Gendry found this entire thing to be a little annoying. It wasn't that he had anything against Yara, he actually quite liked her, and she's the reason they were able to find Edric, but he really didn't want to drag himself all the way to the Iron Isles like this just to deliver her crown. She knew the circumstances for why he hand-delivered Daenerys' crown, and they were different. This was something out of his way, and he didn't want to deal with it. He didn't mind sailing that much, but the west side of Westeros tended to have rougher waves, and with more turbulent seas came the chance of getting sick. Gendry also had a lot of work to do in his forge and around Winterfell, but he couldn't tell a sitting monarch "no" and even more so now that they were going to be related by marriage.
He was happy for Theon and Sansa, he really was, but Gendry wasn't sure that either of them knew what the world was going to say when the word got out. Theon was a pariah in the North, and it was Sansa's claim on him that kept him the lesser houses from demanding capital punishment for his crimes. The Stark's might have forgiven him, but the North remembered, and they didn't trust him. They hated Gendry because he was a southern bastard who sullied one of their princesses, but Theon betrayed the Stark's and helped sack Winterfell. They wouldn't forgive him for that. Theon was a noble by birth, and he didn't have the kind of experience that Gendry did when it came to dealing with hatred.
Gendry didn't want that for either of them, but he knew it was coming. He could tell by the way the smallfolk that came in and out of Winterfell glared whenever Theon was around. He could hear the whispers the same way he could hear the whispers about him. It was going to be a harsh lesson that the two of them were going to have to learn and go through. Gendry just hoped they were both strong enough to get through it.
There was a knock on the door of the forge, and it was Sansa. Her red hair seemed to catch fire in the afternoon sunlight, and she was smiling brightly.
"Gendry, I was wondering if you could help me," she said as she walked into the forge. Sansa didn't seem to care that soot was getting all over her nice dress but, then again, she might be so happy right now that it didn't really matter.
"What can I do for you?" he asked. Sansa opened her hand and revealed a silver ring with a wolf on it.
"It's my mother's, and I spoke with Theon. We both think this would make for a lovely engagement ring, but it doesn't quite fit me, do you think you could resize it?" she asked.
"You people do know I'm a blacksmith and not a jeweler," Gendry said as he took the ring from her hand and began to look it over. It was a thin ring and probably the most delicate thing he had ever worked on before. "Sansa, I'm worried I'll somehow ruin it if I try to resize this. Plus, I'm assuming you want this to wear when we go to the Iron Isles?" She nodded, and Gendry frowned. That only left him a few days before they set off, and he didn't think he would have the time to get the ring ready. "I'm sorry, Sansa, but I wouldn't want to rush resizing this. I wouldn't want to risk ruining the ring by rushing. I think we'll need to find something else for you to use as an engagement ring in the meantime."
"Do you think you could make me something basic and easy before we leave?" Sansa asked, and Gendry looked at his supplies.
"I don't have any gemstones, but I always have leftover dragonglass. I could polish it and make it shine if you think that will work," Gendry said, and Sansa grinned. She threw her arms around him and hugged Gendry tightly. Sansa still flinched when certain people touched her, but he was one of the exceptions. He hugged her back and let her hold him for a moment. They both weren't paying attention when the door to the forge open and the kitchen girl who always called him "ser" walked in with a plate of food.
"My lady, ser, I'm so sorry," the girl said. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything. I can come back at another time."
"You just interrupted a hug," Sansa said as she took a step back. "Let me know if you need anything."
"I just need to measure your finger," Gendry said. He took her delicate hand into his and managed to get his dirty fingers all over her pale skin. Sansa didn't say a word as he measured her left ring finger and got what he needed.
"Thank you, Gendry," Sansa said when he was done.
"Have a good day, Sansa," Gendry said, and he watched her walk out of the forge. The kitchen girl, he still didn't catch her name, watched them with wide eyes as she set the plate down on the table. "I told you; you don't have to call me "ser" or any other title."
"That would be rude to the man who armed our army and helped save us from the dead," the girl said, and she was blushing. Gendry stared and raised an eyebrow at her. When he didn't say anything, she hesitated and flashed him a warm smile. "Have a good day, ser." She turned and walked out of the forge before he could stop her. Gendry sighed and wanted to lie down; he wondered when people stopped listening to his requests about this sort of thing and if this was going to be a problem going forward.
