Summary: Arya experiences something new.
Gendry
After eventually ridding himself of Jeyne Poole, Gendry went in search of Arya. He had seen her silently rage when the other girl had come over, her eyes examining him as she stood close to him. He hadn't wanted Arya to leave him but it had been the only gracious thing to do. He didn't want to make a scene and embarrass her.
Gendry really hadn't listened to a word that the other girl had said apart from "How are you finding Winterfell?"
After that everything she said had been a vague noise in the background. He had barely noticed when another girl had joined them. It was rude of him and he knew that, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't as though she wasn't pretty, she was but she held no interest for him at all. She was filled with boring talk and empty opinions until she spoke of Arya. He turned to look at her. Jeyne had gotten so worked up in talking to him, she forgot her place. She completely overlooked who she was talking to.
"…as if Lady Wildling could compare to any of-" She had stopped suddenly after spotting the anger in his eyes. His fury was overwhelming as he looked down at both girls. How dare they speak of her like that?
"Is that how you speak to your lady?" He snapped as he glared down at her. She looked to the other girl for support yet she remained quiet. Smart girl. When Jeyne failed to speak, Gendry continued. "Why do you call her such things?"
"Well we, I um, she always used to wear boys clothes and get filthy. She was never like Lady Sansa."
"How do you mean?" He retorted, capturing her startled hazel eyes.
"Lady Arya was never proper or acted like a lady and she was never… pretty."
"No, you're quite right. Lady Arya isn't pretty." Both girls shared a look of amusement; though it was short lived. "She's beautiful." With that their smug grins died. "And as of proper, well I ask what do you know of lady behaviour? Do you honestly think that name-calling is appropriate?"
"Forgive me Your Grace." She laughed nervously.
"If I ever hear you speak of her in that way again-" Her dark eyes widened as she shook her head.
"You shall not My Prince." The other girl piped in.
"I, I apologise." Jeyne replied in a broken voice. For a second Gendry thought that he saw a small light of fear in their eyes. Good. He thought.
"It is not me to whom you should be apologising." Gendry said in a displeased tone and she bowed her head in shame. "Excuse me." She had released a breath as he walked away towards the Godswood.
He hated speaking to people like that, but he hadn't been able to hold his tongue any longer. Arya could hold her own when confronted to be sure, yet it didn't stop them talking about her when she wasn't there. Hopefully his little intervention would.
Gendry was careful as he stepped over the gnarled roots and low branches of the trees.
He knew he was close to Arya when he heard a low warning growl escape Nymeria. The direwolf raised her head to regard him with those lovely golden eyes. Once she saw him she lowered her head sensing that her mistress was safe. He looked up to see Arya asleep at the base of a tree. One arm was curled under her head, the other was on Nymeria. She was breathing evenly and he was quiet as not to jostle her as he lowered himself into the red leaves. She didn't stir even when he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
Gendry gazed around him seeing how peaceful the place around the Weirwood tree was. Though the carved face made him feel like an intruder, he did see the loveliness of the sacred area. The Starks still held the Old Gods and he now wished that his family did too. But he had been born in the age of the Seven as had Robert. The South no longer had any Weirwoods except for one ancient and almost forgotten tree at Storm's End. It had been hidden in the forest to keep it safe and it was the only one he knew of down there. He hoped nothing ever happened to it.
"Gendry?" Arya mumbled as she lifted herself from the ground.
"Hello sweet." She rubbed her head as though it hurt. "Are you alright?" She nodded at his question and started brushing off the leaves that stuck to her arms.
"Did you and Jeyne have a nice conversation?" She asked bitterly, a flicker of anger returning to those wolf eyes.
"To be honest I couldn't tell you." He said with a grin.
"You weren't listening to her, were you?" Arya chuckled. "Why?"
"I had better things to think about." Gendry was about to tell her of his speech to Jeyne but thought better of it. He wanted to see Arya's face when the steward's daughter apologised. Arya stretched. "Thank you for leaving me by the way." He finished with mock hurt.
