K here's chapter 3 for ya. Hope you all enjoy.
Fire and Shadow, Rise of the Queen of the Abyss
Chapter 3: The Rise of Wrath
-A year goes by, Jon and Lyarra age 13-
It was noted quite quickly by those in Winterfell, the changes in young Jon. He carried himself with more pride than he ever had. He smiled more. And it was these changes that kept Eddard from pressing too hard when he noticed that Jon would now disappear along with his sister.
Seeing the twins happy and having fun, stayed Ned's hand, as much as he wanted to know what they were doing, and where they were going, to see them happy, caused him to take pause. He'd questioned them of course, but they always just said they were out hunting or exploring. Catelyn would mention it from time to time, urging him to put a stop to whatever they were doing. In her mind she couldn't picture them doing anything other then getting into trouble. Of course Ned quickly put an end to it, with a very firm argument about how she didn't want them around anyway, so she didn't have any room to complain about them disappearing. This shut Catelyn up. Jon and Lyarra had overheard the argument and both of their opinions on Lord Stark were elevated after that.
Weeks turned into months, and in that time Jon began to learn magic. Unlike his sister, he didn't use a wand, he found himself capable of using wandless magic, and according to his twin, he actually had very large magical reserves, which surprised her. Apparently, he had more magic than the average magical person did in her age. And when she said that, she was referencing adults, not children. This brought a bit of pride to Jon's personality, to know that he was naturally gifted. More and more he stopped being Jon Snow the bastard of Winterfell, and became Jaehaerys Targaryan, son of Rhaegar Targaryan, and prince of Westoros.
Jon learned wandless magic, and as a focus, his sister decided to help him use rune carvings. As he trained in swordplay, it became apparent that Jon was a natural, and even more so, skilled in two-handed sword fighting. Knowing this, Lyarra thought it would be better for him to learn to channel magic through a sword, and through rune markings. Within a few weeks of starting, Jon had a number of small runes tattooed onto his arms. While not as potent as a wand, they allowed him to use his developing two-handed sword style, while also being able to use magic more effectively.
The first time, Jon used these runes to actually control magic and make a feather float, it was probably the most accomplished he had ever felt in his life up until that point.
Lyarra also started to take Jon out when she would go hunting for bandits and other such scum to practice her magic on. The first time he had watched her easily take down six full grown men, had left him stunned.
The six men were highwayman, who waited in the forest near a road for travelers to ambush and mug. Lyarra had Jon watch from a distance as she took care of them with her magic. Jon watched with morbid fascination as she unleashed a volley of brutal curses on them. One man, she levitated fifty feet into the air, and then dropped to the ground. One was hit with a cutting curse that split him in half perfectly down the middle. Another was his by a flesh melting curse that struck him in the stomach and ate away the flesh of his belly, allowing his organs to spill out. The remaining three were put down by blasting curses that punches holes in their bodies, large enough to fit a grown man's head through.
Needless to say, Jon developed a strong respect for the killing power of magic after that.
As time passed, Jon and Lyarra grew closer, within the fortress, they would use their trueborn names of Visenya and Jaehaerys. Both had accepted that they were Targaryans and that it was their right to bear their true names, at least in private. During this time Jon began to learn a bit more about Lyarra's past, about the life she had lived before, and what she remembered of it. He knew she had a brother back then, a twin like him, and it was why at times she would make a face at him and seemingly get lost in her own thoughts. He knew something had happened between the two, and it had hurt her deeply, so he resolved himself not to ask.
Soon, a year had passed them by. Jon trained every day, growing in strength and skill. By the time he was thirteen, he was one of the most skilled swordsman in Winterfell. Only a few knights, along with his twin, could beat him in a one on one fight. He was also a highly proficient archer, and he had a number of spells that he could perform with ease.
-Another year goes by Jon and Lyarra age 14-
Jon was fourteen, the first time Lyarra and he rode on the back of Midir. The feeling of flying was unlike anything he could possibly describe. The dragon itself was so massive, that it couldn't possibly avoid being spotted, and over the years people had spread rumors of a giant dragon taking up refuge in the mountains to the north. These rumors spread so far that eventually Ned sent several platoons of men up into the mountains along with the mountain clans to look for the beast. They returned not having found a thing. Midir, always went out to sea to feed on fish, and whales that would surface to breath. The dragon was a fully capable swimmer, and the ocean was a huge place so few people noticed him there. Otherwise he was either flying in the clouds or sleeping on some snow covered mountain top.
Still though, being as big as he was, people spotted and heard him, and more than a few times, members of the northern mountain clans would spot the massive dragon sleeping on a mountaintop. Midir mostly slept at night, so his form was often hidden when he would land on a mountain peek or in a valley to sleep. Still though, word spread, and soon people began whispering of a great dragon in the north.
Jon had always wanted to see what it was like to fly, and when Lyarra finally allowed it, the experience was more than he could have ever imagined. Soaring high above the clouds, and looking down to the world was something Jon would never forget. He hugged his sister so tightly, after they had landed. Lyarra couldn't help but note just how much Jon reminded her of Harry when he had first flown on a broom. She guessed it was because both of them grew up wanting to be free, so flight came as a natural outlet for them, but still the resemblance was almost eerie yet at the same time, it saddened her.
Jon quickly fell in love with flying and more often then not, he would call Midir down and fly with him. The dragon was very intelligent, and quickly came to like Jon. Lyarra had said that Archdragons like Midir were smarter then ordinary dragons who were said to be as smart as men. Midir proved this, when he showed himself fully capable of understanding human speech and in avoiding people as well as a creature of that size could.
