A/N: This chapter is the last chapter of Dany and Dagon in Pentos before they set sail for Asshai. And though they're going to Asshai, I don't expect any chapters actually set there b/c I'm not interested.

Farwynd & Fire

By Spectre4hire

23: Pentos IV

Doreah had walked this manse all hours, morning and evening, and it always thrummed with activity. And on this particular morning it was no different. She spotted a pair of patrolling armed thralls. She didn't even blink at seeing that one of them was a woman. She was used to such sights by now. They were used to her too, nodding as she passed them. She saw the double doors that led to the master's chambers ahead of her, but before she reached them, one of the doors opened between her and her destination. And it was he who was walking out.

She immediately recognized him despite his back being to her, by his tall form and how richly he dressed. "M'lord," she curtseyed. When he said her name, she hesitantly raised her head, stifling the immediate urge to dip away again when those eyes were on her.

They were eerie and dark as they appraised her. "Ramsay informed me of the work you did for him."

"Yes, m'lord," but before she could say anything else, the spymaster himself emerged, following his master out of the room.

"She was of great help, captain."

"I was merely following your orders, m'lord," There was truth in her deflection. She had done as she was instructed. Serving the suspect, tending to him, being the bashful barmaid, plying him with wine and charm, and getting what the spymaster had wanted. And she was rewarded for it.

She flicked her eyes to her new bracelets. They had been part of her reward, a pair of them, one silver, and the other gold. The ironborn displayed their wealth, and after wearing hers the last couple days, she understood why. The pride she felt in wearing them. They're my shiny reminder of my triumph.

Lord Farwynd chuckled. "There are many men and women, who couldn't abide by such a simple thing as following another's orders." He gestured further down the corridor to his chambers. "My wife is tending to her dragon eggs." The warm glint in his unnatural eyes nearly made them charming. "She has a busy day, see to it that she doesn't get distracted."

"Yes, m'lord," she dipped her head again, and waited until they passed her before continuing. She knew she would be the first of the princess's pair of handmaidens to arrive. Mya was recently married and had been permitted a longer lie in. In her few interactions with the girl, Doreah knew she wasn't using that extra time to sleep.

She quietly slipped into the spacious master chambers. As Lord Dagon had said, his wife was tending to her dragon eggs which meant she didn't notice Doreah's arrival. "Good morning, princess," she curtsied to the princess's back.

Daenerys greeted her cheerfully, but she didn't turn to face her. She was giving the eggs her full attention, calmly repositioning them in their glowing nest of embers.

It was unnerving to watch the princess's hands so close to the flames. Doreah feared it would only take one incident, one accident of the princess being scalded and hurt for Doreah to be scolded and punished for it. "How will the eggs fare for the journey?" Doreah didn't know much about ships, but she suspected they didn't have stone hearths with roaring flames. Or any sort of fireplace, would they? She wasn't a shipwright, but a bed slave turned thrall. Then again, she thought, mayhaps the ships were different for the wealthy. Everything else seemed to be. So why not their ships too?

"They'll be taken care of," she answered, "The Drowned God will provide for us." Daenerys stood up, seemingly satisfied with the dragon eggs before turning to Doreah for the first time. The princess's smile was warm and friendly. She was still wearing her lavender silky shift from the night previously. "We'll be going to the docks this morning. I wish to inspect Queen Rhaella and have a final meeting with the captain and crew."

"Of course, princess," In her mind, she was running through what would be best for the princess to wear for such an occasion. When one came to mind, Doreah went to retrieve it. The princess would have final say, but in her days serving her, Doreah learned and remembered more and more of her tastes and moods.

"I received a messenger from Lady Lynesse," Daenerys went on, "She'll be joining us for luncheon along with two of her handmaidens, Alla and Falia."

"Yes, princess," Doreah found it and when she presented it to her, she felt a warm swell at the resulting smile and nod, confirming her selection. She found she liked this routine of helping the princess with her dress and her jewelry and her hair. It made her actually begin to think that they were friends, before the illusion was broken. The reminder that smashed it like a hammer to glass that she couldn't be a friend to someone as important and as powerful as the princess, because she was a thrall.

But not forever, she reminded herself, thinking of her future freedom that awaited her. That was all that mattered.

"You're risking our ships."

All around the large table that had been carved to resemble Essos, were the captains who had been selected to stay behind while the rest of the fleet had sailed off. The captain had just finished outlining his plan, his trap to destroy Renly Baratheon and what remained of his fleet when the comely Captain Pyke had spoken up.

