Arya wants to solve another problem, but she has problems of her own.
Next chapter on Monday. Enjoy.
36. New Faces - Arya
"I can do it." Arya said confidently. How hard could it be? After training with Syrio Forel, I know the Red Keep better than most.
Sansa started shaking her head. Again. "I'm sure you could, but perhaps we should trust that Jon knows what he's doing. He wouldn't have agreed to this marriage without first considering other options." Her voice sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
They had been having the same conversation ever since that cursed letter arrived several days ago. Arya wanted to go down to King's Landing and kill Cersei before Jon made the biggest mistake of his life, while Sansa was happy to simply wait for more information. If we wait much longer, it will be too late.
"He might be desperate." Arya offered, unwilling to give up. "Maybe Jon thinks he has no other option. This Euron Greyjoy is a menace to the entire realm, if what your new boyfriend says is true."
She had seen her sister and the young Reach lord walking together along the grounds of Winterfell more than once in the past few days. They do look good together, she admitted, since the man was actually tall enough to make her Queen have to look up to face him. At least he's better than that pretty boy.
Sansa's cheeks flushed pink. "Dickon isn't my-" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. "Lord Tarly is our guest here, and he doesn't know the North. I was just showing him around the castle, that's all. We need to treat him with respect." The Queen protests too much, Arya thought, considering she hadn't treated any other guest with the same respect.
But she continued, "And we don't know what Jon thinks, only what he wrote in the letter. Beyond the marriage, he seemed hopeful that we might finally have a chance now that he's managed to convince Daenerys about the dragonglass. And the woman trusts him enough to name him Prince of Dragonstone, so I doubt he's that desperate."
"Wine, Your Grace?" A white-haired servant approached them with a pitcher, moving slowly. Arya narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but Sansa smiled at the older woman.
"Thank you, Jonquil, but I'd rather keep a clear head today."
"Are you sure, my Queen?" The woman insisted, "This vintage is especially fine, If I may say so."
"I'm sure it is. Yet again, I must decline." Sansa replied, patiently. "Perhaps another time."
"How about you, Princess Arya?"
Princess? She didn't like the sound of that. "No, thank you." Her voice made it clear she didn't want to be asked twice.
The woman, Jonquil, nodded and finally walked away from the main table.
"What's this about me being a Princess?" Arya rounded on her sister, with a scowl on her face. "I didn't agree to that."
Sansa had the nerve to smile. "Well, I figured you being my heir is a better compromise with the northern lords. They didn't accept Jon as king, so I doubt they would take kindly to him still being Prince of Winterfell, especially not after the dragon queen claimed him as hers."
"What about Bran? If you need a Prince so badly, go ask him."
"You know Bran isn't Bran anymore, Arya." The smile turned to a grimace. "I know it's hard sometimes, to look at our brother's eyes and see someone else in there, but the Three-eyed Raven can't be the ruler of anything." Her expression hardened. "And even if he could, I'm not sure I'd want him to rule."
Arya hadn't talked to her brother all that much since her arrival. She did go find him when she heard about Jon and Ghost, looking for more information. He does visit sometimes! After that, she made sure to always keep an eye on the direwolf, for when his eyes turned white she would finally be able to talk to Jon again. Well, he would listen to me, at least.
She decided to change the subject. "Do you really trust that woman?" Arya asked, nodding towards the old lady, who was walking around the long tables of the Great Hall, offering wine to the other lords and ladies. Her experience at the House of Black and White had taught her to recognise many poisons, and most of them were easily hidden in drinks.
Sansa chuckled. "Jonquil has seen over sixty namedays, Arya. The poor woman was part of Lord Wyman Manderly's household for decades, until she came here and decided to stay, because she was worried about me when Jon left. If we can't trust her, then all hope is lost." I didn't expect her to be so naive.
"I thought you had learned something…" She started, shaking her head. "Everyone can betray you, and trusting anyone entirely is a mistake you can't afford to make, or it might be your last."
"What, you think she'll poison me?" Sansa asked, her eyebrows raised in mock worry. "It'd be an interesting concern, if she didn't always taste the wine before pouring it. The woman simply can't resist taking a sip. Besides, who would want me dead?"
Arya sighed. Definitely naive. "Sometimes the answer only comes when it's too late, sister… But let's get back to the Cersei problem." She lowered her voice a bit, glancing around for eavesdroppers. When she found none, she asked, "Have you heard about the massacre at the Twins?"
"Yes, House Frey was wiped clean by someone poisoning their wine. But I don't see what that has to do with…" Sansa's eyes widened, turning to face her. "That was you?"
Arya nodded, her face serious. "After that, I planned on going to King's Landing to deal with Cersei. I can still do that now, and nobody would even notice me. Just say the word." She had promised to obey her queen, though it was tempting to simply ignore her and go without permission.
