A Song of Ice, Fire and the Dead
Chapter 21: Chain of Memories
After eating their fill of stew, Saeko wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her tunic and spoke. "Perhaps now might be a good time to have that talk with Yennefer?" she suggested helpfully.
"Now would be a good time to talk with her," Saya agreed as she wiped Alice's mouth clean of any stew residue.
Asking a guard where Yennefer's quarters were, the four were directed down into the harbour town inn where Yennefer had booked the largest room there.
They made their way to the keep's gates where upon Cerys showed up. "Ah, there you all are. Where are you heading off to?" she asked them.
"We were about to go see Lady Yennefer in the harbour town inn," Aegon replied respectfully. "But we don't quite know where the harbour town inn is," he said sheepishly.
"That's alright. I know the place," Cerys said. "I can take ye there if ye'd like?" she offered.
"Much appreciated," Saeko said with a bow of her head.
"Alright then, let's grab a couple of horses first," Cerys then said. "It's quite a walk from Kaer Trolde to the harbour town," she explained and she then left and a few minutes later she came back leading four horses by the reins.
"Any of you know how to ride?" Cerys asked.
"I do," Aegon said whereas Saeko and Saya shook their heads in response.
"It's alright. Nothing to it," Cerys said to them reassuringly. "Try not to be too nervous. Horses can feel if you're nervous and it makes them nervous," she explained.
"I don't know how to ride a horse!" Saya protested.
"Come, Lady Saya, you're a genius, right?" Aegon smiled at her. "Shouldn't be hard for you to figure out how to ride a horse," he said.
Saya glared at Aegon and replied, "I'll bet I can ride better than you ever could!"
"Very well. Let's see you do it," Aegon said as he folded his arms over his chest seemingly waiting for Saya to mount her horse. Saya frowned as she looked at one of the four horses. She then chose a chestnut mare which snorted and whickered as she neared it. Flinching a little as the horse swivelled its calm hazel eyes at her, Saya tentatively held out her hand to the horse. The mare then cautiously snuffed and snorted its nose into Saya's palm. Smiling to herself a little in triumph, Saya rubbed the mare's nose affectionately. Moving to the mare's side, Saya then hooked her foot into the stirrup and tried to lift herself into the saddle. Emphasis on tried.
Saya fell backwards onto her backside and groaned in annoyance. Aegon smiled in amusement before giving some advice to her. "Try holding onto the saddlehorn when pulling yourself up onto the saddle," he said.
Saya glared at Aegon but she did as he suggested and held onto the saddlehorn as she hooked her foot into the stirrup again and pulled herself up. Slowly and awkwardly, Saya lifted herself onto the saddle and swayed for a moment as she tried to get her bearings. The mare snorted and shook its head alarming Saya a little as she grabbed the saddlehorn tightly, a look of panic on her face. Once the horse finished shaking and was still, Saya sat up straight and smiled.
Aegon then looked at Saeko and asked her, "You want to try?" Saeko simply smiled in response as she did what Saya did but with much more confidence and grace. It also sent a small spark of amusement down Saeko's spine as she noticed Saya glaring at her.
Aegon then lifted Alice to sit in front of Saya on her horse before mounting his own. Sitting easily on the saddle, Aegon gave a grin and said, "It's been a while since I've ridden a horse, but I still remember how to do it."
"Good to hear," Cerys said as she swung herself onto her horse. "We'll go slowly, but we'll get to the harbour town much quicker than walking," she added and with a click of her tongue, she directed her horse into a slow trot. Aegon, Saeko, Saya and Alice's horses then followed after Cerys's as they made their way down the long winding road that led to Kaer Trolde's Harbour town.
Saya grunted as she bounced in the saddle as her horse trotted alongside Saeko's. Alice was giggling to herself the whole time. Saeko looked completely at ease in the saddle, almost as if she was born into it which given her Samurai heritage wasn't that surprising. Aegon rode his horse with natural ease which didn't surprise Saya all that much given what Aegon had told her about his life training for knighthood.
