~*Initiation*~

After one of her rest days Arya woke early, it seemed to be getting cooler lately which reminded her of Winterfell again. She missed those cold fresh mornings where she could see her own breath, but didn't miss her nose turning red and her sister poking fun at her as much. Arya rolled over on to her side and pulled her thick grey blanket up over her head hoping to get some more sleep but none came. She couldn't get the thought of Winterfell out of her head no matter how hard she tried. She missed home.

After a while Arya gave up on getting anymore sleep and reluctantly got out of bed. The orange glow of early morning sunlight crept through the heavy wooden shutters of her window making it easier to see as she lit a few candles on her desk. She stretched a little before washing her face in her iron wash basin and getting dressed in her usual grey training breeches and shirt. At least the shoes they had provided her with were comfy and kept her feet warm, soft grey leather and lined with fur. 'Good for sneaking around' She thought to herself as she sat on her bed and pulled them on. She quickly folded her night clothes and tidied her bed before leaving her chamber.

Arya made her way down to the kitchen to make herself some porridge. It was bland and a little lumpy but it would fill her belly and would serve to keep her hunger at bay until lunch she hoped. Arya was slowly growing at last and she noticed that she was starting to eat more. Once her porridge was ready she went to sit in the main hall where a few of the others were already up and about.

Looking around she could see a large man with bright red hair who was of similar size to The Hound, a thin man who had long black hair and shifty eyes and a portly man who had a terrible scar across his forehead. Arya decided to sit on her own in the corner, she felt tired from lack of sleep and didn't feel like company just yet.

When she heard footsteps behind her she sighed and turned around to see who it was.

"A girl is restless."

Arya smiled when she saw who it was. "Jaqen you're back." She said, clearly pleased to see him again. She wondered where he had been all this time. She had so many questions.

A small smile appeared on his face as he nodded calmly. "A man has returned. A man will help a girl prepare for her initiation."

Arya's face lit up, she had wondered how long it would be before she was allowed to take her initiation.

"But first a girl must follow." He continued.

Arya quickly finished off her lumpy porridge and followed Jaqen up to the top floor where Master Paege was waiting for them. He was sat in the same chair as he was the last time Arya had seen him. She wondered if he had even moved at all.

The Master turned to face them as they entered his chambers. "You have done well so far little one, Master Syrio tells me that you show great promise with your Water Dance...high praise indeed." He said to Arya as he rose from his chair and slowly walked over to them. "He believes that you are ready to take your initiation. If you pass this you will start your real training to become a Faceless Man..."

Arya listened to him as he walked over, but couldn't help herself from interrupting him. "Faceless Lady" She corrected him matter-of-factly, raising her eyebrows.

Master Paege squinted at her and nodded slowly, seeing the determination in her eyes. "Just so. You are to prepare with Master Jaqen and assist him with his next mark. Watch him, copy him, think like him. He will show you the way."

Arya listened carefully to the instructions that he gave her and nodded "I will." She replied, determined to do her best and pass her initiation.

Master Paege returned to sit in his chair and looked out over Braavos. "Good, now go child. Return to me when you have completed this task and we shall speak again."

Arya didn't like being called child, but bit her lip and left with Jaqen who led her back down to the ground floor. He led her down a few corridors until they eventually came to a black and white door that she hadn't been through before. Black and white doors were permanently locked and some grey doors were only locked at night such as the kitchen and the baths. This was one of the black and white doors which was always locked."A man needs a coin." He said to her, holding his hand out.

Arya looked up at him a little confused. 'I don't have any coins?' She thought to herself, before remembering the iron coin that he had given to her when they went their separate ways in Westeros. She smiled as she reached into her pocket to find the iron coin and handed it to him.

Jaqen looked around to make sure that nobody else was around before pushing the iron coin into a circular slot in the center of the black and white door. "Valar Dohaeris" He whispered and the door clicked several times as it unlocked. He then removed the iron coin and put it in his pocket before pushing the door open.

"Hey that's mine!" Arya complained. The iron coin had become almost like a lucky charm for her and she didn't want to lose it.

"A girl will earn her own iron coin in time. Come." He replied, signalling for her to follow him.

