Through the Eluvian

By J.C. Vascardi

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This chapter starts with a few scenes that happened before the scenes in the previous chapter, so the earlier dates at the top of some of the scenes are not a mistake. I could have gone back and edited them into previous chapters, but I figured including them in the new one was easier. And it's not like it hasn't been done previously with the scenes in the Red Keep with Joffrey when they find out about the dragons.

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Act II, Part VIII

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Lord Theron's Solar, Bloodstone Fortress, The Stepstones; 15 Frostfall/Tenth Turn 298 A.C.

The "war council" as Theron had called it wrapped up about half-an-hour after Robb had said that they should focus on threats in Westeros before turning their eyes towards Essos. It was at this point that Catelyn, Sansa, Myrcella, Bran, and Tommen left the room, with Catelyn showing them to the rooms that had already been prepared for them.

Unsurprisingly, Lady and Summer accompanied them out of the room, as neither of the direwolves seemed willing to let Sansa and Bran out of their sight.

Barristan also left the room, although he didn't go far, as just took up a guard position outside the door. This left only Theron, Jon, Robb, and Max still in the room.

Looking over at Theron and Robb, Jon smiled and said, "So, while you two were in King's Landing, some interesting things happened here which you should probably know about, Theron, since this is your castle now."

Shaking his head, Theron said, "My castle. That's going to take some getting used to. Anyway, what happened?"

"We had another unexpected activation of the Eluvian," Jon answered. "I'm sure they're probably getting quite worried over in Thedas by now."

"Who came through this time?" Robb asked.

It was Jon who answered. "From what I understand, the entire contents of Bianca's workshop in Val Royal? Along with the ninety-eight full-time smiths that she employs and their families."

Robb looked surprised, as Theron said, "Val Royeaux. That's the capital of Orlais."

"Yeah, that's it," Jon agreed.

"Wow, that's quite a lot of people," Theron said.

"Yes, although Bianca was quite pleased," Jon said. "She says her work will be much easier with her smiths, plus all of her design notes, models, prototypes, tools, and materials."

"Makes sense," Robb said. "How many is that though?"

"About two-hundred all told," Jon said. "Which would have been a problem in terms of where all those people were going to sleep, but as Bianca's smiths were moving into the undercroft they moved some barrels in a dark and dusty corner, noticed some damage to the walls behind them and called Voldrik down to inspect them."

"Nothing serious I hope?" Theron asked.

With a grin, Max said, "No, nothing too serious, just something that made Voldrik tear down a wall, rather than repair it." At Robb's and Theron's questioning looks, he said, "They found the entrance to an old, abandoned thaig."

Theron's eyes widened. "A thaig? A dwarven thaig? Here? Under Bloodstone?"

Max nodded, even as Robb, looking confused asked, "What's a thaig?"

"From what I understand it's an underground dwarven city," Jon explained. "Dwarves in Thedas live underground in massive caves carved from the rock. They use magma for both heat and light, along with torches and braziers."

"Most of the dwarves have already moved down to the thaig," Max added. "There are a few exceptions, such as Varric, for example, but they could see how crowded Bloodstone was getting so they figured they'd be able to spread out more in the thaig."

"So it was completely abandoned?" Theron asked.

Nodding, Max answered, "Yes, abandoned and completely stripped clean of any artifacts. So, I don't know where the builders went or why they left. There might be an answer in the Deep Roads."

"Deep Roads?" Robb asked, clearly confused.

"They're like a giant underground kingsroad essentially," Theron said. "Back in Thedas, they were once a huge part of the dwarven empire, spanning the breadth of Thedas and connecting their cities. Although most of them have been lost since the appearance of the darkspawn."

"The darkspawn have more or less taken over the Thedosian Deep Roads," Max said. "The dwarves have been trying for centuries now to reclaim them but haven't had much luck because the darkspawn are so numerous that they can't make any headway."

"It doesn't help that dwarves are a race in decline," Theron added. "Their birthrates have been falling for years, possibly due to the darkspawn taint. I suppose Carver and I should head down to this thaig and make sure that there's no darkspawn about."

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Voldrik Thaig, Deep Under Bloodstone Fortress, The Stepstones; 15 Frostfall/Tenth Turn 298 A.C.

"Voldrik Thaig?" Theron asked with a grin at Voldrik.

The stonemason nodded. The look on his face a strange mix of both pride and embarrassment.

