The Chronicles of Valyria,
Book 1 Resurrection
Chapter 17
They managed to reach King's Landing around midnight, the extra weight really did slow her down, and Gabrielle landed in the empty Dragonpit. They tiredly made their way to the Red Keep and were met halfway by Ser Oswell and two dozen gold cloaks on horseback. They came riding towards them on a furious pace and as he stopped before them he spoke a few frightening words.
"The Queen has gone in to labor weeks to early. She has lost a lot of blood and Grand-Maester Pycelle says he can do nothing but easy her pain with milk of the poppy."
Gabrielle spun in to action and pointing to the nearest gold cloak she barked, "You there, I need your horse." The man quickly dismounted and Gabrielle swung herself into the saddle and kicked her heels into the horse's sides. The animal shot away at a gallop and when she was gone Aurora didn't waste any time.
Turning to the other gold cloaks she said, "I need 17 horses, you guys can walk back."
Ser Oswell pointed at four of the men and said, "You, you, you and you, come with us. The rest of you dismount and return to the barracks you're done for tonight." The men quickly dismounted, not wanting to anger their superiors and handed their horses to Aurora's group, all of which mounted up, with Saphirus and Violet hitching a ride on the saddles of Silvana and Lissena. The Forlorn spread around them while they hurried to the Red Keep and formed a protective circle against any conceivable threat.
In their hurry they raced to the castle on a furious pace and Aurora yelled to the few people who were on the streets at the late hour, to get out of the way.
Barely fifteen minutes later they stormed through the gates to the Red Keep and Aurora yelled to Ser Oswell, "Where is the Queen?"
"The royal chambers." Came the panting reply and Aurora kicked her horse on towards the Holdfast.
Turning in the saddle towards the Forlorn she ordered, "Get my family to our chambers and keep them there." As one the Forlorn nodded and after dismounting, they wordlessly stopped the attempts of the trio of girls to follow Aurora. Three of the Forlorn grabbed them by the necks of their tunics, and dragged them, under heavy protest, to their rooms. Four others seized Saphirus and Violet who struggled against their captors but were unable to escape. And a subdued Ashara was following behind them, holding Elia and being escorted by a pair of Forlorn.
When Aurora reached the holdfast, she found Gabrielle's horse tied to the chain of the drawbridge, and tied her own besides it. When she entered the holdfast, she could already hear the cries of pain coming from Lyanna. She stormed up the stairs three at a time and within a minute she stood before the door to the royal chambers.
Outside the door were the remaining six members of the Kingsguard, who let her through without a word. What little she could see from their faces underneath their helmets clearly showed the worry she herself felt and at that moment an extra loud cry drew her attention.
"AAAAHHHRGGG." Aurora rushed into the room and found Lyanna lying in bed. The sheets around her were covered in blood and around the bed were Rhaegar, Rhaella and Eddard, who were all trying to comfort Lyanna. Gabrielle was on her knees, arms bare and feeling the belly of Lyanna with an extremely worried face.
"This is not good, this is so not good." She muttered softly with her fingers on Lyanna. Turning to Aurora she said grimly and softly so the others wouldn't hear her, "Someone gave her something to abort the baby, probably moon tea. And in a dose so high that it will kill both Lyanna and the baby, unless we do a cesarean."
"How far is she?" was Aurora's short reply.
"35 weeks, it will be a close call."
Turning to Rhaegar, Aurora growled softly, "Who in this castle has both access to moon tea, and access to Lyanna's food and drink?"
Rhaegar seemed to be confused but Rhaella answered in his stead. "Grand Maester Pycelle."
"And where can I find this Grand Maester Pycelle?" Aurora's tone was ice cold and only their limited knowledge about her and Gabrielle kept the others from shivering in fear of her tone.
"He should be in his rooms right now. He left fifteen minutes ago to pick up some milk of the poppy but he has yet to return. No doubt he is hampered by his old age."
Aurora nodded curtly and stamped out of the room, leaving the others in confusion until Gabrielle brought them back to the problem at hand. She turned to Lyanna and putting both of her hands on her belly, she sent a very powerful mental wave into Lyanna's body. The wave temporarily shut down every nerve it came across and allowed Lyanna to regain her conscious mind.
