~*The Journey Continues*~
Arya slowly made her way back down the creaky wooden stairs to sit at the back of the tavern. Jon really was alive and not only that, he was the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. She knew that he didn't have the men to hold back the White Walkers should...no, when they attacked. She knew that she could not fail in her mission. Doing it to save all of Westeros or perhaps even the whole world felt like too big a task for her, so Arya decided that from that moment on she was on a mission to help Jon. That was something that she could do.
"Arya." She heard Sam call out to her. She watched as he made his way over and sat next to her in the corner of the tavern. "Come with me, I'll keep you safe. Jon would want me to help you." He said to her before smiling. His face lit up and looked like a moon she thought.
Arya shook her head. "I can't Sam, I have a mission to do." She told him, hoping that she wouldn't have to explain everything to him.
"What mission?" He asked, not really understanding what could be so important to a girl her age and so far from home that she would turn down safety so easily.
"I...don't know how to explain, but Sam..." She paused for a moment and leaned in so that they could speak quietly. "The Wall will not be enough to hold back the White Walkers. Jon doesn't have the men. He needs more, much more."
Sam shook his head so that his chin and cheeks wobbled slightly. "Jon has recruited wildlings to man some of the other castles along The Wall and we even have a giant. I've seen them for myself."
Arya shook her head slowly, knowing that he wouldn't understand unless she told him everything that she knew. "It still won't be enough to hold them. If I succeed in my mission, I'll ride north with an army Westeros hasn't seen since the days of Aegon himself." She paused for a few moments before continuing. "And I'll bring three dragons with me too!"
Sams eyes opened wide at her bold statement. "But how? The dragons have been dead for centuries? And what army?"
"Daenerys Targaryen resides in Meereen, she has three dragons. I'm going to convince her to sail to Westeros and take back the Iron Throne. And then ride north with her armies and her dragons to unite the Seven Kingdoms and battle the White Walkers together, it's the only way!"
"But how are you going to do all of that?" Sam asked her, he clearly thought that she was crazy.
Arya could see the hope in his eyes but also hear the doubt in his voice. "I don't know yet, but I will find a eay. I must find a way. If not the lands will be covered in ice and darkness for all time and nothing will stand in their way." Arya looked Sam straight in the eyes, telling him how it really was.
Sam was almost speechless and looked terrified. "How do you know all of this?" He asked her, still in shock.
Arya decided that Sam should know what she knew and told him everything that Mathis had told her except for the part about Jon being part Targaryen. She still found it difficult to believe. But, if she was going to tell anyone, she was going to tell Jon first. Both of them were unaware that Maester Aemon was standing nearby and listening in on their conversation.
"The girl speaks the truth Sam, she has no reason to lie." Maester Aemon said as he slowly made his way over to sit with them. Sam immediately stood and helped him over to where they were sitting, making sure that he was careful and didn't fall. Maester Aemon was easily the oldest man Arya had ever seen, unless she counted Mathis and Jaqen, but they were different. And to think that she thought Maester Luwin and Old Nan were old back in Winterfell.
"You have brought a little joy to an old man's heart Arya". Maester Aemon continued. Arya looked at him not really understanding how she had done that. She thought that she had only told him bad news. "To hear that Daenerys Targaryen still lives." He smiled, squinting his eyes and making his face wrinkle up as if he was trying to picture something in his mind. He reached out a pale wrinkled hand towards her to hold her hand as he leaned in. "Do you know who I am child? Who I really am?" He asked her, squinting at her.
Arya looked at him feeling a little uneasy. "You're Maester Aemon from the Night's Watch." She replied, remembering his name from Sam's introduction earlier.
Maester Aemon nodded his head. "Yes, but I wasn't always a Maester of The Citadel or a man of the Night's Watch." He leaned in a little closer, Arya leaned in too knowing that he wanted to speak quietly. "I was once Aemon Targaryen. I will help you to convince Daenerys, my own blood."
Arya looked at him in almost disbelief. "Aemon Targaryen...it can't be? You could have been King?" She looked him over almost in shock as she remembered back to her history lessons. His hair was white with age, but his eyes were certainly that of a Targaryen. She looked at Sam who nodded back to assure her that Maester Aemon really was who he claimed to be.
