Episode 37

"The Last Days of Winter"

Gossip Spyder

Good morning all!

It's another beautiful day here in King's Landing and most of us are still in shock from the events of the weekend. Robert Baratheon's lawyers have issued a statement regarding Gendry Waters which is now being circulated by all the local media outlets and also by a few national news sources. The Baratheons are kind of a big deal and the interest in Gendry appears to stem not just from its scandalous nature, but also from Robert Baratheon's critics who have raised questions about Robert's character, the state of his marriage to Cersei Lannister, and what it might mean for Robert's numerous business ventures. Joffrey's grandfather, Tywin Lannister, is apparently one of Robert's biggest investors. However, with yet another living proof of Robert's infidelity now in the public light, critics have referred to rumors that Robert is fast losing favor with his father-in-law.

If the statement released by Robert Baratheon is to be believed, then Joffrey and Gendry knew all along that they were half-brothers. Gendry transferred to KL Prep at the beginning of the school year and in all this time the brothers have shown no signs of bonding. In fact, all we've seen from them has been nothing but aggression. I wonder what else we might expect to see now that the truth is out in the open?

I also have to wonder what Joffrey's thoughts are on the fact that Margaery failed to bid on him at the auction while she instead bid first for Robb Stark, and then for Gendry? Interestingly enough, I heard a rumor on the grapevine that the reason no one bothered to bid for Joffrey was because everyone had expected Margaery Tyrell to bid for him, but even after it became clear that Margaery would not be bidding for him, no one dared to bid anyway just in case they incurred Margaery's wrath…and no one wants to be on Margaery's bad side, right? Apparently, Margaery had been overheard saying that she would be bidding only for the guy who 'has all the qualities of a King' all week at school prior to the Bachelor Auction. If this is true, then it's fair to say that Margaery no longer considers Joffrey as fitting this description. Interesting times ahead…

I received a tip late last night that Arya Stark and Jaqen H'ghar were witnessed having a somber discussion at a park near Trident's Bend late Sunday morning. It's highly likely they were discussing the fact Arya had spent Valentine's evening with Gendry Waters instead of being with Jaqen, even if it had been for charity. Being the inquisitive person that I am, I checked the House of Black & White's website and found that the Faceless Men were playing a gig that night, which would explain why Arya did not spend the evening with her own boyfriend. If I were Jaqen, it would still suck to see photos of my girlfriend in the company of another guy on a night dedicated to lovers. I hope you guys work it out!

Spring is also just days away, and I know many of you have been looking forward to ditching your winter coats and jackets. The warmer weather also ushers in the season of outdoor festivals, school dances, proms and celebrations. We have a busy few months ahead, beginning with the outdoor music extravaganza that is the Tourney Fields Festival in March. King's Landing plays host to this annual event, simply referred to as the Tourney, which features some of the biggest names in music as well as local and indie bands fortunate enough to be invited to perform. Tickets are still on sale, so get your silk ribbons and flower wreaths ready!

Tata for now!

Gossip Spyder

Arya

Of course, she and Jaqen had been spotted near Trident's Bend. The park they'd visited formed part of the riverside walk that Trident's Bend was known for, and they had not made the effort to make themselves discreet. As far as anyone could tell she and Jaqen had just been talking. No one was aware they had broken up. People will find out soon enough, she thought.

Hot Pie, ever loyal Hot Pie, had contacted her early that morning almost as soon as Gossip Spyder's update had gone live.

"Are you okay, Arya?" Hot Pie had asked over the phone. "Is everything okay?"

When Arya had taken too long to respond, her friend had offered to pick her up on his way to school that morning and during the drive Arya had told him the truth about that conversation with Jaqen.

"We broke up," Arya had confessed as she'd sunk into the passenger seat.

"Oh…I'm sorry to hear that," Hot Pie had said, "was it because you bid on Gendry? To be honest, I was surprised when I read that it was you who'd won Gendry at the auction. I did wonder what Jaqen would say about it."

Arya had not been prepared to bare her soul entirely, but Hot Pie needed to hear an honest response. "He said it was a clear sign to him that things weren't working out between us. I agreed, so we ended it."

"I really am sorry," Hot Pie had said again, "I know I was never totally sold on your relationship with him, but I thought you were happy with him. Now, I'm just sorry you have to go through something like this."

"Don't be," Arya had assured her friend. "It was the right thing for both of us."

Arya's voice had been flat, which had caused Hot Pie to glance at her, unconvinced.

"Are you sure it was for the best?" he had asked.

She had nodded. "He's going away to New York soon. I guess it's better this happened now instead of letting things drag on as they were."

"New York?"

"It hasn't been made public yet, but his band is getting signed and they have to move to New York," Arya had told him.

"That's great for his band, but not so much for you two."

"Yeah," Arya had sighed.

"Arya, can I ask…why did you bid for Gendry anyway?" Hot Pie had glanced at her again.

Arya had shrugged. "It was for charity, and I never expected I'd actually win."

