Gendry
He was boiling with blood lust. He felt it burning with in him. He had wanted to kill Joffery for hurting Arya, for touching Arya. If it wasn't for her walking beside him he would have killed him. She was shaking and crying as they walked in the trees away from the chaos that had erupted with Joffery as the eye of the storm.
"Gendry where are we going?" Aryas angry and frightened voice demanded from his side.
"As far away from Joffery Baratheon as possible. If I stay to close to him I will end up killing him for touching you." Gendry said through clenched teeth.
"Can we stop now? I can't hear anyone or see any lights." She tugged on his arm to get him to stop.
Gendry took a deep breath and they stopped walking and he just stood there fuming. Then he realized that Arya was crying. That was when his anger evaporated and his concern for her took over. He pulled her into his chest and held her tight. He tried to think of something kind and comforting to say, but nothing came to mind. All he could do was hold her.
When he felt her stop crying he tilted her head up to look at him and he was the tears glittering on her face in the moonlight. She was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen and tenderness was building in him for the slight fierce young lady in his arms. She was looking up at him, her eyes wide and confused. He wiped the tears from her cheeks and his hands stayed on her face. She was looking at him and her hands came up to rest on his chest. They stood there for a moment longer when they both moved at the same time.
Their lips met and they melded together. Her arms came up to curl around his neck and one of his hands twined in her hair. Like their previous kiss they fought over who was in control of it. She finally yielded and let his tongue enter her mouth. But she did not completely relent control over to him. She stood up on her toes and ground her body to his. He could not take this. He moved his hand from her hair to hold her tighter to him. He let out a moan as she let her hands up under his shirt.
She traced small patterns on his skin that sent a shock right to his groin. He broke the seal that they had created with their mouths and he let his lips trace her jaw and down to the hallow of her throat. Her breath came as fast pants and her hands came back to his chest and to his shoulders. She was gripping to him as if he was the only stable thing in the world. His hands began to roam over her body, starting where they were holding them together at her hips up her torso to her chest. Gendry had been wanting to feel if her breasts felt as perfect as they looked and he was not disappointed.
He found a tender spot on her neck where her collar bone dimples into her neck and he drew his tongue across it savoring the taste of her skin. She clung to him desperately
"Oh," her voice was soft and she started to whimper as his hands massaged her chest with his large hands. "Gendry."
At the sound of his name he felt as if he was going to die. He had never loved the sound of his name until that moment. She pulled one hand out from under his shirt and pulled his mouth back to hers. They kissed, fought and teased all at the same time. Finally they pulled apart, still clinging to one another, but gasping from oxygen deprivation. Arya started giggling and Gendry started to smile.
"What is so funny?" He asked.
"Now I know you most definitely are not gay." She said.
"I never said that I was." He said into her hair.
"We better get back to where the rest of the party is. I need to see if Sansa is okay." She said.
"Come on then." He took her hand and they started walking in the trees back to the party.
Bran
"That was Aryas scream." Bran said making his way to the trees and to his sister.
"It's coming from the place that Joffery was at with that girl." Jojen said, leading the way to where he knew he was.
They found Joffery standing in a clearing yelling after Sansa. Arya was being led away from the clearing with Gendry and he saw the hound going after his sister and her crazy boyfriend. Myrcella was standing in the clearing holding Aegons hand and shaking in fear.
"Come on. We have to follow Sansa." Bran said.
Meera grabbed his arm. "Bran remember that you don't want to be seen."
"I won't be."
She let go of his arm and they walked along the shadows to the edge of the water. Sansa was being shaken by Joffery and they were wiping away his tears, violently. Then from behind Joffery Sandor was there stopping Joffery from hurting his sister. Bran felt the bile rolling up in his throat as he had watched his sister being shaken.
They started arguing and fighting, but Bran was unable to make out what they were saying. He watched as Joffery stalked away, probably in search of a drink. Bran stayed in the shadows and watched as Sandor and Sansa walked away and sat down on some drift wood and he gave her his jacket.
"She doesn't seem to be in danger here. I think we should let Sandor handle things here." Jojen said.
The three turned and went back to the fire. They heard what people were saying about what had just happened and most of it was completely wrong. Meera went up to one of the cheerleaders and asked what had just happened.
