Chapter 141: Arya and the Faceless Man

King's Landing, Maegor's Holdfast.

Stannis, his brow furrowed, stood on the balcony of the small council chamber, gazing out at the vast forest on the southern bank of the Blackwater River.

For several days, the Reach Army had been crossing the Kingswood, arriving at the southern bank in a steady stream to set up camp; scouts reported that the enemy force had reached eighty thousand.

The good news was that they had no ships or bridges to cross the river.

The bad news was that one hundred and fifty longships of the Redwyne fleet had captured Dragonstone, taken Selyse Florent and others who remained there prisoner, and were rapidly approaching King's Landing Port.

Although his own Royal Fleet and the coalition of pirates could contend with the Redwyne fleet, his land forces were far fewer than the enemy's, numbering only one-quarter of theirs.

He had not yet engaged the enemy, but he had already lost the war.

Footsteps sounded, and the Knight Davos Seaworth walked up behind his King.

"Your Grace, did you summon me?"

Stannis threw the rolled-up slip of paper in his hand to his Hand. "Look at this. Another king has appeared."

Davos, nicknamed the Onion Knight, gave an awkward smile and said sheepishly, "I do not know the words on it, and they do not know me."

The King, who wore no crown, glared at his Hand and explained, "An armed force from across the Narrow Sea has landed in the Stormlands. Their leader claims to be the eldest son of Rhaegar, the true master of the Iron Throne, Aegon Targaryen VI. The garrison at Storm's End says this army is preparing to attack them."

"Compared to the great army outside the city, this is merely a nuisance." The Onion Knight pointed to the south. "According to my observations of the enemy camp, the Reachmen warriors should only number forty or fifty thousand; there are an unusually high number of unarmored servants, it hardly looks like an army."

"Only! You call forty or fifty thousand soldiers 'only'?" Stannis glared at his Hand again, then turned his head toward the Red Priestess Melisandre, who had just walked in. "Why is Tommen not in Duskendale? Did you not say that burning the fatty would make the pretender king drop dead?"

Melisandre, dressed in red robes, swayed gracefully as she walked to the King's side and whispered, "Do not be impatient. In the flames, I saw Tommen entangled by several snakes from the desert. One snake bit him to death, and the pretender king will soon go to meet his brother."

"It had better be so." Stannis rested his hands on the table and looked at the map. "Each of you, think of a way to defeat the enemy army outside the city."

Knight Davos said, "The Lannister army is north of the Gods Gate, and the Reach Army is on the southern bank of the Blackwater River. Before the Redwyne fleet arrives, we can first defeat the isolated lions, and then go to war with the Reach Army."

"Do you think Kevan is a fool? If he cannot win, will he not lead his army in a retreat?" Er Lu looked at the Red Priestess. "What is your method?"

"Use the prisoners you hold to trade for Edric Storm. King's blood contains power beyond what ordinary people can imagine; combined with the Lord of Light, it is enough to kill any enemy you hate."

Edric Storm was the bastard of the late King Robert, originally fostered at Storm's End, later brought to Dragonstone by Stannis, and now captured by the Redwyne fleet.

The Red Priestess stared into Stannis's blue eyes with her deep, piercing gaze.

The Onion Knight beside them could not bear the intimacy between the King and the witch, and reminded him, "That is your own kin, Your Grace. A kinslayer will be cursed by the gods."

"Sir, do not be agitated. It is not killing him, we only need a little blood."

Melisandre looked at the Onion Knight with the same gaze she used for Er Lu, which made Davos shyly turn his head away.

"I will never forgive the treasonous crimes of Cersei, Varys, and the others," Stannis said, looking at the Red Priestess.

"But their trial can be delayed until Your Grace has won this war. Outside Storm's End, you have already witnessed the power of king's blood."

The furrows in Stannis's brow smoothed slightly, and he ordered, "Then let it be done."

Stoney Sept.

Arthur, drenched in sweat, sat up abruptly from his bed, carefully recalling the nightmare he had just had.

In the dream, he was marrying the Little Rose, Margaery Tyrell; the vows and the banquet proceedings were finished, and he was carrying the Little Rose into the bridal chamber, preparing to get intimate.

Margaery was dressed more beautifully than ever, and just as Arthur was about to kiss her, a bald man with blue eyes crawled out from under the bed and clamped his hands around Arthur's neck, with such force that Arthur nearly suffocated.

