The years went by, and Ned noticed that his eldest daughter had more Wolf's blood in her than he had hoped. She was not as reckless as her aunt, but Lyarra did want to learn everything her brothers were learning as far as their martial training. Ned had decided long ago that he would not make the same mistake his father made with Lyanna, so he talked to Catelyn and explained the situation to her and what had happened to his sister.

Catelyn didn't like the thought of her daughters learning to fight, but she saw the wisdom in it. The North was a wild place, and her girls could find themselves in situations where they had to depend on themselves; so, Catelyn reluctantly agreed as long as any daughter they had did not neglect their studies and also learned to be ladies.

Ned didn't see a problem with that. He thought Lyarra would readily agree with the compromise he and her mother had reached. So, Ned had Jory Cassel call his daughter to his Solar so he could explain to Lyarra the deal he had made with her mother.

A timid knock at his door and Lyarra peeked in, “You wanted to see me, Father?”

Ned gave Lyarra a stern look and nodded, “Aye, daughter, I have something to discuss with you.”

Lyarra gulped and walked into her father's solar. Ned motioned her to sit down and climbed into the chair opposite Ned's desk. Ned leaned forward and looked his daughter in the eyes, “Rodrick Cassel has informed me that you have been asking him to teach you how to fight like your brothers. Is this true?”

Lyarra straightened her back and looked her father dead in the eyes, “Aye, father, it is true. I do not think it is fair that Robb and Jon learn how to fight while I learn how to stitch and dance and play an instrument. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy the activities of learning to be a lady, but I want to be able to defend myself as well. There may come a time when I must defend myself.”

And that's when Ned noticed the difference between his sister and his sweet girl. Lyanna had delusions of becoming a knight, while Lyarra was only being rational. Ned realized that his sweet Lyarra would have no problem with the compromise. Ned smiled at his daughter and motioned her to come to sit on his lap. Lyarra beamed and jumped off her chair, and rushed into her father's arms. He kissed her head and hugged her to him.

“Your mother and I have discussed this and decided it would be in your best interest to learn to fight along with your brothers, provided you do not shirk your other studies.”

Lyarra squealed and hugged her father tightly, “Oh, I promise Papa, I will do everything I am supposed to do. I will not let you nor Mother down.”

Ned chuckled and kissed Lyarra's head, “I know you will not, Sweetling.”

Suddenly, Lyarra became pensive; she looked at her father with her brow furrowed, “Will Sansa be allowed to do the same thing?”

“When she is older, she will be given a choice. And if Sansa decides to follow in your footsteps, I expect you to help her as her older sister.”

“Oh, I will, Papa, I swear I will!” Lyarra exclaimed.

“Good girl, now run along and change; Rodrick is expecting you in the training yard.”

Lyarra gave her father one last smile and kissed his cheek, then jumped off his lap and ran out of his Solar to her room to change. Ned chuckled and shook his head as he watched his little girl run excitedly from his solar.

Lyarra rushed through the castle, apologizing to the servants she almost crashed into. She threw her door open, and on her bed, Lyarra found a set of breeches and tunic that her mother had laid out for her. Lyarra squealed and quickly changed. She braided her hair and ran outside to the training yard. When Lyarra arrived, she found Robb and Jon already sparring. Robb paused when he saw his sister dressed in old training clothes, allowing Jon to knock his brother to the ground.

Rodrick helped Robb to his feet, “You must not let anything distract you, My Lord. It could mean the difference between life and death.”

Robb nodded, then pointed at his sister, “I am sorry, Rodrick, but I was surprised to see Lyarra out here wearing my old training clothes.”

Jon and Rodrick turned to see Lyarra sprinting towards them with a massive smile on her face. Rodrick grunted and bowed, “Good morning, Lady Stark. I see your father spoke to you about training with the boys.”

Robb and Jon's eyes widened, and they looked at each other, then at Rodrick, “Girls can not train to be soldiers,” Robb said to his sister. He immediately regretted it and swallowed hard at the glare Lyarra gave him.

“I am not training to be a soldier, you nit-wit!” Lyarra said in a clipped tone, her eyebrow ticking in anger.

Robb took a step back. He knew the signs of his sister beginning to lose her temper.

“I am training to learn to defend myself.”

Jon looked at his sister, confused, “But, Lya, Robb, and I will always protect you.”

“And if you're not there and I find myself alone? What then, should I let someone rape me or kill me?” Lyarra reasoned with her brothers.

Robb bristled, thinking of someone hurting his twin, and there was no way he would let that happen, no matter what. Robb nodded, “You are right, Sister; it is better that you learn.”

“But-”

“No, Jon, Lya is right; we can not always be with her.”

Jon contemplated for a moment, then nodded, “Alright, welcome to the training yard, sister.”

Lyarra beamed at her brothers and rushed towards them, giving them hugs and kisses. They protested, but secretly they loved having their sister's attention. Rodrik cleared his throat, “Now that it's settled, Jon, you and Robb continue to practice while I work with Lyarra.”

The boys nodded and began sparring again. Meanwhile, Rodrik led Lyarra to the armory. He needed to find a suitable practice sword for her. It took several tries, but finally, Rodrik found a wooden sword light enough for Lyarra to handle. He took Lyarra aside and asked her to show him what she knew. Lyarra had never held a sword before in her short life, but her muscle memory from her previous life as Kagome being trained by Sesshomaru kicked in. Lyarra got into her fighting stance with feet planted exactly the way Sesshomaru had taught her.

