Chapter 11: A king visits the North

298 AC

Eddard

Robert had just arrived in Winterfell. He had changed a lot. He didn't look like the Demon of the Trident anymore. Instead, he looked like a fat, spoiled king and it had shocked him, although his face betrayed nothing. When Robert's booming laugh filled the courtyard however, he knew his old friend was still in there. That eased his mind somewhat, for what he was about to do.

After introducing each other to their families, he had looked around and had been surprised once more. It seemed like the Blackfish had joined the Kings party and was making his way to the family.

"Lord Eddard", the man said respectfully, and he inclined his head. "Ser Brynden, I'm surprised to see you here. I welcome you to Winterfell and will have quarters made ready in the family wing for you."

At those words he felt his wife tense next to him, as she turned towards the newcomer. A massive grin split her face, as she recognized her uncle standing before her. She ran towards the man and threw her arms around him. "Uncle, what are you doing here? It is amazing to see you after all these years."

"Oh Cat, it is good to see you!" He said as he saw the man answer the hug his wife gave him. "However, I think you broke more than enough decorum with the King for now, I'll tell you everything later on, I promise."

"Haha Brynden, it's fine! It brings me great joy to see Lady Catelyn so happy. It might help me melt Ned's frozen face and make the man laugh a little." His old friend boomed for the whole courtyard.

He went to the man. "It's been a long time Ser Brynden, may I introduce you to our children?" The Blackfish nodded eagerly and walked with him towards Robb.

"This is Robb, my heir." He saw the older man stare a little at Robb before looking at Cat and back at Robb. As Robb looked questioningly up at him, the man excused himself. "Apologies lad, you just look so much like my brother when he was your age that it is a little unsettling at first. I am Ser Brynden Tully, your mother's uncle. It is great to finally meet you again. I remember you, from when you were just a little baby. Since then, I've heard a lot about you and your siblings from your mother's letters."

"It is an honor to meet you, or better to meet you again, Ser Brynden. I have heard many a story about you, both from my mother and many a man that fought with you in the Rebellion or the war of the Ninepenny Kings. I look forward to talking with you." His eldest son said, looking up at the man with a deep respect he hadn't known was there.

"Call me uncle, lad. We're family after all! We'll have a lot of time together, so you can ask after any story you want, as long as you tell me some of yours too." The man said as he looked at Robb with a smile. "I will, uncle." Robb smiled back.

Next up was Sansa. "Oh my, you don't look like my brother at all, you are your mother come again, my lady. You may be even prettier than she was at that age." He said and he saw both his wife and his daughter beam with pride at the words of the old Tully knight.

Sansa replied with a perfect curtsy. "Thank you, Ser. It's an honor to meet a renowned knight like you." The man seemed to laugh a little at Sansa's perfect manners. "The honor to meet such a beauty is all mine, little niece." This seemed to please Sansa very much and she smiled as the Blackfish went over to Arya.

"Ah, this one is a Stark through and through! You must be little Arya?" Ser Brynden smiled down at her. "I'm not that little. I'm already ten, Ser. I'm glad to finally meet you, mother told us a lot about her favorite uncle." His stubborn girl said.

Jonelle had done wonders on her manners, although her stubborn streak would never go away. His youngest daughter was now behaving more or less according to her station when meeting important guests. She still ran around everywhere and got into trouble most of the time, mostly joined in it by her friends, but she knew her decorum in the most important situations.

"Oh of course you are, apologies niece. By the way, you don't have to call me by that dusty old title. We're family, call me uncle." He said kindly and it seemed to work on Arya, as she just gave a small smile back.

He then moved on to Bran. "This must be the young Brandon Stark, it seems you will be living with us in a while. Are you looking forward to it?"

Bran seemed to be starstruck and in total awe of his famous uncle before him. He finally managed to get out. "I'm looking forward to going to Riverrun, Ser." As he kept gaping at the Tully knight. Here he interrupted Brynden and his son himself. "With you, Ser Brynden?" I thought you served as the Knight of the Gate in the Vale?"

"Yes, I did, however Hoster sent me a raven. Asked me if I would come home after picking up your son in Winterfell with the King. He wants me to help raise the boy, as he seems to want to become a knight." The last words were clearly meant for Bran, as Ser Brynden turned his head towards him. His boy's mouth fell open even more and all he managed was an awkward kind of nod. At this Robert's booming laugh once again filled the courtyard.

