The Keeper
Chapter 45 – Vision Keeper
"Why?" Brienne demanded, staring at Moqorro. "Why did you steal Dragonbinder?"
She stared at the Red Priest in a mixture of shock, dismay and anger. How could a man who had shown such kindness for unwanted children be so cruel? He'd put her and Daenerys through days and nights of terror and sleeplessness as they feared for the dragons. Dragonbinder was a threat so great, it could alter the balance between life and death. All this time, it had been in the hands of a man she had thought to be good and kind.
She was shocked by Moqorro's actions but was even more unprepared for Bronn's reaction. The knight slammed into the priest, shoving him into the wall. The dragons flared and hissed, except Serdun, confined in Brienne's lap. The other four dragons faced the priest, ready to defend their family from the sudden violence.
"You?" Bronn snarled, pressing Fortune against the Red Priest's neck. "You tried to enslave the dragons?"
Despite the threat of Valyrian steel against his throat, Moqorro remained calm. His sad, serious expression didn't change. He looked from Bronn to Balon, Jaime and Ned, all of whom had risen from the table, their Valyrian steel swords also in their hands.
"No, I didn't try to enslave the dragons," Moqorro denied. "I didn't even take Dragonbinder."
"What?" Bronn removed his sword and leaned away. "But you said you took the horn."
"No, I didn't. Lady Ser Brienne said I did," Moqorro clarified. "I don't have it."
Bronn looked back at the other council members. He raised his eyebrows in question. Jamie, Balon and Ned resumed their seats. Brienne flushed as she realized Moqorro hadn't confessed to anything, not even to seeing Dragonbinder. She had jumped to the conclusion when he'd said she didn't need a horn to command dragons.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Forgive me. The threat of Dragonbinder has me terrified. That anyone should have such power over the dragons is , I should not have accused you. Please, join us."
Moqorro remained where he was, pressed against the wall, even without Bronn to hold him. The priest looked from Brienne to Serdun in her lap, then at the other dragons gathered around and on the table. Ardayn and Gallan sat down and stared at the Red Priest. They ruffled their wings but remained calm. Bronn returned to his seat and put his sword on the table, clearly visible and in easy reach.
"Join us," Griff seconded Brienne's request. Though his voice was mild, the command in it was clear. "The dragons won't harm anyone who is a friend."
"And you smell of Ela," Brienne said, unable to hide the sadness in her tone. "They've already bonded with the babe."
The baby's name had a visible effect on the dragons. They looked around as if expecting Ela to be hiding in a corner. Moqorro's deep, dark eyes softened, as did his posture. He moved to the table slowly, as if anticipating another assault. The council members remained quiet as he came to join them. Moqorro sat down beside Balon, across from Bronn. The priest pressed his hands together and turned to face Brienne who sat further down the table, next to Podrick.
"Moqorro, do you know where Dragonbinder is?" Griff asked, running his hand down Catren's back, between the double row of spikes.
The priest shook his head. "No, your Grace, I do not."
Podrick leaned forward, as much as he could with Allwyn in his lap. "Then why did you say you had claimed a great power, a power that flows through Lady Ser Brienne without a horn?"
"I follow the Lord of Light," Moqorro explained in his sad, serious voice. "I knew he wanted me in King's Landing for an important reason. One even greater than comforting unwanted souls as they returned to the flame."
His eyes were bottomless pools of black, the sadness emanating from his like a wave. Brienne felt the tug in her heart as she thought of Ela and the babies. They were safe now, on their way to Dorne, where skin colors varied by region and not by class. Ser Manfrey had pledged his life to their protection. The dragons also picked up the priest's heavy sadness and sniffed the air. Moqorro looked at them and breaded deeply.
"Then, a few weeks back, my Lord showed me why I was here. It was in my visions." Moqorro's eyes brightened, conviction and purpose igniting a fire in their dark depths. "When I looked into the flames, the same visions came to me, time after time, for a full turn of the moon. I didn't understand my visions but I knew my Lord was sending me an important message. Yesterday, a portion of my visions came true."
"What were your visions?" Griff asked.
The priest's eyes turned blank, his focus inward. "Dragons, great and small, circling around suns and stars." He spoke in a dull monotone, almost chanting. "A woman kneeling with flames in her hand; a man battling with his own shadow; a naked woman entwined with three blood-soaked red dragons; a fiery heart bleeding."
