#gendrya wedding

[fandom-geek17]

Been feeling the Gendrya vibe lately so here’s a Modern AU wedding moodboard, very much inspired by The Featherbed song!

[fromstormsend]

She remembered their travel on Riverlands. “What a time it was” she thought. It was Gendry who caught her after her attempt to escape from brotherhood without banners. All the way back she just kicked him and called him “stupid” several times. “They are saying lie to me, i’ve never see my family again!”she said. “Then i’ll be your family”. He was the one talked about being the bloody lowborn then. He was the one who wanted to left her behind.

She’d saw them again. Now she is in Winterfell, after eight years, she is safe again. The King legitimated him and made him Lord of Stormsend as he is the oldest male bastard of his brother, Robert. And now he is on the road for my hand. Does he still forge ? She wondered.

Gendry&Arya AU: Stannis won the war and and it’s time to keep promises between North and the Throne.

[ohmtoff]

DO U HAVE ANY ANGST PROMPTS FOR NEW WRITERS?? tbh it could range from light angst to heavyyy angst i just need angst prompts (nick centric plsss)

omg i think there are much better ones if you search on tumblr but i do have some in mind

- Nick never had a gay male friend all of his teenage years so he always feels a bit lonely navigating his queerness alone.

- (Character/reader) and Nick are dating in secret while Nick is constantly shipped with another public figure. (Character/reader) tries to not let it get to him but leaked pictures from a party leads to insecurities and bottled resentments to surface

- Nick is the only out gay guy in high school so “straight” guys always use him to experiment. Because of this he always feels wanted, but never loved. When (character/reader) approaches Nick, he automatically assumes he only wants his body like the others. (Character/reader) shows Nick what it’s like to finally be the first choice.

- romeo + juliet!au: rivalry between two mafia families, the Sturniolos and (family name), affects the blossoming relationship of their children, Nicolas and (character/reader)

- shameless!au, gallavich inspired: Nick is drunk and heartbroken at (character/reader)’s wedding to a woman his homophobic father forced him to.

- game of thrones!au, gendrya inspired: Nicolas Sturniolo left Westeros to find what’s west of Westeros and also run away from the pain of the realm. When he returns, he reopens old wounds and meets his childhood friend and also past lover, (character/reader)

- Nick and (character/reader) have both been overworked and lacking sleep. Soon they were arguing more often than not, leading to an impulsive breakup.

- Nick has a complicated relationship with food and (character/reader) is determined to help him get through it

that’s all i have rn and sorry most of these is nick suffering lmao

[hyacinths-bridgerton]

I've been feeling a little... well, awful, and to fix what I can of my mood, I've been writing something very atypical--for me, at least. mostly because my typical is working on whatever I already have going on and I have some thing on my plate already. It's outlined and advanced on writing, but I wanted to take a time before actually publishing it. However, it doesn't hurt to share a little something, right? So here you can see, the opening scene of A LADY'S TRADE, a regency gendrya fic:

⊱―⊰

A LADY'S TRADE

Jon didn’t know quite well what to expect when he received a message from Arya calling him to talk business.

In all honesty, he simply could not predict much from his cousin—more like sister—of late. They had spent so long apart that now he could hardly recognize her. When they parted, she was a small girl and now she was a grown woman.

It was disturbing, to say the very least.

Admittedly, their whole lives had been disturbing thus far.

After all, they had all been split up from a young age, when it was too dangerous to be named Stark, after the Lannisters managed to usurp the Throne and persecuted all of them, and sent to each end of Westeros, disguised and, hopefully, safe.

It was only recently, when Daenerys Targaryen had taken her rightful crown, that the remaining Starks had been reunited again.

There were only five of them now. Jon, Sansa, Arya, Bran and Rickon, trying to get acquainted to each other once more after years apart with not one word of one another.

Bran and Rickon were off at school while Jon tried his best to manage everything that was left for them.

That’s why when Arya called him to talk business, he knew at least that she meant something related to inheritance.

What he did not expect was for her to say, “I want to get married”

Jon stares at her, waiting for the moment she’ll beam and say it’s all a jest with him, but she keeps solemn.

In a business expression.

Seven hells.

“I’m sorry?”

“I said I want to get married,” she repeats, unfazed. “I figured I’m already of marrying age and should take action on it”

“You’re younger than Sansa and she’s not wed yet,” Jon points without thinking. “And you might want to take one year or two to enjoy the comforts of our recent safety without feeling like you need to chase after a betrothal”

“There is no comfort I want and can enjoy as an eligible lady that I couldn’t take pleasure as a married one,” she says and Jon looks at her, really looks at her.

