The Storm Lords and Ladies

Gendry paced the corridor outside his room while the Maester, the Braavosi Healer and Mya tried to bring Arya out of the comatose that she had stepped into.

This had never happened before. Nothing could have prepared them for the state Arya was currently in just by the account of the fact that they were not prepared for it.

Gendry's thoughts drifted back to when one of the guards barged into his Solar where He and Edric were talking about possible tactics to secure the Stormlands from the amassing Dornish forces. Gendry had felt as if his world had shattered around him when the guard told him that Arya had fainted while atop the Storm tower and had let out an ear piercing scream before doing so.

Gendry ran towards the chambers which he shared with Arya, comatose and blood running from her nose, Arya lay still as a statue on the bed with Mya trying to bring her back to her senses. Gendry had quickly taken his place by her side and what started as a gentle caress on her faces soon turned to him shouting and shaking her by the shoulders to bring her to conscious.

It was only when the Master arrived and Edric forcefully pulled him back with the help of a guard did Gendry leave Arya's side. Mya had also suggested that Gendry go out of the room for the maester to work properly.

The sun was about to set and with the storm still raging outside, Gendry's thoughts had begun to be marred by darkness. He wasn't about to lose Arya just yet. No, there was no force which could take Arya away from him and so he started praying to the Old Gods and the God of the Storms to protect his wife and soulmate.

It was when the sun had completely set and the first stars were visible in the sky did the door to his chambers opened and Mya stepped out. With a deep sigh, she looked towards Gendry and nodded. If one looked closely, one could see a faint smile on her lips and a sense of relief on her face.

Gendry quickly stormed past her and into the room to where Arya lay on her bed, awake and most importantly alive. Taking his place beside her, he took both of her hands in his and stared into her eyes before parting his lips to speak "You'll never do that again."

Arya's pained face quickly changed to sport a scowl and an expression of extremely displeasure, "I swear Arya, if you do anything like this to put yourself in danger again, I swear…" but before Gendry could finish the sentence Arya pulled her hands from his and smacked Gendry across the face with all her might.

"You are Stupid to think that I'd die on you so easily you bull-headed blacksmith" she angrily retorted and before she could have said anything else Gendry took her in his arms and embraced her tightly.

Mya nodded from the door at the handmaidens and the maester to give the Lord and Lady of the Hose some privacy and soon enough the room emptied, Mya closing the door behind her.

As she turned her back to the door, she exchanged a glance with Edric and asked him to accompany her to her Solar. She could see it plain on Edric's face that he wanted to know what had happened to Arya and she would try her best to explain it to him. She was thankful that the children were visiting their uncle Steffon at Gryffin's Roost and were not in Storm's End otherwise it'd have been extremely difficult to get a hold of the situation.

oOoOoOo

After pouring themselves a goblet of wine each, Edric and Mya sat down in Mya's Sole listening to the wind whistle through the corridors of Storm's End, the rain lashing on the windows and the sound of thunder rumbling far away.

"What happened Mya?" Edric asked her at a complete loss of words on how to frame the question.

Mya sighed and took a long draught from her goblet, mulled over her thoughts and poured some more wine for herself.

"I don't know." She said blankly, unable to quell her brother's curiosity but before Edric could further ask anything she spoke again, "Everything was fine when Arya started. She drifted away like she normally does." Mya paused to take another sip from her goblet, "Her eyes rolled into her head. The telltale sign of when a warging is in process and after that she was calm and still for some time. The only sound that came from her was that of her breathing." Mya stopped before taking another long draught from her goblet and then refilled it.

"I was looking out at the sky when I suddenly heard her gasping for breath as if she was drowning and soon after she just collapsed." Mya said, she didn't have anything further to add.

"The guard said, she screamed." Edric said, as if trying to confirm what he had heard.

Mya scoffed, "Believe it or not, but that was me. I didn't know what to do at that point in time with her knocked out and blood running down her nose. I lost complete composure and screamed for help." Taking another draught from her goblet.

The siblings sat in complete silence, drinking and contemplating.

"Do you know how warging feels like", Edric asked Mya. Mya simply shrugged, "I only know about how it feels from Arya. Time and again she has told me that when you are in the other being you feel everything that is happening to that being. It feels like it would as if you were in your own body."

Silence followed Mya's statement before Edric asked another question as he got up to leave, "Then the question is how did a cat manage to drown itself. A cat completely under Arya's control." and with that thought he left Mya to empty the bottle of wine and ponder over all that had transpired during the day.

oOoOoOo

The following day, Mya was unceremoniously woken up by her handmaiden who informed her that Lord Gendry and Lady Arya awaited her presence in the Lord's Solar and that she was to break her fast with them.

