The Never-Ending Maze

Chapter 4: Caged

Arya

Sansa was still furious at Arya for "murdering" Lady. It wasn't even her fault though! Joffrey deserved to be bitten, tackled, and have Lion's Tooth, his sword, thrown into the Trident. And the Queen was the one who wanted punishment and thought killing Lady was fit for one. Truthfully, she shouldn't have died. Lady was only helping her sister, like what a good sister would do. Arya then imagined what would've happened if Nymeria was the one executed. She would feel like her other half of her would be gone. Nymeria wasn't with her anymore, but she could still feel her presence roaming around trying to make a life of her own.

When they broke their fast, Sansa and Arya ate without speaking a word to each other and not even sharing a glance with each other. Their father had told them to stop acting childish and that acting like this won't change anything. Bran had even tried to comfort Sansa, but she was angry at him too for not taking her side and for not being angry at Arya. Ned had tried to massage his temples, easing his headache, but it wouldn't work. Arya heard her father mutter to himself on how he was never able to handle the girls.

Now the two sisters were sitting next to each other with Bran and Septa Mordane, while Lord Stark was taking care of some business first. The sisters still acted the same way when they had broken their fast together. They usually acted like this with each other, but now there was actual hatred and coldness. Sansa had a reason not to like her sister and not just because she's not the sister she wanted. Arya didn't mind. She was paying attention to the joust now. She watched knights ride on horses with a lance in their hands trying to knock the other opponent off their horse. It was interesting to watch and she hoped Jory would win, only to be knocked off by Lothor Brune after three tilts. The joust went on without Jory Cassel and neither Harwin nor Alyn was able to continue. Arya grew bored when no one from Winterfell was competing anymore. There's no fun in rooting for someone you didn't know. So she decided to get up and leave. Maybe there were more exciting things going on in King's Landing. Arya always had a thirst for adventure.

"Arya, where are you going, dear?" Septa Mordane demanded of her in a polite manner.

"Nowhere," she answered rudely. Septa Mordane kept trying to call her back and reminded her quite well that she couldn't go off by herself.

"Wait until your father hears about this!" she threatened as Arya ran off in search for some adventure. It's not like her father will get overly angry at her for leaving. She can take care of herself just fine.

When she walked through King's Landing, Arya was glad she hadn't worn anything fancy or anything that made her look highborn, except for her hair. Her handmaiden put it into a complex, but beautiful braid. She had put her hair down though to fit among the small folk.

Arya took glances at everyone around her and wondered how their life was like. Then she began to ponder how her life would be like if she was one of them. Arya imagined it to be exciting, fun, and free. She can do whatever she wants, practice with Needle when she wants, be friends with who she likes, and go where it interested her. No one would stop her and she would be free of her cage.

Once she turned a corner, Arya spotted a black-haired boy with a sturdy build walking by. Steffon? What was he doing here, Arya asked herself.

She approached him, but he walked past her, not even looking at her. "Steffon?" she says while grasping to his forearm. "What are you-"

The boy had turned his head and looked down to meet her eyes. The boy definitely looked like the eldest Prince, but at the same time he wasn't. Her face started to feel hot, her face clearly showed she was flustered, and she let go of his arm. "I'm sorry," she rushed to say. "I thought you were someone else."

"Don't worry about it. It happens," he answers, his voice deep. He had the same black hair, square jawline, strong build, and blue eyes. Some ladies might even call him handsome. There were only certain things that made him look like he wasn't Steffon. His eyes didn't gleam and sparkle as it usually does when he's happy. The boy's hair was longer, not cut well, and just as messy as hers when it's all messed up. He even had scars and burns over his arms; and he sounded and looked serious, like he was no fun to be around. Other than these differences, he looks like he could be brothers with Steffon.

He continues to walk away and for some reason Arya felt the need to follow him. She wanted to know more about this boy. But once they turned another corner, he stopped abruptly. "Why are you following me?" The boy turned his head and got a look at her. "Do you want something?"

Arya shook her head. He sighed and approached her. He had to look down on her when he spoke to her. "I'm Gendry."

"Nymeria," she responded with the first name that came to her head. Arya didn't think she should say her real name since it's the same as the "Lady Arya Stark". "But my mother always called me Nan."

"Well then Nan, do you need food or are you lost?" Arya shook her head again. "Where's your mother?"

"Home," Nan answers.

"Where's home?" Gendry continued to interrogate her.

"North."

Gendry raised his eyebrows. "All the way up there? How'd you get so far south?"

"I work for the Starks. I serve one of the girls."

"Better head back to your lady then. Don't want to keep her waiting."

"Lady Arya is forgiving. She lets me do what I want while she does things on her own." Hearing "Lady Arya" come out of her lips sounded queer, like she wasn't her. She was "Nan" now and Nymeria is a different person.

Nymeria is nine and a lowborn handmaiden to Arya Stark. She overtook her mother's role when she grew ill and stayed in Winterfell doing other work. She doesn't know who her father is and has one older brother named Jon who took up the black. Arya made out the whole story in her head in case he had any questions.

"So, what are you doing?" Arya shrugged her shoulders. She was Nan, but what would she do now? Arya was no one now and she could do anything she wanted without anyone telling her she couldn't and that it wasn't ladylike of her.

"I was exploring King's Landing. I never got to until now."

Gendry had scoffed when she answered. "You really know nothing about this place. King's Landing is not safe for a little girl to run around and explore." Nan had yelled out when he mentioned "little girl". She was not a little girl anymore, but he kept on talking. "You'll be raped by the end of the day!" Gendry had to raise his voice so it could be heard above Arya's protests.

Nan was quiet afterwards. She would've said that she can take care of herself, but she was … regrettably small and in no shape to fend for herself against hungry, old men. "Where are you going?" she asked instead.

"I'm heading over to the Street of Steel. I work at a shop there."

"You're an armorer's apprentice?" He nodded and told her about a bull's helmet he had made. Gendry even promised to show her one day.

"I would love to see it," she told him when he promised her.

When they finally arrived to the shop, Arya had realized that it was the biggest shop on the street. The sun was setting though and Arya had to get back to the Red Keep.

"I'll come back to see this so called helm," Nan yelled when she ran away and Gendry had told her to watch herself and that the streets weren't safe. Arya had reassured him that she would be fine.

Arya was able to reach the Red Keep before it was too dark, but on her way to her room, Sansa had spotted her.

"Arya! Where have you been?" Sansa asked reluctantly. She looked like she still did not want to speak to her, but her duties came first before anything and unfortunately, her younger sister was one of them.

"Nowhere." She smiled to herself because "Arya" didn't go anywhere. Nan was with the armorer's apprentice, not Arya.

Sansa rolled her eyes and told Arya to at least clean herself and walked off to go to her quarters. Arya entered her own room and went to bed. She was no longer caged and stuck to being a lady. She could be a handmaiden and a lowborn named Nymeria. She even had a real friend and he doesn't have to call her m'lady because she isn't one. Arya smiled to herself before she fell asleep and was looking forward for the next day for the first time she had arrived in King's Landing.