Queen Visenya, Ocean...
As the ship sailed south towards Naath to return Kelis to her people, dark clouds loomed on the horizon as the ship would now be tested by the power of nature.
A storm, a fierce one hit the ship hard and soon the battle to survive began.
The seas were tossing the ship around like a toy, helpless against its power and the deck that was normally so steady pitched and became so steep men had to hold on to anything they could to prevent being thrown into the churning waters. Rain and wind lashed the ship relentlessly, lightning crashed loudly in seemingly every direction, never letting up even for a single moment as they fought to stay afloat and find their way out of the horrible situation that they were in.
The horizon was lost as the world became dark around them, not sure if it was day or night any more as time ceased to have any meaning. The pitching of the ship in the rough seas made all of them feel sea sick but there was nothing they could do about it and had to fight on.
"SHORE UP THE SAILS!" Davos yelled to the men as he held the helm with the helm's man, Jaime and another man to keep the rudder in the right direction. They were soaked to the skin by the waves that crashed over the ship, their muscles aching from the hard effort to not only hold the helm in place but also to keep themselves upright as the ship went up and down relentlessly.
Haeron and Jonos were with other crew members trying their best to haul in the sails and other tasks that needed to be done to keep the ship as stable as possible. The sails were being pulled up or torn down because in these exceptionally strong winds they might be ripped straight off the mast, failing that they might pull the mast down or if caught by the wind in the wrong direction allowing the waves to catch the ship side on and potentially capsize the ship or even just push them over by itself.
They then came to the crest of a wave and felt in the pit of their stomachs as the ship plunged down, water washing over the deck and sweeping men off their feet.
Haeron gripped the rope tightly and had to hold on for dear life to avoid being swept off the deck, he saw a sailor who was not as sure-footed as him loose his grip and fall, screaming as he did and almost plunging into the water if Haeron hadn't used one of his arms to hold on and the other to grab him and get him back on the rope.
"HOLD ON TIGHT! KEEP GOING!" Haeron yelled to them all as they pressed on, fighting the storm with everything they had.
- x -
Inside Haeron's cabin Harmony sat with Evelyn, Alicys, Vaena and Kelis as they comforted the dragons who were scared of the storm, trying their best to not let their own terror of the wild ocean outside show.
Kara moaned fearfully and put her large head in Harmony's lap who gently petted her and her own dragon that she had named Sylvie, from the Valyrian word for 'Wise'. They leaned into her and she smiled gently to them and hummed a soft tune to try and relax the two dragons.
Vaena and Evelyn both held their own dragons; Arrax and Selene respectively while Alicys did her best to comfort Kelis, hiding her own fear as best she could to not scare the other girl.
"We'll be fine. This ship is as tough as the man that designed her, she'll get us through." Alicys told Kelis who was cowering in her arms and with trembling eyes she looked up at her.
"You promise?" She asked with a voice that was so full of fear that she was almost begging for reassurance. Alicys knew she should not say yes because this was easily the worst storm that she had ever seen. They were far from land and with no way to survive if the ship went down but that wasn't what she said to Kelis, she needed the reassurance so she just hoped that she was right.
"I promise." Alicys said with a smile that was bright and confident, how she managed that she wasn't sure herself but it was convincing enough that it soothed Kelis's fears. Vaena seeing this leaned around and the three of them all exchanged a hug together, Vaena herself wondering if she had been right to join them on this journey but knew they were in no real danger as Harmony could get them to safety with her magic if needed. She allowed Alicys and Kelis to make a fuss of Arrax to help distract them and make them feel better.
Harmony and Evelyn meanwhile stayed together and saw this, smiling as they did so and neither was truly worried too much as they were certain of their safety.
"She is strong woman but with so much compassion, I have been so lucky to have her as a friend." Harmony told Evelyn, looking at Vaena as she did her best to help the other two girls in the room.
"I can imagine." Evelyn said with with a small but sad smile. Regardless of which world she was thinking of childhood had been lonely for her, as Fleur she had never been able to make friends due to her Veela allure. Looking so much prettier than other girls made them bitter around her and boys only saw her looks rather than who she was. As a teenager it had only gotten worse and her mother had pushed her relentlessly into academics which had only made the situation harder to deal with as now she was outperforming her peers in school as well. Gabrielle had been her only source of comfort and she was hers in return, able to give her advice and comfort in a way that only someone who had gone through the same thing could give.
