House Storm

As the clouds thundered outside the thick stone walls of Storm's End, the temperament inside the Great Hall of the Storm Lord's castle wasn't quiet either.

Arya sat beside her husband on High Table while the representatives from various households treated with and pleaded their cases to her Lord Husband. Husband, the word tasted like acid in her mouth but then again while the word burned through her mouth it intoxicated her at the same time.

At five and thirty, Lord Gendry Storm, the Great Bastard of House Baratheon, Bull Knight and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands looked as strong a warrior as he did when he came to ask her hand in marriage all those year ago.

Was this how King Robert would have looked if he hadn't taken to drinking and feasting? Arya often wondered what actually went wrong with the Stag King but then shook her head at the thought of the dead King. He was of no importance, neither him nor the thought of him. There was no point thinking of the Dead. Why give thought to a person who no longer exists, she thought.

She looked towards her husband, although his arms were still strong and his body still that of a warrior's there was no denying the fact that Gendry had aged. His black hair was now peppered with grey and if one looked closely enough they could see the wise lines at the corner of his eyes.

He truly had the most mesmerizing eyes, much like his uncle Renly. This was how Renly would have looked if he hadn't fallen to the Tyrell's scheming and joined Stannis in the war against the Lannisters.

"Lady Storm" she heard someone call out to her, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Arya turned to her other side to see her husband's sister (half-sister) looking at her with a smirk playing on her lips.

"What is it Mya?" Arya asked her good sister.

"There's a Storm bellowing outside." She said looking out the windows on the wall on the other side of the court.

Arya turned her gaze in the direction of her good sister's. Truly enough, the thundering clouds had now burst to drench the castle and the sea beyond in thick sheets of water. The crashing of the waves on the cliffs below could be heard across the Great Hall, as the floor rumbled with the force of the crashing waves.

"There hasn't been a Storm like this in quite a while" Arya whispered in Mya's ear.

Mya simply nodded and turned her sight away from the storm across the window to the Lord standing before them.

"Lord Dondarrion, it's been a long time since you last visited us." Gendry said warmly, acknowledging the presence of the Marcher Lord in the Storm Court.

Arya and Mya simply smiled and gently bowed their heads in curtsey.

Lord Aral Dondarrion was the nephew of Lord Beric Dondarrion, erstwhile Lord of Blackhaven, the leader of the Brotherhood without Banners who had died in the Battle of Dawn.

"I bring grave tidings My Lord" Lord Dondarrion said as he took a swig of wine from his goblet. Taking a deep breath he continued, "My scouts have informed me that men are gathering at Starfall, High Hermitage, Skyreach, Blackmont and Yronwood."

Arya raised her brow but remained silent. Lord Dondarrion continued, "There have also been reports that several war galleys are under construction in Ghaston Grey's docks."

"It seems as if Dorne is preparing for War." Piped Edric Storm, Gendry's brother.

"And what would you have me do Edric? Call the Banners?" Gendry fumed, "I think not."

Looking to Lord Dondarrion, Gendry said, "Lord Dondarrion I'm sorry but I won't summon the banners until I'm absolutely shore that Dorne is marching to war with us. We haven't given them any reason to do so. It is quite possible that they are going to war with the Reach again."

And from there Arya continued, "In such a case it's the Tyrells who need to be worried about them. I'd recommend though that you and the other Marcher Lords summon your men and gather at Nightsong and Blackhaven."

"Are we to block the Prince's Pass?" asked Lord Dondarrion.

"No" answered Arya, "It'd be advisable to send a raven to Starfall though. Lord Edric Dayne squired for Lord Beric Dondarrion, I'm sure he might have some vestige of allegiance and friendship left to your House."

"Besides that we'd prefer that you send some of your trusted knights to House Caron, House Foote and House Rout at the earliest to start amassing the soldiers." Gendry added.

"House Foote has already called in all its soldiers My Lord and I sent some of my men to join with them at the Prince's Pass the day I left for Storm's End." Lord Aral said, "We might have secured the Pass for now but I'll ask the other house to mobilise their armies as well."

"That will be good Lord Dondarrion." Mya said, with finality in her voice.

The young lord seemed to have got the message of dismissal from the family matriarch's tone and bowed his way out of the Great Hall.

As soon as Lord Dondarrion was escorted out of the Hall by Gendry's squire, the four Storms brought their heads together to discuss the gravity of information brought forth by Lord Dondarrion.

"We should send an envoy to Princess Elia." said Edric.

"And say what? Disband your armies because we feel threatened." Arya retorted.

"Do we have another option, sister?" Mya spoke up in support to her brother.

"It'd be wise to inform the Queen and the small council of the matter." Gendry suggested.

