A/N: This took longer than usual, I had a few personal and work dramas and some of it is ongoing so my next update may take just as long. We will see. Thankss to the people who reviewed the last few chapters, I always appreciate the feedback.

Chapter 72

Arya felt focused as they left Pinkmaiden. The men no longer questioned her about her injuries. The soreness was no longer noticeable and Arya did not want anybody making exceptions for her. She did not want to be treated differently.

It was hard riding long days (or as long as they could given winter). She tried to concentrate on the outcome, on seeing her brothers again soon. Before she left Pinkmaiden she had written to Jon and Rickon. Even after speaking with Aegon she still felt torn but she knew she couldn't just leave for the North. After Aegon told her of the attack on Jon she had spoken with the man from the Night's Watch again. He scoffed at the suggestion of her going to Jon.

"This is Night's Watch business. The Lord Commander cannot have his sister at the Wall."

Arya did not think Jon would send her away but she wasn't sure. It made no matter. Aegon was right, her men would not want to leave for the North and she had business to finish. If she wanted to go to her brothers then that had to be dealt with first. She also had to admit to herself that part of her did not want to leave for another reason. She glanced over at Aegon riding in the centre of the column not that far from her.

He needs to be King, he is better than the Lannisters.

She did not want to go to Harrenhal but it was necessary to stop somewhere on the way to Kings Landing. Ravens reached them reporting that the Blackwoods were now allies. Arya knew the remaining Riverlands forces would meet them at Harrenhal.

She ate dinner with her men every day, trying to speak with different ones each night as her father used to. She wore her crown as she mingled with them as was expected of her. The march gave her some reprieve from her suitors but they did persist. She tried to be nice without encouraging them but it felt awkward even though she used her training well. Their attentions made her uncomfortable especially when Aegon was near. He did not disguise his unhappiness well. Her uncle advised her that he put off their requests and that annoyed her. They did not ask her personally.

"They think of me as your guardian" Ser Brynden explained with amusement in his blue eyes. "I think they also thought they might stand more of a chance asking me. At least this means I bear the brunt of their disappointment."

"I can handle things myself" she protested.

"I don't doubt it" he said gently "but let me do this for you. That way you can concentrate on what you have to do."

A few days into the march they arrived at Stoney Sept. Lord Connington did not want to stop there. Arya heard him trying to convince Aegon that they should camp well away from the town but darkness was too close. She found him brooding in his tent.

"If you said something earlier we might have gone around it."

He glowered at her. "Why are you not with your own men?" Arya ignored his irritation and dragged a camp stool over to sit with him. He set his pale blue eyes on her and she knew he wanted her gone. "You are a combination of two of the three things I hate about this place."

Arya didn't flinch. "Why is that my lord?"

He snorted. "Don't pretend to be stupid. Your father and your Tully grandfather came to aid Robert. If the people here had not been hiding him-"

"Rhaegar would still be alive" she finished. "If I can go to Kings Landing then you can manage to camp outside that town."

He frowned and fell silent for a while. Arya saw him slowly moving the fingers on his bad hand. "No good will come of us being here. They will not want us so close."

Arya thought back to when she had visited the town with the brotherhood. She remembered the talk of the damage inflicted in the Battle of the Bells. "You are not wrong" she admitted "but we will not be here long."

Lord Connington shifted a little and Arya noted the way he held his arm. The movement was rigid. She had only seen him briefly in meetings. She had not really spent time with him since Thoros had managed to heal the infection. She now realised it had come with a cost.

His greyscale is worse.

She decided not to draw attention to it. Magic always comes with a cost. Instead she stood and stretched a little. "I will leave you be my lord."

When she rose the next morning, there was a stir through the camp. By the end of the day's ride she had discovered why. The news rapidly spread that a whore had been killed in Stoney Sept. Arya felt uncomfortable but she didn't feel truly worried until she passed Thoros sitting by his fire after dinner. He looked burdened and when she sat with him he shook his head slowly.

"You have heard?"

"Yes." She chewed on her lip for a moment wrestling with a thought which had become increasingly disturbing. "I hope it wasn't one of my men."

Thoros gave her a rueful smile. "No, the Northmen lacked a reason. This was done for Prince Aegon."