As Evelyn her allure had still been a problem but thankfully not as much but now there was the matter of being raised on a ship. She was barely in a single place longer than a week and that was not good for making friends and crew tended to change quite frequently. Grace this time had been her only friend and confidant as she was hers.
Harmony was unknown to her thinking the same thing as back when she had been Hermione she had been a lonely child too, no siblings to keep her company and throwing herself into academics had like Fleur kept her isolated until she went to Hogwarts and had met Harry and Ron. Not to mention her bossy personality and insecurity about her looks had eroded her social skills and confidence.
"Vaena made this." Harmony shared with Evelyn, hoping to change the subject. Her hand went to her Fire Opal necklace to show her what she meant and the work was so beautiful and intricate that Evelyn felt her own fire opal bracelet, found in the ruins of Valyria was dull in comparison.
"She made that!" Evelyn said in amazement at the intricate detail and craftsmanship in the piece of jewellery. Harmony nodded with a smile before telling her.
"She is really gifted, not just as a healer but at making jewellery." Harmony said and then in a whisper added. "Have you been trying the meditation we showed you?"
Evelyn nodded, her magic had already started growing stronger and soon she should be able to start using spells again but also her allure was starting to get stronger, that might be a problem in some ways but it was a relief to have her magic back again either way.
Three Days Later...
The storm had been intense and trapped the ship inside it for three days, the crew were exhausted from not just the hard work of the last few days but the harsh conditions had kept all of them from sleeping. Not a single person aboard had slept for three days at least and all of them were collapsed on the deck or sitting back against any stable surface as they finally managed to get some much overdue rest.
They all managed a couple of hours sleep in shifts before Haeron and Davos went over the ship to look for any damage, just as they were finishing this task they saw an island in the distance, taking out his telescope Haeron looked at it and saw many twisted Cedar trees and then handed the telescope to Davos who frowned as he vaguely recognised this. He turned to Haeron and told him.
"Your grace. We need to decide our next course of action as that if I am not mistaken is the Isle of Cedars." Davos told him with dread as this part of the world was incredibly dangerous. He had only come this far once before and turned back instead of daring to make port.
Haeron grimaced as he knew where that put them and what they now might have to do.
- x -
A short while later Haeron gathered the others in his cabin along with Davos and explained their situation.
"Now the ship has weathered that storm quite well but we did take some damage, nothing we can't fix but it will deplete our stores somewhat. Not to mention it will be a lot easier to do these repairs in a port." Haeron said with a grimace as he knew they would hate what he was going to say next.
"The storm pushed us way off course." Haeron said as he put down a chart of the area and then put his finger where they were now. "To escape the storm we sailed straight into the Gulf of Grief. That means the closest port where will we certainly be able to replenish our stocks and carry out the repairs is Meereen." He said with bitterness, not wanting to go there but they had little option.
Those that knew where they were and just what Meereen was were shocked and horrified, Jaime did not though and asked with confusion.
"What is so bad about Meereen?" He had never heard of this city before and the rest of them looked at him grimly before Alicys explained to him.
"Meereen is the unofficial capital of Slaver's Bay. The heart of the slave trade is based here and some of the most vile practices occur in these places. Most slaves in Essos past through this area and countless people are bound in chains here." Alicys said sadly.
"We should go back to Volantis rather than go to Meereen." Evelyn said with a disgusted look on her face, one mirrored by Harmony and Vaena. Jonos was not exactly keen either but Davos spoke this time.
"The journey back to Volantis is twice the distance and we would need to sail back into that storm again, the route south is just as dangerous. We need to wait before the storm dissipates before we can even try and even if we make the repairs before sailing if the ship is damaged again we won't be able to fix her so easily." Davos warned them, as a sailor and a Westerosi he hated the idea of Slavery as much as they did but he also knew it was the safest and closest option. Meereen would have everything they needed and it was close enough that they could be there in a day.
"The crew are exhausted, resting in a port even if we don't leave the ship is a not luxury but a necessity." Davos told them, knowing the men just couldn't take much more.
There was a long hard silence as they all absorbed that information and Haeron with great reservations made a decision.
"Sail for Meereen. No one leaves the ship unless strictly necessary and we stay only as long as we have too." Haeron told Davos who slowly nodded, not liking this any more than he did but it was what they needed to do.
The other looked at him with grim annoyance but it was muted by knowing that they had little other choice. They all went to get some rest while Haeron, Davos and a few others took the ship to their next destination.
Meereen, Slavery's Bay...A Day Later...
