A/N: SO sorry for the super long wait for this chapter, but on the plus side it is extra long - I just couldn't stop writing.
Last chapters song lyric: 'You've got miles of feeling and acres of pride' from 'When You've Got What it Takes' by 'The Carpenters'
This chapter has a Bon Jovi lyric hidden away :)
Hope you enjoy
xBx
Chapter 14: Arya
Arya sat quietly, watching. It was dark, the sun had set hours ago and the camp was settling for the night. She watched her men - individually and as a whole - quietly assessing each and every one of them, in every move they made. They had left Stoney Sept ten days ago and tomorrow she would be sending half her men to Aegon, the rest would be splitting in a few days time - but how they were to split, Arya was only just deciding.
As she watched, another joined her, and looking around she smiled at Gendry who had taken a seat on the ground beside her.
"I have to ask, what are you looking for? You've been watching us all intently for days, why?" Gendry asked her, no formality in his voice whatsoever, there never was with Gendry.
Arya wore her crown every day now, she was a princess in every sense of word, but Gendry still spoke to her the same way he always had: as if they were still just Gendry and Arry, travelling north to The Wall. Arya was glad of this, but at the same time wary; it was nice to be treated like a normal person, as an equal, but at the same time she couldn't ignore how much of Arya Stark was returning. Her emotions were getting closer to the surface, memories long forgotten were coming back to her in dreams and she was certain it was all because of Gendry: when she was with him, she found it easier to be the girl she had used to be.
But she needed to be no one: in seven days time she planned to enter King's Landing by stealth, she couldn't afford to be distracted by emotions.
"Tomorrow we split in half: I will be sending Shore, Ned and Bryn and their men south, to met Aegon. It is the rest I am watching intently, because in a week, some of us will be entering King's Landing while the rest wait outside for a signal. I need to make sure I take the right men with me, and leave the right men outside - one wrong move and we fail," Arya said seriously, though not betraying any concern.
"Can I ask?" Gendry began carefully. "How are you planning to get inside? Security will be as tight as it has ever been."
Arya smiled and pulled a scroll from inside her shirt and held it out to Gendry to inspect. "Don't open it," she commanded.
Gendry took it and surveyed it, paying close attention to the seal. "The three-headed dragon - this is from Aegon?"
"Precisely; I took it from the raven I shot down - anything that moves is food nowadays." Gendry looked confused at this statement, and Arya smiled a little wider, "at least, that is what I intend to tell Tommen, or Cersei - or whoever rules the council. My raven delivered it this morning,' she explained.
"And how do you plan on getting in font of the council?"
"That is where you, Harwin and a certain few others come into play - I'll explain more when we reach our final destination.
The following morning, the camp split precisely as Arya had said. Arya continued down the Blackwater, with her men at her back and her wolves surrounding her. Each night, after darkness had fallen for a few hours, they pitched the single, large tent on the banks of the river, built fires, and hacked away at the ice to try and find some fish lurking in the depths of the river. Each night Arya slipped into Nymeria's skin and patrolled the forests surrounding them; the closer they got to the capital, the more plentiful was the supply of food in the form of scouts - some displaying the Lannister lion on their surcoat, some the Lion and Stag of Tommen's sigil. Arya had also become accomplished at slipping into her raven - every night since she had left the Sept, Arya had followed the bird's progress on its journey to Aegon and back, successfully guiding it to her ever-changing location.
A few days shy of reaching the capital, Arya emerged from the tent that morning wearing the rough spun dress she had worn when she left Braavos. It was the first time some of the men had seen her in anything other than breeches and the sight of some of their faces was rather comical. She looked every inch the princess, despite the inexpensive garb; her hair was simply braided, the plait falling gracefully over her shoulder, and for once her curves - as small as they may be - were on display, and all those who had known her before her trip to Braavos, were left in no doubt that Arya Stark was now most definitely a woman grown very fine indeed.
A few of the men, who the day before had spoken to her man to man, now appeared unsure exactly how to address her, which amused Arya greatly though she didn't let it show. As the men began packing up the camp around her, Arya made her way to Harwin, Gendry and Lommy, who were looking over a map on a small table.
"Are we travelling on schedule?" Arya asked as she approached them.
"If our calculations are correct, we should-" Gendry started, looking up from the maps, but when his eyes found Arya he quickly took in her attire, and seemed to loose the words that were on the tip of his tongue seconds ago. "Erm...yes...I think so. You changed," he stated suddenly, as if he couldn't stop the words, and coloured slightly before clearing his throat and looking back down at the table.
Arya's stomach dropped, and she suddenly felt extremely self-conscious wearing the gown - it was almost like history was repeating itself, but she would be damned if she let him laugh at her again.
