I don't own any of the recognisable characters below

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CHAPTER 20: HOPES, DECISIONS AND INSTINCTS.

He got up in the middle of the night and wandered through the narrow corridors of the Eyrie. He had not been able to sleep in five nights, but he knew that Ally would understand. He sat down in one of the tables in a meeting room. The dim light of a candle light the piece of parchment he was writing on. 'Ally will understand' he thought again. He managed to send a messenger to Storm's end and walked back to his chambers without anyone noticing. That is when he saw Ghost laying in the middle of the floor, judging him with his red eyes.

Jon approached his wolf and kneeled before him and petted him. "Do not look at me like that, Ally will understand" He said. Ghost growled and trotted away from him. Ally would understand; she had to understand. He hoped she would understand.

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Arya had been living in a constant tension since she had tried to run away. Shireen's words had woken her up, but things were not well in Storm's End. Gendry was avoiding her like the plague, and he did not even try to hide it. Every time she entered a room, Gendry would leave and disappear for hours. Edric seemed to be obsessed with his maps and strategies to even notice were she was. Shireen greeted her when she entered a room, but she usually kept to herself. She felt alone. She felt alone in a huge castle full of people, very much like she had felt in Winterfell years before. 'At least Jon will be here soon' was the thought that cheered her up.

Gendry's sister woke her up one day and invited her to break her fast with Shireen and her. They would always eat in a quiet place near a big fountain in the gardens. The lady Alara would always ask her maids for a big meal: fruits, tarts, biscuits, all kind of juices and teas. It was always too much for just the three of them, but Alara would always make sure that the leftovers were taken to the orphanages and poorest neighbourhoods in the name of the people that lived in the castle. She even asked Arya to accompany her when she visited one of the orphanages once. Gendry travelled with them, but he acted as if Arya were not there.

She was headed to the gardens the morning that everything would change for them. The weather was sunny and warm, the birds tweeted and the flowers bloomed. Everyone was happy. She sat at the table on Alara's left side. A blonde servant brought them their food and drinks. Arya recognised him as the boy she had met the first time she had tried to run away from Storm's End. 'I do try to run away quite a lot' she realised with a sight.

The cat lover- as Arya had began to call him since she did not know his name- had been clumsy at first, but he had learned quickly. He had had an older brother and a sister, and her mother had always babied him, as she had heard one of the kitchen maids say. He usually served their morning meal, and helped with Alara's nameless cat. Arya had noticed that he would smile a lot, specially, when Shireen was near him. Arya knew that Alara had noticed too, and she supposed that was the reason she looked at him with that look: a look that was calculating and disapproving at the same time. Arya thought that was extremely hypocritical of Alara, since she had been legitimized only some months ago. She was no one to judge a servant boy who liked a lady.

Arya had been lost in her thoughts when one of Alara's personal maids, Lanna, brought her the tea that was suppose to help with the hoarse voice she sometimes had in the mornings. 'It would help if she ever drank it' Arya thought.

She saw Gendry enter the gardens with Andry. He stood there, frozen, so she decided to finish her omelette and leave. Alara said her goodbyes with an apologetic smile on her lips, as Andry jumped from one side to another screamimg something about sword training. That kid had too much energy.

She saw herself in one of the mirrors in the rich palace. Her hair was messy and her blouse and breeches were dirty and wrinkled. She had made her mind a week ago, but she had had no time to talk to Gendry. She knew the servants and the maids knew about Arya's engagement to Gendry, and she also knew that they all whispered behind her back. It had never bothered her before. She had never given a damn about what people said, but those people thought she would be their queen soon, as she was far, far away from looking like a queen.

She asked for a bath as soon as she reached her bedchambers. She opened her closet and looked for something that would make her look like a lady, without being to over the top. She found a rose pink dress that would fit her and was simple enough for her to like it, kind of. That dress had probably been made for Alara or Shireen and placed in her closet with other blouses, breeches and dresses when she had managed to escape the seamstress for the third time.

The pink dress reached the floor and had a belt decorated with stones. It had a squared shaped cleavage and short but wide sleeves. It was not something Arya would normally wear, and even less something she would have made for herself, but she had nothing better.

She cleaned herself and got dressed in minutes. She pinned her hair in a bun and left her chambers. She walked through the castle, searching each and every one f the rooms looking for Gendry. She looked in the garden and the stables, but did not see him anywhere. She was ready to give up when she heard the noises coming from the forge.

He was looking away from her when she entered. He was not wearing a shirt and Arya could see how the muscles in his back were defined. She started feeling extremely hot suddenly, but she blamed it on the fire.

"Gendry!" She shouted above the noise.

"What are you doing here lady Arya?" He asked still looking away.