There was silence for a long moment as the council members all looked at each other. Moqorro's eyes cleared and he watched Gallan and Ardayn, seated on the table. The dragons and the Red Priest were all calm, as if Moqorro's visions had brought them peace. Even Catren and Serdun, held in Griff and Brienne's laps, seemed to relax. Allwyn, held in Podrick's arms, was already a limp weight, reptilian eyes half-closed, nearly asleep.
Tyrion cleared his throat. "You think the woman embraced by three blood-soaked dragons is Lady Ser Brienne? Did you see her face in the visions? You didn't recognize her?"
"No, the woman had her face hidden, as Lady Ser Brienne did, with her head down," Moqorro explained. "The dragons were alive, wrapped around her, marking her with blood, hissing and watchful."
"The woman kneeling with flames in her hand, was she also Brienne?" Griff asked.
"I don't know. Again, I didn't see her face." Moqorro shook his head. "She was in shadows but I knew it was a woman."
"Wait!" Brienne gasped. "You said 'A man battling with his own shadow'. That's how King Renly died. A shadow demon, created by that witch, Melisandre, murdered him. Does she plan to kill King Aegon the same way?"
Instinctively, she reached for Oathkeeper but her sword sheath was empty. Oathkeeper was no more, re-forged into the Stark's greatsword, Ice. Undaunted, she snatched up Bright Star, the sword of Ser Duncan the Tall, from the table and deliberately sheathed it at her side.
"It will not happen, I swear it." Brienne glared at Moqorro. "I'll kill that red witch with my bare hands before I allow her to take King Aegon from me."
The dragons, even sleepy Allwyn, all came alert at the quiet rage in her voice. Catren, in Griff's lap squawked, as the five looked around for the source of Brienne's sharpening anxiety. Ned, seated between Griff and Brienne, thus between Catren and Serdun, stiffened as he watched the dragons.
"Brienne, all is well," Griff tried to calm her. "I have Dawn and dragons. A shadow will not find me so easy to kill."
"A shadow?" Ned questioned, his voice strained as he looked at the anxious dragons. "Renly Baratheon was killed by a shadow?"
"Yes, my Lord." Podrick stroked Allwyn, calming the dragon in his arms. "The red witch killed King Renly and my Lady Ser was forced to take the blame. It was Lady Catelyn Stark's quick intervention that saved her from being killed by King Renly's other Kingsguards."
He explained how Renly had been attacked by Melisandre's shadow demon. Listening to him tell the story of how Lady Catelyn had taken her into service calmed Brienne. She now understood how the events had connected to bring her to this moment. It was as she had explained to Griff. Sometimes the Gods used brutal methods to remove the men who stood in the path of those needed to fight the Great War. Renly had been a kind and compassionate king but he wasn't a battle commander. Griff thought a dozen steps ahead while Renly had barely even worried about the current day. Humanity would perish if left to the command of such a gentle, frivolous ruler.
"I accept what Melisandre did because I have no choice," Brienne said calmly. "But I will not accept her. Should she or her black magic come near me or mine, I will kill her."
She looked past Balon and Podrick to stare directly into the Red Priest's eyes, ensuring he knew her words were a vow. Renly had been a kind man but Griff was the future of Westeros, if not of humanity itself. She would not fail her king again. The priest nodded, his expression calm and serious.
"Melisandre's faith is true but her judgement is quick, my Lady Ser," Moqorro answered. "I'm sorry she has caused you pain. Your path is a difficult one but you walk in my Lord's shadow." He paused. "It was not King Aegon I saw in my visions. The man had dark hair."
"Well, that narrows it down, doesn't it?" Bronn leaned back and folded his arms. "All we need to do is find a dark-haired man with a shadow. It's sunny right now. It should be easy to find a man being murdered by himself."
"Visions aren't literal interpretations, Bronn," Tyrion sighed. "Lady Ser Brienne was wrapped in a banner with three dragon heads. She wasn't actually being embraced by three dragons, marked by blood, was she?"
"I don't know." Bronn rubbed his chin as he studied the young dragons. "I know she's been embraced by at least five dragons, if not more." He glanced side-eyed at Griff. "I bet they all put their marks on her."
Tyrion glared at the outspoken knight before looking heavenward, as if praying for strength. Ned frowned while Talda's eyes widened. Griff turned in his seat, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he glared at Bronn. Tyrion spoke quickly, shifting attention to himself.
"Isn't the fiery heart the symbol of the Lord of Light?" Tyrion asked. "Does the heart bleeding indicate he's sad or upset?"
"That cannot be." Moqorro shook his head. "The Lord of Light isn't a person with emotions. It is the balance of the world, the opposite of the Great Other."
