Travel on Blackwater river was dangerous and nobody dared to row it during the night but right now Arya was the top predator in these waters.
She had feigned signs of fever and as expected Cercei had ordered her isolated for a week in her room.
Jaqen had arranged a maid to attend to the sick lady so nobody to bother her. He also provided her with a mask of some page boy he has killed. After that Arya had put a mask of the young man on her face and found a boat in Flea Bottom.
The low life that sold her the boat tried to kill her and this caused for him to end face down in the river and for Arya to collect another mask for future use.
She was strong, after all these years of fight training and rowing upside the river didn't wind her up. She was determined to go there and kill.
Arya wasn't sure who she would kill first. She really wanted to start with the dwarf but she was tempted to do Varys first.
"'My list...' She hadn't done anything with her list during her stay in King's Landing but Jon was family and their Father had thaught them that honor and family always come first. And when that fucking imp had agreed to poison the Dragons, he and the oily eunuch had earned they place in her list.
She ditched the boat a few miles before the Rush and continued on foot. The sky was still dark but in an hour the dawn would come. She could see the camp fires around the first tents of the army and she sneaked cautiously, avoided three Dothraki patrols and finally found a line with hanged uniforms. She quicky took one that was still damp and when she put the tunic on, she saw the rose, embroidered on it. If she remembered correctly this was the emblem of House Tyrell. The quality of the cloth was not very high, so she was dressed as a servant to some officer in the Tyrell's army.
Dressed as a servant, she took the pail with water that was close to the hanged clothes and pretending that she was carrying the pail as a servant's task, strolled in the camp.
Nobody paid attention to her or actually the lanky young man with straw blond hair. She could see how big was the camp but nowhere she could see the banners of the North.
A flock of sheep was herded by a few Dothraki riders and she followed them.
They ushered them to a place separated with bushes from the last tents. The place was out side of the last camp fires . It was still dark, so Arya could only see some rocks and bushes. Arya quickly hid in the bushes, next to a big rock and waited to see what will happen.
The Dothraki left, speaking their gutteral language and was it her imagination or they were actually in a hurry to leave?
Suddenly she felt the hair on her neck rose up and slowly she turned her head.
The light of the first rays of the dawn lit the place that she had thought to be a rock next to the bushes. She was too stunned to actually feel anything, even fear, while she was staring at a giant yellow eye. The eye was twice her height and belonged to a giant dragon.
In awe, Arya stared as the dragon turned his head and looked at her. Two yellow eyes with vertical slits were now measuring her. She felt the same weird eerie feeling as when she had been with Nymeria.
The dragon lifted his long neck and she could see that he had golden scales. He sniffed the air, as Nymeria had done before and showed her his teeth.
Arya didn't blink and for a moment they were staring at each other, as the dragon was sniffing the air.
Then he turned and started walking to the herd of sheep.
Arya realized two things. First, she was alive after a dragon had been less than two feet away from her and second, she has just seen a dragon like she had always dreamt of.
The dawn was already in full motion and she could see that the other rock was actually another giant redish orange scale dragon and the hill she had thought to be a hill was the biggest dragon she had seen. He was enormous and black.
'Drogon!' she realized this was the dragon that Daenerys Targaryen was riding. She had heard tales of these dragons.
The red one was Rhaegal, named after Prince Rhaegar and the golden one was Vyserion.
All three dragons looked at her like they could hear her thoughts and then they focused on burning and eathing the sheep.
Arya was mesmerized in her thoughts and almost missed in the roaring and chewing, when another Dothraki rider came, escorting a wagon with enormous pail. It was full with water.
The Dothraki left for the tents and the man, that was driving the wagon turned and quickly pulled out a metal vial, that she so well remembered.
Without hesitation, Arya jumped from the bushes and running through the burned meal of Vyserion reached the wagon.
"Stop!" shouted Arya and grasped the hand with the vial. The man's hand was very fat and at first she was surprised and that allowed the man to threw her off and he ran.
She jumped on her feet and pushed him to the ground. His hood fell off and she could see the sweating face of Varys.
"Traitor!" Screaming, Arya intercepted his other hand with a knife in it and began wrestling with a man twice her size and four times her weight.
In that moment they were surrounded by Dothraki and soldiers and Arya shouted, "He has a poison. Don't let the dragons drink from the water!"
After that everything was a huge motion of Dothraki and soldiers. They quickly pulled the wagon, Varys and Arya were restrained and an old man, still in his night shirt, came in running. He listened carefully what a knight with House Tyrell banner told him and carefully collected the vial.
They were brought to a big tent and Arya faced a grimly looking and dishelved Daenerys Targaryen.
She looked like the image Arya has always imagined of Vysenia, the sister of Aegon the Conqueror. For a moment she was more awed even when she had first seen a dragon.
A middle aged woman with grey hair and heavy eye paint was standing next to her and another knight with golden hair was looking at her with his grey eyes.
