SNOW
Chapter 6 - Blast from the Past (Arya POV)
I stared at the screen of my cell phone, reading the message again. I know I read it correctly the first time, and I didn't doubt the source, but it was still unexpected. I wondered who did it and their reason behind it. I'd admit that I was mildly curious over the person that avoided being sweet-talked by that slimy asshole, enough to rid the world of him. I would've loved to take the credit for it, but I had bigger and more important things on my plate before I got to Little Finger.
"Good morning, Arya. Tormund is on his way with breakfast. Naturally, you know he's bringing enough to feed all the major houses of Westeros." Jon's announced, joining me in the dining room of the house he we shared, which he'd bought under a different name.
"He usually does... then eats the majority of it." I laughed in response, which made him laugh.
"Jon, I received some news. Little Finger got himself murdered, but no one seems to know who by. Do you think we should be concerned?" I asked, voicing my thoughts.
"Petyr Balish was as sleezy and manipulative as they come. He ran countless shady schemes against countless people and families. But he's low on my list of concerns, regardless of his connection to the Lannisters. As far as I'm concerned, it was a public service by whomever did it." He told me, not the least bit concerned but it still nagged me.
"That's just it. Despite his shady deals and smarmy character, everyone knows he's in deep with the Lannisters. I can't think of anyone that would challenge them by taking Petyr out. Not unless they didn't they have anything to lose, or thought they could take out anyone that retaliated." I reasoned and saw him taking in my words.
"You're thinking there's a new player we should look into?" He asked, coming to the same idea I had, so I nodded.
"I want to go, dig around a bit. Maybe they could be useful. I'll see what I can find out and let you know." I told him and after a few minutes of silence, he relented.
"Use your mask." He asked and I nodded. "And don't do anything dangerous. See what you can find out, but don't put yourself at risk. We'll figure out what to do together." He added and hugged him.
"Yes, big brother." I smiled just as I heard the alert that someone as at the door.
"Oye Cunts! Breakfast is here!" We heard Tormund yell after entering the passcode allowing him to enter the house, and we shared a chuckle at his antics.
"We're in the dining room, Tor!" I yelled back.
"Aye, morning Lil' Killer. Oh, well look at that... She's got him smiling." Ygritte commented, coming in after Tormund, referring to Jon's and my smiling faces.
"Good Morning, Ygritte. Actually, we were laughing at Tor's announcement." I told her, giving her a side hide in welcoming.
"The big lug's entertainin', I'll give 'em that." She laughed.
"Oye, keep runnin' your traps and I'll not share with ya's." Tormund threatened while starting to empty his bags of food onto the table.
"Gods, I wasn't too far off when I told Arya you'd bring enough food for half of Westeros." Jon chimed in as we watched how much Tormund continued to place on the table.
"Some of the others are comin' too. Hornwood says he's got news." He defended and moments later, we heard the alert from the door so I volunteered to answer it.
After everyone ate, Hornwood informed us all that everything was done. The entirety of the Bolton fortune was now ours. Ygritte confirmed that she'd already laid down the groundwork to make sure the Umbers' transactions to the Boltons fell through. Meanwhile, Tormund made sure the Karstarks weapons shipment to the Boltons would also go missing. Those were also ours after last night.
"They'll be at each other's throats before the day is out. Ramsay will have no choice but to leave Winterfell to address those matters in person. Hopefully today, but whether it's today or any other day, we'll be there. You all know what to do?" Jon asked and everyone nodded.
"It's finally happening, Jon. We'll finally go home." I whispered emotionally.
"This is just the start of everything, Arya. But yes, we'll be home soon." He responded, holding one of my hands tightly.
"I should stay with you until this is done. I can help you, Jon. Riverrun can wait." I told him, readjusting my priorities and starting to fear leaving his side at such a tumultuous time.
"I have no doubt that you'd be a great help, but you were right. Whoever this player in Riverrun is, should be addressed. It's your mother's family home, after all. We could always use another ally. But if you learn that isn't possible, then we'll take care of them too." Jon told me, making a lot of sense, but my apprehension must have shown. "The pack survives, Arya. We're not lone wolves anymore and we'll be home before you know it." He added, resting his forehead against mine and I nodded.
