Sundas, the 2nd of Sun's Dusk, 5E 10

King's Landing

King's Landing was abuzz with celebration and laughter. The streets were bustling with people and guards. The sigils of House Nalldiir, three scimitars were surrounding a shield, on which was the three-headed dragon of House Targaryen, were hanging on banners from almost every window. And everyone had a right to celebrate, it was Lady Nesaerys Nalldiir's tenth Nameday celebration.

The shops, markets, taverns, and whorehouses had never seen so much activity… in a long time, in all senses of the word. The new Dragonborn dynasty had managed to fix many of the problems of the previous rulerships, like the economy, social justice and neglect.

King's Landing itself had expanded and was better streamlined. Beggars were not so much of a problem, as there was always work, food, and money enough for all those who earned it. Those who deliberately chose to be lazy were left to their own devices. The sick and the afflicted were treated at the newly built Temple of the Divines. Businesses thrived on the renewed trade with Tamriel, Essos, and other realms. With the influx of money, Nakos was more than able to pay the Iron Bank back the money it was owed by the previous monarchy, thus ensuring excellent relations with its neighbor across the Narrow Sea.

Though people had been celebrating in advance over the few days before Nesaerys' nameday, the celebration today mostly took place on the tourney grounds. In keeping with the traditions of Westeros, Nakos decided to hold tournaments of all kinds: horse-racing, axe-throwing, archery, jousting, and the melee were amongst them, as well as a few others. There were also a large numbers of side-events, including puppet shows for the children, mummer performances and many others. Vast quantities of food and drink were consumed during the past few days. The blacksmiths were especially busy, sharpening weapons and smithing armor, and they not only made steel weapons, but elven, glass, and ebony weapons as well… for those that could afford it. Nakos kept the secrets for smithing Daedric and dragonbone weapons to himself and those he trusted in the Red Keep, though.

Many nobles from the noble Houses came to King's Landing to celebrate with Nakos and Daenerys. The Starks were there, as well as the Baratheons, and the Tyrells. All of the lords and ladies were there on the tourney grounds watching and waiting in glee for the events to begin. When a horn blew, everyone stood and bowed as Nakos and Daenerys entered and took their seats under the royal pavilion, which was surrounded by the Royal Guard. Nakos took his seat and Dany sat next to him, along with Nesaerys and Rhaelor, their son, who was born a little less than two years after Nesaerys. Like his sister, he too had a mixed complexion. But his hair was a white blond, like his mother, and he had the brown eyes of his father. And like both his parents, he had the ability of a Dragonborn.

Nakos' adopted children, Sofie and Alesan, were also with them. Alesan sat next to Nakos, while Sofie sat next to Daenerys. They adjusted very well to life in Westeros when they arrived ten years ago, and were justifiably surprised when they learned their adoptive father had become king. Not that it bothered them. It meant that they would be treated as royalty, which they admitted was even more than Nakos had treated them while they lived in Skyrim. And it was certainly a step up from being orphans and being treated like dirt in Skyrim. Both Sofie and Alesan were now seventeen years old, and both had had their fair share of proposals from young nobles... Sofie, especially. Nakos left it up to Sofie to decide, but she turned down every single man who offered his hand in marriage.

Alesan also caught the attention of many a noble lady… and a few men, in Westeros and during the festivals, he had been invited to visit their castles. Alesan claimed not to have any interest, but Nakos could see that he had his eye on Stannis Baratheon's daughter, Shireen Baratheon.

The sounding of the horns meant that the events were about to start. The herald stepped forward and Nakos heard a few whispers coming from the crowd when they saw he was an elf, a tall Bosmer to be exact. But it did not seem to faze him as he held up a hand and stood tall. "My lords," He bowed the nobles that all stood on one side. "My ladies!" He then turned to face the commoners, "And everyone else here not sitting on a cushion!" Cheers and laughs rang out from the crowd, including the nobles. "No offense to His Grace," he added quickly, and everyone laughed. "Today, you are all here… before the Hero of Westeros. The King of the Andals and of the First Men. And you all have the pride, the privilege… nay, the pleasure, to stand here with him. For he sees you all as equals!" More cheers. "Today, we celebrate the tenth nameday of Lady Nesaerys Targaryen! And to continue the celebrations, we have several tournaments and events for your viewing pleasure! Axe-throwing! Horse-racing! Archery! The melee! And of course, jousting!" At the mention of each event, the people gave one short but loud cheer, and cheered together when he mentioned jousting.

"Let us begin with the axe-throwing competition! The first contestant, Roddy Rivers!"

There was sparse applause as the large man walked forward and took an axe from the table. Getting into position and getting a running start, he threw the axe into the target log, just missing the middle dot by a few inches to the left.

"And now," the herald announced. "His opponent, Valdimar!"

There was more applause for the Nord as he took up a balanced steel throwing axe from the table and got into position. The Nord spellsword knew he had a tough throw to beat him out. Valdimar tensed his legs and using an unconventional throw, he threw the axe under-armed, spinning the axe on the opposite direction. The throw swung true, striking the target dead center. Cheers erupted from the crown and Valdimar raised his hands high in victory.

"The winner of the axe-throwing competition… is Valdimar!" declared the herald, who presented Valdimar with an enchanted dragonbone battleaxe.

