The Young Lion
Act 1 Ch 29: A Bleeding Star
While the rest of the Realm was reacting to the king's letter, the dowager queen was sitting inside her personal chamber, biting her nails in frustration. For the past several days she'd been held under house arrest as the king prepared his spectacle for the city. The only ones allowed inside her room were the same black armored soldiers who took shifts guarding her door. More than once she'd attempted to leave her chamber.
The first time when they delivered her meals, she attempted to use her title and position to threaten them into allowing her to leave, warning them of the consequences of angering Tywin Lannister's only daughter. But for the first time in her life, she found men who didn't react to her threats in the slightest, even when she dropped her father's name. They simply placed her meal on her table, bowed their heads, and then left without another word.
The second day she tried appealing to the men's greed when they came in. Offering them each their weight in gold if they would escort her to her son's chambers. She even reminded them that a Lannister always pays their debts and she would feel very indebted if they helped her. Again she was met with silence and the men placed her food and exited her chambers.
On the third day she decided to pull the last card she had up her sleeve. At the usual time the guards came around to deliver her meal, she sprayed her best lavender perfume that had an aphrodisiac effect. She used to use it on her occasional "night visits" with her twin, and it never ceased to drive him wild. As the young guard made his way inside, he became wide-eyed at the sight that greeted him.
Lounging out on her red divan angled toward the lit fireplace was the dowager queen in all her glory. Dressed in a tight emerald green silk robe that pooled around her hips and hung loosely to her shoulders. The gown was transparent enough to see the thickness of her hips, the curve of her waist, and the fullness of her breasts. To the inexperienced young man she might as well have been naked.
"Oh my, is that my meal?" She asked with a much softer, more sultry tone compared to her past interactions.
"I-it is, your grace." he stuttered as he stared at her breasts, making Cersei's red lips break out into a sly smirk.
"Men are such simple creatures," she thought to herself.
"Well thank the seven I'm starving," she actually said as she leaned back, making her robe slip a little lower.
She then stood up, her silk whispering sinful thoughts to the young man as she did, and slowly made her way over to him with an exaggerated sway to her hips. Making her way over to the young man she stared into his eyes with a half-lidded gaze as she slowly dipped her finger in the little bowl of honey and brought it to her mouth. Slowly her pink tongue came out and she began licking and sucking on her finger, much to the man's delight. After slowly licking her lips, she stepped closer to the man, pressing her breasts against his chest while giving him a bigger dose of her "special" perfume.
"And I don't mean just for food," she blew into his ear as she brought her leg up between his, feeling his growing hardness against her thigh.
"I uh," the man was a stuttering mess, quickly falling victim to the lioness's charms.
She wasn't called the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms for nothing. Suddenly a bang came at the door, interrupting the pair.
"Mal, what's taking so long?" His fellow Royal Guard asked from outside the chamber.
"Nothing!" He quickly shouted, having regained his bearings. "Pardon me, your grace." The man said as he stepped back from her touch, bowing his head before exiting, leaving a stunned Cersei alone in the middle of her chamber.
"Tsk," she clicked her tongue, annoyed as she made her way back to her divan.
"Did they have to trade in their cocks for that armor or what?" she wondered to herself as she sat back down and took a sip of wine from her chalice. "It's fine, I'll get him next time."
The following day the queen decided to take an even more aggressive approach, changing into an even more revealing crimson and gold gown. But as the door to her chamber opened, the king's mother was shocked to see that instead of the young guard, her son Joffrey entered her chamber. He was dressed in a matching pair of black and gold doublet and trousers. Immediately tossing away her seduction plan, Cersei shot to her feet and made her way over to him.
"Joffrey!" She yelled as she continued to make her way over to him. "What is the meaning of this?! How dare you hold me in here against my will!"
Though when she finally arrived in front of her eldest son, she was taken aback by the cold, hollow gaze he looked at her with.
"Sit down and shut up, mother." He responded in a cold and serious tone.
Cersei had been stunned silent. Never had her darling boy spoken to her in such a manner before. And with a tone and gaze that was identical to her father's, she found her body unconsciously complying when he gestured for her to sit in one of her chairs. As she sat down, he made his way over and sat down across from her.
...
A long awkward silence held between the pair until finally Cersei went to speak.
"Joffrey, why am I here?" She demanded.
"You already know the answer to that, mother." He responded.
"No I don't." She insisted. "What brings you to treat your own mother in such a manner?"
