bakerstreet | ( picture prompt meme )

[sansa (not alayne) paces in the godswood. she feels more herself in the presence of the heart tree. it's bitterly cold, but her black cloak (alayne's cloak) keeps her warm enough. one of the girls from the eyrie alerts her to a hubbub at the gates. she strides over the grounds (her grounds), ears pricked and mouth set. she clutches the spike of her necklace (alayne's necklace?) reflexively against her chest. as she approaches the gates she manages to pick out one voice above the rest--rougher, and hoarse, but familiar (so much so).]

Arya!

[she runs, holding her skirts above her ankles, all notions of decorum forgotten. she pushes past guards, boys from the vale who've never seen another stark, wary after the business with jeyne poole.]

That's my sister, that's Arya--

[she manages to force her way to the front of the crowd. and it is arya, not another pretender--taller (a bit), dirtier (certainly), looking so very much like their father's daughter. she drops her skirts, slightly out of breath.]

It's her.

[she speaks to the guards, but her eyes remain on her sister. her voice is firm but she's smiling, breathlessly, almost like when arya used to chase them around the godswood armed with snowballs--]

You came home.

[Names. She had used so many, in her attempts to escape. In her attempts to get through her training to be one of those faceless assassins. How long had it been since she heard her real one? Since anyone called her Arya? And yet there it is. Sure, the voice is a little different given the years that had passed, but nonetheless, she turns to it, whatever Sansa says seeming to go in one ear and out the other as Arya stares.

Of course she knows it has been....well, a long time. But it's seeing Sansa again that cements that. That makes her realize just how long she had been away.]

Sansa. I'm back.

[Of course this causes confusion, given the impostor that Arya herself hadn't heard about yet. Having the real Arya Stark return. And yet, she is oblivious to the immediate confusion it spreads, as some stare while others run off to spread the word that one of the Stark daughters had returned.

There's so much between them. So much she should probably apologize for. So much to explain. She's not sure where to begin. How to start. Somehow, even for all their teasing and bickering years ago, all that seems pointless in the face of reuniting. As their father said - they were stronger together. Part of her is in Sansa and part of Sansa is in her, as the mark of their being family. And still, part of her wants to tease, comment on how unladylike Sansa's rushing over is. Arya refrains, simply giving a small smile in return, though nervous, as nostalgic as this is.]

[sansa laughs, giggles almost, giddy with--relief? joy? love, and sisterhood, and things she'd forgotten how to feel properly. her own name, in arya's voice--she'd stopped flinching when she heard it a long time ago, but it still makes her heart twist. it's allowed now. it's over.]

I can see that.

[she really shouldn't tease arya in front of her--their--men, but it kind of--slips out. she missed arya so much, she realizes. she'd tried so hard not to think about it, even with the news of bran and rickon. and of course she hadn't want jeyne to think she'd been disappointed to see her... it was like part of her heart had frozen over, and now that it's thawed so suddenly she can feel how much it had been hurting her. she nods at the guards, dismissing them.]

Sorry. You must be freezing. And starving. We should go inside.

[she extends a gloved hand--she'd half-expected arya to jump into her arms, as she'd done with their parents and older brothers, but of course arya's too old for that now, older than sansa had been when last she'd seen her. it doesn't seem...appropriate? for her to initiate the embrace. and besides, arya's clothes look filthy. she waits for the sound of the guards shuffling away behind her before she speaks, giddy laughter still sticking in her throat.]

I missed you so much.

Edited 2017-08-11 05:16 (UTC)

We should.

[Sansa is right. They are older. Have been through so very much since they last saw each other years ago. That's what stopped her from immediately leaping at her sister. Noting the changes. Both obvious and subtle, in her sister that mark that time. Wondering on when she got so much taller, what she might have missed.

But once she does reconcile that, when Sansa offers a hand and some of the men have gone to their duties, to spread word, that she reaches for that hand. Reaches for it and still finds that not seemingly enough to convince herself she made it. That she found Sansa again. One smaller hand remains in Sansa's even as the other makes to hold to her sister to her, fingers clutching the fabric of the cloak at Sansa's back. Sansa is still taller. She probably always would be. But right now, Arya doesn't even mind that.]

I'm home.

[In other words - she missed Sansa too. Missed all of them. It's as if she's letting out a breath she didn't even know she was holding. The tension seemingly evaporating from her in that familiarity. The scent of home and family. It's enough to almost bring tears to her eyes in release of it, ending that homesick feeling she'd had ever since leaving the North what seems like another lifetime ago.]

[sansa fiercely returns arya's one-armed hug, her eyes bright with happy tears. she rests her cheek against arya's (admittedly greasy) hair and presses a quick kiss to her head--a gesture she realizes she's borrowed from jon. she wonders when and how to tell arya what she knows about their brothers. she wonders what arya's heard, wandering the countryside with her little sword.]

You're home. [her voice is hoarse.] We're home.

[she gives arya's hand a squeeze and steps back, just a little.]

We're standing in our gate, at least. Come on, before you get frostbite.

[she wipes her eyes with one hand and tugs arya forward with the other.]

Do you want to go to the kitchens or your chambers first? I'll have to get someone to draw you a bath.

