It was strange traveling with an army like this and Arya wasn't sure that she liked it. Even though they were out in the world she felt like she didn't get a moment alone at any time. No matter what she told people about how she knew how to travel they kept trying to do things for her and Arya really didn't like it. By the time they got to the Neck Arya turned to Gendry and told him that she was about to walk away from this army and head south on her own. He managed to talk her out of it but it was hard.
Nymeria being around helped and Arya was so thankful the first night the massive wolf climbed into their tent and settled along Gendry's back to help keep him warm. He didn't shiver as much now that he had spent some time in the North but he still didn't seem entirely comfortable at night. Nymeria also brought them their own food which made all of the other soldiers jealous of her fresh meat while they were living off of rations. Arya shared with Jon, Daenerys, and a few others but not many.
When they got near the Twins Arya pulled Daenerys aside and asked if she was up for a little flight. She explained that the Frey's needed to be looked after and the best way to tell them that they all meant business was to fly a dragon over the castle. Arya wasn't particularly close to Daenerys, not in the way Jon was, but the wicked smile she gave Arya was enough to make her believe that this woman understood vengeance. She climbed onto Drogon and even though everyone told her it was a bad idea she took to the skies and came back not long after. When Arya asked if Daenerys was sure that the castle saw the dragons Daenerys smirked and said that she all but landed right in front of it.
They got a raven from Yara and she told them that the rest of the Iron Fleet under the control of Euron was stationed near Dragonstone and they were waiting for her to come back to the castle. Yara also told them that there were plenty of scorpions and they needed to be careful or they would lose a dragon. They needed to keep moving and now wasn't really the time to talk about this kind of strategy.
A month into their travels and Arya couldn't take the noise of all of it anymore. She took Gendry's hand and pulled him out into the Riverlands with Nymeria following close behind.
"Let's sleep outside like we used to," Arya said as she settled down into the dirt with a bedroll and not much else.
"Your brother is going to lose his mind if he sees an empty tent in the morning," Gendry said but he settled down on the ground with her.
"We should have left before everyone else and set out on our own. We could have moved faster and we wouldn't have to deal with all of these people that keep following me around," Arya said as she fell back and looked up at the night sky. "They keep acting like I don't know how to travel when I know I've traveled more than some of them."
"You're a princess whether you like to admit it or not and we both know you don't act like a traditional princess," Gendry said as he leaned on his elbow and looked down at her. His hair was getting a little longer and, much to her surprise, she could see that he was getting older. Every day it was like his features sharpened a little more and he became more beautiful. It was getting to the point that she was beginning to think he was prettier than she was.
"Maybe I can ask Jon if we can ride ahead. He knows that we can do it and maybe he'll let us. We went south with a small group before and maybe we could do it again," Arya suggested.
"Cersei tried to put a crossbow bolt in your gut by hiring an assassin. She wants my head on a pike, do you really think Jon is going to let us out of his sight? Or should I say, do you really think he's going to let you out of his sight and by extension me?" Gendry leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
"Have you thought about what we'll do after she's dead? When we can be safe and free?" Arya whispered.
"Wherever you go? I'll follow," Gendry said without a moment of hesitation. They wrapped their arms around each other as Nymeria curled around both of them. The army was close enough that Arya could barely hear them but it was like white noise. It was quiet and she fell asleep to Gendry and Nymeria's soft breathing and the wind in the trees.
They escaped to the woods for the next couple of days but when Sandor stomped into their campsite one morning and threatened to gut both of them if they didn't start sleeping in their tents Arya knew she wasn't going to get away with this anymore. They kept moving south and that feeling in her stomach like the walls were closing in just never went away. She didn't know what to do about it or how to make it go away and it made traveling even worse.
The part that made her feel guilty was that she was traveling with Jon who was probably her second favorite person ever. She was getting time with her brother and all she wanted to do was escape from all of this. The pressure of the upcoming battle seemed to follow her wherever she went and all Arya could think about what would happen if they lost. If she lost Jon she didn't know what she would do. If Daenerys fell in battle she didn't have an apparent heir and Cersei would remain queen. The first thing Cersei would do is attack the North and they didn't have the people to fight right now. If she lost Gendry Arya knew that she wouldn't stop until she found a way to put Needle through Cersei's throat in revenge. There would be no stopping her if she lost Gendry or Jon and she didn't know what kind of person she would come out of a situation like that.
