We Meet Again in Winter (Arya & Gendry)

Chapter 2: Eyes You'll Shut Forever

Gendry

He felt the cold winter air invade his skin to the point where it made his bones ache as he reached Winterfell. His clothing was poor and unable to protect him from this weather. He could feel the steps of his horse weaken along with his own exhausted body. The hunger rang warning bells in his stomach, for he hadn't eaten in two days. The more he went north, the less animals he was able to find and kill. The day before he only found a dead rabbit which he assumed had died o fthe cold weather since there were no signs of it being beaten by an arrow. But that too seemed to have died days ago; it stank so much that Gendry couldn't even approach it, let alone eat it.

However it was the stillness of the night that was the most unbearable. He hadn't come across an inn within miles, so he had to bear with the freezing cold. He kept rubbing his arms in a vain attempt to get warmer but he still found it impossible to sleep. After several hours that seemed like decades he managed to drift off, only for a few minutes, and when he woke up he wished he hadn't slept at all, for disturbed sleeps followed disturbing nightmares.

He dreamt of Winterfell, or of what he pictured as Winterfell. The feeling that came over the Gendry of his dreams as he set foot to his destination was that of relief because, finally, he was there. But a moment later another feeling was quick to replace that relief. As he approached the castle before him, he noticed hundreds of people forming a circle around something -or better- someone who lay still on the ground. Cries of grief and sorrow reached his ears and by the moment he too joined the circle, those people's cries were replaced by his own. The one who lay there was the last person who deserved it. A girl too small to be in such a huge mess of her own blood. Her eyes were wide open, the light and the flames that formerly danced within their grey colour now long gone. And as soon as his hand reached down to gently shut those empty eyes forever, he woke up.

The next morning was worse than the ones before that, but at least he knew he was close. With some good luck he would be at Winterfell by nightfall in one piece.

Jon

"You asked for me, lord Snow?" Brienne said as she entered the room.

"Yes, lady Brienne, we would like to speak to you on a very important matter. In fact, we could use your help." Jon said, hoping she was willing to reveal something that could prove useful.

"It would be my honour to prove as helpful as possible, my lord."

"We need to be assured, however, that all that is said here in this room remains among the three of us. The matter we are about to discuss is really important and we chose to trust you." Sansa added, making her point clear.

"I will not let you down, you have my word"

At those words, Jon inhaled deeply and handed Brienne the single piece of paper sent by Jaime Lannister.

As the woman read the letter, she managed to contain her emotions, forJon couldn't see from her expression what she was thinking. It did seem to him, though, that it was pride that washed her face.

"Sir Jaime sent you this?" Brienne asked as soon as she finished reading, and her voice was half a tone higher than usual. This news had apparently affected her more than he would have imagined.

"Yes, and we obviously do not know what to make of it. We were hoping you would know something more on the matter, given the time you spent with the Kingslayer." Instantly, he saw the expression on her face change, a hint of irritance altering her hard features.

"His name is Sir Jaime." Brienne was quick to correct before she could stop herself. The looks she received from both Jon and Sansa were those of pure curiosity.