Part Thirty
The last thing Arya wanted to do was give Gendry space but Sansa assured her that it was for the best. So the next day she didn't visit him though she did see Meera coming in and out of the room so at least she knew that he wasn't alone. Arya knew that Sansa went in to check on the stitches but wouldn't say what the two of them spoke about. Jon also went inside and all he would tell her was that Gendry just wanted to confirm that there was a place for him to stay in the forge once he was feeling better. Arya tried to argue that he didn't have to leave but Jon said that Gendry was insisting and he wasn't going to deny him this.
Three days after they rescued him from Melisandre Gendry gathered his things and moved into the small room off to the side of the forge. Daenerys was bringing the dragonglass but Gendry took over the forge and helped the other blacksmiths start to make pommels for swords and handles for axes. That way all they had to do once the dragonglass got here was make the actual blades. Arya watched him work from far away and her heart ached.
When she got back to her room she noticed that he had left his wedding ring on the table next to hers. Arya took them into her hand and held on tight. This was her mistake and her mistake alone. There was no one else who could fix this for her but her. It didn't feel right to wear the ring without Gendry wearing his so she put a line of leather through both of them and wore them around her neck. She tucked them away so they weren't visible to anyone and the cool metal against her skin a reminder that she needed to fix this.
On day four Arya broke and needed to go see him despite the fact that Sansa told her to keep her distance. Even if they were going to fight she needed to be in his presence. Gendry didn't go to the great hall for dinner and was taking his meals in the forge away from everyone else. Arya caught one of the kitchen girls bringing him a plate and offered to take it herself. She had her own plate of food and thought there was a chance they could eat together.
Gendry looked up from his work when she walked in the forge and he narrowed his eyes. He had black soot on his hands and face and despite how warm the forge was he still looked a little cold and touch too pale. The edges of the bandage around his arm were peeking out through the sleeves of his tunic.
"Your Highness," he said and while her first reaction was to lash out at him for calling her that she knew that would be a bad idea.
"There's no one else here, Gendry," Arya said. "I'd appreciate if you'd use my name when it's just the two of us at the very least."
"As m'lady commands," Gendry said with a slight bow of his head. Arya couldn't remember the last time she felt this uncomfortable with him. Even when Gendry was still a stranger to her things never felt like this.
"I brought you some dinner and I was wondering if I could join you?" Arya asked making sure that she gave him a choice in the matter. Gendry stared at her like he wasn't sure what her intentions were and for a long time, it felt like he was going to send her away.
"Come with me," he said and gestured to the back to the forge. He pulled out two cups and filled them with some water that was sitting just outside so it was cold. There was a small table and two small chairs. Gendry pulled out one of the chairs and waited. It took Arya a moment to realize that he was holding it out for her to sit in.
"Thank you," she said quietly as she set the two plates down on the table. She reached into her satchel and pulled out two forks and two knives and handed Gendry a set as he sat down across from her.
"Thank you for the food," he replied.
"I'm not going to say anything else," Arya said and Gendry looked up so he could watch her. "I'm not going to ask anything of you either. I'd like to sit here and have dinner with you tonight and if you want to say anything to me you're welcome to. I'd also love it if I could join you for dinner tomorrow as well but only if you want me to."
"If you come back tomorrow, Arya, I'll let you know if I want company then," Gendry said and she tried not to breathe a sigh of relief because that wasn't a "no". She nodded and they shared a meal in complete silence with the only sound being the crackling of the fire in the forge. When she ran out of water Gendry got up and refilled her up without a word and their fingers brushed when he handed it back to her. When they were finished eating Arya gathered up the plates and hesitated as he walked her back to the forge entrance. They were standing close and she could feel the heat coming off of him.
"Thank you for letting me join you," Arya said.
"Thank you for the pleasant company," Gendry replied and the corner of his mouth twitched like he was thinking about smiling but decided against it at the last minute. "Have a good night, Your Highness." Gendry turned and walked back toward the back room in the forge without another word. Arya watched him vanish from sight and made her way back to the castle.
For the next three days, Arya went out to the forge and had dinner with Gendry and they hardly said a word to each other. She needed to do her time and Arya was willing to do whatever it took. It wasn't until the fourth day that Gendry finally talked.
"I need you to know how much you hurt me," he said as he poked at his dinner. Arya wanted to reply, try to explain or defend herself, but she promised that she wouldn't say anything unless he wanted her to. "You knew that anyone I have ever cared about has left me in some way and you tried to do the same thing. I don't know how I can forgive you for that." Gendry looked up at her and she could see how angry and hurt he was. "Why are you here?"
