~*A New Mission*~

Arya felt her legs weaken and shake a little under her at the shock of seeing her mother, her dead mother. She couldn't believe her eyes even though she knew that it was true from her wolf dreams. "They brought you back after Nymeria dragged you from the Trident didn't they? I saw you through Nymeria's eyes in my dream. I knew it was you." Her eyes started to fill with tears, but when Lady Stoneheart moved towards her to comfort her Arya backed away.

"Arya..." Lady Stoneheart said in her soft cracked voice as she reached out a cold pale hand towards her youngest daughter.

Arya shook her head defiantly. "No, I'm not that silly little girl any more...and you're not my mother!" Arya's mother, the Lady Catelyn was warm and loving. She was loyal and fierce, protective of Arya and her brothers and sister. Lady Stoneheart was cold and pale, nothing like how Arya remembered her mother. 'You may look like Catelyn Stark, but you're not my mother'

"My mother, my real mother was murdered at The Twins...I don't know who you are." The shock was too much for Arya so she quickly turned and ran back out into the main chamber towards Nymeria and the large fire in the centre of the open cave. Nymeria stood as she approached and Arya crouched to hug her, wrapping her slender arms around Nymeria's neck as tears flowed down her grubby cheeks, gripping her direwolf's thick grey fur between her fingers.

"Arya...I'm so sorry that you had to see me this way." Lady Stoneheart spoke softly as she reached out with a pale hand and placed it on to Arya's slender shoulder to try to comfort her, her voice cracked and broken.

Arya nuzzled her tear soaked cheek against it, but the pale hand felt cold to the touch. "Why me? Why do I have to kill him? Why can't you do it?" She asked as she sniffed back the tears and wiped her eyes with her grubby sleeve to leave yet another dirty mark on her already grubby face.

Lady Stoneheart sat on a wooden stool and looked over at her daughter. She almost wanted to smile at her dirty face and messy hair but she couldn't form one. It reminded her of the tomboy Arya that she knew and loved so much in Winterfell when she was Lady Catelyn Stark.

"Jaime Lannister for all of his faults won't be easy to ambush. Especially by a group of our men, he's too careful for that." She paused to rub her throat for a moment before continuing. "Besides, most of our men aren't even trained in combat or even grown men yet. And some have grey in their hair seen too many winters. But, he wouldn't suspect a single girl travelling the roads alone. It will be easy for you to get close to him and slit his throat while he sleeps. He deserves a death by Stark hands!"

Arya looked over to her mother. It was so hard to look at her this way with her pale white skin and that terrible scar which cut deep into her neck. "How do you know that Ser Jaime pushed Bran?" She asked. If she was going to kill the Kingslayer she wanted to know for certain that he was guilty. Ser Jaime had never been on her list unlike his twin sister Cersei. She was the first name on her list after the incident on the King's Road. 'It was her fauly that I had to throw stones and make Nymeria run away, it was her fault Lady had to die'

Lady Stoneheart looked back at her young daughter as she explained. "When Robb captured him and took him prisoner he confessed it all to me. Bran saw him and Cersei...together."

Arya felt sick to the pit of her stomach as she listened and took it all in. Her mother went on to explain how an assassin had tried to kill Bran once the Lannister's knew that Bran would survive his fall. They feared that if her woke he would reveal their secret.

Arya sat cross legged on the floor and looked up at her mother as Nymeria settled down next to her, resting her head on Arya's crossed legs. "How did you know that I would come here?" Arya asked as she gently scratched behind Nymeria's ears, happy that her bond with Nymeria was still strong.

Lady Stoneheart shook her head slowly, uncertainty written on her pale face. "I didn't know for sure, but I knew that you have a special connection to Nymeria. When we heard of a giant wolf roaming the Riverlands I knew that it had to be Nymeria and that she would remember me from Winterfell. I also knew that you would recognise this place through her and hoped that you would come looking for her."

Arya smiled a little, she was pleased to be reunited with Nymeria again and her mother, even though she wasn't the same anymore. "Ok I'll kill him for you, I'll kill Jaime Lannister. He deserves to die for what he did to Bran." She then chewed her bottom lip as a thought came to her. "Will it...will it bring you peace?"

Lady Stoneheart slowly shook her head. "I don't know? Maybe it will?" The faintest of smiles appeared on her pale face, a glint of hope in her eyes.

