Disclaimer: Again I do not own the characters or World it belongs to George R. R. Martin. Any likenesses to actual people are completely fictional and the songs I use are property of the artists. I will provide a full list of video references at the end, Hope you enjoy :)
Arya
Cold, quiet blue water surrounded her, she felt panic surge throughout her entire body. She needed air and she needed air badly but the dull light coming from the surface was just out of her reach. The pressure of the river swallowed her deeper and deeper and she knew the gift of death was moments away…
Arya sat up with a long loud gasp hitting her head on the top of the sleeping compartment where she woke up.
"fuck" she groaned trying to trying to process the pain through her sleepy haze. An uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach, she hadn't had that drowning dream in years.
'I'll never get used to sleeping on a tour bus' she thought to herself as she climbed out of her cabinet turned makeshift bed and into the common area of the bus.
Rickon was staring sleepily out the window from a comfy chair and Bran was trying to keep his wheel chair from rolling around as they drove through a heavily forested area.
"What time is it?" she groaned as she collapsed into the chair across from Rickon.
"11 am, we have another 3 hours until we reach Harrenhal, Osha said we all started driving about 2 hours ago." Bran answered referring to their driver.
She glanced to the front of the bus at the door that divided them from their driver. Osha was a rough woman who had wild messy hair, thick eyeliner and dark red also had a heavy northern accent and was always smoking a cigarette.
Arya grabbed a folded up map of Westeros that had the route of the Night's Watch tour highlighted for them.
"so we circle around the south before heading up north?" Arya asked as she traced the bright orange line with her finger.
"yeah, the tour takes about 3 months to play a show in each of the 14 towns and 4 major cities" Bran explained gripping the arm of her chair to stop himself from rolling into Rickon when the bus took a sharp turn.
Arya and Rickon both shot their arms out to help him, but he swatted their hands away stubbornly.
"Yoren said they'll get us a proper bus when we get to Lannisport" Arya said apologetically.
Their bus was standard like everyone else's, common sitting area with two swirling fluffy chairs and across from a sofa, a kitchenette, fold out table, sleeping compartments, a small bathroom and a small room with a bed in the very back. There was a small compartment above the drivers area where Osha was to sleep.
'Beats the hell out of sleeping in a van' Arya thought to herself.
"it's actually kinda fun" Bran admitted with a small smile. Arya knew he hated when his siblings felt pity for him like he was some pitiful cripple.
"Rickon go make us some tea" she ordered, so he got up and walked three steps to their little kitchenette, narrowing his eyes at his lazy older sister the entire time.
Arya glanced out of the window catching a glimpse of the line of black tour buses identical to theirs; she had to struggle not to wonder which one held the boy she used to not stop thinking about.
Apparently she still couldn't stop thinking about him.
'stop thinking about him, stop thinking about him…' she chanted in her mind.
"what songs are we playing tonight?" Bran asked when Rickon handed them each a paper cup with warm tea.
"I haven't decided" Arya mumbled into her tea avoiding his gaze. Bran silently gave her a hard stare raising a dark eyebrow at her.
"So what do we know about Harrenhal?" Rickon asked impatiently blowing on his tea.
"we know dragons burned down some castle like a million years ago" Arya responded running her hands through her tangled hair as she remembered the Westeros history books her aunt made her memorize.
" yeah, ok… that doesn't help us, I remember dad saying something about it being the heavy metal Mecca of westeros. Harrenhal arena was the breeding ground for the long haired screeching sounds of the 80s, and the people there still have a taste for that type of heavy music."
he explained and Arya raised her eyebrows at him.
"How the hell do you know all of that?" She interrogated
"Whenever dad managed to find time to put me to sleep at night instead of asking for old bed time stories I asked about where he would go and what he would do, he told me a lot about the musical tastes of people in different parts of the country... He said it was good to know audience no matter where they are from or what they like" Bran explained smiling sadly as he thought of their father.
They sat in silence for a moment before Rickon farted loudly, killing the tension instantly.
"open a window!" Bran gasped out. Arya was coughing dramatically as she struggled with the bus window and Rickon dissolved into a fit of chuckles as he watched his siblings struggle.
"Everything ok back there?!" Osha yelled from the front in her thick accent.
"Yeah we're fine" Rickon yelled back ignoring the glares from the two.
"So basically we need to play heavy music and I need to scream into the microphone?" Arya said when the air was clear again.
"In a nutshell... Yeah, we have one song like that but we need two for tonight, even though I highly doubt we will impress this crowd enough to win the encore, but we each get ten minutes to try"Bran replied.
"I don't get it, what's special about the encore?" Rickon asked digging through the cabinets, pulling out box of granola bars and throwing one to each of them.
