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Sansa smiled at her sister from across the table. The Tourney feast was at the height of its festivities and the good mood was present all around. Arya had stuck close to Gendry all night and Sansa didn't miss the hateful glares the prince was directing toward his father. Sansa was happy for Arya, she truly was. But the King also wanted her, which meant that she wasn't as safe as Sansa would have liked. It came to her like a second nature, the protectiveness, she had an overwhelming urge to protect Arya and her father had told her it was 'the wolf' in her blood surfacing. A wold always looks out for their pack, no matter what. Prying her gaze away from her sister she listened to Willas tell her a story about Highgarden and how she would love it there. She agreed she would will a pretty blush on her face.

Her father was characteristically silent and her mother had a tight lipped smile on her face. They kept Arya within their sights always. She wasn't the only one to notice that Gendry hadn't let her walk off alone or leave his side for that matter. Sansa saw her father smile when Arya punched his arm affectionately after he whispered in her ear.

"If I can all have your attention!" King Robert boomed from his perch at the highest table, a cup of wine in his large hand. The Queen looked at him sourly before turning to gaze lovingly at her son and Arya. Everyone in the room hushed and looked toward their king. His voice was commanding and he looked powerful and quite enticing standing before everyone with such prowess. Sansa almost scowled at herself for thinking it.

"It is with great honour and pleasure that I announce the betrothal of my son, Prince Gendry Baratheon and Lady Arya Stark of Winterfell. With this betrothal, we will finally see Baratheon's and Starks united…as they should have been. To Lady Arya and Prince Gendry!" He yelled across the room raising his cups.

"To Lady Arya and Prince Gendry" everyone in the room chorused. There was cheering and whooping from everyone. The smile on the Prince's face was so large that Sansa found herself smiling as well. Arya looked at their father with watery eyes and he blew her a kiss. Sansa hoped, finally that she would be safe from the king now.

"They make a lovely couple" Willas had whispered from beside her, he looked as if he was in awe and Sansa stifled a giggle.

"They do, I'm happy for them" she said, Arya looked to Sansa and Sansa smiled, wide and beautiful. Arya smiled back and when Arya's Stark grey eyes watered over so did her Tully blue. Sansa knew they were tears of joy and love. Arya was never one to show true emotion so when she did it was something that Sansa cherished and held close to her heart. For it was not something Arya had shown to many people.

Her sister hadn't left the princes side all night. Sansa wanted to spend time with Arya but she knew Gendry was far more menacing than herself. She wouldn't be able to stop the king from talking to her little sister. The only other person she had stayed beside was Cersei, they had an unspeakable bond and they held the same fierceness in their eyes when they were speaking. Cersei was a good queen but Arya would be a great one. Sansa could feel it in her bones.

-o-

Robert had many admirable traits. He was strong and fierce, but he was also a whore and a drunk. Cersei had thought herself in love once, when she was a stupid little girl. He looked so handsome when they had married and he was all hers. For eternity. When Gendry was born, she had never been happier, at first it had made her sick to think that she was carrying a child of his. A child she did not want at first. But when she looked into her son's infant eyes she fell in love. Bright blue, like his father and he had already acquired a full head of Baratheon black hair. As the years went on she only fell in love with her son even more, if it were possible. He was so different than his father, he looked exactly like him but he was still so different. He was kind and smart and fiercely protective of his family. She remembered the day Joffrey was born, Robert was off hunting and he laughed at the boy's golden hair. Gendry had admired his little brothers small body and rubbed his golden-haired head gently when he would cry.

Thinking about her baby boy now, watching him speak with his betrothed gently, she was utterly irritated and Gendry had soothed her the best he could, it was making her heart flutter. She was so utterly proud of her boy, he was everything Robert could have been. Arya was good for him, she's smart and fiery. Gendry would have the best queen, Cersei knew. Snapping out of her thoughts at the movement beside her she turned her head to look at her husband, he looked handsome as ever. She nodded at him in greeting and he leant back in his chair smiling sadly at the crowd.

"He'll be a good king, won't he?" Robert asked so quietly she almost didn't hear him. She smiled and sighed happily.

"A great one" she confirmed. He laughed lightly.

