A/N: It's been ages! I'm really sorry that it's been so long since I last updated. Things at home haven't been great and as if my internet wasn't limited enough, I only have my phone during the day now so I can't upload of a night like I used to.
I received a very valid message from someone who was concerned about potential ages of kids reading this fic. I would like to point out that this is FANFICTION, that in no way in real life would Gendry be a psychologist (he is a counsellor in this fic) and that his and Arya's relationship in this fic is not to be taken into the real world. This is a work of FICTION and should therefore be read and not acted upon.
Arya arrived home two weeks after she had been in hospital. Her brothers were waiting in the living room for her and she was engulfed in their combined embrace. She didn't know where Sansa was, nor did she particularly care – all she wanted to do was be alone before she was going to be taken to the mental institution her doctor had suggested.
Arya felt horrible for the way she had been treating her mother – her father was right; Catelyn Stark was not at fault for Jon's death. Arya had been desperate to pin the blame on someone, though she had no clue why. Though Arya was remorseful of her attitude toward Catelyn, she was still fuming about the injustice of having her sent away from her home.
Arya was lying on her back in bed, clutching her stuffed wolf Nymeria to her chest when there was a knock on the door. "Go away," she said emotionlessly.
"It's Robb and Theon," Robb said from the other side of the door. "Please open up Arya." Arya let out a shuddering breath before forcing herself to get out of bed and opening the door. Theon and Robb stepped through and Arya shut the door behind them before resuming her position on the bed.
"What do you want?" she asked quietly. She was avoiding their gazes, not wanting to see the pity and sadness in her older brothers' eyes.
"You know why you have to go to this place, right?" Robb asked softly, sitting next to her. Theon sat on her other side and Arya pursed her lips.
"What I don't understand," she said quietly, "is how they're letting Sansa stay with that bastard or how they're letting her stay here at all. I wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for her and those people she calls friends."
"Sansa knows what she's done," Robb said quietly. "She knows that she has to end things with Joffrey and she knows that we're all furious and disappointed in her. But Arya, we don't know how to help you. We want you to be with the best of the best-"
"You don't know what it's like!" Arya said desperately. "Jon was everything Robb! He was the only one who understood me!"
"Last I checked," Robb said quietly, "Jon was our brother too. But we didn't insult his memory by swallowing pills and cutting ourselves." Arya looked away, stung.
"That was a horrible thing to say," she whispered. She got off the bed and leaned against the wall, glaring at Robb and Theon.
"It's true though," Theon said. He walked up to her and hugged her; Arya struggled for a moment before melting down. She clung to Theon as she sobbed into his shirt and felt Robb encase her in a hug as well.
"It's your fault too, you know," Theon told her quietly. Arya sniffled and looked up at him in confusion.
"How?" she asked thickly.
"No one made you attempt suicide," Theon explained. "No one made you cut yourself. You made that decision yourself." Arya wiped her eyes and sat back on her bed, Robb and Theon sitting on either side of her.
"But-"
"But nothing," Theon interrupted.
"I fought for years," Arya said defensively. She stood and paced, Robb and Theon watching her every move. "They started bullying me when I was eleven years old! That's five years guys and for those five years I fought and fought and Jon helped me cope and then he went and died and I've had no one to talk to who would try and help me! My friends were in the same boat as me and none of you would have understood or cared!"
"We do care though," Robb said firmly. "We're your brothers Arya! Sansa is our sister! Mum and dad are our parents! You could have come to any of us, so why didn't you?" Arya ran a hand through her hair.
"I was too proud," she said thickly. "I have no control when they bully me, but I can control who I tell. And Sansa would have sided with Joffrey like she always does. They destroyed my bike…the last thing Jon left to me…" She collapsed on the floor and shook with her sobs, craving her pills or something sharp – anything to take the pain and relieve her stress.
"Look," Robb said gently, kneeling next to her. "You know you have to stay at this place, but you'll be out before you know it. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Arya."
"We're going to write you so many letters and call and visit so often that you'll get sick of us," Theon promised, kneeling on her other side. "Just go in there and show them who they have to deal with and you'll be back here before you can find someone cute for me to hook up with." Arya let out a shaky laugh and Robb and Theon looked relieved as they stood and left.