"Well at the end of the show the crowd gets to cheer for another song from their favorite band of the night, that's what makes it a battle of the bands. The band that acquires the most encores and votes by the end of the tour wins ten thousand gold and a record deal with Bar. Rec., including a winter tour, major press releases and music video promotions" Bran said ticking off the main prizes off his fingers as remembered them.
The looks on their faces told Bran he was the only one who bothered to read the fine details of the contract they signed with Yoren when they were chosen to participate two days ago.
"Well regardless of winning, the amount of exposure we can get in such a short time is the real prize. There's no better way to sell our music than to play in front of a lot of people" Arya said emphasizing the word a lot before using her teeth to tear open her snack.
"Yeah for once you're right about something" Bran teased ignoring the granola bar that Rickon threw at him as he pulled out his drumsticks and started playing invisible drums.
Arya rolled her eyes and kicked the wheel of his chair before staring out the window at the moving stony fields and dark gray clouds rolling by them. Letting her thoughts travel back to a bright blue eyed boy that she used to know.
Gendry
He had just finished adjusting his guitar strings on his black electric guitar when the caravan pulled into the town of Harrenhal. He had attuned it to play a heavier sound for the upcoming performance.
"I hope they pick a decent place to eat here, I'm starving" Hot Pie said as he shoved cookies into his mouth.
"How can you think about food when you're eating?" Lommy asked incredulously from his lying position on the floor.
The long drive had made him nauseous enough to lay on the floor and complain for two hours. Apparently his motion sickness did not improve since last year.
"I eat when I'm nervous" Hot Pie replied defensively causing Gendry and Edric to snort with laughter.
"How can you be nervous? We did this exact tour last year. Edric should be nervous, he's the virgin" Gendry said silently plucking the strings of his instrument and smirking when his brother shoved him lightly with his foot, mumbling about not having been a virgin for years.
"What if they boo us off the stage or throw food at us?" Hot pie said through a mouthful of cookie
"They won't boo us off and I doubt having food thrown at you would be the worst thing that ever happened to you" Gendry said narrowly avoiding the cookie thrown at his head when the bus came to a halt.
Lommy shot up like a blond weed and dashed down the steps before anyone else could utter a word.
They all followed suit and soon and Gendry found himself subconsciously scanning the line of parked busses. Everyone was pouring out and marching into nearest tavern called The Tickler.
By the time they entered the dimly lit building most of the seats were already filled and the staff was frantically serving drinks to the fully packed room.
The Tickler seemed prepared for the arrival of the Nights Watch Tour with their tables pressed together and lined with as many chairs as they could get.
Gendry stumbled into some seats at table closest to the door, avoiding the mess of people in further in.
"I've got to piss like a drunken Dornish horse" Edric announced as he threw his jacket down on the back of a seat to cover and claim it, Lommy and Hot Pie nodded in agreement before following his example and the three of them disappeared into the crowd.
"What can I get you and your mates to drink?" A server shouted from the other end of the long table.
"A round of Ale!" he said loudly and the man nodded before disappearing.
'Looks like everyone is already here' he thought trying and failing to count the endlessly moving mob in front of him and instead took in his surroundings.
The Tickler had a timeworn feel about it, the ceilings were high and everything was made of a deep warm wood. Black metal chained chandeliers gave the place very dim lighting with the exception of the bar that illuminated a wall filled with various glass bottles of all shapes, colors and sizes. Even the cups and utensils seemed ancient. The only modern features in the entire room seemed to be the thin flat screen televisions that lined the walls, tilted to provide a better view which didn't matter because they were off anyway.
Suddenly a gust of cold air hit his back and he turned to see Cat barge in followed by her curly haired companion, the wheel chair bound boy and a wild looking woman he vaguely recognized.
The woman pushed them towards him and he watched as the girl settled down into the chair next to him, the curly haired one across from them next to Edric's empty chair and the other one rolled into the edge of the table.
"Hey Cat" he said nodding his head to her. He noticed the flash of confusion on the other boy's faces but she shot them a pointed look and they looked down.
"Hey there Gendry" she said smiling quickly but focusing on the plastic menu in front of her. The boys looked at her expectantly but she just continued to study her menu with great concentration.
"Hi I'm Bran, our sister here seems to have forgotten her manners" he said reaching his out his hand from the end of the table to shake his and causing her to snort loudly at his comment, but still avoiding his gaze.
"I'm Rickon" the curly haired one said quietly with a nod. He saw his band mates forcing their way back through the crowd and gracelessly falling in their seats.