Joffrey's eyes narrowed at her 'babe in the woods' act.
"Do you take me for a complete fool, mother?" He asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Or just some naive child you can still wrap around your finger?"
"N-no of course not!" She responded. "Why do you say such hateful things?"
"Why? Well, mostly because you continue to sit here and lie right to my face. So that must mean you think I'm either dumb or a child."
"I'm not lying to you!" She denied vehemently. "I really have no idea what is going on."
"Really? So you must have just forgotten your little plan with Petyr Baelish on having Sansa Stark killed in the streets."
Cersei's complexion immediately became paler as her eyes widened in shock.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." She said as she refused to make eye contact with him.
"See, exactly what I mean." He scoffed at her. "Right back to lying."
"I'm not-" She went to say but the king cut her off.
"There's no point in denying it, mother, I already know it's true." He responded as he leaned back into his chair. "And mostly because of two things."
He held up two fingers on his hand as his mother squirmed uncomfortably in her seat.
"First, Littlefinger already confessed everything to me before I killed him. Of your insistence on Sansa's death, and your threats to end his life if he refused. I even captured the whore he sent to Lys to collect the poison for your second attempt."
Cersei's mouth dropped slightly as she listened to her son lie through his teeth. The whore Brina or whatever was still in Lys, but with Senelle's intel he knew it would be the nail in the coffin for his mother's denials.
"What's the second reason?" His mother asked after a moment of hesitation.
"Oh, your mouth is moving." He shrugged nonchalantly.
The queen was completely silent for a moment, almost as if she was at a loss for words. Her expression continued to shift as if she was contemplating her next statement.
"Why did you do it, mother?" He asked in a slightly softer tone. "Why did you betray me?"
Hesitating for a moment, Cersei finally spoke.
"I did it to protect you." She finally said with an almost defeated tone.
"Protect me? You nearly ensured the continuation of a war I'm trying to end by murdering my future wife! How on earth is that protecting me?!" He asked, trying to make sense of the deranged woman's words.
"That northern girl is a viper!" She snarled. "She's manipulating you! She's already poisoned your mind and turned you against your own family!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I knew something was wrong with you ever since we returned from Winterfell!" She continued on. "No matter how much you and everyone else tried to brush it off and tell me everything was fine, a mother knows when something's changed in their children. And you, Joffrey, have changed!"
Now it was Joffrey's turn to be silent as the blonde madwoman continued.
"Now I know why," She continued on. "It's because that red-haired little bitch has poisoned your mind. Now you ignore me and your closest advisors! You pass laws and make decisions that benefit mere peasants! And you'd rather spend your time with her than your own mother!"
The king became flabbergasted by the woman's words, especially when he caught the last sentence.
"Is she seriously jealous of her son's future wife?" He thought to himself.
Trying to make sense of the woman's hysterically inaccurate claims, he thought back on his knowledge of the books. He then recalled the prophecy that Cersei had received from a witch when she was a young girl. One where she predicted she would be queen and all her children would be bastards. Until one day a more beautiful queen would come along to cast her down and take everything she held dear.
"Oh, she thinks Sansa is the new queen of the prophecy." He thought, now it was becoming clear where all of Cersei's paranoia was coming from.
"Mother," he said, drawing her attention. "Sansa really hasn't done anything. In fact, we've never once spoken about court politics." He said in a calm tone.
"You're wrong, you are too young to know the ways of women, Joffrey." His mother assured him. "She's manipulating you and you don't even realize it."
"Not as young as you think," He thought as he recalled some of his and Senelle's nocturnal activities.
"You are so blind." He finally spoke as he let out a heavy sigh, conveying his exhaustion. "You've jeopardized everything I'm trying to build. You've jeopardized the peace I planned to broker with the North and Riverlands. And you did it all with your thoughtless actions and senseless paranoia."
The queen mother's eyes filled with fury at her son's words that stung at her pride.
"Mother, I can no longer tolerate you undermining my decisions and questioning my authority." He said with a cold, serious tone as he interlocked his fingers. "Come first light tomorrow, you and all the Lannister guards are to leave my city and return to Casterly Rock for the remainder of the war."
The queen of course did not take the news well.
"I will not!" She shouted as she stood to her feet. "I shall remain right here!"
"This is not up for debate, mother!" He shouted back, standing up from his seat as well and looking down at his mother. "You threaten all of my plans with your folly, and I will not see my vision die because of your arrogance and entitlement."
