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Arya Stark was celebrating the summer of her 18th year when she first met Gendry Waters at the local ice cream shop. She had almost managed to walk right into his broad chest and cover it with chocolate mint. He had stepped back just enough to avoid the spill but she still felt the need to apologize, “I am so sorry.”
“No harm.” He replied and she looked into his eyes, blue and deep and memorizing.
“I still feel bad, can I buy you a cone?” She asked, trying her best to be flirty even though she had never accomplished that before.
“No one is expecting you?” He asked in return
She shook her head, “I wanted something sweet and no one else did. Want to join me?”
He seemed to consider it for a moment before saying, “Okay, but I get my own ice cream. Find us a seat?”
She nodded and moved to grab an empty bench just outside the parlor that overlooked the lake. It didn’t take him too long to join her with his own ice cream, chocolate fudge she guessed.
She smiled at him, “I’m Arya.”
“Gendry.” He said before taking a lick of his ice cream.
She used the opportunity to give him a look over, noticing the small oil stain on the sleeve of his shirt, “What do you do for a living?”
“Handyman.” He replied and eyed her as well, “You?”
“Just finished school. I haven’t really decided what I want to do next.” She answered, not adding that her mother had very set opinions for her daughter, and just hadn’t realized Arya wouldn’t be doing them.
“What do you like doing?”
“Writing.” She replied, thinking of all the little short stories she had hidden away in a box under her bed, “But my mother would never approve of that.”
“She has her own idea for you I’m guessing.”
She nodded, “My mother is old fashioned, the woman’s place is at home, raising the children while standing pretty at her husband’s side.” She shook her head, “That isn’t me.”
He frowned, “She just planned to pass you off to the first rich man she finds then?”
She shrugged, “That is basically what happened with my sister.”
They sat in silence for a few moments, just eating their melting ice cream before he said, “I know we just met, so you don’t have to take my advice, but you should do what makes you happy, not your mother.”
“You are right, we have just met.” She said, “But, I have felt more comfortable with you in these last 20 minutes than I have with my mother for years.”
“Sometimes it is easier to talk to a stranger than someone in your family.” He replied and she thought she heard something sad in his tone.
“Know that from experience?”
He shook his head, “Never really had a family but people like to talk to me while I am working, you learn a lot.”
She chewed as she had gotten to the cone and thought about her new friend, what had even compelled her to talk to him? She had always been the type of person to make friends wherever she went, but nothing had ever felt like this before. She smield at him, “Have you always lived her in Storm’s End?”
He shook his head, “Lived in King’s Landing most my life, moved out here a few years ago. It is different but I like it.”
She nodded, “We are just here visiting family friends for the summer, I am from Winterfell.”
“Northern girl, should have guessed from the accent.” He teased, and then he seemed to have a thought, “You know about the festival going on tomorrow night?”
She nodded.
“Want to meet me there, at the ticket booth, at say 5?” He asked, and she could see the nervousness in his tone.
She smiled, “I’d love too.”
The smile he gave her in return was brilliant, and she was sure she would never forget it.
The summer flew by in a whirlwind of young love, at least that was how she described it to her best friend Meera when she returned to Winterfell at the end of August. She could not believe how close she had grown to a boy she had just met but she could not stop the way her heart had beat in his presence. How it had felt for him to kiss her gently in the back of his truck as they listened to the waves crash into the cliffs and the stars shined on them. He showed her a house he had inherited, the reason he had moved out to Storm’s End in the first place, that he was fixing up while he lived in an shed on the property. When she had imagined losing her virginity, she had assumed it would happened on her wedding night, like a proper lady. Instead it was in the lumpy bed of that shed and she had never felt so alive.
Leaving him behind was hard but she didn’t have a choice, she had classes to attend at Northern University. He had encouraged her to go, see if it could help her find her path, and promised they would stay in touch.
She had promised to send the first letter, so he would know when she had made it home.
Gendry,
I have made it home to Winterfell safely. It is weird to say I miss you already? I know it hasn’t even been a full week since I last saw you. I told Merra, my best friend, all about you. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can figure out when you two can meet, it is important that you can tolerate each other. I kid about that, but it would be nice. She is more a sister to me than Sansa is most of the time.
