Aurelia cursed under her breathe as she ran around the halls of the Red Keep. She was about to spend the afternoon in the training field working on her newfound skills in wielding a dagger, when she was informed of the news that Arya has not been seen since she broke her fast that very same morning. Aurelia stopped everything she was about to do in search of her younger sister. Somehow, she knew deep down that Arya was not missing on her own intention, but that did not ease her gentle heart. The Capital is full of scheming dangerous people, and as far as Arya can protect herself, it may not be enough to save her own life. None of them wanted a repeat of what happened in the Kingsroad.
She had been at it for hours, commanding a small part of the Stark's guards over on the other side of the castle. Their search was discreet, not wanting for the Queen and King to be involved as it will turn into a major affair that Ned wishes to avoid. If Arya had been lost in Winterfell, they would have found her in an hour. The stronghold of the Starks was nothing compared to the Red Keep, but it was everything to Aurelia. Leaving home was as if she was leaving a part of herself behind. She would have known where to look if Arya had gone missing back at home, and she would not be as anxious as she was because the Starks would always be safe behind the walls of their home.
It reminded Aurelia of when she ran away from Winterfell to escape from the chaos back home for a few moments of peace with herself. This must have been what her parents felt when they heard she was nowhere to be found since the chamber maid came to wake her up, and found her bed empty and unmade. Did Robb endured just the same when he was informed that his twin sister was missing? She never asked him that before. All she knew was Robb scoured every inch of Winterfell while their father went to search for her in the Wolfswood, until the boy remembered of the place he brought her once when they went out take their horses for a ride. That place became her sanctuary ever since, and it was Robb who led the search party with their father following behind. But Aurelia went home unscathed; she only hopes that Arya would be the same.
The eldest Stark girl has reminded her younger sisters numerous times of how dangerous venturing outside the palace walls alone would be. Sansa listened but she never intended to do such a thing, finding herself perfectly content to stay within the castle and explore it with their Septa. Aurelia knew that Arya would be harder to teach. The two were more alike than it appears to be, save for how soft Aurelia's heart can be. Arya was a true Northerner whom spends the days knowing no fear and no bounds. Despite all that, Aurelia thought that Arya would still be able to listen to her and understand that she was saying was for the best. Aurelia only wanted to protect her sisters. Her family has always been a priority to her, and being married to a Lannister changes nothing.
A later after that, Jory came running to her, informing Aurelia that they found a small gate at the back of the castle. It was usually unattended, but there was no harm in trying if Arya may pass through there. The back gates were difficult to find, and they had to pass through a dark narrow passage to reach it. Even Aurelia had no knowledge of such a place until Jory spoke of it.
Two men from the City Watch stood guard when Arya arrived. The back gates were by a large courtyard. If anyone had gone further, they would reach the streets of Kings Landing where beggars and merchants find home in the streets.
"Off with you. No begging." One of the guards dismissed Arya Stark, mistaking her for a street urchin and not the the highborn lady that she is.
"I'm not a beggar, I live here." Arya exclaimed, trying to get inside the castle. It didn't seem as easy as it was in Arya's mind. She supposed it was due to her appearance. Her once pristine white tunic top was now smeared in dirt from chasing the cat she found in the castle and to the dungeons below. Arya had explored further, and found her way out from a cave on the shores of Kings Landing.
"D'you want a smack in the ear to help you with your hearing?" The guard scolded in return, not believing a single word Arya was saying.
"I want to see my father." Arya stated, getting irritated that the guards doesn't know who she is. She wasn't backing down for a second.
"And I want to fuck the Queen, for all the good it does me." The second guard said, earning a laugh from the first one but Arya did not share the same humor.
"You want your father, boy?" The first guard asked, "He's lying on the floor of some tavern, getting pissed on by his friends."
"My father is Hand of the King! I'm not a boy, I'm Arya Stark of Winterfell and if you lay a hand on me, my father will have both your heads on spikes! Now are you going to let me by or do I have to smack you on the ear to help with your hearing?" Arya shouted boldly, stunning the guards in silence.
Aurelia descended down the flight of stairs to the front courtyard where the black gates were located, with Jory by her side. Her eyes looked around, but it was Jory who found her first. He could spot Arya anywhere, even if she is covered in dirt or her hair looks disheveled and different. Jory can discern any of the Stark children whatever they look; he has been part of their lives ever since they were born. He's protected them ever since, and cared them as if they were his own younger sisters.
