The day was the wedding, it was warm, and the air was sticky, but Arya didn't mind. The rest of the Houses were arriving, and they needed to be up early to see everyone. Arya and Gendry managed to climb out of bed and get dressed in their nice clothes. They didn't have a lot of options when it came to clothes that wouldn't be too warm in the south, but Sansa helped them modify everything that they wore to Bran and Meera's wedding, which wasn't anything that anyone at this wedding would see. Apparently, it was bad if they wore the same thing to multiple weddings, according to Sansa, at least. Arya took Gendry's hand, and they walked downstairs just as Edmure and Roslin were arriving. They got tight tugs while Edmure mentioned that he enjoyed this new normal of seeing his family often.
Robin arrived not long after, and while he smiled and was polite enough, Arya knew that he didn't like Gendry, and he liked Val even less. However, he was smart enough to keep those opinions to himself, which was all that Arya cared about at this moment. Robin might be her cousin, but she felt closer to the Baratheon's than she did to her own blood. Said Baratheon's arrived in a flurry of black and gold, and Arya smiled as Gendry took all three of his siblings into his arms. Edric looked good, and he was holding himself like a proper Lord. Mya smiled fondly at all of them, but her tight hug gave away just how much they missed them. Bella grinned and also said how much she loved being around all of them more than once every couple of months.
Ellaria appeared, and Arya could see her wearing the jewelry that Gendry made for her proud. It was rather beautiful, and Gendry was truly a master when it came to making things that took people's breath away. Lord Varys was around, but Arya did her best to avoid the Grand Maester of the castle since he often looked at her like he didn't trust her. He seemed on edge as well, even more so than he did when they were at war, and they made Arya nervous.
"You don't like the city," Gendry said as they walked through the gardens together. It was full of so many nobles, and house's that she hadn't ever heard of and all of it was too much. She didn't like the idea of being around so many people that she didn't know.
"I don't like nobles," Arya corrected, and Gendry chuckled.
"That sounds like something younger me would say," he said. "And why exactly do you not like nobles these days? There is plenty to dislike. I know that much, but why specifically don't like you like them on what's supposed to be a happy day?"
"Nobles are always looking for more power, and weddings like this are a perfect opportunity to try and get more. That is what these people want, power, and we all know what powers do," Arya said, and then she paused because maybe that wasn't as true as she thought. Daenerys had power, the ultimate power of being Queen and her dragons, but she didn't use it for bad. She didn't hurt people just because she could, and she tried to take King's Landing with as little bloodshed as possible. Arya could see Jon and Val walking together, and she thought about their power and how they were using it for good. There were Lesser House's here that wanted more power, she was sure of that, but the liege lords were not the one's looking to gain more than they already had.
"Arya, Gendry," Yara said as she walked up to them with a smile and her crown shining in the sunlight. "Allow me to take a guess; my brother and future good sister decided to stay in the North."
"Good guess," Gendry said. "Sansa said that if the King and Queen are going to leave Winterfell, then the hand to the King must stay behind, and Theon goes where Sansa goes."
"I can only assume the new little Stark stayed as well," Yara said, and Arya nodded. "As well, I'll have to make my excuses to come and see the new babe when I have a chance." Yara grinned and wandered off. There were so many people around the gardens right now, but all she could think about was how not that long ago, people would be fighting for a chance to be here.
She thought about Baelish and how he was almost able to take the Vale from Robin and how close they were to losing Edmure and the Riverlands. She thought about the Lannisport Lannister, who now controlled Casterly Rock and how they were looking at everyone like they weren't sure if they were supposed to be here. She thought about how Edric went everywhere with Bella and Mya on either side of him, and the three of them were not to be trifled with.
Nobles wanted power, and she could see it in the way some of these people were walking around. Arya didn't like it, and she wished they could leave as soon as possible.
Daenerys was getting married by the Faith of Seven in a rebuilt Great Sept of Balor, and it was the last place Arya wanted to be. It reminded her of the day she lost her father, but Arya held onto Gendry and let him guide her into the building. The ceremony was going to be long, and she didn't have any love for marriage ceremonies in this faith, she thought the Northern ceremonies were much more straightforward, but Arya understood why this needed to happen this way. Daenerys walked into the Sept with Jon on her arm. She asked him to be the one to bring her to Quentyn, and he agreed as her nephew. Arya wasn't much for dresses, but Daenerys' dress was gorgeous. It was a pure white dress with wide open sleeves, but it was the designs that made it even more beautiful. Someone had stitched black and red dragons on the dress, and they seemed to be climbing up her body.
