Chapter Text
“Don’t trust them,” Gendry said, stepping out of the shadows. “They sold me to the red woman.” The lad’s eyes were full of a stoic fury, a familiar sight to Davos. He’s still got fire in him.
Beric seemed to steel himself as he slumped in remorse, saying; “We needed the money. Though I am glad you’re alive, please believe me when I say that. Why didn’t she burn you?”
Gendry ignored this, his face taking on a single-minded intensity. “What happened to Arya?” he demanded, taking two long strides up to the bars, glaring at Thoros and Beric. He was not entirely successful in hiding the quiver in his voice. It was silent for a moment, as Beric tilted his head and one corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. Thoros sighed, and looked over to The Hound.
Davos noted that, of everyone in the room, only he and Tormund looked to Jon, though Tormund seemed confused more than anything. Of fucking course; he thought. Because being a Baratheon bastard isn’t enough, he knows his Grace’s baby sister as well. He would’ve said the gods have an odd sense of humor, if he believed in any of them.
“Answer me!” Gendry bellowed, the sound echoing through the stone. Davos had only seen the old King just the once, but he knew Stannis as well as anyone. There was Gendry’s inheritance. 'Ours is the fury' indeed.
From the other corner of the cell The Hound let out a coarse laugh. “Why the fuck do you care about the little Stark bitch?”
Gendry rounded to stare at him. “Because she was my friend,” Gendry’s anger was quieter now, and Davos noted how guilt had crept into the young man’s voice. “Because I spent the last five years not knowing if she’s alive or dead. Not knowing if it was my fault.”
Another silence. Davos looked to the King, wanting to know why he hadn’t said anything, asking with his eyes if he should step in. But Jon raised his hand only a few inches, just enough to indicate to wait. It was a similarity Jon had with Stannis, both Kings were perfectly comfortable saying little and less, preferring to let people tie their own nooses than interrogate them.
Clegane seemed to consider Gendry’s painfully honest answer before saying; “Like that then? Really? Never would’ve guessed you liked ‘em quite that young.”
It was clear the Hound was trying to make Gendry lose his temper, but it was also clear that Gendry didn’t care. With murder in his eyes he made towards the door to the cell, The Hound beginning to laugh as Beric stood to put himself in between them.
But before Gendry could get there, Jon spoke. “Gendry.” He said, his voice unearthly quiet. One word, and the room remembered they were in the presence of a King. For a man who doesn’t want to rule, Jon Snow is taking to it quite naturally.
Eyes lowered, breath heavy, Gendry regained control of himself and turned back towards the King. “Your Grace, it wasn’t- I would never- she was a child…” he spluttered off. Another deep breath.
“And just how did you know her?” Jon’s face was a picture of control, of perfectly constrained turmoil. Only Davos, and maybe Tormund, noticed the sadness behind the anger in his eyes. Perhaps I’m cursed to continue bringing Gendry before monarchs who would kill him. He certainly didn’t believe the Hound's accusation, but Gendry hadn’t told the King he knew his sister at all.
Davos had seen his King charge an army single-handedly for his brother, had seen him help his sister feed her rapist to rabid dogs. Jon had told him how it was only his new brother's intervention that kept him from deserting the Night’s Watch after he heard about his father's death. Davos knew better than anyone in the room what the King in the North was capable of for his family.
“We were travelling together. To the Wall.” Gendry said. The truth, yes, but not enough. The King’s face did not move, and the lad kept talking.
“A black brother, Yoren, was taking a group of us out of King’s Landing. She told me she was in Baelor’s square when your Lord father was beheaded, in the crowd. That Yoren found her there.”
Jon’s eyes betrayed nothing, but his fist gripped his sword ever tighter.
“He disguised her as a boy, but I wasn’t fooled. We were attacked by gold cloaks on the road. She was sure they were there for her, but they were there for me. Didn’t know why at the time. Apparently Queen Cersei wasn’t too keen on leaving her husband's bastards around. Arya saved my life, told the gold cloaks one of the boys they’d already killed was me. That was when she told me who she was. Yoren was dead, the others left us behind. We were alone, just us and Hot Pie... and Lommy while he lasted. We survived. Together. I thought I was leading us at the time, but she’s the reason any of us survived. Eventually we were captured and taken to Harrenhal, waiting to be tortured until Lord Tywin got there. But she broke us out. And after that the Brotherhood found us.”
Jon said nothing, merely turning, eyes scanning over Thoros, landing on Beric.
“Aye, we found them. Fierce little thing, half his size, standing in front of him and waving around the smallest sword I’ve ever seen. Threatening each and every one of us a horrible death if we came any closer.” Beric paused as Thoros chuckled at the memory. Davos noticed the King's small intake of breath, surprise, pain perhaps?
Beric continued. “To the boys credit, he didn’t tell us who she was. We captured Clegane not long after we found the children and he told us. We were going to take her to the Twins, to her mother and brother.”
Here Gendry cut in, his voice so quiet Davos’s heart began to break for the boy all over again. “She begged me to come with her. To make swords for her brother, the King in the North.” At this, he made eye contact with Jon, meaning heavy in his eyes. Oh, lad. No wonder you were ready to go. “She said she could be my family and I said no.” He paused, closed his eyes for a moment, breathing slow again. “Then they sold me to the Red Witch and I’ve heard nothing since.”
Jon, who had been staring Gendry down throughout this confession, looked to Davos, and then to his feet. Davos wished the King would say something, tell him Arya was alive and home. The lad was in agony. But as he opened his mouth, Jon spoke over him.
“Was she at the Red Wedding?” the King asked Beric, with a glance to Thoros as something of an afterthought.
“No, your Grace. She ran off befo-” Thoros was interrupted.
“Yes,” Clegane said, refusing to meet Jon’s cold burning eyes. “I took her to the Twins. We got there just as the slaughter was ending. I had to knock her out to keep her from charging in. After that she kept killing every fucking Frey we ran into on the road. I took her to the Eyrie, to see if I could sell her to her Aunt Lysa. But that crazy old cunt had gone and offed herself only a few days before we got there. Her next closest family was you, up at the fucking Wall, and before I could figure out how to fucking get us there that giant bitch found us. Fought me, won, Brienne of fucking Tarth, and the little wolf cunt left me for dead.”
Out of the corner of his eye Davos noticed that at the mention of Brienne, Tormund's face lit up and his mouth began to open. Davos caught Jorah’s eye, pleading, and Jorah pulled Tormund back before he could launch into another ode to Brienne’s magnificence.
“Don’t call her that.” Gendry said quietly.
The Hound finally stood up, at his height only needing one step to stand right up next to the bars in Gendry’s face. “I’ll call her whatever I fucking want. Was it you feeding her, protecting her, keeping her from murdering everyone in sight-”
“YES IT WAS,” Gendry yelled, cutting him off with an intensity that surprised the lad himself more than anyone else. Quietly this time, his voice full of regret, and sadness, and a helplessness Davos couldn’t help but hear; “Yes it was.”
Davos saw something shift in the king’s face. He was done letting them talk.
“Enough.” Jon almost growled. “I assume no one here found her again after this? Ser Jorah, Tormund, you don’t have any secrets about my family you haven’t shared?” Davos snorted, and the others remained silent, Jorah’s gaze hardening. “Good. Arya is alive. I don’t know where she’s been since you lost her but she arrived at Winterfell not long after I left. Davos, get them out of there and tell them where we’re going. Gendry, with me.”