"Your ships?" Dagon Farwynd asked. What went unsaid was deafening in the ensuing silence.

Lonnie noticed the captains stirred uncomfortably, all knowing the simple truth: he owned those ships. And they captained them because he picked them. There was no short supply of men or women who would gladly take their coveted positions and the perks that came with it. And they knew it too.

"What Pyke meant-" One captain began but quieted the instant Dagon turned his gaze to him.

"We don't need to engage them," Anson Pyke's mother was a distant Greyjoy, who had him between her first and second husband. He captained The Stargazer, which was Inevitable's twin. He looked around for support, but Lonnie saw none was forthcoming, and Pyke sensed it too. He sighed. "You've proven more than capable of avoiding trouble before, my lord." He didn't dare say her name, but it was clear as water who he was trying not to refer to when questioning the purpose of this plan. "So why now do you wish to fight them?"

Wind witch. A few amongst the ironborn wondered if that's what she'd be to their beloved captain. They were the dreaded daughters of the Storm God who used their ensnaring voice and their commands of the wind to lead ironborn men astray. The skalds dedicated many songs to how they caused shipwrecks and led men to ruin all at the behest of their father. They were always depicted with cloud colored hair, stormy grey eyes, bewitching and beautiful.

Lonnie doubted anyone thought that now, not after the princess's drowning.

The priests and others started to call her: The Drowned Dragon, and The Sea Dragon among other things while making it clear that Daenerys was truly blessed by Him. That she was no thrall to the Storm God, but a servant of the Drowned God. The princess sat beside her husband, but she didn't react to the implication made by Pyke. That it was she who was directing her husband to fight them when they didn't need to.

The captain elegantly rose from his throne-like seat. "It's said it was the Storm God who sent the first Andals to the Iron Islands to subdue the ironborn, and to turn them from their faith." He surveyed the room with his color changing eyes that resembled the stormy sea. "And now The Storm God sends the king's own brother and a small fleet to try to bring us to heel." He turned to Captain Pyke. "You asked me why we're doing this?" There wasn't a hint of irritation in his voice, and at Pyke's stiff nod, Dagon Farwynd smiled. "Because we're going to win."

The captains murmured amongst themselves, Lonnie saw many pleased smiles and nods. "It's fitting that our first battle will be against the Lord of Storm's End, a man descended from the line of Storm Kings. Our history is filled with glories and victories against the Stormlanders. Their names and gods may have changed," he reached over to pluck a model ship that was placed near the Pentos markings on the map, "But follow me and I assure you we will join our ancestors in carving our names and forging legends through sword and song." Some of the captains began thumping the table with their closed fists, others used their tankards.

"Have I ever failed you, my ironborn?"

They answered his question with a resounding: "NO!" The word thundered in Lonnie's ears. His voice had been one of many that had been swept up in the fervor, and Captain Pyke's had been the loudest of all.

He dreamed of her again.

His precious desert flower. When he last saw Susa, she was still pregnant, but in his dreams, she was holding their daughter.

"Rabba," she called to him, "Why have you not returned to us?"

The light came then, from the edges, like a lurking predator. He tried to reach them, but they melted away into the light, disappearing shadows. They always did.

It was when he tried to move his hand to block the sunlight did he realize something was wrong. He blinked in the morning light to see he was outside, and that his hands and legs were bound by chains to a wooden post. Just to the side, he noticed gnawed bones and pools and splatters of dried blood. There was so much that the dirt itself had a reddish tinge to it. He was almost thankful for the footsteps that made him turn his attention away from the pile of bones to see two figures approaching him. The pieces of the previous night were congealing in his mind. They caught me. He was resigned to his realization.

"This is the thief?" It was the demon.

Dagon Farwynd had taken everything from him. For nearly ten years, he had a good life serving the good master Kraznys mo Nakloz. His master listened to his counsel, entrusted him with teaching his children. He had bought my wife when he didn't have to. For that alone, Rabba would always love him. And after years of marriage, they were permitted the blessing of having a child. Their master showed his benevolence by granting Rabba and Susa what they wanted most. He was proud to serve a master whose family boasted such a storied history. We were parts of a great legacy.

