The Old Bear's Daughter

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"How are you keeping?" the man asked as he arrived at their cell. It was an older looking man with greying hair and a face that looked like it had been exposed to a lot of harsh weather on the open sea.

"Great," Gendry replied sarcastically, "Never better."

"It was just a bit of blood," the man said, confusing Juliana.

Gendry shook his head, "I should have known. Every time a highborn asks my name, it's trouble," he added, making Juliana look to the ground.

"Most of you don't really see us as people, do you? Just a million different ways to get what you want," he added.

"I'm not a highborn." the man said.

"She called you Ser. I heard it."

The man sighed and sat down, leaning against their cell door, "A recent state of affairs. I was born in Flea Bottom just like you."

Juliana scooted a bit closer to listen to the man's words as Gendry replied, "Sure, you were. You're my friend. You're here to help."

"I lived below the street of Flour."

"How far below?" Gendry asked, not really believing what the man said. "How close to the Red Keep were you?"

"The shit that poured from the privy pipes flowed down the side of Aegon's Hill along Tanner's Row and right in front of my front door on Gin Alley", they finished together.

Gendry now turned his head to look at the man as he continued, "The Street of Steel, with your armour and your knights? Pfft. You lived in the fancy part of town. And here we are now. Two boys from Flea Bottom and a northern lady of the wall locked in the castle of a southern king."

"Come a long way," Juliana told them.

There was a moment of silence before Gendry asked, "So how did you become a lord?"

"Oh, that's a long story."

"Better not, then, I'm a bit busy."

"Many years ago I helped King Stannis out of a difficult situation. He rewarded me with a lordship. And this."

He held up his right hand so the two of them could see that four of his fingers had been chopped half off.

"That makes you Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight," Juliana acknowledged.

"Aye, but I didn't want to be a lord. I nearly didn't accept."

"Why did you?" Gendry asked.

"I did it for my son. I didn't want him to step over a river of shit every time he stepped through his front door. I wanted him to have a better life."

"And does he?" Juliana asked.

"He's dead," Davos replied.

Juliana and Gendry then fell silent, neither knowing what to say.

"How'd he die?" Gendry then asked as Davos stood up.

"Following me," he said before turning and walking away.

*****

"Before we left the tavern with the Brotherhood, Thoros told me that you are a walg."

"A walg?"

"A Wack?"

As Juliana raised her eyebrows, Gendry groaned, "You know what I mean."

She chuckled, "I'm a warg. It means I can take over the body of an animal."

Gendry looked as if he didn't believe her.

"You remember those torturers in Harrenhall? The rat that bit one of them?"

"That was you?" Gendry asked and as Juliana nodded he asked, "So you can just take over any animal, no matter what?"

"Well, it's easier if I'm familiar with the animal but if I'm in danger or highly emotional it usually works with others too."

Gendry seemed amazed with that and proceeded to ask her different questions about her abilities until he felt like he was an expert on the topic himself.

*****

Juliana had slept while leaning against Gendry but she was quickly awoken as the door of their cell was opened.

"What are you doing?" Gendry asked.

"You're leaving," Davos replied.

"Is this some kind of trick?"

"Yes, but not on you."

He threw a bundle of cloth at them and Juliana realized that it was two cloaks. She handed one to Gendry and swung the other one around her own shoulders.

*****

The three of them were walking on the beach of Dragonstone. Gendry had just put the hood of his cloak down while Juliana still had hers up.

"Aim for that star," Davos told them, pointing at the brightest star at the sky, "Don't stop. There's bread and water. Go slow with it."

They got to a small boat and Davos placed a bag in one side of it, "If you finish it off, no matter how thirsty you get, don't drink seawater."

"I know not to drink seawater," Gendry told him as the man pushed the boat into the ocean for them.

Ignoring his remark, Davos continued, "Row for a full day and night and you'll reach Rook's Rest. You'll want to stop there. Don't. She'll find you."

"Where should we go?" Juliana asked as she got into the boat, spending the first few years of her life on an island, she knew her way around a boat and didn't have difficulties with keeping her balance.

"Keep the coast on your left side until you reach King's Landing."

"The gold cloaks are looking for me," Gendry explained.

"They were looking for me for 20 years. Do they know your face?"

"No."

Davos nodded, "I'd worry more about the Red Woman."

Gendry climbed into the boat, making it shake dangerously as he sat down.

"You ever been in a boat before?" Davos asked as he saw Gendry hold onto the sides of the boat tightly.

"No."

"You know how to swim?"

"No."

Davos sighed, "You're lucky your lover is an islander. Now go on."

"Why are you doing this?" Gendry asked, ignoring his comment while Juliana took the rudders in her hands.

"Because it's right. And because I'm a slow learner."

"When you get to Flea Bottom, have a bottle of brown for me!" he called after them as Juliana moved the boat forward with strong strokes.

"You think we'll ever see him again?" she asked.

"I don't know," Gendry replied as they watched Davos return to the castle.