Jeor

"Can you imagine what it would have been like if Thorne had gotten his way?" Benjen asked as he plopped down next to the Lord Commander, a bowl of rabbit stew in his hands. There was a crash and he turned to see that Tormund Giantsbane was yelling at a ranger about something, the Black Brother leaping to his feet and glaring at the large wildling. "Damn it all, I thought they were done," Benjen grunted; he'd been trying to keep the two sides from fighting during the entire trip but just when he got one mess taken care of another seemed to flare up.

"Allow me," Rahne Wolfsbane, who was seated next to Jeor, said with a cheeky smile. Of all the Free Folk Jeor was finding that he was liking her the most, as she reminded him of his nieces. He was half tempted to offer her a home of Bear Island though he also feared what the girls and her would do if put together. "I've been dealin' with me idiot brother for years." Throwing her head up she bellowed, "TORMUND! Can ya not go five minutes without makin' an ass of yourself!"

"He deserves a pounding!" Tormund declared. "I won't cripple him, I promise!"

"Now why does the poor lad deserve that?" Rahne shot back.

"His name makes no sense!"

"…what the fuck?!" Rahne screamed.

Benjen held up a hand. "To be fair… he's not wrong." Rahne looked at him and he sighed. "When he arrived he insisted on being called Old Bert."

"…the bastard's younger than me!" Rahne exclaimed.

"We said that. He doesn't care."

"…was there another Bert-"

Jeor let out a sigh. "No."

"Then maybe it's a family-"

"Nope."

"So he just likes the sounds of it?"

The two brothers of the Night's Watch nodded their hands.

"…Tormund, ya can't beat him for somethin' that stupid! Ain't right. Like askin' a dog with no legs to swim."

"Does that make any sense to you?" Benjen asked softly.

"I gave up trying to figure out the logic of my life when I found myself talking to Tywin Lannister's forefather."

"Technically," Steve said, sitting down next to them, "that would be my brother who is his forefather."

"Because you never dipped your sword in any sheathe," Ygritte teased as she joined them. "We really should take care of that."

"That's fine," Steve said, brushing her clear offer off.

"Come on now, Captain Westeros-" Steve groaned at that, as apparently one of the wildlings had hear the girl Gilly call him that again while at Castle Black and now half of them thought it was his title and the other half enjoyed taking the piss out of the first 'Black Crow' to exist, "-everyone knows ya fight better if ya get your pecker wet."

"How many battles have you fought in, Ygritte?" Steve asked her as he dipped his wooden spoon into his stew. "Not fights… I don't mean where you and another face each other one and one. I mean real battle. You and dozen… a hundred… a thousand… all unite against an enemy just as numerous. How many of you fought in?" He shook his head. "Whatever that number is I will match it ten fold. And not once did I need to engage in… that."

"It's called sex," Ygritte stated. "Fucking if you want to do it nice and quick."

"Not when I do it!" Tormund said as he ambled over to join them, having decided to leave Old Bert alone.

Jeor shook his head and looked around the camp. Benjen was right; if Thorne had gotten his way it would have been a bloody nightmare.

When it had been decided that they needed to march out and deal with The Commander and his forces Thorne had argued on emptying all of the three castles on the Wall… and not taking a single wildling. That would have never worked, for Jeor still remembered well the failure of his Great Ranging, and instead selected 24 men, himself and Benjen included, to march with Mance Rayder and 23 of his best Free Folk. Steve made the final of their number, the one that was leading them. Not counting Crastor who they kept bound, gagged, and hooded, just in case they need to beat some more information out of him. They were making good time but it was only through Steve's skill and frankly will that they were doing so as it seemed like fights were popping up all the time as the two vastly different groups constantly clashed. Mance and Benjen for the most part kept their own groups settled with Jeor giving an order when he needed to and Rahne proving herself a proper second for Mance when it came to knocking heads together to get them to see straight and understand that they had to keep going.

Now they were only a few days ride away from the stronghold The Commander had set up for himself and tensions were causing tempers to flare up. The clearing they were in was well sheltered from the elements and they had plenty of food but still they all felt nervous and that made people upset.

