Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Game Thrones.

A New Game

Chapter Twelve: War of the Zealots, Part Two

Year 284 AC

Naruto sat with Camilia in the smith she called home, wondering how many things his brain could juggle at one time. He said it once, but it bore repeating. The plans he had in coming to Myr didn't play out as planned, not in the slightest.

A city-wide war, friends kidnapped, and the last Targaryen queen in his care. It was almost enough to make Naruto scream. He only got this far by taking things one step at a time. This was compartmentalizing in its purest form.

And now, sat across from his weapon-making friend, Naruto was forced into crafting a new plan. "And that's the story I got from Calvin. Is there anything you can add? Anything at all? Maybe you can help me make sense out of this chaos?" Insight from someone living in Myr before his arrival would be invaluable.

Camilia clutched the cup that held her heated drink, taking solace in the warmth leaking through said cup. "Can't say I have much more to contribute. I thought those red loons were the end of it. I never thought someone else would come and pluck me like a cactus fruit."

Naruto rubbed a thumb against his eyebrow and groaned. "I was afraid you'd say that. From what I remember of Myr, the Red Priestesses have loads of locations around the city. Victus can be in any of those places."

The Free Cities spread across Essos weren't exactly uniform. Paths crossed, separated, and crossed again in never-ending consistency. Naruto likened it to an underground ant colony. A search through somewhere like that wouldn't be easy.

She passed her cup to Naruto. He looked like he needed it a lot more than she did. "I'm sorry that this burden has fallen on your shoulders, Naruto."

The blonde took a large gulp of the warm tea. Naruto hummed to himself as the savory blend spread across his tongue. He turned his focus back to a battered-looking Camilia. "If it's for a friend, I don't mind getting my hands dirty. It's... I thought after all the shit in Westeros, I could come here and catch my breath."

He really should have known that things wouldn't be so easy.

Camilia closed her eyes, resigned to the same feelings Naruto shared. "I bet there's a lot of that going around these days."

Both individuals sat commiserating in silence until Camilia said something that caught Naruto's attention. "And here I thought the red folks were actually normal. Shows what I know."

They were normal, or at least normal enough for the world around them. When did that change?

"Do you remember when the Red Priestesses started acting like this?" Naruto handed the tea back to Camilia with his question.

"I don't remember the exact day. If that's what you're asking. One day I noticed their attitudes changed, along with their practices getting more... aggressive." Plenty of people in Myr were concerned, but none of them had the pull to do anything about the growing fanaticism.

Naruto thought about what that meant, and none of the options were pretty. 'Widespread changes of that fashion usually come with a leadership change. It doesn't sound like this change was for the better.'

It brought up another list of complications. Naruto couldn't kill a religious leader without bringing danger down on himself, and more importantly, on Rhaella.

"...do?"

Completely missing the context of the blacksmith's question, Naruto needed a repeat. "Could you repeat that? I missed your question."

"What will you do? What's the next move?" Thankfully, Camilia didn't make a big deal about his lapse in concentration.

The blonde assassin smiled grimly at this question. "What I do best, I'll go in and get information. If the red doesn't have what I want, I'll leave quietly. But if the priestesses do have Victus, well, that's when things get interesting."

Camilia counted on Naruto saying something like that. His response even got a smirk for its trouble. "Sometimes, I think I know you better than I know myself, Naruto."

Naruto defended himself the only way he knew how, through blunt honesty. "Anyone should answer the same if they're doing it for a friend!"

"Which is why I'll get to work on a fresh batch of kunai, free of charge. Come back tomorrow, and you'll be armed to the teeth once more."

"I hate it when you walk me into things." Naruto's exasperated look suggested that this wasn't the first time Camilia did this. In fact, it happened too often for his liking in the limited amount of time Naruto spent with Camilia.

Camilia grinned at the disgruntled man opposite her. "Too bad, Naruto. It's good for you. If you're serious all the time, you'll end up like those old men we always make fun of."