"The place was cleared out. Not a single record or artifact that we could find to tell us what the dwarves who build this place called it. So for lack of another name, the others insisted on naming it after me as I'm the one who discovered it and was the first of our kind to set foot inside of it in however many years."

"Well, the good thing is that I'm not sensing any darkspawn," Theron said. "Carver?"

Shaking his head, Carver said, "Me either."

"Max mentioned the Deep Roads?" Theron asked.

Voldrik nodded. "Yes, there are two sealed entrances that match the entrances to the Deep Roads back in Thedas. One that leads west towards Westeros and one that leads east towards Essos."

"As tempted as I am to see what's beyond those sealed entrances, I'm cautious about opening them," Theron said. "Honestly, I didn't even know that there were dwarven thaigs or Deep Roads outside of Thedas."

"Neither did I," Voldrik agreed. "I left Orzammar many years ago, so I don't recall any entries in the Memories about dwarves outside of Thedas. Although, Orzammar is not the original capital, so it is possible that records were lost in the move, even if the Shaperate would be loath to admit it."

It was at this point that Voldrik proceeded to lead Theron and Carver on a tour of the thaig, including showing them the large octagonal doors, crafted of Valyrian steel, with some of the most intricate dwarven clockwork locks that any of the dwarves had ever seen.

Thankfully, at no point during the tour did Theron or Carver sense any darkspawn presence. Although they did agree that it would be wise not to open the Deep Roads doors for the time being. Back in Thedas, such doors were usually sealed from inside the thaig and couldn't be opened from within the Deep Roads themselves.

Everyone agreed, however, that it stood to reason these doors could be opened from the other side since they'd been sealed shut when they found the thaig. The fact that the place had been stripped clean of artifacts, skeletons, or any sign whatsoever that anyone had ever lived there, would certainly suggest that the builders had to leave somehow.

And Voldrik, master mason that he was didn't believe that it was through Bloodstone Fortress as it was his opinion that the entrance they'd found wasn't built to be an entrance but rather had opened up sometime after the fortress was built due to a combination of erosion and volcanic activity.

To be safe, Theron ordered the large locking beams—made of weirwood and banded in Valyrian steel—that were resting against the wall next to both Deep Roads entrances be put in place, as an extra layer of security beyond just the intricate clockwork opening and closing mechanisms which also served as a form of lock.

Theron believed and everyone else agreed that they had enough issues to deal with right now what with the War of the Five Kings to risk exploring outside of the thaig for the time being.

Everyone rather doubted that the western Deep Roads entrance could lead back to Thedas since there was an ocean between it and Thedas. Thus while they didn't think there'd be any darkspawn waiting in the tunnels, they figured it was better to be safe rather than sorry for now.

It was the eastern entrance that concerned everyone more, as it was possible that since it led towards Essos that if it passed under or near the ruins of Valyria, that there could be Fade Rifts and demons inside the tunnels. Barring that, there was also always the possibility that the stone men might have found an entrance somewhere in Essos.

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Lord Theron's Solar, Bloodstone Fortress, The Stepstones; 27 Frostfall/Tenth Turn 298 A.C.

Upon his return to Bloodstone, Theron found that despite staying longer than he'd intended he still had about an hour and a half before his scheduled meeting with Bianca, Dagna, and the smiths. Sitting down, he'd intended to get some work done, which Creators knew he had plenty of due to his new position as not only the Lord of Bloodstone but Lord Paramount of the Stepstones.

Of course, as he thought back to his meeting with Aegon and Jon in Dorne, he found himself shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he remembered their kisses and his cock swelled.

It's been far too long since I got laid. Theron thought.

He'd never been comfortable with visiting brothels as a customer so even though both The Sun & Cider in Amaranthine and The Pearl in Denerim did offer male companions, he didn't make use of their services. Back during the Blight, he hadn't over Tamlen yet, so he wasn't looking for anything serious, although he was still a red-blooded elf with needs.

So, he'd had a friends with benefits relationship with one of his companions, Ser Roderick "Rory" Gilmore and had a one-night stand with a young Dalish hunter initiate, Cammen Naraniel.

In the years since the Blight he'd also met up with another of his former companions, Zevran Aranai, and they'd had some fun with each other, but the last time had been over four years ago as Theron couldn't see himself getting involved with Zevran on a long-term basis. He was fun, but there just wasn't a spark between them.

