DAVOS

The skies were fair and the seas were calm as they sailed past Dragonstone. As fine a beginning to a voyage as I've ever had, Davos thought, his hand going to his luck. He wondered how Marya was faring in her trip south with the Queen on the Kingsroad, and then shook his head. A smuggler and a carpenter's daughter, serving as companions to the great. What a world.

He heard the clatter of a cane approaching him, and turned to see Lord Chelsted walking towards him, dressed in his usual finery. Rys wore a great green robe covered with a deep blue cloak to keep the seawater off him. "Deep in thought, Lord Seaworth?" said the Master of Coin.

Davos nodded. "I suppose I am, Lord Chelsted," he replied. "I must say, I'm surprised to see you about…" Rys had joined him in his journey to the Last Lonely House along with Septon Balerion, supposedly to make certain that neither he nor the Keeper of the Great Seal offered the Saans more than the Throne could afford. Davos suspected it was as much to see the place as that.

"As astonishing as it may sound, I do try to keep my legs exercised," said Rys. Davos found his eyes darting down, trying to catch a hint of the man's legs beneath the robe, and immediately chided himself for it. As if I do not know what that feels like, he thought, clenching his left hand in its glove.

"That must be difficult," said Davos.

"Exceedingly," replied Rys, with the hint of a smile. "My walking, Lord Seaworth, requires three things of me. Persistence, practice, and pain." He chuckled. "Oh, quite a bit of the last one, at times."

Davos nodded. "You are a remarkable man, Lord Chelsted."

"Am I?" said Rys. "There are hundreds… perhaps even thousands of babes born with feet as crooked and ill-suited as mine. That I walk and many of them don't is not down to any special virtue of mine. It is down to my being born the child of a wealthy lord who spent time and coin that he possessed making sure his son could walk." The man's face grew grave. "How often I think on that. How often I wonder how many voices are silenced, minds made dull, lives ended before their time due to the accidents of birth." He turned to Davos, his face animated. "You know, I once asked my mother about that, when I was younger. She was in one of her more devout moods, and proclaimed to me that the world was precisely as the Seven wished it. I told her if this was the world the Gods had made, then I would endeavor very hard to find better Gods." He chuckled at that. "She was not pleased with me. Had me go to the sept and say ever so many prayers."

Davos nodded at that, trying to think of something to say. "A religious woman, then?"

"Very," said Rys dryly. "Though I must add that she is more constant to the general idea of religion than any religion in particular. She is presently living in Pentos as a member of the Church of the Starry Wisdom there, under the name Sister Tulzscha. I wrote to her of father's death." Lord Chelsted shrugged. "She has not replied. Nor do I expect her to."

Davos nodded. "That is too bad."

"Oh, I do not know about that," said Rys. "When my eldest son was born, she sent me a horoscope for him. It was madness. And since then, I do not mention my children to her, when I write. Which is less and less often." His face stiffened. "My whole childhood I had men praying and chanting over me at her bidding, and then had her telling me it was my fault that my legs did not straighten because of this. So when I speak with bitterness about the faith and other such mystical knowledge… well, you know some of the source."

Davos considered this. "That sounds very much like you don't approve of the Keeper of the Seal," he said.

Rys frowned. "Let us just say I am suspicious of the man's interests and leave it at that. He seems to give good counsel, but then so did Varys and Rossart at first."

"I do not think he is another Rossart," said Davos. "Or another Spider, for that matter."

"No one thought Rossart or Varys were anything more than a lowly alchemist and a foreigner, both dragged in on the whims of a mad king," replied Rys. "Men of no standing, men who would be eager to serve, and easy to supplant should they prove bothersome. The men who thought that were themselves supplanted. I should know – my father was one of them." The Master of Coin turned and breathed in the salt air. A smile came to his face. "Ahh, smell that air. So clean and fresh. You'd never think we were crossing to one of the filthiest places in the world." He shook his head. "Lys…" He said the name as if it were a curse and scowled.

"You've been there before then?" asked Davos.

"On several occasions," said Rys. "I doubt I am as well-traveled as you, Lord Seaworth, but I've been to Pentos, all the Three Daughters, and once to Volantis." He shook his head. "Lys is the worst of those I've been to, save Volantis. And Volantis…. Well, I am all but sure it is the wickedest city west of Ashai."

Davos shook his head at that. "You've not been to New Gorash then."

Rys blinked. "I've not heard of New Gorash. But do tell me of it. Even the name sounds ghastly."