"Seriously?"

It was partly true, Arya had realized. She had wanted to win, otherwise she never would have begged her father to give her the money to enter the auction. However, she never expected that Margaery Tyrell, whose pockets went far deeper than hers, would bow out so suddenly. Perhaps she'd been expecting Jazmine Choi to fight harder, but the most likely scenario was that they both had the same max limit, and Arya had simply just beaten her to it. If Jazmine had been the first to make the offer of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, Arya would have been forced to bow out.

"Yeah…" Arya had replied with a sigh. But, luck had been on my side.

Hot Pie had let her sit in silence the rest of the ride to school, but after he'd parked his car he'd turned back to her with a worried look on his face.

"Are you going to tell Gendry?"

Arya had hesitated. One way or another, Gendry was going to find out, but telling him herself was a hundred kinds of awkward.

"You can tell him, if you want." Arya decided in the end that if Gendry was going to find out it may as well be from a credible source.

"Is there anything you don't want me to tell him?" Hot Pie had frowned.

Arya had shaken her head. She hadn't elaborated on what had transpired and Hot Pie could repeat whatever he liked.

"Tell him just what I told you," she'd said.

"Okay." Hot Pie's look had softened. "Are you sure you're going to be okay at school today? There's going to be a lot of people talking."

"I'm used to it," Arya had said in a tired manner. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Then I'll see you at the cafeteria later, okay?"

Hot Pie headed towards his home room while Arya took another hallway towards hers. People were talking just as Hot Pie said they would be. From what she could gather people were beginning to wonder about how close a friendship she really had with Gendry and whether Jaqen had reason to be worried. You're all too late, Arya thought, you can stop speculating because we've already broken up. She said nothing of course, but for the rest of the morning she found herself hyper-aware of anyone mentioning Gendry's name around her. While Gendry himself remained elusive, Arya heard plenty from people who had seen him that day.

"I saw him at the parking lot this morning and he looked as though butter wouldn't melt in his mouth."

"For someone whose face is all over social media, he looks way too relaxed about it all."

"Is it me, or did he just get even hotter? I never noticed until I saw those photos, but damn the boy looks fine in a suit!"

Arya was curious and anxious to see him. She didn't know what she wanted to say to him, she just knew that she had to speak to him. She had to know where they stood with each other at least, especially after the kiss they'd shared in the forge that night. She wanted to see it as a positive sign as Gendry had made the first move, after all. But he had also been the first one to pull away and Arya could not forget the look on his face and in his eyes when he'd broken the kiss.

Gendry was conflicted, and this made her nervous.

Gendry

It was barely midday and already he'd had one too many shocks to his system. He'd woken up to yet more articles about himself on social media, as well as a picture of Joffrey next to his own in a blatant comparison not just of their appearance, but also of characteristics they possessed and achievements each of them had attained. Other than the easily verifiable facts, such as Joffrey being a quarterback and Gendry's involvement with the Brotherhood Without Banners, the author had got very little else about him correct. He'd been expecting the comparison of course, Donald Luwin and his foster-parents had warned him that it would happen, but seeing the words on the screen had been jarring and infuriating.

The second shock had come in the form of a short message from Myrcella Baratheon, directly sent via Messenger telling him that she wished him the strength to get through the media circus once again, and that she one day hoped to meet him when he was ready. He'd replied to her, noting that it was his first real exchange with his half-sister, thanking her for her thoughts and expressing his wish to meet her too when the time was right.

At school he'd been surprised when Margaery Tyrell had greeted him warmly in the hall as he'd walked towards his homeroom. He'd played it cool for all the eyes that were on them, greeting her like he knew her, though he was just as surprised as when she had bid for him at the auction. Ever since the incident with her grandmother they would nod at each other in passing, but that was the extent of their interaction. Her sudden interest in him now had him nonplussed.

The biggest shock however, was the news that Hot Pie threw at him almost as soon as he'd sat down in their shared homeroom class. Hot Pie had greeted him, before he'd motioned for Gendry to lean in so that he could whisper something into his ear.

"Arya and Jaqen broke up."

Gendry had stared at his friend. "What?"

"I know you heard me." Hot Pie had given him a look and continued to tell him what had happened. "Gossip Spyder said that they'd been seen near Trident's Bend yesterday and Arya confirmed it."

"They broke up yesterday?"

"Yeah." Hot Pie had nodded. "She said I could tell you. I guess she wanted you to hear it from me first."

"How?" Gendry had frowned. "Why?"

Hot Pie mirrored his frown then. "Apparently, things weren't working out between them and Jaqen said that Arya winning you at the auction was a sign. She said she was glad they broke up now before he moves to New York, and that it was the best thing for them."

"New York?"

"The Faceless Men got signed and that was a condition, apparently."

"Did Jaqen really say that Arya winning me at the auction was a sign?"

"That's what Arya told me," Hot Pie had said. "Dude, I know you and Jaqen had this huge rivalry going on, but it looks like you were still a sore point between them."

