This was not where Arya thought she would find herself on her wedding day: hiding under a table and ignoring the frantic searches of her bridesmaids for her.
She had been happy when Gendry proposed, ecstatic. She had been thinking about what it meant that he had proposed to her. It meant he wanted her, he loved her, really and truly. (Even though he'd probably tease her for doubting him). She hadn't thought much about the actual wedding itself which was probably a fault of her own. Gendry's mother, Cersei, had never liked Arya. She found her wild, uncouth and too homely for her son. Sansa was the one that was meant to be set up with Gendry but had found herself giving her attention to Joffrey, for whatever reason. Arya chalked it up to a moment of insanity on her sister's part—a moment that lasted over a year until a huge bust-up that featured rumors of abuse from Joffrey towards Sansa, an altercation between Robb and Joffrey that landed the arrogant shit in the hospital and Robb having to rack up some hours of community service to avoid jail and Sansa moving in with her friend (and maybe girlfriend) Jeyne Poole. Cersei had shifted most of her hatred to Sansa then who was previously her little protégée and Arya completely forgot the implications that she was engaged to Gendry Baratheon, son of Cersei Lannister, who hated just about everyone's guts but reserved a special kind of hatred for Arya in particular.
Still, no matter how much Cersei hated Arya the wedding was happening. Arya thought that was more than enough to put Cersei off. She didn't think she'd care about the ceremony at all. Everyone knew Joffrey was her favorite child followed up by Myrcella and then Gendry and Tommen. However, Cersei had taken full command of the ceremony, saying her firstborn son would not be married in a forest like a savage. An obvious slight against Arya for following the Old Gods. She and Cersei frequently butted heads from then on about everything to do with the wedding.
Arya wanted small and intimate, Cersei wanted large and lavish.
Arya wanted to stick to simple Northern foods along with she and Gendry's favorite Southern cuisine, Cersei wanted exotic fare flown in from Essos and the Summer Isles.
Arya wanted Dornish Red, Cersei wanted Arbor Gold.
Arya wanted Jon to be her man of honor rather than having a maid. Cersei didn't want Jon at the wedding at all and if he was, he was only to sit in the back with Robert's bastards.
Gendry would not argue with his mother, saying it was pointless since she always got her way one way or another. The only thing he had pushed was Jon's attendance along with his half-siblings, the ones he knew anyway.
When Arya's mother got involved, she hoped she would champion for her decisions. All she really did was champion for her own. So, Arya washed her hands and let them do whatever they wanted. It wasn't about the ceremony, she told herself, it was about she and Gendry spending their lives together.
She told herself this when they stuffed her into a wedding dress that she hated. It was all delicate lines and lace and tulle and embroidered with gold accents. It was beautiful and well-crafted and even looked flattering on Arya. Sansa would love a dress like this, but Arya detested it and the heels they forced her into. They made her put extensions in her hair so it flowed down her back in dark brown curls adorned with a diamond wolf clip her father said belonged to her grandmother. The veil was secured with a blue adornment her mother bought especially for her and Cersei had given her the something borrowed: a bracelet that Cersei wore on her wedding day. She threatened to kill Arya if she broke it.
Arya was dressed and ready to walk down the aisle. There were almost 1000 guests downstairs waiting for her, not a small amount being reporters and journalists who probably raved about the ice sculptures and flower terraces and champagne fountains among the other ridiculous extravagances Cersei forced on her. She did not know two-thirds of the people downstairs and she wasn't exactly eager to read about how she didn't quite smile right and stumbled down the aisle or tripped over her train or butchered her vows. So, she hid under the table in her dressing room and ignored Sansa, Myrcella, Meera, Jeyne, Talisa and her mother's panicked calls for her. They had been looking for 20 minutes and made no headway. She knew they informed the men that Arya was missing by now because she heard her father and Uncle Benjen's voice among the fray. She still did not answer.
