Dark Knights of Steel: Ice and Fire
…
Chapter 1
Essos. The Disputed Lands.
Flags fluttered in the wind followed by the sounds of cheers and the clattering cacophony of hooves hammering earth and splintering crashes of wood and metal. Aegon wheeled his horse, a charger black as sin, around as he took up another tourney lance offered to him. Hefting it in his arm, getting a feel for the weight of it, Aegon looked over at his opponent.
It had been a few weeks since Aegon and his teachers/family had joined up with the Golden Company. They had recently received word from the Spider that war had now engulfed Westeros following the death of the Usurper Robert Baratheon and the trial and execution of Lord Eddard Stark at the command, or more accurately the whim of the newly crowned Joffrey Baratheon. The Quiet Wolf's eldest son and heir Robb Stark had rallied and mustered his bannermen and levies and marched south from the North and had earned the epithet the Young Wolf after smashing a Lannister host led by the Kingslayer Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard in the Riverlands and captured the Lion in chains. There were other claimants to the Iron Throne such as the Usurper's younger brothers, Stannis, and Renly Baratheon.
Renly didn't last long despite him having a vast number of soldiers and support from the Stormlands and the Tyrells on his side, but he'd been killed all the same in his own tent. There had been many rumours of how Renly had been assassinated, the most common and popular belief was that his newly appointed Kingsguard, Lady Brienne of Tarth had murdered him for rejecting her advances. With Renly dead, the Tyrells had retreated back to Highgarden in the Reach and the Stormlanders had merged with Stannis' host, making him by far the largest and strongest contender for the Iron Throne.
With the chaos that had been happening in Westeros, Varys had sent word to Aegon's mentor and father-figure, Lord Jon Connington, to join the Golden Company and have Aegon learn the life of a soldier. A couple of months of drilling and a few skirmishes later, Aegon had been learning what it meant to be a soldier. It was then Captain-General Myles 'Blackheart' Toyne had called for a squire's tourney, for a variety of reasons; one was to reveal Aegon to the Golden Company captains, the second being to give the squires in the Golden Company a chance to show off their skills and give them a chance to earn their spurs.
After being introduced to the Golden Company, Aegon had then taken part in the Tourney. He'd faced off against other squires, riding hard and sure, knocking a few off their horses. Some his lance broke off their shields earning him a point. His opponents had given as good as they got against him, and a few had come close to knocking him off his horse. But whether it was through luck or skill (Aegon liked to think it was skill), Aegon had prevailed and was now facing off the next squire, a pimply dark-skinned Dornish boy that rode a horse that was as foul tempered as him.
Aegon's charger snorted and pawed the ground with one hoof. It seemed like to charge before the herald could even sound his trumpet, and in all honesty, Aegon couldn't blame his steed for its eagerness. He'd have liked to charge out and meet his foe too instead of waiting. After a torturously long moment that felt like an hour rather than a minute, the herald blew his horn and Aegon hardly needed to kick his horse into a gallop for it did so as the horn was called. Setting his eyes firmly on his opponent, Aegon couched his lance, aiming for the chest. His opponent seemed to be aiming his lance at his head. As the lance neared Aegon's head, he twisted his head to the side, narrowly avoiding the blunted tip of the lance and lunged with his own lance. The Dornish boy gave a strangled cry and fell off his horse as Aegon's lance smashed and shattered against his chest, knocking him backwards through the force and inertia.
The crowd of assembled knights, lords, ladies, magisters, and the like cheered wildly as Aegon raised his now shattered lance in triumph while a maester and a team of stretcher bearers carried the dazed and winded squire off the field to be treated.
The next two squires made their passes at each other, giving Aegon a chance to rest his charger. Ser Rolly Duckfield helped Aegon off his horse and helped him pull of his helmet. "You're doing well, lad. I've taught you well it seems," the shaggy-haired knight proclaimed proudly as he offered Aegon a skin of water.
"I like to think so, ser," Aegon replied with a smile, but then his smile faltered as he said, "My pardon, but for a moment when I'm tilting against the other squires, it almost feels like they're letting me win."
"How do you mean, my prince?" Rolly asked.
"I don't really know," Aegon replied. "It feels as though when I come nearer to them, their aim isn't quite as sure or they slow down as they ride closer," he said uncertainly.