"I swear to the Old Gods, if you laugh again I will hurt you worse than last time: I may not look it, but I am a lot stronger than I used to be and I will take you down to the ground a lot faster this time around," Arya growled, feeling more self conscious by the minute.
For a reason that escaped Arya, Gendry - who had just taken a drink from his wineskin - choked, sputtered and turned even redder, earning a severely reproachful look from Harwin.
"I might look ridiculous," Arya started, voicing her self-doubt but sounding nonchalant. "But it's necessary -"
"You don't look ridiculous," Gendry muttered, not meeting Arya's eyes, but stopping her mid-rant. "And you didn't look ridiculous that time either. I didn't laugh at the dress, I was laughing at the look on your face - you looked murderous and mortified all at the same time. I'm not going to laugh; you look beautiful," Gendry finished quietly - so quietly it was almost missed.
But Arya heard it, and for once she had no idea what to say. Her face showed no change, but inside her heart was racing and her stomach was churning. If she hadn't been about to storm the capital she would have stopped to analyse her current feelings, and the stirrings that had haunted her on the journey, with regards to Gendry: she was more conscious of his movements than anyone else's, her eyes were drawn to him more often with each passing day, but if she questioned these new behaviours she would become distracted from her imminent quest.
So she ignored it, and continued up to the table, saying a quiet "thank you" to Gendry without meeting his eye. Harwin cleared his throat, as if to remind Gendry and Arya of his presence, and answered the question that Gendry had failed to finish.
"We should come in sight of King's Landing within three days, princess, if we continue at our current pace. And if Ned and Norrey kept pace, they should have reached Aegon by now."
"Good," Arya said, assuming a natural air of command. "We continue as usual for today, but tomorrow we split once more. We shall lead with twenty men, the rest will follow half a day behind."
"Have you picked the twenty?" Gendry asked.
"Almost. Lommy, roll the map and put it with the rest. Then gather your belongings and bring me my bow and arrows - it's time to move out."
"Yes, princess," Lommy said, attending to Arya's orders, as Arya moved to rejoin the camp. Gendry made to follow, but Harwin called him back - for what purpose, Arya didn't wait to find out.
When Arya and her men split the following day, Arya moved forward with limited provisions. With her travelled Lommy, Gendry, Harwin, a couple of Aegon's men (Brent and Florey) and Anguy with enough young men - so young they could be almost classed as boys - to send two to each gate. Everyone else was now half a day behind, with Mathos and Lady Stoneheart at the head. When night fell, Arya and her small group went without a fire as they were now so close to King's Landing and relied on each other and their furs for warmth through the night. Each person took his or her turn at the watch; when Gendry's turn came around, Arya remained awake and slipped into Nymeria's skin. Nymeria and her pack were travelling behind Arya, but in front of the rest, but upon Arya's command they moved ahead and eliminated the remainder of the scouts lurking ahead.
The next evening they approached the edge of the tree line before coming up to the city; in the morning Arya's plans would be set in motion. That night, after Arya had entered Nymeria's skin and patrolled the ground, she took flight in her raven and flew north and south.
"The others are where they should be," Arya whispered to Gendry, who was taking watch. "Aegon and his army, with Norrey and Ned, will cross the Blackwater tonight; Thoros has joined Lem and the others North, with the rest of Aegon's men coming south."
"That's good," Gendry nodded slowly, but Arya could see he was tense, and so she smiled confidently.
"Yes. If we do our part, Aegon should be declared King by this time tomorrow."
Gendry was quiet a moment, then: "you should get some sleep; your watch is over, no need to stay up for an extra one."
Arya nodded and curled up on the ground, trying to get as comfortable as she could in the snow; it took a while but eventually she fell asleep, finally slipping into a wolf dream.
All too soon she was rudely awoken by someone kicking her in the shin. At the sharp burst of pain, Arya silently sat bolt upright, pulling a knife at the same time, to come face to face with Gendry. At the end of his watch he had obviously fallen asleep close to her, as now their faces were mere inches apart.
"You were growling in your sleep," Gendry whispered sleepily to her, his eyes flicking rapidly from her eyes to her lips with a look that had Arya's heartbeat accelerating.
"Nymeria," she said simply, not knowing what else to say.
"I thought so," Gendry nodded, still quietly. "It's nearly dawn, the others will be awake soon - I didn't think you'd want them to wake to your growls."
At the mention of dawn and her men, Arya's mind snapped back to the present. "Today is the day," she said quietly to herself, repeating the mantra she had often spoken in Braavos. "Valar Morghulis."
