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ninaahelvar · 5 years ago

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Chivalry Fell On Its Sword (16/23)

Summary: All Arya wanted so to feel normal and go outside of the damn castle. Now, through a series of unfortunate, she’s stuck with a bodyguard that she accidentally flirted with: Gendry Waters.

AO3

A/N: yeah....i didn't edit this. what of it. (edits will come in the morning) PLEASE ENJOY!

“Gendry,” The queen said, offering Gendry a seat across from her in her private study. He was nervous when he called her in - all he wanted to do was talk with Arya but was pulled away when she answered the door.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted, sitting down. “I have to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to see you. You haven’t exactly been the most welcoming person to me,” he explained, though when she looked at him with a stern gaze, he suspected that he may have said too much.

“I’m not the most welcoming person to anyone. I’ve found that distance keeps me safe. The only person I’ve ever truly opened up to is my husband,” she said, reaching over to the coffee table between them, and picking up a cup of what he assumed was tea. Taking a sip, she continued what she was saying, “but now, I feel as though I must open up to you.”

“To me?” he said with a furrow in his brow. “I don’t think that’s necessary, your majesty,” he chuckled, readying for the night to be finished and he could leave.

“For this conversation, and this conversation only, refer to me as Catelyn. I want us both to be honest,” she said, and Gendry swallowed.

“Alright,” he said with a nod.

“Tea?” she asked, gesturing to the teapot that rested nearby.

“Sure,” he replied, though he were still unsure this was all happening. Catelyn poured him a cup and slid it over to him.

“Arya and I don’t get on that much, I suspect you’ve known that,” she explained, to which Gendry shook his head.

“I wouldn’t say that, your majesty,” he replied, to which she looked at him with a frown. “Catelyn,” he corrected.

“Then what would you say?” she asked.

“I’d say she’s so willing to make you proud, but can’t measure up to you. She’s scared you won’t love her,” he replied, clearing his throat as he spoke words meant to be from someone else. He knew Arya well enough to know what she thought of her mother - though fear she instilled in most people, Arya didn’t ever think she’d be one. Until she was smothered by her mother and it became clear that disappointing her was the last thing she wanted to do.

“I love that girl with all my heart. She’s everything to me,” she said, clearing her throat as he voice got choked up, “all my children are. I know she’s Ned’s favourite. She looks like his sister,” she said, to that Gendy didn’t know. He knew that Ned loved Arya unlike the others, but he didn’t know what Arya truly meant to the patriarch. “But Arya has greatness in her. I just want her to use it,” she finished, sipping at her tea again. Gendry reached for his own, sipping at it in case she looked at him with that scowl again. Gods, even if he wasn’t afraid of people, Catelyn had a way about her that made him feel like he was about to be shot.

“She is,” he agreed.

“She started to. When you were with her,” she commended, “I may have been blind to your love, but I should have seen it. Arya lit up when you were around. You pushed her to be better. To be her own warrior, like she’s always wanted.”

“Why am I here, your -” he stopped as she glared at him again, “Catelyn, why was I called here, really? Because I know it isn’t to talk about my wanting to change details.”

“Please stop waiting.” It was a direction that Gendry wasn’t allowed to disobey. The stern gaze she held him in was enough to tell him what he needed to do - he needed to stop being a fool, and follow what he should have from the beginning - his heart. “I love her, and seeing how she’s changed, it breaks my heart. And she loves you. She’s so stubborn, like me. We build walls to keep those that would hurt us out,” she said with a sigh as she looked out the window, as though it were hard to even admit - or maybe a memory was too hard. Either way, it took her a minute to compose herself. “I don’t want her to have walls,” she said, turning back to him, eyes sadder than a few moments ago.

“Your majesty, I love your daughter, I do. But wouldn’t it better for her to fit with any of the matches that you found for her?” he asked, clearing his throat, trying to read the queen. To that, she shrugged.

“It would make the world easier, but that’s not the world. That’s not Arya’s heart. I have a profound respect for you, even if you don’t see me showing it to you. I hope that in the future, I will get more opportunities to show you that.” It was a matter of fact, she was willing to open up, tell him the truth, even though she seemed uncomfortable to say it. Like she said, walls are kept up to protect the heart - exposing it meant there was a possibility of attack. “You would make her the happiest woman in the world. And me, the happiest mother,” she said, a smile forming before behind hidden by her cup.

“Thank you,” Gendry said with a nod, not sure what else to say. As the queen took her final sip, she put it down and reclined back in her chair.

“Now, I’ll tell you the simplest way to get back into a stubborn heart,” she said, a rise in her chin, as though the confidence she had lacked before had now come up without restraint.

“What?”

“You really think Ned and I had the smoothest sailings? Like I said, she and I are alike,” she scoffed, and Gendry leaned forward, waiting for the advice, “tell her everything.”

“Excuse me?” he replied.

“Every burden your heart has had to bear, why it had to shatter, why you feel the way you do. Give her every part of yourself, even if you’re frightened that she’ll turn away. She wants to see your walls go down too,” she explained, as though she were recalling something that helped her in the past. The kindness in her eyes, the sincerity, it made Gendry feel welcomed into a part of a person that had closed off most people. It was hard, and he understood, so he gave her a nod, swallowing the lump in his throat from what she showed.

“Thank you,” he replied. Then, as she reached for her cup, she gestured for him to leave.

“You’re being moved to Robb’s detail for a short time. Until everything is settled, I think it’ll be best. Robb and Arya don’t see each other a lot, so it works in your favour,” she said, sipping her tea, smiling to him.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Gendry said, bowing as he got up to leave. As he turned, the queen cleared her throat, which made him turn.

“I quite like being called Catelyn. That’s why I asked,” she said, and shrugged to his questionable look. “I still hold authority even without my title,”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Catelyn,” he smiled back, and for a moment, it seemed like she had enjoyed the way he said her name.

When he left, he had every intention to tell Arya what was going on, but when he was met with Ned Dayne kissing her, something built up in his chest so fast, he closed himself down. It took him a lot of alcohol to buck up the courage to go back and tell Arya everything.

He wondered if Catelyn ever had to resort to such things, but that was a drunken thought as he banged on Arya’s door at two in the morning.

*~*~*

It had been two days since Gendry had stumbled to her room late at night, and stayed with her until morning. Neither of them regretted the night, but Gendry didn’t handle his hangover well. Especially when Arya dragged him to her parents, announcing to them that she was dating him again. What she wasn’t entirely expecting was her parents colliding into an embrace and dragging Gendry into hugs that he took very awkwardly.

After her parents explained they were happy, then came the awkward part. Well, in Arya’s opinion, it was awkward to admit that her boyfriend was technically a Baratheon, but a bastard one that had never met his father. What she wasn’t expecting was her father to not react at all - his best friend had fathered a bastard, but it wasn’t a surprise. Really, it wasn’t a surprise from what Arya knew of the man, but to be her boyfriend, she was a little shocked on that note. Catelyn, on the other hand did react, though not the way Arya expected. Catelyn said that the information wouldn’t come out, that the family would protect Gendry’s privacy in the matter and no one would ever think Gendry couldn’t fit in with the image of the royal family, regardless of their home life.

After that, Arya took Gendry back to her room where she got him to lie down. He looked sick for most of the meeting, as though at any second he’d keel over. He wasn’t sick or anything, just hungover and needed some rest. Taking care of him, spending time casually made Arya feel wanted and needed. And she knew, the minute he could, he’d repay her tenfold. He just loved her. Arya loved feeling loved.

When Gendry had to go home after his shift, Arya held onto his hand as long as she could, trying to keep them together as long as possible. Instead, Gendry kissed her, dragging her up onto her toes with his hands on her cheeks to guide her to him. With her breath stolen, she was dazed to his wandering off. She hated that he bested her, but loved the smile he held when he looked back at her. He felt loved too.

The day following, Sansa came crashing into Arya’s room after breakfast. It was briefly mentioned that the pair were back together, and even after her siblings badgered her with questions, she remained tightlipped and went back to her room to go over some notes she needed for a public appearance for her organisations first public event. It was nerve wracking, but knowing Gendry would support her was enough.

“I’m so glad you guys are back together!” Sansa screamed, pushing Arya back into the bed and wrapping her entire body around Arya. All of Arya’s notes were scattered off her bed, and

“Can you shut up? Gendry is at the door,” Arya said, pulling herself up to see Gendry grinning at the edge of the door.

“And I can hear you,” he shouted into the room and Arya collapsed into the bed, holding her hands over her face, “plus I’m used to it by now, can I come in?”

“Yes,” Arya called, to which Gendry came in, closing the door behind him. He walked in, sitting at the edge of the bed, watching as Sansa hugged at Arya’s side, kicking at Gendry’s thigh - though he didn’t seem to mind. “I’m gonna miss you around all the time,” Arya confessed, pouting as she was unable to move at that moment. She would have found her place in his arms as many times she could, just to make sure it was all real.

“Just hang around Robb all the time,” Gendry smirked, and Arya wriggled out of her sister’s embrace, colliding with Gendry, who held her in his lap comfortably.

“You two are gross,” Sansa groaned.

“Hey, you wanted this, you pay the price,” Gendry said and Arya cackled, looking at Sansa’s face, trying her hardest to be mad at his answer, but she did in fact push for this to be their norm. Instead, she smiled and shook her head.

For most of the day, Arya went around organising things with a few different staffers, making sure that everything in two weeks time would run smoothly. It would also be the same time that Gendry would no longer be on Arya’s detail, so she found herself glancing over to him, making sure he was still there - which he was, but she didn’t understand why she was so scared. That he’d leave, that’d he’d disappear right under her nose. It wasn’t fair to him after they’d sorted things out to still feel like she couldn’t trust him.

At lunch, she told him as much. Gendry wasn’t offended, but rather said that she needed to feel comfortable around him. He wasn’t going to leave her willingly, so she didn’t need to worry. Time was a factor in all of this mess, and she’d trust him not to leave again. But time would be the thing that told them as much.

Every time they talked, Arya found herself falling more in love with him - that there was an openness to him that there wasn’t before he came to her door drunk as hell. Gendry told her everything, even when he didn’t have to, but he was just being honest, and seeing him unguarded and unashamed of showing himself off to Arya made her feel special.

He left the same way he had the day before, kissing her and making her feel hazy that she couldn’t keep him around. She reasoned that one day, she’d overcome the way he made her feel, that she’d trap him into staying for a little while longer. Yet, there was another part of her that craved the feeling to never leave, to constantly fall for him regardless of how he kissed her - she’d always feel her heart leap and she couldn’t catch up with him.

As afternoon snuck in, Arya felt the urge to do something she hadn’t done since she was eighteen. From the depths of her closest, she found the blonde hair that had been hidden under shoes and got everything together. With the bralette wrapped in straps with a crisscross against her chest, emphasising her cleavage - even the little that it was. Over it she wore a flannel, half red and half white, the two competing flannels sewn together one night by Sansa. Her sister had the matching piece. Arya’s outfit was paired with black jeans and boots, and she was almost ready. With round glasses on, she fixed her hair beneath the blonde wig and fixed herself into a presentable person.

