Light into the darkness

A creak in the darkness; short and unexpected. Behind the closed eyelids Nersin's eyes flickered spasmodically. In her chest the heart quieted down its rhythm, trying to hide in the obscurity of the room. Another creak, slow, long and purposeful and then it stopped. She turned her head around gently, but kept the eyes closed afraid to look at what was coming for her. It happened again and this time it went on for so long until the door knob hit against the wall behind it and her heart startled with the abrupt knock. A muscle twitched in her jaw and she clenched her eyes. Steps; heavy steps. One… two… three. Her eyes opened suddenly staring at the hand reaching for her from the darkness and she screamed with all her might. The sound resonated through the night and the vibrations of that loud echo forced the air around her to break into pieces which span and swirled, circling around her, lifting her up so easily as she were nothing more than a doll. She collapsed into an uncontrollable vortex, at such speed and strength she felt thrown around, with no direction, blinded by the blackness in the womb of the swirl. Awkwardly enough, a soft flow of wind caressed through her hair as if time had slowed down fighting the power of the tornado toying with her numb body. And then it all came to a halt, the pieces of the room glued back together and she found herself resting with her back against the window. Her hair settled back on her shoulders as if that gust of wind brushed it carefully, strand by strand laying it on her skin. And she heard the sound of her own breathing that she did not hear before; that and nothing else. The menacing hand was gone and she was grateful to be close to the window, enjoying the dim light of the bluish moon. It tainted her pale skin, making it ripple with the shadows of the night. She breathed again and her hair moved slightly off her shoulders, dropping long and heavy into the crevasse between her breasts. The wind came back and played with a few rebellious strands and she let it sooth her uneasiness. Her eyes kept starring into the dark. She looked down and couldn't even see her feet; she focused harder, but the moon light was only lit her face, dying into the crook of her neck were she lingered for a while longer, disappearing below her breasts. She sank her face into that pool of black beneath; it suffocated her, it pulled her down, making her dizzy. She retreated but something lay heavy on the top of her head, pressing her down as if it wanted to see her drowned into the night. She glimpsed up. A bluish face like hers emerged from above, nose first, then lips, arching into a merciless grin, then dark frowning eyebrows. Her father stared at her with a satisfied look on his face and she felt the force keeping her down pushing more and her knees were giving up. She tensed all the muscles in the neck trying to keep her head above the black pool awaiting for her just an inch away and the harder she tried, the closer her father's face came, growing bigger, to unimaginable proportions, his grin turning into a laughter. It was as if she had no arms, as if she had no body, only her head and inside it a mind that struggled with the fear of being killed. She fought back, she jolted, pulled and pushed but the hollow below clawed on her fiercely. Her neck cracked with the effort, her face plunged into the abyss below and she gasped for air. It felt warm, glowing, with little playful sparkles of pure white, flaming in orange golden lights like a fire starting to burn underneath her face. The pressure on her head was slowly fading, but she remained captivated by the globe of light growing before her eyes. She forgot about her father's evilness, about the murderous glow in his eyes. A drop of sweat slid down her eyebrow falling into that growing fire beneath her. It got hotter, it burnt her cheeks and she wanted to go back, but she was stuck. It was just her and the fire, and she stretched her neck as much as she could tilting her head in vain, to avoid the flames to reach her eyes. But they did and bit vengefully on her eyebrows, burning them. She heard the quick rasp sound of the hair being burnt and she screamed again, short and hoarse; and then she screamed again. Her eyes cried stung by the rising heat, her face had flamed to an incredibly painful blush and she opened her mouth searching for the pure cold air of the night that had left her. Her yell reverberated through the fire and as if scared away it got sucked back within itself as if pulled back into its ashes by an invisible hand. Her savior, the wind, rushed back to take her away from that limbo and she found herself floating on her back, carried away into the unknown. She closed her eyes and let the tears flow into her hair, cooling her burning heart. Her feet were warm and she gazed upon them; the same treacherous light, the chicanery of perdition was chasing after her and she flipped on her belly trying to swim in that sea of air and darkness to escape it. The soles of her feet were burning and she felt her flight was coming to an end and she dived head first to her doom. Her mouth filled with the air pushed through her lips as she fell and her chest hurt with the pain of the gravity no longer holding her.

The wind was gone; her hair dropped heavy on her back, her cheek smashed into a wall and she groaned with the pain. Her temple bruised; her eyes sore and dry from her flight, her collar bone pressed against the coldness of the wall. She cried. The hand was back, groping on the back of her neck, pushing her head steadily into the cold surface and she choked on her own breath. She looked back with her good eye and saw the flame still burning behind her, ghostly and silent. A shadow emerged from the fiery mists and she saw Kanza approach his face to hers with that malicious look in his eyes, alluring and dangerous. His lips parted and her heart shrank hearing the hissing of that snake coming closer to her ear. The tip of his tongue traced a long hot line from her jaw to the temple and she shut her eyes, shuddered by the disgust and the frustration of being so impotent against his intentions. His lips slid down leaving more wet marks on her cheek bone and to her it felt like slime. His mouth touched the corner of hers and she groaned, cried and fought at the same time. Bitter; bitterness in her mouth; bitterness in her soul.

And then she heard him breath loud and suddenly, like a stirred animal, his eyes opened wide, his focus shifting elsewhere. A deep grunt and he vanished in thin air taking the flames with him, as if they were never there. Only her sweaty crease and her flaming skin reminded her of his ordeal. The night wrapped her again in its soothing blanket, but she continued sobbing into the silence of the room, still embracing the wall Kanza had left her pinned to. She sensed movement behind her and her sobbing grew bigger, fearing a new plunge into the pits of hell. She focused her disturbed senses to feel the wind coming; it spoke to her about what was to come. But her hair remained stuck to her temples, damp and tangled; no breeze swept her shoulders, nothing made her loose balance anymore. Still, she felt that presence. She dared and glanced over her shoulder, pushing her eye so much into the corner that it hurt. Her heart skipped a beat and ceased as if it had gone silent for good. He stood there, tall and quiet, partially hidden by the night. Same bluish face, same deep watery features like hers, as if they were both resting on the bottom of the sea.

