A/N: I'm making this a really short one, just 2 parts for this story. I'm still doing Leaving Winter, so I shouldn't start making something entirely new. But the plot's been bugging me for days now, so yeah, I caved in to the Gendrya temptation. AGAIN.

This is the first of only two chapters so...ENJOY!


She stared at the closed door.

A printed out sign was taped to it that said 'SILENCE! AUDITIONS GOING ON!' Arya turned to look around the busy hallway, seeing both familiar and unfamiliar faces sitting on the chairs and on the floor. The entire school was buzzing with excitement for the auditions scheduled that day. It was all Arya's friends were talking about, even urging her to go to the audition herself. She was hesitant at first; knowing that the play is entitled The Lowborn and Milady High, she was sure it was like one of those cheesy, sappy, stupid romance novels that her sister Sansa loves to read. After much prodding from friends and Sansa, Arya decided to just humor them and show up on the day itself.

She trudged to the end of the hallway and plopped unceremoniously on the floor. Taking out part of the script that Sansa gave her, she went through the lines of a character named Freya. Thinking that being the daughter of the stable master, she wouldn't have much to say or do, and so Arya thought that playing Freya would do.

She saw the door open and one of the English teachers step out to call a few more names. She ushered them into the room, shaking her head in exhaustion upon seeing the line down the entire length of the hallway. Arya moved forward along with the line before taking her spot on the floor again.

"I didn't think auditions would take this long."

The guy behind her said tiredly, but Arya paid him no mind. She didn't know if he was talking to her or just talking aloud, so she kept on reading the script and scanning the pages for Freya's parts.

"What role are you auditioning for?"

Okay, he was definitely talking to her. Arya gave a little shrug and replied "Freya", without even looking up. "How about you?"

"I'm going for Joffrey," he replied.

Arya frowned. From what she's seen on the script, Joffrey is the son of an incestuous relationship between the Queen and her brother, although the King most definitely did not know that. He was described as strong-willed, has an uncontrollable temper with a sadistic streak. Why the hell would he want to play such character?

"Why the hell would you want to play Joffrey?" she asked, turning her head to look at him, so fast that she feels slightly dizzy from it.

Wow. Blue.

Those were her first thoughts upon seeing the guy's face; his eyes boring into hers so deeply she feels her face and neck flush from embarrassment. She didn't let up the stare, though, and neither did he.

"I just think playing a bad guy is more challenging than playing the nice ones," he answered, his voice sounding husky to her ears. Like, really husky.

Focus, Arya Lyanna Stark. Focus!

"But Joffrey is insane! He might be crazy, even!"

"Don't the girls like bad boys?" he replied with a smirk.

Arya rolled her eyes. "Most girls are stupid."

He laughed, making Arya even more embarrassed because they were talking about the impending auditions and here she was, thinking about how sexy his laugh sounded and how annoyingly good he looks with a smirk plastered on his face. Arya wanted to punch that smirk right off his mouth.

Or kiss it, maybe.

FOCUS!

They talked a bit more about the characters; arguing a bit about how he thinks the bastard son of Lord Eddard is always brooding but she, on the other hand, thinks Jon is awesome. They argued again when she said the bastard blacksmith is stupid but he thinks the opposite. He's both brains and brawn, I tell you, he said. Arya only rolled her eyes and called him stupid as well.

When her name was finally called, she turned to him and said, "Well…I have to go. I guess I'll see you around? Good luck with Joffrey," she added with a laugh.

"You'll definitely see me around, Arya Stark."

She was almost to the door when she him say her name. She looked back at him and tilted her head to the side, a question lingering on her lips. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name?"

He smirked again, that sexy smirk that makes Arya's heart flutter furiously in her chest.

"Gendry. Gendry Waters."


It's been three days since the auditions and Arya was growing restless by the day. She didn't know why she's suddenly obsessed about getting a part. Although she was sure her sister auditioning for the role of Sophie would most definitely land her the part, while she would be Freya, the stable master's daughter, and with little to no lines at all.

She noticed a group of students huddled close to the bulletin board in the middle of the hallway, some squealing in delight, some sporting dejected looks on their faces, while some jumped all around in obvious excitement. She tapped the girl nearest her, Ygritte she thinks her name is, and asked, "What's going on there?"

"They just posted the list of names who passed the auditions," Ygritte said with a shy smile.

Seven hells!

Arya thanked Ygritte and quickly walked over to where the rest of the students were, grasping at the paper tacked on the board and finding out if their names were in it.