It hadn't been helped by Steve stating, when Benjen had advised no fires least they attract the eye of the enemy, that it didn't matter. The Commander already knew they were coming, his spies in the forms of wighted animals alerting him.

"How can ya be against somethin' if ya haven't tried it?" Ygritte asked.

"I am saving myself for the woman I marry." He looked down at himself. "And frankly… there is a chance that will never happen now."

"All the more reason ta find someone, I'd say!" Ygritte proclaimed. "If'n ya don't like it I'm sure a few of the Crows will let ya sample them."

"No," Steve said with a shake of his head. "Thank you but no."

"Why not?" Tormund asked with his usual lack of tact. "Not some southern honor thing, is it? I get not rapin'… Rahne and I have ripped the cocks off of a few men who thought that bein' free meant takin' the freedom of another. But if Ygritte there wants ta fuck just take her behind the trees and spread her legs!"

Steve looked down at his stew. "When I was 5 years old King Castlery came with his men to take my mother. They raped her… right in front of all of us. My father. My brother. Me. We had to watch. The last time I ever saw my mother alive was her begging my father's forgiveness because she had lain with another man even as that raping piece of filth wiped his cock off with the edge of my mother's favorite dress." Steve's eyes began to blaze blue and his voice took on a harsher, shriller tone. "'If she gets with a bastard I'll send'em down ta ya,' the king said before he grabbed my mother by the hair and dragged her away to be tortured and broken in ways far worse than you can imagine."

He looked down before blinking, setting his bowl at his feet.

It had frozen solid.

"So no… even if she begged… I would not dishonor any woman like that."

Tormund licked his lips at that. "That King… what happened ta the bastard?"

"My father drove him mad, he tried to kill my friend Bran Stark's father, and so my father became King."

"He torture him good?" Tormund asked darkly.

But Steve shook his head. "We took his head. Clean and quick." He shut his eyes and when he opened them again his eyes were normal. "Because we were better than him."

"Right…" Rahne stated softly, clearly shaken by what Steve had said. "Ygritte… if ya wanna fuck find a damn pinecone."

That got a snort from Benjen of all people and then they were gone, all of them, even Steve, unable to stop themselves from laughing at that vulgar image.

"They made your father a king for drivin' another bastard king mad?" Tormund asked with a laugh. "Damn it all, if all ya southerners are that smart I might need ta stop mocking you."

Jeor though shook his head sadly, though there was still a smile on his lips. "Tales like that… they are long gone from the world, I'm afraid. But sometimes… I wonder if things wouldn't be better if we did decide rulers not because of who their fathers were but their deeds."

"That's why the Free Folk way is better," Ygritte said smugly.

"Aye, I'm seeing that," Jeor murmured and he repressed the urge to grin as Ygritte started at that, looking so utterly shocked that he'd agreed with her that she nearly dropped her bowl. Steve, who'd gone to get another helping after freezing his own, caught hers. Ygritte merely nodded her head in thanks, a true sign that she had been left completely flummoxed by what he had just said.

Rahne spoke up. "That how you ended up as Lord Captain or whatever your title is?"

"It is," Steve stated. "We didn't have a true commander back them… there would be different groups that would rise up, gather together to work together, but we didn't have a single leader. It wasn't a good way to fight a war but honestly we were just trying to survive. Then Bran Stark arrived and took one look at what we were doing to try and build up our position and declared he could do better and got all the builders on his side. And then Phyllip… he was a gruff man that I still to this day think should have been a warrior… he decided that we couldn't fight if we were starving and he got that all arranged. After Einridi got himself declared King of the Free Folk there was little choice in the matter: we had to pick a Captain to lead us all."

"And what did you do that got you picked?" Ygritte asked.

