I am really sorry for the long delay, but at least I've got a good excuse; for the past week I've been traveling through Europe with my school, so... Can you forgive me? To make amends I'll post two chapters today. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 19

Gendry

Gendry waited and waited, but Arya never returned. He searched the closest area for her, but in vain. She was nowhere to be found. It had been snowing since twilight, and every footprint she once left was completely erased. He looked through her satchel, and found both her dagger and her sword. Nymeria was gone as well. Gendry felt slightly intimidated by the dark and kept returning to the edge of the hill to glance at the group of people just to make sure they were still there. Was it possible Arya had gone down to spy on them? No, she wouldn't have gone that far without telling him. Although she was angry with him, she wasn't stupid.

"Arya?" he called, not even caring if some wildlings heard him instead of her. He had to find her, or he would never forgive himself for letting her go out into the woods by herself.

He limped toward the horses and looked down at the camp. The men were still awake, and judging by the noise they made, they were drunk. Gendry sighed and patted his horse affectionately, wondering where he should look next. Perhaps she would return when she was ready. Yes, that seemed reasonable. But then again, what if she was hurt or abducted? He had to keep looking.

Suddenly, a loud cheering from the group caught his attention. They sure were loud! He narrowed his eyes and stared down at the camp. About ten men were gathered around the fire, when another one appeared with a bundle in his arms. The others ran to him like a flock of ravens. Gendry snorted and turned away, when suddenly the bundle jerked out of the man's arm and made a run for it. However, it didn't take long before it was caught again. Gendry's eyes widened in surprise as a suspicion found its way to his mind. Could it be? No, Arya was too clever to be caught by anyone! But then again, she had been upset – vulnerable. He looked closer and realized the bundle were exactly her size. Dammit Gendry, how could you let her go off on herself, he cursed himself, mounting his horse. He had to save her! The gods knew what the men would do to her if he didn't.

Arya

"Look at this pretty little girl," a man with only one eye said, reaching out to touch her cheek. Arya hissed at him, snapping after his fingers. Her gesture made the men laugh even harder.

"She's fierce," another grinned.

Arya glared at them. Although her body ached from the bumpy ride down the hill, she was determined not to let them touch her. She was a Stark, a wolf – Starks didn't give up so easy. "Let me go," she told them in her stern voice, mimicking her mother's persuasiveness, but the men ignored her order and closed in around her.

"I bet she's a maid," one mad sniggered. Arya shot him a deadly stare.

"Well, perhaps we ought to do something about that," the man without an eye said, reaching out for her behind. Arya jerked away, wriggling her hands to get out of the rope tying her wrists together.

"Stop," her capturer said. "She's for the king. No one is to touch her."

Although she hated the man who caught her, she felt a rush of gratitude toward him for his words. One man she could fight, but a whole group… she would rather have her maidenhead intact when she returned to Gendry.

"The king will not arrive for three days still," someone complained. "She can keep us company in the meantime."

Her capturer shook his head determinedly and dragged her along through the group. Arya snapped after the wandering hands reaching after her.

"You are not the one in charge, Borin!" someone yelled after him, but her capturer kept going until they reached the tent furthest away from the fire. He shoved her inside and followed quickly. She crawled as far away from him as she was able to get.

"Calm down, girl, I won't hurt you," he told her, sitting down by the entrance. "Not unless you give me a reason to."

Arya snarled at him. "You have no idea who you've brought on yourself," she said through clenched teeth. Borin chuckled and looked at her with an amused expression on his face.

"Is that a threat little girl? You don't seem so dangerous to me… When I found you, you were hiding under a tree, crying your eyes out."

"I was not!" she contradicted.

Borin brought a dagger from his belt and leaned closer to her. she pulled away, her heart skipping a beat. As the cold steel met her throat, chills went down her spine, and her breath grew deeper and quicker. "If you are to kill me, just do it already!" she snapped, forcing her voice to sound calm and confident. Borin let his blade caress her from her ear to her chest. Arya kept still, knowing if she moved, the blade could slip and she would earn a cut from his recklessness.

"I'm not going to kill you. Yet." He told her in an exaggerated soft voice. He moved the dagger all the way to her waist before cutting the rope off her wrists. "One wrong move and I will not hesitate to slice your stomach open and cook your entrails for dinner."

