The word of the Lannister sibling's deaths spread like wildfire through Winterfell and soon all across the North and then across Westeros.
Varys, as always, was the first to know. He informed the members of the Small Council about what had happened, much to their shock, and to some, happiness. He also discreetly sent word across the narrow sea through some of his little birds. Perhaps they could accelerate their plans. It's not like the Westerlands could be more unhappy with the Seven Kingdom's current ruler than now.
In the Erie, Lysa Arryn sighed in relief when she saw that the blame for John Arryn's death had fallen squarely on the Lannisters. After her letter to Catelyn was shown to the King, no one could dispute that Cersei had ordered the death of the former Hand.
Littlefinger grinned with wide satisfaction that his plot was even better covered than he could have hoped for. The fact that he couldn't use the Lion and the Wolf to tear at each other's throats for now wasn't a real problem. With time, he was sure he could urge Tywin Lannister to act, together with other discontents from the crown. Now, however, he was poised to anticipate his conquest of the Vale. As soon as Lysa's mourning period had passed, they'd marry and he'd be named Lord Protector of the Vale, acting as regent for the feeble Rob Arryn.
Tywin Lannister lost his composure as he received the news back in his office in Casterly Rock. His favorite was dead. His only daughter was dead. His grandchildren all bastards born of incest returning in shame to the Rock under the surname Hill, the bastard name of the Westerlands. Were Tyrion not his last son and heir, he'd have ordered someone to raid the convoy bringing them back under the guise of bandits. But if Tyrion died, his line would be finished, so even if he hated the dwarf, he'd have to endure him for the rest of his life, for the Lannister name. For the first time in his long life as the ruthless lion, he wept, though no one was there to hear.
Tyrion himself was in much more grief than he expected to feel. He felt an immense sorrow for his brother, the only person who had always shown him kindness. Despite what he had done, he still felt like his death could have been avoided. If the King had a cooler head, he could have begged for mercy on his brother's behalf. To make him take the black, at least. As for his sister, although she had it coming, he still hoped she'd meet a kinder end than Robert's warhammer to the head.
The three lion children were deeply affected. Joffrey whined and refused to face reality. More than once he threatened to have Tyrion killed if he didn't take them back to see his father Robert. The dwarf knew life would be far less kind to him now. As a bastard, he was soon going to discover how hard life away from the Red Keep truly was. But Tyrion didn't pity him. He was arrogant, sadistic and evil. He would have made for a shitty King. He only pitied the younger ones, Thommen and Myrcella. They were too young and too kind to be thrown into such a ruthless world. He vowed to himself that he'd keep the two of them safe and well taken care of. He had no kids himself, but from now on, these two would be his kids.
For a whole week the King didn't leave his room. He did nothing more than drink himself until he fainted. Every Time he saw a woman, even if it was a whore brought there to appease him, he roared in anger and charged at them. No one got severely hurt but the message was understood loud and clear. He was left alone for most of this time, with only Eddard Stark showing up from time to time to keep him company.
Many believed that Robert would drink himself into death or into doing something stupid. However, after that week, he was seen in the training yard, exercising and swinging his warhammer. He was fast to tire, given his current physical condition, but he still was rather strong.
"Dammed fat King of the Seven Kingdoms" he growled to himself "too fat and too stupid to even keep an eye on his own wife. Not to mention Westeros itself. Yes, I've treated this country worse than I treated that Lannister whore"
And with that he continued to do his daily training until it was time to depart south. Eddard accepted being the new Hand, if only to help his Sworn Brother to bring the Seven Kingdoms out of the mess Robert's past negligence had put it into.
One day before their departure, Arabella was called into the great hall of Winterfell. She had earned the respect of everyone in the North for saving Bran Stark. Even those who feared her powers kept their voices silent in honor of what she had done. Even Catelyn Stark and Sansa grew closer to the girl. They talked about the ladies of the South and how they behaved. Not that Arabella wanted to become one, but it was good to know what she could deal with in the future.
Many nobles were lounging around the great hall when she arrived there. Most notably, of course, were the King, his Hand and the Heir to Winterfell talking. She could see that the King, while still fat, had lost a good amount of weight since he arrived in the North. His training was starting to pay off.
