The night was bright and peaceful. The water was calm, not a breeze in the air. The lush green branches of the cypress trees created an alcove around Gendry as he sat on the dock outside Grey Water Watch. It felt safe here, like he was home. But it wasn't his home. It wasn't where he was from. It wasn't where he grew up. He knew Meera tried to make him feel like it was his home as well as hers but it never truly could be.

Cobblestones, brick walls, and dirty streets were where he came from. Nothing could ever change that.

As Gendry sat there he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw his father-in-law. A friendly but mischievous smile and a calm demeanor.

"Can I sit down, son?" Howland asked.

Gendry nodded and moved to the side a bit.

"She might not be coming back tonight," Howland said as he sat down.

Meera had gone on a scouting mission to the King's Road. Rumors were that hordes of refugees were arriving from the North to escape starvation. Since the war against the dead and the cold winter, there was scarcely anything to eat up there. The food situation wasn't great in the south either though so having additional hungry people arriving would cause problems. And Gendry suspected the king would do nothing about it, despite his sister being the Queen in the North.

It never ceased to amaze him that issues like feeding the whole kingdom were on his mind these days. He had certainly never thought about that as a blacksmith. Back then he had only tried to feed himself for the day. Which probably was exactly what all the people arriving from the North were trying to do too.

"I know," he said. "But I'll still wait for her."

"Are you planning on sitting here all night then?" Howland asked.

"Probably... the bed is too empty without her anyway."

"You need to get some sleep, son. Surely you were able to sleep before you married."

"I didn't know what it was like to have her next to me then."

"Well, now the whole swamp knows what it's like..." Howland said with a chuckle before he restrained himself. "Sorry, I know you don't like it when I comment on your bedroom habits."

"It's not really what you want your father-in-law to talk about... " Gendry replied, looking down at the black water.

"You know I'm just teasing you, son," Howland said and put his hand on Gendry's shoulder.

"I guess I'm not used to teasing from parents."

"If Robert would have known you I'm sure he would have teased you too. That man could never shut up about anything. Many were the stories I heard of his escapades in taverns and brothels."

A thought rose in Gendry's mind. Maybe Howland could give him the answer to a question he thought never would be answered.

"Did he ever... tell you about a blonde girl he bedded who worked at the Dragon Tail's tavern? It must have been soon after he became king. You were there in the capital with him then, weren't you? "

Howland gave him a curious look like he was trying to discern why Gendry was asking.

"I was... I stayed there with him for close to a year. Trying to help him get over Lyanna and at the same time learning to rule. It was a lot for him."

"That's when... he sired me I guess. You must have been with him when he did."

"Was she your mother? The girl at the Dragon's Tail?"

"She was. But I don't know anything more about her. Not even her name. She died when I was still a toddler. I only remember seeing her once."

Howland looked into the distance, suddenly deeply entrenched in memories of a time lost. Memories he hadn't visited for a long time. Walking through them trying to find the answer Gendry was looking for.

"Annara..." he said suddenly. "That was her name. I was with him at the tavern the night he met her. Blonde, sweet, and young. The opposite of Lyanna. I know he went there often after that. Until she got pregnant I guess..."

Suddenly, just like that. A name. A life. A woman. Brought back to life. His mother. She had existed. She had been real.

And her name had been Annara.

Words escaped him. To have the name just revealed to him like that after all these years was overwhelming.

Howland seemed to sense this and kept talking.

"I tried to... keep him from her that first night. She looked too young. Almost still a child. I brought her to my table and talked to her. I was already married to Jyana so I had no interest in other women, or men for that matter, at the time. She told me about her home, in the Riverlands. Where the green river forks and the water falls. That's what she said. Then he took her, she smiled at him and he led her into the backroom."

"I guess I should be grateful you didn't manage to keep him from her. But it's hard to be."

"That's life I guess. One person falls so another can rise. Somehow there's balance in the end."

"I think she named me after someone... someone back where she was from. Gendry is a Riverlands name. Gendry Rivers is what she called me at the orphanage. It should have been Waters I guess since I'm born in the capital."

"But she wanted you to know where she was from."

"I think so. Maybe she wanted me to be able to find my way back there. To where she was from. To who I was named for."

"It's not far from here you know. The Green Fork River. You can get there in a day or two."

"I might not find anything."

"You might not. But at least you've seen it."

"I would like to see it. I know where my father grew up now: I would want to know where my mother spent her first years as well."

"Then go there. Ask if anyone remembers Annara."

"You need me here, to reinforce your defenses."

"I think I'll be fine without you and Meera for a few days. Ser Swann can oversee your men in the meantime."