I was important to him. He had been honored to travel with his master to New Ghis, and to serve him. His master had been pleased with Rabba's help and promised him and his wife a great reward when they returned home. They had been on their way back to Astapor. I was on my way to meet my child when he came upon them. The demon attacked their three ships like some ancient sea horror from the old tales.

Rabba had been there. He remembered how the unsullied guards tried their best, but they were overwhelmed by the berserking onslaught of these ironborn and only when the last of them died did the demon show himself. His wise master tried to reason with these pirates. Master Kraznys assumed too much of these sunset savages, especially their leader. He treated them with far more honor than they deserved, offering them his own wines and ales onboard as well as the gifts and gold he received from the grateful masters of New Ghis.

The demon listened and when his wise master was finished, Farwynd killed him, without ever saying a word. It was a savage blow from some great weapon that Rabba had never seen before. There had been so much blood. He'd never forget his beautiful, gracious Master Kraznys crumble to the deck nor the torrent of blood gushing from the wound.

Thief? He wanted to scoff at the demon's audacity. It was true, he stole from the other thralls, but they deserved it. All of them did, he thought because of how blindly they followed this monster. Disgusted, at how they reveled in their service like pigs in filth. No, Farwynd was the thief.

And when he said as much, the spymaster had his knife halfway out of its sheath before he was ordered to stop.

Farwynd was doom wrapped in silk finery. Powerfully built, and menacing, his color changing eyes showed just how unnatural he was. His voice was deep and different. "You are one of the slaves, who served that fat master."

Rabba stiffened at the disrespect spoken to his late master. "He was the glorious Kraznys mo Nakloz," he bowed his head, and began reciting his many titles.

"The slaver whose breasts were bigger than my wife's." The demon rudely cut him off with his baleful tone. "I gave you a choice."

"A choice?" Rabba scoffed, "to be a thrall or a sacrifice?" He'd not forget many of his master's household who fled to the demon's banner, believing his lies, or bewitched by his wicked eyes.

They had been men and women that Rabba had known for years. Those who should've been grateful for everything their beloved master did for them, but they scurried like rats off a sinking ship, happily swearing new vows to this savage, slopping up his promises and his silver. They were the thieves! Rabba had seen them steal his master's well-earned coin and begin handing them out to the greedy slaves turned thralls. I wasn't one of them. He said the words, but only because he thought of Susa, and of their child. They're lost to me now. That despairing truth hurt him more than any pain this demon could inflict on him.

"Did your master give you a choice when he made you his slave?" The demon's voice was resonant and wrong sounding.

Rabba bristled. "It was a privilege to serve the good master Kraznys mo Nakloz." It was an insult to compare his noble, wise master to this demon. "Better to die as his slave then live as your thrall."

The demon's evil eyes glinted, but it was the spymaster who spoke. "And I'm here to grant that wish." He had snuck up on him. Rabba turned his head the best he could, but the spymaster's fingers gripped his chin, forcing him to meet his pale eyed stare.

"Why resist?" he asked with a sly smile. "When such pleasures await you." With the knife he brought it across Rabba's brow. The blade bit into his flesh, before being dragged across his forehead. The blood dribbled down onto his eyes and cheeks. "This is an honor." The spymaster leaned forward and kissed Rabba's bleeding brow. When he pulled away, his lips were wet and shining with blood.

My blood. His stomach twisted.

"You're here, because she's full," He dragged two of his fingers across the wound and then slipped them through his hair, slicking it back with the blood.

A thrall came forward, who Rabba recognized, Shisha. She had been a spoiled bed slave of their former master, who gave her whatever she wanted, but she showed her true self by being one of the first to swear to the demon. In her hands she was carrying a clam shell the size of a dinner plate. Hollowed out, it looked to be full of water.

The spymaster's lips were still glossy with Rabba's blood. "This is so your sacrifice isn't in vain." The spymaster gently washed away Rabba's blood with the sea water, but the wound still tinged in pain, irritated by the salt. "This is so He can still bless us." his pale eyes then flicked to the pile of chewed bones near Rabba, and he smiled. "It's done, captain."

It was movement in front of him that made him look forward, that made him see it, and when he did, he whimpered. It was large and terrifying. The creature walked past Farwynd acting like it was a towering housecat, even allowing itself to be petted, by the demon. The scales that covered its body were strangely colored in dark, natural tattoos. Its long, wing-like arms were covered partly in feathers, at its ends were grasping three fingered hands ending with sharp, curving claws.

