Author's Notes
I know that very few of these types of people would last this long but flames, I don't care. I won't respond nor will I care.
Thoren Smallwood never thought he would get much out of life, maybe one day he would be a knight? That had been his best chance given he wasn't part of the main Smallwood line, his father being the second son while his uncle was now the lord. People always assumed that the second son would be given some place of importance in his brother's court, but the futures of their sons were never so certain. Again, knighthood was the best outcome… and there was always the Night's Watch.
But the Gods seemed to have different plans for Thoren. He was born with powers that few else had. The first time he used them was when he was just barely starting to walk and wanted some toy on a table. From the moment he could understand the importance of this, his mother had told him to hide them at all cost or else he would burn as a demon child. Even after she died he kept to her words, he kept his powers secret and hoped that they would go away. But now he was here in Harrenhal, a place where he would be learning how to use these powers. The Force as the Seekers told him it was called. And he wasn't the only one.
He looked around while sitting on one of the logs being brought in for the eventual reconstruction of the keep. Thoren had snorted at the notion that Harrenhal could be rebuilt, as a boy raised in the Riverlands he knew well what Harrenhal was. Cursed and forever in ruins by dragon fire. But nonetheless efforts were being made. He sat on one of the logs and watched as several other children brought by Seekers or guards from holdfasts, keeps, or towns played with each other. All of them low born, he had so far been the only one of noble birth to be found having the powers of the Force.
"So stupid." He muttered as he caught sight of one of the children, a girl that he had known before coming here. She was the daughter of one of stable hands at Acorn Hill. Jadith. Her, along with the other children were all having fun and were excited for the day when Darth Nagash would return from his trip to Essos and begin teaching them to use their powers. At the moment they were trying to float a small rock into the air and fling it up into one of the holes in the Tower of Dread that loomed over all of them. They had limited success, they were able to get it off the ground but that's where their powers fizzled out.
"You could go play with them, you know." Thoren's head snapped up and he saw one of the Imperials that Darth Nagash had brought with him, Captain Pierce. He had been looking over them while the other Impearl, Governor Quinn, was overseeing the business of running Harrenhal. He along with Maester Qyburn had been teaching many of the low born children things that only noble born children learn. As the only noble born, he was irritated by all of this.
"Why should I? It's beneath me." He said with a huff, he didn't understand why the rest of the children were being given things that were high above their status. His father always taught him that blood and birth were what made you in this world. That the highest that one of the small folk could hope to achieve was to become a hedge knight. But here were these peasant children given new and nice clothes, lessons by a Maester, and the chance to become something that only the elite should be… powerful.
"Listen kid, thinking like that isn't going to get you many friends here. And I've been around Sith for a long time… having friends is going to be needed sooner or later." Pierce chuckled and Thoren looked back up at him puzzled by his words. But before the boy could ask about it the sound of hooves coming into the courtyard caught everyone's attention. Two teams of Seekers soon came into the yard, the front two galloping as fast they could. They stopped and the two riders were laughing as they came to a halt before letting off the two children that had been with them down to the ground. Both looked to be younger than Thoren by a few years. "Who do we have here… a young wolf that has lost his way?" Pierce laughed as he came up to the two boys and riders while the rest of the Seekers filed in with their own children, several Northern Guards followed behind them bearing several different houses' sigils. The most prominent that caught Thoren's eye was the wolf of House Stark.
"Nah Captain, the Stark here was just one of the ones caught in our harvest." Thoren had heard the Seekers begin to refer to their collecting of children as a Harvest, a morbid description but eerily accurate. "Along with our first heir, here be Benjen Stark and little lord Howland Reed."
"Really now." Pierce chuckled as he crouched down to the two boys, the Stark having a big smile as he recognized Pierce from when he stayed with the Starks almost a year ago. Howland didn't smile but stuck by Benjen with a careful look in his eyes, he was the older boy and he needed to protect the Stark. Howland's father had always taught him that Reeds were always loyal to the true Kings of Winter. That it was the Neck that protected the North and the Reeds were the Neck. "Well Naraiz ain't here now but he should be back in a few months. How's your family doing pup?"
"Mother misses Master Rhyhall, she says she doesn't but she does." Benjen said as he had seen his mother saddened at times. The young boy simply knew that she wasn't as happy as she could be. He didn't know where these feelings came from but they were the truth and he knew it. "Father travels a lot more, Ned is still in the Vale so it's just Brandon and I in the training yard a lot."
"A bet your sister wants to join you doesn't she?"
"She was so mad when the stone pointed to me, said that it was unfair and got really mad." Benjen said looking down to his feet feeling a little bad. A small shove from Howland however brought him out his own head. The two had become fast friends, Howland had been picked up on the Seeker's way up to Winterfell. Normally he would have been sent down with Reed guard escort but he wanted to see Winterfell before leaving the North, since that was where the Seekers were going anyway they saw no reason to deny the kid. "Mother said she and Lyanna would come to visit soon." Pierce smirked and assumed that would happen once word reached that Naraiz had returned.
"And we'll be ready to have them, now go play with the other kids. They've started working on getting a rock in the air, see if you can do it." With a pat to the shoulder Pierce watched as the two noble boys ran off to the other children. He then looked to the Seeker who had a knowing smile on his face. "If you would have told me I would be babysitting a bunch of Force Sensitive brats a year ago I'd laugh in your face."
