Part Fifteen
Arya could have held onto Jon for several hours, and the little girl she was deep down really wanted to, but there were other things that needed to get taken care of. She pulled away from Jon and watched him smile down at her. It seemed to take Jon a moment to notice the fourth person in the room that he didn't know. Jon looked over at Gendry and Arya felt nervous all over again. She looked over her shoulder at her husband and he did something she hadn't ever seen before; Gendry bent the knee and put his head down.
"Your Grace, it's an honor to meet you," Gendry said. Gendry had a problem with nobility, he wasn't a fan and he disliked having to act nicely to them even more, but here he was willingly knowing and kneeling to her brother. Arya had a feeling that the only reason Gendry was doing this was because he knew all about Jon. She broke away from her favorite brother to stand next to her husband.
"Please stand up," she said softly. Gendry glanced at her, the at Jon, and let her help him to her his feet. Jon seemed to zero in on the places where they were touching and Arya didn't like the way he was narrowing his eyes. "Jon, I want you to meet someone very important to me. This is Gendry; he's my husband."
"Is this a jape?" Jon said after a long beat of silence and staring at the two of them like they spawned second heads. Arya looped her arm through Gendry's and could feel him flinch at the statement.
"No, it's true, we were married beneath a heart tree about a year ago. We've known each other since the day Father was killed and we've traveled together ever since," Arya explained. Jon didn't look at less confused and Gendry was beginning to look a little pale and likely needed to sit down. "Let's sit down so we can explain everything."
"Sure, we can go up to the castle-"
"We need to stay here and talk," Arya interrupted and now Jon looked incredibly suspicious. "Please, brother, let us tell you our story here and then we'll decide what we want to do next. We've just spent considerable time in the Black Cells and we're still wounded from the beatings."
"Very well," Jon said and the three of them settled into the cool sand beneath Dragonstone near a torch. Davos did not join them but stayed close enough that he would be able to hear and let them know if anyone was coming. Arya glanced at Gendry and began to tell their story. She told Jon about that day on the Sept and how she traveled with Yoren. Gendry explained about how the Gold Cloaks attacked and how they ended up at Harrenhal. Her favorite brother patiently listened to everything that the two of them were telling him. He looked angry when he found out about the bandit attack that nearly took their lives.
Arya was nervous to see how Jon would react to their unconventional relationship. She was not keen to tell her brother all of the details but he seemed to understand that this marriage was consummated. Jon smiled a little when they talked about their work all over Westeros as Wolf and Bull and frowned deeply when he heard about Griffin and being taken to the Black Cells. However, they had to tell him why Cersei wanted both of them and that meant revealing Gendry's parentage.
"Cersei massacred any of King Robert's bastards right around the time that Ned Stark was killed," Gendry said because this was his story to tell and not hers. "We didn't know until many years later that I was one of those bastards. The reason I was sent to the Wall that day was to protect me from that massacre. There's been a price on my head ever since and now Cersei wants to use my death in a couple of creative ways such as using it as a threat to any lesser houses that might defy her."
"I don't understand what that has to do with the Queen here," Jon said.
"Robert Baratheon killed most of her family and no doubt tried to kill her. How do you think she would react to having one of his sons nearby? Not only one of his sons but possibly the only one and the last of the house?" Gendry sighed and glanced at Arya. "Cersei seemed to think she hates Baratheon's enough that handing me over to get burned alive by a dragon could grant her some level of mercy."
"Gendry's an unacknowledged bastard but anyone who knew Robert could see who he is. Ser Davos told us that Lord Vary and Lord Tyrion are part of the Dragon Queen's counsel. They would know who Gendry is and I can't risk her deciding that he's a threat to her rule," Arya explained. "Cersei seemed to believe that you could legitimize him, as King of the North, and Gendry would have ample claim to the Iron Throne."
"Even if I'm not legitimized there are people who still support my father's house," Gendry said. "Anytime we went to the Stormlands people would look at us oddly. They could declare for me based on my look alone and that would be a threat to her rule." Gendry reached over and took Arya's hand into his. "And if she thinks there is a chance that Arya is with child she could burn her too."
"It's not a risk either of us are willing to take," Arya said. "Please, don't let her see us until we know she won't burn us both because of who our parents are or who we decided to marry." Jon looked at their joined hands and then back up to their faces.
"You love my little sister?" Jon asked.
"More than anything," Gendry replied without hesitation. "I would have insisted we separate so she was in less danger but she's too stubborn to accept that answer." Gendry looked at her and she could feel her heart pounding at the naked affection in his eyes. "She never cared that I had nothing to offer her, she never cared that I was a bastard and unworthy of her, and by some miracle of the gods she loves me back."
"When I thought I was alone in the world I had him," Arya said as she looked back at Jon. "I thought I lost my entire family and you were on the Wall so I couldn't see you. When I was alone I had Gendry. Please don't make me choose between my brother and my husband because I know what would happen. This self-sacrificing idiot next to me would probably insist I choose you over him but I don't want to make that choice. Not ever."
