Chapter Text
Arya sat with the Septa still practicing her stitches. All she could think of was Sansa’s stupid stitches and how their Septa said that Arya should take extra lessons from Sansa. It wasn’t her fault though, she was just never good at being a lady, much to her mothers disapproval. Each day after the Septa would teach them their lesson she would have to stay behind for another hour. Arya hated it, she hated hearing the noises outside from her brothers’ combat training. She wished she could be out there with them instead of inside with Sansa and all the other ladies. Arya sometimes wished she were a boy. She wished she could fight and roll in the mud without anyone caring for her manners. Arya didn’t realize the mess she made on her stitching cloth. The Septa chastised her and said she has to focus more on stitching and less on day dreams. Arya noticed the time and quickly ran off. She found Jon still practicing his archery alone after all the boys left. She quickly picked up a bow and started knocking the arrows before he even knew she was there.
Jon turned to her “ Right on time and right on target”.
Arya smiled the way Jon always could make her smile and continued to shoot.
“Arya you know your not supposed to be here. If your lady mother finds me teaching you how to shoot she will have a fit”. Jon said.
“No one will find out Jon, and I’m getting really good now so technically you aren’t teaching me anymore”.
Jon turned to her and smiled and picked her up onto his back and carried her back to the dinner hall like he always did. As soon as Arya and Jon got back to the dinner hall they saw Sansa making a beeline towards them.
“Looks like Sansa has some compliments for you” Jon said sarcastically.
Arya dismissed his mocking and turned the opposite way from Sansa.
Sansa called her name out and she tried to turn away.
“ARYA, Where were you? You were supposed to come to the tea party I was having after Septa’s lessons. I even had extra lemon cakes made.” Sansa said.
“Sorry Sansa but I had better things to do then to eat lemon cakes and talk about dresses”. Arya said back mocking Sansa in the process.
Jon let out a small laugh and received a deathly glare from Sansa , he then retreated to his spot next to Robb and sat down.
“Well you better come to the next one or else I’ll tell Mother.” Sansa said.
“No promises!” Arya said and quickly ran after Jon to sit in between him and Robb at the dinner table. Glad to be farther away from Sansa.
Sansa huffed and went to sit next to Jeyne Poole and the other girls. But Arya preferred sitting with her brothers. They would tell her stories of fights and adventures but when ever she asked Sansa or any of the other women in Winterfell they would tell her the same story of princesses marrying princes and living happily ever after, and their stories always seemed so predictable and boring.
When Theon came to the dinner table her brothers quickly lost their attention to her story and started listening to Theon’s latest lie of his nightly dabbling with women. Arya was starting to get bored and no one seemed to pay attention to her so she took a spoonful of her pigeon pie and launched it right at Sansa’s face. All the boys started laughing while Sansa was freaking out as Jeyne wiped her face. Arya’s father let out a small chuckle before her mother gave a small glare at him. Arya was sent to her room as usual and waited there for Jon to come and meet her like he always did when she was in trouble. When Arya heard a knock on the door she thought it was Jon but instead it was her father.
“I’m sorry! But Sansa keeps on yelling at me and I only did it to get her back! And I’ll apologize tomorrow!” Arya said.
Her father let out a sigh “Arya you can’t keep torturing your sister like this. It is not fair to her and you know it”.
Arya thought of this as an opportunity to bargain. “I will stop torturing Sansa and I will go to her stupid tea parties if you let me practice sword fighting and archery with Jon, Robb, and Bran.”
Her father immediately let out a laugh and agreed with her terms and then left her room.
Arya was so excited she finally would be getting to practice with Jon instead of stitching with Sansa.
Arya opened her window and climbed out of her room and into Jon and Robb’s room, which was directly below hers. Jon always opened the window at night because he knew she liked to climb into his room and sleep next to him. As Arya climbed into her brothers’ room she saw Jon and Robb arguing with Theon about who was more attractive. Arya eager to get in on the fight started screaming that Jon was the best looking, which made her brothers and Theon burst into a laugh.
“Arya you are barely even a girl you don’t know what’s attractive and what’s a log.” Theon said still laughing.
“Yeah I do, I hear Sansa talk about boys all the time. Plus Jon is the best at sword fighting” Arya said back.
Jon smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. Jon whispered in her ear thank you while Robb and Theon still were laughing.
When Theon finally left Arya climbed into bed with Jon and fell asleep in his arms, where she felt the most at home.