[Chapter Size: 3900 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Winterfell, 298 AC.
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"Princess, I think we need to go back. We've been here for a long time. Remember your father was expecting that lord from the south, right?" Mearin said beside Arya, while her friend looked at Mearin in silence after spending some time in a trance at the heart tree.
They had been there in the godswood for a while, while Arya seemed to be debating what to do at that moment and how she planned to act against the queen.
Arya finally sighed. "I think you're right, Mearin." Arya said, as she stood in front of the tree and brushed off her dress a bit after kneeling for a while.
Looking at the sun in that position in the sky, she doubted she would still have time to meet with her family before they received Lord Tyrell, he should already be settling in at Winterfell by now.
But since her father hadn't bothered her until that moment, it meant she wouldn't be in trouble with him — or receive any scolding — given the circumstances she had faced so far.
They finally began to leave the godswood, while they saw a certain calm commotion in the courtyard, with the Tyrell banners among a group of men wearing armor with the same rose symbol on their chests, which meant that Willas Tyrell was already in the castle, seeing his men and servants trying to organize the stay of the Reach nobles at that moment. There were other Reach banners, which was no surprise when the heir of the warding house was traveling to this side of Westeros, many lords would accompany him.
"What do you plan to do, princess?" Mearin asked, while Arya looked at her with a disapproving glance due to her continuing to call her by the title, but the girl didn't seem to care.
"Call me Arya, just Arya, even when we're in public." Arya warned. "Anyway, let's find my brother. It's very likely Robb and our father are talking with the Tyrell party inside the castle and we won't interrupt." She said, while easily drawing attention from everyone in the castle upon seeing her there.
After the commotion with the queen, people immediately gossiped, but she ignored it and went after Bran, whom she had already found through his eyes on top of Winterfell, which was no surprise since he was in a corner of the castle he used to secretly train with the bow without anyone judging him.
Arya reached the place and raised her head while looking at the boy climbing one of the towers on that side of Winterfell where almost no one would go.
"Bran, what are you doing?" Arya murmured, her voice easily reaching her brother, who stared down at her in surprise.
"Almost fell from fright! Arya, don't call me like that! And how did you find me?" He shouted from above.
"You need to be careful! But to answer your question, it's easy to spot you climbing that tower like a lizard... Didn't you hear father saying you were to stop climbing?" Arya scolded her brother.
"I'm safe, sister! Just enjoying the view of Winterfell to see the arrival of the Tyrells." He called from above, while she shook her head.
"You didn't even see they've already arrived... You fool." Arya muttered; her brother must have been hiding here all this time. "Come down. This is dangerous. Even if you're the greatest climber in Winterfell, you never know what might happen." Arya scolded.
She could see those structures were old, and a misplaced hand or foot on a loose stone could be fatal for her brother. And she didn't want that to happen under any circumstances.
Bran seemed to sigh as he quickly began to climb down, with Arya letting out a sigh of relief when she saw her brother finally reach the ground.
He looked at her sheepishly while seeing Mearin and the royal guards a few meters away from them, giving space to the two siblings.
"You really have to be more careful with that, Bran." Arya stepped closer and ruffled his hair, while he looked slightly embarrassed before turning his gaze back to her with more caution.
"Sister... about the trial..." He murmured carefully. He was clearly scared after seeing the chaos in the throne room.
"If you're afraid, don't worry, and even so, you can fall apart with me, brother." Arya said, crouching in front of him and looking at him tenderly. She didn't want him to be too frightened by what had happened.
That wasn't her intention.
"I know... but I was worried about you. Is it true there could be a war?" He asked very carefully.
"Honestly..." Arya looked at him seriously. "...Yes." she said, knowing very well that Jon would act as soon as he learned what had happened that day.
The evidence in the cases would be enough to launch an attack against the queen and the Lannisters. No matter how much she tried to deny it, Jon seemed to know that woman well enough not to hesitate in accusing her.
'A woman capable of doing that to her own daughter...' Arya shuddered at how someone could do such a thing after hearing Myrcella.
"Will we be okay?" Bran asked with some concern.
"We'll be very safe, brother. Don't worry, Jon will always protect us." She assured him. "I'm sure of it."
"I wish I could see him again..." Bran murmured, thinking of Jon. It had been years since they had last seen each other, since Arya had left Winterfell.
"You miss him, then?" Arya asked, looking at him.
The boy nodded silently.
"I know. And he feels the same, there's no doubt... he sees you as a younger brother and has certainly never forgotten you. But he's a king and very busy, especially with the threat that's coming to the North..." Arya said.
"Against the dead..." He said carefully, remembering their mother saying that was all nonsense, following the same thoughts of many others when he spoke of it.
