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The Starks siblings had said their farewells to Jon Snow only a month ago and a couple of days later Sansa had taken her leave. Arya’s ship had been a priority; one of the perks of being the Breaker of Dawn, Night King slayer or whatever people chose to call her nowadays. Today she would be leaving King’s Landing as well.
She sheathed her dagger and glanced sideways at Gendry while securing her jerkin. Yawning, he stretched like a cat and put his arms behind his head. His blue eyes had been examining her for hours already, as he’d retold the story about each bruise and scar that Arya told him about weeks ago. Now he stared at the open window, his face moody as if considering taking the morning on for a fight.
“You could always stay a while…” He said, breaking the comfortable silence. Arya sat down next to him, one hand drifting to caress his strong chest.
“You could always come with.” She responded.
He freed one of his arms to grab her hand.
“Go west…” He said and his chest moved as he laughed. “An adventure, for sure.”
But they’d gone through this. Although he’d easily would have given up everything for her, and she truly believed he would, he couldn’t. Arya knew he had to make it right to all the people who had suffered from the dragon queen’s attack in King’s Landing. She knew he would offer them a home, stability, in Storm’s End. A new beginning. He’d joked about renaming it Bastard’s End, a place for all the bastards and orphans to find peace.
“…Maybe next time.” She whispered as she leaned down for another kiss.
She didn’t know how many more of those she had.
“Why’d you have to go and get dressed?” Gendry groaned and brought her hand from his chest to his lips.
“I’m leaving.” Her voice was barely audible as she softened it, trying to soften the blow. But he’d known for a while.
*
Bran had been named king and Arya had thrown a long look at Gendry. As the other lord’s and ladies left, she made her way over to where he sat. Sansa glanced at her sister for a bit, before nodding and disappearing with the rest. He just sat there, looking dashing in his house colours and that eternal frown.
“M'lord.” She said and smirked as she made the sloppiest curtsy in history.
He tried to hold his frown for yet another second before snorting and giving in to laughter. She smiled smugly at him, then dropped the smile when she realised she didn’t know what was acceptable anymore. Could she simply embrace him? Had he already moved on? Did he still find her beautiful after she’d refused him and left without an explanation?
She found out she needn’t worry as he reached for her hands. He smiled up to her, eyes crinkled in the sunlight but she still made out the blue in them.
“Sorry, Arya. The lordship went straight to my head. I know what I asked of you, I know you didn’t want it and I asked it anyway. I’m fine just having this.”
“I’m leaving.” She said and realised too late that she could have eased him into it. There was hurt in his eyes as he let go of her hands and looked away. “Come with me?”
His head moved abruptly as he looked up to her again. She brought her hands up to cup his face.
“We’ll go west, you and I. We’ll explore lands never heard of before. Can you even imagine? We know nothing of what lays west.” Excited, her words almost stumbled from her mouth. “What if we are the first men, for once? Well, first man and woman.” Her laughter died down as she registered his troubled look.
“I want to.” The frown on his brow said otherwise. “I do, but… Arya, think of everything I could do. Not for the lord’s and the ladies… The rest. Those who live one day at the time, who only know the sweat on their brow? I don’t know how to make it better… I don’t know the first thing about being a lord, but…”
“-But you have to try.”
And she understood. Of course she understood, this was Gendry. This was the boy she fell in love with, who grew up to become a man who, somehow, still had faith in those around him. Arya leaned down and kissed him softly. His hands went directly around her waist and pulled her close to him. Resting her forehead on his, she said:
“You will try, Lord Baratheon. And you will succeed. I can’t wait to see it with my own eyes upon my return.”
*
He sighted and caressed her hand. He finally met her gaze with his and smiled sadly.
“I know.”
Arya wondered what she would do with herself the moment she woke up and found herself alone on a bed out at sea without his warmth around her. She’d grown to cherish even his snores during the time they’d shared a bed, ever since Bran became king.
Of course people had noticed, but if anybody had anything to say about it, it had not been in front of her. She doubted they would’ve dared to.
She’d already started to sweat when they stood on the docks later that day. Bran and his entourage where there to bid their farewells and the crew had just finished loading the last of the wine she planned on selling on her way west. As excited she was for the new adventure, she knew the tightness in her chest was entirely because of the obvious signs of her time running out. Turning to her brother, she knelt and bowed her head.
“Your grace.” She offered as a single formality, then stood again. “Bran.”
“Safe travels, sister.” Then he nodded and gestured towards Gendry.
He stood further down the docks, hands behind his back and eyes intent on the horizon.
“Getting cold feet?”
Instead of laughing, he turned to look at her quietly. Suddenly the moment felt much more serious than she had planned. She shifted uneasily from one foot to another.
“Will you come back to me?” He said and closed the distance between them in two steps.
She tried joking it off again.
“You’ll probably have an entire army of children when I get back-”
“Arya, please. Say you’ll come back to me.”
Her face fell. It was dumb. She didn’t know when or if she’d be back. Now, if she did, he would probably have some else to call beautiful by then. It was so dumb yet she wanted to say it, even if it was only true in this moment.
“I’ll come back to you.” Arya said, cheeks red but her eyes never left his.
With a smile, Gendry pulled her close to him and kissed her fiercely. Her heart clenched and, in those precious seconds, she never wanted to leave.
He broke the kiss, leaving her wanting for more. She wouldn’t put it past him. As she stared him in the eyes, the same blue as the blue sea she was about to defy, he tightened his grip on her hands for a moment, steeling himself, then let go and said:
“Go.”