A Song of Ice, Fire & the Dead
Chapter 18: Customs & Traditions of Skellige
Aegon and Saeko walked below deck of Hjalmar's ship and found Saya and Alice sitting by a stove. Both Saya and Alice were wrapped in large bearskin blankets. The fur was a pitch-black colouration and looked to be very warm. Aegon now realised that he was cold from the mixture of seawater and the chilly air.
"Are you both alright?" Aegon asked Saya and Alice.
Saya nodded. "We are, but what about you? That little dip in the ocean can't be good for you."
"I'm fine," Aegon said stoically, trying to wave it off.
"You're not," Saeko told him sternly. "C'mon, let's get you out of those wet clothes and by the fire," she said in a tone that brokered no argument.
Aegon sighed realising there was no way he was going to get out of this, but he played one last card he had. "There's nowhere to change," he stated.
"Right here will do and it's nothing I haven't seen before," Saeko shot back with an amused smile.
"I… I haven't," Saya said meekly, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment.
"Then turn around," Saeko told her without even looking at her.
Swallowing a lump in her throat, Saya turned around and made Alice did the same. She heard a belt being undone and clothes shifting and rustling. Giving into the temptation to peek over her shoulder, Saya took a quick glance and she bit her bottom lip as she got a brief glance of Aegon's bare arse and she saw that Saeko too was naked as Aegon was. Quickly pulling her head away from the sight, Saya waited until she heard Aegon speak. "You can look now."
Saya reluctantly looked back around, and her cheeks went even redder with embarrassment as she saw Aegon sitting cross-legged by the stove with only a bearskin blanket covering his modesty. Aegon's body looked slim with toned compact muscles; there was a slight definition of abs on his belly and it looked flat and hard like an oaken shield. But there were still some ugly purple-black bruises marring Aegon's flesh; bruises he had sustained in his act to protect her from those Ghouls at Rei's house. Saeko was sitting beside Aegon, fully wrapped in a bearskin to cover her modesty and she was melted into Aegon's side.
"Something on your mind?" Saya blinked as she realised that Aegon had asked her a question.
"Nothing!" she squeaked out, feeling humiliated at how high her voice had gotten.
"If you say so," Aegon said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I wonder where the others are?" he wondered out loud.
"I wonder that too," Saeko agreed with a nod of her head. "To think, Rei and Takashi were so close to finding their parents," she said sombrely.
"Aye, they were," Aegon said softly. "But Ciri did allude to us when we first met her that she was being hunted, so we should've seen this coming," he added.
"So, you're saying Ciri is at fault for this?" Saya asked.
"No, not at all!" Aegon protested quickly. "I'm not saying Ciri was at fault at all. It was those hunting her that are to blame for this," he then said. "If they hadn't come looking for Ciri at that moment, we might've been able to make it to New Haven."
"I guess so," Saya said with a nod of her head. "Then there's where we ended up and why were separated from the others," she added.
"Well, Hjalmar does seem to know Ciri quite well," Saeko said. "And he did mention this Sorceress who has been looking for her too. What was her name did he say? Jennifer?"
"Yennefer, actually," Aegon corrected. "And apparently a sorceress too. I'm actually rather curious about that," he said thoughtfully.
"How do you mean?" Saeko asked him. "Do you mean that you think she is an actual sorceress? Or just someone who knows misdirection, and smoke & mirrors?"
"Well, considering how Ciri brought us to another world, perhaps this Yennefer actually knows real magic," Aegon replied. "Magic is long thought to be dead where I come from," he said.
"You never actually told me where you come from, or anyone else for that matter," Saya pointed out. "I mean, you act differently and some things like technology seem to escape you, plus you know how to wield a sword. So, who are you really? And where do you come from?" she asked.
"It'd make for a long tale," Aegon said self-deprecatingly.
"We've got a bit of time until we reach wherever it is we're headed," Saya countered.