She heard the door to the dressing room open. They had already checked three times and hadn't found her. She heard shoes hitting the floor but they weren't the click of heels, more like a man's feet, and they were coming straight towards her. She looked up as the tablecloth was moved and Jon was suddenly there peering at her. He wordlessly crawled under the table and settled next to her, pulling his knees to his chest so his legs didn't stick out and reveal her hiding place. They sat silently for a moment, listening to the patter of feet back and forth searching for her before Jon spoke up.
"Do you want to call this whole thing off?" He asked, no judgement in his voice.
"No… yes… I don't know." Jon nodded, taking in that answer.
"You love Gendry."
"Yes."
"You want to marry him."
"Yes."
"Not like this though." Jon surmised. Arya wasn't shocked, Jon knew her better than anyone else in the world. Even better than Gendry did.
"This isn't me. All of this… pomp and fluff. The stupid seven-tiered cake and the dumb swans in the stupid fountain and the bloody septon in this stupid giant, ugly sept and this stupid dress. With heels? I'll break my neck walking down the aisle and that'll be the headline tomorrow: Business Mogul Ned Stark's Homely Daughter Embarrasses Her Family and The Entire Baratheon/Lannister Clan in Front of The Bloody Magisters of Pentos and Triarchy of Volantis, Who Are Here for What Reason? Who the Hell Knows."
"That'd be an excessively long headline." Jon replied dryly. Arya sighed with frustration.
"I just want something that is mine. This is my wedding day, the one day I've got to do this and everywhere I look, I see Cersei. If not her then my mother, who has done fuck-all to help make this day my day. If it were Sansa getting married—"
"Don't go down that road. Sansa's out there searching right now, worried about you." Arya shook her head.
"I'm not coming out. If Gendry wants to marry me, he can do it under this table."
"Gendry would do it if you asked, he's so gone off you. It would certainly make the front page of every society magazine from here to the Summer Isles."
"Knowing idiots who read that trash, they're likely to think it's a trend. Everyone will start getting married under tables." Arya replied, drawing a laugh from them both. Once their chortles died down, Arya glanced at Jon. He was staring at her with a scrutinizing face. She didn't disturb whatever thought process he was going through but soon he seemed to come to a decision.
"I'll be back soon. Don't move." He said before crawling out from underneath the table. As he did Arya caught sight of a flash of red and blue pass the door before coming back.
"There you are! We've been searching like mad." Sansa exclaimed, as she saw Arya under the table.
"Why are you under there?" She asked with confusion.
"She needs time. Keep her company until I come back." Jon said, strutting out of the room. Sansa watched him go before closing the door to the dressing room and looking at the table uncertainly.
"Can't you come out? I don't want to ruin my dress." Sansa said, gesturing to the blue bridesmaid dress she wore. Arya rolled her eyes but crawled from under the table, not caring that her gown was ruffled and wrinkled on her now. Sansa tutted before moving around her to fix the fabric.
"Do I want to know why you were under the table?"
"I was looking for lost treasure." Arya quipped back sarcastically. Sansa didn't laugh. Her face took on a pained expression.
"If you don't wish to marry Gendry, you don't have to. It was hard for me to make that choice with Joff, to gather enough strength to decide I wouldn't spend the rest of my life with him because I deserve better. I don't know Gendry very well, Joffrey was never close to his siblings so I didn't spend much time with him. After Joff, well, I suppose that's my own fault for not making the effort but if he mistreats you—"
"He doesn't. He's not Joffrey or Cersei or Robert even." Sansa stared for a moment more before nodding.
"I know my romantic history leaves much to be desired but if you need help or advice right now…"
"It's not Gendry, it's this." Arya said, gesturing to her dress.
"I never wanted anything like this for my wedding day. I never even thought I'd see a wedding day and now I'm supposed to do what? Glide down the aisle like a lady and play the part of social butterfly Cersei wants me to play? I don't expect you to understand that. You'd probably love all of this: the flowers, the birds, the food, the guests, the ceremony in the Great Sept, the ballroom, the cake, the bloody quartet. It's all very you."