"She chose him," Gendry had pointed out.

Hot Pie had shrugged. "Wounds heal, but the scar never really goes away, you know?"

"That's messed up." Gendry had shaken his head. "If they were having problems because he's about to move to New York, they should have left me out of it instead of using me as a reason to break up."

"You see it that way too?"

"Isn't that how you saw it?"

Hot Pie had nodded. "She didn't say it in so many words, but to me it sounded like they'd been having problems for a while because he has to move away, and you were an easy excuse."

"Why the hell would they need an excuse?"

"Sometimes, it's easier to put the blame on some external factor rather than have to deal with the real internal conflicts."

"Fuck," Gendry had sworn, not just because Hot Pie's words had sounded profound, but also because he now had an explanation for some of Arya's odd behavior on the night of the auction. "What would have happened if she hadn't won that night?"

"She said things would probably have dragged on, but it sounded like they would have broken up eventually."

"Her winning the auction just sped things up." Gendry had frowned. "How convenient for them."

"To be fair to her I don't think she meant for that to happen," Hot Pie had said, "it seemed like she genuinely wanted to bid for you because it was for charity, but she never expected to win."

"She said that?"

"Yep." Hot Pie had nodded. "And, I can understand why she would think that. I mean, she was up against Jazmine Choi who's made it really obvious she likes you, and Margaery Tyrell who is just about the richest girl in this school."

"She won because of luck," Gendry had stated.

"Or fate, depending on how you look at it."

"It still sucks that they made me their excuse to break up."

"Hey man, this is probably too soon to ask but…what are you going to do?"

"Do about what?"

Hot Pie had given him another look. "Dude…she's single again."

"Too soon, Hot Pie." Gendry had shaken his head. "Way too fucking soon."

"Thought as much."

"And, for the record," Gendry had said with a pause for effect, "I won't be doing anything. She's got issues she has to deal with, and in case you forgot I wasn't her first choice. Besides…I'm done, man."

"Done?"

"Yeah," Gendry had sighed. "I'm done pining for a girl who's only ever had me in second place, you know? It's unhealthy."

Hot Pie had eyed him skeptically, but Gendry had made up his mind. He was going to do whatever it took to get over Arya Stark, for good.

Throughout his classes that morning he'd once more thought about Arya's actions that night. With the knowledge he'd just learned from Hot Pie, he could now see how her state of mind perhaps influenced the decisions she'd made. He'd heard plenty about how the Faceless Men had been in talks with a major recording label –Beric had been super envious and had bemoaned the unfairness of it frequently in recent weeks– but he hadn't heard about them moving to New York. He could see how this forced separation would put a strain on any relationship.

He'd read Gossip Spyder's post about how the Faceless Men had been performing a show the same night as the auction, which explained Arya's 'things didn't work out' statement. If Jaqen had to move away because of his band, and Arya had ended up alone on Valentine's Day because of his commitment to his band, Gendry could understand why Arya had so inexplicably entered the auction. She was probably looking for a distraction from her thoughts and the state of her relationship…what better way to do that than by entering a bid at the bachelor auction? It was just like her to do something so irrational, and perhaps she'd got more than she was bargaining for.

Unknowingly, he'd given her more to be distracted about when he'd agreed to take her to see the old forge. At the time, he'd been all too happy and more than willing to go along with her whims. He'd allowed himself to get carried away, and whatever Arya's reasons for being with him, kissing her had been due to him giving in to his own crazy whim entirely.

I kissed her.

With a measure of guilt, he wondered whether Arya had told Jaqen about the kiss and whether it had any influence on Jaqen's decision. But if what Arya had told Hot Pie was the truth, then his kissing her would have made no difference. It did not mean anything to her anyhow. Arya had not kissed him back, and he would never forget the distressed expression on her face when he'd pulled away. Perhaps she had regretted coming to the forge with him, because before he'd brought her there and kissed her they'd been having a really good time, more or less.

Would he have done anything differently if he'd had an inkling of Arya's state of mind? Perhaps he could have put some distance between them, acting as he would have done if it had been someone else who'd won the auction. He might have insisted on ending the night after the city sights tour, and certainly he would not have kissed her.

Was he happy that Arya and Jaqen had broken up? He would have been lying if he said he wasn't glad that Jaqen was out of the picture – he'd never liked the guy. Yet at the same time he was sorry that Arya had to go through a breakup at all. Part of him would always believe that he would have suited her far better than Jaqen H'ghar. But, they were never meant to be.

I shouldn't have kissed her, it didn't matter the circumstances. He knew he had to apologize to Arya for his behavior. She never wanted that from him, and he'd basically forced it on her. He had to tell her that he would never behave that way with her again. At the very least, with everything else going on around her, she wouldn't have to worry about further unwanted advances from him.

He got his chance to speak with her sooner than he expected when they both approached the cafeteria entrance at the same moment. He acknowledged her with a small nod as they came to a stop right in front of each other. Arya's features were tight and he noticed that she was wearing makeup, which was something he knew she rarely took the trouble to do for school. It made him wonder if she was trying to conceal dark circles beneath her eyes.