"My gift to you, Valdimar!" Nakos called from his seat in the pavilion.

"Thank you, Your Grace," Valdimar bowed low and proudly strapped the battleaxe to his back.

"Why did Valdimar through the axe like that?" Sofie asked.

"I honestly do not know," Nakos answered, "but it worked for him."

"But I doubt it would work in a battle," the young Nord girl retorted with a smirk.

"True," Nakos agreed, but said no more as the herald announced the next event: horse-racing. He was surprised when Sofie got up. "You didn't tell me you were participating."

She only shrugged. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

It certainly is one, Nakos thought, but he smiled, actually proud of her. "Ride well, daughter." And ride she did. The course took them all around the outskirts of King's Landing and she beat all of the other contestants, who were all men. Of course, they were all disappointed that they had lost to a woman.

"And what shall the prize be for Sofie, Your Grace?" the herald asked.

Nakos thought for a moment, then smirked. "I will give you permission to ride Shadowmere, provided he allows you on his back."

Sofie squealed and ran to hug her father. "Thank you, thank you," she exclaimed and returned to her seat as the herald announced the archery contest.

Nakos smiled and turned to Alesan, "Should I expect a surprise from you as well?"

Alesan smiled and stood, but was equally surprised when his father stood as well. "Really?"

Nakos shrugged. "You didn't think I would pass up an archery contest, did you?"

The herald stumbled on his words when he noticed Nakos among them, but quickly composed himself. "First, Aiden of House Penrose."

Aiden nocked an arrow and aimed, but it was well right of the bull's eye. He cursed to himself and shot another arrow with the same result. Another went wide left, and the last fell short. Several people in the crowd snickered, but stopped once Nakos looked their general direction. When Aiden was done, a sympathetic applause came from the crowd, led by Daenerys.

"Next, Alesan, of House Nalldiir," the herald said.

Alesan proudly stepped up and nocked an arrow. Taking a deep breath, he let it loose and it struck just left of the bulls-eye. The second hit below the first. The third hit below the bulls-eye and the last hit just right. Applause came from the crowd.

"Next, Anguy of the Riverlands."

The man truly impressed Nakos as he took arrow after arrow and send them into the bulls-eye with quick succession. Gasps of surprise and astonishment came from the crowd followed by applause. He turned to Nakos and winked, "You have quite a feat ahead of you, Your Grace."

"Yes," Nakos feigned nervousness. "It appears so."

The herald straightened his back. "And now, His Grace! Nakos of House Nalldiir. King of the Seven Kingdoms!"

All applauded as Nakos calmly walked up and did the same feat as Anguy had did, if not faster. The response was the same for him as it was for Anguy. Nakos looked back at the man and winked.

"Ummm…. the….." the herald stammered, not sure who to announce as the winner.

"Give the prize to him," Nakos said, smiling at Anguy. "He earned it."

Now it was Anguy who was taken aback. He got on one knee, "Thank you, Your Grace."

Nakos smiled and handed an ebony bow to Anguy. "I smithed it myself."

Anguy's eyes went wide when he saw it and he ran his hands over the bow, admiring the craftsmanship. "A beautiful bow. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Nakos replied as he and Alesan went back to their seats under the pavilion, and as they made their way back, he saw Alesan steal a glance and wink towards Shireen Baratheon. The daughter of Stannis was about his age, and still bore the remnants of the grayscale that almost killed her. A patch of gray, dry skin ran down one cheek and the side of her neck. But that did not take away from her beauty. Shireen smiled and gave a small curtsey back to Alesan.

As they took their seats, Nesaerys seemed confused. "Why didn't you take the prize for yourself, Father?" she asked. "You easily won."

"We performed equally well, Nesy," Nakos answered. "But I am a humble man. I do not need any more accolades than I already have."

Nesaerys seemed a little confused by his answer, but said nothing as the herald announced the melee. Several men came forward, all of them were heavily armored… all but two, which didn't surprise Nakos. Bronn and Oberyn Martell were not ones to use heavy armor. Leather would have been good enough for them if they had the choice. Bronn elected to keep his dragonscale armor while Oberyn wore glass armor, a gift from Nakos a few years back.

The fight was long, but entertaining. Both Bronn and Oberyn used their lithe builds and quickness to their advantage, and beat all their opponents until there was just the two of them left. They circled each other, feeling each other out. But soon the bout began. Both Bronn and Oberyn were very evenly matched and it was unclear who had the upper hand. Then, in a quick succession of strikes, Bronn seemed to gain the advantage. His quick attacks forced Oberyn to quickly back away as he continued to block them. But then Oberyn spun his spear in a circle, knocking Bronn's sword out of his hands. Quick as a snake, he lunged with the butt end of his spear hitting Bronn in the chest.

The armor stopped most of the brunt of the blow, but it was still surprisingly strong and knocked some of the wind out of Bronn. Before he knew it, Oberyn had the blade of the spear at Bronn's neck. Bronn lifted his hands. "I suppose this is the part where I should yield."

"Indeed, Ser Bronn," Oberyn said with a smirk.

