He awoke to the cold sensation of the floor below him. He could hear the seagulls outside and the sounds of waves crashing against the shore. He didn't know if it was daytime or nighttime, there were no windows to feel the heat of the sun or see the moon rising. It was maddening he found to be left alone with his thoughts.

Then, the sound of footsteps brought him back to reality. The silhouetted figure was thankfully male, and a bit more plump and short.

The one they called Ser Davos, he thought.

Then the figure spoke, "How are you keeping?"

Angry, helpless, ashamed, stuck in a dungeon waiting to be killed for my blood, he thought, but all he could say was "Great. Never better."

"It was just a bit of blood," Ser Davos said consolingly. But it wasn't just the leeches that bothered him truly. I should have known better. All his thoughts brimmed into words, and without thinking he vented them out loud.

"I should have known. Every time a highborn asks my name, it's trouble. We're not really people to you, are we? Just a million different ways to get what you want."

"I'm not a highborn," Ser Davos replied.

"She called you Ser. I heard it," at that room where I was tied up and leeches were sucking my blood.

"A recent state of affairs. I was born in Flea Bottom just like you." Ah, that sounds familiar, he thought. He remembered how the Red Woman sympathized with him when she told him that she was born a slave.

"Sure, you 're my 're here to help," he said sarcastically. His guard was up once again. More and more lies, he thought.

"I lived below the Street of Flour."

"How far below? How close to the Red Keep were you?", he asked testingly. He might know the names of the street, but no highborn could know everything.

"The shit that poured from their privy pipes flowed down the side of Aegon's Hill along Tanner's Row and right in front of my front door – on"

"-Gin Alley," they both said in unison.

Gendry wondered, maybe he speaks the truth for once but should I really believe in him?

Ser Davos went on to point out that the Street of Steel where he came from is nothing compared to Gin Alley. In that point he was right, he never dared go that deep down where the people were shittier than the shit from the pipes.

"And here we are now, two boys from Flea Bottom in the castle of a king."

"Yeah, we've come a long way." he replied. Two boys from Flea Bottom, on different sides of the dungeon cell.

"We're all the same, really," Ser Davos said. The words felt unconvincing, incongruent with the reality he's known. Different food, different beds, different wars that we're fighting- they fight for power and a throne, while I just fight to live, he thought, how can it possible be the same?

"She went to great pains to point that out to me," he replied, each word dripping with contempt.

"If you mistrust fancy people so much, why were you in such a hurry to trust her?" Ser Davos replied, forcing him to again remember the events of that shameful night.

"You're me. Never been with a woman. Never talked to a woman- well not really, he thought- And then she comes at you- big words, no would you have done?" After all, I'm still a man that has never known a woman. Ser Davos smiled the slightest of smile, and he felt a sense of understanding.

Gendry went on to change the subject, "So how'd you become a lord?"

"That's a long story," Ser Davos replied.

"Better not, then. I'm a bit busy," he said while looking around at his dungeon cell, and with a slight smile on his lips. He saw Ser Davos then, give in and divulge the short version of the long story. He learned of Ser Davos' reasons for taking up the lordship offered him. Though he couldn't relate, since his father never did anything for him, his birth father, the King never, even legitimized him. The only thing he's given me is a price for my blood, he thought. But he appreciated and respected the man before him. He's a father who truly loves his sons, he's probably not all bad.

"Does he?", he asked, if his son is really better off away from Gin Alley, with his father and his lordship.

"He's dead." Ser Davos replied, his words hardened by emotion.

"How'd he die?", he wanted to know.

As Ser Davos readied to sit up and leave the dungeon, Gendry could feel the pain emanating from him on the topic of his son but the curiousity came over him.

"Following me." Ser Davos said with pain in his voice and something else. Gendry thought as he heard the sound of Ser Davos' footsteps getting further and further away, ah pain and regret, even with a lordship he was still used, his son too.

And then he was left again to his own thoughts.

He went back to his memory of Flea Bottom, things were simpler when all that was expected of him was to mend and make armor. His days were simple and boring, but it was better that way. All the adventures he'd been on could just end up killing him. He wondered if death is all that was left, and how many days it would be until death came knocking on his door.

Hours or days passed by, he couldn't really tell, until he heard the sound of rushed footsteps. He saw the light of a torch, and the face that was illuminated belonged to Ser Davos. He saw Ser Davos hurriedly unlocking his cage, then the door to his cell was open.

"What are you doing?" he asked, not understanding what was going on.

"You're leaving.", Ser Davos said, seemingly like a command. He noticed him looking wary, watching out for someone who might have followed him. He wanted to believe in Ser Davos, but still hesitated.

"Is this some kind of trick?" he asked, caution trumping over the temptation of leaving this dark and cold cell.