Besides, Zevran was rather busy and had to frequently go into hiding or deep cover due to his ongoing attempts to dismantle the infamous Thedosian assassin's guild, the Antivan Crows, from the inside. Theron couldn't see himself getting into a relationship with anyone if he would have to spent most of their time apart on top of constantly worrying for their safety because they were being hunted by several professional assassins.

Alone in the room and with a painfully throbbing erection, Theron picked up his staff and waved it in the direction of the doors into the room, which promptly shut and locked.

Moving over to a comfortable chaise lounge in one corner of the room, Theron took off his tunic, before unbuckling his belt and pushing down his pants and smallclothes. Taking his erection in hand, he began stroking himself with his right hand as he lightly ran his fingertips over the point of his left ear.

He'd greatly prefer sex with a person, or more recently three specific people, but it was still early in the relationship and he didn't think they'd quite reached that stage yet where sex would be appropriate. Besides, two of them were in Dorne and the other while in the castle, was with his family, mourning for a husband and father who had been taken from them way too early.

Still, that didn't stop Theron from fantasizing about Jon, Aegon, and Robb and as he continued to run his hand up and down his cock, he couldn't help but moan every so often, as their names slipped softly from his lips.

Thankfully, when he'd used magic to lock the doors into the room, he had also blanketed the room in a spell that would prevent his activities from being overheard. It was a spell he was getting in the habit of using, having used it most recently in Dorne, to ensure that the conversation he'd had with Jon, Aegon, and Daenerys wasn't overheard by anyone who might be trying to spy on them.

So wrapped up in his actions, Theron didn't realize that while he had closed and locked the door that led into his solar, he hadn't upon entering the room and finding it empty, thought to check the balcony. He hadn't seen anyone on it through the open doors.

He hadn't bothered to lock them because there were only two ways onto the balcony. Through the solar itself or by scaling the side of the tower that housed the solar. Which considering the balcony was just over sixty feet above the nearest flat surface was highly unlikely.

Especially since the tower was built from the fused Valyrian black stone that was commonly called dragonstone, as it was believed to have been shaped by a dragon's breath. The stone of the tower was smooth with nothing to grab onto while climbing, so yeah, Theron had felt safe.

Somebody clearing their throat had Theron almost jumping out of his skin as he turned his head and saw a grinning Robb Stark in the doorway of the balcony. He'd fallen asleep in a chaise lounge on said balcony that wasn't visible from the doors while he'd been out getting some air.

"Robb, I…"

Robb just grinned as he came over and sat on the edge of the chaise that Theron was on, as he continued grinning. "Hello Theron, having fun?"

"I was just… um…" Theron was at a loss for words, as he flushed crimson. In all the times since he was a teenager and had found the pleasure of his hand, he had never been caught in the act by anyone. And most especially not by one of the people he was fantasizing about while doing it.

"No need to explain," Robb said with a big grin on his face. "I can see perfectly well what you're doing." His grin turned mischievous at this and said, "Don't stop on my account."

Theron whimpered slightly as he realized that Robb clearly had no intention of leaving and he was still painfully hard. Even though he could scarcely believe it, Theron was pretty sure that being caught in the act by one of the objects of his fantasies had made him even harder than he had been previously.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Theron took a few deep breaths, before he opened them and looked at Robb. "Could you… um… kiss the tips of my ears?"

Sure, he'd be lying if he said he wouldn't have greatly preferred to have Robb go down on him or to turn him over and fuck him, but he refrained from asking for either of those things. Their relationship was still too new and he didn't think that he and Robb should do anything without Aegon and Jon there. At least not the very first time.

Still, he hoped that Jon and Aegon wouldn't be too upset by Robb just kissing the tips of his ears while he gave himself a handjob.

Robb grinned. "I've seen the way you shiver when Aegon does that. I take it you enjoy it?"

"Yes," Theron whispered. "Very much."

Robb nodded. "Good to know," before he moved so that he was lying next to Theron on the chaise and whispered in his ear, "I'll keep that in mind for the future," before he leaned over and began kissing the tip of Theron's left ear and running a hand gently over the elf's lithely muscled chest and abdomen.

Theron moaned as he resumed running his hand up and down his cock, whispering Robb's name, as well as Aegon's and Jon's, as he continued thinking about all three of them, even if Robb was the only one physically with him at the moment.

Several minutes later, as he could feel his climax coming on fast, Theron called out, "Oh Creators, yes… Robb!" He'd planned on saying Aegon's and Jon's names too, but before he had the chance his cock exploded as he began to cum all over his chest and abs.

