Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Arya

They rose at dawn, passed through forests, orchards, and level farmland, through small villages, crowded towns, and well-built manors, and traveled until dusk.After nightfall, they camped and rested, and ate by the light of the "red sword".Adults are on duty in shifts.Through the trees, Arya often caught glimpses of other travelers' campfires swaying.There seem to be more and more campfires at night, and the crowds on the King's Road are getting more and more crowded during the day. Day and night, there was an endless stream of people, young and old, big and young, barefoot girls, and women with babies in their arms.Some drove wagons, or jolted along on carts drawn by oxen, but many more rode animals: plow horses, ponies, mules or donkeys, as long as they could walk, run and roll.A woman leads a cow and puts her little daughter on its back.Arya saw a blacksmith pushing a cart loaded with all his tools: hammer, tongs, even an anvil.Not long after, she saw another person pushing a wheelbarrow passing by, but lying inside were two little babies wrapped in blankets.Most were on foot, carrying their belongings on their shoulders, with tired and wary looks on their faces.They all headed south, towards King's Landing, and only a few of them were willing to speak to Yoren and his party who were heading north.She didn't know why no one went with them.

The travelers carried more or less weapons, daggers, knives, scythes, and axes, and Arya saw some with swords now and then.Others whittled the branches into sticks, or made them into thick walking sticks.As they passed, these men tended to touch their weapons and keep their eyes on the carriage, but in the end it was all right.No matter how good the things on the carriage were, it was still difficult to deal with thirty people at once. See with your eyes, Syrio said, and hear with your ears. One day, a mad woman screamed at them from the side of the road: "Idiot! They will kill you all! Idiot!" She was as thin as a straw, with hollow eyes and bloody feet.

The next morning an oily merchant on a gray mare stopped before Yoren and offered to buy the wagon and all its wares for a quarter of what it was worth. "I said friend, there is a war outside, they won't give you money if they rob you, why not sell it to me." Yoren twisted his hunchbacked shoulders, turned his head away, and spat. That same day, Arya discovered a small mound by the roadside where children were buried, the first grave they had seen on the road.A crystal was placed on the ooze, and Romy wanted to keep it for himself, but Daniel asked him not to disturb the dead.Ten miles further on, Praed found a whole row of freshly dug graves.Since then, they have discovered new graves every day.

One night, Arya woke up suddenly with an inexplicable fear.Overhead, the "red sword" and thousands of stars adorn the night sky.She could hear Yoren's muffled snoring, the crackling of the campfire, and even the commotion of donkeys in the distance, but the night seemed strangely still, as if the whole world held its breath.The stillness made her tremble, and clutching at her needle, she continued to sleep. When Praed didn't wake up the next morning, Arya realized it was his coughing that hadn't been heard last night.So they also dug a grave and buried the mercenary where he fell asleep last night.Yoren stripped him of all valuables before burrowing into the ground.Some took his boots, others his dagger, and his mail and helm belonged to new owners.Urent handed his longsword to Big Bull, and said to him, "Look at your arms, maybe you can learn to use this." A boy named Tabor sprinkled a handful of seeds on Praed's body. , an oak tree will grow here to mark the place where he was buried.

That evening they rested in the village and checked into an inn whose walls were covered with ivy.Yoren counted the coppers in his wallet and decided to treat them to a hot meal. "We still sleep outside at night as usual; but there is a bathhouse here, and if you want to soap up and have a hot bath, you can do it yourself." Though Arya was sour and stinks all over, smelling as bad as Yoren, she dared not wash.Well, some of the things that lived in her clothes had followed her from the flea nest, and drowning them now was too much of an excuse.Tabor, Hot Pie, and Daniel joined the shower line, and they stopped in front of the bathhouse while the others crowded into the hotel lobby.Yoren also told Rommy to bring a few large glasses of wine to the three death row inmates, handcuffed and chained to the back of the car.

