"It would be the height of folly, to assume one could conceal blood kin from a witch without the help of magic."
Alayne Royce froze at the grating voice, turning to face the unannounced intruder. The figure - judging by its voice, a man - whose entire body was concealed by a billowing hooded black cloak adorned with golden patterns - letters? - looming huge and sinister in the door frame, and behind him were the servants holding the door, clearly scared out of their wits despite their orders to keep the conversation within private. Despite her heart quickening in fear, she stood up in front of her companion, shielding her from the encroaching darkness.
"Forgive me, Lady Royce. I am merely a humble guest who may be of use to the princess, but for the moment I seek a private audience."
"You were eavesdropping."
"It was just so my arrival coincided with that particular episode of your discussion. Or are you insisting an eavesdropper has no right to privacy, Lady Royce?" A hollow chuckle rumbled out from beneath the hood, and the wrongness of the sound made her skin crawl. Alayne did not come to that impression simply by his Essosi accent - the man stank of witchcraft.
"Alayne."
She turned to the gentle yet commanding voice. Her companion, Princess Rhaena Targaryen, was dressed in black robes of mourning, both for her brother-husband Prince Aegon and for her dear friend, Melony Piper. Both had perished recently in battle against King Maegor, but the princess had remained strong and determined to protect her twin daughters, now still less than a year old. Yet for all the calm she wore as a mask, Alayne had been at her side since happier days. The princess' emotional state was as precarious as her political situation, and this stranger could easily hoodwink her into false hopes.
"Rhaena, don't -"
"Let me hear him out first. He has come a long way, as his accent shows."
The Vale-born lady turned between the friend whom she had put her entire family at risk by following, and the menacing predator at her gate, before finally fleeing the scene, careful not to brush against the cloak as she made her way to safety beyond the shadows lingering in the hallway. Perhaps Melony could have made the Princess see sense, thought Alayne, as her brisk footsteps brought her into the comforting warmth of the sun.
43 years after Aegon's Conquest, Faircastle, Westerlands
"I do apologize for scaring your friend so, Princess. But I am a man who gives in to the desire for a little pomp and flair every now and then."
The princess simply gave a nod, leaving a strange silence that hung over the room. The pair entered into a staring contest, before Rhaena spoke again.
"And I am a woman who does not treat with men who hide their faces. Raise your hood, or you may leave now."
As if receiving his cue, the stranger closed the door as he swiftly raised his hood, revealing a mask of rose gold, with emeralds set into its engravings.
"A mask of warding?" Recognizing the Valyrian letters engraved upon the ornament confused as much as interested the princess.
"Ever since my father was assassinated, I had donned this mask, Princess. For the purposes of our current relationship, this is my face."
Her grandfather, Aegon the Dragon, had spoken of odd customs amongst people from across the sea, and Rhaena sighed exasperatedly.
"Very well. So, Volantene, you claim to know magic."
The same wrong, rumbling laugh sounded out again, but Rhaena kept her gaze fixed on the mask's eye holes. Part of her wondered if the eyes behind them were lilac, like her own. Valyrians were a very magical people, after all.
"I don't claim to know magic, Princess," after his laughter subsided, the voice behind the mask turned to a serious tone, "I am your most cost-effective hope for keeping your twins safe from the king's she-raven."
Cost-effective?
"I would spare no cost in keeping Aerea and Rhaella safe. Name it."
"Young blood of the dragon. One of your siblings, or one of your own daughters. The blood price shall be raised as my ward and apprentice. Of course, family visits would be allowed, including those done by boat and not dragon, Princess."
Rhaella's faced darkened in contemplation.
"Since I have not yet made good on my side of the proposal, I would not force you to name your price just yet. After this entire business regarding King Maegor -"
"The Usurper."
"- Maegor the Usurper is done with, feel free to pay when I deliver your children to you safe and sound. I am open to deposit payments if this shall be our arrangement, Princess."
Another awkward and painful silence dragged out between the two.
"Why are you risking your head in a war for a throne on foreign lands?"
