He watched them.

Ned sat alone in the breakfast nook, having woken up later than he would have wanted to. Robert and Cersei were off somewhere and gave instructions to the house staff to make sure that their guest was well taken care of. Ned assured them that he was fine doing things on his own, but the staff insisted all the same.

He was sitting there, the others having finished breakfast and was scattered all over the house. He was leaving for Storm's End tomorrow, having done his purpose of bringing Nymeria, Grey Wind and Ghost over to his children. He would have like to stay and spend more time with his kids, but he has business to go back to.

His eyes followed their every move, these two; watching as they played with Nymeria in the lawn. He's taking advantage of his location; not easily seen from the outside looking in, but with a perfect view of the lawn from where he was sitting. Where his daughter goes, he goes. When she sits on the grass, he does the same. When he moves to a different spot, she gets up and follows. They were like magnets; opposites attracting each other like the North and South poles. For all their tangible and intangible differences, they seemed to be like one and the same person.

Ned has never felt so scared in his life.

Sansa has had boyfriends before, but Arya was different. She's never had boyfriends before and Ned felt that sinking feeling in his stomach that there was something going on between the two. He would have to ask Arya later, when he gets the chance to talk to his daughter alone. If Gendry finally allows being away from her even for a short while, though Ned doubted Gendry knew he was unconsciously doing it.

Just to make sure she's not going to get into something brash that would end up with her getting hurt, he thought. Although he knew he was trying to convince himself more than anyone.

He took a sip of his coffee, his eyes staring intently on the two as they took turns throwing a Frisbee for the wolf to catch. Gendry looked like he was now at ease with the animal, leaving Ned wondering how or when it happened. Wasn't it only yesterday when he was close to fainting at the sight of Arya's pet, and now he's out there tossing Frisbees and scratching her behind the ears. He was going to bet Arya had something to do with it, though.

"I see you've noticed them too."

Ned looked around to see both his sons walk inside the room. Robb took the seat across him and Jon took the one beside.

Robb snatched a piece of toast from Ned's plate and bit into it. "You want us to beat him up, Dad?"

Ned chuckled. "I want to see you try, Robb. You will be answering to Arya in case you get around to doing it."

Both his sons laughed.

"But I know you won't do it. He seems like a good guy." Ned added.

"As much as I'd like to pummel him to a pulp," Jon said with a grimace. "Gendry's a good friend."

"Besides, I don't think there's anything official between them," Robb added. "I see an attraction, but I don't think they've done anything about it."

Ned laughed. "You boys realize that we're actually gossiping about your sister like Mom and Sansa gossips about movie stars?"

"Oh, hell no!" Robb cringed. "Hey, Dad? You think we could all go out today or something? Just us four."

"Are we having a freeze-out with Theon right now?" Ned raised his brow in question.

Robb shook his head. "No! No! Theon's out with Ramsay and some other friends, he won't be back till late tonight."

"And you plan to leave the wolves with the Baratheons?"

Jon shrugged. "Gendry's okay with them now. And all three 3 have taken a liking to Tommen, so all's good. In fact, he's got both Grey Wind and Ghost in his room."

"And Joffrey?"

"Joffrey's a fucking wuss, he can just lock himself in his room and die a wuss," Jon laughed.

Ned frowned. "That's not a very nice thing to say about the family who's taken you all under their roof."

Jon and Robb just sat there staring at their father. Ned laughed a while later.

"Come on," he said as he got up from his seat and took one last look at Arya and Gendry, who were still out there playing with Nymeria. "A day out might just be what we need."

"You okay?"

Robb turned to Jon, who seemed to have asked the question guardedly. He nodded and shrugged in answer before turning back to face the table where the Starks were having a late lunch. They were out checking the central business district of Kings Landing, where the high-end stores are situated and coffee shops, restaurants and bars littered the area. They spent most of the morning just going around and trying out some of the mouth-watering food that caught their fancy.

Jon noticed that Robb seemed distracted again, getting withdrawn from the group from time to time. He was dying with curiosity, but Jon didn't want to push his brother into talking when he didn't seem ready. Today was worse, though, because when he thinks no one's watching, he gets distracted and aloof. A frown is semi-permanently etched on his face, his eyes show a far-away look and his mouth a grim line. Even if their father and sister fail to notice it, seeing as they were busy telling stories, Jon saw it. Saw it and felt it.

Was it because of a girl?

Robb has had girlfriends before but he's never been this distracted. Despite his brother's outgoing and carefree personality, he's not the type to lose his head over a girl, even if he's head over heels in love. He didn't know if Robb was seeing anyone lately, but then again Robb has been keeping to himself more these days.

"Hey," Jon nudged his arm , trying to catch his brother's attention again. "You don't look okay, Robb. Talk to me."

"It's fine, Jon" he replied a bit harshly. He looked at Jon and saw his brother's concerned face and added with a softer voice this time, "Thanks for asking, though."

Jon looked over at Arya and their father and saw they were engrossed with taking photos of the scene outside the restaurant window. He took this chance to push a little further until he could somehow get his older brother to talk.

"Bro, I know you. Like, really well. Something's up. Tell me, maybe I could help. Is it a girl?" Jon asked quietly.

Robb chuckled and Jon exhaled in relief at the joyful sound of it. "No, no! Nothing of that sort."

"But there is something bothering you, at least you admit that?"

