Following the death of Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King to Robert Baratheon, the new Hand, Lord Eddard Stark, investigates his predecessor’s mysterious passing. His investigation eventually leads him to a smithy in the slums of the capital city of King’s Landing called Flea Bottom. There he meets with master smith Tobho Mott and his apprentice Gendry, whose work Jon Arryn was also apparently interested in before his death. Tobho Mott has Gendry show Lord Eddard a bull's head helm he made as a sample of his work which Eddard commends, but Gendry adds that it's not for sale, much to Tobho’s embarrasment. Mott scolds him but Gendry states he made it for himself, and Eddard assures Mott he's not offended. Gendry then informs that Jon Arryn would drop by and ask him questions, such as if he liked being at Mott's smithy and if he was treated well, then onto who his mother was, who Gendry then informed had died when he was a little. Studying his face, Eddard then realizes that Gendry is one of King Robert Baratheon’s bastard sons, but can't work out why the late Hand of the King would be interested in this. It is known that Robert has many bastard children and shows little interest in any of them. Gendry himself remains unaware of who his father is. Upon leaving, Eddard tells Mott that if Gendry should become interested in wielding a sword instead of forging them, he will happily take him into his service.

Several weeks later and following the assassination of Gendry’s father, King Robert, Lord Eddard is arrested for treason, as he contested against King Robert’s son Joffrey Baratheon as the rightful successor to the throne upon the discovery that Queen Cersei Lannister’s three children are products of incest and not related to the late king at all. After his arrest, Eddard’s young daughter, Arya Stark, follows the crowd into the square and witnesses her father being escorted to the steps outside the Great Sept of Baelor. Eddard eventually spots Arya in the crowd and asks a trusted acquaintance named Yoren to take Arya to safety. As previously agreed with King Joffrey and his mother Cersei, Eddard confesses to false treason, but instead of granting mercy, Joffrey reneges and orders his execution instead. Arya draws her sword in an attempt to save her father but Yoren manages to grab her. Yoren tells her not to look, as her father is brutally beheaded with his own sword by the royal executioner, Ser Ilyn Payne. Joffrey’s bodygyard, Sandor Clegane, holds Lord Eddard's head up to the adulation of the baying crowd. Amidst the crowd,  Yoren drags Arya away, making a point of calling her "boy". As she then flees the scene with him, Arya witnesses Sandor pushing her older sister Sansa Stark to the ground. Once Yoren gets her out of the courtyard, he cuts Arya’s hair off with a knife. He then vows to get her out of King's Landing and take her to Castle Black to join her half-brother Jon Snow as a recruit of the Night's Watch, a military order who guard the Seven Kingdoms from outsiders.

Some time later, Yoren has assembled a band of new recruits for the Night's Watch, as they prepare to depart from the capital. Pretending that the short-haired Arya is a boy named "Arry,” Yoren has her join the group as well. Also in the group are two young boys named Hot Pie and Lommy Greenhands, as well as Gendry himself, who has now been sold to the Night’s Watch by Tobho Mott. Following King Robert’s death, the secret funds that were being sent to Mott had finished and as result Gendry was fired and forced to join the Night’s Watch. Before departing, Hot Pie and Lommy try to bully Arya into giving up her sword but she angrily draws the sword, warning that she "has already killed one fat boy" and will happily do it again. When Hot Pie bumps into Gendry, he scares the boys off, saying "When I hit that steel, it sings. Are you gonna sing when I hit you?" Gendry further breaks up the argument by taking Arya's side. The group then begin to set out from the capital as Yoren now has to get his new recruits to the Wall, a thousand leagues away, through the war-torn Riverlands.

Weeks following his departure from King’s Landing, Gendry travels north along the Kingsroad  with Arya and Yoren. Arya herself is drawn to one of the prisoners in the wagon named Jaqen H'ghar, however, since he is a murderer from the Black Cells of the dungeons in the capital, where the worst criminals are kept, he will stay locked up in the cage until they’ve reached the Wall. Jaqen asks Arya for water, but the other two murderers, Rorge and Biter, threaten her, so she does not get it for him. She continues to form a bond with Gendry, who sees through her disguise as a boy, but doesn’t mention it up to this point. When the City Watch then arrive from King's Landing with a warrant for one of the recruits, Arya fears that they are looking for her on orders of the sadistic King Joffrey. However, it is actually Gendry who they’ve come to claim, who remains unaware of his status as a royal bastard of House Baratheon. A Gold Cloak defiantly shouts that they are looking for Gendry, who is hidden away from them, and describes the bull's head helm that he carries. He offers a reward to anyone turning Gendry over and promises that he will return later with more men. Yoren intimidates them into leaving empty-handed. Arya then confesses her identity to Gendry after he reveals that he was questioned some weeks ago by her late father Eddard before leaving the capital.

