THE BAY OF DRAGONS
The plot thickens. I really enjoy writing as the pre-existing characters, my favourites being Tyrion and Theon; I feel like they have a lot of backstory that works well in their character development. As usual, this takes place after the events at the end of Season 6 so if you're not up to date, SPOILER ALERT! (Probably the last time I leave this message). Anyway, a Unicorn a day keeps the Sons of Harpies away! xXDarkDawnUnicornXx ;p xxx
Chapter 3
Hours on the ship quickly became days, days became longer as the journey progressed until Fareen felt completely at home. Her days were taken up with discussions, plans and the occasional gossip with Missandei and Daenerys. The queen had become close to her and Fareen felt an ever-mounting need to please and serve her. They often lounged in Daenerys' room, watching the rolling waves out of her window and sharing stories. Fareen preferred to keep her own life to herself, but with the two women before her, she grew more confident in parting with her long-kept secrets.
"Of course, the Khal was more than just a king to the Dothraki," Daenerys was saying. "They worshipped him; he'd won more fights than any in their history,"
"And you were the 'moon of his life' – more than I've ever been to someone," Missandei added, her eyes smiling more than her mouth. Daenerys' smile was not missed by Fareen, who watched her closely, though she already knew of the strange relationship between Grey Worm, the Unsullied captain, and the translator before her.
"And what about you Fareen?" Daenerys asked, reclining further into her lounger. "You didn't leave anyone behind in Meereen, did you?"
Fareen blushed. "No, my que – Daenerys. I have never been in love, if that is what you are asking,"
"Why ever not? A girl as beautiful as yourself must have had hundreds of admirers," the queen drank from her goblet.
"People don't tend to fancy women who risk their lives for research," she felt more and more of her story brewing in her mind. "I had to disguise as a man to enter the records. They caught me a few times and mistreated me, but I believe that the sacrifices were worth it; I now know more than I could have ever dreamed, and I'm on this ship. Right here and right now, just as I wanted"
The violet of Daenerys' eyes gleamed. "What sacrifices have you made, if I may ask?"
"Well, they're not exactly pleasant, my lady – Daenerys," Fareen traced her fingertips around the goblet she held. "The punishment for being caught in a library as a woman can be very severe,"
The queen nodded slowly. "I'm sorry I couldn't have saved more innocent lives,"
"My queen," Missandei laid a hand on Daenerys' arm. "There was no faster help, you are all the city had. When you saved me, it was just in time. Who knew what the Masters of Astapor may have done to me if I had stayed but a minute longer? Who could know that Fareen could have been murdered and enslaved the very day after you arrived? You were there when the majority of people needed you, and you will remain so forever, even if you are not there in the flesh,"
"At least you have someone you can trust in Meereen," Fareen added. "Daario Naharis will make an excellent executer of your orders; the people know his face,"
Daenerys welcomed the two consolations openly before they moved on to press her for details on her relationship with Daario.
"You loved him?" Fareen asked, shyly.
"Perhaps not," the queen said, a melancholic look spreading across her face. "When I told him he was to stay in Meereen for me, I felt nothing for him, as I told Tyrion, but we had something for a while. Perhaps it was the last of my girlish fantasies,"
They laughed together, watching the sun set below the ever-changing horizon before all light disappeared beyond the dark waters and they returned to their own rooms, falling asleep to the creaking wood and the light footsteps overhead.
xxx
The next rising of the sun brought a harsh change in the weather. Grey clouds hung low over the churning waters and the air was filled with a chill and the braying of horses below. Fareen stood at the rail, as she often did, thinking about Tyrion and the Lannisters. How could a man as clever as himself have come from such am impulsive and cruel family? The Iron Throne sprung to her head and she couldn't help but picture the dwarf sitting tall within it, her own figure by his side. His queen. She felt a dull thud on the rail she was leaning on and pulled up from her leant-over stance.
"Lord Greyjoy," she exclaimed.
"I'm no Lord," he said, his voice sad but not weak. "Just Theon - if you could call me that,"
"My apologies, my L- Theon," calling a near-stranger such a familiar name made her uneasy, but she made sure not to show it. "The turn of the weather is unfortunate,"
He blinked, as if seeing the dark clouds overhead for the first time. "They'll be a full-blown storm upon us by the setting sun,"
"How on earth could you know that?" she was impressed.