"You didn't seem to mind her company. Plus it was obvious that Jeyne wanted some time alone with you." There was still a simmering anger to her words. He could feel it.
"Why are you so angry at me speaking to Jeyne Poole?"
"I'm not angry." She replied a little too quickly, lowering her head so he couldn't see her expression. He cupped her face and felt it heat in his hands. She refused to look at him, her eyes darting everywhere but they never landed on his face. Was she jealous?
"Yes you are." He couldn't hold back his grin.
"Shut up stupid." She slapped his hands away with a huff.
"Tell me why you're so... unhappy then." Her head snapped around, silver eyes boring into his own.
"Fine." Arya sighed, her fingers playing nervously with the fabric of her dress. She looked down again. "I've never liked her. She always used to pick on me when I was younger, actually she still does. She still calls me 'Lady Wildling'. I hate her for it."
"Arya sweet, you know I-"
"And I don't like it when she looks at you like that." She continued softly, cutting him off. "I don't know why, and I don't understand why I feel like this. It's stupid. You're just a boy and I shouldn't... Gods what in the Seven Hells is happening to me?"
For a moment Gendry didn't move. He just let her rant, spilling her thoughts as she never had before. He listened, desperately wanting to hear more. Did she like him as much as he liked her? Was that why she was jealous?
"I'm starting to act like Sansa!" She laughed nervously, her eyes scanning his for some indication that he had heard her. Of course she took his stunned silence the wrong way.
"I am so stupid. You're a prince. You would never look at me like that. Gods what was I thinking? I was wrong; I'm the idiot." With that he felt own irritation starting to grow. He couldn't let her think she meant nothing to him.
"Arya stop. You are not an idiot, nor are you stupid. Nor are you like your sister."
"Thank the Gods." She looked to him and they laughed together and he took her hands in his.
"Never think that I prefer girls like that to you; because I can't stand them. They all so annoying with their pretty words and smiles. They 're just... so boring. Predictable. Nothing like you."
"And you prefer me?" She asked with a grin. He looked back down to their intwined fingers.
"Of course I do. How could I not? Arya trust me, you are beautiful. You're impulsive and wilful and stubborn. When Jon used to tell me stories of you I was captivated. Ask him if you don't believe me. Everyday I made him tell me another tale of you, or let him read the letters you sent from Braavos. I loved hearing about what you had been upto. You can't imagine how pleased I was when Lady Lyanna coaxed me into visiting Winterfell. I couldn't wait to finally meet you."
He glanced up through the fall of his hair to look at her. Her dark hair spilled over her delicate shoulders as she tilted her head. She was quiet for a long time, just looking into his eyes as her expression softened and a timid smile played at her lips.
"You're still an idiot." Arya replied with a giggle. Would she take anything he said seriously?
"If an idiot is someone who is infatuated with you then yes. I'm an idiot." Her smile became wide and genuine as she laughed. Gendry lifted her hands to his lips once more.
"So, when we were in the Godswood the other day and you... you tried to... you know... kiss me, you didn't stop because you had changed your mind and didn't want to?" Gendry watched as her eyes shone with vulnerability. It was something she rarely showed, this tenderness.
"No sweet. I didn't want to stop. I just didn't particularly want to do it with an audience." She chuckled at him.
"Me neither."
When he looked at her again, there was a different light to her eyes. A playful glint that made his stomach flip over. Arya pulled from his grasp and sighed before she flopped on her back, sinking into the pile of thick leaves behind her. She watched the Weirwood rustle overhead in the breeze. He leaned over until their faces were inches apart. Arya feebly tried to push him away. Gendry chuckled and she rolled her eyes.
"Haven't we been through this already?" She asked. "My lady mother wasn't very pleased with either of us if memory serves."
"True, though I don't think Lady Catelyn is going to come all this way just to look for us. The forge was a little different considering we were duelling at the time."
"That's not what she thought we were doing." Arya scoffed and then blushed prettily, realising what she had just said. He grinned.
"Indeed?" Gendry teased. "What did she think we were doing?" She shrugged indifferently.
