It was strange getting ready to go to war like this. Arya didn't know what she was expecting but this feeling of dread in her stomach ached worse than any wound she'd ever had in her life. She glanced at Gendry as he pulled on his leathers and the layers he was using to keep warm. The mace he made out of dragonglass was leaning against the wall and while Arya wished he could have a second weapon the truth was there just weren't enough for that. She wished that he was far away from here and somewhere safe but Gendry wasn't the type of person to run. He was going to fight until he couldn't move a single muscle. He looked up when he caught her staring at him. It looked like he wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. Arya didn't either.
She practically ran forward and threw her arms around him and held on tight. This wasn't the moment to do this, they needed to get to the courtyard because they were going to be the ones guarding the Great Hall and all the women and children, but she needed a moment in his arms. The night before wasn't enough, an entire lifetime wouldn't be enough, and the idea of seeing his corpse on the ground of her home made Arya feel a little sick to her stomach.
Gendry didn't say anything either; he just held onto her and pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead. They were both a little distracted that a knock on the door made them both jump apart. Jon opened the door and looked at the two of them. He was a little pale and Arya thought that it looked like he hadn't slept a wink.
"I need you to come with me," Jon said softly.
"Yeah, of course," Arya replied. She strapped both of her short swords to her hip as Gendry picked up his mace. Arya thought Jon would take them out to the courtyard or the walls where they would be fighting but instead, he lead them into Bran's room. Meera was sitting on the edge of the bed, her lips pressed together, dressed in furs that looked like the things the Free Folk wore. Bran was in his chair staring out the window but he turned the chair when they walked in.
"You tell them what you just told me," Jon said and his voice was shaking a little.
"Very well," Bran said and Arya knew that tone of voice. That meant that this was not her little brother sitting before her right now which explained why Meera looked like she wanted to throw herself from the top of the broken tower. "Melisandre needs to be released."
"Absolutely not," Arya snapped and she could see that Gendry jerked like someone had just him.
"She has a role to play and she needs to be let out," Bran repeated. "If we do not let her out, we will lose this war."
"The first thing she'll do is try to burn Gendry the moment it looks like the battle isn't going well. I'm not letting her out so she can go anywhere near him," Arya said and she was vibrating that this thing pretending to be her little brother was asking this of her.
"Arya," Gendry whispered as he took her arm. "I'm the one she tried to hurt so I think this should be my decision."
"He's right," Jon said. Arya couldn't believe what she was hearing and she wanted to go down to the dungeon and slit Melisandre's throat herself.
"Bran," Gendry said softly. "is she really that important to the battle?"
"Yes," Bran replied without hesitation.
"Will she try to kill me?" Gendry asked bluntly.
"No," Bran said. "In fact, I believe she will tell you that she does not plan on surviving this fight which means no one will have to stain their hands with her blood. She needs to be released." Arya watched Gendry carefully and she wanted to yell at him. She could picture it in her mind's eye; they were losing the battle and Melisandre convincing her too selfless for his own good husband that he needed to die to save them all.
"Jon," Gendry said as he stared Bran. "Let her go." Arya practically growled as she stomped up to Bran and glared at him.
"I don't know if you're in there right now, little brother, but know this," she said dangerously. "If she lays a finger on him I will never ever forgive you. Do you understand me?" Bran blinked and for half a second Arya swore she saw her brother again. He was gone a second later and the thing that called himself the Three-Eyed Raven remained.
"I do," he replied. Arya nodded, turned around, and took Gendry by the hand. He didn't say anything, he didn't try to defend himself, but he did squeeze her hand.
"We have much to prepare for and little time," Jon said. Everyone in the room began to move and Arya walked through Winterfell hand in hand with Gendry. Daenerys was waiting for them just outside and Ser Jorah was standing close to her. He was ready for war and he looked like he would take on the entire army of the dead personally if it kept Daenerys safe. Grey Worm and Missandei were kissing and embracing each other in a darken corner. Theon and Sansa were talking quietly to each other and when he leaned forward to hug her Arya could see her sister crying and doing her best to hide it. Edmure was standing with Roslin and the two of them were talking to Medgar. The little baby cooed as Edmure smiled at him and Arya felt her heart break a little. There were going to be a lot of children that were going to be raised without a parent after tonight.
