Part Seventeen
Arya woke up to the feeling of motion which could only mean that they had set off for the North in the morning like Jon promised they would. The plan hadn't changed that much now that they weren't going beyond the Wall either; Jon was still heading to Eastwatch to see if he could get an idea of how long they had until the dead came. Her and Gendry would make for Winterfell on horses and foot alone. Gendry would spend most of the next four days or so below deck resting and avoiding Jorah Mormont at all costs. She turned over and watched Gendry sleep for a moment. He was still pale, still didn't look healthy, but he wasn't frowning in his sleep like he was in pain anymore. She was worried and would be throwing him to the Winterfell maester as soon as they got through the gates.
Just because he had to stay hidden didn't mean that she did. Arya climbed out of the bed doing her best not to wake him up. Gendry blinked once as soon as she removed herself from his arms.
"Go back to sleep," she whispered. "We're sailing so you can't go far anyway. I'll bring you some food."
"Love you" Gendry mumbled as he reached forward and squeezed her hand. He was back asleep almost instantly and Arya kissed his forehead. She walked out of the servant's quarters and into Jon's room. When Arya was younger and she thought about being married to someone she always expected to be miserable. She expected that she would hate her husband and even thought that running away would be an option. Instead, here she was; lovesick like the songs she used to mock Sansa for loving. Gendry wasn't a knight and she wasn't a princess who needed saving but she loved him and he loved her. It felt so natural now and she couldn't remember a time when she didn't love him.
Arya had another flashback to her childhood as she stole a tunic and a pair of breeches from Jon. They were too big and she needed to roll the legs up so she wouldn't trip on them but they were clean and felt amazing against her skin. She tied Need around her waist leaving Thread and her other weapons in the room. Arya ran her fingers through her mess of hair, braided and tied it with a leather, and walked out of the room. She wandered a little, keeping out of sight until she found a familiar face.
"Ser Davos," Arya said.
"Lady Arya," Davos replied with a nod of his head. "It's lovely to see you. How are you and the lad feeling?"
"He's asleep, which I think is probably for the best. I'm worried about him but I think he's going to be okay once we get the chance to relax and sleep a little," Arya replied. "I guess the same applies to me but to a lesser extent. Where's my brother?"
"Follow me," Davos said and lead her through the ship. He opened a door to reveal Jon sitting at a small table with a man she didn't recognize sitting next to him. She never met Jorah Mormont so she could only assume this was the sworn shield of Daenerys.
"Arya, I'm glad to see you up and about," Jon said. "Allow me to introduce Ser Jorah Mormont. Ser Jorah? My youngest sister Arya Stark."
"My Lady, your brother was telling me what you and your husband went through in the Black Cells and why you were there. It sounds like you have a fondness for the smallfolk."
"We were just trying to help the people that couldn't help themselves while being as annoying to the Lannister's as two people without an army could be," Arya replied. "It's lovely to meet you. I'm sorry that my husband isn't here right now but he's resting. The guards didn't pull their punches when it came to him and he was hurt a lot worse than I was."
"Of course. I hope he heals quickly and I can meet him soon," Jorah replied. He seemed nice enough but from what Jon told her he was completely devoted to Daenerys. She didn't trust him, not yet, and probably not ever until Daenerys herself declared that she wasn't going to order a dragon to eat Gendry.
"Would you like to join us for some food?" Jon asked but Arya was already shaking her head. She didn't really want to be here right now.
"No, I think I'll go get some myself and bring it to Gendry to eat but I'll try to join you for dinner later." Arya didn't wait to be dismissed; instead, she turned and walked out of the room. There were a lot of things she could get used to quickly but readjusting to the strappings of a noble life was not one of them. Also, she didn't really think Jon would force her to bow every time she walked in and out of the room. They were a family before he was her King.
She picked her way through the ship until she came out on deck. The sun was high in the sky and the horizon looked endless. It was beautiful and she loved every single second of it. A few men were manning the sails and walking around. They seemed to either know who she was or were smart enough to leave her alone. Arya was hungry but she was so used to being hungry at this point that it didn't really register. She wanted time to enjoy the clean air and the open sea.
Arya wasn't sure how long she stayed near the railing watching the waves and the ocean when Jon joined her.
"We haven't had a chance to talk just the two of us," he said.
"I know and we probably won't until we get to Winterfell," Arya replied. "You have secrets and so do I. We need to make sure we're someplace safe before we can have all of those conversations. Also, having Sansa and Bran there will save me from repeating the same thing over and over again."
"I'm your brother so the main thing I'm concerned about is your happiness," Jon replied. "I know you've been through hell and it looks like we're going to keep going through hell for at least the foreseeable future what with the dead coming to kill us all. That all being said I need to know; is my baby sister happy?" Arya turned and looked at Jon. He was so sincere in this moment and she knew that this really was the most important thing in the world to him.