Gabrielle stood up and when Lyanna saw her she said softly, "You came, did you get our message?"
Gabrielle smiled a little sadly in reply and said, "No my dear, we didn't, we just happened to arrive in the city half an hour ago. I have some bad news Lya, you have gone into premature labor and if the baby comes now, it will die if it is born the natural way. I can 'help' the baby to be born, but to do that I will have to cut it out of you. It will do no harm to either you or the baby, and I promise that not even a scar will be left, but we need to do this now, or the child will die."
"Do it," was all Lyanna said and Gabrielle immediately went to action.
"Rhaella, get the servants to bring me, clean sheets, water, needle and threat." Rhaella nodded and went to the hallway, struggling with her own pregnancy which would hopefully last another two months, and called for her ladies-in-waiting.
"Eddard, help me get out of my armor." The warden of the North nodded and quickly helped her to remove the shoulder plates and then her breast- and back plates, followed by the mail. She took of the padded leather herself and finally went back to the bed in her linen undershirt.
She took out several of the knives from her boots and once the water had been brought, she quickly brought it to a boil and dropped the knives in them to sterilize them. When everything was ready, she told Lyanna to look away and picked up the first knife to start the procedure.
Aurora marched out the door and when she pulled it closed behind her, she turned to her right and said, "Ser Barristan, I want you to bring me to the chambers of Pycelle, and we are going right now."
When Barristan didn't immediately reply, but turned to Lord Commander Hightower first, Aurora snapped and grabbed Barristan by his upper arm while dragging him with her and growling, "I said NOW."
Barristan quickly realized it wasn't wise to disobey and he hurriedly ran away in the direction of the main keep, with Aurora hot on his heels. In less than five minutes, Barristan had led Aurora towards the rookery tower and to the maester's rooms directly below the rookery.
They could hear all kinds of things going on behind the door and turning to her companion, Aurora growled, "You can return to your duties now."
Barristan immediately turned around and hurried back to the Holdfast, he was not an expert, but he was sure that Aurora was going to do something un-chivalrous to the old man.
His hunch proved correct, as the moment Barristan had left the hallway, Aurora kicked the door open and she found the old Grand Maester, running around in his office gathering papers and bags.
"Going somewhere." Aurora growled loudly and the old man dropped the pile of books he was carrying.
"N… n… n… no." he stammered dimly while his eyes were fleeting around him to search for a way out.
"What have you given her?"
"G… g… given t… to… o who?"
"WHAT HAVE YOU GIVEN THE QUEEN?"
Her lack of a helmet, having left it in the royal chambers, allowed her hair to fan out around her head in writhing flames and her eyes had gone pitch black with fury. Ruby-red flames erupted all over her armor and turned her into some grotesque representation of a walking, burning, block of spikes and steel.
Pycelle was now shaking in fear and the guards that had come running by the noise where scared witless by what they were seeing and fled. The heat that Aurora was spreading was scorching papers and tapestries in a fifty-ft radius and caused the guards to flee for lack of oxygen.
Pycelle had sunk to the ground, taking ragged breaths and unable to speak. Walking slowly towards him, Aurora removed her gauntlets and dropped them on the floor so she stood bare-handed before the old Grand Maester.
She grasped the man's head between her burning hands, causing him to cry out in extreme agony, and broke into his mind. She wasn't careful like she had been with Rhaegar, but only focused on getting the information she wanted, while inflicting as much pain as possible.
It wasn't long until she found what she was looking for. A memory of a raven delivering a message.
'Grand Maester Pycelle,
As you know my army is standing outside the city, you need to convince the mad king to open the gates so that my army can enter the city.
Tywin Lannister.'
And shortly after that another raven message popped to the forefront of Pycelle's mind.
'Grand Maester Pycelle,
I have safely arrived in New Ghis and have successfully made the first preparations for our return to Westeros. It will take us a few years to build up the forces we need, and during that time it will fall onto you to keep Westeros militarily weak.