Out of the corner of her eye, Arya saw Jaime and Brienne talking to each other. They looked comfortable around each other and she even heard a few people saying that Jaime had officially knighted Brienne the night before. Arya smiled because if there was one person in the world that deserved it it was Brienne. The two of them were going to be on front lines with the Brotherhood and Sandor. Sandor walked quietly over to Sansa and put a large hand on her shoulder.
"Be safe and be brave tonight, Little Bird," he said so quietly that Arya barely heard him. He glanced at Theon who seemed to freeze under Sandor's considerable glare. "You, little squid boy, you mean a lot to her. I don't want to see the Little Bird hurt anymore. That means you aren't allowed to die. If you die I'll come down to seven hells myself and drag you back. Do you understand me?"
"Yes ser," Theon said and he was a little pale. Sansa, however, looked a little amused by this interaction and at least she wasn't crying anymore. Sandor spat on the ground at Theon's feet.
"I'm no ser," he said and walked away. Theon blinked like he didn't quite understand what had just happened. Podrick looked up and saw Arya and Gendry and made his way toward them.
"I'm glad I got to see the two of you," he said. "Did you hear that Ser Jaime knight Lady Brienne last night? I can't believe I get to call her Ser Brienne."
"You sound very proud," Gendry said with a small smile. "You're going to watch out for yourself tonight, right?"
"I'll do my best. I hope to have the honor to someday be knighted by Westeros' first female knight," Podrick replied with a grin. He and Gendry clasped hands and hugged each other briefly. Arya also hugged Podrick and gave him a brief kiss on the cheek which made him turn bright red.
"Thank you for helping keep my idiot husband safe," Arya said.
"It was my honor," Podrick replied and he looked up when Brienne called his name. He nodded to the two of them and walked off to join Brienne and Jaime. Anguy, Beric, and Thoros all stood near the entrance to Winterfell with Tormund and Arya wasn't surprised to see them raising a glass of something with each other. Meera, Bran, and Howland came outside and began to make their way to the Godswood. Theon pressed a soft kiss to Sansa's hair and went off to join them.
"I need to go see my sister," Arya said and Gendry nodded. She raced over to Sansa and pulled her sister into her arms. "You be safe tonight, okay? I want you in the Great Hall and I don't want you coming out for any reason. No matter what you hear I want you safe."
"I'd feel safer if you were with me," Sansa said as she held onto Arya so tightly Arya thought that her ribs were going to snap. "Please, come to the Great Hall with me, please be safe."
"I can't, I need to fight," Arya replied. Sansa nodded slowly as she pulled away from Arya and cupped her face the way their mother would. "They would be so proud of you." Arya opened her mouth to agree when Sansa's head jerked up and looked back in the direction that Gendry was. Arya turned around and she knew she shouldn't be surprised but Melisandre was out her cage and talking to Gendry. She had a grip on his arm tight enough to draw blood and she was whispering in his ear close enough that her lips were probably touching his skin.
Arya immediately saw red and stomped over to put a knife in that woman but Jon stepped in.
"Stay away from him or next time I won't stop her," she heard Jon warn. Melisandre smiled and walked toward the gate where the front line was like she didn't have a care in the world. Arya got to Gendry's side just in time to hear Jon ask if he was okay.
"I'm fine," Gendry said and Arya didn't believe him for a second. Jon didn't look he did either but there wasn't any time for this.
"King Jon," Daenerys said as she walked over to join him. The snow was beginning to fall and the air felt so cold that Arya was having a hard time catching her breath. "We need to take to the skies as soon as possible." Jon nodded and Daenerys turned to Arya and Gendry. "I hope that the two of you will do your best to make it through the night. As I said we are family now and I don't have much of that left. I would very much like the chance to get to know you better." Arya clenched her fists as she glanced over at Jon. He winced when Daenerys called them family and she knew he wanted to tell her about who he was but he remained silent. Gendry and Daenerys exchanged a few kind words and she walked toward the gates of Winterfell so she could get to the dragons.