Lastly, he moved to the maid who held Rickon, he ruffled the little boy's hair and introduced himself as "Uncle Brynden" to the boy, before turning to him again. "Eddard, I would like to clean myself up from the ride first, I will join you and your family right after."

"Of course, ser Brynden. I will have you sent to a temporary room and a bath will be prepared. After that, your belongings will be moved to the family wing as a room is made ready." He said and he called two servants to prepare with the Blackfish following the latter.

"Good Ned, now I would like to pay my respects to Lyanna." Robert called out.

He saw how the queen and her brother, who had remained silent throughout the whole exchange with Ser Brynden, looked wroth at the King. Looking back at Robert however, he knew his mind was set and nothing could be done about it.

"Follow me, Your Grace." He finally said as he walked towards the crypt, nodding to Cat to take over the duties with the queen and her family.

"Ah it feels good to see you again Ned, however where are your people? We scarcely found a good inn above the Neck, most of the places we stayed in were nothing more than peasant hovels!" The man said while stretching his back, most likely remembering those nights. "Speaking of the Neck, I saw you did some work on Moat Cailin. Do you have plans to rebuild the damn fortress?"

Looking at his friend, he wasn't surprised that was one of the first things the King asked. All that had really managed to interest his friend when they were young had been fighting, defences and tactics, as well as women and wine. Looking over the man, he thought sadly, he might still be much the same.

"The North has a vast population, Robert. However, they are spread out thinly and you have only seen the Kingsroad. My people are also not used to Kings and their household making their way up the Kingsroad, so we aren't prepared for it. Coming to Moat Cailin, yes, I have cleaned the place up a bit and made sure the remaining towers are solid. Besides that, I have no plans for now, no. I would love to rebuild it, but I don't have the coin. The North is not as rich as some other kingdoms."

Robert looked at him thinkingly when they walked towards the crypt. He finally nodded at that.

"I saw you brought Theon with you, back North?"

"The Greyjoy lad? Yes, after you sent him to King's Landing, he spent most of his time in court. Stannis has been looking out for him, most of the time. He asked if he could join me, as I went North, so he could see your son again. They seem to have been friends before he left. I hope it does the lad some good, he doesn't like King's Landing, that much is sure. He has made a few friends, but nothing problematic."

"Do you have any plans for him?" He asked Robert.

"I had thought to send him to Casterly Rock, at first. To give Tywin revenge for the fleet the Greyjoys destroyed in Lannisport. However, even I am not that cruel to send the lad there. No, he'll stay in King's Landing for a while more, before going back to the Iron Islands, if Balon behaves."

"Good, there was nothing he could have done here with Robb and Jon going fostering. He could only have gone to resent Winterfell, which is the opposite of what we wanted to archive with the next Lord of the Iron Isles."

He nodded once more, as they fell silent upon entering the crypt. After a while, they came upon the graves of his family. They spent the next few minutes honoring Lyanna and talking about the Rebellion. He had to explain Robert that Lyanna belonged here and not on some hillside in the South.

As they made their way back up, they talked about the dealings of the realm. Robert's dismissal to his proposal to go visit the Night's Watch annoyed him, although he didn't let it show. After talking for a while about Jon Arryn and his widow, the question he had dreaded finally came.

"I want you to come South with me and be my Hand, Ned. You are the only one I trust, now Jon is gone. Besides that, I have missed you down in King's Landing. Go with me and enjoy the last years of summer. We can work together again, like in the Rebellion. Down there I am surrounded by flatterers and fools. I need someone I can trust to do the job." Robert said, surprisingly serious.

"I can't say that I hadn't expected this, Robert. As such I have made my inquiries about court and the job. I heard you are massively in debt to the Lannisters and the Bank of Braavos and besides that, it seems what you say about flatterers and fools is right. What made you think I would want that job?" He asked sternly of his childhood friend.

Surprised, his friend looked at him. "Don't you want it to be like old times Ned? We destroyed the Targaryens together, we're meant to rule the damn realm together."

"I agree somewhat, Robert, and I am very glad to see you again, but this is no laughing matter. I asked Jon for funds to start repairs and new developments on the Kingsroad and other roads in the North to help the connectivity of the realm and the prosperity of the North, which would have given both of us more tax income. You know he wrote back to me, saying that there was no money for it, only giving me a small tax cut for it?"

"We travelled across the Kingsroad coming here, it was in surprisingly good condition. Are you saying you paid that all out of your own coffers?" Robert asked surprised.