Also, ensure that the pregnancy of the wolf bitch does not come to a happy end. I suggest giving her a lethal dose of moon tea and have it look like an unfortunate miscarriage that resulted in the death of both the bitch and her spawn.
I trust you will do what is necessary and I'll have new orders for you soon.
Tywin Lannister.'
Aurora withdrew herself from the man's mind with murder written in her black eyes. When she removed her hands Pycelle fell on the ground, the pain too intense to keep sitting upright. The sides of his head, where Aurora's hands had been were blackened and you could clearly see the imprints her fingers had left in the bone of his skull, the flesh having melted away.
Having found everything she needed, she picked up her gauntlets and put them on again, before she went to the desk she had seen in his mind and opened the secret compartment in the middle drawer. Removing half a dozen small scrolls, she held them in her left hand while grabbing the back of Pycelle's robes with her right.
She dragged him through the halls, all the way back to the royal chambers and ignored the many stares she received from guards and servants. When she came back to the room of Rhaegar and Lyanna, she could hear a soft whining sound, that of a baby.
Handing Pycelle over to the Kingsguard, she told Ser Gerold, "Keep him in your sight at all times, that piece of shit is guilty of high treason, and conspiring with the enemy."
If Ser Gerold was surprised by her words he did not show it, but merely nodded before Aurora entered the room, the scrolls still firmly held in her hand.
She found Lyanna still lying in the bed with Rhaegar and Eddard besides her. Rhaella was holding a small squirming bundle wrapped in white sheets and Gabrielle was securely stitching up the incision she had made in Lyanna's lower belly.
"Did she make it?" Aurora softly asked her partner once she kneeled besides her.
"Yes," came the whispered reply, "And so did the boy. He is small and very frail, but strong, he's a fighter, and he'll pull through."
"Good." Was Aurora's reply before she stood up and went over to Rhaegar. "Rhaegar, I have something you need to see." She handed him the scrolls and as he read hem his face turned from confusion, to understanding, to fury.
When he was finished reading, Rhaegar crumbled the letters and growled softly, so Lyanna wouldn't wake up, "Where is he?"
"Outside the door, the Kingsguard is watching over him. We can deal with him later, right now you need to stay with your wife and son."
Rhaegar nodded and went back to Lyanna's side, softly stroking a lock of hair from her red face and kissing her on the forehead while she slept. Eddard looked down on the show of affection with a small smile on his face and his thought turned to his own wife and their newborn son Rob. It would soon be time for him and the rest of his men to return home. Most of the northern host had already marched back, but he would wait for the Greatjon and the rest of the Northern forces to march back with them.
Rhaella was carefully rubbing the back of the newborn prince to keep him warm and clean him up a bit. When Gabrielle was finished stitching up the wound, she rose up again and washed her hands in a bowl of clean water. Turning to Rhaella she said softly, "Put him on Lyanna's chest, her body will keep him warm and I have no doubt that the little one is hungry."
Rhaella did as she said and while Eddard turned away, Rhaegar removed Lyanna's shirt and Rhaella placed the newborn babe on Lyanna's bare chest. The little prince instinctively searched for the nipple and after a little help from his father, he found it and latched on to it hungrily. Rhaella covered him and his mother with a soft wolfs-skin to keep them warm and comfy.
After a while Lyanna woke up from the feeling of having the little one sucking on her breast and when she opened her eyes she found him lying on her chest. Her little prince.
Rhaegar whispered softly to her, "Thank you Lya, he's so beautiful, you both are beautiful." Lyanna sniffed a few times from happiness and whishing that her own father could be there to share this moment with them.
"How will you name him?" Aurora asked softly to the happy little family.
Lyanna looked at Rhaegar and after he nodded she said, "His name shall be Crown prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, but we'll call him Jon. After Rhaegar's good friend, Jon Connington."
Aurora nodded and said, "A good name for a prince, now if you would excuse us, it is way past midnight and I'm eager to get to bed. I'll dump Pycelle in a black cell and we can figure out what to do with him tomorrow."
