A Song of Ice and Void 3 (Game of Thrones/Dishonored)

Harrenhal

Amory Lorch, Amory Lorch… Arya repeated the name to herself again and again, picturing his face in her mind. Imagining the horrors he would experience as she killed him.

It wasn’t that hard to find out his name, admittedly. Simply pointing the Heart at him had revealed his name and then some. ‘He slew Rhaenys Taargareyan on Tywin’s orders, but tossing the last lord of Tarbeck down a well was entirely for his own amusement.’

You think you’re a knight because you can kill three year olds and send your men after unarmed boys?! Despite her rage, Arya kept quiet, kept her head down, hoping she’d have a chance to break free in the week they were on the road, but there was no such luck. The guards were stupid, but not so stupid as to give them a chance to run.

Harrenhal loomed in the distance, a massive, dead thing (as much as any castle could be dead). Black stone rose imposingly in its walls, and then even higher in the form of five prominent towers. The towers were uneven in size, several of them burnt and scored in places. Despite being triple the size of Winterfell, it was a sign that even the greatest things could fall. Even a king can die. Now if only I had a dragon.

Scores of Lannister men bustled in and out of the ruined castle. Most wore plain, relatively unadorned armor, but some of the knights, those with horses and better gear, might have some gold dyed into their outfits. Arya wondered if any of them had Lannister blood before shaking the thought loose from her mind. I don’t need to wipe all of the Lannisters out, just the ones who have wronged us.

Led through the gates, Arya noted how many murder holes there were by the vast gate. It was enough to kill any invaders (or runaway boys) several times over… if they had anyone to man them. But none of the soldiers there seemed interested in such a thing, confident they were safe, far away from the front lines. 

Lorch directed them to an empty pen within the castle grounds, the sheep that were once there long since moved, likely culled for meat to feed some of the soldiers. The knight quickly departed after, ‘other matters to attend.’ Such a pen wasn’t a real cage, but the sharp steel of the men nearby kept them all in place regardless. The soldiers marched around, shouting orders, cursing, or generally ignoring them- until Hot Pie tried to step over the fence. 

“Oi! What are you doing boy! You looking to run away?” One of the soldiers, one who hadn’t moved much and had been keeping an eye on them, said. He stopped leaning against the broken stone wall, marching towards them.

Hot Pie scrambled back, “N-nothing sir! Just, I was so hungry m’lord-” the man cut him off, cuffing him atop the head. It wasn’t that heavy a blow, but the gauntlet added weight behind it, leaving a trickle of blood dripping down Hot Pie’s head from where the man struck.

“Of course you weren’t,” he spat on the ground. “You lot don’t get to eat until we tell you so! Now shut up and wait until he gets here.”

Arya wanted to ask ‘who’ it was, but she wasn’t keen to test the ‘shut up’ part of his warning. Instead, she took in her surroundings. The knights don’t look like they’re paying much attention, and there’s plenty of other villagers, walking about, some of them almost as covered in filth as we are. If I could Blink out of this pen, the other men-at-arms wouldn’t likely recognize me. I could slip out and…

She wasn’t sure what came next in her plan. Arya suspected if she was careful she might be able to get herself out. But what about Gendry? Or Hot Pie? Or all the rest? Might just need to get Gendry and Hot Pie out; the rest can handle themselves.

As if conjured by the universe to mock her thoughts, a man came by, eyeing them curiously. There was nothing unusual about the man - he was so plain she could have passed by him a dozen times in Winterfell and not have remembered him. Something about the way he inspected them… it frightened her.

He left, only to return a few minutes later, directing two soldiers to place down a large chair in the corner of a ruined wall, hanging on more by inertia than any semblance of structural integrity. He began strapping it down with a bag full of odd tools, a bucket, and a cage with a couple of rats. Arya chanced the opportunity to take out the Heart, focusing on him.

‘His old name has been forgotten even to himself, only going by ‘The Tickler’ now, from how he described the beginnings of his work to a lord. It was less funny by the end of his description… but they all used his services nonetheless.’

“What?” Her out-loud question had a few people turning towards her, and she clenched her mouth shut. They might not recognize the Heart or hear it speak, but they’ll notice if I do something weird. Luckily, it was only her fellow prisoners who noticed her, the soldiers not paying close attention. At least not to them. Some of them were watching eagerly, leering at them.

With the set in place, planks over the bottom and nailing it to the ground, ‘The Tickler’ turned around, pointing at one of the boys, two rows over to Arya’s left. A soldier stepped forward and dragged him over the pen, the pudgy boy looking scared but not willing to resist and get hurt.

This proved to be a mistake, as after he sat down, the Tickler strapped him in tightly, preventing him from escaping. Then he took a bucket and plucked one of the rats with expert hands, tossing the rat into the bucket, then strapping it to the boy’s stomach.

The boy began to giggle as the rat was panicking, crawling over his stomach, and Arya paled. In a calm, almost bored voice of someone who had done this a million times. “Where is the Brotherhood without Banners?”