"It is," said Davos, with a nod. "A trade town on the coast of Sothoryos. The largest and oldest. Others come and go, but New Gorash remains. The Zmeis of Mantarys have spent their coin to keep the accursed thing going, and it has made them even richer. For nearly two centuries now, it's sat there on the coast, growing fat like a tick." He shuddered. "Well, I think you know what the trade towns of Sothoryos are like."

"I've heard a great deal," said Rys. "None of it good."

"All of it true," replied Davos. "Trust me. I saw enough of them when I sailed with the Blind Bastard. Most of them were all alike, and most of them… well, you never knew if they'd be there when you sailed for them, and you never knew if they'd stay there when you left. But not New Gorash. It sits there behind its stone walls, growing older and eviler." He recalled the place and shuddered.

Lord Chelsted nodded. "You will pardon me if I have no desire to ever visit the place."

"As I've no desire to ever go back," stated Davos, "I quite understand." He shook his head. "Every now and then I check to see if some misfortune has at last ended the miserable place. It never has."

Rys chuckled at that. "Well, one can always hope. I hoped for years something would happen to Aerys. Fell to my knees and wept for joy when it did." He shrugged. "Of course, as he had an order for my arrest and execution at that point, no one was surprised." Rys glanced out at the vessels around them, the strange pale flags of the Saan arms flapping from the masts. "Do you trust our… escort?"

Davos considered that and chuckled. "Salladhor is… well, I wouldn't call him an honest sort, but I'd call him a sensible one. He avoids out and out treachery. It doesn't pay, he always says. And he seems to feel quite deeply about being Master of the Last Lonely House."

Rys nodded at that. "I wonder what it will be like?" He glanced at Davos. "I have nearly no expectations, mind you. In my experience that is your best bet with the Lysene. Oh, the great mansions that I was promised which turned out to be decaying wrecks. The Old Blood in Volantis are somewhat better off, though there everything is too big, and too gloomy. A hundred Dragonstones in miniature." He shook his head.

"Salladhor calls it a marvel," noted Davos.

"Every noble in Lys insists their house is a marvel," replied Rys. "Or was, when they had the funds, and, hmmm, could they kindly bother you for a loan. Lucerys got himself one of his mistresses that way, though as I understand it, he never got around to giving her father the loan. Understandable. He had his own crumbling house to avoid paying for." He glanced at Davos. "When you finally get to see Driftmark, prepare to be disappointed. There was a good reason the Sea Snake decided to just build himself a new castle, and I'm afraid his descendants haven't been keeping up the repairs on the old one after High Tide was destroyed."

Davos nodded nervously at that. I've forgotten that I now own a castle. Even if it is apparently not much of a castle. "You've seen it then?"

Chelsted made his way to a nearby bench, and sat down. "Once. Lord Lucerys was trying to get more money from the Treasury. For his duties, he said, Most likely wanted a new mistress. He and his present one were quarreling at the time I gathered. He invited my father and I to discuss it. Father begged it off, and sent me. And so I went to Driftmark and had the man beg for money while pretending he was trying to serve the Throne. Lucerys had a girl I am almost certain was his bastard daughter hang around me to try and soften me up. From the mistress previous to the one he was presently quarreling with, I suspect. The mistress pointedly ignored her existence the entire time. Made dinners awkward."

Davos sat down next to the lord. "What was the girl like?"

"Pleasant enough for a twelve-year old," said Rys flatly. "My father always thought Lucerys was grooming her to be Rhaegar's mistress. Or possibly Aerys' if he ever went back to his old ways. I suspect he was quite disappointed when it didn't work out." He glanced at Davos. "Have you ever been to the island?"

"A few times," said Davos. "During the Defiance, I smuggled supplies into Duskendale. Fish, water and wine came from Driftmark. I never saw the castle though. Never stayed long enough to. Came in by night, left that same night, every night."

"You were not missing much," sighed Rys. "Mmm, smuggled for Lord Denys then?"

"Up until he seized the king," said Davos. "As a smuggler I took risks, but never mad risks."

"Who was paying you, may I ask?" said Rys. "I know it wasn't Lord Darklyn."

"Oh, some alliance of Free City merchants," said Davos. "Based in Myr, I believe, but there were some Tyroshi and Pentoshi. Wanted to break their rivals' hold on the Seven Kingdoms, or so I was told."

"Interesting," said Rys. "I don't know if this makes me dismiss my father's suspicions on the matter or believe them…"

Davos blinked at this. "What were those?"