Finally, finally, when Arya was close enough to check, she searched for Lady Sophie first and saw that her sister got the part. She dragged her finger further down and saw Prince Joffrey and was dismayed when it wasn't Gendry's name beside it. Next, she searched for Freya and was even more disappointed at knowing that her friend Willow got the part.

She didn't even know that Willow tried for Freya's part and she was feeling a little betrayed.

She turned around to leave when her face suddenly smacked right on to someone's chest, and a fucking hard chest it was. She almost swallowed her tongue when she saw that the chest belonged to someone whose sexy smirk made her heart flutter.

"Congratulations, milady," he murmured, looking at her gray eyes again.

"I didn't get the part, stupid, and neither did you," she replied angrily. Why she was angry, she didn't know. Maybe it was because of her not getting the part, or whatever.

"Actually, you did. We did. Just not the parts we auditioned for."

"Wait….what?" Arya asked, feeling stupid about stuttering.

Gendry leaned closer to the board, his body leaning closer to Arya even more. She felt her ears go hot, as if steam was coming out of it like a character in one of Bran and Rickon's favorite cartoon shows. He forced her to turn around and face the board, grabbed her hand and holding up her index finger as he dragged it down the tacked paper. She tried her best not to shiver from his touch, but she probably did and she was grateful that he didn't say anything about it.

He stopped when her finger was pointed to her name, but she stopped smiling when she saw which role she's playing.

"What the hell? I didn't audition for Lady Nymeria!"

"I didn't audition for the role of Joseph, either," he replied, his lips so freakingly close to her ear.

She swiftly turned to face him, hitting his chin with her head in the process, and Gendry muttered an expletive under his breath.

"Oops! Sorry!" Arya said sheepishly, although a grin was starting to form on her face. "You got the part of the stupid bastard blacksmith! Fuck yeah!"

Gendry couldn't help but laugh along. It was a funny thing, this play. They got the parts they least liked, but they were both happy for some reason or another.

The bell rang just then, making Gendry jump backwards and away from her. Too close, he thought. He picked up his backpack and slung it over one shoulder and said, "I guess we will be seeing each other around more often, Lady Nymeria."

Arya rolled her eyes as was very typical of her, he noticed, and shot back, "Shut up, stupid."


Arya couldn't do it. She's tired and frustrated and hungry that she wanted to ditch rehearsals but she has to be there. Nymeria is a main character, she realized, and she seemed to have more lines and appearances than Sansa.

"Alright, take 15, everyone!" Mr. Forel shouted out to the entire auditorium. He signaled to his Assistant Director Mrs. Mordane (the English teacher that Arya now hates) to leave along with the others, meaning it was only her and Mr. Forel inside.

He asked her to take a seat beside him, making Arya feel more incompetent than she already was feeling.

"What's the matter, Miss Stark?" he asked, exhaustion clearly heard in his voice.

Arya continued to stare at her shoes to avoid looking at him. He's a good teacher, having transferred to Westeros High the previous year from a private school from outside the country. She found him very warm and appreciative of his students' work, at the same time, motivating them into working their asses off.

"Tell me, Arya," he said again, tapping her shoulder to make her look at him. "Do you have a problem with playing Nymeria?"

Arya gave a small shrug. "Not really. Just wondering why I got the role instead of the one I auditioned for."

"You mean Freya?"

"Yes."

"That was a stupid thing, auditioning for Freya, you know. We found your personality more like Nymeria than a stable master's daughter who practically had no line to say."

Arya couldn't resist the temptation of asking the question, but she dived for it anyway. "What about Gendry? Why did he get Joseph's part instead of Joffrey's?"

Syrio smiled. "Like I said, it fits his personality more."

Arya laughed. "But Joseph's stupid!"

Syria wagged a finger in front of her face in objection, making a tutting sound for full effect. "The blacksmith Joseph isn't as stupid as you think he is. He plays a vital role in all this. Haven't you read the entire script?"

Arya cringed. "Uhh…no?"

Syrio sighed. "Get to it tonight."

They both stood, coming to an understanding now that the question nagging Arya has been answered.

"You can do it, brave girl," Syrio added, before taking his leave. "I know you can play this role, if only you put your mind to it."

Arya nodded in response. She took her script that's lying on one of the auditorium seats, sighing at how thick it was and realized that she did need to read it in its entirety.

"Mr. Forel?" she called out before stepping out.

The kind teacher looked up from reading the script. "Yes, Arya?"

"Do you think I could skip today's rehearsal, though?"

Syrio noticed that she was trying to hide the grin from spreading across her face. He rolled his eyes and answered, "Tomorrow, maybe."

Arya pretended to look hurt before she turned to leave.

Mr. Forel called out one last time and Arya had to laugh when she heard him say, "Not today!"