Chapter 3
Arya woke to feathery whispers and a small hand shaking her shoulder lightly.
"Arya... Arya are you awake?"
"No," she whispered back, eyes still closed. At the sound of her voice, she felt her white and brown husky Nymeria stir at her side and jump off the bed. She felt the small boy slip under the covers and she slid to the other side of the bed giving him her back.
"My game's today," he told her with excitement, resting his chin on her shoulder. Her eyes opened then.
"I'm grounded," she said after a few moments.
"You're always grounded!" he complained, jumping out of her bed and storming for the door.
"Rickon!" Arya called out, sitting up in her bed. The little red head boy stopped at the door. "I'm sorry."
He smiled weakly back at her and left, closing the door behind him. Arya dropped back onto her pillow sighing loudly as memories of last night came back to her.
She and her father had been greeted by Sansa's accusations and Catelyn's glares as soon as they'd walked into the house. Arya had known Sansa had been saving her dramatics for home when she'd sat herself quietly in their father's chair back at the station while their father reprimanded them.
"Arya, when are you going to stop behaving like a child? You're 16 years old. You're a young lady now!" Cat said as soon as Sansa had finished her rant.
"Maybe I don't want to be a lady! Maybe I don't want to be like Sansa and marry some stupid ponce!"
"Arya!" Cat's jaw fell in horror.
"You see what I had to put up with during the entire trip mother!"
"Girls! Cat!" Ned interrupted as he walked behind Cat and massaged his wife's shoulders reassuringly. "We've already gone over all of this. Arya is grounded," he reminded them, nodding once at each girl. "I've already had a talk with Arya. There is no need for all this shouting."
Cat relaxed a bit but Sansa didn't seem the least bit satisfied.
"I'd like a word with Arya please," Cat announced calmly.
Ned nodded, kissing the top of his wife's head. Holding his hand out to Sansa. "Let's you and I have a chat about this boy Joffrey, now," he said as he led her down the hall.
Arya stood by the front door, looking at her mother; trying to read her face. Cat stood from her seat, clasping her hands together, giving her youngest daughter a kind smile. "Let's have a walk in the garden. "
The autumn night was colder than usual, but Arya liked the cold. She loved the smell of it. The smell of trees, and dirt, and ice. That's what cold smelled like to her. Frozen dirt. She had missed home. Missed the early autumn and the even earlier winter which she could tell was right around the corner. The trip had taken way to long for her taste. No one should be subject to travel around the world with Joffrey Baratheon. Stupid tyrannical idiot! Missing half a brain and all his manners. She still didn't understand what Sansa saw in him. Didn't understand what had made her accept his proposal.
"Cold night," Cat said up into the sky as she sat down on a garden bench across the pool.
"I like it," Arya said, sitting next to her mother.
"Me too," Cat smiled, bringing herself to look away from the stars and at her daughter, brushing a strand of hair away from Arya's face; cupping her cheek in her hand. There was sadness in her smile.
Arya reached up and held the hand her mother had rested on her cheek.
"I love both my girls so much," she paused, closing her eyes. "My sweet, delicate Sansa," she smiled up at Arya then, "And my wild, spirited Arya," she whispered pulling her hand from Arya's face and grabbing the hand that held hers. "I don't want you to ever forget that."
Arya nodded.
"I only ask that you stop giving your sister such a hard time. Stop acting so boyish. You're a lady, a Stark! I only say it because I love you, you know that, don't you? And I only want what's best for you."
Arya released her mother's hand.
"If you love me, love me for who I am."
"Who you are is a beautiful young woman. My lovely Stark lady trying too hard to be something she isn't."
Arya felt too tired to argue any further. Her head throbbed and she was too tired from the trip and the struggle with that cop earlier to repeat this conversation with her mother, yet another time. So she nodded, and her mother kissed her forehead.
On her way up to her room, she made a quick stop at Brandon's room.
She walked in without knocking and her throat knotted as she saw his wheelchair. She blinked back tears of anger.
