Later in the Red Keep, Arya is summoned to a meeting with her "dancing master,” a man named Syrio Forel. Syrio is the former First Sword of Braavos, a master swordsman contracted by her father to teach her how to use her sword. Syrio calls her a boy, to Arya’s irritation. When she responds that she is a girl, he tells her that it doesn’t matter if she is a boy or girl and that she must be a sword. He approves of her small size, which makes her a difficult target in combat, and informs her that he will teach her the way of swordfighting in Braavos: the Water Dance, rather than the “hacking and slashing” of the knights of Westeros. Lord Eddard arrives during her practice and watches the two of them. Initially he is pleased to see Arya training hard, but he then realizes while witnessing her with a sword that he is training her for war, and in his mind the clunk of wood is replaced by the clash of steel and the screams of the dying.

Some time later, returning to his quarters, Lord Eddard finds Arya balancing on tiptoe at the top of the stairs. Arya informs that she is practicing for Syrio's lessons as Eddard notes that it will be a hard and painful fall down the stairs if she slips. Arya, however, replies that Syrio says that making mistakes allows her to improve. She adds that tomorrow Syrio will have her chasing cats to improve her speed. Arya then asks if her brother Bran will come to live with them now that he is awake, but Eddard thinks he needs to regain his strength first. Arya remembers that Bran wanted to be a knight of the Kingsguard, but now cannot become as he’s lost the ability to walk as result of the fall from the tower at Winterfell. Eddard agrees, but says that Bran can still be lord of a holdfast, or sit on the king's council or raise castles like Brandon the Builder. Arya asks if she can be lord of a holdfast, but Eddard says that she will marry a high lord and her sons will one day be knights and princes and lords. Arya simply says, "No, that’s not me." She then goes back to balancing on one leg as Eddard looks on.

Later on, Arya and her sister Sansa, along with Septa Mordane, join King Robert and the royal court in attendance of the first day of a tournament that honors their father as the new Hand of the King, though Eddard himself has not arrived as yet with other business to attend to. An increasingly-drunken Robert annoys Queen Cersei to the point of her exiting the tourney before it’s even began. Sitting in the stands, Sansa tries to catch Prince Joffrey's eye, but he avoids looking at her due to the embarrassment of the attack from Arya’s direwolf. Noting the exchange, a royal advisor named Lord Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish asks Sansa if they are having a lover’s quarrel and then introduces himself as an old friend of their mother, Lady Catelyn. Arya asks Baelish why is he called Littlefinger as Septa Mordane admonishes her for being rude, however, Littlefinger doesn’t mind the enquiry. Baelish explains that he was born on the smallest of the Fingers, which are the peninsulas that extend into the Narrow Sea on the east coast of the Vale of Arryn. He also adds that he was very small as a boy, so it was a fitting joke. As the tourney then begins the first tilt is held. The first of the combatants is Ser Gregor Clegane, a gigantic man over seven feet in height, whose also appropriately nicknamed "the Mountain". Ser Gregor is the elder brother of Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, Prince Joffrey's bodyguard. His opponent is Ser Hugh of the Vale and on their second pass, Ser Gregor's lance takes Ser Hugh in the throat, killing him. Littlefinger notes this was an unfortunate accident, then asks Sansa if she has ever heard the tale of the sibling rivalry between the Mountain and the Hound, Sandor’s alias. Baelish informs that when they were children, Gregor found his little brother playing with one of his toys by the fire and without a word he took Sandor by the neck and held his face in the fire until his skin burned. That is how Sandor received his scarred appearance. Littlefinger then suggests to both Stark girls not to repeat this story to the Hound.

Some days later, Arya chases a cat through the castle and down below the Red Keep. There she finds the skulls of the Targaryen dragons, immense in size. Hearing people approaching, she hides behind the largest dragon skull, that of Balerion. Royal advisor Lord Varys and Magister  Illyrio Mopatis pass by as Varys informs that "he" has found one of the bastards and now has the book, adding that the rest will come soon. Illyrio then enquires what the man will do when he knows the truth, as Varys insists that “the wolf and the lion will soon be at each other’s throats and war will come.” Illyrio then ponders whether Lord Eddard not just be killed? Varys replies no, explaining that this Hand is not the other: the ill-fated Jon Arryn. Varys adds that “the game now has more than two players,” but Illyrio insists that it always had. After they leave, Arya then escapes, makes her way to her father’s chambers and reports what she overheard, however, she has garbled it up. Eddard’s guard captain, Jory Cassel, then reports that a man named Yoren from the Night’s Watch has come to see Eddard. Yoren knows Eddard's brother Benjen Stark, and it was for his sake he rode his horse near to death to get to Eddard first, as "the news" will be all over the city tomorrow. Yoren suggests they talk privately and Eddard sends Arya off with Jory. As they leave, Arya asks Jory how many guards her father has in King’s Landing. He replies fifty. She asks them not to let anyone kill Eddard, as Jory agrees.

Some days after Eddard has been injured by Jaime Lannister, Syrio Forel tosses Arya her wooden practice sword. As he takes his stance, Arya informs him that she doesn't feel like practicing today. She is upset, for the Lannisters have injured her father and killed Jory Cassel. Therefore, sword practice doesn't seem important to her today. Syrio at first is concerned, however, when he gets close enough, he hits her with the wooden sword. He explains that when your thoughts are troubled that is the perfect time to practice and in a real fight, she can not expect to be calm. Arya then takes offense when he says her fights will not occur when she is in a meadow playing with her dolls. He adds that Arya must learn to control her thoughts and emotions, as he hits her with the sword. She angrily strikes back, but he then easily knocks her over and insists that if she cannot concentrate when in a fight, she will lose. Syrio knows that she is worried about her father and asks her if she prays to the gods. Arya replies that she prays to both the Seven  Gods her mother worships and the Old Gods, of her father’s religion. Syrio informs her that, for a warrior, there is only one god, his name is “Death” and the only thing you have to say to Death is: "Not today." When he tosses her the sword again, she grabs it, and they begin.