Robb dipped his finger in his glass of water and rubbed his finger around the rim of the glass. They used to play with glasses of water when they were younger, enjoying the different sound pitches the glass makes.

"Yes," he said finally.

"Spill."

"Now's not the right time, Jon. I'll tell you tonight, I promise. I don't want Dad or Arya to hear about what's bothering me," he explained. "It's not about a girl, trust me," he added quickly.

Jon nodded in agreement. "Okay. Tonight, then."

"You boys ready to go?" Ned asked, putting his camera away and nodding to his sons.

"Where to now?" Robb asked.

"What the fuck, Arya! You're hurting me!"

"Don't be such a sissy! How can I even possibly hurt you one bit?"

Both her brothers laughed.

"Oh, you don't know how dangerous you can be!" Jon said, laughing.

"I'll show you how dangerous I can be if you don't shut it."

"Boys, boys," Ned scolded. He saw Arya looking at him with an incredulous expression. "And you too, young lady," he added quickly. "Stop bickering. And stop moving around, Jon. You just stomped on my foot."

"Sorry, Dad," Jon replied sheepishly. "Robb's elbow is digging into my ribs!"

"The light's on! Get ready!" Arya exclaimed excitedly.

They all turned to face the front, plastering big, silly grins on their faces and waited for the flash to go off.

"Who's idea was it anyway to get cramped inside a photo booth?" Robb muttered while still wearing a grin on his face.

"Mine," Ned said with a laugh, making everyone join in.

"And 5…4…say WINTER IS COMING!" Ned said happily.

They all exclaimed, "WINTER IS COMING!"

Tommen stared at Joffrey with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "It's okay, Joff. He won't bite."

"You say that now, but wait till he takes a chunk off your ass!"

The three Baratheon brothers were left to care for the pets, much to Joffrey's horror. Only Tommen and Gendry seemed at ease with them, having spent time playing with them. The wolves could be a handful, especially Nymeria, who seems to have taken her owner's stubbornness.

"They can smell your fear, you know," Gendry explained, mimicking Arya's words to him in the beginning. "Just don't be too jumpy and try not to act aggressively in front of them. They won't show aggression if you don't show them the same. Just try to call out their name first, see how they react to it."

"If they take a bite out of my hand, I'll tear down your car interiors!" Joffrey threatened.

Gendry only laughed. "Make sure it's not an empty threat!"

"Who's the less aggressive of them all?" Joffrey asked cautiously.

Uh, no one? Gendry thought, but made sure he didn't say that out loud. "Try Ghost."

They heard Joffrey mutter a few expletives before trying a moment later. "Ghost…"

"Why don't you try putting your hand out, Joff?" Tommen suggested.

Joffrey held his hand out a while later, still softly calling out Ghost's name. Grey Wind and Nymeria were circling the area but still sticking close to their brother, occasionally glancing at Joffrey's outstretched hand. To Joffrey's surprise, all three wolves crept closer to him.

Tommen noticed how pale Joffrey had become so he tried to encourage his brother more. "You're doing good. Just let them come closer until they're at ease with you."

It was funny how the youngest was comforting the older one.

Thirty minutes later, the Starks walked in the family room to find a sleeping Joffrey on the floor with Ghost huddled next to him. Gendry, on the other hand, was asleep on the couch with Nymeria snuggled across his legs. Only Tommen was awake, as he and Grey Wind were sprawled on the floor while watching TV.

The Stark siblings would have laughed at the sight that greeted them, if only Joffrey and Gendry didn't look so peaceful sleeping there. Jon and Robb waved a hand to Tommen, who waved back in greeting.

"We're going to help Dad pack," Robb said to Arya, who was standing there watching Gendry sleep. "You coming or do you just want to stand there and be a creepy stalker?"

Arya whipped her head around so fast she swears she must have twisted a vein. "I'm not a stalker."

Robb chuckled. "If you say so."

"Well, I'm not!"

Robb raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, Arya. I just hope you stop gaping at my sleeping friend there if you don't want anybody telling you you're a creepy stalker."

"Oh my god!" Arya said in embarrassment.

"Yes, oh my god." Robb said in a mocking tone. "Bye, Arya," he teased as he slowly backed away from the room, leaving a very much annoyed Arya.

When both her brothers were gone, she turned her attention back to Gendry, who was still asleep. He looked so relaxed lying on the couch, his arms crossed over his chest, Nymeria lying across his legs and feet, as if she were a fur blanket that would keep him from the cold. The only thing Arya wanted to do was to lie beside his sleeping form and share his warmth. She imagined his arms encircling her, pulling her closer even as he sleeps. She remembers his scent very well; his clean guy scent as if he just stepped out of the shower even if he's just returned from a basketball game with his brothers, or the scent of his freshly-laundered shirts that makes Arya want to bury her nose in his chest for days. Arya strongly resisted the urge to crawl beside him until she remembered they were not alone in the room.

Oh. My. God.

She wasn't worried about Joffrey because he was still asleep on the floor with Ghost huddled next to him, which leaves one more brother to worry about. She peeked over the coffee table and saw Tommen lying on the floor, the TV appears to have been long-forgotten. He was watching her with round curious eyes, and Arya felt herself blush from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes.

She did the only thing she could think of-Arya Stark rushed out of the room, doing her little walk of shame.