Slowly he made his way over to her as she began to back away, almost frightened, until her back hit the wall and he stood only a few arm lengths from her.
"I've grown tired of this," he continued on. "Of watching you strut about my castle like a peacock, mistaking my throne for yours. Watching you scheme and plot to undermine my decisions, all the while believing yourself to be some kind of masterful manipulator. When in reality, you are as helpless and predictable as a drunkard shooting dice in an alley."
Her eyes became wide and filled with tears, hearing her boy's frankly awful description of her.
"You lust and crave for power, yet have no idea how to handle, let alone wield it, once you have it. If left in your care, I have no doubt half of the Seven Kingdoms would burn trying to satisfy your greed." His words and tone were as cold and sharp as Valyrian steel.
"Joffrey, I'm still your mother," she half-said, half-pleaded as she attempted to reach out and caress his face.
"I am aware," he nodded his head as he caught her hand and prevented it from touching his face. "And that is the sole reason your head is not currently decorating a spike alongside Petyr Baelish and Janos Slynt."
"Well that and I can't handle Tywin yet," he thought.
"I am done tolerating this behavior. In the morning, you and the rest of the Lannister forces will return to the Westernlands until I say otherwise. If you come back without my leave, I'll have you imprisoned for attempted murder. Do you understand?"
"At least let me bring Myrcella and Tommen with me," she pleaded.
"Absolutely not. My siblings will remain in my care within the Red Keep." He denied, shutting down her request as he was unwilling to allow the woman's madness to touch his innocent siblings. "Do you understand?" He asked again.
The queen didn't say another word and just stared down at the floor, defeated and unwilling to make eye contact with him.
"Good," he nodded his head and decided to leave the woman alone to stew with her thoughts.
As the door closed behind him, Cersei immediately gritted her teeth in rage.
"So that witch was speaking the truth after all," She thought to herself. "You little red harlot! I will make you pay for this!"
She began screaming and shouting as she tossed and smashed her furniture in her room.
Outside the door Joffrey addressed the two guards on shift.
"Stay alert, no one is to visit her till morning." He ordered, checking the new guard he'd switched in for the guard named Mal after the latter came to him and informed him of the queen's seduction attempt on him.
Both men banged their breastplates and saluted their king who returned the gesture. He then turned and made his way down the corridor, satisfied he'd managed to deal with one thorn in his ass.
"Now time for the other one," he thought as he passed by several Royal guards who were patrolling the castle and stopped to salute him as he passed by.
o-O-o
Later into the night near the Hour of the Owl, Varys arrived at the king's Solar, having been summoned at the uncommon hour. It was the third time the pair had spoken at such an unusual time, but it was the first one where the king initiated the meeting. After the Kingsguard Ser Arys permitted the spider to enter, the eunuch became surprised when he found the king hard at work drawing up a new design with his quill.
"Your grace," Varys greeted as he made his way over to the king's desk.
Joffrey didn't answer him and just continued to draw on the large piece of parchment. His face was still and focused as he gave the paper his undivided attention. Soon the air became a little awkward for the spider who stood in the middle of the room quietly.
"Your grace summoned me to-"
Varys went to speak but the king cut him off.
"Just another minute, please." He replied politely as he continued to draw.
Another minute passed and finally Joffrey wore a satisfied smile as he set his quill down and leaned back into his chair.
"And done," he exclaimed happily.
Varys was rather curious of the paper's contents but decided not to pry, at least not so openly.
"Your grace, I was wonder-" Again he tried to start and again the king cut him off.
"Tell me something, Varys, why do you think we are here?"
"Your grace?" The spider looked perplexed by the question.
"Why are we here?" He repeated the question.
"I'm afraid I don't know, your grace." He responded as he shook his head.
Seeing his lack of trust or just not understanding the nature of the question, the king decided to clarify.
"You see, I believe all of us, meaning everyone born, is here for a specific reason." He answered, ignoring the man's confused expression as he stared at the map of the Seven Kingdoms on his wall. "That we're all here to do something with our limited time. A purpose, if you will."
"I see," Varys nodded his head, now understanding the king's question. "And what do you believe your purpose is, your grace?"
Joffrey finally acknowledged the bald man for the first time as he turned away from his map and stared into his eyes.
"Well, I'd like to think I was meant to fix the damages that my predecessors have caused. To help build the path to a better future for all of my people, and not just the rich ones."