Seeing her brother so happy, Lyarra resolved herself to either pulling another of her dragon's from the void soon, or finding her brother a dragon egg that she could hatch for him, so that he could fly whenever he wanted to. She expressed this to him, but he made sure to remind her of what happened when she had freed Midir from that place, and that regardless of how much he loved flying, she shouldn't risk anything of that size until she reached her final maturity.
He sounded so much like Harry when he talked like that. Always warning her to be careful, even though she had always been the stronger of the two of them. It was actually kinda sweet, and it helped greatly in her developing feelings for him.
-One more year goes by, Jon and Lyarra age 15-
By the time Jon was fifteen, he was the second best sword fighter in Winterfell, after his sister, and the best archer, by far. He was fully capable of besting Robb and Theon in a two on one duel, and could beat any knight in the north, if he focused enough. By that point in time, Jon was skilled enough at magic, to learn how to use it to strengthen himself, just as his sister did. It was quickly becoming a subconscious thing, meaning that he was faster and stronger then a man of his size should have been.
It was also at this time, that his sister started to tease him in a sexual manner. The way she'd press against him from time to time, or show off her body in provocative manners, clued him into the fact that she wanted him. Jon of course, tried his best to ignore her, but it was just the start of many more years of seduction and teasing.
When he wasn't at Winterfell, he was in the mountain, learning magic, training with the Orcs and Uruks birthed from the Fleshrot trees. Uruks themselves were much larger than orcs, smarter too, and stronger, but as a downside they took a lot longer to make. The Uruks also had much greater endurance then their orc cousins. A fully grown tree produce about two a day, instead of the standard five for orcs. Uruks were the shocktroopers and field commanders of his sister's army. Training with them, taught Jon lessons in pain. His sister was a master at healing spells, so she freely allowed the orcs and Uruks to beat the shit out of her brother. Jon toughened up real fast, and earned the respect of the orcs and uruk-hai that filled the ranks of their blossoming army.
Over the years Lyarra spent much of her time building the fortress, expanding it, and readying it for use in the years to come. The number of orcs grew slowly at first, and it took even longer when she started to produce the much smarter and stronger Uruk-hai, but still, their numbers increased quickly, and by now there was nearing a thousand orcs with about two dozen Uruks to serve as field commanders.
As time had gone by, Jon had learned a great deal about his sister, about who she was and the things she had done and would do. He had always known it was right to fear her. According to her, she had once held so much power, that the ancient gods had, had to intervene on the side of light, and even then, she retaliated by killing the Goddess of Love and Children. When she had told him that, Jon was awed, but a large part of him also took note of the way her face twisted, and her eyes began to glow. It was obvious that such a memory had been painful for her, and Jon also guessed that the Gods had played a part in the betrayal that had turned her into the Dark Lord.
One of the things that surprised him the most as he learned about her past, was that she actually never wanted to rule the world or conquer anything, originally. She was turned to those things after some great pain inflicted on her by someone she loved. She never said who, but Jon had a guess. No, what his sister had always wanted to do with her life was build things.
Yes, that was something that he found truly interesting. At her core, she had always wanted to build great things. Structures, forging, jewelry, paintings, pottery, his sister loved these things in her past life. She loved them and studied magics that aided her in creation. This reflected in her construction of their northern fortress, which had yet to be named.
The fortress had started out so simple, but in spending time with Jon, he saw his sister begin to flourish and a natural creativity blossomed within her.
Jon couldn't help but admire his sister, whenever she focused on construction. She just seemed so lively in those moments, and the dangerous glint her eye, that always served as a warning to what she was and what she was capable of, vanished in those moments, making her seem truly alive and happy.
What once had been sparse and empty halls, quickly filled with decorations and carvings along the walls. What had once stood as a massive empty chamber, now filled with various walkways, and stone structures that were suspended by towering struts formed of stone, enchanted or runed to be unbreakable. The chamber was now filled with life, as stairs and platforms dotted all the walls, and crisscrossed the chamber. Various tunnels along the walls led into side chambers, or rooms, barracks, smithing sections, armories, or various other rooms. In the times spent there, Lyarra was able to truly form it into a fortress.
Vast networks of tunnels now extended throughout the mountain, and beneath the breeding chamber, lay even more tunnels, where mines were constructed wherever natural ore deposits were found. In a few side chambers that were built close the mountain's exterior, forge's were constructed. Because they were close to the mountain's outside, Lyarra was able to build smoke stacks up and out of them. This resulted in several stone structures rising out of the mountain, and as the army grew, smoke began to rise from the forges as the construction of weapons and armor began.
On the exterior of the mountain, along the main staircase, a great battlement was built of stone. A thirty foot stone wall was risen around the mountain, and large towers were constructed to serve as defenses for it. The wall extended all the way around the mountain, starting at one side of the entryway, and ending on the opposite side. Along the stairway leading up to the entry, the wall extended down, all the way to the bottom where a gatehouse was constructed. This ensured that no one could sneak into the fortress, unless they climbed the wall, and with Midir always watching from the skies, and soon orcs, patrolling the wall, that didn't seem likely.
Only a few times, was the fortress ever spotted by the mountain people. When they spotted it, they would cautiously approach, and were always caught by Lyarra who had placed wards up around the fortress as well. She would always obliviate people to make them forget it, and eventually she was able to set up a rune and ward scheme that cast a great glamour over the mountain making the fortress invisible to the naked eye.
