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123 AC, Chroyane
"How?" Lady Daphne asked, her eyes having widened in shock in a way that Helaena had never expected of the woman. "I was once The Mother of All, my dear. Is it truly a shock that I would know of your wish to be a mother yourself?"
Helaena had never thought to see the Potters look so incredibly shocked by the goddess's casual reply. She also didn't know why their wish of having a child was obviously so important to them. It felt like a strangely ordinary goal for people as extraordinary as the Potters. The young princess, herself, had two children, which she treasured immensely, and she wouldn't wish that anyone would be deprived of such love.
To her shame, she had thought that the Potters were above any of this, that they lived in their adventures, travelling around, helping out people when they had the chance. It wasn't entirely her fault; Helaena had seen them destroy horrors, rebuild cities, perform miracles, including healing her father, who had been all but withering away in his own bed, drunk on the Milk of the Poppy, a man that even the greatest healers in the Known World could barely help. Was it truly that surprising that she hadn't thought that they would have had children if they wished?
What could have possibly stopped them from having a child?
Helaena had very little knowledge of healing, but she knew that some women were born barren, but Lady Daphne was a healer, one who her husband confessed surpassed him in this area, so why wouldn't she heal herself?
She had so many questions that needed answering, but restrained herself. Looking back, it did explain a few things, including why they preferred the presence of children over adults. Then again, Helaena would also rather spend time with children than speak with greedy Lords or their tittering ladies.
Then again, the Potters were always kind, too kind even, to children, often treating them with warmth that was strange for any outside observer. Helaena had thought that it was the norm from wherever they had come from, but evidently, there was another reason.
Speaking of the Potters, their surprise quickly turned to naked hope, as Lady Daphne turned to the floating figure of Mother Rhoyne, with a strange intensity that Helaena had never seen in her eyes… ever, and perhaps even a spark of vulnerability, "You can help me birth a child?"
That seemed to confirm Helaena's suspicions about Lady Daphne being barren, but the issue remained about how the woman hadn't healed herself. It seemed like a very small thing to cure compared to Jaehaerys and Jaehaera's condition, which the Potters helped with easily. Still, it didn't matter. Hopefully, Mother Rhoyne would bless her, and Helaena would be very glad for it. They had done so much for her family, shown her so much about the world and her place in it, that she couldn't help but wish to see them being truly happy.
Unfortunately, the goddess's eyes turned sad, and before she even spoke, the young princess knew what her answer would be, "I cannot. I must admit that what ails you is beyond even what I can heal. Perhaps before the 'Cataclysm', before being restricted by this stone, I might have, and even then, your condition is… unique."
Just as the words left Mother Rhoyne's mouth, the Potters' expressions fell into disappointment, and Helaena couldn't restrain herself any further, "Are you not a healer, Lady Daphne? Why not simply cure yourself?"
Lady Daphne let out a bitter laugh, "If only things were that simple. It is not a disease or a condition, but a result of my recklessness during my youth. What you must know is that my family, House Greengrass, has been cursed long ago. The youngest daughter in every generation would wither and die without an offspring. I was the eldest and grew up knowing that my younger sister, Astoria, would inevitably perish from the curse. I dedicated my life to becoming a healer, studied horrific curses, and made many mistakes in my time. Eventually, I found a way to bind the curse to me, instead of her, tricking it into thinking that I was the youngest daughter instead. It was a dangerous ritual, born of my desperation and grief, and I went through with it. I would die in my sister's stead, the curse believing that I was the last of my house, that I would spare my sister the anguish of seeing her own child die."
Helaena couldn't imagine living with such a curse, knowing that, at best, her sibling would die, or that she would see her own daughter die one day. It seemed like quite a cruel curse, to say the least, and Lady Daphne must have been very brave to bear it for her sister's sake.
"And yet you live," Helaena simply said, not knowing what else to say.
"Though no effort of my own. It was Harry who saved me, who broke the curse. He defied Fate itself and, while standing on a collapsing mountain, in an act of defiance to one of the greatest enemies, one that was beyond him at his age, purged the curse that had plagued my family at the age of fourteen."
The young princess turned towards Lord Harry; her eyes filled with awe at the story. The man looked slightly sheepish, but still sad. He put a hand on his wife's own, comforting her, "I removed the curse, but what neither of us accounted for was her own original ritual to complicate matters a lot."