(Bran's accident had felt like no accident. It had happened during their trip with Robert and his family. After the Maldives and the three day stop they made in St Petersburg, Robert and Cersei promised them a small detour to Alaska. Arya had always loved the snow and the Denali Ski Resort had her all giddy- she almost forgot to miss Jon. They had been out skiing most of the day, only once taking a break to eat. She had been the first to notice that Bran had been away from their group too long. They found him not far from the area they had been playing by, on the floor and unconscious. He had been helicoptered to the hospital and Cat had flown over on one of Robert's jets. Robert had spent an hour on the phone with Ned and had insisted Ned stay at work, since he was in the middle of a case. Sansa and Cat started crying when the doctor told them Bran would never walk again. Arya had just stared numbly at Bran through the glass window of his room. Robb had walked up to her and hugged her. She had cried then. Bran would never ride a bike again. He would never run, or ride horses with her. They would never wrestle again, or race. Bran loved racing.
As soon as Bran had been released from the hospital, Robert announced they'd be headed for home. They had to spend a night in Atlanta, Georgia, and two in New York City. Robb had offered to take all the kids to Central Park the morning of their first day in New York. Robb and Arya had taken turns pushing Brans wheelchair around until he'd snapped an insisted on pushing himself around.
Tommen, Myrcella and Rickon had been with a woman's dog as the woman sat on a blanket, laughing and clapping at the children and Robb and Bran had been sitting close by, Bran in his chair and Robb on the grass. Arya had been by a lake throwing rocks in the water, getting lost in the movement of the ripples when Sansa and Joffrey walked by on the small path behind Arya.
"Please Joffrey, don't be so upset."
"I've been planning this trip for years!" Joffrey spat out. "Now it's been cut short thanks to your stupid brother!"
Thats when she threw the rock. It hit his face and he fell down in an awkward spin, landing face down with a grunt. Arya sprinted out from behind the bushes and down the path, headed towards Robb and the kids.
"FUCKING BITCH!" was all she managed to comprehend from Joffrey's yells as she ran fast towards her brothers.
Back at the hotel, Arya had lied about the rock. She couldn't admit throwing the rock without revealing her motives. The last thing Bran needed to hear was what Joffrey had said. To make matters worse, Sansa had agreed to the lies Joffrey had weaved into what had really happened. That night in their room, Arya accused Sansa of lying and not standing up for Bran. Sansa denied it all. That was what started the fight that had followed them all the way home and ended that afternoon in the gas station)
Bran was laying on his bed, headphones over his ears, eyes closed. She walked the distance to his bed and rested her hand lightly on his knee. His eyes flew open as hers grew wide. He pulled his headphones off.
"I could hear Sansa all the way up here earlier," he said waving the headphones at Arya.
"Did you feel that?" Arya asked, as Bran propped himself on his elbow and tossed the headphones onto a chair, turning awkwardly to pause the ipod sitting on his night table. He gave her a querying glance.
"My hand, your knee!" Arya clarified, as she took her hand off his knee.
Bran shook his head. "I could feel you in the room though."
Arya slid his legs aside carefully, sitting on his bed. "How are you?"
"Depressed."
Arya bit her lip. "Memory still fuzzy?"
"Yes. How are you?"
"Grounded."
"I know," he smiled. "Why'd you do it?"
Arya sighed angrily, "She can't marry him, Bran."
Her brother nodded, laying back down and staring at the ceiling. "I know, but there's nothing much we can do about it. Behaving as you've been will only make things worse between you and Sansa. It'll drive you two further apart."
Arya hated that he was right but couldn't find it in her to just not do anything about it.
"Becoming depressed over your situation and feeling sorry for yourself wont give you your legs back."
Bran sprung up, off his pillow, propping himself on his elbows. Brother and sister shared a long, intense stare before he dropped back onto his pillow once more and found the ceiling spot he had been staring at.
"I don't feel sorry for myself."
