He was awoken with a start when he head the sounds of the morning birds chirping and the cries of the seagulls. He had slept with the sword next to him the entire night. Looking over at the other side of the low burning embers he saw Visenya still sleeping. With a full belly and a full night's rest she had lost much of the haggard look she'd had the day before and combined with the innocence of sleep, Tom couldn't help but notice that she was actually quite a beautiful woman.
He shook his head and drove the thought from him mind as quickly as it came to his mind, the woman had just lost her husband the day before.
Hating to wake her, he moved over to her and shook her awake, she woke with a start but when she saw Tom's face she relaxed, "Good Morning, Ser Tom." she said cordially.
"Good Morning, my lady." Tom replied with equal cordiality, which was technically true as while the sun was already high in the sky, it hadn't reached its noonday zenith yet.
The two of them ate more of the roasted pig and after taking another drink of water from the river, they then packed the rest of the meat using Tom's t-shirt and a stick they made a knapsack which Tom would could carry on his shoulder. Visenya had worn Tom's coat the entire night and while they ate and readied themselves to leave she made no move to offer his coat back and Tom made no comment on the matter. He didn't really need it in this heat and wasn't a man supposed to offer his coat to a woman if she wanted it?
But with giving the coat to Visenya and using his Shirt as a knapsack for the roasted pork, he noticed that he needed something to wear on his upper body. Thinking on for a while, he decided that he might as well use one of those chain mail hauberks, but he didn't want to wear those things right next to his bare skin. So what was he to do?
Thinking on it, he decided to raid the dead one last time. A short walk up the beach brought him to one of the drowned men who had been found wearing one of the hauberks. Tom knelt down and after muttering, "excuse me," slipped the padded shirt the man had worn underneath his armor and after examining the thing for any noticeable tears or vermin.
When he found neither, he took a sniff of it and was repulsed by the foul stink that came off of it. Chivalry would have to be put on the back-burner for the moment, he'd need his coat after all.
As he was leaving he noticed a few extra sets of footprints around the body. He knelt down to examine them further but Tom's tracking abilities were woefully insufficient and he was forced to give up trying to identify the tracks. But he didn't worry too much about them, if their owners had any ill intentions, then he and Visenya would not have awoken as pleasantly as they had. In fact he was fairly sure that they would have woken up with either being held captive or having their throats slits. So he put what he saw away for later and headed his way back to the fire.
He went back to their campsite and looked over to Visenya, who, after finishing her meal, had begun to undo her long thick sliver braid, then proceeded to use her fingers to comb out any knots she founds. She looked up and nodded to Tom. He pointed to the coat she had by her side, "I'm afraid I need that back, I tried to find a padded shirt elsewhere and the thing was so foul smelling it near killed me from the stink alone. At least with my coat I'll be able to breath," He explained.
Visenya nodded after a moment and, handed the coat over to Tom who took it with a muttered thanks then slipped it on, when he had the coat on he then slid the chain mail over it. When he was finished with the hauberk, he then girded the sword to his waist. Then he began to examine his new appearance somewhat liking what he saw though he felt the crosstrainers and the blue jeans were a littl anachronistic. Visenya couldn't help but smirk at the man who was acting like a boy given his first suit of chain-mail, which was a relatively accurate description. The armor, not the boy part.
Tom noticed her smirk and stopped his self examination, he held his arms out angled down and to the side. He pivoted side to side to give her a panoramic view of his new getup and asked, "Well do I look like a proper knight of Dragonstone?"
Visenya cocked her head to the side and seemed to examine him for a moment before saying, "Well you certainly look like you are of Dragonstone at least. Though we shall rectify that when I get home."
Tom snorted at that but shrugged his shoulders and after making sure the fire had died down and everything, including the jewelry, the knives, and the coins were secured. By the time he was finished Visenya had braided her hair back into its long braid, Tom couldn't stop himself from letting his eyes linger for a moment as she flicked the braid back behind her, her back arched a bit and her... 'assets' pressed against her black and scarlet dress. While the dress covered most of her body save her hands and head, was fairly form fitting and was also cut so that the upper half of her breast were visible and what nice breast they were.