Later, Eddard brings his daughters together to tell them he is sending them back to Winterfell. Arya is upset by this as she doesn’t want to leave Syrio's training. Sansa is also incensed, feeling that losing a dancing instructor is nothing compared to breaking her betrothal to Prince Joffrey. Lord Eddard assures Sansa not to worry as he will choose another man for her to marry, one strong, gentle and brave. Sansa insists that she wants Joffrey and to have his “blonde babies,” similiar to Joffrey, her "golden-haired lion.” After Arya interjects with "Seven hells,” she then asserts that Joffrey will be a stag like his father King Robert. However, Sansa asserts that Joffrey is nothing like his father. This prompts Eddard's sudden realization that Prince Joffrey is not Robert's son, and thus not the heir to the Iron Throne. In a rapid chain of events, Eddard then confronts Queen Cersei, who unashamedly admits that all of her children were fathered by her twin brother Ser Jaime. However, before Eddard can inform Robert, the king is heavily wounded by a boar while on a hunt and dies shortly afterwards. Lord Eddard decides not to insensitively inform his dying friend of Cersei’s admission while on his death bed. Swiftly after Robert’s death, Joffrey is announced as the new king and Cersei has Eddard arrested for false treason.

Immediately following Lord Eddard’s arrest, Lannister soldiers complete their purge of the Stark guards and household staff. Sandor Clegane captures Sansa as she tries to flee King’s Landing and takes her into custody. More Lannister guardsmen, led by Ser Meryn Trant of the Kingsguard, interrupt Arya’s lesson with Syrio Forel. Upon the Kingsguard arrival, Syrio holds Arya back, questioning why Eddard would send Lannister men to find Arya. She then refuses to go with them, and when they try to force the issue Syrio disarms and disables all of the lightly-armored guardsmen with his wooden practice sword. He then tells Arya to run as he faces down Meryn Trant, noting that "the First Sword of Braavos does not run." Syrio's fate after this is unclear, but is believed to be dead. Arya runs to the stables where the men waiting with their baggage were supposed to be to take them to the ship for Winterfell. The men are dead, but she finds her real sword, Needle, in the bottom of her trunk. Arya then starts to leave the stables, remembering how to get out of the Red Keep via the tunnel under the castle. When a stableboy tries to grab her, Arya turns around brandishing Needle and accidentally runs him through, killing him with it. Horrified, she flees outside of the Red Keep walls into the city.

Some time after escaping the Red Keep, Arya lives on the streets of King's Landing, catching wild birds to feed herself. Arya notices crowds of people running to the city's center and she discovers that they are assembling to witness the trial of her father. Dropping the pigeon she just captured, Arya runs to the crowded square and climbs on the pedestal of a statue of former Targaryen king Baelor so she can get a better view. Eddard is brought out and pulled through the crowd. He eventually spots Arya, and then, as he is taken past the Night's Watch recruiter Yoren, he manages to signal in Arya's direction saying "Baelor,” hoping that Yoren can find Arya and take her to safety. As previously agreed with King Joffrey and Cersei, Eddard confesses to false treason, but instead of granting mercy, Joffrey reneges and orders his execution instead. Arya dashes forward, drawing her sword in an attempt to save her father but Yoren manages to grab her. Holding Arya against his chest, he tells her not to look. Arya looks up at the sky and upon seeing the frightened birds taking flight, Arya knows that her father is dead. Eddard’s great sword is covered in his blood from the beheading by the royal executioner, Ser Ilyn Payne. Sandor Clegane holds Lord Eddard's head up to the adulation of the baying crowd. Amidst the crowd, Yoren drags Arya away, making a point of calling her "boy". As she flees with him, Arya witnesses Sandor pushing her fainting sister Sansa to the ground. Once Yoren gets her out of the courtyard, he cuts Arya’s hair off with a knife. He vows to get her out of King's Landing and take her to Castle Black to join her half-brother Jon Snow as a recruit of the Night's Watch.

Some time later, Yoren has assembled a band of new recruits for the Night's Watch, as they prepare to depart from the capital. Pretending that the short-haired Arya is a boy called "Arry,” Yoren has her join the group. Also in the group are Hot Pie, Lommy Greenhands and Gendry, who is a few years older then the rest. Hot Pie and Lommy try to bully Arya into giving up her sword but she angrily draws the sword, warning that she "has already killed one fat boy" and will happily do it again. Gendry then breaks up the argument by taking Arya's side, threatening the boys with violence. The group then begin to set out from the capital as Yoren now has to get them all to the Wall, a thousand leagues away, through the war-torn Riverlands. As a result of subsequent events, war breaks out between the forces of House Lannister and the forces loyal to House Stark, now under the leadership of her eldest brother Robb Stark, who is advised by her mother Lady Catelyn, among other Northern lords. As Arya departs from King’s Landing, she worries of her sister Sansa’s fate at the mercy of the sadistic King Joffrey.

Weeks following the departure from King’s Landing, Arya travels north along the Kingsroad  with Yoren, posing as a Night's Watch recruit named “Arry”. She is drawn to one of the prisoners in the wagon named Jaqen H'ghar, however, since he is a murderer from the black cells of the dungeons in the capital, where the worst criminals are kept, he will stay locked up in the cage until they’ve reached the Wall. Jaqen asks Arya for water, but the other two murderers, Rorge and Biter, threaten her, so she does not get it for him. She continues to form a bond with former blacksmith's apprentice Gendry, who sees through her disguise as a boy. When the City Watch arrive from King's Landing with a warrant for one of the recruits, Arya fears that they are looking for her on orders of King Joffrey. However, it is actually Gendry who they’ve come to claim, who is unaware of his status as a royal bastard of the late King Robert Baratheon. A Gold Cloak defiantly shouts that they are looking for Gendry, who is hidden away from them, and describes the bull's head helm that he carries. He offers a reward to anyone turning Gendry over and promises that he will return with more men. Yoren intimidates them into leaving empty-handed. Arya then confesses her identity to Gendry after he reveals that he was questioned by her father Eddard before leaving the capital.

