Littlefinger hired a Faceless Man to kill the Ned

[Here's Looking At You, Kid]

Illyrio Mopatis hired Jaquen to kill Ned Stark.  The convo overheard by Arya at least suggested that this Magister considered killing Ned.  I know, Arya is not the brightest of view points but we are at the mercy of GRRM's chosen mode of delivery.  Even if Arya is somewhat mistaken about what she heard, we can say the biggest conspiracy in the novels, the restoration of House Targaryen to power, considers Ned Stark a nuisance that will need to be murdered to pave the way for a smoother return of the Targaryens. 

Ned is level-headed and is the kind of guy who will say to his fat friend, "Robert, don't meet the Dothraki in open battle.  Barricade yourself behind your walls and hope like hell they get bored enough to leave."

Jaquen tried to sneak into Ned's quarters and got caught.  Thinking he's a common burglar, they threw him in the dungeons.

Here's my list of suspects:

1. Illyrio Mopatis - prime suspect
2. Doran Martell - to deprive Robert of capable support
3. Petyr Baelish - to sow chaos and bring down the house of Stark

 

 

[aryagonnakill#2]

3 hours ago, Bael's Bastard said:

LMAO! I just can't take these criticisms seriously. All three of those dangerous criminals had no trouble immediately turning up in the service of Ser Amory Lorch and the Lannisters. Had Ned actually been along for the trek, it would have been much less suspicious for him to turn up dead with one of those dangerous criminals missing than for him to turn up dead with one of those volunteers missing. Anyway, I have yet to see a plausible explanation for Jaquen being in the black cells, and "because Arya" just doesn't cut it at an attempted explanation. This at least is a plausible attempt at an actual explanation, whether it turns out to be correct or not.

 

3 hours ago, Ferocious Veldt Roarer said:

OK then.

In other words, he can't beat your logic, so he's going to pretend it doesn't exist.

[Megorova]

53 minutes ago, Here's Looking At You, Kid said:

we can say the biggest conspiracy in the novels, the restoration of House Targaryen to power, considers Ned Stark a nuisance that will need to be murdered to pave the way for a smoother return of the Targaryens.

Not Targaryens - Blackfyres. Varys and Illyrio work for Blackfyres, or they are also Blackfyres. fAegon/Young Griff is their pet project. He is not son of Rhaegar. He is mummers dragon from Dany's vision.

Though Blackfyres/Varys/Illyrio had nothing to do with Ned's death, those things were set in motion solely by Littlefinger, and no one else. But could be that Littlefinger used to be one of Varys' little birds, but after learning from him everything he needed, he went solo. Though he still has some connections with Blackfyres, and that's the source of Tears of Lys, and family of Kettleblacks that serve to him.

Or not

[Moiraine Sedai]

Robert is the high value target.  Lancel beat him to the job.  Still, the only target in the cells is Ned.  Though it doesn't make sense to hire someone to kill an already dead man.

[Megorova]

Faceless Men actually has another function, aside from being hired assassins. They are also perfect spies.

So if Faceless Man was at Black Cells, it's not necessary means that he was there to kill someone. He was there to gather intel. And not necessary intel on people kept in Black Cells.

Or could be that they needed something from the Tower of the Hand. And they knew that there was a secret passage between Black Cells and that Tower. So Jaqen let himself be imprisoned into Black Cells, and from there went to the Tower.

Also could be that Rugen too was Faceless Man. Original Rugen, not Varys impersonating Rugen.

Or could be that in Black Cells were hidden manuscripts of Dance of the Dragons, written by Grand Maester Orwyle, who later also was the Hand of Aegon III Targaryen. Jaqen was hired by Citadel to find that manuscript, and deliver it to Oldtown. Maybe there's some important information about dragons, so maesters wanted to get rid of all acounts of that information, to prevent dragons from ever returning.

Actually there's a lot of possibilities, why Faceless Man was there at that time. Though maybe it's not important for the main plot, and thus this part was left out of the ASOIAF books.

[Lost Melnibonean]

5 hours ago, Megorova said:

I had a theory that Faceless Men and Iron Bank, are two sides of the same coin.

