Self Loathing in Lilac
Authors Note – I'm back with another chapter of Unchained Calamity. I genuinely didn't expect me review count to shoot from 40ish to 80 within a day of me posting the newest Chapter. That's actually wild. Thank you all.
I'll be responding to reviews at the bottom of the chapter, so those of you who have questions, don't worry, they'll all be answered below. One thing I will answer now is that I will do my utmost best to have longer chapters but due to my lack of a beta, errors will definitely occur, however I'll always do my best to proofread my own work.
I won't be writing a chapter of Naruto's 3rd clone rescuing Rhaella because I can do that in a flashback and don't want to spend another chapter doing so in order to get the story moving. For the Guest reviewer who thought Naruto didn't rescue anyone but some of the most important characters to the Game of Thrones, please do re-read Chapter 1 where I have the original going off on his own to save whoever he could in Kings Landing. I just simply didn't write about it because I didn't think anyone would want to read it.
Other than that, enjoy the 4th chapter of Unchained Calamity.
Arriving at the foot of what appeared to be the castle Princess Elia told him about, Naruto couldn't help but be impressed by its large walls and immaculate layout. It seemed to him that each and every corner of the castle was specifically designed to provide as much defense as it would naturally allow without coming off as unsightly or awkward to gazing eyes.
'Is this how members of royalty live? Damn, what I wouldn't give for a castle.' Naruto thought to himself, still eying up the large castle, especially the elongated tower that stood up the rest. Checking to see if his guests were alright, he was surprised to see both of them asleep. While he did consider the events of today to be a monumental reason as to her rest, he did not expect them to be as unmoving as they were, seeing as the speed he was moving at would've surely caused them to be wide awake the entire time.
He couldn't continue his thoughts however, as his legs buckled under him, nearly causing him to stumble and drop the child and woman on his front and back respectively. There was no point standing still, hopefully there would be someone who could take the two and treat them. He was still worried at their condition, especially considering how the Princess was near-raped by the men he killed and how both daughter and mother had to bear the sight of seeing their brother and son get killed in a horrific manner.
Feeling the rage bubble within his chest, he took a moment to recover. 'There's no use in thinking of it. Those two are dead and I can't bring the son back. No matter how much I want to.' He thought grimly to himself.
Nearing the gated bridge that he assumed to be the entrance, Naruto was stopped by a large entourage of armored men, carrying shields and spears, the sigil of a pierced sun on an orange field painted on their shields. At the forefront of these men was a tall man, slender, graceful and fit. He had sharp features, though this was offset by his saturnine expression and black eyes. His hair flowed lustrously downwards, ending at his shoulders. He wore a rather intimidating set of armor, plated enough to withstand multiple blows but not too heavy as to restrict his movement. Held tightly in his right hand was an elongated spear, its end coated with a thick, almost miasmic like fluid. It flowed from the spear and dropped onto the dirt below.
'It's poisoned. Damn. I can't fight them like this, and I definitely won't risk Elia or her daughter in order to fight them. My only options are to run or attempt diplomacy.' Naruto began to dislike his odds little by little, not enjoying the position he was in. It was either attempt to fight them and get the two people he was protecting either injured or outright killed, run and get an earful from the Princess, or attempt diplomacy and potentially get killed by an arrow.
He didn't have to do any of those however, as the man in front began to speak, "Halt stranger! May I ask who you are and who you carry?" His voice wasn't as deep as Naruto thought it would, but beneath it he knew lay a tongue of sharp wit and charm.
Knowing he had no other options, Naruto decided to diplomatically reply, "Before I answer your question, I have one of my own. Who's asking?"
The man seemed to narrow his eyes at that, "My name is Prince Oberyn Nymeros Martell. I am known to many as the Red Viper, and unless you tell me who you are within the next few moments, I will show you exactly why I am named such." Naruto could see his hand grip his spear even tighter and saw the subtle movements of his muscle preparing itself to quickly get into a fighting stance.