Many mocked that claim, and he had been forbidden to say anything about it to Tommy and Myrcella.
No one besides Arya and her family believed in it. Even Robb, whom Bran had always seen mocking Jon all his life, seemed to believe everything the moment Arya told him. But other people were still somewhat skeptical about that claim whenever he mentioned it.
"Yes... against the dead, brother. Jon will be protecting the world — our family and all the people here in the South, whether they're good or bad. Even those who laughed at him, Jon will be protecting them all." Arya said, and Bran nodded.
"Will he come here one day?" he asked.
"I'm sure he will. When it's all finally over... I want to come back and bring Jon back to Winterfell... even if I have to drag him." She laughed, and Bran smiled too.
"But what about Robb? Does he like Robb now?" Bran asked suddenly. Arya shut her lips immediately.
"It's... a little complicated." She murmured.
"But Robb is trying, right? He doesn't speak badly of Jon anymore." He said innocently.
"Yes, that's true. Our older brother has matured. I know his relationship with Jon has been fractured for many years, but I'm sure they'll talk again someday." She said.
"You promise..." He murmured, looking at his sister. It was obvious that Bran wanted the family united.
"I'll do my best to make Jon forgive Robb." She said, and Bran nodded with a more cheerful smile.
"Now, tell me... are you going to keep climbing Winterfell?" Arya asked again. She didn't want her brother to keep doing that.
She didn't know why, but she had a bad feeling about it.
"Why?" The boy asked in an accusatory tone, not wanting to stop climbing.
"Because if you don't behave... I won't take you to Arctic." She said, letting out a little giggle.
"Arctic? You're going to take me there? To Jon's home?" He murmured, his eyes widening in surprise.
"As soon as everything is safe, I'm going to take you to Arctic. You'll see the most beautiful place in the world, full of magical creatures and so many fantastic things you can't find anywhere else in the world." She teased, pausing before continuing.
"But, for that to happen, you have to promise me you won't climb anymore." She gave her condition, and he nodded.
"I'll try." He murmured.
"Promise me." She insisted, since he hadn't promised yet.
"Alright, I promise." Said Bran.
Arya smiled and walked back to Mearin, who was standing at a distance.
"Friend, come here and make sure Bran guarantees he'll keep his promise." She teased, while Mearin smiled in front of the royal guards and approached them, who had been standing the whole time listening to Arya's conversation with her brother.
Bran looked a bit surprised as Mearin came closer.
Mearin had hair redder than Bran's own, along with Robb, Sansa, and Rickon, who had all taken on a Tully appearance, with blue eyes and reddish hair. But Mearin still had the reddest hair of all. She used to say her hair was kissed by fire, like the people from beyond the Wall often said.
She knelt beside Bran, and he swallowed hard. Her cheek brushed lightly against his, a playful smile spreading across her face.
He didn't try to look at her and glanced awkwardly at Arya, somewhere between anger and embarrassment.
Arya knew that Bran had started to develop a bit of a crush on Mearin, something quite common when one was young. Arya even teased him sometimes, which always left Bran flustered whenever Mearin got close just to provoke him.
"Stop that..." he murmured, while Arya laughed, glancing at the bow and arrows lying nearby.
"So, brother, how are your skills coming along?" She asked with a smile full of tenderness, hoping to ease her brother's nervousness.
"They're getting good, sister. One day I want to be as good as you." He said with a more confident tone.
"I'm sure you will, brother. I'll be looking forward to that." She said.
"How about I show you?" He teased, ignoring Mearin.
"How about another time, brother? I have to check how things are in the castle after what happened. I also want to see how father is dealing with Lord Tyrell's entourage." She said, knowing her brother couldn't give her many details about the events of the trial, so she didn't press him.
"Alright." He said, a little downcast, while Arya touched his shoulder.
"Brother... you know what I was thinking?" She said, turning her attention to Bran. "How about I show you some cool skills? I realized something since I came back to Winterfell. But I thought you were too young and it'd be better to train this in Arctic. Still, in a way, you're a warg... and a powerful one. I feel like Robb, Sansa, and Rickon have those powers too, but you're stronger than any of them. Even stronger than me." She said.
That surprised him. Not that he was stronger than her now, but his potential was greater than Arya's. She could feel it in him.
"Really?" He said, surprised.
"Yes, maybe I'll give you a few tips so you can train here in Winterfell with Summer." She said, looking at the direwolf at Bran's feet. "I'm sure Jon will be quite interested in making you powerful once you get to Arctic. He can train you when everything is safe." She said.
Bran looked on with great interest, surprised by the revelation, while Arya could see his excitement. She then moved her hand and ruffled his hair as she began to walk away.
