Fighting Gendrya Withdrawals

swift as a deer. quiet as a shadow. […] quick as a snake. calm as still water. […] strong as a bear. fierce as a wolverine.

↪ ARYA + DEFENDING JON

Sansa sighed as she stitched. “Poor Jon,” she said. “He gets jealous because he’s a bastard.”

“He’s our brother,” Arya said, much too loudly. Her voice cut through the afternoon quiet of the tower room.

…

Lord Eddard Stark sighed. “My nine-year-old daughter is being armed from my own forge, and I know nothing of it. The Hand of the King is expected to rule the Seven Kingdoms, yet it seems I cannot even rule my own household. How is it that you come to own a sword, Arya? Where did you get this?”

Arya chewed her lip and said nothing. She would not betray Jon, not even to their father.

….

“Lumpyhead,” corrected Lommy. “He prob'ly stole it.”

“I did not!” she shouted. Jon Snow had given her Needle. Maybe she had to let them call her Lumpyhead, but she wasn’t going to let them call Jon a thief.

"No peeking, cheat," Gendry laughed as he spun his blindfolded wife around several times. She tried to reach out and pinch him or poke him with the dart in hand. He laughed again, moving away from the kill zone. Arya wobbled without a steady hand to keep her balanced. Not wishing for her to stumble and fall, Gendry stepped behind her once more, took her shoulders, and adjusted their position so that she faced the map. "Alright, on the count of three..."

The orange feathered dart bounced off of their basement wall. Arya grunted at the sound of the plastic hitting the concrete floor, then opened her hand for another dart. If she missed the next two shots, Gendry would have his turn. His beautiful wife had regained some of her equilibrium by the third dart, though still blindfolded. Her tongue darted out in concentration, one of the many animated expressions he found adorable. Without thinking, he bent forward and pressed a kiss to her cheek, barely avoiding the dart she held up. "For good luck," he whispered.

Arya's body wiggled in place, a smile blooming across her face. She let the dart fly out of her grip, turning away from the map once it was gone. He guided her face to his, rewarding her with another sound kiss on the lips. Despite the lack of a true honeymoon getaway, the pair were still very much in a blissful stage. "Think you got a hit," Gendry punctuated each word with another kiss. He glanced over her head. The last orange dart stood erect on the other side of the world. Gendry couldn't say he hated the idea of putting some distance between them and their families after the last year. It would be nice to spend some uninterrupted time alone with his bride. Especially, now that their mothers had chosen to pressure the couple on children.

She removed the silk blindfold and whirled around. "Looks like we're roughing it in the wilderness," Arya gleefully announced as she plucked the dart off the map. She toyed with the orange plastic in both hands when he met her on the other side of the basement, the mischief playing across her glowing features. He had no doubt his wife was already checking off several things on her lists. Camping. Hiking. Mountain climbing. Swimming.

His lips twitched, "two weeks wherever the wind takes us," he wrapped his around her waist. "But, please, be gentle with me by little wildling." Arya squeezed on the arms wrapped around her with a laugh.

…all of a sudden, she felt very sad. “My father was called Ned too,” she said.