Redemption 17 - Nymeria Sails Again

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Notes:

The Baratheon family travels north to meet their relatives. But first, Arya and Gendry bond as Lord and Lady of Storm's End.

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Previously:

Arya had insisted that she had no desire to be Lady of the castle and take on a lady's typical duties, but she did start accompanying Gendry to the Great Hall to hear grievances and requests most mornings. Davos always advised him, especially in matters that had been totally out of his experience, but Arya had been raised on her lord father's lap, and was no stranger to these proceeding. The wolf girl was sharp and perceptive, and inserted her opinions often. Even though certain misogynist lords scowled when she spoke, her comments were usually thoughtful and practical and indicated a great deal of common sense. Gendry was grateful for her presence and the members of court began to realize that the young couple considered themselves a team, dedicated to improving the lives of their vassals.

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Storm's End

Daily morning petitions were heard in the largest chamber in the Drum Tower, the Round Hall, where feasts were also held. When Arya first joined Gendry for his lordly duties, she noticed that an unoccupied, imposing throne on a high dais dominated the hall, yet the Lord chose to seat himself on a sturdy, unadorned, high back wooden armchair located lower on the broad steps of the dais. Aware of Gendry's humble nature yet desiring him to assert his authority, Arya asked, "You are the Lord of the Stormlands. Why do you not claim your inheritance?"

Gendry appeared unsure of himself as he replied, "That throne represents the Storm Kings of House Durrandon, the original rulers of the Stormlands, and I do not feel comfortable claiming their seat."

The stern warrior woman frowned, "Nevertheless, you are the ruler of the kingdom now and must demonstrate your right to power."

Except for stubbornness, Gendry rarely felt that he was on the same level with the fierce wolf girl in an argument, and he hesitated, wondering how to counter her insistence that he adopt what he believed to be an arrogant demeanor. Suddenly a thought came to him and he smiled, "But if I sit on the royal throne, how can we proclaim that we are equal in power? Why don't we simply add an identical chair next to mine?"

Arya slowly nodded, realizing the wisdom of his suggestion.

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One afternoon early in their first year of ruling the Stormlands, the Lord and Lady of Storm's End were relaxing in the kitchens, attempting to regain their equanimity after a contentious argument with their vassals during the morning audience. One obnoxious lord had irritated Arya by insisting that her pregnancy made her too emotional to exhibit good judgment, and she had suppressed the urge to descend from her chair and skewer him with Needle, which would only have proved his point. However, pregnancy did make her hungry, and she found herself nibbling constantly on sweet tarts whilst complaining about the stupidity of men and cracking walnuts to dispel her anger. Gendry was sympathetic to her cross mood, patting her hand and kissing her cheek as he went about doing minor chores such as moving heavy stewpots and fetching bags of onions or potatoes from the larder, winking at the young scullions when they giggled.

After observing her liege lord and lady for some minutes, Cook cautiously ventured, "Milady, you seem to be very comfortable amongst the servants, as does milord. That is unusual behavior for nobles."

Arya and Gendry shared a meaningful glance and Arya slowly replied, "Mistress Marra, if I appear to be at home here in the kitchens, it is because when I was a child I was a prisoner of Tywin Lannister and was forced to work hard as a servant of Harrenhal Castle, as was Lord Baratheon. I scrubbed more stone staircases and floors than I care to remember, chopped a mountain of turnips, and stirred many pots. Our overseers were cruel and beat the scullions constantly. Once the head housekeeper struck my face so hard that my jaw was bruised for a week and I almost lost a tooth."

"I had no idea that you had suffered so, milady," Cook responded with a compassionate expression, looking from one to another.

"Milord had it a bit easier working in the forge, as he was a skilled craftsman," Arya continued, "but the armorers knew that simply displeasing a foreman or a knight could lead immediately to a painful death or torture. The Mountain's men delighted in tormenting the smallfolk. Harrenhal abounded with sadistic men and women, and the staff constantly lived in fear for their lives."

