She tried to move as the knight got dressed. Tried to move as he wandered around looking for some small-clothes to put on under his armour. Unwillingly she remembered Gendry. She had considered that this knight may well be that boy, but Gendry's face in her memory seemed faded. The edges dulled. She remembered Gendry as having long dark hair that fell to his shoulders; he had a round face and piercing blue eyes. The man that stood in front of her was different. His face was defined, his hair cropped short, the only thing that seemed similar were the eyes. 'No´ she thought, Gendry would be long gone. This man was at least a foot taller than Gendry was and he was bigger, much bigger.

He was fully armoured now. He walked passed and grabbed her shoulder reassuringly. "He's a good man, Jon is" he had said. When he touched her shoulder it sent a shiver down her spine. When he was at the door he turned around "Do you want to come?" he asked kindly

"Where exactly are you going?" she asked

"To practise swordplay" he said, as if this was obvious

"I thought your arm…" she began

He cut her off "Aye, my right arm is done; I practise with my left now"

"But why are you wearing armour?" she asked, confused.

"Because, in a real battle I wear armour, best get used to the weight and feel of it. It also helps me build strength and stamina"

'Well' she thought 'he definitely has enough strength'. She decided she would go and watch, she had little else to do.

"Alright, I'll come" she said after a brief pause

"Come on then, Jed will be waiting" he said. He turned and took long strides down the halls out into a small courtyard. The boy sat on the edge of a small water fountain, sharpening his sword with a whetstone. He was clad in silver, it was fairly obvious he had never seen real battle, his armour gleamed, there were a few scratches from where she assumed the knight had hit him when they trained. He looked like a real knight, his blond hair waving down just past his ears.

"Jed…helm" Gendry said as they approached.

Jed grudgingly donned his helm. The two began circling each other. Jed looked like an ant compared to Ser Waters. He was huge. Jed lunged but the knight parried the blow easily and brought his sword around in a swinging arch as he knelt down. The sword swept Jed's feet from under him and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

'Not bad' she thought 'but he would be too slow and heavy in that armour to get me'

"He's good isn't he" said a voice from behind her. Her mouth opened and closed, she knew this man. Some details faded and were lost but she would forever remember that yellow cloak. Lem walked up to stand beside her and watch; he obviously didn't recognise her, for that she was grateful. Further back she recognised another, a man clad in leather sat on the hard ground picking at some sticks. 'No…not sticks' she thought 'arrows'. It was Anguy. She wondered what was going on, why would the Brotherhood be this far north? And why were they following the new Queen of Westeros? She was snapped back to the present, Ser Waters landed a solid blow to Jed's chest with the flat of his sword and Jed stumbled back and fell.

"You're getting better Jed" said the knight

"REALLY?" yelled Jed "Because I damn well can't see how getting knocked on my arse every night is gonna help me survive" he stood and stormed passed the knight, careful to shoulder into the knights left arm as he walked passed. She was sure that if the knight wanted to he could have knocked Jed back to the dirt, but the knight gave way. He stood, staring at the ground. Finally, after what seemed like millennium he sheathed his sword and began to walk back into the castle.

"Ser" yelled a strange voice. It was a master "Two ravens came for you Ser, one from the Queen and another from Greywater Watch"

The knight's solemn expression turned into something Arya couldn't recognise, was it pain?

"Aye" said Gendry "I guessed as much" he thought the Crannogmen would at least send a reply but the Queen, what did she want? He was certainly not in the mood. He didn't want to snap at Jed, the boy just needed some time and space, he'd been there.

He took the letters from the master with a grumbled "Thankyou" and set off back to his chambers. The letters were legitimate, one bore the wax seal with the Targaryen sigil and the other bore the black lizard of Greywater watch. He closed and barred his chamber door behind him. He unrolled the letter from the Crannogmen.

'The outlaw archer escaped. We do not know how. Be careful Ser Gendry Waters and may the old gods favour you.'

Gendry slammed his fist into the barred door. His hand broke clean through the thick wood and he immediately regretted it. But he had known Howland Reed, not really personally, but he had fought and shed blood with him, they were as good as family. And he had held the Lord while he died. He opened the other letter.

'Ser Gendry of Harrenhal.

It is my pleasure to announce a betrothal in the Stark family. I wish you to make it to Winterfell in no less than two nights from this night. I wish you would attend this with me. The marriage of Sansa Stark and Sandor Clegane will be held in the God's Wood. Be there Gendry, in two nights. Afterwards you will continue your quest as ordered. Drogon and I shall be there soon.