Despite himself, Naruto's lips twitched upward. "Alright, you might have a point this time. Just take care of yourself. I don't want to find you asleep at the shop when I come back."

"Don't worry about me; the forge is basically another home. Another night here won't kill me. Be here first thing in the morning, and I'll have everything ready." It was tough to argue with the young woman when she came forward with that much confidence. She appeared so sure of herself that it convinced Naruto to relent.

"You know I'll be here." Naruto had no problem making that promise. Getting Victus back was the top priority, and that all began when the sun rose again. But first, he needed to get his rest.

"Hey, Naruto?" Said blonde stopped and peered over his shoulder at Camilia. She had a warm smile waiting for him. "Thanks again."

He nodded his head one more time then turned to the door. Throwing a parting wave over his shoulder as he pushed the door open, Naruto had one more thing to say. "I'll see you in the morning, metalhead."

It wasn't until the door closed that Camilia fully understood the scope of the jab Naruto used. It was the same playful insult her brother favored. And Naruto's usage of it left her smiling.

Sunspear

The expression on Elia's face was as warm as the desert sun, but there was something more there. A hint of longing reflected in her copper-colored eyes. "I can't tell you the last time I stopped and looked at Sunspear. I mean, really looked."

This view from high atop a balcony built on Sunpsear's tallest tower was something very few had the privilege of experiencing. Elia shared this moment of introspection with her best friend, Ashara.

"I'm guilty of doing the same with Starfall, Elia." There wasn't much about her ancestral home that Ashara cared for. Its simple existence fanned the bad memories of her past. However, the views were breathtaking and sorely underappreciated by those living there.

"Do you miss it? Starfall?" Elia carefully touched on the subject. She, more than anyone, knew what a sensitive topic this was for Ashara.

Having a new life to rely on made it ten times easier for the beautiful Lady Dayne to move on. Her attitude ended up reflected in the answer she supplied. "Honestly? No, I don't. Sunspear has everything I could want and more."

"We're happy to have you. It's been wonderful having you around." The smile at home on Ashara's face ended up being infectious because Elia found herself with a similar smile on her lips.

A glimmer of nostalgic happiness lit up Ashara's gem-like purple eyes. "Yes, just like when we were girls."

Memories of that time left Elia laughing. "That seems so long ago." Back when they were free of courtly complications.

"I know it does." The words too long floated about in Ashara's unspoken thoughts.

Gathering her courage, Elia launched a plan that was weeks in the making. Funny how all that time didn't make what came next any easier. "Ashara, how do you feel about Naruto?"

Elia was thankful that Ashara didn't make her wait long for an answer. "If you're asking, then I think you already know the answer to that." Taking the inquiry in stride, Ashara kept her poise like any true lady.

"I do, or at least, I think I do." Returning her eyes to the skies in front of them, the Viper Princess felt her nerves building up despite her best efforts to keep them at bay.

"You feel the same way about him, don't you?" If Elia got her turn, it was only fair for Ashara to fire back the same question. Both of them knew the answer was a resounding yes.

"Look at us. Being around Naruto has blunted our tongues." Elia didn't know why that came off her tongue, but it left both women laughing in good spirits.

"I have to thank him. Being blunt, as you call it, is much easier than playing insignificant word games." Naruto and his tendency to say what he meant was nothing new. Ashara still recalled her first conversation with the assassin.

She thought his mindset was ambitious, revolutionary even, and to some degree, it was just that. However, Ashara learned through experience that there came a certain freedom living that way.

Affection had its way with Elia as she thought about Naruto and all the good he did for her family. "And here I worried about him influencing Rhaenys. I should have been more worried about us."

"For the better, I reckon." There was no denial from Ashara. She did the exact opposite by embracing the idea. "So?"

Elia knew what Ashara meant. Seeing no reason to dance around it, the desert princess spoke honestly about her feelings. "I think the phrase absence makes the heart grow fonder is applicable here. It's only been two months, and I miss Naruto more than I did my own family when I was stuck in King's Landing."

