Chapter 28

Lost No More

Seagard

In the days spent at Seagard, Theon Greyjoy found himself more relaxed than he ever had been in Winterfell. The cool air brought in from the sea, the sounds of the waves gently crashing against the rocks in the distance along the coast or just easing themselves into the harbor, the clamor of men at work building great ships for the Northern army…despite their purpose being to go to war with the Lannister's and possibly in the future to be used against his own people…it all brought him a calm he had not felt in years.

Day in and day out Theon helped where he could. It was no secret though that he was hated by those who still remembered the raids his people conducted against them. Greyjoy. Ironborn. Squid. The most common insults that he had outgrown in Winterfell came back with a vengeance, with more rancor than he had expected or been used to. Surprisingly the only solace besides his work was the companionship of the knights of Rosaria that accompanied him. While the northerners treated him like the plague, Hunter, Wrecker, and Colt did not. The three men were different than he had expected them to be, but they treated him like any other.

Life was good here. Least, it was more stable far as Theon was concerned. He could just lay back on a nice soft bed, close his eyes and let his mind wander to thoughts of the open sea. That's what Theon hoped for every night here in Seagard.

Unfortunately for Theon, Fate usually doesn't allow for a respite. He struggles, writhing, squirming, as he is carried off in the night. Body tied, bound up, mouth covered by a rag as four men carry him off to the docks.

"Quit yer squirmin'!" one barks as they approach a rowboat "Capn' will want to see to this one himself. Lucky you, eh? You get to be the first one in this place to learn his place!"

Theon wished he could punch that one especially. The rest he did not care about, but that one he just really wanted to make scream for help. He was placed unceremoniously down on the boat, seated between two of them while the other two kept him in their sight. Every gentle rocking of the waves made his stomach drop like a stone, sinking lower and lower as they approached a ship, he had not seen in many a year. A vessel designed by the Ironborn; a vessel meant for raiding towns along the coast.

"Oi! We got a live one today lads!" the raider opposite Theon shouts up at the deck "Give us a hand will ye?"

A few rough hands grab at Theon's shoulders, pulling him up and tossing him to the deck like a sack of vegetables. He groans as his head hits the wooden surface, a faint trail of blood running down the side as he pushes himself up to a seating position. These raiders were different. They didn't look like the muscular men of his youth who showed no fear in pillaging the lands of Westeros. These men looked hungry, feral even, like they hadn't eaten in days. A lone raider stepped out from the crowd, larger than the rest, a smile just as mad as the one he could remember his Uncle Euron Greyjoy once wore. The raider squats down by his side, grabbing Theon by the hair and pulling his head up for inspection.

"Well, well…seems I owe the lads a bit more than gold and silver this time." He chuckles, slamming Theon's head into the wooden planks of the deck "Drinks and whores are all on me lads! We've caught ourselves not an enemy commander, or king, but a traitor to our own ways! …Theon Greyjoy, you bring dishonor on our ways, on our God, on your Father our King and any raider be he Ironborn or some other peoples. How do you plead?"

Theon gave a muffled curse, blood dripping from his nose as he glares up at the man, the captain of this raiding party.

"The traitor pleads Guilty!" he shouts to the cheers of his men "Well since you have been so kind as to admit your guilt, I suppose we should be lenient with punishment then?"

The men boo and jeer.

"But we are honest men," he chuckles "We serve our Drowned God well, and we are owed something as payment for your betrayal of us Theon Greyjoy. A pound of flesh if you will…tie him up."

Theon felt hands on his legs. Eyes wide in panic as he struggles against them as they went to work, as they tied him down one final time. Seeing him so afraid must have been amusing to the captain as he laughs with his crew. For Theon it felt like his heart was in his throat, trying to break out from his gagged mouth and flop on the deck like a fish out of water.

"See that, lads!? Runt thinks he still is a Kraken, when he's nothing more than a little squid…all alone and far from home." The captain jerks his head to the side "Toss this one back, our god waits for no one, Theon No-Name."

Theon tried in vain to fight back. Effortlessly hoisted into the air, carried by four men towards the side of the ship, the weight around his ankles keeping him locked up as his heartbeat so hard against his chest it felt like it might break free. With a single back and forth they tossed him overboard. Cold water hit his back before he was submerged, the weights they shackled him to at the ankles dragged him down. His eyes focused on the surface, the last glimmers he would ever see of sunlight before darkness would take him.

