The first night that all four of them were in the same room was a little odd and Gendry wasn't sure what to do with it. Arya insisted that the four of them have some time together and Jon offered to give up his solar so the four of them could have a private dinner. It was a little uncomfortable but no one was yelling at each other so they took that as a good thing.
"Why did you do this, Gendry?" Mya asked after a long moment of silence. "Why did you seek us all out?"
"I was worried above all else," Gendry replied honestly. "A woman who worshiped the Red God tried to have me killed more than once because of who our father was. Something about the power of king's blood. At one point she threatened to track one of you down when it was apparent that I didn't have any ambition. Our lineage is powerful and I didn't want someone coming along and taking advantage of that." He pressed his lips together as he pushed the food around his plate. "I guess I also just wanted someone in our family to do right by us. Our father didn't, our stepmother was a lunatic, and both of our uncles let us down. There had to be someone in our family that would do right by us and because I got so insanely lucky that the girl I married ended up being a princess I wanted to be the one."
"So the North will be safe for us," Edric said and Gendry could tell that he was still extremely paranoid. Edric was one of the better-known bastards since his mother was a highborn and Cersei had sent out a soldier to try and kill him in his sleep. There was a deep scar on his shoulder from where the dagger that was supposed to slit his throat went in.
"Yes," Gendry replied. "Danaerys might have hated our father but she doesn't hold the sins of the father against the children. As the daughter of Aerys, she'd have to be a massive hypocrite to do that. We're also related to her, cousins, and there aren't a lot of Targanerns left. She wants family just like you and I do. She won't hurt us and if you don't want her to know you're here I'll figure out a way to keep that from happening."
"So what are we supposed to do while we're here?" Bella asked as she tossed her curls over her shoulder.
"Whatever you want. I still work in the forge because I enjoy it. If you find something you enjoy you can do it. I'm not your guardians and while Jon might be your king he isn't about to order family around. The Stark's are our family now because of Arya so you can do whatever pleases you," Gendry said. His siblings all look at each other lie they weren't quite sure what to make of all of this and he didn't really blame them. "Look, it took me a long time to feel like I had a place here so don't worry if it takes some time for you as well." Mya, Bella, and Edric all seemed to relax a little at that and the four of them began to share various stories about their lives. It was like the tension had been let out of the room and the first time the four of them all laughed at something it felt like home.
Gendry wasn't overly surprised when each of his siblings found something else to do and he really wasn't surprised when each of them found a Stark to latch onto. The one that might have frightened him the most was the first time he caught Bella and Sansa in the same room as they looked over papers. Bella didn't feel like she belonged in the castle because of what she did before so she found the Stark the best at being a lady to learn how to be one.
Sansa loved having a girl that wanted to learn how to sew and play an instrument around. Sansa also decided that all of them needed to learn their letters and numbers. Edric tried to say that he didn't need any of them but Sansa asked him when was the last time he did his numbers or wrote a letter. When Edric admitted he hadn't since he left Westeros and that was when he was young he relented to her teaching. While Mya and Edric both knew their basics Bella admitted that she didn't know any of her letters and numbers.
While it took some time for Bella to pick up her letters she learned her numbers extremely quickly. She took to her sums so fast that Sansa was even surprised and there was just something about the way that Bella looked at the world that made the numbers come easy. After just two weeks of lessons, she found a mistake in the math for Winterfell's trades that Jon, Davos, and Sansa had all missed. When they told her that she saved them gold Bella smiled brightly.
The other skill that Bella was better at than probably anyone that Gendry had ever seen before was being able to tell what people wanted. He didn't like to think about the time that Bella spent in a brothel but she learned to read between the lines and see what someone wanted when they weren't saying the words. It was a feast and a minor lord came over and started complaining to Jon about something. Gendry watched as Bella narrowed her eyes and watched the lord carefully.
"He's lying," she said. "He wants something else and he doesn't want to tell Jon what it is." Gendry was about to ask what Bella was going to do about it when she stood up and calmly walked over to the lord. Her entire body language changed as she sat down and began to talk to him. The lord seemed hesitant but the more he spoke to her the more relaxed he seemed to come. Bella didn't flash a flirty eye or anything like that, she just talked to him, while smiling and laughing at the right times to make him open up to her. She left not ten minutes later, walked calmly up to Jon, and explained why the lord was lying.
