Disclaimer: A song of Ice and Fire belongs to George R.R Martin. Dark Souls belongs to FROM SOFTWARE.

A song of Darkness and Souls

Chapter 4

Daenerys I

A small girl wakes up and realizes she was the middle on nothing, literally, a white world, as white as milk or as the falling snow of winter covering and surrounding everything. She was Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, a young woman in her early teens with the classical Valyrian look; violet eyes, pale skin and long pale silver-gold hair.

She was scarred, she doesn't know what this place is and the lack of anything was terrifying, like she was drowning in the ocean trying to do everything in her power so she could draw a single breath out of her lungs.

She looks around the white infinite world and something catch her attention. A man, a giant man, looking straight at the sky as if there was something there. She looks at where the man is looking and as she thought there was nothing in there.

When the man turns his face towards her, she falls on her butt, it didn't make a sound when she fell but it was as if the sound could only be felt not heard. She sees the man approaching and tries in vain to get on her feet and run but crawling backwards was the best she managed to accomplish.

When she notices she was already on his reach she covers onto herself putting her hands on her head with her forehead resting against her knees shaking in fear of what will happen to her.

"Are you alright child?". She hears the man speaking in the common tongue and slowly turns her face towards him. She notices that the men also had the same features and colors she and her older brother Viserys have, although his hair looked more like platinum than silver she thought. "I will not hurt your person, a knight should never hurt a lady.". He said in a soft voice offering her his hand so she could stand up on her feet again which she takes without fear after seeing what the man looks like but with her legs still shaking like the waves of the narrow sea hitting the beach. "You may refer to me as Artorias, Ser Artorias… Abeswalkyr one of the Four Knights of Gwyn.". He said giving a polite nod with his head but without noticing that Daenerys saw the quick flinch in his voice and the twitch in his eye that lasted but a second when saying his full name. "And who are you supposed to be young one?".

"Daenerys… Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen." She said shyly while giving the man a courteous reverence trying not to anger him nor embarrass herself. Her brother is the rightful king of the seven kingdoms and she is a princess, so whatever she does also affects him, and if she did anything that might've embarrassed her brother she feared to 'wake the dragon', she didn't want to wake it.

"Targaryen… he… he-he." The man says giving a small chuckle while looking at the girl with tired eyes. "It appears I finally met one of the famous Targaryens I keep hearing about. And seeing your unique features it's no wonder I am compared to one".

He sits down and gesture her to do the same, Daenerys didn't know why but she wasn't afraid of him anymore. She actually felt safe with him, a sense of comfort and security she hadn't felt ever since she was a child living in her house with the red door and the lemon tree outside her window with her brother and Ser Willem Darry.

"So… Daenerys Targaryen. Any idea what this place is and why do we find ourselves in here?". He asks with genuine confusion in his voice while looking at her with his purple-lilac eyes which were the same as hers although his were a shade or two darker on her opinion.

"No." Daenerys says shaking her head while closing her eyes afraid to anger the men due to the lack of answer to his question. "I just remember going to sleep and waking in this place." Just like the sense of security had come it was now gone, her voice was faltering almost sounding like mumbles due to the watering forming in her eyes. She was sure he was going to strike her, just like her bother has done many times in the past.

"The same has happened to you then." Artorias said in a gentle voice petting her head making her heart become calm again, making the tears there were almost dropping disperse. "Looks like we are both in the dark about what have happened to us.".

Daenerys suddenly feels a flash running through her mind, she remembers stories her brother told her about the Targaryens of old, mainly Daenys the Dreamer.

Daenys had supposedly foreseen the doom of Valyria making her father Aenar sell his holdings in the Valyrian Freehold and move his family and all of their belongings to Dragonstone, making the Targaryens the only family of dragonriders to survive when the doom had come two and ten years later. Because of that Daenys dreams were considered magic, prophetic, Daenerys thought, for second that maybe her dreams also were magic, but Daenys dreams were prophetic and Daenerys hadn't see nothing until now that could be considered a prophecy, but maybe the magic of her dreams were different, if they were magic at all, she thought that while Daenys dreamed of what was to come Daenerys dreams were about people she would meet or maybe about people who like her had dragon blood or just magic had on their veins like her own had the magic of old Valyria on hers, but she had no prove nor claim for such thoughts, the only think she could do was theorize on the matter.

Daenerys pondered about the many possibilities she could've thought to explain what was happening but she couldn't confirm any of them and left the thought out of her head, but she wasn't going to give up, for some reason she and Artorias have met in this strange place by the same circumstances, either by magic or by destiny she didn't know, but she was going to try and find out.