Sansa and Theon hadn't traveled since before Ramsay, and Theon hadn't ridden a horse much since he lost his leg. Arya knew he didn't want to bring a carriage because he was a man, and man shouldn't have to ride in one like that, but he just didn't have his balance on a horse yet. They had a small carriage that would fit Sansa and Theon comfortably when they traveled, but they would have to leave to sleep in the tents. Arya wondered what it was going to be like to travel with Sansa again; it brought back some bad memories of the last time they traveled together.
Arya thought about Lady and how she didn't deserve what happened to her. She thought about Mycach and how he was just a boy that didn't know any better. Now that she was an adult Arya knew that she made a mistake when she made friends with the smallfolk the way she did as a child. She didn't regret her ability to make friends, and it had no doubt saved her life on more than one occasion, but Arya also knew that she needed to be more careful. This journey would bring back a time when she and Sansa all but hated each other, which was a thought that made Arya sick to her stomach now.
She couldn't believe there was ever a time that she hated a member of her family. Sansa was cruel as a child, and Arya knew she didn't deserve the torment, but that didn't mean she should have hated her sister. In her darkest moments as a child, Arya was glad that Sansa was going to be sent away to be married someday. Those were the days when she still thought that she could stay in Winterfell for the rest of her life. Now, looking back, if things had gone according to plan, Arya knew her father wouldn't have sent her back to Winterfell eventually. Her father would have found her a southern husband several years after Sansa got married to Joffrey. That was why she went south; so her father could find her a husband someday.
This whole trip was going to bring back memories Arya didn't want to think about, yet as she watched Sansa and Theon walk around Winterfell together with huge smiles on their faces, Arya tried not to think about the bad. Her sister was safe, she was happy, and she was getting to marry for love. That was something Arya didn't think she would ever get to see as a child, and now it made her happy to see Sansa so happy.
The days leading up to the trip passed by quickly, and before long, they were ready to set out. Gendry emerged from the forge right before they were set to leave and handed something to Sansa. Sansa made some sort of high pitched squealing noise and threw her arms around Gendry to hug him tightly. Arya laughed at how surprised Gendry still looked by the sudden bursts of affection from other people and walked over to join them.
"What's made her so happy?" Arya asked as Sansa released Gendry.
"I wanted a ring to wear to the Iron Isles, and Gendry managed to make one just in time," Sansa said. Theon was close by, and he smiled as they all looked at the small silver ring in her hand. The band was polished clean silver, and there was a large piece of dragonglass in the middle of the ring with two smaller pieces on either. Much like Daenerys and Jon's crowns, the dragonglass seemed to shine in the light.
"As always, you do amazing work, Gendry," Arya said, and she kissed his cheek. It always amused her to see her burly husband blush like a maid, and this was no different. Both Sansa and Theon thanked him for the ring, and Jon walked out to see them off. They were going to stop in Winter Town first to pick up a few supplies that they would need, and then they would be off to the coast to get a boat to take to the Iron Isles. Arya knew that Gendry didn't really want to travel like this when a monarch was ordering him around, but she was excited. The Iron Isles was a place she hadn't been to before, and that was always something Arya looked forward to.
"Send ravens once you get to the port and again once you to the islands," Jon said as he hugged Arya tightly. "I want you and Gendry to look out for them," Jon said as he lowered his voice so no one else could hear.
"You don't trust Yara?" Arya whispered back.
"No, I trust Yara, it's her men I don't trust," Jon replied, and he kissed her forehead. She understood what he meant; Theon was a prince now who was refusing to come home to help his sister rule. None of them knew what kind of reception they were going to get at the Iron Isles or if they were going to be happy that Theon had willfully tied himself to House Stark, the people that effectively held him hostage for almost his entire life. Arya knew that her father made sure that Theon was treated well, but Theon had told her that he was constantly afraid as a boy. That all it took was his father to do one stupid thing, and he thought that her father would take his head. It was another moment where the Winterfell of her memories didn't line up with reality. Arya always thought of Theon like another brother, but it wasn't like that for him.
Sansa accepted her hug from Jon while Theon shook Jon's hand. Meera and Bran came out to join them. Meera was starting to show a little, and by the time they got back from the Iron Isles, she was going to look properly pregnant. It was a strange thing to think about but hugged them both tightly. Nymeria seemed torn in wanting to come with them until they got to the port and to stay as close to Meera as possible. Arya knelt down in front of her wolf and scratched her behind the ears.
