AN: Last chapter was the first time this story had double digit reviews on a single chapter, I really appreciate it.
Eydis Star: Wow perfect, that is one hell of a complement thank you. I'm glad you love the story.
Birdy1210: Sorry about the cliffhanger, not really though, I felt it was a good place to end. I actually wrote a scene where I killed Jaime but decided against it. Might have seen the last of Gendry, maybe not; I honestly haven't decided for sure yet.
m0rem0k: I considered killing Gendry as well but couldn't see Arya doing it in that moment and Aerion respects her enough to abide by her decision. I think you will like the way I depicted Sansa, she certainly isn't the timid 'little bird' that she is at the start of the books.
naleight: Thank you for the review as always, I look forward to them whenever I post a chapter. I really enjoyed bringing Nymeria and Arya back together, her and Ghost were always my favorite direwolves. I like Jaime and just didn't care for the scene I wrote where I had him dead at the end of the short fight. Part of how I wanted to write Arya was to show that it wasn't about vengeance for her anymore, her time with the Faceless Men gave her a greater appreciation for the death she wanted to reap on others. Now instead of just being about vengeance it is about justice. For Jaime he reached a sort of balance, he did as much good as he did bad where the people on her list have done nothing to atone. The way I've depicted Daenerys I just couldn't see her impulsively punishing two people who did something that wasn't an actual betrayal. Really don't know what I am going to do with Gendry right now, but part of the reason I didn't have him go with Arya and Aerion is that I don't particularly like or dislike his character and didn't want to have to write some angst ridden scene because of his feelings for Arya when she is firmly with Aerion.
GoDrinkPinsol624: I think it is awesome that you liked this enough to binge read it.
lestibur: Hope this chapter is as great as the first seven
Beloved Daughter: I'm glad you felt that way about the characters. I feel like if I manage to do something like that for my readers then I am doing something right.
A Frozen Shadow: I am sorry to disappoint but since I have been keeping to Aerion and Arya's POV the whole story I'm not willing to part from that, though I could write a one-shot of Sansa's kill. Edmure you won't see until after they return south as he is being held prisoner at the Rock. Brynden you will see sooner than that but not quite yet. It was incredibly nice of you to call this a masterpiece, so thank you.
NOTE: There is a lemon clearly denoted toward the end of the chapter, skip if you do not wish to read.
Disclaimer: A song of ice and fire is the property of George R. R. Martin no copyright infringement is intended and no profit is being made from this story.
There was a long moment of tense silence after Sansa's declaration before anyone actually reacted: the guards around the room began looking at one another nervously, the members of Daenerys council began talking to each other loudly, Aerion and Ser Barristan put their hands to the hilt of their swords, Daenerys's eyes just widened in surprise while Arya had the opposite reaction and hers narrowed. While it was possible that the blood on Sansa's hands was from trying to assist Littlefinger, Arya sincerely doubted it. She killed him.
Daenerys, noticing the commotion, made to gain control of the situation but Sansa beat her to it, "Everybody quiet! Guards remain at your post and calm yourselves." Arya was more than a little impressed by her formerly soft-spoken sister.
Daenerys nodded her approval at the younger woman, "Now that everybody is calmed down, would you mind explaining the situation Lady Stark?"
She gestured for them to sit down and it was only then that the usually auburn haired young woman saw the direwolf in the room and looked in Arya's direction, "You actually managed to find Nymeria?"
The younger Stark smiled, "Well she found me actually; we'll sit down and talk about it later." Sansa nodded and they both took their seats.
Sansa gestured toward one of the guards and he came over to where she sat, "Get me a bowl of clean water please."
He nodded and just two minutes later Sansa's skin was cleaned of blood while everybody else waited patiently for her to explain the situation, "I forgot my manners before your Grace, welcome to the Vale of Arryn and the Gates of the Moon."
Daenerys nodded but it was clear she wanted that explanation, "Thank you, now please tell me what happened to Lord Baelish."
"It is quite simple, I killed him." Arya was surprised by her sister's bluntness but not by the admission.
Daenerys seemed unsurprised obviously having reached the same conclusion as Arya, "Why did you kill the Lord Protector of the Vale and the man I was set to have peace talks with?" There was a hint of anger in Daenerys's amethyst eyes.
Sansa didn't even pay the slightest attention to the Queen's anger, "For many reasons but the most important to you would be his plan to capture you here today and force you and your army to follow his whims."
Daenerys's nostrils flared, "He thought he could capture me?"
Sansa nodded, "The man was quite the schemer though many of his plans have come to nothing in recent years. He knew he couldn't control your dragons but he believed with you as his prisoner he would finally get what he wanted."
"And what did he want?" Daenerys asked tersely.
"Control," Sansa voice held nothing but distaste for the thought, "from Dorne to the Wall; he wanted to rule over the Seven Kingdoms. He caused a great deal of strife with his scheming but I refused to allow this plan to work. He would have seen the country burn as long as he could be king."
"How do you know his plans?" The anger had left Daenerys and was replaced by a strong desire to know exactly how this transpired.
Arya watched as Sansa's expression became more guarded, "I have spent five years here in the Vale because of Lord Baelish, he had a certain… fondness for me because of my resemblance to my mother. He would let things slip in the beginning, things he didn't mean for me to know but as time went on, I became his confidant of sorts and for the past two years I listened to his constant disappointment as his greater schemes failed."
"And what schemes were those?"
"The first of them was to use me to gain the loyalty of the North."
Arya spoke up then, "And I assume that failed with the claim that Rickon was alive."
"Yes, with Stannis gaining control of the North in Rickon's name he knew immediately that path was closed to him."
Daenerys gestured for Sansa to continue, "His other plans fell apart from there, while Cersei regained some measure of control after her uncle's death Margaery managed to keep her influence mostly limited. Then Aegon landed and the Dornish became involved in the whole thing."
"Between the reignited war and his tenuous control over the Vale, he was unable to manipulate anything further. He was quite upset with himself for giving up his position on the small council after a time."
Daenerys seeing where this was going took up the story, "And with my arrival he saw an opportunity to scare the Lords Declarant into absolute submission or simply remove them altogether and gain the army necessary to force the other kingdoms into line. Of course that would only work if he had me captive because if he had made an attempt on my life he would have died… painfully to say the least."
"What I don't understand," Daario began further down the table, "is why this Lord Baelish would immediately make the jump to kidnapping Daenerys, most men have tried to marry her to get her armies." Daario looked in Aegon's direction with a self-satisfied little smirk.
Sansa quickly answered, "Petyr Baelish was a bastard but he was not a fool. He heard of Queen Daenerys's reluctance to take another husband and was very much aware that he would not be the one break the trend." Arya snorted remembering the less than impressive man and Sansa did her best to resist the urge to laugh at her sister's reaction, even Ser Barristan had a hint of mirth in his eyes at the idea.
"And how exactly did he plan to take me captive?" Daenerys asked calmly.
"There are a thousand men of the Vale on the other side of the Gates of the Moon. They would have entered the castle, killed your guards and had you and every important member of your party in a cell by the end of the day." All present knew they wouldn't have been able to withstand twenty to one odds in such a confined space.
Daenerys smiled at the elder Stark, "I suppose I am in your debt then."
"No your Grace, I did it as much for me as I did for you and the realm."
Arya thought that statement deserved further explanation but Daenerys seemed content and decided to move things along, "Then am I to assume that Robert Arryn is Lord of the Vale?"
Sansa shook her head sadly, "No your Grace, Lord Baelish worked tirelessly over the last few months to keep my cousin Robert's death a secret from the Lords Declarant." Sansa did not particularly care for her cousin but his death was sad nonetheless, "The maester that looked after him was in Baelish's employ and with his help Baelish was able to keep the Lords at bay and maintain his control."
