Davos strolled through the corridors, thinking it was awfully quiet in the Keep. He'd sometimes spot a soldier or guard patrolling the area, most of whom would nod their heads courteously in his direction but not say a word. He'd expected to have run into someone by now; members of the council were always strolling about around here so where had they gone now? He hadn't seen Bruda all day, Tyrion was seemingly holed up in his room as he had been for a considerable amount of time now, and even Daenerys hadn't shown her face so far. He frowned as he rubbed his chin, his fingers running through his short grey beard. He could tell there was something going on. It was in the air, a bitter taste. In actual fact, there had been a foreboding sense of dread building up in his gut for several days and it was bugging him that he didn't know why. Trade was going on as usual in the ports of Blackwater Bay, even increasing across some markets. The streets were seeing less trouble going on, Gendry's training obviously proving dividends with the latest recruits to the City Watch. The people within the city were happy, enjoying their lives to the best of their ability for the first time in a long time. They were at odds with the people living in the Keep, who appeared to be troubled by something as a collective. After seeing its effects on the behaviour of those in the latest council meetings, especially the erratic behaviour of Bruda and Daenerys' increasingly closed off demeanour, Davos Seaworth had decided it was finally time to voice his concerns. He just didn't know who would be the best to seek out. The two he would have normally gone to, Bruda and Daenerys, were precisely the people he was worried about.
As he continued to nervously pace, deciding to head back towards the Queen's corner of the settlement, he turned his head as he heard the unmistakable sound of running footsteps against the stone floor. He was surprised to see that it was Jorah who was coming up behind him, moving with more urgency than he had seen in the old knight for a while. The old Bear had been in the same predicament as the Master of Ships, looking for someone to discuss his proposed marriage. Varys had been his main target but he'd found that it was easier to find an actual spider compared to the Spider. Eventually, he'd caught sight of Davos and had hurriedly sought to catch up with him before he lost sight of the other man. Jorah let out a heavy breath of air with a puff of his cheeks, regaining some of his usual composure.
Davos looked at him in concern, fearing that something had gone wrong. "I haven't seen you move that fast since we took this city." For a moment, he thought back to that eventful and chaotic day, remembering the Great Sept of Baelor exploding into awful green flames, the same ones that had claimed his sons. He'd believed that he was going to meet the same fate but had been saved by the heroics of Hidebyo, the great dragon that he still didn't fully understand how had come into existence. "Are we in trouble?"
"Not that I know of," Jorah answered, starting to lead the way through the maze of dark corridors. He smirked slightly as his companion shook his head. "But it's always good to see that that thought is constantly in your head."
"It's better to be prepared and paranoid. I wouldn't have survived nearly as long as I did as a smuggler if I'd had any other mindset." He peered with squinted eyes at the head of the Gold Cloaks. "If we're not in any apparent and immediate danger...what caused you to seek my company so urgently. Should I take it as a compliment?"
"I was trying to find someone from the Council, which turned out to be an even more difficult task than I first imagined."
Davos chuckled mirthlessly. "Tell me about it. I was trying to do the same thing. Do you know why everyone seems to be in hiding today? Or why people have been acting strangely recently?"
"You mean Bruda, don't you?" Jorah asked with a sigh, wishing that he knew the answer to that question as well.
"His behaviour springs to mind, yes. But he's always been a bit...how should I put it...mad. But I dare say that our queen hasn't been herself too."
"She's under a lot of stress, what with not knowing what's going to happen with the North. All her life, she's tried her best to ensure she's always in control of her fate. But recently...she's having to come to terms with the fact that that can't always be the case. It's why she sent me out to find some of you, so that we can talk about one thing she can control. The wedding."
Davos nodded his head knowingly. "With everything that's going on around here, I almost forgot that was happening. Do you think now is the best time to be organising it?"
"That was Daenerys' main concern but...think about it...the whole point of the original idea was for it to be a preventative measure. To stop a conflict from happening. Even if I don't think I'm that powerful a tool."