Nakos and the rest of the people applauded, but when he looked at Dany and his children, he noticed Nesaerys had her attention elsewhere, her violet eyes glowing. Following her gaze, he smirked when he saw who she was looking at: Eddard Stark, Robb Stark's son. Eddard was a few months older than her, and had a large tuft of brown hair, looking a lot like Robb Stark. Eddard was also staring back at her, smirking. When his eyes fell on Nakos, Nakos decided to have some fun with the young boy and furrowed his brow at him. Eddard went white and turned away in embarrassment. Nakos chuckled. It's like Rhaegar and Lyanna all over again, only under better circumstances, Nakos thought to himself as he nodded to Robb Stark and his wife Talisa.

Catelyn and Sansa Stark were there as well, both recently returned from Skyrim. Catelyn had passed her title of Jarl to someone else and returned to Westeros and Winterfell. Sansa Stark graduated from the College of Winterhold and was now a Master of Destruction and Conjuration Magic. She never displayed her abilities in public, though. Magic was still a new thing to Westeros, and the new Wolfswood College of Magic in the North was still met with tension. This college was specifically for those from Tamriel who wanted to live in the North, but still wanted to develop their innate magic abilities. Arya Stark was nowhere to be seen with her family, but Nakos knew she was close by, no doubt hiding in the shadows.

"I'm surprised you didn't enter the melee, Your Grace," Robb said when they made eye contact.

"It wouldn't have been a fair fight, Lord Stark," Nakos replied with a mischievous grin. "For any of the combatants."

"Finally!" the herald called out, his voice quieting the crowd. "The event you've all been waiting for." The elf paused for dramatic effect. "The joust!" The grounds were filled with cheers as at least sixteen knights lined up. Nakos saw sigils from several Houses: Stark, Baratheon, Tyrell, Payne, Dayne, Penrose, and a few others. The knights got off their horses and bowed low.

"Proceed!" Nakos said, eliciting more cheers. The jousting event was to be a bracket single-elimination tournament. The first two contestants were Ser Kober of House Manwoody and Ser Craige of House Oakheart. They took their places on either side of the divider and at the signal ran at each other. Ser Craige's lance broke off of Ser Kober's body, earning him a point. On their next run, Ser Craige knocked his opponent off his horse, thus winning his round.

As the rest of the event played out, lords and ladies began placing bets on who would win. The jousting was the longest event, but soon it was Ser Loras Tyrell who ended up winning. As the crowds cheered, he carefully approached the pavilion, and when Nakos allowed him closer, He gave a wreath of flowers to Sofie, who blushed a bright red.

Loras' victory marked the end of the events, and the lords and ladies began to disperse back into the city for the rest of the celebration and other events, but Nakos and Dany spent some time talking with the lords and ladies who remained. He soon came across Lady Margaery and Lady Olenna of House Tyrell.

"My ladies," Nakos kissed the hands of both the women.

"Your Grace," Margaery bowed. "How have you been?"

"Well, thank you," Nakos replied. "Lady Olenna, I am glad to see you are still as healthy as ever."

"I'm glad you do," the Queen of Thorns replied. "I know of many who would have liked to see me die of old age. I am glad to disappoint them."

"As am I," Nakos said with a chuckle. The older Tyrell woman had not changed a bit, still sharp with her tongue as ever. He looked at Loras. "Your brother rode well, Lady Margaery."

"As he always had," the former queen replied. "He won his last jousting contest here when it was King Robert Baratheon's nameday, and he fought well during the Battle of King's Landing."

Nakos could tell there was something they wanted to ask him. "My ladies, there is no reason to play the Game with me. You wish to ask something of me."

Margaery chuckled. "Forgive me, Your Grace. It has been a while since we had a true, honest ruler. My grandmother and I wished to ask a favor of you, but we did not know how to proceed." She paused for a moment. "We wished to know if it were possible for Ser Loras to serve in the Royal Guard."

"And you hesitated because of Ser Loras'... tendencies," Nakos completed their thought.

"I suppose I shouldn't bother asking how you knew," Olenna replied a little harsher than she meant.

"What my grandmother means," Margaery piped up quickly, "was that we did not think you would approve.

Nakos only shrugged. "I lost count of how many couples I've seen in Skyrim who were of the same gender. Different race, perhaps. But the same gender, nonetheless. If Ser Loras wishes, I can consider adding him to the Royal Guard. No promises, though. If not in the Royal Guard, then he will definitely have a place in the City Guard."

Margaery and Olenna seemed to breathe a bit easier. "Thank you, Your Grace."

Nakos wanted to keep the conversation going with other nobles, but one look from Tyrion told him otherwise. It was a look that meant the Royal Council needed to meet… and now.

"I apologize for taking you away from your daughter's Nameday celebration, Your Grace," Tyrion said as he waddled toward the Royal Council room in the Red Keep, Nakos and Dany following close behind.

"I will try and apologize to her tonight," Nakos sighed. "I only hope she will understand." They soon reached the Royal Council room, where the rest of the council waited. When Nakos and Dany walked in, they stood to their feet and bowed.

"What was so urgent that you had to tell me now?" Nakos asked as he took his seat at the head of the table, Dany sitting beside him.

Varys slid letters towards them. Nakos opened them as he spoke. "Messages from our little birds in Essos," Varys said. "There have been reports of revolts in Meereen and the other slave cities. There was even a few men who tried to take power and declare themselves king."