Days later, as they stop overnight somewhere in the Riverlands, Arya sits by the fire and is cleaning her sword while Gendry and the rest of the recruits sleep. Yoren enters and sits across from her as he notices her watching him, then asking what she wants. Arya enquires how Yoren is able to sleep with the terrible things that he has seen. He informs that he prevented her from seeing her father's execution, however, Arya asserts that she cannot forget seeing Cersei, Joffrey and her sister Sansa standing next to Eddard on the podium. Yoren then tells her about the murder of his brother by a boy named Willem. He says that he thought constantly about avenging his brother and eventually made it a ritual to say the killer's name before falling asleep. When Willem later returned to town, Yoren killed him with an axe and then took his horse to ride to the Wall and join the Night's Watch to avoid prosecution. Yoren then urges Arya to get some sleep, however, they are then interrupted by horns sounding outside. Yoren wakes Gendry and the recruits and warns them to stay out of sight. He then instructs them to flee north if the fight is lost. Before heading outside, Lommy Greenhands picks up Gendry's bull helm that was left behind. As the recruits rush outside, one man trips and drops his torch, setting a fire near the prisoner wagon. Yoren and the recruits are met by Ser Amory Lorch and a force of men loyal to House Lannister. Lorch points out the Gold Cloaks with him, asserting that they have come for Gendry. Lorch then orders Yoren and the recruits to drop their weapons, but Yoren remains defiant, killing several men before he is overwhelmed. Lorch himself kills Yoren by driving his sword through the back of his neck. Seeing their leader killed, Gendry and many of the other recruits join the fight. Arya is distracted by the prisoner Jaqen calling for help, as the flames envelope the cage. She hands him an axe before rushing to join the fray. As Arya runs round a corner she is knocked over by a Gold Cloak named Polliver, who takes her sword from her. Amory Lorch orders the survivors to be rounded up and taken to the castle of Harrenhal as Arya is grabbed by the shoulder and pulled to her feet. With a crossbow arrow in his leg, Lommy calls for help from the ground. Polliver then approaches, asking him if he can walk. Lommy insists that they will have to carry him, but Polliver pulls Lommy forward and slowly stabs him through the throat with Arya’s sword. As Polliver walks away from a dying Lommy, Amory Lorch uses his sword to push over Yoren's corpse. He demands that the survivors identify Gendry or else he will begin removing eyeballs. Arya sees the other recruits begin to look at a worried Gendry and she cleverly announces that they’ve already killed Gendry, pointing out the bull helm lying next to Lommy.

Some time later, Gendry, Arya and Hot Pie arrive at the ruined castle of Harrenhal with a column of other Lannister prisoners. Gendry sees the decimated towers and asks what kind of fire can melt stone. Arya informs him that it was dragonfire, as Hot Pie then asks if there are dragons around, to which Gendry asserts that dragons are extinct. Hot Pie then wonders what he can smell as Arya informs him that it is the smell of dead people. Polliver orders the trio to walk on into the midst of the ruins. Later that evening, Gendry, Arya and Hot Pie are chained in a stockade with many other prisoners and they can hear the sounds of a man being tortured nearby. When the screaming finishes an old female prisoner says that the victim is dead. She is expressionless, reporting in a monotone voice that her captors have tortured her sister to death, as well as her husband and now her son, who was the screaming man. Gendry realizes that they select a new victim each day. Arya asks if anyone survives the torture but the woman doesn’t answer. That night, while everyone is asleep, rain pours heavily into the stockade as Arya recites the names of her enemies: “Joffrey, Cersei, Ilyn Payne, the Hound.”

Gendry and the prisoners are later awoken by Ser Amory Lorch and his men as Ser Gregor Clegane approaches the stockade. Hot Pie informs that “the Mountain” is the one who chooses which of the prisoners is going to be tortured, as Arya recognizes him as Sandor Clegane’s brother whom she saw at the Hand’s Tourney shortly after her arrival in the capital. Hot Pie stares at Ser Gregor as the large knight approaches. When Arya asks Hot Pie what he is doing, he insists that another prisoner had told him that he always stares at the Mountain and is never chosen. Hot Pie and the other prisoner desperately stares at Gregor, who surveys the captives. Ser Gregor then selects the staring prisoner, proving his theory incorrect. Hot Pie wets himself in fear as the prisoner is strapped to a chair by Weasel, a servant to House Lannister who resides at Harrenhal. A soldier serving Ser Gregor called the Tickler then starts to interrogate the prisoner. He is asked about hidden valuables in his village as well as the whereabouts of the Brotherhood Without Banners, a band of outlaws in the Riverlands who work against the interests of the Lannisters. A rat is then placed in a bucket and strapped to the prisoner’s chest. Weasel heats the bucket to provoke the rat into burrowing through his chest. The Tickler asks who aided the Brotherhood, as the prisoner implicates Ganes the butcher, as well as his son. He begs them to stop and the Tickler assures him that he’s been very helpful, however, continues with the torture regardless. Gendry and the other prisoners watch, helpless to stop them. That evening, Arya repeats her list of enemies again. The female prisoner begs Polliver for food to no avail, and he hits her with his club. Arya then adds his name to her ever-growing list.

The following morning, the head of the tortured prisoner is gruesomely hammered onto a spike above the stockade. Gendry is then chosen next by Gregor and his questioning begins, despite not being from the village. Arya watches as the bucket is strapped to Gendry’s chest, but he is saved in time upon the arrival of Lord Tywin Lannister, father to Queen Regent Cersei and grandfather to King Joffrey. Tywin asks Ser Gregor what is going on and why the prisoners are not in their cells. Gregor insists that the castle’s cells are overflowing, as Polliver then interjects that the prisoners will not be there long. Tywin asserts to his men that if they are so well manned they can afford to discard able and skilled prisoners. He asks Gendry if he has a trade, as Gendry informs Tywin that he is a blacksmith. Polliver catches Arya looking at her sword in his belt and orders her to kneel, calling her “boy”. Tywin immediately realizes that she is a girl, calling Polliver an idiot, then asking Arya why she’s dressed as a boy. Arya declares that it was safer to travel that way, as Tywin informs her that this was an intelligent move. He then orders Gendry and the other prisoners to be put to work and requests Arya as his new cupbearer.