"Maester Aemon are you sure?" Sam asked him, clearly concerned for the elderly maester and his friend.
"It's going to be a long trip." Arya added, trying to back Sam up. She didn't doubt that Maester Aemon would be able to help her to convince Danaerys and he would also be able to offer her sound advice whenever she needed it, but he was so old and weak. She would have to look out for him, protect him if necessary and he would slow her down immensely. She knew that there was very little time to lose.
"I am certain Sam. I am no longer of any use to the Night's Watch by escorting you to The Citadel. But, maybe I can be of some assistance to young Arya in her quest and serve The Night's Watch in other ways." He smiled over at Arya and she smiled back, even though she knew that he couldn't see her . "And it would be nice to spend the last of my remaining days with family before I die."
"As you wish." Sam said glumly before looking at Arya. "So long as Arya agrees?"
Arya looked back at Sam and then over at Maester Aemon. His comment about being with the last of his family before he died was something that she could understand all too well. She couldn't deny a frail old man his wish even if it did mean more effort on her part. "It's ok Sam, I agree."
"Sam, when you reach The Citadel you must send a raven to Jon. Tell him he must reinforce The Wall and hold it as long as possible. We have to buy as much time as we can." Maester Aemon told him before slowly getting to his feet again.
After saying their farewells, Arya and Maester Aemon left the inn and Sam behind. Arya slowly led him back through the streets of Pentos to Sweet Lily, letting him lean on her for support whenever he needed it. She took him to Captain Forel's cabin to explain the situation to him and how it had changed her plans. Arya was ready to let Maester Aemon have her cabin, but captain Forel insisted that Maester Aemon have his cabin as a guest of honor.
The following morning they set sail from Pentos. Arya knew that it could take many weeks to sail all the way to Slaver's Bay and Yunkai, boredom would be her worst enemy this time. She spent an hour on deck each morning practicing her Water Dance with Needle before eating with the rest of the crew, before practising for another hour with Frost. Before she went to bed each night she went to see Nymeria and sit with her and scratch behind her ears as she thought things over in her head.
Sometimes she would climb up to the crow's nest to see if she could spot any ships and talk to whoever was on watch at the time, but only if the weather stayed fair. For four whole days it rained and the wind whistled as a storm raged. Arya grew restless staying in her cabin or below deck with some of the crew, but it was better than getting soaked from the storm. The ship rolled heavily one day making her tummy feel queasy but she wasn't sick.
On the fourth day of the storm Arya had enough, she left her cabin and ran quickly to Captain Forel's cabin to see what the situation was. Captain Forel wasn't there but Maester Aemon was and he was awake for once so she decided to go and speak with him instead.
"Maester Aemon, do you know when the captain will be back?" She asked. She was hoping to talk to him to find out if they were nearly through the storm.
He looked up at her from his wooden chair. "I do not young one. Please, have a seat so that we may speak." He said as he gestured to another wooden chair opposite him.
Arya walked over and sat opposite him and they spoke for what seemed like hours. She asked him about Jon and and he told everything from when Jon had first arrived at Castle Black. He told her of how he tried to flee and help her brother Robb when he discovered he had gone to war, and his swift return. He told her how Jon was Commander Mormont's personal steward and their journey north of The Wall and his time spent with the wildlings. He even old her of the attack on Castle Black and the truce with the wildlings to man some of the abandoned castles along The Wall.
"It still won't be enough though will it?" She asked him, already knowing the truth of the situation, but hoping the elderly maester knew something she did not.
"No it will not be enough. The Night's Watch has become but a shadow of what it once was. The Wall will hold for a time, but when it falls darkness and death will spread across Westeros." He paused for a moment and reflected on what she had spoken of in the tavern. "We need Daenerys and her army."
"And her dragons!" Arya added enthusiastically.
Maester Aemon smiled and nodded his head slowly. "Ah yes, and her dragons. If only I could see them with my own eyes." He pondered as he sat back in his chair, resting his pale wrinkled hands in his lap.