Tom shook his head and set his face into an amiable smile, hoping that she didn't notice his discrepancy, "Well, off to Dragonstone then?"
"Yes, off we go." She replied. As the two of them went on their way Northward along the coast, Visenya continued to explain her plans, "There is a fishing village about five miles up the coast from the river. We can purchase supplies there. After that we can ask for directions for the way to Rosby, then we follow the main road to the port of Duskendale, where we can find a ship that will take us to Duskendale."
"Sounds like a plan," Tom agreed, he then gestured forward, "Lead the way," and so the did.
They made fair progress as they made their way down the beach, the sun was high in the sky and the wind off the bay made the walk relatively pleasant. Neither Tom nor Visenya spoke much as they made their way down the beach. The bulk of their conversation was noting birds, shells, or the clouds. Tom started whistling a nameless tune after half and hour and serenaded the two of them. To which Visenya applauded, commenting how she'd have to have him whistle for her later. Tom smiled and said that he would be happy to oblige. He then continued to whistle some simple and not so simple tunes, even honestly impressing her a couple of times. This carried them for several hours as they continued their journey.
Tom was about to start his another tune when the smell of smoke hit their senses. Tom forgot about his song and looked up to see a great pillar of smoke rising inland from the beach. Tom brought his hand to his brow to get a better look at the smoke, then he turned to Visenya and said in a slightly strained voice, "Uh Lady Visenya, is that about where that village you were speaking of was at?" and pointed to the cloud of black smoke.
Visenya was also more than a little surprised, "Yes, yes it was?"
Tom turned inland and ran into the scrub and trees that grew inland from the shore. Visenya dashed after him not saying a word. The two of them did their best to follow through the forest towards the smoke, as they got closer, the smell of smoke grew stronger and now they could hear the sound of men fighting and women screaming. Tom slowed his pace but continued to get closer and closer, a numb fear began to build in him.
When he finally reached the edge of the forest his stomach sank into his feet. The fishing village Visenya had spoken of was there alright but it was under attack. He could see that a single ship, similar in shape to a Norse longship, was beached along the shore and its owners, men armed with swords, axes, spears, and large shields, and wearing either chain mail or leather armor, were attacking the apparent inhabitants of the village. While the villagers were putting up a brave fight, there were just as many raiders who were all much better equipped than they.
Most of the women and children seemed to be pouring out of the village into the forest beyond the village while the men, armed with fishing spears, clubs, wood axes, and the occasional wicker or plank shield were acting as a rearguard, though they were quickly falling and more than one simply dropped his spear or club and ran.
Unfortunately, not all the women seemed to have escaped as there was one woman, a girl really as she couldn't have been older than Tom's little sister, was being dragged out of one of the huts by a trio of the raiders one of them better dressed than any of the others and holding a shield with a complicated sigil emblazoned on it. When they threw her to the ground and proceed to rip her rough dress off of her, revealing her breasts for all to see, Tom realized what was about to happen, and something deep within him snapped.
Tom was not a passionate individual, while he could be considered stubborn as an ox, he was not the type to be lead to great rages or rash decisions, he would at least look at the situation before he would leap in. But there were some things that would trigger his temper and his temper would be terrible to behold. The rape that was occurring before him was one such thing.
Tom strode out of the forest into the village, his eyes were as hard as flint and an emerald fire seemed to burn in their green depths. His lips curled back into a bestial grimace and he actually began to growl. Visenya saw what he was going to do and grabbed his arm to stop him, "What in the seven hells are you doing? Stay here!" Her voice a harsh low whisper.
Tom snapped his arm out of her grasp and continued his way towards the trio trying to have their way with the girl, ignoring any more attempts by Visenya to stop him.
