Chapter 52

GENDRYA

Arya stark was minding her own business; life has been good to her, she loved being in White Knife, she received and sent ravens with her mother and father; last she heard, little Rickon was planning to visit White Knife. She couldn't wait for it, she missed Little Rickon. It had been almost year – while the plan was to stay with her cousin Leana for a month or two until she settled in White Knife.

It had been quite a while since she first met Gendry Waters; to her, Gendry was no Baratheon.

In her eyes, he was just Gendry Waters, the young man who was kind and gentle with her, he had the patience to deal with her. He only looked at her and laughed when she swore and lost her patience...Never once, he mocked or made fun of her.

He would then found her when she was a lot calmer and she would listen to him, he made her appreciate her family and life more, he couldn't believe how lucky she was to have such a family – he had none, he was all alone.

They often sneaked out together to the nearest village, but they hardly spent time together since Gendry become The Hound's squire and with busy with his training. She was very pleased that her Hound treated Gendry well, she knew the big brute who married her cousin, she never saw him belittled anyone.

She saw how happy Gendry was, he told her about his past; how he was treated like a dirty bastard in King's Landing. He was very poor and apprenticed as a blacksmith for food and lodging. He told her that he was happy there at White Knife – finally he said he was treated like someone worthy.

When he first arrived and quickly made blacksmith for the White Knife keep. He was surprised he was paid coins apart from the food and comfortable lodging he was given. Gendry told her that he never had his own bed, let alone a bedchamber to himself. Most of the time he shared chamber or he had to sleep on the ground in the kitchen. He told her that he had never been as well fed and happier before.

He could eat as much and at anytime he wanted to and no one chased him away from the kitchen, the cook couldn't stop feeding him. They were nice to him, the guards, their men, not once he heard snippet of talk behind his back.

He told her that his Lord Clegane looked like a mean son a bitch and was very demanding at him but he treated him with respect. Gendry followed his Lord everywhere and never once he saw him being unfair. He had a very bad temper but he had seen worse.

She remembered laughing when Gendry told her that the worse he did to his Lady Leana was shouting and then he'd look so guilty and followed his Lady wife around like a sad dog.

Yesterday she found Gendry in the Maester's working chamber; his whole body was covered in blue and green bruises, he was bleeding from his nose too, a paltry cuts on his face...He broke a smile when he saw her entered the chamber.

"My lady," Tarqin greeted her.

"Call me Arya, Maester...You know I am no Lady," she winked at the man who shook his head and smile; he knew what was going on between them, he considered himself very lucky that his Lord had never ask about them or he'd have to tell him the truth.

She loved looking into his brown eyes, she fretted over him and he said, "The Hound smashed me,"

He also told her that 'the Hound would train with him every fucking day,'; the man kept shouting at him and said that he needed to fight like his father, not like a fucking blacksmith. All she said to him was, "You are lucky he likes you Gendry."

/n

That morning they were planning to ride to the nearest lake, she was with Hammer and Nymeria at the stables when Simon arrived, huffing and puffing from running, he told her that she was summoned by his father at his solar.

She smiled at Simon who was adorned in his three dogs Clegane's top, how he had changed. "Don't you ever walk Simon?" and they walked together up the main tower. She knocked the door and heard her cousin's voice, "Come in Arya,"

Leana saw Arya's cheerful face when she entered the place with Simon in tow. Arya looked surprised when she saw the audiences. There were Sandor, Jon Snow and Gendry. Leana quickly gave Xander to Simon and asked the boy to take Xander to Ygritte.

"What are you all doing here?" Arya asked cheerfully but noticed the Hound's stiff face.

"We just want to know how you are doing, Arya," Leana smiled at her beloved cousin who was donned in her breeches and top, she reminded her of herself in King's Landing.

"I know everything that happen under my fucking roof, wolf girl..." They heard Sandor growl. He told Lady Catelyn and Lord Stark what was her daughter up to. Just like he wished someone would tell him if his daughter was running around amok with a man.

It was too quiet; Arya saw her cousin Leana pinched the top of her nose as she whispered her husband's name. Jon Snow looked angry and he was glaring at her, she was confused...

"Anything you want to tell me, wolf girl?" The Hound glared at her. At once, she knew what it was about. His permanent scowl told her everything, he knew.

Leana felt Gendry moved, she thanked the Gods, Gendry, if you are half the man you are, you will stood for Arya, she prayed hard. She didn't have a daughter, but if she had one she would want a man who could stand up for her and protected her – just like Sandor, who protected and loved her.

A smile of victory broke on her face as she witnessed Gendry walked towards Arya, he stood in front of Arya and she saw him hold her small hand.

"It's not her fault, My Lord." Gendry looked at her husband in the eyes but with respect. She was fond of the gentle young Baratheon.

"Why didn't you come to me first?" Sandor looked at the Baratheon's bastard while Arya looked like she was almost in tears.

"I was wrong, My Lord. I am sorry."

"Arya, you are going back to Winterfell!" Jon Snow looked at his youngest sister, he didn't realised she was not a little girl anymore. He felt like a fool when Sandor and Leana told him about Arya and Gendry. Has he been so busy with his life, Ygritte and his duties that he forgotten his little sister...who he realised was already a young lady.

He remembered telling his Lord Father and step mother that he'd take good care of Arya, and he didn't even know that she was with Gendry. He was ashamed of himself. He failed them. He was too busy to notice that his Arya was no longer a girl, she was a young woman of fifteen and was with Gendry.

Sure, he'd seen the both of them together but took no notice of it, his step sister had always been friendly and she had a lot of boy friends, she loved swordplay and hang out with Gendry...he was such an idiot...he thought nothing of it.

