Chapter 29; These moments in between

Characters of the chapter

Arya Stark Junior Grey Warden

Daenerys Targaryen, The Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains, Queen of the of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men of the South, Queen of the South Kingdom of the Twin kingdoms and Protector of the Realm

Iledia, Agent of the Inquisition, advisor in matters of the arcane in the court of Queen Daenerys

Jaqen H'gar A faceless man

"It's a curious thing. Disconcerting really." Iledia contemplated in Winterfell's library.

"What is?" Asked Daenerys. In addition to the time spent with the Stark family and her son, the Queen had been spending several evenings in conversation, both of them preferring to stay indoors, unused as they were to the coldness of this country. Unlike during the days in war camps or on the march, the topics of their conversations were less often about affairs of state, lessons about magic or other subjects of import. Those talks still happened, as they had to, but only when they were strictly necessary. More often than not they allowed their talks to drift from topic to topic, enjoying the leisure time the coming of winter had afforded them.

Forms of governance had proven a favorite topic for both of them, and the Queen had spoken of her ideas of rebuilding the world into something better. Iledia found Daenerys more and more intriguing as time went by. Like herself, the Queen was someone who dared to dream big, of comprehensive changes to create something better than the old order of the world. Privately Iledia was less interested of the whole world, but it was still a way to pick up good ideas for her own nation and compare views. It was gratifying for her to see how they apparently had things in common. Envisioning these bright new futures together was great fun, even as it was mostly idle talk and daydreams at this time in history.

"I just realized something about the language we speak with." Iledia replied. "The so called common tongue in Westeros originates with the Andals. By contrast the common tongue in Thedas originates with the Alamarri tribes, taken and worked into an artificial language by the dwarves of Orzammar to ease trading with their partners on the surface, spread through them to every corner of Thedas. There is at least eight thousand years of isolation between Westeros and Thedas. Perhaps more. These languages have different origins, in different corners of the world, and have been developing in isolation from each other ever since their conception. Those two languages should have no shared traits at all. Yet, for all that, for some unfathomable reason, the two languages are all but identical. So much so that the two of us can converse without any difficulty at all, without needing to learn another language first. So much so that before me I don't think anyone has even thought to question this."

Daenerys's eyes widened in astonishment. "Wait… what? That's just… it can't be!"

"I know. Yet it is. The proof is in the very words we utter. The alphabet is admittedly different, as are a few words. Mainly ones borrowed from other languages, or names describing things only found on one of the continents. But beyond that the words and more importantly the structure of the language are the same." Iledia said. "I suppose it's one of those great mysteries of the world that will never be explained… or which would drive you mad if you ever learned the truth."

"Yeah… go figure. Such an incomprehensible mystery, and no one has even thought about it." Daenerys said.

They continued conversing for a time longer, until Iledia suppressed a yawn. "As pleasant as it is talk with you, Your Grace, I'm afraid I must go get some sleep now. It's late and long days of travel are ahead." The Qunari powder had finally arrived, so Iledia would be leaving tomorrow morning with the convoy bringing it to King's Landing. Winter had made sea travel more or less impossible, so they would be going in on foot. Iledia already anticipated a long, arduous journey in harsh weather, but better that than risking not getting this shipment to its destination at all.

"Of course. I shall see you again in the morning then to see you off. And later… well I'll certainly be visiting King's Landing several more times during this winter to check on how things are going. We will see each other again then. Good night, my friend." Daenerys said.

"Your Grace." Iledia said, outwardly giving only a polite smile and a bow of her head before leaving through the door. Inwardly she was rather taken aback by the Queen's last sentence.

Friend? Had the Queen merely been polite when she had said that? Or had she really come to think of her in those terms? Iledia had never heard her call others friends during usual conversations, which implied it was not a word she used casually. And Daenerys had sounded rather genuine when she had said that…

Iledia also picked her friends very carefully. In the life she had led, if you let the wrong person get too close you could get killed or worse. So while she had many allies, associates and followers, she only had a handful of friends, kept close to her heart due to their rarity. And yet… the more she thought about it, the more the word friend seemed appropriate to these circumstances.