"Well, I suppose I could tell you a bit about where I come from," Aegon conceded. "Just don't laugh or call it falsehood, alright?"
Aegon then proceeded to tell Saya, Saeko and Alice his story; about who he was, where he came from and what his world was like. The three girls listened with rapt attention about Aegon's world. Saya asked questions where she needed clarification on a matter that needed explaining but otherwise remained quiet. During that time, Alice fell asleep in Saya's lap, with only Saya and Saeko still awake to listen to the rest of Aegon's story.
Afterwards, Saya rubbed her tired eyes and spoke, "Y'know, if you had told me all that when we first met, I'd have called you insane and called for you to be taken to the Funny Farm, but given all that's happened lately?" She gave an exhausted sigh.
"So, you believe me?" Aegon asked.
"Didn't say I did," Saya retorted. "But I am willing to give it a chance," she then said as an afterthought.
"For what it's worth, I believe you," Saeko said to Aegon with a smile.
"Thank you, Saeko. I am grateful for that," Aegon said with a soft smile directed at Saeko who smiled back more widely.
"Do you two want a moment alone?" Saya asked dryly.
"No, it's fine," Aegon said quickly. "Everything is fine," he added.
Saya gave a deadpan look before tending to Alice. Then marching down into the hold was Hjalmar who smiled at them. "How are you all feeling? Warm enough now?" he enquired kindly.
"We are. Our thanks, Ser Hjalmar," Aegon responded.
"Heheh, I told you before, laddie, I ain't a knight," Hjalmar laughed. "The only Skelligan who could've been called a knight was Eist, but he's long dead now," he said.
"Eist?" Saeko repeated that name. "Who was he?" she asked.
"Eist Tuirseach was originally the Jarl of Skellige and became king of Cintra via his marriage to Queen Calanthe of Cintra, Ciri's grandmother," Hjalmar replied. "Eist was a great warrior and sailor who led many warriors and shieldmaidens to glory and plunder, but he disdained marriage. Or at least until he laid eyes on Calanthe," he said.
"You said Calanthe was Ciri's grandmother?" Saya prompted.
"Aye, she was. The Lioness of Cintra they called her," Hjalmar said. "She was fierce as the title she bore and had an icy heart to go with it," he added. "But it took one look from Eist's eyes to melt her frozen heart," laughed.
"So, Eist is Ciri's grandfather?" Saeko asked.
"Aye, though not by blood, you understand," Hjalmar said. "Ciri's real grandfather died before she was born and her mother, Pavetta, was to be arranged a suitor by Calanthe, but a few things happened during the banquet of which Pavetta's suitors presented themselves," he explained.
"What happened?" Aegon asked.
"Fifteen years before he died, Ciri's grandfather was rescued by a knight by named Duny the Urcheon of Erlenwald who invoked the Law of Surprise and when he came home, the first thing he was greeted with was his daughter Pavetta freshly born from Calanthe's womb."
"Ciri mentioned this Law of Surprise," Saeko remarked. "How she was what Geralt of Rivia asked for her when he helped lift her father's curse," she said.
"That's the thing, Duny was Ciri's father. Turned out he had been cursed and needed a Surprise Child to lift his curse, the surprise child being Pavetta and he arrived at the banquet uninvited and it just so happened Geralt was there," Hjalmar confirmed. "Geralt had been invited to the banquet by Calanthe to slay Duny, but Geralt refused for a number of reasons. A fight broke out in which Eist sided with Duny and Geralt knowing they were both right, but when Calanthe saw reason, she agreed for Duny and Pavetta to be wed and thus lifted Duny's curse," he said.
"And there Geralt invoked the Law of Surprise," Aegon said after putting two and two together.
"Aye, but from the way me Da told it, Geralt wasn't expecting Pavetta to be pregnant with Duny's child, nor did Duny expect it, that's the Law of Surprise," Hjalmar confirmed. "If someone invokes the Law of Surprise, they can ask for something you have but do not know, or the first thing that greets you when return home," he said.
