A Song of Ice, Fire & the Dead
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Chapter 29: Winter Wardrobe Wonderland Part IV
As they ate their luncheon in relative calm, Saya spoke. "I wonder if any of these…" she struggled to find the right term before finally settling on one, saying, "People realise that this might be considered cannibalism on their part?" She contemplated a boiled egg for a moment as she looked a little queasy at the thought.
"I'd rather not think about it right now," Aegon said softly as he took a bite of buttered toasted bread before washing it down with a gulp of fruit juice. "And thus far we've remained in this company's good graces, despite saying that we were sent by the Witch," he added.
"What do we do about her? The Witch, I mean," Saya said looking at Aegon.
"The Witch did charge us with persuading the Lion to leave this kingdom by whatever means necessary," Aegon said as he remembered the agreement they had made with the Witch-Queen. "We could try to persuade the Lion to leave peacefully, but I am curious as to what the story between them is."
"What do you think the actual story might be?" Saeko asked her lover.
"I don't know, but there must be a deeper reason behind such enmity between the Witch and the Lion," Aegon said as he looked at Saeko before he stood to his feet. "I might ask around and try and find out the reason the Witch really wants the Lion dead. There must be more to it than what has been told to us," he stated.
"I'll go with you," Saeko said to her lover as she stood to her feet also, brushing off breadcrumbs from her chest.
"What do we do?" Alice asked Aegon who looked at her and Saya.
"Stay here and be prepared to make a quick and hopefully quiet exit if this goes wrong," the Valyrian told her and Saya. "We've been allowed to remain here at this camp at the leisure of the Lion and his army, but we may be stirring a hornets nest if we ask questions," he said.
"C'mon. There must be someone here who knows the details of the Lion and the Witch's hatred of one another," Saeko said to Aegon as they prepared to walk through the camp and find any rumours about the Witch-Queen and her foe.
…
Walking through the camp, the air was filled with a cacophony of fires crackling, hammers clanging, wood being sawed through and the grunts, growls and brays of various creatures preparing to go to war.
"Where do we start asking questions?" Aegon asked as he looked around at the various beasts who were working.
"I suggest we start with the older veterans. They'd be a good source of information," Saeko replied as she gazed around, looking for those who would have the look and air of a veteran. Spotting a grey-haired satyr, Saeko nudged Aegon and indicated the greyed satyr with a nod of her head. Aegon nodded and prepared to walk over to the satyr to speak with it.
"Good morrow, ser. Fine day, isn't it?" Aegon began conversationally to the Satyr who looked with its goat eyes and replied in a voice that sounded like a billygoat bleating, "Aye. Fine day, spring is now upon us."
"And soon you'll be at war with the Witch-Queen's forces, no doubt," Aegon then remarked.
"Aye, that we will," the satyr said stopping what he was doing to look at Aegon.
"But why would you go to war against the Witch-Queen?" Aegon then asked. "What has she done that warrants going to war against her?"
The satyr appeared to regard this before saying, "Other than the fact she has kept this land in perpetual winter for night 100 years, I can't rightly say."
"How is it she cast such a spell to make winter last for so long?" Aegon asked curiously.
"I don't know," the satyr admitted. "It was before my time, I will say."
"Would anyone here know the reason?" Aegon enquired.
"One or two," the satyr stated. "Old Fox and Whitehorn, they've been around for a long while and were there when the spell were cast," he said.
"Thank you, ser. I wish you good health," Aegon said as he turned around to walk over to Saeko and whispered to her. "We need to find a pair named Old Fox and Whitehorn. They might know the reason why this land was stuck in winter."
"Split up?" Saeko suggested and Aegon nodded. Saeko then took the western side of the camp while Aegon took the eastern side.
Walking through the crowd of working man-beasts, Saeko kept her eyes peeled for anyone matching the description of Old Fox and Whitehorn; the first's title implied that he or she was a fox of some kind, an old one and if the way it was said, Old Fox would have to be quite old having been around for close to a hundred years. Whitehorn sounded a little vague as some creatures had horns of varying colours and there were plenty of beasts here that had horns themselves.