Purple eyes softened in understanding. Ashara wondered what Naruto was doing now so far from Dorne. She missed the stubborn blonde too. "I've been trying to keep myself busy, leaves less time to think that way. It isn't working."

"Ashara..." Reaching out and putting one hand atop Ashara's closest hand, Elia lent her support and the warmth that came with it.

"When I'm with Naruto, there's this spark. I haven't felt this thrill before, but I see what you and Naruto have, and I don't want to take that from you, Elia." Hers was an admission of both admiration and guilt. It portrayed the conflict on her soul.

Despite what it suggested, Elia smiled as she looked into Ashara's uncharacteristically nervous eyes. "I can see why we're best friends. I thought the same thing, but with you and Naruto instead of myself and Naruto."

"Elia, you don't have- After Lyanna Stark, I mean-" Ashara didn't share the understanding that her best friend showed. She felt guilt gnawing on her heels, something that only deepened with Elia's acceptance.

Like any friend, Elia did her best to put Ashara's mind at ease. That meant breaking the weak comparison between Ashara and Lyanna Stark. "You're nothing like the Stark, Ashara. You're a trusted, treasured friend. She was some homewrecking whore that sunk her teeth into Rhaegar."

Although moving on from that incident got easier with Naruto in her life, old grudges as deep as this one still came to life occasionally. This happened to be one of those times.

"I'm truly touched that you hold me in such high regard, but this doesn't help us with Naruto."

Elia sighed out loud. Her response stood as a precursor to a suggestion she still didn't believe she was suggesting. "I know, and making Naruto choose would hurt him. Neither of us wants that."

She took a breath. Now was the moment of truth. "What if we take a page out of my brother's book?"

Ashara, to her credit, only needed a moment to piece it together. "Wait... you mean share him!? The two of us?" It was bold enough to put a soft pink on Ashara's pale skin.

"It's not ideal, I know. But if that's what it takes, then it's what I'm willing to do." Elia's eyes showed her infallible determination. She didn't have to say anything else, not when the resolve in her demeanor led by example.

Looking directly into the princess' brown eyes helped Ashara understand how serious Elia was about the idea. And it impressed the lady from Starfall. "Wow. I never thought you of all people would suggest that."

Elia still found room to crack a smirk despite the seriousness of it all. "Doran wouldn't be happy, but I can think of a few that would be over the moon about the idea."

"Hah! That's putting it lightly!" Ashara could see little Rhaenys' enthusiastic reaction to the potential news of Naruto being her new dad. "My gut instinct is to say yes, but I need some time to really think about what this will mean."

Elila nodded her head, accepting her friend's hesitation. Hells, part of her counted on it. "I understand. I had weeks to think about the consequences of doing this."

"But in the meantime, how about we take Rhaenys and go mess with Oberyn?"

"That sounds lovely."

Myr

Kunai

Metal Needles

Shuriken

"I thought you were only making kunai?" The following morning, Naruto was greeted by a table littered with his preferred weapons. This meant Camilia went ahead and forged a handful of things he didn't ask for. In short, she did what he was worried she'd do.

Camilia's response was a smile that didn't carry an ounce of regret. She even went ahead and shrugged her shoulders with a cheeky smirk. "Hey, if you're going to save my brother, I want you to have a full bag of tricks!"

Any chance of a retort coming off his lips died with that. If Naruto had a sibling and they were in trouble, he'd sink an entire island if it meant their safe return. So he accepted the unplanned surprise with an understanding nod. "Fair enough."

There was an air of satisfaction wrapped around Camilia while watching Naruto place her weapons on his person. But beneath that, worry simmered as the last of the table vanished beneath Naruto's baggy clothing. "Naruto?"

The assassin stopped patting himself down and turned his attention back on Camilia with a cocked brow to match. "What's up?" Naruto felt a lot better now that he was armed, by the way.