"He may look like me but he's so much like you, you know?" Robert said, smiling at her with an expression she couldn't quite place. Cersei smiled and looked at her beautiful black haired boy who was dancing with his betrothed's sister, although his eyes were on Arya who danced happily with Willas Tyrell.

"He's the best of both of us" she said, trying to be kind. Robert sat up properly and leaned forward to place his cup of wine on the table.

"That he is. He's more like you, though. Joff looks like you but he's like me, I try not to feel ashamed at that. And Tommen, he's too kind for the likes of us…and little Myrcella, your spitting image, she's smart and I worry for that Dornish prince if he were to harm her, Gendry wasn't too pleased with their betrothal" Robert laughed, Cersei found herself laughing along with him. Suddenly he stopped and grasped her hand gently, she looked down at it in shock and she almost pulled away from his touch. He looked at her intently and rubbed comforting circles on her hand.

"I know I haven't been the best husband, Cersei. And I know saying this won't be make me a better one. But, I want to thank you for the way you've raised our children. Leaving Casterly Rock and your other half, Jaime, was hard. All to be the queen to a king who doesn't belong on the throne. Our children make all this worthwhile, Gendry is going to the King this realm deserves. Thank you, Cersei" He said a sad smile on his face, Cersei was frozen and before she could speak he had placed a small kiss on her hand and stalked away.

She was shocked, Robert had often talked about how much he loved Gendry but had never talked so endearingly to her or about their other children. She thought this was because Gendry was a true Baratheon and their other children had favoured Lannister looks, although Tommen had bright Baratheon blue eyes, his hair was also turning darker day by day. It wouldn't be the midnight black of Gendry's but perhaps a brown.

Still trying to shake the shock from her she allowed herself to think of her loving brother, Jaime. Lord of Casterly Rock, married to Brienne of Tarth. Cersei smiled, they were an odd pair but somehow, they worked perfectly. She missed him terribly, though. Tyrion was a nice distraction, he was witty and helpful like Jaime but he could never be him. He would know of his nephew's engagement in the next few weeks and she knew they'd hear from them very soon. Looking around the room her eyes fell on her husband who was speaking to some Lords, his eyes were on Arya and she felt herself tense. With a disappointed sigh, she watched him ogle his son's future wife while pretending to be engaged in the conversation he was in. Arya was hitting Gendry for something he said and he laughed gathering her in his arms in a hug that Cersei couldn't help but smile at. She saw her husband turn his head away from the simple display of affection and she sighed into her hands.

"Mother!" she heard, she looked up to see an excited Gendry bounding toward her with a bright, handsome smile. Looking for Arya she noticed that she was bounding toward her father.

"Yes, love?" she asked smiling brightly, he grasped her hands in his own and bent down to kiss them.

"Dance with me" he said, he looked remarkably like Renly in this moment with his laughing eyes and huge grin. She let him pull her to her feet and lead her to the floor. She took note of how Arya was now dancing with her father and realised they must have planned this. Gendry pulled her close to his chest and she danced in his loving embrace. She took in the smell of him and looked up into his blue eyes that held so much happiness, the most happiness she had ever seen in him.

"How are you, my son?" She asked, caressing his cheek and fixing his hair. Gendry let her, she knew her son secretly loved being pampered by his mother.

"I'm happy, mother." He said, kissing her forehead. Cersei sighed happily. Her son was happy, that's all she cared about.

"And Arya?" She asked with a sly smirk. Her son blushed and gazed at his betrothed who was dancing in the protective arms of her father.

"I think she's happy too" he whispered in a voice she didn't recognise. Laughing she placed a kiss on her son's cheek.

"I think she is too" she said, he nodded and spun her once then twice before the dance ended. He kept her in his arms though, her son held her close and rested his chin on the crown of her head.

"You're the best mother anyone could ever ask for" he whispered, squeezing her. Tears welled in her eyes and she clutched him tightly, willing herself not to cry. Peeling herself from him she looked up to smile at him.

"You're the best son a woman can ask for" she said, he chuckled and bent down to her ear.

"Don't let Joff and Tom hear" he whispered in an amused tone. Rolling her eyes playfully she slapped his arm softly. He chuckled and kissed her cheek before striding off towards his betrothed.

-o-

"Father"

He looked down at the small voice that was his daughters. She was still in his arms, despite the music stopping. The hall was just loud with conversation at this point.