"Sansa and Joffery were getting close in the woods and some crazy girl from another school came up and attacked Sansa. Then Sansas sister accused Joffery of cheating on Sansa and she tried to slap Joffery. He defended himself and blocked her blows and she got hurt somehow. Then that guitar player from the band came up and hit Joffery, for no real reason. Then the guitar guy and Sansas sister went off in the trees. Sansa went off to confront Sandor who led the girl to the clearing and Joffery went to clean up his face. It is quite the family drama. Those Starks are strange. Nothing bad ever happened to Joffery until they got here. Well that Sansa is not that bad. I do like her." The girl could have blabbered on longer but Meera moved away and related the false tale to Bran and Jojen.
"I can't believe what these people are saying. Where is this other girl? Did anyone see where she went?" Bran asked.
"No. She just disappeared." Jojen said.
"Bran you do realize what you saw did come true? The only difference is that it happened by the water and not by the fire." Meera said softly.
'I did realize that, yeah. But that doesn't mean anything. It was a flock." Bran said dismissively. "Since it happened and we have confirmed that what I saw did come true we should leave now." Bran said walking away to the cars.
"What if it happens again Bran? What if you see again?" Jojen asked.
"I won't. It was just a onetime thing." Bran defended.
"That's what I said. Then it happened again and again. I have them all the time. For instance your sister Arya is getting friendly with Grendy, very friendly." Jojen chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Bran stuttered.
"I saw them some time ago in a vision making out." Jojen threw out.
"She does like him. But can you keep the visions of my sister's love life to yourself?" Bran asked.
"Sure whatever." Jojen said.
They got into the car and drove into town. It was midnight and they went back to the Reeds house for the night.
Sansa
She was hurt, more hurt then she had ever been in her entire life. She did not care that Joffery had cheated on her; she had expected him to do something like that. What hurt was that her closest friend had betrayed her. Sandor had known what Joffery had been up to and he had not told her. She cried because she felt that she could not forgive him.
She sat there on the log by the water's edge with Sandor. His large jacket was draped around her slight shoulders, enveloping her with the heat that he had made and his smell. She pulled the jacket in tighter to her. He sat beside her and they did not talk. He tried to comfort her the best way that he knew how. He just gave her his jacket and sat there, not moving or saying a word.
She wanted him to say something, anything. But he just sat there. She was starting to get angry and wanted him to say something, anything. Look at her even. She got fed up with it all and snapped at him.
"How could you do that to me?" She demanded.
"I didn't do anything to you Sansa. I was trying to protect you really." He sounded sad and frustrated.
"But you knew. You knew that he was going to be here doing some stupid girl from another school." She said. "You didn't even tell me. You should have told me" She said in a barely audible tone.
"I couldn't tell you. I didn't want to hurt you." Sandor said.
"But you did. You hurt me more then Joffery did. You are my best friend here at Kings Landing." Her voice quivered, she was wavering on the verge of tears again.
She looked up at the sky and tried to think of one moment at the new school that did not involve Sandor. She could not think of a single one. He was the person that showed her around school and introduced to people. She had to cut him out now. He had hurt her to bad. She could forgive Joffery, right now. But Sandor was a different matter. She knew that in time she would, but not right now.
"I don't know what to do. What should I do Sandor?" She asked.
"I don't know. You have a different way of doing things then most people I know." He said.
She started to shiver from being cold again. Her teeth were chattering and she knew that she should move away from water's edge. The chill coming off the water with every gust of wind made her feel like she was getting a bucket of ice water spilled over her head.
"We should get you some place warm. I am worried that you will catch a cold." Sandor said.
"No. I don't want to leave yet." Her teeth chattered with every word she said.
Sandor gave a frustrated sigh and scooted closer to her and put his arm around her. She hoped that he was putting his arm around her not only to keep her warm, but because he wanted to be close to her. She snuggled closer to him.
"So does this mean that you have broken things off with Joffery?" He asked.
"Probably, I should. He was a jerk. But I feel sorry for him." She said.
"Don't feel sorry for him he is a jerk. You deserve better."
"I may deserve better but I like Joffery. Or at least the Joffery that isn't drunk or with friends. He is a different person then. I know he wouldn't have done anything with that girl if he had been sober." She said.
"Sansa he told me about this girl three nights ago." Sandor told her.
She felt the pit of her stomach drop out. He had known for three days and he had not told her. Her head swam and she leaned and placed her head between her knees. Why had he not told her?
"Why didn't you tell me?" She whispered.
"I did not want to be the one to hurt you." He said.
"You were the one that hurt me." She sprang up and lashed out at the closest thing that she could see. It was his chest.
