Disclaimer: I do not own A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin, other than my own the original character(s) in this story. This is purely a work of my personal enjoyment so don't expect anything worthy of GRRM. I fully welcome criticism/suggestions/questions. The story will eventually be finished (I hate leaving things unfinished) but I have no real schedule. Please review as I'd love useful thoughts :) feedback goes a long way to encouraging my writing.

Chapter 10: Basilisk Blood
"If you can't win, then cheat!"
– Prince Lu Lóng

Prince Lu Lóng wasn't one for the paperwork that came with his position, Prince or not; it wasn't something he cared for in the slightest – as evident by the woman unceremoniously angled over the fine oaken desk in his chambers. In between the motions she had so very carelessly knocked the prince's papers to the floor, doubtlessly preventing Lu from fulfilling his duties, as sad a thing as that was; these things happened... surprisingly often actually...

"My Prince!" The woman exclaimed, carelessly making more of a mess, knocking an inkwell over and setting back what was doubtlessly days of Lu's hard work.

"You've made a mess girl," He complained, backing up slightly and smacking the woman's ample southern cushioning, making her yelp at the contact.

"My apologies Prince Lu," She replied quickly, her head lowered, hiding her eyes but making no move to hide her dignity; if such a thing existed in a whore.

"No matter," Lu lifted up her chin. "You'll make it up to me somehow."

"Anything you ask," She eagerly promised. "I am yours, my love..."

Love? Dawn, this one was outright delusional. He could work with delusional.

"You'll speak to your father for me, won't you my flower?"

She gave a nod as her 'love' began to dress. "About our engagement?"

"Pretty little flower," Prince Lu's onyx eyes sparkled dangerously, as he put a hand ever so gently around her pretty neck. "What did I say about that?"

The hand didn't seem to faze her. "You must approach his imperial majesty first..."

"Quite so," His eyes turned calm again. "Let's not make me repeat it, understood my sweet?"

"Yes my love," She smiled wide, reaching for her own clothes that were across the desk, a beautiful but now ripped silken dress marked black by spilled ink.

She was the rather pretty daughter of a rather notable lord, who was ruler of the border town not far from the fort Lu was stationed in. So, not a whore in truth; but one in spirt – as far as the Prince was concerned, any women so quick to spread her legs as this one was no true lady.

He liked to believe, however arrogant the thought; that they ever could've refused him.

"When we marry," She rambled, dressing herself slowly in some attempt to keep her loves attention. "My sisters will be so jealous! Oh, and my parents will be ever so proud too! My love, do you think my father would be promoted? He does ever so deserve it…"

The audacity of that question was enough to make him consider choking this one a little too hard. She was beyond delusional and bordering madness.

"Father would be ever so thankful," She explained, chattering as she began to realise there was a large tear in the fabric's chest-region that left extraordinarily little to the imagination. "Oh dear," She pouted as the realisation hit her.

"Something the matter?"

"My dress is ruined," She genuinely somehow failed to pick up the prince's sarcasm.

Dawn, if she weren't so beautiful Lu strongly believed she'd have truly nothing to offer.

It was quite the understatement of this century.

"Oh?" Lu feigned ignorance, though in this case; one would need to fake a bad case of complete blindness to not see the two very visible problems in front of him.

She was pouting again. "How am I ever to get home to father dressed in-"

Lu blocked out her rather annoying squeaky voice. There had been a sound…

"-disown me for sure if he saw!"

A shadow shifted out of sight, and something felt-

"Tamashī!"

The noble whore screamed, shrill enough to deafen; or shatter the finest glass.

Lu's instincts immediately grabbed the half-dressed daughter of some lord he'd already forgotten the name of, pulling her body up to his chest – as fine a shield as he'd ever had. There were several thuds and a sharp breath from the half-naked girl as throwing daggers landed in her back; sending her limp in her 'lovers' arms.

"Hello there," Prince Lu smirked madly at the shrouded intruder, looking over the limp girl's shoulder. "Do you mind coming back later? I'm rather busy as you can-"

"Long live the Emperor!" The intruder snapped from his surprise to pull out a long thin blade that was black as midnight, holding it high and leaping forward.