When she was younger, she thought the best way to sneak out of the palace was to be someone completely different. In the end, she used it only a few times before she realised she just had to escape her security well enough to make it into town. With hundreds of different routes through the palace, she made it impossible to follow her.

Heading into town, she was unrecognised by those that passed her by, and she easily made it to the apartment that held memories that no one but the two of them could touch. Knocking a fanciful beat, Arya stood with her hands behind her back. When once she tried to run away from him, she now ran to him.

Gendry opened the door and blinked, as though he had to take her in a few extra seconds to make sure it was really her. Arya beamed back.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” he asked, opening the door up wider and guiding her inside. Gendry seemed relaxed, in sweatpants and a tank that had been worn out from use. Seeing him like that often made Arya’s heart flutter - a way that no suit could do. With him every day in a suit, seeing a relaxed Gendry was her favourite version of him.

“Wanted to hang out, and knew if I texted you would have told me to stay home,” she explained, throwing her things on his kitchen counter and looking back at him. He grinned as he walked over to her. As he stood a foot away from her, his hands graced up to her cheeks before they gently drifted to her hair, combing back the wig and laying it perfectly on the counter.

“You have a weird fascination with my apartment,” Gendry grinned as he leaned down to her. His lips grazed her own and Arya felt herself lose her breath, as though he had intended to take it. The kiss he laid there was brief, but allowed Arya a moment to recover.

“It feels like a home,” she confessed.

“Well don’t get too attached,” he scoffed.

“What? Why?” she asked.

“I’m moving,” he said, going to his fridge and taking out a beer. Arya frowned, rounding the bench and not allowing him space. He was taken back by how quick she moved, but her heart was hammering for an answer.

“W-what? I thought we were passed all this and you said you -”

Gendry’s eyes went wide and put his beer down, holding onto her shoulders. “Ah! Don’t get worked up. I’m moving to a house closer to the palace. It’s cheap, and Pod said he’d move in with me to help for it, so I’m moving to be closer to you,” he explained, and Arya felt her face get hot - embarrassment washing over her.

“Oh,” she said, “you’re kinda clingy,” she tried to play it off.

“Says you,” Gendry said, nose nudging against hers. She hated that it worked to calm her down.

“Yes, says me. Your beautiful, royal girlfriend,” she said, leaning against the counter, trying to seem as seductive as possible. She wasn’t sure if it’d work after her whole freak out.

“That’s a first for you. Embracing the royalty thing,” he said, hands either side of her on the bench, cornering her in her spot. She felt the air shift, heat fuelling their interaction more than it should have.

“You should see me in a tiara,” she said, voice low, dripping with allure. She begged for him to fall for it. He didn’t, as he scoffed and moved off from the bench, taking his beer, and heading back to the rest of his living room.

“Oh please, like you’d allow your family to force one on you,” he reminded. He was right, but she couldn’t let him know that.

“You’d be surprised, I can be very girly when I have someone to impress,” she said, following after him, biting at her lip, wondering if he’d turn around.

“I feel like you’re reaching for something here,” he glanced over his shoulder, crackling

“A kiss, mostly,” she said, smiling. Gendry turned, putting the beer down on the coffee table, hands going into his pockets.

“Oh I know, you usually have to reach for that. Short ass.”

“Ok, not my fault you’re practically a giant,” Arya retailated, her chest heaving as she tried to calm the storm of lust that was filling her body. It was no use when Gendry gave her that cocky look, like that day they first met - major cunt was coming out to play and she almost hoped he stayed.

“I think you’re the one that’s stunted. I mean, I’m not even that tall. Most people are taller than I am.” He cracked a smirk and Arya was gone.

He should have known what teasing would get him. Or maybe that was why he did it. Arya ran into him, pulling hard on the back of his neck to tug him down and have their mouths meet. It was hard, and mostly teeth, but it softened when Gendry guided Arya up into his arms. Their heat fuelled their encounter and their skin burned as they touched, leaving streaks of wonderful bliss in their bodies.

Gendry crashed them to the couch, dragging her flannel from her arms as he kissed the length of her body. He tasted her for what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes. Either way, Arya became impatient and dragged him back to her, kissing him as she fumbled with her belt and Gendry stripped himself out of his clothes.

As their clothes fell around his apartment living room, Arya back in her favourite place, sitting upon his lap and taking strides like it was a place made for her - she felt perfect. Her world had rounded to a point where she only cared about being with the man that gasped every time she sank down back into his lap. He lingered kisses on her collar as though they were his last, but every time he kissed her, he made it clear that he would never stop kissing her for as long as he lived.

Arya didn’t care how long they lasted, she just wanted to be with him. When she looked at Gendry, his features tight with a coming release, she cupped his cheek. Watching how he softened, allowing himself to fall apart with his eyes focused on her before he sighed, whispering into her skin like she were a miracle he had to continue to pray for. Arya fell in love with him every time he looked at her - and she knew, every time their eyes met, Gendry was feeling the same.

Gendry had placed a throw blanket over their bodies as they laid on the floor, the tv playing some show that Arya didn’t pay attention to. She had drifted in and out of sleep, adoring the beating heart that lay beneath her ear, and the sensation of her boyfriend breathing was enough to settle any fears that lay within her. She hadn’t realised what time it was until Gendry’s finger poked in her cheek.

“Hey, we should get you back to the palace,” he said, voice harsh as though he had just woken up himself. Arya looked around, finding a clock that read 11:45pm. Arya fell back against his chest.

“Ugh,” Arya groaned, holding him closer, “I don’t wanna.”

“Babe, come on, we can’t have you out this late,” he whispered, trying to shift out of her grasp. Instead, Arya pulled on him again, her chin on his chest and looking up at him.

“I love you,” she said, smile on her face. Gendry laughed, his nose nudging against hers, heart fluttering to a comfort.

“Yeah, I love you too, but I’m still not letting you stay here to spite your mother,” he said, finally managing to move around and grab his clothes. Arya clutched at the throw, pulling it to her chest as she watched him extend to get her things.

“Which reminds me, what did my mother say to you that night Ned Dayne came to my room?” she asked, which made Gendry’s attention whip back to her. He had a pink blush running over his cheeks.

“We don’t need to -”

“I’ll go home if you tell me,” she bargained. Gendry savoured the query, taking a few moments before he sighed.

“How about I’ll walk you back,” he asked back, pulling his sweatpants on as he went to gather up her things.

“Ok?” she replied before Gendry asked if she wanted to burrow warmer clothes for the night. They changed into comfortable clothes, rugging up with Arya’s wig coming back on. Gendry pulled a scarf around her shoulders, making sure she was cozy as they walked arm in arm along the sidewalk. There was something so special about it - it would be natural for any ordinary couple to do, to take care of one another even if it were just to dress for the weather. But still, everything about Arya’s life wasn’t ordinary. Gendry gave her the simplicity of normalcy, though she doubted he realised he did it.

“So, why are we walking back to the palace and not having you drive me?” she asked, head resting on his shoulder. Gendry huff, a plume of frosted air billowed from his nose.

“Your mum cares a lot about you,” he replied, and Arya looked up at him with a curious look.

“Okay? But that still doesn’t explain why she wanted to speak with you,” she said, tugging on his arm a little. He chuckled to himself as he looked back at her.

“I don’t feel right talking about this without her here. I have to say, she’s a very frightening woman, I see where you get it from.”

“You’re avoiding the subject,” she reminded him.

He stopped, looking back at her, as though it were sensitive to breach the topic. Gendry sighed before he spoke. “We talked about you. About us.” They continued to walk but Arya wanted to hash this out in one spot, so it didn’t feel like they were running away from another conversation.

“What did she say, I swear to -”

“She wanted me to make things right,” he interrupted, and Arya’s brow knit. She hadn’t expected him to say that. What happened that night that he wouldn’t say. He seemed stiff, as though something were holding him back.

“What? What did she say?”

“I won’t tell you that,” he replied, jaw set tight.

“Why?”

Gendry stopped again, worry in his eyes. “Arya, I love you. I won’t lie to you, but that was something your mother…” he stopped, and even Arya realised the mistake. Whatever happened that night made him comfortable enough to not refer to her by her title. Part of it made Arya scared. The other felt proud that he were as welcome as any other person. “ - the queen confided in me. She wanted it to be between she and I. I want to respect that if I’m going to stay in your life,” he explained, and Arya held her tongue. She had to trust him on this, everything in her told her as much.

“I understand.”

Gendry took hold of her hand, fingers lacing with her own, and all she wanted to do at that moment was kiss him. He had a way of making everything normal feel like an extra ounce of magic, that it were so much more special than just being a normal action. They continued to walk, like any other couple in the middle of the night. “You can talk to her, you know,” he said, bringing her hand up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You could have told her, like you told your dad. She loves you in a way that your dad doesn’t,” he said, a confidence in his words that she didn’t have. She didn’t understand what happened in their conversation, but it was enough that gave Gendry sympathy for her mother.

“I know that, but...she’s hard to get to know.”

“You’d be surprised how similar you both are,” he smiled. Arya tugged at his hand, making him look down at her.

“Are you being mean?”

“No? Of course not. I’m just telling you, you don’t have to be afraid of her when you both have the same hearts,” he said, “how do you think I got the courage to talk to you that night?”

“A bottle of whiskey?” she scoffed.

“And two mothers punching me in the head for being an idiot,” he replied, shaking his head with a smile pressed to his lips.

“Why do you have to say the sweetest shit when we’re out in public?” she groaned, head leaning against his shoulder once more.

“Cause it give you a reason to kiss me extra hard when I leave to go home,” he joked, and Arya pouted, knocking her hip into his.

“I’m going to kick you first.”

“I’m sure the kiss will make up for any pain,” he said, and Arya scoffed. They looked at each other with joy, something that Arya was long since gone between them. Everything felt like it was falling back into place, and that breaking the pair apart would be impossible now.

Arya made good on her promise to kick him, her foot making impact with Gendry’s backside. It wasn’t anything hard - barely a lovetap, but the minute he reacted, Arya shot up into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him with every ounce she could. Gendry was right - he won a kiss that was extra hard for being so sweet and she wasn’t able to show it in the moment. Ever since getting back together, Gendry made it a priority to say exactly what he wanted - to say the sappy shit that Arya lied about hating. A part of her loved it - it meant she was like every other girl, to be loved without hesitation, and fully to the point where lines like that worked. Gendry loved her, told her so, and made sure she felt it all.

Arya never thought she’d feel loved like that. Ever.

But Gendry made it so easy. He smiled, and kissed, and held her like she deserved so much more than he was giving. In reality, it was always the perfect amount for her. They crashed into a wall, hiding themselves from prying eyes for a brief moment, only to be interrupted by a sharp clearing of a throat close by. They shot apart, wiping their lips clean as they laughed to themselves. At the bottom of the stairs stood the queen, her arms folded, and Arya felt a blush run over her cheeks. She knew most of her siblings had been caught in a similar situation, but it was never something that had happened to Arya. It felt like she were experiencing things as she should.