Jaqen stepped through the black and white door and into a large room which was empty except for a grey stone plinth. Arya followed behind him and heard the black and white door click as it locked behind them. She looked around unimpressed at the room. "What are we going to do in here?" She asked, clearly a little confused by it all.

Jaqen walked over to the grey stone plinth which came up to his waist and placed the iron coin into a small round hollow in the centre of it. "Valar Dohaeris" He said calmly. Suddenly the room went bright and Arya had to shield her eyes with her arm. When she opened her eyes again she saw what looked like a maze of some kind. "A girl must learn to sneak, to remain undetected, unseen." He said as he led her over to the entrance of the maze.

Magic was definitely at play here but she wasn't afraid, she was a wolf. 'Fear cuts deeper than swords' She thought to herself.

"A girl must reach the other side undetected if she is to succeed." He pointed to the entrance and Arya slowly crept inside, unsure what to expect.

She sneaked slowly, carefully checking around each corner before stepping around it, staying close to the walls and shadows where she could. She noticed a few pressure plates underfoot and stepped over or around them and then skillfully hopped over some stepping stones, making sure to avoid the fake ones or ones with pressure plates on them.

The surface of the maze changed regularly from dried leaves to ice to shallow water making it hard to remain silent, but she tried her best. She eventually came to a stone statue of a knight which had a raven sitting on it's stone head. She tried to sneak past it but the raven spotted her. "girl, girl, girl" It shrieked as it flapped its black wings. 'Stupid raven, shut up'. Arya thought to herself as the maze gradually faded away.

The room looked empty again except for the grey stone plinth. She saw Jaqen leaning back against the black and white door and walked over to him. "A girl did well for her first time. Next time she will do better." He said as he walked her back over to the grey stone plinth. Arya frowned a little as he placed the coin back into the plinth and the maze reappeared.

Seven times she attempted the maze that morning and each time that she entered it was different. And seven times she failed to complete it, getting more frustrated with each failure. If it wasn't a raven it was a cat or a fox and one time an owl that saw her, but the ravens were the worst. "Girl, girl, girl." They screeched, flapping their black wings.

After they had eaten lunch in the dining hall she chased cats as Syrio and Jaqen watched on. She thought that she would try to sneak up on the cats first to get as close as possible before they noticed her and ran away. She caught most of them quite easily and had several impressive scratches on her hands to prove it, but the big grey one proved elusive.

In the evening Syrio instructed Arya to work harder on her balancing instead of reading for a change. He made her climb an old tree in the training yard and stand on one foot on the lowest branch. Arya found it really difficult at first and fell off several times, much to Syrio's amusement. 'Every hurt is a lesson and every lesson makes you better' She told herself as she picked herself up and dusted herself off before climbing the tree and trying again, doing a little better each time.

That night she slept soundly, though her bottom felt bruised from falling out of the tree so many times. She was really hoping to have a wolf dream again as it had been so long but she didn't dream anything that night, she rarely dreamt at all lately.

Arya continued with her new training routine for the next few weeks until one morning Syrio and Jaqen sat down with her in the training yard. They both sat while she was made to balance on one foot.

"Tomorrow you will begin your initiation. It won't be easy but I am thinking you are ready girl." Syrio said to her as he watched her balance on one foot.

She wanted to smile at him but remained focused on her balancing. "What will I have to do?" She asked, wobbling a little as her concentration dipped slightly.

"A man has been given a name. A girl is to shadow a man to King's Landing and give the gift to an old lion." Jaqen added in his usual calm manner. He was watching her too, watching for her reaction.

Arya looked back at Jaqen as thoughts rushed through her head. She hadn't been back to King's Landing since her father's execution and fleeing with Yoren and the others he had recruited for the Night's watch. "An old lion? You mean Tywin Lannister don't you?" She asked Jaqen, curious to find out more.

Jaqen slowly nodded. "Many prayers have been said for the death of this man." He continued.

Arya couldn't help but smile as she wobbled a little more. Although Lord Tywin was not in her death prayer he was a Lannister and Arya thought of all Lannister's as enemies.

After they had lunch together they went to her chamber and Jaqen explained his plan to Arya and the role that she would play in it. They would set sail for King's Landing that night aboard Sweet Lily and she must be prepared, there could be no mistakes. He went over his plan with her three more times and made her repeat it to make sure that she fully understood it.