Naruto's head clicked at that, so he's one of the brothers the Princess was talking about. Seeing as he had nothing to hide considering who he was carrying, he decided to let her name be known. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm carrying the Princess of Dorne, Elia Martell on my back and her daughter. She gave me instructions to head to Starfall in order to seek transport to Sunspear and find you and another brother, Doran if I remember correctly."
Oberyn's eye quickly widened at that but narrowed back just as quickly, "Do you take me for a fool? My sister is all the way in Kings Landing last I heard. She is trapped within the walls of the Red Keep and you think it a joke to say that you are carrying her?" He quickly signaled his men to get into position, their spears pointed and shields at the ready.
Naruto attempted to disengage the tension as quickly as possible, "Yes and if you want proof, I can go to you. If you look at me, I'm in absolutely no condition to fight. So long as I have your word that your men don't immediately stab me the moment I'm in range, I'll give you the definitive proof that this is indeed her."
"Say that you are indeed carrying my sister," Oberyn paused, his dark eyes gleaming with something strange, something dangerous, "How will you be able to explain the manner in which you carried her without exposing yourself to multiple people and rumors?"
Now Naruto was starting to get a little bit irritated, here he was willfully surrendering and offering to show him who he had on his back and he was still playing 21 questions. While his skills in diplomacy improved by leaps and bounds during the course of the war (you don't sit through a war commanding all 5 Shinobi Nations who – prior to the mass conflict that was presently occurring – were still at odds ends with one another and not learn a few things), his patience still needed a bit of work. Oh well, nothing a little hard work and persistence can't fix. "Look, just give me your word you won't go all stabby-stab on me, and I promise you I won't do anything stupid."
Oberyn grunted, deciding to trust the man, if begrudgingly as he was not a man who trusted the word of another simply on the off-chance that they could be carrying their sister and Queen to the Seven Kingdoms. "Very well, you will approach, and you will approach slowly. I want you to make clear where your hands are, and that they remain in the open so that I do not signal my men to skewer you like a fish."
Naruto sighed, glad that he was at least willing enough to let him come close. Making sure the girl wouldn't be dropped, Naruto raised his hand, clearly showing his lack of arms and slowly walked forward. His arm was angled in an awkward position so as to not drop the Princess's daughter but to also keep Oberyn's condition that shows he isn't reaching for a weapon anytime soon.
The closer he got, the more tense Oberyn's men became, their grips tightening harder onto the shafts of their spears and their bodies ready to spring into action. Oberyn himself was tense, the hand gripping his spear sweating underneath his glove. The moment Naruto got close enough to him and his men, Oberyn's eyes quickly shifted to the individual on his back and his eyes widened and his body grew slack, causing his hand to release the hold on his spear.
Not taking anymore time, he quickly ran towards Naruto, uncaring of his men shouting at his back nor of his weapon discarded on the floor.
'Please, please, please!' He begged to the Old Gods and New. 'Please let that be my dear sister.'
Seeing Oberyn sprinted towards him, Naruto nearly got ready to kick the man square in the chest until he saw that his eyes were widened and the glint of danger in his eyes were replaced with desperation and hope. Knowing he was simply running to confirm that this was indeed his sister that the blonde was carrying, Naruto slowly shifted her around, careful not to wake her daughter, and making sure the Princess wasn't awoken too quickly either.
Sliding to a stop, Oberyn saw the blonde gently place the woman onto the ground, and looking at her now, from this distance, he knew. "Oh, oh. My dear sweet sister." He dropped to his knee and quickly embraced his sisters, tears threatening to escape his eyes and his throat choking something fierce. Sobs attempted to escape them only to be met by a laugh of pure, unadulterated happiness.
"Oh, my dear sister! It's you. It's actually you!" Oberyn and his siblings were incredibly distraught to hear of how their sister was trapped within the Red Keep under the orders of the Mad King. Doran told Oberyn to quickly assemble their bannermen and prepare to head out, and once they docked at Starfall only to quickly prepare horses to fly the banners of House Martell in the name of freeing his sister only to find him in the arms (or rather, arm) of a man who looked so awfully tired, exhausted and bloody. He considered it a miracle.
