiting for a reply.
Arya managed another nod firmly before her brother finally let go of his hold on her, but not before ruffling her hair like he always did once. The young woman glared in return as Jon takes his leave with a small smile pulling at his lips. He was about to step out when Arya suddenly called him again. He stops abruptly and turns back around with an expectant gaze, waiting for her to continue.
"Do you know where Nymeria is?" she asked.
"No." he answered short. Arya looks down to her hand on her lap expressionless, but Jon knows she was worried. "I think Ghost is with her. I have a feeling they're having a joy out there in the wilderness without us… well, I know Ghost at least will." he continues making the young woman brighten a little than before.
"Good night Jon." Arya wished then. Her worry ebbs away at the information. Knowing Nymeria has Ghost by her side as she did with Jon makes her feel a little less distraught at her lost companion.
"Rest well, little sister." Jon echoes back before he finally steps out of the tent, the soldier and the healer followed close behind him.
Silence wraps the inside space and fills the tent almost instantly after that. Arya let her gaze strays onto the dragon queen then. But, Daenerys only stared back with no intention to speak. As she studies the violet eyes, the smouldering beneath them came back and Arya can't help but feel slightly on edge as if she's waiting for the dragon queen to breathe fire or combust in flames.
Tyrion suddenly clears his throat loudly, breaking the silence. "I'm truly delighted that you're not badly hurt, Arya," he said with a genuine smile. "I'm sure you need a good rest so we'll leave you to it." He tilts his head, dismissing himself and turns around rather hurriedly before parting the tent's flap. When he realizes Jorah is still beside the silver-haired queen unmoving, he motions for the older man to join him. Jorah in his confusing state follows along without a word and then the two were gone leaving Arya and Daenerys alone in the tent.
Any other time, the young woman would be pleased to be by the company of the Targaryen Queen, but right now, she wished she didn't usher Jon away and hope for Tyrion to stay, even Jorah.
The silence stretches on and was becoming rather stressful, at least for Arya, because Daenerys seems to be perfectly calm emanating her silent rage. Of what, Arya hasn't had a clue but she guesses she'll find out soon enough what's been making the dragon queen in a bad temper.
"Are you alright?" the young woman starts.
A slight frown graces Daenerys features. "You're asking me that?" she asked back, speaking for the first time that night.
"Yes. Are you hurt?"
That seems to annoy the dragon queen further as she takes a step forward. "Do you care so little of yourself?"
Arya blinks a few times at the unexpected question. "What?" she asked dumbly.
"Do you. Care so little. Of yourself?" Daenerys echoes again with pauses for effects.
"I heard what you said, Daenerys." The young woman replied, a little irritated at the older woman's tone. She pushes her body upward with a soft grunt, leaving the comfort of the bed to stand levelly with the dragon queen. "But, I don't get why you're asking that. Where is this coming from?"
"Well, allow me to help you understand then." The older woman chided. "This is coming from the fact that a few hours ago, you recklessly wrestled with a direwolf and almost got your arm ripped off." She said as she takes a step forward towards Arya. Seeing the young Stark bewildered look only makes her furious. "This is also coming from the fact that your alarmingly courageous behaviour had caused you yet another injury on yourself… So, I'm asking you this, Arya. Do you care so little of yourself?" Daenerys finished, exasperated. She didn't realize her body is shaking as she utters the words. The only thing on her mind was the last image of the young woman unconscious and bleeding on the ground. She believed that horrifying image will last forever inside her head now.
Arya released a defeated sigh. Her eyes soften at the older woman's state, knowing that she was responsible for it. She wants to hold Daenerys close and whispers soothing words to her ears but she stood her ground, unwilling to breach the older woman's personal space. "Daenerys, I–"
"Do you know how afraid I was when you lay there on the ground, unconscious? With all that blood pooling underneath you, do you know what I was thinking?" Daenerys interrupts, pausing only for a moment before she continues. "I was thinking that you were dead. You look as pale as death and I was terrified that I would lose you there and then." Her chest heaves with laboured breaths as if she's run a mile. Daenerys didn't care that her voice came out louder than she intended.
Arya only stared back, not knowing if she should respond or not.
Daenerys closes her eyes then, taking a deep breath to calm down. When she opens her eyes again, she finds grey ones and said more softly. "I thought you were dead, Arya."
"I'm not," Arya answered back, stepping forward only to halt midway, still hesitant if she should touch the older woman. "Daenerys, I'm here and I'm not dead." She assured again. They stare at each other silently as Daenerys ingests the words Arya spoke at her.
The dragon queen's shoulder gradually relaxes as she takes in the perfectly able young woman in front of her, who is very much alive and safe and sound as she, herself had said. Her violet eyes soften into vivid grey ones before she starts advancing towards the younger woman without a word. Daenerys doesn't stop until her hands get a hold on each side of Arya's head and pull the young woman close towards her until their lips found each other.
As soon as they're connected, the dragon queen finally feels like she can breathe again. She moves her lips fervently and felt the familiar sweet and addictive taste of Arya's lips as she inhales her favourite earthly smells and of pine. She pulls away only for a breather before she leans into the young woman's lips again, kissing her senseless.
It was nothing like their first proper kiss, Arya noted. Where their first one was tentative and calculating, this one was desperate and needing and she hardly had any time to respond to it as the older woman seems to have taken her own lead to where this is going, not that Arya complained. The young woman grabs the dragon queen's waist with her good arm in response, pulling Daenerys closer, unintentionally deepening their kiss. A soft moan escapes her lips uninvited which send shivers through her body despite the older woman's warm body moulding against her.