"Catch!" Prince Lu shoved the limp half-naked and arguably dead girl at his attacker, before reaching for the dagger on his desk. The intruder fumbled only a moment as the woman fell towards him, pausing to catch her; clearly not wanting her harmed. She wasn't his target.

"Weak willed fool," Lu snarled from the shadows of his room.

The chambers were large as the assassin scanned the corners, eyes darting.

How in the Dawn had he vanished so quickly?!

"Show yourself, coward!"

A dagger to his throat answered the taunt, held up against the jugular just enough for a trickle of blood to gently go down the assassin's neck.

"Now," Lu held his blade firmly to the foe. "Drop the blade, or I open your throat."

"I'll tell you nothing, murderer!"

Lu laughed, the knife slipping slightly as he chucked; drawing just a little more blood from the cut. "An assassin calling his target a murderer! How terribly amusing..."

The midnight blade dropped to the cold floor with a metallic clang.

"Kill me and be done with it," The assassin snarled through gritted teeth. "There will be others, false prince – and you cannot hide behind innocents forever!"

"I see," Lu scoffed. "It appears your more ass than assassin, my friend. Who do you serve?"

"The true Emperor," The ass said; spitting venom. "The Dawn comes for you, bastard!"

That, plus the fool having screamed the name, made it easy to guess.

"Tamashī's alive?"

If true, this was most interesting.

The last Tamashī claimant was said to have died a hundred years ago; but this fool had openly screamed the name upon his botched entry. It was a lie, it had to be…

"You lie," Lu decided, doubtless it was a cover for some grasping Lords plot. The father of the dead girl perhaps? So many possibilities, so many enemies; but which had grown so bold? The punishment for an attack on the Emperor's kin was, well, far worse than death.

"Release me," The ass said, suddenly eager for freedom. "And I will prove my words!"

That was quite the shift in tone.

"Why so suddenly eager, ass?"

The assassin scowled at his mockery. "I am unarmed, the forts bells ring; I cannot escape – I have failed, release me and I shall tell you everything!"

All true, but none of that explained anything. One moment he'd begged for death, now he begged for release; so, what was his game? Trusting an assassin was no option.

"No," Lu denied him gladly, a dark smile forming on his lips. "I think I'll have my answers my way, assassin; one cut at a time – fingernail by finger, limb by limb I will show you how a true Emperor deals with jungle rats like-"

He hadn't expected what happened next, and to surprise him was a rare thing.

"Well shit," He cursed as the assassins struggled, not away from the blade at his throat, but straight into it instead. Lu let the man drop as he bled fountains of red from his open neck, a smile of hollow victory on his lips. "Such devotion to century old ghosts…"

An assassin that upon failure sought the quickest means to take his own life. That was a kind of loyalty bordering on sheer madness...

Prince Lu admired that kind of madness greatly.

"Who in the dawn were you, little assassin?"

"Prince Lu!" Shouts came from outside, closer and closer as the forts warning bells rang and rang outside. "Prince Lu, there's assailants in the fort; the General has-"

"Assailant's in the fort you say?" Lu scoffed at the soldier as he barged in, his eyes wide; looking upon a dead man, a half-naked dead woman, and Prince Lu rummaging through the former's corpse in search of this or that. Dead men didn't need their possessions.

"What are you doing, my prince?"

"Looking for a damn pulse," Lu muttered, searching the clearly dead man's pockets. "Honestly, what does it look like I'm doing man? I'm looting, you fool!"

"I-" The man paused, at a loss for words.

"Ah ha!" The Prince grew a fresh grin. "What have we here..."

"A vial, my prince?"

Lu stared blankly at the man. "The boundless wit you store in that misshapen skull of yours is truly a thing of legend, solider who's name I don't care to learn..."

"My name is-"

"Not in the least important," Lu sniffed the opened vial and found it smelled savoury sweet. There were few poisons that smelled as sweet as honey, tempting men to drink too eagerly. He was convinced he knew what the strange red substance was. Almost entirely. "Interesting."

