"Are you sure these berries are alright to eat?"
" I am….pretty sure, yes."
"Forgive me lady Daenerys but these look like Cotoneaster berries...and the others you picked are seeded Yew berries."
Ranta couldn't help but laugh at the conversation at hand depite the cramping pain she felt in her lower back, hips and legs. She really regretted being a woman once a month. "I can't believe it. Of all the ways we may die on this trip, it won't be by the cold or by animal attack or by some angry northern man...it'll be by Daenerys poisoning us with berries!" she continued to laugh, much to the blonde's ire. "Then don't send me out to forage for berries anymore. Stay with out them until we return to Dragonstone." the Targaryen quipped, wiping a snowflake from the edge of her eyelash.
The trio of women had made it North, that was for certain, and while they occasionally engaged in their youthful side and played in the snow during their breaks, the dragons did not share their sentiment. For each pit stop they made, the dragons always made sure to burn away the snow out from under them before laying down for a rest, their bodies creating a large circle around their riders to protect them from the elements and any other threat. "Where are we anyways?" the Targaryen asked.
"I believe we are in Queenscrown." Missandei looked to the map splayed out before her. The trio of women could hear the dragons shifting from outside the abandoned tower they rested in. "I have no knowledge of this place," Ranta admitted with a light frown, wincing as she shifted into a different sitting position to try and relieve the pain. "Besides the fact that it could be claimed by the men of the Night's Watch or the Wildlings if anything." she mused.
"It doesn't look claimed." Daenerys doubted with her own frown, "It doesn't look like anyone's been here for decades." she referred to the holdfast they were sheltering in for the moment. "Doesn't mean its not claimed as a part of someone's territory. We cannot stay here, come. We are nearly to our destination." Ranta stood from the dusty floor with her companions following suit after gathering their things into their packs. The sound of the dragons growling outside at something caused the women to tense for a split second before skirting outside to see what was triggering their winged guardians.
"Bran." a girl's voice whimpered frightened from outside the protective barrier the dragons bodies made around the tower. Scaling her tan mount, Ranta peered over Rhaegal's frame cautiously along with her traveling companions and was greeted with the sight of a frail and haunted looking boy bound to a wooden sled with furs in his lap and around his shoulders to keep him warm. Pulling him along had been a girl his age with dark brown hair and eyes, clad in furs herself. Though both looked rough around the edges the girl looked far worse than her companion reasonably.
"Who are you?" Daenerys was the first to break the silence outside of the warning growls and snaps the dragon brothers delivered, glaring warily at the duo, hand hovering over a knife at her side. "Hardly a threat," the boy replied, no where near as terrified as his female friend, who's knees could be seen shaking slightly. "If we were, your dragons would have roasted us alive by now instead of trying to warn us off." his calm and aloof voice reasoned. "It still doesn't give us a clue to who you are though," the silvery blonde frowned.
Silence filled the air for a moment before the haunted looking boy looked to the exotic haired woman as she slid over Rhaegal's frame - Missandei and Daenerys following her lead. "You are the Storm queen." he ignored Daenerys' statement as the trio landed on the ground once more. "Yes." Ranta nodded her head a bit unsurely. "You just finished speaking to my brother before you left your island" the male allowed a small smile to touch his pale lips.
"...You are Jon Snow's brother" the monarch realized. "I am, my name is Bran Stark and my friend Meera Reed." the crippled boy introduced themselves. "I didn't know Lord Snow had any relatives." Missandei frowned in thought. "I am his last remaining brother and we have two other sisters but that's the least of your worries, isn't it? You have something far greater to be concerned about. Something far greater than allies, greater than family and greater than your quest for the iron throne." Bran looked to the queen knowingly.
"Ranta, what is he talking about?" Daenerys quirked a brow. "Have you any idea on where to look for them?" Bran interrupted, " Or were you just opting to flying around aimlessly in hopes that what you seen and heard in the caves were just hallucinations." the boy shifted slightly. "What caves? Who is she looking for?" the Targaryen turned to Missandei. "I don't know." the translator frowned just as clueless as the blonde, "She never mentioned any caves or that we were looking for any one." she informed.
"How'd you know about the caves?" the duo tuned in to hear the Naylor asking. "You have your gifts and I have mine." Bran said simply, "I know things, I am able to see things that should be impossible to see...and I see that you have not written my brother off as crazy when it comes to the whitewalkers and the Night King." an incredulous sputter escaped past the Targaryen's lips at this. "You can not be serious." Daenerys looked to the elder woman in disbelief. " That's why we're here? To chase fables in the middle of no where, well on our way to freezing to death?" she asked.
