Chapter 34 Chapter Thirty-Three Arya

The one-eared black tom arched his back and neighed at her. Arya walked along the path, balancing on her bare heels, listening to her heart pounding, taking deep breaths and exhaling slowly.Quiet as a shadow, she told herself, light as a feather.The tomcat watched her approaching gradually, his eyes full of vigilance. It's hard to catch a cat.There were unhealed scratches all over her hands, and her knees were bruised and scarred from a fall.At first, even the fat kitchen cat the cook kept eluded her, but Syrio told her to practice day and night.When she came to him with blood on her hands, he just said: "Why are you so slow? Little sister, move quickly. When you meet the enemy, it's not just a scratch." He applied dense oil to her wound It was so hot, she bit her lip tightly to keep from screaming.Then he told her to go on catching the cat.

There are cats everywhere in the Red Castle: there are lazy old cats napping in the sun, there are cold-eyed mousecats wagging their tails, there are nimble kittens with claws as sharp as needles, and cats raised by court ladies, all groomed. Submissive, obedient, and a dirty black cat that haunts garbage dumps.Arya tracked them down one by one, picked them up, and proudly carried them back to Syrio Forel... and now all that was missing was the one-eared little black devil. "That guy's the real king in the castle," a city guard in a gold cloak told her, "not only old, but wicked as hell. Once the king gave his father-in-law a feast, and the black-hearted bastard Jumped onto the table, swaggeringly snatched a roast quail from Lord Tywin's hand. Robert was about to explode with laughter. Stay away from that wretch, little boy."

In order to catch it, she ran across half of the castle: circled the Prime Minister's Tower twice, crossed the inner city atrium, entered the stables, walked down the winding spiral staircase, passed the small kitchen, the pig farm, and the barracks of the city guards, along the way. Going to the foundation of the riverside city wall, going up the stairs, back and forth on the traitor's corridor, then going down the stairs, out a door, around a well, in and out of the various buildings in front of her, until finally Arya didn't know where she was. Now she finally caught it.There are high walls on the left and right sides, and a large stone wall without windows in front.Quiet as a shadow, she slid forward, repeating in her heart, light as a feather.

When she was only three steps away from it, the tom rushed out.First to the left, then to the right, Arya blocked the right first, then the left, cutting off its way of escape.It neighed again and tried to slip between her feet.Fast as a snake, she thought.She reached for it and hugged it to her breast, laughing and circling around, letting its claws tear at her leather jacket.Quicker, she kissed it between the eyes, and pulled back just before its claws reached out to grab her face.The tom growled and spat at her. "What is he doing with that cat?" Startled, Arya let go of the cat, and turned to face the source of the sound.The tomcat fled away in a flash.At the other end of the alley stood a girl with golden curly hair and blue brocade dress, as pretty as a doll.Beside her was a chubby little boy with blond hair, a pranced stag embroidered with pearls on the breast of his coat, and a miniature sword at his waist.Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen, Arya thought.They were accompanied by a nun as big as a plow horse, and behind her were two Lannister bodyguards, both big and burly.

"Little brother, what are you doing with that cat?" Myrcella asked again in a stern tone, and then said to her brother, "Look, he is really a dirty little brother, isn't he?" "Yes, ragged, dirty and smelly little brother," Tommen agreed. They didn't recognize me, Arya realized, they didn't even know I was a girl.No wonder, she was barefoot, dirty all over, her hair was a mess after running around the castle, her leather vest was covered with cat's claw marks, and her brown trousers, made of coarse cloth, were cut from the knee down. Take it off, revealing the scarred feet-you can't wear skirts or silk clothes when you catch a cat.She quickly bowed her head and knelt down on one knee.It would be nice if they didn't recognize her.If she is recognized, she will be too hungry to walk around.Because it would not only disgrace Septa Mordane, but Sansa would be ashamed too, and never speak to her again.

The fat old nun moved forward. "Little brother, how did you come here? You shouldn't be running around in the castle." "No way, this kind of person can't be chased away," said a red-robed guard. "It's the same as chasing away mice." "Little brother, whose family are you from?" asked the nun. "Tell me. What's wrong with you? Are you dumb?" Arya's voice caught in her throat.If she answered aloud, Tommen and Myrcella would surely recognize her. "Godwin, bring him here," said the nun.The taller guard came down the alley.