"Ah, the Sorceress has arrived" said Robert with a slightly better humor at the sight of the girl "Join us, we have much to discuss"
She felt shy as all the eyes were drawn to her. She was wearing a dark green dress with a grey snake from arm to arm. It had been a gift made for her by Sansa. It was her way of saying thanks for saving her brother. The dress itself was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship and it only accentuated Arabella's natural beauty. When she reached the dais where the three men stood, the King spoke.
"Lady Slytherin, the Seven Kingdoms owe you a great debt. First, you've saved my Sworn Brother's son from certain death when he was thrown off that Godsdamn tower. Then, you helped us in discovering that shitty truth about the Lannister whore and her bastards. Were it not for you, we would have one dead Stark, whomever else Cersei would have killed to save her throne and there would be bastards sitting on it after my death. May it be known across Westeros that you're now under my protection and that, for as long as you keep your sorcery contained to lawful actions, any actions against you because of your nature will be met with my wrath"
That was good. Arabella was afraid the King might not be receptive to her presence in Westeros, but after what happened, it seemed his views of her had either changed or improved. With his protection, Arabella could focus on going back to Hogwarts, if it was even possible. Her spell continued to fail and she was more than ever resigned to wait for the Red Comet as she had thought of before. Her inner thoughts were interrupted by the King as he continued to speak.
"So, Lady Slytherin, what reward do you ask of us? Ned and I will do our best to provide it to you."
"Aye, I still have to properly thank you for saving my son" added Eddard "Name your wish and if it's within my grasp to give it to you, I will do so."
She thought for a while, thinking of which reward she could choose. She didn't want to ask for any land as that would tie her to Westeros forever. The Red Comet would soon be there and she could try again. However, the idea of leaving Westeros brought an unexpected heaviness to her heart. She had grown fond of the Stark family and made friends with several of them, especially Arya, Bran and John. She would miss them greatly. On the other hand, the thought of never seeing her friends from Hogwarts also made her grow weary. She was an orphan, with no family left, but she still had friends she missed dearly.
She also thought about the menace across the Wall. She knew the White Walkers were amassing in the Lands of Always Winter. She didn't know when they'd attack, but she knew they would. Perhaps she could stay until then? Help Westeros with her magic? It's not like she could solo the Night King herself, but there were many things she could do to help in the fight against the dead. Her parents and her older brother had died in the battle of Hogwarts. They had been some of the Slytherins who knew their loyalties lied in Hogwarts, not with Voldemort. They had been warriors and heroes. She had their blood. Perhaps she was one too.
Arabella finally reached a conclusion.
"Your Grace, your protection and friendship already cover the main thing I could ask for, which is my safety. I will not lie, Your Grace, I long to return to my home. As Lord Stark probably told you already, I've arrived here by accident and have tried so far to recast the spell that brought me here with no success. I do not know how I ended up here nor when or if I'll ever be able to leave. Therefore, what I ask for is that Your Grace allow me access to the libraries of the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms, and the one at the Citadel, so that I may further research magic and perhaps devise a way to return home. In the meantime, I place myself at the realms disposal, should my abilities be of any use to Your Grace."
"Granted! I'll give you a writ of safe conduct and a Royal Decree will be issued ordering all noble houses to receive you in their lands and allow you access to their libraries. However, if possible, I'd ask you to assist those Lords while you remain in their lands. Not many will happily open their castles for you, Royal Decree or not. That could earn you their goodwill and also ensure your safety"
"Thank you, Your Grace. For your kindness and your council. I will do as you say. And, as I've said, should you ever need me, you may summon me at any time to King's Landing. " she curtsied.
"Good! Then why don't you start your Journey right now, with us? You can explore the libraries of any castle we end up resting on along the way and you can already cross the books of Kings Landing out of your list once you're there."
The Lords' eyes were now even more present. She could feel them in her back. Many weighed the outcomes of her choices, ever careful in their planning, hoping to get some advantage. Those whose lands were on the way south already started having ideas on how they could benefit from her presence.
"I shall follow your advice, Your Grace. It will be an honor to join your host to King's Landing" she said and turned to Lord Eddard "Lord Stark, I have no reward to ask of you. For two months you harbored a stranger under your roof and treated said stranger with the utmost respect and courtesy. It was the least I could do to repay your family's kindness to me. Winterfell will always have a place in my heart. As will your family. That being said, there is something else we could do. Something that could help both of us."