After about half an hour of slow trotting down the winding highway, they had reached the harbour town of Kaer Trolde. "Here we are, the harbour town," Cerys announced as she dismounted her horse. "The inn isn't far from here," she said to the others as they dismounted. Alice was lifted off by Aegon who then helped Saya dismount her horse. Saya blushed a little as Aegon helped her off her horse and she gave a murmur of thank you and didn't want to look Aegon in the eye. Saeko didn't need much help dismounting her horse, but Aegon still helped her tie the reins of her horse to the post.
Following Cerys, Saya gazed around at daily life in the harbour town of Kaer Trolde. She quickly noticed some of the townsfolk were staring at her, Alice and Saeko. Some of them were murmuring to each other; Saya could pick up the words "outsiders," "Strange hair," and the like. Saya decided to ignore the stares and words of the townsfolk; given hers, Saeko and Alice's unique features it was understandable they'd be the talk of local gossip in town. Alice and Saeko didn't appear to notice the stares and whispers of people around as they followed Cerys.
Cerys soon led the four to the Harbour town inn. A column of smoke rose up from the chimney and the muffled sounds of music, laughter and chatter emanated from within. Leading them to a doorway, Cerys knocked her fist against the wooden door and called out, "Lady Yennefer! It's Cerys! I've brought you visitors!"
The door swung open under its own force and Yennefer's floated out from inside. "Bring them inside."
Cerys looked at the others and nodded her head. Aegon went in first followed by Saeko, Saya and Alice. Cerys entered last and closed the door behind them. Aegon looked at Yennefer's room. It seemed she had spared no expense by buying at least three rooms to accommodate all her possessions. A large wooden changing screen blocked half of the first room and stepping out from behind the screen was Yennefer, but not as Aegon and his companions had expected.
To be clear, the sorceress wasn't actually naked, but she was wearing some rather skimpy looking black lingerie that certainly showed off the goods. Aegon quickly spun around a blush on his face and Saya clapped a hand over Alice's eyes to preserve her innocence.
"Our pardon, my lady!" Aegon said in a rushed awkward tone of voice. "We did not realise you were-" His words faltered as he tried to find a more polite term to describe the situation.
"It's nothing," Yennefer said calmly. "Give me a moment." A lavender blue glow emanated from the sorceress as she waved her hands and she was now fully clothed, but instead of the ankle length black skirt, she now wore tight form fitting black trousers.
"You can turn around now," she told Aegon who sighed in relief and turned back around and saw Yennefer was now fully dressed. "So, what can I do for you all?" the sorceress asked in an imperious voice as she put her hands on her hips.
"You remember asking us to come to your lodgings to speak to you about what we know of Ciri, Lady Yennefer," Saeko replied.
"I remember," Yennefer said with a nod of her head. "But I suppose you want something in exchange, yes?" she asked.
"In a way, yes," Aegon replied. "First, my companions and I will need to learn about this new world; the dangers and the like," he said.
"I can easily lend you some books on the subject," Yennefer said. "Is there anything else?" she asked.
"There is something else," Aegon said awkwardly. "I was wondering if you would be able to perform some kind of spell to see into my earliest memories of when I was a baby," he explained.
"Why would you need to do that?" Yennefer asked.
"It's something to do with my heritage and whether or not I am who I think I am," Aegon explained. "My whole life I was told that I was Prince Rhaegar Targaryen and Princess Elia Martell's son that was smuggled out and raised in secret," he clarified. "But Ciri brought up the question of whether I really my parents' son," he said.
"And you think seeing into your earliest memories of when you were an infant may hold the answers to those questions," Yennefer concluded and Aegon nodded in reply. Yennefer pursed her lips before saying, "The subtleties of the mind and memories are not my forte, but I suppose I can do something to at least glimpse into your memories."
"Failing that, you would need to seek out an oneiromancer for such a thing."
"Oneiromancer?" Saya echoed that word.
"Someone who can help you look into your past via dreams and visions," Yennefer said for everyone's benefit.
"Do you know of anyone who is an oneiromancer?" Saeko asked.
"I do know of one, but she is currently on the Continent, in the City of Novigrad which isn't safe for practitioners of magic or even show a slight modicum of learning," Yennefer said grimly.
