Love Speaks Louder Than Words

by Amara Lightskipper

Bran's life seemed to be in order, until he met someone who changed it: Meera. But things turn upside down when they found out that their families were on two opposing sides of a conflict that happened years ago that still remains unresolved. How far will they go for love? Will their love open their families' eyes to seek forgiveness and move on?

9. An Eye For An Eye

ARYA

The following week after Bran's graduation, Arya traveled to Harrenhal in the Riverlands with Jorelle Mormont.

Arya had packed her things when they got home to Winterfell on Sunday. She didn't drive her car because she was hitching onto a group, technically a few employees in the wireless internet department of Stormbreaker Telecom in the North. It's kinda weird since according to Jorelle, most of the employees there were registered and licensed engineers in various fields in either mechanical, electrical or computer and electronics engineering.

The assembly place was in Moat Cailin Train Station, but they aren't actually taking the train, they've hired a van because there are sixteen of them all in all. And they chose the town of Moat Cailin because it is where all the Northern highways meet.

Her father, Ned Stark had insisted that she'd be driven to Moat Cailin instead of just taking the train from Winterfell bound for the capital, making stops including Moat Cailin and several towns in the Riverlands.

"I'll have Hullen drive you to Moat Cailin." Ned insisted. "That way, I'll know you've arrived safely."

"But Daddy, I'm twenty-two," Arya protested. "I can handle myself."

"No buts, Arya," Ned said. "My decision is final."

She had no choice but to follow her Dad's orders. Normally, she wasn't a stickler for the rules. But when it comes to her Dad, his word is law. It is part of the respect Arya had for him. Mostly, because he had tolerated all the boyish and unusual activities she did as a child up until now—unlike her Mom who's mostly girls should be this and that not what you're doing.

When Arya chose to do fencing instead of ballet lessons, her Mom had strongly declined. But her Dad convinced her otherwise. And back when she was in college, Arya had said that she was going to paint murals on the walls in her room, her Mom said an instant no. But it was her Dad who accompanied her to the hardware store to buy the paints.

"Arya!" She could hear Jorelle's voice calling out to her.

Arya turned and saw Jorelle Mormont waving at her.

The Mormont sisters were basically their childhood friends. the fourth-born, Jorelle—close friends and family call her 'Jory'—counts as her bestfriend since they were in the same year in school and both like painting. And between both of them, Jory was the social one.

"Stark, come on!" Jory called again.

As Arya got closer she began to notice that Jorelle had a suitcase and a backpack with her. So did her colleagues. They seemed to pack more than they should have.

"Hi," Jory greeted, then glanced at her then at her backpack.

"What?" She asked.

Jorelle pointed at her backpack. "That's all your stuff?"

"It's a three-day seminar," Arya reminded her. "Plus, Monday and Friday for us to travel and settled in and out of the hotel—which makes it five days. But you obviously hadn't packed light."

"Actually, it's seven days," Jory corrected. "Because we have a two-day outdoor team building activity on Saturday and Sunday."

"And that is?" Arya asked.

"Trekking up Mount Alarra from Highpoint."

"Mountain climbing?" Arya snorted. "That is must be fun."

"You should come then," Another voice called out from behind her.

Arya turned and saw a familiar face.

A tall, muscular guy stood behind her. He had dark hair and blue eyes and his smile was friendly enough. Gendry Baratheon, she thought. The last time she saw him, it was at a dinner party with both their families. Back then when her sister, Sansa and Gendry's brother, Joffrey had once dated.

She remembered Gendry being just quiet and always stood and sat by his father, Robert Baratheon. Now, he radiated self-confidence and enthusiasm.

"Wait, I know you," Gendry said. He frowned as if trying to remember something. "Arya Stark, right?"

Before Arya could say anything, Jorelle spoke up. "Um, Mr. Baratheon," She said. "I invited her to come with us on this seminar and—"

"Of course," Gendry smiled. "Any licensed professional is welcome to go with us."

Arya looked around him, expecting to see bodyguards and personal assistants, which made her ask the most stupid question possible.

"Where's everyone else?" She asked. "I mean, you're the president's son and—"

"Hey, shh," Gendry interrupted, holding a finger to her mouth. "Okay, let's not announce that for everyone to hear."

"Keeping a low profile, huh?" Arya guessed. "It's cool. I totally get that."

Gendry cleared his throat. "Anyways," He turned to the other Stormbreaker Telecom employees. "Everyone, our ride is here. Please get in and we'll be in Harrenhal in—" He glanced at his wristwatch before turning back to them. "—four hours."

As per Gendry's instruction, Arya, Jorelle and fourteen others got into the van and then traveled for the next four hours to the town of Harrenhal, making a few stops for potty breaks.

They arrived in Harrenhal at around noon and checked in to their rooms in the Hundred Hearths Hotel before eating lunch at the nearest CARNEval, which happened to be two blocks from the hotel.

Gendry Baratheon, and another plumpy guy with short, curly hair, came to sit with Arya and Jorelle on their table.

While they were grilling the meat cuts they ordered on the stovetop on the table, Jorelle excused herself to use the powder room.

"So, what made a Stark like you go to this seminar?" Gendry asked from across the table.

"CPD credits," She replied. "And also for the experience."

"Everyone is here for CPD credits," He said. "I have to agree with that."

"What about you?" Arya asked. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" Gendry repeated as he flipped the meat cuts on the grill with the tongs. "Well, I was sent by my Uncle Renly to go to the seminar with our Northern employees, also to get to know them better and of course, CPD credits." He answered.

"But why aren't there guards and assistants following you around? You're the president's son." She pointed out.

Gendry shrugged. "I don't live in the Red Keep anymore." He explained. "I moved out of there when I attended college in Storm's End in the Stormlands. As for assistants, I have one." He pointed to the plumpy guy seating next to him. Then he introduced them to each other. "Hot Pie—Arya, Arya—Hot Pie."

"Hello, Ms. Arya," Hot Pie greeted, holding two frosted cupcakes in one hand.

"Um, hi," Arya forced out a smile, before turning back to face Gendry. "Is that really his name?"

"Nope," Gendry shook his head. "But everyone calls him that because he used to help bake pies in our family mansion in Storm's End. He's the cook's son after all. It started as a joke, but it got stuck." He frowned. "What about you? You're a governor's daughter, why don't you have guards?"

"We're in the Riverlands," She reminded her. "No one will know who I am. I always keep a low profile, so I'm good. I don't announce it to every room I enter, unlike your brother. No offense."

"None taken," He said. "I'm not proud of how he treats other people too. And every girlfriend he's had is…well, I think you know."

"I consider my sister a smart person," She said. "But when it comes to guys, I'd say she has terrible taste. And each guy from her long list of ex-boyfriends is worse than the last. And I'm not exaggerating."

"You're saying there's someone worse than Joffrey?" He guessed.

"Oh, yeah," She answered. "Someone way worse. He snuck into our house—how he got past through the security and staff, I have no idea—and he attempted to rape my sister and shot two of my brothers with his gun."

"What?" He exclaimed. "Where is this guy now?"

"The Wolf's Den," Arya said as she picked up her filet mignon cut and placed it on her plate. "He's sentenced to seventy years without parole so I wouldn't worry about him. He'd probably die in prison for all I care. But if it weren't for my sister's dog, he would've succeeded."

At that point, Jorelle was seriously taking a long time in the ladies' restroom. But then Arya spotted her in another table. What the fuck? She thought. Jory left her with their boss and his assistant.

When Gendry asked for all their bills, Arya pulled out her VIP card and handed it to him.

"Here," She said, placing it on the table and slid it across to Gendry. "You can save money if you add this."

"Oh, no, no, it's fine," Gendry assured. "All the expenses are paid for by the company."

His assistant, Hot Pie's eye widened at the sight of it like he had just found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. "Uh, sir Gendry," He spoke up. "I think she has a point, I mean—"

"Hot Pie, we're not gonna let her pay our meals," Gendry insisted. "Stormbreaker will take care of everything, okay?" He waved the company credit card before placing it into the bill holder.

"B-but, sir," Hot Pie said. "It's a VIP card."

Gendry glanced at the table where the black VIP card with a golden star in the middle settled. He turned back to her in curiosity, but before he could probably say anything, Hot Pie beat him to the question.

"How did you manage to avail a VIP card, Ms. Arya?"

Arya shrugged. "It was a gift."

"Who in seven hells gives VIP cards as gifts?" Hot Pie wondered. "Unless you own the whole food franchise."

Arya smiled and nodded. "Well, you guessed it right." She said. "It was from my Uncle Edmure—"

"Tully, right?" Gendry finished. "I remember TFC's CEO, I've met him a few years back with my Uncle Stannis and Uncle Renly when they negotiated on exporting dry goods to the Summer Isles."

"Hold on, how did you know—?"

"That you're part Tully?" Gendry interrupted. "Well, Edmure Tully referred us to your brother, Robb Stark of Stark Industries in Winterfell."

Arya frowned. "Why?"

"Oh, my Uncle Renly asked your uncle on franchising a casual-dining food chain in our building. But he said that there's a Burger Lab two blocks from us and suggested a coffeehouse chain instead. And then he gave us your brother's calling card."

"Holy shit, the connections thing is getting kind of creepy."

Gendry raised his hands in surrender. "Okay, I'll just take your offer." He took the VIP card and slipped it into the bill holder. "On behalf of Stormbreaker Telecom, thank you for giving us the fifty percent discount."

After lunch, they went back to the Hundred Hearths Hotel to settle in. Thankfully, she was assigned with Jorelle on the eighth floor of the building. The room was half the size of her bedroom in Stark Manor. But that didn't bother her as she had slept in worse places. Even slept on a divan couch, which was super uncomfortable.

The room had two twin-sized beds, with a wardrobe, a flatscreen, even a small dining table with two chairs. The bathroom also had clean towels and bathrobes, as well as bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion, and toothbrushes and toothpaste. There was a small balcony accessed by a sliding door with a woven armchair and a side table.

Jorelle was sorting her things out from her suitcase. "Look, I know this room isn't much," She spoke up. "But we're only gonna be here for five days."