She turned around gently and for the first time in this nightmare she felt blood flowing through her veins, like a stream of light making her body luminescent, helping it emerge from the dark. It followed the lines of her body, in and out of her lavish shapes, as if it were a lantern waving a ramification of light threads building her body together in the darkness. From her shoulders, carving through to her breasts, drawing around her arms, shinning through the tip of her fingers, to then linger on her hips. She felt it slide down her long legs, sieving into the floor through her toes and her body shone in the murky obscurity, like a spec of light, a ghostly presence of fire. And his eyes watched that light of life flow through her body with eager eyes and the beauty of her body made him want to come closer and embrace it. But he remained motionless like a silent call and she couldn't resist it. Her hands came up through the stillness of the night, caressing down his strong arms. The air had gone dry all of a sudden, and her fiery aura fired up intensely. She looked back worried that the fire might come for her again. But it wasn't that fire; it was the fire lighting within her. She looked down her translucent body and saw her chest flaming with circles of fiery red and flakes of pure gold, swirling silently but passionately, like the belts of star dust spinning around planets from forgotten times. She was a body of light, growing incandescent, throwing shadows on his bluish features. They were two strangers coming from different worlds, fire and water, meant to never coexist. But there was more to his watery depth. His hair seemed to dissipate into thin air, like the wind, soft and unseen. His body rippled like the water of a pond, clear yet blurry and it soothed her inner fire, but the gust of wind, so mild and barely felt kept stirring the flaming circles inside her heart. Was he made of water? Was he made of wind? She stared at his face looking for the truth; his lips shivered ready to speak; they parted but remained silent. She grabbed onto those cold arms helping herself up his body to reach that spring of cold water that would sooth her inner fire. His mouth lowered onto hers, his lips quivered cold and fresh, touching her burning mouth and Nersin closed her eyes. Their mouths locked together, and he sucked on her lips gently, inhaling that hot breath out of her chest and into his watery throat, spreading her fire inside him. Her lips cooled down, caught in his soft grip; his teeth sank in her lower lip and she groaned digging her fingernails into his arms. His bluish color infected her, and soon the burning specters in her chest became a swirl of celestial blue sprinkled with stars as if the skies had traveled down on earth, settling in their hearts. They melted into each other and she gave in to the pleasure of being like him; being with him. His lips felt real, felt soft, made out of flesh, his rough hands brushed against her back with a touch that defied their transparent nature. She bit on his lower lip with a groan.

Cedric watched her twist in her sleep and the muffled grunt in her throat made him swallow in difficultly. She looked ill with a cold sweat, pale and agitated. He grabbed her tiny shoulders shaking her gently, hoping to bring her out of the nightmare. Her head fell back, her lips parted and Cedric almost fell back with the desire to mold his mouth on hers and fill that sweet abyss between her lips.

"Nersin…"

Beyond the realm of reality and into her dream, Nersin heard her name but his lips were on hers and she kissed him harder, trying to hold the sound of her name spoken by his voice within herself for safe keeping. He pushed away taking her by the shoulders and their transparent bodies shivered with the sudden movement. His lips parted saying her name again. "Nersin!" He was fading away slowly and she hurried to knot her hands around his neck and make him stay, but the water evaporated and the gust of wind brushing his hair vanished into the darkness of the room and she plunged into nothingness, left empty handed. "Nersin!"

She stared at him, with wide open eyes, so close she felt his breath caressing her sweaty face. His lips so close, still parted. Images overlapped in her sleepy weary mind. Her heart raced so fast she felt her entire body was bouncing back and forth with the loud drum in her chest. The blue in his eyes drugged her and she bent forward discovering her arms around his neck, tightly knotted and she couldn't wake up to the reality of him in flesh and blood looking down on her with an inexpressive face. Her breasts were embedded into his chest and if the light of the morning hadn't felt so absurdly cruel to her clouded eyes, she wouldn't have been able to grip on the reality at hand. On the reality of his rough open palms on her naked back. She let go, her arms fell to the sides of his body and she collapsed back into the pillows with him cushioning her fall. But he retreated fast after covering her nakedness, afraid he might not be able to control himself.

Cedric listened to her steady breathing as she stared at the white ceiling. He could not grasp on what this girl was all about or how she affected his simple life. Two days she'd been with him; two days he'd witnessed her shy away, drifting into silence. Two nights he'd been caring for her and two nights he'd taken her out of her painful dreams. She was a child caring for another child. His fist clenched in the attempt to keep himself from caressing her arm with the back of his hand. Child! His thoughts enraged him. Those curves under the sheets made him feel guilty for thinking one thing and feeling another. He got up and hurried to the door, thinking he would never get that close again. He turned around to look at her one last time. He did not expect her green gaze on him and froze piercing into her eyes and her eyes said nothing, void of any emotion.

"Sir Mormont and Leora left for Pentos." He paused and looked away, somewhere out on the corridor, thinking it might alleviate the anger and confusion within. But he couldn't resist and went back to her eyes following him still. "It's just you and me now." The door closed behind him; Nersin went back at staring at the fake shapes carved into the limestone. The morning sounds and the friendly sun should've helped soothing her mood. Yet the shadows of the night lingered in the back of her mind; the watery man vanishing like the wind brought tears in her eyes. Cedric Gaëlle scared her, in more ways than one and she blamed herself for the magnetism between them. Her eyes closed listening to the people in the market; sleep stole her away from reality again and soon the wind brushed through her hair again and she feared what it might bring. But the morning light sneaked beneath her flickering eyelids and she saw the shape of the watery man descend upon her again. She smiled. In her dream, Cedric was hers. In reality, the knight in shining armor coming to her rescue upset her. She did not trust kindness in a man, especially coming from a stranger. Mercy and good will changed like the wind when it came to men and she did not want to be there when it happened with Cedric.