The mask turned to look outside the room, at the rolling waves of the Sunset Sea, before the mask and hood sat down on the floor. Though Rhaena sat on top of the bed in her guest room, she could still see eye to eye with the stranger.
"My most sincere apologies, Princess. I had asked a mother to part with her children, without so much as making a self-introduction. I had thought the issue to be a natural opening for making a deal, while ignoring the fact you have no reason to trust me. Please feel free to question me or demand some confirmation of my magical abilities after I answer your previous question."
"Politics. Antyarchon Auridio Kaivram made his proposal of assistance to you, Princess Rhaena, because of his standing and inclinations in Volantene politics."
The princess frowned. "You are of the Old Blood. Intervention in foreign wars seems like what the Tigers do."
Auridio laughed again, not the wrong rumbling, but a more common sort of harsh laughter, the laughter of cynics deriding the world.
"Are tigers and elephants the only factions people know of when talking about Volantis now? I am of the Old Blood, Princess, but perhaps more importantly, I am a representative of how two-party politics drown out foreign perceptions of a state."
Rhaena remained impassive, merely watching and listening as Auridio continued:
"I am of the dragon party, calling for re-integrating dragonlords into Volantene politics. I have no intention of repeating the blunders of my esteemed peers among the tigers should Volantis go to war once more, and above all the shining honors my esteemed colleagues of the elephants are so fond of, it is my wish to make Valyria great again."
"I have never heard of your party."
"Consider this my very risky publicity campaign, Princess."
"Would this move not put Volantis at risk?"
The patriarch of the Kaivram clan sighed heavily.
"If your attitude is any clue, Princess, trying to protect your children while drawing the usurper's attention away from Volantis would be difficult, but possible. From a personal standpoint, slaying the last creature to have seen Valyria at its height is most horrendous, and I would rather avoid such an outcome."
Auridio could see Rhaena quickly understanding the implications of his statement.
"You could kill the Black Dread."
"I could even rule Volantis. It's not impossible, Princess, just very difficult."
"What would be the price for that?"
"Killing Balerion is not something you could just commission me to do, Princess, especially given how little resources you have. Most importantly, attempting to kill Balerion the Elder would risk the total destruction of your royal capital, and there is nothing I could do about this risk."
"Maegor may leave King's Landing again, like the time he went to Oldtown. It would be easier to slay his dragon when he is exposed."
"Trying to kill Balerion with two witches in close proximity is also a risk I would rather not take, Princess, which was why I only considered an opening with your grand aunt on Dragonstone watching your mother, and Tyanna busy with her other interests in the capital. To be fair, when the relevant factors are assessed in their entirety and the subsequent options given full consideration, it appears the more plausible course of action would be to kill Maegor himself."
Rhaena was about to speak, but Auridio's conclusion stunned her so much the words died in her throat. She swayed where she sat, propping herself up with a stiff arm, but just barely.
"Why?" She finally croaked out a single word.
No answer came. The patriarch respectfully maintained his silence, realizing how his words would sound like to a woman who had lost her husband to the man in question. Why did he not come earlier to prevent all this? Why could he not play his hand before her daughters lost their father? Why did he have the gall to swoop in now?
Answering these questions truthfully would trash the chance of striking a deal.
"The point now is what, Princess. What you choose to do, what mission you send me on, would decide if something of this situation could be salvaged, for your daughters and your mother and your siblings. There is still much to save."
Red rimmed her eyes, but Rhaena took a deep breath, and forced her voice back to normal again.
"Tell me how the usurper's bitch could track my children, and how you could stop her."
With a nod, Auridio produced an ornate golden cup from the depths of his satchel, from the depths of his cloak.
"Half a cup of wine and a drop of your blood please, Princess."
After a brief exchange of stares, the magician got up and found the cupboard holding wine.
"Arbor Gold, no. Lannisport wine? Never heard of it. Myrish Red? Why does this even sell...aha!" Finally finding a vintage that suit his tastes, Auridio poured half a cup before presenting the cup to Rhaena. The princess pricked her finger with her sewing needle, watching the bright red drop fall onto the pale green transparent surface. The glyphs on the cup began to glow, and instead of disappearing, the drop of blood danced on the surface, before rolling towards its source, bouncing against the walls of the cup.