He put his dagger back in his belt and looked at her. "A girl, dressed as a boy. May I ask why?"

Arya glared at him. "Safer to travel," she said, realizing the irony as she uttered the words.

"Clever," Borin said, smirking. "You're quite a fierce little lady, aren't you?"

Arya felt panic creep up on her. Did he know who she was? "I'm not a lady!" she insisted.

"That I can see," he replied dryly. "What are you then? A butcher's daughter?"

"No," Arya said. "I belong to a blacksmith."

Borin laughed. "You belong to? Does that mean you are betrothed, or is that your obnoxious way of saying your father's a smith?"

Arya forced her lips to twist into a smile. "It means you will all pay for abducting me. You will die in the rough hands of a smith."

Although she had said so to intimidate him, the man only laughed harder. "I'd like to see that," he snorted. "No common smith can kill me. I am a king's knight!"

"You're one of Joffrey's nights? I wonder why no one ever cut his stomach open. He's a vile, evil little creep!"

Borin's laughter echoed through the woods. He was laughing so hard he had difficulty breathing. "You truly are a tough one, aren't you? But I quite agree with you little lady. That bastard should be slaughtered and fed to the crows! I am one of King Stannis' men, you see. The rightful king."

Arya gasped. King Stannis? King Roberts' brother?

"Why is king Stannis headed for the Wall?" she asked curiously.

"Why do you have so many questions little one. What is your name anyway?"

Arya bit her lip. "Nan," she replied quickly. "Now answer my question."

Borin sighed but did as she told him. "He has some business to discuss with the lord commander."

"With Jon?" Arya blurted without thinking.

Borin narrowed his eyes and studied her. "Do you know the lord commander, girl?"

Arya hesitated. If she told too much, her lie could become too transparent. "Of course- I'm from the north. Everyone knows the lord commander's name."

He still looked suspicios, but let it slide. "Very well, Nan. Perhaps you ought to get some sleep while we wait for your blacksmith to put his wrath on me, eh?"

"What does the king want with me anyway?" she asked. She could see Borin considering untying the rope around her legs, but decided against it; she couldn't get very far with her feet tied up.

"Not as much the king as the witch of a mistress of his," Borin replied. Arya felt a rush of fear jolt through her. Witch? But witches weren't real, were they? That was just something old Nan had told them to scare them when they were little, wasn't it?

"So what? She is to transform me into a frog or something?" Arya said, choking back a laugh. She did not believe in witches, no more than she believed in the white walkers or dragons. If they ever existed, they were long gone.

"You better pray that's all she'll do," Borin replied earnestly, wiping the smile off Arya's face. "For your sake I hope your smith saves you before she arrives."

Gendry

He rode through the darkness, following the noise. Concealed by the trees, he was able to reach the camp unnoticed. Some of the men had finally gone to sleep, but some were still awake. He wished Nymeria was there with him, but did not let the lack of protection prevent him from taking dangerous risks. The only thing on his mind was getting Arya safe back to Winterfell.

He walked around the camp several times, trying to catch a glimpse of the youngest Stark daughter, but she were nowhere to be seen. She had to be inside one of the tents. The idea of what might happen in there made him sick, and urged him to keep looking.

"I'll take the first watch," someone said from the fire. Gendry froze in his place and held his breath as the man drew nearer, a sword hanging by his belt and an arch swung over his shoulder. The man passed him only feet away, the stench of wine filling Gendry's nostrils. He sat down, but was too drunk to stay awake and was soon swaying back and forth between sleep and consciousness.

Gendry waited until he heard the man's loud snoring before he tip-toed past him and hid behind the nearest tent. He somehow had to find out in which they kept Arya.

"There's nothing like a woman on a night like this," someone laughed from the fire. Gendry looked around the corner of the tent and caught a glimpse of a man with only one eye. "Perhaps I ought to find Borin's little lady."

The other men agreed and followed him as he got to his feet and hurried through the camp. Gendry followed as quickly as he could on his leg; trying as best he could not to be seen. But the knights were so drunk they wouldn't have noticed anything strange about him anyway. The men found their way to a tent on the outside of the camp, but when they tried to enter, a tall, broad men stopped them, leaving them all beaten and bruised,

"She's for the king you fools!" he yelled after them as they crawled as fast as they could back to the fire, whimpering in agony.

As the tall man returned into the tent, Gendry caught a glimpse of a mane of short brown hair. Arya!