"Perhaps you're seeing things," Rolly said easily. "I mean, you were revealed to everyone as the lost son of Prince Rhaegar Targaryen," he added. "So, mayhap the other squires don't intend to harm you too much?" he offered.
"I'd rather they did intend to, Ser," Aegon said sternly. "How else will I win the respect of the Golden Company captains if the other squires go easy on me?"
"As you say, my prince," Rolly said with a nod of his head. "Anyway, best get your helmet back on and onto your horse. You're up against the last squire," he advised.
"Good," Aegon said with a nod of his head as he put his helm back on, fastening it before climbing back onto his charger. Flicking the reins, Aegon had his horse trot out and he picked up a tourney lance. He looked over at his opponent and spotted the three castles on a field of orange on his shield. House Peake, Aegon thought vaguely, a house that had lost two of its castles in their numerous rebellions. Ages before during the Dance of Dragons, the patriarch of House Peake had tried to have his daughter wed to the then King Aegon III but had failed spectacularly to do so. A wry smirk passed over Aegon's lips under his helm as he thought of denying a house of rebels another victory.
Readying himself, Aegon waited for the sound of the horn and quickly enough, the trumpeting sound of the horn blew. With a kick, Aegon's steed charged into a gallop same as the Peake's did. Aegon and his opponent made numerous passes at each, breaking their lances off each other's shields. One pass, Aegon was nearly knocked off his horse, but he quickly caught himself and pulled himself upright and grabbed another lance and charged again. Again, his lance broke off his opponent's shield, but the same was for the Peake squire.
Soon after, Lord Jon called it a to halt and bade them to present themselves and asked for Blackheart to make the final judgement. Aegon tried not to let his tiredness show as the Blackheart stared at him and Peake in a calculating manner with hard eyes before speaking loudly for all who were present to hear.
"Both of these young men performed admirably. They've both shown great skill at lances and horsemanship. A true show of chivalry," he said slowly before adding, "But from what I'd seen with my own eyes, it was Prince Aegon who couched his lance more skilfully throughout this tourney. Let it be known that the prince has won!"
The crowd cheered and clapped wildly. Aegon raised his helmet high and gave a beaming smile, elated that he'd won his first tourney. The Peake boy scowled and left the field, muttering curses under his breath.
"Prince Aegon. Approach, please," Lord Jon said, his face stern but proud. Aegon dismounted his horse and stood before his mentor. "Kneel." Aegon did so as Lord Jon drew his sword and spoke, "Aegon Targaryen, do you swear before the eyes of the gods and men to defend those who cannot defend themselves, to protect all women and children, to obey your captains, to fight bravely when needed and do other such tasks, no matter how hard or humble or dangerous they may be?"
Aegon looked up at Lord Jon and nodded his head. "I do, my lord," he said bravely.
Lord Jon then rested the tip of his sword on Aegon's right shoulder before moving it to his left and spoke the words. "In the name of the Warrior, I charge you to be brave. In the name of the Father, I charge you to be just. In the name of the Mother, I charge you to protect the young and innocent. In the name of the Maiden, I charge you to protect all women. In the name of the Smith, I charge you to be diligent. In the name of the Crone, I charge you to be wise and serve as a guiding force for all those who come after you. Arise, Ser Aegon Targaryen!"
Aegon rose to his feet and if he had thought the cheering before was loud, this was colossal. "A knight, a knight!" one woman cried out. One man shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ser Aegon Targaryen! The Conqueror Reborn!"
Myles Toyne stepped down from his seat as servants rushed forward, carrying a chest of cedar wood and polished copper. Myles bowed his head as the chest was opened.
"Blackfyre!" Aegon breathed out as he gazed upon what lay within. The fabled sword of Aegon the Conqueror and used by many Targaryen Kings until it was given away. The sword of kings and pretenders. It was beautiful; the blade was all Valyrian steel, dark and smoky, almost black in colour with ripples all along from there metal had been folded a thousand times over. A gleaming red faceted ruby was set in the pommel, beautifully and elegantly cut into a diamond shape while the hilt was fashioned out of smooth and polished dragonglass and the ends of the crossguard were wrought into roaring dragon heads of cold black iron.
'The sword that was lost has now returned to its rightful owners' Aegon thought to himself. He smiled bowing his head in thanks before taking up the sword and was given an ebon wood and leather sheath for it and tied to it to his belt.