Back from her thoughts Daenerys turns to look back at Artorias and freezes when seeing him after her mind returned to focus on the present, the fear comes back when she realizes that even with magic or not, she didn't even know if she could or would leave this place so she decided to not share her thoughts with him, at least for now.

Daenerys mind them comes back to focus on her situation, she was in a strange place, with a strange man, without any safety and knowledge.

Daenerys notices Artorias looking at her with pity in his eyes. Once again fear covers her body, afraid of being pity because of what he is going to do to her.

"Can you hold this for me little one?" He says giving her a white, rounded rock that only now she notices he was holding since the moment she first saw him. "Worry not for I told you no dishonor act shall come at thee out of me.".

It was the most beautiful thing Daenerys had ever seen, the shell was like scales and the white color was like the place they found themselves in, the purple line in the middle remembered her of the color of their eyes, and the red dots looked like the rubies she saw in the many dresses people wear in Essos.

"It's so beautiful." She says with shining eyes and a truthfully smile she can't remember ever using while looking at the rock without moving her eyes out of it. "What is this? I somehow fell like it's more than a simple rock. I feel heat inside of it".

"You might believe my words or not. This is a dragon egg." He says like it was a normal thing.

Daenerys is shocked by his words, so shocked she doesn't even notice her mouth hanging open, almost dripping saliva like a hungry carnivorous animal looking at a piece of meat. If her brother saw this she didn't know if he would be angry at her for such view which he would deem unworthy for a princess or too focused on the egg like her, claiming it as his own and saying it will be used so he could take back his crown and the Seven Kingdoms from the usurper.

"When did you get it? How did you get it? Why do you have it?" She was so anxious for answers she didn't noticed she also asked who gave it to him, when said person get it, how said person get it and why said person had it.

Artorias smiles at the thirsty look Daenerys was giving to him and simply chuckle and raises his hand so he can answer and she can recover her breath.

"It was given to me by an associate before I arrived in Westeros. He gave it to me so I could hatch it. Although when and how remains to be seen.". He said in a soft voice while Daenerys wide her eyes at the mention of Westeros, that makes her look down at the egg and hug it with sadness showing in her face.

Hatch a dragon egg, his words make her remember all the times she had made her brother awaken the dragon and in turn it made her remember all the times she silently said to herself that all dragons were dead, and now in front of her there was a man with an egg which he will hatch and he isn't even from house Targaryen, and he was already on Westeros. She felt as if her ancestor Aegon the Conqueror's spirit had abandoned his descendents and had chosen a new warrior to continue his legacy, a worthy one. Could she blame her ancestor? Of course not, this man was a warrior, she could see it, he looks and probably is, strong, skilled, and from the brief talk they had she sees he gives an air of honor and respect, if there was someone who deserved to have a dragon and conquer the seven kingdoms it was him, she thought.

"Westeros. I which I could return. I've never seen it, so can't remember any of it, but I know it would feel like home." She said almost like a whisper trying to hold back the tears.

"And why such a return would be impossible for you?" He asks while leaning his head to the side.

"It is a long story." She said hoping he didn't seek for more than she could give him.

"It appears that we both have the time to spare.". He said and got on his feet to sit at her side. Daenerys was surprised, even seated the man was still taller than her, but she didn't feel scared and sat down at his side when he gestured it with his hand. For some reason staying with him and holding that dragon egg was comfortable, like she had a new friend even though they just met, she just hoped that Artorias was feeling the same.

"Every history has three sides, yours, the other person side and the real true. I shall hear yours until the other person tell me theirs." He said while petting her heard like a father or brother would do to their little daughter and sister.

Daenerys smiles at the man and tells him everything she could remember about her life and what her brother had told her.

Daenerys tells what her brother and others have told her through her life, she says her family, the Targaryens of old, had been ruling the seven kingdoms since Aegon the Conqueror had come to Westeros on the back of his dragon Balerion the black dread and along with his sisters-wives built their dynasty that lasted hundreds of years and ended with the rebellion of the usurper. She wasn't born at the time but her brother said time and time again that the wolf-bitch Lyanna Stark seduced their brother Rhaegar and because of her the rebellion started and the many houses which have swear their loyalty to her house turned against them and usurped her family of their right and took everything from them and how they had to run away from their own keep.

Artorias frowns at her words but she notices it's because he was confused, not because he didn't believe her. He tells her to continue while mummering to himself that he needed a history book and fast while rubbing his temples not noticing she listened him while continuing.