"You have been avoiding me... and do not call me a lady."

"As m'lady commands." He said turning around. "What on earth are you wearing?"

"A dress. Women wear it on an everyday basis."

"You are a woman, and you do not wear dresses on an everyday basis. I did not even know you owned those kinds of clothes."

"What is that supposed to mean? Am I not good enough to wear your sister's pretty dresses?"

"I did not say that! Why are we even talking about this? I should not be talking to you right now?"

"And why is that, oh genius?"

"Because you ran away! You ran away as soon as I told you the truth!"

"You had no right to hide that from me! It is my life! What if I had already been betrothed to another? What if I had been married already?"

"I hid it from you because I knew that you would either murder me or run away like you always do! That is always your first instinct: to run. You either run away from danger or you run straight into it."

"If I remember correctly that took us out of Harrenhall and a bunch of other situations!"

"Yes and it also brought us trouble other times!" Arya and Gendry were screaming at each other by that moment. They had moved closer to each other without really noticing.

"It is too bad that you will have to put up with me for the rest of your life then!"

"Oh, do not worry, your highness. Your wishes will be granted. The North will send someone else to marry the bastard prince of The South, and you will be free as a little bird!"

"I DO NOT WANT YOU TO MARRY SOMEONE ELSE, STUPID!"

They were both silent for a minute, none of them believing what Arya had just said. Both of them sure they had heard wrong. Minutes had past until Gendry asked.

"What?"

"You heard me. I do not want you marrying some idiotic lady that does not understand what you have been through. You are my friend, my best friend. You were there in my worst moments, you were there when I had no one else. You would have never left my side if The Brotherhood had not sold you to that horrible woman. Now it is my turn to help you, and protect you. Besides, Shireen was right, I could do a lot worse."

"Should I be insulted...?" Gendry said getting even closer to her and placing his arms around her.

"You truly are stupid..." She said.

"You will marry me then?" He asked with his eyes full of hope.

"Yes, I will marry you" She simply answered.

"Just not in that dress..."

"What is wrong with this dress? It is not that bad, and that is something coming from me..."

"That dress has 'Ally's propriety' written all over it. You will need a new dress."

"Yay." She said ironically. "Is there a Godswood here?"

"Do you want to pray?"

"No, but I do want to get married in one."

"I will tell you what: I will plant a huge Godswood for you when we get married. However, we will have to find a place to get married..."

"Can we go to Riverrun? If we hold the wedding there, the southerners may take it as a sign of conquest. If you have control of the Stormlands and the Riverlands the Reach will follow you and we will have the Targaryen surrounded." She said excitedly.

"Riverrun it is." Gendry replyed.

Arya looked right into Gendry's blue eyes. She had never seen him that happy. He got a concentrated look on his face and slowly put their heads closer. He was about to kiss her when they heard someone approaching. They jump away from each other when the door opened to reveal Theon. Six simple words made them alert again.

"Jon has sent word."

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He was late to what seemed to be an important meeting. Edric ran up the stairs and found everybody in one of the strategy rooms looking agitated. Gendry and Arya stood in one near the door talking in whispers about something.

"You smell, brother" he said as he bowed his head in Arya's direction. She was wearing a dress... That was weird... Theon stood near one of the windows wearing black breeches and a black shirt, just as Davos who was standing beside him. Shireen was surprisingly absent, probably chasing cats with the servant boy. Ally was standing, looking out of the window, dressed in a dress that had a black upper body part and a beige skirt. She was holding a letter in her shaking hands: word from Jon.

She turned aroung and asked Lanna for her tea, and sat in one of the chairs. Finally, Arya broke the silence.

"What is it? Is Jon coming early?"She asked.

"Jon will not be joining us any time soon..." Ally said, her voice breaking at the end of the sentence.

"What do you mean?" Arya asked

"What are you talking about?" Theon said at the same time.

"Why are you about to cry?" Gendry shouted above the other two.

"Jon found Sansa." Ally said, and everyone fell silent. " The... The Targaryen King in the North..." That was bad... Ally NEVER called Jon 'The Targaryen King', no matter what. "Jon Targaryen believes that The North will be more supportive of his cause if he marries his cousin the lady Sansa Stark, who is now protector of the Vale, since no one knows were Robert Arryn is. That is why he kindly frees me from our engagement, and gives me permission to marry any man of my choosing with his blessing."

Everything felt silent. You could have heard a pin drop. 'I knew it' Edric thought 'I knew that bastard son of a... I knew he would hurt my sister... I will make him pay. Sooner or later, I will make him pay' Edric felt his killer instincts take over, and he could see it in Gendry's face too. 'Theirs was the fury' and they would show Jon Targaryen what happened when you messed with a Baratheon, after all, his father Rhaegar Targaryen had learned the hard way, the Baratheon brothers could teach Jon. Arya was livid. She could not stop muttering something about cousins, and danger. Theon stood where he had before, not really knowing what to do and Davos had started pacing as soon as Ally had started reading.