"Why is that?" Saya asked.
"King Radovid the Stern of the Kingdom of Redania and the Mage Hunters of the Eternal Fire are cracking down on all magic users, executing them on pyres, confiscating their wealth to fuel Radovid's war against Nilfgaard," Yennefer said. "Novigrad was said to be safe for mages, but that turned out to be quite the opposite," she added.
"Novigrad… that's where Takashi and the others are supposed to be right?" Aegon asked his companions who nodded. "We'll need to get there as soon as we can!" he stated firmly.
"And how do you plan to get there?" Yennefer asked him pointedly.
"I suppose we could hire a ship…?" Aegon mumbled awkwardly.
"Do you have any money to hire a ship?" Yennefer asked.
Aegon stood there awkwardly and Yennefer smiled thinly and said, "I thought as much. You'll need to find some work to earn the coin needed to get to Novigrad."
"I don't suppose you know of any work suitable for us?" Saeko asked conversationally.
"Depends on your skillset, as well as your moral inclinations," Yennefer replied. "Judging by the swords you and your strapping companion have, I daresay you two could find some work as mercenaries or bounty hunters."
"Aye, there's some notice boards that should have some work for warriors that need coin," Cerys said speaking up since entering Yennefer's abode.
"Yes, but some work isn't suitable for mercenaries," Yennefer then said dryly.
"What kind?" Aegon asked.
"Monsters," Yennefer stated bluntly.
"Monsters? You mean like ghouls, drowners and sirens?" Saya asked.
"That and much more," Yennefer replied. "Monsters of a magical nature require weapons of silver or powerful magic to kill and some need more than that to kill," she said.
"What kind of monsters exist in this world?" Saeko asked.
"You already know about ghouls, drowners and sirens, but there are things like werewolves, gravehags, trolls and wraiths," Yennefer said. "And that's just the tip of the iceberg," she added.
"Wraiths? You mean ghosts?" Saya asked nervously.
"Indeed; those who have not passed beyond the veil of death and linger in the world of the living until they fulfill some sort of task or exact revenge on those who have wronged them or in some cases, cursed to never know peace in death."
"How do we fight such creatures?" Saeko asked.
"As I said, monsters of a magical nature require weapons made of silver or powerful magic to dispose of," Yennefer said. "Some monsters like trolls can be killed with regular steel, but for something like a ghoul or wraith, you'll need a weapon made of silver to kill it."
"What about Valyrian steel?" Aegon asked.
"Valyrian steel? I've never heard of such a metal before," Yennefer remarked. "What kind of metal is it?" she asked.
Aegon then drew Blackfyre from its scabbard and showed it to the sorceress. "Valyrian steel or sometimes called spell-forged steel is a metal of my homeworld," he said. "Forged in the Valyrian Freehold at the height of its power. No-one is too certain how Valyrian steel was forged; some say they wove magical spells into the molten before blasting it with dragon-fire," he added. "When made into a blade, it is nigh unbreakable and never dulls and cuts through armour and flesh like a red-hot knife through butter," he then said.
"Interesting," Yennefer murmured as her lavender eyes picked over the details of the sword. "May I?" she asked looking at Aegon who handed the sword to her. Yennefer the sword carefully feeling the weight of it in her hands. "It's very light," she commented.
"Lighter and stronger than even castle-forged steel," Aegon confirmed. "Making it faster to swing," he said. "And much, much stronger too," he added.
"Interesting." Yennefer then began to murmur something under her breath. Small sparks danced between her fingertips as she ran them along the flat of the blade. "This sword is old and carries much history, both good and bad," she said slowly. "I'd almost say it's like a Witcher's steel or silver sword, but much more than either," she added. The sorceress then handed the weapon back to Aegon and asked, "How did you come by such a weapon?"
"That goes back to what I asked of you to look into my earliest memories as an infant, my lady," Aegon said and he then proceeded to tell Yennefer of his family history and the history of his world. He told Yennefer about the history of Blackfyre and how it had been passed down from Targaryen to Targaryen, up until Aegon the Unworthy who bequeathed it to his bastard Prince Daemon Waters who then took the name of the sword for his own house and how the Blackfyre Rebellions came about.