Ser Barristan made a noise of disgust, "How long could Littlefinger have thought to keep such a thing secret? I know Lord Royce and surely he would have forced the truth from him sooner or later."
"Lord Royce was Petyr's biggest detractor over the past five years but my cousin was well known for his long bouts of sickness; as such, he couldn't really demand to see my cousin when the maester was constantly telling him it was unsafe."
Ser Barristan still didn't look happy but couldn't argue with Sansa. Daenerys meanwhile pressed on, "So who should I be discussing matters with?"
"Probably Harrold Hardyng," Sansa replied, "He was Robert's heir after all, the Lords Declarant wanted him as ruler of the Vale all along. Of course, we could call the Lords Declarant, they would happily speak with you but in truth speaking to me will be more than acceptable."
Daenerys stared into Sansa's blue eyes, "Explain." It was not a request.
"I am well loved here in the Vale. Under the name Alayne Stone, Baelish's supposed bastard daughter, I have gathered more than a few allies; while the Lords Declarant detested my 'father'," disdain dripped from her voice, "they thought me enjoyable and wise. Harry and I are friends of a sort, he gladly accepts my council and will respect whatever decision I reach in regards to this matter."
Daenerys snorted, "You just told me of a plot to have me captured and used to manipulate my forces, do you really think I will accept anything less than an unconditional peace?"
"I saved you from that possible fate," Sansa said in a sweet voice Arya was all too familiar with, though it had a certain edge it lacked in the past, "I would think that gives me a bit of room for negotiation. Besides, there are still a thousand men outside this castle who will gladly listen to my commands just as they would have Littlefinger's." Ser Barristan gripped at his blade, while Aerion rose an eyebrow in Arya's direction.
While Daenerys was more than a little surprised by the older Stark girl's response Arya was impressed. Looks like Sansa found more than a little bit of the direwolf buried deep down.
Sansa continued, "But I would much rather it not reach that point; I, the Lords Declarant, and Ser Hardyng would much rather this end peacefully for all involved." The smile on her face was half kind, half malicious.
Through gritted teeth Daenerys spoke up once more, "What do you propose?"
"Oh nothing drastic," Sansa said casually, "I assume you want the Lords of the Vale to swear you fealty?" Daenerys nodded, "And you want a part of our forces in order to finish your war?" Again a nod, "That should be easy enough the question is what the Vale shall get in return."
Arya did her best to conceal a smile, while she cared for the Queen greatly; it was rather enjoyable to see her sister keeping Daenerys on her toes like this.
"What would you like in return?" Daenerys bit out with a hint of anger.
"Very little," Sansa was still exceedingly calm, "But first, you will only be given half of the Vale's 50,000 men and knights, you have only the Bolton's and Stannis left to deal with. When our forces are join to yours, it will give you double their number combined."
"And what of the Others?" It was Arya who asked the question and Sansa turned her attention to her younger sister.
"The Wall holds back the Others," Sansa reasoned, "and your dragons should be enough to fight them with the men you have."
Arya snorted unapologetically, earning a huff from her sister, "Come now Sansa, you remember the stories as well as I do. The Others are a nightmare from the past, all of the Seven Kingdoms will need to fight together to ensure they are destroyed permanently this time."
Sansa sighed in resignation, "Very well, 25,000 men of the Vale will fight with you to finish your conquest while the rest shall join you when you make for the Wall." Arya nodded and Sansa gave her a small smile in return. "That is of course if we can reach an agreement." She returned her gaze to the Queen.
"You have yet to tell me what you actually want." Daenerys' patience was clearly beginning to wear thin.
"As I said, nothing drastic," Sansa began, "future consideration for marriages between any issue from the royal family and any issue from House Hardyng."
"Just future consideration?" Daenerys asked skeptically.
"Yes," Sansa seemed slightly amused by Dany's discomfort, "I am fully aware that it may not be possible should each family have only sons or only daughters but should it be reasonable a match would be expected. "
"Anything else?" Daenerys asked with noticeably less heat in her voice.
"Yes, one or more of the knightly houses of the Vale will be granted lands of the now extinct houses of the Stormlands, Riverlands, Westerlands or North." Arya could tell Sansa didn't want to add the North into that little list but knew she had no choice considering she was negotiating as Lady of the Vale, not a Stark.
"So just to be clear, you would like future consideration for any children I or Aegon have to be wed to Ser Harrold's children and you would like me to give lands in the other kingdoms to knights from the Vale." Daenerys sounded a little surprised that the demands were so simple.
"Yes your Grace." Sansa smiled slyly, "While you are at a disadvantage right now, I have no doubt should aggressive action be taken here today your army would gladly destroy us, particularly when you consider I'm not willing to kill you." Daenerys nodded, "Exactly, so I couldn't demand you marry a Vale Lord or give up Storm's End."
Daenerys was now eyeing her with more than a little respect, "Very well thought out Lady Stark."
"I may have detested Littlefinger, but I learned his lessons well." She paused and stood, "Now I will send a raven to the Lords Declarant and Ser Harrold, inform them of Robert's death and the agreement that has been reached. They will call their banners and the new addition to your force should be here within the week. Until then, the castle is yours my Queen."
Daenerys stood and extended her hand to Sansa, "Thank you Lady Stark." Sansa quickly left and Daenerys turned to Arya, "Your sister is not what I expected."
"She wasn't what I expected either." Arya said with a bit of chuckle in her voice. Mya Stone entered then and approached those seated at the table.
"Lady Stone… excuse me Stark," the change in name hadn't yet taken for the young woman, "has asked me to show you to your rooms."
They were escorted slowly through the castle, Daenerys was given what were once Littlefinger's quarters. Each person in turn was given a room until only Arya and Aerion remained.
Mya spoke to Arya briefly, "So Alayne is your sister?"
Arya smiled slightly, "Yes though when we were younger she went by Sansa."
"She has been my friend for five years now, quite the interesting woman."
"I noticed, she is far fiercer than when we were younger. The ever proper Sansa I knew would never have been able to talk to a Queen in such a way."
Aerion laughed at that statement, "In all the time we have been serving Daenerys that was the first I actually saw somebody frustrate her in such a way."
"Agreed," there was a hint of pride in Arya's voice, "though it was the first time anyone had any true leverage over her too." She shrugged at the end.
"Very true, it was interesting though if nothing else."
They arrived at a door and Mya spoke, "Here is your room Lady Stark," she gestured toward Aerion, "follow me."
He stopped her before she could get going, "That won't be necessary, we shall share the room."
"Ah, very well," she didn't sound even slightly surprised after the banter during their little walk. "I am sure your sister will be around to speak with you once she has finished sending those ravens. Your direwolf is beautiful by the way."
Arya smiled and bid the handsome young woman farewell before following Aerion through the doorway, Nymeria tight on her heels. They both divested themselves of their armor quickly before Aerion walked up behind her and hugged her tightly to his body, she turned to look into his eyes as he spoke, "Are you happy?"
She nodded enthusiastically, "I hoped despite myself that she was okay, to see her there was absolutely amazing." She leaned up to kiss him and he smiled into the little peck.
"You Stark girls are certainly impressive."
She smirked, "Don't you forget it." Her face became more serious then, "I just want to know exactly what happened to her in the past five years, the Sansa I knew could never have done what the Sansa in that room just did."
"Well clearly whatever happened, difficult or not, she came out a stronger person."
"You're right." She leaned up to kiss him and soon they were on the bed looking more than a little disheveled when they heard a knock on their door.
Arya pulled away with a bit of a huff, "That would probably be my sister."
"You're probably right," he chuckled, "we'll just have to finish this later."
She smiled mischievously before getting up and smartening herself up. Another knock was heard on the door and Arya moved to open it. On the other side of the door was Sansa, as she expected, but her hair was now the color it had been when they were children. Sansa looked past her sister into the room and smiled with a glint in her eye at Arya.
"I didn't realize you were with somebody."