W W W W W W W W

The room was quiet and the sun added more pressure to their already tense minds, being so exposed to the day light making its way through the moving curtains. The three men looked at each other without a word but their faces were a vivid expression of their feelings. Lord Esther looked down at his feet, his eyes frozen staring to one point that by now had become blurry as his thoughts and worries had taken over his vision of the world around. He breathed and that was all the motion he did, his hands dropping heavy in his lap, his face carved in stone. He felt his temples cracking with a deaf pain and he forced his head back thinking it might alleviate the ache digging in his head. The back of his head touched the chair, his eyes closed; the hurt in his temples flowed through his nerves, protruding through the skin. Swollen blood vessels pulsated on his forehead and he reached for his head to apply pressure with both hands.

"We should have never done this!" his voice was faint and he didn't even bother to look at Lorday who looked emptily out of the window.

"We shouldn't be here, we shouldn't do this, we shouldn't do that!" Lorday turned around looking angered, but it was only his words that bared the anguish for his eyes were as numb as Esther's. His voice died out as soon as he finished his sentence going back to staring at the market place below.

"He failed to take the message. I take this as a sign of ill-fate given by the Mighty Powers and we should not ignore it!" Esther turned around difficultly trying to clear his eyes enough to look at Lorday better.

"There's no sign!" Lorday's voice sounded balanced and deep. "It only means something more is happening out there that we are not aware of." He turned around ignoring Esther, pinning his eyes on Kanza who, in his usual manner, had kept silent, withdrawn in his corner enveloped in his black shrouds; away from the light. "Do you still have the letter?" But Kanza only nodded without gesturing any further. "Well, can I have it?" Lorday stretched his hand waiting rather impatiently.

"I will accomplish my mission." Kanza's words came out slowly, and calculated, showing no intention to return the letter. Lorday let his hand drop slowly, looking the informer in the eye, trying to decipher the unspoken truth that lay behind the tar eyes of this cunning devil. But his eyes were cold and impenetrable and Lorday turned towards the window to take a moment away from Kanza's invasive stare and consider his next move.

"We will not go on with this madness." Esther got up taking a step towards Kanza holding his hand out to take the letter himself.

"Lord Esther, with all due respect, this small encumbrance is only to our advantage! So do not be hasty!" And this time Lorday meant every word he said. His eyes lit up as he watched them both looking at him; one calm, one agitated, but both curious about his plan. "Alchantar went to see Khal with a plan. I must assume it wasn't because of the Tekaras."

"I thought that's all he ever wanted. To settle the score with an old enemy." Esther gestured a bit uneasy, but still, the thought blooming in the back of his mind slowed down his enthusiasm to fight Lorday on the matter.

"Khal Drogo would not be interested in fighting his petty wars if there weren't for a greater gain in all this." Lorday let out a deep breath, his mind still not grasping at the Wolof's plans. "What can Alchantar Wolof offer the Dothraki that would make Khal step into this war?" He looked over his shoulder, glancing at Kanza with sneaky eyes. "You are sure you did not mention to anyone about our little secret?"

Kanza kept quiet for a moment and a flash of superiority and irony rippled in the depth of his eyes but he finally answered in a caustic tone.

"No."

Lorday did not seem pleased. It didn't help with finding more about the plans of the Wolofs' leader.

"We must find out what he is scheming, this Wolof and his men. I am afraid whatever he is trying to accomplish might affect our plans and that, I will not accept."

"What can you do? Some things are not in your power to change! In anyone's power to change!" Esther paced for a bit, then settled back in his chair, this time switching positions too often for Lorday to remain calm around his tossing and groaning.

"The Mighty Powers may not intervene in the plans of men! But men can intervene in other men's arrangements if we are to benefit from such unprecedented downfalls of history!" He approached Esther shadowing his old figure enough for the noble to look up at him and his lips trembled slightly when meeting Lorday's menacing eyes. "There is a risk in everything; or did you think we would be able to pull this little coup without spilling a drop of blood?" He pouted with a smile in the corner of his lips; his eyes changed reflections, mocking and laughing at the same time. "If possible not my blood, of course." He chuckled shortly turning towards Kanza. "Go back to Karok and this time don't leave until you meet with the Wolof chief. Give him the letter. Listen to what comes out of his mouth but read everything his eyes tell you and then come back to me."

Kanza didn't even concern himself with bowing. The look in his eyes was all the confirmation Lorday needed to know he was going to do as he asked. But Kanza remained nailed to the ground, his hand reached for his belt, slowly caressing the velvet bag full of coins and Lorday's eyes flamed with anger again.

"You failed me once, don't fail me again! Then you can ask for more money!" Kanza's eyes responded with icy coldness enough to extinguish the fire in Lorday's flaming regard. He took a step closer and Esther pulled back in the chair a bit. "Don't threaten me Kanza, it does not suit you. We both like this game and it will benefit both of us if we do things right. And time is of the essence now. If for whatever reason the Dothraki accepted Alchantar's offer, whatever it may be, it will all start soon and it will end even faster. Khal never waists time, my friend." His friendship bit the informant right on the face because he stopped frowning and Lorday couldn't help admiring the incredible self control of this strange man. At times he thought he'd been dead and brought back to life just to serve a purpose and never feel again. A low deep groan surfaced through his nostrils and Kanza pulled back towards the door.

But before his hand even came close to the knob, the door opened and Jorah stepped inside, pale with sweaty temples. His cheeks were burning from the long road and his eyes dropped heavy under the weight of the black bags hanging underneath, but he seemed eager and dangerous.