“Goodnight, Gendry.” The Queen was stern and Gendry bowed to her, briefly stealing another kiss from Arya before he bowed to the queen once more.

“Goodnight, your majesty,” he said, backing away from her.

“You’re being polite again,” she called out. Gendry stopped, laughing as he combed a hand through his hair.

“Yes, sorry, Catelyn,” he said, and Arya nearly gasped, looking back at her mother with shock. To her surprise, the queen smirked, shaking her head at his words.

“Still the queen, bodyguard!” she bellowed and Arya stood in shock for a few more moments before she finally walked over to her mother. Arya shifted out of her wig and looked to her mother.

“What was that all about?”

“What?”

“Ok, you’re being weird now,” she replied to her mother’s coy nature.

“Invite him to dinner,” she said in return, making Arya confused.

“What?”

“Invite Gendry to family dinner tomorrow night,” she said, but it was not lost on Arya that the next day would be Arya and Gendry’s last day as protector and protectee. “I would like for him to be a part of family events from now on. In private or public, however you wish,” Catelyn replied, smiling before she pulled her robe in tighter, tucking herself together before she went to go up the stairs once more.

“Thank you, mum,” Arya said. Catelyn stopped, turning to her daughter.

“Always, sweetheart. Always,” she said, smile sweet and wonderful.

“Can we have lunch tomorrow? I want to talk to you,” Arya called out, her mother the one now confused out of the pair.

“About what, darling?”

“My life, if that isn’t too inconvientant?” Arya questioned. Like Gendry said, Arya should have trusted her mother the same way she trusted her dad. She knew there was still a ways to go between them, but if what Gendry said was true, that she fought for the two of them to be together, she should have trusted that her mother always had her best interests at heart.

“Of course not, I’d love to,” Catelyn said, smiling so wide, it was such a foreign look that Arya had never seen her mother make. It was a type of joy that was reserved for her father, not for Arya, and it felt like a blessing to get it.

The pair walked up the stairs together, planning their lunch for the following day, perfectly at peace with one another. It felt right, to be in such a radiant glow, and for a moment, she wondered if she and her mother shared the same light, but they were so enamoured with their own to see how brightly the other shined.

The next day came in, and where Arya thought she’d get to spend the day with her boyfriend for whatever time she could, he was whisked away to run down his new position. They were sure he’d switch back as soon as a few of Robb’s different press tours were over with, but it still hurt that she didn’t get to spend more time with him. Instead, Arya dressed for her lunch with her mother, held in the queen’s quarters, her own formal dining area in the palace, one that Arya had only been in a few times before.

Their lunch went smoothly, a few jokes passed between them to Arya’s surprise. They were able to speak of Arya’s life, how she felt overwhelmed about most things, especially with the organisations and being the face of those things. Also how she felt about Gendry, from start to finish, she was honest with her mother about how she felt. She left out the night they got together...or the night before. It would have stunted the conversation, she could tell.

After that, her mother told her about the things she was working on. It was honest and rather funny to find that her mother didn’t particularly like doing certain royal activities but was forced to in order to seem like a giving queen. She was rather shy, she only warmed to certain people, Catelyn confessed, but she found that opening herself up more was feeling a lot more freeing than she once anticipated.

After that, Arya went to her room, going over notes that were sent to her for a meeting she had with a few different organisation to form the gym or gym programs that would help what Arya was aiming to do. It was hard to sift through it all, as Arya felt like she was going cross-eyed, but she eventually found her way to getting through them and sending back her own notes to all parties. When she was done, it was late afternoon and everyone was running about, getting ready for dinner that would soon be put on the table.

Arya got a text from Gendry and she raced down the stairs, finding him at the bottom in a casual dress outfit, like he were taking Arya into town. He looked nice, but not at all too formal for their family dinners. Which had just occurred to Arya that she never spoke to him about it. As she reached him, pressing a kiss to his lips delicately before she sighed.

“So,” she started, “you heard.”

He gave a soft shrug, taking hold of her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers, and they walked slowly to the dining hall. “You dad texted me, which I didn’t realise I had your dad's number, but that’s a different conversation.” Arya laughed, holding his hand tighter.

“You look nice.”

“Thank you,” Gendry smiled, kissing at her crown. As they walked through the doors, the family had already gathered around, taking their seats and enjoying each other’s company. As the pair walked in, Gendry gripped at her hand, a slight hitch in his breath as he stood blankly for a moment.

“Hey Gendry!” Sansa greeted, bounding towards them and tugging the pair into respective hugs. Gendry smiled, though Arya could still tell he was nervous for all of this. He knew he were the main attraction to the night’s event, but it would be his first and last night in the spotlight.

“Hey everyone,” he greeted, waving politely to the family that screamed back hellos - save for the king and queen, which Arya expected. When Ned sat down at the end of the table, everyone followed. Arya sat down next to Sansa, and Gendry stood for a moment at the seat beside her.

“Sit down, dummy,” she whispered, jabbing a finger in his leg.

“Right, sorry. Used to standing when you guys are eating,” he laughed, sitting down next to her, sighing out his nerves, though when she looked at his thigh, his leg was obviously jumping. Putting a hand on his thigh, she felt him relax. As they settled, their meal was brought out, everyone leaning over each other to reach for their desired sampling.

“Welcome to the fray outsider! How does it feel to sit at a table full of pompous assholes,” Ygritte said.

“Ygritte,” Jon warned.

“Jon, look at your family for a second and tell me which of them isn’t snickering under their breaths?” Arya glanced around, seeing her siblings laughing to the side as they tried to bite into their meals.

“Is there a club for us outsider Starks? Those that join?” Gendry asked, taking a forkful of food into his mouth. He had certainly calmed down some since being around them for much longer than an introduction.

“You’re called Stark wannabes by us,” Rickon confessed over a mouthful of food. When the table went silent, he looked up and mumbled, “was I not allowed to tell him?”

“I’m guessing you and Talisa got most of this already?” Gendry laughed. Ygritte and Talisa looked to one another and shrugged back.

“Fun to finally have a lad to poke fun at. They’ve been rather sensitive about us ladies,” Talisa admitted, much to Arya’s surprise. Talisa rarely spoke ill or even so much as spoke at family dinners. Now, she seemed like once she was part of the family, she was beautifully a Stark.

“I’m used to dating her. Family can’t be much worse,” Gendry said, to which some of her siblings snickered.

“I’d say we’re only getting started, but Arya added you straight to the group chats, so you know how brutal we are,” Sansa regarded.

“Wait, he got added before he started dating Arya?! What the fuck Jon!”

“Can we please not swear at the table,” Catelyn suddenly interrupted before she shook her head, as though she remembered herself, “sorry. Forgot you weren’t my kids. You can keep swearing,” she said, taking a small piece of her meal.

“Thanks, your majesty,” Ygritte replied.

“Ygritte! You’re about to become a daughter-in-law. You’re allowed to bloody well call me Catelyn.”

“The queen going off tonight!” Ygritte said with a beaming voice, elbowing Jon in the side, who simply blushed at all of it. He really did hate how wild the family got sometimes.

“Someone has put a little extra something in mum’s tea,” Bran said as he reached for his drink.

“It was me. You are all insufferable,” Catelyn murmured as she sipped at her tea. Everyone went silent. It took a moment before Ned snorted over his water, snickering to himself as the rest of the family remained stunned.

“Did mum just make a joke?!” Rickon howled before the table erupted in joy. Gendry grinned at Arya’s side, as though what she had promised him so long ago was now a possibility - her family was his own, in any capacity

The dinner went off without a hitch, everyone talked and no one was excluded. It felt like a perfect family, all found within each other, even those who had no blood between them. Arya was in her twenties, and it was truly one of the first times where she felt as though she belonged in her family. Sure, she got along with them, and enjoyed spending all her time with them, but it didn’t feel like family. Until Gendry. It felt whole, as though before, there was always a missing piece that she could never quite place.

Dinner ended, and Gendry walked Arya back to her room. They were slow, as though to drag out the last remaining parts of their time together. It wasn’t until they reached her door that they had a chance to freeze their time together. It still felt all for naught. Instead, Arya held onto his hand, looking up at him with a pout, trying not to feel as sad as she looked, but that too was for nothing.

“I don’t want this to be the last night you’re my bodyguard,” she admitted. Gendry laughed, tucking hair behind her ear.

“I’ll always be yours,” he reminded.

“Ew, why do you make it sound so gross,” Arya said, smiling even though she wanted to act tough.

“Ok, I’m leaving,” Gendry said, jokingly pulling away. Arya tugged him back, making sure he stayed where he was. Arya walked backwards into her room, dragging Gendry with her.

“Nope. You’re mine. I get to keep you however long I want,” she said. Gendry’s eyes went dark, and Arya knew exactly what it meant.

“How do you want me?” he asked, voice low. It ripped through her, lust feeling like it was pouring from every part of her. Gendry shut the door behind him.

“Now Gendry, that sounds like something bad,” she whispered.

“Then you’re getting the right idea,” he smirked, leaning over her and kissing her quickly. He scooped her into his arms as though she were weightless. She curled her legs around his hips, rising to allow their bodies to form against the other.

They fell around her room, stripping bare, colliding with furniture as they stumbled to the bed. The rest of their night together was spent finding each other in bliss. They found their bodies in sync as they often did in her bed - rolling with one another as they let each dominant side of each other win out. Arya could sit upon his lap, take stride to reach her end, Gendry could hold her hips as he thrust above her. They both came undone and found comfort in her bed as they had done so many times before.

Arya was laid at his side, holding onto him like she were to hold him for the last time. It wouldn’t be, but every time she left his side, she felt an absence from herself - as though a part of her was missing, split into him to create who they were. She carried a part of him, as he carried a part of her. It would remain that way until they were together, entangled in sheets.

As she watched him sleep, curling himself around her, his arms holding her like a vice, not allowing her an inch to escape, she couldn’t help but love the feeling. Trapped in his embrace, she didn’t want him any other. They were their own selves, hidden from sight, and Arya loved that. She’d always love that, the secret nature of their love - not that no one knew, but no one could understand the love they shared for one another, even if they knew the pair were together.

“Stop staring, would ya. I’m not going anywhere,” he said, surprising her. She thought he was asleep.

“You say that, but you left after a night like this,” she reminded him. Gendry peeked through one eye to look at her.

“You’d have to kill me to get me away from you again,” he said, voice groggy, his arms tiring around her.

“You really think you’re going to stay with me for the rest of your life?” she asked with a slight giggle to her words.

“If the Gods allow it, oh you bet your ass,” he said confidently. Arya smiling, tucking herself in further into his embrace.

“I love you,” she said, finally resting her eyes.

“Love you too. Now go to sleep,” he said, though she needed little prompting.

