Chapter Text
Bloodlines
Standard Disclaimers Apply
I: No One
This was the fifth time he saw the same direwolf. Gendry Baratheon was sure that this animal didn’t belong to any of the Stark children. He was already introduced to all five direwolves, and this one wasn’t one of them.
Every time he looked out of his window when the sun was about to set, the direwolf would be there just outside the castle walls, and Gendry couldn’t help but feel that the direwolf was looking at him. Yellow eyes would gaze at him before it would walk away. This time, he felt compelled to follow the direwolf. He walked out of his room and hoped that he didn’t run into anyone that would stop him from walking out of the castle.
The moment he stepped out, the direwolf began to walk, and Gendry started to follow at a distance. It didn’t take them long to reach Godswood, but the direwolf continued to walk further, only to glance behind to make sure he was still following.
Different shades of green, yellow, and red littered the ground, and he could hear the crunch of dried leaves and twigs under his boots as he continued to walk. Apart from feeling foolish that h was being led by a direwolf, Gendry enjoyed the tranquillity of the forest. Since his arrival with his father, he never had the opportunity to be on his own. He could also feel the heavy expectation of his father every time Sansa Stark was around.
Sansa was a beautiful woman, she would make a lovely Queen, but there was something missing. Then again, as long as she fits the criteria his father is looking for, what else could he do? The sound of rushing water reached his ears and the direwolf looked back, and Gendry could have sworn it beckoned him forward with its head.
Gendry walked warily towards the direwolf. He just hoped that he could still make his way back should the direwolf decide not to walk him back to the castle. Gendry stopped in his tracks when he reached a small clearing and saw a small sized waterfall. He felt the direwolf nudge him forward and Gendry obeyed, unsure of why the direwolf led him here.
The Prince of Westeros stepped back in surprise when a figure emerged from under the water with a cough. It was a girl, with long dark hair and pale skin. The girl continued to cough, and Gendry could only yelp as the direwolf nudged him with enough force to make him loose his balance.
The girl looked at him in surprise, as Gendry caught himself before he fell to the water. He looked at a pair of grey eyes who looked at him in shock, before it narrowed at him.
“I’m sorry, forgive me my Lady…” Gendry rushed out as he looked at the girl. He turned around to give her some privacy and he heard her get out of the water, and the rustling of clothes. He kept his back turned and his body stiffened when he felt the tip of a blade against his spine.
“Don’t call me that!” she yelled out as she applied pressure on his back. “How did you get here? No one outside the Starks knows about this place.”
“The direwolf led me here.” He answered with the knowledge on completely bizarre it sounded.
“Nymeria!” the girl scolded, and the direwolf let out a whine before it settled on the ground. “Well, you can go now. You are not supposed to be here!”
Gendry felt the blade ease of his back and heard the sound of metal sliding inside a scabbard. He turned around slowly and looked in surprise at the girl who was clothed as if she were a man.
“I would be more than happy to leave, but I’m not quite sure I can find my way back.”
The girl looked at him and sighed before she glared at Nymeria, who just yawned. “I’ll take you until we get to Godswood. You should be able to make your way back from there.”
The girl didn’t wait for him to respond and began to walk. Gendry followed and was soon walking next to the girl. She was short, and unlike all the women he knew, she didn’t bother fixing her hair which was still damp from the water.
“What were you doing back there?”
“I was trying to see how long I could hold my breath underwater.”
“Why?” Gendry asked. Why would anyone want to know something like that?
The girl just rolled her eyes at him. “Why not?”
Gendry just looked at the girl in surprise. She definitely didn’t act or talked like any girls he knew at all. Usually, within a few minutes of meeting him, girls would do or say everything they can to catch his attention. They would speak with an almost breathless tone, a coy smile and a shy gaze. This girl was doing none of that.
“My name is Gendry.” He said as he tried to be polite and the girl just huffed.
“I know who you are.” The girl as she quickened her pace.
Trying to lighten the mood, Gendry looked down at the young girl and spoke. “You’re not going to take me as hostage, are you?”
“No, stupid! Why would I want to take the heir of the Iron Throne as a hostage? You won’t be worth the trouble I’d be getting to!”
“I seem to be at a disadvantaged, you clearly know who I am, but I don’t know who you are.”
“And that’s the way it’s going to remain!” the girl snapped as she stopped walking. “How did you find Nymeria?”
Gendry looked at the girl now amused at how she had her hands on her hips as she glared at him “I didn’t find her my lady, she found me.”
“Do not call me my lady!”
Gendry just gave a mock bow and the girl glared at him as she continued to walk again.
“I’ve been seeing her for the past few days. She kept looking at me as if she wanted me to follow her.”
The girl bit her lip as she continued to walk.
“You must be related to the Starks.” Gendry said as he tried to strike up a conversation.
“What makes you say that?” the girl asked, but Gendry didn’t miss the way her back became straighter, or how her hands twitched at his statement.
“Everyone knows the only surviving direwolves are being raised by the Starks.”
“Well, ‘Everyone’ is stupid then, because I’m not a Stark and I have a direworlf.” The girl snapped at him as they continued to walk.
“You did say no one outside the Starks new about that place.” Gendry countered and he watched in amusement as the girl scowled at him.
Gendry just grinned, completely intrigued by the young girl who now stomped slightly ahead of him. She stopped a few metres ahead, her hand on the hilt of her sword. “Can you see the heart tree from here?”
The sun had nearly set, but he could still see the majestic tree not far from where they stood. When he nodded, the girl let out a deep breath.
“This is as far as I go. You’d better not get lost because I have other things to do than escort a stupid bull like you!”
“I’ve never been called a stupid bull before.” Gendry responded, not at all affected. “Most people refer to me as a stag.”
“Then why do you have an emblem of a bull then?” She asked as she looked at an ornament that was on his scabbard.
“Not a lot of people can see that.”
“Not a lot of people are as good as me.”
This time, Gendry laughed and the girl gave him a shove.
“Stop laughing!”
“Forgive me, my lady…”
The look that she gave him was priceless. She couldn’t possibly be more than three and ten, but there was such fierceness behind those grey eyes that made her seem older. “I said don’t call me my lady!”
“If you’re not a Stark, then who might you be? You refused to be called my lady; you won’t tell me your name, do I need to ask everyone at the castle who you are?”
He watched in concern as she looked at him in panic. “No! Don’t! You can’t tell anyone you saw me!”
They both turned their heads when they heard voices from a distance calling the prince.
“You can't tell anyone you saw me.” The girl pleaded and Gendry nodded his head.
“I won’t.” Gendry responded, “But at least tell me who you are.”
The girl was about to speak when voices became louder. She began to back away slowly, her eyes trained on the direction of the voices. She looked at Gendry and hesitated for a while before she spoke. “I am no one.”
“Prince Gendry! Prince Gendry! Where have you been?”
Gendry looked at the knights that reached him with a little irritation, but when he turned back to where the girl was, she was already gone.