"And what is that?" asked Eddard
"Your daughter Arya Stark, My Lord. She has an innate magical potential. I don't know if it's only tied to the magic present in this land, that which you call Sorcery or if she would also be able to learn the one from my land. Still, with your permission, I could take Arya as my ward and attempt to train her in my arts. Of course, that means I would delay my departure, if it is at all possible, until her training is complete. This way, House Stark gains a powerful scion. Arya gets something safer than her sword dreams to distract her mind from her rebellious nature. And I get to leave with a light heart knowing that my talents can still be of use to the kingdom through her."
All were shocked at the news, most of them Arya, who immediately jumped at the opportunity.
"Yes!" she screamed "Please father let me learn! I promise I'll be a good student and learn everything I can! I don't want to be a lady! I want to be a Sorceress like Arabella! I want to be able to save people just like she saved Bran! Please, please please"
"Not a chance" said her mother "I won't allow you to become a sorcerer and a heretical sinn…"
Her words were cut short by the fierce gazes she received from the King and her husband. She wanted to speak, but their gazes kept her mouth shut.
"I apologize at my wife's behest, Lady Slytherin. I hope you can forgive her." said Eddard Stark.
"It's forgiven, Lord Stark. I understand that in Westeros magic is seen with suspicion, especially by those who follow the Faith of the Seven" she said, turning to Catelyn "but I assure you, My Lady, I bear no ill will against your Gods, neither to the Old Gods or any other God present in Westeros or Essos. In fact, before coming here, I didn't even know they existed. So how could I possibly be against them? My powers are not derived from blood sacrifices or barbaric rituals. It is a gift we receive even before our birth. It is bound to our souls. It is a fundamental part of us. Something like that is not unholy. It is proof of the existence of the divine, be it whomever you believe it to be. And one more thing, if possible, I'd like to stop being called a sorceress. I've tolerated it so far because it's a way to approximate myself to your culture. To foster understanding. But here this name carries a stigma and a burden that isn't mine. I'm not evil and I'm not a sorceress. I'm a Witch. "
The room fell silent for a short time. No one knew what to say. Catelyn, of all people, who seemed ready to continue her rants, now didn't want to say anything else. Arabella's words had deeply shaken her and she dared not disrespect her further. It was then that the King's laugh echoed through the hall, alleviating the atmosphere considerably.
"HAHAHAHA! Lady Arabella Slytherin, The Witch of Westeros. I can already hear this legend being sung by every bard. I'll tell you what Ned, you should let your girl study sorce… magic. She's Lyanna Stark reborn, for fucks sake. Do you really think dresses and embroidery are gonna keep her occupied? If not she can end up like Brienne of Tarth, in full armor and with a greatsword on her back."
"But, Ned…" tried Catelyn
"Don't worry Cat! Look at the Witch, she's also a woman and she still behaves like a courteous and polite person despite her talents. Perhaps that's the way to keep her more ferocious instincts in check." continued the King.
"It's true, Lady Stark. Where I'm from, both men and women learn magic equally. It is not the gender that determines one's talent or place in life in our society. It is their innate magical strength and their willingness to learn and hone their skills. And, I've also learnt etiquette at length. Even with our cultural differences, I'm sure I can teach Arya to behave like a noble to a degree that will please your standards. Don't worry, I wouldn't do anything that would put your daughter in harm. I'm sure you can tell that I have great fondness for your family. "
"I know…" Catelyn finally sighed, defeated, then she turned to Arya "if that's what you want, Arya, I'll allow you to go. But my conditions are that you take Lady Slytherin's etiquette lessons with the same seriousness as you'll take the sorce…magical ones and that you cease your escapades and random exploring during your stay under her care. Promise me you'll do that, and you can go "
"I promise, mom! Under the Old Gods and the New! Thank you" she said, hugging her mother, who could only sigh in resignation.
"Then it's settled" said Eddard "let it be known that my daughter Arya Stark is now under the care and tutelage of Lady Arabella Slytherin. My Lady, I entrust the care of my daughter to you. Please keep her safe"
"I will, Lord Eddard. I'll make sure that she'll become something that you'll take pride in."