Who: Arya Stark and Bella Donna Boudreaux What: Sword Practice and Dream Chatting When: Backdated: Tuesday, November 5th. Afternoon Where: Stark Manor Rating: Family Friendly Status: Complete
Aside from the sword training with Magius, Arya’s sword training from her dreams had bled over to give her some extra help. She wasn’t perfect by any means, but she’d quickly realized during her lessons with Magius that one day was better than the day before. Her sword arm was stronger and she could move much more fluidly than the day before. When Belle had mentioned having a sword as well, Arya thought it’d be fun to practice with someone else for a change. She wondered what Magius would say if she mentioned it to him, but she decided not to say anything and instead invited Belle over. The backyard at Stark Manor was quite large, even with the pool and there would be plenty of space for them to move around. Now all she had to do was keep Nymeria inside so that she didn’t think that Belle was trying to hurt her. The last thing Arya needed was for Nymeria to attack Belle.
It wasn’t just the chance to practice with someone else that Arya was looking forward to, but talking to someone else about her dreams. She’d mentioned them to Belle months earlier when they were still somewhat new. Before she knew what happened to her father in them. Before she knew how bad things were going to get.
Belle was impressed by Stark Manor. She wondered if they were related to Tony Stark, but the last name was pretty common, as she was finding out. She was still driving her black SUV, and her sword sat in the seat next to her until she slid out of her car. She strapped it on around her waist as soon as she could and made her way to the door, trying not to feel foolish about having the thing strapped to her hip. It didn’t feel as weird as she’d thought it should.
She adjusted her shirt while she waited for the door to open.
As the doorbell chimed, Arya moved quickly through the house with Nymeria at her heels. The direwolf went with her everywhere, even to answer the door. She was glad that Bran and Damian appeared to be out with Summer and Cobalt, otherwise she’d have another direwolf and a pitbull also tagging along and she was sure that Belle would be overwhelmed by one giant direwolf, she didn’t need more animals.
Reaching the door, Arya pulled it open, not really checking first, because she just assumed it was Belle. After all, who else would it be? “Hi.” She said as she opened the door, moving aside to let the other woman in then turned to see Nymeria sitting patiently. She was glad that the direwolf appeared to have learned a few things unlike in the dreams when her training hadn’t worked out quite so well, “Did you find the place alright?” Not that she could have missed it.
Belle whistled when she saw the enormous. . . well, it sure wasn’t a dog. She quickly regained her composure and smiled at Arya. “I did, it’s lovely here.” She offered her hand to shake. “Allow me t’ formally introduce myself.”
Arya took Belle’s hand and shook it, smiling, “It’s nice to finally meet you in person,” The two had spoken on Valarnet a few times so it wasn’t like Belle was a complete stranger, then again Arya had never really listened to the whole, Don’t Talk to Strangers rule to begin with, much to her mother’s dismay.
Belle smiled back. “You too. So where are we practicin’? Your wolf’s gonna be okay with it?” She didn’t want to get attacked, after all.
“Backyard.” Arya said as she closed the door then glanced at Nymeria for a moment and back to Belle, “She’ll be in the house.” Arya really didn’t want Nymeria to maul Belle. That was no way for Arya to make friends. “This way.” She led the way through the house to the kitchen and out to the backyard, making sure that Nymeria was, not only in the house, but that the blinds in front of the sliding glass door that led out to the yard were also closed. “So, how long have you been practicing?”
Belle followed along, nodding when Arya promised the wolf would stay inside. She had a respect for its ability to hurt her a great deal, and she didn’t want to have to defend herself against it.
She laughed a little at Arya’s question. “I only know how t’ use it from the dreams. We’ll see if that’s enough.” She stretched her fingers and arms. “I’m not expectin’ much of myself, but I gotta practice t’ get better.”
“I’ve been taking lessons from a guy named Magius and I had training in my dreams. So, I’m actually pretty good, if I do say so myself.” Arya smirked as she picked up Needle from where she’d left it, “You said you got yours from the dreams too? I’ll admit, I was pretty surprised when I woke up and found a sword on my bed.” It had been a couple of months ago now and after all the dreams she’d had, things randomly showing up, like Needle, Nymeria and Summer, weren’t really that strange to her anymore.
“Yeah.” Belle made a face. “They’re pretty much terrible, but the sword’s pretty neat. Got a pedigree as long as my arm.” It had stabbed many a rebellious would-be guildleader, and her zombie brother. “It was my father’s in the dream. Let’s just hope I don’t bring him any shame, hein?” She winked at Arya.