A giant hand in panic seized her throat, and Arya knew her life was hanging by it, and she didn't make a sound.Still like water, she said silently in her heart. Just moments before Godwin reached out, Arya made a move.Fast as a snake.She shifted her weight to the left, and his fingers brushed past her arm.She walks around him.Soft as silk.When he turned around, she was already running towards the entrance of the alley.Fast as a deer.The nun screamed at her, and Arya slipped between her legs, which were as thick as columns of white marble, and rose to her feet, bumping into Prince Tommen head-on, who sat down with a thump.She jumped over him, out of the way of the second guard, and then she broke away from them and fled at full speed.

She heard a yell, followed by thumping footsteps quickly approaching her.She crouched down and rolled away on the ground.The guard in red staggered past her, nearly falling.Arya sprang to her feet and saw a tall, narrow window above her head, not much bigger than an arrow hole in the wall. She jumped up, clung to the sill, pulled it up, and squeezed in, holding her breath.Slippery as an eel.When she jumped out of the window and landed in front of a startled washerwoman, she immediately turned over, dusted off, and continued to run.She went out through the door, ran through the long hall, ran down the stairs, crossed a hidden courtyard, rounded the corner, climbed over the wall, squeezed through a low and narrow window, and came to a dark cellar that could not be seen.The sound of chasing after him gradually faded away.

Arya was almost out of breath and completely disoriented.Now even if they recognize her, she will admit it, but she thinks they should not be able to do it because she moves too fast.Fast as a deer. She crouched in the dark against a damp stone wall, listening to the pursuit, but only heard the beating of her own heart and the sound of dripping water in the distance.Quiet as a shadow, she told herself.She wondered where she was.When she first came to King's Landing, she often had nightmares, dreaming that she was lost in the castle.Father said the Red Keep was smaller than Winterfell, but in the dream it had been enormous, an endless stone maze with walls that seemed to change shape behind her.Often she found herself roaming the gloomy halls, passing faded tapestries, descending endless spiral staircases, weaving between courtyards and drawbridges, her screams unanswered.In some rooms, the red walls seemed to be bleeding, and she couldn't find a single window.Sometimes, she could hear her father's voice, but it always came from a distant place, and no matter how hard she tried to run towards the source of the sound, the sound became weaker and weaker until it disappeared completely.In the darkness, Arya was left alone.

She realized that it was dark here too, so she drew her bare knees, hugged her chest tightly, and trembled.She decided to count silently to ten thousand here, and then it would be safe to climb out and find her way home. When she counted to eighty-seven, her eyes were used to the darkness, the room seemed to gradually light up, and things around her slowly emerged.In the dimness, countless huge and empty eyes stared at her hungrily.She vaguely saw the jagged shadow of Tusk.She suddenly forgot where she was counting to, and only dared to close her eyes, bit her lips, and drive away her fear.When she opened her eyes and looked again, the monster would disappear.Monsters would not exist.She pretended that Syrio was there with her in the dark, whispering to her.Still as water, she told herself, as strong as a bear, as fierce as a wolf, and opened her eyes.