Days later, as they stop overnight somewhere in the Riverlands, Arya sits by the fire and is cleaning Needle while the rest of the recruits sleep. Yoren enters and sits across from her as he notices her watching him, then asking what she wants. Arya enquires how Yoren is able to sleep with the terrible things that he has seen. He informs that he prevented her from seeing her father's execution, however, Arya asserts that she cannot forget seeing Cersei, Joffrey and her sister Sansa standing next to Eddard on the podium. Yoren then tells her about the murder of his brother by a boy named Willem. He says that he thought constantly about avenging his brother and eventually made it a ritual to say the killer's name before falling asleep. When Willem later returned to town, Yoren killed him with an axe and then took his horse to ride to the Wall and join the Night's Watch to avoid prosecution. Yoren then urges Arya to get some sleep, however, they are then interrupted by horns sounding outside. Yoren wakes his recruits and marshals them to prepare for a fight. He warns Arya and Gendry to stay out of sight and instructs them to flee north if the fight is lost. Before heading outside, Lommy Greenhands picks up Gendry's bull helm that was left behind. As the recruits rush outside, one man trips and drops his torch, setting a fire near the prisoner wagon. Yoren and the recruits are met by Ser Amory Lorch and a force of men loyal to House Lannister. Lorch points out the Gold Cloaks  with him, asserting that they have come for Gendry. Lorch then orders Yoren and the recruits to drop their weapons, but Yoren remains defiant, killing several men before he is overwhelmed. Lorch himself kills Yoren by driving his sword through the back of his neck. Seeing their leader killed, Gendry and many of the other recruits join the fight. Arya is distracted by the prisoner Jaqen calling for help, as the flames envelope the cage. She hands him an axe before rushing to join the fray. As Arya runs round a corner she is knocked over by a Gold Cloak named Polliver, who takes Needle from her. Amory Lorch orders the survivors to be rounded up and taken to Harrenhal as Arya is grabbed by the shoulder and pulled to her feet. With a crossbow arrow in his leg, Lommy calls for help from the ground. Polliver approaches, asking him if he can walk. Lommy says that they will have to carry him, but Polliver pulls Lommy forward and slowly stabs him through the throat with Needle. As Polliver walks away from a dying Lommy, Lorch uses his sword to push over Yoren's corpse. He demands that the survivors identify Gendry or else he will begin removing eyeballs. Arya sees the other recruits begin to look at a worried Gendry and she announces that they’ve already killed Gendry, pointing out the bull helm lying next to Lommy.

Some time later, Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie arrive at the ruined castle of Harrenhal with a column of other Lannister prisoners. Gendry sees the decimated towers and asks what kind of fire can melt stone. Arya informs him that it was dragonfire, as Hot Pie then asks if there are dragons around, to which Gendry asserts that dragons are extinct. Hot Pie then wonders what he can smell as Arya informs him that it is the smell of dead people. Polliver orders the trio to walk on into the midst of the ruins. Later that evening, Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie are chained in a stockade with many other prisoners and they can hear the sounds of a man being tortured nearby. When the screaming finishes an old female prisoner says that the victim is dead. She is expressionless, reporting in a monotone voice that her captors have tortured her sister to death, as well as her husband and now her son, who was the screaming man. Gendry realizes that they select a new victim each day. Arya asks if anyone survives the torture but the woman doesn’t answer. That night, rain pours heavily into the stockade as Arya recites the names of her enemies: “Joffrey, Cersei, Ilyn Payne, the Hound.”

Arya and the prisoners are later awoken by Ser Amory Lorch and his men as Ser Gregor Clegane approaches the stockade. Hot Pie informs that the Mountain is the one who chooses which of the prisoners is going to be tortured, as Arya recognizes him as the Hound’s brother whom she saw at the Hand’s Tourney shortly after her arrival in the capital. Hot Pie stares at Ser Gregor as the large knight approaches. When Arya asks Hot Pie what he is doing, he insists that another prisoner had told him that he always stares at the Mountain and is never chosen. Hot Pie and the other prisoner desperately stares at Gregor, who surveys the captives. Ser Gregor then selects the staring prisoner, proving his theory incorrect. Hot Pie wets himself in fear as the prisoner is strapped to a chair by Weasel, a servant to House Lannister who resides at Harrenhal. A soldier serving Ser Gregor called the Tickler then starts to interrogate the prisoner. He is asked about hidden valuables in his village as well as the whereabouts of the Brotherhood Without Banners, a band of outlaws in the Riverlands who work against the interests of the Lannisters. A rat is then placed in a bucket and strapped to the prisoner’s chest. Weasel heats the bucket to provoke the rat into burrowing through his chest. The Tickler asks who aided the Brotherhood, as the prisoner implicates Ganes the butcher, as well as his son. He begs them to stop and the Tickler assures him that he’s been very helpful, however, continues with the torture regardless. Arya and the other prisoners watch, helpless to stop them. That evening, Arya repeats her list of enemies again. The female prisoner begs Polliver for food to no avail, and he hits her with his club. Arya then adds his name to her ever-growing list.

The next morning, the head of the tortured prisoner is brutally hammered onto a spike above the stockade. Gendry is chosen next by Gregor and his questioning begins, despite not being from the village. Arya watches as the bucket is strapped to Gendry’s chest, but is saved in time with the arrival of Lord Tywin Lannister, father to Queen Regent Cersei. Tywin asks Ser Gregor what is going on and why the prisoners are not in their cells. Ser Gregor insists that their cells are overflowing as Polliver then interjects that the prisoners will not be there long. Tywin asserts that if they are so well manned they can afford to discard able and skilled prisoners. He asks Gendry if he has a trade as Gendry informs Tywin that he is a blacksmith. Polliver catches Arya looking at her sword Needle in his belt and orders her to kneel, calling her “boy”. Tywin immediately realizes that she is a girl, calling Polliver an idiot, then asking Arya why she’s dressed as a boy. Arya declares that it was safer to travel that way, as Tywin informs her that she is smart. He then orders the prisoners put to work and requests Arya as his new cupbearer.

Lord Tywin Lannister hosts a war council within his chambers of Harrenhal. Arya serves them food, acting as cupbearer while she eavesdrops. Reginald Lannister suggests that the Starks have stretched their lines too thin and will struggle to sustain their army during winter. Tywin rejects this notion, stating that the Starks are more capable than they are of coping with cold. Amory Lorch then informs that their spies have reported discontent amongst the Northern lords, who want to return home to gather for harvest. Tywin is dismissive, however, asserting that they are at war and no-one is content. He insists that they’ve underestimated Robb Stark for too long, adding that he has a mind for warfare and is respected by his men. Arya then brings over a jug of wine as Tywin halts her to ask where she is from. She claims to have grown up in Maidenpool, however, Tywin asserts that she is a northerner, asking again where she is from. She then claims to be from Barrowton, ruled by House Dustin, and correctly describes their sigil. Satisfied, Tywin then asks her for a northerner’s view of Robb Stark. Arya informs that Robb is known as the young wolf and is said to ride into battle on the back of a giant direwolf, with the ability to transform into a wolf at whim. She adds that people say that he cannot be killed. Tywin then asks her what she believes, as Arya states that anyone can be killed.