"I know you're doing this to help me out, and I'm grateful, but please look after yourself too." Camilia wanted her brother home. However, if that cost her Naruto, then the guilt would slowly crush her.

Spending time with Elia, Ashara, and Rhaenys helped Naruto read emotions that his teacher never bothered with. These same emotions poured out of Camilia like wine at a Martell party.

With this newish insight, he put both hands on Camilia's shoulders and smiled. "Trust me when I say this... I'll be fine out there. You hear me?"

When Camilia failed to find doubt in the blonde's blue eyes, it calmed her nerves. Trust. Naruto stressed trust between them if they wanted to work for him. And to this point, he hadn't abused that relationship. He earned her belief in him. "I hear you, you big, blonde idiot."

Taking the playful insult in stride, he let out a much-needed laugh. "I suppose there will always be a part of me that's an idiot! But it's gotten me this far, so it can't be all that bad, right?"

Camilia didn't laugh like Naruto, but her crooked smirk showed that his comment struck a particular nerve in her, one that led to unrepentant amusement. "No, I guess not."

Content with the job he did, Naruto took a step back from the hard-working woman. "Good! Now stop acting like I'm walking to an early grave. It's a real buzz kill."

Their unusual goodbye got put on hold when a panicked, red-faced Calvin stormed into the shop. The poor thing was panting, nearly teetering over the edge of hyperventilating. "They... they... the square. It's-"

Taking a step past Naruto, Camilia put herself at the forefront of her employee's attention. "Take a deep breath, Calvin. Then you can tell us what's happened."

Calvin still struggled to take full breathes, but at the very least, he was able to piece together a coherent sentence. "The Red Priestesses are doing a kindling in the square! Five of them! Lord Victus is among them!"

Pale as a fresh sheet, the sister of the previously-named man froze up. Not even Calvin doubling over in front of her stirred Camilia from her current position. "No..."

Camilia may as well have broadcasted her thoughts with how easily Naruto nailed down what she'd do next. "Oh no, you don't. Camilia, you aren't a fighter. If you go there now, you'll get yourself killed. Calvin, stay here with her until I get back."

Naruto didn't afford them the chance to argue with him. As soon as the order came through, he shot out the open door and straight into the streets of Myr. Chaos was the name of the game, but that didn't slow the agile assassin's sprint toward the danger.

Clusters of people were weaved through like lacing, and small obstructions vaulted without breaking stride. Naruto went full throttle, which earned whispers amongst the people, but the murmurs and rumors could come later.

Naruto heard the thumping beat of his heart in his ears. For some reason, that distinct sound pushed Naruto to go faster. It was as quick as he could go without passing the boundary of what the smallfolk deemed possible.

If Naruto had doubts he was going the right way, then the growing crowds guided him forward. 'What's this terrible feeling in my gut?' Shaking his head and his doubt, Naruto gritted his teeth and committed himself to the final stretch.

The people Naruto forced out of his way didn't enjoy his determination, but he had to get to the front of the crowd. Victus was counting on him. Camila believed in him, and he would not fail-

"Send these lost souls to the Lord of Light."

WHOOSH!

A minute too late, Naruto barely had time to confirm the middle man of the five as Victus, and only because he happened to lock eyes with the gagged man. That was the last he saw of Victus or any of the hostages before a curtain of deadly orange swallowed the posts holding each captive.

Naruto wasn't the only one trapped in horrified silence. The men and women of Myr around him also stood stunned as living people received the treatment one should expect of wood.

To make it worst, the three priestesses responsible for this atrocity turned their backs to the crowd. That's when their chanting hit the air; it was a haunting melody that brought goosebumps and unease.

It also unleashed the rage of the people.

Tears and obscenities flew from the amassed people of Myr in equal measure. However, none of these simple folk could do anything more since the priestesses brought ten fully-armed sellswords with them for protection.

The one person standing in the crowd that could do something glared venomously at the fanatics. Naruto hadn't felt this level of pure anger since the Sack of King's Landing, and it showed.