"I'm Gendry Waters, this is my brother Edric Storm, That's Lommy Greenhands, and Hot Pie. Guys this is Cat, Bran and Rickon" Gendry said as the waiter returned with large pitchers and started filling everyone's cups to the brim.
"We're serving Roast Dinner today and Mushroom stew for you ... vegetarian types" the waiter said gruffly eyeing the three palest kids in the room.
"Mushroom Stew please" Rickon piped up happily and his siblings nodded with much less enthusiasm.
"So you guys are vegetarian huh? Is that like a health thing or is it animal rights that got you" Edric asked after they all ordered their food and the waiter disappeared after collecting their menus.
"They're not vegetarian, they're Vegan" Gendry teasingly causing her to narrow her gaze at him. He smirked in response glad to have her silver stare on him again.
"seriously? You guys don't even eat cheese? How can you live without cheese?!" Hot pie exclaimed looking scandalized.
"Our cousin Shireen is a vegetarian because she wants to save every animal from any type of cruelty, but even she can't go all vegan. That takes serious dedication" Edric said with genuine interest causing Rickon to launch into a detailed explanation of the horrid conditions of farms and slaughter houses.
By the end of his rant Edric flagged down their waiter and changed his order to mushroom stew. Even Gendry had no doubt that they were authentic.
"so how did a cripple like you learn to play the drums so well?" Hot Pie blurted out in Bran's direction while they waited for their food.
Gendry closed his eyes and groaned inwardly at his friend's rudeness until a loud slam made him abruptly open his eyes to see Cat's ass almost fully in his face as she crouched over the table on one leg and held her fork to Hot Pie's eye. Gendry reached up instinctively grabbing her by her tiny waist to stop her momentum.
"My brother is NOT a cripple! He can out drum you any day even with your useless fat little legs, call him a cripple again and I'll gouge your fucking eyes out" Cat growled out calmly but disturbingly serious. Hot Pie looked ready to piss himself.
"Stop Ar…Cat, its ok" Bran said loudly causing his sister to slowly return to her seat while giving Hot Pie a death glare. Gendry watched her pale cheeks blush a little when she noticed that he had restrained her. It amused him that she could blush right after threatening to gouge someone's eyes out.
"what kind of stupid stage name is Hot Pie anyway" she asked crudely taking handle of her emotions quickly.
"it's not a stage name" Lommy interjected lazily.
"yeah...when I was small and I got sent to the orphanage and all I could say was hot pie. So they just started calling me hot pie and it stuck… I guess" Hot Pie explained, carefully eyeing Cat incase he had to make an escape. She just rolled her eyes and focused on drinking large gulps of beer.
The televisions clicked on simultaneously to show a small silver blond haired girl with large violet eyes in a tiny pleated skirt and bikini top dancing erotically while surrounded by sweaty dark skinned shirtless men as an electric beat filled the tavern.
"Gonna get dirty... it's about time for my arrival... Dirty!... sweat dripping over my... Body!" A loud female voice sang out as the TV showed different scenes of her dancing erotically wearing chaps, in a shower surrounded by wet dancing girls dressed like her, and then lastly to show her with her legs wrapped around the waist of a huge buff guy wearing eye liner while she vocalized random sayings along with the beat.
Suddenly it cut off to show a good looking curly haired guy with a perfect smile beaming at them.
Out of the corner of his eye he watched Cat's eyes widen before she drowned her beer and proceeded to steal Rickon's.
"That was Khaleesi featuring Kahl Drogo with their song 'Dirty' off her new album 'Dracaris' coming in at number 2 in this week's top Ten music videos. Up next at number 1 is Jofferey Barataheon's hit single 'Baby you so swag' I'm Loras Tyrell and you're watching Westeros Entertainment Network"
The screen went black for a second before the annoying face of Joffery Baratheon appeared. He was shirtless, wearing a backward designer cap with a large diamond crusted pendant that said JB and hung off a thick gold chain, while singing with a pinched face trying to pass off as emotion.
"TURN IT OFF" someone yelled.
"This is torture!" another gruff man screamed.
"ID RATHER HAVE RATS EAT ME ALIVE THAN LISTEN TO THAT CUNT" and with that the screen switched to a football game and the food started coming out effectively silencing everyone for a minute as they devoured their meals
Arya
"Why was that guy calling you Cat?" Rickon asked when they were sent back to their bus to ready themselves for what everyone was referring to as The Battle.
"Was I the only one who heard Yoren tell us not to use our real names?" she asked grouchily. Of course she would be the one to embrace the notions of alter egos.
"Well if you think about it, as long as we don't say our last name it should be fine… Cat… why would you use mom's nickname?" Bran asked curiously.
"it's the first thing that came to mind" she replied honestly thinking of her reunion with Gendry.
