Part Four
Recovery was a slow and painful process for both of them that left Arya anxious. The longest they had ever stayed in a village was just over two weeks and now they were approaching two full moons. The concept of taking time and being still was not something she was used to and more than once Mina and Prycella yelled at her for pushing herself too hard too fast.
There were some benefits to staying still for so long and that was exploring the new aspect of her relationship with Gendry. Within days of him waking up, he was able to sit up and move around a little. As soon as they were left alone Arya took him into her arms and kissed him. Unlike their chaste kisses when neither of them could move this kiss was a lot different. Arya pulled him against her body and ran her fingers through his hair. She opened her mouth to his tongue and groaned at the feeling. Every time he touched her whole new feelings were coming to light. She learned quickly that when Gendry kissed her on her neck she couldn't help but arch against his body. She learned that if she pulled on his hair just a little Gendry would groan against her mouth.
Neither of them bothered to correct Mina or Prycella that they weren't actually married and neither of the sisters ever brought it up again. Arya found the two of them fascinating but watching them also made her sad. She wanted to know what happened to Sansa, she wondered if given enough time they could love each other the way Mina and Prycella did. It made her miss something she tried not to think about too much because it was too painful.
Arya was in the yard training with Gendry two moons after their attack. They were getting their strength back and Gendry went further into the village to work in the forge for a few hours a day. Arya's wounds didn't pull when she moved anymore and it felt like she was finally herself again. She ducked from Gendry's warhammer and swept a leg out to try and trip him. He knew her tricks though and dodged the attack.
"Either I've gotten slower or you've gotten faster," Arya said.
"For the sake of my ego let's go with the latter," Gendry deadpanned. Mina and Prycella were watching the two of them and smiling. Arya didn't want to admit that she was getting a little attached to the two sisters and it hurt a little to think about moving on. They couldn't stay though; there was always a chance of the wrong soldiers coming through and Mina and Prycella would be slaughtered for harboring outlaws.
"Okay that's enough you two," Mina said. They both learned very quickly that not listening to the two women who owned herbs that could kill you in your sleep was not a smart idea. "Come over here. We need to talk to you inside." They followed the two sisters into the sitting room and Arya didn't like the expressions on their faces. She didn't feel sick and the last time she saw Gendry's wound it has scarred over as well as they could hope for.
"Is something wrong?" Arya asked as she sat down. Gendry joined her in the seat next to her as Mina and Prycella exchanged sad looks.
"Lady Wolf, I'm afraid this concerns you," Prycella said softly. "However, it's also important that your husband knows this as well. You have not had your moon's blood since your attack and while it could be because your body is still healing my sister and I believe the damage was too great. We do not believe you'll be able to have children." Arya felt her heart seize at that statement and she was not sure how she was supposed to react to something like that. She never wanted children so why did she feel the urge to burst into tears?
"Ladies, could you give us a moment?" Gendry said. Mina and Prycella nodded and left the sitting room to go into the small kitchen. Gendry took her hand and held onto it tightly. "Arya, talk to me."
"I never wanted children," she whispered. "For as long as I can remember I never wanted children. I made that choice, I was choosing not to have them, but they took that choice away from me. It's not that I suddenly want them but they took that choice away from me." A tear escaped her eye and Gendry pulled her onto his lap and into his arms. Arya cried silently as he rocked her back and forth. She hated their attackers for taking her choice away from her. It was hers and hers alone and now it was gone; just another thing this hellish world had stolen from her.
Arya tried not to show how sad she was to leave Mina and Prycella behind. They were important to her now and they risked so much to keep the two of them safe. She also knew that they weren't safe and the longer they stayed here the more likely it would be that someone would come looking for them. Arya wanted to get back into the woods so she could look for Nymeria and take out her frustrations about her choice being taken away on some Lannister soldiers. Mina smiled as she hugged Gendry and he was smiling in a way Arya hadn't seen before. That was the look of a man getting some parental love and Arya's heart ached that her family wasn't around to give it to him.
"I'd tell the two of you to be safe but we all know you won't," Prycella said as she hugged Arya.