"I suppose it is, but I understand enough to know that's not you. Have you ever talked to Gendry about it?"
"No. It's his mother, what was I supposed to say?"
"Well, you two have much in common because he's hidden himself away as well to escape this mess." Arya's eyes widened.
"He has?"
"Once he caught sight of the golden lion statues, he said it was too much. It wasn't what he wanted and he knew you didn't want this either. He said he feels guilty for not fighting for what you two wanted harder. I feel like I should apologize too. I knew this wasn't you when I heard about it all, I knew you would hate this and I did nothing. Mother should've known better than to get caught up in whatever competition with Cersei she was having. This is supposed to be your day, yours and Gendry's and no one else's." Arya was horrified to realize tears were gathering in her eyes. She rarely ever cried in front of her sister, memories of Arya Horseface and her sister's other cruel teasing always steeling her to such emotion. However, now the tears slipped past her face before she could stop them. Sansa moved forward and pulled Arya into her arms and let her cry against her shoulder.
"I hate this." Arya mumbled. Sansa nodded against her head.
"I know. But this is just one day. It'll be over soon and after this, you'll be married to Gendry. I know it is not fair to ask, but just grin and bear it and then it will be over. Like ripping a bandage off." Arya wanted to protest but she knew she could not hide forever. She was going to nod in acquiescence when a horn honked outside the window. There should have been no cars at the part of the Great Sept where Arya's dressing room was.
"Arry!" She heard called outside. Only one person called her that. She and Sansa made their way to the window and looked down. The limo was there with the windows rolled down so she was able to see that Jon was in the driver's seat with Maege Mormont in the passenger seat. In the back she could see Gendry along with their brothers and sisters and Gendry's cousin Shireen along with Lyanna Mormont.
"Come on, come downstairs!" Gendry beckoned.
"For what?"
"So we can go get married. Or did you change your mind?" Arya looked at them in the car with confusion before realizing what he meant. She glanced back at the door, wondering if they could leave unnoticed before deciding not to chance it. She took her heels off, throwing them somewhere in the room, and tied the material at the bottom of her dress off so it didn't get in the way of her feet.
"Oh no, you're not." Sansa groused.
"I am." Arya replied confidently. She climbed out of the window. There was a lattice with flowers next to it and it was easy to climb down it. She looked up at Sansa once she was halfway down. Her sister eyed it uncertainly.
"Come on, it's only the fourth level. Besides, I need my sister as my maid of honor, don't I?" Sansa smiled after a moment before taking off her shoes as well and held the straps between her teeth as she climbed down carefully. Once they reached the ground, the two girls ran to the back of the limo where everyone was. Jon didn't hesitate to pull off once they were securely inside. It wasn't until they drove off the property that Arya spoke up.
"So, what? We're eloping now?" She asked with some excitement in her voice.
"Is it still eloping if you don't technically leave the city?" Gendry wondered.
"It feels like you're eloping." Mya, Gendry's older half-sister, pointed out.
"It's so romantic. Even more than the wedding ceremony Mother planned." Myrcella intoned, her eyes staring off with a gleam in them at the notion of Arya and Gendry's decision to pseudo-elope. Though it wasn't much of a decision on Arya's part and it didn't seem like something Gendry would come up with either.
"Whose idea was this?" Arya asked. Everyone pointed towards Jon who kept his eyes on the road as he shrugged.
"That wasn't what you wanted. I talked to Maege and she agreed to officiate the wedding once we get to where we're getting to. Lyanna's got all the official documents that need to be signed." Jon replied. Arya smiled to herself. Of course Jon would do this for her.
"Got these for you." Robb said, passing her a box. She opened it to find a pair of converses inside. She let out a laugh and thanked Robb before quickly pulling on the socks and the shoes. It probably looked ridiculous, but she couldn't care less.
Gendry threw an arm around Arya's shoulder.
"I'm sorry." He whispered into her ear.