"I assume these men were... taken care of," Dany asked, and everyone knew what she meant.

Brynjolf chuckled. "Of course. Even though you two don't have royal authority over them, our messages were more than enough for them to… abdicate their power. There was one stubborn man, Ashkan Kumaana, who took power in Yunkai. But the Dark Brotherhood saw to him, and made it look like he was killed by his own men."

"And how much did we have to pay them?" Urag gro-Shub, the Master of Coin, asked. When he first came to King's Landing, he received several looks of fear. That was understandable, considering he was an orc. But since his position kept him in the books and out of the eyes of many others, almost everyone, besides the Royal Council, forgot he existed… and he liked it. "I assume their asking price was very high."

"Not exactly," Nakos answered. "We have some… influence with the Dark Brotherhood and Faceless Men. They are in our debt." Of course, Nakos was not about to tell him the truth. The Dark Brotherhood were only too glad to help Nakos and end all threats to him and Westeros and to the work he had done.

"But are the rumors true?" Dercin, the new Grand Maester asked. He was not as old as Pycelle, and still had hair, which wrapped around his head like a horseshoe. "I've heard that these two despicable groups have joined together."

"That, I do not know," Nakos lied, so as not to draw unwanted attention. "I find it better to not ask too many questions of assassin groups. They prefer anonymity." In truth, Nakos had brought the two groups together. It made sense, the Faceless Men were once part of Dark Brotherhood, after all.

The Dark Brotherhood had sanctuaries spread out around the world, in Tamirel, Westeros, Essos, and elsewhere. Of course, only members of the Dark Brotherhood knew about them. If a Brother or Sister needed a safe haven or lodgings, they could visit the closest sanctuary. It was rumored that a group of sanctuaries in Essos came together and dove deep into the arcane arts. Though they were technically still part of the Dark Brotherhood, they became known as the Faceless Men to those around them because of their newfound ability to change their facial appearance entirely.

"Isn't it your job to know?" Dercin asked, not trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

Nakos was unintimidated. He wished that he had no need of a Grand Maester, but such were the ways of Westeros. Not many things were easily changeable. "They are the Dark Brotherhood and the Faceless Men, Grand Maester. They do not tell their secrets to those outside their organization. How am I to know what they do?"

"The Dark Brotherhood are from Tamriel, are they not?" Dercin snapped back.

"And they tried to kill me on more than one occasion. I think that tells you all you need to know about what they think of me." That was the truth, but that was before Nakos became the Listener and leader of the assassin group. Nakos' glare told Dercin to end the argument and the old man relented. But Nakos could see in his face that there was more he wanted to say.

Stannis Baratheon, the Master of Laws, cleared his throat. "Then what do you suppose we do? Our laws do not extend across the Narrow Sea to Essos, and there are always more men like Ashkan who will rise up and try to overthrow the leaders you placed there."

"And you cannot always rely on assassins, Your Grace," Dercin spoke up. "They work for money, and only money. I hope you don't expect to keep paying assassins when a problem arises. We will soon be in debt again, and the Kingdom will not approve of their King associating with known scum."

Nakos sighed, feigning defeat. "Very well," he looked to Brynjolf and Varys. "Keep an eye on those assassins, and make sure they don't try anything. I have faith you can do that." The look he gave them were only understood by those two. They knew he meant the exact opposite. If any more trouble arises, make sure the assassins deal with it, he was saying.

"Certainly, Your Grace," Varys said, bowing his head. Brynjolf nodded as well.

"Changing the subject," Dany said, turning to Theon Greyjoy, the Master of Ships, and Rikke, Commander of the Royal Army. "How goes our Royal Navy and Army?"

"Very well," Rikke said with a smile. "Sorine has managed to teach all our military blacksmiths how to smith better weapons and armor. They can now smith with ebony. She has also built dwarven ballistas for our infantry."

"She has also managed to build larger dwarven ballistas to fit onto our ships," Theon said with a smile. "We have yet to try them in actual warfare, though, but if I am confident they will be effective."

"That's good to hear," Nakos gave a smile of his own. "Is there anything else?" No one responded. "Very well, this council is over." As the members stood and began to leave, Nakos called out to a member in particular. "Tyrion. Would you mind remaining here for a moment?"

Tyrion nodded and waited until the rest of the members were gone. "Well, Your Grace. You face your biggest threat since Dagon," he said with a wry smile. "And yet you don't seem to have lost your ability to lead."

"This is nothing compared to Dagon," Nakos said with a chuckle.

"Are you sure?" Tyrion didn't seem to believe him. "You're not just leading an army now. You're leading a whole country. Quite a difference."

"I've been leading this country for ten years."

"And yet during that time, you have not met with much heavy resistance or trouble until now," Tyrion replied.

"What do you suggest we do?" Dany asked. "When I was in Essos, I fought so that no child born into Slaver's Bay would ever know what it meant to be bought or sold. I will continue that fight."

"You've taken the right step already," answered the Imp. "But it may not be enough." He looked at Nakos. "I thought you hated assassins."

"I do," Nakos replied. "But sometimes you must do things you don't like in order to protect the innocent, as I am sure all three of us can attest to, as can Varys and Brynjolf."