Afterwards, bathed and unwashed, all gathered together for hot pork pie and baked apples, and the innkeeper offered them an extra glass of beer. "I have a younger brother who wears black too, but that was many years ago. He was a waiter, very clever, but one day he was seen stealing pepper from the grown-ups' table. Well, he I liked the taste, so I stole a handful, but Ser Malcolm is a strict man. Do you have pepper at your Great Wall?" Seeing Yoren shaking his head, the boss sighed, "It's a pity, Link just likes this. " Arya ate spoonfuls of warm pie and sipped her beer now and then.I remembered that my father used to let them drink a glass of beer occasionally. Sansa would make a face every time she drank it, saying that wine was much better than this, but Arya liked the taste of beer.Thinking of Sansa and her father, she felt sad again. The inn was full of people going south, and when everyone heard that Yoren and the others were going north, they immediately burst into disdain. "You'll turn around after a few steps," the boss swears. "It's impossible to go north. Most of the fields have been burned, and the people who stay are all hiding in the manor. The lawless guy walks once in the morning, and then goes back at night." Come on a batch."

"It's all right for us," Yoren insisted stubbornly. "It doesn't matter to the Night's Watch whether he's a Tully or a Lannister." Lord Tully is my grandfather, Arya thought.Of course it mattered to her, but she bit her lip and continued to listen in silence. "Not only Tully and Lannister," said the innkeeper, "but also the barbarians from the Moon Mountains. You should go and reason with them. The Starks also have a share. I heard that their young master is coming. , the son of the short-lived prime minister..." Arya sat up straight, listening.Could it be Robb he was talking about?

"I heard that kid rode a wolf to fight!" A yellow-haired man holding a wine glass interfaced. "Fuck." Yoren spat. "The man saw it with his own eyes, and he swore to me that the wolf was as big as a horse." "Had, swear it's worth it!" the shop owner said, "You swear to pay back the money all day long, but I haven't even seen half a copper coin!" Everyone in the hall laughed, and the yellow-haired man's face turned red . "Even wolves are having a hard time these days," said a man with a sallow complexion and a green cloak stained with dust from his travels. "In the area around Shenyan Lake, the wolves are so courageous. It’s still a dog, it will kill when it sees it, and it’s not even afraid of people. If it goes into the woods at night, it will kill you!”

"Hey, isn't it all hearsay? It's true that there are ghosts!" "My cousin also told me about this, she is not the master of gossip." An old woman said, "She said that there is such a large pack of wolves, there are hundreds of them in total, all of them are murderers. It's a she-wolf, like a monster from the seventh hell!" she Wolf?Arya swirled her beer, thinking.Is God's Eye Lake near the Trident River?She wished she had a map.It was near the Trident that she had set Nymeria free.She didn't want to do it, but Jory said she had no choice, and if she took the pup back with her, she would be killed for biting Joffrey, even if Joffrey deserved it.They yelled and cursed for a long time, and threw stones, until Arya threw her herself, and the direwolves stopped following.She probably doesn't recognize me now, does she?Arya thought she would hate me if she knew it.

The man in the green cloak went on to say: "I also heard that once this tigress walked into a village... It happened to be a market that day, and there were people everywhere. Let me tell you, it walked in just like that, mouthful A baby was snatched from his mother's arms. This matter was later known to Master Mooton, and the father and son swore to kill it, so they led a pack of wolfhounds and chased it all the way to the she-wolf's den. The gang almost died, and none of the dogs came back, not a single one." "That's just a rumour!" Arya blurted out, before she could stop herself. "Wolves don't eat babies!"

