There were no further attacks from the Nagga, as it seemed to have disappeared. That fact relieved everyone on board the ship, including Arya and Aulix. The latter, reported that they were very close to the Gulltown port. Since the ship needed repairs, that was where it's journey would end for a few weeks. The adventure for Aulix and Arya was just beginning. When the ship docked, they joined the sailors to drink and eat in the local tavern. She smiled, watching the children pick-pockets at work.

"Don't toy with them Aulix, everyone's got to eat." Arya scolded him, when he picked the pocket of one of the theifs.

"Did Byt give you anything to barter with?" Aulix asked.

Arya unwrapped a tiny vial and handed it to him. "Just this. But she forgot to tell me it's value."

"A drop of death. You can smell it without harm, but as soon as the liquid touches skin, in seconds you die. Beautiful stuff that," he observed. "This is a merchant city and that will get you horses, food and rich cloth."

"But if I do that, I become visible to everyone."

"Not if we pose as a merchants. That gives you reason to travel anywhere. And Gulltown has fine seamstresses, that kind of quality you can't just find anywhere."

"Does that mean you're coming with me?" Arya asked.

"For now yes. I'll take one of the horses, when I'm ready to go my own way. Want me to barter?" Aulix already knew the answer.

"See if you can get soap and baths for us too, we both stink. I'm going to take a look around." She gave him the vial of poison, then put her poncho over the scabbard. The bow she carried in her hand.

Arya soon found out that Petyr Baelish, also known as Little Finger, was in charge of customs there. She wondered if the man would recognize her, now that she'd aged. He was a shrewd man, so that made her cautious. The city had many merchandise booths, with various products and it was obviously a rich city. Perhaps not as populated as Kings Landing, but still full of wealth. It was around mid day, when a cat stopped her investigation of the port. Following the cat, lead her to a building, up some stairs and to a room. She knocked, then walked in.

"Wow, you bartered for all this stuff?" Arya asked, fingering a mound of beautiful fabric.

"I'm not done yet, but this will do for now. That blue one is for you. The baths will arrive shortly."

"You wasted your money, I don't wear dresses anymore."

"Tonight you will. I heard that Ser Meryn Trant is here in port. He's on your kill list right?" Aulix asked. She nodded confirmation and he continued. "Confirm your target, then when we're ready to leave, dispatch and move on."

Arya nodded, "but he likes to bed little girls… I'm not his type anymore."

"There is a time for stealth, after you've got eyes on the hit. You know that," he scolded.

Before she could reply, the tubs and water arrived. Arya was glad to see that there were two tubs. She didn't care that Aulix would see her naked, or her him, she just wanted to scrub her skin clean. The men who were bringing up the hot water, blatantly watched her strip. However when they saw all the blades strapped to arms and legs, their eyes averted immediately. That made both Arya and Aulix smile.

"This feels so good," she sighed, sinking up to her neck in the water.

He grunted, equally enjoying the heat. After a while Aulix said, "Gulltown is aptly named. Those birds make for great scans of the area. I also found what brothel is servicing your target."

"Thanks… that earns you a back scrub if you want it."

"You're done?"

"Yes." She stood up and let the water run off, then put on a robe. "Water's starting to get cold anyway."

"Yours got filled first, mine's still okay."

She both scrubbed and massaged him from head to lower back. Aulix held up a hand to have her stop.

"I guess we are eating somewhere fit for a lady?" Arya asked as she strapped on her gear once again.

"Yeah. I've got to set the ground work for my merchant disguise."

He got out of the bath and accepted the robe she handed him. He rummaged in a pack and took out a jewelled necklace. Without asking, he put it around her neck. Then did the same with the matching bracelet. Circling her, he nodded.

"I'll wear my hair up, so the necklace is more visible," she said.

"You'll be acting as my wife. So those rings need to be worn too."

"How about your sister instead? After all, as sister can be sold to a brothel, easier than a wife."

"Whatever."

Once dressed, coin purse and jewels on him, they left the room. He paid extra for the baths to be removed and for complete privacy there after. Because of the bartering from earlier, multiple merchants called out to his alias to come look at their wares. When they called out to Arya, he waited to see if she flinched.

"My Lady, we have pretty headdresses!"

Her face remained expressionless, other than the false smile and a nod in decline. Not yet satisfied, Aulix observed her, when they saw the target. A vein on her neck twitched, but no other indication was given that seeing Ser Meryn Trant, effected her. The professional assassin that Arya had become, was present and he finally relaxed.

"Bring me your finest wine," Aulix declared to a serving wench. He also ordered food, that was rich enough for a king.

Other merchants joined them, eyeing the jewels that they wore. Arya was introduced as his sister and she played the part well. She also took the opportunity to pick pockets when the crowd became drunk. When coin was taken, only a few from each purse, so the owner wouldn't notice what was gone. Once Ser Meryn Trant left the eatery, she excused herself and also departed. As expected the target went to a brothel, that specialized in younger girls. While he was occupied, Arya returned to their room and changed out of the dress and back into her leathers. Tonight she would listen, watch and wait. Then tomorrow night, Trant would meet the God of Death.

Meanwhile Aulix was gaining valuable information about the surrounding cities, from the gossiping merchants. He knew who could talk a good game and those where greed overtook their brains. He'd make a killing tomorrow, without any bodies. He left the merchants with a jug of wine still to finish. Aulix when to go find Arya. He knew Ser Meryn Trant would be and hence it didn't take him long to locate her. Aulix watched Arya, before approaching. To him she looked like a cat, watching and waiting to pounce. If she had a tail, it would be twitching. The visual made him smile.