Tyrion nodded, following Nakos' reasoning. "I am sure Varys did what he had to do to survive. He did a lot of other things as well, things he didn't have to do. I suspect he's the main reason Dany wasn't slaughtered in her crib."

"And you trust him," Dany said. It wasn't a question.

"He may be the only person in the world I trust, besides you two, of course."

"Good. Then I am confident you can make sure that word of these assassins does not leak to the public."

Tyrion smiled. "Leave it to me, Your Grace."

Tirdas, the 4th of Sun's Dusk, 5E 10

Braavos, Essos

Maeros Sorrel, the Sealord of Braavos, stood at the window of the top of the Sealord's Palace as several ships had recently arrived into the harbor. They were not flying any sigil or standard, and that alone raised his suspicions. Piracy was rampant in the Narrow Sea and the other surrounding seas, and many witnesses had always said that the offending ships did not fly any standard or sigil. He had his men investigate the ships and look for any known pirates in the area, in case the ships belonged to them.

"Have you found anything?" Maeros asked Belyrio Maegiris, when he had returned.

"The ships do not belong to any pirates, Sealord," Belyrio replied, surprise palpable in his voice.

Maeros turned from the window to face the man. "Then who do they belong to?"

"Strange men and women wearing stranger garb. I've never seen their like, not since the battle with the devils beyond the Wall."

Maeros looked surprised. "From Tamriel?"

"Indeed," Belyrio nodded. "The ones with golden skin and pointed ears. And they say they're here to see you."

Maeros' eyebrows raised in surprise. "Me? What in the Seven Hells for?"

"They would not say. But they said it was of the utmost importance."

Maeros wondered why more people from Tamirel would be here. He knew that many of them stayed in Westeros, but here? In Essos? In Braavos? He should find out, and then send word to King's Landing. "Send them in, Belyrio."

A few moments later, two tall, thin Altmer walked in. "Welcome, friends, to the Free City of Braavos," Maeros greeted them. "I am Maeros Sorrel, the Sealord of Braavos."

One of the elves walked forward. He was slightly taller than the rest and carried himself as if he was in charge. "Greetings, Sealord. I am Ancano, Thalmor Justiciar and Emissary of the Third Aldmeri Dominion."

Maeros gestured to the open seats. "Please, sit, Lord Ancano. What brings you to Braavos?"

Ancano took a seat and crossed his legs. "Nakos sent us."

"The King of Westeros?" Maeros couldn't believe his ears.

Ancano looked at his fellow Thalmor, Neldur, and tilted his head. "King Nakos didn't tell you," he stated rather than asked.

The Sealord cast his glance between the two Altmer. "Tell me what?"

Ancano and Neldur chuckled. "Westeros wishes to establish trade," Neldur answered. "As does Tamriel. We already have avenues of trade with the Iron Bank and many of the other Free Cities, but we have yet to make official contact with yourself, or many places further east. What say you?"

Maeros tented his fingertips. "What exactly would these… avenues of trade entail?"

"Resources, weapons," Ancano shrugged. "Whatever was being traded during the War of Westeros." Ancano then leaned forward. "And information."

Maeros' interest was piqued. "What kind of information?"

The two elves laughed. "You don't expect us to tell you that without some assurance, did you?" Ancano asked.

The Sealord sighed. "Of course not." Even these foreigners know how to play the Game, he thought. "What does the King want in return?"

"Just your co-operation," Neldur replied.

"He had my co-operation during the War of Westeros," Maeros replied with a shrug. "And he still has it, though I am sure he does not expect us to bend the knee. We are one of the Free Cities, after all."

"Oh no, nothing of that nature," Ancano said with a wave of his hand. "We were hoping to create a more permanent alliance is all. Free trade agreements would do wonders for the economies of both our nations. The specific information we require is nothing dire, I can assure you."

Maeros bit his lips in thought. "I cannot make such a large decision right at this moment. Not after we have only just met. Call me untrustworthy if you wish, but allow me to think on it. In the meantime," the Sealord stood. "I invite you to stay in Braavos and extend my hospitality. I would like to extend an invitation for you to dine with me tonight. Perhaps we can talk more, then."

Ancano and Neldur exchanged a glance and a smile. "We graciously accept."

Tirdas, the 4th of Sun's Dusk, 5E 10

Red Keep, King's Landing

Nakos and the rest of his family sat in their private dining room, enjoying a dinner of grilled goat and beef, chicken pie, beef stew, green salad, and wine for Nakos and Dany, and the older children, Sofie and Alesan. The younger children, Nesaerys was given some sweetwater, and Rhaelor was given some warm milk.

Tyrion and Cersei sat alongside Olenna, Margaery, and Loras Tyrell, while on the opposite side of the table sat the Stark Family: Robb, Talisa, Robb's son Eddard, Catelyn, Sansa, Arya, Bran, and Rickon. Robb was now almost thirty years old, but still looked as young as he did when Nakos met him. Sansa was now about twenty-six and sat gracefully at the table. Arya was a little younger, about twenty-three. It was still a little weird for Nakos seeing her in normal clothes; he normally saw her in her Dark Brotherhood garb. Bran was about Sofie's and Alesan's age, about seventeen and Rickon had recently turned fifteen.

"Thank you for the invitation, Your Grace," Catelyn Stark said with a smile of satisfaction.