So that Faceless Man, that was imprisoned in the Black Cells, was sent there by Iron Bank, to spy after Lannisters, and to find out why they don't pay to IB. Whether they plan to ditch IB, or to eventually pay them back what they own to them. Other prisoners were afraid of him, because they saw him changing his appearance, and that he was disguising himself as one of guards. He was freely going all over Red Keep, listening to what people were talking about. And he let himself to be brought out of Red Keep, because he already found out everything that he needed. Though he still needed to spy after Tywin Lannister. At that time Tywin was away from KL. So knowing that Brother of Night's Watch, will be passing thru those lands, where Tywin is, he just let them to take him there. He was planning to ditch them half-way to The Wall. But after Arya's intervention, his escape became unnecessary. Furthermore shortly after that, Tywin arrived to Harrenhal, and thus that FM was able to get needed to him information. After that he went to Oldtown. There he met with Tycho Nestoris, reported to him that Lannisters are not going to pay to IB. So Tycho went to The Wall, to negotiate with Jon Snow and with Stannis. And that FM, after Oldtown, sailed to Braavos. So by the time Arya came to the House of Black and White, he was already back home.

But there was no suggestion that House Lannister was in debt to the Iron Throne when Robert was king, was there? 

[Lady Dacey]

10 minutes ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

But there was no suggestion that House Lannister was in debt to the Iron Throne when Robert was king, was there? 

Quite the opposite, the IT was in debt to House Lannister. It's not merely suggested, it's stated... 

Also: "a Lannister always pays his debts". Why would Tywin, of all people, borrow money from the Iron Bank and not pay back? 

[Lost Melnibonean]

4 hours ago, Moiraine Sedai said:

Robert is the high value target.  Lancel beat him to the job.  Still, the only target in the cells is Ned.  Though it doesn't make sense to hire someone to kill an already dead man.

That's why the OP suggests that the faceless man was hired long before Robert was killed. 

[Lady Dacey]

8 minutes ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

There he met with Tycho Nestoris, reported to him that Lannisters are not going to pay to IB. So Tycho went to The Wall, to negotiate with Jon Snow and with Stannis. And that FM, after Oldtown, sailed to Braavos

Tycho didn't have to get any information from the faceless man in Old Town, we have him on page interacting with Cersei who tells him he's not going to get payed. And those are IT debts, Robert's and Joffrey's debts, not Lannister's debts. 

[Lost Melnibonean]

4 minutes ago, Lady Dacey said:

Tycho didn't have to get any information from the faceless man in Old Town, we have him on page interacting with Cersei who tells him he's not going to get payed. And those are IT debts, Robert's and Joffrey's debts, not Lannister's debts. 

I agree. 

[Lollygag]

I’ve not made my way through all of the thread yet, so apologies if I repeat anything. LF needing to buy a FM to kill Ned only works for me if he had a very specific and intricate plan for Ned’s death to make sure it led to as much war as possible in whatever specific outcome LF intended. If Ned’s death had to be in an exact way to ensure LF’s planned outcome, it works for me. The idea below isn’t mutually exclusive to this, but there may also be a political motive for the FM’s presence. Arya was targeted by Jaqen, so i do think the Starks tie in here somehow.

One idea that I entertain is that there may be two arms of the FM: one is the assassin’s business which is just a revenue raiser. The other arm is devoted to the true mission of eliminating slavery or at least containing it. This would explain the conflict between the FM’s strict rules and that Jaqen is clearly operating outside of these rules.

The rules are important to the assassin’s arm as not heading them would compromise the task. But these rules make no sense when one is fighting slavery and defending your own freedom. I think Jaqen’s presence in KL wasn’t as an assassin (or not exclusively as an assassin), he was on a mission connected to Braavos’ freedom and/or containing slavery. This might also explain Syrio’s presence in KL, as well.

As to why they might be there? Illyrio, who is a prolific slaver and is deeply involved with Viserys and Dany. He is also involved with the Golden Company which is forbidden under agreement with Braavos.

AGOT Arya III

Arya peered over the edge and felt the cold black breath on her face. Far below, she saw the light of a single torch, small as the flame of a candle. Two men, she made out. Their shadows writhed against the sides of the well, tall as giants. She could hear their voices, echoing up the shaft.

This below is based somewhat on my crackpot idea that there’s greyscale in Braavos hence the Valyrian’s avoidance of it. It’s cold and damp and foggy which is climate where greyscale thrives. I suspect that the Braavosi ship was sent and that they made sure the grey death made its way to Illyrio who was most likely the true target.