"You're right. Please be safe, Jon. I'll kill you if you let anything happen to yourself." I told him with watery eyes and he nodded with a chuckle at my words. "And I'll kill you all if you let anything happen to him." I added firmly to the rest, and I could tell they believed me.
A short time later, I left for the Riverun wearing my mask. Part of me that longed to see the home my mother grew up in, but the other part worried over who I'd find there, that made themselves at home.
I arrived at Riverrun, the Tully Family Mansion in the Riverlands that night, to find the long drive way lit up. There were several cars lining the edges towards the mansion. I didn't recognize any of the cars but I noticed some had Riverlands plates, which was to be expected I'd expected. What I hadn't expected were the several plates from the Vale and from the North.
"State your name and what business you have here." A female voice came from a speaker beside the door after I buzzed.
"I'm here to speak to the person in charge." I spoke with a heavy northern accent and voice that matched the mask I wore.
"This is private property and unless you state who you are, the reason for your visit, you won't be coming in." The voice repeated, frustrating me to my core.
"My name is Nymeria Fell and I have private business to discuss. It's of great importance and sure to be very profitable to your master." I stated confidently.
I heard a lock clicking out of place, and the door swung open to reveal a tall and imposing man. When I got a good look at his face, I felt my own eyes widen with recognition. Of course, with my disguise, I wouldn't be recognized but I still had to play my part.
"You're from the North, I gather from your accent. I must inform you that my master is not here, but any business you have, you can run by me first." He spoke and I'd be lying if I tried to deny that hearing his voice again after so long, didn't affect me.
"Who's your master?" I asked, trying not to show just how affected I was by him, but he looked at me curiously.
"You're here to do business but you don't know who with?" He asked perplexed.
"My master had ties with the family that lived here once. I was sent to bridge that connection with the new master of the house." I lied smoothly and I could tell that he bought it.
"As I've said, my master is not home and won't be for several weeks, if that. Sorry you wasted a trip." He informed me and I was even more curious than before.
"Very well. Can I … Would it be alright if I toured the property? I realize that is an unusual request, but I had distant family that grew up here and always spoke of its beauty."
"I'm sorry. It's not up to me and my duty is to honor my master's privacy. You're from the North so I'm sure you can understand that measure of loyalty. The North and the Starks value such things highly." His words shocked me.
Did he mean to say that his master was a Stark? Impossible. Had he figured out who I was? Not possible either. What the hell was he talking about, and what the hell was he doing here, of all places? A dozen thoughts and questions jumped out at me at once.
"I'm sorry. I've said too much. It's time for you to go, miss." He told me, suddenly worried about his slip.
"Why did you bring up the Starks?" I asked him, but I was sure it came out as a demand.
"It's … I just … because …" He scrambled and I knew him well enough to know that he was not a great liar.
"Tell me." I outright demanded but saw him square his jaw and his shoulders.
"I owe you no sort of explanation. Leave. Now." He nearly thundered as he towered over me.
"I won't. Tell me who your master is, Gendry." I demanded using his name and my true voice, then watched several expressions flicker across his face.
He was clearly surprised by my use of his name and I was sure he recognized my voice. His shock quickly turned to confusion as he stared at me, trying to figure me out. There was disbelief and uncertainty, but there was also a streak of hope in his eyes.
"Who are … Nymeria?" He asked and then he backed away like I was ghost or made of deadly toxin, and I supposed I could be considered both.
After several seconds of staring at me, by body and the face I wore, he took a step forward. No doubt, he remembered the name of the gun I trained alongside him with for so long. The dumb bull wasn't so dumb after all. I could see in his eyes that he'd put it together, despite his disbelief because I had a different face.
"Ar... Arya?" He asked in a vulnerable whisper and my heart felt like it might jump out of me.
He took another step towards me as I remained silent, then brushed his thumb against the cheek of my mask which made me sigh in defeat. I leaned into his touch and nodded, to which he released a gasp of air he'd been holding.
Gendry raised his other hand to my other cheek and tilted my face up to him. I saw him inspect my hair, my ears, and every detail of the mask I wore. When his eyes met mine, it only took a single second before he was kissing me and I melted into him as well.
