Authors note
We all know what happened in the last episode. Bran became King of the Six Kingdoms, Sansa the Queen of the North and Arya delivered her brilliant line to Yara follows on from Bran being elected King.
There's still a few chapters written ahead. Please comment if you are still reading!
Thank you!
Arya began to push the new King of the Six Kingdoms down the ramp and towards the Stark tent.
"Ser Davos?" She called confidently in the direction of the platform. She wouldn't look at the Him. "May I speak with you ?"
She kept her eyes focussed on Davos as he looked up from his intense discussion with Ser Brienne. They exchanged glances but he hurried over. Arya turned away so they could not be overheard.
"How can I help you mi'lady that is to say - well what are you know with your brother and sister now King and Queen?"
Arya rose her eyebrows as she looked at his weathered face.
"Arya is fine."
"How can I serve you mi-Arya?"
"I was wondering if you could ask Lord Baretheon if he could come to my tent this evening to look over the weapon he made for me for the Long Night. As he forged it, I had hoped he could fix it for me, if he had the time before he rode back to the Stormlands?" Her voice did not betray her as she had feared it would.
Davos had a hint of blush in his cheeks as he replied that it would be his honour but she had already turned and began to push Bran toward the keep.
Gendry had hated it. Although it was nice to feel the warmth of Kingslanding on his face again, having to sit there as they silently judged him was intolerable. In many of their eyes he was still a bastard, even if he sat amongst them in his new clothes. He had hated returning to the city he grew up in as a child and waited in as a man, destroyed into dust and ruin.
He had tried not to look at Her. He felt a mixture of embarrassment and anger when he thought of her and all those present who must know about his foolish declaration and devotion to the Bringer of Dawn.
He was quite content, or as content as could be in her presence, to sit, listen and observe. He had even had to hide a smirk when the Tully uncle had stood for the throne. It seems the Stark wit had passed to the Lady of Winterfell, now Queen of the North, too.
There had been once when he had chances a look in her direction, when the Greyjoy woman threatened Jon and Arya had told her she'd slit her throat if she said one more word on the subject. Who was he fooling to think she needed protecting?The world needed protecting from her now. She wasn't the little girl with roughly shorn hair he had sworn to protect anymore.
No.
She was a woman grown.
He knew what lay beneath her clothing. He wondered if he was still the only man who did.
When she turned and looked up to the platform, his heart was in his mouth. He almost rose but it was Ser Davos she called for. A little old for her surely? What did he know? He was still a bloody bastard. He had half-expected to be stripped off his new title when he received the summons to attend the trial. Part of him had hoped for it.
"Lord Baratheon, my father writes to me of the great changes you have planned for the Stormlands." Brienne began, looking from him to beyond the platform towards Bran, now King Bran, Davos and Arya.
He gave no response but tore his eyes off his mentor who seemed deep in conversation with Arya.
"He is glad that there will finally be a just ruler for Storms End after all this time." She continued kindly.
"I hope I can fulfill his hopes."
"From what I have seen and heard, you will be a good ruler and you can always count on House of Tarth for support."
"Thank you Ser Brienne. I hope sometime you can come back to visit your father and perhaps visit the forges where I hope to have many people employed. I don't know much except being a blacksmith so if I can teach them how to smith, I'm hoping they can teach me how to rule."
"I look forward to hearing about it." She smiled kindly. "Perhaps you will give my sword a look over before you leave? I hear you are one of the view who can work with Valerian steel?
He nodded politely as she drew it and handed it to him.
He gave a test swipe with it, it gave him the chance to look ahead to see what She was doing. The balance was good. When he handed it back to her, he noticed the moulding at the hilt.
The golden lion with ruby eyes had been well polished. He squinted at it to check. A lion?
"It was a gift." She informed him with a hint of embarrassment.
Gendry waited for her to continue but she seemed to be having difficulty. He wondered if what he had heard was correct, that the Maid of Tarth has lain with the Lion before he died.
"When will you be returning to the Stormlands my Lord?" She asked instead.
He hadn't realised until he looked back to find a knowing look on Brienne's face, that he had automatically turned to look at where Arya has been standing, but was met with Davos returning, hands behind his back.
"In the next few days I expect." He cleared his throat
"If I may be permitted...I was charged with looking after both of Lady Stark's daughters. They are both very different. Lady Arya, though I suppose she will be Princess now, did not want my help. She managed to charm her way round Sandor Clegane and survive. No one knew where she was until she turned up at Winterfell many moons later. When you have been on your own for so long...it's hard to think of others and what other...possibilities could be available."
"What's that?" Davos stood before them, one hand comfortably on the hilt of his sword.
"Metalwork, weapons." Brienne replied emotionlessly. "What did the Princess of the Six Kingdoms and The North want?" She deflected naturally and Gendry was glad of it.
Princess.
He finally gets made a Lord and of equal standing and now she gets made a Princess twice over. He was doomed.
"Ah, yes. That." Davis scratched at his beard - a sure sign that he was ready to drop a flaming baton.
"She asked if you could go to her tent lad,look over a weapon you made for her for the Long Night. Seemed to think you could fix it for her?" He gave him a knowing look that was laced with warning.
Gendry squared his jaw and gritted his teeth before he started to pick at the wood of his chair. Does she now, so she thinks after everything I will run after her again.
Preoccupied with his chair, he didn't see the glances exchanged between Davos and Brienne when he didn't reply.
He allowed his temper to quell before swallowing at the uncomfortable feeling in his throat.
"Unfortunately I must pack to leave, I fear the Storm Lands need me to return as quickly as possible.I am but a new Lord and I have much to learn. If you would both excuse me." He pushed himself out of the chair and left in the opposite direction to Arya - which,unfortunately,was the direction he needed to be in to get back to his own tent.