She’s still a small thing if compared to the rest of them, short and skinny, although now her presence fills the entire drawing room, commanding and determined. She’s all conviction, and he can see that she has really thought that through. It’s not an impulse, it’s not something she feels obliged to do.

Arya really and simply just wants to marry.

He never thought he’d live to see this day.

“Very well,” he concedes, sinking into an armchair, not knowing how to deal with the news standing. “So, you want to get married”

She sighs in exasperation, “Yes, Jon, for goodness’s sake, that is what I said”

“Forgive me if I wasn’t prepared!”

Arya sits in a three-placed sofa next to him and keeps silent for a moment, to which Jon is grateful, because his brain is trying to process what exactly this means.

It takes a while, but he revisits the whole process in his brain. When a young eligible lady wishes to be wed, she needs a dowry, which isn’t a problem, thanks to Arya’s parents, who organized the heritage of each of their children before passing.

She also needs permission from her family and from her legal tutor. For Arya, that meant him. Not that he was the heir of all the Stark estate, but he was the only member of the family alive, legal, and available to deal with such matters. He had spent the last months learning the letters and numbers required for such a job while Bran—the official heir to the House Stark, still too young to take his task in his hands— was still at university.

Having all of that already prepared, there was only one thing to be taken care of, and Jon realized that was probably the lead subject when the theme was planning to get married.

“I suppose we’ll have to discuss the best available suitors for you,” he suggests hesitantly, feeling the uncomfortableness of discussing such matters with someone he had thought a little child for so long. He never thought he would have such a conversation with Arya Stark of all ladies.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” the girl smiles wolfishly and sinks into the sofa, completely relaxed, her crossed arms in not a very ladylike posture. “I already know who I want as my husband”

There should be no room for doubt in the way she speaks, and yet Jon thinks he never doubted so much his own beliefs until this moment.

It wasn’t even just because Arya was his little cousin anymore—but it was still a factor that would most probably plague him for a very long time yet—because he could put that aside for a moment to try and evaluate the subject.

It was that Arya Stark was a young woman who barely ever engaged in social events ever since they had been reunited. As a wealthy and infamous family that was recently involved in such an altercation, House Stark was in no short demand of invitations for social gatherings, and yet Arya avoided most of them, allegedly to avoid the whispers that followed them wherever they went. She did join Sansa once or twice, but the occasions were rare.

Jon never knew her to fed the attention of any men who might have courted her. And yet, she had already a suitor in mind.

“And who might he be, dare I ask?”

“Do you, by any chance, know the Heddle family?”

“I do,” he answers, thinking of the Crossroads Inn, known throughout Westeros and kept by the Heddles.

“And do you know that their eldest daughter, Jeyne, is engaged?”

Jon frowns, unsure where this is going, “Yes, I’ve seen the lady with her fiancé. I even met Mr. Waters on occasion.”

Arya smiles.

“He’s the man I want as my husband”

Jon blinks.

Now this for sure was the jest he thought was coming before because there’s no way in the Seven Hells this is really happening to him…

“I beg your pardon?”

Her smile doesn’t faulters for a second, “I have the entire ordeal already planned, Jon, so listen carefully and assist me, because my mind is made and will not waver”

When she explains, all Jon can think is how there was no letters or numbers who could have prepared him to deal with Arya Stark.

[laurellerual]

seen some of your stuff on imaginary westeros and i love i gotta question tho what are your thoughts on edric storm? i always sorta of seen him as king that could of been all robert had to do was a lil aegon the 4th and legitmise edric and maya and stannis would of cracked his teeth and declared for him and renly could of just shunted margery onto him.

Thanks for the compliment anon!

Unfortunately I don't share your enthusiasm about Edric. Like he seems like a good boy I guess, but I don't think the books give us enough information about his character to be able to draw conclusions about what he would be like as king. He is only mentioned a handful of times and for most of these scenes he isn't even present.

I also don't see a scenario where Robert decides to make one of his bastards heir… like he's not that old, he can remarry and have other kids. It seems much more likely to me that, if he had found out about the twincest, he would have simply chosen to marry Margery himself.

Realistically an AU where Ned and Cat live, a marriage between little Robert and Arya would make sense. But you're talking about the fanarts of a Gendrya shipper so…

My two star-crossed lovers had an elopement, they got married in secret under a heart tree, they consummated the wedding. Because it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Eddard isn't really the type to kill his daughter's love, especially considering that this was almost certainly her plan. And considering he is Robert's son. Lord Stark can't do anything but accept it, He's just happy that his daughter came home alive because he was already starting to have ptsd flashbacks of the Rebellion. The End.