She pounded her little fists against his chest crying as she did it. He just sat there and the thinking part of her brain found it strange that he just let her smack him like that. After about ten minutes of this he finally grabbed her wrists and held her to his chest. She felt his hand stroke her hair and then on her back. She got her breathing under control and stayed there with him.
"I don't want to break up. I don't want this relationship to end." Sansa said to the big strong chest she was leaning on. She didn't want to leave the safety that Sandor created for her.
Jaqen
His date with Arya was going to be great. He did not want to go and meet her at some greasy spoon diner like they had agreed, so he decided to call her that morning at eleven and tell her that he had a better idea.
"What?" The voice in the end of the line sounded more asleep then awake. He felt like an idiot.
"Arya, I am sorry to call you so early, but I was hoping that we could make some alterations to our plans for the day." He tried to keep his voice soft and even to ease her into being awake.
"What? Oh yeah. I had a long night and I kind of did forget. What do you want to do instead?" She asked trying to sound alert and awake now.
"I was thinking that we could go for a picnic in a small park by the gallery instead of the burger place. If that is okay with you." He tried to keep the concern out of his voice. He did not want her to say no.
"I haven't been on one of those since I was a little kid. I used to make my brother Jon have them with me all the time on the grounds of our house. I would love that. At the same time as before?"
"I was thinking a little earlier, if that is okay. The light is very nice in the park and we could get some sketches done at the park." That was an afterthought. He had made up the part about the light, but he did want to spend more time with her. He knew that she spent too much of her time Gendry for his comfort.
"That would be great. I really would like that. What time are we talking about here? Like I said it was a long night last night." She yawned into the phone.
"How about two? I can pick you up at your house." Jaqen wanted her to say no. He did not want to meet her family.
"How about at the end of my driveway? That way we could just go and it wouldn't be to strange for us both." She had supplied him with the perfect option.
"That would work out great. I will see you at two lovely girl." He disconnected the call.
Jaqen went around his studio and collected some supplies that he figured they would need and then went and placed the bag in his beat up jeep. He walked back to his studio and collected the rest of his paintings for the opening. He had not told Arya that it was his opening that they would be going to. He wanted to surprise her, as well as impress her as well. He was hoping that with his work being seen would make the art school that he so desperately wanted into would except him early. They had said he lacked experience, but that his talent and potential were enough to allow him entrance.
As he placed his last pieces that he wanted to show into his car he went back into the studio and looked at the one that he had been working on last night. It was a scene of snowcapped mountains and evergreen trees. There was a river flowing in the foreground. He wanted to put a cottage by the river and he could imagine Arya Stark living in the cottage that he imagined by that river. He was going to give it to her when he was finished with it. He took one last look at it and walked back out to drive his paintings to the gallery.
"Jaqen, thank god that you are here with the paintings. We have room for six if they are large, eight if they are medium, eleven if they are small of nine if you combine sizes. So how many do you have for me?" The assistant to the gallery owner demanded as soon as Jaqen stepped foot into the gallery.
"I have twelve of assorted sizes. You can pick which ones to use." He said in his calming voice.
"Great. I will get one of the boys to get them out of the car. Varys is in the office. He wants to talk to you." The assistant walked to a side door and Jaqen could hear her barking orders to the other workers to get the paintings out of his car. Jaqen walked to the office and knocked.
"Jaqen come on in. I have been expecting you." Varys called out.
Jaqen walked in and closed the door. He had a feeling that what Varys had to say was a closed door kind of a conversation.
"Sit down Jaqen." Varys indicated the chair across from his desk.
Jaqen sat down and waited for Varys to start talking. It was a game that they played, to see who broke first and started to talk first. At the moment they were split evenly on that account. They sat there for five minutes. Jaqen was not in the mood to play today, he had other things on his mind and places to be.
"What is it Varys?" He finally broke the silence.
"If you sell any paintings I would like to increase my fee from eight to twelve percent. I hope that you do not mind. But I have noticed that some of your earlier paintings have sold recently and once you make a name for yourself I know that they will be flying out of here. We both stand to make a lot of money." Varys steeped his fingers together and he gave Jaqen a cool stare.
"This really isn't about money is it?" Jaqen asked.
"Now why do you say that?" Varys asked back.
"Because you don't care about that. You care about the people who make the art, not how much that they can make you." Jaqen said.
"That is true. But there has been a shift in your work recently and I want to cash in on it. Who is she by the way?" Varys tried to sneak in at the last moment.