"Hey, Arya," Gendry greeted her quietly.

"Hi, Gendry." Arya attempted to smile at him, but the way her eyes darted about told him that she was nervous.

"Could we talk?" he asked her.

Arya nodded at him. "Sure. Okay."

"Let's find somewhere quieter," Gendry said before he indicated for her to follow him away from the cafeteria.

They attracted looks from people as they walked side by side, but though they saw the hastily concealed whispers, they heard nothing as they walked by the onlookers. Gendry led her to a small courtyard outside the science building, and when he was certain no one would overhear them he turned to look at her. Arya continued to avoid his eyes. He ignored his unease and bit the bullet. There was no avoiding this conversation.

"Um…I heard from Hot Pie," he began, breaking the silence. "He told me about you and Jaqen."

"I thought you might have." Arya sighed. "It's true though. We broke up."

"I am sorry to hear that," he told her, "and I mean it. It doesn't matter what I thought about him…breakups suck."

Arya was quiet for a moment as she appeared to weigh the sincerity of his words, but eventually she gave him a resigned sort of look.

"It was for the best," she said, "but if you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it."

"It's not what I wanted to talk about anyway," he said, "I wanted to talk to you about what happened between us that night."

Arya finally met his gaze, her grey eyes widening when she understood what he really meant to discuss.

"Gendry, I–"

"I shouldn't have kissed you, Arya. And, I apologize for forcing myself on you like that. I promise you, it'll never happen again."

"What?" Arya's expression showed what he thought might be confusion.

"Kissing you was my mistake," he told her, feeling his chest ache. "I never meant to get carried away like that and I knew almost immediately that it should never have happened."

"A mistake?" Arya's confusion was unmistakable now.

"Friends don't kiss their friends like that." Gendry offered his explanation. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about us, and I've realized that I want us to stay friends. I wanted to tell you that from now on it will be strictly platonic between us."

Arya's confusion now morphed into an expression he couldn't read.

"Is that really what you want?" Arya asked in a whisper.

"Yeah," he said, "it is."

It has to be. Friendship was the only thing Arya had ever wanted from him, and now he was finally ready to accept it. He hoped that the words he'd said to her were enough to convince her that he was sincere, and that she had nothing to worry about where he was concerned. He would not be pursuing her, in a romantic sense, just because she was single again. They could try and go back to the relationship they had back when they had first met.

"Okay," Arya said quietly, and she averted her eyes once again.

He was having difficulty getting a clear read on her facial expressions, but he decided he couldn't get caught up in over-analyzing everything she did any longer. Distance yourself, he reminded himself. He gave himself a mental shake and cleared his throat. "Were you about to have lunch?"

She shook her head. "I was just going to meet Hot Pie."

"Then, I'll catch you later." Gendry took a step away from her. "Beric's waiting for me."

"Weren't you heading to the cafeteria?"

"I was only going there to look for you," he told her, "Beric wants to speak to me about a gig we have coming up. We've been invited to play at the Tourney."

"Oh. That's great." Arya offered him a small smile. "Then I'll see you around, I guess."

Gendry nodded once more, before turning on his heel and walking away. This is for the best.

Arya

She watched as Gendry walked away, knowing that he took with him any chance that they would have had to be together.

"I shouldn't have kissed you…"

"Kissing you was my mistake…it should never have happened."

"Friends don't kiss their friends like that…I've realized I want us to stay friends."

Gendry had, quite abruptly and in such a way that there could be no misunderstanding him, told her that he was no longer interested in her romantically. There was a sense of fait accompli about the way things had suddenly turned out. It seemed that even before she had come to terms with her own feelings for him, Gendry had already decided that he was through with her, and now it appeared that she had no choice but to accept his decision.

It hurt, and for the second time in less than forty-eight hours, Arya felt as though her ribs really would collapse around her heart. The pain however, was almost more than she could bear this time. Of course, Gendry could not have known the full impact of his words, and she'd fought hard to stay in control of her emotions as she'd stood in front of him while her heart was breaking.

She stayed in the courtyard for some time after Gendry had left, mulling about the timing of everything, and thinking it all horribly ironic. Maybe I deserve to be feeling like this, she thought. If this is even half of the pain that I caused Gendry to feel all this time, then maybe I deserve to feel like this too. With a ragged breath, Arya finally made her way back to the cafeteria and found Hot Pie finishing off his lunch at a table by a window.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming," Hot Pie said, "is everything okay?"

Arya nodded. "Everything is…how it's supposed to be."

It was clear from his expression that Hot Pie didn't believe her, but he chose not to say anything about it. She didn't know how she made it through the rest of the day, or even how she got home after school had ended. She recalled sitting down at the dinner table with her family later in the evening, but couldn't recall what she had eaten. She'd eventually excused herself from the table and shut herself in her room for the rest of the night, where she allowed her composure to slip, and she allowed herself to cry.