Sansa and Bella got along extremely well and Bella took to embroidery quickly. Bella explained that she learned how to sew and mend clothes in the brothel but learning how to make something that could be considered art was new to her. She enjoyed it in a way that Arya just could not understand. She began to steal all of their clothes and sew in little designs to make them look nicer because she enjoyed it. Bella could stare down a man twice her size and find out exactly what his weakness was, share it loudly, and walk away without losing one of the perfect curls in her hair.
Edric decided that the person he would follow around the most was Jon. Bran didn't have any interest in the politics of it all but Edric was. He was raised by his mother's family to be a lord and that was what he knew. Edric felt like he needed to help earn his place in Winterfell and he would do that by becoming Jon's shadows. Davos found the entire thing extremely amusing but Jon took to it like water.
"Being a big brother was the best thing that ever happened to me," Jon said on one of the few nights he and Gendry got to share a drink and some time to relax. "So taking on another one is no big deal to me. He's a good kid and I like having him around. He knows way more about court than I ever will that's for sure."
"I like being a big brother too," Gendry admitted. The whole having siblings thing threw him for a loop sometimes but the first time Edric looked at him like someone he admired Gendry felt like his entire world changed.
"I want to learn to fight," Edric said one morning to Gendry and Jon. "I'd like to learn how to wield a sword from you King Jon and how to wield a hammer in honor of my brother."
"For the last time you don't have to call me King," Jon said with a smile as they ate their breakfast but Gendry was still a little thrown by what Edric had said.
"You know that Robert was the one who wielded a hammer, right?" Gendry said as they made their way through the castle and out to the training yards. Jon was busy and said he would come by later to start giving Edric lessons on how to use a sword.
"I looked up to Robert for a long time but he wasn't a good man. He dishonored the Baratheon name and now there aren't any of us left. He might have taken the thrown but he wasn't a good King. You though. You worked in the Riverlands and helped keep people safe during the war. You're the blacksmith that made all of the weapons that helped defeat the Night King. You helped free us from Cersei and avenge all of our siblings that didn't get away. I want to fight with a hammer in honor of you and not Robert because you are a man worthy of it." Gendry didn't know what he was supposed to say to something like that so he just stared at Edric like an idiot for a good minute. Edric didn't seem surprised when Gendry pulled him into a tight hug and didn't even try to get away when Gendry held on for a little too long.
Edric enjoyed helping people probably more than any of his siblings. There wasn't a moment that was wasted with him. If he was up and moving he was doing something. While Edric acted more like a highborn than any of them he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He helped rebuild Winterfell and did everything he could to try and make things better for everyone. Edric always sided with the smallfolk when he listened in with Davos and Jon but he never overstepped himself. If he disagreed with whatever Jon and Davos were doing he would make sure to do so in a way that wasn't disrespectful to anyone involved.
Baratheon's might be known for their fury but Edric was usually the one breaking up the fights rather than causing them. When Mya and Bella would go at it Edric would act as a messenger between the two of them until they were ready to speak again. That wasn't to say he didn't possess any fury. The first time he heard a man comment on a bastard boy serving in the stables Edric knocked the man flat on his ass. Arya liked Edric a lot for that reason alone because he also punched people on behalf of any of the Stark's as well. The moment someone decided to say something that even hinted something wrong about the Stark's and Edric would be there to knock them down and tell them to mind their manners.
Mya was the one that Gendry worried the most about. She learned to read, write and her numbers but didn't seem to have a huge interest. She learned how to sew but just the practical stuff. She learned a little about court and made sure that she knew how petitions worked and listened carefully. While Edric latched onto Jon and Bella latched onto Sansa Mya was everywhere at once. She spent time with Bran and asked him questions about history. She learned to make a spear from Meera. She learned basic water dancing moves from Arya. She learned to hold a sword from Brienne. Mya was carving her own place within the castle and it didn't seem to fit anyone else's.
It wasn't until Edric got sick that Gendry realized what Mya's place in all of this was. Unlike the rest of them that were at least a little used to the cold weather Edric was born in the Stormlands and lived on Lys. He could not have been less prepared for winter and when he caught a fever Gendry and Bella immediately panicked. They were both all too aware of what happened when people got sick, they saw it growing up, and now the little brother that they just found was sick. Gendry felt like he could hardly breathe and Arya had to talk him out of panicking more than once.