"Yes, but not only that. My vassals also spent most of their coin reserves on it and some roads running off from it to Barrowton and White Harbor. The North is not a rich region and because of your debt we had to pay a lot of coin to keep the infrastructure the Iron Throne once build in good use. This cannot go on like this Robert. Aerys was a monster, but the one thing he did well was the finances of the realm. At this rate you might have to raise taxes on your vassals and your son might see rebellions in his reign because of it."

Robert looked at him in complete shock. "You think those grumpy old lords would rebel for some coppers?"

"It's not just coppers Robert, I spent tons of gold on the repairs of the Kingsroad, you have to remember it was hundreds of miles. But yes, the lords will start to grumble, if the taxes should be raised. The Targaryens left a balanced tax system with a moderate to high tax rate which worked for everyone. Raising that is not really an option. Looking at the history of Westeros, it is safe to assume that at least some will take advantage of the succession of the King to gain things. So, rebellions could be possible in the future because of it, but there is a much greater threat than that."

"What could be a greater threat than possible rebellions?" his friend almost shouted.

"You lent money from the Iron Bank, Robert. The list of kings and kingdoms they brought low because their debts couldn't be repaid is huge and they never fail. If you keep spending like this for another decade or two, I wouldn't be surprised if they started backing someone else for your throne so they could get back their coin. Viserys Targaryen springs to mind, but other claimants could rise up too. You're endangering the stability of the Kingdom, if you keep living like this." He said, looking deeply into his friend's eyes, hoping it was still the same man he used to know and that he hadn't pushed it too far.

"Everyone that would dare rise up, I will smash with my hammer, just as we did the Greyjoys, Ned. It's not a problem." Robert tried to dismiss his thoughts.

Sighing for his friend's short sightedness, he responded. "No of course, and they will not rise up now Robert, they know you would crush them and that you love battle. However, there will come a time, when you are old or when you're gone and your son rules, and they will not hesitate then."

"So, what are you saying I should do? Wait for them, until I'm powerless to stop them smashing my legacy and bringing back those dragon scum?" Robert almost raged.

"No" He said calmly, knowing he had his king's attention now, "You can prevent everything and that is what I would want to do together with you. I will take your job as Hand, but I have conditions. Conditions that will benefit the realm and hopefully make sure that my son doesn't need to fight wars together with yours like we had to."

"Get out with it, what are they?" Robert almost growled.

"First of all, you will reign in spending of your own. You will have to reduce your extravagant tourneys and feasts to a minimum, as nothing else will stop you from bleeding coin." He started, but was soon interrupted.

"What?! I had already planned to give a huge tourney to celebrate your position of Hand when we reached King's Landing. It is important for the people to see and accept you as my Hand and we could enjoy the last of summer together like that!"

Looking his stubborn friend over, he knew he had set his mind on this and there was no way to dislodge the idea from his mind. As such he had to give in slightly, although he didn't like it even one bit.

"We can give a small tourney for it, but not a huge one. Only jousts and a melee, no archery or squire melee or the like. We'll make the purses moderate as to limit the expenses. In that case a tourney could be given. However, the next one will have to wait a while on itself then. If you doubt this is necessary, I will give you a detailed documentation of what all your tourneys have cost the treasury, over the years. You will understand me then." He stated, hoping it was enough for him.

The scowl Robert gave him, could have scared many a man in their time. He remembered it from their time in the Vale however, so he didn't move an inch.

After a long while Robert's scowl lessened and he shouted. "Alright Ned, you get what you want, and you can ruin my tourney for you! I will want to see that documentation though and if it's not as bad as you say it is, I will throw a tourney that lasts for a year to make up for the one you ruined!"

As pleased as he could be with this, he went on. "Secondly, your family will have to cut royal spending as well. It has come to my attention that your Queen, son and brother Renly throw away money like it's nothing. At least, Renly has the decency to mostly do it with his own coin. Your Queen spends thousands of golden dragons on extravagant nonsense. Just take a look at that wheelhouse she brought, for example, or all the servants you brought with you this far North. That money you have to borrow from her father, Lord Tywin, to keep your kingdom afloat. As such, the daughter's actions strengthen the father's position over you. That cannot continue."

"Haha, finally something we can agree upon. You have no idea what it is to be married to that women, Ned. Cutting her spending might bring her down a notch and learn my son some manners. I accept Ned." Robert started laughing.