Once he had finished, Yennefer then asked, "And you feel that your memories of infancy may hold a clue as to whether you are a Targaryen or a Blackfyre?"
"I think so," Aegon replied. "The only ones who would know the truth of my parentage would be Varys and Illyrio, but they're both a world away. Literally," he said. "So, perhaps with your help or an oneiromancer, I could confirm this," he added.
"Very well, but in exchange, I want you all to tell me everything you know of Ciri and her time with you all," Yennefer said in a tone that brokered no argument.
…
An hour later, Aegon, Saeko, Saya and Alice had told Yennefer everything they knew of Ciri in the time she had travelled with them and how the Wild Hunt had come looking for her. Cerys had left to attend her duties and Yennefer had brought some food and drink for her guests while they talked.
Yennefer had wanted to go everything ad nauseum, picking over every detail. She questioned Aegon and Saeko the most given they were the first to meet Ciri. The sorceress had also asked about Them, Their creation, Their weaknesses and everything else. The four outworlders told Yennefer everything they knew, but lamentably said they did not know what had created Them in the first place. Yennefer said she would look into her grimoires and books for anything that could be related to Them.
"Well, this has been a productive chat," Yennefer said as she sipped from a chalice of undoubtedly expensive wine. Her face had softened during the time she had spoken with her guests. "Thank you for telling everything you and for keeping Ciri out of Eredin's clutches."
"Eredin?" Saeko repeated. "Is he the leader of the Wild Hunt?" she asked as she nibbled on fruit.
"Indeed and is the de-facto ruler of the Aen Elle after the death of their previous king," Yennefer replied and she sighed. "I still remember the day he captured me to draw Ciri out of hiding," she said bitterly as she closed her eyes to ward off a bad memory.
"Why does Eredin want Ciri?" Saya asked.
"Ciri is the last living descendant of Lara Dorren, with a powerful connection to magic," Yennefer answered. "Ciri also has the ability to move freely between worlds. Time and space is no obstacle for her," she said.
"And Eredin wants Ciri for such a power?" Aegon asked.
"Yes. Eredin hopes to use Ciri's Elder Blood to open the Gateway on the homeworld of the Aen Elle and colonise other worlds," Yennefer said.
"Why do they want to colonise other worlds?" Saeko asked.
"The White Frost," Yennefer said grimly. "It is an all-consuming power that envelopes worlds in ice and snow, leaving them barren frozen wastelands. Ithilinne's Prophecy states that only those of the Elder Blood can stop it," she explained.
"And Ciri is the last living descendant of the Elder Blood," Aegon said realisation. "That's an awfully big burden to shoulder," he added gravely.
"It is, and I want to be there for Ciri to make sure that she won't do it alone," Yennefer said, her eyes downcast. "She is the closest thing I have to a daughter in this world and I refuse to let anyone hurt her." She looked up and her eyes had a hard, icy look to them.
"We wouldn't dream of hurting Ciri," Saeko said swiftly.
"I know, but there are others who would seek to use Ciri for their own ends," Yennefer said. "Eredin being one of them," she added.
"And the others?" Saya asked.
"Former colleagues of mine," Yennefer said with a sour look on her face.
"I see," Saya mumbled.
Yennefer sighed before finishing off the last of her wine and said, "But enough chatter on that. I take it you want to begin seeing into your memories?" she asked looking at Aegon.
"Um, yes, I suppose," Aegon replied a little surprise.
"Good. Come with me, please," Yennefer ordered him and she stood from her chair and led to her private quarters. Saeko made to follow them when Yennefer stopped her. "I need absolute privacy for this. For your own safety if anything," the sorceress told her. Saeko reluctantly obeyed and stayed with Saya and Alice.
Yennefer then cast a spell and a translucent dome of pale blue energy surrounded her and Aegon. "Now strip off and lay on the bed," she told him.
"Er, what?" Aegon squawked.
"You heard me."