Afterwards, as Arya reaches the water butt, she finds a Lannister helmet left atop it. The former prisoner Jaqen H’ghar then approaches her dressed in Lannister armor, as he cautions her to keep his identity secret. He comments on her becoming a girl, stating that he was always aware, but that it was not his place to spoil her secret. Jaqen then informs that a man pays his debts and that he owes her three. Arya misunderstands him and he explains that “only death can pay for life” and as Arya saved him, Jaqen means to repay her by taking three lives on her behalf. She is intrigued at the idea of being able to choose anyone and asks Jaqen to kill the Tickler, Ser  Gregor's interrogator. Later on, Arya watches Gendry tempering a newly forged blade in the smithy. He swings the blade as she criticizes his stance, telling him he should be stood side face, addding that if he is practicing for a fight he should do it properly. A woman then screams in the adjacent courtyard and they rush to see what has happened. They find the body of the Tickler surrounded by Lannister men-at-arms. Hot Pie is among the stunned onlookers as Arya looks up at the ramparts and sees Jaqen casually eating an apple. He puts a single finger to his face, indicating his first kill on her behalf. She then cracks a justified smile.

Some time later, Tywin hosts another war council in his chambers as Arya continues to serve incognito as his cupbearer. Tywin orders Arya to fetch “The History of the Greater and the Lesser Houses.” Arya picks up the book while Tywin is still describing it and he realizes that she can read. A Lannister captain announces the arrival of Lord Petyr Baelish while Arya freezes in fear of recognition. Tywin asks for news from the capital as Littlefinger explains that he has travelled from the camp of the late Lord Renly Baratheon, King Robert’s younger brother. Tywin jokes about the duration of Renly’s reign and repeats the rumor that he was recently murdered by a woman. Arya pours wine, carefully keeping out of Petyr’s vision, who informs Tywin that there have been talk of other forces at work with Renly’s murder. Tywin dismissively insists that men love to blame demons when their grand plans fall apart. Lord Baelish then offers to broker an alliance between House Lannister and House Tyrell, one of the most affluent houses in Westeros. As Tywin asserts that the Tyrell host has returned to Highgarden, Arya spills wine on Littlefinger’s hand and apologizes, as he stares at her stating that it was only wine. Tywin draws Petyr’s attention back to him when he asks if he would ride there himself. Baelish asserts that he would leave that night with Tywin’s permission, as Tywin then states that he’ll consider it before dismissing Arya. As Arya leaves, Baelish begins to detail a meeting with her mother Catelyn.

Later on, in his chambers, Arya looks at a letter sitting on Tywin’s desk. It concerns troop movements and reports ten thousand men heading for the Golden Tooth stronghold in the Westerlands, while her brother Robb is moving south along the coast. Tywin catches her and asks who taught her to read. Arya informs Tywin that it was her father. When pressed, Arya claims that her father was a stonemason who taught himself to read and that he was killed by loyalty. Arya then steals the letter while Tywin distracts himself when reminiscing about his own father, Tytos. Arya reads the letter outside and then bumps into Ser Amory Lorch, who takes the letter from her, asking why she has it. She claims that she was asked to deliver it to the armoury. Amory looks at the letter and wonders why Tywin would do that. Arya then flees across the courtyard as he gives chase. She hides from him and he turns back towards Tywin’s chambers. Arya then searches for Jaqen H’ghar and urgently names Amory as her second kill. Jaqen accepts her instruction but she insists that he must be killed immediately. Jaqen informs that he will act when the time is right, but eventually relents to Arya’s urgency. Ser Amory opens the door to Tywin’s chamber and then collapses forward with a dart in his neck.

Some days later, Lord Tywin looks down at the courtyard from his balcony as a score of Lannister men have been hung. His officers continue to question their troops about the assassination of Amory as Tywin sniffs the dart that killed the knight, informing that it was dipped in a rare poison and that the killer was no common assassin. Ser Gregor Clegane informs that they’ve hung twenty men seeking the culprit as Tywin counters that he wouldn’t care if they had to hang a hundred. Tywin orders Gregor to attack the smallfolk of the region to show them what it means to choose the wrong side. As Arya then serves a meal to Tywin, he questions where she learned about history, as she claims that she was taught by her father. Tywin is dubious about the idea of a well-read stonemason, saying that he has never met one. Arya asks if he has met many stonemasons as Tywin then warns her to be careful with her tone. He orders her to return the meal to the kitchen and then criticizes her pronunciation of “My Lord,” warning her that lowborn girls say “Milord.” Tywin asserts that if she’s going to pose as a commoner she should do it properly, as Arya claims that she was taught to speak properly by her mother, a maid to a highborn. Tywin then informs that Arya is too smart for her own good.

Some time later, another war council is held in Lord Tywin’s chambers at Harrenhal. His brother Ser Kevan Lannister predicts that King's Landing will fall an hour after Stannis Baratheon’s forces arrive. Ser Kevan counsels Tywin to order his daughter Cersei and her family to flee to the safety of Casterly Rock, the Lannister’s ancestral stronghold in the Westerlands. Tywin, however, balks at surrendering the Iron Throne. Kevan then argues that giving up the throne is better than seeing the heads of their relatives mounted on the city gates, fearing that Stannis will execute any Lannister he finds in the city. Tywin rejects the suggestion, believing that a king who runs cannot remain king for long. As Arya serves drinks to his bannermen, Tywin announces his orders: the Lannister army will ride out from Harrenhal at nightfall. He then names Ser Gregor Clegane as his castellan at Harrenhal and orders him to continue his efforts against the Brotherhood Without Banners. Tywin assigns Arya to serve Ser Gregor, informing the knight that she has been a good servant. In a hurry, Arya then searches for Jaqen H’ghar outside in the courtyard, to no avail, as Tywin and his men depart from Harrenhal.

After realizing that she has missed her chance to kill Lord Tywin by giving Jaqen his name as the third kill, Arya comes upon the assassin, who asks her to name someone else instead. She leans forwards and whispers his own name in his ear. Jaqen angrily warns her not to mock the gods, however, she insists that she is serious. He firmly asks her to un-name him and she eventually agrees to do so, only if Jaqen helps her escape from Harrenhal. He predicts that it would require more than one life and exceed the terms of their agreement. Arya names him again as he then accuses her of being dishonorable. She shrugs, unconcerned. Jaqen stands up, informing her that if he helps she must obey him. He tells her to walk through the gate at midnight with her friends. Late that evening, Arya, Hot Pie and Gendry gather in the shadows opposite the courtyard gate. Gendry asks Arya what Jaqen told her to do about the guards surrounding the gate. Arya admits that he didn’t say and only instructed her to walk through the gates at midnight. Gendry is incredulous and warns against trusting the man who fled when she freed him from captivity, expecting him to fight by her side. Hot Pie fearfully admits wanting to return to the kitchens as Arya tells him to be quiet, insisting that he can stay if he wants. Arya then stands and bravely walks toward the gate. Gendry and Hot Pie hesitantly follow her and, as they approach the gate, they realize that Jaqen has killed the guards. They’ve also been pinned in place so as not to raise the alarm. The trio passes through without being noticed.