ADWD Tyrion II

"A maiden? I know the way of that." Illyrio thrust his right hand up his left sleeve and drew out a silver locket. Inside was a painted likeness of a woman with big blue eyes and pale golden hair streaked by silver. "Serra. I found her in a Lysene pillow house and brought her home to warm my bed, but in the end I wed her. Me, whose first wife had been a cousin of the Prince of Pentos. The palace gates were closed to me thereafter, but I did not care. The price was small enough, for Serra."

"How did she die?" Tyrion knew that she was dead; no man spoke so fondly of a woman who had abandoned him.

"A Braavosi trading galley called at Pentos on her way back from the Jade Sea. The Treasure carried cloves and saffron, jet and jade, scarlet samite, green silk … and the grey death. We slew her oarsmen as they came ashore and burned the ship at anchor, but the rats crept down the oars and paddled to the quay on cold stone feet. The plague took two thousand before it ran its course." Magister Illyrio closed the locket. "I keep her hands in my bedchamber. Her hands that were so soft …"

TWOIAF—The Free Cities: Pentos

For most of its history, slavery was widely practiced in Pentos, and Pentoshi ships played an active role in the slave trade. Several centuries ago, however, this practice brought the city into conflict with her northern neighbor, Braavos, the "bastard daughter of Valyria," founded by a fleet of escaped slaves. Over the course of the last two hundred years, no less than six wars have been fought between the two cities over this issue (and, it must be pointed out, for control of the rich lands and waters that lie between them).

Four of these ended in Braavosi victory and Pentoshi submission. The last of them, concluded one-and-ninety years ago, went so poorly for Pentos that no fewer than four princes were chosen and sacrificed within the span of a single year. The fifth man in this bloody succession, Prince Nevio Narratys, convinced the magisters to sue for peace after a rare victory—one, it was rumored, that Nevio purchased by means of bribes. In the peace accords, Pentos was forced to make certain concessions—most notably the abolition of slavery and a withdrawal from the slave trade.

These provisions remain the law in Pentos to this day though certain observers have noted that many Pentoshi ships evade the prohibition against the slave trade by running Lysene or Myrish banners up their masts when challenged, whilst in the city itself there are tens of thousands of "free bond servants" who seem to be slaves in all but name, for they are collared and branded much like their counterparts in Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh, and subject to similar savage disciplines. In law, these bond servants are free men and women, with the right to refuse service as they will...provided they are not in debt to their masters. Almost all of them are, however, since the value of their labor is oft less than the costs of the food, clothing, and shelter provided them by those they serve, so that their debt grows rather than diminishes over time.

A further provision of the peace accords between Braavos and Pentos limits the Pentoshi to no more than twenty warships and prohibits them from hiring sellswords, entering into contracts with free companies, or maintaining any army beyond the city watch. Undoubtedly these are among the reasons that the Pentoshi are now notably less belligerent than the people of Tyrosh, Myr, and Lys. Despite its massive walls, Pentos is oft seen as the most vulnerable of the Free Cities.

 

[Quoth the raven,]

Littlefinger did it to destabilize the government.  Then Robert and Ned died anyway.  The kingdom destabilized on its own without any help from a faceless man.

[Megorova]

10 hours ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

But there was no suggestion that House Lannister was in debt to the Iron Throne when Robert was king, was there? 

 

10 hours ago, Lady Dacey said:

Quite the opposite, the IT was in debt to House Lannister. It's not merely suggested, it's stated... 

Also: "a Lannister always pays his debts". Why would Tywin, of all people, borrow money from the Iron Bank and not pay back? 

 

10 hours ago, Lady Dacey said:

Tycho didn't have to get any information from the faceless man in Old Town, we have him on page interacting with Cersei who tells him he's not going to get payed. And those are IT debts, Robert's and Joffrey's debts, not Lannister's debts. 

IT's wallet always was under control of Lannisters. Thus not Robert, but Lannisters were always deciding to whom IT should pay money, and from whom to borrow money. Though while Jon Arryn was still alive, he was keeping things more or less civilized (between IT and IB).

When Arryn died, people of IB realised that things most likely will change, and that new Hand will have new finantial politics towards IB, and debts of IT. Thus they have sent their spy to KL, even before Ned and his family arrived from Winterfell.