"That's not what bothered me, Jory," Arya answered she turned on the flatscreen and started to browse the channels. "You left me with your boss earlier."

"Oh, right," Jorelle looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry about that. It's just that Ed invited me to sit with them and Harald's there so—"

Arya looked away from the flatscreen and turned to her. "Harald Karstark?" She interjected. "That guy you've had a crush on since forever?"

"Not forever," Jorelle corrected. "Just since high school. And besides, you seemed to be comfortable with Mr. Baratheon."

"It's called finding common ground." She said. "But I like how he is with his employees. It's as if he was just a person spending time with his colleagues rather than a boss with his employees."

"Ooh," Jorelle sat on her bed with a smile on her face. "You like him?"

"What?" Arya frowned at her. "Why would you assume that? I just admire what he's doing. And if I'm going to build my own company, I need to be like that to my employees."

"Well, you can talk to him for more tips." Jorelle wiggled her eyebrows. "And who knows? Maybe—"

"Whoa!" Arya raised her hand. "Let me stop you right there. I know what you're going to say, and I'm telling you this now: it's not going to happen."

"And why not?"

"Do you not remember Sansa's dating history with Joffrey?" She reminded her. "If that son of a bitch isn't the president's son, he'd be serving time in jail."

"I guess," Jorelle shrugged. "Anyways, what should we do to pass the time until dinner?" She asked.

"Foodtrip or sightseeing," Arya suggested. "I'm good with any of those."

"Okay, I'll take a shower first and then we'll figure out what to do."

About ten minutes when Jorelle went into the shower, their doorbell rang.

Arya sighed in frustration. Who is it now? She mentally complained as she trudged towards their hotel door and swung it open.

It turned out Gendry was on the other side of the door.

"Can I help you…sir?" She asked.

"Oh, you don't have to call me sir," Gendry assured. "Gendry is fine."

Arya shrugged. "Do you need anything?"

"Oh, I told the others we could go sightseeing," He explained. "We're going to an observation deck or, more like a long walkway overlooking God's Eye Lake and the Isle of Faces. The assembly will be in the hotel lobby in thirty minutes."

"Okay, we'll be down." She confirmed.

"I'll see you later then."

Jorelle had stepped out of the shower just as Arya closed the door.

"Who was that?" Jorelle asked.

"Your boss," She answered. "He says we should be down in the lobby in thirty."

"Why?"

"Apparently, we're going sightseeing," Arya informed. "To some observation deck overlooking the God's Eye Lake and the Isle of Faces."

Jorelle clapped her hands. "Ooh, nice!" She squealed. "Are we going to the Isle of Faces?"

"I don't know, that's all he said."

The observation deck isn't actually a deck. Technically speaking, it's a wide promenade, giving a panoramic view of the God's Eye Lake. And it's about a hundred feet above sea level—or in their case, lake level—and it's about a thirty-minute drive from the hotel.

It runs along the northern perimeter of the God's Eye Lake. It stretches for a kilometer and a half from the main road, with the area being called the Reaper's Trail. It's called such because way back in the Age of Heroes or something, it was the only road to the God's Eye Reaper Peppers Plantation. Farmworkers would walk the road and stopped by in view of the lake—and that's when the establishments came.

The ground is covered in grass block concrete pavers and it's also surrounded by metal railings with binoculars at every few meters. And about five meters from the metal rail were wooden benches for people to sit on. It also had several restaurants—ranging from fine-dining to fast-food—lined along the stretch.

Thankfully for them, there weren't that many people. Arya's estimate was roughly around fifty people. Maybe because it's only the start of the week, but there'll probably be more people on the weekends.

Also, most of her companions complained that it was hot and humid.

"Of course, it's hot," Another one of them said. "We're not in the North anymore, you tosspot. The climate is different here."

They all had to laugh at his remark. And it was true, the climates change when you are in the different regions of Westeros.

By 3pm, they ate at The Burger Lab branch there, to which Arya ordered her usual, with extra onions and bacon, of course.

Afterwards, they moved on and walked further along the Reaper's Trail. As they did, Arya remained in one spot. Before leaving the hotel, she had managed to grab her camera.

In the center of the God's Eye Lake, the Isle of Faces loomed. Even with the mist huddling around the tiny island, she could see the tall Weirwood trees with their white trunks and red foliage. The carved faces weren't that visible from afar, but the blood-red tree sap stains were.

As Arya climbed on some of the guard rails to take a few snaps of the lake, a voice spoke up nearly startling her. "Need more time to take it all in?"

She turned and saw Gendry standing by her.

"Seven fucking hells!" Arya exclaimed. "Do you always sneak up on people?"

"Not really, no." He admitted. "It's just…you're getting behind. The others have moved ahead. What are you doing anyway?"

She looked at him like he was an idiot. "Obviously, I'm taking snapshots of the lake and the island. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Okay, sorry," Gendry apologized. "It's just…everywhere we walked, the lake is visible."

"I'm looking for the right angle," Arya reasoned. "I want the red leaves of the Weirwoods to look like fire in front of the rays of the sunset." She explained as she climbed up another guard rail.

Stupidly, she slipped making her yelp. But fortunately for her, Gendry was there. And he caught her just in time before she could faceplant on the pavement.

Her scream alerted the others and Jorelle was the first to get to them.

"Arya?" Jorelle asked, trying to get Arya away from Gendry. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Jory," Arya assured. "There's nothing to worry about."

Jorelle narrowed her eyes at Gendry, then turned back to her. "Why did you scream then?"

"I nearly fell from the rail." Arya justified. "I would have faceplanted on the pavement." She turned to Gendry. "Thanks, by the way."

Gendry shrugged. "Don't mention it."

They went back to the hotel after sundown and ate dinner at the hotel's buffet. Other people from different regions of Westeros have already arrived, checked in on the same hotel and were eating dinner with them.

That night before going to bed Arya was sketching some of the snapshots she took from the Reapers Trail. It was a habit she had: take pictures of scenic views and then drawing them later in her sketchbook journal. And she always, always brought a pen and a pencil with her wherever she went.

Jorelle came to sit at the foot of her bed. "Arya, can I be frank?"

Arya looked up from her sketchbook journal. "Okay, shoot."

"I think he likes you." Jorelle blurted it out.

She rolled her eyes at her friend. "Jory, let's not go there, okay?" She said. "He basically just prevented me from having a head injury."

Jorelle shrugged. "Okay, there's that, but there was also the time at the CARNEval earlier." She wiggled her eyebrows at her.

"Is it wrong to strike a conversation with people on the same table as you?" She asked. "It's more awkward and rude if I just kept quiet. Also, you left me with him."

"Alright," Jorelle raised her hands in surrender. "I'm sorry about that. But if he asks you out, you'll owe me a meal from The Burger Lab."

Arya snorted. "That's highly unlikely." She said. "But fine, a meal from The Burger Lab."

Tuesday morning was mostly for registration. They were given nametags and expanded envelopes for the brochures, flyers, and samples that they will be given during the seminar. And of course, the nametags and envelopes were color-coded. For architects, it was red; as for the engineers they were: orange for civil/structural engineers, yellow for the chemical engineers, green for electrical engineers, blue for mechanical engineers, purple for electronics engineers, and brown for mining engineers.

The seminar was called Sustainable Architecture and Engineering Project Management and there were about three hundred attendees from all across Westeros. And only about forty people were architects—only eight were from the North including Arya herself—the rest were engineers.

Thankfully, they weren't asked to sort themselves according to their professions so Arya got to sit next to Jorelle, who had a green envelope. At first, the seat on her right was vacant, as it was at the end of the row until a pat on her shoulder came.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" A familiar voice asked.

"Uh, no, it's not—" Arya replied. She turned to see who it was and of course, it was Gendry.

"Cool," Gendry said as he took the seat next to her, then he noticed the red envelope on her lap. "Whoa!" He exclaimed. "I didn't know you're an architect. Did you know there's only a few of you here?"

Arya nodded. "I'm aware," She then noticed the blue envelope he was holding. "Also, I didn't know you're a mechanical engineer."

Gendry made a tsk sound and smiled. "Well, touché."

Beside her, Jory nudged her. It made Arya turn to her friend only to see Jory giving her a mischievous smile.

Arya narrowed her eyes at her and kneed her, nearly dropping Jorelle's green envelope to the floor.

Jorelle caught it. "Relax, Stark," She said, giggling. "I'm just messing with you."

Gendry cleared his throat. "So, what did I miss?" He whispered.

"Not much," Arya replied. "The speaker's still preparing his stuff." She looked around for Gendry's assistant as that guy was always tailing him wherever he went. "By the way, where's Hot Pie?" She asked.

"Oh, back in our room," He said. "He's not an engineer or an architect."

Gendry had stuck around through the first day of the seminar. Arya found it odd since, obviously he was acquainted with more people, and he was quite well-known (Um, hello! He's the president of the country's son!). But still, he chose to hang-out with them—the Northerners, even though there were people from the Stormlands.

On the second and third days of the seminar, Gendry still hung out with them. Particularly with her, and besides Jorelle their other companions have noticed as well. Arya had ignored their speculations as they were especially bizarre.

Later after the third and final day of the seminar, Jorelle and her colleagues invited her to go bar crawling to which of course, Arya had turned down.

"Stark, come on," Jory persuaded as she fixed her hair in front of the mirror. "It's our last day here in Harenhal—"

"We're still gonna be here until tomorrow," Arya countered, not looking up from her sketch journal. "Technically, it's our second to the last day here in Harrenhal."

"Fine," Jorelle huffed. "It's our last night here in Harrenhal. Don't you wanna put your mark on the city?"

Arya decided to mess with her. She does it all the time when people persuade her into doing something. In return, she'd ask them the most ridiculous and philosophical questions she could come up with to the point of the person who persuaded her would just get annoyed and ignore her.

"And by mark," Arya replied. "You mean like, if I puke inside a bar after drinking several shots would that be considered a mark or—?"

"Oh my gods, you're hopeless!" Jorelle complained as she grabbed her clutch bag. "I'm just gonna go."

Works everytime, she thought then gave Jorelle a halfhearted smile. "Have fun."

Arya continued sketching on her sketch journal even after Jorelle left with the others.

