Hello Everyone!

Here's Chapter Four. We get to see some new perspectives in this chapter. Some of these characters may seem OOC, so if you're not interested, that's okay. I hope you enjoy this one.

Please Read and Review!

xoxo

Chapter Four:

Arya woke the next day to find that her left eye was able to open completely. She was happy with the progress of her healing, though she wished there was nothing that she had to heal from.

Today was the day she was going to look for a place to train. She needed to become stronger if she was ever going to be able to defend herself. She thought that lessons in self defense may even be useful in the profession that she was in. There were always guys hitting on her at the bar, thinking they were a gift for women from the Gods. So, this could come in handy if any of them were to overstep their welcome.

She thought about what it was going to be like to go back to work the day after tomorrow. She didn't know how to feel about it. She hadn't told Hot Pie or Gendry yet, and there was no way in the Seven Hells that she was going to tell Baelish about it. She knew he wasn't the kind of boss to do something about it; "I don't need to lose any valuable customers" is what she's sure he'd tell her. He reminded her of a weasel, and he was definitely someone that you shouldn't trust. The only reason she was even working for him was because he had known her mother since they were children together. She thought he would be a good place to turn after her parents died, when she was in search of employment. She had been right, but that didn't make him a good person.

She got out of bed and as soon as she stood up, she knew what she had to do. She needed to call one of her friends. She thought Hot Pie would be a better option to tell first, since she had a feeling as to how Gendry was going to feel about it. So, after getting dressed, she picked up her phone and dialed Hot Pie's number.

"Good morning, my favourite coworker." he greeted her with as he answered the phone. "Hey Pie, are you busy today? I was wondering if you'd want to come over, there's something I need to talk to you about." she told him. "Of course I'll come over! Is there something wrong?" he asked. "Yes and no. But I'd rather just wait until you get here to tell you." she replied. "Alright, I'll be there within the hour." he answered back. "Thanks Pie, see you soon." she said before she hung up the phone.

She grabbed her laptop off her dresser before she went downstairs. Since she was going to start to look for a gym, she thought it may be easier to use it instead of her phone. She gave herself one last look in the mirror, noting that her bruise was looking less purple and more yellow around the edges. She was happy with the improvement, and with that, she headed downstairs to await the arrival of her friend.

xxxxx

Sansa wasn't sure she was happy about the way the previous evening had turned out. She really thought that Arya quitting her job and eliminating the danger from the equation was the best option. However, she also knew that her younger sister was a very stubborn person and there was really no point in trying to convince her that any other option but her own was deserving of any merit. She could only hope that her sister did indeed learn something while she was training and that she would be safe. There was also a small part of her that regretted agreeing to this option because she thought her sister may even try to start fights purely because she thought she was stronger and tougher than everyone else. That sounded exactly like something that her sister was capable of doing. She supposed that she would just have to wait and see what the future held for the Stark family.

Today was a slow day for her. She didn't have many appointments today, so she was eagerly awaiting walk in appointments. In the meantime, she popped her head into Margery's room to see how she was finishing up the dragon tattoo that her white haired client wanted.

"I actually just finished!" she informed Sansa. "I just need to rub some Vaseline on her and wrap it up and she's good to go!" "It looks great Daenerys! I love the colours you chose." Sansa told the young woman as she got a good look at her shoulder. "Thanks Sansa." She said, appreciating the praise. Margery finished wrapping Dany's tattoo and gave her a package of after care and sent her on her way.

"So, Sansa Stark, what can I do for you?" Margery questioned with a smirk on her face. Sansa loved her friend. She would always remember the way that Margery took her under her wing when Sansa started at the shop, being able to apprentice under Tyrion Lannister was amazing, but she almost felt that the friendship she gained with her coworker was the best part of working at the Lion's Den. Sansa never bonded with her sister the way that she did with Margery, and now that her mother was gone, she was glad she had another woman to talk to.

"To be quite honest, I really just need some girl talk. I've been thinking about something lately and I was curious of an older woman's opinion on it." Sansa teased. Margery was only three years older than Sansa, but it was something they always loved to tease each other about. Sansa would ask for wisdom from an old woman and Margery would always tease Sansa by telling her about things she had done when 'she was her age'. Naturally it was all in good fun.

"But of course!" Margery said laughing. "What womanly wisdom may I stow upon you today?" she asked of her friend. "Please don't judge me; I'm not really in the mood to hear it." She told her before pausing. "But, I'm thinking about starting to date again." Immediately Sansa looked to the floor. She could feel the blush coming to her cheeks and this was not something that she wanted Margery to tease her about.

"Aw! Sansa! That's great! I'm so happy for you!" Margery practically screeched as she stood from her stool. She instantly wrapped Sansa in a hug. She was happy that her friend felt that she was strong enough to open her heart to trust someone again. "What brought this on?" she questioned Sansa. "I don't know. I just feel like that's what I need to do with my life right now. I feel like there's something missing and I think this might be it." Sansa answered. "Well that's good. Was there anyone in particular that you had in mind?" Margery said as she wiggled her eyebrows at her friend. "No. Where would I even meet anyone? I spend my time here, at Tormund's, or with my siblings. The only single men I know are Tormund, Theon and Pod, and none of them are really what I'm looking for." She told her. "No offence Pod!" She shouted to the next room, certain that Podrick had heard some, if not all, of their discussion. "None taken Sansa!" he hollered back. Both girls erupted into a fit of giggles. "Well Sansa," Margery started "you know what this means don't you?" "And what might that be my dear?" Sansa asked. "Girl's night out!" Margery exclaimed. Sansa groaned. She was really starting to think that she should have just kept her mouth shut.

xxxxx

It was lunch time at the boy's job site and Robb and Jon were discussing the events of last night. Jon felt more confident that Arya was able to handle this, but Robb wasn't sure that he agreed.