*~*~*

Since Gendry had started with Robb, two weeks after the dinner, Gendry had been welcomed fairly easily by the other members of his team. He had spent little time with the prince himself, but Gendry expected as much.

As for that day, it was a special event, something to do with kingdom communication that was being announced throughout the seven kingdoms. Gendry didn’t quite care about them, but it meant a bigger role for him to play when the prince was on stage.

Fixing up his tie, the prince came out of his bathroom. He was wearing a navy suit, and it certainly complimented his appearance for the day.

“Your Highness. Good morning,” Gendry greeted. Robb looked over to Gendry and he gently smiled.

“I’m glad you’re on my team today,” Robb said, though because he hadn’t spent much time with the prince, gendry wasn’t sure how truth his statement was.

“I serve at the pleasure of your highness,” Gendry said, standing at the door and his hands going behind his back. Robb slowly turned to him, a scowl of disgust running over his face.

“God I hope you don’t say that to my sister,” he said, and Gendry winced.

“I hope you don’t mind if I’m frank here,” he said, clearing his throat, “but fuck, that is absolutely disgusting to even think about.”

“So you drew a line?” he asked, fixing the cufflink back into place.

“If I can remain frank with you,”

“Sure Frank,” Robb said with a grin. He was definitely going to be a dad one day cause the jokes were on par.

“Yes. I know when duty outweighs the heart. I respect the crown.”

“You didn’t when you started dating my sister,” Robb reminded. Gendry frowned.

“Are you mad at me?”

“I’m mad she didn’t tell us, and if I’m taking that out on you, I’m sorry,” he said, giving a stiff nod to her. “I also don’t like the fact that you two stole the light of my wedding, but whatever,” he said under his breath and Gendry scoffed.

“Arya was right,” he said with a laugh. “You love the sound of your own voice.”

“I’m your future king, Gendry,” Robb warned.

“I’m from the South, your highness, you sure as hell aren’t my king,” he said back confidently. To that, Robb laughed, chuckling as he shook his head.

“I’m just giving you a hard time cause I’m the older brother. Nothing more. I have nothing against you or Arya, and definitely not your relationship. I wish you two all the happiness,” he said.

“Thank you, your highness,” Gendry replied, trying not to nod like an idiot.

“Seeing as how you’re dating my sister, you can probably call me Robb,” he said with a soft shrug.

“Probably?” Gendry scoffed.

“It’s still weird, please just let me get used to it,” Robb replied.

“That’s fine.”

With one smile, Robb was off and Gendry was following behind. Robb was in his own world, getting texts that he needed to reply to, as well as people coming up to him to confirm what was going on. It was clear that he had a lot on his plate, and was going to be used to the schedule as the future king.

“My wife keeps complaining about this grey streak in my bloody hair,” Robb said suddenly over his shoulder. Gendry realised Robb was talking to him, as Jon was at the end of the hall waiting for them.

“I’m not a stylist or anything, your highness, but from what I’ve seen on the internet, the people really love the streak,” Gendry said.

“You mean women,” Robb corrected.

“Yes. Daddy material right there,” Gendry shrugged to which Robb stopped, cackling hard, holding his side.

“Why do you have to say things like that?” he said, clearing his throat and finally they made it to Jon, who informed them both on the day’s schedule and what Gendry needed to know about the venue.

It was an open event, for as many spectators to see as possible. They had nearly all security pulled, with the family coming as well to keep everyone secure at the same time at the event. Gendry needed to be Robb’s body man to be able to protect him as Jon needed to observe the entire event for any eventuality.

When they arrived, Gendry didn’t realise how open space Jon meant it to be. It was huge with hundred, if not thousands, of people scattered around. It didn’t allow any room for someone to study every person like a smaller venue could have. It was open air, which meant open opportunity from every conceivable angle.

Anything could go wrong, they were walking into a pit, readying for anything to come and attack. There were so many people, so many enemies, that any of the people in the crowd could be it. Ordinary didn’t mean safe - where normalcy was the binary, the outlier was anyone. There was always a way to tell where someone was feigning it compared to others, that they suddenly were out of place in a crowd. But in a crowd that huge, it was as thought finding a needle in a haystack.

Even as they walked towards the podium which Robb was meant to speak at, Gendry felt that there was something he was missing. The minute he got there, Gendry felt as though there was something out of place. Everything felt perfect, there was a right amount of security around, there was everything in place. The only thing he could work out was the crowd.

It was chaotic, with too many people to discern amongst the crowd. Picking one out was going to be impossible. Robb took to the centre of the stage, speaking into the microphone. Gendry stood close by, but he just felt like he needed to find what was bothering him. There was no way to tell, but all he could do was wait.

Robb continued on, the crowd standing in settled silence. Yet, it wasn’t. There was something…

There was someone...

“Something’s wrong,” he whispered to himself. Sam at his side scoffed.

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know, I just…” he started, until he saw the gaze of a man in the crowd. It was determined, angry. And he was charging the stage. “Your Highness!” Gendry shouted, getting to the prince’s side, and the gun came out.

“Down with the seven kingdoms!” The man yelled. Three pops went off quickly. And the crowd scattered, screams erupting as people scrambled for safety. Gendry saw Beric tackle the guy to the ground.

Gendry had pushed the prince to the side. The prince fell into Jon’s grasp as Gendry was knocked to the ground. The sound had come and gone by the time Gendry hit the floor. Everything came far slower than he realised - his mind and body acting in two different timelines. Either a second apart or a million years, he wasn’t sure.

It felt like he was punched in the chest, and then the overwhelming need to fall down. When his body started to go, he knew where the bullet had landed. He wasn’t sure the exact location, but it was painful enough to say an approximate; his chest. As he made impact with the ground, he felt the world rush. He wanted to breathe, but that proved to be a challenge. Right. Chest. That’s why.

He felt up his chest as he stared up at the sky, all he could think about was putting pressure on the pain. Being met with the wet stain on his chest, he knew he would go into shock in a moment.

“Arry,” he said, before he coughed, something wet touching his lips.

His hands were a pathetic amount of pressure he was applying, until he felt the pain radiate through his chest. His hands were moved aside, as everything in his vision started to shift, not quite able to focus where he wanted. Then, he was met with Brienne’s face, concern written into her where he could focus on her face. He watched the head of security look him over, hands pushing into the wound on his body, but even that started to feel numb.

“Gendry? Gendry, can you hear me?” He wanted to answer, but it felt like something was weighing down his chest. He knew what a gunshot felt like - he had enough to know what it felt like - what he wasn’t used to was feeling his lungs fill with blood. He couldn’t breathe, choking on the thing that gave him a pulse.

Even with people above him, searching for a sign of life, and his eyes darting between them, all he could think about was Arya.

Arya, in the morning light with white sheets surrounding her, making her look like a gift from the gods. Her hair sat at her shoulder, albeit a big messy, but he wouldn’t have her any other way. She smiled, and it welcomed him, like home.

Arya was his home, and his last thought before everything went dark.

#gendrya #gendry x arya #arya x gendry #got fic #gendrya fic #my fics #cfois #chivalry fell on its sword

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moonlitgleek · 5 years ago

Note

"[Arya and Sansa] actually have a bit in common in terms of the skills they are picking up from their individual journeys" Can you please expand on that? I'd love to read more about their parallels!

I’ll speak to the parallels that I was thinking of when I wrote that, but I’m afraid this is not going to be comprehensive because it’s been a while since I read the books. I might come back to it later when I have the chance to do a reread.

Adapting to their surroundings and managing their image

Both Arya and Sansa have a penchant for adapting which develops from an intuitive reaction to a conscious effort that plays on managing people’s perception of them. Sansa approaches it through the medium of a lady’s education; she instinctively employs her socially-approved image as a proper lady and her courtesies to try and sway the court in her favor when she delivers her plea for Ned’s life, then consciously and carefully modifies her mannerisms and her wardrobe to reflect the persona she wants to convince others of as she shifts from playing Joffrey’s dedicated royal betrothed to Littlefinger’s daughter-slash-mentee to the bastard girl the Vale lords think her to be. She takes care of how to present herself to various factions and leans into people’s perception of her as unthreatening and naive to achieve her goals. Who would think that little Sansa was planning her escape in the godswood? Who would pay much attention to the unassuming bastard girl?

Arya also leans into people’s mistaken perceptions of her. She is repeatedly mistaken for a boy which she eventually uses to conceal her true identity and evade capture. We see her high awareness of how to behave while with Yoren to pass as a boy and is conscious of how her dirty appearance at Harrenhal sells her false identity as a peasant and tries to behave accordingly. She learns to be conscious of her mannerisms in the House of Black and White to adapt to the identities she slips between. In fact, one of the main things Arya is taught during her time in Braavos is how to adapt to her surroundings and adjust everything else down to her body language and facial expressions to take on a new persona and she is very adept at it. She has also repeatedly uses the fact that people underestimate her because of her size or her gender to get close enough to do what she wants, whether that’s to get information or to launch an attack as she did with the weasel soup.

That’s three skills the girls are getting better at: learning to adapt, learning how to use self-presentation to support an endeavor or alter perception, and learning how to deliberately play on others’ expectations to accomplish your goal. All of which are extremely handy in political situations.

Experiencing the life of the disadvantaged

The experiences that Sansa and Arya go through in their individual journeys are sure to inform the political philosophy of both girls. As we’ve seen with the example of Aegon V and his pro-smallfolk reforms, a life among the lower social classes can have a significant effect on policy. Aegon V lived with the commoners over the course of his squiring for Ser Duncan the Tall which made him more attuned to the needs and struggles of a social class that often goes ignored by the high lords. Daenerys’ powerlessness and harsh life similarly informs her anti-slavery campaign in Slaver’s Bay.

In the same vein, Sansa and Arya’s arcs in the aftermath of Ned’s death leads them to live the life of the disadvantaged in a way that could only elevate their natural compassion. The girls are innately kind, and Arya in particular has always been sensitive to injustices inflicted on the weak, but it remains that the girls start the series with a great deal of privilege as the daughters of a great lord who, despite his own compassionate nature, doesn’t really know what it is to live a disenfranchised or unprivileged life. That Sansa experiences the prejudiced attitude leveled at bastards and Arya shares in the hardships the smallfolk go through could only bolster their innate kindness in having them able to empathize with the plight of those who suffer from the class hierarchy that tramples the weak in the game of thrones. The degree of separation that the girls had before gets degraded to an extent. They struggle through those hardships and prejudices, through the cruelty and apathy of the noble class towards a population they don’t see as valuable enough. That can only make Sansa and Arya mindful of how their decisions reflect on those below them in the social ladder when they are the ones in charge and enable them to be a source of change to the social attitude towards lower classes.

