"The deal is very simple," Ranta spoke, "You and your men loyally fight for me in my conquest for the throne or we take your ships and find someone else to sail them. I already have an abundance of sell swords fighting for me, it shouldn't be too hard to find some more." the monarch mused offhandedly and then took a moment to think before giving Grey Worm a subtle look.
Catching the look, the stern faced man lowered the knife away from the dark haired Naylor but then kicked the side of Tarla's knee in and sent her to the ground with a cry followed by a rather violent curse.
"Pay attention, 'cousin' ." Ranta knelt down to her height and sharply turned the woman's glaring face away from Grey Worm and onto her. "My problem with you and the other Naylors is an issue that must be addressed but against my own selfish desires, it will be dealt with later….and trust me I want nothing more than to figure out why you all left me behind." Tarla's gaze wavered significantly at the determination and anger hidden within the baby blue eyes in front of her.
"However, right now my focus is gathering numbers to my army so I can invade Westeros already. For years I've been fighting for this, fighting to go home and make things right for everyone. I've accomplished this in all three cities of Slaver's Bay, and if I can do that then I believe I can do the same in Westeros. But I need more than belief in myself to do this, I need others to believe too. Daenerys Targaryen, Ser Jorah Mormont, Ser Barristen Selmy, Daario Naharis, the Greengoods, the Unsullied, the Dothraki, the Second Sons, and the Freed Men all believe in me. But I need more than that," Ranta felt so dirty for how ungrateful she sounded but her words were true.
"I would be seen as a foreign invader if I only had the support of outside forces and a Westerosi house with a solitary member and another with only one abled bodied man, it would hardly count as Westerosi support in the eyes of those in the Seven Kingdoms. I need House Naylor to reunite, and I need it to reunite now. I will not be in Essos for much longer. I get all of House Naylor together, then the other houses will flock to me. Makes invading much more easier if I have inside and outside support." Ranta finished.
Tarla was silent for a handful of moments before moving to get up but froze when she seen the Unsullied man that had grabbed her from before, move forward in anticipation to intercept any possible attacks. Ranta held up a hand to halt Grey Worm's movement and stood up with Tarla following suit. "Even if you had your dogs impale me with their spears, or slit my throat open and took my ships by force" Tarla spoke," I would still of followed you. You have my support, cousin." the pirate smiled lightly, " I'd bend the knee now, but it'd be best if I did it in front of the others on the island." she shrugged.
This seemed a bit too easy. She was a pirate, and had been for years. "You do realize by swearing to me that you can no longer pillage Naath or the Summer Isles right? They will be coming under my protection now. I promised two people dear to me that this would come to light" Ranta informed the red lipped woman. An eye twitch here and a slightly sour frown marring her lips was the reaction Ranta had been expecting. And by the gods above did she receive it.
"Where do you expect us to get our income then? Some of the men do not follow for me for free, They follow me because their pockets are heavy with reward. The two places you just put under your protection are filled with rewards." Tarla argued. The blue haired woman narrowed her eyes, " Pillaging, kidnapping, and tearing families apart to be bound in chains and sold into a life of slavery is no reward." Ranta admonished heartedly.
"No more. Get me on the Iron throne and you will have more rewards than you can revel in, in your lifetime on top of the spoils of war. If my Dothraki and the few former masters of Mereen can serve without enslaving then so can you and the others." Tarla sighed heavily at this before turning to the group of men who followed her aboard the Naylor ship.
None of them looked happy about the news broken to them, "Who are we fighting exactly?" one of them asked. "The Greyjoys, and all other opposing fleets." Ranta informed them and apparently this bit of news had turned their whole attitudes around considering the men perked up considerably. "The Greyjoys?!" a man echoed, "Well that's all you needed ta say. Tarla, if you don't bend da knee then we will. What I wouldn' do to get my hands on a Greyjoy." the man trailed off darkly.
"None of us hold a love for the Greyjoys," Tarla explained once she seen the quirked brow from her relative. " Maybe this will work out after all, they still won't like not being able to pillage, but the opportunity to get back at the Greyjoys for the trouble they caused us...well that would make it entirely worth it." the woman finished with a sly smile. Ranta returned it with her own small one and extended her arm out, "Welcome to the campaign." she offered lightly. Tarla grasped the other woman's arm out without hesitation and the two shook, "Glad to be apart of it, my queen." she addressed her new ruler before turning to her men and walked towards the bridge connecting the two ships together.
"Come on lads, lets take 'em home and get the ships repaired so the queen can go back to Mereen." Tarla instructed walking away. The few departing men bowed their heads in respect before returning to their own ship, removing the wooden bridge and then moving to set sail once more. After a few moments of Ranta watching the pirate ship move forward and feeling their own follow after, Grey Worm moved up besides her. "My queen…" he murmured lowly. " Do you trust them?" said woman asked. Grey Worm stayed silent on the matter but when she turned to look at the man, he shifted his weight.
"I trust you." Grey Worm answered instead. " And I trust you." Ranta returned touching his arm lightly, "Which is why I'm trusting you to tell me if something doesn't feel right. You'll do that won't you? You'll tell me if you can sense negativity floating amongst our newly acquired allies." Grey Worm nodded his head solemnly at the not so subtle command.
"Good." Ranta pulled back satisfied, " Now, what did you learn from the prisoners down below?" she asked referring to the temporarily forgotten men tied up on deck. "Step stone pirates. Pirates in Westerosi territory, they were on a slave run to Sothoryos." he informed her. The Naylorian queen was terribly unimpressed with the occupation of the Westeros pirates and after sparing them a glance, she turned back to Grey Worm. "Well you know what we do to a majority of our slavers now don't we? Especially after attacking my ships. Take care of them." Ranta dismissed, leaving Grey Worm and the rest of the Unsullied to dispose of their assailants.
Climbing the stairs leading upto the wheel of the ship, the blue eyed woman was met with a blank faced Penrose, absently steering the wheel as she watched the masked soldiers rally the prisoners below deck to meet their maker. "Not to be spared the same fate as the others, I see." the captain commented as the monarch approached. "No," Ranta shook her head, "Does that bother you?" she asked pointedly.
Hearing this, the captain shook her head herself with a frown, "No, by all means. Do what you want, matters little to me. You're a savior to the people on this side of the sea, but you can't be everyone's savior. Glad to see you understand that." Penrose mused before turning her gaze back to the sea in front of her. The blue haired Naylor watched the other woman for a long moment before huffing and dropping the subject.
The journey to the home of the pirates did not take much longer, perhaps a handful of hours and night had fallen. Successfully docked, Ranta was thoroughly ready for bed but according to Tarla, night time is when the pirates were most willing to listen to reason - having had their fill of women, drinks and pillaging. "Give me a few minutes and I'll have my officers and a good portion of this island's population before you." Tarla said.
"Give me a few minutes and I'll have everyone before you, Ranta" the liberator of Slavers Bay mocked under her breath, rubbing an eye tiredly from behind a platform she was to climb to address the pirates together. If it was her imagination or not, Ranta could of sworn she heard Grey Worm snort in amusement from beside her. "Attention fellow creeps, freaks, and thieves a like. I bring your sorry arses some good news." Tarla's voice echoed through the night air.
"I believe I have found a solution that will satisfy both our hearts and pockets." she paused, " There I was, sailing out on open water, enjoying myself under the sun. And then what do I hear a moment later? The sound of a battle. And when I drag my behind over to reap the rewards of whatever sad sod that was left after the battle, guess what I see? ….. Two ships flying House Naylor's symbol." a healthy murmur broke out amongst the crowd gathered.
"And after some investigating, not only did I come across a member of my family….but I came across my younger cousin, Ranta Naylor. The Queen of Mereen herself." Hearing the subtle cue, Ranta and the Unsullied climbed the wooden stairs of the platform and came up beside the red lipped woman. A wide variety of looks flowed through the crowd along with verbal responses, so many that it was hard to track them all.