Lord Jon then spoke to Aegon in a whisper. "Well done, my prince." Although the exiled Lord of Griffin's Roost face was stern, his pale blue eyes shone with pride and joy.
"Thank you, Lord Jon. I won't let you down," Aegon whispered to him before turning to the crowd and raised his gauntleted hand high and everyone cheered.
Soon, a call for refreshments was announced and Jon said to Aegon, "You'd best get out of that armour for the feast now, boy. I'll see you there." Aegon nodded at this and headed into the camp where his tent would be, intent of taking off his armour and changing into something more suitable for the feast. As he neared his tent, Aegon spied dark cloud growing on the horizon.
"A storm? That's unfortunate," he muttered to himself as he entered his tent where he began to take off his armour and set it aside in a neat pile.
…
Some servants had drawn Aegon a bath, something he was grateful for. He had worked up quite a bit of sweat and dust in the tourney, so a hot bath was certainly a welcome sight. After spending almost an hour in the large wooden tub, scrubbing his skin until it was pink and raw, Aegon climbed out of the bath, dried himself off before dressing himself.
Dressing himself in black trousers, a lambswool shirt and leather jerkin and fine but plain leather boots, Aegon looked at himself in the looking glass. His reflection stared back at him with a small smile present on its lips.
"I'm a knight," Aegon murmured to himself before giving a chuckle. "Still can't believe it," he added before he looked at his sword, Blackfyre, propped up against the table. His smile widening, Aegon tied the sword onto his belt and looked at himself once again in the looking glass.
"Did the Conqueror ever feel this way?" Aegon asked himself. And then there came a rumble of thunder and wind began to blow. The tent flaps began to flap and ripple as wind blew into the tent.
"A storm? At this hour?" Aegon asked himself with a sigh of frustration as he prepared to exit his tent. Then there came a fizzing, hissing crackling sound and a strange scent hit Aegon's nose making it wrinkle as he tried to identify what the smell was. Then a burst of light filled the tent, blinding Aegon forcing him to cover his eyes with his hands and a shockwave knocked him to the ground. Fumbling for his sword, Aegon drew it out and uncovered his eyes to see a bizarre sight before him.
A young woman with golden-blonde hair and wearing a strange outfit of skin-tight blue material with patches of red on it. The young woman looked around with a gleeful almost manic smile on her lips. She then looked at Aegon with bright green eyes.
"Hi there!" she greeted in a loud chipper voice. Aegon could only gape at the strange woman and she then said, "This is where you say 'Hi' back."
"H-hi?" Aegon uttered in confusion, the strange word foreign to him.
"What country is this?" the strange woman asked. "Did I land in Middle-Earth or Narnia this time?" she babbled out.
"Middle-Earth? Narnia?" Aegon parroted those two words. "Wh-Who are you?" he asked in clear confusion.
"Name's Rose, but call me Fangirl," the blonde woman replied easily.
"Fan… girl?" Aegon wasn't sure what to make of this woman; she seemed quite mad and the way she appeared in that flash of light had him thinking witchcraft was involved. "What… are you? How did you get here in my tent?" he demanded trying to wrest control of the situation.
"I'm a woman, can't you tell?" Rose/Fangirl replied as though it were that simple. "And I got here by accident," she then said.
"Are you… a witch?" Aegon asked cautiously, wondering if Valyrian steel would be even capable of killing this strange woman.
"No. At least, I don't think so," Rose/Fangirl replied. "And you didn't answer my question before: where am I?" she asked.
"You're… You're in the Disputed Lands of Essos," Aegon said.
An excited starry-eyed look came over the woman's face as she squealed out, "I'M IN GAME OF THRONES?!" She gave a loud ear piercing squeal of excitement that had Aegon wincing at just how this woman could squeal. "Wait-wait-wait-wait! Am I in the TV series, or the Books?" the woman then demanded. "Which character are you?!"
"You're… you're mad!" Aegon said.
"Hey! I resent that!" Rose said with an indignant glare. "Now tell me which character you are, that way I know where I am," she said.
"I'm… Prince Aegon Targaryen, Sixth of his name," Aegon said uncertainly.
"Oooooh! You're that character! I guess I shoulda figured 'cause of the hair and eyes," Rose said knowingly. "So, I'm obviously in the books, because the TV series doesn't have you in it," she added.
