Tysha had always thought herself as a cursed soul. Her father died when she was young from sickness and she had to work day and night to make ends meet. It was by chance that she met her husband Tyrion Lannister and he and his brother Jaime saved her from some outlaws. Looking back on that moment she wished she had never met the Lannisters on that day. She remembered her father once speaking about the Lords that ruled from Casterly Rock. The only advice her father had was to never draw the attention of one of the lions of the Rock. At first, when the Lannister brothers had saved her from those outlaws she had thought that her father might be wrong. The Septon did preach that the Lords of Rock ruled the Westerlands by the grace of Seven and she thought anyone the gods supported was worth placing her trust into. It was this thinking that led her to give her maidenhead to Tyrion and despite her doubts and fears her newfound liver even married her. For a time they were even happy living in a small wooden house far away from all the woes of the world. She had thought herself the luckiest girl in the world. Tyrion may have been not pleasant to the eyes but she loved him all the same. Then as if the gods have cursed her, one day the Lannister men came and separated her from her husband. The next thing she knows she was being raped by them in front of her husband and the Septon that officiated her marriage. She cried out to the Septon, her husband and the gods but no one came to help her. Even after everything that was happening she decided to endure the pain and humiliation that she was suffering. But what broke her was when her husband also raped her. From then on she never shed a tear as there were no more tears in her eyes.
Her status as a whore was spread across Lannisport and many more men came for her service. She was shamed, ridiculed, abused, raped and yet the wrath of noble lions continued to follow her. It was then that she became pregnant and somehow the Lannisters learned about her. Sh may have been broken by the Lannisters but she never planned on surrendering her child to those monsters in the castle. Strangely enough, it was a Lannister that helped her escape from the Westerlands. At first, she was very much afraid of what might happen but he was one of the gentlest Lannisters and she remembered that her husband spoke fondly of Gerion Lannister. While she never put her trust in Gerion she had no other choice. In the end, Gerion Lannister helped her settle in Lys and she gave birth to a healthy boy. While she hated anything to do with Lannisters she named her son Gerion Lannister and she was sure that he was Tyrion's son because of the mismatched eyes her son inherited. On one hand, she was relieved to have given birth to Tyrion's son but after Gerion had explained that Tyrion was lied to by his brother and father she had cried once again after a whole year. She might never forgive him for doubting her love for him but she found some relief that her husband never knew that he was being lied to when those monsters made him believe that she was a whore hired by his brother.
For a time she and her son lived without any problems but then Tyrion's uncle stopped his visits. She started doing some menial jobs but in a slave city with no support from someone in power, her fate was decided for her. She and her son could either be slaves in the mines or she could shield her son by being a whore in one of the whorehouses. For her son, she endured once again but she promised herself that she would find some way to kill even a single Lannister. Her son and her vengeance was the only thing that made her live for the rest of the years that passed. With each passing day, she would please her customers and slowly she was building up a small amount of wealth. She had no fixed plans what she would do but she made herself believe that she will one day get the chance to sate her hatred.
But all her plans fell off when a captain from Braavos brought her and her son from the establishment at a considerable price. She was later given her freedom and an explanation of why she was being brought to Braavos. She was staring straight at the reason across from a table and she took the offered cup of black liquid. She knew not to disobey powerful men so she took the offered cup and drank from it. She made sure to drink it first and when she was sure there was no poison she nudged her son to drink as well. The liquid had a bitter taste but she found herself taste the drink once again.
"You are not the only one the Lannisters have wronged. I have lost two siblings to the Lannisters. As for why I was going through the trouble of helping you is because I have a plan and it includes your son ruling the Westerlands. Are you interested, Tysha?"
She could only nod at the offer and it was then a hand was offered to her and she saw the face of the man more clearly. He was younger than she imagined and she could see his violet eyes were studying her and her son in equal measure.
"Then you may call me Jon and I would like your son to square for me. I myself will teach the lad all he needs to know to hold the West and when time comes you will see justice done against the Lannisters." the newly revealed Jon said and Tysha had no hesitation in shaking his hand sealing the deal. She had bad experiences from trusting men but she had never received help from someone who was just as wronged from the Lannisters before. She didn't know whether this Jon was telling the truth or not but she was at least willing to give it a chance. Alone she may not be able to take revenge on the Lannisters but with help, her dream of killing a single Lannister may happen and she was more than willing to take a leap of faith.
Jon was really relieved that he found Tysha and her son was a bonus. After he had established contact with Brynden from Winterfell's Godswood he had discussed all the ways in which he could shatter the Lannister power. Tysha was Brynden's answer to cripple Lannister power and the man had traced her all the way to Lys. While politically there won't be much use for Tysha and her son there is some use in turning Tyrion against his family at a crucial moment. Gerion was the secret weapon in his arsenal and in time he may become a useful weapon to dismantle the Westerlands for good but for now, he was a liability. It was imperative that no one ever realised just who exactly Gerion and Tysha were especially the Spider. While he doubted Varys would use the information it still didn't sit well with him to expose himself to the master of whispers. This was why he was going to take Gerion as his own personal squire under the name of Jerry. Tysha could work in the kitchens or even the coffee plantation. Workers were always in high demand with his business expanding each passing week.