'why can't I manage to tell this guy my real name…' she thought remembering when they first met in kings landing and she called herself Arry Snow.
Shaking her head she tried to steer her thoughts away from that stupidly handsome boy. She knew she was slightly drunk when she had managed to make a fool of herself as he found her slowly leaning toward his plate of delectable roast, losing her balance and falling face first into his lap. He looked as shocked as she did so she scrambled to down her bowl of stew quickly in one gulp to hide her embarrassment, resulting in her having to escape to the bathroom and meeting her brothers back at the bus.
Luckily Osha chose that moment to barge into the bus and wrenching her from her daze.
"are you kids ready?" Osha asked in her thick accent.
"As ready as we'll ever be" Bran responded, being the only one who could understand her.
"Well if they start throwing bottles at you make sure you run off stage as soon as possible. During the second tour a folksy band tried playing a cheesy song about saving Mother Earth and the crowd got so angry at the happy tunes that they started throwing beer bottles at the stage. The banjoist had to get seven stitches in his face." Osha explained gravely. The three of them stared at her in alarm hoping she would say it was a joke but she just lit a cigarette.
"So you've been on all the tours then, as a tour bus driver?" Bran asked.
"Aye I have, started out chasing my ex-husband's pipe dream so I tagged along as a driver, then he took his winnings and a twenty year old cocktail waitress and ran off to Pentos. It's a good thing Yoren had a rough time finding drivers so he's been hiring me every year since." She said taking a long drag of her cigarette and expelling pure white smoke.
"So who won the battle of Harrenhal last year?" Bran enquired.
"They call themselves The Others, say their music is death metal, and yes they're here this year too. I've got to get back out there and help with set up, you've got an hour before they start so ...make sure you keep an eye out for flying bottles" she warned before disappearing down the steps of the bus.
They were silent for a minute exchanging worried glances with each other.
"wait… what did she say?" Rickon asked in a low whisper as though she were still there.
Arya got up leaving Bran to explain their eminent danger while she searched through her duffle bag stuffed with clothes looking for something decent to wear and not a 'stitched up rag' that Yoren made her promise to never wear on stage again.
She found the top of one of Rickon's old skeleton Halloween costumes and slid it on. It was a very thin shiny black material and the white skeleton bones were cracked and slightly peeling but it was perfect for dancing around the stage in. The sleeves stopped at her elbow, came up to her neck to give the slightest hint of a turtle neck and the top itself tightened and cut off at her rib cage leaving her smooth flat pale stomach bare. It also provided enough support that she wouldn't require an annoying bra allowing for maximum movement.
Sewn in tight black jeans and Jon's old studded belt, that she wrapped around her thin hips twice, completed her outfit.
Thirty minutes later a spiffed up Arya and Rickon carried Bran in his wheelchair off the bus and headed out toward the looming ruins of old Harrenhal where there was a large stage set up. They could see the charred ruins of a crumbling castle; Arya couldn't help the wave of déjà vu that swept over her as she gazed at it. She had a strange feeling about the place since they arrived earlier.
They could see the line of guests eagerly waiting to get in, lots of long haired guys and tattooed girls being kept at bay by security.
"hey there's Hodor" Rickon said pointing to a giant of a man with white blond hair carrying two huge drums under his arms like nothing.
Arya noticed that Hodor was a bit slow when Rickon introduced them, but he was very sweet and he kindly pointed them in the right direction where all the other bands were gathering.
Arya spotted Gendry immediately. He was trying to fix the wiring in the back of a large speaker.
She stood stiffly watching his tall form bending down a little as his blue eyes concentrated and his hands tinkered away. He had on a clean black shirt stretched across his broad shoulders, dark jeans and a very familiar gray baseball cap with the bulls head drawing. His black guitar was slung on his back with a white strap that said bastard in all black letters.
He must have felt her looking at him because his blue eyes found hers and she quickly turned pretending to talk to Bran only to find herself standing alone.
Before she could think of anything else his long legs had brought him to stand right in front of her. He was so close she could smell his musky scent and she had the sudden urge to bury her nose in his chest, but instead she looked up into his piercing blue eyes.
"I see you're a fan of The Others" he said letting his eyes travel over her form. She followed his gaze and noticed that her nipples had hardened in the crisp dusk wind. Or his close proximity... How the hell was she to know.
"What do you mean?" She asked crossing her arms in defense and standing at her full height which still only brought her to eye level with his strong chin.
He brought a long finger up to her cheek and lightly pushed her head to the left, showing her the group of incredibly tall men with long brittle white hair and face paint to make them look like skeletal death.
She didn't feel warmth radiating from the spot on her cheek where his finger touched her, nope she did not.