"My lords…" his words sounded like the growl of a dog, testing the enemy's courage before barking to scare them away for good. The color in Esther's cheeks faded to an unrecognizable shade of pink, blending in the sunlight warming his face and he remained seated feeling trapped. Sir Lorday on the other hand froze, fighting desperately behind his public facade to come up with a good excuse of why they were all gathered together; of why Kanza was there. Jorah's eyes turned towards the skinny man dressed head to toe in black and the informant didn't expect to hear his name from the lips of the senior noble.

"Kanza… I believe the four of us must talk." He moved a bit pushing the door open all the way. The three men's heads turned around slowly looking at the figure contouring in the door step. Leora let the hood fall off revealing her wavy chestnut locks, rushing on her face with the breeze coming through the windows. She looked at them with a mélange of fear and curiosity and Lorday took a step closer to observe the woman he wanted to kill.

W W W W W W W W

She listened to the fountain sing in the afternoon silence. The sun waved intricate nets of sparkling white on the crystal surface and she enjoyed its childish game. The silvery reflexes of the light blue mirrored on her face, filling her empty eyes with a strange elixir of life. She blinked, hurt by the potent light flickering on top of her pale blue irises and pulled back from the edge of the fountain. She rested against the carved wall, letting her head fell back and strands of long blonde almost white hair flew into the water rippling behind her. She brought her knees to her chest and felt the wind creep in between her legs caressing her skin as she lay naked in her quarters. She was clothed in her sadness and nothing fitted her better since her brother's death. She needed no clothes to mask what she had really become; a lonely woman at the mercy of her country and of the noblemen's will. It's foolish to fight. Foolish to even try…She closed her eyes and the peaceful song of the fountain soothed the painful thoughts still digging in her mind. It had been a while since Viserys had died and yet it felt time could not heal her wounds. She was about to be sold to a man who would inherit the throne her brother left empty the day he joined the Gods and she did not want to be a slave in her own home. Secluded and alone, I must bare… Her breathing was steamy as it came through her lips, even though the afternoon had proven less humid than the usual. But her fears of the unknown seared her heart and made her body burn with the impatience of planning her escape. Freedom was at hand and there were many ways she could achieve it. She looked down at her hands, opening them slowly, closing them again; staring at the life line carved across her palms. She had been told her right hand showed her life's achievements; how long she'd live, how much she'd travel, how many children she'd have. How much love there would be in her life. She followed the life line with her index until it broke into smaller pieces towards the center of her palm. It seemed to her it had shrunk. Her love life had barely reached half the length of the life line and a bitter smile sprang for just a moment in the corner of her lips. Love did not exist for a Targaryen Princess. It was all a lie that she had fed on feverishly since her mother's death, that she had embraced dearly; but it had consumed her. It made her feel like there was still hope to her life, that a man could still look upon her as to a woman he'd like to spend the rest of his life with, and not as to a prize he must win after indulging in the games of power.

Her stomach pulsated with the desire for love and lust and the pain that the sensation brought with it, knowing the truth about her role in this life. Not my life! It wasn't her life. Her life was given to her people to do as they pleased with it to insure the future of the Kingdom. She was nothing more than an empty vessel; her soul was long gone, and only a few specs were left, glittering in the pit of her hollow. She came on her knees facing the pool and sank her hands into the cool water looking at how deformed they looked under the pressure of the small waves. They were slowly turning white and she could imagine herself like that; white hair, white skin, white lips, dissipating into the light. She crawled into the fountain and her skin shivered with the cold touch but inside it stirred her. She looked up at the ceiling, covered in poison ivy and pink wild roses. She had turned her bathroom into a garden where no sound could penetrate from the outside world and where she spent most of her time, imagining herself away from the Targaryen court. She lay back in the water, holding onto the stone edge of the fountain. The back of her head immersed under and the chillness of the water clang on her neck, but she went on sinking lower. The water rushed in her ears, crawling up her face from both sides and she closed her mouth still staring at the dark green leaves gently flowing into the mild breeze. The rose buds were restless in their movement high above her head, fretting with the approaching winds. The watery line drew closer to her open eyes, feeding on the dry skin; she felt the pressure in her arms from holding tight to the wall of the fountain. She had to let go. Her eyes closed, the water meddled with her dark eyelashes, closing them tighter then rushed to breach the faint defense of her mouth as she took one last breath before the dive. The tip of her nose disappeared under the rippling pond; only her hair lingered on the surface a while longer, floating like white silk threads. Then they sank too, settling lightly on her chest and shoulders, following gently the movement of the water as it shifted around her immersed body. Her fingers lost grip of the stone sliding into the water, her arms astray in their aimless float.

A gust of wind rushed through the open windows, above the steamy water in the marble bath her servants had prepared for her, swirling up towards the ceiling, messing with the garlands of flowers and leaves, until it reached the fountain. A few weak petals gave in to its force and dropped twirling towards the marble children pouring water of their vessels. A rose petal landed gently on the blue surface and beneath her, Daenarys' eyes opened, the pale sky in her orbits barely visible against the sparkling water. Her lips parted, her chest came up with the choking pain of wanting air and it crossed her mind she should come out. But the water protected her, as she floated undeterred on the bottom of the fountain turning the noise of the world into clogged sounds, no longer bothering her. Her lips parted and water sieved in, quickly taking hold of her airways and she arched again, this time spasmodically. Her vision blurred further before her eyes and the light grew darker. The movement of the leaves became slower, growing into shades spreading above the water. The Shadows were coming for her. Her fingernails dug into the floor of the fountain fighting to keep her body submerged. One more spasm; she coughed and air bubbles boiled into the water, distorting the image of her last moments. One more spasm. Her eyes closed and the blue of the water took over, replacing the azure in her dying eyes.

