(Here's the next part of my season 8 rework. Hope it's doing well so far.)
Episode 1: Winterfell, Part 5-
(Winterfell forges, a couple of hours later)
Men work back to back preparing dragonglass for the armies. Arrowheads, spikes, spear tips, and all other manner of weaponry are designed and made. Gendry carefully prepares a new weapon. Removing the heated liquid from the forge, he carefully pours the liquid into a container to cool the liquid to reshape it into what the blacksmiths design.
"Gendry! He's here," a blacksmith calls out.
Gendry turns to the man and nods. He walks to a stand a few feet away from where he's working. A large dragonglass axe, double sided, is hanging on it. He carefully grabs it and brings it to the man who asked for it.
"It wasn't easy making this, but I hope it will suffice," Gendry said, handing it to the man.
Sandor Clegane takes hold of the ax. He moves on hand along one side of the axe, feeling the texture and checking how sharp it is. His eyes study it. He then puts the bottom of the handle of the ax on the floor.
"It will do," the man gruffly replied.
"The design was tricky. A double-sided ax usually is, but with the dragonglass trying to mold it in a way that-" Gendry continued to say.
"I don't need the whole blacksmithing shit. I asked for the ax and you got me the ax, that's all I need," Sandor scoffed.
"I see you haven't changed," a familiar voice scoffed.
Sandor and Gendry turned in the direction to see the owner of the voice. Arya stood with her hands behind her back. Her face was marked by annoyance yet joy was hidden beneath it. Gendry's eyes were wide with surprise. He hadn't seen Arya...well, it felt like a lifetime ago to him and he wasn't necessarily wrong. Sandor's face looked at her with a bit of a surprise, but not nearly as much as Gendry's. While he didn't seem to show it, he was glad to see her...but he was also furious too.
"You left me to die," Sandor grunted.
"First I robbed you," Arya grunted back.
Sandor continued to frown.
"Still using that shit blade?" Sandor scoffed.
"When I have to," Arya replied.
"Good," Sandor said after a short pause.
Gendry looked at Sandor with a bit of a surprise.
"I thought you were dead," Arya continued.
"Almost was...someone found me...brought me back to health...a friend," Sandor elaborated.
Arya and Gendry both shared a look of surprise.
"What happened to him?" Arya asked.
"Dead...I killed the fuckers who did it to him...to him and the whole village he was helping," Sandor answered.
"I'm sorry," Arya replied.
"People die...just the way things are," Sandor grunted.
"Yes," Arya replied.
Sandor nodded.
"You've learned," Sandor sighed.
He nodded to her then walked off, ax in hand. Arya turned to Gendry.
"That was a nice ax you made for him. You've gotten better," Arya praised, though her voice didn't have any cheer in it.
"Thanks. You look good, I'm glad you're alive," Gendry said, a smile on his face.
"Thank you. You too," Arya replied, a hint of a smile on her face.
"Not that bad of a place to grow up if it wasn't so cold," Gendry stated, walking back to his station.
"Stay close to that forge then," Arya replied, following him.
"Is that a command, Lady Stark?" Gendry chuckled as he inspected a recently forged blade.
"Don't call me that," Arya commanded, irritation in her voice.
"As you wish, milday," Gendry replied, grinning.
Arya slowly smiled. She chuckled for a moment.
"It's good to see you," Arya said.
"You too," Gendry replied.
"How did you escape the witch?" Arya asked.
"Ser Davos helped me. Two boys from Flea Bottom, we look out for our own...when we can," Gendry answered.
Arya nodded.
"I'm glad you're alive," Arya said, a smile on her face.
"You too," Gendry replied, returning her smile.
Arya smiled and pulled something from her cloak. Gendry took it in hand. It's a piece of paper with a drawing or rather design of a weapon: a staff or rather a spear with the bladed end with a line from it that marks it 'dragonglass'.
"Can you make it?" Arya asked.
"What do you need something like this for?" Gendry asked.
"Can you make it or not?" Arya said.
"You already have a sword. What's that?" Gendry replied, his focus shifting to the small blade before asking his question.
Arya unsheathed the Cat's Paw, handing it to Gendry. He took it in hand and studied it.