"I should've taken more of a stand against my mother." Arya nodded in response, she couldn't disagree with that.
"I probably should've taken one with mine too." She admitted.
"How do you think they'll take us leaving?" She asked. Gendry winced in reply.
"It's a good thing our honeymoon is two weeks long." Arya silently agreed with that.
"You look beautiful by the way, very ladylike. I'm sure you're loving that." Gendry said teasingly. She knocked her arm against his chest with an eyeroll.
They drove for a little while. The atmosphere was a jovial one filled with family. Arya did find herself feeling some guilt that her parents weren't there but Robb, Jon, Sansa, Bran, Rickon and Talisa were. Gendry had Mya, Myrcella, Bella, Edric, Tommen and Shireen so he was not without his family either. As for Lyanna Mormont, well Arya thought she probably refused to stay at the Great Sept once she realized what was happening. She was a strong-willed girl, Arya admired her. Most everyone did, or they feared her.
They probably drove for 45 minutes before Jon pulled over outside of Wolfswood Park. It was the closest place to the Great Sept that had Heart Trees. Everyone piled out of the car and began walking towards the cluster of weirwoods on the far side of the park. Gendry held Arya's hand and let her lead him through the trees. She perused the white bark carefully. Some were bare with no faces, others varied between laughing trees, weeping trees, sullen trees, crying trees. Arya stopped in front of a smiling tree.
"This one." She decided.
"A good choice. Smiling trees usually bring good fortune to a marriage." Maege said with a nod of approval before taking her place before the tree. Arya and Gendry's siblings arranged themselves into something like an aisle quickly enough. Jon stood behind Gendry as his best man at his request. Arya looked to Robb, nodding him over to her.
"Walk me down the aisle." She demanded more than requested. He chuckled but held his elbow out to her in a flourish. Sansa quickly walked over to Arya and pushed a hastily put together bouquet of winter roses in her hands.
"Rickon was picking them as we walked along." She explained before she walked ahead of her down the short aisle as her maid of honor. Arya and Robb made their way down the aisle. Arya's heart pounded with anticipation as Gendry smiled at her.
"Who comes before the Old Gods?" Maege asked as the presiding chaplain of the ceremony.
"Arya Stark comes here to be wed. She comes of her own volition asking the blessing of the Gods." Robb said, his voice strong and unwavering.
"Who comes to claim her?" Maege asked.
"Gendry Baratheon. I come here of my own volition humbly asking for her hand, if she chooses to give it."
"Who gives her?" Maege asked.
"Robb Stark, her brother, in the stead of our father Ned Stark. But she comes here of her freewill with no coercion or show of force from another." Arya smiled a little at him for tacking on the last part.
"Do you take this man, Arya Stark?"
"I do." Arya said, no doubt in her voice. Robb's grip on her hand loosened and Arya went to stand across from Gendry.
"Do you have the rings?" Jon stepped forward and pulled the bands out of his pocket, handing them to Maege.
"A prayer to the Gods to bless this union." Maege said, holding the rings in her enclosed palms before bowing her head to pray silently for a moment. Everything and everyone was quiet. The breeze picked up ever so slightly, brushing through Arya's hair and over her bare shoulders. She did not shiver, it was nothing compared to home. Maege's prayer soon ended and she looked up once more. She handed a ring to each of them.
"You may now exchange your rings." Arya pushed the band on Gendry's finger first. He was quick to push hers on. It was a weight on her hand but not an unpleasant one.
"Your union may now be sealed with a kiss." Gendry leaned down whilst Arya stood on her tiptoes. She briefly thought she probably should have kept the heels so she wouldn't have to strain herself but the thoughts were banished when his lips touched hers. She could hear their siblings hooting and catcalling them and Arya smiled against Gendry's lips, feeling content with this. This was what she had wanted, this was exactly what she imagined when she dreamed of them marrying.