"LEANA!" Arya cried and called for her cousin for her help, she edged closer to Gendry. The Hound and Jon looked mighty pissed off at her.

Leana wanted to tell the men off, she felt so bad for Arya, but she couldn't step over her husband in front of everybody.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU COME TO ME FIRST BOY?!" Sandor roared at Gendry and his fist slammed the oak table; Arya cowered behind Gendry, she had never seen the Hound that mad before; the man had always let her did whatever she wanted.

Jon Snow was impressed at Gendry, the boy did not cower to his Lord. His roar was deafening and the man cut a fucking imposing figure.

Unperturbed by the shout, "I have nothing, My Lord...I have nothing to offer her. I have nothing to offer Lord Stark with...I am sorry my lord, but I care for Arya, I love her...I have nothing, My Lord."

Leana closed her eyes; she knew what her Sandor would say and he was tactless; he didn't care about what the boy had to offer and a pauper, his concern was of a different matter. Sandor cleared his throat and looked fucking awkward, but he asked anyway as crudely as a Hound could be, "Did you bedded her?"

Arya screamed, "NO." and started crying in fear and embarrassment and called Leana again. She was humiliated.

"No My Lord. I did not, My Lord." Gendry answered calmly and truthfully.

Sandor looked at his wolf girl who was crying and hanging on to Gendry's arm, looking at her feet, then at Leana and calling for his wife who stood beside him.

He looked at his wife who was about to cry herself and clutching at her swollen belly. Fuck, this is fucking hard. He finally understood why Leana said he was lucky he had no daughter.

Killing and war are easier than this! He told himself. He saw the couple in front of him; Wolf girl was already in tears. He liked Gendry, he was not a conceited young man; the complete opposite of shit Joffrey. The man was simple and hard working, built like a bull and a fucking good blacksmith, he admitted. He made Gendry the Keep's blacksmith and he was not disappointed. The man still managed to fix his armour.

He cared for the wolf girl, he admitted, he could see that from how he stood in front of Arya, taking shit from him, shielding Wolf Girl from his wrath.

But as the Lord of her holdfast, he was responsible for her well being, her safety, what would he said to Lord Eddard Stark and his wife and anything should happened to the girl? Wolf girl was his responsibility as long as she lived under his care. Lord Stark never question him, the old wolf trusted him.

"Leana...calm down. I am not sending your cousin away." He held her hand and touched her belly.

"Take your cousin to Maester Tarqin...now girl," he looked at Arya and spoke gently to her, he saw her brusquely wiped her tears and nodded.

Arya let go of Gendry's arm, wiped her face again and took Leana to the Maester as instructed by the Hound. What of Gendry's fate as they left him, she thought.

/n

Arya was fidgeting and looking at the door while she waited inside the Maester working chamber. The Maester was advising her cousin to rest her feet for a while.

"Arya, don't you worry. Gendry will be fine."

"Leana..."

"Sandor likes Gendry, Arya. Don't you trust your Hound?" she reminded her cousin; only Arya called Sandor, The Hound or her Hound.

Arya nodded, in spite of his brute demeanour, she was very fond of the man; he never did her wrong and he was always fair and never cruel. She saw how the scarred Hound treated animals. He was always kind to animals, she saw him patiently feed Soot, Winter and Hammer with cloth dipped in milk. The man secretly feed Ghost and Nymeria and they ate from his hands.

The Hound was very kind to her step brother and treated him worthy, he hosted Jon's wedding at White Knife because he wanted Jon to felt like he belonged in White Knife. She saw how her father was fond of the man and how her mother touched his cheeks like he was her own. She knew she disappointed him by keeping a secret. He'd been very good to her.

Maester Tarqin looked at the sweet Lady Stark, at the cusp of womanhood; He saw her sneaking out with Gendry; the young man was polite and quiet. He liked them both and he said nothing to anyone...He guessed that their secret couldn't be hidden forever, especially from the Lord of the holdfast who was fierce and run a tight ship.

They heard him opened the door, "Leana are you alright?" Arya thought, how could someone who could shout so loud and fierce could love her Cousin Leana that much and could cuddled her fat little pumpkin, Xander.

"I am alright, Sandor. Just a bit nervous when you shouted at my cousin and Gendry," She smiled at him, teasing him as she rested her hands on her belly.

"My lady needs to be off her feet, my lord." Maester Tarqin spoke up.

"Are you going to sent Arya back to Winterfell? I need her here...if I am to be off my feet. Xander is..." Sandor wanted to laugh as he listened to Leana nonstop talk how she and Xander needed Arya in White Knife as she was to be off her feet – just as Tarqin commanded her!

"I am not sending her back to Winterfell, Leana." He finally shut her up and saw Leana smiled, he kissed her temple, how he loved her.

And they heard her, "I am sorry, Sandor." Arya looked at him with guilt. Leana never heard her call him Sandor, he was always 'Hound' for her. She sounded so sad and pitiful.

Leana saw her husband looked at her cousin and saw his face twitched. "Walk with me, girl." He called for her.

Gendry approached Leana and, "Let me walk you to your chamber my lady," he insisted. Leana smiled at him and gave him her hand. Her feet were so swollen and painful.

TBC

Holy Mackerel...poor GENDRYA!

Hope you all enjoy this slight twist of GENDRYA! Do you guys enjoy it? Do you want more of them once in a while or back to Sandor/Leana?

Thanks to The Unfamiliar, Lightan117, TeresaTrav, AryRiddle and Firedew for taking the time to post your reviews! Made my day!