Gendry frowned, "why do you say that? You say it every night, after a list of names. You used to say it before, as well, after we left Harranhal. What does it mean?"
Arya thought for a moment. "Valar Morghulis," she eventually repeated, slowly. "It's High Valyrian, it means 'all men must die'. The traditional response is 'valar dohaeris': 'all men must serve'. Jaqen H'ghar was the first to say it to me, but I only learnt the response and the meaning when I left Westeros."
At the mention of Jaqen, something flashed in Gendry's eyes but as her men had started stirring Arya ignored it for now and got to her feet.
They left their campsite while it was still dark, and by first light they were finally in sight of King's Landing. A quick scan of the walls showed Arya that there were no sentries patrolling the outer walls of the city, only two very tired look guards posted on the Mud Gate.
Arya took a deep breath, pushing back the memories trying push their way in; long lost thoughts belonging to a girl who had once got lost chasing cats around the Red Keep.
"Brent, Florey," Arya's voice came out commanding and distant, the Braavosi accent she had been losing had suddenly returned - she was no one once again. "And Harwin, come with me to the gates. Gendry, take the others and wait in the shadows of the walls until I signal for you. The guards on the gates will have been there all night - they will probably be replaced not long after dawn. We have to move now, and quickly. No mistakes."
As she spoke, Arya pulled up the hood of her cloak and fastened the bottom clasp so that it covered the sword and dagger at her waist. She left the top clasp open, displaying her small cleavage that had been accentuated by the tightening of her corset after she woke. She was well aware that the strategic fastening of her cloak highlighted the exposed flesh - so too were some of her men, whose eyes were finding it difficult not to stray.
Arya and her chosen three strode toward the gates, through the ramshackle huts of the poor who could not afford to enter the city. When they reached the gates, the two guards pushed themselves forward from the wall they were leaning against and stood shoulder to shoulder, stifling their yawns as their gold cloaks flapped in the dawn breeze.
"No one can enter until after sunrise," the bigger of the two stated.
"The sun is about to rise, surely you can make an exception?" Arya said sweetly, sounding pure and innocent. "We've been making our way here for days."
"What brings you to the city?" The other guard demanded, not too politely.
Arya produced the scroll from her sleeve, "I have something I think will interest the King."
"I'm sure you do sweetheart," the first guard grinned, reaching for the scroll as he spoke. "But it won't be a letter."
Arya snatched the scroll out of his reach, "the scroll is sealed, and I think King Tommen should be the judge as to whether or not it interests him. Are you going to let us enter?"
"After sunrise," the first guard repeated. "And it will cost."
Arya replaced the scroll back up her sleeve and stepped up the guard. "We're cold and tired, surely you can find a way to let us in now?" She reached up to run a finger seductively along his collar, "I'm sure there is some arrangement we can come to." She gave him a smile and a look that she had mastered in her time at the Happy Port and took and extra step, almost pushing her body into his.
The guard gave a lewd grin as his eyes left Arya's face and travelled to her cleavage, "perhaps there is," he conceded, reaching his hands into Arya's cloak.
Arya raised her eyebrow and took half a teasing step back, "here? In front of the small folk? We're not animals."
The guard gave an unsure glance to his comrade, "we're not supposed to leave our post-"
"The sun has barely risen," Arya pointed out. "I'm sure your partner can handle the gate alone. And then you can swap places - I'll make it worth both your whiles,"
The second guard shrugged, "what's the worst that could happen? It's not like there's an army waiting to charge at our gates - if there was we'd see them. Just don't take too long,"
Arya smiled seductively and led the first guard away from the group, around the wall to a small recess where she backed herself against the wall. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gendry at a further recess and gave him a quick warning look and a subtle shake of her head, telling him to stay back. Thankfully the guard was too engrossed in thoughts of what he believed was about to happen to notice anyone else around. He pushed Arya to the wall with one hand as the other groped down the front of her dress on his lips sought hers. Before he could get too carried away, Arya placed her hands on his cheeks and held his face in place, "surely you can find a more productive use for your hands?" She suggested, glancing down pointedly at his breeches.
The guard grinned and instantly went to work undoing his own laces. In a single heartbeat, Arya jumped and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, effectively pinning his arms to his sides. Before he knew what was happening, her hands had moved from his face to his neck and her thumbs found the pressure point most effective for strangulation. Within seconds his face started turning blue and he struggled against her hold. Arya's grip tightened, both around his neck and his waist, as the guard tried to shake her off by propelling his weight into her, crashing her back into the wall. Finally the struggling eased, and not long after the guard fell limp against her.
