Robb woke to his mobile vibrating and ringing on his lap. It took him a few seconds to wake up and he didn't answer on time.
It was Arya. He called her back.
"Robb?"
"Yea."
"Let me talk to Bran!"
"Uh...Hi to you too!"
"Hi. Let me talk to him." she sounded excited.
Robb glanced over at his sleeping brother. It had been a long day.
"He's asleep."
"wake him!" she demanded.
"Can't this wait? He's had a long day. We all have. I'm sure Dad will explain everything right now. "
Robb could hear his mother talking to his father over the phone outside their hotel room.
"Explain what?"
"Just wait for father to tell you. I'm too tired and irritated to talk."
"I used the gun today!"
"What?"
"At the shooting range. Father had this man teach me stuff. He talked a lot, but i did get to use the gun. Tell Bran tomorrow. I want to tell him something Syrio told me. To help Bran be brave. It's an old saying, Syrio said, from way back in the day. He told me the whole story. Tell Bran. If he wakes later its fine. He can call me. I'll be awake."
"Ok. Alright. Calm down."
"Sorry. I'm excited."
"I can tell."
"I'll let you go then. Don't forget to tell Bran. Good night."
"Good night Arya."
xxxxxxxxxx
Sansa ended up going dress shopping without Arya. She was upset Arya had missed it, but she was so happy with the dress she found.
She stood infront of her closet looking over her dresses. Maybe she could find a dress for Arya.
As much as she loved shopping she wasn't going to have time to go with Arya. Tonight had been her only free afternoon. She had to meet with Cersei tomorrow to go over a few placings and final details of the party, and Friday she had plans with Joffrey.
She didn't trust Arya to go shopping on her own. So the best she could do is find a dress of hers that would fit and that none of the Lannisters and Baratheons had seen on her before.
It was proving to be a difficult task, but she finally settled on a purple dress with a thin jeweled collar. She was sure Arya would hate it, but she was almost certain it would fit her.
There was a knock on the door.
Sansa set the dress down and crossed over to open the door. Ned and Arya stood in the hallway.
"May we come in?" Ned asked, and Sansa held the door open for them, confused.
She looked over to Arya, but she looked just as confused.
"Come on." Ned called them over to the victorian looking sofa that sat under Sansa's window. The girls joined their father.
"What is it?" Sansa asked, noting the worry in his voice.
"Upon arriving at the London station, your brother Bran had an accident." Ned told them carefully.
Sansa's hands flew to her mouth and she shook her head.
"Another one!" Arya cried.
"His chair. It almost went over the railway. It was just a small loss of control of his chair. But Bran told your mother he felt as though he had been pushed. No one saw anything and your mother and Robb had been busy with the luggage, so they didn't see anything either."
"So he's ok." Sansa asked a bit more relaxed.
"His hands are a bit blistered from trying to stop the chair, and he has a few scrapes from falling off the chair when Robb knocked it on its side. He's mostly just scared though. And he is sticking to his story."
"Well, why else would he almost roll over the edge?" Arya demanded.
Her father gulped and looked into their eyes and Arya knew what he was about to say.
"He might have just lost grip on his chair. Or...he may have intentionally tried to roll himself off."
"No!" Arya cried, rising from the couch. "Bran knows his chair. He has full control of it! And he would never try to..."
Sansa cut her off. "He has been depressed Arya!"
"No! You're stupid! And anyone who believes he ever would is stupid too!" Arya wanted to hit Sansa, only her father had risen and he put his hands on Arya's shoulders trying to calm her.
She calmed her anger, but she still felt like hiting Sansa. Maybe a nice bruise would go great with the dress she'd bought for her party.
Ned asked Arya to sit again, but instead of siting on the sofa next to Sansa, she sat on Sansa's bed, facing them.
"Even though no one saw exactly how things happened, your mother told me she has a feeling that what Bran says is true."
"Why would anyone try to push him over?" Sansa asked
Ned shrugged.
"Will they come back?"
"Your mother wants to stay. She says Bran insisted. He said he doesn't want to come home without trying. She is on edge though and she doesn't want to leave his sight."
"So she won't be here Saturday?" Sansa face fell.