Later on, as the trio trek through the Riverlands, they are surprised to see Jaqen H’ghar waiting for them on a stone outcrop. Arya asks why he is there and he informs that he was waiting for her. Arya then asks him instead how he killed the guards and if it was difficult. Jaqen asserts that it was no harder than taking a new name if you know how. He then offers to take Arya to Braavos to train with the Faceless Men assassins, adding that he knows the list of names that she whispers, suggesting they could all be offered to the Lord of Light. Arya declares her interest in going but informs Jaqen that she can’t, as she needs to find her family. Jaqen then hands her an iron coin, explaining that it’s a coin of great value. He instructs that if Arya decides to follow him at any point she should give the coin to anyone from Braavos and say to them “Valar Morghulis.” Arya repeats the phrase as Jaqen walks away. She then pleads with him not to go but he informs her that Jaqen is dead, asking her to repeat the phrase again and complimenting her on her pronunciation. He turns away and bows his head. When Jaqen turns back to her, his face has changed entirely to another man. He bids her farewell in a new voice as Arya looks down at the coin and then back at Jaqen walking away.

As they continue their long journey through the Riverlands, Arya, Gendry and Hot Pie are heading north from Harrenhal, planning to eventually reach the Red Fork of the Trident River and then follow it west to her grandfather Hoster Tully’s castle-seat at Riverrun. Arya previously explained to the boys how Jaqen H'ghar helped them escape because he initially offered to kill any three people she named. During their trek, however, Gendry loudly criticizes Arya, in disbelief that she used up two of the names on minor Lannister guards when she could have said someone like "King Joffrey" or "Tywin Lannister" and ended the entire war, at which Arya gets quite defensive. However, as they advance in the forest, they run into a scouting party of the Brotherhood Without Banners, a group of outlaws, whose leader Thoros of Myr they hear singing "The Rains of Castamere" as they approach. They recognize them as the group the Lannister torturers were asking about at Harrenhal. An arrow is shot straight through the hole Arya is peaking out of as she dodges it with rapid reflex. As Thoros enquires what is lurking behind the wall, Arya comes out of hiding with Needle drawn but Thoros calmly informs her of his knowledge of Gendry and Hot Pie, who are still in hiding. Despite a threatening introduction, Thoros seems a friendly sort, though they force the trio come with them.

The Brotherhood later give the trio food and drink at the Crossroads Inn, along the Kingsroad, where Arya previously has been with her father and last saw her direwolf Nymeria when she attacked King Joffrey. Inside the inn, Arya refuses Thoros’ offer of ale and when questioned on how the untrained trio escaped Harrenhal, Arya admits that Gendry is a smith. When Thoros asks where he trained, Gendry declares that he used to work as a smith in King's Landing for Tobho Mott, whom Thoros has met before. Thoros names Tobho “a criminal” as he then informs that he himself was charged double what the other smiths were charging. Gendry defensively counters that this was due to the fact that it was double the quality. Arya insists that she knows how to use a sword despite Thoros' disbelief, but when she tries to mock-fence with him he quickly disarms her. Other members of the Brotherhood then return to the inn with a captive: Sandor "The Hound" Clegane, who Arya has last seen at her father’s execution in King’s Landing. As Thoros trades insults with Sandor, Arya hides her face and tries to leave, but the Hound stops her in astonishment and asks what in seven hells they're doing with "the Stark bitch", revealing her identity to all.

Some short time later, as the Brotherhood Without Banners prepare to leave the Crossroads Inn, Arya and Gendry prepare to join them through the Riverlands. Gendry has finished fixing a steel breastplate which Thoros puts on, and Arya asks why Gendry is helping them. Thoros insists that they're not prisoners and she’s lucky to have found them as the war-torn Riverlands isn’t a safe place for Ned Stark's daughter. Arya then notices that they are loading Sandor Clegane into a prisoner cart, so she walks over and angrily asks him if he remembers the last time he was here as Joffrey’s bodyguard, but he simply says all poor inns look the same. As they get ready to leave, Hot Pie explains that he isn't going with them: he baked some bread for the innkeeper, and as he was a baker's apprentice in the capital, the innkeeper thought it was the best bread they'd ever had and offered him a job. He adds that a life of fighting and traveling isn't really for him, plus Thoros formally made a deal with the innkeeper to pay for the free meals they enjoyed with Hot Pie's services. Before they depart, Hot Pie gifts Arya with a loaf of bread shaped like a direwolf, though Arya implies the tail looks like a head. Arya is a bit brusque but wishes him well as she departs with Gendry. As they ride away, Arya starts eating the wolf-bread and turns back to shout to Hot Pie that it is very good.

Some days later, Arya and Gendry are kept hooded as the Brotherhood lead them into a cave named Hollow Hill, which serves as the outlaws’ secret hideout in the Riverlands. Sandor Clegane is brought with them in restraints, and is confronted by the leader of the Brotherhood, Ser Beric Dondarrion. Dondarrion says he's still following the mission that Eddard Stark set him on, which was to bring Ser Gregor Clegane to justice and restore King Robert's peace to the Riverlands. The Hound balks that Eddard and Robert are dead now, and he can't just be fighting for ghosts, but Dondarrion asserts that now the Brotherhood are also ghosts, attacking the Lannisters where they least expect them. The Brotherhood continues to cite various Lannister crimes but Sandor continues to point out that he wasn't present for these crimes and also insists that they can't kill him for the crimes of his brother. Arya then speaks up, and angrily accuses Sandor of killing her friend Mycah, the butcher's boy she at the Crossroads Inn during her journey south. Sandor matter-of-factly admits that he killed Mycah, but informs he was in no place to question Joffrey's orders, even before he was crowned. The Brotherhood, waiting to pin Sandor to any crime at all, then charge him with Mycah’s murder. However, he’s informed that he will be given a fair trial: Dondarrion himself will face Sandor in a trial by combat.