Arya just smiled at her older sister, "I'm surprised Mya didn't tell you. Of course it might be because I informed her that this wasn't just my room." Sansa's eyes widened minutely in shock. She probably thought we were just having a bit of stress relief and nothing more.
"Oh," she said a little tersely, "who is he?" There had been absolutely no introductions earlier considering the suddenness of Sansa's appearance in the Hall.
"His name is Aerion Ormthair, he is from Pentos… and the only known male Blackfyre descendant."
Sansa was more than a little surprised by that but didn't let it show, "Well he is handsome enough, is he your husband?"
Arya chuckled and whispered so that Aerion couldn't hear, "No, at least not yet; though I do love him."
Sansa smiled at that, "I am happy for you. Seeing you here happy with a man in your bed is certainly better than what I thought happened to you."
Arya's face darkened, "I haven't had him in my bed long Sansa, and the years before them were not easy, useful but definitely not easy." She stepped back from the entrance of the door and ushered her sister in, "Come in and we'll share stories, something tells me there is more to yours than what you told the Queen."
Sansa stepped through and Aerion rose to greet her, "Lady Stark, it is good to properly meet you. I am Aerion, one of the Queen's champions."
"One?" Sansa asked darting her eyes to Arya.
"Yes, I am the other one," Arya asked the implied question, "I'm know you noticed the armor I entered in; it wasn't just for show."
Sansa nodded, "Part of the story you have to tell me I'm sure."
Aerion regained their attention, "Would you prefer if I left."
"No, I want you here." Arya responded quickly.
He just nodded and all three of them took seats around a small table by the fire. Sansa turned to her sister, "I think you should start Arya, I have a feeling your story is going to be far longer than mine. "
So she told Sansa everything, well not everything but everything before she joined the Faceless Men and then a brief summary of her time there. Arya loved her sister but the only person she felt completely comfortable sharing all of her stories with as of now was Aerion. Once she got to the point where she landed in Braavos, Aerion started telling parts of the stories to give her a break. Sansa was quiet through most of it but that was only because she was so thoroughly stunned. When finally they finished with the events in the Riverlands not a week prior she just stared at them for a moment before lunging for her sister.
"I don't know what to say but I truly wish you hadn't gone through all of that." She whispered into Arya's ear.
Arya smiled a little, "I wouldn't be who I am without what happened to me. I'm alive and I have a man who loves me so I care little about what has happened to me; I do care about the injustice that was done to father, mother, and Robb though."
"How were you able to bring yourself to kill mother?" Sansa asked with a small hint of anger.
"That thing was not our mother, did you not here of the things she did?" Arya would not be accused of killing someone who was long dead.
"Yes from what I hear men were impaled on her orders, hung, even flayed but she was still our mother."
"I'm sorry Lady Sansa," Aerion spoke up gently, "but she wasn't even human any longer, she was a ghoul, a pale imitation of life. What your sister did was a kindness."
Sansa nodded, albeit reluctantly, "She was really going to kill you?"
"My friend Gendry was raising the hammer when Nymeria entered the cave."
"Then she was not our mother, our mother would never harm her children. I'd rather have my sister as she is then what remained of my mother."
Arya chuckled a little bit, "Glad to hear it." Arya's face turned pensive, "I have a question for you."
"Of course what is it?"
"Do you know if the boy Stannis supports is really Rickon?" Arya knew that Sansa wouldn't know for sure but she still wanted to hear what her sister knew on the matter.
"Not for sure but they say he has a direwolf with him at all times, I imagine that is as good a sign as any that he is who Stannis claims he is." Arya nodded not having heard that rumor and feeling a little happier at the news.
"Now tell me what has happened to you over these past five years."
"It hasn't been nearly as exciting as your time away but it's had its moments and I've found out a bit more about how our family was laid low."
She told the pair about her time in King's Landing after Ned's execution, her treatment at the hands of Joffrey, the Battle of the Blackwater, the reprieve presented by Margaery taking her place, being forced into marriage with Tyrion. Arya and Aerion interrupted her at that point.
"Your husband is alive and well, you know?" Arya asked mirthfully.
"I had heard but considering it has been five years, both he and I were considered dead at different times, and the marriage was never consummated , no one would consider us married."
"You're probably right. From talking with him, I doubt he plans to hold you to the marriage." Arya comforted.
Sansa just waived the matter off, "Anyway, after my marriage the next significant event is Joffrey's wedding." She quickly explained the event from her perspective but then told them something neither of the pair was expecting.
"I know who killed Joffrey and how they did it." Arya and Aerion both stared wide-eyed at the woman in front of them but it was Aerion who spoke.
"Care to explain?" There was a slight bit of anticipation in his voice as while he had never met the mad bastard he had heard enough stories both before and after meeting Arya to very much dislike the boy-king.
"It was Baelish's plan but it was the Queen of Thorns who actually killed him, with my unintentional assistance actually." Arya and Aerion glanced at each other briefly and then both began to chuckle, the chuckle quickly turned into a full belly laugh. Sansa simply looked at them quizzically.
Arya controlled herself first, "Sorry Sansa, but we spent enough time with Garlan Tyrell to have heard a few stories about his grandmother and to know that the cowardly cunt was killed by a woman in her seventies is rather humorous."
Sansa chuckled herself at the explanation but quickly continued, "She poisoned him using a stone taken from a hair net I was given on Littlefinger's command."
"Crystalized strangler?" Arya asked knowingly.
"Yes, I suppose a Faceless Man would know more than most about poisons. I don't know if they planned to have me and Tyrion blamed for the murder but that is certainly what happened."
"And Baelish had you brought to the Vale?" It was as much a statement as it was a question.
"Exactly it was here that I learned how this all really started."
"And how did this all start?"
"Our Aunt Lysa killed Jon Arryn and blamed the Lannisters on Littlefinger's orders." Arya's nostrils flared.
"I am glad you were able to see justice done upon him," She bit out the words and resisted the urge to desecrate the body of the copper counter.
Sansa eyes took on a faraway look, "He loved mother, obsessively so and used Lysa to gain his vengeance on the imagined slights from our family. Of course, that was only one of the reasons he did what he did; it was as much about power for him as it was about getting back at mother. He was much better at the game than most but as he once told me sometimes the pieces don't move the way you expect."
"What do you mean?"
"He could never have predicted Daenerys's moves or Aegon's or even Stannis's for that matter." She shrugged her slim shoulder slightly, "If just a few things had gone differently I have no doubt the mockingbird would be singing his many songs seated on the Iron Throne."
"You respect him?" Arya was a little surprised.
"Yes I respected him," Sansa admitted freely, "but I hated him even more, if it weren't for him much would be different for our family."
Arya sighed, "That is the past Sansa, as much as I would love to have our family whole again there is nothing for it, all that I can do is make those who hurt us pay. You certainly did your part toward that endeavor today and I have every intention of finishing it when we destroy Bolton's army at the Twins."
"I wish I could be there to see it happen but my place will never be on a battlefield… at least not a battlefield with blades and bows. Still I shall pray for your success, I would like nothing more than to see those traitorous bastards dead."
"Of that we are certainly agreed." Arya decided a change of subject, "What exactly have you done while in the Vale then?"
"I learned how to play the game from Baelish, and I learned how to rule through experience. The people turned to me despite my supposed low birth and he had no problem letting me go about my business. I turned people to his side with sweet words and good advice. I took care of our cousin for a time, though that was eventually beyond me and only the maesters saw him for a long time before he died."
"How did Baelish intend to take the North through you?" Aerion asked.
She turned to the man of an age with her, "I was to be married to Harry Hardyng and after revealing my identity, I would have convinced him to raise an army and help me reclaim my birthright."
Arya couldn't help the bit of mischief that entered her voice, "And what of Harry?"