"The queen, has come to us for help...and being the ever so charitable person that I am, I've agreed." Tarla revealed. Blue eyes glazed over the many bodies of the crowd in front of her with an unreadable look. Many of the men and women in front of her were not that visibly appeasing to look at, with the sickly yellowed skin, rotting teeth, missing body parts and knotted hair, but they must be doing something right to still be around and fight on the waters that they do today.
"What kinda help?" a woman asked from somewhere deep in the crowd, mutters of agreement following after. Tarla opened her mouth to reply but stopped when Ranta took a step forward, " I am the heir to the Iron throne of Westeros, meaning that I am at war. I need a formidable naval army to rage sea battles and who better water warriors are there than pirates? ….That would be the Greyjoys and I need them out of my hair as I focus on the battles on land. In exchange for your services, I have offered you rewards beyond imagination that will be delivered after I am on the Iron throne." Ranta finished.
Uncertain glances were exchanged amongst the pillagers but there was one unhappy soul who had no qualms over voicing his displeasure. "Like hell, are we takin' orders fr'm some perfumed arist'tacratic whore. Find some one else ta fight yer battles! We don' need you or yer money! We didn' need it before an' we don't need it now" a rough voice yelled. In synch with one another, multiple eyes upon the platform narrowed dangerously at the man in the crowd, especially when a few voices of agreement rose up.
"I wasn't asking for an opinion" Ranta growled out dangerously above the noise, "I was stating what was going to happen. Your leader has already agreed to the terms, fight for me or I take everything by force. She was smart and swore the allegiance of the Basilisk Isle Pirates to me."
"It wasn't hers ta swear in the firs' place."
It was suddenly like someone had snapped their fingers - any betrayal, anger or mistrust that had been felt from the pirates below had quickly turned to fear and disbelief. A collective gasp and group flinch enveloped the mass of people, unable to believe what had just been voiced. Turning her head slightly, Ranta seen Tarla step up and watched as blue eyes turn into a murderous steel, fists clenched tightly at her sides and a muscle in her jaw twitch uncontrollably.
Vibrations in the ground traveled up the length of Ranta's frame, quickly followed by the sound of loud groaning. Moving forward, the Unsullied prepared for any kind of attack and formed a defensive circle around their queen. Breaking out from the cover of the ground, Ranta was able to see what look like a group of tree roots shoot out as if they had a mind of their own and fly towards the mutinous man in the crowd, bobbing and weaving around anyone in their paths.
Through the Unsullied bubble Ranta was able to see the back of a man desperately trying to make a retreat, only to have the tree roots wrap around his middle and drag him back and be presented before the leaders on the platform- dangling in the air helplessly. "You got a problem with how I'm leading us?" Tarla whispered with narrowed eyes, though everyone present heard the threat as clear as day.
Without giving the man a chance to answer, Tarla's hand twitched and another tree root shot from the ground and wrapped around the man's neck, crushing his air ways. "W-we nev'r t-took any orders fr'm an outs'der….tha' changes jus' be-cause she's yer c-cousin?" the man choked out, face turning colors from the lack of oxygen. The roots tightened around the man's throat and Ranta had admittedly been waiting for the inevitable sound of his neck or spine breaking at any moment.
"Doesn't matter what we have or haven't done before. I'm telling you what we're doing now." Tarla growled and Ranta took this opportunity to break free of the Unsullied barrier to step forward. "I gave my people a choice wither they would follow me or not. I'm not saying everyone chose to follow me" she spoke, drawing attention onto her, "but with your blatant disregard and refusal to conform to your leader's will after swearing fealty to me…. You are considered an open rebellion and all rebellions will be crushed." Ranta finished darkly before sliding her blue orbs into Tarla's and nodding her head.
The Pirate captain's eyes narrowed in understanding before turning back to the captured man an arms length away, With a sharp tilt of her head to the side, so harsh that Ranta wouldn't of been surprised if her cousin's neck broke from the force she used - four more roots shot from the ground and wrapped themselves around the appendages of the ensnared man.
The cluster of roots moved in harmony and began pulling with all their might in different directions. So when the man was finally torn into pieces, quite literally mind you, a spray of blood splattered against the two cousins and those close enough to the platform. Dropping the removed body parts of the dead man, the bloodied roots hovered in the air - waiting to wrap around the next victim.
"Does anyone else have a problem with my decision?" Tarla asked rhetorically to the stunned faces in the crowd but when the sound of something moving in the foliage from behind them echoed, both Naylors turned. From out of the darkness appeared two sets of familiar tan slitted eyes, followed by low growling. Vaemarr and Laemyx slithered out of the foliage, wet and covered in sand and dirt from emerging from the sea and traveling on land soon after.
Rising above the platform and glaring out at the gaping crowd of pirates in front of them, the two brothers hissed menacingly - rows of sharp pointed teeth, and their hooked hoods flaring out to make their appearance seemingly bigger and more intimidating. Huffing lightly in amusement at their actions, Ranta turned back to the audience. "I do believe a question was asked. Were there any more complaints about the change of management?" the blue haired woman asked knowingly.
Gaping at the two beasts in front of her, Tarla found herself gulping before dropping onto one knee and bowing her head, "Long live the queen." she voiced and others were quick to follow. One by one the gathered pirates dropped onto one knee with a bowed head. "Long live the queen!" Ranta turned to Grey Worm and his unit with a somewhat smug quirked brow, causing the Unsullied captain to respond with a small satisfied smirk himself. Turning slightly and reaching a hand out to the two serpents, Ranta pet the two behemoths lovingly once they were within her reach.
"Long live the queen, indeed."
0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.o0.0o.
"I asked a simple question, where is Jorah?" Daenerys could not understand why the people in front of her could not answer this. She had asked twice now and didn't receive an answer, all she was graced with was uncomfortable looks exchanged amongst her sister's council members. "I am afraid, your grace," Ser Barristan spoke, "that we cannot answer that question." he answered her.
"And why not?" Dany questioned. "We cannot answer it directly." Daario amended, "Jorah's alive don't you worry." he assured. "As far as we know, anyways." Cerran muttered and received glares and a hit to the arm curtousey of Daario for it.
"The fact of the matter is." Missandei hurriedly spoke, "Some... things have occurred recently in your absence and it has caused the Queen to hold things closer to the chest. She has ordered us quiet on the matter, least we invoke her wrath for treason. We cannot tell you where Jorah is even if we knew for certain outside of the general knowledge that he is patrolling outside of the city, you will have to wait for Queen Ranta to return to tell you." the temporary leader of Mereen finished.
Biting the inside of her cheek, Daenerys stifled her temper and the questions bubbling to come out. "Very well" the Targaryen relented, crossing one leg over the other, "I will wait for Ranta's return then. I do believe you had news to report." she referred to Cerran. "Ah, yes." the man nodded, " News from Westeros." Cerran spoke. This had captured the attention of everyone, "Westeros?" Missandei echoed with a furrowed brow.
"Yes, from one of our allies - House Forrester." Cerran flipped a piece of paper out from underneath his shirt and held it between two fingers, " They have decided to contribute to our Queen's war efforts by building ships and weapons from Iron wood trees. They said that the ships will be sailing out of the White Harbor in the North to keep them out of sight of any hostile eyes."
"Some of the weapons have been sent to the Harbor as well to be stored on the ships and some have been sent to Pentos to be picked up there from other ships. They also tell us that recently the Boltons, Ramsey Bolton specifically had stolen away the North from the Starks and have been running wild in Winterfell, but that was up until Jon Snow- Ned Stark's bastard took up arms with the Freefolk, fellow houses of the North and warriors of the Vale to take it back. The battle was won, house Bolton is extinct and now the Starks rule the North once more. The word is, is that the other Northerners have made Jon Snow King in the North with his sister Sansa Stark at his side." Cerran finished.