The meticulousness of Lyarra's construction efforts was awe-inspiring. She truly was a craftsman at heart, and seeing the fortress come to life and with such speed, helped Jon to form his own belief for the future. If this was what his twin could do, with just her magic, he couldn't help but imagine the wonders she could build if she had the whole of the world at her beck and call.
It was watching her build this fortress, that Jon developed his goal in life. His dream.
Seeing what she could do, what made her truly alive, led Jon to wanting to see her build the world in such a way. He wanted to see a world his sister built. The way she lovingly constructed each wall and brick, the way her mind spun with intrigue as she tore her way through stone and rock. She was so lively when she built things, and Jon wanted to see her turn that creativity towards something with more beauty then a fortress.
This fortress was practical and functional, but Jon knew, that if it was for another purpose, his sister would had truly unleashed her creativity and love for building things. If allowed, she would build structures, men would weep to behold, and Jon longed to see the day that she did. She had been scorned by the world though. She had been hurt once before and it soured her soul. In order for him to see her blossom and come alive, he would need to give her the world. Make it hers so that it could never betray her, or hurt her. If he did that, then she would come alive and build something beautiful out of the shit that it was.
With that in mind, Jon became ever more focused and driven. He delved deeper into his magical teachings and practiced harder in his training. He learned to command platoons of orcs, learned how they fought, he learned how best to use them, how to take a rabble of mindless orcs, and turn them into killing machines. He needed to tear this world down, so that his sister could rebuild it into something beautiful, something that functioned.
Throughout all this time, he and his sister continued to practice their magic and combat skills on the scum of the north.
It was about six months after his fifteenth nameday, when he had been ambushed by Lord and Lady Stark along with Maester Luwin, and Robb. Stories had been spreading about something terrible lurking in the north. In the years since starting his training, Jon had gone out with his sister and had seen and participated in her hunts. In those hunts, she targeted men, cuthroats and brigands mostly, though there was one case where a group of wildlings were their targets. At first he had just watched as she tore through them with her magic, then after the first few he started to join her. He learned to kill from these battles with highwayman and bandits. Rumor was spreading quickly though of a witch in the north. The magic Lyarra had used, left it's scars, and people began to talk.
Theon was always one to point the finger at Lyarra, and with her and Jon disappearing so often, and that coinciding with the strange deaths, it was enough to finally convince lord and lady Stark that something was going on.
"I can't believe what I'm hearing." Jon muttered with a shake of his head.
"Jon, I know she's your sister, but you have to understand..." Ned tried to explain, but Jon was having none of it. They had no proof it was Lyarra, and even if they did, every single person he had seen her kill, had been a bandit, or a brigand, or some murdering wildling from north of the wall. All people, Eddard would have put to death if he had caught them, and instead they were trying to paint his sister as a monster.
"This is horseshit." Jon growled cutting Eddard off.
Robb stood in the corner, trying not to be seen. He knew what was going to happen when he had led Jon in to speak with his parents, and yet he had done it anyway, without even warning him. Robb could only feel guilty about leading his half-brother into an ambush, and could do nothing more then hide in the corner and listen as his parents demanded answers.
"Jon, if Lyarra is the one doing this I need to know." Ned said to him.
"Why? Why if she was the one doing this, would it matter to you lord Stark? These people, dying out there on the roads are scum, people you'd kill for their crimes if given the chance. Why does it matter?" Jon shouted back at him. The sharp look he got from Catelyn would have sent him scurrying away had this been years earlier, now though, he had learned to ignore them. She was a Tully, a fish. He was a wolf and a dragon, no wolf or dragon had ever cowered before a fish and he wasn't about to be the first.
"It's not the same thing, Jon. These people are being torn apart by Dark Magic. Their bodies left in the roads as examples to others. Do you have any idea what the crown would do if it was learned that someone was using magic to butcher people in the north and we weren't doing anything to stop it. Do you know what the Faith would demand? Those people may have been bandits, they may have been highwayman, they may have been murderers or thieves, but they were still northmen, with families, and they hadn't yet been judged guilty of their crimes. You wouldn't think this way if you knew the terrible things that had actually been done to them." Ned argued. Jon could see that the mere thought of some of the things that had been wrought on those men, made Ned sick to his stomach. Jon couldn't deny that seeing those kills, had firmly established in his mind, that his sister was not to be fucked with or pissed off. The things she did to some of them, left wounds that could only be brought upon by magic.
"And what if it was her? What are you going to do about it? You already can't keep an eye on her in your own castle? You intend to lock her in a cell? Because short of that, I don't see you being able to keep her under watch." Jon demanded. The look in Ned's eyes showed that, that was exactly what he planned on doing with her. Throwing her in a cell until he could figure out what could truly be done with her.
Seeing that look in Ned's eyes, brought shock to Jon's. He couldn't read minds, but he could almost see the Warden of the North agree fully with locking her away.
The mere thought of such a thing boiled Jon's insides. He felt anger begin to build inside of his body and almost wanted to scream out in rage.
"Jon, if she is capable of these dark magics, you need to tell me, and you need to tell me now. I can't help her, if you don't tell me the truth." Ned pleaded.
"Help her? You plan on locking her away. She's your own blood and you'll throw her in a cage for cleaning up the roads. You don't even have any proof, and yet you'd actually be willing to do it." Jon countered with a shake of his head.