It was quiet say for the movie playing on the flatscreen that Arya had turned on for background noise. But at around 10pm, a knock came from the door.

She sighed and walked towards the door and just assumed Jory forgot her keycard and didn't even bother to look at the other person in the hallway through the door's peephole.

But as she opened the door, the other person in the hallway was someone she didn't expect to see.

"Gendry?" Arya frowned.

Gendry Baratheon was simply dressed in a plain white t-shirt that showed off his slightly thick arms, and faded jeans. He didn't look like a high official's son at all, just a normal guy in his twenties.

"Um, hi," He greeted. "I just came to check on you. You weren't with us earlier."

"So, you guys are done bar crawling?" She asked. "It's only ten."

"Oh, I just came to bring Hot Pie back," He explained. "He passed out after three shots."

"Only four?" Arya repeated. "Hmm, he's not alcohol tolerant, I see." She cleared her throat. "So, what are you really doing here?"

"Like I said, I came to check on you and—" He started to say.

"Well, I'm fine," She interjected. "And I didn't really feel like drinking, so…" She shrugged. "I don't feel like leaving a mark in this city, whether it be puke or pee."

Gendry chuckled. "That's a pretty blatant mark if you ask me." He said. "And believe me, I've seen worse when I was in college."

Here we go, Arya thought. He wouldn't have come to her door at ten at night just to check on her. He wanted something. So basically, it's Operation: Annoy-the-Persuader, game on.

"So, is that why you came here?" She asked. "To check on me and ask me about the worst things you've seen while bar crawling in college?"

"Well, no," He started to say. "I just—I noticed that you weren't asleep yet and—"

"Would I even answer the door if I was?"

He scratched his head and let out a soft giggle. "Obviously not, but you mentioned that it's only ten."

"It's still early," She pointed out.

"I know," He agreed. "I even consider 1am still early."

Strangely, the whole annoy-the-persuader tactic clearly wasn't working on Gendry. In fact, he seemed more interested than annoyed.

Gendry cleared his throat. "Okay, um," He gulped. "I was just wondering if you maybe wanted to go to someplace…for maybe a midnight snack? And don't worry, it'll be my treat."

"So you're saying that I can't afford to buy my own food?"

"No, it's not that," He assured. "I just—I just didn't feel like going back to bar crawling and I just wanna go eat something other than food from the hotel's buffet."

Now Arya was curious on why he had spontaneously picked her as his foodtrip buddy. "Why me?" She asked.

Gendry shrugged. "Honestly, because I feel like you get me more than most of the people who came with us to Harrenhal." He said. "And I think I can learn stuff from you too."

Arya snickered. "Okay, now that you've said the things you've just said, I feel like you wanna get something off your chest and need a shoulder to cry on." She speculated, then shrugged. "I'll be it and besides I wouldn't say no to free food—not that it's the reason I agree to go but—"

"Arya," He called, smiling halfheartedly. "You agreeing to come is more than enough."

"Alright, hold on," Arya said, gesturing for him to come in. "I'm just gonna change clothes."

"It's okay," He said. "You don't have to change."

"I'm in my friggin' pj's." She reminded him. "Unless we're going through a fast food's drive-thru, then I'm not changing."

Gendry raised his hands in surrender. "Fair enough." He said as he sat on one of the dining chairs. "Take your time."

Arya snorted. "I won't be long, don't worry." She assured, then picked up a t-shirt with a blood-like print of The North Remembers and a pair of ripped shorts from her backpack and went straight to the bathroom to change.

After she changed, she dabbed some face powder, combed her hair with her fingers and sprayed herself with fragrance before walking out of the bathroom.

"Okay, let's go." She said, picking up her sneakers under her bed and put it on.

Gendry looked confused. He glanced at his wristwatch then back at her. "That was…fast. And in less than ten minutes," He pointed out. "That's gotta be some sort of record."

"What?" Arya raised an eyebrow. "You think I'll take an hour to get ready?" She snickered. "That I'd come out of the bathroom in a slutty dress, high heels, heavy makeup and my hair reeking of hairspray?"

"Partly, yes." He admitted.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you," Arya shrugged. "But that's not me. That's probably my sister—but not me. Seven fucking hells no!" She said. "And I don't usually wear shorts, but since I'm not in the North anymore, the climate is different and it's a little hotter, so I have to improvise."

"That's good to know," He said, slowly smiling.

"Now, let's go," Arya grabbed her phone from her bed and took the keycard. "Oh, also, I may be skinny and tiny, but I can eat a truck supply of food when I'm hungry. And if you don't believe me, you can ask my brothers."

Gendry chuckled. "Well, then, let's get going." He said as he stepped out of the room. "Our food awaits us."

"Where are we going?" She asked as they rode the elevator to the lobby.

"The Hunter's Market in the downtown area," Gendry said. "It's basically a flea market and a food park at the same time."

"Ooh, now we're talking," Arya commented.

Gendry led her to the parking lot, which was where his car was probably parked.

"I thought you rode the van with us to Harrenhal," She spoke up. "How is your car here?"

"I came to Harrenhal first before hiring a van to pick all of you up in Moat Cailin." He explained.

When Arya saw Gendry's car, she gasped in astonishment.

"Whoa!" She said as her jaw dropped. "A Lambo Aventador with the scissor doors? Holy shit!"

It was a matte black Lamborghini Aventador. She knew just by looking at it.

Gendry gave her a puzzled look. "You know cars?"

Arya shrugged. "Not really," She replied. "But my brother Robb has the exact same car, except it's grey. And it's fucking expensive."

"I didn't buy it," He said as he deactivated the car alarm. "It was a gift from my Uncle Renly. I couldn't afford this even with a year of my salary combined."

The Lambo Aventor's scissor door amazes her everytime. As she sat on the shotgun, she noticed that Gendry had installed several techie stuff like dash and rear cams, cup and phone holders, and blue interior LED lights.

"You've done stuff in here, I see," She noticed. "But aren't the lights a bit distracting?"

"Not really," He answered as he started the car. "I just installed lights under the dash enough for me to see which pedals I'm stepping on to. Putting it around the interior can be distracting."

"What else did you put in here?"

"Most of the stuff I installed are for anti-theft," Gendry explained as he tapped on the GPS before navigating the streets of Harrenhal. "I installed an electronic tracking system for extra security. The GPS can be disabled, you know, so it's more of an extra protection." He explained. "You will be able to locate your car anywhere in the world through an app on your phone—it's one of the things we've developed in Stormbreaker. And I've also upgraded the sensors on the night vision dash and rear cams and its resolutions as well."

"I like the app in the phone thing," Arya said. "Maybe I should get that. Did you do all the installing by yourself?" She asked.

"Hey, I'm not a Mechanical Engineer for nothing." He winked at her.

The Hunter's Market is exactly how Gendry described, a flea market and a food park all shuffled into one. It's a bit disorienting but thankfully they separated the dry goods and the food stalls—and apparently, it has a 4.6-star review on the internet.

They went to the food stalls where they grabbed platefuls of food. Gendry has two large paper plates of food, while Arya had three and that's excluding the dessert and the beverages to wash it all down.

As they sat down and started munching on their food, Arya spoke up and asked the question she'd been wanting to ask him. "So, now that we're here, maybe you can get the weights off your chest."

Gendry stared at her. "What?"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Baratheon," She said. "I've dealt with people who are far better at hiding their problems than you."

He frowned at her, looking very surprised. "But—how did you—?"

Arya shook her head. "I don't have to," She said. "The expression on your face says it all."

Gendry was still staring blankly at her.

"I was in few activist groups in college," She informed. "So the whole letting-it-all-out and saying-what-you-really-feel are normal. Think of it this way: we're just playing a game of Truth or Dare, except there's no dare just truths. Basically, we ask each other a question and it's expected that we tell the truth. And if I catch you lying, I'll throw a meatball at you."

"Okay, that's a bit…too far." He pointed out.

Arya took her plastic fork and stick its end in a meatball on one of her plates. "Try me." She dared.

"Alright, shoot." He said.

"Question number one: Hmm, so what's been bothering you lately?"

Gendry took a deep breath. "I can't give you a straight answer to that," He admitted. "Mostly, it's just frustration—my entire family is so dysfunctional. And pressure—I have to live up to the family name."

"The Baratheons aren't dysfunctional, the Lannisters are." She corrected.

"Maybe, but it's a lot more than that." He continued.

"Question two: Have you always been close to your Uncle Renly?"

He knitted her eyebrows at her. "Hey, you're already asking two—"

"Well, ask each other two questions before switching." She insisted. "Now, answer the fucking question."

Gendry nodded. "Yeah, I am," He admitted. "My Uncle Renly is more of a father to me than my actual Dad, even though he's gay. My Dad's too busy running the country. My stepmom isn't any better. It's like my Dad's under her spell or something. And she calls me a bastard—behind my Dad's back, of course. I never knew my Mom, she died after giving birth to me and she died before my Dad could marry her so…" He shrugged.

"Cersei is a fucking heartless bitch!" Arya pointed out. "I never liked her at all. The look she always gives me, I will never understand. And don't get me started on your brother. Trust me, until now I'm still wondering what Sansa saw in him. He's a sadist like his bitch mother."

Gendry chuckled. "That's…appropriate."

"I'm not saying that to make you feel better," She said. "It's the truth."

He cleared his throat. "Okay, my turn. Question one: What are your family frustrations, Arya?"

Arya huffed. "That I always, always get compared to my sister." She blurted out. "And I hate it when people do that. They'll be like, oh, why can't you be more like your sister?, and I'll reply with, that line is so original. I mean, we are polar opposites both in personality and physical appearance. Sansa's way on top of the social pyramid, and I'm in the shaft. She's Ms. popular, Ms. Prim and Proper, cheerleading captain, top of her class, magna cum laude—I can never top that. And the worse part: I often hear the comparison from my Mom."

"Question two: Were you ever close to your parents?" He asked.

"To my Dad, yes." Arya smirked. "I'm a Daddy's girl. But I was never close to my Mom though."

"Why?"

Arya glared at him. "What the fuck? That's a third question."

"That's a follow-up to the second question." He insisted. "You should add details, you know."

