Hey Hey, sorry it's taken a while to upload, I've been on holiday. I'm going to try get the next chapter out in a couple of days.
Thanks for the new favourites, follows and reviews from:
I'mAFirestarter - 'twisted firestarter' (sorry had to be done)
Tami Mikaelson
Mina1999
Ladyres
Crazygirl8243
Mistoflees - Thanks, glad you're liking it and hope you enjoy this chapter, no Arya unfortunately but she'll be back.
TheWeepingRaven
I hope I haven't missed anyone. But also a huge thanks to those who have stuck with the start from the start too - you know who you are.
But here you go;
Chapter 3 - It's Not All Black And White
I should have just killed the imp before he opened his mouth. Nieve stands sourly in the corner of a brothel chamber. Varys had convinced her to listen to their side. Clea had left the room to let them discuss alone. They hadn't explained much, just about Tyrion's trial, and then when he managed to escape he paid his father a visit in the privy…
Tyrion doesn't seem too cut up about it, lying across the bed hands rested behind his head, but Nieve knew better: he looks shaggy, exhausted and broken. Only habit of his defensive bravado is holding this man together now. But Nieve still doesn't know why he and Varys were in Braavos. Why hadn't they moved on yet? Somewhere out of reach from the King's spies.
"So, I'm supposed to believe," Nieve challenges angrily, this was the first time she'd spoken having listened silently to their plea, "that Tywin Lannister who is the most powerful man in Westeros was killed by you?"
"If you don't believe me, by all means go back to Westeros and find proof, it won't be hard - I imagine it's what everyone is talking about." Tyrion says glibly, examining his nails.
Varys seemed rather distracted too, peering out between the curtains, but Nieve would prefer speaking to him over Tyrion right now. She may have let the Lannister live so far, but anymore sassy comments and she'd justify that he was asking for it.
She asked the question that had been bugging her for weeks: "What are you doing in Braavos?"
"Here is safer now than anywhere, it's been a month now since our disappearance from the Capital. No one would suspect we'd still be in Braavos."
Seemed rather a diplomatic, weak response to Nieve, but it's what she expected from a politician. If she wanted answers she'd need to speak with Tyrion one-on-one.
"I want to speak to the Lannister alone." Nieve demands. Varys seems weary but calmly agrees. Tyrion however is a lot more opposed to the idea.
"What if she tries to kill me again?" He says desperately to Varys.
Varys raises his eyebrows in apathy, "And what am I meant to do? Stop her?" His pompous bald head shining like his silk garment, as he walks to the door.
"I thought you were here to protect me." Tyrion pouts.
Varys smiles, "You're confusing me with Bronn. And unlike him - I've protected you thus far without demanding a single coin." Varys exits the room.
Nieve starts, "Good. Now you and me are alone -"
"- I appreciate the interest," Tyrion interrupts smoothly, "but I just got out of a complicated relationsh-"
"-Shut it. I have questions and you're going to answer them; without the spider's spin." Nieve walks over to the bed, standing over the suddenly tense looking Lord, but his defensiveness kicks in again.
"Afraid I can't my lady - if this information gets out the whole realm would be in jeopardy."
"Right now you're in jeopardy." Nieve produces a concealed knife from behind her back and points it towards his crotch. This brothel really wasn't great on their security checks.
Tyrion sits up, eyeing the blade. "You promised you'd spare my life-"
"-You killed Tywin, my enemy, and for that I owe you your life, so I gave you my word that I wouldn't kill you but I have no quarrel with giving you something in common with the eunuch out there." She nods to the door.
Tyrion thinks aloud sardonically, "Why is it all cold and beautiful women want me dead or tortured?"
"Must be your charming and humble demeanour," Nieve smirks, "now tell me: Why are you here, Tyrion?"
He looks at her, then to the knife and back her again. He sighs deeply, and explains.
"Alright, fine. King Robert's bastard is believed to be here in Braavos - he's the heir to the Iron Throne. He could potentially be a rightful and good king - we need to find out his character."
Nieve didn't know what she had expected, but she sure as seven hells hadn't been expected that answer. So Tyrion and Varys were on the side of the realm, and plotting to overthrow the Lannisters. For once she agreed with the King's councilmen. And a Lannister at that. She had never got on well with bureaucrats.
"Who is he?"
"A poor blacksmith boy from flea bottom. Gendry's his name."
"What? Did you say his name was Gendry?" Nieve says in disbelief. A Blacksmith from Flea Bottom, was it coincidence or the same Gendry? Arya had failed to mention he was the son of Robert Baratheon!
"Yes, Gendry. Pay attention, it's bad enough I'm telling you all this once," Tyrion groans, "I'm spilling confidential information to a woman who wants my family dead."
"Don't act you that's not what you want too." Nieve says smugly. Tyrion glares at her but he knows it's partly true.