As for your request, I'll put it aside for when I have more time!

[bee-a-garbage-shipper]

Game Of Thrones Fanfiction List

Bequeathed from Pale Estates By Author376

In a Westeros where Soulmates are bound and Marked by the Gods to bind Houses together and pay blood debts, Lyarra Snow and Oberyn Martell are about to get a shock…

Winter Thorns of Highgarden (FF | AO3) By Madrigal_in_training (FF | AO3)

The knight's supposed to save the princess from the dragon but here, the princess is a dragon, the knight is a bookish lord, and the greatest threat is either the old lady in the blue wimple or the honorable warden with the Ice sword. Because no one thought a second Stark girl would be kidnapped for marriage or that the sensible Willas Tyrell would be the one to kidnap her.

Incandescent (FF | AO3) By Madrigal_in_training (FF | AO3)

In a moment of grief-stricken madness, Catelyn Stark attempts to murder her husband’s bastard. Yet her entire worldview shatters when Lyarra Snow refuses to burn. Fem!Jon, Lyarra x Robb

A Golden Age By margotdavid (FF | AO3)

At her father's request, Alysanne calls the banners and marches south. For what reason, she is not sure, but as she meets the lions on the field, Alysanne finds that she was more fire in her blood than she though. Tywin Lannister is seeing his house crumble to the ground because of his daughter. Worse, a wild girl just defeated his army. But when the face of Rhaella Targaryen appears in front of him, he makes a gamble that might just save his legacy.

A Song of Vengeance (AWOIAF | GOT | AO3) By IWantColouredRain (FF | AO3)

15 years ago, the Targaryens were forced into exile by the rebel alliance of the West-Stormlands-Vale-Riverlands... and Dorne. To ensure the loyalty of the hostile North, Aly Stark was wed to King Robert's closest friend, Oberyn Martell. Now, after 15 years, the wolves and dragons' pieces are in place, and they will have revenge. (Role Reversal.) Martell Centric. Hiatus

A Song of Marked Souls (AWOIAF | GOT | AO3) By IWantColouredRain (FF | AO3)

In a world where magic remains strong and the Old Gods keep active in the lives of their followers, Alyssa Snow and Oberyn Martell bear Marks that, according to the ancient gods that lurk in the weir woods, destine them for greatness. (Fem!Jon Snow. Not for Tully fans. OOC!Characters)

Princess of Wolves, Prince of Snakes (AWOIAF | GOT | AO3) By IWantColouredRain (FF | AO3)

After the Lions' coup, Aegon VI flees with his wife, mother, uncle and cousins in search of allies and safety in order to regain his throne. But there is only one place to go: The Winterlands, the only part of Westeros to remain independent of the Iron Throne. Hiatus until summer

The Star of the North (AWOIAF | GOT | AO3) By IWantColouredRain (FF | AO3)

Just when Lady Alarra Stark feels she has no escape other than death, she finds another option in the form of a Dornish viper and his elegant paramour.

There and Back Again (FF | AO3) By Naerys Blackfyre (FF | AO3)

After the events of season 8, Jon of House Targaryen is sent back in time to fulfill his destiny as the prince that was promised. Jonsa, Gendyra, RhaeLya, Anti-Dany, Dany fans beware. AU! NOT ANYTHING LIKE CANON!

Father of Dragons (FF | AO3) By Naerys Blackfyre (FF | AO3)

"How did you know of this chest Sam?" Jon's eyebrows were drawn together in a frown. "Hummm…oh uh well Maester Aemon told me to give this chest to you when he died. He said that you would most likely be in need of them." Sam answers with a shrug. Jon stared at Sam with a frown painted on this face. What could Maester Aemon possibly wanted to give him? Jonsa, Gendrya, Braime, RhaeEliaLya, Anti-Dany

Lost Girl By prussianblues

She leaves the Seven Kingdoms a bastard and returns a queen.

Or, Joanna Snow is in King’s Landing when Cersei seizes the city, and Varys sneaks her out to meet her brother. A meddling Magister later, she meets Daenerys as well.

A story told in drabbles.

To Go Forward By togo

Jon Snow wakes up in Winterfell, two years in the past. He struggles with his knowledge of the upcoming wars, the mystery of his mother's forgotten letters, and the prophecy of the Prince That Was Promised. How much time does he have until the Others invade Westeros?