"The Targaryens and the Martells are closely allied in case you have forgotten." Arya countered.

"You speak of Prince Aegon milady." Gendry said, a smile tugging at his lips. He knew how to work her ire.

"Do not call me Milady, Stupid." Arya said, through her teeth but couldn't hide the smile behind the anger for long.

"As Milady commands" Gendry said, under his breath.

"If Lord and Lady Storm are done exchanging harmless blows to each other then I'd see it wise to not deviate from the matter at hand." Mya said, feigning annoyance at her brother and good sister.

"We send an envoy to the Martells and mobilise our forces as well." Gendry said, first looking at Edric and then to Arya, "It'd be wise if we could delve deeper into the matter and we can only do so when we have more information." he added, looking directly at Arya, who smiled widely at what he had suggested.

"Good for us that the Dornish think so highly of cats." She said as she got up from the high table and pulled Mya along with her.

Edric simply stared as his sister and good sister walked out of the Hall into the private council chamber.

"What was that about brother?" Edric asked Gendry.

Gendry's lips curved into a smile, "The Dornish might be unbowed, unbent and unbroken but they haven't ever faced a Storm like they are going to now." He told Edric and then poured some wine into both of their goblets as the storm thundered outside their walls.

Arya walked to her personal Solar with Mya by her side at the top of the Storm Tower overlooking Cape Wrath.

Arya was a warg and her powers worked best when she was closest to the elements.

"How does it feel when you do it?" Mya asked Arya, her curiosity evident.

"I feel like the being I warg into." Arya answered simply.

"So it feels different every time when you warg into different animals." Mya asked.

"I feel more like myself when I warg into animals that I have bonded with." Arya answered, "When I warg into Nymeria the feeling is inexplicable. I'm still myself but I'm her as well." she further added.

"That completely threw me off." Mya said, a giggle escaping past her lips.

"It's difficult to understand warging." Arya said, "There haven't been wargs south of the wall for centuries."

"What about Bloodraven?" Mya asked.

"Are you talking about Aegon, the Unworthy and Melissa Blackwood's son?" Arya said, "Yes, from what I have heard he was a Greenseer and Warg, the first to have been born in centuries."

"But not the last." Mya said.

"Nor will I be the last." Arya whispered.

Mya didn't further question her good-sister. She already knew what she meant.

Soon after Gendry's marriage to Arya they had found out that she was a warg. The truth had come as a shock at first but when they saw for themselves that warging wasn't a dark art, they had been left in awe of Arya's ability.

Over the years Arya had worked on her warging and had been successfully able to warg into Ravens, Cats and Wolves in the Rainwood.

Cats were the easiest for her to warg into and that was what Gendry had asked her to do in the Hall. A few years ago Arya had discussed with them that it'd be for the best if they place cats in some of the Major Houses of Westeros.

Edric and Gendry had debated that House Baratheon suddenly gifting cats to various Houses of Westeros would look highly strange.

Arya had done all but hit the two of them that cats were wilful creatures and no one would mind if one was found roaming in the castle.

They had debated through the night before giving into the Ice Princess.

It had begun with a test with Arya placing one of her bonded cats in Gryffin's Roost and Blackhaven. She found that even at great distances she could warg into the cats and possess them completely. They extended the test when the sent one of her oldest bond cats to Winterfell and White Harbour.

Even now Arya used the cat to catch a glimpse of her siblings and what they were doing. It made her happy that even thought she was very far from them she could still reach out and see them whenever she wanted. Although the cat was now growing old, Arya kept her alive through the latent magic that the wargs possessed.

Only after she was successfully able to warg into the cat at Winterfell did they decide to place the remaining few bonded cats at strategic positions. Only four cats remained one of which was placed at Highgarden by an envoy they had sent to discuss trade and the other three cats were personally gifted to the daughters of Princess Elia Sand, the reigning ruler of Dorne.

It'd be one of the three cats that Arya would warg into to gather information.

Overlooking the sea, Arya sat down on the floor and closed her eyes.

Mya sat beside Arya, as her breathing deepened and slow down. This was the common practice Arya had seemed to follow whenever she consciously warged into one of her bonded pets.

A few minutes past and an eerie silence fell across the solar. The only sound that could be heard was that of Arya's breathing.

It was when after several minutes a crack of lightning shook the tower that Arya broke out of her trance like state, gasping for breath.

She fell to the hard cold floor, as blood oozed out of her nose.

Mya screamed for the hand maidens as she went to help Arya, trying to bring her back to conscious.

"Call the Maester now." Mya shouted as she tried to bring Arya back to consciousness, "Summon Lord Gendry and bring him to the Solar as well."

Mya broke out into a cold sweat as Arya began to convulse in her arms.

Something wasn't right. Something had gone terribly wrong.

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