"I still think we'd sooner die from accidental berry poisoning." Ranta commented dryly, "And we're not chasing fables Daenerys...I don't think anyways." she trailed off. "You aren't." Bran confirmed, "Jeor Mormont saw them - Jorah Mormont's father. Jon saw them, Meera here saw them and I saw them - the Night King himself even grabbed me." he listed. "We just finished running from them a week past." Meera pipped up, Bran nodding in agreement to what she had said.
"You can sit there and deny it all you want," Bran's haunted eyes looked to the Khaleesi, " but the truth of the matter is...is that they're coming for us and they're well over one hundred thousand strong. The wall will not hold them off forever and there are less than ten thousand people in the North to fend them off should they cross over." he reported.
"The entire population would be wiped out in less than a week." Missandei realized with a concerned undertone. "Why is it you two are here, exactly?" Ranta asked, "a bit dangerous for you isn't it?" she wondered. "Not if you know the lands." Bran smiled faintly. "I am going back home to Winterfell, Meera is helping me." he answered with a white lie, but they didn't need to know that.
Eyes drifting over to the semi hidden sword behind the crippled boy, Ranta seen that the duo was at least armed to defend themselves but it looked like they lacked food and supplies. They wouldn't last much longer without some sort of sustenance. Reaching into their food pack, Ranta dug some supplies out that would last them a few days until they reached an inn or a village, the Naylor party passed enough on the way to where they were now.
"Keep your heads down low, and try to stay out of sight. Safe travels" the monarch wished softly as she held out the supplies to the girl who was clearly stunned by the act of kindness the royal stranger showed her and her crippled companion. Ever so slowly did the little brunette accept her generosity and nodded her head in thanks before handing it off to Bran, pulling him off further down the road under the watchful gaze of the adult women.
However the moment there were out of sight, Viserion's sharp gaze suddenly snapped towards another abandoned tower across the way and with a roar - the mighty beast jumped forwards and knocked the stone brick structure to the ground with his sheer size. Drogon and Rhaegal bounded to either side of the fallen structure and roared at the hidden threat their humans had been unaware of.
"No Viserion no!" Ranta cried upon seeing the signature puffing of the chest that occurred whenever any one of the dragons was ready to burn something. Through the cloud of dust that had flown into the air, the women were able to see the vague figures of men and horses scrambling under the attack of the dragon brothers. Knocking away the debris of the knocked over tower with his snout, Drogon snatched a human up by his foot and dragged him out into the open.
Most likely than not, the beast was ready to swallow the man whole until he had squirmed out of his boot and scrambled for cover, waving his sword uselessly at the dragon like his companions when the beasts ventured too close. Rhaegal snarled as he destroyed a stone house with a swing of his head and latched his clawed wing onto the back of a hiding human and dragged him out as well.
As if thinking in tandem the trio of dragons tossed their catches towards the feet of the Naylorian queen and pinned them down with a clawed wing, their mouths filled with flames but did not release the fiery inferno they kept stored between their chops. Looking down at the rag tag group of three warriors with a quirked brow Ranta silently wondered who they were - they didn't bare any house colors she recognized.
They didn't bare any house symbols at all. Mercenaries then? "I should of never agreed to travel with you cunts. I wouldn't be staring down a bunch of fucking dragons ready to burn me alive if I had minded my own fucking business after getting my revenge" one with a partially burned face grumbled. "T'was the Lord's will." another with his hair in a top knot replied with a teasing smile despite the circumstances. "Shut the fuck up." the first grumbled again.
Cautiously approaching the pinned men, Ranta unclipped her war hammer from her belt and looked down at the trio of males with a blank expression. " You're not very smart are you?" she asked with a quirk brow as Daenerys and Missandei flanked her with daggers in their hands. "You caught me traveling with them didn't you?" the burned man returned. A huff of amusement escaped past Ranta's lips at this.
"So before we possibly have to deal you, do you have a reason for spying on us?" she questioned. "We weren't spying." a man with an eye patch proclaimed. "You weren't?" Daenerys stated more than questioned. "Then why were you hiding by that tower?" she inquired. "Word of Ranta Naylor's Dothraki forces docking in the Reach with her pirates and Unsullied closing in on Casterly Rock spreads fast," the man with the top knot said.
" Word of a dragon and two basilisks following suit spreads even faster. Word that a trio of dragons continuing to scower over the lands of Westeros reaches one within an instant. What were we supposed to do when none other than the Storm Queen herself, presumably one of her advisors and the Mad King's daughter are making to land near us with the very same dragons causing such a panic?" he asked.
Reasonable, very reasonable.
Satisfied with their answer and confident that the rag tag group was not ignorant enough to try anything, Ranta moved away and reattached her war mace to her hip, shouldering her pack over her shoulder. "Let's go." she ordered her companions with ease, the dragons moving off of the men and snuffing out the fire in their mouths. "Tell me, Storm Queen" the burned man glared daggers at his one eyed traveling companion.