Daenerys was not becoming a Martell, but the other way around and Quentyn allowed himself to be cloaked, which was amazing to see. Arya tried to remind herself constantly that so many things were changing in Westeros. There was a Queen now who was bringing a man into her family, and it made her happy to see it. Arya looked around and could see all of the nobles watching the wedding happen with wide eyes. They all seemed to know the same thing Arya did; the moment the septon declared that Daenerys and Quentyn were married, there would be real peace throughout Westeros. It didn't seem like something that could ever happen. Arya felt like her entire life was defined by war, and now that Danaerys had secured her rule with a marriage now, they were truly at peace.
Arya watched as Daenerys and Quentyn said their vows, and she hoped for a good marriage between them. History did not look kindly on a Targaryen marrying a Martell, and Arya hoped that this would be different. It was Robert causing so much strife in his marriage that made Cersei lash out the way she did. If the two of them were happy, then maybe things wouldn't have ended the way they did. Arya tried not to think about it too much; if those things hadn't occurred, she would never have met Gendry, and she didn't like to think about a life without him in it.
The septon declared that Daenerys and Quentyn were married, and it was like everyone had spent the last several months since the battle of King's Landing holding their breath, and they could breathe again. The Queen had a King, Dorne would not be rebelling, the Six Kingdoms were safely united with strong alliances tying them to the seventh and the eighth. Perhaps there could finally be peace, and Arya hoped for that future. Quentyn knelt down as Daenerys placed a crown on his head, and Arya tried not to laugh about the way that Gendry was trying to get a good look at it because it was one the rare crowns on royalty in Westeros not made by his hand.
Everyone made their way back to the Red Keep for a feast, and Arya threaded her fingers through Gendry's as they walked. He looked down at her and smiled gently.
"That went on forever," he said, and Arya barked out a laugh. "It's so much simpler in the North. Now I know I made the right decision converting to the Old Gods."
"You never believed in the Seven," Arya said.
"That's not even close to the point," Gendry replied, and Arya loved him so much. They got to the feast just as everyone was beginning to settle down for food. Quentyn and Daenerys walked in, hand in hand, and declared that the feast was to begin. From there, it was a night of drinking and eating too much food and dancing. Arya got a good laugh every single time a bumbling lord or knight would come over and try to ask Mya or Bella for a dance, and they would just raise a perfect eyebrow and gestured for him to move along.
Arya laughed and at some point in the night Daenerys and Quentyn left to spend their wedding night together and it was all lovely. She still didn't feel entirely safe but this was all good enough for her.
Daenerys had a lot of opinions on weddings. Her first one was a traumatic event that she tried not to linger on too often. While she eventually found love and happiness with Drogo that didn't take away from how bad those first few times together were. That didn't take away from the fact that she was told into a marriage that she didn't want. Daenerys knew that she had agency now even if that agency came from what was a smart match. She knew that she would have to marry for an alliance and she knew that Dorne was the place that she would have to align with. The other five kingdoms were loyal while the North and the Iron Isles were independent but Dorne was another question. Ellaria had influence but the woman that went into the Black Cells was not the same woman that came out. They needed a marriage alliance to keep Dorne aligned with the rest of the kingdoms and Quentyn was really the only choice she had.
However, Daenerys was pleased to find out that while he was extremely cocky he was also a rather sweet man that looked at her like she was of the gods. It reminded her of the way Drogo sometimes looked at her once they fell in love and the way that Jorah would look at her. Those were the men in her life that she loved and the ones that she knew loved her. Quentyn also wanted peace between the rest of Westeros and Dorne but he also understood that a Taragaren and a Martell getting married again would just make people say that history was repeating itself but she had no intention of that happening. There was something that she needed to know right away and she asked him the first time they sat alone together.
"I need you to understand that I am the Queen," Daenerys said. "You'll be the King and I would like a partner to help me but come the end of the day I am the one that is ruling this world and not you. Not a lot of men would be happy about that dynamic and I need to know that you will be before we even entertain this idea."
"I'm not most men," Quentyn said with a shrug. "I understand my place in this the way Elia did all of those years ago. We are getting married to maintain peace and if my place is by the side of a stunning woman to help maintain peace then I accept my place."
