Daenerys stayed for a little while after that conversation, but she seemed to understand that while the explanation was nice, it didn't actually make anything better. It just made Gendry hate everyone a little more and made him wish that he hadn't ever gotten involved with all of these court politics. He kept his head down; he thought he was keeping his head down, but no matter what he did, he always seemed to get caught up in them again and again. It didn't matter if he was in the North or the south the no matter what he did, he got pulled into this bullshit, and he hated it. Gendry didn't resent Arya for bringing the two of them into this life, and he didn't regret marrying her, but sometimes he wished he could just be a blacksmith, and she could be his warrior wife.
Mya, Bella, and Edric walked into the room not long after, and they were all staring at him.
"The guards said that Dany was here," Edric said. "Did she explain herself? Did she tell you why this happened?" She never said he needed to keep this in confidence, and his siblings needed to know. So as they gathered the last of their things from their rooms, Gendry told them about the angry Lesser Houses and how they were demanding justice in a way that Daenerys couldn't really say no to without causing a war. None of them looked happy about this explanation either, but they all seemed to understand that they were in a very similar position in the Stormlands.
Gendry was glad that they seemed to be the last of them to leave. Edmure and Roslin had left not long after the Stark's and Robin not long after that. Gendry heard rumors that Arya might have punched Robin right in the face, and for half a second, Gendry thought he was going to see people chasing after his wife to hang her. Robin, apparently, let the whole thing go and just took the bloodied nose with grace, which was more than Gendry was expecting from the man. Maybe there was a little more to him than he thought, and Robin did have Lord Royce there now as a good influence. Maybe there was hope for him yet.
So Gendry was glad that everyone seemed to have left because the last thing he wanted was to have any sort of conversation with one of the Lesser Houses. They got out of King's Landing and made for the Stormlands without any problem. For half a moment, Gendry thought they were home free, and then he saw the banner for House Connington. There was no avoiding him, and when they all met up, Lord Connington smiled and said they should share a camp. Edric narrowed his eyes but agreed as they all set up their things.
"I'm very glad I ran into you, my lord," Connington said. "I wanted to ask you what you are planning on doing with your brother."
"You mean my brother, who is literally sitting right next to me as you speak as if he isn't here?" Edric asked. Mya and Bella both ate their food but kept their eyes on the situation. They knew as well as Gendry did that Edric could only take so much before he damn near went feral, and the last thing they needed was the Lord of Storm's End punching one of his vassals.
"Yes, that brother," Connington said as if Edric hadn't said anything unusual to him. "I expected more considering the circumstances."
"And what circumstances would those be?" Gendry asked, and Connington jumped like he wasn't expecting Gendry to say anything. As he thought, Gendry would sit back and let them have a conversation about him while he was sitting right there.
"What I mean, ser, is that you aren't of the south anymore, and it is quite apparent," Connington explained in a snotty tone, and out of the corner of his eye, he swore that Edric's eye twitched. "So I don't see how we can possibly trust you. I would have thought your brother or your sister would have slapped irons on you so you can spend some time in the dungeons like the traitor you are." Edric was on his feet in seconds, but Mya reached out and took his wrist to keep him from charging Connington. Connington, on the hand, looked genuinely surprised that Edric reacted that way.
"Allow me to be perfectly clear, Lord Connington," Edric said in a low and very dangerous voice. "Gendry is my brother, and I would never slap irons or throw him in a dungeon. He is coming to Storm's End to service the sentence that you yourself helped pass. For that disrespect alone, I should strip you of every holding you have, but since I am in a forgiving mood right now, I'm going to allow you to walk away from this camp."
"My Lord, it's the middle of the-"
"Right now," Edric continued as if Connington hadn't said a word. "And the next time we meet, I expect to have a formal apology about why you thought telling me not only how to handle my own keep but my own family was a good idea." Edric sat back down, picked up his food, and began to eat again, but none of them looked away from Connington. Connington opened his mouth like he was going to argue and then wisely decided against it. He glared at Edric, stood up, and walked away from the fire. Mya silently got up, two guards at her heels, and they followed no doubt to make sure that he left. The tension finally broke, and Gendry relaxed a little.