At Helaena's confusion, Lady Daphne explained, "I did not just take the curse in my sister's stead, I tied it to my bloodline, and that kind of magic had a price. Blood for blood, line for line. I didn't think much of it at first, given that Harry removed any trace of the curse from me, but it became apparent after we got married. It's a conceptual bargain, a price for something that I cannot give back, something tied to my very soul, not just my body. I cannot birth a child, in a traditional way or even a magical one. It would simply not work."
Harry continued for her, "It's also something that can't be healed, even by a goddess of Motherhood, it seems."
The goddess gave them a sad smile, "I was not offering to heal her. I was simply offering myself."
Helaena furrowed her eyebrows at this, but both of the Potters stiffened in pure shock, "You mean…"
"Yes, I know of this as well. I have felt the Drowned One's death, much like other gods, but unlike them, I know what you did to achieve it, and why you did it. It has frightened many godlings, but this one certainly deserved it. He was a young god, full of misplaced arrogance, flaunting the rules because of the Dragons' bindings in the lands of fire. Of course, that binding is now gone, thanks to your own efforts, and he would have perished soon after, should they have decided to enforce their rule."
"But… why?" Lord Harry asked, a perplexed look on his face.
"I will admit that your restraint convinced me of taking this measure or perhaps choosing you. But the true answer lies beneath."
The sorcerer followed her gaze towards one of the holes in the hall, and Helaena did the same, trying to make heads or tails of what was being said. She did not dare interrupt them, though; she knew that this was extremely important to the couple and she owed them that much, at the very least.
Still looking down, Helaena stared as she saw a stone man still drifting in the river beneath them. His eyes widened, and he murmured to himself, "The curse is not broken, which means…"
"…which means that I am not free," the goddess continued for him, "The rot will return eventually, in a century, in ten, in a hundred, it will eventually return, and I will not have myself fall like I almost have. You staved it off, gave me clarity, and for that I am forever thankful, which is why I chose you to receive my last gift."
Both Potters looked oddly solemn for people who a goddess offered their help. They nodded but were not as overjoyed as they should have been.
Finally, Helaena couldn't contain her curiosity anymore, "I don't understand."
The Potters stiffened in surprise and turned. It was as if they had forgotten that she had been there completely. Lord Harry broke the silence and spoke up, his tone sounding very different from his usual one, "After we realised what Daphne's condition was, we started researching a cure. The branch of magic that she used to take her sister's curse, Blood Magic, is old, unpredictable, and wild, but unfortunately, quite rigid once the spell is cast. It is a bargain with the world, which can be revoked, of course. It is built on the perception of value, of sacrifice, and after some time, we came to a solution, a ritual."
The young princess furrowed her eyebrows, "Then why didn't you perform it?"
"Daphne gave away her entire future, her entire bloodline, for taking the curse onto herself. That was the bargain that she struck, and she likely thought very little of it at the time, thinking that she would die regardless due to the curse. With the curse gone, she cannot revoke the bargain, and that has… complications. The ritual to heal her would need to overwhelm her original magic, something easier said than done. In the end, we thought the price to be impossible to achieve, or at least in the practical sense, as it could easily result in some very concerning consequences."
"Three gods. Three sacrifices. Three deaths," Mother Rhoyne said softly, her voice echoing through the ruined hall.
Helaena's eyes widened in shock, and she released a strangled gasp, "You wish to sacrifice gods?"
Lord Harry chuckled, "In my younger years, I would have hunted down gods recklessly, and just got it over with, but I like to think I've grown wiser over time, maybe a smidge more patient."
His wife rolled her eyes at his antics, "Killing gods has consequences, ones that we did not wish to impart onto the world. And so, we travelled around, looking for ways that could help us without resorting to any of this. Well, we liked to travel around anyway, so we added a little more to our search. It was always there, in the background. We both continued researching, trying to find alternatives. Finally, when we came to the shores of Dragonstone, we realised that there was an opportunity. The world was already unbalanced enough that we could shift events in a way that killing a god would not have the consequences they once could have."
Lord Harry continued for her, "The main idea was to keep things even. For example, by stopping the devastating civil war that would have engulfed Westeros, one that would have destabilised magic in all of the world, we balanced the world enough that killing the Drowned God was not as disastrous as it could have been. We hadn't exactly planned on choosing him, but he decided to attack us, and we made the best of the situation. We also removed the curse of Harrenhal and used its power to enrich the lands, which spread all the way to the Iron Islands. And now, without the Drowned God guiding them, the Ironborn fought amongst themselves, and far smaller a war than the one that was fated to happen."