As both men prepare, Thoros prays to the Lord of Light to judge The Hound for his crimes if he is guilty or give strength to his sword if he is innocent. Before the fight begins, Ser Beric calls upon the Red God to ignite his sword with flames. Due to the Sandor's fear of fire, Beric initially has an advantage against the Hound. Beric even manages to set Sandor's wooden shield on fire, which is strapped so tightly to Sandor's arm that he cannot remove it and is nearly burned himself. Eventually, however, Sandor's raw physical strength and anger overpowers Beric, and with a single downward swipe deep into his shoulder, kills Beric. As Dondarrion falls to the ground, Thoros quickly rushes to his side, and begins praying. Sandor falls to the ground to try extinguishing his shield. Arya then grabs a dagger and attempts to kill the Hound while he is down, but she is stopped by Gendry. As she curses him, Sandor taunts Arya over how the gods prefer him over her dead friend. However, they are both interrupted by Ser Beric, who has quickly been revived by the Lord of Light's power. Having won the trial, and proven his innocence in the eyes of god, Sandor is allowed to leave but is hooded so he won't know the way back to their hideout. Sandor is later released some distance away.

After the fight, Gendry informs Arya that he’s decided to stay and work as a smith for the Brotherhood. Arya urges that their plan was to find her brother Robb but Gendry points out that although he’d be serving the Brotherhood similarly to House Stark, the outlaw group is more like a family, something he’s has never had. Arya sadly chokes out that she could be his family. In response, Gendry politely but firmly explains that the class difference between them means that if he goes back with her, they'd never be family: he's still a commoner and she'd be "milady." Afterwards at the campfire, Thoros informs that they plan to bring Arya to Riverrun to reunite her with her family, in exchange for a reward to fund their cause. Arya then asks why Ser Beric would want to let Sandor go when he nearly killed him, but Beric insists that Sandor did actually kill him. He opens his shirt to reveal several grievous scars on his torso as Thoros explains that Beric has actually died and been resurrected six times now. Arya earnestly asks Thoros if he could bring back to life a man without a head. Beric consoles Arya, stating that her father was a good man, but he wouldn't wish his resurrected life on Eddard. Beric explains that being brought back from the dead carries a heavy toll, as pieces of his memory chip away each time. Arya still insists that she‘d wish Beric's life on her father, because at least Beric is still alive.

Outside of Hollow Hill, a Brotherhood member named Anguy trains Arya with a bow. Arya spots someone behind her target, which is revealed to be a Red Priestess named Melisandre and a small group of Stannis Baratheon's men. She speaks to Thoros in High Valyrian, demanding to know what became of his mission to convert the late Robert Baratheon to the worship of the Lord of Light. He bluntly tells her he failed. After Melisandre disappears with Thoros and Ser Beric, they return a short time later to swiftly take Gendry into her custody and bring him to Stannis Baratheon. Arya protests, particularly when she sees that Melisandre has given the Brotherhood two heavy sacks of gold in exchange for Gendry. She confronts the red priestess, appropriately calling her a witch. Melisandre ignores the barb, grabs Arya’s face and looks intensely into her eyes. She sees many other eyes staring into Arya’s eyes. Eyes of many other colors and eyes that Arya will shut forever. Melisandre then abruptly informs her that they will meet again before Arya sullenly watches Gendry hauled away on a wagon behind Melisandre’s soldiers. Some time later, Arya is disillusioned with the Brotherhood for selling Gendry. When Beric then decides to postpone delivering Arya to Riverrun to raid a group of Lannister soldiers, Arya angrily calls them out on their hypocrisy and runs away. She evades the Brotherhood but before she gets too far, she is kidnapped by Sandor Clegane, who, since his dismissal from the cave, has been waiting for an opportunity to seize her for himself.

The next morning, now a captive of the Hound, Arya picks up a rock and stands over Sandor planning to strike. She thinks he is sound asleep, but he opens his eyes and tells her she has one chance to hit him and kill him, because if she fails, he will break her hands. Later on, she sullenly sits on the horse with him, refusing food he offers her. Sandor points out that for all she hates him, Arya could have been taken captive by far worse. He tells her the story of Sansa and how he rescued her from a mob in King’s Landing during a riot, men who were going to rape her then slit her throat, leaving her to die. Arya insists that he's lying, but Sandor asserts to "ask your sister, if you ever see her again". They continue onward across the meadows and arrive at a river, the Red Fork of the Trident. Arya had believed the Hound was taking her back to King's Landing, but he reveals that he is in fact taking her to the Twins, intending to get a reward by ransoming her back to her family.  The marriage of her uncle Edmure Tully is imminent, and both her brother Robb and mother Catelyn will be in attendance for the wedding. He tells her ruefully that if she was not so busy trying to bash his skull in, they might make it in time for the wedding. Arya hides a smile, as the Hound spurs the horse to a gallop.

On their way to the Twins, Arya and Sandor come across a hog farmer, who is also going to the Twins for the wedding, but his wagon is damaged. As Sandor lifts the wagon, the hog farmer repairs it. However, Sandor then punches the farmer, knocking him unconscious. Sandor draws a dagger to kill the hog farmer, but Arya begs him not to, and he eventually relents. When the hog farmer wakes up, Arya knocks him out again with another blow to the head.

Shortly thereafter, as the pair arrive across the river from the Twins, Arya nervously gazes toward the Stark camp that has been set up outside the castle. Sandor informs Arya that she is visibly afraid that something may happen to ruin her imminent reunion with her family. Arya tells Sandor that he was visibly afraid of Ser Beric's flaming sword, and that she knows what Sandor's brother Ser Gregor did to him when they were children. Their bickering continues as Sandor then taunts Arya about the execution of her father Lord Eddard, while Arya declares to Sandor that one day she will stab him through his eye and out the back of his skull.

That evening, Arya and Sandor arrive at the gates of the Twins, in disguise as a hog farmer and his daughter. Sandor tells a House Frey guard they have salt pork for the wedding feast, but the guard tells them the feast is over and orders them to leave. Arya then takes the opportunity to run away from Sandor and hides near a table of Stark soldiers. Suddenly, soldiers come out of the castle and murder the Stark men. Arya hears her brother’s direwolf Grey Wind howling inside a wooden cage, but four men with crossbows come out of the castle and murder the  direwolf before she can release him. After the Frey soldiers leave, Arya attempts to enter the castle, but is stopped by Sandor, who says that it is too late to do anything. Arya struggles to get into the castle anyway, so Sandor knocks her unconscious and carries her away, realizing that any attempt to intervene at this point would be suicide. In the aftermath of the surprise massacre, which has claimed the lives of both her brother Robb and mother Catelyn, Sandor mounts his horse with Arya and picks up a Frey banner for their safety as he tries to slip away through the chaos. Arya then witnesses House Frey and House Bolton soldiers parading Robb's mutilated corpse tied up on horseback, with the head of Grey Wind attached to her brother's body. Arya and Sandor then flee the castle on horseback while the rest of the Stark army is massacred, thus ending what will be known as the Red Wedding massacre.

