~:The Truth:~
It had been almost a month since Arya had returned to the House of Black and White in Braavos. Her ribs had finally fully healed and she had regained most of the strength that she had lost after her ordeal. Although she hadn't been training at first she still met up with Syrio who gave her simple balancing excercises to do whenever she felt up to it. "Do you still remember what I told you in King's Landing?" He asked her as he watched her balancing in the training yard one afternoon.
Arya looked back at him a little confused. "I remember most of the things you taught me, it was such a long time ago." She replied, trying to think back to her lessons.
Syrio smiled and nodded. "Ah yes, you were but a girl and now you're almost a woman grown."
Arya raised an eyebrow at his comment. It was true, she was still short and quite skinny but she had grown since she had first met Syrio back in King's Landing. She wasn't quite as skinny and was a little taller, not as tall as her sister but she always was shorter than her. Thinking about this made her lose her concentration and her balance.
Syrio grinned at this and clapped his hands together. "A girl still has much to learn". He then paused for a moment before turning away from her. "But Syrio is still proud of the progress you have made girl."
Arya also attempted the maze a few times, though her heart wasn't fully into it and she failed on each occasion thanks to the ravens that she hated so much. "Girl, girl, girl." They screeched.
Master Garavel had her making various tonics and salves during his lessons, one of which helped to rid her of a summer cold for which she was very thankful. Most of his lessons were now spent reading about various plants and fungae from Essos and Sothoryos, most of which were never found in most parts of Westeros due to the cooler, wetter climate.
Arya also missed Nymeria who they had left to roam outside of Braavos on their arrival back from Westeros. There was no way that they could sneak her into the House of Black and White without any unwanted attention and Arya figured that direwolves aren't meant to be kept indoors anyway.
One evening Jaqen came to see her in her chamber. She was sitting on her bed reading a book Master Garavel had given her and had planned to test her on in a few weeks. "A girl must follow." He said in his usual laid back tone.
Arya looked up at him as she marked the page that she was reading in her book and placed it down on her bed. "Are we going on a mission?" She asked, hopeful more than anything. She was starting to get a little bored resting up and felt ready for some more action.
"There is something you must hear, it is time." He replied cooly and not giving anything away.
Arya slowly stood and looked at him, trying to figure him out. "Time for what? What must I hear?" She asked a little confused.
"A girl must follow and then she will have her answers." Jaqen replied before walking through her door. Arya followed, intrigued to find out what this was all about. Jaqen led her up to Master Paege's quarters. He stood as they entered and walked slowly over to them.
"I see that you have made a full recovery young wolf." Master Paege said as he looked her up and down. "You have done well since coming to us, but now you must learn the truth."
Arya looked at him a little confused. "What truth?" She asked, feeling a little unsure of where this was going.
Master Paege lifted his wrinkled pale hand as if to signal for silence before continuing. "It won't be easy for you to hear Arya, but hear it you must."
Arya suddenly felt a little worried, she really didn't like the sound of this. She had come to Braavos to get away from her past troubles and bad memories and to start over, not to walk into more problems. "Ok I'm listening." She said, clearly unsure about the whole situation.
"Winter is coming to Westeros and the White Walkers and their Night's King with it. If they are not stopped everything that we know will be lost forever." He paused for a moment before continuing. "And they will not stop with just Westeros, they will spread east to Essos and beyond covering the whole world in darkness and ice for all time if they are not stopped."
Arya suddenly felt a little frightened "But, how do you know all of this?" Growing up as a young lady in Winterfell she had heard various tales of the White Walkers and none of them were happy stories. She wanted to believe that they were made up like grumpkins and snarks to scare children, but she knew better.
Master Paege looked at her as he stroked his long white beard, looking deep into her eyes as if he was looking into her very soul. "My brothers and I were there when the White Walkers were beaten back by the Children and the first men during the Long Night. I was there when The Wall was built by Brandon the Builder nearly eight thousand years ago." He took a step closer to her, pulling his hand down over his face to change into a man that was no older than her father's age. "My name is Mathis Paege and I was there when Brandon Stark raised Winterfell, though it was very different from the Winterfell that you know today." He paused for a moment. "Though most of it is still there I believe?" He glanced over to Jaqen who simply nodded as if to acknowledge that he was correct.
"Who are you really?" Arya asked suspiciously as she studied his new, much younger face. She knew that he wouldn't lie to her, but she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You can't be eight thousand years old!?"
He smiled slightly and nodded as a small laugh escaped him. "When we take a life as a faceless man we not only take that person's life, we take that person's remaining years for our own." He explained. "We will do this until we have completed our task to defeat the Night's King and his undead army. This was part of the deal we made with the Children."