"Ned, I think we've heard enough. It's obvious that she's been the one doing this. You can see it written on his face. He knows she's a witch. He's seen her perform dark magic. Call her in here, and we'll see for ourselves what she really is. See what kind of thing is hiding below the surface. Robb, go and fetch Ser Rodrik and have him bring Lyarra." Catelyn interrupted ordering her son to get the master at arms. Robb looked startled and suddenly had a very bad feeling about this whole thing, the look on Jon's face tipped him off that a line had been inadvertently crossed. Whether she knew it or not, demanding the master at arms, one of the best fighters in the castle, was a threatening act, even if she probably hadn't meant it as anything more then having him fetch her since he was a trusted friend, and could keep this whole thing a secret.
"Cat!" Ned tried to reprimand her but it was too late. Her statement had set Jon off. He had always been quiet and meek, and would often brood instead of fight back, so it came as a startling surprise to everyone when instead of backing down, Jon exploded.
"Don't you dare threaten my sister! You so much as hint that something bad will happen to her, and I'll make sure you regret it!" Jon snapped with anger and rage boiling within him. The wolf had gone out to take a nap, by this point, the dragon had been awoken, and it was pissed.
Catelyn actually took a step back from Jon's outburst. Ned, and Maester Luwin looked shocked, that Jon had actually raised his voice to Catelyn. It had never happened before, and neither had thought it would ever happen. Jon was always the quieter of the twins, always more laid back. Both quickly began to realize that they may be pushing Jon a bit too far.
"Jon… you need to calm down. No one is threatening Lyarra, we're just trying to get to the bottom of this." Ned tried to defuse the situation, but Jon was having none of it. His eyes almost seemed to shine, and his magic churned within him, as he turned a sharp gaze to lord Stark, locking eyes with the Warden of the North.
"It's always the same with you, she says something snide. She threatens my sister, and I'm the one who gets reprimanded for standing up to her. You always take her side, to much of a coward to stand up to your own wife." Jon fired at him, his anger boiling. Years of dealing with Catelyn's bullying had finally pushed him over the edge.
"Jon!" Catelyn snapped, while Ned actually flinched from having Jon's wrath turned on him. Meanwhile Maester Luwin could only shake his head and let out a sigh.
"Think what you will of me, but do no disrespect your lord father, he is the only reason you have a home here to begin with." Catelyn warned, and Ned found himself desperately wanting to swear. He knew that was crossing the line. While true, she hadn't needed to say it. Most of the time, bastards weren't raised in their trueborn father's home, Jon and Lyarra were lucky in that regard, even though they weren't technically his bastards.
Jon had, had enough. He was so far beyond angry, that without thinking, he shouted back at Catelyn Stark, "He's not my father!"
The words cut through the air, like a knife. Everyone in the room gaped at him, none more so then Ned who looked shocked to his very core. Jon glared right at Catelyn for several moments, reveling in her gobsmacked expression. It was only then that it dawned on him what he had said, and he let out a curse.
"Jon..." Ned began to say but Jon quickly cut him off.
"I'll never betray her. She's been hurt enough. I'm not gonna betray her again." The words came out. They didn't come from Jon. They came from somewhere deep within him. He hadn't even realized what he had said, and the shocked looks on everyone's faces, tinged with confusion at his words.
Suddenly, and with his eyes locked on the floor, Jon turned and marched out of the room. He made it out the door, and slightly down the hall, when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Jon!" Ned called out after him, but Jon refused to stop, he sped up, and rounded another corner. There he ran right into Lyarra. She took one look at his worn expression and immediately grabbed him and draped the two of them in her Invisibility cloak. The two marched away even as Eddard appeared around the corner, looking for Jon. Both ignored him and made their way out of the castle, and away from castles grounds.
Once far enough away, Lyarra Apparated the two, back to the mountain.
The two sat in the entryway to the fortress, in silence.
Lyarra had seen bits of what had happened, by peaking into his mind, but she refused to delve any deeper then surface thoughts. She wanted to hear it from him, first.
"What happened?" Lyarra asked after a few moments.
"I think lord Stark knows that I know the truth." Jon stated with a rueful chuckle.
"Dumb-dumb. You let your emotions run high. He didn't need to know that." Lyarra reprimanded him with a sigh.
"I know it's just… Catelyn… that woman, she just… she set me off. I said things I shouldn't have, and now I don't think we'll be welcome in Winterfell. They know it's you that's been killing the rogues with magic." Jon stated with a sigh.
Lyarra simply nodded and stepped up next to him. She lowered down to the ground, sitting next to him.
"That's alright then. We'll just stay here. We'll train and grow, and prepare for the future. The Starks can handle themselves." Lyarra stated as she wrapped an arm around him, hugging him close to her.
Jon nodded in agreement, while his mind returned to the things he had said before the Starks. His snapping at their uncle hadn't been what truly confused him. What confused him were those last words. He wouldn't betray his sister again. He had never betrayed her before. He had no clue why he had suddenly said that but he knew that it meant something. What? He wasn't sure, but it was definitely something that would occupy his thoughts for quite a while.
"Everything will be alright, baby brother. We'll make it work here." Lyarra stated, her focus on other things as she held her brother close. While it did put a minor damper on her plans, being away from the Starks for a while did help her in other ways. She could focus on building her army and powerbase, now that she no longer had to pretend to care about her lessons and chores.
Jon meanwhile was quiet. He was far too busy thinking about all that had happened to focus on the future. He knew he needed to work on his temper. He may not be as much of a moping bastard anymore, but that didn't mean he could turn into a wild man, who was quick to anger and spill important secrets. He'd focus on his meditation exercises and really work on keeping his temper in check. Lyarra was quick tempered enough, he didn't need to join her in outbursts.
