The rest of the day was filled with both worry and pain in my heart, the pain of not knowing where Gendry was and if he was going to be okay and come back safe and sound. Sansa reassured me, as well as Arya, but their acknowledgment was not helping me. I tried to concentrate of the notion of him coming back to me, but I also thought of the fact that he could be dead, from a simple raid on a enemy House. He had to be safe, or my world will be dim forever.
I tried to make myself busy for the rest of the day, helping with the mending of the shirts and the other forges that needed help and tending to. Even Rickon helped with the aid of the workers and getting the shops back to normal. He told me, as he was helping rearrange the fabric on the wall with me, something simple yet powerful.
"Have faith, Nora. Mother taught me that, whenever father would ride off to battle or leave us. She taught me to have faith, to believe that they'll come back." He explained to me as he placed one more roll of fabric on the table in front of us. I let that part sink as he went on to the next fabric roll, having me wonder how even though he was so young he had a good amount of wisdom behind him. It made me wish that I heard that from our mother myself, since he kept it in his own brain. I only smiled at him as we finished our chores for the day. But as much as I tried to go through the motions of the day, the more and more I was missing Gendry and his voice. It wasn't helping, not at all. The only thing that was in fact helping me was the piece of advice Rickon gave me, that our mother gave him.
Keep the faith.
Later that day I found myself back in the Godswood in front of the Heart Tree, on my knees with my eyes closed, thinking that a prayer would help my careful and steady mind, along with my heavy heart and worried soul. Something about being apart from him, knowing that he was fighting alongside Jon and others made me squirm in the belief that he would be harmed. Why would I think such a thing? I knew he was strong, he was capable and he was true to the very end. He was in my mind as I was praying out loud in front of the heart tree.
"I pray for the safety of Jon Snow, my brother in blood. I pray for him to be safe and away from harm and danger, for him to come home." I paused, taking a deep shaky breath before continuing on, "I also pray for Gendry. Protect him, keep him safe and away from harm. Bring him home to me and to our new life together as one." I paused, breathing in and out for a moment or two. I thought back to who I was, what my bloodline was, and I and to be strong now. Though my heart was still tenet from not being close to Gendry, I had to somehow become a force to be reckoned with when it came to ruling Winterfell. Gendry would want that from me, he would want me to keep the fortress alive and to never loose faith in what I had left, what we had together.
"I pray for strength, strength to keep Winterfell alive, in memory of my father and mother and of my twin brother. I pray for you to protect me in the times of war, and give me wisdom to rule." I prayed aloud in a bolder tone. Just being in front of the Heartwood, the same one that my parents were in front of before when they were alive, and even Jon was there, gave me more strength and more motivation to be stronger and less of a weakling. Although Gendry knew that already, that I was not to be messed with, I still had to prove it to myself.
So in that moment, I made a promise to the Old Gods and to myself: I shall fight and defend like a Stark
"May I come in?" I heard on the other side of the door, having me look up from the spot on my bed with the dress I was making in my hands. I knew it was Arya, having me smile and place the needle on the dress gently.
"You may." I replied aloud, having me hear the door open and Arya poke her head in. I smiled at her, seeing her hair was now to her shoulders once more and it was braided in a way of a Lady, though I knew that was Sansa's doing, not hers. She walked in, wearing her gray dress and gliding over to my bed within three strides. As she hopped on the bed, I couldn't help but laugh from my spot, having me see her eye me with suspicion.
"You're doing better, since this morning after Gendry left you looked rather sad." Arya explained to me aloud, having me take up the dress once more and hold the needle in my hand before sewing once more, going back to my original element.
"I prayed to the Old Gods for strength." I replied back to her, "It's not right for me to be in pity for him when I knew he can defend himself." Arya only smiled, having me work on the dress some more and see the gray shimmer in the firelight from the fireplace.
"You are not one who pities." She reminded me as I sewed on, "Something that I rarely see in other girls is how they can handle being without their one true love."
"I doubt Gendry wants a proper lady to call his wife. For if he did, he made a mistake with me." I said aloud in a lower tone, but still sounding casual about it. I heard nothing, a pause was hanging in the air as I finished on one end of the dress.
"He didn't make a mistake with you." Arya said, having me look up at her from my spot, feeling my braid fall over my shoulder as I watched my sister on the bed in front of me. Carefully she touched the end of my dress that was closest to her, having me see her feel the fabric and look at it with detail, the look of seriousness on her young yet growing face.
