Chapter 25
Cristoff followed Torrhen back down into the Assassin hideout, Torrhen briefed him as they descended
"This is something we need you to take care of. Your destiny is riddled with danger but also great promise. Larazenhor has told us of this, and the dragonglass candles have been lit once again."
Cristoff stopped, even he had heard of the famed dragonglass candles that the Maesters of Westeros possessed. If they were alight again, what did that mean? Were they connected to the dragon hatchlings he saw in Qarth?
"Cristoff, come. We have little time." Torrhen pulled Cristoff out of his thoughts and down the stairs, where two Assassins were waiting. They knelt down as Torrhen approached.
"We are ready to depart at your leave, mentor." Said the one on the right. The one on the left looked up slightly from under her hood and gave Cristoff a smile and wink.
"Laenah? What's she doing here? More to the point, what's going on?" thought Cristoff. Before he could ask, Torrhen explained.
"Cristoff, you have shown yourself to be a very capable Assassin. Laenah is one of our best acolytes, and she only has to pass the evaluation to become a priest of R'hllor, or a master Assassin, if she so chooses."
Laenah grinned with pride
"And this man is Orwen Fyste. He is a master Assassin from Oldtown. He has come to aide us in this endeavour. He is a skilled Maester too, so he will be leading the two of you."
"Torrhen, you still have not told the boy what he is in for." Said Orwen quietly
"Oh, yes. Larazenhor's message detailed that you saw men in black fighting men who were not men. Recently, we received a plea from the Night's Watch, to send help against a new and dangerous foe. Until now, we dismissed it, thinking we were too far away to assist. But the report from one of the black brothers claimed that men rose from cold death to plague the living, and this sounds like the work of the Other. Your visions saw this, so we think it prudent that you be sent to investigate and assist the Night's Watch in this matter."
Cristoff thought for a moment. He understood that a powerful enemy was approaching, but what was he to do about it? Yes, it seemed that the Red god had blessed him with the sight, but how much help would he be wherever he was going? He sensed that he had little choice in the matter anyway.
"What do you need me to do?" he asked with determination
"We are travelling north, to castle Black, where we will meet with an agent of our there. Then we will coordinate a defence against this enemy. This threat is against all of man; if it is let loose, Lord knows what could happen." Said Orwen
"Alright then. I'll pack my things." Said Cristoff
"Pack lightly, you have a great distance to travel, and hopefully you will be meeting more associates on the way. I pray that you are successful and may our Lord's light guide your path." Said Torrhen, saluting them and walking out.
"Well then, hurry up Cristoff, we have to leave before dawn." Said Laenah, shouldering her pack. Cristoff nodded and ran down to his bunk to collect his things.
The three of them left Dorne in a few days. Their steeds were swift and strong and they were soon through the Red mountains, with no incidents along the way, for which they were all pleasantly surprised. After they had crossed the mountains, Orwen revealed to them their destination.
"We are to go to Highgarden. There, we will meet with the Scarlet Thorn, a master Assassin, who will be essential in getting us to our final destination."
"How so?" asked Laenah
"She will provide us with supplies. Then the four of us will travel to an Assassin cache in the Reach, before heading to Harrenhal. There we meet our last companion and from there we shall take a ship out of the bay of Crabs and hopefully reach castle Black in time."
Cristoff thought about their route for a minute, recalling the geography of Westeros from the book he read on the way there. It seemed like a very laborious journey to take.
"Why are we taking such a complex journey Orwel? Surely we could take a river boat up the Mander to King's Landing and hire a ship there?" asked Cristoff
"King's Landing is a place that no Assassin should ever want to visit. Though we fight for man against the forces of darkness, those forces are already well in place there. And the storms that we have been fortunate enough to avoid so far down south are wreaking havoc on waterways up north, making it near impossible to travel by river until the flooding subsides, which will take time we don't have. This is the shortest route we can take safely."
"But you just said that waterways up north are treacherous, and yet we're taking a boat for the northernmost part? How does that make sense?" exclaimed Laenah
"We have no other option, we have found the risks are acceptable. Now come, there is still much more ground to cover before we reach Highgarden."
As they began their descent down the Red mountain, Laenah steered her horse alongside Cristoff's.
"Apparently whenever a Tyrell farts, it smells like roses. Probably because they love to cover themselves so much in perfumes it gets into their bodies." Cristoff pulled away with a look of disgust while Laenah giggled like a little girl at his reaction.
"Are all Westeros girls like you Laenah?" asked Cristoff, suddenly regretting it, but she looked at him coyly then responded.
"Only the smart ones." She laughed and spurred her horse onwards, leaving Cristoff more confused than before.