Speaking of business he will have to take a trip to Winterfell soon enough. His stockpile of emerald was slowly dwindling. While he won't be suffering any shortages for the Ormys family the same can't be said for his other business partners. He may be able to supply them for the next three months but after that, his supply will dry up as the rest of his stash is saved for the Ormys family as per the agreement he signed. Besides, the trip to the North will be useful to distance himself from the auction. While no one knew that he possessed a Valyrian Steel blade much less two it was still a good idea to move as far away from Braavos as possible when the die is cast. There is also the added advantage of Varys, Baelish as well as other spies wasting their resources to find the source of the Valyrian steel sword. The Iron Bank will be fighting tooth and nail to keep his identity a secret especially after he signed a deal of depositing half the proceeds of the price in a fixed deposit scheme of three years. By his own estimation that was going to be a lot of gold plus the prestige of auctioning a Valyrian Steel sword has the key holders of the Iron Bank in an excitable mood.
But before going to the North there was still some things he had to do. For one thing, the game of chess had to be marketed more effectively and cash in on the Sealord's popularity. Already he had some ideas to start a tournament using the game and there was a great potential to make a profit from it. While expanding his revenue was on the agenda the true use for that revenue was going to build up his own spy network. In the last two months of his stay on Braavos, he has been planning out the formation of a drama troop. While he has not yet found the men or women for the troop he did manage to construct a play based on the Hobbit series. Jon knew that recreating the book was a waste of time and he had no idea how to recreate the masterpiece of Tolkien's greatest works. But he knew enough to recreate the scenes of the three movies into a series of plays. Already the script was completed and he just needed a professional to look it over. Asher had taken up the task to find one within this week. For now, Jon was delegating that task to Asher because Jon had to concentrate on his greensight lessons with Brynden. While warging had become as easy as breathing because of Dacey's help the same could not be said for his greensight. By himself, he still could not access the memories of the world and he depended on Brynden to look beyond the veil. Strangely enough, his dragon dreams have stopped showing what happened to Brandon and his wife. The last time tag he saw them Brandon was unable to touch the Lightbringer. That's why he was right before the Weirwood tree in his garden to see what happened.
Taking a deep breath he placed his hand on the growing tree and tried to warg as he learned from Dacey. Thankfully the Raven was there to pull him into the Weirwood network and he found himself in the past once again. This time around he was not alone as Brynden himself was standing next to him in his younger appearance.
"You have to train your warging skills more Jaehaerys. Without a proper grasp on your warging powers, you will slip into the world's memory and simply lose yourself." Brynden commented as Jon walked together with the man through a Godswood
"It's a good thing that I have you by my side." Jon commented
"You shouldn't depend on me for everything. There will come a time when you have to take full responsibilities and lead Westeros. When that happens you have to depend on yourself and I will have to concentrate on the Others."
"I never thanked you for helping me with Tysha now did I?" Jon tried to change the subject
"You can thank me by mastering the Greensight as soon as possible. The Spider and his Blackfyre pretenders are slowly strengthening their position. The Golden Company is mustering its strength in the Disputed lands. For now, they will be conserving their strength and resources and you must strike at King's Landing long before they are ready. If I hate anyone in this world it is the Blackfyres. They are like little cockroaches, always crawling into a hole and come out when everyone thinks them dead." Brynden made a disgusting face and that was the most emotional reaction Jon has seen from the former Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
"If everything works out as planned then the Black Dragons will meet their end along with the Baratheons and Lannisters." said Jon as he followed Brynden into a familiar clearing
"Help is on the way from an unlikely ally. You will find your campaign in Andalos much easier with that help." said Brynden which made Jon pause
"Who is this mysterious ally?" asked Jon not at all comfortable with blindsided by this unknown 'ally'
"You will know when you meet them. For now, let's see what you came to see Jaehaerys." Brynden moved further forward into the Godswood and Jon had no other option rather than to follow the man
Brynden paused before a Weirwood tree and turned to Jon with a grave face.
"No matter what happens do not make any type of noises. Watch on silently and learn from what is about to happen. If you make a sound you will attract the attention of Brandon and his wife and that should never happen. Do you understand?"
Jon just nodded seeing as Brynden was very serious and together they slowly moved next to another Weirwood tree and looked at the scene not far from their position.
Brandon once again tried to take Lightbringer but the blade once again burned his hand and he was forced to pull back lest he was destroyed by the sword.