With Theon Greyjoy thrown overboard, the raid could begin. Minutes would pass before the good folk of Seagard would be subject to another raid by the Ironborn. The reavers made quick work of the unsuspecting guards they hit first. A more perfect opening to their reign of terror not one of their captains could ever plan.

"Right then," the captain begins "We have a job to do lads! And a very special surprise for those poor fools who want to defend this town from us…let's give them a proper greeting!"

The men cheer, rowing for shore as the raid would finally begin.

(Line break)

Colt frowns as he removes his helmet. A few children had gotten separated from the group of smallfolk they were with as they fled the port. "It's alright, I'm a knight of Rosaria…I won't hurt you."

All around them there was chaos. Knights and Raiders cutting each other down. Fire's overtaking the market. Wrecker and Hunter covering for Colt as he coerced the children out from a collapsed stall they had been using for cover.

"That's it, out you come…I got you," the children flinch as the body of a raider drops beside Colt "Don't look, eyes on me and nothing else…can you do that for me?"

Hunter's eyes narrow as the children finally crawl out into Colt's open arms. The man could fight but put children in danger and he loses himself to the need to protect them. It wasn't a bad thing, but Hunter didn't see how protecting them so blindly would save them from the men wanting to kill them. Or worse. "We should move. Raider's wont give us time to catch our breath."

"So…what do we do?"

"We fight of course," Hunter smirks, ears twitching as he turns his head to the right "More coming…Colt, time to choose a plan of action sir."

Colt looks at the children, a small group of them, no more than ten summers old and five in all. Each of them looking up at him much how Clive used to when he was their age in fact. "Wrecker!"

"Uh…yes?"

"Take the kids," he orders, donning his helmet "Get them out of the town if you need to but you get them to safety, understood?"

"Yes sir!"

"Hunter," he draws his sword "How do you feel about helping me cut down the Ironborn?"

Hunter chuckles "Thought you'd never ask sir; we have a plan of attack?"

"Don't stop until the last of them is bleeding out at your feet."

"I can get behind that plan." The two walked past Wrecker as he gathered the children together. "I don't suppose this is our introduction to Rosarian customs?"

"Consider this a trial run…no quarter." Colt grips his blade tight as a few of the Ironborn approach, axes in hand.

"For Rosaria, is it?"

Colt smirks as the first raider charges him. His blade comes up as he steps back, taking the man's hand before coming back down on his shoulder and digging into his chest. The death rattle before his body stills is sweet music to Colt. This was his place. A battlefield was where he belonged, not guard duty. And certainly not in a training yard.

Hunter was also in his element. His knives cut into flesh with ease as he dropped one raider after another. These Ironborn were far sloppier than he had been led to believe. They were not the vicious raiders he had been warned of as a boy nor were they the mighty foes men would boast of killing in battle…they were sloppy, feral even. No better than killing a wild dog or wolf. Hunter grunts as he slams his elbow into one mans face, his other hand coming down as slices the raider's throat. This wasn't the 'glory' he had been led to believe it was. This was just business, like a butcher slaughtering a pig for the night's feast.

"Pathetic," he says, cleaning off his blades. "Colt, you alright?"

"Not even a proper warm up." The older knight sighs, "Come, we have more work to do."

"Like figuring out how they got past our lookouts?"

"Must have done so in the early hours…but we still were alerted to them all the same." Colt grits his teeth in frustration "But why expose yourselves at all?"

"A different target perhaps? They neutralized the small fleet in the harbor."

"Neutralized. Killed sailors and guards perhaps…but that still does not explain the rest." Colt's eyes widen as he stands straight "Where's Theon?"

Hunter curses, head turning as he glances back at the town proper. Right in the direction of the guard barracks and the temporary home they had all made in the local inn. "By the gods…you don't think he would…"

Colt stops, hand raised "You hear that?"

Hunter frowns, listening for whatever it was that was out of the ordinary "Nothing…"

"Exactly." Colt felt the wind shift around them. Eyes wide as he turns, shoving Hunter forward. "Run!"