"I grew up on the sea," he became more relaxed. "Literally, Pyke has its foundations within the boulders of the sea,"
Fareen chuckled and Theon turned to her, slightly surprised that her had made her laugh.
"It doesn't sound very safe," she recovered herself and desperately tried to recall information on his family home.
"It's not," he replied. "As children, I can't count the number of times I was narrowly rescued from falling to my death. But, as always, it's my home. My sister's home. It belongs to us,"
Fareen nodded, clutching the rail as the ship began to rock more violently.
"It will be safer below decks," Theon said, recognising her uncertainty and moving closer as if to steady her. "Have you ever been in a storm before?"
"I have never set foot on a ship before this one, my L- Theon," she shrugged slightly, pulling her shawl closer around her shoulders to protect against the mounting wind.
"You're in for quite an experience then," Theon said, meeting her eyes for the first time in the conversation. She looked at him, trying to ask him and help him with what he'd been through all in a single look. He turned away.
"It's coming fast," he said, beginning to walk away. "I'd better inform the queen, if my sister hasn't already…"
He trailed off, uncertain as how to say goodbye. Fareen took his hand quickly.
"I hope to get to know you better, Theon," she said, trying fiercely to meet his gaze again, to get him to open to her but he pulled back, almost frightened by her forwardness. He nodded hastily before hurrying up towards the helm. The ship rocked again, and Fareen almost wished he was still there to hold her steady.
xxx
Not even the experiences on Pyke could have helped Fareen that night. The waves crashed on to the deck almost every second, sending water down to even the deepest levels. The thick blankets that Fareen held around her were already damped and she held them up to her mouth to stop herself screaming out in fear. Everyone else on deck was so busy, who would have time for a cowardly young woman? Her knuckles turned white with the force she was exerting on the blankets and her back ached from pushing herself into the tightest of corners in her room. Her eyelids were screwed shut, her mind searching every crevice to think of something she could do. The room visibly swayed and Fareen couldn't help but let out a strangled cry, her voice muffled by the blankets and the deep rumble of thunder. She hardly heard the knock at her door, there was even less chance that she would be able to answer it. After a moment's wait it swung open slowly and Tyrion stepped in. She watched as he took in her distressed state before making his way over to her bed and taking a seat next to her.
"I've never been overly fond of storms myself," he said, his low voice carrying over all the chaos. "Perhaps this is something we should have asked you about before you came on board,"
His chuckle soothed her slightly and she removed the blanket from her mouth. "Will it stop soon?"
"Not for a while, my dear, though we should get a professional opinion form one of the krakens, don't you think?" he took her shaking hand in his and held it gently. "No one would trust a dwarf's judgement on anything unless he's hired by a fortune teller,"
Fareen laughed at his feeble joke, feeling the fear slowly dissolving from her body. "It's not fair, the way you're treated,"
"I've had experience dealing with my 'issues', not to worry," he looked down at the damp floor. "Never forget who you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour and it can never be used to hurt you,"
"Unless you make the jokes against yourself," Fareen said quickly. He looked at her, his blue eyes delving deep into hers.
"I suppose," they sat in silence, listening to the roaring thunder overhead until Tyrion shifted slightly. "It's one thing hearing a storm; a true warrior must face the storm itself,"
"I'm no warrior, my lord," Fareen protested but he pulled her to her feet anyway.
"You're a warrior of knowledge, just like myself," he pushed the door with his foot. "Come and face the enemy,"
xxx
Never had Fareen seen anything like the storm that lay before her. Waves as tall as castles crashed next to the ship, sending The Targaryen reeling and rocking until she thought the whole crew would be lost.
"I can't!" she cried over the deafening sound of the waves, but Tyrion held her hand tight and lead her higher up the ship to the bow. "We'll be washed overboard!"
