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

18: It'll be worth it

As Gendry, Devan and their men made their way towards the city they saw evidence of the destruction that had happened. They saw people fleeing the capital. Scared people. Burnt people. Hungry people. With only the clothes on their backs, and sometimes not even that.

There were only a few people at first but then there were more. All walking down the King's Road, not really knowing where to go. Some of them had made camp by the side of the road, waiting for something, anything really, to happen.

As they turned around a corner they saw a woman laying on the road. A man was sitting next to her, holding her in his arms. She appeared to be pregnant. Her long reddish hair was in two braids that had started to unravel. Her face and arms were dirty from sooth and her skirt looked like it was about to fall apart.

Gendry stopped his horse and walked up to them. Someone needed to do something, and he realized now that he could be that someone. He had never been someone who could do something before.

He crouched down and put his hand on the man's shoulder. The man turned around and looked at him. He was thin with blond wispy hair and a short beard. Gendry realized that he recognized the man. He had worked at one of the other blacksmith's workshops on the Street of Steel and they had greeted each other every morning. He always had a smile on his face and joked around with the customers. He wasn't smiling now though. And he did not seem to recognize Gendry. Apparently he looked that much different now, all cleaned up and in fancy clothes. Or maybe the thought that this nobleman could be the same man that he had worked beside just didn't occur to him.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"She just passed out," the man replied. "I think she needs water. We ran when the dragons came over us and haven't stopped. We've barely had anything to eat or drink since."

"I got water. And we got some food too we can give you."

Gendry signaled to Devan to bring a bottle of water over. He handed it to the man who began to pour in on the woman's lips.

"How much food we got?" Gendry asked Devan.

"Enough for us and the men to eat for the journey ahead, which should take about two days."

"We can go hungry for two days. Hand out the food."

Devan looked at Gendry in shock. He wasn't used to him making swift decisions without consulting him. And he didn't seem to agree with this decision.

"But... the men. They will complain."

"Then they can complain. They won't starve, they can eat when we get to the capital. These people are starving. They are dying."

"As you wish, Lord Baratheon."

Gendry had his men hand out their food to the people fleeing the capital who were passing by. The men grumbled but obliged. They didn't stop until every last piece of food had been handed out.

The woman who had been passed out on the road had started to regain consciousness. Gendry walked over to them again.

"Thank you," the man said and took Gendry's hand. "What was your name again?"

"I'm Lord Gendry Baratheon."

"Mychel Waters," the man said. "And this is my wife Lilya."

The woman didn't appear to be able to speak yet but she stretched out her hand towards Gendry to thank him. Her hand felt so limp and lifeless still.

"It's weird. It feels like I recognize you..." Mychel continued. "But yet I've never met a lord before."

"I've been to the capital before. Maybe you've seen me on the Street of Steel."