"You should ask her that." Arya whispered as he inclined closer to her. She had that look again. The one she had in the forge the night they fought. Her mouth softened into a smile and her eyes seemed to become molten with emotion as she gazed up at him. Gendry wanted to kiss her; badly. It didn't help when her eyes dropped to his mouth either. Before he realised what he was doing, he gently pressed his lips to hers.
Arya
Arya stiffened, not knowing what to do. She had never been kissed before. At first she had frozen with surprise not knowing whether to push him off or pull him closer. She never thought that a kiss could feel like this. She used to pull faces when her parents did it but now…
The feather-like touch that was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Arya didn't know what to do, so she let him guide her. She found that his lips were surprisingly soft and felt nice as they brushed against hers. Gendry's free hand brushed against her face as his mouth moved against her own. Soon Arya was kissing him back, enjoying the feel of his soft lips. The hand that cupped her face moved into her hair, pressing her harder against him. Gendry cradled her in his arms as his mouth tenderly caressed hers.
It was then that Arya realised it wasn't just that she liked the physical connection to Gendry. But it was more than that. She actually felt comforted, as if everything that had happened with Jeyne meant nothing. It was a feeling that she had never expected. It was a sweet relief that flooded her. After all the tension and doubts, Gendry was here with her because he wanted to be. The revelation sent little jolts of pleasure through her body. She grinned against his mouth and kissed him more enthusiastically then before.
Unfortunately the sweetness didn't last.
"Lady Arya!" Their heads snapped up to see Elmar walking over. Gendry mumbled under his breath and helped Arya to her feet.
Silently prayed to the Gods for strength and stepped forward to greet him. Arya pushed aside her anxiety as she met his gaze. His coal black eyes were hard and unwavering as he glanced from her to Gendry. She forced a smile though her face was burning. Did he see us? She wondered, but for some reason she couldn't find it within her to care all that much.
She silently cursed the Frey's extremely bad timing. Again.
It was because of him that she and Gendry hadn't really had chance to repeat their night in the Godswood. Or the forge. They hadn't had a proper duel in what seemed forever and Arya was getting more frustrated with the Frey's domineering presence. It felt like she couldn't escape him for more than a few seconds. Whenever she was alone he would pop up. Whenever she was with Gendry he had an excuse to find her. It was really grating on her less than short temper. Gendry didn't seem pleased either. His dark ocean eyes were cold as he looked at the Frey with as much enthusiasm as she did. Except it was more than that. Whereas she just couldn't wait to be out of his sight, Gendry looked upon Elmar as if he was furious. She made a mental note to question him about it later.
Arya turned her eyes back to the Frey.
"Did you need something?" She asked, keeping her eyes on the Frey.
"Such rudeness. I expected more from a lady such as yourself." He commented, a note of disgust in his voice. She couldn't help but roll her eyes.
Elmar's whole attitude towards her was expecting. It was obvious that he presumed her to act properly and say the right things just because she was a lord's daughter. He had thought her like Sansa. A pretty bird willing to sing pretty songs because that was what she had been taught. Arya tried not to laugh. He doesn't know me at all does he? Idiot. She thought.
"Did you need something My Lord?"
"I did in fact." He replied with a small grin. It didn't alter the dark look he was giving her though. "I was going to invite you to go riding with me." Elmar said it as though he were doing her a favour. Invite me. Arya scoffed mentally. But she knew that obliging him would make her life easier.
"I would be honoured."
With that grabbed her hand and roughly placed a wet smack of his lips to the back of it. He smiled up at Arya as he bent over her wrist. It took everything inside her not to cock an eyebrow... or slap him. Instead she managed a weak smile and pulled her hand back, rubbing it discreetly on the side of her gown. He held out his arm, as if wanting her to take it. Before Arya had chance to move Nymeria trotted over, placing herself between them. Good girl. She said silently to her direwolf.
"Your Grace, would you join us?"
"No, I have things to do." He looked down at Arya who frowned. "Forgive me My Lady." Gendry said softly before walking away.