"You'd be surprised. A symbol of an alliance that strong...even if it just swayed a few families to stay on our side, then it'd be worth it."
"So you think it's a good idea to do this now then?" Jorah was still nervous about the prospect, irrationally fearing that Daenerus would eventually realise she should have chosen someone more becoming of her place in society. It would be better for her to marry into a wealthy and strong family to boost her position. But he knew that he was too selfish to let that happen and she wouldn't want that in the first place.
"I'm not the person to be asking. If you want your wedding to take place on a boat, then I'm your man. Otherwise, you'll need to be seeing Bronn to plan the finances, especially if we're juggling preparations for war. Tyrion and Varys would be of help as well, if you can find them."
Jorah nodded his head tiredly. He wished it could be more simple. He wished they could just run away and get married in secret. But she deserved the lavish ceremony, no expense spared. They turned into another empty corridor, which was brighter than the ones they'd just walked through with windows lining the wall to their right. They pressed on, still uneasy about how quiet it was. They hadn't even come across any soldiers for a while now. They felt a low rumble before they saw anything. The floor beneath their feet seemed to shake from an unknown force, the Keep practically moving. Davos and Jorah supported themselves with the wall, brandishing their swords in case they were under attack. But it didn't feel like any sort of invasion they'd experienced before. As they regained their footing, their view was blinded as the windows were tinged orange. They stared with their mouths wide open as they saw a streak of ugly fire fly past them. They were quickly by the viewpoint, looking down as they saw the flames gouge out a section of the castle below. Their faces deathly pale, the two men looked at one another in fear. Their first thought was that one of the dragons had got loose and was wreaking havoc above the city. But there was no flying beast weaving through the clouds.
"You know when you said there was no trouble…" Davos murmured. And they started to run, not knowing where the best place would be to go.
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Melisandre perused the market stalls deep within the city, venturing outside of the Red Keep for a change, which was a rare occurrence for her. She was doing it as a favour for Grandmaester Marwyn, who had said he needed his stocks replenishing as soon as possible. Normally, she would have felt that she was above such menial tasks and allowed him to just wait for the deliveries to arrive (even if that could have taken months). But she had wanted to get some fresh air, to get away from the castle. Spending so much time within those tall walls was enough to make anyone go mad and Melisandre had the added pressure of worrying about Bruda constantly. She would still take part in experiments and join others in meals when one was put on in the main hall but her mind would always be elsewhere, thinking about that infernal man. It had been a while now since she had seen him truly happy, the night he had returned from his brief dismissal. From that point on, he had...changed. The exuberance that had made up his personality was mostly gone, he was more reserved and quiet, especially compared to the bombastic man she had fallen in love with. Love. Was this her realising that she did, in fact, love him? To see him hurting and going through something that she couldn't understand and how that made her feel helpless and useless...was that the definition of love? If your partner was in pain, so were you? She'd presumed she felt that way for a long time but had never admitted it to him. She hadn't allowed herself to be sucked into the fantasy, knowing that she didn't deserve that beautiful part of life. Her past actions forfeited any right she had to that joy, or so she believed. Bruda had told her before that that wasn't the case but it was difficult to believe. Now, as she came to terms with the fact that it was possible, she felt like she was losing him.
She fought back tears as she walked past people, trying to be as unnoticed as possible. If she started crying, they would definitely start looking at her. She could still feel their eyes on her, wondering why she was dressed like that before figuring out who she was. She could practically feel the thoughts running through their heads, the judgement, the disgust. When she had been the Red Woman, the true believer of the Lord of Light, the opinions of others had never affected her. Why should they? She was working for a higher cause that she was lucky enough to understand. But that shield and blindness had been taken away from her just as easily as the pain and suffering she had been going through. Sometimes, when she was alone and Bruda was nowhere to be seen, she would think about whether she was happy about the change she'd undergone. It was irrational and selfish to harbour such thoughts; she knew how lucky she was to have been given a second chance, for a man as great as Bruda to see what she was actually capable of if she were to be freed. That didn't stop her thinking about it when she was abandoned. But the sensation of her powers moving through her body, testing her limitations, would remind her that she had something to do now. She'd been practicing every night, trying to hone her skills and get a control over this new magic. It was difficult and took a lot of energy to train, making her feel drained and tired straight afterwards. But she could sense that her efforts were proving to be successful, albeit the progress being painfully slow.