W W W W W W W W

"Pardon my intrusion, kind sirs. I am sure you did not expect my visit." Jorah threw his cloak on a chair, but Leora remained with her back against the door, feeling safer to evaluate the situation from a distance. "Allow me to introduce Lady Leora. She's here to show herself to the court, even if I fear some of us may already know more intimate details about her arrival then most of us." He paused locking his eyes with Lorday's to read his expression. "Isn't it?"

Esther remained silent, still baffled by the sudden apparition of Sir Mormont and especially of their victim. If anything could go worse, it was about to happen.

"I believe we decided that she is not to be part of the Targaryen arrangements for the throne." Lorday, looked out of the window avoiding Jorah's inquisitive look.

"No. You decided she is not to be involved and unless you have come up with a better solution, I have asked the Magister to allow us a visit with the princess this evening."

"Daenerys is in no condition to receive anyone. We've tried to reach her, but at no avail." Esther's voice sounded faint and regretful.

"The more reason for Leora to meet with her tonight." Jorah turned towards Kanza as he sat in a corner, wishing to become invisible. "And what is the use of him in this matter, if I may ask?"

Esther looked down, visibly agitated while Lorday took his time in finding the right answer. He suspected Jorah knew more than he was saying but he didn't know how much. He glimpsed at Kanza wondering whether the informant had failed in his mission and the information was now in the wrong hands.

"He has been gathering information about the movement of the tribes." Lorday's voice was calm and linear but Jorah did not fall for it.

"And what would the tribes want with the throne in Pentos? They have their small quarrels to worry about!"

Silence in the room. There was nothing the lords could say other than the truth but none dared to speak out loud without betraying their own secret. But Jorah was impatient as they were running out of time and for once, he needed these court schemers to come straight, for their own sake and for the sake of the Targaryens. He turned towards Kanza staring in his eyes dauntingly and the man took stand as if he were under attack. There were few people that could make him play in defensive but the old nobleman had what it took to stir even the deepest waters of a veteran informant.

"I know who you are. Your fame precedes you. And I know why you are here." He looked at Lorday working his way through his own thoughts to find enough courage and face Jorah, while Esther didn't even try. "You should have known better by now, my Targaryen fellows! The world is a much smaller place than we would like, and this kind of treachery cannot last underground for too long. The Gods have dictated the truth to always surface! And mysterious are the ways in which one finds out about such malevolence form the part of his own men!"

Leora breathed in slowly, her lips sealed, her brain clogged with too much fear, excitement and thoughts. She witnessed Jorah's display of bravery and couldn't help thinking he was putting them in more danger with every word he spoke. Lorday glanced at her from under his short thick eyelashes and something in his look disgusted her. Joarh had warned her about him, but still facing him was different then hearing the stories of his misdeeds. She swallowed in focusing her attention on Sir Mormont, now in charge of the situation.

"I will have you jailed for your… services!" and Jorah spit the words into Kanza's face, growing angrier at the display of irony surging the black eyes. "As for you –" and he pointed at the Lorday as the main culprit "- you will tell me everything you know before it is too late!" Jorah took a small step back with a sudden heaviness in his temples and he hardly managed to control the tremor in his hand. He clenched his eyes closed, making an incredible effort to keep the urge to cough at bay. It took so much of his energy and this was not the time to fall prey to the weakness in his lungs. He breathed in and out, slowly; the clear vision of his mission helped him come back to his senses and he pointed with his finger at Kanza without looking at him. "You! Out! You will be judged for treason if found guilty! Until then you shall be locked away under my precise orders and you are not to be released unless I say so."

"I am not of your people, you have no command over me!" Kanza spoke hard and irritated, as if he was ready to release a knife out of his pocket and free himself from this threat.

"And who put you in charge as to who is arrested in this court?" Lorday was fueled by Kanza's rebellion, but it was short lived.

"Silence, Narcil!" Jorah's eyes sent him back to his demising posture and Lorday shrunk against the afternoon light, once the senior admonished him as he'd call upon a child to respect his elders. "I took charge the moment I found out this man had been to see Alchantar Wolof!" he took a step closer to Lorday and the young nobleman swallowed in uneasily. "I took charge when I learnt that this man spoke about Leora!" Another step and Lorday backed off against the window frame. Jorah stuck his face into his, eye to eye, his breath slapping Lorday's cheek with all its warmth and ill-smell as he spoke again. "I took charge when this man said Wolof was going to kill her!" And his index kept pointing in Kanza's direction.

"And why… why…" But for once Lorday did not find the strength to fight.

"Don't even think about it, you scum!" Jorah sped around the room, grabbing his cloak from the chair, throwing it on his shoulders. "I do not have to hold the wisdom of the old nor the gifts of a magician to know it had to be the two of you! You've been the only ones opposing Leora's arrival to the court! Who else would be interested in having the bastard child of our king killed? And who else better fitted for the job than the most atrocious enemy of the Tekaras, Alchantar Wolof himself? Your actions have endangered us all!" He looked at Leora, still frozen. "Leora!"

She moved at once opening the door and two guards appeared from the dark corridor to grab Kanza. The informant looked puzzled; none of them had considered Sir Mormont had come already prepared for his visit. He let himself be taken away without much resistance and Jorah watched him suspiciously as he disappeared behind the door. But he did not have the time to worry about Kanza's unbelieving lack of stamina. He shut the door turning towards the two men, but Lorday chose to ignore him and looked outside the window.
"Esther?" Jorah's voice was commanding but a nuance of pleading in his tone made his rival nobleman look up with worried eyes. If there was a weak point in this conjunction, it was Esther and his grieving past of death and loss. "Esther, the wheel of fate has been spun. If I had come to learn of what you've done, probably others have too. There's no time to blame, but to repair the damage caused." He paused purposefully, waiting for Esther to agree to his opinion. "Esther?..."

"Kanza never met with Alchantar Wolof. He wasn't in Karok when he arrived there." Lorday intervened feeling more secure that if he spoke the truth about their mischief, it wouldn't sound as bad as if Esther had told the tale so he hurried to speak before his elder accomplice.