Sansa didn't blush or stammer but she did smile faintly, "He has been kind to me since I arrived here. If the Lords Declarant could have gotten around Baelish's machinations Harry would have been made Lord of the Vale years ago, anyone could see Robert was not long for this world, and I have no doubt the war you arrived to would have been far different."
"Who would he have sided with?" Arya was genuinely curious.
"Tommen most likely, he doesn't trust Stannis or his Red God. Still it matters little now," her tone brooked no argument, "he will be fighting for the Dragon."
"You're right," Arya conceded without a fight, not meaning to upset her sister, "I was just curious."
"No harm in that I suppose." She blushed slightly realizing how harsh her response had been to such a simple comment, "Anyway, Harry is a nice enough man, quite handsome, well-liked; he will make a good Lord."
"Sounds to me like he would make a good husband." Arya could be subtle when she needed to but right now she was trying to irritate her sister as she did when they were younger.
Sansa chuckled, "You're probably right, Arya but for now I care little for finding myself a match."
"It's quite surprising to hear something like that from the same girl who used desire nothing but her southern prince." Arya paused and Sansa snorted, "Though I suppose you aren't that same girl."
"Certainly not," Sansa's grimaced at the memory, almost as though she smelled something foul, "that girl was obsessed with her Golden Lion Prince who, despite every little thing telling her otherwise, she believedwould be kind and loving should they marry."
"Still you seem fond of the Vale, will you not marry him so that you can remain here?"
"I will consider it, I like him well enough and he has always been honest about his bastard daughter so I can't begrudge him that. For now he is a good friend, one of the few I have."
"Well whoever you marry I am quite sure you will make a far better lady than I ever will." They both laughed at that while Aerion just sat there shaking his head. Arya fell silent first and asked something that had been on her mind since seeing her sister covered in blood, "How exactly did you kill Littlefinger?"
Sansa ceased laughing immediately and looked her sister square in the eye, "I walked up behind him and I slit his throat."
Arya guessed it was either that or a stab to the stomach with the amount of blood but that wasn't exactly what she meant, "How were you able to catch him unawares Sansa? He was always quite the vigilant man."
"He was but as the years saw no real progress toward his ultimate goals he started to become less collected, and he came to trust me completely. He would let his guard down quite often but today he paid me absolutely no mind." Sansa's eyes stared unseeing ahead of her, "He was preparing the letter to be sent to your camp after Daenerys's capture when I did the deed." Arya could tell her sister while far less naïve than in the past was still not a killer.
"Why was he so comfortable around you?" Arya scarcely wanted to think about the next possibility, "You didn't have to satisfy him in bed to gain his trust, did you?"
Sansa looked at her sister with a sad smile, "No, he never took me to bed for fear of the repercussions should his plans for me and Harry ever come to fruition; he did however take other liberties. He would kiss me frequently when we were alone and seemed fixated on the fact I looked so much like mother.
Arya was happy to hear her sister hadn't been forced into anything by the former master of coin, "Good, at least there was that small kindness."
They fell into less serious conversation after that, spending quite a bit of time reminiscing about happier times back home in Winterfell.
A week later the Lords of the Vale arrived with their bannerman in tow. They seemed less than happy with the idea of being taken from their castles in the cold of winter but when Drogon flew overhead and then landed to light a fire to keep the cold at bay their sour moods turned rather quickly. Garlan and Loras arrived at the Gates of the Moon the day prior, the forces of the Reach rejoined their fellows back at the camp.
There was a ceremony to name Ser Harrold Hardyng, Lord Hardyng of the Vale and Mountains. Both Aerion and Arya found themselves less than interested in the pomp and circumstance. They wanted to march and finish what they had started, not waste time on pointless tradition. Both noted the fake smile Daenerys plastered on her face as she greeted the various Lords and Ladies who came for the event. Even in winter they can't help themselves.
The only thing Arya found interesting about the whole thing was the new Lord of the Vale's reaction to seeing her sister. Sansa might not be worried about marrying Harry but it certainly appears he would be more than agreeable toward the idea.
There had been talks of holding a tourney to honor the newly made Lord but Daenerys would hear nothing of it. Arya could still hear the indignation at the very idea 'there will be no tourneys until the Seven Kingdoms are whole and there isn't an army of dead men led by myths threatening every person in them.' No one even considered arguing when they saw the restrained fury in her eyes.
Arya was currently walking around the castle with Sansa, Aerion had gone to spar with both Loras and Garlan. In truth the younger Stark wouldn't mind seeing them fight but she wanted to spend time with her sister. It was funny looking at the two as despite both being beautiful women they looked entirely different. Arya wore her armor and had her various weapons strapped to her body while Sansa wore a fine dress and beautiful furs. Despite our similar attitudes we still have very different opinions on clothing. They were turning a corner when they ran into a most unwelcome sight, at least in Arya's opinion.
Jon Connington was stood there still in his finery from the earlier festivities. He eyed the young women before him briefly before speaking in a monotone, "Hello Ladies Stark, enjoying a nice stroll before the feast later?"
Arya resisted the urge to scowl at his mention of the feast, well aware that he had been among those who argued against Daenerys' desire to forgo the event, while Sansa was genial as usual, "Yes Lord Connington, we thought each other dead these past five years; we are taking every opportunity we can to spend time together."
"If only the Queen were so inclined with her own relative."
Arya's could have reached out and smacked the man for the glib comment, "Well Queen Daenerys is far busier than either Sansa or me, not to mention we actually grew up alongside one another. You can't really blame her for caring little about sending time with a man she had never even met before."
"I can blame her for whatever I see fit," Connington almost spat out, "I raised that boy from a babe and he is the only blood she has left. Not only does she take his throne and reject his proposal of marriage but she keeps him as far from anything important as possible."
Arya steel eyes narrowed and her lips thinned in irritation, "He sits in every war council and is free to give input as he sees fit; tell me, when has he been kept from any important matters?"
"He may be in those meetings but all of his suggestions are ignored without fail. The Queen may as well keep him in his room for all she listens to him." Connington retorted loudly, letting his emotions get the better of him.
Sansa spoke calmly to the angered Lord, "Surely if his suggestions were wise the Queen would gladly take them into consideration and even follow them."
Jon glared at the red-headed woman, "You would be wrong and I would appreciate it if someone who has never sat at any war table, let alone one of Daenerys', hold her tongue on matters she has no experience." With that he stormed past them and down the corridor they had just come.
Sansa watched him leave then turned to Arya, "There was more to that than met then met the eye."
"You are right, care to take a guess why we were just subjected to that little show?" Arya posed the question innocently.
"Lord Connington is Aegon's most loyal supporter," Arya nodded though it wasn't a question, "neither he nor his ward are happy with what has happened with the Queen."
"You are right but why would he say all that in front of one of Daenerys's most loyal supporters?" Arya knew her sister was far better at this sort of game than she used to be but was curious to find out just how much she could gather from one little conversation.
"My best guess is that he wants you and any of the Queen's most loyal to believe it is him who detests her actions, thus removing any scrutiny from the Prince." Sansa wasn't asking, she was very much confident in her reasoning and Arya was impressed, "That way, should an attempt be made to harm her and it fails, Connington can step in to take the blame and no one will contest it considering he has been so vocal in his criticisms."
"My thoughts exactly," Arya was glad to see just how keen her sister's attention had become over the years, " the man is fanatically loyal to the Prince, he will never let Aegon take the blame for an attack on his aunt. Fortunately, we have already taken measures to ensure the Queen's safety should any attack be made."
"That is wise," Sansa praised, "whose idea was that?"
Arya pretended to be offended, "Why of course it was mine, dear sister." They looked at each other a moment before bursting out into laughter.
They arrived at a balcony overlooking the courtyard and Arya was unsurprised to find people gathered there to watch Aerion, Garlan, Loras and surprisingly Harrold Hardyng 'practice' with one another. As though any of them has anything on their mind but being the last one standing? Arya turned to her sister, "I am surprised the new Lord of the Vale among the fighters."