Not noticing his laughter was quickly waking the guest in his arms, Princess Elia Martell awoke with a slow start, her eyes slowly attempting to open and adjust itself to the light. The moment she saw the gleam of armor, with the sigil of her house, her eyes sought to seek their face and thought of only a few who would dare hold her so closely. So intimately.
"Oberyn!" She shouted with a cry, the tears escaping her much easier than her brother and her arms flew to his neck crushing him in a grip that clearly spoke of the relief and pure happiness at being held by her brother.
"Sister! My Gods, I thought you were stuck in the Red Keep! How did you get here so fast? How did you manage to escape the chaos and fire of Kings Landing?" Oberyn replied, his arms going down her shoulders to press her into a soul-crushing hug.
Princess Elia heard his question and quickly disentangled herself from her brother and turned to look at his savior.
Looking at him now, she saw the state of the man who saved her and her daughter and nearly vomited. His right arm was a dried bloody stump, with the red fluid caking his entire body and his clothing in tatters. His eyes spoke of pure exhaustion and weariness, the bags underneath his eyes too unnatural to be on his face. His facial features were caked in mud and dried blood and his hair was no different, and she could see that he was struggling to hold her daughter, yet his grip was still firm and tight.
She nearly sobbed then and there. She didn't have the time to look at him clearly before, doing her best to blank out the event that nearly occurred to her in the hands of the Mountain and how he and Ser Amory Loch killed her only son and nearly did the same to her daughter but looking at him now, she couldn't help but appreciate this man.
All of this, he did for her. Saving her and her daughter, taking them out of the raging fires of Kings Landing to Starfall. She didn't want to think on how he was able to get here so fast, nor on the details of his bizarre meeting with her. All she could think of was how he did all of this just to ensure her safety. Not because he knew her (that much was made obvious as he did not so much as blink when hearing her name, nor did he immediately prostrate himself in front of her and beg her to forgive him for not coming soon enough). The only thing he did that she wished he did not, for she did not deserve it, was to kneel in front of her and pledge his allegiance to protecting her and her daughter.
"Naruto. May I?" She stood up slowly, dusting the dirt off her dress and reached her arms out to grab her daughter, who was gently asleep and snuggled deep into the blonde's chest. Nodding to show that he would agree to her request, he slowly extended his own arm outwards, and let her take her daughter into her own arms.
Feeling the weight of her daughter safely tucked in the crooks of her arms sent waves upon waves of release to Elia's stricken soul. She was many things – exhausted, battered and bruised, dehydrated and starving, but that all paled in comparison to the emotion that stood atop the rest.
Relief. Pure and bountiful. For she escaped the clutches of Kings Landing and the Red Keep, along with the horrid clutches of the Mountain and Ser Amory Loch. For her, there was no greater feeling than that. To feel the chains of duty, of marriage, of responsibility finally being snapped. It was no more a burden than it was a choice she made of her own volition, but to finally be free of it after realizing how much she has suffered for it.
It felt liberating.
Before she could continue her thoughts any further, a sharp thud crashed into her ears, and quickly looking up to find the source of it, she nearly gasped and dropped her daughter. For in all her thinking and monologuing, she inadvertently forgot the reason for her freedom – and now there he was, sprawled face-first into the dirt, his breaths coming out labored and in short, quick and almost deathly breaths.
She quickly screamed to her brother, "Oberyn, get this man inside and get the maester to help treat him. Quickly please! I do not wish for him to perish after ensuring all the necessary efforts to bring me here under my behest." Seeing her brother unmoving, she screamed at him now, "Do it NOW!" That seemed to shake him out of his stupor and barking for two of the men to come forward and help him carry the armless blonde, they were both surprised to see him struggle to get back up.