"Their followers call themselves white walkers, they paint their faces and dress up in costume. They also tend to get pretty riled up" Gendry said smoothly and she could feel the breath from every word he muttered flutter on her skin.
She couldn't stop color form on her face no matter how much she told herself not to blush.
"Well I wouldn't know if I'm a fan of them or not I haven't really heard their stuff..." She replied as evenly as she could. Ignoring the way his mouth twitched into a smile that flickered all the way up into his cerulean eyes.
"You didn't see them at the audition?" He questioned with a cock of his eyebrow.
"Not really ...my mind was... Preoccupied..." She responded eyeing his towering form out of the corner of her eye. He opened his mouth to say something else but he was cut off by Yoren shouting in the middle of the room.
"Alright you sorry sons of bitches listen up, we start in 5 so get ready! We've got three hours to get this show done and then tomorrow we head out for Riverrun so make sure you're in you're bloody places when you get called!" He yelled gruffly.
"Better get back with your brothers" Gendry said nodding his head toward a table filled with refreshments where Bran and Rickon were loitering.
"Watch out for flying bottles" she said quickly before rushing off.
"Give me that" she growled as she snatched the dark bottle of beer from Rickon's hands and downed it in one drink.
"What the fuck Arya that was mine" he whispered angrily and she responded by shoving a water bottle in his hands.
"What's that?" She asked referring to the small paper Bran was holding.
"It's a copy of the line up" Bran said handing her the paper.
The sounds of harsh guitars and drums started and a wave of cheering could be heard.
"So I guess that would be the Brotherhood without Banners?" She said reading the first band name listed.
"Yeah then The Bastards play, followed by Faceless Men, The Flayed, then The Others" Bran said cracking open a Dragons Blood can.
"Reeds, The Stone Crows, Unsullied and The Wildlings. Then it's us" Arya said reading off the rest of the list. She handed it back to Bran and cracked open another beer.
By the time BWB was finished with their set she had downed another five glass bottles of dark beer and she couldn't be bothered with their full band name.
"I've got to pishhh sho badly" she slurred after she finished off her bottle.
" no shit, I don't know how you fit that much beer in your body" Rickon muttered with envy.
"There were some portables back the way we came, take this and try to sober up" Bran said placing a small silver can of dragons blood in her hands.
She immediately cracked it open, drank it in one gulp and tossed the can away before stumbling off to find a proper place to piss.
After she finished her business she had no idea how she ended up squished in the crowds of people facing the large empty stage she was expected to perform on.
She tried finding a familiar face around her but was met with nothing but rough looking guys and slutty girls , some of which had painted their faces.
She tried and failed to shake her haze away but when she spotted Gendry strolling up to the microphone and hooking up his guitar, thoughts of leaving her spot fled her mind.
Lommy and Edric tested out a few strums on their instruments and adjusted to the right pitch.
"We're The Bastards" Gendry said smoothly into the microphone before Edric started playing a long deep note and then Hot Pie started drumming heavily. Gendry and Lommy joined in playing strongly and loud.
"I saw the colossal landscape... Of which I never was a part" he began signing in a slightly high voice.
" It was a magical day ... Of which I'd never seen before " Arya could feel herself starting to dance. Even the white walkers around her started to move to the strong sounds.
"The first time I saw Colossal Girl" she could see him wearing something silver on his finger that made the guitar he played sound almost like screeching metal, but it sounded amazing to her.
"The first time I saw Colossal Girl" his cobalt blue eyes looked up to scan the audience and she vaguely wondered if he would spot her but he just focused on his guitar again.
"Such glowing mountains before us … Pillars of life all fade away…" She closed her eyes and pictured the snowy mountains in Winterfell that her heart longed to see.
"Of all the things I need to say girl… All of these words are in my way…" She was watching him again greedily enjoying his performance.
"the first time I saw Colossal girl" stopped playing and let Gendry play a little solo tune before they crashed in powerfully.
"Well she's running to the hills again… Can you tell me if she'll ever return? ...She must be Mother Nature's child cause she's runnin' to the call of the Wild" He was singing so high that she could see the veins in his long thick neck pulsating.
"She's talking to the trees again, telling me that's she's one of them! Lookin' at that bird in the tree ...though she's never gunna notice me!" He turned away from the microphone and started playing his guitar a little slower.
"Oh is my love a confession… Will I just put it back today … If I had love left to give you?... Would you still throw it all away?" there was a hint of longing in his voice that sent Arya's head spinning.
' I wonder who he is singing about?' she thought curiously dreading the very real possibly that he could be in a relationship. He was repeating the chorus again and she agonized over the inspiration for it.
