As Arya slinked through the dark landscape, she thought about what she was leaving behind. A chance to charge with Daenerys's army, a chance to fight her way through the city, and a chance to ride on a dragon.
She was choosing revenge. A feeling that had been driving her since she was a young girl first on her way to King's Landing. The one thing that let her continue down this path was that Daenerys was supporting her choice. She knew how important it was to defeat one's enemies. Joffrey may have been her enemy, but he never personally attacked her or her loved ones. That was Robert Baratheon who killed Daenerys's family and took the Iron Throne for himself.
She pushed all thought of Gendry out of her mind. She couldn't think about the implications of her actions just yet. The importance of what she was doing allowed her to keep it from her mind.
Her plan was to travel as far as possible during the cover of night. She would stay out of sight during the day and reach King's Landing the next night. She would use the canal built into the city walls to sneak her way in. It was a hidden location and it was a little difficult to reach, so she knew there would still be no one guarding that spot. If there were, she would take care of it then.
She covered a great distance on her own, thanks to her lack of army, so she could wait until full dark the following night to make her way into the city. She enjoyed the challenge of being sneaky. It made her feel more powerful and in control.
As the sky started to turn slightly pink, Arya found a large barn outside the city to rest in for the day. As she settled into a small corner in the hay, she opened her bag and pulled out an apple. Winter hadn't fully reached the south yet, so the army was still able to enjoy fruits of the land.
She bit into the apple and her thoughts turned to Joffrey. She imagined what his face would look like when she cornered him. The surprise, the fear; no more cocky demeanor. She smiled at this thought. She smiled at how much she was going to enjoy killing him.
Daenerys received the raven she had been waiting for early that morning. The Iron Islands had pledged to join her (in return for independence) and were planning to assault King's Landing from Blackwater Bay with the rest of her Unsullied who remained with her ships while she and the bulk of her army were going to attack from the land.
She also received a note from the commander of the Kingsguard, kindly requesting Daenerys to desist in her assault and return to where she came from and she would not be hanged as a traitor. She and her council enjoyed the arrogance behind the note. They were underestimating her, which would prove very devastating to them.
She composed a letter addressed directly to the king:
Dear Usurper,
We have received your last correspondence with great concern and have felt it necessary to respond directly to you. You are in a very dangerous position. We will gladly let you live if you relinquish the throne you have stolen from the other thief. You do not carry Baratheon blood in your veins, so your reign is an affront to the Seven Kingdoms. I have come to correct this error.
Please open your gates when we arrive so I can easily take what is rightfully mine. You will live the remainder of your life as my prisoner, but you will remain alive. Fight me, and you will perish in the battle. Let us not sacrifice any more innocent lives for the sake of your illegal rule.
If you do not have the gates open and your men's arms down, we will have no choice but to destroy you all.
No matter the outcome, we will meet tomorrow.
Yours,
Daenerys of House Targaryen
First of her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First Men, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regnant of the Seven Kingdoms, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Mother of Dragons, Breaker of Chains, and Queen of Meereen
Her council approved her note, each taking turns reading and laughing.
"I quite enjoy your addition of 'Mother of Dragons.' A very nice subtle reminder that they are unmatched," Jon replied.
Daenerys smiled confidently. "I will take the city on my dragons as my ancestors did many years ago." She paused, sizing him up. "You could join me."
Jon looked surprised. "Me, Your Grace? I'm a fighter. I should be on the front lines."
"You would rather be on the front lines fighting with the masses rather than have your name recorded in history?"
He pondered this. "It doesn't feel right. Arya should be doing it. Not me."
"Arya is on an equally important mission and I will make sure she will be heralded as a hero when this is over," Daenerys stated.
"It would be a tremendous honor, Lord Snow," Brienne interjected. "You would be revered not as bastard, but as a war hero."
Jon looked at everyone else in the room. "But, what about the others?"
Everyone else quickly shook their heads. "Mine is not a name that needs to be remembered," Brienne said.
"I'm a follower, not a leader. This is best left to those who lead," Davos offered.
"Then it's settled. Jon, you will join me in the siege on my dragons," Daenerys said.
"That would leave your third rather lonely," Jon said.
"I have no one else the dragons trust. I can't ask Missendei to do it, and I know Grey Worm would prefer to be with his unit," Daenerys responded.
"What about Gendry?" Missendei chimed in.
"Gendry?" Daenerys smiled. "It would be quite a statement flying in with two bastards at my side. Perhaps I could bring in a new age where fatherless children are no longer viewed with ridicule."
"Someone get this Gendry," Davos said.
Brienne left the tent to retrieve the man in question.
It didn't take long before Brienne returned with Gendry in tow. He was surprised to be welcomed back into Daenerys's council. He bowed before the queen and awaited what she had to say.