Sansa smiled slightly, "Harry has been a knight far longer than he has been a Lord, he would not pass up the opportunity to fight two men who have long been regarded as some of the most skilled in the Seven Kingdoms."
"I have no doubt that it will be Aerion who wins this fight." Arya said lightly.
"He is fighting both Tyrell brothers and one of the best knights in the Vale, what makes you think he will win?" There was no accusation in Sansa's voice, just genuine curiosity.
"He's beaten Garlan before and he killed the Mountain," Sansa apparently hadn't heard that story, she looked more than a little impressed.
They watched as the four men lashed out at one another. It was impressive to say the least and as Arya watched she quickly realized that Lord Hardyng would be the first to exit the fight. While the man was clearly good with the sword he didn't have quite the level of skill necessary to go toe to toe with the other three combatants. Plus he has been doing nothing but sitting here in the Vale for the past five years while Garlan and Loras have been fighting a war, and Aerion has been fighting non-stop in the Free Cities.
Arya was right as just five minutes into the fight Loras cut Harry right along his shoulder, a thin trail of blood began falling down his skin. With only the two Tyrells and Aerion left it quickly became a flurry of steel, the clang of metal on metal could be heard all around the castle as they leveled blow after blow at one another. One would dodge and parry while the other two attacked. On more than one occasion it was the two Tyrell brothers attacking the Queen's champion, clearly determined to see one of the roses as the victor but Aerion managed to keep them at bay before shifting to force one of the brothers into the middle of their fight.
Arya couldn't help the small smile that spread across her lips as she watched Aerion at work. He was one part water-dancer and two part Westerosi knight at the moment. Even from her perch above the courtyard, she could see steam rising off his brow and the cords of muscle beneath his sweat stained shirt working as he delivered blow after blow. She bit her lip unconsciously, at the sight.
She didn't know how long she'd been staring with a single focus when Sansa's voice gained her attention, "Why him?" Sansa seemed bemused, clearly having watched as her eyes followed only one of the fighters.
The question caught her off guard and she quickly looked to her sister, "What do you mean?"
"The way you're looking at him, it's quite obvious he means a great deal to you." Sansa couldn't help but smirk as she thought back to the girl she used to know, "As a child, you were as disgusted with the idea of being with some man as I was enamored with it. It was always hard to imagine you with anyone."
Arya interrupted loudly, "It was only hard to imagine me with any man because I was Arya Horse-face."
Sansa smiled sheepishly, aware that her sister was only joking, but ashamed that it had ever been a nickname for her, "You were never ugly Arya, and you have grown into a beautiful young woman."
"Thank you Sansa," Arya replied earnestly, but with a small, cheeky smile, "but I was just teasing."
"Anyway," Sansa said with a huff, "what is it about this Aerion?"
Arya looked down the courtyard and was surprised to see that Garlan had been outed in the time her attention had been pulled away. It was now just Loras and Aerion fighting each other, the two men were a contrast to say the least. Loras was shorter and not quite as broad, his face was cleanly shaven and his hair long as a maid's. His eyes were a warm golden brown color.
Aerion meanwhile was lean as his opponent but taller and certainly wider, not a towering man like Robert Baratheon but he had a lithe sort of strength. Even from here she could see the silver-blonde strands of hair that shone in his dark hair and the light bit of stubble he kept on his face. She caught a glimpse of his amethyst eyes and couldn't help but love the intense concentration she saw there. Looking at them Arya thought each man's moniker quite appropriate, Loras was pretty as a flower while Aerion was quick and fearsome as a snake.
Arya returned her attention back to her sister, "If you are concerned that I simply love his handsome face then do not worry," She resisted the urge to sound offended at the very implication of such a thing, "I have met many handsome men in my life and none of them have held my attention in the way Aerion does."
Sansa shook her head, "I am not concerned in the slightest, I would be foolish to think you could not take care of yourself after everything that you have been through, and gods know nobody could change your mind when you were younger, so I won't even try." She chuckled out the last bit, remembering fondly the little girl with dirt in her hair and more scabs than any of the boys.
Arya stared at her sister a long moment before turning away again, "He was never afraid or wary of me even when he realized I was a Faceless Man before we went before the Queen." She realized now just how much that meant to her, "I trusted him and I found I was glad that he trusted me in turn. We both had our secrets, yes, but we accepted that because we believed enough in one another."
"As we spent more time together it was incredibly refreshing to have someone who was willing to just listen and take what I was willing to give." Her voice was soft, barely audible over the din of the courtyard, but Sansa just leaned in closer, " He listened to what happened before I went to the House of Black and White and he listened when I told him stories of the things I had to do while serving. Never did he look at me in pity, sympathy or fear; instead there was only amazement in his gaze." Every man and woman, I've met since taking my name back has either looked at me with lust or fear or suspicion, sometimes all three, at least for a moment, except him."
She felt Sansa lean into her, resting her head against Arya's shoulder, "I am happy for you. I never thought you would look at someone that way."
Arya chuckled, "Neither did I." She hesitated a moment, "But he is mine and I find that to be a very good thing."
Their attention was drawn to the courtyard again as a cheer rang out. Aerion stood with the Serpent's Fang to Loras's throat, Loras was disarmed and had his arms up in surrender. Arya turned to her sister and smirked, "I told he would win didn't I?"
Sansa smiled and they both turned to walk down to the courtyard. When they arrived Arya quickly found Aerion and congratulated him on his victory, she hugged him despite the sweat on his body, "That was quite the fight."
His smile was wide and his eyes dark form the adrenaline, "Aye it was good to say the least, it could have been anyone of the three of us the way we were going." He pulled away from her slightly still breathing deeply, "There is to be a meeting tomorrow, the Queen informed me before we came down to the yard."
Arya frowned, "It isn't going to be fun, there are far more lords to keep appeased." She shuddered at the idea of forcing so many nobles into a room.
He shrugged, "I agree but she has decided to call her council so we shall go."
Arya nodded, albeit a bit grudgingly, "You're right of course." She pushed away from him completely, "I would suggest you return to our room, you need to bathe before the feast tonight." He chuckled and made a mock bow before heading in that direction.
The war council was larger than ever and it was obvious by the level of noise they were subjected to. Both Arya and Aerion were quickly becoming irritated with the whole situation, currently Harrold Hardyng was arguing with Harry Strickland.
"Why should the men of the Vale be forced to march first into the fight?" The Lord of the Vale's voice was barely below a yell as he leaned over the table.
"Maybe because your men are freshest and could actually use a bit of battle before we have to fight the monsters beyond the Wall." Strickland responded patronizingly.
Harry scoffed, and waved his hand as though swatting at particularly irritating bug, "It is not their fault that Lord Baelish did everything in his power to keep us from battle until it best benefitted him!"
The Queen had heard enough of the bickering, though. Daenerys raised a hand and within seconds, everyone fell silent, "Nobody is claiming such a thing," Lord Harrdyng seemed pleased but quickly deflated at what followed, " but I don't think you can argue with Strickland's point. Your men are untested and as such I see no reason they shouldn't lead the fight."
"You must jest your Grace?" Harrold said stunned.
"I do not," Daenerys retorted sharply, highly unamused, " we have over 100,000 men and three dragons; there is no fear that we will lose the battle and your men should see a little bit of fighting before we head north."
"We should just burn them all with dragons." Harrold claimed loudly. Daenerys sighed tiredly, having discussed the matter far too many times. She made to respond but her head snapped quick as a whip in Aegon's direction.
"I will admit Lord Hardyng I would usually agree with you, and were we fighting Stannis's forces in the Neck then I would agree with you but we aren't. The Twins are far too important to burn down with dragon fire when we don't know when we will need the bridge."
The newly made Lord finally relented and sat down, Daenerys seemed relieved and actually nodded at her nephew appreciatively, "Very well now that is settled can we please discuss the actual battle plan."
