Arya & Leo Pendragon)**
Arya Stark — A Night in the Wolf Woods
The forest was quiet again after the bear's roar faded into nothing.
Arya still clung to Leo's cloak as he carried her through the snow.
He didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
His presence alone made the night feel less frightening.
When they reached his camp, Arya blinked in shock.
This wasn't a simple camp.
It was… a house.
A small wooden structure reinforced inside with thick layers of cotton, warm as a wolf pelt.
Three beds.
A fire pit with a chimney tunnel.
Shelves of supplies she'd never seen before.
Strange foods, herbs, tools.
Everything neatly arranged.
It felt safe.
Really safe.
Leo set her down gently.
"You're staying here tonight," he said calmly.
"It's dangerous to walk back in the dark."
Arya nodded, tired but curious.
When he handed her a bowl of steaming chicken and rice—food unlike anything in Winterfell—she devoured it.
Her eyes widened.
"This… this is the best thing I've ever tasted!"
Leo only smirked.
Arya's Questions
After eating, she sat cross-legged on the bed, watching him as he cleaned the broken metal teeth from his vibranium arm.
Eventually, she couldn't stop herself.
"Who are you?"
Leo glanced at her—those quiet, steady eyes not unkind.
"A traveler."
"Why did you give Jon that sword?"
That made him pause.
He chose his words carefully.
"Because he'll need it. And because he deserves more than this world gives him."
Arya swallowed.
Everyone in Winterfell had talked about the sword.
Jon's gift had become a legend in less than a week.
Her curiosity exploded.
"Can I get a sword like that one day?"
Leo actually laughed—a deep, warm sound that made Arya smile.
"Not now. You're too young."
"But I'll grow!"
"Even then," he said, shaking his head, "adamantium is too rare. Rarer even than Valyrian steel."
Arya's eyes sparkled.
"Adam… ad-man-tee-um?"
Leo corrected her gently.
"A metal so strong it can cut through almost anything."
She leaned forward.
"How do you make it?"
"You don't."
He folded his arms.
"It's found, not forged."
Arya stared at him like he was a hero from Old Nan's stories.
Arya's Secret Decision
She hesitated before asking the next question.
"Why did you save me?"
Leo looked at her—really looked.
"Because you're not meant to die here, Arya Stark."
Her breath caught.
No one had ever said her full name like that.
Like it meant something.
"Will you tell my father?" she asked quietly.
Leo shook his head.
"Only if you want me to."
She didn't even think.
"No!"
He raised a brow.
"Then it stays between us."
Her heart felt light—lighter than it had all week.
For the first time, someone trusted her with a secret…
a big one.
"I won't tell anyone," Arya whispered.
"I promise. I can keep a secret better than Sansa."
Leo smiled.
"I know."
A Bond Is Formed
Before falling asleep, Arya looked up at him one last time.
"Can I… see you again?"
Leo thought for a moment, then nodded.
"When the time is right."
Arya curled under the warm blankets, exhaustion taking over, but she whispered into the dark:
"Thank you… Shadow."
Leo sat by the fire, sharpening a dagger.
For the first time in this world, he let the corner of his mouth lift.
He had an ally now.
A Stark.
A girl who would one day change the fate of kingdoms.
Arya Stark.
The first to know his face.
The first to trust him.
And the first he would protect—no matter what storms were coming.