"The Queen doesn't need to cut spending, Your Grace, only the spending with your coin. If she wants extravagant things, her father is rich enough to buy it for her I think, seeing you owe him so much money." This made Robert laugh even harder, mumbling things about "seeing old Tywin's face."

Although he found the behavior unbecoming towards one's father-in-law, he didn't really mind as it was Tywin Lannister. Besides, it got Robert to agree to what he wanted.

"Thirdly, I want to be able to take a look at corruption. It could be that some coin is disappearing before you see it."

"If someone is stealing from me, I'll cut of his tongue and smash him with my own warhammer. You do what you have to Ned." Robert said, pleased at the idea of finding someone who had the audacity to steal from him.

"Lastly, we need to find some other forms of income as well. We can try and look to make more trade with Essos or improve roads in the Kingdoms so trade flows more easily between them. I will have to look at the situation in King's Landing first, before deciding anything." He said pensively.

"Yeah yeah, that is all fine. Are you done now?" Robert said, while waving his hand at him.

"Well there is also the situation of the North, Robert. Many of my vassals complain about the taxes implemented on our wood export. There is the fact that trade on the west coast of the North is sparse because no one encourages the movement, and the Umbers are still complaining about the loss of their lands in the New Gift. Jaehaerys Targaryen gave those lands away to the Night's Watch and now they have all fallen in disrepair and are being depopulated. This in turns makes wildling raids into Umber lands to the south more prevalent, so things need to be done about it. There is also the situation of the Night's Watch who really need the crown's help."

"Wow, what is all this Ned? I cannot afford to show the Northern lords any favors in taxes, even if they paid for those roads themselves. Besides if I have to believe you, I can't afford it either. So, no tax breaks can be given. I'll have my advisors look into the Umber situation, as I've always liked the Greatjon and I won't mind screwing another Targaryen's legacy over. You can take a look at it with the Small Council. Considering the Night's Watch, you do what you have to do, I don't really care. Are we done now?"

"The western trade?" he asked.

"Look into it with littlefinger, see what you can do without disturbing the other lords. I don't want Tywin breathing in my neck, just because some Northern lord exported three more logs this summer. Now that that's done, I have a condition for you." Robert said, surprising him.

"What might that be, beside me going back to King's Landing with you so I can fix your kingdom for you?" He asked, getting a grin from Robert back in return.

"You were always better at the more serious stuff anyway. My condition is a marriage, between my son Joffrey and your daughter Sansa. Our houses should have been united through me and Lyanna, but that dragon scum stole that from us. We have another chance now. Your daughter will be queen, Ned." His former foster-brother said, totally throwing him off guard.

"Sansa, married? She is twelve years old!" He exclaimed.

"Not now, of course. We'll betroth the two for now and they can be married when they are older. I don't mind, if you want her to wait for a while more. I just want our houses united. You can take the girl with you to court so she can get used to King's Landing with you."

"I will have to talk about it with my wife, Robert. I can't just make this decision on my own now." He said, trying to stall for time, so he could think.

"Do whatever you have to, but don't take too long. Oh and the whole thing is a package deal, if you want me to reign in my spending you'll give me this Ned, or I'll throw tourney's until I can't sit straight in my chair anymore." Robert threatened good-naturedly. Although he didn't doubt that was exactly what he would do if he didn't join him in King's Landing.

He sat down in his solar with Cat and Ser Brynden. "So, why have you come here uncle and why weren't we informed of it?" His wife asked.

"Well to be honest Cat, I'm as surprised as you are. I had heard the King was going North like anyone else, but suddenly I got a letter from your father a few weeks later asking me if I would be willing to join the King. He asked me to go up to Winterfell and to help represent our house and escort young Brandon to Riverrun to be fostered."

"What threw me off completely is that he asked me to stay home after that, to help Edmure and Brandon. It seems your father's health is deteriorating a lot more than any of us knew. He wants me to help him with Brandon, which I understand somewhat as the boy clearly wants to become a knight. What I don't get, is that he clearly stated that I also was to help Edmure. What's all that about?" The Blackfish explained, the question clearly bothering him.

He stroked his beard, whilst looking to Cat and back. Seeing something was going on between them Ser Brynden said once more. "I can clearly see you know more, out with it will you? It's my nephew we are talking about here! If I need to go fix my brother's and his son's mess, I need to know what it is first."

He sat forward in his chair and looked at the older knight. "There has been an incident two years ago when Edmure visited Winterfell with the fostering of Bran in mind." He said diplomatically.