For this part, Robb just watched as a rather voluminous amount of cum shot out of Theron's cock. As it slowed and finally stopped, Robb moved so that he could kiss Theron on the forehead and say, "Okay, that was so hot."

Struggling to catch his breath, Theron finally managed to say, "Serannas."

Recognizing the Elvhen for 'thanks', as Theron had been teaching Jon, Robb, and Aegon a few words and phrases in his ancestral tongue, Robb smiled and said, "Sathem lasa halani," which meant 'pleased to help.'

Theron smiled and took a few more deep breaths before grabbing his staff and muttering a spell to clean himself up. He then proceeded to get dressed, despite Robb's complaints on that, before he wrapped an arm around Robb and kissed Jon's left cheek, as he said, "A kiss from Jon," before he kissing his right cheek, "a kiss from Aegon," and finally his forehead and said, "and last, a kiss from me."

Robb smiled before he kissed the tip of Theron's nose and just smiled, as they did some light cuddling on the chaise.

While Robb was attracted to Theron, was more than happy to him achieve release and had found the situation hot, he just wasn't in the right headspace at the moment to engage in such activities himself. Maybe after they made it up to Winterfell and laid his father to rest he'd feel better.

Finally, Theron sighed and said, "As much as I'd like to stay here with you for the rest of the day, I am supposed to be meeting with Bianca, Dagna, and the smiths. They said they had something they wanted to show me."

"Care for some company?" Robb asked as he was genuinely curious what the smiths were up to as he'd seen some of Bianca's designs and they'd been very impressive.

"Sure," Theron smiled before the two of them got up and left the room.

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Undercroft, Bloodstone Fortress, The Stepstones; 27 Frostfall/Tenth Turn 298 A.C.

"So what did you want to show me?" Theron asked, as he walked into the Undercroft and saw Bianca and Dagna standing nearby waiting for him.

Bianca smiled. "I was talking with Dagna and because she was a member of a centuries-old Smith-caste family before leaving Orzammar, she knew the secret of how to create smokeless coal."

Theron nodded. "That's what Branka was made a Paragon for, right?"

Bianca and Dagna nodded, as Robb, obviously not familiar with the term, asked, "Paragon?"

Motioning for Bianca and Dagna to explain, as he didn't feel right answering a question about dwarven culture in front of the pair of them, let alone the nearly one-hundred other dwarves that were hard at work all around the room.

"Dwarves don't worship gods as humans and elves do," Bianca explained. "Instead we venerate the Ancestors, who are the spirits of deceased dwarves of worth who've been returned to the Stone."

"Dwarves consider the Stone to be our ultimate progenitor," Dagna added. "So worthy dwarves are returned to the Stone when they die."

Robb nodded in understanding, as Bianca said, "Paragons are dwarves who have achieved a level of success or completed a task deemed so impossible or glorious that they're viewed with a level of respect beyond even the Ancestors."

"Paragons are nominated by the Assembly," Dagna said. "The Assembly is a legislative body made up of the dwarven nobility that is second in influence only to the king or queen. Paragons are usually nominated posthumously and a new noble house is created with the Paragon's name."

"Very rarely, however," Theron spoke up, "a dwarf will be nominated as a Paragon while they're still alive and if the Assembly agrees they become a living Paragon. They're viewed as something akin to a living Ancestor, so their words and actions carry immense weight with the dwarven people."

Bianca nodded. "Branka became a Paragon for the invention of smokeless coal. As the name suggests, smokeless coal doesn't produce smoke when burned, so it can be safely burned with no ventilation. It greatly reduced cases of black lung, a fatal disease common among smiths, and allowed them to increase their output by a third."

"So I assume you have some ideas involving smokeless coal?" Theron asked Bianca.

"Several of them, yes," Bianca confirmed. "One is my Davri Mechanical Thresher, which uses smokeless coal to power the thresher's steam engine, which in turn separates grain from chaff. Completing in mere hours what would normally take hundreds of laborers weeks of back-breaking work."

"Impressive," Robb said.

"Thank you," Bianca said. "What I wanted to show you, Lord Mahariel is my newly completed models for the Davri Steamship."

"Steamship?" Theron asked as he raised an eyebrow. He was tempted to tell Bianca that she didn't need to call him Lord Mahariel, but he knew he'd have to get used to it here in Westeros, now that Jon had made him a Lord, so he kept his mouth shut.