"Gendry, how do you feel about the battle tomorrow?" Daenerys asked.
He shrugged. "As well as can be, Your Grace. I think we're ready and we're prepared to take on the Kingsguard."
She nodded at his assessment. "And do you revel in the idea of close combat?"
Again, Gendry shrugged. "I have a sword, so that is my only choice, Your Grace."
"What if I could offer you another?"
"I would say I don't have enough time to learn it well enough before tomorrow."
"How would you like to watch the battle from the sky?"
Gendry took a moment to comprehend her meaning. "You mean…your dragons?"
Daenerys nodded.
"I couldn't, Your Grace. I'm a nameless bastard."
"I tend to like bastards. Jon Snow has already agreed to ride with me."
"But…Arry…"
"Lady Arya will be infiltrating the city another way. We mean to use every option available," Daenerys replied.
It was Gendry's turn to nod. "Smart. But, I'm sure I'd be fine on the ground, Your Grace."
"You still think you're not good enough, don't you?"
"Well, yeah. Your Grace," he added quickly.
"Then I will just have to give you a name. Lady Brienne tells me you resemble a Baratheon to the point where it cannot be a mere coincidence. How would you like to be honored with your father's name?"
"Can you actually do that?" Gendry asked.
"I am queen. My word is law."
"Perhaps you should make Jon Snow a Stark, then."
"There are living Starks. You are the last Baratheon," Jon Snow interjected. "I will not take the name while there are those with it who still live."
Gendry looked directly back at Daenerys. "How long do I have to decide?"
The sun was setting and Arya started to prepare for her departure. She had heard from the land owners about the army approaching, so she knew everyone was on track. Tomorrow, they would lay siege to the city, and she would make her move.
She waited until it was full dark before she left the barn and made her way toward the looming city walls. She couldn't remember exactly where the canal was, but she could still keep a good distance as she looked around without being detected.
Arya glided silently through the think treeline, keeping an eye out for patrol units on the ground and on the wall. After a few hours of starts and stops, she finally saw an indent in the wall, leading to the small waterway.
Quietly and quickly, she ducked out of the trees and sprinted toward the shadow of the wall. She leapt over the ditch and almost missed the canal, but her fingers grasped the lip of the stone structure, and she managed to pull herself onto the shallow indent with a small trickle of water. As soon as she could get to her feet, she scrambled into the hole in the wall, waiting to hear if anyone sounded an alarm.
After a few minutes of continued silence, she turned into the dark and made her way through.
She was finally back in King's Landing.
As the sun started to rise over the horizon, and the sky slowly turned from purple to pink, Daenerys and her army reached the walls of the city. They were sure to stop well outside the archers' range, thanks to Davos's prior knowledge, and waited.
Daenerys, Jon, and Gendry were behind the army with the dragons, waiting for word from their allies on the water. They wouldn't know if Arya's mission was a success until this was all over.
Gendry, now back in the good graces of the queen's council, was informed of Arya's mission, much to his protest.
"You agreed to let a young girl blinded by her hate to try and sneak into the city and kill the king? She won't make it past his guards!"
"Gendry, I'm not sure if you remember, but my sister is an excellent and skilled fighter. And she has executed a man before."
Gendry was stumped, but still fumed. He didn't think it was good to indulge Arya's darker tendencies, but it could no longer be helped. He knew how much executing Theon changed her, even more so once she discovered her younger brothers alive. Giving her permission to execute Joffrey could permanently change her for the worse.
Arya's mental state was a conundrum. He could see her humanity slipping away each time she made a violent decision, and yet, she still surprised him with her acts of emotion. He still couldn't decipher why she kissed him and if it would lead to something more. He had to admit to himself that he had been seeing her in a different light. At first, he thought it was awe, but now, he wasn't so sure. Perhaps his strong feelings were not of admiration, but of something deeper that he wasn't quite willing to name yet. And what of her? Was the kiss merely an expression of camaraderie and friendship or something more romantic?
These thoughts had kept him up for the past two nights, and when he did sleep, it was more confusing dreams concerning Arya. Brienne had noticed and tried to confront him about it, but he waved her off, saying it was nothing more than nerves.
And now here he was, about to fly on a dragon into his birthplace to help a Targaryen re-take the Iron Throne, and he was too busy thinking about a girl. Arya was many things, but you couldn't say she didn't leave a lasting impression.
His thoughts were brought to an abrupt end when an owl landed near them. Daenerys bent down and retrieved the note attached to its leg. As owls were uncommon methods of communication, it wasn't intercepted. The note came from the ships outside the city, informing Daenerys they were ready for attack.
She quickly scrawled a time onto the tiny piece of paper and sent the owl back to its owners. In an hour's time, the battle would begin.
Arya, safely hidden from the main thoroughfares of the city, caught sight of the owl flying overhead, flying back toward the water. It was her signal to move.