"What kind of incident?" Ser Brynden asked, squinting his eyes suspiciously together.

"Robb was training in the yard with my bannermen and Jon Snow. Jon beat Robb in a sparring match after a pretty equal fight, and both started to joke with one another, as boys that age of around twelve do. Jon made a comment about wanting to give Robb some lessons and Edmure, who had just arrived in the yard at the end of the fight took great offense at Jon's presence and comment. He started shouting at him before all my bannermen." He said, pausing for a moment.

"Before this happened, I had been looking from a window on the bridge. So, I rushed down and when I arrived in the yard, I saw Edmure and some of his companions, amongst them a Piper and some more Riverland nobles I think, had their swords in their hands. The whole yard was filled with guardsmen and vassals of mine. Some didn't know what to do and flocked to me as I arrived, others, especially Robb's friends, had joined Robb and Jon with tourney swords and steel in a standoff with Edmure. Before any worse could happen, I made both sides put away their steel and dispersed the crowds. I managed to sort things out with my bannermen, but they were very angry with Edmure for him bearing steel against their sons, as was I."

"You are saying my nephew, Hoster's son, started screaming on a bastard across the whole yard because of some misinterpreted joke, before he pulled out live steel to threaten a twelve-year-old boy in his own home? That he made such a mess that he got half the North's nobility against him in a few minutes?" The Blackfish asked, completely in shock.

"Yes, even more than that, he technically pulled his steel on Robb too. Robb stood up for Jon, with the sons of Houses Umber, Karstark and Norrey and some guards. I have no doubt, that if it would've come to blows, that Robb would have sided with Jon, not Edmure who was clearly in the wrong."

Ser Brynden looked at him, completely dumbfounded, before looking at Cat. Seeing the shame on her face, Ser Brynden knew this was the truth. The man looked from him to his wife a couple more times before resting his eyes upon him again.

"I'm very sorry about my stupid nephew's behavior, Eddard. I didn't know. I now understand why Hoster sent me that letter and how he finally found a reason to put his stubbornness aside. I want to assure you that young Brandon will be cared for by me personally and that he will want for nothing. I will also have words with that idiotic nephew of mine and set this straight, he will be the death of House Tully if he pulls a few more moves like that."

"Thank you, Ser Brynden. You had nothing to do with the incident, so no blame befalls you. I have had correspondence about it with Lord Hoster and we managed to sort everything out. He also punished Edmure for it already, or so he told me, so it is best to leave all of this behind us. It does me great pleasure to know Bran will be learning from you and it eases my mind to know you will be there to protect him. You are welcome here for as long as you like, and you have only to call on me or Cat if you would want for anything." He said and he meant it. Ser Brynden was a great man and would be a phenomenal teacher for his young son.

"I thank you, Eddard. Would it be alright for you, if I would ask Robb about it some more? I want to know just what was said and done that day."

"Of course, but I warn you. Robb is very defensive about the incident and I wouldn't want him to think poorly of his mother's house for it."

Ser Brynden nodded and left.

Bran

His father and brothers had gone to hunt with the King, and he had planned to go climbing. It had been a while since he had climbed the Broken Tower and he looked forward to it.

Just before he could reach the tree, he needed to climb in first to reach the tower, he saw his uncle Brynden come through the trees of the Godswood towards him. Technically, he wasn't really his uncle, more like his mother's uncle, but he insisted on being called such. He didn't really mind, Ser Brynden was really funny and of course a famous knight as well. Just the more reason to be surprised to see the man here, instead of joining his father, brothers and the King on the hunt.

"Bran, I've found you! Your sister Arya told me I would probably find you here and I'm glad she was right." The man said to him as he came closer.

"Uncle, why did you need to find me? Why aren't you with the other knights on the hunt with the King." He asked curiously.

"Ah, I've done dozens of hunts in my days and more than a few of those with your father or the King. What I haven't done yet, is spent a whole day with my soon-to-be-squire of a nephew." The man laughed at him.

"You, you … will let me squire for you?" He asked, as he fell his mouth stay open in shock.

"Of course, nephew! Not yet, as you're too young, but in a few years, why not? From what I have seen you are a healthy and athletic boy. You are quite skilled for your age and you seem to show some intelligence as well, when you're not climbing on walls. More importantly, you're family! You even remind me of myself somewhat at that age and you know my house's words, don't you?" He said, emphasizing the last part.