"Because I made a mistake," Arya said quietly. "I'm here because I will do anything and everything I can to prove to you that I won't try and leave you again."
"What about all of that stuff about disrespecting your family? Is this because they never would have approved of us?" Gendry said and Arya winced because she knew that was true. She knew it even more now that she knew about the marriage contract with the Frey's.
"No, they wouldn't have," she admitted. "But I also know that my family that's still here adores you and wants you to be happy. In fact, they were the first ones to tell me what a mistake I was making. Sansa thinks we're like something out of a song."
"I thought about saying "yes" to her," he said and Gendry didn't need to clarify who "she" was. "She told me that the Lord of Light would appreciate a willing sacrifice and I could save everyone by allowing her to burn. She told me I could save you and I almost said yes. I wanted to because I would do anything to save you."
"I'm glad that you didn't. A world without you isn't one worth saving," Arya replied quietly. Gendry narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything else for the rest of their meal. Arya went to sleep with the rings clasped tightly in her hands and missing his warmth more than anything in the world.
Arya cornered Meera the next morning who seemed to be the only person that Gendry was talking to regularly.
"I'm not telling you anything he's said to me," Meera said.
"Please, just tell me if he's okay. I can't tell," Arya replied. Meera paused as she ate her breakfast and frowned at her food.
"He misses you," she said. "And you're doing the right thing by giving him time." Arya chewed on her lip because time was the very thing she was worried about. Bran seemed to be getting further and further away from them by the day which meant the Night King was getting closer. Jon received a raven from Eastwatch that said they were able to see the army from the top of the wall. Jon explained that he told the black brothers that as soon as they could see the army they were to abandon Eastwatch and make their way to Winterfell. Ravens were sent out to all of the surrounding castles and people were pouring in by the day.
Jon was getting ready to leave with Jorah Mormont and several others to meet Daenerys at White Harbor and escort her and her army to Winterfell. Time was very much not something that they had and Arya wanted Gendry by her side when they faced all of this. The idea that the dead were coming and there was a good chance they only had so much time left alive made her nervous. She wanted more time with all of the people in her life.
Arya watched Jon ride off and tried to keep her heart from racing. She was surprised when Gendry walked over and watched him with her. He didn't say anything but his presence was enough that she felt a little better.
"Meera is worried," he said. "She says that Bran sometimes looks like he doesn't know who she is. She doesn't like that she sometimes wakes up with a stranger."
"Tell her to come see me," Arya replied. "I can stay in Sansa's room and she can have mine if she needs space." She took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Daenerys will be here soon and she'll be bringing several people who will figure out who you are. I need you to please be careful. I'd like you to keep Nymeria close and Meera as well." Arya looked at him and Gendry was watching her carefully like he didn't know what to do with her. After a moment of silence, he reached forward and took her hand into his.
"I'll be fine," he whispered. Gendry released her hand and walked away without looking back. It hurt to see him put his walls back up when they had so little time but Arya knew this was a punishment she would have to bear. She felt a little closer to forgiveness but Arya knew that they were all quickly running out of time.
Arya did her best to hide her anxiety about Daenerys but she couldn't help but be nervous about it. She hated how many people in the world seemed to think that Gendry was a threat that needed to be taken care of because his father couldn't keep to one woman. He didn't want the Iron Throne but it didn't seem to matter how many times he said it no one would believe him. Instead, all they saw was Robert Baratheon reborn and that meant he was ready to claim the thing that was his birthright. Arya hadn't lied when she told Jaime Lannister that neither of them wanted anything to do with southern politics but they didn't know how much that was going to matter in the long run.
Fourteen days after they got a raven saying that Daenerys was sailing north a scout rode into Winterfell and reported that the army would be arriving within the next two hours. Arya raced across Winterfell to the forge where Gendry was working. She didn't come to him during the day, that was part of their unspoken deal, but that needed to change today.
"Gendry," she said and he looked up from his work. "I know I promised I wouldn't ask anything of you but I'm going to. I need you to move back into my room."
"Arya, I'm not ready to-"
"I know and I believe you," Arya interrupted. Meera had turned down her offer to switch rooms and said that it was important for her to remain close to Bran even if she didn't know who Bran was at any given moment. "Daenerys will be here soon and she could know who you are before the end of the night. You'll be better guarded in the family wing of the castle and with me. We can look out for each other like we used to." Arya took a step forward so she was standing close to him and stared into his blue eyes. "I'm not above begging so, please, stay in my room from now on. We can sleep completely clothed and with space between us. I'll sleep on the floor, you can sleep on the floor, I don't care as long as you're in that room with me. Please, Gendry, I need to know that you're safe."