"You can't just keep your fucking pie hole shut can you? The girl is willing to let us go free and you have something to complain about." Ranta was beginning to like the vagrantly blunt and burned man. "Not complain, ask." the man corrected. "Yes, ser, what is your question?" Ranta spoke before an argument could break out. "Did the Lord of Light guide you North? You too seek out the evils behind the wall, yes?" the one eyed warrior questioned.
"The Lord of light guides me no where because I do not follow him anywhere. What I seek beyond the wall is my own to worry about" Ranta replied coolly. "You're going to go see the white walkers and wights aren't you? Why don't we travel together? Your dragons did chase away our horses after all." the male pointed out. The Naylor monarch looked to the man as if he had lost his mind, "You expect me to agree to traveling with a bunch of strangers to a dangerous territory beyond the wall, risking not only my life but the life of my valued ones?" she wondered.
"That is Sandor Clegane or rather the Hound," he pointed to the burned man. "Thoros of Myr." the top knotted man was gestured to, "And I am Beric Dondarrion. Now we are not strangers." Ranta's brow raised into her hairline and turned her back on the trio. " I wish we could have joined you in slaughtering the Lannisters that marched on High Garden and at Casterly Rock." Thoros' voice stopped the Naylor in her tracks. "Would of been one hell of a fight to cut the lions down." he added. Ranta turned and looked to the Myrish man.
"There is no love lost between us and them. We aren't the ones you have to be afraid of that'll stab you in the back because we are some of the few who actually believe in the white walkers and the Long Night.. A few extra sets of eyes will do no harm beyond the wall. You can drop us off right where you got us once we are done." A long tense moment passed before the monarch gave any indication of what she had been thinking. She supposed that even if she did end up with a sword in her gut, then at least her life would be avenged in the most violent way possible, especially with Daenerys leading the charge of retribution.
Ranta let loose sigh of resignation after another moment of thought and nodded concedingly. " Let's get going then" she said simply, "Missandei, Thoros is with you. Daenerys take Sandor. Beric you can ride with me." Ranta instructed. "Yes, your grace." the translator bowed her head as she and the others submitted to her will. After careful maneuvering and moderate scoldings to each of the dragons that snarled at the men designated to ride on them, the expanded group of six humans mounted the mighty beasts.
"Do try and hold on tight my lords, it'd be a shame if you fell off." the curly haired woman warned curtly to the men seated behind the women with their hands on their waists a moment before Ranta and Rhaegal led the charge into the air. "And what a shame it would be." Daenerys commented dryly and gave a slight pull of the spikes on Drogon's neck, the black dragon stood and raised his wings high above his head and flapped down hard as his powerful legs helped boost him up into the air, Viserion following shortly after with an unhappy grumble.
"Yeah I know." the translator patted his neck gently, "I'm unsettled too but this little adventure will be over soon." she promised as they climbed higher into the air and well into the clouds as they've been traveling in this entire time. The further north the group of humans and dragons went, the colder it got, to the point where snow and ice had began to build up on the humans and dragons alike.
Letting out a small cry, Rhaegal shook his head in displeasure at the coldness building on his frame, diving out of the freezing clouds for a quick reprieve.
"So, you are not a follower of the Lord of light" Beric noted from behind his blue haired traveling companion. "No." Ranta answered plainly. "You are not a believer of him either, I take it." he continued. " I recognize that he has followers but I do not believe in him." the monarch answered again. "It's about fucking time I met someone who didn't worship a fire god like these cunts." Sandor's crude voice sounded from besides them, earning a snort of laughter from Ranta and Bernic alike.
"You may not worship him, but you cannot deny that he is real. You wouldn't of recieved your vision in the flames if it wasn't his will." Thoros chimed in. "Need I remind you that hunger is an actual reason to hallucinate, I don't know what I saw." he grumbled. "A Naylor who is not a believer of the Lord who unlocks their gifts to the fullest capability? A bit strange don't you think?" Ranta turned to look at the one eyed man.
"Come now my lady, don't bite my head off." he chuckled pacifyingly, "I'm not criticizing, far from it. I never used to be a follower or believer either." he told her. "What made you have a change of heart?" she asked. "When one is brought back to life six different times by one of his followers, it tends to get hard to continue to not believe in him." Beric smiled sadly, forlornly as a matter of fact. "You must have something to do before you die." the woman commented. "That's what I figure." he sighed.
"Well before you die, make sure you make out a deal with that lord of yours about how to unlock Naylor powers. For one so powerful there should be a way to do it besides marring skin." Ranta half heartedly pouted. "I take it the carving didn't go so well." Thoros said knowingly, a sympathetic look upon his face. "More like carving and burning." she grumbled.