Some days later, as Arya reaches the water butt on behalf of her service to Lord Tywin, she finds a Lannister helmet left atop it. The former prisoner Jaqen H’ghar then approaches her dressed in Lannister armor, as he cautions her to keep his identity secret. He comments on her “becoming a girl,” stating that he was always aware, but that it was not his place to spoil her secret. Jaqen then informs that a man pays his debts and that he owes her three for helping him escape. Arya misunderstands him and he explains that “only death can pay for life” and as Arya saved him, Jaqen means to repay her by taking three lives on her behalf. She is intrigued at the idea of being able to choose anyone and asks Jaqen to kill the Tickler, Ser Gregor's interrogator. Later on, Arya watches Gendry tempering a newly forged blade in the smithy. He swings the blade as she criticizes his stance, telling him he should be stood side face, adding that if he is practicing for a fight he should do it properly. A woman then suddenly screams in the adjacent courtyard and the pair rush over to see what has happened. Gendry and Arya find the body of the Tickler surrounded by Lannister men-at-arms. Hot Pie is among the stunned onlookers, as Arya looks up at the ramparts and sees Jaqen H’ghar casually eating an apple. He puts a single finger to his face, indicating his first kill on her behalf. She then cracks a justified smile.

Some weeks later, and following Jaqen’s second kill of Ser Amory Lorch, Arya searches for Jaqen outside in the courtyard, to no avail, as Lord Tywin has announced his departure from Harrenhal. She then finds Gendry and Hot Pie outside and asks them if they’ve seen Jaqen anywhere. The trio then witness Tywin’s exit from the castle and Arya realizes that she’s missed her chance in giving the assassin Tywin’s name as the third kill. She later comes upon Jaqen, and after a heated conversation, he ultimately informs her to walk through the gate at midnight with her friends. Late that evening, Gendry, Arya and Hot Pie gather in the shadows opposite the courtyard gate. Gendry asks Arya what Jaqen told her to do about the guards surrounding the gate. Arya admits that he didn’t say and only instructed her to walk through the gates at midnight. Gendry is incredulous and warns against trusting the man who fled when she freed him from captivity, expecting him to fight by her side. Hot Pie fearfully admits wanting to return to the kitchens as Arya tells him to be quiet, insisting that he can stay if he wants. Arya then stands and bravely walks toward the gate. Gendry and Hot Pie hesitantly follow her and, as they approach the gate, they realize that Jaqen has killed all of the remaining guards and pinned in place so as not to raise the alarm. The trio passes through without being noticed.

Later on, as the trio continue their trek through the Riverlands, they are surprised to see Jaqen H’ghar waiting for them on a stone outcrop. As Gendry and Hot Pie hang back to let them speak, Arya asks why Jaqen is there, as he informs that he was waiting for her. Arya then asks Jaqen instead how he killed the guards and if it was difficult. Jaqen asserts that it was no harder than taking a new name if you know how. He then offers to take Arya to the city of Braavos in order to train with the Faceless Men assassins, adding that he knows the list of names that she whispers, suggesting they could all be offered to the Lord of Light. Arya declares her interest in going but informs Jaqen that she can’t, as she needs to locate her family, who are at war with the Lannisters. Jaqen then hands her an iron coin, explaining that it’s a coin of great value. He instructs that if Arya decides to follow him at any point she should give the coin to anyone from Braavos and say to them “valar morghulis.” Arya repeats the phrase as Jaqen walks away. She then pleads with him not to go but he informs her that Jaqen is dead, asking her to repeat the phrase again and complimenting her on her pronunciation. He turns away and bows his head. When Jaqen turns back to her, his face has changed entirely to another man. He bids her farewell in a new voice as Arya looks down at the coin and then back at Jaqen walking away.

As they continue their long journey through the Riverlands, Gendry, Arya and Hot Pie are heading north from Harrenhal, planning to eventually reach the Red Fork of the Trident River and then follow it west to Arya’s grandfather Hoster Tully’s castle-seat at Riverrun. Arya previously explained to the boys how Jaqen H'ghar helped them escape because he initially offered to kill any three people she named. During their trek, however, Gendry loudly criticizes Arya, in disbelief that she used up two of the names on minor Lannister guards when she could have said someone like "King Joffrey" or "Tywin Lannister" and ended the entire war, at which Arya gets quite defensive. However, as they advance in the forest, they run into a scouting party of the Brotherhood Without Banners, a group of outlaws, whose leader Thoros of Myr they hear ironically singing "The Rains of Castamere" as they approach, an infamous song dedicated to House Lannister, whom they are working against. Gendry recognizes them as the group that the Lannister torturers were asking him about at Harrenhal before Lord Tywin’s arrival. An arrow is suddenly shot straight through the hole that Arya is peaking out of, as she dodges it with rapid reflex. As Thoros enquires what is lurking behind the wall, Arya comes out of hiding with her sword drawn but Thoros calmly informs her of his knowledge of Gendry and Hot Pie, who are still in hiding. Despite a threatening introduction, Thoros seems a friendly sort, though they force the trio come with them.

The Brotherhood later give the trio food and drink at the Crossroads Inn, along the Kingsroad. Inside the inn, Arya refuses Thoros’ offer of ale and when questioned on how the untrained trio escaped Harrenhal, Arya admits that Gendry is a smith. When Thoros asks where he trained, Gendry declares that he used to work as a smith in King's Landing for Tobho Mott, whom Thoros has met before. Thoros names Tobho “a criminal” as he then informs that he himself was charged double what the other smiths were charging. Gendry defensively counters that this was due to the fact that it was double the quality. Arya insists that she knows how to use a sword despite Thoros' disbelief, but when she tries to mock-fence with him he quickly disarms her. Other members of the Brotherhood then return to the inn with a captive: the former bodyguard to King Joffrey, Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, who Arya had last seen at her father’s execution in King’s Landing. As Thoros trades insults with Sandor, Arya hides her face and tries to leave, but the Hound stops her in astonishment and asks what in seven hells they're doing with "the Stark bitch," revealing her financially valuable identity to the Brotherhood.