She had been more than skeptical that anything like this could happen, telling the Inquisitor as much on their journey here. But it seemed to have happened anyway, sneaking upon her unnoticed like a thief in the night. And she found this was a thief whose presence she didn't mind at all. It looked like the Inquisitor had had the right of this all along. The thought of that made her smile.

But that smile died almost as soon as it had appeared. "Too bad it is all based on deception. A false me. The person she had made friends with doesn't exist in truth." She thought bitterly.

Perhaps it was time to end the deception then? Perhaps she should go to Daenerys and tell her who she truly was, where she had come from and what she had done in her life, so they could go forth with honesty and continue their friendship from those stronger foundations? It would be a shocking thing to hear of course, but maybe Daenerys would understand? Perhaps it was time to free herself from the mask she had been wearing up until this moment?

She truly did consider it, going so far as to start thinking of ways to broach the subject and start the discussion the best way possible. But her momentary courage did not last long enough for her to take action. Caution reasserted itself, as did the worry over the potential consequences. Their friendship was a new and fragile thing. Speaking of this could end it before it had a chance to truly begin. *Perhaps* and *maybe* were too uncertain to take the risk. She did not wish to lose this, not when she had just discovered it existed. She would have to wait for some other day to try this.

Yet, as she entered her room she was still wrangling with her emotions. Part of her knew that the burden of this lie would only grow with time. The more time went by, the greater the trust they would build between each other, and the greater the hurt her new friend would feel when the truth came out. Waiting around would only make the problem worse. But telling it now would make it worse instantly, likely in a way that could not be repaired. She was trapped.

She sighed heavily as she sat down on the bed. This emotional turmoil likely meant this would be one more night when she would not be getting much sleep. And right before setting off on an arduous journey as well. Maybe making friends in Westeros was not such a good thing after all, given the conditions she had imposed on herself. But how much choice had she had at the end of the day? Friendship did not ask for anyone's permission to happen. It simply did. Now… she could try to deny it, run from it all she liked. In the end it would not change anything. The only thing to be done was to live with this, enjoy it while it lasted and hope for the best when the time came to give Daenerys her true name. So had it ever been. So would it always be.

At the same time in another part of the castle Arya was making her way the halls, heading to her fellow Wardens for the night. But suddenly she stopped, her eyes scanning her surroundings. Then she sighed heavily and bowed her head.

"Hello Jaqen." She said dryly.

"A girl has a good ear. As good as a man remembers her having. But a man is not Jaqen H'ghar." Said he as he silently stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of her.

"I know. But it's the only name I have for you, so it will have to do. Truthfully I can't even know if it's really you behind that face. But that is the face you chose to wear, likely because it is familiar to me. And so I will refer to you by the familiar name that I associate with that face. Period."

Jaqen gave a slight smile and a bow of his head. "So be it then."

"As far as I know I have not seen a faceless man since I walked away from the temple of the Many-Faced God all those years ago. Yet mere months after my return to Westeros, here you stand." She said next, her tone icy.

"Have you come to kill me?" She asked, her voice remaining calm, her hands drifting to her weapons.

"No. A Girl need not fear for her life. Or for the life of her family. Or indeed for the life of anyone currently residing within these walls." Said he.

"No?" Arya repeated, raising an eyebrow. Her hands remained in place.

"If a man intended such he would have already made his move, without offering words. You know he would have. Besides, why would a man wish to do that?" He said.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked, incredulous. "I tricked you people into training me. To showing me all your secrets. After you had done so I turned on you, killed one of your number. Almost two. And then I left, taking your secrets with me to make use of them, without any regard to the ways of your order. To you I'm a thief and a murderer, and a traitor for forsaking you. Far less in this world has sent people hunting, hungry for vengeance."

She got another sly smile from Jaqen. "A Girl has misunderstood the events of those days. Everything that was meant to happen, happened. Arya Stark passed her final challenge and became what we had intended for her to become. She has served the Many-Faced God well since. She gave him a name many thousands of years overdue. And many, many more after that. And now that the wolf has griffon's wings she offers him the darkened ones who are nameless and numberless. She has served and is serving extremely succesfully. That she is not doing so in direct service of our temple is… inconsequential. It is all the same to the Many-Faced God. And for that reason there is no sense in killing her."

Arya stood in place for a long while, never saying a word, trying to gauge if he was telling the truth or if this was an elaborate trick to make her lower her guard.