She was far too new at the game of love, and even though she had acknowledged her feelings for Gendry, she had not dared to envision herself by his side. She'd never been prone to daydreams like Sansa, yet there had been a small spark of hope in her heart that had imagined Gendry reaching out to her with opened arms and a smile that would light up his entire face. To then hear Gendry tell her that he no longer wanted her, after the way he'd kissed her at the forge, was gut-wrenching.

She never even got the chance to tell him how she felt, not that she was anywhere near ready to confess or start a new relationship. It's just as well, she thought. Telling Gendry how she felt would have only complicated things, and caused them both unnecessary embarrassment. She knew that it would be best to forget about that spark of hope in her heart, and quit daydreaming of something that could never happen now, but even as she had wiped at her eyes, Arya couldn't bring herself to extinguish that spark just yet.

Over the next few days Arya tried to keep her mind away from her problems by keeping herself busy. Watching TV wasn't cutting it because her mind easily tuned out from whatever she tried to watch, so she switched to doing her homework and getting ahead on her readings. She had never been particularly studious, so her behavior was raising eyebrows around the house.

"At least she's not moping," she'd heard her mother remark one evening when her parents had thought they were alone.

"Is she going to be okay?" her father had asked.

"She'll be fine, Ned." Catelyn had assured him. "Just give it some time."

"She's moodier than usual,"

"She's just experienced her first breakup, and this is a normal response to such an event."

"It's different from when Sansa broke up with Joffrey."

"That and this are different," her mother had pointed out, "though of course I'd rather neither of them ever had to experience heartache, but when you consider all the factors, Arya's situation is…healthier."

"That's an odd choice of word,"

"Sansa's situation with Joffrey was toxic, and if we hadn't discovered that bruise on her arm I hate to think how much worse things could have escalated."

"Sansa has changed so much since then," her father had sighed, "but I really wish she'd never set eyes on Joffrey Baratheon."

"Robert has him under control now, I believe."

"For now, but he's not going to be able to use the threat of sending him to military school forever." Arya heard her father shifting in his armchair. "I understand what you mean about Arya's situation. First love and first heartbreak are youthful rites of passage, I suppose."

"That's one way to look at it," her mother had agreed, "and you can expect that Arya will be slightly changed from the experience too."

"Has she spoken to you about it?"

"Not in so many words," her mother had said with a note of wistfulness in her voice, "but she knows I'm here if she needs motherly advice."

Arya had always been vocal about her thoughts and feelings in the past, but what she was experiencing now was all so unfamiliar to her, and the thought of baring her soul more than she already had left her feeling uncomfortably vulnerable. Still, it was reassuring and comforting to know that her parents were there to listen to her if she needed them.

Arya also took to working out in the gym by the pool house later in the evenings. Robb, who was completing his final week of interning at Stark Industries, had taken to joining her at those times. Arya's hand had only been mildly scraped as a result of the time she'd taken her frustrations out on the punching bag, and she knew better than to repeat that action in front of Robb. As it was, she knew that her brother, in his own way, was showing her that he cared. It had been awkward at first, but Robb spoke to her mainly about sports and the MMA fights that he'd been following and soon Arya had come to enjoy having his presence around. Had it not been for him, it would have been easy for her to slip into self-pity mode had she been alone, and she had a feeling that Robb had been aware of that.

Even Bran had tried to cheer her up, in his own way.

"I know you've asked me for advice in the past," Bran had said, "I don't know if I can help you with what you're going through, but if you need help with math homework just ask, okay?"

"Thanks, Bran." Arya had smiled at him, grateful that he had tried.

She knew that her siblings were concerned about her behavior, but after that emotionally charged moment in Sansa's room she'd found herself unable to talk about what was going through her head and heart. Even though her siblings wanted to help her, Arya realized that there wasn't much they could do. Problems of the heart, in this case her own, was something only she could fix.

Apart from dealing with her breakup with Jaqen and Gendry's unequivocal rejection, she also began to notice a change in the dynamics within the power-cliques that hung around the quad at school. In the past the utmost authority had always been Joffrey Baratheon. Sansa had wielded her own quiet influence for a time, but Margaery Tyrell had become the undisputed Queen of the Quad within a very short amount of time since her arrival at King's Landing Prep. Her association with Joffrey had been unquestioned and together they set the trends and socially accepted norms in the school. However, since Gendry Waters came to be confirmed as Joffrey's older, illegitimate brother, there had been a perceptible change amongst the influencers within the school, and allegiances were beginning to shift.

Margaery suddenly began to appear at Gendry's side more and more, in addition to Jazmine Choi's continued presence. By now, Jazmine's interest in Gendry was clear for all to see and the girl was not embarrassed to admit it to anyone who asked. Margaery, with her ability to ingratiate herself and fit into any social setting soon appeared quite comfortable amongst the Performing Arts cliques. In fact, she'd been seen seated on the steps of the Performing Arts building with Gendry, Beric, Edric and Allyria on a number of occasions.