A Second Time Around By ratclanqueen

"I know this is hard for you to understand but we have already lived this life once. The Gods are blessing us. I saw this before the Night King broke through the Wall. We have been reborn into our bodies before Jon Arryn's murder with our memories and knowledge of what could possibly lie ahead," Bran told them.

When all of House Stark wake up one morning with their deaths being their clearest memories, the wheel begins to turn. The game has a new player in the form of Sansa Stark, the Red Wolf of Winterfell and the Queen in the North before her death, who is determined to see her family grow old and happy in Winterfell and the Iron Throne melted to a puddle of metal at her feet.

Dragons of Red, Dragons of White By NightDrake

After the Duel on the Trident, there are ramifications that none could foresee. In the world built afterwards, dragons once again rule and roam Westeros, among them the son of a northern beauty and the king. Prince Jon and his kin, Stark and Targaryen alike, face new challenges from both without and within. Whatever the future holds, the Seven Kingdoms will learn that, whether in a coat of red or a coat of white, a dragon still has claws.

Manners and Misunderstandings By mostlyclouds

The Stark sisters have travelled all the way to London to begin their first season, leaving behind the familiar world of Winterfell Hall and a disappointed Jon Stark- with whom the eldest Miss Stark has been convinced to break off a connection. In London they join family friends the Baratheons and the fashionable young Tyrells in a world of romance and balls.

Meanwhile Gendry Waters has been plucked out of the life he knew to become his ailing father's heir, Robb, Theon and later Rickon embark on military careers in the Napoleonic wars, and their aunt Lysa makes a foolish marriage.

When tragedy hits the family, they must come together, learning how manners may hide monsters and the best people are often those misunderstood by society.

The Conquest By DolorousEdditor

An AU of grand scale inspired by a prompt by Oblongata.

Three hundred years after Aegon the Conqueror built a new empire on the ashes of the Valyrian Freehold the known world is a place of war. The Targaryen Empire is pressed by enemies, the Seven Kingdoms war amongst themselves and forces contrive to pull them all apart.

Amidst all this are a prince and princess who fear themselves ruined by the horrors they've endured. Together they might be the hope their people are looking for. More importantly, they might be the dream both abandoned long ago.

A Caged Songbird By bikadoo

“I will be a silent, and dutiful wife,” Sansa spits. “I will be their pretty little songbird, and wear their ugly crown, and sit on their painful throne. I shall give him a babe, and my love, and I will wait until he thinks that he has won. And then I shall take his life."

Shae goes still. "You ... you plan to kill the King?"

"No," Sansa says. "I plan to kill my husband."

A Knight's Watch By DolorousEdditor

Jon Snow is forbidden to take the black by his father. Instead he sent to squire for a famous knight, beginning a long arduous journey that causes him to cross paths with characters he never would have. Along the way he learns truths long hidden and discovers love in the most unlikely of places.

All of this in the shadow of the War of Five Kings and the coming of the Others.

[ariastarke]

welcome to ariastarke 🫶

m, 24, she/her. fanfic writer, avid reader, sylvia plath and jane austen trash.

quick links:

about page

ao3 (main ships: gendrya, elriel, jurdan)

follow my pinterest! + a quick breakdown of my pinterest boards!

taylor swift songs as book recommendations: the complete series (wayyy under construction)

my fic masterlist (up to date!)

the ariastarke fanfic guide for beginners, aka my favorite works that i’ve written:

all i ask (7/7, 66k words, gendrya, teen). fake dating, modern au

in the heat of moments with your heart playing up cold (1/1, 16k words, gendrya, mature). canon divergence, friends to lovers

you made it a joke (that’s how the fun ends) (1/1, 21k words, gendrya, explicit). 7 weddings and no funerals, fwb, modern au

what i’ll say is just what i’m hoping for (2/2, 23k words, gendrya, mature). canon divergence, post-s8, fix-it fic

but we were something, don’t you think so? (1/1, 20k words, gendrya, mature). modern au, breakup fic, 5 year timeline

everyone knows you’re the way to my heart (2/2, 32k words, gendrya, explicit). modern au, winter olympics, friends to lovers

want me down to the marrow (1/1, 5k words, elriel, mature). unresolved sexual tension, missing moments

[cellsshapedlikestars]