"Of course! Family, Duty, Honor … but do you really mean that? That I remind you of yourself?" He asked hopefully, thinking that if he might look like him a little, he might become a famous knight too.

Looking pleased at hearing the Tully words come out of his mouth, his uncle answered with a smile. "Sure, you do. Physically you even look a little like me, although you have some of your father hidden in your face too. However, it is not the physical that reminds you of me so much as other things. You're a second son, like me. You're a little too adventurous for your own good, like I was. You want to become a famous knight, like I did. You're also a good-natured kid that knows how to laugh and be kind to the people close to them and I respect that very much. You're also not lazy, which is important if you ever want to become a good knight."

"T-thank you uncle! He said, as he felt a huge smile grow over his own features.

"So, what do you say, nephew? Want to spend a day with your fun, old, knightly uncle?" The man said, as he winked at him.

He looked towards the tree and the Broken Tower again, before looking back to his uncle and shrugged. He could climb the Tower tomorrow. He might not get this opportunity with his uncle for a while.

They went on their way, with his uncle telling him he would help him train his sword fighting, but only after he had introduced him to his wolf. The pup seemed to like the man, as he let him stroke his fur. After telling him a few stories of the pup, they went on their way. It would become one of the best days of Bran's life and he spent hours training with, talking to and running after his uncle.

This is it for this chapter!

What did you think of today's chapter? A new POV at the end.

The first changes are starting to take shape, most importantly the Blackfish' earlier involvement and Eddard's crusade to fix the finances. Oh and a small boy doesn't fall from a certain tower.

Thank you again for all the support the story gets!

Fannic

Reviews:

- Sparky She-Demon: It will be a while before we find out, but let's hope!

- : Exactly! It is one of those slow changes with a big impact.

- The Three Stoogies: Thank you so much for your support!

- Osterreicher97: I totally agree, I think Roose thinks out a lot of scenarios and only acts on them if the time is right. So even if he wanted to become Warden of the North all his life, no concrete plans would have been made before he was sure they could work. You can probably bring Roose Bolton's betrayal back to the moment he talks with a few Frey's after they get the news of the Battle of the Blackwater. Before that point, he just wants to strenghten his Houses fortunes, lose as less troops as possible and get some prestigious commands and a lot of war spoils. All the while examining what kind of ruler Robb is. Thank you so much for the compliment as well!

- Williams1996: What did you think of the implementation? The only problem I have with fic's who do that is that they don't take into account that half the New Gift are former Umber lands. So if the New Gift is reinstated, you would have to give those back to House Umber. If you don't you could seriously anger House Umber and no Stark can afford that.

- Pavoon: What did you think of the negotiation? Ned wants to do good for the North, but most importantly is the stability of the realm. Another war is probably the worst for the North, so stabilizing the finances and the Kingdoms for his friend is a win-win for Robert and the Starks. He also never forgets about the Night's Watch (Aka the North's Northern border) and tries (but mostly fails) to get trade concessions.

- Darthwolf: Yes, it could have been. However, Edmure is still Eddard's brother-in-law and he and the North need their alliance with the Tully's in winter. The Riverlands are one of the breadbaskets of Westeros. Besides that, it's still his wife's brother, who she loves very much. So both Eddard and Hoster try to smoothen things out. It does have multiple implications, the only reason Edmure isn't here to pick up Bran is the former incident. It makes Hoster so desperate, he even reaches out to his estranged brother.

- Kuman: Thank you so much for your support, both in the comments as in PM! Yeah they are as two peas in a pod, also Arya's status as the higher born makes the age difference a little less important. Besides that there is the Umber girl to bridge the age gap a little and Lyanna Mormont who is of an age.

- AJ Granger: Thank you! I hope to be able to continue to surprise you!

- Guest: Thank you so much! Well sort of, Arya remains Arya and she is as wild as they come (wolfsblood). There is a big difference though, Jonelle has managed to drill some decorum in her. As long as it doesn't take too long and it isn't too personal, Arya knows how to behave now (more or less). That doesn't mean she suddenly likes needlework or is a good little lady, but she can act like it for a little while at a time. She is also a lot more sure of herself now that she has her constant friends with her. She isn't being bullied by Jeyne Pool anymore and is being valued greatly by ladies that are, although not very noble in behavior, are very noble in birth. That is a big difference with canon, where she always felt like an outcast and felt more at ease with peasant boys than noble ladies. At the core though, she is still wild little Arya and she is a lot more the same than she is different.