Arya pushed him to the ground and straightened herself out before turning to look toward the spot where Gendry was keeping out of sight and whistling. A moment later Gendry was by her side, though avoiding her gaze and Arya didn't have the time to find out why.
"Help me strip him, then get into his armour - you're a little broader in the shoulder, but the cloak should hide it. Underneath the helmet, no one will know you're not him." Gendry simply grunted and got to work, still not looking Arya in the eye.
Arya handed Gendry the golden helm after covering the body with Gendry's discarded cloak, "go to the gates, tell the other guy he's up - keep it short, we need to hurry. If he asks questions - be as disrespectful of me as you can-" here Gendry finally looked at her with a frown, and something else flickering in his eyes, but Arya just continued on, "-send Harwin along a few minutes later, he'll need to take his place."
Gendry nodded, placed the helm over his head and marched off toward to gates. A few moments later, the second guard appeared carrying his helm under his arm and looking happily expectant. It wasn't until he got to where Arya was leaning against the wall that he faltered as his eyes alighted on the cloak, "What's under the cloak?"
Arya shrugged, "does it matter? That isn't why you're here,"
"Where did it come from?" The guard persisted, dropping his helm and moving to take a closer look. "You're still wearing yours and you weren't carrying a spare,"
Arya sighed as the guard knelt at the cloak, "please don't do that."
Of course the guard ignored her, and as he pulled back the cloak to reveal his friend's blue and swollen face Arya came up behind him and reached around his head with the intention of snapping his neck. Unfortunately, Arya wasn't quick enough; while she managed the give it a good crick, it wasn't enough to kill and the guard went for his sword instantly. A scuffle ensued; Arya managed to wrest the sword from his grip without shedding any blood, but this guard was a fighter. After minutes of punching, scratching, and even biting, Arya gave up on trying to resist the shedding of blood when she found herself pinned to the ground, her head being bashed back into the snow. She grasped at the ground around her until her fingers found a jagged rock that she quickly and accurately smashed against her oppressor's temple.
The adrenaline rush brought on from the fight was enough to keep the guard from feeling the first hit, but the second dazed him enough to halt his attempts at bashing Arya's head. The third hit loosened his grip and the fourth was enough to send him to the ground. Arya pushed him off her and got to her feet just as Harwin came up to her.
"Are you all right, your Grace?" He asked, concerned, as he helped her to her feet.
"I'm fine," Arya assured him, as she ran her hand over the back of her head cringing at the tenderness and frowning at the blood that appeared on her fingertips. "And you can't call me that here, not until we accomplish what we came here to do, besides I'm not a Queen yet. I didn't want to spill blood. Strip him, get into his armour, I'll fetch the men."
"We should hurry," Harwin warned. "The guards will be changing any time now."
Arya nodded and turned to fulfil her task as Harwin changed and moved the second body as far out of sight as was possible. Arya accompanied Harwin, now dressed as a man of the Gold Cloaks, back to the gates, the rest of her men following half a step behind. As they came close, Harwin whistled to get Gendry's attention. At the sound, Gendry looked about him through the gates into the city then turned back to Harwin and gave him a nod.
"The coast is clear," Harwin said to Arya. "No guards to be seen - we get the men in now, or never."
"You heard him," Arya said to her men. "Get inside, blend. Dawn is nearly over, people will be stirring, you can move with the crowds. You all know which gates to go to; wait for the signal, then take the gates - Anguy takes the lead, once you're inside he's in charge. I have faith in you all - now move. Lommy, stay by me."
Her men moved quickly, slipping through the gates and entering seamlessly into the early morning crowd just beginning to form. As Arya saw her last man disappear, a couple more Gold Cloaks appeared, making their way to take over guard duty.
Arya pulled her hood back overhead, "and now it's our turn." Harwin took hold of Arya's upper arm on one side, Lommy on the other, and Gendry did the same with Brent and Florey.
"Trouble causers so early in the day?" One of the new guards called as he approached.
"We're taking them to the council - they think they have important information," Harwin said vaguely.
"Think? The council won't hear anything they think they know."
"They intercepted a raven; a sealed scroll with a Targaryen seal still in tact. His Grace will want to read it I'm sure. And anyway, she's paid for admittance into the city," Harwin added lewdly.
The new guards laughed sycophantically, "well, do what you like. And I want to hear details of her payment later."
"We'll tell it all," Harwin assured them, and then marched Arya through the gates with Gendry, Brent and Florey following a step behind.
When they were a safe distance from the gates Gendry came up beside Arya, "Where do we go from here?"
"The Red Keep," Arya stated simply. "It's been a while, but I still remember my way around. Once inside, we make for the council chamber, off the throne room - hopefully they will be assembled."