"Gendry said that Margaery's trying to convince Beric to have the Brotherhood perform at the Spring Fling in April."

"Spring what?" Arya had frowned.

"The annual Spring Fling," Hot Pie had repeated, "is the only school dance open to the entire student body. After Spring Fling is Senior Prom which is invite only, so the Spring Fling is a huge deal because everyone goes."

"And, Margaery is on the organizing committee, I take it?"

"Correct."

"So, why is she following Gendry around instead of Beric?"

Hot Pie had shrugged. "Gendry's opinion matters to Beric. If Margaery can convince Gendry, then Gendry can convince Beric."

Arya had doubts about Margaery's intentions. She'd come to learn that Margaery rarely acted without a hidden agenda, and getting Gendry to convince Beric to perform at a school dance seemed like a flimsy excuse. Margaery should not have had any difficulty convincing Beric on her own. Arya believed that Margaery was more of a threat than Jazmine ever was. Gendry's appeal had skyrocketed since his big reveal at the auction, and Arya had more than a strong suspicion that it was his Baratheon blood that had suddenly made him such a commodity. Legitimate or otherwise, his connection to old money, not to mention his good looks and undeniable street cred made him ridiculously alluring.

Crowds now parted whenever Gendry walked by, girls openly flirted with him, and in a matter of mere days there were numerous guys around school imitating his hair and clothing style. Arya had been trying to put some distance between them, trying her best not to think of him, but with his name being uttered nearly everywhere she went and with so many lookalikes wherever she turned, it seemed to her that Karma and her sister Fate were having a joke at her expense.

The change around Gendry was impossible to miss, and of course Joffrey Baratheon had noticed too. Seeing Gendry and Joffrey glaring, hissing and spitting at each other like two stray cats in an alley had become an increasingly normal sight. In fact, it had become a daily occurrence, given that Gendry and Joffrey shared a class together, and even if Arya had not been there to witness these encounters, she heard about them soon enough. It worried her, not because Gendry couldn't defend himself, but because it seemed like it was just a matter of time before their verbal assault became physical, and she feared the consequences Gendry might have to face.

With heaviness still in her heart, Arya found herself still thinking of Jaqen every day. She'd heard nothing from him since that day by the river, not that she expected anything. However, the words they'd exchanged and the dark expressions on his face continued to cause her guilt and sadness late at night when the memory would creep back into her mind. Gossip Spyder had reported nothing further about them, and the fact that news of their breakup had not yet broken meant that Jaqen was keeping his silence as much as she was. As it always was, Arya knew that it was only a matter of time.

Sansa

Robb was completing his internship at Stark Industries that day and to celebrate their parents had planned on taking the whole family to dinner that Friday night. Sansa had thought that Robb would have been more excited about going back North, but instead her brother had lamented that his stay in King's Landing had been so short.

"I thought you were looking forward to going back to your apartment with Jon and Theon," Sansa had said to him that morning. "Just last week you were complaining about how strict mom's house rules are, now that you're used to having so much freedom."

"Yes, well…" Robb had grinned sheepishly. "That was before I met Jeyne Westerling."

Sansa had grinned back. "So, she's the reason I've seen you smiling at your phone so often. Is she your new girlfriend?"

"Don't be silly," Robb had said, "neither of us is ready for a long-distance relationship, so we decided to stay friends for now."

"Ah! But, you have discussed it with her."

Robb's smile had widened. "It's gonna happen, trust me. Spring break is the next time I'll have time off, and there's a good chance I'll be back!"

"Spring break?" Sansa had frowned.

"I know that the change in seasons is not so obvious here in the south, but winter is nearly over. Spring is eleven days away, and if I counted right, Spring Break will be in six weeks. Expect to see me back in April!"

Time had been passing, and while she had made note of dates in terms of when assignments were due and counting days until the weekend so that she could hang out with Sandor, in the back of her mind was always the knowledge that another deadline was looming. She'd done her best over the last two months not to stress about it, like Sandor had told her to do, but with the month of March just days away, and with Robb calling attention to that fact, all of the stress and worry reappeared all at once. Sandor would soon find out whether he'd been accepted to The University of Valyria. If he was rejected, he would decide between the other colleges he'd already received offers from. Senior Prom was to be held in May, and by June he would be graduating from high school. By the end of August he would be far away from her.

The months were passing faster than she expected, and the thought that she and Sandor would have only six months left before they were forced to separate caused her some distress. Even with her best attempt at hiding it Sandor had sensed that something was bothering her when he had picked her up for school that morning.

"What's on your mind?" he'd asked when she'd been less than her talkative self.

"Oh, nothing," Sansa had said with a shake of her head. "Robb's internship ends today and father's taking us all out for dinner tonight. Also, I won't be able to see you until tomorrow afternoon."

"That's fine." Sandor had nodded. "But, that's not the real reason you're being unusually quiet, is it?"

"Robb's also leaving tomorrow morning," Sansa had said, "it's been nice having him around these past two weeks."