"If you'd told me I would be getting paid to travel around the Kingdoms, sleeping in keeps and be somewhat respectable five months ago… I'd spit in your face and call you crazy." The Seeker chuckled and both men shared a laugh at their change of lives. Pierce commanded the respect and loyalty of all of the Seekers which balanced out the mild resentment that they had toward Quinn who often dismissed their value. "Counting the two little lords, we have about six from the North. But we only were able to cover Graywater Watch, Cerwyn, Winterfell. Didn't touch Winter Town though. All but one of the kids' families decided to take the payday rather than come with us." The Seeker said with a bit more somber tone and Pierce sighed at this.
"I've been getting that from the teams, seems people either don't want their kids or don't want to come to Harrenhal if they can help it." Word had begun to spread via the merchants on the King's Road that Harrenhal's air of dread and foreboding had been lifted. That the curse had been broken by Darth Nagash. But word traveled slowly when it was rumor and heresy among the common man when they didn't have access to ravens or couriers. "Oh well, means we don't have to deal with parents whining about how we treat their children. Because that's coming." Pierce groaned as he knew how Sith trained their prospective peers, even if he knew Naraiz would be a hell of a lot more liberal in his methods… they certainly would still look worrying to any parent.
"Me and Vor's team will be heading back up there in a few days." The Seeker said as he hopped back up onto his horse and looked forward to hitting the nearest tavern.
"Don't spend all your pay in one night."
"Are you too sure you don't want a bucket?" Davos asked as he nudged closer to the two puking Dothraki girls that hung on the side of their vessel. They had not been able to hold much in their stomach since stepping foot on the Cobblecat. The crew had picked up their leader and his new… friends… from one of the galleys that Naraiz had contracted to transport roughly five hundred slaves to Westeros. Davos wasn't sure if that was such a good idea but he wasn't one to question the Sith given he had a knack to always come out smelling like a rose.
"Stupid wooden horse…"
"… why won't it stop moving." Both Emmi and Felli were miserable. Just as when they had been brought to the Lys and just as now they were being taken from the island city they were unable to eat or drink anything more than small bites of bread and sips of water. And even then they still emptied their guts back into the sea.
"We're still a few days out from Volantis, I'm not sure they'll make it." Davos sighed, he had heard the Dothraki weren't very good seafarers and this fact had often brought him comfort. Knowing that the Horse Lords would never bring their ruin to his homeland. But seeing these two young women both so wretched he couldn't help but feel a bit of pity.
"They'll be fine Davos." Davos turned his head to his leader who was sitting at a small table at the bow of the ship. With him was the Summer Islander and the younger Lysene woman. He had been spending the most time with them, teaching them both the common tongue and languages that Davos had never even heard of. "Repeat after me, Come ti chiami."
"Come ti chiami." Both of the women said, only slightly struggling with the words. Vaera having a better time with words as they fitted with her accent better than Xhola's.
"What is your name, good." Naraiz said with a smile on his face. Davos still couldn't begin to figure out the man. He was ruthless and kind, honorable and a scoundrel, good and evil. Never before had Davos met a man that more embodied the idea that the world was not black and white. He didn't know what the Sith planned for this voyage other than the destinations but Davos would follow orders regardless. He seemed to hold a certain respect in Naraiz's mind but for what for, he didn't know. Naraiz took Davos' counsel and nearly always put him in charge of the crew when he himself was gone. "Davos, you have a family?"
"I uh… I have a wife and two sons yes." The sudden question about his life back in King's Landing brought Davos out of his thoughts and threw him off. Naraiz never asked any of the crew personal questions like this, and several of the other crew members were glaring at Davos. They all knew that Naraiz would be handing command of the ship over to someone at the end of his time with them. And the contest for the position of captain was a ruthless one.
"Two sons? Hmm." Naraiz said as he leaned back in his chair while his two bed slaves continued their writing practices. That's how he had been teaching them, phrases and them how to say and write them in all the tongues he was teaching them. "You love your wife?"
"Very much so, how she puts up with these long voyages I don't know. But I thank whatever god may have blessed me with her that she does." That again seemed to amuse Naraiz, Davos sometimes felt he couldn't go two sentences without saying something that the Sith found funny. And Davos didn't think of himself with any particular sharp wit. "Why do you ask me these questions milord? I'm not that a particularly interesting man. I have done no great deeds, I am a smuggler and one without a ship of my own."
"You are right on all accounts." Naraiz said as he stood up and walked to the very front of the bow's deck. He motioned for Davos to come up to him and the sailor did as told. "Indulge me with another question Davos, how old are you?" Again, meaningless questions that Davos did not understand why he asked.
"I'd be turning three and four this year milord." Davos answered with a slight sigh.
"Rarely do people live so long in your line of work, most find themselves getting an early death due to recklessness. Those that survive for as long as you have, even if they are at the moment minor players have the potential to be great." Naraiz said and Davos paused for a moment. Among the current crew he was the eldest, even was only a few years younger than the previous captain. He knew things, he learned things, he knew people and their names and oftentimes faces to match. "My sister was in your line of work you know, she was cast out of my family when it was discovered that she lacked the Force. But she survived and eventually became one of the most infamous smugglers in the Empire, and one of the Republic's most favored contractors." Naraiz said with a sneer showing there was little love between siblings.
"And what happened to her milord?" Davos asked for what reason he didn't know but he was curious.
