DAGGERS TO THE HEART Part 2 - CLASH OF THE KINGS

Arya VII

Four days after the demise of King Joffrey Baratheon, Arya Stark cloaked herself in Littlefinger's finest black silks and assumed his grieving face for his grace's funeral. Crowds of smallfolk gathered near the Sept of Baelor, held at bay while those of nobility or significance, like Littlefinger himself, were ushered in by litter.

Had Joffrey been a benevolent ruler, the lamentations of the smallfolk might have echoed through the air. But there was no such display. A smattering of jeers, perhaps, but a solemn hush out of deference for the grieving. As a precaution, the city watch stood vigilant beside the red and gold armoured, Lannister soldiers, forming a barrier between the throng and the Sept, though it would have offered little resistance if the populace were inclined to assail the highborn. Five hundred armed guards would prove scant defence against a multitude of starving commoners.

Seated on a bench in the third row of the Sept, Arya found herself amidst a congregation of lords and ladies from across the realm, those who had attended the ill-fated wedding. At the dais, the High Septon presided, the crystals adorning his headdress casting prismatic reflections throughout the chamber as they caught the sunlight streaming through the windows.

"Father Above, judge King Joffrey Baratheon justly..." intoned the High Septon.

Under ordinary circumstances, the scent of burning incense and the monotone cadence of the High Septon's voice might have induced drowsiness in Arya from sheer tedium. However, she had a more pressing task at hand—observing subtle cues in body language. She needed to discern falsehoods from truths, to detect the telltale signs that betrayed a person's inner thoughts when faced with dissent.

Throughout Margaery and Joffrey's wedding, Arya observed the body language of the key players. Margaery wielded the art of seduction with the finesse of a seasoned mummer. Olenna's abrupt manner made it challenging to discern her falsehoods, yet Arya detected a subtle twitch of her head whenever she lied. It occurred during Arya and Jon's conversation with Olenna and Margaery at Littlefinger's brothel. These were the telltale signs Arya sought.

The funeral was proving more of a challenge, especially from Arya's seating position. Cersei's grief rendered her posture unreadable. Jaime, fulfilling his role as a Kingsguard, displayed no emotion. Tywin maintained his customary solemn countenance. The sole point of interest for Arya was Margaery's repeated glances towards Tommen. Arya couldn't fathom why she would flirt with her deceased husband's brother at his funeral unless she was already trying to manipulate the poor boy.

Following the funeral rites, the assembly convened in the throne room of the Red Keep. Arya kept a watchful eye on Margaery, who continued to steal glances at Tommen, though the young King remained oblivious to her attempts at seduction. Not that it was of much a surprise, the boy was of a similar age to Bran, who was innocent in matters of the heart. She suspected Tommen was of the same mind. Arya realised she needed to maintain closer surveillance on the former queen, and the only means to do so was through the guise of Jack.

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Arya excused herself from the funeral early, citing an incense-induced headache, which bore an element of truth. To which she was not alone. The herbs and odd-smelling perfume used, to mask the scent of death, was almost as unpleasant as what it hid.

Upon her return, she found paperwork left by Ros on her desk, detailing the precise address of Littlefinger's business establishment in Gulltown. Ros had also left the key on Littlefinger's desk. Arya and Jon had been searching for this information since their arrival, eager to uncover the extent of Littlefinger's business interests.

One of the motivations for leaving Melisandre in Gulltown was for this specific purpose. Arya hoped to uncover any pertinent information between Jon's departure from King's Landing and her own. She calculated Jon would arrive in Gulltown in three days at the earliest. If she acted with haste, her message should reach him before he got there.