Heartbreak.
The word hardly described the pain that tore through Gendry's chest as he worked all his troubles away. It was as if someone had ripped his heart out, tore it apart, and stopped all over it repeatedly. Pain was all he ever knew ever since his mother died. And it seems as though he were doomed to face a fate of damnation. He always took out his pain in work, it seemed as though it was the only thing that helped him get through it all. After all, work was the only thing that never left him or betrayed him. It filled the void of loneliness that engulfed him for years. Gendry glared at the hot rod as he tried to sharpen his knife, but since he wasn't careful, he ended up burning himself.
Shite, shite, shite!
He cursed, while letting the knife drop to the floor with a thud followed by the ring of a clatter. It was boiling hot outside and the heat was getting to Gendry, it was clouding his senses, and driving him mad. He was angry at the gods, angry at the world, and most of all…angry with himself. He hissed when the burn began to throb against his skin, and he knew it was going to leave a big mark.
"You need your rest boy, its been days…" Gendry looked up to face Melisandre, the witch. He scoffed, "you should stop coming over. My decision is final." He stood up from the stool and went back to work.
"She isn't going to come back until you decide to be a man." Gendry dropped the rod in desperation and turned to look at her incredulously. This woman doesn't know when she is not wanted. He marched up to her with anger evident in his eyes. Melisandre was unaffected by his anger, and stood still, as a ghost of a smile played on her lips.
"I'm aware of that, and I don't care. Its better for the both of us for her to marry some other wealthy man that can offer her what I never could!" He said. "Better for who? For her… or for you? The girl clearly loves you, and you clearly love her. I could see it in your eyes, your heart yearns for her with undeniable passion. But your fear is leaving you stubborn." She said to him. Melisandre took a few steps closer to Gendry and took his chin in her hands so that she could see his eyes. "I see a darkness in you. Embrace it, use it as your weapon and join the brotherhood. My offer still stands. You know where to find me."
She let him go and he watched her disappeared into thin air. He couldn't allow himself to succumb to the dark forces of his past. He just couldn't. They wanted him to join the brotherhood; to join the rebellion against the king. They wanted Gendry Waters to be king. But Gendry only wanted to be himself. He let out a cry of frustration, as he knew what he had to do. Arya was right, he couldn't run away from his past anymore. He had to face his future, he had to face his father.
Arya Stark has been feeling different ever since she came back home to Winterfell. She has gotten much closer to Cedric, and has gotten to know him better. And soon, she has forgotten that they were engaged. They were best friends more than anything. At least, that's how she saw it. Cedric and Arya were racing down to the lake by horseback that afternoon. "That's not fair!" She cried out to Cedric in protest as she reached the lake first. Cedric began to laugh, "what isn't fair? You won!" Arya scoffed as they both got off of their horses. "You let me win and you're well aware of that." She stuck her chin out and sat down by the lake with her legs bended into her chest.
Arya heard Cedric's deep chuckle behind her and sat down next to her. "Nothing gets by you now does it?" She glanced up at him and smiled. "Absolutely nothing." Cedric laughed at that and watched Arya as she began to feed a small group of ducks. "My father, is putting so much pressure on me to be a ruler. Sometimes I forget what its like to enjoy myself." Arya hummed in response and began to nervously twirl her hair. "What plans are you discussing with him?" Cedric was well aware that he wasn't supposed to be discussing his affairs with his father with anyone. But he couldn't deny his fiancé.
"My father says that there he's been speaking to a woman who says that there will be war among our people." Arya arched a brow at him worriedly. "War? When?" She insisted. "War talk is not appropriate for a lady, I shouldn't have mentioned it." He stood up and was about to walk away from her when she rushed up to him and stood in his path. "Cedric. Tell me now. Have you already forgotten that I'm no lady?" She urged, making Cedric sigh in desperation, already regretting his decision to tell her. "I don't know when, or who, but the woman he has spoken to calls herself the Red Woman. She speaks of visions of the future and past, she has told him that there would be war, and blood. And that the war would reach this castle."