"My gods…" Oberyn stated in a whisper, almost visibly awed by this mans sheer force of will and Elia was in the same boat as her brother, nearly gawking at the young man who seemed to be 10-summers her junior. To still be willing to stand up, despite all of the hardships he's just gone through. It spoke of a man with an uncontestable force of will, and an unbending spirit, one that was much too stubborn to give in.
Naruto, on the other hand, wasn't thinking of how strong-willed he was, but rather how weak he was at the current moment in time. How could he have fallen like this? He still had so many things to do, so many tasks he wished to complete.
'Damnit… get up Naruto! Are you seriously going to fumble around in the dirt like this? You had worse and came out on top afterwards, so get up. I said… GET UP!' Naruto shouted at himself, the words bouncing around in his head, its intended effect not working as he wanted it to. In fact, the more he felt himself attempting to get up, the more his body refused to heed his commands. It was maddening! He couldn't pass out, not now. He still had his clones carrying Lyanna and another woman, who was in a much worse state than his current reserves could properly heal. If he were to pass out now, his clones may dispel with his lack of consciousness and drop the individuals he was carrying.
There was no way he would let it happen, but every moment he tried fighting off the edges of the darkness creeping within his peripheral vision, the more he felt his will succumbing to them. 'No damnit! I refuse! Not like this!' With one final motivated roar within the confines of his mind, he pushed himself up, a struggle that was quickly decreasing in difficulty due to the weight of two pairs of arms lifting him and putting them on their shoulders. Looking to who was kind enough to help, he saw the men Oberyn commanded on each side of him, while the Princess and Oberyn himself were eying him up, their eyes casting a barely visible glimmer of awe and amazement in hers and respect and slight admiration in his.
Naruto couldn't help but chuckle, his laugh coming out in an almost-whisper, the only noise leaving him a rasp, "Damn, sorry I couldn't present myself better to you Princess. I've had a really long day and if I had known I'd be rescuing a member of royalty, a kami-damned princess no less, I would've put on my smart clothes. I hope you'll forgive me for this." With that, his head dropped, and he could feel his eyes getting heavier each passing moment.
'Shit…' He cursed to himself, his natural bodily instincts were too powerful to resist this time, bringing him to the land of rest before he could even be remotely aware of it. His last thoughts were of his clones and the persons they were carrying, 'C2, C3, you two better not dispel. Not before you get them where we need them. Damnit it all… I'm sorry guys, I failed…' Without managing to complete that thought, he passed into the land of rest, his body finally succumbing to the fatigue that came with days upon days of war and conflict.
Seeing the blonde man finally pass out, whether from his wounds or his fatigue, both Martells saw it fit to see him safely escorted into Starfall, the entourage of spearmen behind them while two of the House's bannermen were carrying the blonde behind the two. Elia Martell saw the personal escorting of him as a way of thanking him, even if he was not awake to witness it while her brother did so out of duty to both his sister and the man who saved her life. While he may have not liked the implications of how the rescue was staged and completed, it was completed nevertheless and brought him home a niece and the sister he and his brothers feared were lost to them forever.
Seeing the men at the gate tug on the chains that raised the gates guarding the entrance of the castle, all the members of House Martell that were present – both bannermen and royalty – stepped inside, only to be greeted by some members of House Dayne, most notably Ashara Dayne and her sister, Allyria.
The two sisters stood there openly in shock at the sight of none other than the princess-consort of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen himself, Princess Elia Martell, though the shock was quickly hidden and both females faces schooled their visages into looks of noble professionalism and politeness. There was an odd air that shifted between the two women of House Dayne and Princess Elia, it was almost threatening if one were being honest.
Oberyn however, took no notice of it, and if he did, showed little care for it as he quickly barked at the bannermen of House Dayne, "You! Fetch me a maester quickly and you, help my men carry the blonde man into a vacant room and have the man fetching the maester to lead him there. We need this man to be treated and it must be done quickly. Now, quickly!" The two young bannermen, both of them no older than ten-and-eight summers quickly helped the two Dornish bannermen grab a hold of the blonde, while the other man quickly rushed inside to find the maester.