Some of the scullions had interrupted their work to join Cook in motionlessly staring at Arya, transfixed by her tale. The wolf princess startled them by suddenly grabbing her husband's hand, squeezing it, and blurting out, "I was crazy with fear when they began to torture Gendry and almost attacked a Lannister soldier, which attracted Lord Tywin's attention. He immediately put an end to the indiscriminate torture of prisoners and ordered the guards to put all the captives to work in the castle."

"Milady, even at that time you were the Princess of the North, why did Lord Tywin not hold you for ransom?"

"I was disguised as a dirty little boy and he did not know my identity. I traveled in disguise for a long time and it kept me safe from rape, but not abuse."

Gendry broke the somber mood by smirking, "But I knew she was a girl, a pretty little girl under all that dirt, and I would not leave her alone. We argued all the time." He squeezed her hand in return and then bent over to kiss her forehead.

Cook appeared puzzled, "Argued?"

"Aye, she was an angry wolf cub, and romantic words would have been wasted on her. Fighting with her was the best way to get close to her," Gendry grinned, "Letting her berate me with frequent insults and accusations helped her unknowingly relieve stress. I wanted to kiss her, but she would have punched me in the mouth if I had dared. I suppose I was already becoming besotted with the fierce little fighter."

Now Arya did punch him, but in the shoulder, not the mouth, whilst muttering, "Stupid bull! I cannot think of anything more inappropriate than you wanting to kiss me at Harrenhal! Besides, if you did, we would both have been in serious trouble and mayhaps even our true identities would have been exposed."

But Gendry smiled softly at her, "In the midst of all that horror and fear we endured, at least I had one fantasy that gave me the desire to survive."

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Previously:

One and twenty moons after Lyarra's birth, a large boy joined the family, Eddard, with a longer than square face, toothy with a slight overbite, chestnut hair, and bright blue eyes. He adored his bold older sister and followed her everywhere, copying her behavior. By three namedays, Eddard announced that he intended to become a knight and carried a wooden sword in his belt. Little Ned listened attentively to the stories of his ancestors and was proud to be descended from warriors on both sides of his family. When Eddard had three namedays, another babe was added to the growing family, a girl with a temperament and coloring much like the Lady Sansa's. She was obviously a Tully and they named her Minisa, after her maternal great-grandmother.

As for Lyarra's burning desire to go to sea, when young Eddard attained five namedays and she seven, the growing family decided to board Nymeria and sail north for a Stark family reunion and to visit Queen Sansa and Jon Targaryen. Lyarra 'underfoot' was instantly at home in the carrack, having mentally prepared herself to be a sailor for three years.

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King's Landing

When the Baratheon family decided to take ship for White Harbor and ride from the port city to Winterfell, Arya sent a raven to Sansa to announce her plans. By the time the traveling party reached King's Landing, she learned from King Bran that her sister had sent a rider to the Far North, where he found Jon Targaryen with his wildlings. Jon decided that it would be best for him to go to Winterfell to be reunited with his sister and her family rather them ask them to endure the discomfort of a long trip to the Land of Always Winter. Arya was ecstatic that she would see her siblings again. Sansa's message had also noted that Jon had a surprise for her.

The Baratheons traveled to King's Landing to board Nymeria and passed some time with King Bran before departing. Bran was quite fond of his niece Lyarra and frequently declared that she was just like Arya. Lyarra was proud to hear his words, for she loved and emulated her unconventional mother. Gendry was amused that the girl even mimicked Arya's smoldering glares when in a temper, and she was quick to anger, just like her mother. Of course, Gendry recognized that her daughter's moods also exhibited the Baratheon words: "Ours is the fury." Upon returning to King's Landing, Lyarra became reacquainted with Ser Brienne, and proudly stated that she had begun her knightly training, and mayhaps she would qualify for the Kingsguard when she was of age and had won a few tourneys. But of course, she related that she also had several other interests and was considering becoming a ship's captain, a courtesan, an armorer, etc. Ser Brienne smiled and responded that the girl had much to learn and ponder as she grew older.