Ned was used to dealing with chaotic situations. Raising a family with six children while working as the CEO of Stark Industries, the North's largest business, lent itself to having to do so. Still, he thought this took the cake. His wife had come to him frantically saying they couldn't find Arya. Ned had remained calm and quickly formed a plan to search for Arya other than just running around calling her name. It wouldn't do for the guests to be alerted to anything untoward, especially not Tywin Lannister.
Cersei had been making snide remarks in the beginning about how Arya was getting cold feet and it was just as well since she wasn't worthy of the Lannister family name (never mind she would be a Baratheon, well a Baratheon-Stark). That had lasted until Renly had come complaining that he couldn't find Gendry and then it was soon discovered he had gone missing too. The limo driver came in a while after that and said Jon had paid him for the use of his limo and he along with the bride and groom and some others had taken it and driven off. Ned quickly realized that all of his children and Gendry's cousin and siblings save Joffrey were also gone; So was Maege and little Lyanna. Ned had a pretty good idea what was going on but could hardly get a word in edgewise with Catelyn and Cersei snarking one another and arguing back and forth, defending their child's honor by sully the honor of the other's which didn't make much sense to him since they were to be family soon enough but Ned didn't get in the middle of it any more than Robert did.
Robert didn't seem to care one way or another, drinking his fill of wine and sharing looks with Ned.
"It's your wild little beast of a daughter that's corrupted my son. She probably kidnapped him to do the Gods only know what." Cersei hissed.
"Your son was the one that proposed to Arya. He was the one gallivanting around with her when she was but a minor, what does that say about him?" Catelyn seethed.
"Gendry never laid a finger on her when she was younger, I know that for a fact. If he had, what does that say about your parenting?" Cersei snapped back. Ned was going to chance stepping in when there was a knock at the door. It opened a moment later to show Tyrion Lannister standing there with that amused smirk he always wore, his eyes dancing with mirth. Ned could see that Jaime Lannister and his wife, Brienne, were directing the guests out of the Sept like herders would cattle to a pen.
"Where's everyone going?" Ned asked the short man.
"To the reception hall as there will be no wedding ceremony in the Great Sept today. Might as well not have everyone starve and there is way too much food to let go to waste." The man responded.
"So, they called it off then?" Robert asked gruffly, sounding unhappy. It probably wasn't for their sakes so much as because Arya and Gendry reminded Robert of him and Lyanna, at least on the surface. Tyrion shook his head, his amused smirk growing into a grin.
"Oh no, quite on the contrary good-brother. They shall return to the reception hall a married man and woman." All four parents frowned.
"What are you talking about, Imp?" Cersei asked with an unhappy sneer. Tyrion smiled a gleeful smile at her before pulling out his cellphone and tapping around on it. He made to hand it to his sister before seemingly thinking twice and handing it to Ned instead. He took it from the man and stared at the Instagram post. It was a split picture featuring two panels from Sansa's page. On one side was a group photo of Arya with her siblings along with Gendry and his siblings and cousin clustered together sitting under a Heart Tree. On the other panel was a close-up picture of Arya and Gendry smiling widely for the camera while flashing their hands and pointing at their wedding bands with mock-shocked expression.
Look who just got married. Sansa had captioned the photo.
Ned couldn't stop the smile that he found rising to his lips.
"Ned?" Catelyn asked. He passed the phone over to her and she looked at the phone with Cersei peering over her shoulder before the women made noises of discontent.
"They better not have." Catelyn threatened to no one in particular. Cersei was practically fuming. Robert shrugged in response to it.
"Well, there's nothing for it now. Might as well go get something to eat. They'll show up at some point." He said, walking out of the room. Ned decided to follow after him. He knew Arya hadn't wanted anything so lavish as all of this but she hadn't said anything to him. He knew his daughter though and she usually always found a way to make her own path. He was disappointed he hadn't gotten to walk her down the aisle but she had looked happier than he remembered ever seeing her in that photo with Gendry so he did not dwell on it. As long as she made sure to send him as many photos as was humanly possible (and he was sure Sansa had that covered), then he was happy.