"Where is Gendry?"
Tyrion looks pained,"I can't-"
"-I'm not going to hurt him. Think of him as a sort of friend of a friend."
Tyrion looked puzzled but responds anyway, painfully aware that the knife is still pointed at his trousers.
"We were just informed tonight, that he's smithing in the lower town, we're going to meet him tomorrow."
Nieve places the blade back into it's sheath, she stares Tyrion down, making her judgements; Can she trust him? Of course not, but she can trust in their cause. If they could reclaim the Throne to a rightful King - without war, then she was all for crushing the Lannisters power. Tyrion stares her back, unsure as to her motives. Nieve sees the surprise and confusion on his face as she says:
"I'm in."
...
"So you support our cause?" Varys and Nieve walk the gardens next to the brothel. Tyrion had insisted on some time alone with Clea.
"…whilst the Lannisters sit on the iron throne." Nieve admits, fiddling with her leather wrist straps. She wasn't the fiddling type, but she felt guilty. She was here to get revenge, which she still desired, but she found herself being sucked into the game, the same way her father had. Curiosity had got the best of her. Had she not known Arya Stark, the name Gendry wouldn't mean a thing to her. Now she felt compelled to find him, for Arya's sake.
The sun had gone down now, but torches were lit and guiding there path. Varys pauses suddenly as they reach a fountain. He turns on Nieve with all seriousness, "Would you be willing to do some work in espionage?"
Nieve laughed in disbelief, "…become one of your little birds?" Hadn't he asked enough of her already for not killing Tyrion.
"Well your skill set is much more advanced than eavesdropping and letter carrying. But I suppose yes; however I'd need you for a much more dangerous task."
"Which is what?" Nieve huffs.
"I'd need your word that you will agree before I speak a word of this."
"And why would I do that, Varys. We haven't seen each other in years, we're not friends, I don't owe you anything."
"I beg to differ. But fair enough, I know you will keep this to yourself."
Well, that was a quick change of tone, Nieve frowns.
"I hear that Stannis Baraethon is at the wall, and that vile red woman, Lady Melisandre continues to whisper enchantments in his ear. Castle Black also holds someone, potentially very significant to the realm: Jon Snow."
Arya's bastard brother? "What about him?"
Varys has an expression Nieve could only describe as smug a majority of the time, but that had nothing on the look he was giving Nieve now.
"You have heard of the prophecy? Of prince that was promised?"
"Azor Ahai… But what has that got to do with Snow?"
Varys' eyes grew solemn, "I knew Ned Stark. Didn't trust him at first, but he was a good man - an honourable man. It would seem…" Varys paused to put it delicately, "…out of sorts for him to father a bastard."
Nieve knew it seemed far fetched, but she extended her disbelief for a moment and indulged Varys' musings.
"So if Jon Snow isn't Ned's son, who's son is he then?" She asks.
"Around the time Jon was born, Rhegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark went missing…"
It hit Nieve instantly.
She thought of her vision in that moment, the one she had when she was a little girl:
the single blue Rose in the vast wall of ice.
"Jon's Lyanna's son! A Blue flower in an ice wall. And Rhegar's. So Jon's a Targaryen." Nieve's mind is racing, she doesn't even realise she saying the words out loud. "And you think he has the potential to be the prince that was promised?"
Varys nods with a smile, "A likely candidate, I believe. But it is still just speculation at the moment; sadly, the truth died with Ned Stark. But if Jon has Targaryen blood, he could suit another prophecy too." Varys looks at Nieve knowingly, "One I think you know already?"
Nieve looks back at him, genuinely confused.
"Your greensight would allow it I presume." He finishes.
Nieve tries not to look shocked but she fears she's failing miserably, "What are you talking about?"
Varys frowns in concern, "Seems you don't remember…" He wonders over to a stone bench, and gestures for Nieve to join him. She looks at him warily but agrees, desperate to know what he knows. Varys begins, "I once came to the Sunspear on a visit by order of King Robert. I was to spy on the Martells; find out their plans if they had any interest in taking king's landing now that the Mad King was dead. I met you on my visit. You must have been no more than four, but you were always a spry girl, you were playing in the fountains of the Great Gardens,"
Nieve stares at him dumbfounded, she had no memory of this.
He continues, "I sat on the edge of the fountain as you splashed away. You told me you thought I was a funny looking man and I assured you I was." Varys smiles at the ground. "You said yesterday your body trembled violently and that you had a 'dream in the day'. I asked what you meant, and you told me you saw a dragon - with three heads; one head was white with fur, the second with a golden mane, and the third with a collar round it's neck."
Nieve had seen that image in her dreams at night, true. But never of what she could remember in the day - her day dreams were rare. Too young to understand that such a condition must be kept secret, she had unbeknownst to her memory, had another day vision and told the Spider of her condition. Nieve's hand instinctively, attempts to reach for her blade. But Varys raises a hand calmly.