The young princess could not believe her ears. She did not care much for the Drowned God or the Ironborn. In fact, very few people in the Seven Kingdoms even tolerated the reavers, and many welcomed the civil war that was slowly wiping them out.
However, the idea that there was an agenda behind the Potters' actions made Helaena feel oddly betrayed by this revelation. They had used her nightmares and extinguished the green and black flames that would have destroyed everything, and it was all for a ritual, to kill a god and take its power.
The words left her mouth before she even realised she opened it, "Is that why you healed my father? Is that why you have been so focused on my family? Are we all simply just pawns in a game of yours, all in the hopes that you would slay our gods?"
"Of course not," Lord Harry protested, "We simply wished for the realm to remain stable. There were many other ways to do it, but this seemed like the best one."
Before Helaena could argue further, Mother Rhoyne interjected, "Peace, my dear child. These two had ample opportunity to selfishly slay many gods, but did not do so. The Hill god that your homeland worships, the one who split himself into seven, has been unhurt despite their encounter, and so has the Tree God. Even the Harmonious One, who might have suited their purpose, sang their praises. The Drowned One was not a kind god, nor was he a merciful one. In many ways, they have done you a kindness by ridding the world of him, for had the Dragons punished him for his transgressions, not much would have remained of his islands or his worshippers."
The young girl froze, still feeling slightly betrayed by the Potters' secret, before her eyes widened in realisation, "You volunteered, didn't you? You wish for them to kill you."
"I am old, child. I am weary, and I am alone. I do not have the strength to rebuild, as I have once before, and I do not wish to succumb to the curse once more. This is… for the best. I have been forgotten by most. It is time for me to move on, to fade away, and what better way to do it than in the path of helping one become a mother. I have judged them worthy of my death, if that brings you comfort, dear girl. It is fitting, in a way, for my death to be the first gift of a young mother, perhaps a remembrance of the Goddess I once was, for my spark to live on across Space and Time."
Helaena turned towards the Potters. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She had so many questions, so many doubts about their motivations, but there was only a single question that she truly needed answering, one that she had refrained from asking, perhaps out of shame, or out of fear of the answer.
She looked them in the eyes, her own stinging. "Why did you help me? Why did you take me on adventures, show me the world?"
Lord Harry knelt down and gently put his arm on her shoulder comfortingly, "It had nothing to do with the ritual at all. I just saw a young girl who was afraid of the world, who was tormented by a gift that she did not understand and hoped that I would bring you some joy, that you would learn to enjoy your life."
Helaena sniffed and looked at Lord Harry's eyes and saw nothing but sincerity in them. And yet, despite all this, she looked inwards and activated her gift. She did not know what she was hoping to achieve. She knew that the sorcerer could shield himself from her sight without any issues. However, this time, she looked deeper than she ever had before. She desperately wished to know if Lord Harry was telling the truth, what he truly felt when he looked at her. Then suddenly, something felt right.
Warmth enveloped her like a hug near a warm fire. She could see the man's eyes widening as he understood what she did, before he snorted and muttered, "To learn empathy so quickly without any training. You really are a little overachiever, aren't you? I guess we'll have to work on that."
Lord Harry had allowed her to 'see' him before when they had trained the skill, to use her gifts to see the truths hidden beneath the surface, but this was different; this time, in her doubt, she saw what he felt towards her. The feelings immediately disappeared as soon as he noticed, but she had seen it; nonetheless, the affection he held towards her, the pride he had in her questioning him, the concern he had for what she was learning, and so much more. Something deep inside her knew that this could not be faked, that these were not the feelings of someone who wished to manipulate her.
And so, Helaena looked down, with her greatest concerns abated thanks to a single moment, one that had expressed more than she thought was possible, more than any sequence of words could have. A small smile grew on her face nonetheless.
The sorcerer gave her a kind look, "Are we good?"
She nodded resolutely. Lord Harry then turned towards the floating goddess, "Are you sure about this? You have just recovered from…"
Mother Rhoyne gave him an exasperated look and interrupted him, "I am. It is fitting in many ways; no mother should outlive her child, and I have done that for long enough."
Right as the man was about to reply, two figures appeared behind them, specifically, the Old Man in the River and the Crab King. They stared at Mother Rhoyne with both elation and sadness. Her own smile widened even further, even if her eyes grew sadder, "You have served me well, children. But all things should come to an end. I will miss you both very much and thank you."
Both giant creatures bowed in silence, and the woman turned towards Lord Harry, "I am ready now."
