Vickon
"Papa! A giant man!"
His daughter said to him, Alissa was happy to finally be off of the island after such a long time: It wasn't safe with his father being around.
"Not a man, a titan my darling girl." He said and hoisted the child up, she squealed in his grasp and tried reaching for the Titans face, alas she could not and he was suddenly reminded of his duty here, to pay for the crown's debts or half of it at least.
Daenerys and the others have gone off on their own, Theon and Grey Worm are leading the Unsullied to the Twins for their lord hasn't bent the knee to her grace. That and for the crimes they beset on House Stark when the Young Wolf still had life in him.
The Dornish and Reach hosts have rallied behind Daenerys, she is leading them with Olenna and Tyene to subdue the Westerlands. He even borrowed the Dragon Queen some of his ships with the Redwyne vessels that were built after he burned them months ago, with an apology of course.
And Tyrion? Well, after the severe burning of his sister, the destruction of his House and his brother being sentenced to the Wall, it kind of broke him. He refused to march with Daenerys and instead remained in the capital with Varys and the new Grand Maester Kyle so that order can be restored after the battle that was fought to take it. Tyrion is weak-willed, even he fought on when his family fell in battle.
Looking behind him, he saw of the coast was close to a hundred ships and on those ships were space for the new army he was to bring North, the Golden Company were a forced unrivaled on land and if the dead are true then elephants should make quick work of them. And almost a million arrowheads, blades and spear-tips made of Dragon-Glass from Dragonstone, the King in the North had forgotten them.
A quarter of four-million golden dragons to go to the Bank of Braavos, maybe he will stay for a little rest and pleasure before he leaves too.
"A ship, my King." Lord Blacktyde said to him, his first mate for the foreseeable future with Zolar leading the fleet to aid Daenerys. He watched the vessel get close and he saw who was on it, a man of dark skin and grey eyes, wearing clothes of a sailor.
"Hello!" He greeted kindly, though the man did not.
When he came to the small makeshift room, he lit the area with light and it shone a sight that impressed him. The assassin lay dead and faceless, Arya was knelt and having a hard time standing until she resigned to simply leaning on the wall and staring at him. She watched him with sickened hatred, and he could understand with his uncles and cousins actions in the North.
"The Silence is banned from all waters near Braavos, what are you doing here? Greyjoy." He smiled, glad the ship still has a reputation.
"I come on behalf of Queen Daenerys. I am Vickon Greyjoy, King of the Iron Islands and the Stepstones, and I come to give gold to the Bank of Braavos."
[Elsewhere...]
It's been a month since she's abandoned the Faceless Men, after being asked to kill an innocent woman she couldn't do it.
She would be no one, anymore. She would be Arya Stark, daughter of Eddard and Catelyn Stark, a Lady of Winterfell no matter how much she would disagree with everyone. It's who she is and what she wants to do is find a home, wherever that is.
Often she wished she was back at Winterfell, playing with everyone and smiling and laughing. She regretted not going into the feast halls of the Twins to save her brother and mother, and Grey Wind too. She wished she'd saved her father from being killed.
"You're awake?" She turned to see the woman she spared, the one who she was supposed to kill but refused to do it.
"Yes, thank you for the help." She said with gratitude and the actress nodded.
"No problem, it was the least I could do for saving me. And I couldn't just let you bleed on my doorstep or the guards will come to me, heh." She smiled, while her savior laughed and leaned onto a wall.
She and the woman spoke to each other, about their lives though she hid as much as she could. They spoke about philosophy and where she will go when she is well, she had a hard time answering that sort of question and instead said she would go west or east or beyond that too, wherever she can go to find a home.
She doesn't know when or how, but she fell asleep and the lady actress told her she was going to wake her for dinner soon.
So she slept, for once dreaming good instead of bad and not before reciting her list.
Queen Cersei. Illyn Payne. Walder Frey. Roose Bolton. The Mountain...
Vickon
He hasn't been to Braavos in some time, he usually sticks to his territory so he knows he isn't in danger and when one stumbles into the city of freedom, you'll find more daggers in the dark in the shape of the Faceless Men.
The guards allowed him no more than three ships, he was also insulted and thanked for killing Euron who made a large nuisance for the city, he can agree on that but still wanted to hit the man for insulting him and he still just might do that.
They docked and had the gold put onto carts, five of them and for every cart, there were ten chests of gold. He had Lord Blacktyde take command of their rear and had the help of twenty or so guards too, that and thirty of his own men. He walked at the front and watched the people around him, looking terrified about seeing the Kraken on his breast and the breasts of his men.