Gendry nodded. Still, a bit overwhelmed about the possibility of actually having a family.

"I've never had a family," he said. "But what if I don't find them? Or they want nothing to do with me?"

"Then at least you tried. Then you can move on."

Howland got up from the dock, brushing off his pants slightly. As he turned around he gave Gendry a light pat on the back.

"Come on, son," he said. "You can't wait here all night, she'll find you if she comes. Let's go inside and have some ale together. Then we'll see if I can rattle up some more memories of my time in the capital with Robert."

Gendry thought about it for a moment and then decided to join Howland. He could just as well do something instead of waiting for his wife all night.

***

A few days later Gendry and Meera stood by a green river. Algae on the bottom gave the river its name and it sparkled in shades of turquoise and teal. They were dressed in the clothes of the common people. Here in the countryside people were wary of nobility and would perhaps not answer their questions truthfully if they looked like nobility.

On their way there they had encountered many of the refugees fleeing the starvation in the North. But the situation in the Riverlands was hardly better. Ravaged by wars and uproar many of the cottages they passed by appeared to be empty. Some were burned and others had just collapsed. The people they met appeared dirty and starving.

When talking to people many seemed to not even know who ruled the region. Edmure Tully hadn't made his mark. Instead, he hid in his castle, afraid his people would rise against him if he dared to venture outside.

Still, the river was beautiful. Flowing slowly through the lush landscape. Vast sandy river banks allowing travelers and locals to venture into it. Green water so clear that pale stones on the bottom could be seen.

They had asked people on their way if anyone knew about a woman named Annara. Or perhaps a man named Gendry. And they had been pointed towards this spot. Where the river forked and the river fell. Just like Gendry's mother had told Howland all those years ago.

In front of them was a waterfall and after that, the river split into two. In the middle, between the two forks, laid a cottage.

The cottage was small but well kept. Not like the dilapidated houses they had seen on the way there. Ivy climbing its walls and flowers growing neatly around it.

No one appeared to be around.

But a sound was heard. Loud banging. Metal against metal. Gendry knew that sound. The sound of forging weapons.

On the other side of the cottage, there was a workshop. An old man stood among the burning ovens and workbenches.

The man turned around as they walked up. Short, stocky, with grey hair standing in all directions.

"Are you Gendry?" Gendry asked the man.

The man nodded but looked hesitant and suspicious of them.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm... looking for someone who knew a woman named Annara," Gendry said.

"Annara was my daughter," the man said. "She left many years ago, I heard she died in the capital."

So that was it. The moment seemed smaller than he had imagined. No sudden emotional connection. No outbursts of joy. Just an old man standing in front of him. His grandfather.

"She was my mother," Gendry replied.

The man just nodded. Looking down at his hand that was still holding the hammer he used in the workshop.

"The bastard boy," the man said. "The boy who brought shame to our family. What do you want? I don't have money or anything else to give you."

"I wanted to know where I'm from, that's all," Gendry replied.

"Well, here it is. It's not much. No fancy castles or riches."

"I don't want anything from you."

"You can't fool me, boy. Of course, you want something. I've heard what it's like in the capital. How people starve. So you came here hoping for me to feed you. You and your girl over there, she's probably expecting your bastard child already."

The man pointed over at Meera who stood behind Gendry.

"I've told you I don't want anything," Gendry said in a determined voice. "And Meera is my wife. I might be a bastard but I'm an honorable man. I came here to see where my mother came from and to meet my family. But I realize now there's nothing here for me. Because you are not my family. You didn't care about her and you don't care about me."

"Why would I care about you? You are just a bastard boy."

Gendry took a few steps backward, taking Meera's hand. Getting ready to leave.

"I am a bastard boy," he said. "And I'm not ashamed of that. I'm Annara's son. I'm a simple blacksmith from the capital. But I'm also the son of Robert Baratheon. Legitimized by the dragon queen as his heir. I'm the holder of Storm's End and Lord Paramount of the Stormlands. I'm the husband of Lady Meera Reed. I'm Gendry Baratheon and I'm your grandson."

"Annara named you after me..." the man said. At last, there was an emotion in his eyes, a recognition of something he had lost.

"She did, despite what you did to her. But you will never get to know me. And I hope you regret that one day."

Then he turned around and left, leaving his only living blood relative behind. Standing where the green river forked and the water fell. There was nothing for him here. No family. No bond. No connection.

But it didn't matter. Because Gendry Baratheon already had a family.

He had an incredible wife in Meera. He had an understanding father in Howland. He had an annoying little brother in Devan. He had a stern mother in Marya.

And soon he would have his own children.

Four children he would have. Two girls and two boys.