"What do we do now?" Edric asked.

"Edric calm down." Ally said with a hoarse voice.

"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME TO CALM DOWN ALARA! I am a warrior. I was brought up as a warrior. I did not have toys I had weapons. I slept with a wooden sword until I was five. I want a weapon in my hand and a strategy to win. Now, what do we do?"

"Now, we win this war." Gendry said. "Davos, call the banners and send wedding invitations. Arya and I will get married in Riverrun in ten moons. Anyone who does not attend the ceremony will not be considered an ally in the future." Gendry said thinking quickly. "We will take Riverrun first, it should not be hard as the Riverlands are in horrible conditions. Be extra kind to the Tyrells in your letter, sir Davos, mention that the King's unmarried younger brother and sister will attend the ceremony."

"If the Tyrells bend the knee, we will be able to take the Westerlands in no time. If we secure those lands..." Edric followed.

"Then we will choose whether we want to take the Eyrie or King's Landing next." Gendry finished.

"Jon does not know about the other dragon" Arya said surprising everyone. "He will not see it coming if one dragon is fighting a battle and the other attacks his armies. Knowing Jon he will not move from the Eyrie for now, he will want all the northern lords by his side, and he will have to get married in a Godswood, so they will have to travel north... If we cut their path at the Twins..."

"No"

"I beg your pardon?" Arya said looking straight to Ally.

"We will... not have... another Red Wedding. I will not have the blood... of innocent people in my hands. Jon... made the... decision and he... will be the one... to pay for it. He has decided... not to honour the alliance." Ally said, barely being able to speak "We have wasted too much time... money and energy... on the North, we... need to secure... The South first."

Edric could not stand it. He had seen Ally battle through unimaginable things, but that betrayal had been too much. 'Targaryens and their inbreeding' he thought. Gendry was pacing from one side of the room to another.

"We will wait for Stannis" he said. "He will not be happy when he hears about this..."

There was a soft knock on the door and Lanna walked inside carrying Ally's tea with a worried expression on her face. Edric thought nothing of it and concentrated on the strategy map. He could hear Ally holding her tea plate with a shaky hand, making noise with the tea cup. Arya joined him at the table, when Gendry spoke again.

"There is something else..."

"What?" Edric asked.

"Something else is wrong..."

"Nothing else is wrong Gendry, do not be stupid" Ally said, a bit too soon, and with a voice that was too high pitched. Edric looked from one twin to the other. There was something going on, that he just could not put his finger on. He saw the change in Gendry's face even before Ally did.

Gendry run from one side of the room to the other, knocked the cup of tea from Ally's hands and hugged her as tight as he could. Edric did not understand at first. He did not understand why Ally was crying again, he did not understand why she was suddenly talking only to Gendry. And then, it all made sense. Why Ally had given Arya all her breeches, why she had started wearing dresses, why she was so moody all the time and why Gendry had knocked Ally's tea out of her hand. It all made sense... Why Edric would see Jon leaving Ally's chambers early in the morning, why he would find them alone everywhere... He understood everything then, and so did Davos.

"I am ruined..." he could hear Ally say "I have always been so carefull, and now all that is..."

"What were you thinking little sister?" Gendry said. "You cannot drink moon tea when you are that far along... It could have killed you..."

"I am ruined..."

"Hey!" Davos said suddenly. "You are not ruined. We will find someone for you, someone that will take you even with a child. A member of a lesser house, maybe. We could give him a position at court and you would not have to leave your brothers behind. How far along are you, dear?"

"Three... four moons, maybe?"

"That bastard..." Edric said.

"Do not worry, child. We will figure it out. You will travel with us to Riverrun, you will have your baby, a healthy baby and you will be alright. You have two dragons by your side, we will make it work." He said as he kissed her forehead.

Next time Edric would trust his instincts.

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So... That's it!

Before all the book reads try to kill me, I do not know if there is a Godswood in Storm's End. I have tried to find information about it, but I could not find it. There is a reason they are going to Riverrun though...

I'll post the dresses on my brand new tumblr account (msstarhallow) if anyone is interested on knowing how they actually look.

I'm going on holiday next Monday and I won't be back until the following Monday, so I don't really know when I'll update.

I hope you enjoyed chapter 20

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWED, FAVORITED, PMED AND REVIEWED! I will get back at the ones I haven't answered to as soon as I can, I promise!

Be kinf to one another!

Star:*