Arya groaned at her. "Who cares about your stupid party. It's Bran that matters."
"Arya." her father warned. She exhaled, crossing her arms over her shoulder.
"She'll talk to you tomorrow." He told Sansa. "I told you girls so you could say a prayer for Bran. But please don't tell Rickon. You should both get some sleep now."
With that he left and Arya stood heading for the door herself when Sansa called her. She turned to see her sister holding up a purple night dress.
"You can wear this on Saturday. That way you can skip shopping."
Arya wanted to lunge at her. Bran had almost gotten hurt today, and all she cared about was some stupid party. She could rip the dress in pieces. She could pull her lovely red hair until tears came.
But she didn't. She remembered her mother's words and the promise she had made to her about not giving Sansa a hard time.
Their mother would no longer be there for the party. She almost felt bad for Sansa.
"Whatever." Arya shrugged before walking out.
xxxxxxxxxx
Early Wednesday morning Ned had taken his wife and sons to the train station before heading over to meet Robert.
Ned had sat in Robert's study , watching the man read over the report Yoren had faked.
Guilt gnawed at Ned as he saw the disappointment in his friends face. It's for the best, he told himself. For Gendry.
After he was done reading it, Robert walked up the the window and looked out, lost in his thoughts.
"Well, that's that." he said after a few moments, turning to face Ned.
Ned nodded. "I'm sorry." he told him, his apology offered for a completely different reason.
"Thank you for this Ned. I couldn't trust anyone else to do it." Robert said as he walked up to serve them both a drink.
Ned felt his chest tighten with guilt again.
Robert crossed over to him, drinks at hand. "I'll arrange to meet with my lawyer. I want you there with me. You can be there as a witness." he said handing a glass to Ned.
Ned took it, confused. "Lawyer?"
"Yes. I had the bastard in the will." Robert scoffed at himself. "I needed his name for that reason. I'll arrange an appointment with the lawyer and we can change a few things around."
Ned took a swig from the glass. Seven hells!
He had assumed Robert might want to meet his son, but it never occurred to him he might simply want to help him.
Well it was too late now, he thought.
After he'd left Robert's he had stopped at the station to meet with Syrio. He had explained to him the whole Arya situation and the man had seemed oddly intrigued. After Arya had arrived and they'd talked and she'd been introdeced to Syrio, he left them to themselves a few hours.
Upon arriving at home later that night, Mordane had told him to call his wife.
The news of Bran's accident had rendered him sleepless.
This morning Ned still considered taking off to London despite his wife's insistence for him to stay behind with the girls and Rickon.
With all that in his head he had forgotten he had promised to meet Robert and his lawyer at 1.
It was now 1:45.
His mobile rang and Ned answered it without seeing who it was.
"Ned!"
At the sound of his voice, Ned remembered their appointment.
"Robert! I am so sorry. I completely forgot!" he rubbed at his eyes.
Robert laughed. "Where is your head? Ha, no worries. Bloody lawyer's gone. I'm on my way to the station. I'm taking you out for a drink and we can talk family! We are practically family now! We must celebrate!"
He sounded drunk, Ned thought. He was about to politely decline the invitation, but Robert had already hung up.
With everything that had happened, he could use a drink, and a friend. Even a drunk one
xxxxxxxxxx
"Where have you been Waters?"
The blonde called from her desk as Gendry set his stuff down on his, which sat across the aisle from hers.
"Studying." he said. She rolled her eyes. "Yep." he nodded.
"What for, you won't be getting any smarter." she teased.
Gendry picked up a pen off his desk and threw it at her. She laughed, catching it in her hand and throwing it back at him.
Gendry dodged it with a smile.
He liked Brienne. She was new too and they seemed to have a lot in common. They both felt out of place amongst the rest of the team. They both kept pretty much to themselves and they both hated Theon Greyjoy with ardent passion.
Theon had been the one to spread the rumors about her being a lesbian.
Like Gendry, Brienne had already had the privilage of kicking Theon's ass. Although Gendry had to admit, Brienne had done a better job of fucking his face up.
It was after the night at the bar, when Brienne had beat Theon up, that Gendry and her had become friends.
