Arya woke up warm, and, for half a moment, she thought everything was fine. She thought that Gendry was nearby and they were back in Winterfell and everything would be good for them. She thought she was moments away from Gendry kissing her forehead so he could go out into the forge to work while she settled down for a few more hours of sleep. The reality of the world wasn't so kind and remembered that everything was about as far from fine as possible. Arya didn't know how she was supposed to deal with this new reality that she was living in, where she had to leave Gendry in the south, and she didn't know when she was going to see him again.
Yesterday, she was upset, and she cried into Jon's shirt for most of the night while Val tried to shush her. It reminded her when she had nightmares, and she would run into her parent's bedroom, and they would hold her. Those years didn't last long, but they were good memories, and she appreciated that Jon and Val were looking out for her. She was upset yesterday, but today she woke up angry, and Arya wanted to stomp across the Red Keep and demand that Daenerys explain why the fuck she let all of this happen.
Arya took a deep breath and released it slowly. That was the kind of thing that would get all of them killed, and she needed to keep herself under control. Jon and Val were right that now was not the time to lose her temper. They needed to get out of the city and back to the North as fast as possible for their own safety. While the Lesser Houses that were calling for the trial seemed more focused on Gendry than her, that didn't mean she was safe. That didn't mean there wasn't someone waiting to put a knife in her back. At least, back in Winterfell, she could relax a little while they tried to think of a plan.
Jon and Val both woke up, and the three of them began to pack their things. A servant brought them some food, and Jon called in a Northern guard to test it to make sure it was safe, which made Arya even angrier. She didn't want to think that someone in Daenerys' home would try and hurt her, but they didn't know what the fuck was going on right now. It didn't take long to eat their food and pack the last of their things. The sun was barely up, and Jon wanted to be out of the city by the time the sun was high in the sky. They walked down the long hallways on the way to the stables, and of all people she thought she would see waiting for them, Quentyn Martell was not one of them.
"Your Graces," Quentyn said with a nod of his head. None of them replied to him as they stared and waited to see what he would do. Quentyn nodded like this is the kind of reaction that he was expecting. "Of course, I understand. I want to wish you all a safe journey back to Winterfell, and Daenerys does as well. She looks forward to speaking with you via raven very soon, King Jon."
"She didn't want to come and tell me this herself?" Jon asked.
"There is someone else she wanted to speak to as well, so she sent me," Quentyn replied, and he stood up a little taller. "I hope that when the raven comes, you'll read what's in it." Arya narrowed her eyes and wondered exactly what Quentyn was talking about. He nodded to them and walked away without another word.
"Whatever is happening, I don't expect Dany will put it in a raven for anyone to see. It's going to be a code or something sent by a courier and someone she trusts," Jon said as they made their way to the stables.
"That's going to make everything take longer," Val said, which was the last thing that Arya wanted to hear. She set her jaw and tried not to think about how Daenerys wouldn't even face them, but then she thought about her own temper and reputation and wasn't really that surprised. They were almost done tacking up the horses when two men began to approach them. Arya looked up, a hand on her sword, and saw Edmure and Robin approaching them. The Riverlands were one of the places where they were being accused, and she saw red. Before anyone could say anything, Arya marched up to Edmure, fisted his shirt in her hands, and sneered at him.
"Did you have anything to do with?" she hissed.
"Arya, you can't think-" Edmure started, but Arya nearly shook him, and she was so angry at everyone and everything that she could barely see straight.
"The deaths in the Riverlands are part of the reason we're here, so I'm going to ask you again; did you have anything to do with this?" Arya asked again.
"Your husband helped rescue Roslin and me, he gave me the sword at my hip, and both of you carried me to safety during the Long Night. How could you think I would want to harm either one of you? I owe you both my life and the lives of my wife and son more than once?" Edmure said, and he almost looked hurt by the accusation. Arya didn't know what she was supposed to do with a look like that, but she released his tunic and took a step back. She could feel Jon glaring at her, but she ignored him. There were other things to focus on.
"So neither of you knew anything about this?" Jon asked.
"Her Grace asked us to stay after the wedding for some court business, but she didn't mention anything about you or our family," Robin said, and he frowned. "I was a little surprised to hear someone say that Gendry was trying to gain political points. I'm fairly sure the man doesn't have a political bone in his body." Arya bristled against that comment and wanted to argue that Gendry was better than Robin ever would, but she held her tongue. That wasn't going to help anyone.
"It is a thing noble's do, though," Edmure said with a sigh. "Those kinds of trinkets could seem like bribes if they came from a different man. Gendry probably wanted to make the jewelry for Lady Ellaria because she asked, and he wanted to see if he could." Edmure looked at her sadly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry this is happening niece. We can hope that the sentence will be short. This is cruel, and Her Grace has never struck me as cruel."
