The escape pod was never intended for extensive use. The controls were clumsy, fuel minimal and if she wasn't found quickly, death was eminent. But before death, insanity seemed likely. Four days drifting aimlessly in space was having its toll.

But Arya had been trained as a Faceless Man. Panic was not an option, so she sat calmly, staring out in the endless abyss of space through the one small porthole.

"Watching is not seeing, dead girl."

The words came back to her from another life.

"The scuff of leather on stone sings loud as warhorns to a man with open ears. Clever girls go barefoot."

With only the emptiness of space for company, the memories she had been avoiding since reclaiming her name seemed to be crashing in on her. Each one more painful than the last.

"You remember where the heart is?"

They were haunting her; all the men who had left her. But she had only been a child then, unable to fully comprehend just how the world worked.

"She's not alone."

No, no she couldn't think about that. Not him. Instead she shifted her mind back to her reason for living.

"Ser Ilyn, Queen Cersei." She said the only remaining names on her list. She had been busy over the last year, slowly whittling her list down. Her prayer was what had always kept her sane, focused. She used it now, like she always had.

Two names until she was free. Free for what, she wasn't sure.

"Ser Ilyn, Queen Cersei."

Suddenly there was a jolt, a groan of metal being moved and Arya stood trying to get a better view as to what hit her. But all she could see was great hulking ship with no markings. It was pulling her tiny, useless escape pod in to it's hull.

Arya prepared herself for whatever may be waiting for her, making sure her guns were accessible, her knives all in place. She even made sure her sword, Needle was loose in it's scabbard. Ser Meryn had laughed when he saw the ancient weapon at her hip, that was until it had been sticking through his chest.

Once the ship was settled and the internal computer assured her the airlock had been secured, she opened the hatch, before her would-be-captors could force their way on board.

A shout rang out as she stepped out of the ship, catching sight of several people retreating.

"Oy! Who are you?" A voice yelled at her. "The computer said there was no signs of life aboard."

The young woman stood before her. She was the only one who hadn't retreated, instead moving forward.

"Computers lie," was all Arya said looking around, quickly assessing the situation. Five people total. All of them were young, some very young, all dressed in rags, covered in dirt. She was in some sort of hanger of what appeared to be a salvage ship; junk lay in piles everywhere.

"Lie? What do you mean lie? This is an escape pod. We didn't detect any distress signals." Said the girl.

"The ship I was on was attacked by Lannisters. I barely managed to escape. I'm just trying to make it back to Westeros." Arya lied. In reality it had been a Lannister ship, that Arya had attacked. She hoped the lie would move them to sympathy.

"Bloody hell, the Bull isn't going to like this." The girl said, rubbing a hand over her face. "Well, are you going to cause us trouble?"

Arya only shook her head.

"Good, come on then." The girl was beckoning for her to follow. "We have to figure out what to do with you. Name is Jeyne, by the way."

"Beth." Arya said, relying on an old alias she knew well.

She followed Jeyne through corridors until they reached the bridge. Ten people were in the room, sitting in front of various work stations. She noticed one man, in front of an unmistakable battle center. So, this isn't just a salvage ship.

"Where's the Bull?" Jeyne yelled.

Only one or two people turned to look at her, one of them telling Jeyne the Bull was in the forge. Jeyne only huffed and beckoned Arya to follow her once again.

Arya remained silent as she followed, trying to ignore the goosebumps on her arms or the shiver that ran down her spine. Forge, bull. No, you're over thinking it.

But Arya knew, long before she followed Jeyne in to the room labeled 'The Forge', what she would find there. She always knew with him. Even after all these years.

Loud heavy metal music blasted from a decrepit looking speaker in the corner. His back was to them, naked from the waist up, his bull tattoo still evident on his left shoulder. She'd forgotten how tall he was, his muscles more defined. He hadn't heard them come in, too intent on the project in front of him.

Every hurt is a lesson. For some reason the lesson she had learned from him hurt the most.

"Hey, Gendry!" Jeyne yelled over the music moving forward to turn it off. "I accidentally rescued an escape pod with a person still alive in it. What should we do with her?"

"I told you to be more careful." He groaned, not looking up.

"Well, it's too late. What am I supposed to do? Throw her out the airlock?"

He turned, standing up to his full height, pushing his black hair out of his face. So tall.

Whatever he had been going to say was lost, because the minute he saw Arya he froze completely, mouth hanging open slightly.

They stood, face to face with each other for the first time in four years.

His eyes were just as blue as she remembered, his hair a little bit longer. On his chest, above his heart was a new tattoo. She couldn't make out what it was, but wondered briefly who had held his hand when he had gotten it. Maybe he didn't need anyone to hold his hand any more.

His eyes moved over her entire body, trying to make sense of what was in front of him.

"You're supposed to be dead." He finally said. Taking a step forward, one of his hands reaching out toward her.

"Well, obviously I'm not." She snapped, taking a step backward.

His hand dropped to his side.

"You two know each other?" Jeyne said, glancing between the both of them, casting suspicious looks in Arya's direction.

"I'll handle this from here. That will be all, Jeyne." He said, motioning her toward the door.

After the door slid shut, he walked toward her, stopping just with in arms distance. Unwilling to look him in the eye, she instead focused on his chest, the new tattoo suddenly in focus.

It was a wolf, a direwolf to be exact. For fuck's sake.

She slapped him, once, hard across his cheek. He didn't move, just held his ground.

"That's for leaving me." She said, her voice quit in its rage.

"You left me first." He replied. His anger surprised her.

"How do you figure?" Her voice rising. Arya hadn't yelled in years. The Faceless Men had taught her to control her emotions. Years of training, slipping away so quickly.

But this was Gendry. He had always had a strange affect on her.

"When Lem let it slip that they planned to bring you to Dondarrion instead of straight to Riverrun, you ran for it? Do you not remember stealing one of their fighters? Do you not remember abandoning me to the Brotherhood with no second thought?" He yelled, stepping forward.

"I didn't escape, Harwin caught me before I could take off." She yelled back in her confusion. She remembered. She had realized she was their captive and she had reacted, only thinking of escape. The entire escape attempt had lasted a total of ten minutes.

"Yeah, you were caught." The fight seemed to go out of him.

He turned his back to her, walking back to the project he had been working on earlier. He didn't pick up any of his tools though. Just stood there, his back to her, hands on his hips.

Arya felt blindsided. She tried to remember if he had given any indication at the time that he was upset. Nothing came to mind. Not that I would have noticed. All her anger disappeared. She felt guilty, an emotion Arya had tried very hard to eradicate from her psyche.

She stepped forward, with no idea of what she intended to do.

"Is that why you decided to stay on with the Brotherhood?" She whispered.

"Seven hells," he muttered, turning back to face her. "Where have you been Arya?"

He looked older, she realized. He had been nineteen the last time she saw him; yet it still surprised her to see he had become a man, no trace of the boy left. But he had once been her friend. Her only friend, when she needed one most. Trust didn't come easily to Arya, not since King's Landing. She had once trusted him though, with her life.

"It's a long story." She said. It's such a long story.