She said that she was born on Dragonstone, nine moons after their escape, it was during a huge storm, the worst ever recording, the sky appeared to be cracking like glass, the lightnings looked like giants and the thunders their stomps on the land, the ocean wasn't better, the fleet was destroyed like toys being smashed by a spoiled kid like it was nothing and saying her family only lived because the gods had been merciful to them was an understatement given the circumstances. On that night, her mother had died birthing her and gave Daenerys the last name Stormborn, and since that day her brother has never forgive her, still blaming her for the death of their mother.

They'd escaped Dragonstone when Ser Willem Darry and four loyal men had broken into the nursery and stolen them both, along with a wet nurse, and set sail under the cover of darkness on their way to Essos. That made Artorias angry, not with her but with Ser Willem, saying that someone who kidnaps a baby shouldn't be a knight, but Daenerys explains to him that he did it because a garrison had been prepared to sell them to the usurper and it was only avoided because of Ser Willem's actions, she hears Artorias complaining how the world should be fair once in a while, and not always cruel to the point a baby's life is at risk.

Daenerys then tells Artorias about her memories of Ser Willem. A great grey bear of a man, half-blind, roaring orders from a sickbed. She didn't need to tell Artorias to see he already understood the state the old knight was. He asks Daenerys if Ser Willem was dying and she only nods in response with a sad look in her face. Everyone lived in terror of him, but not her, to her he'd always been kind calling her "Little Princess" and "My Lady" while holding her hands making her feel the softness of them like old leather. She tells how he never leaved his bed but before she could explain why Artorias tells her that it's not needed, saying he already saw too many men on the battlefield who lived through the battle only to live days, months even years after just to die by a sickness which had no cure and could only be delayed or just don't have the money needed to pay for the cure.

Daenerys asks Artorias about his childhood thinking that unlike her his couldn't be so dire or had worse circumstances surrounding him, he only says that he didn't have one, that he was trained to be a soldier since he was five and stayed training for five and ten years. She tried to make a joke of how they shouldn't compete about who had it worse but couldn't do so without frowning her bow which makes him pet her head as a response, she didn't tell him but she liked.

For some reason all the love and care denied to her by her brother was being passing to her by Artorias, or at least she hoped it was what was happening, after all she doesn't know nothing about him, but at the same time he didn't do nothing to make her feel bad.

She proceeds to tell him about Braavos, about the big house with the red door and the lemon tree outside her window. She gives a small chuckle to Artorias saying that talking with him made her feel back there again, he just smiles at her and thanks for the compliment. Unfortunately, the smile he has disappears when she tells how the servants stole the little money they had after Ser Willem died and how she cried after they've been put out of the house and the red door closed forever.

She looks at the egg and caresses it while giving small sighs and say that there's nothing more, that she and her brother had to move from place to place since then, never staying too long in the same place, Braavos, Myr, Tyrosh, Volantes, Lys, cities Artorias says he had never seen nor heard before but recognize that to move from one to another would take days and money to not only travel but also buy food, clothes, and to rent rooms to stay in while traveling. Artorias asks her how they could've afforded this. She explains that the usurper time and time again would hire assassins to go after them so her brother never allowed them to stay at the same place for too long, so every time they were in one of the free cities they stayed with magisters, merchants and archons, they always said they were honored and pleased to have the last Targaryens in their houses which she notices a snort followed by a chuckle coming out of Artorias mouth, he shakes his head before turning to face Daenerys again and gives her a blank stare.

"You don't even know the real reason they've accepted you as guests do you?" He asks but Daenerys realize that it wasn't exactly a question but more of a statement, she shrugs her shoulders while tightening the grip she has on the egg afraid of the answer he was going to give her." Those people didn't care for you, your family, your name, your history, those people cared for what could've been gained by aiding you and your brother.".

Daenerys doesn't answer to his words, she felt life a knife was cutting through her chest, his words were cold and cruel but why did she couldn't deny them she didn't know, noticing his silence while letting his own words sink into her mind Daenerys understands more and more that Artorias wasn't being cruel because of his words, he was being cruel because his worlds were facts she had to accept. She then remembers how harder things just got with the pass of the years, while still sitting on their throne the usurper still sent assassins after them, doors closed and them being forced to sell their most valuable treasures, even now the money they had selling out their mother's crown was gone, such life even got her brother being called "the beggar king" and gods know what they've being calling her. Why? The people they've met over the years had abundant riches, and what did they give them? Only a few weeks to stay with them before being throw out making them have to move again and again, was this what Artorias was trying to make her see? If it is, he accomplished it.

"You're not lying, are you?" She asks him while a single tear drops from her face, Artorias cleans it and just shakes his head as a response to her question.