"Oh, nothing definite," Rys replied. "He was fond of noting how strange it was how the lord of struggling port city managed to produce enough funds to pay a small army. And how Lord Tywin spent an awfully long time in conversation with a man who he insisted he dismissed out of hand. But no proof, and my father was seeing enemies everywhere after the Defiance. Not without cause. He even suspected Prince Rhaegar…" Rys shook his head. "Well, it doesn't matter. They reconciled, prior to the Trident. Had many long talks together. After the first one, my father said to me, 'I have misjudged him. I have greatly misjudged him'." The man gave a long sigh. "And a few weeks after he said that to me, they were both dead, and I was hiding in the vaults, and sneaking food from the kitchens." There was a spray of water on the deck as the ship turned and Rys and Davos bundled themselves up to keep themselves dry. Dragonstone was back in view, even if it was farther now. "My goodness," said Rys. "It does loom, doesn't it?"

"That's what it was built for," replied Davos. "Or so I've been told. By Salla, and the Blind Bastard, and others. Built by the Freehold to show their power stretched this far."

Rys frowned at that. "Sounds like the Valyrians all right," he snarled. He turned to look at Davos. "Have I ever told you about my name?"

Davos felt uneasy at this. "You were… named for the king, I always assumed."

Rys nodded. "Oh, yes. Mind you, he was the crown prince and heir when I was born, but… well, Jaehaerys was fading fast. Everyone knew in a month or a year, he'd be the king. And my father, who'd fast become one of his intimates, swore to Aerys that if his newborn child was a son he'd name the boy after his dear, dear friend. And then I came out." Rys shrugged. "Well, father was somewhat nervous, for he wasn't sure what to do. After all, if he didn't name me after Aerys, then Aerys might be offended. But if he did, Aerys might also be offended to have a cripple named for him. And so as he sat there, musing on what to do, the prince arrived. He'd heard of the birth and he just had to see me. Came asking for little Aerys. Well, my father knew that sometimes one simply has to grasp the nettle, and took the prince to his newborn babe. And Aerys… well, he took one look at me, and he was delighted. 'Why, look,' he said, laughing, 'it is Aerys the Frog!'." The man's face was grave. "I can still hear that, and him laughing. I know it is folly, know that it is impossible that I truly remember it, but damn me, every time I tell the tale, I hear him say it and I hear him laugh. And so my father fulfilled his promise, and named me for Aerys." Rys smiled bitterly. "Oh, and he was quite attentive, in my youth. He'd stop by for a visit, and ask to see Aerys the Frog, and I'd be brought to him, and he'd chuckle, and then he'd ask me to pull up my robes, so he could see my feet." He bit his lip. "Then he'd laugh some more, and then he'd ask me to hop for him. For I figured out how to do that before I managed walking, and he found it tremendously amusing. Oh, he'd laugh and laugh, to see me hop. And then he'd ask me to do it again. And I always did."

He took a deep, pained breath, then turned to Davos. "It stopped eventually. Aerys found other things to amuse himself, though when my father first brought me to court the king said how happy he was to have his little namesake Aerys the Frog near him. But then… well, I did not dress as strikingly as I do now. I wore dull colors and avoided conversation and avoided notice when I could. And it worked. I think he came to view me as… a piece of furniture that occasionally spoke. And then…" Rys shut his eyes. "Men think it was his madness that made Aerys what he was. But they are wrong. His madness… oh, it just made him talk to people who weren't there, talk nonsense, curl up into a ball and scream. He was harmless during a fit. His cruelty… that wasn't madness. It was him. He could hide it beneath a bad show of charm, but it always shone through, if you looked. And if he practiced it more as his fits got worse, it wasn't because the fits made him, it was because he wished to do what he enjoyed while he could, wanted to show people that he still was in control, still able to hurt them…" Rys shook his head. "That last time I saw him…"

"What happened?" asked Davos.

Rys chuckled. "Nothing much, in truth. I was doing my accounts when he strolled in, babbling to himself. I ignored him at first, and he ignored me, as he'd gotten quite used to doing. And then… then suddenly his fit ended, and he looked at me, and he recognized me and smiled. 'Why Aerys the Frog,' he said. 'It has been such a long time since I saw you hop, and here we are, just the two of us. Why don't you hop for me, frog? Hop for the king'."

There was a long and painful silence. "So what did you do?" asked Davos.

Rys smiled sadly. "What I had always done. I hitched up my robes, and then I hopped." He gave a bitter chuckle. "And then I hopped."