"Don't know…" There was a sudden softening in Naraiz's features. Making Davos rethink his earlier assumption of the relationship between the two. "The last I saw her, she was helping my son escape a Republic ambush. Why? I think it had something to do with the fact her former lover was leading the ambush. Pettiness seems to run in the family." There was another silence as Naraiz looked to the sea carefully, as if waiting for something to come to him. But nothing came and he sighed in apparent regret. "I never found out what happened to either her or the man I called my son, I'd like to think they lived long and achieved their dreams. Both liked money… so I can easily picture what those dreams were."
Davos looked at Naraiz carefully, taking note of the strange wording that he used just there. But before he could think further on it there was a change in the wind that Davos knew signaled a coming storm. He quickly left the leader of the crew in order to get the ship ready for the incoming trouble. Forgetting all about the odd phrasing that Naraiz had used.
"Melisandre." The woman turned her head to see one of the many priests of the Lord of Light coming toward her. He was the supposed leader of the smaller temples here in Volantis, as she and Benerro had a difference in opinion concerning many things. But this temple saw the truths that others denied and let her in with open arms.
"Yes, is there something you need?" She had been walking toward an appointment with a few devoted guardsmen that she needed to convince to her side rather than Benerro's. It was important but not vital.
Things in Volantis were always moving, changing and shifting to a new plan and opportunity. Politics here were deadly and ever changing. The merchants wanted to be nobles without the risk and the nobles wanted to be soldiers without the danger. Everyone wanted something and to give nothing in exchange. But she had already given everything she had to the Lord of Light. Just as all the priests and priestesses of R'hilor did, even if she disagreed with some of them she knew that this was a fact that still applied to them.
"We just received a message from our sisters and brothers from Lys, apparently there is a ship inbound for Volantis carrying a servant of Darkness." This made Melisandre pause, the man before her was a cautious one and not a man to fall for simple rumor and hearsay. He would have only brought this to her if he was sure of the authenticity. "He calls himself Darth Nagash and is a member of a new Order of warrior-monks in the sunset kingdoms. He claims to be from across the far western seas. Word has it that he performed some great feat to the Targaryen King and he has not stopped throwing gold and favors to the man since." This was a lot, and the Red Woman had a lot more to think about. But what she was really interested in was why it was thought that this Darth Nagash was a servant of Darkness.
"Even if all of this is true, what evidence do you have that this man is a threat to our work?" She was hesitant to say that he was a servant of darkness. That was a grave accusation and one she would prefer to wait before giving before even getting a vision from her lord.
"He has begun collecting children that he believes to possess magical gifts." The man said as he followed Melisandre through the halls of the temple.
"He could misunderstand where his power comes from and only needs to be enlightened."
"From what I have heard he seems quite sure of where his power comes from, and it is not our Lord." That was not a point in this man's favor. If it wasn't the Lord of Light it was the Great Enemy by a different name and that was that.
"You sure seemed to be well informed of this Darth Nagash, why?" Melisandre narrowed her eyes as looked back at the little man, who chuckled nervously under her gaze.
"This man, he has many of the priests worried. We have been sharing information about him, a common foe!" He said trying to defend himself. But she stopped and glared at him. This was a betrayal and he knew it. The various sects of the lord of Light were not all on good terms and just talking to certain ones was unforgivable if the wrong thing was said.
"Any information you gathered could have been poisoned by our rivals to trick us into fighting a foe that we should not be fighting. When this Darth Nagash arrives we shall invite him to this temple for a… meeting." Melisandre said with a sultry smile, this was a man and she knew the minds of men well enough. No matter who they were, no matter how pious or honorable they all submitted to their baser instincts.
I sat back in my chair, sitting in the captain's quarters of the Cobblecat. Before me was a small desk and on it was Midwan and Saarai lying next to each other. Something that the swords were none too happy about. They had emotions, preferences, and an intelligence that defied their inorganic nature. They also were extremely possessive, both were My swords and the amount of unbridled hate they had at the mention of anyone else using them was impressive even by my standards.
I clicked my tongue as I listened to them bicker, their energy grinding against each other in a way that made me recall memories of two twin Sith sisters back on Korriban. The comparison was so perfect in my mind I actually over the course of my studying the two began to see them as such. But there was an understanding between them, the fights between them were superficial and shallow. There wasn't any real attack on the other. Duality… but at the same time sole purpose. Something happened as I thought that, the air in the room stopped moving and the Force energy between the swords stopped as well. It was as if two pairs of eyes… no… three pairs now. They all looked at me, waiting for the next step.
"Milord!" Then the moment passed as Davos opened the door and drew my attention from my swords. Something that I could feel neither of them liked, needy little attention whores. I was starting to see why Sith moved away from Force Swords, while they could be much more powerful than Lightsabers they came with quirks and personality. Or maybe it was only because these swords were so connected to me. I could tell that the Son and Daughter did some sort of magic to them to connect them to me far more than if I just threw together a Force Blade myself.
"Go away, sickness is still here." Emmi yelled at Davos from my bed where she and her sister were trying to avoid throwing up again. My other former slaves were also with me but Xhola and Vaera were still learning their new languages while Serona was just lounging about like the spoiled princess she wanted others to think she was. These women had been fun but honestly I think I'm already getting over the idea of cheap and easy sex. I miss Jasea, Lyarra, and Joanna and not just for the adult fun time we shared. Looks like I'm not as much of a man whore as I'd thought I'd be in this new life.
"I was just here to tell you that we will be pulling into Volantis soon milord." This made Emmi and Felli shoot up in and run out of the cabin and past Davos in a mad dash to see land again. Oh dear, we wouldn't even be staying in Volantis long. Just enough to gather up the slaves I needed, laborers, stonemasons, teachers, and several other craftsmen. Everything I would need to begin a serious effort toward fixing Harrenhal up. Once I had that we would be back on the seas heading toward the islands of Valyria.