The fever spread and more and more people got sick and Edric wasn't getting better like everyone else was. Gendry was wondering if he was going to lose more family when he looked up and realized that Mya was steady. She was a rock and during her time in Winterfell, she had slowly become the most stable thing they had. Mya was older than almost everyone even Jon and it wasn't that she became everyone's mother. She was just unflappable and steady and when everyone else was panicking Mya was calm. While Gendry and Bella were running themselves into the ground to try and take of Edric Mya was taking care of all three of them.
Gendry couldn't remember the last time he had someone in his life that made him feel calmer just by them being in the room. Mya's talent was that she could help whoever needed it. She was the one who talked Sansa out of panic one day because she thought Theon was going to leave her behind and go back to the Iron Isles. She was the one who sat with Jon one night and let him rant for an hour about the pressures of wearing a crown and offered advice. Mya was the rock of the family and that was something that Gendry hadn't experienced.
Out of all of them, Mya was the one who didn't seem to get angry. She was the one that calmed down the most and didn't lash out. That didn't stop her from yanking a man away that got into Bella's space or getting a mule to kick a knight that was saying terrible things about bastards. Gendry knew that both of his sisters were older and the last thing they needed was someone looking out for them but he couldn't help it. It was a feast to celebrate everyone getting better from the fever and Bella and Mya were both leading Edric around the floor in a silly dance to make him smile and laugh. Gendry was making his way back to his spot at a table when he heard two knights mention his sister's names.
"What a pity," one of them said. "I heard both of those bastard bitches are ruined. One of their brothers marries into royalty and no one is going to want to go anywhere near those legs. They'd be better off selling them." The other man huffed his agreement but Gendry didn't hear the words over the blood rushing to his ears. He calmly walked forward and slammed one of the men's face into the table hard enough to break his nose. Gendry grabbed the arm of the other and painfully twisted it behind his back.
"I want you to know that no one talks about my sisters like that," Gendry said in a low voice as the knight whimpered about his arm. At this point, the girls and Edric have noticed that something is going on and are making their way across the hall. "They are my family and I would do anything for family, got it? Do you know who else considers them family? Arya Stark, the woman who killed more whitewalker than anyone else. Sansa Stark, the woman that fed Ramsay Bolton to his own dogs. Jon Stark, the king, who could ask the dragon outside to burn you alive with a thought. Bran Stark, who could take one look at you and know your deepest secrets. Meera Reed, who could put a spear through your eye without breaking a swear. And Theon Greyjoy, who knows more about dying by water and making it look like an accident than anyone." The other man groaned as he sat up and held a hand to his bleeding nose. "Now, what are you going to say to them when they walk over here or am I going to have to break another bone?"
"Gendry, what's going on?" Mya asked with a look that said she knew exactly what was going on but wanted to be a little contrary about it.
"Nothing," Gendry replied as he released the man's arm.
"We'd like to apologize miladies," the man with the broken nose said. "We said some terrible things and we are sorry." Bella looked the man over with a look of utter disdain that Gendry had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing.
"If you said something so bad that my brother had to break your nose then you're not forgiven," Bella replied. Mya smirked but Edric looked like he wanted to throw a punch too and the only reason he didn't was because his sisters pulled him away. Gendry walked away from the two men and joined Arya back at the table.
"Do I even want to know?" she asked.
"It's taken care of," Gendry replied as he kissed her forehead. No one says anything bad about his family while there was still air in his lungs.
It was two months after Edric had arrived that Arya decided it was finally time to talk about renewing their vows in the Godswood. Gendry agreed that now was probably the best time and now all of his siblings were settled. They were all in the hall breaking their fast one morning when Arya squeezed Gendry's hand and they both stood up.
"I would like all of you to know that one of the great regrets of my life and Gendry's is that we got married without any family around us. We had our reasons at the time, some of them were just because we wanted to spite Cersei Lannister, but the fact that the only people who bore witness were the Brotherhood always made us sad. So we talked about it and we've decided to have another ceremony here so all of our family is present."
"I'm making you a dress," Sansa said loudly in a tone that brokered no argument in the matter. Sansa and Bella were already talking about what exactly they are were going to make for clothing for both of them and Arya smiled. She expected all of this and while she wasn't entirely fond of dresses she didn't have a problem wearing one made her and Gendry's sisters.
"Would you like anyone else invited?" Jon asked with a smile.
"No," Gendry said. "Anyone we could want at this wedding is here minus perhaps Danaerys but there is no way she can come North right now."