Turning to Ashara, Oberyn tilted his head in a sign of apology and acknowledgement, it was well known that after the death of the leading nobleman of House Dayne and his wife, Arthur was left in charge of the House. However, due to his acceptance into the Kings guard, the burden of responsibility quickly fell to the second-eldest of the four siblings of House Dayne, who so happened to be Lady Ashara, "My lady, I apologize for the inconvenience on my part. I did not wish to impose so suddenly and intrusively, but the man you saw being carried by two of my own and helped by one of yours was paramount to my sisters rescue and safety. I hope you do not mind."
Lady Ashara merely nodded her head in acknowledgement, "It is no problem at all, Prince Oberyn. After all, House Dayne is sworn to House Martell. What is ours are also yours, whether they be men, provisions, or accommodation." Turning her head to the princess, who looked haggard and stiff beyond what should've been befitting of a lady her status, Ashara dipped herself into a curtsy, "And I welcome you, Princess Elia to House Dayne. It seems to be good fortune that you have arrived with your brother and not stuck in the current conflicts occurring. Speaking of," She paused and regarded both the prince and princess, "There are certain topics of conversation relating to it that I and the few other with me here wish to speak to you about. Come, let us make haste so that it may be concluded quickly, and the Princess may go get some rest. You as well, if you desire Prince Oberyn." Turning around and ushering her sister and the other lesser nobles with them, they quickly lead the two to the conference hall, where both ladies sat at the immediate head and right of the table, while the prince and princess sat besides each other to the left. The Princess's daughter was sat asleep upon her lap, Elia's slow and comforting strokes ensuring the child would be asleep throughout the entire proceeding lest she is awoken by a loud and sudden noise.
Ashara cleared her throat to begin, "The event now known to us as Robert's Rebellion has been concluded. He and his supporting rebel army have defeated the Targaryen loyalists at the Battle of the Trident, where it is confirmed that Prince Rhaegar has been killed by none other than Robert himself." The room became even more silent at that, the news of the battle floating around in the heads of everyone present, like a wraith, biting and snapping at their necks. A sudden chill ran up everyone's spines once the next words were heard, "Jaime Lannister has slayed King Aerys, apparently shoving his sword through the Mad King's back while he was caught unaware. Everyone is now beginning to call him the Kingslayer."
One of the lesser nobleman slammed his fist on the table, beginning to shout only to wither under Princess Elia's glare as she reminded him of the child sitting upon her lap, which caused him to clear his thought and speak loudly but respectfully, "How did the king manage to die within his own city? Were the rest of his army not with him?"
"They were," Ashara began, "However, they were soundly beaten by the marching Lannister army." She looked around once more, dreading the next particular set of news, as it pertained to the fate of her and Allyria's only brother after the death of their other.
She uttered it slowly, and as she concluded her sentence, all eyes present on every noble face, including the Prince and Princess widened to near-epic proportions, "The Kingsguard, save for Jaime Lannister are all now dead. That includes our very own Sword of the Morning, Ser Arthur Dayne. The location of the ancestral sword of House Dayne, Dawn is currently unknown. News has it that it disappeared among the bodies of the Kingsguard guarding the Tower of Joy. No word has been confirmed as to what the Kingsguard were protecting at the tower, some say it was Lyanna Stark, who Prince Rhaegar kidnapped and raped only to place her in the Tower of Joy to die alone. Others say it was merely there as a distraction, shielding away the true location of Princes Lyanna. All that is known is that the Princess of Winterfell has disappeared without a trace, along with House Dayn's ancestral sword."
When news reached of her brother's death, Ashara nearly broke then and there. Even now, as she gazed upon everyone and her eyes landed on Princess Elia's own, traces of barely-hidden hate pooling within her beautiful lilac orbs, all she could feel was a perpetual sense of emptiness. All of it was gone, her dear brother, who sought it more preferable to stick to his honor until his dying breath than it was to returning home in one piece to her and Allyria safe and sound. Even the news of Dawn missing didn't hurt nearly as much as the thought that her brother preferred death in honor than dishonor in living.