*pterodactyl screeching* AHHHHHHHH

HSGSFSSHS THEY DID THE IMPROPER !!!!! and hoooboy was it improper 🫣🤭🥵 not me gigglin in the dark in my car in a parking lot eating a burrito 💀😂

a rush gendrya wedding. stickin it to baelish. flirty hallway kisses. flirty in the rain kisses(and more!!!). serious talks. JONSA SMUT. this chapter truly had it all😭

gods how i truly hate it whenever your chapter count goes from "?" to a number. BUT DEAR GOODNESS I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE LAST ONE. HUGS AND KISSES, I REALLY HOPE YOUR NIGHT AND THE REST OF YOUR WEEK IS WONDERFUL💕💕

Enraptured by your description of where you were reading this chapter. A dark car. A burrito. Perfection

I'm glad you liked it anon 💕

[myimaginationplain]

I think this series of meta essays are probably the most in-depth look(s) at Sansa & Sandor's dynamic you'll find on this site. They'll probably answer a lot of the questions you have about what people find interesting or cathartic in the ship. However, they are, admittedly, very long, so I'll answer a bit myself:

• I think sansan resonates with the themes of ASOIAF. Flawed, problematic romances, fairy tale deconstructions, fraught power/class dynamics, & the tension between violent urges & peacemaking are all found in abundance in these books, & all of which can describe Sansa & Sandor's dynamic.

• I think it's what would make Sansa happiest while still being true to her narrative. Sansa is my favorite ASOIAF character by far, equaled only by Daenerys. I want happiness for her, & considering just how badly she wants to be married for love, not for her claim, I think genuine romance is part of the key to that happiness.

The heir to Winterfell, she would think as she lay abed at night. It's your claim they mean to wed...If I give him sons, he may come to love me.

It is not me she wants her son to marry, it is my claim. No one will ever marry me for love.

But at the same time, ships between Sansa & some variation of her "perfect prince" don't interest me outside of the occasional non-canon compliant au, because it often feels like they ignore the content of her arc. Sansa no longer trusts men who purport to be refined & chivalrous, & finds no joy in the thought of being with one anymore.

Ser Harrold Hardyng looked every inch a lord-in-waiting; clean-limbed and handsome, straight as a lance, hard with muscle...Joffrey was comely too, though, she reminded herself. A comely monster, that's what he was. Little Lord Tyrion was kinder, twisted though he was.

Sandor, however, has absolutely no want or use for Sansa's claim on Winterfell, & has an active disdain for the kinds of political machinations that've made her life hell. (Unlike Tyrion, the only other person from Kingslanding besides Sandor who Sansa thinks of positively after fleeing.) Sandor hates lying & liars in a way that Sansa has also come to. Sandor did more to protect & comfort her than any of the anointed knights or lords in KL ever did. Is Sandor perfect? Absolutely not. He's violent & cruel & in need of tons of healing; but I think that's the point. Sandor may not be perfectly crafted for Sansa, but he is real, both in the sense that he's not a figment of Sansa's imagination & in that he never lies to her. Making the best out of the cards you're dealt with is a big part of this series.

• This is getting into theorizing territory, so it's cool if you take this part with a grain of salt. But I think there's a lot of signaling from GRRM for sansan, in a similar way there is for gendrya:

▪︎ When Lady is ordered to be put down, Robert tells Ned, "Get [Sansa] a dog, she'll be happier for it."

▪︎ A man covering the bride with his cloak as a symbol of protection is a marriage tradition in Westeros, & Sandor covers Sansa with his cloak twice.

▪︎ When Sandor leaves Sansa his cloak during the Battle of the Blackwater, she decides to keep it in her cedar chest.

▪︎ Sansa imagines an entirely fictitious kiss between the two of them, & continuously comes back to it as a point of reference in her internal monologue.

▪︎ While having what can only be described as a puberty dream in the Vale, Sansa dreams of her wedding night to Tyrion, but with Sandor in his place.

▪︎ When Myranda asks Sansa if she "knows what goes on in the marriage bed," Sansa thinks of the imagined kiss with Sandor.

▪︎ Sandor's physical description is suspiciously similar to the "northern look" (dark hair, grey eyes, broad stature). So much so that he's mistaken for Arya's father when they travel together. Sansa dreams of having children who look like her siblings, including a daughter who looks like Arya.

▪︎ GRRM has created precedent for it with the parallels between the ladies Rhaena & Baela Targaryen & Sansa & Arya. Rhaena, the gentler, more ladylike sister who was associated with the sun, married a man sixteen years her senior; the same exact age gap as between Sansa & Sandor. (Baela Targaryen, the tomboyish sister associated with the moon, also just so happens to marry a legitimized bastard.)

