The Girl of Many Faces
Chapter Zero- Going in for the Kill
Warning this contains language, blood, gore and in later chapters incest. Another story where the first chapter is a chapter deeper in the story.
Jon's age- Nineteen
Arya's Age- Older Arya sixteen
Jon traveled deep down many dark and drab alleyways of Braavos. Wearing all black him and his men stuck out anywhere out in the streets in Braavos. As they passed, numerous people watched as the many brothers with dirks at their belt went pass, the people of Braavos had heard stories of the crows whom stood on the wall never taking a woman for their own, never fathering children. Many laughed at the stupid men of the watch, some would yell obscenities at them but most paid them little attention. Unknown to the many brothers a small hooded figure was tailing them from a far. They stood out of sight not one of the many brothers noticed them.
After some time Jon and his men came to a halt before a tavern with wooden doors before them and the sounds of laughter coming from inside. Dolorous Edd smiled as he looked at the sign.
"This is it. The smelly old rotten fucking place." Edd said with a cheeky smile. Jon nodded as pushed the door and went into the tavern his men following close suit. Once in the tavern the smell was the first to hit him, it was intoxicating, disgusting, causing him to cough. The bar was filled with laughter but all ceased all heads turned seeing many men in black standing at the entrance. Jon gazed the room seeing old men with rotten teeth, poor with dirt clothes and sick, he knew with sorrow none would be decent with weapons most never holding steel, but still he went. Jon had left taking many volunteers from castle black to find men to join the watch in the many free cities. With only a hundred men at castle black he needed more if they were to be any defense for what he knew was heading for them. Jon gazed the room, all of them held a cup of ale in hand as they hunched over their tables looking at the strange men in black.
"You goanna order something or stand there with a stick up your arse." The bartender said, a large man with auburn hair and beard to the left of Jon where mnany men sat hunched over.
"Yes. An ale for each of my men." Jon said as he went to the table standing at the table the bartender nodded.
"You have sliver?" The bar keep asked in his ruff voice. Jon reached for his pocket pulling a pouch filled with sliver coin the sound of sliver hitting each other, as he pulled laying it down on the table, the bartender turned without question to get the ale.
On the far end of the table a short bald man with no teeth and dirt on his face looked down seeing the sliver in the crow's hand.
After a moment the bartender came back with the several cups filled to the brim with cheap ale. All of the brothers came closer to the table each grabbing a cup of ale and shoving it down their gullet.
All of them had forgotten the taste of warm alcohol including Jon. As they all drank, letting it spill into their big bushy beards Jon he drank the rest of his ale and with it down in his stomach he slammed his empty cup down on the table. The alcohol never suited him as it did so many of his men, but after today he needed a drink. He turned around walking in the center of the room, with a suck of the air.
"May I have your ears." His voice boomed through out the room. Some of the men stopped their discussion but most stayed in their conversation.
"Excuse me." Jon repeated but still they did not listen. His brothers saw no one listening and slammed their cups down on the bar together, banging so loudly that everyone came to a halt. This got everyone's attention as they stopped looking at Jon, silence filled the room.
"I come far from Westeros from the wall. I'm looking for any men to join the nights watch, you will be feed three times a day and have a bed and a few other perks. I will not lie, It is hard work and you will never to take a woman to bed, but you don't have to pay sliver to enjoy a warm bed and be fed three times a day. Any man wish to join." The room was silent as was every other tavern he had visited. As he stood one of the men from the bar stood up looking side to side, he moved closer to Jon, standing before him, dirt covered him from head to toe with only one eye. Jon smiled any man was a welcome sight to him.
"Good man." He stated.
The one eyed man grinned his lips curved, leaning forward he spat at Jon's foot and grinned, the spit covering his boot. "I would live a coinless life then live in a frozen hell, nothing to keep my bed warm." Many of the men laughed together, filling the tavern. Jon scoffed as the men turned back to their conversations, paying no mind to him. Edd stood and went up to Jon.