They reached the city as the early morning dawn appeared over the horizon, showing the large city ahead of them which was easily the same size as Kings Landing if not bigger. But the buildings were so strange to their eyes that it was a whole world away from what they were used too.
Behind the thick walls of the city were the same houses, temples and other buildings you would see in any city but reaching high above them were pyramids stretching into the sky. Some with enormous harpy statues on top of them but the tallest of them must reach higher than the Wall in Westeros, maybe higher by a hundred feet. Some were made different coloured stone or painted another colour to denote who owned them but that mattered little to them as they came into the docks and tied up.
Haeron and Davos stood to meet the port official as they came aboard, the men were tense as they did and the richly dressed man with slave soldiers flanking him. The sight of slaves disgusted them but they kept themselves calm and spoke the Valyrian dialect of the city.
"What is the purpose of your visit?" The port official asked, looking down his nose at them which left both men gritting their teeth.
"Repairs after a recent storm damaged our ship and to purchase provisions." Haeron told him and the man looked at them with disdain and then clicked his fingers, one of the slaves came up as Haeron pulled a small pouch of coins to pay for their berth which the slave took and then all of them just left without another word. Haeron and Davos shared a look of disgust at the man but contented themselves with the hope that they would not be here for long.
- x -
Three Days Later...
The ship was busy with the crew making the repairs the ship needed after being caught in that storm and taking some time to rest their weary bones. They had stayed on the ship for most of the time except for once or twice when they had dared leave to reprovision and replace their stocks.
Haeron and Jaime went with some of the crew, all of them were armed and stayed together, preferring to hold to the idea of strength in numbers.
As they made sure that the ship would have its wood supply replenished they saw one of the fighting pits nearby, Haeron grimaced as he heard the cheering of the crowd knowing full well what was happening in there. Jaime was confused as he did not understand just what the fighting pit was and so he asked Haeron.
"Is that a tourney ground? Are they holding one there?" He asked and his innocence of what happened in those places was understandable so Haeron told him as easily as he could.
"The fighting pits are somewhat like a Melee but with one crucial difference." Haeron told him with bitterness as they returned to the ship. "In there, the fighting only ends when all but one of the competitors is dead."
Jaime blinked in shock, such things had been illegal in Westeros for centuries and even though accidents happened during tourneys sometimes it was rare for someone to actually die. Be injured yes but not die.
"Why does no one stop it?" Jaime asked with anger at the thought of someone being killed for entertainment especially when they had no choice in the matter. Haeron sighed with bitter resignation before explaining.
"This is the way it is, the way it has always been here. No-one has the desire to change anything and those that might do often have to flee or be bound in chains themselves. Changing the culture of an entire region is the work of a life time or more." Haeron told him sadly as it would take so much work to change them it would need years and years of work for any change that might last, more than that it would mean staying here for possibly for the rest of your life. Anything less would almost certainly fail or be unlikely to last once you were gone.
They all left the area and returned to the ship, while waiting for the supplies to be delivered to the ship they gathered in Haeron's cabin to decide just what to do next.
"The storm might have dissipated but I think we might take advantage of this unexpected detour to make a journey to Qarth. It is relatively close and it might allow the recruitment of some potentially very useful merchants to the Guild there." Haeron said as the mercantile city was the gateway to the further eastern world where a lot of coin could be made.
"It is supposed to be an incredible city." Alicys said with excitement as she has long read about the fascinating and historic place. Harmony, Vaena and Evelyn all looked interested too as it sounded intriguing, Jonos and Davos had never been there so it was an worthwhile diversion. Kelis was the only one that looked disappointed as it meant delaying her return home for the time being but having seen more of the world she was interested in seeing more so she nodded her head in agreement.
Jaime meanwhile had never heard of this city before and just hoped it would be a better place that Meereen had been so with that decision made they cast off and eagerly left the city of slavers and headed further east, travelling to Qarth and what they hoped was a new adventure.
Meanwhile back in Westeros news of the Prince's marriage was spreading.
The news was met with astonishment that the prince had wed not once but twice and many ladies were disappointed that they would not get to marry him themselves however when information on just who he had married came the reasoning behind his choice became clear.
Not only were Harmony and Evelyn great Valyrian beauties that would put most Targaryens of the past to shame but Harmony was the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the world who all but ruled the city of Volantis. That was a brilliant move for gaining support as now the largest of the Free Cities would back Haeron when he returned to take the Iron Throne along with the many contacts he had been making in Essos. The fact that his two queens were not from Westeros made many more stuck up lords bristle at the idea of foreign queens ruling over them.
