So... Been a long time hasn't it?
I think after a delay like this... best you read it first while I do talky stuff below.
(spelling mistake pointed out fixed)
The Haunted Forest, North of the Wall, Westeros
Eadric dragged the Elk corpse behind him as he trudged into the camp the Watchmen had set up on their way north. The moons were at their height and few clouds obscured the Magna Ge as they let Aetherius pour into the mortal plane.
Passing through the camp he drew many looks from groups of Watchmen huddled around small fires, most looking at the large beast with surprise. A few offered congratulations at either bringing the animal down or finding the corpse though most were just content to watch. Nodding slightly to the few who did address him, Eadric made for a fire on the far end of the camp, one surrounded by the Watchmen he knew best of those who had come North of the Wall.
"Seven hells Haraldsson." Grenn exclaimed when he saw the massive Nord dragging the equally massive Elk over the snow towards them. "How'd you bring that down?" The others looked in Eadric's direction. Jon studied the animal from his position next to Sam, who was more concerned with warming his hands than anything else. While Rast was wrapped in his furs, shivering despite the fire.
The final Watchman sat around the fire was Grenn's partner in leading one of the supply sleds, an older Ranger by the name of Eddison Tollet, though he had told everyone to just call him 'Edd'. "You didn't scare it to death did you? You don't have a bow."
Eadric dumped the beast next to the fire and shrugged. "I didn't. Found it in the forest, wolf got it by the looks of it." He gestured to the neck, which had been savaged by a wolf of clear size. Though he kept quiet about the fact that he was the wolf in question.
Jon leaned forward and looked at the neck. "Aye. Direwolf maybe. Bigger than Ghost though." He said while he patted Ghost, who was busy sitting by his feet and staring with clear intent at the animal carcass.
"It'll just come back for its kill." Rast muttered from underneath the layers of fur.
"We can cope with one wolf." Eadric asserted as he knelt down and drew his saex. "Three hundred of us, wolves don't like odds like that." He thrust the knife and began the skin the dead animal, beginning with the stomach so he could get to the intestines.
As the Nord got to work, Edd stood up and nudged Grenn. "Well come on, let's get the cauldron and get snow in it."
Grenn quickly understood and got up to help. Though Sam looked confused before Jon quickly informed the overweight reachman. "Making a stew, need water for that." He too stood up. "I'll get the vegetables."
As Eadric pulled out the guts and dumped them on the snow the ground began to rumble. Snow fell from the trees that surrounded them, shook loose by the vibrations. A few fires crumbled and spread as all around the camp men and animals alike went on alert.
The rumble grew until eventually the words came blasting out of the sky. "DOV! SOS! YOL!"
Eadric instantly stopped skinning the beast and grabbed his axe, searching the sky frantically. "Come on you bastard." He growled as he waited.
Those around him had also drawn their swords, Sam and Jon joining the Nord in looking around the night sky. "What was that?!" Grenn exclaimed.
"Dragon." Eadric said through gritted teeth. Something didn't feel right, he couldn't hear the tell-tale sound of wings flapping, or the roars the Dov often released as they flew.
"Bah, no such thing as Dragons." Rast sneered, though still looking around for anything that may come.
"Quiet." The Nord growled at the rapist. The rest all heeded the command and throughout the rest of the camp the Watchmen where also quiet, expecting an attack at any moment. Silence reigned for several minutes, no man daring to make a sound or even move their feet lest the snow muffle anything.
It was some time before Edd broke the silence. "I don't hear anything."
"Stay alert." Eadric instructed before he began to trudge off.
"Where are you going?" Sam asked the Nord.
"To find Mormont."
…
Eadric found Mormont at the center of the camp along with the most experienced Watchmen in the Great Ranging. He had his sword drawn along with the others though instead of being on high alert, was sat on a log, resting the sword tip against the ground while his hands lay on the pommel. "Haraldsson." He uttered as the giant of a Nord approached. "Anything on the outskirts?"
