Arya

Arya liked the Dragon queen a lot, she was funny and when they were alone she didn't demand formalities. She, Sansa and the Targaryen had taken to enjoying private lunches in her father's Solar, the southern party had been there a week and intended to stay only one more, Arya was shocked to find that she would miss the silver haired woman already.

"You must come to Kings Landing with Jon when winter is over, you can meet my dragons. I have a feeling they'd like you." The southern queen smiled as she sipped her hot tea.

"Oh, I'd like that very much, can I?" Arya looked to her own queen and more importantly her older sister.

"Only if you're married to the currently mute Smith you had me send for." Sansa quipped, causing her southern counterpart to laugh.

"I didn't think you'd find him." Arya had said these words a million times, but it didn't seem to have any effect.

"I think your young man is very handsome, even if his father did slaughter my family." Daenerys said with a quirked eyebrow, Arya was amazed at how the young queen was so capable of taking all that had been done to her and letting it go so easily.

"if it makes you feel better, I think Gendry hates his father just as much." Arya said with a shrug.

"Oddly it does"

"If we all cut off the family members of those who tried to kill us… we'd have no friends." Sansa stated, drawing raucous laughter from both of her dining mates. "But really Arya, if you are to marry Lord Baratheon you must talk to him." Her voice motherly and serious again, Arya squirmed.

"He is an idiot bull headed boy." She stated plainly.

"What has he done?" Sansa sighed wearily, already knowing the answer.

"After your wedding, I thought it would be less uncomfortable but the next morning he was strange and wouldn't look at me and then when I tried to talk to him he stammered and that made me feel uncomfortable and so I started behaving strangely… we were friends once, he doesn't know he's been brought here to marry me! What on earth has he got to feel uncomfortable about?" Arya slammed her cup of milk onto the table furiously, she was beyond frustrated and after spending a week watching the southern girls fawn over Gendry and him TALK to them she was also beyond livid. "It doesn't matter anyway because at the rate he's going he'll end up betrothed to Flippy or Dippy."

"Philippa or Daphne" Daenerys corrected, hiding the smile at the jibe towards her ladies. "Have you thought that perhaps he doesn't look at you because you intimidate him" the queen of the south asked, buttering a slice of toast with complete precision.

"You think I scare him?" Arya considered this, it wasn't that unheard of.

"Not scare, intimidate, you are a powerful and very beautiful girl who refuses to play at courtship the usual way. I imagine if I was a young man who was attracted to you it would be very hard to know quite how to approach the situation. You my grace are a little puzzle." The queen of the south's tone was a picture of complete authority.

"She's right." Sansa chimed in.

"Gendry isn't attracted to me! Sansa… when he and I were friend's I was a dirty little boy, that's what he sees when he looks at me."

"how could you possibly know what he is seeing Arya?" Sansa sighed wearily.

"Perhaps princess Arya you are projecting what you see in yourself onto poor Lord Gendry's eyes." The mother of Dragon's nodded resolutely and Arya couldn't find it in herself to argue, the silver haired woman was not wrong. In Arya's mind, she wasn't a woman, she was a horse faced little boy, it is why she hated wearing dresses… she thought everyone would see her as a fraud or worse, a fool…

"I see" Daenerys had clearly taken her silence for agreement "well it appears our problem lies with you Arya, you are confident in your skills with a sword and your wit, it would be incredibly sad if you were never made master of your beauty."

"I think you're very beautiful" Sansa chimed in helpfully.

"Oh, shut up Sansa you're just saying that because you feel bad for calling me horse faced all those years ago." Arya snapped and instantly regretted it, it was not the done thing to squabble in front of foreign dignitaries, however friendly the relationship. Sansa for her part looked unfazed and merely rolled her eyes at her sister

"I do feel sad but it's not why I'm saying it; didn't any boys try and court you in Braavos?" Sansa asked.

"Yes, but they just saw a lonely foreign girl and wanted to take advantage, besides I didn't have time for boys' I was… training." She cleared her throat, this conversation had taken an all too invasive turn she groaned out loud "You were right Sansa I know nothing about being a woman."

"I didn't say that Arya."

"Well of course… Arya you can fight… Sansa and I cannot, we can command others to fight for us but we are not trained with a sword and so we have had to find ways of controlling men without a blade. You have not, you've rarely had to rely on your womanly wiles at all… I believe like sword fighting it can be taught."

"In a day?" Arya asked hopefully, Daenerys merely laughed standing and walking to the door.