Steve smiled. "My best friend, Bucky, came with me to fight the Others. He was stronger than me, faster… all the women loved him. He's the reason the Howling Commandos allowed me to be a part of their ranks, even though before that they were only those who had once been sworn to the Starks before joining up. They were captured by a group of Thralls and I was told that they were dead and should accept that. Instead I remembered what my father had done to King Casterly and decided to… emulate him." Steve shook his head, mirthful at the memory. "Bucky was spitting nails when he realized it wasn't an entire company of men saving them but just me sneaking in and out and making the thralls think the entire Knighthood had come to finally punish them for their deeds." He gave a slight shrug. "I only found out after the vote that Bucky was rather vocal in telling everyone what I did. I was utterly shocked when they declared me Lord Captain."

"And that was before…" Tormund waved his hand in Steve's direction.

"Yes," he said, his smile failing. "After Bran and Einridi and I swore our oath of brotherhood we continued to serve on the front lines. None of us were comfortable leading from the rear. I… made a stupid mistake. Trusted someone I thought was an innocent but was a thrall." He grit his teeth. "Her father mocked me after they captured me and later she happily allowed them to slit her throat in order to try and turn me into one of the Court."

Jeor swallowed at that dark admission.

"But you weren't turned," Benjen said.

"Aye," Steve muttered. "A good man, Erskine, had been forced by the Others to serve them. They believed him loyal as they dangled the belief that his wife was still alive in front of him. Just do a little more and they'd allow them to be together. But Erskine learned that she was dead, sacrificed to bring about another of the Court, and he decided to get his revenge by saving my life. He tampered with the ritual and at the right moment… sacrificed himself." Steve sighed. "The child was young and innocent but Erskine… he had lived a long life and all those moments… they added weight to his soul. He sacrificed his existence not to the Other that tried to take my body… but to me. It allowed me to beat the Other, shatter it and feed its corpse to the fires within me. I took his power and escaped." He clenched his hand. "And for several years I made sure to pay back Erskine's gift by saving as many as I could."

The others quietly nodded at that, not knowing what else to say.

Finally though it was Jeor who spoke… though he didn't want to ask the question that now lingered on his lips. "What can we expect when we get there? What does the domain of an Other even look like?"

"The Commander-"

"The Red Skull," Ygritte piped up. Steve shot her a look and she shrugged. "What? It's a far better name."

"She does have a point," Tormund said.

"You think Giantsbane is a good name," Rahne pointed out.

"Wolfsbane, little sister?"

"It's be the name of a plant, brother. It has multiple meanin's. Ya just picked your name out of thin air."

"Better than bein' named after a weed."

Rahne merely narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm gonna to find a plant no one's ever 'eard of before and name it Giantsbane… and then convince people its best use is to make your arse not itch."

"Don't ya fuckin' dare!"

"Try me!"

Mance chose that moment to walk over. "Could we go not ten minutes without one of you talking about your assholes?" He shook his head and forced the siblings to separate so he could sit down between them. "Do I even want to know what brought this on?"

"Isn't the Red Skull a better name for that crimson fucker we are gonna fight?" Ygritte asked. "Better than, 'The Commander'."

"That's his name," Steve pressed.

"Even he seemed to like the name!" Ygritte complained.

"Yes," Benjen snorted, "and we should really take his likes into account as he's proven such a good judge of character."

"Could we move off what we call him and get to the actual battle?" Jeor pressed.

Tormund nodded in agreement. "Yes… let us decide how we'll kill 'im before we decide what to call 'im as we all piss on 'is corpse."

Benjen crinkled his nose at that. "I am not aware of Free Folk ritual."

"It's just their's," Mance said with a grunt, nodding at a grinning Rahne and Tormund.

"I've actually gotten good at aimin'," Rahne said. "Its all about how I lift my leg-"

"So everything about you is dog then," Ygritte teased.

"Be glad it not be me brother. He'd spend all day lickin' his-"

"Steve?" Jeor asked with a groan. "Please?"

The Lord Captain nodded. "Crastor said that they had been taken to Dawnpoint."

"I never heard of that place before," Tormund said, scratching at his beard. "It a village or somethin'? A lake?"

"It's a castle. A large one."

"Ain't no castles North of the Wall," Rahne informed him.

"Its been thousands of years… knowledge is easily forgotten. And the castle was well hid. Dawnpoint was built by Einridi and Bran to serve as a base of operations for our final push against the Others." He shook his head. "Only the Wall… rivaled its building."

