Winterfell still stood like a cold, massive dark rock, unmoved in its seemingly eternal position. The return of the Northern army brought some life to it, but the liveliness wouldn't last long. The soldiers of the final few houses—Glover, Umber, and Bolton—who had accompanied their liege lord to this place, were also beginning to form up and prepare for the journey home.
According to the original plan, Aegor was to hand Asha over to House Glover, who would use her in an exchange for the two children she had taken back to the Iron Islands as hostages after capturing Deepwood Motte. So, after settling his men inside and outside Winter Town, the Night's Watch sent someone to retrieve the female captive from her cage.
As for his first noble captive, Aegor instinctively felt a certain connection between them. So he came forward personally to bid her farewell.
"Asha Greyjoy, I wish you a smooth journey. Hopefully, we'll have a chance to meet again."
"Fuck you," Asha replied sharply while still shackled. As if that weren't enough, she spat on the ground to emphasize her disdain.
"Ahem, alright." What had originally been a polite parting remark suddenly seemed ill-considered. On second thought, being so cordial with an enemy of the North wasn't appropriate, so Aegor changed his words. "Forget it, I hope we never meet again."
"If my crew is mistreated or bullied at the Wall, I'll show you what cruelty truly means!"
Still thinking of her crew at the last moment, the Kraken's Daughter uttered this harsh threat before falling silent and allowing herself to be led away without resistance by the Glover soldiers, whose armor bore the sigil of a steel gauntlet on the chest. Aegor watched her go for a few seconds before turning with his guards and heading toward the castle.
The gates of Winterfell remained open to the Night's Watch, as always. The return of more than half the retainers and guards had made things feel crowded and lively, both inside and out. Upon arriving beneath the main keep, Aegor didn't go directly to seek the Lord of the castle but instead found a sheltered place to wait and sent a guard ahead to announce his visit.
---
It's said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and Robb Stark, who had led his troops south through trials and bloodshed, had finally returned home to reunite with his beloved wife. The two likely wished for some private time together, to share heartfelt words—or perhaps more—before nightfall. Although with Eddard Stark as a strict father, it was hard to imagine his son being overly liberal in his affections. But young people… who can say?
Aegor hadn't been waiting long when, before the guard returned, a troublesome little girl appeared first.
"Master!" Arya, bundled in thick furs and resembling a small bear, popped out from around a corner and rushed into Aegor's arms like a gleeful lamb. She clung to him without restraint, her actions conveying the joy she felt at seeing him again. "I knew you'd come to save me!"
Aegor found her opening remark strange. "You're in your own home. Who needs saving?"
"Arya! Mind your manners!" An older woman whom the Night's Watchman had long known—Septa Mordane—arrived a few seconds later, breathless, and glared sternly at both the girl and the man she clung to.
Arya looked aggrieved. "Last time, I listened to you and went home obediently. And then... and then... Mother ordered that I'm not allowed to be alone anymore. Someone has to watch me every minute! I'm not even allowed outside the gates of Winterfell!"
Well done, Aegor thought silently. To deal with such a troublesome child, you had to keep constant watch.
Though that's what he thought, in practice he just smiled, gently patted the girl's back, and softly reassured her. "There were dangerous people roaming outside the castle not long ago. Not letting you go out was for your own good. Alright now, let go and speak properly."
"Don't follow me anymore!" Arya released her grip on his waist but immediately latched onto his arm, using his body as a shield as she shouted at Septa Mordane. "I need to talk to my master now. I won't run off!"
"The Night's Watch is visiting Winterfell to discuss important matters with the Warden of the North. Don't interfere!" If there was anyone in Winterfell who disliked Aegor most, it was Septa Mordane. In her view, as Arya's etiquette teacher, the man who taught her lady swordsmanship was practically a sworn enemy. She shot Aegor a look of undisguised annoyance, then reached out to grab Arya. "Back to your room! Have you finished the homework Maester Luwin assigned you?"
"No!" Arya deftly circled around Aegor, dodging the Septa's grasp. "I can finish that tonight!"