"If they're not?" Brent asked.
"We'll cross that when we get to it - for now, lets just get inside." Arya glanced up at the sky, dawn was over and the winter sun was almost visible above the city walls, "we have to hurry. The others will be on the move by now."
They picked up their pace and soon they were where they wanted to be. It seemed that luck was on their side, for they reached the doors to the council chamber just as Cersei came around the corner, with a Lannister guard in tow, looking less than happy.
"What are you doing skulking around outside the council chamber, with commoners?" Cersei demanded of Harwin and Gendry. "Council is not to be disturbed."
"I have something the King and his council will want to see," Arya spoke quietly.
"Of course you do -"
"A scroll, unopened, bearing Aegon Targaryan's seal." Arya produced the scroll as she spoke, halting Cersei in her tracks.
"How did you come by this?" She asked warily, reaching for the scroll, which Arya pulled back out of her reach.
"I would like to tell my tale to his Grace."
Cersei looked them all up and down, as if calculating their risk. Stood between the large, armoured forms of Harwin and Gendry, Arya looked tiny and benign - Lommy even more so; Brent and Florey looked rather unassuming also, dressed simply.
"You have checked them for weapons?" Cersei demanded of Harwin and Gendry.
"Of course, your Grace," Harwin lied calmly, as Gendry nodded. "They're clean."
"Fine, but if there is nothing useful in that, you will be very sorry," Cersei threatened, before leading them into the chamber.
When they entered, the crowd around the table fell silent mid discussion.
"So kind of you to wait," Cersei announced with sarcasm as she moved to take a seat next to her son, standing pointedly behind the chair she wanted until its occupant moved. As Arya surveyed the room she saw many faces she recognised: Tommen was sat at the head of the table, looking a lot more regal than the last time Arya saw him, though still ridiculously young - he couldn't be more than one and ten, she was sure. The woman next to him, wearing a crown, could only be Margaery Tyrell. The man wearing the Hand's badge, Arya didn't know, but she did recognise Varys sat next to him, and Ser Ilyn next to him, but old Grand Maester Pycelle had been replaced with another unfamiliar face. Behind the table were Tommen's Kingsguard, two knights dressed from head to toe in white: one was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, and though his looks had diminished a little over the years, Arya still recognised him as Jamie Lannister. The other was a ridiculous size - so big Arya at first though he was the Mountain, but his face was wrong; it was not the face of Ser Gregor Clegane. As she studied him, however, Arya soon realised that his face was in fact wrong - it didn't fit with the structure underneath, and the man even looked uncomfortable with it, every now and then he would twitch as if trying to shake it off. In her time in Braavos, Arya had learnt to distinguish between the face and the man underneath, and if she was not mistaken, the man in front of her did not belong to that face.
As Arya had been surveying her surroundings, the council had been communicating over the recent arrivals.
"We didn't wait for you, Mother, because you do not need to be here," Tommen said, sounding like a petulant child. "You do not rule for me any longer - this is my council-"
"You are barely past your tenth name day, you need a regent," Cersei snapped at her son. "And as you mother, and the Queen-"
"No. Margaery is my Queen," Tommen interrupted. "You are the Lady of Casterly Rock, your place is there. And who are the stragglers you have interrupted us with?"
Cersei looked sour at her son's speech - so sour she looked ready to strike out - but didn't say anything in front of an audience. Instead she gestured impatiently for Arya to come forward, "well you have his Grace's attention. Speak."
"Your Grace," Arya stepped forward, Harwin still in contact, and produced the scroll to place on the table. "This was on a raven I shot down five days ago. A soon as I saw the seal, I thought it might be of interest to you."
It was the Hand who reached for the scroll and examined it. "The three headed dragon," he muttered. "Aegon."
Tommen, however, looked curiously at Arya, "why were you shooting Ravens?"
"Food," Arya said simply. "It's a hard winter, your Grace, and we need to eat. I've gotten rather good at cooking raven."
There were a few revolted looks and sounds of repulsion, but Tommen ignored them. Instead he looked to his Hand and commanded him to read out the letter.
The Hand cleared his throat and broke the seal on the scroll; the note was short but to the point and had everything Arya had requested:
"Everything is happening according to plan. Bring your men south, without delay; you will storm the north gates while we will storm the south. We attack on the next moonless night.
Aegon Targaryen, King of the Seven Kingdoms."
There was a moment of surprised silence, as the council looked at each other - all except Varys, who was staring intently at Arya, as though trying to see under her hood.
"It could be fake - this girl could have forge it herself," Cersei accused. "No doubt you're wanting some form of reward for bringing us this? How about mercy? I'll let you leave without a scratch, rather generous considering what usually befalls a liar."