The monster is still there, but the fear is gone. Arya stood up cautiously.Surrounded by skulls, she touched one of them curiously, wondering if it was real.Her fingertips brushed over a broad chin that felt real to the touch.The bone feels smooth, cold and hard.Her fingers touched a tooth, black and pointed, like a dagger made of darkness, and she shuddered. "It's dead," she said loudly. "It's just a skull. It can't hurt me." But somehow, the monster seemed to know she was here.She could feel its empty eyes watching her through the gloom, and there wassomething in that dim, cavernous room that did not like her.She avoided the head and stepped back, only to encounter a larger skull.For a moment she could almost feel its teeth sinking into her shoulders, as if it wanted to bite off her flesh.Arya turned around, and a fang had caught her coat. The leather caught and tore a large piece, and she ran as fast as she could.Another head appeared in front of him, this is the biggest monster.Not daring to slow, Arya leaped over rows of black teeth as high as swords and ridges, dashed into one hungry mouth after another, and slammed into the door. She found the heavy iron ring on the wooden door in the dark, and pulled it hard. The door resisted for a while, and then it slowly opened inward, but the creaking sound was so loud that Arya thought that everyone in the city would hear it. up.She opened the gap just enough for herself to slip through, and slipped into the long hall behind the door. If the room full of monsters just now is considered dark, then this hall is the most invisible black hole in the seven hells.Still like water, Arya told herself, she gave her eyes enough time to adjust, but she still couldn't see anything except the vague gray outline of the door she just entered.She stretched out her fingers and shook them in front of her face, feeling the air move but nothing.She became blind.A water dancer uses all of her senses to see her surroundings, she reminded herself.So she closed her eyes, held her breath and counted one, two, three, took a breath quietly, then stretched out her hands, and began to grope. On the left, her fingers brush over the unfinished rough stone surface.She walked along the wall, moving her hands over the stone, taking small steps slowly through the darkness.There is always a way out of every room, and where there is an entry, there must be an exit.Moreover, fear hurts more than a sword.Arya couldn't be afraid.She seemed to have walked for a long time, and the wall suddenly came to an end, and a cloud of cold air blew across her cheeks.The loose hair patted her skin lightly. She heard voices coming from far below.The grinding of boots, the sound of distant conversations.The flickering light of the fire swept dimly across the walls, and she realized that she was standing beside a great black well, a good twenty feet wide, that opened into the center of the earth.Big stones were set into the curved walls for stairs, spiraling down and down, as dark as Old Nan used to tell them, the stairway to hell.Something is crawling out of the darkness, out of the depths of the earth... Arya lay on the edge of the well and looked down secretly, when a gust of cold black air hit her face.Far below, she saw the light of a torch, tiny as a candle.She identified two people, their shadows interlaced and projected on the wall, as tall as giants.She heard their voices, echoing to the well. "...one illegitimate child was found," said one, "and the others will be found out sooner or later. Either in a day or two, or in a fortnight at the latest..." "What's he going to do when he finds out?" The second voice was the slippery accent of the Free Cities. "Only the gods know," said the first voice.Arya saw a plume of gray smoke rising from the torch, writhing and twisting like a snake as it rose. "Those idiots want to kill his son, and worse, they're going to screw it all up. He's not such an easy guy. I warn you, whether we like it or not, wolves and lions will soon fight into a ball." "Too soon, too soon," the accented voice grumbled, "what's the use of going to war now? We're not ready yet. Find a way to delay it." "You might as well tell me to stop time. You think I'm a wizard?" The other person laughed and said, "I thought you were as capable as a wizard." The flame licked the cold air, and a tall shadow was almost about to be cast on her.A few seconds later, the torchbearer came into view down the stairs, his companion at his side.Arya scrambled away from the well and lay down on her stomach, against the wall.Seeing the two of them stepping up to the top of the stairs, she held her breath. "What do you want me to do?" asked the man with the torch.He was a stout man, wearing a half-cloak of leather.Despite his heavy boots, his feet seemed to glide silently across the road.Beneath his steel helmet was a round, scarred face with a short beard.He was clad in hard leather and armor, and at his waist was a dagger and a short sword.He seemed oddly familiar to Arya. "Since one Prime Minister has died, why can't the second one die?" The man with an accent and a yellow mustache replied. "Didn't you dance like this before, my friend?" Arya hadn't seen him before, she was sure of that.Although he was bloated, he walked lightly, with the weight on his heels, and walked like a water dancer should.His rings gleamed in the firelight, red gold, silver, set with rubies, sapphires, and tiger's eyes with yellow streaks among them.Rings were worn on each finger, and some wore two. "It used to be different than it is now, and today's prime minister is also different." The man with the scar on his face said as he walked into the room with his companions.Motionless as a stone, Arya told herself, as still as a shadow.Dazzled by the firelight she brought, they didn't see her flat against the stone, just a few feet away from them. "Maybe," replied the man with the mustache, pausing to catch his breath after the long climb. "But in any case, we need more time. The princess is pregnant, and the khal will not send troops until