Gendry couldn't believe what was happening. He was struggling against two of the Unsullied that were dragging him away from the main hall. The last thing he saw was Arya looking like she was about to fall apart entirely, and as soon as he vanished from her sight, she screamed in such anguish Gendry just wanted to run to her. These men wouldn't let him, and he'd been found guilty of a crime. He was so conflicted at this moment. He was angry at Arya for trying to get trial by combat even when he told her not to. Gendry was furious at Daenerys for doing this, and he wished he could have five minutes to talk to his cousin so he could figure out what the fuck was going on. He wasn't given any of that as the two guards pulled him into a guest room on the other side of the Red Keep. They released his arms, and Gendry turned to make a run for it, but they both glared at him. They looked just as conflicted as he did, they seemed to know who he was, and they were begging him not to do anything stupid.
Gendry knew he had his father's temper sometimes, but he always did his best to keep it from getting the better of him. Right now, he was barely keeping himself under control and forced himself not to attack two guards who were just following orders even though that was exactly what he wanted to do. He nodded to them, and they both left. Gendry heard the lock turn on his door, and both of the men stayed there to guard it.
He collapsed into a chair and buried his face in his hands. Gendry didn't think the things he made for people could be seen as someone trying to gain influence. He just liked making things; he liked the detail that went into a weapon or a crown or a piece of jewelry. Gendry didn't think of these things as gifts, but as commissions that people asked of him, that was no different from the weapons and armor he built as a child. Gendry knew he should have charged people for these things, but all of the people he was making things for were allies and friends and family. He made the jewelry for Ellaria simply because he could, and he wanted to. The designs were something amazing that he hadn't seen before, and he just wanted a chance to try and make them for fun. They weren't bribes, they weren't him trying to get influence, Gendry didn't know how to play the game, and he didn't want to, but that was the problem. He didn't know so he didn't think.
Sometimes, Gendry forgot that while he felt like a nobody often, that didn't mean he was one. He was a knight and married into one of the most powerful Great Houses in Westeros. His wife is a princess, and he was powerful even if he didn't feel powerful. Gendry remembered hating nobles that would use their power to hurt the smallfolk; he remembered hating royalty that would run around and do whatever they wanted without even thinking of the consequences. Now Gendry hated himself because he'd become one of those nobles. He and Arya ran around thinking they could do whatever they wanted because the men they were killing were bad, but that wasn't their decision to make. They didn't think of what they were doing when they decided to hunt down the bandits and get justice because that's what it felt like to them; justice.
Westeros wasn't at war anymore, and they weren't Wolf and Bull. They were a knight and a princess going around killing people without trial, which was something a younger version of himself would have spat on the ground for. Somewhere along the line, he became the thing he used to rage at as a young man, and Gendry didn't know when it happened.
There was a soft knock at the door, and it opened to reveal Edric, Bella, and Mya. They were both pale, and they paused when they looked at him. They were hesitating, and Gendry didn't trust this.
"Did you know about this?" he asked.
"No," Edric said immediately. "We heard about the bandits getting killed in the Westerlands, but we didn't know it had anything to do with you, and we didn't know Daenerys was going to do this. I swear to you, on my mother's life, we had no knowledge of this." Gendry stared at his brother and sisters, and then the four of them were holding each other tightly. He was so glad to feel them in his arms, and the comfort they brought was almost immediate.
"I'm so sorry," Mya whispered as they all pulled away. Gendry nodded and pulled himself together as he looked at the two of them.
"It's fine. I'll just go North as soon as all of this is over. Yara likes me well enough, and she'll make sure that I get back to the North safely," Gendry said.
"Gendry, you can't do that," Mya said carefully. "You are ordered by royal decree to stay in Storm's End."
"And if you think I'm leaving my wife, you're out of your mind," Gendry snapped, and Edric flinched.
"Gendry, we haven't told you about this because we didn't know who might be listening, but our rule at Storm's End isn't secure," Edric explained. "There are a few Lesser Houses that wanted to be the ones to take over as the Lord of Storm's End and really don't like that the three of us are bastards. There have been some threats, and they are looking for an excuse to overthrow us. If you leave, you'll undermine me and Mya and Bella to those bannermen, and they might take it all away from us."
"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Gendry asked.
"You had your own things to deal with," Bella said as she pressed her lips together. "Even if you left and we had nothing to do with it, they would still blame us. They would still say that we were the ones that let you out even if we didn't."
"If they decide to rebel and overthrow us, they could come for our heads," Mya whispered. "And many people could die. There could be a civil war in the Stormlands, and we can't put the smallfolk and our soldiers at risk for one man, Gendry, even if that man is you. So you can't leave, you can't run back to the North, because the second you do things will get much worse for us."
