A/N: Thank you for the reviews & new follows/favorites for the last chapter. Okay, I have to say nothing much happens on this one. I can see that this one's going to end soon; I do have an idea what I want to happen in the next chapters but at the same time, I'm kind of at a loss at how to do it. I love reading about medieval stuff and I love the whole ASoIaF setting, but I find it hard to write off the modern setting because, well, there's just too many terms & customs/traditions to take into consideration, otherwise the way the story will come out will not be as effective as I'd like it to be. I try to research of course, but still, it's quite hard :(

Thank you again for reading & I'm sorry for the long A/N! So same as before-GRRM is the man.


"Mother! They're here! They're here!"

Rickon ran towards one of the few large cottages in the middle of the village. He was out playing with one of the village boys, playing with wooden swords as if they were knights. They stopped as soon as they heard several hoofbeats pounding their way towards the entrance to the village. There were about five men dressed as kingsguards from King's Landing; he knew because he'd been there about twice before his father and sister left Winterfell. He noticed two young men riding on horseback, too, although one of them looked to be with a very kingly aura to him. And then he saw the two people he missed most in the world. It was then that he dropped his play sword and ran towards the Stark's meager home.

"Mother! Bran! They're here! Father and Arya are here!"

"What? How can that be?" Catelyn Stark asked, holding her youngest son by the arm as if questioning the reason for his excitement. "Rickon, I know you miss Father and Arya, but they're back in King's Landing."

Rickon shook his head. "No! They're here! Can't you hear the approaching horses, Mother? Father and Arya are here! Come see!"

"What's going on, Mother?"

Catelyn turned to look at her fifth son Bran, as he stood by the door of one of the three rooms in the house. He was reading the book that their neighbor, Maester Luwin, had been teaching him to read. When heard Rickon making a ruckus out there, he decided to come out and look.

"Your brother says he saw Father and Arya arrive on horses," she said to Bran, before turning to give Rickon a stern look. "But we know that Father and Arya are in King's Landing and can only return home during the holidays."

"But it's true, Mother! Listen!" Rickon argued, tugging on his mother's skirt to get her to listen.

Catelyn sighed but listened all the same; looking from Rickon to Bran until her face became one of surprise and wonder.

Hoofbeats, indeed.

Rickon's face suddenly split into a grin before he dashed out of the cottage, an equally excited Bran at his heels. Catelyn picked up her skirts and quickly rushed off towards the same direction. Seeing the arriving party, she placed one hand over her mouth and one hand on her chest, as if to help slow down her fast-beating heart.

"Ned!" Catelyn cried out in joy as she rushed over to her husband. He had just hopped off his horse when his wife came crashing into his embrace, laughing as she held on to him for quite some time.

"I missed you, my love," Ned said as he kissed his wife, wiping the tears on her face with his thumbs.

"And I you," she replied in between sobs. "Where's Arya?"

"If you let go of Father for a moment, you'll find that I am here," Arya said, stepping down her horse and into her mother's outstretched arms.

"Silly child! You are the same Arya as you left Winterfell," Catelyn said, laughing in between kissing her youngest daughter's forehead and cheeks. "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Arya said with a smile. "And you two," she said to Bran and Rickon, as she disentangled herself from Catelyn's embrace. "Since when did you both grow to be almost tall as me?" She gave them a hug each, ruffling their hair in the process, although it was only Rickon who smacked her hand away.

"Your Grace," Ned said, walking towards the young king, who had just gotten off his horse. "I wish to present you to my family. My wife, Catelyn whom I fondly call Cat," he said, bringing her closer to him. She did her curtsies as she had been taught as a young girl. Next, signaled to his youngest sons to come forward. "My boys, Brandon and Rickon."

Gendry nodded to each of them in acknowledgement; smiling as he saw how genuinely surprised and pleased the Starks were upon their arrival. He tried to push the image of his father and mother from his mind. There would be time to mourn as soon as he is away from inquiring eyes.

As if suddenly realizing that they were attracting the attention of the other villagers, Ned let them inside their home, signaling to Bran, Rickon and Arya to take care of the horses. As if pleased to be given something important to do, the two young boys started off by taking the horses by the reins to lead them to the barn. They loved the task of brushing down the horses after a day's ride, and were happy to be given the task now.

