The direction Arya went was toward the Vale. Wanting to save her horse's strength, they mostly walked and sometimes sped up to a trot. She thought about the rumours that she'd heard about her aunt and cousin. Most of the gossip had said that her aunt was crazy and that her cousin was a spoiled brat. Yet, they were still family and apparently the only family close enough to help her. She couldn't depend on any of the alliances her father had once had, because greed and war often changed them. Her first priority on arriving in the Vale of Arryn, would be food. Then a long hot bath, followed by sleep. The closer she came to her destination, the more the terrain changed. From her history lessons, she knew the castle Eyrie, was protected and surrounded by the Mountains of the Moon. The Vale was isolated from the rest of Westeros and could only be accessible during the warmer seasons. Even though her aunt ruled the region, there were many small tribes that inhabited the foothills of the Mountains of the Moon. Those tribes were commonly known as hill tribes and they rejected the rule of House Arryn. For Arya they could be dangerous, but their lack of organization and more advanced weapons, meant they didn't pose any real threat to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms.

Unlike the Westerlands, the mountains of the Vale were more difficult to traverse. In some areas, Arya had to dismount and lead her horse. There were valleys scattered between the mountains, which is where she made up some time and also took a break. The valleys were rich with growth, so her horse could graze and get it's fill. Since the castle itself was high up the mountain, she guessed that these valleys were how they got enough food for storage over winter. There was a lot of news that Arya had to tell her aunt and she was becoming impatient with reaching her goal. But, even with this driving need to arrive soon, she knew better than to be careless. One wrong step could send both horse and rider to die on the jagged rocks, or fall to their death. She finally arrived, because she could see soldiers positioned along the corridor peaks, that lead up to the Castle gate.

"Who goes there?" One man asked, pointing his spear at her.

"I am cousin to Lysa and cousin to Robert," she announced. The true nature of her sex, would be revealed when she met her aunt and no sooner.

"Then it is unfortunate that I must relay to you that, your Aunt Lysa is dead. She committed suicide last week."

Arya started laughing, of course another obstacle in her way. Her family members kept dying on her. "Thank you sir, I will be on my way." She turned and began the climb back down, before they could question her further.

Once she was out of sight, she said to her horse, "this changes my plans. Where should I go?"

She paid no attention to where the horse went, as long as it was headed away from the castle. Arya pulled the coin that Jaquen had given her. Thoughts about becoming a skilled assassin made her smile. Jaquen had offered to take her to Braavos to learn the art of the Faceless men. At the time she had declined, but as she looked at the coin, a decision was made. "Valar Morghulis," she said out loud.

Suddenly her horse snorted and threw up it's head, startling her. "Easy boy," she said trying to calm the beast.

"Anyone there? Help me!" A man's voice shouted.

Arya carefully dismounted and saw that over the edge of path she was on, lying on the rocks, was none other than the Hound. She could see that he had fallen and broken his legs. One leg was badly damaged, as it's white bone pressed through the flesh, creating a volcano of blood. He lay in an awkward position. His horse was no where near, probably having been spooked when he'd fallen.

"Arya Stark, come help me. Give me some water," Sandor Clegane demanded.

She laughed at him, "you need to get some manners. You are in no position to make demands."

He swallowed hard and begged, "please Miss Stark, may I have some water?"

"That's much better, but no." A smirk of satisfaction rested on her face. "It is your fate, to die a broken man."

Sandor spit out blood, "then kill me bitch! Yes I filled your friend and enjoyed it." He tried to goad her into putting him out of his misery.

"Stupid Hound, if you want to die, kill yourself. A knife is on your belt, right by your hand. But you are a coward, so you can lie there until nature decides to take your life."

She returned to her horse and mounted, smiling as she heard the injured man screaming her name. His cursing just made her laugh, because he was wasting his precious strength calling her names. "Valar Morghulis," she shouted and her voice bounced off the mountain walls, echoing long after she had left.

As luck would have it, she found the Hound's horse in a valley. She took up it's reins and lead it onward. The two horses would pay for her passage on a ship, as she made her way to Braavos. Two names were now stricken from her list, but there were more that she still needed to avenge. She wondered if Gendry was having better luck, wherever he was.

Gendry on the other hand, was doing just fine. He'd managed to find water and stole some bread. It wasn't enough food by any means, but it did curb his hunger. Then he went to find work. First he checked the port, to see if he could help load or unload merchandise. His luck held and got a job unloading a ship that had just come in. They had him carrying the barrels of wine and beer. They were heavy, but he could manage. The pay wasn't great, nothing compared to when he had been a smith's apprentice, but it would get him food, water and a place to sleep. The harbour master was pleased with his new hire and told him to come back in the morning to do the same again. Gendry decided to stay there a few days and save some money. Then he would head inland, deeper into the city. Maybe he could work as a smith again. As he made his way to a food stand, Gendry's thoughts turned to Arya. Was she okay? Had she found her family? Did she still chant those names before sleeping at night? Did she miss him? The last question he desperately hoped she did.

"One day we will meet up again Arya Stark and on that day, I will never let you go." Gendry whispered as he looked up at the sky.