There their spy found out, what kind of situation was with finances of IT. How much money do they have, to whom else, aside from IB, do they own money, etc. That's how they found out, that finances of IT are entirely controled by Lannisters. So whether IT is going to keep paying, what they own to IB, depends on Lannisters. And that it will be decided by Tywin Lannister, who is the head of their family, and control Lannisters gold.

After they found out that Robert doesn't participate in any financial aspects of 7K (aside from spending IT's money on wine and whores), and that actual finantial control is in hold of Lannisters, they sent their spy to Tywin (to Riverlands).

Probably that spy either talked with Tywin, or thru some other means found out what kind of policy Tywin has towards IB, whether Lannisters will give money to IT, for IT to pay their debt to IB, or whether they won't. Apparently the spy found out that Tywin is not planning to go against IB, and thus, while he is the one in control, the debts of IT to IB will be paid.

But then Tywin also died. This time financial situation between IT and IB was more unstable than before (because this time 7K were in post-war conditions). So IB didn't wasted any time on gathering intel thru spies, or undirect sources, and instead immediately sent their representative to Cersei.

[Lady Dacey]

7 minutes ago, Megorova said:

 

 

IT's wallet always was under control of Lannisters. Thus not Robert, but Lannisters were always deciding to whom IT should pay money, and from whom to borrow money. Though while Jon Arryn was still alive, he was keeping things more or less civilized (between IT and IB).

When Arryn died, people of IB realised that things most likely will change, and that new Hand will have new finantial politics towards IB, and debts of IT. Thus they have sent their spy to KL, even before Ned and his family arrived from Winterfell.

There their spy found out, what kind of situation was with finances of IT. How much money do they have, to whom else, aside from IB, do they own money, etc. That's how they found out, that finances of IT are entirely controled by Lannisters. So whether IT is going to keep paying, what they own to IB, depends on Lannisters. And that it will be decided by Tywin Lannister, who is the head of their family, and control Lannisters gold.

After they found out that Robert doesn't participate in any financial aspects of 7K (aside from spending IT's money on wine and whores), and that actual finantial control is in hold of Lannisters, they sent their spy to Tywin (to Riverlands).

Probably that spy either talked with Tywin, or thru some other means found out what kind of policy Tywin has towards IB, whether Lannisters will give money to IT, for IT to pay their debt to IB, or whether they won't. Apparently the spy found out that Tywin is not planning to go against IB, and thus, while he is the one in control, the debts of IT to IB will be paid.

But then Tywin also died. This time financial situation between IT and IB was more unstable than before (because this time 7K were in post-war conditions). So IB didn't wasted any time on gathering intel thru spies, or undirect sources, and instead immediately sent their representative to Cersei.

That just doesn't make sense to me, for the reasons above stated I think we have evidence that it didn't go that way, but you're entitled to believe it of course. 

[Megorova]

1 hour ago, Lady Dacey said:

That just doesn't make sense to me, for the reasons above stated I think we have evidence that it didn't go that way, but you're entitled to believe it of course. 

What evidence?

You wrote (are this reasons stated above?)

12 hours ago, Lady Dacey said:

Quite the opposite, the IT was in debt to House Lannister. It's not merely suggested, it's stated... 

I didn't said that Lannisters were indebted to IT, or to IB.

IT was indebted to both - Lannisters and IB.

12 hours ago, Lady Dacey said:

Also: "a Lannister always pays his debts". Why would Tywin, of all people, borrow money from the Iron Bank and not pay back? 

Tywin didn't borrowed money from Iron Bank. This decision (to take money from them, from IB) was made by Littlefinger. Tywin didn't owned any money to IB.

12 hours ago, Lady Dacey said:

Tycho didn't have to get any information from the faceless man in Old Town, we have him on page interacting with Cersei who tells him he's not going to get payed.

Conversation with Cersei was long time after that time, when IB sent their spy to investigate situation with finances of IT.

First, when the Hand's position was changing between Jon to Ned, people of IB has sent their spy to KL. Then they had time to use slow method of gathering intel. But after Tywin's death situation was more dire, thus they went directly to Cersei.

12 hours ago, Lady Dacey said:

And those are IT debts, Robert's and Joffrey's debts, not Lannister's debts. 

Yes, that was IT's debts. But Robert and Joffrey had no money.