"Fine, I didn't know at first," She recalled. "But it became clear when a friend who was a psychology major then, explained it to me. It's because of me and my siblings' birth orders. Robb was firstborn, so basically everyone was cooing at him; Sansa was the first princess in the family; and then there's me. But I was barely a year old when my younger brother, Bran was born so, it's safe to say all of my Mom's attention went to him—because he was the new baby in the family. And then Rickon came along four years after Bran. So, while my Mom was focused on Bran, I was often told to go to my Dad and we became close. And sometimes, he tolerates all the parkour stuff I do."

"But I thought there were seven of you in the family."

Arya narrowed her eyes at him. "That's another question."

"It wasn't a question." He insisted. "I just remembered that there were seven of you."

"The other two," She started. "One is our cousin, Jon. He's my Dad's sister's son. My aunt died when Jon was a baby and he was adopted into the family. And Theon is our foster brother. He came to us when he was ten. And both of them are of the same age as Robb, and they're all twenty-five now. Which brings me to question three: how old are you?" She asked.

Gendry shrugged. "I'm twenty-five." He replied. "But you know, I'm more interested in how your brother became CEO at twenty-five."

"Twenty-three, actually." Arya corrected, as she finished off her lamb chops. "But it wasn't that easy. My Dad didn't just hand him the position, he placed Robb everywhere just to make him experience what other employees are going through and how everything in the company works." She sighed. "Anyways, what's your actual job in Stormbreaker Telecom?"

"I don't work there, actually," He said. "I'm in Baratheon Corp. with my Uncle Renly. He just assigned me to accompany some of our employees from Stormbreaker Telecom to attend the seminar, with transportation and lodging expenses on the company."

Arya looked confused. "So, Baratheon Corp. is—?"

"It's like the main company owned by the Baratheon family," He explained. "Stormbreaker Telecom is one of its subsidiaries. Along with —the e-commerce company and it's where my Uncle Stannis is focused on running; and Stormbreaker Tech—where I will be working soon."

"Holy shit!" She exclaimed. "So, what position are we talking about here?"

"CEO, hopefully." He blurted out.

Arya dropped her last lamb chop back to her paper plate as she stared at him in shock. "No fucking way!" She snickered. "So, I'm talking to the future CEO of Stormbreaker Tech?"

Gendry only shrugged. "Okay, let's not dwell on that. And that's enough about me. Also, you had continuously broken your two questions at a time rule."

She raised her hands in surrender. "Oh, fuck it."

"Let's talk about you, then." He said as he chugged on some fries. "So, Architect Stark, any projects you're working on?"

Arya shook her head. "I'm not working on anything."

"What do you mean?" He speculated. "Weren't you at least freelancing?"

"No, I'm not," She confirmed.

"Well, what have you been doing?"

"If you're implying that I'm just lazying around, you're wrong." She snapped. "I have big plans, but they were just stalled at the moment."

"What plans?"

"I'm planning on creating a company with my brother that focuses on architectural designs and construction." Arya blurted out.

Gendry whistled. "Honestly, the construction industry gains big money, no contest." He proclaimed. "But why are those plans stalled?" He asked.

"Because I'm waiting for my brother to pass the boards." She said. "He had just graduated last week from the University of White Harbor."

"Why do you have to wait for him?" He asked. "You're an architect, doesn't your profession just hire associates?"

"Yes, but Bran's a structural engineering graduate." She insisted. "That way, I don't have to hire an associate, we'll be business partners. On every project, we'll both gain something. I design stuff and he'll make sure it's buildable."

"Damn!" Gendry said, slowly clapping his hands. "It's a win-win situation. But aren't you guys real estate developers?" He snapped his fingers and made a face. "I forgot the name of your company."

"It's Alpha & Luna Properties," Arya said. "Named after leaders of a wolfpack. Why? I have no idea. Anyways, we're merely developers, not actual builders. We do the negotiating, surveying land to build on and find a contractor with the right bid—thus, making us part owners on whatever structure is built."

"So are you guys doing residential, commercial, industrial or—?"

"Mostly, residential and commercial," She explained. "Socialized, economic and low-cost housing, retirement homes, hotels, condominiums, resorts, mini-malls, etc."

"Are there some in Storm's End that I know of?" He asked.

"Several," She confirmed. "The most recognized one is named after a gem in the uptown district."

Gendry thought for a moment. "Oh, the Sapphire Spike." He nodded. "It's a condominium hotel."

Arya cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at him. "Anyways, future CEO of Stormbreaker Tech, you do specialize in SMART building designs, right?" She asked. "And are open to ideas?"

Gendry smiled. "So you're saying we might have joint ventures in the future?"

She shrugged. "There's a possibility, but I'm not promising anything."

He nodded. "Nice," He took his can of soda and held it high. "To future endeavors!"

"Cheers!" She said, clanking her can of soda to his before drinking from it.

"By the way, Arya," Gendry said, going back to his plates. "Thanks for the whole truths thing. It made me feel a little better."

"Oh, we are not done yet, Baratheon." Arya insisted.

Gendry frowned. "When are we gonna be done with that?"

"Until we clean our plates."

He snorted. "Game on."

"Now, let's ask the most random question and we'll both answer it and explain why."

"I'll start," Gendry cleared his throat. "Favorite color?"

"Green, because it's calming." She revealed. "And yours?"

"Blue, probably because the straits of Tarth were visible from my bedroom window in Storm's End."

"My turn," Arya said. "If you were to visit one place where will it be?"

"Places," He corrected. "I wanna tour around Westeros, to regions I haven't been and see landmarks. You?"

"Braavos," She said. "I wanna see the titan fortress on the straits."

They went on with it. They started with basics from favorite food, genre of music, drinks, to deeper questions like guilty pleasures, biggest turn-offs, etc. And Arya had discovered a lot of things she didn't expect for someone like Gendry to either like or hate.

"Now, I feel like taking shots." Gendry declared right after finishing their food. "You game?"

"The others are still bar-crawling, right?" Arya remembered. "We can catch up to wherever they are now." She pulled out her phone. "Hold on, let me call Jory."

Arya browse her contacts for Jory's name then placed her phone near her ear and waited.

The phone rang two more times before Jorelle finally answered. "Hey, Stark," She said from the other line. "Did you change your mind about passing?" She asked, obviously yelling from the loud background music.

"Where are you?"

"In this nightclub called Widow's Tower," Jorelle might've told her the address but the background music was too loud for Arya to make out what she said. "It's kinda hard to miss. It's a large red building littered with neon lights."

"Okay, we'll see you there."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Jorelle screamed. "Who is we?"

"Oh, um, Gendry's with me."

"Oh my gods! How in seven hells are you with him?" She demanded.

"It's kind of a long story."

"You've got some explaining to do, Stark!" Jorelle squealed. "In the meantime, hurry up! We'll wait for you before moving on to another."

Arya hung up before placed her phone back to her pocket.

"So," Gendry spoke up. "Where are they?" He asked.

"Some nightclub called Widow's Tower," Arya informed. "She might've told me the address but the music there was too loud."

"Okay, then," Gendry stood from his seat. "We'll just use the car's GPS to find it."

As they walked towards the parking lot, Gendry surprised her with a question. "Hey, Arya, have you ever driven a Lambo?"

"No," She admitted. "Robb doesn't trust me with his car."

Gendry threw her his keys. "Here, you take the wheel."

Arya caught the keys. "Whoa, dude!" She said in surprise. "You can't be serious. You barely know me."

"You're Arya Stark," He said. "An architect, who's favorite color is green and eats anything edible. Yep, I know you. You can drive, right?"

"Of course," She said, matter of factly. "I'd learn to drive since I was fifteen. My Dad had taught me and we'd go around the grounds to practice back then. But this is different, this—" She gestured to the car. "—is a fucking Lamborghini causing millions of gold dragons."

"And I trust you enough to not scratch it."

Arya slowly smiled. "Well, then," She said as she opened the car door on the driver's seat. "Hop on."

They got into the car, but this time, Arya was on the wheel while Gendry was on the shotgun.

Gendry found the Widow's Tower in his car's GPS and Arya navigated the streets as she followed the route.

On the road, during a red light, they encountered some people doing illegal drag racing. A lot of people were there as well, cheering.

"What the fuck?" Arya said in distaste.

"Probably college kids," Gendry assumed. "I bet half of them are intoxicated."

"Why am I not surprised?" She replied.

Suddenly, they heard police sirens wailing and everyone scrambled. Sure enough, police cars arrived at the scene, blocking every street at the intersection. One of the police cars blocked the path of one of the two cars up for drag racing, while the other car, a neon yellow Maserati, tried to get out of the mess nearly hitting some of the police on the road.

Arya saw that the car was trying to get away through the sidewalk and well, she might, at least, try to stop it, especially since there were several people on the sidewalk—either pedestrians or homeless people.

"Gendry," Arya spoke up. "I am so sorry." She apologized before putting her foot on the accelerator.

"Arya, what—?" He started to say.

Arya turned right, blocking the sidewalk and the only possible escape route.

Sure enough, the illegal drag racer slammed onto the Lambo's left side. And yes, there was an obvious dent going inwards.

She got a little bit dizzy that she didn't notice Gendry removing her seatbelt and slowly pulling her out of the car through the shotgun door.

"Arya, are you okay?" He asked as he helped her out.

"I'm sorry about your car." She apologized again.

"Who the fuck cares about the car?" He snapped. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," She assured, then she turned to the people on the sidewalk who had started to gather.

The cops had already pulled out the driver from the yellow car, who had a gash on his forehead, before being handcuffed.

One of the police officers approached them, a tall and thin man with a mop of brown hair. "Hello, Officer Bonifer Hasty," He introduced himself. "Is this your car?" He asked, pointing at the dented Lamborghini.

"Uh, yes, sir," Gendry replied.

Officer Hasty smiled. "Well, lad," He said. "The Harrenhal Police Department would like to offer you our sincerest gratitude. Not only did you help us catch these guys—" He pointed to the driver of the neon yellow Maserati. "—we've been after them for weeks—but you saved innocent bystanders as well."

Arya glanced back at Gendry, and he was smiling at her.

