Game Of Thrones... With A Twist

A Game of Thrones - Chapter 8

<Minutes later, Tower of the Hand, The Red Keep, King's Landing, The Crownlands...>

Arya balanced on a single toe as she stood precariously upon the edge of the top stairs just before her father's office, a sight that Ned was amused to see when he came by the girl's strange stance.

Noticing her father observe her with a raised eyebrow, the girl spoke, "Syrio says a water dancer can stand on one toe for hours." 

Ned although had a different comment. "It's a hard fall down these steps."

Arya glanced at the steps before regaining her concentration, "Syrio says every hurt is a lesson and every lesson makes you better." Was the girl's response to possible harm. 

Dropping her stance, the girl turned to look at her father properly, "Tomorrow I'm going to be chasing cats." The girl told her father. "Cats? Syrio says." Ned asked somewhat amusedly at the girl's enthusiasm for learning the sword arts.

"He says every swordsman should study cats. They're as quiet as shadows and as light as feathers. You have to be quick to catch them." The girl reported to her father with pride at what she was learning. 

"He's right about that." Ned remarked as he turned to leave, but Arya had a question of her own.

"Now that Bran's awake, will he come live with us?" She asked. 

Ned looked at Arya a bit before he spoke, "Well, he needs to get his strength back first." "He wants to be a Knight of the Kingsguard. He can't be one now, can he?" Arya asked her father.

The man looked down before he answered, "No yet. One day, but not yet." 

Arya sat down as her father came and sat with her, placing the large tome he carried in hand upon his lap as he spoke, "But one day, he could be lord of a holdfast, or sit on the King's Council. Or he might raise castles like Brandon the Builder." He told her, knowing that it would take his son five long years before his legs were strong enough to support him once again.

"Can I be lord of a holdfast?" Arya asked her father timidly. 

Ned chucked a bit at her innocence as he lightly kissed his daughter on the forehead before he spoke, "You will marry a high lord and rule his castle. And your sons shall be knights and princes and lords." He told her, wondering what she would think.

"No. That's not me." Arya told her father before she stood up and walked to the top shelf before balancing on her toe once more. 

Ned looked at her before a fond smile came onto his face, reminded of another particular wild girl in his family that he had once called sister...

<Two nights later, Top of the Wall, The Wall, The Gift (Brandon's Gift)...>

Jon watched the lands beyond the Wall through the darkness of the night as the cold winds howled, his eyes peeled for any signs of trouble and in slight wonder at one day ranging across those woodlands and forests himself.

The shuffling of feet on snow alerted him to someone else approaching him... and that someone turned out to be Samwell Tarly.

The fat young lord tried to smile as he spoke, "Hello. Ser Alliser said I'm to be your new watch partner. I should warn you... I don't see all that well." 

Jon felt his patience at Ser Alliser Thorne whittle even further as the man had literally stuck him with a lad who didn't have any fighting experience nor training, he was a bloody craven for gods sakes.

Sighing to himself, the young baseborn Stark spoke, "Come stand by the fire. It's warmer." 

"No, that's all right. I'm fine." Sam replied somewhat modestly... only to meet Jon's blunt statement. "You're not. You're freezing."