"Come on nothing but bloody low life's in here anyways." He and his men stood outside of the tavern, the smell of the alley filling the air. "What do we have next?" Jon asked dryly not being deterred.
"This is it, we've searched every tavern in Braavos." Edd stated.
"This is it?" He asked astonished hoping more than this.
"The worst is behind us. Will find more men on the morrow." Edd stated hopeful.
"More men sent for the gallows and for the sword… You go on ahead, back to the hotel." Jon commanded.
"Lord commander, there's nothing in the slums." Edd argued.
"Head back to the hotel. Get some rest and food." Jon ordered.
"Whatever you command… come on boys." Edd told. They left Jon leaving him to his thoughts by his lonesome as he punched the wall before him. Jon stood with a huff he had hoped to find some men to take the black in Braavos. But all he had gotten was men from cells sentenced to death. He could see Ser Allister laughing at him, and his words still in his mind. This is fruitless lord snow. No one will join you. Having a hundred men on the wall was nothing for what he knew was to come descending on all the world, he needed more to join the watch.
He looked out to see the sun setting, why is it so hot. With determination he went on into the slums, he planned to find someone good with a weapon to take the black, no matter who. As he went down the alley two men pushed the wooden doors out of the tavern both looked at each other both wearing smiles as they followed Jon.
Jon went down alleyways by himself as the sun began to sink below the horizon Braavos entering darkness. The alleys were small and zig and zaged in weird ways. Unknown to him a small hooded figure stood not yards away out of sight around the corner. They had observed him ever since he landed on the harbor so many days ago, their eyes followed him many days since he arrived but they stayed silent their presence unknown to him.
Their hood shadowed their face, as they kept to the shadows. As Jon traveled deeper down several more alleyways he heard someone sniggering behind him. Turing around he found the two men from the tavern the one eyed man and the short bald man. They tailed him into a dark alley. Two men stood before him a yard from him. The two from the tavern a large toothless man wearing nothing but tatters and a skinny one eye man. They each held a sharpened knife in their hand pointed closer to Jon.
"You're in the wrong place, crow." The one eyed man said. "We want the coin purse in your pocket."
"There's no need for this." Jon stated ready for their movement.
"Forget the coin. Let's gut em. Let's gut em." The toothless man repeated his entire body shaking with anticipation having not killed someone in to long, missing the sensation. Jon stood ready his hand near the hilt of his knife. The skinny man nodded as they both began to slip closer as Jon took a step back. The toothless man raised his knife ready with the biggest grin he had seen. But before either could attack, before either could take another step, a blade came punching through the short toothless man's stomach it went from his back though his stomach poking from his large stomach to the sound of a scream.
The sound of his guts spilling filled the air and filled the alley way. He wasn't wearing any mail the blade easily finding flesh. Neither knew what happened as the toothless man dropped his knife looking down at the blade in his bowels, the thin blade poking out, the warm blood running down his gut.
The realization hit him as the blood poured from his stomach creating a pool on the stone floor. He screamed in agony as the blade was turned then pulled slowly from his stomach, the sound of a knife cutting flesh filled the alleyway, creating a bigger gash, copious amounts of blood spilled from his body as the blood scratching screams filled the alley. Jon couldn't move watching the sight.
Once the weapon was removed his body dropped to his knees as his hands clamped to his stomach trying to put pressure on the gash, the warm sticky red covered his hands, but it was useless he was to be wasting away in his own blood. As this happened the one eye man stood unable to move in fear, every muscle in his body became still. The toothless man on his knees still screaming and the one eyed man shook the fear from his mind and spun around finding a small hooded figure. They wore a brown cloak covering their face and their body, standing alone holding a bloody blade in their right hand.