"The Great Other," Griff repeated. "Lord of Darkness, the Soul of Ice, the God of Night and Terror. The ice that opposes fire."
"The Night King," Tyrion summarized. "That's the living manifestation of the Great Other. Does your vision indicate that a person must rise who represents the Lord of Fire?"
"We all represent the Lord of Fire," Moqorro insisted. "Each of us who hold faith with the Lord of Light are his. I did as he commanded me."
"What did he command you to do?" Brienne asked.
"To keep faith with those who kept my Lord's dragons," Moqorro explained. "Five months ago, I was sailing to meet with the Dragon Queen in Meereen. My vessel was caught in a great storm. The ship was destroyed and I fell overboard. Many days I clung to a piece of wreckage before I was taken on by a ship bearing the sigil of the kraken."
"Euron Greyjoy," Jaime muttered.
"Yes," Moqorro agreed. "His men wanted to kill me but I knew who they were, what they knew and told them so."
"What does that mean?" Bronn demanded. "What did you know?"
"That Euron Greyjoy wanted to marry Daenerys Targaryen to take her dragons and her armies," Moqorro explained calmly. "I also knew he had Dragonbinder."
Brienne gasped at the mention of the horn but controlled herself. Moqorro looked at her, as if waiting for her permission to continue. She grimaced and nodded.
"I told him I could read the glyphs on the horn," the priest continued. "He allowed me to study it."
"And?" Griff prompted. "Did you read them?"
"Yes, your Grace," Moqorro nodded. "They were in Valyrian. They said 'Dārȳti sīmonagon, dārȳti ropagon. Mērī se perzys dōrī morghon'."
"Kingdoms rise, kingdoms fall. Only the flame never dies," Griff translated. "What else did you learn about the horn?"
"It appeared to be over a thousand years old, from an enormous dragon, longer than the length of my arm," Moqorro reported. "When the horn was blown, the glyphs glowed first red-hot and then white-hot."
"You blew the horn?" Podrick asked, his eyes wide.
"No, I watched when the Ironborn men blew into it," Moqorro explained. "I told Euron he must claim the horn with blood if he wished to bind dragons to his will. He agreed to sacrifice his men for the chance to enslave dragons."
"Then what happened?" Griff prompted.
"We learned the Dragon Queen had already allied with the Kraken Queen," Moqorro continued his story. "Euron decided to bed the lioness who had seized the Iron Throne. He would wait for the dragons to come to him and enslave them after he killed all three queens."
"He planned to kill Cersei all along?" Jaime hissed.
"Yes," Moqorro nodded. "She was the easiest of the three to kill. She had no dragons nor was she a strong warrior. Cersei wouldn't have survived her first bedding. She had no allies, no gold and had enemies coming from every corner of the Seven Kingdoms. But she demanded proof of his loyalty."
"Which he did by using the Iron Fleet to attack Queen Daenerys's ships. His men killed nearly everyone, including two Sand Snakes, then brought Ellaria and Tyene Sand to Cersei," Tyrion concluded. "She must have been thrilled. Nothing pleased or excited my sister more than fresh victims to torture."
As Moqorro nodded, Jamie suddenly jerked in his chair, his eyes widening. Everyone turned to stare at him, including the dragons. Jaime flushed deeply red and ducked his head. Tyrion looked at his brother with a mixture of pity, understanding and exasperation. Bronn snorted and shook his head. Tanda, seated beside Jaime, looked at him with dark, accusing eyes. Ned studied a knot in the tabletop with great fascination while Griff's mouth twisted, not trying hide his disgust. Balon, gallant as always, kept his expression calm and composed. Podrick flushed and ducked his face into Allwyn's neck.
The dragons, disliking the thick tension, looked around for the source of the strain. Ardayn and Gallan, still on the table, shifted closer to Griff and Podrick, unsure of how to deal with what they were sensing. Griff leaned forward and pulled Ardayn closer but let the dragon remain on guard duty. Podrick repeated the gesture for Gallan, resting his hand on the blue dragon's back for additional support.
Only Brienne looked at Jaime with sympathy. She knew how deeply Cersei had sunk her claws into her twin brother. Jaime had lived his whole life for her, accepting her as she was and as she presented herself to him. He could not be blamed for her cruelties or the pleasure she took from them.
Cersei and her cruelties were no longer an issue for them Dragonbinder still was. In fact, it was a threat so dangerous they still hadn't found a way to counter it. Worse, they still hadn't found the horn itself.
"When did you hold Dragonbinder?" Brienne turned everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. "Was it when you translated the glyphs for Euron?"
