AN: I spent a while rethinking my outline for this story. Eventually, I realised that this particular chapter could come earlier than I originally planned.

Incidentally, this chapter takes place on the same day as Chapter 14, meaning it's on the 23rd day of the 7th month.

In a dim corridor within the House of Black and White, there was a skinny girl with dark hair and dark eyes.

She was meant to become a tool of the god of death. For this reason, she should have discarded all of her previous self. Yet a trace of curiosity lingered in her mind.

For this reason, the girl approached a door, knelt down at the gap between door and frame, and watched carefully.

On the other side was a simple room with a table and two benches, one on each side of the table. A single candle on the table provided the only light.

Sitting on one bench was the kindly man, an old man who was the girl's mentor. He was dressed in a hooded robe that was black on the right half and white on the left. As usual, he gave off an atmosphere of calm patience.

Sitting on the other bench was a man whom the girl did not recognise, even with all the different kinds of people she'd seen in her life. He was dressed in a foreign garment of sky-blue and copper-red silks. His hair was black tinged with red, and styled into the shape of a coiled serpent. At this moment, he was visibly agitated. Two muscular guards stood behind him.

"—should be a simple task for your temple! Or do you fear dragons!?"

That final word brought back a memory to the girl's mind: a memory of fearsome toothy skulls in darkness beneath a great castle. She couldn't recall the castle's name, but she remembered it was associated with a certain colour.

No… I'm not supposed to think of that. That sort of thing doesn't matter… shouldn't matter…

"The Faceless Men were originally founded when the dragonlords were at the height of their power," the kindly man replied. "We do not fear dragons. Their riders, no different from ordinary men or women, are never too far from death. All it takes is a single blade, a drop of poison, or perhaps a push on the back when standing on stairs."

"Then you will take the job?" the foreign visitor said.

"It is possible… but you must concede that the dragon queen is quite well-protected. I would therefore ask for as much information about her situation as you can provide. It would make the task easier."

"Hmph, very well. Then she is in the city of Meereen, behind high walls, and guarded by eight thousand Unsullied…"

The nameless girl continued listening at the door for several minutes. She wasn't able to follow the entire conversation since it sometimes used words unknown to her. But she now understood who the visitor was.

He's a Ghiscari, from Slaver's Bay in the south… People from there rarely come to Braavos. Not just because of the distance, but because of Braavos' sharp attitude towards slavery.

If he was willing to come here still… he, or whoever he serves, must be desperate.

"—flew off on the back of the black dragon," said the Ghiscari, who Arya now knew was called Herzhak zo Hegaz. "Some think it later killed her, or that she fell from its back… but what if she instead masters the beast!? Then the world would know the terror of the Valyrians once more!"

"Yes, that does seem like a possibility," the kindly man said, as serene as ever.

"So I came here, on the swiftest ship available, to have the last Valyrian killed before her dragons grow any further!" Herzhak said, slamming his hand on the table. "Name your price! I am one of the Wise Masters of Yunkai, and I received wealth from my fellows before I set sail! Whatever your price is, I can pay it!"

"The Faceless Men attach little value to material goods. Our price will be as follows. First, you must hand over the ship you arrived on and all the slaves on board, to be freed in accordance with the laws of this city."

Herzhak looked annoyed, but he nodded. "Very well. I can buy a new ship and—this bizarre city does not have slaves to sell, but I can still hire freeborn sailors to—"

"That will not be necessary. The rest of our price is your life."

Herzhak recoiled. He jumped to his feet, pulled out a knife hidden within his clothes and looked around with the eyes of a cornered deer. His two guards drew curved swords in readiness for a fight. But the kindly man made no move to attack.

"You… what are you playing at!?"

The kindly man was still sitting calmly. "You ask a great deal from our temple, to bring this dragon queen to the Many-Faced God earlier than normal. A task of this magnitude requires equally large compensation. Are you prepared to pay it, Herzhak of Yunkai?"

The girl watched all this with bated breath. She knew this Herzhak was a man of luxury and privilege. He would have spent his entire life sending others to work in his stead, to die in his stead if necessary. He would sooner sacrifice all of his wealth before his own precious life.

The Faceless Men ask great prices for great tasks… but the price is always one that can be paid, if the person is willing…

"…Just as I'd heard, your temple consists of utter lunatics," Herzhak spat.

"Master, should we kill him?" one of the guards asked, pointing his sword at the kindly man's face.

Herzhak sighed. "No. That would achieve nothing. There is only one path I can now take."

"Master, are you actually…?" said the other guard.

"You Faceless Men may be lunatics, but you have your own twisted honour," Herzhak said to the kindly man. "For centuries, you have done your assigned tasks and never broken your word. I… I will pay you the full price."

The kindly man nodded in acceptance. "Then please send word to those on your ship. And when that is settled, you may take your own life with whatever method you choose. I would recommend drinking from the pool in the centre of the temple, it kills without any pain."

"I want nothing of your poison! If I must die, I will do so on my own terms!"

"Very well."

Herzhak wrote down a note and ordered the guards to leave with it. This meant the girl had to hide behind a statue until the guards passed by and were no longer in sight.

When she returned to the door, she saw Herzhak clutching the knife fearfully.

"…The last Valyrian dies. Is that agreed?"

"I will send an agent to Meereen promptly," the kindly man vowed. "One skilled in stealth and experienced in killing. They will ensure that Daenerys Targaryen dies."

"…That's all I wish for. Then, farewell…"

Herzhak whispered a name, but the girl couldn't hear what it was. It might have been the name of a wife, a child, a sibling or a parent.

Then he drew the knife across his throat. Blood fountained from the wound and his body slumped on the table.