"We can't thank you enough for what you've done for us," Arya replied and the two sisters waved them off.
"If you're ever hurt again don't hesitate to come and see us. We'll do our best to keep the two of you alive," Mina said.
"That means a lot to us," Gendry replied and he glanced at Arya. "I'm going to make sure the horses are ready." She nodded and watched him walk away. The two sisters were looking at them with that odd expression again that Arya couldn't place.
"Wolf, does Bull know who his father is?" Mina asked.
"Oh, no, he doesn't. He's a bastard," Arya replied but the question set her on edge. People kept asking about Gendry's family and it never seemed to end well for them. She didn't want the same fate that befell her father and Jon Arryn to happen to Mina and Prycella as well. "We don't talk about it. It seems dangerous."
"Yes, it would be," Prycella agreed. "It's probably best if you two don't know. Information is dangerous, little one, and we want you both to be safe." Arya wanted to get them to tell her what they knew but the two sisters nodded and went back into their small home without another word. Arya joined Gendry and the two of them climbed onto the back of their horses. It was time to put some distance between them and the sisters and maybe get some catharsis as well.
"If we go south we might run into a few groups of soldiers," Gendry said. "If we get some of those supplies we can stock up the next village or two."
"Sounds like a good plan to me." Arya pushed Gendry's family from her mind. It didn't really matter because they were outlaws no matter what and they didn't need an excuse to draw even more attention to themselves. Gendry always said that whenever people looked into his life they died and Arya didn't want to test that theory too much.
They rode for a full day until they found a band of Lannister soldiers looking to transport some supplies the armies still stationed in the Riverlands. The war was over and the Lannister's controlled the Riverlands through her Uncle but that didn't mean there wasn't plenty of unrest out there still. Arya hid the horses as Gendry scouted ahead to see what exactly they were dealing with. She decided that she would use Thread this time for battle and Arya got herself in the right mindset. Gendry joined her a moment later.
"Six soldiers and it looks like they are transporting some dried meat and fruit," he said. Six against two weren't great odds but the two of them knew these lands better than anyone. They knew how to use it to their advantage.
"We'll wait for them to set up camp for the night and then we'll take care of it," Arya replied. Her and Gendry followed the group of soldiers but made sure to keep enough of a distance that they wouldn't be spotted. Despite how big he was Gendry was surprisingly quiet on his feet after years of doing this. The soldiers set up camp for the night and Arya nodded to him. It was time to get to work.
Arya stayed East of the camp while Gendry went West. The only way they could take on this many men was to thin the herd. Arya kept to the shadows as Gendry purposely made a large stick snap. The soldiers immediately looked his direction and they appeared nervous.
"What was that?" one of them asked.
"Two of you go out and see what that was," the captain said.
"But what about the rumors? Of the people that kill Lannister soldiers?" one of them asked and Arya was a little proud of the fact that her and Gendry were scaring these people. They deserved to be scared because of what they were doing to the smallfolk and what that family has done to the people of Westeros.
"Are you craven? Go out there and see what you can find. Maybe it'll be an animal and we get something other than dried meat for dinner," the captain said. Two of the soldiers grumbled and took off into the forest. Arya counted down the time pre-arranged time that Gendry had to kill the two men quietly. They knew the forest and they used it to their advantage. The time hit and Arya made her own branch snap. The captain did exactly what he was supposed to do; he sent out two more men into the darkness.
Arya kept to the shadows as she pulled out the bow she had acquired over the many months of being on her own. She needed to make sure both of these men died quietly and they didn't seem to be looking out for one another. She fired an arrow at one of them and it went through the soldier's neck. He fell to the ground in a spray of blood and the arrow made it so he couldn't say a word. She quietly made her way toward the second soldier and sliced at the back of his knees. The man went down with a small cry of surprise but Arya was quicker and slit his throat.
She made her way back to the camp to see the captain, who was a man at least as old as her father was, and the last soldier. He was afraid and he looked like he was ready to run and leave the other man behind. Arya emerged from the shadows just as Gendry did. He turned his war hammer on the remaining man while Arya pointed her bow at the captain.