"Over there, my Lady." Jory pointed out to the side, and Aurelia could see a small girl standing across two armed guards. She knew in an instant that was Arya.
"Arya Stark!" Aurelia shouted her sister's name, and if it were not for the tone she was using, Arya would have been happy to see her sister in order to proof the guards wrong.
"Do you know the boy, Lady Lannister?" One of the guards spoke after he bowed their heads to greet Aurelia. She would have said something about calling her by that title, but now was not the time. "He claims to be Arya Stark." The guards added full of confidence that the child standing in front of them was nothing more than a helpless beggar living in the slums of the city.
"That boy is my sister, and she is speaking the truth!" Aurelia exclaimed, as Arya began to walk to where she stood and grabbed her hand. Aurelia dragged her sister away with Jory following behind, as they went back to the castle towards the main entrance.
"Why would you never listen to me? How many times have I told you you are not safe outside the walls of the castle? This isn't Winterfell, you cannot roam around to your hearts desire." Aurelia scolded her, as they entered the Tower of the Hand.
"But they said they were going to kill father!" Arya exclaimed, roughly pulling her hand away from Aurelia's hold.
"What? Who did?" Aurelia asked her, as she stopped in her tracks and so did Arya and Jory. Her heart started to thump rapidly as she grew anxious over what Arya said. She didn't want to believe her, and cannot even fathom where Arya would hear such an accusation. However, she also knows that Arya is no liar. Even if she did lie, she would never lie about such a thing.
"Not here, my Lady. There are too many watchful eyes." Jory advised them, and Aurelia agreed with him as the three of them continued to walk to Ned's study.
Jory opened the door for them both as Arya reluctantly walked inside. Ned straightened his back as he sat down on his chair upon seeing his two daughters, and the simultaneous feeling of relief and anger washed over him. Arya stood across from Ned's desk, with Aurelia standing not far behind.
"You know I had half my guard searching for you? You got your sister worried, and you promised me this would stop!" Ned scolded her daughter,
"They said they were going to kill you!" Arya shot back, repeating the same words she told Aurelia.
"Who did?" Ned questioned,
"I didn't see them, but I think one is fat." Arya told his father, exchanging looks between him and Aurelia, but Ned didn't take Arya's words seriously.
"Oh, Arya," Ned sighed as his fingers touched the bridge of his nose, appearing tired of hearing Arya's reasons.
"They said you found the bastard, and the wolves are fighting the lions and the savage...something about the savage." Arya cried out, trying to persuade her father to listen to her because she was not joking. Ned immediately tensed up, and finally considered Arya's words to be serious.
Aurelia had been worried the second Arya claimed someone wants their father killed. Her posture stiffened upon hearing the words wolves and lions; sigils of House Stark and House Lannister. Aurelia wondered if they were fighting, because as far as she knows they weren't. Their houses may never had a pleasant relationship, but they were not enemies.
"Where did you hear this?" Aurelia asked her sister, as Ned and Arya turned their heads to face her.
"In the dungeons, near the dragon skulls." Arya explained with a low voice,
"What were you doing the dungeons?" Aurelia continued to questioned, but this time Arya broke eye contact with her sister for a moment as her eyes lowered down below before looking up at her again, as if afraid to answer her.
"Chasing a cat." Arya said, and Ned rolled his eyes at her daughter's antics.
Before he could say anything else, a knock came and Jory opened the door to reveal himself.
"Pardon, my Lord. There's a night's watchmen here begging a word. He says it's urgent." Jory informed Ned, and he nodded his head. Ned got up from his seat and stood by next to Arya, resting his hands on her small shoulders. Aurelia then decided to walk and stand beside her father.
"Your name, friend." Ned asked politely, as the man from the Night's Watch entered the room.
"Yoren, if it pleases." The man said,
Aurelia thought that he looks to be the embodiment of how people of the Night's Watch stereotypically appears to be. His black hair stopped short over her his shoulders, just like Jon Snow's was when he left Winterfell. His height was the same as Ned's, and he was clad in a black outfit from head to toe, placing a firm clutch on the pommel of his sword.
"This must be your son, and your eldest daughter. They both have your looks." Yoren pointed out to the girls standing beside Ned.
"I'm a girl!" Arya angrily corrected him, as she was tired of constantly being mistaken for a boy.
"Did Benjen send you?" Ned asked, and Aurelia could hear the worry in his voice.