Time was moving as they both entranced in trading kisses with each other, but Arya had a hard time imagined just how long, when her mind is being swept away through seven heavens and back, of which was Daenerys soft sinful lips on hers. Her knees almost gave out when Daenerys suddenly decides to bite her lower lip. Not enough to draw blood but just enough to let her feel the stinging pain, knowing it was there, before the older woman nurse it back with a swipe of her tongue. When the dragon queen pulls away, the violet eyes caught her grey ones and she can see her reflection on Daenerys eyes which had turned to almost black now as her pupils dilated.
Arya doesn't have time to ponder over that as the older woman slides her hands away only to wrap her arms around her neck before moving in to capture her lips again for another round. The younger woman is more than happy to oblige as Daenerys tongue ends up swiping over her lips again, teasing her cruelly. She opens her mouth then, accepting the older woman's access. Their tongues meet in a clash of dominance, fighting and tasting each other at every turn. Arya heard another moan of pleasure coming from her or was it from Daenerys, she couldn't tell for sure as they seem to become one and the same.
As much as Arya loved to stay forever in that moment, eventually, Daenerys pulls away with laboured breaths, trying to fill the air inside her lungs again. The young woman managed to hold back her protest at the dragon queen's sudden separation as she needs to properly breathe again too. She leans her forehead onto the older woman's tiredly as their hot breath warming up each other's faces.
The dragon queen closes her eyes as her chest starts to rise and fall in an orderly manner, gaining her normal breathing again. For a moment, only their breaths were to be heard as they wrapped comfortably in one another.
"Don't you dare put yourself in harm's way again, Stark." Daenerys suddenly said, still with her eyes closed. The warning is clear in her tone despite her soft voice.
Arya can't help the slight upturned of her mouth. "Well, if this is what I get after wrestling with a direwolf, I might jump onto the flames next."
Daenerys instantly opens her eyes to fix a glare. "I'm being serious."
So did Arya, but she knows better than to express that particular thought. So, she managed a curt nod instead.
Satisfied, Daenerys moves in slowly before gifting another kiss on the young woman's lips. It was much slower and softer and Arya enjoyed it much the same as the last one.
Daenerys pulls away again then as she regards the girl in front of her. "You know, for a person that said she can travel through time and have extended knowledge of the past and future…" she trails as she tucks in the loose strand of Arya's hair at the back of her ear. "One would think to use that to their advantage. You could've avoided hurting yourself. After all, you knew what was coming, did you not?"
"It didn't actually work like that," Arya said back softly, tracing small circles with her fingers at the older woman's spine. Daenerys quirked an eyebrow in question. "I do know much...but I do not know all," Arya explains briefly as the haunting images of her past flashed at the back of her mind. If only she could go back again, she might have done things differently than she did in this timeline.
Daenerys wanted to ask more of it but decided against it when the grey eyes in front of her turn sad. The change was subtle and perhaps if the older woman wasn't as close to the young Stark's face at the moment, she wouldn't have noticed, but she was and so she did. She tucks in another loose strand of the brown locks to its place before moving in to steal another kiss, hoping that she could take away whatever pain Arya had left.
The young woman welcomes the notion with an open mouth, already missing the taste of the dragon queen. It was scaring and appeasing at the same time how the older woman managed to clear away her horrifying thoughts with only but a mere kiss. And for a moment, Arya ponders what this could possibly mean. She decides to let her question free and pulls away slowly, trying hard to stop the older woman's advance at the moment.
"Daenerys–"
The young Stark only succeed in calling out her name before Daenerys moves in to shut her mouth again with hers. Trying other tactics, Arya begrudgingly unwraps her arm around the dragon queen, leaving the comfort of Daenerys curves as she pulls off the arms around her neck next. The silver-haired queen finally put a stop to her action as she held her questioning gaze at the young woman.
"What are we doing?" Arya asked quietly.
Daenerys tilts her head as her eyes glazed over with mirth. "I believed most people called it kissing or snogging or even smooching."
Arya glared good-naturedly. "I meant this… Us." She replied, gesturing at the older woman and herself. "What is this between us?"
Daenerys let out a slight frown as she slowly distanced herself, but not as much when Arya still had a hold on her arms. A beat passes as she thought the question over. The expectant look on the young woman didn't help as Daenerys tries to find an answer. "I don't know…" she trails.
Arya's face fell at those words, clearly not expecting such negative answer but before she can delve into her disappointment, Daenerys continues.
"What I do know, is this. I care for you a lot, Arya… and everything that you do, I adore it. I've had husbands and lovers, people that admired me and loved me even, but all of that seems trivial now that you're here." She finished softly. Her hand reaches for the young woman's and they interlock as she held her gaze.
Arya looks down to their joining hand as she let the words sink into her. "As do I, Daenerys." She confessed, looking up to find purple eyes again. "Well, I haven't had husbands, lovers and those things but, I feel the same way as you." She continues with a slight upturned of her mouth. Daenerys mirrored Arya's smile.
"Even in your previous life?" the dragon queen teased.
"I'm afraid not… I was busy dedicating my life to the Many-Faced Gods then and tried not to get killed most of the time." The young Stark answered with an innocent shrug.
"Am I the first person that you've ever had feelings for, then?"
Arya smiled softly. "You're my first."
At the confirmation, Daenerys closed in further as her free hand trace Arya's lips lightly with the tip of her fingers. Wanting and needing those lips on hers again. "You're going to be the death of me, Stark." She murmurs as she moves in to continue where they've left off.
*
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AN:Translation:
"Drogon, iōragon ilagon" – Drogon, stand down.
"Ziry iksos sỳz. Kesan daor sagon ōdrikagon. Henujagon." – It's fine. I will not be harmed. Leave.