It would have been easier for her if Bruda had continued to help her through it. That had come with the change in his attitude. He suddenly had something else on his mind, too preoccupied to remember to teach her how to use their intertwined magic. She understood that he was busy but she had believed that he would always make time for her. In a sense, she was grateful for his lack of attention. It meant she was less nervous about messing up since there would be no one watching to make her feel embarrassed and it was also spurring her on, wanting to show him that she didn't need to rely on his tutelage. She pictured his shocked face when the time came to use her powers, smiling at the thought as she squeezed past a large, slow-walking group.
Melisandre hadn't noticed someone had been watching her as she walked through the cobbled roads, so lost she was in her head. Gendry had spotted her quite easily, mainly due to the red, flowing dress she still chose to wear. He couldn't remember a time when she had been so blatantly alone, always being in the company of the warlock or the old maester. With training of the City Watch done for the day (he was slowly becoming impressed with some of the men he was working with but it was still going to be a long way before they could successfully and efficiently defend the city's walls), he was free to follow her, trying to see what she was up to. He could hear Davos' words in his head, to stay well clear of her, to control his anger. Was he feeling anger towards her? Or curiosity? Ever since the meeting they'd had with Bruda, he wasn't so sure. He just knew that he wanted to keep an eye on her, just in case she hurt someone like she had done to him. He was confused by her expression though. All he could describe it as was...sadness or despair. He'd never seen her like that before and, for some reason, it worried him, which was the reason he gave himself for pursuing her.
The quick smile she'd been wearing disappeared when she saw a crowd of people heading in her direction, frantically running away from something. Their eyes were filled with fear and dread and she was immediately alarmed by the sight. She felt a low rumble across the city, an unnatural one. She didn't know how she knew that but she could just...sense it. The public, who had been milling about calmly just a second ago, were suddenly barging through the streets, shoving each other out of the way. Melisandre saw mothers frantically pick up their children to prevent them from getting trampled. Some of the stalls she had been looking at crumpled to the ground, knocked down by the wave of people, their products rolling around and smashing. Against her better judgement, she decided to continue in the direction she'd orginally been going, towards whatever was causing this mass panic. Keeping to the sides to avoid most of the onslaught, she rushed forward, knowing that Bruda would have been doing the same if he were there. It was growing warmer, the first few beads of sweat shining on her forehead. As she started to turn the corner, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder pull her roughly back. She turned around and was surprised to see Gendry holding her with one arm, his other hand holding his warhammer.
"What are you doing?" he shouted loudly over the chaos, looking at her with wide eyes.
She was still startled by the fact that he was talking to her but knew that was the least of her concerns. "What does it look like? I'm seeing what is causing this."
He shook his head. "That warlock has messed with your head. Are you mad? You need to get to safety."
"When have you ever been concerned about my welfare?" she responded scathingly, making him pause. "And isn't it your duty to protect the city, Lord Baratheon?"
He knew she had him there. He was faintly aware of the sight of some of his City Watch knights running away with the crowd, making him realise that she was right and he had to do something. "I'm going to regret this."
Together, they rounded the corner and were surprised at what they found. It was quieter than they'd anticipated, most of the locals running behind them in the distance. There was one figure alone, a woman. Her head was bowed, her face obscured by a mane of fiery orange hair, but Melisandre had a dreaded feeling of who it was, even if she couldn't explain why this had scared so many people.