-Time passed, Jon and Lyarra age 16-
It was now six months since Jon and Lyarra had left Winterfell. The two lived almost exclusively in their mountain fortress which had now been named Shadowhold.
By now, construction of the Fortress had been completed. The mountain itself was about four thousand feet tall, and the stairways leading up the mountain, started near the base and rose up to about five hundred feet up the mountain, to the entryway. Everything on the inside had been fully constructed and a large circular tower now rose up through the mountain, and stood, just off it's southern peek. The tower itself was tall, and offered a great view of the surrounding mountains. It was just tall enough that it's top neared about the halfway point up the mountain, so the tower stood up a good few hundred feet.
The mountain itself had been turned into a stone covered battlement. Aside from the large tower and the wall built around the mountain itself, there were several smaller towers as well as stone structures that led into the mountain and served as guard posts, defense towers, or artillery ranges.
The mountain itself had significant natural defenses. The pathway leading up to the mountain itself was through a narrow passage-way, and there were no other major paths that allowed a person to get even close to the mountain. Orcs now guarded the mountain and their numbers continued to grow. By now there was well over twenty-five hundred, along with about a hundred Uruks.
During this time, Lyarra also underwent another maturity. As proud as Jon was of his own strength, he was constantly in awe of his twin. She was an absolute monster, when it came to her raw power.
After she reached that maturity, she decided to begin pulling things from the void again. She wouldn't pull anything as big as Midir from it, but some of her smaller servants could be useful.
The first ones she recalled were the Nine. Nine wraiths of terrible power.
Jon had sat, enthralled as he watched his sister, stand before a massive dark, and chaotic shadow, using her magic to reach into this portal, to grab hold of things she was familiar with. It took, and it wore her out, but eventually she drew forth all Nine of the Ringwraiths.
They were called that because they had once been humans. Lyarra had gifted then each a ring of special magical power, that she had built herself. She had done this, shortly before the war began, between herself and the light faction. The rings given to these men, offered them power, but also corrupted their souls, and within a decade, they were little more than his sister's thralls.
Their power, was great however, much greater then the Uruks or orcs. They had magic, and were excellent sword fighters. The leader of the wraiths, the Witch King, he was called. He was his sister's greatest servant. He wielded powerful magics and was fiercely loyal to his Dark Lady.
The act of pulling all nine of the Nazgul from the void, had tired his sister, but at least she hadn't passed out like she had with Midir.
With the Nazgul around, Jon's training increased even further. They were all incredibly skilled sword fighters, they were faster then men, stronger too. They made excellent sparring partners to help Jon improve his skills.
A few weeks after that, Lyarra had decided to pull something else from the void. This time, it wasn't a servant of hers. Instead what she pulled out, was a large golden orb. This orb, was twenty feet in diameter and looked to be made of solid gold. It had runes carved into it's exterior and floated several feet above the ground.
Lyarra looked to have been just as drained removing this, as she had removing the Nazgul.
"What is this thing?" Jon asked her.
"The Eternity Vault. It's a magical storage contained that I filled with great treasures once upon a time. It originally sealed into a gem I wore around my neck, but the destruction of my physical body, freed the vault and cast it adrift with me in the void. Hopefully the enchantments have held. It they have, then inside will be relics from an ancient era." Lyarra answered, earning a very intrigued look from Jon.
"So… how do we open it?" Jon asked after a moment of silence.
"We don't open it. We go inside it." Lyarra asked.
"How?" Came the natural question from Jon.
"Magic." Lyarra answered, earning a bemused look from her twin. She simply giggled in reply and took his hand. The two stepped up to the floating sphere and Lyarra placed her hand on it.
Rune's carved into the sphere began to glow, and suddenly a bright light consumed the two.
The light was almost blinding and Jon was forced to close his eyes. When he opened them, he found himself standing in a massive chamber, that was filled with riches.
Gold and silver coins and Ingots sat in large piles all throughout the room. Littered about were various jewels, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, diamonds, and various other beautiful stones. Set on racks or on small stands were various trinkets, like rings, necklaces, circlets, there was a crown or two, here or there.
Jon spotted weapon stands, holding up various instruments of war. Their were armor stands with various types of armor, some her recognized some that were foreign looking to him.
All in all, it was the most wealth, Jon had ever seen.
"I kept many of my most valuable treasures here, and before the end of my life, I horded my secrets here. Magical weapons, magical armor, jewels of great power, wealth beyond the dreams of most men. It's not all I possessed, not even close… but it is a lot. More then we could ever need." Lyarra informed him.
Jon simply nodded as he ran his eyes over the vast expanse of wealth. It was truly an amazing sight to behold. His eyes passed over many great trinkets, and eventually they came to rest on a weapon rack. On it there was a set of swords. Two to be exact. Half and a half swords, they both looked the same, except that they seemed to be forged from different techniques, and in the pommel of the sword were two different colored jewels. One was a darkened ruby, and the other was a brilliant dark emerald.
Jon almost felt drawn to the two long sword, almost like they were calling out to him. Lyarra stood next to him and watched as her brother became mesmerized by the twin swords.
She almost felt her breath hitch in her throat when she saw them, and the way Jon reacted caused her to tense. The tension lasted for a minute, as Jon reached out and touched the hilt of the blade with the emerald embedded in the pommel. She watched as he ran his fingers, delicately over the pommel. After a few moments he turned to look at her, and noticed the sad smile she wore on her face.
"Where did you get these swords?" Jon inquired as she stepped up next to him.