However the news that they were dragon riders was met with both shock and fear as now there were more dragons in the world and all of them were under the control of the prince. He had wed two of the new dragon riders while keeping the other one close and when those dragons were grown along with his own beast they would be all but unstoppable in their might.
It was like the Aegon the Conqueror along with his sister wives had returned, their great power and beauty would reshape the world and sweep away all opposition. Some protested that he had no right to wed two women but surprisingly the High Septon actually spoke on the matter and revealed that the Iron Throne had secured the right to wed more than one woman during the time of Jaehaerys the 1st as long as the partners were not related too closely which neither of Prince Haeron's brides were.
Unknown to everyone Rhaella was the one that had managed to convince the High Septon to speak out, largely to 'calm down the city and the rest of Westeros' and prevent any potential issues that might arise. She was as she had always done been helping her son and making sure to keep the peace.
- x -
The Red Keep, Kings Landing...
Aerys was raging as the news was delivered by Varys, he was screaming incoherently at the idea that the blasted brat had managed to wed two incredibly beautiful women, that one was basically bringing the city of Volantis onto his side if he decided to take the throne by force and not just that but they were dragon riders too!
Four dragons on his side! Aerys thought with terror that Haeron would return and take the throne away from him! He could almost see it in his mind as he was pulled off the throne by thugs that never should have the right to touch his royal person! He saw Haeron smirking at him with triumph as he sat on the Iron Throne and a massive dragon curled around him before taking his head and stabbing it on the top of the very throne he sat on for all to see.
He saw this in his nightmares every night and woke with a scream in a cold sweat, he knew he would need his own dragon to even stand a chance against him!
But also he would need to try and confuse any chance of him gaining the throne so easily. So as the Small Council sat around the table he screamed at them.
"GET THAT DORNISH WHORE UP HERE AND WED HER TO RHAEGAR TO HER NOW! I WANT THEM FUCKING SO HARD THAT THEY HAVE A CHILD BEFORE THE LITTLE SHIT DOES!" He screamed, becoming so shrill that understanding him was extremely difficult. The only ones that did not visibly cower from him was Tywin Lannister and Master Varys who remained calm and wondered just how far this was likely to go.
Tywin was deeply annoyed in some ways that the Prince had managed to find a marriage outside of Westeros as it denied him the chance of joining their houses this generation but was relieved to hear that the Prince and Jaime seemed to be establishing a strong bond of friendship and with the queen's pregnancy it might be possible to connect them in the next generation.
Varys meanwhile was carefully considering his options in this situation, he was a man that had no hope of a future family or legacy of his own so he just thought of the people who he might help in making their lives better. Prince Haeron was someone who he had been watching for a long time and he only wished he had managed to meet him face to face before his unofficial banishment. Regardless of what Aerys said or rather shouted he had never actually banished or disowned his eldest son, he seemed afraid to do so like it would only make things worse.
The prince also having a dragon was a cause for concern, he thought to himself. That kind of power would allow him to rule as his ancestors had and that scared Varys a little. The Targaryens had caused a great deal of damage when they had dragons before and now they had not only one but effectively four dragons. They were small for now but that would only be for so long he reasoned quietly to himself.
That was something he just didn't know what to do with as having them might well put off any potential civil wars that could harm the realm but at the same time who knew if he would use that power wisely Varys thought with worry, as the old saying went...power corrupts. He would need to keep a close watch on the prince and his new brides to see if they could be trusted with so much influence.
Aerys then stormed out of the room and in a fury threw his dragon egg down the corridor, storming off before he realised just what he had done. He ran off followed by his Kingsguard who in their hurry to follow him did not bother to pick up the discarded dragon egg. Princess Shaena and Prince Daeron on their way back from attending lessons with the Grand Maester later that day saw it lying there in the corridor forgotten. Thinking quickly Shaena grabbed it and folded it into the folds of her dress. She was astonished though as she had always been told that a dragon egg was cold but she could feel a heat coming from the egg as she held it close.
Her brother Daeron saw what she was doing although thankfully their guards did not and helped her to their mother's chambers. Rhaella seeing the two of them held out her arms and smiled as they came over to her and excitedly told her all that they had learned that day. She held them close while they marvelled at her pregnant belly, knowing that they had a little brother or sister in there.