When Tom drew closer, his eyes never left the trio as their leader grabbed her hair and proceeded to fondle one of the girls breasts he could hear the man speak to the woman, "Now, now, don't cry girl, if you do well I'll take you home with me. You would make a good salt wife for me back on Harlaw."
Her answer was more screaming and pleas for help, "No! No! Help me! Someone help me! Seven save me please!"
The Ironborne seemed to become annoyed by her screams as he snarled and hurled her to the ground, "Scream all you want wench, your Seven won't help you now," he snarled as he dropped to his knees then began to undo his belt.
Tom's only reaction to all of this was to get angrier and pick up his pace. When he drew within a dozen paces of the trio he took deep breath and swore that if nothing else, these three died today.
Just as the leader got to his knees, Tom drew the sword and with a swing like a lumberjack swinging at a tree, he swung his sword of Valyrian steel. While he had almost no experience with the blade, he was strong, angry, and knew how to swing for maximum effect. The blade all but cut the man in half from the navel up, and he went down with a gurgled scream.
The two men snapped their heads up and spotted Tom for the first time. The lordling's, for that was what Tom assumed he had to be, companion's fight or flight instinct, kicked into gear and he charged the stranger with sword ready to bring down on his bare head, poor fool.
Tom's answer to the charging man, was a short look of contempt, before he took another breath and shouted, "FUS RO DAH!" A gigantic ball of blue energy slammed into Tom's attacker and blasted him away like a pebble in a hurricane. The man was already dead when he struck one of the huts behind them. His bones crunching like twigs when they made impact on the hut's wall.
Tom then turned on the lordling and slowly strode his way to the man, his face turned a bright red, his lips peeled back from his teeth in what some might loosely refer to as a smile or just a snarl, and fire danced in his pupils, red as the flames of hell, or maybe dragonfire.
The final man, the leader of the trio and likely the leader of the entire raiding party, fell to his bottom and started to crab walk away from Tom, all the while echoing his former victim's platitudes, "No! I yield! Don't kill me, I'm worth a heavy ransom! My father is Lord Harlaw! He'll make you a rich man if you spare me!" Tom ignored his cries as he hefted the greatsword and began to bring it over his head to strike, the blood of his earlier kill still dripping off of it. The lordling screamed in terror, "Oh god! Oh Drowned God save me! Please have mercy."
He ran out of room to flee when he ran into the wall of the same hut he had just come out of with the girl in tow. Tom now towered over the openly weeping man, looking like some great doom out of legend, "Please have mercy!" The man sobbed out one last time, his face a caricature of terror.
Tom stopped his advance and lowered his sword. He looked curiously at the man, as if he were examining something bizarre and disgusting. 'Mercy?' he thought, almost bemused by the concept. 'You mean like the mercy you were going to give her?' and glanced back to the girl, who was watching the entire thing with her eyes bulged wide open and her mouth agape in shocked awe at what she saw.
Tom then turned back to the lordling sitting at his feet and a wave of disgust ran through him. "Where I'm from, we have a saying. 'Mercy is the mark of a great man'."
The lordling all but passed out at that, he sat there, panting and giving thanks to the Drowned God repeatedly under his breath.
Tom continued, "Unfortunately for you, I am not a great man."
The other man's head snapped up in shock and comprehension which turned to even greater terror.
He then took one of the deepest breaths he had ever taken then he roared as loud as he could, all the while the lordling scream a "Wait!" one final time before all sound was drowned out by a "FUS RO DAH!" The hut and the man leaning in front of it disappeared into a giant cloud of dust and a spray of red that hid Tom, the raider, and the hut. When the dust settled there was only a pile of straw and dirt remaining of the hut sitting in a large depression. As for the raider, there was little more than a crater full of shredded wire, tattered leather, and what looked like extra chunky salsa where a man had been just moments prior.
Tom spat one last time as the pile of debris and then turned to the girl. She flinched when he walked back over to her, but seemed surprised when instead of grabbing her he leaned down and with incredible tenderness in his features asked in a low, soothing voice, "Are you alright?"
