Daenerys escorted Arya to the chamber that had been set aside for her after it became obvious that Sansa was tiring again and needed rest. Along the way, Daenerys told her of the members of the small council who would be present when the council was called.
"Lord Baelish has been reinstated as Master of Coin as he was under Robert. Even I can't deny that he had a knack for it. My Unsullied captain, Grey Worm, is Captain of the Gold Cloaks. All of the Gold Cloaks are now Unsullied to ensure their loyalty, but the city guard is still much as it was. Brynden Tully is my Master of Ships; Wyman Manderly's son, Ser Wylis, is my Master of Laws; Varys and Nymeria Sand are my Master of Whispers; and Ser Barristan Selmy is my Lord Commander. I hope you will be able to meet with them as soon as you are rested from your travels."
"Your Grace, if I may ask, is it true that Tyrion Lannister is your Hand?"
Daenerys laughed softly and nodded her head.
"Yes, my lady, he is. As strange as it may seem, he's been a great gift to me, even though I did not trust him the first time we met. He is a Lannister after all. But he advised me to fly west and retake the Iron Throne and has never given me false council since we met."
Arya nodded and before she had a chance to say anything else, they had arrived at her chamber. She opened the doors and found the apartments within spacious and richly furnished. A huge copper tub had been placed in the center of the room.
"A hot bath has been drawn for you and your things have been brought up from the ship. There's bread, cheese, cold chicken, and wine for you if you're hungry. I'll leave you to get refreshed. Send for me when you're ready, we have much to discuss."
Daenerys turned to leave, but something stopped her at the threshold and she turned halfway back to face Arya. Her eyes were suddenly sad and full of a grief that someone her age should not know.
"I know what it's like to only have one person of your family left to you. I hope you find more joy in your sister than I did in my brother."
She said no more as she exited the chamber. The door closed slowly behind her.
What did she mean, Arya wondered, as she helped herself to food and wine. She didn't know much about the last Targaryens, just that Daenerys and her brother had escaped to the free cities when Daenerys was just a baby. What had become of her brother was a mystery to Arya and she didn't want to ask in case it brought the kind queen any pain.
Once she had eaten her fill, Arya stripped off her travel soiled clothes and sank into the copper tub. She leaned back and rested her head against the edge of the tub, closing her eyes as she did so. It was not until she did this that she fully understood everything that had happened to her that day. I can't believe I'm in King's Landing again, Arya thought, not to mention in the Red Keep. What was it Daenerys wanted of her? Arya had been too preoccupied with seeing Sansa again to even ask what the Queen and the small council wanted to discuss with her.
The bath water soon grew cool and Arya climbed out and went in search of her clothes. She found them in a large chest at the foot of the bed and pulled out her most courtly attire. A knee-length tunic dyed deep purple and matching shin-length leggings, brown leather sandals that laced up to the bottom of her tunic, and a simple silver bracelet. On top of it all, she pulled on the painted leather vest that laced up the front. She tied her hair in a loose braid that trailed down her back and inspected herself in the tall mirror that had been provided for her.
She had filled out in the years she had spent in Braavos. Her hips were wider, legs longer, arms more muscular. Her chest was more definitive and her face would never again pass for a boy's, as it had when she was a child. There was no mistaking her for anything other than a woman, now. But despite all the growing her had done, she still looked like a commoner. She frowned at her reflection and thought how little she looked like someone who belonged at court.
"Stupid," She spat. "They call me 'my lady', but that can't be what they see. I'm not a lady, I'm No One. Just a plain face in a crowd."
She didn't understand why it bothered her now when it never had before. Perhaps it had been seeing Sansa again that had reminded her that she had none of her sister's beauty. She shook her head and belted her sword belt around her waist before poking her head out the door to tell the guard outside to inform the Queen that she was ready to hold council.