Gendry barely remembered Winterfell. He came here in one of the most trying times of his life, in a period he would rather forget about. The sheer beauty of it struck him painfully in the chest 'This is where Jon and Arya were raised'. The procession of men rode faster at the prospect of warm halls, featherbeds and fire, warm and welcomed fire. Gendry himself was spurred by the thought of hot food in his stomach. 'It is so bloody cold up here' he thought. Then he remembered a saying that was commonly said in King's Landing 'Aye, it's cold up there. But the North breeds cold men and harder men than you will find in the South'. It was often said that the north breed hard men 'women too' he thought, thinking of little Arya Stark. It certainly looked like a hard life up here; everything was covered in at least 5 inches of snow. The knight that stood sentinel on the gate had raised the drawbridge when he saw them approaching.
"Your business?" he shouted
"I am Ser Waters of Harrenhal, I've come to deliver dragon glass swords to Lord Commander Snow" Gendry shouted back
"Aye" he said, scratching his beard "Lord Commander Snow has been expecting you"
The guard turned and shouted something, the drawbridge lowered.
Gendry tipped his head "Thankyou" they entered Winterfell, into its safety. The people did not bother themselves with welcoming the crowd of newcomers. They continued about their days work, rushing around, parents attempting to catch their child who ran, screaming joyfully. Gendry had only been here once, and his memory was somewhat faded but it felt like home. A very cold home, but a home nonetheless.
They trotted along at a slow pace for a while before they reached the hall. Gendry sent his men to the stables to tend to the horses and see the new Maester about bed chamber arrangements. He pushed the heavy double doors open, he was vaguely aware of the girl following him in. He did not much care if she followed him in, she was harmless. Jon sat on the floor, his back against the cold stone, sound asleep with Ghost nuzzled into him. Sansa sat at the high table up on the dais with Bran and Rickon. Apparently bastards still did not command enough respect to sit at a high table. When Sansa, Bran and Rickon saw him they made to scream, or wake Jon. But Gendry put a finger to his lips in an effort to hush them. They hushed.
Gendry crept towards Jon, Ghost lifted his head and watched him, he didn't make a single sound, that wolf never did.
Gendry knelt beside Jon and prodded him in the chest, hard. Jon woke and swung wildly at Gendry but Gendry lent back easily and caught the arm. Jon's face showed confusion but as soon as he recognised him Jon's face split into a wide grin. Gendry hoisted Jon up with his left arm and Jon gave him a fierce hug.
When they broke apart Jon looked him up and down "You don't look much like a knight" Jon said grinning
"You don't look much like a sworn Brother" Gendry retorted, grinning stupidly.
Arya almost felt her heart stop when she had seen her family. Jon sat fast asleep; Sansa, Rickon and Bran were seated in the high table. The knight woke Jon and the two shared a brief embrace before they broke apart and begun insulting one another. 'I guess that's what boy's do' she thought.
Jon finally noticed her after his meeting with the knight. Jon's face frowned slightly.
"It can't be" he said, he almost looked like he was crying.
The knight turned to look at Arya "What can't be" he said, wiping the tears from his eyes from his incessant laughing. The knight studied her while Jon just looked at her hungrily, as though he was going to memorize every detail of her.
Jon looked at the knight, there was pain there, definitely pain "You don't know who this is, do you?" Jon was looking at the knight
"Should I?" the knight frowned now, unsure of what to do.
"Aye, you should" said Jon. He looked at Arya "No it can't be"
She stared straight back into those stormy grey eyes which her so much like her own "It can, Jon it can, it's me" she ran to him and threw herself at him. Jon didn't stagger the slightest. He caught her and held her tightly while she sobbed into his shoulder. She promised herself that she wouldn't cry when she returned, but all of the emotions, the pent up feelings had burst out when Jon embraced her.
