Chapter 1 - On the way back home

Storm's end is standing in front of her. She feels small for some reason next to its huge walls, the sound of the ocean hitting the rocks deafening. She faintly smiles, after five years she feels like herself again. Even though she still has nightmares at night, she feels more in touch with reality. She could make peace with the past and put revenge aside, it was time to live. That's why she's here, standing in front to this massive place wanting to see who is inside and at the same time dreading it. Is he angry at her? Did he move on? Did he miss her? She sure as hell misses him. She knows she'll be lucky if he says two words to her, she knows she'd be pissed at her if she were him.

"Are you going to come inside milady or are you going to freeze yourself to death?" Ser Davos says gently, shivering a little at her side. He has come to meet her once he's seen the flags from her ship coming near to shore. The lad doesn't know she's here, he doesn't know how he's going to react once he finds out.

"Remember that I'm from the North, this is actually hot for me," she says smirking. Davos chuckles and shakes his head slightly and starts moving towards the castle. Sighing, she follows him. "Time to face the bull," she thinks.

Ser Davos walks her through the castle until they reach a closed door. He hesitates in front of it, he tries to say something to her, hesitates again, opens his mouth and closes it. Arya finds this amusing and smirks lifting her eyebrows at him. Finally, he says: "If you could just wait a moment please, I haven't announced you yet." She nods in understanding, he doesn't know she is here. She wonders if he'll hug her when he sees her or if he'll kiss her. God, she wants to kiss him. She found herself many nights touching at the thought of his lips on her skin, she couldn't wait for fantasy to meet reality. There is a voice at the back of her mind that shouts not to get her hopes up, he may not want her here.

After what seemed to be like hours, Ser Davos opens the door. She's seen death many times in her life but her heartbeat has never been so out of control as that moment. "Breathe," she thinks, "just breathe."

Ser Davos moves aside to let her in, they are in Gendry's office she assumes. There is a huge window that faces the ocean that lets the wind and the sun come in. In the middle of the room there is a huge desk with a lot of different things: parchments of different sizes, some eaten fruit, a dagger, and there he is standing behind it. He looks good, not good; great, not great; he actually looks like a greek god with the sunlight hugging his body and making him look golden. She catches her breath and barely smiles, her eyes wide and expenting.

There was a moment of silence, he isn't hugging her nor kissing her nor running towards her. He's not moving. He's barely breathing. Her heart is racing so fast, she's afraid he'll hear it.

"You can stay here as long as you need", he says coldly not even looking at her. She slightly nods without taking her eyes from him. His jaw clenched, his eyebrows frowned, looking at the table so hard, that if looks could kill that table should be on the ground shattered already.

After a moment of awkward silence, Davos coughs. Neither of them move. "This way, Lady Stark," pointing with his arm to the door.

"Arya is fine Ser Davos, I'm no lady," she says walking past him with her head held high. She isn't going to give him the satisfaction to show herself vulnerable and hurt in front of him. She knows how to hide her feelings well.

After both have left, Gendry sinks down to his chair, a sharp breath he's been holding coming out of his mouth, a shaking hand holding his head.