Andrew
He woke up in the dark, breathing heavily, gasping for air. The fires in his chambers had died out and the candles had reduced to a solid puddle of wax in the stand. From the dark around him Andrew could say that it was still very early in the morning. Time in which the birds would rise up from their nests. He sat up on his bed and moved the covers back pushing his hand through his black hair which blended easily with the darkness in the room. Everyday he would go to sleep with the covers on to protect him from the cold only to wake up sweating in the early morning. Thanks to his dreams which did the deed without fail.
Even after he had killed Viserys the dreams just continued to trouble him. He had made the death of the Mad Dragon as a slow and a terrible one. Hanging from a brothel he was very much welcomed to fuck all the women he needs with his dead cock. Yet now his dreams were worser than the ones before. He saw the blood and gore and mess as usual but everytime in the end he would see his mother just like he'd seen her for the last time, standing in the waters of the Torentine with that sweet smile of hers, shining in the starlight with tears in her beautiful face and the dark hair, the same one that he had, blowing in the night wind. He remembered for sure that he had seen no one else with his mother that day. But now Viserys stood behind his mother in his dreams. He looked the exact same way he had left him hanging in the Pearl House. He was pale as death and the only thing remained of his lower face was just the mess he'd made of it. His flesh was sloughing in most of his body and his hands were white. They looked as though they were some kind of bird's claws. When the Torentine would take Andrew away from his mother, Viserys would make his way towards his mother. Andrew would shout with all his might at his mother yet she couldn't hear his shouts. Viserys would grab his mother with his claws tight around her neck, the sharp claws sinking deep enough to draw blood. And then his tongue would come out of his mouth, all white and slimy to lick the blood he brought from his mother's neck. Andrew always tries to jump off from the boat and to go save his mother but no matter how hard he tries he could never get off of the boat. The Torentine would take him far away from his mother but still he could clearly see Viserys' claws tightening around his mother's neck.
It felt for Andrew that he himself had sent the Mad Dragon to his mother. But then he realised that there was no way for a monster like Viserys to be in the same place where his mother would be. Viserys would be burning in the deepest pit of the Hell but his mother won't be there. Not his mother, who was sweet and noble and kind and beautiful. She would be a world away from Viserys, with his father and uncle around to protect her. Maybe the dreams were just helping him to remember the things he needs to do, he never knew. It definitely helped a lot. It was the dreams which helped him to remember who he was, which pushed him to do what he was doing now. If it wasn't for those dreams even inside his deep heart he would have completely changed into Andrew Snow. He would've turned into the mask he was wearing to hide his identity. But still this dream troubled him as though if it meant something.
He got off his bed and moved over to the window. The canal which ran near the inn looked nothing but a stream of flowing ink. A man rowed his boat upstream in it, starting his day with the work. The eastern horizon was a pinkish red which indicated the rising sun. Andrew sighed and went on to start his day with a refreshing bath.
When he was done with the bath he moved over to his wardrobe and picked up fresh clothes to wear. He wore a brown sleeveless jacket and the white tunic shirt with the sleeves folded up to the level of his elbows. A burgundy pant completed his clothing and Andrew styled his wet hair in the way he preferred, slicking it back from the front to the back. Frost laid on the table. Andrew thought to take the sword at first but then he decided to go without it since the Sealord of Braavos became alert enough to increase the patrol after the death of the Prince of the Seven Kingdoms.
He made his way down to the Foghouse and found that the inn was filled with a good number of people despite the time being the early hours of the morning. Most of them looked like the guards of the Sealord of Braavos or the Iron Bank or the other nobles in Braavos along with sellswords and some others looked like sailors or workers of some kind. Andrew got down to the inn and found the girls going on with their works in a quick at the same time a comfortable pace. He came against Sarrera and the girl gave him a wide smile which easily brought a smile from Andrew's lips too. Sarrera offered him a tankard of strong beer she had in her tray but Andrew turned it down knowing that she would've taken it for someone else.
He reached Illola's desk and took his seat in a chair. Illola sat on the opposite looking at the notes, going through the papers. "What's with the crowd?" Andrew asked turning back to look at the crowd in the Foghouse. He knew that it was very unlikely for such a crowd to come to an inn in the early morning here in Braavos. Still even that was good, a good crowd is best for business at any time.
"Something is going on," Illola looked up from the note. "Even the Sealord came here to the Harbor to check on something. The Harbor is filled with the guards and workers."
Andrew looked around the inn, looking at them it seemed as though they were there for some kind of work. Most of them were guards of the nobles of Braavos and with the arrival of the Sealord of Braavos to the Ragman Harbor it was not a surprise for him that most of the nobles would have followed him here as well. He then turned to Illola and took a neatly arranged column of coins. He turned them over in his hand before placing them back one by one arranging them in the order they were before. Twenty coins made up the column, twenty Braavosi iron squares.
