Sansa's wedding day proved to be the warmest Winterfell had ever seen. The sun shone brightly at noon as the procession made its way through the Godswood towards the Heart Tree where they would take their vows. Don't worry Sansa Arya thought You'll be rid of him soon. Sansa looked as beautiful as ever in the grey of House Stark. The Hound stood, waiting at the foot of the Heart tree in the yellow of house Clegane. The maester said his words and pronounced Sansa as Sandor's wife..

"You may now place the bride under your protection" the old maester said

The Hound swung a large yellow cloak with the dogs of house Clegane embroiled on it around Sansa's shoulders. The two embraced. Sansa is a very good at acting her part Arya thought it's almost as though she loves him. The feast that was held was small enough. There weren't many faces she recognised at the feast, most had died at the hands of the bastard Ramsay Snow. Arya wasn't seated on the high table; it was only for Sansa and the Hound. They sat together and Sansa seemed quite smitten. Everyone was laughing and drinking, even the hound had a smile on his face. Arya was seated next to Gendry, a prospect that both excited and terrified her. Jon sat across from them, eyeing both of them closely; he was still suspicious about the way he walked in on them.

"So…" Arya said, trying to start a conversation "How is the Wall Jon? We never had a chance to talk"

Jon raised his eyebrows "The Wall" he seemed lost in memory "Is fine, the Others merely climbed, they had no need to smash it down" he said coolly

"But what about the wildings, I heard they attacked Castle Black, I heard that you fought off the attack and that Stannis came in and helped" she said rather quickly

"Aye" Jon looked pained "I did what needed to be done…for my Brothers…for the realm…for my honour…for duty"

"Jon…" said Gendry

Jon stood "I will inspect those dragon glass swords Gendry, stay here, enjoy the feast, mayhaps I'll return"

Arya turned questioningly to Gendry "Was it something I said?" she asked

"Aye, you reminded him of someone he lost" is all that Gendry said

"He lost someone?" she asked

"Aye, it's one of the reasons we were close at the Wall, we both lost people we cared about" Gendry was looking into his goblet Surely he doesn't mean me, Gendry never lost me.

"Who was he?" she asked, Obviously Jon had lost a sworn Brother

"She" Gendry corrected "A wilding girl he met, he broke his vows with her and he tried to convince her to leave Mance Rayder. She didn't, Jon says she was stubborn, wouldn't listen to a word he said, but he loved her, in the end she died, at the attack on Castle Black" Gendry drained his goblet "He lost more than Ygritte that day"

"What do you mean?" she asked

"He lost his will" Gendry said simply "Trust me, Jon loved that girl with all his heart and she was ripped from him, she died in his arms you know?" he said. Gendry was drunk, a red flush crept up his neck "I think about the day I lost you all the time, maybe if I had been faster, a better friend I might have found you, I could have saved you" she put a hand on his arm

"No" she said "You couldn't have"

"THE BEDDING" a voice bellowed from somewhere in the Hall. It was responded to by calls of "AYE" and "TO BED".

Gendry and Arya stayed seated as Sansa and the Hound were carried off to consummate their marriage. Gendry watched them wistfully "Would you ever do it?" he asked

"Do what?"

"Love someone like that?" he said

Maybe I already do she thought "I don't know, maybe, if I lived another life, in another time"

"But you don't, you live in this life, in this time…with me" the last two words were barely a whisper but Arya heard them nonetheless. The hall had completely vacated, it was just them.

"I don't think I would" he said after a brief silence

"Why's that?" she asked

"We live in a world where there are no happy endings" he got up and bowed "milday, I'm off to bed" he left her there.

Arya was alone, and right then she didn't mind, she had things she needed to think about. How to kill the Hound was on the top of her list. By the end of the night she had formulated somewhat of a plan.

Morning came quickly. Men and women were filling the hall for breakfast, Arya and her siblings were seated upon the high table once more, Sansa was in the Godswood and the Hound was nowhere to be found. Arya decided now was as good a time as any.

She turned to face Jon "I didn't get much sleep last night Jon, I think I'll go and rest"

Jon nodded, he looked hung over "Don't sleep too long, I leave today, I want to say goodbye, I think someone else wants to say goodbye too" he nodded his head towards Gendry who was seated, breaking his fast quietly.

Arya nodded and left the hall. She made a slight detour however, and purely by coincidence ended up outside Sansa's bedchamber where she knew the Hound would be. She didn't bother knocking, killing someone didn't require courtesy, the Hound had taught her that.

He was pulling on boots when she opened the door. The Hound raised his head and smiled "Ahh, sister, you come brining wedding gifts?"

"No" she said.