Arya felt marginally better after talking with her older brothers and she walked downstairs for dinner – the first meal she would be eating with her family for over a fortnight. She made a point of sitting between Robb and Theon and opposite Bran so Sansa wouldn't be in her line of vision, but she needn't have worried – Sansa was rarely home these days. She could see that her parents looked surprised but pleased at her presence and dinner, though slightly strained, went well considering the circumstances.
"Does Arya really have to go away?" Rickon asked suddenly. Everyone stopped eating and looked at the ten year old. "I don't want her to go."
"Rickon," Ned sighed. "It's something that has to be done. She'll be back soon enough, I promise."
"But why does she have to go to this new school anyway?" Rickon asked. "Is it because she was in hospital?"
"Yes," Catelyn answered. "She has to go to get some help."
"What sort of help?" Rickon asked. Catelyn and Ned looked at each other, but it was Arya who answered.
"I hurt myself really badly, Rick," she told him. "I have to go to get help and heal. Mum and dad are right; I will be back before you know it."
"Does this have something to do with Sansa not being here anymore?" Rickon asked innocently.
"Sort of," Arya answered. "I'd better go pack," she added to everyone else before standing and leaving.
Arya was packing when she heard someone enter her room. "What is it?" she asked, turning to Bran.
"I'm going to miss you," Bran said, watching as Arya folded her jeans and t-shirts into the suitcase. Arya swallowed her tears; those words had been the last Jon had ever said to her.
"I'll miss you too, Little Brother," she replied, turning to him. Bran walked forward and hugged Arya tightly and Arya returned the hug easily. "Who else am I going to argue with?"
"You'll find someone," Bran answered with a shrug. "You always do." Arya laughed quietly; it was short, but genuine.
"Look after Rickon for me," she said seriously. "And make sure my friends are doing okay."
"I will," Bran promised. "And don't get into too much trouble in King's Landing, alright?"
"Deal," Arya said. Bran smiled at her and left and Arya finished packing. She put the suitcase on the floor and went to get ready for bed.
Arya lay awake in bed, hugging Nymeria tightly as she realised that this time tomorrow, she would be in a strange place with strange people. She thought back to her conversation with her brothers – the way Theon had unabashedly blamed her for this situation, the way Robb calmed her down and the way they had both cheered her up enough to go to dinner. Rickon had been thankfully shielded from the truth of why she was going and Bran had acted with maturity she hadn't noticed in him before. She would miss her brothers and it would be a lonely time without them while a bunch of professionals in white coats attempted to get into her inner self and dig out the root of her problems.
After a virtually sleepless night, Arya's suitcase was packed into the family car and her parents would be the only ones dropping her off. Arya had caught a glimpse of Sansa that morning and had pointedly ignored her, though she did notice how tired Sansa looked.
The ride to King's Landing was silent and Arya watched passively as the scenes changed from hills, farms, forests and lakes to the sprawling cities of the south and, finally, after four hours, the dirty looking, smoggy capital that was King's Landing.
Ned parked the car in a nearby carpark and carried Arya's suitcase, Arya walking ahead and looking at the large building looming above her. She resigned herself to her fate as she stood behind her parents at the front desk.
A few seconds had passed before a portly bald man walked up to them. "Mr and Mrs Stark," he said kindly in a soft voice. "My name is Varys. I own and run this establishment and I welcome you and your daughter. I hope her stay with us will be rewarding." He shook Ned's hand and then Catelyn's. "If you will follow me, I will give you a short tour on the way to Arya's room."
Arya put her hands in her jacket pockets and followed wordlessly as Varys showed her parents around the prison, as she had deemed it. They were taken through a wide hallway with doors on either side and lockers. "While Arya is staying with us, she will attend classes," Varys explained as they walked. "We have several clubs as well – a cyvasse club, equestrian club, swimming club and track club. Arya will be required to sign up for one of these extra-curricular activities and she will have sessions with our team of counsellors and psychologists." Huh. Arya glared ahead; she vowed to herself that no one here would break down the walls she had carefully constructed around herself for the last five years. Her parents would know then that sending her away to some mental place wouldn't help her.
They exited through a pair of doors at the back of the hall where some students were hanging out. Arya kept her chin up and looked straight ahead as she felt eyes on her. Varys opened a door at the smaller building next door.
"Are the kids ever unsupervised?" Catelyn asked as Varys led them down another hallway. The doors on either side of the hallway displayed numbers and Arya deduced that this would be where she would be sleeping.