Gendry was about to speak up, but Officer Hasty interrupted him. "Oh, don't worry about your car, young man. We'll have it fixed in no time, for your part in capturing these drunken college kids." He held his mouth close to his shoulder mic. "Hoat, get me a tow."

"Really?" Arya somehow found her voice again. "You'll fix it?"

"Of course, young lady," Hasty replied. "Anyways, if it's okay, we'd like to invite you to the station for your statements."

"Sure, officer," Gendry replied.

Hasty escorted them to a police car and they went for the backseats.

In the car, Arya clutched Gendry's arm. "Gendry, I'm so, very sorry, okay?" She apologized again.

"Arya, how many times do I have to tell you," Gendry replied. "It's fine. My car will be fixed, we unintentionally helped cops capture illegal drag racers, saved everyone on the sidewalk and we're both okay. That's what matters." He assured.

"It's so weird that you're taking this lightly, you know." She pointed out. "I literally crashed your car."

"It's a car, those things can be fixed."

"But still—"

"Arya, you saved several people from being injured," He brought up. "Stop being so hard on yourself. It's fine, and I mean it."

They could hear the police car's driver door close as Officer Bonifer Hasty started the engines. "You and your girlfriend okay back there?" He asked.

"Yes, I mean, no," Gendry faltered. "I mean, yes, we're okay. And no, she's not my girlfriend."

In the police station, most of the people there were baffled at recognizing Gendry Baratheon a.k.a. the president's son, to which he pleaded not to publicize.

And thank the gods, they agreed. If it comes out, Arya would've never be allowed to go out with friends again. Like, ever. They got checked medically and if they are intoxicated before they were allowed to carry out their statements.

Afterwards, Gendry stayed inside to discuss things about his car and Arya was waiting for him outside the station.

Arya pulled out her phone and saw 17 missed calls and a single text message from Jorelle. She opened the message and it said:

Jory M.; 01:34

Hey, where tf are you? We're moving to a different nightclub across the street. Call me whenever you can.

And she did. After a few rings, Jorelle finally answered.

"Stark, what the fuck?" She complained. "We've been waiting for you for two hours. Where are you?"

"I'm sorry, okay?" Arya said. "There has been a few…complications."

"Oh my gods!" Jory exclaimed. "Don't tell me. You went into a motel and had sex, right?"

"What the fuck? Of course, not!" She snapped back. "Jeez, Mormont, you're way over your head." She sighed. "I sort of, crashed his car and we're in the police station right now."

"Holy shitballs, Stark," Jorelle sighed. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine," She assured. "And we'll be there as soon as Gendry's done talking to the cops."

"Okay, we're heading across the street to the Kingspyre Night Club," Jorelled informed. " Just hurry up, will you?"

"We'll see you there." Arya promised.

Just as she hung up, Arya was surprised to see a man standing before her. And it's like he came out of nowhere.

The man had an unusual appearance. His face was friendly enough, but he had long, shiny hair draping down his shoulders—with one side of it being auburn and the other being white. And his clothes were the same from that of a monk, a cowled robe held together on his waist by a rope—a literal rope. And like his hair, it was split into two colors as well, with black on the right side and white on the left.

"Um, can I help you, sir?" She asked.

"Little lady," The man said in a soothing voice. "This man has the honor to be called Jaqen H'gar."

"Arya Stark," She introduced herself. "So, um, can I help you?"She asked again.

"You saved my life and others on the sidewalk." Jaqen H'gar pointed out. "And for that, a man is in your debt."

"Oh, it's nothing." Arya shrugged. "Don't mention it."

The man, Jaqen, leaned in closer to her, taking a step backwards. "Where I'm from, debts are always paid back."

Arya sighed. "Look, sir, it's fine. I'm fine, you don't have to pay me for saving your life."

Then he started talking weirdly like he was referring to himself in the third person.

"Life," Jaqen repeated. "Lives, you saved. Lives, a man shall take for you. Just speak names and a man will do the rest."

"Wait, what?" She shrieked. "No, no, no. No one is taking anyone's life, okay? Let's make that clear." She sighed in frustration. "Just do yourself a favor, forget this ever happened and get on with your life."

"Favor, yes." Jaqen smiled. "A favor will do. A man must do something for the little lady in return."

Arya hesitated. "What sort of favor are we talking about?" She asked.

"Any favor." He assured. "Just ask and a man will do the rest."

For this man's peace of mind, Arya decided to bargain. She was quiet for a while as she was thinking, but couldn't think of any favors she could tell him. "So, do you need to know my favor now or…?" She faltered.

"No, no, it is the little lady's call," He answered. "At the moment, apparently not. When the little lady had already thought of a favor, she can find the man for his debt. By then, we must part. A man has other duties as well."

"But how will I find you?" She asked.

Jaqen H'gar rummaged through his robes and fished out something. It was a coin. But it wasn't anything she'd recognize. And it's definitely not of the Westerosi currency.

Jaqen handed it to her. "Here."

"What is it?" She asked.

"A coin of great value." He informed.

The coin was made of iron and it looked and felt old. One side showed a man's head wearing a hood, and it was so worn that his features had been rubbed off. On the other side, had the words, valar morghulis | valar dohaeris imprinted on the circumference of the coin.

"If the day comes when you must find me again," Jaqen continued. "Just give that coin to any man from Braavos and say these words, Valar Morghulis."

"All men must die?" She translated.

"Ah, the little lady knows her Valyrian." He said. "That is good."

"But why would I say that to a stranger?"

"In time you will see."

"Arya?" She could hear Gendry's voice call from the police station.

Arya turned to him. "Oh, hey," She said. "I was just talking to—" She turned to introduce Jaqen H'gar to Gendry but he was gone. He had disappeared the same way he appeared.

She cleared her throat. "Anyways, your car—?"

"Will be fixed before we leave Harrenhal." He finished. "So, you have nothing to worry about. Also, I called my Uncle Renly. He seemed freaked out that I called at 1am, but I assured him that it will be fixed and he promised not to tell my Dad."

Arya nodded. "Oh, good." She shrugged. "So, what now? Are we still going?"

"It's your call." He said. "Where are they at?"

"The Kingspyre Night Club," She informed. "I have no idea where in the seven hells is that."

"Don't worry, we'll take a cab," Gendry assured.

They arrived at the Kingspyre Night Club and as they went for the doors, one of the bouncers blocked her path.

"What the fuck?!" Arya complained. "I'm twenty-two."

"I'll need to see some identification, miss." The bouncer insisted.

Arya reluctantly pulled out an I.D. and showed it to the bouncer. His eyes widened when he read the contents of her I.D. and let them pass.

The music inside was playing loud and it was packed. People were either dancing on the dancefloor or drinking by the tables.

She spotted Jorelle and the rest of her colleagues at a table by the bar.

"Hey, finally!" Jorelle said when she saw them. "You guys promised to meet us hours ago."

"Sorry about that," Gendry apologized. "We sort of, got sidetracked."

"Anyways," Arya spoke up. "Did you guys open a tab?" She asked.

"Not yet, we just got seated." Jorelle responded.

"Okay, open one in my name." She suggested, taking out her credit card.

They called in a barman to open a tab, the staff asked for an I.D. and were astounded to know that they were Northerners. The barman called in the club manager and told him about it.

"You got a problem with Northerners?" One of the guys they were with asked.

"No, sir," The club manager said. "But in this club, we have a challenge for Northerners. And if you manage to complete it, all your drinks will be on the house for the rest of the night or until we close."

"Ooh, exciting." Jorelle squealed. "What do we do to get free drinks?"

The club manager gestured for the bartender and he came a minute later with a blood-red cocktail in hand before placing it on their table.

"So, one of us just has to drink that?" Arya assumed. "Isn't this way too easy?"

"Well, this isn't just any normal cocktail, miss." The manager said. "We call it, the Ghost of High Heart, made from Ghost peppers from High Heart."

Almost all of the others from their table look away in dismay.

"Okay, I see what you did there," Gendry said. "You're offering spicy cocktail to Northerners because a majority of them can't handle it."

"Now, that's bullshit," Arya said. "I'll drink it, then." She volunteered. "But I'm pretty sure there's another catch. What is it?"

"No chasers." The club manager revealed.

Arya shrugged. "You're on," She said, grabbing hold of the spicy cocktail.

"Arya, what are you doing?" Gendry asked.

"Relax, it's a cocktail." She assured. "It's obviously not that spicy than an actual chili pepper."

"You don't understand," Gendry argued. "They used ghost peppers and those are considered one of the spiciest peppers there is."

"Actually, it only ranks seventh on the Scoville Heat Scale," Arya informed, then cursed. "Godsdammit! Bran's stupid random facts are getting to me."

It was true. Her brother, Bran was always spouting random facts. It's educational, but at the same time, annoying.

"Look, it doesn't matter," Gendry shrugged it off. "Just…it's a risk. We're probably gonna take you to a hospital after."

"You're really underestimating me, huh?" Arya raised an eyebrow at him. "My Mom is from the Riverlands," She pointed out. "And I ate a whole God's Eye Reaper Pepper once. If I survived that, I can handle the Ghost of High Heart."

"Stark, are you sure you're gonna take this for the team?" Jorelle asked.

"Watch me, Mormont." Arya drank the cocktail and gulped all its contents. She then slammed the empty cocktail glass on the table. "Take that, discriminating Rivermen who says Northerners can't handle spicy stuff!"

The other people from their table cheered.

"Free drinks, baby!" Another one screamed.

For the rest of the night or morning, whichever, they got free drinks as promised.

As for the cocktail, it was really spicy, no joke. She could almost feel herself turning red and she was sweating from the heat it brought.

"Arya, are you okay?" Gendry asked.

"I'm fine," She assured. "I just maybe need to eat a whole box of ice cream later."

"Okay, so far this night had been awesome," Gendry brought up. "First, you crash my car to catch a drag racer and save pedestrians; and then you took on a spicy cocktail so everyone can have free drinks. I mean," He shrugged. "You're pretty hardcore, I'll give you that."

Arya took her fifth shot. "I told you, I'm not like other girls." At that point, she was starting to get dizzy and her visions started to blur.

"What else can you do?" He asked.

"I paint when I'm bored." She blurted out before taking another shot.

