The oath
The fire flames dance in the cavern's sultry air. Arya has to admit this is a great hiding place, as if the Sisterhood had built their own castle inside a mountain. Only the gods know how all the corridors were built, where anyone who is not set can get lost forever in this stone labyrinth, and the spans of the most varied sizes, heights and depths, which became rooms, kitchen, forge and even a temple.
Thoros took advantage of the largest, brightest, and most ventilated space to build a huge bonfire, where prayers to R'hllor take place and trials by combat, like that of the Hound, that no matter how many moons have passed, Arya is still sulking at the injustice of that fight. "They just let him go. As if the fact that the Hound is a good swordsman exempts him from his guilt and being an asshole."
Since that day, Arya has not been very fond of attending R'hllor cults. She admits that it's very interesting how the flames actually seem to talk to Thoros and take on different forms, but there is an aversion to the Lord of Light and his priests, like the red witch who tried to take Gendry a few weeks ago. Despite that, she's grateful for the flames that foretold the betrayal of the Freys and Boltons. If not for R'hllor's revelation, the ravens and doves sent in droves by the Sisterhood, his brother and mother would be dead and Winterfell would have been taken. Fortunately, that didn't happen, but it distanced her even more from Robb's troop, which lengthened her stay with the Brotherhood.
Arya only attends the rituals to keep up with Gendry, who genuinely seems fascinated by it all. "The Seven never did anything for me and, no offense, but I feel like a fool praying to a tree. At least R'hllor is something I can see. And shit, he raises the dead and does premonitions!" That's what Gendry told her when they talked about it one sleepless night. She can understand that, but at the same time it sparked a fear inside her that Gendry might be so fascinated as to abandon her and join the Brotherhood.
Not that she depends on Gendry for anything. She might as well do anything herself, but after years of traveling together, he's become part of her pack, taking the place of her broken family. The truth is that Arya loves him, although she still doesn't know what kind of love it is or how it affects their relationship, but she knows that this love is the reason for her fear of being abandoned. He promised that he would take her to his brother and Gendry never broke a promise or lied to her.
Besides, it's not like Arya needs that bull head or anyone else to survive. She knows how to use a sword better than most grown men, knows survival techniques, hunts extremely well and even learned how to take down a man twice his size, thanks to his fight training with Gendry. So there is no reason to be afraid of being alone, in fact, she is much more agile alone, others slow her down in many ways. But she still wants Gendry around.
– I still don't understand why they are consecrating this guy. – Gendry grumbles in his usual bad mood.
Arya looks at the man who swears his knighthood. He is a new member of the Brotherhood, terrible with a sword and even worse with a bow, but he is obedient and seems very convinced of his sense of justice. Arya likes the consecrations, they are one of the few rituals that don't make her angry or bored, because of her childhood dreams, when she ran after Bran with a wooden sword and told her father that she wanted to be a knight. He laughed. They always laugh.
– He'll get better with time. – Arya says just to piss him off. He is a stubborn bull who hates to be crossed. – When I was little… – Gendry regards her with a playful smile. "You're still little." She can almost hear him thoughts. – When I was a child, I dreamed of being a knight.
– You are a lady. – Gendry says in that mocking tone that she hates. – You can't be a consecrated knight, but you can own a castle and have your own oaths.
– I also dreamed of owning a castle, but that's impossible in this shitty world. – Arya's voice takes on an irritated tone and her nose wrinkles into a frown. – A woman can be the lady of a castle, but who manages it is the lord.
– Fuck that shit. – Gendry mutters, imitating her grimace. – You would still have knights.
– Actually, they wouldn't be sworn to me. - She says with a discreet laugh. Sometimes she forgets that Gendry didn't have a formal education like yours. He is not stupid, he knows very well how the world works apart from the privileges of the Great Houses, but he does not understand how the hierarchies and protocols of the nobility work. – Knights are not sworn to a person, but to a House and an estate. For example, Dad died, but the knights are still sworn to Winterfell and House Stark, which is to say, sworn to Robb.
She sees that Gendry is still looking at her, although his face has taken on a bored expression. Arya fixes her eyes on the consecration again. They are in a more isolated place and a little higher, so the view is privileged. Another man takes his vows and Baric consecrates him with his sword, as Thoros presents him to the flames of R'hllor. In the old days, that would ignite desire in her heart, but after what she's experienced on the Kingsroad, at Harrenhal, and with the Sisterhood, Arya no longer feels like dedicating her entire life to a single cause. There's a free and untamed spirit inside her, that wants to travel and see the most remote places in the world.
– I would give you a castle to rule, if I had one. – Gendry says softly, in that friendly tone that just exists to her. – You are smart and fair, you would be a fine ruler of Winterfell or anywhere else.