"The assassin had contraband?!

"By the dawn," Prince Lu sighed heavily at the stupidity of that sentence. Contraband? He was an assassin, not a damn smuggler. "Were you perchance dropped on your head as an infant?! This was an assassin fool; even as dreadful at his job as he was!"

"I don't-"

"Indeed, please don't." He held the vial out to the solider and stared blankly between him and it; as if the action were all the explanation needed for the fool to do his job.

"I-" The solider looked confused.

"Take a sip of this," Lu insisted. He knew within the realms of certainty what it was, but a test couldn't hurt… him…

It would maybe almost certainly hurt the simpleton.

"Is it safe to drink, My Prince?"

Was it safe to drink the red vial of liquid looted off an assassin's corpse? Certainly.

"Perfectly safe in small doses!"

The solider hesitated, but really had no choice but to obey. Prince Lu had a reputation all the men knew too well. This man saw the word 'no' as a personal challenge.

The solider took a sip, handing the rest of the vial back over.

"I don't feel-"

"Wait for it," Lu muttered, absently flicking his dagger around in hand.

The change was quick, as the soldier's pupils widened, sweating on the brow increased tenfold and he shook with a fury; clenching of fists to the point the man's nails dug into his palms. That answered that. He had his answers, with the assurance of testing.

Prince Lu was smiling wide as the previously timid and obedient solider flung himself forward in a blind rage, bloody hands out like claws; aiming to rip out the prince's throat with his teeth like some wild rapid animal hungry for his next meal – having not eaten for weeks.

"Basilisk blood," Lu commented, having swiftly cut the soldiers throat when he lunged like a lunatic. "As expected, very interesting. Very interesting indeed…"

It caused mild hallucinations when deluded, so most knew it as a popular drug among the lower class; and some nobles too – though they'd never admit it. In its purest form, or simply taking too much of the diluted drug, it was deadly; causing the taker to go completely and utterly mad with blinding rage.

It literally made blood boil. The smallest mouse would attack the largest dragon if it tasted of basilisk blood.

"Ha," The Prince scoffed audibly. "I suppose the assassins was carrying contraband."

He owed that dead guardsmen an apology, it seemed.

"Oh dear," Lu knelt, looking now at the fallen woman – not dead – but very seemingly unable to move as she groaned. "You're alive my little flower? How unfortunate this is…"

Her eyes, at first full of hope; turned to confusion.

"Blink twice if you cannot speak, my dear."

She blinked twice.

"How much did you hear?"

There was a glint of fear there.

"Twice," Lu repeated himself, and he hated doing that. "If you heard it all."

She blinked far more than twice.

"I'll take that as a yes. Such a pity."

He did so hate having to accelerate well laid plans.

The vial still contained the vast majority of its contents, as it had taken but a small sip touching the soldier's lips to twist his mind. Lu looked down at the paralyzed girl and smiled. "Here," He brought the open vial to her lips, pouring it forcefully down her throat.

She was wide-eyed, barely able to swallow the mixture.

"Drink up little flower, it's so very sweet."

Blood boiled out from her ears first, slowly; then quick – as her body shook violently and more blood leaked from her eyes and nose until suddenly, she stopped moving entirely. Basilisk Blood would kill in large doses, quickly; and far from cleanly.

All was chaos out in the yard as soldiers rushed here and there. Prince Lu strolled over without a care, blood on his finest shirt; whistling a tune to himself as he headed to the man in charge. "Prince Lu!" General Shan immediately halted barking his orders to the men in favour of straightening himself to formation and bowing low to the prince.

"General," Lu smirked at the man's obedience, seemingly pleased.

"Are you harmed your highness?"

"Hmm?" Lu took a moment, eyes darting down to the blood covered shirt he wore; chuckling to himself. "Oh no, this blood is not mine good General. No cause for concern."

That it was anyone else's blood didn't remotely seem relevant.

Shan Yín was a highly capable man with a great dedication to the empire, albeit at times being too 'by-the-book' for Lu's tastes; that had made him easily predictable. Tall and handsome, he was lacking a wife; but the man was of low blood – military successes aside.