And then she blacked out.

The next thing Arya knew, she was back in her hotel room, to which she sighed gratefully. But she was baffled when she woke up in her bed next to Gendry. Thankfully, they were fully-clothed.

She sat up, unintentionally waking Gendry.

"Oh, hey," He greeted groggily. "Good morning."

"What the fuck happened?" Arya demanded. "Oh my gods, did we—?"

"No!" Gendry cried as he sat up. "Gods, no. Nothing happened, I swear. I would never disrespect girls like that. That's not me."

"What happened then?"

"Well, you passed out," He recalled. "And your roommate, Jorelle, asked me if I can take you back here, which I did. But when I was about to leave, you grabbed my hand and pleaded to not leave you alone."

"Fuck!" She cussed. "This is embarrassing, I'm so sorry."

Gendry chuckled. "Don't worry about it." He stood from the bed. "Well, you gotta pack your stuff. We're checking out at noon."

Arya checked the time on her phone. 09:31, it read. "Oh, good," She said. "I have three hours." Then she noticed Jorelle's bed was still perfectly made and untouched. "Where the fuck is Jory?" She asked.

"I don't know," Gendry shrugged. "She never came after when I carried you back here."

Right on cue, the hotel door opened and Jorelle stepped inside—with a guy! And to her surprise, it's Harald Karstark. And they seemed to be frisky and being all touchy with each other.

Arya cleared her throat. "Good morning," She greeted.

Both Jorelle and Harald jumped back in surprise.

"Oh, hi," Jorelle replied, forcing out a smile. "Um, good morning, sir." She nodded her head at Gendry.

Harald did the same. "Good morning, sir." He turned back to Jorelle. "Jory, I better go. I'll see you later." He gave her a peck on her cheek before heading out the door.

"Well, I guess that goes the same for me," Gendry said. "I'll see you girls later."

"Oh, hey, Baratheon," Arya called out. "Do update me regarding the status of your car. I just want that problem off my chest."

"Don't worry, I'm heading to the station right after I take a shower," Gendry promised. "I'll update you before you leave for the North."

"Thanks," She said, offering him a fist bump, to which he smiled and bumped his fist against hers before leaving.

As soon as the doors closed, Arya turned to Jorelle with an eyebrow raised. "Oh, Jory," She said. "You've got some explaining to do."

Jorelle snorted as she sat down on her untouched bed. "Arya, I'm not the only one who's got some explaining to do."

"Hey, I said it first," She insisted. "You and Harald? When did that happen?" She asked.

Jorelle sighed. "Last night, mostly because I freaked out when you said you crashed Gendry's car." She explained. "I was worried sick when you never answered my calls, and Harald was really there for me. He assured me that everything would be fine. And then you drank the freakin' Ghost of High Heart, one thing led to the other, we made out and—"

"Oh my gods!" Arya exclaimed. "You had sex with him."

Jorelle shrugged. "You could say that."

"Oh, fuck!" She chuckled. "You just ate your words to me last night, Jory."

"Let's not go there, okay?" Jorelle said. "What about you and Gendry? How in seven hells was he here, in the same clothes he wore last night, hmm?"

Arya explained everything, from the moment she and Gendry went out to eat at the Hunter's Market, to her driving Gendry's car that she crashed to save bystanders, to giving their statements at the police station, and of course, coming to meet them. She left out her encounter about the weird monk with the half-dyed hair—it felt like she should keep that information to herself.

Before leaving Harrenhal, Gendry had pulled her aside. "I'm gonna show you something." He said.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"You'll see."

Gendry gestured to a car parked before the hotel. But it wasn't just any car, it was his car—the one she unintentionally crashed the night before.

"They fixed it," Arya said in astonishment. "They actually fixed it! Oh my gods!"

"I know," Gendry agreed. "And they fixed it fast. I mean, look at it now."

Arya inspected the car closer. She touched the car's left side—the part where it had the most damage. The dents were fixed, the black matte paint was on point and the scissor doors were as operational as they were before.

"Nice," She spoke up. "Thank the gods for the Harrenhal Police Department."

"Anyways, you'll go trekking with us, right?" Gendry guessed. "Up on Mount Alarra?"

"I'd love to because I've never been mountain climbing," She admitted. "But I have to ask permission from my Dad about that."

"Okay, well, I'm staying the night in Winterfell," He brought up. "I had Hot Pie book me a hotel two days ago. And I can pick you up on the way to Highpoint if you like."

"In Stark Manor?"

"Yeah," He said. "It won't be a problem. And besides, Stark Manor is easy to find."

"I guess, but if I am going, I'm probably bringing Nymeria with me for extra protection."

Gendry frowned. "Who's Nymeria?"

"My dog," She blurted out. "You probably won't want her in your car."

"Oh, no, it's fine," He assured. "I love dogs. A tiny dog won't be problem."

"That's another thing that I'm pointing out," Arya said. "Nymeria is not tiny, at all." She took her phone out from her pocket and showed him her phone's wallpaper of her hugging Nymeria. "This is her."

"Holy shit!" He cursed. "She's huge. Is it legal in the North to adopt a wolf?"

"Nymeria's not a wolf." She corrected. "She only looks like one. A Flint Husky and Skagosi Malamute mixed breed."

Gendry made a face at her. "She won't bite, right?"

Arya shook her head. "Nope," She said. "Not unless you're up to something not good. Or someone's trying to hurt me."

"I'd still take my chances," He smiled. "But I don't have a dog seatbelt. You have one, right? We can use that so Nymeria can ride in my car."

Arya frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Gendry assured. "And besides, I've wanted to see a wolf, and your dog is close enough."

"Great!" She beamed. "But I do still have to ask my Dad."

"Okay," He said, pulling out his phone from his pocket and handed it to her. "Here, punch your number in."

"What?" Arya raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

"So that I'll know if your Dad allowed you to come trekking with us."

Arya sighed. "Fine," And she did what he asked.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then." Gendry waved at her, as she was getting into the van that's heading back to Moat Cailin.

Gendry had offered a ride to Winterfell, but Arya had declined. Mostly, to avoid people from talking and making up stories about them.

On the way back North, Arya never really talked to anyone that much. And Jorelle was pretty occupied chatting with Harald Karstark.

Once they arrived at Moat Cailin at around 4pm, Hullen, their chauffeur, was already there, waiting for her. Of course, her Dad was at it again. At that point, she thought Ned Stark will probably win father of the year award.

It was around 4:30 when she arrived in Stark Manor in Winterfell. Before they did, Arya had asked Hullen to drive to the nearest Knight's Pizza chain in the city center, because she just knew Rickon would ask her for food when she returned.

The Knight's Pizza is a chain owned by the Brackens of Stone Hedge in the Riverlands. Arya knew because their youngest daughter, Alysanne Bracken, from the main branch, was in her year during college in UWH. And also, because they get their food supplies from the Tullys in Riverrun.

Just as she entered the main doors, Nymeria jumped at her, nearly knocking her to the floor.

"I missed you too, Nym," Arya said as she scratched her neck.

Vayon, the butler, was the first person she saw inside. "Welcome back, Miss Arya." He greeted, then offered to take her bag to her room.

"Thanks, Vayon," She uttered as she handed him her bag and three of the six boxes of pizza she had bought earlier. "And also, take these pizzas. Help yourselves with it."

Whenever they'd order out food, she would always insist on buying their staff some as well. And also, it's one of the things that got Arya compared to her Aunt Lyanna, because according to Old Nan, her aunt did the same back when she was still alive.

Vayon smiled. "Thank you, Miss Arya."

"So, where's everyone?" She asked, clutching the other three boxes.

"I believe your brothers and sister are in the living room." Vayon replied, before heading up the grand staircase.

She passed the living room and saw that everyone in the family was there. Well, except their Mom, Bran and Theon.

Their Mom was probably still at work. And Theon doesn't live with them anymore, but he does visit when there are occasions. But Bran not home, since he didn't have to worry about school stuff anymore, was very unusual.

Their Dad was reading The Northern Herald newspaper on his recliner. Robb and Sansa were on their tablets, and Rickon was on his phone, and all three of them were playing games on their respective gadgets.

"Oh, you're all here," Arya spoke up. "It's a miracle."

"It's labor day," Sansa reminded her. "Everyone knows it's a non-working holiday so, of course, there's no work."

"Lovely," She said without enthusiasm.

Their Dad smiled at the sight of her. "How's the seminar, Cupcake?"

"It was fine." She shrugged. "Learned a lot of new things."

Rickon dropped his phone to the couch when he saw her. "Did you bring any food?" He asked.

"Seven hells, yeah!" Arya grinned, gesturing to the boxes of pizza in her hands. "Because I knew you'd ask. And it's all pepperoni."

"Ooh!" Robb exclaimed. "Now, we're talking."

Arya placed a bottle of God's Eye Reaper hot sauce on the coffee table, much to Rickon's delight. "Where's Mom?"

"At the hospital," Robb replied as he opened one box and took a slice.

"I thought it's labor day and a non-working holiday." Arya brought up.

"You know the professions in the medical field," Ned spoke up. "They have no holidays. But don't worry, your Mom will be home soon."

"Also, where's Bran?" She asked.

"In White Harbor," Rickon answered.

"Then how did you get here?"

"Bran and I came here yesterday," Rickon explained as he took another slice of pizza from the box. "But he didn't stay the night. He drove right back to White Harbor, said he was going to help the Mormonts with something. Not sure what, though."

While she was in Harrenhal, Bran had agreed to accompany Rickon to the University of White Harbor, so he can fix his class schedules for the next school year.

When their Mom, Catelyn finally came home, she was looking for Bran and seemed sad when she found out he wasn't home.

Right after dinner, Arya had pulled their youngest brother aside and asked about Bran. "Baby bro, what's happening?" She demanded. "Where the fuck is he?"

"I already told you, he's in White Harbor." Rickon answered.

"Is he really helping the Mormonts with something?"

"How the fuck would I know?" Rickon defended. "I didn't ask for details."

"I know Bran," Arya insisted. "If he can get home on the weekends, he will. Especially now that he's not busy with school anymore, and it's a long weekend with Labor Day."

