Arya

There was a moment of silence, and then Arya chucked her flashlight straight at the man's face, hitting him square between the eyes.

"RUN!" She screamed, turning and running like mad back the way they had come, Hot Pie and Gendry right at her heels. Her heart pounding in her chest, each breath screaming in her ears, she felt a desperate panic take hold of her as she sprinted back into the loop of tunnels, running for her life. Her feet slipped and splashed against the water, her jeans becoming soaked and spray flying about her face, her hands shaking out to stop her in case she fell. Behind her she could hear shouts, but she shut it out and ran.

'I can't let them get me now,' she thought frantically. 'Not now. Not when we've come so far.'

But as she kept running, the sounds of shouting began to die away, and as she and Hot Pie spun around a corner, she grabbed him and forced him against the wall, hiding in the shadows, both of them panting for breath and waiting for Gendry to follow.

Only he didn't.

"Where's Gendry?" Arya demanded, her blood freezing cold with panic. And then there was another shout, and she recognized it. "HOT PIE! Where's Gendry?"

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the side of the tunnel. His eyes were wide and afraid, but she could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and she yanked him again. 'No, no, no...'

"I dunno," he gasped, "he was right behind me..."

She slammed him against the side of the tunnel in her rage and then let go, taking off and running back the way they came.

"NO! ARRY NO!"

But she would not listen to him. She knew that if she went back, she'd certainly be caught, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that they had Gendry.

She raced back down the tunnels frantically, her mind spinning and her breath grating against her throat like sandpaper, her feet pounding against the water and grime. She couldn't think about anything but the shouts that were echoing off the walls and driving her into a frenzied panic.

"Got you!"

Arya screamed as she collided with a dark figure, a hand instantly clamping onto her arm and wrenching against it. She yanked her arm back, jerking him forward, and then slammed her other hand into his head, tangling her fingers with his hair and then bringing his head down, crashing it against her knee. There was a sickening crack and she felt his blood flower onto her knee, hot and sticky.

He roared in pain, and then roared again as she kicked him in the balls, sending him sprawling, and then she dashed towards a clump of figures, barely visible in the darkness of the tunnels, outlined with the lights from the city reflected off the rippling surface of the Trident. As she raced forward, she saw that Gendry was in the thick of it, trying to fight single handed against six or seven men.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She shouted, reaching into her pocket and pulling out Needle, flicking out the blade.

There was a moment's pause, as they all stopped and stared at her, and then they all burst out into hysterical laughter.

"Let him go!" She shouted, standing her ground and gripping the blade.

"Oh look at her," one of the men said, chuckling deeply, "put that knife away kid, you might hurt yourself."

"I wouldn't laugh too hard Tom," another said. "That blade's got blood on it."

"And it'll have more if you don't leave him alone!" Arya shouted, raising the blade threateningly.

"That's Arya Stark all right," said a voice that sounded familiar. "And she's as good as her word fellas, don't let the height fool you. She once gave me a black eye for three days, and she was only seven."

"Harwin?" Arya asked haltingly, feeling her grip on Needle slacken slightly. She caught herself and raised the blade again with a jerk. "You're with them now?" The last part was a spit, and she felt bitterly betrayed. Harwin had worked for her father. He had been at Winterfell, and now he was working with Lannister thugs. She could trust no one, not even her own kind.

"I told you," another voice said from off to the side, "she thinks we're Lannisters."

"Well she didn't give us time to explain, did she?" said a voice that was also familiar. Arya squinted in the dark, trying to think of who it was.

"That little bitch fucking broke my nose!" said a thick voice, and Arya turned to see the man she had kneed in the face dragging a terrified Hot Pie, who kept saying, "I yield! I yield!"

"That's because you are Lannisters!" She shouted, jabbing Needle at them. "NOW LET HIM GO!"

The last part was a scream, and she was surprised to see them all drop Gendry's arm at once, looking at her with frightened expressions. She looked down to see her hand shaking against her knife, and she looked over at Gendry, who was looking at her.' I'm going crazy,' she thought, frightened, 'but... But they can't hurt him. I won't let them take him away from me.'

"Don't worry Arya, we don't want to take you anywhere near Lannisters," Harwin said gently. One of the men, who Arya could see had a shock of bright red hair even in the dark, spit on the ground. "We want to take you home."

Arya blinked, not allowing herself to believe it's true.

"H-Home?" She asked, shuddering slightly. 'Home.' "To Winterfell?"

"No," Harwin said gently, and Arya felt herself crash, "no Winterfell's been... Sort of taken. Theon Greyjoy went mad and... Sort of took over."

"We're taking you to your mother, and to Robb," said the other familiar voice, and as the rippling light danced across his face, Arya recognized him as Beric Dondarrion. He had fought in Robert's boxing match, all those months ago. Sansa had called him 'hot.' The light was too dim to see if she was right.

"I don't believe you," Arya said, her knife still clenched in her hand. "Why don't you call up Robb and have him come and get me?"

"And meanwhile hide out here? In this dump?" one of the men grunted. "Not fucking lightly."

