Thanks for all of the reviews on the last chapter - it was a difficult one to write, trying to get Catelyn's reaction to Jaime & Sansa's marriage to be in character.

After all of the drama in the last chapter, this one is a little lighter. (Obviously, I'm not exactly following Arya's path from the books, since she's found her way to her sister. I'm trying to write her a little less dark than she is in the later books.)

….

Chapter 30

Jaime was sleeping peacefully, with Sansa in his arms, when he heard his name and felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw Ser Addam Marbrand, who gestured for Jaime to follow him out of the makeshift bedchamber, all the while averting his eyes from Sansa's naked body wrapped around Jaime's. He knew Ser Addam would never wake him if it weren't urgent. He carefully disentangled himself from Sansa's arms and legs, and pulled the furs to her neck. He kissed her gently on the forehead, before pulling on his breeches and walking over to Ser Addam.

"Forgive me for disturbing you, Jaime," he said, in a whisper, "but we've found three intruders. It appears as if they were trying to get to Lord Tully and Lady Stark."

Jaime nodded, grabbing his boots and his tunic, and followed his second-in-command outside the tent. It was nearly daybreak and the three intruders that confronted him were hardly what he'd expected. They were all three filthy and it appeared they had been living out of doors for quite some time. The oldest was scarcely more than a boy, though he appeared to have some strength and muscle to him; the second was a pudgy boy who looked about to wet himself at the sight of the Lord of the Rock; and the littlest was a skinny thing, appearing to be around ten years of age. The youngest, smallest one was fighting the hardest of the three for freedom from Jaime's men.

"What brings you to my camp?" Jaime asked, addressing his question to the eldest. They clearly weren't affiliated with either of the remaining kings challenging Tommen, but Jaime knew there were quite a few bands of outlaws forming in and around the Riverlands. Several of these outlaws were loyal to Robb Stark, despite his death, and would be quite eager to free Edmure Tully and Catelyn Stark. Though, their youth made it unlikely that they were any true threat.

The eldest flicked his blue eyes towards the littlest one, who answered Jaime with a question. "Where are you taking Lady Stark, Kingslayer?"

He smiled, approaching the fierce little thing. "It seems I'm at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I don't know who you are."

"It doesn't matter who I am," the child said defiantly.

Jaime looked at the child carefully and realized she was a little girl, not a little boy. Her hair was cut short, and she was wearing breeches and a tunic, but her features were decidedly female. "Why are you dressed as a boy?" Jaime asked.

Her grey eyes widened. "I am a boy."

Jaime rolled his eyes. "You certainly are not. I suppose it's easy enough to prove which of us is correct. Should you like to strip down right here and settle the matter?"

She hardened her jaw and looked at him with utter hatred. "It's safer to travel as a boy, in times of war."

"I suppose that's true. Very astute. What is your name…my lady?"

He could see that she was preparing to lie, as she thought about what name to give him. "Weasel."

"Must you try my patience? Your true name?"

Before the child could lie to him yet again, Jaime heard Sansa's shocked whisper from behind him. "Arya?"

He looked at Sansa, who must have wakened at the sound of their voices, then back at the little creature in front of him. She didn't resemble Sansa in the slightest. The younger Stark girl had been far beneath his notice during the royal visit to Winterfell last year – except when her wolf had bit Joffrey and Cersei had begged him to cut off the child's hand in punishment. Now that he looked closely at the child, he could see the resemblance to Ned Stark in the little girl's features. It seems I've found my missing little good-sister.

Sansa had tearfully told him months ago that she feared her sister must be dead – just as her brothers were. She had leaned against his chest and cried as she told him that she and her little sister were barely speaking to one another because of some quarrel when last she saw her. She regretted not being able to make amends. Jaime had held and cuddled her as she despaired that her only remaining sibling was at the Wall – Ned Stark's bastard son. He knew how much Sansa missed being part of a family. How much she missed the safety and comfort of her childhood home and her parents and siblings.

As he watched the child struggle to get free of his soldiers, he felt Sansa stand next to him and clutch his hand. The little girl stopped struggling with his guards and focused on her sister, standing beside Jaime. Her mouth dropped open and the tears that formed in the child's eyes as she looked at Sansa confirmed her identity as Arya Stark.

The little girl resumed struggling against his men, trying to get to Sansa, though they held onto her until Jaime signaled for them to release her. She immediately ran towards her sister, wrapping her arms around her waist. Sansa seemed surprised by the show of affection and her eyes filled with tears as well. Jaime smiled to himself. After her reunion with her mother, she could use some affection from a family member. He hoped the child would be kinder to Sansa than Lady Stark had gently smoothed his hand over his wife's hair as she hugged her sister and he could hear the little girl whispering to Sansa.

"I didn't know the Lannisters had you here, too. I saw them take mother from the Twins yesterday."

"How did you escape King's Landing?" Jaime asked. He recalled that his father had been furious that a nine-year-old girl had managed to elude Cersei, when she had taken Ned Stark into custody for treason.

Arya glared at Jaime, and though she answered his question, she spoke only to Sansa. The child told a lengthy tale of escaping through the dungeons and living in squalor in Flea Bottom until she heard that Ned Stark was being taken to the Great Sept. Arya offered Jaime another hate-filled glance, before telling Sansa that she was there when their father was executed. That she saw Sansa standing on the steps as their father was made to kneel down while Ser Ilyn swung his sword. He could see that the girl was loath to show any emotion in front of him, but it was apparent that the loss of her father had affected her. Perhaps even more than it had affected Sansa.

Once she regained control of her grief, Arya described how a man of the Night's Watch had proposed to take her to the Wall, in order to reunite her with her bastard brother. It had been his idea to disguise her as a boy in order to get her out of the city safely. She met the two boys she was traveling with on her trip to the Wall, before being taken captive by Lannister soldiers.

"When we escaped from the Lannisters, I started trying to find Robb and I heard that he would be at the Twins…for the…wedding."

"Were you inside? Did you see…what happened to Robb?" Sansa whispered and Jaime rested his hand on her shoulder as her voice cracked with emotion.

Arya shook her head. "My friend saw what they were doing and…he wouldn't let me go in, no matter how much I struggled." Jaime looked at the black-haired boy and could see that he had some affection for the child. It looks as if Sansa wasn't the only Stark girl able to find someone to protect her in this war. "I saw they had mother and we…we were trying to think of a way to free her. But, there are only three of us and the walls of the Twins were so high..."

Jaime was rather impressed that the child and her companions had managed to stay hidden from the Freys for so long. It seemed that Arya Stark was a survivor. Just like her sister. "You've been here all this time? Prowling around the Twins?" Jaime asked, ignoring her hostility. "How have you survived?"

"I'm a Northerner. I know how to hunt," she said as if he were a simpleton. He wanted to point out that her sister was also a Northerner, and she certainly couldn't hunt, but he refrained. "I've been looking for my family since I left King's Landing. I couldn't leave when I was so close to mother." She looked up at her sister. "I was going to look for you, too. I heard about…Bran and Rickon," she said, tears filling her eyes and Sansa hugged her little sister.

Sansa took his hand, looking up at him with blue eyes glistening with tears. "We'll bring her to Casterly Rock with us, won't we, Jaime?"

"I'm not going anywhere with him," she spoke up angrily, before Jaime could respond.

"Shut up," Sansa whispered.

Jaime fought the smile that was playing at his lips. It seemed as though their emotional reunion was over. "Of course, your sister will come with us to the Rock," he said, bringing her hand to his mouth.

The child opened her mouth to object, but Sansa cut her off. "Mother and I are going to Casterly Rock with Jaime. And…we're the only Starks left. You're coming with us whether you like it or not. Do you remember what father used to say? The lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. You're coming with us. We should all be together. We're family."

He watched as the child looked between he and Sansa, focusing on their joined hands. "You came out of his tent. It's true, isn't it? I heard you had married the Kingslayer but I didn't believe it."

"He is my husband. And you'll call him Ser Jaime."

"Or brother, whichever you prefer," he said with a smirk. Both girls rewarded him with a glare. "Tell me, little sister, who do you travel with?"

"None of your business." He watched as Sansa pinched her for her insolence, and whispered for the child to be polite. "Let my friends go! They haven't done anything wrong."

"No? I understand the three of you were attempting to get to my prisoners. To free them?" She merely stared at the ground, as if Jaime had not uttered a word. "Who are your friends?"

"Why do you need their names?"

"Arya, answer his question," Sansa said in annoyance. Jaime could have easily asked the boys themselves for their names, but he wanted to gauge how difficult Sansa's sister would be to control on their journey, and once they reached Casterly Rock.

"Hot Pie," she whispered.

"Excuse me?" Jaime asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's the only name I know him by."

"I take it that's the name of the rather…round boy with you?"

She nodded.

"And the other? His name?"

"I'm not telling you his name. I don't care what you do to me."

She was so resolved in her refusal to give the name of the older boy that Jaime knew there had to be a reason beyond mere willfulness. "Is he wanted?"

Her eyes widened and the boy answered for her. "My name's Gendry, m'lord," the boy said. "Gendry Waters."

"Don't hurt him," Arya said in a small voice.

"What did he do?"

She looked up at Sansa. "The queen," she whispered. "The queen wants him. I don't know why, and he doesn't either. I swear it. It was right after we left King's Landing…Lannister soldiers came looking for him. For the queen."

Jaime looked at the boy, taking in his features. He strongly resembled Renly Baratheon and King Robert in his younger days. He recalled Tyrion telling him about Cersei ordering the murder of all of Robert Baratheon's baseborn children. Babes were ripped from their mother's arms and slaughtered on his sister's orders. It was one of Cersei's most vicious moments; her desperation to hold onto the throne clouding her judgment. Jaime had little doubt as to the parentage of Arya Stark's companion. He's one of Robert's bastards.

The boy was brave, Jaime had to give him that. He had to know that he was risking death by giving his name to Jaime Lannister, if there truly was a royal warrant out for him.

"Gendry's a smith. He could be of use to you. He could make you swords or armor," Arya said urgently, tugging at Jaime's arm. He saw her eyes flicker curiously to his golden hand. "You won't kill him, will you? Or allow the queen to? He can be of use to you." Jaime sighed, meeting his wife's eyes as the child continued to make her case. "And Hot Pie…" she turned to Sansa. "His mother was a baker and he knows how to bake, too. He could make you lemon cakes. They were always your favorite."

Jaime chuckled at the child's sales pitch before addressing the boys, focusing first on the one she called "Hot Pie." He seemed even more terrified than he had been when Jaime first emerged from his tent. The boy was clearly no threat to Sansa and certainly wasn't capable of liberating any prisoners on his own. "If you try to escape, the penalty is death, do you understand?" He nodded fearfully and Jaime ordered him escorted to the wagons used by the cooks traveling with him.

He then turned his attention to Robert Baratheon's bastard. Given his own betrayal of the King, Jaime knew that the prudent thing would be to kill him right there, in case the boy got it in his head to seek vengeance. But he knew it would upset Sansa. And likely cement her sister's dislike for him. "Gendry, is it?"

The boy nodded. "Yes, m'lord."

"You're a smith, are you?" He nodded again. "Would you like to come with us to Casterly Rock?"

He shrugged. "I don't know much about the place, m'lord."

"Do you have anywhere else to go?"

"No. My mother's dead. And I never knew my father."

"Then I suppose it would be preferable to have somewhere to go, with your…friends, rather than wandering the realm aimlessly during times of war?"

"It would, m'lord," he said reluctantly.

"Is there any reason I should be concerned about my wife's safety if you're allowed to accompany us?"

"He wouldn't hurt my sister!" the little girl insisted.

"I'm asking him."

Gendry glanced over at Sansa before returning his gaze to Jaime. "I wouldn't hurt Lady Lannister. Just as I wouldn't hurt Lady Arya."

He heard the little girl huff. "Don't call me that, Gendry."

"It's your name," Sansa hissed at her. "He's being polite. You may not look it, or act like it, but you are a lady."

"I've seen him piss – I've seen his cock, he shouldn't have to call me that."

Jaime was worried for a moment that Sansa was going to faint dead away at her sister's words. "I may not be the best person to lecture others on propriety, little sister," Jaime said as he approached the child, "But you will conduct yourself appropriately, do you understand me? You'll not shame your sister by acting as an unruly heathen. I expect your mother would be horrified by your words as well."

She rolled her eyes as Sansa hissed at her never to use that word. "What word? Cock?"

"Shut up!"

Gendry looked at him fearfully, even as Jaime was struggling not to laugh. He seemed to think Jaime was going to cut his head off right there for behaving inappropriately with Arya Stark. "I didn't know she was a girl then, Lord and Lady Lannister. I thought she was a boy. I swear it."

Jaime smirked to himself and saw that Arya just realized she may have said something to get Gendry in trouble. "He didn't know. He was upset when he found out I was a girl and had…seen things you would think I should not have."

He walked toward the boy and spoke to him in a low voice. "Does the queen still search for you?"

He shook his head. "Another boy who was traveling to join the watch was killed and…Lady Arya told the red coats he was Gendry." Jaime glanced back at Arya and smiled at her resourcefulness.

"Try not to draw attention to yourself, Gendry. I have no plans to notify my sister of your existence. Do you know why she wanted you?"

He shook his head. "I've never done anything," he said sincerely.

Jaime studied him for a moment and believed that the boy had no idea why Cersei wanted him dead – that he had no idea that he was King Robert Baratheon's bastard son. It was obvious that the Stark girl was fond of this boy. Perhaps she'll be less difficult if her friends are allowed to accompany her to the Rock. And more inclined to show affection for her sister if I do this for her – if I show that I'm not the enemy.

"Ser Addam, will you take young Gendry and see to it that he is outfitted with a horse for our ride to the Rock?" Jaime watched as the boy was escorted away and then turned to consider his wife and her sister. The little girl was looking at him suspiciously. "I could send you to King's Landing and allow my sister to deal with you. I have no doubt she'd be grateful to have you."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "She could likely marry you off to some family she needs as an ally in this war. I don't expect that you would enjoy being the wife of some newly anointed lord."

"You said I could go with my sister."

"I did. And you may. Provided you behave. I'll not have you running off, trying to free prisoners, or causing any trouble, are we understood?"

She glared at him stubbornly and Sansa gripped her arm, leaning forward. "Answer him," she whispered. "You may not realize it, but he's doing you a kindness."

"He's doing it for you, not me," she said bitterly before looking at Jaime. "I won't run."

"And you'll behave," Sansa prompted.

"I'll behave," she mumbled.

"You needn't act as if you're being taken to your death, little sister." She looked up at him, curious as to what he had to say, though clearly irritated by how he addressed her. "You're not alone – you're with your family. You'll have your friends. And from what your sister has told me about you, I expect you'll enjoy living at the Rock." Jaime looked at Sansa and saw her grateful smile. "What shall we do with her now?"

"She needs a bath and clean clothes," Sansa said, wrinkling the nose at the smell of her little sister, and picking at her short hair with distaste. He smiled as she dragged Arya into their tent, while calling for Pia to prepare a hot bath. Sansa was so timid sometimes and so afraid to cause offense. She had been so beaten down by Joffrey and Cersei's bullying, and it pleased him to see her confidence in the face of her insolent little sister. He supposed Sansa could use the distraction. Mothering her little sister should give her something to do other than think about her mother's rejection.

Jaime sighed and shook his head. How did I end up surrounded by Starks and Tullys?

…..

Next Chapter: Sansa and Arya have a sisterly chat…