Still, this one's weakness was all too known to the prince. He lusted after one beyond him.

"Masked men broke into my chambers not long past," General Shan wasted no time in his debrief of events, quick to fulfil the duties his rank and position demanded of him. "I was cut but otherwise escaped unharmed, though what they said in death is concerning…"

What was it with men's dying breaths? These assassins weren't looking to be subtle.

"They invoked the name Tamashī…"

"Mmm," The Prince hummed, considering his options; having hoped to keep that under wraps.

"Their weapons were coated with what I can only say to be some form of paralysing agent my prince, but I confess I am not well taught in such areas as-"

"Basilisk venom," Lu put the man out of his misery.

"I-" The General paused, then nodded. "I see."

Unlike the blood, the creature's venom was known to silence a man's nerves; shutting down the body almost entirely – but uniquely left one's vision intact. As it had with the dead girl. In small amounts it caused a dragons rage, but too much would boil the blood like hot water.

"How is your cut?"

"Recovered, my prince."

Shan didn't so much as note his discomforts, or bother mentioning how his whole left arm was still numb; as the venom would remain in his system for hours yet.

"Good," Lu gave the man an easy smile, absently resting his hand on the pommel of the midnight black blade he'd taken off the assassin. "Have some men see to the mess In my chambers, would you Shan? There's a good man; it's quite the bloodbath up there I'm afraid."

"The assassins were no match for you, naturally; Prince Lu."

"I had a fine shield," The Prince laughed at his own joke to Shan's confusion.

"Have you seen Lady Mei?" General Shan asked hopefully, seeking after news on the very dead woman in Lu's chambers. "Her guest chambers were reported empty…"

Well, this was awkward. Prince Lu had the decency to fake some empathy.

"I'm afraid She and I were in the middle of diplomatic negotiations when the assassins jumped upon us," The Prince lied through his teeth as easily as breathing, faking a care and coating the lie in a smear of truth. "They struck her down; the bastards."

Now, the General was loyal, but he was a great deal far from stupid.

"I see," He replied, lowering his head in respect for the dead. He knew what the pair were doing, this was his fort, so he knew – but not being stupid meant being smart enough to keep quiet. Although it hurt his soul in truth to ignore such dishonour, the alternatives were unacceptable.

"I will be sure to send news to her father, along with my solemn vow to avenge her; naturally."

And that would earn quite the nugget of thanks from the lord.

This day had so far been a good day. For him anyway…

"I'm certain Lord Joon will be thankful for the sentiment."

An unanswered question hung in the air. The name Tamashī lingered like a bad aftertaste or a persistent itch. "My Prince," The General began to ask, very hesitantly; as the man was no fool – he'd noted the clear diversion away from this particular question.

Ordinarily, he'd have kept quiet; but the word Tamashī was far too severe.

Prince Lu sighed impatiently. "Ghost stories my dear General," He decided on the spot that denial was the best course of action for now. It was the easiest lie he'd told in months. "Distractions no doubt, meant to divert from the true culprits behind this…"

"I see," Shan replied hesitantly. "I will have a messenger dispatch news to Prince Xun about this assault on your person then; my Prince – with your leave?"

No. Involving his damn righteous brother was certainly not the plan of action.

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Lu waved it away. "My brother has far more important matters with the western lords to be trifled with ghost stories General."

Plus, with any luck Xun would have blades in his own dark corners.

Why spoil the fun by warning him about them?

"I only thought that-"

"Think less!" Prince Lu's eyes narrowed and his grin twisted.

A silence washed over them, as with a wave every man besides them fled the yard.

They were alone now. The Prince, General, and the Dawn.

"Need I remind you whom you serve, General?"

"No," Shan replied immediately. "My Prince."

"Paraphs you are not as devoted as I thought?"

The General bowed low. "I am your man, Prince Lu; until my death."