"Freefolk, on the other side of the wall?!" Barristan said incredulously after a long moment of silence had passed. "Is he out of his mind?" the Selmy protested. Cerran only shrugged in response, "Well apparently they are...or at least were." he stated. "Wildlings in the North are the least of our concerns." Melarie's calm and soothing voice sounded.
"With the Northern houses making Jon Snow King in the North, they have already identified that they do not recognize themselves as one of the seven kingdoms. Meaning that they have no intention on bending the knee to a queen wither she sits on the Iron throne or not." she informed with a grave look.
"However," Kiran now spoke, drawing attention to himself. " House Forrester does not condone this. They will not bend to Jon Snow, they will not supply to Jon Snow now. The Forrester's and their bannermen have abandoned their homes and fled into Wolfswood incase any of the other houses came after them on Jon's behalf. House Forrester has stated that they will remain in Wolfswood until Queen Ranta comes to Westeros. From there they will leave the woods and go to wherever Ranta stations."
"The point of this letter was to say one thing." Melarie spoke again, "It is time for Ranta to sail for Westeros. There is a queen to the south in Kings Landing and a King to the North in Winterfell. Ranta was to rage war against one queen. Not a queen and a King of the like sitting on opposite sides of the country. No more traveling around Essos and to lands beyond, Westeros needs her and it needs her now before the climb for the Iron throne becomes impossible."
Daario smirked and ran a hand over his bearded face, "You know, I think I'm starting to like the people of Westeros more and more." he snarked. " So this King in the North, what support does he have? Is there any outside of the North?" he asked. The Greengood trio exchanged looks before ultimately shaking their heads. "But you just said that the Vale answered his call when it was time to do battle." Daenerys noted.
"Yes they did." Cerran nodded, "But that wasn't so much as a call to loyalty but as to one to help the rest of Westeros. The Boltons in power was an asset no to no one besides their own house. The Vale could answer the call again should it come to battle between us and the North or they can not. The Vale does not necessarily have strength in numbers, they are not ones for battle. They hide in their mountains where enemies cannot get them. However, you take the dragons and fly them over the Eyrie and they will kneel instantly." he vowed.
"Why trek an army through mountains when you can simply reign fire down from above." Daenerys added thoughtfully. "Exactly." Cerran agreed. Missandei thought for a moment before sighing heavily, "The Queen should be back soon, we can tell her this when she returns….can letters be sent to the Basilisk Isles?" she turned her gaze to Cerran and his older brother.
"Of course, is that messenger hawk still roaming around? The one from Vaes Dothrak?" the younger of the two asked and was answered with confirming nods. "Good, then all you have to do is write your letter and send the bird on her way." Cerran instructed. Rushing was the last thing Missandei wanted to do to her queen, but it was what was necessary if the Westerosi had been telling the truth.
Grabbing a paper and quill, Missandei began to write quickly - describing how Daenerys was back and successful in her quest, the concerns about the nobles, her offer to Hizdahr, and what had been foretold by Cerran and his family, urging the queen to hurry home so that she could address this promptly. Signing her name at the bottom and sealing the letter closed, Missandei had been prepared to call an Unsullied in to track down the messenger hawk and have it deliver the letter but froze when she seen a solitary familiar form and two unfamiliar ones standing in the door way.
"Jorah." she breathed causing the rest of the room to whip around so fast necks could of snapped in half. Standing there in all of his glory, had been the Mormont himself standing wind battered and dirty along with his companions. Before the translator could stop herself, Missandei found herself calling for the Unsullied as Daario, Barristan and Cerran all shot up from their seats and stood in front of the guests of the great pyramid protectively.
"Guards, Guards! Come quickly!"
Alarmed, and heart broken to see a friend...friends of his looking at him with such fear and mistrust. "Missandei." Jorah pleaded desperately, taking a step forward but was stopped when guards rushed in to take care of the threat at hand.
His two companions, a short man in dwarvish height and a tall bald one held their hands up in a sign of surrender at the sight of spears in their faces "So much for a warm welcome and hospitality."the dwarf muttered. "Jorah, you aren't supposed to be here." Missandei ignored the comment. "I know, I know." the man nodded in agreement much to Daenerys confusion, "but I have to speak to the Queen. When does she return?" Jorah asked. "You do what you've done, and have the nerve to come back asking to see the queen?" Daario tilted his head slightly.
"With our enemies at your back nonetheless." Barristan mused with a glare directed towards the two newcomers. Daenerys, Rakharo and Jhogo all stood in confusion as to what the others had been talking about. "After what he's done? Enemies? What are you talking about?" the silvery blonde questioned. "The men you see before you are Tyrion Lannister and Varys the Spy master of King's Landing. Or in other words, our enemies." the Selmy informed. Daenerys furrowed her brow and watched as Rakharo and Jhogo pulled in front of her line of sight protectively.
"On the contrary I'd say we were quite the opposite, Ser Barristan." Varys spoke. "And why is that?" Melarie asked standing, with Kiran on her heels as fast as he could and standing beside his mother. Crippled or not, the man would not be going down without a fight when it came to protecting her. "Because my dear Melarie, I believe everyone in this room wants the same thing. For wrongs to be corrected and to see the right person sit on the Iron throne. Tyrion and I are here to help with the endeavor." Varys spoke truthfully.
" And how exactly does a spider and a dwarf help in a war to get the dwarf's family off the throne?" Cerran asked. "Well the spider has made friends with the pretty little birds, and the dwarf…..well he just mainly talks. Good for politics." Tyrion opened his mouth to object but shut it and nodded in agreement. Though he prided himself on talking and drinking.
There was another long silence amongst the occupants of the room before it was broken by Missandei. "A talented politician and spy master would be an asset to have." many eyes flew to her in incredulousness. "You can't be serious, Missandei." Daario frowned. "The enemy is in the city, in front of our very eyes and you want to welcome them with open arms and with positions in our council?" the brunette man had been sure the woman was out of her mind.
"From what Cerran has reported we are going to need a politician and spy master or two that knows Westeros well if we want to avoid a fight with the King in the North...What's the saying? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" Missandei quoted. "Here, here! Very well said." Tyrion mock saluted his imaginary wine glass towards her. The Lannister couldn't help but scan his eyes over the room in search of something to relieve the scratch in his throat with. "Besides, I never said that they would be roaming around freely." the woman continued on as if he had not even spoke.
Turning sharply, Missandei pinned her brown eyes onto the pale blue ones of Jorah's. "You are leaving the city, right now" she ordered and did her best to ignore the guilt flooding her chest. "And the both of you will be locked in cells in the dungeon below until the Queen returns. I can't have a spy master and a silver tongued politician wandering around the streets of Mereen." she stared pointedly at Tyrion and Varys.
"Missandei-"Jorah tried but stopped when the Unsullied moved in threateningly. Swallowing the spit in his mouth, the Mormont nodded solemnly and backed out of the room with spears at his back. "Wouldn't you like to know how we got here? Where we came from?" Tyrion asked, halting all movement in the room. "I am Tyrion Lannister, that part is true. It is also true to say that I am considered an enemy. It's a fair enough point. However," Tyrion paused and slapped away at the Unsullied guard who had grabbed him, breaking free.
" Haven't you asked yourself, why a Lannister is on this side of the Narrow sea and not drowning himself in women and alcohol in Kings Landing?" he trailed off, walking forwards and grabbing the wine he spotted on the meeting table and drank straight from the bottle. "Well, I won't go into great detail - this is no where nearly enough for that." Tyrion frowned thoughtfully.
" But long story short, I was wrongly accused of killing King Joffery Baratheon and put on trial. The jury found me guilty and I was to be publicly executed, but instead I demanded a trial by combat. As I laid awaiting in my cell for certain death because the one man that I had asked to fight for me wouldn't, someone came and visited me. Prince Oberyn Martell." Jorah and Barristan both exchanged looks at the mention of the Dornish prince.