"Is that…" murmured Gendry, unsure of what he was seeing. He'd anticipated coming face to face with an army, an invasion force. He was better prepared to deal with that sort of threat.
"Ustrina," the woman next to him answered, nodding her head. The first inkling she got as to what was happening was when her own magic flared up within her, a strange burning sensation that wasn't too painful. She looked more closely at the other person and saw her hands slowly become drenched in a swirling red force. As the energy grew brighter, the ground beneath them seemed to shake once again, stones turning up and flying up. Before they could react, a dark fire was pouring out from the ground around Ustrina, a torrent of flame and dirt. They watched as it went through the closest building, an old streethouse, its walls left as piles of rock and rubble. They were transfixed by the sight, unmoving, paralysed. They stared in horror as the flames grew, with the lone woman at the epicentre, her hair flowing as wildly as the fire she'd conjured up. It ascended into a tall column, their eyes trained on it as it rose, before it fell again. As it reached the ground, it shot out like a pulse, heading straight for them at a startling pace. As Gendry dived to the floor for protection, for what good that would do, trying to bring her down with him, Melisandre closed her eyes and held out her hands. As a second ticked by without them being consumed by the monstrosity, she forced herself to look. Gendry, even more perplexed than before, scrambled to his feet, staring at her in shock. A golden shield had erupted in front of them, a body of pure magical energy just like Bruda's protecting them from the attack. She was surprised by how easy it was to sustain it more than the actual sight, although her arms were growing tired.
"You...you...how…" sputtered Gendry.
"We don't exactly have time to talk about it, do we?" she said testily. Her arms were aching considerably now. "I don't know what's going on or why she's doing this. I didn't even know she could do this!"
"We need to get back to the Keep," he suggested. Melisandre nodded her head after a moment's thought before they started to run towards it, not knowing that Ustrina was watching them do so with a knowing smile on her face.
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The room was dark and empty, that was the first thing that he noticed. He was faintly aware of a distant rumbling but that was far away so didn't probably concern him. His head was banging, making it difficult for him to remember what had happened up to that point. He had confronted Ustrina with the sole intention of stopping her by any means. He'd finally built up the courage to do that but then he'd seen someone. Who was it? He struggled to picture her. Her. It was definitely a woman. He groaned and put his head in his hands as it all came back to him. Isabella had been the one to stop him. If he was being rational, he would have realised that that was something the Isabella he'd known would never have done. But he was too much of a coward, afraid to go through losing her yet again. And, because of that foolishness, he'd allowed Ustrina to get away, who had vowed to do...something. He rubbed his head, waiting for the details to return. It was as if his memories were a jigsaw puzzle and he was missing the final piece. Then it clicked into place. Fire. The entirety of the city was in danger and it was all his fault. His heart sank as he focused on that infernal noise in the distance, fearing what it could be. It definitely didn't sound good. And that meant Daenerys was in peril. With that singular thought, the haze lifted, his dizziness dissipated.
Bruda stood up, using the wall to support himself. His limbs were aching, presumably from being fired against the wall. Ustrina had used a lot of force with minimal effort which worried him greatly. He scolded himself for underestimating her for so long, believing that he could deal with her on his own, without telling anyone. There was still time to rectify his mistakes; it was just the small matter of whether Daenerys would forgive him this time. He'd pushed his luck in the past but this would be seen as his worst failure. He looked around the abandoned room, noticing that his staff was gone. Ustrina must have taken it although he didn't know why. She probably presumed that it was the conductor of his powers. His mood was slightly lifted as that realisation sunk in - hopefully that meant she knew less about him than she claimed, which would give him a chance of defeating her when the time came to face her. The momentary positivity was dampened as the room shook violently, a cloud of dust raining down from the ceiling, bringing him back to the present.