Arya felt a chill down her spine. "No" she snapped. "Aegon wouldn't."

Thoros sighed. "I hope you are right."

She shifted uncomfortably for a moment. "Why do you think it is linked to Aegon?"

Thoros did not look at her, instead gazing into the flames. "The woman worked at the Peach. She had Baratheon black hair and Baratheon blue eyes. Her name was Bella for the Battle of the Bells."

"I met her" Arya blurted, remembering the brothel. At the same time she remembered Gendry. He would have been killed too. It was too much. She leapt to her feet and made her way quickly back to her tent.

Nymeria Sand perched on a stool by the brazier and Arya struggled to control her reaction. She was not in the mood for the Dornishwoman. Nym raised an eyebrow and gracefully swept towards Arya.

"What is wrong with you?"

Arya tensed. "Did you know?"

Nym's expression did not flicker and Arya evaded her overfamiliar attempt to drape her arm around Arya.

"What do you speak of?"

Arya scowled. "Do you know about the woman who died from Stoney Sept?"

To Nym's credit this time she did not play games. "Yes. I heard the fool entered the camps expecting to make some coin. She thought her parentage would be a selling point."

Arya was almost afraid to ask the next question. Aegon entered before the words left her lips. They had fallen into the habit of talking at the end of the day, usually while their advisors were present. She had not seen him yet that night. Part of her was glad.

His smile dropped when he saw the two of them together. Arya could not seem to stop scowling. The disappointment she felt threatened to overwhelm her. I thought they were better. Aegon opened his mouth and she cut him off.

"Did you do it?"

He frowned. "Are you talking about the whore? Of course not, you know I don't visit with them." He stepped closer and reached to touch her arm and she shook him off.

"Did you ask somebody else to do it?"

Arya studied his expression, dreading the response. She knew he had a temper where the Baratheons were concerned. His mouth twisted and his anger was palpable.

"No Arya" he said through gritted teeth. He wasn't reaching to touch her now, instead his fingers were curled and Arya could see he was struggling for control. "Why would I bother with some bastard?"

Arya shot a glance at Nym. Her expression barely changed but Arya knew the remark must have cut at least a little. Aegon retained some presence of mind because Arya saw his gaze flick to his cousin.

"You understand what I mean cousin" he said stiffly. "I would not consider Robert's bastards a threat. I'm not going to be sorry though. He sired her on the way to kill my father and I have not forgotten what happened to Rhaenys."

Arya could not bring herself to look at him. "I cannot believe you can speak of your sister and say that of Bella at the same time. It makes you no better than Robert." She retreated further into the tent and heard a heated exchange between Nym and Aegon in lowered voices.

She had discarded most of her knives by the time she heard the footfall behind her.

"I had hoped you would leave" she said in a flat voice.

She flinched away from the hand that reached for her. Nym's voice was soft and lacked her usual playfulness.

"You do not know what it has been like. He did not think before he spoke but what he said was true. They butchered Rhaenys, they killed his mother and they would have killed him."

Arya rounded on her, tears of frustration trying to sting her eyes. "That woman was innocent of this. Killing her does not make up for any of it. I know of losing people, I know of wanting and waiting for justice. Killing Bella wasn't justice. Killing Bella is something Lannisters would do. I thought he knew better. Leave me."

Nym tried once more to reach for her and when Arya resisted her expression became harder.

"You have killed too, don't forget. Aegon won't speak of your past but I know enough. You are not innocent. Life is not as simple as you would have it be."

She left Arya alone in the tent, her thoughts swirling around in her head and threatening to overwhelm her. She climbed into her bed, calling for Cara's company when she entered and tried to draw on her teachings to harden herself for what lay ahead.

Aegon distanced himself though Arya still felt Nym's presence close by. She knew the Sand Snake monitored her even if she did not directly speak to Arya and kept out of direct sight. They were only a day from Harrenhal when the scouts spotted Sandor Clegane riding towards the camp.

Clegane met with Aegon and despite their disagreement Arya made certain to be close enough to overhear. Sandor reported war in the streets of Kings Landing. She heard his raspy voice carry out from inside the pavilion.

"The Faith have risen up against the gold cloaks and Westerlands army."

