~:Valyria:~
When Arya and Tyrion had made it safely back to Sweet Lily, they both went to see Captain Forel to update him on the situation with Daenerys and her request for Valyrian weapons. Arya knew that it wouldn't be easy to convince him to sail to Valyria. She knew how supersticious his crew was and how dangerous it could be, but she had to try.
"You are asking me to risk my crew and my ship?" Captain Forel said as he looked Arya in the eyes. He clearly wasn't keen on the idea of sailing to Valyria, it was too dangerous. She knew that he would do anything for her within reason, but this was asking too much.
"The City of Valyria is nothing but a smoking ruin and almost impossible to reach. We would have better luck searching one of the other ruined cities further away from the doom. The danger will be far less and the damage less catastrophic." Tyrion suggested as he sat and rubbed the back of his legs which were cramping up again. The long walk from the Great Pyramid had caught up with him and Arya was pleased to see that he was suffering.
"Just so." Added Captain Forel. "Nobody who has sailed the Smoking Sea has ever returned. I cannot risk my ship and my crew. Tyrion is right, we should try searching another city for your weapons." He said as he folded his broad arms across his equally broad chest.
Arya was relieved to hear that they had an alternative plan. "Then where do you suggest we search?" Arya asked. She was starting to feel frustrated with everyone's superstitions about Valyria. She had looked at Valyria and it's ominous looking red sky as they had sailed past on their way to Yunkai and no doom or curse had fell upon her, but that was from a distance. 'Maybe going to another ruined city would be safer? She thought to herself.
Captain Forel picked out an old rolled up map from a drawer in his desk and placed it down on the table before unrolling it and studying it for a few moments. "Oros." He pointed to a place that was somewhere north of Valyria. "A ruined city north of the Smoking Sea and far enough away to avoid the worst of the doom. If we sail close to the shore along the Black Cliffs we will stand a good chance of reaching it if the weather holds." He moved his finger along the map to show them the route that he was planning in his mind.
"That sounds like a good plan." Ser Jorah added as he calmly walked over to join them and looked at the map where Captain Forel was pointing. "We shouldn't take any risks that we don't need to take, Valyria is a dangerous place."
"What can we expect to find at Oros? Do we know anything about it?" Arya asked as she looked around at the others. She had never even heard of Oros and was curious to learn more of their new destination. She knew that Tyrion and Captain Forel's plan did make sense and that Ser Jorah was right too. Why take risks they didn't need to take by going to Valyria if they can find what they seek elsewhere.
"Well, not much is known and most is lost to history." Tyrion said calmly from his wooden chair as he placed his silver goblet of wine down. "Oros was said to be second greatest city of the Valyrian Freehold before the doom, second only to the City of Valyria itself. It once had a magnificent port and used to be the meeting point of the Valyrian Peninsula and the Essosi mainland before it was obliterated in the Doom of Valyria four centuries ago. Now all that is left is a ruined city and the Smoking Sea." Tyrion then looked around at the others who were all listening to him before continuing. "It is also said that the ruins of Oros may still be inhabited?"
"Inhabited by who?" Arya asked feeling a little unsure.
Tyrion took another sip of his wine. "Stone Men."
Arya didn't like the sound of them. "Stone Men?"
Tyrion placed his empty goblet down and walked over to join them. "The Stone Men are people who have been exiled to Valyria because they have severe greyscale, though they can barely be called people any more. Viscous, with grey flesh cracked and hard. It is said that they can infect you with greyscale simply by touching you." He gently poked her arm.
"How do you know so much?" Arya asked as she pulled her arm away. She was impressed by Tyrion's knowledge, not that she would openly admit it.
"I once told your brother Jon something similar. My mind is my weapon and a mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." He smiled up at her.
Arya had also read a lot of books back in the House of Black and White, she just wished that some of them had been about Valyria. "So it's agreed then, we search the ruins of Oros first. Hopefully we'll find what we're looking for there." Arya said agreeing to their plan. The truth was that she wasn't too keen on going to the City of Valyria either and searching Oros first made a lot more sense, it was closer and meant they didn't have the sail the Smoking Sea.
"Just so." Captain Forel replied as the others nodded in agreement. "But first we will need some supplies, it could be a long journey."
Arya knew that this would be her last chance to get any supplies that she might need. Once they had left Meereen behind it could be a long time until they returned and they would have to rely on things that they could find and the supplies they took with them.
After Sweet Lily had been stocked up with some fresh supplies from the market they set sail later that day, just as the sun had started to set. The sea was calm with only small ripples for waves and the orange glow of the sun made it look quite beautiful. Arya hoped that the rest of the journey would be as calm, though she doubted it would be. She was no veteran sailor. but she was learning how quick the weather can turn out at sea.