The Queen in the North seemed tempted too. "Are you sure you can do it without being noticed?"
"I know it's not the same, but nobody knew it was me at the Twins." Arya offered, trying to imagine how it would happen. "I remember a secret entrance to the Red Keep, which leads to the sewer. I can enter through there. Once inside, I'll spend a day or two watching her before I come up with a plan. Obviously I can't use my own face, and I'm not sure Baelish's face would work either, since he's in rebellion and far too many people would recognise him. I believe a new face would suit my purposes, at least until I get closer. Then I'd have to find someone who has her trust, kill them and take their face." I might be able to kill the Mountain too, if I'm lucky.
Sansa raised her eyebrows, impressed. "You've certainly thought this through…"
"She was always the first on my list. Even if Jon does marry her, nothing will stop me from ending her life." Arya wanted to have been the one to kill Joffrey too, but I'll settle for his mother.
After a long time quietly considering the idea, her sister finally said, "I'll have to think about this. Too many things could go wrong with your plan, and then I'd lose you." Her voice dropped a tone. "I'm tired of losing people I love."
Death has many faces, she knew. The one true god would always claim the most followers in the end. For all men must die. And yet, she didn't know why so many of her family had to go so soon.
"What happened with…" Arya hesitated, unsure if it was alright to ask, "Rickon?"
Sansa's expression darkened. "Ramsay happened. He used Rickon to lure Jon into making a mistake on the battlefield, then shot an arrow through his heart before Jon could save him."
I should've come back sooner. "But how did Ramsay get him in the first place?"
"The Umbers betrayed us. Rickon and Shaggydog were delivered to Ramsay by Smalljon Umber."
Arya turned to look at young Ned Umber, her eyes narrowed. "And why are the Umbers still alive?"
Sansa sighed. "Jon was a forgiving King. He refused to blame children for their parents' crimes. I didn't agree with him, but you know how stubborn he gets." She shrugged, with a hint of a smile on her face. "He forgave the Karstarks too, and Lady Alys seemed very… grateful."
"You don't mean…" Jon and Alys?
Her sister nodded. "After he learned his true name, Jon found some comfort with the young Lady of Karhold. It didn't last very long, though."
Arya scanned the Great Hall, trying to find the woman, but she was nowhere to be found. "Where is she?"
"Lady Alys has been feeling unwell for a while now. After days of her constant refusal to be examined by the maester, I finally forced her to see Wolkan. I couldn't risk the safety of everyone else in the castle, if what she has is too dangerous…" Sansa's voice trailed, her eyes growing wider and wider, and her mouth hanging open.
"What?"
Her sister blinked, then said, "I'll wait for maester Wolkan to confirm it, but if my suspicions are correct…" She raised her eyebrows. "Well, let's just say it will complicate whatever plans Jon has in the South."
Arya found Ghost in the godswood, his massive frame reminding her of Nymeria. She could've at least come back to visit, she thought, recalling their encounter on the road to Winterfell. But that's not her. In a way, she was happy that her direwolf could be free to do what she wanted, roaming the woods with her pack.
Sometimes, Arya would visit the wolf in her dreams, running at night, seeing the darkness with clarity, feeling the wind on her fur and the taste of blood in her mouth. I must be a warg too, she considered, thinking back to the meeting, when Sansa revealed that Jon could warg into Ghost.
Moving closer to the great white direwolf, she leveled her eyes to his red ones, trying to see if Jon was there. He licked her nose, and she laughed at the idea that her brother would do that.
"He isn't there yet." Bran's monotone voice made her turn around to face him. Her brother was sitting on his strange wheeled chair, right by the Heart Tree, like he usually did. "Jon is in a great deal of pain right now, as his body fights the poison."
"Poison?" Arya asked, worried. "How did he get poisoned?" If that dragon queen did anything to my brother…
"He claimed the horn, but was gravely wounded in the process." Bran closed his eyes for a moment. "A red priestess is healing him as we speak, performing an ancient ritual from the Shadow Lands of Asshai. He screams while Yara Greyjoy holds his hand." He opened his eyes again. "It should work, and when he passes out, his mind will seek Ghost. You can talk to him then."
Arya had so many questions, she didn't know which one to ask first. Horn? Ritual? Greyjoy?
"Well, I was right." Sansa's voice made her turn around again. Her sister was walking in long strides towards them. "Lady Alys is pregnant. Maester Wolkan has just confirmed it."
"But…" Arya's eyes widened, trying to understand the consequences. "But that means…" I'm going to be an aunt? She thought, feeling her face break into a grin.
