#jaqarya

Maybe the gods had sent him in answer to her prayers. “I need you to help me get those men out of the dungeons. That Glover and

those others, all of them. We have to kill the guards and open the cell somehow——”

“A girl forgets,” he said quietly. “Two she has had, three were owed. If a guard must die, she needs only speak his name.”

“But one guard won’t be enough, we need to kill them all to open the cell.” Arya bit her lip hard to stop from crying. “I want you to save the northmen like I saved you.”

He looked down at her pitilessly. “Three lives were snatched from a god. Three lives must be repaid. The gods are not mocked.” His voice was silk and steel.

“I never mocked.” She thought for a moment. “The name… can I name anyone? And you’ll kill him?”

Jaqen H’ghar inclined his head. “A man has said.”

“Anyone?” she repeated. “A man, a woman, a little baby, or Lord Tywin, or the High Septon, or your father?”

“A man’s sire is long dead, but did he live, and did you know his name, he would die at your command.”

“Swear it,” Arya said. “Swear it by the gods.”

“By all the gods of sea and air, and even him of fire, I swear it.”

He placed a hand in the mouth of the weirwood.

“By the seven new gods and the old gods beyond count, I swear it.”

He has sworn. “Even if I named the king…”

“Speak the name, and death will come. On the morrow, at the turn of the moon, a year from this day, it will come. A man does not fly like a bird, but one foot moves and then another and one day a man is there, and a king dies.”

He knelt beside her, so they were face-to-face, “A girl whispers if she fears to speak aloud. Whisper it now. Is it Joffrey?”

Arya put her lips to his ear. “It’s Jaqen H’ghar.”

Even in the burning barn, with walls of flame towering all around and him in chains, he had not seemed so distraught as he did now.

For your attention: Jaqen H’ghar wearing the face of Daario Naharis, who forgot that he was Jaqen H’ghar (a little confusing, but I wanted to depict it).

This is an illustration for the amazing fanfic «The Gray Daughter», the second part of «The Assassins Trilogy».

Daario's portrait is a mix of the book description and the actor cast. Blue hair and beard sound beautiful, although the golden mustache seems a little silly to me.

I also tried to preserve some elements of Jaqen's facial expression. I don't know if I managed to do justice to his internal struggle.

Next, his oath to Arya. These words are a powerful symbol of this story for me, + the fact that Daario is Daenerys's lover creates many parallels in the story.

Also, with my love for the tale of Bluebeard, somehow everything just... fell into place. My respect and gratitude to the author, this is an incredible story <3

Hello Anon!

First of all, I apologize for the delay.

Arya's relationship with Jaqen is quite different in the books. For starters, Jaqen is a lot younger, only a few years older than Gendry, And he is not teaching Arya in Braavos. He leaves her in Harrenhal to pursue his own goal which is getting a dragon's egg and learning the secrets of hatching dragons in the Citadel. There is also a strong connection between Jaqen and Arya pairing and weirwood magic.

Jaqen first noticed Arya when she beat up Hot Pie on the way to Harrenhal. They were going to the Watch with Yoren, like in the show. Jaqen tried to make friends with Arya after the fight. I suspect he wanted to trick her into freeing him from the cage but it also looked as if he wanted to offer her protection because he saw that she was lonely and afraid. Arya was charmed by him from the start. She loved how handsome Jaqen was and noted his good manners.

They were attacked near the God's Eye lake like in the show. However, in the books the attack was much worse and the fire that the Lannisters's men started was horrific. The show didn't give the impression that rescuing Jaqen from the burning cage was that hard. In the books, Arya admitted to herself that it was the hardest thing she had ever done. She killed a man and risked her own life to save Jaqen. During the attack Jaqen also told Arya that he wanted to fight in the red war. The red war is the war of R'hllor, the same war Melisandre is preaching about - the battle for the Dawn. So, book!Jaqen is familiar with the prophecy and has been prepared to fight that battle.

The Lannisters's men took the recruits to Harrenhal. Jaqen followed to pay his debt to Arya. One night he found her sleeping in the cellar and woke her up to tell her he was willing to kill three men for her because she saved his life and the lives of Rorge and Biter. Arya wanted them to run away together but Jaqen refused and insisted on the killings. Arya was disappointed so he kissed her hair to comfort her. Such a charmer he is in the books :)