A few days later with Meereen far behind them, Arya leaned against the side of the ship and watched as they sailed along the Black Cliffs, steep high walls of black, unforgiving rock. Arya couldn't say if the cliffs were meant to be that color or if they had been charred black from the doom. She watched as thousands of large grey birds hovered above them before eventually flying out to sea.
After a few more days the scenery grew even more ominous. The sea smoked in the distance and at night the sky glowed an angry orange and red. Viscious jagged rocks that looked like they were made of black glass, only as hard as rock replaced the Black Cliffs. They protected the shoreline like the needles on the back of a hedgepig and would make any kind of landing impossible. Some of them were as tall as the broken tower of Winterfell, though most were no taller than the ship.
That evening they sailed passed the unfortunate wreckage of a ship that had been shattered on one of the larger stone needles. It didn't look like a recent wreck as it was covered in dark green slime and a bizarre looking red seaplant of some kind. Arya had read that some seaplants could be used to make potions and salves, but she didn't recognize this type and it would be far too dangerous to try and collect some 'I bet Master Garavel knows what that is' She thought to herself, thinking of her potions master back at the House of Black and White.
Arya hoped that they wouldn't suffer the same fate as the wrecked ship aboard Sweet Lily. If they were wrecked out here they might never be able to find their way back to Meereen. She could tell that the crew were already feeling edgy as they sailed closer to the Smoking Sea and the sight of the wrecked ship only made them even more nervous.
The land in the distance looked barren and was blanketed with a thick layer of grey ash. There was no sign of any flowers or trees or grass, only the charred remains of a few shattered tree trunks scattered here and there. It was unlike anywhere Arya had ever seen before, a scorched, desolate place with no sign of life. 'Fear cuts deeper than swords' She tried to reassure herself, though she still couldn't help feeling a little nervous.
They eventually arrived at the entrance to a ruined harbor. Charred black masts stuck out of the sea where ships once docked. The harbor itself was almost totally destroyed, only fragments of shattered stone buildings and crumbled wooden walkways remained. There was no sign of any life and no color, everything was covered in a thick layer of grey ash. It was quite an eerie sight and everyone aboard seemed nervous.
Captain Forel decided that it was too dangerous to sail Sweet Lily any closer to shore with all of the debris that littered what remained of the harbor and dropped anchor. They would have to take a small boat to get to shore.
After Jorah, Tyrion, Arya and Nymeria had climbed into the small wooden boat, Darion lowered them slowly into the water. Jorah rowed them to shore, weaving carefully between all of the charred debris that scattered the harbor waters. Arya looked at the the destruction as they approached the shore. She had never seen such devastation, even Harrenhal with it's melted black walls looked welcoming compared to this.
"We shouldn't venture too far, this is not a place where we should get lost." Jorah said as he stepped out of the boat and steadied it for the others.
Tyrion climbed out after Nymeria had leaped out. He looked so clumsy and Arya hoped that he would fall but he didn't. "I agree." He said as he looked around.
Arya stepped out of the little wooden boat and stood next to Nymeria who had leapt out after Tyrion. "Me too." She agreed, chewing her lower lip nervously. It was the most unwelcoming place Arya had ever seen. 'Fear cuts deeper than swords' She had to remind herself, hearing Syrio's voice in her head as her heart beat a little faster in her chest.
"Maybe we should split up? We'll have more chance of finding something that way." Jorah suggested as he looked down at Tyrion, who nodded in agreement.
"I'll go with Nymeria." Arya said as she placed her hand on Nymeria's back to stroke her thick grey fur. She would feel much safer with her loyal direwolf at her side. She could see, hear and smell danger long before Arya could.
"And I'll go with Ser Jorah." Tyrion said as he looked around at the grey wasteland around them. Fine grey ash fell silently from the sky like snow. It felt almost peaceful, yet eerie at the same time.
Arya set off cautiously as she didn't really know what to expect. She hoped that the rumors of Oros still being inhabited weren't true. The Stone Men sounded awful from what Tyrion had told them and she was determined to read more about them back at the House of Black and White when she returned. She hoped that they didn't meet one of them and she really didn't want to catch greyscale. Even with Nymeria close behind her Arya still felt a little nervous. 'Fear cuts deeper than swords' She whispered to herself as her thumb ran over the smooth pommel of Needle.
Arya looked around at the destruction all around her. Crumbled stone walls, broken paths, shattered houses that were charred and black, fallen towers and scorched tree trunks that had been warped and twisted with heat and time. The fine grey ash covered everything so there was no color, only grey and black. There was no birds in the sky, no flowers in the dirt, no grass growing, no insects on the ground, no sight or sound of any life.
