Gendry

It was dark in hell, Gendry decided. He had also decided that this place could only be hell. Black, with such a horrible oder that he could scarcely breathe, and there was water sloshing at his feet... And something else. Something else that squeaked and clawed. Something with little feet that moved and scattered in the beam of Arya's flashlight.

"RATS!" Hot Pie had screamed hours earlier, when they had attacked the food bag and sent the trio running. Even Arya had panicked, her fingers digging into Gendry's arm as she frantically dragged him forward and away from the shrieking rodents. Now they traveled with caution. Every time there was a noise, Hot Pie jumped and screamed until Arya hit him with her flash light, and then he only whimpered.

"I wish I was back at the restaurant," he whined. "Harrenhal wasn't so bad. I wish you two had left me out of your stupid plans."

"Trust me," Arya had snarled under her breath as they followed the dank trickle of water, curving through the tunnels that dripped, "so do I."

"We couldn't have left you," Gendry growled, equally annoyed. "If we had left, they would have given you the worst of it, looking for her. If we had left you, you'd be at the bottom of the lake right now."

There was silence.

"What do they want with her?" Hot Pie asked in unflattering disbelief.

"Nothing," Arya grunted, her eyes flashing at Gendry in the dim light of her torch. She did not trust Hot Pie with her secret. But then why does she trust me? Or did she even trust him at all? He was beginning to wonder.

They had been weaving through the tunnels for a good six hours now, and the more they walked, the more Gendry felt a dampness and a dread in his bones. Very little frightened him, but this place did. As day broke, there were thin strips of light that cascaded down from the drains on the streets, and soon they heard the rumble and roars of cars driving over their heads. Beneath all the sound the world made above them, the water trickled like whispers, and more than once Gendry jumped at his shadow.

As they walked, Gendry couldn't help but watch Arya out of the corner of his eyes. There was still blood on her hands, slowly dripping away as water splashed against them, but the blood was still there. Dark and cracked. It didn't seem to bother her. Her face was as smooth as glass, her eyes determined as they followed the trail of water. It was eerie, and Gendry didn't like it. She had always been a bit damaged, a bit wild, but now... He didn't like the change he was seeing in her.

"Where's the Trident?" Hot Pie whined an hour later. "I'm hungry."

"Shut up," Arya hissed. "We get there when we get there."

"Maybe I could go get some food," Gendry offered. "I could find a drug store or something."

"And then what? Get shot?" Arya practically shouted, rounding on him, her flashlight nearly blinding him as she directed it at his face. "You seriously don't think Tywin has his forces combing through the cities looking for us?"

"But he doesn't know who-" Gendry said without thinking, and then his eyes alit on Hot Pie, who looked confused, "who... You are."

"Who is she?" Hot Pie asked and Arya glared.

"I told you," she snarled at him. "No one."

"Then why-"

"Shut up!" Arya snapped. "The both of you! We're not splitting up, all right?"

She looked so fierce in the dim beam of the torch, the blood on her hands glowing and fading in the artificial light, most of her face sinking into the shadows, that Hot Pie and Gendry didn't have to exchange a look. They both nodded fiercely in agreement. She scowled.

"Good," she said shortly, turning her light to beam down the curve in the tunnel. "Let's go."

They walked on for at least three more hours. It was starting to get hot, and it stank horribly. Sweat trickled down Gendry's neck and his shoes sloshed, wet and uncomfortable. He could feel the grimy water seep into his socks and rub against his skin like sandpaper. His eyes began to adjust to the darkness as they trudged on, and he could see all sorts of trash slosh around their feet. A sea of forgotten candy wrappers and straws.

"I can't do this," Hot Pie groaned. "I've gotta sleep."

"No," Arya snapped. "We have to keep moving."

"Come on," Gendry said, catching the look of utter exhaustion on Hot Pie's face. "Twyin's not going to be combing the sewers. Not just yet. An hour or so can't hurt."

Arya's fists clenched white over her flashlight and she glared.

"Fine," she relented, giving Hot Pie a scorching look. "But if we hear any sign-"

"We'll run," Gendry cut across her firmly. "I agree with Hot Pie. I think we should rest."

Hot Pie wasn't the only one with dark circles under his eyes. Though she tried to hide it, Arya looked near collapsing herself. Gendry was getting really worried about her.

They found a place that was raised from the general trickle of water, and all sat down. Hot Pie put his backpack down, and no sooner did his head hit it, than he was asleep, snoring loudly. Arya sat away from him, shooting him a look of disgust, her hands clutching the flashlight. The blood was almost gone, washed clean or rubbed away. Gendry leaned his head against the dirty curved side of the tunnel and closed his eyes.

"He deserved what he got," she said unexpectedly, startling him. Gendry opened his eyes, but she wasn't looking at him, but instead at the water, as if thinking of the trail it created taking her directly home to her family.

Gendry didn't say anything, he just looked at her.

"You don't think I should have killed him," she said. She wasn't asking, either. There was a long silence.

"I just don't want you to turn into him," Gendry said slowly, and she looked up, surprised. There was a flicker of fear in her eyes. "It's not a far step, Arya."

She shuttered slightly and looked away.

"I'm not anything like them," she whispered in a fierce hiss, digging her fingers into her knees. But Gendry knew that she wasn't convinced.

Gently, Gendry reached out and took her hand. She gasped softly and looked up at him. She hadn't expected him to be kind, or affectionate, and that made Gendry frown. It was so difficult, sometimes, to not be angry with her. She could be damn infuriating... But she was still a scared little girl who was far from home and lost.

As if catching herself, she jerked her hand away, closing her other hand over it, and then to his surprise she blushed.

"I... I think I should get some sleep," she said softly.

"Good," Gendry sighed, relieved.

With a half smile, she turned, and then curled into a ball, closing her eyes. Gendry looked at her for a moment, and then he remembered something. Picking up his backpack, he unzipped it and pulled out an extra jacket, draping it over her thin shoulders. Arya's eyes fluttered open, glazed with exhaustion, and she stretched out her fingers and curled them around his, her eyes fluttering closed again.

Leaning his head back, Gendry closed his eyes and tried to sleep, and maybe he did, but it didn't feel like it. All he could see was her face, and how it had looked when she had slashed open Chiswyke's throat. It was haunting, cold and emotionless. It made him wonder if it belonged the same girl that clung to his fingers like a death wish.

When Arya stirred, and he opened his eyes again, he saw that the light was fading. They woke Hot Pie, who proved very hard to wake (Arya had to slap him. Twice), and then they started walking again. Night began to fall, and Arya's torch began to beam brighter as the light streaming in from the drains was slowly sucked away. Gendry was beginning to think they'd never reach the Trident when they turned a corner, and saw that they were at the end of a wider tunnel that led to the opening to the river.

"There it is!" Arya said, and there was no denying the flash of joy that danced across her face.

They all hurried forward, ready to be rid of the tunnels and the rats. As they got nearer, Gendry could see the lights from the city glimmering off the surface of the huge river. The other side was all woods though, dark and full of places to hide. And down river... Riverrun, where Arya's brother was.

Free at last, Gendry thought as they were about to break from the tunnels...

There was a movement of shadows, and then suddenly a figure jumped from above and right in front of them, blocking their path. Gendry barely had time to react before three more figures appeared in the beam of Arya's torch. There was a pause...

"Well, well, well," the first man said, his face illuminated in the light of Arya's flashlight. "Where do you think you're going, Arya Stark?