Chapter 15

Revelations of Clive Rosfield

Year of the Realms 873/311 AC

Port Isolde was a trading hub if Clive's memory wasn't too far off the mark. His uncle, Byron Rosfield, was its governor and main source of income. It was his knowledge of trade and where to find the best resources for it that had seen the port town turn into a city over the years. As they made their arrival at the main gate, they could hear the people moving throughout the market. Various stalls with merchants selling fish from the days catch, jewels from far away lands, meat at the butchers, weapons and armor forged right here in the city or brought in from foreign markets. Trade was the primary business here, but it was also the lifeblood of Port Isolde.

"What do you think we can expect when we get there?"

Clive shrugs "With Uncle Byron it could be anything. He could threaten to take our heads for claiming to be who we are…he could also just attack us without warning…or he could test us first. Whatever he does, Uncle Byron will not make this easy for us."

Torgal barks, breaking off into a run that has Clive cursing the hound as he pursues. Jill shakes her head, smiling fondly as she follows behind at a casual pace. Yet again Clive acts before thinking, Torgal was running right where they needed to go.

"Should we pursue him, my lady?" Jill smiled to herself. And of course, Clive forgot they were not alone either. Rex stood by her side while the others just laughed seeing their glorious leader chasing his hound down the streets.

"Not to worry Sir Rex, I believe that Clive will figure it out by the time we arrive." There was a snort from behind, Thorn no doubt finding the idea absurd. "For now, let's see if we can't minimize the damage those two may create."

Within the private study of Byron Rosfield was the strangest group that his manservant Rutherford had ever seen. He personally escorted each batch to the study himself, and each time found them to be stranger than the last. First was the man, Cid, and his large companion Goetz who claimed to be friends of a Clive Rosfield but the only one that Rutherford knew was a young boy said to have been lost at Phoenix Gate thirteen years ago. The next group was a man who claimed to be that exact same Clive Rosfield all grown up, Rutherford did not believe it but the large hound that followed him even answered to the name Torgal…a coincidence was unlikely but if it were true his lordship would want to know. The final group confirmed their identities and their stories, a group of one lady going by the name of Jill Warrick and four knights bearing Rosarian colors accompanying her. Lord Byron would be most pleased with this.

"So, Clive, how exactly did you manage to recruit four shields of Rosaria to our cause?" Cid was leaning back on the sofa, his feet resting on the table "Because I swear you said that you were only going to Phoenix Gate to talk to a god, not to recruit a small army."

"It was right after I explained to them why we were there in the first place Cid," Clive sighs, foot idly tapping against the floor as he feels a natural headache coming on "These four have graciously decided to join us on our quest to Westeros."

"Westeros," he scoffs "You know how many bloody times I heard that name being thrown around the market when we arrived? Traders from Dorne and the North all trying to sell their wares for dirt cheap prices. Swear if they hadn't been going on about it so much, I would not believe you yet."

"You never believed me?"

"You? Never." Cid points to Jill and gestures at the knights accompanying them both "Them? Absolutely. See Clive…you don't know how to lie and while normally that would mean everything you said was the truth…I need a bit more than just your say so to prove the point. While Jill can lie and no doubt get away with it, there's no possible way in all Valisthea that you could convince four knights to lie as well, or an entire trading port for that matter."

Clive would have said something more, much to the amusement of Rex and Thorn, were it not for another interruption as a rather large man, not nearly as big as Goetz but certainly broader in the shoulders, barged into the study with an angry look about him and an axe in hand. "What's this I hear about someone claiming to be my deceased nephew!?"

Jill's wide eyes went straight for Clive. Rex and Colt stood by his side, ready to defend him even from his own uncle as Byron slowly approached him, axe firmly grasped in his hands. "Uncle Byron…"

"You…you dare stand here before me, dressed like my departed brother Elwin…and in the presence of four sworn shields of Rosaria no less…Tell me then, tell me why I should believe you to be my own nephew Clive Rosfield?" Byron was calmer than he had been a mere moment before, though that dangerous glint was still in his eyes as he kept them locked on Clive. Clive made to move past his guard, ready to try something that he was certain would jog his uncle's memory of him when Byron raised his hand "And please…if your first thought is to recite lines from an old play you loved as a boy…I do not think I shall be letting you play Sir Crandall."

