The man pushed the door open and gestured with his hands for them to go inside. He was not entering the room himself. Varys gulped hard as he took a deep breath and stepped through the door, followed by Stannis.
As Varys and Stannis stepped through the door, the environment surrounding them shifted once again.
The fear that had been gnawing at them, the chill that had been crawling down their backs, their blood which had turned cold, and the dread they had been feeling, everything intensified. The fear of death, the faceless man had called. And while Varys could not tell about Stannis, he was not ashamed to admit that he was really frightful. His hearts were hammering against his chests, and beads of sweat had appeared on his palms.
The room was not very large. Apart from the door through which they had entered, there was neither a single window nor any other door nor any ventilation present in the room.
Wooden shelves extending from the floor to the top of the ceiling, which was hardly visible in the dark, lined the entire wall directly opposite them. These shelves were filled with neatly stacked and organised parchments. Varys made a quick contemplation in his mind. Perhaps these parchments contained records of people assassinated by the Faceless Men? This was what he wondered.
The room was dimly lit in a pale hue, making the already frightening environment even more dreadful. Two flame torches strapped to the walls adjacent to the shelves were the only source of illumination and it looked as if even these flame torches were constantly flickering, despite there being no air.
The entire room was empty except for a single wooden table and chair placed in the center. A thick tome was spread on the table, and a man was sitting in the chair, obviously having been reading. Thanks to the dim light, the face of the man was barely visible to Stannis and Varys.
Varys and Stannis had barely taken a couple of steps before a screeching sound from behind made them flinch. They instinctively turned to realize that the door through which they had entered was now shut. The sound had been the rattling of the hinges.
Regaining their composure, they turned back and began approaching the center of the room. As they got closer to the table, the face of the man started to become clear.
It was a middle aged man with a stiff and hard face. He was clean shaven, and there was barely any expression present.
Just like the man they had encountered outside, this man did not have an intimidating or looming presence. Sitting in his chair, he did not look like anything more than an ordinary man. He appeared anything but a powerful figure who could kill anyone. And just like the previous man, Varys was not going to take this man lightly.
From the time Varys and Stannis had entered the room, he had not even lifted his eyes from the book. They were a couple of steps away from the table when the man finally moved. He closed the book shut and finally lifted his head, his dark eyes boring straight into Stannis and Varys.
"A man was reading a very interesting part of the book and had gotten quite immersed in it," the Faceless Man said. "And a man therefore expresses his apologies for not welcoming the guests immediately."
"The name of a man is Jaqen H'ghar," the Faceless Man introduced himself.
As Jaqen's eyes landed on them and he spoke, all the feeling of dread and horror that had been surrounding them vanished in an instant. The hammering of their heart had stopped and the chill crawling down their spine had disappeared. And they had no idea, why had this happened?
Varys and Stannis both understood how the Faceless Men worked. They had no doubt that the name was just another identity stolen along with a stolen face. And this was what made the Faceless men so horrifying. How did they steal the faces? And no one, but only the Faceless men, understood how this art worked. Was it magic? Some other method? No one had any idea. Maybe it was better to go with the Faceless Men called it. Blessing from death itself.
But even so, now that the Faceless Man had introduced himself, they had no option but to introduce themselves in turn. Not that their identities were a secret, or that it was going to affect the outcome.
"I am Varys," Varys said. "Master of Whispers on the Small Council of King Robert Baratheon."
"I am Stannis Baratheon," Stannis said. "Master of Ships on the Small Council of King Robert Baratheon and the Lord of Dragonstone."
"A man is aware of who you both are," Jaqen said with a polite smile. "A man likes to know and keep information about the important figures of the world."
Varys was still wondering how to steer the conversation when the door of the room opened with another screech. They turned back to see two men entering the room, each carrying a wooden chair. They moved in silence and with agility, placing the chairs opposite Jaqen H'ghar. They walked back and left the room as the door shut behind them with another screech.
"Please, have a seat," Jaqen H'ghar said.
Varys and Stannis nodded as they occupied their respective chairs.
"What brings the two men to the humble House of Black and White?" Jaqen H'ghar questioned.
Varys and Stannis exchanged a glance as Varys took the lead in answering the question.
"We are here to offer a contract," he said. "A contract for assassination."
Jaqen H'ghar nodded in response without any surprise.
"For whom?" He questioned.
"The recently crowned Queen of Qohor," Varys replied. "The lady who claims to be Rhaenys Targaryen. The lady who has five dragons under her control."
Jaqen H'ghar did not respond. He showed no expression on his face, neither shock, nor surprise, nor intrigue. He just continued sitting there with an impassive face.
"A man says Lady Rhaenys Targaryen," Jaqen H'ghar mumbled. "A man had expected as much."
"Is there something the matter?" Varys questioned as he narrowed his eyes.
Jaqen H'ghar did not respond immediately and remained silent for a couple of moments, his eyes boring straight at Varys and Stannis.
[I know that Jaqen H'ghar would not have been using the same name and face for that long, before the actual plot but I wanted to convey that he is the same character from the shows. So, I went with that name.]
[Spoiler ahead: The Faceless Men will have a larger role in my entire story and Jaqen H'ghar is going to be my face of the faceless men.]
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