I stood up from my desk, taking both my swords with me, and followed the women as they too left the room with great enthusiasm to see land again. While the Dothraki twins were the only ones seasick, the others were growing tired of a life at sea. I stepped out of the captain's quarters and saw the incoming city of Volantis. It was massive, three times the size of King's Landing and far more established. There was history here and a sense that this city had stood for a thousand years and would still be standing after another thousand years. We passed under the Long Bridge that connected the east and west sides of the city. As I looked east, I could see the Black Walls that kept in the most elite of the city. Impressive structure, and there was not a single trace of the Force emanating from it. But as I passed by, my eyes widened as I saw a small sheen come off the stone. The same type of sheen that came off of the hull of a star ship.
"A Particle Shield." I mumbled under my breath. This was the first confirmation that this world had once held a people that came from beyond the stars. I mean of course there had to be, humans didn't evolve first on this world.
Many worlds had been seeded with humans by the Rakata Infinite Empire which was where we got Feudal and Pre-space flight worlds. Why might the Rakata empire do this? Slaves of course. Have a population fill out a world with a massive population and then keep them at a technological stagnation so that you could harvest vast numbers of slaves all across the world. These slaves would not be able to understand how to properly work technology once you took them but that was a good thing, meant they couldn't revolt in an effective manner. And by the time they did understand how to use the modern tech around them, they would be so beaten down that they wouldn't fight anymore. Problem was it was a long-term method that didn't play out for the Rakatan. Nope, they fell long before they were able to reap the rewards of their plans. Some planets were found and uplifted, but most never were.
"Milord?" Davos said, breaking me from my thoughts. As much as I wanted to investigate this, I had a timetable to keep to and already my just in case allocation of time was given over to my Valyria trip. The Black Wall wasn't going anywhere, I could return when I had more time.
"Yes, do the boys have my Palanquin ready?" I asked and just as I asked the question me and Davos looked to the side to see a median sized stone carved platform being dragged out of the depths of the ship. It was intricately carved with gold and studded with rubies and spiked with dragon glass. It was perfect… and a gift too! One of the Magisters of Myr gave it to me. He was under the impression we were now lifelong friends and wanted to make sure that his new buddy didn't walk among the common riffraff.
"Uh… it looks to be quite heavy milord. I'm not sure the men will be able to carry it." Davos said a little unnerved by the size of it. And yes, it was made to be placed on a larger platform with either wheels or a large animal like an elephant. But I didn't need either. Davos and the rest of the crew watched as I sat down on the central part of the palanquin and lazed back into it. Not uncomfortable but certainly not something I could sleep on. Then they all watched in awe as it began to move off the ground and float in the air, about three feet which was as high as I could hold it before risking exhausting myself. Now it did take a considerable amount of my strength to just do this feat but so long as I didn't do anything extraneous or use any other Force Power I would be able to power this as long as I needed.
"Master, that is incredible may we ride it with you?" Xhola asked as she watched in awe with the other former slaves. I smirked and nodded my head before taking a deep breath in prep for what was coming. The platform lowered down to one foot off the deck of the ship and then I reached out and grabbed ahold of the five women with the Force. My muscles were straining but I was still one of the most powerful Force Users in the Galaxy, I simply needed to use up some of my reserve power to do all of this.
I floated them all up, placing Serona and Xhola at my sides while Vaera and the twins were at my feet. All of them were able to lay into me perfectly as this thing was designed with this set up in mind. With that over I returned the palanquin back to its previous elevation and held it there. Davos and the rest of the crew looked pretty damn jealous of me sitting back with five gorgeous women all lavishing with attention, I loved being me.
What was even better was when we pulled into the docks of Volantis and I floated my palanquin off the ship and the dockhands, sailors both local and foreign, and whoever was at the docks saw me. For once all the men weren't looking at the girls surrounding a noble on a palanquin but instead were in awe that this particular palanquin was without any means of staying above the ground. It floated down off the docks and into the city with not a slave or animal holding it aloft.
"Look at them all, seeing you like this. They should be groveling in reverence to you." Serona was grinning ear to ear as she lapped up the attention I was drawing. She grew even closer to me, a deep need to be as close to my power sprung out in her mind like a beacon. I was going to have to watch if this mindset continued. Meanwhile on the other side of me, Xhola was just as awestruck as the Volantenes were. She clung to me like an excited child being shown something new and wondrous. Vaera was actually not enjoying all the attention and was holding onto my leg like a lifeline, trying to appear as small as possible. She did not like attention at all and only felt scared and the need to go to me for protection.
Looking down to Emmi and Felli and they were a mix of feelings, they also were amazed by my power but also felt very superior to the masses for being chosen by me. I knew better than to compare the palanquin to a horse both because I knew the Dothraki at large did not see these platforms as such and also because… the twins did most certainly not have their Dothraki reverence for horses anymore. Considering what happened to them I did not blame them.
"Do you have a place for us to go in mind master?" Xhola asked and I thought about it. I was just trying to bank on the attention that I was getting with my entrance. Someone important would freak out and send someone to get me. There I would continue to play up my powers and get them to offer me the slaves I needed. Paying for them could be worked out easily enough, I had money… a great deal given to me by the various nobility of the Free Cities that liked me, sometimes without their knowing, and a chest of gold that King Aerys gave me for this mission. So I had the funds, but also I didn't want to pay for things that I might be able to get for free.
