#i saw a comment on /r/asoiaf recently about that theory

[gendrie]

I just finished asoiaf for the first time and loved arya and gendrys relationship but i am curious abt how Gendrys parentage might be revealed. Obviously he is a minor character but he pops up in briennes chapter and she makes a big deal about his father and she almost gets to tell and even in her next chapter she tries to tell him but he went back to the inn. Im just so interested in like what plot relevance that might have and if that connects to arya at all.

theres a lot of upcoming parentage drama (r+l=j and f!aegon) so relatively speaking i don’t expect gendry’s to have major consequences, but he’s gotta be informed. i doubt brienne is the only one who knows or can easily figure it out. it’s safe to assume thoros is also aware of gendry’s paternity since him and bobby b were so tight. arya will probably be capable of putting this one together on her own by the time she returns too. she didn’t spend 2.5 books in spy school for nothing. generally, i think she will be seeing gendry in a different light (oh no he’s hot) when they’re reunited which could trigger this revelation.

arya suspected something from the very beginning when the gold cloaks tried to take him. gendry’s “secret” is actually the foundation their relationship is built upon. arya saw it as a connection between them. its the reason he is the one and only person arya trusts with her identity. she tries to use it to motivate gendry to help her too ("you're somebody!") i could see her doing that again tbh. arya telling him is my favorite way for him to find out and i don’t think its at all unlikely either. once his secret bound arya and gendry together on the road north. it might be that the two of them learning the truth does the same thing when they’re reunited.

lord of storm’s end is (almost) definitely edric’s destiny. so, i do think if gendry’s paternity does end up being relevant than it’s, mostly, in connection to arya. it’ll draw them closer together. some would argue otherwise, but bastard or not being the king’s son gives him a status boost. house baratheon was founded by a bastard who took his wife’s sigil and words. honestly? i love the idea of gendry taking arya’s name - becoming a stark thru marriage to her. idc if its corny i really don’t lol. it’s a less traditional approach that would fit them. theres no shortage of setup for it. arya has the hands of a blacksmith, "you could stay", join our houses, ect!! i think ending the series with an unconventional stark/"baratheon" union makes perfect sense considering how it all started.