Lelandabas (the treekin healer, but they all called him Lee) hovered over Arya's form. He checked her eyes and pulse and placed a hand over her tiny wound, and light poured from his hand into her. Mangana from his bench, who had been studying the dagger, said, "It's a snake poison and quite deadly." He brought two potions over and applied one to the wound, and let Lee pour the other down her throat slowly. He went back to his table to concoct a cure for the poison. Nymeria hovered off to one side of the bed, laying her head on Arya from time to time. She would hover awhile, then run outside, howl, come back, and hover again. The three captains searched the corpses, hoping to find a clue, but they came up empty-handed. It was clear, however, that the Zon knew they were here and wanted their members dead. Mangana finished his potion to cure her, and he poured a little on a bandage with some dried leaves, then wrapped it around her wound. The rest they slowly gave her by mouth. When he spoke, Caelan translated, "She's lucky the wound was so shallow; if she had been stabbed near the heart, she would be dead now. Besides Lee's healing touch and the doctors keeping her hydrated, it's up to her will to live now. We will know more in the morning."
In the morning, Antakari, the Terrigal official, knocked at the door. They led him into the infirmary, and he checked her condition. Mangana had made himself scarce to avoid detection. He didn't want anyone to know where he had gone. Antakari apologized profusely for the incident and outcome. He waved the auction fees and offered full guard protection, saying, "This attack is a stain on the town of Terrigal, and we will do everything in our power to make the rest of your stay here safe and see to it you all, and your ship is made whole and can leave. Guards will be present in numbers for your auction, and I believe every person in town will show up to help." When it was translated, Dirk said, "He wants the lass to live and us all out of his hair."
The next morning, the color had returned to Arya's cheeks. She was unconscious, but Mangana predicted she would recover well in a few days. The planning and preparations for the auction went on in a happier tone. Things were looking up. The front yard was being set up with tables along the porch, and the auction items would be on display there. Off to one side was a stand where Bart would give out tarts and bits of the beef they had to show off their flour and the cattle that would be auctioned off. The cattle and horses to be auctioned were penned on the other side of the porch near Nymeria's cage and watchful eye. An area was cordoned off for the battle and Dirk's dagger display, but Brienne and Arya's match was going to have to be canceled. That was until young Mangana the juggler offered to stand in Arya's place. Brienne laughed when she heard who had challenged her, but was happy that the match could still entertain the auction-goers. The younger Mangana had made himself a fixture at the mansion. He even helped Gendry melt the platinum for rings and brooches. He watched what they were doing and disappeared for a few hours, then he returned with a large bag of what looked like grey sponges. He motioned for Gendry to let him at the forge, cleared the center, and filled it with coke. Caelan happened to be close by, and he translated what the young Mangana said, "This is coke, it burns hotter and cleaner than straight charcoal. It will melt your platinum easily." Gendry studied the bag and then tried to melt the platinum; shortly, they were pouring platinum into the many molds Thomas had created. As they cooled, Thomas spread out some small gemstones, which they started adding to the rings and brooches they had made. Thomas declared the three would man a jewellery stand off the side of Bart's tart stand.
Finally, the day of the auction dawned. In the infirmary, Arya's eye fluttered open, and Nymeria at her side softly woofed and licked her face. Arya laughed softly and said, "Hey girl, what are you doing here...and why am I in bed?" Portsmith, who was wandering towards the smell of breakfast, heard this. He ran into the room saying, "Oh, thanks to the god that looks over us! Arya, you were poisoned by those Zon assassins; you are lucky to be alive." Arya went wide-eyed, "Zon! Have they attacked again? How long have I been out?" Portsmith called loudly throughout the house, and many came running to see her awake. He continued to her, "You have been out of it for 8 days, Arya. This is the morning of the auction." She tried to rise but could only manage sitting up in bed. She managed to say, "I'm hungry....really hungry." Ned jumped up in her lap and purred, while Bart brought in a tray with tarts and Kiwi juice. When she looked at him strangely, he told her Kiwi and said, "The locals all swear by its healing properties. Eat, I will bring you breakfast if you can manage it. The locals brought it to us for your healing."
The auction activities were officially set to begin at nine o'clock, but the crowd began filing in just after eight. It looked like the whole town was coming out. All the auction items were lined up on tables behind the glass that they had set up. There was a gap in the tables near the door, and on one side was a table holding one of Thomas's large rubies. On the other side was the sword Arya had gifted to Portsmith. There were bags of seeds and flour, small and large. There were bags of oats. Besides the ruby, there were odd, special pieces of jewellery they had gotten from the hoard and given to several people. Brienne's medallion and tiara hung there. There were fine steel swords that some had donated, and others Gendry had forged, as well as some armor pieces.
At nine o'clock sharp, the gala kicked off, and the announcer, who doubled as the auctioneer, pointed to the cordoned-off ring and shouted that Captain Dirk would begin his display of dagger expertise. Many of the incoming crowd stopped to watch as he flipped daggers around, then began a series of tosses at wooden bowls. Young Jiemba was tossing up for him. One after another, they fell back down with a dagger in the center of their bottoms. She threw up the last one, but his dirk went high, and the crowd turned to see it go high and moaned and hummed at the miss. Someone in the back of the crowd held up a small bird with the dirk through saying, "It hit a bird." The crowd cheered and clapped, and Dirk smiled and bowed to them all.