They'd traveled with Thoros of Myr for three days along the main road before he left them with his good wishes at a town before the main crossroads. Arya had held them up as she watched the large man stride into the village square and be greeted by welcoming shouts as people streamed out of their shops and homes to see the priest.

She felt Gendry standing behind her, his desire to move on down the road nearly tangible as she stood transfixed by the cheerful site of the town's people. She wondered what it felt like, to be so known and beloved by so many people; to be welcomed with open arms into so many places.

Those thoughts lingered with her once the two of them moved on, continuing until they finally reached the Inn at the Crossroads. The building and surrounding stables had a hustle and bustle to them that reminded her of a sea port like her home. Gendry had to roughly pull her out of the way of a messenger rushing by on a horse.

He looked down at her, his blue eyes cautiously guarded and yet she could still see a twinge of concern glimmering in them. "You need to be more careful here," he chastised.

Arya had tried to match his glare with one of her own, but surprisingly he smirked at her reaction instead. She crossed her arms with a huff once he let go of her and began to walk towards the inn. He was much taller than her and had much larger strides, so she needed to jog to catch up to him.

They sat down inside at a table in the far corner. She noticed that Gendry sat with his back against the wall, allowing his eyes to flit around all the entrances and watch for threats. Or at least, that's what she assumed he was doing. She made sure to angle her chair as well, so she could see more of the busy room as well. Her eyes followed the figures of the several 'serving wenches' as they hurried between tables, sometimes staying at one table longer to insinuate and flirt in order to get some extra coin.

Gendry's stormy gaze keeps any of the women from getting to close to their table, and so Arya is surprised when they are finally approached by a heavy brunette boy- most certainly a boy, because while the inn is not the most innocent of places, his eyes are still bright and hopeful and his face round and unshadowed. He held a wooden tray of steaming buns in his hands and held it out in offering to the two travelers once he stood beside them.

"Sorry 'bout the wait, today's a busy day. Lots of people on the road going home for the lost princess' festival! Go on, take one: halfpenny each."

Arya dropped a dull penny into his awaiting hand and took one of the buns off his tray, relishing its warmth as she bit into it. She'd never tasted such a wonderful pastry. R'hllor had certainly blessed this boy- she shook her head fiercely to rid herself of the thought. No, R'hllor would not have given such a pure talent. Perhaps it was due to a Westerosi god instead. Yes, that was more acceptable.

"D'you got anything with some meat in it?" Gendry muttered, keeping his voice low as he accepted an identical bun from the boy with a thankful nod.

The boy's face lit up. "Of course! I'll whip something up right away." He turned to hurry off back towards the kitchens, but paused to smile back at the two travelers. "If you need anything else before I've finished, ask for Hot Pie!"

Arya and Gendry shared a confused look once he'd left. "His name... surely it's not actually Hot Pie?"

Gendry gave her a shrug. "Might use it to hide his real identity. Or maybe his ma had a loose pin in her head."

She couldn't really argue with that. "Do you think we'll get to Kings Landing in time for the festival?"

The older boy rolled his eyes wearily. "You asked that this morning."

"And now I'm asking again. I didn't know the main road would be so busy."

He shrugged again, but she was beginning to translate his movements from 'the language of Gendry' into actual words. The slower motion of his shoulders this time meant that her question wasn't as bothersome as he made it out to be and that he was actually giving it some thought. "The crowds will be fine since we're not in something large, like a carriage. Might find some odd jobs along the way at inns or holdfasts with a smithy."

Arry nodded thoughtfully at his words. "Alright. Sounds like a plan."

She was awarded with one of Gendry's rare smiles, the type that spread up into his brilliant blue eyes. She thought he should smile more, as the expression seemed to erase any evidence of stress and his difficult past from his face.

The smile vanished into a mask of neutral indifference as Hot Pie ambled back over to their table, another wooden try in his grasp. "Hot Pie's special meat pies!" He proudly declared, showing them the neatly sacked pastries. "A penny each!"

His words had noticeably drawn the attention of several other nearby patrons, so Gendry sighed as he rummaged into a pouch he had hidden on the inside of his waistband and gave Hot Pie four pennies. He nodded at Arya for her to take two for herself as he grabbed the pair of meat pies closest to him. Hot Pie smiled widely in thanks and went off to sell the rest around the room.

Ready for the next leg of their journey, Arry followed Gendry as he stood up from the table and made his way outside. She found herself jealous of the ease he moved through packed areas due to his larger size- she needed to flit around some of the bigger individuals as if she was dancing.

She met up with him outside the entrance to the inn, rearranging his bag so it sat more comfortably on his shoulders, when she heard someone calling behind her. The two turned to see Hot Pie rushing out the door and looking around wildly before her caught sight of them and visibly relaxed.

"Here," he said, pushing a cloth-wrapped pastry into her hand. "Made it for you. Your eyes- they reminded me of the stories of the Northern families..." He watched eagerly as she unwrapped the fabric to reveal a wolf-shaped biscuit. "It's a direwolf! Or at least, it's meant to be. I'm not the best artist..."

Arya was struck silent by the gift she held. She couldn't remember a time someone had given her something so thoughtful and meaningful. It was something just for her. She gently wrapped the biscuit back up and stashed it in her bag before wrapping her arms briefly around this kind baker boy.

"Thank you," she whispered before just as quickly releasing him.

Hot Pie's embarrassed flush and proud smile stayed in her mind the rest of the way down the Kingsroad.

She failed to notice the new tenseness in Gendry's jaw that lasted the same amount of time.