"You knew…"

Byron smirks "Who do you think helped keep Rosalith organized in your absence nephew? Lord Murdoch assured me he was sending his best men to catch up with you at Phoenix Gate…seeing as how all four of them are here, and you are unharmed, I can only trust that everything worked out in the end."

"Almost everything," Cid says from his place on the sofa "Then again…we are short two more guests."

"Cid?"

The self-proclaimed Outlaw laughs, leaning his head back to rest against the back cushion "Well, you said it yourself Clive, every problem we would have to face back in my solar…and you have yet to explain everything that we are to face now. So…why shouldn't I invite the final piece of the puzzle as it were? It's only fair, you helped me rescue him, and he is meant to be here more than any of us…well…more than all but two of us."

Torgal's ears perked up as Clive began a heated debate with Cid over secrecy. While the humans began to argue and bicker, the wolf approaches the open door and barks a greeting to the hooded figure approaching him. The gentle hand petting his head, scratching him behind the ears as he liked, only removing itself from him as the second arrival catches up to him.

"And you have the nerve to say that we need to be more careful," Clive was winding up now "Do you have any idea just how precarious all of this is? If this friend of yours is not half the man that you claim they are…"

"You'll have to forgive him everyone," a new voice, a confident yet careful voice spoke up "Clive was never one to take a risk without thinking things through thoroughly. He always was overprotective."

Clive slowly turns, a perplexed look on his face "Who…who are you? I can take a good guess and say you are Cid's protégé…the one person he seems to trust above the rest. But what you said…only those gathered here that were in Rosalith would know that…"

The man seemed to hesitate, glancing at the young woman by his side first, then to Cid. "It's alright lad, I reckon this is long overdue. Would have happened at the caer had we not had some unexpected complications."

"I see…well, I should hope that I know these things Clive…you always used to say that I was overusing my talents, helping those who were in need." He slowly pulls back his hood, a blonde head of hair with blue eyes and a face that while older Clive had not seen in thirteen years "It's good to see you again, brother."

"Joshua…you…but I saw you…" Clive stumbles, nearly dropping to the floor as his legs go weak, were it not for Rex and Colt he very well may have dropped like a rock "I saw that…that monster shove its arm through your chest…Phoenix or not, you…you should be dead!"

Joshua frowns, thinking back to that night was not a memory he liked to dwell on "As luck would have it, I was not injured so badly when I reverted from Phoenix. Cid found me in the rubble, it was thanks to him and Torgal that I was saved. If not for them, I may well have died out there."

Clive's head swiveled; eyes boring into Cid's with an intensity the older man did not expect to ever receive "You did this? You saved him? You…you knew he was alive all this time?"

"I can't take all the credit," Cid starts "Tarja nursed him back to health, even helped teach the poor lad how to mend his own injuries. All I did was teach him how to fight properly, control his Eikon and his new abilities. As for knowing he was alive…well you never asked me if my protégé was your long-lost brother now did you?"

"He does have a slight point, Clive, even if he could explain it better than that," Jill gives Cid a stern look, the older man shrugs in return "But we have something more important to discuss, remember?"

"What could possibly be more important than the return of both of my nephews?" Byron looked about as happy with Jill's words as Clive was calmed by them "Well? Out with it boy, what is she talking about?"

"Uncle…brother…what do you know about the Long Night?"

And so, Clive began the retelling of events as dictated to him and Jill by a ghost and a God. Clive took note of the reactions in the room. Cid was the most on board with it all, having seen R'hllor for himself at Caer Norvent, the Dominant of Ramuh was in full support of Clive's proposed plan. The shields that accompanied them to Port Isolde were somewhat skeptical though they could not deny that Clive, for all his talents, was no storyteller. It was the final reactions that had him on edge, however.

"A God of Fire?" Joshua sounded in awe as he tested the words, cupping his chin as he pondered his brother's words "And he said that you would be needed to face this army of the dead and save the world?"

"R'hllor did not give me much of a choice," Clive admits "He called me his Champion, said that I would do these things whether I wanted to or not…I suppose there are worse fates than fighting an army of the dead in a frozen wasteland for a Fire God."

"And he mentioned nothing of anyone else? Only this…Great Other?"

Clive looked confused "Should he have?"

"Cid?"

"Up to you lad," the outlaw says from the sofa "You never really gave me many details, only the rumors you heard."