"I'll be back soon," Arya whispered to Gendry, waiting until he nodded in understanding, before she took her leave.

The moment did not go unnoticed by Catelyn.

Knowing that there were more pressing matters to attend to, she mentally shook herself back to alertness and showed the men inside their cottage. It would be a tight squeeze, but they would have to make do with anything offered to them right now. After all, Catelyn was not prepared to take in seven men to her home, not including her husband and daughter.

"My eldest sons, Robb and Jon are threshing and hedging in the fields since this morn," she said, offering the men some bread, cheese and ale for the moment. "My daughter Sansa had just left moments ago to bring them food."

"Cat," Ned said as soon as she stood by his side. "There's something we need to talk about."


"Does he have the biggest room in the castle?" Rickon asked as he patted the mare's nose affectionately.

Arya gave a soft laugh. "I don't know, really. I assume he may have since he is the son of the king. Although he is king now."

Bran's eyes bulged. "We have a king under our roof?"

"Quiet, Brandon!" Arya hissed. "There are things that need to be discussed amongst us, but for now, you two brats best not reveal to anyone who we have with us."

Arya has just undone the cinch and was now lifting the saddle off the horse's back. Rickon, usually the feisty one, was obviously not content with the explanation. "You're going to have to tell us more than that," he said with a frown.

"Later," was all she could say.

They worked in silence afterwards; brushing down the horses' hair and checking the hooves, before leading them towards the stalls that Robb and Jon made for their own horses.

"Are you brats ready to go back?" Arya asked as soon as they were done; immediately thinking about warm food to fill her belly and spending more time with Gendry.

As soon as they walked inside the house, a flurry of skirts and red hair flashed before her and soon enough, Arya felt arms going around her small form. Even if they didn't get along so well, Sansa is still her sister and so she realized that she did miss her a lot. With a laugh, her arms went around her sister's too.

"I missed how annoying you are!" Sansa said with a giggle.

Arya rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the kind words."

"No, really! I missed you, my sister!"

"If I may interrupt, m'ladies. I find I have a need to embrace this little stick of a girl we call sister."

"Robb!"

Arya flew into the eldest Stark brother's arms, chuckling at the feel of his hard chest against her cheek and the feel of his strong, muscular arms as they went around her small frame.

"I missed you too, Arya," he said when he pulled away.

"Jon!" Arya exclaimed, jumping into her other brother's embrace, hugging her until she felt she couldn't breathe anymore.

"Nobody missed you as much as I did," Jon said with a smile.

"Have you lot met Gendry?" Arya asked, turning to look at him as he sat on one of the few wooden benches in the house.

Robb nodded. "Father has explained what happened to…" his voice trailed off when he felt embarrassed to say any more.

"Our home is open to you and your men, Your Grace," Catelyn said to the young man, offering him the warmth of their simple home and the welcoming arms of her family. "It is not as you are used to, but we can make do with what little we have."

"I am most grateful, my lady," Gendry said. "But my guards shall start traveling again on the morrow and be off to Dorne to find my mother."

"You're the only one to be left in Winterfell?" Arya asked, keeping the excitement from showing a little in her voice.

"Aye," Ned replied. "Him and Edric will be left in Winterfell. Edric here," Ned addressed his family, as he waved a hand towards the young man. "Was my apprentice in King's Landing. He shall be my apprentice still, but in Winterfell."

Arya watched as Edric's chest puffed in pride. As much as she enjoyed Edric's company, he and Gendry had a slightly amusing competiton against each other. Arya was not sure why, but she often saw them bickering and besting each other out. She figured it was something men usually did, and so she let them have their little strife going on. Arya almost laughed when she saw Gendry roll his eyes at Edric; the latter oblivious to such childish display by the king.

"Remember, no one must know that he is currently the holding the title to the Iron Throne. The villagers will not question why there are kingsguards in our company for they do know that Arya and I were under the service of the late King Robert," Ned's voice slowed at the mention of Gendry's father. "But they need not know that King Gendry is to live under the care of the Starks. No one can know."

All heads nodded in agreement.

"The guards will leave on the morrow, so it's best to have supper before you all retire. The Peach has suitable accommodations, I assume?" Ned turned to question Cat, who nodded in agreement.

Ned turned back to face Gendry. "Would you like to learn how to wield tongs and hammers, Your Grace?"

