DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING
A/N: As always, thank you to everyone who left a review, it keeps me going
The screams and howls of dying men filled the air. Prisoners and guardsmen alike cried out as they fought tooth and nail to have their vengeance upon each other. Rhaego stood atop the stone staircase, axe in hand and covered in his foe's blood; he took a breath and let his senses return to him. He had to find the Lannister or else all of the bloodshed he had unleashed would be for nought.
He stood over the edge of the stairs and caught sight of Gerion amidst the mass of scrambling prisoners. Rhaego narrowed his eyes. "Lannister, get up here!"
Gerion looked up at him in confusion before climbing up the bloody steps, careful to avoid the corpses that littered his path. When he got to the final two steps Rhaego could no longer wait for him anymore and leant down and pulled the man up by his arm and onto the top of the stairs. He laid there for a while trying to catch his breath when Rhaego gave him a sharp kick to the side. "Get up; I'll not spend any more time in this wretched place than I already have to."
"What about the others?" he asked in between breaths.
"They can come if they can keep up."
And with that the young Khal turned and ran down the centre tunnel that the axeman had emerged from, the Lannister hot on his heels. The darkness seemed less oppressive on this level and Rhaego found that he did not need a torch to see where he was going; behind him he could hear the limping footsteps of some of the prisoners who had made it past the stairs. He glanced over his shoulder once and was relieved to see his two bloodriders among the escapees. We are not so easily killed…
He could feel the breeze coming through the faint cracks now and knew that he was getting closer and closer to the surface so he doubled his pace and prayed to the Great Stallion that most of the guards would be outside the walls.
"That's a fancy new toy you have there." commented Gerion with a breathless chuckle.
Rhaego examined the massive axe, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his mouth but he made no further response and continued to move carefully about in the winding tunnels. A faint sound caught his attention and he held out his weapon to halt the ones behind him. " Quiet." He hissed at them.
He took two tentative steps forward into the gloom and made out the shape of a figure approaching, their pace swift. Rhaego held up his axe in anticipation and waited. As the steps grew closer and closer he raised the weapon above his head, ready to cleave in half any man who came out of the darkness. It was only his self-restraint that stopped him from bringing the axe down on Jorah Mormont.
"Rhaego! By the gods!" shouted the old bear in surprise. "What the blazes are you doing running about with an axe?"
The young Khal shrugged. "Escaping."
Jorah nodded before glancing over at the twelve or so prisoners that had accompanied him and frowned slightly. "And you brought friends…. we must hurry, Tommo has horses for us up ahead."
And so they followed the old knight through the path until finally they saw the beginnings of daylight just up ahead and Jorah led them over to a battered wooden door that was surrounded by dead bodies, most of them guards but a few were Dothraki. Rhaego frowned at the sight. You will ride with your ancestors my brothers, I swear it.
The doors hung open like an angry wound and the intensity of the sunlight was painful after spending so long trapped in darkness but Rhaego revelled in it none the less. After blinking the pain away and allowing his eyes to adjust Rhaego got a chance to see what destruction his Khalasar had unleashed upon the ancient prison.
Fires burned without restraint across the remains of guardhouse and the distant groans of agony were being carried on the wind. When he stepped out he was greeted by a rapture of cheers from his Khalasar before Tommo led over his red stallion. His steed seemed just as happy to see him as he was for it and stroked the creature's nose before mounting up. Once he was atop a horse once more he found himself at ease and quickly resumed command.
"Tommo, fetch horses for Togo and Jakerhro, and that one." He pointed to Gerion. "He is coming with us."
He noticed the prisoners were standing about unsure of themselves. The prison lay half a league away from the city, and they had little food or water. Rhaego lifted his axe high in the air with one arm. "You men are free to do as you wish, though some of your gaolers yet draw breath….perhaps you ought to correct that." And with that he turned his steed and led his Khalasar out into the dusty plains.
That night the men of Rhaego's Khalasar raised a huge tent just outside the outlying villages of Norvos. The men feasted on roast goat, legs of mutton and plenty of salted horse meat. Rhaego himself drank heartily of mare's milk and laughed with his men about the weakness of the Norvosi. When Gerion took a reluctant mouthful he grimaced immediately but dared not to refuse any of the warriors. When he got a chance away from his men he gestured for the Lannister to take up a seat beside him.
"You promised me the location of the dragon egg; I would hear it now, at once."
A flash of hesitation crossed over the Lannister's face and for a moment it looked as though he would not answer, but then the look was gone, replaced by a grin. "There is a shack, not two days east of here. Fahrio kept all his treasures there."
Rhaego grunted. "Then we shall ride there at first light."