"It's Valyrian steel. I always knew you were just another rich girl," he said, a chuckle in his voice as his gaze shifted to her.
Arya took the blade from him and sheathed it.
"You don't know any other rich girls," she teased then started to walk away.
Gendry watched her walk away, his visage a mix of emotions. Arya turned around and look at him with a smirk as she left.
(Another room, several minutes later)
Sansa sat in a chair, her eyes had dark rings under them. She held a strip of paper in her hands. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in," she said.
Jon walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He looked at the paper then to Sansa.
"Lord Glover wishes us good fortune, but he's staying in Deepwood Motte with his men," Sansa said with slight venom as she puts the paper down on the table before her.
Jon drops a pair of gloves on the table, he looks around the room, barely holding his anger.
"House Glover will stand by House Stark as we have for a thousand years. Isn't that what he said?" Jon stated, holding his anger back.
"'I will stand behind Jon Snow,' he said…'The King in the North.'" Sansa quoted, her eyes not leaving him.
Sansa looked at Jon, disappointed and contained anger.
"I told you we needed allies," Jon said.
"You did...I didn't think that would mean abandoning your crown," Sansa replied.
"I never wanted a crown," Jon grunted.
"We all don't want things...they're forced onto us and we have to try to make them work so others can be happy," Sansa replied.
"What?" Jon asked, confused.
"Nothing," Sansa sighed.
Jon looked at her, confused.
"You had the allegiance of the North and the Free Folk. Lord Glover admitted his wrongdoing after the battle...he saw you as a king that day...but now him and those men who respected you that day and the days before you handed over your crown...they would have lived and died by the words they spoke," Sansa said.
Jon was silent, unsure of what to say. Sansa was right, despite being a bastard, he had earned the loyalty of the North for his role in defeating the Boltons. He heard her, but he was frustrated with how the people were more focused on him bending the knee rather than the Army of the Dead.
"If we don't focus on the Army of the Dead, there won't be anyone to wear any crowns or live by words sworn. There won't be anyone alive left," Jon said.
Sansa sighed as she put the paper down.
"...I know...I just...our family has gone through so much...the North, our people have gone through so much...I just thought maybe with you as king...it would be a new start for us...I was in the lion's paw for so long...when I finally escaped...and after Littlefinger was dealt with...I thought I was free...or was near it.." Sansa said.
"I'm sorry, Sansa...but if we don't stand together...even with former enemies...none of us will survive," Jon replied.
Sansa didn't know what to say now. She hadn't seen the Army of the Dead, but she knew Jon wasn't a liar. Yes, she had grown up scoffing at the idea of the White Walkers being real...or at least them still being around...but now...after what she's heard from Jon and his allies...remembering the old tales of the Long Night...she knew this was what the people should be ready for. Sansa stood up from where she sat. She paced around the room.
"Are you sure it was the right thing? If the crown didn't matter...why didn't she decide to fight with us without you having to bend the knee?" Sansa asked.
"...At first she didn't...despite seeing evidence of the enemy's existence...she wouldn't be swayed...and I tried to stay true to our people's loyalty...but she said something...something I said to the King Beyond the Wall, Mance Rayder, before he died...then I understood Mance's position...but I remember why I was trying to convince him to bend the knee to Stannis...then...she saved us when we went beyond the Wall...at a terrible cost...I know our people won't look kindly on what I did...but it's better than not having her Grace on our side," Jon answered.
Sansa nodded.
"...We'll need to get Lord Glover and his men to return...we need all the men we can get," Sansa sighed.
"I'll go tomorrow morning," Jon said.
"No, let someone else go...he won't listen to you. I'll send someone else, maybe one of the lords he was close to convince him," Sansa said.
"No...it has to be me...I have to stand by my decision…" Jon replied.
Sansa nodded.
"He may try to fight you," Sansa said.
"He can try," Jon replied.
Jon turned to leave.
"Jon," Sansa said.
Jon turned to her.
"Good night," Sansa said.
Jon smiled.
"Good night, Sansa," he replied then exited the room.
To be continued…
(I'm so sorry it took so long for this update...just...dealing with stuff...been trying to work on a few things...sorry about the long waits in-between uploads. Hope this was good.)