"So this is what this is about. You want to know who my muse is." A smile tugged at Jaqens lips. "If you must know it is a lovely girl named Arya."
"Arya? As in Arya Stark?" Varys asked.
"Yes. The very one. Do you know her?"
"Her father. I know him. I decorated the house that they moved into for them. The Starks do not strike me as the kind of people who would let you date one of their daughters."
"We are not dating." Jaqen bit out.
"Ah, unrequited love. No wonder your work has improved. Nothing makes a person more artistic then when a person is not given the love that they crave. Painting is a hell of a way to let some of that sexual tension out." Varys smiled at the young man before him. "I hope that she doesn't give in to you to soon. I shudder to think what happy Jaqen would paint. Now get out of here so we can organize the opening for you."
Jaqen knew when he was dismissed. He stood up and walked to the door. But he could not help himself; he had to have the final word.
"She will be here with me tonight. Do not put your fangs into her. She is an artist as well, but she doesn't need the likes of you sniffing around."
"Oh goodie I can't wait to meet her."
Jaqen shook his head and walked out the door. He strolled out of the gallery and got to his car. All the paintings were out of his car and there was a note stuck to the steering wheel.
Do not forget to be here early- Varys
He had the last word twice. He noticed the time and was surprised to see that it was twelve thirty. He had to go get the food for the picnic with Arya. He did not know what she liked so he went and got a little of everything from the closest store. He picked one of those baskets made for picnics, with the plates and silverware and everything that a person needed for a picnic. He was relieved that he had a blanket in his car and by the time he was done with his shopping he went to go get Arya.
She was leaning against a tree as he drove up. She grabbed her messenger bay that was on the ground and slung it over her shoulder. She almost ran over to his car and hopped into the passenger seat.
"Hi." She said with a huge smile spreading across her face.
"Hi to you. Are you ready for some art and a picnic?" He asked.
"Yes. Let's hurry. I think that I might have been followed and that there is a spy right over my right shoulder." She said looking at him and trying to keep a straight face.
"Then let's go before they try to sneak into the car with us. Who is this spy? Anyone dangerous?" He teased.
"My baby Rickon. He has been trying to find out what is going on with my sister. Things went bad last night at Blackwater Bay for her and she has been locked in her room most of the day." She said.
"I had heard that something happened there. I did not want to ask. I heard that you were involved."
"I guess that I was. I kind of hit Joffery." Her cheeks blushed and she looked down at her hands in her lap.
"I wish that I could have seen that." He offered trying to lighten the darkness that had settled on her as soon as she mentioned her sister and the Baratheon prick.
"Things could have been pretty bad of Sandor and Gendry had not been there. But let's not talk about that. So what is this park that we are going to?"
She had effectively changed the subject. He started to tell her about the park. It was small with a pond in the center and a single willow tree by the water's edge. He told her about the family of ducks that lived there and how he loved to people watch and sketch from there.
They made it to the park and he got the blanket and the basket out. She followed with the art supplies. They sat down and got to eating. He noticed that she was not a fan of the funny named cheese that he had got, but she was a fan of the croissants and fruit. They talked about art and who they liked the best. They talked about who they liked to lessen to while they worked and what they wanted to do with their painting as time went on.
He told her about the art school that he was trying to get into and how badly he wanted to go there. She told him that she had taken up painting as a way to shut her mother up, but that she had fallen in love with it.
"I think that we should start sketching now. It is three thirty and I have to get to the gallery around four thirty, not five." Jaqen said. "It is three thirty now and I want to draw you with this light."
"You want to draw me?" She crooked.
"Yes. You can draw me as well if you want. It is only fair." He offered
They went and sat under the tree and started to sketch. At first he just sat there and looked at her, memorizing the lines of her face. Then he put his pencil to the paper and started to draw. He attempted to get all of her onto the page. He was so wrapped up in his work that he did not realize that she was not working on anything, but just sitting there looking at him. When he was done with her face he put down the sketch book and returned her look.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing. You just get this look on your face when you work that I love to watch. It is almost as interesting to just watch your face and not your hands." Arya blushed and looked down at her hands again.
He placed his hand on hers and pulled her closer to him. He smiled down at her and she gave him a small one in return. He inched closer to her. He had to remind himself to go slow. He touched her lips with his. It was a soft kiss, fleeting and tentative. He tried to put in the desire that he felt for her and the longing that he also felt whenever he saw her. He knew that she was trying to tell him something with her lips but he was to happy with the idea of kissing her to recognize what she was trying to tell him.
