"Come now, lad," Gendry coaxes his young son. "Eat up or you won't be able to hold a sword."
Durran, a solidly built boy of seven, squints at his father. "I'm able to hold a sword. I even spar with Mama."
Arya, sitting at the opposite head of the table from Gendry, smirks at her husband. He shoots her a glare and she smothers a snicker, tucking back into the pigeon pie they were having for dinner.
"Yes, but those are training swords," Gendry points out reasonably. Adopting a casual tone, he continues, "If you don't eat all your dinner, I doubt you'd ever be big enough to wield Longclaw."
At this, Durran's eyes light up and he sits up straight in his chair. "Uncle Jon's sword! D'you really think he'd let me use it?"
Gendry shrugs. "If you're not strong enough to use it..."
He trails off and Durran seems to get the point. The young boy ducks his head and immediately starts shoveling food into his mouth, barely pausing to breathe or chew.
"Well," Arya says wryly, shooting Gendry a pleased smirk, "with that display, we know he's your son."
Gendry raises an eyebrow at her and laughs. "Thought his thick skull was all the proof you needed to be convinced of his parentage?"
"That too," Arya says breezily.
"Mama, I'm full," Nourah pipes up from her seat next to Arya. The little girl is the spitting image of Arya, save for those blue eyes that are all Gendry. The plate in front of her is still full, only a handful of bites having been eaten, apparently.
"What is going on today?" Arya asks. She leans down to get on eye level with their daughter. "Was there a feast earlier that your father and I didn't know about?"
Nourah's eyes go wide and she shakes her head. "No, Mama!"
Durran backs up his sister answer, shaking his own head and saying, "We're just full from the midday meal."
Arya locks eyes with Gendry from across the table. They both know the children are lying, but they aren't sure why. Gendry tilts his head in a silent question. Arya nods in response. They've always been able to communicate silently, but that skill has only been sharpened and honed since having children. So much of their conversation has to happen within hearing distance of little ears.
"I suppose that's alright," Arya says slowly. "But since you're so full, I'll just tell Hot Pie that there's no need for sweets tonight."
Durran shrugs. "Okay," he replies casually, unable to look Arya or Gendry in the face.
Arya and Gendry narrow their eyes at their son. He's never been one to turn down a sweet before. Something's up and they're going to get to the bottom of it.
Arya - still light on her feet and sneaky, even after all her years of marriage - slips out of bed, leaving Gendry snoring away. She manages an affectionate smile for her husband's prone form before she slips out into the hallway, letting the door gently close behind her.
She and Gendry know that their children have been up to something. They're not sure what, but their desire not to eat dinner made her believe that they were making more trips to the kitchen than they should. Not that Arya and Gendry were particularly strict in the way they were raising the kids, but they did want them to adhere to some kind of schedule.
Creeping down the corridor, Arya notices that the doors to both Durran's and Nourah's rooms are open.
She shakes her head and follows her intuition to the kitchens. The chatter is audible from feet away and Arya pauses just outside the entrance to the kitchens.
"Mama said I'm the best sword fighter she's ever seen." Durran, Arya realizes, boasting about her encouragement.
"Yeah?" Another voice. "Reckon she'd know since she's fought everyone from here to Essos." Hot Pie - Arya recognizes his voice as he talks.
Curious, she pokes her head around the doorway and sees her son and daughter, propped up on stools at the counter, munching on marzipan shaped like fruits. Hot Pie stands watch, smiling as the Baratheon children giddily chatter away.
"I rode the horsey with Papa," Nourah grins, a smear of chocolate on her pudgy, dimpled cheek. Arya's heart bursts with love for the girl - the intensity of motherly love so unfamiliar and disorienting even seven years after Durran's birth. She had never planned on being a Lady - sewing and bearing children for her Lord. But this is different. These are hers and Gendry's babes. And she's sewed nothing in their near decade of marriage.
"Ah," Hot Pie says, "did you have a good time? I'm sure your Papa was scared with that big, giant horse." He's teasing the kids, Arya laughs to herself.
"No!" Nourah giggles. "Papa's not scared of nothing!"
"Yeah," Durran chimes in, "He's the biggest man in the Seven Kingdoms! Papa scares other people!"
Arya lets a smile spread across her face - Gendry can be properly terrifying when he needs to be, but he's never been anything but soft as fresh snow with the children. Hot Pie plays along with the kids and Arya decides to leave them and head back to bed. If all they're doing is eating midnight snacks, she supposes it can't hurt.
She creeps back into hers and Gendry's bedchambers, only to find him sitting up in bed, naked and waiting for her.
"Hi," she smiles.
"Hi," he replies, beckoning her to the bed. Arya kicks off her shoes and slowly climbs onto the mattress. She shucks her tunic as she goes. "Reckon it was something important to take you away from a good night's sleep."
Arya tucks herself against Gendry's side, his arm coming around to rest heavily against her back and shoulders. "Mhm," she hums, a small hand coming up to rest against his chest. Her fingers twist in the hair that covers his broad front. "The children are sneaking late night sweets."
Gendry raises an eyebrow and chuckles a bit. "They're like their mother, then."
She pinches him and he laughs, twisting away from her sharp nails. "Ouch, woman, enough," he grins, holding her wrists with one large hand. "I only meant that you have a sweet tooth."
"I don't," she protests, wiggling her hands free.
Gendry pulls her onto his lap, his hands settling on her hips. "You liked what we did with the warmed chocolate." He dips his head and presses a hot, open-mouthed kiss to his wife's collarbone.
Arya arches her back, pressing her breasts into his chest. "That was a mess," she says, grinding down on him. She clutches at his shoulders, nails digging into skin. Gendry hisses at the sharp pain.
A timid knock at the door startles both from their passion. With a groan, Arya rolls off of her husband and grabs both of their tunics, throwing Gendry's to him and slipping her own over her head. Gendry adjusts himself in bed to try and hide the obvious straining under the sheets.
Arya pulls back the door and starts again at the sight of their tiny daughter.
"Nourah," she murmurs, crouching down so she's at eye level with the little girl. "What happened?"
Nourah had been fine just a few moments ago. What could possibly have happened in that time? Gendry leans over, concerned, so he can see what's happening.
"I throw up," she sighs, tears in her big blue eyes. The chocolate smudge is still on her cheek.
Arya sighs. "Oh." She lifts Nourah into her arms and feels her forehead for fever, even though she's almost positive the vomiting has to do with the late-night sweets. As she thought, no fever.
"Bring her here," Gendry says. "She'll stay with us."
Peering at Gendry with a frown - they'd had arguments whether or not to let the children stay in their bed occasionally, Arya against it and Gendry in favor as he'd only ever wanted a family - Arya walks back to the bed and passes Nourah over to Gendry. "Yes, milord," she says cheekily.
Gendry rolls his eyes affectionately and cuddles Nourah close. He strokes her dark hair away from her forehead and whispers, "How about a story, my littlest love?"
"I want your story, papa," Nourah requests - meaning the story of how Arya and Gendry met. Their little girl is a romantic, just like her Aunt Sansa. Gendry smiles softly and nods.
"Anything for you, Nour," he holds her close and begins whispering the story. Arya gets back in bed and props herself up on her elbow, watching Gendry and their daughter.
Her heart expands and not for the first time, she's so grateful that she chose to live.
A/N: not too much to say on this one, except sorry if it's out of character a bit. i kind of crowdsourced for the kids' names on tumblr, and got durran as a possible son's option. i've always liked the name nora, so i game of thones'd it lol.
one more episode to go, gang. here's hoping gendry and arya make it out alive and together. :)