Viserys meanwhile sat on the floor looking annoyed as he just couldn't make the shapes fit in the holes like he wanted them too and then threw them all over the room. She frowned as despite knowing he was still a young child none of her other children had been so angry when things didn't go their way.
But then Shaena and Daeron distracted her with something else.
"Mother, we found this in the corridor." Shaena said with a nervous smile as she produced the dragon egg from her dress. Rhaella nearly gasped in surprise and carefully took it from her daughter, feeling the warmth under her hands as she did so. She was amazed at the feeling of the egg and its inner heat but knew Aerys must have grown impatient with it and discarded it, deciding to keep it she did not dare hope it would hatch but that it would at least help improve their mood and keep Aerys from any chance of hatching it.
- x -
The Following Morning...
Rhaella was patiently waiting for her breakfast that she would eat with her children when they woke up, she frowned at it being late but Rhaegar who had promised to help her with his younger siblings however again he had gone off on his own business and left her alone. She felt a familiar anger at her second son's rather selfish behaviour, where had she gone wrong with that boy? She thought to herself with exasperation.
Eventually the maids arrived with her breakfast and seeing that the blueberries were missing she asked them.
"Is there a problem with the blueberries?" She asked, her own mother had sworn by them in pregnancy and she had always eaten them too. The maids frowned as they didn't want to disappoint the Queen but finally one of them said with reluctance.
"Lady Rowan took a few your grace and...well she started being most violently sick. The Grand Maester is with her but he thinks that she might have eaten a bad one."
Rhaella however was quiet when she received this information, she had never had such a severe reaction to blueberries herself although she had felt somewhat nauseous sometimes...that was when it finally hit her what had been happening.
"Do we still have any in the castle?" She asked coldly and the maid frowned, thinking it strange to ask something like that but nodded. Rhaella got to her feet and told them with an intense expression on her face.
"Show me." She demanded, the maids quickly jumped and did as they were told, leading her down to the kitchens and seeing a bag of the berries about to be thrown out and swiftly took a few before walking back the way she came, confusing the maids and kitchen staff about what she was doing.
- x -
Rhaella stormed through the castle, it was rare to find her with such drive and determination but she was now suspecting that her life had been under threat from a source that she had never imagined.
She did not go to Pycelle, he would not be trustworthy she thought as she had no idea just who was responsible for this if she was right and knew better than to simply trust anyone. Instead she went to another of the maesters in the castle who was in her secret employ.
She handed him the blueberries and told him with a urgent insistence.
"Check them."
The man had never been intimidated by the Queen before but the cold anger in her eyes made him jump to see to her request. He started checking them for anything out of the ordinary while Rhaella glared to encourage him.
Eventually he found something when he collected the juice from some of the blueberries and after examining it he appeared scared for a moment before Rhaella pressed him.
"They're poisoned aren't they?" She asked, to confirm her belief and he nodded slowly before adding details that she had not known.
"Not in a way that would be fatal your grace, instead I would say they have been soaked in a substance that would make your body sick and frail but only when..." He said but she finished for him.
"When I am pregnant and eating more of them over time, not to hurt me but the babes I carry as I only eat them when I am pregnant." Rhaella said and now felt very angry indeed. This had never been intended to kill her, instead to kill her beloved children before they had even been born. Anything more would likely have been detected and in some ways she was glad that Lady Rowan had stolen some as it had alerted her to the fact someone had been trying to poison her for years. How many of the children she had lost might have lived if not for that? She thought with anger...how many more siblings might her other children have had.
She told the maester with a hard glare. "Say nothing of this."
She then stormed out and went to see her own people, to find out how this had been happening all of this time and more to the point who was responsible.
Casterly Rock, The Westerlands...
Forgotten in a chamber of the castle that ruled the Westerlands a girl glared as she looked out of her window.
Cersei's green eyes burned with rage at the humiliation that she had been forced to endure, all of the misery and she father's refusal to see that she was the most talented of his children and his own true heir.
The bitter taste of metal in her mouth was proof of that she thought as she screamed which was muffled by the device that had been attached to her face!
They called it a 'Scold's Bridle' she thought with intense hatred of the blasted thing! It pressed down on top of the tongue and prevented her from speaking and was always attached to her head, she was not even allowed to go out of her room without it being attached to a leash that her guards held and let everyone laugh at her, it only being taken off when she was allowed to eat and drink.