"And even in undeath," Lu snarled that out, his twisted grin having died the moment the yard became empty. No use for masks now. "Do not forget that I hold the strings to your heart against my steel Shan Yín. One word from me, and you will never have your dream!" It spoke volumes of love that it could be wielded to cause more harm than a sword. The General loved the wrong woman, Lu knew; and knowing was all he ever needed.

Prince Lu sighed, turning his eyes away from the bowed man.

"We'll send no messengers. My brother needn't worry over this; nor should you Shan."

"As you say my prince, I was out of line; forgive me…"

Dawn, how he hated grovelling. It was just ugly.

"Begging does not suit you General."

The man had called him evil, once, when he'd first been approached.

"Do you remember what I told you about evil, General?"

Shan nodded respectfully, straightening up his attire; as if the last few minutes hadn't ever passed him. They would, like all moments before and after, be buried in the darkness of ignorance. Or was it fear? "You spoke of want, when we first met Prince Lu – is that to what you refer?"

"Mmm," The Prince confirmed with a hum. "There's no such thing as evil in this life, General Shan. There's only our want of things like power, comfort, sex, and then there's what we're willing to do to satisfy those wants. If you want it, fucking take it. If you can't win, then cheat!"

The General held his tongue. Treasonous thoughts plagued the back of his mind, locked behind chained doors.

"I'll ask you again the same thing I asked all those years ago, my dear General."

"My answer remains the same, Prince Lu."

Love was a ghost for him no less than the Tamashī ghosts were to the Empire, it seemed.

"What are you willing to do to satisfy your wants?"

"Everything," replied Shan with conviction and a heavy heart.

Elsewhere, leagues away from General Shan's bordering fort and deep within forgotten depths of the Twilight Jungle; an ugly beast feasted – with its six legs, canine body, long spiked tail and a long head akin to a giant lizard. The Basilisk wasn't a pretty creature by any description, with its head and tail stained crimson all a stark contrast to the rest of its dark black-brown body. It ripped into its feast with thin and razor sharp rows of teeth.

These creatures were ferocious, ranging from the size of dogs to growing twice the size of lions. This one was huge; and hungry.

His name was Vermilion, and he was a very good boy; usually...

"I still remember holding him in the palm of my hand," Yuanji Tamashī was gushing at old memories of the beast. Basilisks by nature grew as small or large as their environment allowed. Vermilion was raised from a hatchling by his master, and he hadn't ever stopped growing in all these years.

"You spoil him Yui," Zihao Tamashī scolded his little sister, not unkindly; as the smile on his lips betrayed him. He was the eldest, a last son of an ancient line that stretched back to before the fabled Bloodstone Emperor's reign. "He's not a puppy dear sister."

"I know," Yui pouted, ruffling Vermillion's dark mane. "He used to be so cute though!"

Prince Zihao, or Emperor Zihao, was happy at least to see his sister smile; though he didn't like to use that latter title – feeling too unworthy of it until such a time as his family was restored and all the wrongs were paid back in kind. He wasn't Emperor, in his eyes, at least not yet.

"Come here Yui," He beckoned his little sister over. She was a beauty, even at six-and-ten; it was clear to Zihao that he'd one day have to scare far too many fools away from her. The ashen-silver hair and bright emerald eyes of the Tamashī bloodline were the envy of all – or so he'd been taught.

Yui happily jumped up onto her brother's lap, smiling wide as she embraced him gladly. She was getting too old for this; but Zihao sheltered her and couldn't find it in him to change things. He wanted her to remain happy. "Is something wrong brother?"

Things were moving, a lot could go wrong; but he didn't want to worry her with the reality of life.

"Nothing is wrong," He told her with a smile, stroking a strand of silver hair back behind her ear. It wasn't exactly a lie neither as dawn willing; nothing was. He was terrified in truth but she didn't need to know that. "I'm just thinking is all..."

Vermilion had finished his meat by now, as the sound of crunching bone graced the ruined hall House Tamashī called home. Once, in ancient times, it had apparently been a safe retreat of sorts for their family – but now the vastness of the Twilight Jungle had spread forth to claim it with root and vine.

Still, at least they were safe here for now, and had been for years.