Robert was Lord of Stormlands, but after Rebellion he became King of 7K. And then he left all his money, and lands, and other possessions, to Renly, who became new Lord of Stormlands. And Robert got money, wealth and resources of IT, that previously belonged to Targaryens. For many years Robert was spending/waisting Crown's money, and what income was acquired by IT, was seized by Varys, by Littlefinger, and by Tywin. Thus eventually Targaryens' money run out. And Robert with Joffrey had no more money. I'm not saying that they were bankrupt, but they didn't had significant enough amount of money, to pay back their debts to IB. And thus they were borrowing money from Tywin. And Tywin was willingly giving money to them, because Robert was his son-in-law, and Joffrey was his granson.

So even though formally those were not Lannisters' debts, practically they were indeed theirs.

[Megorova]

There's evidence in the books that prove, that that Faceless Man, that was imprisoned in Black Cells had another mission.

After leaving Arya in Riverlands, he went to Oldtown. There he was impersonating alchemist, killed Pate (with poisoned coin), took his face and impersonated him.

AFFC, Prologue:

Quote

“I want my dragon.”

“To be sure.” The coin appeared. The alchemist made it walk across his knuckles, the way he had when Rosey brought the two of them together. In the morning light the dragon glittered as it moved, and gave the alchemist’s fingers a golden glow.

Pate grabbed it from his hand. The gold felt warm against his palm. He brought it to his mouth and bit down on it the way he’d seen men do. If truth be told, he wasn’t sure what gold should taste like, but he did not want to look a fool.

“The key?” the alchemist inquired politely.

Something made Pate hesitate. “Is it some book you want?” Some of the old Valyrian scrolls down in the locked vaults were said to be the only surviving copies in the world.

“What I want is none of your concern.”

“No.” It’s done, Pate told himself. Go. Run back to the Quill and Tankard, wake Rosey with a kiss, and tell her she belongs to you. Yet still he lingered. “Show me your face.”

“As you wish.” The alchemist pulled his hood down.

He was just a man, and his face was just a face. A young man’s face, ordinary, with full cheeks and the shadow of a beard. A scar showed faintly on his right cheek. He had a hooked nose, and a mat of dense black hair that curled tightly around his ears. It was not a face Pate recognized. “I do not know you.”

“Nor I you.”

“Who are you?”

“A stranger. No one. Truly.”

“Oh.” Pate had run out of words. He drew out the key and put it in the stranger’s hand, feeling light-headed, almost giddy. Rosey, he reminded himself. “We’re done, then.”

He was halfway down the alley when the cobblestones began to move beneath his feet. The stones are slick and wet, he thought, but that was not it. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest. “What’s happening?” he said. His legs had turned to water. “I don’t understand.”

“And never will,” a voice said sadly.

The cobblestones rushed up to kiss him. Pate tried to cry for help, but his voice was failing too.

His last thought was of Rosey.

He poisoned Pate, same way it was done by Arya in ADWD (how she poisoned Thin Man).

AFFC, last chapter:

Quote

There was something about the pale, soft youth that he misliked, but he did not want to seem discourteous, so he added, “My name’s not Slayer, truly. I’m Sam. Samwell Tarly.”

“I’m Pate,” the other said, “like the pig boy.”

So first he goes to KL, then to Oldtown, and he stayed at Citadel, impersonating Pate, from Prologue chapter and until the last chapter of AFFC. And that's at least a few months. So if his mission was to kill Ned, then he would have returned back to Braavos, after Ned's death. But he stayed at Citadel, and even killed an apprentice from Citadel, and prior that bought from him a key, that opens all doors at Citadel. And he's still impersonating that apprentice, and living at Citadel.

Thus his target wasn't Ned, the reason for his arrival to Westeros is something different. Black Cells were connected thru secret passage with the Tower of Hand (probably he was looking there for something), and now that man is staying at Citadel. So most likely his mission is gathering information.

[Lost Melnibonean]

1 minute ago, Megorova said:

There's evidence in the books that prove, that that Faceless Man, that was imprisoned in Black Cells had another mission.

After leaving Arya in Riverlands, he went to Oldtown. There he was impersonating alchemist, killed Pate (with poisoned coin), took his face and impersonated him.

AFFC, Prologue:

He poisoned Pate, same way it was done by Arya in ADWD (how she poisoned Thin Man).