Anything exciting new things that you got to fix?
I don’t really know what else to say in this letter. Once school starts I should have many more things to share with you. I miss you.
Love, Arya
XX
Arya,
I miss you as well. I had not realized how much of my time started involving you until I was back to being without you nearly everyday. I cannot say I missed the solitude. Nothing new to fix, just the mundane. It has given him a lot of time to work on the house. Hopefully when next you come down we can sleep in the actual house and not that stupid shed. I will make sure to be on my best behavior should I ever get the chance to meet Meera, I swear it.
Love, Gendry
Gendry,
School is nothing like I expected. I am finding the math class quite enjoyable, as well the literature, and creative writing course. My mother forced me to take a homemakers course, I want to pull my hair out with every class. Sewing is not ever going to my talent, my fingers are too clumsy for the small needles. Later in the year there are cooking practicals, those will be saving grace to this course.
I cannot wait to see the house in its finished glory, I am sure you are doing amazing work.
My mother is forcing me to attend a social ball during the holiday break, my plan to escape down to Storm’s End has be dashed across the alter of fancy dresses and stupid high society. I worry now that I will not be able to come down until the summer break. I already desperately miss you after only a month, eight more seems like some sort of torture. Miss you terribly.
Love, Arya
Arya,
If you cannot come to me, perhaps I can find a way to come to you. The benefit of working for ones self is that you can take vacation whenever you desire. I usually have a lull of activity after the holidays, I could travel to you. Let me know your thoughts on the matter and the best time to come. I also am desperate to see you again, hold you, just been in your general presence.
I decided to turn the room off the corner of the house into a writing room for you. Something quiet and yours. I already have the ideas for the writing desk drawn out, but what it shall look will be a surprise for when you see the room finished. I miss you.
Love, Gendry
Gendry,
You would really come up here? I would love to have you here. I could show you all my favorite places around Winterfell. You could meet Meera and perhaps even Jon, he is the only family member I have told about our relationship, though Bran knows I am corresponding with someone. Mother would not approve and I need to find a way to tell her in a way that will not result in a fight. I think I might need to approach Father first, he is usually the more reasonable of the two.
The best time for you to come would be the week after the turn of the year, classes would have started up yet and my social obligations will be over. There is a little inn called the Blue Winter Rose, I can set up a room for you there as soon as you confirm the dates.
Is this real? Can I really see you in two months? I sometimes feel like all of this is a dream. These letters help me know that what we had was not a vivid daydream. I miss you.
Love, Arya
Three weeks passed and she had received a response to her last letter. That was unusual, usually the turnaround time was two weeks. One for the letter to get there and one for it to return. She told herself that maybe he had been busy with work and hadn’t had the time to respond yet. Then another week passed and another and another until it had been two months since she had last sent a letter. She quickly wrote a short missive to him, asking if he was alright and why he hadn’t written. A month passed and their was no response to that letter either and her heart worried. Gendry did not have access to a personal telephone, which was why they used the letters.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her mother walking into her room, “You can write later my dear, we have to get ready for the ball.”
She placed down her pen, she had been writing Gendry another letter. She was unwilling to let this go without an explanation. If he didn’t love her anymore, he just needed to tell her. It would hurt and would probably hurt for a long time but then she would know, and would not need to be living in uncertainty and worry.
Arya remained silence as she stripped down to her underclothes before her mother handed her the silk slip to go under the dress.
“Who are you writing to dear?” Catelyn asked, and Arya thought like her mother was trying to hard at keeping her voice even.
Arya frowned at her mother’s back, “Just a friend I made down in Storm’s End. I haven’t heard from them in awhile and I am just making sure they are alright.”
“I am sure they are fine. Sometimes the long distance friendships just fizzle out, nothing to be concerned with dear, you have so many friends here. Maybe you can even make a special one tonight. There are a few eligible men that would be a perfect match for you.” Catelyn said and they finished getting Arya into the dress with minimal talk.
Arya suddenly couldn’t wait to get to the ball, not because of the eligible matches her mother had for her but because Meera would be there and she needed to talk to her.