Arya couldn't wait to see the dragons either. She had seen pictures of them in books and heard the stories and the legends. She had even seen the dragon skulls back in the dungeons of King's Landing when she was chasing a cat. But, to see a real life dragon with her own eyes would be something totally different.
Even though she had only known him for a short while, Arya had already started to take a liking to Maester Aemon. She figured that she should get to know him a little better too if she was going to be travelling with him all the way to Meereen. She told him of how she had escaped King's Landing with Yoren all the way to when she had met him and Sam in the tavern in Pentos.
Maester Aemon sat and listened to her every word, fascinated by her story. When Arya had finished he asked her to tell him everything that Mathis had told her again, to make sure that he understood everything. "I need to know everything if I'm going to help you to convince Daenerys." He explained.
A few weeks after the storm had passed Arya thought it was strange how nobody was on deck as she stepped out of her cabin one evening to take a walk and stretch her legs. Even when it was meal time there was always someone on deck or keeping watch in the crows nest. 'What's going on?' She thought to herself as she made her way to the bow of the ship to look out to sea. It almost felt like the ship had been abandoned, though Arya knew that this wasn't the case. They wouldn't have left her behind, would they?
"Arya child, you must go below deck or back to your cabin." She heard Captain Forel say as he approached her.
Arya turned to face him and had a look of confusion on her face. "But why? Is something wrong? We're not heading into another storm are we?" She asked him, hoping it wasn't another storm. She was curious to find out what was going on, something was clearly out of place but nobody had told her anything.
"Don't worry, we're not heading towards another storm." Captain Forel said as he placed his arm around her slender shoulders and started leading towards the back of the ship and his cabin. "We are close to Vayria. Do you anything of Valyria child?" He asked her as he looked down at her.
Arya did know a little of Valyria and it's doom from her history lessons with Maester Luwin back in Winterfell and her books in the House of Black and White, but she didn't care about that right now. "I'm not a child!" She complained, pouting a little as she was annoyed at being called a child twice. Everyone still seemed to insist on calling her a child even though she was a woman grown now having flowered several times already.
"Just so." Captain Forel seemed taken aback at first, but then dipped his head in a small bow towards her. "My apologies, sometimes I still see the little girl that first came to me with her tangled hair and grubby cheeks. I mean no offence."
Arya suddenly felt a little guilty seeing him react that way and her anger soon faded. She knew that he didn't mean any offence and smiled sweetly at him. "It's alright and I'm sorry I snapped at you, it's been a long voyage hasn't it?"
"Just so, and you carry many troubles with you for one so young." Captain Forel nodded as he opened the door to his cabin and showed her inside. "There is nothing to forgive."
Arya could see that Maester Aemon was asleep on the bed as usual. She had to look twice to make sure he was still alive. Captain Forel poured her a goblet of wine and handed it to her before pouring one for himself. "Fine Dornish Red." He said to her before taking a few sips and leading her over to two wooden chairs.
Arya looked and then sniffed at her wine. The smell was quite strong and she coughed, much to Captain Forel's amusement. She didn't normally drink wine unless it had been watered down, and even then only rare occasions. She didn't like the taste much and had seen how it could turn even the smartest man into a fool.
Luckily he had only poured a small amount into her goblet, it wasn't even half full. She took a sip and coughed as it was the strongest thing that she had ever tasted. She screwed her face up a little and didn't want any more, placing her goblet down. "So why is everyone hiding?" She asked, still confused by it all.
Captain Forel stroked his big bushy beard as he looked at her. "We're sailing close to Valyria and my men are a suspicious bunch." He said before taking another small sip of his wine.
Arya didn't understand how he could drink something so strong or why approaching Valyria meant that everyone had to hide. "But why does that mean I have to hide? I don't understand." She replied, still a little confused.
"I will tell you it all from the start Arya chi.." He stopped as she raised her eyebrows at him. "Just so." He coughed before continuing. "Valyria was once the capital of a great empire. That was until The Doom that destroyed it a century before Aegon's Landing in Westeros."