Arya was starting to get over the initial shock and smiled a little, but she still felt a little sad seeing her mother this way. "I have a lot to tell you...mother." She paused for a moment before she started to tell her mother everything that had happened, making sure that she didn't miss anything out Arya told her how she had pretended to be a boy and escaped from King's Landing with Yoren, only to being captured by The Mountain and his men who had taken her to Harrenhall. She told her how she had worked as a cupbearer to Tywin Lannister and all the way to her travels with The Hound and meeting up with Jaqen H'gar again and training to become a Faceless Lady at the House of Black and White in Braavos.

Lady Stoneheart sat silently and listened intently as Arya told her everything that had happened to her since she had left Winterfell with her father and her sister all those moons ago. Sometimes it felt like a lifetime away, but other times it felt like only yesterday. Arya could still picture everyone's faces and hear their voices. Hodor the giant stableboy, Old Nan, even Mikken the blacksmith who use to chase her off when she tried to borrow a sword to play with. She even remembered the eerie Godswood, the cold and darkness of the crypts and the warmth and comfort of her chambers when she closed her eyes to think about home.

A small broken smile appeared on Lady Stoneheart's ghostly white face as she was told about Sansa and everything that had happened at The Eyrie. Arya could see a little hope appear in her mothers pale face. "My brave girls, your father would be so proud of you both."

Arya felt really happy to hear that and a proud smilw appeared on her grubby face. She had always loved her father dearly and it gave her comfort to hear that he would have been proud of her. She still missed him dearly, his smile and his hugs.

"So was it you hanging the Frey men that I saw in my dreams? Did you do it because of what they did at The Twins?" Arya asked, even though she already knew the answer.

Lady Stoneheart stood and her pale face changed from calm to that of anger and hatred as her voice cracked. "The Freys must pay for what they have done, every last one of those traitors must die."

Her mother's cold reaction frightened Arya a little, she had never seen her mother so angry before. 'That's Lady Stoneheart talking, not my mother' She thought to herself, even though she agreed that the Frey's had to pay for what they had done to her family. "I was there, at the wedding. We got there just before it all happened." Arya looked down as she tried to fight back the tears. "I saw what they did to Grey Wind and Robb...I'll never forgive them for that."

The rest of the evening Arya spent her time catching up with some of the members of the brotherhood as Lady Stoneheart and a few of the others left to hunt Freys with Nymeria. She sat and talked with Anguy who asked her how she had been and if she had improved her archery since they had last met. She told him that she had practiced a little in Braavos at the House of Black and White and how she had shot a few pirates from the crows nest as she travelled with The Hound aboard Seamaiden. It was nice to catch up with him and it took her mind off things for a while too for which she was grateful.

Arya decided to turn in early that night, she wanted to set off after Jaime Lannister at first light if she could and it had been a long and eventful day so she was quite tired. She lay on her side looking at the flames flickering, feeling the warmth on her face as she thought about her mother. Not Lady Stoneheart, but Lady Catelyn of Winterfell, her real mother. Her fierce, loving and protective mother who had hugged her when she was little, scolded her when she had been naughty and made her feel special and loved at all times.

Arya smiled as she thought about how many times her mother had tried to get her to behave like a proper young lady should, even though she had resisted so much. And then there was the time her mother had scolded her for sheep shifting Sansa's bed. That was the scariest moment of her life until she left Winterfell. 'I could have sheep shifted her bed at The Eyrie if there was some sheep' She thought to herself with a cheeky smile, feeling a little mischievous.

When she woke early the next morning, Nymeria lay next to her fast asleep after returning from her hunt with Lady Stoneheart and the other members of the brotherhood. Arya gently stroked her grey fur before sitting up and rubbing her eyes to see her mother sat by her, watching over her. "Mother, I'll need a sword and a bow."

Lady Stoneheart simply nodded and led her over to what looked like an armory. There were maces, swords and axes of all shapes and sizes as well as longbows, shortbows and even a few crossbows. A few battered shields were piled up in the corner along with some helmets and other mismatched scraps of scale, ring and leather armour. Arya had no interest in wearing any armour even if it did fit her. 'Armour would slow me down, I'm a Water Dancer and Water Dancers are supposed to be as quick as a snake and as swift as a deer' She thought to herself.