"Just us it is." From there the planning went fairly quickly. Since they weren't inviting anyone they told the cooks to make a small feast and the main thing they were waiting for was for Sansa and Bella to finish the dress and the cloaks. Arya opened the door to her sister's room only for Sansa to yell at her to go away because they were working on the dress.
"I'm glad you two decided to do this," Bran said a week after Arya and Gendry made their announcement.
"Why is that? Did it not count the first time because the weirwood was barely a sapling?" Arya teased but Bran shook his head.
"When you get married in Winterfell's godswood all of our family will be here including the ones that aren't with us," Bran said and he smiled. "Can you imagine the fact that you're the one that's getting married out of all of us? Not only that but you're marrying for love."
"You're going to marry for love too," Arya said as the two of them settled near the godswood. She could hear Rhaegal moving around a little. The green dragon could glide short distances and they had guided him to a small cave not far from the castle. He still came around every now and then and seemed to be keeping an eye on Winterfell the same way that Nymeria and her pack was as well. The pack wasn't here right now but Nymeria had wandered in the gates a few days earlier and was currently sleeping at her feet. Arya was glad that the last remaining direwolves would be here with the last remaining Stark's to watch the wedding.
A fortnight after Arya and Gendry announced that they wanted to renew their vows Sansa and Bella both loudly announced that the clothes were ready. Mya, Sansa, Meera, and Bella dragged Arya off in one direction as Jon, Edric, and Davos dragged Gendry off in the other. Bran said that he was going to keep the wolves company as the proceedings went on and Brienne offered to keep him company. They were both smirking like they knew they weren't going to get caught up in this chaos.
"I hope you like what we made," Sansa said as they pulled her into her room. She was about to say that she would love whatever they made because they made it but she lost the words when she saw the dress. Sometimes, Arya forgot how well her sister knew her because while it was a dress it wasn't extravagant. It was Stark grey with fur lining the sleeves and the collars and it looked like Bella and Sansa had carefully sewed a pack of direwolves all along the skirt. As she got closer Arya realized that all of the wolves were present. Nymeria was leading the pack of Ghost, Summer, Shaggydog, Grey Wind, and Lady.
"Meera told us what Shaggydog and Summer looked like when they got bigger," Bella explained. "And we talked to the men that remembered what Grey Wind looked like to get his description but there's something else and Sansa insisted that we add this." Arya gasped when she realized that there were more wolves on the dress than she realized. As the Stark wolves were running there was another pack ahead of them. There were four black wolves with blue eyes with one larger wolf leading the pack. Sansa placed her hands on Arya's shoulders and squeezed.
"When you and Gendry got married you brought in Mya, Bella, and Edric to the family too. They're wolves now and we wanted to make sure they were represented as well," Sansa said. Arya didn't know what to say so she said nothing; she just turned around and threw her arms around her sister and held on tightly. She hugged Bella, Meera, and Mya, as well as they, helped her get dressed. She noticed some other small details hidden such as the outlines of a lizard and a squid in the furs of Summer and Lady respectively.
Jon knocked on the door after she was dressed and her hair was pulled up in a Northern braid. The cloak that they made for her was purposely made to look like a cloak that a man or a woman could wear which she appreciated. Unlike usual weddings, she would be giving the cloak the Gendry and not the other way around. Sansa, Mya, Bella, and Meera also raced down to the godswood as Jon offered her his arm and guided her through the castle.
"I know you didn't need to do this," Jon said. "But I appreciate it more than you'll ever know and I know everyone else does."
"I would have given anything to have you all there the first time," Arya said. "But I'm glad I have the opportunity to do this again with all of you here." Jon smiled and the two of them walked through the castle until they came to the godswood. The lanterns were lit and Arya could see everyone waiting as they walked toward the tree. Davos agreed that he would officiate and he already looked like he was about to cry. Gendry was dressed in dark grey clothing with a plain grey cloak around his shoulders. Edric stood behind him with Mya and Bella tightly holding hands. Sansa and Theon stood close on her side of the aisle, their hands entwined, and she could see Meera and Bran also holding hands. There was so much love in the godswood at that moment that Arya thought she was going to cry.
"Who comes before the Old Gods this night?" Davos asked.
"Arya, of the House Stark, comes here to be wed. A woman grown, trueborn and noble. She comes to beg the blessing of the Gods. Who comes to claim her?" Jon said.
"Ser Gendry Waters, a knight of the North, heir to no house. Who gives her?" Gendry said.