"What do you know, boy?" said the man in the green cape. Before she could think of an answer, Yoren had already grabbed her hand, "The kid is drunk, that's all!" "I'm not drunk, they don't eat babies..." "Little devil, get out... You stay outside obediently until you learn how to speak like an adult." He pushed her hard towards the side door leading to the stable, "Get out quickly! By the way, remind the stable boy to feed us The horses drink water!" Arya walked out stiff, furious as hell. "They don't eat babies!" she murmured, kicking stones as she walked, and the stones rolled under the wagon and stopped. "Boy," came a friendly voice, "cute boy." It was one of the chained men who was speaking to her.Arya walked cautiously toward the carriage, pressing on the hilt of Needle's sword with one hand. The prisoner raised his empty wine glass, and the chains rattled. "Someone wants to have an extra drink. Someone is wearing heavy handcuffs and is very thirsty." He is the youngest of the three, slender, with a handsome face, and always has a smile on his mouth.His hair was red and white on one side, and it looked dirty and unkempt from being locked up in the prison and traveling long distances. "Someone wants a bath, too," he added, seeing Arya's eyes on him. "A certain boy can have friends." "I have friends," Arya said. "I don't see that," said the one without the nose.He was thick and strong, with frighteningly large hands, and black body hair on his arms, feet, chest, and back.Seeing him, Arya couldn't help but think of the orangutans from the Summer Isles she had seen in illustrated books before.Because of the hole in his face, it was hard to keep an eye on him. The bald one opened his mouth suddenly and hissed like a great white lizard, startling Arya, and looking back, she was surprised to see that he opened his mouth wide and stuck out his tongue at her, but it wasn't like a tongue, it was Like a cut piece of rotten meat. "Don't do that!" she blurted out. "In a dark cell, one cannot choose a companion," said the handsome prisoner with red and white hair.The tone of his speech somehow reminded her of Syrio, both very similar and very different. "These two, they have no manners. Someone has to beg forgiveness. Your name is Ali, isn't it?" "He's a mangy man," said Noseless, "a skinny kid with manure all over his head and face. Be careful, Loras, he'll beat you with a stick!" "Ali, someone must be ashamed of his companions," said the handsome prisoner. "It is my honor to be Jaqen H'ghar, from the Free Cities of Loras. Had he known he would not have left home. This man The two imprisoned companions of low birth, Rorge"—he waved his glass at the noseless man—"and 'Fanger'." Fang hissed at her again, baring A file of yellow teeth. "Somebody has to have a name, doesn't he? Fang can neither speak nor write, but his teeth are so sharp that if someone calls him Fang, he'll laugh. Do you like us?" " Arya quickly backed away from the carriage, "I don't like it!" They can't hurt me, she said to herself, they are all handcuffed. He turned his glass upside down. "Someone is going to cry." Rorge the Nose cursed and threw his glass at her.He was handcuffed and handicapped, but if Arya hadn't dodged and jumped in time, the heavy tin mug could have hit her on the head. "You little bastard, hurry up and bring us wine! Go!" "Stop arguing!" Arya tried to think about what Syrio would do if this happened to him.She drew out her practice wooden sword. "Come here!" Rorge said, "Come here and I'll stick that stick in your ass and fuck you to death!" Fear hurts more than a sword.Arya forced herself to lean toward the carriage, each step getting harder.As fierce as a wolf, as calm as water.These words sounded in her head, and Syrio must not be afraid.She continued to approach until she could almost touch the wheel, when Fang suddenly stood up, reaching out to grab her, and the iron cuffs rattled.Due to the shackles, his hands couldn't reach her, so he could only wave them in the air half a foot away from her face.He hissed strangely. She swung her stick and hit him hard and precisely between the small eyes. Biter screamed, backed away, and then pulled the chain with all his strength. The chain slid, twisted, and tightened. Arya heard the big iron rings tightening on the old carriage boards, and the wood creaked. .His giant pale hands tried desperately to grab her, the veins on