"Look, I didn't bother asking Bran questions," Rickon recalled, then shook his head. "But I noticed something before we left for White Harbor last Monday. He seemed…angry."

"Why?"

"I don't know," He answered in exasperation. "All I remembered was before we left, Bran talked to Dad in his study. When he got out, his mood completely changed. From being friendly-Bran to I'm-pissed-I'm-going-to-murder-someone-Bran." He sighed. "And the ride to White Harbor was uncomfortably quiet. I didn't wanna push him, because I've never seen him like that."

Arya thought for a moment. "What do you think triggered Bran?" She asked.

Rickon sighed. "Look, Arya, I'm really tired of saying this, I don't know!" He threw his hands in frustration. "If you wanna find out, you're gonna have to ask Bran about it yourself. I'm out!" He pushed past her in the hallway and walked to his room with Shaggy.

She considered asking their Dad about Bran, but she had other agendas. Arya needed to ask her father's permission on the team building trekking to Mt. Alarra.

Arya softly knocked on the door of her Dad's study.

"Come in," Her Dad answered and she went inside.

Ned Stark was sitting on his executive boss chair. He had a pen in hand, which meant he was probably signing some capitol-related paperwork.

"Daddy, do you have a minute?" She asked.

"Of course, Cupcake," He gestured to one of the chairs by his table. "Have a seat."

Before she could speak, her Dad held up his hand. "Hup-up-up," He said. "Let's get straight to the point, what do you want?"

Arya raised an eyebrow at him. "Why did you assume I wanted something?"

Ned dropped his pen. "Arya, you never come here unless you want something." He guessed. "So, what is it?"

"Well, I wouldn't say I want something," Arya corrected. "It's more of like, your permission."

"Permission to do what?"

"Well, those people I went with at the seminar," She started. "Invited me on a team-building exercise with them trekking on Mt. Alarra. And I wanna go."

"You need my permission to climb a mountain?" Ned shrieked. "Arya—"

"Daddy, please," She pleaded. "I wanna know and experience mountain climbing, at least once. This is my chance."

"Arya, what do you think your mother would say about this?"

"She'd say no instantly without bothering to hear my explanation." She declared. "But you won't, you'd let me talk and explain."

"Speaking of explanations," He interrupted. "Don't you wanna explain something that happened in Harrenhal?"

Arya looked down at her feet. "Uh," She shook her head.

Ned raised his eyebrows. "Really?" He opened a drawer from his desk, pulled out a newspaper and showed it to her. "Because that's not what it said." He said, pointing to an article he had encircled with a red marker.

The newspaper was the Trident Sentinel, a newspaper company owned by the Mallister family of Seagard in the Riverlands. The article wasn't the main headline, thank the gods, but it was on page two. Illegal Drag Racers Arrested, Attempted Hit and Run Foiled by Civilians, the heading said.

Arya didn't read the whole article as she already knew her name was in there next to Gendry's somewhere.

"I asked the staff to get me a copy," Ned pointed out. "Right after I got a call from Renly Baratheon at seven in the morning about my daughter crashing his nephew's car in Harrenhal. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Arya shrugged. "It was for a good cause." She reasoned. "And they fixed his car because we sort of, help them catch the fugitive."

"Arya, you're not getting my point." Ned said. "How can I trust you to go out on your own again if something like that happened?" He gestured to the newspaper.

"But daddy, there's like sixteen of us." She argued.

"There were sixteen of you that went to Harrenhal," Ned reminded her. "Yet that still happened." He sighed. "I'm sorry, Cupcake. But the answer is no."

"But, Daddy—"

"Arya, no buts." He insisted. "My decision is final."

Arya was quiet for a moment, then she spoke up, bringing up a topic she had since declined when her father first offered it to her.

"How about a bargain?"

"Arya—" He started to say.

"I'm not talking to you as my Dad or the governor," She insisted. "I'm talking to you as a businessman."

Ned narrowed his eyes on her. "I'm listening."

"I'll supervise the charity foundation Aunt Lyanna had left behind," She offered. "I'll do it if you allow me to go trekking."

"You already declined that responsibility," He recalled. "The Winter Rose Foundation is now under Jon's leadership."

The Winter Rose Foundation was a non-government organization founded by their Aunt, Lyanna Stark that focused on helping children from poverty, people who couldn't afford medical expenses, and the conservation of the environment's natural resources.

"Yeah, but he's always at Castle Black," She reminded him. "He's not supervising it, directly. Plus, people always say I look like Aunt Lyanna, might as well use that to our advantage."

"I thought you were going to focus on building your own construction company with your brother."

"Bran still has to pass the boards," She added. "So I still have three months. And I want to add categories too."

Ned raised an eyebrow at her. "Such as?"

"Animal rights?" She suggested. "It works because, well, I have Nymeria and we can help animal pounds with adoptions or conservations. And also, maybe after we establish our construction company, we can do community developments—housing for people in need of decent homes."

Ned slowly smiled. "Cupcake, you may be onto something." He paused, then cleared his throat. "Alright, I'll call Jon and discuss it."

"Wait, so, you mean, you agree?" She asked.

Ned nodded.

Arya screamed in delight. "Thank you, Daddy." She ran to his side and gave her father a peck on his cheek. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"But," He spoke up. "After you go trekking, I'm taking away your credit cards."

"What?" She made a face at him. "Daddy, I'm not a big spender, and I don't go shopping like Sansa."

"Your sister is an accountant, she knows how money works." He pointed out. "But you don't." He sighed. "You don't go directly to the top, you start climbing from the bottom to the top. You may remember that Robb didn't become CEO right away, right?"

"Yes."

"Consider this your training ground, Cupcake," Ned said. "And if you can run the Winter Rose Foundation on Jon's behalf, I will have no problems with you running your own company."

"I guess," Arya shrugged, then sighed. "Ugh, fine. But thanks again, Daddy. Also, I'm bringing Nymeria with me."

"Alright," He agreed. "So, Mount Alarra, huh? I'm guessing you're going to Highpoint. Do you need a ride to get there? What time are you leaving?" He asked.

"I'm not sure yet about the time," She admitted. "But I'm pretty sure, we'll leave in the morning. I still have to clarify the time though. And they had offered to pick me up, so transportation is not a problem."

After Arya bargained with her Dad, she had informed Gendry through text that she was coming with them while walking back to her room.

He called her in return immediately.

"What?" She answered.

"Arya, hey," Gendry greeted from the other line. "So, you made your Dad say yes, huh? You are good."

"It's a long story," She replied. "And don't ask how."

"Okay, then," Gendry said. "Anyways, we'll pick you up at seven in the morning—"

"We?" She asked.

"Hot Pie's with me." He explained. "And we're—where are we?"

"Pinewoods Hotel," She could hear Hot Pie's voice. "In the Uptown District."

Her eyes widened. "Oh my gods, you're really in Winterfell?" She asked. "I thought you were kidding."

"I told you earlier, didn't I?" He reminded her. "Oh, also, I found Stark Manor on google maps. It's only then I realized you're not far from the Wolf Pines National Park."

"Yeah, it's literally right over our fence." She informed.

"Oh, cool!" Gendry exclaimed.

"Okay, Baratheon," Arya interjected. "I need to sleep. Good night."

"See you tomorrow." He said before Arya hung up.

That night, she had also tried calling Bran, hoping to get some answers on the things Rickon had told her earlier. But he never answered, and it was like he turned off his phone—which had never happened before.

Arya had packed trekking essentials before going to sleep that night. She had a tent, a sleeping bag, the Swiss army knife Jon had given her, a flashlight with extra batteries, a small first aid kit, a lighter, food and water (of course), and extra clothes. For Nymeria, she packed a small double bowl feeder that can store food and water at the same time, dog food she had placed in Ziploc bags for Nymeria's meals.

The following morning, she woke up earlier than she usually does and got ready. She got her stuff down on the foyer and strapped Nymeria with her harness leash before going to the dining hall for breakfast.

Her parents and her older brother and sister were there, all dressed up and ready for work on a Saturday. Rickon was obviously still snoring away, as on the normal weekends he'd usually wake up at noon, just in time for lunch.

As she walked past Robb to her seat, he looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you all dressed up like you're going for a hike?" He asked.

"I am," She replied smugly as she got food for herself.

Sansa turned to their parents. "You allowed this to happen?" She demanded.

"I never agreed to it," Their Mom, Catelyn spoke up. "It was your father's decision."

"Just leave your sister be," Ned said.

"It's not fair!" Sansa complained. "How am I not allowed to go do that?"

"Because you're freakin' high maintenance, that's why!" Arya snapped. "You'd probably freak out if your hair turns into a hairsicle. And I don't have psychotic, stalker ex-boyfriends who are after me."

"Arya," Ned interrupted. "Let's not go there again." He warned.

"On the contrary, baby sis," Robb said, obviously trying to ease the rising tension. "You better take some badass pictures."

Arya snorted. "Of course, big bro."

Suddenly in the middle of eating breakfast, Jory Cassel, their head of security came bursting into the dining hall and whispered something in their father's ear.

Whatever the news was, it made Ned Stark frown. "Arya," He called. "The guards said there's a guy, driving a Lamborghini at the gates, looking for you."

"What?" Robb and Sansa exclaimed at the same time.

"Oh, if it's Gendry Baratheon, let him in," Arya assured. "He's the one picking me up."

Ned nodded, prompting Jory to talk to someone on his earpiece. "Let them in."

"Oh, and Jory," Arya called. "I need help with my stuff, please. It's all in the foyer."

"Of course, Miss Arya." Jory obliged, then disappeared into the hallway.

"Thank you." She said as she hurriedly finished her breakfast.

Robb turned to her curiously. "I didn't know you were friends with Gendry Baratheon."

"What in seven hells are you doing with Joffrey's brother?" Sansa demanded. "When did you even start hanging out?"

"In Harrenhal," Arya blurted out as she stood from her seat. "And before you ask your questions: no, he didn't ask me out; no, I didn't sleep with him; and we all went out as a group together after the last day of the seminar." She explained. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Jorelle Mormont."

She waved everyone goodbye before calling out to Nymeria, who was eating out of her bowl in the kitchen and clipped the leash onto her harness.

