Chapter Text
It wasn't until Thoros agreed to marry her and Gendry that Arya realized that might have skipped a few steps here. While the two of them had traveled together for years, they had only confessed their feelings for each other recently. This was fast, and she wasn't entirely sure he would say "yes." Arya gave him her maidenhead, and now it was time to give him everything else. She excused herself from the conversation with Thoros and Beric to go find Gendry.
Arya found him working on something that he put away when she walked into the room. It wasn't any of her business what he decided to spend his time on and didn't press him to tell her what he was working on. He turned around and smiled at her softly.
"You were right," she said.
"It does happen sometimes," Gendry replied. "But what specifically are we talking about?"
"You warned me that someone might try to blame you for my decisions regarding my body, and it happened. So, you were right to be worried." Arya couldn't remember the last time she had been so afraid than when the Brotherhood seemed keen to punish Gendry.
"And I knew it would happen eventually." He shrugged like him nearly getting his throat cut wasn't that big of a deal. "And you protected me just like you promised you would. It probably won't be the last time it happens. I knew what I was signing up for."
"You don't regret it?" she asked, surprised at how quiet her voice was. Gendry frowned and walked up to her taking her hands into his.
"Do you?" he asked, and Arya shook her head. "Then, we're okay."
"Marry me," Arya said without hesitating for a moment. There were probably better ways to go about asking, and she was pretty sure the man was supposed to ask the woman, but everything about her life with Gendry wasn't conventional. She didn't know why their marriage would be anything different. If the question weren't so, serious Arya would have been amused by how struck dumb Gendry seemed to be. He was staring at her like she grew a second head or had completely lost her mind.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I want to get married. I already asked Thoros, and he said he would perform the ceremony. We just need to find a Heart Tree because I want a Northern ceremony," Arya said, and she could see the wheels in his head-turning. "I know you don't have a last name, and I don't care. The two of us not having a last name is safer and, someday, if it's safe for the two of us, I want you to have the Stark name. You're my family, and I want to stand in front of my father's Gods and claim you as my own." He was still staring at her like he couldn't believe what was happening, and it was beginning to get on her nerves. This was an important moment, and he needed to say something.
So Arya went from a little annoyed to outright mad when Gendry shook his head and began to laugh softly to himself. She took her hands out of his and shoved Gendry back a few steps.
"This isn't funny!" Arya said. She went to push him again, but Gendry managed to grab her arms and pull her close to his body.
"You are absolutely mad," he said, and he was still laughing. "Someone tries to kill me because they thought I might have touched you, and your reaction is "let's get married." And then, on top of everything else, you make sure someone will perform the ceremony before even asking me. You are completely mad, and I wouldn't have you any other way. You're my family, and I love you. Yes, I will marry you, Arya Stark."
It wasn't easy to kiss someone when you were both grinning like idiots, but Arya managed to find a way. She thought about her father and how he promised to find someone good to marry. Arya thought about how close he and Robert were in their youth and how much Robert wanted to join their houses. Perhaps Gendry wasn't exactly what her father had in mind for her husband, but Arya liked to think he would have approved.
+++
It turned out that finding a Heart Tree in the middle of the Riverlands was not as easy as Arya thought it would be. They could travel further North, and she did want to someday soon, but that would mean Thoros couldn't perform the ceremony, and she wanted this official. Gendry seemed perfectly fine to shut himself in the forge and work on as many weapons and armor that anyone wanted. There were times he would send a dirty look to various members of the Brotherhood that had stood by and nearly let him get sold but didn't seem to be holding it against anyone too much. It wasn't easy to try and forgive these men for this indiscretion, but it was okay in the end. She got him away, and they were both okay. Now she was relying on them to find her a Heart Tree to get married in front of.
It took the better part of two weeks for someone to find a Heart Tree buried deep in the Riverlands, and even then, it was small and looked like it might be dying. Arya tried not to read into that too much, but she squeezed Gendry's hand. She didn't like the reminder that the North wasn't the same without her family, but there wasn't anything she could do about it right now. Right now, she just wanted to make a difference for anyone she could and be with the man she loved.
The night before the ceremony, Gendry took her hand and led her into the woods away from the camp. Arya tried to ignore the looks that the various Brotherhood members were giving them, but it crawled on her skin like an insect. She was looking forward to it just being the two of them again.
"What are we doing out here?" she asked.