He opened the door and proceeded to run as fast as he could (at his age, that wasn't as fast as he would have liked). He'd been conscious for only a few moments, accounting for him occasionally bumping into the walls of the corridor, but his mind had already been going at a frenetic pace. He'd contemplated going straight for Ustrina to see if he could still stop her but, as he almost collapsed again, he had to accept that he was in no fit state to fight her. It would only stall her if anything and would leave the others unprotected. Instead, he decided to head for Daenerys' quarters, thinking that the safest thing to do would be to get her out of the castle before the crazed warlock could do too much damage. He resolutely continued, missing the support of his staff terribly, wincing as his run turned into a walk.
He was put on edge when he heard footsteps coming up behind him, turning around with his hands in a defensive position, golden magic flaring up around his fingers. Jorah and Davos skidded to a halt before they charged into the older man. It was the knight who, upon seeing the state Bruda was in, put his hands on his shoulders to hold him, looking into his eyes. The rumblings were getting larger, the far away screams of the people on the streets below getting louder.
"Bruda...what happened to you?" Jorah asked in a frantic tone, looking over at Davos. They hadn't seen the warlock look so worse for wear since they'd met him.
He still had enough energy to wave off their concerns. "There's no time to be worrying about me. We need to get to Daenerys urgently."
"Well, that's what we were doing before we came across you," Davos responded. "But we're heading into the unknown here. This...threat has come out of nowhere. We saw...something unexplainable. Torrents of fire. This is no army attacking us. We couldn't have prepared for this."
Bruda looked down at the floor guiltily, which the two other men easily picked up on. Jorah shook him roughly, forcing him to look at them. "You knew about this, didn't you?" A similar anger that Bruda had seen the night Daenerys had fallen unconscious flashed in the knight's eyes, his lips set in a firm line.
The old warlock nodded. "It's Ustrina." He stopped them before they could speak, seeing their stunned expressions. "I...didn't know she was going to do this. She overpowered me when I confronted her just before. I tried to stop this, you have to believe me. I just...couldn't. Not this time."
"But you knew she could do this?" Davos asked, trying to picture the woman he hardly knew as this powerful being. It wasn't making sense. "That she had the capability to do this?"
"I knew she had powers like mine. Greater than mine."
"Then why didn't you tell us?" Jorah shouted.
Bruda knew that they needed to be hurrying up if they were to help anyone yet understood they wouldn't do anything without some sort of explanation. "You really wouldn't believe me. She used someone I truly care about to stop me. It was like if she asked you to harm Daenerys to stop her - would you have done it?"
"I want more details."
"We don't have time! Whilst we're talking, Ustrina is harnessing more of her power. I have a dreaded feeling of what that entails." He looked at them with an urgent gaze, trying to make them see sense. Jorah was the last to back down but, with a sigh, he started moving again, pulling Bruda with him, trying not to think about what was happening outside.
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Melisandre and Gendry continued to run, heading up the hill towards the Red Keep. Gendry made sure to remain behind his companion, constantly checking back to analyse the ongoing threat. A ring of fire was circling Ustrina, making it impossible to see her. The only positive was that the flames didn't seem to be attacking anyone or any of the buildings anymore. That put him on high alert though as he realised she must have been doing something else. They just didn't know what. Gendry was still trying to get a grasp on the situation, dumbfounded by this turn of events. How was she doing all of this in the first place? Let alone why she was doing this. He was processing that along with the fact Melisandre had likely saved his life when she had shielded him from the flames. The resentment he had felt towards her, although not completely gone (he reckoned that he would never get over what she had done to him at Dragonstone with the leeches), was lessening as he watched her run in front of him.
Soldiers charged past them, mainly consisting of Unsullied fighters armed with their usual spears. They tried to stop them, fearing that their weapons would be of no use against such a powerful foe. The army didn't listen. Gendry, despite knowing what was about to happen to them, had to commend their bravery, even if it was ultimately misplaced. They would have been better reinforcing the defences of the castle, not taking Ustrina on out in the open. As the soldiers neared, standing slightly away from the fire, poised to fight, the two of them stopped as they watched what was about to happen. They couldn't look away, didn't want to shield their eyes. They needed to see what she was capable of, if she was willing to callously murder people.
