The Stag and The Frog - (GendryxMeera GOT fanfic) Part 1: Alone

3: Let them burn

For the first time, Gendry entered a room as Lord Baratheon. Candlelights hung on the walls and in the middle of the room stood a giant map of the whole kingdom.

At least that's what Gendry assumed it was. Common people didn't use maps so he had never seen one before. And he couldn't read what said on in, because well... he couldn't read. But he was not going to tell anyone in the room that. He had already received several weird looks as he entered. People wondering why the blacksmith was invited.

Davos was the one who had made sure he got invited, as the queen seemed to have forgotten she had legitimized Gendry. It was all part of the plan they had made. So now Gendry stood there. Trying to look like he belonged, even though he was still wearing his blacksmith garb. Trying to look like he knew what was going on, even though he had no damn clue. Trying to muster the courage for what he had to do soon, even though he felt like he had none.

But yet he stood there, for hours it felt like, while the meeting discussions droned on and waited for his cue.

Finally, Davos gave him a nod. Gendry stepped forward. He took a deep breath, looked at the queen, and addressed her.

"My Queen. May I speak?"

Gendry regretted the words as soon as he said them. But it was too late at that point. They were all looking at him already. Queen Daenerys, Jon Snow, Lady Sansa. Bran. Arya. Everyone else around the table preparing for the coming war.

They were going to march the Northern armies south, towards the capital. But there was a problem: How would they get their armies past the narrow passage at The Neck where Queen Cersei had stationed armies to stop them?

The queen had proposed to solve the situation by burning the armies with dragon fire. That way they could avoid a battle. But that would mean that their allies who resided there, the Reeds, would also burn. It was a cruel plan, and everyone knew it. But they needed to get to the capital quickly. And no one wanted to cross the queen by protesting.

Gendry certainly didn't want to either. The Queen had just given him a lordship. She could take it away. She could burn him with dragonfire.

But he had no choice. Because this was the first step in the plan for how to become Lord Baratheon. He needed to save those armies. Because those armies had belonged to his father. They were the Baratheon armies. And he also wanted to save the people residing in those lands. Because they had done nothing wrong.

So that's why he stood there now. With the queen looking at him like she was wondering why he was wasting her time. With Arya looking at him like she was afraid he would embarrass himself. Honestly, he was afraid of that himself.

Finally, the queen deigned to answer his request.

"You may, Lord Baratheon," she said coldly.

It didn't sound like she meant it.

Gendry tried to sound confident as he spoke, even though he was anything but. He tried to sound like a lord. He tried to remember what Davos had told him to say.

"Thank you, my Queen," he said. "I apologize if I speak out of turn. Yesterday I was just a bastard blacksmith. But you gave me the chance to be something more. You gave me the name of my father. And those are my father's armies. They were loyal to House Baratheon. And they could be again."

He looked around the room, nervously. Trying to judge the reaction to his proposal. The room around him was completely silent.

"Before you burn them give them a choice," he continued. "Let me go there. Let me ask them to follow me instead of Queen Cersei. Those men are just following orders, just like I've done all my life. But you made me Lord Baratheon. You made me someone who can give orders. They might listen to me. I can try to save them. Give me a few days, and if I fail I will burn with them. But give my father's armies and the people of those lands a chance."

Gendry exhaled. He realized he had held his breath the whole time he spoke. He had probably spoken too fast. As he looked around the room though he saw people nodding in approval. Jon Snow. Lady Sansa. Davos. Lady Brienne. He even thought he could detect a hint of a smile on Arya's face. Which was all he really wanted.

The queen did not look as pleased.

"I did make you, Lord Baratheon. I made you lord, and if you just wait for this war to end you will have your castle. I will give that to you too. Do you really want to risk burning before then? To throw away everything I gave you? It's not brave, it's foolish."

He wasn't brave. But he also wasn't a fool. He needed those armies. But he couldn't tell the Queen that.

"Then I'm a fool, my Queen. But I could have been one of those men fighting in that army, I could have been one of the people living in those lands. And I would have wanted a chance to live. Let me give them that."

The Queen looked around the room, seemingly looking for a sign of what she should decide. It seemed like she looked for a reason to not give in. She locked eyes with Jon Snow who gave her a nod. She sighed.

"I will give you a chance, Lord Baratheon. But you might come to regret your foolishness. I will give you three days, and if you and the Baratheon armies aren't out of those lands by then you will all burn."

Jon Snow didn't want people to die if they didn't have to. Gendry and Davos knew this and that's what they had counted on. They knew the Queen wouldn't be able to insist on a cruel plan if there was another option because Jon wouldn't like it. And Jon was the only person she listened to.

"Thank you, my Queen," Gendry said and bowed slightly.

With that, he left the room. He went to prepare for the journey that was ahead of him. He had taken the first step, and he was still standing.

***

What Gendry didn't know was why the Queen had hesitated. It wasn't just because she wanted to get to the capital quickly. She wanted those armies to burn just to watch them burn. Because they were the armies of the usurper who took her father's throne. She certainly didn't want to arm the son of that usurper. A Baratheon with an army scared her.

But the Queen couldn't show how ruthless she was. She couldn't show how scared she was. Not yet. So she gave in to Jon's wishes.

Gendry also didn't know that there was someone else in that room who wanted those people to burn. Bran Stark. But Bran didn't care about the Baratheon armies. He only cared about Meera Reed. He still loved her. He still couldn't let go of her. And that's why he needed her to burn. He couldn't risk her ruining the events that he had set in motion. Because she was the only one who could.