"Yes, it's very likely that's Jon's baby growing inside her belly." Sansa nodded, with a smile on her face. "While I'm happy that we'll have a new addition to the family, this makes his upcoming marriage to Cersei much more complicated than it already was." She frowned, raising a hand to her chin. "If we send word to Jon, he'll want to marry Alys because he would simply refuse to father a bastard. But that would offend Cersei, and who knows what she'd do. Breaking a betrothal can have serious consequences, as Robb learned at the Red Wedding. On the other hand, if we keep quiet and they marry, Cersei might discover on her own and try to kill Alys, the baby, or both." Her hand rose even higher, to massage her temple. "It's a difficult decision."
"He needs to know." Arya said, without hesitation. "Jon deserves to know, Sansa. He hates lies, and he'd never forgive us for keeping something like this from him. I didn't see how he reacted to learning about his mother, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't happy about it." She knew her brother enough to guess. He must have felt betrayed. Father had all the time in the world to tell him, but never did.
Sansa stood silent for a long time, before she finally nodded. "You're right, of course. But I still think we should keep it quiet, at least until we learn more… Perhaps we could send a letter to him indicating that nobody else knows, and it's up to him to decide what to do next."
"Fine, as long as he gets to know." Arya would tell him no matter what her sister said. I'm loyal to my Queen, but I'll never betray my brother.
"You can tell him now. He's here." Bran said, making her turn to face Ghost. Sure enough, the direwolf's usually red eyes were glazed white now.
"Jon!" She ran up to face Ghost, a wide smile plastered on her face. "Did you hear? You're going to be a father!" The wolf's head turned sideways, confused. "Yes, a father… And I'm going to be an aunt. Because I'm your little sister. That's never going to change." Her arms went around the direwolf's neck, catching him in a warm hug. "I love you, brother. You too, Ghost." She whispered, burying her face into the white fur to wipe away the tears falling from her eyes.
"Jonquil, my good woman!" Arya called loudly as they walked back into the Great Hall, still feeling elated from her earlier encounter at the godswood. "I'd like some of that wine now, please."
The old woman smiled. "Sure thing, Princess. Let me go refill the pitcher and I'll be right back."
Taking her seat at the Main Table, Sansa had a smug look on her face. "Well, look who's changed her mind…"
"We should celebrate, sister." Arya grinned, unwilling to let her spoil the mood. She walked over to her sister's side and took her own seat. "We'll have to learn what an aunt does…" Scratching her chin, she considered, I hope it's a girl, then I could teach her everything Syrio Forel taught me. "Maybe I could teach her some things."
"Her?" Sansa asked, eyebrows rising. "Why are you so sure it's going to be a girl?"
She shrugged. "Just a feeling, I guess." I suppose I could also teach the same things to a boy. It doesn't matter, really.
Jonquil returned, walking just as slowly as ever, carrying a full pitcher of wine. "Here you go, Princess." She started pouring. "This one is sweeter than…" Her hands started shaking, but the woman tried to keep it steady, "sweeter..." Finally, the pitcher fell, the sound echoing all around the room. "Oh, I'm-" Her voice was caught in her throat, which seemed to clench, making her gasp for air, her open mouth unable to draw breath.
She's been poisoned, Arya recognised instantly. The Strangler, by the looks of it.
The woman's hands grasped her own throat, trying to claw their way in, while her entire face took on a deathly purple color. Sansa yelled for maester Wolkan, the hall erupting into a confused mess of people screaming and throwing away their cups and glasses.
Arya backed away to examine the room. Who's the poisoner? A strange man with a stooped shoulder and graying hair caught her eye. While everyone else was watching Jonquil, his eyes were focused on Arya. When he noticed her staring, he started running away.
I see you, she thought, running with all her speed behind him, drawing a knife from her belt. They left the Great Hall and she saw him nearing the Sept. He's too quick, I'll never catch him like this. Arya threw her knife, catching him squarely in the back, sending him down face first to the ground.
She didn't drop her guard, drawing Needle as she approached him. His features seemed to shift as she neared him.
No… He can't be one…
Arya steeled herself, leaning over to pick up her knife. There was no movement when she pulled it away from his back, but he could still be waiting for an opportunity. Gripping her sword tightly, she kicked him to turn his body face up. She stabbed him in the heart to make sure he was dead, then reached for the seam under his jaw, hoping against hope that she was wrong…
But she wasn't. When the older face came off, a much younger woman was staring with dead eyes at the sky.
A Faceless Man just tried to kill me.
I'm usually against adding Original Characters, because they take away time and space from the others, but I needed a sacrificial lamb.
Here we enter Arya's arc, where she deals with the consequences of leaving the House of Black and White. It always seemed a bit silly that she got to keep all her cool assassin powers without any repercussion. Time to face the music.
In other news, Alys is pregnant. The timeline is a bit messy, but it shouldn't be more than three months. I'll confirm it later. I wonder how Jon will react? I won't spoil it this time. This is too important.
Finally, I noticed I've been neglecting Brienne. I'll have to come up with something for her to do in future chapters.
12/07/2019