Some short time later, as the Brotherhood Without Banners prepare to leave the Crossroads Inn, Gendry and Arya prepare to join them through the Riverlands. Gendry has finished fixing a steel breastplate which Thoros puts on, and Arya asks why Gendry is helping them. Thoros insists that they're not prisoners and she’s lucky to have found them as the war-torn Riverlands isn’t a safe place for Eddard Stark's daughter. Arya then notices that they are loading Sandor Clegane into a prisoner cart, so she walks over and angrily asks him if he remembers the last time he was here as Joffrey’s bodyguard, but he simply says all poor inns look the same. As they get ready to leave, Hot Pie explains that he isn't going with them: he baked some bread for the innkeeper, and as he was a baker's apprentice in the capital, the innkeeper thought it was the best bread they'd ever had and offered him a job. He adds that a life of fighting and traveling isn't really for him, plus Thoros formally made a deal with the innkeeper to pay for the free meals they enjoyed with Hot Pie's services. Before they depart, Hot Pie gifts Arya with a loaf of bread shaped like a direwolf, though Arya implies the tail looks like a head. Arya is a bit brusque but wishes him well as she departs with Gendry. As they ride away, Arya starts eating the wolf-bread and turns back to shout to Hot Pie that it is very good.

Some days later, Gendry and Arya are kept hooded as the Brotherhood lead them into a cave named Hollow Hill, which serves as the outlaws’ secret hideout in the Riverlands. Sandor Clegane is brought with them in restraints, and is confronted by the leader of the Brotherhood, Ser Beric Dondarrion. Dondarrion says he's still following the mission that Eddard Stark set him on, which was to bring Ser Gregor Clegane to justice and restore King Robert's peace to the Riverlands. The Hound balks that Eddard and Robert are dead now, and he can't just be fighting for ghosts, but Dondarrion asserts that now the Brotherhood are also ghosts, attacking the Lannisters where they least expect them. The Brotherhood continues to cite various Lannister crimes but Sandor continues to point out that he wasn't present for these crimes and also insists that they can't kill him for the crimes of his brother. Arya then speaks up, and angrily accuses Sandor of killing her friend Mycah, the butcher's boy she met during her journey south to the capital. Sandor matter-of-factly admits that he killed Mycah, but informs he was in no place to question Joffrey's orders, even before he was crowned. The Brotherhood, waiting to pin Sandor to any crime at all, then charge him with Mycah’s murder. However, he’s informed that he will be given a fair trial: Dondarrion himself will face Sandor in a trial by combat.

As both men prepare, Thoros prays to the Lord of Light to judge The Hound for his crimes if he is guilty or give strength to his sword if he is innocent. Before the fight begins, Ser Beric calls upon the Red God to ignite his sword with flames. Due to the Sandor's fear of fire, Beric initially has an advantage against the Hound. Beric even manages to set Sandor's wooden shield on fire, which is strapped so tightly to Sandor's arm that he cannot remove it and is nearly burned himself. Eventually, however, Sandor's raw physical strength and anger overpowers Beric, and with a single downward swipe deep into his shoulder, kills Beric. As Dondarrion falls to the ground, Thoros quickly rushes to his side, and begins praying. Sandor falls to the ground to try extinguishing his shield. Arya then grabs a dagger and attempts to kill the Hound while he is down, but she is stopped by Gendry. As she curses him, Sandor taunts Arya over how the gods prefer him over her dead friend. However, they are both interrupted by Ser Beric, who has quickly been revived by the Lord of Light's power. Having won the trial, and proven his innocence in the eyes of god, Sandor is allowed to leave but is hooded so he won't know the way back to their hideout. Sandor is later released some distance away.

After the fight, Gendry informs Arya that he’s decided to stay and work as a smith for the Brotherhood. Arya urges that their plan was to find her brother Robb Stark but Gendry points out that although he’d be serving the Brotherhood similarly to House Stark, the outlaw group is more like a family, something he’s has never had. Arya sadly chokes out that she could be his family. In response, Gendry politely but firmly explains that the class difference between them means that if he goes back with her, they'd never be family: he's still a commoner and she'd be "milady." Afterwards at the campfire, Thoros informs that they plan to bring Arya to Riverrun to reunite her with her family, in exchange for a reward to fund their cause. Arya then asks why Ser Beric would want to let Sandor go when he nearly killed him, but Beric insists that Sandor did actually kill him. He opens his shirt to reveal several grievous scars on his torso as Thoros explains that Beric has actually died and been resurrected six times now. Arya earnestly asks Thoros if he could bring back to life a man without a head. Beric consoles Arya, stating that her father was a good man, but he wouldn't wish his resurrected life on Eddard. Beric explains that being brought back from the dead carries a heavy toll, as pieces of his memory chip away each time. Arya still insists that she‘d wish Beric's life on her father, because at least Beric is still alive.

