ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ ʟɪᴠᴇs ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʙᴏɴᴇs

[wolfchild]

[ She stumbles into snow. The cold slices into her. Soaked, filthy, with travel-stained clothes turned almost to rags on her skinny frame and matted, tangled hair only just growing out again, she looks little like a girl, much less like the missing younger Stark daughter.

She sniffles and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. Her face is uncomfortably hot yet she's freezing. Her shivering near knocks her off her feet as she clambers up the steps. ]

My mother…

[ Arya feels her eyes fill with tears. She was going to find her mother and her brother. She was almost home. It wasn't fair. ]

Comments

[wolfchild]

…I guess it is.

[ She doesn't know what frightens her more: the absolute control this place has over her or that it can send her back any moment. ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[He finds it very unsettling the castle can do this, but more unsettling about what could have been happening to her. He's really starting to think this is why he's here. Either by the castle's doing or the Man in the Moon's. If there's one thing the kids in this place need, it's a Guardian]

Who was trying to kill you?

[wolfchild]

Whoever wasn't trying to ransom me.

[ Were he a man, she would not tell him. Last thing she needs is anyone here thinking her valuable and trying to use her too. But what can a rabbit expect? ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[Nothing at all, certainly not a one who would only protect her]

They were trying to random you?

[wolfchild]

Back to my family. My brother is king. They wanted gold for me.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[A princess, huh]

Then they're not worth the air they're breathing. Using an ankle-biter like that. How far are you from home? I'd of thought a king could get his sister home safe. [Wow, does he want to just go into Westeros and kick some ass right now]

[wolfchild]

[ call her that and feel her wrath ]

Not when he's fighting a war. [ Also difficult when he. You know. Dies. ] I'm not getting home.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[He would not dare]

Oh. [Yep. Got to break into that place and teach them how they're supposed to treat their children] I'm sorry, kid. Isn't there anyone who can help you? This is exactly the sort of thing I would deal with myself.

[wolfchild]

[ She'd trusted Jaqen, but he left. Harwin should have helped her as her father's man, but he also did nothing. The Lightning Lord was a dead man. She'd trusted Gendry and Hot Pie to stay with her and they both left her as soon as they could. The one person who could help her is bound to the Wall. ]

No.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

What sort of world leaves an ankle-biter with no one to turn to but herself?

[It's not fair, and it's certainly not right. Maybe if his tunnels couldn't get there, North's snowglobes could. Hell, he could petition the Man in the Moon, even. If he's trapped here, the guy OWES him one anyway]

If I can find a way to fix it, I will. I promise you that.

[wolfchild]

[ That makes her stop and look at him. ]

No one can fix it. Not even the gods can.

[ So what hope could you have, rabbit? ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

[So much, you wouldn't believe. Bunny is the king of lost causes. The thing that keeps going no matter what, even when everything has crumbled to nothing. After all, he's the Guardian of Hope for a reason]

You'd be surprised what I can fix, little brumby. Don't give up on hope just yet. [He'll offer her a smile] You look like a right little fighter to me anyway. Bet you don't take anything lying down.

[wolfchild]

That just means I'm not dead yet.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

And you'll have a lot more time to live, too. If you can survive a place like that, it means there's something special inside you. Something no one can beat down.

[wolfchild]

You don't know me. You don't know what I've done.

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

No, I don't. But I've got a good eye for survivors. And you're one of those, deadset.

[wolfchild]

How do you know?

[ She sniffles. She rubs the base of her palm against her forehead where the ache feels worst. ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

Because I'm a survivor myself. [He offers her an encouraging smile] And it takes one to know one.

[wolfchild]

Are the towers mostly empty still? Do you know?

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

In the castle? [He looks back to the building in question] Pretty sure they are. Why?

[wolfchild]

To get one.

[ She trudges to the castle. A hot bath and a ton of blankets. Maybe some soup. With lots of vegetables and meat. That's all she wants. ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

A tower all to yourself? [He'll chuckle a little, walking with her] That might be a tall order, little brumby.

[wolfchild]

I bet I could get one if I wanted.

[ Once in the lobby, she pauses to reacquaint herself with it. Picking the closest stairwell, she heads for it. ]

[thatrabbitsdynamite]

That's dead set. You've got enough blue in you, you probably could. [He's sticking with her. Unless she dismisses him, he'll be keeping an eye on her]

[wolfchild]

[ At the first door with a blank nameplate she finds, she looks over her shoulder at him. ]

Are you going to keep following me?