Ivanna brought him his breakfast with a big smile on her face that even challenged the one her sister gave him. Andrew smiled back at her and ruffled her hair when she came near him. A big chunk of bread with two boiled eggs and a few crisp fried thin sardines filled up his plate with a tankard of black beer to wash them down. Andrew took a sip of his black beer first, the drink was so strong that it made his eyes crinkle. And the strong drink helped him to get rid of the tiredness and sleepiness.
"So these are the ones who hadn't paid the money," Illola said pushing a paper towards him.
Andrew took a bite from his bread and moved the paper near him with his left hand. He took the paper and skimmed over it. The list only had some five or six names. So the work would be easy enough, thought Andrew. He could finish it within a short time and then he could get ready for his destiny.
Andrew knew that he was far away from getting the justice for his family's murders. And he would never get that with the death of Viserys Targaryen alone. Viserys Targaryen was just the spark to the start of an explosion. He hanged the Mad Dragon from the brothel not only to avenge his mother's death and sufferings but also that he could avenge his entire family to get the justice for their murders. And he would get that only when he sends the entire Targaryen family to Hell just like he had sent Viserys. He had believed that Rhaegar or someone else would come here to follow Viserys to the Hell but no one came. Maybe they would come and until then he would be waiting for the time to come.
Andrew kept the paper down and continued to eat his food. He took a sardine with a bite of bread and washed it down with a drink of black beer. The drink and the hot food filled up his stomach and he felt better without the tiredness. When he finished his breakfast Illola collected his plate and tankard.
"There is one more who owe us money," Illola said as she took the used plate and tankard. "But he lives here in the Ragman Harbor. So I could get it back from him."
Andrew shook his head as he took the paper. "I would get it from him as I go by," he told her. "Who is that?"
Illola sighed and looked at him. "Lasagnio, the Fisherman." Andrew knew the man. He nodded and started to make his way out to collect the money.
"Andrew." He was at the door when someone called him from the inn. Andrew turned towards the direction from where the voice came and found Ballos Aenon coming towards him with his ale in his hands. "Going out somewhere?" Ballos asked him with a smile as he took a deep drink of his ale.
"Just taking care of business, Aenon," Andrew replied. Ballos finished his remaining ale with one strong gulp and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Ah...that means you are going out," Ballos gave a hearty laugh and threw his tankard away. The tankard bounced off the nearby bench and took three more bounces on the floor before landing in the centre of the room.
Andrew just watched the tankard and then returned his gaze to Ballos. Ballos immediately understood what his look meant as he apologised immediately for it. "Sorry about that."
"Next time don't do that," Andrew replied and made his way out of the Foghouse. Ballos came up beside him.
"So where are you going now?" Ballos asked as they started to walk to the Ragman Harbor.
"Told you, Taking care of business," Andrew replied looking around through the fogs. "What were you doing in the inn now?"
Ballos laughed at that. "Not supposed to be there," he said laughing. "But Tycho came here for sightseeing and there were enough guards around here to protect him."
Andrew nodded, his legs taking the steps with a certain ease. "What is happening in Ragman Harbor? Illola said that something was going on that even the Sealord came to visit."
"Mmm," Ballos nodded his head. "You know about the death of the Prince of the Seven Kingdoms, right?"
Andrew nodded, thinking that it was him who did the deed for good. But he knew better than to voice that. Ballos was a good man and a trustworthy friend but Andrew didn't wanted to throw away his secret just like that. He was better off as Andrew Snow here. Andrew Stark doesn't belong here.
"The entire Braavos was troubled with that. So they are just increasing the patrols and doing some things for safety," said Ballos Aenen.
Foghouse Inn wasn't very far from the Ragman Harbor and so they reached it soon enough. Once he reached the Ragman Harbor Andrew found that Illola had been right when he saw the Harbor filled with the noblemen of Braavos and their guards. It was easy for him to make out the nobles from the commoners. They were mostly stocky and were clad in rich fashioned clothes and jewels. There were ten guards for every noble standing there.
"Do they really need to do all this for a dead man?" He asked to Ballos looking around the men going on with their works.
Ballos laughed at that. "It's not for the dead man," he said laughing. "It's for the King of the Seven Kingdoms."
Andrew turned his head immediately to look at Ballos. His face must've shown his shock and confusion.
"He is coming here," Ballos clarified his doubts and went on his way. Andrew just stood there for a moment thinking what he'd heard just now. His bait had worked and Rhaegar Targaryen himself was coming here. He would never miss this chance and soon Viserys would get a company in Hell.
A smile appeared on Andrew Stark's lips without his knowledge, knowing that he had got his chance to end the Targaryen line once and for all and to avenge his family.
Author's Notes: Hey guys, another chapter. Hope you like it. As always review the chapter and say what you thought about the story.
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