The following day, while riding to destinations unknown, Arya and Sandor come across a small group of Frey soldiers eating at a campfire. They are mocking the death of Arya's mother Catelyn, while one of the soldiers describes the process of sewing Grey Wind's head onto her brother Robb’s dead body. Arya then dismounts from Sandor's horse and slowly walks up behind the soldiers. They turn around and asks her what she wants, as Arya insists that she is hungry and wants to keep warm. The soldiers rudely instruct her to go away, but she asserts that she has money, then showing them the Braavosi coin given to her by Jaqen H'ghar. She then purposely drops the coin, and when a soldier bends down to pick it up, she repeatedly stabs him in the back of the neck with a knife. The other men draw their weapons, but Sandor appears and kills all three with ease. Sandor asks Arya how she got a knife, and she explains that she took it from him. Sandor then asks if that the first man she has ever killed, as Arya confirms "the first MAN,” recalling the stableboy she killed in King's Landing. As Sandor helps himself to the soldiers' food, Arya picks up the coin with her bloodied fingers and whispers, "Valar Morghulis."

Some time later, Arya and Sandor Clegane are still traveling through the Riverlands on a single horse. They pass by overturned carts and dead bodies, including those of children. Arya asks when she is going to get her own horse, complaining of the Hound's stench. He scoffs at the idea, noting that horses are hard to come by and that he wouldn't give Arya her own horse as she is the only thing of value he has since he did not take anything of value when he left King's Landing. Arya assures him she has no plans to run off, saying that she would die by nightfall without him as she has no one to go to. The Hound reminds her that she still has an aunt in the Vale, Lysa Arryn, to whom he now plans to ransom Arya to. The two eventually come upon a tavern. Both hungry, Arya suggests that they attack the men there, to which Sandor expresses reluctance as there are five men. Just then, two men exit to relieve themselves. Arya recognizes one of them as Polliver, the Lannister man-at-arms who had previously taken Arya's sword  Needle and killed her friend Lommy Greenhands. She also notices that Polliver still has Needle on his person and she runs into the tavern to retrieve it. The Hound chases after her, stopping her at the tavern's door, but they are seen and choose to go in anyways, so as not to arouse suspicion. Arya and the Hound go to a table far away from everyone else, but Polliver still recognizes the Hound and walks over to their table and strikes up a conversation. He does not recognize Arya, who he thinks is just the Hound's latest sexual conquest. Polliver implies that he and his men intend to rape and pillage on their way back to King's Landing and invites the Hound to come along. The conversation then becomes tense and turns into a standoff. They eventually draw their swords. At first, the Hound fights the five men alone while Arya stands in the corner. He easily dispatches two of them and fights off the rest, stabbing one in the groin. Arya then joins the fray, smashing a pot over the head of one of the men and stabbing him with his own long sword. She then slashes Polliver's leg from behind, causing him to fall to the ground. Arya takes Needle from Polliver and stands over his prone form. She echoes what he had said to Lommy just before he killed him, though Polliver still doesn't recognize her and has no idea what she is talking about. Arya then repeats what he had said to her when he took Needle: "Fine little blade. Maybe I'll pick my teeth with it." It is at that point when Polliver recognizes her and becomes frightened. Arya then kills Polliver in the same way he had killed Lommy, by driving Needle slowly into his throat. Arya and the Hound then leave the tavern, taking with them a new horse for Arya and a cooked chicken Sandor wanted.

Some time later, across the Riverlands, Arya and the Hound stop to water their horses. Arya thinks that they are lost and asks Sandor what he plans to do after he takes her to the Eyrie to see her aunt Lysa. He asserts that he might join the Second Sons, a reputable sellsword company on the eastern continent of Essos. They are both then spotted by a farmer and his young daughter who asks them what they are doing on his lands. Arya quickly fabricates a story that the Hound and she are father and daughter, who lost their wife and mother to a fire that also claimed their cottage. She adds that “her father” Sandor has never been the same since. When the farmer asks which house does Clegane fight for, Arya informs that he is a knight in service of House Tully. The farmer believes Arya and allows the pair to stay the night in his home and share a meal together. Famished, Arya and the Hound scarf the food down hastily as the farmer comments on the sacrilegious actions of House Frey during the Red Wedding massacre. Arya wakes the following morning to hear the farmer's daughter screaming. Clegane has assaulted the farmer and taken his silver. Confused and horrified, Arya demands to know why Clegane did that. He ignores the insult and simply states, "a dead man doesn't need his silver," claiming the farmer is weak and he and his daughter will not survive the upcoming winter.

Some weeks later, Arya recites her kill list by a campfire as the Hound tries to sleep. After a while, he tells her to be quiet. Arya insists that she can't go to sleep without saying all of the names. Irritated, the Hound asks her if she is going to name every person in Westeros, to which she replies, "Only the ones I'm going to kill.” He calmly replies that hate is as good as any motivation to keep a person going. Sandor then makes a note that if they would come across his brother Ser Gregor, both of them would cross one name from their lists. He then tells Arya to finish up reciting her list. She informs Sandor that she only has one name left remaining which, to his surprise, is his. The following morning, Arya is practicing her water dance technique beside a river. Sandor, predictably, makes fun of her for prancing around. When Arya tells him that she learned her fighting style from Syrio Forel, whom she believes was killed by Ser Meryn Trant, he openly mocks the Braavosi for being defeated by such a worthless fighter. Eventually, he lets her have a go at him, for her dead friend Mycah whom he killed, but Needle won't even pierce his armor. He then backhands her, takes her sword and, with Needle pointed at her throat, Sandor reminds her that Syrio Forel is dead. He adds that her techniques are best learned from people who are still alive, such as the people on her list.

Some time later, en route to the Vale, Arya and Sandor stumble upon a village in the distance. Curious to find provisions they proceed with caution as Arya informs there could be soldiers. Upon entering the ransacked village they encounter a dying man. Upon Sandor’s enquiry of who was responsible for the attack, the man with the fatal stab wound informs that he stopped asking long ago. Sandor gives the man a gift of mercy by stabbing him in the heart. Moments later, Sandor is ambushed by Biter, the caged murderer whom Jaqen H’ghar was imprisoned with during Arya’s failed journey to the Night’s Watch. Biter, very much living up to his nickname, comes up behind Sandor and bites him on the neck. The Hound swiftly snaps Biter's neck and drops him dead in the dirt. Rorge then appears, the other murderer she met on the road, revealing that there is a bounty on Sandor's head, which he and others want to collect. He is instantly recognized by Arya as one of the prisoners in Yoren's group who threatened her repeatedly. The Hound asks if Rorge is on Arya's list, but she denies it as she doesn't know his name. Sandor asks Rorge for his name and after he informs them, Arya thanks Rorge and promptly stabs him in the heart with Needle. Sandor cynically comments that she's learning.