Arya could not help but hear the strain in Aegon's voice when he replied though there was some satisfaction mixed with it. "Did Cersei get my message?"

Sandor snorted. "She got the message alright."

"Did you have any trouble?"

There was the slightest moment of silence before the reply. "No, no trouble."

Aegon dismissed Clegane but Arya heard the lie. She didn't know what the lie was but she knew Sandor kept something back. Lady Nym followed her to her pavilion.

"I am about to eat dinner with my men" Arya said abruptly.

Nym stood her ground and Arya could see the Dornishwoman was unhappy. "Clegane is lying. I know you heard him, even if we could not hear you. I know you were there." She stalked into the pavilion with Arya and her dark eyes were narrowed. "I swore I would kill him if he betrayed us. I want him dead. Aegon won't let me. You could convince him."

Arya felt conflicted. "No" she replied firmly. She would not speak to Aegon, she refused to go to him after their last conversation but Nymeria was not wrong. "I will wait until I know."

Nym snorted and tossed her braid. Arya could not help but notice yet again how much better a lady the Dornishwoman made than her, bastard status or no. She doesn't have to pretend, she doesn't have to work so hard. This time Nym had some bronze coloured wire coiled in her hair and she moved gracefully in her woollen gown.

"Both of you are fools" she scoffed. "I will watch him even if you will not."

The proof of Nym's words came that very night. Arya woke to find Sandor entering her tent. The sound of his sword loose in his scabbard drew her eye. Cara was sleeping in the corner of the tent. She startled as she woke. Arya looked into Clegane's face in the poor light from the candles and brazier.

"Do not be afraid Cara" she said calmly.

Sandor's mouth twitched and he smiled a ghastly smile. "Cersei asked me to kill you. I could do it." His hand rested on the hilt of the sword.

Arya studied his face. He is lying. Cersei asked him but he won't do it. She discarded the knives she kept near her and rose. Her woollen shift was modest and she had kept her breeches on.

"You won't though. Why am I different?" she asked. "You killed Mycah and you said it yourself, you laughed." His face twitched and she saw it. It was another lie. "You didn't laugh, did you?"

"Why didn't you kill me that day" he rasped. "I told you to."

Arya heard Nym at the same time she saw her and Clegane realised a moment later. He drew his sword but Arya called out before the Sand Snake could strike. Sandor wore no armour, he was quick but Nym used poisoned blades like her father and she did not need to be in close range to use them.

"Leave us Nym" she said firmly. The words weren't even out before Nym had a knife drawn and Sandor's sword clattered to the ground. Nym paused, blade still in hand as Sandor dropped to his knees. "Leave us" Arya said again, more softly this time. "Take Cara with you please."

The handmaid was only too happy to flee the tent with the Dornishwoman. She cast a worried glance over her shoulder at Arya as she left. Lady Nym lingered longer but she too finally left. Arya knew she would not have gone far.

Clegane had his head lowered. "I had to" he said weakly. "I know now it was wrong but I had to." He looked up at her. "I was a dog and I had to obey my masters."

"You're not a dog any more" Arya said.

"I am" he replied "but I'm my own dog. I choose now." A tear rolled down the scarred side of his face. "The Elder brother showed me."

Arya did not know why she did it. She spent so long hating this man but the man before her was not the one who killed her friend. That was the Hound, him and Joffrey. She reached out to him, touching the burned side of his face with her hand. He trembled at her touch..

"You torment me, you and your sister both. You are like me but you are like her too. I see it now."

Arya pulled her hand away at the reminder of her sister. "I am not like Sansa." Sansa was prettier, Sansa was a real lady. Arya only pretended when she had to.

Sandor reverted back to his coarse way of speaking instantly. "You keep telling yourself that she-wolf. You might not be a little bird but you both stupidly want the fucking world to be better than it is." He rose and turned on his heel. On his way out he called back to her. "Next time you see me don't touch me. I don't want your prince taking my head."

"He is not my prince" she retorted but Clegane did not hear her. He was gone.

The enormous castle of Harrenhal loomed in the distance long before they were even truly close. Arya felt panic rise inside her briefly as she remembered last time she had been there. She still couldn't imagine the castle as a place of peace and she strained to see for signs of danger. It was useless from her place in the column until she glimpsed it from the sky. The vision was in sharp focus. Harrenhal's gloomy towers were just as grotesque and misshapen as she pictured when she thought back. The only change was the Targaryen banner flying proudly above the castle.