Edmure and his people met them at the crossroads but they didn't stop to see Hot Pie. Arya couldn't and didn't want to think about people right now and the people she cared about. She saw him watching the armies march south but she managed to keep herself and Gendry hidden from his sight. When and if she got the chance to see Hot Pie again she wanted it under better circumstances. If Cersei had spies around and she found out that her and Gendry had a friend in the Riverlands she might send someone to burn the inn to the ground out of spite and Arya wasn't going to risk that.
Edmure looked a lot better now and he had managed to bring some bannerman from the Riverlands and, if Arya knew her houses too, maybe even a few from the Reach as well. They didn't exactly have a lot of people and they were probably still outnumbered but every man that they could get to help. Edmure told them that he needed to leave some people behind that could help guard Roslin and Riverrun which wasn't that surprising but the more people they had the better. What was surprising was that Edmure had opened the doors to the keep and brought in as many people from outlying villages as he could so they could stay safe. Arya has forgotten that for any fault that her uncle might have he cared about his people and he wanted them to be safe.
Nymeria left right after they got to the crossroads. Arya wasn't surprised and a wolf wouldn't do well in a fight like the one in King's Landing but her heart still broke a little to see a symbol of the North vanish into the night.
"You'll see her again," Gendry said and he let her crush his hand with her own without a word.
"How can you be so sure?" she whispered.
"Because she's adopted the two of us, we're her pups, and something tells me she's not done protecting us just yet," he said and Arya smiled a little. "She just can't protect us from this. We need to do this on our own." The worst part was that she agreed with him but that didn't make watching her beloved wolf walk away any easier.
The closer they got to King's Landing the more thoughts of revenge clouded Arya's thoughts. Every night she wanted to grab a horse and run ahead of everyone. If she was alone maybe she could sneak into the city. Maybe she could even sneak into the castle? There had to be a way. If she got there before Jon and Gendry she could keep them safe and that was all that mattered. If they were safe then everything else would be fine. They were less than a week from King's Landing and Arya was sitting in her tent, a packed bag by the entrance, yet when she looked at Gendry sleeping on the bedroll she couldn't let herself leave because she knew he would follow. She knew he would run after her without thinking of his own safety and he'd get caught. His head would be on a pike and part of her world would end.
Cersei had to know that she wasn't going to live through this invasion and that made her dangerous. She already blew up one building there was no telling if she would do it again. What would she do to try and save herself? What steps would she take and who would get caught up in that madness? They were going to walk for a few more days and then they were all stopping so they could strategize and figure out how they were going to win this fight.
Arya didn't really want to go to another strategy meeting but they needed to figure out exactly how they were going to take the city before they invaded. It was an odd situation in that the people of King's Landing were likely going to be happy that Daenerys had arrived and had been actively trying to take care of Cersei themselves for months. Conditions in the city, according to the few people they met along the road that had escaped, were very bad. There was no getting in or out unless you were approved by the crown. The merchants in the various boats were still charging insane prices to smuggle people out of the city and there wasn't anyone that could stop them. There was also the fact that Cersei had wildfire and no one knew how much or where she was keeping it. It made the dragons something dangerous instead of an advantage.
Then there was also the fact that Euron and his men were sitting out in Blackwater Bay waiting to fire scorpions that could kill said dragons. No one wanted the city the burn but they also knew that there was a chance that they couldn't stop it from happening.
"I think they'll run if we give them a chance," Jaime said as he looked over the map with everyone else. "Conditions in the city are bad enough and if they know that they'll just get in the way they might flee the entire city or at least most of them."
"Aye, those people want that woman gone," Davos said. "The last time I was in the city all they could talk about was how Cersei killed the kind Queen Margaery and how they rightfully assumed that she had something to do with Tommen dying as well. They didn't love Tommen but they adored Margaery and they wanted revenge for the one queen that seemed to care about them even a little."