"There must be something we could do!" Arya suggested, "our people have the right to know. They need to be protected before this could happen."
"No Arya!" He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close. "You can't do anything, I need to do this. I can't have my lady wife wanting to do a man's work. I need you to be safe, and to only concern yourself about matters of the wedding. Promise me that you won't say a word. I need you to swear it Arya!" Arya has never heard Cedric speak to her like this before. She took his hands off of her, "If I may, we are only to be wed for alliances Cedric. By your tone, you suggest otherwise, I am Arya Stark of the House of Stark. And I will do what is within' my power to protect my people. I can take care of myself. You needn't concern yourself about that." As she reached her horse, Cedric came up behind her. "Are you meaning to tell me that you don't feel for me as a man?" She refused to answer. "Are you afraid of the permanent bond with me Arya Stark?" And still she said nothing.
"That is the least of my worries sir. We have other matters at hand, we need more troops if Winterfell is to survive this war." Cedric didn't want to hear any more of this. "I've seen you, Arya Stark." He began, making her fall silent, and her heart beat fast. "And since I've seen you I can't look away. There's wildness in you, as you play, ride, and talk. I've seen your spirit and I believe that it is like mine. I can leave my heart at your feet, and my country for all I care. All I want is to know where your true feelings are." He said huskily as he moved a strand of her hair away from her face. Arya was left speechless, and when his eyes looked down at her she didn't realize that he has gotten much closer to her. Her composure was beginning to falter, and that startled her. Cedric didn't give it another thought and he kissed her. He kissed her with all the passion that he had for Arya, and Arya felt it to her core, as much as she tried to deny it. Her mind was screaming at her to push him away, but her raging hormones had other ideas. Cedric moved his lips with hers in a fight for dominance, and she let him take over. She felt tingles erupt all over her skin when his fingers danced down her back only to find her waist. He pulled her to him so that there was no gravity left between them. And Arya nearly moaned in disappointment when his lips left hers only for a moment. Her skin felt so hot as his breathing grew heavy. Cedric left a trail of butterfly kisses down her neck, and she almost forgot where his hands were. Until she felt one of them slip in between her legs.
"Oh!" She gasped and squeezed his shoulders. "Cedric wait." She panted as his thumb pressed against the thin fabric of her panties, just where her most sensitive spot was. He tilted his head on her shoulder and breathed hotly into her air, "too fast?" He rasped, she could only nod her head. He slowed his pace but he didn't remove his finger, instead he just moved it up and down. Arya's breathing hitched, and she was finding it hard to resist him. She wanted his touch, and she didn't want him to stop. "But you are already so wet…" He moaned when Arya let out a whimper at the throbbing pressure in between her legs. It was then that she realized that her body wanted him. And that she wanted this. She lifted her half hooded eyes to his and the dark look in his eyes only confirmed what they were about to do.
"My lord, I hate to interrupt but your father requests your presence before the festivities this evening." Arya's face burned with shame at the idea of being caught and was about to move away from Cedric only to be told to stay put. "You don't need to be ashamed around me." He breathed hotly against her ear. "Tell my father that we will be there momentarily." He planted his lips on her forehead. "I'm afraid that your father requests your presence immediately, and alone my lord." Cedric turned to the guard who had his back facing them out of respect. "Very well, but be sure to tell my father that my future lady wife will be present without any objections. Do I make myself clear?" The guard nodded and left the scene with his horse. Arya's eyes lit up at the idea of being allowed to be in a war meeting with the order of seven. Her father would have never allowed it, not even when she was a child.
"Festivities?" She asked. Cedric looked down at her with a smile, "its only a pre-celebration for our wedding of course. I hope that we wed as soon as possible before this war commences." He said. Arya could only stare at him blankly as realization began to dawn on her.
She was getting married, and there was nothing that she could do.
