That evening after their bellies were full of rabbit stew and pig roast, the men discussed tomorrow's excursion. Then they broke off into groups, most enjoying the ale they had brought back from the tavern. Arya and Hot Pie declined the ale, but not Gendry. She noticed that he seemed to fit in with the men, joking and talking about armour. Hot Pie didn't care, for once he wasn't hungry and wanting more. Arya watched as Hot Pie found a place to lie down and grinned when she heard him snoring. She glanced over to Gendry and he was laughing with the other men, apparently oblivious of her presence.

"So how are you liking our hospitality?" Anguy asked her, taking a seat on the rock next to her.

She shrugged, "better than being a slave, but the same as when we were travelling with the Wall recruiters."

"Ouch. We're not exactly set up for hosting your royal-ness," Anguy teased. He offered his ale, "take a sip."

"I don't like the taste," Arya declined.

"It's not about the taste, it's about how free it makes you feel," he said.

She shook her head negatively. "I won't be free until I'm back with my family."

"Fair enough, but why not enjoy what you can in the mean time?"

"What's there to enjoy?" Arya asked.

He nudged her and smirked, "me."

She giggled, "your conversation is definitely more interesting than talking to Hot Pie."

Anguy grinned, "does he ever talk about anything other than food?"

"Not really," she laughed.

He threw another log on the fire and they watched the sparks rise. "Would you like me to train you how to be a better archer?"

"Do you have time to do so?"

"For you I'll make time," he said and put his arm around her shoulders.

It made her uncomfortable, but she did want him to train her. Arya was torn, she didn't want him to treat her like a child, but at the same time he made her on edge with how he didn't notice her age. Glancing nervously around, her eyes met Gendry's. He gave her a nod, but returned to talking to the men around him.

Arya stood up, "I'm feeling a little tired. I'm going to find a spot near my friend and go to sleep."

Anguy let her go, knowing she was retreating from him. "I bet when you're not dressed like a boy, that you're very pretty."

"You should see my sister Sansa, lots of guys think she's beautiful."

"Maybe one day…. you can't take a compliment can you?"

She didn't answer. Instead she began her chant, as she did every night. Thoros listened, but said nothing.

"Why do you say those names with so much hate?" Anguy asked, crouching near her.

"They're the people I will kill," Arya stated simply.

Gendry had watched the exchange from the corner of his eye. He was pretending to not hear them, but he hadn't had as much ale as everyone thought. He stood up, went out side to take a piss and then came to join his friends. As soon as he came closer, Anguy said goodnight and left.

"At least tonight we don't have to sleep with one eye open," Arya said.

He wanted to say, that wasn't true, but held his tongue. "Hot Pie seems content. You looked pretty cozy with Anguy."

Something in his tone of voice, got under her skin. She rolled over to face him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, I'm just tired. Come on, let's sleep back to back like usual." Gendry rolled over and waited to see if she would too.

Arya took comfort in his presence, especially when she looked under her eyelashes and saw Anguy looking over at them. She wanted Anguy's friendship, but nothing more. Unconsciously, she leaned back until she felt Gendry against her.

Gendry smiled to himself, Arya's friendship with him, was still stronger than her attraction to Anguy. He knew the archer was using her interest in his skill, to put moves on Arya. She was just a little girl, fierce as she was and he hoped Anguy wouldn't be too mean, when realizing this. What he didn't know, was that Arya was growing up fast and she wasn't the girl she'd been, back at Winterfell.

In the morning, bread and water was for breakfast. Hot Pie worked with the men who were butchering the buck. Arya went with the scouting party, which included Anguy and Thoros. While Gendry continued to do metal repair. During a break from scouting, Thoros was entertained by Anguy teaching Arya. He could see the girl was a quick learner and sometimes too quick with her words.

Thoros had two sticks, cleaned from branches, brought to him. "Girl, come let's fight with stick swords."

"Those are just sticks," Arya said then bit her lip, hoping she had not offended the priest.

Thoros laughed, "let's fight."