Wishing half an hour Mya had washed and dressed herself with the help of her maids and was already making her way to where her brothers and sister by law awaited her. She walked down the corridor from the west wing of the Castle to the Eastern tower that over looked the Stormy Bay.

She walked past the guards stationed outside her brother's Solar and through the doors which were closed behind her to give the family much needed privacy. As soon as she entered, her eyes sought Arya. She quickly assessed Arya to see if she was feeling better or not. A glance at her sister by law was all it took to quell any worrisome thoughts her mind still harbored from the previous night. Arya looked fine for the most part, a little less cheerful than she normally appeared but in no way did she seem shaken nor was there any loss of composure. She did look a little weak but that was to be expected after the ordeal she had experienced.

"Sister" Gendry said, announcing her presence to Edric who was standing by the window no doubt waiting for her so the four of them could break their fast together. Gendry smiled at her as he gestured for her to take a seat at the table where the morning meal had been laid.

The four members of the Storm family settled on the round table and broke their fast in silence. Several minutes passed eating before Arya in her typical fashion spoke up, "I'm still very much alive, you know?" she said, staring at her plate, "I'd appreciate if you don't mourn my death while I'm still alive and I sure am not going to be the first one who will walk down that road amongst the four of us."

Gendry's face remained impassive but Edric snorted into his plate. Even Mya couldn't stop the small smile that began to curve it's way around her mouth.

"Who do you think out of the four of us would conk off first, dear Sister?" Edric asked Arya, winking towards Gendry who was paying attention to nothing except for his food.

"My Bull and your elder brother, Edric." Arya said in a mocking voice, her gaze fixed at her husband who was definitely ignoring her brother and his wife. "I assure you, he's going to die worrying and not in the field of battle."

"My brother would be a worrier but I'm sure to precede…" Edric began but before he could say anything else Gendry banged his fist on the table, which shook due to the sheer force he had exhibited.

"Enough with this talk of death both of you." He said looking at this wife and brother, who sat on his either side. "I'm not ready to lose anyone from my family just as of yet nor am I willing to put anyone's life at risk."

"No one is going to get killed" Mya shouted banging her goblet on the table and getting up to stare down at her family.

"What happened to Arya yesterday is something none of us could have accounted for and instead of taking a step back due to fear we need to step forward looking for a new path." She said addressing her younger siblings and sister by law.

Silence rattled across the room and it was after several moment that Gendry shared a glance with all who were gathered, "I'm Sorry" He said to everyone, but his eyes were fixed on Arya.

Arya being the wife she was to him, passed a small smile but took his hand in her comparatively smaller one. " And I'll reach out to Bran" she said in response, sharing a knowing glance with Gendry, "There's much that i still need to learn" to which he simply nodded.

Realizing that the people around the table had finally gathered the wits about themselves she decided to broach another topic which had been on her mind since Edric left her last night.

"Arya" she said, looking at her brother's wife, "Do you recall what happened to you yesterday?" keeping eye contact with her while the question slipped past her mouth.

Arya sighed and breathed deeply, "I was walking through the corridor from the Children's chamber to Elia's Solar. I was almost there when someone picked me from behind and threw me out the window and into the pool."

"I was right then" Edric spoke up looking directly at Mya but an angry glare from his elder sister forced him to quiet down.

"What's strange is that the pool was filled with Salt water, I was just not prepared for it and i lost control of the cat completely. I felt as if my lungs had begun to fill with the brine and the feeling was akin to drowning…" Arya said, with a shudder.

As Arya finished describing her experience another silence fell across the room.

It was after quite some time that Mya spoke, "I think we should send ravens to Mistwood and Gryffin's Roost. It'd be best if we call Cat and Orys back, we might need their help."

"What of Argil and Nym?" Edric asked, as he had always been closer to his younger niece and nephew since they were more like him.

"Nym stays at Tarth" Gendry said. " And Argil with Steffon" Arya completed her husband's thought, "Steffon and Argil are to prepare for defences in the mountains and gather a small army for guerrilla warfare in the Rainwood."

Edric nodded, seeing good reason in his sister by law's strategy. The Central mountains which ran west to east across their country divided the Stormlands into two parts. South of the mountains were the cool temperate highlands of the Dornish Marches where as North of the Mountains were dense forests which eventually gave way to fertile plains further North.

If it did come to fighting the Dornish they'd have an advantage in the Dornish marches, the central mountains and the forests. The Dornish army would be severely weakened by the time it reached the plains where a cavalry waiting in the thousands would be waiting to plough through them.

"Do you have any plans for me?" He asked.

"Ride to Stonehelm and barricade the entrance at the mouth of the Slayne. That way they wont be able to send men on boats into the Stormlands." Gendry said.

Edric simply nodded and sat back while his elder siblings finished their food. It was time to return to his own castle now.


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