"Look out for each other," Jon whispered and he pulled Arya into a tight hug.
"Be careful up there," Arya replied and it took a lot to pull away from her favorite brother. Jon kissed her forehead and hugged Gendry tightly as well. It wasn't the time or place to laugh but Arya couldn't help herself as she watched how surprised Gendry was by the hug. Despite the fact that Jon had given him the Stark name it was like he was still surprised that he was considered family. "Everyone remain calm; I'm calling the wolves." Arya called out and Jon yelled out that everyone needed to clear a path and make sure that the wolves made their way into Winterfell. They were part of Jon's plan to keep the Great Hall safe; Gendry, herself, Edmure, and the wolves were keeping watch.
There was a howl that rang out through the cold hair and Nymeria, Ghost, and the entire pack ran into the courtyard. A few people jumped and looked afraid but they most looked impressed by the way Nymeria almost immediately attached herself to Arya's side. Gendry knelt down and several of the pack members approached him for scratches behind the ears. Nymeria and Ghost were usually the only ones that let anyone touch them but it seemed that war made exceptions for everything.
"We need to protect Sansa and everyone else," Arya said to Nymeria. "Stay close to the courtyard and keep people safe. Thank you for protecting us." Nymeria licked her hand and howled. The wolves took off into the dark corners of the courtyard and waited for when they would be needed. Nymeria was the last to year as she rubbed her head against Gendry and whined until he rubbed her belly. It made Arya smile despite the fact that they were about to fight.
They weren't going to be on the front lines so Arya and Gendry made their way to the top of the battlements after saying goodbye to Sansa. The two of them and Edmure were the final line of defense when it came to the people in the Great Hall. When all hell was breaking loose around them they needed to make sure the doors held and the people who couldn't fight were safe. Arya didn't mind that job and it made her feel a little better to have a purpose. The dragons took to the sky and Arya wondered if her brother was safer up there or on the ground.
It was dark but even in that darkness Arya would know Melisandre in a second. She watched as she strolled through the front lines and talked to a few people. It was hard to see but one moment the Dothraki were barely visible through the darkness and the next all of their weapons lit up. Arya knew that everyone said that Melisandre brought Jon back to life and she had seen Jon's wounds but this was the first time she had ever really witnessed this woman showing real power. That power meant that there could be some truth to her words. There was one person she worried about believing the crazy things Melisandre said and that was Gendry. She glanced at her husband who was gripping his mace made our dragonglass hard enough that his knuckles were turning white.
Jon landed Rhaegal far above the fighting with Daenerys. The three dragons made to made noises at each other but Jon was more focused on the series of small fires that were illuminated in front of him. He wondered if this is what Bran meant when he said that Melisandre needed to be set free and if it was going to be worth it. He didn't have time to wonder though because he needed to make sure that he and Daenerys were on the same page in terms of their strategy.
"Go over the plan with me one more time?" Jon asked.
"Of course," Daenerys replied. "I have fought in battles before, Jon. You must know this."
"I do and I also know this is different. So, please, humor an extremely paranoid and worried man?" Jon said.
"Very well. You and I will find the Night King and attempt to use dragonfire to destroy him. If that does not work then the most important thing is keeping my children as far away from him as possible. We do not know if he's capable of killing or maiming a dragon but if he is we can't risk them. If they die they could fall under his control and we can't risk that," Daenerys explained.
"Should you and I fail I'd like to be let down on the ground so I can attempt to kill the Night King with Longclaw," Jon said. "Your children will become the easiest way to wipe out a lot of wights very quickly. I'd like them to focus on keeping the wights out of Winterfell should the frontline fall and we have to retreat." Jon looked out and he knew that they were only moments away from this battle beginning and it felt like someone punched him in the stomach. "Dany, I want you to know that you can trust my family if I die and that Sansa would make an amazing Queen in the North. I don't want Northern independence to die with me."
