Seven hells why is everyone trying to kill my father? "So is the Lady Shireen. Although she just wants the Iron Throne; thinks it's her right or what have you. What's your reason for wanting his head?" I changed my voice to sound more like a soldier. Revealing my true identity to a Stark would be a terrible idea.
"A head for a head. A life for a life. To avenge my family." There was a fire in her eyes. This girl was a wild soul. The Starks weren't mentioned often during my days as Prince, but I knew the rumors of wolf blood. This Arya was definitely blood of the wolf.
"From what I hear you're supposed to be dead," I grunted.
"Supposed to be. But I'm not. You supposed to be looking for someone?" She gestured towards the camp where Shireen was shouting angrily at the knights who were supposed to be guarding me.
"ARE YOU DAFT? FIND THE FUCKING PRINCE!" Shireen stormed off, black skirts billowing like the darkness of her heart.
Next thing I knew, Arya's blade was at my throat. She had stolen it back while I was distracted. "The Prince?" She hissed. "Guess I'm not the only one who's supposed to be dead."
"I suppose I should be used to this by now," I sighed wearily.
"Now I could release you back to her, or I could keep you as my own bargaining chip. But now what's that in your pocket?" Arya reached into my pocket and pulled out the letter. While she was skimming over it, I wrenched myself from her grasp and turned over the raven cage, spilling them all out in a frenzy. Arya's line of sight was blurred just long enough for me to spook the horses and cause a bigger distraction. Then I grabbed her and ran.
"What the HELL are you doing?!" She yelled. "Put me down!" The wolf girl kicked and yelled and tried to beat me with her sword, but I kept running. I ran until I hit the spot that had haunted my sleep for years. The place where I saw my mother die.
I set Arya down and clamped a hand over her mouth. "Shut up and let me explain. You're not the first person to want to use me as a bargaining chip. Shireen was going to kill me unless my father gave up the Throne. If she saw you, she would use you too."
She crossed her arms. "Why didn't you just leave me then?"
"I know that nothing I can say or do will undo the sins of the King or bring our families back from the dead. A life for a life, Arya, just as you said. I spared you, now you must spare my father."
Arya scoffed. "Absolutely not. Besides, why do you care? After your mother died he never cared about you."
Her words stung, but they were true. "He's my father, Arya. I love him, despite of everything. He loved his Isabel with a love I've never seen. They were far from perfect, but they were mine to love and look up to. I can only hope someone will love me the way my mother loved Joffrey, despite all the things he's done."
Arya kicked at the dirt stubbornly. "Whatever, Eyan. We need to make camp for the night. There's no way we'll get to King's Landing without light."
"Shireen will be looking everywhere for me! There's no way we can make camp!" I looked around to see if anyone had managed to find my tracks.
"We'll take turns standing guard. Promise not to run?" Arya gave me a look and I wondered why she was trusting me, or why I was trusting her for that matter.
"Promise not to kill me in my sleep?" I gestured to the sword.
Arya laughed. "Promise. Goodnight, Eyan."
"Goodnight, Arya."