Arya headed to the foyer to see their front door open and saw Jory Cassel carrying her stuff to Gendry's car's trunk with Hot Pie's help.

A soft pat on her shoulder startled her. "Do you have everything you need, Cupcake?" Her father's voice followed.

She turned to her Dad. "Yes, Daddy," Then she frowned, as she swung her white parka jacket over her shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to meet Gendry," Ned replied. "Haven't seen him in years since he went to live in Storm's End."

Outside, their cars were parked out front as usual. Robb's grey Lamborghini Aventador, Sansa's rose gold Lexus ES 350, their Mom's white Volvo and their black Mercedes-Benz family SUV—which their Dad used to get to places. It's like a car show, basically.

Gendry was dressed in his usual plain white t-shirt, trousers, and hiking boots. Hot Pie, however, had a jacket and a beanie on his head.

"Gendry, it's been a long time," Ned greeted.

Gendry turned and his eyes widened. "Mr. Stark, good morning."

"Well, I have to say it," Ned said. "You look like your Dad when he was your age."

Gendry snorted. "It's not the first time I've heard that, believe me."

"That makes two of us." She muttered.

Ned cleared his throat. "Anyways, I would like to personally apologize," He said. "In my daughter's behalf for crashing your car."

Gendry looked surprised and turned to her.

"It's on the news," She informed. "And the papers. So technically, I have no excuse."

"Actually, sir," Gendry said turning back to Ned. "If Arya hadn't done that, there may have been casualties that night. She technically saved pedestrians."

Yes, Arya thought. And some weird-looking monk who offered her a favor and an iron coin.

"And," Gendry continued. "Because we helped catch a fugitive, the Harrenhal Police Department agreed to fix the car."

Ned stared at her intently, like he knew someone who did a similar thing.

"Uh, anyways," Arya spoke up. "We have to go." She kissed her father on his cheek. "Bye, Daddy."

Ned regained his composure and smiled. "Alright, you kids have fun." He said, before walking back to the porch.

Arya handed Gendry the dog seatbelt and he started to attach it to the backseat.

"Okay," Gendry pulled out his head from the car. "It's set."

"Oh, by the way," Arya said as gently patted her dog's head. "This is Nymeria."

"Holy crap," Gendry exclaimed. "I underestimated her size."

"Uh," Hot Pie spoke up. "Does it bite?"

"Not unless you piss me off."

Hot Pie turned pale.

Arya chuckled. "I'm kidding." She said. "She doesn't really bite. And if she does, it's because she's defending me or a friend."

Gendry bent down and reached out his hand. "Hello, Nymeria,"

Nymeria sniffed Gendry's hand. Then she licked it and started wagging her tail.

"Aww, she likes you already." Arya noticed. "Consider yourself lucky, Baratheon. It's rare when she does that."

Gendry had then scratched Nymeria's neck. "Aww, you know for a huge dog," He said, still caressing her furs. "You're so adorable."

"How about you fasten her seatbelt on her already," She suggested. "So we can leave."

"Right," Gendry said, patting the back seat. "Come on, girl."

Surprisingly, Nymeria listened to him and jumped onto the backseat. Gendry had then strapped her to the seat.

Arya had then got into the car and sat next to Nymeria.

"What are you doing there, Miss Arya?" Hot Pie asked. "Your seat is on the shotgun."

"If I sit there," Arya responded. "You'd be stuck on the backseat with Nymeria for the rest of the ride to Highpoint. And I'm pretty sure you'll be at the edge of your seat the whole time."

In the end, Gendry was on the wheel, Hot Pie was on the shotgun, and Arya was at the back with Nymeria.

"So next stop, Highpoint." Gendry announced.

"You did bring extra jackets, right?" Arya asked.

"I don't need one," Gendry insisted. "I'm enjoying the summer breeze."

"I already have one," Hot Pie pointed out. "I didn't know it was this cold up here."

"Guys, we're only in Winterfell," She brought up. "Highpoint is the coldest city in the North. And its normal temperatures range from fifteen degrees Celsius to zero."

"Whoa," Gendry said in amazement. "That's cool, literally."

"That's only in the summer," She said. "Winters are the worst. The lowest recorded temp was minus sixty-seven degrees Celsius—that's why they don't allow trekking in the winter. And since we're going trekking up, temperatures will continue to drop, even in the summer. So, I suggest you buy a jacket if you don't want to meet a friend named Hypothermia."

On her insistence, both Gendry and Hot Pie each bought jackets (Yep, Hot Pie bought another one) in the nearest clothing store before taking the road to Highpoint.

"Alright," Gendry said. "Brace yourselves, it's gonna be a two-hour drive to Highpoint."

"What?" Arya shrieked. "Which route are we taking?"

"The Wolfswood Drive, and then—"

"Fuck, it'll take forever to get there." She complained. "First, you'll have to worry about traffic congestion because there might be a deer or a wild animal in the middle of the highway, and then you'd still pass the town of Ironrath, before getting to Highpoint."

"So what?" Gendry shrugged. "We don't have a choice unless you know another route that's faster."

Arya leaned in forward and pressed a button on Gendry's GPS for an alternative route to Highpoint from Winterfell. "There you go." She said. "It's only an hour drive from here. And southrons like you won't care about it, because you'll probably make a stop in Ironrath."

"Oh, wow," Gendry gasped. "Even the GPS in cars are programmed with marketing strategies. I didn't know that."

"Well, you're lucky there's a Northerner in your car." She said. "Anyways, officially, it's called Rickard's Road—after my grandfather because he was the one who had it built. But locals called it the Howling Road because you'll often hear wolves howling, especially at night. Also, it's the only road going through the Wolf Pines National Park."

As they drove through the Howling Road, Gendry, being his stubborn self, decided to keep the driver's seat window open because he wanted to hear wolves howling.

They definitely heard wolves howling. But forgetting the fact that Nymeria was in the car with them, was a completely wrong decision. Nymeria started howling as soon as they started hearing howls halfway through the drive and she only stopped when Arya insisted on closing the driver's window.

The entrance to Highpoint from the Howling Road had a massive wolf's head carved on into part of its granite face of the hill. The wolf's head was a monument to Arya's grandfather, Rickard Stark, who was killed in a bombing in King's Landing long before she was born.

The others were already there when they arrived. As it turned out, all the others stayed in Moat Cailin for a night before travelling to Highpoint.

Gendry held the list of activities that they were going to do on their overnight team-building exercises informed the others on what to do. And since there were eighteen of them, Stormbreaker had hired two guides for the hike with them being split into two groups.

Before trekking, the guides gave them a brief orientation on Mount Alarra. The first group went ahead, while the second group only started trekking when the first group disappeared into the morning mist. They were purposely separated to avoid disorientation and confusion due to their large number.

Arya was with Gendry, Hot Pie, Jorelle Mormont, Harald Karstark, and four others, plus their guide. Nymeria stayed close to her, thankfully, not leaving her side to go ahead and explore.

The guide said that the hike is around three hours from the base at Highpoint to the peak. It's basically cheating because the city of Highpoint is already on top of a hill (which they had already achieved by car transportation), so they only have to hike a few more hundred meters to the peak.

They also started trekking at eight in the morning, which is not usually applicable in the south since the sun is already up and its heat can burn your skin. But since they were in the North, there's not much sun than there is in the south, so it was mostly fine.

When they were almost to the campsite a few meters from the peak, Nymeria howled—which Arya had found odd.

And then they heard screams and heavy footsteps coming towards them and saw the people from the first group running back towards the way they came.

"WOLF!" Someone screamed.

Everyone from Arya's group looked ahead and saw what the others had meant. Something was indeed, coming towards them. They scattered when they saw it. Everyone but Arya.

Gendry grabbed her arm. "Come on," He insisted.

But Arya was more curious than scared, so she stood her ground. She didn't think it was a threat, whatever it was, because Nymeria was all chill.

Her dog wasn't even barking her warning bark and standing in her defensive stance—she was, instead, wagging her tail excitedly, like a friend was coming closer.

An animal sprinted towards them. Specifically, towards her. And as it got closer, she began to recognize it.

"Summer?" She said in disbelief.

That's right, it is Summer—Bran's dog.

And that's when Summer tackled her to the ground and started licking her face. Her other companions must've thought "the wolf" was biting her face off and they were screaming in panic.

"Arya!" Gendry screamed trying to get to her.

Arya sat up and pushed Summer away from her face. "Alright, boy," She said. "I missed you too."

Now, both Nymeria and Summer were nuzzling their head at her hands, which resulted in her stroking their hides.

Arya sighed. "You're both making me look bad." She said as she stood.

Then she noticed her other companions, staring at her petrified and in awe.

"Oh, um," She started to say. "It's okay everyone. False alarm, it's not a wolf. And I'm okay, he didn't bite my face off, he was just saying hi." She assured. "He's my dog's littermate, it's fine."

Gendry approached her, looking pale himself. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, touching her face and raising her arms, searching for scratches and bite marks.

Arya swatted his hand away. "I'm fine." She insisted. "It's just how he says hi."

Then she noticed that Summer had the leash from his harness was cut unintentionally, like he escaped. But why in seven hells would Summer be doing on Mt. Alarra?

"Oh my gods!" Arya exclaimed, stupidly only now realizing the truth. She knelt before Summer. "If you're here, then—?"

"SUMMER!" A panicked, male voice called out.

Arya could see silhouettes of four people from the mist, running from uphill, and frantically looking around.

"Summer!" The voice called again, but this time the voice was familiar.

Arya gripped Summer's leash tight, as he was trying to run to whoever called his name. But since he was restrained, he barked loud.

"Summer?" A male voice called out again.

Yep, it's him. Arya thought.

One of the four people came closer and Arya recognized who the person was from his composure alone. Red hair, navy blue parka jacket, tall and skinny…

"Hello, little brother," She greeted.

It was indeed, her brother, Bran.

Bran's eyes widened when he saw her. The other three people he was with, came to stand beside him. And Arya recognized them to be Asher Forrester, Jojen Reed—Meera's brother, and Lyanna Mormont. And all four of them had confused expressions on their faces.

Arya raised an eyebrow at them. "What the fuck are you all doing up here?"