"Now I'm going to the castle. Do you want to stay here a bit longer?" She asked, and he nodded, picking up his bow.
"I plan to train a bit more." He said, and she nodded. As she said goodbye, Mearin still stood close to him — to Bran's great embarrassment — and kissed him on the cheek, winking with one eye, leaving Bran as red as his hair.
They walked away from him, while Arya tried not to laugh so as not to embarrass her brother. "I thought he had a crush on Lord Reed's daughter." Arya murmured as she turned back to her friend.
"You go too far with the teasing sometimes, Mearin." Arya said, while her friend simply smiled. "I hope you don't end up breaking his heart." She murmured to Mearin.
"Maybe. Your brother seems to be turning into quite a handsome young man." Mearin laughed, following Arya as they rejoined Jill and Bari, heading back toward the center of the castle.
What the group didn't expect was to find Lord Tyrell at the main entrance of the castle with a cane, accompanied by several men, one of them being his brother Garlan. As soon as they noticed her approaching, they kept their eyes fixed on her the entire time.
"Princess Arya." He said courteously. "You are even more beautiful than I remembered, like a true winter rose." He said, while Arya raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by his approach.
"Princess Arya." Beside him, Garlan also greeted her.
Lord Tyrell, always gallant, wasted no time in greeting her that way as Arya's group stopped in front of them.
"Lord Tyrell... Thank you for your words. Ser Garlan." She greeted the two brothers, then gestured to the side. "This is Mearin, my lady-in-waiting. A noble from Arctic."
"Lady Mearin. I must admit, I'm more and more impressed with the women beyond the Wall... An astonishing place to produce so many ladies of rare beauty..." Willas complimented her in the same gallant tone.
"Your words make me shy, Lord Tyrell, but it's a pleasure to meet you. Ser Gallant." Mearin laughed as she greeted the brothers.
"Lady Mearin." Ser Gallant greeted her.
Arya spoke again. "I apologize if I offended by not being with my family when you arrived at the castle." Arya said, trying to maintain the image of her house.
"No offense taken, princess." Tyrell replied with a gentle smile. "We heard about your situation, and we certainly wouldn't expect anything after what we've been told. I hope you're doing perfectly well." He said, sounding concerned.
"I'm fine, thank you for your concern. In any case, I hope Winterfell is accommodating you well. I was on my way to speak with my father, if you'll excuse me." She said, starting to enter the castle, but Tyrell raised a hand.
"If it's not an offense, princess, I would like to request an audience with you. I've been waiting for your return since I was told you were seen passing through the courtyard."
Arya raised an eyebrow, wondering if he had been waiting the whole time while she was talking with her brother Bran.
Arya studied him for a moment. She saw only one reason why Tyrell would want an audience with her directly.
And it was about Arctic — and everything that house represented through its ties to Jon.
"Very well. Follow me." She said at last.
She had been about to meet with her father to retrieve Jon's letters, but it wouldn't hurt to first see what Lord Tyrell wanted regarding Arctic. She could respond to Jon after having this conversation with him — the heir of Highgarden. After all, both House Tyrell and Arctic had unresolved matters.
They made their way to a room on one side of the castle where almost no one ever entered. Only Arya came here from time to time, finding a table in an otherwise empty chamber.
Lord Willas and his brother Garlan entered, while Arya waited for them to settle, along with Mearin and Jill. Before turning her final gaze to Bari.
"Don't let anyone get close." She warned.
The guard nodded. He knew that if Arya was about to discuss matters between the Reach and Arctic, discretion was crucial, and since she couldn't use her father's solar, she had chosen this room, not wanting anyone to overhear — it was relatively secure for that.
Especially with all the recent turmoil involving the queen. She was probably desperate to listen in on this conversation, and Arya wouldn't be surprised if Bari started throwing out any eavesdroppers that tried to approach the room.
"Now, lords of the Reach, of House Tyrell, what would you like to discuss?" Arya began, her tone much more serious than before. There was no courtesy now, and her gaze returned to the two Tyrell brothers like a hawk.
Garlan looked at his brother before turning back to the princess of Arctic.
"We'd like to understand the king of Arctic's stance toward my house." Willas said immediately.
"Well, you can be sure you're not on Jon's list of favorites. Your house owes Arctic. Or rather, horses." Arya said, still with a serious tone.
"You can't expect us to just pretend nothing happened after what he did in Oldtown." Garlan was the one to speak this time.
"Maybe not, but look... ever since Lord Hightower, within Highgarden's influence, set a trap for Jon in Oldtown, the Reach shares responsibility. Jon didn't simply march into Oldtown and make demands — no, your Grand Maesters, the High Septon, and others did. Do you really expect any other outcome when they put him in a room and threaten him?" Arya said with disdain.