"After everything, this family has gone through I couldn't imagine asking you to do anything like that," Jon said. He offered Gendry a hand and the two of them clasped hands tightly. "Gendry Waters, thank you for helping take care of my little sister and for being there for you. Our fathers were close friends and I hope you and I can continue that friendship."
"Nice to meet you too, Jon Snow," Gendry replied and Arya's heart sang as the two of them smiled at each other. She knew she wasn't out of the woods yet, that Sansa would probably have something to say about this, but if Jon approved then that was what really mattered.
"All right, you two look like hell," Jon said as he pushed himself to his feet. "Ser Davos and I will do our best to get you some food and blankets. It's not exactly warm here but it's the best we can do for now."
"Thank you, Jon," Arya said. He leaned over and kissed her forehead and left to go back to the castle to get them supplies. Arya settled into Gendry's side as he let out a long breath. "So that went well."
"Yeah, for the first time someone didn't threaten to gut me for touching the high born lady. If anyone had the right to it would be your older brother and yet here I sit," Gendry said as he shook his head and smiled to himself. "You high borns make no sense to me."
"Jon's like you, he understands, probably better than most," Arya said. The two of them sat there in the sand and the darkness, not saying anything, for several hours until Jon and Davos returned with some food and blankets to keep them warm. When Jon heard about all of her bruises he began to fret but Arya waved him off. If anyone of them needed a maester it was Gendry and he said he was fine at least for now. It wasn't exactly comfortable to lie down in the sand but their bellies were full and the exhaustion of everything was catching up to them.
"You told me everything that happened to you," Jon said as he was getting ready to go back to the castle for the night. "Tomorrow, I'll tell you everything that happened to me and what I know about the rest of our family." Arya nodded and watched him go. The sound of the sea and Gendry's warm heat behind her lulled her into a dreamless sleep.
Arya wanted to sleep longer but it seemed that people were in and out of the cave for most of the morning. The two of them were tucked into a dark corner so they couldn't see them but it still meant that she could hear them talking. They were talking about mining something from beneath the island and how they needed it to fight something. It was a detail that she didn't understand and one that she wanted to press Jon about as soon as possible. Arya slipped out from her blankets and let Gendry sleep some more.
She wandered to the entrance and looked out at the ocean. It was warm but nothing she wasn't used to at this point. Arya wondered if she would be cold if they ever made it back to the North. Would it bother her like it bothered most people from the South? She'd been away from her home for so long Arya wasn't sure if she was even from the North anymore. The thought of getting sick from the cold broke her heart a little and anytime the wind cut through to her bones would be a constant reminder that she purposely stayed away from home. Her and Gendry could have gone North years ago and they didn't. They stayed in the South and they did good work. She was proud of what they did. Yet at the same time, she regretted staying away for so long.
Jon came around the corner and smiled when he saw her.
"I can't get over the fact that you're my little sister," he said as he pulled her into a hug. "You're a woman grown and I missed all of it."
"Everyone did," Arya replied as they walked into the caves toward the back area where Gendry was still asleep. She knelt next to him and ran her fingers through his hair. He hummed in his sleep but didn't wake up. Arya didn't really want to wake him up at all; he was still very hurt and needed rest to recover.
"I never thought I'd live to see the day you looked at a man like that," Jon said.
"Thank you," Arya whispered.
"For what?" Jon asked as he settled down on the ground in a way that was a little awkward and seemed below his great station.
"For accepting him," she said as she turned and looked at her brother. "When we first decided to be together, he told me he was afraid. He knew that if anyone found out who I was and that we were together they would blame him. They would string him up even if it was something I wanted. I didn't believe him, at first, but it seems like everyone we've met has done exactly that." She looked down and saw that Gendry was still asleep but he was frowning like he was in pain. She wished she could take it away. "He's a good man, one of the best I know, and he still thinks his life is worth more than mine because he's a bastard."
"Arya," Jon said. "It's a mentality that is drilled into us from day one. All anyone can tell us is that we're the lowest of the lows. I was lucky that father made sure I was treated better than most. Judging from what you've both told me about his life before that it sounds like he wasn't as lucky." Jon took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Am I a little uncomfortable with the idea of my baby sister being a married woman? Of course, I am, I'm your brother and you're my sister. You always saw the good in people and didn't tolerate the bad so if you deemed this man not only worthy of your affections but your hand in marriage? Well, your judgment is something that I trust." Gendry began to stir and he blinked up at the two of them.
"Bleeding hells I'm sleeping in front of royalty," he mumbled.
"You didn't snore so don't worry about it," Arya said and Gendry rolled his eyes. He winced as he sat up and settled against the wall. Jon reached into his bag and handed the two of them some bread, dried meat, and a small wineskin.