"Darth Nagash!" Just one cue I heard my name and turned the entire palanquin around to see the person calling out my title. Something I was a bit interested in knowing how they knew it. But then when I saw who it was that was calling me I frowned, the flames tattooed on their face told me who they worked for. "The Lady Melisandre wishes to speak to you!" Oh… her.
"Gave this message to her, would you, I am not interested in Lot Seven." I said and the slave looked confused but at the scowl I gave him he ran off scared out of his wits. I was not interested in whatever the old crone was selling. The Lord of Light was beyond stupid a concept, even if they might have some strange elemental force powers and some seers in their employ that did not make the believers of the sparkly pyromaniac god right. That being said I wanted to make the Red Woman shit bricks with my message, to give her the impression she wasn't the only all seeing force in this world. That a complete unknown knew something so private to her was a threat she couldn't ignore but at the same time couldn't approach without careful planning. "Now… back to impressing the locals." I said as I put my arms around Xhola and Serona and pulled them onto me, the anger and jealousy around my palanquin spiked as I did this.
"Governor Quinn, I have a message from the capital." Qyburn said as he walked into the small solar of the man that had been ruling Harrenhal in the absence of its named Lord. Qyburn personally thought it very odd, the level of loyalty that Quinn had to Darth Nagash. He was like a man ready to run himself into the ground if it would prove useful to his lord. A level of devotion that many lords sought in their servants. Personally Qyburn admired the man's work ethic greatly, it was a rare and quite interesting thing to see such dedication.
Qyburn had been at Harrenhal for roughly four months now. He had been sent by the Archmaesters in Old Town as an insult. They believed him to be a subpar Maester and for some reason they seemed to hate the new Sith Order with a passion and thought it a good idea to have their keep staffed by a man such as himself. Qyburn actually had quite a good laugh when he received the orders. The fools. They had been getting ready to strip him of his chain and now they gave him a soon to be most important position in all the realm. All to insult this new rival. The old rats in the Citadel could truly be the most blind at times, even though they claimed to be the most enlightened.
"Let me guess, the ships from Lys have arrived?" Quinn asked as he put aside the papers he had been going over and took the message Qyburn held out for him. The Maester watched as Quinn scanned over every detail of the scroll. Written to him by Grand Maester Pycelle. Qyburn then handed Quinn another letter, this one had been delivered by rider. The first was rife with half truths and barely any information. The second was a detailed accounting of the situation, Seekers weren't the only men that Darth Nagash gathered in his time in Flea Bottom.
"It would seem there was quite the stir when the slave ships arrived." Qyburn said dryly but a smile was on his face nonetheless. Quinn just hummed as he read the second letter. THe Maester had read both and they did not paint a pretty picture. The news that Darth Nagash had brought in around fifteen hundred bed slaves from Lys spread quickly… and then the news he saved them from slavery and was offering them a place in his keep spread even faster. The common people saw him as a savior of these poor souls.
But the nobility were none too pleased by this, and were trying to paint this as the Sith bringing in foreigners. That however wasn't working too well, mostly because Darth Nagash came from the western sea so they couldn't use the idea he was doling out favoritism because he had no ties to Essos. They couldn't say that he was replacing jobs and homes that could be given to Westerosi because Harrenhal was too damn big and could house thousands more. And even the small folk knew that.
"This will only be in greater effect when the ships from Volantis come in." Quinn sighed as he leaned back in his chair. Qyburn's smile stayed firm, he was quite looking forward to the influx of teachers from Essos. Slaves trained to be learned men and women to teach the sons and daughters of the Essosi elite. They would now be teaching the children of Harrenhal, smallfolk and future Sith alike. Qyburn personally didn't like teaching but he supported the idea, if for no other reason than it would infuriate the Maesters in Old Town. "I have heard from our contacts that the merchants that do business with us have been getting worse deals from various nobility. Public opinion on us still seems to be forming, they don't know what to make of us. But the elite appear to have made up their minds, we are a power that is gathering too much influence and resources too fast."
"Then your plans to strengthen the public seem to be of utmost importance." Qyburn said as he handed Quinn the last thing he had brought with him, plans for a device that Qyburn had been working on after being given the idea from Quinn. "I finished a prototype and while the output is not as you wished it is still revolutionary. To be able to print books in these numbers, we will be able to put knowledge in the hands of every common man with ten years."
"The problem is that so few of them can read." A crisp retort but Qyburn shrugged at this issue. The fact that they could make so many books with the printing press was an achievement in of itself. And literacy could come after the influx of books. "But you're right, raising the average mind of the small folk is the key to taking power from the nobility. Education will always be the greatest means to elevate one's station in society." Quinn then rolled the plans back up and handed them to the Maester. "And the other project?"
"I must admit that one is progressing far slower. Wildfire is extremely volatile and your claim that it could be used as a power source is… interesting but unlikely to work out." Qyburn had been quite worried when Quinn came to him with a cask of the green liquid and told him to build a machine that would generate large amounts of steam with Wildfire as the fuel source. Later Qyburn would dance a jig when Quinn handed him plans to a steam engine and the Maester understood why Quinn wanted to use Wildfire to super charge the device. But containment was proving to be one of the hardest issues.
"Make sure that you stay safe, my lord has written to me saying you are a valuable tool to our cause." Quinn said and Qyburn raised an eyebrow. He did not recall any letters from Essos being delivered to Harrenhal's rookery nor was there any mention of riders delivering such a letter to Quinn. "He also said that when he returns he will give you a long talk about you special interests."