"The people of King's Landing have rebelled before and they will rebel again," Gendry said. "Some of them are old enough to remember the last time the city was sacked. They don't want to see that happen again so running would be in their best interest. I remember people talking about the last time the city fell and how bad it got. I remember them telling the younger people that you don't want to be in the city if a battle happens. The nobles don't care if we die because that throne is all that matters." Arya could see the way that Daenerys was shifting a bit as she listened to Gendry talk about the smallfolk and what they thought of these wars. It was a sentiment that she heard when they fought in the Riverlands as Wolf and Bull; the great houses were only there to let them the smallfolk die in their wars and nothing more.
"The lad isn't wrong," Davos said sadly as he looked at everyone in the tent all of whom were noble of some kind. Only Gendry and Davos knew what it really meant to mean nothing to the people that governed them.
"The Golden Company is guarding every entrance to the city," Jaime said. "If we break through those and make sure the path is clear we can tell the people to get out. That will force Cersei to pull back to the Red Keep. While that place is a fortress there are plenty of ways in that no one will know about and nothing is imperious to dragonfire."
"I worry about using my children near the city," Daenerys said. "I want the smallfolk to have a city to come back to once I take my place on the throne. The clever plans and everything else might be costing me but I will not burn that city to win. I will not become my father no matter the corner Cersei may try to back me into."
"Then perhaps the dragons can help us clear the path to the gates," Jon said. "And then you take them to Blackwater and deal with Euron's fleet. Yara just doesn't have the numbers to deal with him and while the scorpions will be risky it's also the best use of the dragons that doesn't risk the city."
"My children are important to this battle," Daenerys replied. "If I am to rule Westeros I must risk the things that mean the most to me including them."
"Once Cersei is backed into the Red Keep we can use the dragons and anything else at our disposal to take her down," Jon said as he glanced at Jaime. "Your sister, she isn't going to let us take her alive, is she."
"No," Jaime said. "She would sooner die which is why we must be very careful. She's blown up one building; I can very easily see her blowing up another." Arya clenched her fists as she listened to everyone talking about this. It seemed safer to send in someone who could kill Cersei quietly and she had to bite her tongue to insist on being the one to do it. She could do it, she killed several White Walkers and lived to tell the tale, how hard could one madwoman be? She wanted to be the one to do it and it felt like shards of broken glass were beneath her skin. Arya wanted to leave, she wanted to find a way into King's Landing, but she clenched her fists hard enough to break the skin and didn't say a word.
The strategy was set and they knew how they were going to take the city. The plan was to attack at dawn the next day which left them all mere hours before the next battle. Arya looked up and saw that everyone looked a little pale like they weren't sure they were going to make it through all of this. She wasn't sure either and now she had to say goodbye to the people she loved once again because in less than a day they could be dead.
Arya hated this and wished for peace more than anything.
Arya spent the day with the people she cared about. She spent the day with Jon though they didn't get a lot of time together. He was so busy as he prepared for the fight that he just didn't have time to talk to her. He needed to talk to all of the lords, to make sure that everyone knew what they were doing the tomorrow, he needed to make sure they did everything they could to keep everyone as safe as possible. The crux of the plan was that they were trying to take the city first and the Red Keep second. That was the best and only way to keep Cersei from doing something completely insane. There was a chance she had some sort of idea that was going to make their lives difficult but they didn't have any way of knowing what it was.
"If things start to go badly tomorrow I want you to run," Jon said when they had a moment to talk alone. Gendry was off taking care of people's weapons and doing his best to fix things while not having access to a forge. Arya stared at him like her brother had completely lost his mind.
"I'm not afraid," Arya snapped and the last thing she wanted to do was fight but she was so on edge that it felt like she had to.
"I know you're not but if we lose Sansa and Bran and the North are going to be in danger. I need you to ride as fast and as hard as you can to Winterfell so you can help them prepare for war. Cersei will come for them and she'll come without mercy," Jon explained and Arya opened her mouth to argue with him but he held up a hand to silence him. "As your King and your brother, I'm ordering you to do this for me. I can't go into that city tomorrow knowing that there won't be someone to warn them if it goes wrong. You have to swear to me Arya, swear on our father's grave, that you will ride North to help protect our family and our home if it goes wrong."
"You can't ask me to leave you behind," she whispered but Jon smiled sadly.