The shook his head. "Nothing. And we both know that wasn't anything the Wildlings can do." A few of the other Rangers began to gather round, clearly listening. "Nor is it the Walkers."
Mormont stared at him for a moment and let out a sigh. "Well you seem to have a good idea. What was it that made those sounds?"
"A dragon." Eadric answered plainly.
Some of the Rangers scoffed, a few looked back up at the sky worried, while most just watched the Lord Commander. "I see. How do you know?"
"The Words. Dovahzul. Tongue of the dragons."
"The dragons are all dead." A Ranger asserted. "And even if they weren't, I never heard of a dragon talking."
Mormont held up his hand to silence the black brother and motioned for Eadric to continue. "Maybe not the same dragons as yours, or maybe they are. But in Skyrim, dragons talk." He pointed at the sky with his axe. "Dov. Sos. Yol. That's what they were. Dragons. Blood. Fire."
"What could it mean?" A steward from among the ever enlarging crowd asked.
"I don't know." Eadric replied after a short pause. "But if it wanted to attack us, it would've done so already."
Again many looked up at the sky. Though as they did, they all saw it. Roaring across the sky, was a trail of blood red as a comet flew past the mortal plane. "Gods." A Ranger muttered.
Mormont slowly stood. "Right. Enough wasting time. Double the sentries and always have a weapon ready. We go to Craster's tomorrow." He ordered those assembled, who after a little extra time looking at the red trail complied. "Haraldsson." The Old Bear walked towards the Nord and lowered his voice. "If a dragon does come… Can you kill it?"
Eadric considered for a while, looking at his axe and those around him before replying. "Maybe. But not without losses."
Jeor nodded grimly for a moment. "Then so be it."
The Red keep, The Crownlands, Westeros
Severus hadn't slept after being awoken that night, his mind was too focused on the words. "Dragons. Blood. Fire." He repeated to himself as he sat on his bed, the morning sun bathing his room in radiant light, not that he cared much at the moment. When the words were blasted throughout the sky he knew in an instant what it meant, for it could mean little else. New Dragons had been born. What's more he could feel it, the Dragonblood within him had flared just a few hours before and his skin was hot to the touch.
But how could new Dragons be born? They weren't creatures that could breed, they were fragments of Akatosh, his own offspring. Alduin may have been the first and Paarthurnax the second, but all Dov were of Akatosh. So how could these dragons have been born? Were there eggs left by the Aedra, or something else, something different?
His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp knock at the door a split second before it opened and Dinontus strode in, also looking like he had not slept. "You're awake. Good." The Breton was carrying a bottle of wine, something Severus was grateful for when he spotted it.
"You heard it too?" The Colovian asked as he pointed to the small cupboard that held a few tankards.
Guilliman marched over to the cupboard and retrieved the tankards, quickly making his way to the table and pouring both of them a drink. "Aye. The whole city heard it." He held out one to Severus, who greedily took it. "You look awful."
Severus downed the contents in one long gulp and held out the tankard for refilling, which Dinontus did. "My blood's been boiling for hours. Feel like I'm in the middle of the Alik'r." He took another gulp of the wine, though not as much this time around.
"I'm going to guess it's not a fever." Dinontus chuckled slightly to himself and sipped his wine. "What did it mean?"
"Dragons. Blood. Fire."
"I see... I think its best we keep that to ourselves. Too close to the words of the former royal house." Guilliman warned. "House Targaryen's words were "Fire and Blood". If the King finds out a dragon called out something similar…"
"He'll take it as a threat."
"Exactly."
Severus gulped down the last of the wine, though didn't hold out for another refill. "Did any of the Targaryen's survive?"
Dinontus raised an eyebrow. "Two, a boy and a girl. Why?"
"I think I saw the girl." Severus breathed.
"What?"