Fortunately, Alduin appeared from somewhere unknown, spewing dragonfire that burned the blue-eyed man to death on the spot.

Yet the man's remains had no shadow, and just as Arthur was about to investigate, Alduin stretched its head over; horrifyingly, Alduin had the face of Joffrey.

Qiaodadi's little face was still as handsome as ever, and his eyes were much clearer, but a human face on a dragon's head was still very frightening.

And so, Arthur was startled awake.

This was truly a terrible nightmare.

He savored the details carefully, only to realize with a start that it was highly likely Stannis was preparing to curse someone.

Counting the days, the armies of the lions and the flowers had already surrounded King's Landing; Er Lu's soldiers were far fewer than the enemy's, so he would naturally use special methods to win.

Arthur, who had declared himself king, was surely on his list of people to curse.

The power of the curse should come from Edric Storm, a bastard of Robert who possessed both dragon blood and king's blood.

In addition to practicing the "three defenses" in his daily life—defending against cold arrows, poison, and assassins—Arthur also had to prepare to break this curse.

Coincidentally, Qyburn, who was directing the construction of new dwellings in Harrentown, had a very deep study of necromancy.

Previously, Arthur had already discussed with him methods to break the curse of Harrenhal, and Qyburn had also approved of the two solutions of transplanting weirwood and burning the Great Barrow; it stood to reason that finding a way to break Stannis's curse would not be difficult.

After keeping this matter in mind, Arthur rolled out of bed and called for Podrick to prepare for washing.

It was already evening outside; tonight was the time to dig open the dikes upstream.

After the river water, which had been accumulating for three days, rushed down, the fully equipped Riverlands Army would be standing by on the hills where Stoney Sept was located, ready to capture the routed soldiers and enemy commanders.

East side of the Gods Eye.

Two people and two horses were heading north, and Sandor Clegane was pouring the liquid from his wineskin into his mouth.

Arya looked at the boundless lake and asked angrily, "The Hound, do you not know the way? We were originally at Stoney Sept; we could have reached Riverrun by heading west from there. Why have you circled back?"

"I heard your sister ran to Harrenhal, which is why I am taking you north." Sandor shook his empty wineskin and glanced at the sunset glow. "We need to find a place to sleep."

Their mounts carried them up a small hill, where they met five uninvited guests head-on.

A lion-house cavalryman draped in a crimson robe spoke first: "To think we would meet an acquaintance. Does the girl still remember 'a man'?"

The Hound had assumed the lion-house cavalrymen would first greet him, given his distinct features, but he had not expected the little wolf girl to be the one recognized.

Arya looked at this red-robed man she had never seen before with a bewildered little face. "Who are you? Why do you use 'a man' to refer to yourself?"

In her memory, only one death-row prisoner in the Night's Watch party had referred to himself that way.

At that time, the Gold Cloaks were hunting a boy and had attacked the party led by Yoren of the Night's Watch, setting a great fire. Three death-row prisoners were trapped in a cage, and Arya, unable to bear it, had found an axe for them, and the two sides had never seen each other since.

The "red-robed man" took off his lion-shaped half-helmet and used his free right hand to stroke his face; his previously mediocre features suddenly became full of charisma.

Arya recognized him; it was indeed that same death-row prisoner.

"The girl stole three lives from the Red God, so she must return three lives to the Red God; you name three names, and someone will send them to meet the Red God," Jaqen H'ghar said after revealing a face Arya was familiar with.

Arya was stunned for several seconds before she realized what was happening, so she pointed at a man in red robes behind Jaqen, "That's him."

"These are Rorge and Biter, my companions; you did not speak his name, so I cannot kill him. The other two Lannister cavalry are named Aidan and Benson," Jaqen replied.

Arya's eyes darted, realizing Jaqen was hinting that she could kill these two lion-house cavalry, so she spoke those two names.

Jaqen smiled and nodded, then turned to look at the two Lannister cavalry.

The two men were startled by the conversation and were already turning their horses to flee.

But the hand speed of the Faceless Man Jaqen was faster; two red feathers shot from his hand and pierced the back of their necks.

Thump!

Two corpses fell to the ground, and their mounts came to a stop.

Sandor Clegane looked at the red feathers on the back of the corpses' necks in shock, recalled his relationship with the little wolf girl, and silently took the dog-shaped helmet off his horse, put it on his head, pressed down the visor, and fastened the neck guard securely.

"What is the third name?"