"Well…what can I do for my new sibling?" he rasped

"I made you a promise once" she said

"People make me many promises little wolf, I can't remember them all" he said

"I told you, I'd kill you for what you did to Mycah" she said

"I told you that if you ever spoke that name again I'd beat you bloody" he I wasn't angry, in fact he was calm, collected. He grinned "Well, sometimes we break our promises. So is that why you have come? To kill me?" he was still grinning

"Aye"

"To kill your sister's new husband? Would you do that to your sister? Rid her of her husband?" he asked, his hands in his lap

"She won't miss you" she said

"Really?" he was smiling "So you really don't know anything about your sister do you? She loves me"

Arya was slightly taken aback and the Hound noticed "Ah, so you don't know"

"It matters naught if she loves you" Arya said, she was beginning to question her decision

"Love, is all that matters little wolf" said the Hound "So are you going to ki-" he was cut off by a dagger piercing his forehead, Arya had thrown the dagger she concealed in the back of her breeches.

"Yes" she said as the Hound fell on the ground, limp and unmoving "Valar Morghulis"

Arya was quiet and stealthy as she made her way back to her chambers. She lay down on the bed until the sound came that she was waiting for, a scream, a loud scream.

She opened her door and rushed down the halls towards the screaming. She burst into Sansa's chamber where she found Sansa gripping the limp form of Sandor Clegane, Jon and another sworn Brother were in the room too. Sansa screamed, her face was red and splotchy; tears fell in a torrent from her eyes as she clutched the Hound.

Don't feel bad, he deserved it, Valar Morghulis she thought, all men must die. It was the Hound's turn, it was only justice what she did, justice for Mycah, for her mother, for Robb, for all those the Hound had killed.

Sandor Clegane was loaded into a wagon and sent on his way back to Clegane's Keep to be put to rest. Sansa wept constantly; their departure was delayed by one day because of the untimely death of the Hound.

"Jon we must leave on the morrow" said Gendry "A raven came in from Mole's town, wights attacked the village, we have to go Jon, on the morrow, there can be no delay"

"Aye" Jon snapped "We will go on the morrow"

The Queen made for Harrenhal the day of Clegane's murder. She said she had business to attend to, that some outlaws were getting too rowdy in the Neck.

"Gendry" it was Jon who spoke

"Aye"

"Your father was a good man, you know that?"

Gendry scowled, why was Jon brining this up? Again "Aye, some say he was a good man, but the Robert I knew was a dirty drunk"

"I was just thinking how strange it is" Jon said

"Strange what is?"

"Our fathers fought side by side against a Targaryen rule, they fought together and both of the bastard sons fought side by side as well. Not against Targaryens but against the Others. It's just strange how things end up"

"Jon, we are not destined to end up as our fathers did" Gendry reassured him

"I'm not a Stark" Jon said it more to himself than to Gendry

"Aye, you're a Snow, and I'm a Waters"

"Not for long" Jon said

Gendry was confused.

"I received this raven" he handed parchment to Gendry "From the Queen"

It was short

I hereby declare Jon Snow to be known formally as House Stark. I, Daenerys Targaryen legitimise him as a Stark of Winterfell.

"Why would the Queen do this?" Gendry asked

"I haven't a clue, all it needs is a maester's signature and I'm a Stark"

Gendry smiled and brought Jon into a fierce embrace "You always were Jon, let the history books say that Eddard Stark fathered four sons, not three"

"Thank you Gendry, but it matters not. I'm a sworn brother of the Night's Watch. I may hold no lands, I may now be a Stark, but I am still a Brother. Nothing can change that. There is no difference between a bastard at the Wall, and a Stark at the Wall"

"Well…with Summer finally here, they might have no use of a bastard or a Stark at the Wall. Not for a long time yet"

"Maybe" Jon said, looking at his feet.

Gendry paid his respects to Lady Sansa and apologised for her losses, he told her if there was anything she needed, she must only ask.

She smiled and thanked him for his condolences. He recalled his conversation with Arya; there were truly no happy endings, not for Lady Sansa anyway. That poor girl had been abused and tortured at the hands of Joffrey and now to have found someone, even if that someone was the Hound, and to have that someone ripped away, on the morrow after their wedding. The gods were cruel. It was for that reason that he decided to spend as much time with Arya as he could, if the gods were to take him, he would die knowing that Arya was safe and home.

"Lady Arya" he said, catching her as she walked down the corridor

"Gendry, why must you call me Lady all the time?" she asked

"Old habits die hard. All I wish for Arya is a chance to say goodbye. I don't want to leave, not yet, just after I got you back"

"But honour calls" Arya said coldly

"No, Arya, I want to stay, to stay with you, but I can't stand here while people die, not while I can do something about it. Don't you understand that?"

"Just because I understand it doesn't mean I like it, what if I never see you again, what if you leave and never come back?"

"Well then, you'd best have something to remember me by" Gendry bent down and kissed her.