Jeor remembered Steve's story of how Bran the Builder had used magic to cause the great river that cut Westeros in half to rise up and freeze, becoming The Wall. It explained so very much about its building and how it had been done in one man's lifetime.

"He waited until the sun had just begun to rise, when the first rays had peaked over the horizon. Then he… I can't even begin to describe it but he somehow captured them and made the light solid. Pale yellow, stretching on for miles. Einridi raised his hammer and struck down and it shattered but not like ice. It was… perfect. Straight lines, better than any woodsmith could dream of. They had the giants begin to put them into place and within a few days Dawnpoint was built, the shining beacon of man's commitment to drive back the cold and the dark." He sighed. "To know that it has fallen to the Others… that is a cruel blow."

"What is it like?" Jeor asked. "Moats, gates, that sort of thing."

"There is a moat but not of water. We got great shipments of dragonglass and drove them into the ground and upon the wooden barricades that surrounded the entire thing. The Others couldn't march their legions upon it without them crumbling into corpses. It was a horrid thing cleaning them out, took three times the length of the battle, but it did the job all the same." He reached down, pressing his hand to the ground. "Let's see if I can still do this…"

He focused and to Jeor's shock the ground at Steve's feet froze over, becoming a perfectly smooth sheet of ice. Frost formed on it and Steve set to work, tracing his fingers along the surface, pushing away the snow that had gathered so that soon Jeor was able to see an eagle-eye view of Dawnpoint.

It was a squat castle, with almost no curves. Even the towers were more hexagonal than round. There was the large moat around it and the barricades and then a single break that Steve gestured to with his finger.

"That is the gate. That is where we need to break through. Assuming we even need to do that."

"What do you mean?" Mance asked.

Benjen spoke up. "He said the Commander already knows we are coming… he'll be ready for us."

Steve nodded. "But he might not try and keep us out."

"He'll just let us march right it?" Mance asked, startled.

"He's… confident like that," Steve stated. "He believes that nothing can defeat him. Even when he has suffered loses he has acted like it was all part of some grand plan. I'm not sure if he's delusional or if he really does think that far out into the future but he won't see us coming as some great nightmare brought upon him. Very likely… he'll want us to march right in the face whatever he is doing in that castle."

And with that… Steve fell silent.

Tony

"What have you two gotten yourselves into?" Pepper hissed as they were led through the dark halls, Sabertooth behind them and Lady Deathstrike in front. Honestly Tony didn't know if he'd prefer that order mixed up or not. Sabertooth was a killer, plain and simple… but Deathstrike seemed like the kind of woman that would carve him up for even attempting to open his mouth.

"I'm as clueless as you are," Rhodey muttered in annoyance. "So feel free to begin talking any time, Tony."

"It's going to be fine," he assured them both. "These are friends of mine!"

"…uh huh," Rhodey said softly.

"They are!" Tony protested, holding up his wrist. "They even gave me a friendship bracelet."

"I can remove it too if I need to," Sabertooth rumbled and Tony, remembering how the bracelet was designed to not come off unless Magento allowed it… or his hand was cut off… understood exactly what the large man was getting at.

"But I'm so attached to it!" Tony said with utter sweetness dripping from his words.

"Must you?" Pepper complained. "I swear to the Gods I will demand an axe if you aggravate the large man with the sharp claws that is RIGHT behind me!"

"DON'T let her have an axe," Tony warned Sabertooth. "She'll end up conquering all of Essos."

"…heh," Sabertooth chuckled. "I like you firepot."

"See, now we're all friends!" Tony declared.

"Shut it, Stark!" Deathstrike snapped.

"…except her, she doesn't like me. I get the sense she doesn't like any of us."

When no one said a word Tony found himself alone with his thoughts. Something he normally enjoyed as he was always thinking up new inventions, new designs, new ways to make the lives of those around him all the better. But, at this moment, his mind could only go to the situation he was in and how he was going to get out of this mess.

