First kiss

20:50 Juh 0 Comments

Title: First Kiss


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Sansa was talking about her knights again. Why she thought that Arya now cared about those songs was a mistery. The stories weren't interesting when she was a kid and still weren't.

Arya was four and ten now. Maybe that was why Sansa was pestering her with stories and songs.

She knew their father had started to try to find a match for her, but nothing really official. Not like Sansa, that was betrothed to Willas Tyrell and was extremely excited about the wedding. Despite how annoying she was lately (talking about marriage all the time), Arya was happy for her. The betrothal with Joffrey had been undone by their father after a particularly unpleasant incident.
He had invited Sansa for a walk along the Kingswood. Arya, not trusting Joffrey, decided to go with them and dragged Gendry with her.

After a while, when she and Gendry were discussing the pros and cons of swords and warhammers, Joffrey took Sansa with him and tried to kiss her (though Arya suspected he had tries other things too).

She found them, pulled Joffrey away from her sister and slapped him. He slapped her back, but in the next second, Gendry punched him so hard that he fell straight to the ground.

"You'll never touch her again! None of them! And if you dare, I'll break both of your hands!" He escorted the girls back to the Tower of the Hand and after a few days, Sansa wasn't betrothed to Joffrey anymore.

Willas Tyrell was good to her and the thought of living in Highgarden made her eyes shine.

Arya sometimes wished she was more like her sister. She knew she had to marry, but she didn't want to be a wife. Her father would have to find someone who accepted her swordplay lessons, her dislike for gowns and jewelry, her general unladylike behavior. Practically a failed mission.

She had come to terms with the idea that Gendry was the match for her. He knew her, they had fun together, he used to say that he didn't care about her behavior. They were good friends. But he was a prince and would be king and Arya didn't believed she could be a queen. Queens should be graceful and beautiful and Arya wasn't any of it, though no one call her 'Arya Horseface' or 'Arya Underfoot' anymore.

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Her father had asked her to behave and be polite and she was trying. She attended to dance lessons, was forcing herself to learn needlework and even had learned one or two songs. Everything to spend some time with her sister before Sansa be sent to Highgarden.

But that afternoon, Sansa had smiled to her and told her to go enjoy the day outside. She got so happy that she kissed her sister on the cheek!
Gendry found her on her way to the Godswood.

"You're not gonna sing with your sister today?"

"No. She told me to go out and enjoy the day."

"Good. 'Cause I've heard you singing and you're terrible."

"I've seen you shooting an arrow and you have to get a lot better to be considered 'terrible'."

He laughed at that.

"Fine. Let's avoid songs and arrows for now, shall we?" She nodded, smiling at him. "So, uh, did your father find you a good match?"

"I don't believe that those exist. What about you? Who are the fortunated ladies that can betroth our prince?"

He didn't like when she talked like this, like she wasn't good enough for him. He frowned.

"I was thinking of an alliance to Highgarden or to Dorne. So, Margaery Tyrell or Arianne Martell."

"I'd choose Arianne. The Dornish seem very interesting people."

"Or I could marry you!" He blurted out.

She looked at him like he suddenly had grown another head.

"You can't be serious."

"Why not?"

"You know what everyone on court says about me. The savage Stark. You think the king will accept that?"

"Hey, not everyone mean that in a bad way."

"It is bad enough. I'm not a lady, how do you expect me to be queen?"

"I would be good for you. You could even love me... Someday..."

He looked almost uncertain. She decided not to ask why.

"I could love you. But you couldn't love me?"

"Of course I could love you."

"Still, the people would never accept me as queen. They expect queens to be beautiful and sweet."

"You are beautiful!" She scowled at him. "You are!"

"Why are you telling me all this? You don't really want me to be queen, do you?"

"What if I was just a lord, not the prince? Would you marry me then?"

She hesitated. She liked Gendry, they were good friends, what was more than many lord and ladies had before marriage. He was a good match for, she knew that. If only he wasn't a prince...

"If you were a lord, would you let me help you to rule the castle?"

"You want to rule a property?"

"My father said once that I couldn't. What do you think?"

"Do you know how to rule a castle? It's more than deal with numbers. You have to solve conflicts, defend the lands, be sure that your people has what to eat... Ask your father how much work he had in Winterfell."

"I could learn how to do all that. And if men rule, what women do? Give birth to children?"

"Well, you would have to do that..."

"Why?"

"Because I can't, of course! Have you heard of men having children? This is something only women can do. But I'd let you help. Rule the castle, I mean. As long as you know what to do..."

Arya fell silent for a while. Gendry looked around the Godswood and noticed that they were alone. He became strangely aware of her proximity.

"If you were just a lord, I'd marry you. But since you're not, you better marry the Dornish-" She stopped talking when he stepped closer and took her hand.

He was so tall now. She had grown up too, but not like this. He was taller, broader and stronger now at nine and ten, but she never felt in danger with him.

He took her other hand and pulled her gently closer to him.

She knew what was coming. Sansa had told about the kiss Willas had given her. When Arya listened, she vowed never let a man kiss her 'cause it sounded gross.

But when Gendry's lips touched hers, she knew she was wrong. His lips were soft and she could feel the warmth of his body. Or maybe it was her temperature that was going up.

She kissed him back, leaning against his chest, wanting to get closer. His tongue touched her lips and she nibbled at his. His hand moved to her waist. She felt heat building up in her stomach. No, lower. She bit his lip again and he moaned.

The sound brought them back to reality and they stepped away from each other. Arya glanced at Gendry and noticed he was blushing. By the heat she was feeling on her face, he knew she was too, but according to Sansa's songs, all women blushed when kissed. The singers had forgotten to mention that men could blush too.

She turned around, but he grabbed her hand, keeping her in place.

"Arya, I can't be a lord. I'm a prince and I'll be king and I'm asking you to be my queen."

"Why me?"

"Because I like you! And if you like me too, why not?"

"Sansa told me that the Tyrells want to bring Margaery to court. they want her to marry you."

"But I want to marry you! And if you think about this, you'll see that I'm the best match for you."

"I know!"

"Then say yes!"

"Stop pressuring me!"

"Just think about it. If you decide you want me, I'll talk to my father and he'll talk to yours."

"Fine. Now, if you excuse me, I'll go find my father. I need to ask him what do I have to know to rule a castle."

Gendry smiled. "Your father is presiding the audiences today. Do you want to go see it?"

She nodded and accepted the arm he offered her. Gendry is so silly sometimes. But she liked him just like that.