Lannister Blood

32 - Nightslayer

ONE YEAR LATER

Bear Island

I study the letter in my hands, staring at the simple words over and over again. The letter arrived by raven this morning. Despite my preparation for it, I'm not quite ready to accept that the time has finally arrived.

The march to the Wall has begun. We will wait for your arrival in Winterfell. Travel safe, sister, and guard the weapon with your life. Oh, and do try to play nice with the others.

- Tyrion Lannister, Hand of the King

"They've started their journey, I take it?" Arya asks, sitting beside me on the outside steps of Mormont Hall.

I hand her the small parchment and focus on the crashing waves down below. I adjust my furs, though I've grown quite used to the bitter cold. The smell of roasted venison emanates from the hall for dinner. It's been almost a year since we arrived in Bear Island and my mouth still waters at that smell. The meat is always perfectly tender. And though I miss the taste of wine, the ale provided is enough to satisfy an occasional night of drinking and forgetting.

I can feel Arya's eyes on me before she crumples the letter and tosses it aside. I raise an eyebrow at her.

"You hold onto every letter you receive," she says. "It's getting pathetic."

"Ah," I reply with a small smirk. "I reckon you're ready to be back home again, at least for a little while."

"I suppose." Arya shrugs. "Bear Island is no Winterfell, but I'll admit it's grown on me."

"You didn't have to come with me, you know."

"Like I would leave you here alone with the Red Woman and Gendry."

"And what's wrong with Gendry?" I ask in amusement. "He's been rather helpful in forging the weapon."

Arya's whole demeanor changes when we speak of Gendry. She tries to hide the light hiding behind her eyes but I know her far too well to be deceived.

"Gendry is arrogant," she says simply. "And a pain in the ass."

"Sounds like someone else I know."

"Yourself?"

I give her a look and she grins. After a moment of admiring the sea in silence, Arya speaks again, this time more gently.

"I know who you've really been wanting a letter from," she says. "But you were the one who told him to keep your relationship strictly business."

I don't bother lying about it. Arya and I promised to trust each other a long time ago.

"It's for the best." I sigh. "Robb is king now. He has a responsibility to the realm."

"It is rather strange that two of my siblings sit on thrones now." Her eyebrows furrow. "And another is the Three Eyed Raven."

I look around us.

"Where is Bran, anyway?"

"Inside," she says. "He's decided to spend the night alone."

Another moment of silence passes.

"It's strange," I say. "A part of me just wants this all to be over. But the other part of me..."

"You don't know where to go if we survive this."

I nod.

"With Jorah being the Lord of Bear Island," Arya says. "You could always-"