"Should I fall in this battle," Daenerys said softly. "I have no heir at the moment and I suppose if I did it would have been Gendry before we gave him the Stark name. Cersei Lannister must not sit on the Iron Throne. I cannot promise that all of my men would follow you but I know some of them would. For the good of Westeros, she must be removed and I hope that you could help see to that."
"For the good of Westeros I won't let Cersei Lannister live should you fall in this fight," Jon said as they looked at each other.
"Should the north lose its King tonight I know that there is a Queen to ready to lead its people," Daenerys replied. They weren't close enough friends to hug but they nodded to each other and that was enough. They looked out and watched as the Dothraki charged. One by one the lights went out Jon knew that he was witnessing a group of people get slaughtered. Daenerys was biting her lip hard enough to bleed and clenching her fists so tightly her hands were shaking.
"Dany-"
"I know," she snapped. "I know the plan. We hold and wait for the signal from the forces on the ground that the Night King has been spotted. I will abide by the plan it's just-" Her voice cracked and Jon could see that she was fighting back tears. "They followed me here and I swore to be their Queen which means I'm supposed to protect them. I'm watching my failure right now." Jon didn't know how to comfort her but he knew what she was feeling. The Northmen down there were going to fight and die following him and it hurt to stay up here with the dragons. The Night King might not know about them at all and they needed to keep it that way for as long as possible.
The Night King gained control of even one of the dragons Jon wasn't sure they could win.
Arya didn't know what she was expecting but seeing all of the lights go out in the darkness as the Dothraki were slaughtered was not it. She thought maybe Daenerys would jump in and try to save them but she didn't. She stood by and let them die because she had to because it was a choice between saving a few soldiers or letting all of Westeros suffer. That was the kind of thing a queen needed to do and she respected Daenerys so much in that moment. She could see a few people left alive running back to the front line, she heard Brienne shout, and then the wave hit.
It was unlike anything Arya had ever see in her life. She didn't know there were that many people who could move like that. She knew the ocean and had seen massive waves crashing on shores and there was really no other way to describe it. Wave after wave of weapon carrying corpses attacked and Arya pulled out her first arrow. She didn't have the best aim when it came to a bow and arrow but she could help.
"Archers, ready!" she yelled as everyone on the battements drew an arrow hit on fire. They would save the dragonglass arrows for moments that they couldn't get to fire. "Fire!" Tiny pits of light took to the darkened sky and few over their soldiers as they fought. The arrow rained down, just beyond the front line. Gendry was keeping busy as he made sure there was oil for the archers to dip the tips of their arrows into and that everyone had arrows to shoot. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him running up and down the battlements making sure everyone had what they needed.
Jon, Daenerys, and the dragons remained out of sight and the important arrow did not take to the skies. Each of the people on the front line carried a crossbow with a single bolt. Once they saw the Night King they were supposed to shoot that bolt into the sky to signal Daenerys and Jon that it was time for the dragons to join the fight. It would burn green thanks to wildfire. No bolt took to the sky and Arya could see that the front line was getting slaughtered. They were being pushed back and it was time to call the retreat.
The gates to Winterfell were opened and people began to pour in. Arya called for the archers to fire again and cover the retreat. They needed to light the barrier but they all thought the Night King would have revealed himself by now. The dragons weren't in play yet. Melisandre knelt next to the barrier and placed her hand on it. She could see wights trying to attack her and as much as she wanted to leave that woman to get torn away Arya knew that she could light the barrier. Melisandre had fire magic and Arya needed to set aside her own feelings for the good of the battle.
"Archers, protect the Red Woman! She is our best hope to light the barrier!" Arya called out. When she looked back at Melisandre she was smirking a little but her lips kept moving. It took a moment but the barrier finally lit as the Unsullied did their best to protect the rest of the retreat.
A green light shot into the sky from a crossbow near what remained of the frontlines as they retreated. Someone had spotted the Night King. Another shot into the sky and Arya narrowed her eyes. She could see a vague outline of something on a horse and what looked like twelve more at his back. The Night King was getting ready to infiltrate Winterfell and he was coming for Bran.
The sound of dragons roaring cracked through the night sky. Jon, Daenerys, and her children had joined the battle.