It hurt to the point where she could not feel it within her to continue living, she did not see the reason in doing such things as even her lover, Eddard Stark of Winterfell ended up being betrothed to Catelyn Tully of Riverrun. She had decided to end her life by jumping atop the Palestone Sword and seeing the married woman of the man responsible for sending her brother to his death and sending the kingdom into a mass-conflict only reinforced her decision even further.
She was so deep in her self-loathing that she did not even realize when everyone left to get acquainted with their chambers for the evening, not even when her dear sister attempted to coax her out of her thoughts only to sigh and leave her be.
Quickly standing up and nearly catching the edges of her dress on her shoes, she willed the tears that nearly sprung forth from her eyes and quickly ascended the steps of the tower. Night had already fallen, and most of the castles occupants, including its guests were sound asleep within their chambers, while a few were posted guarding the doors of the more important individuals such as the Prince and Princess of House Martell. Arriving at the foot of the entrance at the top of the tower, she was relieved to find it empty, and quickly stepped onto the ledge. She had to commit to the act before she started having second thoughts and stepped downwards.
And with nary a second thought, she stepped off, her presumably final thoughts being 'Farewell cruel world. I'm sorry dear sister, I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me for this heinous act of self-interest and I hope you one-day understand. I'm coming dear brother, please… wait for me.' She closed her eyes, awaiting the sudden and cold impact of the raging river below her to force her body to seize up and shut down, causing her death to be imminent and merciful.
What she did not expect however, was for her body to suddenly lurch forward as if being pulled, and for her to be thrown as if she was a ragdoll across the grass and dirt of the earth below her causing her to spill out some rather un-ladylike grunts and curses as her body rolled and seized to a stop after a few moments. The only other noise to accompany her was that of another resounding splash, this time, the noises clearly indicating to her that it was coming from the river.
Quickly setting herself upright, she looked towards the body of water waiting for whoever dared save her in her act of self-murder and awaited to lash out for taking away her only method of escape from this torturous world of her. She did not believe whatsoever in the drivel the common people spoke of magic and sorcery and whatnot, and knew it was a person who saved her.
What she didn't expect however, was for that individual to be the same one who was supposed to be sound asleep and recovering from his wounds after all that occurred, to be the one to climb out of the water, his ripped clothing replaced by a set of modest robes utterly soaked to the bone, sticking to his body and showing off his incredibly well-built physique, coughing and sputtering as if he was just choking on water.
When Naruto found himself awakening to the feeling of a warm bed, and his physique cleaned and taken care of with bandages covering up every part imaginable on his body, he expected himself to fall straight back asleep, intent on making sure his regeneration did its job and making sure the wounds closed, even if they left scars.
What he didn't expect himself to do was to suddenly jump out of bed and dive out his window, catching and tossing whoever he just caught onto the dirt below, thanking Kami and his luck for making sure he was in one of the bedrooms on the second floor of the building he was in and allowing him to slow her descent with a quick application of wind manipulation to make sure she didn't get hurt too badly. What he didn't do was make sure that wind manipulation was also applicable to him and he ended up smacking his entire body-weight onto the body of water below him after his jump and get utterly soaked to the bone.
It really didn't help that his wounds opened right back up after they were just treated, so he sought to give whoever was stupid enough to commit suicide a piece of his mind. Climbing out of the water with one arm and re-opened wounds was much more difficult and strenuous than he imagined, but he managed to do it, glaring at the outline of the person he just saved their features distinctly female.
"Look lady, I don't care what reasons you have and for what purpose you intended to off yourself for, but you do not ever try that shit again." He huffed in one angry breath, the pain of his wounds causing his mouth to snap shut and a hiss to escape in between his closed teeth.
Ashara was livid and she made it known, "How dare you!" She hissed, an angry and horrifying expression set on her visage, "Do you even realize who you're talking to you ingrate?!"
"I don't know - and frankly, I don't care! All I know is that you were ignorant and selfish enough to decide that suicide was the answer to your problems." The blonde bit back.