He loved seeing them cower in fright, he deserved that look because he fought for it.
They made it to the courtyard of the Bank, it looked fancy and all those pretty words told to him by Daenerys when they were abed with one another, shortly before departing from the Blackwater and sailing here.
"King Vickon of the House Greyjoy! Welcome to our city, and oh. You brought our gold." One of the bank-men said and he sighed.
"You run the place?" He asked and the man shook his head, "Well then? We should get this done, then." He added and didn't want to be here another minute, the air here is thick with those that think they are better than anyone because they evaded slavery.
Hours went on and the man had every coin counted, checked for authenticity and he found himself angrier. Eventually, it ended and the documents were made and a new request of treasure was asked, five-hundred thousand gold to purchase the Golden Company.
"Is that it, then?" He asked and the three men looked at one another before turning back to him.
"The payments have been accepted, and the Bank of Braavos friendship with the Iron Throne and your grace is strengthened." He gave a false sigh of relief, internally jumping jovially that this is over and he can get going.
"Then I am happy for it, so long then."
Arya
She woke to a loud crashing sound, in another world she would jump from the bed and see what it is and deal with it. She's wounded now, so she gradually rose from the bed and walked towards the crashing sound and calling out the madam Crane.
What she saw horrified her, and angered her as well.
The Waif, the one who trained her along with Jaqen was back to finish her and her target. She took a deep breath as she and the Waif looked at one another, glaring in hatred and adding another name to her list.
"If you had done your job, she would have died painlessly. Instead." Waif gestured to Lady Crane who laid dead, "The Many-Faced God was promised a name. He must always receive what is his." Both she and Waif began following each other as she stepped back, further to the balcony of the building, "You cant change that, I cant change that, no one can. And now he's been promised another name." It took her a moment before it clicked, she didn't care about her wound, just that she's got to run.
And she did.
The chase began, she jumped out of the balcony and onto the street. She could feel the Waif coming behind, she just needs to be faster than her pursuer. She slid under a cart that was in her way, the Waif jumped over it. Later she came between two passages and entered a bathhouse and had her jumping at the sight of anyone for fear that they were faceless men.
She had thought she was clear before she heard the stomping and crashing and turned to see the Waif once more. So the chase was back on and she started to feel the bandages coming undone, she was bleeding after falling down a number of times. Looking up the stairway she saw her again, cursing the woman or man or whatever she was or face she's wearing.
She could barely stand before stumbling into someone, she gripped as hard as she could to keep herself up. Though she pushed back onto the ground when she saw the sigil on his breast, the golden Kraken of House Greyjoy and enemies of her own family.
"A Greyjoy!" She exasperated, adrenaline pumping as she saw the Waif coming closer. Her mind suddenly thought of a way out, a way to get home or to at least find a distraction to save herself. "I am Arya Stark, help me!" She found herself shouting.
Vickon
"I am Arya Stark, help me!"
A Stark? All the way here in Braavos? He thought in wonderment before training his eye on the girl's pursuer, another woman yet she walks like no woman but a soldier. He cursed himself for getting involved, but if this pup is Jon's kin? Then he has a duty to return her to her lands or at least the new him believes.
"Out of the way, Lordling. She is mine." He was told and his men surrounded her, they were originally heading to the brothel to find some warmth and comfort, but a fight is also sort of comforting for the likes of them.
"A King. Bitch!" He snapped and took out his ax and dagger, "And the Lady of Winterfell isn't your property, she's mine." He proclaimed and a fight ensued and he was sure he would die, the woman was skilled for her shape and size.
Two men went on her side to gut her, the woman was fluid and threw her knife into one man's eye, breaking his arm and taking his weapon to stick it into the others. He went in next and parried with her, she moved fast yet he was able to catch some of her strikes and push her back where one of his men wrapped his arms around to catch her, the woman headbutted and sent his man stumbling and with haste decapitated the poor bastard.
"Come on then, woman." He smiled and turned around to see 'Arya' was gone, he frowned and cursed the girl for leaving him to die, and cursing the two men who saw her leave. The assassin in front was also missing when he turned back, shocking him.
"Where did she go?! And find Arya Stark!" He commanded, his men spread out and he went on his own once he saw a blood trail and followed it.
He found an empty alley and saw the assassin following the same trail and had not noticed him, he made sure to keep himself quiet and went ahead once she disappeared in the dank darkness of another hallway. He hesitated before he saw an unlit torch and quickly set it aflame and went in after a few minutes, and with one shove of confidence went in the darkness.