Nodding, Bianca said, "It was one of the designs I was toying with back in Thedas, which I believe could revolutionize ship travel in that a ship would no longer be beholden to the whims of the winds or the power of its oarsmen."

"So how would it move?" Robb asked.

"I'm toying with three options at the moment," Bianca answered. "I'm not sure which would be the best as I think determining that would require scale prototypes, rather than a model."

Pointing to three models on the table next to her, Bianca began explaining her ideas to a fascinated Robb and Theron. One used steam power to turn the oars, another used a pair of large water wheels mounted on the sides of the ship, while the third used two to three large propeller blades on the rear of the ship.

As she finished her descriptions, she said, "This could solve the issue you've been facing with being unable to return to Winterfell due to the winds blowing in the wrong direction for the return trip, a none of these would require the wind to be blowing in a certain direction."

"Hmm, yes, I can see how that might be possible," Theron said. Even though the pirates that had previously occupied Bloodstone probably stole a number of their ships, there was still a shipyard in the harbor, so Theron said, "You have my blessing to have three ships built so that you can test your designs, Bianca. I'll send word to the shipyard to expect you."

"Thank you, Lord Mahariel," Bianca said.

"Now I believe you also had something to show me, Dagna?"

Nodding, Dagna said, "With Bianca's smiths from her workshop now in Westeros, all twenty of the smith-caste surface dwarves that Flemeth originally sent have been reassigned to arms and armor. They've just completed their first set of Valyrian steel armor that I thought you'd like to take a look at."

Theron nodded, as he and Robb followed Dagna to another section of the room where they both whistled upon seeing a full set of plate armor bearing the Grey Warden crest.

"We designed this for Carver Hawke," Dagna said. "We would have started with a set of armor for King Jaeherys but since he's in Dorne, we couldn't take his measurements."

Looking at Robb, she added, "We would have started with you, Lord Stark, but didn't want to interrupt your mourning or family time."

"I appreciate that," Robb said. "So this is Valyrian steel armor?"

Nodding, Dagna said. "Yup, a full set with all the necessary pieces to cover all parts of the body."

"And is there any rune work?" Theron asked.

He wasn't personally familiar with Dagna's rune work, although he had set her on the path that led her to work with them after he'd spoken to First Enchanter Irving at the Kinloch Hold Circle of Magi in Ferelden to get his permission for her to come to the tower to study magical theory.

Theron was, however, well versed in what runes could do thanks to Sandal Feddic. He knew from talking with Max that Dagna was widely considered to be the second-best rune crafter in all of Thedas… after Sandal.

"Of course," Dagna said with a proud smile. "I've added runes to the various pieces which will reduce the weight of the armor, increase the wearer's strength and endurance, in addition to various elemental protection runes."

"Well, I'm sure Carver is very appreciative," Theron said. "And I'm sure that King Jaeherys would love a full set of Valyrian steel armor. Perhaps dyed black with the sigil of House Targaryen?"

Dagna nodded. "That should be doable. We will need to take his measurements first, however, to ensure the proper fit."

"Of course," Theron said, as he grinned over at Robb and said, "Well I'm sure between the two of us we can convince him to come down and let you measure him."

"Oh definitely," Robb said before he decided that while he was down here, he might as well let the smiths take his measurements because he certainly wouldn't say no to a set of Valyrian steel armor himself.

Considering that he was Lord of Winterfell and would eventually be one of the three Prince-Consorts of the Seven Kingdoms, he figured it was only fair.

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The Water Gardens, Dorne; 29 Frostfall/Tenth Turn 298 A.C.

As a final test to see if Prince Quentyn could deal with dragons, which Jon, Aegon, and Daenerys and the other Martells doubted since Quentyn still practically jumped out of his skin every time that Drogon, Rhaegal, or Viserion moved a muscle, Jon sent a raven to Bloodstone and asked Theron to fly over in his dragon form.

Letting out a roar as he made his final approach in a large field outside the walls of the Martell retreat, the land shook as Theron's back legs hit the ground. While all the other Martells were looking suitably impressed, however, Quentin took one look at the massive dragon and fainted.

"By the Seven," Doran muttered under his breath when he realized that his son had not only fainted but also soiled himself. Looking at Daenerys as a few of the palace servants moved the unconscious Dornish prince back inside, Doran looked at Daenerys and said, "Well, it's clear that he's not a viable choice for your hand, Princess."