"Jon, of House Stark, King of the North and her brother, but Arya gives herself willingly," Jon said and by the gods did Arya love him so much for that alone. Davos and Gendry both grinned but Davos seemed to remember that he was doing something. He cleared his throat and continued.
"Princess Arya, do you take this man?" he asked.
"I take this man," Arya replied with a smile. Edric helped Gendry remove his cloak and, since Gendry was becoming a Stark, Arya placed her cloak around his shoulders as Gendry placed his around hers. They clasped hands and knelt down in front of the tree to pray. Arya closed her eyes and could feel the presence of her missing family members at her back. She could see them in her mind's eye and they were happy, they were proud, and they thought she had chosen well. They stood up and to the sound of clapping from all of the people they loved. Arya smiled as she leaned forward and kissed her husband. She never regretted marrying him the way she did but there was something special about being surrounded by family when she renewed her vows to him.
Arya enjoyed the feast that the castle managed to put together. It was small and private with just the people she cared about which was just the way she wanted it. She was never a big fan of big weddings and simply being in the room with all of her family and friends was more than enough. Everyone was a little in their cups which was amusing to watch. It also meant that despite this being her wedding feast no one was paying much attention to her or Gendry. They were already married so no one was going to call for a bedding but she wanted some time with her husband alone.
"Let's get out of here while they're all distracted," Arya whispered. Gendry glanced over at her and smirked; he looked unfairly look in his nice new clothing and she wanted to get her hands on him.
"As you wish milady," Gendry said. They were both masters at not being seen when they didn't want to be and Nymeria and Ghost seemed to be on their side as they began to jump around and distract everyone. They raced up the stairs to their room and Arya could hardly contain herself. As soon as the door was closed Gendry had her pressed against the wood and was kissing the air out of her lungs. "Do you have any idea how good you look in this dress? I thought I'd have to give up a limb to see you in something like this."
"Well don't get used to it," Arya replied. "As nice as this dress is you know I prefer my breeches."
"And we both know I prefer you in nothing at all," Gendry growled against her lips. He easily lifted her up and Arya wrapped her legs around his waist. He carried the two of them to their bed and she was expecting him to rip the dress off of her. Instead, Gendry carefully placed her on her feet and turned her around so he could start working on the buttons. He kissed the skin that he slowly exposed and Arya found herself getting impatient. Her dress was only half off and he was still fully clothed.
"I thought you'd rip this off of me," Arya said and Gendry huffed a laugh against the back of her neck.
"Are you joking? Sansa and Bella would skin me alive if I tore a single piece of fabric from this dress," Gendry said. That was probably true but that didn't mean Arya was willing to wait. As soon as her dress hit the ground she turned and they both frantically moved to get Gendry out of his nice new clothes as fast as possible. As soon as they were both naked they climbed into their warm bed and slowed down a little. They wrapped themselves up together and exchange slow and wet kisses that made Arya feel breathless. "I still can't believe you agreed to wed me and we've done it twice," Gendry said as he stared down at her like she was a miracle. Arya was trying to come up with a smart remark but Gendry chose that moment to start kissing down her body.
He grinned when he got between her legs and Arya closed her eyes to the sight of Gendry placing his mouth on her. They hadn't done this many times since they decided to start sleeping together. It was something that required space and time which is something that they usually didn't have. Tonight was different and Gendry was using his extremely talented tongue to drive Arya out of her mind. She clenched a fist in his black hair and knew she was pulling it hard enough to hurt but Gendry didn't hesitate. Arya cried out so loud that she was sure the entire castle could hear her as she peaked. She pulled Gendry up for another kiss and licked the taste of herself out of his mouth.
"I need you," she whispered which was all the confirmation Gendry needed to push into her. They stayed close as he moved in and out of her, already so sensitive from the peak he gave her with his mouth, and Arya felt like she was going to go insane. Gendry kissed her hard as he began to move faster and Arya could feel herself reaching another peek soon. Gendry was close behind as he pulled her into a harsh kiss.
In all of their time together Arya couldn't remember the last time or if they had ever peaked together but maybe tonight was special. She cried out as she toppled over the edge as Gendry shouted and followed her mere seconds later. Gendry nearly collapsed onto her and Arya took the weight of him willingly. They laid together as the sweat cooled on their bodies and eventually they both climbed under the covers. Arya pressed a kiss to Gendry's mouth and smiled.
"I love you," she said because today was special and the words needed to be said again. Gendry smiled that beautiful smile of his and pressed their foreheads together.
"I love you too."