"A very strange and bizarre law," Aegon remarked.
"Aye, but you dare not refuse it, and nothing can be done to take it back," Hjalmar replied. "Maye the Gods help you if someone invokes the Law of Surprise on you," he said grimly.
"Right," Aegon muttered, not feeling comforted by what Hjalmar said. "Changing subjects, how far away is Skellige?" he asked.
"We're about a day away, so you needn't fret," Hjalmar replied. "The winds favour us, so we'll be there in time," he said.
"In time? For what?" Saya asked.
"The Konung, King Bran is dead," Hjalmar said to her. "His body will be prepared to go on its final journey to Paradise," he added. "As my father's son, I need to at least see the King's body and pay my respects before I set sail for Undvik."
"What for?" Aegon asked.
"Undvik has fallen to prey a monster. A giant has near killed all of Undvik's warriors and the survivors have fled to the main island of Skellige seeking shelter and I swore an oath that I would slay the giant and restore Undvik its people," he said. "By doing that, I'll prove meself worthy," he added.
"Worthy? What for?" Saeko asked.
"Now that King Bran is dead, there will be those who will make their claim to the throne of Skellige and become Konung," Hjalmar replied. "But ye can only become Konung if you prove yourself worthy and have enough supporters to your claim," he said.
"But wouldn't King Bran's eldest son inherit the Throne of Skellige?" Aegon asked.
"He will, if he proves himself worthy of it," Hjalmar replied.
"So, there's no such thing as a hereditary monarchy in Skellige?" Saya asked.
"Nah, that sorta shite is on the Continent," Hjalmar confirmed. "Besides, the only one in Skellige who believes in that sorta crap is King Bran's wife, Birna," he said with a sour look.
"She's not too popular, I take it?" Saya asked dryly.
"That's like asking the wind why it blows," Hjalmar replied. "Some of the jarls question why King Bran married such a shrew and shoulda done more to keep her tongue from wagging too much," he said cynically.
"So, you think women are lesser than men?" Saya hissed out coldly, feeling umbrage at Hjalmar's apparent sexism.
"Ehh, well not exactly. We let women join the ranks of our warriors," Hjalmar said awkwardly. "And me wee sis, Cerys, is a feisty thing. She'd kill ya as soon as look at ye," he added.
"Let's change the subjects," Aegon said quietly. "How do you know Ciri? You said she was your intended?" he enquired.
"Oh, aye, I did," Hjalmar said feeling glad that the topic of gender was changed. "Years ago, Ciri would visit the Skellige Isles with Eist often as neither of them liked all the bloody pomp and ceremony in Cintra like knighting ceremonies and banquets. Me and me friends would go ice skating and try and see who could leap the furthest on the ice. Ciri was lighter and quicker than all of us, so she won easily. I tried to outdo her, but I ended smashing me face on a rock."
"How did that lead to Ciri becoming your intended?" Saeko asked.
"Well, Ciri stayed by my side the whole time I was recovering and well, we fell in love and we announced to everyone we'd gotten engaged," Hjalmar said with his cheeks going ruddy.
"How was that taken?" Aegon asked.
Hjalmar gave an awkward laugh and replied, "Calanthe had Ciri dragged back to Cintra and me Da whipped any ideas of me marrying Ciri outta me head." He then sighed and said, "I wonder how Ciri would feel seeing me again?"
"Well, I'm certain she would be glad to see you," Aegon said comfortingly.
"Heh, maybe," Hjalmar chuckled. "Ah, but we were young then, so it's probably just young love and that rarely works out," he said with a slightly bitter tone to his voice.
"I suppose you won't know until you see her again," Saeko said Hjalmar kindly.
"Maybe, maybe not," Hjalmar muttered. "Either way, Yennefer will want to know what you all know about her," he reminded them.
"Anything you can tell us to prepare for meeting with this Yennefer character?" Aegon asked.