Arya also understood that for her initiation to be a success she must shadow Jaqen, learn from him and follow his every command. And Tywin Lannister must die unseen to any other eyes.

"For now a girl must rest." Jaqen bowed his head slightly and left her alone, closing her door behind him. Arya prepared a sack full of things that she would need and lay on her bed as she went over his plan in her head until she drifted off to sleep.

The cave was small but kept her dry from the rain which was falling heavily. Her ears pricked up as a few bats squeaked in the back of the cave so she growled up at them and showed her teeth before laying her weary head down, waiting patiently for the rain to subside.

After a while the rain finally stopped and she ventured out into the gloomy evening light, the wet leaves sticking to her paws as she walked. She was hungry and sniffed around for a scent but the heavy rainfall had made it difficult to find a fresh one.

Eventually she picked up a faint rabbit scent and carefully followed it back to it's hole. It took a little digging but eventually she caught it in her jaws and tore it to pieces, tasting the warm blood in her mouth. It was a small meal, it wouldn't fill her belly but it was better than nothing.

"A girl must wake, it is time." Jaqen said as he leaned down and gently nudged her shoulder, waking her instantly. Arya slowly sat up, the taste of fresh blood still in her mouth. She stretched before getting up, pulling on her soft shoes. She went to the wooden chest at the foot of her bed to get Needle but Jaqen shook his head. "A girl has no need for her Needle this time."

Arya looked at him as she remembered the plan. "Yes, of course." She placed Needle back into her chest and closed it. She then picked up the small sack of things that she had prepared and would need for her initiation and followed Jaqen out of the House of Black and White and into Braavos.

She walked beside him down the long cobbled steps and across several wooden bridges which spanned the many canals before eventually making it to the Purple Harbor where Sweet Lily was ready to set sail. In the distance she could see the Titan looming high over the entrance of the port, keeping watch as it had done for countless yearswith it's broken sword held high. Captain Forel greeted them warmly and showed them to their cabin, the same one they used when sailing from Pentos many moons earlier. Arya quickly claimed the bed again, though Jaqen clearly didn't seem to mind.

It would take several days or more to sail to King's Landing if the weather and seas stayed calm, longer if it was rough. Arya spent some of her time sneaking up behind some of the crew and pick pocketing them before handing back what she had stolen. It was good sneaking practice and the crew knew that she was not a thief and laughed as she handed their coin purses back to them.

She also went over her role with Jaqen at least twice a day. Sometimes she went up to the crows nest and thought of Winterfell and her family. She found it peaceful up there and it was her favorite place to go when she just wanted to think or be alone. The wind blowing through her hair as she looked out of the seemingly endless sea.

On the last day as King's Landing loomed across Blackwater Bay Arya changed into her old clothes, the ones that she had worn for so long on her travels with Yoren and The Hound. They still fit her but were a little tighter than she remembered, she must have grown a little afterall. Arya then set about scrubbing the decks and helping out with various other chores around the ship to make herself nice and dirty and a little smelly too. She had to look as if she had been on the run the whole time, that was part of the plan.

When Sweet Lily eventually docked that evening Arya was nice and dirty and a little stinky when Jaqen appeared wearing his old Lannister armor and cloak and carrying the small sack that she had prepared. "The girl is ready, good." He pulled his hand down over his face to change it before giving her an approving nod.

Arya smiled and nodded back, studying Jaqen's new face. She still thought it was amazing when he changed his face. She hoped that some day soon she would be able to change her face like that and then nothing would stop her from killing her enemies. "Joffrey, Queen Cersei, Ilyn Payne, Walder Frey, The Mountain"

Jaqen knelt behind her to bind her grubby hands behind her back. He then put a rough sack cloth over her head before gently gripping her skinny right arm and leading her off the ship and into King's Landing. The sack had a musty smell to it but she wasn't totally blind, she could see through the small holes of the cloth.

The streets of King's Landing were fairly quiet and Jaqen took good care to avoid any gold cloaks, pulling Arya along like a guard with a prisoner. They stopped to listen in on one interesting conversation outside a tavern between two drunk sellswords. "I hear the Kingslaying imp has escaped the dungeons and is hiding out in the walls of the red keep." The first one said, slurring his words slightly.