“Mine have gotten pretty craptastic too.” Part of her was optimistic that just maybe they’d get better, but she wasn’t holding out much hope. At least the dreams were just dreams and not real life. If she had to go through that stuff in real life, she didn’t know if she’d be quite so upbeat. “I know what you mean there. My brother had mine made for me in the dreams.” She’d talked about it before on Valarnet, so it was probably that Belle had already known that, but Arya didn’t know who did or didn’t read the stuff she wrote. “So, ready?”
Belle nodded. She’d read a lot of stuff but she didn’t mind hearing things over again. She drew her sword, admiring it in the sunlight. It wasn’t fancy, but it had deep meaning in the dreams. It was a symbol of authority, a protector against usurpers and rebellious factions. In the dreams she truly lived by the sword, and knew in her heart that she would die by it as well.
In this respect she was quite like her dream self. She smiled at Arya, and took a deep breath. “Ready.”
Arya smiled back and held out Needle then took one of the stances at Syrio had taught her as opposed to one Magius had taught her. She’d found that when she was practicing alone she had a greater tendency to lean more towards the training she’d had in the dreams as opposed to in real life. “So, what are your dreams like?” She asked as she struck out at Belle.
Belle was stiff until Arya moved. Only part of it was feigned. She stepped aside and parried, laughing a little. “Terrible. I’m the daughter of the leader of an assassin’s guild.” She moved a step closer, holding her sword in a defensive position. “I’ve got the devil’s own luck, and on top of it I make my life harder than it has t’ be.”
“An Assassin’s guild? That’s pretty cool.” It reminded Arya of some of the people she’d met in her dreams, “In mine I’m a Lord’s daughter. Then again, in real life I’m also a Lord’s daughter.” She shrugged a little as she struck out at Belle again. “Did the assassins teach you how to use a sword?”
“Yes.” Belle dodged again, but didn’t follow up with an attack. She didn’t want to become predictable. “In the dreams I was taught t’ kill from the moment I could hold a knife. Didn’t know you were the daughter of an actual lord.”
Arya nodded, “Yeah. To be honest though, I don’t really know how it works considering we’ve lived out here since before I was born.” She never really paid too much attention to exactly what that meant aside from the fact that Ned being a Lord meant that they had a lot of money and every now and then her parents took trips over to England.
Belle got tired of waiting for Arya to strike after a little bit, so she took the initiative, feigning one direction then striking quickly from the other. “Sounds kinda crazy.”
Arya had gotten a tad bit distracted, talking about her father, but managed to bring her sword up to block Belle’s strike. She had to remember they were using real swords and not practice ones like she used to use with Magius. “That was good.” She said, moving back a step then coming back at Belle. She was breaking a sweat already, but Arya wasn’t one of those girls who was afraid of a little sweat. After all, if you weren’t sweating then you weren’t doing a good job, as far as she was concerned. “It is a little. Dreams are crazier though.”
Belle dodged, knocking Arya’s sword away. She stepped closer, to try to trip her. Now that they were moving she was a little out of breath, so she decided that banter would have to wait. Right now they were practicing, and she had to be at her best.
Arya jumped back as Belle tried to trip her and circled the other woman, keeping her position defensive and ready for an attack. She had both Syrio and Magius’ voices in her head, telling her what to do and it was just a little confusing, so Arya tried to focus on only one as she struck out at Belle again.
Belle only had one set of training, and years of real life fighting experience. She moved with fluid, almost graceful motions. Her hesitancy evaporated, and she realized that the best way to end (and win), the fight was to disarm Arya. So when she blocked again she struck low on Arya’s blade, hoping to hook the tip of her sword on Needle’s guard.
Arya hadn’t been expecting that and as Belle’s sword came down on Needle’s guard, her fingers loosened and she dropped the sword. “Seven hells!” She stared at Belle for a moment before a smirk spread across her lips, “You’re good. I totally wasn’t expecting that.” Arya crouched down to pick up Needle, “Wanna go again or want a drink?”
Belle sheathed her sword, chuckling a little. “T’ be fair, I wasn’t either. A drink sounds like a real good idea after all of that.” She put her hands in her pockets, feeling quite pleased with herself.
“If my dancing master from the dreams was here he’d probably make me do some ridiculous thing now to hone my skills better. Like chasing more cats or standing on one leg.” Arya said as she picked up her sheath off the table where she’d had Needle when Belle arrived and sheathed it then let them into the kitchen. Nymeria had been laying on the floor by the door and perked up when they walked in, “Stop being so pitiful, Nymeria.” She said, shaking her head with a smirk as she went to the fridge, “Water or iced tea?” She asked, glancing back over at Belle.