"Indeed," Daenerys agreed. "However, I believe that Oberyn and I have reached an agreement."

Oberon nodded, even as Garrett climbed down off of Theron's back, having flown over to Dorne with him for a very specific reason. Once introductions were made the group, minus Theron who remained in dragon form, reentered the palace.

"Well, I believe most of the details are already worked out," Doran said, as they'd spent the last few days drawing up a series of mutually agreed-upon terms for the marriage alliance between House Targaryen and House Nymeros-Martell.

It was already assumed that the marriage would likely be between Oberyn and Daenerys, but Doran had wanted to test his son one more time with one of the larger dragons. Needless to say, Quentyn failed the test miserably.

"So, let us go over the agreed terms one final time before signing, shall we?" Doran asked and Jon nodded.

Motioning towards Maester Caleotte, the man nods meekly as he begins reading.

Agreed Terms:

Prince Oberyn Nymeros-Martell will wed Princess Daenerys Targaryen. Both shall keep the names of their birth houses upon their marriage. The first two sons and the first two daughters of the marriage will bear the name and be members of House Targaryen. Any additional children beyond those mentioned previously will bear the name and be members of House Nymeros-Martell.

It is agreed that no child born of the marriage and belonging to House Targaryen will have a claim on Sunspear, the Kingdom of Dorne or any other holding belong to House Nymeros-Martell, now or in the future. Furthermore, it is agreed that no child born of the marriage and belonging to House Nymeros-Martell will have a claim on the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms or any other holding belonging to House Targaryen, now or in the future.

Prince Doran Martell swears the allegiance, loyalty, and support of House Nymeros-Martell and its vassal houses to King Jaeherys III Targaryen, who hereby agrees to grant Prince Doran Martell the title and position of Warden of the South.

As Maester Caleotte finished reading, Jon nodded and said, "Everything seems in order."

"It'll be nice to finally be Warden of the South," Doran said. "Makes no sense for that dimwitted oaf of a man in Highgarden to be the Warden of the South, instead of the ruling prince of the southernmost kingdom."

"Considering said Lord of Highgarden is currently supporting one of my rivals for the throne," Jon said, "I quite agree. He needs some punishment."

That said, Jon motions for Garrett to come over. "Before we sign, I asked Garrett to come over from Bloodstone for a reason, Prince Doran."

"Oh, and what is that?" Doran asked.

"To heal you," Jon said, as while Doran had initially hidden his condition, in the days since he had allowed Jon and Daenerys to see his infirmity, as he figured that he could trust them. Especially Jon who was going to be his nephew-in-law and thus family. "Or try to anyway."

"Gout is almost unheard of in Thedas," Garrett said. "Pretty much the only time it's seen in anyone is if the person in question has steadfastly refused magical healing because their hatred or distrust of magic is so great that they'd rather live with their condition then ask a mage for assistance."

Doran didn't want to get his hopes up, so instead, he just asked, "What exactly would be involved?"

"It's quite simple and painless," Garrett answered. "You sit there, I wave my staff over you, directing healing magic into your body."

Doran was quiet for a moment before he nodded and said, "Very well, proceed."

With a nod, Garrett removes his staff from his back and holds it over Doran's legs, as he concentrates on the strongest healing spell he knows. A moment later the staff glowed as a mist of light blue energy moved down and into Doran's legs.

When the energy disappeared, Garrett swayed on his feet briefly, as he sued his staff to steady himself. "So how do you feel?"

"The pain, it's gone," Doran said before he placed his hands on the arms of his wheelchair.

Seeing what the prince was about to do, both Oberyn and Trystane rushed forward, ready to help their brother and father if he needed it, but also staying back and letting him try. Pushing himself up, Doran was a bit shaky at first, as he hadn't stood up in nearly a year, but after a moment, he managed to stand and took his hands off of the arms of his wheelchair.

"I… I can stand," Doran said. "I never thought I…" shaking his head he smiled and said, "Seven bless you, Ser Hawke."

Garrett nodded, as he stepped back, as Jon said, "Shall we sign the agreement, Prince Doran?"

"Yes," Doran said with a nod, as he walked over to the nearby table and leaned down as he signed his name, followed by Jon, Oberyn, and Daenerys, with the members of the Kingsguard signing as witnesses.

It probably would have been easier for Doran to sign the document while sitting down, but he'd been sitting for most of the last year, so he was enjoying standing up for a change.