Rhaegar nodded and when Lyanna asked what Pycelle had done, he said, "He gave you moon tea, in an attempt to kill both you and our child. Also, it was he who convinced the mad king to open the gates for the Lannister army. All on the orders of Tywin Lannister."
Lyanna's color drained from her face when she heard that the old man had tried to kill her but Rhaegar quickly added, "Now, you don't have to worry about that, Aurora and I will deal with him. You just focus on getting your strength back, you have lost a lot of blood so the best for you is to just rest and let us handle everything else."
The young queen nodded tiredly and let her head rest back in the soft pillow, quickly falling asleep.
Aurora helped Gabrielle gather the pieces of her armor and after putting on the mail and breast- and back plates, she helped her carry the rest of it back to their rooms, which were a floor above them.
Aurora left Gabrielle at the door, after handing the pieces of armor she was carrying to one of the six Forlorn outside their door. Followed by two others she went back to pick up Pycell and escort him to his new lodgings, which had been rebuilt after his master and his children had escaped them.
When she came back to the door to the royal chambers, the two Forlorn picked up Pycelle between them and dragged him away, while Aurora explained to the curious Kingsguards, "Those men are part of the army of Gabrielle and me, the Forlorn. We brought a dozen with us and another 3200 are waiting for us at Gray Gallows. They are part of the vanguard of our army, the rest of which will join us in Valeria once they are able."
Taking her leave from the knights, she followed her two guards down to the dungeons where they handed Pycelle to the care of the Gaoler Rugen who, despite his excellent disguise, Aurora recognized as Varys the Master of Whispers.
"Hello Varys," Aurora said calmly to the portly man who bowed in return. "Throw this bastard in one of your cells and give me every key to that cell. He is not to receive food, drink or company until I say so."
Varys bowed again and said, "Of course my lady, it doesn't surprise me that you recognize me, though it brings the opportunity to ask you a question."
Aurora nodded and replied, "Lock that scumbag up first and then we'll talk."
Varys nodded and let the silent guards to one of the cells on their right and took a key from his belt which he used to unlock the door. The Forlorn threw Pycelle into the cell where, at an order from Aurora, they cut apart his richly decorated red robes and left him naked on the cold hard floor.
Varys locked the door and then handed the key to Aurora, along with a second key he had taken from the gaoler's sleeping cell. He led Aurora and her guards through a secret tunnel that led to a small plateau, at the edge of the cliff on which the Red Keep was built. He motioned for her to sit down and took a seat himself, with his legs dangling over the edge.
"What did you want to ask me Varys?" Aurora asked calmly, though she had an idea what it was about.
"It involves your guards, my Lady," Varys confirmed her suspicion, "I must admit that I have never heard about them before. The first news I received about them was just now, when they suddenly showed up."
Aurora just looked at him with an unreadable expression and Varys continued. "I'm quite curious as to where they came from. As, if the number of 3200 I heard earlier is correct, then they sure are a force for me to keep an eye on."
Now Aurora allowed a little bit of her irritation to show on her face and she said coldly, "Consider this my first and only warning Varys, keep those little birds of yours away from my army, because I will kill each and every one of them I find. Gabrielle and I like our privacy, and that extends to our forces. Their loyalty is absolute, and cannot be bought by anything, so it is futile to try."
Varys nodded sadly and said, "I understand. I was afraid this would be your reaction. Though I must say one last thing, I hope you are right about their loyalty, because I am not the only one who has spies everywhere." And with those words he stood up and made to leave but at a snap of her fingers, the Forlorn blocked his way.
"I did not say you could leave Varys, so sit back down." The Master of Whispers did as he was commanded and Aurora continued. "Now I have a question for you. You say you have spies everywhere, then did that include Bloodstone?"
Varys nodded and replied, "Yes I did have one, but unfortunately it would appear that he was killed during your invasion, as I have not heard from him since."
"Did you know about Haegon? And don't lie to me, I have my ways of knowing when someone is lying."
"Yes." He replied after a little hesitation.
"Why did you not inform the king of this?"
