Just a one-shot to follow-up on The Apprentice's Assassin. Enjoy! ~JS
All around the city, colored lights rimmed windows high and low. Bell ringers began their vigilance. Special designed coffee cups forced Arya Stark to recognize that another Christmas was nearing. She never wanted to be around people for "the big day," and Gendry never asked why. This year, they were headed to Chile for the week.
Still, she broke her own rule every year and this year was no exception. He put up with her mood swings, nightmares that sometimes left him with bruises or cuts and everything else Arya would stumble into. Eight years since she'd returned to the city and she was still a little overwhelmed with delivering Gendry's gift this year.
She clicked around websites, looking at ideas for Chile and how to wrap his present. The grey cat on Arya's lap flexed her claws when Arya jiggled too much for the cat's liking.
"Ow, Assassin."
The cat shifted as an email chimed. Arya nearly deleted the spam email until she noticed the subject: "A lovely congratulations".
Though it had been over nine years, she felt Jaqen's hand ghost across the back of her neck, hearing his voice in the dark corners of her mind. How had he known?
Arya swallowed hard and fled the apartment for the anonymity of the city sidewalks. The sea of heavy jackets and knit caps swallowed her street after street, passing from one store to the next. Maybe it was the second or fifteenth store where Arya caught her reflection between rows of glittering wedding rings. She ignored the salesman saturated with cologne.
"You should." His words came just before the scent of cloves made her eyelids flutter closed.
Her knuckles turned white against the countertop. She opened her eyes and focused on the ring with rubies.
"For the bloodshed, yes."
It would've been so easy to lean back into Jaqen, to remember and erase the years. Her hips swayed in reverse.
"But for the babe, also. For she will come in July."
Her knees nearly buckled from the waver in his voice. "It may not be a girl," she said. Arya hoped it was a boy. She would name him Eddard Robert.
His gloved hand rested against hers on the glass. "Alas, she will have his eyes and your spark, my lovely girl."
"What do I name her?"
Arya was shoved into the countertop from behind. She twirled, only to face a heavyset woman apologizing. It would be pointless to look. Instead, she purchased the rings, one for her soon-to-be-husband, and returned to the apartment.
Two weeks later, on the three hour layover in Las Vegas, Arya made Gendry the offer he couldn't refuse. Once in Chile, she told him to hold off on booking their next vacation so he could take time off of work in July.
And life went on with Mrs. and Mr. Waters. She swelled and cursed the pain months later. He beamed and cried when their daughter's squall pierced the hospital room. Arya's heart was taken the moment the tiny blue eyes opened.
"What a peculiar birthmark!"
Arya peeled her eyes open. The nurse finished swaddling the baby and handed the little burrito to Gendry. She peeled back the blanket for Arya to see the red mark.
"It looks like a knife." The nurse ran her finger over the sleeping baby's chest as it rose and fell.
Arya felt her smile blossom from deep inside. "No, that's a dagger."