▪︎ Sandor is literally the only male character in the entire series who Sansa describes as being "brave, gentle, & strong." AKA, the criteria for the kind of man Ned wanted for Sansa.

• Lastly, I just think a lot of the imagery surrounding them is genuinely very romantic. I mean,

I could keep you safe," he rasped. "They're all afraid of me. No one would hurt you again, or I'd kill them."

is a very evocative line for me, despite how harsh it is. Idk, I just like them.

can someone genuinely explain to me why sansa/sandor clegane is a good ship pls

[millysaurusrex]

Your Gendrya fics are giving me life 😍 can you write about their wedding day/getting married? Thank you!!!

Soooooooooo it took me a year to actually do this. But......here it is 😂

The wedding between Arya & Gendry as seen by the old gods

The lord smith is not of the old gods. He was born beneath the eyes of the seven, in a small tavern near the Sept of Balor - though he does not pray to them either. He is southern borne, with warm skin tanned by a lifetime of working blazing fires, and eyes blue like the sea that crashes upon the rocks. He is different from the southerners, not perfumed and ceremonious. He is different than the northerners, too, with their cold roughness.

He is of soot and steel and fire.

The smith cuts an impressive figure in black and gold, a crowned stag salient stitched proudly into the fur of his cloak. His blue eyes nervously sweep over the thick circle of trees that make up the godswood. It is a small, intimate affair with only the lady Sansa, her brother lord Bran, ser Brienne and the newly knighted ser Podrick in attendance. A heaviness sits over the holy grounds, a sense of mourning for a small family which once was larger, and an eerie silence which once was filled with laughter.

Through a clearing of trees, a girl stills her breath. She knows how to quell the heavy beat of her thundering heart. She stands tall and brave, as women of the North often do, and shifts her grey eyes to where her betrothed awaits. He cannot see her, behind the trail of trees that twist and turns into the courtyard, but it’s as if his eyes still meet with hers. It is how it’s always been, how it has been through weeks and months, years and centuries. They have only just found one another again, but they have been linked together for eternity.

The gods know this. They’ve seen Stark after Stark married beneath the weirwood tree from Bran the Builder to Ned Stark. They have watched as this love story played out over and over and over. Those that follow the seven call it fate, but in the north they know it is the gods will.

For these two souls have always been in the gods plans. Their souls have found one another time and time again. It was always how it was to be.

Sometimes, the souls meet here, in the cold and distant mountains of the north. Sometimes, they meet far beyond the ice wall, wild and free. Sometimes, they meet as children. Sometimes as young lovers. Sometimes long after their first husbands and wives are dead. But they’ve always been bound to one another.

She is still and serious, a slight flex of her fingers the only telltale sign of her discomfort. She is as formidable a sight as the lord smith; the dark grey fur of her maidens cloak a sharp contrast against the white snow. Her hair is dark, curling down around her shoulders. Her face is pale, marred with scars and bruises that might never heal.

“Are you nervous?” The Targaryen lord asks. She turns to him, seeing a different face, the face of a boy who always loved her, though he feared he’d never belong to their family. He is not her cousin, she knows. For if some bastard boys on the kings road can become her brothers, then surely so can this man. So she refuses his name, the one his mother whispered as she bled out in a lone tower far away. He will always be Jon Snow to her.

“I never wanted this.” She says softly. And it’s the truth. She’d never wanted this life, the life of a bride, the lady of a lord husband. She couldn’t be that person. So she became someone else.

“It’s not too late to turn back.” Jon says, touching her elbow with a gentleness that is all brother and not would-be-king. “You can refuse. Gendry will understand.”

It is also the truth. The lord smith would never force her. She has done it before, turned him away, told him she could not share that life with him. He would never hate her. But she might hate herself.

“No. If there is anything I’m sure of, it’s him. It’s always been him.”

And so Jon links his arm with hers and they make their way to the heart tree, where her everything waits. She has searched the world for all that she has lost: love, hope, strength, family. But she knows it is all there, wrapped in the colors of a home he’d never known. He was nearly as lost as she was - two

children of dead lords trying to make it back home.

Her steps are silenced by the thick snow and she baits her breath, her face steely with determination. Even this child of winter, this wild wolf, cannot deny the pull. The gods have led her to her mate, like her family’s sigil. The wolf and the stag. Beast and prey. She has always been the hunter, and he the hunted. But, in this moment, as she makes her way through the trees and catches his eyes, it is she who feels like prey.