"No, my Lady Ser," Moqorro shook his head. "It was the day Euron Greyjoy and his men were killed by dragons and krakens."
Brienne stiffened. "That was the day of the parlay, when the dragons came to the Dragonpit. You've seen the horn since then?"
Bronn straightened in his chair and put his hand on Fortune, still on the tabletop. "We've been looking for that damned horn for nearly a fortnight. You had it all along?"
"No, I don't have the horn," Moqorro denied. "I knew I could not leave such a weapon for weak and cruel people, such as Euron Greyjoy or Cersei Lannister, to hold. The destruction they could unleash would rival the Great Other. They would destroy the balance of the world."
"You don't have the horn, but you know where it is?" Griff surmised. "Where is it now?"
Moqorro's frown made his face look sadder and more serious than even before. "I don't know, your Grace."
Bronn rose from his seat and leaned over the table threateningly. Catren pulled out of Griff's arms to join Ardayn and Gallan on the table. Allwyn, in Podrick's lap, sat up, alert and ready to join the other dragons. Even Serdun, held firmly in Brienne's arms, strained to sit up.
"You admit to being the last person to see the damned horn," Bronn pointed out. "Now it's gone. You say you don't want weak or cruel people enslaving dragons but you don't know where it is." He snatched up Fortune and pointed it at the priest. "Maybe I should cut the truth out of you."
The dragons hissed and puffed, alarmed by Bronn's aggression. Moqorro remained calm but leaned back in his seat, trying to put distance between himself and the threat. Podrick reached out for Gallan while still holding Allwyn. Griff leaned forward to pull Ardayn and Catren back to him.
"Ser Bronn, please," Brienne interjected, struggling to hold Serdun in her lap. "I falsely accused Moqorro only a few moments ago. Allow him to tell his story without threats."
Bronn looked over at Brienne then further up the table to Tyrion and Griff. Both nodded. Bronn snorted but sat back down, Fortune still in his hand. Following his lead, the dragons all relaxed but Catren, Gallan and Ardayn remained on the table, ready to react if necessary.
"I saw the horn on board the Silence, Euron Greyjoy's ship," Moqorro explained. "I knew where he kept it, in the case under his bunk. The men loyal to Euron were being slaughtered while Lady Ser Brienne led the dragons through the capital. I waited until the Kraken Queen was removed from the ship and all was quiet. Then I took care of the horn."
"Took care of the horn?" Brienne repeated, her voice shaky. "You mean you destroyed it? It's gone? It's no longer a threat?"
Moqorro's shoulders slumped. "I tried my Lady Ser, but the horn was stronger than my powers. My Lord did not give me the gift to destroy the horn of a dragon."
"So, you just left it there?" Bronn rose from his seat again. "You let someone else take it?"
"Ser Bronn, sit down!" Griff commanded. "We'll have answers faster without your posturing."
Bronn turned to Griff. "I know what it's like to be fired on by a dragon, to see it open its mouth and shoot flames out at me. Not all of us are like you. We burn under dragonfire."
"Which is why we need to know what Moqorro did with the horn," Griff pointed out. "He'll tell us what he knows, which may help us find it. Many people, including those we also care about, will die if the dragons are enslaved. Now, sit down and listen."
Bronn looked from Griff to Brienne then to the dragons. Reluctantly the knight sat back down, his jaw set in a stubborn line and his sword still in hand. Griff waited but Bronn remained sullen and quiet. When he was sure the knight would obey his command, Griff turned back to Moqorro.
"What did you do with the horn when you couldn't destroy it?" Griff questioned.
"I hid it," Moqorro explained.
"Where?" Brienne demanded. "Where did you hide it? Did you take it off the ship?"
"No, my Lady Ser," Moqorro answered. "You saw my hovel. I have no place to secret a weapon as deadly and as powerful as Dragonbinder."
"Then where?" she demanded. "Where is it now?"
"I don't know," the priest's voice quivered. "I hid the horn inside the figurehead on the Silence. It was the only place large enough to hold the horn that wouldn't be searched. That's why I don't know where it is. The ship is no longer docked in the Blackwater Bay."
Bronn's eyes widened and he looked to Podrick. "We didn't search the figurehead. We only tore Greyjoy's cabin apart."
"His cabin was the only likely area." Podrick nodded. "Euron Greyjoy wasn't a man who would keep his weapons, the source of his power, far from hand.
"You did you best, Podrick, and I thank you for it. But we need to find the Silence. Where is it?" Brienne turned to Tyrion. "Where is that ship?"