The sorcerer nodded and, from his pocket, took out a large crimson gem that felt strangely empty. It was misshapen, and the size of his fist. He grabbed it and walked up to the statue, and released a mournful song as he put the gem on the statue's forehead.
There was much in Lord Harry's song, but Helaena could not put it into words, a lament for something long lost. The song echoed through the great hall, stirring the river beneath them into gentle ripples, and the goddess closed her eyes, tears growing in her eyes.
Then the gem ignited, and for a moment, the world held its breath.
Then slowly, the Black Stone started to crack, with pieces slowly crumbling down, turning into a muddy black liquid. The glowing version of the goddess had a small smile in her teary eyes as she slowly faded away, being dispelled into motes of golden light, which flew into the clear sky above them.
It looked strangely beautiful and perhaps even anticlimactic for the death of a goddess. Yet, Helaena could not call it unfitting. With the deed done, Lord Harry gently put the glowing jewel in his pocket and stared at the ruins of Chroyane.
He frowned as he looked down and saw the stone men crumbling into nothing in the water, the curse of Greyscale vanishing from the world, and a resolute look grew on his face.
He took a deep breath and raised his hand. A gigantic spinning circle of golden light appeared above the city, one that grew with every moment, with small motes of light, rising from the river, from the stone men, empowering it. Then after a few minutes, the circle pulsed and collapsed back into Lord Harry's hand like a ball, which he let erupt, showering the world in gold.
Helaena opened her mouth to ask him what he had done, only for something impossible to occur. She saw the Palace that they all stood in, slowly rebuild itself, all with every piece of stone having a small shine of gold.
The young princess walked towards one of the windows and saw greenery and plant life returning to the previously ruined city. Even the river looked purer, in some way. Yet, she noticed that Lord Harry hadn't restored anything but the Palace, even if the ruins outside it were dissipating away into motes of golden light as well.
Still, she couldn't help but ask, "Why only the Palace?"
"It is a monument to Mother Rhoyne, and it holds a spark of her. Magic remembers, and this place has held the love of a Goddess for thousands of years. Maybe one day, people would come here and build settlements in this place, but for now, the palace itself will remain hidden by my spell, until such time as the Palace chooses to reveal itself."
"YOU HAVE OUR THANKS," The Old Man of the River replied loudly.
"Are you going to stay here, near the palace?" Lady Daphne asked.
"NO," the giant crab retorted.
Then, they both started to dissipate into golden motes of light as well. Lord Harry's eyes widened, "You're…"
"PROJECTIONS OF MOTHER, BORN OF HER LONELINESS. SHE TRUSTED US TO PROTECT HER, AND WE HAVE FOR EONS. BUT NOW, SHE IS GONE AND SO WILL WE."
Tears stung down her cheeks as she watched the sad scene, with both giant creatures dissipating into nothingness.
The ship ride out of Chroyane was in complete silence. She had to admit that Lord Harry's work was beautiful. The ruins of the city were gone, leaving nothing but a clear, beautiful river, and in the distance, a magnificent palace with a golden sheen, a trace of the sorcerer's magic, that seemed to fade away the further they entered, almost becoming invisible as they sailed further away.
Helaena knew that she still had many questions for the Potters, but she would wait until the moment ended, until they took her back to King's Landing.
Of course, that was when, suddenly, she found herself staring at three large ships in front of her, having seemingly appeared out of nowhere. They unsheathed their weapons and pointed them at them. Helaena recognised them as pirates immediately, knowing that they were common in the Sorrows, an infamous stretch of the River Rhoyne.
However, she was immediately confused as she saw hundreds of strange, thin men, who looked almost too pale to be alive, with blue lips, appearing on the shores of the river.
The hundred thin men spoke up at once, their voice echoing across the river, "We greet you with joy. You sail under an auspicious tide. You have been granted the rare honour of serving the interests of the Undying Ones, where you shall experience their wisdom and truth."
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AN: This chapter took a lot out of me, and I don't know if the reveal came out like I wanted it to, or if I explained it well enough. Essentially, Daphne screwed up with the ritual when she took Astoria's curse, and now, she can't have kids. They found a ritual where they needed the power of three gods to power it, but they can't just kill them, since that can have devastating consequences. Mother Rhoyne volunteered instead of being infected by greyscale again. As usual, please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
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If you want to support me, check out my patréon at https://www.patréon.com/athassprkr
I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions on them, so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.
Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.