The Game of Thrones

ARYA I

She frantically ran into her childhood bed chamber and locked the door as she took a minute to catch her breath. Her heart was beating out of her chest as she closed her eyes to take deep breaths. She walked over to her wooden nightstand where she always kept a little bucket of water in case she got thirsty in the middle of the night. She splashed some of it on her face to remove some of the blood and dirt that had accumulated during the battle. Running her fingers through her messy hair, she walked over to the tiny mirror she had in the room — she never cared for how she looked like Sansa.

I am nothing like Sansa, she remembered always telling her father as he smiled. She smiled at the memory as she turned to look at herself in the mirror. Her clothes were slightly torn and covered in blood and dirt as she stared at herself in the mirror. However, what stared back was not what she expected: her normal self, but with bright blue eyes. Those icy, dead eyes she knew so well. That of a White Walker.

Arya was shaken out of the nightmare by the sound of Gendry's voice screaming next to her on their makeshift bed that was hard on the icy ground. As she shot up, she was met with a pair of glowing gold eyes inches away from her face.

"What the seven hells is that thing?" Gendry exclaimed as he backed away, but Arya smiled. Gendry looked at her as if she was mad, but she knew who it was.

"Nymeria!" Arya said as she reached to pet her old direwolf's face. The grey wolf licked her as she continued to smile. "What are you doing here? What about your pack?"

Arya watched as Nymeria turned her head to the outside of the tent. She brought them here. Arya looked at her old friend as she asked that exact question, "You brought them here, old girl?"

The wolf licked her face again as if she was agreeing with the statement.

Gendry looked from her to the large direwolf standing in front of them with concern and obvious confusion. "W-what — w-who—"

Arya laughed; she totally forgot Gendry was sitting right next to her. "This," Arya started as she looked from her lover to her direwolf, "is Nymeria. She's my direwolf I adopted when I was a little girl."

Gendry's worried expression didn't change. "Oh — that's totally normal," he said sarcastically. "And what of this 'pack' you mentioned?"

"Nymeria accompanied me and my family to King's Landing when my father was serving as Hand of the King to your father. The vicious idiot Joffrey challenged my friend to a duel and when I stepped in to help my friend, Nymeria came to defend me and bit the precious prince. She was sentenced to death, so I let her go to save her life," Arya started as she didn't take her eyes off her wolf as she petted her.

"Okay — that's great. But how does that have to do with a pack?"

"If you'd let me finish," Arya barked back, but her expression faded to smile again. "I was traveling back to Winterfell when I saw her again. She had become the alpha of a wolfpack there. When I asked her to come home with me, she left with her pack. I was heartbroken, but — maybe she's come back now. Maybe her and her pack are back to help us in this war."

Gendry nodded his head. "We first had Ghost and now Nymeria with her entire pack. I like our odds better."

Arya laughed as she uncovered herself from the furs and stood up to get dressed for the day.

"I want to see Nymeria's pack and get some air before today," Arya stated to Gendry. It was not a request — Gendry learned Arya always did what she wanted. He nodded his head as Arya finished dressing.

"Come on girl," Arya said to Nymeria as they exited the tent quietly.

When they stepped outside, they were met with hundreds of wolves standing around the camp. Arya let out a breath of surprise, but she was not scared.