AN- Hey guys, another chapter. This one might be a bit longer(or shorter) than usual, so bear with me. Anyways, remember to R&R, and I hope you enjoy!
Why we Fall
Winterfell- Arya was furiously working on her stitching. Her work was crooked and poor, but she did not care. She was just angry at her father.
"How dare he marry me off?" Arya thought to herself. She heard her Septa giving praise to Sansa and princess Myrcella. She also heard her sister and Jeyne Poole gossiping.
"I can't believe I am marrying the Prince. He is so handsome." Sansa says, getting rapid nods from her friend. Arya just rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, he is. Atticus is pretty nice too. Too bad he has to marry your sister Arya Horseface" Jeyne says. Arya doesn't let it show, but the name really hurts her. What is worse is that Sansa has never come to her defense over the name. It made her think that Sansa might agree with her friends.
"Well, I guess a bastard is as good as she is ever going to get. She should be happy he is legitimized." Jeyne says, and Arya immediately stands up, and makes her way out of the room, stopping only to curtsy to Myrcella. Jeyne just shrugs and walks off.
"You should really protect your sister from things like that." Myrcella says. Sansa looks at her, confused.
"What? Why should I when she always makes things difficult?" Sansa asks.
"Because you have no idea what a truly difficult sibling is." She answers, confusing Sansa even more.
Courtyard- Jon and Atticus were currently embroiled in an epic sparring match. The older and larger Jon was able to overpower Atticus, but was not as quick. Atticus continually used feints in attempts to trick Jon, who in turn pushed Atticus back with hard slashes. As the two found their way into a test of strength, pushing their blades against each other, Atticus used his superior footwork to trip Jon up, causing the northern bastard to fall. Atticus pointed his sword at Jon's throat
"Do you yield?" Atticus says, and gets a quick nod in response. He helps Jon up. The two bastards get claps and cheers from most present, with a few notable exceptions (ahem Joffrey).
"Good job, Jon. I think that I will talk to your father about that job I offered." Atticus says. Jon smiles and Jon smiles.
"Speaking of the job, you might want to look up there" Jon says, pointing at a balcony before patting Atticus on the back and walking away. Atticus looks up and sees Arya, clapping and cheering louder than anyone else. Atticus does a very theatrical bow. Arya smiles, but then notices something out of the corner of her eye. Septa Mordane, and Lady Catelyn. Walking towards her with a purpose.
Arya's Room- Arya sat on her bad, listening to her mother and Septa lecture her on being a good lady.
She had heard the speech many times, and remembered exactly when to say "yes mam."
"And you are to be a wife, do you understand me Arya?" Cat said, getting a nod from her daughter.
"Good, I leave her with you, Septa." Cat says, before leaving the room. Arya turned to face Mordane.
"You will have double long lessons tomorrow. And from now on, no more sword fighting or archery." She says, shocking Arya.
"But, you can't do that!"Arya says. Mordane looks the girl in the eye furiously.
"I can tell you to do what I want, you are to be a wife, not a ruffian. I wouldn't be surprised if Lord Tywin brakes off the marriage when he meets you." She says, before walking out of the room. Arya feels tears in her eyes, and then leaves her room, not knowing what to do.
Later- Atticus makes his way around the castle, looking for his betrothed. He had a violin strapped to his back, and was praying that Arya was a music lover. He had no luck so far, and was getting desperate. He then got an idea. He went over to the courtyard, and picked up the practice sword Arya used the most. He then whistled, and Rebel came over to him.
"Here boy, find Arya." He says, holding the blade near the dog's nose. Rebel quickly ran off, with Atticus following close behind. They made their way around the castle, until Rebel suddenly stopped in front of a wall. Atticus understood, and with a sigh, he began to climb up. As he was doing this, Tyrion walked up to him, a grin plastered to his face.
"Atticus, are you off to serenade your lady love?" Tyrion said. Atticus looked down at his uncle and smiled a bit sheepishly.
"Well, pretty much." He said, and Tyrion laughs. Atticus just shook his head in amusement and continued his climb, until he found himself on the roof. He stood up and looked around. He saw Arya, sitting down with her knees pulled into her chest and her head down, soft sobs coming from her. Atticus slowly approached, making sure not to scare her. When he gest within a few feet, he takes out his violin and begins to play(He is playing the game of thrones theme). After he is done, Arya puts her head up, her face still streaked with tears. Atticus gives her a kind, soft smile.