"Daphne fetch me three of my finest dresses." She called and Arya heard a squeaked response and scurrying feet.

"You're not going to try and… make me over, are you?" Arya asked nervously.

"Heavens no my dear sweet child, exposure is what I'm after. You hate wearing dresses because it forces you into a role you have not properly trained for. Did you play female roles as a Mummer?" Arya was surprised the queen knew about this but suspected Tyrion had told her everything.

"Yes."

"And you would wear a dress?"

"Yes."

"but you felt alright because you were playing a role?" Daenerys Targaryen continued, as though she had sliced Arya opened and could read her insides.

"Yes"

Sansa laughed suddenly and loudly, Deanery's smiled at her knowingly "Arya my sweet little sister, we're all playing a role! That is what life is!" she continued to laugh. "Do you think when I go to negotiate with old men that I am brimming with self-assurance? No! I have to tell myself over and over again "I am a queen", and I play the part of queen because it is the best thing for the people my father loved and it honours our parents and keeps us all safe!"

"Your sister, the Queen in the North is correct Arya, we are all, all of us cast in a role and we can either play it or run from it… your role up until now has been a strong lone wolf, preserving yourself and doing what needed to be done." Daenerys smiled empathetically "and now you have been thrust into a new role, a princess. My darling girl no wonder you are a wreck" the queen smiled, a smile that told Arya she was about to hear something very clever "You've not been given the script" Sansa applauded at this quip from her southern counterpart. "And besides you do have feminine wiles, I've seen you use them… you just don't know you're doing it." The Southern queen smiled kindly at Arya, Daphne was suddenly at their side holding out three beautiful low cut flowing dresses.

"You looked beautiful in your ribbon dress at the wedding" Sansa said as she eyed the shimmering fabric "were you very uncomfortable?" Arya nodded, she had been, she'd been so aware of her bare skin and the feminine cut, fearful that she was unprotected and that someone would try and disrobe her. Vulnerable was the word that accurately summed up her feelings that night.

"put this on" The mother of dragons pushed a white cotton dress into her hands she nodded towards the wooden screen in the corner of the Solar and Arya nodded. She would have argued usually but she saw the logic in the southern queen's argument. She must at least learn to play princess, then she might feel a little more confident in her actions. Either that or run away, for good… but she couldn't lose her family again, more importantly she couldn't lose herself again.

When she stepped back out from the screen Sansa beamed at her, the garment barely covered her breasts the leather straps that were supposed to hold the swathes of fabric to her body were too loose "come here" Daphne, who had remained in the room said kindly. She grabbed a strap and pulled it taught making Arya gasp slightly "Sorry, her Grace likes it tight" she whispered as she pulled the three straps around her torso and the two on her arms, one after the other. Swathes of Arya's slightly duskier Stark skin were still visible; the long strip between her breasts and the skin from armpit to hips were on display. The mother of Dragons reached up and unclasped the tight buns Arya's hair had been pulled into, allowing her long locks to hang loose "Lovely" she smiled maternally at Arya, who still didn't feel lovely. She felt silly. "Young Arya your role is to play a princess, a woman of the North who knows what she wants and gets it. Chin up." The southern queen directed "straight backed like you are about to enter into a duel" Arya understood this, she pulled herself to her full height and squared her shoulders.

"My Grace she looks…" Daphne started but seemed lost for words.

"My child whether you accept it or not it is in your best interest to know you are very beautiful… as much as you try to hide it under your breeches and sword play…" Daenerys stopped as though she'd suddenly realised something "Lyanna Stark, the girl the world was torn apart for. I have been told by many that you are her image… The girl my brother died for." She sighed sadly "That Arya is how beautiful you are."

Arya felt uncomfortable under the gaze of these women and the weight of their compliments, she allowed herself to be shuffled toward the polished brass in the far corner "look at yourself" the queen of the south said in voice that almost felt like it came from within Arya "really look Arya, don't see what you think others see just see what is there" and Arya looked and she saw and while she still felt her face was odd and her body too small she was not ugly, or boyish. She looked like a girl, a pretty girl, a girl a boy could like. "You will keep this dress" The queen of the South whispered happily.

"We should walk past her boy!" Daphne squealed clutching her hands excitedly.

"my boy?" Arya spun quickly, a pang of panic nipping at her chest. Did everyone know she'd sent for him… did he know? Is that why he was behaving so strangely?