"I got to marry for love," Arya replied. "Do you know how many ladies from a great house can say they married for love? Pretty much none of them. Some of them got lucky, like mother and father, and they found love eventually but me? I got to fall in love and then get married. I got to help people who were helpless for many years and make a difference in lives. I got to see my favorite brother become the man I always knew he could be. I'm going home to see my older sister and my little brother both of whom I thought were dead." Arya reached forward and took Jon's hand. "The dead are coming and that bitch still sits on the Iron Throne but right now? In this moment? I couldn't be happier."
Jon was always a sullen young man when they were growing up. The way her mother treated him combined with the way almost everyone else treated meant that there was a lot of moping. Arya learned to cherish Jon's smiles, the real smiles, and for a long time, she thought she'd never see him smile again. When she told him she was happy he smiled and it was a beautiful thing to see on her big brother. She had to smile back and when she threw her arms around his neck for a hug he returned it just as tight. She was getting her family back and that meant the world and then some to her.
"Come on," Jon said as he released her. "Let's get some food for you and that husband of yours. Neither of you are going to get better if you don't eat and I want you to get better as fast as possible." Arya nodded and the two of them walked through the ship to the kitchen. Jon helped her make a plate for Gendry and the two of them walked down to Jon's room. Gendry was up in his old clothes and his head jerked up when they entered.
"Just us," Arya said as she walked in.
"Your Grace," Gendry said with a nod to Jon who made a face about it.
"I'm not giving you this plate until you agree to call me 'Jon'. You're my good brother after all," Jon said. Gendry ducked his head and looked a little embarrassed.
"Jon it is," he replied. Jon handed the plate over and he sat with the two of them as they ate their food. The ship rocked gently and one of the crew stuck their head in the door to tell Jon that there was a chance they were going to run into a storm the next day. The trip to White Harbor was thankfully not very long and the faster they got North the better. Jon told the crew not to go around the storm, they would brave it, because they didn't know how much time they had.
Arya enjoyed the casual conversation between the three of them and was thankful yet again that Gendry and Jon were continuing to get along well. Now he just needed to win over Sansa, Bran, and the Northern lords who would no doubt pitch a fit that a Stark married someone without a name.
It seemed that the gods were once again on their side because despite the storm and some seriously rocky water nothing terrible happened during their remaining days at sea. They learned that both Arya and Gendry didn't exactly do well with rocking boats which meant they spent most of day two in Jon's room with buckets trying to keep down food. Then the storm cleared and Arya found herself killing time by lying in bed with her husband and spending time with her brother. They got to spar on deck and Jon gave her some pointers. It was all so normal that she didn't really know how to deal with any of it.
Jon explained that they would dock at White Harbor for a day so Arya and Gendry could get off of the ship and then they would ship back out so they could sail to Eastwatch to save a lot of time. Jon assured her that he wasn't going beyond the wall but getting to Eastwatch would be faster for everyone and he could figure out how bad things were. Arya wanted him to come to Winterfell more than anything but that wasn't an option right now. She was going to have to wait a little longer to have her whole family back together.
Gendry joined her on deck as they pulled into White Harbor. He was wearing a warm cloak that Jon had lent him and he had the hood up. If anyone asked about it he would just say that he was from the South and the cold was bothering him which wasn't far from the truth. Arya could feel him shivering even now and she worried about how weak they both still were from their time in the Black Cells. She could feel the cold hitting her face and it felt like home. It smelled like the North, when she took a deep breath it hurt a little because the air was cold, and it was everything she'd been missing for years.
"You're smiling," Gendry said and Arya realized that she was. She was smiling so hard it felt like it was going to hurt.
"You're going to see my home," she said as she put her arm around him.
"I always knew you were mad but we've been above deck for all of ten minutes and this cold is already ridiculous," Gendry said but he leaned into her. They pulled into White Harbor and Jon joined them on deck.
"The good news is Jorah Mormont is still wanted for his crimes in the North so he won't be coming on land and will be in hiding this time. You shouldn't have to see each other," he said. Jon and Davos came into the city with them and helped buy two horses and set them up for a night at an inn under false names. Arya didn't want anyone to know who she was until she was safe and home and while Jon seemed to think she was overreacting he allowed her to do what she needed.
"When do you ship out?" Arya asked.
"As soon as possible," Jon replied. "You two get a good night's sleep and head out for Winterfell in the morning. I know you're both in pain still so take your time. I made sure that you have some supplies to camp and some food as well."
"We know how to survive on the land, Jon," Gendry said. "Did you think we slept in villages all the time when we were acting as Wolf and Bull?" Davos grinned but Jon rolled his eyes. One of the things that had happened over the last few days was Gendry and Davos apparently bonding. Davos spent a lot of time telling Gendry about his Uncle, the good and the bad, and about the cousin he apparently lost not that long ago. It was nice to see Gendry accepting another person into his very small circle and Arya couldn't wait to get him to Winterfell so Sansa and Bran could join it as well.