"Yes, but not on you" Ser Davos replied. He looked at this man from Gin Alley one last time before he decided to stand up and step out of his cell. This may be a mistake, another trap as far as I know, but I have to try as long as death hasn't arrived yet.

He followed Ser Davos like a moth to a flame, as they left the dungeons and passed by more winding hallways with just the sound of their footsteps echoing around the stone cold walls. Then he saw a glimpse of a cool blue light coming from ahead, and he smelled the sea. Seven hells, I'm really out, he thought. He looked around, and there was no red cloak in sight, he felt a sense of relief at that. He followed Ser Davos as he approached a small rowboat.

"Aim for that star. Don't stop," Ser Davos said as he moved the rowboat a bit into the shore. He took off the bag he had slung around his shoulder and threw it into the boat. "There's bread and water," he said nodding to the bag. "Go slow with it," he advised.

Everything was happening so quickly that Gendry felt the darkness of the dungeons might have dulled his senses.

Ser Davos went on and rushedly told him more advice. "If you finish it off, no matter how thirsty you get, don't drink seawater."

Gendry thought, he may be stupid but at least he knew that much. "I know not to drink seawater," he said, his first words since they got to the shore.

"Row for a full day and night and you'll reach Rook's Rest. You'll want to stop there. Don't. She'll find you," Ser Davos said. They both knew the "she" he was referring to. Truthfully, this was the moment he realized that this wasn't a trick. He's really escaping.

"Where should I go?", he asked. He had no idea where he was, or where the sea leads. He felt a bit of fear and vulnerability seep into him at that moment.

"You must keep the coast on your left side until you reach King's Landing." King's Landing?, he thought, of all the places why there? He hesitated for a moment.

"The gold cloaks are looking for me." He said, thinking I can't possibly be safe there.

"They were looking for me for 20 years. Do they know your face?" Ser Davos asked.

"No." He admitted.

He thought back to the Red Cloaks asking after his name, even though he was standing in front of them, they never realized that he was the one they were looking for.

"I'd worry more about the Red Woman." Ser Davos said, and Gendry realized he was right. The Red Woman already knows what he looks like thanks to the Brotherhood that sold him to her.

He got into the boat facing ahead to the sea.

"The other way." He heard Ser Davos say, and he felt a bit of shame for having to be corrected like a fool. His heart was pounding in his chest, partly out of fear. He stood up and sat facing the shore, feeling more and more unsure if he could really do this.

"You ever been in a boat before?"

"No." he replied.

"You know how to swim?"

"No." he replied again. He felt so helpless he wanted to laugh at himself. Gendry felt the fear of this venture he was on and realized his predicament of only having to rely on himself in the vast sea, which admittedly isn't much. If I fall and drown-, he thought, but before he could complete the thought Ser Davos' voice interrupted.

"Don't fall out." Ser Davos said, it's probably the only advice he could think of after his revelations. Gendry felt a lump form in his throat, and did his best to push it down. He made sure his food rations were secure by his feet, then grabbed the wooden oars. He hesitated at first.

"Go on," Ser Davos urged. He looked at the man from Gin Alley, the blessed and cursed man with a Lordship, and asked him just one more question.

"Why are you doing this?"

Ser Davos replied, "Because it's right, and because I'm a slow learner." I guess not all Lords are bad, he thought. Then he tried to row himself, fumbling a bit until he got a good grip on the oars. As he felt himself move forward bit by bit, he looked at Ser Davos once again and felt thankful for this chance to live another day. He found his tempo and kept on rowing bit by bit, and he heard Ser Davos say, "When you get to Flea Bottom, have a bowl of brown for me."

He smiled at the thought and watched as his savior's figure slowly disappeared along with the coastline. He watched the castle of Dragonstone slowly fade away.

He thought back to the nights in Harrenhall and with the Brotherhood, when he overheard his highborn friend Arya reciting a list of names before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. She had a list of names to kill, names of people that have wronged her. As much as he wanted to seek his own vengeance, he realized that just isn't him. He then realized, now he has a list of people who has saved him, who he owes his life to. Two names came to mind, Arya Stark and Ser Davos.

If the gods allow me to get to King's Landing, I have 2 debts to repay, he thought.

And so he rowed, enveloped by the blue sky and sea, reciting over and over two names in his head to inspire him to live.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Yay! So now we row away from the TV series for a bit. Sorry I skipped a day of posting, life got in the way of my updating this story. I'm excited to continue his story offscreen, I hope you are as well. :) I love Ser Davos so much, he's one of the characters I trust the most. I love that he's a chaotic good character. It's a bit difficult to really gauge Gendry since we only know him through other character's eyes, but hopefully my understanding of him is good enough for y'all. Thank you for reaching up to this point. :) There's more to come, I promise. One thing I will tell you, is that Gendry won't be getting to King's Landing just yet. There is no smooth sailing in a little rowboat on the Narrow Sea. ;)