"I beg your pardon?" Gendry asked.

"The forge, Your Grace. Let's see how well you would do as an apprentice smith."


"So I am supposed to pump the bellows, cut nails from forged strips, file rand grind ough edges and polish finished work?"

It was the afternoon of the next day when Ned decided to show Gendry the forge. Ned nodded to answer his question, picking up a few tools to show Gendry. "This, Your Grace…"

"Gendry. We are to fool people into thinking I am just a blacksmith, remember?"

Edric snorted at the word just. A work as honorable as this deserves to be taken with pride, not by thinking he is just an apprentice smith. But then again, he is a king after all.

"Gendry," Ned started again, although he looked like he was about to choke on his own tongue. "This heavy block of iron is called an anvil. We shape hot metals by hammering them on this. This one here is a pair of tongs," Ned proceeded to show him what tools were to be used for their work. "The bellows, hammers, sledgehammers, fuller, swage and swage block, punches that we use for making holes, an axe, a chisel…"

Gendry stared at the variety of tools that Ned was showing him; doing his best to remember every single detail. He knew some of those, since there was a time when he hung out with their old castle smith, Tobho Mott.

"Is it heavy?" Gendry asked, pointing to the large sledgehammer on the wooden table.

"Let's see you lift that thing," Edric snorted a laugh, crossing his arms over his chest as if to dare him.

Gendry glared at him, choosing to ignore his jibe. He walked towards the table, ran the tips of his fingers along the wooden handle…

"I bet your arms are puny from doing kingly things instead of hard labor," Edric added a taunt in his direction.

Gendry proved him wrong by lifting a sledgehammer in each hand.

Ned chuckled, taking a piece of iron metal and tongs. "Let's get work started here. The gods know there are enough for us to do, now that the entire village knows that I am back with two more smiths."


"He's getting on my nerves," Gendry said as he tore of a piece of the barley bread Arya brought for him.

"Who? My father?" Arya asked.

"Yes, your father, Arya," Gendry said with sarcasm. "Edric. Edric is getting on my nerves."

"Edric's nice. I don't know why you're both acting like children, competing against each other for some inane reason that I probably don't want to know."

They were in the barn, sitting on the hay-strewn floor, stealing time away from the others. Arya missed being home, but right now, she needed to be alone with Gendry even if it meant getting hay in her hair and all over her breeches.

"What are you wearing anyway?" Gendry asked, pointing at her clothes. "Why are you dressed like your little brothers, anyway?"

"Once in a while, I borrow Bran's clothes because they make riding or hunting easier than when I'm wearing stupid dresses," Arya said, throwing bits and pieces of the hay by their feet.

"I bet you make your mother very proud," Gendry said with a laugh.

"Certainly," Arya laughed along.

"So," Gendry said, pulling hay out of her hair. "You think we could take a swim at the stream nearby?"

"Ahhh…trying to get lucky now, are we?"

"Don't flatter yourself, m'lady. I just wanted to take a bath."

"You don't need me to take a bath. And you can't call me m'lady."

"Maybe I need someone to wash my back for me."

Arya sighed. "Gods, I've been reduced to washing backs. Should I serve you your supper now, Your Grace? Polish your armor? Maybe I should scrub your castle floors and hang the tapestries now, Your Grace? Would that be all?"

"Why don't you empty my chamber pot too, while you're at it."

Arya threw hay at him. "You're a bossy bit of sorts."

Gendry leaned closer, fighting laughter that was threatening to erupt at any moment now. Arya had hay sticking out of her hair, and Gendry had no plans of telling her so. The brat has to suffer too, sometimes.

"So…meet me by the stream tonight?" he whispered.

"You do realize that you are sharing a room with my brothers, do you?" Arya asked.

"I find that I'm quite good with sneaking out."

"I know that," Arya stood, shaking the hay out of her hair. "Let's see how sneaky you can be."

Gendry stood and took mercy on her, plucking the hay out of her tousled hair. "And please, keep your wolves in here. They're quite…large."

"Ha! You're afraid of them!"

"You do know that your pets share the same traits as each of you, right?"

"Maybe I can send Nymeria with you instead. She's very good with scrubbing backs. I trained her well."

"Huh."

"Fine," Arya said, going on tiptoes and touching his lips with hers for a quick kiss. "Don't be late."