Arya's Fleet Travelling West of Westeros

by William St Romain

Arya leads a fleet westward to circumnavigate Planatos. This is the first leg of her journey, taking her from Dragonstone to the Frozen Shore. Back at home Jon and Daenerys are managing the kingdom and dealing with domestic drama.

23. Chapter 23, Betrayal, and Mother's

Chapter 23: Lies, Betrayal, and Mother's Love

Yūko did not like this city. It smelled horribly, and its people were so uncouth. Fortunately, no one seemed to give her a second glance. There were such a variety of people here from places Yūko could not even dream of that one single woman dressed in black caused no notice.

She had spent days looking for the person her mistress had sent her for and was no closer to finding him. How does the queen expect me to find someone I know nothing about in a place like this? She asked herself this question a hundred times a day.

It wasn't so shocking then when she happened to stumble upon the very person she sought. Wandering the market as she had done every day since her arrival, she spotted someone she hadn't seen before. There was no way he could have escaped her notice till now, so he must have put up his tent that morning, despite it looking as if it had occupied that spot forever. He was a tinker, or so he appeared. The tent was ragged and filthy, with one corner pinned to the ground and the other held up by a wooden pole. The man had laid his bedroll underneath it and he spread a pathetic collection of wares before him. No one paid him the slightest attention, which was no doubt his intent.

The man himself looked no better than his tent. His clothes were dirt stained and worn. Yet he covered himself head to toe despite the heat, leaving only his face uncovered. He was old, or at least appeared so. Yet Yūko could tell that, underneath the dirty rags, the man's body was lean and taught. She knew the face was a disguise though she did not know how. The queen had explained something of the magic of those she sought but Yūko did not understand it.

She approached the tent from behind, not wanting anyone, least those who were following her, to think there was some connection between them. She knew she was being followed of course. Just as the Queensguards had noticed. Those who followed Yūko were much better at it, however.

She stood next to the tinker; her gaze focused on the people in the square. She spoke in a voice just barely audible above the bustle before them. "I need to speak to your master." The man did not respond. For a moment she thought he must not have heard. "I said…"

"I have no master," he replied in a voice couched similarly low.

"This is urgent." Yūko permitted a hint of anxiety into her voice. "The queen needs to speak with him."

"I have no master," he repeated.

"I serve the dragon queen," she hissed, angry at the man's determination not to allow his cover to slip.

"I know."

She felt like beating him but knew that was unwise. It would not accomplish the goal she was seeking and the sight of a beggar fighting a foreign woman would draw way too much attention. She wasn't even sure she could beat him.

Then she remembered. The queen had given her a phrase to say should she have this difficulty. "Valar morghulis."

The tinker finally moved his head to look at her. "Valar dohaeris," he said. He proceeded to pack up all his things, stowing them into a surprisingly small sack. He slung this over his shoulder before giving her a last glance. He then headed off into the crowd. She waited several seconds before following.

Arya stayed at Sela's manse while she was in Volantis. It was very modest by the standards of the Inner City. Sela only had a few servants. They were slaves of course, as Arya noted with disgust. But they gave every appearance of being happy and well cared for, so she raised no objection. Arya found she had to share her apartment with her guards but that didn't bother her as much as it did them. Brienne and the Hound took turns sleeping in the cot that was placed in her sitting room for them. The other Queensguards had remained in the Outer City. Indeed, no word of what was happening to them had reached their ears.

Sela had insisted on Arya meeting Nex Suno with a constant stream of his good intentions. Arya would have preferred anything else. Suno arrived at the doorstep early the next morning after the party. He came in grand style, being carried on a gilded palanquin carried by eight slaves. A retinue of servants and courtiers followed after.

Sela whispered in Arya's ear, "He is the leader of the elephants. They are the main opposition to the tigers."

Arya didn't need to be told the intricacies of Volanteen politics. "Who leads the tigers?"

"Absol Mondax. He has been pushing for the city to attack Westeros for years. He is stubborn and arrogant. His hatred of the Dragon Queen is legendary. He leads Volantis' army."

"What stops him from attacking now?"

"Even he knows he cannot take on Westeros alone. Especially when you have dragons. He has been trying to unite all the free cities together. Your destruction of Qarth has not helped."

Arya let that go. "All the free cities combined could not defeat Westeros. Even assuming Braavos joined them."

"I know that. Not all of us have short memories. It is also irrelevant. He believes we can force Westeros into submission by other means."

"Other means?"

Sela did not elaborate but she did not need to. Arya and her spouses had discussed the issue many times. As Master of Whisperers she had an entire network of agents sniffing for trouble in the Free Cities. It helped that her agents could go anywhere. What they revealed was that, despite lots of talk, there wasn't much interest in doing more than that.

With elaborate ceremony Suno stepped from his palanquin onto the back of a slave and then to the ground. He was a tall man, bald as the day he was born. He reminded Arya of Varys, though apart from both being large, he bore little resemblance to him.

"Welcome to Volantis," he said. "I apologize for not seeing you yesterday, but affairs of state detained me."

Arya didn't bother to express her skepticism. "You're here now."

"Indeed I am." He wasn't put off by her attitude at all. "I was hoping to discuss matters with you."

"Policy matters?" she interrupted. "You know we have ambassadors for that."

"It is so much more effective to talk directly to the dragon, if you will pardon my expression." If that was meant to be an insult, she did not see one. "Shall we go inside?"