Arya looked at the death-row prisoner who could change his face with his hands, then glanced at the fallen Lannister cavalry, and said eagerly, "I don't need you to kill for me anymore, just teach me this method of killing, and I will take my own revenge."

The Faceless Man extended his right index finger and shook it, "That is not a person's name, you know."

Arya struggled to recall the man's name and said, "Jaqen."

"Then you had better name something I can actually do!" The Faceless Man immediately relaxed his stance.

Arya glanced at Sandor Clegane behind her, thinking to herself that if she let them kill The Hound, then Jaqen would surely have nothing to do with her anymore.

"Then help me get rid of Sandor Clegane and teach me your method of killing. My brother died at the hands of the Lannisters and the traitor Roose Bolton; I must have revenge for him and the people of The North."

Jaqen waved his hand to let Rorge and the other man behind him step forward, "Find a way to make him leave the girl."

The Hound looked at the mysterious trio and nudged his horse's flanks to back away slowly.

Years of combat experience told him that one must never turn their back on such dangerous opponents.

Rorge and Biter rode to pressure Sandor Clegane, and the three of them moved away from Jaqen and Arya.

"A man must die," the Faceless Man Jaqen said, and then he stroked his face with his hand once more.

And so, that charismatic middle-aged male face turned into a scarred face. After shaking his long, straight red hair, what sat atop the Faceless Man's head became black curly hair.

"I want to learn this technique."

Arya looked at the man before her with longing eyes.

"You may; come with me to Braavos across the Narrow Sea," the Faceless Man said.

The little wolf girl thought of her older sister, as well as Jon Snow, who had already donned the black and become a member of the Night's Watch.

"But I must go see my kin first, so they know where I am going."

The Faceless Man pulled a strange old coin from his robes, "I cannot go to see your kin. Take this coin, you can give it to anyone in Braavos, and then say Valar Morghulis, and you will be able to find me."

Arya took the old coin and curiously rubbed it.

It was larger than a Silver Stag or a Gold Dragon, and older, with a texture similar to a copper penny.

After speaking, the stranger wearing Jaqen's clothes nodded at Arya, turned and retreated into the darkness, and after his cloak fluttered, he vanished.

In the distance, a roar could be heard.

Arya heard it clearly; it was the voice of The Hound.

Having shaken off The Hound, she didn't care that the sun had already set and galloped north on her horse; her sister Sansa might be at Harrenhal, directly north of the Great Lake.

The middle section of the Golden Road.

The resurrected Catelyn Stark listened to the reports from the members of the Brotherhood under her command.

Of course, she was no longer Lady Stark; others called her "Lady Stoneheart."

"Blond hair, wearing ornate enameled armor, riding hard with three horses; he looks very much like the Kingslayer Jaime Lannister."

"It is just that because he was moving so fast, the brothers could not be certain, so they reported to you for the Lady to decide."

Because the wound in her throat could not heal, she had to cover her neck with her hand when she spoke, "Whether it is him or not, if he comes from the west, he is a Lannister lackey. My husband, myself, and my son all died at their hands; anyone who has any connection to them must die."

She ordered the forty-plus men under her command, "Everyone pack up, we are going to hunt down that Knight."

Since the death of Beric Dondarrion, the Red Priest Thoros of Myr had left this Brotherhood detachment, which allowed Lady Stoneheart to take command of these men.

And so, the Brotherhood members who had already lain down stood up again, dragged their exhausted bodies to pack their belongings, mounted their horses, and followed their leader to hunt down the rider suspected of being the Kingslayer.

Beside a large tree, Brienne of Tarth, who had already wrapped herself in her cloak, suddenly sensed the ground trembling slightly.

A large troop of cavalry was coming, and they were coming aggressively.

So Brienne, who slept in her armor, stood up, gripped her sword, and prepared to observe the situation first.

"Hey, it looks like a female Knight!" catching the light of the torches, the Brotherhood member running at the front shouted.

"We are the Brotherhood Without Banners, you can rest easy," another member replied.

Brienne watched the continuous stream of riders and, confirming they were not wearing the standard armor of noble house soldiers, sat back down against the tree.

They must be members of the Brotherhood; she had heard this organization had a good reputation, and the beauty felt relieved.

But one person in the very center of the troop caught Brienne's attention, "Isn't that Lady Stark, who was already killed by the lion-house cavalry?"

The Brotherhood troop passed by very quickly; Brienne stared blankly at the back that had already ridden far away and decided to follow them to ask for an explanation.

(End of chapter)