"You're quite welcome, Lady Stark," Nakos replied. "I'm glad to have you here in King's Landing, and under better circumstances. I'm sure the last time you were here, things were not as cheerful. For any of you."

"No, they weren't," Lady Catelyn admitted. "But times have changed for the better, especially since your arrival to Westeros."

Nakos smiled at the memory. It had been a long time since he had came to Westeros to investigate the White Walkers. "I hope to continue to change this world for the better."

"So," Catelyn turned to his adopted children. "How are you adjusting to life in King's Landing?"

"Well, my lady," Sofie said with a smile and bow of her head. "It's been strange. I've never had a hand-maiden or people waiting on me before. But I am glad to be back here with my father."

Tyrion grinned. "I had heard Lydia did look after you and your brother quite well during Nakos' extended absence befor the War beyond the Wall. Imagine a Royal Guard as a handmaiden." Chuckles rippled across the table.

"Good thing she isn't here to hear that," Nakos replied. "She would toss you across the room."

"Oh," Tyrion's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Is dwarf-tossing a thing in Skyrim?" More laughter.

"Speaking of Skyrim," Lady Olenna piped up. "Lady Sansa. Lady Arya. I heard you two were living there for quite some time."

"We have, Lady Olenna," Sansa answered. "Though I am glad to be back home."

"Is it true what they say?" the Queen of Thorns. "That you are leader of that… magic college in the North."

All eyes were on Sansa. "I have been receiving some help from my teachers and tutors from Tamriel. But yes, I run the day-to-day operations for the new Wolfswood College."

"Huh," Olenna huffed. "What interesting times we live in. I never thought I would see the day that foreigners from Tamriel would be living among us. Where is it they live again?"

Tyrion knew that she knew, but decided to oblige her. "Some live in the Crownlands, but most of the Nords live in the North. And all of them have some innate knowledge of magic. I think Sansa here is the only non-Tamrielian who knows their kind of magic."

"And what of you, Lady Arya?" Margaery asked after a brief moment of silence. "What have you done during your time there?"

After stealing a glance at Nakos, she smiled. "Well, my initial time there was to escape the Lannisters, but I learned a few things while I was there, such as self defense and learning how to use a blade. King Nakos also helped me learn a few things, like tracking and scouting."

Lady Olenna raised her eyebrows. "Why on earth would you need to learn any of those things?"

"Skyrim is not like Westeros, Lady Olenna," Nakos explained. "It is very dangerous there and every person is better off knowing how to wield a sword or a weapon of any kind."

"Besides," Arya added, "if there is one thing I've learned from both my initial time here in King's Landing, and in Skyrim, it's that a woman who does not pick up a sword can still die at the end of one. I personally don't want to feel helpless in the face of someone who wants to kill me or my family ever again."

"A very noble motivation," Loras said with a smile.

"Indeed," Robb nodded. "I had my reservations before when I saw Arya training in Riverrun with Laniel. But now, I thank Nakos that he has trained her."

"What about you, Lady Catelyn," Dany asked. "Has anything of note happened during your time in Skyrim?"

"After taking over the Jarlship of the Rift, the only thing of note that I managed to do before the War against Dagon was help stop an illicit narcotics smuggling trade," Catelyn replied. "But after Dagon's defeat, all I wanted to do was return to Winterfell to ensure that my family were all right. At the time, I had thought that Bran and Rickon were dead and I feared for Robb and Talisa being left all alone with Sansa and Arya in Skyrim with me. With Jon at the Wall, Robb had no family left to turn to, besides my own House Tully. Once the War ended, I gave up my position as Jarl and returned home."

"Where were you two, anyway?" Nakos asked, his interest piqued. He had not known about Bran before he met him North of the Wall with Jon, and did not know about their ordeal with Theon Greyjoy until after the War was over.

Bran cleared his throat. "For the most part, since we escaped Winterfell, we traveled with Jojen and Meera Reed to the North of the Wall. My dreams told me to go there. After a few weeks, I split ways with Rickon. He went west with Osha, a wildling and the Reeds, Hodor, and I continued our journey. It took a while, but eventually we made it and that was where I met Nocturnal. She told me that Rickon was safe and staying with the Umbers. A few weeks after that, I met you."

"It seems the gods are smiling down on your family, Lady Catelyn," Tyrion said with a smile and sipped his wine. "Who knows what would have happened had Nakos and his friends not been here."

Robb shook his head. "I wonder how it would have been if he had arrived earlier. Before Father or King Robert had been killed."

"Or perhaps Jon Arryn," Catelyn added.

"I had heard how Eddard was executed," Nakos said somberly. "And I had often thought about how things would have been different had I been there to stop it. But I think that despite your father being alive, war would still have been the outcome, and we would still be where we are now… even with your father here." He leaned forward. "That would not have changed the fact that Dagon was north of the Wall. Still, Eddard and Robert's deaths caused a fracture in the Seven Kingdoms that was almost impossible to heal and get people focused on the real threat Dagon had posed. If anything, we were lucky that Tommen could see enough sense to end the War of Five Kings when he did."

"But now we have the future to look forward to." Tyrion said and looked to his sister. "Cersei. You have been quiet this whole time. Nothing to say?"