He had known the moment he had gotten Pepper out of the hands of the Mandarin that the only answer was to go back to the Brotherhood. Even considering for a moment removing his hand to get the bracelet off… the threat the cult leader posed was far too great for Tony to try and hide. Especially when he didn't know anyone in Braavos. The Iron Bank? That was a possibility but there was no telling where they would end up falling in a conflict. They very well could have sided with the Mandarin. The Sea Lord? Arya had told him that apparently he was friends with Magneto despite their differing viewpoints so there was the risk that he would inform the Brotherhood where he was. Going to the docks and trying to get a boat back to Westeros was out when he only had his name and even that might not be strong currency.

And then there was who was with him. Rhodey could fight… he knew Pepper could too. But Rhodey's armor was lost. His armor was lost. Pepper's armor had been taken by the Mandarin and she'd admitted that her struggles to free herself had resulted in the armor being reduced to slag.

'Then… there is Renly.'

Old Gods, New Gods, and Just Arrived At the Party Gods… Renly.

Tony tried to put himself in the man's shoes… if you could even call him a man. For nearly twenty years his mind had been fiddled with by the Mandarin, manipulated in order to create the pawn he needed in order to harm Westeros and further his goals. And now it had all been undone, leaving a scared little boy trapped in a man's body, wondering about the brothers that were never coming back. He was alive… that was a plus. There was a chance for him to grow up once more, to perhaps become a better man. But… Tony had thought what Magneto had done to Arya, stealing her childhood in the name of making a warrior, had been disgusting but this? This was far worse.

It had made his decision to return to Magneto all the easier.

He'd known that he was going to face trouble for his actions and he was ready to accept that. But he was also ready to fight with the man and get him to see reason. That they needed to put aside what Tony had done and focus on-

"Antony, Antony, Antony…"

Tony was pulled from his thoughts, realizing they had arrived in Magneto's opulent solar. Of course calling it s solar was all wrong as the size alone made it more like a large village home. It wasn't even a single room but rather one large one with several others clinging to the sides like a baby monkey holding onto its mother. The window behind Magneto was stained glass and depicted a great red dragon breathing flames upon the broken bodies of soldiers wearing the sigils of the Targaryens. To his left was a bookcase the size of a wagon filled with tomes that Tony was sure many maesters would claw their own genitals off as payment just to read. The desk was huge and filled with all manner of strange metal instruments that moved about wildly thanks to the power Magneto wielded with utter ease. And at the center of it all was the man himself, adopting the smile of a kind grandfather but holding the will of a warlord.

"We do so much for you and this is how you repay us? One would think you don't trust us." Magneto rose and walked over to Pepper, taking her hand and lightly kissing it. "Lady Stark. It is good to see you returned to your husband's side."

"No thanks to you," Pepper said and Tony rolled his eyes; oh so now she didn't mind aggravating powerful people!

"I think you will find you should be more thankful to me than you realize."

"Oh really?" Tony said with a smirk, folding his arms over his chest. "And what exactly did you do? Because unless I missed the part where you sent one of your assassins in to help me out you did nothing. I was the one that managed to get into the Mandarin's compound. I was the one that found Pepper. I'm the one that got her out of here."

"I was there too, Tony," Rhodey commented.

"Shhh, its better if we keep it at me," Tony said, waving his hand in Rhodey's direction before looking once more at Magneto. The smug bastard was just standing there, a single eyebrow raised and an express that read, "Oh, am I supposed to be impressed?" on his features. "And now I'm the one with the information on the Mandarin so I suggest we begin talking about how things are going to change. First and foremost?" He held up his hand and jiggled the bracelet. "This is gone. Second, Pepper, Rhodes, and I leave the city without any problems. Third, Arya is free of you and whatever promises you forced her to make-"

"He didn't make me promise anything!" Arya snapped as she stormed into the room.

"Come on, you have to admit that-"

"What the fuck?" she said, staring at Rhodey.

Tony looked at the two of them. "…wait, did I never introduce you to Rhodey. I swear I introduced you to Rhodey." Tony scratched his chin. "I remember him being at Winterfell…"

"I was," Rhodey said… only it was a second Rhodey that entered behind Arya along with Toad and Gendry. Second Rhodey, who was wearing the broken remains of the War Machine armor, seemed just as surprised to see the First Rhodey standing there. "Okay, this is sadly not the strangest thing I've encountered since I hooked up with you Tony."