Outside of Hollow Hill, a Brotherhood member named Anguy trains Arya with a bow. Arya spots someone behind her target, which is revealed to be a Red Priestess named Melisandre and a small group of men supporting Stannis Baratheon, Gendry’s uncle. Melisandre speaks to Thoros in High Valyrian, demanding to know what became of his mission to convert the late King Robert to the worship of the Lord of Light. He bluntly tells her he failed. After Melisandre disappears with Thoros and Ser Beric, they return a short time later to swiftly take Gendry into her custody and bring him to Stannis. Arya protests, particularly when she sees that Melisandre has given the Brotherhood two heavy sacks of gold in exchange for Gendry. She confronts the red priestess, appropriately calling her a witch. Melisandre ignores the barb, grabs Arya’s face and looks intensely into her eyes. She sees many other eyes staring into Arya’s eyes. Eyes of many other colors and eyes that Arya will shut forever. Melisandre then abruptly informs her that they will meet again before Arya sullenly watches Gendry hauled away on a wagon behind Melisandre’s soldiers. Some time later, Arya is disillusioned with the Brotherhood for selling Gendry. When Beric then decides to postpone delivering Arya to Riverrun, she angrily calls them out on their hypocrisy and runs away. However, Arya is immediately kidnapped by Sandor Clegane, who had been waiting outside for an opportunity to seize her for himself.

Some days later, while traveling from the Riverlands en route to the island of Dragonstone, a ship carrying Gendry and Melisandre pass through Blackwater Bay. Melisandre mentions the change of the landscape since the Battle of Blackwater, as they stare at the wreckage of Stannis Baratheon’s fleet that had been destroyed by wildfire several months ago. She asserts that her presence might have turned the tide of battle. The captured Gendry then mentions that all of his running and fighting has led him back to King’s Landing, even if in passing. Melisandre asks him if he misses the capital, his father’s house in particular, as he then replies with the fact that he’s never had a father. When she asks Gendry if he’s ever wondered where he got his strength and skills from, he dismisses the conversation stating that he’s a lowborn from the slums of Flea Bottom. Melisandre is surprised to learn he is unaware of his father's identity and explains to him that she and her mother both were slaves. She then encourages him in saying that his blood is noble. As they pass by the Red Keep castle, Melisandre then reveals to a shocked Gendry that he is the bastard son of the late King Robert Baratheon.

Days later, Melisandre arrives back at Dragonstone with Gendry in tow. Stannis Baratheon is less than impressed by the sight of his nephew. Stannis is bemused when Melisandre orders Gendry fed, bathed and clothed. He believes it is pointless as they intend to sacrifice him, but Melisandre reveals it is merely a sham to keep Gendry feeling secure, in much the same way as keeping a sacrificial lamb from seeing the blade of the knife. That evening, in Gendry's quarters, Melisandre offers him some wine as his hesitation leads her to drink from the goblet to assuage any fear of poisoning. As they converse about power and lineage, Melisandre starts to seduce Gendry and removes his clothing. Once she takes off her own clothing, Melisandre lays him down on the bed and straddles him seductively. The ruse carries on long enough to distract him until Melisandre then promptly ties him to the bed and to his surprise begins placing leeches all over his body to extract his royal blood. When Stannis and his advisor, Ser Davos Seaworth, then enter the room, Melisandre explains to Gendry that Davos wanted a demonstration of the power in king's blood. She then removes the leeches from Gendry’s body and lights a fire in a nearby brazier and as part of a magical ritual. Stannis throws the leeches into the flames at Melisandre's direction, and recites the names of three people he wishes dead as they burn. The usurpers and rivaling kings: Robb Stark, Balon Greyjoy and Joffrey Baratheon.

Later on, in the dungeons of Dragonstone, Ser Davos finds Gendry in his cell and attempts to comfort him by saying that it was only a little blood. Gendry scolds himself saying he should have known better as any time a highborn asks him his name it results in trouble. Davos insists that he himself is no highborn and was also born in Flea Bottom, the slums of King’s Landing, just as Gendry was. After discussing his history Davos asks Gendry why he trusted the Red Priestess, Melisandre. Gendry aptly responds with the simplified answer of the Red Priestess with big words and no clothes as an obvious temptation. Afterwards, Davos arrives in the meeting room after hearing the horns that signal Gendry’s sacrifice. Davos wastes no time in arguing with Stannis about sacrificing the boy with the Baratheon blood, but Stannis is convinced by Melisandre that using Gendry as part of her blood magic will give him the power to destroy his enemies and claim the Iron Throne. When he doesn't get through to his liege, Davos takes matters into his own hands and frees Gendry from the dungeons, then escorting him to a cove at Dragonstone. Davos gives him a rowboat and provides directions towards King's Landing. After some parting words, Davos watches Gendry row away from the castle, beginning his long voyage upon the Narrow Sea.

Some years later and long after the death of Stannis Baratheon, Gendry has acclimated back into his life as a smith in King’s Landing when he is interrupted by a surprise visit from Ser Davos Seaworth. Davos himself has arrived in the slums of Flea Bottom in order to recruit Gendry for a mission alongside the King in the North, Jon Snow, Arya’s half-brother. Joking that he thought Gendry might still be rowing after his assisted escape from Dragonstone years ago, Gendry confirms that no one has given him a second glance and realizes that Davos has come to him for something important. Having never been happy with serving the Lannisters, who tried to have the bastard killed, Gendry explains that he's been preparing for such a moment to leave the capital again and readily agrees to depart with Ser Davos. Afterwards, on the shore, Gendry and Davos prepare to leave for Dragonstone but are spotted by a pair of Gold Cloaks. Davos pretends to be a smuggler and bribes the guards with coin. They’re cover is blown, however, upon the return of the recognizable son of the late Lord Twyin, Tyrion Lannister, who now is the Hand to the dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen. Before the guards can react, Gendry swiftly kills both Gold Cloaks by smashing their skulls in with his Baratheon-styled war hammer. Ser Davos, slightly exasperated, then introduces Gendry to Tyrion, who wryly states: "he'll do".

