Dragons and Thrones: Final War – The Dragon Queen Rises
Chapter 12 of my crossover story, enjoy.
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Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin. Dragon Age belongs to Bioware.
Arya
Seated outside the tent that had been set up for them, Arya smiled as she examined Needle and the dagger she had been given. She now had two blades made of remarkable materials, and if what she heard was true, now even Needle wouldn't need to be sharpened again.
She knew enough about Valyrian Steel to know the dagger wouldn't need that, but she had to admit, Silverite was still unknown to her. She had asked Cullen about it a few times and picked up the odd bits of information, enough that she was halfway sure Needle would be the same.
Sheathing her blades again she turned to smile at Gendry who stood by her side, also smiling. They had travelled south some distance in order to properly form their armies, it was going to take long enough that they had set up camp, planning to march out in the morning.
"So, anything else?" She asked Gendry casually.
He had been curious about her family and so she had filled him in on their history, explaining everything she could and was pleased to see how much he took everything in. Already he was beginning to develop a feeling of pride in his new family.
She looked around at their surroundings as she thought to herself. 'He will be a true Stark before long, yet he is still who he is and I am still who I am...That is probably the best part about us being married. We not only accept each other for who we truly are, we want each other to be who we truly are.'
It was then she realized she actually recognized their surroundings.
Just seeing this place, the memories came rushing back. She must have looked distant for she heard him then, concerned.
"Arry?"
She started and turned to him. "It's...sorry, I was lost in thought...My family and I came this way, on our first trip to King's Landing...With King Robert and, everyone..."
Gendry moved closer, until he was seated next to her. "You sound, hesitant, is it; something bad?"
"This is where I; where my friend Mycah was killed; where Nymeria and I attacked Joffrey and, and I chased her away. Gods it feels so long ago, but it all happened in this area."
Gendry bit his lip and she knew he was trying to take it all in. She had been surprised she had simply opened up and told him what happened, but she had. She trusted him completely and that was pretty much all there was to it. But before they could say anything else, they heard shouting nearby and howling.
"What…?" Gendry gasped.
Arya was on her feet in an instant. "Come on, we better see."
Nodding he followed her as they hurried towards the source of the noise. A group of men had gathered weapons ready and were facing down a group of wolves that had broke into the camp.
One of them, clearly the leader, was huge, certainly not a normal wolf. It then struck Arya just who she was seeing and her heart began pounding, disbelief flooding her.
But she had to act, she darted forward, heedless of Gendry trying to call her.
"Wait, stop!" She cried out.
The men turned to her. "Lady Arya, you shouldn't...we..."
She shook her head. "Just...step back."
They reluctantly did so; she could feel all the eyes upon her as she approached. While the other wolves began to move slightly, she never took her eyes off the largest one.
"Nymeria." She whispered.
The Direwolf stiffened, Gendry gasped, but Arya stayed focused.
Arya smiled; partly reaching out her hand, but didn't get closer. "It's alright Nymeria, it's me...please, it's all better now, you can..."
But she stopped; she saw the look in Nymeria's eye; the almost feral stare, only just barely recognizing her.
"No, Nymeria no..." She whispered; her joy slowly evaporating. "That's not you."
But Nymeria's gaze didn't soften, if anything, it became challenging, as if daring Arya to try her.
'She may still be alive, but my Direwolf is gone…truly gone...' She thought sadly as she lowered her hand and stepped back.
Whatever part of Nymeria remained that still recognized Arya seemed to win out however, as she then turned and led her pack away, disappearing into the trees and, Arya knew, out of her life forever.
Still ignoring the eyes upon her, as well as the stinging in her own, she turned away and slowly walked back towards her and Gendry's tent. Gendry didn't say anything, simply fell into step with her and followed.
It was only when she was in the privacy of her tent, and only when Gendry was the only company she had that she allowed herself to break down. Again Gendry didn't say anything, simply guided her over to their bed and sat her down.
He didn't need to say anything, he just held her, comforting her. She wasn't sure what she had expected, she had hoped maybe Nymeria would return to her; but no, it had been too long, things were completely broken between them.
She should have seen that; whatever bond they once had was severed the moment she chased Nymeria away and now, now she was just another Direwolf, leader of a large pack.
'All this, to save her life...Gods, I...' She thought sadly.
It took some time but she soon composed herself and, once recovered she smiled at Gendry.
"Gendry I, thank you." She said at last.
He nodded. "You're sure you're alright?"
She smiled, cleaning herself up, removing all evidence of her tears. "I am now."
It was then they heard another commotion, this time people, but it wasn't the sounds of an impending battle, from what they could hear, it seemed they were going to have some new allies.
Arya couldn't help but grin, despite her earlier turmoil, as she drained the mead from the cup she was holding.
She was seated around a small with Gendry and three of their new allies. The last people she had expected had joined them, the Brotherhood without Banners. Now here she and Gendry were, reunited with Hot Pie, Lommy and Edric Dayne, all of them sharing some drinks, talking and laughing.
In Arya's eyes, there was a vast improvement this time. 'They no longer treat me like some helpless girl, they know I can fight, they accept that and my abilities.'
She grinned as her cup was refilled. She and Gendry had spent their time now swapping stories with their friends.
"So…?" Lommy asked. "I never expected to meet either of you here. You're both going to be fighting in this war, huh?"
They both nodded as Hot Pie then noted. "You; something is different about the two of you?"
Arya grinned and nodded to Gendry who also grinned.
"Of course, we...we've been blessed by Arya's family, and are now man and wife." He revealed.
They all gasped; Edric was the one to voice their reaction. "Married?!"
Laughing Arya nodded and they began explaining their story, the incident with the Fade, the Nightmare Demon, the acceptance of her family and their wedding. While still saddened by the loss of Nymeria, Arya took solace in the fact that she herself was not lost.
She had Gendry, she had her family, she had her friends.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.