Hello Everyone!
It has been a long year since I uploaded a new chapter, but here it is! This is my longest chapter so far. I honestly thought it was going to be my shortest, but I just kept going and going like the energizer bunny!
Life as a new mom has been absolutely amazing and I love it more than I've ever loved anything, even writing.
So that will take up my time. I usually write when my daughter is sleeping, so it might take a few weeks for a new chapter.
Please be patient with me and just know, that whenever I have the time, I'm working on a new chapter.
I love you all.
Please read and review.
xoxo
Cassiopeia
As always, anything you recognize belongs to the amazing Mr. Martin. I've just borrowed his characters for a time.
Chapter Ten:
Arya was very excited to watch her brothers' band perform tonight. They usually brought in a good crowd, and looking around the room, she could see they already had. The show didn't start for another hour, and the bar was over half full already. She knew to wear comfy clothes today, since she'd be running around all night. She was happy she decided on her ripped blue jeans and her Nightmare Before Christmas Sally tank. It was a nice enough outfit, but allowed her plenty of movement.
She had been serving at the bar for so long than she had lost count of how many drinks she had served, and she barely even moved from her spot. She was startled slightly by the sudden presence of her twin brothers in front of her. "Need a drink to calm your nerves before the show boys?" she teased. "If that's what you want to call it." Jon replied. "Two beers please, little sis." Robb said. She took two bottles from the cooler behind her and removed their caps, and handed them to her brothers.
"Looks like a good crowd tonight. You excited?" she asked. "Definitely. I think it's gonna be a great show." Robb answered. Just then, the three Stark siblings noticed Tormund and Ygritte walk in the door with their respective cases; Tormund's containing his drum kit and Ygritte's containing the merchandise she had designed and made for the band. Jon walked over to his girlfriend, who winked at Arya, and walked towards the stage with the red-headed siblings, leaving Robb and Arya alone at the bar.
"So, do you know if Sansa is actually coming tonight? I know she said she was but I don't know if she changed her mind." Robb asked. "Yea, she sent me a text about an hour ago, she said she'd be here." Arya told him. "Do you know if she's…bringing anyone?" he questioned nonchalantly, looking away from Arya, as if he didn't care what the answer was. Arya, knowing full well what her brother actually meant, decided she would tease him a little bit first. "What like a date?" she asked, smiling. "Uh…yea…like a date. Or a friend. Just anyone, I guess." he stated awkwardly. "Yes Robb. Margery will be here too." Arya teased. Robb was so surprised that Arya had called his bluff that he spilled the beer he was currently drinking. She laughed and walked to the other end of the bar to grab a new bottle of whiskey for her station, leaving Robb to deal with his embarrassment alone.
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The girls had just arrived to the bar and gotten out to pay for parking when Sansa noticed a man getting off of an all black, Harley Davidson motorcycle a few spaces down. She thought to herself that it was a really nice bike and that Arya would probably love it. She saw the man take off his helmet and leave it on the handlebars, and it was then when she noticed his hair. It was just past shoulder length and had an strange white streak at the front. It was an interesting look she thought. It was as she watched him pull it back into a half ponytail and tie it with what looked like a leather tie, that Margery walked back over to her.
"Ready to go inside?" she asked Sansa. Sansa shook herself out of the daze she had been in and looked at her best friend. "Absolutely." she replied. With one final look at themselves in the reflection of the windows of Margery's SUV, the girls headed inside the bar.
As Sansa paid her cover for the show, she noticed how full the bar actually was that evening. She was shocked. There had to be at least 300 people here! She knew her brothers were good but she never knew how popular they really were in the area.
"Holy shit!" Margery exclaimed. "This place is packed." She stated to Sansa. "I know! I was literally just thinking the same thing. I had no idea the boys had this many fans. To be honest I thought there would be like 25 people max. This is a great turnout!" Sansa told Margery. "Well 300 people or not, we're still the hottest people in this place tonight!" Margery stated, as she bumped hips with Sansa. The girls both giggled before they walked over to the bar.
"Hey pretty ladies, what can I get you both this evening?" Gendry asked them. "Hi Gendry." Sansa said to him, "I'll have a whiskey sour please." "Of course." he replied as he looked over to Margery. "And for you Marg?" he asked. "Uhh…a porn star, I guess." she eventually decided. "Coming right up girls." he told them, as he got to work mixing their drinks.
"Gendry, have you seen Arya lately, I wanted to talk to her before the boys go on." Sansa inquired. "Yeah, she was just headed for break about five minutes ago. She said she was going out front to get some air." He answered. "Thanks" she replied before she left to go to the front of the bar.
She made it about halfway to the front when a thin framed man blocked her path. "Hello Miss Stark. How lovely it is to see you this evening." Peytr Baelish told her, with a smirk coming to his face. He looked over her outfit, his eyes lingering far too long on her chest to be considered anything close to a glance. She knew that he was in love with her mother when they were teenagers but she couldn't understand what his fascination with her was about. She always found him to be creepy and he always made her uncomfortable.
"It's nice to see you too Mr. Baelish. But I am actually on my way to find my sister. I wanted to speak with her before the concert starts. So I really must be going." she replied quickly, as she tried to step around him. "Well then, I shouldn't keep you. I hope you have a lovely evening." he quipped, but not before grabbing her right hand and kissing its back. With that, he walked away.
She shook off the sense of creepiness she now felt and got back to her task of heading to the front of the bar.
She didn't see anyone around when she arrived at the front entrance, so she thought checking outside couldn't hurt. It was there where she found her sister.
"What are you doing outside?" Sansa asked as she walked over to the window ledge her sister was sitting on. "It just got too hot in there. Too many people. I needed to cool down before the show." Arya replied. "What are you doing out here?" she asked Sansa. "I came looking for you actually. I would have been here sooner, but I ran into your lovely boss on my way here." She told her, while making a face.
"Gods help you!" Arya exclaimed while laughing. Sansa ignored her laugh and sat beside her sister. "I wanted to see how you were doing. Just to make sure everything was going okay." Sansa said. Arya's good mood seemed to have dampened a little at Sansa's concern. "I'm okay. It's nothing I can't handle, but thanks for asking Sans." Arya told her, bumping her elbow. Sansa smiled. "I'm happy to hear." She replied. "How has your training been going? Getting lots of bumps and bruises?" "No! I'm barely training to be quite honest. Right now it seems more like he wants me to build my strength. It's very boring." Arya stated.
"Your trainer is a man?!" Sansa questioned, at a fairly high volume. "Oh gods Sansa! I never told you. My trainer…he's the man who saved me that night." Arya said. "No fucking way!" Sansa exclaimed. Sansa couldn't believe her sister failed to mention this crucial piece of information. "That's pretty unbelievable Arya, I mean what are the chances?" she said. "So tell me about it. Are you enjoying it? What's your trainer like?" she asked.
What was her trainer like? How could she describe this stranger to her sister. She didn't know much about him. He was a kind enough person, and he seemed to be a competent instructor, but what else? "Umm…he's nice. He's from Lorath actually. He seems to know what he's doing so that's good. But I don't really know what else to say, I did only just meet him. I barely know him" she answered. "Well I guess that's a good thing!" Sansa commented, laughing to herself. "What does he look like? Is he huge?" she teased.
"No actually." Arya replied. "I would say he's probably the same size as the boys. Like he's muscular, I'll give him that, but not overly big. His hair though, it's pretty different." "What? Does he have an afro or something?" Sansa asked. Arya laughed aloud. "No, nothing like that!" she said. "It's long, like almost my length I'd say. And red. Not as red as yours but still red. But the weird thing about it, is there this white streak, right at the front of it. I've never seen anything like it. Like, there's no way it's dyed, it has to be a birthmark, but still, weird right?" she told her.
Sansa couldn't believe it! That's the guy she had seen earlier getting off the bike in the parking lot! She thought about telling Arya then, but she decided to keep it a surprise. She was sure that he would make himself known before the night was out.
"Hmm…sounds like an interesting guy. Maybe I'll meet him one day." She told her sister instead. She then reached into her pocket to check the time on her phone. She saw that it was 9:20, and the boys were set to go on at 9:30 so she figured it was time to head back inside.
"The boys go on in ten minutes, I think we should probably be headed back inside before they go on. If we missed any of their show, and they found out, I'm sure we'd hear about it non-stop for a month." Sansa said. "Shit! My break was over five minutes ago. We really should get going then." She replied. With that, the girls got up off the ledge, and they head back inside.
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Arya went back behind the bar, while Sansa kept walking, in search of Margery.
"You're late" Gendry teased, as she washed her hands at the sink behind him. "Shit Gendry, I'm sorry. I got caught up talking to Sansa." she told him. "Oh it's okay M'lady, just this once." he replied with a wink. "So how did it go?" he asked her. "Much better than I expected actually. She really just wanted to know what my training was like. Just checking up on me I guess. You know, 'sisterly love'" she said, while putting up air quotes. "That's good to hear." He said to her, smiling.
She could see it in his eyes that he truly was happy for her. She couldn't help but stare at him, enjoying the affection she felt for him. Her attention was suddenly diverted when she heard her brother Robb's voice, coming through the speakers.
"Hey everybody! Thanks for coming out tonight. This is a really great crowd and we hope to show you all a good time. In case you didn't see it on the posters at the door, we are 'Winterfell'! Now who's ready to hear some music?!" he exclaimed.
The crowd was going nuts. Arya was thoroughly shocked by the reception that the boys were receiving. She was so proud of them. She smiled as she heard the opening lyrics to her favourite song.
"It kills me not to know this, but I've all but just forgotten
What the colours of her eyes were, and her scars or how she got them
As the telling signs of age rain down, a single tear is dropping
Through the valleys of an aging face that this world has forgotten"
Savior has always been her favourite song. She couldn't explain why, she had just always felt connected to it. Since the show had now started there was a nice break in the crowd, her and the boys could take a short break, catch up on some cleaning and restocking and just take a nice breath.
She had her back turned from the bar, while she was washing her hands in the sink, when a voice asked for a Jack and Coke. Her head instantly shot up, for she recognized the voice immediately.
She whipped around to come face to face with her Lorathi trainer.
He had a smirk on his face, when she finally met his eye.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him. "A man was thirsty. This was why he asked for a drink" he replied, winking, as if the answer was obvious. "Oh…right." she said, as she got started on mixing his drink. "But I didn't mean here in front of me, I mean here at this bar. What are you doing here?" she continued, shaking her head.
"Well, a girl knows a man has been in this area before. A man saw a poster advertising the concert here and he hoped to see a girl again." he answered simply.
She hadn't thought about the fact he would be able to put two and two together as to where she worked. Nor did she think that this would have been something he was interested in, otherwise, she may have mentioned it to him.
She put all of her attention into finishing his drink, before pouring it into a plastic cup and handing it to Jaqen.
She wasn't sure what she should say to him. She didn't really know what to talk about. Apparently she didn't have to think of something to say, for after he finished sipping his drink he spoke again.
"Arya Stark looks lovely this night." he said to her. Her eyes went wide and a blush formed on her face. She couldn't believe he had just said that! She had a hard time coming up with an articulate response.
She looked down at herself then looked to him. "I'm sure you're just saying that to be nice. I know I look ridiculous right now. My hair is a mess, I'm covered in sweat and I stink like beer." she told him. She knew she was right, she certainly didn't think she was anything special right now.
"A lovely girl has forgotten, a man has seen her covered in sweat before, and will again." he responded. His eyes had darkened when he said that and, for some reason, it made her blush once more. A feeling came over her and she wasn't exactly sure what that feeling was. All she knew, was that she liked it.
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Sansa was standing near the back of the crowd with Margery when she decided to turn and see how Arya was at the bar. She noticed she was talking to a familiar, red headed man, and she seemed to be enjoying herself. It brought a smile to Sansa's face.
She was enjoying the concert, maybe not as much as Margery was, considering her friend couldn't stop screaming and cheering. Whether the cheering was for the band or just a certain singer she couldn't be sure. Regardless, she was having a wonderful night.
She knew that this was the bands last song and to be honest with herself, she was a little relieved. She almost regretted changing her mind when it came to her shoes. She loved how she looked with the pumps she decided on but the combat boots were far more comfortable, especially when standing for a few hours at a time.
As the band finished their last notes, the crowd was going crazy. She knew that most of the boys appealed to the feminine fans, and those seemed to be the voices she heard above everyone else. Margery's voice being one of the loudest. She loved her best friend dearly, but she couldn't help but laugh.
