The Game of Thrones

ARYA III

"High," Arya called out, slashing at Daenerys' head. The training swords clashed as Dany parried.

"Left," she shouted, and her blade came whistling. But Daenerys' darted to meet it. She is learning.

Arya had been thoroughly enjoying teaching the Queen to wield a sword because it reminded her of her days with Syrio Forel. "Right," she said, and "Low," and "Left" again, faster and faster, as Daenerys started pushing her towards the wall of the castle yard.

"Lunge," Arya warned, and when she trusted towards her, the Queen sidestepped and swept her blade away. Arya smiled as Daenerys slashed her sword at her shoulder, almost touching her. Much better. A strand of hair fell in front of the Queen's face, matted with sweat and dirt, but she pushed it away with the palm of her hand as she smiled wildly back.

"Left," she ordered. "Low. Left. High. Left. Right. Low. Left!"

The wooden blade caught Daenerys high in the breast, and Arya knew there would be a bruise there later that night.

Arya stepped back. "You are dead now," she snickered.

Daenerys' face filled with rage. "YOU CHEATED!" she exclaimed in her defense. "You said left and you went right!"

"So, I did. And now you are a dead girl."

"But you lied!"

"My words lied. My eyes shouted the truth, but you were not seeing," Arya repeated the words Syrio Forel said to her in this exact moment.

"I was so!" Daenerys protested passionately. "I watched you every second!"

"Watching is not seeing, dead girl. The seeing — the true seeing — that is the heart of swordplay," she said as she was transported back to training in King's Landing as a little girl.

However, Daenerys' voice pulled her out of the memory. "And now I will have this — this — bruise!"

Arya raised her eyebrows. "My first teacher always told me every bruise is a lesson, and every lesson makes us better."

She glared. "I am your Queen. What you did is punishable by death."

"Oh, is it?" Arya asked as she circled Daenerys with her sword out. "I thought you were here to learn to wield a sword."

"I am!"

"Then you are not the Queen here, you are my student; just as I was once a student, and so was Jon," she said as she motioned to Jon sitting in the corner observing them.

Dany rolled her eyes in defeat.

Arya sighed. The Queen is difficult. "I will tell you a secret, Daenerys Targaryen. When I started, I was no better than you. But I practiced every day, and I learned the art of seeing. So now when I face stronger and faster opponents, I always conquer."

"And the fact you trained as a Faceless Man," she pointed out.

Arya smiled. "This is true. But you are not meant for that training; you are our Queen. And I also think Jon would murder me if I tried."

"And what would I be murdering my sister for?" Jon called out as he crossed the lawn.

"For making her into a Faceless Man."

Jon made a face. "Aye, I don't think I want my wife to be a faceless assassin. Her face is too pretty for that," he said as he gently caressed Daenerys' cheek as she smiled.

"Seven hells," Arya groaned. After all this time, they still look at each other like there's no one else in this world. I wonder if I could have had that with Gendry if I only asked...