Belle chuckled. “We had stuff like that, too. Little more motivating, probably.” Training to kill people for most of your life was the most intense work out ever. “I’ll take tea, thank you.” She wondered if it would be sweetened or if she’d have to sweeten it herself. “You’re really good, though. Got good motions.”
“Yeah, Syrio made me do some really odd things in the dreams.” Arya said as she got out to glasses and the pitcher of iced tea, “Hope you don’t mind sweetened. My mum loves it, so that’s all she makes.” Arya’s accent leaned more towards that of the dreams now, despite having been born in America, but she’d picked up bits of British slang even before that from growing up around Ned. She filled both cups and passed one over to Belle.
“Sweetened is just fine. Like they serve it at home.” She smiled at Arya and accepted her cup. It was delicious, especially after that workout. “You got enough family to fill this place?” Big houses were still a novelty to her. She’d lived in one in the dreams, but in real life she’d grown up in a trailer.
Arya nodded as she took a sip of her iced tea, “Oh yeah. Aside from me and my parents, I have four brothers and a sister. Two direwolves. One pitbull. And then two friends are living here at the moment too.” Okay so maybe Sansa wasn’t there all the time, but she still had a room there. “What about you? Do you have a big family? And where’s home?”
“I’m a personal assistant, I don’t have any family at all anymore, and home’s where I make it. Right now it’s with my boyfriend.” But that could change. It wouldn’t be the weirdest thing to happen to her, though it would suck intensely.
“So, you’re like a gopher?” Arya could never see herself as a personal assistant or anything like that. She wasn’t good at doing things for other people when told to do them. On her own terms, she could do it, but not when she was told to. “And I’m sorry about your family.” She’d lost family or gotten separated from them in her dreams, so in a way she knew what it was like to lose those close to you. “Does your boyfriend have dreams too? Mine is in mine, but he’s not my boyfriend in them cause I’m like eleven.”
“Basically.” Belle said with a nod, before drinking her tea again. She shrugged at Arya’s condolences. She’d lived more of her life without her family than with them. She only thought of them now and again before the dreams. “Yeah, he dreams too. Different world, though. It’s probably a good thing, neither of us are great people in the dreams.”
“That sucks. I know a few people here who in my dreams are awful people and here they seem fine, but I keep wondering if they’ll change according to the dreams.” Knowing what Myrcella’s mother and uncle had done in the dreams to Bran or what Joffrey had done to her father made her constantly wonder if it was possible for them to become those people in real life. So far Sandor seemed more or less just like his dream counterpart and for whatever reason Arya felt she knew how to deal with him as opposed to the Lannisters.
“For all our sakes let’s hope not.” Belle said with a soft smile. It was better to be hopeful, after all. “You must be pretty interesting in yours. Knowin’ how to sword fight and all.”
“Well, my sister has always been the girly one, both here and in the dreams while I’ve been the complete opposite. In the dreams, I always wanted to be with my brothers, just one of the boys. So my older brother had a sword made for me.” That sword of course was Needle, “My parents didn’t know until my father found me with it and while I expected him to take it away from me, he found someone to teach me to use it instead. And it’d definitely come in handy in the dreams.” Not only had she killed that stable boy, but she’d used it to defend herself more times than she could count by now, “But I’ve lost it in the dreams. When we got captured it was taken from me and in the dreams I was talking about on Valarnet last time, we just escaped, but without Needle.” She was extremely glad that she still had it in real life.
“That sucks. Seems like it’s pretty important to you.” Not that she could blame Arya for feeling that way. She felt naked when she was unarmed.
Arya nodded, “Well, my brother was the only one who really treated me like an equal instead of like a delicate little thing that was going to break.” Jon had always treated her that way, even in the waking world. “And he left, in the dreams, so in a way I thought of him every time I used it.”
“That’s sweet.” Belle said with a smile. “I thought about my brother when I used mine, too.” Mostly about how he’d deserved to lose not just one but two duels to the death, and how much she’d wished one was against her. “It was my father that taught me t’ fight.”
“It would have been nice to have other girls around who were into the whole swords and fighting thing in my dreams. Instead I just had my sister who was all about being a lady all the time.” Having someone like Belle around would have been really nice instead of constantly being told that she had to act like a lady.
“See, they tried with me, but with no mom and no sisters I think they gave up after a while. Made it harder to rule when I took over, but easier at the same time.” She shrugged. “What matters for us is we’re here now, and can make the best of it, hein?”
Arya smiled, nodding, “We can do whatever the hell we want here.” Of course Arya still didn’t know what she wanted to be, but she’d figure it out eventually.