"You didn't need to do that for me," he said.
"Bullshit," Bella snapped. "You're our brother, and we won't have someone speak to you that way no matter who they are. If they don't respect our decisions concerning you, then they don't respect us, then they aren't worthy of our time."
"You need allies, though," Gendry pointed out, but Edric waved him off.
"Connington is one of the ones who doesn't like us because Robert took a bunch of his land away, so he's taking it out on us. It doesn't matter, and I still won't stand for it," he said. It warmed Gendry's heart a little and reminded him that even though he hadn't spent a ton of time with his siblings, they all still loved each other. This was going to be impossible to get through, but maybe it was going to be a little more tolerable with all of them with him.
Connington was long gone by the time they woke up in the morning, and the rest of the ride to Storm's End was uneventful. The people greeted his siblings warmly, and all three of them made sure to greet the people back. As he expected, they were nobles that put the smallfolk first, and he adored them for it. A familiar face was waiting for him when they got to the main door of Storm's End. Davos' smile looked a little sad, and he pulled Gendry into a tight hug the second his feet touched the ground.
"I'm guessing you heard?" he said because he couldn't come up with any other reason for this sort of greeting.
"Maybe I'm just happy to see you whole and healthy, lad," Davos said as he pulled away so he could look at Gendry. "I did hear, and I'm very sorry that it happened that way. You know your brother and sisters will figure something out."
"Thank you," Gendry replied as Davos began to guide him into the keep. Storm's End was still massive, and the sheer size of the castle always took him by surprise.
"Your brother had a forge installed right outside the castle for your personal use right after you left because I know you're going to want to take some of that legendary anger out on some metal," Davos explained. "Besides that, you can go wherever you want within the castle, but it's probably best if you stay close for now. We don't know what's going on outside of these walls these days."
"They told me," Gendry said as he watched Edric, Mya, and Bella fall into their respective roles around the castle and got to work without even stopping to rest. It was late in the afternoon, and it would have been completely reasonable for them to stop and rest after a journey, but they didn't. "Thank you, Davos, from coming here and helping look after them. They couldn't ask for a better man to guide them."
"Thank you, lad, but they needed very little guidance from me," Davos said as he looked at Gendry's siblings fondly. "They have good hearts with the loyalty of the smallfolk behind them. I just hope that will be enough if the other nobles start to get antsy." Gendry didn't like the sound of that, but Bella was coming over, grabbing Gendry by the arm, and insisting that he go with her for some reason or another. Gendry glanced over his shoulder at Davos, who smiled and nodded.
For the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening, Gendry helped his siblings with what he could around the castle and came to a startling discovery; he knew very little about ruling. His place in Winterfell was purposely without much in the way of responsibility, and he knew that Sansa and Jon did most of the work. However, going around with Edric, Mya, and Bella was a stark reminder that he didn't know what he was doing when it came to these sorts of things. It made him feel a little useless that he couldn't help them where they obviously needed it, but Mya placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.
"Little brother, we can teach you whatever you want to learn about, but we aren't expecting anything from you. You're here as a guest and as family. If you want to work, you can work, and if you don't, that's fine too," she said. That night, after a big dinner that left Gendry so full he thought he was going to be sick, he looked out the window of his room for hours. The last time he was here, it was with Arya, and they had decided to go looking for the bandits in the Westerlands. It felt like a lifetime ago. Gendry sighed, climbed in bed, and let himself mourn what he was currently missing. He refused to be a burden to his siblings, and that meant getting to work in the morning.