"I wanted to show you something, but I didn't want to surprise you tomorrow," Gendry replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out two iron bands. Her hands were shaking a little as Arya took one into her hands and looked it over. There were tiny direwolves carved into the band, and the detail on them was impressive. It must have taken him days, perhaps even longer than the two weeks they've spent looking for a tree, and hidden among the wolves was a lone bull. "You told me that wolves are packs. I thought this would be a good way to show that you are taking me into your pack."
"How long did this take you?" Arya whispered as she looked at the rings. They were perfect and exactly what she wanted.
"Longer than two weeks," Gendry replied quickly like he was worried about that answer.
"They're perfect." Arya threw her arms around Gendry's neck and held on as if for dear life. They were going to be family tomorrow, and she couldn't wait. It was going to finally be official. They walked back to the camp hand in hand and told every Brotherhood member that made some sort of remark to fuck off.
+++
The next morning it was time to hike to the tree. It was several hours away and not an easy hike. Arya wasn't looking forward to walking all the way back, but at least they were only carrying some of their weapons and not all of them. The party consisted of Beric, Thoros, Anguy, and a handful of other Brotherhood members that promised not to make any smart remarks of themselves. The tree finally came into view, and Arya felt her nerves for the first time. It wasn't that she had any doubt, that was the last thing she had for Gendry, but she still felt her stomach twist.
Thoros only knew some of the Northern ceremonies, and Arya only remembered some of it. They walked before the tree, and Thoros smiled drunkenly at the two of them.
"If the Gods have taught me anything over the years, it's that they don't care about technicalities when it comes to these sorts of things," he slurred, and Beric rolled his eyes. "If you know what you want, then the Gods know what you want. Gendry, do you take this woman?"
"I take this woman," Gendry said.
"Arya Stark, do you take this man?"
"I take this man," she said. Arya took Gendry's hand, and the two of them knelt in front of the tree and bowed their heads. She wasn't sure if she believed anymore, the world was so horrible Arya wasn't sure how anyone could, but she believed in the man holding her hand. So she prayed that they would be safe in this crazy world, and she prayed that they would always depend on each other.
In the other weddings, Arya had seen the man took the woman's cloak and put his own on her to take her into the family. She spoke with Gendry, and the two of them agreed that they would be exchanging cloaks since they were taking each other into their families. Their cloaks were dark and practical, and the only difference between them was the length. They looked a little comical with their cloaks, but Arya didn't care. Gendry placed the ring he made her on her finger, and she put the ring on his.
When they kissed, they kissed as a married couple, and Arya swore she could feel her long-dead family's presence.
+++
They didn't stay with the Brotherhood much longer than that which Arya was more than fine with. Even though they were married now, several members of the Brotherhood still looked at Gendry like he was the enemy, and it made Arya nervous. She didn't want to give those people a chance to hurt the only person she had left in the world. So they left and continued to work as the Bull and the Wolf throughout all of Westeros. They traveled back to the Stormlands, and they both did their best to ignore the way the older people would look at them. They got close enough to King's Landing that they could see the top of the Red Keep but never returned to the city. The cities were dangerous, so they kept to the small villages. However, that meant there was little in the way of information.
There were rumors, and some people said that Sansa was alive and married to the Bolton's. There were rumors that things at the Wall were very bad, and after nearly a year of working throughout Westeros, she turned to Gendry one night that they were sleeping under the stars.
"I'd like to go North," she said.
"How far North this time?" Gendry asked.
"The Wall. I want to see Jon, I'm ready to see him," she said. Gendry froze for a moment as he poked at the fire, and she could see the tension in his shoulders. She knew what he was thinking; Gendry was supposed to be on the Wall with the other bastards and criminals. If they went there now, there was a chance that someone could try to take him from her. Arya was ready to argue, maybe even fight, about this when he shook his head as if to clear his vision.
"if that's what you want, then we'll make our way up there." That night Arya held Gendry close and thanked all of the gods that she could think of that she had this man in her life. They began to make their way North the next day but continued to stop in villages and kill Lannister bannerman to steal supplies as they went. When they would ride into villages, people would immediately thank them and even throw them a few feasts. Arya tried to keep it from happening, but she could see that they were happy to repay her and Gendry for their hard work.
Arya continued to train with every single man or woman that she could find. She learned more styles of fighting and became even more confident with her weapons in hand. Gendry's smithing skills were masterful, and on more than one occasion, she thought about what he could do with his own shop. Those were dreams for a different time, and she didn't dare bring them up now.
The village was near the Twins, and Arya could feel the cold of the North starting to settle into her bones. It was a good feeling and one that she had missed in the sweltering South.