"Arya, what is the matter?" Atticus asks, scooting a little closer, so the two are almost touching.
"Septa Mordane says I can't fight or ride anymore. She says a lady should always be in a cart, and should sew." Arya says, and leans her head on Atticus's shoulder. The action surprises him, and he thinks fro a moment before he speaks.
"Tell me, do you think I am cruel?" He asks seriously. Arya looks at him, surprise on her face.
"No, you are very kind." She says, a subtle blush on her face. Atticus smiles warmly.
"Well, do you think I would forbid you from doing something if it made you so sad?"" He says. Arya looks at him, a smile on her face.
"Wait, do you mean that I can use swords and ride?" She asks, getting a nod from Atticus. She then engulfs him in a giant hug, which he returns gently. The two slowly let go, both blushing a little.
"Now, how about we get down from here?" Atticus says. Arya nods, and the two begin their descent down.
Broken Tower- Bran is currently climbing up the old tower, his dire wolf Summer watching him. As he gets close to the top, he hears strange voices. As he gets closer, he begins to recognize them
"I said no Cersei! We were finished after what happened to Jon Arryn. If he found out, so will Ned if we keep going." Jaime Lannister says. Bran makes his way to the top, and watches the queen and her brother.
"Then we kill him, and we can be together." Cersei says, kissing Jaime on the lips passionately. Jaime almost returns the kiss, but pushes away when he spots Bran. He runs over to the boy, and grabs him by the shirt. Cersei notices the boy as well.
"He saw us!" Cersei shouts repeatedly. Jaime contemplates pushing him out the window, but he swore to himself that Kingslaying would be the worst thing he would ever do. He gets in close to Bran's face, and gives him his most intimidating stare.
"Boy, never tell anyone what you saw, or else." He says, letting Bran go gently. All is well for a second, before Cersei huffs, and walks over to Bran. Before Jaime can react, she pushes the boy out of the window.
"Problem solved" She says, but Jaime turns to her, fury on his face.
"Leave, now!" He says. Cersei does as bid, and leaves Jaime to contemplate what to do.
Minutes later- Atticus is taking a walk through the woods, Rebel right behind him, and makes his way to a clearing. His eyes widen as he sees his father, standing over Bran, who appears to be unconscious. He runs to them as fast as he can.
"What happened?" He asks. Jaime turns to face his son, surprised by his presence.
"I don't know, I was just walking when I found him here. He must have fallen." He lies. Atticus can tell something is off, but doesn't question it. He goes to the boy's side, and notes that he is still breathing.
"Help me make a stretcher for him, maybe we can.." Atticus says, but is cut off when he hears a howling wolf. He stands up, and unsheathes his sword, and so does Jaime. Their worst fears come true as a pack of 10 wolves surround them.
"Fuck me." Jaime and Atticus sayin unison, getting into their fighting stances. The wolves snarl and snap at the Lannisters, and Atticus calls Rebel to his side.
"Father, do you have some paper?" He says. Jaime nods.
"Yes, why do you need it?" Jaime says, pulling a scrap of paper from his pocket.
"I have a plan" Atticus says, grabbing the paper.
Winterfell Courtyard- Arya is tending to Nymeria, feeding her chunks of chicken. She stands up and walks to the well to get water. She feels a nudging at her leg, and looks down to see Rebel, with a crumpled up paper stuffed into his collar.
"What's this?" She thought to herself as she opened up the letter. Her eyes widened and she dropped her bucket of water, before sprinting off to find her father. She finds him talking to the King, and hands him the letter.
"Father!" She yells, running up to him. He is currently laughing, and turns around to face her, smiling.
"What is it Arya?" He asks, noting the panic on her face. As he unrolls he letter, his eye widen as he realize that it is written in blood. He passes it to Robert, who immediately shouts for his horse.
"I found it in Atticus's dog's collar." Arya says, knowing what Ned was going to ask. He nods and walks over to Jory, his captain of the guard.
"Get Robb, Jon, and the Maester, tell them Bran is in trouble." He says, and Jory nods, quickly heading off to find the boys. In around three minutes, everyone is ready to leave. They quickly hurry to the old tower, and arrive to find a horrible sight. Around a dozen wolf bodies, and Jaime and Atticus Lannister both down, Bran in between them. The party quickly makes their way to them, and get a closer look at the Lannisters. Both were covered in blood, with Jaime on his back, and Atticus propped against the tower. The Maester looks between the three, and has to decide who to work on.