"Joshua?"

Joshua's face grew grim as he spoke "There are more Dominants out there in the world."

"Benedikta Harman confirmed as much after we fought in the caer…extra Dominants known for Wind, Earth and…was it Darkness she mentioned?"

"Don't ask me Clive, I was still a little concussed from my fight with her," Cid held his hands up in surrender "Though it would explain her biting tone if it were Darkness…she's far too loyal to Barnabas."

"That's actually correct for once," Joshua flashed his brother a teasing smirk "But there is one more…a Dominant of Fire. I know not his origins, only that he does not show mercy. I…I was a fool to face him alone, barely escaped with my life as the Phoenix, and my body bore more injuries than should have been possible…I don't know who he is or what he wants, but I do know that he is far stronger than most of us in this room."

"A second Dominant of Fire…and not Ifrit?" Clive whispered the words, feeling the flames stir within his body "So…it wasn't the same monster from Phoenix Gate?"

"No…and while I do not hold you any ill will, brother, please do not beat yourself up over what happened that night."

"Easier said than done," Clive shoots Thorn a look "Well you have to admit that even you tend to be stubborn on such things Clive."

"Let's try to stay on track lads," Cody intervenes, getting a thankful nod from Jill as he steps in before the two young men can start a verbal sparring match "We still don't know how we are going to handle all of this."

"Then I should probably not throw in my two gil." Cid's comment brought a groan out of Clive "Oh it isn't that bad lad…well…it is, but nothing relating to the undead or gods wanting you to fight their battles for them."

"And just what could be tame compared to that?" Byron had at this moment moved to the opposite sofa, resting his axe on the table as he looked Cid in the eye "Tell me, you have me curious, it wouldn't do to keep me curious Sir Cid."

"Just Cid will do Lord Rosfield."

"If you are 'just' Cid then I am 'just' Byron to you."

Clive fought the urge to draw his sword and strike one of them down. One Cid was bad enough for his sanity, Byron and Cid together may just be the death of him yet. "If you both are done bonding, we are on a tight schedule so please, Cid, out with it."

"Right you are Clive…tell me gentlemen, ladies…how would you all feel about putting an end to the Blight?"

"I would say you were mad," Rex says matter-of-factly "Stopping the Blight? Don't you think we would have done so by now if it were possible?"

"True enough," Cid fishes out a crystal from his pocket "But then none of you know the origins of it I'm betting."

"Origins?"

"Take this crystal for example…now, who can tell me how it works?"

Jill felt uneasy as she stared at the crystal. The men seemed to be thinking far more literally, though she could see Cody grasping at something in his head as his brow furrows in thought. "It is used to perform magic by pulling Aether out of the air."

"Correct," Cid chuckles "And just what is the Blight?"

"Areas of earth and water that are barren of Aether…" Clive's eyes widen "Sucked dry…meaning no trees, no birds, and no magic…you knew this…all this time!?"

Cid chuckles "Well…I couldn't quite come out and just say it now, could I?"

"What's he saying?"

Clive clenches his fist "You mean to tell us that the Mothercrystals are what's causing the Blight? Are you mad?"

"I have been called that on occasion, but no. Sadly, your dear captain already has called me that once today." Cid pulls out a cigar, lighting it before he continues "You've all seen it. Blackened earth where green meadows once were; lands sucked so dry of Aether that not even the rats remained. Think about it, the Mothercrystals are where we mine the smaller ones that create spells by pulling Aether from the air around us…I reckon a crystal as big as a mountain must pull plenty of Aether in greater quantities."

"But if that were true…then that would mean that keeping them perpetuates the Blight…and if that is true then our very means of stopping the Blight would be to destroy the things that keep it at bay." Byron leans back with a sigh "We cannot do one without hastening the other, nor can we spare those things without keeping the Blight alive…add on top of that the fact that we will have to fight an army of the dead…is our world truly so lost?"

"Even if we destroy the crystals, no kingdom will allow us entry to do that…nor aid us against the Night King's army after the fact." Joshua exchanges a look with his attendant "But…maybe we don't need to ask the current leadership."

Jill felt her brow furrow as she pondered his words. Asking the current leaders certainly was a challenge. The Iron Kingdom would never go for this, it was against their religion. The Empire was only interested in conquest and war, so they were just as likely to attack them on sight…while Lord Murdoch would no doubt do everything in his power to aid them…could they really ask so much of the man who was keeping Rosaria together for them? "Waloed and Dhalmekia won't go for this…they may be more easily convinced but still they won't see what we do."

