3. Acorn Hall
Gendry was beginning to realize that Arya Stark was a force to be reckoned with. He was convinced that she was stubborn enough to do anything she put her mind to. If she wanted an extra tart with supper, she would sneak into the kitchens and snatch one. If she wanted to free the Northmen from the dungeons, she would team up with a convicted murderer and stage an uprising. If she wanted to leave Harrenhal, she would walk up to the guard and slit his throat.
Yes, he was catching on quickly. Never place money against Arya Stark.
How he managed to make his way into her "pack" was still beyond him. He was a blacksmith, not a fighter. What use could he possibly serve to her on the road? Hot Pie's presence made a small amount of sense, for even though he was a coward and a bully, his cooking skills made the rabbits they caught a little easier to stomach.
Despite his inability to read her motives, Gendry was still thankful. For without her, he would still be hammering steel in Harrenhal, watched over day and night by the harsh guards. Or who knows- maybe the Gold Cloaks would have caught him back on the King's Road, and he would be rotting in the ground right now. Either way, he was indebted to her.
He thought, perhaps, that if he couldn't fight for her, and he couldn't cook for her, then the least he could do was protect her. Not that he would ever tell Arya that, of course- the day she found out he thought her anything less than completely independent would be the day that she cut off one of his limbs.
When Hot Pie declared that he was staying at the inn to make bread, she shrugged it off as if it was nothing. Gendry couldn't help but notice, though, how she didn't talk for almost three straight days. Despite the fact that she had no great love for Hot Pie, he was still her friend in a strange, subtle way.
That was when Gendry learned that while she could do anything she wanted, Arya wasn't invincible. So it was up to him to protect her.
This "Ned Dayne" character was making his job exceedingly difficult, however.
Before, he would never have to look very far if he wanted to know where she was. There were only a couple of places she went when she was not with him- mainly out to whack some trees with a practice sword she swiped off of one of the men. But now, it seemed, she had made a new friend.
Gendry wasn't bitter. He wasn't.
He could be with Arya whenever he wanted. He was her best friend- she even told him so one day when they were sitting in the forge eating apples that were meant for the horses.
So as he stood about a stone-throw's away Arya and Ned, watching them laugh like old comrades, he decided that that rock-like thing that settled in the pit of his stomach was most definitely not jealousy. Because he has nothing to be jealous of.
"Arya!" He yelled out to her.
He did that now- called her Arya. Before, he had only liked to call her Arry. He wasn't sure why, but all the other names- Arya, Weasel, Nan, even m'lady- none of them ever stuck. She was Arry. But then Lady Smallwood had to go and dress her all up like a lady and suddenly Arry didn't feel right anymore.
She looked up just in time to see him toss a practice sword in her direction. "C'mon, let's go spar." He loved the way her grey eyes lit up when he said this. She still beat him every time, but even she admitted that he was making progress.
"Do you want to come, Ned?" Gendry's mood soured at her offer. He didn't really want the little lord watching over them, and he fought the urge to snap no, this was their time.
But Gendry held his tongue as Ned shrugged, a small smile making its way onto his face. "I can't stay for long, but I think I would like to finally watch how you fight."
Arya smirked, her head held high as she passed Gendry, giving him a light whack on the arm with the wooden weapon. "Come, Bull. I'm sure Ned would like to see you get beaten by a girl." Her words were cruel, but there was a teasing lilt to her voice.
He rolled his eyes, his long strides catching up with her in a matter of seconds. The ground of the fighting ring was wet from the nearly ten consecutive days of rain they had gotten. It didn't seem to faze Arya, though, for she didn't even flinch as her feet sunk shin-deep in mud.
Ned perched on the fence that ran around the perimeter of the ring as Gendry took up a fighting stance, trying to look as nonchalant as Arya. She grinned wolfishly and went in for the first hit- just a tap really, on his arm. Had they been using real steel, it would have barely made a scratch on his skin.
The piece of training wood felt too light in his arms, almost as if he was sparring with a stick rather than a sword. He went for a light jab of his own, but she was far too quick, dodging out of the way and hitting him again, in the same place on his arm, a little harder this time.
She heard her laugh at his frustration, prancing out of the way of his sword again and again, her playful whacks and jabs becoming more vicious with each passing second. He would have bruises tomorrow, but he didn't mind. It was worth it- to see her so utterly delighted like this.
"You're going easy on me!" She announced with a particularly harsh blow to his side. "Don't be an idiot. You'll lose either way."
Gendry gritted his teeth. He wouldn't use all of his brute strength against her, but perhaps he could afford to put a little more power into his swings. His next hit made contact, and she let out a small 'oomph.'
Any feelings of guilt or regret he could feel at the wince he caused disappeared as soon as he saw her vicious grin. "Finally. We might make a warrior out of you yet."
Their swords crashed together loudly as each of them struggled for dominance over the other, their feet slipping in the mud. "I doubt it, m'lady. I'll always be a blacksmith."
For once, Gendry managed to catch Arya off guard as he changed the direction of his weapon mid-swing, and the effect it had on her was so disorienting that she lost her footing, landing on her back in the muck. He beamed down at her in triumph.
He glanced back, hoping to see the face of the Dayne boy, but he was already gone. In his distraction, Arya shot her hand out, grabbing the sword still in his hand and pulling him down in the mud with her.