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Eluvian Tower, Bloodstone Fortress, The Stepstones; 29 Frostfall/Tenth Turn 298 A.C.

After the agreement for a Martell/Targaryen marriage was signed, the Targaryens and their retinue left Dorne. It would take time to prepare for a wedding fit for royalty. Until then, they'd part ways and Doran would raise his banners to prepare the defend Dorne should word reach the northern kingdoms that he'd allied with Jon.

The Golden Company was being moved from the Stepstones to Sunspear and plans were being made on how to proceed. They were still planning on sending Catelyn to treat with Renly, to see if they could work out if not an alliance then at least a temporary non-aggression pact so that they could focus on the Lannisters and the houses from the Crownlands that had opted to support Joffrey.

For the time being, however, they'd all been called up to the Eluvian Tower by Morrigan for an unknown reason.

"Well, we're here, Morrigan," Jon said.

"I can see that. I'll get straight to the point. Mother sends her regards and a gift." As she says this she holds up a small item that looks vaguely key-shaped.

"What's that?" Aegon asked.

"An Eluvian key," Morrigan said. "Normally, Eluvians don't have a physical key, but rather are unlocked by magical power or knowledge. After the secrets of the Eluvian network were spread to humans, however, the ancient Elvhenan sealed off access to the Eluvians here in Westeros and Essos, or modified them so that a physical key was necessary to unlock them."

Motioning towards the Eluvian she said, "You may notice several indentations in the frame. Those indentations are keyholes, which will unlock various Eluvians if you insert the right key. This key will unlock the Eluvian, allowing it to be used for transport to and from a single location here in Westeros."

"Where in Westeros?" Bran asked.

"The North," Morrigan said. "Specifically one in a hidden chamber in what used to be a temple to Andruil, the elven Goddess of the Hunt. The above-ground section of the temple was razed to the ground several thousand years ago, but portions of the temple catacombs yet remain."

"If there's an Eluvian in the North, why did we have to come here to the Stepstones to meet up with you, Theron and the others?" Jon asked, perplexed.

"Because the hidden room the Eluvian is in is magically sealed from the inside," Morrigan said. "It can only be unlocked from inside the Eluvian Chamber itself, so even if Flemeth had told you where this particular Eluvian was, it wouldn't have done you much good if you couldn't get to it."

Bran said, "Okay, that makes sense," as Tommen nodded and asked, "So once we unlock this chamber, where will we be?

"In the crypts," Morrigan answered. "Beneath Ironrath."

"Ironrath?" Sansa asked. "Do the Forresters know?"

Shaking her head, Morrigan said, "No, they don't. While a large portion of their crypts was converted temple basement, the Eluvian Chamber is, as I said, magically sealed from the inside. There is no discernable door as it blends in perfectly with the stone block of the surrounding walls. So the Forresters, despite living at Ironrath for over fifteen hundred years have no idea the chamber even exists."

"I see," Jon said. "And we'll be able to get out?"

"Yes, you will," Morrigan replied. "Mother told me how to unlock the door. I'm sure any of the Forresters still at Ironrath will want to know how we got into their crypts, but that's easily enough explained, especially when their liege lord will be present."

Robb sighed. "Yes. Too bad there isn't one at Winterfell."

"There was," Morrigan said, as she held up a hand to forestall any comment. "However, it was in the deepest part of Winterfell's crypts that nobody alive today has ever visited. Mainly because the floor above it collapsed centuries ago, so the Eluvian that was there ceased to be functional when it got crushed and buried under several tons of stone and dirt."

"Lord Gregor Forrester will be at Moat Cailan," Catelyn said. "His wife and children are still at home, however, as while his two eldest sons are old enough to go to war, he decided that he'd keep them home until the orders to march south of the Neck arrived."

"Probably a good idea," Robb said. "That's fewer mouths to feed as the men that would serve under their command remain at Ironrath to help guard it. Which is good in case Balon Greyjoy gets it in his head to push into the North since he has declared himself king of it."

"Perhaps we should all go and change into warmer clothes," Jon said. As he looked around at everybody present, he said, "Our current attire is fine for the Stepstones, but even though it's summer, it'll still be cold enough at both Ironrath and Winterfell that everybody will be glad of warmer clothes."

-o-0-o-

And there you have Part Eight of Act Two of 'Through the Eluvian'. So, next chapter they'll be back at Winterfell to inter Eddard in the Winterfell crypts. And for those paying attention to the dates in the story, somebody's having a birthday…

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