Her plan was to get as close to the castle as possible before the fighting began; once it did, the city would be in so much chaos, she could easily slip inside and find Joffrey. She knew his cowardice and the importance of remaining near the throne would keep him safely inside the walls. He would be a sitting target. An image of his frightened, contorted face entered her mind and lifted her spirits. Today was the day she would finally get her revenge.
She slipped out of her hiding space and navigated her way through the deserted streets. The Kingsguard would already be at the walls, preparing for an attack, but there were still a few lurking about, making sure civilians were staying in their homes.
She rounded a corner and bumped into such a solider.
"Oy, you girl," the guard exclaimed after regaining his footing. "Find shelter. This is not a day to be wandering the streets." He spoke gruffly, but his intention was not unkind. Arya hoped that he wouldn't suffer in death too much.
"Yes sir," she replied in her least ladylike accent. She scurried away before he could get a good look at her face or the sword peeking out underneath the ratty cloak she found that morning.
She tried to gauge her time accordingly. Stay off the main roads, avoid the guards, and get to the castle before the siege started. By her estimate, she had about ten minutes left and only a few more streets to go before she heard the cannon blast.
She stopped in her tracks and tried to climb up on something to get a good look at the bay. She didn't believe Daenerys's men would fire a shot without first seeing the dragons, so it had to have been one of Joffrey's ships.
She finally reached the roof of the building she was nearest and was able to see the entire city. She could see the plain and rugged Greyjoy ships leading the way into Blackwater Bay, while the ornate Lannister ships remained near the coastline. Another cannon went off, crashing into the water near one of the Meereen ships Daenerys had acquired.
She turned to see a mass of bodies near the west gates of the city. The Kingsguard had archers lining the tops of the city walls, ready to let loose at the order. Those on the wall were outmanned. They would surely face defeat quickly.
When she looked up into the sky, she didn't see any dragons. She searched in all directions, but she couldn't see anything beyond the clouds. It would be the perfect assault.
Arya wished she could stay on this roof and watch the battle play out, but her task was the most important one. With Joffrey still alive, Daenerys's claim to the throne would still just be a dream.
Reluctantly, Arya climbed down the building to continue on her journey. Her vantage point also gave her a good clue as to how many guards were defending the castle and where there were gaps for her to slip through. As she mentally planned her route, she figured she would run into a few guards, but she could still avoid the majority. She could almost feel Joffrey's blood on her hands. Victory was near.
As her feet touched the ground, she heard the most frightening and bloodcurdling sound. The dragon's cry. After a moment of pure fear, joy spread through her body. Daenerys was on her way with her mythical dragons, and soon her enemies would burn.
Within an instance, the city erupted in the primal cries of war. Men roaring their battle cries, arrows whizzing through the air, and cannons exploding from their guns. On top of all this noise, the dragons added the perfect harmonizing notes to this symphony of destruction. Away from it all, Arya could hear everything blending together and felt the true power of war. It ran through her veins and filled her up with energy she never knew she had. She felt ready to charge through the front door of the castle, slaughtering everyone who stood in her way.
But she decided against it. If she could even make it through that, she would ruin her element of surprise. The look on Joffrey's stupid face was one she wanted more than anything, so she continued on her path while the battle raged on behind her.
Daenerys called her dragons to attack, all of them answering her in an instant. They took down the archers within seconds, ready to take on another wave, while her soldiers on the ground charged the gates and the waiting guards behind them. She could see the battle happening on the sea. Her ships easily avoiding cannon blasts and responding with their own. A few had already gotten close enough for more soldiers to come pouring out and attacking the guards waiting by the water.
The longer the battle went, the further her army pushed the Kingsguard into the city. They were entering civilian parts, to which Daenerys had no control over. She wanted to avoid as many civilian casualties as possible, but ending the fight now with dragonfire would only ruin that goal. Instead, she, Jon, and Gendry took to attacking the ships still shooting cannons at her ships.
As she watched the battle take place overhead, she smiled. She was winning.
Arya's planned had worked. She was able to sneak by a majority of the guards, only running into one or two along the way. Again, surprise worked in her favor as neither of them had had their sword drawn when she came upon them. They were easily defeated.
She came upon the entrance she had prepared to use. One step and she would be inside the castle. Once more back in the place that had taken her father, her childhood, and her family. She was ready for this. Arya opened the door and glided through the narrow opening she made for herself.
Once inside, she quickly glanced around. She was going in blind for the rest of the way. She didn't even know where Joffrey could be hiding. She had to find someone to get her information.
She traveled in the general direction of the King's quarters and came upon three guards. They mistook her for a kitchen maid and told her to get back into the scullery for safety. She decided to play along.
"Yes, milords," she replied in her best Flea Bottom accent. "Only, I hope the King is safe. I saw d-d-dragons," she said in mock fear.