Her brother Jon, flew in the tent, followed by a bearded man. Arya couldn't stop herself, "Jon!"
Jon looked at her, puzzled that she knew him and Arya swiftly discarded the rope that the Dothraki had tied her with and with a quick move pulled the mask from her.
Jon blinked and gaped at her, "Arya?"
She hugged him and he returned her hug, looking disbelievingly at her. "You are alive? What has happened?"
Arya sighed, "It's a long story, Jon..." She looked at the Dragon Queen that was eyeing them with raised eyebrows and stood before her. The moment was like she was in one of tales Septa Mordain like to tell them. She was standing before this reborn Vysenia and Arya remembered the manners she had been taught so long ago.
With a curtsy, that would have made Septa Mordain smile approvingly, Arya bowed to the Dragon Queen.
"I am Arya Stark!" Began Arya, "Daughter of Ned Stark and Cathlyn Tully from the Riverlands"
"How did you know that Varys was going to poison my dragons, Arya Stark?" Asked the Dragon Queen.
"Arya licked her lips, "When my father was killed, I fled King's Landing and after a lot of things happening ended in the Temple of the Faceless God in Bravoos. There I learned their skill and decided to return back to Westeros..."
All people were listening how a girl had become a killer in the most notorious place in Essos.
"I have a list, Your Grace," continued Arya, "And Cercei Lannister is at the first place in my list. I thought of going North after I killed that piece of shit Walder Frey but Jon had taken over and had killed the Boltons. So, I decided to focus on my list and kill Cercei!"
Her words were met with stunned silence from her audience. Even Jon looked perplexed at her.
Only the grey haired woman, standing next to the Queen, smirked at her.
Arya boldly met the blue eyes of the Targaryen, "I took the face as one of her Ladies in Waiting and listened to everything happening in the Red Keep. I spied on her yesterday, when she met secretly with Varys and the dwarf. You Hand and advisor told her about how you have made Valyrian steel again and how Varys had intercepted a raven from Jon, coming to bend the knee to you."
Daenerys Targaryen's eyes turned into ice. She looked at the tied Varys, who met her stare without his usual oiliness.
Then she looked around, "Where is Tyrion?"
Dwarf was nowhere to be seen and Arya suspected that the little piece of shit was probably fleeing the camp.
The silver haired woman said something in Dothraki language and two of the warriors hurriedly left the tent.
Then she turned her back to Varys and faced Arya, "Continue, Arya Stark."
"As of right now the Golden Company is on its way to Westeros. The Iron Bank had given green light for Cercei to hire them and Euron Greyjoy is using his fleet to transport them.
"Tyrion Lannister told her that he will distract you, convincing you that the War with the Whitewalkers is more important and that Jon has to provide a proof of the threat. And what better way than to make a trip beyond the Wall and capture a Whitewalker. It will be dangerous and you will have to go with him and probably you or your dragons will be killed. And in the meanwhile Cercei will hit with all force."
Daenerys and the middle aged woman exchanged looks like they have seen what Arya talked about.
"And the poison?" Asked the blond knight.
"The Hand of Cercei gave the vial to Tyrion, saying that it can kill an elephant with one drop and will affect your dragons. He also wanted to poison Jon. For you Cercei has prepared something special.
"So, I couldn't stay there anymore and leave her to kill Jon. I came here to save him and while I was entering I saw Dothraki herding sheep and hid in the bushes..."
Daenerys looked curiously at her and Arya was quick to say, "It was dark and I thought the dragons are rocks and a hill. Then the golden one looked at me and decided that I was not tasty enough.."
She laughed and Daenerys gave her her first smile.
"Then I saw a wagon coming and the man taking the same vial..."
Silence spread and in that moment the old man from before, ran into the tent.
"This is very dangerous poison, my Queen!" Rasped the old man, "I ordered all of our supplies to be tested before any is consumed!"
Arya eyed the bottle with wine at the corner table and wondered if Varys hadn't poisoned it too.
Daenerys had obviously the same thought, so she waved to the old man to take it and decicively went to the chair that was at the center of the tent.
Sitting on the chair, she looked determinedly first at her advisors, then at Arya.
"Arya Stark," began the Targaryen queen, "You are very brave and I want to reward you for you actions. Would you accept a place in my Council and help me fight against Cercei?"
Arya looked in awe and then at Jon who has been standing quietly during Arya's tale.
She thought for a moment, "If I accept, does that mean that I have to give up on Cercei in my list?"
Daenerys Targaryen, the Queen of Mereen and Westeros, Breaker of Chains and Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, smiled sweetly at her question, "When I take over King's Landing, I give you my word, Cercei will be yours!"
Arya's heart leaped at that. She took a step forward and swiftly bent a knee, "I, Arya Stark bend the knee to you Queen Daenerys Targaryen and promise to follow your command till I breathe!"