"Just because you do not like the sound of the truth, it does not make it a lie," Arya responded with a calm she was not feeling as memories of what befell her father tried to accost her. Varys tittered at her remark, but no one else made a sound.
"Is this note legitimate?" Cersei demanded, deciding to ignore Arya for now.
Arya had to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying more so than your son, and she was certain she was not the only one thinking it. Varys held his hand out and the scroll was passed to him for examination.
"This is Aegon's writing - his signature and his seal are the same as the first letter we received upon his return to Westeros," Varys assured them. "And it does correspond with the little whispers I have heard concerning Aegon's movements. The next moonless night is less than ten days away - it seems we have some planning to do,"
"Thank you for bringing this too us," Cersei said without looking up. "You can be escorted out now."
"We want our reward first," Arya argued at the same time that Harwin stepped forward.
"Your Grace, forgive me, but if what is written there is true should we not summon the Gold Cloaks, and plan our defence - if we have less than ten days we need to prepare now,"
Cersei gave him a scathing look, "and who will be protecting our gates while the Gold Cloak assemble in the Red Keep?"
"Perhaps the man is right," Varys spoke up carefully, eyeing Harwin intently, a small smile tugging at his lips, and in that moment Arya knew that Varys was aware that Harwin was no man of the City Watch. "We should summon our resources and plan our defence. Ser Jamie, perhaps you could take command; summon the men to the Sword Tower. In the meantime, close the gates and leave a single guard at each - we have ten days before an army tries to get through them."
The Spider was an incredible liar, but a liar he was: Arya could see in his eyes that he did not believe every word he said, and she wondered just how much of this invasion he truly knew about - and more importantly, why he hadn't divulged it to the King and council. But what was important right now was that everyone else believed his words.
Jamie stood tall with a sigh, clearly exhibiting his lack of enthusiasm at this plan, "and who will be taking care of the King while I am planning battles?"
"I believe you are not the only member of the Kingsguard in here," Cersei said scathingly not looking at her twin. "Besides, dear brother, while your planning skills are as superior as they have ever been, your fighting skills are still severely lacking since the loss of your right hand."
"Well at least my remaining skills are more useful than yours, sweet sister. Tell me, how many flagons of wine have you managed to consume with breakfast today? Two? Three?"
Cersei looked murderous, but before she could say or do anything Tommen interrupted. "Enough! No more arguing. Uncle, plan the defence," he commanded, echoing the spider's words.
"As your Grace commands," Jamie declared, before moving to the door. He slapped Harwin on the shoulder as he passed, "you heard the King: summon the Gold Cloaks, send them to my tower."
Harwin glanced quickly at Arya, who gave a subtle nod. Harwin departed, and now Arya was tasked with stalling the council until Harwin's return. There was only so much one could say, and argue, about a reward for a letter, but with the assistance of Brent and Florey - and Arya suspected a little help from Varys - they managed to stall the council. Tommen also helped to stall a little, with the random questions only a child would think is important. Five minutes after Harwin's departure, a bell began to toll, which distracted conversation for minute, but no more.
Finally, Harwin returned. As he entered the room, he removed his helm and looked directly at Arya; "It is done, you're grace. The cold cloaks are in the tower - with the exception of one still stationed at each gate."
"Thank you." Arya spoke at the same time as Cersei and Tommen and smiled at the tension that suddenly interrupted in the room.
Within a second, Arya reached out to Nymeria - still keeping her own vision in the room - and made her howl, sending up a rallying cry; the signal the troops were waiting for.
As the howls erupted around the city walls, all within the council chamber gave a startled jump except Arya's men who simply smiled.
"What in the seven hells-?" Margaery spoke for the first time.
"Wolves, your Grace," Varys unnecessarily explained, earning him a scathing look that he almost missed as he glanced curiously at Arya once more.
"What's happening?" Tommen asked, suddenly sounding a lot younger.
"I believe the game is up," Arya sighed. She looked at Gendry to give him a quick nod and in unison he removed his helm as she lowered her hood. The reaction was as good as she had hoped: Tommen and Margaery merely looked confused, recognising neither of them. The Maester and the Hand looked wary, but Varys looked as if his beliefs had been confirmed. Cersei, much to Arya's pleasure, turned deathly pale as she stood with shock and took two paces back from the table, as if to put as much distance between herself and the ungodly apparitions before her.
"Robert," she said in a strangled whisper, before she could stop herself.
"This is Sir Gendry," Arya introduced. "I believe your Gold Cloaks were looking for him at one point. And I believe you've been searching for me, to no avail, for years. Though apparently you found me a sent me North to marry the Bolton Bastard - how did you accomplish that?"
