Arya had good days, and she had bad days, and she knew that was going to be the case the second she rode back behind the Wall with Gendry. She was tempted, the same way he was, to stay beyond the Wall and never go back. Arya loved her family, and while they would probably understand, they already thought she was lost once when she went west. She wouldn't do that to them again. So they rode back to Winterfell and back to their lives. Arya watched as Gendry did his best to learn how to be around people again, and she was so proud when he could. She glared a few of the maids and stableboys into submission when they talked about the scar. Arya did not like it when people whispered about the scar.

It was mostly because the scar and her hand were a constant reminder of that time when she thought he was lost. It was a constant reminder that there was a time in her life that she thought Gendry was dead, and she wasn't ever going to see him again. Arya knew that he understood, at least as much as he could without going through it himself, that she went through hell in a different way than he did. It wasn't a competition; one wasn't worse than the other, they were different, and they needed to adjust. For Gendry, that meant working on the contraption that would get Rhaegal flying again. For Arya, it meant picking up Needle and learning how to fight again so no one would ever take her family away from her again.

Brienne wasn't going to stay with them much longer; Sansa told Arya in private that she wanted to release Brienne from their service so she could go home to Tarth, so Arya planned on taking advantage of the time she had left. Brienne knew all about learning how to fight when your body wasn't designed for it. She had to learn to carry the heavy armor and the large swords. Arya had to learn how to fight with her right hand.

"I don't like how it feels," Arya said not long after they came back from beyond the Wall. Gendry was in the forge with Corbin and Edd, and she liked that he had people to talk to. They were good men who wouldn't look at Gendry differently if his hands shook or a loud noise made him flinch. "Needle always felt like an extension of my arm, Thread did as well, and I've fought with two blades before. Why is this so strange? Why does this feel so wrong?"

"Arya, you're not a fool; you know why it doesn't feel right," Brienne said with that steady and endless patience she seemed to have. "Fighting with two swords is not the same thing as fighting with one in your non-dominant hand. You know that, and you know it's going to take time to figure this out. I watched Ser Jaimie learn how to fight while missing an entire hand, so I know that you can too." Brienne's voice didn't crack when she spoke about Jaimie anymore. Arya didn't think she would ever forget the expression on Brienne's face when she relayed Jaimie's final message to her. If there was anyone who understood heartbreak like that, it was Brienne, and it was something that Arya never thought to ask her about.

"When I thought Gendry was gone, it felt like a piece of me was missing, like it died, and I wouldn't ever be whole again," Arya said as they practiced, and she didn't know how to word this without sounding like an asshole.

"You want to know how I managed to go on losing not only Ser Jaimie but Podrick as well," Brienne said, and Arya nodded. "I had my duty to your sister and to your family. I wanted to see it through because that's what honor demanded and what I wanted to do. I wanted the first person I truly served as a knight to be someone I could be proud of for the rest of my life, and your family is that family."

"Sometimes I wake up from nightmares where he isn't there, and it feels like I'm collapsing in on myself," Arya said quietly. "I used to train to clear my head, but I can't even do that anymore."

"What do you call what we're doing right now?" Brienne said, and she wasn't wrong. Arya didn't know what else to say to that, so they kept on training and making small talk together. It was nice, and while it was taking time to work up the strength in her arm, Arya refused to let sore muscles slow her down. A sword wasn't the only thing that she needed to learn how to reuse, and Brienne wasn't the one who was teaching her this.

"Try to keep your arm steady as possible," Theon explained as he tried to help her shoot an arrow. She hadn't hit the target even once, not even close, and when she was a child, she could hit it. It was frustrating to feel set back so far. Elemy was nearby and watching this entire thing with wide eyes. Theon dotted on her, and when she blinked her big eyes at him, he would do whatever she asked. Sansa would only shake her head and smile. They were spoiling the little girl but seeing the way that Sansa's eyes lit up was worth having a spoiled niece.

"It's kind of difficult," Arya snapped because she was trying to aim with a hand that only had two fingers, and it was not going well. She couldn't pull the string back with a single finger, and this wasn't working either. Arya knew it wasn't exactly the adult thing to do when she threw the bow onto the ground, but it felt like the right thing to do at that moment. Theon hummed and picked up the bow before it sat in the dirt for too long.

"I used to be able to do it as a child," Arya snapped. "And now I can't do it. I can't do something a child could do."