"I have survived plenty a battle," Tyrion shouted back, holding his head high and grinning from ear ro ear. "I will not be killed by a small amount of water,"
They stood together, facing the direction the ship was heading. Looking around, Fareen saw the dark grey outlines of the rest of the fleet, rising high into the sky on waves before being flown back down. With each crash against the side of the ship, Tyrion's grasp became tighter and Fareen didn't complain. Not only did she highly fear slipping and being sucked into the pitch black waters, she had no intention of letting go of the man who had indirectly dictated most of her life. He alone had motivated her to study; he alone was her constant in this ever-changing world.
xxx
Within a few days, the storm had passed completely. Their journey was almost at an end and being so close to Westeros, Fareen felt the increasingly tense atmosphere growing. Her morning stroll around the deck became more and more difficult; the majority of the crew spent their time looking out over the rails, searching the horizon for any trace of land. The rails were now one of the first places to look when searching for someone, meaning Fareen felt progressively in the way and retreated below decks, often sitting against the wooden walls and watching people, writing down anything she felt fit to report to the Queen about. Daenerys had been kind; she had provided Fareen with paper and a rough lead pencil – items hard to come by in Meereen as hardly anyone lower in status than a Master had never learnt to write. As a child, Fareen hid behind walls, eavesdropping on lessons between a tutor and his pupil, listening and learning. Now it had paid off, for she wrote and read as well as any noble child, perhaps better.
"What are you writing?" Fareen jumped, jolted out of concentration. Theon Greyjoy stood before her, his hands tucked into his sword belt, self-contained as always.
"I'm simply observing," she replied, sitting up straighter. She shuffled a little as he crouched down beside her, holding her breath unconsciously.
"May I?" he gestured to the paper that she was clutching so tightly. A nod of her head signalled for him to take it and he did, carefully reading the notes that she had made.
"You write well for a…." he trailed off.
"For a commoner?" she finished for him.
"No, no," he became instantly flustered. "I wasn't going to say that,"
Their eyes met and Fareen looked at him sadly. "Won't you tell me what happened to you?"
He made to escape, but she clutched his arm desperately, begging him with her eyes but not daring to say anything else. Somewhere in the struggle she had stood up with him, her notes dropping to the floor. She watched as his eyes locked onto the floor, frantically trying to think his way around the matter.
"I have to…" Theon didn't finish, his voice trailing off again. Fareen didn't drop her stare. They stood for a moment in silence.
"I've been through terrible things," Fareen loosened her grip slightly, feeling the bones of his arm through the thin layer of skin and leather gauntlet. "Talk to me. I can help,"
The former lord thought; Fareen could see the conflicts fighting across his face before he finally looked at her again and nodded. He bent down to pick up her pages before leading her to his cabin. The room was a little bigger than hers but was almost bare. No ornaments decorated the walls or floors and Fareen could see no trace of personal belongings other than a few neatly piled clothes on the end of his bed. He shuffled towards one of two chairs seated around a table in the centre of the room.
"Perhaps we should sit down," he pulled the chair out and Fareen came to sit. He took his place opposite her before sharing his story, ever since his was taken in as a ward of Eddard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell.
xxx
They sat on the floor together, one chair overturned beside them, Fareen cradling Theon's head to her chest and running her hands over his shaking shoulders.
"I don't think I can live with it anymore," he whimpered between sobs.
"Of course you can," Fareen felt a tear run down her own cheek. "You survived. You are stronger than all them because you survived what they did to you - what they made you do. And you can move on. But never forget. Never forget who you are. You're not Reek, you're not the Prince of Winterfell. You are Theon Greyjoy, brother to the Queen of the Iron Islands and you are strong,"
Theon pulled away, his head level with hers. "Everything I did… was to please my father. To try and return and prove myself to him. And now he's… gone. I used to be Theon Greyjoy, the greatest lover in Winterfell and best friend of Robb Stark. They're all gone and I'm still here. I let Ramsay do those… things to me, knowing that when I'd return to my father he'd disown me. He would have been happier if I'd died with my brothers,"
"But you didn't," Fareen interjected softly, wiping the tears from his face with her fingertips. He caught her hand and held it, tracing the outlines of her veins before moving his hands up to her shoulders, taking his turn to console her. His won rough fingertips brushed away the few stray tears on her face and she smiled, seeing the life return to his face again.
"No, I didn't," he looked into her eyes a moment longer than usual before he leant in towards her. A knock came at the door, disrupting them, and Fareen hastily lowered her eyes to the ground.
A crew-members voice shouted in through the door. "Land spotted!"
Oooooooooh! I love Theon so much. Poor little Fareen came on this voyage because of Tyrion now Theon? Not decided what will happen yet so favourite and follow to keep up with the story! Also, leave a comment as the original idea was to have Fareen with Tyrion… but now I like Theon and Fareen together… who knows? Leave a comment!
Wil you play the Game of Unicorns? xxx