His wild blue eyes capture her attention until they are all she sees. The godswood have never been quite so beautiful, it is the perfect day for a winter wedding, but it is he she sees, and only he.

He looks so serious, so confident, almost regal, she thinks, and the thought that this man, this bastard boy from the slums of King’s Landing, could be this noble lord in front of her is almost laughable. But, her heart fills with something heavier than laughter, something that fills it completely and it is a blessing that Jon is holding her arm, else she might run like a fool to the lord smith.

She has never been quite so sure of anything.

When they reach the heart tree, and Jon places her hand in Gendry’s, Arya feels it. The sudden, audible silence that fills the godswood. It is as if the wind has paused, the winter birds have silenced. The lord smith notices, too, although he does not know these gods and the magic of the godswood. He is just in tuned with her.

His eyes shoot to the sky, thick brows furrowing. She squeezes his hand reassuringly, and when he looks to her, his eyes tell her everything. There is magic here. Magic older than any of them could imagine.

It is Maester Tarly who marries them. His smile is sheepish but kind. “You’ll have to forgive me. I haven’t had the pleasure of doing one of these before.”

She smiles and reaches out with her free hand, squeezes his arm. “I don’t think any of us have.” Her betrothed grins, too. After all they had been through, a wedding seems so foreign.

But Samwell carries on. He asks who comes before the old gods, and one by one they announce themselves.

“Arya Stark of Winterfell.”

“Gendry Baratheon of Storms End.”

And soon they are kneeling, cold snow seeping through their fine clothes, as they bow their heads and pray. Well, she prays. She is not sure Gendry believes in her gods, but he closes his eyes anyhow, and it is silent all around them.

All around her she feels eyes staring at her. And in her minds eye, she sees them. Sees father and mother, Robb and Rickon. Even Summer, Greywind, Lady and Shaggydog are there, watching them. Jory, Maester Luwin, Old Nan. A woman who looks like her, a flower crown neatly in her long dark hair. Her aunt Lyanna. And a man, built like Gendry with the same stubborn blue eyes. It is hard to remember the king, but here he is younger, healthier. Ghosts bearing witness to this moment.

She prays to gods she has not prayed to in ages. Asks them to watch over her and her new lord husband, asks that, after all the horrors they have endured, that they at last find some happiness.

It is only when Sam gently clears his throat that Arya opens her eyes, unwilling to let go of the warmth of feeling her family surround her. But, they are once again in the godswood with what is left of her family.

Gendry squeezes her arm, and her eyes meet his, Baratheon blue and Stark grey and she is suddenly filled with the sense that they have built a new family, a family of their own. Sansa, Jon, Bran, ser Brienne, ser Podrick, ser Davos, even Sam and Gilly and little Sam. They are here to witness the joining of House Stark and House Baratheon, as the gods always have willed. It was always meant to happen.

So, when the lord smith carefully removes her maiden cloak and wraps her in black and gold, the snow birds begin to sing and the godswoods are filled with distant howling. Tears prickle her eyes as his warm hands flatten against her cheek and she leans in to kiss her new husband.

Yes, the gods have always willed it.

[welt-verbessererin]

What style of wedding do you imagine modern Arya and Gendry having? And who do you think would be the one to propose?

Funny you should ask.

I have different headcanons for their wedding style and so many fics have different approaches I think are really IC.

I don't see them having a big, overly planned wedding with hundreds of guests.

They're just gonna go to city hall one summer day and then celebrate at the Stark manor with family and close friends. Partly in order not to make Gendry feel weird about not having a big family himself.

As for the proposal I have two specific headcanons for ALMCIYV @moonstruckandkissedinsane

Due to their age difference, Gendry, after being together for a few years, suggests that whenever Arya is ready, she should be the one to ask him.

OR Gendry blurts out a proposal during sex.

Which is canon because he almost said 'I love you' for the first time mid-sex.

OR, and I have a whole prompt post planned for that:

Arya finds the engagement ring in Gendry's sock drawer. She's not too surprised because they've been together forever and she naturally assumed they'd be getting married soonish.

So she puts it on, tells Gendry and they end up talking about how much Arya likes the ring and how well Gendry knows her taste, how long he's had it or how not long, how he considered asking Sansa for advice and so on and so forth, concluding the evening by watching Netfix (or Netflix and chill, y'know).

The next day they tell Arya's family and Sansa very excitedly asks how Gendry asked her. That's when they realise he never actually asked.

