"Let a man share a small tale about the faith, beliefs, and ideology of the House of Black and White," Jaqen said, surprising, almost shocking, Stannis and Varys.
They were here to offer a contract for an assassination of Rhaenys Targaryen, learn the price for it, pay it, and have the lady killed. They were not here to learn the ideology of the assassins they were about to hire.
"A man must have heard two phrases that our kind regularly uses," Jaqen continued, unbothered by their lack of enthusiasm. "Valar Morghulis and Valar Dohaeris."
"They mean, 'All men must die' and 'All men must serve,'" he said.
Though uninterested in this tale and the talk, Stannis nodded his head curtly. Since he did not seem to have any other option, he decided to hear the story. Probably, it could be something interesting.
On the other hand, Varys, though he showed no outward reaction, had his curiosity piqued, inwardly.
For him, knowledge and information was a wealth greater than any other. To learn about the Faceless Men from one of their own was an extremely rare opportunity. He had never heard of the Faceless Men telling such a tale to anyone in his entire life. And he was thoroughly intrigued.
"The men of the House of Black and White believe in the inevitability of death," Jaqen said. "The belief is that death comes for all, and no one can escape it. Therefore, a man serving death itself does not fear death. A man knows that when death comes, there will be no stopping it. Death is the ultimate truth. The ultimate reality."
"From this originated what a man calls Valar Morghulis. All men must die."
"Since the beginning of time, many men, great men, powerful men, have tried to cheat death. To stop the inevitable. To stop what is fixed. But none have succeeded. Magic. Warlocks. Undead. Every method has been tried. And every method has failed or will fail."
"At most, even great men have only been able to delay the inevitable for a few years, but none have truly succeeded. Death is inevitable. All men must die. Valar Morghulis."
"But," he continued, "the greater question then arises. If all men must die and death is inevitable, what should we do in this life? Do we remain lying in bed and wait for death to come for us? If death is the only truth, what is the use of living? Why do anything at all?"
"And here originated the second belief. Before any man dies, every man must serve his purpose. All men must serve. Valar Dohaeris."
"And thus, when a man serving the House of Black and White takes a contract for assassinating someone, he believes that the target has served his purpose in life and the man can die now."
"Quite intriguing," Varys remarked instinctively. He had a few questions, but he did not dare voice them in front of Jaqen H'ghar.
"And may I ask what all this has to do with the contract we are trying to give you?" Stannis quipped. His patience was running thin, and he was getting impatient for the purpose of his visit to be served.
"Yes," Jaqen nodded. "This has everything to do with the contract you want to give us."
"The lady Rhaenys Targaryen, that lady has not served the purpose of her life," he said, shocking Stannis and Varys. "The lady will die, but her time has not come yet."
Varys and Stannis were unable to react for several moments. They were too stunned to speak. She had not served her purpose? What did it even mean?
"Are you implying, for whatever reason you say," Stannis finally questioned, "that you are rejecting our contract?"
"Yes," Jaqen said without any hesitation.
The silence that followed was heavy.
"And what is the purpose that Lady Rhaenys Targaryen has yet to serve, that you are rejecting the contract?" Varys questioned, his voice barely above a whisper.
In his entire life, Varys had not heard of a single incident where the Faceless Men had outright rejected a contract. For bigger names, they demanded an outrageous price, but they never rejected a contract.
"A lady can have greater purposes," Jaqen said with a shake of his head. "And a man is incapable of knowing them."
"Is it about capturing Westeros?" Stannis questioned, almost in a scoffing manner.
Jaqen narrowed his eyes, and both Varys and Stannis realized that the Baratheon man had made a mistake. But Jaqen did not say anything about it. Though extremely powerful, he was a polite and civil man. He was not a savage who would kill for the slightest of transgression.
"Capturing lands, ruling over thrones, defeating armies, and killing men are not purposes for which the death of a lady can be delayed. These are superficial purposes and they do not really matter in the grand line of things," he sighed. "When a man says, 'All men must serve,' a man means greater purposes."
Stannis was about to say something, but Jaqen raised his hand.
"A man has said his part," he said. "And nothing you say can change what a man has already stated."
"This is the end of the matter," he concluded. "A man cannot accept this contract."
Stannis and Varys exchanged glances and decided not to press their luck against the Faceless Man sitting in front of them. They nodded and got up from their chairs. Even before they reached the door, it was pushed open with a screech. They stepped out and were led away from the House of Black and White by the same man who had brought them inside.
Meanwhile, after Varys and Stannis left the room, Jaqen H'ghar too got up from his chair, took a different path, and arrived at the exit of the House of Black and White. He stepped outside the building. By this time, Stannis and Varys had already departed.
Jaqen's naturally stiff face was even more rigid as he craned his neck and looked toward a particular tree. Perched on this tree was a bird, an eagle, and it looked as if its eyes were boring straight into Jaqen. Jaqen, too, stared in its direction and looked eye to eye with the eagle.
"A man has rejected the contract, Lord Aeos," he said. "A man does not want to make an enemy out of you. Not that a man has the capability to kill you or your three proteges."
"We have greater purposes to serve together," he said. "And hopefully, we will meet soon."
#
#
#
[Add the book to your collection. Send it some power stones. Leave a rating and a review.]
[Access advanced chapter on P@treon. Replace @ with a. One additional advanced chapter each week on P@treon. ]
[email protected]/imaginarywriter