Part Fourteen
Arya blinked against the sun shining in the small window and realized she was the most comfortable she had been in weeks. The bed wasn't a featherbed but it was a bed and the blanket was warm enough that neither of them were shivering. Gendry was a solid presence at her back and she could feel him breathing steadily. He was still asleep and that was good. He needed rest because they needed to figure out a way to get out of the city. At the most, they had another day before the guards realized that they were gone and started to tear King's Landing apart. Cersei would offer a reward for their capture and she couldn't even blame the starving citizen of King's Landing that would turn them in.
She rolled over and looked at the sleeping face of her husband. There was a nagging voice in the back of her head, that sounded a lot like Joffrey, that said she could get out of the city alone. That if she left him behind she could make it North and home. If she mentioned this to Gendry he would probably agree the self-sacrificing idiot that he was. He'd tell her to run and to run as fast as she could. He would try to placate her by saying that he knew the city better and he could hide out until his bruised and broken body healed. He would tell her that one person in hiding was a lot easier and he could keep away from the guards. He would tell her it would be fine and she needed to get home.
Arya knew she could never leave him behind like that the same way he couldn't ever leave her behind. The white scar from Griffin's blade on his neck was Arya's constant reminder that Gendry would give his life for her without hesitation. He was stubborn and while she loved that about him he still didn't think his life was worth just as much as hers. She supposed the rest of the world wasn't doing a very good job of showing him that it was. Everywhere they went someone would lash out at him for marrying her. How dare a low born bastard like him ruin a lady of a great house? It was no wonder he had a complex about the whole thing; all of Westeros seemed bound and determined to prove Gendry right.
She ran her thumb along his cheekbone and the fading bruises underneath both of his eyes. Even bloody and bruised like this she thought he was the most beautiful man she ever laid eyes on. Arya remembered the rage she felt when Cersei touched him like this. When she dared to call him beautiful but look at him like he was expendable. Arya had a lot of reasons to kill Cersei Lannister but it was always nice to get another one.
Gendry shifted and slowly opened his eyes. He was so exhausted still, she could see it in his eyes, but there was no way Gendry could spend a day lying in bed. They were both weak and the people in the Black Cells were starting to get sick. There was a chance either one of them could come down with something in the next day or two.
"Hey," he whispered. "I know when you're getting lost in your own head. You get this little frown."
"You're full of shit Gendry Waters," Arya accused and he smiled. It was like watching the sunrise and it made her chest feel warm. "No matter what happens I need you to know how much I love you."
"I know how much you love me, Arya Stark. You went to Cersei to ask her to spare me. You told her we wanted nothing to do with Southern politics but for that to happen we'd have to stay in the North for the rest of our lives," Gendry said as he took one of her hands into his. "You were willing to give up revenge for me. I know you love me."
They stayed in bed a little longer before they both agreed they needed to get up and figure out what they were going to do next. Arya didn't want to, she wished she could stay in bed and not think about anything, but that wasn't realistic and she knew it. She wished she had spare clothes because her own felt stiff and disgusting. She wanted a long and hot bath, another hot meal, and maybe the opportunity to sleep without worrying who was going to come out of the shadows to kill them.
There was a small tavern in the inn and they spent most of the day listening to the drunken conversations people were having. There were a lot of rumors going around Westeros and this seemed like a good place to try and get a handle on them.
One merchant said he saw dragons flying around Dragonstone which all but confirmed to them again that the Dragon Queen was here. The people seemed worried that she might attack and no one seemed to know what to think about that. As far as Arya could tell a lot of the smallfolk seemed to think that Cersei was terrible and they wanted her gone but at the same time they were terrified of those dragons and what kind of damage they could do.
From where Arya was sitting she wasn't sure which one frightened her more. There was a good chance that both Queens would want them both dead. The North and hoping Jon could remain independent should Cersei and the Dragon Queen go to war was really their only hope.
They also listened for ways to get out of the city. It didn't really matter where a boat was going as long as it was out of the Crownlands. Even just out of King's Landing would be better than nothing. It seemed that a lot of people wanted out of King's Landing and all the merchants and sailors were laughing about the huge prices they were charging people to get out of the city. Jaime gave them enough money for maybe three days at the inn with food and nothing else. The guards were checking people as they road in and out of the city and by the time they managed to get enough money for horses, Cersei would know they were missing and there was no way they could leave through the front gates.
"I know what you're thinking and I don't want to hear it," Arya said as they returned to their tiny room for the night. It was another bowl of brown with more terrible ale but this time Arya managed to get her hands on some water as well. The ale was not going to help them heal but the water would.
"You didn't even know what I was going to say," Gendry argued and Arya fixed him with a stare. She knew exactly what he was going to say and she wasn't going to hear it. Gendry put his hands up in surrender and took a few steps back with a boyish smile on his face. "All right maybe you do know what I'm thinking. That doesn't mean I'm wrong." Arya didn't have the chance to argue when there was a knock on their door. She glanced at Gendry and they had a silent conversation; neither of them had asked for anything that would require someone to knock on their door.