And then he either comes up with something really romantic in front of her whole family, goes down on one knee (of course) and everyone ends up crying.

OR, later back at their flat:

Arya "What were you gonna say?"

Gendry "Um... 'Will you marry me?'"

OR, since I'm a bitch for angst with a happy ending I can also see Gendry propose prematurely, like he did in canon, and scare Arya off for a while. Though that's not my favourite.

Generally I like the idea of Arya receiving a 'classic' proposal because she's never felt desirable growing up while being bullied for not being girly enough. But then again with these two everything is possible 🤷

*inhales*

Thanks for coming to my TED talk

[charmingharts]

If we get a shot of Sansa making Arya’s wedding dress or helping her get ready...I’m gonna cry so much.

[benofie]

Forest Love and Lass, Chapter 1: The Wedding

I have loved writing this story. I hope Gendrya fans will like it. I made some changes to traditional GoT wedding ceremonies that I would think Arya and Gendry would insist on. They would fuck traditions and make their own life...

BIG THANKS to @dystopiandramaqueen @aperture and @valsore for proofreading this for me and giving much appreciated feedback!

Chapter 2: The Feast will be coming soon...

[bisexualmultifandommess]

Sometimes I remember that there’s nothing stopping me from pretending that post-series Arya and Gendry get married

[laurellerual]

why do you think/say gendrya has all the tropes of the romance genre???? also, do you think jonrya will or could happen?

Romance tropes in Gendry and Arya relationship

The Family: Baratheon and Stark have a tragic love story (which we later find out isn't quite like that, but that's how it's told to begin with).

The love interest meet the father first and the mother second: Gendry meet Lord Eddard and Lady Stonheart.

The first meeting: the boy intervenes to protect the protagonist from bullies.

The hidden identity: the protagonist is disguised as a boy, only the love interest realizes the deception.

Forced coexistence: these two would never have met if it hadn't been for fate (the author) that forced them to embark on a journey together and have only each other to count on. And don't tell me Hot pie etc, … because Arya doesn't confide everything she does to her other supporting cast. She only have this relationship of trust with Gendry.

The protagonist goes to save her love interest: when Gendry is captured by the Mountain.

The children: Weasel is adopted and rescued by them. In the hierarchical dynamic that is established in this improvised pack the two take on the role of mom and dad.

Flirty banters: too many to write here.

Boy sees girl in a dress for the first time: Acorn Hall.

The two are too young to write them in a context of more explicit romantic tension so: rolling on the floor for no reason, tickling and ripped dress.

Insurmountable conflict: class difference

The love interest protects the protagonist from unwanted sexual attention.

Feelings begin to change: 'you are not my brother'

Everyone notices their dynamic except them: See the Brotherhood who gave Arya Lem as a chaperon.

Song that is sung to them and is clearly inspired by their situation: 'My featherbed'.

Innocent jealousy: Edric and Bella.

Misunderstanding at the end of Act II; the obstacles that have accumulated explode: conversation in the forge 'can you be a blacksmith for my brother', 'too lowborn to be kin to mylady high', 'I don't even care about you'.

Premature separation without a good bye: Arya is kidnapped by the Hound on her way to Riverrun (not too far from where Lyanna was abducted, probably on her way to Riverrun for Brandon and Cat's wedding).

The love interest waits parked in the last place where the protagonist has left a clear sign of her presence: (the bloodstain on the floor of the Crossroad inn). He's protecting the children like Arya would have want.

I'm sure that if I thought about it more I would find others too, but for now the list seems exhaustive enough. ASOIAF is not a romance story and Arya and Gendry are too young to play too much into that. Yet the writer decided to dedicate a lot of otherwise useless scenes to this relationship. Something have to happen in Act III to give them closure.

Jonrya

Despite all this I think Jon x Arya is not an unreasonable prediction. I admit that on first reading I had interpreted their relationship as entirely platonic.

When I found out about the 1993 outline I was surprised. The fact that Martin didn't take well to that being leaked is suspicious. Rereading the books after reading the outline it seems clear that he has reused and recycled several points and concepts that make it difficult for me not to consider Jonrya as a possible future.

Then the fandom worked its magic: there's a lot of well-argued meta in the Jonrya side of tumblr. So even if I prefer Gendrya to Jonrya I don't think the latter can be totally excluded until we read ADOS, that is never.

[kendalroys]

"One day that little girl will make some man a frightful wife," Ser Hyle observed. "That poor 'prentice boy, most like."

The Wedding of Arya Stark and Ser Gendry of Hollow Hill