Weaving through the tents and workers and soldiers, Saeko soon came to a curious scene where a group of animals were sitting at a round table, playing a card game of some kind. The animals sitting at the table were a badger, a beaver, a wild boar, and a wizened looking fox with near completely grey fur. A small crowd had gathered around the table of players and were giving shouts of encouragement as the players dealt cards out on the table.
"Bah! Lost again!" the badger cursed as it tossed its handful of cards on the table in disgust, having apparently lost the round.
"Heheh! Gonna have to try harder than that to pull one over me, stripey," the grey fox said with a grin filled with very worn looking teeth. Looking at the badger and boar, he asked, "Either of you feeling lucky?"
"Put yer money where yer snout is, grey one!" the boar grunted and snorted. "I'll bet you a keg of triple mead I can win this hand!" he wagered.
"What about you, woodchuck?" the fox looked at the badger who gave a grin before saying, "I'll bet you me best lumber axe I can beat you and the piggy!"
"Well, both fine prizes to be had," the grey old fox said as it leaned back in its seat with a grin on its lips before declaring, "I'll wager you both my old foxhole, luxurious as it gets."
The boar snorted in excitement and Saeko could only guess that the old fox's home was quite the prize. "I'll take that bet!" the boar said.
"Same here! Always wanted a new home for the wife," the beaver said as he began to shuffle the cards.
The badger however sullenly said, "I'd rather keep whatever dignity I have left intact." Standing from the table the badger waddled off into the myriad of tents.
With the fourth member of their game having left, the remaining three then proceeded to play their game. Saeko with interest as the game proceeded to play out. Cards were shuffled and dealt; far as Saeko could tell, the game seemed to be Blackjack with each of the players asking for cards to get close to 21.
Soon after, the fox was declared the winner. The boar squealed in anger and the beaver looked very displeased. "Looks like I win, boys," the grey furred fox said with smug looking grin. "I'll collect me winnings after evening meal," he told them.
"You cheated! Had to!" the boar grunted and snorted.
"I'm just that good, porky," the old fox said smugly. "Now are you gonna start something here or am I gonna have to ask Grizzleguts to remove ya both?" he asked and lumbering into view was a large brown furred bear with a claw mark scar on its face who growled in a low threatening rumble.
The boar and the beaver hung their heads in defeat and left the table. The grey furred fox grinned smugly before noticing Saeko watching him and said, "Ah, you're that human. The spy sent by the Witch-queen."
"I'm no-one's spy," Saeko said calmly. "Might you be Old Fox?" she asked.
"Might be that I am, pretty one," Old Fox said with a grin. "Join me for a while?" he offered.
"Gladly," Saeko said with a calm smile. "Perhaps we can trade stories?" she suggested.
"Ah, stories we can trade over a game or two," the Old Fox said with a grin. "You know how to play?" he enquired.
"I'm a quick study," Saeko said smoothly.
Old Fox grinned toothily and said, "Well, in that case, what shall we wager for this game?"
"You could me the story of the Witch-Queen cursed this land to under Winter for a hundred years," Saeko offered.
Old Fox frowned a little at this and Grizzleguts grumbled threateningly. "And why would you wanna know that?" Old Fox asked in a terse voice.
"Call me curious," Saeko said in answer with a smile on her lips. "Has to be some reason why this land was stuck in winter for a century," she pointed.
"You're not wrong," Old Fox said with a shrug. "But, if I win, you could, say, become my servant?" he suggested with a wicked looking grin.
Saeko thought about it for a moment; from what she had seen of Old Fox, he was a gambler and quite a skilled one at that. And the suggestion that she become his servant if she lost the game made it appear that he was quite certain that he'd win. Having observed the Old Fox during the game he'd played with the others, Saeko had noted that he seemed to watch the cards carefully, always keeping a close eye on them, changing his bets every round. The samurai could only surmise that Old Fox used some method of counting cards, something that put him at an advantage over others. Whether or not Old Fox's past competitors knew that detail was unknown to Saeko, but she could guess that they didn't, otherwise they would've barred him from further games or come up with strategies to counter such tactics.
"Very well. I accept," Saeko said with a thin smile as she sat opposite Old Fox.
Old Fox grinned widely at this and said, "Awfully confident, aren't you?"