"Can't you...do something to help them?" Gendry asked, motioning to her hands before quickly looking back at the scene unfolding.
"This is the first time I've used my powers." Her voice was strained, almost hoarse. He could tell how tired she was, how much the effort before had taken out of her. "What little I could do to help them would be of no use and it would likely put me on the brink of exhaustion. Now isn't the time to be collapsing, not yet."
"But they'll die!" He couldn't see how trying to help them was a bad thing. Was this her old attitude resurfacing?
"They're doing their jobs."
Helplessly, Gendry watched as the soldiers edged closer. He expected the fire to expand at any moment to consume them. He prepared himself to hear their screams. But that didn't happen. They walked forwards still, shielding their faces from the intense light. Ustrina didn't seem to be bothered by their presence. He wondered if they could press her back, somehow get past the flames. But then the orange glow pulsed brilliantly within itself, a momentary scar of red light running through the blaze. The soldiers halted, confused as to what this development was. Gendry's face went pale, as did Melisandre's, as they saw the shadows of figures appear in each tongue of fire. From what they could see, as they stepped out from the fire, they were unharmed, unaffected by the heat, unlike what they had expected to see. The soldiers moved to attack these new foes but their weapons went straight through the assailants, before they took hold of them. This time, the two of them looked away but couldn't blank out their helpless cries.
Gendry stared at Melisandre. "What were they?"
She was practically shaking. "We need to move. Now."
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Seeing as it was one of the securest spots in the Red Keep, it came as no surprise to the trio of Jorah, Davos and Bruda that everyone else had congregated there. They looked at them as they charged into the room with nervous expressions, Daenerys quickly rushing to be by their side. Missandei was perched against the wall, being comforted by Marwyn, who looked in just as bad a shape. Even Bronn looked unnerved, which was unusual for the normally calm and collected man, as he stood off to one side. Tyrion's face was pale and ashen, Varys standing by his side in a shock of green robes. Shireen ran over to Davos when she saw him, clinging to his leg tightly and fearfully. There were a few soldiers scattered about but not nearly as many as they'd hoped to find. Occasionally, the chamber would shake and the relative peace they'd found in here would disappear. Daenerys held onto Jorah, looking up at him before glancing over to see Bruda's grave demeanour. She wasn't afraid as such. She was angry that this was happening (whatever this was) and that she seemingly couldn't do anything about it. She wanted to be the brave queen who could protect her citizens but how could she do that when she was reduced to cowering in the corner of her castle. The first thing she wanted...no, expected...was some answers and she hoped that the newcomers would have some sort of explanation.
"I haven't been able to see outside," she said. "The castle just started...trembling and I ran here. I thought it best to not be alone right now."
"You made the right choice," Jorah responded quietly, wanting to reach out and comfort her but knowing she needed to act like the strong ruler she was. "Especially since this isn't a threat we've ever dealt with."
They looked at him curiously, wondering what he meant by that. "It's not an army or anything?" she wondered.
Jorah looked over to the tired warlock, feeling a pang of anger when he saw him. "I think you should explain, Bruda."
With all eyes now on him, the man in question sighed and looked at them all in turn, seeing the fear in their eyes, the confusion, the panic. "First of all, I want to know where Melisandre is." He had hoped to find her with the rest of them, praying that she would have used her common sense to stay safe. That had obviously been too much to ask for.
"She...she was in the markets," Marwyn answered nervously. "I sent her down there." He placed his hands on his face. "If she gets hurt...it'll be all my fault." He was worried that, if something did happen to her, he'd have the old warlock to deal with, which was a proposition he wasn't too excited about.
"But what's going to hurt her?" Daenerys pressed on. "What's attacking the city?"