Arya smiled, though he didn't see it. She stood then, leaning down to kiss her brother's forehead. "Good night," she whispered, turning towards the door.
"Have a talk with her. Don't yell, don't argue... just talk," Bran called out before Arya reached the door. She stood still a moment before she left his room.
All everyone in this family ever wanted to do was talk, Arya thought as she closed and locked the door to her room and stripped her clothes off, looking at herself in the mirror. There was a bruise on her shoulder from earlier. She couldn't help but smile. Stupid brute!
After a long, long shower, she slipped into bed and thought of ways she could get through to Sansa.
This morning, as she laid in her bed, no longer sleepy thanks to Rickon, she once again began thinking up conversations in her head and all the possible ways they could end. She pulled herself out of bed and changed into her favorite jeans and sweater. She'd be at Rickons game today. And she would get in trouble for it. She smiled at the thought.
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Gendry woke half an hour before his alarm went off and he managed to squeeze in a quick shower before he started breakfast, textbook in hand. He flipped his omelette gracelessly, nearly dropping it on the floor. His coffee had grains in it and his toast had burnt, but he never let go of the book.
The headache was thankfully gone, he noted as he brushed his teeth. He grabbed his keys, headed out the door, and couldn't help the smile on his face as the cold air made him shudder. It was going to be a good day!
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There was a quiet knock on the door.
"Just a minute," Sansa called out as she applied the second coat of mascara. She capped the tube, tied her robe closed and unlocked the door.
Arya stood there in jeans and Jon's old grey sweater, hair tied back in her usual half ponytail, clearly ready to go out.
Sansa looked her up and down. "I thought you were grounded," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Arya sighed, to calm herself. "Give it a rest. I'm here to talk," she said, pushing past Sansa into her room.
"About?" Sansa asked curiously as she locked the door before sitting on her bed next to Arya.
After practicing it in her head, she knew exactly what she had to say next, and yet it took Arya a whole minute to finally speak.
"Have you ever seen a man so in love with his wife you can feel it every time you see him look at her?"
After a few seconds Sansa nodded. "Father."
That's exactly what Arya had hoped Sansa would answer.
"And Richard Gere in Pretty Woman," Sansa added.
Arya rolled her eyes, standing from the bed. Facing her sister. "I see it too. Father. With mother."
Sansa nodded.
"I never seen it when Joffrey looks at you."
Sansa's gaze fell. Arya exhaled sharply kneeling in front of Sansa to meet her eyes.
"I've known you my whole life. I know how you view love. Father and mother love each other. That's love. If that's what you want...why are you marrying Joffrey?"
Sansa still hadn't met Arya's eyes. Arya knelt there patiently. She could see it finally dawning on Sansa. It caused her pain, but it also made sense to her. Arya could tell.
After what felt like hours, Sansa met Arya's gaze and said, "Joffrey and I love each other," with a weak smile.
Arya stood, letting out an exasperated grunt, stomping towards the door, swallowing all the things she wanted to say to her stupid sister.
"You have never been in love Arya!" Sansa shrieked as she stood, following Arya before she reached the door. Arya turned to look at her sister, face red with anger, she stood almost a foot taller than her and for a second Arya prepared herself to be slapped across the face. That was always Sansa's way.
Sansa just stood there though, looking down at her sister, fury ebbing as she prepared herself to speak again.
"One day you will. You will fall in love. You will meet someone who will mean the world to you. Someone you'll be willing to lie for, and die for, even kill for. And when that day comes, maybe then you'll understand how I feel about Joffrey!"
"No," Arya shook her head. "That's not me."
AN
So not a lot of Arya/Gendry in these chapters. But im trying to introduce our modern characters before i get to the Arya/Gendry scenes. This was an odd chapter as it starts off the morning after the egg incident then goes to a memory of the night before, then in the memory goes into a memory of the trip and Brans accident, coming back to the memory, then back to the morning after. Sorry about that. Review please! Thanks for reading :)