"I'm starting to believe that as well, your grace." Varys said with a slight smile.
"Oh really?" He raised an eyebrow.
Joffrey then stood up and made his way over to the spider.
"Then tell me, why do you continue to undermine and work against me?" He asked rhetorically.
"Your grace, I'm not sure what you-" He started to say but the king cut him off.
"I know at least two of those men on that list of yours weren't conspiring against me, Varys." He said, looking at him with a bone-chilling expression. "Their only crime was being in quite a bit of debt to the crown. Debts you didn't want repaid."
"Why would I want such a thing?"
"Oh, probably for your and the Cheesemonger's little plan to put the Targaryen's back on the throne."
The foreigner became shocked and silent by the king's words.
"What?" He raised an eyebrow. "Did you really think I only knew about Littlefinger's treachery?"
He asked with a sly smirk which helped the spider regain his composure.
"If what you say is true, then why am I still a free man?" He asked, a small hint of anxiety in his voice. "Why is my head not sitting besides Lord Baelish's?"
"Because you are nothing like Lord Baelish." He practically scoffed as he began circling the spider who continued to stand at the center of his room. "Because you didn't fight for personal ambition or greed, but for the sake of the people. Because you are absolutely right, incompetence should never be rewarded with blind loyalty. But most of all because I believe you are the man meant to stand by my side and help me fulfill my purpose."
"And what purpose is that?"
"A better world," He said as a wide grin grew across his face as he stopped in front of the eunuch. "One where the poor can finally cast off the yoke of oppression. Where the powerful can't trample the weak with impunity. I believe you, my dear Master of Whispers, are meant to help me carve out this new world. To make something permanent and beautiful like marble."
Varys had become enraptured by the king's words as he described the exact dream he'd had since he was a child eating out of garbage cans and sleeping in gutters.
"H-how?" He found himself asking in his stunned state.
"Well, first you need to make a decision here and now of where your loyalty lies." He said as he stopped closer to the man. "To either stay here and stand beside me and serve me to the best of your abilities. Or continue with your original plan and sail for Essos and help the Targaryens. Whichever you choose, I promise to respect it, I'll give you a ship and you can set sail on the morrow if that's what you decide."
Varys seemed to contemplate all of his options before speaking.
"If I did pick you, what would that entail exactly?"
"Well, first you need to dedicate yourself to the cause completely, and be completely honest with me. If you ever feel as if I'm failing the people, I want you to come to me, look me in the eye and tell me I am failing. Don't conspire behind my back to have me replaced." He said as he stretched his hand out to Varys.
The spider looked at the king's hand as he contemplated his options. From what he'd seen from the little lion king thus far, it made him certain Joffrey meant what he said about building a better world. Varys had served three kings so far in his life and under the last two the common folk suffered under their rule, though for much different reasons. Yet in the short time since he sat the throne he'd already vastly improved the lives of his citizens where every child both highborn and low knew only full bellies despite the outbreak of the war.
That, combined with the loss of his dragon prince which he'd just learned from Illyrio recently, made Varys make up his mind. Stepping forward, Varys took Joffrey's hand into his own and firmly shook it. Ultimately deciding to put his faith in the lion rather than the dragon.
"I will be in your care, your grace." Varys said with a smile.
"You and I are going to do great things together, my Master of Whispers," he said with a wide, confident smile of his own. Then his smile grew into a cold smirk as he pulled the spider forward and squeezed his hand tighter. "If you ever betray me, you'll wish you'd have taken the boat." His tone was cold.
"I can only imagine your grace." Varys responded, taking the king's threat in stride.
"Then let's get started," he said, smiling once again as he led Varys to his desk and invited him to take a seat.
"Now?" Varys asked, slightly surprised as the king poured both of them glasses of wine.
"Of course, we have work to do and little time to do it," He replied as he handed Varys his cup and took a sip from his. "Now tell me, what do you think of this?"
He then showed the spider the design he'd been sketching before he came in. To the spider, it appeared to be a giant wheel that held buckets on its rim. Confused, Varys looked up at the king who was acting like a giddy child.
"What is it, your grace?" Varys asked, confused yet curious.
"It's called a water wheel, and it's the next step for our vision."