"I am sorry for saying the true in such a harsh way but remember. The sourest true is better than the sweetest lie." He says while placing his hands on her chin and making her eyes stays focused on his." I wish I could do something for you. I really do. But I don't know not what.".

Daenerys shakes her head in response to Artorias, trying to hold back her tears. "You can help me. You're smart, please, tell me everything you can so I can avoid a cruel fate. I want to have a better life, I'm tired of running, to do everything other people tells me to do while I can just look down and obey. Even now my brother is trying to force me to marry someone I don't love, so please Ser Artorias, please, I will do anything. But help me, I implore.".

With her body shaking and tears drooping from her eyes she shuts herself because her trembling lips would make anything she says sounds like bees trying to escape a frog's mouth during a raining day. The knight gives her a soft hug while caressing her head telling her to be calm, it works to some degree but not enough to make her stop the shaking.

"What can you do? Suppose you can avoid the marriage, then what?" He asked while slowly moving away from her and locking his eyes on hers. Daenerys thinks about his questions, perhaps it's what he wants her to do, to think not to answer. What could she do, she had no money, no place to go, no people to count on, so even if she avoided her forced marriage what would she do? Before she says anything Artorias nods his head to her showing that he knows what she was thinking. "Now think about Westeros, if you could return what would you do? If you take back what was yours and become queen, what would happen?" Once more she ponders about his questions, if she avoided her marriage and returned to Westeros what would she do, her brother had always said that the people of their homeland be they nobles or commonfolk sang songs and told tales about their triumphal and inevitable return, but were they really doing that, why? They never have a reason for them to do so nor had they saw them do said things so why should she believe it? "I see you are starting to understand what I mean and why I asked such questions.".

She was, Daenerys didn't have answers to his questions, at least not the correct ones she thought, she was saddened but not by the knight's questions nor the shock of reality they possessed but by the fact that she never asked them nor thought about them even once in her entire life. If by a miracle she and her brother came back to their homeland and reclaim their throne what would happen? Does her brother even know how to manage a keep? Let alone the entire seven kingdoms? No, he didn't. What about her, if she were to be his wife and queen she would have to help him on all his endeavors, but she also didn't knew nothing.

She looks at Artorias with a face full of determination which makes the knight smile proudly at her, like she was a student that finally achieved success in her training after dozens of failures. "Tell me." She asks with resolution, not faltering on her speech. "What do I need to do to be prepared? for anything, for everything.".

Artorias nods at her and tells her what he believes it was necessary, first he tells her that while it was good she found herself some confidence it was still small, weak and untrained, like any squire holding their first real blade for the first time, born of a small realization of how the world really is and there was more that would make her feel afraid, even now her brother would still instill fear on her, her marriage would still scared her, her husband would still made her insecure about her future, so his first counsel to her was to learn how to not fear everything that might or will happen, if her brother tried to slap her he told her it was ok to feel afraid but to learn how to suppress it, he says that fear was useful to always make you stay alert but to not let it leads to inaction, she lets his words sinks on her mind while imagining her brother slapping her, her only thought was the pain felt on where he hit and how she should react based on what Artorias said to her, she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath focusing on his teachings. Then she nods at him to continue after opening them again.

His second counsel was to pay attention to everything that happens on her surroundings for there could always be opportunities no matter how small a person would tend to gain from it, he gives a chuckle saying for example that if Daenerys was planning to kill him after their conversation ended the fact that he was raising one finger at a time for each example he gave was the perfect opportunity for him to attack by poking her eyes now that two fingers were raised, she give him a small smile and responds by saying he would never dare to do it because she possessed his dragon egg which makes the knight smiles saying that she was a fast learner.

His third and final counsel to her was that she should and needed to learn, from everything and everyone, gold, lands, titles, all could be taken away from her, but not knowledge.

It was the only thing that could never be taken.

To gain knowledge there's only one way to do so, to study. Artorias tells her to read any book she finds, no matter if it was a children's book about a rat befriending a lion or a maester's book about plants producing medicines she couldn't even pronounce the name, since she was a princess he tells her to read books about history, politics, economy and culture if she was really hoping to one day return or take back her family throne, he tells her that every time she found herself on a new city she should buy at least one book that teaches about one of these four topics so when the time comes she doesn't lacks the necessary knowledge to rule.

Artorias tells her that she didn't need to learn everything, for there would be people to help her on subjects she knew little about and didn't need to learn everything but small knowledge is always better than no knowledge and one should never make decisions about something they have no knowledge.

