Arya Stark was not one to take no for an answer.
One of her most vivid memories came from when she was first learning to walk. She had toddled determinedly after Jon and Robb as they made their way to Maester Luwin for their lessons one day. Why? Because they had told her they had to go and she had to stay here to wait for her lady mother and her older sister.
Even at that young age, she knew she wanted to learn the things that her brothers did. She didn't see why she should be left behind simply because Jon and Robb were going somewhere they said she wasn't supposed to. If only because it sounded so much more fun than the things Sansa talked about learning from the Septa.
Robb had laughed when she tripped over her own feet trying to race into the room before the oaken door closed and Maester Luwin had been visibly exasperated with her following the boys to his chambers without her lady mother's permission. But what she remembered most had been Jon's reaction. How he had simply picked her up by the armpits, sat down while he quietly placed her on his legs and then held her there while asking Maester Luwin as politely as he could to continue the lesson.
Maester Luwin hadn't been happy about that. But Jon had promised she would be good for the time she was with them. When Jon had looked at her to prompt her agreement with an unspoken: "Isn't that right little sister," she'd nodded her head quickly. She did not want to be kicked out after managing to get in and procure such a comfortable seat.
She couldn't remember the lesson itself years later now, though it was likely material that Septa Mordane was covering again now that she was getting to be a young lady. But it was still one of her fondest early memories. One that if anyone had asked her she would've likely cited as helping Arya make up her mind about Jon being her favorite sibling.
And of course now it had spurred her even harder to figure out how to sneak her way into Jon's sickroom the past few days. To at least settle her churning stomach that had been uneasy ever since Sansa had come back from tending Jon alongside their lady mother with a frightened look in her blue eyes and nightmares that left her thrashing and screaming about demons before she jolted herself awake.
She thought Arya was a sound sleeper these days, recovering from her sickness and all that. And so she attempted to stifle herself when she realized what she was doing. But the truth was that Arya's head rested upon her pillow as lightly as it ever did. She simply found it easier to learn things others didn't want her to if they thought they could whisper them while she was sleeping.
She'd heard mother and father discussing Jon the second night after Sansa and their mother's disastrous attempt to tend Jon. She kept still as they tried to calm Sansa, tried to get her back to sleep.
"I can't sleep, I just can't." She had whimpered to them, still trying to keep quiet so as not to wake her newly healed sister even as her voice thickened with tears.
"Every time I try, I see what that thing did to his eyes. And then I feel something watching me. Waiting for me to sleep before it…it…" Sansa interrupted herself with a dry sob. She heard one of their parents move and then Sansa's voice was muffled.
Her mother made general noises of sympathy and comfort as she simultaneously heard the covers of Sansa's bed to shift. "Why don't you go find Septa Mordane, she'll likely have a prayer that can help keep you safe." She suggested while Sansa kept emitting distressed noises as quietly as she thought she could manage while muffled into their lady mother's embrace.
'Keep her safe from what?' Arya wondered to herself, daring to crack her eyes the slightest bit open to see that her mother was gently getting Sansa to stand while her father was close at hand, obviously wanting to comfort his daughter but lacking the faintest idea where to start in such an unusual situation.
"Go now." Her mother gently prodded, kissing Sansa's forehead. Her sister shuffled out of the room, her shoulders stooped with exhaustion and her face lined with tension while only an occasional sniffle leaked out now.
As soon as she was gone from the room, her mother sat heavily on her sister's bed, her father sitting down beside her. They were silent for only a short time before her mother spoke again.
"We have to do something about this Ned." She said quietly.
"I know Cat. But what can we do? Whatever Jon called upon to save Arya, it's undoubtedly responsible for his injuries. Soon we will not be able to convince Maester Luwin to keep from informing the Citadel. And when he does…" Her father trailed off ominously.