Arya eventually came to a building that remained mostly intact. It had no roof or windows and the upper floors were mostly gone, but compared to every other building that she had seen it looked in good condition. She decided it might be worth a look and walked over with Nymeria to step through what remained of the doorway which had warped slightly.
Inside there was a thin layer of ash covering everything. It must have blown in through the door and smashed windows over the years since the house had been abandoned. Broken and charred furniture was scattered through the room and covered with fine grey ash. Arya walked over to a crumbling wooden bookshelf to look through the books. She picked one out and blew off the ash and dust before opening it. The pages had yellowed and the text was mostly faded and unreadable, but she did manage to pick out the occasional word of Valyrian.
Next, she walked across to what remained of a wooden desk and pulled at the drawers to see what was inside. They were a little stiff but she managed eventually to open them enough to see what was inside. She found a few crumbling pieces of parchment, some old quills and a dried up inkpot but nothing of any use. 'Nothing'
Arya gave up on that room and moved deeper into the house. She was looking for an armory or a room where valuables might be kept. If they couldn't find any Valyrian weapons, maybe some Valyrian jewellery might impress Daenerys instead. Arya knew that she couldn't return to Meereen empty handed.
After she had finished thoroughly searching a second house Arya decided to give up and made her way back outside again. She looked up as the ash had started to fall heavier now and the sky had turned a dark grey. "Maybe we should head back? I don't like the look of this." Arya said to Nymeria as she started walking back to the small wooden boat to wait for Tyrion and Jorah.
Nymeria walked with Arya a little before she started to wander off. Arya knew that Nymeria needed a little freedom after being stuck in Sweet Lily's cargo hold for so long and let her go and explore. Arya knew that Nymeria would be able to find her way back again so she wasn't too worried as Oros seemed to be abandoned. She was relieved that there was no Stone Men adnt aht she wasn't going to catch greyscale.
As Arya approached the entrance to the ruined harbor she spotted two men that she hadn't seen before and quickly ducked down behind what remained of a crumbling stone wall that had been charred black from the doom centuries ago. 'Maybe Tyrion was right? Maybe Oros is still inhabited?' She thought to herself as she peeked over the wall to spy on them, hoping that they weren't Stone Men. But she was too slow to hide again, they had already seen her and were approaching with loaded crossbows. Arya quickly stood and turned to run only to see two more men standing behind her, pointing loaded crossbows at her.
Arya froze on the spot as the first two men walked over. They didn't say anything to her but shoved her in the back and lead her down to the habor where she saw Sweet Lily burning and sinking in the distance. Her heart sank, she hoped that the others were alright. Except for Tyrion, she didn't really care if he had been killed.
The silent men shoved her onwards to show her the heads of Sweet Lily's crew which were mounted on wooden pikes along the beach. It was a gruesome sight and broke her heart to see the heads of the crew she had grow so fond of.
Arya then spotted Darion and Captain Forel kneeling on the sand, looking a little beaten and bruised with their hands bound behind their backs as more of the silent men dug holes below the shoreline. 'They must be pirates' She thought to herself as she saw their ship out in the harbor.
The captain of the pirates saw her as the silent men shoved her along. He approached her, looking her over.
He was tall, pale and quite handsome. Not as handsome as Robb or Jon, but handsome for a man his age. He had black hair and an equally black beard which framed his pale blue lips and he wore a patch over his left eye, while his right eye was a piercing icy blue. A viscous looking sword hung from the black leather belt around his waist, sharp and cruel to match the cold stare that he gave her. On his tunic Arya saw a coat of arms that she didn't recognize, a red eye with a black pupil beneath a black iron crown that was supported by two crows. 'Who are you?' She thought to herself.
"Allow me to point out the situation that you are in. Resist and I will kill you. Run and I will kill your friends slowly and painfully." He smiled cruely as he pointed over to where Darion and Captain Forel were being buried in the ash and sand up to their necks. "And then I will kill you." He added as he looked back at her with his icy blue eye. "Do as I say and I will let you live."
"Who are you? What do you want?" She asked the one eyed captain as she studied his face so that she would never forget it. It wouldn't be hard to remember, pale blue lips, an eye patch and that icy blue eye that seemd to stare right through her! Arya really wanted to add him to her death prayer for what he had done to Sweet Lily and her crew, but for that she needed his name.
The one eyed pirate laughed at her, it was a cold mocking laugh. "Some call me the Crow's Eye, you may call me that if you wish." He replied cooly. "And what may I call you little one?"