"Well, Yennefer has got a ploughing broomstick up her backside," Hjalmar stated. "To call her imperious is being polite about it, makes demands and gets right tetchy if they aren't followed," he said.
"That said, she loves Ciri like her own flesh and blood dearly, and she'd do anything to make sure that she was safe," Hjalmar then said.
"Doesn't sound too bad then," Aegon remarked.
"Heheh, there's an old saying when it comes to Sorceresses: Don't mess with them, unless ya plan on falling in love," Hjalmar said with a chuckle.
"So, Yennefer is beautiful, or at least attractive to the human eye?" Aegon asked.
"Oh, all sorceresses are beautiful, laddie," Hjalmar said. "They use their magic to shape and mould their own bodies to their ideal shape and thus take on inhumanly beautiful forms," he added.
"I'll try not to fall in love with this sorceress then," Aegon joked and Saeko elbowed him in the ribs slightly making him grunt and his still sore ribs in discomfort.
"So, now that I've told a bit, what about you lot? Where is it you all come from and how did ye meet Ciri?" Hjalmar then asked.
"Well, it's bit of a story, but I suppose we can tell it," Saeko said with a smile and they proceeded to tell Hjalmar about their world and what had happened to it and how they met Ciri.
Hjalmar seemed horrified at the descriptions of Them and had even asked if any had followed them and if they could be killed. That had gotten Saeko, Saya and Aegon wondering if any had followed them when Ciri teleported them away. If one of Them had somehow landed on another world, then it would be a recipe for disaster. But they quickly reassured Hjalmar that They could be killed by going for the head but they also warned the Skelligan that if you had gotten bitten by one of Them then it was best to kill yourself as there was no cure for whatever pathogen that had created Them in the first place. They also told Hjalmar the weaknesses of Them of how They hunted primarily by sound and that it could be used as a distraction.
After chatting some more, Hjalmar left to bring them some food from the galley. Saya then spoke to Saeko and Aegon. "He's not too bad. A little coarse and simple for my tastes, but he's not a bad person," she remarked.
"Aye, not a bad person," Aegon agreed. "The idea of someone proving they're worthy to be king is quite novel and understandable, but much different than what I was taught back home," he said.
"And being your father's only son would mean you would be the rightful ruler of your kingdom, right?" Saeko asked.
"It would be," Aegon confirmed. "Although, I would have to win it back from the Usurper and his supporters," he said grimly. Then a contemplative look came over his features. "Although, Ciri did bring up something. Something that troubles me a little," he added.
"What is it?" Saeko asked him in concern.
"I don't know," Aegon said uncertainly. "Ciri brought up the point of whether I really was my father's son or not," he added. "I'm sure it's nothing, but the idea of me not being my father's son worries." A slightly fearful look came over Aegon's face. "What if I am not who I claim to be? What if I was propped up as someone else's child to claim a throne that isn't mine?" he wondered out loud.
"Do you have any idea to confirm it or not?" Saya asked.
"The only ones who I think would have any idea of the truth would be Varys the Spider and Magister Illyrio Mopatis," Aegon stated. "But they're a world away, literally, and unless we can find a way to travel to other worlds, I won't be able to reach them," he said with some frustration in his voice.
"What about this Yennefer? Maybe with her magic she could, I dunno, looking into your past or something like that?" Saya suggested. "I mean, she could do something like that to see into your earliest memories when you were a baby and see who your parents are, right?"
"Assuming she'd be willing to help me with such a thing," Aegon replied. "She may want payment for it," he said. "I know I would want payment for such a thing," he added knowingly.
"Well, you could offer a trade," Saeko offered. "Your knowledge of Ciri in exchange for looking into your memories. That'd be fair wouldn't it?" she asked.
"Aye, I suppose it would be a fair exchange," Aegon said with a nod of his head. "But we don't know where Ciri has gone, and this Yennefer would want to know where she has gone," he pointed out.
"Well, if Yennefer does have this motherly affection for Ciri, then telling her that Ciri was alive and well when we last saw her would be enough," Saeko said.