"Don't worry. I have told no one our little secret." He promises.
"Why?" Nieve notices her voices is sharper, her breathe dire and heart pounding in her ears. This was the closest she had come to scared in years, since she was a young girl leaving for Braavos. Varys seems honest in tone though.
"I knew someday your talents would come in use." He admits, "I'd need your trust. And you'd given me a glimpse into the future for this realm. With this knowledge, I owe you a lot. It was the least I could do to keep your gift a secret."
Gift! Nieve snorts. If you only knew what pain this sight caused. She didn't feel special, she couldn't control it to her will, nor could she even understand most of her dreams and visions. But she kept all this quiet, better have Varys think she has the upper hand.
"Thank you." Nieve says graciously, "So Jon is what?" She attempts to move the subject back off her and onto Snow, "- the white fur headed dragon?"
Varys nods again, "For the stark's sigil of a direwolf. The stark children have their own wolves - I hear Jon snow has one too, an albino wolf."
Her mind focuses on the other heads he'd described: the slaver's collar and the lion's head. It was clearer now. She understood.
"And you know who the other two heads are, don't you?" She says, but she knew his response already.
Varys nods gravely. "Daenarys Stormborn of house Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister. I have heard rumours of the Targaryen's affairs for many years, and they all seem to suit the description of the prophecy."
"I presume Tyrion doesn't know?" Nieve questions.
"Yes. And I should like to keep it that way for now. he's in a fragile state, now's not the time to distress him further of his true heritage."
Nieve was still hazy on the hows, when's and why's, but in Tyrion's case she preferred not knowing the details of his parentage. He imp irritated her but she didn't want to be the one potentially telling him that all along he isn't a Lannister. At the moment Tyrion was blissfully ignorant as to his possible identity, Nieve knew what it was like to be an outsider in your own family like Tyrion was, but she also knew the pain of wish to know one's true parents. She didn't want to lose her temper on Tyrion, and steal that ignorance away from him.
She redirects her thoughts to Varys' proposition.
"So my mission?"
"Go to Castle Black. Keep an eye on Jon Snow. Befriend him. Find clues into his potential role in the prophecies, sway his thoughts away from Stannis' cause, and above all protect him from the red woman. We can't afford to loose him to corruption. If I'm right, if this all goes to plan - we will finally have a worthy king or queen, for the good of the realm."
"This sounds like the slow revenge I was trying to avoid." Nieve sighs, it wasn't the way she wanted to do things, but she felt a duty to it, for Arya, and for the realm to save them from the Dark Night and the Lannister's tyranny.
"But no less deadly I can assure you." Varys' looks out across the garden.
"For whom?" Nieve grumbles.
"That part's down to you." He turns to Nieve. She holds his gaze, understanding his warnings.
"I'll do it." Nieve sighs, Varys looks a little relieved. "But don't expect me to suck up to any self proclaimed kings, evil witches, or bratty northern lords. If I do this - I do it my way."
Varys' relief disappeas instantly, judging that Nieve and tact didn't exactly go hand in hand. "Spoken like a true daughter of Oberyn Martell. But just keep yourself and the Bastard boy alive. And can I suggest some humility? It can get you further than you'd expect."
Nieve huffs, but she knew he had a point. She was Martell bred - Unbowed, Unbent and Unbroken, but this mission requires her to do something she wasn't so used to; subtlety and diplomacy. She sighs again heavily. She can't believe she is now going to help Varys and the Lannister.
Yep, She thinks, I definitely should have killed the imp before he opened his mouth.
Well what do you think? Please leave comments and reviews, favourites and follows.
I love writing Varys' dialogue - he's one of my favourite characters. My favourite characters are Tyrion and Ygritte :'( so sad she's gone. But post me your favourite characters, maybe Nieve might cross their path; who knows? ;P (Jon Snow certainly doesn't)
Wow I'm really making a habit out of these cringey jokes. *facepalm*
I'm also going to put the links to the theory vids I've based the stories around, just in case you're unfamiliar with the prophecies, even if you are I'd recommend watching this channel anyway, it's really fascinating.
Azor Ahai - watch?v=O3o2LqFZcGU&spfreload=10
R+L=J - watch?v=kHqzFwodZqQ&spfreload=10
Tyrion's parents - watch?v=eqVhKOxmJCw&spfreload=10
I haven't actually read all the books so if I do get anything wrong about the lore, theories and prophecies please message privately - any info would be helpful. but bare i mind i do have a plan for what will happen as this fix continues and it is still AU so try not to get swept away with what's correct and what is not. It might be i've considered it already and chosen to change that element.
Anyway thanks again for reading, see you for Chapter 4 - Against a Wall