"I made them myself. Anduril, Flame of the West. Gwathren, Shadow of the East." She replied, referencing the one with the Emerald first, then the one with the Ruby. (Both swords are replica's of Aragorn's Sword Anduril, from lotr, the only difference is that a jewel is in-bedded in the open space in the pommel. And the swords metal making is different.)
"They're beautiful." Jon complimented her. Anduril's metal almost glowed, the metal itself shined with immense beauty, and almost seemed to hum. Gwathren's metal was more muted in color, more of a darker silver than the other. Both blades were fifty-three inches in length, and acted as half-and-a-half swords.
Lyarra smiled a sad smile. These two swords had been forged by her, one was meant for her, the other for her twin brother Harry. She had gifted him with the sword many years ago, and he had wielded it, up until he turned away from her and joined Dumbledore. When he turned his back on her, and tried to strike her down with that sword, she easily overpowered him and took it back. She kept the two swords locked in the Eternity Vault since the moment she retrieved it.
Looking at the way that Jon was staring at them, she knew it was almost too perfect for him to have one. Still though, a smile crept across her face and she reached out to take Anduril. The sword was long, but impossibly light. Runes were engraved all along the blade, that granted it incredible power.
"Here. For you." She offered Anduril to Jon.
"For me? Are you sure?" Jon asked, though she could tell the idea of wielding a sword as magnificent as one of these, truly excited him.
"Yes, I'm sure." Lyarra answered as he took the blade and held it in his hand.
"It's so light." Jon noted, as he felt the weight of it in his hands.
"Hmm… yes. The blade was forged of silver and steel. Both metals provided by the goblins of old and magically enhanced. It was forged in the fire of an arch-dragon's flames, and those runes were carved by elves. Gwathren, was forged from the same, except it was forged in the fires of Balrog's flame. One infused the blade with fire, the other infused the blade with chaos. Both are immensely light, and unbelievably sharp. The blades themselves are indestructible and will never dull. They are both perfect for killing, basically anything, from people, to large animals, to dragons and even demons. The enchanted silver mixed embedded in the blade, grants the blade properties of a silver sword, allowing it to be used to kill werewolves, and other creatures that are weak to silver. All in all, I find them to be a prized creation. Worthy of use." Lyarra explained as she took Gwathren. She hadn't held the sword in eons, and hadn't wielded it for many years even before her death. The nostalgic look on her face would have been unmistakable had Jon been paying attention to it.
After a few moments she summoned over some enchanted sheaths for the swords and passed one to Jon. After a few moments, the twins had their new swords strapped to their sides.
"Come on, check this out." Lyarra led her twin over to an armor rack.
There were two sets of armor, one for a man, and the other for a woman. It was right about now, that it began to dawn on Jon, that a lot of the things in this room, had been constructed in sets of two. One for her and quite obviously the other had been made for her twin in her past life.
Both armor sets were all black. The mail armor was sleek and elegant, it consisted of black plate and chainmail with cloth that possessed shining white embroidery and edging. The other armor, the female suit, was sharp, looking more menacing and slightly warped like some kind of dark magic had altered it from it's original state. (Jon's armor will be the Ebony armor from Skyrim, just without the helmet. Lyarra's armor will be a more feminine version of Sauron's armor from the lotr, as seen in the first movie. It's thinner, and sleeker, matching more a feminine frame beneath it, also without a helmet, though that may come out later, but for now she doesn't have it.)
The twins shared a glance and smirked at one another, after a few minor adjustments, the two were able to take the armor with them. Lyarra quickly enchanted the armor of both of them to take the form of a ring, whenever it wasn't in use. The ring would appear on their fingers and stay there until they drew the armor out of it, in which case it would instantly appear on their bodies. Both sets of armor were a helluva lot lighter then they appeared, and both were fashioned with long thick cloaks, that were specially enchanted with warming charms.
Both sets of armor had been crafted by Lyarra in her past life and held a number of protective enchantments. One was that the armor was lighter then it appeared even though it had been crafted from a substance known as Dragon steel, which was a goblin designed mixture of dragon bones and steel, making armor that was incredibly heavy, but unbreakable even by the standards of magical weapons. So with the charms to lighten it, countering it's incredible weight, the armor ended up weighing about as much as a normal set of leather and chainmail armor, yet offering even greater protection than full platemail armor.
The armor was also highly resistant to damage, mostly magical since the physical part was handled by the excellent fusion of Dragon bones and steel. The armor shielded against fire, and could easily absorb magical attacks. The armor was also enchanted to never rust, and with sizing runes so that it always fit perfectly.
The suit that Lyarra wore had been the same one she had used in the war against the light.
With their new armor and weapons, the twins spent a great deal of time training in them and learning to fight with much more skill. Where Lyarra began to practice more with a spear to get her skills up in that area, Jon practiced more with a bow, becoming an incredibly skilled archer in the process.
-Present day Jon and Lyarra age 17-
It had now been just under two full years since the twins had left Winterfell. In that time, they trained together, learned together and grew closer then ever before. In that year and a half, the number of orcs swelled well into the several thousands. Within six months there'd be over ten thousand orcs in their ranks. There was well over five hundred Uruk-hai in there army, and that number continued to grow as well with each passing day.
By now the fortress, which had once seemed so empty, teemed with life. Orcs manned the patrol towers and walls, in force. Within the mountain, orcs trained and forged, and prepared for the day they would be unleashed onto the world.