"Fine," Gendry said and he didn't sound happy about it. Arya didn't even care if this set them back some time in reconciling their relationship because it wouldn't matter if he was dead.
"Thank you," she whispered. "I'll bring your things up to my room and I'd like you to stay here for the rest of the day. I'll come and get you later tonight and we can have dinner together in my room. Tomorrow, we'll talk to Jon and Sansa and decide how we can keep you safe."
"The dragonglass will be arriving with the Queen and her army so it's not like I won't have plenty of work to do anyway," Gendry said with a shrug. Arya nodded and raced off to his room off to the side of the forge and gathered all of his things. She left his sword nearby so he had a weapon in case he needed it and took the rest of his things up to his room. Meera was rolling Bran out into the courtyard as they waited for Jon and everyone else to appear. Arya told Nymeria to keep close to Gendry and to let someone know if something was happening. She didn't want her wolf and her husband to both die trying to fight against an entire army.
Sansa joined them and a sound, unlike anything Arya had ever hard rung out in the air. Everyone looked up to see a massive dragon shoot across the sky. Two more followed the large, black beast as they began to circle Winterfell. Sansa reached out and took Arya's hand into her own and held on tight. Jon road into Winterfell with several members of his guard and Daenerys, dressed in thick white furs, followed him in on horseback. More and more men began to pile into Winterfell but it was two men that got out of a carriage that she recognized; that was Tyrion Lannister and Lord Varys. Jon walked over and stood next to his sisters.
"Queen Daenerys, I King Jon Snow of the North welcome you to my home in Winterfell. You've already met my sister Princess Arya but allow me to present Princess Sansa and my brother Prince Brandon Stark." Arya bowed her head to Daenerys as Sansa cursed and Bran nodded. Meera looked a little nervous and Bran had that all too familiar blank expression on his face.
"Princess Arya it's lovely to see you again. You look much better than the last time we spoke. I can assume your husband is well?" Daenerys asked.
"Yes, we've both recovered well," Arya replied though she could tell that a few people were a little confused by the way she was talking. Jorah was nearby and Arya didn't know how much gossip he had shared with his Queen.
"Let us get everyone settled," Sansa said. "I'm sure you are all very tired from your long journey. I will have the cooks start to prepare a small feast to welcome you to the north and to thank you for the alliance." With those words, everyone seemed to move off in different directions. Arya's first instinct was to run to the forge and keep an eye on Gendry but she didn't want to give any of Daenerys' people any excuse to track him down. Jon glanced at her and while he didn't look worried he didn't seem at ease either.
Arya didn't trust how smoothly everything was going. So far it seemed like everyone was getting along just fine. There were a few small spats between the Wildling's and the Dothraki but between Missandei and Tormund they managed to stop any bloodshed. Arya wanted to avoid the feast but she couldn't think of a way to get out of it. No one asked her where Gendry was and, for once, Arya wouldn't have had to lie. He was working in the forges on the dragonglass weapons and would likely be doing so right up until the battle. That was a good excuse to skip a feast and no one questioned her on it.
"King Jon," Daenerys asked as the meal was wrapping up. "I was wondering if my advisors and I could converse with you and your family for a time. I would like to talk about this Long Night that we will be fighting so we all know exactly what we are facing and how much time we have."
"Of course," Jon said. Arya wanted to leave but when she stood up Sansa grabbed her hand and shook her head slightly. All of her nerves were on edge and there was something wrong. It took some time for the lower lords to clear out of the Great Hall and things were oddly quiet as the door finally closed.
"King Jon, I must say I'm a little confused," Daenerys said. She was on her feet in front of the fireplace and she looked like a Queen. Jon, however, stood just as tall and did not cower in front of her at all. Arya was once again reminded of her father and how much Jon resembled him when he was being a leader.
"About what, Your Grace?" Jon asked.
"Why you suggested we trust each other in this alliance but yet you lie to me," Daenerys replied.
"You think I'm lying about the Night King?" Jon said.
"No, not about that," she said. Jon was about to say something when Nymeria, somewhere out in the courtyard, let out a mournful howl. Arya was on her feet in seconds as the door to the great hall opened and one of the Unsullied roughly pulled Gendry in by his arm. "You neglected to tell me you were holding the blood of Robert Baratheon within your walls."