Arya was a little shocked and slowly nodded as she took it in. She had heard all kind's of stories of the White Walkers and the Children when she was a little girl back in Wintefell. She also knew that most of them were just that, stories. Like the one Old Nan had told her about the White Walkers coming in the night for little girls that don't eat their vegetables and taking them away.
Like everyone else, Arya had assumed that the White Walkers and the Children were a thing of legend, but Mathis kind of made sense she supposed. "I thought you were assassins, I had no idea you were planning to battle White Walkers."
Mathis slowly nodded his head before explaining. "Until the Andals invaded Westeros two thousand years ago I was the only Faceless Man. I took the lives of the men whispered to me by R'hllor to sustain my own life and to keep watch until the Night's King and his White Walkers returned. That was until I met Jaqen, who I trained to be my replacement should anything happen to me. Over time we trained others, hoping to build an army for when the time came to battle the White Walkers. But, some couldn't understand or simply lost their purpose, hiring themselves out as assassins or mercenaries, using their talents for their owns needs. This is what gave the Faceless Men their reputation as assassins." He paused for a moment before continuing. "But there is more to us than being simple assassins, much more. All of the Faceless Men that we have trained have long since died or been killed and we are all that remains. We have tested many over the years as we have tried to grow our numbers again. None have succeeded since Aegon's day. You will be different. You will succeed and you will become the last of us Arya."
Mathis paused again for a few moments to let Arya take it all in before continuing. "My brothers and I were Brandon Stark's most loyal allies. When the White Walkers came we beat them back with the help of the Children, but they were never truly defeated. The second part of the deal we struck with the Children was that they would us help to build The Wall and that men would guard the realm. This is how the Night's Watch was formed. Now it is nothing but a shadow of it's former self. They cannot hope to hold The Wall, their numbers are too few."
Arya still looked a little confused, but stayed silent. She had heard about this from her lessons with Maester Luwin back in Winterfell, or was it from Old Nan's tales, she couldn't remember clearly.
"Brandon Stark raised Winterfell and guarded the north, as the Starks have done ever since that day. My youngest brother stayed north of The Wall to keep watch and live amongst the Children. Now another of lives amongst them. The Three Eyed Raven they call him." He then smiled faintly. "He is with your younger brother Brandon, teaching him and guiding him to learn his true abilities as we speak."
Arya felt her legs weaken a little from under her and her heart skipped a beat. "But, I thought that my brother's were all dead. Robb, Bran and Rickon?"
Mathis smiled at her and slowly shook his head. "No Arya, your younger brothers are still very much alive. Rickon is safely hidden from spying eyes with the Stark's most loyal bannermen the Umbers. And Brandon, his giant friend and his direwolf are far to the north with the Three Eyed Raven."
Arya smiled brightly, hoping that her brothers and Hodor were truly alive. Sometimes she used to stomp around the castle yard like Hodor, he was a sweet giant. "But how do you know all of this?" She questioned, finding it harder to take in and believe everything that Mathis was telling her.
"You remember the Heart Tree in the basement. Through it I can see everything with a thousand eyes, as can my brother and yours." Mathis tried to explain. "Through the Heart Trees I can see visions of the past and present as well as glimpses of the possible future. Some things that will be and some things that may be."
"So this is how you know that the White Walkers have returned?" Arya asked, still feeling a little confused by it all. It was a lot to take in.
"Just so." Mathis replied.
Arya tried her best to take it all in but still had so many questions, her mind was racing.
"I've been watching and waiting for the White Walkers to return for many centuries. The Night's King still lives...if that's what you call it. I knew, as we all did that only a united Westeros can hope to defeat him and his army of undead." He closed his eyes for a few moments as if deep in thought before continuing. "It was I that persuaded Aegon Targaryen to conquer and unite Westeros over three hundred years ago. With the Seven Kingdoms combined, The Wall and his dragons the strength was there to defeat the Night's King once and for all should he return with his army of undead."
Arya shook her head in almost disbelief. "But the Seven Kingdoms are no longer united, and the Targaryen's and their dragons are all dead."
Mathis looked at her for a moment before shaking his head. "Not all dead, but winter is coming."
"Winter is coming." She echoed him in a whisper, the Stark words.
"The boy king Tommen Baratheon now sits on the Iron Throne. But, do you truly believe that he rules the Seven Kingdoms or his mother, Cersei?" Mathis questioned her. "And far to the north Stannis Baratheon still claims to be the one true king and Warrior of Light. Westeros is divided and weak and the Night's Watch is but a shadow of what it needs to be." He gently placed his pale wrinkled hand on her slender shoulder as he leaned forward to look into her grey Stark eyes. "Your cousin Jon Snow is the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch now, but he doesn't have the men or the resources to hold The Wall against the Night's King and his army of the dead."