Cersei managed a weak smile. "What is there to say, dear brother?" she replied, looking at her little brother, and avoiding everyone else's gaze. "You got what you wanted, Your Grace," she said, finally looking at Nakos. "It's panning out better than even you could have imagined. Meanwhile I lived as a glorified maid for eight years because King Joffrey couldn't control his impulses and listen to me."

"That may be true," Nakos replied calmly. "But you are not totally absolved from your own sins and actions."

Cersei glared at Nakos. "When you are raised solely by Tywin Lannister, and you get to hear nothing but his obsession over his legacy every single day, while watching as he degenerates into a cold, unfeeling man before your very eyes, Your Grace, then maybe you would have the right to cast judgement over what I had to do."

"Allying with Mephala was not something influenced by your father," Nakos said firmly. "That was a decision all on your own."

"Wrong. She did come before me... when I was vulnerable. I was angry after that assassin killed Joffrey, and tried to kill me. I thought you were the one who sent him. Everyone on the Small Council didn't want to antagonize you, so they opted to leave you alone in Meereen, and I was angry. Then Lady Mala, as the Daedra posed herself as, came before me, and offered to bring Joffrey back to me."

"Necromancy," Nakos huffed. "You would stoop so low to that?"

"I didn't even know of necromancy at the time," Cersei defended herself. "Joffrey was dead. At the hands of an assassin from Skyrim. And you having the only personal grudge against Joff from that country made me suspect you had sent the assassin. The Council and my father's wise advice to King Tommen was 'Do Nothing.'"

Cersei took a sip of wine and continued. "Mala came and offered me a way to get Joffrey back from the grave. The only price she had, was that I had to remove one of your staunchest supporters from King's Landing. At the time, I was so distraught over my son's death and the council's unwillingness to seek justice, I didn't see any other choice."

Cersei then looked at each parent sitting at the table. "You can't tell me that none of you would have considered the offer had you been in my place. If someone took your child away from any of you. If an enemy came into your very home and poisoned or stabbed one of yours in the night, you would do whatever it took to claim your revenge, or regain what was lost, no matter how impossible it sounded."

Everyone was silent for a moment as they regarded Cersei's words. Then Catelyn spoke. "You may be right. I may have done whatever it took to claim my revenge. However, revenge usually comes back and does more harm to you than good, as you have seen when Mephala tried to kill everyone in King's Landing, including you."

Tyrion placed a hand on his sister's wrist to keep her from saying something she would regret. "I am sure we have all done things we regret," he said, obviously trying to diffuse the situation.

Cersei's eyes were on her younger brother, the very man she had betrayed most directly with her actions, and still he was trying to calm her down and protect her. Her emotions began to well in her eyes, and she turned away and went to stand up. "If you will all excuse me…" she said quietly and turned to leave.

Nakos sighed to himself. "You should see to your sister, Lord Tyrion."

"Yes," Tyrion hopped down from his seat. "I suppose I should." With a bow to the remaining nobles, he waddled to the door where his sister had left.

The Tyrells exchanged puzzled looks, then the Queen of Thorns turned to Nakos. "It would seem some things may never change, Your Grace. Now, have you considered our proposal? Of Ser Loras serving in the Royal Guard?"

Nakos leaned forward again and rested his head on his folded hands. "Tell me, Ser Loras. Is this what you truly want?"

Loras nodded adamantly. "It is, Your Grace. You saved all our lives. It's only right that I serve with the men and women whose purpose is to protect yours. And I am glad that you are not judgmental about my… tendencies. Not many lords or kings would want a man like me close to them."

"And what of the City Guard?" Dany asked. "Would you have any objection to serving there?"

"Speaking honestly, Your Graces," Loras replied. "I feel I would be of better service in the Royal Guard. Patrolling the city is not something I would want to do for so long."

Nakos and Dany exchanged a glance. "Very well. I would be honored for you to join the Royal Guard. We can always use someone like you."

"Thank you, Your Graces," Loras said with a bow of his head.

"I think it's time we excused ourselves, now," Olenna said, standing. "It has been a pleasure, Your Graces." The Tyrells bowed and left.

"Sofie, Alesan," Dany spoke up. "Would you see your siblings to bed?" When Sofie led them away, Nesaerys tried to steal a glance back at Eddard, but her attempt did not go unnoticed, and Nakos could see the Starks trying to hide their amusement.

"Sansa." Robb began to say, but the Stark girl knew what he was going to say.

"Come on, Arya. Bran, Rickon, Eddard." Sansa led her siblings away.

"I suppose you know what I mean to talk about," Nakos said with a smirk.

"Unifying our Houses," Robb replied with a smile. "First the Tarths and now us, the Starks. Should we expect another House to join the fold?" They laughed at the jest.

"I think it makes sense for our Houses to join," Dany explained. "Though your cousin Ser Jon is a product of a non-blessed union between Rhaegar and your aunt Lyanna, I do not think that should stop a true union."

"Agreed," Catelyn said. "And if I were to be honest, knowing the truth about Jon Stark helped me to breathe easier. Now I no longer have to hold all that hostility towards my husband and towards Jon."

"But of course, I would not want to do anything without your say in it," Nakos replied. "If you disagree, I would not hold any animosity towards you."

"Who am I to refuse the Hero of Westeros?" Robb said with a big smile. "I assume you want Nesaerys to marry Eddard."