"Unless you want everyone to know what we're saying." Without waiting for an answer, she spun and reentered the manse. She knew she'd put the cat among the pigeons but didn't care. The Volanteens might think it was a negotiating tactic. She was just annoyed.

He and his entourage followed her in. Arya sat herself in Sela's sitting room, the long couches designed more for reclining than sitting. Sela settled herself next to her with Nex placing himself facing them. His people crowded the entryway behind him. Arya's Queensguards took position behind her.

She looked askance at the assembly. "Afraid I'll attack you?"

"Not at all." He turned his head slightly but didn't look over his shoulder. "Leave us." Sure enough, his entourage left. He was now alone with the two women and the Queensguards.

"You're certainly confident."

"Not at all," and he meant it. She could tell under his poise of calm he was really quite frightened. "I know you could kill me any time you liked, bodyguards or no bodyguards."

"Smart man."

"Yes. Let us please dispense with trivialities. I am here for serious talks with you."

"Don't know why. I am merely on a journey to discover the world."

"You are still a queen of Westeros. And I know enough about your people that I know your husband; the august and acclaimed Jon Snow will abide by any agreement you make."

Now she did know he was insulting her. "Jaehaerys Zaldizes Zokla!" she spit out.

"My apologies," he said, holding up a hand. She had to give him credit. He was a gifted liar. "I had forgotten."

"You said you wanted to stop playing games. If this is your idea of a serious negotiation than you can leave right now." Arya did not have to lie.

"Forgive me." He seemed truly repentant. "One does get used to playing these 'games'. You have to understand, in Volantis all negotiation is war."

"You first have to explain to me what we have to talk about."

He appeared genuinely surprised. "We must prevent conflict between our nations."

"Your nation is at war with us."

He assumed a not very convincing show of shock. "What? Nonsense. Yes, Qarth was our trading partner, but they were hardly our friends. We are not concerned with their fate. At least not beyond how it affects our profits."

She debated with herself, and decided she didn't want to give him any advantage. "Which is why you encouraged them to attack me."

He laughed unconvincingly. "Nonsense. What individuals from our city do is entirely their business. It is not and has not been the policy of Volantis to attack you. Not since you humbled us."

This last was said under his breath. Surprisingly, she sensed that he was telling the truth. Though she wasn't at all certain about what. It would very much be in Volantis' interest if their interference was written off as the acts of individual troublemakers. And it was all too believable. The famed conflict between the city's two factions made any claim of policy credible. What she found off-putting was that she sensed no real hostility from him.

"It still stings your pride? That I was able to humble you so easily with just a few thousand men?"

"A few thousand Dothraki men," he corrected. "And a dragon."

She conceded the point. "Your people are too comfortable with having others do your fighting for them."

"Is it not better to get others to fight so that you can avoid it?"

"No. Those who do not have the courage to fight their own battles should not start wars."

He was silent for a long time, and she wondered if he really was reflecting on what she said. "Worth considering," he finally answered. "Irrelevant to our current discussion."

"Which is?"

"We must talk about having normal relations."

"Don't we now? Last I heard your merchants and ours trade freely."

"There is more to it than that."

"How so?"

She was determined to pin him down. Unfortunately, he was more slippery than a snake. He spent the next hour going round in circles without saying anything. Arya lost all patience with it within the first few minutes. Despite her repeated demands that he get to the point he wouldn't. She made a point of ignoring him, leaning back, arms crossed, drumming her fingers, and not looking at him.

When he saw she wasn't going to engage with his obfuscation any longer he finally said, "I had hoped we could come to an agreement to show favoritism towards Westerosi trade with Volantis."

"You could have said that at the beginning. No."

"You haven't heard my offer yet."

"I already know your offer. Your 'representatives' have been dropping hints for years. You want us to stop any interference with the slave trade and allow you a total monopoly on shipping to Westeros. Why you people think this is an offer we would accept I cannot imagine."

"It is a generous offer."

She burst out laughing. "You think we're going to cut off Braavos and Pentos from our ports? In return for what? And deny escape slaves the freedom of our shores? You may not have noticed but we wish to increase our population. Our women are heroic and dedicated but they still can only birth so many at a time."

"Think of the advantages."

"We have. No thanks. You are offering us nothing."

"I am offering you peace." He said this in a conspiratorial tone of voice. It might have even been effective if she hadn't been expecting it.

Arya snorted. "I was so waiting for you to say that." He was somewhat surprised by her dismissive reaction. "Didn't you say you weren't at war with us?" She did not give him a chance to answer. "You will stop giving your covert support to Illyrio Mopatis' campaign against us? But you have already admitted my lord that you can't control all your people."

He couldn't refute this, and she knew it. What surprised her was that he was not the least put-out by it. He smiled. "What we can do is… discourage it."

She hesitated a beat. Was he really suggesting what I think he's suggesting? "Are you offering… an alliance?"

Sela was even more shocked than the Westerosi. "Yes triarch, are you…"

He held up his hand. "I'm sure you know I cannot make any such offer. Such a thing would tear our city apart. No. What I am offering is the support of my party."

"The elephants?"

"We are the merchants. The landowners. The army can do nothing without our support."

Arya's innate cynicism was taking over. "They certainly try real hard."

"They are stubborn."

"As are you."

He acknowledged with a nod. "We are not without means. Despite the tigers, we can… arrange for things to… interfere with Illyrio's efforts."