"Hardly ever," Varys told her. "The bathrooms are not monitored, though they are inspected three times a day for illicit drugs, alcohol or certain instruments. The bedrooms, likewise, are inspected thoroughly, but there are no cameras there either."
"Who are your staff?" Ned asked.
"I will introduce them to you on the way out," Varys answered, stopping in front of a door with the number 43 on it. He produced a key and unlocked it, entering and holding the door open for Ned, Catelyn and Arya.
Arya looked around; the bedroom was simply furnished with hardwood floors and white walls, a twin bed, of which the one against the opposite wall looked occupied, a desk and a door which led, presumably, to the bathroom. There was a small TV and lamps and a window that looked out over the King's Landing Railway Station and the city. Ned put Arya's suitcase on the bed closest to the door and Varys promptly led them out, back down the hallway and to the main building.
At the front doors, Varys turned right and Arya and her parents followed him down a narrow hallway before reaching the end; Varys opened the door and the four of them entered the cozy room.
"This is the staff room," Varys explained to them. "Our teachers and counsellors can be found here and if not, they have their contact numbers on the noticeboard if a student needs one of them. Under no circumstances are students allowed in the teachers and counsellors' dorm."
At present, there were two men in the room; one older-looking and the other quite young. Varys followed Arya's curious gaze and smiled again. "Syrio! Gendry! Come here and greet our new guest." The two men walked over and stood politely before Arya, Varys, Ned and Catelyn.
"Syrio is our track coach," Varys explained, pointing to the Braavosi man with black curls and dark, twinkling eyes. "We have a boys and girls team here. And this is Gendry, our newest counsellor. This is his first year on the professional field, but his university marks exceeded what we expected here." Gendry was tall and broad-shouldered, with deep blue eyes and lightly tousled black hair. Arya tore her eyes away from him and looked at her feet.
"A pleasure to meet you both," Ned said politely. Arya rolled her eyes; no doubt she would be expected to sit in some seat at some point while this Gendry guy tried to invade her private life.
"A pleasure to meet you too," Gendry said in a smooth voice.
"Well, we'd best be off," Ned said. Arya's throat felt very tight all of sudden. Blinking back tears, she followed her parents out to the front doors where they stopped.
"We'll come down next month," Catelyn promised.
"Whatever," Arya said, forcing nonchalance. "Do what you want, I don't care."
"Arya." Arya looked at her father and he pulled her to him for a hug. "We don't want to do this Little Wolf," he murmured into her hair. "We have no choice. Do you understand?"
"You had a choice," Arya said bitterly. "You made it." Ned sighed and let her go and Catelyn hugged her too.
"We love you," she said. Arya swallowed and turned away and heard her parents leave.
"They're just doing what's best for you, you know," a voice said from her right. Arya turned and glared at Gendry.
"Let's get something straight," she said walking up to him. "Butt out of my business and don't pretend to know me or how I'm feeling. In fact, don't talk to me at all." Gendry raised an eyebrow at her.
"How about I have a shot?" he asked. Arya turned and started walking away. "You feel like you've been abandoned," Gendry said in a rush, causing Arya to stop. "You feel like your family has given up on you. You're hurt, but you're channelling that hurt into anger because it's the only way you know how to cope now that sharp objects have been taken away from you. You're upset because someone close to you has betrayed you and you've been building walls against everyone for years."
Arya was speechless – they hadn't even had a full conversation! She spun around and walked back to him.
"That isn't true!" she shouted.
"If it isn't true, then why did you stop as soon as I started talking?" Gendry asked calmly.
"Because you're stupid," Arya answered. Gendry's lips twitched and he took a step back.
"You should go get settled in," he told her. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow." Arya glared at him again and left, storming to her room which she found surprisingly easy to remember the location of.
Arya was fuming as she paced around her room, but she knew her fury was directed at how right Gendry was. She could see easily now why he had been admitted to this top facility if he gathered all that about her five minutes after they met. Sighing, Arya grabbed a towel and her shampoo and conditioner and decided a hot shower would soothe her.
A/N: And we have met Gendry! So he did a counselling course straight after school which took six years, he is now 24 and studying for his PhD in psychology while working professionally for the first time as a counsellor. As I wrote at the start of this chapter, this is a work of fiction and stemmed purely from my imagination and that it is in no way acceptable in real life for a relationship like this to happen.
Until next time :D