From the shadow of his hood, Naruto's eyes flickered back and forth. They alternated between red and blue so fast that they looked purple at times. "All of your lives are forfeit."

For those unlucky souls in the crowd that happened to be near Naruto, it must have felt like Winterfell was relocated across the Narrow Sea. So was the chilling weight of Naruto's unchecked killing intent.

Those people also put a lid on Naruto's promise of slaughter when one of them bumped into his side and brought him out of his trance. 'What was I thinking? I can't lose control here. Too many innocent people will get caught in the crossfire.'

Naruto's thoughts ended up prophetic and not in a good way. The mess only got messier when a new party walked onto the scene from the east.

It was more of the Starry Wisdom cult with eight gruff-looking thugs. "There they are, the ones responsible for Seer Alonso's coma. Bring me revenge, and the gold is yours!"

A chorus of colorful vulgarities filled the air. Outnumbered but enticed by the promise of wealth, their weapons were brandished with the utmost confidence in their victory.

One of the guards hired by the Red Priestesses frowned at the unexpected challenge. He licked his dry lips and nodded toward his brothers in arms.

Before throwing down his visor, the man looked back at the three women in red. "Please, take your leave, my ladies. We will handle these ruffians on your behalf."

The priestess favored the man with a tender smile that accentuated the vivid red applied to her lips. "Thank you for your bravery, good ser. May the Lord of Light keep and protect you."

"All of you hold!" There wasn't a soul amassed that didn't look west when a new voice announced itself. This included Naruto.

West was where a third faction entered the scene. With some twenty-five men, they were numerically the superior force. "The magisters of Myr demand you cease this foolishness! Comply or die!"

Despite the numbers they held, Naruto personally wasn't intimidated by their force. He could see at least ten of these fighters were boys of maybe fifteen summers. Naruto didn't see a scenario where they offered much to the chaos of battle.

The other forces apparently felt the same. "We choose violence!"

With the burning bodies of innocent people acting as a backdrop, battle filled Myr's streets. Swords, axes, and polearms cried with bloodthirsty hunger as the vengeful men swinging them threw themselves into the fight.

Lust

Wealth

Loyalty

In the end, the motive didn't matter because the result was the same. Naruto watched with a detached expression as one of those young boys had his armor bloodied... with his own blood. The spear that took his life leaving the lad as fast as it came.

"Allen!" Driving his sword into the belly of the man that just killed his friend, another young man left his weapon there and went to check on his comrade, forgetting the battle entirely.

He tried keeping Allen's blood in the boy's body to no avail. When the life faded from the young warrior's eyes, his friend screamed until the stress of it all caused him to puke.

He wasn't the only one. A handful of the civilians that stuck around also emptied their guts. The rancid smell of burning flesh grew strong enough that the faint of heart couldn't bear it.

It was an awful sight, no matter what angle you looked at it from. And it was only going to get worst with men dying by the handful in a pointless exchange for nothing of worth.

So, Naruto forced himself to look away. As much as he hated to admit it, this wasn't an uncommon scene. The young, misguided, but brave died for those with power. All that changed were the titles of the people in power and the bodies which propped them up.

'And Victus is part of that pile. I couldn't save him, but I can still make the people responsible pay.' The assassin flowed through the scared city folk like moving water, vanishing into the crowd of faces with ease. Skulking into a narrow alley, Naruto found the perfect building to climb.

Leaping up, he grabbed the thin ledge of concrete beneath the closest window. With only one arm, he pulled himself onto the windowsill. From that point, Naruto reached out to his left and climbed a hanging piece of metal vertically toward the roof.

In all of five seconds, Naruto went from the blood-stained grounds to the rooftops of Myr. The blonde allowed himself one last glance at the burning corpses before he raced across the city's skyline. This was his own personal highway, free of the madness in the streets below.

Naruto didn't take long to catch up with the three priestesses. Every bit the predator in this situation, he slowed his pace to keep stride with the women marching on, oblivious to his presence.

