What Did Melisandre Do to Gendry on Game of Thrones?
We'd Rather Not Talk About Gendry's Past With Melisandre on Game of Thrones, but We Should Anyway
Warning: Spoilers for Game of Thrones ahead!
In the midst of all the lurking danger and upcoming tragedy on Game of Thrones, not everything is terrible for everyone. During Sunday night's episode, a fan-favourite duo finally took the next step in their relationship. After years of separation, followed by this season's reunion, longtime crushes Arya and Gendry finally hooked up! Before they took that big step, they talked about their romantic and sexual histories — and Gendry's got at least one deeply horrifying story in his past.
To recap: Gendry and Arya are separated in season three, when Gendry is sold over to Melisandre, the Red Priestess working with Stannis Baratheon at the time. Melisandre has taken an interest in him because of his Baratheon heritage as the last surviving son of the late king Robert Baratheon, which she reveals to him for the first time. At first, she wants to kill him as a magical sacrifice, but Stannis balks at the idea of killing another of his kinsmen, having recently ordered the murder of his younger brother and rival Renly; he's not even sure if the magic will work. Instead, Melisandre offers to do a test first that won't kill Gendry but will confirm the power of "king's blood."
That's where things get really creepy. Melisandre starts to seduce Gendry, who has never been around a naked woman before and is easily overwhelmed, but she's actually just trying to get his blood moving. As soon as she does, she ties him up and puts leeches on him to collect his blood for a dark ritual. Gendry is kept captive in the meantime, and eventually, Stannis begins to believe that killing his nephew would be beneficial after all. Luckily, Davos is there and secretly sets Gendry free, where he hops into a rowboat and disappears for a few seasons. Although his first sexual experience of any kind was something deeply creepy and violating, at least Gendry has finally been able to make things work (for however short or long a time) with someone who genuinely cares about him.