"I've missed you so much" he said, gripping her so tightly she was sure that there would be bruises. Sansa, Bran and Rickon stared down from the table. Sansa looked like she might cry and she was whispering a hurried explanation to Bran and Rickon. Rickon's face lit up and so did Bran's. The knight was looking thoroughly confused.
"Are you telling me you don't know who this is now?" Jon asked, still holding Arya
The knight looked steadily at Jon, Arya turned her face the slightest bit so she could see him. "Aye, Lady Arya, of House Stark" the knight said.
"Gendry you know what this means?" said Jon
GENDRY. Jon had said Gendry 'No' she thought. All of that time with that knight and it was Gendry, her partner in crime, her best friend. She had seen the name in the letters, but her excitements had clouded her mind and she didn't fully realise that the letters were addressed to Gendry.
She turned and studied him. "Gendry?"
"Aye. It's me milady" he said "I…I need some air" he turned and walked out of the room.
She looked at Jon for some explanation "Leave him be. He needs time" his face softened and he rustled her hair, like he did when they were kids. "Come, some people are very eager to see you"
Sansa, Rickon and Bran carried by Hodor came down and stood with them. Arya didn't know what she would do. Her sister was the Lady of Winterfell, she should bow, or curtsey or something. She began when she was suddenly engulfed by a mass of red hair. Sansa grabbed her and brought Arya to her fiercely.
"I…am so sorry Arya…for everything…for calling you Arya horse face…for not telling the truth about Joff…" Arya cut her off with a fierce hug.
"It's ok Sansa. It's fine. I'm back, we're back together" Sansa hugged her as though this would be the last time she would ever hug her. Arya patted her back awkwardly; she didn't know what to do. Her mind was plagued with Gendry. He had changed so much, he was taller stronger and she guessed that someone had been teaching him how to speak like a knight too. And he'd left, when he found out who she was, and she found out who he was, he left. She had felt like running to him, explaining where she had been, she didn't think she'd elaborate on what she had done. There was so much hurt in his eyes when he looked at her. The reunion continued through the night, a feast was held. She sat upon the dais after begrudgingly letting Sansa dress her up; she was a real Lady now, a Lady of Winterfell. Since she arrived she had not laid eyes on her true prize yet.
'Where is the Hound?' she thought. Maybe he was getting drunk in some whorehouse. The feast was filled with raucous laughter, the clanging of goblets as men toasted to everything from Lord Commander Snow to chamber pots. She couldn't help but notice that Gendry hadn't come.
'He's probably organising himself' she thought with certainty. Then it struck her, Gendry was leaving soon, with her brother. And both of them were off to find wights and kill them. 'No' she thought 'I will not have them back just to be taken away again'. She'd have to talk to Gendry and Jon, about staying. Even if she could just delay their leaving. But she knew that eventually honour would call upon both of them to do what is right, and they would accept honour's call even if it meant death.
Jon stood and raised his goblet, he was obviously drunk, a pink flush crept up his neck. "To Arya Stark of Winterfell, may her…things and other stuff"
"Aye sit down" said one of Jon's Brothers. Jon blushed and the crowd roared with laughter. Jon plonked back into his seat and nearly fell.
The wide doors opened and the rom fell silent. Arya could see exactly what was causing this abrupt halt of activities, the Queen, Daenerys Targaryen was standing in the doorway, casting a huge shadow into the hall.
Gendry didn't know what made him leave, all he wanted to do was run to her and hold her and never let go. But Jon had been there, so had the rest of her family. She needed to be alone with them. There would be plenty of time to catch up. In all honesty he wasn't even sure he wanted to reconcile with Arya, talking to her, being with her would bring back things he had desperately tried to forget. He was weak back then, pining over a lost girl, refusing meals and snapping at everyone. He didn't like that person, he just wanted things to be normal, and now Arya was back and his normal simple life would become a deal more complicated.
"I should've stayed" he said aloud in his room
"Aye…you should have" came a rasp of a voice. Gendry turned and saw the Hound standing in the doorway to the bedchamber.