In that year and a half, his sister summoned forth more of her servants and also began to remake parts of her army. In the pits of Shadowhold, Lyarra, or Visenya as she was more often referred to now, bread the true horrors of her war machine. In large bubbling pits of water, she ignited rituals that grew large mountain trolls, great lumbering beasts that stood nearly twice as tall as a man, and were incredibly strong. They took a very long time to breed, only being born about once a month from that single pit, so they had seven of them in total by now.
As mounted units, Visenya captured wolfs that she tamed and twisted into a type of beast called a dread-wolf (Wargs from the hobbit movies, but so I don't have to call them Wargs and confuse people)
These wolfs were much larger then normal, large enough for orcs to ride comfortably. In fact, it was more accurate to say they seemed to look more like Direwolves.
They actually had about a hundred of them, from wolves Visenya had managed to locate and when they breed, the offspring were more Dreadwolves, so they had a blossoming mounted force.
Speaking of mounted forces, nine horses had been gathered and twisted with Visenya's magic. Each one was given to the nine wraiths to use as mounts.
In that time, Jon or Jaehaerys as he was mostly called in the privacy of the Shadowhold, learned to become a competent commander of their forces. The orcs hadn't left the stronghold yet, for any major engagements but they had launched a raid or two on small bandit camps hidden in the mountains. Jon or the Witch-king usually led those assaults, and so far they had both been successful.
Out of all the fighters in the Shadowhold, Jon was effectively number four in terms of power. He had proved in training exercise that he could best the wraiths in single combat, though not without immense difficulty and focus. The only one he hadn't beaten or even come close to beating was the Witch-king, but that was no surprise, out of all of his sister's servants the Witch-king was one of the most powerful. Otherwise, the second most powerful was Midir, and of course Visenya was the strongest.
In that time, Jon had earned the respect of the orcs and Uruks under his command, and held equal rank to the Witch-king in the eyes of the orcs his sister had created. They saw him as one of her most powerful and loyal servants.
Also in that time, Jon learned more about his magic. While meditating he accidentally had an out of body experience, the led him into the body of one of the Dreadwolves. A few hours later, he awoke in his own body. After detailing the experience to his sister, she was able to track down the particular magic responsible for it. It appears that Jon was a Warg, a person able to jump into the bodies of animals and control them.
Apparently the Starks had a history of Wargs appearing in the bloodline, in the ancient past, but they hadn't had any in recent years.
This excited Jon to no end. His sister wasn't a Warg, which meant he was unique. This served as one of the major differences between the two, as Lyarra was a parseltongue and could speak to snakes and dragons, while Jon was a Warg and could control the bodies of animals. It was a unique development and Jon spent many months learning to control his new power.
During this time, Lyarra dispatched six of the Nine Nazgul, to search the world for dragon eggs. She knew that no matter how old, Dragon eggs were still capable of unleashing a baby dragon, if you knew how to hatch them. She had informed Jon that she had nine dragon's in total still in the void. Two of them were Archdragons and the other seven were regular dragons. She was definitely going to remove them from the void, but she would hold true to her commitment and not try on any of her larger servants until she had reached her final maturity.
So with that in mind, she dispatched six of the Nazgul to locate Dragon eggs. That had been nearly six months ago.
Visenya and Jaehaerys had their own rooms in the fortress. Both lived up in the tall tower that stood up from the mountain. Their rooms were right next to each other, and separated only by a hallway and two doors.
Both lived far enough away from the rest of their army that they generally had decent privacy, but they were close enough to head down into the fortress if they were needed.
While they had separate rooms, that didn't mean they always slept in their separate rooms.
Lyarra opened her eyes. She found herself staring up at the ceiling. She let out a content sigh as she recalled the previous night's activities. She could hear light snoring coming from nearby, and a grin tore across her face. She quickly sat up and glanced over to where the noise was.
She felt her eyes run across his body, the well defined muscles that adorned his back, encouraged her to reach out and touch them.
Lyarra couldn't help but chuckle as she reached out and ran her hand through his dark locks of hair, she heard him sigh contently as she massaged his scalp. Her grin grew, as she sensed him start to awaken. It was a moment later when she felt his whole body tense, and she let out playful giggle.
He quickly shot up his eyes locking with hers. Lyarra couldn't help but giggle some more as she saw the fear, and shear horror in those dark gray eyes of his. She held his gaze for a moment, before his eyes drifted away from hers and down a bit. She saw him tense even further, when his eyes spotted her exposed breasts, hanging freely, for him to see.
He let out a yelp, and quickly stumbled backwards and off the bed, out of fright and shock as he realized what had happened. Lyarra burst out laughing, her cackles driving a red tinge across his cheeks as he rose to his feet and half glared, half gaped at her.
"What the hell is this?" He nearly shouted, but ended up seething through his teeth when he realized that someone might hear him. A funny notion considering everyone nearby was vastly loyal to them and would never judge them for anything.
"What do you think it is?" Lyarra inquired as she stretched out on the bed then rested her head on her knuckles, propping herself up a bit while laying on her side, giving him a full view of her naked body.
"This… I… you… This can't keep happening." He snapped. The fear in his eyes, was quite obvious, though she also took notice of how he had to turn his head away from her, to stop his eyes from traveling over her curvaceous frame.
His sister, had grown into a stunningly beautiful woman. Her long dark Raven locks, hung to her lower back. Her hair was thick, like Jon's, but also seemed fine and silky, like you could easily run your hand through it. Her body was incredibly enticing, she had a firm round rump, and curvaceous hips that often drew Jon's gaze with their enticing sway. Her breasts were large and full, easily able to fill a man's hand with their softness, and both were topped off by coin sized pink nipples.