Arya was not impressed. "We can do that already."

"Ah, but we know him better than you. Our efforts would be far more effective."

This she couldn't deny, assuming they lived up to their agreement. "Exactly what are you proposing?"

He kept that insufferable smile but nothing he said then was encouraging. Nor in the days after. She knew straight away that he had no real offer to make.

Arya wanted to leave after the first couple of days. But Sela kept making excuses for why they had to stay. It didn't take this obstruction, nor the lack of word from her people, to tell Arya that she was a prisoner, not a guest.

This fact was not lost on Asha either. She stood in the main hold of Summer with her captains and the rest of the Queensguards. And she was not happy.

"What the hell is she doing?" she screamed. "What's she waiting for?"

Alys tried to be soothing, which wasn't easy given that she was wondering the same thing. "Volantis is complicated. No doubt she is having to navigate through their chaotic politics."

The Queensguards were seated around the table while the ironborn had all chosen to remain standing.

"I know that better than you!" In this Asha was right. "She has a dragon. Two of them! Why doesn't she fight her way out?"

They were all asking themselves that question. Lyanna said, "She must not want to burn down another city."

"Didn't stop her burning Qarth," Emmit Goodbrother said.

"You're wrong," answered Obella. "She hesitated a long time before she burned Qarth."

"Yes. She waited until they murdered Maud." Lyanna sounded bitter. There were mutters of agreement all around.

Yimi piped up, which was rather unusual for her. "She wanted to give them a chance."

"I think she's given them too many chances," Jak Drumm answered.

This was the feeling of most everyone in the room.

There was a knock on the door. Steelpans poked his head in. "P-p-p-princess, a woman is here to see you."

This surprised them. Had it been Yūko or anyone in the crew he'd have used their name.

Steelpans suddenly barged in as if he'd been pushed. Following him came three women dressed in red. Asha knew what they were but not who. This was revealed when the woman in front opened her mouth. "I am Kinvara, high priestess of the Lord of Light."

The woman looked about thirty summers but Asha had seen her during the Long Night, though they had never met. She hadn't changed a day. Asha and her ironborn had avoided the red priests and she felt no more comfortable near them now.

"You're quick to intrude."

"It was necessary. When nothing happened after our queen disappeared within the Inner City I became concerned. I had expected you to act before now."

Lyanna had no fear of red priests and showed it. She was on her feet and in Kinvara's face in a heartbeat. "Our queen believes in peace! She only fights when she must."

"Is this not time for her to fight?" Kinvara was not easy to intimidate either. "She is being held captive. We all know that."

"Do we know that?" Obella interjected.

"What are you suggesting?"

Quite a few things could be inferred from her statement and Obella didn't like any of them. "I am not suggesting anything. What I am saying is that maybe there is a good reason for her to remain inside the Walls. Maybe she's negotiating."

"Negotiating what?" Asha demanded. She clearly didn't think much of this line of argument. "The king has people to do his negotiating for him. If he really needed something from the Volanteens he would have sent the Dragon Queen herself. Arya doesn't 'negotiate'."

The Queensguards had personal experience of that.

Jake, who had been sitting unnoticed in a corner, finally spoke up. "Do you have a glass candle?" he asked Kinvara. Everyone stared at him. He swallowed theatrically, but decided he couldn't back down. "The archmaester said one could see many things with glass candles." He had gotten to his feet and was now leaning against the table.

Everyone turned to Kinvara. She looked uncomfortable, which was surprising for a red priest. "I have already looked," she admitted.

"What did you see?" he asked before anyone else could.

"She walks free. But they will not allow her or her guards to pass the gates. They are followed at all times."

"She still has her weapons though?" Obella demanded.

"Yes. There is nowhere she goes where she does not wear her arms and armor."

"Then why doesn't she leave?" Obella was more speaking to herself than the priestess.

"I cannot read her mind."

Brienne and Sandor couldn't read her mind either. Having once again, as they had every day they'd been inside the Walls, traveled to the west gate. An army of guards blocked the way with an officer again ordering them back. The two Queensguards didn't understand why Arya didn't just cut her way through them. After all, the three had faced far worse odds during their journey.

This time Arya didn't head straight back to Sela's manse. She wandered around for some time, which was quite a trick given that there really wasn't much land to see inside the Walls. There also wasn't anywhere to go. There were no markets or shops of any kind. Within the Walls all there was were estates.

Still, Arya led her guards in a circuit going from the west gate to the south gate, then to the east before wandering toward the north. This was roughly where Sela's manse was located.

They were stopped when a garish progression blocked the road in front of them. A huge palanquin, large enough to be a hut, was carried into the road from a side avenue. It was covered in gold leaf and gilded paint. Squads of soldiers both led and followed it. Sixteen slaves carried it. The soldiers marched down either side of the road before turning to face them. They showed no sign of aggression as they stood rigidly at attention.

From the mobile palace stepped a grossly overdressed woman. She must have been wearing enough cloth to make three or four dresses. The hems of her gown dragged so far Arya was convinced she would trip on them at any moment. The woman was obviously trying to make an impression, but it was a bad one.

The woman, holding her hems up off the ground, advanced on Arya with the air of supreme confidence.

"Welcome Queen of Dragons," she declared pompously. Arya was getting so tired of that. "It is a pity I could not meet you before. I am Dona Grandi."