Hunter did not need to be told twice. His legs were burning as he ran down the streets. The roar of the waves behind them as water surged forward, chasing after the two men as men and women, innocent or not, were caught up in the current and swept away. Pulled out to sea if they were unfortunate, crushed against a stone structure if they were…very, unfortunate. Hunter spotted a knight waving him over towards a hill, the stonework of the street ascending towards the castle that overlooked the harbor. "Colt!"

"I see it!" the Rosarian hazards a glance back as the tidal surge was catching up "Never thought Rex would get the easy job for a change!"

The two made it in the nick of time, water crashing into the stone wall of a home as they ascended rapidly up the way. Just as quick as the water had come, it recedes back to the sea. Colt's eyes scanned the streets he could see form his vantage point. Too many bodies were scattered, some on roofs while others lay in the streets. Even still many more were slowly rising, men filled with rage and adrenaline looking for a fight. They grabbed whatever weapon they could find and began their search for a victim to claim.

"Colt…"

Hunter's gasp was unusual. Colt looked towards his companion, noting the shocked look on his face, the tense and rigid stance he took as he gazed out into the harbor. The smallfolk and knights gathered around them had the same look. As Colt rose to his feet, his gaze sweeping across green hills and the endless blue on the horizon it locked on one thing he never thought he would see in his life. "By the flames…"

Rising out of the harbor was a monstrous shape. Deep blue scales matching the sea's very color, fins…or wings spaced out across its serpentine body. There was no mistaking the majesty of the very sea serpent looming over Seagard. It was something of a myth, a legend in Valisthea to this day…until this day. A Legend once thought to be Lost.

"Leviathan…"

The Eikon of Water lets out a shriek, the waves for miles trembling at the angry cry of their Lord and Master. Leviathan's eyes are a piercing yellow as it eyes the town of Seagard. Ironborn cheer with renewed vigor as they cut down the awestruck knights so caught up in their shock and awe. So caught up in the glory of a good raid, they ignored the danger. Leviathan's mouth is shut, a faint blue glow building up within much to the horror of Colt.

"Move!" he snaps, the sudden shout startling the people on the hillside "Higher ground! To the castle, now!"

The resulting blast of water drowns the town. Ironborn caught up in the blast find themselves in a watery grave in seconds. Bodies ripped to shreds by the pressure almost instantly. Those who survive the attack have but one choice now to make. Live to raid another day…or Die.

Most make the smart decision, dropping their loot and their weapons, forgetting about the foe they were about to cut down…they run. Men scramble for the docks, knocking each other over as they flail about in their attempts to board a ship and cast off. As they flee in terror, dark clouds begin to form in the sky, Leviathan's serpentine head snaps at them. Yellow eyes narrow as it lets out a piercing shriek again. A deafening cry, one so powerful it brings the proud raiders to their knees. Some pass out, blood dripping from their ears while the rest must bear witness to the power of the Eikon unleashed upon them.

The proud captain of this endeavor drops to his knees as a blast of water strikes one ship in his fleet, tearing it apart in an instant and leaving naught but driftwood behind. Then another ship, the screams of his men clear in the morning air as the great serpent seemed to take joy out of their suffering. This was not the support he had been promised by that assassin they had allied themselves with. This…this was a curse, a living plague upon their people.

"This can't be…not the end…not the…" his eyes widen, locking on the steely gaze of the serpent. Almost as if it knew him "…end."

A rush of water was the last thing he felt as he and his crew were sent to the bottom of the sea in a blast of Aether. Leviathan shrieks again, reveling in the destruction while the survivors of Seagard watch on in awe. High above, the sky rumbles with the boom of thunder. Leviathan's attention shifts as does the focus of Colt and Hunter as the two men follow the Eikon's gaze to something that made Colt feel weak in the knees.

"Finally noticed me?" Leviathan looked like it was snarling as its yellow eyes focused on a pair of blue "Lost for centuries as the stories say…and here you are…amongst the rabble of society."

Leviathan shrieks in challenge, winds carrying its cry with such force they knock over several of the guard towers still standing in Seagard. The hill this newcomer stood atop hardly survives as chunks of the land are pulled up and away.

The newcomer frowns "I guess I can't expect every beast to know who its proper master is then," they sigh, thunder rumbling above, lightning striking around them "Then I will just have to show you who it is you are challenging."