Whilst in King's Landing, Gendry took the family to Tobho Mott's shop on the Street of Steel. The Baratheons were most familiar with his armory and visited whenever they were in King's Landing, but the Motts had not yet met the latest babe. Tobho and his wife cooed over the Baratheon offspring like doting grandparents. Mistress Mott delighted in baking lemon cakes for the children, whose affection for sweet treats was as powerful as that of their mother, and Arya had no qualms about pushing her daughter's hands out of the way to greedily snatch her share of the baked goods.

As the Motts gushed over swaddled and gurgling little Minisa, Tobho smirked and winked at Gendry, "You two have been very busy."

His former apprentice blushed, but Arya grumbled, "Aye, I believe that my husband intends to keep me pregnant for the rest of my days."

"I do not see why that would be so bad, Princess," Tobho grinned, "you are still as beautiful as the day I first met you, if not more so."

"Take my husband's remark with a grain of salt, milady," Mistress Mott interjected, "he says those very words to me when he wishes me to cook his favorite meals."

The Motts entertained Arya and the children with humorous stories of Gendry's youth, his scrapes, and the list of craftsmen's daughters who had been interested in the shy smith. In fact, the bachelor Lord Baratheon had spent much time at the smithy whilst in King's Landing for official business, for the Red Keep abounded in noble lords and ladies eager to introduce him to their daughters.

During one of those visits, as Gendry distracted himself by constructing numerous sconces to replace those destroyed by war, Tobho pointedly asked his former apprentice why he appeared to be avoiding marriage, the status that was expected of a high lord. Gendry reluctantly confessed that there was only woman he wanted to wed, and he did not know if she was even still alive. The first time that Gendry proudly brought his new bride to the smithy, the Motts celebrated as if the event was a coronation, and broke out their best porcelain and prepared a dinner fit for a king. Arya blushed but was very pleased with the reception, touched by the Motts' affection. She gobbled up a tray of delicious lemon cakes by herself, to Mistress Mott's delight, and from then on, the armorer's wife always had sweets on hand for a Baratheon visit.

The master armorer was especially fond of little Lyarra, for she appeared to be intent on following in her father's footsteps. She proudly boasted that she was beginning to shape her first complete breastplate, and he teased, "Milady, would you like to become my apprentice?"

Lyarra thought of Tobho as her grandfather and promptly retorted, "Do not call me milady!" But then she became thoughtful and replied, "I do want to learn to make armor, but I need to practice sparring so I can join the Kingsguard with Ser Brienne, and I also plan to go to sea on Nymeria and learn to be a ship's captain."

Tobho laughed loudly and shook his head, "Lyarra, you seem to have too many interests to focus on the smithy. Come back when you are prepared to dedicate yourself to one thing."

As Nymeria was made ready for the voyage north with a large group of passengers, the Baratheons returned to the Red Keep to bid farewell to King Bran, or 'Unca Bran' as he was known to Lyarra and Eddard. Bran observed that his clever and vivacious niece was growing older, more mature, and attractive. The astute politician murmured to his sister and goodbrother, "As she is the niece of the King, we must consider finding an appropriate match for Lyarra." But recalling the history of her sister and aunt, Arya was not pleased with the concept of political betrothals, especially for her unconventional daughter. She privately gave Gendry a sharp look, and he whispered, "We will discuss this later. I am as reluctant as you are to see that happen."

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On the Narrow Sea

First Mate Randyll was now the captain of the carrack, and there were some new and younger crew members, as age had taken its toll on many of the original crew. Renwick and Hargrove insisted on coming along, though only in the capacity as passengers, being too old to stand a watch and work regular shifts. Lyarra announced that she wanted to stand a watch, for she intended to eventually become the captain of a ship. The sailors suppressed their laughter out of respect for the impetuous girl's fierce mother, and Captain Randyll told her that he would certainly teach her how the ship operated.