"Please Ms. Stark," Beric said. "Put the knife down." Arya's eyes flicked to Gendry. Should they run? But how could they run? How could they when they were so outnumbered? Gendry's blue eyes flickered slightly, and she knew what he would say without really saying anything. 'Yield.' He nodded uncertainly. She gave him a stricken look, but he nodded again. Then his eyes flicked to one of the men, and she saw that he had a huge sniper rifle. It was time to put the knife down. Against her will, she took the blade and put it away, slowly.

"Good," Beric said, sounding relieved. "Now, I know this isn't going to help my case, but-"

Arya screamed as one of the men grabbed Gendry about the face, a rag in his hand, and Gendry struggled violently, his eyes starting to blink and roll back in his head. Arya leapt forward, her hand shooting out to help him, only to have her head jerked back, and then there was a hand closing over her mouth, the overwhelming smell of chloroform flooding into her nostrils.

"I'm sorry Arya, but it's just easier this way," Harwin's voice was saying from far off, and Arya could feel herself slipping, her fingers clawing the air for Gendry, and finding him not there. That was the last thing she thought before the world oozed into darkness.

ooooooooOOOOOOOOooooooo

The world bled colors, melding with the darkness, and Arya groaned, her head throbbing and her stomach curling in starvation. She groaned and rolled over, blinking slowly, the light hurting her eyes. She had the thought that she hadn't seen light for an extended period of time, and her eyes felt weak and her head swam in confusion. Where was she? It was warm here, and soft, and she hadn't been in a place with either of those things in a very long time. So why did she feel so afraid?

"Arya."

She nearly screamed and sat up so violently she almost knocked heads with who had spoken her name, causing them to jump back with a yell.

"Gendry?" She asked as he picked himself up from the end of the bed. "But..."

It all came back in a rush. The dark figures. The running. The cloth over her mouth.

"What's going on?" She asked in a low voice, least they were listening. "Are they Lannisters?"

"No," Gendry said with a frown. "Though I don't know..."

"If we can trust them?" Arya said ruefully. "Don't you think the whole kidnapping thing sort of labels them as, oh I don't know, a potential threat?"

"If they really meant to harm us, they would have done it by now," Gendry said, and not without reason. "And you definitely wouldn't be in that bed, in this nice place."

"Yeah, where are we?" Arya demanded.

"Some sort of back street bakery, I think," Gendry said with a frown. "Hot Pie's gone berserk."

"Oh he's here too? Then it really must be a party," Arya said sarcastically. Gendry's frown deepened.

"Don't," he said. "I know you like him, even if you pretend you don't."

Arya opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Gendry's face was turning slightly red and he shifted away from her, taking a deep breath. She narrowed her eyes as he licked his lips nervously, running his finger against the planes of his palm.

"What?" She asked accusingly.

"I know you like him, just like I know that you'll be upset when you hear..." Gendry tried to say delicately, but Arya was sharp as a whip.

"When I hear what?" She demanded.

"That he's decided to stay behind," Gendry said. "He's not coming with us to your brother's. He... Well the rats really freaked him out and-"

"Well good," Arya said at once, but Gendry was right. It did sting. "I didn't even want him here in the first place."

"It's not about you Arya, really-"

"Didn't I just say I was happy?" Arya snapped across him. "Good riddance! I could really care less."

She yanked the covers up and turned away from Gendry.

"It's going to be okay, Arya-"

"Yes I know it's going to be okay! Do you even listen when I talk-"

Arya felt her eyes bulge open and her angry retort catch in her throat as Gendry completely surprised her and took her hand gently, his rough, thick fingers closing over hers. She suddenly felt her cheeks explode with color, and she didn't know why. All she knew was that she didn't want him to hold her hand, while at the same time, she did want him too. It was a very confusing feeling.

"It's going to be okay because I'm not going anywhere," he said earnestly, and Arya found that she had a hard time meeting his blue eyes.

"Yeah I know," she said uncomfortably, coughing, her throat dry. "It's your job-"

"Not just because of my job," Gendry cut across her, and Arya blinked in surprise. "Fuck my job, you obviously can look after yourself. Heck, you've been protecting me most of this time. It's not that... It's... I err... I want to. It's because I want to."

Arya felt her face getting hotter and hotter and she didn't know what to say.

"We're a team," Gendry said with an uncertain grin. "You and me. Friends."

"I don't have friends," Arya said quietly. "I mean, I used to and everything, but-"

"Well you've got me," Gendry said with a genuine smile. "For better or worse, I suppose."

"Mostly worse," Arya said, rolling her eyes, and he laughed.

"I'm not going to leave Arya," he said. "Even after we find your brother. Besides, I probably have a better chance of living with you around."

Gendry grinned at Arya, and she wondered if she should grin back. She felt a strange mixture of trepidation, hope and sadness all mingling with her, and she didn't know what to do with it all, but it was swallowing her up, and so, without even thinking, she leaned in quickly and gave him a hug. It wasn't a soft or sweet one, but she felt herself clinging to him, as though she didn't quite believe him when he said he wouldn't leave her and she was determined to hold him there so he wouldn't try to leave. 'Everyone always tries to leave in the end,' she thought as she felt his arms awkwardly move around to rest on her shoulders. 'Please don't let him be one of them.'

Jon POV chapter coming up soon! Now will we know what Ygritte's really up to? Just thought I'd warn yo