"Mind if I shuffle the cards?" Saeko asked as she took the deck and began to shuffle them quickly. Soon after she had shuffled the cards, Saeko prepared herself to play against Old Fox.
…
Aegon wandered about the tents and the man-beasts and animals. He kept a careful lookout for anyone matching the description of Old Fox and Whitehorn. Old Fox wouldn't be too hard to spot as he could only be as his pseudonym implied a fox of significant age. Whitehorn was a different matter as there were plenty of beasts that had horns, but it was rare for those horns to be a white colour, at least when they grew older.
The sound of neighing horses alert Aegon and he looked over to see a pen of centaurs and horses having shoes be refitted or barding put on them. And there was one horse that caught Aegon's eyes; a pure white mare that a single white spiral horn sprouting from its head.
Having a feeling that this was Whitehorn, Aegon walked over to the horse pen, slowly and calmly so as not to spook the animals and anger the centaurs. Stopping to speak to one of the centaurs, Aegon asked, "Is that a unicorn over there?"
The centaur nodded and said, "Aye, that's Whitehorn. Been around a long time she has."
"Truly? How long has she been around for?" Aegon asked casually.
"Hard to say, really," the centaur replied. "I think she was around when the Winter curse was cast," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Can she speak the human tongue?"
"Aye, she can, although she's often not very talkative," the centaur told Aegon. "Lost a lot of friends in the years she's been around," he added.
"Would she be willing to talk with me for a few moments?" Aegon enquired.
The centaur sucked in a breathe before saying, "Can't rightly say, but I could ask her if you'd like." The centaur then trotted over to the unicorn and spoke to her. Aegon waited patiently as the centaur spoke to the unicorn. A moment later, the centaur came back to Aegon and said to him, "She's willing to talk with you, but only for a few moments."
"I won't take up too much of her time," Aegon promised as he walked towards the Unicorn. As he approached the Unicorn, the pure white equine turned its head to regard him, whickering and pawing the ground with one hoof. Aegon bowed his head respectfully and spoke, "Greetings to you, Lady Whitehorn. I am Aegon Targaryen. I had heard the rumour that you were around when the Winter Curse was cast."
Whitehorn snorted and snuffled, nodding her head in response. Aegon raised his head to look up at the mare and said, "I know you have lost many friends in the time you've been here in this land, and I have no wish to dredge up any painful memories, but could you tell me the story of the Witch-Queen and the Lion?"
Then a powerful female voice filled Aegon's head, "Why do you wish to know that story, Being?"
Aegon almost clutched his head in surprise as the woman's voice filled the corners of his mind, but he managed to recover and say, "I simply wish to know. The Witch-Queen may have asked me and my companions to force her enemy to leave this land or kill him, but I must know why."
"Very few know the reasons the Witch-Queen wants the Lion dead," the Unicorn's voice said to Aegon. "Fewer even ask why."
"Well, I'd like to know. Truth be told I have no real intention of killing the Lion," Aegon replied. "My companions and I simply wish to bring our friend back to whence we came," he then said.
A humming sound came from the Unicorn before the voice spoke again, "Hmmm. You appear to be truthful, Being. I will grant you the answers you seek. Come with me." The Unicorn then began to walk out of the stables and Aegon followed the equine outside and down a pathway into the forest.
After a few minutes of walking, Aegon found himself in a small grove of fruit trees where the Unicorn turned to look at him intently and the voice spoke to Aegon again. "We will not be overheard here. Ask your questions."
"Why is it that the Witch-Queen wishes the Lion dead? Not simply for the reason that the Lion will bring spring I assume?" Aegon asked.
"Confirmed," Whitehorn said.
Aegon blinked before asking, "Is it something personal between the Witch-Queen and the Lion?"
"Confirmed."
Aegon raised an eyebrow before shaking his head and saying, "So, it is personal that the Witch-Queen wants the Lion dead, but not just because he will bring about spring… was there some form of betrayal on the Lion's part"
"Confirmed."
Aegon sighed before he said, "Could you give me a straight answer, please?"
"Ask your question then," Whitehorn replied.
Aegon thought about what he wanted to ask before an idea came to his mind and he said, "The Witch-Queen and the Lion were lovers once, and the Lion betrayed her hence why she wants him dead."
"Confirmed," Whitehorn said in response with a nod of her head.