the son is born. You know these barbarians, and what they are good for." The torchbearer pushed something, and Arya heard a low rumble.Then, a huge stone slab slowly slid out from the mouth of the well, and it turned bright red under the light of the fire. It rumbled loudly in the room, almost causing her to cry out.When the sound subsided, there was only a piece of smooth, hard stone without cracks where the wellhead was just now. "If he doesn't hurry, he probably won't," said the stout man in the helmet. "This isn't a two-handed game anymore—if it ever was. Stannis Baratheon and Lysa Arryn have escaped my grasp, and according to reports, they are hoarding troops. The Knight of Flowers wrote back to Highgarden, urging his duke father to send his sister to the palace. She is fourteen Lord Renly and Ser Loras plan to let Robert marry her and make another queen. As for Littlefinger... the gods only know what tricks Littlefinger is playing But it's Lord Stark who's especially disturbing to me. He's found the bastard, he's got the book, and he'll figure it out sooner or later. Thanks to Littlefinger, his wife kidnapped Tyrion Lannister, he will have no time to think about it. However, Lord Tywin can't swallow this breath, and Jaime has strange feelings for imps. If Lannister uses troops against the North, then the Tully family will also Get involved. You tell me to delay, I tell you to move faster. Even the best juggler can't keep a hundred balls in the air forever." "You're not just a juggler, old friend. You're a real magician. I'm just asking you to do your tricks a little longer." They walked in the direction Arya had come, through the room full of monsters. "Whatever I can do, I will do," said the torchbearer softly, "but I need money, and fifty birds." She waited until they were far away before sneaking behind.Quiet as a shadow. "That much?" The light ahead dimmed, and the voice became weaker. "It's hard to find the kind you want...You must be young and literate...If you are a little older...it's not so easy to die..." "No, the younger ones are safer...be kinder to them..." "...if they keep their tongues..." "...at risk..." Long after the sound had died away, Arya could still see the light of the torch, like a smoking star, drawing her to follow.Twice it nearly disappeared, but she kept going, and both times found herself at the top of a steep, narrow staircase with the torchlight far below.She hurried to catch up and kept going down.On the way, she kicked a stone, stumbled and hit the wall, but what her fingers touched was rough soil, supported by wood, not the previous stone corridor. She must have walked miles.By the end, they're both gone, and there's nowhere to go but up.She groped again, found the wall, and, completely disoriented, walked forward blindly, pretending that Nymeria was following her in the darkness.When she got to the end, she found herself knee-deep in foul-smelling water, and while she wished she could dance on the surface like Syrio, she wondered when she would see the light of day again.It was dark by the time Arya stepped out into the night sky. She found herself standing at the spout where the sewer connected to the river.She stinks so badly that she simply stripped off on the spot, threw her dirty clothes on the river bank, dived into the deep black water, and swam and swam until she felt comfortable and clean before climbing ashore shivering.A few people rode by the riverside road while Arya was washing, but they didn't particularly care if they saw the naked little girl scrubbing her tattered clothes in the moonlight. She was miles away from the castle, but no matter where she was in King's Landing, she could see the Red Keep sitting high on Aegon's Hill just by looking up, so she was not afraid of getting lost.When she arrived at the city gate, her clothes were almost dry.The iron gates had already been lowered and the gate was barred, so she had to turn to the side door.The gold-cloaked guards guarding the gate sneered when she ordered them to let her in. "Go away," said one of them, "there's no leftovers in the kitchen, no begging after dark." "I'm not a beggar," she said, "I live here." "I said get out of here. Or do you have to scratch your ears to understand?" "I want to find my father." The two guards exchanged glances. "I'm still going to get a queen," said the younger one. The older one frowned and said, "Boy, who is your father? A mouse catcher?" "He is the Hand," Arya told them. The two laughed loudly, and then the old one threw a punch, casually, like a person bullying a dog.Arya saw it before he struck, and stepped back slightly, unscathed. "I'm not a boy," she spat at them, "I'm Arya Stark of Winterfell, and if you touch me, my father will chop your heads off and hang them on a gun. If you don't believe me, go to the Chancellery Tower and ask Jory Cassel and Vayon Poole." She put her little hands behind her back. "Are you opening the door, or do you need two ear scratches to understand?" When Harwin and Fat Tom sent her back, her father was sitting alone in the study with the soft glow of an oil lamp at his elbow.He was bending over the largest book Arya had ever seen, a heavy volume with tattered yellowed pages, densely packed with writing, and bound in faded leather.He thanked his men with a serious face and sent them away. "Do you know that I sent half of my guards to find you?" Eddard Stark said after they were alone, "Sister Mordane was so panicked that she was still praying for your safe return in the sept. Arya, you know full well that you cannot go outside the castle without my permission." "I didn't go out of town," she blurted out, "well, I didn't mean to. I was in a dungeon, and then it turned into a tunnel, and it was so dark in there, and I didn't have torches or candles, So I just kept walking. I dare not go back the way I came, because I will meet monsters. Dad, they said they want to kill you! Not a monster, but two people. They didn't see me, because I was as motionless as a rock and still Ruying, but I heard what they said, they said you found