"We spoke and he agreed to be my champion. Oberyn fought Gregor Clegane, he was winning…" Tyrion trailed off, "He was winning the fight from the very beginning. He dominated the battle with that long spear and his acrobatic flips and twists in the air…."
"YOU RAPED HER! YOU MURDERED HER!" The dorne prince screamed as he circled the wounded man on his knees, unable to stand with the stab wound to his stomach and his sliced tendon at the back of his foot. Oberyn was like a big cat, playing with a mouse, waiting to see if his prey would make another move as it sat there dying. And by the gods did he hope that this man would move….no not man.
This monster.
The monster that would not confess, he would not vocally confess his sins. Oh, but Oberyn would make him - even if it was the last thing that he did. He owed it to them. He owed it to all of them, not only to his people in Dorne but as Elia Martell's brother, and uncle to her deceased children. "YOU KILLED HER CHILDREN!" Oberyn bellowed rushed forward, jumping high into the air and slammed his spear down into the chest of Ser Gregor Clegane. The crowd let out a collective 'Ohhh!' soon followed by a variety of the reactions to the brutal impalement of the enormous man. Tyrion and Jamie Lannister couldn't help but exchange smiles to each other from across the way, clearly happy to see the Dornish man's victory.
"You are dying?" the Dornish man noted, seeing his sister's murderer flutter close, "Oh no, no, no. You can not die yet." Oberyn scolded, jerking his spear out of his opponents chest. "Say it. Say her name." he circled Gregor's prone form. " Elia Martell. You raped her, you murdered her, you killed her children. Who gave you the order?" he pointed at Tywin Lannister knowingly. "ELIA MARTELL! SAY HER NAME!" The prince shouted.
"WHO GAVE YOU THE ORDER?!" from beside the man's lover Ellaria a delicate woman clad in red appeared, a small smile upon her face. "Prince Oberyn Martell." her voice rang out loud and clear though she was speaking at a normal voice level. Looking up, he seen the red woman standing to his beloved Ellaria who also seemed shaken by the woman's sudden appearance. "Come, the debt will be paid. Your sister and her children rest easy, they would not want you to become the very same monster you despise. You are needed else where. Your people, your loved ones, your home and your new Queen awaits you."
Oberyn said nothing as the woman uttered this last part in the familiar foreign language so no others would be able to understand. "The battle is won." the new comer returned to common tongue , "Ser Gregor Clegane has been defeated. Prince Oberyn Martell is the winner of this trial by combat. And the Martell's time in Kings Landing has come to a close for now." Oberyn stared at the lady in red for a moment longer before looking to Ellaria, who nodded her head subtly.
There was no arguing with what a red priestess instructed you todo, it would not end well for those who did. Karma had a wonderful way of working in the witches favor. Hesitating, a frown marring his tanned features as he fought with himself about what to do. A long moment passed before slowly moving away from Gregor who was now unconscious from blood loss and looked to Tywin Lannister expectantly, throwing his arms out to the side in addition.
"Tyrion Lannister has been cleared of all charges as per victory of trial by combat."
"But of course things are never so easy." Varys chimed in, ever calmly. "Just because he had been cleared of any charges, did not mean he was safe." the bald man noted. "No indeed," Tyrion agreed, " One way or another some one would of come after my head in retribution, so I escaped with the help of a spider and a few birds and officially made the two month long trek over the sea in a cramped box with no one but myself to keep company. Varys and I lingered in Pentos for a bit, then we landed in Volantis - where we met Ser Jorah here." Tyrion pointed to the man standing in the doorway. "And after drinks had been drunk and words exchanged, there we were. A merry band of three sailing through Valyria in a small boat…"
"The Smoking Sea." Tyrion narrated as he and his traveling companions drifted through the old civilization. "How many centuries need to pass before we learn to build like this again?" he gazed longingly at the ruins of old buildings taken by the Doom, "For thousands of years the Vayrians were the best at everything...and then." he trailed off. "And then they weren't." Varys finished for him, hands tucked into his sleeves.
"And then they weren't." Tyrion echoed with a nod. "Tell me, Ser Jorah, you rather face the dangers of Valyria than sail around in open waters. Why? Do you doubt that our queen will be able to get the pirates on her side? That the Dothraki are incapable of protecting us from a few slavers" Varys asked. "Not at all." Jorah replied calmly, steering the boat.
"What I doubt is how fast word will spread amongst them about their soon to be new allegiance to the queen. And as for the Dothraki, I do not doubt them either, but I just don't like the odds of them being in the same area as us if we do run into trouble. I patrolled with them, we never stayed on certain roads for long before moving along." the man kept his eyes moving from side to side, watching for any danger that may have appeared since last he traveled through the doomed waters.
A silence lingered over the group of men for a few minutes, all with their own thoughts flowing through their minds. "It really is a shame. This is all that's left of what was once great." Tyrion mourned the lost city, through the fog in the distance - high in the sky he spotted three dark figures approaching. The sounds of wings beating against the air soon followed and Tyrion quickly stood to get a better look at what was coming.
From out of the fog, appeared three large dragons and the Lannister's jaw couldn't possibly drop any more from awe. Jorah watched with a smirk as his companions watch in stunned amazement of the dragon trio flying above them. Rhaegal suddenly gave a cry and changed direction, gliding back towards the small boat they occupied and causing his brothers to follow suit.
Tyrion fell back onto his behind when he watched the tan dragon make its descent towards them and hover in front of the Mormont himself, humming in acknowledgement to the exiled knight and tilting his head intelligently as if wondering what he was doing in such a place. Jorah smiled, "You're wondering what I'm doing out here? I could ask you the same thing." he called to the dragon, "You and your brothers are far from the city." he noted, eyes drifting to the scars and missing scales the poor creature had to endure from the past.
Rhaegal lowered his head and snorted, blowing a harsh gust of air into the bear's face, as if he had any room to talk. Tyrion and Varys watched the interaction on in stunned silence, and amazement. " I'm on my way back now, that's why we're taking a short cut." Jorah informed the intelligent animal. Drogon and Viserion suddenly let out cries of warning to their brother down below, causing the tan dragon's head to snap up and glare at the threat that none of the humans had noticed lingering in the immediate area.
Snarling with a glare at a ruin of what was once a watch tower, a stream of fire left Rhaegal's mouth as he attacked the grey creature lingering on the rocks that looked like a human before lunging forwards once, wrapping his clawed foot around Jorah's middle and flew away from the unnatural creature that had intentions on harming his mother's friends. Tyrion and Varys gasped at the sudden abduction of the Mormont but could do nothing as they suddenly heard two more cries before felling sharp claws wrap around their own bodies and be carried high into the air- away from their small abandoned boat and supplies left to drift through the rest of Valyria.
"The dragons dropped us off at the gates before flying off again, off to only who knows where. Especially if they are flying out as far as into the ruins of Valyria."Jorah softly spoke.
"What happened or how you got here is not important at the moment, though your honesty and willingness to serve our queen has been noted and appreciated."Missandei's soft voice spoke. "However, this does not change the fact that Jorah must leave the city and you two are to be put in the dungeons." she felt bad for the command, really she did. But orders were orders.
Ranta had assigned her to protect Mereen, and she would do that. "Come, come Lady Missandei is there really need to stick us in a cell?" Tyrion questioned. " By all means kick Jorah out of the city" the Lannister made sure to not make eye contact with the Mormont who was surely glaring holes into his head, " But I believe Varys and I are hardly a threat. All you have to do is kick me over and I'm on my back on the ground. Varys here is no better warrior than I. Why not stick some guards on us, and allow us to roam through only a few blocks of Mereen? Close to this pyramid perhaps?" Tyrion offered.