"Even if you never see him again, at least he's still alive," Robin said as he examined his nails with a frown. "At least, for now, who knows what will happen if the Stormlands decide to have a civil war." Arya felt her blood run cold because this was the first she had heard about anything resembling political unrest in the Stormlands. Bella never told them anything while she was visiting in the North, and none of the Baratheon siblings said anything this entire weekend. Arya tried to keep herself from thinking of the worst things possible, but she couldn't, and the thought of Gendry leaving the peaceful North to go to a south that could have a civil war on their hands was too much for her to deal with.
In retrospect, it wasn't Robin's fault for saying what he said, and it was information that she needed. In fact, if she had a guess, her cousin probably thought he was being nice when he said these things. Arya wasn't in the right frame of mind to think that way at that moment. So, instead, she pulled away from Edmure and punched Robin right in the nose. He hit the ground hard, and Arya felt her knuckles scream in pain. There was the sound of guards running toward them, but Robin held up a hand.
"It's fine!" he yelled. "We're cousins, and I said something to offend the lady." The guards hesitated but didn't run forward to throw Arya in the Black Cells, which was a good thing. She stood over Robin and watched as he held a hand to his bleeding nose. Arya clenched her fists and then opened her hand to offer him help up. Robin looked at her like he didn't believe that she was about to help him, but he took the hand nevertheless.
"Arya, for fucks sake," Jon muttered.
"If anyone asks, just say you got it from a great warrior," Edmure said. "It wouldn't be a lie."
"Isn't that the truth," Robin muttered as he touched his tender nose though the bleeding seemed to have stopped. Arya was a little glad she hadn't broken it; Robin was a bit of a ponce and snotty, but he wasn't a bad person. "I thought you knew about the unrest in the Stormlands. Lady Bella was just in Winterfell; I assumed she must have told you."
"She didn't," Arya deadpanned. "So, how do you know?"
"Mya keeps in touch with Lord Royce about the state of Vale, and he tells me things," Robin said with a shrug. "She was looking for advice, and Lord Royce was able to give it to her. She is one of my people, initially, if you remember correctly."
"I'm sorry for punching you," Arya said quickly, and Robin waved her off.
"We should go," Val said. "That little display is going to get attention, and we need to get out of the city."
"Travel safe," Edmure said as he and Robin took a step back. There was blood on Robin's sky blue clothing but didn't seem that mad about it. Maybe there was more steel in her cousin's spine than she initially thought. These two men were family regardless of everything, and they could be key allies in getting Gendry back someday.
"I'll send ravens as soon as I can," Jon said. They were all on their horses and began riding out of the city. Arya glanced over her shoulder at the Red Keep as they got to the gates, and it felt like someone was slowly pushing a dull knife into her chest. She had to focus; she wasn't going to get Gendry back like this. Arya turned her back on King's Landing and began to ride North to safety, silently pledging to be back to take her husband home.
Mya was the one who arranged him getting the chance to say goodbye to Arya, but it was Bella and Edric that made sure the guards didn't suspect anything. They were waiting in his room when they got back, and Gendry just sort of fell into their arms. He didn't know his siblings that well, but he trusted them enough to know that they had his best interests in mind. So when they all piled into the giant bed in the room together, Gendry thought it was a little weird until he realized that this is something that siblings did when they looked out for each other. Arya would tell him stories about how she used to do the same thing with Jon when she was younger. So he didn't fight when they all stayed in his room as his sisters bracketed him on both sides, and Edric put himself between all of them and the door.
The next morning the three of them had various errands around the city that needed to be run so they could leave later in the afternoon. Gendry didn't think he was permitted to leave the castle, and he didn't really want to test it to see if he could. Instead, he woke up at dawn and sat in front of the window. He looked outside and began to work on perfecting Mott's old tools so he could bring them with him to Storm's End. He needed something to do with his hands, or Gendry was going to go out of his damn mind. It felt like someone punched him in the gut when he watched the Stark's leave King's Landing, and he knew Arya was among them. He wondered if she could feel him watching her, and he wishes this wasn't happening.
The Stark's were just leaving the city when there was a knock on the door. Gendry thought about grabbing his hammer, but whoever it was, it didn't matter. Even if he managed to get away from the city, Gendry knew that he had to go with his siblings to Storm's End and act like he was going to accept this punishment without fighting.
"Come in," Gendry called out, and whoever he was expecting it to be at his door, it was not Daenerys. She was dressed down in a black dress with red dragons on it, and her hair was in a simple braid for her. She was overly pale, maybe even a little sickly looking, and there were dark circles under his eyes. Gendry was on his feet in a second, but he had no idea what he was going to do. He couldn't attack the Queen of the Six Kingdoms in her own palace and not expect anyone he ever loved to die as a consequence. "What are you doing here?" he demanded because just because he wasn't going to hurt her didn't mean he had to be nice.