"No one sent me, my Lord." Yoren replied, and Ned's expression slightly faltered. "I'm here to find men for the Wall. See if there's any scum in the dungeons that might be fit for service." He continued,
"Ah, we'll find recruits for you." Ned assured him with smile, resting his other arm against Aurelia's shoulder blades.
"Thank you, my Lord. But that is not why I disturb you now." Yoren explained, "Your brother, Benjen; his blood runs black. Makes him as much as brother as yours. It's for his sake I rode here so hard I damn near killed my horse. There are others riding too. The whole city will know it by tomorrow."
"Know what?" Ned asked of him,
"Best said in private, my Lord." Yoren said, and Aurelia feared that something bad had occurred.
Ned gave Arya a kiss on the forehead, and nudged her to go to Jory.
"Go on. We'll talk more later." Ned said to his youngest daughter, and Arya walked away.
"Come on, my Lady. You heard your father." Jory said, taking told of Arya's hand.
"You as well." Ned said to Aurelia when he faced her, but she just stood there. She wanted to hear what Yoren has to say. If something happened to Jon Snow or Uncle Benjen, she deserves to know as well.
"Aurelia..." Ned spoke her name. Her eyes looked down to her feet, before bringing them up once more to meet her father's eyes. She knew that she shouldn't disobey him, which is why she nodded her head and reluctantly walked away from the study. "Take them both safely to their rooms." Ned ordered Jory, and the Captain of the Stark guards need not to be told twice.
Jory took hold of Arya's hand, and wrapped his free arm around Aurelia's back as the three began to walk out. Aurelia and Arya turned their heads around as they moved forwards, with Yoren closing the door behind. Both of them didn't want to leave their father.
"How many guards does my father have?" Arya asked Jory,
"You're in Kings Landing, fifty my Lady." Jory informed her, as they continued to walk away from Ned's study.
"You wouldn't let anyone kill him would you?" Arya asked, and Aurelia's expression changed once she heard the question. She wanted to deny Arya's words before, but a part of her knew she was telling the truth. Arya may misbehave sometimes, but she was no liar. She understands not to lie when it comes to family. Despite Ned being surrounded by 50,000 men most loyal to him, Aurelia cannot help but fear for her father's life.
"No fear on that count, little Lady." Jory assured her, and Aurelia hoped it to be true.
They went to Arya's chambers first, and Aurelia had Jory wait for her outside as she wishes to speak to Arya on her own. They haven't spent time with one another ever since they reached the Capital, and Aurelia misses her sister. Arya used to run away from Septa Mordane to find her, begging Aurelia to hide her and there were times where Aurelia would.
Arya sat down on the trunk in front of her bed with a sullen look on her face. Aurelia noticed the thin sword Jon had given her that Arya calls Needle, laying down atop her unmade bed, fully covered in its equally thin scabbard.
"Have you been practicing with that?" Aurelia pointed to the sword, and Arya turned her head to see the most significant object in her life.
"No..." Arya replied sadly, "Syrio doesn't allow me to practice with it. I've only been using wooden swords for training, no matter how many times I tell him I'm ready to use a real blade."
"Well, Syrio is right." Aurelia said as she sat down beside her. "Jory wouldn't allow me to even touch a real sword until long after my training began." She recalled,
"But I want to be as good you." Arya exclaimed, and Aurelia let out a smile.
"You're going to be better than me." Aurelia told her sternly, and Arya nodded her head.
"Why did you give it all up? I haven't seen you touch a bow and arrow ever since we got here." Arya asked of her, and Aurelia wasn't sure what to say to her.
"I didn't give it all up...I still very much would like to fire an arrow to practice my skills. But, we've come to a dangerous place, Arya. I cannot do as I please here; it isn't home."
"But I have been doing my dancing lessons. Why can't you do the same?" Arya questioned,
"Because I am married now. Things are not the same as they used to be. I have to preserve a good behaviour in my duty as a Lady, as Ned Stark's daughter, and as Jaime Lannister's wife." Aurelia explained to her, even though she was certain that Arya would disagree with everything she has to say. "I cannot train freely without people watching. Don't you wonder why we call your training 'dancing lessons'?"
"But I don't want to be a Lady! I want to be a warrior. I want to fight. I don't want to become Sansa who only cares about chivalrous knights and getting married. Who wants to be Queen anyway?" Arya complained out of annoyance, and Aurelia cannot help but chuckle lightheartedly.