A similar effect would result from how the girls went through experiences that showed themthe horrors of war. Arya travels through the Riverlands and sees how war, even just and righteous ones, ravishes the people and exacts a toll on the commoners first and foremost. She sees the destruction and the misery Robb’s troops inflict on innocents in a similar way to the Lannisters’. Sansa lives the reality of being a political hostage and what it really means to have your life hanging on the balance. While the Lannisters push and break the boundaries of acceptable practices as always, holding hostages against the good behavior of their family on the threat of death remains an acceptable political tool that everyone freely partakes in. It is also a fundamentally unjust practice that inflicts harm on people for the actions of their kin. The Starklings have all grown up with Theon suffering from that perilous position but none of them really understood it. That builds an awareness of the consequences of these accepted political practice and puts the human side of the game of thrones firmly on their minds.

Leadership skills

The arcs of the Starks girls, different as they get, keep circling back to how they personify an ideology that implanted the Starks into the very history of the North. Despite not being in power the way characters like Jon or Dany are in their own leadership roles, the girls find themselves in spaces that allows them to understand power, whether as a duty or a privilege, and build their own leadership model. The thing to note is that the Stark girls understand that leadership is a duty of protection and care. So it’s not just that Sansa saves Dontos Hollard or talks Joffrey into giving that poor Kingslander with the dead baby money instead of running her down, it’s not just that Arya fiercely pursues justice for those victimized by the Lannisters from Mycah to Ned to Lanna to Lomy; it’s that the girls understand that that leadership is a responsibility. Sansa correctly identifies that ruling through love through easing the suffering of people is the correct principle and considers it a main part of royal role.Arya steps in for her family taking on the role of the Stark in Winterfell when she metes out justice to Daeron in the name of the Starks. Both girls reflect their father’s ideology and teachings, with Arya directly invoking Ned’s leadership lessons to Robb and Jon.

As the story progresses, the girls get more instances where they step up to take charge in time of need. Arya emerges as a natural leader during the attack on Yoren’s group and tries her best to steer her little newfound pack away from danger. She plots with Jaqen to free the Northmen and refuses to leave Gendy and Hot Pie behind when she flees Harrenhal. She takes Weasel under her wing and is very protective of her. Being caring and protective has always been in Arya’s nature but we see her growing awareness of the unfairness of the world and her determination to push back. This is the girl who stepped in between Joffrey and Mycah and was literally the only person who cares about justice for Mycah after all. Justice is a major concern for Arya, but she also clearly understands that justice has to be tempered with mercy as shown in her reaction to the Karstark men dying in crow cages.

Where Arya leans more towards the protector role, Sansa leans towards the providing aspect of leadership. She is associated with the wish to provide foodstuff to the starving population of King’s Landing, with successfully getting Joffrey to give money, with giving comfort to the terrified women during the Blackwater, with helping Lancel and calling for medical attention. Her more traditional feminine skills like sewing and running the household has always been cited as majorly important skills to surviving in winter. Sansa’s story associates her with relief efforts which she is positioned to do as winter kicks in with a vengeance considering that Littlefinger is currently hoarding food up in the Vale. I’m quite invested in the theory that she’ll be the one to hold Winterfell during the thick of the War for the Dawn as the castle becomes a refuge for those fleeing winter and the Others. I think both girls will embody the historical roles of the Starks in that war, with Arya protecting the North with her wolf pack and Sansa comforting and taking care of the civilians inside the castle.

Political analysis and deduction skills

The girls are each developing a mind for political analysis that is being bolstered by the crash course they are receiving in the Vale and the House of Black and White respectively, under mentors who actively encourage them to hone their observation skills and connect the dots to a larger picture.

Sansa’s skill shows when she starts looking closer at her maids in the aftermath of Ned’s death and concludes that they are spying on her for Cersei. Her affinity for political analysis shows itself when she thinks over what Margaery’s betrothal to Joffrey and Loras’ appointment to the Kingsguard mean in light of Joff’s temperament, unknowingly putting her finger on the design of the Purple Wedding. In the aftermath of the wedding, she connects the missing amethyst in her hairnet and Dontos’ insistence that she wears it to the wedding to Joffrey’s murder, a fact Littlefinger confirms later. She also figures out that Petyr framed Tyrion from the information that he was the one who arranged for the jousting dwarves. In the Vale, Sansa understands the significance of Petyr’s act in granting Nestor Royce the Gates of the Moon as a political play, and pays close attention to the Lords Declarant upon their arrival in the Eyrie, noting the purpose behind the seating arrangements and deducing that Lyn Corbray is working with Littlefinger. Her training montage with Littlefinger includes lessons her about inheritance, the intricacies of social interactions and the interpersonal dynamics of Vale nobility which is immensely valuable in a political setting. Sansa is also basically running the Eyrie right now and her idea about the tourney of the Winged Knights and organizational skills shows budding political skill.

Meanwhile, Arya is developing a knack for gathering information from multiple sources and how to separate hard facts from her own deductions. She has always been good at listening and her underfoot tendencies gave her access to a lot of important information ahead of time, even if she does not always realize their importance in the moment. From the plotting of Varys and Illyrio to the design of the Red Wedding, Arya gets bits and pieces about some rather significant events. Syrio Forel hones her skills by teaching her to be fast and silent, to look closely and observe carefully which Arya consciously employs across her arc, most notably when she sees the guards in grey cloaks waiting by the Wind Witch and figures out that they are not her father’s men. The kindly man only bolsters Arya’s perceptiveness by forcing her to rely on her other senses and furthers her awareness of body language and facial expressions, both her own and other people’s, which helps her see through people’s lies and also sell her own lies capably. The kindly man also encourages Arya further to observe and listen once in Braavos by asking her to learn three new things every day, and the things Arya bring ranges from mundane (jabes, riddles) to important politically (sailor’s tales about the war in Slaver’s Bay and Dany’s dragons) and economically (”tricks of this trade or the other”).

On top of that, Arya’s time in Braavos exposes her to adifferent culture, ruling model and political atmosphere, which she we see her use to build a growing understanding of the politics of Bravoos and how it compares to that of Westeros. Her political ability shines through when she uses the data she gathered to deduce that the death of the current ill Sealord will bring a conflict and assassinations till a new one, who she identifies as Tormo Fregar, comes out on top. Arya’s knack of making friends with any and everyone, whether highborn and lowborn, Westeros native or not, means she is quite capable of building a huge network of relationships and diverse sources of information.

Parallels also exist in the way Sansa and Arya are both learning to recognize cues that they are being played or lied to. To slip between personas as befits their circumstances but without losing the core of their identity. They are gaining a lot of knowledge about political intrigue and learning the tools of diplomatic relations. The methods and the aspects of their training montages may differ, but I don’t think the skills they are each acquiring are all that divergent. In fact, I think the girls’ skills are rather complementary, and they are each meant to enhance and round off the other’s skillset.

#asoiaf #asoiaf meta #valyrianscrolls #sansa stark #arya stark #parallels #Anon asks #ask box

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weirddemiwood · 6 years ago

Text

The Old Bear’s Daughter, Part 1

Masterlist

"You in command here?" two riders asked.

Juliana and Yoren walked both walked towards them.

"You're a long way from home," Yoren acknowledged.

"I asked you a question," the southern knight said.

"You did," Juliana nodded, "but since you asked without manners, we decided not to answer."

The man pulled out a piece of paper, "I have a royal warrant for one of these gutter rats you're transporting."

"Well, the thing is," Yoren told him, "These gutter rats belong to the Night's Watch. Now, that puts them beyond the reach of kings and queens."

"Does it?" the man asked, starting to pull his sword but he stopped as he saw the two in front of him already having daggers out. Yoren had his pressed to the man's genitals.

"It's a funny thing- people worry so much about their throats that they forget about what's down low. Now I sharpened this blade before breakfast. I could shave a spider's arse if I wanted to," Yoren pushed the man's chainmail to the side, "or I could nick this artery in your leg. And once it's nicked, there's no one around here who knows how to unnick it."

Juliana pulled the man's sword from its sheat, "We'll just keep that," she threw the sword to the ground, "The Night's Watch can always use some more steel."

"It seems you have a choice," Yoren told them, "You can die here at this crossroads a long way from home, or you can go back to your city and tell your masters you didn't find what you were looking for."

The man who didn't have a dagger between his legs spat on the ground.

"We're looking for a boy named Gendry," the soon-to-be-eunuch spoke up, "he carries a bull's head helmet. Anyone turning him over will earn the king's reward. We'll be back with more men and I'll be taking your head home along with that bastard boy." The last part of the sentence was directed towards Yoren before the two riders turned their horses and galloped back to King's Landing.

Yoren put his dagger away and turned to the boys they had collected while Juliana picked up the sword she had thrown on the ground.

"It's good steel, what a shame that I don't fight with swords." She threw the sword at a boy nearby who managed to catch it with both hands.

"What?" Juliana asked as the boy looked from the sword to her.

"Nothin'" he mumbled as he walked to help another boy with making a fire.

*****

After having gone hunting, Juliana was cleaning her blades in the river and washing her hands from skinning animals as she heard a few of the boys talking.

"If they come back, I say we yield," a boy with matted blond curls spoke. "Gendry's the one they want. Don't get caught in the middle of a battle."

The boy next to him, a big kid with a chubby face replied, "I ain't afraid of no battles."

"If you got within a mile of a battle, you'd fill your pants," Arry spoke. He was a small boy with a high voice who Yoren had picked up out of King's Landing the day they had executed Ned Stark.

"I've seen lots of battles! I saw-"

"Liar!"

Juliana smirked. She liked Arry and his feisty personality.

"I saw a man kill another man just outside a tavern in Flea Bottom. Stabbed him right in the neck."

"Two men fighting isn't a battle," the blond boy argued.

"They had armour on."

"So?" Arry asked.

"So, if they've got armour on, it's a battle."

Juliana, who was finished with her work and now just stayed to see where their conversation was going, snorted and exchanged a smirk with Arry.

"No, it isn't" the blond boy continued the conversation.

"What does a dyer's apprentice know about battles anyway?"

"Gendry's an armourer's apprentice," Arry spoke up as the person in question came back to the river. "Hot Pie, tell Gendry what makes a fight into a battle."

Gendry was a young man the same age as Juliana and had joined the group not too long ago.

The chubby boy, Hot Pie, turned to Gendry, "It's, um, when they've got armour on."

"Who told you that?"

"A knight."

"How'd you know he was a knight?"

"Well, it was 'cause he got armour on."

"You don't have to be a knight to have armour," Gendry explained, "Any idiot can buy armour."

"How do you know?"

"'Cause I sold armour."

"You become a knight if a lord or the King makes you one after or while serving them." Juliana told the boys, making them look at her.

"How do you know that?" the blond boy asked.

"My older brother was one."

"Your brother?"

Arry furrowed his brows, "Don't you know who she is?"

The boys shrugged their shoulders and Arry explained, "That's Lady Juliana Mormont. She's the daughter of the Night's Watch's commander."

Juliana nodded, "But if you call me Lady, I might have to kill you."

She sheathed her weapons and made her way over to a firepit where Yoren was sitting.

*****

Not long after finding out about the Lady in the camp, Gendry found out that there was, in fact, another Lady there.

