Chapter 29

After bringing Brynden Tully with her to Winterfell and taking part with the others in questioning how he had made it to them, Arya brought him to her solar. She sat, feeling exhausted and accepted an offer of wine. It was tested before she drank any. Nobody was taking any precautions now. The wine was mulled and she enjoyed the warmth of it spreading through her chest.

"My mother spoke of you when I was young" she said.

He looked sad then his fist clenched. "What they did to her was unspeakable".

There was a brief silence then Arya blurted out "I did not want to lead Uncle Brynden. I did not want this".

He gave her a sad smile. "Yet you did it anyway. Do you remember the Tully words?"

Arya sighed. "Family, Duty, Honour. Winterfell needed me and my brother needed me. That doesn't make it any easier". She frowned. "I had other things I wanted to do".

"We always do child" he replied. "You have not married".

Arya fought the urge to frown. Not this again.

"Neither have you" she shot back.

The Blackfish laughed, a real laugh of sheer amusement which Arya couldn't help but join in with. He was still smiling as he responded.

"Well played".

It felt good for Arya to have another person she could trust and she did trust the Blackfish. He was an excellent adviser and he took some of the burden from her. He was also good with Rickon though he was perturbed at times by the boy's fits of anger and the viciousness of Shaggydog. Rickon had improved but Arya was still the only person who could really get through to him when he lost control, particularly when she had to involve Nymeria to stop Shaggydog.

Brienne returned many days later without the man she was seeking.

"I'm sorry my lady" she said, clearly miserable.

Arya put a hand on her arm in an attempt to comfort her.

"Tell me what happened".

The man had not travelled far with the Ryswell men before he melted away. Nobody knew in what direction he was travelling. Brienne had tried to keep searching but she had nothing to go on.

"Whoever planned this is not stupid" Arya mused. "Thank you for trying. Nobody could have done better".

She did wonder if she might have had more success but there was no gain in dwelling on it. If they tried again Arya would be ready and this time he would not get away.

The attempt on her life was put to the back of her mind when a raven came bearing the Targaryen seal. It was in a hand Arya did not recognise. She took it and returned to her solar to read in private.

Lady Arya,

I am writing to tell you we successfully took Dragonstone. I am most pleased to have the seat of House Targaryen back in Targaryen control. I have not yet had a chance to explore it. You will be wroth with me. I took an arrow in the shoulder upon entering the castle. The maester assures me I will make a full recovery but for now I cannot use my arm while it heals. It is most frustrating but I can promise I will learn from this. Please pass on my regards to Lord Rickon. I do hope he and I will be friends.

Aegon Targaryen

The signature was in a different hand to the rest of the letter. She knew Aegon must have signed it but it was scrawled. He had clearly had difficulty. The letter was far more formal than his last. Arya supposed he had told the maester what to write and that at least had hindered what he could say.

She put the parchment aside and hurried outside. She crept, quiet as a shadow, through the castle. She did not want to be seen. She needed to be alone. She went to the godswood and knelt in front of the heart tree. It had become a habit even though she did not pray. Nymeria stayed close. She had clearly picked up on Arya's mood.

She was so angry with him. She felt her eyes begin to water and angrily brushed the tears away before they could fall. I warned him. Why wouldn't he listen?

She heard somebody coming and began to rise. When Shaggydog loped towards her she relaxed and dropped back to her knees. Rickon followed close behind. He was alone and he looked serious.

"What's wrong Arya?"

"Nothing" she said quickly. She tried to force a smile.

Rickon scowled. "Don't lie. I felt it".

Arya sighed looking at the direwolves. She motioned for Rickon to join her.

"I received a raven. Prince Aegon has been hurt".

Rickon gave her a look she didn't like. What has he heard? She was startled when he took her hand in his.

"He is my friend" she said defensively.

Rickon looked solemn and for a moment he reminded her of father. "I know".

They were quiet for a little before Arya took a deep breath and shared the information from the letter with Rickon. He listened intently and smiled when Arya passed on the message intended for him.

"Will I meet him?"

Arya paused. "Do you want to?"

Rickon chewed on his lip. "I don't know. Will he try to make me kneel?"

Arya couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think so".

She had composed herself by the time she returned to the castle. She shared the contents of the letter with Duck. His reaction wasn't much better than hers had been. She told him to keep it between them and hoped Rickon would do the same.

Arya had been visiting the dungeons regularly and her efforts had been rewarded. Many of the prisoners now wished to take the black, including the squire who had tried to poison her. The men were not happy about it, Rickon most of all but Arya felt she could not refuse him. Father would have done the same, she knew that.

She wrote to Jon to tell him. When she received his reply she was taken aback. She ran through the castle, ignoring the looks she received. She found Rickon and Duck in the training yard. She was breathless and as excited as she was, nerves were starting to settle in a little too. They both turned to look at her. Duck saw the parchment in her hand.

"I take it you have good news little lady".

Arya couldn't stop a smile.

"Jon is coming to visit us".

AN: Chapter 28 was long, this one was short but I didn't want to pad it. I have more Arya stuff but it didn't fit in here. I probably don't need to tell you a Jon POV is next. I've waited a little long for it. I have a lot of time to cover with him now.