Hello, my friends! Well, I took longer than I expected, but here is the new chapter! I hope you enjoy it! :)

And thank you very much for all the support, you guys have been awesome! :D

(Also, Season 4 is finally here, and the end of the first episode was just too awesome for words!)

"Are you not sad?"

"Why would I be sad?"

"You're going to be away from Prince Gendry for so long!"

"So what?"

"He's your betrothed, Arya! Won't you miss him?"

Arya stopped placing her folded clothes in the travel chest and looked at Sansa. She realized Sansa wouldn't stop going on about it, so she decided to give her sister the answer she obviously wanted to hear.

Why does she have to be so romantic?

"Yes, I will," she said nonchalantly as her eyes went back to her travel chest.

"Is that it?"

"Why? What do you want me to say?"

"That you're madly in love with him and that you'll dream about him every night! Don't deny it! I've seen the way you look at him!"

What in Seven Hells is she talking about?

"And which way is that?"

"Your eyes shine, and your whole face lit up when you see him! I wish you could see yourself when you're with him! You always seem to be so happy! I have never seen you that happy since we left Winterfell..."

Gods help me, she's imagining things now… That's not me.

"Don't be stupid, I'm not like that."

"You're the one being stupid, Arya," Sansa said, with a sweet – and irritating – tone in her voice. "You don't have to deny that you like him. Liking a boy is not a bad thing. And, in your case, it's not a bad thing at all. You're going to marry the future king! You'll be his queen!"

Arya wanted to scream that she didn't like Gendry this way, but she knew better. Everyone was convinced that she had come to terms with her betrothal, and it would be a good thing if they thought she actually liked Gendry. Then they would never suspect their escape plan.

She sighed.

"It's just… I'm not used to this," she said, faking a shy tone.

Sansa smiled fondly.

"But you will be. You'll see!"

Then there was a quick knock on the door, and Septa Mordane entered the chamber.

"The wheelhouse is ready. The riding party is only waiting for you. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Arya said happily, closing her chest after carefully placing Needle inside.

"Very well; Prince Gendry is waiting for you at the courtyard. Go say your farewells to him. I'll bring the servants to carry your travel chest."

Arya nodded and left the chamber, followed by Sansa.

"Don't worry, I will leave you alone with him when we get there," Sansa said, with a half-smile that made Arya roll her eyes.

When they reached the courtyard, they easily spotted Gendry, but they also noticed that Ser Loras Tyrell was approaching him, his arms linked with a very beautiful girl with long brown hair.

Arya glanced at Sansa, who now had a serious look on her face as she glared at the unknown girl.

When Arya looked at them again, Gendry was taking the girl's hand between his and kissing it, and she was smiling at him. Arya narrowed her eyes.

The Stark girls kept walking towards the trio, and when they were close enough, Ser Loras noticed them and grinned.

"Here they are! Lady Sansa, Lady Arya, let me introduce you to my sister Margaery. She arrived yesterday," and then he turned to Margaery. "Sister, these are the daughters of the Lord Eddard Stark, the Hand of the King."

"So you are the Lord Stark's daughters! It's such a pleasure to meet you both. I've heard Winterfell is a lovely place," she said with a grin.

"The pleasure is ours, my lady. Ser Loras has spoken so much about you! I've heard wonders about Highgarden too, I hope I can visit it someday," Sansa said happily, the distress completely gone from her face.

"You certainly will," Margaery said graciously – too graciously for Arya's liking. "I heard you're leaving today, Lady Arya."

"Yes, I'm going to Winterfell, to visit my mother and my brothers," Arya said, almost dryly.

"That's so sad! Well, of course it will be great for you, but I wish we had more time to know each other!"

"Well, you will have plenty of time to know each other when Lady Arya is back for our wedding," Gendry said, linking his arm to Arya's as he came to stand by her side.

"I've heard about your betrothal! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations!"

"Thank you, my lady," Gendry said politely.

"Very well, my ladies, would you give me the honor to take a walk with me?" said Loras pompously, signaling for Sansa and Margaery to take each one of his arms. "Let's give Prince Gendry and Lady Arya some privacy now, for their farewell," he said gently, and then he left, taking Sansa and Margaery with him.

Arya's eyes followed Margaery as she went.

"I'm glad you don't have Needle here with you, otherwise Lady Margaery would be in serious danger," Gendry said, clearly amused.

Arya glared at him.

"What in Seven Hells are you talking about?"

"Arya, you were throwing daggers at her with your eyes the whole time! I wish you could have seen your face!"

"What? I was not throwing daggers at her," she said angrily.

What was wrong with everyone today? First Sansa, now Gendry. Arya wondered who would be the next one to assume they knew how to read her emotions.

"I think she's going to marry my father. That's why she's here. Renly is arranging everything."

"I didn't know King Robert was going to marry again," Arya said, releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding.

"I've been hearing talks about this since I was brought to the Red Keep," he said, and then he went silent.

After a moment, Arya looked at him, and he was staring right back at her. And then he sighed.

"I know you love and miss Winterfell, but I wish you wouldn't go."

Arya felt her heart tighten, and this feeling surprised her. She kept looking at Gendry, not knowing what to say.

The prospect of visiting Winterfell had only brought her joy so far, but suddenly there was something else, something she had never felt before and she couldn't quite understand.

She was still trying to put together what to say when Gendry wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.

"I'm going to miss you," he said softly against her hair.

"I'm going to miss you too," she heard herself saying, and his arms tightened around her.

That was when she realized that never before she had been that close to a man who was not part of her family. She could feel the warmth radiating from his body, she could feel his breathing… And she could feel his heart beating impossibly fast.

Suddenly she felt disturbed. She felt her own heart beating fast as well, and she didn't want to even start thinking about what it meant.

That's not me... That's not me...

She let go of him all of a sudden.

"I'm late. They're waiting for me," she said, avoiding Gendry's eyes, and then she started making her way to the gates of the Red Keep, urging Gendry to follow her.

When they reached the gates, Arya took her time saying her farewells to her father and her sister. She cast a last glance to Gendry before getting into the wheelhouse, alongside Syrio Forel. Her father had asked the Braavosi master to go to Winterfell with Arya, and he had gladly accepted the task.

It didn't take long until the wheelhouse started to move, and Arya felt her heart tighten again, but she decided to push this feeling aside.

She was going to Winterfell again, she would be home again. She would see her mother, and her brothers. She even had a little bit of hope to find Nymeria on the way to Winterfell.

She was excited, and happy, and she wouldn't let anything or anyone spoil that.