"Many years ago I was told that I would not be able to have children," Daenerys said carefully. "I've also laid with other men and I haven't gotten pregnant."
"We'll have to try and see what happens for the sake of Westeros. If not, you said you wanted a partner in all of those, so I'll help you figure out what to do next." Quentyn toasted her with a glass of wine and the next day they announced that they would be married. Neither of them were faithful people but getting married in the Sept was a good way to show the people of Westeros that she was trying for them. That didn't mean she kept chastity in the weeks leading up to her wedding. Daenerys saw no point in denying herself to the man that she would be married to and Quentyn, being a man of Dorne, cared about chastity even less. Daenerys knew that she was a rare royal who knew that she would be having amazing sex with her King before they said a word of their vows.
Daenerys had spent the majority of her own wedding distracted by the lovely orange robes that Quentyn was wearing and wanting to take them off. He looked at her the same way, the gorgeous dress that was made with her dragons in her colors embodied on it, like he wanted to tear it off of her. They stayed for as long as Daenerys thought they needed to stay and then raced off to bed her bedroom hand in hand.
Quentyn was a man that liked to worship her with his mouth but also let himself get pushed against the now-closed door of their room. He kissed like he was trying to consume her soul and it made Daenerys breathless in a way she hadn't been with a man in a long time. She knew about having sex in confined places with little time but the way they were both trying to get out of their opulent clothes as quickly as possible without taking their hands or lips off of each other was almost comical. They probably should have been more careful with the lovely clothes but Daenerys couldn't care less about that right now and Quentyn didn't seem to either. He trailed his hands down her sides until he got to her thighs and lifted her up. Daenerys let out a rather undignified squeak and wrapped her legs around his waist.
He carried her over to her bed, their bed, and laid her down. Daenerys knew that Quentyn was good with his mouth, and she was pleased when he began to kiss down her body. He whispered compliments into her skin, saying how beautiful she was, that he couldn't wait to taste her again, that he didn't think she could ever get enough of him. Daenerys knew that they weren't in love, not even close, but she was very much in lust with this man which was more than she could ever hope for from a political marriage. Quentyn pushed her legs apart and put his mouth on her center, and it was paradise.
Daenerys clenched the sheets in her fist as she tried to keep from crying out loud enough that the guests could hear her. Though she supposed the rest of Westeros finding out that she very much enjoyed being bedded by her husband was not exactly scandalous. If they enjoyed each other physically, that was all the more chances that he might get her pregnant for some heirs, which was all some of the Lesser Houses could talk about. She didn't mean to let her mind wander, but Quentyn brought her back to reality when he slipped two fingers into her. He did something that was probably illegal in Westeros with his tongue, and Daenerys cried out as she peaked.
She was still trembling when he crawled back up to her and kissed her. Daenerys could taste herself on his lips, on his tongue, and it made her moan against him. She pushed Quentyn, so he was lying on his back and straddled his hips. He was grinning at her as she lined herself up and slid down. Daenerys hadn't been with a man since Daario, and even though she had been with Quentyn a few times since they announced their betrothal, Daenerys loved that stretch that came when you first coupled with a man. She threw her head back and could feel Quentyn running his hands over her body, and she cried out when he pinched a nipple.
Daenerys began to move, and she felt powerful as she looked down at him. She is the Queen, and this is her King, but she is the one with the power. She is the one who will help rule, and she managed to find a man that didn't mind that. Who would spend his time drinking wine and doing the things that Queens and Ladies were supposed to do without a care in the world. Quentyn sat up and changed the angle as he threaded his fingers through her white hair. They were both approaching the edge again, and Daenerys muffled her cry against his mouth.
She was still coming down when Quentyn rolled them over again and began to move even faster. He didn't last much longer, and Daenerys could feel him peek inside of her. She needed to be on her back, so as much of him stayed inside as possible. If she could get pregnant, if the curse wasn't real, it needed to happen sooner than later. They weren't like Jon and Val, where they could wait and take their time because there is already an heir. They needed someone, and they needed someone soon.
Quentyn rolled off to the side as they both began to catch their breath. Daenerys was surprised when he leaned in and kissed her lips, her neck, her shoulder, as they lay together. It was like he couldn't stop touching her, which was something she very much appreciated.