She would make all of them pay! She thought with the most incredible hatred burning inside her, literally all that she knew was hate. It built her entire world and made her keep going only to see them on their knees and begging for mercy and forgiveness. Oh they would suffer so much she thought with great anticipation.
Her father she hated the most of all as he had been the one to make her wear this horrible thing! Cersei thought with disgust and she would have her revenge on him.
But for that, she would need to escape this place she thought as a plan had sprang into her mind some time ago. It had taken quite some time to get it in motion given her present limitation she thought with anger at the difficulties it had caused her but she had managed to get it, ironically it had been the washerwomen whose gossiping had given her the idea that had taken root and grown into her most masterful plan yet.
The first thing had been to seduce one of her guards, drawing him in with glimpses of her body in the most lewd poses and then servicing him with her hand until he had given her what she wanted and pulling a book from her dresser she opened it, revealing it was hollow and had a key inside it. She took it and unlocked the bridle, the moment it slipped from her head it was the greatest relief she had felt in so long that she sighed in pleasure before taking a much needed drink of water to wash out the taste of metal from her mouth.
Still she knew that she did not have long and ran to her bed, ripping her dress off without a care and putting on some riding leathers and cloak to disguise herself, tying her long hair into a headscarf to keep it concealed. She then pulled out a bundle from under her bed and tied it firmly to her body before gathering a rope an tying it firmly to stone pillar. Reluctantly she then took the rope and squeezed herself down the privy, holding the rope tightly as she made her way down it until she reached the drains and with a look of disgust at the horrible smell managed to crawl through them to the stables.
Emerging as dirty as it made her she quickly grabbed one of the horses and rode out of the castle gates, smiling all of the way as she set her sights on Kings Landing with the keys to her revenge in her bundle. Some money, jewellery, some clothes and most importantly one of her mother's dresses.
Qarth, Essos...
After a thankfully uneventful voyage the Queen Visenya finally came into view of the wealthy city of Qarth.
Even at a distance they could see it was genuinely impressive, the three outer walls alone were monuments to its grandeur. The black marble wall which stood at fifty feet high with carvings of sexual positions that made even the most experienced members of the crew blush, the granite wall standing forty feet high which had images of wars that Qarth had fought long ago carved into it and lastly the red sandstone wall which was the smallest at thirty feet and had figures of animals carved into its face.
The number of ships that they had to carefully steer past was staggering as they had to carefully dodge many of them in the narrow sea lanes. The sight of the harbour was no less busy which was fitting as Qarth stood as the gateway between not only the western half of Essos but Westeros and Slaver's Bay to the lands of the far east beyond such as Asshai and Yi Ti. This might as well be the edge of the map as far as most Westerosi were concerned as they never went further than this, only a very rare few had ever dared try like the legendary Corlys Velaryon or Lomas Longstrider.
Haeron stood on the bow with Davos, Jaime and Alicys while Harmony, Vaena and Evelyn stood with Kelis some distance back. All marvelled at the city except for Haeron who stared at it suspiciously, something about the place did not seem right to him, it was just a feeling but it nagged at the back of his mind and kept him alert for trouble.
It took quite some time for them to find a berth that was big enough for the Queen Visenya to dock in and then they had the port officials to deal with.
"How much?" Haeron asked as he and the others met with the port official who was indifference personified in his arrogance and named a figure that honestly stunned them all. It was easily twice what they had paid for their long stay in Volantis for only fraction of that time.
"That's outrageous." Alicys said under her breath to Jaime who nodded in agreement as outraged as her and while Haeron spoke to the official it was clear he wouldn't budge so with annoyance Haeron handed over the required coin and then told the crew as they gathered.
"Right, all of you have worked hard and travelled far with us. The network of merchants that has been made is only possible thanks your efforts and for that I am given you all a pouch of coins to spend or to save as you see fit." Haeron said which immediately got the crew excited and made his own inner circle raise their eyebrows. "The Qarthi language is hard to learn and only three of us on this ship, myself, Harmony and Kelis speak it so we will all go into the city in groups to enjoy it but I must warn all of you that this city is unknown to all of us. Westerosi rarely come this far and many records about it are far in the past so keep your wits about you here." Haeron warned them and they all nodded but were excited for their shore leave.
"Groups your grace?" Davos asked with a raised eyebrow having never done such things in the past. He had no real interest in the city beyond perhaps exploring it a little as he already intended to save his coin for his family back home. The others gathered to hear his reasoning too and he turned suddenly grim as he told them carefully.