"By the gods," the captain said as he stared at the two of them. He was pale and he looked like he'd seen a ghost.
"Running away won't save you," Arya said as she heard Gendry kill the remaining soldier and join her at her side. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the blood on his war hammer.
"Robert and Lyanna back from the dead," the captain whispered. He seemed to come back to himself and fired a crossbow bolt at Arya. She managed to dodge it, barely, but the captain took off on his horse. She swore as she watched him ride away.
"Did he call us Robert and Lyanna?" Gendry asked as he looked in the direction the fleeing captain was going.
"My aunts name was Lyanna," Arya said. "People have told me that I look a lot like her."
"That explains why he referred to you but what does that have to do with me?" Gendry said as he looked at her. Arya knew that Gendry got more and more handsome as he got older but now there was a nagging sense of familiarity that she couldn't place. She remembered seeing blue eyes around the Red Keep when she was staying there. She remembered seeing blue eyes like Gendry's when she looked at Renly Baratheon when he served as Master of Laws on the small council. Renly Baratheon with his blue eyes and black hair.
She remembered seeing blue eyes like that, though they were usually bloodshot and glassy with liquor, when she looked at the late king. Arya nearly laughed as the reality of the situation suddenly dawned on her. She'd heard rumors over the years that Joffrey and Ceresi ordered the death of all of King Robert's bastard children. That would have been right around the time that Gendry was sold to the Watch. The Gold Cloaks were looking for him not her.
"Gendry, I think I just figured it out," Arya said and he frowned at her. "I know why the Gold Cloaks wanted you dead all of those years ago."
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"You're one of King Robert's bastard children. They wanted you because Joffrey ordered all of them killed but you survived," Arya said with a small laugh. "You're a king's son."
"You're wrong," Gendry said and he didn't seem to find the humor in all of this. "I'm no one. I've always been no one." Even after all of this time, Arya could still see the insecurity that Gendry carried around with him everywhere. It didn't matter that she chose him, it didn't matter that she would leave everything behind for him, in the back of his mind he was always beneath her and no matter what she said it couldn't seem to get through his thick skull. Arya took a step forward and pulled Gendry into a kiss. He was tense for a moment but he eventually relaxed. She pulled away but pressed her forehead against his.
"You have never been no one to me and you never will be," she whispered. "This doesn't change anything between us. It just means that we have another piece of the puzzle and we understand all of the weird looks that people old enough to remember your father as a young man always give us. It changes nothing."
"If Cersei finds out I'm still alive-"
"She might find out that we're both alive," Arya interrupted. "We are starting to develop a reputation and someday someone is going to figure it out. She was always going to want us dead for attacking her soldiers and stealing her supplies. She was always going to put prices on our heads. So what if we give her one more reason to? She doesn't want anyone to know we're alive because our names are powerful. She's smart and she won't spread this information around because two unknown people fighting in the woods is far safer to her than Arya Stark and the son of her late husband."
"I always wondered who he was," Gendry said softly as he pulled away from her. "I always assumed he was some drunk idiot who ran around Flea Bottom and didn't give a shit about me. Turns out I was mostly right I just never thought I'd be the son of a King."
"We need to get these supplies to the people who need them." He nodded and the two of them hooked up their horses to the cart and began to walk through the woods until they came to a village. They were grateful for the supplies and Arya loved to see the smile that Gendry got whenever someone would pull him aside and thank him for their help. He would get a warm look in his blue eyes and when he would look at her again she fell a little more in love with him.
Arya was a little surprised to realize that she loved Gendry and then she was surprised at how little it bothered her. For as long as she could remember she had loved him, perhaps longer than she even knew what love was. They had finally kissed, she knew that he felt the same way about her that she did about him, even if they hadn't said the words to each other yet. He was her family and she would do anything to keep him safe.
Qyburn paced the halls of the Red Keep and was unsure how he was supposed to approach a conversation like this. Her Grace was not going to like the report that he had to deliver and the information his little birds had gathered but the moment that Captain rode into the city he needed to make sure that the information was correct. Now he was sure and it was the last thing he wanted to tell her. She was going to be furious and Qyburn wasn't sure who she would take that fury out on. Cersei also needed to know what was going on because it was important and dangerous information.