"What is there to discuss?" spoke up Obara Sand, "We simply overwhelm them with our superior numbers, we do not need to employ the same level of strategy we did outside of the capital."
Aerion scowled at the Dornish woman's comment, "Hundreds of battles have been lost because of an attitude like that."
Surprisingly it was Daario who played peacekeeper, "The problem is that because the forces that took the Iron Islands was too small to overwhelm Roose Bolton without significant casualties, we had them march here; now, if we want to attack the Twins from the west we will have to march part of the army back down the River Road so they can march along the western coast. The other option would be to take the entire army north, lay siege to the eastern part of the Twins and then cross the bridge to destroy the rest of Roose Bolton's army."
"The men I took to the Iron Islands will have no interest marching back the way they came." Garlan stated the obvious fact.
Daenerys rubbed her temples, "I wish I simply could have left your men in the Riverlands but I had no idea what forces we would need here."
It was Sansa, who had been invited for her part in the peace agreement, that sought to reassure the Queen, "It was not a bad decision at the time your Grace, you had no idea how the Vale would respond to your army and I can guarantee if we chose to fight you would have needed the extra men."
Daenerys chuckled, "Thank you but it still feels like a foolish decision." She paused a moment, "I will put the decision up to everyone present, should we march part of the army west and take the extra weeks necessary for them to reach the coast again, or have the entire army march north and lay siege to the Twins?"
Everyone was silent for a moment when Arya decided to speak up, "I'm sorry your Grace but those are not the only options."
Daenerys raised an eyebrow, "What would you recommend?"
Arya looked at the assembled Lords and commanders, "A dozen men could open the gates on the eastern side of the river, while a smaller part of the army waits outside. Once the gates are open the assembled men storm the castle before th rest of the army arrives, from there we can easily move across the bridge and toward the western tower."
Daenerys smiled, "Well that certainly sounds like a better plan than a prolonged siege or sending part of the army back into the Westerlands." Nods were seen all around the table.
"I take it you plan to lead the small group who will open the gates?" Arya nodded, "Good, take whoever else you think would be best for the job." She turned to the others at the table, "Between you select 500 men to take the castle once the gates are open, the rest of the army will wait far enough south so as not to alert the Frey's of our presence."
Thankfully in both Arya and Aerion's opinion, the meeting broke up rather quickly after that. They were surprised when they were approached by Aegon as they left, well Arya was approached by Aegon, his former Kingsguard Ser Duckfield nearby.
"It is a very good plan Lady Stark." He smiled handsomely.
Arya plastered a kind expression onto her face before responding, "Thank you my Prince, I thought it best to make the suggestion and save the army a great deal of time."
"I am sure everybody will appreciate it in the long run." He turned his attention to Aerion, "I saw your fight in the yard yesterday, it was quite impressive."
Aerion nodded his acknowledgement, "Thank you Prince Aegon, it was quite the fight. I must say though, I've yet to see you in the yard."
Aegon scowled slightly, "I do my training in private with Ser Duckfield."
Aerion resisted the urge to make an inappropriate comment about what sort of things Aegon might really be doing with Ser Duckfield in private, "Of course, it is unfortunate that we never see you out there. I'm sure more than a few men would be happy to see exactly what their Prince is capable of."
Aegon remained surprisingly calm, "I will take that under consideration." He then did something neither of the pair was expecting, he leaned down to kiss Arya's hand, "My Lady," he nodded his head, "Aerion." With that he walked away leaving the pair behind.
They walked silently back to their room, when finally the door was closed behind them they both started laughing, "What the fuck was that?" Aerion gasped out between laughs.
"I think he was trying to get on our good side," Arya said as she calmed herself.
"How did you resist the urge to pull your hand away when he decided to kiss it?"
She smiled widely and Aerion had a feeling he was about to be subject to her more mischievous side, "What makes you think I didn't enjoy the attention, he is the Crown Prince after all?"
Aerion snorted but she just awaited his response, "Arya that isn't even remotely believable, I have heard how much you dislike the man far too many times to think you would enjoy him grabbing your hand without permission."
She winced slightly, "I suppose you're right, I certainly wasn't expecting it and that is probably the only reason he doesn't have an imprint of my hand still on his face." They both chuckled when Nymeria approached from where she had been laying and started licking her human's hand.
"Even Nymeria thinks your hand needs cleaning after that." They both laughed yet again. In truth, neither of them hated Aegon; they just didn't trust him and enjoyed aggravating the arrogant young man.
"He has been substantially less irritating of late." Arya put in.
"True," Aerion agreed, "we can only hope that the trend continues."
"It will, even should he decide not to attack the Queen he cannot afford to alienate those who are loyal to her.
Aerion hummed to himself, "It makes sense. I much prefer him being civil instead of constantly confrontational; we just have to make sure not to lower our guard despite the change." She gave him a look that clearly said, 'did that even need to be said.' He just chuckled and shook his head.
They sat in relative silence together for a while, Aerion sharpening his blade while Arya read when he spoke up, "How do you feel about leaving your sister tomorrow?"
Arya looked over to him and smiled a little sadly, "Fine, I spent five years of my life without her, knowing that she is okay and that she will be safe in the Vale is comforting. While I don't like leaving her, I know this is where she belongs right now." He could see that it still bothered her, at least a little bit. He put his sword down and moved over to the bed, hugging her to his side in comfort.
Aerion awoke before Arya the next morning and quietly removed himself from the bed. He quickly went down to the kitchens, he had no interest in dealing with all of the occupants of the castle when they went to break their fast. As he was making his way back to their quarters he was met by Sansa walking the other direction. She smiled widely when she saw the small pile of food he had with him.
"Wanted to avoid the crowds later?" She said knowingly.
"Yes," He said a tad more fervently than he meant to causing her to chuckle, "I think both your sister and I had enough of being packed into a room full of Lords yesterday, I have no interest in doing it again when we march today."
She nodded in understanding, "I don't have to march today and I would like to do much the same… unfortunately I am still regarded as the Lady of the Vale and need to be in the Hall."
"My sympathies, my Lady," Though the smirk on his face told of something other than sympathy, "perhaps just stay close to Lord Hardyng he seems quite taken with you and I'm sure he will protect you from the other Lords."
She huffed with a bit of exasperation, "You're nearly as bad as Arya."
"I did learn from the best," He told her proudly, "but can you honestly say you are opposed to the idea of the handsome Harry Harding."
"Honestly no," She admitted as much to herself as to Aerion, "I think when this over I will likely marry him. I miss the North more then I can say but I have come to love the Vale in the past five years. I have invested a great deal of myself here and what few friends I have left are here."
Aerion gave a supportive smile, "Then it sounds like it would be best for you and I know Arya would not begrudge you staying where you feel you belong."
Sansa closed up a bit at that, "The truth is when I was younger I never felt like I belonged in the North and while at first I loved the capital, it became my prison. But here, here I have become a better woman."
Aerion was surprised by her candidness, "Why tell me?"
"Oh," she waved him off, "I already told Arya, I'm sure it would have gotten back to you eventually. She is more willing to talk to you than she is me." Aerion didn't feel the need to lie so chose to remain silent.
She stepped closer to him and looked him right in the eye, "I am glad that she has you, she cares about you far more than I think you know. That being said, hurt her and have no doubt I will hunt you down."
Aerion chuckled, "Would that be before or after she or the massive wolf that is more than a little attached to her hunt me down."
Sansa backed away laughing quietly, "Very good answer, I am sure our half-brother Jon will give you the same warning once you reach the Wall, they were always quite close."
"I've heard."
"You know more about her than anybody don't you?"
Aerion shrugged, "Probably yes, but to be fair she is the same for me." He began to start walking again, "I'm sure I will see you before we leave."