"You are touched by the Great Other's power husband. You can no longer stand in the presence of purest flames including myself and our daughter." Nissa-Nissa whispered sadly
"How can this be?" Brandon asked forlornly as tears ran down his cheek when his wife and daughter moved away from his immediate presence
"As a daughter of the eldest gods, I can't be in the presence of the Great Betrayer. His curse runs through your blood and so long as it stays I must move far away lest that curse take the power in my blood." said Nissa-Nissa as she stood up and took Lightbringer from the ground
"Where will you go?" Brandon asked
"I travelled across the Narrow Sea to find you, husband. I shall return back to Valyria and prepare my people for the next Long Night. When I descended down from the heavens I did bring a weapon with me but I never thought it must be used. But now I am sure there is no other way." with that said Nissa-Nissa took out a dragon egg from a sack that her daughter was holding and placed the egg on the ground. Using a bronze dagger she made a long cut on her palm and let the blood seep into the dragon egg. After she made sure her blood was smeared across the egg she placed the tip of Lightbringer on the egg. The effect was instantaneous as the egg quickly caught fire in red hot flames.
For a long time, the fire burned undeterred by the snow that was falling around it. Then everyone heard a faint whisper. It almost sounded like a soft purring but if listed closely then it sounded almost like broken phrases.
Whatever it was Jon had a feeling that this was the same voice that he would hear in the flames when Thoros was teaching him of the Red God. Pushing that to his back of the mind he observed the flames more closely.
The flames cackled one last time and it was abruptly snuffed out and in the burnt ground there was a blood-red dragon.
Before Jon could see more Brynden quickly took hold of Jon's hand and Jon was in another vision. They were standing outside a wooden cabin that was spilling out black smoke from the inside.
"Why did you pull us back?" Jon asked Brynden
"Staying too long in the presence of those two is dangerous. Brandon Stark is a skilled Greenseer and his wife is a daughter of Dawn. They will take notice of us if we are not careful. Then again the previous vision was meant to teach you how to hatch that dragon egg. One thing you have to learn about being a Greenseer is that you should never get attached to the past or the future. Learn from them but never obsess over them." Brynden advised and moved inside the wooden cabin through the open door
Jon let out a sigh and followed Brynden into the cabin. Already he could hear the sound of a crackling fire and screeches of the dragon from inside. As he stepped into the cabin he saw that he was not wrong in his assumption but from the looks of it, the cabin housed a forge. He watched on in fascination as Nissa-Nissa started whispering spells in High Valyrian. At each end phrase, she would mix a single drop of her blood into the pot filled with molten metal. After repeating the process a few times she poured the molten metal into the casting mould. At the same time, the dragon began to breathe fire into the molten metal. But that was not the end of it. Nissa-Nissa made the dragon breath fire again and again into the sword and she would hammer away all the while casting spells into every time she would use the folding techniques.
Suddenly Jon felt himself pull out of the vision and he found himself outside the wooden cabin. He could still hear the hammering sounds from within the wooden cabin. His eyes widened as he realized why Brynden was showing him these visions.
"You want me to recreate Valyrian Steel?" asked Jon in complete bewilderment
"Yes. Swords made of Dragonglass are very hard to create and every Valyrian Steel blade you have increases the chance of destroying the Others." Brynden explained
"Are you out of your mind! I have no idea to do what she did with that hammer and those folding techniques. Perhaps you haven't noticed, I am actually going to enter Andalos and fight a war with Dothraki and other sellsword companies that are going to be fielded by other free cities. How am I supposed to learn the Valyrian Steel casting process when I am waging a war?" Jon asked incredulously
"You don't have to learn to be a smith. All you have to do is to learn the Valyrian spells she used in forging that sword. When you hatch your dragon the dragon flame will bind the spells to the metal. The rest of the work can be done by a smith who can rework a Valyrian Steel blade and you will meet one soon enough." said Brynden with a mysterious air
"Exactly where will I meet him?" asked Jon
"You will find him in Braavosi Coastlands but more importantly, I have a warning for you."
"A warning! Are the Others marching early?" Jon asked a little afraid of the possibility and screwing up every plan he has been working on since he stepped foot on Braavos.
"No. I warn you of your relationship with Dacey Mormont. This is not the time for you to become enamoured by the fairer sex. You once told me that you admired Rhaegar's decision to abandon everything he held dear for a small chance to ensure the world had a fighting chance. If you truly believe in what you said then abandon the foolish emotion of love from your mind. Love is the death of duty and if you of all people forget your duty then the entire world will suffer the consequences." with that ominous warning, Brynden pushed Jon out of the vision
Jon stumbled back from the Weirwood tree in his garden. For a time he just sat there on the grass quite disoriented from the experience of accessing the memories of the world. While he wanted to protest Brynden's assessment of his relationship with Dacey he had to admit that he has a soft spot for the she-bear. But Brynden was correct when he said that love was the death of duty. He knew he has to take the Iron Throne and unite Westeros and then prepare for the Long Night. For that to happen he will be forced to make a political marriage and Dacey will only be a liability. There have been too many unworthy kings on the throne and he didn't intend to become one among the many. With that resolution made he nodded to the Weirwood tree and climbed back to his feet. The stars in the night sky were shielded by dark clouds and already he could feel a slight chill in the wind. Before the skies kiss the land with rain he returned back to the manor and retired to his bed.