"What are you doing?" Gendry snapped
The Hound raised his eyebrows "These are my bed chambers boy" he growled "Best you remember that"
Gendry looked around and realised that the Hound was right. This wasn't his bed chamber; the Hound's belongings lay scattered in various states of dishevelment around the room.
"Sorry…Ser" said Gendry, he didn't wish to start a fight.
The Hound grinned "Not anything yet boy, I'll be some high lord soon" he snarled
"I thought you loved the Lady Sansa" Gendry stated, confused by the Hound's hostility
"Oh, I do. Don't you worry about that, any man who lays a finger on her will lose much more than a finger. But I've been a dog my entire life, how does one go from being a dog to a lord?" he asked.
'Who was this man?' He was definitely not the Hound that Gendry remembered. It seemed that Lady Sansa had tamed this dog.
"Go to her boy…you'll be much better for it. You were her best friend and whether she knows it or not, she needs you" he rasped
Gendry was very confused, was the Hound giving him relationship advice?
"Aye, maybe I should" Gendry said bowing his head. He walked around the Hound and once he got to the doorway he turned to look at him "What happened to you?"
The Hound smiled, a true smile "I met a little dove"
The corners of Gendry's mouth twitched. Maybe the Hound had truly changed. Maybe it was Sansa who changed him, but they were a whole lot of maybes.
Gendry decided he would go see Arya. He realised that it had never been his intention to ignore her, he just needed time. He made his way deftly down long halls and dark corridors. He heard the laughter and the song before he reached the hall. He smiled, 'this is where I belong' he thought. His smile faded immediately, 'No, I don't belong here, I am a bastard of the south, bastards don't have a place in halls, let alone in the north' But Jon is a bastard and he was in the hall 'Jon is an accomplished swordsman and the Lord Commander of the Nights Watch'. He forced open the heavy double doors to find the hall erupting in cheers. His mouth dropped. Queen Daenerys was dancing in the hall to fast paced music with Jon and the men cheered and whistled. Arya and her brothers sat upon the dais, Sansa was nowhere to be seen. Arya was smiling, really smiling; it was something he didn't realise that he had missed.
The Queen noticed him; she said a few words to Jon before he nodded. She walked over to where he stood.
"Your Grace" he said bowing his head
"Ahh, Gendry, you made it" she puffed, breathing heavily "I didn't think you would come, you generally avoid feasts"
"It's the quite life for me my Queen" Gendry replied solemnly
She gave him a sly grin "We both know that's not true. But Gendry, to business. I wish you to stay here and bear witness to the marriage of Sandor Clegane and Sansa Stark tomorrow. The preceding day you will strike north killing every Wight you lay eyes on. Am I understood?"
"Aye Your Grace" he bowed again.
"Oh don't look so grim Gendry, come, dance" she grabbed his arm and hauled him amongst the other dancing men and women.
The tune turned suddenly slow and mellow. She grabbed his waist and he grabbed hers. They slowly walked around the floor to the music. Gendry felt content, it wasn't exactly a bad place to be.
"Come" she said "We need to talk" she dragged him out of the hall and into a thin passage way.
"What is the matter your grace?" Gendry asked, very confused.
She forced him against the wall and kissed him passionately. Gendry was too stunned to respond. They were interrupted almost immediately by a person clearing their throat. They broke apart. It was Jon and 'Oh no' Arya. Jon looked awkward but Arya seemed steely cold, as if determined not to show any emotion whatsoever. She turned and walked away. Gendry made to follow.
Jon laid a hand on his chest "You've done enough damage for one night Gendry, I'll not have you hurt my little sister"
Jon had never spoken to him like that, but Jon had never caught him in a compromising position before.
"Yes my lord, if it is your wish" Gendry said coolly. In truth he wasn't exactly sure why he was going after her, just that he needed her to understand that Daenerys kissed him, not the other way around.
Jon looked somewhat ashamed "I'm sorry Gendry, give her space, talk to her on the morrow"
"I plan on it" Gendry replied.