It wasn't until his trifecta of targets tucked into a non-descript home that Naruto dropped out of the sky. He landed in complete silence, not even his breathing making a noise.

Despite his willingness to commit the deed, Naruto forced himself to take a moment and think. This would be the first time he killed a spiritual leader. It was a boundary that he stayed clear of, but revenge necessitated ugly behavior.

'An eye for an eye, a life for a life.' Naruto went to that quartered-off portion of his mind... that dark section in his brain that allowed him to turn his emotions off. Anger and the like had no place at this moment.

Compassion was for the noble and anger for the fools. An assassin needed complete control of themself if they hoped to dictate the world around them. 'I'm not a hero. I'm an assassin.' With that mantra engraved in him like some sort of creed, Naruto acted.

Loading up on his backfoot, Naruto made his shock entrance by kicking down the door. A wall of shrieking panic welcomed him. The three priestesses that started this whole tragedy scrambled away for fear of their lives, but they only had so much room to work with.

"You can't be here! Y-Your presence is unwelcomed by the Lord of Light!" The woman's position of power was undermined by the quiver in her cadence.

"G-Go while you still can!"

"Leave us be, b-brute!"

Naruto stared down each of three for five seconds, a handful of moments where it felt like Naruto's cold, blue eyes were drowning the women in their unforgiving depths. His silence only compounded the despair gripping the women's fast-beating hearts.

"O-Or maybe you're here to assist us? We can reward you handsomely if you provide us an escort back to the temple." She was grasping at straws, showing a moment of doubt in their predetermined fates as deemed by the Lord of Light himself.

The kunai that dropped into Naruto's hand was an ominous opening to their negotiations. He stepped with purpose. He stepped in silence. Naruto ended his silence only after getting close enough to hear her breathing. "There's one thing I want."

Stuck between looking at his eyes and the blade in Naruto's hand, the priestess all but agreed to his unmentioned desires. "S-Say it, and the Lord of Light will make it so."

Naruto leaned in until they were chest to chest and his mouth hovered by the trembling woman's ear. It was an intimate position with none of the associated passion. "I want a life for a life."

The assassin tore through the cloak of stoicism spectacularly. Naruto took the priestess by the back of her head and buried his handheld knife into her throat. He stared through the soul of the wide-eyed woman as she slowly choked on her own blood. "That was for my friend."

For the two remaining women in red, survival instinct kicked in at this point. They made a frantic dash past Naruto, but only one of them managed to shove the other down, essentially leaving her fellow sister for dead.

Greed did not serve the priestess well. Just before her hands could reach the door, a pair of shuriken struck her from behind. The first black metal star hit her straight between the shoulder blades, stopping her in her tracks.

She barely squeaked out her pained scream before the second shuriken hit her. With one throw, Naruto cut deeply into the young woman's vulnerable flesh.

The vengeful assassin sliced her femoral artery and caused the woman's robes to be soaked in blood before she fell face-first into the door. Her shocked body moved in hitched motions to stop the bleeding, but there was no saving her.

There was a frightening beauty in the sheer precision Naruto exhibited. However, not everyone could appreciate the honed skills of a killer.

"No, please have mercy, ser!"

Laying on the floor in between the bodies of her fellow priestesses, the last burning witch was one of those people. Apparently realizing that escape wasn't an option, she took to begging.

Blue eyes lacking a soul peered down at the woman, making her feel completely insignificant. "Why did you do it?"

"I... I didn't want to! They forced me to do it, I swear!" She put all of her soul into every word, hoping to convince Naruto of her honesty because that was her only chance at avoiding death at his hands.

"Who gave the order?"

Closing her eyes, the fearful woman gave up information that all but betrayed her vows to her religious order. "It was the High Priestess! She sends all her orders through birds!"

Naruto's forehead furrowed in confusion, pushing his eyebrows down into an inadvertent glare. "Why wouldn't she meet you in person?" Why risk the chance something gets misinterpreted or intercepted?