"Burning? There should be no fire involved" the man now frowned. "Ha!" a harsh laugh came from the monarch. "Where were you to tell the witch any different when she got her hands on me?" she pulled up the arm of her dress to show some of the branded ruins. "Doesnt seem like your Lord is all that special if he calls for carving and burning little blue birds." Hound snorted.
"The Lord does require some unfortunate events to unfold, but never burnings such as that. Whoever got a hold of you, misread his desires." Beric frowned at the markings. "What happened, happened. No way to change it now." the monarch said simply, ending the conversation. After about another hour and some odd minutes of flying, the group had finally spotted something more promising than the endless scenery of white.
"There!" Beric's voice suddenly carried on the wind, though in a hushed tone. "We're well past the wall now. Do you see that river flowing through the canyon way? They're about to enter through there." he informed looking to said landmark and the small specks of dead men could be seen marching down below.
Shifting her weight, Ranta held tight as Rhaegal banked hard right to where Beric motioned to with his brothers following suit. Lowering himself on the snowy outcrop, Rhaegal shook himself slightly free of snow before laying low though none did not dismount. For awhile no one said anything, they simply watched the supernatural beings slowly but surely make their way through the snowy canyon path.
The dragon trio growled lowly as they passed directly below but were silently hushed when the women pressed their hands into their necks. A frown worked its' way across the humans lips at the sheer number of them, they just kept coming and coming like an ant hill that had been flooded but it was unclear to where they could possibly be marching towards.
A sudden horse neighing caught Ranta's attention like no other, whipping her head to the side, the Naylor paled at the sight of thousands of dead men that stood in the clearing on the other side of the canyon pass. Not that many had passed under them during the crossing, so where they came from was a mystery to the group of humans. A mystery that could be solved at a later time however, because in the center of the clearing was a large chunk of ice that jutted out of the ground and standing a top it had been three dead skeleton horses and their riders.
"The Night King and his generals." Beric breathed into Ranta's ear. "I had no idea there were so many...wildling settlements must have been destroyed - some of them are wearing the furs of those that lived in Hardhome." the man noticed. "I thought all the wildlings were brought across the Wall." the monarch whispered back. "Not all of them apparently. It was either that or they didn't make the choice fast enough to leave." Beric frowned but soon tensed along with his fellow living companions.
A specific feeling of dread and terror like no other filled the human's as they locked eyes with the riders that had turned their attention on the intruders. "Go." Ranta was unsure who whispered but it was hardly heard by the entranced others of the party, watching as the undead trio dismounted their steeds. Walking forwards, one unsheathed an ice spear and handed it off to the assumed leader whose eyes were bluer than the rest.
"Go!" it was Thoros that cried louder, snapping the women out of their stupors. "Fly, Rhaegal, fly!" Ranta cried urging on the tan dragon who let out his own cry and leapt off of the rocky outcrop, Drogon following with out any problems but when Viserion made to take off as well - the ice broke from under his foot and sent the dragon tumbling awkwardly over the side along with his riders.
Letting out a distressed roar, Viserion scrambled to hang onto the cliff's icy edge with his hooked claws at the ends of his wings and his clawed feet. However, unlike using his leg muscles like Missandei to stay perched on the dragon despite the awkward vertical position, Thoros lost his grip on her waist and went tumbling off the dragon's back. "Thoros!" Missandei yelled in worry at the sight of the falling man heading towards the sea of dead men.
Making a sharp turn, Rhaegal released a stream of fire beneath his brother's form while Drogon kept the charging forces from the clearing at bay. Ducking to avoid Viserion's swinging tail, Ranta caught the long haired man in her arms in the nick of time and watched as the wights below shattered like glass when met with fire from above.
With the threat cleared out from under him, Viserion let go of the cliff just in time to avoid an ice spear impaling him. Missandei gasped at the recoil she felt vibrating through her frame at the dragon abruptly snapping his wings out and stopping the free fall, tightening her grasp on her mount. Snarling at the attack on his brother - Daenerys, Sandor and Drogon soared towards his would be assailant and released an angry stream of fire that burned all in his path.
"Dracarys!" the Targaryen glared at the Night King who had a spear in hand. Stepping forward to meet the dragon head on, Daenerys realized just how much of a mistake she had just made and yanked hard on the winged beast - causing him to twirl off to the side in order to narrowly dodge the launched weapon. "He wasn't scared of fire." Missandei noted, having witnessed the maneuver. " He was fully prepared to take the attack full on." she breathed in realization as Viserion continued his assault on the undead men below.
"You have to catch one." Thoros suddenly said in the Naylor's arms. "What?" Ranta looked down at the man, "You have to catch one!" he repeated, "No one will believe this, you need proof." thunder clouds and lightning began to roll in along with the rapidly increasing wind intensity that pushed the dragon's fire farther than usual, burning whatever it touched.