Arya was happy to hear that Jon still lived too, but looked even more confused. "Jon is my brother...my half brother, not my cousin." She corrected him, thinking that he had made a mistake.
Mathis shook his head. "No Arya. It's true that Jon has Stark blood, but he is Lyanna Stark's child, not your fathers."
Arya looked totally shocked. "My father lied to me, he lied to us all?" She shook her head in total disbelief at what she was hearing. It couldn't be true, she couldn't bring herself to believe it. "He wouldn't...my father would never..why would he do that?"
"Your father was a noble man and he did it for noble reasons. He lied to protect Jon at the cost of his own honor. He knew that if The Usurper Robert Baratheon had discovered Jon's true identity he would have killed him like the rest of the Targaryen's." He looked at Arya and continued, knowing that she didn't fully understand yet. "Jon is ice, son of Lyanna Stark and fire, son of Rhaegar Targaryen. He will be the one to defeat the Night's King once and for all, that is his destiny for he is the true Warrior of Light, not Stannis Baratheon."
Hearing this was too much for Arya and she turned to run. She didn't want to believe that it was true, but knew deep in her heart that Mathis spoke the truth. Jaqen moved to stop her but stood aside when he saw just how upset she was. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she ran down the long corridor, down the wooden staircase, through the gloomy temple and out into Braavos. 'He's wrong, Jon is my brother' She kept telling herself, not wanting to believe what she had heard. 'My father wouldn't lie, he wouldn't' She looked up into the dark grey sky as the rain washed away her tears but not the pain that was eating her up inside.
"A girl is troubled." She heard Syrio say as he approached her, smiling at her as he raised his eyebrows. "And very wet!"
Arya looked at him and a small smile appeared on her face as she sniffled and fought back the tears. She really was getting quite wet with the rain which was falling heavier by the moment. "Come, a girl will tell Syrio her troubles. Somewhere dry I am thinking."
Arya didn't really feel like talking, but she couldn't refuse her old friend and dancing master and followed him back inside the House of Black and White. Syrio waited patiently outside her chamber until she had dried off and changed into some clean clothes before sitting next to her on her bed.
Arya told Syrio everything that Mathis had told her. About the White Walkers and about Jon. She felt a lump in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes again as she talked about Jon not being her brother and her father lying. She was starting to understand why her father lied about Jon's true identity, but was still upset about Jon being her cousin and not her half brother.
Syrio listened and nodded before placing a comforting arm around her slender shoulders. "Brother, cousin it does not matter girl. You love Jon, yes? He loves you? This is all matters I am thinking." He smiled at her, trying to comfort her.
Arya wiped her eyes. Normally she hated crying in front of anyone for fear of looking craven, but Syrio was different. "I guess so. But I will always think of him as my big brother no matter what." She said in a determined tone.
"Just so, you are both still the same, yes?" He said as he stood to walk towards her door.
"Yes, nothing's really changed." She nodded in agreement as she started to feel a little better. It was true, she still loved Jon the same and she hoped that he would still love her the same, if they ever saw each other again.
It was starting to get late and Arya felt a little tired so decided to go to bed. She tried her best to put everything out of her mind and get some much needed sleep, but it didn't come easy. She tossed and turned and the weather outside matched her mood as the wind blew and the rain splashed against the small window in her chamber. Eventually she fell asleep.
Arya was happy to to have finished her needlework lessons for the morning, they were so boring yet Sansa seemed to really enjoy them for some reason. Maybe it was because she was so much better than Arya at it? Sansa was always better than Arya at doing ladylike things like sewing and dancing, but Arya was the better rider and much better at maths.
Arya wasn't too fussed though, she had only been learning needlework for a few weeks and was sure that she would improve with enough practice.
She walked down the stone steps of the tower holding her doll by its arm in her left hand and stepped out into the castle yard to see Robb and Jon talking. She smiled and waved at them before running over to them. "Where are you going? Can I come too?" She asked Jon, looking up at him. She knew that he was more likely to let her tag along than Robb. She loved Robb to bits, but she felt closer to Jon than any of her siblings.
Robb looked down at her and chuckled at her enthusiasm. "We're going to try and catch some trout, you can't come little sister."
Jon smiled at her apologetically, going along with Robb.
"Aww, but why not? I can catch a fish too." She continued, hoping he that would change his mind. "How hard can it be?"
"I'm sorry Arya, you're only six, you're not really allowed out of the castle yet." Robb replied hoping that she would listen, which she never did.