Ashara was not having any of it, biting back an angry retort of her own, "And what would you know of my problems? From the way I see it, you're just a lost vagrant who decided to rescue the beloved Princess and her daughter to curry some favor from her and her house."
It was at that moment, Ashara knew she shouldn't have spoken those words and her temper was immediately sated only to be replaced by fear and horror as Naruto's eyes narrowed so thinly and dangerously, she swore to the Old and New Gods above that his eyes turned a terrifying crimson.
"Don't you dare accuse me of something as disgusting as using the princess for my own self-interest!" The blondes voice was a deep growl, traces of Kurama's chakra flowing within him and causing his pupils to turn into the Foxes demonic crimson slits, his canines to sharpen and his whiskers to deepen, thought not too significantly to be visibly seen.
The nerve of this woman, how dare she accuse him of doing something he would never dream of simply because she was ungrateful for him saving her life. How dare she?! Taking a moment to allow his demons chakra to recede back within himself, Naruto willed himself to take a deep breath before he said something he just knew he'd regret later on.
"Look. I don't have a reason for saving your life, and I definitely don't need one. As for me saving the Princess to curry some sort of favor? I would never do it. Never in my life and never in my next ones. I'm not some thoughtless manipulative bastard and I sure as hell am not whoever you're trying to paint me as. I saved her because she was about to see her daughters head smashed into tiny pieces after seeing her sons own head destroyed, and a fucker of a man about to rape her to death. I did not save her for any other reason than doing the right thing."
Ashara's fear and horror were now replaced by shock and disgust pooling in the pit of her gut.
Oh gods. She didn't know! How was she supposed to know? Putting her face in her hands, she let out large and ugly pained sobs, her lithe and beautiful frame being racked by sobs and hiccups as she just realized the extent of her words and what may happen to her once he decided to speak to the Princess of it.
Naruto's eyes simply softened and grabbed her hands with his lone one, and used it to raise her chin to meet her eyes and he simply uttered a simple question that let out the gates of tears flowing from Ashara's hauntingly beautiful face, "Why don't you and I talk about it? You're suffering and I can't, in all good conscience allow someone to suffer while I'm here." He gently attempted to get her to open up, only to realize the depths of her misery and sadness as she merely cried more.
Sighing, he decided on another course of action, "Come on. Let's get you to a warm bed. You and I can talk in the morning and I promise you whatever it is you need to get off your chest, you can count on me to keep it only to us two." With that, he picked her up in a bridal carry, making sure to have her head rest in the crook of his right shoulder, while his left arm was hooked underneath her legs and the stump of his right arm was on the crooks of her upper back, he let her grab fistfuls of his soaking tunic and merely allowed her to cry herself to sleep as there was no other way he could get her to sleep otherwise.
He would know, after all. Sleep would never come to someone whose heart and mind were so utterly tormented by the horrors inflicted upon them that caused the wound in the first place. So, the only solution was to let the body exhaust itself.
What Ashara didn't know at the time, and certainly not the blonde who was carrying her, was that the multiple actions the blonde took on this very day would set forth a chain of events that would change the history of the Seven Kingdoms for all eternity.
No, for now, Ashara was merely content to grab the shirt of her savior and bask in his warmth. Not just his physical warmth, but the exuding aura of comfort and security she felt being wrapped up in his arms so warmly as she was, her body reacting in ways it had never done so before.
Her final thoughts before drifting off were one of a woman grateful towards someone who gave her an opportunity to live again, 'Is this… is this what the feeling of love is? If so, I would not mind basking in this for as long as I am able.'
As the moonlight struck the broad shoulders of the blonde carrying her, they were both simply content to bask in the quiet as he led the now sleeping woman to his chambers, careful not to wake her nor cause her any sort of discomfort. Using the minutest amount of chakra, he was able to without injuring himself further, he willed the wind to dry the parts of her that became damp while he was carrying her. Doing another once over and making sure she was properly settled in and comfortable, the blonde merely pulled up a chair and sat on it, the back of his head resting on the wall while his left hand never left the grips of the woman's right hand.