"Aye, but I'd rather not dwell on this for now," Aegon replied. "I could do with some food right about now," he said as he rubbed his stomach and at that moment Hjalmar came walking in bearing a platter of food.
"Anyone hungry? Got some pickled herring and black pudding if you're hungry," the man offered.
"Thank you, Ser Hjalmar, anything sounds good right now," Aegon said gratefully as he took a pickled herring and some black pudding from the platter and began to nibble on it. Saya made a face at the food, but she did not refuse it either. Saeko ate some of the food as well. Alice woke up and took the offered food and ate it.
After eating, Hjalmar offered to find them some clothes to wear as what they had arrived in wasn't fit for the cold Skelligan weather. Aegon dressed himself in some plain but fine looking clothes with a long coat to keep himself warm. Saeko chose to dress herself in some trousers, boots and tunic. Saya chose to wear a simple woollen dress with a fur coat and Alice was dressed in some oversized boy's clothes. Hjalmar then showed them to some spare cabins where they could sleep the night until they reached Skellige by tomorrow morning. Saya and Alice had a room to themselves and Aegon and Saeko shared the other.
"It's not bad," Saeko remarked as she looked at the somewhat sparse cabin she was to share with Aegon. "It's not the Ritz, but the sheets look clean at least," she added.
"Aye, we should be able to get a good night's sleep at least," Aegon agreed.
"Who said we were going to be sleeping?" Saeko asked and Aegon looked up at the Samurai who smiled at him suggestively.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying, Lady Saeko?" Aegon asked.
"What is it you think I'm saying?" Saeko shot back playfully as she bit her bottom lip.
"Saya and Alice are in the next room," Aegon pointed out to Saeko. "Seven knows if we taint Alice's innocence with the noise we make," he jested.
"Then we'll have to be extra quiet about it, won't we?" Saeko replied as she walked into Aegon's personal space and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer so that her body was flush against his. "Don't make me beg now," she whispered to Aegon throatily.
"You're going to be the death of me. You know that, yes?" Aegon replied. Saeko took that as a yes and pressed her lips to Aegon's in a firm kiss, rubbing her body up against his sensually. Aegon wrapped his arms around Saeko's waist and pulled her in tighter, plundering her mouth with his as they walked over to the bed and fell onto it, kissing and pulling each other's clothing off.
In the next room, Saya sighed in irritation as she heard rhythmic thumping and soft moans come through the wall if slightly muffled by the wood. She was half tempted to bang on her side of the wall and yell at Aegon and Saeko to keep it down, but she doubted they would listen to her. Either way, it confirmed what she thought of Aegon and Saeko's relationship; they had definitely hooked up and had done it before. In hindsight, it was obvious, plus the way Saeko had been breathing down her neck indicated that Saeko was a little territorial over Aegon.
Saya then remembered her dream of Aegon and her being in a very intimate situation and how she had almost kissed him after waking up from said dream. She felt a small tingle of jealously creep down her spine to which she stuffed her head in the pillow of her bunk and tried not to think about it, as well as muffle the sound of Aegon and Saeko fornicating in the next room.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There, the eighteenth chapter of this story is done and dusted! Apologies for it being so short and it being a simple filler, but hopefully the next chapter we'll see Aegon and co. meeting with Yennefer of Vengerberg and their interaction with the rest of the an Craite family and some of the other Jarls in Skellige and from there we'll see some adventures in Skellige before meeting with Geralt of Rivia himself.
Also, now that I think about it, what do you guys think of Aegon becoming a Witcher himself? I have a couple of ideas of how it could happen, one such idea involves going to the DC Comics Injustice world and being subjected to an inhuman experiment by Superman's Regime, but that's just one idea. If anyone wants to see Aegon become a Witcher in this story and has an idea of how it could be done, leave it in a review or PM them to me.
Anyways, not much else to say, so I'll just leave this here and I'll see you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.