"The Lord who was a smith? He talks about you all the time and you're always scowling at him… I just assumed. I'm sorry my grace." Daphne (aka dippy), looked appropriately shame faced but Sansa spoke up to calm the situation

"Excuse my sister, it's all very new to her lady Daphne." She smiled by way of explanation.

"I think it's a wonderful Idea." Daenerys said suddenly.

"I can't just parade about in a fancy summer dress while everyone is in furs, He'll think I'm mental." Arya argued, the three women looked thoughtful for a second.

"Queen Sansa would you do me the honour of trying on my dress?" Daenerys asked as she passed a teal dress of a similar design to Arya's, Sansa nodded excitedly and hurried behind the screen Daenerys didn't bother to move she shrugged her furs off and with the help of Daphne was pulling on her own garb. Arya didn't mind the nakedness; it was nothing she hadn't seen before.

"Lord Baratheon is in the yard with the King and Prince Jon, My Grace." Daphne, who must have only been four and ten scrunched her brow "we could walk across to the guest quarters and say we are going to show Lady Tyrell, the Queen and Princess in their new southern dresses that you have gifted them!" The queen clapped her hands excitedly

"Of course, it is good form to showcase a gift from a fellow royal, very clever Daphne." The Mother of Dragons smiled happily.

Arya was not happy, all of this sounded frilly and ridiculous. Like something Sansa would have thought up in Kings Landing to try and get Joffrey's attention. But that was her role now was it not? For her sister and family, to be a princess.

"Do not worry little princess, you are still you. You will pull your breeches back on later and play with your sword again. We are not trying to change you nor "make you over", merely show you that your role is not as rigid as you think" Daenerys said soothingly in her ear as she eyed her reflection in the polished brass again.

"I think he'll faint when he sees you my grace." Daphne who she'd avoided talking to, was actually growing on her.

"Thank heavens for the hot springs, or we'd all freeze." Sansa added as she joined the group before the polished brass.

"We still will" Arya said sullenly. "this is ridiculous"

"Now you don't have to say anything Arya" Sansa giggled ignoring her sisters protest "We'll just walk by and if Jon asks Daenerys will tell him we are off to show our gifts to Margaery."

"the hems will get all dirty" Arya said for the first time in her life, she instantly hated herself for it.

"Then we shall wash them." Daphne added sweetly "Come"

"This is fun, it feels like so long since we've just done something silly and pleasurable, doesn't it?" Sansa chuckled breathily, Daenerys took her arm and nodded agreement. This didn't feel like fun to Arya, it felt nerve wracking, before she knew it they were crossing the courtyard and the crash of swords that had been a constant that day, stopped suddenly. The cold bit at her exposed flesh and caused goose pimples to erupt, she raised her eyes from their current foot staring home and scanned the yard as she walked at the back of the pack, the three more assured women grouped ahead.

Gendry dropped his sword and took a step back as his eyes fell on the group.

"What are you lot up to?" Jon asked, as predicted.

"I brought these dresses as gifts for the royal sisters we intend to show them to Lady Margaery, she has the best eye for these things." Daenerys said lightly "Don't they look beautiful?" Arya wasn't quite sure how he moved so fast without making a racket but in the blink of an eye Pod was at Sansa's side grinning broadly "My love" he whispered causing her to giggle. Arya actually felt a lurch in her stomach, a little pang of regret or jealousy, she wasn't sure. She squared her shoulders and turned again to look at Gendry, Jon was saying something "they look lovely, and cold" when Arya's eyes caught Gendry's again he took another step back this time tripping over his sword and falling onto his arse. "He fell over! I was close." Daphne whispered into her ear before following after her Queen who had moved off… there was another clatter of armour and she noted with a slight chuckle that Podrick had thrown his breastplate off and had lifted his queen clean off the ground, cradled her in his arms and was walking back towards the keep.

Arya looked back to Gendry, still sat in the mud, eyes still fixed on her, mouth still agape. She smiled a confused smile that said "Idiot boy why are you sitting in the mud?" he grinned and shrugged back before a blush crept up his face and he looked away suddenly only to look back at her again, Arya did something she'd never done before… she didn't do it deliberately… her body moved of its own accord, her head dipped slightly as she looked down then back up at him through FLUTTERING EYELASHES… she cursed the hairs on her eyelids for twitching so prettily. His arms dropped to his side as a whoosh of breath appeared to leave his body.

"Come now your Grace, we don't want you catching sick." The voice of Daenerys snapped her out of the strange silent ritual that seemed to be occurring between her and the idiot bull headed boy who made her eyelashes flutter.