"I'm going to freeze up there," Gendry said as they held each other in a small room in an inn.
"I'll keep you warm," Arya promised with a wicked smile. She loved these moments where they got to simply be with each other. They were quiet, and they were some of the few times she saw Gendry smile broadly.
"My hero," he deadpanned as he leaned down to kiss her. The sound of pounding horses made them jerk apart from each other. It sounded like there were half a dozen riders at least running into the village. Arya glanced at Gendry, and the two of them slowly climbed out of bed and glanced out the window. There were Lannister soldiers all over the village with their weapons drawn, and Arya could hear a woman scream.
"Wolf and Bull!" a man yelled. "We know you're here. Surrender yourselves, or we'll lock these people in their houses and burn them to the ground!" Arya stepped away from the window and closed her eyes. She could hear people already getting rounded up, and there was the smell of torches. It was only a matter of time before the entire village was burning.
"Arya," Gendry whispered, and she opened her eyes.
"We can't let these people die for us," she said.
"I know," he replied without hesitation. "We knew this would happen someday." Arya nodded, she knew that too, but that didn't mean she was okay with it. Gendry took her hand and squeezed it tightly. There wasn't enough time to say everything she wanted to say to him, there was a chance these Lannister men would kill them both on the spot, and that broke her heart a little.
"I love you," Arya said.
"I love you too," Gendry replied. They strapped their weapons to their belts and backs because even though these men would take them away, Arya refused to meet them empty-handed. She couldn't fight, but she was going to die with Needle on her hip in memory of her family. She would die with the weapons that Gendry forged her nearby because it was important to both of them. Gendry nodded, and the two of them slowly walked out of the inn and into the village.
The Lannister soldier who yelled for them was smiling as they walked out of the shadows and into the clearing. It wasn't anyone she recognized from her time in King's Landing, but that didn't really mean anything right now. He was looking at the two of them, not like they were people but a treasure that he could keep. It made her skin crawl.
"Put your weapons on the ground," his voice was soft, and even but Arya could feel the threat in it. He would burn every single house to the ground and lock these innocent people inside so they would die slowly and painfully. It hurt, but she put Needle on the ground along with every other weapon strapped to her body. Gendry dropped his sword and his war hammer as they both stared this man down. "The Queen Mother has been seeking the two of you for a long time and maybe even longer. You will tell me your name or I will start slaughtering these people." He glanced at Gendry, crossed his arms, and waited. As he waited for their name, Arya realized that Cersei didn't just want Wolf and Bull, the man and woman killing her soldiers and stealing her supplies. She knew or at least suspected who they really were, which was much worse.
"Gendry," Gendry said after a moment of silence.
"A bastard then," the soldier said. "And if your father had acknowledged you, what would your last name be?"
"Waters. If my father had acknowledged me, my name would be Gendry Waters."
"A bastard from the Crownlands. How interesting," he said. "And what is your name, girl?"
"My name is Arya of House Stark," Arya said with her head held high. There was no point in denying it anymore since this man clearly knew who they were. What he didn't know was that they were married, and Arya didn't plan on telling him that. There was no telling what they would do to Gendry if they found out.
"As we thought, the Queen Mother has been searching for the two of you for a long, long time." He nodded, and several soldiers began to surround them. Arya wanted to fight back more than anything, but she couldn't let these people die. There was a wheeled cage just like the one Jaquan was put in when they made for the Wall, and Arya sneered as she was pushed toward it.
She stumbled when the soldiers pushed her in, and Gendry was right behind her. The door slamming shut and locking seemed to echo.
"She asked us to bring the two of you to her alive, and that is what I tend to do. If you think leaving this village behind means I won't find a way to hurt you, then you are sorely mistaken," the soldier said. "That being said, the Queen Mother didn't say either of you needed to be whole when you arrived. We have a long journey to King's Landing, and it would be in your best interests to sit there quietly." He turned to the other soldiers as they waited for orders. "Burn the village to the ground."
"You said you would spare them if we turned ourselves over you!" Arya yelled.
"These people willingly helped two traitors to the crown when they took the two of you in. As we travel south, we will stop by any village on the way, and if they ever helped either of you, we'll burn them to the ground too. You will see how your actions have impacted the people you were trying to help." He turned, and Arya could only watch as they began to light the buildings on fire. Gendry took her hand, and she held onto him as if for dear life. She wanted to scream, she wanted blood, but all Arya could see was the flames as a sense of failure seemed to sink into her very soul.