"So you're a highborn, then. You're a Lady."

"No. I mean, yes." Arya Stark, who now called herself Arry, replied. "My mother was a Lady and my sisters-"

"Yeah, but you were a lord's daughter and you loved in a castle and you- look, all that about cocks, I should never have said- And I've been pissing in front of you and everything. I-I should be calling you "my lady"."

"Do not call me "my lady"!" Arya protested.

"As my lady commands," Gendy joked as he taught about the irony of the only two ladies he knew not even liking their highborn status.

He was pushed back by the lady in front of him, "Well, that was unladylike."

"Oh!" he exclaimed as he was pushed onto the ground by Arya and he laughed as she stomped away frustrated.

#Game of Thrones #Gendry #Juliana Mormont

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mithliya · 2 years ago

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i personally find media that is male-centric quite boring inherently.

This is so me, lmao.

I couldn't watch Heart stopper, young royals, supernatural, stranger things, or cobra kai or literally any show with a majority male cast.

And people are surprised about it, they'll say "omg, you're missing out! Cobra kai is so good!" When cobra kai can't give their female characters any solid story line besides a school brawl over a boy for 4 seasons.

Anytime a new show comes out that is supposedly "good" I like to play a game where A. If the majority of the cast are male and B. If it's not, can I tell if it was written by men? (Spoiler alert - I can always tell)

i watched heartstopper and stranger things (first 2 seasons i think) and. it took me forever to finish both (comparatively speaking). heartstopper was so weird and cringe to me but i felt like i had to finish it bc i told this gendie lesbian i know irl that ill check it out when she told me about it 💀 the lesbians were one of the reasons i could finish it. stranger things i loved eleven (that’s her name right?? im not sure anymore) & love winona ryder but not enough to be able to push myself to watch the newest seasons 😭 even tho i heard there’s a lesbian character in there now… it’s just too hard to care when the cast is so predominantly male

a show has to have enough female characters for me to care fr and if it’s too much about het romance and men i will fall asleep fr. i wish i could bring myself to care enough about those shows to watch them but there’s sth about maleness that makes sth 500x more boring to me 😭

#only exception i can think of is that mads mikkelsen (sp??) drinking movie. but that’s bc it’s got a psych theme n i only watched it bc #i wanted to watch sth with my dad 😔

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vintage-bentley · 2 years ago

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I’m trying to be as pessimistic as possible about S2 to make sure I can’t possibly be disappointed… but I feel safe saying this probably won’t happen. Even if Straightman wants it to happen (especially to Crowley, his cool dude fantasy self insert), I think he’s smart enough to know that it wouldn’t blow over well. He’s in a really sweet spot right now, where he has

- regular/normie homophobic viewers (or even just casual viewers who aren’t homophobic) completely oblivious to the supposed “obvious love story” in season 1. They think Crowley and Aziraphale are just besties and will continue to think this.

- gendie homophobic viewers going wild with their made up gender/sexuality headcanons, praising Straightman for his homophobic and sexist twitter/tumblr shenanigans, and begging him to continue with the vagueness that allows normies to not even think of A/C as a romantic pairing. (Unfortunately this also includes spineless gay people who cave to the gender fandom, so he could always find a token gay to hype him up)

- a large fandom that runs largely on the love of ineffable husbands (despite how much the fandom tends to twist and bastardise them). Maybe Straightman doesn’t agree with them being gay, but he can’t deny that a large portion of this show’s fandom relies on that being a possibility. It’s like Supernatural or Hannibal or Sherlock or any other show with a vague relationship between two men (I’ve only watched Hannibal though, I’m just assuming this applies to the other two based on what I’ve seen); a huge part of the excitement is “will they won’t they”. Even knowing that the answer is probably no, but holding onto that small hope that it might happen. I can’t imagine Straightman taking a bowling ball to this part of the fandom by explicitly taking out the aspect of ineffable husbands being a possibility.

In short, I doubt it’ll happen. I won’t completely rule out the possibility… because we are dealing with His Royal Anything-But-Gayness… but I just think too much would be at risk by doing this, and I think he knows that.

I don’t wanna speak it into existence but. straightman better not put aziraphale or crowley with one of the new female characters.

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jeontaeh · 4 years ago

Text

THIRTY SEVEN³⁷

Taehyung stood there on the marble flooring with a heavy heart, eyes widened, his grey hair making him blend in with the rest of the people there. The crowd was gigantic, all there to see River Vorian- the queen of Jupiter.

How the fuck did he not know that?

He'd never bothered to search her name up. His father rarely talked about it, so all Taehyung could do was envision what she would do. Every time he asked his father about her, he shut Taehyung down and told him to move on.

But how could he move on? It was his mother.

His mother, sitting on a throne, pristine held eyes glancing over the room in a manner that was nothing less than intimidating, and-

"T-Taehyungie you're a prince?" Jungkook gulped, and Taehyung's eyes were wide.

"Bitch is royal," Jimin stated dryly, and Taehyung still continued looking at his mother with the widest of eyes.

"Hey!! Why are all of you freaking out!! I am a princess in my planet too!!!" Lav said with a small scowl, and Jimin wrapped one arm around her waist and then leaned in to whisper.

"Yeah, but you being a princess makes sense! Tae, a prince? I mean, look at him. A person who dips bread into ranch isn't a prince, Lav-"

"Shut up Jimin!" Taehyung whisper-snapped, and then looked ahead. He walked towards the line that led to the queen. Oh my god, he couldn't do this. He just couldn't.

How could he face her like this?? He looks like some common bitch!

But he's been waiting. He's been waiting for 20 fucking years to finally meet his mother one day. Hoping she's be everything he'd envision. As a 6-year-old child, seeing his friends getting picked up from playschool by loving mothers- he'd never had that.

But now that he knew she was a motherfucking

Queen??? He doesn't think she's going to be all that loving, especially with how scary she looked.

Jungkook stuck behind Taehyung, eyes starry.

"Wow, Tae you're going to be a prince!"

"No, I'm not," Taehyung chuckled dryly. The other boys waited on the other side.

"Yes, you are! King Taehyung. King Taehyung, King Taehyung-" Jungkook began chanting.

"Shut it, Kookie." Taehyung snapped, and then looked back at her. She was talking to some young girl, who was crying.

"T-thank you for h-helping my mother. -i-if it wasn't for you, my-my mother would've died!" The little girl cried, and Taehyung saw as his mother looked at her gently cupping her face.

"There is nothing I would do more. I hope you lead happy lives." She whispered, and the little girl hugged her and then rushed off.

"Wow" Jungkook said, and Taehyung hummed.

Suddenly, two guards came up to them, dark grey with almost black hair. "Are you Kim Taehyung?"

"Um..yes-"

"Come with us." The guards said, and then grabbed Taehyung from either side and dragged him to the side.

Jungkook followed along, eyes wide in worry.

"Guys please don't embarrass me in front of my mom or the people that work here," Taehyung said, and Jimin scoffed.

"Wow Tae! I wish you would have at least a little faith in us! It's not like I'm going to SCREAM about how you FIS-TED Jungkook in the middle of a mission-" Jimin laughed, and then all of them heard a clearing of the throat.

"Mr. Kim," A voice came, and they looked and saw the butler, who was frowning at Jimin. Jimin looked down and got hit on the head by Lav. "Please come with us to the side."

Taehyung nodded and got up to walk with the butler. He saw a maid rushing past him, and as she did, she bumped into him. "Sorry," Taehyung said quickly, bowing. The woman nodded politely and then walked past him. "Do your work properly, Lailah." The butler snapped, and the woman nodded.

Taehyung walked up to the man and then heard him sigh. "So, Taehyung. You are half human half Juno, yes?"

"Yes. My- my mother is Juno." Taehyung said, and the man smiled.

"And your mother, as I'm sure you're aware, is the Queen." The man stated affirmativer and Taehyung's breath hitched, and he nodded.

"I-I was skeptical, but it's true, isn't it?" Taehyung let out and then looked down. "That's... that's crazy," Taehyung began, and the Butler smiled.

"Don't worry. You will fit in quite well here." The butler said, and Taehyung looked at him.

"Oh, I mean, I don't plan on staying, but-" Taehyung began, but the Butler cut him off.

"Your friends. Are... are they also going to stay? I can already feel the kingdom's discomfort at their presence," The Butler said, and Taehyung frowned.

"Discomfort...?"

"Yes. Jupiter doesn't have a good relationship with

Humans or any beings related to Earthlings, I'm sure you are aware." The Butler snickered, and Taehyung sighed.

"Ah, yes. Of course. But that was hundreds of years ago. I can vouch that my friends and good people and don't plan to do any wrong." Taehyung said, and the Butler looked unsure.

Taehyung gulped, wondering if they thought he was doing something wrong. "The Queen wishes to meet you later in private."

"O-oh," Taehyung let out, a small smile growing on his face.

"Oh thank god! I thought they found out we entered this palace illegally!" Jungkook said, and the guards looked at Jungkook.

"What?" The guards snapped, and Taehyung walked in front of Jungkook, who widened his eyes.

"He speaks rubbish! He is merely my...." Taehyung trailed and then gulped. "Pet."

"Oh. Of course," The guards said, and Taehyung began petting Jungkook's head. "Yes yes," Taehyung said, and then brushed Jungkook's head. "Bad pet," Taehyung said loudly, sounding convincing, while Jungkook frowned.

"Your pet?! How the hell do you expect them to believe that?" Jungkook whisper-snapped to Taehyung, who shrugged, but then mouthed just go with it, Jungkook rolled his eyes.

"Sir, please come into the room to wait. We've been expecting your arrival." A man said to them, looking like a butler. Taehyung nodded, and the butler ushered for the rest of the boys and Lav to come over as well, so they did.

They all began walking towards a dining room, but the guard grabbed Jungkook.

"No pets in the dining room." The man said.

Jungkook furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm not a pet!"

Jungkook barked, and Taehyung sighed, rushing up to them.

"He- he's domestic. It's fine." Taehyung mumbled, and then grabbed Jungkook from the side and began walking with him.

"Fine. But here," The guard said, and then took out a leash (out of where, who knows?) and handed it to Taehyung.

Jungkook's eyes widened like saucers, and Taehyung looked at him like he was about to laugh.

"Don't you dare make me wear that leash" Jungkook whispered.

"I'm so sorry," Taehyung whispered back and then cleared his throat. He put the collar around Jungkook's neck and tied the leash to it and tugged him towards the dining room.

"T-Tae this is humiliating!" Jungkook whined, getting dragged into the dining room. Once they walked in, all 8 of them gasped. It was royal as fuck, with huge chandeliers and expensive looking decor and very extensive embroidery on the walls. A huge table was in the middle with many chairs and a lot of snacks on it.

"Food!" All of them said excitedly, and the butler laughed.

"Yes, all of it is for you." The butler said, and Taehyung let Jungkook's leash go, looking at the butler, who had light grey skin and blue tinted hair.