Tomboy Lyarra was far too bold whilst playing onboard the ship. One day she found a loose line hanging from the mainsail yardarm and began to swing on it, high over the deck from the port railing to the starboard railing, back and forth, and over and over again. Her strength gave out before she had prepared herself to stop swinging and she involuntarily released the rope whilst hovering over the ocean. Lya fell into the water with a loud plop that was drowned out by the sound of the bow wave striking the ship, which was moving at a brisk pace in a strong breeze. Young Ned had been watching his big sister with much interest and now shrieked, "Mama! Lya inna watta!" Captain Randyll heard the boy first and sprung into action, immediately tossing a life preserver in Lyarra's direction as the ship swiftly sailed past the thrashing girl. Alerted by her son, Arya saw what had transpired, thrust her babe into Renwick's arms, and dove from the railing into the sea twenty feet below as her alarmed husband looked on. The strong swimmer quickly reached her flailing daughter and pushed Lyarra inside the cork ring whilst shouting, "Randyll, haul us in, now!"

With coordinated shouts of "Heave ho, heave ho!", strong arms promptly hoisted up the life preserver and soon the bedraggled mother and daughter stood on the deck dripping water and breathing heavily. Gendry had watched helplessly from the deck and now rushed to embrace Lya, exclaiming with moist eyes, "Gods be good, girl, I thought you were lost forever!"

Everyone who witnessed the fortuitous rescue effort wore a relieved expression on their face except for Lyarra herself, whose Stark grey eyes were flashing as she grinned, "That was so much fun! I want to do it again!"

Arya was squeezing salt water from her braid whilst glowering at the reckless urchin and growled angrily, "Nae, brat! Do not even think about it!"

However, within a few days the relentless rascal devised a game that the adults grudgingly approved, worn down by her insistent pleading. They tied her securely inside the life preserver, which was affixed to the stern railing of Nymeria with a stout rope, and under the watchful gaze of Renwick, Hargrove, or another sailor, the hoyden squealed with delight as her little craft bounced in the following waves of the ship. Lya would stay out there for hours and always pouted when returned to the deck under protest, even though her lips were blue and she was shivering from the chilly water. Soon young Ned ventured that he would like a go at the craft also and Gendry could not help but appear concerned. He did not like the game at all and did not want his son to participate in such a dangerous pastime, but he had no desire to raise a weakling either. All Arya said was, "At our first opportunity, I want to teach our children to swim."

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Lyarra continued to be absorbed in the tales she heard about pirates, pirate's treasure, and their love of gold. She observed that Renwick and most of Nymeria's crewmen all wore a single gold earring in their left ear. Even her dear Cap'n Saan had an earring. She went to her mother and announced, "Mama, I want an earring."

Arya frowned, "Nae, you are too young to have your ears pierced. Mayhaps when you are older I will consider it." Lyarra was a persistent girl and complained to her friends amongst the crew, "Mama is so mean!"

Tybero, a roguish young sailor and one of the newer members of Nymeria's crew, grinned at the gamin and offered, "I'll pierce your ear and gift you with a real pirate earring, little lady, if you will grant me a kiss."

Lyarra pondered this request. She had often seen Mama kissing Renwick on the cheek when he did something nice for her, so she nodded and replied, "All right."

The sailor smiled and thrust out his cheek. Lyarra promptly kissed it and he followed up by turning his head, "Now the other one." She kissed his other cheek as his closest shipmate hooted, "Tybero is in love! He has lost his heart to the sea tigress!"

Lyarra joined her family for dinner and Arya immediately noticed her swollen, reddened earlobe and the shiny gold earring. "Lya!" the mother wolf snarled at her pup, "I told you that you were too young!"

The stubborn girl stuck out her lower lip and pouted, "But I want to be a real pirate, mama!"

"Who did this to you?!"

"Tybero pierced my ear and gave me the earring."

Trying to think of an appropriate punishment for the disobedient girl, Arya replied, "Well, since Tybero gifted you with that earring, you have to become a sailor's wife. Do you realize that you are now betrothed to him?"

Lyarra had already begun eating and now the startled urchin raised her head and exclaimed in surprise, "What?"

Arya continued, "Aye, we will have to arrange your wedding soon."

Lyarra had fear and panic in her eyes and she whined, "But I don't want to get married, mama!" much like her mother had done at a similar age.