The Colovian sighed and he let himself fall backwards onto the sweat soaked bed. "Before the shouts I was… felt like I was in a wide desert. There were people there. A girl, white haired and a man, he looked Westerosi. The rest were all olive skinned, like the Nibbenese." He explained, with Dinontus leaning forward. "They put three stones on a pyre, along with a woman, I don't know why. When they set it ablaze the girl walked into it and the flames flew up." He sighed and held a hand to his forehead, still burning hot. "And then I heard it, the shouts, the people there seemed to hear it as well."
"Anything after that?"
"That's when I woke up."
Dinontus slowly nodded and finished his own wine. "It could just be a dream… I hope it's just a dream."
"Agreed." Severus muttered as he sat up again. "How's the court reacting to the shouts?"
"As well as you'd expect. Most are taking it as a sign from their gods or something similar." Dinotnus couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "The Goldcloaks have had to put down a riot in Fleabottom and Joffrey ordered the lower gates closed to keep out the "common rabble" as he put it."
Severus sighed. "Well. It could be worse. Neloth could tell him what the words meant." He cursed and pushed himself off from the bed, moving over to his fresh tunic and armour.
Dinontus nodded in agreement and raised a brow. "You're not really going to wear your armour in your state are you?"
The Colovian pulled the tunic over his head and considered for a moment. "Considering what happened to Lord Stark, yes." He answered plainly as he began dressing in the ebony scale mail.
Guilliman chuckled and stood up, walking to the door. "I'll see you in the Great Hall when you're done. Must show ourselves as taking part at court after all." He nodded slightly to Severus and left the room.
[[ line ]]
The Red Waste
Daenerys Stormborn, last the Targeryans and rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms sighed as she held out the raw piece of horse meat to the young Dragon on her shoulder. It had been naught but a few days since their hatching and the appearance of the comet above them. Her people called it Shierak qiya, the Bleeding Star. The old among them muttered that it omened ill but it had appeared on the night of the burning of Khal Drogo and the awakening of her dragons. It is a herald of my coming, she repeated to herself in her mind, she was close too convincing herself.
As Drogon again shunned the meat her handmaiden Doreah asked. "What did your brother say about them Khaleesi?"
Dany gave up on the meat and looked forward. "He said they ate meat."
"But he didn't tell you what kind of meat?"
"My brother didn't know anything about dragons." Dany held out her hand for Drogon, who jumped into it. "My brother didn't know anything." She signaled for the horse beside her too slow and she opened the door on Drogon's wicker cage, letting him move in himself before closing it.
Then at the head of the column she heard a horse whine and then fall. Quickly looking over her mood sank instantly and she ran over. It was her horse. As she knelt beside the collapsed beast she felt like tears would form if she had the water to spare. She looked at Ser Jorah, who was knelt beside her and had been the first to the horse. The northman knight slowly shook his head, a sympathetic expression on his rough face.
Resigning herself to the fate of the horse she gave it one last look in the face. "She was Drogo's first gift to me."
"I remember." Jorah comforted her, he was always there for her.
"I promised to protect them. I promised them their enemies would die screaming. How do I make starvation scream?"
"A trick I never learned, I'm afraid." Jorah stated with a slight hint of humour, though it wasn't much.
Dany looked out ahead of the small rabble she called a Khalasar. "Does it ever end?" She asked the knight, hopeful that the answer might be a good one.
"This is further east than I've ever been. But yes, Khaleesi, everything ends, even the Red Waste."
"And you're sure there's no other way?"
"If we go south to the land of the Lazarheen, the Lamb Men will kill us and take your dragons." Jorah explained. "If we go west to the Dothraki Sea, the first Khalasar we meet will kill us and take your dragons."
"No one will take my dragons." Dany asserted.
Jorah remained silent for a moment. "They're too weak to fight. As are your people. You must be their strength."
Dany looked at him and a ghost of a smile crossed her face. "As you are mine." She saw him return a similar gesture, he was a true friend. Before Dany could think about what to do next a sound reverberated across the sky, like nothing she had ever heard. "What was that?"