the bastard and got the book, and if one Prime Minister can die, why can't the second one? Is that the book you read? I bet Jon It's the illegitimate child they're talking about." "Jon? Arya, what are you talking about? Who said these words?" "They said," she told him, "that one was a fat man with a yellow split beard and rings all over his hands, and the other was in armor and a helmet, and the fat one said it would be time, but the other one said I can't keep juggling and saying wolves and lions are going to kill each other soon and things are screwed up." She tried to remember the rest of it.But she didn't quite understand what she was hearing, and now it was all messed up in her head again. "The fat one said the princess was pregnant, and the one with the helmet said, and he got the torch, and he said they gotta go fast. I guess he's a wizard." "Wizard," Ned said with a half smile, "does he have a long white beard and a pointed hat studded with stars?" "No! Not like in Old Nan's tales. He doesn't look like a wizard, but the fat one says he is." "Arya, I warn you, if you're making up a story..." "I didn't, I told you, it's in the dungeon, next to the secret wall. I was catching cats, but..." She frowned, and if she said about knocking down Prince Tommen, he would It's strange if you don't get mad, but it will be more serious then. "...Well, anyway, I ran to a window, and that's where I found the monster." "Wizards first, and monsters now," said my father, "it looks like a wonderful adventure. You hear what these people say, and you say they can juggle and act?" "Yes," Arya admitted, "but—" "They're a troupe, Arya," her father told her. "There's probably a dozen troupes in King's Landing at the moment, trying to make some money out of the tourney crowd. I don't know if these two are in town What, but maybe the king asked them to perform." "No," she shook her head stubbornly, "they weren't—" "What's more, you shouldn't follow people and eavesdrop on them in the first place, and I don't like my daughter climbing strange windows to catch stray cats. Honey, look at you like this, with scratches all over your hands. Can't go on like this .Tell Syrio Forel that I'm going to talk to him—" A short knock on the door interrupted him. "Lord Ed, I'm sorry to disturb you." Desmond called, opening the door a little. "A brother in black asked to see him outside, saying that he has something urgent to tell. I want to inform you." "My door is always open for the Night's Watch," said my father. Desmond invited the man in.He was hunchbacked, ugly, with an untrimmed beard and clothes that hadn't been washed for a long time, but his father still greeted him happily and asked for his name. "My lord, I am Yoren. I am sorry to interrupt you so late." He bowed to Arya. "This must be your son, he really looks like you." "I'm a girl," Arya said angrily.If the old man had come from the Wall, he must have passed through Winterfell. "Do you know my brother and brother?" she asked excitedly. "Rob and Bran are at Winterfell, and Jon is at the Wall. Jon Snow, he is also the Night's Watch, you must know him, he has an icefield Wolf, white fur, red eyes. Is Jon a ranger?" The old man in the smelly clothes kept looking at her strangely, but Arya couldn't stop. "If I write a letter, can you bring it to Jon for me when you go back to the Great Wall?" She really hoped that Jon was here at this moment, and he would believe her, no matter if it was a dungeon or a man with a mustache. Fatty, still a wizard in a steel helmet. "Little girl often forgets due manners," Eddard Stark said.He wore a faint smile, soothing his tone. "I beg your pardon, Yoren. Did my brother Benyan send you here?" "My lord, it was none other than old Mormont who sent me. I have come to find men to keep the Wall, and next time Robert comes to court, I will go and bow my knees, and tell him what we need, and see the king and Does his prime minister have any scum in their dungeon that he wants to get rid of. But he has something to do with me coming here. He's a member of the black shirts, and I consider him a brother like you. I'm for him I came here so fast, I worked my ass off, and almost exhausted my horse, but fortunately, I also left the others behind." "other people?" Yoren spat. "It's just wandering warriors and free riders. The whole inn is full of these people. I think they smell good. The smell of blood and gold, this kind of people chase to death. They don't have any Coming to King's Landing, some rushed towards Casterly Rock City, and Casterly Rock City is relatively close, so it is conceivable that Lord Tywin must have got the news by now." Father frowned. "what news?" Yoren glanced at Arya. "My lord, I beg your pardon, but we had better discuss this matter in private." "Okay, Desmond, take my daughter back to her room." He kissed her forehead. "We'll finish it tomorrow." Arya's feet stayed where they were rooted. "Is Jon all right?" she asked Yoren. "Where's Uncle Benjen?" "Well, I can't tell what happened to Stark, but that boy Snow was quite at ease when I set off from the Wall. I'm not talking about them." Desmond took her hand. "Miss, let's go, you have also heard your father's order." Arya had no choice but to go with him, wishing so much that he would turn into Fat Tom.If it had been Tom, she might have found an excuse to linger at the door a little longer and overhear what Yoren had to say, but Desmond was too straight-headed to be fooled. "How many guards does my dad have?" she asked him as they walked down the stairs to her bedroom. "Here in King's Landing? There are fifty." "You wouldn't give someone a chance to kill him, would you?" she asked. Desmond smiled and said, "Miss, don't worry, Mr. Ed is guarded day and night, and no one can touch him." "There are more than fifty Lannisters," Arya pointed out. "A lot is a lot, but one northerner is worth ten southerners, so you can sleep peacefully." "What if they call the wizard to kill him?" "Oh, well," said Desmond, drawing his longsword. "As long as the head is cut off, the wizard will die as well."