"Aye, but I heard he's gone looking for the wolf bitch. Let's hope King Tommen will be a better king than that little shit Joffrey." The second sellsword replied.

The first sellsword laughed. "He couldn't be any worse."

'Joffrey is dead? And did he mean Sansa? Is she alive? Where has she gone?' Were just a few of the thoughts than were rushing through Arya's head. 'I wish I were there when Joffrey died...no I wish I were the one to have killed him!'

A few alleys further along they heard two old beggars talking about a trial of combat "Heard The Mountains done for, poisoned by the Viper." The first one said.

"Brave man to stand against a giant like that." The second one added.

"Aye, or a stupid one." The first one said before they both started laughing.

'The Mountain is dead too?' Arya thought, a little smile appearing on her grubby face under the rough sack cloth as she listened. She was pleased that Joffrey was dead and The Mountain too. She was just a little disappointed that she wasn't the one to have killed them, but it was another two names off her list and a step closer to getting justice for everything and everyone that she had lost. Or was it revenge?

Arya then remembered Tommen from the feast back in Winterfell when King Robert had visited. Arya had sat next to him at the feast, while Sansa sat next to Joffrey. Tommen seemed much nicer than Joffrey and Arya was sure he would make a better king than Joffrey. 'Anyone would make a better king than Joffrey!'

When they eventually reached the gates to the Red Keep two Lannister guards approached in their crimson armor. Each had one hand on their sword and held a Lannister shield with a golden lion sigil on their other arm. "Hold, what's your business?" The taller one said as he released the grip on his sword and held up his hand to Jaqen, signalling for him to stop.

"A thief for the dungeons." Jaqen replied cooly. The Lannister guards briefly looked Arya over and waved them through before returning to their posts. Jaqen gently pulled her along before stopping in a shadow and kneeling to take the sack cloth off her head and untying her hands.

Arya smiled at him as she gently rubbed her slender wrists. The course rope had chafed them a little and they looked a little red, but they weren't sore. She looked around but said nothing so that they could remain undetected and led him 'as quiet as a shadow' to The Tower Of The Hand. Even though it had been so long since she had last been there she still remembered it quite well. Quickly sneaking past the guards 'as fast as a snake' It was easy compared to the stupid ravens in the maze back in Braavos.

Only one guard stood by the entrance to The Tower of the Hand, but Jaqen threw a rock, hoping to cause a distraction. When the guard went to investigate they slipped inside 'as swift as a deer'

They quietly climbed the stone stairs and kept a close look out for more guards, but luckily there were none. They continued to climb, going past several closed doors before finally coming to The Hand's private chambers, her father's former chambers. It was exactly as Arya remembered it. The door was closed but Arya could see through one of the thicker cracks in the door. She could see that Tywin Lannister was sat at his desk writing on a parchment. Arya remembered when her father had sat at the same desk and it made her wolf blood boil.

Arya nodded up at Jaqen to signal that Lord Tywin was there. He knelt behind her to bind her hands again before replacing the sack cloth back over her head. She heard the door open before Jaqen dragged her in by the arm, closing the door behind them.

"What is the meaning of this?" She heard Lord Tywin say in a firm voice. She saw him stand through the small holes in the sack cloth and look at her.

"My lord, I've come for the bounty on Arya Stark." She heard Jaqen say. She had never heard him speak in that accent before and it surprised her a little.

"Nobody has seen Arya Stark since her father was executed, she must be long dead and rotting in the ground by now." Tywin replied firmly, clearly unimpressed and not believing what he was hearing.

Jaqen lifted the sack cloth from her head and Arya looked up at Tywin who hadn't changed at all from what she remembered. "This is Arya Stark, I believe you've met before my lord?"

Lord Tywin's face dropped seeing Arya. She stood in the same dirty clothes that she had worn at Harrenhall where she worked as his cupbearer and pretending to be a stonemason's daughter. She was unmistakable. "You? I should have figured out who you really were back in Harrenhall. I knew you that were a highborn but never a Stark." He paused for a moment as he looked her over. "You've grown girl and look every bit a Stark. You take after your father."

Arya shrugged pretending not to care, though she felt happy that she took after her father. She had always loved her father dearly and was more determined than ever to avenge him.