Some time later, Ser Davos and Tyrion return to Dragonstone with Gendry in tow. At the dragonglass mines of the island, Gendry meets Jon Snow, who is supervising the diggings and excavations of the material in order to forge weapons in preparation for their fight against the White Walkers, an other-worldly threat against the Seven Kingdoms that has been looming for years. Gendry remarks that Jon is a lot shorter than he expected – and immediately blurts out his true parentage, on the assumption that Jon will value honesty and will appreciate the idea of Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark’s bastard sons joining forces. Gendry volunteers to accompany Jon and Davos on their mission beyond the Wall in order to capture a wight and convince Queen Cersei Lannister that the true war lies to the North. After Gendry lands at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, Davos volunteers to stay behind at the fortress as he regards himself as a liability, given his age and relative lack of fighting ability. They then learn that the Night's Watch has detained a handful of members of the Brotherhood Without Banners, including Ser Beric Dondarrion, Thoros of Myr and the recently-recruited Sandor Clegane. Gendry and the rest of Jon’s team meet with the prisoners in the cells beneath Eastwatch, where the entire group swiftly establish their reasons for hating each other, given past histories. They all agree, however, to set aside their differences for the mission, as they then set off beyond the Wall.

Some time later, Jon Snow and his ranging party travel through the lands beyond the Wall when Jon asks if Gendry has ever been so far north. Gendry responds by saying he has never even seen snow before. He then wonders how the wildlings even survive the cold, asking one of its leaders, Tormund Giantsbane, how he kept his balls from freezing off. Tormund jokingly states that the wildlings have three options: walking, fighting and fucking. When Jon comments on the fact that they’re are no women around, Tormund humorously notes that they have to make due with what they have, while shooting a look at an uncomfortable Gendry. Later, Thoros of Myr asks Gendry if he is still mad with the Brotherhood without Banners, for selling him to the Red Priestess instead of letting him join them. Gendry angrily responds by stating that he was sold off like slave, as Melisandre tied him to a bed, and put leeches on him. Sandor Clegane tells Gendry to stop whining, explaining that Beric Dondarrion has been resurrected six times and has never complained once. Beric himself admits that they were at war, and needed money to keep waging it. As they continue trekking deeper into the lands beyond the Wall, in the distance, Sandor then sees the mountain from a vision he had in the flames and steers the group towards that direction.

Continuing their journey beyond the Wall, while trudging through a brutal snowstorm, Gendry and Jon’s party sight a massive polar bear with blue eyes in the distance. The snow bear, that is fast approaching them, turns out to have been resurrected by a White Walker. The monstrous creature charges at the group, instantly mauling and killing three of their hunting party. Ser Beric manages to set the snow bear alight with his flaming sword but it continues to attack, forcing Thoros of Myr to get in its' way when it attacks Sandor Clegane, who is too terrified of the flames engulfing the beast even to defend himself. Thoros is unable to break free of its jaws until Ser Jorah Mormont kills it with a dragonglass dagger. Beric then cauterizes Thoros' wounds with his flaming sword.

Later, while navigating through a mountain range, they see a White Walker leading a column of wights marching through the canyon below. The ranging party plants a fire and then ambushes them when the White Walker stops to investigate. Jon manages to kill the Walker with his Valyrian steel sword, causing most of the wights associated with him to disintegrate themselves upon his death. The rest of the group manages to capture the only unaffected wight. The creature unexpectedly screeches for help, which echoes throughout the canyon. Sandor slaps his gloved hand over the wight’s mouth, but it wrenches its face away when its mouth skin tears off into the glove. As Jorah pulls out a bag from his jacket and secures it over its head, Sandor and Tormund Giantsbane bind the creature with a coil of rope. In the middle of this, they realize their captive's howls have drawn the attention of a massive host of wights now heading their way, hastening their work. As the noise of the horde approaches, Jon sends Gendry, over his protest, back to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea to bring news to Daenerys Targaryen, as he is the fastest. Before leaving, Gendry gives his war hammer to Tormund, who hands it to Sandor, who has the wight flung over his shoulder. The wights pursue the group over a lake of weak ice, as they flee toward a large stone island jutting out in the middle. One of the party trips and falls behind; a few of the horde tackles him, the combined weight breaks the ice, and they fall through. This causes a chain reaction of breaking ice all around the rock until the horde slows to a stop to avoid the water. Throughout the night, Jon and his comrades wait in the middle of the ice while encircled by the army of the undead. Meanwhile, Gendry eventually reaches Eastwatch's outer gates but collapses from exhaustion. Ser Davos and several men of the Night’s Watch attend to him as Gendry tells him to prepare a raven for Daenerys. Davos then orders to bring the maester in order to tend to Gendry.

Some hours after Gendry waits at Eastwatch, the party has safely returned to the Night’s Watch fortress, though Jon Snow himself has been abandoned during Queen Daenerys’ rescue mission when fighting off a horde of wights. Daenerys herself stands on top of the Wall watching her two dragons, Drogon and Rhaegal, circle above the Haunted Forest, who have been sent to scour the surrounding mountains for the missing Jon. Before she has given up hope over his survival, Daenerys then sees a wounded Jon approaching the Wall on horseback. After boarding him on her ship, Ser Davos and Gendry remove Jon’s garments and tend to him, as he’s suffered severe hypothermia and several minor injuries. Some days later, following the successful wight hunt and subsequent meeting with Cersei Lannister in the capital of King’s Landing, the queen on the Iron Throne has agreed to assist her enemies in the coming war against the Night King and his army of the dead. Back at Dragonstone, it is then confirmed that Daenerys’ forces will travel north towards Jon and Arya’s home of Winterfell in order to prepare for the coming war. Though Gendry is not in attendance of the meeting, he later joins the united army on horseback, riding north to defend the Seven Kingdoms.