Cersei looked at Arya, shock still clear on her features and stopping her from speech.
"Who are you?" Tommen asked.
Arya turned a smile on him, "We met a very long time go, Tommen. I am Arya of House Stark, Lady of Winterfell and Princess in the North. Here to assist Aegon Targaryen to claim his rightful throne."
At the final words, those of the King's council who were armed, and the two men at the door, drew there steel.
"I would be careful with those," Arya said icily, as Harwin and Gendry drew their own steel at the same time as Lommy, Brent and Florey discarded their thick cloaks and drew the steel hidden underneath.
"I thought you said they were unarmed!" Cersei said stupidly, glaring at Harwin.
"Of course he did, I told him to," Arya explained, looking round the room; in the confusion of drawing steel, Varys and the Hand had disappeared - to where Arya could only guess. Tommen was looking pale and even Margaery looked a little scared.
"Brent, Florey, take Tommen and Margaery into the throne room-" Arya began, but was interrupted by Cersei's shrill cry.
"No!"
"No harm will come to him, I give you my word," Arya assured her. "On my honour as a Stark - my honour means a lot more than yours as a Lannister. And besides, he will have his Knight of the Kingsguard with him; Brent and Florey may be two of Aegon's best, but they will not be stupid enough to try and get past the Mountain," Arya said, testing her theory.
Everyone in the room looked confused, all except Cersei, who suddenly looked wary again, before quickly covering herself with a false expression of mirth.
"The Mountain died years ago," she tried to assure Arya, but Arya spotted the lie.
"Did he?" Arya said calmly, clearly unconvinced.
"Look at his face," Cersei demanded. "Does he look like Ser Gregor Clegane?"
"He does not have Ser Gregor's face, it is true. It does not mean the man beneath is not him."
"So he changed his face, did he?" Cersei asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm and disdain, as if the idea was impossible, but her eyes looked wry once more.
"The Faceless Men of Braavos make a living out of it, so it's not impossible," Arya smiled. "But we Digress - Brent," Arya stepped up to him and handed him a dart so discretely no one else saw.
"If Clegane tries anything, hit him with this, the toxins will take even him down," she said quietly and quickly, before raising her voice back to a normal level. "Take Tommen and Margaery, keep them safe, no harm must come to them."
"Understood," Brent nodded and moved with Florey to take Tommen and Margaery.
"We all know were this is leading," Arya said as Cersei looked ready to interrupt again. "Do you want your son in harms way?"
"Strong!" Cersei commanded. "If they try anything, kill them."
The knight nodded once and escorted Tommen and Margaery from the hall, with Brent and Florey close behind. As they left, Tommen could be heard asking anxious questions while Margaery tried to soothe him with smiling answers.
As the doors shut behind Tommen, another bell began to toll - the armies had reached the gates.
"As you will probably have realised by now, Aegon's armies will not be here in ten days time - they are here now. I already have men in the city walls that have now overpowered each guard at every gate, and thrown the gates wide open. I will be convincing Tommen to surrender, but first, we have some unfinished business," Arya said calmly to Cersei.
The only people left in the room were now Cersei, the Grand Maester - both of whom were unarmed - Ser Ilyn and the two guards who had moved from the doors to the table. Arya moved her cloak, to access her weapons, keeping a close eye on the guard with his crossbow trained directly on her. She knew what was going to happen and knew it couldn't be avoided. She moved her right hand to her waist and the crossbow thrummed, the arrow hitting its target and embedding itself in her right shoulder. She heard Gendry call out her name as she grunted with pain, but didn't look at him. Quick as a snake, she removed her dagger with her left hand and hurled it at the guard. Being too absorbed in reloading his crossbow, he wasn't aware of the dagger until it was protruding from his neck.
"Fortunately I fight with my left hand," Arya mused as drew Needle and the fight broke out around her. Harwin and Gendry went forth to meet Ser Ilyn, Arya and Lommy met the second guard. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Cersei move to the door, as the Maester dived under the table.
"Lommy, you have this," she told him with certainty.
"Yes, Princess," Lommy agreed, and Arya twisted out of the dance to reach Cersei as she got to the door, sheathing needle as she went and yanking her dagger from the dead guard's throat as she passed.
"I don't think so," Arya said, pushing Cersei to the wall and holding the dagger at he throat. "We have a score to settle."
"You're strong for such a little thing," Cersei commented with disdain - even with a dagger at her throat she had some fight, despite the flicker of fear in her eyes. As she spoke, Arya smelt the wine on her breath.