Arya felt her breathing get a little faster as she tried to figure out what they meant. Jon had healed her she knew. She had seen him breathe in the smoke that came out of her mouth during the fire in the Sept. But now it was apparently hurting him. Against her will, her eyes moistened. It was clear from this that Jon was being hurt by whatever was responsible for healing her.
And yet the question of why remained. Why would it want to hurt Jon while he had gotten it to help her?
She saw her mother lean into her father's shoulder, drawing comfort from his presence. Arya recognized the gesture as one she herself had initiated with Jon before: when dealing with Sansa and Septa Mordane and her mother got to be too much for her.
They stood after some time had passed while Arya kept her breathing as even as she could, occasionally shifting her shoulder or her legs to give the impression of being deeply asleep. Her father moved toward the door while her mother made her way toward Arya's bed. She immediately shut her eyes completely, not willing to chance her mother seeing the small sliver of space between her eyelids that would allow her to observe what they were and had been doing. Her mother leaned over her, kissing her forehead. She smelled of something sweet but slightly burnt, as though she had been by a burning hearth while tending her brother.
Arya wasn't sure what to make of that.
Her mother bid a whispered "Sleep well Arya" before it sounded as though she was walking toward the doorway. As soon as the door shut, Arya cracked her eyes to see if her mother and father were gone yet. Seeing the oaken portal to her and Sansa's shared sleeping quarters firmly shut, her eyes shot open as she threw off the covers. She quickly threw made her way to the door, listening at it before pushing it as gently but steadily as she could.
She knew from previous experience that the door creaked if it was opened both too slowly or too quickly. The very first time she and Jon had attempted to sneak down to the kitchens for some bread, Sansa had been woken up and tried to chase Arya back to bed.
She moved hurriedly down the corridors, taking the path to Maester Luwin's chambers that was familiar to all of the Stark children whether through lessons with him or having him take care of the various ills that afflicted the residents of Winterfell; high and lowborn alike. The waning moon was reflecting through the few windows she passed by, presenting an eerie contrast to the few torches that were lit up here and there.
She moved ever onward, not willing to be separated from Jon when he was being hurt. She knew there was nothing she could do that Maester Luwin couldn't, but that didn't mean she couldn't be there for her brother. He had helped her get better. The least she could do was be by her side. It had been weeks since the Sept burning and her recovery, but still no one would allow her to see Jon. She had played with Rickon, she had explored with Bran and she had even managed to exert a modicum of effort whenever her mother prodded her to attend the lessons with Septa Mordane that were always so much more dull than whatever Jon and Robb happened to be learning from Ser Rodrik or Farlan or Father.
She had thought that if she followed her mother's word and behaved as well as she could, they would let her see her brother sooner. But it had not happened. Even now that he was injured and needed more hands tending to him, they would not allow either her or Sansa to help look after him. Sansa had frankly seemed grateful not to have to go back to tending Jon, but Arya was frustrated and worried about her sibling.
Whatever it was had proven bad enough to give her sister nightmares and no one was telling any of them anything about how or what or why.
As she drew up to Maester Luwin's chambers, she listened at the door to see if he was here. She heard gentle snoring being emitted by someone inside, so she could only hope that meant he was in. As she crossed her fingers and hoped to herself that this would work, she knocked loudly on the door.
There was hardly a break in the snoring. Arya knew it was essential that he awaken and try to discover who was calling on him if the door was to open. She had discovered through her repeated attempts to see Jon that it was locked when he was out and that when he was in but unwilling to come out, the door was barred so that she could not push her way in.
So that meant she would have to be good with the timing of this. As soon as he looked to open the door, she would need to hide behind the door as it opened. After that…
As she knocked hard a second time, she abruptly realized she had not actually planned how she was going to get in if in fact he actually opened the door for her. As her mind started to race to think of something, she heard a snort from inside and a bleary voice call: "Who goes there?"
It was Maester Luwin alright. He was awake now. If she retreated now he would either go back to sleep or dismiss it as someone rethinking their decision to see him. There was nothing to be done now. She would simply have to do as Jon had taught her during their games of come into my castle. Wing it.