"A child who had all ten fingers," Theon said, and he carefully reached forward to touch her shoulder. He was making sure that she could see him reaching for her. "We'll try a crossbow and go from there." Arya sighed because it felt a bit like cheating to use the crossbow because it had to be easier. However, it took longer than she thought it would for the two of them to aim everything properly and get her even close to hitting the target.

"Yara is coming to visit," Theon said as they finished up their lesson. "She wants to meet Elemy and sent me a raven very angry that I didn't tell her about Elemy immediately."

"That sounds like a sister thing," Arya replied. "What are you worried about? You just saw her recently. She just had to leave right after the trial ended and go back to the Iron Isles."

"I want her to think I'm a good father," Theon replied. "Her opinion means a lot to me, and if she thinks I'm shit at being a father-"

"You're not," Arya interrupted because she could tell that he was about to spiral. Theon was already twisting his fingers in a way that telegraphed when he was starting to sink into his own mind in a bad way. She knew the signs because of him and because she had to learn to recognize them in Gendry too. "I've met a lot of father's, and you're not a bad one. Elemy loves the two of you, and she loves being here, and I'm sure she's going to love Yara too." Theon smiled softly, and they made their way back into the castle.

Arya stared at the broaches that lay before her. They were beautiful and unlike anything she had ever seen before. She couldn't believe that it actually worked; the dragon blood worked, and Gendry was able to make these broaches out of the Valyrian Steel that Mott left him all of those years ago. Gendry was explaining where each one was going and when Gendry stopped crying, Arya noticed that there was someone who wasn't getting one.

"What about Sansa and Theon?" Arya asked.

"I know," Gendry said without elaborating. Arya knew that Gendry cared about Sansa and Theon, but she wanted to know why they weren't getting anything. It seemed cruel almost to give something to everyone but not them. "Arya, trust me, it's going to work out." Arya pulled her beautiful husband into a tight hug, and they stayed like that on the floor of their room until a maid came and told them it was time for dinner. Gendry hid the broaches and told her not to tell anyone just yet. Arya didn't know what he was waiting for, but she trusted that he had his reasons and these broaches were his creation.

Yara arrived a fortnight later, and Elemy immediately thought she was the best thing she had ever heard of. Elemy knew all about the ocean and sailing and everything else. She liked good people on ships and was glad that Yara was out there protecting everyone from the men with the bad ships. Yara was grinning as she carried Elemy back into the Great Hall so they could all have their supper. It was already late, but when a rider told them that Yara was close, everyone decided that they would wait. Gendry had vanished into their room and returned a piece of cloth in his hands. Arya could assume it was the broaches. The food was good, and Gendry looked a little nervous about getting up in front of everyone, even though it was just their family.

"You can do this," Arya whispered and kissed his cheek. Gendry released a breath and walked in front of the high table where Yara, Val, and Jon sat. Everyone seemed to quiet down when they noticed something in Gendry's hands.

"My old master Tobho Mott passed along something to me when he found out that I was alive. It was three small ingots of Valyrian Steel. He passed them along to me because they had been in his family, and I was the only family he had left. He said he thought I would be the one to figure out how to forge them," Gendry hesitated as he glanced at Arya, and she nodded. "And I did."

"How?" Jon asked breathlessly.

"I think it's better if it remains hidden," Gendry said carefully. He was worried that Jon or Val would order him to tell them how to do it, and he would have to tell. Arya knew that her brother would see that Gendry didn't want other people to try and pay it whatever the price was. She glanced at Jon, who seemed to realize that this wasn't something anyone should know. When no one asked him more, Gendry continued. "They weren't big enough to make a weapon, so I made broaches for our family here and those beyond. I didn't have enough to make one for everyone, so I thought they could become heirlooms for the next generation," He walked over and presented the first direwolf broach to Jon and Val.

"It's beautiful," Val said as she touched the broach gently and put a hand on her swollen stomach. "Thank you." Gendry nodded and handed the other direwolf to Meera and Bran, but Jojana was the one who snatched it out of her mother's hand. She looked at it with her big, blue Tully eyes like it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Jojana looked up at Gendry and smiled so brightly it was like looking into the sun. Gendry walked over and presented the Kraken one to Yara, and she nodded.