"You brother was right," Arya mocked. "You did have a few flagons of wine this morning."
"You always were an impertinent little bitch," Cersei spat as she began to struggle. "You haven't lost your Northern charm, though you accent has changed a little. Tell me, what score do you have to settle?"
Arya smiled a cold smile, "I have a little list of names of people who are in line to receive a gift - you happen to be one of the lucky few."
"A gift?" Cersei stopped struggling for a moment.
Arya leaned closer; "It is not only men who can learn to be faceless," she whispered menacingly.
Cersei's eyes widened as the meaning became clear, then suddenly laughed. Arya took hold of the front of Cersei's gown with her free hand, ignoring the steady throb of her shoulder where the arrow was still lodged. Using all her strength she pulled and slammed Cersei back into the wall, winding her and effectively cutting the laugh short.
Cersei looked at Arya, "oh, your Father would be so proud," she mocked, still breathless.
Without thinking, Arya slapped her hard around the face, the dagger, still at Cersei's throat, drawing blood for the first time as a result the sudden movement.
"Don't you dare speak to me of my father," Arya hissed, feeling the fire of rage burning in the pit of her stomach.
Cersei's eyes flashed, "You always were a little fighter,"
"You live for the fight when that's all that you've got," Arya said simply.
"Is that really all you have?" Cersei questioned, her eyes darting to the fight going on over Arya's shoulder, just as there was a cry of pain from Gendry. Arya looked over her shoulder; Harwin had been knocked back and was clearly winded as he was struggling back to his feet. Gendry had been knocked to the ground and was reaching for his sword, his eyes momentarily away from his target who was raising his greatsword over his head. Arya didn't stop to think: she whirled back to Cersei, removed the dagger from her throat and plunged it into the sleeve of her gown with such force it pinned her to the wall - the accompanying scream suggested she also caught her skin. Arya ignored her and turned, drawing needle as she went, and quickly closed the distance between herself and Ser Ilyn, plunging Needle into the middle of is back.
"Gendry, move!" She yelled at the same time, so that Gendry rolled just as Ser Ilyn stumbled and brought the sword crashing down mere centimetres from where Gendry now lay. Without missing a beat, Arya kicked out at his hands, effectively removing the sword from Ser Ilyn's hands, before removing Needle from his back and replacing it in is side. As Ser Ilyn was brought down to his knees, Arya picked up the greatsword - not paying particular attention to the blade - and grasped it with both hands.
"This is for my father," she said as she swung the blade above her head, grunting at the pain in her shoulder but pushing through as she remembered the last time she had seen Ser Ilyn. She brought the sword down upon his neck, expecting it to slice through Ser Ilyn the way it had her father, but the blade stuck. Pulling it back, she swung again, this time severing the head. As the head rolled away she looked down at the blade, now covered in blood, and saw that beneath the red the steal was just steel.
She looked up at Cersei, cold hatred pumping through her veins, and rage bubbling in her stomach. "Where's Ice?" she asked in a vehement whisper that carried perfectly over the now silent room.
Cersei had been struggling to free herself from the dagger, but at the sight of ser Ilyn's rolling head she had frozen. "What?"
"Ice," Arya repeated, taking steps back toward Cersei. "MY father's greatsword. The last time I saw Ser Ilyn, he was wielding it above my father's head. This-" she gestured with the sword still in her left hand, dripping blood along the floor as she walked, "-isn't it. Where is it?"
Cersei's mouth smirked, but her eyes beheld Arya with trepidation and fear. "Do you really think we'd let him keep Valyrian steel? We made it fit for a King."
"What do you mean?" She asked dangerously.
"I mean we melted it down, and made it into two: one for Joffrey, one for Jamie."
Anger erupted in Arya like none she had ever known - she was no longer no one, now she was Arya Stark, and the anger she had felt at the time of her father's death returned with full force and more. She tossed the greatsword to the floor, retrieved Needle and lunged toward Cersei with a strangled yell of anger that sounded like the angry growl of a wolf. Cersei's eyes widened at the display and once again went back to tugging at the dagger, finally wrenching at free and plunging it into Arya.
But she wasn't quick enough, nor was her aim particularly good, for as the dagger sunk into Arya's arm, Needle slipped into Cersei's stomach.
"I have waited a long time for this," Arya growled, pulling the dagger from her arm as Cersei tried to laugh but did nothing more than gurgle blood.
"Your father... would be...so proud." Cersei sputtered mockingly.
"Enough," Arya spat, bringing the dagger to Cersei's throat. "Valour Morghulis."
A/N: Sorry again for the wait, I will try and be quicker with the next one - I've already started writing it.
Thanks for reading
xBx