Chapter 10. The Cruel Tutelage Pei Long

Arya found the strength to move via her rage and anger-when she turned her face to the side she saw a skeleton lying next to her and few feet ahead of her was a decomposing body. She stood up and started walking towards the ruins of a temple where a white haired man sat crossed legged with a sword in his lap. His eyes were closed, half of his white hair was up in a top not-the rest hung down his back. He had a scar running across his face. Despite the old man's age he looked no older than forty which caused Arya to doubt if he truly was a 1,000 years old.

She addressed him in Braavosi, "Master I have climbed the mountain and I kneel before you to learn the ways of the sword."

The old man responded in old Valaryian, "A woman! It has been many years since a woman climbed my mountain-What did some man break your heart-or forced himself on you if so leave."

She switched to Valaryen, "No Master I seek revenge on those who killed my family."

Long huffed, "So it was vengeance that drove you up the mountain and what are you willing to pay to learn my secrets?"

"I can pay you gold Master!"

He laughed, "What if I wanted your body instead are you still willing to pay?"

"Yes master!"

He stretched his eyes, "Are you a whore?"

"No master!"

"And what if I said that I wanted your first born child or that I wish you to give me a child? Do you still say yes?"

Without hesitating Arya replied, "Yes master!"

"You carry swords-do you have any skill?"

"I have studied the Fang technique under a warrior from Westeros and I have studied the secrets of the Faceless Men."

"Show me!"

"No master! I came here to learn not fight."

"Then you are not as stupid as you look-My price is your obedience-If you question me-I will break your teeth-If you disobey me I will break your legs or arms-If you fail me I will kill you! Tomorrow we begin."

Arya stood on the edge of the mountain and lit a torch to let Gendry know that she was still alive. The next day she stood before Pei Long at sunrise. "To learn to use the sword you must learn to fight without sword. Throw a punch." She did and he intercepted her hand and it felt like she had punched a brick wall.

"What the hell?"

"My hand has been broken over and over gain-Punch that board until your hands break."

Arya would punch the board switching hands. She gritted her teeth as her fists started to bleed-as with Sandor she had to practice until she was told to stop. She thought he would change exercises for the next day, but he didn't to her disgust. Arya endured the training without complaint-it was in the next week that he had Arya start carrying buckets of water across her shoulder. The next week he tied her ankles and wrists to ropes in a pully and stretched her out. With each new exercise Arya had to keep up with the last exercise and finish before sunset. As with Sandor she had to wrap her legs around a tree branch and pull herself up. Arya's hands hurt, everywhere hurt and it was the worse training she ever went through in her life.

Sometimes she was so tired that she would forget to light the torch for Gendry. Pei Long would have her place her hands in icy water he would pour a green powder in the water it would bubble and sooth her hands as she held them in. He also made something to soak her feet and body. Eventually they started practicing hand to hand combat-Arya could hold him off for a few seconds but eventually he would defeat her. Two years passed and Arya could hold her own against the old man although she would loose more times than she would win. The fact that she had trained under Sandor helped her endure much of the rigorous training Pei Long forced on her.

"What are you holding?" Long asked Arya as she held a curved sword with a flat cross guard.

"A sword Master!"

"And in the wrong hands all it is is a sword-Feel the weapon in your hand-It is now apart of you-your hand gives it life-It holds life and death-Life if you survive and death for those who stand before you! Now show me what you know!"

Arya attacks him and he disarms her in one move and cuts her on the arm, "What the hell?"

"Every time you drop your sword I will cut you!"

They practiced everyday sometimes into the night. Arya would mimic his movements or they would spar and when she dropped her sword he would cut her on some part of her body. She would have to administer her own healing ointments as she had learned to make the blue powder among other things from Long. As they days passed Arya became better and better. Now when he disarmed her Arya would dive for the sword before it touched the ground and they would continue the match. Arya became proficient with two sword hand styles-the two handed grip, the one handed grip, and many other style of fighting. As time passed she could disarm Pei Long, but he would continue fighting even without a sword and he was just as deadly without sword as he was with a sword. To win her matches Arya would use dirty underhanded tricks to win, but it was the fifth year of her apprenticeship to him and she was determined to beat him without any dirty tricks. She didn't even wish to sacrifice her body to defeat Pei Long. But despite her determination he knocked her sword from her hand, but she kept fighting using her feet and hands. She clipped his legs and straddled him with her hand raised to kill and his sword at her neck.

"Enough! I can teach you no more!"

Arya stood up,"But Master!"

He raised his hand, "You kept fighting even when I disarmed you-I am no longer your master-You are the best student I have ever had-Go and get your vengeance." Arya packed her things to leave, but before she left Pei Long gave her a sword. It had a slight curve to it with a horizontal cross guard. The pummel was wrapped in leather and there was a wolf etched into the side of the blade. "May all your enemies fall before your blade." They hugged then Pei Long let her down in a cart tied to a rope.

Gendry had completed his training and like Arya he had been excommunicated by the Faceless Men. When he got up to leave Arya was standing at the door. She was beautiful, but she had hard eyes and the look a deadly warrior beneath a refined lady.