"This is beautiful, and I would be honored to take it," Yara said, and she winked at Gendry. He nodded and silently took a step back as Yara stood and walked over to Sansa, Theon, and Elemy. Theon paled a bit and reached over to take Sansa's hand tightly in his own. "I know your She-Wolf declared that if the Iron Isles did not want you, then the North did, but you will always be a Greyjoy, little brother, no matter what anyone says. I told Gendry I wanted something to give you that could remind you that you always have a home on Pyke, and you will always be welcome there. I didn't think it would be something this beautiful, but I supposed that man doesn't do things by halves." Yara placed the broach in front of Theon.

"Yara, it's supposed to be passed down through family, and I can't-" Theon said, but Yara held up a hand to silence him.

"Elemy grew up next to the ocean, and she is yours; therefore, she is a Greyjoy and just as worthy as any child I may or may not have in the future," Yara said. "And should I never have children of my own, I would be honored to name you and her as my heir." Theon was white as a sheet now, and Arya thought he was going to faint. He pushed himself to his feet and looked as shaky as he did the night that Gendry first made him his metal foot so he could walk again. The two Greyjoy's stared at each other and then hugged tightly. Sansa had tears in her eyes while Elemy was tugging on Sansa's sleeve, asking why Papa and Mama were crying, which just made the two of them cry more because that was the first time Elemy had called them mama and papa. Gendry smiled as he walked over and handed Arya the one he made for the two of them.

"I wouldn't trust anyone else to look after this," he whispered, and Arya smiled when he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I have two others," Gendry said. "One for Daenerys and one for Edric and my sister's. Arya and I are going to take a trip down to King's Landing and Storm's End to see them." They had already decided on doing this the day before, but Brienne suddenly looked interested. The two Greyjoy's managed to pull apart and go back to their seats just as Brienne knelt down in front of Sansa.

"My Lady, I would like to request-" she began.

"Ser Brienne, you have served my family and me with honor, but it is time for you to go home and be with your own family," Sansa said. "Consider the debt you had to my mother paid in full." Brienne looked a little surprised, but she nodded and looked at Arya and Gendry.

"May I travel with you to Storm's End so I may continue on to Tarth?" Brienne asked.

"We'd be honored," Arya replied.

There wasn't a lot of time for them to linger once they decided that it was time to go south. Val would never admit it out loud, but Jon had no problem telling them that the baby was due in a little over two months, and he really wanted them to be there when it happened. Arya didn't mind, she didn't want to spend a ton of time in the south right now anyway, but she knew it was important to Gendry to give his gifts in person. That was just the sort of person he was. Arya also knew that he really missed his siblings and wanted to see them, and she completely understood that feeling. So two days later, Arya, Gendry, and Brienne made their way from Winterfell and caught a ship down to King's Landing.

Gendry went a little pale on the ship, and they both had nightmares the entire time they were on the water. Brienne spent most of the trip at their door and would knock to wake either of them up when they were sleeping, and she could. Arya loved her for that, and they continued to train together as they made their way to King's Landing. The Red Keep emerged on the horizon line, and two large bodies appeared in the sky. Arya glanced at Gendry as he looked up at Rhaegal, who was flying low near the sea as if he knew who was nearby. Maybe he did, but the smile Gendry wore when he looked up at the massive green dragon made Arya's heart feel full in the best possible way.

They had barely set foot in the port at King's Landing when Daenerys came running down from the Red Keep with her guards desperately trying to keep up with her and Quentyn and Missandei telling that she needed to slow down. There wasn't any slowing Daenerys down, and Arya got to witness the Queen of Westeros practically jump into Gendry's arms and hold onto him so tightly that Arya thought there would be bruises. Gendry looked a little surprised, but he put his arms around his cousin very carefully as Missandei and Quentyn both caught up.

"Thank you," Daenerys whispered. "You found a way to bring my son home to me, and I cannot thank you enough." She sounded as close to tears as Arya had heard from her in a long time, but Daenerys also sounded so happy that she might be ready to cry from that instead of sadness. Quentyn looked at the two of them fondly and smiled at Arya.

"Princess Arya, we weren't expecting you until we got the raven from King Jon saying that you were on the way," Quentyn explained. "As you can see, my love was very excited to greet the cousin that brought her son home."

"We have something else we need to do while we're here," Arya said.

"You know we're both standing right here," Gendry said carefully, but Daenerys didn't appear to be letting him go anytime soon.

"Let them talk. I don't care," Daenerys said. She finally pulled away and framed Gendry's face with her hands. "No amount of thanks will ever be enough for the gift you have given me. I am unworthy of such kindness."