Jorah looked up at the sky. "I don't know, Khaleesi."
Again the sound came. It sounded a roar, almost like that of a lion or bear. "Khaleesi!" Rakaro called as marched over with the other Bloodriders. He had his arakh out and was surveying the sky. "There!" He called in the common tongue, one of the few words he knew.
Looking to where he pointed, Dany saw what seemed to be a great bird flying towards them. At least she thought it was a bird, what other creature could it be but a bird? Another roar and it quickly became clear it was coming from whatever it was, and it was getting closer by the second. By now all of her Khalasar were watching it, her warriors on alert.
"That's not a bird, Khaleesi." Jorah stated with a worried tone. "It's…"
"Zhavorsa!" Aggo yelled out. Dragon. But how? There were no dragons before Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion. The last had died in the reign of Aegon III, her ancestor.
"DOV! SOS! YOL!" Blasted across the wastes, emanating from the dragon flying towards them. They were the same words that they had all heard that night. Though after the morning and the realisation of Dany's survival and the hatching of dragons, it had been assumed it just happened when dragons came into the world.
From their wicker baskets her dragons began screeching and trying to get out. Stunned by the words and approaching adult, she did not move, nor did any others of the Khalasar.
Soon the dragon was close and once it flew over the ragged company, showing tattered wings and a small stature compared to the stories she had heard of Balerian the Black Dread, of Vhagar and of Caraxes the Red Queen. Then it came around and landed, throwing up dust and sand as it did so.
Dany's Bloodriders, Jorah and any of her people who had a weapon rushed to the front of the caravan and to stand between her and it, weapons raised.
As the dust cloud died down the dragon slowly raised its head. It was scarred and covered in horns, several broken and seemed to miss several of its teeth, though what remained still bore a terrifying visage. Slowly looking around the ragged band of men and women in front of it, a low rumbling, almost like a man chuckling, came forth from it. Dany stared at it as the dragon seemed to drink in the sight before it. "Drem yol lok, greeting joor. I am Paarthurnax."
As one the Khalasar was taken aback, a dragon just spoke to them. "You… Can talk?" Dany asked the dragon who called himself Paarthurnax.
Again the low rumbling of a chuckle escaped the dragon. "Yes. I can Tinvaak… Converse." Paarthurnax approached, walking on the arms in his wings and his hind legs. He stopped closer to Rakaro, Aggo and Jorah, all of whom looked at him warily, their weapons still raised.
"Lower your weapons." Dany ordered, she knew they little chance against Paarthurnax. "Why are you here?"
"Ah yes." The clearly ancient but relatively small dragon began. "Some nights ago I felt something I had not felt for centuries… Where are they?"
"Where are what?" Jorah demanded.
Paarthurnax lowered his head, looking directly at the knight. "That night I felt the kiin, Birth, of my kind. Where are they?"
"Doreah." Dany looked at her handmaiden, signalling her to gather her children.
"Yes khaleesi." The lysene bowed her head and went off to get the horse that carried their baskets. When she returned they resumed their protests against the baskets.
Without a word to any of the Khalasar, Paarthurnax pushed through those in front of him to get to the baskets. "Open them." With another nod from Dany, Doreah complied and quickly let out Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion. All three of them glided out, using their small wings to fall softly to the ground, not yet able to fly on their own. When they did they stared at Paarthurnax and he stared at them. "Such little things…" The ancient looking dragon lowered its head to get a better look at them. "Tinvaak mal gein." It spoke to them in a language Dany could not understand and her dragons cocked their heads. "Hmm. No… Not yet it seems." The low rumble of a chuckle escaped the beast again. "Such a kiin has not occurred in many a year, and many more since I came here to witness it." It looked at Daenerys. "I will wundun, travel with you for a time. If you permit."
Dany was taken aback, it wanted to accompany them! She glanced at Ser Jorah who looked shocked along with her Dothraki. "I-I… We would be honoured to have a dragon come with us." She stammered at Paarthurnax.