The spider seemed confused how a wheel could possibly have that much of an impact on the future of the kingdoms. That was until Joffrey explained how it worked and its various functions, but most importantly what he had planned for it. Varys became starstruck hearing the young king's plan and began to open up more and more as the meeting went deep into the night.
o-O-o
A few days passed and the queen, along with her entire Lannister escort, left the Capital, and were on their way back to the Westernlands. As promised, he kept both Myrcella and Tommen with him in King's Landing, though neither of them seemed all that upset at being separated from their mother. In fact, they seemed somewhat relieved to see her go.
At the same time, Joffrey was currently handling the various brothels and whores situation now that Littlefinger's assets had all been seized by the crown. Most were being auctioned off to the highest bidder to help replenish some of the treasury's deficit, as he was eager to get the crown out of debt as soon as possible. Though he already had plans underway to change the sex trade layout throughout the city, and thankfully he found a certain whore who might prove to be useful in that endeavor.
As Joffrey was in the middle of sectioning off a portion of the city he was planning on renovating, a knock came at his door.
KnockKnockKnock
"Yes? What is it?" Joffrey asked, slightly annoyed at the disturbance.
"It's Lady Sansa, your grace." Ser Barristan answered through the door.
"Sansa?" He thought confused for a moment.
"Oh, send her in," he replied as he put his map away.
Sansa slowly made her way inside the chamber, she was dressed in a beautiful emerald green gown that Myrcella had no doubt recommended to her. Her auburn red hair was worn long and it flickered like flames in the candlelight.
"My lady, what brings you here?" He asked as he stood up to greet her.
"Your grace," she responded as she went for a well-practiced curtsy. "There is currently a bleeding star in the sky, and I was wondering if you would like to come look at it with me."
"Seriously? I'm in the middle of work!" He complained internally.
"Oh, why not, I could use a break anyway." He said, laughing slightly as he made his way over to the young girl and offered her his arm.
Sansa gave him a blushing smile as she interlocked her arm with his and followed him out of the chamber and down the corridor with Ser Barristan in tow. After walking some ways, they came upon the main balcony of the Red Keep that sat outside the Throne Room. Making their way outside, they were surprised to find Maester Pycelle, Lord Lark, Sandor, and Varys already out there staring up at the red comet as it made its way across the sky.
Soon everyone started giving their "expert" opinion on what the comet meant.
"It's a sign from the seven, It means that Joffrey is the one true king of the Seven Kingdoms." Maester Pycelle stated, despite being a supposed man of science.
"Perhaps it's a message after his grace's bloody display?" Wondered Lord Lark.
"I remember when one appeared when Prince Rhaegar's son Aegon was born." Ser Barristan added as well, while recalling his past.
"What a load of pig shit!" Bellowed the Hound. "It's a red star, big deal." He scoffed before taking a swig from his Bota bag.
"Oh? You think so, Sandor?" Joffrey teased as he looked at his Sworn Shield from the side.
The man just shrugged his shoulders and kept drinking.
"I heard it could only mean one thing," Sansa spoke up, getting all of their attention.
"What, my lady?" Lord Lark asked.
"Dragons," she almost whispered, feeling excited, having remembered reading it in Winterfell's Tower Library.
"Dragons?" Joffrey said, half-amused.
"Dragons have been dead for centuries, girl, their skulls are in the cellar if you want to see them." Sandor scoffed, making Sansa flush with embarrassment until Joffrey put his hand on her shoulder to reassure her, while shooting Sandor a glare.
"Looks like the little dragon princess did it," He thought to himself as he slowly looked at the soaring red comet. "She hatched her dragons."
As the young king gazed upon the red star that seemed to bleed across the sky, he suddenly felt his consciousness pulled. It was as if he were being drawn toward it, a powerful, familiar energy that he had felt before. Slowly the irises of his eyes glowed orange as he began stepping forward, walking without control of his motor functions.
Sansa, noticing his blank stare, called out to him. "Your grace? Are you alright?" she asked, reaching out and grasping his bicep.
The king fell backward, his body completely limp. It was only thanks to decades of experience that Ser Barristan reacted in time and caught the boy's head before it could collide with the floor.
"Joffrey!" Sansa screamed, getting everyone's attention.
The king's body began to spasm uncontrollably, his eyes continuing to glow as others began to rush to his side.
"Your grace!" they shouted.
"Your grace, can you hear me?" Ser Barristan asked as he held the boy's head steady.