"When you say you've been waiting for our arrival..." Taehyung trailed, and the butler smiled. "I think you know what I mean. Please wait here, the Queen will come to see you soon."

"Okay," Taehyung said softly, and then turned around to see six of his friends sitting on the chairs, digging into the chicken drumsticks and pizza. It felt like Hogwarts.

Taehyung sat down on one of the seats and then paused.

Wait, someone was missing.

"Tae...." A whimper came, and Taehyung looked to his side and literally shouted when he saw Jungkook on his knees on the floor with a bowl in front of him. Jungkook leaned up, putting his little hands on Taehyung's chair. "T-they said I can't sit on the chairs!"

"O-oh..." Taehyung trailed, and Namjoon looked and frowned. "Girl what the fuck is going on.."

"Tell them I'm not a dog!" Jungkook said, scratching Taehyung's leg. Taehyung sighed. "Sorry bunny, but you kind of got us into this when you told the guards we got here in the wrong means!"

"Still! This is violating my human rights, Tae!" Jungkook cried. Jungkook put his cheek on Taehyung's thigh.

"Is he meowing? Why the fuck is he doing that?" Jin asked, and Yoongi quickly grabbed a sugarcane and handed it to Jungkook.

"Here, good boy," Yoongi said quickly, and Jungkook grabbed it from his hands and then sat down like a little baby panda and began eating it, getting distracted.

"He's so easy to please, jeez." Hoseok mumbled, and Taehyung hummed. He turned his attention back to everyone else.

Meanwhile, at the table, the maid from earlier- Lailah, gasped. "O-oh my! You're- you are the Royal Princess from Nour!" She said, and all the maids and other people in the room stopped to gasp, looking at Lavender, who smiled.

"Yes. It is my pleasure to be here, visiting Jupiter. I come hand in hand with the half-earthling, long-lost Prince" Lavender said, and everyone in the room paused and gasped.

But they aren't dating!" Jungkook said from the floor, drinking banana milk with a straw. Yoongi pet his hair gendy, and Jungkook looked back down at his milk, drinking it happily.

"Wait, long lost prince?"

"Half earthling?"

"A prince?!"

"Lav, I don't think you were supposed to say that to everyone!" Jimin hissed, and Lav gulped, eyes widening.

Suddenly, the doors of the dining hall opened and silence spread across the room. All the maids and servants in the room all moved to align with the walls, bowing their heads. Lavender stood up in an instant, and upon seeing so did the rest of the boys. The queen had walked in.

"Oh please, do relax." The queen stated softly, her royal blue gown dragging behind her. Taehyung turned and he felt his hands coil when he saw her.

She saw Taehyung and walked up to him, smiling softly. "You must be- you must be Taehyung."

Taehyung looked up at her. She walked till they were closer, and examined him a little. Taehyung felt nervous, "You're half human?"

"Yes," Taehyung said hesitantly. She smiled. She was much taller. She reached a hand forward, trailing it down his face, and then let it down.

"I've waited 20 years for this." She whispered gently, and Taehyung a feeling of sorrow heavy in his heart, but smiled, smiled a little.

"You're my-" Taehyung began, and then saw her smile bigger. "You're m-my mother? Truly?"

She leaned down. "Of course I am, Taehyung. Can't you tell?" She laughed, and Taehyung smiled.

He wanted to hug her, but she looked a little... icy. So he kept still. "Why didn't you come to visit me? Or father?"

She paused for a second, looking down. "Your father. Of course. He was never my soulmate, love. I'm sure you know about that, don't you?" She said, and Taehyung gulped. Except for the fact that his father had never dated or looked at any other woman for the past 20 years and only smiled when he talked about her.

Yet... they weren't soulmates?

"You weren't soulmates?" Taehyung asked with a small frown. He was hoping when he'd meet his mother, she'd want to meet his father instantaneously.

"Of course not. A Jupiterian can't be soulmates with an earthling" The queen said as if it was obvious. "Scientifically, it's proven. Humans don't feel the same pain or love like us."

"R-right," Taehyung said, and then darted his eyes to Jungkook, who was on his knees on the floor, licking the sugar off his knuckles. When Jungkook saw Taehyung looking, he blushed, putting his hands down.

"Let's sit down and talk properly, Taehyung. There are many things to discuss. I'm sure you feel the same way." River spoke, and then put her thumb to Taehyung's chin. Taehyung smiled and then saw her turn around and walk out of the dining hall. Once she did, the workers got back to work.

Taehyung sighed, looking as she walked out.

He wasn't expecting that. He guesses he'd built it up too much in his head. He was expecting her to hug him tightly and do everything a mother would. But this felt..awkward. Cold. Taehyung shouldn't have expected so much.

Taehyung walked up to Jungkook, who looked up at Taehyung. Jungkook put his hands up.

"Taehyung look- my fingers got all the sugar cane juice on them! Now it's all sticky.." Jungkook squeaked, and Taehyung smiled a little bit, feeling a fondness in his heart.

"How was it, Tae?" Namjoon asked, and everyone looked at him expectedly.

"Um." Taehyung trailed, and then scratched the back of his head. "Fine, I guess."

"Let me lead all of you to your rooms." The butler said, and they all got up. Jungkook stood up as well but saw Yoongi grab him by the leash.

"Yoongi.. stop that," Jungkook mumbled in annoyance, and Yoongi ignored him. Hoseok walked up to Yoongi.

"You'd like this, wouldn't you kitten?" Hoseok whispered into Yoongi's ear, and Yoongi smacked his shoulder. Hoseok giggled, and Yoongi glared at him. Suddenly, the leash was yanked out of Yoongi's hand.

Yoongi looked and saw one of the male servants. "We shall groom the pet for this evening?"

"Groom?!" Jungkook cried. "What's this evening?" Jimin asked.

"A royal dance." The man said, and the boys all nodded. Jungkook frowned.

"Guys! Help me!!" Jungkook said, throaty. He saw Taehyung walking away and whined. He felt himself get yanked away from the rest of the boys and get taken down another hallway. "Taehyung!" Jungkook called loudly but then heard a loud shush by the man who was taking him.

Jungkook got tears in his eyes. This was funny at first, but now it was terrible and inhumane. They were going to put him in a cage or skin him or something! Jungkook saw a dark room at the end of a creepy hallway and whimpered.

"Stop being a bad rabbit!" The man snapped, and Jungkook frowned. He wasn't even a rabbit.

Jungkook opened his mouth to curse back, but then the door of the room opened, and his eyes widened.

It was a room with some women and men, all smiling widely. The room was mainly white, with a big high pink chair on it. There was a nice rose-like fragrance in the room, and it was like a spa. With all parlor equipment and bubbling blue water in the back.

Jungkook got taken into the room, and the man sat him down on the high pink chair. All the women and men were servants for the kingdom and gave him warm smiled. "Here," One of the women said, handing Jungkook an ice cream cone.

Jungkook very quickly realized this was a pet parlor. He should probably protest. But then- "Would you like a massage?"

Jungkook grinned. "Maybe this wasn't so bad...

✭

Taehyung sat down on his bed, sighing. Jimin sat down beside him. "Something's bugging you."

"Yes. One, where's Jungkook? Like he just disappeared and now I'm terrified." Taehyung said, and Jimin looked around. "Oh jeez, he's gone. Hm. But what's actually wrong?"

"My mother," Taehyung said, and then looked at Jimin. "Something's off about her, I can't tell what," Taehyung mumbled, chewing his bottom lip. "Plus she said this thing about how a human can't scientifically be soulmates with any whose Jupiterian because- I don't know. But that scares me. B-because what about Jungkook and everything he'd been feeling?"

"I can't explain any of this to you, Tae. But... and I know this sucks to hear, but don't keep your hopes too high. At least you met her, right? At least she's accepting you." Jimin said, and Taehyung hummed, nodding.

"I know, but still. This is weird. I mean, am I a prince now?"

"I guess so." Jimin laughed. "My best friend's a prince and my girlfriend's a princess. Damn."

"Girlfriend?" Taehyung asked, smirking. Jimin blushed. "W-what? Nothing. Shut up. Okay, I'm going. Bye." Jimin said quickly, and then got up and left.

Taehyung smiled a little, but then it died down. He got up and walked out of his room, and then walked out and towards a big hall. He walked in and saw his mother in there along with the Butler.

"But ma'am, are you sure we should-"

"I don't care, Zaivis. You know that. Every other person now days gets in a car accident or gets cancer or dies or something. You can't expect me to visit all their families! I'm a Queen, I can't just keep talking to peasants like this," Taehyung heard his mother say, and froze.

"Yes your majesty, but-but this injured woman belongs to the Saar family. They are the ones who ship mass weapons from other planets."

"Oh, really? Ah well, then I'll go see them. Perhaps this could get the fund for the weapons to increase. We have too much unnecessary money going into things like Education and Health." Taehyung heard his mother say, and then put his hands over his mouth.

He sneezed.

"Is someone there?" River said, and then walked towards the door. Taehyung widened his eyes and ran away.

He ran into his room he was given and closed the door quickly. He breathed heavily. What the fuck?

So his mother was a corrupt Queen of a planet who cared more about herself and power than the people and stuff like education??? Fuck.

He ran towards his bed, jumped onto it, and then fell asleep for a good hour. He needed a nap. The door of his bedroom opened, and he sat up tensed, but let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was just one of the maids.

"Hello. I'm sorry for disturbing you," The woman said, and she looked older. Taehyung hummed. "It's okay."

The woman, Lailah, brought in a tray of tea and biscuits. "Just some snacks for the daytime." She said softly and set them down on the bedside table. "The tea is very hot- so don't drink it just now!"

Taehyung smiled. "Thank you." He said. Lailah was about to walk out of the room, but then turned around to see Taehyung, and smiled a little. "I'm sorry- I-I should go. But... I must ask. If you do become the prince- It would be great if you would change the way things were around here. The queen... though your long lost mother.... mistreats the workers and sometimes executes those who go against her will."

"O-oh my god." Taehyung let out, frowning. "Still? I didn't realize this place was so backward,"

"Ah, very unlike your planet." Lailah smiled. "I-I assume." She added quickly. Taehyung hummed.

"Yes, it is," Taehyung said, looking down. "I wasn't expecting my mother to be like this. To be so... I don't know. I shouldn't be saying all this. I'm sorry." Taehyung said, and Lailah smiled. She was probably 35 or so.

"It's alright. You don't have to apologize." Lailah said. "I will see you later. Do tell me if you need anything." She said, and then walked out of his room. Taehyung sighed, lying down on his bed to fall asleep properly.

He dozed off for an hour and woke up when he felt a slap to his face.

Taehyung jolted up after the hour nap and then saw angered looking eyes in front of him. Jungkook.

"You look so fucking cute." Taehyung let out, and Jungkook blushed harder.

"Shut up! You left me! And then I got dragged into some room and they did things to me!"

"W-what? Oh my god, Kook, what happened?" Taehyung asked, and Jungkook frowned. "Look at me!! Do you not see it?!"