Aegon reluctantly began to disrobe. Once he had stripped off all his clothes until he was only in his smallclothes, Aegon lay down on the bed and looked up at Yennefer who began waving her hands in odd motions, chanting in some strange tongue. Then the sorceress placed her hands on Aegon's forehead, and he gasped loudly as pain lanced through his skull like a hot poker, his eyes rolling into the back of his head and everything went white.
…
When Aegon opened his eyes, he saw that he was standing in a vast white field that stretched on for miles in every direction.
"Hello?" Aegon called out uncertainly and he looed at himself and saw that he was still in his smallclothes. Looking around for some clothes, Aegon found some sitting by his feet and hurriedly put them on.
"Where… where am I?" Aegon asked himself.
"We are inside your mind," said a familiar voice and Aegon spun around to see Yennefer standing behind him, her arms folded over her chest.
"This… this the inside of my mind?" Aegon asked. "A bit… empty," he remarked awkwardly.
"It's like this because I cleared your mind of the clutter that was inside it," Yennefer said to him. "We don't need any random thoughts and memories distracting us while we look into your earliest memories," she explained.
"I suppose that makes sense," Aegon said feeling very out of his depth with this. "So, how is this going to work?" he enquired cautiously.
"Very simple really," Yennefer replied as she waved her hands and floating up from the white floor came some picture frames. "Looking at these blank, shall we say, canvases, we clear away the white noise to show the images." With a flick of her hands, the first canvas began to clear and show a blurry image of two figures standing over something. "A bit blurry, but that's to be expected," Yennefer remarked as she murmured a spell and the image cleared up a little to show a familiar face to Aegon.
"That's Illyrio," he said as the image of the Cheesemonger became clearer.
"I'll say he's had his share of cheeses, wouldn't you say?" Yennefer jested lightly although a look of revulsion was on her features as she gazed upon the obese body of Illyrio and his pudgy bearded face. "And who would be the person next to him?" she wondered aloud as she waved her hand and the image cleared to show a bald smooth faced man with white makeup and slightly pudgy face.
"Do you recognise this man?" Yennefer then asked.
"Not personally, but by the looks of it, I'd say it's Varys the Spider, a eunuch and spymaster with an extensive network of spies and informants," Aegon replied. "What does this image show?" he asked.
"Judging by the way they are standing, I could hazard a guess in saying this is your crib when you were a baby," Yennefer replied. "Let's try the next image," she said and she waved her hands and the next canvas began to clear. This time the image was a beautiful woman with Valyrian features and a loving smile on her face.
"Do you recognise this image?" Yennefer asked.
"N-No, I don't know this woman at all. At least I don't remember her," Aegon replied, uncertainty filling his voice. "Who could she be?" he wondered.
Yennefer looked at the image of the woman and looked at Aegon before looking back at the image again. "You share many similar features with this woman," she said slowly. "Could she be your mother?" she suggested.
"How could she be?" Aegon asked. "My mother is Princess Elia Martell of House Dorne!" he shouted.
"Alright, calm down, let's not jump to conclusions," Yennefer said firmly. "Let's try the next image." Waving her hands again, the next canvas began to clear and another familiar face was shown to Aegon; Lord Jon Connington.
"This is someone you recognise?" Yennefer asked.
"Yes, very much so. It's Lord Jon Connington of Griffin's Roost. He raised me from a bean and taught me everything I know," Aegon replied.
"Certainly looks like a stern fatherly type," Yennefer mused. "Let's try the next image," she said as the next canvas began to clear. The next images showed more familiar faces to Aegon; Ser Rolly Duckfield, Haldon Halfmaester and Septa Lemore.
"These are your teachers?" Yennefer enquired.
Aegon nodded. "Mmhmm. That's Ser Rolly Duckfield who taught me skill at arms, Haldon Halfmaester who taught me history, languages, writing and arithmetic, and that's Septa Lemore who taught me the mysteries of the Seven."
"They seem like good people," Yennefer said.
"They are. The closest thing to family I have," Aegon stated proudly. "But are there any images of my mother Elia, my father, my sister?" he asked in growing worry.
