Jaime was bruised and exhausted by the time he stumbled into bed that night. Arya had beaten him soundly many times in the practice yard that day. At first he had been slightly concerned that she meant to kill him. It would have been a stupid move on her part with all his men watching but Starks weren't known for their brilliance. But each time he yielded the victory, she she'd make them start again. By the end of the day he was worn out and he could see that she was too, maybe more than he was.

Then, in the last round, he finally managed to knock her little blade from her hands. The moment of surprise in her eyes told him that she hadn't just let him win. He had beaten her in earnest. She yielded the match and they dragged their tired bodies back into the castle.

He understood what she had done. She had provoked him into fighting. It was to her advantage if he had some purpose other than marriage. Maybe she hoped that if he learned to fight he would let her go. His father was coming at the end of the week. There was no chance of improving himself that much in such a short time. And even if he could, his men were more loyal to Tywin than to him. There would be no change in the plans his father had set in motion.

Arya didn't appear for breakfast the next morning so Jaime asked Mikken about her.

"Lady Arya is still asleep, my lord." Mikken told him.

"Are you sure? She's always been up early before today." He said.

"I am told that her handmaid Kalla spoke to Lady Arya early this morning and was told to 'get the fuck out' because the lady needed more sleep." Mikken said. "Apparently your activities yesterday left her quite exhausted."

Jaime couldn't help but grin about that. "Alright, let her sleep." He would tease her about it later and she'd likely never sleep late again. Or she'd sleep late every day just to try and irritate him. He couldn't be sure.

He didn't see Arya until late that morning, several hours after breakfast. She found him in his solar where he was giving last minute instructions to Mikken for his father's arrival.

"So this is where your rooms are?" She said in the open doorway. "I came to ask if you wanted to spar today."

"That will be all for now Mikken." Jaime told him, the older man left them with a small bow. "You're finally awake." Jaime said to Arya.

She only shrugged. "I was tired. Fighting you was harder than I expected." Curiously, the words brought a blush to her cheeks making her quickly change the subject. "How come I've never seen this part of the castle before?"

"Because I didn't want you sneaking into this room to murder me in my sleep."

"That makes sense." Arya said.

"It does doesn't it? Though if you did try to kill me you'd never get out of the castle."

"Are you kidding? I've found three ways out since I've been here. It wouldn't be so difficult." She quipped.

"If that's the case then why am I still alive? Why are you still here?"

"Because I'm...curious." She admitted and then her cheeks grew red from the admission.

Jaime regarded her quizzically for a moment before going on with the conversation. "Curious about what, exactly?"

"Nothing… just forget it...do want to spar today or not?"

Jaime grinned. "If I win you'll tell me what it is you're curious about."

"You won't win." Arya protested.

"You just said yourself that I was more difficult than you expected." He said.

"That was about endurance, not skill." She said.

"Ten rounds then. If haven't beaten you by ten rounds then you don't have to answer the question."

"Deal." She agreed.

Jaime had started to become accustomed to Arya's fighting style after all the time they had spent in the yard the previous day. Apparently Arya was still weary from the day before because she moved more slowly as if she were distracted. She beat him the first round but he wasn't worried about that. He still had time to figure out her weakness. He watched her eyes as they fought and soon discovered that they weren't on his blade or his eyes like they should have been. Instead, her gaze was directed at where his tunic had come untied, exposing his chest as they fought without armor. It was just practice after all. Jaime grinned. This was an unexpected development.

"It's quite warm out here, don't you think?" He said when he lost the third round. "I hope you don't mind if I take this off." He stripped the tunic over his head and noted the way her eyes widened.

She beat him again on the fourth round, this time knocking him flat on his back and putting her blade to his throat. Arya was angry.

"I yield." He told her hands in the air. She didn't remove her blade. "Are you seriously going to hold a grudge because I distracted you by taking off my shirt?"

"You didn't…" She began and took a step back.

Jaime only laughed and picked himself up off the ground. "Again?"

It took seven rounds for Jaime to beat her. Arya's sword was on the ground and Jaime was standing much too close to her. "I yield." She said through gritted teeth.

He smiled and went to get his shirt from the fence rail nearby. "Come, walk with me and you can give me the prize I won."

She picked up her sword from the ground and moved to walk with him. They walked in silence for a long while, making their way to the top of the castle where there was a clear view of the sea.

"Are you ready to tell me what is keeping you here?" Jaime asked once they had reached the top. "I'll know if you lie."

She walked over to the castle wall and leaned her elbows onto the archer spaces. "Father told me once that I would be the lady of a castle and the wife of a lord someday. I told him I would never do that... I wanted to carry a sword and see the Titan of Braavos and the Pyramids of Meereen… and go on hunts...and fight in battles… I never wanted to be a lady or have a husband who would tell me what to think and what to do… but since I've been here I've been curious… curious to find out if…" Arya went silent.

"If what?" Jaime prompted, he wasn't sure what direction her words were going.

"If I can do both. If I can honor my father's wishes for me and still be who I am… you've already given back my sword, no one has been insisting that I wear fancy dresses or behave like a lady...and it turns out that you are more honorable than I thought you'd be."

"You're telling me you'll consider accepting the marriage if I don't try to change you?" Jaime asked her, still reeling over what she had just said.

Arya nodded.

"Your father wouldn't approve of me as a husband for you. If you are considering this for his sake it would be futile." Jaime told her.

"I know that. Father approved of Joffrey for Sansa. I don't think his judgement in arranging marriages was very good. It doesn't change that he wanted a normal life for me."

"I thought we weren't supposed to care what our fathers want?." He said, not wanting to discourage her from considering the marriage, just wanting to understand her thinking.

"No, I said you shouldn't be afraid of your father. I want to honor my father's wishes. It's entirely different."

"I don't think it much different at all." Jaime told her.