"We don't know what really happened there, princess. That may not have happened at all." Willas spoke cautiously, while Arya turned a colder gaze toward him.
"Tell me, Lord Willas, you met Jon personally... Tell me a single time he attacked someone without reason or acted arrogant. He was a king richer than any of you — and all those Reach lords. Did Jon ever need to be pompous? He came to your kingdom with highly beneficial proposals, and as far as I know, he didn't leave making demands. Am I wrong?" She asked directly.
Willas merely nodded, not seeming inclined to argue.
"It's true, princess. The Arctican king may be many things, but he was respectful most of the time." Garlan admitted.
"Most of the time, yes." Arya retorted. "But when he needed to use force, he didn't stand idle. Like with Ser Boros, who publicly insulted him — or even his wife, Queen Seryna. Tell me, would you act any differently if a lord tried to demean you and your wife? Wouldn't you fight for your honor and hers — the woman you vowed to protect?" She said.
"I can't disagree with you, princess. Jon acted right — and acted firmly when he had to. I won't deny that. But our situation with the other lords is different. Not everyone sees it the same way." Willas said.
"Because they're greedy, and they're not fair. They saw Jon as an opportunity, tried to trap him, and the moment he reacted, now they play the victims — as if they were innocent. Lord Hightower is a prime example of that. Wasn't it he who set the trap for Jon? And now he regrets it, after seeing Arctic's military strength — the very one he underestimated, thinking Jon would just bow his head to those absurd demands in Oldtown." Arya sounded clearly hostile.
The two Tyrells remained silent for a moment, before one of them finally spoke again.
"I know we've made mistakes in many ways. That's why I intended to find you as soon as I learned the king would be traveling to Winterfell, with the hope of trying to mend things between us." He said.
"You... or your grandmother?" Arya shot back, raising an eyebrow. He seemed unsure what to say, and Arya continued before he could respond.
"No offense, Lord Tyrell, but it seems like you've realized Arctic is not something to be trifled with, and now you're trying to avoid a future attack — retaliation from Jon, right?" She asked.
Mearin remained silent at Arya's side, but was surprised at how Arya had taken control of the conversation, showing herself far more aggressive now. Jill, behind Arya, said nothing as well, simply listening and watching the two men with great interest.
She hadn't been on the journey to the western lands of Westeros, but she had heard the entire story.
A sound came from behind the door, and everyone heard someone groan. They all turned their eyes toward it, while Arya shook her head.
"Ignore that. Some unfortunate fool trying to get close and listen..." She said, knowing Bari was probably striking someone at that moment.
"What we truly want is to understand how the king of Arctic intends to act. We don't want to be enemies. In fact, we're willing to return the gold in full." Willas said, causing Arya to raise an eyebrow.
Even though she could have demanded that, she knew it would be a problem for the Reach houses if it became known they were yielding to Arctic's terms after what happened in Oldtown — whether Jon was right or not in his actions.
Perhaps they weren't doing it publicly, but using House Tyrell's own wealth to try to repair the relationship.
"However, I believe there's more to this, isn't there?" Arya said, already knowing there must be a condition.
The Reach had a very complicated relationship with Arctic, both commercially — after all, Arctic was a threat. When the Reach's main product was food, Arctic could easily supply it to the North, for example, destroying a large part of the Reach's trade market. And what held that back was the Crown's own decision to avoid letting the North fund a declared enemy.
"Yes... there are some conditions." Willas said, visibly bracing himself, with a hint of embarrassment in his expression.
"We want Arctic to never sell food to the North." He said, and he already seemed to know what would come next, as Arya looked at him like he was an idiot.
"You've got to be kidding me, right?" Arya murmured, almost unable to believe the condition.
After all, the gold Jon could earn from the North would easily surpass what they were losing from the Reach in just a few moons — especially when the Reach itself could be subdued by Jon's military power.
Only a fool would agree to something like that, and she took it almost as a personal offense, as if they thought they were dealing with someone who couldn't even wipe their own ass.
"Sorry about that... it was our grandmother's demand." Garlan murmured, already reading Arya's expression, clearly embarrassed by such words.
"Alright. I'll pretend I never heard that." Arya muttered in deep displeasure.
"The second condition is that you agree to be my betrothed and future lady of Highgarden." Willas said, blushing, while Arya shook her head.
"Sorry, Lord Tyrell. You'll have to look elsewhere." She said simply, in a neutral tone, not wanting to entertain that discussion any further.
Willas sighed. Even though he had just been rejected, he seemed to have expected that answer already.
"And the question I'd like to ask..." He gathered himself again, looking with a more serious tone — even surprising Arya in that moment,
"...is whether Jon Arctic intends to reclaim the Iron Throne in the future."
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