"Go on." Jorah waited looking at him like an eagle stalking his prey, waiting for it to make one wrong move.

"He had gone to see the Dothraki." Not even the sounds from the market were heard anymore. His ears stumbled on that name again and Jorah's regard fell to the ground. It worried him just as much as it had the first time Nersin mentioned it during their short meeting the morning before. His eyes movement made Lorday curious; the old nobleman looked as if he was building a plan. "You do not seem surprised…" Jorah looked back at him and it was the young man's turn to bow his eyes.

"Because I am not." Jorah nodded the laces to his cloak turning towards Leora.

"Is there something else that you failed to tell me?" Esther continued to remain silent. Lorday shook his head but from under his eyes, a spark of hope and mistrust surged immediately, and he hoped Jorah didn't see it. "Your deed might have just given us the advantage of knowing in advance about the Wolof's plans. If he went to Khal Drogo, he is planning something bigger than crushing his petty enemies. The Tekaras are no longer the prey and we must find out who is." He paused opening the door. He took Leora by the arm bringing her before him as to show her to the two Lords but protect her at the same time and she pulled closer, wanting his protection. "Leora will appear before the council as soon as she meets Daenerys and you will be there to name her as the heir to the Targaryen throne or I will have you both hanged for your treachery."

Jorah pushed Leora outside the room and Lorday fell back against the wall realizing for the first time how tense he'd been. His facial muscles loosened and his eyebrows came down and it hurt with how hard he'd been frowning for the past half an hour. He looked at Esther, motionless in his chair. He started to believe the old man had becomed useless for his cause, Maybe it was time he left Esther behind; mute and motionless as he had always been; forever. His eyes fell on the small wooden table across the room. The writing pen reminded him of that last card he still had to play. He looked outside the window and into the distance, spotting the jail towers. He had to speak to Kanza and see what had become of the letter. It was the key to his doom; or his salvation.

W W W W W W W W

The Magister dragged his feet across the dark hall way and the sound of his cane against the stone pavement resounded through the evening air. The soldiers standing guard pulled their weapons aside and he stepped into the small antechamber welcoming Jorah and Leora.

"Jorah, my friend!" They locked arms to sustain both their weary old bodies and to enforce their long lasting friendship with yet one more sign of affection.

"What is this I hear Illyrio? That Daenerys has fallen sick?" Jorah scrutinized the magister's face, but he looked away, not wanting to give him the bad news.

"Come." He turned away slowly and his gaze met the young woman standing behind Jorah. Illyrio stopped, supporting his weight against the cane to marvel at this new apparition that was now throwing the game for the throne into a new era. He took a few more hesitant small steps then bowed to her and Leora fretted, not being used to such treatment. She looked so much like her mother and just as shy as he remembered her, months into her pregnancy when they had first met.

"My lord!" she hurried to help him out and he smiled with her innocence.

"Illyrio Mopatis at your service, your Majesty!"

"Please magister, you embarrass me! I am not here to be your princess, just to help out…" her voice died together with the color in her cheeks and Illyrio held her hands tight.

"Do not fear child. Do not think of why you have come here. Let time, let this place tell you what to do next. It will come to you. Just listen; with your heart." He smiled and it comforted her to find a new friend in the Targaryen court just when she was running out of hope there was anyone out there ready to embrace her presence. "Now come. I will tell you on the way." He stopped abruptly facing Jorah behind him. "Make your visit short." He sighed impotently and his eyelids turned heavy with the guilt of not being there when he had been needed. "She must rest. I fear she was too close this time to succeeding with her plans."

Leora looked confused but Jorah seemed to understand. His heart ached with the news; Daenerys was too young to wish to die. He pushed Leora forward into the corridor, following Illyrio and the soldiers closed the entrance with the strength of their weapons as soon as they disappeared into the womb of the labyrinth. A torch here and there lit the way and Leora wondered why this part of the palace was so somber when everything else seemed to be so richly and vividly ornamented.

"Magister, if you'd be so kind…" Illyrio kept walking but did please her with his attention.

"Yes, child." Somewhere in the back of her mind she did not like being called a child but the next moment she remembered how fearful and uncommitted she was about life and the purpose of this visit, and she deserved to be called a child. You spineless girl!... She looked down as if someone was blaming her out loud.

"Leora?" Jorah's voice brought back the question she wanted to ask the magister.

"Why is this part of the palace so different?"

"It is the way Daenerys likes it. Dark." His cane made a low constant sound on the floor and only the rustle of their clothing muffled it. She remembered what they had said about her, that her mind strayed away from the living. She feared her step sister would scare her more than anything and she sighed getting ready for an encounter she no longer wished for.

Illyrio stopped in front of a massive door. The guards stood aside and he turned to face his visitors.

"Here we are."

Jorah looked at Illyrio but he kept silence waiting for the girl's mentor to talk to her and guide her steps.

"Leora, you go. I'll wait for you outside." Jorah took her cloak off and she brooded anxiously.

"But Jorah – "

"She needs to see a fresh face; she needs to learn it from you. She had seen much of Illyrio and I." He smiled in an attempt to comfort her agitation.

"But I don't know her and she does not know me. And I'm scared."

"So is she, trust me." Illyrio pressed on the knob and the door cracked open. Jorah pushed her forward into the light coming through the opening. "Remember, all you need to know is in your blood for the same blood flows through both your veins. Now go and be who you are."

She stepped inside and behind her the door closed. She didn't turn around to look at Jorah fearing she'd run back to him. Her eyes widened with the view, so unexpected, so unlike the long corridors outside, so different from the rest of this place. Two birds sat on the sill, singing cheerfully surrounded by rivers of flowers falling from the ceiling. She let her gaze followed them up, swirling on the tall marble columns, waving a miraculous net of colors and she stepped lightly, spinning as she went about the room staring at the green ceiling swarming with life. She hit her toes against something and she looked down to see a few steps leading to a small terrace. The few pieces of furniture were scattered around the immense whiteness of the floor, covered in leaves and drying petals falling from the roses above. A gust of wind stirred a drift of leaves and petals her way, dying at her feet and she wriggled her toes crashing a few of them.