"You told me everything that happened to you so I suppose it's time for me to tell you everything that has happened to me," Jon said.
It took a couple of hours but Jon eventually caught the two of them up on everything that was happening in the North. Arya took Gendry's hand and held on tight when Jon told her about what happened to Rickon. In her own mind, Arya had already grieved for her baby brother but hearing how he died and right in front of Jon made it so much harder to hear. She was surprised to hear that Theon came through for Sansa in the end and her blood boiled with rage at the thought of what that Bolton bastard did to her beautiful sister. It was also at that moment that Jon told her about the letter he got that Bran was alive and back in Winterfell.
It took all of her self control not to jump up and scream when Jon told her that he'd been killed and brought back to life. When he mentioned the red woman, Melisandre was apparently her name, Gendry tensed up. He was still afraid of her after all of these years and she honestly did not blame him in the slightest. Just because this woman served a different king didn't mean she wasn't keen to burn people whose blood she deemed powerful.
Jon explained that he was in the South trying to create an alliance with the Dragon Queen, Daenerys Jon told them her name was because he believed that they needed all of Westeros to fight the undead. Arya and Gendry glanced at each other and she still wasn't sure if it was worth the risk. There was still the chance that this Daenerys would decide to burn them both.
"I'm not sure if you can trust her either," Jon confessed. "She seems like she has a good heart but people have been known to do crazier things in the name of the iron throne." Jon smiles to himself a little. "I won't let anything to either of you. I swear it."
"Ser Davos said something about smuggling Lord Tyrion into the city, what was that about?" Gendry asked as they finished the rest of their food.
"He seems to think he can convince Jaime to convince Cersei to join the battle against the dead," Jon said.
"That won't work," Arya said.
"We're discussing a plan to go beyond the Wall and bring back a wright to prove to her that the dead are real," Jon replied but Arya shook her head.
"Jon, both of us have spoken to her more than once recently. She is not going to agree to anything. She blew up the Sept of Balor, do you think someone like that can be reasoned with?" Arya asked. Jon frowned but didn't say anything more. "It sounds like you want to go North again soon, can't we just sneak aboard your ship and she'll never know we were there?"
"She wants to send someone with us on the mission beyond the Wall," Jon explained. "He's loyal to her and it'll look worse for us if we make it look like we're hiding the two of you." The three of them sat in silence for a moment as Arya and Gendry finished the last of their food.
"But Daenerys isn't really the problem," Gendry said as eyes turned to him. "She doesn't know what my father looked like, only Lord Tyrion and Lord Varys, so could you figure out a way to introduce the three of us without including either of them?"
"The man she wants to send North is Ser Jorah Mormont and he could recognize Gendry as well," Jon said. "He was knighted by King Robert."
"Gendry is injured though and could use the entire trip sailing North to recuperate. Ser Jorah wouldn't have to get a good look at his face if he's resting below deck the entire time. When you decide to go on this suicide mission beyond the Wall we can go to Winterfell. It'll be easier to hide there," Arya suggested. "I still believe that trying to convince Cersei to join this fight won't work."
"I don't believe I can make it to the North on foot," Gendry admitted. "Not right now and not without some considerable time to heal. Ever since we got captured men have been beating the hell out of me. I feel like I haven't been able to take a deep breath without pain for months. If we're going to make it to the North we need help getting there."
"I'll see about a meeting without Varys, Tyrion, or Jorah nearby but it won't be easy," Jon said. "I want the two of you to continue to rest down here the best you can and I'll try to get us North as soon as possible." Jon pushed himself to his feet and nodded to them. Arya watched her brother walk out of the cave and leave the two of them in the darkness once again.
"He mentioned that there was a material here that was one of the only things that could kill the undead," Gendry said. "We should have him give me some to bring to Winterfell while we wait for them to return."
"You would latch onto that bit of information," Arya said as she smiled. She settled next to him and closed her eyes. She didn't like the idea of being this close to many enemies still but there weren't any other options at the moment. Jon said that he could keep both of them safe and he seemed to like Gendry enough. She thought her favorite brother wouldn't let some Queen he didn't know burn her husband. There was something about the way that Jon spoke about this woman that set Arya's teeth on edge. There was no avoiding meeting her though and it was something that she was going to have to accept. She just hoped that this meeting doesn't end with her and Gendry staring down a dragon in their final moments.
"I want you to know something," Arya said as she looked up at Gendry. "If we need to escape to keep this Daenerys from hurting you, I'll do it. I can wait to get North if need be." Gendry turned and looked down at her.
"I need some time to heal, Arya. I don't know how long that will take," he said. "I don't want to make you wait that long and I know you want to defend your home from this threat beyond the Wall. We're taking the ship and we'll figure out a way to keep both of us safe." Gendry kissed her forehead and the two of them spent the rest of the day resting and hoping that their wounds healed sooner rather than later.