Dragons and Wolves

They were in Gendry's small house, next to his smith. Arya was wrapped up in some other woman's clothing, it was too large on her. She drank heavily from the large flaggon of ale in her hands. She gave Gendry a dirty look, maybe he dressed up in drag when he was home alone and this was his dress. She snickered into her drink.

They had gotten back just a few hours before and they had sitten in awkward silence the entire time.

"Take it easy on the spirits, Lady Stark." Gendry grumbled, poking at the pig he was cooking over his small fireplace with an old, iron spoon.

"I'll drink as much I want too," Arya growled.

"Fair enough I guess," Gendry dropped the spoon and turned to her. "Are we going to speak of what I saw you doing in the sewer or would it make milady angry again?"

Arya gave him her dirtiest look, "Cut it out with that milady shit! I'm still Ary, the little roughneck street boy you were friends with on the road."

"No you're not," Gendry sighed rubbing a hand over his face. "I can't believe you never trusted me enough to tell me you were a lady, royalty in the north!"

"To protect myself! The Lannisters weren't the only one's out to get me! People all around were trying to find me, use me to ransom or kill me to get back at my family."

"I could've protected you better, made sure no one harmed you but the things that happened to us before I realized you were a girl, things a woman should never have to see or experience, especially as a child. A helpless little girl should never have had to go through what you did, we went through!" He sighed. "Losing you, haunts me til this day."

" valar morghulis., valar dohaeris, Arya stood and crossed her arms. "You didn't lose me, I ran away."

"What does that mean?"

"To the assassins that serve the Many-faced God it means all men must die, all men must serve. It means women too. That's what I became after you decided to stay with those men on the road, after I escaped you lot. I became an assassin, able to take the face of anyone I want. I don't need protection, I never did. I'm self sufficient, I took care of myself I never needed you, so don't dare say I was helpless I never was."

He stood now and loomed over her, "Maybe I was the helpless one then? Maybe I needed a purpose besides just breathing? I needed to feel important, needed and strong. Why did you have to be so independent and run away?"

She backed away from him, this conversation was getting too intense. It had been practically a decade and they were already arguing again. She looked up at him, "Who does this dress belong to?"

Gendry gave her a sad look, "My wife."

He heaved open his door and walked out, slamming it shut behind him.

Arya stared in surprise. Finishing her drink, she decided to pour herself another.

---

Jon woke in a large infirmary, shaken awake. His dark eyes darted around the crowded hospital room. Soft hands pushed him back down. Jon's eyes focused, it was his little brother Bran.

"Bran," Jon wheezed.

"Yes," Bran smiled, petting Summer next to him. His meister's chain hung heavy around his neck.

"Is this the citadel?" Jon looked around curiously.

"No, the citadel has it's own town southwest of here, close to Dorne, I studied there for a short time, now I'm studying at the Alchemist's Guild, we're in their hall," Bran smiled. Jon looked around, the walls and ceiling were made of a black marble.

"Are you liking it? Are you happy?" Jon asked, desparate to make sure his little brother was alright.

"Yes," Bran still wore his warm smile. "It's not home but for the first time in my life I feel like I'm doing the right thing."

"Will you be done studying by the time I have to leave, can you return north and be Sam's apprentice?" Jon begged.

Bran shook his head, his hands gripped the armrests of his wheelchair, "I can't do that, I'm not ready. You chose your path, I'll choose mine."

"I can honor that," Jon sighed. "But I worry for Sansa's mental health, she's so desparately worried about you and now Arya."

Bran's eyes widened, he leaned closer to his brother and his eyes darted around the infirmary in suspicion, "Are you telling me? You?"

"Yes," Jon whispered. "And she's yet to return home."

Bran let out a strangled breath through his gritted teeth, "Well, we have to trust her. She survived being a smal child and being on her own, we have to believe she'll be just as fine as an adult."

Jon nodded, "I know, it's you I worry about more. A lone wolf in a nest of serpents."

Bran's eyes lit up with amusement, "I never took you for a poet."

"You know what I mean," Jon sighed. "Do they treat you alright?"

"I don't have much contact with them, Queen Daenerys lets all the maesters and us apprentices use the castle library, their library is almost as extensive as the one at the citadel. I've been staying here for the most part though, I want my specialty to be Alchemy, now that there's living dragons in the world again and there is magic again, the kingdom is desparate for Alchemists."

"I'm glad you're doing something you love," Jon nodded. "How long have I been out for?"

"Two weeks, it would've been longer if the Alchemists had used magic with their medicine. You had extensive third degree burns, almost down to the bone. We thought you'd be disfigured for the rest of your life."

Jon felt his face and then looks at his arms. He pulled off the itchy wool blanket wrapped around him and looked at his naked torso. His skin looked fine, a bit pink but otherwise fine.

"They call Rhaegal the slow roaster, his fire burns to cause pain and disfigure," Bran looked troubled.

That made Jon chuckle, his chuckle soon grew into a loud belly laugh. Alchemists and patients in the infirmary looked around at them, irritated.

"What may I ask are you laughing at?" Bran's eyebrow quirked.

"Another Stark was caused harm in the south, well Snow, but you know what I mean, Stark blood." Jon tried to pull himself together. It was a dark humor, Bran was probably horrified. But he thought it was hilarious.

Bran started to laugh too, "What a life we've led! Dad killed, mom killed, eldest brother killed, me crippled, you burnt to a crisp, Sansa married against her wil and well Arya's just Arya."