She spent some time looking through the various swords looking for something similar to Needle but she couldn't see anything. They were all too heavy or too long, some were rusted and some so blunt she doubt that they would be any use. She had almost given up when she spotted a thin shortsword and picked it up to swing it a few times. It wasn't as light as Needle but it felt more natural to her than a full size sword would and much lighter too. After taking a closer look at it she realized that it would need to be sharpened, but she could do that herself with a whet stone as she travelled.

Next she looked through the various bows. She didn't want a crossbow, they were too heavy for her and too slow to reload and she didn't have the strength to draw a longbow so picked out a few shortbows. She drew each of the shortbows in turn to see which felt right and wasn't too tight for her. Luckily, one of them was just right. She then picked up a quiver of arrows and turned to face her mother. "I'm ready, I'll kill Jaime Lannister for you...no, for us. For the Stark's."

Lady Stoneheart nodded slowly and spoke in a soft crackled voice. "Be careful Arya and return safely to me."

Arya took a few steps towards her mother before hugging her tight. She smiled happily as she felt her mothers arms wrap around her for the first time since she was a little girl in Winterfell.

"I will mother." She replied as she looked up at her. After a few moments Arya reluctantly released the hug and set off towards the cave entrance to start her latest journey.

Arya decided to leave Nymeria behind with her mother to help her hunt down and kill more Frey's while she was away on her new mission. She knew that the River Road was fairly safe now and having Nymeria with her would have been impossible when she reached Riverrun anyway, so she figured it was for the best to leave her behind.

Arya made her way out of Hollow Hill and went to look for her horse. But, when she arrived at the tree that she had tied it to there was no sign of it. She figured that it had been stolen as she knew that her knots were good, so it couldn't have ran off. 'Seven hells, now I'll have to walk' She thought to herself, feeling a little frustrated at the situation. She made her way back to the road where she saw that Anguy was waiting for her.

"Has the little lady lost something?" He asked her when he spotted her, a grin on his face.

"You know where my horse is don't you?" She asked him, frowning a little as she walked next to him. She really wanted to hit him for calling her a little lady, but thought better of it.

"The brotherhood is always in need of horses, weapons and gold." He grinned down at her, clearly the guilty party in all of this.

She shoved him roughly in the chest before replying. "You stole it! That horse belongs to me."

Anguy laughed a little and pretended that he was hurt, rubbing his chest where she had shoved him. "Thanks for the donation Little Wolf."

Arya couldn't help but smile at his cheek and for being called Little Wolf. She liked that much more than being called a lady! And, even though it was annoying to lose her horse, she knew that it would be put to good use with the brotherhood.

"So, are you coming with me, I'm going to Riverrun?" She asked, looking up at him as they walked side by side along the muddy road. A few crows screached at them from high up in a nearby oak tree as they walked past.

Anguy shook his head. "I can go with you a little way, as far as the River Road and then you'll be on your own from there. I'm going to track down some more Frey's for your mother." He replied.

Arya wished that she could go with him and kill a few Frey soldiers herself, but she had another more important target to kill. The Frey's would have to wait for now. 'They will get what's coming to them soon enough' She told herself with a contented smile.

Arya and Anguy talked a lot as they walked, they had a lot to catch up on. He spoke about what the Brotherhood Without Banners had been doing since she had ran away, and she told him some of what happened on her journey with The Hound. When Arya had escaped from the brotherhood she had hated them for selling her friend Gendry to The Red Woman, but it felt different now with her mother and Nymeria there. She hadn't even recognised most of the men, most of which must have joined up after she had fled, though Thoros of Myr and Anguy were still there.

By midday she was hungry and they decided to stop by a small stream to eat. "What happened to Lord Beric, I didn't see him back at the hideout?" Arya asked him as she bit into some hard bread, crumbs tumbled down her top. "Did someone finally kill him for good this time?"

Anguy shook his head and looked at her. "Not exactly. He gave his life to bring back your mother."

Arya looked back at him as she chewed her hard bread and didn't really know what to say to him, so she said nothing.

"Didn't you once ask Thoros to bring back your father? He couldn't do that, but he did bring back your mother." Anguy continued before biting off a chunk of hard bread for himself.

Arya looked back at him, unsure what she felt. A little angry, a little upset? She could not say which. "I did, but I was just a stupid little girl back then."