"Seven Gods… fine, fine." Aegor was preoccupied with how to manipulate Robb into serving his broader plans and had no patience to wrestle with a child. He grabbed Arya as she ran past and turned to her temporary guardian. "Septa Mordane, please take a short break. I promise, Arya won't leave my sight. Girl, apologize to the Septa and promise not to run off again."
Arya immediately understood the hint, shifted her tone, and did as he said. Septa Mordane stood with hands on her hips, glared at them for a moment, and finally left the courtyard in a huff, though Aegor wasn't sure whether she'd still watch from some hidden corner.
...
"Oh, finally got rid of her. She even stood outside the door when I went to the privy!" As soon as the Septa left, the troublesome child heaved a sigh of relief and began loudly complaining. "Now that Master's driven away the bandits who came by ship, I don't have to be locked up anymore, right? I haven't ridden a horse in over a month!"
Aegor had driven off the Ironborn for many reasons, but none included letting Arya ride freely outside the gates of Winterfell. He looked helplessly at the girl still clinging to him, but couldn't bring himself to burst her bubble.
The friendship he had built with her had brought both benefits and complications. But on the whole, the benefits outweighed the trouble. And subjectively speaking, though she could be a handful, the girl's nature wasn't bad. Aegor no longer dealt with her purely from a utilitarian mindset.
"You've got some nerve. If you hadn't stolen a horse and ridden off to the Gift that time, would anyone be guarding you like a thief now?"
"Oh… I know I was wrong," Arya said with no trace of guilt in her tone or expression. In fact, she became even more clingy now that the Septa had left. She gripped his arm and leaned against him like she wanted to hang off of it. "Master—I missed you terribly. Say you missed me too!"
Miss you? Must we be so sentimental? Truth be told, Aegor had been so caught up in his larger schemes that if Arya hadn't run into him now, he likely would've forgotten she existed until after leaving Winterfell. But girls, young or grown, always needed to be reassured.
"Alright, alright. I missed you too. Missed you so much I couldn't eat or sleep. I didn't even do anything outside the city, just rushed straight in to see you."
"That doesn't sound sincere at all!" Arya burst out laughing at the over-the-top reply. "Tell me how you drove off the bandits... Oh wait, first, where's Bran? Didn't you find him? Why isn't he with you? He can't even walk, how did he get all the way to the Wall?"
"That's a long story. Actually, I didn't see him at all. I only heard that the guards at Nightfort intercepted him. Jeor Mormont was ambushed while handling your brother's situation, and Bran disappeared again in the chaos. Sigh... you and your brother really are more trouble than anyone else."
"Huh?" Arya immediately tensed. "Bran's missing again? How could that happen? Master, you must find him!"
"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on it and bring your brother back safe and sound, sooner or later."
He wasn't just saying that to appease her. While he couldn't guarantee many things, Aegor was confident Bran Stark would return safely from beyond the Wall. It wasn't just intuition—it was trust in the Green Prophet's abilities.
...
As not much time had passed, Arya's chopped hair hadn't grown long enough for braiding, but it was now clearly long enough that she was visibly a girl. That was good news for Aegor. Life was hard enough already, and in such circumstances, being fussed over by a girl was far better than being hounded by a tomboy.
Besides the hair, Arya had clearly grown taller. Her height now reached Aegor's chest, and her figure was no longer stick-thin like when they first met. With the obvious growth of her feminine traits came a proportional increase in weight. Clinging to his arm like this, she felt like a heavy sandbag.
After being brought back to Winterfell and confined for a month since her last escape, Arya was clearly bored to death. Now that she had finally found someone to talk to, she chattered endlessly, firing off question after question. After being delayed for a good while, Aegor finally received word from the guard he had sent:
"Lord Aegor, Lord Robb invites you to his study."
Aegor let out a breath of relief, finally getting a chance to escape the troublesome girl. "Good... Arya, I'd really like to chat with you a bit longer, but I truly have important matters to discuss with your brother. Can you do me a favor and head back to your room on your own, so the Septa or someone else doesn't have to hunt you down?"
"No." Arya rejected the suggestion without hesitation and even started pulling him toward the study. "Let's go. I haven't spoken to Robb in a long time either."
(To be continued.)
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