A dark ball, shining in pure black lights and making winds like the breath of the mightiest of giants appears on the horizon and starts do devour the white infinite world Daenerys and Artorias are. She notices he wasn't afraid and just get on his feet and gives her his hand so she can get up as well.

"It appears we will die. Or just wake up if my theory is correct.". He says while Daenerys looks at the black emptiness devours the white one. "It was good meeting you kid".

His calm voice and small smile makes her feel a little of heat on her cheeks and nods in response to the knight.

"Will we meet again?".

"I think we will. Don't know when, but we will.". Daenerys smiles at his statement and gives him his dragon egg back. She really wanted to have it, but she knew it didn't belong to her. "Are you sure you don't want to keep it?".

"No." She shakes her head and looks at his eyes wanting to be closer to him. "It doesn't belong to me. And it's not like it will be with me when I wake up if this is a dream.".

Artorias just nods at her and takes back his dragon egg. Daenerys quickly grabs his hands and look at the consuming darkness getting bigger and bigger.

"Just to make sure.".

Artorias gives her a little smile in response and together they are swallowed by the dark along with the white world.

Daenerys is looking at the sea, thinking about the dream she had last night, about the mysterious knight she met, Artorias Abeswalkyr.

Seeing the waves hitting the coast makes she remembers what Artorias had told her. She asks herself with the ocean have waves while rivers and lakes don't. She knew it wouldn't help her with her situation, but she also knew that to prosper in any affair a person should always have answers.

"Daenerys".

The voice of her brother takes her out of her line of thinking and she turns to see him coming at her with a smile on his face.

Like Daenerys, Viserys had the pure valyrian looks, his white her and purple eyes were just like hers and Artorias, but after meeting the knight, it felt like her brother's eyes lost their fire in comparison to him, while looking at the knight's eyes felt like staring at the shiniest of stars, her brother's feels like staring at the weakest of flames, but she didn't dare say it.

"Look at this dress, beautiful isn't it? Touch it.".

Taking her eyes out of her brother's own she touches the dress only now she sees he was carrying. It was smooth and soft. Beautiful was a way to describe it, but she thought it too revealing.

"We've been living here for six months now. Why does Ilyrio supports us?". Daenerys asks trying to test her brother in some degree

"He knows that when I get my crown I will remember those who stood by my side".

His voice was arrogant and cocky, Daenerys was not convinced by his answer and once again try to think of the why. It was hard, Ilyrio was always good and polite to her, he could've had or still have ulterior motives, but she couldn't think what because of that.

Daenerys thought of telling Viserys about what Artorias said, cutting Artorias off of course, but refrained herself to do so. She didn't want to wake the dragon, she knew the real dragons were all dead, she knew Viserys was no dragon, but she was still afraid of him.

"You will use it to impress Khal Drogo, after you take a bath dress it and wait for me, you don't want to wake the dragon.".

Daenerys didn't want to, she wasn't brave enough to face her brother, nobody could change things and how they are from one day to another, but now she could at least look at Viserys in the eyes to talk to him instead of looking at the floor, she was still afraid, but was brave enough to lock sights with her brother.

'The thousand steps journey stars with the first one.' She tells herself.

After her brother leaves, she goes to the room where her bath is being prepared.

She looks at the water on the tub and sees steam comes out of it, the whole room is full of it but Daenerys didn't feel the need to open a window and starts to undress herself.

When the steam produced but the hot water makes contact with her bare skin Daenerys feel relaxed for some reason, the hotness didn't bore her, she felt like the world were silent and starts to enter the tub not waiting for the maids to help her.

Daenerys starts to think about the day ahead, her weeding, her future husband, the things she leaned, the things will have to learn, but most of all, about Artorias, whoever he was he was someone she really wanted to meet in person.

"Some day. Some day.".

Author's note: Ok, so I was planning to do a House Abeswalkyr page, like at the end of the books, but unfortunately the editor didn't allowed or I wasn't able to use make it work.

About this chapter. If you're wondering why I didn't show Daenerys meeting Drogo like the show or she going to his mansion like the books don't worry, it will be done on her next POV.

Here is where the canon will start to diverge so be ready because the "prelude" is now over.

About Artorias height, I did some research and a user on deviantart named EuTytoAlba apparently figure it out using the game models and the dark souls fan favorite character is apparently 11'5ft tall according to him, I will not confirm nor deny this in the story, but I will let it here so you can have an idea of how tall he is when people comment about it.

Ok then, if you liked it, leave a review (please be polite if you didn't like it), follow and favorite it if you want, and contact me via inbox for any question you might have.

English is not my first language.