"Then we just have to convince them," Rex was grinning as he spun an axe in his left hand "Just say the word my lord, I'll negotiate with them."

"Hold on there, Rex," Byron raises his hand "I believe we may have a solution…right, Joshua? Clive may be a terrible liar, but you lad…you were never that good at being sneaky. Out with it."

Joshua feels his face heat up as all eyes turn to him "I…well…I believe that we should focus on the army of the dead for right now. A more immediate and tangible threat. The Blight is not so far spread after all these centuries as to endanger Valisthea completely…nor has it spread to the rest of the world just yet. If we were to focus solely on the Mothercrystals we would be condemning the planet to a cold existence, when we could instead focus on the Others and save this problem for when we can afford to face it."

"And by taking out the bigger problem we free up the resources to handle the smaller one…that might just work," Cody mulls it over, grinning as he reaches his conclusion "My lords, I believe we have a plan of action now."

"Just one slight problem to that," Byron now had all eyes on him "When you get to Westeros…you will find it most difficult to recruit any allies to your cause. Not only are the Others nothing more than stories to the people there, you have no credibility in their lands. You are not accomplished knights that they will have heard of, nor will your titles garner any support as Rosaria is a kingdom few will know of…and while being Dominants might earn their shock and awe they will only seek to use you for their own power hungry schemes. To say nothing of the political storm that will begin once Clive returns."

"Right…I had forgotten about that."

Jill and Joshua shared a concerned look. Judging by the rest of the room, the reactions were quite split between concern, curiosity, sympathy and confusion. Jill took a step closer to Clive, getting his attention "What's he talking about?"

"Well…no time like the present," he sighs "I…well…I haven't been completely honest with you all, in fact it may be hard to believe but I have been lying to the majority of you all the time that you have known me."

"You? Lying to us?" Cid laughs "Oh try the other one lad, you might actually be more convincing."

"That's just it, Cid, I'm not lying…I was not born Clive Rosfield, son of Archduke Elwin Rosfield and his wife Duchess Anabella Rosfield…I was born in Westeros, the son of Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. My name is Jon Snow…I'm the long-lost bastard of Winterfell."

The room grew quiet. Cid and Goetz both looked surprised, Cid so much so that his mouth was agape, his cigar falling to the floor. Rex, Cody, and Colt stood solemnly to the side having known the truth for years and for once allowing their once promising student to handle the situation on his own. Byron winced as he caught sight of the reactions in the room, still withholding his own information as Joshua and Jill both looked like they had been slapped. The most interesting reaction however came from Joshua's attendant.

"You are a bastard?" the young woman nearly snarled as she got between Clive and Joshua, drawing a knife "You dare to pretend to be part of his grace's family…to take the position as his first shield…a position you never even deserved!?"

"Jote!"

Clive winces at the accusations "It is true…but what you do not know is that this was already planned out years ago."

"Lies!" she keeps her dagger trained on him "No more out of you! How do we even know that everything you've told us wasn't another bold lie?"

"I'd put that dagger down if I were you girl." Cid's normally laid-back tone of voice was hard as stone as he settled a stern look on Jote "After all, was it not your God that told him what was coming? That called him Champion. One would think that growing up in a cult such as yours would mean you obey what your God says without question…or is R'hllor not your patron?"

"What's this about a cult?" Byron asks, eyes narrowing on the young woman "Care to explain girl?"

Jote winces, glaring at Cid as Joshua eases her knife arm down "The Undying are…eccentric, they've served the Duchy for generations acting as spies and guardians for the Phoenix. When I had finished my training with Cid, he and I encountered them on a mission, they took me in and showed me what the Phoenix is truly capable of…but they are a bit…overzealous."

"Overzealous…that's an understatement lad. Turns out they worship R'hllor as their great and burning God of Life." Cid gives a dark chuckle "Sworn to defend his interests and uphold his holy titles or some such nonsense."

"Not nonsense!" she snaps at the man "R'hollor was our guardian deity centuries ago. The Apodytery itself was constructed as a temple for him by the Fallen before what remained became the Undying. And this…this bastard usurps his positions!"