"Oh," Sandor had said, seeming to accept her reason. "You'll see him again soon, though."

"He said he'd be back for Spring Break, though it's more for Jeyne Westerling than anything."

Sandor had chuckled. "Funny how the bachelor auction brings people together like that."

Sansa had clucked her tongue. "I even joked with him about meeting the woman of his dreams at the auction."

The change in topic had taken Sandor's focus away from her blue mood, but her melancholy persisted throughout the day, prompting her friends to ask about it during lunch.

"It's nothing," Sansa told them, "I'm just realizing how quickly the year seems to be passing."

"I know what will cheer you up," Randa said, "the Tourney is coming up, and I think we should all go."

"Oh, yeah!" Mya grinned. "The Tourney Fields Festival! It's that time of year already?"

"Is it that good? Is it worth going?" Sansa wondered, interested in the idea of live music.

"We went last year and it was awesome! It's definitely worth going. Let me check who's gonna be performing this year…" Randa took out her phone and a moment later she had the full list of artists at her fingertips, and she recited some of them out aloud. "…In addition to the big names, there's a bunch of local acts that have been invited too. Oh! Look, the Brotherhood Without Banners is in the lineup."

"That's awesome," Sansa said, nodding her head and getting excited at the idea.

"We should all definitely go," Randa said again, "it'll be one of the last times we'll all get to hang out as high-schoolers. Us seniors are graduating soon."

"Sounds like a great idea," Jeyne said, "count me in!"

"Let's ask the boys when they get here," Mya said excitedly.

Sansa and Sandor had recently begun to sit with Sansa's friends during lunch, a few days a week. Sandor seemed to prefer her to himself during the breaks, but he knew that she liked spending time with her friends too, and for her sake he had quietly followed her. Luckily for him, Mya's boyfriend Lothor Brune had also come to sit with them. Sandor and Lothor had been on the football team together, and had been part of Joffrey's crowd before Sansa and Joffrey's breakup had effectively split up the group. If not for Lothor's presence, Sansa was sure Sandor would not have been comfortable being the only male in the group.

Sandor and Lothor both arrived at the same time, each carrying a tray piled high with food. While Lothor was not as tall as Sandor, he was just as broad, stocky and muscular. Sansa had always thought him on the plain side, but he looked at Mya with genuine affection and it was obvious to all that they were mad about each other. Lothor sat down next to Mya, and Sandor quickly occupied the spot that Sansa made for him beside her on the bench.

"How do you two guys feel about going to the Tourney?" Randa asked them when they had settled down to their food.

"Can we still get tickets to that?" Lothor asked. "It's only a week away, isn't it?"

"I have connections." Randa grinned. "So, how about it? Let's make memories of our senior year while we can. It's probably the last time we'll all get a chance to hang out like this before final exams and all that."

Sandor looked at Sansa, who grinned at him expectantly. "Guess I'll have to go, if you go."

"Yay!" Sansa clapped her hands like a kid.

"All right, I'm in too." Lothor shrugged and smiled at Mya. "Just don't make me wear a flower wreath on my head, okay?"

"Great!" Randa whooped. "Leave the tickets to me, and we can talk about how we're all going to get to Tourney Fields later. Right now, we have more important things to discuss. Ladies, what are we going to wear?"

Sansa had to admit that she was grateful for the distraction, and while she and the girls discussed the outfits they might wear, Sandor and Lothor talked about the basketball games they'd been following on TV since football season had ended. It was nice, Sansa thought, to be able to share small moments like this with Sandor and her friends while they had the chance. Her friendship with Jeyne Poole had begun because of their shared interest in the choir, and while she'd initially been flattered by the attention she'd received from Randa and Mya, she had never expected them to become real friends, given that they were seniors, popular cheerleaders, and originally part of Joffrey's crowd. They were three of her best friends now, and she would miss Randa and Mya when they graduated. Of the six of them seated around the table at that moment, only she and Jeyne would be returning after the summer holidays. She was suddenly very much looking forward to the Tourney Fields Festival.

That evening, Sansa dressed in smart black trousers which she paired with a soft cashmere sweater and dainty ankle boots in preparation for dinner with her family. Arya had come out of her bedroom as Sansa was making her way downstairs, and Sansa couldn't help but notice how down her sister still looked. She could understand however, that breaking up with someone, even if the breakup was something you wanted, did not necessarily mean you came out of the relationship unscathed.

Arya too was wearing black trousers, one with a wide-leg style and a high waist that she'd matched with a black high-collared blouse. Her hair contrasted brightly with her somber ensemble, as did the bright red lipstick she had painted over her lips and the kohl she'd smudged along her eyes. Arya looked edgy, but the makeup did not fool Sansa.

"You look great," Sansa said to her nonetheless.

Arya smiled as she normally did. "Thanks."

"How has your week been?" Sansa asked in what she hoped was a casual tone as they walked down the stairs together.

Arya shrugged. "Okay, I guess. Just taking it day by day, like you said to do."