Lord Tywin was also clearly impressed that she had fooled him, something few people could boast. "Yes, you're a smart one alright." He continued before walking over to her and wrapping his arm around her slender shoulders and looked at Jaqen "You will be well paid for this, you have done the king a great service. We will marry Arya to Roose Bolton's bastard to secure Winterfell and the north's allegiance now that her sister has disappeared."

Arya's heart skipped a beat hearing of her sister. 'Sansa is still alive? Where has she gone?' She thought to herself briefly before making herself concentrate on her trial again. As Jaqen and Tywin talked she carefully slipped her hands free of her binds the way Jaqen had showed her, the knot came undone just as he said it would. She then slowly pulled a sharp finger knife from her belt with her favoured left hand.

"Thank you my lord." Jaqen winked at Arya and she took a quick step backwards to slash the back of Lord Tywin's thighs several times with her finger knife before he even knew what was happening. She quickly moved closer to stick the finger knife deep into Lord Tywin's back, the sharp thin blade easily slid between his ribs and into his heart. Jaqen moved and quickly covered Tywin's mouth before laying him down on the tone floor after Arya had pulled out her finger knife. He tried to struggle a little but he was no match for Jaqen in his weakened state.

Jaqen kept Tywin's mouth covered as blood started to pour out of him onto the cold stone floor. Arya looked down at Tywin and he looked back up at her for a few moments. She knelt and slowly drew the finger knife across his throat to finish him. Moments later Tywin Lannister lay dead in a pool of his own blood. "Valar morghulis." Arya said as she wiped her inger knife on Tywin's jerkin and then closed his eyes with her fingers.

"A girl has done well, but now we must leave. Hurry." Jaqen said quietly.

Arya stood and turned following Jaqen back down the stone steps of The Tower of the Hand. She knew from their plan that getting out would be easier than getting in. Jaqen shot the guard at the entrance to The Tower of ohe Hand in the neck with a poisoned dart, knocking him out, but not killing him. They were only to kill Tywin Lannister and not innocent guards unless they were caught.

It also didn't matter if they drew attention to the Tower of The Hand now that they were going the other way. They sneaked away 'as quiet as a shadow' to the gates of the Red Keep where they each took out a guard with poison darts before walking through the gates and away into King's Landing.

They stuck to the shadows where possible and moved 'as swift as a deer' through the alleyways until they were a little distance from The Red Keep. Jaqen led Arya into a dark, narrow alley and handed her the little sack before unclipping the pieces of Lannister armour and crimson cape to wear just the plain clothes underneath. She watched in awe as he pulled his hand down over his face to change it back to the one that she knew so well.

Arya opened the sack that she had prepared and quickly changed into a grey wool dress, washing her hands and face clean with a cloth and quickly tidying her hair so that she looked like an ordinary lowborn girl. She then quickly packed her dirty clothes into the sack and put it over her slender shoulder.

Arya smiled up at Jaqen when she was ready. "Let's go".

Jaqen nodded back at her and they walked calmly back to Sweet Lily as if nothing was out of place, just a man and his daughter on their way home perhaps. They were boarding the ship just as the bells started to ring out over King's Landing. They both knew this meant that Tywin Lannister had been discovered.

Arya and Jaqen helped out so that they could cast off as quickly as possible for their journey back to Braavos. Arya couldn't settle until she knew that they were clear of Blackwater Bay and that no ships were following them, but Jaqen and Captain Forel seemed unconcerned.

Arya happily went to her cabin to change out of her grey wool dress and into her usual grey training breeches and top. It felt weird wearing a dress again, it had been so long since she had been expected to dress like a lady. She felt pleased with herself though, two names had been crossed off her list that night, The Mountain and Joffrey. And thanks to her and Jaqen, Tywin Lannister lay dead too.

Later that night, Jaqen came to her as she lay on the deck with her hands behind her head, looking up at the stars and trying to remember the star pictures that Maester Luwin had taught her back in Winterfell. "A girl has done well." He said. "A girl has watched, a girl has listened and a girl has obeyed."

Arya smiled up at him. "Does this mean that I've passed my initiation?" She asked him, hoping that she had done well. She really didn't want to leave the House of Black and White, or to leave Syrio and Jaqen again. They were her family now, they were her new pack!