his arms burst, but he couldn't break free, and finally he fell backwards, blood flowing from the blisters on his cheeks. "Such a boy is brave, but irrational," said the man who identified himself as Jaqen H'ghar. Arya slowly backed away from the carriage, and suddenly someone reached out to touch her shoulder. She turned around immediately and raised the wooden sword again. Fortunately, it was Daniel who came. "What are you doing?" He threw up his hands defensively. "Yoren told us not to go near those three." "I'm not afraid of them!" said Arya. "Then you are an idiot, I'm terrified." Daniel's hand fell on the hilt of the sword, and Rorge laughed when he saw it. "Let's leave now." Arya shuffled, and Ren led her around to the inn, Rorge's laughter and Bitter's neighing following them. "Do you want to practice fighting?" She asked Daniel.She really wanted to find something to vent her anger on. Startled, he winked at her.A few bushes of thick black hair, still damp from the bath, fell over his deep blue eyes. "I'm going to hurt you." "impossible." "You don't know how strong I am." "You have no idea how fast I move." "Ali, you asked for this." He pulled out Praed's long sword, "Although this sword is made of rough steel, it is a real sword." Arya drew out her sewing needle. "This sword is made of fine steel, stronger than yours." Daniel shook his head, "If I cut you down, can you promise not to cry?" "If you promise not to cry, I will agree." She turned to one side, posing as a water dancer, but Daniel didn't move, only looking behind her. "What's wrong?" "The golden robe is here." His expression turned serious. impossible!Arya thought.But when she turned her head, she really saw six city guards wearing black ring armor and golden cloaks riding from the king's road.One of them was an officer, wearing a black-enameled breastplate adorned with four gold plates.They stopped in front of the hotel.To your eyes, Syrio's voice seemed to whisper to her.Her eyes saw the white sweat under the saddle. It was evident that the horse had galloped at full speed for a long time.Still like water, she took Daniel by the hand and hid behind a tall flowering hedge. "What's wrong?" he asked, "What are you doing? Let me go!" "It's as quiet as a shadow." She whispered, pulling him to squat down. A few of Yoren's overseers were sitting in front of the bathhouse, waiting to get into the tub. "Hey, you guys!" A gold-cloaked guard shouted, "Are you going to join the black shirt army?" "Maybe." One person replied cautiously. "Boy, do you think we don't want to eat your bowl of rice?" Old Lei Sen said, "I heard that the Great Wall is cold." The gold-robed officer dismounted. "I have orders to find a boy—" Yoren came out of the inn, twirling his tangled black beard, "Who's looking for a boy?" The other gold-cloaked guards dismounted one after another and stood beside their mounts. "Why are we hiding?" Daniel asked in a low voice. "I'm the one they're after," Arya whispered to him.The smell of soap filled his ears. "Do not be noisy." "Old man, the person who wants him is the current Empress Dowager, and it's none of your business." The officer said while pulling out the ribbon from his waist, "Look, this is the imperial seal and authorization letter of Her Majesty the Empress Dowager." Behind the fence, Daniel shook his head in disbelief. "Ali, what did the Queen Mother arrest you for?" She slapped him on the shoulder, "You are quiet!" Yoren touched the warrant of golden sealing wax, "Hey, that's a pretty thing," he spat, "but ah, the boy is now a member of our Night's Watch, no matter what he did in the city before Whatever happened, it's all canceled." "Old man, the Empress Dowager is not interested in listening to your opinions, and neither do I." The officer said, "I'm going to decide on this child." Arya began to think about running away, but she knew that a donkey could not outrun a golden cloak on a horse, and she was tired of running.She escaped when Ser Meryn came for her, and escaped again when her father was killed.If she was a real water dancer, she should go out with a needle and kill them all, and never run from anyone again. "You don't want to take anyone away," Yoren said stubbornly. "It's the king's law." The gold-cloaked guard pulled out a dagger, "This is the law of the king!" Yoren looked at the blade. "It's just a sword, Wang Fa. I happen to have one too." The