"This is impossible. I know it is. How can you be real?" He asked once he'd pulled away from our kiss but still held my hands.
"Not impossible and yes, very real." I told him after releasing his hand to remove the mask from my face.
He didn't even blink before he was hugging me close to him again. He pulled me towards the nearest couch and began telling me how much he'd missed me. He told me he'd tried to track down anyone that he thought had a part in killing me and my family. He lamented never having gotten close enough to anyone of importance.
"Until now!" He gasped and stood up suddenly. "Gods Arya!" He exclaimed, shaking his head with wonderment as a large smile bloomed on his face. "Your sister!" He yelled, which confused me.
"What? Sansa?" I asked, not really following his exuberance and watched him nod like a mad man.
"Arya, your sister is alive. She's the master of this house. She's who I work for."
Sansa? That couldn't be right. It just … no, that had to be wrong... it was a lie. Images of that night played themselves through my mind as I shook my head at him sadly.
"Yes, Sansa. I'm not wrong and it's not a lie." He told me after I'd apparently spoken my thoughts aloud.
"She's dead, Gendry. She was killed with the rest of my family. I was there. Whoever your master is, she's an imposture." I rationalized, trying hard to put the pain of my loss aside.
"Oh Arya." He spoke softly and hugged me again, which was when I realized I'd started crying.
As he held me, he softly began telling me the tale of how Sansa had supposedly survived that night, and how she ended up in King's Landing with Joffrey and the Lannisters. He told me how she'd been taken to The Vale by Petyr and then moving to Riverrun after Petyr killed my aunt Lysa. He explained how Sansa discovered his deceit and his plans for her. It all sounded plausible, even if it was hard to hear all she'd endured.
Lastly, he told me how Sansa hijacked a meeting Petyr assembled with group from Riverrun, The Vale and some Northerners that Petyr hoped to align himself with. She took charge and accused Petyr of all his wrongdoings, then got them to swear their loyalties to her and the Stark name. Then, Gendry told me Sansa killed Petyr when she discovered he'd been behind the death of our brother, Jon.
It seemed farfetched but somewhat possible until that point. The Sansa I knew, could never have taken someone's life that way, nor would she care to avenge the brother she ran out of our home. While Sansa was a great deal smart, and I loved her dearly as a sister should, I couldn't imagine her capable of such manipulation or murder.
"I fear you've been duped, Gendry." I told him, explaining my thoughts to him on why I was sure the Sansa he met couldn't be my sister.
"Perhaps you should see for yourself. She's taken her group to fight for Winterfell. She plans to attack Bolton, who currently resides there. Once she reclaims her – your - home, she plans to eliminate the Karstarks and the Umbers. After unifying the North with the Vale and Riverland's forces, she will turn her sites on the Lannister family in the south. She doesn't plan to stop until they pay for what they did to your family."
It all sounded … fantastical. No matter how much I wanted to believe this could be Sansa, and no matter how just those plans seemed, there was a part of me that couldn't believe. I wanted to, very badly. I even wanted to join her cause, for it was my own as well. But, it just couldn't be Sansa.
"When is your Sansa going to attack Bolton to take back Winterfell?" I asked, knowing I had to warn Jon about the imposture.
"She should already be there. They left this morning." He told me and I was already rushing to the door.
"Are you coming or not?" I asked once I reached the door and noticed he hadn't followed.
He smiled and joined me after locking up the mansion. It would be hours before we got to Winterfell, and I noticed I forgot to bring the charger to my cell phone, which had run out of battery. I asked Gendry for his phone, but he told me he didn't have one.
"Who the hell doesn't have a cell phone in this day and age?" I asked loudly and he laughed.
"I don't usually leave the compound, and I have no one to call." Came his response and I shook my head.
"You're getting a phone with number programmed, as soon as possible." I told him and he agreed with an adorable smile.
As I drove my car to its maximum speed, he asked how I survived that night and where I'd been hiding for so long. I launched into everything and, to say his eyes were comical when I got to the part of becoming a Faceless Man Assassin, would be an understatement. I told him about finding Jon and all the plans we'd made. He told me he was happy for me, because he always knew how important Jon was to me and how I'd missed him.
