Hello, lovelies! I'm really sorry for the delay, but life got on the way... I wish I had more time to update this story more often!

Once again, thank you for all the follows & favorites and for all the lovely reviews! I didn't have time to reply to them this time, but they made me very happy! Thanks for the support, guys! :D

I'm still drowning in feels due to last night's episode. Such a heartbreaking scene between our babies... :(

Now, on to the next chapter!

"He's so gross, Arya!" exclaimed Sansa during their breakfast, making Arya roll her eyes. "I'm glad the King hasn't asked us to have supper with them again, his bastard is disgusting!"

"And you're rude!"

"I'm not rude, I'm realistic. He is gross. He will never be like Prince Joffrey…"

Arya snorted.

"Seven hells, I hope not! Joffrey was never a prince. He is the disgusting one, and I'm glad King Robert sent him away from us."

"Hunf, it's obvious you would befriend the bastard so quickly, he's exactly the kind of people you like to be friends with, dirty and uneducated..."

"First of all, he's not dirty. Second, he's receiving proper education now. And third... If I were you, I wouldn't loathe Gendry so much. You were to marry Joffrey, I wouldn't be surprised if the King asked your hand for Gendry now..."

"WHAT? DO NOT SAY THAT EVER AGAIN, NOT EVEN JOKING!"

Arya just laughed at her sister's despair.

"Besides, I bet he will end up marrying you instead."

"You know very well I don't want to marry, and father knows that as well."

"But you will have to marry eventually, Arya. That's how it works."

"I don't care about how it works," she said, and with that she took her leave and made her way to the Small Hall.

When she got there, Gendry was already waiting. He was sitting on a bench, staring seriously at no particular point on the floor, and he was holding his bull's head helmet. She didn't think he would actually bring it. He really thinks he can get hurt?

When Gendry noticed her, he rose from the bench and a wide smile spread quickly across his face. For some reason her heart skipped a bit, but she paid no mind.

"Are you really afraid of being hurt?" she asked, chuckling.

"Of course not… But you showed me your sword yesterday, so I wanted to show you my helmet," he said, grinning.

She took it in her hands, examining it curiously.

"That's really, really nice, Gendry!"

"Er… thank you..."

Did he just blush?

"Just don't be all full of yourself," she smirked, and then she put the helmet on her head, making Gendry laugh wholeheartedly.

"You look very intimidating, m'lady," he said between laughs, and she punched him in the arm. "Ouch!"

"Oh, did it hurt?" she asked as she took off the helmet, ready to punch him again, but then they were not alone anymore.

"So we have company today?"

Arya and Gendry turned their heads to the hall's entrance to find Syrio Forel standing there, smiling at them.

"Syrio!"

"Good morrow, Arya. Will you introduce me to your friend?"

"Syrio, this is Gendry Baratheon, King Robert's son," she said, and then turned to Gendry. "This is my dancing master, Syrio Forel."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Forel."

"The pleasure is all mine, Prince Gendry."

"Well, I will just stay there at the bench. I promise I will not disturb your lesson."

"You won't disturb it at all, my prince. Your presence is most welcome," Syrio said, bowing slightly to Gendry. "So Arya child, let's begin the dance?"

As soon as Syrio left, Arya put her wooden sword down and lied on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Syrio is going to kill me one of these days…" she said as she turned her head to where Gendry was sitting, but as soon as her eyes found his, she was taken aback by the astounded look on his face as he stared at her. Before she could say anything else, he stood up and walked towards her, which made her heart speed up suddenly.

He knelt at one knee by her side, the astonishment still on his face.

"That was quite impressive," he said.

"Syrio is wonderful, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's just how I expected him to be, extremely skillful and all. But I was talking about you."

"Did I impress you?" she asked, trying not to smirk. His reaction pleased her more than she thought it would.

"Yes, you did," he answered stupidly. He just stared at her and she had the impression he was going to say something else, but he didn't.

