Chapter 65: "The Wolf Blood"
To be fair, Arya was a lively, cute, and likable child, much like her brother Bran. She didn't know how to dress up like her sister Sansa, which often left people with the impression that she was "plain-looking" by comparison. However, through Egger's modern eyes—judging by her facial structure and bone symmetry—this young girl was a beauty in the making.
Clearly, someone agreed with his assessment. If Egger remembered correctly, someone in the original plot mentioned that Arya looked like her aunt Lyanna and possessed the same "wolf blood."
Haha, Egger wanted to laugh.
The wolf blood: it contained the pursuit of ultimate freedom, a fragrant yet poisonous romance, and an unyielding wildness. Only spontaneous journeys, headlong plunges into love, endless adventure, thrills, novelty, and excitement could satisfy a carrier of this lineage.
Being able to explain willfulness and playfulness in such a literary and fancy way was a testament to a Western fantasy author like Martin. What did Arya's aunt do to leave her name in history? While betrothed to Robert Baratheon, she eloped with Prince Rhaegar, who already had a wife and children!
Granted, the marriages of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen were both arranged by parents—family alliances made for profit. Perhaps after meeting at the Tourney at Harrenhal, they discovered they were each other's true love and resolutely did something foolish. From a modern perspective, for the sake of political correctness, Egger might even have offered them some support.
But that stupid girl with the wolf blood should never, under any circumstances, have run off without leaving a single word. Egger himself knew by the age of six that if he went out to play, he had to tell his parents where he was going. If a teenage girl didn't even understand that much, who was to blame when things went wrong?
A daughter of House Stark eloping to become the mistress of a Targaryen prince was a scandal involving the royal family, the Stormlands, and the Lords of the North. At worst, the Stark-Baratheon alliance would have collapsed, and Prince Rhaegar would have earned a stain on his reputation, paying some price to settle the mess he caused.
Yet, because of Lyanna's stupidity and immaturity, a False Spring began. Her father and brother believed Rhaegar had abducted her and went to King's Landing to demand her return, speaking insolently to the King. They ended up being burned to death by the Mad King, Aerys, who was in a foul mood. Subsequently, Jon Arryn, Lord of the Vale, refused to hand over his wards Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon, and instead raised the banners of rebellion—the grand Robert's Rebellion had begun.
In the end, of the two who eloped, one died with his dynasty overturned, and the other—after causing the deaths of her father and brother—withered away due to complications in childbirth. Those left alive could only reminisce about her beauty through statues... it was a direct parallel to the Red Wedding caused later by Robb breaking his marriage pact.
This was the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. If you go looking for death, you will find it.
Of course, while both were willful and spoiled, there was a difference between the Stark children and the Joffrey raised by Cersei. Simply put, the Stark children were still redeemable. They at least knew manners and had developed sparks of kindness, integrity, and loyalty. If they weren't on the verge of a chaotic era, Egger would have been quite willing to choose these Northerners as friends or companions. But now, he needed wealthy, powerful allies and smart partners. In that regard, the Starks—who excelled at dragging friends and family into pits—were not the optimal choice.
Moreover, Arya was only ten. This she-wolf was far too young. Unless Egger were a pedophile, who would be interested in her?
His initial thought was simple: stay far away from these Starks who came with a team-killing buff, and don't give them a chance to implicate him when they went looking for death. His swordsmanship was mediocre; it might be enough to teach a little girl like Arya, but if he took over the role of the First Sword of Braavos, only to inherit his fate from the original plot, that would be terrible luck.
...
But on second thought, even if this little she-wolf had no skills for the time being, her status as a Stark child was still quite intimidating. He had already swindled a document from Ned, which was usually convincing enough, but if customers saw a Stark girl frequently coming in and out of the Night's Watch office, wouldn't their confidence in the bonds be even stronger?
Furthermore, although he hadn't yet thought of the best way to drive a wedge between Littlefinger and Ned Stark, no matter what plan he adopted, having a Stark child on his side would certainly make things easier.
"Hmm..." After a brief internal struggle, Egger stroked his chin with feigned hesitation and relented: "It's not entirely impossible, but there are conditions. Since you want me to teach you the sword, I am your master. You must listen to me."
"Fine, Master! I'll listen to everything you say!"
"Ahem." Egger continued to think. Suddenly, it occurred to him: a certain Faceless Man he had been unable to find a way to recruit happened to be connected to the girl in front of him in the original plot.
There is a saying that people of a feather flock together. Much like Egger and Tyrion—even if Egger hadn't tried his best to get close to him at Winterfell, they likely would have ended up together if they had met and worked together later. Did the same apply to Arya and Jaqen, the old and the young?
Thinking it over, the idea of recruiting Jaqen through Arya seemed a bit far-fetched, so he finally decided to take it one step at a time. He would first bring these two together and see what happened. "My first instruction: from now on, don't come running to me dressed like a boy. Learn from your sister, dress like a girl, and then come for your sword lessons."
"Why!"
"What's so special about dressing like a boy and knowing how to use a sword like a boy? If you can be a lady yet possess superior swordsmanship—to be a rose with thorns—now that is a challenge, isn't it?"
The above was just dangling a carrot. Making the girl wear a dress was actually just Egger's personal whim: he was already busy enough to be dizzy; having to teach a tomboy swordsmanship in his spare time sounded dull. But if the other person was a girl, even if she was off-limits, she could at least be pleasant to look at and help him relax.
"That makes sense." Arya thought hard with her little head for a while, attracted by the idea of being a rose with thorns, and agreed. "Then should I start coming tomorrow?"
"As you wish. Barring any accidents, I'll be staying here for a long time," Egger shrugged. "The second requirement: before you come out, tell your father or his guards and have someone escort you... even if the Red Keep isn't far, it isn't necessarily safe for a child alone."
"I am not a child!"
"Say what you like, but do as I say. Since you want me to teach you the sword, don't go bringing trouble to my door."
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