'there's no way he wouldn't have a girlfriend now, when he was younger he was only interested in work , music, and drawing bulls but now he's a man and he probably has some cool twenty two year old woman with big boobs and blond hair' she thought bitterly suddenly feeling queasy, she stopped dancing and stood still watching him as they played furiously for a few minutes, by now the entire crowd was dancing along with their music.
'like there could ever be a woman who wouldn't notice him?' she thought getting irrationally angry at him when he finished real repeating the chorus
"Do you remember the first time we met? …Living together in colossal times. Some things are given with no reason why… living together all of the time" He was singing faster now, she could tell that his blood was rushing because that what she felt on stage.
" I'm just a gypsy with wondering eyes… I'll tell you secrets that send you to sleep… All I can give you is all of my love… these are the things I can give you to keep" his voice rang our as they finished playing and left the stage. She just stood there with her head swimming.
She tried looking for an escape route but it seemed like the crowd was closing in tighter around her.
A few minutes later the next band came on stage and Arya noted the handsome bassist that locked eyes with her. His hair was a little feminine being longer than hers and red with bleach blond streaks but it kinda worked.
They played fast and intense filling the hall with controlled chaos.
"I've got no lips I got no tongue where there are eyes there's only slits... I've got a broken face uh huh " Arya could make any other words out because a mosh pit had erupted around her sending her flying around. She had to punch and kick everyone around her to stay upright and finally when the band stopped so did the mosh.
Arya stood proudly watching a guy cup his bleeding nose and squirm away through the growing crowd.
The next band was set up and she narrowed her drunk eyes as Ramsay Bolton walked up to the mic.
She refused to dance to the music they started playing, but she wasn't the only one. Compared to the previous performances The Flayed sounded very tame, a little too tame and for the crowd.
"Girlfriend in a coma I know I know it's serious...Girlfriend in a coma ...I know ...I know it's really serious" Ramsay Bolton sang nonchalantly almost as if he were bored, and she couldn't understand the nerve of that prick making a song out of someone else's sorrow.
"There were times when I could have murdered ... Her" he had a voice that was carefully trained through lesson upon lesson but there's no lesson that make a psychopath feel emotion let alone sing with it.
Arya didn't see where the first bottle came from but she saw it land and explode right next to Ramsay's feet making his squeal resonate through the speakers.
"Get off the stage you wanker!" Someone shouted as more bottles flew but Ramsay kept singing almost enjoying the uproar inappropriately.
Out of nowhere someone threw a massive greasy sausage that hit him right across the face.
Arya couldn't even begin to fathom how or why someone would bring sausage like that to a concert but when he stormed off the stage giving the crowd the finger she cheered as loud as everyone around her.
The crowd was moving in closer now and she felt like a sardine squashed between sweaty mounds of flesh. She tried shoving her way through the crowd only to find herself deeper in the pit.
She could feel the excitement of the crowd surrounding her mounting. When some stage hands set up a drum set that said The Others the crowd pushed her closer to the stage with an alarming force.
When The Others finally came on stage they were far more intimidating with the bright lights fixed on them as they took their cross guitars and started playing really hard and fast.
She couldn't understand any words that the lead singer was singing but his voice was almost a low deep growl. The guitarists and bassist were whipping their long hair around dramatically as they drilled into their instruments.
When he said something about death in an old far northern language she finally recognized the almost ancient language that hardly anyone spoke anymore.
The audience was moving wildly and arya got swept into another mosh pit. She took an elbow in her chest and someone kicked her thigh which just fueled her drunken rage as her fists collided with everything she could reach.
Finally their set ended and the mosh pit dispersed leaving Arya with a busted lip.
As the stage hands set up for Reeds she tried maneuvering through the crowd to find an exit but she was stalled by a huge round man that wouldn't move.
"Hi can you move?!" She yelled trying to get his attention. He turned to her and she saw the pasty white and black face paint sweating off his face. But he just stood there staring at her blankly.
"Really? You're just going to stand there looking at me...Oh my gods what the fuck" she exclaimed as he opened his mouth to let thick white foam spill out.
"Eww" she said weakly gagging a little as she pressed back into the crowd the way she came .
Reeds had taken stage now and Arya spotted a short curly haired girl in a dark green tank top sit behind the drum set while a tall blond guy wearing black sunglasses and a white t shirt walked up to the microphone with his guitar.
They started playing a simple but heavy beat together.
"I'm gunna fight em off... A seven nation army couldn't hold me back , they're gunna rip it off... Taking their time right behind my back... And I'm talking to myself at night because I can't forget... Back and fourth through my mind behind a cigarette" He sang in an almost annoying high pitch voice. He stopped singing to go into a long guitar solo and the crowd was moving again so Arya used it to her advantage and slipped through.