She pounded upon the door a third time.
Maester Luwin called to ask who it was again. As her mind raced, Arya was struck by inspiration. Thinking of one of her mother's handmaidens, she tried to imitate her voice as best she could.
"Lady Sansa is having trouble sleeping again Maester. Lady Stark requests that you give her something to help her." She said, keeping it brief so that she had less chance of being recognized even in the older man's half asleep state.
"Where is she?" She heard from inside.
"She sent her to see the Septa, Maester Luwin. Shall I tell them you'll be coming?" She inquired, crossing her fingers that he would say yes.
"Yes, yes. Let her know not to leave the Septa's side so I can get to her." He answered distractedly as Arya heard the clink of jars and the shuffling of papers.
"Yes Maester." She answered just behind where the door should swing toward the wall when it would open. Now as long as he didn't look behind the door as he left, she might be able to slip past him into the chamber.
She heard him coming closer. She held her breath as she tried to make herself as flat against the wall as she could, the way Bran had showed her and Jon to when inching their way across ledges. The door opened, coming closer and closer to her face as Maester Luwin emerged.
She closed her eyes as it came closer. She hoped and prayed that it wouldn't squish her and so reveal her where she stood before she could see her brother. To her relief, she felt it push into her nose a bit before it stopped. She opened her eyes quickly as Maester Luwin started to walk past her, seemingly in a half awake daze. She knew an opportunity when she saw it.
She darted around the edge of the door and made her way inside the Maester's quarters as quickly and quietly as she could. She moved toward the room housing Jon even as she heard Maester Luwin turn around, muttering softly under his breath.
She opened Jon's door only as big a crack as she needed to slip inside before quickly pulling it shut behind her. As she leaned on the wall immediately adjacent to the door, she heard the door to the outside room shut completely followed shortly by a rattle of metal as she guessed Maester Luwin was locking it behind him.
As her eyes adjusted to the dim light of Jon's room, she at last noticed the heat that came close to sweltering. She saw there was no visible heat source aside from the candles that burned brightly around the room. And at last she took in Jon's form on the bed.
The first thing she noticed was the stillness of his body. If she hadn't known her mother and father would never have been able to lie to them this long about it, she would've sworn they were keeping a corpse beneath the sheets. The second thing she noticed as she drew closer was that the heat in the room seemed to be centered on Jon himself. She grew alarmed at that, especially when she catalogued the heavy bandages over his eyes that appeared to have some dried blood crusting on the bottom edges of it. She hurried over to his side, her left hand find his right above the blanket.
She winced from the heat his flesh gave off even as her eyes trained themselves on his chest to reassure herself that she could see it rise and fall with the steadiness that meant he was still breathing one more moment.
She breathed deeply, bowing her head and closing her eyes as tears welled in her eyes. It was starting to sink in now, just how badly off he was by whatever he had done to help her. She didn't know who to pray to. The Old Gods? The New Gods? The Unknown other Jon had invoked? The Old Gods kept mostly to the forest to her mind. The New Gods had just seen their place of worship burned down. The Unknown was the one responsible for hurting Jon, so that was right out as well. Which left what?
Arya prayed to Jon, prayed that he would hear her silent plea. Prayed that he would listen to her as he always had. Prayed that he would feel her there and know that he needed to come back.
'Please Jon.' She prayed without words. 'Please wake up. I haven't gotten to say thank you yet.' Her mother and father had always said that it was rude not to thank someone when they did something for you. Jon had to wake up so he could hear her say thanks.
As she drifted into sleep in the chair by his side, she squeezed his hand in hers. She would stay by his side and wait for him as long as it took. Just as he would do for her.
An hour later, his hand weakly squeezed back while she slept.
Author's Note: Chapter 7 up! A big thanks due to sumwhriblong for being the first person to review to the story! :D Hope to hear from you again as well as the rest of you who see the story!