"Gendry, Sansa, Theon, and I will be fine. I need you to stay here and look after Jon, Bran, Meera, and the pup, okay?" Arya asked. Nymeria blinked her golden eyes once and then turned around to sit back at Meera's side. Arya smiled and climbed back onto her horse.
"Nymeria isn't coming?" Gendry asked as he secured his hammer and climbed on his horse. "Does that mean we're going to have to hunt for our food and keep ourselves warm?"
"It'll be like traveling when we were kids," Arya said with a smirk. Gendry rolled his eyes as the guards that were escorting them to the port climbed on their horses. Sansa helped Theon get into the carriage and climbed in herself, and they began to walk out of Winterfell. Arya was excited to travel and see the world again, even if this was about as close to official business as they were going to get. She just hoped that nothing was going to happen on the Iron Isles that was going to make Sansa have to choose between Theon and Winterfell. Arya didn't think Theon would ever ask her to make that choice, but once they were on the islands, it was a little harder to say "no" to people.
Sansa settled in the carriage next to Theon and sighed happily when he put an arm around her shoulders. When the carriage door closed, Theon took her hand into his, pressed a kiss to her palm, and put the ring that Gendry made her on her finger. It was adorable and romantic and the exact opposite of what her engagement actually was. When Sansa thought about what her engagement was, basically a fight and two people not communicating properly in front of the entire Great Hall, she blushed. Now she couldn't be happier to finally have the man she loved in her arms and know that he was going to stay there.
The ride of Winter Town was short, but Sansa still wanted to get out and see the people a little. She hadn't left Winterfell much since the battle against the dead, and she was eager to see the people that she was serving. So when they stopped, Sansa eagerly climbed out of the carriage and offered a hand to Theon to help him out as well.
"I'm the one that's supposed to be helping you," Theon said as he used his cane to steady himself. Theon could walk well but usually carried a cane in case he stepped strange or lost his balance. He offered Sansa an arm, and they began to walk through the streets of Winter Town as Arya, Gendry, and their guards began to gather supplies. Out of the corner of her eye, Sansa could see two guards from Winterfell walking behind them, but they stayed a few steps back. Sansa smiled as she greeted people, and they smiled at her, but there was something strange about the way they were acting. Sansa knew what people playing to nobility looked like, and this was it.
She wished she knew someone well enough in town that she could ask them what was going on, but anyone that Sansa knew wasn't here right now. So they strolled past the tavern, and she could hear some men snickering. Sansa froze and glanced at the gentleman.
"Good sers, may I help you with something?" she asked. Theon was radiating tension at her side, and she knew that this was going to be a lot on him. He didn't like crowds, and he disliked crowds of unfamiliar people even more.
"We heard the announcement of your betrothal, Princess Sansa, we were just wondering why you lowered yourself to be with a traitor like Theon Greyjoy," one man said, and he spat on the ground.
"I beg your pardon," Sansa said, her voice low and dangerous, but the men didn't seem to realize that they were dealing with the Red Wolf right now.
"Rumor is there isn't anything between his legs," another man said, and they all began to laugh to themselves. "Our princess can do better than you, you fucking traitor, and the North will never accept you." Sansa clenched her fists and was about to say something about how Theon was a hero who fought to keep all of them alive in the battle against the dead, but Theon touched her hand.
"Let's go," he whispered, and Theon sounded so broken at that moment that Sansa just wanted to get him away from all of this. She glared at the men who seemed to realize that they had very much stepped over the line and helped Theon back to the carriage. He was leaning on his cane more than usual and climbed into the carriage without a word. Gendry was standing nearby, and if there were anyone she could talk about this, it would be him.
"Some men just said such horrible things about Theon," Sansa said, and she realized that she was so angry that she was shaking. "How could they say such things? Don't they know that he helped save Bran and Meera's lives during the battle against the dead? Doesn't that mean anything?"
"I helped make every single weapon we used to win that fight against the dead, and they still hate me too," Gendry said as he looked at the carriage. "Sansa, they aren't going to just accept your marriage to him just like they aren't going to just accept mine and Arya's. You're going to have to deal with a lot of people saying a lot of terrible things for possibly the rest of your lives."