"I suppose you want to kill me? Your family already murdered my brothers, the Lannisters murdered my mother and older brother. Now I am next, right?" She asked and her breathing and tone were low, no doubt was wounded and forced to flee before it could heal. He sighed and set the torch down and picked her up, and resisted but the strength wasn't into it.
All the while she held onto the woman's face, never parting from it as he walked back to the Silence where she will rest up.
Arya
She woke in a jolt, rising from the cabin an instant in search of her surroundings.
She was on a ship, a ship that belonged to... House Greyjoy!
"The Lady Wolf is awake! Good." She turned to the entrance and saw the man who 'saved' her, though she handled the Waif better than he had. "I was stabbed that many times before, a mother caught me in bed with her daughter and I was laid up for more than three weeks." He commented but she won't let her guard down, not around him and definitely isn't his friend.
"Where are we?" She asked and won't stop until she got a damned answer, he sighed and scratched his chin.
"If you're asking if we are still in Braavos then you are wrong, we left the city seven days ago." Her expression became pale, she wanted to confront Jaqen before finding voyage to the North. "The Faceless Men are dangerous, if we stayed any longer then we would be dead. We did make haste to the next free city, your wounds needed healing and a voyage isn't good for the bleeding." He told her and stepped closer to the light where she got a good look at him.
The man would be described as her sister would, handsome. She's never thought of many like that, besides Gendry but he is gone now like everyone else she cared about. His hair was black as night, going down to his shoulders and a growing beard to boot. If she had to choose the more pleasant feature would be his eyes, blue as a midnight moon that gave him an aura.
Why would a Greyjoy help a Stark? She wondered this and hasn't found an answer for herself so she will ask him.
"Why help me? I said that so you could buy me time to escape, you could have finished me for justice when you lost your own kin to my father. Tell me why?" She asked him sternly, he sighed and took a seat and she saw Needle on his belt.
"A year ago, I would have left you to die. Not even cared who you were, but I am changed in some ways since I helped Daenerys take the Iron Throne and killed my father." She was set back, that news is changing to her lists and she wondered how many on that list had died since she left Westeros.
"What happened, do you know?" She asked him and he leaned back.
"I know what I do, and the name is Vickon Greyjoy. King of the Iron Islands and the Stepstones."
Vickon told him everything he knew. Daenerys Targaryen sits on the Iron Throne after killing Cersei Lannister and crushing the Lannister army at Highgarden, she was upset about that and wanted to do that herself. She was told how her brother, Jon had defeated the Boltons with Sansa and took back Winterfell, Jon is King in the North now and she was happy for him.
The best part was that all of her families enemies were dead, except for the Greyjoys but Balon is dead, Theon is repentant after confirming that Bran and Rickon were alive and had told Vickon this or Jon who was on Dragonstone. Rickon had died during the battle of Winterfell, and she would weep for her littlest brother when she gets home.
She asked him if Walder Frey was dead too, he wasn't but soon would be. The Queen's army is moving North and will subdue the Freys who refused to swear fealty, instead had decided to govern themselves and the Riverlands. All the news was shocking, sad, and it angered her on some parts but it seemed all the people that has caused her family so much grief will be dead soon or is dead already.
She was going to ask him more, but a man came through the entrance and interrupted them.
"What is it?" Vickon asked the man lazily, tired from telling the long story.
"We are ready to move, and the Princess wants to come in." Princess? She thought with confusion and then a small child rushed in and Vickon picked her up, she giggled at the interaction and she was reminded of what her family was like.
"Then we better get a move on, heh?" Vickon asked the man who nodded and left with a smile, Vickon then turned to her once more, his expression is much brighter than before. "Want to meet Alissa? She's my darling girl." He introduced. She warily got out of bed and shook the girl's hand, smiling lightly though it seemed forced.
"Pleasure to meet you, Alissa. Where are we going?" She asked Vickon while unconsciously bringing one of her hands to her stomach where she was stabbed. He frowned and set Alissa down before taking Needle and handing it to her, "Thank you."
"We are going to pick up some more soldiers, maybe a few elephants and horses and bring them north." He informed her and she was curious, what for?
"Why, I thought the North, Islands and the Iron Throne were allies." She wondered and was cautiously thinking the man was planning with the Dragon Queen to invade her home.
"We are... Westeros is in need of soldiers to fight what's beyond the Wall." She was told and she was left curious again.
"What's beyond the Wall?!" She was tired of riddles and demanded an answer. He smiled and gestured for her to come out, she refused to do so and crossed her arms until she got an answer, he sighed and told her. She wished he hadn't.
"The dead rallied behind an ice creature is coming, and every sword-hand is needed for it. Even women."
Shit!