"I see… thank you governor." Qyburn said before bowing and leaving the solar and began his way back down to the dungeons of Harrenhal where he conducted his experiments. The thoughts of death and life buzzing about his mind as he looked forward to a meeting with a man that could answer so many of his questions.
When I planned on getting the attention of someone high on the pecking order in Volantis I did not expect a meeting with one of the leaders of the city himself. Sitting across from me, held up on a wooden platform carried by two muscle bound slaves, was Malaquo Maegyr. Elected triarch of the Tiger party. He was a man just past his middle age with a hardened face that looked to be as immovable as steel. His body was beginning to wither from age but I could still tell he was one of the toughest old bastards I will ever meet.
"Where are my girls?" I asked as I stirred the tea given to me without ever touching the spoon. I had been escorted to the western side of Volantis and beyond the Black Walls, again… needed to look into that Partial Shield that they had up. Then I was taken to the palace of Malaquo Maegyr, where I was separated from my five bed warmers and then brought before the aging tiger in front of me.
"Your slaves are safe, I would not dare to harm the property of another man I seek to do business with." He spoke in an old yet wet tongue. He had quite a few teeth missing and given the amount of sugar that he seems to be putting in his drink more will follow. This was a man that could do well with a few youth treatments common among the wealthy in the galaxy. Might only add a few decades to his life but at least he would look like he did in his thirties at worst. "I wanted you here because my esteemed fellow triarchs would not do well in the company of a powerful man such as yourself. One that who has very good tastes by the look in those women you had with you." He chuckled in a way that reminded me of Walder Frey. Not exactly the hehs but in the same ballpark.
"Yes, thank you for the complement." I clicked my tongue and looked at the Unsullied guards that stood around us. All of them were completely mute to me, the torment they went through was that damn effective. Organic robots at this point. But. There was still a small flicker of humanity left in them, a flicker that could be fanned into an inferno should the right person come along. "And just what do you want to speak to me about? Can't be just to discuss the fine assets I have acquired." He laughed hard at that and I actually worried he might have a heart attack… the attendants in the room seemed to think so too.
"Ah… I knew I would like you Nagash. Those outcasts Targaryens in the sunset kingdoms don't know what they have gotten in their grip." He chuckled before turning completely serious in an instant. "What I wanted to discuss with you was my upcoming election."
"From what little I have heard you are always a popular choice for the Tigers." I said smoothly as I took the tea cup and brought it to my lips. It smelled heavenly but that didn't mean anything. The man before me didn't feel any anticipation in his mind at seeing me take the cup. It wasn't poisoned.
"I am… or I was. But they want some new blood. Those fools think because I am getting old I am somehow weaker." He snarled and I continued to just sip my tea while soaking in his feelings. True anger and possessiveness washed off of him like a brilliant storm. "But, they won't be able to stop me if I have a symbol of the old times. Of Valyria." At that I set my tea cup back on its plate and looked at him with a blank stare which he just smirked at.
"And you know of my next stop before my return to Westeros." He continued to chuckle and then give a hard cough. Several beautiful women all came to him, the slaves holding his platform above lowered it so they could attend to his needs. And I found it interesting that all these women felt genuine admiration and worry for him. Seems this man treats his slaves with respect and care. Likely because he's lived long enough to see what happens to others that don't. The women all gave him balms and drinks to help his ailing health but I could tell this was only a temporary fix.
"Y-yes, you plan to go to the Smoking Sea. But first you stop in Volantis for slaves for your new keep in Westeros." He said and I had to worry if I had a spy among my crew. I didn't have Jaesa to vet all of them as thoroughly as I was used to with her. My own sensory powers were decent and helped with a few teachings from Jaesa but nowhere near the level I would like to be. It simply wasn't in my natural skillset like combat or Sith Alchemy was. It was the same thing with predicting the future. There were powers in the Force in which I found myself lacking. Sad but true. "I shall get you your slaves, all that you need and in exchange I want something from Valyria that will shut all those schemers up nice and tight." He growled even as he had several women leaning into him, smiles of contentment on their alluring faces as they pressed themselves into the old man. Damn… respect man.
"I will need five thousand slaves, fifty percent made up of laborers, twenty percent stonemasons that know how to work stone melted by Dragon Fire, ten percent teachers and educated men and women, the rest can be craftsmen of any kind." The old man grumbled a bit and began thinking over the numbers in his mind. He actually spoke quietly to one of the women with him and she replied back, he nodded at what he said and looked back at me with a stern look in his eye.
"I want two dragon eggs and at least one more, impressive, artifact." By impressive he meant something that he could wear. Like a crown or a scepter. The eggs I think won't be much of a problem, the other thing might be hard but I'm sure the Stone Men or the demons could point me in the right direction.
It seemed my crew was unwilling to travel to the Smoking Sea, shame. So I decided to repay their loyalty by asking my new friend Malaquo to take care of them for the time being. He had no problem housing the cowards in his palace along with my five former bed slaves. They wouldn't be treated too badly, hopefully. I told the Tiger not to make them too uncomfortable but who knows if he would listen. I knew at the very least my women and Davos would be safe as I explicitly said those six were important and not to be harmed.
And so here I was on a small ship with a crew of slaves who didn't know the meaning of the words survival and self-preservation. They were decent sailors but that wasn't the point. I needed men willing to travel to the most cursed place in all of Essos.