"You're still a little girl now." He replied trying to lighten the mood a little, grinning at her and trying to get a rise out of her.

She didn't disappoint and threw her hard bread at him, hitting him on the chest before quickly turning away from him to stare at the stream. "You are so annoying!"She said sharply, folding her arms across her small developing chest.

"You still have the same quick temper I see." He smirked cheekily.

She couldn't help but smile, maybe she hadn't changed that much after all.

Anguy stood and readied and arrow in his bow before releasing it and hitting a nearby maple tree. "Let's see if you've improved your aim since last time." He said as he leaned back against another tree, folding his arms across his chest to watch her. He knew that she wouldn't be able to resist his challenge and she didn't.

"Ok, you're on." She said defiantly as she stood and readied herself with her bow.

"A copper star says you miss?" Anguy said as he held up a copper star between his grubby finger and thumb.

"A copper star says I don't" She replied confidently before notching an arrow and aiming at his arrow. She held for a moment before releasing and missing the tree completely.

Anguy snickered at her failure, but soon stopped as she turned and glared angrily at him. "It's my first time shooting this bow, I have to get used to it." She said, knowing that really she was a little out of practice having not shot a bow in a while and that the pressure had gotten to her.

He walked over and took the bow to inspect it before firing an arrow from it, almost hitting his first one. "Seems fine to me." He said, holding out his hand expecting a copper star from her.

Arya frowned at him and snatched the bow back before taking aim and shooting another arrow, this time she hit the tree a few inches above the other two arrows.

"There, are you happy now?" She asked him angrily as she shoved the bow back into his hands, feeling her wolf blood starting to boil.

Anguy nodded and patted her shoulder, forgetting about his copper star. "You're a much better shot when you don't think about it. Use your instincts more like when you were shooting pirates. Don't think too much!"

Arya looked at him as she thought on what he had said. It was true, she was a better shot when she didn't think about it too much. In the battle with the pirates she didn't think about her aim at all as there wasn't time in the heat of the battle and she hit almost everything she had aimed at.

Once they reached the River Road they went their separate ways. Arya headed towards Riverrun and Anguy headed off towards the Inn of the Kneeling Man. She knew it would probably take her the rest of the day to reach Riverrun on foot so she set off at a brisk pace. The road was safe as it had avoided the worst of the conflict from the war, but she still kept an eye out for trouble just in case.

Arya thought about Bran and his fall as she walked. Other than Jon he was her favourite brother to play with as he was the closest to her own age. Robb was a lot older than her and Rickon was a lot younger so she didn't play with them as much as Bran even though she loved them just as much. She had suspected that his fall wasn't an accident even back then as Bran never fell. He was probably the best climber in all of Winterfell, maybe even Westeros she always thought.

Sometimes she wished that she could climb like him too, but her mother wouldn't have approved. She never approved of the things Arya used to do, always insisting that she acted more like the highborn lady that she was supposed to be, like her sister. Arya had never been interested in becoming a lady, she was more interested in sword fighting and playing games with her brothers and some of the other boys at Winterfell.

The thought of what had happened to her brothers started to make her angry so she tried to put it out of her mind, trying to think of the task at hand instead. She sat on a large grey rock by the side of the road for a quick rest. Sparks flew as she sharpened her short sword with a whet stone. She could see Riverrun in the distance and decided that it would be best to change her face to Jayne Snow. She had never been to Riverrun before and didn't think that anybody there would recognise her, but she couldn't be sure what was going to happen and didn't want to risk it.

She looked around to make sure that nobody was nearby before slowly pulling her left hand down over her face as she pictured the blonde girl in her mind, her blue eyes, her dimpled chin. She checked her reflection against the blade of her short sword before sheathing it and continuing on her way. It took her another hour to reach Riverrun and she felt tired and her legs and feet were sore after her long walk. 'I would have been here much sooner if Anguy hadn't stolen my horse' She thought to herself as she looked around for a suitable place to stay for the night.

Jayne eventually settled on a quiet looking inn called The Sword and Crown. It looked clean and in a good state of repair compared to some of the other inns that she had stayed in so she decided to go inside to check it out. A portly man with thinning brown hair stood behind the counter writing in a ledger as two women served up the food and drinks. The older woman was probably his wife and the younger, skinnier one his daughter, she was of a similar age to Sansa though not as pretty.