Arya flipped her dagger in hand and nodded to Gendry. She pulled the door open and Gendry took the person by the shirt and yanked them into the room. Gendry used his strength to pin the person to their door while Arya placed a dagger to their throat.
"I don't know who you are but you better start talking fast," she said. The person who had knocked on their door was an older man in fairly nice looking leathers. He had silver-gray hair and a beard and there was something familiar about the way he was dressed.
"I mean you no harm milady," the man said and she saw Gendry jerk in surprise. Arya knew that accent, it was a Flea Bottom accent, and he spoke like a low born. "I was sent here to help you."
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"My name is Ser Davos Seaworth and King Jon Snow asked me to come to this city to help his sister Arya Stark escape," Davos said.
"Prove it," Gendry demanded after a beat of silence. Davos looked away from Arya and focused on Gendry. His eyes went a little wide and Arya could tell that this Davos knew who Gendry was immediately.
"Yes, tell me something that only my brother would know," Arya said.
"Your brother had a direwolf like your other sibling but he's white with red eyes. Jon calls him Ghost," Davos said. Arya glanced at Gendry but she wasn't entirely convinced. "Very well. On the last day, your brother saw you he gave you a sword. You called it Needle."
"He's telling the truth," Arya whispered as she took a step back. Gendry nodded and he also moved back from Davos but also made sure that he was between her and this stranger.
"I was expecting to see you somewhere in the Black Cells milady," Davos said as he straightened his clothes. "We only sent the message about this place recently. How did you escape?"
"We had help," Arya said and left it at that. There was no reason for this man to know how they got out of the cells.
"Yes, we, I can see that," Davos said as he looked at Gendry. "I wasn't told that you had anyone else traveling you. Your brother told me that I was here to collect you alone."
"He's coming with me," Arya insisted.
"Milady-"
"No," Arya snapped. "You either take both of us out of the city or you leave and we'll find out own way. Those are your only choices." Davos looked at the two of them and seemed to be thinking on the matter. Eventually, he nodded slowly.
"Then I suppose I'm taking both of you."
Davos was still openly staring at Gendry and he sort of looked like he was seeing a ghost. It made Arya deeply uncomfortable because this man might be loyal to the Stark's that didn't mean he wouldn't throw Gendry to the wolves. None of them were comfortable enough with each other to go downstairs for food so Arya ordered it to the room and the three of them sat down on the floor to eat. Davos didn't look like he minded that much sitting on the floor and but that didn't make Arya any less uneasy.
"You know who I am," Gendry said after a long silence as they all ate their food. He narrowed his eyes at Davos and watched him carefully.
"I do," Davos said softly. "I was the Hand of the King to Stannis Baratheon. Renly never had any children and Stannis wouldn't have any children out of wedlock so I can only assume you're one of Roberts who survived the slaughter."
"That's what we think," Arya said.
"You knew my Uncle?" Gendry asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid he lost a bit of mind his mind to the Red God for many years. I saw him destroy the only thing that really mattered in the name of that god," Davos explained.
"A woman in red came to try and buy me from the Brotherhood Without Banners many years ago," Gendry said. "She said she was doing it in the name of the rightful king of Westeros, Stannis Baratheon."
"You're lucky to be alive then lad," Davos said. "That woman was keen to bleed or burn anyone with king's blood and if she got her hands on you she probably would have killed you." Davos frowned a little and look at Gendry. "Stannis is no longer with us so you're not in any danger from him. I can't say how friendly King Jon will be in taking in a royal bastard when he's already fighting a war on two fronts."
"What do you mean "two fronts"?" Arya asked.
"It's not my place to explain everything milady," Davos said. "Right now we need to get both of you out of the city. Your brother sent me here to get you but we told everyone that we were going as a test to make sure I could still get in and out of the city. Lord Tyrion needs to come to the city next week. King Jon is currently at Dragonstone trying to negotiate an alliance with the Dragon Queen." Arya felt her blood run a little cold at the mention of the Dragon Queen; she hadn't told Gendry what Cersei said about offering him up as a prize to the Dragon Queen in exchange for mercy. Arya didn't want to worry Gendry about that but she also couldn't keep it from him either.
"Cersei said something to me," Arya said softly. "She said that Baratheon's are valuable because of how much the Dragon Queen must hate that house for everything that they did to her. She said that she thought offering Gendry to the Dragon Queen would be seen as something worthy of sparing her life if need be. You're telling me that my brother is with her right now."
"I'm afraid I don't know the Queen so I don't know how she would react to seeing one of Robert's children," Davos said.
"What if we just didn't tell her who I am?" Gendry said. "She can't know what Robert or other Baratheon's looked like. If we just say I'm a bastard then it shouldn't be a problem."
