fearcutsdeeperthanswords | ❈ | 025

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❈ | 025 | Voice

[Private to Arthur]

Stop yelling at the people teaching me. I asked them to.

[Private to Rumpelstiltskin]

[She's been torn over saying anything to him, because he kind of went to bat for her, but she thinks he did it all wrong.]

I'm not a baby, you know.

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She's hurting you. If you can't see that, if you can't see that this could very easily cripple you, and is the stupidest thing you've done, then I don't think you can be trusted with your weapons anymore.

That includes Nymeria.

It won't, and she isn't, and you can't! I won't let you!

Does that mean you'll stop?

You're not my father! You can't tell me what to do!

I'm your Warden and I'm worried about you.

You don't have to be. I'll be fine. She did the same thing, and she's stronger now!

You will stop or you leave me no choice.

If you touch her, I'll kill you.

Then give me your word you'll stop.

I won't stop.

[You leave him no choice. Arthur feels that he's given her enough chances to give it up, and since she won't, since she refuses, he's heading down to her room to follow through on his threats. Because if she can't be trusted to take care of her own hands, then he doesn't think he can trust her with a weapon.

They're not a right, they're a responsibility and maybe he'd been giving her too much for her to age to be able to handle, regardless of where she came from.

So within a few minutes, he's knocking on her door--more like pounding. He wants to do this himself, doesn't want to hide behind the Admiral, but Merlin's with him because he expects that Arya is going to throw a fit and when Arya gets worked up, so does her wolf, and well.

Merlin is a sorcerer. He should be able to handle a wolf the size of a pony.]

[She's already worked up, and terribly angry, and Nymeria is so good at responding to her feelings, more now that Arya has been inside her skin. The direwolf is pacing in agitation, and Arya isn't sitting very still either. By the time that pounding comes, Nymeria's ears are back and a growl starts in her throat, hackles raised. And Arya, for all that she's brave and fierce and strong, buries a hand in the wolf's fur for support.]

Go away!

Arya, open the door. [Not messing around, we are using her real name for this.]

[Merlin's standing alongside in silence; he's just sort of along for the ride on this until his services are needed, which he's hoping won't happen. Ganging up on a twelve-year-old seems a bit unfair, but not as unfair as letting her break her hands in the hope of making them stronger.]

There's no Arya! [She doesn't go to the door, just steps back a little further, and draws Needle - awkwardly, in her right, uninjured hand. She keeps her left side pressed against Nymeria, where she can feel the wolf's side thrum with her growl.]

[Arthur hopes it doesn't come to that either, but he's pretty sure that it will. When she doesn't open the door, he reaches out to open it himself, and--thankfully--finds it unlocked.

He takes in the scene in front of him, the wolf and Arya with her sword and wants to sigh. Because he doesn't want to her to be mad at him, but he just cannot let her continue to break her fingers.]

I don't want to do this. But you aren't leaving me any choice.

Edited 2013-02-01 18:49 (UTC)

No, you're taking my choice! My hand will get better, and then it'll be stronger. [She points her sword at him, but doesn't move forward.]

Besides, it's not your hand!

[As wary as Merlin is of getting into this, this conversation does feel like it's missing some factual accuracy beyond the more fundamental fact that the risk of permanent damage isn't worth the possible benefit of future strength.]

Breaking your fingers doesn't make them grow back stronger. They might feel thicker as they're healing but they go back to normal in the end. If your friend's bones are stronger now than they were before, then it's because of other training she's done. Not this.

Other training she'd give me. [There is not enough 'duh' in the world for her tone.]

Did you even ask her about it? [The latter's directed back at Arthur, and she reaches up to settle her hand on Nymeria's side when she growls, biting her lip against a wince.]

She admitted that your hands could very easily become crippled. [In so many words, and Beatrix was probably being sarcastic but Arthur took it at face value. Because it's true.]

Is that worth it to you? Is that worth sacrificing everything else for?

I could make a mistake in training with you and get cut. Everything's dangerous! It's stupid to be afraid of what might happen.

[Nymeria growls again, but this time Arya tries to pull her back with her left elbow; when that doesn't work, she grabs a fistful of fur with her right hand - Needle carefully pointed up - and tugs her back a few steps.]

[Arthur's gaze flicks towards the wolf for a moment, before looking back at her. He takes a few steps forward, when she retreats.]

I would never deliberately hurt you. Would you hurt Nymeria if someone asked you to and called it a part of your 'training'? Or me? Or Jesse?

[She's already hurt Nymeria, and that memory makes her lean harder against the wolf, scowling up at Arthur.]

If I knew it would make you better.

[His expression turns almost pitying, as she sharply reminds him of Morgana in that moment. Not that Morgana's ever done this specifically, but in that she's stubbornly refusing to see sense.]

What's in your heart, the love you have for someone else, is more important than any power you wield. Without it, the power is meaningless. You'd be no better than the people that killed your family.

If you can't see that, then you can't be trusted with the responsibility of your weapons and caring for your wolf. [He steps forward again, this time intending to take the sword from her hand.]

[She jerks back at that, and Nymeria moves forward again, teeth bared, growl filling the room. Arya doesn't try to pull her back this time, thrown off kilter. That she could be anything like the Lannisters is both horrifying and gratifying - they were the ones who survived. She'd survive.

But not without Needle. Not without Nymeria.]

Love doesn't save people! [But she's afraid now, that she can't fight properly with her right hand, and Merlin has magic, and she doesn't know what to do.]

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