Game of Thrones: The Direwolves in the North

Chapter 2: Gendry's Choice

Gendry escorted Arya to a more quiet area near the firepit, which was as hot and humid as she remembered when she was captured the first time. He settled her down carefully on a makeshift sleeping mat.

"You've come a long way, my lady." Gendry said as he helped her settle down with her back leaning against one of the many rock formations of the cave.

Arya punched him on his arm. "Don't call me that." She said.

"Ow!" Gendry yelped, rubbing his arm. "Alright, sorry. Your punches are getting harder though." He said. "But still, it's very unladylike."

Arya made a face and rolled her eyes at him.

Gendry pulled her shirt up and revealed a bandaged wound all soaked up with blood. There was so much blood that even her clothes were wet with it.

"With all these blood," Gendry said. "I can tell that it's a deep one." He faced her. "So, what have you been doing?" He asked.

"It's a long story." Arya said. "And you don't want to know."

Gendry pulled one end of the blood-soaked bandage and started removing it. They were red and sticky.

"Well," He said. "With all these blood, it'll take me awhile. Which means you have plenty of time to explain."

"You'll see how I was wounded, when you finish unwrapping it." Arya said.

Gendry's brows went up. "Alright, then." He unwrapped the blood sticky bandage and revealed three cut wounds on her abdomen area. One was a long slash just above her navel, and two deep stab wounds just beside and below it. "Well, these are nasty cuts."

"They were healing." Arya insisted. "Until your friends captured me. They must've started bleeding again when I struggled trying not to be captured."

Gendry dabbed a cloth on Arya's wound and cleaned it with water. "Well, you don't have to worry about these men mistreating you. You're a Princess."

"Don't call me that." Arya said. "It's worse than being called 'm'lady'. And it doesn't sound right."

"Why not?" He asked. "Your brother's a king—"

"Just shut up about it already!" She interrupted.

Gendry held his hands in surrender. Then he pulled a new bandage and started wrapping it around her waist so it would cover all three of her wounds.

Arya faced him. "So, what are you doing here?" She asked.

Gendry smirked like it was obvious. "Obviously, I'm patching your wounds and—" He started to say.

"I meant what are you doing back here, with them?" Arya rephrased, gesturing to the other men. "After they sold you to that red woman for two bags of gold, you went back here? Why?" She asked.

Gendry was silent for a moment, then he sighed. "Because I didn't know where else to go." He said, still wrapping the bandage. "If I go back to King's Landing, the gold cloaks will be looking for me."

"Why do you think they're looking for you?" Arya asked.

Gendry looked down. "I don't know." He said.

Arya raised an eyebrow. With all those moons training with the Faceless Men in the House of Black and White, she could actually tell if a person is lying or not. And Gendry is definitely lying.

"Come on," Arya pressed. "You don't have to lie about it."

"Arya, it's just—" He started to say.