"Yes, sweetling?" Ned asked, his smile fell when she worriedly chewed her lip and his eyes fell on those of Gendry's who had just left a dance with his mother. Gendry came to stand beside Arya who was now avoiding eye contact.

"I need to tell you something, but could we speak in private?" She asked, his eyes fell on Gendry's hand that rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. His face was hard and Ned felt himself start to panic.

"Of course, love. Let's go out onto the balcony" he said, he didn't question when Gendry had followed, he thought he must have been vital to the discussion. He didn't bother gathering his wife and other daughter, Arya did only ask to speak to him after all.

Once they were on the balcony both he and Gendry looked around to make sure there were no prying eyes or ears. Arya leant against the balcony railing and he came to stand beside her and Gendry had stood behind her closely.

"I don't want you to get mad, promise me?" She asked, a painful tremor shot through his chest at those words 'promise me', the last words his sister spoke. Ignoring the lump in his throat he nodded.

"I promise, darling" He said, grasping her shaking hands in his own. She took a deep breath before she continued talking.

"Last night after supper I was walking back to my room…the halls were so quiet it didn't seem like anyone was there…I tried to stay around as many people as possible throughout the day, father, I promise. I didn't think when I was walking back to my room…alone" she said in a voice that scared him, oh gods, something was wrong.

"Arya…what happened?" Ned coaxed her softly, she drew a long breath and turned to look at Gendry and with a nod of his head she continued.

"Robert caught me alone in the halls when I was walking back to my room…alone. He…he didn't do anything too drastic. He…uh…he grabbed me and groped me against a wall. I fought him, though father, I swear it. He was drunk" she said as if she was getting rid of something heavy. Her eyes were glazed over with fresh tears and Ned was stunned into silence.

He gathered his daughter into his arms and held her there while she clutched at him like a frightened child. Which she was, he saw Gendry's jaw clenching and unclenching since she relayed the story. He figured he already knew.

"There's more, Lord Stark" Gendry said, his voice was hard and so was the expression on his face. Arya was still in his embrace when she turned her head to look at him, they held each other's gazes, he saw so much trust and affection in their eyes it startled him. The anger had never left him since the first day here and it took all of his strength not to run back into the hall and drive Ice through his friend's stomach and watch him die a painful death.

"Go on" he said, his voice as angry as the young man in front of him. Arya nodded at Gendry and he continued.

"This morning Arya was upset about what happened last night and she was crying in a garden in the keep. Joffrey found her and comforted her and convinced her to tell me about it, but before she could my father spoke to me first. He told me that Arya and Joff were being intimate and that I should break the engagement. He lied, of course. I'm worried, Lord Stark" he said, gesturing to his daughter who was uncharacteristically quiet in his arms.

"It caused us to have a rather heated argument about it and that's when I told him about Robert" Arya murmured into his chest. Ned nodded in understanding, he stroked his daughters head lovingly.

"I won't let him touch you again, sweetling. We will discuss this tomorrow in greater detail when we haven't had so much wine. Prince Gendry, please escort her to her chambers" he said, the prince nodded and waited for Arya to leave his embrace. With a kiss to his cheek Arya hummed an 'I love you' then took the princes arm in hers and walked back into the hall. He followed closely.

He watched as she said goodnight to Gendry's family which consisted of Cersei, Joffrey, Renly and Myrcella. Then she said goodnight to her sister with a tight hug, she also bid goodnight to Willas who hadn't left Sansa's side. Catelyn was who she last said goodnight to and they shared a short sweet moment without words, he could see how proud Cat was of their little girl.

With that he watched Arya and Gendry walk out of the hall hurriedly, Gendry had a protective hand on the small of her back and made sure she was close to him. He silently thanked the young man. Looking across from him he watched as Robert had his eyes trained on Arya as she walked out. Ned sighed exasperated. Enough was enough, he thought. Walking toward Robert with determination. Suddenly remembering his words to Arya and Gendry, they said they would talk more tomorrow and he stopped himself halfway, walking toward his wife he kissed her on the forehead.

"We need to talk" Ned said, he watched his wife's face turn from happy to worry.

"About?" she whispered.

"Arya"

Thanks for reading, guys! I am so stressed at Uni but I managed to get this out for you guys. Please review!