Jungkook sat in front of him, his red hair in cute swirls on his forehead like it'd been curled. He had pink eyeshadow on his eyes, a lot of blush on his cheeks, and tinted lip gloss. He wore a pink collar with a bell hanging from it on his neck. He was also wearing a fur pink sweater and white pants.

"Oh. Right. Yeah. WOW. Okay," Taehyung said, and his eyes only turned wider. "WOAH Jesus you look really beautiful."

"I look dumb!" Jungkook whined, and then pushed Taehyung onto the bed and climbed onto his lap, straddling him. Jungkook began hitting Taehyung on the chest. "You need to stop this pet thing!"

"I kind of like it, to be honest," Taehyung said, and then Jungkook frowned, looking down.

"Sometimes they call me panda... sometimes they call me dog.... sometimes they call me rabbit.... they will never know my true identity....." Jungkook trailed, and Taehyung chuckled, sitting up.

"Oh shut up. I think you kind of like it too." Taehyung said, and Jungkook blushed and squeaked a little "No." into his ear. Taehyung began tickling his sides, and Jungkook giggled.

Taehyung rolled Jungkook over, and the boy giggled hysterically as Taehyung continued tickling him. The bell on his collar kept ringing- and Taehyung kissed him on the mouth. Jungkook wrapped his legs around his waist and kissed him back.

"Yes, because you shoving your 20-meter cock up my ass on that planet was simply foreplay-"

"Ah, shut it," Taehyung said, slapping his ass. "I mean like we never had proper sex. I never got to lay you down and call you my pretty baby," Taehyung whispered, kissing down Jungkook's jaw. "My cherry pie... I never got to hear your first pretty moans and really take it in. I never got to see your eyes light up when you felt my cock for the first time." Taehyung said, and Jungkook's breath hitched, eyes big as he looked up at Taehyung.

"All of that happened too fast, didn't it? And I missed it because before I could even get a chance to relish your beauty you started fucking flying."

"Right. That was REALLY weird. We've had sex while flying. I feel like that's bucket-list material."

"Totally is. Was number 1 on my list. Ticked it right the fuck off." Taehyung said, and Jungkook giggled.

"But you're right. Maybe... tonight.... after the Royal dance?" Jungkook said, toying with Taehyung's shirt.

"This bed's nice. Our view is amazing. We're in a palace. You're wearing a collar. It feels perfect." Taehyung said, and Jungkook smiled giddily.

"You're being awfully romantic." Jungkook pointed out, and Taehyung hummed.

"I-I don't know. I guess I-" Taehyung began and then gulped. "I just really love you. Do you- d-do you love me a lot too?"

"O-of course I do!" Jungkook squeaked, and then brought his hands up, cupping Taehyung's cheeks. "I love you a lot, my Taehyungie."

Taehyung smiled and then leaned down to kiss Jungkook quite hard. Jungkook whimpered into the kiss, but then they both heard the door of the room open.

"Mr. Kim- WOAH you're fucking your cat."

Taehyung sat up instantly and then saw the butler at the door, eyes wide. Taehyung sighed. "Look, there's been a misunderstanding."

Jungkook suddenly began meowing aggressively, and the butler looked at him weirdly. Jungkook purred, crawling off the bed and then walking up to him. "Yeah. I'm that kind of a pet." Jungkook said, then growled into the man's ear and walked out of the room.

Taehyung gulped. FUCK that was really hot.

"Ah, he is a sex slave."

"What? No! What the fuck goes on at this planer?" Taehyung snapped, and the butler blushed. "Nothing! Now come with me. The queen wishes to speak with you."

Taehyung sighed, getting up from the bed and walking out with the Butler. He followed her till the Queen and found her sitting on the throne, smiling. "I think it's time we had our talk."

Taehyung hummed, sitting down on the seat beside her, probably meant for a prince or princess. "Yes. I have many questions. One, is there a king?"

"There was. He died." River said.

"Oh. I'm sorry..." Taehyung said, but she didn't look so affected. "Two, do you remember my father?"

The woman paused for a little and then smiled. "Of course I remember your father. Though we spent only a little while together, he was wonderful."

"Yes. Of course. Kim Jaehun, my father. He said he liked you very much." Taehyung said, the woman nodded but then sighed. "Oh well. Things happen. I went to your planet and met Jaehun, and he was amazing, but I had to come back."

"Yes, of course," Taehyung said, and then stood up. "Before we finish our talk, could I go use the washroom?"

"Sure." She said, and Taehyung nodded and then walked off. He ran to the rooms. He rushed into Jimin's room and then saw all of his friends there.

"Come here little kitty! Good kitty, come here!" Lavender squealed in excitement, and Jungkook frowned at her. "I'm not a cat."

"She's talking to me," Jimin said, and then draped himself over her lap. She giggled and squished his cheeks.

"Guys!" Taehyung said, and the boys looked at Taehyung. "I just asked River Vorian if she knew my father, Kim Jaehun. She said she did and he was amazing."

"Good for you, man," Hoseok said, and Taehyung shook his head.

"No, it's not!" Taehyung snapped, and Namjoon frowned. "Why?"

"Because that's not even his name! She didn't know his name but had a child with him? No offense but if you have a child with someone, you remember their fucking name! And my father told me the two of them stayed together for 2 years and then my mother had to go! Yet River is saying she was only there for a short time? Shit doesn't add up!"

"What're you saying... and what's your father's name..." Jin trailed.

"Kim Michael- and I'm saying that she isn't my mother at all! She's a fraud!"

"Wait, hold up!" Yoongi snapped, standing up. "You're telling me... with your honest self... that your dad has a white name?"

Taehyung frowned. "What? Yeah- but guys that's not important! The Queen isn't my mother! She can't be!"

"But why?.... Why would your father's name be Michael and why would he name you a traditionally Korean name?" Jimin said, and Taehyung groaned.

"Guys that doesn't matter!! I think my father lied to me about my mother. He never wanted to tell me much about her identity. So when I kept asking him, he said some random name- River Vorian! Because everyone knows who she is! You search up 'Jupiter Girl Name' and that's the first thing that comes up!" Taehyung exasperated, and everyone paused.

Taehyung looked at them, they all looked like they were thinking really hard. "That's really weird...." Namjoon said, and then looked at Taehyung. "I mean all of our parents have Korean-sounding names-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Taehyung shouted, and Jungkook stood up.

"Taehyung that's not your mom!" Jungkook gasped.

"Yes. Exactly! Come here," Taehyung said, and Jungkook rushed up to him. "Good boy." Taehyung ruffled his hair, and then picked up a biscuit from the side table and put it in Jungkook's mouth.

"She's not your mom??" Jin asked, and Taehyung nodded. "Dude thank god! Finally, I can talk about how fucking hot she is!"

"Yeah, she's really hot. I thought I was the only one suppressing that."

"Yeah, dude. I mean FUCK I'd go for it if she wasn't so much older."

"That's gross that's my mom!" Taehyung said, and then paused. "Wait, no it's not. She's too terrible to be my mom. She's corrupt as fuck and a bad person."

"Ooh. Yikes." Jimin said, and then hummed. "Still got nice ass tits though," Lavender added, and Taehyung groaned.

"Why do I tell you guys anything. Guys seriously, what do I do about this?" Taehyung asked, and Namjoon hummed.

"Go ask her more stuff! Make sure you have all the facts to prove that she's not your mom!" Namjoon said, and Taehyung nodded and ran out of the room.

He walked back into the throne room, pretending to look like he wasn't freaking out. He was about to open his mouth, but then saw the Queen talking to someone on the phone, and ducked behind the wall.

"No, I've never even been to whatever planet he's from. I just know he's half human. No, son. I don't have another son, stop freaking out. Zaivis- yes, the new butler- he said he overheard the boy talking about how his father told him I was his long-lost mother. His father must've lied or something. Yeah, of course, I'm using him to intensify our armed forces against all earthling-invaded planets!"

Taehyung widened his eyes.

Somewhere, somewhere deep on the inside- he was hoping his theory was wrong. That she really was his mother, and that she was actually kind and sweet.

But he was right.

And his real mother? He'd probably never find her.

Taehyung got up and walked back to Jimin's room. He opened the door lightly. He looked inside and saw his friends all discussing something intensely.

"Listen, all I'm saying is, if I had a son, I wouldn't name him 'Brad' or something. So why the fuck did Taehyung's dad-" Jin spoke, and everyone nodded. Taehyung slumped against the wall, sliding down.

"What's wrong?" Jungkook asked, rushing over to him. Taehyung sighed.

"I was right. Just overheard her speaking to her actual son. She's not my mom. She's faking it to take advantage of me." Taehyun said softly, and Jungkook frowned. He sat down beside him.

"I'm so sorry Tae," Jungkook whispered, grabbing Taehyung's hand.

"It's okay.." Taehyung mumbled. "I-I should've realized it's too good to be true. I'm never going to find my mother. I just have to live with that, I guess."

There was a silence. But then he heard a sigh. "That's not cool. It's not cool at all. I mean, it's super fucking sneaky for your hot ass fake mom to do that." Yoongi said, and all the boys and Lavender nodded.

"Yeah. She might have the prettiest most goddess-like hair, but that's not done. You know what, Tae? You should fuck with her." Hoseok said.

"Yes. Show her and her pretty, gorgeous, sharp yet delicate features that it's not okay to mess with you." Namjoon said.

"Maybe you could pretend to want to be the prince. What's she gonna do? Tell you that you're not the actual prince? Be super dominating and show that beautiful woman what's what!" Jimin said.

"Exactly! Pretend to want to take over this kingdom or something! Or to want to duel with her son for the place of King! Just because she's literally the most celestial, attractive, absolutely divine woman in the whole universe doesn't mean you can't mess with her." Lavender said.

Jungkook nodded firmly. "Yeah she is hot."

"Thanks Kookie." Taehyung chuckled, and then looked at the boys. "Y'know what? You're right. I should! I should do that! I can't stand by and let this stuff happen to me! And you know what else? Now that she's not my mom, I can totally say this. She is hot as FUCK! I mean, holy shit! I would smash." Taehyung laughed.

Everyone paused. "Okay, it's really weird coming from you," Jimin said.

"Yeah. You ruined it." Yoongi said, and Taehyung frowned.

"She's your fake mom, dude. Not cool." Namjoon said, and Taehyung threw his hands in the air.

"Wow, the pet play incest lover snapped!" Lavender said, and Jimin giggled.

"You're getting a hang of it," Jimin whispered, giving her a fist bump.

"I hate you guys," Taehyung said, and Jungkook kissed his cheek.

"You're still a prince to me if it matters at all," Jungkook said softly, smiling.

Taehyung smiled. "That... that honestly is all that matters right now," Taehyung whispered, and then grabbed Jungkook onto his lap and peppered him with kisses.

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https://jeontaeh.tumblr.com/post/647230152258027520/thirty-eight%C2%B3%E2%81%B8

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