Chapter 7. Secrets of the Faceless Men

Arya walks down the unlit tunnel carefully taking each step so that she doesn't slip. There is a feint light ahead but it is of little help to her. When she reaches the bottom Jacqen is waiting for her. "At last you come!"

She gasps at the 100 foot tall cave ceiling as it is transparent and she can see the people walking up and down the street. "How is that possible?"

"This city was founded by slaves many years ago-The men who worked the mines discovered ghost rock long ago-It is just one of our many secrets-Come!"

"Where are we?"

"The road of Destiny-it leads to the temple of many faces god of death. You are an initiate-when you have passed the test you will become an apprentice-when you have passed that stage of your training you will become an acolyte of the guild of Faceless Men."

An old man waited at the gates of the temple, "This is Omere the Wise-From this day forth do as he says." Jacqen bowed to the man and left.

"Come I shall show you where you may rest." He led Arya to a room with a bed and table stand with a candle. There was also a chest at the foot of the bed. "At first sun light seek me out before the alter of death."

Arya was up before sunrise the next day and she was able to find the Alter because a map of the temple of house black and white was on her table when she awoke. Arya had to memorize the map and burn it. "From this day forth Arya Stark is no more-your life and reasons for coming here are over-Choose a name you wish others to know you by and never again speak Arya here."

Arya huffed inside, ("You can forget that old man! I am Arya Stark and I will have my vengeance!") She thought to herself.

The old man smiled, "What name will you choose?"

"My name is Lynna?"

"Lynna your first task is to go out into the city and learn all the secrets you can-from now on you shall be the Cat of the Canals-Go and learn all you can-return and tell me anything of note-Get rid of your swords as you no longer need them!"

She left through a dumbwaiter that went up into an alley in the city. The first thing she did was give her swords-the Fang blades and needle to Sandor for safe keeping then she went about the city trying to learn anything of note. She had heard that the free cities were gathering an army to fight the Mother of Dragons Daenarys Targaryen. As the day passed she found her task to be hard because she didn't have the skills to sneak up on someone to hear their conversation-so she returned to the underground temple and met Omere at the order.

"The skill to spy will come with time-You probably heard something and didn't realize it-Close your eyes." She obeyed, "Now do you remember anyone interesting?"

"There was a man speaking with another man."

"Hold the image in your mind-Now watch their lips and mimic their mouth movements with your own." She smiled, "Now what did he say."

She put her lips together and moved her move in the same way, "Position-no-Um-poise-Its a longer word!"

"Take your time!"

"Pois-pois-on-POISON! He said poison!"

"This man intends to poison someone-You must learn whom-Follow him and learn more-Now go."

Over the next few days Arya followed the man and learned his name was Baron Jhasard of the city of Ilairyen and he was buying poison to be sent to Mereene. He was also trying to convince the Sea Lord to help the other Free Cities wage war on Daenarys Targaryen. The poison was shipped 5 days later. Arya enjoyed being the Cat of the Canals and she would sometimes visit Gendry and they would make love or spend time with each other talking-she would also take Nymeria hunting in the wilds near Braavos. Three months passed of learning secrets and when she returned to her room in the temple Arya found a glass of milk with the instructions drink me. The next morning Arya was blind and called for help but no one would come.

"Why are you crying?" Omere asked.

"I cannot see!" She replied in anger.

"You can hear-You can feel-you can smell-Allow your other senses to guide you or remain on the bed and cry!"

"Wait Master!" There was no answer, so she slowly got up and felt her way to the door. She forgot the chest and hit her foot. Arya took a deep breath and finally she found the door. Remembering the alter was down the right and through the large archway downstairs she placed her hand on the wall and continued on-Eventually after a few close calls Arya made it. Omere taught her to distinguish sounds and use her hands to see the faces of others. After three weeks Arya could get around the temple with just her senses and memories. It took another 4 months to circumvent the city without asking for help and when she did ask for help it was to pick a pocket, learn a secret, or gain sympathy. When she dreamed she would dream of Nymeria and see through her eyes or the eyes of people and cats. Omere started having people attack her and she had to identify the person by smell and sound. A year passed before she regained her sight after killing a man while blind. Arya knelt before Omere who cloaked her in a black robe naming her an apprentice of the Guild of Faceless Men. She becomes student to a man called Ethan. Ethan hands her a bag of coins and tells her that she may give a coin to whomever she thought was worthy of becoming a member of the guild-She gives one to Gendry who joins and goes through the same training she did-Sandor refuses stating that he would rather stare an enemy face to face and not sneak around in the shadows to deal out death.

CODE of the FACELESS MEN

Life shall be given for life

Like Jacqen did for Arya she would be bound to grant death for life to anyone who saved her life and anyone with her

Destiny has no sway over gold

The Faceless Men are not bound by any contract of gold that goes against the will of the gods or brings harm to one of their own

Issue Death to all who deserve it-all who seek it and all whose time has come

If the Order felt that someone deserved to die then he or she was honored bound to do it-or if someone wanted to die and was too much of a coward to do it then their wish shall be granted-If someone escaped death it was up to the Faceless Men to make sure they gave the red god his meal

Do no Harm to the Innocent

Live Free Die Well

The Faceless Men are to prevent slavery whenever possible and allow no one to claim them as property

These are the codes that Arya had to learn and live by. She learned to use the shadows as her ally-She learned about poisons to kill or fake death and potions that made people tell the truth or see things that weren't there. She learned how make accidents happen like acid to loosen bricks to fall and kill. Arya learned how to be fast as lightening and silent as the grave. She learned how to throw poisoned darts that were thinner than a sowing needle and she learned to throw shurikens and throwing stars at moving targets. She also learned how not to be noticed in a room full of people and how to recognize secret passage ways-booby traps and how to pick locks. She learned to master lying how to tell them and when someone was telling them. With all her training Arya had to learn the languages of Essos-Valaryen, Dothraki, Braavosi which was her favorite language and Laothinee.

Two years pass-Arya is now 18 years old-she must do take on her second assignment-a deserter bu the name of Daveron. Daveron had left the Nights Watch and escaped justice, but he would not escape Arya. If she killed the young man successfully then she would be able to learn the secrets of changing her face. Sense deserters from the watch are beheaded she has to make him have an accident that takes off his head. It took three weeks to set everything up. She trips him with her foot and he falls into flower cart that crashes into the wall where a rope is holding up a stone sign for the mason's stone work and pottery. A woman screams and feints as the heavy stone sign crushes his neck severing his head. As a crowd gathers Arya disappears into the city.

The day finally comes when Arya learns the secrets of changing her face and it didn't take as long as she thought it would because she learned that she had the gift inside her and that was why Jacqen gave her the coin. Gendry she learned could learn to alter and change his face even though he didn't have the gift.