The temporary ruler sighed heavily as she stared down the short curly haired man blankly. Missandei supposed that the little man had a point, a guard of four could be assigned to them and the odds of anything suspicious occurring was slim to none. After another moment of contemplation, Missandei finally caved. "Four Unsullied will be assigned to you throughout all hours of the day, and while in their prescence you two will contemplate and adapt to the phrase 'as silent as the grave' when out and about. Conversations will be reported back to me if your guards feel like I need to know about it."
Missandei then turned to the Mormont still lingering by the doorway, "One last time Jorah, out. I will tell the queen you need to speak to her and she can summon you back. But for now, out. I trust you know the way." With sad blue eyes, the Mormont bowed his head in submission and walked out of the room, disappearing from sight. Daenerys itched to chase after him and demand answers but she had a feeling he would not be the one to cough them up either. Ranta really did need to return, and she needed to do it fast.
0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.
Sand was uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable. It got in places that sand didn't belong in and was hard to get out of her hair, but by the gods if Vaemarr and Laemyx didn't love it. With a sleeveless shirt, pants legs rolled up as far as they would go and barefoot, Ranta laid sunbathing on the beach of the island with the night and day brothers, a mysterious bag tied to her hip. The duo would constantly roll around in it, sending a shower of sand down atop Ranta to the point where she was more sand than woman.
Could she have moved away? Yes, but they would simply follow and the blue haired woman had no choice but to accept the grainy material covering her body. Besides, the tingly feeling the consumed alcohol gave her made it worth it. Hearing something emerge from the vegetation but not making a move to see who was approaching, the Naylor remained still. If this person was a threat then the snakes would of sensed it.
"Might I ask what you are doing, my queen?" Grey Worm's voice sounded. "Resting." Ranta answered simply, not opening her eyes to regard the man. "And drinking." she added, knocking away an empty glass bottle. Remaining silent, Grey Worm decided not to comment on her choices on drinking and lay baking under the sun without food in her system.
"As per requested, my queen, letters have been sent to Naath and the Summer isles informing them of their new found freedom from the basilisk pirates. Ship repairs are nearly complete - a day's more worth of work is needed" Grey Worm reported. "Thank you." the woman replied, raising a hand she beckoned the man closer. Grey Worm complied but did no venture too close considering the young monarch had a snake pressed to her sides.
"Closer Grey Worm, they will not hurt you." Ranta encouraged. Hearing feet shuffle forwards in obedience, Ranta then patted the free space slightly above her. "Sit." she ordered her friend and once she had heard he was seated, the woman opened her eyes and sat up grabbing her hair in one hand and began to shake it out though she knew it would not help by much.
"Take your shoes off" Ranta requested stretching her arms out above her head, several bones cracking and popping loudly in responce. Though he preferred not to, Grey Worm did as the blue eyed woman told him too. Once his shoes were off, the Naylor suddenly turned to him with a small smile and held out a hand expectantly. But for the life of him Grey Worm could not figure out what she wanted from him.
"Let me see your hand." she laughed lightly at the awkward and visibly uncomfortable man in front of her. With his hand finally in hers with a chunk of hesitance, Ranta took it and placed in palm down on the top of Laemyx's hard head. Any other man would of flinched and pulled away but the stoic man remained still and did not visibly react otherwise, especially when the eggshell colored snake did nothing to remove himself from under the Unsullied captain's hand.
"Well, now that I see you haven't been eaten or roasted alive." Ranta stood, " Let's go for a ride." she jumped up and dragging herself onto the back of the snake. Now mounted on Vaemarr, Ranta looked to Grey Worm expectantly. Long gone were the days where she had to ride side saddle, instead she was able to sit like she normally would if she were atop a horse but her knees had been sharply bent so her forelegs were pressing into her bum. Meaning the strength in her thighs and knees is what would be used to remain atop her child as her hands used what ever pieces of armor to hold onto.
However, the man had not moved a muscle much to her amusement. " Are you scared?" she smiled. "Unsullied fear nothing." came the even reply. "Then mount up already." the monarch challenged. Grey Worm looked to the face of his queen, full of youth and meriment before turning and looking to the creature below his hand who had yet to move.
After another second of hesitation Grey Worm finally moved forward and mounted in a similar fashion Ranta had. "Up you great brute." Ranta smirked down at Vaemarr's head, patting it twice. The dark snake groaned deeply, saddened to have his sunbathing interrupted but did as commanded. "Up, Laemyx." Grey Worm requested kinder than the woman had of his brother.
Instead of the duo slithering along the beach coast like Grey Worm thought they would of, they turned towards the water. "I want to find sea turtles. You're good at holding your breath right?" Ranta asked with a smile, even if he wasn't he would soon recieve the talent. The Naylor wouldn't be surprised if Grey Worm had been contemplating how much longer he would dedicate his life to her if she made a habit of making him do such things, and the thought admittedly made her laugh.
"Try not to hate me too much, Grey Worm. This will be fun, and quite the story to tell once we return to Mereen." Ranta grinned, feeling the warm sea water touch her toes as her mount brought her deeper into the summer sea. Grey Worm watched as his queen slowly disappeared underneath the water and found himself soon following after. Cautiously opening her eyes, the Naylor and Unsullied man were admittedly star struck by the underwater world.
The water was crystal clear with millions of small colorful fish of varies colors. Yellows, blacks, blues, oranges, greens, pinks, purples and the plant life was of similar colors. A few fish grew curious and ventured close to the woman with hair that looked like water, even going as far as swimming back and forth through her long and flowing locks that floated above her head.
In the distance, something caught her eye. It had been a trio of dolphins circling something seemingly worridley, squinting her eyes Ranta was able to make out that they were circling another dolphin that was thrashing in place. Waving her hand and catching Grey Worm's attention who had also been taking in the sights, Ranta pointed towards the commotion ahead of them.
Releasing her hold on the snake and floating upwards, the Naylor swam towards the distressed creatures and their ailing friend. Strange clicking and squealing reached her ears as she reached the quartet of animals, three of who immediately turned towards her at the ubrupt arrival of the human. Frowning in concern Ranta was able to see why they were so distressed, their poor friend was stuck on a fishing net.
As she wrapped one hand around the net, a knife suddenly appeared in her field of vision. Grey Worm had appeared beside her and was holding out a dagger for her to take while Vaemarr and Laemyx lingered in the spots the humans had left them in. Taking the dagger, Ranta began cutting at the net on one side while her companion unsheathed another dagger and worked on the net on the other side of the dolphin.
More clicking and squeaking sounded once part of the net had been cut through and the dolphin was able to thrash a bit more out of excitement. Resting a hand on the soft and smooth skin, Ranta stroked the side of the dolphin in reassurance in an attempt to calm the poor thing down before returning to cutting. There was only so long she and the captain could hold their breath for, but while they worked neither noticed the glowing ruins of Ranta's arms nor the air bubbles forming around their noses and mouths that prolonged their air supply.
After one final cut from both of the humans alike, the dolphin had finally been freed of its confines. The quartet of dolphins had been estatic at this, bobbing their heads up and down excitedly and rubbing their bodies against the humans all while clicking and squealing in glee. Smiling at the blantant show of gratitude, Ranta reveled in the aquatic animal attention she had been given and watched contently as the small group of dolphins gave departing clicks before swimming away.
Watching until the were out of sight, Ranta and Grey Worm turned towards each other in synch and had equal looks of bewilderment on their faces when they seen the air bubbles on their faces. In unison they lifted their respective daggers for the other to use as a mirror, while Ranta was busy studying the mystical bubble around her mouth her companion reached forward and grabbed one of her arms for examination.
Looking down, Ranta realized it had been the ruins acting up again. A deep humming sounded, sending vibrations through the water and catching the duo's attention. Vaemarr and Laemyx had approached and jerked their heads towards the left and Ranta soon for got about the air bubbles floating around their air ways because in the distance had been the very creatures Ranta had wanted to find in the first place. Sea turtles.