As I looked on the ruins of Valyria, or at least what ruins I could see, I knew that there was more to this place than meets the eye. But the seas did indeed deserve their name as smoke and steam wafted off the waters and obscured much of the ruins. I could see the tops of a few towers and they fit the general aesthetic that some of the artwork of Valyria depicted. But some of it was off… and familiar to the Sith side of me. I needed a closer look and so I told my slave sailors to take us deeper into the Smoking Sea. We traveled under massive arches that looked very big for a society that used both carts and dragons for transporting their goods around.
"This architecture… it can't be." I muttered to myself as we passed by one of the major cities on our way toward the very center of the island chain. From the small sights I could see past the fog, my attempts to use the Force to clear it proved limited at best, I could see signs of a very advanced nation. Certainly one that was nearing spaceflight. Or might have already achieved it. The buildings looked like the towering structures in many city worlds like Coruscant, made for sky-cars but given what the people here rode it could be for dragons I guess.
"Master, the seas… they turn angry!" One of the slaves yelled to me in their native tongue and snapped me out of my focused staring. I looked around and could see that indeed the boat was rocking violently. I saw the center island that must house the capital of Valyria and deciding it was best to go it alone I lifted myself off the ground and began flying toward the island. I looked back and saw the boat and the slaves on it get dragged into the watery depths by massive tentacles. Seems the rumors that Kraken live in these waters were true.
I soon landed on the burned ground and looked around, it looked like I was alone for the moment. Not a demon or a Stone Man anywhere. I stood up and from one of my gauntlets came two small surveying droids. I gave them orders to find anything that looked to match a Dragon's Egg and they sped off faster than man could ever catch them. They were built with shields strong enough to protect them from anything that any simple being of these lands could fire at them. If something did manage to destroy them then I got a clue that I wasn't the only powerful being in Valyria.
"Naraiz" I snapped my head toward the sound of someone calling my name. The Force was watching me, it had been since I stepped a foot on this land. Something was here, The Daughter told me the answers were exactly where I thought them to be. And I know that they are at the center of Valyria. My walk began toward the few remaining towers that marked the old ruined city. And as I moved through the ruins I drew attention, the sounds of stones over turning and strong grips on ruble echoed around. I could see the tips of cracked heads confirming the presence of Stone Men here in Valyria. I had wondered if it was only the Sorrows but nope, just like in many cases the show and books are both right in this world.
"Hmm… my first playmates." I said with a smirk as I took out Midwan and Saarai, both of whom felt oddly silent to my senses. Midwan had been screaming for blood and carnage while Saarai urged me to get the fight over as quickly as I could. But now, as those afflicted by Grayscale began to pop their heads out and start their way toward me… there was nothing from the Force Swords.
The screaming howl of one of the Stone Men brought my battle instincts to full bare. With a single slash I cut him down with Saarai as he held an improvised club above my head. The cut went from his shoulder to his legs, the blade of Saarai dusting everything it touched going through this man's body. He slumped over in two pieces. This did not seem to deter the others as they began swarming me. I cut many down before having to extend a Force Push around my body and sending them all away. Even if I was sure I could cure Grayscale with either my medical technology or Sith Alchemy I wasn't going to risk it. I was actually greatly surprised by the sheer amount of people that had been dumped on this island, the Stone Men just kept coming. But as the howls of the madmen swarming me began to thin, I heard a new voice enter the fray.
"Come at me you cockless bastards!" I cut in half another Stone Men and looked over to see that about a quarter of the horde had diverted off toward a man running toward us. He was garbed in a ruined red and yellow tunic and ruined fine pants. Honestly he looked terrible, blond hair grown wildly and a just an overall sense of unclean hung around him. But the sword in his hand… that was a whole other story.
"That's Valyrian Steel right there." I chuckled before ducking under the swipe of another Stone man and responded by lifting him into the air and slamming him into three other crazed grayscale zombies. I continued to hold off the incoming horde while watching the normal human holding a Valyrian greatsword, using it superbly well and cutting down every stone man that came at him. "I'm done with this… I have something new that has peeked my interest." And with that I sheathed both my swords, raised my hands and every Stone Man in the battle field, and chucked them all toward the nearest body of water. With any luck they'll kill off the Kraken population. The tattered man just blinked and fell over laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! I must be going crazy… I just saw an avalanche of those gray men fall into the sea." The man laughed and rolled about on the ground as he did so.
"You're not crazy, that actually happened." And just like that, the man stopped laughing and jumped up. He raised his sword and stared at me like I was some inhuman monster. "Calm the fuck down, I'm real and not infected."
"You lie, no man is sent to these lands without having that dreaded disease." He said as he held his sword tightly and I looked carefully at the blade… and more importantly the pommel. It was Brightroar, I looked back at the man staring me down. There was no fucking way. But then again… Gerion was still back in Westeros. No other Lannister was supposed to have tried to reclaim that sword.
"King of the Rock Tommen Lannister?" I said more for myself but that name seemed to spark something in the man. Like he had just been awakened from a dream that had no end. If this was actually the second to last King of the Rock than fuck… what the hell did this place do. And how dangerous was it for me to stay here? If there was some sort of time bullshit going on I needed to leave and damn the lore, answers and that old tigers' trinkets.
"The Rock… Lannisport… Talana." He mumbled as his arms fell a bit, memories were washing into his mind but as I stepped back, the ground crunched under my boot and brought him back to the present. "Who are you? Why have you come to this place?" He asked, his mind was a bit more focused now, a certain calmness had returned to his voice and his eyes were less crazed.