She stared for moment before she suddenly flung herself around Tom's neck muttering thanks over and over again, referring him as 'Ser' in her thanks.
Tom managed to pry her arms from around his neck. "Wait here," he told her and then stood up. Tom looked her over for a moment before he nodded and then stood up and walked towards the closest fight. A trio of villagers were cornered by an equal number of raiders. Tom blew all three of the raiders away with a FUS RO DAH which left the fishermen staring gobsmacked right in front of them. Tom strode by and seeing their stunned features, he turned to them and said, "What are you waiting for? Follow me!" He then continued onto the next fight, not even bothering to give them a second glance. He did note to his satisfaction that they were quickly catching up to him a minute later.
Before they could ask who he was, Tom spotted another fight two raiders about to kill a downed villager, with a YOL one man was set on fire and before the other raider could react, the three men accompanying Tom swarmed him and he went under their rain of blows. Tom continued on his way though he noting that the trio of fishermen helped their fellow up and followed him. He continued his way through the village, killing the raiders he came across with fire and force and letting the men who were following him deal with any he missed. Soon he had nearly two dozen villagers following him and the raiders were beginning to realize the changed situation and were leaving the village in two and threes back to the boat.
Soon a mass of well over a dozen men were fleeing the village and pounding across the sand toward the single ship on the beach. The few men stationed to guard the ship saw their companions running from the village and while ignorant of what the cause of it was, knew a bad situation and started to push the ship off the sand and out into the water.
Tom saw this, "Oh you won't get away that easily," and without even needing to think about what he wanted to accomplish, he bellowed out a new trio of words, "WULD NAH KEST!"
He shot like a bullet out of the village and past the crowed of fleeing raiders, before coming to a stop between them and their ship. They stumbled to a halt at how suddenly he had appeared and before they could react, he turned towards the ship, "FUS RO DAH!" With that the mast of the ship was snapped off like a twig torn from a tree in a storm. The mast flew through the air like a giant kite before it splashed into the bay with a huge spray of water a good twenty yards into the bay where it bobbed innocuously in and out of the water. The ship effectively going nowhere, the guards took one look at their ship, then at the young man who had done so much damage, and tore down either direction along the shore. The entire time they were screaming in terror of the Storm God having come.
He then turned towards the remaining raiders who had formed a shield wall in an attempt to protect themselves. Tom took one look at that mass of men and only smirked before taking in another breath and bellowing out, "YOL TOOR SHUL!" The resulting inferno consumed half of the remaining raiders, who dropped to the ground screaming or silent in death. Of the survivors, or at least those who could still run, most tore after their fellows up and down the beach while a few turned around and ran towards the village, right into the vengeful arms of the villagers and their oh so tender mercies.
Tom's rage began to fade as he watched the villagers rain blow after blow on the surviving raiders and when blood began to spurt, he decided enough was enough and he walked towards the beating shouting, "Enough! Stop! I want to ask them a few questions, and I need at least one of them for that."
To his amazement, the villagers not only heard him, but actually backed off from the raiders, of whom several were noticeably still alive and might be able to answer a few questions.
When Tom had made sure of the survivors, he noticed Visenya walking down the beach towards him. A numb and awed look on her face that Tom had never seen of her before. When she reached him she stared at him with such intensity began to bizarrely blush. She finally open her mouth, her eyes never leaving his, and asked him in a small voice, "What are you?"
Tom was caught off guard by this question and at first he couldn't answer, then he really thought back to not only the fight, but to all he had done since he had come here. He remembered why this all seemed so familiar, at the same time a name he already had heard of bubbled to the fore and he gave Visenya an honest look. "I am a Dovahkiin," he answered her as if it was the most natural answer in the world.
Visenya's grew even more bewildered, "And what is a 'Dovahkiin'?"
Tom's answer was a single word that would one day be heard across all of Westeros, "Dragonborne."