She was quiet and strong. Both physically and character wise. She was smart, and kept mostly to herself. Not asking too many questions, as women tended to do.
Instead, Gendry found himself asking her all the questions. Oddly though, he didn't mind it.
From the amount of time he'd known her though, he was certain Brienne wasn't a lesbian. Being a female cop, she had to fill pretty big shoes. She had to prove she could be as strong, as fast, as brave as any man. She was all of those. But she was still a woman, and most of them never let her get over it. Perhaps that's why she never corrected the rumors.
But he could tell, from her eyes and her smile and awkwardness that she wasn't one. She just seemed like it.
Her short hair and monstrous tallness didn't help though, nor did her lack of makeup.
In all honesty though, androgyny didn't suit her much. It wasn't easy for anyone to ignore her figure, even under the police uniform. She wasn't "ugly", as some of the men called her.
"I'm already on prestige 18 level 3. I haven't seen you online in a while." Brienne called out to Gendry from her desk.
Gendry slid his chair out to see her better. "I know, school is sucking me dry!"
"Right."
"Black ops 2 is out though!" Gendry leaned back on his chair enthusiastically.
She smiled. "I know! This guy i met, he..." she began, but then their attention turned to the front entrance, where a man walked in making a ruckus.
It was the politician. Robert Baratheon. Gendry recognized him from television, but he had never seen him in person. He didn't have as much presence as he did on screen.
When he walked by their desks he turned to Brienne's and smiled.
"Well well." he laughed. "Where are you from my love?"
Brienne looked around, unsure if he meant her. Everyone was looking her way though. She looked up at Robert Baratheon, confused by his question.
She was uncertain of what he meant or how to answer, but she finally did.
"South Downs, Sir." she said in her deep voice. "Hampshire."
Robert licked his bottom lip, looking her up and down. "Well they sure make them large and sturdy in the south, don't they! Look at the size of those trunks." he raised his eyebrows
The room filled with laughter.
Robert's belly shook as he, too laughed. Gendry couldn't see too well around Robert's large body, but he could see part of Brienne. Enough to see her tight fists and scarlet face. He stood.
"What's your problem?" He demanded inching up to Robert. The room went silent.
Robert looked Gendry in the eyes, then around at the rest of the men in the room in disbelief. He chuckled.
"No problem at all."
"Good."
Robert leaned his face in, just inches away from Gendry's.
"Do you have any idea who i am, boy?"
His breath smelled of liquor.
"Do you have any idea how to treat a lady?" Gendry said, not backing out.
The room exploded in noise. Gendry looked Robert in the eyes daringly.
"What is going on?"
Gendry and Robert both turned to see Ned at the foot of his office door. When his gaze fell on them he froze.
"Just chatting up this lad." Robert said, putting his arm around Gendry. Gendry quickly shoved it off and crossed over to Brienne's desk, standing behind her chair.
Ned said nothing. He just stood there looking from Gendry to Robert, and then back to Gendry. He almost looked scared. Like he'd seen a ghost. Gendry had never seen that look on Ned before.
When no one said anything, Robert spoke.
"Car's out front. You ready?"
Ned woke from his trance nodding. Robert started for the door out the same way he'd come in leaving Ned to follow. He never gave Gendry another look.
Ned closed his office door and when he came by Gendry and Brienne's desk, he stopped.
"Everything alright?"
"Yea."
"You're ok?"
"Yes." Brienne answered.
Ned nodded once and he was gone, leaving Gendry, Brienne and the rest of the unit wondering about his behavior.
xxxxxxxxxx
"It's too long!"
"I know, but you'll wear these."
"They're too tall!"
"Must you find something wrong with everything?"
Arya smiled, pleased. "Yes."
Sansa rolled her eyes, handing the heels over to Arya. She made a face but she took them and pulled the dress up at the hem in order to walk to the sofa.
Sansa leaned into the mirror, drawing a think black line over her right eye. "Do you have a date for tomorrow?"
"Rickon?" Arya joked, feeding her feet into the shoes
Sansa placed the eyeliner on the dresser and picked up the mascara, applying a coat. "I can get you one. I have some friends who wouldn't mind."
