When the Titan's Daughter arrived in Bravos, the captain directed Meg to a place called the House of Black and White.

Meg went up to the doors. One was black, the other white. She knocked and a woman answered.

"Hi, I'm looking for someone named Mask," Meg said.

"No… Meester Mask, he no here," the woman answered.

Meg's face fell. "Are you sure? He said he would be. He said he'd teach me secrets, and gave me this. He's an otter from Mossflower."

"No… no otter here," said the woman.

Then Meg remembered something. "Sometimes he disguises himself as other creatures. Last time I saw him he was a squirrel."

"No squirrel here either!"

"Please," Meg pleaded. "Are you sure there's no one named Mask in there? Wait, I just remembered. His other name is Riverwyte! Is there anyone named Riverwyte?"

"No… no… no."

Then a fox came to the door and stood beside the woman. "Consuela, who are you talking to?"

"Some little urchin who thinks she can be a Faceless Man."

"I want to learn how to change my face like you guys!" Meg begged. "I met one of your members back in Westeros, named Mask. He said if I came here, he'd teach me to be one of you!"

"Well, my name ain't Mask," snarled the fox. "It's Patchcoat. Now beat it! This is no place for one such as you!"

"Please," she said. "I have no place to go."

"Do you fear death?"

She bit her lip. "No."

"Let us see." Patchcoat waved a paw over his face, just as Meg had seen Mask and Arya do. But this time, instead of revealing another face beneath, there was no face at all! Only a yellowed skull with a white worm wriggling from one eye socket. "Kiss me, child," he croaked.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Instead of kissing him, Meg plucked the worm out of his eye and popped it into her mouth. It melted on her tongue like a shadow.

The yellow skull was melting too, and when it had dissipated, a familiar furry face was smiling down at her. "Mask!" Meg cried.

"No," said the otter who now stood where the fox had once been. "An otter is not Mask."

"Then who are you?" Meg asked.

"No one. And that is what a girl must become." He indicated that Meg could now enter the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Melisandre and Gendry had traveled to Castle Black. Brian came outside to meet them.

"King Stannis is here," said Melisandre. It wasn't a question. "I need to see him."

"Okay, I'll go get him," said Brian. He went inside.

A few minutes later he returned with Stannis. "What are you doing here?" Stannis demanded when he saw her.

"I brought you another of Robert's bastard children, my lord. His name is Gendry."

"Hello," said Gendry. "I guess I'm your nephew."

"Now we can prepare the fire again and kill Joffrey for real!" Melisandre said excitedly.

"I'm not doing that," Stannis snapped. "It didn't work the first time!"

"But my lord, it will work this time. You just didn't call Joffrey by the right name before."

Stannis was firm. "I told you the last time I saw you, I want nothing more to do with you. If I continued to heed your counsel, next thing I knew you'd have me killing my own daughter!"

"So, do you just want me to take Gendry away?" Melisandre asked, confused.

"No, the boy can stay here. Maybe I can use his black hair to prove that Joffrey isn't really Robert's son. But as for you, begone! If you ever come back this way, I will execute you myself!"

This time Melisandre did not weep. "As you wish, my lord. But I feel that somehow, one way or another, I will have another role to play before this has ended." She turned and left.