"As you can see now, Princess, your own blood is quite useful in finding yourself. More than that, however," With a swipe of his hand, a different set of glyphs glowed, and the drop of blood no longer rolled towards Rhaena, swaying to and fro before starting to roll in another direction. When it had finished its change of direction, Rhaena was clearly apprehensive. That was enough confirmation for Auridio that the blood drop pointed to the room housing her daughters.
"Should they have a drop of your blood, Tyanna or Queen Visenya could find your children easily enough, no matter what mask you put on them, no matter you know where they have gone or not. The blood," With another swipe of his hand, the glyphs faded, the blood droplet disappearing in the sea of green, before handing the cup to the princess, "knows where it is."
Rhaena took the proffered cup and drank it - wine and blood all - in one go. It was sweet, but sharp. Green apple wine, with hints of apple vinegar.
"It is also likely that Maegor's blood could be used to track you and your children in the same fashion. Which is where my blood comes in." After finishing the setup process once more, Auridio put the cup of wine down on the floor. He reached into his bag and pulled out a bloody hand. Rhaena took a moment to realize the magician did not take out another tool - he had cut his hand open with a hidden blade inside his satchel. It was rough skinned, but of a fair tone, like her own.
Chanting as he wrote Valyrian glyphs, Rhaena did not follow Auridio's very fast and indistinct mumbling, so she focused on her drop of blood within the cup instead. It rolled towards her with force just like the last one at first, but as the circle of glyphs approached completion it seemed to wander and hesitate, no longer pointing in a clear direction.
"By the gods."
"Indeed, Princess, but especially Meraxes, goddess of wards and protection." Auridio finished the magic pattern with a final flourish, forming a circle of burning blood glyphs that pulsed with a life of its own. The blood drop rolled aimlessly, before stopping at the center of the cup.
"This is a very basic ward to block very basic tracking magic, but I could swear upon Balerion that so long as your daughters are in one of my warded estates, they would be very safe from Tyanna's eyes and hands. It is my most sincere hope, Princess, that this is enough of a demonstration to reach a deal."
The quivering blood drop at the center of the cup was like Rhaena's hopes of claiming her vengeance against Maegor. Small, but very much alive.
"I have one more condition. If you accept ... we have a deal."
And as she spoke, Auridio listened.
"A demand worthy of a queen. Very well, it is accepted. Payment could be discussed at a later date."
"How should I contact you once you leave Fair Isle?"
Auridio rose to his feet slowly with an amused chuckle.
"Raise your head to the sky and cry out for help. Then have faith, Princess. Have faith."
With that, the witch from Volantis left the room, turning to take away the only reasons Rhaena still clung to life.
As sunlight slanted through her windows, Rhaena, as if suddenly recalling something, broke from her self-imposed spacing out and ran to the room holding her children. But when she raced to the door, trying to draw air into her lungs, she found no trace of Aerea and Rhaella. In the cradle that once held Aerea in its gentle embrace, she found an object wrapped in cloth. Reaching out to grasp it -
- she saw her daughters again. Aerea and Rhaella, in their swaddling clothes, such a perfect likeness, so close as if she could reach out her hand and touch them -
- blood was dripping from her hand.
"Apologies for introducing you to obsidian candles in this manner, Princess, but I believe this is most efficient." Auridio's voice boomed out of the image. Rhaena was also just noticing how quickly the background was changing, shadows - too dark, shadows should not be so dark at this point of time - racing across her field of vision, and the cloak and mask nowhere to be seen.
"Are you on a horse?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. Back to the candle, Princess: when you water the candle of frozen fire with your blood, you could call upon its attuned mate, which is the one I now have on my person. You would be able to contact me - and before I bring them to safety, your daughters - in this manner."
Rhaena could feel her tears welling up.
"Thank you."
"At your service, Princess."
Then the image flickered and vanished, leaving Rhaena alone with the gently breathing flame of the obsidian candle. She did not notice how the color of her skin and clothes turned so abnormally bright.