– Then it's a shame you're a bastard. – Arya jokes about the recent discovery that Gendry is King Robert's bastard son. – You could give me Storm's End.
– If I were legitimate, I wouldn't inherit Storm's End. – Gendry says with a shrug. – I would inherit the Seven Kingdoms and they would all be yours, my lady.
Arya feels her cheeks heat up. It's too much to hear that kind of thing from Gendry's gravelly husky voice, especially when he's speaking so low it's like a whisper. It almost feels like a statement and Arya doesn't know what to make of it.
– I wouldn't make a good queen or a good lady. – She says after a few minutes of silence. – It would be like being bound in golden chains. It is pretty, but it is still chains. – Arya smiles softly, feeling relieved to finally express her feelings aloud to the only person she trusts, who won't judge her and who understands her point of view perfectly. – I don't want the stability of a castle and the responsibility of a lordship. I want to be free, to know every remote place on earth and sail the sea to the edge. – His eyes remain fixed on the flames, but she can feel Gendry's gaze burning into her skin. – That's why no one would ever be sworn to me. Knights don't serve women, much less a free woman.
Silence settles between them for a while, but it's not uncomfortable. Gendry isn't much for talking, but he was always good at listening to her, especially her quirks and her weirdest thoughts. Sometimes she gets some response or they get into some argument, other times Gendry just absorbs her words and stores them somewhere inside him, in a place that not even Arya has access to. She feels as if his deep blue eyes are as mysterious and wild as the sea, whose waves resemble their color. "It's okay, I hide things inside myself too."
– This place is sacred, isn't it? – Gendry's question sounds strange and random to Arya. – Is what is said here valid, legitimate and blessed?
– I think so. Thoros practically turned it into a temple of R'hllor. – She replies with her eyes still fixed on the consecration. – If there is any sacred place in these lands, it is this place.
The three men, now Knights of the Brotherhood Without Banners, are lined up facing the fire. Baric hands them each a sword, and Thoros begins to pray to the flames, requesting for R'hllor's blessings. The fire churns, throwing sparks into the air, which crackles around it. The flames from the bonfire lighten the hall, forming shadows at its edges, making Arya and Gendry practically invisible. It was at that moment that she felt the body beside her move. She tilts her head in his direction and her eyes widen into glittering silver balls when she sees Gendry on his knees, his sword stuck in a crack in the stone floor.
– I, Gendry Waters, a bastard blacksmith from Flea Bottom, without titles or possessions, swear my loyalty and my life to you, Arya Stark of Winterfell. – His voice is a whisper in the darkness, serious and firm, at the same time soft and affectionate, twining itself in Arya's heart. - This sword does not belong to me, but I swear to be at your disposal, as well as any other weapon that my hands wield. I swear to forge your swords and your armor, I will wear your colors and your shields and I will follow you on land or sea. – Gendry's heat grows more intense. Arya can feel him closer and her body turns towards him on its own. She can even feel the cold blade of the sword touch the exposed skin of her ankle. – If you accept me, I will be your knight from this day, until the last of my days.
Arya stands completely still for a few seconds. She absorbs Gendry's words, which echo and curl inside her, filling voids in her heart that Arya didn't even know existed. This warms her inside in a sweet, delicious way, like warm mead. A flare of fire momentarily illuminates them. Arya can see Gendry right in front of her, still on his knees, his hands tightening around the hilt of his sword, his tanned skin bathed in the golden light of the flames and his blue eyes full of affection, anxiously awaiting her answer.
The shadow swallows them again. Between the many thoughts that bubble in her mind and the chaos of feelings that flood her heart, a certainty takes hold. Arya chooses to believe that this place truly is sacred and that the oaths they make to each other will stand true before the gods. She fumbles with her belt until she finds her dagger, then searches for Gendry's shoulder. “ As if it's hard to find someone that big.”
– I accept your oaths and make my own oath. – Arya touches his shoulder with the dagger, imitating the gesture of consecration of the knights. – I swear to put you under my protection, my colors and shields covering your shoulders, my swords will always be by your side and never against you. – Arya lifts her dagger and touches Gendry's other shoulder. – I swear to take you wherever I go, on land or sea, in the shadows or in the light. I swear to be your lady from this day, until the last of my days. – Arya collects the dagger and reaches for Gendry's hand, which wraps around hers at the feel of her touch. – Arise, Sor Gendry, Sworn Knight to Arya Stark.
– As my lady commands. – Gendry says raising her hand to his lips.
Inspiration: The accolade, by Edmund Leighton - 1901.
obs: English is not my native language, so this could contain a lot of errors.