" You have lost your mind! How do you propose we catch one?!" Ranta demanded, struggling to maneuver the male behind her and focusing on keeping her grip on Rhaegal as he joined the fray in burning the dead men along with his other brothers.
0o.0o.0o.0o.0o.0o0.0.0o.0.o0o.
"The North will fall, there is no doubt about that."
The smile gracing the red woman's lips unnerved Sansa to no end, her knuckles grating against the other as a release of tension. From beside her on each side, Arya and Littlefinger shifted their weight from side to side and the Lords and ladies of the North sat motionless in their seats within the Great hall. " Northern pride, will be its' demise." Sansa wondered where her elder brother was during a time like this.
" It is surrounded on all sides, which demise you prefer is laid out before you." Death wasn't a thing she had thought of ever since the repossession of Winterfell. "Conformity is a necessity for survival. There is no way around it." So it seemed. "Is this what your little flames have told you?" Arya spoke. The smile on the red woman's face never waivered, "One does not need to look into the fire to see the truth of a dying land." she replied calmly.
"Forgive me, but what did you say your name was again?" the brunette wolf asked. " Kinvara, my lady." the priestess gave her. "Yes, that was it wasn't it?" Arya flashed her own smile, "You'll have to forgive me, Lady Kinvara, if I am skeptical of your proclamations. You see, ever since my mother and father's death people have told me that I was going to die….Yet here I stand." her brow quirked slightly.
"Yes, and there you stand." Kinvara's smile grew genuinely. "A beautiful winter rose baring thornes that draw blood. Your father would be proud." she nodded without a doubt. "However, it is to my understanding that you had to conform to the world around you to survive. Had you not, you would have been naught but a wilted flower, trampled into the ground left alone to die. The same goes to your sister." Kinvara now looked to Sansa.
"You wouldn't have survived your time in King's Landing and throughout your trials beyond if you didn't adapt and conform to the situation at hand...isn't that right? Or will you continue to delude yourself into thinking that had you remained the way you were when you were a child, then you would of survived the rough waters that you endured head on?" she wondered knowingly.
Neither sister had a rebuttal for the witch. "You'd also do well not to twist my words. I said the North would fall, not your house...though if your wayward brother continue their track that future is uncertain" Kinvara mused. "What are you talking about?" Arya asked. A knowing look filled the woman's face but she said nothing as the doors to the meeting room was suddenly opened.
"Welcome back, King in the North." Jon slowly entered the hall with Davos on his heels, neither sure of what was occurring at the moment. During the long Naylorian queen's absence on Dragonstone, the Stark had been fruitful in his mining and collection of the obsidian weapons he and the queen had unearthed. Unfortunately for him - Jon, Davos and the banner men that accompanied them to the southern island had been chased away by Tyrion and the rest of the advisors; claiming that they were under orders to make sure that he was gone before Ranta returned.
"I take it your endeavors south were fruitful considering you're just as healthy when you left." Jon said nothing as he looked between the red woman and his sisters. Plural. Jon's eyes locked on Arya for a good long moment, their eyes screaming their internal torture of wanting to run into each other's arms but currently unable to. Arya always did like Jon a little more than her other siblings, he always entertained her tomboyish ways and never reprimanded her for it.
"Not incredibly fruitful though, was it?" Kinvara bought his attention again however hesitantly. "Come Jon Snow, as the first Northern man to travel south and to come back alive and unhurt - tell us what news you bring us."
The lightly scarred man looked to this mysterious woman with silent questioning in his eyes before making his way to the front of the room and turning to address his people. "You've met the Storm Queen, yes?" Kinvara asked after he took a second too long to begin speaking. "Yes," Jon nodded his head, "I have met her. I have met Queen Ranta Naylor." he confirmed.
"And what did you think of her." Kinvara continued. "I think she is a good, reasonable woman with good intentions and rules with nothing but an iron fist." Jon replied. " I met with her sister Daenerys Targaryen, I met with her advisors from here and from across the sea alike, I met with her allies of houses Martell and Tyrell. I seen her three dragons, I seen her two basilisks and I seen her army of over one hundred thousand. Everything that we were told to fear, is true. We have very good reason to fear the Storm Queen." the room was silent as Jon paused a moment.
"Because Ranta Naylor will not be fighting with us on the battle field. She has declared us enemies to the north and will treat us like one from this point on." Jon sighed through the immediate uproar that filled the room. Sansa looked to her brother incredulously though his back was turned to her. "What happened?!" the red head shot up from her seat.