"Lord Varys and Lord Tyrion Lannister are both advisors to the Queen and they would know who you are within seconds," Davos said. "Lad, perhaps I can drop you off somewhere else on the way to Dragonstone and-"
"He stays with me or not at all, Ser," Arya said before either of them could entertain that thought. She reached over and took Gendry's hand into her own and squeezed it. "He's my husband and I won't be separated from him." Davos stared at the two of them with an odd expression on his face like he didn't quite believe what he was hearing. At this point, Arya was used to that reaction when she told people that she was married.
"That's a dangerous union," Davos said. "One that could be a threat to a lot of people. A Baratheon bastard marrying into one of the oldest and most powerful houses in Westeros. It's no wonder Cersei wants at least one of you dead."
"In our defense, we thought I was the last of the Stark's at the time," Arya said.
"Very well, I'll sneak you both onto the island without anyone knowing you were ever there. I'll get you to a place where Jon will be so you can meet with him and figure out exactly how you want to handle all of this," Davos said. "Lad, I served House Baratheon for many years and I must say it makes me happy to see it survive in some capacity." Gendry didn't seem to know what to say to that so he simply nodded and kept quiet.
Not long after they finished their food the sun went down and Davos began to guide the three of them through the city. Gendry was still moving stiffly and Arya knew that he was still in a lot of pain. Her own bruised and broken body was not fairing much better and all she wanted to do was sleep. However, the cover of darkness was better for them to escape and she wanted out of this city as soon as possible.
On the beach tucked underneath a cliff was a small rowboat and Arya could almost taste freedom. She kept waiting for a crossbow bolt to come out of nowhere or someone to yell "halt" but none came. The three of them pushed the boat out into the waves and before long the darkness of night had swallowed them up. They were getting away from King's Landing. Gendry looked a little pale and was holding his side as he winced with pain.
"I know that look," Davos said as he began to row. "That's the look of a man with broken ribs. I'm surprised you're still able to walk."
"Not easily," Gendry said. Davos guided them to a small ship that was anchored far away from the city. By the time the three of them managed to pull themselves on deck, Gendry looked like he was about to fall over. The ship rocked with the waves and Gendry raced to the side so he could lose whatever food was still in his stomach. That had to be painful with his ribs and Arya rubbed his back to try and make him feel better. Davos guided them to a small compartment used by smugglers and told them that he would come and let them out when it was safe.
"I feel so weak," Gendry whispered when they were safely stowed away.
"You're hurt. We both are," Arya said as she pulled Gendry down so he could lie his head down on her lap. "They hurt you more than me because you're a man. You need time to get better and we haven't had it yet. Once we're in the North we can stop running."
"I hope so," Gendry said. "I really hope so." Arya closed her eyes and slept throughout most of the sailing. Davos stopped by to give them a little food and water and assured them that it was going to be just a few more hours. As they got closer she felt her stomach tie up in knots. She hadn't seen Jon in so many years and now he was the King in the North. Jon was her favorite brother but the idea of seeing even one member of her family made her nervous. She always felt like such an outsider and Jon was too. It was one of the things they had in common but now he was a King and Arya didn't know what she was anymore.
"A princess," Gendry said when she voiced her concerns. "By the gods, if your brother is a King that makes you a princess. I'd be laughing about how ridiculous it is that a lowborn bastard like me married a princess but it would hurt too much."
"Good because it isn't funny," Arya snapped but she could still see Gendry smiling in the darkness. She thwacked him upside the head and he huffed out a laugh regardless. Arya could hear the boat dock and she sat very still. There was a chance that this Davos could turn them over to the Dragon Queen. That he wasn't really loyal to Jon and they were about to get burned alive by a dragon. She could hear them even below deck. Their roars were hard to mistake. The little girl in her wanted to see the dragons but the practical woman who survived this long didn't want anything to do with them.
Eventually, Davos came out and helped them out of the compartment. The castle was massive but Arya was glad that Davos was leading them along the beach to a small alcove in the walls of the island. There were people moving around in there and Davos asked them to wait not far from the entrance. He said he was going to bring Jon to them.
"You'll protect me if your brother decides to beat me bloody for touching his little sister, right?" Gendry asked.
"No one is touching you while I have a sword in my hands," Arya assured him. She took his hand and held onto it tightly. She couldn't believe that she was about to unite with her family and it felt like a heavy weight settled onto her chest. Arya knew she was probably crushed Gendry's hand she was holding on so tight but he didn't say a word. There was the sound of someone rushing toward them and Arya braced herself.
"Arya?" an all too familiar voice said from the darkness.
"Jon?" she whispered. The man who emerged from the shadows was both familiar and all too different. His dark hair was tied back in a bun and he had a much larger beard. He was dressed in Northern armor and clothing despite the heat at Dragonstone and there were direwolves etched into the metal. She released Gendry's hand and raced toward him. It was like she was a child all over again and despite every single bruise and broken bone she had Arya jumped into his arms. Jon held onto her like she was a lifeline and collapsed to his knees in the sand.
"Little sister," he whispered and Arya knew she was finally home again.