"I would have care how you speak in his presence girl," Byron slowly stands, axe in hand "I may in fact be thirteen years overdue…but this is something that should have been said by Elwin and Anabella…were that things did not go the way they did."

"Uncle Byron?"

"Clive…not Jon…that is your name my boy, the name you chose, the name Elwin encouraged you to embrace." He smiles, glancing down at his axe "But there is something else that you do not know."

Clive hazards a glance at Jill. His heart was beating so harshly in his chest as Byron slowly brought his axe up for the Rosarian salute, he needed to know that whatever may come he still had her by his side. She didn't hesitate, Jill gave his hand a squeeze, her eyes still alight with that same adoration as they always were.

"Thirteen years ago in this very room, Elwin, Anabella and I discussed the history of Westeros…specifically its rebellion that led to a fat stag known as Robert Baratheon taking the throne from the ruling family, the Targaryen's." Byron takes a deep breath, readying himself for what came next "Eddard Stark, towards the end of the rebellion, rode south to the Tower of Joy in the kingdom of Dorne to retrieve his sister Lyanna Stark whom the land believed had been kidnapped by Rhaegar Targaryen…the problem with that is none of the story makes sense after."

"How doesn't it?" Goetz flushes as he feels the eyes on him "I just mean…well…um…"

"It's alright Goetz," Cid waves his hand, "No one here is judging you, just curious to where your minds going."

"R-right…begging your pardon Lord Rosfield…but how does the story not make sense?"

"Well, when Lord Stark returned north…he rode with only one of his men, a Lord Howland Reed, the body of his sister and a newborn babe." Byron sighs "The problem is, he had not met any woman that went that far south during the rebellion at any time that would have resulted in a babe that small when he returned. Which means that the child was not his, and if the child was not his then it must have been his sisters."

Clive felt his face pale, his stomach churning at the thoughts running rampant in his head. None of that made sense. It couldn't be true. He couldn't be…could he?

"I know what you are thinking boy, I would demand that you put those thoughts out of your mind for now because they are wrong. False I say!" Byron gives his nephew a stern look "You may have thought yourself a bastard Clive…but that was a lie told to protect you! The truth as your parents and I figured out is that you were not a bastard born to a Lord but a trueborn son of Prince Rhaegar and Lyanna Stark…you are the rightful king of the Seven Kingdoms."

"I…what!?"

Jote felt her eyes widen as that piece of information was revealed. "He's…a Prince?"

Joshua felt a headache building up as he watched his attendant kneel, muttering to R'hllor for forgiveness. Try as he might in the past to make the Undying appear less like a cult, they were an overzealous bunch with a loyalty to R'hllor that only the Phoenix could seem to garner. She meant well, wanting only what was best for him…but sometimes Joshua wondered what possessed him to be drawn to her? "Jote…you don't have to kneel, princeling or not Clive is still Clive…even if we do not share blood, he is a Rosfield…and more importantly he is still my brother."

"Don't be so quick lad, let her beg a bit more." Cid was grinning as he stood up "It's not every day that I get to witness one of them acknowledge their mistakes so quickly. Poor girl might just be the smartest of them all."

"Not helping Cid," Joshua sighs as Jote continues her pleading.

"Who said I was helping? I can't bloody well torment your brother and his lady, she'd freeze me in place, and he'd likely use me for a target dummy." Cid chuckles "Besides, those two have already moved past the point of being teased by little old me."

"You saw it too then?" Byron chuckles

"Hang on…what are you two going on about now?" Thorn crosses his arms, eyebrow twitching in annoyance "Mind sharing with the rest of us?"

"Let's just say that if we can get Clive on the throne…the kingdom won't have to worry about finding a queen or getting an heir."

Rex and Cody smirk, Colt laughing as he watches Thorn's face morph into one of shock. Joshua looked between the two, his older brother and surrogate sister, eyebrows slowly rising to his hair line as thirteen years apart caught up with him. Had they always been like that? So close…so…relaxed? They couldn't be…could they? "Did Father approve of this?"

"Lord Elwin may have mentioned his intentions to have us betrothed when Clive came of age," Jill admits with a faint blush "We…well…"

"It's still a fairly new thing for us," Clive admits under heavy scrutiny "I…well, we did not think it would be so easily seen by Cid of all people."