"You went down there to make friends with her, not solidify our position as enemies!" the room quieted at her declaration. "You know it's pretty hard to make friends with someone going after all Seven Kingdoms and who you know that won't have the support of the people back home. It really is!" Jon turned to Sansa "Queen Ranta still tried to make it work though, did you know that?" he asked.
"While her advisors and sister were no doubt telling her to behead me or feed me to her monsters when I refused to bend the knee when asked by Daenerys, Ranta ignored them. She listened to what I had to say and continued to treat me with respect as if we had known each other for years, which is saying a lot considering how I've been treated for the majority of my life." uncomfortable glances were thrown around the room.
"I told her about the Night King and the white walkers and she didn't believe me...but she granted us refuge for our people across the sea where her power reigns, she has also supplied us with food, weapons, medicine and dragon glass. More than we could ever need." glances and light murmurs were exchanged at this. "She- she gave you resources to fight an enemy she doesn't believe in while at the same time proclaiming you as an enemy?" Arya said with a furrowed brow.
"Yes. She did." Jon nodded, " She said that it was a gesture of goodwill between two leaders trying to keep their people alive and while she does not believe in the Night King, she does believe that there is something out there. I was going to continue to try and convince her to believe me but she left Dragonstone with her top advisor and flew off to check on her armies assaulting High Garden and Casterly Rock. I would have stayed until she returned but I was cast off the island before I could." he finished.
"If I am correct then you said it was your belief that the Storm Queen was to return to Dragonstone after checking on her forces, yes?" Kinvara mused, earning a nod. " What if I were to tell you that you were wrong?" she looked to the nearest brazier and brought it to the center of the room. "Would you like to see where she is?" the woman reached into the sleeve of her dress, pulling out a pouch and diving her hand into its' contents.
Without waiting for an answer, she flung a mysterious powder into the flames that reacted violently with the contained inferno. Flaring wildly for a few moments, the flames danced on a non exsistent wind before settling in an ovular shape and within the flames did a picture appear as clear as day. She was...she was beyond the wall?!
Jon couldn't believe his eyes at the sight of the blue haired woman zooming around on her mount with Missandei, Daenerys and three men...one of which he recognized to be the Hound. What they were doing beyond the safety of the wall was beyond the Stark.
"This is ridiculous, we need to leave while we still have our lives." Ranta's voice carried through the flames as she glared back at one of two of the men riding with her. "If we leave now then we'll never get another chance at this." Beric countered. Scoffing, Ranta looked down at the mob of wights and white walkers below and with a few hand motions Ranta had managed to manipulate the water in the river to wash ashore and trap a cluster of the foot soldiers in a watery orb that was frozen in place by a redirected ice spear thanks to the wind.
However before she could try to bring the orb up to her level, Rhaegal was suddenly hit full force by a blast of ice that locked the dragon's wing to his side and sent his riders careening straight off his back during his descent. The desperate pleas for help as the tanned beast descended towards the icey ground was hard for anyone to listen too, especially upon watching his frantic efforts to melt the ice with his fire and stay in the air at the same time with only one flapping wing.
Hearing his brother's cry for help, Drogon and Viserion both dove for the incapacitated dragon - The darkest of them all flipping belly up and supporting the tan dragon as they glided through the air and the other clamping his clawed feet down on the tan dragon's back where he could to help keep the mass of dragon muscle airborne before joining the other two in melting the partially frozen wing free.
As for the humans thrown from his back, Ranta was thankful that the duo had been holding on to her and hadn't been thrown too far away from her. Cradling the men to her form, the Naylor turned their bodies around so that it would be her taking the blunt of the force just in time to plunge into the freezing river below. From her precarious inverted position on Drogon's back Daenerys had spotted where the trio had plunged.
"Missandei, they're in the river!" the Targaryen called. "Go! We almost got it!" Missandei assured, causing the black dragon to kick off the tan dragon and flip back over much to Daenerys' relief as he flew in the direction his rider instructed. Lighting fire to the horde of whitewalkers that gathered around the river, Drogon landed and posted in front of the spot where air bubbles could be seen bubbling to the surface.
"Tail in Drogon, tail in. They need something to grab." the Khaleesi urged the dragon as he continued to burn those closest to him. Dipping his tail into the freezing water, the dragon continued to stand guard at the river until finally he was joined by his brothers.
This continued for a few minutes until Drogon's fiery orange eyes widened and flicked his tail upwards as if hauling in a fish that bit onto his bait. From out of the water came the two men and woman flying into the air and straight onto the back of Rhaegal who caught the soaked humans soundly before taking off into the air with his brothers following, Viserion grabbing the ice ball of wights in his mouth.
There were some more attempts to shoot the mystical creatures down but each attempt was thwarted by the wind redirection or a lightning bolt destroying the projectiles in mid air. "This was a stupid idea from the start." Daenerys spat with a worried look to her immobile sister and the men her body hunched over. All three were turning a concerning shade of blue and their breathing was shallow as they fought off the cold despite the Naylor's succeeded attempt to manipulate the water out of their clothes.