"How did that even work?" Aegon asked with a slightly disgusted face.
"The Lion was not always a Lion," Whitehorn said vaguely.
"You mean he was once human? Or something close to it?" Aegon asked.
"Once, yes, until he betrayed his lover, the one known as the Witch-Queen who cursed to take the form of a Lion and brought about this winter," Whitehorn said.
"But something has changed, hasn't it?" Aegon question. "It was Alice's arrival in this land, wasn't it?" he then said.
"Confirmed," Whitehorn said with a nod of her head.
"Then what are my companions and I to do?" Aegon then enquired. "All we want is to leave this place. Nothing more," he stated.
"I cannot say what you must do, Being," Whitehorn said. "But if you wish to know how to resolve this matter. Travel east from this camp towards the Stone Table, you may find a clue there that can help you decide what to do," she added before she then headed back down the path to the Lion's camp.
Aegon stared after Whitehorn having a feeling that he was not going to get any further questions answered. Sighing to himself, the Valyrian muttered to himself, "I hope Saeko is having better luck than I am…"
…
Saeko peered down at her cards; a couple of rounds in she had won them, much to Old Fox's displeasure. But Old Fox had won the next couple of rounds which pleased the vulpine greatly as he appeared to savour the thought of having a servant.
Now they had come to the final round of the game. Saeko looked at the cards in her hand; she had a ten of hearts and an eight of diamonds. She would need a three, a two or an ace to win this final round.
Old Fox peered over his cards at the samurai, smacking his lips in thought before saying, "Feel like giving up? I won't blame if you do," he said smugly as he clearly thought he had won this game.
Saeko pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing dangerously before she replied, "As far as I can tell, we're about the same level right, so it could go either way." Smiling slightly she then said, "Of course, you could always use that little trick of yours."
Old Fox gave a little twitch of greyed ears as he spluttered, "Tr-trick? What trick are you on about?" The spectators watching suddenly watched with interest, wondering what the human female was talking about.
"I've watched you play against the others. You always seem to win every hand because you know how to count the cards, don't you?" the samurai said with a calm chilling smile.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Old Fox denied.
"Oh, but you do," Saeko remarked. "And in fact, I'll wager you know which card comes next out of the deck and you'll either pass or take them getting you closer to winning," she said.
"You-!" Old Fox spluttered his eyes and ears twitching in annoyance.
"I wonder if anyone else here who has played and lost against you is just now realising that you've essentially cheated every time you played against them and now they're looking to get their wagers back," Saeko said with a smile as the spectators all grumbled and muttered, the sound growing more and more threatening.
Old Fox threw his cards down in annoyance, standing up in his seat and shouting, "I'll not be accused of cheating by some filthy spy!"
"Then take the next hand and prove me wrong," Saeko said coolly and Old Fox blanched and looked very nervous as the spectators all looked at him expectantly, as if challenging him to take the next card in the deck.
Old Fox's eyes darted to and fro, as if trying to weigh his options before he suddenly bolted, shouting, "Grizzleguts! Get rid of 'er!"
Grizzleguts growled lowly as he rose to stand on his hindpaws but stopped in his tracks as Saeko looked at him and asked him, "What does Old Fox have on you?"
Grizzleguts snorted before replying, "What's it to you, human?"
"You obviously don't like him? So what he does he have on you?" Saeko asked.
"A debt that I must pay," Grizzleguts admitted.
"If I help absolve your debt, will you help me?" Saeko asked the bear who growled for a moment before nodding and he then turned about and set after Old Fox who despite his clearly advanced age was still quick on his feet. Those who had played against the vulpine in the past and had lost all set after the swindler and soon after Old Fox was caught and brought before Saeko. The aged beast was forcibly sat in the chair as Saeko looked down at him before speaking.
"Now, before I let everyone else take back what you cheated them of, you will tell me everything you know of the Witch-Queen and the Lion. And you'd better give me something I can use, or else I'll show you my displeasure," the samurai told the con artist.
"I don't know anything! Just rumours!" Old Fox yelped out.
"Grizzleguts?" Saeko glanced at Old Fox's indebted servant who clamped his powerful jaws around his former master's body hard, but not so hard as to kill him. Old Fox gave a loud scream of pain before he whimpered out, "It was a century ago, when I was a pup, the Lion wasn't always as he were now!"