"My name is Naraiz Rhyhall, I have come to these lands seeking answers to questions. And my lord it has been quite some time since you last saw the shores of Westeros." I said and he narrowed his eyes at that. "I might not be able to prove it…"
"No… I know. I have counted the times the sun moves across the skies. Or I did… I stopped some many years ago." He said, defeated and tired. He lowered his arms and the tip of Brightroar tapped the ground in a way that would give Tywin a heart attack. "Come, there will be more of them, they are drawn in by sounds of conflict." He said as he turned and began back where he came. I looked back toward the towers, and then back toward the Smoking Sea. I should leave, if this placed trapped me in time than I was fucked hard. But it seemed not to be the case if King Tommen was telling the truth. So I followed him, intent on still getting the answers The Daughter promised.
I followed the ancient Lannister King through secret caves. Cravings on the wall made me think this might have been an escape route for slaves of the Dragon Lords. Crude markings telling where to go and at what times to hide from the skies. We made our way to a larger cave that overlooked the ruins of the main city of the Valyria. It was about as well furnished as one could make it in this environment. Plants grew in abundance, likely they, fish and a few birds were his only source of food.
"Nice place." I said dryly as I used the Force to move several rocks over to form a bench and Tommen just snorted in amusement at my causal display of power. "To start off, it's been roughly three hundred years since you left for these islands, minus a few decades. House Lannister still holds the Rock… though no longer as Kings."
"The Dragon Lords in Dragon Stone rose up didn't they?" Tommen asked and I nodded, he sighed and walked over to what was his bed. He sat down and buried his face in his hands. "My family… serving Valyrians. I don't know if I should find it funny or heartrending."
"If it makes you feel better, the current Lord Lannister is Hand of the King and is ruling all the Seven Kingdoms more than the actual king does." I said and that did make the beaten man smile. I could feel a giddiness and relief flow into his mind after me telling him that. This was a man that wanted answers but at the same time knew those answers would hurt him, they would not paint a picture of a world he wanted. I honestly could not find it in myself to feel pity for him given how well he was holding himself together. This was not a man that needed pity but honesty. So I proceeded to tell him the history of Westeros after his time, Aegon's Conquest and the Targaryen Dynasty that followed. He just listened through it all, offering a few reactions here and there. A chuckle or a scowl, mild reactions to things he could not affect in the slightest.
"I often thought about what was happening beyond these shores, more than why I do not seem to die from the days passing by." I finished with the current situation with Tywin and the rest of the golden haired brood. He didn't seem to reflect any more on my words, his mind was moving past them like we had just finished speaking of the latest harvest. This was an odd man. "And I don't know why it is that I can't seem to age. It seems to affect the gray ones too, they continue to worsen in their sickness but at a certain point it stops and they remain as they are."
"No one else has stopped by before me?" I asked and Tommen thought about it for a moment.
"A few, I watched them from far away. If the Kraken doesn't kill them then something else does… the Gray Lady. A spectral wraith that floats in the air, it kills anything that it sees. It wanders from island to island… then vanishes below at sundown into the waters and returns every morning." That had me interested as there was nothing in the books like that.
"What does this Gray Lady look like?" I asked and Tommen seemed to be hesitating to speak of this but eventually he decided that there was little point in keeping secrets.
"I call it the Gray Lady only because it reminds me of a story my nanna once told me. Of a ghost that haunted the seas looking for wayward sailors sick of their captain and plotting to mutiny. The Gray lady would find them, beguile them to their beds and whisk them away to the sea to drown them." Tommen explained and he had this far away look in his eye, I could tell that he was enjoying my company for no other reason than I could bring back these memories for him. "It has this hum in the wind before you see it, that's what it reminded me of that story. It sounds like nothing I have ever heard and same goes for the sailors that it traps. They are drawn to the sound and the second it sees them, it rains down bright lights and death comes after. Fire and explosions. They come from its gray body, massive like a ship but curved in ways that make you think of a woman."
"I see." I said and I could not help but feel I knew what he was speaking of. That sounded a lot like a gunship that had antigravity thrusters, lasers and missiles. An automated gunship… a one of a kind one that was made by the Valyrians. Or maybe it was the last one of a fleet of them. Either way if it was true than this confirmed that Valyria had access to modern, or at least wider galaxy tech.
King Tommen of the Rock, still alive and trapped in an ageless land. A gunship that attacks anything it gets its sights on. Signs that this society had connections to the wider galaxy. A calling voice in the Force. A promise by one of The Ones. Valyria was turning out to be a very interesting trip indeed… one that I knew would change a great deal.
Reviews
rmarcano321 - By now you really should know that I don't have the answers to these types of questions you ask in all of my stories.
HadrianCaeser- Becuase clones are best, I think that so Naraiz would think that
Guest (1) - 15 is too young for me and this is a self-insert
Abrams 1559 - Necromancy is a thing that Naraiz is not too willing to touch, he might look into it depending on how things go with the White Walkers but when it comes to anything that involves death he's acting on the side of caution. Its one of those things that can go very wrong very quickly, he mostly took the name because I like it, I think its one of the most awesome sounding names ever, and he's trolling the idea of rebirth by taking it.
Death Lantern - none of those Naraiz is interested in.
Hiei-Uchiha - As you have seen in this chapter, Benjen is going to be the Sith Stark. I want to give mostly the B and C list characters Force Powers so they have a better chance to shine. As for Ned mini harem thing... maybe... maybe. If I can think of a way for it to work out... the biggest problem is Cat. She wouldn't never ever go for it.