Spring was coming and the green fields of the Stormlands had started to bloom. They were filled with daffodils and bluebells swaying in the wind. The wind carried with it white and pink petals from the wild cherry trees in the woods. Beyond the flowering fields, the tower of Storm's End reached as high as ever. As Gendry saw the tower of the castle in the distance a wave of happiness hit him, a feeling he had never had before. The feeling of coming home.

To be able to come home you have to have a home. And Gendry Baratheon had never actually had a home before. He had been brought up in the backroom of a tavern for his first few years and after that in a crowded orphanage. Once he had started working in the blacksmith's workshop he had slept on the floor of the forge every night. Those had been places to sleep, but they hadn't been homes. But Storm's End was his home. His first home.

As he arrived through the gates of the castle the atmosphere seemed less than welcoming though. The courtyard was filled with people, refugees from the capital. People seemed to be living in tents right there in the courtyard. It was noisy, dirty, and quite frankly smelly.

Marya Seaworth stood by a table dispensing food. It looked like she had a whole line going with people handing out different kinds of food and writing down on lists who had received what. Which was exactly what was to be expected from Marya Seaworth. She seemed to have things under control.

And in the middle of the courtyard stood Courtnay Penrose, looking anything but pleased with the chaos around him.

"Lord Baratheon, you got some things to answer for," the annoyed-looking man said as soon as Gendry entered the castle.

Gendry got off his horse and walked up to his advisor, through the masses of people swarming in the courtyard.

"No, I don't," he said as he reached Lord Penrose. "I'm the lord of this castle which means I don't answer to anyone. But I do need to talk to you and Ser Swann, to ask your advice regarding what to do with all these people. I have a plan and I want to know what you think."

Lord Penrose looked surprised at Gendry's frankness and newfound confidence. For once he didn't protest.

"I will find Ser Swann and meet up with you in the Great Hall shortly, Lord Baratheon" was all he managed to get out.

***

After the three men had discussed the matter among themselves they all stepped out on the courtyard together. Gendry was surprised that both men had actually agreed with his idea without any protests. Well, Ser Swann usually didn't protest. But Lord Penrose often protested enough for the both of them.

They walked up a few steps on the stairs leading up the tower so that they could be seen by everyone gathered there. Gendry positioned himself a few steps higher than the other two men. He wanted to make it clear that he was the one in charge. And he also wanted to make sure that Lord Penrose didn't tower over him, as he was considerably taller.

"Citizens from King's Landing," he started as he looked out over the gathered crowd, "I'm Lord Gendry Baratheon, the holder of this castle. I'm the one who told you to seek refuge here. And I stand by it. There will be refuge here for you as long as you need it. I have been to the capital and participated in a council making decisions for what is to happen to the burned city and the kingdom. I stand here to tell you about those decisions."

Gendry proceeded to tell the crowd about the new king, about how the North had seceded from the kingdom, and about all other decisions that had been made. Although he knew most commoners didn't care about who sat on the throne. Honestly, Gendry wouldn't have cared himself not long ago. But he figured they still deserved to know.

"There is a lot of work rebuilding the capital still to be done," he continued. "But you are of course free to go back there, but honestly I would worry for you if you do as the new king has said he won't feed anyone coming there."

He paused for a bit and looked around, he saw the worried looks among the people. King's Landing had been their home, just as it had been his, and regardless of what had happened there many of them had probably planned to go back as soon as possible.

Before he started speaking again the thought struck him how ridiculous the situation was. That he was standing up there making a speech to people who not long ago had been his peers. They still were as far as he was concerned but he knew that was not how they viewed him. And he stood there making this damn speech like it was the most natural thing in the world, he wasn't even nervous. That was the most ridiculous part of it all.

He gathered his thoughts quickly. This was not the time for introspection. And instead, he continued his ridiculous speech.