"Which is a lie because you aren't really Rhodey," Tony declared, walking over to First Rhodey and throwing his arm around him. "THIS is my best friend. You are a fake that tricked Arya."

"Glad you feel that way," First Rhodey said… before twisting Tony around and kissing him square on the lips, tongue diving into his mouth.

Dimly he heard Pepper let out a groan. Or it might have been him, he couldn't be sure.

First Rhodey shoved him away and licked his lips. "Well, is it everything you ever dreamed of?" he asked, reaching down and cupping Tony's cock through his pants.

"…no one tell Oberyn about this," Tony muttered.

Magneto let out an amused sigh. "Yes, all very entertaining my dear." He rolled his hand and First Rhodey's skin rippled, going from dark to blue as he transformed back into Mystique.

"How did you not see that coming?" Pepper complained. "Even I saw it coming and I didn't know there were blue shapeshifting women!" She paused and looked at Mystique. "I'm sorry was that offensive?"

"Only a small touch but honestly I've had so much worse that I just found it amusing," Mystique stated.

"Well, sorry all the same. Lady Virgyna Stark."

"Ravan Blackfyre," Mystique said with a smile. "My husband, Erik."

"Charmed."

Pepper frowned though. "I thought you name was Magneto."

"Merely a title while we have been in exile."

Pepper nodded. "Ah. My family thought about that during our exile."

Magneto let out a little sound of interest. "I wasn't aware you had suffered through exile, my dear."

"My family fought on the wrong side of the Blackfyre rebellion, actually."

"You don't say, you don't say…" Magneto said, rubbing his chin. "What house were you before House Stark?"

"Potts."

Magento's small smile grow all the larger. "Robert Potts! He fought with my grandfather in the disputed lands!"

"My great great grandfather!" Pepper said. "Such a small world, isn't it?"

"It truly is-"

"Okay, this is nice and all but could we NOT be pals with the cult leader?" Tony complained.

"It's not a cult," Arya complained, walking up to Mystqiue, smacking her shoulder. "And could you NOT kiss Tony? It's gross."

"Men kiss all the time," Mystique stated. "Nothing wrong with it."

"I meant kissing Tony period. Ugh."

"HEY!" Tony complained. "I am very kissable!"

Arya though scrunched up her nose. "That beard though…"

Tony's mouth opened in shock and he raised his hand up to touch his beard. "This facial hair is amazing!"

"Eh?" Pepper said with a shrug, followed by Mystique who crinkled her nose and shook her head.

"I hate every single one of you."

Rhodey raised his hand. "So I have been held captive by fire worshiping lunatics who wanted to burn me alive for the last few weeks so pardon me for not being up to speed but could someone clue me in on what's going on?"

"Oh, it's not that complex," Tony assured him. "You and Pepper both got kidnapped. I managed to NOT get kidnapped so, well, go me, and set about figuring out how to rescue you. I made contact with Arya… that's Arya, by the way, she looks 18 but she's really only 6-"

"I was older than that," Arya complained.

"Were you? Were you though?" Arya scowled at him. "This guy," he pointed at Magneto, "did some weird ritual magic on her and the guy that looks like he's Robert Baratheon's son-"

"He is Robert Baratheon's son," Mystique informed him.

"…shit, Stannis was right. Pepper, I owe you some nice oral sex."

"We… didn't make that bet but okay."

Tony continued on. "They are part of a cult-" he ignored Arya's scream that it wasn't a cult, "-and we are trying to figure out how not to join them because after dealing with the Mandarin, more on him in just a moment, I'm done with cults. Tyrion was here but he left and we also met Balon Greyjoy's son-"

"He actually disowned his father," Toad stated. "He told me at the party we went to."

"You went to a party while I was kidnapped?" Pepper complained.

"Could we talk about that later I'm trying to stall for time. Anyway, we met Theon Whateverhewantstocallhimself and his big 7 foot tall girlfriend who want to take us all home."