Arya suspected that Dona's claim of being unable to meet was likely the result of interference from Sela. "I am Arya Stark, not my sister."

"Sister?" Dona effected a very convincing display of confusion. "Ah, of course. Daenerys Targaryen. I never met her."

"I would be surprised if you had." What little patience Arya had was rapidly dwindling.

"Yes. No doubt." Arya got the impression the woman didn't know what to say. "It took quite a bit of doing to arrange this meeting."

"Why did you arrange this meeting?"

"Straight to the point. You'll forgive me if I seem flustered. I had no idea how you'd react."

"I won't react until I know what you want."

"Quite." Dona unnecessarily straightened her clothes. "I was afraid others will have given you the wrong impression of me." Arya had crossed her arms and was now drumming her fingers. "You see, we aren't as hostile to you as others would have you believe."

"We? You mean the tigers? I think Bachio made clear what he thought."

"Bachio is a military man."

"So are the tigers."

Dona wouldn't allow herself to be sidetracked. "Despite what you may think the tigers do not advocate for war all the time."

"Just some of the time."

"Do you deny war is necessary at times?"

"Depends on why you fight one. Volantis has shown us nothing but hostility."

"That is because the Dragon Queen wishes us to lose our wealth."

"Your slaves you mean."

Dona pulled herself up to her full height, which wasn't much. "If she had only left well alone…"

"If she had left well alone she would never have become the Dragon Queen. Spare me your excuses. Dany, Daenerys is queen of Westeros only because she stood up to you. If she had done what you wanted she would have died in the Red Waste."

"Which is exactly what she wanted," said another voice. They all looked to find Suno striding from a side street. He was alone, yet Arya still felt her hackles rise. The guards parted to allow him to pass. He still had that insufferable smile on his face. "They like nothing better than their enemies die conveniently," he said while staring at Dona.

She spit back, "Whereas you prefer to stab them in the back!"

"Please, please Dona." Arya had to admit, even Littlefinger would have been hard put to match this guy in slimy charm. He held out his arms as if to embrace her, though he did not approach any closer. Even so, she stepped away from him. "We all have the best interest of Volantis in mind."

"I don't," Arya muttered.

The other two ignored her. "You would have us give up everything to this harlot!" Dona cried. "No offense," she added when she realized Arya was still there.

Arya took very great offense. Her hand drifted down towards Dark Sister's hilt. Suno interposed himself between the two. He continued to maintain eye contact with Dona. "Let's not get unpleasant. Dona, apologize."

"I am sincerely sorry." Arya wanted to gag at the insincerity.

"The street is not the place for discussion."

"The street is the only place you will allow one. I have tried repeatedly to get an audience with the queen."

"Dona, these things take time."

"The tigers have as much right to speak with her as you do."

"Ah, but you are not the leader of the tigers. Where is he, by the way?"

"Absol Mondax is wherever he is. I do not follow his every movement."

"You must know what he is up to, otherwise you would not be here."

"On the contrary. He wanted me to come."

For the first time Arya saw Suno lose his composure. "What's he up to?"

"How should I know?" Arya saw real panic seep into Dona's attitude.

The one they were speaking of was at that moment standing at the top of a ridge outside the city. His back was to the sea. Before him the land descended swiftly into the flat plains of the Disputed Lands. The river Rhoyne was out of sight to the north.

Beside him stood Bachio Dicolo. The two were dressed all in white with swords, real ones, at their belts. In the plain below was a giant herd of sheep, hundreds of them. Moving among them were slaves carrying barrels, the contents of which they were smearing on the animals' fur.

Bachio looked at the older man, his face twisted in concern. "How can this work?"

"Dragons are beasts," Absol answered. "They act like beasts. Just wait. You will see."

Absol would prove to be correct at least in one sense. Even before the slaves had finished their work the sound of beating wings came to their ears. The men gazed skyward and spotted dark spots approaching. The two ran down the slope toward the boat that was waiting for them.

The slaves had no such escape. Nor did the sheep. The dragons made multiple passes, leaving the field, and everything in it charred and burned.

Suno was in real fear of his life right then. Arya couldn't have explained it. The anxiety she felt was amorphous but deep. She'd demanded, "What's happening?!"

"I don't know!" And she believed him.

Not letting it go, she'd grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the gate. Neither Dona nor her guards had made any effort to interfere. Despite his protests she had dragged him to the west gate. The guards were still there.

"Let me through!"

The guards looked at each other uncertainly. None of them moved. "Do what she says!" Suno yelled in a state of panic. After some more hemming and hawing, the guards stepped aside. Arya released her prisoner and she and her guards strode out the gate.

Beyond the Walls they could see black smoke rising from the horizon to the west. The people around them noticed it too but were not yet alarmed. The three Westerosi knew they should be.

"Let's go!" Arya yelled. The distance was way too far for them to run the whole way, but they moved as fast as the crowds and their armor would allow. The longer it took the more scared Arya became. It was coming from Snowflake. She was certain of that.

By the time they were crossing the Long Bridge the smoke had increased and so had the panic of the people around them. There was a great deal of talk as the crowds tried to figure out what was happening. Most seemed to think an army was attacking. More than once Brienne and the Hound had to push people aside to let them pass.

It was well into late afternoon before they finally managed to reach the west side of the Bridge. The black clouds showed no sign of diminishing, and an evil burnt smell was now wafting over the city. All work had stopped as fear increased everywhere.