He grimaced at the feeling of the gooey, wet ground seeping into his clothes, dirtying him from head to toe. "What was that for?" He exclaimed, trying to get up, only to slip again on the slick ground.
She giggled, a noise he had never heard her make before. She always acted differently when they were sparring- the adrenaline made her happier, more spontaneous. "You were not nearly dirty enough. I fixed it for you."
He scowled, but it was good-natured. "Yes, thank you. I really wanted to spend three hours scrubbing all the shit off my body in the baths tonight."
Arya just smirked. "You needed it."
While the mud made him uncomfortable and cold, she seemed to be just fine with it. She was truly a wildling girl- more at home in the grime than in her dresses. Even covered completely in grunge, her eyes retained a radiant quality to them. It was as if they glowed.
Gendry never thought that grey was the color of fire, but he knew better now.
He had to admit that he wasn't entirely surprised when she threw the fistful of mud at his face. She had held it so temptingly in her hand, and Arya was never one to deny herself the pleasure of getting him all riled up. Just because he was prepared for it, though, didn't mean he had to like it.
"Arya!"
She held her hands up innocently, hiding her smile most unsuccessfully. "Fine." He scooped up two handfuls himself, pleased at the way her eyes widened in fright. "Just remember who started it, Lady Stark."
Gendry couldn't be held accountable for the wrestling match that took place then, not now that he had warned her beforehand. He pinned her easily, glad that there was still something he could beat her at.
"I don't think the Lord of Starfall would have this much fun with you, would he?" He teased, holding her wrists above her head so she couldn't escape him.
At his words, she froze, ceasing her wriggling and narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously instead. "What do you have against Ned?"
"What do you mean?" He responded, getting a nervous fluttery feeling in his stomach that felt a lot like when the kitchen maids caught him stealing tarts.
"He's been nothing but nice to you, but you're always so hostile around him, and, and… let go of me!" He was still holding onto her wrists, he realized as she kicked and thrashed underneath him.
He didn't let go, though- he just held her tighter. "Am I still your best friend, Arya?" He wasn't really sure where that came from, or even if it was the question he wanted to ask, but it was out there now.
"Of course you are!" She snapped, not ceasing her struggles. "When you're not being a complete idiot, that is."
He laughed in relief, and something seemed to click in her mind as she suddenly stared up at him in bewilderment. "Is that why? Because you thought I was going to leave you for him?"
Gendry's eyes slid away from hers awkwardly and a heavy silence settled over them. When Arya finally spoke, it was in a soft tone he had never heard her use before.
"Ned Dayne is my friend, but you're Gendry. You're my pack. You've stuck with me from the very beginning even when you didn't have to, and when this is all over, you're going to come back to Winterfell with me. Robb will legitimize you, or you can be the blacksmith, or I'll make him find you a place on the court- whatever you want, it doesn't matter. But it's Gendry and Arya. Not Lord Edric Dayne and Lady Arya Stark."
He swore his heart swelled to the size of a watermelon as he listened to her talk. At the same time, however, he couldn't tune out the little voice in his head that whispered: Waters. Gendry Waters. You're just a bastard. And she's just a child. You're both naïve.
"Are you done being stupid, now?" And just like that, the moment was over. He was glad for it, almost, because at least he knew where they both stood when she was calling him stupid and he was rolling his eyes at her. It was simpler this way, and he liked that.
He released her from his grasp and stood, offering her a hand to help hoist her up. When she was upright, he couldn't help but laugh. They were both covered so thoroughly in mud that they were almost unrecognizable.
"I'd say we're both in sore need of a bath." He pointed out as she cringed.
"We're going to have to sneak in." She said, a mischievous smile already working its way onto her face as she plotted. "If Lady Smallwood sees me like this, I'll never be allowed outside again."
"I am at your command, m'lady." He replied, giving a very formal bow. He got a bit of a push for that, but she was too busy mapping out her plan to really make him suffer the consequences.
Soon, Gendry found himself wrapped up in an elaborate scheme that included secret entrances, birdcalls, and a disproportionate amount of sneaking. Had it just been Arya prowling around, trying to get to the baths without being noticed, she probably would have made it. The girl can be as silent as a mouse when she wants to be.
Gendry, on the other hand, was large, loud, and a little clumsy. They had made it no more than five steps into the humble castle before he bumped into a vase, knocking it over and causing it to shatter loudly on the stone floor.
Arya shot him a deathly glare, but then froze like a scared doe at the sound of a lady's slippers clicking towards them. With nowhere to hide, they halted, too shocked to move as Lady Smallwood rounded the corner and laid eyes on them.
The Lady screamed so loudly, you would have thought she had come across a dragon, and not merely two dirty children. Suddenly, people were popping up all around them, and Gendry swore that every knight and sellsword in a ten-mile radius had come running to her cry.
As he watched Lady Smallwood drag Arya down the hall, he knew. Whatever punishments Arya suffered at the hand of the Lady, she would make sure to inflict on him later, tenfold.
A/N: This is my favorite chapter. Not sure why, but it is. The end especially, I just like how it turned out. Anyway, thank you for all the alerts and favorites, and specifically the people who reviewed! They really motivate me to write :)