"I do not want to leave the ship too depleted, I want it manned and guarded at all times as I do not have a good feeling about this city." Haeron told them, not sure why but something about the place just unsettled him. He didn't want their ship left too exposed all at once and certainly not the dragons, only Kara could currently fly and breath fire the others were too small to defend themselves. That was the reason he wanted either himself or Harmony on the ship to protect it since they had the best access to magic if they needed it.
Harmony and Evelyn had to admit they weren't entirely happy with the city either, it was like a chill came over them whenever they thought about it. The others all looked at the place with confused and now unsettled looks of their own.
- x -
The city of Qarth was a place that clearly cared a great deal for its own sense of style.
Kelis led the men in her group through the city streets accompanied by Septon Jonos and Davos to explore some of the city, some of the men enjoying themselves in the many; brothels, wine-sinks and gambling dens that lined the city streets but that also gave the three of them time to look at the city's wonders whenever they had to stop.
The array of colour that decorated the city's buildings was dazzling and incredibly varied, all different colours, those with balconies looked delicate and draped with carpets and banners. But there were other things that caught the eye like gates made of bronze that were made to resemble two snakes mating, the scales made of small pieces of jade and dragonglass. Tall towers stretched high into the sky and in each of the squares that they had come too there were large and incredibly detailed fountains that had been made into the shape of strange creatures like dragons, griffins and manticores.
While they were waiting for some of the men to spend their coin in one of the higher class brothels in the city they looked out and saw the great arcade where legendary heroes of the city's past stood in the form of states on top of large columns of marble in both green and white while other statues made of bronze lined the streets.
"I have never seen a city that puts so much effort into decoration." Davos said in astonishment as the cost of building and maintaining all of this art must be ruinously expensive. Being a more practical man he could hardly imagine the need for such things and Jonos being a septon but one who dealt with all manner of people nodded in agreement.
"It makes them feel special and soothes their egos. They feel important as well as rich." He said wishing they spent even half of the coin on helping the people of the city that they did on these over the top displays of wealth.
"On the island." Kelis said with disgust at all of this over the top arrogant wealth. "We make our homes from simple things like wood due to the heat and only what we need. We speak our history and not waste time with books and scrolls, passing it down from the old to the young." She said, with some fond memory of her home giving her comfort. Jonos seeing that she clearly missed her home put an arm around her and she leaned into it, glad of his comfort. The three of them were all firm in their dislike of the city and would gladly return to the ship the moment the crew had spent the last of their gifted coin.
- x -
The Next Day...
The following day it was Harmony's turn to go out into the city, she led her party accompanied by Vaena and Evelyn as they went to explore the city and managed to find one of the best places in the city...the Bazaar.
The massive marketplace where all kinds of things were bought and sold, you could turn in any direction and find almost anything and so far they had not been disappointed as Harmony managed to purchase some rare books for her collection, Vaena managed to acquire some books too that she might draw inspiration from when she decided to open her jewellery house and Evelyn bought some new clothes for herself as her wardrobe was rather empty.
The crew members amused themselves with some trinkets or rare alcohols that were being sold not to mention buy some clothes like Evelyn did.
They were all enjoying themselves, just keeping an eye on all of the sights around them even if it was ruined by the occasional sight of slaves moving about or being sold. But as she and Evelyn were moving through the area with their people they both felt that familiar chill run over them. They looked around for the source as there had been no wind and saw a figure standing some distance off. He was extremely pale and gaunt looking with an unhealthy blue colour around his mouth that seemed to almost sneer at them.
Then the moment that they blinked he was gone.
They both shared a look of worry and quickly told their party.
"Back to the ship, we haven't got all day." The crew moaned but complied while Vaena looked them in the eye and asked.
"What's wrong?"
"We're being watched." Harmony said with worry as she felt the chill of dark magic and given the lack of other magic users in this world they did not know fully what they were up against here.
- x -
The Day After...
Warned by Harmony and Evelyn about their encounter with the strange magic user Haeron was on high alert as he headed out into the city himself. He had the smallest group but his included Jaime and Alicys so he remained wary as they moved through the city. His venturing out into the city though was more about gaining allies and new members for his merchant guild, as well as educating Jaime and Alicys than mere exploration.
But he was keeping his eye out for these magic wielders, from what he had read of the city he could only guess that they must be the Warlocks also known as the Undying Ones. He had much to his own worry hardly been able to find out a single solid thing about them and it was a concern as they had no real idea just what they were capable of. So he would move with extreme caution while educating his young charges.