Gendry opened his mouth to tell them to banish him, he would go to Essos and the Free Cities if that's what it took, but there was no telling if that would solve the problem too. Then there was the idea of never seeing the people he considered family again. He thought about how he might never see Edric or Mya or Bella again, and the four of them just found each other. Gendry thought about the North and little Jojana and how much Bran and Meera and Sansa and Theon and Jon and even Val meant to him. If he was banished, he would never see them again too. Gendry sat back down in the chair as the reality of the situation crashed down on him because he couldn't risk a civil war in the Stormlands for himself. He was not a selfish noble who would make the smallfolk bleed for his own needs. He was not a selfish man that would put the lives and well-being of his siblings above his own.
But by the gods, Gendry wished he was a selfish man.
Mya knelt down and looked at him as she took his hands into her own.
"We are going to figure out a way to fix this so you and Arya can be together again, I know we will, but I need you to trust us for a little while until that happens," Mya whispered. "Please, don't do anything rash, I want to lose any of you, and I fear that I would if you tried to leave. Promise me, little brother, promise me that you'll try and let us figure out another way before you do something rash. Promise me." Gendry looked at her and then at Bella and Edric, who were also looking at him with the same pleading expression. He couldn't say no to them, he couldn't even dream of it, and he sighed.
"Do you think they'll let me say goodbye?" Gendry whispered.
"Daenerys is making it sound like you won't," Bella said, but Mya squeezed his hands. She didn't say anything, but she did nod. Gendry watched as she stood up and walked out of the room with her head held high. If anyone could figure out a way to let him say goodbye to Arya for who knows how long it would be her. Bella walked over and wrapped her arms around him. Gendry didn't cry often, but he let himself sob into Bella's fancy dress, and she let him cover her in his tears and everything else.
By the gods did Gendry wish he was a selfish man.
Arya didn't stop fighting the entire time back to her room, and she had exhausted herself by the time the Unsullied dropped her off. Jon and Val both walked into the room as soon, and as soon as they were alone, Jon pulled her into a tight hug. He was whispering kind words to her, but Arya didn't care. She wanted to get out of this room and out of this city with Gendry as fast as possible. Maybe if they ran, no one would be able to catch them.
"I have to go get him," Arya said as she pulled away from Jon.
"Arya, it's not that simple," Jon said as she rubbed her arms. "We have to leave tomorrow. If you stay in the south any longer, it could be seen as an act of war. We need to go home, and we need to figure out another way to fix this."
"No, no, I refuse to accept this. That trial was bullshit Jon, and you know it. Dany barely let us defend ourselves, and you know Gendry, and I wouldn't hurt anyone unless they deserved it," Arya said.
"And who gets to decide who deserves what?" Jon asked her quietly, and Arya felt all of her arguments leave her head because he was right. Even before they signed the treaty, she didn't have a right to decide who would live and die. She wanted to protect people, but she wasn't no one anymore, she wasn't Wolf anymore, she was Princess Arya Stark and claiming her name came with consequences. "The bandits in the Riverlands, why did you go and kill them?"
"They killed people in the North," Arya whispered.
"Did they?" Val asked, "I was told no one on your trip to the Iron Isles was killed, and we didn't receive any summons to deal with bandits in the months before Jon, and I got married. I looked to see if there was anything we needed to deal with, and the bandits you and Gendry killed were not reported to have hurt a single person in the North." Val crossed her arms across the chest and looked away from her. "I understand wanting to keep people safe more than you could ever understand, so allow me to put it this way; when the Free Folk were captured on the other side of the Wall, were they punished under the laws of the North?"
"Yes," Arya replied, and she closed her eyes. She knew that what her and Gendry did wasn't right, but it wasn't wrong either. She just couldn't imagine living in a world without him, and the thought that she would have to leave him in the south broke her heart. "We could break him out of Storm's End and bring him North. No one can touch us if we go North."
"How do you think that would make me look as King?" Jon asked, and Arya opened her eyes. Her brother looked heartbroken, but he also looked so much like her father at that moment that it took her breath away. This was Jon Stark putting the needs of everyone in front of the needs of her, and that was something she knew he never wanted to do. "Do you think I can let what is essentially a fugitive into the North and not suffer consequences? Do you think I can let you go and break him out without it being seen as an act of war? Arya, I don't see a way out of this, not right now. We need to get back to the North, where it's safer. Once we're there, we can think of something else to do."
"Why didn't Daenerys protect us? Aren't we family?" Arya asked, and Jon shook his head.
"I don't know, and once we're safe in the North, I plan on asking her, but right now, my priority is you. We don't want to worry about what happens if we stay. It could end badly for all of us, and the last thing we want is a war. We can't go to war again, Arya, we can't. We need to maintain the peace for the sake of everyone in Westeros," he said. Arya pulled away from her brother and hugged herself because he was right. She couldn't risk a war between the south and the North for her own desires and for one man even if he meant the world to her. How could she claim to want the best for the smallfolk if she was so willing to put them at risk? They were the ones that would suffer if another war happened, and she didn't want that. Arya had seen enough bloodshed during the last war, and she didn't want it to happen again.