"Ustrina," Bruda said quietly, He ran a hand through his beard as their perplexed looks grew deeper. "She's a warlock. Just like me."
"And Bruda knew about her powers," Jorah added accusingly. "But didn't tell us anything about her."
"There's no use in pointing fingers right now! We don't exactly have the luxury of time on our side."
"But why didn't you say anything?" Varys asked. It wasn't said with any of the anger Jorah had used; it was more curious and considering.
"She threatened me. Blackmailed me. She said that, if I told anyone or attempted to stop her, she was going to…"
"Kill you?" Jorah presumed. "You should still have said something. You may have jeopardised everything here."
"Stop it," Daenerys interjected softly, walking towards the warlock. He couldn't meet her eyes. She thought back to her own experiences, seeing Drogo, how Bruda hadn't been at all surprised by her revelation. It started to make sense as she realised something similar must have happened to him too. She let out a small gasp. "Isabella." Her eyes stung with tears when she saw him nod his head.
The others didn't seem to understand (which was perfectly reasonable), Davos turning his head to glance at them both in wonder. "How could she threaten a dead woman?" He quickly figured out how blunt that sounded, wincing as he looked at Bruda. "No offence."
"From what I can tell, she has the ability to bring back the dead in some form. Something greater than a ghost but not their full form. When I discovered she'd done this with Isabella...I should have fought it but I couldn't."
"We're facing someone else who can raise the dead?" Bronn asked bitterly, shaking his head. "But someone who also has magic powers? And I thought that dead fella was bad."
Tyrion was looking at the floor, hardly paying attention to the conversation. Bruda picked up on his strange energy, walking over to him. "You don't seem overly surprised by what I'm saying. What did you see?"
"I thought it was a dream," the dwarf muttered coldly. "He was standing in front of me, insulting me. I couldn't get out. Now you're saying that this woman has brought back my father for real? What for? What does this mean?" He kept grimacing, bearing his teeth in anguish.
"It means her powers are growing. First it was just me but...if you and Daenerys have been affected, who knows what she can do." At his words, Jorah gave Daenerys a strange look, wondering why she hadn't said anything about being 'affected'.
"You didn't answer his first question," Varys picked up on. "Why is she doing this in the first place? Why attack the city? Is out of some sort of vengeance or power grab?"
"She hasn't told me a lot. She made it out as if she was doing a good thing, reuniting people with those they've loved. I tried to tell her that wouldn't work. Just look at Tyrion - some relationships don't work out for the best. As for attacking the city, she believes she needs a spot of power to be able to accomplish more."
"And the greatest spot of power is the throne?" Daenerys finished, her fists clenched in anger and a sense of injustice. She hadn't worked so hard to lose the Crown so soon. A fire raged inside of her when Bruda nodded his head. "You knew about this. You knew that, eventually, she'd have to remove me if she wanted to succeed."
"Initially, I thought I could stall her until I thought of a way to stop her properly."
Daenerys turned away furiously. "I told you to keep no more secrets from me! I ordered you to stop trying to deal with things on your own! You've worked against me here. You betrayed me!" She thought back to the premonitions she'd seen in her head, seeing Bruda turn against her in support of a powerful being. It was coming true, she knew it.
"I never once betrayed you!" Bruda said strongly. "Never. I tried to stop her before but she overpowered me. Then she started doing this."
"You keep saying try. Maybe you should have tried harder. Then we might not have been in this situation."
"You think I don't know that? I keep telling myself that everyday but it won't change anything now. All that matters now is protecting you."
"Not stopping her?"
"How would you propose we do that? I can't beat her. None of you have magical powers."
"We have dragons."
"Dragons that should have turned up by now. I'm sure that she would have locked them up somehow before she did this. Right now, we're on our own." He was all too aware of the dark glares that were being sent his way. Jorah was gripping his sword and Bruda didn't know if that was to help protect them or to attack him. He made sure to keep a distance regardless of the answer.