Sheila's emerald eyes glinted with worry when they opened again. Her attempt at swallowing the knot in her throat was visible. "S-She's not here! She left Myr before I even joined!"

"Bullshit." Dropping a kunai from his sleeve, the blue-eyed killer pointed his weapon of choice at Sheila. He ignored her rightfully placed flinch and pressed her for more. "Try again, and this time make it the truth."

Her red robes showed how fast her heart was beating. Same for her dilated eyes that couldn't remove themselves from Naruto's knife. "N-No, ser! I swear on my life, it's the truth! Please, ser!"

She was telling the truth, but that brought with it another question.

Mercy or revenge?

The visual of Camilia pacing a trench through her floor was par for the course since Naruto's departure. Calvin tried his best to calm her down, but his boss didn't listen. After ten minutes with no success, he gave up and waited in terribly tense silence.

"Come on, Naruto! What's taking you so long?" That mantra had nearly seen as much action as the pacing that carried Camila back and forth, or at least that's how it felt to Calvin hearing it for the one-hundredth time.

For the sake of his sanity, Calvin had to intervene. "It's going to be okay. I'm sure Ser Naruto will be here any minute now. Can I get you some more tea?" Anything to stop her from continuing on like this.

And in some ways, he got what he wanted. Because Camilia rooted herself in place, but she also turned and glared a hole through the young man. "Calvin, if you don't shut up, I'll bury you neck-deep in the sand. Understand?"

Visibly recoiling in his seat, the blacksmith assistant chose the wise option of nodding his head in silence. 'Best not aggravate her anymore...'

Calvin was spared her wrath when the shopfront's door swung open. Calvin saw the nervousness on Camilia's face as she slowly turned around. Camilia and Calvin saw Naruto standing there in the doorway. They waited for someone else to join him; Victus had to be right behind him.

And they waited

And they waited

Naruto and Calvin both saw the realization strike Camilia because that was the moment she collapsed to her knees. Her loud and sorrowful cries made both men wince, but it was Calvin that looked away to hide his own tears.

"Brother, why was it you? You didn't deserve this!" Camilia's cries filled the room. Even Naruto falling to his knees and embracing her didn't reduce the pain rushing free from the broken-hearted woman.

He tried everything in his power to help her. From rocking in place to rubbing her back, but if they had any effect, then it was minimal at best. Naruto's sad eyes closed to prevent the tears, leaving him with his chin on the top of Camilia's head. "I'm sorry."

Camilia grabbed the front of Naruto's cloak and buried herself even further into the stability it provided. Her whimpering cries continued to escape, hindered or not.

This was how the pair of friends could be found for the rest of the afternoon, all the way up until the moment that Camilia finally fell asleep in Naruto's arms. Only then did Naruto feel comfortable leaving her alone.

The trek back to his safehouse was a lonely one. He didn't have anything to buffer his thoughts, which ended up saddling Naruto with a world of regrets. 'Victus...' At least his cloak hid the misery on his face.

Closing the door behind him, Naruto shed his cloak and deflated. "Today fucking sucked. I just want to go to bed, but I have to check on Rhaella first."

Not expecting much change in her current condition, Naruto opened the door rather quickly. He made it all of one step into the bedroom before the very aware gaze of one Rhaella Targaryen froze him.

A purple-cobalt color mix filled her gaze. It was a look of curiosity and guarded suspicion. And being bedridden didn't make the last Targaryen queen's presence any less magnetic.

"Who are you, and where am I?"

Naruto tried to hold it in, but his defeated sigh wouldn't be contained. 'My night just got a lot longer.'

END

Writer's Note I: I don't have much to say really. As you can see, I'm still writing when I get the chance and have the inspiration to do so. The next chapter will be mostly Naruto and Rhaella, with some aftermath from Myr sprinkled in. After that Naruto will return to Dorne and start looking into what's been wrong with his chakra! Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading!