Arya reached the stream and stared into it. She saw pebbles and some larger stones but no rubies. That disappointed her, though she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. After all it had been 15 summers since King Robert had fought and killed Prince Rhaegar. In that time who knew how many people had come to the stream and taken his rubies.
Sometimes, Arya found herself wondering about Prince Rhaegar. The stories she'd heard suggested he was a great knight and a great defender of the people. That he would have been a far better King than his father, the Mad King. And yet, he had kidnapped her aunt, Lyanna, he had kidnapped her, and he had started the war that had taken her grandfather and her uncle.
How could such a man really be good? Surely, he was evil. Only evil people did something like what he had done. But then she looked at King Robert and she wondered about him too. The stories that father had often told them of the King painted him as the Warrior come again. As a man who could do anything that the Gods could. But looking at him now, she saw only a fat old man. Who was married to a woman who scared Arya.
What it was about the Queen that scared her, she didn't know. But the woman held herself in such a way that Arya was convinced there was something truly malevolent about her. The further distance there was between them the better. She felt sorry for Sansa though. The woman would be Sansa's goodmother and would see her every day. And then there was the Crown Prince.
There was something deeply wrong with him. Joffrey, he looked more like the Kingslayer than he did the King. He had a pouty mouth and golden hair and green eyes. He looked like an idiot, and he acted like one too. She wasn't sure why Sansa was so in love with him. Why she thought everything he did was like he hung the moon, but she did.
Arya looked away from the stream and saw Bran arrive. "What took you so long?" She asked. Surely Bran would have gotten here before her given he was a much better runner than she was. "And where's Summer?" She asked upon noticing that his direwolf wasn't with him.
"I left Summer with Sansa." Bran said.
Arya immediately straightened. "Why? Where was Lady?" Father had told them never to go anywhere without their direwolves.
"Lady was with her, but I thought she might be safer with two direwolves instead of just one." Bran said.
"Why?" Arya asked, eyebrow raised.
"Because she was with the Crown Prince." Bran said.
Arya snorted. "You don't like him either?"
"It's not that." Bran said, sounding deadly serious.
"What is it then?" Arya asked.
"He was hitting her." Bran replied.
"He was what?!" Arya exclaimed, anger rising.
"He was hitting her. I saw him hit her, and he had his fist raised to hit her again when I spoke up." Bran said.
"And?" Arya asked. "What did he do then?"
"He said it was a misunderstanding and that everything was fine. Sansa said the same thing." Bran said. "But I could tell she was lying. I could see she'd been crying."
Arya wondered what to do. Needle, the sword Jon had given her was back at camp, it was too cumbersome to wear whilst running and she didn't want Bran to know she had a sword. Not yet anyway. That left her fists, but she was smaller than Joffrey as was Bran. Maybe together they could do something.
"Where are they?" Arya asked.
"They were in a part of the forest near the stream, I can take you there." Bran said.
Before Arya could reply, a voice spoke. "There's no need for that."
Arya looked passed Bran and saw Sansa standing there. Lady and Summer at her side. Her eyes were dry, but she looked slightly dishevelled.
Arya immediately walked up to her and hugged her. She looked up and asked. "What happened?"
Sansa sighed. "Nothing, it doesn't matter."
Arya pulled back and said indignantly. "It does matter! Sansa, he hit you. Bran saw it."
Sansa looked at their brother then and said. "It was a misunderstanding, do you understand?"
"What? Why are you protecting him?" Arya demanded.
She expected Sansa to say something about how they were betrothed, and it was her duty, instead, she said. "I'm not protecting him, I'm protecting us."
"What do you mean?" Arya asked.
Sansa sighed. "I…it's difficult to explain. And I don't think we should talk about it here."
"So, let's go back to camp then?" Arya suggested.
Sansa nodded and turned and walked back to camp, Arya shared a look with Bran before following.