Though the king's consciousness was far from their reach, and just like in Winterfell's Godswood, visions flashed before his eyes. They were still sporadic and obscure, but much clearer than before as they rolled one after the other like a picture slideshow. Pictures of a sun rising and setting over a giant tree in an icy wasteland. Of a gigantic white tree whose roots spread across the entire continent. Of a giant bird perched atop a high dead tree with little tiny birds assembled at its feet. Then a woman on a bloodied battlefield surrounded by thousands of corpses of soldiers, each wearing a different surcoat. Then of a black sea that began to turn red with blood as a creature slowly began to rise from its depths.
The vision then once again shifted towards that of a warrior whose back was to him, making it impossible to see his face. Suddenly another warrior came up and stood beside him, facing outward over a snowy tundra. Glancing to the side, the black-haired warrior asked his companion a question.
"Are you with me?" he asked.
"To the death," he responded without hesitation as thousands of black-cloaked soldiers made their way behind the pair, drawing their steel and weapons.
Suddenly the vision shifted again, but this time Joffrey's very soul felt like it was being pulled from his body. Soon he was hovering above the group on the balcony who continued to care for his body. Then his soul or spirit was thrown from the balcony. No, 'thrown' was the right word for it, more like fired like a cannonball as he spun uncontrollably. Spiraling and twisting as he soared through the sky and out of the capital.
A bone-deep cold seeped into his form, a chill that had nothing to do with the wind, but a raw, inhuman frost that pierced him to the core. Soon his "body" was flying over the whole continent of Westeros. He was moving too fast to see anything properly, but he caught glimpses of rivers, mountains, valleys, and the occasional castle. Soon he was in the gray waste that he recognized as the north where it snowed even in the summer. As his body continued to fly out of control, he finally came across a giant ice structure that was built into a wall and nearly reached the sky at its tallest point.
Soon his body flew past the wall and continued its way north, crossing vast forests and glaciers until he found himself heading toward a black twisting storm that seemed to chill him just by looking at it. Immediately after passing through the "curtain" of darkness, he came upon another frozen tundra, though this one glowed with an ominous, dark blue light. Slowly his body came to a halt before he was dropped on the frozen ground with a brutal jolt.
"Ow," he complained as he lay sprawled out on the blue ice. The world around him was silent, a vast, frozen tomb with only the faint click of hooves in the distance to break the stillness.
As he picked himself up, he noticed that despite only being dressed in a light doublet and breeches, he didn't feel cold at all. Perhaps because it was his "astral" body or maybe he was still in a vision, he didn't know, he didn't care. The only thing he did care about was figuring out how to get back. While he began to ponder his current situation, the clicking of hooves drew his attention.
Click Click Click
The sound grew louder and louder as it approached Joffrey's location, and soon the silhouette of a horse and a rider appeared over the distance. As he debated whether to hide or ask the rider for help, he recognized what the horse and rider really were. The horse was missing flesh from both its mouth and its torso, exposing its innards to the frightened king. The rider itself Joffrey couldn't see as he was wrapped in a jagged, long, black cloak that covered it head to toe. Though, looking deep enough into the hood, Joffrey could see the pure blue eyes beneath it.
Joffrey felt like his heart was going to stop as the rider slowly approached him. He wanted to run, he wanted to scream, but the only thing he could do is remain completely still on the spot as if he'd been frozen solid. A suffocating dread coiled in his gut, a raw terror that eclipsed the fear he had felt on the battlefield.
"The White Walkers," he thought, terrified.
The king felt ready to pass out but then, to his utter shock, the other rode by him as though he couldn't even see him. Joffrey continued to just stand there stiff as a statue, too terrified to turn around and see a white walker right behind him. Slowly he turned his head and to his relief the walker kept riding and continued on its path.
"It couldn't see me?" he wondered.
His relief was short-lived as soon his body was forcibly following behind the undead horse and its demon rider. He walked a few paces behind the steed, taking in the landscape as he passed. Though in truth there wasn't much to look at as everything was dead and frozen as far as the eye could see. A graveyard of a world. After walking for some time, the rider finally came upon a clearing that left the southern king flabbergasted. A giant clearing with what he could only describe as a half-destroyed fortress that reminded Joffrey of the Ruins of Harrenhal.
Making their way down to the ice fortress, the king became more afraid as he looked upon the jagged blue-white spires of ice that erupted from the frozen earth with literally thousands of different people impaled on their points. All around them their undead familiars stood like statues as white spiders the size of hounds were biting and fighting with each other, and just like their master, they all failed to see him as well.