Arya nodded, she already knew this much from her lessons back in Winterfell and her books from the library in the House of Black and White in Braavos. "The Doom shattered the whole peninsula separating it from the Lands of Long Summer, leaving the Smoking Sea in it's wake." She continued for him. He looked most impressed with her knowledge. "All of their spells, knowledge and history lost. The most advanced civilization and the greatest city in the known world destroyed."
"Just so." He nodded slowly, clearly impressed. "They say that the sky is always red over Valyria and that any man who lays eyes upon that coast is doomed. This is why my men are hiding."
Arya looked him straight in the eyes. "I'm not a man, I'm a woman grown...no, a wolf!"
Captain Forel looked back at her for a few moments before laughing. "I do believe you're the bravest of us all little wolf."
Arya giggled softly at his response, feeling almost proud. She had always liked being called little wolf. "How long will it take to sail past Valyria?" She asked.
"Hopefully no more than a day, the winds favor us thank the gods." He replied. She could clearly see the relief on his face. He was as nervous as she had ever seen him.
As the sun set she could make out a faint red glow in the distance against the black sky. 'That must be Valyria' She thought to herself, thinking it looked a little eerie. She wasn't afraid though unlike the other sailors. She was a wolf, not a man and she wasn't afraid of any curse or doom. 'Fear cuts deeper than swords' She told herself as she looked at the strange red glow for a few moments longer so that nobody could say she was craven.
After practicing her Water Dance on deck for an hour or so Arya decided there was nothing left to do and turned in for the night.
Arya woke early the next morning after a fairly restless sleep. After dressing herself she made her way out onto deck to see that it was still dark, it must have been earlier than she thought. She looked around to see that the deck of the ship was still empty and looking up she could see that nobody was keeping watch from the crow's nest either. 'The Doom' She suddenly remembered as she saw a red glow in the distance.
Arya had the sudden urge to retreat to her cabin or below deck like the rest of the sailors, but she somehow held her nerve. 'I will not be afraid!' She told herself. The next thing she knew she was climbing the rigging all the way up to the crow's nest for a better view. 'Fear cuts deeper than swords'
The red glow was quite eerie, but it was also quite a spectacular sight against the black sky. Maester Luwin had taught her that Valyria was destroyed by a massive volcanic eruption, though some of the books in the House of Black and White said that the Valyrian's own magic caused their destruction. Arya didn't really know for sure, she just hoped that she would never have to go there.
As the sun started to rise and the morning sky changed to indigo and then a light blue, the eerie red glow faded from sight. She looked down from the crow's nest as the first of the sailors reappeared from below deck. "Morning!" She shouted as she waved down to him. He looked up at her almost stunned and waved back before going about his business. 'Craven' She thought to herself, knowing that she was the bravest person on the ship.
A few weeks later they approached the entrance to Slaver's Bay and Captain Forel had ordered more lookouts and also doubled the amount of sailors on patrol on deck to put off any slavers that were tempted to attack them. Everyone seemed a little on edge so Arya insisted that she should be part of it too, though Captain Forel at first refused. Eventually he gave in to her pleas and allowed her to take her turn keeping watch in the crow's nest.
After a few more days they finally made port in Yunkai. Arya looked around for First Mate Darion, remembering back to the agreement she had made with him. "Are you ready Darion?" She asked him, eager to help him and then be on her way to Meereen as soon as possible.
Darion looked down at her as he carried a wooden barrel in his arms, it looked heavy so Arya took a step to the side to make way for him. "We'll head out tonight, I will find you when I'm ready." He told her as he placed the barrel down on the docks.
"Ok, I won't go far." Arya replied, smiling up at him.
"Oh and, Captain Forel wishes to speak to you before we leave. You should go and see him." He told her before making his way back up the boarding plank on to Sweet Lily to grab a large wooden crate.
Arya smiled up at him. "Ok, I'll see what he wants, then I'll wait in my cabin until you're ready." She then playfully jabbed a finger into his muscular chest. "Don't forget about me or I'll put you on my list." She grinned cheekily.
He smiled back at her, chuckling slightly. "I won't forget!" He promised, winking at her.