Arya frowned before holding Jon's hand tightly with her right hand. "I'll be a good girl I promise." She smiled up sweetly at Robb, hoping that he wouldn't refuse.
Jon looked at Robb and Robb sighed in resignation. "Fine, you can come. But you must stay close and behave or I'll tell mother." Robb said as he finally gave in to her.
Arya giggled happily and held Jon's hand as they walked down to the river. 'Maybe I can find some rubies too' She thought to herself.
"You're walking too fast" She complained after just a few minutes. Arya was small for her age and a lot smaller than her older brothers and struggled to keep up with them. Her legs were short and skinny and they ached. "You'll have to carry me." She smiled up sweetly at Jon, hoping that he would give her a piggyback.
"I'll carry you if you don't hold on too tight, I nearly choked last time."Jone replied as he crouched down for her.
Arya smiled at him before climbing up onto his back, wrapping her skinny arms loosely around his neck.
Jon groaned as he stood, much to Robb's amusement. "You getting heavy little sister, I think you must be growing at last." Jon said as he started walking again.
"Really? Do you think so? Maybe I grew a little?" She smiled happily, hoping that she would grow even more. "Maybe I'll be as tall as Sansa and then she won't try to boss me around any more."
Jon and Robb both chuckled at her.
Eventually they made it to the river and Arya hopped off Jon's back to look around. Robb and Jon started to set up the fishing gear as she threw flat stones into the river. She was hoping to make them skip like her father had shown her, but they mostly went straight into the water with a big splash.
"You're going to scare off all of the fish." Jon told her as he took her hand and led her away from the riverbank to sit down and watch as they finished setting up the fishing gear.
When they had set everything up she helped them to look for bait. She kicked over a few rocks and sticks to find lots of insects. Sansa would have hated it, but Arya wasn't afraid of insects. She had even eaten one once just to see her sister's horrified reaction.
They didn't have enough gear for Arya to fish on her own, but Jon let Arya have a go of his for a little while. She didn't catch anything though and soon got bored. "I'm going to look for rubies." She told her brothers. "Fishing is boring!"
"Stay where we can see you." Robb told her.
"If you wander off you can't come next time." Jon added.
"And try to stay clean or mother will have all our hides!" Robb said, more out of hope than anything.
Arya smiled and nodded. "I will, I promise." She then turned and walked away from them, but stayed in sight as she had promised. She knelt by the edge of the river and started to poke around in the rocks and mud with a stick as she searched for rubies.
Arya searched for the rest of the afternoon but didn't find any rubies or anything valuable. She did find a smooth grey and white stripey rock, the Stark colors, which she decided to keep.
"Maybe it's a lucky rock?" Robb told her as he gave her a piggyback ride on their way back to Winterfell. Arya smiled happily, pleased with her new treasure.
Arya woke as the early morning sunlight crept through the wooden shutters that covered the small window in her chamber. It looked and sounded as though the storm had past. She sat up and smiled thinking of the dream that she had that night. She still kept her lucky rock in a safe place in her chamber back in Winterfell and wondered if it was still there. She knew now that it wasn't really a lucky rock, but she had always kept it anyway because it brought back memories of that happy day spent with Jon and Robb.
Arya stretched and got out of bed. She quickly changed out of her night clothes and into her grey training gear before making her way down to the kitchen to prepare herself a breakfast of porridge, toasted bread with honey and some hot tea. She eagerly ate it but still couldn't help think on everything that she had been told the previous day and knew that there was more for her to hear. After Arya had finished breaking her fast she made her way up to see Mathis to hear the rest of what he had to tell her.
Mathis was sat behind his old wooden desk reading a thick leather bound book as she entered and looked up as she sat opposite him. "Are you ready to hear more Arya?" He said as he closed his book and placed it down on his desk.
"Yes, I want to hear it all. My sister and my brothers are still alive, the White Walkers must be stopped and I know you know how." She said, determination was written all over her face.
Mathis stood and started to walk over to the door. "Come with me Arya and I will tell you all that I know."
Arya stood and followed him down to the basement to stand in front of the Heart Tree. "Place your hand on the tree Arya and close your eyes."
Arya looked up at him and nodded, unsure what all of this meant. She cautiously reached out and placed the palm of her left hand against the pale trunk of the Heart tree and closed her eyes as he had instructed.
Nothing happened.
"Relax, clear your mind." She heard Mathis say before she saw flashes of her father sitting by the Heart Tree in the Godswood at Winterfell. It looked as if he was cleaning or sharpening Ice, the Stark family sword. And then her mother appeared, holding out what looked like a small rolled up piece of parchment, possibly a message that had been delivered by a raven it was hard to tell.