They were all put on edge as two people ran into the hall, coming the same way as they had before. Melisandre and Gendry were met with the sight of the warlock balling up his fists with blue energy warping around them and most of the men pointing their longswords in their direction. That was before they realised who they were, Bruda using most of his remaining energy to run towards her, enveloping her in a hug. Although she reciprocated, it wasn't filled with the usual warmth they shared. He pulled back to look into her eyes, which were globes of fire seething at him.
"You brought her here," she spat. "When you met her, did you know she had abilities like our own?"
"I've been through this with everyone else. I found out a few weeks ago. I was trying to stop her."
"But you couldn't." She didn't have to see him nod to know what his response would be. "I only just managed to ward off her flames."
He looked at her with wide eyes. "You managed to use your magic?" he asked hopefully. Despite the situation, she allowed herself to smile and nodded. He hugged her tighter this time, only just resisting the urge to swing her about. "You have no idea how proud I am of you."
She couldn't remember anyone saying that to her at any point in her life and she was filled with an unbridled sense of joy that was at odds with the circumstances. "I guess a life threatening attack really forces you to progress quickly."
"I'm sorry to break up this sweet moment," Gendry interrupted. "But the threat isn't just a ball of fire now."
"What else could possibly be going wrong?" Davos asked, who had moved over to the younger man when he'd entered, happy to see that was somehow okay.
"People came out of the flames." The way he spoke, it seemed like he was reliving the nightmare all over again. "Dead people. They took out the soldiers that tried to stop them. They were heading for the Keep as we ran up here. We don't have long. Even with the guards we have stationed out there...you can't stop an unkillable foe." As he spoke, the room shook violently, small parts of the ceiling beginning to crumble. Daenerys was only thinking about the image of figures emerging out of fire, another of her visions. She was wondering now if she should have said something about them. Was she as much at fault for this as Bruda?
He was shaking his head, looking up at the fracturing ceiling. "She's gaining her full powers. She's already inside. I can feel it."
"Then what do we do, Bruda?" Daenerys urgently asked. Even after what he'd done, she still looked to him for answers.
He stared at her with sad eyes. "We get you out of here. Surely there's another way to get out of the Keep."
"I know every secret entrance and exit this place has to offer," Varys replied, already walking away. They immediately began to follow him. "The sewer network is the castle's weakest point. The pipes lead past the city walls. It won't be a pleasant journey."
"That's not a concern right now. Take them and go."
Daenerys and Melisandre stopped, realising what his words meant. "You're coming too," the former ordered.
"I can't leave Ustrina in charge without having some form of...guidance. She'd destroy everything without an element of prevention."
"She hasn't exactly listened to you so far. If this is some way of seeking...redemption, it's not going to work."
He sighed loudly. "My priority is keeping you safe! Now, for once, listen to me and get out whilst you're still alive." The ceiling above the exit from the room was groaning. There wasn't a lot of time. Yet Melisandre stood by his side, holding him. He looked down at her. "You need to go with them and protect them. Please. At least I'll know you're safe."
"She'll kill you," she said sadly.
"I...don't think she will. There's still a chance of making her see sense. It may sound foolish…"
"It does," Jorah snapped.
"...but it's worth a try. Now go."
Marwyn stepped back from the group. "If it's okay with you, I'll be staying too." He held up a hand to stop any complaints. "I'm too old to be going on the run. And, whatever this woman plans to do, she'll need a maester. I can be of use to her. I can make her see sense just like the warlock here." Bruda reluctantly nodded his head and forced the others to go on. Some of them looked back forlornly, Daenerys and Melisandre in particular, before stones and rock began to fall, obscuring their view. It was just in time as well as the doors to Hall swung open, flying off their hinges with a red glow lighting up their edges. Ustrina, flanked by roughly ten figures, stared at them with glee, although she was annoyed to see her main prize wasn't there.
"We have a lot of talking to do."