Forgetting the issue at hand, Ranta swam over to the gentle shelled beasts eagerly but came to a stop not too far away from them in order to not scare the small cluster of turtles away. Reaching into the bad at her hip, Ranta brought out small pieces of lettuce and fruit she had intended on feeding to the sea creatures. Throwing a few apple and lettuce chunks forwards as far as they would go in the water, the Naylor waited to see if any of the turtles would approach.
What looked like a baby turtle or at the very least a very young one, swam forward out of curiosity but didn't quite have the courage to make the trek all the way over. After trying to bribe the turtle over with different kinds of fruit, the little guy finally made his way over to the blue queen and munched on a small chunk of strawberry floating in the water merrily.
Gradually the others ventured over as well and so had Ranta's underwater human companion who had also invested a small amount of time of feeding the aquatic animals. The duo had fed the turtles until the bag at her hip was empty and barren, which led to the Naylor waving good bye to the creatures she now very much wanted to bring ashore with her, behind.
Swimming back over to Vaemarr and Laemyx, the small group of divers explored the under water world for about another hour or two before submerging topside once more. "Told you, it wouldn't be that bad." Ranta grinned as soon as their heads were above water, " Now you can officially say that you've fed sea turtles and rescued a dolphin before."
Slithering onto shore, Vaemarr and Laemyx had thrown Ranta and Grey Worm off of their backs when they began to toss and turn - rolling around in the sand merrily. Yelping as she hit the ground, the Mereen queen was sent tumbling forwards and found herself drenched in sand during the process. "You can also say that you've swallowed a barrel full of sand before." the blue eyed woman spat said offending material from her mouth.
Spitting sand out of his own mouth and wiping his eyes clear of it, Grey Worm stood to brush himself clean of the sand. Following suit, the young monarch stood as well but began trying to free herself of sand in much more...weirder sort of fashions that included strange wiggles and shakes that could be passed off as dancing she supposed. "You either got a fish in your pants or your tryin to get sand off of ya." Tarla's amused voice came.
Turning around, Ranta was greeted with the sight of her cousin standing there with a few scrolls in her hand and a familiar hawk on her shoulder. "It's option two. I don't know how you deal with this." Ranta grumbled and was then abruptly hit with another wave of sand by one of her two children. Spitting the sand out of her mouth once more, Ranta glared at nothing in particular at the fate fallen upon her. "Was there anything you needed?" she asked dryly of the dark haired woman.
"You got letters, looks like things aren't goin' so well in your absence if yer getting letters from Mereen already." Tarla noted with some concern that was mimicked by Ranta and Grey Worm who was more successful at clearing himself of sand than she was. Taking the rolled parchments of paper, Ranta quickly read the messages from Mereen - one was Missandei's report and another was from Qarth that she disregarded completely since it was basically a marriage proposal.
After a few more moments of reading, Ranta's facial expression dropped. Looking up at Grey Worm,"We need to go back to Mereen, the enemy is within our walls." Ranta declared, looking him dead in his eye. "I need the ships ready today," she then turned to Tarla, "Not tomorrow." Ranta shook her head. Biting on her lip, " Late tonight at the earliest will you be able to sail. The Iron Giant needs more work and to be stocked, but I can pick up the pace...do you need me to come with when you sail?" Tarla offered and the Storm queen shook her head.
"No, we should be fine. From what my advisor tells me, the threat isn't one to cause so much panic over but a quick return home is needed." Ranta turned to Grey Worm, "Go find the rest of the Unsullied and the ship crew men, tell them we need to go. Have them help with repairs to speed things up." she explained. Grey Worm nodded solemnly and turned on his heel to do as commanded.
The Naylor queen started with Tarla's hand suddenly shot out and caught Ranta's wrist in an iron grip. "What are you-?" Ranta furrowed her brow and tried to free herself but found it useless. Pulling her in closer, Tarla looked down at her arm and ran her free hand over the scars that had not faded ,"Enough, let go!" the blue haired woman demanded pulling at her arm.
"You ran into a red witch." the pirate suddenly proclaimed looking up into her eyes.
"What?" Ranta stopped. Tarla pulled up her own sleeve on her arm to reveal scars similar to her own set of branded ruins but hers were green and hardly visible unlike hers. "You ran into a red witch." Tarla repeated as Ranta studied the ruins on her arm. "Why?" was the only thing the monarch was able to ask. "All Naylors are born with limitations," the elder Naylor explained.
" A seal on our gifts so that they are only used during times of great peril or distress. The red priests and priestesses are the only ones who can break the seal, via a ritual during the application of the ruins. These." Tarla touched a ruin. "Are like keys to a lock, breaking the seal we are born with so our true potential can show. Have they acted up at all? Started glowing?" she asked.
Ranta hesitated but nodded, "On the way here and when Grey Worm and I were in the water." she admitted. "What were you doing when they started to glow?" Tarla asked. "The first time I wasn't doing anything, I was just day dreaming and swinging my hand back and forth- Grey Worm says I was disturbing the water by quite a bit. Making more waves than necessary probably." the monarch shrugged, "the second time, when we were in the water helping a dolphin and feeding sea turtles - air bubbles formed around our mouths."
The pirate nodded in understanding and looked to her relative seriously, "You're going to have to be more careful of your actions. Your environment will be more sensitive to you now more than ever. You'll have to work on control when you return to Mereen, I would say your scars would fade with time but never completely disappear like mine...but seeing as what ever red witch got her hands on you, burned the ruins into your skin instead of just carving them in...it's hard to say." Tarla shrugged with a sympathetic look to her face.
Frowning herself, Ranta stared down at her ruins for a long moment before back up at her information source. "How do I control it when I don't even know I'm doing it?" she asked with a small frown. The dark haired woman merely poked two fingers into her forehead, holding them there. "No more day dreaming cousin, that's the prime opportunity to lose control. You'll have to keep your head out of the clouds before you end up flooding that precious city of yours back on the main lands." she removed her fingers.
"And when I want to control it knowingly?" Ranta asked. "Envision it, picture it, see it in your head." Tarla informed her, raising a hand towards a nearby tree. More groaning filled the air as the tree seemingly came to life to answer its master's call, the trunk of the tree bent over like a person and used its leafy branches to scoop the pirate up from the ground and seat her high into the air before returning to its stationary form. "Use hand motions if you believe it'll help."she offered.
How hand motions were going to help her summon thunder and lightning, Ranta had no idea but she was still greatful for this bit of information given to her. "Okaay, thunder clouds...lightning." the blue queen murmured under her breath, looking up to the clear blue sky. "Thick dark clouds, lightning playing hide and seek within...loud booms of thunder" the picture couldn't have been clearer in her mind and right when Ranta had half a mind to call the bluff on her cousin's advice, the scene painted in her mind became true right in front of her eyes.
"Okay, easy, easy! We have people working with metal and steel. No need to get anyone electrocuted!" Tarla exclaimed after watching a few flashes of lightning showed after fellow booms of thunder. Blinking, Ranta managed to send the grumpy combination away at the same time Tarla had her tree lower her back onto the ground. Walking up to her relative and looking from her and to the now clear blue sky before back to her cousin again...
"Nice, very nice." the pirate grinned.
0o.0o.0o.o.o0.0o..o0.o00o..o0.0o.0o.o0,
"Gone? What do you mean, gone? How can an entire House and their bannermen just be gone?" Jon Snow asked Lord Glover over the murmurs of the other lords and ladies of the north. Here he was trying to unite all of the Northern houses together to fight against the white walkers and he had a house missing, especially one so close to Winterfell.
"It means what it means" the old lord stated nervously, " House Forrester is gone. The castle and surrounding homes are completely barren. It's like no one had lived there in centuries. The same with the homes and encampments of their banners." Glover reported. "When did they disappear?" Jon asked with out missing a beat but the lord under his command could only shrug.