[It's a long time coming, really. Too long. But she made it. They both did. Let alone the others Arya may need to be filled in on. But for now, of course, the focus is with Sansa yet. That achingly familiar gesture of lips pressing against her head, the way Sansa doesn't even seem to mind. Arya pulls back, glancing to their home for a moment, seeming to consider the question and her priorities.]

Kitchens.

[Of course she would. As if Arya really cared to wait to actually clean up before eating. At least, right now when she's already hungry. Bathing and washing her hair wasn't really a priority even when she was younger, least of all with traveling home with that long journey she took back across the sea.

Somehow, it's easy, almost nostalgic, in allowing her older sibling to lead her, to step forward with her smaller hand in Sansa's as they walk in through the gate and towards the keep. Their home.]

I can eat while the water heats up. Though I suppose my old clothes wouldn't fit anymore either.

[She's grown since she last saw Winterfell, after all. Any clothes left in her chambers would be too small to fit her now.]

[sansa laughs nervously, steering arya towards the kitchen. she must be joking, what with the lootings, and the fire--]

I don't think there are any of those left. I'll start your new things tonight, though. In the meantime I can take in some of my old gowns from the Eyrie...

[alayne's old gowns. they're not so different from the ones she wears most days. black is comforting, somehow, and it wears well given their shortage of proper laundry maids.]

We repaired a lot of the damage, but it's not like it was. The Godswood is the same, though. And some of the people...we found in the Dreadfort...

[her grip tightens momentarily on arya's hand. it had been terrible, worse than anything sansa saw or suffered at the hands of the lannisters. she tries a lighter note.]

Jon will be so glad to see you. He went off with Stannis to treat with the dragon queen, but he came back, too. He got here first, actually.

The Eyrie? I was supposed to go there. But...

[But well, a lot happened. The Hound had to change plans and then Arya ended up leaving. Going across the sea. But it isn't like Arya has ever really been picky regarding clothing, so long as it fit and was warm. She didn't care for how fancy or plain something might be.]

The Godswood. And what about....what about the crypt?

[That hadn't been damaged, had it? She wasn't even sure who yet of their family that had more recently passed, who might be down there or not. Considering events it wouldn't be surprising to find that not all of them were. But then Sansa mentions Jon. Instantly, Arya can't help but to smile, feeling lighter and impatient already.]

I've missed him too. But -- he went to the wall, didn't he?

[There's still so much to catch up on, even as she walks with her sister, letting Sansa lead her to the kitchen.]

[sansa smiles grimly, another gesture she'd picked up from jon without noticing.]

He came down here looking for you. It was Jeyne Poole, by the way, in case you were wondering who the Lannisters married off to Ramsay Bolton. He meant to go back, but--

[she stops, and sighs. she needs to look arya in the face for this.]

The Greatjon turned up with some of the hostages and swore he'd heard Robb name him his heir. Then Lord Manderly said he'd heard Rickon was still alive on Skagos and they sent a man to go get him. Then Jon said he saw Summer when he was out with the Wildlings and if Rickon was alive, maybe Bran was too. And Jeyne said Theon had killed the miller's boys and passed them off as Bran and Rickon. Stannis said whoever the lord of Winterfell was would have to bend the knee to him, but then we got word Daenerys Targaryen had taken Dragonstone from him, so Jon offered to go with him to talk to her.

[she squeezes arya's hand and gives her a sheepish half-smile because, well, it's all so stupidly complicated.]

All that matters is Bran and Rickon might be alive. And they didn't touch the crypts. We found Father's bones down there and interred them...we're getting a statue made for him. [a breath.] And for Robb.

I heard a little, but not everything got to me once I left.

[It seems she had missed a lot. Being away training and traveling for so long as she was. She'd heard about Robb, of course. Been right there with that wedding. But she hadn't heard on this -- Theon being unable to kill their brothers so using others in making it seem like Bran and Rickon were dead.

Her eyes widen, even as she seems hesitant, unsure if she should hope, as she holds to Sansa's arm.]

Bran and Rickon are...! [Of course she would see the crypt. It's just the possibility of her other brothers being alive, even the chance of it is something she hadn't expected.]

[sansa looks at her sharply.]

Don't--!

[that came out harsher than she meant it to. she stops herself and tries again, keeping her tone even like she'd done in the red keep.]

Don't get your hopes up. You'll only hurt worse if it isn't true. It was worse than anything when we saw it wasn't you at Winterfell.

[although, knowing what she knows now, she's glad it wasn't arya. actually, arya herself would probably rather be dead. she tries a small smile again.]

It was stupid of us. You were safer...wherever you were.

[she casts a sidelong glance at arya, hoping she'll offer up some information in that regard.]

Don't -- oh....

[Just because Theon hadn't killed the boys, that still didn't mean they were any closer at this point to finding them. If they were still out there somewhere. Sansa was right. Arya lowers her gaze, still following. Of course she expects the other to question her. The same way Arya wants to ask what happened on her end. If she expects anything, she should offer something in return, right?]

I uh. I was heading to see Jon. The Wall. I traveled around Westeros for a little. Then headed for Braavos, actually. Where Syrio was from. Stayed there a while.

[Of course that's the very bare basics, a lot happened in between all that and she isn't saying what she was doing over there.]

( picture prompt meme )

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