officer smiled and said, "You stupid old man, I have five people." Yoren took a sip. "I have thirty." The gold robes laughed loudly, "Only this kind of thing?" said a big man with a broken nose, "Who will go first?" He shouted and drew his weapon. Tabor picked up a pitchfork from the straw. "Me!" "No, me!" yelled Kejack, the fat mason, taking a hammer from the leather apron he never left. "Me!" Kurtz stood up from the ground, holding a short skinning knife in his hand. "Hello, my brothers!" Koss drew his longbow. "Let's all go together!" Lei Sen said and grabbed his thick, long, hard crutch. Dauber came out of the bathhouse naked, holding a ball of clothes, seeing the situation outside, immediately dropped everything on his hands, only his dagger was left. "Are you going to fight?" he asked. "It should be." Hot Pie hurriedly lay down on the ground looking for a stone to throw.Arya could hardly believe what she was seeing.She hated Hot Pie!Why was he willing to risk his life for her? Broken Nose seemed to still think they were ridiculous, "Scared, you big girls, throw down the rocks and sticks, so as not to be spanked. Do you know which side to hold the sword?" "I know!" Arya will never let them sacrifice their lives for her like Syrio, never!Needle in hand, she squeezes her way through a hedge in a water dancer pose. Broken Nose laughed loudly, and the officer looked her up and down. "Put the sword away, little sister, we don't want to hurt you." "I'm not a girl!" she yelled angrily.How did they do it?He rode all the way to catch her, and now she was standing in front of him, but he only cared about laughing at her. "I'm the one you want." "He is the one we want." The officer raised his dagger and gestured to Daniel, and he also stepped forward and stood beside her, holding Praed's cheap weapon in his hand. The officer made a mistake: he shouldn't have taken his eyes off Yoren, not even for a moment.In the blink of an eye, the brother in black's sword had already stuck to the officer's throat. "You are not allowed to take anyone away, otherwise I will cut your throat and see what it looks like inside. Don't scare me, tell you, there are more than a dozen of my brothers in the store. If I were you, I would throw them away quickly Open that kitchen knife in your hand, sit on that fat little pony over there, and run the fuck back to the city." He spat, and then jabbed his sword hard. "hurry up!" The officer loosened his fingers, and the dagger fell into the dust. "We'll keep this for you," Yoren said. "Wall defenders will always need good swords." "Forget you, I don't care about you this time, let's go!" The gold-cloaked guards put away their swords and got on their horses. "Old man, you'd better run back to the Great Wall with your tail between your legs, or the next time you meet me, I'll take this bastard and your head away!" "Hmph, I've seen a lot of battles, who are you scaring?" Yoren said as he slapped the officer's horse's ass with the flat of his sword, causing him to gallop toward the king's road.The officer's men hurried to follow. When they ran out of sight, Hot Pie started cheering, but Yoren looked even more annoyed, and said angrily, "You idiot! Do you think he'll stop? He won't be so polite next time, he won't show me the fuck Letter of authorization. Call out everyone who is still in the shower, and we'll be on our way. Let's go overnight and see if we can get some distance." He picked up the dagger left by the officer, "Who wants it?" "Me!" Hot Pie yelled. "Don't take it on Ali." He handed the boy his sword hilt forward, and walked towards Arya, but it was Big Bull he was talking to. "Little devil, it seems that the Queen Mother wants you." Arya was confused. "What did she catch him for?" Daniel frowned, "Then why did she arrest you? You're just a gutter rat!" "Hmph, you are just an illegitimate child!" Could it be that he is pretending to be an illegitimate child? "What's your real name?" "Gendry." He sounded uncertain. "I don't know what they're doing with you two," Yoren said. "They don't want to get away with it anyway. I'll give you two war horses, and run to the Wall as soon as I see the golden robes, as if I were a dragon chasing after me. Don't worry, they don't care about us." "Except for you," Arya pointed out. "That man said he wanted your head." "Well, well," Yoren said, "if I want to move my head, I'd welcome him to try."