After making her way over, she knocked on Captain Forel's cabin door before walking in. He was sat at his desk writing in his logbook as Maester Aemon slept on the bed. "Ah, I was hoping to talk to you before you left." He said as he placed his white feather quill down and stood, walking around his desk to greet her.
She smiled up as he wrapped his arm around her slender shoulders and led her back over to his cabin door. "What is it captain?" She asked him, unsure what this was all about.
He smiled and leaned down to talk quietly so that he wouldn't wake Maester Aemon. "When you and Darion have finished your business in Yunkai we shall sail you all the way to Meereen." He leaned in to whisper and winked at her. "Save the old man's legs. Yes?"
Arya smiled up happily at him, it would make things much easier for her, not to mention much quicker and safer than travelling by land with Maester Aemon. "Thank you Captain." She suddenly hugged him and he laughed his booming laugh, forgetting that Maester Aemon was sleeping.
Arya decided to help out a little by unloading some of the lighter cargo from the ship as First Mate Darion handled the heaviest cargo and the others handled the rest. When her arms and legs ached she headed down to the cargo hold to spend a little time with Nymeria who was a little restless having spent so long below deck. As usual she was pleased to see Arya and licked her cheek, making her giggle.
Arya spent a little time with Nymeria before returning to her cabin to rest and wait for Darion, hoping he wouldn't be too long. She had never been to a slaver city before and thinking back to what Darion had told her made her angry. She couldn't wait to help Darion to put this all behind him once and for all.
A knock on her cabin door a few hours later woke her up, she hadn't intended to fall asleep but she must have needed it after helping unload some cargo. She stretched and yawned before getting up and answering the door to let Darion know that she was awake. Arya left Needle safely tucked away under her bed knowing that she wouldn't need it, but decided to take Frost with her, clipping it to her belt.
Darion led Arya through the busy port and into Yunkai. He wore a grey hooded cape to try and hide his face, but because he towered over everybody Arya doubted it would make much difference. They looked like quite the odd couple too. He was tall and muscular and she was still short and quite skinny.
The light was fading fast as Darion led Arya deeper into the city. The Slaves outnumbered their masters three to one and were easily distinguishable from their masters by the leather collars that they wore around their necks and the ragged plain clothes they wore compared to their masters in their fine colorful robes. Darion never spoke a word to her as they walked, only checking to see that she was keeping up as he led her down alleyway after alleyway.
It was dark by the time they came to a large house which had a guard stood by the front door. Darion stopped and crouched down to put his arm around her slender shoulders. "This is the place." He said quietly, looking over to the house.
Arya looked over at the guard, he was dressed in a type of armor that she hadn't seen before. He held a spear in one hand and a round shield in the other and his face was hidden behind a helmet. "I don't like the look of him. We should try to avoid him if we can." She said quietly as she looked up at Darion. "Is there another way in?"
Darion nodded his head before standing up and leading her down a few more narrow alleyways before coming to the side of the large house. They both looked up to see that some wooden shutters had been left open. "I knew it! My former master always insisted that the shutters to the privy were left open. That's our way in."
Arya wasn't so sure that Darion would fit through the shutters even if he did make the climb. "Are you sure? I don't think you'll fit through there." She said as she started to look for a route to climb up.
"I'm not going to go in that way, you are. Then you'll let me in through the cellar." He pointed to where a heavy wooden cellar door was at the base of the wall.
"Ok, I can do that. I'm good at climbing and sneaking!" She smiled at him, glad that she had a chance to put some of her training into practice.
Darion crouched down next to her. "Once you're inside you'll be fine. My former master hated guards patrolling inside the house, so it should be easy once you're inside. Just head down the main stairs and into the kitchens at the back of the house. From there you can access the cellar."
"Got it." She replied before taking a deep breath and climbing up on a nearby wall. That was the easy part. She then balanced as she crept along the top of it and jumped to land on a low roof from the house. She then pulled herself up to where the shutters were using whatever handholds and footholds she could find. 'Bran would have been better at this' She thought to herself as she tried not to look down.
After a few nervous moments she reached the open wooden shutters and peaked inside. There was nobody there so she nodded down to Darion before slipping inside. For a privy it was pretty elaborate with decorations and even had a marble statue in the corner.