She spotted a small formation of knights waiting peacefully by the gates just before she returned to herself with intense thoughts of Bran now distracting her from her past. She did not mean to skinchange, the raven was not like Nymeria. Arya could now control when she became the direwolf to a certain extent but that was not the case with the raven. It happened rarely thankfully, usually when she was worried or afraid.

Her connection to Bran remained strong whenever she became the bird. Arya liked to be close to her brother but at the same time it frightened her. His feelings and thoughts threatened to confuse her own and she knew the same happened to him. She also worried about how much he saw. She saw glimpses of his life but there were aspects of hers which were not for anybody else. She dreaded him feeling and seeing her with Aegon. There was also something else.

Does he know what I have done? Does he know of Braavos?

Bran seemed upset by something, Arya did not know what. It affected her own mood which had not been happy to begin with between Harrenhal, Aegon and thoughts of Baratheon bastards. She watched unhappily from horseback as Aegon greeted the Castellan, a knight who spoke formally and preached on and on about the Seven. Aegon listened patiently but Arya just wanted to go inside.

If I have to be here I want to make good use of my time.

The knight spoke at length. He was respectful but Arya could hear he had conditions. Camp followers were not allowed in the castle. They were declared a font of corruption. The men would find the castle in good order.

"We are sheltering some poor fellows on their way to serve the Faith."

Aegon moved on with a look back at Arya. She couldn't read his expression well from a distance but he seemed to be frowning and he didn't look at her for long. The knight, Ser Bonifer, shook his head in a pitiful way as she rode past him. Arya held her tongue with difficulty as she heard him speaking to his men about her.

"An unwed woman should not be in the midst of an army. She would be best left at home and hearth lest she tempt her men and his."

Arya seethed and her guards shot dark looks at the knight. I am a direwolf and I can be brave and fight as well as anybody else. They rode past to the stables and Arya heard Nymeria Sand raise her voice and knew the Dornishwoman had even worse said of her.

Despite Ser Bonifer's reservations Arya received good quarters in the castle, with fresh rushes on the floor, a stoked fireplace and a featherbed. She delayed going to bed though, instead making her way out to the godswood and the heart tree. She felt drawn there and she knelt before the heart tree to pray for the first time in a long time.

It was cold kneeling in the snow and at first she wasn't sure what to pray for then it all came in a rush. She prayed for Jon, for Rickon, for Sansa and for Bran. Even though she still felt angry at him she also prayed for Aegon. She kept avoiding him but both Nym and Sandor's words made her doubt and she was no longer certain but she did know she didn't hate him, she couldn't hate him. She also prayed for her men and for success against their enemies but it was those she cared most about that she prayed most fervently for.

"Please" she whispered "I have lost my parents and Robb, please just let the rest of them be safe."

She was still kneeling when she heard the whisper of her name and realised that this time she knew what it was. She removed her crown and sat it on the ground beside her.

"This crown should be yours Bran. You are the rightful Lord of Winterfell. You should be King in the North. I don't want it and I don't think Rickon does either."

The only answer was another whisper on the breeze, something she couldn't make out and Arya wanted to cry from frustration. Bran was the only answer the old gods were going to give her. They did not hear her prayers. If they had then she would not hurt so much. Aegon made her hurt less but now she did not have him and she wasn't sure if she should want to have him. She dropped her head, feeling defeated until she heard a whine.

The direwolf approached her looking bedraggled and thin and Arya saw the glowing eyes of Nymeria's brothers and sisters, her pack in the darkness behind her. She wasn't sure how they had made it into the godswood but the wolf was just what she needed.

Mayhaps the old gods heard me after all.

A/N 2: i am expecting the next chapter to be Arya as well. I originally planned more content for this one but to aid in keeping the story coherent I decided to split it. Let me know if you are wondering at certain aspects of the story or certain characters, I'm trying to keep track of everything but the scale is large and sometimes things slip past me. You can let me know in comments here or message me on tumblr if you are shy.
I know people are keen to see Dany and Co, there will be a catch up chapter with them soon which will show you how close the meet up is getting.