"If I give you something else, will you react the same way?" Gendry asked with his slight deadpan that spoke volumes about how uncomfortable all of this was making him. Daenerys, to her credit, smiled warmly and took a step away from him. She drew Arya into a tight hug as well and nodded politely to Brienne. They all made their way back to the Red Keep together as Daenerys asked them about the North and how they were healing. When she told Daenerys that they were getting better, the words didn't taste like lies in her mouth, and when she glanced at Gendry was smiling softly. She took his hand, and they walked together toward the massive castle in King's Landing as Rhaegal and Drogon circled above them.

Daenerys took them to the Dragon Pit right away, and Rhaegal landed so he and Gendry could say hello to each other. Arya stayed back with Daenerys as they watched him smile warmly at the dragon and check the wing for any damage.

"He really does seem better," Daenerys said quiet enough that Gendry wouldn't hear them. "Both of you do."

"It took some time, but I think we're finally moving on from everything that happened," Arya said. "At least as much as we're able to. I think all of that is going to follow us for the rest of our lives. I guess the important thing is learning to cope with it." Daenerys hummed, and Arya sometimes forgot all of the things that she had gone through to get here as well. Sometimes, Arya was surprised any of them were holding it together after the lives that they had lived. Gendry joined them not long after, and they spent the rest of the afternoon talking. They walked out to King's Landing and made sure to keep their heads down, so no one knew who they were. Arya knew that Gendry liked to walk among the people and was glad that this was a place he could do it. He paused in front of Mott's old shop but didn't go inside.

The city seemed to get cleaner and happier every time that they came to visit, and Arya made sure to listen when people were talking. They were happy with Daenerys as their ruler, and she was doing everything that she could to keep them whole and healthy. They liked that she was willing to stand up to the Lesser Houses when they hurt her family; to the smallfolk, that meant that she was willing to put the people that she cared about above the Lesser Houses, and they liked that. Arya wasn't surprised, but it was a little strange to hear people excited that a monarch was willing to execute people.

It made her think of sitting in the forest with Sandor, and they talked about revenge and what the difference between that and justice was. According to Sandor, it was intent, and Arya believed that it did come down to that. While Daenerys probably was getting revenge on the people that hurt her family, she was also giving justice to the innocent people that the Houses had hurt on the way. Gendry still looked in the mirror and touched his scar like it bothered him, and for that alone, Arya knew she wasn't ever going to forgive those people. The smallfolk, however, saw it as justice. They thought it was their monarch refusing to allow the people below her to push her around. It was a sign of strength and maybe a little revenge on the side.

They were going to leave for Storm's End the next day, so they were only spending a day in King's Landing, which was all the time that Gendry wanted to stay. He loved Daenerys, and Arya did too, but the longer they stayed here, the less time Gendry would have with his siblings, and Arya knew that he missed them like a limb. Daenerys and Quentyn took them to their private solar for dinner, and Arya watched Gendry explain the broach and exactly what it was and why he made it.

"It's beautiful," Daenerys whispered as she ran her fingers along the intricate dragon design that Gendry had carved. "You want these passed down to the next generation? You know that I can't have children, Gendry. There isn't anyone for me to pass it along to, and I don't want this to sit in a chest for the rest of time. It deserves to be seen."

"Sansa and Theon aren't going to have any blood children and are already talking about passing it along to Elemy," Gendry replied. "Arya and I won't have children from our blood either, but we're still going to have one someday. Just because it won't be a Targaryen by blood doesn't mean you can't pass along a piece of yourself."

"Are you sure you can't have children?" Arya asked. "You weren't injured like I was; you would have told me it was a witch or something that told you. How do you know she wasn't lying?" Daenerys glanced at Quentyn, and he smiled softly as he took her hand into his.

"I assure you it would be no hardship for us to continue to try and have children. Maybe one day we'll get lucky and have that chance. We still have a long time before we can really say it isn't going to happen," Quentyn replied.

"Also, I don't know how to reforge Valyrian Steel, so I can't remake it into something else," Gendry said, and Daenerys laughed a little.

"I suppose you got a dragon to fly again, so maybe anything is possible," Daenerys said as she held the broach to her chest. "You're going to be known for generations for the crowns and jewelry you have made, Gendry; I hope you know that." Gendry didn't say anything, but he did nod. They spent the rest of the night catching up with each other, and Arya fell asleep in a familiar bed with Gendry's arms around her. She didn't have nightmares, and the sounds of dragons in the skies woke her at dawn.