He pulled back first and sat there looking at her. She did not look surprised, but pleased.
"That was nice. Maybe we should do it again sometime. Maybe a little longer next time." She said.
"We better be going to the opening. If I am late Varys will shoot me." Jaqen said.
"Why would he kill you? Are you that important?" She asked sitting back.
"Well it is my exhibit. I wanted it to be a surprise for you." He blushed and looked at her.
"Yours? That is so amazing." She squealed. She hugged him and smiled at him.
"Come on, I have to get to the gallery." He pulled her to her feet and they packed up their picnic and art things and got into the car and drove to the gallery.
Sandor
He felt like he was the scum of the earth. He never realized that what he had tried to do to protect Sansa would backfired on him and he would be the one that would end up hurting her. Last night when he had sat there by the water's edge and held her he felt so pleased. She was there in his arms again. It felt so right when he held her. But the illusion was shattered when she said that she thought that she had to end things with him. She sounded so sure and sad at the same time, but there was finality in her voice, a steely determination that he knew that no matter what he said or did she would not change her mind.
So the next day he tried to text her and emailed her, and there was no reply. He then tried to call her. Still no answer. He was so frustrated. He just wanted to talk to her one more time and apologize. He wanted to make it up to her. He thought about sending her flowers, or something along those lines, but he told himself that that was something that a boyfriend did, and he was not the boyfriend. He was her friend, apparently the best friend that she had here and he had destroyed any trust that he had made with her. He was saddened by the realization that she was his best friend too. The loss of her presence in his life was like the stars all going out at once.
He had sat there on his bed and tried to not to think about her. He turned on some music to drown out the noise in his own head. It was not working. He got up and walked around his room. It was not helping. Then he heard his phone ring. He fought not to run the four steps that it took him to get to his bed to his desk where his phone was.
He looked at the name on the caller ID and did not want to answer it. It was Joffery so he could not ignore him.
"Hello." His deep voice asked.
"Guess what Dog, she took me back. This girl is either the most gullible thing in the world or so desperate for a boyfriend that she will stay with me knowing what I had done. It probably the jewelry I sent her with the roses this morning. That always works. Chicks are fools." Joffery said.
Sandor did not know what to say. He felt bile rise in his throat.
"And since she is my girlfriend still I will be putting my hands on her, so you better not threaten me again. Do you understand me?" Joffery tried to make himself sound menacing. If Sandor was not so sickened he would have laughed.
"Sure thing Joffery. I have to go now. I will talk to you later." Sandor hung up the phone.
He could not stay at his house anymore. He grabbed his keys and headed for a drive.
He drove and drove. The sun was setting and he found himself at the beach. He got out of his car and walked to the ocean. There was one other car in the parking lot and it looked slightly familiar to him. He walked along the surf not caring that he was getting his feet wet, not caring that his pants were wet as well. He just had to walk.
Then he heard a guitar playing ahead of him. He looked over to where he knew the music was coming from and saw Gendry sitting on a log playing his guitar. He did not want to intrude on him, but he knew the look that was on Gendrys face. It was the same one that he had on his face.
He walked over to where he was sitting.'
"You sound as miserable as I am." Sandor said coming up behind him.
"Holy shit Clegane, you do not need to sneak up on a person." Gendry barked out.
"Sorry. Can I sit down?" He asked. "Misery always wants company."
"Sure. So what brings you here?" He asked.
"I bet the same thing as for you. Problem with a Stark. I have it with Sansa and I am betting that you have it with Arya." Sandor said as he sat down next to him. "What were you playing just now?"
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The Beatle song. Do you know it?" Gendry asked as he starts to pluck at the strings.
"I do love that song, and I think that it is appropriate, given the circumstances." Sandor said.
Gendry started to play the song again and he began to sing. Sandor surprised himself and Gendry and he started to sing along with him. They finished the song and sat there looking out at the ocean and lessened to the waves crashing into the shore.
"Arya is out on a date with someone else. Gods I need a drink." Gendry said.
"Sansa did not break up with Joffery. They are still together." Sandor said.
"We are both fucked then. They are both with the wrong person for them, and they can't see it." Gendry sighed.
"I know where we can get that drink. Come on Gendry. Time to get out of here, the sun is almost down." Sandor said as he stood up.
He offered his hand to Gendry who just looked at it. He then took it and they let Sandor get him to his feet.