Gerion bowed his head at that and said no more. The Khal stood on the pretence of needing to take a piss and made to leave the tent, on his way he stopped by Tommo and informed him to keep an eye on the golden haired man and to make sure that he did not leave his sight. Tommo nodded once and went back to his drink.
While outside Rhaego took a breath and looked up at the stars. His people believed that the stars were the souls of every great warrior, riding across the sky and every so often he would gaze up at them and wonder if his father was among them. Perhaps one day I'll ride alongside him…
"Rhaego." The voice of Jorah Mormont was wrought with agitation as he walked beside the young Khal. "Who is that man you have brought with us, Fahrio?"
"His old gambling partner," he explained. "He can lead us to where that slime hid the dragon egg."
Mormont frowned. "How can you be sure he's telling the truth?"
Rhaego returned a sour smile. "Because if he isn't I'll lash him to my horse and ride on until his feet are nought but bone."
They rode hard for a day and a half, barely giving any time for their horses to rest; such was the young Khal's desire to reclaim his prize. He had spent many long years scouring the trade routes and Free Cities for his mother's heirlooms and after so long he was at last about to take them back, the excitement gave him a wave of energy.
Every now and then he would make sure that they were on the right course with the Lannister, who would ride up front with Rhaego, pointing out various landmarks and recalling all that Fahrio had told him during their time imprisoned together. It made the Khal frown when Gerion sheepishly admitted that he only had the barest directions for the man's shack. He nearly had the man flogged for not telling him sooner but stayed his hand when Gerion assured him that he was certain to the location of their prize.
He is quick to laugh and jape but the man is no fool, thought Rhaego. Despite his mocking nature the man had proved to be very useful during their time of shared imprisonment, though he still found himself having doubts about the man's loyalty.
Finally after what seemed like endless riding they finally came across a single derelict wood hut. The structure was no bigger than any of the hovels he had seen the peasants of Norvos live in, with old wood that looked as though most of it had gone rotten. Yet there seemed to be something strange about the structure and when they arrived he ordered two of his men to go forth and search for any surprises. Absently they kicked the door open and went inside and for a time there was silence before finally they came out looking at him slack jawed.
"It is empty blood of my blood," Said the elder of the two. "It is a single, empty room; home only to dust and spiders."
Rhaego closed his purple eyes and a let out a long breath before turning to the golden haired man at his side. "I told you what betrayal would cost; I hope your last jest was worth it." He unsheathed the mighty axe that hung from his back and let it lean against him, the promise of blood in the air.
Gerion Lannister took one glance at Rhaego's axe before laughing.
"Oh Khal of Khal's, why does your mind turn to betrayal so easily?" he dismounted from his horse and walked over to the hut. "Come inside if you would have your prize, I shall show you how foolish your men were."
Reluctantly Rhaego left his steed and walked after the Lannister, axe in hand. The air inside the hut was stuffy and full of cobwebs. Gerion seemed to be taking measured steps and after moving nine paces began feeling around in the dirt for something. At first Rhaego thought he was digging, but then he caught sight of a small rusted chain.
"I may need your assistance with this." He grunted as he tried pulling on the dangling piece of metal. The young Khal shrugged and snatched the chain from Gerion's hands and gave one strong tug and felt a slab of rock move beneath the ground and revealing a secret compartment in the ground. Just like the tunnels in Maegor's Holdfast, thought Rhaego as he glanced down the hole.
Gerion dusted off his hands and pointed into the small dark pit. "Fahrio may have been a drunk, but he wasn't stupid. He hid his treasures right underneath our feet."
Rhaego called out for Jorah and the others to bring torches and rope and after a beat the men came in with exactly that. As soon as Jakerhro shone his torch into the pit they gasped in wonder. Inside laid a small fortune of gold, silver and jewels beyond counting. It was like an ocean of gold interspersed with flicks of ruby, emerald and sapphire with dozens of items that looked to be straight from the vaults of some long dead Valyrian king, yet Rhaego only had eyes for one thing.
Nestled amongst a nest of silver chalices and gemstones sat a single crimson dragon's egg, like the one Rhaego had seen inside his dreams for years. It has been waiting for me, he thought, waiting to come home…
He was about to command his men to climb to down when suddenly Gerion turned to him anxiously. "You may have the dragon egg, but I led you here. I would ask to have first choosing from that wealth, as payment."
"You will have your due," he promised Gerion, "but first I would have mine." He signalled for one of his men to climb down the ropes and stood by eagerly as the man clutched the ancient stone to his body before handing it over to the Khal.