The trip back to the North was uneventful, which Arya was more than thankful for. The last thing they needed was more bandits attacking them or running into one of the Houses that separated her and Gendry. He was all she could think about as they got further and further away from King's Landing and Storm's End. She knew that he was with good people, that his siblings would look after him, but Gendry was seen as an enemy to some of the Lesser Houses, and she couldn't imagine what might happen if they decided to do something about it. Arya had to remind herself that her husband was strong, and he wasn't stupid despite what plenty of people thought. Gendry knew when to keep his head down and when to fight, and she was so grateful that she knew how well he could defend himself if the worst happened.
Sansa, Bran, Meera, and Theon were all waiting for them when they got back to Winterfell. Jon had asked Edmure to send a raven, so they knew what was happening, and Arya was very proud of how well she held it together. That is until Sansa pulled her into a tight hug, and it all came back to her. They shared a bed for the first time since they were girls that night, and Arya just appreciated that people were willing to help her through this.
Arya wanted to write to him, but she wasn't sure if that was allowed or not. There was also the fact that with things so tense between the North and the crown, there was a chance that Jon wouldn't want her to send ravens in case someone shot it down. Arya didn't think she was dumb enough to reveal something to people that could be her enemies, but no one wanted to take a risk. It seemed that Daenerys didn't want to take the risk either since her letter explaining herself was hand-delivered by a member of the Unsullied, which kind of shocked Arya. They all sat down as Jon read the letter out loud that explained exactly what happened.
The explanation didn't really help, but it was good to know that Daenerys wasn't their enemies, not really anyway. She was backed into a corner the same way they had been several times since Jon took the crown. A new ruler was weak, and everyone knew it, and no one wanted to be the one to doom Westeros to yet another war. The Lesser Houses played on the fact that Daenerys gave a shit about the people of Westeros, and Arya hated them for using kindness against someone in such a terrible way. The letter also explained that Daenerys had explained all of this to Gendry as well and that she would look after him to the best of her abilities in the south. So now Arya knew what was going on and it just made her angry, which didn't really help things that much.
The reality of it all came when they'd been back at Winterfell for a month, and Corbin walked up to her.
"Your husband, I heard he's not coming back," he said.
"No, I'm afraid not," Arya replied carefully.
"Well, that's too bad. We thought we had figured out a way to get that dragon to fly again, but I don't know many smiths who could make what needs to be made and get the thing on the dragon without getting eaten alive," Corbin replied with a heavy sigh.
"He'll be home someday, and then the two of you will make that dragon fly again together," Arya said. "You'll see." Corbin didn't look like he really believed her, and Arya wasn't sure if she believed it herself. She had to, though; she had to believe that there was a chance that Gendry could come home to her someday. Arya knew it couldn't be the only thing that kept her going, though, so she threw herself into her work. There were many things that a princess and a warrior could do, and Arya started to work on all of them at once. She went to smaller towns and helped with supplies. She traveled with Val and sometimes Sansa to the Lesser Houses, who were always so pleased to see two princesses instead of one. None of them called attention to the fact that Gendry was gone even though the whole North seemed to know.
Arya heard the whispers, and she hated them so very much. People thought that Gendry was sent away because of terrible reasons, and nothing she said was going to change those minds. She made sure that her wedding ring was always visible and made sure to draw attention to it. Her husband was still alive, he just wasn't here, and Arya didn't want anyone getting any funny ideas.
It seemed that some people didn't get the memo, and the first time Jon got a raven with a marriage offer for Arya's hand, she watched her older brother throw a goblet across a room in anger. Val was the one to reply to that letter because Jon didn't think he could keep a steady hand. Arya had never hated being a noble more in her entire life. It reminded her too much of being a child and not having any control over who she got to marry. Jon could only say no for so long before it got bad.
In retrospect, she shouldn't have been surprised that it was House Dustin that showed up without informing them ahead of them. Arya clenched her fists and tried not to react when they rode up to Winterfell, and she hated how smug both Lord Dustin and Ryon looked like they had somehow won. Arya knew that they wanted Gendry out of the North, but the mere idea of anyone being happy that her husband was taken away from her makes her see red. They haven't seen her yet, and she runs through Winterfell to find Jon and Val.