Rodrik examined Lyarra's stance and was surprised to see that she had it correct. He walked around Lyarra to correct her stance, but it was perfect, and Rodrik found that odd.

“Perfect, my lady. Did your brothers show you how to do that?”

Lyarra shook her head, “No, but it feels like the correct position.”

Rodrik nodded, then handed the wooden sword to Lyarra, “Now, my lady, you must remember that you will not be able to match your opponent in strength, so you will need to rely on speed and endurance to wear him down. But first, we will go through the mechanics of sword fighting.”

Lyarra nodded, and they began. A few hours later, Robb and Jon finished training but stayed to watch their sister. They were surprised at how good she was for someone who was only starting to learn. When Rodrik declared the lesson over, Lyarra beamed at him and asked what was next.

Rodrik laughed, “That is all for today, my lady. It is now time for your lessons. So hurry and change and head off to meet Maester Luwin.”

Lyarra groaned, she wanted to continue, but Lyarra promised she would do as she was told. So, she and her brothers left the training yard to clean up and headed for their lessons. Once the children left, Rodrik headed for Lord Stark's Solar. His lord had told Rodrik to give him his opinion on Lyarra. Rodrik knocked on Lord Stark's door and was told to enter. Ned looked up from his paperwork and set his quill down.

“So, how did my daughter do?” Ned asked.

“Very well, my lord. She is strong, quick, and has great endurance. But I think she would benefit from a different type of training.”

“What kind?” Ned asked curiously.

“Have you ever heard of Braavosi water dancing?”

“I have. You think we should get Lyarra a water dancing teacher?”

“Aye, my lord,” Rodrik affirmed.

Ned thought for a moment, then agreed. He would find a water dancing teacher for his girl and have him come to Winterfell. In the meantime, Lyarra would continue to train with the boys.

And that is how Syrio Florel became employed by House Stark.

Only a few months after the arrival of Syrio Florel that Ned received a Raven from King's Landing telling him to call his Bannermen; the North was going to war again. Ned had been sitting outside in the courtyard watching his children spar. He was impressed with their progress, especially Lyarra's. Water Dancing came easy to her, and she was excellent at it. But what Lyarra truly excelled at was archery.

Ned had never seen a child more focused than his daughter, and he was surprised that Lyarra never missed the bullseye.

As Ned sat watching, with Sansa in his arms, his youngest was in awe of her older sister; Catelyn came to deliver the note. After Ned read it, he sighed, “Balon Greyjoy has crowned himself king and is rebelling. I need to call my Bannermen and meet with Robert.”

Catelyn felt terrible, she had gone to Maester Luwin that morning to confirm her pregnancy and was going to tell Ned, but she decided to wait; Ned didn't need the distractions.

“When will you leave?” Catelyn asked.

“As soon as all the preparations can be made. Robb will act Lord of Winterfell until I return, but the others will help him.”

“As will I,” Catelyn declared.

Ned nodded and kissed his wife on the cheek. His affection for his wife slowly grew, and he hoped it would lead to a happy marriage where they could genuinely love each other, and accepting Jon as her son had helped immensely.

Once the preparations were made and the other Lords had arrived in Winterfell, Ned and Benjen left to meet up with Robert's army. Ned said goodbye to his children, though it was hardest to say goodbye to his eldest daughter.

Ned hugged Lyarra tightly and whispered, “Take care, my sweetling. Be sure to mind your mother and help her as much as possible. I'm counting on you to help run Winterfell.”

Lyarra looked at her father and nodded, “I will not let you down, Papa.”

Ned smiled at Lyarra, “I know you will not, Sweetling. Be sure to help your brother if he needs it.”

Lyarra nodded and hugged her father once again. Once he finished saying goodbye to his family, Ned and Benjen mounted their Destriers and led their men South. Once the entourage was out of sight, the Stark family returned to the castle, where Lyarra followed her mother to her solar. They entered, and Lyarra closed the door.

“Why did you not tell, Father, you were pregnant, Mother?”

Catelyn was surprised that her eldest daughter knew of her pregnancy, but she had suspected for a while that the Old Gods had blessed Lyarra with certain powers, but she wasn't sure. Catelyn sighed and looked at her daughter, “Sweetling, I did not tell your father because he has too many things on his mind. I did not want to add to his worry.”

Lyarra thought for a moment and understood her mother's reasoning. She agreed to keep her secret and vowed to help in any way she could so that her mother wasn't under too much stress.

Nine months passed quickly, and soon, Catelyn went into labor. Lyarra decided to stay with her mother throughout the entire thing while Robb and Jon took care of Sansa. It was a long and grueling process, but eventually, Catelyn gave birth to a healthy baby girl with dark hair and grey eyes; the child was all Stark. Catelyn couldn't be happier seeing her new Babe; she nuzzled the child and brought her to her breast to feed.

Lyarra stood next to her mother and stared at her new sister, “What will you name her, Mother?”

Catelyn smiled at her eldest daughter, “You choose, my love.”

Lyarra thought for a moment, then smiled, “Arya, we'll name her Arya Stark; after Grandmother's mother.”

Catelyn smiled at her daughter and agreed, “Arya Stark, it is then.”

Catelyn handed Arya to her sister and Lyarra smiled and kissed her baby sister's head, “Welcome to the pack, little wolf.”