"Your Majesty," A new voice greeted him as he sat with his sister atop an old throne of oily black stone. "I bring news of your orders, if you would hear them now?"

"Speak," He decreed simply, giving the messenger his attention.

"The agents to the north have met with failure," The man dressed in black-and-silver attire spoke sadly, with his head bowed and one hand absently on the handle of his black blade. The man's words weren't to be questions. Loyalty was a matter of blood to them all.

This meant that Prince Lu and his puppet had survived then. Damn it all…

"That is unfortunate," Zihao was genuinely sad at the news. Every life in his hands was valued and too precious to throw away. They didn't have the numbers for folly, plus from all reports Zihao found his hatred of Prince Lu Lóng went deeper than mere familial feuds.

Some monsters just had to be put down. Lu Lóng was one such, in his frank opinion.

"The others have met with greater success, praise the dawn; they've struck a blow!"

"The elder brother is gone?"

That would be beyond welcome news.

"Alas, no," The loyal sword spoke regretfully. "General Sun has fallen to the blade however, and our eyes report Xun Lóng may not pull through his own ordeal, Your Majesty."

Not all bad news then. General Sun was a stanch loyalist and if Prince Xun were to lose his fight with Vermilion's blood it would be a great loss for his ilk.

"What news of our friends?"

"The-" He seemed to catch his error. "Our allies, are busy – but if I may be bold?"

"Speak your mind," Zihao insisted, stroking his sisters silver locks as she'd fallen asleep in his arms. He'd never been one for punishing loyalty.

"Are we certain they can be trusted?"

Ah, doubts – they were to be expected; at least in regard to them.

Zihao paused with his reply, weighing his words carefully, wondering what his father or grandfather might say in his place. "Trust can be the deadliest of poisons, it's true – but I am sitting here alive today talking with you because of their decisions; and ultimately their mercy. That dept. must be paid. My father once told me we find our true friends in the darkest of hours; and the hour has never been darker for us than of late. I trust them."

The man bowed deeply in response.

"I only ask that you trust in Me..."

Zihao was unsure if he'd been convincing enough.

"We trust in your wisdom, Your Majesty."

That much would have to do. They may well succeed or fail on his supposed wisdom; or lack of it. Many doubted him in this, siding with the enemy of all people – had they not saved his life, had they not gifted him Vermilion, had life not gone as it did then perhaps he'd even share those doubts.

Destiny had seen fit to put him on this path regardless of the odds, even if many would never understand.

The Imperial House of Tamashī would rise from the brink to reclaim its rightful place.

My Note(s): That's the last we'll hear from the Empire for a while until much later in the story, this chapter was just a sneak peak at the goings on behind the curtain. As this is a Stark centred tale the Empire arch is more a side-story going on than the main one that'll largely be in Westeros, so we'll interact with the Empire's struggles via other PoV's and hear from other perspectives etc. I've already flushed out the Empire arch/characters far more than I'd originally planned.

Oh and yes, Lu Lóng isn't a very nice person, he isn't meant to be :P obviously I hope; think of him as a Ramsay but with real power.

Next chapter is Willam's arrival back home to Winterhold. Reviews welcome as always :) feedback is always appreciated.

Review(s): Kreius, first of all glad you're enjoying it, thanks for taking the time to comment :) to answer some of those questions - the Empire of Dawn isn't Yi Ti but the similarities are due to them being originally from there; before they crossed the wastes east upon the collapse of the old Great Empire of the Dawn and founded the new Empire. I believe it's briefly touched on in one of the earlier chapters? At any rate it'll all be explored further in future chapters; but as a minor spoiler it was the Tamashī family that led their people east and founded the Silver City, until they were usurped and exiled.

In regards to the Sunset Islands, they're not the Thousand Islands, they're a far bigger group of islands further east past Mossovy; far north of the Empire's northern shoreline. And they do speak the Old tongue, yes, plus nobles (and most merchants) speak the Imperial tongue too. The language differences will be touched on once we arrive in Westeros but it'll be largely a minor detail - for simplicity sake; to the reader it's all English.