"He offered just me," Arya stated.

Mystique looked at her sharply. "Excuse me?"

"I… was going to tell you?" Arya said meekly before jabbing a finger at Tony. "He distracted me!"

"Admittedly I am good at that," Tony said. "But what is important is the Mandarin. He is this insane cult leader that has Ten Rings because the name 'The Ten Rings' wasn't him being creative with his cult's name he turns out to be really horrible at naming things. Unlike me, the inventor of the Tony Stark Sandwich." He puffed his chest out in pride. "Though can you really call them rings when they are more like arm bands?" He looked at Mystique. "What do you think? Rings or bands?"

"Bands," she said with a smirk, "but the Ten Bands doesn't have the same ring."

Tony jabbed his finger at her. "Okay, you might have tricked me AND tongue raped me but I'm man enough to admit when someone has a good point." Mystique merely gave a casual innocent shrug. "Mandarin wants to rule the world, Magneto here wants to rule Westeros, not sure what blue woman wants but I'm inclined to give it to her as I've come to learn that you give colorful women whatever they want, and… I think that's it." He paused. "Oh, and Renly has been brainwashed since he was 7 so we need to help him." He looked back at Magneto. "Another thing on my list of demands: Help Renly. Poor guy… kid… whatever… is confused and scared and needs help badly."

"I have Blob with him to get him some food and keep him away from our more… violet members."

"Like me," Sabertooth said, suddenly behind Tony, hot breath hitting his neck.

"Whoa!" Tony said, leaping back. "Wow… I honestly forgot you were with us. You're that forgettable. Which is a talent considering how big and hairy you are." He looked over at Lady Deathstrike. "You I remembered but I just don't care."

"Can I take his tongue now?" Lady Deathstrike asked.

"Uh, no," Tony said quickly. "If I have no tongue I can't give Pepper some of that good oral sex. You don't want to stain my honor now, do you?"

Lady Deathstrike held up her hand, blade-like fingers growing longer. "Then you won't need your cock then, will you?"

"Whoa now!" Tony said, moving to hide behind Sabertooth. "You don't know where that oral sex will lead!"

"Enough," Magneto said firmly with a wave of his hand and Lady Deathstrike instantly backed down. "While this has all been amusing the matter remains of this Mandarin. Mystique… your thoughts?"

"The man is a monster," she said bluntly. "The worst kind as well: one that charms while also wielding power. His cult is utterly devoted to him and is willing to die for him. He has power… and he knows how to grant it to others."

"Hmmm," Magneto said, turning and walking away from them. "Shadowcat, will we be bothered by the Red Priests you freed Ser Rhodes from?"

"No," Arya said at once. "They believe that he turned to ashes. They will see it as a divine message from their Lord of Light."

"Clever," Magneto said, rather pleased with her response. "Very clever. Please show Lady Stark and Ser Rhodes to rooms. I am sure they would like to rest, bathe, and eat after their ordeals. We will stay in tonight, there were no parties that required our attendance, and discuss matters." Arya nodded and turned to leave. "Including your encounter with Theon Bracken and the Maid of Tarth."

Arya's shouldered stiffened for a moment before she nodded.

"Tony…" Pepper said softly.

"I'll be fine. Follow Arya. She'll keep you safe. Same with you, Rhodes."

"Don't die on us yet, Tony. We have stuff to talk about." With that Rhodey followed after the others.

"Sabertooth, Lady Deathstrike, leave us," Magneto commanded. The two took a moment to consider that before finally nodding and exiting the room, leaving only Tony and Mystique in the solar. "This is… troubling, what you have told me. I wanted everyone else out save you two, for you are the only two I believe who will understand what you faced in that compound." Magneto held up his hand and a decanter with a metal band on it lifted into the air floating over to some cups on a table that Magneto filled.

"So you know that Starks can't get drunk, right? There's also a chance we can't die of poison." Tony accepted the cup all the same.