Gendry,
I am so sorry if you have been suffering to hear from me as I have been waiting to hear from you. I have not received any letters from you since you expressed your interest to come visit me here in Winterfell. I sent you my reply but I am beginning to believe it never reached you, just as any you tried to send to me never arrived. At the end of the note I will be leaving a new address, it is to Meera’s home and send them to her name as well, she will know they are meant for me. I suspect that my mother has been stealing our letters, mine before they could be sent and yours when they arrive.
I am so sorry for any distress my scheming mother has caused you. Trust that I still miss and love you. I wish you could have gotten my letters, I would love to be seeing you in a short few weeks time. Now we will have to wait even later, if you have not forgotten me in my absence.
Yours Always, Arya
Two weeks after she sent the letter Arya went over to Meera’s, expecting to not have a letter, but hoping all the same. She would not blame him if he had gotten tired of waiting around for her after three months of silence. Meera’s smile as they walked to her room let her know otherwise, her best friend would not be so happy if she was going to deliver bad news.
“This arrived this morning.” Meera said and handed her the envelope.
Arya wasted no time ripping it open, surprised to see such a short letter, she feared at the words, she decided to read it aloud, “Arya, my love is not fragile. Come to the Blue Winter Rose as soon as you receive this. Love, Gendry.”
Meera’s smile lit up her whole face and as she pushed her toward the door, “What are you waiting for? Go to him!”
Arya didn’t need to be told twice, she quickly grabbed her jacket off the rack as she passed by, and buttoned it up as she ran to her bike, cursing herself for not taking the car. Meera’s house was less than a mile away, the inn was nearly five. She rode through the snow lidden streets, happy that the last snowfall had been days before and the roads were mostly clear. There were not many people out on that lazy Thursday afternoon, not that she cared who saw her. Her heart nearly lodged in her throat when she spotted Gendry’s beat up truck parked outside the inn. He was truly here.
She propped her bike up against it and ran inside. Mrs Heedle looked up, surprised at the sudden interest, “Arya Stark, that is no way to enter a room.”
“My apologies Mrs Heedle, could you tell which room Gendry Waters is staying in? He is expecting me.” She said, trying to calm her breathing.
Mrs Heedle frowned, “A well brought up girl like yourself should not be alone in a room with a man my dear.”
Arya sighed, “Mrs Heedle, if you do not tell which room it is. I will walk up and down the halls yelling for him and banging on every door.”
“Room 4.” She replied and Arya was off before the woman could say anything else.
She stopped outside and took a deep breath before knocking. The door opened quickly and he was there, wearing a red flannel shirt, and smiling at her.
“Hello.” Was all he said before she jumped into his arm, almost crying with the relief of seeing him again.
He spun them into the room and they didn’t leave until again it was time for dinner, she did not even care for a moment if Mrs Heedle reported it back to her mother. Wherever Gendry was, that was where she belonged.
The blindfold fell away from her eyes and she blinked to adjust to the sudden flood of light and she gasped. The room was perfect, the walls a light shade of grey, simple and undistracting. The desk was large and was stained a deep brown, with a typewriter already at a place of prominence in the center, and two drawers on each side to fill. The chair was large and would be easy for her to fold up her legs and the cushion looked thick and comfy. Along an inside wall was a full length couch, a long table set up before it. Lamps were situated all around the room, for when the room could not be flooded in light from the two large windows.
She turned around and hugged her husband, “Gendry, this is absolutely perfect.”
“I am so glad you think so.” He replied, leaning down to kiss her.
She laid her head on his chest when it was over and sighed with contentment. It had taken a shouting match for her mother to finally admit what she had down, which was to burn all the letters between Arya and Gendry. Her mother did not approve of her daughter being in a relationship with a man of such low social standing. When Arya had threatened to leave forever Ned had stepped in, insisting everyone calm down and they would discuss it again in the morning. That conversation happened without raised voices but choices were made. Arya could continue her relationship with Gendry, as long as Ned was allowed to meet him. He came to dinner that night and everyone liked him, except her mother. She finished out her school year and then they married in Winterfell before she transferred to a school in Storm’s End and followed him down there. He was home and this was the house they would live their lives. She turned in his arms and looked at the typewriter, she already knew what the first story she would write on it would be.