"He's a sick bastard isn't he," Aulix whispered in her ear.

"I know exactly how to kill him now…. He pays extra so no one comes into the room, no matter what screams or sounds come from within." Arya replied, no emotion in her voice.

"Let's go, tomorrow is going to be a long day."

She followed him, but when they passed a blade smith, she bought a sharpening stone and honing oil. When back at the room, Arya took out her childhood sword named Needle. She lubricated the stone, which would make it easier for the blade of the sword pass over the stone, while keeping the steel shavings from clogging the stone's pores. Controlling the angle constantly was hard, but she'd done it many times. During the process, regular inspection of the blade would ensure this. The rough side of the stone was for grinding the steel down, which Needle didn't need. The fine grit side was used for sharpening, which meant dragging the blade across the stone in the opposite direction you'd move it to slice a thin layer off the stone. The process would be repeated on the opposite side. Even before coming to Taron's guild, Gendry had shown her how to care for Needle, when he'd seen the sword. It was one of the lessons he'd taught her, that she'd never forgotten. The constant movement of the honing, was a sound that made Aulix fall asleep. Arya eventually lay down beside him, back to back, chanted her kill list and then fell asleep.

The next day, they played their parts of rich merchant and his sister. In the end, Aulix had bought and sold so many items, until he was satisfied, that Arya lost count. What was important was that they had two fine horses to ride and one pack mule. The pack included, a small tent, food, water and the finest fabrics that Gulltown had. He also had a heavy coin purse and another filled with gems. They'd be ready to leave that night, once the assassination had been completed. One could argue it was more a murder than a political killing, however Aulix couldn't read any malice in Arya.

"Ser Meryn Trant was the one who killed Syrio Forel right?" Aulix asked.

"Yes, he's a coward," Aray confirmed.

"And a hebephile." When she looked at him in confusion he explained. "A man who gets off on kids that are just about to become sexually mature. Usually ages of twelve to fourteen."

"Hebephile," she repeated, entering the classification into her memory. "Dead man."

"What's your plan?"

"I'm going to wait until he has a girl, when he's distracted I'll sneak in from the roof, dropping in unannounced."

He nodded and then told her where he'd be waiting with the horses and mule. "Make sure you clean yourself and any blade you use… Needle, before joining me. If we're stopped on the road out, there should be no evidence of your deed."

"I know."

"Don't linger long, enjoying the moment, that's when people get caught. This one is close to your heart, so don't let emotion cloud your judgement."

"Thanks Aulix."

And then it was time for her to go. First a trip over to the bar, to see if Trant was still drinking. Her timing was perfect, as he was just leaving. Stealthy she followed him, knowing his routine. Waiting patiently, for him to pay the brothel for privacy. Then the choosing of girls. Tonight he wanted two. That wouldn't be a problem for her, since both had been deemed unused and hence terrified of what could happen to them. She had to wait until the sounds of his abuse began. From the shadows Arya dropped down, through the window and into the room. He was in the middle of using a stick, to beat the bare ass of a blond girl. Her scream, hid any sound that Arya might have made on entry. The brown haired girl, was punched in the stomach, she whimpered, but didn't make any other sound. Arya's keen eyesight saw that this one, aroused Trant. His focus went to the brunette. Moving quickly and quietly, Needle slid through his back and into his kidney. He was too shocked by the surprise attack, that he did nothing. Next Needle slipped in and poked a good hole into his liver. The two girls, scrambled out of the way, trying to get through the door that was locked. No one came to their calls of aid, because that's what was expected, when Ser Meryn Trant came. Arya paid no heed to them, knowing the girls would not interfere. Trant turned around, once Needle was removed. But again Needle dipped in, bouncing off a rib and slicing into his heart. Arya switched to a shorter blade, to finish the job.

"You were the first person on my list, for killing Syrio Forel… Do you remember? Do you know my name?" Arya asked.

"You're the Stark bitch," he whimpered, not even trying to fight back.

She leaned down, so only he could hear and whispered into his ear. "Yes, I am Arya Stark and I know your name. The God of Death doesn't care. You are know one, you are nothing."

Drawing his head back, to expose the under side of his jaw and neck, she used the dagger to slice up and then across. Cutting his tongue, so he couldn't speak. The final strike, was slitting his throat; severing his wind pipe, slicing the artery and finally cutting the jugular vein. When Arya let him go, he fell over, blood flowing out under him.

Turning to the girls she said, "I don't know your names. Take what you can and leave, don't come back unless you want to live to serve shit like this." Her toe nudged Trant's body.

They wouldn't come close. Using his clothing to wipe the blood off of Needle and her dagger, she picked his pockets and found the coin purse. She counted the money, then divided it into two piles. Standing up straight, she rose an eyebrow at the girls.

"Who am I?" She asked the two girls.

"No one."

Arya smiled, gave a nod, then as quickly and quietly as she'd come, so did she leave. It didn't take her long to catch up to Aulix and change into the womanly robes of the merchant's sister. He said nothing, which she knew he wouldn't. They rode away from the city and when she looked back eventually, it was just a bright dot in the distance.

"I found out from one of the merchant's that Ser Ilyn Payne, the executioner of your father, died from some kind of sickness. And Tywin Lannister died by the hand of his dwarf son Tyrion. So that's two more names off your list."

"Three, if you count tonight's kill…. Taron had heard that Joffrey was poisoned by my sister Sansa, which I find hard to believe even now. We found that out, the same year I joined the street guild."

"So who's left?"

"Cersei Lannister, Walder Frey, The Mountain, and the Red Witch Melisandre."

"What's next?"

"Finding Gendry, if I don't run into anyone on my list, first."