"I was never one to wanted to have a husband, someone who would tell me what to do or how to live my life. That's what I thought a husband was there for, up until I met Gendry and how I saw him look at you." I stared at her as she went on, as if she was talking to herself and not me, "I know Gendry doesn't have the strength to tell you how to live your own life, because he loves you too much to hold you back."
"You know he loves me?" I asked her in disbelief, seeing her smirk and shrug her shoulders.
"It's what I saw in my mother and father, the same with Gendry and you." She replied.
"What what would that be?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Loyalty to one another." I smiled at her as she said that aloud to me. She saw what was happening between the two of us, since the moment we met when we were traveling in the caravan to the Wall, Arya must of saw something between myself and Gendry. She was clever enough to hide it from me, to never tell me what she saw when Gendry and I would talk or how we would look at each other. I thought I was careful, careful enough that we were not being seen by the others. But Arya, she was sly enough to keep that to herself, to fly under the regular sights of others. But thankfully she was never to see as nothing more thank what it was, never to blow it out of proportion as such girls are tend to do.
Arya looked down at my dress with a confused look in her eyes, having me watch her as she stared at me, pointing to the dress.
"What dress is this one?" She asked me aloud, having me smile and have a warm flutter in my chest as I said the answer.
"My wedding dress."
"How far along are you with the repairs on the South wall?" I asked the worker in front of me, sitting at the head of the table in the Great Hall, Sansa on my left and RIckon next to her and Arya on my other side. The four of us were conducting the rest of the chores for the evening, in which I was still worried about Gendry since he has yet returned with Jon and the rest of the men who went to handle the Frey's and the Bolton's. But I was still going to venture on without him to anchor me, knowing that people were looking to me at this point and wanting for orders and reports.
"WE only have a few pieces left to consider, but we are mostly done with the wall Milday," He said to me in a small tone, holding his hat in his hands and looking at me with fearful eyes. I would be afraid to if I was him, standing in front of four Stark children and three Direwolfves, all whom were next to their masters and looking dead on. Rickon was stroking Shaggydog's fur, Nymeria was stern with a cold stare in front of her by Arya, and Astrid was laying down on the ground in front of the table, in front of me and watching to her two toned eyes. I only smiled at the man, feeling sorry that he was scared and I nodded my head at him.
"You have done well, what is your name?" I asked him aloud in wonder.
"Ben, Milday." He replied, having me fold my hands on the table and felt my hair shift in the cool wind that was coming through the wall, though I was protected by the fur cloak that I was sporting along with my sisters and brother.
"Thank you for your handwork and diligence, Ben. You are a vital piece to this fortress and it's reincarnation." I explained to him, seeing him smile at me finally from being so scared.
"I thank you Milday High." He said aloud, giving a short bow and then having me hear the door being opened behind him. He looked, as well as the rest of the people in the Hall since there was a rather large gathering of workers there. The doors were thrown open, having me see a sea of our soldiers that left early that morning and were being lead by none other than Jon snow himself. Ghost was next to him, staying by his side as I saw Ben and the other workers move to the walls to give them room to come in. The sea of men walked in towards the head table, having me see my siblings stand up in shock and relief that they came back alive. But my eyes were on who I could not see: Gendry.
Where was he?
"Jon." Sansa said aloud in relief as she, along with the rest of us walked around the table and stood at the top step. The men bowed on one knees, but my eyes were in the crowd of the men, trying to find him and see where he was. The more I looked, the lower my heart was falling. What happened to him. But I was soon looking back at Jon, whom was eyeing me as he moved over to the side, having me see a group of men dragging two strangers in front of us, who looked beaten and bloody as I walked over to Jon, having me see him walk over to me with a stern look on his face.
"Where is Gendry?" I asked him under my breath, not wanting the others to hear the fear in my voice or see it in my eyes. Jon placed a hand on my arm, having me realize that something went wrong, very wrong. I lost my breath as he told me what it was.
"He is alive, but he was wounded in battle." He whispered back to me, having me feel myself clutching onto his arm for dear life as I let that sink in. I thought he was dead, but he was merely wounded. This worried me, thinking that he would not be the same again.
"He has a wound to his stomach along his rib, it was shot at by a archer." he explained to me, having me wish that we were alone so I could cry in front of him. But no, this was not the time for something like that. I had to be strong for the people of Winterfell and the siblings. Jon patted my hand that was on his arm and he watched me with a reassuring look.