"My boy if I wanted you dead I would have killed you the moment Shadowcat left you to get some rest. Told her that your injuries were far too great and that you sadly passed from them." Magneto took a seat, Mystique prowling about the room. He raised the glass to his lips and took a long sip and only when he'd swallowed did Tony do the same, finding it to be an okay blend but not close to the best he'd ever had. Of course his concern about just what the man that could drive a nail through his forehead with just the wave of his hand could do to him might have tainted his thirst a touch. "I want to know your thoughts on the Mandarin."

Tony opened his mouth only to snap it shut. He actually thought about what Magneto was asking… and more to the point what would come next. Because while Tony wanted to do nothing more than to run away back to Westeros and leave all this Essosi bullshit behind… he knew he couldn't.

"In a word? Patient."

"Interesting," Magneto said, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk. "What led you to that opinion?"

"The man was able to attack us with his bare hands… well, not really bare, not with those rings he was wearing. But that's the point… those rings gave him impressive powers. Most people who get a taste of power quickly try and find ways to abuse it to its fullest. A newly made lord sees if he can tax people more than what is standard or reinstate the right of First Night. A boy who is given a sword begins to swing at anything and everything. That sort of thing. Yet the Mandarin… he's had his powers for a while. At least 20 years because I doubt he gained the rings and his first thought was to seek on Renly and make him his puppet.

"Now, a man has that power… and it is nothing to sniff at power either. He was able to manipulate Renly's mind… you are going to help him, right?"

"You seem oddly caring of a man who ordered the kidnapping of your wife."

"He also tried to kill me several times but the way I see it that is the Mandarin's fault, not is. He's just a little boy trapped in a grown man's body who wants to see his brothers again." Tony narrowed his eyes. "We go no further until you swear to help him."

"…what the Mandarin did to him is… worrisome," Magneto stated. "There are certain lines that those of us with gifts must not cross, as shocking as that might seem to you. The Mandarin clearly does not follow the code we have set for ourselves." He looked at Mystique. "Charlus?"

"Charlus."

"Who is Charlus?" Tony asked.

"The Sealord of Braavos," Magneto answered. "A friend. We disagree on what we will be doing next to regain control of Westeros but he remains a friend. He has helped many young people who have found their forms far more radically altered than Renly Baratheon finds himself, even if he has no gift. I will ask him to help… he will accept."

Tony nodded. "Good." He leaned forward, able to forget that he and Magneto weren't friends. That didn't matter… not in this situation. "The Mandarin is able to control minds. You say he gave his followers those heat powers and I'm ready to agree with you. He also sent a blast of icy air at us. I'm willing to bet every ring had a different ability."

"That was my belief as well," Mystique said, walking around the room with a grace that showed the blood of the dragon was strong in her as well. She held herself as royalty. "I'd like to get Hank involved."

Magneto considered that. "Hmm… I'd rather not trouble Charlus with this. He would preach far too much caution."

Tony though spoke up. "And what are you planning on doing? Dropping a ship on him?"

Magneto laughed. "Well, it would get his attention!"

"Yeah… but I'm worried he might send the ship back."

The head of House Blackfyre finally nodded, waving his hand at Mystique. "Ask Hank to research it. Do your best to keep Charlus or the rest from finding out. We attack at the end of the Feast so make it clear to him he has little time."

"Of course," Mystique asked and with a smirk she headed off.

Tony looked back at Magneto. "I am going to try and be VERY polite and not ask any of the questions concerning you and her and the bedroom."

"I would think the idea of an old man like me engaging in such things would be horrifying to you."

"I'm friends with Oberyn Martell. I-"

"Say no more," Magneto said with a light chuckle. "Even in Braavos your friend is well known." He rose from his chair. "Now… I do believe that Toad won't mind us borrowing his workspace."

"For… what?"

"The Mandarin is a threat to you, the same as me. And you wish for a chance to prove yourself so you might be free of us?" He waved his hand and Tony was jerked from his chair by the bracelet. "The answer is quite clear: you must fight. And while you have a sharp tongue you do not strike me as a man stilled in combat… without help."

"…okay," Tony said, unsure where this was headed. "You going to train me?"

"No, Lord Antony… we are going to forge you new armor."