“What? I don’t know who you’re talking about!” The pudgy boy cried out. The Tickler continued, his expression and tone not changing one bit.

“Where do you have any hidden jewels, gold, or food?”

“I don’t have anything, I was being taken to the Wall!”

His denials didn’t earn him any reprieve from the questions, and after a few more, the Tickler stopped asking them, instead turning to the soldier assisting him. The weasel-y looking man took a torch to the bucket, and the boy’s stifled giggles turned into wails of agony as the rat sought the only escape it had; through. The screams continued… until they suddenly stopped, the boy slumping over, dead.

The Tickler packed up his gear calmly and efficiently, shoving the boy’s dead body out of the chair. With a polite smile he said, “See you all tomorrow,” to the group of prisoners, before walking off with his things. A chilled silence fell over the group as dread crept in.

***

Night fell, the guards rotated around, and there were less prying eyes. Most of the boys simply tried to sleep, packed in as tight as they were, but Arya tugged at Gendry and Hot Pie, whispering to them. “I’ve got a plan to get us out of here.” Not really a plan, but better to sound confident.

“What?” Hot Pie hissed, while Gendry nodded.

“Your magic right?” Then he immediately covered Hot Pie’s mouth to stop him from shouting. Arya glared at him to be quiet, and Gendry let go as soon as they were assured he wouldn’t immediately give the game away.

“Yes. I Blink over to the walkway up there.”

“Blink?” Hot Pie asked.

“It’s her magic. In one place and then poof! In another. Feels really weird, nearly hurled on Arry the first time-”

“Eww!”

“I didn’t though!”

Before they can bicker more, one of the soldiers from the parapet nearby shouts “Pipe down! Bastards…” The three of them froze, but when they heard him continue his route without coming down to berate them or worse, they let out a sigh of relief.

In quieter tones, they continued. “If you cover me, I can Blink away. Find out the routes, silence the guards, maybe get you some weapons. Then we slip away,” Arya stated.

“Can’t you just Blink us all away?” She shook her head at Hot Pie’s words.

“No, only one other person at a time.” Something feels off, even just touching both of them, when I think of my magic. Somehow I know I’d have to leave one of them behind if I left.

“Right, you got tired fast afore too,” Gendry stated before frowning. “What if you get caught?”

“I can last if I space it out. Sides, got Needle with me,”  she replied with a sharp grin.

“Where did you hide it?” Hot Pie asked. The soldiers weren’t the most disciplined but they had at least checked them for weapons.

“In my pants. They thought- ugh. Doesn’t matter. I can Blink away, but I need you to cover me with your bodies, so that guard,” she pointed at the one on the ground level keeping a lazy eye on them. “I’ll wait till the other guards pass, and find us a way out.”

They nodded, having neither magic nor a better plan themselves. Setting themselves to ‘sleep’, they shielded Arya from view with their bodies. She waited, measuring the soldiers by the slow dull heavy footfalls, feeling a knot rise in her chest. This is it, here I… go!

She Blinked, reaching the absolute limits of her reach to appear right beside the walkway above, clinging desperately on to it. As she scrambled up, Arya realized the biggest flaw in her approach. The footsteps became the most distant when the guard was furthest away… and just about to turn around to complete his rounds. He was still distant, but she saw him turning near the doorway leading into one of the towers.

Scrambling, she threw herself into an alcove on the other side of the walkway, shoving herself in as tight as she could, pulling the folded up Needle into her hands and getting ready. Arya silently prayed to any Gods that would hear her that he didn’t notice, or that she could kill him without getting caught. The footsteps grew closer and closer, her breath caught in her throat.

They sound unhurried. Did he not see me before? Does he think someone is here? His shadow loomed over Arya… before continuing along, the soldier unnoticing her curled up form.

Rolling out after he passed, she reached out metaphysically, Blinking ahead with her energy refilled. She snuck further away, ducking inside the hallway of the ruined tower.

I did it! I got past him! And if I can do that, then I can find a way out of here. Her heart was still pounding in her chest- no, her hearts. Pulling the Heart out from the pocket in front of her shirt, she held it up, watching it beat rapidly. 

Pointing it downward, she felt it increase and lock onto something, lurking within the depths of Harrenhal. The thumping was so loud Arya worried someone would come to investigate, but when no one did, she dismissed it as all in her head. Doesn’t mean there isn’t something down there, though.

She called on it again, listening to it. ‘This castle took the lives of thousands of workers and four decades, all to fall in a single night to one dragon, the very moment its lord took residence. The curse on it has lasted centuries since, and none have held it long.’

While creepy, Arya could only be gladdened to hear that her house’s enemies wouldn’t hold it for long. Let’s see if I can help them out, she thought, descending into the depths.

A/N: Mostly a set up chapter this time, but we’ll get plenty of action next time. And surprise of all surprise, but there are Runestones in a creep place like Harrenhal! We’ll get more on them next time, but what do you think of them as a progression system for Arya?