So she took up a stick and stood like she'd been taught. Since they both held sticks, this time he didn't disarm her. So they danced back and forth in the forest clearing, stick on stick. Arya was light on her feet and quick. She managed to stick him in the side once and smash her stick on his shin. He laughed and nodded, "well done girl. With the right sword you'd be a decent fighter."

"I had a sword made for me once. It's name was Needle," she announced proudly.

"So where is it?" Thoros asked.

"Tywin Lannister has it," Arya said quietly.

"Ah, that explains a lot."

They stopped their play fighting and began to head back to the cave. Anguy walked beside Arya, praising her for her skill. "Someone trained you well and I don't think it was your brothers."

"I watched them train with my father."

He knew a half truth when he heard one. "If you learn as quickly from my teachings, as you claim to have using a sword, you'll be a fine archer."

"Better than you?" She grinned.

"Not likely, but a good one all the same."

Arya was almost skipping along beside Anguy, pleased with the praise these men of the Brotherhood were giving her.

Until Thoros said, "the man who weds you, will have to sleep with one eye open."

Everyone chuckled. Arya retorted without thinking, "I'm not going to wed, I have too many people to kill."

"Suck dark declarations from such a little girl. It is one thing to play with weapons and another to use them for death," Thoros scolded her.

She wanted to tell him she wasn't afraid of killing, but for once held her tongue. She remained quiet, thinking about how she would love to plunge Needle into the neck of Joffery, just like the man that had killed Lommy Greenhands. So absorbed in her thoughts was she, that when the terrain became rocky and uneven she didn't notice. Tripping she fell into Anguy, embarrassed she apologized.

"It's a bit hard to walk around here, but I've been along this route often. Take my hand and I'll help you." Anguy didn't really give her a chance to decline, he just took her hand into his.

They remained this way all the way back to camp. Arya found holding his hand to be supportive and comforting. But once they walked into camp, the men teased them about it.

"Look Anguy has a little girl to care for. Is she your baby girl?"

Angered by their teasing, Arya spat, "I'm not a little girl and definitely not a baby! You're whores are only a few years older than I am!"

Anguy laughed, "she has a point John."

"She's a little girl, never been kissed by a man. Baby I tell you," he purposely goaded Arya.

Gendry was about to come to her defence, when he was shocked to silence by her reaction to the taunt. Arya grabbed Anguy by the shirt, pulling him down to her height and planted a kiss on his lips. Having wanted to do this himself, he took full advantage of the moment. He pulled her close and opened his mouth. In her surprise on having the tables turned on her spontaneity, she gasped and found his tongue in her mouth. Not wanting to push her too much too soon, Anguy released her.

"Boys she's a great kisser, a baby girl she is not. This one's a fine lady," Anguy winked at Arya.

She retreated and went into the cave to find Hot Pie. Gendry followed. "What was that all about? Are you trying to get yourself in trouble with these men? They're not boys you know, they won't stop if you tell them to."

Already unhappy with what had just happened, she took her frustration out on Gendry. "I know what I'm doing. I can handle it, you don't have to act like my brother."

He grabbed her arm, but she tore herself away from him. "You're being a spoiled brat," Gendry called after her, before returning to his work.

The rest of the afternoon Arya spent helping Hot Pie and the cook with the deer meat. She stayed away from Anguy and avoided Gendry. Alone with her thoughts, she analyzed what had happened earlier in the day. By dinner time she was still undecided if she had enjoyed Anguy's kiss or hated it. The man named John was right though, that had been her first real kiss. Without realizing she was doing it, Arya looked at Gendry's lips. When he caught her doing so, she motioned that he had food on his lip. He remained unaware of her scruitny.

"What about you Hot Pie, have you ever kissed a girl? Or maybe you like boys?" John chuckled as they ate.

"I don't like boys. Girls are softer. I've been kissed," Hot Pie said between bites.

Gendry grinned, "he means kissed on the mouth."

"I've been kissed on the mouth," Hot Pie clarified.

Arya could tell no one believed him, but the fat boy didn't care. He was too busy eating. They already had heard about Gendry's experience with women and she didn't want to hear it again.

"Well we go to the tavern again, so maybe we'll get you boys a few women to play with." Thoros belched. "Now eat up, tomorrow is a long day."