"Don't be stupid!" Arya cried, rising from the couch, nearly 6 inches taller than before. "Rickon can be my date."
Sansa turned with a smile. "Look at you."
"What about me?"
"You look beautiful."
"I look like a squeezed grape."
Sansa laughed. "Walk to me. You need to practice."
Arya walked, feeling as though she looked like she was walking on glass. When she finally reached her, Sansa looked horrified.
"Just... keep practicing. We'll see how you've done once i get back from my date with Joffrey."
"What! No!"
Sansa ran across the room to grab her purse off the bed, rummaging through it for her keys, before running out of the room and down the stairs.
"Practice, practice, practice." she called out in singsong the whole way down.
"Ugh!" Arya groaned as she heard the front door close.
She wobbled to the mirror and took a look at herself. She almost didn't recognize the girl staring back. Sansa had gotten carried away with the "practice" makeup.
There was no way Arya would allow her to do that to her tomorrow.
The dress fit like a glove. It tied at the neck with a thin jeweled collar, which she liked since it covered her clevage, even if it bared her shoulders. The back was no good though. The dress exposed mostly all of it, up to the small of her back. The heels did a good job with the length though. She just had to walk in them without falling. She let out a raspberry.
"Practice, practice." She told the stranger in the mirror, taking it as a challenge. She liked challenges.
xxxxxxxxxx
The date had started off well.
Joffrey had made dinner reservations, and had gifted her a diamond bracelet, which he'd placed on her wrist from across the table, kissing her hand tenderly.
Sansa loved the attention she was getting from the other tables. Both for the bracelet and her looks.
After the restaurant though, he had taken her to a club. Before she knew it, his hands began exploring her.
She would be married to him soon, she told herself. He will be my husband. Her body would be his.
But she still felt uncomfortable.
Things only got worse when an acquaintance of his gave them some pills.
"You're taking them!" Sansa cried over the music.
"Sure! Aren't you into this?" He said drunkenly as he popped the pill in his mouth and finished his drink.
Sansa's eyes grew wide. "No!"
"Oh. Perhaps that was someone else then." he laughed, holding his palm open infront of her.
"If you're into me, you're into this!"
Sansa nodded, taking the pill and placing it into her mouth before she reconsidered. She took a random drink off the bar and drank.
Things had gone blank after that.
As she sat up on her bed this morning and saw the bracelet on her wrist, she panicked.
She had no idea when when or how she'd gotten home. She searched her memory over and over again, but it always let her go as far as the pill before she couldn't remember anything else.
There was a moan to her left and when she turned she saw the covers stirring. She gasped pulling the covers back.
It was Arya. She squeezed her eyes against the sun light and snatched the cover from Sansa.
"What're you doing here?" Sansa cried with relief.
"Taking care of you!" Arya said, muffled by the covers.
"What?"
"Last night. You woke me!" Arya said angrily, pulling the covers tighter around her.
"How did i get home?" Sansa shook Arya.
"Stoop! Let me sleep!" Arya yelled from under the covers. "I was up all night taking care of queen pukey."
"I can't remember." Sansa said to herself, tears forming in her eyes.
Arya made a sound that might have been a laugh.
"Yea. You we're drunk, or drugged or something. Your dress is covered in sick by the way." she pulled the covers off her face. "Sandor. Your boyfriend's man. He brought you home. You called me, i couldn't understand a single thing you said, then he took the phone and told me to come to the back door. You're lucky the dogs have been sleeping in the garage." Arya sat up. "He helped me sneak you in. There was something oddly comical about the sight of him gently tucking you in your bed."
"Oh no!" Sansa gasped.
"Oh yes." Arya said sarcastically as she tossed the covers off herself and jumped off the bed. "By the way, your neck is covered in hickeys." she said before leaving.
Sansa jumped off the bed and ran to the mirror. It was true.
Her skin had red marks on three different spots.
That's when she began crying. This was a disaster! Everything was spoiled!
Tonight was the party and the dress would expose the hickeys. And Sandor had been in her room! And she had no idea what had happened last night.
She fell to the floor in tears. This was the worst day of her life!
She spotted her purse on the floor across the room and she crawled to it. She pulled her mobile out and called Joffrey.
