Game of Thrones: Fears Reveal Who You Are

Another small oneshot, this one focused on Arya/Gendry, but with Catelyn's view of said relationship, hope you enjoy it :)

Disclaimer: Game of Thrones belongs to George R.R. Martin.

Catelyn Stark sighed as she stood, waiting, she just hoped that this would work out. For a long time she had been worried about her youngest daughter, Arya, mainly she was wary of the young man her daughter had recently started dating, a young man named Gendry Waters; a man five years her senior.

'I couldn't believe it when I found out, Arya dating this...man, she's still my little girl, I couldn't...' She thought sadly. 'We argued so much, he's too old for her, too rough, he lives in such a dangerous neighbourhood...Was this such a good idea?'

In the end, after much negotiation from the rest of the family, Catelyn finally accepted Arya's offer to actually meet Gendry and try to talk with him, to get to know him. Finally Arya joined her and Catelyn once more had to cope with the issue she always faced with Arya.

She shook her head. 'She could at least make an effort, I know she isn't girly like Sansa, but she could at least dress nicely, why does she have to dress this way, mar her beauty.'

She knew Arya didn't believe it, but Catelyn had tried to convince that she was indeed a beautiful young woman. Yet here Arya was, clad in clothing that made her look like a hobo, yet instead of hurting her chances, it seemed this young man, this Gendry, didn't mind.

She didn't say anything about it however and soon they left, approaching the diner where they had arranged to meet with Gendry. As they did so, Arya turned to her.

"Now, mum, try and be polite, please." She said.

"Arya..."

She shook her head. "I'm serious, just try to understand me and see for once."

Catelyn sighed but nodded. Together they entered and Catelyn bit her lip, observing Gendry who smiled widely as Arya approached him. He stood, towering over Arya by at least a foot, was twice her bulk too. Yet Arya was so happy, more than Catelyn had ever seen her in her entire life, as the couple embraced.

"Gendry, this, this is mum." She said at last, introducing her.

Catelyn nodded and shook Gendry's hand. "It's, nice to meet you at last."

He nodded too, smiling politely. "Hello Mrs. Stark, it's a pleasure to meet you."

They all took their seats, made their orders and got to talking. As time passed, Catelyn could not help but feel eased slightly, noting how respectful Gendry was towards Arya, how happy and relaxed she was around him, compared to how she was any other occasion. Nevertheless she couldn't help but still be wary.

'Still, maybe I, maybe I have been hasty.' She conceded. 'I suppose I should at least try to be understanding.'

She sighed and decided, maybe, she could relent, for now. But she didn't fully trust this Gendry Waters, especially not when she could see a startling physical resemblance to him and Ned's good friend, Robert Baratheon.

Leaving the diner, Catelyn found herself seeing first hand Gendry's politeness to yet another degree, as while they had walked to the diner, he offered them a ride home in his car. Arya had readily accepted and so Catelyn went along and on the way back home, she once more found herself surprised.

'He drives very well, despite how things look, with him, with this car, he's a careful driver.' She reflected. 'He said he was a mechanic, did he...restore this car himself?'

She couldn't deny; there was a lot she didn't know about him; and sadly had to admit she had only herself to blame. It was while she was thinking this however, that it happened.

They had no time to react before the other driver appeared, driving erratically, as if drunk; despite Gendry having the priority the other driver drove on, far too fast. That was the last thing she saw when the car struck them and she blacked out.

When she regained consciousness, Catelyn gasped.

"What!?"

It was then she heard Ned's voice. "Easy Cat, relax, it's alright."

She turned her head and saw him sitting by her bedside. "Ned, thank Gods, what, what happened?"

Ned sighed and began to explain, what Catelyn heard shocked her; and terrified her. The car driven by a drunk driver had ploughed right into them, the damage was shocking, the drunk driver died at the scene, Cat, Arya and Gendry had all been brought to the hospital, Cat had suffered a broken leg, a broken arm and cracked ribs. Gendry also had a broken leg and several bruises.

"Ned, what about Arya?" She asked worried.

Her fear built as Ned looked worried. "I...She's, she has crushed ribs, sprained both her ankle and wrist, took a heavy blow to her head...but she's also in a coma."
Cat gasped, horrified; it was worse than she thought.

Her daughter, trapped in a coma, in hospital, with her and her daughter's boyfriend, all of them horribly injured; just as they were staring to finally make some headway and maybe bring an end to the conflict between them.

Transported by wheelchair for her broken leg, Cat found herself in her daughter's room. To her amazement, Gendry was already there; Ned told her that he had been by Arya's side the moment he heard what happened to her.

'He hasn't left her side, he, he truly does care...' She thought in amazement.

It was a small comfort, especially in the days that followed. As the days passed, as she and Gendry recovered, as Arya's injuries healed, her coma remained. It was Gendry's unwavering dedication to Arya that finally convinced her of how genuine he was.

"Gendry..." She said once, as they sat by Arya's side. "I...I just wanted to say…"

He looked up, exhausted and worried. "Yes?"

She smiled softly. "I'm sorry, for misjudging you, I hope, I hope you can forgive me. I'm also want you to know, I'm more than happy for you and Arya, so I pray that, that the two of you will be happy together."

Gendry grinned and thanked her, relieved that she was clearly giving her blessing to them, that he and Arya were finally free to be out in the open.

"Mum...thank you."

He gasped, as did Cat as they both turned, Arya was awake, she was still unfocused, but she smiled, clearly happy. Things were now looking up and for Cat, she prayed they would continue to do so. She had been blind and missed what she should have seen, but now she saw it and was prepared to make up for those mistakes, by offering her complete support to her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend.

End of story, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.