Hunter shields his eyes as lightning strikes the hill, lighting up the sky as another powerful gust of wind blows through. Colt dared not to turn away. He knew what this was. He knew deep down just what he was about to witness here on this hill. As the lightning recedes, he hears it crackle to life just as quickly.

It all happens in a flash. One moment Colt was watching the dust settle, a humanoid shape rising into the air before Leviathan shrieks in pain. The sea serpent falls back into the harbor, a bolt of lightning having struck its side. Floating in the air, surrounded by eight dark black clouds was the visage of a woman. Dark hair, lightning crackling between her fingers, piercing blue eyes and the distinct feeling of awe that only an Eikon could instill in even a trained knight.

"Another Eikon…" he whispers under his breath, feeling the world around him begin to spin just as Leviathan rises from the water with an angry shriek. "Another damned Eikon!"

Leviathan charges Aether within its maw, unleashing a blast of water at its attacker. The opposing force vanished just before the attack could connect. Leviathan's head goes up, eyes locked on the feminine figure before a series of lightning bolts rain down upon it. With a casual flick of her wrist the Eikon of Lightning throws bolts of lightning with precision down Leviathan's midsection. The resulting chain reaction shock sends the sea serpent shrieking into the depths.

As quickly as it had begun, it was over. Hunter removes his helmet, rubbing at his eyes as the storm clouds above dissipate and the Eikon of Lightning withdraws. Not a sign left behind of its presence. Colt was on his knees, staring blankly out to the harbor, dead to the world. While the smallfolk cheered and wept that the fighting was finally over…Hunter just knew this was not the ending they had anticipated.

The recovery of homes, of bodies, began as soon as the people realized that it was safe to go back down to the town proper. Hunter found Wrecker holed up in a watch tower with the children, not a hair out of place on any of them, the pair helped as best they could. Lifting rubble out of the way, pulling people who had managed to survive free of the ruins, and putting any rowdy Ironborn still breathing in a proper state…one without breathe in their lungs. As they did all of this, there was one oddity that he could not explain. Colt.

Colt gathered what men he could and scoured the shore, rifling through bodies of Ironborn and…what was left of many of them. He could not find hide nor hair of Theon Greyjoy. He had failed his orders, failed Clive. He had let the Ironborn, the Greyjoy, die on his watch. But more than that…he had lost the Dominant of Leviathan.

"Ser Colt!" hope burrowed its way into his chest as he ran towards the call of his name "Got a live one here!"

"Who is it!?"

There was a muttering of curses as the men around him grumbled. "Greyjoy."

"Theon Greyjoy?" Colt was perplexed as he broke through the crowd. Theon lay on the stone of the harbor, body drenched to the bone but still breathing "Good…very good."

"Good?" one knight questions "Why is that good, ser?"

"Fetch some horses for my companions and I…and some provisions for a few days, least till we can reach Fairmarket." The knights around him seemed to sputter. Each looking like he had gone mad. "Well? Hop to it lads! Unless you want that I toss you in the sea with that beast!"

The men scramble, making way for Wrecker and Hunter as they approach. Hunter crosses his arms, eyeing the Greyjoy with a wary look "So…you going to explain what all that was before?"

"Something best left for when we get to Riverrun…Rex and Cody will know what to do from there." Colt lifts Theon to his fit "Help me with him?"

"Let me," Wrecker offers, taking the young man into his arms "I got the runt…he won't uh…do that again will he?"

Colt shakes his head "I doubt it. Lad wont be awake for a while yet, might not even awaken until we return to Riverrun…but he could be the very difference we need in this war. Mark my words, Leviathan is not one that will fade into obscurity with ease this time around."

"Great," Hunter groans "Now we have a giant fish. When you and Cody explained the Eikons to us…I did not expect this sort of thing to be the normal day for us."

"Having second thoughts?"

"Hardly, I just think we should have been warned about this before the offer was made."

Riverrun

By the end of the week, plans had been made. Cid would travel to Harrenhal personally with the news of their new addition while leaving Colt, Hunter and Wrecker in charge of Theon's care. Cody and Rex would be overseeing the defenses in Cid's absence…is what the Dominant of Ramuh had hoped would be true. Rex, stubborn soldier that he was, was to be Cid's escort to Harrenhal as well as a second voice to verify the claims made once the big meeting would begin.