"What's happening?!" Brienne demanded.

"I don't know!" Arya felt herself on the verge of panic. She knew it had something to do with the dragons, but she couldn't get any coherent thoughts from Snowflake. "The dragons are in danger!"

"The dragons? How?"

Arya did not answer. She broke into a run, trying to reach the ships as quickly as possible. So far nobody had tried to stop them and thankfully that persisted. Reaching the ships in a near breathless state the three found them covered in ironborn armed to the teeth. There was no sign of any fighting having taken place, but Arya felt no confidence that would continue.

Asha, Jake, and the Queensguards were waiting when she finally stumbled up the gangplank. "Your grace! Thank the Seven!" cried Yimi.

"Where in the great murky depths have you been?!" demanded Asha.

"They were determined to keep us as guests," Brienne responded.

"Forget that!" Arya ordered. "Get me a boat. I need to be rowed to the coast outside the harbor."

"Why?" Asha asked, confused.

"Don't argue! There's something wrong with the dragons."

The Queensguards wanted to go with her, but Arya ordered them to stay with Asha. She was sure an attack was going to happen at some point. A crew of six ironborn rowed a longship with her, Brienne and the Hound to the shore just outside the harbor.

The beach was shallow and full of shingle. Above them were high bluffs with steep, but hardly unscalable slopes. The three chose what looked like a cutting or track through the bluffs. Dusk was rapidly approaching by the time they reached the other side.

They looked down on a field of horror. The burnt bodies of sheep and men covered the ground. But it was the largest body that captured their eyes.

There was the Cannibal, its mouth agape. Its wings lying flat upon the ground. The huge colossus was prone upon its back. And no more fire would escape its jaws. It was dead.

The three approached slowly, not believing their eyes. The smell would normally have been enough to choke all of them, but the shock of seeing the Cannibal drove it from their minds.

"How?" Brienne asked.

Sandor lifted what was left of a bucket from cinders that had once been a man. "Looks like poison."

"A poison that kills dragons?"

"Enough poison can kill anything," Arya answered. "How many days, how many moons did it take them to collect enough of it?" They knew that this plan wasn't some spur of the moment thing. The bastards knew or guessed we'd come here. Did that woman know? Did they all know? Arya was beginning to think that she had been played. For days.

Arya wanted to touch the corpse of the Cannibal, but she couldn't make herself move any closer. A cry attracted their attention further down the prairie. They spotted Snowflake crying in distress. Arya didn't see any injuries, so she imagined that Snowflake's anguish was grief.

"What's with her?" the Hound asked.

"She couldn't stop him. She smelled the poison, but he wouldn't listen."

She went to Snowflake and gave her dragon a hug. The two stood there quietly for quite some time. The Hound, staring off toward the horizon, said, "We'd better get back."

Reluctantly, Arya pulled herself away. "Yes. And tomorrow… there will be a reckoning." Brienne didn't like the sound of that but said nothing.

The three turned back toward the cutting, only to find their path cut off. Absol was there with a couple dozen soldiers behind him. These weren't slave soldiers. They were sell-swords. "You're not going anywhere."

Arya was through playing with these people. Without a word, she drew her blades, her Queensguards doing likewise. Absol, confident from numbers, charged. Brienne and Sandor sliced through the sell-swords like cheese. The mercs' blades were useless against the dragonscale, leaving only their heads vulnerable because they didn't have their helmets.

Absol himself went straight for Arya. She had to admit that he was quite skilled. But not nearly enough to be a match for her. He was quick for a man of his age, but she was still half his age. After she gutted the Valyrian the surviving sell-swords broke and ran. Arya was satisfied to let them leave but Snowflake wasn't so forgiving. The dragon torched the men as they fled back up the path.

It was near full dark by the time the three Westerosi got back to the other side of the bluffs. There they spotted the ironborn far out on the ocean; no doubt having pulled away from the shore to avoid the sell-swords. The ironborn rowed the boat back when they saw Arya approaching the beach.

Back aboard Summer Arya discussed her plans with the others. "You sure about this?" Alys asked.

"Yes." Arya was still dressed in her armor, having not even bothered to wash when she got back. "These back-stabbing money grubbers were planning this for weeks. They always intended to kill us. And I intend to make them pay."

Asha certainly agreed. Jake on the other hand was more dubious. "You shouldn't carelessly go around destroying cities…. Your grace."

Arya glared at him before answering. "I don't intend to destroy the whole city. Just a piece of it. Just enough to teach these arrogant sheep herders what the difference is between having dragons and dreaming of them."

This thought wasn't hers alone. Inside Suno's palatial manse a meeting was taking place between Suno, Dona, Bachio, and Sela.

"What were you thinking?!" Sela screamed.

"We must drive them from our city!" Bachio replied.

"You have lost your mind! Slaying a dragon right outside the city!"

"They will learn better than to come here."

"FOOL!" screamed Dona. "They will burn our city now!"

"Let them try. Our Walls stood against the full might of the Dothraki. They will stand against one dragon, or any number of dragons they send against us."

Suno, as usual, was the quintessence of calm. "Blinded by arrogance I see. That is something else Absol thought. Foolish boy, we cannot fight even one dragon, let alone three. Yes, you killed the big one. But that was only because you were able to trick the creature into consuming your poison covered sheep. They are very unlikely to fall for it a second time."