"I don't know to be honest," Yennefer admitted softly. "These are all the images I could pull up from your earliest memories," she said. "You'll need to find someone more adept at this art than I to glean the truth."
"The oneiromancer in Novigrad," Aegon said. "How do I find them him or her?" he asked.
"You'll need to be careful," Yennefer warned him. "With the mage hunters out in force, mages will be hiding in whatever nooks and crannies they can hide themselves in," she said. "I do have an old friend in Novigrad who could help you find the oneiromancer," she added.
"Who?"
"An old and dear friend, Triss Merigold. She too is a sorceress, but she'll be in hiding as well and is trying to organise an escape for all the mages in Novigrad," Yennefer said. "But this isn't the place to discuss that," she added with a shake of her head before she placed her hands on Aegon's temples and everything went white.
Aegon woke up with a start and panted for breath. Looking around, Aegon was surprised to see Saeko and Saya talking with Yennefer. Saeko saw Aegon awake and rushed to kneel beside him. "You're awake!" the samurai said in relief.
"I'm alright. I'm not hurt," Aegon replied reassuringly. He looked at Yennefer and said, "You were saying?"
"I was just telling your friends about Triss and the oneiromancer, as well as the situation in Novigrad," Yennefer said to him. "I can contact Triss tonight and try and set up a meeting, but who knows if she'll answer," she added grimly.
"Take the good with the bad I guess," Aegon muttered dryly as he stood up from the bed. "May I get dressed?" he asked.
"By all means," Yennefer said as she left the room.
Aegon quickly dressed and Saya asked him, "So, what did you find?"
"A few fragments of my past, but nothing conclusive," Aegon admitted. "I must admit, I am worried," he said gravely.
"How so?" Saeko asked him.
"There was one image, memory, of a woman with Valyrian features like mine," Aegon said. "Yennefer said she might be my mother," he added. "But how could she be?" he thought aloud but Saeko and Saya could hear the doubt tinging his voice.
"Don't worry, we'll get through this together," Saeko said to Aegon comfortingly as she moved to hug Aegon's arm.
"Together?" Aegon asked.
"Together," Saeko confirmed.
Aegon then felt someone else hug his side and looked to see Saya looking up at him. "It might not be my concern, but after all you've done to help me, I'm… happy to help you however I can," she said with a nervous smile.
"Thank you, Lady Saya," Aegon replied with a soft smile and he looked at Saeko who was frowning a little. "Thank you both. I don't know how I lucked out and got two good people to stand beside me in all this," he said with a chuckle.
"Where would you be without us?" Saeko said to him sweetly.
"Oh, dead in a ditch somewhere?" Aegon jested.
"You can be such an ass, you know that?" Saya said to him sarcastically although a smile was on her lips.
"Would you have me any other way?" Aegon grinned teasingly.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Egg," Saeko said to him mock-threateningly but she pressed a swift kiss to his cheek. Aegon grinned at the little display of affection and sighed.
"Thanks the Gods for moments like this," he said as he looked up at the ceiling. Saeko and Saya chuckled at this and they hugged him tighter.
Yennefer watched the scene with a slight smile pulling at her lips before turning around and heading into another room to use her mega-scope to hopefully contact Triss and perhaps even contact her lover the Witcher Geralt of Rivia and get some updates on finding Ciri's whereabouts.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: Therre, the twenty-first chapter of this story is done and dusted! I hope you all enjoyed it and we'll see the beginnings of the group's adventures in Skellige trying to earn some money to buy passage to the Continent to the City of Novigrad. There will be some more crossovers to come like I have planned, I'll just need to check that plan for which worlds that the crossovers will happen. And although I didn't outright say it, Gaunter O'Dimm will feature in some way in this story as he has taken an interest in the group, I mean people from another world will always be of interest to certain individuals like Gaunter.
In other news, I've recently updated my Narnia/Red Dead Redemption 2 crossover and I'm starting to think about what sort of weapon/present Arthur would receive from Father Christmas. With that in mind, I've set up a voting poll on my profile of some items Arthur could receive from Father Christmas, so feel free to cast your vote there.
And other than that, I haven't got too much more to say, so I'll leave this here and see you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.