'Huh. When did that happen?' Naruto thought to himself, seeing the position his hand was in and as much as he would've liked letting go, the woman had one hell of a grip and he knew he wasn't getting out of it anytime soon. Not in his current state anyhow. Merely shrugging and letting Fate do what it did, Naruto allowed himself to drift back into sleep, his final thoughts being of the woman beside him.
'You know, I didn't even get this crazy lady's name…'
Authors Note – That's all for this chapter. Hopefully, you guys are happy with this length. As I've stated, I'm worried the longer the chapters, the more errors that will slip through even with my proofreading. Honestly, I'm kind of scared posting long chapters because I know someone's going to type in a review stating my need for a Beta (which I have got one, but he's busy).
Now, onto answering some reviews:
Guest Reviewer Oda Nobunaga – Thanks for your review man! I'm hoping I can pump out faster updates too, but don't expect it as these sorts of things require a miracle to occur. However, I'd like to think I'm doing pretty well in terms of motivation. I did indeed read your review of the second chapter, and my answer to Naruto conquering Essos and ruling it like Oda did during his reign as Shogun of Japan is 'I don't know.'
Simply because I haven't got much of a concrete plan for this story and I don't want to have an exquisite plan because it can change so suddenly and abruptly during my writing phase so for now, I'll have to put your idea on ice. I would love to try it out though, but it might not happen for a long while.
Druto – Thank you! And I did see End Game and all I can say for it is that the fires of inspiration for my Marvel x Naruto rewrite is roaring and I'm eagerly hoping to get the draft done and beta'd by Angel Wolf so he can give me the green light to publish it.
Ryruko – Thank you! I'm hoping its good as I really do love Game of Thrones and Naruto, so mixing Naruto into GoT's world is a fun challenge and I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. I will try and extend my chapter length, but please don't hold me to it as sometimes I will fail in that endeavor. Either way, thank you for the support!
ExDaGod – Thank you! I'm hoping to finish it as well! And to be honest, I want to be able to complete it just as much as everyone else :P
Biob1 – The story is beginning to get started so please just be patient! Thank you so much for the review.
EnviosSc – Thank you so much for the review man! I'm also glad I got back to writing it again (and here's hoping I'll update my Witcher and Marvel story as well).
Jebest4781 – I love your stories so I'm incredibly grateful to have you reviewing mine! Honestly, I'm sure you and many others are also curious to see where those three will end up, and all I can say is that before it gets going, it's going to have one hell of an uphill battle. After all, all three of them are at odds with each other (namely Elia and Lyanna, and Rhaella with both of them).
Jiubantai-taichoCalmejaneJose – I am thinking of making a modern GoT fic but most likely after I finish this, and my other stories currently published. Or maybe I'll post a prologue chapter and see if you guys enjoy it.
LandoCali – I know it's not about padding my word count, that's just my fear that I'm an inadequate writer so I'll be prone to making so many mistakes. Hopefully that isn't the case. I know that everything in the story could've been one chapter, so hopefully this one is more to your tastes :) I try and make sure everyone who gives my story a shot can appreciate it and like it just as much as any other. I'll do my best to make it less choppy, but I can guarantee it to be 100% all of the time. But than you so much for your review and criticism ^^
GamerX568 – Ah, no, I didn't mean that he was 16, but Ned Stark knew by his looks that he was at least that age. Not that he's 16 definitely.
To all my other reviewers and guest reviewers as well, I hope you enjoy this chapter and as always, thank you all so much for reading my stories and giving them a shot. I'm glad you guys like them.
Hopefully the next chapter is released soon, but I can't give any promises because I'm afraid of breaking them.
Next chapter will have C3 and Rhaella ending up somewhere they shouldn't have and attempting to make the most of the situation the clone accidentally placed them in.
Other than that, thank you all so much for your time and I hope to see you all again soon.
Take care and see all of you soon. Until then!