Cersei was in her chambers, alone, drinking wine. There was still something deeply broken in her from the walk and she looked so different with her long, golden hair cut so short. Qyburn walked into the room and dismissed all of the servants so they were alone.
"Your Grace," he said. "I have some information I believe is important to you."
"What is it now?" she snapped without looking at him.
"Several weeks ago a Captain in your army returned to the Keep and he was yelling about ghosts he had seen out in the lands. He said he thought he had seen your late husband and Lyanna Stark back from the dead," Qyburn explained.
"The dead don't come back," Cersei said lowly.
"No, they do not, so I began to look for another explanation. There have been rumors of a woman and a man fighting all over Westeros for the smallfolk. They have gained quite a reputation over the years."
"I fail to see why this concerns me directly. Tell our soldiers to kill them both and be done with it," Cersei snapped and Qyburn waited a moment before he continued.
"The Bull, the man, is known to be a master smith with the kind of skills that only come from getting ones training in a city like King's Landing. When you and King Joffrey ordered all of your late husband's bastards killed one of them was a smith who got out of the city," he explained and that got her attention. She turned and looked at Qyburn with narrow eyes.
"I was told they were all dead," she said quietly.
"That you were, Your Grace, but I looked at the records from the attack where the boy was killed and even found some of the soldiers that were there during that attack. They told me that the boy that died was young with curly blonde hair," Qyburn said and Cersei froze. She knew as well as he did that none of Robert's children ever had blonde hair; they were all the spitting image of their late father and this bastard was no different. There was no possible way the boy that was killed in the raid on the Night's Watch was one of Robert's which could only mean that the boy somehow survived and no one was the wiser.
"You're telling me one of Robert's bastards has been running around Westeros with a woman that looks exactly like Lyanna Stark for years?" Cersei asked.
"I'm afraid it's worse than that, Your Grace. Arya Stark, Ned Stark's youngest daughter, even in her youth everyone said that she greatly resembled her aunt. She vanished from the Red Keep the day her father was killed and the same day the bastard, the records say that his name was Gendry, was also smuggled out of the city with Night's Watch. The Night's Watch which likely felt like they owed the Stark's a favor and perhaps found a way to get the girl out as well."
It was hard to believe that Arya Stark was wandering around Westeros with one of Robert's bastards for so many years but the more Qyburn looked into it the more the evidence made sense. He also sensed that telling Cersei that her father once held both of them at Harrelhall was not the right course of action at the moment. She was strangely still as she stared at Qyburn like she was trying to decide whether or not she believed him.
"You said they are gaining a reputation?" Cersei asked after a long moment of silence.
"Yes, they steal our supplies and take our small groups of our soldiers. They go to small villages and help them rebuild and protect them from bandits and ask for nothing in return. The smallfolk seem very fond of them and that fondness could be more dangerous than either of their lineages," Qyburn said.
"Agreed," Cersei said and she looked out the window of the Keep and out at the city. "They are dangerous and I won't have them running around anymore. I want our best trackers out there and I want them brought back alive. A public execution of both of them would send a strong message that this kind of behavior won't be tolerated. Stannis and Renly are both dead so House Baratheon won't be a problem and even if Sansa Stark is still running around out there House Stark is dead as well. It's time we put the final members of both into the ground."
"I will see that it gets done," Qyburn said.
"That being said," Cersei said. "The bastard is less of a threat to me and considering Robert never acknowledged him he is less dangerous. The Stark girl, that would mean something, so if given the choice make sure she is brought back alive. You never know when you'll need another valuable hostage." She turned and looked at Qyburn again. "I want our best men on this and I want them found."
"Yes, Your Grace." Qyburn bowed and thought it was time for him to leave.
"Wait," Cersei said as she looked out at the city again. This time she was looking directly at the Sept of Balor as it stood tall and proud. The place where the Sparrows currently were and the ones that made her walk through the city naked. "How much do you know about wildfire?" Qyburn looked out at the building and smiled to himself.
"Quite a bit, Your Grace, did you have something in mind?"