"Bran fell from the window, help him first." Atticus says weakly. Luwin does so reluctantly, as the others help Jaime and Atticus up. Ned walks over to him, and looks at the boy's hands, and notices the cut on his left one.
"You wrote the letter in your own blood?" He asks, and Atticus nods.
"Yeah, I did. My father and I were walking in the forest, then we found Bran. We were going to go for help, but then the wolves showed up." He says. Jaime notes his son's tiny lie, and appreciates it.
"Help your boy, we're fine." Jaime says, and Need nods, before helping the others carefully pick up Bran, and bring him back to Winterfell.
That Night- Atticus is in his room, laying on his bed, looking over his bandaged up hand. Felling bored, he stands up, and decides to go see Bran. He makes his way to the boy's room, and finds the door open, and sees Cat inside, next to her son.
"Lady Catelyn." He says, getting her attention. Cat stands up, and looks at him for a second.
"Atticus, good to see you." She says. Atticus walks in, and looks over Bran, who is not moving at all, except for tiny breaths.
"Good to see you too, though I wish under better circumstances. How is he?" Atticus ask, real concern in his voice.
"Luwin says that if he wakes, he will be a cripple." She says. Atticus looks down, feeling sorry for the boy.
"I want to thank you, though. You saved my boy. And there is only one gift I can give you." Cat says. Atticus looks confused.
"What gift is that?" he asks. Catelyn walks forward, and grabs his hands.
"My blessings. I was apprehensive at first, but now I trust you to take care of my daughter." She says. Atticus smiles, and nods.
"Thank you, but I must return such a gift. I have to warn you against letting Lord Eddard go to King's Landing." Atticus says seriously. Catelyn backs away confused.
"What do you mean?" She asks. Atticus sighs before speaking.
"Your husband is a good man, and in that rat hole of a city it will get him killed." He says. Cat nods, seeming to already know this.
"I know. Can you help him?" She asks, almost pleading. Atticus nods without hesitation.
"I'll do everything I can. Well, I will go get ready, we leave for the capitol tomorrow." Atticus says, and bows before leaving Catelyn alone with her son.
Atticus makes his way back to his room,but slows down when he hears a loud knocking. He turns a corner and smiles at the sight. Arya is there, knocking on the door, thinking he is inside. He gets a wicked smile, as he slowly sneaks up on her. When he gets close enough, he pokes her in the sides, causing her to squeal. She turns to face him, her face burning with anger and embarrassment, which causes Atticus to laugh.
"Atticus!" She yells. Atticus continues laughing as she strikes his arms. After a few moments he manages to calm himself down.
"What are you doing here Arya?" He asks, still smiling. She looks at him, and hits him again at seeing the smile.
"I wanted to thank you for saving Bran." She says, with genuine gratitude. Atticus nods, and smiles, this time much more warmly.
"It's fine Arya, he is your brother. There isn't a thing that I wouldn't do for family." He says. Arya smiles, and looks up at his face. She notices for the first time how big he is compared to her. He is much wider, and a head about taller. He looks down at her, and she can't help but feel something while being with him.
"Well, I guess I should go to my room and finish packing" She says, and goes to leave, only to be stopped when Atticus holds her arm gently.
"Arya, good night." He says, before leaning down and kissing her on the cheek. It is a simple peck, but it means a lot to the two of them. Arya smiles, and backs away slowly, almost hesitantly.
"Goodnight, Atticus" She says, leaving a very happy Atticus to finish his packing.
Next Day- Jon Snow finds himself at a literal crossroads. He wanted all his life to join the honorable Night's Watch, to be a ranger and fight wildlings. But now he is unsure, as the group heading for the Wall, and the one heading to King's Landing were splitting. He waits for a moment, thinking of what to do. He breaths deeply, and looks at his uncle Benjen.
"Maybe one day." He says, and turns to follow his father. As they hurry on, Ned turns to his son.
"Now just because you are with us, doesn't mean you get to be Arya or Sansa's sworn shield. Robert assures me that no harm will befall them, and I trust him." Ned says.
"Yes, father." Jon says, nodding. Ned smiles at his bastard.
"I'm glad you came with us." He says, getting a smile from Jon.
"So am I." Jon says, as he follows the others down the Kingsroad.
AN- Chapter 3 done!I hope you enjoyed, and remember to R&R!