"Oi"

"But whatever happens…there's no intention of leaving the other to deal with anything alone. Hopefully that also carries over to ruling seven kingdoms?"

Jill smirks "I'll think about it."

Byron laughs, clapping his hands together "Well…I think I speak for every knight here when I say that this is something we all have waited a very long time for. Now, we should turn in for the night. Not to worry Clive, I already have a ship in mind for your journey to Westeros but do bear in mind that it will be a few days before it can sail. Fresh from a trade endeavor, she isn't stocked nor manned enough for the journey you have proposed. But given time, she will be ready. You have my word."

"Never doubted you for a moment Uncle Byron."

Year of the Realm 873/311 AC

Stonhyrr. Capital of the Kingdom of Waloed and a veritable fortress waiting deep within Ash. This was the seat of power for a kingdom relatively new to Valisthea, but just as formidable as even the mighty Empire. For Benedikta Harman this was her home away from home. And being here was of the utmost importance when the King issues a summons. That was how she found herself in this place, within the kings chambers, kneeling as servants assist him in donning his armor.

"Clive Rosfield…I thought him lost with his kingdom thirteen years ago, you are certain it was him? The Branded?"

Benedikta felt her mouth dry as he spoke. Her failure to defeat a Branded had brought her no small amount of personal shame, but the details of what had followed her defeat remained intriguing even to Barnabas "It is true my liege, Gerulf confirmed it himself…but this hardly a reason to concern yourself."

Barnabas waves off his servants, securing the armor around his left arm on his own "This man wields the blessing of the Phoenix, and if what you said is true then he too bears the blessing of Garuda. The flames have shown me plenty of visions, none of them good. I will not suffer disaster because we were not properly prepared."

"Would it be so? Surely one man cannot affect too much."

"One man," he pauses, head turning towards the flames in the hearth "I see one man standing up against the armies of cold, possible hero or champion that will preserve all Life in a single battle. But I also see one man, cloaked in fire that will stop at nothing to rewrite this world down to its foundations and bring about his own kingdom, enforcing his will upon us all."

"Does…does your god show you this?"

"He only shows me what is important in the present, Odin assists me in seeing what is yet to come," Barnabas turns, giving Benedikta a pleasant if stern smile "Find out what you can of this Clive Rosfield. If he is the promised prince, then there may yet be more to him than we know. I expect you to do everything you can to assist him if he shows promise, but not to compromise the Kingdom. Is that clear?"

"I understand my liege, I will ensure nothing gets in his way."

Barnabas watches her as she leaves, his gaze returning to the flames, watching them flicker. "Show me what you can do, and my sword is yours; no one but he can stop what is to come next."

AN: As I write this bit here, you have no idea how badly I wanted to cut this one short right after the reveal and just go "So long, see you all in the next chapter if you haven't blacklisted me for this one act." Because I REALLY wanted to after that last monster of a chapter. And yes, I mean Joshua, not the Jon/Clive one.

Speaking of which, if the Jon/Clive reveal seems to have garnered less of a reaction than you were expecting, then try to understand just who is in the room. We have Colt, Rex, Cody, Thorn, Byron, Goetz, Jote, Joshua, Jill, Cid, Clive and Torgal. All the knights bar Thorn know his identity, Byron knows of course and Torgal is a wolf and therefore doesn't care nor understand the fine points of that bit. Cid and Goetz wouldn't care but would be curious as to the 'why' for keeping it a secret. Thorn doesn't so much care one way or the other because to him Clive is just Clive, so what if he was a Jon before his adoption. Jill and Joshua of course love him…in different ways, but love him nonetheless, so they don't care.

As for Jote…well, I should hope that I am not the only one who sees the Undying as a cult because that's how they came off at first and even after the explanations in lore were given. Having them be loyal to Johsua is a given, having them be loyal to R'hllor is me also realizing that I might not have explained how the Apodytery was made last chapter, but if I did then ignore this part. The Undying are the remnants of the Fallen who made the Apodytery as a temple/tomb for R'hllor while he slept and regained his strength. He can project himself in a physical form within Valisthea because his primary 'source' is at Phoenix Gate…which is also to explain why in the canon of the books/show the visions in the flames get misinterpreted so often in Westeros and Essos…because they are far away from his main sphere of influence. Ironic given only the Undying worship him here…or do they? Back on track with Jote, her reaction is not one done out of spite, it happens purely because the Undying are an overzealous band of cultists…again…because they really do come off as a cult at first. In her mind, the Rosfield family is the highest of nobility but that's just because she was raised to think as such; finding out that Clive may have been a bastard is enough to earn her ire and make her ignore what her god R'hllor has told Clive. She isn't going to change from her Canon self too much, so don't worry, but the rest of the Undying will not be as receptive of a new King/Prince being so close to their chosen one.