While the pair of men rode for Harrenhal, Theon Greyjoy slept. Nightmares plagued him. Visions of darkness, of water and blood, of frightening death screams of grown men all far older and more fearsome compared to himself. The final image he saw, the very thing that haunted him more than any other, was that woman's face just before searing pain tore into him all over. Before the shock, before the pain, before the darkness of the sea could claim him a second time.

"Ahh!" he shouts, eyes wide awake, body shivering as he adjusts to the darkness of his new room. "Where…where am I? Hello?"

The room was dark, it was damp…and it was drafty. A quick glance down had heat rising to his face. He was naked. Theon Greyjoy was naked…and he was chained to the wall. He had a sinking feeling in hi stomach now. The last things he could remember were Ironborn raiders kidnapping him, tossing him overboard and….

"Overboard…I…no, no, no…I…I can't be…I was…but then how am I?"

"Here?" a voice calls out in the darkness "You are…well, I would say lucky, but Cid saw to your restraints himself."

"Cid…he put me in here?"

"Aye," Colt steps into the light "Chained you up after having you stripped down for some reason…not sure why he did that, but he did. How are you feeling?"

"I…I should be dead, shouldn't I? I was…thrown…over the side of the ship, into the sea…my body was wrapped up in…chains and…weighed down with bricks."

"I'm sorry Theon but you are very much alive." Colt sighs, grabbing a stool and bringing it over towards the bars of his cell "You are…something very special, it changes a lot of things for you but that is entirely up to you."

"Up to me?"

"If the people of Westeros had it their way, you'd be strung up or have your head chopped off just to suit their need for justice." Colt smiles "Fortunately, we have claimed you as our prisoner for the time being…once everything is in place, you can be released, unharmed, and made into a strong ally."

"Ally? With you?" he scoffs "Why should I trust those words Rosarian? I'm Ironborn…my people have attacked Westeros, unprovoked…I'm as good as dead anywhere I am."

"Are you? Perhaps we'll test that theory when Clive makes his way here in a month or so."

"Clive? What does Clive have to do with this?"

Colt just chuckles "You'll see Theon, you'll see."

AN: …welcome to Season 2 ladies and gentlemen. Is it too short? Probably. Is it an actual start? Eehhhh…consider this more of an interim thing. Not a TRUE start, but not really part of Season 1. But what a 'not start' it is…a reveal 28 chapters in the making but why oh why did I put it here? …pretty sure one of you knows exactly why, but I won't say more. So yeah…Leviathan is here, as is another Eikon and while the Dominant wasn't revealed in this chapter, we have technically met them before…sort of. Spoilers. But what is not a spoiler will be the identity of this Eikon, I've given some hints in its design though I will freely admit the gender of this one has been swapped to fit the Dominant.

To time date this chapter, or rather this portion of the authors note…Ben Starr has won I believe the award for Best performance at the joysticks, but sadly our game here is not nominated for GotY…which is not just a crime but beyond stupid. Alan Wake 2? BOTW2? Yes, I said it, and I aint taking it back, same game/storyline/world with no change but building. And Alan Wake 2 is just 2 weeks old at this point so how is it even close to GotY?

Rant over…show of hands, who saw Theon being the Dominant coming? And as for why, it makes sense if you think of who would be connected to that Eikon and if you remember that a certain Jon/Clive absolutely HATES Ironborn…and yes this may just be going where you think it is, in which case, bring some popcorn for that special reveal to Clive. Now…some reviews…may or may not be hearing ThreeDog in my head when I did that line and the reviews themselves…spoilers btw for future projects, hehe.

Jebest4781: For that little detail you are going to want to see the next chapter. All shall be revealed in time, all and then some.

Goonies117: Well if I go by my fancy nonexistent clock right here….huh, that's odd, thing must be frozen. Oh well, how's about a 'soon' and then we'll get back to the comments that are no doubt stewing in your head, alright?

And a Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans…granted it's just an excuse for a feast at this point, nobody actually cares about the Pilgrims. We just pretend to because Turkey. *shrugs*

I'm just here for the food.