"Then it's a good thing I'm not asking," he replied. Arya threw her arms around him and held onto Jon for a long time after that. It didn't feel long enough as someone interrupted them and Arya had to leave him to his work. She wandered to the edge of camp and sat down in the woods to try and get her head on straight. There were plenty of people that she thought would come and find her but out of all of them, Sandor was not the one she was expecting. He sat down next to her and didn't say a word as he drank out of a wineskin.
"How did you do it?" Arya whispered.
"How did I do what?" Sandor replied.
"How did you let your revenge go? You didn't come south to fight your brother and kill him out of revenge. You're here to keep me and Jon safe because you don't want Sansa to be sad anymore," Arya said. "But how did you do it? How did you let go? I don't know if I can."
"I don't have any pretty words to tell you how to let go of revenge little wolf," Sandor said and Arya blinked because he wasn't calling her a wolf bitch. "I don't even fucking know how serious I am about letting it go. I just found some other reason to fight."
"It's justice though, isn't it? Isn't killing him or killing her justice?" she asked.
"Maybe but why are you killing them? Am I killing my brother for what he did to my face or because he has the blood of two children and an innocent woman on his hands?" Sandor asked. Arya thought about how rarely people spoke about Elia Martell and her two children, how they were wiped off of the history books and rarely mentioned except for why Dorne hated the Lannister's. "If I kill him because of what he did for me that is revenge pretending to be justice. If I kill him because of what he did to the Martell woman and her children that is justice or at least a little closer to justice."
"You think motivation matters," Arya said and Sandor shrugged.
"There is no easy answer, girl, and I don't know what I'm supposed to tell you that absolve you from wanting to slit Cersei Lannister's throat," he said. "You have to ask yourself why you're doing it." Arya had a list of reasons for why she wanted Cersei dead but she couldn't find the words to the question that Sandor wasn't asking. "Your hammer-wielding twat of a husband is looking for you." Arya laughed a little and pushed herself to her feet. She offered a hand to Sandor but he smacked it aside and seemed keen to spend some more time in the woods. Arya walked back to camp and saw Gendry waiting for her near their tent. Her heart pounded as she thought about him in the thick of the battle tomorrow.
"Everything okay?" he asked even though he knew as well as she did that it wasn't.
"I'll be fine," Arya replied and she pulled him into their barely used tent. Gendry opened his mouth to say something to her but Arya didn't give him a chance to reply. She yanked him into a kiss and all but jumped into his arms. Gendry caught her, because of course he did, and smiled against her lips.
"There are people right outside this tent," Gendry whispered as she kissed along his neck and sucked a bruise into his skin. He sounded worried but that didn't stop Gendry from lying her down on their bedroll and looking down at her with his bright blue eyes. She understood what he was talking about; some people disliked the fact that they were together nearby. There was Jon who supported them being together but didn't want to see or hear anything. Arya thought about putting all of them before herself but she couldn't. She could lose Gendry tomorrow and she couldn't stand the thought of not being with him one more time.
"I don't care," Arya replied and pulled him into another kiss. In the back of her mind, she wanted to take her time and really drag this out but there wasn't time for that. Once again she was in the arms of the man she loved and they didn't have time. So she didn't hold back and Gendry didn't either. They all but ripped their clothes off of each other and when Gendry pushed into her Arya bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood to keep from crying out. The camp was starting to settle, it was getting late, but there were plenty of people that could have heard what they were doing. When it got to be too much, when every nerve ending felt like it was lit up, she pulled Gendry into another kiss as she peaked. Gendry followed mere seconds behind and tried to ignore the tears that were threatening to fall.
Gendry settled down next to her and pulled her into his arms. He didn't comment on the tears or the fact that she was trembling because she could feel him shaking too. They had almost lost each other in the battle of the dead, it was luck that they survived, and Arya knew that they could only get lucky so many times. She knew that she should try and sleep but her mind wouldn't calm down. They could lose tomorrow and losing meant Jon or Gendry could die. It could mean Cersei declaring war on the North which didn't have the resources to fight back. It meant Sansa and Bran and Meera and Theon and so many others being put to death for treason.
Arya closed her eyes and let the tears silently fall. The battle was mere hours away and Arya knew that it was either win or die. There wasn't going to be any mercy from Cersei Lannister.