She quietly sneaked over to the door and opened it slightly to peek out. There was no sign of any guards as Darion had said, but she decided to be careful just in case. She slipped out of the door and carefully closed it behind her and sneaked 'as quiet as a shadow' over to the stairs before making her way down to the bottom.
She continued to look around and stayed in the shadows where possible as she made her way toward the kitchen area which was also deserted. Looking around she spotted the cellar door, but not before she had spotted a plate of lemon cakes. Arya loved lemon cakes but not as much as her sister loved them and somehow she resisted the urge to eat one. She quietly crept over to the cellar door and unlocked it with the iron key that was hanging up next to it before making her way down into the cellar.
Arya froze at the bottom of the stone steps as she saw seven slaves, including a dwarf. After thinking it over for a moment she walked out from the shadows holding her finger up to her lips. Several of the slaves looked at her, but none said a word. The dwarf was staring at her like he had seen a ghost, but Arya tried to ignore him and made her way over to the cellar door.
When she reached the cellar door she unlocked it and gave it a little push. They were thick oak and far too heavy for her but Darion managed to open it with ease. "Well done, leave the rest to me." He whispered to her as he ruffled her hair, before looking around at the slaves to see if he recognized any of them, but he didn't.
"What about the slaves? We can't just leave them here?" She asked Darion as she looked at them. The dwarf was still looking at her and it made her slightly anxious, although she couldn't say why.
"Free them, it's their choice where they go from here." He replied before making his way up the stone cellar steps to find his former master.
Arya looked around at the slaves, the dwarf was still looking at her. He looked familiar but she still couldn't think why. He was a funny looking thing and had a horrible scar across his face, with messy blonde hair and an equally messy beard. She almost felt sorry for him, but she really didn't like how he kept staring at her and decided to just free the other slaves in case he caused her any trouble. She really didn't like the look of his burly friend either and decided that she would leave him too, at least until Darion returned.
She knelt behind the nearest slave and by slipping Frost into the clip managed to easily break off his collar and free him from his chains. He thanked her and sat as he waited for the others to be freed before leaving together and fleeing into the night. Only the dwarf and his burly friend remained.
Arya decided that she would free the dwarf and the burly slave too, but she would wait until Darion returned before freeing them in case they started any trouble. The dwarf wouldn't pose much of a threat to her, but the burly man was much bigger than her and he had a dangerous look to him.
"Are you not going to free us too?" The dwarf asked her politely as she stood at the bottom of the cellar steps to look and see if she could see any sign of Darion.
"I haven't decided yet" She answered, trying to play it cool. "I don't like the look of your friend over there and I don't like how you keep looking at me either."
"Oh, you'll have excuse my friend here, bears don't do well in cages I'm afraid." He said as he looked over at the burly man.
Arya couldn't help but smile a little, he did look a little like a bear. "I think you'll stay as you are until my friend gets back, then I'll decide what to do with you." The burly man just looked at the floor, he didn't seem to care either way. The dwarf though wasn't ready to give up so easily.
"Let's play a game? I like games." He said calmly, a smile appearing on his scarred face. Arya looked at him a little bemused. "If I can guess your name, you will set me and my friend over there, free?"
Arya looked at him as she walked over to him. Even though he did seem a little familiar she had never seen him before, she was certain of it. "How could you possibly know who I am?" She asked him, curious to find out what this was all about.
"I know who you are, the question is why are you all the way out here my lady? You're a long way from home." He answered calmly.
Arya shook her head almost in disbelief. She had a horrible feeling that he really did know who she was. But how could he? She had never been to Yunkai before and she didn't recognize him that was for certain. "I don't think you do and it's none of your business why I'm here." She replied, thinking that he was just playing some kind of game.
"You're Arya Stark. Ned Stark's little girl. Though, you've grown a little since we last met my lady." He said confidently after a few moments, looking her up and down.
Arya moved to stand in front of him, Frost held tightly in her left hand as her heart pounded in her chest. "Who are you?" She asked looking down at the dwarf.