"Books? Tee-vee series? What in Seven Hells are you babbling about?!" Aegon demanded.
"Ah, I forgot, in my world you're a fictional character in a book series and there was a TV series based on the books," Rose replied rapidly. "The TV series is pretty popular, but they cut out some characters like you and Lord Jon Connington," she said.
"You… you are quite mad!" Aegon said with an air of finality. "And I want you out of my tent this instant!" he stated angrily.
"Aha, so are you Aegon VI! I read the part in the books where you started ordering around Tyrion Lannister and his thoughts were that you were now acting like a Targaryen," Rose said excitedly. "Although there's some debate in the fan-forums if you're actually a Targaryen and not a Blackfyre," she added as an afterthought.
Aegon prepared to open his mouth to call for some guards to remove this bizarre woman when a crack of thunder broke the sky and the wind howled. Rose stiffened, a look of alarm on her face as she said fearfully, "Oh no! That isn't what I think it is, is it?"
"What is?" Aegon asked perplexed.
Rose didn't listen and ran out the tent and Aegon followed her outside. Rose stood outside and looked up at the sky, a look of deep fear in her green eyes. Aegon looked up to see a curious sight.
A large tear in the sky, red and weeping, like a fresh wound and a miasma of crimson mist floated through. Everyone who had attended the tourney all came out to look at this strange, wonderous sight.
"What is it?" one squire asked out loud.
"Is it R'hllor come to grace us with his presence?" a Red Priest asked.
Aegon shook his head in wonder, wondering what this strange sight was and he looked at Rose who had a look of stricken fear on her face. "What is this… thing?" he asked the woman.
"The Bleed," Rose replied fearfully. "A tear in the fabric of realities and between universes themselves!" she said. "We have to get out of here! Now!" she declared.
"Why? What's so bad about it?" Aegon enquired.
"The Bleed corrupts anyone who is exposed to it! Worse is what comes through it!" Rose said as she grabbed Aegon by the arm and started to haul him down the line of tents at a run.
"What is it that will come through this… Bleed?" Aegon asked a little fearfully.
"The Sheeda!" Rose replied.
"Sheeda?" Aegon echoed.
"A race of fairies that have been corrupted by the Bleed," Rose explained. "They're hellbent on conquering any universes they find themselves in," she further added.
"How do I know you're not feeding me falsehoods?" Aegon challenged. "What's to stop me from running you through with my sword right here and now?" he asked.
"Look behind you then!" And Aegon turned around to look and he suddenly wished he hadn't. The red miasma that had floated down had people convulsing and screaming in pain. Then they started to change into hideous monsters and those that didn't turn were suddenly torn apart or carried off by cadres of small, winged creatures.
"What's happening to them?!" Aegon asked in fear.
"The Bleed is corrupting them! Turning them into monsters! Those that are lucky are being carried off by the Sheeda to turn into foot-soldiers or food for their armies," Rose replied.
"And we're to flee from them?!" Aegon demanded.
"Trust me, kiddo, ain't much you can do about this. We gotta run and we gotta run now!" Rose replied with a serious look on her face.
"Wait! What about Lord Jon?! Duck?! Haldon?! Or Septa Lemore?! I can't abandon them!" Aegon yelled desperately. Wrenching himself free of Rose's grip on his arm, Aegon drew his sword and ran towards the crowd of monsters and fairy creatures.
A large unidentifiable monsters charged towards Aegon. Thrusting Blackfyre like a spear, Aegon impaled the creature through where he thought the heart might be. The creature howled in pain and the other monsters converged on Aegon who whispered a prayer to the Stranger, ready to go down fighting.
Then music filled the air, a strange melodious tune that was foreign to Aegon's ears.
"Let it go! Let it go! Turn my back and slam the door~!"
The monsters clutched their heads and screamed in pain the fairy creatures gave shrill screeches and shrieks of agony. Aegon turned and saw Rose running towards him with a small metallic object in her hand that was playing the music.
"What is that music?!" Aegon demanded, wanting to know the answer.
"Disney music," Rose replied matter-of-factly. "It can disrupt the energies of the Bleed and causes pain to those corrupted by it," she said. She then grabbed Aegon by the arm. "Now c'mon! We have to go!" she shouted.