All in all, his sister was ravishingly beautiful.
Jon himself was a handsome man. Beautiful even. People would compare him to his true father had they known the truth. He looked like Rhaegar, if Rhaegar had been born a northman. He was muscular, and strong. He was also well endowed with a cock that stood at nine inches when at full attention.
As it were, both twins were the envy of those around them. Both beautiful.
"Oh, come off it baby brother, I've seen the way you look at me. And after last night, I don't think I'll ever be able to settle for someone else." Lyarra teased causing Jon to scowl and blush. It took a moment but he then focused on her, shock was present on his face.
"We-we didn't?" He stuttered out in disbelief. This hadn't been the first time he had woken up naked to find his sister in his bed, also naked. But all those other times she just laughed and teased him, and he knew she had stolen his clothes in the night, and nothing else. This time however...
"I didn't know you were such a skilled lover, baby brother." Lyarra replied as she ran a hand over her body. Her hand slowly drifted across her chest before stopping at her breasts, where she took one in her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze all the while biting her lip. The sight was far too much for her twin who was beat red, and his manhood stood at full attention.
"You-you're lying." Jon stuttered out as he turned his head away. It was obvious to anyone watching that he was highly aroused but also immensely terrified of the possibility of her having told the truth.
"Lying? When have I ever lied to you baby brother?" Lyarra inquired as she crawled out of bed and slowly sauntered over to him.
Jon gulped and backed away from her. He stood, almost a full inch taller then she did, yet she was still the most intimidating person he knew. She moved like a predator. An incredibly seductive predator.
Jon almost scowled as he realized that, that thought had actually manifested in his mind. He was immensely grateful that non one could possibly hear it.
'seductive, am I?' Lyarra thought with a smirk, as she read his surface thoughts.
Jon quickly found his back pressed against the wall of his bedroom. He had nowhere to go, and could only shudder as his older twin sister, pressed her body to his. He felt his manhood press up between them, and knew she could easily feel it. He could feel her breasts, pressed against his chest, her nipples, taught and firm in the cold northern air.
He found himself locking eyes with her.
The two remained that way for several long moments, Lyarra could feel Jon's heart pounding in his chest. She knew he was about to have a mental breakdown, if the frantic look in his eyes was any indication. With a grin, she slowly began to lower herself down his body.
Jon's eyes widened as he felt her whole body ran across his engorged member. As soon as she got to her knees, he felt one of her delicate hands grip his cock.
"Visenya… We shouldn't..." He tried to use her true name, to get her to listen, but all it managed to do was excite her more, and he suddenly felt her mouth envelop the end of his cock.
Jon's eyes widened as his sister masterfully worked his cock with her mouth. The way her tongue swirled around his engorged member as she sucked and stroked him, was quickly pushing Jon to his limits.
It only took a few more minutes before Jon felt his climax approach. Instinctively, he started thrusting into her throat, Lyarra responded in kind, taking him as far as she could reasonably handle as she felt his warm seed erupt into her throat.
She held herself in place, taking most of his seed and drinking it down hungrily. When she finally pulled away, her eyes drifted up to his face. He had his head back and was staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily.
With a grin, she rose to her feet, and took his head in her hands. When the two finally locked eyes, Jon looked worn, but happy. Lyarra simply smiled and pulled him into a passionate kiss, which after a few seconds, he returned.
"When we finally fuck baby brother… you'll be awake, and you'll remember it." She whispered into his ear after they parted.
She then pulled away, and headed to the door, she sent a glance back at him, offering him an enticing smirk as she exited the room. All Jon could do was let out a sigh as the cold northern air, finally hit him.
As much as he hated to admit it to himself, he was in love with his sister. She was just too beautiful, too perfect, too… there weren't words to describe how he felt. Instead he just ran a hand over his head and glanced out the open window. His eyes drifted over the snow covered mountain tops, and he suddenly felt something foreboding echo across them. For a moment he tensed, then settled. Over the mountains a swarm of crows was approaching. His sister's spies and messengers. He quickly got dressed and headed out of his room, he knew the birds wouldn't have returned unless they had learned something interesting so he made his way up the steps of the tower, to it's top, where he found his sister, also dressed, staring out over the land as the crows approached.
"What is it?" Jon inquired as he stepped up next to her.
"I have a feeling, we're not going to be able to spend as much time here, as I thought we were." She noted. Jon gave her a look, but nodded in agreement none the less. It was almost time for them to begin. They had an army, they had the power. They had a plan. Very soon, they'd be ready to reclaim what belonged to them.
-A few days prior-
Jon Arryn, Hand of the King and Lord of the Veil, stood at the entrance to a blacksmithing shop. His eyes were focused on the young man, who he now knew, was the bastard son of the king. Jon knew, that things were about to become very interesting in Kings Landing. He had no idea, just how interesting though.
Little did Jon Arryn know at the time, but he was being watched. Not just by the children, and the whores, and the various other people working for the vast number of lords in the land, but by a crow. A single, dark eyed crow, perched above him, watching the Lord of the Vale, with keen interest. Magic compelled the beast to watch it all. To study what it was seeing. It knew, that it had found something interesting. Something that needed to be watched.
-To Be Continued-
K, there's the next chapter. A lot of exposition, but I luckily got it all out of the way and now the story can start proper. This chapter ends just a few weeks before the pilot episode of Game of Thrones, so the story will be starting in earnest next chapter. No more major time jumps :) Let me know how you liked it, and hope you enjoyed the minor lime.