"Just be careful as you're traveling. I know you both know how to fight but you're both still recovering. Are you sure I can convince you to travel with-" Jon started but Arya held up a hand.
"I promise you; we'll be safe if it's just the two of us," she said. "You come back to Winterfell as soon as possible. I want all of the Stark's together again." Jon looked like he was going to argue, say something stupid like he wasn't a Stark, but he didn't. Instead, he pulled her into a tight hug and held on a little too long. Gendry and Davos clasped hands and Jon pulled Gendry into a hug that her husband looked like he didn't quite know what to do with. It made her heartache sometimes how confused Gendry seemed by basic affection and she hoped that it would become a distant memory soon.
They watched Jon's ship sail out the harbor and Arya got to watch one of her only family members vanish into the horizon yet again. She was trying not to panic, she really was, but it wasn't helping. Gendry reached forward and took her hand. It helped ground her but it didn't alleviate that panic.
They set off for Winterfell the next morning. Gendry was amazed when the snow began to fall and Arya was struck a little dumb by the sight of him smiling with big white snowflakes in his hair. He looked so happy and she couldn't believe that she got to witness this. Their travel was slow because anything more than a walk on their horses made them both want to scream with pain. Arya thought that their speed would drive her crazy and several times Gendry tried to apologize for it but Arya found that she didn't mind. She liked walking through the wilderness of the North with Gendry. She liked cuddling with him by the fire and not just because she wanted to get warmer. She liked how this reminded her of the few camping trips she went on her with her brothers.
It was on their third day and they were setting up camp when Arya heard something in the woods. She pulled out Needle and looked out into the darkening forest. Gendry looked up from where he was building their fire.
"Arya? What is it?" he asked.
"Something is out there," she whispered.
"Person or animal?" Gendry said but Arya shook her head. Whatever was out there was slowly approaching them like a predator would and she knew that this was likely an animal. Whether or not it was the kind of animal that was about to tear them apart was a bit more unknown but she was ready. They'd been attacked by a bear in the Riverlands before and made it out okay. She was sure that they could handle this too.
A pair of yellow eyes opened in the darkness and Arya felt her heart stop. There was no way, there was no possible way that she was seeing this, but the eyes moved forward. Gendry was saying her name, asking what he was supposed to do, but she could hardly heart him over how loud her heart was beating. The eyes moved closer and Nymeria stepped into their camp.
"Nymeria," Arya whispered. She looked around and realized that they were surrounded on all sides by close to two dozen regular wolves. This was Nymeria's pack and she was coming to show them off. Arya put down Needle and held up her hands as she slowly approached her old direwolf. "I told you to stay away when we were captured and you did. I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
"Arya," Gendry said and he sounded terrified.
"It's okay," Arya said both to Nymeria and to Gendry. "You know him. You helped save him many years ago and you know me." She reached out and placed a hand on Nymeria's head. The growling around all of them immediately ceased and the only sounds in the forest was the crackling of their fire. Nymeria's tail began to wag as she pushed her massive head into Arya's hand for more pets. She was massive now, big enough to ride, and she looked strong. "Gendry, come here."
"Are you sure?" he asked. "I don't want to say I survived the Black Cells only to get eaten by a wolf." Arya looked over her shoulder and smiled at him.
"Trust me," she said and gestured for him to come over. Gendry looked a little wary but he put his hammer down and slowly made his way over to her. Nymeria tensed a little but leaned forward to smell the hand that Gendry offered. "See? You know him. You know us." Her tail began to wag and she let him scratch her behind the ears. The other wolves seemed to fade into the darkness but Arya could feel that they were staying close. They weren't leaving so maybe that meant that they were going to follow them to Winterfell. Arya couldn't imagine a safer way to travel than to have an entire wolf pack staying guard.
The wolf pack apparently decided that the two of them were pups that needed to be fed and protected at all costs. Nymeria stayed close and the other wolves brought them a deer ["is she trying to tell me something with that deer?" Gendry asked and Arya laughed until she almost cried] and would circle their camp so no one got close. On their fifth night, some bandits did try to attack them but Nymeria and her pack took care of them before they even got close. Nymeria spent the first night just outside of their tent but after Gendry spent a night shivered she bullied her way in and would sleep against his back to keep him warm.
To her husband's credit, he was taking the entire thing in stride. Gendry seemed to accept pretty quickly that Nymeria had adopted him and there wasn't anything he could do about it. It made her heart sing the first time she saw him reach out and pet Nymeria without flinching. The wolf pack mostly kept their distance but Arya would sometimes see them out of the corner of her eye. She slept without nightmares for the first time in many years.
On day six the towers of Winterfell finally came into view. Arya paused as she looked at her home. The nerves began to settle in again and she almost wanted to stop for one more night before heading to the gate. Gendry reached over and took her hand. He nodded and she knew that he was with her no matter what. Arya glanced at Nymeria, then at her husband, and released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She kicked her horse and the three of them made their way toward the gate.