"Do your friends know?" Sansa asked quietly, and the look Arya gave her meant she understood exactly who she was referring to.

"Yeah." Arya nodded. "My friends know."

There had been a micro-expression on Arya's face which lasted barely a second, but Sansa had seen it, and she understood that something had happened between Arya and Gendry. Whatever had happened, it too was causing her sister anguish.

Their venue that night was a Michelin starred restaurant called The Ravenry located at The Grand Citadel Hotel. Their father had ordered the limousine to transport them that evening, and once their party of seven had been seated, Sansa was glad to see that at least for the moment, Arya was able to push aside her troubles and enjoy their last dinner with Robb before he returned north.

"It's been lovely having you with us this past fortnight, Robb." Catelyn had reached over to squeeze his hand across the table. "I wish you could stay longer."

"I'll be back in April, mother." Robb had smiled at their mother. "During Spring Break, so please have my room ready for me!"

"Really?" Catelyn had looked at him with mild surprise, before her eyes had narrowed suspiciously. "I suspect this is to do with a certain young lady, am I correct?"

"She caught you out, Robb." Ned had shaken his head at him. "You sounded far too eager to be coming here for Spring Break instead of...where was it that Theon 'dragged' you and Jon to last spring? The Bahamas, if I remember correctly."

Robb grinned unapologetically. "It's all thanks to you, mother. I would never have met Jeyne Westerling if you hadn't nominated me for the bachelor auction."

"He's right, mother." Sansa was unable to prevent her own smile from her lips.

Catelyn surprised them all by responding with a smile of her own, laced with a touch of smugness.

"That's right. It was my idea to enter you in the auction. Without me, you would still be a stranger to Jeyne Westerling. Let that be a lesson to you all…your mother always knows what's best for all of you."

Her statement was met by a chorus of "Oh, mom!" followed by laughter. The mood at their table was lively, and conversation revolved mainly around various family members interspersed with small amounts of gossip. There was a mention of the Baratheons, and a little about Gendry, but Sansa was glad when their mother hastily changed the subject.

"You never know who may be listening," Catelyn had said, but it was more for Arya's sake that Sansa was thankful for the change in topic.

Arya had visibly stilled for a moment at the mention of Gendry, but resumed eating when their father addressed Robb once more.

"What are your intentions after graduating, Robb?" he asked as he cut into his steak. "I would have gladly given you this analyst role if you'd been interested in it. I know you could have done the job."

"Did you offer him a role, father?" Bran asked curiously.

"I did, but he refused."

"Why didn't you want the role, Robb?" Bran asked him. "You're good at math, you could easily do it."

Robb had shaken his head. "I'm interested in a more hands-on role. If it was a role in operations I would have been more than keen. I don't want to sit behind a computer looking at numbers all day. Besides, Willas is more suited for the role anyway."

"Willas?" Sansa repeated. It was now her turn to pause.

Robb turned to her. "Willas Tyrell. I'm sure you know him."

"Of course, I do," Sansa said as she frowned. "Willas is going to be working at Stark Industries?"

"He is," Ned replied, "though I've only offered him a one-year contract for now. I have no doubts that he has the capability to do the role, but I've always thought he was more interested in racehorses than economics."

"Why Willas?" Sansa asked, hoping she didn't come across as rude. "Was there no one else?"

Her father shrugged. "I mentioned to Mace that I had a position for a Business Analyst available during our meeting last week, and he had Willas submit a resumé. The young man is undeniably clever, and I saw no reason why I shouldn't hire him. He will be working very closely under my guidance as the tasks I will be giving him are quite urgent. He will start in a part-time capacity until he graduates in May, then he'll work full-time hours. It also gives me peace of mind that I will not be inviting a stranger into our home as I anticipate we will be doing quite a lot of work outside of hours too, so expect to see more of him in the coming months."

"I see," was all Sansa could think to say.

Shit! She cursed silently. This was a development she certainly had not been expecting, and could have done without entirely. Willas Tyrell was incredibly handsome, incredibly charming, and had she met him a year earlier she imagined that her old self would have found him incredibly appealing. As things currently stood, her present self was left cold by Willas Tyrell. There was no spark there at all, no hint of attraction whatsoever, on her part anyway. A box of wet matches would have more spark, she thought with some derision.

Sansa had been acquainted with Willas long enough now to know that beneath his charm, Willas was actually quite…well, boring. Out of his more attention-seeking siblings, Willas was the most studious, and Sansa suspected that the charm he employed was practiced, enabling him to fit in with his more dazzling siblings. From the conversations she'd had with him, and what she'd observed of him, she'd seen that the real Willas Tyrell was bookish and gentle, prone to acts of chivalry, and as Robb had said, perfectly suited to the role of Business Analyst. He was the perfect catch…for someone else. Without underestimating him, Sansa knew that she could handle Willas and his subtle hints and attempts at flirtation. It was not for herself that she now became concerned. Her consternation was all on behalf of a certain Hound.