"…If that is not what you are here to do… then what the fuck are you doing here, in my family's home?" She finally asked.

"A Girl should first know that those of us who serve the Many-Faced God have come to consider those known as the Venatori as an enemy." Jaqen explained.

"Why is that? It does not seem like you to pick sides." She said.

"This is true. We do not act for gold or glory, or for the causes of Kings and Empires. We bring the gift of death to those who have grown tired of the burdens and pains of their lives, or have grown so tired of the life of another that they would pay our price. The men and women of the the Venatori are different, for they are on a quest to gain dominion over all that is. And with the powers that they now command they could attain many notable effects in the pursuit of their goal. In their madness they could end up silencing the world, and then there would be no more names to offer the Many-Faced God. And should they somehow succeed they would make themselves the masters of life and death. Those who have their favor would have eternal life and youth, like the elves of the old world, while their enemies would be snuffed out altogether.

"The Many-Faced God is not to be usurped, so now we oppose them. To that end many plans are now in the works to disrupt their efforts. One of those plans have brought a Man here, to ask the Girl for a favor."

"A favor? From me? Relating to what?" Arya asked.

"There is a mission being planned, to destroy an instrument of immense power the Imperium has found, planned by the King and Queen of the Twin Kingdoms, with the aid of the mage in the Queen's service. A Man is unsure if the Girl has been told of that mission. Either way a Man would like to join that effort and ensure it meets with success. He could use her help in introductions, and in overcoming the skepticism of the mage, which is likely to be significant."

"Next only perhaps to mine." She said. "Why should I help you with this? As far as I'm concerned you should not even know there is a mission like this. And how can I possibly know if anything you've just said is true? If there is one thing you're better than anyone, it's in deceiving people. For all I know you are seeking this weapon for yourselves. Or you are actually working for the Tevi's, to make sure our attempts don't succeed. And you're hoping I'll talk the others into letting you get where you can do most harm."

"If a Girl truly believes that, then she may slay the Man, here and now. He will not resist." Jaqen said calmly.

Arya narrowed her eyes and slowly unsheathed Needle. She stepped forward and placed the tip of her weapon against his chest, like she had done once before, many years ago. One simple motion and the blade would pierce his chest and go through his heart, ending him, Faceless Man or not. Jaqen did not move an inch, just looking at her with a confident expression. A small eternity passed as Arya examined his face, trying to look for the tiniest clue to tell whether he was telling the truth or not. Finally she lowered her weapon.

Jaqen smiled and nodded once more. "As a man said, the Venatori are now our enemies. Even if they were not, it is doubtful they would ever agree to pay the price we ask."

"Truly? I'm getting the sense your price is something else than money." She said.

"This is true. What use is an offer of gold to us? Should there be need for such, there are many faces for us to wear and gain it ourselves, through many means." He said.

"Then what is it that you ask?"

"That which has value to us, of course. The same thing which was asked at our beginning, in the sweltering heat of the deep mines of Valyria. Two things: A face for our wall, and a new Faceless to our ranks. Our price to be collected from the one who asked for the death of another, or from their bloodline, at a time and place of our choosing." He explained.

"A face and a recruit…" She repeated, deep in thought. "This is how you are… chosen?"

Jaqen nodded. "A few may seek us out on their own, and convince us to let them become one of us. But all others are brought to our fold this way."

Arya thought of these words for a moment. "That day when we met on the road… that was not a chance encounter, was it? You had come to collect on a debt, had you not?" She asked then.

"A Girl is perceptive. It is indeed as she says. We had come to know of her potential destiny, and since a debt to us was already owed, it was decided to seek her out and set her on a path that would lead her to our temple, where we could oversee her training. A man had been observing for a time, wearing many faces, seeking to examine her potential. He conspired his way into the group she travelled with, and when she wished to go on her way he presented her with the coin that could lead her to our temple."

"And so it did. You certainly got what you were after, even if the final results were likely different than you were expecting." She said. "But who had incurred this debt? You said it would be from the same bloodline as I was. But surely this cannot be anyone from my family that I would know. That is not their way, not for any of them. Not when the price is such as that."