"House Dustin just arrived," Arya said.
"Without notice, I see," Val said as she looked at Jon. "I thought you told them that they are on thin ice with you."
"That I did," Jon replied, and he looked at Arya. "Which family members decided to show up after we told them not to?"
"Lord Dustin and Ryon," Arya replied, and she clenched her fists. "They're here for me, I know they are, they are here because they think they can ask for my hand with Gendry down in the Stormlands. They all think my marriage is over because of what happened, and that means they can start trying to buy me like a hog."
"No one is buying anyone," Jon said. "Besides, Gendry isn't dead, so your marriage is still valid as far as I'm concerned. I don't know what these people think they can gain from trying to provoke me like this." Val looked thought for a moment and then turned to Arya.
"The last time they were here, you couldn't punish them because Jon was unmarried, and you didn't have a large army, is that correct?" she asked, and Arya nodded. "Well, Jon is very much married now, and you have most of the Free Folk standing behind you. I think it's time to remind this Lord Dustin, who is really in charge of the North. Jon? I'd like to handle this myself." Jon blinked and looked a little surprised. This was the first time Val had ever asked to take care of something like this herself instead of the two of them working on it together. She must have seen Jon's confusion. "I have a particular distaste for men who don't understand the meaning of the word 'no' when it comes to women."
"I'll stay close by if you need me," Jon said after a beat of silence. Val smiled, tossed her long braid over her shoulder, and turned to Arya. "Shall we?" The two of them began to walk to the front gates where they knew Lord Dustin and Ryon would be waiting. Val sent word ahead to guards to let them into the Great Hall.
"I might punch someone," Arya said as they waited for Lord Dustin and Ryon to arrive. "I just thought you should know about that."
"I saw you punch your cousin, Arya, and I trained you with a dagger. I know what you're capable of," Val replied, which was not exactly a condemnation of potential punching but not encouragement either. Arya didn't get the chance to think it over as Lord Dustin and Ryon were escorted into the Great Hall. The smirks they were wearing fading when they saw Val standing before them and not Jon.
"Your Grace," Lord Dustin said as he knelt. "I was expecting to see King Jon. I have an important matter to discuss with him."
"Jon has sent me in his place to deal with whatever important matter you might have to discuss," Val replied. Her voice was cold, and Arya thought of Winter Queens.
"Oh, Your Grace, and Princess Arya, we heard about what happened in the south. I came here to tell you that my son-"
"I'm going to stop you before you finish that sentence," Val snapped. "I seem to remember being told the last time you were here; you were given barely a slap on the wrist for the insults you leveled at your princesses and your King. It seems that those words have not sunk in considering you are standing before me and refusing to accept that the answer when it comes to Arya and Sansa is no. And Lord Dustin, allow me to tell you that there is nothing I loathe more in this world than a man who cannot understand the word 'no' when it comes to women."
"Your Grace, we meant no insult-" Ryon started, but Arya bared her teeth.
"You come here for the second time trying to buy me despite the fact that marriage is still very much intact, and I plan to reunite with my husband someday," Arya said. "The fact that you're here is a grave insult to us."
"I agree," Val said, and Arya got a certain amount of pleasure watching both Lord Dustin and Ryon pale considerably. "As Queen in the North, I hereby strip you and both of your sons of your lands and titles. I'm sure there is a cousin somewhere that will understand decorum when it comes to matters of marriage in the North and decrees by your King." Both Lord Dustin and Ryon sputtered and tried to say things, but Val turned on her heel to walk away. Lord Dustin made the mistake of reaching for Val's arm, and Arya reacted; she punched him. There was a satisfying feeling that she broke his nose and maybe knocked out a tooth. Lord Dustin fell to the ground, bleeding, and Arya glared down at him. She wanted to say something, but no words felt like enough. Lord Dustin and his sons had lost everything already, and she broke his nose.
All in all, Arya felt like she had won a fight for the first time in a long time.
