Winterfell
Arya sat in her bedroom, trying to copy the Uchiha symbol through her needlework. At her side lay a pile of failed attempts. Her effort was commendable, but to her it was not good enough.
I need to do this. I need to…
Her thoughts were interrupted by Sansa's voice.
"What are you doing?" she asked her sister.
"What do you care?" Arya replied, trying to hide Sebastian's handkerchief.
Sansa noticed the failed attempts, and her attention narrowed on the thing Arya was trying to conceal.
"Does this involve a secret from our mother?" she asked, fully aware of Arya's weaknesses.
At Arya's flinch, Sansa seized the moment of confusion and snatched it away.
"HEY! GIVE THAT BACK!" Arya shouted indignantly.
"It looks like a sigil. Are you trying to replicate it?" Sansa said, smirking. "Is this from your SeCrEt BoYfRiEnD?"
She mocked her while engraving the details of the symbol into her mind; she would search for it later in Maester Ludwig's library. She walked toward the window to annoy Arya even more. She had no intention of throwing it away, but Arya didn't know that.
"STOP, PLEASE! IT IS NOT MINE! THIS IS FROM SEBASTIAN! PLEASE, PLEASE, DON'T THROW IT AWAY!" Arya pleaded, her eyes overwhelmed with tears.
"Sebastian's?" Sansa asked, surprised, for she had never connected him to a family last name.
Is this the Phantomhive symbol? she wondered, when Arya's sobs interrupted her thoughts.
She gave the handkerchief one last glance, memorizing its details, and left it on the table. She opened the door, checked both sides to make sure no one was watching, and ran back to her room, leaving a small Arya crying from frustration.
_ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Arya avoided Sansa like the plague for a week, until one morning she appeared in the kitchen while Sebastian was making breakfast and Arya kept him company, happily relishing a freshly made sandwich cookie.
"My lady, pleasant morning," Sebastian greeted, as Arya retreated into herself.
"Sebastian, pleasant morning," Sansa replied, casting a smug look at little Arya.
"Would you like a sandwich cookie?" he asked, placing a small plate full of them in front of her, along with some tea.
"I would be delighted," she said, sipping her tea slow enough to annoy Arya, while Sebastian coaxed Arya back into cheer by shaping a few sandwich cookies into little wolves, much to her delight.
"Sebastian," Sansa began, "I've never heard much about the Phantomhive family. Could you tell me more? Where are you from?" she asked innocently, to Arya's growing dread.
"Mmm," Sebastian hummed. "To tell you the truth, the Phantomhive family is a lie, my lady. I did have a family name, but when I came here, I changed it. To start fresh."
"And what was your family name and symbol?" Sansa asked.
"The Uchiha clan, my lady. Our symbol was a paper fan," he answered, noticing how Arya's face began to pale.
"Here, Sebastian," Sansa said, smiling smugly at Arya. "I made this for you."
She handed him a handkerchief bearing his family's symbol, beautifully embroidered, without a single imperfection.
Sansa took one last smug look at Arya, but her reaction wasn't the usual anger or annoyance. She looked devastated
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Arya screamed. "IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY CHALLENGE! No, no, he… he will never teach me… i..I...I HATE YOU!"
She cried inconsolably.
Sansa moved to approach her, to explain herself and help, but Sebastian stopped her and shook his head. He sighed, crouched beside Arya, and pulled her into a hug.
At first, Arya struggled, but then, to Sansa's surprise, a beautiful sound began to grow.
Sebastian held the inconsolable girl and sang softly:
"If I could begin to be
Half of what you think of me
I could do about anything
I could even learn how to love"
The sound filled Sansa's eyes with melancholy, happiness, and calm.
Sebastian hummed the next part of the song, and rather than worsening her sorrow, it brought serenity.
Arya's sobbing eased, though she still clung to him as if afraid to let go.
Sebastian continued:
"Look at you go—"
He pulled back just enough to lift her under the arms, swinging her gently across the room like a child's toy.
"-I just adore you-"
Arya giggled in the air.
"-I wish that I knew
What makes you think I'm so special"
The only trace of unhappiness left were her wet cheeks, her eyes slowly drifting shut as sleep crept in.
"If I could begin to be
Half of what you think of me
I could do about anything
I could even learn how to love-"
Sebastian hugged her once more as she delicately closed her eyes, then shifted her into a careful princess carry.
"-Love like you
Love me like you"
To Sansa's amazement, Arya was already asleep. Sebastian asked for silence, carrying her away so she could rest undisturbed.
Sansa had never seen Arya cling to someone like that, not even their parents.
By the time she understood what had happened, Sebastian was long gone, surely on his way to leave Arya with Catelyn, the septa, or in her bedroom.
Guilt and confusion overwhelmed her as sleep eluded her all night.
It was my fault. She thought drowning on her own in guilt, and for once, she was right.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
In the central region of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, rich, fertile, and populous, commoners and smallfolk shared the finest entertainment they knew.
Gossip.
And this one was particularly juicy.
"You hear'd?" one man asked.
"What the fuck are you talkin' about?" the other replied, taking a swig of beer.
"Yu remember the Stark's bastar'?" he said, lowering his voice just enough to ensure everyone could still hear.
"What 'bout it?"
"Ma frien' of ma frien' says there wasn't just one. They were two."
He had drawn the attention of the entire tavern.
"You serious?" the man asked, intrigued by northern scandals, and what Lord Tully might think of them.
"Aye' The fancy, masked one? That fucker? That's the other," he said. "If not, why don't he show his face?"
The tavern reached the same conclusion together. After all, what was more believable than a conclusion you reached yourself?
Now that they knew that the wolf had two bastards, how does lord tully would react?
They kept drinking. Before long, the second man slid some copper pennies across the table.
_ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _
A/N: Sorry for the angst, I really enjoy writing sibling rivalry.
Also, I wanted to announce my... Pat... naaa, just kidding. Making one feels weird, because I make this chapters one by one, so it would feel like I am scamming the people who might come here. Maybe a buymeacoffe link, but I am not really convinced. It feels that when you start charging, you stop enjoying the activity as a hobby, and I really like this hobby