"I don't know. It has been awhile since anyone had physically visited them, but we still received shipments of trade from them before we took back the North so we didn't think anything was wrong." Lord Glover paused and licked his lips before continuing. "I have an inkling on where they could of gone though." he offered. "Speak then." Sansa demanded from her seat beside her brother.
"Iron wrath." Ser Davvos spoke before Lord Glover could and gained a nod from him in confirmation. More murmurs rose up at the mention of said place, though Jon couldn't say he knew what it was. "What is Iron wrath? Where is it?" The Northern king asked. "Iron wrath is a sacred place, your majesty." Peter Baelish spoke from his position on the wall he had been leaning against, drawing all eyes on him. " It is in the north, no less. Supposedly some where deep in the bowels of Wolfswood - no one in this room has ever been there, I imagine. My self included. The Forrester's had been content to stay in their decoy castle for over a hundred years, where they could be found, but now? They flee with their tails tucked in between their legs to a place no one can find, perhaps they aren't quite content with your crowning and resorted to hiding out of self preservation?" Peter smiled devilishly
Jon blinked and slowly looked to the ground at the mention of this...it wasn't like he asked to be crowned King in the first place. "If this is true, and the Forresters have returned to Iron wrath." Lady Mormont's young but powerful voice sounded over the crowd- effectively silencing the whispers that had been exchanged amongst each other. "Then we are in deep shit and fucked on top of it." she stated bluntly.
"The Forresters were the North's main supplier of weapons and shields. I bet you all the gold on Bear island that all of us here has owned or at least has trained with some kind of weapon from them. The weapons they create gives Valyrian steel a run for its coin, the shields we use are not metal. They are made of wood from the Ironwood trees and designed to look and feel like they are metal." noises of agreement rose up as men checked their weapons stationed at the hip. On the hilts of swords, daggers, knives, and at the top of spears, shields and war hammers had been the symbol of the missing house. A black tree with a white sword in the middle of the trunk.
"Well how do we find a house and its bannermen in a place that cannot be found?" Jon asked his people gathered before him, earning their attention. "You can't." Lord Glover spoke, "The only ones capable of tracking down House Forrester is House Greengood, more residents of Wolfswood." but Jon would not be deterred and neither would Sansa. "There has to be a way to find them. Wolfswood is only so big- form scouting parties, or unleash tracking hounds, or send ravens to try and draw them out." the orange haired woman listed.
However protests immediately sounded at this. "Forgive me, my lady for saying this." Lord Glover spoke again, "but no one is stupid enough to go into Wolfswood - it is dark, dangerous, wild and untamed. Nothing but a maze of poisonous plants, and murderous creatures lurk there." a healthy amount of hands banging on the tables filled the room. "Lord Glover is right. No one that ventures into Wolfswood, comes out. If I may be so bold as to say what is on my mind, your majesty?" Littlefinger asked with that wicked smile still upon his face. Jon nodded and motioned for him to speak on.
" Before the Battle of the Bastards, I reconnected with a few sources of mine that scour the world themselves or who have their own connections across the world. Somewhere across the Narrow sea is Daenerys Targaryen, the Mad King's Daughter. Alive and well, and with a Dothraki horde at her back. She has become the Khaleesi of the Dothraki, or in other words - she has become the Dothraki Queen." Jon exchanged worried looks with Sansa and Davos like the other men and woman of the room had done with the people closest to them.
Peter waited for the concerned murmurs to settle before continuing on, "Somewhere across the Narrow sea in the same area as Daenerys is Ranta Naylor, adopted sister of Daenerys. Ranta is the Liberator of Slaver's Bay and Queen of Mereen, at her back is an army of Unsullied, her own army of Dothraki, The Second Sons- the third best Sellsword unit in the world, Freed men and will have, if she doesn't already - pirates whose leader is another Naylor, powers unknown. Not only do these two sisters have armies that equal to over one hundred thousand men combined, but they also have three dragons that grow larger by the day and two monster Basilisk snakes that breathe fire and grow at a faster rate than the dragons. Viserys Targaryen, may his soul rest in peace." Littlefinger gave a quick show of respect for the dead man.
"Named Ranta his heir on his death bed since he did not have time to marry her. Daenerys Targaryen does not want the throne...House Naylor has backed the Targaryens since the beginning...The Baratheons dethroned the Targaryens with the help of Houses and bannermen of Tully, Lannister, GreyJoy, Arryn and Stark. Queen Ranta is coming to claim the throne in Viserys' name and for whatever other personal reasons she has. Daenerys will back her. You have accepted and been named King in the North. You have openly stated that you do not identify with the other regions of Westeros and therefore you are an open rebellion." unease flowed through Ned Stark's bastard at this though he had already been aware that he was technically a rebellion to whoever sat on the Iron throne.
"House Greengood has left Westeros a while back and bent the knee to Ranta. House Forrester is sure to have followed, Ironwood weapons and ships have been seen in the White Harbor, setting sail and flying Naylor colors to wherever their new queen is. Which explains their disappearance from the outside world, but can you blame them? I know I cannot. If you were House Greengood or Forrester for that matter, who would you side with? A queen with the Westerosi support of Houses Martell, Tyrell, Greengood and Forrester, armies of beasts and men alike and who can call down thunder and lightning to do her bidding? Or a king who has the support of the North and only the North?" Peter left the question to hang in the air for a few minutes.
"As Lord Protector of the Vale it is my duty to protect the Vale and the people it harbors. The moment I see dragons or monster basilisks making their way through Westeros - I am going back home to bend the knee with Lord Robin. Dragon fire...serpent fire...will not be the way I leave this world. I suggest you make friends with Ranta Naylor or Daenerys Targaryen, your highness, before its too late and the Long night will be the least of your worries." the man summed up.
"What are we going to do? No weapons, no allies, the dead are knocking on our door….lady Lyanna was right. We are fucked." one of the lords exclaimed from somewhere near the back of the room. "W-we are not fucked." Jon's voice cracked a bit eyes glued to the floor momentarily before bringing them up to regard the occupants of the room. "What weapons we have, will be used, we can have more made. Sure they will not be as well crafted as the ones from the Forresters but we will take what we can get. From now on, I want every man, woman, and child -boy and girl alike- aged from ten to sixty training to defend themselves and their home." Jon declared.
"What about the Naylor and Targaryen queens? Have you not heard nothing about what Lord Baelish has just said." Sansa asked incredulously, " They are coming to reclaim the kingdoms, the north is one of those kingdoms. How are we to stand against a Naylor and her army?" she asked helplessly. "We don't. We cannot stand against a Naylor, all of us here knows that even if we had the numbers and weapons." Jon stared out at the crowd nodding along with what he said. "But we can be friends, like Lord Baelish suggested. The Starks and Naylors have always been friends. Perhaps an agreement can be made between Queen Ranta and I when she inevitably arrives in Westeros" he mused.
"The Umbers and Karstarks were friends of House Stark once too, they turned against us. Just like how we turned against the Naylors when our father decided to fight against the Targaryens." Sansa pointed out, also earning agreement from the crowd. Jon squeezed his eyes shut to contain his frustration, "Children can not be held responsible for the actions of their fathers." he opened his eyes and looked for two particular people in the crowd.
"Ned Umber, Alys Karstark." he called soundly. Uncertainly, the orange haired teenage daughter of Harald Karstark and the young brown haired son of Small Jon Umber stood from their seats. The burning gazes of the other lords and ladies made their skin crawl uncomfortably. Jon beckoned them forward with two fingers, and soft eyes. They were just children. Innocent children.
How could they possibly be blamed for something their father did when one was too young to understand why and the other probably had no say in the matter. "For centuries our families have fought together side by side, through thick and thin." The northern king began, " I am asking you now, to pledge your loyalty to house Stark once more. To answer when we call, no matter what you are doing, no matter what enemy we are fighting. You will come, swear to me this."