And it's staring directly at me. He gaped soundlessly, paralyzed by its gaze. It let out a soft hiss, showing its serrated teeth with ropey strands of thick drool dripping from its tooth filled maw. And then it charged, darting towards him with astonishing speed. Rabba didn't even have enough time to scream before it was on him. He only felt numbness when its claws raked across his belly. He then saw its slavering mouth filled with bits of flesh and blood seeping between sharp teeth.

Its eating me, he whimpered, and then his whole world exploded into pain.

Lonnie had heard about the thief being sacrificed.

It was to be expected. The days before they set sail were always filled with sacrifices. The sea was vast and dangerous. The Drowned God's protection was needed. When the captain sent off most of his fleet, under his younger brother's command, the waves on his beach ran red with tribute. Pigs and horses, lambs, and bulls, and men too were offered up to insure safe travels and His blessings.

And more was to be expected. With Inevitable preparing to set sail, there was to be a great sacrifice this very evening. The captain was taking advantage of the moon's position in the sky, and such a sacrifice had to be carefully prepared. In a room filled with rich trappings, Lonnie expected his captain to be waiting, but instead it was his wife. "Princess," he immediately bowed his head when he saw her, and her alone in the room.

"Lonnie, he isn't here," she was wearing a sunset color dress of reds and oranges. The colors of her husband's house, bespeckled with shining rubies and garnets. "But he's on his way."

"Should I return later?"

She dismissed the suggestion with the shake of her head. "No, please, stay."

"Thank you, princess," he had never been one to think ill of his captain's choice of had been plucked from obscurity by Captain Farwynd. He owed him everything. Besides that, he had witnessed the power and the blessings. To go against the captain was to go against the Drowned God.

The princess was standing behind an expertly carved table made by the finest Qohorik craftsmen. The dark wood inlaid with pearls made it look as if it was the night sky itself with a sprinkling of stars. Atop the table were a series of maps, some were sprawled out, while others remained bound and had been piled up to the side.

The map that currently held her attention was of a portion of the Jade Sea. It looked to be an old map. It was worn and torn in places. Its colors had dulled, and the ink that labeled its contents had faded, meaning some of the names were gone. One of the drawings that remained vivid was at the bottom corner. It was of a sea serpent. Its long, lean body rose in and out of the sea like a series of scaled hills.

"I've never been east of Volantis before," she sensed his eyes on the map, while he sensed her excitement of the upcoming expedition ahead of them. "Have you gone to any of these?" She asked, gesturing to some of the smaller islands that were pale dots in a blue sea.

"No, princess," he had stepped closer to see which she was referring to, some of the names were inky blotches, but he had surveyed many maps, and their last trip through parts of the Jade Sea were still fresh in his mind. He looked up at her, hoping not to have disappointed her, but saw she was still looking at the map. He followed her gaze to where it was to a spot on the map.

It was a small island that resembled an open mouth. There were two strips of land, parallel to one another, and between them there was a pool of blue. There was a name written right below it: Odo Island.

"Here?"

"No, princess."

Their attention was still on it when the princess was called away by the arrival of a messenger.

He looked over the map, skimming over the various islands that were scattered around the Jade Sea. His eyes eventually returned to the oddly shaped island that the princess had asked him about before they were interrupted. But when it was revealed the captain wanted to meet them somewhere else, he lost all interest in the Jade Sea and Odo Island. Leaving behind the maps, because there were more pressing matters than faraway lands that he'd not remember.

A/N: This was always gonna be a pretty barebones chapter. It was gonna be even shorter until the Doreah pov came to me, and I added it in. This chapter was built around my simple desire of writing about a guy getting sacrificed and then eaten by a dinosaur. Speaking of, Rabba is just an OC who made his debut in this chapter. He's not tied to any previous storyline or character. He exists b/c I wanted to show a dissatisfied thrall's POV, but also so he could be eaten. I just dropped us off at the end of his life/storyline.

Wind witches are just something I made up. Them being daughters of the Storm God who used them to hurt and kill ironborn just made sense to me and this mythos I'm throwing together for this story. If they sound familiar it's because they're inspired by sirens.

I'm really not going to stretch out the Renly stuff. It wouldn't make sense. He's screwed, so don't expect it to be dragged out too long.

If you like what you read then consider leaving a review. It would mean a lot to me. Those who have done so, I greatly appreciate it, and know that they make my day.

Until next time,

-Spectre4hire