"The King is safe, maid," the first guard replied.
"Does he know about the monsters?" she whispered, eyes wide.
"Yes, and he has a perfect plan to stopping them. Now, go back to the kitchens. You'll be safe there. No one is getting in here," the second guard said exasperated.
She nodded. "If it is safe, shall I bring him food?"
The third guard furrowed his brow and suddenly said, "Hang on a second, this is Arya St-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Arya had pulled out her dagger and slit his throat. Blood gushed from his neck as he put his hand up to his neck. The other two guards looked at him in shock. Before they could regain their composure to attack, Arya easily spun around and swept her arm in front of her, dagger tearing in the flesh of their necks. They were all dead within seconds.
Just as she was about to sheath her dagger, she heard a clunky sound and quickly turned around. Jamie Lannister stood in the corner of the hallway, clapping his good left hand with his gold right.
"Very well done," he said sincerely. "I don't think I've ever seen a move quite like that before. Who taught you?"
Arya gripped her dagger tighter, but decided he was at a safe enough distance to talk without fear of a surprise. "I have learned many fighting styles over the years, but I think that one was all me."
Jamie laughed. "Very impressive. If I was a nimble as you, I would definitely add that move to my repertoire."
"What do you want? I'm not going to surrender," Arya said, wary of his amiable attitude.
"I know that. I don't want to fight you. I understand why you're here, but I am going to have to stop you."
"Have to protect your son?" Arya asked.
Jamie paused. "Yes," he replied simply.
"He isn't the true king. That throne belongs to Daenerys Targaryen."
"Do you truly believe that or do you only support her cause because it led you here?"
"I think she's the best we have. She's not like her ancestors; the ones we learn about. She's intelligent and cunning. I think she'd make the best ruler we've had in generations," Arya explained. "But yes, above all that, I think Joffrey needs to suffer, and she was willing to support me in my endeavor."
Jamie nodded, taking in all Arya was saying. "I see. You make a very good argument. Can I offer you a counter?" Arya didn't speak. "Right. What if I gave you Cersei instead? You kill Cersei and I keep Joffrey."
Arya was visibly shocked. "Cersei? I didn't think you could ever give her up."
"I didn't think so, too, until she caused the death of my other children. You probably didn't hear about their deaths, but she buried them, all to keep the throne under her rule. She's the real one you should be fighting, not Joffrey."
"Do you really think I want either of them to live? Yes, Cersei brought Joffrey into this world and she nurtured him into this monster, but Joffrey was the one who ordered my father's execution."
"At Cersei's insistence. She may have made a kind gesture on the stage that day, but she wanted Joffrey to do it. Your father had discovered that Robert's royal children were not actually his own and tried instead to find Robert's true heir and have him recognized by the king before he died. Cersei prevented that. She killed all of Robert's bastards because she didn't want the world to know what we had done. She wanted your father dead, just as she arranged Jon Arryn's death, and just as she wanted me to kill your brother Bran.
"You're a very smart girl, Arya, but do you really think Joffrey pulls the strings? All of this is because of Cersei's ambition," Jamie explained. "She is the one you really want to kill."
Arya was silent for a few moments, taking in all Jamie was saying. Finally, she said, "But she's not the one with the crown."
Jamie's face turned dark. "I'm very sorry to hear you say that, Arya. I truly am."
"Can you really believe Joffrey deserves to live? He's a monster and a horrible king."
"I don't think he deserves to live, but I don't think he deserves to die by your hand. He made your father's death quick, but I think you would like to make him suffer. You aren't here for balance, Arya. You're here for violent revenge. Which is why I'm trying to steer you toward Cersei. She made so many people suffer. She deserves that pain."
"I don't want to take what belongs to you. She has hurt you the most of anyone. You should be the one to kill her. I need to be the one to kill Joffrey."
Jamie stared at Arya. "But I love her. I can't kill her."
"You love the person she once was. You said it yourself. Ambition changed her."
Jamie smiled. "How ironic to get a lesson in love from a Stark."
Arya shrugged. "I've hear worse associated with my name."
"As have I."
"Let me kill Joffrey."
Jamie sighed. "First hallway on the right, up the flight of stairs, behind the tapestry on left side of the corridor. He's being guarded by the Mountain."
"Good. I like a challenge," Arya replied.
"If I do this, I want to be certain I can leave a free man," Jamie replied.
"When this is over, bring me her head, and I will make certain Daenerys will let you go back to Casterly Rock. Perhaps you'll make it in time to see the birth of our niece."
"I had forgotten about them. I would love to wish them both well," Jamie said tiredly.
"Then do this, and you will be rewarded," Arya replied.
"Swear it."
"I swear it by the old gods and new."
"Good luck, young wolf."
"And to you, Kingslayer."