She was wondering if either her or Robb were going to make the first move. She knew that Margery thought Robb was still with Talisa, so that was what was holding her back. When it came to Robb, she wasn't sure at all. Her best guess was that he didn't want to make a move on his sister's best friend. Obviously Sansa didn't mind, but she didn't want to come right out and say it. They were all adults now and he should just grow some balls and ask her out. Maybe she would have to do a little matchmaking.
She took another look at her sister, who was still talking to her trainer, and she knew her help was needed in more ways than one.
When Margery finally stopped screaming, she turned and looked at Sansa. "Wasn't that amazing? Weren't they amazing! Gods I loved it!" she exclaimed. Sansa couldn't help but laugh.
Soon enough Ygritte came to join the girls, pulling her rolling merch case behind her.
"What a great show, eh girls?" she said to the two friends waiting at the bar. "It really was, Ygritte. The boys sounded great. How did you do tonight?" she inquired. "Sold about $300 worth tonight. One of my best nights actually!" she told Sansa.
"My amazing working girl!" Jon said, appearing from nowhere and wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's waist. She responded with a quick elbow to his stomach. "Call me a working girl again and I'll cut your cock off and wear it as a necklace." She told him. His eyes widened at her remark, at the same time, her brother burst out laughing.
"Hey She-wolf!" he yelled down the bar, trying to get Arya's attention. She left Jaqen's company then and walked over to the group. The Lorathi saw no harm in following. He was interested in meeting Arya Stark's family.
"What do you need Giantsbane?" Arya asked him. "I wanna buy all of us a round! Beers for everyone! And that includes you!" he exclaimed. She couldn't help but laugh.
She started removing the caps off the bottles and distributing them amongst the group when Robb asked what the plan for the rest of the night was. Sansa spoke up immediately.
"Well I think we should all head back to the house. Hang out, have some drinks, just cool down and have some fun before the nights over." She said smiling to the group. "So the band, the family, and Marg?" Jon asked her.
"Of course." She responded, turning to look at Jaqen. "You're welcome to come too, even though I don't know your name." she told him with a smile.
It was then when the rest of the group noticed there was a new member.
"And who are you?" Robb asked, raising his eyebrow.
"A man is Jaqen H'ghar. He is the trainer of Arya Stark at the House of Black and White" Jaqen told the group, bowing ever so slightly.
"So there we have it!" Sansa announced, clapping her hands together. "The band can meet us at the house. Me and Marg will take her SUV. And I'm sure Jaqen wouldn't mind waiting for Arya to finish so that she can show him the way home. See everyone at the house!" she said, grabbing Margery's hand and rushing for the door before anyone had the chance to object.
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The boys and Ygritte all left and Arya was left finishing her cleaning behind the bar, while Jaqen waited in front of her.
"Sorry for that. Please, don't feel obligated that you have to come. I know Sansa kinda forced you into it." She said to him. "Think nothing of it lovely girl. A man would enjoy a night with the Stark family." he replied.
"Um…okay. Well I'll clean as fast as I can." She told him.
Hot Pie had noticed their conversation and couldn't help but listen in.
"Arry, I can finish up here if you wanna take off. I really don't mind. Baelish has already left, so he's not gonna give you shit." he said smiling.
"Really? Thanks Pie! I owe you one." She replied, as she went over to hug her friend. "Damn straight you do. You're taking me out for a dinner at Crossroads!" he told her. "You got it!" she said back.
She walked to the office to grab her jacket and helmet and met Jaqen at the back door.
"Is a girl ready to leave?" he asked her. "Yep, what kind of car did you drive?" she questioned. "A girl shall see." he answered with another wink.
When they walked out the door and into the parking lot he led her to an all black Harley Davidson motorcycle.
"You ride?!" Arya asked, with more excitement than she meant to convey. "A man loves to ride." He told her, with a true smile appearing on his face. "Wait right here!" she told him.
She ran over to her bike, threw her helmet and jacket on and came right back to him. He was already sitting on his bike just strapping his helmet on his head when she pulled up.
"Ready to go?" she asked him, failing to contain her smile. "A man is ready to follow." He answered. "Let's hope you can keep up!" She screamed over the loud sound of their combined engines.
She quickly sped out of the parking lot, without a look back. Jaqen couldn't help but laugh as he quickly followed behind.
Please note: The song Savior is entirely the property of Rise Against and I make nothing from including it in this story.