AFFC, last chapter:

So first he goes to KL, then to Oldtown, and he stayed at Citadel, impersonating Pate, from Prologue chapter and until the last chapter of AFFC. And that's at least a few months. So if his mission was to kill Ned, then he would have returned back to Braavos, after Ned's death. But he stayed at Citadel, and even killed an apprentice from Citadel, and prior that bought from him a key, that opens all doors at Citadel. And he's still impersonating that apprentice, and living at Citadel.

Thus his target wasn't Ned, the reason for his arrival to Westeros is something different. Black Cells were connected thru secret passage with the Tower of Hand (probably he was looking there for information), and now that man is staying at Citadel. So most likely his mission is gathering information.

What makes you think he did not return to Braavos to get a new assignment? The faceless man bids Arya farewell in Arya IX, Clash 47, and does not resurface until about six months later in the prologue to Feast. 

[Megorova]

10 minutes ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

What makes you think he did not return to Braavos to get a new assignment? The faceless man bids Arya farewell in Arya IX, Clash 47, and does not resurface until about six months later in the prologue to Feast. 

It takes at least a month to travel from Westeros to Essos (from Oldtown to Braavos). He said to Arya that he's going to Oldtown, thus if he sailed to Braavos, he did it after getting to Oldtown.

If he was already in Oldtown, what was the point of going back to Braavos, getting there another assigment, just to return all the way back to Oldtown?

 

Or maybe there was two Faceless Men in Westeros, at the same time. And they met in Oldtown, exchanged information (and faces), and one of them stayed in Oldtown, gathering more information, while the other one returned to Braavos, where he met Arya again, or for the first time (if he was the other one).

Apprentices of Citadel can't just leave from Oldtown and go wherever they want. Thus starting from Prologue of AFFC and until its last chapter, the FM that killed Pate, was at Citadel all that time, impersonating Pate. Seems that Arya's chapters are happening at about the same time, so the "kind man" in House of Black and White, that was training Arya, is not fake-Pate from Citadel. Now the question is - which one of them was with Arya in Riverlands, and where is that FM now - is he a fake-Pate, or is he a "kind man"?

Either way if that Faceless Man, that was with Arya in Riverlands, had no mission in Oldtown, there was no point for him to go there. There are other ports in Westeros, from which ships sail to Essos. So if he just needed to return to Braavos, it wasn't necessary to go specifically to Oldtown. Thus he went there because his destiantion and target was Oldtown, and what was there - Citadel, not some random port that will help him get back to Braavos.

[LiveFirstDieLater]

48 minutes ago, Lost Melnibonean said:

What makes you think he did not return to Braavos to get a new assignment? The faceless man bids Arya farewell in Arya IX, Clash 47, and does not resurface until about six months later in the prologue to Feast. 

There was also the whole bridge, drowned crow, Balon Greyjoy incident...

[Lost Melnibonean]

40 minutes ago, Megorova said:

It takes at least a month to travel from Westeros to Essos (from Oldtown to Braavos). He said to Arya that he's going to Oldtown, thus if he sailed to Braavos, he did it after getting to Oldtown.

If he was already in Oldtown, what was the point of going back to Braavos, getting there another assigment, just to return all the way back to Oldtown?

 

Or maybe there was two Faceless Men in Westeros, at the same time. And they met in Oldtown, exchanged information (and faces), and one of them stayed in Oldtown, gathering more information, while the other one returned to Braavos, where he met Arya again, or for the first time (if he was the other one).

Apprentices of Citadel can't just leave from Oldtown and go wherever they want. Thus starting from Prologue of AFFC and until its last chapter, the FM that killed Pate, was at Citadel all that time, impersonating Pate. Seems that Arya's chapters are happening at about the same time, so the "kind man" in House of Black and White, that was training Arya, is not fake-Pate from Citadel. Now the question is - which one of them was with Arya in Riverlands, and where is that FM now - is he a fake-Pate, or is he a "kind man"?

Either way if that Faceless Man, that was with Arya in Riverlands, had no mission in Oldtown, there was no point for him to go there. There are other ports in Westeros, from which ships sail to Essos. So if he just needed to return to Braavos, it wasn't necessary to go specifically to Oldtown. Thus he went there because his destiantion and target was Oldtown, and what was there - Citadel, not some random port that will help him get back to Braavos.

You are mistaken. He said he was going far and away, across the Narrow Sea, for he had duties too. Since they were at Harrenhal, he would most likely have made for Saltpans or Maidenpool to take ship to Braavos.