"I told him not to tell you," Arya said and everyone turned to look at her. "You want the Iron Throne and neither of us knew how you would react to a son of a Baratheon even if he's an unnamed bastard."
"Not just a son," Vary said. "But the oldest and one with a claim to the Iron Throne if he were legitimized by someone."
"Daenerys, we were going to tell you-" Jon began but Daenerys was not going to let any of them talk.
"Ser Jorah told me that the Red Priestess said that if we burned him we would win the war. I see no reason why I shouldn't take him out to my dragons and be done with this threat to the throne and assure our victory," she said. Arya didn't remember screaming out "no" and her body seemed to move on its own. She practically climbed over the table and pushed the Unsullied soldier away to take Gendry's hand in hers.
"You burn him you must burn both of us," Arya stated. Several people began to yell at each other at once with Sansa gesturing for Arya to come back to her. Jon was talking quickly and held up placating hands. Daenerys was gesturing angrily at Jon as Tyrion tried to step in to calm everyone down. Arya didn't hear any of it as she looked up at her husband. "We've been married for many years, Queen Daenerys, I could be with child and that child would be just as much a threat to you, so if you insist on killing him you must kill me too."
"She's lying," Gendry said. "Arya can't have children due to an attacked she suffered many years ago. You don't need to hurt her too."
"If you hurt either of them that is a direct attack on House Stark, Daenerys," Jon said as he walked in front of Gendry and Arya. "You attack them and you are effectively declaring war on the north. We didn't want to lie to you because we were worried about this exact thing happening. My sister and her husband have no inclinations toward southern politics. Neither of them wants your throne or to overthrow you."
"You legitimize him and he could lead an army against me," Daenerys said. "The priestess told you that he could win us the war."
"She's wrong," Bran's voice was quiet but seemed to echo in the great hall. "Melisandre read the flames wrong. If you burn Gendry or Arya we will lose the war, not win it. I can promise you that. We all have our parts to play in the coming battle." Bran turned and looked at Daenerys with the blank expression he often got these days. "You want to be judged on your merits and not the reputation of your father. It would be wise for you to do the same for the son of your enemy."
"I didn't know him, Your Grace," Gendry said and Daenerys turned to look at him. She looked furious and Arya wondered if she was going to burn them all for this. "And I don't want his name."
"You want to save the south from Cersei Lannister," Arya said. "She wanted to kill us because she saw us as a threat too. You can be a better person than her by simply allowing us to live our lives." Daenerys narrowed her eyes as she walked across the great hall and stopped in front of Arya and Gendry.
"Swear to me, on your lives, that you are not a threat to me or my reign," she said.
"I swear on the life of my father Eddard Stark I am not a threat to your reign," Arya said.
"I swear on the life my mother who was only guilty of being unable to say no to the king, that I'm not a threat to your reign," Gendry replied. Daenerys stared at the two of them for a moment and she turned to look at everyone in the room.
"It seems that they are not the threat I was told they could be. There will be no more lies between us when it comes to this alliance," she declared.
"There will be no more lies," Jon assured. Everyone in the room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at once and Arya squeezed Gendry's hand. He pulled her to the side a few steps and he almost looked angry.
"What were you thinking telling her you could be pregnant? You put yourself in danger," he hissed.
"It was the only way to save you because I know you wouldn't have tried to save yourself," Arya replied and Gendry jerked as if someone just slapped him. "You told me that you almost said "yes" to Melisandre to keep me safe and now Daenerys was saying that she was going to do the same thing. You were just going to let it happen, Gendry, don't lie to me." Arya held onto his hand tightly and pulled out the rings from her shirt with the other. "I told you; a world without you in it isn't a world worth saving and I meant it. We either live in the world together or we leave it together." He stared at the rings and then looked at her with a completely baffled expression that Arya didn't know what to do with.
"You're mad," he said shaking his head with a smile Arya recognized from the day she asked him to marry him. "You are completely mad." Arya grinned as they threw their arms around each other and held on as if for dear life. It took all of her self control not to cry in front of everyone but, for the first time in a long time, she had her husband back in her arms. There were still things to work out and Arya wasn't sure she was ever going to completely trust Daenerys again but right now it didn't matter. It didn't matter at all because when Gendry pulled away from her he helped her break the chain that held their wedding rings and, completely oblivious to everyone in the great hall watching them, put the rings on their fingers.