"Arya," Val said, and she turned to look at her good sister. "I swear to you, as your Queen and as your family, that I will find a way to bring him back. Jon and I will work tirelessly to figure out why this happened and how we can fix it, but right now, we need to make a retreat as quickly as possible. This isn't a war, but it is a battle, and right now, we aren't able to be on the offensive, so we need to be defensive for all of our sakes."
"Do you think they'll let us say goodbye?" Arya said.
"I don't know," Jon said as he walked over and pulled her into another hug. Arya looked over her shoulder as Val nodded once and walked out of the room without another word. Arya didn't know what was going on, but she let Jon hold her. She wanted to know why this was happening, but Val was right. They needed to make for the North as fast as possible for all of their sakes.
For the rest of the day, Arya tried not to think. Missandei came by and told them that they wouldn't be able to say goodbye and then left without another word. She looked sad, conflicted even, and Jon didn't try to talk to Daenerys. Right now, they needed to be home with Sansa and the rest of the family to figure out what they were going to do next. Val returned a little while later, and she spoke quietly to Jon. They began to pack up their things, and Arya realized how many of Gendry's things were in the room. There were Tohbo Mott's tools, his hammer, his clothing, and Arya was fairly sure that Gendry would get the opportunity to keep it, but she wasn't sure.
It was late, and it seemed that Jon and Val were staying with her tonight. The bed was massive, and there was enough room for the three of them to share with plenty of distance between them. A few servants came by and dropped off extra bedding and all of Jon and Val's things as the sun went down. Arya wanted to go to sleep so she wouldn't have to think about this when there was a knock on the door. Val got up and opened the door to reveal Mya and Gendry. Jon looked surprised to see them, and Arya realized that this must have been something that Val and Mya planned.
"We can't give you long," Mya said. Jon looked like he wanted to object, but Val took him by the arm and pulled him out of the room, and when the door closed, it was just the two of them. Arya wasn't sure if this was going to make things worse or better, but she ran over and jumped into Gendry's arms, and they just held each other like a lifeline.
"I thought about running," he whispered into her hair. "I thought about running North or to the Free Cities."
"I know, I did too," Arya replied as she pulled away to look him in the eye. The last time she felt like this, it was before the Long Night and how she thought she might lose him. Now she was losing on him, on some level, and it hurt worse than any stab wound Arya had ever received. "The ramifications though-"
"I know," Gendry said as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers, and they stayed close, breathing each other in. "I promise you; I will find a way to get back to you. I won't stop looking, not ever, not until the end of my days."
"I promise I won't stop fighting for you," Arya replied. "I promise I will find a way for us to be together because we didn't fight so long and so hard not to be together until the end of our days. We didn't go through hell only to get torn apart by this. I am yours."
"And you are mine," Gendry whispered, and he closed the distance between them. Arya poured everything she could into that kiss. She didn't want Gendry to think for even a second that she didn't love him, that he wasn't one of the most important people to her, that she would do just about anything to keep him.
"I'll find a way to get you your things from the North," Arya said, but Gendry shook his head.
"I want you to look after my things and the Valyrian Steel. You're the only one I would trust with it, and it's a reminder that I have to come home to get it someday. I need to figure out how to reforge it, and I want to figure it out with you by my side," he said. She pulled him into another hug and held on tightly. Arya didn't want to cry because it felt like weakness, but the tears were forming in her eyes even as she tried to fight them. She could feel Gendry's tears on her neck, and something about her strong husband silently weeping in her arms broke something in her.
There was a knock on the door, and Arya hated Mya, Val, and Jon for ruining this moment because the second Gendry walked through that door, she didn't know when she would see him again. She didn't know if she would ever see him again, and Arya dug her nails into his shoulders as if she could fight off the inevitable.
"Gendry," Mya said softly. "Please, we have to go, you know why we have to go."
"I know," Gendry whispered as he pulled away from Arya and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead. She watched as Gendry gave Jon a tight hug and whispered a few things to him, and he also hugged Val as he thanked her for giving them this. Arya looked at Mya, who was clearly doing her best to remain a rock. She gathered Gendry's things and handed them to Mya.
"Look after him for me," Arya said.
"With my life," Mya replied without hesitation. It broke something deep within her to see Gendry start to walk through that door, and every instinct in her body told Arya to run to him, to fight with everything she had, but she held back. She held back because the other options included leaving her family forever and dooming Westeros to another war. Gendry turned and looked at her.
"I love you," he said, and Arya could feel how much he meant those words, and she knew, deep down in her soul, that no one else would ever compare to this man. No one else would ever make her feel the way he did, and that was worth fighting and hanging on for.
"I love you too," Arya replied. One moment he was there, standing in the door, looking at her with red-rimmed blue eyes, and the next he was gone. That night, Arya slept wrapped in Jon's arms like she was a little girl with Val rubbing her back, and they didn't say a word when she kept the three up most of the night with her tears.
