State of Grace / Ned Stark

22. Make Me Your Villain

"Grace-"

"Fuck you-" Grace corrected. 

"Talk to me, I didnt mean to-"

"Call me a killer?" Grace questioned. 

"Grace please, Arya is missing and I can't have you hating me while I'm worried about her." Ned begged. Grace stopped walking. 

"Arya is missing?" Grace countered and Ned saw the concern in her eyes, how could he ever ask her- to insinuate such things? Because Varys led him to believe it but maybe he didnt mean Grace, but Lannisters. A lannister always pays their debts. Damnit he was a fool. Varys was wrong, Ned was not a smart man he was a fool. 

"I have half my guards out looking for her." Ned agreed. 

"I will help." Grace whispered her shoulders slumping. 

"Grace-"

"I still hate you." Grace assured. "But Arya didnt do anything wrong." 

"Thank you." Ned rasped. 

Arya exited a tunnel outside of King's Landing, at the beach of Blackwater Bay. She headed to the city's gate but was stopped by two guards.

"Off with you. No begging."

"I'm not a beggar. I live here." Arya corrected sure she looked like a mess but she did live here.

"D'you want a smack on your ear to help you with your hearing?" The guard countered.

"I want to see my father." Arya demanded.

"I want to fuck the Queen, for all the good it does me."

"You want your father, boy? He's lying on the floor of some tavern, getting pissed on by his friends." the guards mused.

"My father is Hand of the King! I'm not a boy. I'm Arya Stark of Winterfell and if you lay a hand on me, my father will have both your heads on spikes! Now are you going to let me by or do I need to smack you on the ear to help with your hearing?" Arya declared and the men shared a look. 

"Tommen have you seen Arya?" 

"Yeah." Tommen agreed. 

"WHere?" Grace questioned with urgency. 

"Oh like recently?" TOmmen countered and Grace rolled her eyes. 

"Yes, recently, like today, this after noon?" Grace clarified. 

"Then... Nope." Tommen corrected. 

"Joffrey?"

"I have a question." Joffrey corrected. 

"Is if about Arya Stark?" Grace pondered. 

"No." Joffrey corrected. 

"Can it wait then?" Grace questioned. 

"No." Joffrey repeated. "Its a private talk." Joffrey added looking to Tommen. Grace knew where this was going. 

'Seven hells! What happened to you?" Ned bent down next to arya as he looked her over. Dirt covered her body, while her eyes held concern and worry. "You know I had half my guard out searching for you?" Ned questioned. "You had me in a panic. Arya, you promised this would stop." Ned sighed.

"They said they were going to kill you." Arya proclaimed clinging to Ned.

"Who did?' ned questioned confused as he stood up.

"I don't know. I didn't see them. But I think one was fat."

"Oh, Arya." Ned said shaking his head.

"I'm not lying. They said you found the bastard. And the wolves are fighting the lions and the savage. Something about a savage." Arya didn't know what any of it meant. Ned knew.