Arya shook her head with feigned sorrow, "Well, you should have thought of that before you asked him for an earring. Do you know what your responsibilities will be as a sailor's wife?"

Looking more and more uncomfortable with her predicament, Lyarra responded in a soft, anxious voice, "Nae."

"You will be expected to fix his meals, repair rents in his clothing, and wash his smallclothes."

"Wash his smallclothes!"

"Aye, a sailor's smallclothes get awfully nasty."

"Ugh!"

"And if he is drunk you will have to stand the watch in his stead, even if it is in the hour of the wolf. And you will still be expected to prepare his break fast the next morning."

"Nae! I do not want to do all that, mama! I do not want to get married!"

Arya sighed, "I am truly sorry, Lya, but it is too late. You made your bed and now you have to lie in it. Oh, that reminds me. You will also have to share his narrow hammock, and I have heard that Tybero kicks in his sleep."

"Waaah!"

"See what happens when you are so impulsive?" Arya had been bouncing her youngest on her lap, and the babe was becoming more and more surly as her nappy had become too full for comfort. As the young mother attempted to placate the red-faced, crying child, she looked to her older daughter again, "You will also have to bear Tybero's babes, for sailors love to bounce babes on their knees."

Lyarra knew that at least part of that statement was true and she was horrified, "I don't want to bear a babe!" When she was younger and sweeter, Lya assisted her mother in caring for Eddard, even helping to change his nappy. But as he grew older and the changing process became nastier, she avoided the nursery. The thought of changing her own babe's nappies was disgusting and she was very dismayed.

Turning to her father, who had been listening to the dialogue with much amusement, she implored, "Papa! Is mama telling it true? Do I have to marry Tybero?"

Gendry adopted a serious countenance and replied, "Lya, you know that your mother spent three years sailing the oceans and knows the ways of the sea quite well. In fact, an insolent pirate once tried to kiss her and she had him thrown overboard!"

Facing her mother again, Lyarra begged, "I promise that I will not be impulsive anymore, mama! Please don't make me sleep in Tybero's hammock, wash his smallclothes, and bear his babes!"

"Well, if you are good, mayhaps we can annul the betrothal and you can still remain with the family. Tybero will be so disappointed." Then Arya feigned sadness and sighed, "I was set on planning your wedding and now I am disappointed, too!"

There was panic in Lyarra's voice as she desperately exclaimed, "Please, mama, I'll be good! I promise!"

By the end of the week, a properly mollified and meek Lyarra, attired in a simple cotton duck 'sailor's wife' dress, recited a prepared speech to Tybero in front of the entire crew, "Here is your earring back, Tybero. I am sorry, but I cannot to marry you. I have much to do before I settle down and bear babes. Please do not take my rejection too hard."

A crocodile tear rolled down the sailor's cheek as he accepted the earring, kissed her hand, and sadly replied, "My heart is broken, sweetling. Mayhaps we will meet up again when you are older." His mates were also bearing sorrowful countenances and desperately suppressing their mirth, but a few sailors in the back of the crowd could not help themselves and chuckled loudly. Lyarra was relieved to be formally free of her 'betrothal' and went back to being a carefree wild child again.

Later, when Lyarra had more time to think about the entire debacle, she confronted her mother and suspiciously enquired, "Mama, where are the other sailors' wives? None of the sailors on Nymeria have wives!"

Her clever mother replied, "Ah. That is because they were betrothed on land and remained in port following the wedding, waiting at home whilst their husbands sailed away to earn their wages. By becoming betrothed at sea, Lya, you went about it backwards." Lya gazed at her mother distrustfully, and Arya brightly continued, "When we reach White Harbor, do you want to become betrothed to Tybero again? I think he would be eager to wed you there and you would get that coveted earring and a golden ring!"

Lyarra appeared horrified and quickly responded, "Nae, mama! Forget I said anything! I do not want to be wed!" The urchin hurried away before her mouth got her into any more trouble. Arya silently chuckled, but she had an uneasy thought, I'll wager that this will not be the last time my daughter will get into trouble with a boy! And she was soooo right!