"Qarth is a city that uses its position to enrich itself." Haeron told them as they moved through the streets, seeing the incredible sights of the city around them. "The Jade Gates is the best sea lane to move between east and west so by controlling it they ensure that they profit from each ship that passes through." Haeron explained and Jaime who was mystified that a single port could make so much money this way asked.
"Why not trade over land?"
"The land routes are long and plagued by not just bandits but Dothraki as well. Travelling that difficult path is twice as risky as travelling by sea which is saying something." Haeron told him as they continued on. They were meeting with a member of the Tourmaline Brotherhood, one of the larger trade guilds of the city to see if they could be joined with his own merchant guild.
Alicys pondered for a moment before asking her own question
"Do they do much else but trade?" She asked and Haeron shrugged.
"They play the games of power in their city as much as anywhere else does, besides money is the key to power. They are able to leverage that to achieve whatever they need." Haeron told her, reminding her that wealth meant power and being as wealthy as Qarth was made it a potentially formidable player in events.
Whatever else they might have said was stopped by the arrival of the representative of the Tourmaline Brotherhood, Hraka Tol Priz...a pale skinned man who had his hair in styled ringlets in dyed pale blue and had silk robes of yellow and red.
They were about to exchange greetings with the man who was meeting them in the Garden of Gehane when they were interrupted by a sudden violent chill running through them, the area seeming to darken and the wind picked up. They all looked up and saw not a cloud in the sky and yet at midday it was getting dark.
"What is that?" Jaime asked and Alicys at his side was looking around with the same fear in her eyes as he had in his. Haeron and Jaime drew their swords and knowing they were in danger Haeron handed Blackfyre to Alicys so she could defend herself. She and Jaime both looked at him with surprise but that turned to fear when he spoke to them.
"Keep hold of your wits, what you see is real." Haeron said, knowing they were about to be attacked with magic and dark magic, he just hoped that their weapons would be effective against whatever came at them.
"What?" They both asked with terror in their eyes but that only grew worse when they saw what was coming towards them.
Out of the sky appeared dark specks that they thought were birds at first but they soon realised that they were something far worse, black creatures that appeared to be half shadow and half monster with snarling pointed teeth and clawed hands like talons. All of which were screaming a terrible high pitched screech as they dived straight towards them.
They swarmed and the three of them waved their swords around to try and fight them off, the wraiths or whatever they were were however agile and and dodged around them. Hraka shaking in terror as he stayed close to them, his guards being slashed and torn to pieces as although they looked like phantoms their claws were horribly real.
Haeron knew these were not real phantoms, they would not be able to slash like that if they were and instead were likely disguised magic users trying to intimidate with illusions like the Death Eaters on Earth had done.
And it was working Haeron thought with worry as Jaime and Alicys were clearly terrified as were the others who were having their throats or chests ripped open, however Haeron saw one of them diving for Hraka and taking advantage he managed to stab Crimson Heart straight into the wraith.
The creature immediately shrieked in pain as the sword impaled it and then transformed before their eyes, turning into a withered old crone of a man with his skin stretched so tightly over its skin that it looked ready to tear at the slightest puncture or strain, its mouth was coloured an unnatural blue as it opened wide in pain before slumping in death.
"The Warlocks!" Hraka said in fear as Haeron threw the now dead wreck of a person to the ground and seeing that they could be hurt or even killed seemed to scare the 'Warlocks' and they immediately withdrew. Seeing them fly away brought a sigh of relief to Haeron and his people along with Hraka who seemed to be shaking with fear.
"The Warlocks of Qarth...they keep the Pureborn in power and now they want us dead." He said with his voice trembling so Alicys with anger told him.
"Then we kill them first."
Jaime nodded in agreement, never wanting to see anything like them again. Haeron was quiet as he considered the sheer danger this place them in. He had magic so he could defend himself but who knows if they could.
"Will the Pureborn come after us if we fight the Warlocks?" Haeron asked knowing having the city's leaders after them could be as dangerous as the warlocks and Hraka nodded so Haeron sheathed his sword before saying.
"We'll withdraw to our ship, find out in the Tourmaline Brotherhood is involved in this attack, since if they were it means they were willing to let you die?" He mentioned to Hraka who nervously nodded in agreement. "Once you know we will meet on the ship to form a plan of action."
"Good." Jaime said with eagerness to have some fun as they all hurried away to their own safe places and hoped that the entire city was not against them.