Some weeks later, Jon and Daenerys, alongside her united forces march through the small village of Winter Town on their way to Winterfell. Arya Stark is amongst the crowd and excited to see Jon after so many years apart. Among Daenerys’ arrival party is Gendry and Sandor Clegane, both of whom Arya also hasn’t seen in several years. The townspeople provide a less-than-enthusiastic welcome, however, as many of them cast Daenerys suspicious looks over her horde of Unsullied and Dothraki soldiers. Jon reminds her that Northerners have a long-established distrust of outsiders. Immediately following this exchange, Daenery’s dragons fly overhead, startling the townspeople and causing Daenerys to smile proudly. That evening, Arya visits Winterfell's forges and comes upon Gendry, who is presenting the Hound with a custom-made axe of dragonglass, which the latter is not especially impressed with. Arya tells Sandor to stop insulting Gendry's work and the two lock eyes. Before he leaves, the Hound gives Arya a back-handed compliment; calling her a "cold little bitch,” but saying that's probably why she's still alive. In private, Gendry and Arya exchange banter, recalling their past time together as she then asks him to craft a special weapon for her. Arya shows him her Valyrian steel dagger, and he playfully replies that he always knew she was just another highborn girl. Before leaving, Arya cheekily shoots back that Gendry doesn't know any other highborn girls.

Some time later, the men at the forge are hard at work forging dragonglass weapons for the battle. As Gendry is busy working, he doesn’t see Arya arrive, who is watching with piqued interest. She enquires if he’s finished making her dragonglass weapon. Gendry remarks that he'll get around to it after he's done making a few thousand more weapons first. Arya urges that he needs to make hers first, and that it should be stronger than the weapon he's currently working on. Gendry insists to Arya that it'll be more safe for her down in the crypts, adding that he knows she wants to fight, but the wights are much different than rapers or murderers. He simply calls them “death”. Arya coyly asserts that she knows death, and lifts one of the dragonglass weapons and throws it like a dagger, hitting a door frame in the near distance. She adds that death has many faces, before throwing another and have it landing right beside the first dagger she threw. Arya adds, "I look forward to seeing this one," as she throws a third dagger, landing exactly beside the other two. Arya then walks past Gendry and asks one last time for her weapon, for which he hastily replies, "I'll get right on it."

Later that evening, Arya trains with her bow and arrow when Gendry arrives with the new weapon he forged for her. An inquistive Arya asks Gendry what the Red Priestess, Melisandre, wanted from him so many years ago when he was taken into custody. Gendry informs that she was after his royal Baratheon blood for a spell. Arya then asks a confused Gendry how many partners he has slept with in his past, as he answers “three”. Arya confidently informs Gendry that if they may die in this battle, she'd like to know what it's like before that happens. The pair then kiss and have sex with one another. Meanwhile, in the Great Hall as the wine has run dry for the night, Tyrion Lannister asks the group if anyone can sing. With no one else answering, Podrick Payne eventually begins singing softly. Elsewhere, Samwell Tarly, Gilly her son are lying in bed together in their chambers, while Arya’s older sister, Sansa Stark, is in the castle courtyard eating a bowl of soup with Theon Greyjoy. At the same time, Arya lies in bed with Gendry after sleeping together - he is fast asleep while she is staring off in deep thought, as the army of the dead are to arrive at any moment. In the courtyard, Daenerys’ advisor Missandei gives Grey Worm a farewell kiss, as he leaves with the rest of the Unsullied army out into the battlefield. A horn blast is then heard, signalling the arrival of the White Walkers. Jon and Daenerys run to the battlements and witness the undead army standing far in the distance, ready for battle.

Night has fallen and Bran Stark is wheeled to the godswood to wait as bait, while Jon and Daenerys ride their two dragons away from the castle as to not alert the enemy of their presence. Outside the gates and on the battlefield, Gendry readies himself for battle alongside Sandor, Ser Beric and the other defenders. From the blackened distance, the Red Priestess Melisandre suddenly arrives on horseback just in time to aid their army and magically lights a fire on each end of the Dothraki army’s weapons, as they then ride into battle and crash into the seething horde of  wights. The infantry around Winterfell can hear the chaos in the distance, as Dothraki war cries turn to screams of terror and the flames from their swords are quickly extinguished. The undead rush down from the north and slam into Gendry and the other defenders around Winterfell like a tidal wave. Jon and Daenerys make strafing runs on the undead army with dragonfire but more keep coming and does little to affect their outnumbered defenses, resulting in the deaths of hundreds. A full retreat into the castle is then ordered, as the Unsullied army form a rearguard to protect the withdrawal of their few remaining forces. Melisandre uses her powers again, this time to light the entire trench ringing Winterfell, as it bursts into flames. However, the Night King directs his horde of the undead into a concentrated charge across several sections of the fire: many hundreds burn, but eventually their sheer mass extinguishes the flames, breaching the outer defenses. Thousands of them start swarming around the base of Winterfell's great stone walls, then climb over each other in a mass, using their strength to grip into stone. As they continue climbing the castle walls, Gendry and the other defenders are nearly overwhelmed by scores of wights, but continue to stave off their progress when hacking through them. The siege takes a turn for the worse, however, as the Night King uses his resurrection power to raise all of the defenders who died in the battle up to this point into wights. As Gendry fights for his life in the overrun courtyard, the Night King reaches the godswood to meet Bran, as predicted, but not all goes to plan as Jon and Daenerys have lost the use of their dragons and cannot protect Bran. As the Night King draws the sword sheathed on his back for the killing blow, Arya stealthily leaps at him from behind with her Valyrian steel dagger. The Night King instantly reacts, spinning around to catch her by the throat, but with her free hand she drives the blade into the center of his chest, shattering him into ice. With the Night King killed, the few surviving defenders witness the undead suddenly drop and fall apart, as the magic animating their dead flesh has been broken. As the Great War comes to a victorious end, dawn breaks over Winterfell.