"Hm…" It was faint, but she heard it coming from behind her. She turned around gently and saw a tall canopy going around the bed. White sheets came from underneath dragging on the floor and the leaves caught onto it, making it look dirty. She could see little through the canvas, but enough to realize Daenerys was there. Her heart boomed with a new heavy faster pace and she approached the bed silently with just the sound of the dry leaves creeping along her footsteps, accompanying her. She reached for the veils and pushed them aside gently looking inside.

Daenerys was a vision of beauty, one she had never seen before. White skin and perfect lips, colorless, but perfect. Long thick hair, so blonde it was almost silvery, a body so slender it looked too fragile to be disturbed. She sat on the side of the bed, keeping her eyes on her half sister. She did not dare to wake her up. She didn't look ill, so whatever Illyrio said, made no sense to her. Leora looked at her hands, numb among the folds of the bed sheets. When she looked up her sister's blue eyes were watching her, lifeless, like her lips and hands.

"They said you'd come. And so I decided to go." She whispered but Leora heard it; still, she could not grasp on the meaning of her words.

"Go where My Lady?" she was surprised with the candid tone of her voice. Inside her heart, a sweet feeling was making her fall for this fragile girl lying on the bed.

"You're all I have that it is of my blood. Don't call me that. Call me sister; if you can." Leora's lips parted in disbelief and in pain. "I miss hearing that word. Viserys used to call me that; not often. Not since he had taken the throne… What's your name?"

"Leora."

"Leora…" Daenerys smiled warmly. "It reminds me of great adventures and far away lands." She moved her head slightly to look at Leora better. "Illyrio told me of your home, where you grew up. Free…"

"Until now." The words escaped her before reason could lock her mouth away from such truth. Her freedom was about to end but she did not want to make Daenerys feel guilty for it. Her sister looked up at the poison ivy creeping in through the canopy, knotting above her head.

"At least you've tasted it." Her eyes returned to enjoy the image of her sister and she smiled again. "I have been served all my life with everything I ever wanted. Yet I have nothing but this cage." Leora opened her mouth to change the course of the conversation but Daenerys didn't give her the time. "You are so different; different from me and Viserys." She reached for the long chestnut curls coming down Leora's shoulders but her efforts were in vain and she struggled to get up enough to touch her. Her face contortioned, her attempt obviously hurting her. Leora bent down to help her; their arms locked together, their faces so close and they both stopped moving staring at each other from so close. The lazy blue of the morning sky met the honey brown of poplar leaves, the serenity of the Targaryen lands mingled with the wilderness of the woods where Leora had grown up, living untamed and undisturbed by the games Daenerys had been submitted to from birth. They drew closer, until unknowingly they fell in each other's arms, hugging lovingly and it grew inside their hearts as Jorah had foretold. The blood ties did not lie and their bond grew stronger with each second passing by and Daenerys succumbed to the luxury of feeling at ease again with someone. Someone she did not know but had waited to meet.

Leora let go supporting her against the pillows. They joined hands looking at each other.

"Do I look so different?"

Daenerys smiled and nodded, making Leora even more curious as to the differences between her and her step sister.

"Viserys looked just like me. We take after father." She paused sighing. "Our father."

"What about your mother?"

"She had blonde hair as well only brown eyes, like yours. She was beautiful. I wished I had her eyes. They were vivid and bright. Warm." Leora looked down knowing that she did not inherit her eyes from Daenerys' mother.

"Do you know anything about my mother?"

But Daenerys shook her head.

"No. But she must have been beautiful looking at you."

"You should hate me for being who I am…"

They kept silent for a moment and Leora saw the look in Daenerys' eyes change into the same eerie gaze she first had when she laid eyes open her. Dreamy and distant.

"No. I am glad you are here."

"You said you decided to go." Leora shifted position next to her sister, straightening her shoulders. "I've come to make you stay." Daenerys kept her eyes on her with a hunger Leora didn't think her capable of. "I need you. I need your help."

"You weren't born to seek my help, Leora. You were born for a higher purpose and you do not need me to finish your journey." Leora became impatient all of a sudden, grabbing her hands, squeezing hard.

"No, no Daenerys! I need you! I am scared and I do not want to be here!" She realized her words might have offended her and tried to undo her mistake but Daenerys seemed at peace.

"I do not wish to be here either."

Leora gazed into her eyes and they never looked calmer; the hunger, the faraway look had disappeared. She smiled, but something in her heart told Leora her half sister looked at things differently than she did.

"Neither of us can escape our fate. Or so it seems…" Leora said it softly, sad with the outcome of her life.

"So it seems…" Daenerys' voice echoed her own and they smiled again. "I am happy you are here."

"My Lady! – "

"Sister!"

"Sister… don't go! You can guide me into your world, into…" and Leora dropped her sister's hands gesturing as to everything that surrounded her. "… into this! I cannot do it alone!"

Daenerys took her hands back into hers forcing her to look at her.

"I will always watch upon you, do not fear. And I remain forever in debt to you for giving me back my freedom." Leora didn't understand. "Do not trust anyone, only those your heart chooses and never fear the unknown. Don't do what I did!..." Her eyes saddened filling with tears and suddenly she sent that vibe of fear and worry into Leora when he looked at her again. "… Fall. Don't fall into the dark. But if you do, remember you will find light at the edge of darkness." She pressed forward and caressed Leora's cheek with the back of her hand. "Like I did, dear sister of mine!"

Leora felt her touch, her fingers cold and a dark feeling crept into her heart. There was nothing warm; there was no light in her caress.