Arya walked up to the wooden counter where the portly innkeeper was still writing in his ledger. She coughed to get his attention. "How much for a room for the night?" She asked him as she leaned against the counter, smiling at him.

"Too much for the likes of you beggar girl, better try somewhere cheaper." He scoffed as he looked over her grubby appearance, clearly unimpressed. "Off with you now." He turned his attention back to his ledger and continued to write, clearly not interested in her or her business.

Her blonde hair was a little messy and her hands and face were grubby along with her clothes from all of the travelling and sleeping out in the wild since she had left The Eyrie. She didn't think that she looked like a beggar though, she wasn't that dirty or smelly.

She pulled out a gold dragon from her pouch and discretely slid it across the counter to him. "How much for a room and a hot bath?" She said quietly, leaning in a little closer, trying to not draw too much attention to herself.

The portly innkeeper looked up at her suspiciously and picked up the gold dragon before gently biting it. He quickly pocketed it when he knew that it was genuine. "Follow me young miss, my apologies for the misunderstanding. I try to run a respectable inn you see and that means keeping out certain people."

Jayne smiled up at him and nodded as she followed him. "It's ok, I understand." She looked down at her grubby clothes. "I've had a long journey." She continued, trying to explain her appearance.

The portly innkeeper led her up some wooden stairs and in to a good size room with a large wooden bed in it, a four-post with deep green drapes and sheets. There was also a door to a balcony that overlooked the main road into Riverrun. "This is our best room, I'll have them bring the tub and hot water up immediately. Will there be anything else young miss?"

Jayne smiled happily and nodded her head before tossing him a silver stag, which he caught. "Some chicken would be nice and some fresh water to drink."

"Of course, right away" The portly innkeeper nodded before taking his leave, closing the door behind him as he left.

Jayne made her way out onto the balcony and looked down at the street below her as she leaned against the metal railing. She watched the people of Riverrun go about their business as her hot bath was prepared by the innkeeper's daughter and her chicken and fresh water was brought up. When her hot bath was ready she made sure that her door was locked before stripping off and sitting in the hot clear water. It soon turned a dirty colour as she started to scrub herself clean and washed her tangled blonde hair.

After she had scrubbed herself pink she got out and dried off before pulling on her small clothes and sitting on her bed to start eating her chicken. She loved chicken and would eat it every day if she could. She eagerly picked at it until she was full and washed it down with her water. She decided that was too late to start looking for Ser Jaime so she lay on her bed to sleep, pulling her thick sheets over her to keep warm.

The cool breeze rustled the brown and orange leaves in the trees above her as she followed the scent that she had picked up. The leaves that had fallen crunched under her weight as she walked making it difficult to remain silent. Her stomach was empty and growled, she craved for fresh red meat to fill it. Her ears pricked up at the sound of an owl hooting in a nearby tree but it was too small to consider eating and out of her reach so she turned away to sniff at the cold night air. Her breath steamed from her nose and mouth as she breathed out.

The scent was a little stronger so she knew that she was getting closer. Onward she ran through the forest, the pale moonlight lighting her way as she ran between the trees following the scent before slowing to a steady walking pace. The scent was very strong now, the deer would fill her belly but she would have to be careful.

Quietly she slowly crept closer, sticking to the shadows but always keeping her eyes on her prey before rushing in. The deer spotted her and tried to turn and run but it was too late. Gripping one of it's rear legs in her powerful jaws she easily dragged it off it's feet before pinning it down with her weight and opening it's neck with a viscous bite, savagely ripping away at it.

The warm blood poured out of the deer's neck as it quickly died, covering her face and making it sticky. She set about tearing strips of flesh from her kill, enjoying the warm meat as it filled her stomach.

When Jayne woke the next morning she felt fully rested. She had always taken a warm comfy bed for granted in Winterfell, but she certainly appreciated one now after spending so much time sleeping in the wild. 'Better than a moss and pine branch matress and sleeping in a cave'

After she had dressed she left the inn and started her search for Ser Jaime. Riverrun was larger than she had first thought and soon realised that she might never find Ser Jaime, she would need some help.