Sela appended, "On top of that, Absol attacked the Dragon Queen. Are you insane?! She will not allow such an insult to go unanswered."

"What can she do?" Bachio persisted in refusing to use his imagination. She has twenty ships of ironborn. Our army is more than a match for them."

"And a dragon," Suno added.

"Dragonriders only ever had one dragon. Everyone knows that."

The other three stared at him as if he'd lost his mind. Dona said, "The Dragon Queen had three."

"All of which died," Bachio said dismissively.

"And then they hatched more," Dona reminded him. Bachio opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Suno said almost in passing, "Eyewitnesses mentioned seeing a second dragon. A white one."

Some of Bachio's bravado started to slip.

As the sun rose with the new dawn another rose with it on leathery wings. Its white scales went unnoticed in the early light, so the people of the city went about their daily tasks, innocent to the events that were about to happen. Soldiers went about their rounds atop the Walls, complacent from long routine.

Their complacency ended when flames bathed them from above. Snowflake, Arya on her back, flew along the length of the Walls. She breathed fire upon every group of soldiers she found, paying particular attention to the siege engines. Casts of oil, which were always kept in readiness at need, exploded, showering their contents in all directions. Fires ignited by falling oil started fires both inside and outside the Walls.

Unlike at Qarth, Arya did not target the manses of the rich. Instead, once Snowflake had cleared the Wall top of any who could oppose them, she smashed those structures lying near the east, north and south gates, thus forcing any within the flee through the west one.

As all this was happening Asha led the ironborn and the Queensguards into the city. The ironborn spread into a double line, shield to shield. As they advanced, with every third step, they rapped their swords repeatedly against their shields, creating a marching din. The sight of them caused all to flee before them.

They were prepared for battle and slaughter, but it proved unnecessary. The city was in chaos. Arya's attack appeared to destroy whatever restraint the slaves felt against rebelling against their masters. The Volanteens had fallen into an orgy of looting, rape and arson of their own city. The Westerosi watched as Volanteen nobles were torn to pieces. Noble women were raped right before their eyes with not even the children being spared.

With a great deal of trepidation, Jake, who had been following as the line advanced, grabbed hold of Asha's arm. "Shouldn't we do something?"

Asha was spared having to respond by Brienne. "You want to bring this mob down on us?"

Joella, sickened by the spectacle said, "We can't let them do this."

Sandor spoke more quietly than usual. "This is not our fight. We won't do them no good dying. They brought this on themselves."

"Even the babes?!" Joella was outraged.

"You plan on trying to save all ten thousand of them?" It was a valid point. Could she really try to save one life without trying to save all of them? "Don't forget where our duty lies. The queen gave us our orders and we have to obey them."

"Right," Asha said. She led them toward the west gate.

Suno, Dona and Sela were struggling through a mob. They had fled the Inner City along with all the other nobles plus a great many of their servants and slaves. Their guards had turned on them and were right then in the midst of looting their precious estates.

It took an eternity to get through the gate due to the press of people. Somehow the three remained close together despite none of them trying to. The crowd seemed unable to separate. Those on the outside kept pressing in because they were surrounded by chaos on all sides. With no one to protect them many were grabbed by thugs from the surrounding streets and dragged off, especially women. More than one man found himself bleeding out his life while trying to protect his womenfolk or his valuables.

The distance from the west gate to the eastern end of the Long Bridge was normally only a short walk. But a mob stood within that space. That was why, even after spending most of the morning trying to push west they still hadn't reached it. The crowd before them suddenly parted to reveal ironborn soldiers marching off the bridge toward them. Their swords were bloody, indicating they'd had to use force to get across.

It hadn't been easy. Poorly armed slaves were no match for ironborn. But there were a lot of them and just getting them to move out of the way was a chore. Brienne and the Hound took great delight in tossing more than one into the Rhoyne. They had also been witness to the fact that female slaves were no safer from the mob than the Volanteen nobles.

Suno, Dona, and Sela tried to push themselves backward into the crowd, but it was like a wall. As the Westerosi neared them Brienne cried, "Those three! Get them!" the ironborn surged forward. The three pushed harder, even attempting to drill their limbs into the mass, but it did no good. They found themselves being pulled bodily off their feet and dragged toward Brienne. The ironborn couldn't be sure who Brienne had actually been pointing to, so they grabbed a dozen other nobles along with them.

Arya sat upon Snowflake's shoulders, looking down upon the city below. She watched as the ironborn fought their way across the Long Bridge. And she saw them seizing several figures from out of the crowd. With a thought she sent Snowflake bounding off the Wall.

The dragon sweeping by caused the crowds around them to flee in all directions. The ironborn, who were more used to dragons, merely ducked. They kept hold of their hostages. Snowflake landed near the end of the Long Bridge, Arya nimbly jumping off. Snowflake hopped up onto one of the nearby buildings.

Sandor grabbed Sela and pulled her toward Arya. He had to half drag; half carry her. Brienne did likewise with Dona, whose overflowing gown was now in ruins but still managed to cover her from neck to ankles. Suno followed more slowly with a pair of ironborn, 'Small' Peat and Richi Dick, holding his arms.

The ironborn formed a ring with Arya in the center. Half stood with their backs to her facing out, weapons at the ready. Their other hostages were held back as Sandor, Brienne, Peat and Dick pushed their charges front and center.

Before Arya could speak a voice called out, "Let us pass!"

After a moment's confusion Asha said, "Let them through."