"I must rest. Go now." She let her body drop down slowly and heavily among the sheets, going back to staring at the ceiling. Leora got up gently, bowing. She saw Daenerys' hand again, numb and pale on the white covers and she couldn't refrain from placing her hand on top of her sister's. Daenerys' startled; her lips parted but her eyes never left the ceiling. Leora pulled away when her sister's fingers curled suddenly around her own and she halted, feeling the pressure of Daenerys' hold. Leora's eyes cried out but she couldn't put words to her desperate sorrow. Daenerys' hand slid out of her grasp and Leora felt as if she was letting go of her for good. She turned around leaving the room in silence. She didn't look back. As she opened the door a new wave of dead lives and dry petals swirled around her feet. This room was a tomb of a dying beauty and life was leaving its walls with every gust of wind.

W W W W W W W W

The light was dying and there was nothing glorious in the death of the sun that evening and for Lorday the night seemed to come faster, swiping away the last remains of the day. He sank his chin in the folds of his cape, protecting himself against the strangers in the market, trying to move unseen in the crowd. He reached the gates of the jail and knocked hard, hating the sound so loud attracting attention to him. A soldier opened and he slipped inside followed by his sneaky shadow. He could barely see where he was going and the servants in the compound hurried to light the lamps and make living in between these torture walls more bearable. Lorday went down a flight of stairs and into the basement of the prison. In the belly of the concrete monster he found the jailor sitting relaxed, legs crossed on a table and a bottle of liquor resting at the foot of his chair.

"Soldier!" Lorday threw his cape aside with an impressive move, making the best of his noble appearance and it worked. The jailor rushed to his feet, almost knocking the table over. He took a step back, putting his helmet on and he spilt the wine with his heal and Lorday couldn't decide whether he was amused or annoyed by the scene. His face remained undecided. "Show me to the prisoner they brought in earlier today."

"That man in black?" the soldier sounded a bit stupid, or maybe it was just him being in a haste to get this over with. His tone sounded harsh and irritated when he spoke next.

"Yes. That man in black." The soldier hurried to find the keys in a stash of too many and opened the door to Kanza's cell. He stood tall against the wall gazing up at the little window, seeing how the light had turned into a silver flow of moon sparkle. It had been a long time since he'd been jailed. He turned around unsurprised, in his usual calm and focus and Lorday wondered whether he'd been expecting him.

"Nervous?" And he made sure to spell the last letter long and sinuously as if he knew exactly what Kanza's expectations were of his time locked away in this dark basement.

"Do I look nervous, my Lord?"

"I appreciate the pleasantry" said Lorday realistically caught unarmed by his words, considering the informant had never valued much his status at the court nor cared to mention it in their conversations.

"I assume you know why I am here."

"And I believe you know I still have the letter." Kanza's eyes sparkled in the chalky moon light and Lorday couldn't help smiling. They weren't all that different, this Kanza and him.

"I hope you do, otherwise you are of no use to me anymore." Kanza stepped away from him moving in circles around the cell with Lorday following him close by, measuring their strength and resilience with each step.

"I am of use to you even if I did not have the letter. Someone would have to retrieve it."

"And why would I send the same man who lost it in the first place to get it back?"

"Because that man would be the only one who knew where it got lost…"

Lorday stopped confused with the discussion and Kanza smiled, which was so rare of him.

"I have the letter do not fear. But not on me. I don't go hunting looking like the prey. I don't carry anything that could turn the hunt against me."

"Interesting."

"Indeed."

Lorday took a few more steps, this time cutting through the circle of their own steps to face Kanza from up close.

"I will set you free from this place but this time, make sure Alchantar sees that letter." It was on Kanza's lips to ask what was so important in that letter that Alchantar didn't already know. And why was Leora so important that Jorah had brought her to Pentos and Lorday wanted her dead! Something escaped him, but life had taught him to be silent and observant. Like a paper on which people wrote their secrets, it absorbed the ink and never lost the information. "Am I clear?"

"Always." Kanza took a step back to make room for Lorday as he stepped out of the room. The door closed and moments later he heard the gurgle of a dying man. The door opened again and he saw the jailor struggling on the ground, his hands wrapped around the stab wound in his neck trying to keep the blood from gushing out. But soon it was all over and Lorday pushed him out of the way with his foot, under the table. He wiped the knife on the inside of his cape, and then stashed it back in the sheath.

"This one's on you." He pulled the hood on his head and from the shadows beneath he laid his sneaky eyes on Kanza. "Return before the next full moon, otherwise I will have my men hunt you down for murder." Kanza smiled, bowing. Lorday left and he waited for a few minutes before following in his footsteps. He crept through the shadowy corners, avoiding the few soldiers roaming through the yard with chores. A soldier stood guard at the gate. Kanza approached him silently from behind and soon the moon light had a reddish sparkle on the blade of his knife as it slit through the skin of the young man, dropping dead at his feet. The gate closed behind him and he rushed to cover his face under the black shawl. He felt watched from a distance and he turned around to inspect the heavy gaze stabbing in his back. The two men exchanged one last look, then Lorday turned around getting lost in the crowd, the small streets absorbing him into the evening vociferation. Kanza slid against the wall and into she shadows, protected by the mantel of the night. The moon gleamed shyly above Pentos, its glow not strong enough to reveal the slime slither around the corners.

Author's note:

*** Thanks so much to Sandradee27 and Straight Edge Queen for joining the ranks of my reviewers! I hope the story lives up to your expectations. I am trying to keep up with how intricate this has become. I've never really written a story with so many stories going at once in parallel so… yeah! I've made a plan and I'm trying to stick to it so your input is definitely encouraging!

*** Also thanks to LadyoftheIrishLovr for putting me on her Alert list. Hopefully I'll hear from you soon

Hugs and much love to all of you and hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Mela