Instead, his eyes traveled to her mid-section, but he quickly averted his eyes, blushing, and in the next second he was getting up and walking back to the bench to get his helmet. When Arya looked down at herself, she realized her tunic was up a bit, exposing the flesh of her belly. She blushed furiously and fixed her tunic as she rose to a sitting position.

When he was back next to her, she avoided looking him in the eye just yet, for she knew she was still red in the face.

"I like Syrio very much. My father couldn't have chosen a better master for me, really," she said as she stood up, still not looking at him.

"I have to agree. From what I could see, the water dance suits you perfectly. I wish I had your skills," he said.

"Have you ever tried sword fighting?"

"No…"

"It's all about training, really. Why don't you try? You could practice with me!"

"Err, I don't think it's a good idea…"

"Why not? Are you afraid I'm going to beat you bloody?" she grinned.

He raised an eyebrow.

"You're half my size. It's more likely I would beat you bloody, which I won't because it's not appropriate," he said, putting his hand on the top of her head and tapping.

"You know very well that sword fighting is not about size or strength. It's about skills and technique," she said matter-of-factly as she jerked her head away. "And I am not half your size," she said, causing him to chuckle, but she decided to ignore that. "So, will you have any lessons of your own today?"

"Yes, I'm going to meet uncle Renly later in the afternoon."

"Can I go too? It would be only fair since you've just watched my dancing lesson," she said winking at him, and for her surprise Gendry turned bright red.

"Err… I'm not sure, I… I think you would find it rather boring," he said sheepishly and staring to the ground, which stirred her curiosity.

"Why?"

"He's just… He's just teaching me how to read," he said in a very low voice, his eyes glued to the ground.

He's embarrassed, Arya thought. She couldn't help, she found his embarrassment quite endearing.

"That's really nice of him, isn't it? You know, he could have hired someone instead of teaching you himself."

"Yes, he said he wanted to spend as much time with me as possible. I think he liked the idea of having a new nephew," he said, smiling shyly.

"I bet he did," Arya said softly. "I can help you. Well, if you want me to, of course. You know, with your lessons."

"I don't know..." he said a bit awkwardly. "I'm not as intelligent as you are. I'll only give you more reasons to call me stupid."

"I won't call you stupid, stupid!"

"You just did."

"That was different. I called you stupid because I like to insult you, I've already told you that," she said, half-smiling. "But that doesn't mean I think you're unintelligent. You just didn't have opportunities before, but you do now. It can be difficult in the beginning, but that's how it works. I can help you, really."

Gendry's face lit up and he was about to say something when they heard footsteps.

"Prince Gendry."

"Lord Stark," Gendry said, bowing his head.

"Father, you came late for my lesson!"

"I know, love, I was just looking for Prince Gendry."

"It's been so long since the last time you came to see my training," she complained.

"I know, Arya. I've been very busy lately, but I promise I'll come soon."

"Syrio said I'm getting really good!" she said proudly.

"From what I've just seen, I have to agree with him. Arya is very skillful with a sword. She impressed me," Gendry said, and Arya all but blushed.

"I have to see that with my own eyes then," her father said, smiling warmly at her before turning to Gendry. "King Robert is sending for you. He awaits you in the Great Hall."

Arya noticed Gendry clenching his jaw nervously.

"Thank you, Lord Stark," he said, and then he turned to Arya. "See you later then?"

"Yes," she smiled, and then he left.

"Are you going to meet him later?"

"He said Lord Renly is teaching him how to read, and I told him I could help him too. Can I go, father?"

"Of course you can, sweetheart. Just promise me you won't distract him."

"I promise," she said, grinning.

"You seem to have got on very well with him. It pleases me. He needs that."

"He's nice. And he reminds me of Jon sometimes."

"You miss Jon, don't you?"

"Yes… Will I ever see him again, father?"

"I hope so, love. I hope so…"