In return, Gendry told me about narrowly escaping the Lannister's hitmen when it became obvious that he was Robert Baratheon's bastard, which he was shocked to learn at the time. I admitted that it was a shock but not surprising, since Robert's womanizing ways were well known across all of Westeros. Then, he told me the men he'd been working odd jobs for, introduced him to Sansa only a month prior.
We stopped for gas and to eat something as quickly as we could, because we were still about two hours away from Winterfell. I hadn't been back there since that night and my nerves were getting harder to temper. I was sure Gendry noticed, because he offered to drive the rest of the way. Only because it was him, and I trusted him, I agreed. He didn't try to start up a conversation as he drove, knowing me well. He knew when I needed the silence to think.
"Arya, I think you should see this." His voice startled me awake, and I realized I hadn't meant to fall asleep.
It had been years, but I still recognized blocks surrounding the Winterfell Mansion walls. It was a dark night and the streetlights were out, but the Bolton cars lining the sidewalk were on fire. As Gendry drove slowly along the side of the estate, I was able to see how badly everything looked like a warzone. There were bodies tossed here and there, and puddles of blood all around.
"Shit Arya, I think we should leave the car here and walk the rest of the way. There are too many bodies on the ground." Gendry told me and I nodded.
As we walked, I got a closer look and noticed that the majority of the bodies wore Bolton colors, while others wore Umber and Karstark colors. I hadn't seen anyone in Arryn or Tully colors, nor did I recognize anyone as my brother's allies. I could only hope Jon hadn't gotten caught up in this massacre, despite knowing his plans to watch the mansion until Ramsay left it.
When we rounded the corner of the tall vine covered wall, I could see the front of my old home through the tall fence that started where the wall ended. I ignored the bodies lying on the grounds for a moment, as I gazed upon Winterfell for the first time in years. So many memories flooded me all at once, and I almost lost my footing. So many good and beautiful memories, but then the terrible memories of that night strengthened my resolve to keep walking.
"Arya, those are Sansa's cars just over there." Gendry stopped me from moving forward, and pointed across the street.
I noticed the car at the front had a direwolf emblem on the side door, while the others had the Arryn Robin or the Tully Fish on them. I truly wanted to believe Gendry's story, even against my better judgement. I wanted to feel happy that my sister was a survivor and I wanted to have pride in her impressive accomplishments. I just didn't know if I could, not unless I saw her with my own eyes. I turned my head back towards the mansion and urged Gendry to follow me.
"Who else would I follow?" Came his cheeky remark and I smirked while trying to remain focused.
"Who goes there?" I loud but deep woman's voice called, and I looked up to see a freakishly tall and broad woman coming out from behind one of the pillars near the entrance.
I hated that it hadn't occurred to me to wear my mask, but I'd ben in such a hurry to get here.
"Brienne, it's me and someone Miss Stark will want to see." Gendry responded and I felt better that at least he knew the woman.
"Gendry, what in Westeros are you doing here? Miss Stark has asked not to be interrupted. Who've you got with you?" She responded and I stepped out of his shadow.
I saw her appraise me from top to bottom, then her eyes looked back at Gendry.
"Is that …?" She tried to ask him with pure disbelief, but I cut her off.
"I'm Arya Stark of Winterfell, and this is my home. Regardless of who you work for, you won't deny my entrance." I demanded, expecting her to put up some sort of fight.
"This is unremarkable. Of course, I wouldn't even try. I've heard all about you and your capabilities." She told me with a smile and a certain twinkle in her eye, as she gestured for me to enter.
I stepped right up to the threshold of my old home and peered inside. I noticed only some of the furniture had been remodeled and it smelled of gunpowder and death, but I took in the high archways and the same floor tiles. I was nearly over whelmed by that fact that I was home again.
"Brienne says you should head to the study." Gendry whispered softly after reaching my side.
A/N: Arya and Gendry! I can't wait for that reunion to happen on the show... I hope it lives up to my romantic side, but knowing the show and its creators, I'm not holding my breath LOL. Why must we wait so long for next season?! Anyway...
I'm sorry it' taken me so long to update. I have two other stories I've been working on as well, along with several projects I've got going on. I promise to try to do better. Besides, we're almost at the end... please, hang in there with me.