"He'll live, but I had him taken to your chambers for rest. Don't worry, he is fine. Koda is with him and protecting him, along with a Maester to look at his wound." Jon said to me, having me watch his eyes and know that he was telling the truth. I wanted to do nothing more than to run to Gendry and help him get better, but that was not the time. No, I would of done that if I didn't have the responsibility of being the current heir of Winterfell. Finally, after thinking about it for a moment or two, I nodded my head and we both walked over to the two men that were in front of my siblings, both looking at them with grave looks and looks of pure evil.
"I have nothing to say to you." One of the men, whom was older than even Lord and Lady Stark, and he had the look of worn out wars on his skin, from what I saw as I stood in front of Sansa and the others with Jon Snow at my side.
"You will have something to say to the heir of Winterfell." I said to him, seeing him eye me with his old man eyes and grotesque grin on his face.
"You? The Lady Stark of Winterfell?" He asked in his croak of a tone, having me analyze him and see that he himself was on the brink of death from the battle that he just lost with my men.
"I suggest you hold your tongue, Walter Frey." Jon said next to me, having me hear Ghost growling in agreement with his master. I felt Astrid stride over to stand next to me, walking up to the old man and growling at him personally as I was standing there, in awe that this was the same man that not only killed my twin brother, but my mother as well. He was the one that took them away from me, and others as well, he was part of the robbing of my dreams and happiness with my family. The old man cringed in front of Astrid, whom was so close to biting him.
"I was told you died as a babe." He said aloud, having me eye him now tin more hate than ever before, "And that Winterfell was in ruins now."
"Does it look like that to you?" I asked him aloud, having me see him eye me from being on his legs on the floor and knees hitting the ground so hard.
"Why did you come?" Sansa asked behind me as Walter Frey eyed her like a piece of meat, having me see Astrid snap her teeth at him and bring him back to looking at me as I waited for his answer.
"I came to take over Winterfell, along with the Bolton family since we thought it was no more." He said to me in a sneer, having me look over at the younger man who was the representing the Bolton clan. He looked my age, with a cold look on his skin and his terror in his eyes and in his lips as he eyed me. He looked evil, far more evil than Walter Frey. I walked over to him, seeing him stare up at me with not fear but with amusement and bitterness in his eyes and his facial expression.
"You made the wrong choice to coming back here in hopes of destroying us." I said to him aloud.
"We didn't know there were Starks back here." The Bolton boy said back to me in a cold tone.
"I wish I could believe you." Arya said next to me, Needle in her hand and a cold look on her face, "But all the North knows, and you have already known by now. You came to destroy us." I saw him eye her as if he wanted to kill he if he didn't have two men holding him down to his knees. I saw him look back at me, his eyes were now sinister as he spoke to me with bitterness in his tone.
"You won't win against the South." He said to me in a thrustful tone, having me only shake my head at him in disagreement.
"And you aren't going to win against the North either." I replied back to him, having me see Jon pull his sword out of his sheath and wait for my orders.
"Both of their heads are to be removed and sent to the South, to have Queen Cersei see what happens to a House when they go up against the Starks. I only pray to the Old Gods you are spared when my father and mother see you on the other side." I explained to them, having me see Bolton struggle against the restraints on him and then look at Astrid and Nymeria, whom were waiting for me to give some kind of order.
"You wish to give us a mild death?" Frey spat at me as I looked back at him once more, seeing that he was toying with my authority.
"Would you rather have four direwolves tear you to pieces?" I asked him aloud, having me see that he was no longer talking or thinking of himself higher than the others. No, I wanted him to suffer and to feel what I was feeling: hatred and death. The I tapped Arya on the shoulder, having me see her lung forward and push Needle into his chest. He breathe out, staggering and falling to the floor dead as I looked from Arya to Jon, with his sword out and ready.
"Kill Bolton." I said to him in a threatening tone. Having me see Sansa turn Rickon from watching as Jon walked over to him. The Four Stark children moved away from the scene, having me hear Jon cut off the head of the Bolton fellow and have me realize, I had two less Houses to worry about and less to dread. That was my first order to killing others, and I should be numb, if I was still a dressmaker. But I have been through enough to know that I had ti play along in this Game of life and death, and death was not going to meet me.
Not yet.