"You little, fucker" He screamed out with a new found rage, his blade raised high in the air as he brought it forward stabbing at the figure, all it found was air. The figure had spun around dancing swiftly by the one eye man unlike anything Jon had seen. The figure was already behind him as their weapon was brought to his back, slicing at him from one side to the other. Like the toothless man he wore no leather the blade easily finding its target. The one eyed man yelled falling the blade slicing his flesh open to the world, as his back was cut with an open wound, blood escaped spraying the figure's cloak.
Unable to keep himself up he dropped to the ground, his face landed against the stone with a thud, blood spat from his mouth as he dropped his weapon. On the stone he yelled and bawled in the most excruciating pain and agony. Warm blood poured from his wound, with all the strength he had left he turned over with the aching pain facing the hooded figure. Trying desperately his hands skidded the ground backing away, the blood creating a trail. He never saw death so close and wanted to run, he wanted to yell for someone.
"Fuck it hurts! You little, fucker!" He yelled desperately at the hooded figure wanting to live. But the hooded figure drew near, their dark hood the last thing his eye would see on this earth.
"You tried to kill him." They stated, calm as if this was a normal day, killing was just another part of their routine. As they held the weapon tighter in their hand placing the point to his throat. The cold steel was unwelcome to his skin and he raised his hands above his head as his eye grew wide, piss ran down his legs. They kept it to his throat then let it sink through the thin flesh easily letting the blood spill out onto his neck filling the air. He spat and coughed the blood spurting from his mouth as his eye looked at death itself. In the alley he tried to breath but every time he did, more blood poured from his now overflowing mouth. In time he died as well in his own blood spilling from him as the hooded figure stood over him, watching.
Jon still stood the entire time frozen watching and not believing. He had watched the small hooded figure kill both the men in no time. It was a sight he had never seen and would remember for days to come. He shook his rattled brain and came to senses, finding his savior looking at him.
"You saved my life. I owe you a debt." Jon declared. A moment passed and the hooded figure did not answer, standing still in silence, the only sound of the wind.
"You saved me…" still no response causing Jon to become frustrated. "Do you speak common tongue?" Jon asked not sure what to say as the hooded figure stood stagnate. After a moment passed in a flash the hooded figure dropped their weapon, it rattled hitting the floor as they charged him. Jon reached for the hilt of his sword. The hooded figure was too quick already at him before he knew it.
But once they reached him it wasn't anger he found, they didn't stab him, or laid a hand on him. The hooded figure slipped their arms around his back, pressing their body to his as they embraced him unlike Jon had felt before.
Jon stood dumbfounded, his arms at his sides as the hooded figure pressed their head to his chest as their arms held him desperately. He felt their heart racing in their chest as their body shook. They embraced him for an entire minute they stayed like this Jon standing still gazing down at the figure. Moments passed as the hooded figure did not move, all they did was held him desperately their hands gripping his body not wanting to let go.
"Um, are you alright." Jon asked. Hearing this the hooded figure let go as they nodded, their arms slipping back to their sides.
"I am." The stranger finally said. "Because I knew new one day I would find you." Before he could ask, Arya grabbed her cloak with her hand and ripped it from her body. The cloak flew from her body, flowing in the wind several yards away. With the cloak on the ground she stood before him, a smile on her face. His mind couldn't comprehend what he saw before him, Jon stood, his eyes grew wide as he blinked several times. The girl before him had short lank hair, dirt on her cheeks, wearing a blue tunic over her body but he knew her, he knew her. It wasn't some stranger or a knight or whatever, but how could he forget.
It was Arya Stark, he didn't hesitate, his body moved on impulse as his feet pressed against the stone. He reached her, lifting her up into his embrace as he listened to her laugh. Her laughs were music to his ears, he missed them, he missed her more than anything. Jon held her like if he didn't she wouldn't be real. Jon didn't say anything, if this wasn't real he didn't care. He felt joy course through him unlike he had felt in such a long time. If this was a dream, he wanted to stay deep in slumber never being awoken, as he held his little sister tight. He could feel her respond as she tightened her grip as well.