"A Girl is correct once again. Her case was a very old debt, from an era before even the North stood as a united kingdom. Back in those days there existed one of the Red Kings, one of the greatest Kings House Bolton ever had as their liege. A peerless strategist and an unstoppable warrior he was. House Stark stood in opposition to him with all the means they had, but were powerless to stop this terror of a King. Without a new way to strike at him, the Girl's House would surely have fallen, reduced to a stepping stone of the Bolton rise to power. In their desperation the ruler of House stark turned to the Faceless Men. No one could stand against the Red King, so no one was sent against him and soon enough he had passed away from a tragic accident. His successors were not his equals, and so House Bolton met with defeat, the future of house Stark secured. The face that we required as payment for this we extracted from the then head of House Stark upon his passing. But the time was not opportune to have a new recruit for our order, so we left that portion of the debt until later.

"Until me." Arya said. "But this price… it's not something you are going to be asking this time around is it?"

"No. None have asked us for the life of another on this occasion, though many will likely need to be claimed along the way. We have acted of our own accord in this, in service to our God. A man wishes only to join the others sent to this mission, so the chances of success are the greatest possible." Jaqen said. "Will Arya Stark help convince the mage leader? It will be in her family's interests." He asked.

"…Only if we can agree to some conditions about this first. I will only aid you in this if you accept each and every one of them here and now, without reservations or conditions of your own." She said.

"Name these conditions." Said he.

"First, when I try to get you on this mission, you will be present when I make my case. And we will tell them exactly who and what you are. They will know the truth of you, so there are no surprises for them." She said.

"Done." He said.

"Two, you will follow Iledia's commands exactly, without hesitation. If you are to take part in this you must do so as a part of a team. Any restraints or restrictions or safeguards she sees fit to place upon you, you will submit to without question."

"Done."

"Three, on the same vein you will not wear any other face than this one unless it is specifically asked of you, and then only for as long as needed for what was requested of you."

"That may complicate the task ahead. But done."

"And finally… when this is done, when the mission has been accomplished and those that survive are safely back in Westeros… then you will leave and stay gone. You and all your fellow faceless. And for good this time. You will not approach me or any member of my family ever again. Or the next time I see any of you, you will not be given an opportunity to say a single word. I will kill you on sight."

That gave Jaqen pause. "A Girl wants us to leave? What if she should have need of us later?"

"Then I shall deeply regret that I sent you away and make do without you. But you are a chapter of my life that I'm done dealing with. This one time there is need enough for me to allow this, but after this I will not tolerate you near me or my family. This mission will be our last alliance. If you have your own war against the Venatori after this, then by all means wage it, as we will wage ours. Separately from you." She told him firmly.

"Do you agree to this final condition? Or are we finished here?" She asked.

Jaqen thought about it for a while. "A man agrees to this condition. He will see to it that this is brought to the attention of the rest of us." He said then.

"You will meet me in the courtyard in the morning. Wear the face you wear now, and bring no weapons. Be warned, I will be checking for them and should I find anything you are a dead man. Now begone. I will not have you staying inside these walls for a moment longer than is necessary, and certainly not for the night." She told him.

Jaqen gave a bow and left, disappearing around the corner. The instant she lost sight of him all indications of his presence looked to vanish suddenly, even to her well trained senses. He was still as unsettlingly good in the things he did as she remembered, no doubt about that.

She gathered her thoughts, then changed direction, going to seek Jon. The hour was late, Jon likely asleep or spending time with Daenerys, so the timing would be bad. But this warranted the disturbance, and was something she believed could not be left until later. Jon needed to be told what had just transpired, so he could in turn order the guards to be extra careful tonight. After that she would notify her fellow Wardens, put them on alert as well.

Jaqen had approached her under a banner of truce it was true, and she had not detected any malicious intentions in his eyes during this conversation. But no better liars existed in this world than the Faceless Men. Even she could not be absolutely certain that she could interpret their intentions correctly. It was not beyond conceivable that she had fallen for a trick just now, despite her best efforts. She would not take the risk. Knowing what she knew of them she would not trust them as far as she could throw their temple in Braavos. And she certainly did not like the fact that they already knew of the mission. If they did, could have someone even worse than them have done so?

Still, should nothing troublesome happen she supposed her family could use an ally like that for the mission that was in the works. Assuming of course the mage in charge could be convinced. She might have quite an effort ahead of her come the morning.