No answer.
She tried again.
"What?"
"Joffrey!" she cried out in relief.
"Yea?"
"What happened last night?"
"I guess i was wrong when i thought you could handle the pill."
"I'm full of hickey's! Sandor brought me home, i can't remember anything!"
"Shhh! There is nothing to remember. After the club we came to my place. We fooled around a bit, but then you weren't too cooperative, so i had Sandor take you home."
"Fooled around?" Sansa screamed, enraged.
"Just kissing and stuff. Look, i've got to go. It's late, i hope you're getting ready soon. You have to look flawless. I'll see you tonight. Bye."
Sansa stared at the phone in her hand in shock. Her chest heaved once, but she stop herself from crying. There was no time.
She had to get ready.
xxxxxxxxxx
Sansa and Arya had argued until they finally agreed. Arya would wear mascara. Just mascara. That's it.
Her hair was up in a curly, twisty bun thingy. Sansa had spent 40 minutes curling Arya's hair only to end up pulling back into a bun.
Arya looked at herself in the mirror though and she had to agree with Sansa. It looked elegant.
The whole outfit looked good. The only thing Arya could find wrong with it was that it was her wearing it.
It wasn't like her to dress this way. But her promise to her mother made her go through with it. The mascara, the heels, the perfume, the lack of bra. Everything.
Staring at herself in the mirror, an idea came to her.
She walked to her dresser, pulling open her knickers drawer, her gun's new hiding spot, and pulled out the case.
She fed in the key, and opened the case, pulling the gun out quickly.
She walked back to the mirror, almost falling. She was still getting used to the heels, but she had practiced all last night, she was almost an expert heel wearer. Almost.
She pointed the gun at the glammed up Arya in the mirror.
She couldn't help smiling like an idiot. The gun clashed perfectly with the outfit.
She messed around a while. Posing differently. Spinning around on time to face invisible attackers. She killed them all.
She decided she had to take it to the party. It would be the only way she would stand looking the way she did all night; to know that under the dress was a deadly weapon.
She worked at a makeshift gun strap with some of Sansa's bra straps which shed found in the wash room and strapped the gun inside her right calve. Looking in the mirror she couldn't see it. Only she knew it was there.
As she walked down the stairs, she felt amazing! All thanks to the gun.
Their father, who was wearing a suit, complimented all three of them as they came down the stairs.
Sansa had done a pretty great job of covering up the hickeys and had worn her hair down, so no one would notice.
"Arya, i hardly recognized you." Mordane gasped, cupping her face and kissing her cheeks.
"If only your mother could see."
"Father you look so handsome!" Sansa said as she hugged her father.
Rickon too, was wearing a suit. His hair had been slicked back and he was fussing with the sleeves, but he looked great.
Arya felt as if they were all going to prom or some royal dinner or something. This is the most any of them had dressed up.
"Are we ready then, my children?" Ned asked them as he pulled their coats and scarfs out of the coat closet.
"Yes." Sansa answered taking her coat.
Ned sighed, as he handed Arya and Rickon theirs.
There was three other children missing. Arya thought.
This was the first time they'd been so incomplete. She could tell her father was thinking that too.
"Lets go then." He said, holding the door open for them.
"Mordane." He said at the door with a smile. "Don't wait up."
AN
Ah! Im so excited! I've been waiting ever since i started writing this fic for the party scene to come up. I expect it to be the longest chapter so far.
After next chapter, the Arya/Gendry part of this fanfic will begin.
Sorry it took so long to get there, but i've enjoyed writing the chapters leading up to it.
It's helped me explore, not just Arya and Gendry, but other character, like Ned, Yoren, Cat, Sansa and Bran.
I've introduced Brienne in this chapter and i'm so excited about her.
We also have a little mention of the Hound.
Also, EEEKKK! Robert and Gendry meet!
This is so off book, i know, but father and son have met, and they rubbed each other the wrong way.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.
Funny fact: when i was writing the bit about Arya playing with the gun in her room, Seven Nation Army played on my iTunes.
It was priceless.
Thanks for your reviews here on FanFic, and for all of the likes on Tumblr
Please keep them coming, as i've mentioned, reading them helps me write