Both Nakos and Dany nodded. "But they are still both young. Only ten years old. They would not be married for another five years, at least. But we can make the plans in advance."

"I just hope they agree to it of their own choice. I would hate to have them think we made such an important decision for them," Catelyn said in a slight somber tone as she recalled one of the conversations she had with Nakos where he explained how marriage worked in Tamriel. The thoughts of her own house, House Tully, was that their family members could be wedded off to solidify alliances regardless of the feelings of the people to be wed themselves. It was their duty as members of a house to do this. But in Tamriel, marriage was formed out of a union of love, not political advantage.

"From the looks they've given each other, I think they would agree," Dany said with a smirk. "But as my lord husband said, they are still young. We will see how they feel a few years' from now. But it is something to keep in mind."

Tirdas, the 4th of Sun's Dusk, 5E 10

Braavos, Essos

After a fulfilling dinner with the Thalmor representatives, Maeros made his way to his study chambers with Belyrio. They had talked about possible trade resources and weapons. But the Thalmor were still silent on what kind of information they were willing to trade.

"Well, that was about as enlightening as expected," Maeros huffed impatiently.

"We found out next to nothing about these visitors," Belyrio scowled. "Do you wonder what information they are looking for, my lord?"

"No, and I hate not knowing. They may be from Tamriel, but I felt uneasy around them. I didn't feel this way around the others from that country." Maeros then looked at Belyrio with an uneasy expression. "I have a bad feeling about these Thalmor. Send a message to King Nakos, find out if he knows anything about them."

Belyrio nodded and walked down the other end of the hallway while Maeros continued to make his way to his study. As he opened the door, he has met with the cold wind that blowing in from an open window. He cursed to himself for leaving the window open and crossed over to close it. Before Maeros could get to the window, he felt movement behind him. He quickly turned around, but saw no one.

When he turned back, he jumped in surprise when he saw Ancano standing in front of him. "Oh! Lord Ancano. You startled me!"

"Sealord Maeros," Ancano said rather monotonically. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, yes. I just was not expecting you to be here. I thought you had retired for the night."

"Why would I retire when there is much work to do?"

Maeros furrowed his brow and walked to his desk. "I thought we discussed what we needed to at length over dinner." It wasn't a question.

"We did," Ancano said calmly. "But I did have a question."

Maeros sighed impatiently. "And what question is that?"

"Why would you need to send ravens to King Nakos?"

Maeros' heart skipped a beat, but he kept himself calm. "You have been spying on me." Again, it wasn't a question.

Ancano shrugged. "I spy on all those who could be potential allies," his face turned into a sneer ever so slightly. "Or enemies. We Thalmor value our allies, and terminate our enemies."

Maeros stared at the Altmer. "So what am I? Ally? Or enemy?"

"It depends," Ancano walked forward menacingly. "What will be in the letters you plan to send to Nakos?"

Maeros scowled deeply. "Nothing that should be of any concern to you, Ancano. Suspiciously, you seem to be rather defensive about King's Landing, don't you think? One would think that you have something to hide from the man who supposedly sent you here."

"Careful now, Sealord," Ancano grinned, but there was evil behind it. "You do not wish to be making accusations blindly on a visiting dignitary, would you?"

"Why? Am I beginning to make sense?"

Ancano huffed and smirked coldly. "Not at all, but you humans are always overeager to embrace convenient half-truths when they suit your purposes." The Altmer sighed slightly. "But, it seems you would be more useful to us as a corpse rather than an ally after all…"

Before Maeros could reply or react, Ancano drew his Justiciar Saber and with the tip, sliced the Sealord's throat open. Maeros gurgled and grasped at the oozing wound, but it was of no use. Blood continued to pour as Maeros fell to the floor, gurgling, until he fell silent.

"Do not worry, former Sealord of Braavos. Your murderers shall be brought to Justice in the name of the Thalmor," Ancano said coldly to Maeros' cold dead eyes.

Neldar walked through the door. "It is done. Belyrio is dead," he looked at Maeros' body. "And I see the Sealord is, as well."

"Did he manage to send the ravens?"

Neldar shook his head. "I killed him before he could."

"And I assume you left your parchment?"

Neldar nodded. "What about you?"

Ancano chuckled and took out a parchment from his robe. "Here is mine." He placed the parchment on the table. On it was a black handprint, and under it were the words, We Know.

Ancano smiled an evil smile. "This diversion should draw Nakos' attention away from our more... important projects, and divide his allies nicely."

The subordinate Justiciar bowed and nodded. "I shall send the first action reports back to Alinor, and give Elenwen an update."

Author's Notes: Hello…. and welcome to the first chapter of the sequel to Of Kings, Draugr, and Dragons. I hope you enjoy the journey! Thanks to Darkstorm Zero for co-authoring this chapter with me. We are most likely going to co-author the whole story, so that will save me time from thanking him every chapter. LOL. But in all seriousness, thanks to him and thank you all my followers! Stay tuned for more chapters!

Darkstorm Zero: Hehehe, well, as I predicted, the awesome adventures of Nakos and House Nalldiir shall continue well into the future. We all hope you enjoy the experience, and hopefully answer some of your questions left from the previous installment. Welcome to the rollercoaster ride!