"So I want to make you an offer instead. Because I know you don't want to just survive, to have someone else feed you, you want to stand on your own feet and support yourselves. Therefore I offer you to stay here. And you fight for me. You fight for House Baratheon. You fight for the Stormlands. Because the kingdom is not a peaceful place yet and there might still be fights to come."

Gendry was actually quite sure there would be more fight to come, seeing what he knew about the new king. And he wanted to be prepared for those fights when they came. Since he was the only one, except Meera, who had this knowledge he could act ahead of everyone else.

"If you're a man or a woman, as I've known women who can fight better than any man, who is fit to fight and you are willing to do so I will give you a piece of land in the southern part of the Stormlands to live on for you and your family. You will be able to work the land, build yourself a cottage, and make a living for yourself there, as the lands are fertile. And all I ask in return is that you fight for me when I need you to. Ser Swann will tend to that you become trained to do so. And Ser Penrose will make sure that you get your allotted land and can guide you in how to make the best use of it. If you are willing to take this offer come to talk to them afterward and they will make sure you get everything you need."

It was a good offer, he knew it was. He would have taken it himself not long ago. To have a patch of land to work yourself was the dream of the common man. It had been his dream. It was an offer worth fighting for. He would have been willing to fight for anyone offering him that.

He looked out over the gathered crowd. Many of them looked pleased and they were discussing among themselves.

"Thank you", he said. "I hope you take this offer and that you fight for me and the Stormlands. I do need every one of you, I assure you of that, and I will make sure that you are taken care of."

With that, he stepped down from the stairs and started walking towards the tower. His part was done and Ser Swann and Lord Penrose would tend to the rest.

People were lining up already when he was leaving the stage. It seemed like most of them wanted to fight for him. Which was a curious thought, to have people fight for him. The bastard blacksmith. But it seemed like he would soon have an army rivaling any army in the kingdom.

But as Gendry turned around to walk back into the castle a woman caught his eye. She hadn't lined up with the other commoners, instead, she stood there looking at him. She appeared to not quite fit in. She was tall, her dark hair curly and her poise royal. She didn't look like a commoner. Her clothes were dirty and broken but somehow they still had a shine to them.

The woman turned around and disappeared into the crowd of people before Gendry could approach her. But he couldn't quite shake the thought of her eyes on him, looking at him like she was judging an opponent.

***

When King's Landing fell Ellaria Sand had crawled out of the dungeon where she had been left to rot next to her daughter's corpse. As the whole city fell she rose up, and she decided to fight once again. Covered in dust she looked just like any of the other commoners fleeing the city. Her golden dress was in tatters and her once so well-groomed hair hung in tufts. But she was alive, and she was out for vengeance. She would get her kingdom back. She would once again rule Dorne.

Ellaria moved towards the Stormlands as she knew that there were ships from there towards her homeland. But when she heard that Lord Baratheon had invited people to stay in his castle she decided to join them. She needed to rest as well, and also she wanted to know more about this new lord. He who had made House Baratheon rise from the ashes. The Stormlands had often been in wars with Dorne and therefore their new ruler interested her.

They said he was a bastard. This wasn't an issue in her homelands, she was a bastard herself, but it seemed to be in the rest of the kingdom. They said he was an uneducated commoner from the capital. They said he was a blacksmith pretending to be a lord.

Hopefully, he was weak. Hopefully, he had no sense. Hopefully, he would be easy prey for the Dornish armies.

But as the new lord stood there speaking to the people he didn't look weak. Lord Baratheon looked strong, convincing, and radiating. But he was too compassionate. She could use that. His compassion was his strength but it could also be his downfall.

Ellaria wouldn't fight for Lord Baratheon. She would fight against him. She would try to take his lands from him.

So as the other commoners lined up to enlist in Lord Baratheon's army Ellaria walked out of the castle. She made her way towards the Southern coast. And she found a ship that would take her home to Dorne. To take back the throne that was rightfully hers.

But she would be back to the Stormlands one day, and she would bring her armies with her.