The rider and king continued forward into the giant ice castle. As they made their way inside Joffrey caught glimpses of other black-cloaked individuals, each of different shapes and sizes, unlike their show counterparts. There were at least seven as far as he could see but he couldn't discern much about their appearance with the heavy cloaks they wore.
Suddenly the rider came to a halt, dismounting his undead steed and then continued forward with clearly something tucked away in its hand. Walking deep into the chamber, Joffrey came upon another jaw-dropping sight. At the end of what could only be described as a throne room sat a skeleton-like figure chained to a throne of ice. Its upper body was completely bare, as its bones shined like milk glass, and glowed with a faint blue light. Its arms were crossed across its body as if it were wearing a straight jacket while its torso was covered in heavy black chains and pinned into the ice throne with seven stakes. On its head it wore an oversized dark gray gothic helmet with seven spiked horns that were twisted into the shape of a jagged crown.
The rider and the other white walkers made their way before the throne, now making it clear there were a total of eight of them. Slowly the rider kneeled before the chained skeleton, before reaching back and revealing what it had been carrying: a human baby. Slowly it placed the human infant on the ground before the skeleton's feet, before backing up and joining the others who all kneeled as one.
The baby started to cry uncontrollably after being placed on the cold ice floor. Joffrey wanted to spring into action. He wanted to grab the infant and run as far as he could from this wretched place. But he couldn't, his body refused to listen to him. Then suddenly the skeleton's eyes opened; they were cold and blue and burned like ice. He couldn't make out anymore of the being's features beneath the oversized helmet and frankly he didn't want to.
Then the skeleton slowly opened its mouth and a blue light appeared. Suddenly the infant started to glow as well, as a stream of blue energy left the crying baby's body and entered the creature's mouth.
Joffrey could only watch on in horror as the skeleton slowly devoured the innocent child's essence, the baby's form withering into a shriveled husk. The skeleton then closed its mouth, and suddenly one of the chains wrapped around its body broke, as the stake embedded into the throne fell onto the ice floor. Slowly the creature's body began to fill out as blue tendons and veins slowly grew and covered the skeleton's bones.
The king didn't know what to make of the horror scene before him, and as he pondered what to do, the skeleton's head slowly started to turn to look at him. Its cold, icy blue eyes stared directly into his. A jolt of pure dread, a silent scream, shot through Joffrey's mind.
The creature could see him.
He felt a powerful energy begin to emit from the chained being, a raw, cold force that struck him like a physical blow.
His body was then blasted by a huge wave of energy that sent him flying from the frozen castle. His body once again soared through the air but this time in the opposite direction and much more violently. Soon his astral body or soul crashed into his body that had remained on the balcony, showing no time had passed at all. As his soul reconnected with his body, a faint, warm voice whispered in his ear.
"The true enemy lies north, and with him comes the storm." Its voice was light and gentle and filled him with a certain reassuring warmth that reminded him of when he died. "Never forget."
Those were its parting words as Joffrey sat up straight as a nail.
HuffHuffHuff
His breaths were labored as he struggled to process what he just witnessed. The Small Council members surrounded the young man, each wearing a concerned look on their face.
"Your grace, are you alright?" Ser Barristan asked as the boy's breathing remained ragged.
"I saw them, Ser Barristan!" He yelled, practically hysterical.
"Saw who?" He asked, confused and shocked by the young man's clear terror.
"The Others!" He then finally fainted from exhaustion.
"Your grace? Your grace!" He yelled as he cradled the boy's unconscious body.
All the voices faded into the background as his consciousness just slipped away.
End of Act 1
A/N: Well that concludes the first season of The Young Lion series. I hope all of you have enjoyed it so far. Let me know what you think of my story in the comments and if you were confused on anything I'll answer as best I can unless it spoils the future plots.
I'll be taking a short break on public posts for the story for the time being. It'll pick back up in the near future. If you find yourself unable to wait that long my Patreon has up to Act 2 Ch 8 done. In the meantime I will be releasing a Highschool DxD story starting next tuesday and I promise while its plot will be quite different from Young Lion it will be just as entertaining.
Thanks again for supporting me and taking the time to read my work. Without any of you none of this would be possible and frankly my work would be meaningless. So I'd like to take the time to thank each and everyone of you for helping me achieve my dreams and hopefully one day escape my wretched 9 to 5 corporate job.
Sincerely Rougeprince69.