Next morning Dany, Brian, and Arya gathered in the courtyard of Winterfell. Sansa had come outside to see them off. She gave her sister a hug. "Take care," she said.
"When have you ever known me not to be careful?" said Arya.
Sansa smiled. "Oh, I can think of a few incidents."
Arya had her little sword, Needle, and a knapsack on her back. "What's in there?" Dany asked curiously.
"Those are my masks," Arya said. "Don't touch them unless you wanna go blind."
"Are you trying to threaten me?"
"It's not a threat," Arya stated simply. "It's just a fact. If anyone who isn't a Faceless Man touches these masks, they'll lose the use of their eyes. Ask Meg Griffin."
The two girls were staring daggers at each other until Brian jumped in between them. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all."
"What's not a good idea?" Arya asked.
"Well, this trip isn't going to be much fun if you and Daenerys can't stop fighting."
Arya stared at him. "Fighting? We're not fighting."
"Well, you know what I mean. Squabbling."
"We're in the Middle Ages," said Arya. "In this time period, even squabbling involves spears and lances."
"Don't forget, Brian, you were the one who invited her," Dany reminded him.
"I want to come," Arya insisted. "I want to help save Westeros!"
"Okay, well, if you want to come, the two of you have gotta be civil to each other," Brian said.
"I'll be civil if she will," Arya growled.
"Who, me?" said Dany. She forced a smile to appear on her face. "I'm the very model of politeness. Ask anybody."
Brian clapped his paws together. "Good! That's settled, then."
Drogon came flying down from the sky. He had spent the previous night hunting for wild animals to eat. He landed next to Dany.
The mother of dragons stroked her favorite son on the head and rubbed his chin. Then she climbed onto his back. Brian got on behind Dany, and Arya got on behind Brian. As Sansa waved goodbye to them all, Drogon took off into the air at top speed. Soon, they had left Winterfell far behind.
"I guess you've never ridden a dragon before?" Brian said to Arya as they sped through the sky.
"No, but I'm not scared," Arya said.
"Perhaps you should be," Dany muttered.
Arya scowled. "Are you threatening me now?"
"No, I'm simply stating a fact, just as you were earlier. Dragons are wild animals, and everyone should have a healthy respect for them. Just ask Badrang the Tyrant."
Brian sighed. "What happened to being civil?"
"Oh, we're being civil," said Dany. "My good friend Arya and I are just having a little conversation, isn't that right Arya?"
"Yeah, that's right," Arya said.
The next few hours passed in an uncomfortable silence.