And our introduction to Barnabas, while not as lengthy as I would like, is just long enough to get the point across that there's more happening in the background. This also means that officially Benedikta joins our cast of characters as she won't be a guest but will begin making her own splashes in this collective pool of chaos. So for fans of her, you have something to look forward to, however she won't be as prominent as our main cast just yet, but it's coming.

Yes, ladies and gents, boys, girls, squirrels, and whatever the heck that one anonymous Guest was who left…and Dave, I miss Dave; this is officially the beginning of the end of our first 'arc' of sorts…didn't really have it planned in my head as an arc but consider this our introductory/Valisthea arc complete…unless 16 derails me into putting off Westeros for another chapter. So, if everything goes to plan…our next stop for quite the foreseeable future is Westeros!

Just a quick final note before the reviews and just before I post this chapter...we have access to a literal timeline complete with travel times for GoT as well as an interactive map of Westeros and Essos...and we have this story planned through up to chapter 31, with chapters 28, 29, and 30 planned to be a big three-part event...which as of this moment wont be listed as part 1-3. So...with that said...

Onward to the reviews, shall we?

dragon slayer of death 98: Glad you enjoyed it. Far as the semi-primed and then fully primed into an Eikon states of being…I can safely say that one will not happen until the first real fight between Dominants and the other will likely follow sometime after. As of this moment Clive has the full arsenal of the Phoenix sans guidebook that has been handed down amongst the First Shields for generations, he has access to Garuda's power to an extent…that only means he hasn't unlocked her abilities in full just yet. More specifically, it will be like the games only in the order of events so it will be his first official transformation into Ifrit followed by his acceptance moment…eventually happening.

furvustocs: Ok…a challenge then…because it sounds like you have a problem with the pacing but at the same time don't…or maybe that's just how I am reading it? I'll admit that my writing style is typically to show off what needs to be shown. For example, there won't be a random chapter of just character downtime spent with say, Cid, going to a brothel like he was trying to put Tyrion out of a job. It would not make any sense. But I would show off, say for instance, characters not in the main party plotting and planning in the background so long as it isn't with some big deep revelation like one of them being the secret twin of Hugo Kupka, when we haven't even put Hugo in the story yet…of course, as I write this up, I had plans to put him in this chapter or at the least reference him so we'll see if I did that or not lol. I'm guessing the pacing being too fast has to do with everything that happened last chapter, or specifically the Clive/Jill confession…you'll no doubt tell me in a review when you figure out what makes it feel that way, I'll give it a look over, and edits will be made of course. :)

Cross177: I have to say you gave me something to think about, sadly in the end I must shelve that idea because I already had plans in mind for all things connected to your suggestion. Problem is…you have me thinking about it a little too much, and that is not ok…because now I want to do it but can't…for now. Maybe. If it does happen, not going to take credit for it myself. 100% didn't think of that. That is all you.

Jebest4781: Well, I can say that I've given it some thought, but haven't pinpointed when, if ever, to bring Brynden Rivers into this. Of course, with everything as it is right now he wont be introduced as a key figure until we thin out some of his competition. Which btw, is a lot more people than I think anyone was expecting.

Hakuryukou79: I can safely say that answers will come in time. As for the 'Who' that will be revealed potentially alongside answers you didn't know you needed for questions you have yet to ask. The other Eikons and Dominants however…well, my entertainment is essentially from leaving hints for the readers to figure out before the official reveal...and I have left plenty out for you all…unless I am thinking of a different story, in which case I say give it another twenty chapters just to be on the safe side. In terms of Eikon's being mindless or not…hard to say, I haven't written this in for the story but I was of the belief in the beginning that they did have a will of their own and chose the Dominant or at the very least imposed their will upon one before the Dominant would gain full control. As of right now…figuring it out as I go, so it could happen or it wont happen.

master of death12345: If you think that was good, wait till you see what I have planned roughly ten chapters from now.