The ironborn parted. Marching through them came red priests, armed to the teeth. Two of them were holding a captive as they came. It was Bachio, his hands tied behind his back. Kinvara followed him into the circle, her chief priests with her.

Arya arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

Sela started talking first. "Arya. Queen Arya. Remember, my daughter was your brother's wife. Remember, we are family."

"Don't listen to her!" Dona screamed. "She wants to use you!"

"Liar!"

The two women began screaming over each other making it impossible to understand either of them. Bachio now added his voice. "We can reach an accommodation Dragon Queen." He was trying to sound agreeable but had to yell to be heard. "Violence is not nece…"

His voice blended into the morass of noise the two women were making, which was added to by the other hostages, all of whom seemed to think she should listen to them. Only Suno remained silent.

Arya suddenly panicked. She didn't know who to listen to. She was confused about what they were saying. Above all, and to her great consternation, she couldn't tell who was lying. In all the years since she had left the faceless men this had never happened. It was like suddenly not being able to walk.

A voice cracked over them like a thunderclap. One could almost imagine it came from the throat of a dragon though it was a man. "Silence!"

The silence was deafening.

Without orders the ring of ironborn shifted, allowing two more people into the ring. It was Yūko. With her was a man dressed in a plain garment of black and white. He held a staff and his hood was up. He had the dark skin of a Summer Islander and was tall. He looked old or reasonably so. There really was nothing particularly unusual about him.

Yet Brienne and Sandor were wary. The way Yūko looked at him from the corner of her eye she was frightened of him. She was visibly trembling. Not just frightened – terrified.

Arya reaction was different. She ran up to the man almost with enthusiasm. "Thank the Old Gods! You're here."

The man's response was nothing all at like what she expected. "Does a woman forget who she is?"

His tone was chastising. And its effect on Arya was shattering.

She lost all her joy. Her face became blank. She pulled herself up to her full height and straightened her armor. When she turned around the look in her eyes was enough to chill the blood.

There was nothing there. It was as if all consciousness, all personality, had drained from her. Her Queensguards knew that look. It was the Stare. And it was focused on all of them.

Without so much as batting an eye, Arya pointed at Sela and then made a 'come hither' motion with her finger. The Hound half carried; half dragged her over to Arya. He guessed from the smell she had wet herself. Arya's eyes then focused on Dona and she repeated the gesture. Brienne did as the Hound had, with much the same results. Finally, Arya pointed to Bachio. Unlike the women he offered no resistance to the ironborn who pulled him forward. Suno, perhaps not wanting to be left out, shadowed them.

Arya faced Sela, eyes unblinking. "Mother of my brother's wife, speak."

"What do you want me to say?!" The Hound shook Sela violently. "All right! I don't know anything! They were behind it all."

"LIAR!" screamed Dona.

Brienne clamped her hand over the woman's mouth. "You'll get your chance."

Arya's eyes didn't even twitch. At her complete lack of reaction Sela continued. "It was all Absol's idea…"

The slap was so hard the sound was like thunder. Sela's head rang. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Arya was like stone. "The mother of my brother's wife lies to me."

"I'm not lying!"

Another slap. This one almost broke her jaw. The Stare did not change. "Two lies. You get one more."

Brienne and the Hound remembered the last time Arya had said this. It was when Varys met Daenerys for the first time. Arya had sat at the table next to her. Taking his cue, the Hound grabbed Heartbreaker and partially drew it from its scabbard. Sela looked back at him in horror.

Arya said, "Speak."

Knowing she had no alternative now Sela did. "All right! Fine! Why not?! Why the fuck not?! Why shouldn't they take them blame? They murdered my daughter!" Dona struggled to free herself, but she might as well have tried flapping her arms to fly. "It was their fault! All they could talk about was Tywin Lannister. 'Oh, Tywin is so strong! Oh, he will let us sell slaves again! Oh, he is so wise. He knows how to put down peasants!' I HATE THEM! All they ever talk about…"

Sandor re-sheathed Heartsbane and put his hand over her mouth. "That's enough."

Arya made no comment. She shifted over to Dona, who would have collapsed if Brienne had not been holding her up. "You, speak," Arya said.

Dona opened her mouth, but then looked over at Sela who was glaring daggers at her. She spoke far more calmly than Sela. "Very well. Yes, we tried. Do you blame us? What could we do? You burned Qarth!" She looked over at Bachio. "But murder wasn't part of the plan!"

Now he yelled in outrage. "You bitch! You lying bitch!" He would have tackled her if he hadn't been restrained.

Asha was suddenly at his side. "Quiet you," she said, motioning with her ax.

"They were only to scare you. To send a message."

For the first time Arya showed a reaction. She arched an eyebrow. Brienne needed no further prompting. Her hand went to the hilt of Oatkeeper.

Sandor had removed his hand from Sela's mouth. "Tell her what you were really up to!"

The Hound shook her, though not so violently as last time. "Shut up."

"I'll tell them," Bachio said.

"Don't you dare!" Dona screamed.

"Then you tell them, or that great oaf will cut your head off."

Despite his insult Brienne had every intention of doing what he said. "Fine. You were to be our hostage. We knew you wouldn't burn the city down. Not this time. Even dragonriders can only commit so many atrocities in a day." Brienne squeezed her arm painfully, but Dona was not to be denied. "We were going to force you to sign a treaty."

"What treaty?" Brienne demanded.