Arya suddenly opened her eyes and pulled her hand back from the Heart Tree. "What was that?" She asked, clearly a little surprised by it all. She had touched the Heart Tree back in Winterfell many times, she had even climbed it once with Bran but had never experienced anything like that before.
"Through the Heart Tree we can see into the past and communicate with R'hllor. This is how I know the things I do. This is how I know the names of the people we must assassinate. Your brother Bran has abilities far beyond my own and when the time comes he will fly."
Arya was now totally confused. "I thought there was only one god? The god of death!" She replied, remembering back to what Syrio had told her in King's Landing.
Mathis paused for a brief moment. "R'hllor, The Red God, The God Of Death, The Seven, The Lord of Light, The Old Gods and the new. Many faces of the same god. We all must go to him eventually, even you and I."
Arya had never been keen at praying and learning about the various religions, unlike her mother and her sister. She had always been more like her father with his old gods and the Heart Tree. "I think I understand. But, what do you mean when you say Bran will fly? He can't even walk!"
"Ah, Bran is a warg." Mathis answered her.
"I don't understand? What's a warg?" She asked, still confused.
"Sometimes you have wolf dreams and can see through the eyes of your direwolf, yes?"
Arya nodded. "Yes."
"But you cannot really control Nymeria, you can only see what she sees. Bran can control other people or animals when he sees through their eyes. His direwolf Summer or his giant friend Hodor, even a dragon with enough training. He will be one of the three heads of the dragon, this is how he will fly." He moved around her to turn her attention back to the Heart Tree.
"The Heart Tree is how I know that Jon is your cousin, I saw your father praying for forgiveness for hiding the child's true identity after returning from the rebellion against the Mad King. This is how I know that your brothers still live." Mathis looked at her for a moment before continuing. "The prophecies say that R'hllor and the Great Other have been in an eternal struggle. This will end when Azor Ahai returns weilding Lightbringer. Jon must defeat the Night's King, the servant of the Great Other. He is the only one who can for he is Azor Ahai. He is the true Warrior of Light, not Stannis Baratheon. But he cannot defeat him alone..."
Arya nodded her head. She didn't fully understand everything that he had told her, but understood enough to realise that if it meant helping Jon and protecting her brothers and her sister she was ready to do whatever it took. "So what must I do? I know you have a plan." She asked, almost afraid of his answer.
"You must travel to Meereen and gain an audience with Daenerys Targaryen. She rules as queen from the Great Pyramid. You must convince her to sail to Westeros with her army of Unsullied and her three dragons. She must reclaim the Iron Throne and unite the Seven Kingdoms before it's too late. Only a united Westeros with her army of Unsullied and her three dragons can hope to defeat the Night's King and his White Walkers."
Arya frowned a little. "But my father went to war to overthrow the Targaryen's. Her father murdered my uncle and my grandsire. Her brother Rhaegar stole my aunt Lyanna and you want me to help put her on the Iron Throne? And even if I did this, why would she listen to me or even believe me?" Arya asked almost in disbelief at his request.
Mathis closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "Daenerys Targaryen is not her father or her brother. She has a good, kind heart and will rule with grace and fairness. She must rule and unite Seven Kingdoms or everything that we know will be lost."
"But why would she listen to me? Why haven't you convinced her yourself like you did Aegon Targaryen?" Arya asked, still feeling a little unsure.
"It seems age has finally caught up with me. I can no longer leave this place, I am bound to it and the Heart Tree as is The Three Eyed Raven. Your direwolf is proof of who you are. A wise old warrior, Ser Barristan Selmy, who stands by her side will know this. He respected your father and will listen to you and understand what you have to say. He will convince Daenerys if you cannot."
Arya nodded slowly as she listened. 'So that's why he sent me to track down Nymeria' She thought to herself. "But how do I get to Meereen? When should I go?" She asked.
"You must sail immediately Arya, for I fear time is running short. Your friend Captain Forel has agreed to take you some of the way, but from there you will be on your own." He replied.
"But what of Jaqen? Can't he come with me?" Arya asked as she stood, her heart racing as she felt a little excited and a little nervous about her new mission.
Mathis shook his head as he looked up at her. "Jaqen will travel to Westeros to scout the situation there. King's Landing must fall quickly. Westeros cannot afford another war. When you have returned to us we will have a plan."
He then stood as he looked her in the eyes. "You cannot fail Arya, you must not fail."
Arya nodded. "I won't fail" She said in a determined tone.
"Good luck to you Arya of House Stark. Return to us swiftly and safely." She heard him say as she turned to walk back to her chamber to gather a few belongings and form a plan in her head.