"My name is Arry." She replied, not willing to give him her real name.
"Come Arry, I have a task that is perfect for someone your size." He grinned as he placed his hand around her skinny arm, gripping it tightly and dragged her away. His fingers dug into her arm and it hurt, but she didn't complain. This man was dangerous and she knew it.
The Crow's Eye and six of his men led her deeper into Oros, much deeper than she had dared to venture with Nymeria. Arya made no attempt to run or escape as she knew that there was no point. Where would she go even if she did manage to escape? She also knew that they would kill Darion and Captain Forel, her too if they caught her again. For now she just had to go along with them and hope that the Crow's Eye would keep his word and let her live after she had finished the task that he wanted her to do.
"Back when Valyria was a great power, powerful dragon lords were buried under great temples with fine valyrian weapons. But, the most powerful of all were said to be buried with dragon eggs." The Crow's Eye told her. "I believe that one of those powerful dragon lords is buried under a temple in Oros. I want you to retrieve one of these dragon eggs for me and in return I shall let you live."
"You promise you will let me live?" Arya asked as she looked up at him trying to read his face to see if he was lying to her. His face was cold like one of the stone gargoyles of Winterfell and he gave nothing away. 'If I can find one fast enough I'll have time to rescue Darion and Captain Forel' She thought to herself.
"I swear it by the Drowned God, the Red God, the old gods and the new." The Crow's Eye replied as he looked her straight in the eyes with icy blue eye. "I will let you live."
Arya hoped that he was telling her the truth, though she couldn't be certain if he was. The only thing that she was certain of was that she didn't have much choice. "Fine, it's a deal." She said reluctantly.
The Crow's Eye led her to what looked like a ruined temple of some kind. The entrance was blocked by rubble from two smashed statues that had once stood either side, only their bases and feet remained. He pointed to small gap in the rubble which she should be able to squeeze through. "That is your way in."
Arya really didn't want to go inside the ruined temple, but she knew that she didn't have a choice and each moment that she hesitated was less time that she would have to rescue Darion and Captain Forel. 'Fear cuts deeper than swords' She told herself as she scrambled up the rubble to reach the small gap. She peeked inside to see only darkness. "I'll need a torch." She said as she turned to look down at the Crow's Eye. "It's too dark to see."
The Crow's Eye nodded and then looked at one of his silent men who lit and then handed her a torch.
Arya took a deep breath and then squeezed her way inside the ruined temple, scrambling down the rubble on her skinny bottom until she was stood on the tiled floor. She held up her torch and crept forward, looking at the devastation around her.
The ceiling had mostly collapsed, crumbled wooden seats and broken furniture were scattered everywhere. Stone statues of dragons and men were smashed and crumbling, some only had their bases remaining. Skeletons lay scattered on the tiled floor, still wearing the robes they had worn in life only now they were tattered and faded with age. 'They must have been trapped, sheltering from the doom' Arya thought to herself as she carefully stepped around them, not wanting to disturb them.
Arya looked around for a way down to the crypts below but couldn't see anything obvious. She knew that if a dragon lord was buried here then that would be the best place to look. Arya decided to light any candles and sconces that she came across to create as much light as she could in case her torch went out as well as make it easier to find her way back out again. This was the last place she wanted to be if her torch went out, trapped like the valyrian's centuries before.
After a little searching she came across a splintered wooden door at the back of the huge collapsed entrance chamber. It was heavy and the rusted iron hinges creaked as she pushed it open to enter a short corridor. There was a door on each side and another door at the far end of the corridor.
Arya tried to open the door to her left but it was locked. The wooden door to her right creaked as she opened it to enter what looked like a priest's private chambers. There were cobwebs and dust everywhere, or maybe it was ash it was hard to tell in the low light of her torch.
On the bed lay a skeleton dressed in faded green robes, he looked like he was once a priest of some kind. She noticed a silver colored ring set with several small red stones on his left hand and also a matching pendant around his neck. He also had a decorative dagger clipped to a black leather belt around his waste which had a gold dragons head for a pommel. The blade shimmered from the flame of her torch just as Frost did. 'A valyrian dagger'
There was a crumbling wooden bookself in the corner filled with scrolls, parchment and tomes that had yellowed with time. Valyrian knowledge and spells that were now lost forever. On the wooden table next to the bed was a ruined book and a ring of old iron keys which she took along with the priest's valyrian dagger before turning around to try the locked door.
The lock clicked as it opened and inside were several wooden chests which were also locked. Arya tried each of the iron keys in turn but none of them opened the chests. She wanted to stay to try and pick them open to see what was inside them, but knew she didn't have time if she had any hope of saving Darion and Captain Forel from drowning.