"He deserves better," Sansa whispered as the anger began to fade from her and left her with a strong sense of weariness. "You both do."
"He chose you just like I chose Arya. We knew what we were getting into when we decided to stay with the She-Wolves of the North," Gendry said with a shrug. Sansa didn't really like that answer, but there wasn't anything she could do about it right now. So she wordlessly climbed into the carriage and took Theon into her arms. He was shaking, and she let him shake until they left Winter Town behind them and set off for the coast. Eventually, Theon shifted and put his head down in her lap. Sansa stared out at the window as she ran her fingers through his hair and tried not to think about the look on Theon's face when those men made their comments.
It was going to take them almost ten days to ride to the coast to get a boat, and Sansa could see that Theon wasn't handling it well. After the incident in Winter Town, he refused to leave the carriage when they would pass through small towns; he wouldn't interact with people at all. He was withdrawing again, Sansa could see it, and she didn't know how to fix it. She took his hand into hers and held on tightly as Sansa tried to tell him without words that she was here for him. She didn't care what these people said because he was the one she wanted to be with. She caught Gendry's eye a few times, and he looked like he understood what was going on all too well.
Sansa didn't think about what it meant that Arya and Gendry were together often and what that meant for their lives. She remembered telling Arya how lucky she was to marry a man for love and that she was stupid to try and throw that away. She remembered how to this day Gendry would try and make himself invisible whenever possible, and unless she told him to, he wouldn't come and see any of the Lords from other houses. She remembered talking to him about the rumors with Arya and how quickly he accepted the burden because they both knew, on some level, that people already hated him and that it couldn't get much worse. Sansa supposed she didn't think about the fact that her own relationship could be seen in a similar light.
They were about halfway to the coast when suddenly Sansa heard yelling. She looked out the window of the carriage, and she could see the guards running around. Arya was yelling at people to get their weapons ready, and Sansa could feel Theon tense up next to her. Sansa had a dagger hidden in a slit in her dress, and Theon had a crossbow in the carriage with them.
"Get down," Theon said, and they both crouched down from the window to hide. It was difficult for Theon to move, but he managed to put himself between the door of the carriage and Sansa. His hands were steady as he knocked the arrow and pointed it at the door. She could hear fighting outside, and Sansa prayed that she wasn't going to lose Arya or Gendry. She didn't know if one of them could survive without the other, and she didn't want to bury anymore family. The door opened, and a man that looked like a bandit was standing there. Theon fired and hit the man in the neck. He stumbled back in a spray of blood, and she thought he would close the door.
Instead, Theon managed to climb out of the carriage despite Sansa grabbing his arm to try and stop him. Theon could fight, Sansa knew this, but this was different. She wanted him safe, and the look in his eye right now worried her. He looked like a man about to throw himself on his sword. She scrambled out of the carriage and tried to take Theon by the arm, but he pushed her away and fired his crossbow at another bandit. He didn't have a lot of arrows, and before long, they were all gone. Another bandit approached them, grinning with a sword in his hand, and Theon took a step forward like he was going to fight the man without a weapon. Sansa knew, at this moment, that she was going to lose him.
A knife appeared in the bandit's chest out of nowhere, and they both turned to see Arya staring at them.
"Get back in the carriage, both of you, now," she said, and it was a harsh reminder of just how deadly her little sister was. Theon blinked, and Sansa was able to drag him back to the carriage. It looked like most of the bandits were dead, but they stayed low on the ground, and Sansa used his cane to lock the door.
"What were you thinking?" she snapped. "I know you want to protect me, but this wasn't the time or the place. Were you going to try and fight that man without a weapon? Get yourself killed?"
"I just want to be someone worthy of you," Theon replied, and he winced like he knew that was a wrong answer. Sansa threw her arms around him and held on tight.
"I don't care what anyone says. You're the one I want and the one I choose, and no one is going to change that," she whispered. "You're worthy of me the same way I'm worthy of you. Please, don't make me bury someone else I love." It took far too long for Theon to hug her back, but when he did, it felt like he was holding onto her like a lifeline. Sansa closed her eyes and buried her face in his neck as she tried to rid the image of that bandit from her mind. They were still holding each other when Gendry knocked on the door of the carriage and told them that it was safe to come out.