"Dii Kogaan." Paarthurnax bowed his large scarred head. "The honour is mine, monah do dovah."
Daenerys couldn't help but smile and felt giddy. This couldn't be happening. No Khalasar would dare try and attack them with an adult dragon at their side. "I assure you it is ours. Though as you can see…" She gestured to her ragged caravan. "We are suffering greatly and may not make it out of these wastes."
"We haven't found fresh water for days." Jorah intoned. "And we're relying on our fallen horses." He sadly looked at Dany's freshly horse and shot the last scion of House Targeryan an apologetic look.
"Hmm…" Paarthurnax looked up at the sky. "I may have a solution…" He pulled his head back on his serpentine neck and a monstrous sound erupted forth, almost sounding like a single word. "STRUN!"
Several of her people screamed and Jorah, Rakaro and Aggo drew their weapons again. Paarthrunax looked at the three and then back at the sky, which was slowly beginning to… Dany couldn't quite believe it. The sky above the Red Wastes was beginning to cloud over. Soon the pitter patter of rain drops against scorched earth became audible and thunder rolled across the sky. This dragon… had called a storm to them.
Jorah was the first to get over the shock of what had happened. "Get the skins and tarps out! We can gather the rainwater!" He bellowed and managed to nudge Rkaro and Aggo into quickly helping, the three running along the caravan.
Dany took a step back and nearly slipped in the now slick earth beneath her, though she steadied herself. "How did you do that?" She stared at the dragon who soaking up the weather, almost as if he enjoyed it.
"Ah…" Paarthurnax let out a long sigh as the cool water ran down his scales. "The Dov can use the thu'um, voice, to powerful effect. I had to rein this one in, or else there would be lightning coming down on your head."
"You did this just by saying words?"
Paarthurnax again let out a rumbling sound. "Yes. For the Dov, tinvaak is everything. Even battle among my kind are mere debates. This…" He pointed with his snout up at the sky. "This I summoned with the dovahzul for 'storm', monah do dovah."
Dany didn't try to shield herself from the rain, instead doing as the dragon did and let it flow over her, she never thought rain could be so refreshing. "You say that again. What does it mean?"
"Monah do dovah? It means in your tongue 'mother of dragons'"
Eadric Haraldsson - Hircine
Skjor - Hircine
Unknown person - Unknown (Big shock I know)
As of yet unknown Champion of Meridia
Delvin Mallory - Nocturnal
Well I hope you liked it and as always fell free to leave a review concerning what you liked/didn't like/spelling mistakes(hopefully few of those)/give me a well deserved bollocking for a three month delay.
Anyway. Been three months and that's partially due to writers block mixed with several rewrites and also partially due to IRL not treating me very well right now. Not going to try saying when the next one will be because after this... Would you even believe me?
*SPOILERS FOR SEASON 6! READ AT OWN RISK* *Also you may not want to read this if you don't want to read me whining about what is overall a pretty good season*
And now on to the super late impression I had of Season 6 overall. Was decent I suppose, didn't really like the White Walker stuff amounting to little more than Human Pest Control that got a bit out of hand. The R+L=J well everyone knew that was a thing though I personally prefer a different one of those theories. Dany is finally on her way to Westeros with the most ragtag bunch of misfits the world has ever seen and likely won't even make it far when Tyrion gets his hands on the Bastard Snakes (still miffed they killed Doran. I swear that actor has to be killed in every role he has). The Hound, liked that and he's still badass, nuff said. Jaime and Bron are awesome, nuff said. Jon and Sansa, not overly good battle leaders but seem okay though I for one am dreading the shipping since they're now cousins (Also if Sansa tries to kill Jon I may just give up on the series). Ramsay's death was good though. Rickon should've done the flipping serpantine. And now Kingslanding... Cersei's gone off the deep end and Tommen carried out a Monty Python like death, both amused by that and annoyed that we lost Margaery. Oh and the dragons were f*cking awesome.