"How was your wedding night, My Queen?" Quentyn whispered against her skin. "Was it what you wanted as the Queen of Westeros?"
"Better than I expected if we're being honest with each other," she replied, and he looked a little surprised by that. "I knew I'd have to marry for the sake of an alliance, but I didn't think I would actually enjoy coupling with my husband. It seems I got rather lucky."
"We both did in this case," Quentyn said as he ran his fingers down her arm. "Are you worried about tomorrow?"
"Of course, but it's something that needs to be done," Daenerys replied as she looked at the ceiling. She had tried to get out of tomorrow, look for another solution, but there wasn't one. She didn't have any other options. "I just hope that someday, they'll forgive me."
Arya woke up, and the first thing she realized was that she did not want to go to court. The second thing was that she probably had a bit too much wine, which was going to make court even worse. She groaned and buried her face in Gendry's neck, and he made a similar noise about not wanting to get up. They needed to, they both knew that, so Arya forced herself to get out of bed. She called a bath into the room and enjoyed soaking in the hot water with Gendry for a little while until they needed to go break their fast. They decided that eating in their room was the right idea since they would have to deal with all of the nobles for most of the day, and doing that any earlier just did not sound like an enjoyable way of spending their day.
She had a knot in her stomach that she couldn't quite get rid of though, which only got worse as court drew nearer. Gendry didn't seem to have much of an opinion on the matter, but he didn't know southern court the way she did, and he didn't know how long all of this could go on for. Arya wrote a short letter to Sansa saying that she was nervous about court and that she would do her best to take notes for her sister because Sansa was going to be furious about this happening while she wasn't there. Arya sent the letter to go to Sansa and tried to calm her nerves.
It did not work, and by the time court happened, she was a bit of a wreck. The fact that all of the Lesser Houses would be here for this conversation just made her nervous because she didn't trust those people. She trusted Edmure and Roslin, she trusted Yara, she trusted Edric and Gendry's sister's, she trusted Daenerys, she even trusted Robin. But the Lesser Houses were the ones she was worried about. They all filed into the room with the Lesser Houses sitting near their liege lords as Arya and Gendry took their spot near Jon and Val. Daenerys and Quentyn were talking softly to each other, and once the last of everyone filed in, they began.
The first and most important thing was formally signing the alliance between the Five Kingdoms, the Iron Isles, and the North. There was a temporary treaty as everyone settled into their respective rule, but now that everyone was settled, it was time to make it formal. They were all allies, the borders would remain open, the Ironborn were not to raid anyone under any circumstances, and they would all govern their own lands. Jon, Daenerys, and Yara all signed, and Arya breathed a sigh of relief. Everything else that happened in this meeting was a bit inconsequential for the North.
Arya still took notes as everyone talked about alliances and borders and trading and everything else. A few of the Lesser Houses were nervous about Drogon and how he was going to react to being in Westeros, but Daenerys assured them that she had control of her dragon. There were some petty squabbles, but nothing that seemed to be a big deal. Jon and Val were paying attention, but Arya found herself dozing off between this whole thing. She didn't like court, and she didn't have the best mind for politics. The hours kept dragging, and as the last thing was settled, Arya was more than ready to go anywhere else. She wanted to go home.
"We have one more thing that must be carried out before we can all go our separate ways," Daenerys said, and suddenly, Quentyn looked a little nervous, which made Arya pay attention. "Several of the Lesser Houses have come forward with an allegation that we must all discuss and is one of the reasons I have asked you all to stay." Daenerys paused as she looked out at all of them, and Arya felt her blood run cold when her gaze stopped on her and Gendry. "Princess Arya Stark and Ser Gendry Stark, several of the Lesser Houses of all the kingdoms under my rule, have come forward saying that you have killed their men while in my lands. How do you answer these charges?"
"What?" Arya whispered. "No, we would never hurt anyone."
"Dany, what is this?" Jon asked, but no one seemed to be listening to him.
"They found the bodies of former knights in the Stormlands and the Riverlands, and we have two witnesses that said you were the ones that killed them," Daenerys said.
"They were bandits-" Gendry started, but Daenerys held up a hand to silence him.
"You are people of the North. You have no right to bring forth justice to people under my rule," Daenerys said, and she stood a little taller. "The people that I serve as Queen have demanded a trial for these crimes, and I have decided to grant that. Tomorrow, you will both be charged with the murder of my citizens."