Following the victorious battle against the White Walkers, Winterfell has been cleared of the thousands of corpses in and around it, as the war resulted in a heavy number of casualties. Gendry is in attendance when scores of the fallen soldiers are gathered into funeral pyres. Jon then gives a eulogy that it is the duty of those who survived to keep them all alive in memory for generations to come. He notes to the survivors in his eulogy: “Our fellow men and women, who set aside their differences to fight together, and die together, so that others might live. Everyone in this world owes them a debt that can never be repaid.” He also quotes the funeral speech used for members of the Night's Watch and announces that they were the shields that guarded the realms of men, and they will never see their like again: “now their watch is ended.” The assembled leaders go forward with torches to light the pyres: Sansa Stark weeps over Theon Greyjoy's body, taking a pin with the Stark direwolf sigil off of her own gown and adding it to his chest, to show that he was a Greyjoy and had redeemed himself as a Stark. Meanwhile, Arya lights the pyre for Ser Beric Dondarrion, who fought alongside her until his final death. The survivors also bid farewell to Ser Jorah Mormont, who fought with Gendry during the wight hunt beyond the Wall, as well as Eddison Tollett and the young Lyanna Mormont.

Later that evening, in the subsequent celebrations, Gendry is present but wonders where Arya is and sets out to leave. However, he is stopped by Queen Daenerys, who then announces to the room that she has decided to legitimize Gendry, becoming the new Lord of Storm's End and head of House Baratheon. Afterwards, an elated Gendry eventually finds Arya practicing her archery, nearly getting hit by an arrow when doing so. Gendry asks why Arya isn't celebrating with the others, and she replies that she is celebrating. Gendry then excitedly kisses Arya and reports to her his new lordship and legitimization. The news surprises Arya, as Gendry then proceeds to kneel in front of her, confessing that he loves her and wants to marry her. Arya is deeply moved by this, but is at a loss for words. She pulls him in for a kiss. Despite this, however, Arya then declines the proposal. She asserts that while he deserves a wonderful wife, she doesn't think she'll ever be a proper "Lady" or ever get married. Arya insists that any woman would be lucky to marry Gendry, but alas states: "that's not me.” Arya continues to practice her archery as Gendry is left heartbroken.

Some days later, after Lord Gendry has departed south towards Storm’s End, a messenger-raven informs Winterfell that Cersei Lannister’s ally, Euron Greyjoy, has ambushed Daenerys’ fleet outside of her home of Dragonstone, ultimately resulting in the death of one of her dragons, as well as her advisor Missandei. An all-out-war then commences in King’s Landing, as an enraged Daenerys and her last dragon scorch the entire city, along with the innocent civilians Cersei was using to block her castle from attack. The war eventually results in the death of Cersei, as well as Daenerys herself. Following the sack of the city, Jon Snow assassinated Daenerys himself, having witnessed her brutal downward-spiral into tyranny. Jon realized that after he informed Daenerys of his true parentage as a Targaryen, and claim to the throne, he and his family would forever be in danger of her. Weeks following the assassination, Lord Gendry and the other Great House leaders meet in King’s Landing to discuss Jon and Tyrion’s punishment for their joint treason against Daenerys. The imprisoned Jon is not in attendance, though Tyrion has been escorted to the trial in chains. When Sansa Stark asks where Jon is, Daenerys’ Master of War, Grey Worm, replies that he decides what to do with their prisoners, as King’s Landing now belongs to the Targaryen forces. Grey Worm insists his army needs justice for her assassination and insists Jon cannot go free. Tyrion reminds him that he does not get to decide that, the power rests with their new king or queen. When it's pointed out there currently isn't one, Tyrion insists that as the most powerful lords and ladies gathered, they can elect one of themselves. Samwell Tarly then suggests that everyone in the Seven Kingdoms be allowed to choose a new king under a democracy, but he is immediately mocked and met with laughter for this idea by all the lords and ladies. After some discussion, Tyrion is told that perhaps he is the one who wants the crown, however, Tyrion disagrees, as he is hated by half the people for serving Daenerys and the other half for betraying her. When asked his opinion, Tyrion declares that stories unite people. Proposing an elective monarchy, he concludes, "And who has a better story than Bran the Broken? A crippled boy who crossed the Wall and became the Three-Eyed Raven. He's all our memory. Who better to lead us to the future?" Bran’s eldest sister Sansa objects by mentioning that Bran can’t father any children. Tyrion asserts that this is a good thing, since sons of kings are often cruel, as history has shown. Tyrion then asks Bran if he will accept the crown, as Bran replies, "Why do you think I came all this way?" Gendry and the rest then start saying "aye" one by one. Sansa is hesitant, stating that while she believes in Bran as a king, the North will once again claim themselves as an independent kingdom. Bran gives his assent to his sister’s demand and commands Tyrion to be his Hand as atonement for his wrong-doings. With Gendry and the other lords’ assent, King Bran is elected as the new ruler of the Six Kingdoms, marking the dawn of a new era.