"That is not for me to decide...but a girl did well. Now a girl must rest." Jaqen smiled at her before turning and walking away.

Arya didn't really want to rest, but she didn't want to disobey Jaqen either. She stood and reluctantly headed back to their cabin and turned in for the night. The journey back to Braavos took a few days longer than it should have due to a storm. Arya stayed in the cabin mostly and grew a little seasick as the ship rolled and swayed.

Jaqen stayed with her during the worst of the storm and told her that she must forget her list if she is to become a faceless man after he had heard her saying her death prayer one night.

"A faceless lady" she corrected him.

Arya reluctantly agreed though as there wasn't many names left on her list anymore anyway. Walder Frey, Cersei and Ilyn Payne were all that remained. She had removed Meryn Trant after she knew that Syrio hadn't been killed by him afterall, but figured that she would probably kill him anyway if she had the chance. 'If I can't kill them I'll just get someone else to do it for me' She thought to herself, hoping that Jaqen couldn't read her thoughts. They would all die one way or another.

When they finally arrived back in Braavos, Jaqen went ahead to give his report to Master Paege. Arya was free to do what she wanted until the evening when she would be summoned to hear her fate. She said her farewells to Captain Forel and his crew, hoping her next voyage would be smoother sailing. She was getting to know the crew quite well now and they had started taking a liking to her as well.

Arya decided to have a look around Braavos before returning to the House of Black and White. Braavos was a maze of alleyways and canals and she liked to explore it, finding something new each time she ventured out. It was easy enough to get lost but she always found her way back eventually.

When she finally returned to the House of Black and White she went to the kitchen to get herself a plate of fruit before returning to her chamber with it. Arya lay on her bed picking at the fruit as she thought about her sister. 'Sansa is still alive, I thought she was dead. I wonder where she is?' A smile appeared on her face as she thought of all the arguments and fights that she used to have with her sister. They were so different it was hard to believe that they were sisters at times! What Arya wouldn't give to have just one more fight or to sheep shift her sisters bed one last time.

There was a knock on her door and Syrio entered. "It is time girl, Master Jaqen tells me you did well."

Arya jumped up excitedly, it felt like she had been waiting forever. In all of the excitement she knocked her plate of fruit onto the floor. She gently chewed her lower lip as a small blush crept across her cheeks.

"Ah, but you still have much to learn, Syrio knows this."

Arya blushed a little more as she picked up the fruit before walking with him to the library on the top floor, where Jaqen and Master Paege were waiting for them.

"Step forward Arya Of House Stark." Master Paege raised both his pale, wrinkled hands as she stepped forward. "You have done well young one. Master Jaqen informs me that you have completed your trial exactly as planned. Tywin Lannister lies dead at your hand with no witnesses or innocent casualties."

Arya simply smiled and nodded. "From this day you are now an apprentice in our order." He reached out with his pale wrinkled hand to drop an iron coin into her hand, the same as Jaqen had given to her back in Westeros. "Take this as a token, it will open many doors to you young wolf." He formed a smile and bowed his head slightly.

Arya smiled and bowed her head in return. She noticed Jaqen give her a little smile and a nod of approval too.

Syrio smiled brightly at her as he led her back to her chamber. "A girl was successful, Syrio knew you would pass girl."

Arya smiled proudly at him "So, does this open the bllack and white doors that were locked to me before?" She asked him as she inspected her new iron coin, rubbing her thumb over the faceless man that was on one side of the coin.

Syrio nodded "Yes, all but one" He replied.

Arya thought for a moment. "The basement?" She asked, curious to know what was down there.

Syrio nodded again.

'What is down there that is so secret?' She thought to herself as her thumb continued to rub her new iron coin.

"Ah, you should rest, for tomorrow we train, Syrio has much to teach and a girl still has much to learn." With that Syrio left her alone, closing the door behind him.

Arya gave a face a quick wash before changing into her grey night clothes and getting into her bed. She placed the iron coin on the wooden table next to her bed, looking forward to using it and opening some of the locked black and white doors to see what was behind them. She also thought about finally completing the maze which still beat her every time and beating the ravens which always caught her out. She was more tired than she thought however and soon drifted off to sleep.