"I needed to see you," Daenerys said as she took a seat at his table. "Please, sit down, let me explain what happened so you can understand why I had to make the ruling I made." Gendry eyed her and didn't say anything, nor did he move. "Please, Gendry, I'm not asking you to forgive me, but you need to understand what happened for your own sake." That was probably true, and he set the tools aside so he could sit down at the table with her.
"That trial was bullshit," Gendry said.
"Yes, it was," Daenerys replied.
"You're the Queen; you should have done something about it. I'm your kin as you so like to remind me, so why didn't you act like it?" Gendry snapped, and Daenerys pressed her lips together as she took a deep breath and released it slowly.
"I made the ruling I made because I couldn't see another way to ensure that you lived," she explained. "Have your siblings told you about the unrest in the Stormlands?"
"They told me that me escaping to the North could lead to a rebellion of some of the Lesser Houses, but that was about it."
"Yes, and that is true. Several houses in the Stormlands blame Robert and, by extension, his kin for everything terrible that has happened in Westeros for the last several decades. They believe that bastards shouldn't be in the seat at Storm's End regardless of how well your sister and Edric are doing. These Houses are just looking for any and all excuses to turn on your siblings. I was offering what support I could, and I made sure that everyone knew that they were the ones I chose to put in Storm's End, but it didn't seem to make a difference. Those Lesser Houses still look at your siblings as upstart bastards reaching far beyond their scopes."
"That's not good, and I wish my siblings would have told me about it, but I don't see what that has to do with what happened to me," Gendry said.
"I know, and I'm afraid this is complicated, so bear with me," Daenerys replied. "When I received word of the deaths, I also got word from over a dozen of the Lesser Houses from all over Westeros. They accused the Stark's and you of overreaching your power and that Jon was trying to find a way to take back his abdication from the throne. They said that the North is coming to conquer all of Westeros and that we needed to tell them that we wouldn't be conquered. They said that you, in particular, were a traitor turning against your own people to try and conquer the south."
"That is insane," Gendry said after a beat of silence where he couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was utterly insane.
"I know, and I agree, but that didn't stop all of these Lesser Houses from threatening to rebel. They said that if I wouldn't fight back and put the North back in its rightful place, then they would find a King or Queen that would. That threatened to throw the entire country back into war if I didn't teach the North a lesson, and you and Arya were easy targets," Daenerys explained.
"Because we had overstepped by killing the bandits," he said as several things began to make a little more sense.
"Yes, you have, and I know you both know that. I thought that banishing you both to the North would be enough to appease the Houses, but you saw the way they reacted."
"And I'm the upstart bastard knight while Arya is a princess. They see me as a traitor at best and part of the catalyst that brought the downfall of the Stormlands at worst. If they were going to kill anyone, it was going to be me because I'm the disposable one."
"And you're my kin," Daenerys said, and she sighed heavily. "This was all before Quentyn, and I got married, so perhaps once my rule is more secure, I can show everyone that I am not a Queen to be bullied, but if I turned them down, they could accuse me of favoritism like they did during the trial. You and Arya have a lot of allies in a lot of powerful places, and that was being used against you. So, Gendry, you have to try to understand that if I didn't punish you and Arya I would have had another war on my hands and it would have only been a matter of time before they turned their eyes on the North."
"Mya, Edric, and Bella said the same thing when I mentioned just running to the Free Cities or sneaking up to the North. It would cause deaths of innocent people, and as someone who says that I want the best for the smallfolk, I can't exactly argue with that," Gendry said, and he rested his face in his hands. All of this came down to war; there would be a civil war if he left the Stormlands, there would be a war if Arya left the North, there would be a war if Daenerys didn't punish them accordingly. "We just finished a war, why is everyone so eager to have another one?"
"If we knew the answer to that, we wouldn't ever have another war," Daenerys said sadly. "The trial was bullshit, I completely agree with you, and it shouldn't have happened. I did everything I could to try and convince them not to do it, but I couldn't. Nothing I said and nothing I did would appease them, and I couldn't risk another war with my reign so fragile. I may be a Taragayn, but that doesn't mean I want everything to end in fire and blood. If I didn't punish you for the death of my people, that could cause more Houses to rebel against me."
"What about the bandits? You know they were guilty, right? You know Arya, and I wouldn't hurt anyone unless they hurt other people," Gendry said as he removed his hands from his face. Daenerys suddenly smiled a smile that promised death.
"They will be found guilty of that today and execute with my dragon. You are welcome to come and witness it if you would like," she said, but Gendry shook his head. That wouldn't give him back what he had lost, and knowing why it happened didn't help him in any way. Arya was still lost to him for what could be the rest of his days.
"So we had to sacrifice my happiness and marriage to prevent a war on multiple fronts," Gendry said.
"I'm afraid so," Daenerys replied.
"Fucking noble bullshit," Gendry said, and Daenerys hummed in agreement.
