The godswood smelled of spicy pine and years of decaying leaves. It felt warm and close under the confines of the canopy the ancient trees formed above her, but Arya didn't care. The anger that boiled inside her was hotter than any day that King's Landing could produce. It was anger at Gendry for making her feel something, anything, for him again after all these years; it was anger at her uncle for making her believe that blaming Gendry had been wrong; it was anger at the small council and the Queen and her sister and everyone else that had had anything to do with dragging her here; it was anger at herself for trusting any of them.
She slashed viciously with Needle at a sapling that had the misfortune of growing next the path she was walking on.
"Weese. Dunsen. Chiswyck."
She struck a bush, ripping leaves and limbs in two.
"Polliver. Raff the Sweetling. The Tickler."
She swiped at a slender ash, making it shake like a maiden on her wedding night.
"The Hound. Ser Gregor. Ser Amroy."
"Ser Ilyn. Ser Meryn. King Joffrey. Queen Cersei."
Bark ripped, moss tore, grass blades whirled in the air. Most of the names were pointless now, some of them were dead by her own hand, but she felt a certain comfort in saying them outloud. She wondered if she should add Gendry to the list.
The godswood had no heart tree, none of the godswoods in the South did, but it had hot spring-fed pools just like Winterfell did. Had. It was best not to think of Winterfell at all, she scolded herself. It only made things worse. She stared down into the pool at her ragged reflection and nearly spat in contempt.
The sound of a twig breaking underfoot behind her drew her attention. She listened the way the blindness had taught her and stayed facing away from whoever was trying to sneak up the path. They were so close she could practically hear them breathing. Her grip tightened on Needle as she waited for them to get closer. A leaf crunched dryly not six feet behind her, causing her to spin around with teeth bared and Needle raised.
"What are you doing here you filthy bastard?" She hissed before she got a good look at who had been trying to sneak up on her, her anger proceeding her.
The point of the slender blade was hovering just above the hollow of his throat and he raised his hands in mock surrender, though the expression on his face was one of amusement.
"A girl is too kind." He said with a laugh.
"Jaqen! What are you doing here? I went looking for you in Braavos, but…" She lowered the point of her sword and allowed herself to relax.
She had to fight the urge to hug him. Maybe he hadn't been a real friend, but she had always thought of him as one.
"A girl should not be so quick to drop her guard. A girl knows me not for friend or enemy."
"If you had wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have made so much noise, stupid," She sheathed Needle and crossed her arms. "You didn't answer my question."
"A girl cuts to the point like a knife. A man is here to tell her of the whisperings of little birds."
"Birds? What do stupid birds have to do with anything?"
"The birds have told a man of the secret plans for the heir of Baratheon. They are plans of poison and death and blacker magic than even a man has ever seen." The last trace of mirth disappeared from around his lips and his eyes turned grave.
"Gendry? Someone means to kill Gendry?" She dropped her arms back to her sides, one hand tightening on Needle's hilt.
"Does a girl care for a boy? A boy betrayed her or so she thinks. Why would a girl want to help a boy?" The teasing was seemingly light-hearted, but Arya knew he was testing her.
"Why would you tell me he was in danger if you thought I wouldn't help him?" She asked hotly.
"A man did not know if a girl cared enough, but a girl has proved a man wrong. And a girl."
"Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I want him dead!"
"No? Them what does a girl make her list for?"
Arya's only reply was to glare at him until his knowing gaze forced her to break eye contact and stare at the ground. For a while, the only sound was of the birds in the pines and the babble of the pools.
"Who wants to kill him?" She asked, breaking the silence.
"A woman, as red as fire, with the fate of a king on her shoulders. A king with no crown that could destroy a queen."
"Do you mean Stannis? Stannis is weak and hiding and he could never hurt Daenerys. And anyway, what does that have to do with Gendry?"
"If a boy is found dead, the Stormlands will blame a queen. They will rally to a king in all their strength and all the plotting and planning will be lost. A queen will lose the Stormlands and her pretty head when an army overtakes a city."
"The Stormlands haven't even accepted Gendry, they don't trust him because he's a bastard."
"If a boy is found dead, they will weep false tears to kill a queen"
"They'll lie to kill the Queen?"
"A girl finally understand." Jaqen shook his head in exasperation.
"But what can I do? Why would you tell me all this in the first place? I can't kill Stannis from wouldn't you tell the Queen?" All this talk was giving her a headache.
"A queen suspects, that is why a girl is here. A girl must marry a boy and silence the realm."
Arya's nostrils flared in rage and her grip on Needle tightened to the point where it felt as if her fingers might break.
"You're just like everyone else in this bloody city! You won't be happy until I'm wedded and bedded and start popping out children! Well, I don't care what happens to this stinking city or any of the people in it! And why do you even care? What does Westeros mean to you?"
Jaqen moved so quickly Arya nearly jumped out of her skin. His face pressed close to hers, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"A girl does not know of what she speaks, she does not know of how hard a man has worked to set actions in motion. If a queen falls and takes a city with her, a realm will burn and all will be undone. A girl has an uncle, a nephew," He paused. "A sister. A girl does not wish to lose them. A girl will marry the boy to save them if she does not do it for the realm."
"Are you threatening my family? If I hadn't saved you all those years ago, you would have cooked like a pig on a spit!"
"A man does not threaten. A man speaks the truth and a girl will listen or everyone she knows will die. A man knows." Jaqen stared at her hard, as if willing her to understand.
She closed her eyes and sighed. She didn't bother looking for him once she opened them, she knew he was already gone.