Game of Thrones: Tragedy and Reunions

Next chapter of my Game of Thrones story, enjoy.

Reviews

Noek: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, here's the next chapter :)
magnus374: Thanks, glad you enjoyed it, yeah, that's what I thought too :)
SayianWizard: Yeah well, we can only wait and see; glad you enjoyed it, here's the next one.
HarryPotterLover1996: Yup, she is, however now we must go back in time a bit to catch up with Arya. As for your question, read on and find out :)

Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

Arya

There was silence again as they walked; Arya was quiet, her mind on Nymeria. It had been three days since they had met her, Arya still felt the sadness from the incident. She never truly realized how much she had missed her Direwolf until that moment. All the same it still hurt. Realizing that continuing north would bring them past the Twins, and onto the marshes around Greywater Watch and Moat Cailin, they had turned their direction westward.

Respectful of her sudden melancholy, Gendry had stayed silent too. He was listening carefully to the surroundings; he remembered the warning that Arya's strange friend had given them. It had been cryptic but Arya explained it to him. They still had one more danger to brave before they could be assured of their safety. Worried that going too far west would cause them to miss the camp they turned southwest. Two more days passed and in that time they had changed direction again, going south. Arya's melancholy giving way to frustration.

"Ugh, this is getting us nowhere," she grumbled. "There must be some clue, something we missed, something that points us in the right direction."

Gendry sighed and shook his head. "I know what you mean, but there's been nothing. I don't know if..."

Suddenly he stopped; Arya also heard it, more footsteps. Possibly more trouble.

However the heavy boot-clad footsteps soon faded from earshot, leaving them standing restlessly. Finally Arya couldn't take the silence any longer.

"What is that?" She whispered. "Who could it be?"

"No idea, but we're close to the Kingsroad, could just have been a traveller." Gendry answered.

Arya shook her head. "How many travellers do you think there are these days?"

She heard him sigh and then finally he took her arm again.

"You're right; let's go." With that he led her onwards; however she had concerns.

"Wait, where are we going?" She asked frantically.

"The sign I saw on the road said this way leads to Riverrun." He replied and Arya's heart leapt.

"Good."

He seemed surprised until she explained it was the seat of her mother's family. Satisfied with this Gendry began to lead her along the forest path next to the Kingsroad. Arya felt that, even if Robb and her mother weren't there, someone who could help her would be. However one thing still bothered her; those footsteps. Were they a herald for on-coming danger? Or just innocent travellers like her, trying to get somewhere safer?

They soon had no other choice but to step out onto the Kingsroad. They needed to cross to get back in the safety of the forest. However Gendry gasped and suddenly Arya found herself on the ground with Gendry crouched over her, his sword drawn. She could hear men approaching from all around them.

Gendry whispered the worst words possible; the third danger was now on them.

"Lannister Soldiers."

Arya and Gendry had escaped two traps, only to fall into a devastating third.

The Lannister soldiers closed in.

"Up, both of you." One of them commanded. "You, boy, up, get your blind little brother up too."

Gendry dropped his sword and stood up, lifting Arya too. Her hair was still short enough that they hadn't realized she was a girl. They stood still; Gendry now had his arms around her protectively. She fought to control her breathing, not wanting to seem afraid. She heard the Lannister soldiers move closer.

Suddenly one inhaled sharply. "Look at the lad, there's no question, he's one of them."

"Aye," another replied. "Very well; take him alive, get to it."

"The blind girl...?"

"I don't care." The soldier that seemed to be in command snapped. "Kill her, leave her, do whatever you want."

Arya suddenly felt armoured hands grab her shoulders and Gendry's grip slip from her arm as they dragged him back. She immediately struggled and kicked, trying to get free. Being blind however made it hopeless.

"Stop wasting your strength, girl." The man holding her growled. "It'll make things a lot easier for you...You'll have a much better chance of survival."

Arya growled and then felt her anger flare as the man began to remove Needle from her belt. Suddenly he let out a choked gasp and she felt his grasp weaken before falling off her. She heard the faint, yet unmistakable, whistling of arrows; immediately followed by more choked gasps. Hands grabbed her and she struggled again until the person spoke, his voice instantly calming her.

"Arya! Arya relax, it's me." It was Gendry; she stopped struggling and realized all was quiet.

"The Lannisters are dead; the archers are coming, just hold on, we don't know if they'll help us yet."

She nodded, then waited for the unnamed archers to make themselves known. She could feel Gendry presence at her side, his stance defensive. Suddenly an unfamiliar voice broke the tension.

"Put the sword down, boy, or you'll go the same way as that Lannisters scum."

She heard the dull clang of a sword hitting the ground.

A brief pause followed before Gendry replied to the new comer. "We're not a threat; you just saved us. We're not Lannisters!"

She heard a snort of disbelief, but then another voice made itself known. One that sounded very familiar to her.

"Lower your bows. Do it!" Another pause as the men presumably did as they were told. "I need to be sure; let the girl go. I need you to step forward, young lady. Let me see you carefully."

Where did she know that voice, it was right there; tickling the back of her mind. Gendry turned her so she was facing the speaker, he then let her go. Hesitant but knowing she had no other choice, and so she stepped forwards and waited, the tension mounting again until it was almost unbearable.

"Arya." He breathed, almost inaudibly. Then all became clear.

Behind the bandages her eyes widened and she fought to get her mouth to work; only one word escaped her lips. "Robb?"

At long last, she had found her eldest brother.

She realized she was shaking, a sob escaped her throat and suddenly arms encircled her. She finally realized that Robb was the one holding her. She felt herself clinging to him as finally the tears fell. She couldn't believe it, after everything; the death of her father, the rough living in King's Landing. Then the travelling with Yoren, fearful of being found out, being captured and taken to Harrenhal. The rough and cruel treatment there and then the escape and the steady journey north; blind and fearful, constantly looking over her shoulder for danger. All the fear and terror left her then; finally, for the first time in a long time, she felt safe, secure. She could relax, rest and recover; everything that had been denied to her since her family was betrayed.

"Arya, I'm so glad to see you again." Robb murmured into her hair, his voice thick with emotion. "You…I thought you were dead."

Arya swallowed the thick lump in her throat. It was the longest time for her, she had refused to allow herself to cry but now she couldn't stop the tears, even if she wanted. Finally, a long time later they stepped back, Arya let out a long shaky breath. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders; one that she had borne for a long time.

When she finally felt calm again she heard Robb's voice, full of concern.

"Arya, what happened to you…why are you…?"

She gulped and sighed. "It'll…It'll take a long time to explain. I can explain the bandages right now at least."

Robb listened while she detailed the incident involving the explosion and what had happened to her eyes and what she had to wait for. Robb nodded, seemingly satisfied for now. There was more silence before Robb spoke again.

"Who is this?" He asked, Arya was able to guess who he meant.

She smiled. "This is Gendry. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have made it this far…I wouldn't have even escaped Harrenhal."

She heard Robb's boots scuff the earth as he approached her companion, then heard him speak, his voice grateful.

"I am deeply thankful to you then, Gendry." He said happily. "I owe you a debt of gratitude."

Gendry, remembering what Arya had told him, bowed and replied. "Thank you your grace, but you don't owe me anything."

She heard Robb laugh then unexpectedly he then stopped and spoke in a serious tone.

"Well, we'll talk more later. We have important work to do," he said. "You can come with us to the camp, then I'll leave some men to keep an eye on you both; while we're fighting. I'll send word as soon as we're successful."

Arya nodded in agreement and; still feeling light-headed and relieved at the reunion with her brother, she let Gendry guide her as they followed Robb and his men, finally to safety.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.