If anything were to happen to her sister, her rock…."I'll burn that damn wall down and welcome the Night King in with open arms myself." the Targaryen muttered under her breath with a glare directed towards nothing in particular as she soared through the sky. "We've got to get them into some kind of shelter." Missandei said as Viserion glided closer to Drogon. "Where do you propose?" the Khaleesi asked back.
" What about Wolfswood? Didn't the Greengood family say that was where house Forrester was? We can seek shelter there, in hiding or not the people of this continent have got to know by now that only two people can be referenced to dragons flying about. They'll have to come out and help us." Missandei said confidently.
"Not the closest location...but it'll do. Lead the way then." Dany motioned with her head for the translator to take the lead, the cold wind pushing them into an even faster pace.
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Dickon Tarly had recieved his escort to the Citadel in Oldtown easy enough. The half of the Naylor forces had marched back with him only to sail out of the BlackCrown port while the other half marched back to Casterly Rock to board the ships hovering there. Tarla had been apart of the half to march back to Casterly Rock but unlike the others in the Reach, they were not going home quite yet.
They still had a Tarly to deliver north. Sailing out of Lannister port, the Naylor ships managed to travel all the way up to Sea Dragon point where Tarla pulled them all to a halt, not wanting to risk sailing any closer to the Bay of Ice just past Bear island.
This location was also ideal because WolfsWood was right around the corner. WolfsWood meant allies. Allies meant that Tarla didn't have to travel further North to drop the Tarly lord off. Not traveling further North meant getting back out on the water sooner. It was a win-win in her book.
"This is not where the Queen said to go. We need to go further north" Tarla smirked at the familiar accented from behind her. "Committed the map of Westeros to memory ever since we left High Garden have you?" Tarla asked the ever stoic Grey Worm.
"Well you're right." she granted at his usual silence, "We do need to go further North but I don't fancy on getting the ships stuck in any ice if we go past Bear island. We stop here, give the old fart to some allies to cart him to Castle Black with the Nights Watchmen and turn around to go home." she explained nonchalantly. "You took responsibility for him, you are supposed to bring him to his destination. Not anyone else." Grey Worm persisted.
"Why are you so sour faced?" the pirate suddenly asked. "You should be leaping with joy at our victories...on the inside at least. They were great victories we won. We took Casterly Rock... sunk some enemy ships...protected High Garden from falling...is any of this ringing a bell for you? Or did that helmet squeeze your head too tight and now your memory is hazy?" Tarla taunted though as expected, received no outward sign of it having an impact on the captain.
"You told our queen that you would bring him North. That you and your men would take him to the Wall." Grey worm pressed. "Technically I said I'd take him North, we are North" She threw her arms out in gesture. "I said my men would take him to where-"
"Enough word games!" the stoic man finally snapped in that thick accent of his. "I will take him to where he needs to go." Grey Worm spun on his heel and marched for the staircase that led below deck to where Randyll Tarly was. "You don't have the supplies to last." Tarla continued. "Unsullied are trained to hunt, trained to survive. We will make due." he stomped down the stairs.
"You don't even know where Castle Black is!" she argued. "I can read a map." Grey Worm snagged the prison keys off a hook hanging on the wall. Skirting into his path, the brunette Naylor stopped the captain in his tracks. "Would you just hold yer horses for a second?!" Tarla demanded. "Relax!" she exclaimed before sighing heavily, resting her hands on her hips.
"Look, by all means take the bastard to the fucking crows but I'm trying to help you out." the man was silent once more. "We have allies here in those woods over yonder. The Forresters remember? They could take the Tarly off our hands and we get back to Dragonstone a lot quicker with them in tow." She informed. "The Forresters hide." was all Grey Worm said in response.
"Yeah, they do, but I can get the trees to sell the fuckers out." the pirate said confidently. The young captain said nothing in response to the woman's proclamation, he merely moved off to the side to go around her. Tossing they keys around to find the right one, the stern faced man singled out the one he needed before sticking it in the lock of the cell Randyll was in and opening the door.
"Get up." he uttered to the old man in nothing but the clothes he wore under the armor that had been stripped from him earlier. However the lord Tarly did nothing but glare up in defiance at the foreigner. "He said on your feet!" Tarla barked loudly, her voice echoing through the wooden bowels of the ship a moment before forcibly grabbing the old man by his arm and hauling him to his feet.
Pushing him in the direction of the stairs, the trio made their way back up above deck. Roughly pushing the man forward, the trio walked down the plant set down on the docks with a guard of twenty following along with two horses that accompanied them. "He's not riding with me, either." Tarla proclaimed as she mounted a horse. "Who said he was riding?" Grey Worm returned, connecting his bound hands to a rope and tying the other end to the horn of the saddle on his own horse and mounting.