She spotted an entrance to a restricted corridor leading to backstage being guarded by a tall sleazy looking man with a dumb look on his face.
She tried to casually stroll by but she felt him grab her by the scruff of her mock turtle neck to stop her.
"You're not allowed back there " he sneered tossing her back toward the crowd.
"Hey ...Polliver? Yeah I'm part of the show and I gotta perform soon so let me through" she said glancing at his name tag and trying to walk by again only to have him repeat his actions.
"Ah an eager little groupie we have here hehe don't worry white walker whore you'll be able to suck enough dick after the show is over" he said giving her a leering smile that made her feel sick.
"I'm not a fucking groupie, I'm the singer for WinterHell let me through!" She demanded loudly, her rage was at it's boiling point, she tried to
Out maneuver him but there wasn't enough space for her to slip through.
'Fuck' she thought screwing her eyes shut and wishing she could mentally contact her brothers.
Gendry
'Where the hells did she go?'he thought checking the portable bathrooms for the fifth time.
When he came back from performing with his blood still rushing to find Bran and Rickon frantically searching around to find their sister, he honestly didn't think it would take this long to find the girl the back stage area wasn't even that spacious.
"Listen you daft cunt I'm not letting you through!" He suddenly heard a man shouting from a pathway that led to the general audience area.
"Listen to ME you ugly piece of shit! I've already wasted twenty minutes standing here with you! I will fucking cut you if you don't let me through right now!" He heard the voice of an all too familiar girl respond .
Low and behold there she was drunk, tiny and angrily picking a fight with the venue's very large security personnel. Gendry didn't even want to process the relief that flooded him when he finally spotted her.
Before they could further insult one another Gendry rushed over and grabbed her arm pulling her past the angry security guard and down the pathway.
"Boom! In your face! Why don't you get on your knees and suck MY non-existent dick! Bitch!" She screeched as Gendry pulled her away having to use more force than he would have liked.
"How can someone so small be such a major pain in my arse" he snarled bringing her hazy gray gaze on him as if she just noticed him .
The next band on stage started playing as the music flooded around them making it a little harder to hear.
She wretched her arm away for him so fast you would think that he scorched her but it just freed up his hands to roughly grab her face and bring it closer to his.
"What the hell happened to you're face?" He asked staring at her lips. Her face grew hotter and her eyes widened but she shoved him away from her.
"Come on baby be my bad boyfriend" a strong female sang out with heavy guitars following.
"I was in a mosh pit... Why were you looking for me?" She asked as she lightly tapped her bloody bottom lip with her finger.
"I wanna hear you call out my name, I wanna see you burn up in flames, keep you on ice so I can show all my friends, come on baby be my bad boyfriend" gendry recognized the woman singing was Ygritte, Edric had tried and failed miserably to hit on her after they performed earlier.
"What were doing out there in the audience? I thought I saw you but I was sure I was just seeing things" he asked loudly as they walked back to their designated area.
"I got ...lost " she said in a small voice that was almost drowned out by the background noise.
"Cat what the fuck!? " Bran exclaimed as he wheeled himself as fast as he could towards them.
"We were about to send Rickon into the masses to go look for you!" He said motioning his head toward Rickon who was now wearing a bright orange vest with reflectors over his button up black shirt looking very unamused.
"Sorry I was just being held up by some power hungry douche who thought I was a groupie trying to get first pick at dick" she said as she simmered with anger again.
"Whatever... The wildlings are playing now and then we're next are you ready? here drink some water"Bran threw a water bottle at her which Gendry had to catch before it pelted her face.
"How much did you drink?" Gendry asked while she sipped her water.
"Like 6 beers I think..."she replied uncertainly.
'Thats a lot but not enough to fuck her up this much' he thought as she stumbled again trying to stand in one spot.
"Did you drink a dragons blood by any chance?" He asked seriously
"Well yeah I vaguely remember crunching a empty silver can" she responded.
"No wonder you're acting like a nut, beer and energy drinks don't mix well unless you want to get really fucked up" he said and she just rolled her eyes. The Wildlings had just finished playing so she shoved the water bottle back in his hands and reached her arms up as high as she could making a starfish shape before bending down to touch the floor.
"What are you doing?" Gendry asked desperately trying not to gawk as she stretched a leg behind her and caught her foot with her hands so she was standing on one leg. Her milky smooth skin of her long abdomen stretched enticingly as she repeated the process with the other leg.
"I'm stretching, stupid " she said as though it was obvious, she was innocently oblivious to what kind of thoughts her movements were planting in his dirty mind, much like earlier when she somehow managed to plant her face in his lap at dinner.