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Arya punished Tybero for his part in the 'betrothal' scheme by ordering him to be Lyarra's knife-throwing mentor, murmuring hotly, "Tybero, you should be relieved that I am not making you her target!" That plan actually turned out very well, for Lya proved to have a sharp eye with a blade and the little minx soon began to participate in the evening knife-throwing competitions. At first, a few kind sailors granted her a handicap and she had no qualms about taking their money. It did not take long for the sailors to treat her as one of their own and gave her no quarter during contests.

Lyarra showed her mother her winnings and crowed, "Look at my dragons!"

Her mother smirked, "I hope this had nothing to do with kissing!"

Lyarra blushed at the reference to her 'courtesan' game, which had caused such a stir at Storm's End, and hastily replied, "Nae, mama, only knife-throwing." Mother and daughter began competing as a team and soon were practically unbeatable. Gendry beamed at his women and thought, I had prayed for a daughter like Arya, and I have been truly blessed!

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As Nymeria sailed out into Blackwater Bay, Captain Randyll excitedly invited Arya to the captain's cabin to see a new instrument that he had recently acquired. Pointing proudly to a strange device fixed to the bulkhead of the cabin, he announced, "This apparatus is called a weather glass, milady, and it was constructed in Myr."

Arya studied the item intently, recalling that the island of Myr was famous for delicate metal and glass craftsmanship. In fact, her favorite gadget, her spyglass, had been fashioned on Myr. Hanging from a hook on the steel bracket nailed to the bulkhead was an egg-shaped glass bulb with a tube protruding from the bottom, which rose vertically alongside the bulb. The tube was open at the top and both the bulb and the tube were filled with a colored liquid. "Weather glass, you say, Randyll?" the former adventurer curiously intoned.

"Aye, milady, when the fluid is observed to move from the reservoir and fill the tube, a storm is sure to arrive within a day. In contrast, when the fluid moves from the tube back into the bulb, we soon enjoy blue skies and a fair wind. I was told that it has something to do with air pressure, whatever that means."

"Very interesting, Randyll, I shall be pleased to see how accurate it is."

About six days later, as they approached the mouth of the Blackwater and prepared to enter the Narrow Sea, Arya observed that the liquid was rising in the tube. She went on deck, saw dark clouds in the distance through her glass, and on the following day it rained. After they had been in the Narrow Sea for several days, the liquid level in the tube began to drop as the storm let up. The next day fair weather appeared as Randyll had predicted. He showed Arya the ship's log, and the record chronicled the changes in the weather in relation to pattern of the weather glass. His former leader was impressed and said, "This can be most useful in preparing the ship for any expected harsh weather." Randyll nodded in agreement. During the voyage to White Harbor, Arya entertained herself and her inquisitive daughter by observing the weather glass daily and comparing its predictions to the prevailing weather.

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After two months at sea, Nymeria eventually docked at White Harbor in The Bite at the mouth of the White River. The Baratheons were warmly greeted by the present Lord, Wylis Manderly, as his father Lord Wyman, notorious for being the most grossly obese man in Westeros, had died of a massive heart attack several years earlier. Lord Wylis offered to provide the Princess of the North and her family transport to Winterfell, asking, "How many wheelhouses would you require, my lady?"

Arya proudly replied, "Nae, my lord, I desire no wheelhouses, for we are all experienced riders, even my youngest children. Horses and traveling gear are all we require, and I thank you for your generosity." Renwick and Hargrove were to accompany the Baratheons to the North, and they silently sighed when they learned that the overland journey would take three weeks. Neither sailor had developed much affection for life in the saddle, but they loved their liege lady and her offspring too much to decline traveling to her childhood home.

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Notes:

Next: The Baratheons arrive at Winterfell. There will be tearful reunions. Let us see what kind of trouble Lyarra can find in the North. Mayhaps she will get stolen by a wildling and become a spearwife.

The weather glass barometer was invented around the year 1600. Mayhaps the Pilgrims had one as they ventured to the New World. Since Arya had a spyglass, perfected about the same time if mayhaps a bit earlier, why not introduce her to the weather glass also?