Reluctantly Arya left the chamber with the chests behind and made her way down the corridor to the final door which was also locked. After trying a few of the iron keys it finally clicked as it unlocked. The door creaked loudly as she leaned against it to push it open. Arya had finally found what she was looking for, stone steps which led down in to total and utter darkness. The crypts of Winterfell held no fear for her but this was a different kind of darkness.
Arya followed the stone steps down into the darkness, lighting the wall sconces with her torch as she went. Her footsteps echoed off the cold stone walls as she descended deeper under the temple before eventually stepping out into the crypt. It was a large square chamber that looked as though it had been dug out of solid rock. There was no bricks or tiles, just solid black rock with rough stone pillars that held up the high cieling.
Stone statues looked at her from their stone chairs as she crept forward holding up her torch. The long black shadows they created danced to the flickering of the flame. She could almost feel their gemstone eyes on her, watching her and giving her gooseflesh. 'Fear cuts deeper than swords' She reminded herself as she edged bravely forward. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, it was the darkest, eeriest place that she had ever seen.
Most of the stone statues had clay urns and melted candles at their feet and some had valyrian weapons across their laps just as the Crow's Eye had told her, but there was no sign of any dragons eggs. She pressed on and came to another wooden door. It was thick and heavy and the hinges were rusted. She leaned against it and pushed with all of her strength and eventually managed to open it just enough to squeeze through.
Arya held up her torch to see more stone steps which led her deeper underground and eventually to another chamber with more stone statues and shelves filled with clay urns. 'How deep does this go?' She wondered.
On the far side of the chamber she came across three closed wooden doors. On closer inspection she saw valyrian writing carved into the stone above each of the doors. Aya knew a little High Valyrian but she couldn't make out the any of the words. 'Seven hells' She cursed, wishing that she had pay more attention to Maester Luwin.
Arya tried to open each the doors but they were all locked. There was nowhere else to search, if there were dragon eggs buried here they had to be behind those doors or she would have to return to the Crow's Eye empty handed, which she really didn't want to do. Arya pulled out the iron keys that she had found in the dead priest's chamber and tried a few of them until she found the one which fit the first door. She tried to turn it but it was too stiff and rusted with age. The second door was even worse and totally seized. Luckily the third door clicked open after a little effort.
Inside was a small circular chamber with three stone statues. The largest one stood opposite her and there were smaller ones to her left and to her right sat on stone thrones. Each was more elaborately decorated with jewels and gemstones than in the larger chambers. Several clay urns were placed into shelves cut out from the bare rock and had melted candles beside them. Arya held up her torch to see dragon carvings on the wall as well as small dragon statues which guarded the clay urns.
Her eyes widened as she saw what looked like a valyrian greatsword and stone dragon egg sat on top of the stone tomb at the feet of the largest stone statue. The sword was huge and it reminded her of Ice, the Stark family sword, but it was the dragon egg that she had come for. Arya reached out and took only the dragon egg, tucking it safely under her arm. It was covered in thick bronze scales and felt much heavier than it looked and surprisingly beautiful.
Arya knew that she could come back for the valyrian weapons later after saving Darion and Captain Forel. For now she had to get the dragon's egg to the Crow's Eye and hope that he would keep his side of the deal.
'As fast as a snake' She made her way back up the stone steps, squeezing through the door that she had opened and 'As swift as a deer' back up some more steps before making her way back into the collapsed entrance hall and over to the narrow entrance where the Crow's Eye was waiting for her.
"Hand over the dragon egg." The Crow's Eye ordered her, holding out his hand through the gap in the rubble.
Arya didn't like his tone and frowned a little. She really wanted to get out of there but knew that she didn't have time to argue with him. She carefully passed the stone dragon egg through the narrow entrance and placed it into his outstretched hands.
"A gift worthy of my bride." She heard the Crow's Eye say as she watched him hold it up to inspect it with his icy blue eye.
Arya really wanted to get out of the ruined temple and back out into the fading light of day. She tried to squeeze through the narrow entrance until she felt a hand on her head which pushed her sharply, making her fall back.
"You promised you would let me live. You swore it by the all of the gods." Arya said clearly annoyed, watching helplessly as three of the mute pirates hauled a large boulder over the entrance to seal her inside the ruined temple.
"I have kept my promise, I am letting you live." The Crow's Eye said as he continued to hold up the stone dragon egg to inspect it with his icy blue eye. "But I never said I would let you out of there." He laughed coldly as the boulder fell into place with a thud, blocking her escape and sealing her inside.
'Cersei, Walder Frey, The Imp, The Crow's Eye'