Suddenly as though she knew what he was thinking she lost her balance and crashed into him. He had to quickly stabilize them to keep from falling by wrapping his arms around her and it took every ounce of self control he had not to bury his nose in her hair.
A loud cough broke them apart and Bran and Rickon were staring at them expectantly. Bran had his drumsticks ready while Rickon wore his guitar, Cat quickly followed them out on stage.
"Watch out for flying bottles" he called out after them earning him a small smile from her. He followed only as far as he could go standing at the side of the stage and watched them take their places.
Arya
She was blinded by the lights as she tried to look out into the sea of faces staring at her. She could see the night sky above them and for the first time saw how massive the crowd was, stretching far out into the grassy field where the stage was set up.
The familiar flutter of nervousness started bubbling up in her stomach but she fought it back down.
"We are Winter Hell! And winter is coming!" She growled loudly into the microphone, she didn't know why she said it, it just felt right.
Bran and Rickon started playing heavily and fast and she brought the microphone down from it's stand and took a stance.
"When I get mad and I get pissed... I grab my pen and I write out a list... Of all the people that won't be missed! you've made my SHITLIST!"
She sang in a deep voice almost growling until she shouted the last word.
"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiitlist" she yelled out letting her voice vocalize a little at the end.
"shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite LIST" she opened her mouth so wide to scream that she reopened her bloody lip and blood started to stain her lips.
"For all the ones who bum me out" she growled.
"Shitlist" Rickon sang in the background.
"For all the ones who fill my head with doubt"she made a gun shape with her fingers against her head.
"Shitlist" Rickon repeated.
"For all you squares who get me pissed" she yelled pointing in the direction where the sexist security guard held her up.
"Shitlist" he sang again.
"You've made my SHITLIST" she screeched out, she could taste blood and iron but it just fueled her more.
"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit list" her voice was angry and it rang out so loud she was sure Sansa could hear her all they in kings landing.
"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiite list! " she opened her mouth and slowly stuck the microphone in it while she screamed. She could see mosh pit forming in the center if the crowd.
Rickon took the lead by playing a long guitar solo giving Arya the chance to stomp and dance around on stage.
"When I get mad and I get pissed!" She sang in a much higher voice almost completely screaming now.
"Shit list"Rickon and Bran were both shouting in the background now.
"I grab my pen and I write out a list !"
"Shit list" they shouted in unison.
"Of all you ASSHOLES who won't be missed!" She was pointing to the mosh pit and by now half her face was covered in blood and the other half was drenched in sweat.
"You've made my SHITLIST" she screamed then she noticed a guy carrying a large camera looking contraption following her every move from between the barrier keeping the audience from the stage.
They finished their set a few minutes later and Gendry was waiting for her on the side of the stage with a wet cloth for her face.
The crowd was chanting for The Others which was no surprise considering how many white walkers were in the audience.
"Why was there a guy filming us ?" She asked after she cleaned the blood off her face.
"You haven't heard? Tyrion Lannister is turning the tour into a Lannister Entertainment production this year to try and bring up their viewership with a younger audience, they're even making it interactive so that people at home can vote in and help pick a winner at the end, it's the first time they're trying it too so I guess we will see how it goes" Gendry explained. He saw the confusion still on her face so he put it in simpler terms for her drunken mind to process.
"Every performance we do is going to be televised all over Westeros" he said.
'Shit' was all she could think before she fainted
AN:
OK so in order of appearance.
Danaerys and Khal Drogo is based on Christina Aguilera's music video Dirrty feat. Redman.
watch?v=4Rg3sAb8Id8
Jofferey Baratheon is based on Justin Beiber, and the song title I made up as I do not actually know any of his songs and since I refuse to watch his videos i wont provide a link, sorry I'm not sorry to all the beliebers I offend.
The Bastards sing Colossal by Wolfmother
watch?v=uAShx8scZe8
Faceless men sing Broken Face by The Pixies
watch?v=aEzifwSzNDg
The Flayed sing Girl Friend in a Coma by The Smiths. (I love them what happened in my story would never really happen)
watch?v=CZYCKNYxmrY
The Others are based on Rammstein and I have no clue what they sing about but heres a link:
watch?v=KzGKsXPBILw
Reeds sing Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes
watch?v=oTpw5XMnJig
The Wildlings sing Bad Boyfriend by Garbage (everything about Shirley Manson screams Ygritte to me)
watch?v=MU3J6szn0aI
Winterhell sings Shitlist by L7
watch?v=cwRaNPMeYms
thank you soooo much for reading and if you have any suggestions or requests i will gladly try to work them into the story as well ! im sorry again since doesn't let me post links, I hope it doesn't inconvenience you in any way.