She wrapped her arm around Arya's shoulder, pulling her sister closer to her. "Sansa has her own hopes and dreams, and you have your own. All you have to do is focus on yours." Aurelia told her,
"Do you enjoy being a Lady?" Arya asked her,
"It's not entirely awful, you know." Aurelia replied her, and that was the truth. As much as she love practicing archery and her dagger, Aurelia has accepted her unchangeable role as a Lady in this world, and she is learning how to use that title as her power and shield. "You will learn how to become one."
"And what if I don't want to? I'm not going to be a Lady. " Arya stated with assertiveness,
"She is more brave than I could ever be." Aurelia thought to herself, and she admired her sister more because of that. "Well then, the world better be prepared for Arya Stark." She told her,
"Mother is going to hate me for it." Arya said,
"She could never, Arya. She loves you no matter what it is that you do." Aurelia said,
"But the two of you fought when you wanted to learn how to use a bow and arrow. You even manage to run away." Arya remembered at the incident that brought the entire Winterfell into a chaotic state.
"And it only brought more distress to mother and father, and everyone else that went looking for me." Aurelia told her, "But in the end, we found a solution did we not? Mother will support you in what it is that you want to do, and she will love you for it. As will, father."
"He's in danger is he not? Now that someone wants to kill him." Arya asked, her tone laced with a worry of her own. Aurelia had almost forgotten about it, and the concern arrived inside her once more.
"Don't say that." Aurelia chided her, not wanting to hear such dangerous words against their father. She worries about her father on matters such as how exceedingly difficult it was for him to make a decision on not only leaving his wife and his sons, but to separate half of the pack thousands of leagues away. Then came the duty as Hand of the King; a job that was more complex than Ned had perceived it to be. On top of that, he has been trying his best to make all three of his daughters happy in the capital; a task exceedingly harder than being the Hand. But never has she worried about her father's life.
"Did you really hear someone say that?" She asked, afraid of what the answer would be.
"I didn't lie! I'm not sure who it was and I did." Arya told her sister,
"I know you're not a liar. Don't worry, I'll talk about it with father again." Aurelia assured her sister, "Now, will you listen to me this one time and be careful with where you are going?"
"I will. I'm sorry." Arya apologized to her sister,
"I know." Aurelia accepted Arya's apology, giving her a kiss on the forehead.
After she left, Jory escorted her to Aurelia's chambers despite it being quite a walk from the Hands Tower. Aurelia wouldn't have it any other way, as she was afraid of walking inside the castle all on her own now that she figures someone is trying to kill her father.
"Are you alright, my Lady?" Jory asked her, as they neared her chambers. He had been glancing to his side to find worry etched across Aurelia's face, and notice how uncharacteristically quiet she was being.
"Just worried. I seem to find myself doing that nowadays." Aurelia replied him, though she was unsure if such words were enough to put her thoughts into words.
"Is it anything I can help you with?" Jory asked her, and Aurelia smiled at his kindness.
"I'm afraid not, Jory." Aurelia replied him, "Unless you can assure me that we are safe in the city, even within these castle walls."
Jory stayed silent afterwards, knowing that lying to Aurelia would be of no use.
"You must be tired of protecting me all these years. I rarely listen to my father's words, and it appears that Arya is doing the same, and yet I am the one who scolded her." Aurelia confided,
"You know better than to go against your Lord Father, my Lady. Arya will soon understand that, and it may be for the best that she hears it from you." Jory said, understanding the Stark girls more than he lets on. They were three distinct girls, but Jory could see that they also harbor some similar personalities. They were raised together, taught together, and the Northern blood runs through their veins.
"What did we ever do to deserve you, Jory?" Aurelia questioned with a bright smile, as they stopped in front of the her chamber doors. He was the reason as to why she could use a dagger in the first place, he made no complaints when Aurelia takes an hour of his time every few days in order for her parents to allow her to venture out onto the hill she loves; he comforted Aurelia when he heard that she was to be married, knowing fully well that she did not want to. Most importantly, he genuinely cares about her wellbeing.
"The honor is all mine to be able to serve House Stark." Jory told her, "I would not trade it for anything else."
"You will protect my father, right? No matter the cost?" Aurelia questioned him, despite knowing the answer. But she needed to hear it from him, hoping that it'll perhaps ease her worries.
"I will protect your father and your sisters, including you as well, my Lady." Jory assured her with a smile, and Aurelia believed that to be true.