43 AC, coast of Fair Isle
"Father! How many times do I have to warn you not to put yourself in unnecessary danger! Going on a ship that would travel through Shipbreaker Bay -" A young and loud voice called out.
"Relax, my darling girl. Am I not fine and sound?" Auridio attempted to calm the girl's lashings as he clambered onto the galley, gently stepping down to avoid waking the slumbering babies in his embrace. Their journey from the castle to this secluded section of the coast had been smooth enough that the wind rushing through their ears had not disturbed their slumber.
"Our family could not afford to lose you at the bottom of some sunset sea."
"I know. It would be a rather unpleasant end, all my magic lost in the depths. Devoured by those things -"
"Please don't," the girl grimaced, and making sure he had set down the babies, embraced him tightly.
Auridio returned the embrace, gently patting her on the head with a pale, bloodless hand while cooing soothingly. After a long moment, they broke off.
"Any news from the continent, Paryana?"
Paryana shook her head slowly. "If anything had happened in the capital, then it hasn't reached the west yet. I wasn't that slow."
"You were three days behind, and it never hurts to ask. Battles could -"
"- be decided in one day." Paryana finished for him.
Elder and scion shared a chuckle.
"Now the package is secured, we should get going."
"Back home?"
Auridio's mask turned from left to right and back again.
"It is too risky to put all our eggs in Volantis. I meant the other safehouse."
"So that's why you sent Savram to Planky Town."
"Yes. We shall proceed to King's Landing with all haste after we hand the twins to your sister."
"All haste. We will still give Shipbreaker Bay a wide berth, no objections. I don't care about how quickly the times are changing, we are not risking any route through that place."
"A good thing I had Savram procure the necessary payment, then."
Paryana's look turned dead serious. It was quite unbelievable, for a girl of five-and-ten.
"Not that sort of payment, right?"
Auridio's mask floated up, the gaze of its eye-holes no longer boring into Paryana's eyes.
"Not the sort you've seen in Pentos, yes."
The girl's shoulders sagged in relief, before she planted her hands firmly on her hips and perking up.
"Then it's time to get going! All passengers, please stay seated and fasten your seat belts..."
The huge black cloak rumbled out another genial chuckle before disappearing below the decks into his cabin. After double-checking that the baby boxes were secured, he sat down in his cushioned seat and fastened his seat belt. Making sure his wine jug was sitting within its custom-forged seat, Auridio gently twisted it off with a hand pallid as a corpse, let the wine flow through the mouth-hole on his mask, before securing it back with a distinct click. Then he - for lack of a more suitable term - drowsed off.
Around him, the Whispering Shadow's unmanned oars began to turn, while his great-grandniece, Paryana of the Kaivram clan, stood at the wheel, prepared to guide the steel-plated war galley around half a continent. The galley glided across the waves, as if the Sunset Sea was a burning sky, and she was a graceful black dragon.
Chapter 1: The Witch from Volantis
END
AN:
I am stuck regarding my other work.
Like, I know Viserys' Oath wasn't supposed to be easy. I have destroyed the canon Dance of the Dragons with a few strokes of the keyboard in that timeline, in a way Aemond and Helaena and other characters many had come to love just don't exist. But I misjudged how difficult it was to juggle all the moving parts and now I need to let my brain go on vacation. So, as I figure out how to push forward, Imma gonna try my hand at a more classic sort of fanfic.
There are very few points in the ASOIAF timeline where you could find an outright evil antagonist like Maegor the Cruel, which is why he is the boss of this fic. Spoiler alert: unlike Aegon the Unworthy, Maegor not only is the rider of the largest dragon in the world, he also is competent. Evil and competent, a very bad combination. Let me see if Balerion would burn Volantis due to Auridio's gambit, before Dany and Drogon get to it (GRRM, TWOW when?).
Just in case you are wondering, "Antyarchon" is a blatant rip-off from Greek "Anthypatos", the equivalent of "Proconsul" in Latin. It is a title, not a name ... for the moment. I'm not ruling out the possibility it does in the future, like "Caesar" became not only a name, but also a title.
MN 2023.11.4
Added an entire section. Next chapter should be Maegor's debut.
MN 2023.11.14