It was then that she spotted a young beggar boy and went over to him. He was shorter than her and had a grubby face and messy brown hair, his clothes were covered in dirt and had a few small holes in them. She smiled as she crouched down to his level. He was seven or eight at most by the look of him and he didn't look like he'd had anything to eat for a few days. "Have you seen a knight pass this way? A knight with fine armour and a white cape?" She asked him.

The young boy smiled back at Jayne. "I have, I'll tell you where he went for a copper star?" He replied cheerfully, hoping to make a little money to buy some food with.

Jayne could tell that he was telling the truth and reached into her pouch to pull out a silver stag. "Show me where he went and I'll give you this." She grinned a little at him.

The young boys face lit up at the sight of the silver stag and he held her hand as he started to walk. "He went this way, I'll show you miss."

Jayne couldn't help but take a liking to the young boy and they spoke a lot as they walked. She found out that his name was Brynden. His father had fought and died for the Stark's and Tulley's during the War of the Five King's, which made her feel a little guilty for him. He had hidden in a cellar as mother was killed and his farm destroyed by Lannister soldiers. He had somehow made it to Riverrun and lived on the streets ever since, begging for food or money to get by.

He told her that he had seen Ser Jaime two days ago and believed him to be staying at the castle while his three guards stayed at the inn he had brought her to.

"Thank you Brynden, you have been a great help. Now let me help you." She placed three silver stags into his grubby little palm and smiled before talking quietly. "I want you to get a ride to the Inn of the Kneeling Man. When you get there I want you to talk to a fat boy called Hot Pie. Tell him that the wolf girl sent you and that wish to join the brotherhood. They will keep you safe and off the streets I promise." She winked at him and smiled.

Brynden smiled back at her before quietly repeating what she had told him.

"Good, I'll see you again soon I promise." She said as she stood up and ruffled his hair, a bit like Jon used to do to her back in Winterfell. She watched him run off before heading into the innhe Byndon had lead her to. The Lannister guards were easy to spot in their crimson armour and red capes. One had a red haired girl sat on his knee as he sang The Rains of Castamere to her. Arya hated that song and it made her angry.

Jayne made her way over to the bar and bought herself some watered wine. She didn't want anything strong and didn't really like the taste of alcohol that much anyway. She took a small sip and went to sit with the Lannister guards, sitting by the youngest looking one and smiling at him sweetly. He was quite handsome with blonde hair and deep blue eyes.

"Oh, looks like it's my lucky day boys." He boasted to the others as he looked Jayne up and down.

She tried her best to remain calm but couldn't help from blushing slightly.

"Yeah, a pretty little bird, far too good for you Royce." The singing guard said as patted the red haired girl's bottom, making her giggle softly.

"So, are you Lannister men? Is Ser Jaime with you? I hear he's the most handsome man in Westeros." Jayne asked before taking a sip of her watered wine as she eyed the men, trying her best to act sweet and naive.

"Ha, he's the fourth most handsome man in Westeros behind us three." The third guard boasted as he eyed her up. He was clearly deep in his cups.

It gave her the creeps as she could almost feel his eyes on her skin, but she somehow held her nerve and stayed in character. "Where is he? I'd do anything to meet him?" She said to Royce, trying to hold back from being sick, her stomach churning.

"Is that so?" The young guard said as he put his arm around her slender shoulders, he stunk of ale and sweat.

Jayne blushed a little deeper as her heart pounded in her chest and nodded shyly.

The young guard stood and took her by the hand. "I'll be back in a little while boys." Royce laughed as the others looked up at him enviously, wishing that they were him.

Jayne stood and held his hand as she followed Royce up to his room, smiling sweetly though her wolf blood boiled.

"So where is he?" She asked looking around, trying to act innocent.

The Lannister guard locked the door behind him before turning to face her and taking off his crimson cape. "He's at the castle, but we leave for King's Landing later today." Royce took a few steps towards her before continuing. "But, he's not who you really want is he?" He smirked as he walked over to her, eying her up again.

Jayne shook her head shyly and approached him. "No, it's you that I want." She smiled as she stood on her tiptoes as if to kiss him.

The young guard leaned in and she quickly drew her finger knife across his neck. Royce backed away from her as he held his neck and looked at her with a look of shock on his face and fear in his eyes. His lifeblood pouring from him as he staggered over to the bed before falling on it. She leaned down and whispered into his ear. "Valar morghulis." Before standing over him and watching him slowly die.