Queen Daenerys Targaryen'

'What?' Sansa Stark was to be betrothed to Sandor Clegane. The thought irked him more than it should. If the Queen would attend at such haste this must be important. He did not relish seeing that great, big, black Dragon though. The Queen said she had him under perfect control with the horn and whip of hers but Gendry was sceptical, that dragon was an evil thing, an ungodly thing. He had nothing to wear to a wedding though, he had never been to one and did not expect that he must attend one, and he must. Even though the Queen said she 'wished' him to be there, he knew it wasn't a request, it was an order

Drogon was the last dragon the Queen had, probably the last in the world, the other two; he couldn't remember the names, had died in the north. Gendry still couldn't get around the directness of the letter. The Queen had never ordered him to do anything. Even when she came to Hollow Hill, she asked if they would fight for her, it wasn't an order, and she even gave the Brotherhood two moons to discuss and decide. It wasn't until the Others had launched a full scale attack at the Wall did she return, asking for their assistance. They went, and along the way castles fell to their might. By the time they reached the Wall the Nights Watch was a mere fifty and five hundred men. So why was she ordering him now, to a wedding of all things? He didn't understand. He decided that he best get some sleep if he wanted to make good time tomorrow, he didn't know how long it may have taken the raven to get to Cerwyn, so by two nights, the Queen might mean tomorrow.

Sleep continued to be ever elusive. And when he died finally sleep, he clutched to that warm embrace only to be shot out by the images of cold, dead hands plaguing his night time visions once again. When he woke he was sweaty and his bed sheets looked very dishevelled, he must have been thrashing in the night. It looked to be dawn or dawn was approaching. He roused the men one by one once he was ready. He didn't have time to go jogging with Jed and when Jed awoke he apologised profusely to Gendry about the way he acted.

"It's fine Jed" Gendry had said "No need to don your armour this morning, we ride for Winterfell immediately at the Queens command" Jed nodded and left back into his room to change. All of his men were gathered in the courtyard, yawning and stretching, each looking rather unkempt. Gendry felt as though he were forgetting something. "The girl" he said "The one we escort to Winterfell. Where is she?" he shouted.

"Here, Ser" came a small voice. He whipped around and found the same girl, but clad in britches and a leather jerkin. He eyes her suspiciously, what was a girl doing in these rags? "More comfortable to travel in Ser" she said. Gendry realised he was wasting time.

"Alright, as you wish" he waved a hand over his head and trotted out of the open castle gates. The line of men followed and the young girl followed. She reminded him somewhat of Arya, except he had never known Arya to act lady like; she had seemed lady like enough when she had talked to Lady Cerwyn and him. 'No' he thought 'Arya was small, skinny' he remembered. This girl was tall, slim and graceful. Gendry had never known Arya to be graceful. This girl was also obviously on the cusp of womanhood, Gendry could set it on her chest and the way her hips curved. 'STOP IT' he told himself firmly. What was he doing?

'Finally' Arya thought. They were off. The tall, dark knight led the procession out onto the King's Road and North towards Winterfell, home. Arya had spied on the tall knight in his chambers after he received his letters. He had placed them on a desk inside his chambers and she waited until he was fast asleep. That never happened; the knight kept thrashing and sobbing into his featherbed. Arya decided that she would just have to be as quick and as quite as a cat. She leaped through the window and landed lightly. She crept over to wear the letters sat on the desk. A hole had been punched through the door to his chambers 'Did he do that' she wondered, but she didn't have time to ponder. She opened the Dragon Queen's letter and read. Once she had finished a smirk played across her lips. It was as though the gods wanted her to kill Sandor Clegane. He was in Winterfell, just waiting to die. Obviously this so called marriage to Sansa was nothing but a plot to gain the allegiance of house Clegane. So she decided she would wait until the marriage was consummated before making her move, that way the Starks would have an alliance and Arya would have her revenge. She would save Sansa from that abusive, repulsive, massive man and Sansa would forgive Arya for being such a horrible sister and they could be a family again. It had been a long time since Arya had had a family. On the road her only family was Gendry, and he had abandoned her. In the House of Black and White she didn't have family or friends, she had accomplices, acquaintances, not friends.

But finally, they were on the road heading home. She sat towards the back of the procession but she could still see the tall knight. The small folk seemed to love him. They bowed and shook his hand, some even came and offered gifts and the knight would occasionally recognise one of them and they would laugh merrily. This knight was very different to the knight she had witnessed thrashing in his bed like a child having a nightmare. This knight was full of love and life. Some of the small folk jested with him and he gave some gifts. Some he even hugged and wept with them. She was very confused. She supposed the knight had met these people when he ventured north towards the Wall. Maybe these people did him a kindness, maybe he did them a kindness, she didn't know. But for some reason she felt drawn to the knight. 'The small folk adore him' she though, but that was a lie. They absolutely, incontrovertibly loved him. The way they looked and greeted him, it was as though this man had never committed a sin, it was as though he shit gold. After a few hours of rising the sun was slowly creeping towards noon and the tall towers and battlements of Winterfell loomed into view. Arya's heart skipped a beat. 'Home'