"Taken a page from the Dothraki have you?" the pirate commented but received nothing in response, only the stoic warrior spurring his horse into action. A silent journey it would be then, Tarla sighed. Maybe she should of had them sail farther.
Possible ice be damned.
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"I dont think you've heard what I said." Jamie Lannister looked to his sister incredulously as they stood on the giant painted map of westeros.
"Our. Army. Is. Gone. Thirty thousand men were wiped out, slaughtered. The fifty that are left have surrendered and sworn to never lift a sword nor word against the Naylor army is gone, our allies have turned tail and united against us, and the treasury that you drained our money out of for war elephants that failed to do any real damage to the Naylor army, mind you, is barren. How are we to protect ourselves, who are we to turn to when Ranta Naylor comes for your seat? Who is going to come to our defense when they march on King's Landing? We have no one left!" he exclaimed, slightly out of breath from his rant.
Throughout all Jamie's ranting and ravings, Cersei's smile didn't fall from her face. Making him question if she had truely lost her mind. "Have you finally gone mad?" the brother asked with scrutinizing eyes, "Have you heard a word I've said?" he wondered, his sister's smile finally falling. "Enemies to the east. Enemies to the west. Enemies to the south. Enemies to the north. Whatever stands in our way, we will defeat it." Cersei nodded sure of herself as she roamed the map aimlessly.
"The Naylor girl is not invincible. She will slip up and when she does, we will be there. I will be there." her eyes narrowed with promise. Jamie's head was shaking from side to side before the Lion Queen was even finished speaking, "You don't get it." he muttered, "And how could you? You aren't out there. You're not the one fighting for your life, you aren't the one watching your friends and brothers in arms being cut down from all around you. You aren't the one haunted by their screams. You aren't the one seeing their ghosts every which way you look." Jamie spat bitterly.
What ghosts could she possibly be haunted by? The ones of their children? Quite possibly and most likely. Jamie desperately wished Tommen most of all haunted her and filled her cold frame with guilt with each passing day, it was her fault he was dead. She pushed him to the point of resorting to killing himself. How could that not be seen as a sign? How could one not pick up that something needed to be changed?
"Do you think of me stupid?" Cersei spat back just as venemously. " Do you think of me too ignorant to understand the concept of the inner workings of war? Do you think I am impervious to the losses of our men?" Yes, yes he did as a matter of fact. She had never cared for the lives of anyone outside their blood family. Why start now? "I understand that we are out numbered, I understand that we are low on funds and I understand that we are currently losing this war" she acknowledged.
"Do you? Do you really? Because sometimes I wonder." Jamie quipped, "Let me inform you of this as well. When Ranta Naylor spared me my life on that battle field, she did not go with her armies back to Dragonstone. She took all three dragons and flew deeper into Westeros territory, it makes a person wonder where she is going. To meet up with the rest of her family that has been seen wandering the country side? Or perhaps to make allies with those in the Vale and those in the North."
Cersei took her turn to shake her head at this, "The Vale is hardly a worthy ally and the North will never bend. I sent for their fealty ages ago and the King in the north has not come yet. If he will not bend for me what makes you think he will bend for her?" she inquired.
"Perhaps because she wasn't related to the boy who put his father's head on a pike and sent the entire city into a full scale riot that nearly killed his sister in the process?" the one handed man said rhetorically but Cersei was done listening to his ramblings. "You may continue to lose sleep over this matter but I will not. We will come out on top of this war, just you watch." she said with a pointed look. "With. What. Money? With. What. Army?" Jamie asked through clenched teeth.
"The Storm Queen has made her own enemies. She may have snuffed out the masters of Slaver's Bay to prevent any uprisings to bring back slavery to those lands, but she failed to do anything about the smaller slaver cities and Volantis despite previous hostilities. I've bargained with them to support us, and in return all traces of the Naylor's dynasty will be wiped out from that part of the world. The fine masters of Essos have provided us with money and support that we needed to go to the Iron Bank for further assistance. Euron Greyjoy's ships being destroyed was not a true victory, neither was winning Casterly Rock. They were just distractions" she shook her head, Jamie's face now confused.
"Euron is currently hashing out last mintue negotiations with some of the slave cities. With luck on our side we will be able to make a come back in this war once he returns. If that blue haired bitch wants to fight with foreign savages then we will fight with savages. If she wishes to release monsters from beyond the shadow lands of Ashai upon us, then we will fight with mosters from beyond the shadow lands as well."
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A/N: Must...get...to...100+ reviews...SUGGESTIONS ARE WELCOME. PS: Ignore double upload if you get one.