I read the second book before I saw the second season, for those who are reading this and have only seen the show, you may notice somethings may seem a little off but nothing much is changed from what happens in the show. I don't plan to put in any spoilers, for I have only read up to the 3rd book and am on the 4th at the current moment and nothing bothers me more than when I see spoilers on the internet. This story takes place after the Season 2 finale, when Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie have just escaped Harrenhal. In my story they have found their way to Riverrun. For those who read the books, you will notice that this story does not quite follow the books exactly but I've been thinking of this story for a while now and I had to write it, so I guess you could count it as a bit of an AU story but not quite, I'm just making up my own little story line here. I don't know how long I plan on it being but I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
He found her in the godswood.
She was slashing violently at a heart tree, the tree's primeval eyes crying a deep red that eerily resembled blood. Gendry knew she was truly upset because she didn't even notice him watching her. He couldn't say how long he had been-mesmerized by how graceful her body moved despite her fury.
Suddenly, she sank to her knees in what Gendry thought was prayer before he realized that she was crying. He felt like an intruder, he had never seen her show so much emotion before. He took a step backwards, wanting to leave her to herself, but stepped on a twig.
She turned back and for a brief moment he saw raw sadness in her eyes before they clouded over in a scowl of anger.
"What do you want?" she asked in an accusing tone.
"To see if you were okay," he replied awkwardly. "I'll leave now if you'd like"
Gendry turned around and was walking away when Arya called out his name.
"Thank you." She said and wiped her eyes.
There was a certain softness in her voice that he wasn't used to. She was tired and emotionally drained, he knew that, but there was something different in her that puzzled Gendry.
Gendry looked back at the heart tree that she had been attacking. The slashes she had made looked like nothing on the ancient, gnarled bark.
"Stupid tree," Arya said stubbornly and tossed her sword to the side. Swinging her legs around, she got into a comfortable sitting position in between the roots of the tree.
She looked like she belonged there. Her hair was falling out of the short ponytail her mother's maids had put it in and her face filthy. She had kicked her shoes off at some point, or lost them, it made no matter, her feet were dirty and her tunic ripped. The job her mother had done in cleaning her up obviously was at a loss now.
Once they had arrived in Riverrun her mother had ordered a team of servants to clean Arya up and get her properly dressed right away. She had agreed to bathing and getting her hair pulled back but she would not agree to the dress they had tried to put on her, so they settled for a tunic and a pair of trousers.
Lady Catelyn's men had wanted to put Gendry and Hot Pie in a servant's chamber but Arya insisted that they be put in a proper bed chamber, for they had accompanied her as friends and should be treated like friends. Gendry was not looking forward to sharing a bed with Hot Pie but the bedroom was finer than any place he had ever slept before so he didn't complain.
Gendry walked to where Arya was sitting and sat down next to her. She had stopped crying but she stared blankly at the ground. Gendry wished he knew what to say to her, he couldn't imagine what she was feeling.
After they had arrived in Riverrun and got cleaned up, Gendry, Hot Pie and Arya were served dinner in their bed chambers. Arya was spending time with her mother but Lady Catelyn had called for Gendry to join them, she wanted to hear of everything that had happened to the both of them since they had left King's Landing with Yoren on their way to The Wall and how they had ended up in Harrenhal.
When they were done telling their story, Lady Catelyn was crying and hugging Arya again and then she told Arya the news that her two younger brothers, Bran and Rickon, had been killed by Theon Greyjoy and that Winterfell had burned down. Gendry was at a loss for words when she had told them and Arya immediately got up and ran out of the room. Soon after Gendry had found her here in the godswood.
They sat in silence for a while, side by side, their arms just barely touching, before she looked up at the weirwood trees around her and said "these are the Old Gods. The gods of my father. I was brought up worshiping both the Seven and the Old Gods,"
Gendry had lived in King's Landing as a smithy, and was brought up worshiping the Seven himself, but he couldn't deny that the Old Gods had a certain power while he was sitting amongst them.
"But neither the Old Gods or the New helped my brothers and my father," Arya said and turned her grey eyes towards Gendry. "Do you believe in any gods?"
Gendry turned his head away from her cold, hard stare, looking up towards the branches above him. "I believe there's something." He said simply.
Arya shook her head and wriggled her toes in the dirt.
"My brother will kill him," She said suddenly. "My brother is strong and Theon is a coward. Robb will be a just king."
Gendry nodded a silent agreement and they went back to sitting in silence. Gendry couldn't imagine what was going through Arya's mind. She had to be torn apart inside, how hard it must be to finally make her way back to her family only to find out that her family had been killed. She had killed men, seen men killed, watched her father beheaded and not even escaping to her family could offer her any comfort.
For only a girl of 15 she had gone through way too much.
He wanted to keep her mind off of everything so he resorted to the usual teasing that went on amongst them.
"You don't look very lady-like," Gendry said laughingly "with your ripped clothes and loose hair." He reached out and tugged at one of her loose strands.
"Hey!" she yelped and smacked his hand away.
He laughed and reached his other hand out to tickle her, she was fast though and she rolled away from him, her tunic ripping more as it got caught on a root. She shrugged it off, now only in an undershirt. She stood with a stick in hand, facing him sideways in a fighting stance.
Gendry sat back on his knees. "Oh come on m'lady," he laughed "this isn't very proper behavior. Your lady mother would not approve."
That seemed to make her mad for she flung herself at him, forgetting her stick, she threw both hands onto his chest. He fell backwards, Arya lying atop his chest. She quickly sat up, attempting to pin him down. He made no attempt to resist.
"You know I could easily over power you." Gendry said.
"Then why don't you?" she had his hands pinned beneath him, she was holding his elbows to the ground, her face lowered close to his when they heard a rustling and she sprang off of him.
Lady Catelyn appeared in the clearing. Her eyes widened at the scene, Arya in her undershirt, Gendry sprawled on the ground. "What are you two doing? Getting into trouble if I know this one here" she said, nodding to Arya.
Gendry stood up quickly, brushing dry leaves out of his hair and dirt from his clothes.
"I'm sorry m'lady," he mumbled and did a quick little bow to Lady Catelyn.
Lady Catelyn gave him a curt nod before turning to Arya.
"We just had you bathed and properly dressed and you've already gotten yourself dirty," Lady Catelyn scolded before her face became soft and she laughed. "I trust that neither of you got into trouble."
"I'm sorry mother," Arya said gathering her torn tunic and sword.
"Pay it no mind; we will have you bathed again when we return to the castle. First, I must inform you of one other very important matter," her tone suddenly serious.
Arya looked unsurely at her mother, then Gendry.
"Robb was to make a Frey girl his queen… and you were to marry as well, to a Frey."
Arya froze.
"You are to marry in less than a year's time I would believe. You have come of age, you're 15 and very well ready to wed. Once you turn 16 we must do this."
"No." Arya said, looking up angrily at her mother. "NO!" she yelled, "I will not be sold to some blithering idiot of a man like... like some common whore!"
"Arya, you are not to speak to me that way." Lady Catelyn said sternly, "And you are to marry, this is not negotiable, it was part of a deal that we cannot afford to break, Robb has already broken his promise and asked a woman that is not a Frey to be his wife. This is imperative if we hope to keep the Freys as allies."
Arya turned her head away from them both.
"We will find you someone who is fair and kind, and has courage," Lady Catelyn urged, "Please, Arya, you must understand."
Arya shook her head angrily, still refusing to look at either of them.
"Do it for your brother, I beg you. Do it for your king."