It was Kinvara who answered. "It was a pledge never to interfere with Volantis. They were to be given a free hand to act as they pleased in Essos. And they would send their dragons away. Not kill them. They were not deluded enough to believe they could accomplish that. But they thought if they threatened Queen Arya they could at least force them to keep the dragons on the opposite side of Westeros. Maybe in the far north."

Asha asked, "How do you know?"

"I saw it."

Asha was angry. "If you knew this already, why didn't you tell us?"

It was the question most of them had. Kinvara did not answer.

Arya though showed no interest in Kinvara. She moved to face Bachio. "You, speak."

He pulled himself free of the two ironborn holding him, straightened his clothes, and said, "It's true." He looked at Sela when he said, "Murdering you wasn't part of the plan. Originally, we had agreed to keep you confined to Sela's estate. Her idea!" He glared at her. "But Absol didn't trust her. Said she'd betray us. Thought it would be best if the dragons were dead. You'd have no recourse. He didn't think one of them would sniff out his trap."

"Unfortunate for you," Asha said. "You should have learned long ago not to cross dragons."

He didn't bother mentioning her own people's history of crossing dragons. "If you will permit; I realize how foolish we were."

"Little late."

He ignored Asha and continued. "Obviously, attacking you was wrong."

"Listen to him now!" Sela screamed. "Where is all that bravado about 'we can face any dragon'?"

The Hound put his hand over her mouth again. "I said shut up."

Bachio paused only a moment before continuing. "I am sure we can get past this unpleasantness and reach an accommodation."

Now it was Dona who said, "Accommodation is it? What about my son?! What about my husband?!"

Brienne silenced her. "You talk too much."

Asha nudged Bachio. "What's she talking about?"

He looked at her resentfully but spoke to Arya. "When the queen's army threatened the city Dona's husband Mutoz Granz was the one who led the army."

Asha smirked. "Ah! Got burned up in dragonfire, did he? And your son with him? You expect us to be remorseful?"

Dona would have attacked her if Brienne hadn't had a firm grip on her. "You murdered them!" Asha's smirk didn't quaver as she pointed her ax at Arya. Dona turned to spit venom at Arya. "You attacked them at night! In the dark!"

Brienne shook the woman to shut her up. "Of course, fool! A general who wants to win uses every advantage. It was not a parade ground duel."

"True enough," Suno suddenly said. He was once again practicing his charm ability, stepping forward to attract their attention. "Many foolish things have happened here. We deeply regret it."

Bachio tried talking over him. "Wasn't it your idea?"

But Suno simply increased his volume. "It was the result of bad decisions all around. If we can reach an understanding, I am sure this matter can be put to rest."

Arya said nothing, only moved closer to him.

Bachio continued trying to interrupt him. "You were the one who kept insisting…"

Dona and Sela now also tried to add their voices. All three were silenced by their guards.

Suno hadn't stopped. He continued talking even as Arya stepped close to him. "We already have the basis for an agreement…" He suddenly cut off; his voice replaced with a wet gurgling.

Arya's movement had been so fast and clean that none of the onlookers were sure they had seen it. One moment she was standing before Suno, the next she was wiping off Vasenya's Dagger on his tunic as he clutched at his bleeding neck. He staggered once, then collapsed, Arya taking no more notice of him than she would have a stone in the road.

With the dagger still in her hand she turned to Bachio. All the bravado had left him. He and the two women stood frozen.

Arya's Stare bored into his face. "You decide Volantis' fate now. Be sure you chart the correct course. We can be a friend or an enemy. And you do not want to be our enemy. Should Volantis ever engage in hostile acts again, we will return with fire and blood."

She turned away from him as if he were of no more account than a stray dog. She waved her arm at her followers, and they released all their hostages. Some life returned to her as she went back to the old man. She even smiled a little.

"It is good to see you. How is our friend?"

The old man seemed to know exactly who she was referring to. "Far closer than you think."

Her smile broadened. "I think I knew."

The two started to walk together toward the Long Bridge, Arya's people following. They left the Volanteens to their own devices. Brienne noticed that Kinvara and her priests were nowhere in sight. The mobs too had dispersed, likely wanting to stay as far away from the dragon as possible.

The old man did not smile, yet his tone was more pleasant. "You are well."

"Married life suits me. I think you said once that I would be the mother of many."

"If that was the fate you chose. I did not think you would."

"Strange. You sounded very confident to me. Did you always know?"

He was silent for a long moment. "You mean dragons?"

She stopped and contemplated. "I guess I do. I really mean about Jon and Dany and me."

They started walking again. "I am no magician. Nor do I possess the powers the red priests speak of."

"Not that you will admit," she corrected.

He found that amusing. "You could say I have foresight of my own."

"The foresight of many generations?"

He did not answer.

The fleet sailed with the tide that very night. Arya stood on the bow looking out to sea. It was as if she could make Westeros appear through sheer will.

Asha came up next to her. "They will cause trouble again." She spoke with unnecessary emphasis.

"Not for some years I think."

"How can you trust them?"

"I trust their fear. They know we mean business now. Westeros is strong again and they know that poking a bear is a great way to get it to eat you."

"Let's hope the keep their caution."

Arya didn't really care. It would be a long time before the new leader of the Tigers would be able to quell the anarchy in the city. Assuming he ever did. Volantis had far more pressing concerns to think about.

END CHAPTER 23