The kindly man reached out and gently closed Herzhak's eyes. Then his own eyes turned towards the door.

"Child, please enter."

The girl with too much curiosity fell backwards. Her panicked mind was filled with thoughts of running away.

"Worry not, many acolytes do similar things at least once. But you do need to be punished… so please come in and help dispose of this corpse."

The girl meekly opened the door and stepped inside. The kindly man showed no signs of anger or disappointment, but it was impossible to be sure considering his behaviour.

During the next ten or so minutes, the girl cleaned away the blood, worked with the kindly man to carry the body down to the vaults, then stripped and washed the body. Throughout all this, the kindly man said nothing more to her. Halfway through, he even went away to meet with other Faceless Men to prepare for the arrival of many new acolytes.

When the kindly man finally appeared again, the girl tensed.

He might kill me… or worse, expel me from the temple… then I'll never gain the skills I need to—

Wait, that's wrong. I don't need to do anything… just serve the Many-Faced God…

The kindly man held up his hands, and the girl flinched. Then she saw the map he was holding.

"Are you familiar with Meereen, child?"

"N-No?"

The kindly man pointed at a particular point on the map labelled "Meereen". This was located on the edge of a bay on the south side of Essos.

"Meereen is several weeks' travel from Braavos, even in good conditions," the kindly man said. "And there are no ships travelling directly there from these isles. Nor could we send back the ship that this master recently travelled on. Other would find it deeply suspicious if he is no longer on board."

The girl took in the information even as it confused her. Why was the kindly man saying this to her, someone who was still an acolyte and not a full Faceless Man?

"But it should be feasible to take a ship to one of the Free Cities, then to find other transport to Meereen. I leave the details to you, child."

The girl's mind went blank. It was similar to when she'd been learning from a septa—what was her name?—years ago, and didn't know the answer to a question.

"But I… I'm not ready for something like this!" the girl protested.

"For this task, a fully trained member might not be the most suitable," the kindly man. "I asked the Wise Master for information on Meereen, but I also have my own sources of information. And, as you have heard, the queen is well-guarded by troops utterly loyal to her. The usual tricks of our temple may not be sufficient. On the other hand…" he held out a hand just above the girl's head, emphasising that she barely came up to his chest. "You could easily go in and be beneath notice, just as you have done in the past."

"But even then, you could still send…" the girl pictured a waifish woman who'd been training her recently, "the woman who has been training me, she also looks like a girl!"

"Perhaps… but there is another reason for sending you, child. Thus far, you have only been learning within the confines of Braavos. To truly learn our ways, you must travel far and bring the gift of death to a well-defended target."

The girl recalled a man once known as Jaqen H'ghar, who'd been working to mysterious ends in the continent of Westeros. Now, it would be her turn to do the same.

"But you are not obligated to do this," the kindly man continued. "As always, you still have the option of leaving our temple and going down another, more productive path."

It was an offer the girl had heard several times before. But if she turned away from the House of Black and White, she'd never have the chance to complete… to complete her list.

"I'll do it. I won't fail."

The kindly man nodded. "I made enquiries earlier. There is a ship departing this evening for Tyrosh. If you can prepare yourself by that time, I can book you passage on that ship. You would need to make the rest of the journey to Meereen yourself."

The girl agreed again, then was sent off to change out of her acolyte's robes into less recognisable attire and also to pack.

Not that she had much to pack: worshippers of the Many-Faced God had little in the way of possessions. All she decided to bring along were a change of clothes, a waterskin and a small knife that could be easily concealed. She was also supplied, by the temple, with a leather purse containing coins of various currencies.

As she set off to go, the girl recalled one other possession of hers, currently hidden under a stone.

No… not mine… that sword belonged to a girl who's now dead.

And even if… that girl was still alive, that sword would be too hard to conceal. It's not the weapon of an assassin.

The girl tried to put the sword out of her mind by focusing on other things.

Why would the kindly man send me? He gave reasons, but… I'm still not as experienced as the waif. What if I fail? What would that do to the Faceless Men's reputation?

In her training, the girl had been taught both to lie convincingly and how to see through the lies of others. She hadn't seen any of the telltale signs from the kindly man…

…but he was one of the priests of the Many-Faced God, someone who'd served the god of death for decades. Perhaps he could lie as easily and casually as others breathed.

What if he intends me to fail, and be killed? Is that my true punishment?

I might never be able to find the truth. Should focus on the task instead. The target is the dragon queen, Daenerys Targaryen…

There was once a girl who lived in a great castle with a loving family. That girl had loved to hear the tales of women in positions of authority, such as Princess Nymeria and Queens Visenya and Rhaenys. But she had heard little of this contemporary queen until today.

She's said to have three living, breathing dragons… the only dragons in the world. At least one's big enough to ride already.

The castle-born girl had once had brothers, as gallant and noble as any of the knights in the tales. Those brothers might have come up with ideas to slay the dragons. Perhaps they might have succeeded.

I couldn't do that… but I can still be a mouse, invisible to everyone. Even a queen of dragons still needs to land and sleep…

Even a queen of dragons can still be killed.

AN: To make things clear, Herzhak started heading to Braavos roughly two weeks before the start of the story, in response to Daenerys flying on Drogon for the first time. His hiring of a Faceless Man is unrelated to the divergence caused by the MGE side. I think it's something that's plausible in canon, based on how much the slaving societies want Daenerys dead.

Herzhak making it to Braavos in this time is a question that made me look up medieval ship speeds and the estimated size of Essos. I found average sailing speeds of about 5-10 knots and estimated the Meereen-Braavos voyage as 4,000 miles, maybe a bit more. The voyage is juuust about possible, assuming Herzhak's ship is a relatively fast type and has favourable conditions pretty much the whole way.