Game of Thrones Imagines

The one that got away - Part 1

This will probably end up being another long imagine 😁 but I get these idea's and just need to run with them. I am contemplating making the eventual love interest a certain lord of bear island, but I will have to see how it plays out in my mind. For now though, I hope that you enjoy the introduction. And I would like to give a shout out to gallyseyebrowpencil, a young writer that has just started her first GoT book. A book that is well worth a read.😃

Arya walked the corridors of the Red Keep. She felt as though she had been looking for (Y/n) for hours. The youngest female Stark knowing that if her oldest sister didn't want to be found, it was going to be a hard thing to do to actually find her.

"Where are you (Y/n)?" Arya asked with a heavy sigh as she leaned against the wall. The young woman's eyes focusing on the panes of glass in the large window, as the rain outside ran down them like a river.

"(Y/n)!" Arya suddenly exclaimed, as she finally saw a drenched figure sat on a bench in the gardens. The shaking woman outside causing Arya to make her way to the doors and venture out into the storm.

"(Y/n). What are you doing out here? We have to get you inside." Arya told her, as she tried to pull (Y/n) up and take her inside. (Y/n) not seeming to notice, or care that she was soaked to the bone.

"I don't want to be here, Arya. I should never have agreed to come. I know that father needs help with you and Sansa, but this was a bad idea. I would rather be in the north. I would rather be with mother and Robb. With Bran and Rickon. I would rather be at the Wall with Jon than here pretending to have to be a lady. Dressed in stupid gowns and having to sew. It's not me. And I am sure that mother and father want to marry me off while we are here. To be a bride before Sansa is. But I'm not going to do it. And you have to help me." (Y/n) explained as she turned to look at her little sister. Taking Arya by the hand and pulling her to sit by her side.

Arya knew what (Y/n) meant. (Y/n) was an untamed, free spirit who would disappear for days on end into the wilds of the north, come sun or snow. An act that would drive Catelyn in particular, crazy with frustration and worry. The Lady of the north knew how important her oldest daughter was for creating alliances with other strong families in the Seven Kingdoms. Knew that (Y/n) would make some lucky lord a wonderful bride. But given (Y/n)'s tenacious, stubborn, and in some cases, downright awkward nature, she had successfully been able to put off any suitor that had come her way. Yet in Kings Landing there were many more eligible men that this time she may not be able to avoid as expertly. And both Ned and Catelyn had hoped that (Y/n) would finally find a man that could control her tempestuous nature.

"What do you want me to do, (Y/n)?" Arya asked. Neither Stark sister seeming to care that they were soaked to the skin, or that the rain had got even heavier.

"I'm leaving Kings Landing tonight. But I'm not going home, because I know if I do, mother and Robb would only send me back. I want to explore, Arya. I want to see everything our world has to offer. To discover the beauty of Dorne and The Reach. I want to travel to Essos. I want to know the Dothraki and Jade seas. The city of Slaver's Bay and the fabled lands of Asshai and the Shadow. I want to be my own woman, not the trophy of some man. Yet I cannot do any of that unless you lie for me. I know that it's a lot to ask of you, to deceive father. But I need you to pretend that I am still in Kings Landing, still in the Red Keep for as long as you can so that I have time to get away. If father finds that I have gone, we both know that he will send Jory and his men after me. So, I need time to get as far away as possible. To cover my tracks so that I can't be found. So that I can create a new life. A life that I want." (Y/n) explained. Hoping that her sister would agree to do as she asked.

Arya looked up at her older sister. Looked at the air of desperation in (Y/n)'s eyes. All her life Arya had look up to (Y/n). She was exactly what she wanted to become when she got older. She had always been an inspiration. Yet the look of hopelessness that Arya now saw on (Y/n)'s face was something that she had never before seen in her older sibling. And Arya knew that there was only one thing that she could say to make her sister smile again.

"Alright. I'll do everything I can. I just wish that I could come with you." Arya replied, as (Y/n) took her in her arms and held her tight. The tears of the two girls mingling with the rain that streamed down their cheeks.

"I wish you could too. But we both know that its too dangerous. That its dangerous enough for me to go out on my own. I don't want to drag you into a situation where I can't protect you. And when father and the rest of the family eventually do find out that I am gone. They will need you more than ever. My life isn't here, Arya, you know that. But I promise to all the gods that you and I will see one another again someday. And I will never stop thinking about you or loving you. All of you." (Y/n) replied. As she slowly stood and looked up into the heavy grey sky. Finally noticing that she and Arya were trembling with cold.

"Let's get you inside. It might not be the north, but you could still get ill. If mother knew that I had let you sit out in the rain, she wouldn't be happy. And I don't want to lose you." (Y/n) said, as she offered Arya her hand. The young Stark rising before the two of them made their way back into the Red Keep.

                                                    >>---------------------------------<<

Without them knowing it, (Y/n) had said her goodbyes to her father and Sansa. Fighting back the tears as she realised that she may never see either of them again. Her father meant the world to her and leaving him would be the hardest thing about going. But the world was calling her, and she had to listen.

"Where are you going first?" Arya asked quietly, as she and (Y/n) made their way to the sables so that (Y/n) could retrieve her horse.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll try Dorne. I would so love to see Sunspear. Maybe I'll try and get passage on a ship across the narrow sea. I don't know. All I know is that I now have a chance to be what I want to be. To do what I want to do. And whether the outcome is good or bad, at least I will know that I tried. But no matter where I go, or what I do, one thing is for sure. I will always be proud to call you my sister, and myself a Stark." (Y/n) told her, as they both stopped at the stable doors.

"You better go back to your room. If Sansa for some reason needs you, she will only raise the alarm if you are not in your bed." (Y/n) continued, as she kissed Arya on the forehead. And turned towards the stalls.

"But I want to see you off." Arya protested. Not liking the idea that she had to say goodbye already.

"I'm sorry. But we have to part ways now. And I need you to go before I change my mind. Now go." (Y/n) insisted. Before closing the stable doors behind her and leaving Arya to make the long walk back to her room, alone.