Varys thought for a while before answering, "I heard about him shortly after Ser Barristan killed his father, Maelys the Monstrous. I decided to keep him on Bloodstone as a reserve, should the main Targaryen line ever die out. Aerys and Rhaella were childless and the realm needed an heir. I arranged for his upbringing and had him taught the ways of the sword."
"I killed him." Aurora stated dryly and Varys nodded,
"I expected as much. I warned him about the coming invasion and advised him to seek a safe haven elsewhere."
"You do realize that what you did was high treason right. You actively helped to raise an enemy of the crown and then warned him of a coming danger. Your warning is most likely the reason that we had to fight of a Tyroshi war fleet headed for the Stepstones. We lost nearly a thousand good men during that battle."
Varys again nodded and said, "I know, all I can say is this, I did what I did for the good of the realm. We needed a back-up should the Targaryens ever die out. If the line of Aegon the Conqueror ever ends, the realm will be thrown back into chaos and civil war. We need to avoid that by any means necessary."
Now it was Aurora's turn to be silent for a while as she thought about what he had said. "What do you think sweetie?" she asked Gabrielle who had been eavesdropping on their conversation through their link.
"We can't kill him. I understand why he did it and he is right. We need to avoid a civil war at all costs. I suggest we ensure that he doesn't keep any more secrets from us, but be subtle about it. I wasn't able to read him, so he may be immune to our telepathic 'meddling' I suggest trying to convince him through other means."
"You're right, as usual. I'll be careful."
"Try to hurry up would you, the girls are driving me crazy."
"I will Love, see you soon."
Aurora turned back to Varys and said, "I understand why you did it and I'll keep silent about it. But I would like to know these kinds of things beforehand. So, in the future, please tell me about these kinds of things.
Furthermore, I would like to ask you to keep me and Gabrielle informed about anything that could be of interest to us. In exchange, you may ask something of us, anything and if we can, we shall do it for you."
Varys was quiet for a while before he said, "Your offer is tempting, and there is something that I want, something that only the two of you would be able to do without very much danger…."
"Go on…" Aurora encouraged him.
"I have managed to locate the man who is responsible for making me a eunuch. But so far, every sell-sword or assassin I sent after him has died. The man is a sorcerer of considerable power and I'm afraid I don't know many who would be able to deal with that kind of person. I even tried to send the Faceless Men after him, but they refused saying it was too dangerous."
"If we capture that man, and bring him to you without tongue to speak or hands to cast spells with, then will you inform us about everything that your little birds tell you?"
Aurora's question caused another lull in the conversation until Varys nodded again and said, "Yes my lady. If you do that, then I will inform you about everything my little birds tell me."
"Good, then I suggest this conversation never happened and I just happen to find a note with the location of that man handed to my guards before morning." Varys nodded a final time and Aurora stood up and turned around before leaving the small ledge followed by her guards.
She made her way back to the surface level of the Red Keep and then on to their rooms in the holdfast. She left her two guards at the door, where they joined the other four who had remained behind, and entered their rooms.
Nearly the moment she entered, she was hit full in the face by a heavy pillow and Silvana who yelled, "IT'S NOT FAIR. WE WANTED TO SEE THE BABY TOO."
Aurora calmly plucked the pillow from her shoulder spikes and dropped it on the floor before giving any attention to the kids. Luckily the dragons had learned their lesson for now and they stayed away from Aurora as much as possible. "Okay girls, I understand you three wanted to see the baby, but you need to understand something. The queen went in to labor more than a month too early, meaning that there was a very good chance that the baby would not survive. Besides, it is not beneficial for anyone who is in labor to suddenly be surrounded by a trio of hyperactive barbarians."
The girls were quiet as they thought about her words and with slightly red faces they realized that their behavior had been more than a little childish, even for their age. "We're sorry mom," Silvana and Lissena said as one while Yara mumbled,
"I'm sorry My Lady."
Aurora nodded softly and replied, "It is all right, but now you should get to bed. It is nearly three in the morning and I'm knackered."
The girls all said goodnight and went to their own room, they would have to share the beds but that was not really a problem as Silvana and Lissena did it regularly.