"Most certainly," She said at his retreating back, "I wouldn't miss the opportunity to see my little sister off."
Arya was awake and nearly ready for the day when he reached their room, she turned when he entered, "Oh good, you went to get us food."
"I knew you would have even less interest than me in dealing with a hall of full of Lords and Ladies, so I thought it best we eat alone this morning." She smiled and they ate mostly in silence until a horn was heard calling the men to the gates.
When they arrived many Ladies were bidding their husbands farewell and Sansa was giving a kind word to all who approached her. When she saw Aerion, Arya and Nymeria she quickly approached and started petting the massive wolf affectionately. It was rather humorous as Nymeria was so tall she barely had to lean down to pet her.
As Sansa turned from the direwolf she pulled her sister into a tight hug. There were no whispered words and no tears, just two sisters who were happy they could hug each other again. Aerion stood their silently, not wanting to interrupt their moment. It was only when she pulled away that Sansa said anything, "You be careful now, I only just got you back I would be terribly devastated should something happen." They both chuckled but there was an honest plea in Sansa's voice.
"No need to worry about that Sansa the years have made me far less reckless than I was as a child. I have every intention of being safe as I can while on a battlefield."
Sansa turned to Aerion, "I am sure you will have your handsome friend right beside you the whole time to watch after you."
Aerion chuckled, "Maybe not the whole time but certainly as much often as we can manage, I have no idea if she intends to have me be one of the members of her infiltration team at the Twins." Both young women gave him an identical look that screamed 'you're joking right?' Aerion just raised his hands in surrender, "I didn't say I thought Arya wouldn't ask me." They both laughed at his reaction before Sansa pulled away from her sister and went to give him a hug.
She whispered in his ear, "You be safe as well, I don't know how she would handle losing you and I'd rather not find out; we've both been through enough."
"I think she would do exactly the same thing I would if something happened to her, destroy anything and anyone she thought was responsible."
Sansa pulled away, "You're probably right." As Aerion turned to walk he noticed Harrold Hardyng eyeing him critically. I really hope he doesn't think there was more to that then there was; I have no interest in dealing with a jealous Lord in the middle of a war.
As he turned his attention from the other man he caught the end of the sisters' conversation, "I shall not be so alone Arya, Mya has been a good friend to me over the years and she is staying behind. No need to worry."
They left quickly after bidding Sansa a final farewell. 25,000 men of the Vale made their way from the Gates of the Moon and toward the Bloody Gate. It took the better part of the day to make the journey but when they arrived, the encampment at the edge of the Mountains, which was left under the command of Grey Worm, was fully packed and awaiting the arrival of their Queen. Despite only having a couple hours of daylight left the army began the northern march that should take around two weeks to complete.
It was probably an hour in when Arya had gone to speak with Lord Yohn Royce, a former friend of her father's, that Aerion was approached by the new Lord of the Vale. Aerion couldn't help but feel the man certainly looked the part. He had sandy-blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and the dimples girls seemed to love when he smiled. Aerion was happy to note that the Lord was smiling when he approached. Good hopefully he cares little for the hug Sansa decided to give me before leaving.
"Good Ser, I did not have the opportunity to speak with you after our melee yesterday."
Aerion was tired of correcting people when it came to his title so just let it slide. Maybe I should ask if Ser Barristan would be willing to knight me, "Apologies my Lord, I was otherwise occupied after. You are quite the fighter."
"So I'm told," he smiled ruefully, "but compared to you and those two flowers I didn't feel all that impressive."
"As far as I am to understand it there is no shame in losing to Garlan or Loras Tyrell, they are widely regarded as two of the best swordsman in the country."
"Aye that may be true but that didn't seem to stop you from pruning the two of them." Harry said gleefully.
Aerion couldn't help the slightly triumphant smile, "I suppose that is true enough."
"You are an incredibly skilled swordsman, I don't think anyone could deny that after what happened yesterday. Foolishly, I only sought to learn more about you after having felt the sting of your sword." He glanced over at Aerion, "losing was far less embarrassing when I found out just how skilled the man who beat me was."
"You are too kind, my Lord." Aerion was proud of his talents but humility in front of Lords was a necessity.
"You're wrong I'm just stating a fact." Harry was silent for a while before speaking again, "Lady Arya seemed quite familiar with you."
Aerion hid a smile at the man's attempt at tact, "Even if we are not married, she is mine and I am hers."
"The Stark women are quite beautiful." Harry commented idly, "though I prefer the Lady Alayne or Sansa I suppose."
Aerion smirked, "Believe it or not my Lord, I noticed that."
Harry laughed, "Not so subtle as I would like then?"
"If you were going for subtlety then you failed miserably," Aerion told him bluntly, "but I would not worry, if nothing else Sansa is quite fond of you."
"My mother thought her beneath me when she was believed to be Lord Baelish's bastard daughter," Harrold explained, now that her true parentage has been revealed she is more then agreeable to the match."
"I take it you cared little for her parentage whatever it might have been when you first met."
Harry winced slightly, "I won't lie, when I first met her all I saw was a beautiful girl that I hoped to bed. She was a bastard girl and I was a knight; I saw no harm in it. But when she rejected my advances I became intrigued by her, and quickly found out that she was worth much more than one night of pleasure. She became my friend, both her and Mya, my mother questioned the company I kept but she did not stop me"
"Well at least you wizened up eventually."
Harry gave a small smile. "Aye that I did."
Winter made itself known the further north they traveled. The army loved the dragons all the more as they melted a path through the ten foot high snow drifts as though it was nothing. They did not burn the ground below the snow but made it easy enough to travel, what was once ten feet of snow in their path was a foot of easily traversed slush.
Still the journey was slower than it should have been and in three weeks, instead of the intended two, the army was camped far enough from the Twins for the plan to be enacted.
The five hundred men who would help to take the eastern castle had already been selected by the various commanders. Arya cared little for who actually took the castle but she was currently sitting with Aerion deciding who it was she would take for the more clandestine business. Aerion was just sitting their slightly bemused as she became more irritated.
Arya threw her hands up in frustration, "I am seriously beginning to wish we had brought some of the Ironborn with us, I would gladly take a dozen of them."
"To be fair, I'm not necessarily the best for this job either." Aerion said teasingly. Then again it isn't as though I would let her leave me behind even if she wanted to.
Arya glared at him, "Would you like me not to bring you along?"
Aerion laughed, "Not saying that, just saying that these men are not assassins, they are knights and soldiers."
She huffed as she sat back into the chair in her tent, "What do you suggest then?"
"Let Grey Worm pick ten of the Unsullied," he counseled, "they know how to be quiet and they will listen to your commands without fail."
She just sighed, "You're right, I just thought it best not to offend the Lords by not taking any of their men."
"Let them be offended, there is a man from each commander in the force of 500 that will be taking the castle once we get the gates open, you are under no obligation to have the same sort of… diversity." He stood and stepped behind where she sat, "Now stop worrying about this and go speak with Grey Worm."
Arya nodded, "You know it will be strange for me to lead men in this way, I seldom worked with more than one other of the Faceless when in Essos."
His voice was teasing, "I doubt any man will have trouble taking orders from you."
Arya swatted at him without looking and was satisfied to hear a loud smacking noise, "I had no doubt that they would take my orders, I'm just afraid I'll have to spend too much time making sure a certain purple eyed man does his job."
"I didn't realize you were bringing Edric or Aegon, be sure to inform them of your decision as well."
She made to smack him again but he grasped her hand and made to kiss her behind the ear, after getting her to sigh ever so softly he leaned closer to whisper to her, "Go and tell them your plans so that you can come back to bed, we'll be having a fight tomorrow and I would like to ravish you more than once before we leave in a few hours."
Arya turned to face him her eyes darkened, "We could just wait to inform them of my decision." She made to kiss him but he pulled away.
"No we can't," He said firmly, "so I will be here waiting once you get back."
She smiled at him, her eyes wide half-lidded. He found the look enticing to say the least, "Would you mind telling them of my decision?"
Something about the look in her eye made him agree, "I suppose," He nipped at her lower lip once causing her to groan ever so slightly, " but you better be waiting for me when I get back."
"Oh I most certainly will." She agreed breathily before kissing him passionately. As they broke apart she pushed him toward the tent entrance.
Aerion quickly made his way through the camp until he found Grey Worm. He called out to the Unsullied commander in High Valyrian, "Grey Worm," the stern faced eunuch turned, "Arya requests that you pick the ten men most skilled Unsullied in the art of subterfuge to take the eastern tower of the Twins."
Surprisingly Grey Worm actually smirked, "The wolf makes a good decision." Aerion was very happy for the Unsullied tendency to speak very few words.
"She usually does. We will meet your men in three hours at the northern edge of the camp." Grey Worm just nodded this time and Aerion quickly made his way back to the tent. Nymeria stood guard outside as he entered.
LEMON CONTENT SCROLL DOWN IF YOU WISH TO SKIP
As Aerion pushed back the tent flap he was met with a noise that put fire in his blood, a slight little moan of pleasure. He looked to the bed and if the moan wasn't enough indication of Arya's unwillingness to wait for him the sight of her naked on the bed slowly pushing two of her fingers between the glistening petals of her core was certainly telling.
He approached the bed slowly removing his outer armor until he was down to just his shirt and breeches. Arya writhed on the bed and her eyes opened slightly. Her gaze quickly locked onto her lover and she pulled her fingers from her body and gestured for him to join her among the furs. Despite the fact they had been in this position many times of late Aerion still found himself stricken by her beauty. I am one of the single luckiest men in the world. She pouted slightly when he didn't move and tweaked at the hardened nub of her left nipple.
Aerion broke himself from his momentary stupor and loosened his breeches as he came to the very edge of their bed but before he could pull them down he felt Arya grip his hands, she spoke throatily, "Let me."
She repositioned herself so that she was facing him and pushed his shirt up his body until he assisted her and removed the piece of clothing all together. When the hard muscle of his upper body was revealed she began laying little kisses on every bit of exposed flesh as she made her way towards his trousers. As she went lower she paid special attention to the V of his hips, her tongue flicking out and leaving a glistening trail toward his groin. After what felt like a lifetime to Aerion, she pushed down his trousers and underclothes in one motion. His already hard cock sprang up, barely missing her face and hit him in the stomach.
Arya stopped its bobbing by gripping him at the base and giving him a few quick strokes as she looked up into his eyes. The metallic grey of her eyes was darkened to near black and he felt himself twitch in her hand, she smirked up at him. A moment later, he found himself gasping in a lungful of air as she took him into the warm confines of her mouth. Neither of them expected to be pleasured orally but they took great pleasure in the look it caused on their lover's face. She could not take the whole of him into her mouth so she used one of her hands to work the rest of his shaft while she played with herself at the same time.
Feeling he was far too uninvolved in their lovemaking, Aerion reached down and grasped the firm swell of her breast in his hand. Arya moaned approvingly around him and he found the vibrations incredibly enjoyable and thrust involuntarily deeper into her mouth. As he tweaked her nipple she sped up her ministrations, bobbing on his manhood faster and moving her hand down to play with his balls lightly. Then suddenly, she pulled back so that only the crown remained in her mouth and began swirling her tongue along the underside, forcing a deep groan from Aerion's throat.
He knew she had never partook in any carnal acts at the various brothels she had to work in but clearly she had picked up more than a few tricks in talking with the various whores. Then again, knowing her it is probably just natural talent. She's always had a quick tongue.
Aerion grunted and moaned her name as he felt her suck hard enough to cause her cheeks to hollow out as she sucked the length of his shaft. As she reached the crown again he pushed her off gently. She looked at him curiously and he just smiled, "I want to be inside of you love and the way things were going you would have finished me well before we reached that point."
That tiny smirk appeared on her face again, "Well then, what are we waiting for?"
She quickly pulled him forward onto the bed and flipped them so that he was underneath. She was clearly in the mood to be in control tonight and he would let her. Her eyes fluttered shut as she reached for his cock and ran it through the moisture of her lower lips. He thrust forward slightly and knocked into her clitoris causing her to yelp slightly. She growled out in pleasure slightly as she positioned him right at her entrance and slid down his shaft in one quick motion.
They both moaned out as he bottomed out inside of her. Aerion never felt more right than when he was one with Arya. He felt the tight sheath of her body ripple around his manhood and couldn't help the small thrust of his hips. Arya stared him right in the eye, almost demanding that he still himself, as she began to rock her hips in a circular motion as she braced herself on his chest. Aerion reached for the back of her neck and brought her down for a heated kiss as their movements took on a more frantic rhythm.
Moaning out his name, Arya pulled away and braced herself on his thighs as she stopped grinding and began lifting her tight tunnel up his shaft. He could feel as her wet walls clung to every ridge and vein of his manhood. He would never tire of the exquisite feeling.
They stared at each other as she picked up speed and Aerion reached up to fondle her chest. Arya removed a hand from his thigh and interlaced their fingers atop her breast.
They continued in this manner for a good five minutes, before Arya gasped out his name and threw her head back as her walls tightened almost painfully and rippled around him, as she reached her climax. She stopped lifting her hips in that moment and wanting to prolong her pleasure Aerion gripped her hips, digging his fingers into the soft yet firm flesh, and started thrusting into her body.
Arya's eyes snapped to his just before a scream was pulled from her throat and she fell onto his chest shaking. Feeling her shake in ecstasy on top of him made it impossible for him to hold on any longer and he quickly removed himself from her tight sheath and released his seed. After her oral ministrations and their torrid bit of lovemaking, Aerion was more than ready to release and shot ten ropes of cum across Arya's back and buttocks.
They laid there a good ten minutes, just basking in the afterglow of the act before he felt Arya kissing the hollow of his neck gently. She whispered to him softly, "That was wonderful," she ground down on his still half hard member, "though it would appear you are ready for more."
Aerion laughed soundlessly, "Well I have the single most beautiful woman I have ever met lying on top of me naked and grinding her supple body onto mine, can you really blame me if I'm ready to go again?"
She pulled away to smile at him, "How long until we have to leave?"
"I told Grey Worm three hours before I returned."
"Plenty of time then." She leaned down to kiss him but he flipped them so that she was on her back and began plundering her mouth. It was only a short time later when the sounds of lovemaking could be heard coming from the tent again.
LEMON SCENE OVER CONTINUE READING FROM HERE
When the pair exited the tent two hours later no one would have thought they had just spent their time fucking like rabbits but that was the advantage of being a trained assassin and warrior respectively.
As they were walking to meet the Unsullied they were accosted by Daario who looked more than a little smug, "You know I've been meaning to mention, I must really have been wrong when I spoke of your… bedroom habits; based on the noises I heard coming from your tent a short while ago, I would have to assume that neither are you," he gestured toward Arya, "cold as the men you've killed, or you," he gestured toward Aerion, "as impressive as an Unsullied when it comes to manhood."
They both barked a short laugh before giving Daario an identical malicious look that caused the man to stop smiling. Without either of them even saying a word he began walking away, "Right well good luck infiltrating the Twins."
As they made their way to the northern edge of the camp they began laughing heartily. When they arrived they found ten Unsullied awaiting them as requested. Arya greeted each of them before turning to start their journey, "Right then, let's go."
AN: I didn't feel like a major fight scene fit with the rest of this chapter, so that is going to wait until next chapter. I really like this chapter, particularly the first couple of conversations with Sansa, hope everybody else did too.
As always let me know of any inconsistencies or particularly bad grammatical mistakes and I will fix them ASAP. Thanks for reading everybody, leave me a review, follow or fav.
Until next time