***

As night was falling over Storm's End Gendry once again couldn't sleep. His bed once again felt too big and too lonely. He missed the woman who only two nights ago had slept next to him. He missed her presence and her comforting words. Even though that bed in the tent had been quite uncomfortable and narrow he still longed to be back there. Next to her. Forever.

He tried not to think of her, and during the days he usually succeeded. But the nights were worse. That's when he questioned why he didn't just give up his title and castle to be with her. But of course, he couldn't do that. He couldn't walk away now. And he knew she wouldn't respect him if he did. So he continued to walk the path he had chosen. Without her.

Instead of tossing and turning in his bed all night, he made his way down to the courtyard. It was all empty and quiet now as all the people who had chosen to fight for him had left for the southern coast. He entered the forge and he sat down on one of the workbenches. It felt safe, it felt familiar and it felt unchanging. The smells were the same as always. Firewood, charcoal, and melted metal. The smells of his former life. He didn't want to go back to that life but he also didn't want to forget it.

As Gendry sat there, someone else entered the workshop.

"What are you doing here so late, Lord Baratheon?" the man said.

Mychal Waters, another blacksmith bastard from King's Landing. They were the same, but yet not at all the same anymore.

"Mychal, I hope you and your wife are doing well here," Gendry replied. "I couldn't sleep... so I went here."

"Remembering the good old days then?"

"Something like that. I guess you recognize me now then?"

"Yes, I do. I heard the man with the red beard and the scary lady talk about you and suddenly it dawned on me." Mychal said as he sat down next to Gendry on the workbench. "You worked in Tobho Mott's workshop in the capital not long ago. We greeted each other every morning. You were no different from me."

"I'm still no different from you," Gendry replied.

"I guess we're still just two bastard boys from King's Landing then," Mychal said and brought out a flask of liquor from his pocket and took a swig of it. "Let's drink to that."

He handed the flask over to Gendry who also drank from it.

"Since you are still here, Mychal, I take it you won't fight for me?" he said.

"I'm not a fighter," Mychal replied. "But if I would fight for anyone it would be for you. You saved my wife and child. But I intend to go back to King's Landing as soon as our child is born. I'll work here until then."

"King's Landing barely exists anymore, it's gone. I've seen it."

"It's still my home."

They paused for a bit, both men seemingly lost in thoughts of the city where they had grown up. Of everything that was now gone. King's Landing hadn't been a harsh place to grow up as a bastard but it had still been their home. The only home they had known. So they couldn't help to think fondly of it.

"So why are you down here Mychal?" Gendry said to break the silence. "You should be asleep as well."

"My wife threw me out... apparently I snored too loudly and she couldn't sleep."

"You are lucky to have a wife to throw you out, my friend."

Mychal chuckled as Gendry said that and put his hand on Gendry's knee.

"You are the Lord of the Stormlands, surely you can find yourself a wife!"

"A wife... yes, I'm sure. My advisors will probably try to marry me off soon. But the right one... Apparently, it's all so much more complicated when you're a lord."

"I take it you already know who the right one is?"

"I do... and I might never see her again. She made me feel like I was not failing. Like I was worth something."

Mychal chuckled again, apparently, everything Gendry worried about was very amusing to him.

"You think you are failing, Lord Baratheon? You who have a castle, an army, and people willing to die for you? You who just stood in front of a crowd of people and convinced them to fight for you. You, my friend, are not failing. And you are definitely worth something."

Gendry smiled at Mychal as he heard that. People kept telling him this.

"Thank you, Mychal. I guess one of these days I might actually start believing it when people say that. Although I did believe it when she said it."

"I do hope you get to see her again. It sounds like she was good for you."

They sat there for a while longer. They finished the flask of liquor. Just two bastard blacksmiths from King's Landing reminiscing about the past and dreaming of the future. Even if their futures now looked wildly different.

Because Gendry had an army now. He had people fighting for him. And one day Mychal would fight for him as well. Even though he wasn't a fighter. They would fight for their home and their families together.