It felt warm, warmer than anything else had ever laid his hands upon and in that moment he knew that the gods, whoever they may be, were smiling on him
"What do you intend to do now?"
The question had caught Rhaego off guard when Gerion sat down beside him that night at the camp fire; he had been so focused on his goal that he gave little thought to anything else. He supposed that he would return to Pentos with the eggs and deliver them to his mother, though that was not an encounter Rhaego was looking forward to. He had found strength in the harsh brutality of his life and was not eager to live in a gilded cage. I am no prince, he decided. The open lands are the only kingdom I need…
"I shall return the dragon eggs to Pentos and then continue on as I have always done." He proclaimed.
Gerion chuckled at that and took a mouthful of mare's milk. "I must admit, we make quite a team. With my wits and your brutality we could go far."
The Khal raised a brow. "What do you propose? There's not much glory to be had in grave robbing."
"I wasn't always in that prison you know, I came to the east many years ago to sail to Valyria and reclaim my family's ancestral blade from the smoking ruins of the Freehold…"
"A fools errant; Valyria is cursed." said Ser Jorah as he sat down across from the two men, a cautious look on his hairy face.
The Lannister smiled thinly at that. "Aye, it is a cursed place. Haunted by monsters and demons…..but I have been there Ser Bear, and I have seen its wonders." To prove his point the golden haired man rolled up the sleeves of his tunic, revealing a series of Valyrian glyphs tattooed across his pale flesh, the dozens of crudely made scars littering every inch of his arm and leading towards his chest.
"I was lost on that desolate rock for years, unable to find my way and half mad from the constant screaming that haunted the night air….until I came across a ruin, the broken remnant of some Dragonlord's castle." His eyes looked past Rhaego and Jorah to a distant time. "Perhaps it was home to one of the forty families that ruled Valyria, though when I stumbled in looking for shelter I merely found a garden of statues….men, women and children all reduced to stone by the molten flames of the doom….yet amongst that fiery stone I found a cache of treasure, valuables beyond reckoning and the sword of my ancestors, even a dragon egg." He broke from his reverie and let out a low chuckle. "All of that gold and no way to take it back to Westeros, the Seven have a great sense of humour…..that was until I was met by a stranger, a pirate from Westeros who offered to take me home with him in exchange for half of my treasure."
"Who was he?" asked Rhaego curiously.
A deep scowl crossed the Lannister's face and he spat in distaste. "An Iron Islander, he betrayed me readily enough with a knife between my ribs, though not before I spirited away a portion of the bounty along the coast of Volantis," his emerald eyes flicked over to Rhaego, "if you and your Khalasar give me aid in retrieving it I'll share some of the spoils, you have my word on that. A Lannister always pays his debts."
Mormont had his sword out in an instant and pointed at Gerion's throat. "Do you think I am a fool? He may not know what your kin are capable of but I do!"
Rhaego rose to his feet and quickly snatched the blade from Jorah's hands. "I already knew he was a Lannister, and I know that without him I'd probably still be out there looking for a dragon egg that I would never find."
Mormont's eyes widened in betrayal, "This man is the kin of your enemies! His brother ordered the death of your two infant cousins, his nephew murdered your grandfather in cold blood, I saw what Tywin Lannister did to King's Landing….you cannot trust him!"
"Trust is a hard thing to come by Jorah, though if it was up to you I would trust no one and would have gone crawling back to my mother in Pentos long ago like a beaten cur. No. If what Gerion says is true then I would possess treasures from the heart of Valyria itself. There is glory in that."
Jorah shook his head, "This path is madness, and you have your thrice damned dragon eggs, why not return them to your Mother like you've been saying all this time instead of wasting your life on some fools adventure with a fucking Lannister of all people!?"
The young Khal had enough then and rested a hand on Mormont's shoulder, pressing down just enough to make the old bear wince. "You have complained about returning to Pentos for the last seven years, and for what, to see my mother again to satisfy your lusts?" Rhaego's eyes became twin storms of purple. "I think I've suffered through quite enough of your advice."
"Lad please I-"
"Call me lad again and I'll break your legs." He warned.
Rhaego turned to the rest of his Khalasar who were cautiously watching him from their drinks; no doubt they were unsure of what to make of their Khal threatening the Andal who had ridden with them for so long. "Togo, you will take twenty men and accompany Jorah the Andal back to Pentos, back to the Khaleesi and see that the dragon eggs are delivered safely. The rest of us are riding for Volantis where plunder and glory await us!"
A great cry went up at his words. The Khal answered with a nod, and raised his horn of mare's milk high and took a deep chug. The drink filled his stomach and fire filled his heart and he gave a triumphant roar into the night sky.