Afterwards, Sandor clumsily addresses his wounds from Biter. Arya informs him that he’s doing it wrong, suggesting to burn the wound in order to cauterize it. She adds that otherwise it’ll get infected and fester, which will eventuate in death. Arya is rebuffed by Sandor because of his fear of fire, but she understands the severity of the wound, insisting that it’ll only take a second and won’t hurt that much. As she approaches with a burning stick from the campfire, Sandor hurriedly stands up and retreats from her shouting “no fire!” As Arya sits back down to wipe down Needle, Sandor starts complaining about his own decisions surrounding their journey and ponders with getting stabbed, cut and bitten, if any monetary reward is worth this much trouble. He adds that he never should have laid eyes on Arya. After an awkward silence, Sandor confirms that while her half-brother Jon Snow gave Arya her sword, his brother gave him this: pointing to the scarring on his face. He then admits the story of his scars from burns inflicted by Ser Gregor's wrath. Sandor adds that the while the pain was bad and the smell worse, the worst part of it all was that it was his own brother who did it and his own father who protected Gregor and not him. Sandor informs that his father covered up the truth, making him feel alone. Arya offers to clean the wound with water and stitch him up, and Sandor allows her to do so.

Days later, as Arya and Sandor finally make their way through the Vale of Arryn, Arya laments that she doesn't feel any satisfaction over King Joffrey's death, which they had learned about the other day from their attacker Rorge. She assumes that the king’s death alone would have made her happy, but Arya then expresses disappointment in the fact that she was neither able to be present during his murder or be the one to kill him herself. Arya adds that she would have wanted to see the look in Joffrey’s eyes once he’d registered that his life was over. Sandor then agrees that nothing in the world beats that look before commenting that poison is a woman’s weapon, scoffing at the use of such methods. Upon Sandor saying that men kill with steel, Arya comments on the fact that his pride will prevent him from being a great killer, adding that she would have killed Joffrey with a chicken bone if she had to. Once they reach the waycastle that leads to the Eyrie, called the Bloody Gate, Sandor announces the arrival of Lady Lysa Arryn’s niece Arya. However, a knight of the Vale named Ser Donnel Waynwood offers his condolences and informs the pair that Lady Lysa has passed away just three days prior. This rather insensitively prompts Arya to burst into a fit of laughter over their continuing bad luck, while Sandor stands dumbfounded over his attempts to collect a ransom being foiled yet again.

Some time later in the Vale, a female warrior named Brienne of Tarth and her squire Podrick Payne are heading towards the Bloody Gate when they happen upon Arya practicing her water dancing, while Sandor Clegane is off relieving himself. Arya and Sandor are returning from the Eyrie after receiving words of her aunt Lysa’s death. Brienne and Arya converse for a moment, both showing respect for one another as they are both women who have fought against what has been expected of them their entire lives. They are interrupted by the return of the Hound, who is immediately recognized by Podrick Payne, causing Brienne to realize that the girl is who she has been searching for. Brienne urgently informs Arya of her sacred vow to protect Catelyn Stark, although she failed to do so because she was commanded by Lady Catelyn to return Ser Jaime Lannister to King’s Landing. This prevented her from fighting for Catelyn at the Red Wedding, where Arya’s mother and brother perished. The Hound immediately accuses Brienne of working for the Lannisters, noticing her Valyrian steel sword. Brienne admits that it was given to her by Ser Jaime, frightening Arya into thinking that Brienne is indeed working for the Lannisters. Brienne implores Arya to come with her to safety, causing the Hound to mock  Brienne, pointing out that there is no "safety" for Arya anymore: her aunt Lysa Arryn in the Eyrie – whom Brienne and Podrick are seeking out – is dead. Sandor adds that so is her father, mother and brother, while the Stark armies are scattered and Winterfell is now a smoking ruin. Sandor and Brienne then draw swords and begin fighting, both eventually disarming each other and resorting to an evenly-matched yet brutal hand-to-hand combat. Ultimately, Brienne gains the upper hand by biting off a chunk of Sandor's ear and knocks him down a steep cliffside. Brienne then goes to search for Arya, who slipped away during their fight and has hidden herself amongst the rock formations. As Brienne and Podrick search the surrounding area for Arya in vain, Arya makes her way down the cliffside to find the Hound badly wounded. He tells her that unless there is a maester miraculously on hand to tend to his wounds, he's finished. Sandor instructs Arya to kill him in order to scratch another name off her list, but she just sits there staring at him silently. To goad Arya into killing him, an angry Sandor begins recounting running down the butcher's boy Mycah, as well as commenting on how he should have raped  Sansa in King's Landing. Nonetheless, Arya remains silent. Sandor, in excruciating pain, finally resorts to begging her to kill him and put him out of his misery. However, Arya still refuses and instead takes his coin purse, leaving him to suffer from a long and painful death.

Afterwards, Arya rides her horse to Saltpans, a small coastal village in between the Vale and the Riverlads. She rides towards a wharf where ships are docked. After dismounting, Arya approaches a ship captain named Ternesio Terys and asks if she can pay for travel to the North by way of the Narrow Sea. However, Ternesio informs that they won't go up North as these days the region is full of “war, cold and pirates.” Instead, the ship is going to his home: to the Free City of Braavos. Arya remembers the special coin that the Faceless Man known as Jaqen H'ghar gave her after escaping Harrenhal. Jaqen had instructed Arya to present the coin to any man from Braavos if she ever needed aid. Arya acts on this now as the captain is utterly surprised in how she obtained the coin. Arya quotes "Valar morghulis,” as Jaqen had instructed her, to which the captain gives the traditional response of "Valar dohaeris." Ternesio warmly welcomes Arya aboard the ship, and insists that she will have her own cabin. As the ship casts off from the village of Saltpans, Arya stands aboard the ship, watching the shore of Westeros shrink further and further away. She then moves to the prow of the ship, looking forward across the Narrow Sea in the direction of the Free City of Braavos. Arya embarks towards a new life and a new adventure in lieu of her home and family she once had.