"This is something horrible, that we couldn't even imagine, Jon. Why do you think that Arya is going to be able to handle learning to fight after something like this?" Robb questioned in a louder voice than he intended. "Robb, you need to calm down. Arya is stronger than the three of us combined. She may not be physically, but she can handle this. I'm sure of it." Jon told him. Jon was never one for words, but when it came to Arya, he was a completely different person. With him and Robb being twins, one would have assumed that they were the closest of all the siblings, however, that wasn't the case. Jon and Arya were the closest siblings of the entire Stark family. It had been that way since Arya was born. Jon saw himself as her protector. He had even told her that over her crib the night she came home from the hospital. Jon didn't know, but Robb had heard him sneak into Arya's nursery that night. He stood at the door and watched as six year old Jon whispered to her that 'he promised he would always keep her safe'. Robb wasn't sure if Jon had possibly felt guilty over what happened, since he was the one to pick Arya up that night, but he knew, not to question his brother's judgment.

While the two brothers were discussing the recent events, one of their coworkers was looking at them closely. He wasn't trying to listen in on their conversation; Sandor was just trying to get a better look at their tattoos. He noticed that they both had plenty decorating their forearms and he could only assume they had more. He also recalled that the pretty redhead that had stopped by yesterday, had some too. He wondered if they had all gotten them done at the same shop. He had been thinking about getting a large piece done on his back for a while now, but he hadn't found a shop he felt comfortable at. Most people looked at the scars that covered the right side of his face and assumed he was a shady character, thus turning away his business.

He walked his hulking frame over to the boys and noticed that they looked at him with wide eyes. They had never spoken to this man before, and they were under the impression that he was a person who preferred to be left alone.

"Where did you get your wolves?" he barked at the twins. "I'm sorry?" Robb asked, confused as to what the large man wanted to know. "Your bloody wolf tattoos. Where did yah get them?" he asked, his tone seeming more aggressive. He was clearly someone who didn't enjoy conversation. "Lion's Den. Tyrion Lannister's shop. Our sister did them for us." Jon told him. "Was that the redheaded bird that was here yesterday?" Sandor questioned. "Hey! Don't talk about our sister like that!" Robb shouted as he rose quickly, looking up at the man, since he barely reached his coworkers shoulder. "I'll say whatever the fuck I want about whoever the fuck I want!" Sandor spat in Robb's face. Noticing the two workers in each other's faces, the site supervisor, Bronn Black, came over to prevent bloodshed.

"Alright boys. Lunch is over. Best we all be getting back to work now." he told the trio. With that, Sandor walked back to his truck to put his lunch away and went back to work, making plans to visit The Lion's Den tomorrow.

xxxxx

"Holy fuck Arya!" Hot Pie said after Arya finished telling him everything that happened. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Nothing broken. Just a bunch of bruises. So I guess you're still stuck with me." she answered, managing a small smile. "No Arya. This isn't something to jape about. Are you okay?" he questioned. She had never seen him with such a serious look upon his face. "Not yet. But I will be." she told him with determination, grasping his hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

"I plan on finding a gym, where I can get stronger, and maybe take some self defense classes. I don't plan on letting anyone get that close to me for this to be able to happen again." she said. "Have you found a place yet?" he inquired. "No. I haven't even started looking. I was actually hoping you'd be able to keep me company as I looked. Maybe give an opinion or two." she told him with a smirk on her face. "I wouldn't know what to look for, but sure." he replied.

She brought out her laptop, immediately went to her favourite search engine and typed in 'Gyms in Westeros".

"What about this one?" she asked, clicking on the link to the Vanguard Training Facility website. "I don't think so Arya. It looks like it's more of a weightlifting gym. That's not really what we're looking for." he pointed out. "Fair enough." she said, as she went back to the search results page. "Oh this one looks promising!" she interjected after going to the website for Sunspear Studios. "Arya, this is a karate studio. You want to learn how to throw a punch, not how to become a ninja!" he told her, unable to contain his laugh. "Ugh! Fine!" she said, scowling. She scrolled down the page once more and clicked on the link to a gym with a very unusual name.

"The House of Black and White." she said, with a hint of curiosity in her voice. "It looks like your standard gym. What kind of classes do they have?" Hot Pie questioned. After some looking around, Arya found the page of classes offered at the House. "Hand to Hand Combat, Braavosi Water Dancing, Self Defense, Bladed Weapon Instruction. This place sounds amazing!" she exclaimed. "Well it looks like you've found what you're looking for!" he told her. He was happy to see the smile on her face, he was glad that she could still find some happiness after everything she'd be through.

"So when are you gonna check it out?" he asked. "Tomorrow, I think. I have the day off and I haven't been out of the house since it happened. Might as well start as soon as I can." she answered. "Glad to hear it. Sorry, but I have to get going, I'm meeting up with someone for coffee." he informed her. "Ooh, someone special?" she teased. "Someone who is none of your business!" he joked back as he was walking out of the kitchen. "Thanks for coming Hot Pie. It was good to be with a friend." she shouted to him before he walked out the door. "Anything for you She Wolf!" he yelled back before closing the door.

She turned back to her computer with a smile on her face. She had really enjoyed his company that afternoon.

Closing her laptop, she pondered what she was in for tomorrow when she entered The House of Black and White. "Only good things." she said aloud to herself, feeling as though she was in for something new and exciting in the very near future.