Alys drew her sword first and knelt onto one knee, sword's tip digging into the floor below and Ned Umber was quick to follow her example. "Stand." Jon motioned, satisfied with the duo's choices. " The old wars are in the past, now we must look to the future. Together. The North must ban together. The Greengoods and Forresters have left us because we were divided and weak, I will not blame them for that. Had I been in one of their families I probably would of done the same and I know you all would of too." Jon paused, " Well now I say it's time we prove to them that we are not as divided as we once were. Alys and Ned, will you help me in this endeavor? Will you stand beside me, now and always?"
"Now and always."
Jon nodded, motioning for the two children to return to their seats. "I want every Northern maester to search their records for any mention of dragon glass. Dragon glass kills white walkers, it's more valuable to us than gold now. We need to find it, mine it and make weapons from it. While we are working on our attack power and our search for the glass, our defenses on the wall also need to be boosted. The wall is the only thing keeping the dead away from us and it hasn't been armed properly in centuries. I'm no King of the Free folk." he looked towards Tormund pointedly.
The ginger haired and bearded wildling stood up, "Ahhh you want us the man the castles for you then?" he assumed and Jon nodded, "The Night king was last spotted at Hardholm, Hardholm is closest to East watch by the sea." Tormund smirked, "Then that's where I'll go." he agreed before turning to a few of the Northern lords closest to him, "Looks like Wildlings are the Night's Watch now." he chuckled before sitting down again, grinning at the dirty looks sent to him.
"Should the wall be breached, the first castles to be hit will be of the Umbers and Karstarks." Jon made eye contact with a few of the youngest members in the room. "Their castles should be taken." Sansa cut in, causing Jon to look to his sister as if she had grown another head. "They fought against us with Ramsey. Yes, they have bent the knee to you today but they still need to be punished for their disloyalty." the orange haired woman reasoned.
"They have been punished, their fathers are dead for it." Jon argued. "That was not a punishment for disloyalty, that was the cost of fighting in a war on the wrong side." Sansa shook her head, "Give their homes to the loyal families and relocate them to another castle." The elder of the two siblings didn't speak for a moment, instead he leaned in close to her face - looking deep into her eyes.
" Hear me clearly, sister….. I. Will not. Strip. Those children. Of their homes…. When I was Lord Commander of the Nights Watch." he straightened as Sansa lowered her head in submission. " I executed men who betrayed me, refused to follow orders. My father always told me that a man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. I have tried to live by those words every day since he told me them. Alys and Ned will not be punished for their fathers crimes, and that is my final say on it. My final, absolute and unchallengeable word on it." he glared heatedly at his sister who shifted in her seat some more.
Taking a calming breath Jon continued, "Thank you all for your time today my lords and ladies. Keep a weather eye out for a raven on the horizon for I just may be calling you all back sooner than you think. Safe travels back to your homes, watch out for one another and good luck with the future training of your people. Good day." and with a final nod of his head, the crowd had been officially dismissed. Standing in unison and bowing in various ways, the Northern people gradually left the meeting hall - shuffling out until there was no one but Jon, Sansa and Ser Davos left.
When his sister made to leave though, "Not so fast, Sansa. I need to have a word with you." he stopped her in her tracks before turning to the only other man in the room. "Walk with me, Davos." the dark haired king requested, walking towards the door himself with his sister and advisor on his heels. "You are my sister but I am king now." the brother spoke, "Are you going to start wearing a crown?" his sister sassed.
"When you challenge my word in front of the other lords and ladies you undermine me." Jon continued, " When you start declaring things as they should or shouldn't be, you undermine me and make me look like a fool." Sansa huffed incredulously at this. "I have not undermined you! Nor made you look like a fool!" she protested. "You have and you know it!" Jon raised his voice, drawing their walk to a stop.
"I did not ask to be King, yet you and all the other lords wanted otherwise and that is why I accepted the role. If you have a problem with my decisions or think you can do better then there is the door." Jon pointed towards the great gate of Winterfell. Sansa flinched as if he has physically struck her, "No ones keeping you here, especially not me. If you think you can do better, then leave. Find your own place to call home, find your own people to lead and prove that you are the better ruler out of the both of us."
An uncomfortable silence lingered amongst the trio, Davos because this was not his conversation, Sansa because she had not believed what her brother had told her and Jon because he had wanted to make sure his message had sunken in. "You are my sister." Jon repeated, "And I love you, I'd do anything for you and the last thing I want is you to leave. But I need you with me one hundred percent, especially in times like these. You don't have to like my decisions, but you need to respect them. Arguing with me and creating a scene in front of the other lords while I am trying to bring us all together is counter productive. If you have a problem with my choices then that's fine, but you need to come to me in private so we can discuss it away from every one else and come up with a compromise."
The siblings stared each other down for another long moment before the woman of the small group stepped forward and threw her arms around her brother who returned the gesture with no hesitation. "I'm sorry. I'll be better." she whispered before pulling away and leaving the two men to talk. "What do you think?" Jon asked as he watched his fiery haired sister disappear from view.
"What do I think about what?" Davos asked with his hands behind his back. Jon had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, "About the whole thing. Everything discussed in the meeting. How I handled Sansa" the Seaworth nodded his head at this. "I think you handled everything well enough. What you said needed to be said to your sister, after so long of being forced to remain silent I believe she is reveling in finally having a voice, but she must learn to control her tongue." Jon nodded in agreement at this.
"As a matter of fact, overall, I couldn't of done better myself, we're in a bad situation. Welcoming back the Umbers and Karstarks was a good move, letting them keep their homes and having training being dispersed amongst the common people was good too." Davos praised the young king honestly, starting their walk once more. "And with regards to Queen Ranta and Daenerys across the sea?" Jon asked with vulnerability in his dark eyes.
Davos' step faltered though it did not stop their walk around the out side of the castle. Taking a deep breath in and then exhaling, the seasoned man looked to his younger counterpart, "I've had my fair share of encounters with the Naylors and I never could understand how they could back someone like the Mad King. They were polar opposites. If Ranta Naylor has the same kind and generous personality that is generally associated with the others then I'd say the odds of the both of you becoming friends is high." the duo nodded to a passing by coal boy.
"Daenerys Targaryen is something else. Perhaps the Naylor personality has rubbed off on her or perhaps she obtained the personality of other Targaryens. We will not know until they arrive, but despite whatever personalities the two have the point remains that you will need to form some kind of allegiance with them if we want to stand a chance against the Night King and his army of the dead." Davos stated.
"So all we can do is wait and prepare then." Jon summarized. "Wait and prepare." Davos echoed with a nod of his head, "I mean you could try and speed up the waiting time." Jon looked at his friend and most trusted advisor with a quirked brow. "Send a raven." the Onion knight said simply. "Lady Ranta is Queen of Mereen, yes? I am sure even those in Essos get letters from Westeros."
Jon licked his lips thoughtfully at the idea, "And tell her what exactly?" he questioned. "The truth." Davos shrugged, "Introduce yourself as King in the North, tell her about how your two families have been friends for centuries and how you would like to carry on that tradition. Prompt her to finish whatever business she has left in Essos and to return to Westeros so that the two of you may meet for further discussion about the Great War to come. Don't go into specifics though- she'll write you off as a crazed man before she even meets you." the elder warned.
"And you think she will drop everything and sail across the sea to meet up with some king she's never met and could very well possibly end up fighting if things go awry?" The lightly scarred man asked. "I never said that." Davos denied, "She could not even open your letter entirely. I'm just saying, it never hurts to try." he shrugged. Jon sighed, looking out over the people milling about out on the ground below and thought for a few moments.
"Find me a bird, Ser Davos. I have a letter to send."
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ATTENTION:
I know this was short/ uneventful but Ranta's crossing the Narrow sea and will be going to Westeros in a few chapters ;) Comments on what you think so far, and what could or should happen in the chapters to come...