Tyrion shook his head. "I'm not sure. It's part of the Iron Fleet. They need every available ship to transport goods and men. I believe Yara plans to gather her entire fleet at Maidenpool."
"Yes, that's right. I remember now. Yara told us her plans just after Jon Snow led the Dothraki on their march to Harrenhall," Brienne confirmed. "She expected to gather the full strength of the Iron Fleet within a fortnight. They should be docked at Maidenpool within the next four days."
"What are their plans from Maidenpool?" Griff questioned.
"To travel to Braavos to pick up supplies and the Golden Company," Jaime answered. "At least, the part of the Golden Company that hasn't already snuck into Westeros."
There was a sharp bite in Jamie's tone, revealing his disapproval of Griff's secret maneuverings. Griff merely raised his eyebrows. While the two were trying to tolerate each other, previous loyalties were hard to forget and old wounds still bled.
"The Golden Company will be ready," Griff replied coolly. "I only brought the men I needed to ensure my protection and my rule."
"Please, stop this," Brienne pleaded. "None of us can change our past actions. Holding previous resentments doesn't serve us. We must move forward. Focus on finding this horn, on protecting the dragons."
Her voice broke but she didn't care. Her dragons' welfare, Daenerys's dragons, in fact, all of humanity was at stake. Griff and Jamie were both the Gods' warriors, with important roles to play in the survival of humanity. They couldn't lead Westeros forward if they continued to look back to the past. Both men looked away, their hostilities easing at the reminder of their common goals.
"Half the Iron Fleet is en route from Lannisport," Tyrion reminded them. "They had to sail around Westeros. Those ships will stop here to pick up dragonglass weapons to distribute to the northern armies."
"The Ironborn are loyal?" Griff asked Tyrion.
"They're loyal to Yara Greyjoy," Tyrion confirmed. "They wouldn't leave Lannisport until she sent orders to sail for King's Landing. Yara pledged herself to Queen Daenerys in exchange for the right to rule the Iron Islands as she sees fit."
"Is she ambitious enough to try to take the dragons for herself?" Ned asked.
"Yara was the one who told us about Dragonbinder. She's seen what it does to men," Jaime said. "Her brother, Theon, has seen Wights. They understand the threat of the Night King."
"That doesn't mean that she, or another of the Ironborn, won't try to take the horn," Griff pointed out. "We can't risk it. Lord Hand –"
He turned to see Tyrion busily writing on his scroll.
"Send another raven to Queen Daenerys?" Tyrion finished. "Have her prepare a team to meet the Iron Fleet at Maidenpool?"
"Yes." Griff raised his eyebrows again. "Take precautions in case the raven is intercepted."
Tyrion nodded as his hand flew across the parchment. The other council members looked at each other then, almost as one, at Moqorro. The Red Priest's expression was sadder and more somber than ever, his midnight eyes dark and fathomless.
"Dragonbinder is powerful," he said. "I saw a man die after blowing into it. His lips blistered and his tattoos bleed as if burned through. I thought no one should have the power to control dragons, other than my Lord." He looked up at Brienne. "Until I saw Lady Ser Brienne use it. The Lord of Light has blessed you with a great gift, his own power."
"It's not power, it's love," Brienne explained. "Dragons are intelligent and capable of great love and loyalty. We protect the dragons and, in turn, they protect us. Drogon and Rheagal love the young dragons as we do. We all joined together to protect, not to enslave, one another."
"Power can be a blessing or a curse, my Lady Ser," Moqorro noted. "Some, like Melisandre or Cersei Lannister, are seduced by it and lose their way. Others, such as you, hold themselves so tightly they deny their greatness. You refuse to see the true power you hold. But you must, for soon, you will hold the balance between life and death. When the time comes, Brienne of the Gods, I hope you will choose wisely."
Silence fell in the counsel chamber as everyone, including the dragons, turned to look at Brienne. She shook her head, as if trying to deny what the Red Priest had said. She was a knight sworn to honor her king, a warrior sworn to serve the Gods and a keeper sworn to protect the dragons. Her duty was to serve, to follow orders and to carry out the will of her king and the Gods. But what if the Gods' will was for her to lead, to inspire and to command? Did she have the strength do it?
She was strong enough to wield a sword, to become a Kingsguard and an officer of the Golden Company, and to become the dragons' keeper. That was a strength she understood. She'd spent her entire life being criticized for that strength, told it was unfeminine, unnatural and wrong, that she was unfeminine, unnatural and wrong. But it was that same strength that made her the God's warrior, the instrument of their will.
Did she have the strength to be powerful?