"The Witch-Queen cursed him then?" Saeko asked.
"Yeh, the Witch cursed him for betraying her! Something to do with some dryad lass! That's all I know!" Old Fox wailed out.
"Where did this curse take place?" Saeko asked.
"Don't know! I swear, I don't know!" Old Fox said through his pain. "But Whitehorn! She knows where the curse was cast!" he added desperately.
Saeko nodded in satisfaction before saying, "Thank you for the information. Now I shan't force you, but if I were you, I'd start paying back all those who have played against you in the past what you cheated them out of, and I would also ask you forgive Grizzleguts his debt and release him."
"But, they'll take everything I own!" Old Fox shrieked in dismay.
"A small price to pay, unless you're willing to trade your very blood for it?" Saeko said to him threateningly. The samurai then stood from her seat and stated, "Have a pleasant day, Old Fox. May we never meet again."
The samurai then turned around and walked away as Old Fox was suddenly at the mercy of those who he had cheated many times before.
As she walked away from the scene, Saeko then looked around and said to herself, "So, the Witch cursed the Lion who was not actually a Lion for a betrayal on his part. But where was this curse cast and how do we lift it?" she puzzled on the thought then she heard someone call her name.
"Saeko!" The samurai turned to see Aegon jogging up to her. "Saeko. I've discovered something," the Valyrian said to his girlfriend.
"So have I, but you go first," Saeko told him.
"Not here. In private," Aegon whispered to her as he cast his gaze about, clearly suspicious that they may be overheard. "And I think Saya and Alice might want to know as well," he added.
"Good idea," Saeko said with a nod of her as she and her lover then headed back to where they had left Saya and Alice.
…
After reaching their tent, Aegon and Saeko found Saya sitting on the grassy floor with Alice in her lap, attempting to braid the little girl's hair. "Saya, Alice? We've discovered something," Aegon said to the pair.
"Well, what is it? What have you found?" Saya asked in clear interest.
"The Witch and the Lion were once lovers in the past," Aegon announced.
"Lovers? How did that even work?" Saya said with a look of disgust in her eyes.
"The Lion wasn't always a Lion," Saeko told her. "For whatever reason, the Witch cursed him to be a Lion," she then said.
"Aye, that's what I learnt from Whitehorn as well," Aegon replied. "Something about the Lion betraying the Witch for some reason," he said as he put a hand to his chin in thought. "But what could the reason be?"
Saya snorted and said, "Isn't it obvious?" Aegon, Alice and Saeko looked at the pink haired genius questioningly. "The Lion obviously betrayed the Witch, his lover, by cheating on her with someone else," she explained.
"That'd be good enough reason to curse a man for such betrayal," Saeko said with a nod of her head. "But where was this curse cast? And how do we even lift it?" she added.
"Whitehorn mentioned a placed called the Stone Table that's east of this camp," Aegon said. "She said that we can find clues there that can help us learn more about the curse cast on the Lion," he added.
"Then that's where we need to go!" Saya declared as she stood to her feet.
"We'll wait until after dark. Less prying eyes then," Saeko told everyone. "For now, we prepare ourselves. We don't know what we'll find at this Stone Table, so we'll need to use this time to plan ahead," she stated.
"Good idea," Aegon agreed nodding his head in approval of Saeko's suggestion.
"So, what do we take with us?" Alice asked.
"We'll figure something about," Saya told the little girl. "Let's get a map and figure out where the Stone Table is. We know it's east of here but where is it exactly?" she asked.
"Let's have a look," Aegon said as he looked at a nearby map on the table and everyone began to pore over it, making plans to head for the Stone Table and find further clues of why the Witch-Queen cursed her former lover the Lion.
TO BE CONTINUED….
A/N: There! After a long wait, I finally updated this! I do apologise for the long wait but I was a little distracted with other projects and some real life stuff with work that involved a merger with a new company that will be happening within the next couple of months, plus planning a short little trip to look after my parents' house and pets when they go away on a little reunion holiday, but you don't need to know that.
And apart from that, I haven't got too much more to say, so I'll leave this here and I'll see you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.