"Let me go and no harm will come to you." Gendry recognized Arya's familiar voice – her stubborn tone that was impossible to contradict.

"Shut up, little girl. You ought to be grateful for my protection."

"I can protect myself," she replied stiffly.

The man sniggered. "Oh, yes, you really put up a good fight when I found you." His voice was oozing with sarcasm.

"You caught me off guard," Arya said. Gendry was surprised to hear that she did not sound scared at all. Yes, Arya was more fearless than most girls, but even she should be terrified after being kidnapped by a large, suspicious looking knight.

"So they all say," the man chuckled.

"Put a sword in my hand and I will wipe that smirk off your face!"

Gendry caught himself smiling. It was so relieving to hear her voice and knowing she was unharmed and protected. Even if it was by the man who abducted her in the first place.

"Big words from a little girl."

Gendry listened to their conversation while trying to come up with a way to get Arya out of there.

"I'm a woman grown," she insisted.

"Yet you prefer to dress up like a boy. Perhaps you wish to be like Brienne the Beauty?" Gendry heard the man's japing tone, but Gendry knew that being a knight was Arya's biggest desire.

"Indeed," she replied calmly.

"Too bad you won't live to fulfill your dream."

The tent suddenly went very quiet. Gendry held his breath while waiting for her response. "What do you mean?" she finally asked. The man laughed a dark, hollow laughter.

"I thought you were a clever girl. You ought to realize what the witch wants with a young maid. Did your wet nurse never tell you stories? Oh, wait, my apologies, a simple blacksmith's daughter wouldn't have a wet nurse."

"You mean she is to sacrifice me?" Arya asked.

The man snorted. "So you have heard the stories."

Gendry's heart skipped a beat. A witch? But witches weren't real! He looked around, determined to find a way to smuggle Arya out, but he was completely empty for ideas. Suddenly, Arya herself came with a way.

"I have to pee," she told her capturer.

"I don't care," the man replied. "You can wet yourself; I'm not stupid enough to take you outside." Gendry could only imagine the stubborn look on Arya's face.

"Do you expect me to shit myself as well? Imagine the stench you have to sleep in."

The man snorted. "Your language is much too filthy for a little girl like you."

"Perhaps I ought to take a shit in your armor instead. I'm sure King Stannis will enjoy having a stinking knight protecting him."

"Shut up little girl! I'll not let you out of my sight. I hope you're not shy."

They came out of the tent only moments later, the man pulling Arya by her elbow. Arya glanced around and when she caught a sight of him, her face erupted into a smile. Their previous discussion was obviously long forgotten.

"Come along," the man urged, jerking her arm, but Arya's feet were tied up and she had to jump after him. The man grew so impatient he gathered her into his arms and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"I can walk by myself," Arya insisted. The man ignored her as he walked with long steps into the woods. Gendry followed quickly. He was so caught up with watching Arya, he didn't pay enough attention to the other knights in the camp, and suddenly he froze by the sound of steps behind him.

"Who are you?" someone asked. Gendry turned around, holding his breath. A man in his thirties stood in front of him, his arms crossed.

Gendry hesitated. The man didn't seem as drunk as the others, but he could still catch the stench of alcohol. "I'm new," he tried. The man snorted, seizing his arm.

"Nice try, stupid!" Gendry jerked out of the man's grip and danced away from him just like Arya always danced whenever they fought with sticks. The man hurried after him, reaching out for him time after time. "WE HAVE AN INTRUDER!" he bellowed from the top of his lungs when he realized catching him wouldn't be as easy as he thought. Several men approached, and Gendry had to quicken his pace to escape them all, ignoring the throbbing pain in his thigh.

"Get him!" someone yelled. Gendry ducked away from a sword, rolled on the ground and ran into the woods. Although he would miss the opportunity to save Arya this time, he had to get away from the knights. What use would he be if he too were captured? Glancing over his shoulder to make sure he had escaped them all, he suddenly hit something and fell to the ground.

"Well, well, well, who is this? Could it be the smith playing knight in shining armor?"

Gendry looked up at Arya's capturer, cursing himself for being so reckless.

"Gendry!" Arya called from behind the man, but it was too late. The man was much too strong for him, and had already wrapped Gendry's arms behind his back.

"Looks like the witch will have too virgins to sacrifice when the time comes."