"What about my friends?!" Aegon shouted.
"You're no good to them dead!" Rose stated coldly.
"Damn it!" Aegon cursed as he started to run with Rose. The music playing object in her hands stopped the miasma from reaching them and any monsters that tried to come close fell over in pain.
Aegon's lungs burned as he kept pace with Rose or tried to at least. Rose didn't seem too out of breath, and she reached for something inside a pocket in her suit and pulled out another metallic object that had a red gem in the centre. "Hold onto me! And don't let go!" she ordered Aegon who grabbed onto her. Pressing the red gem, the pair of were enveloped into a bright white light, but that moment, a swarm of the fairy creatures flew towards them and started to assail them. Aegon flailed his hand about in a bid to drive off the creatures but in doing so, he loosened his grip on Rose and suddenly he was falling through a void.
Aegon could only watch helplessly as his world was now gone and he fell through darkness. Falling through the cold empty void, Aegon felt tears pour from his eyes at the harshness of his fate, closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the darkness.
Then suddenly, he felt his back hit the ground with a heavy thump that knocked the wind out of him. Opening his eyes, Aegon found his vision was blurry and distorted. He then tried to sit up; from what his blurred eyesight could tell him, he was out the front of a small farmstead, and it was night-time. Then a door to the building opened streaming in bright glowing golden orange light and the silhouette of a figure stood in the doorway. Aegon raised and tried to say or ask for help, but his strength gave out and he collapsed on the ground and unconsciousness took him.
…
Something wet was draped against Aegon's forehead, making him wince and open his eyes and he scrunched them shut as bright light filled his vision. "Where-Where am I?" he asked in a weak and tired voice.
"It's alright, young man. You're safe," said an aged yet strong almost fatherly man's voice. "When we found on our doorstep, we thought it might be it for you," the man's voice added.
Aegon opened his eyes and he looked to see the owner of the voice, an old but still healthy looking man wearing a farmer's smock and trousers with hair going to grey. A friendly and warm smile was on the man's face as he asked, "Feeling alright now, young man?"
"Not sure," Aegon admitted reluctantly, feeling like a twit and not wanting to show weakness. "May I have something to drink?" he asked with a raspy and hoarse voice.
"Of course, you must be quite thirsty," the old man replied knowingly as he took up a earthenware jug and a wooden cup and filled the cup with water. Aegon took the cup of liquid with a grateful nod and drank it all down in one go.
"Where am I?" Aegon then asked after he drained the cup of water down his gullet.
"You're on my farm," the old man told him. "I'm Jonathon. Jonathon Kent," he then said introducing himself. "Who might you be, young man?" he asked.
"Aegon Targaryen, sixth of his name and recently knighted," Aegon said with as much dignity as he could muster at present.
"A knight, eh? Certainly explains your fine attire and your sword," Jonathon Kent remarked. "Are you in service to the Els?" he asked.
"Els? Who are they?" came Aegon's reply. "What kingdom is this?" he then asked.
"You're in the Kingdom of El, and the Els are the ruling family," Jonathon explained. "What kingdom are you from?"
"The Seven Kingdoms, by way of Essos," Aegon told Jonathon.
"Seven Kingdoms, Essos? Where abouts is that?" Jonathon enquired.
"I'm not sure," Aegon admitted as he started to remember what had happened to in the past few hours. "Would the El family be able to help me?" he then asked.
A slightly grim look came over Jonathon Kent's face as he said, "I don't think that would be the wisest course of action, son."
"Why? Are the Els unkind rulers?" Aegon asked.
"Not exactly," Jonathon said vaguely. "Are you able to use magic at all?" he then asked looking at Aegon.
"Magic? Why would you ask that?" Aegon looked at the old man confused.
"Magic is outlawed in the Kingdom of El, and anyone who displays magical abilities is never seen again," Jonathon replied.
"What about magical items? Say a sword?" Aegon then asked.
"Your sword is magical?" Jonathon questioned.
"Valyrian steel is said to be forged with magic in the Valyrian Freehold at the height of its power before the Doom," Aegon replied. "So, if what you say is true about magic, then would I perhaps be an enemy of the El family?" he asked cautiously.
Jonathon gave Aegon a flat look and said, "If you're wondering whether I'm going to turn you into the El family, then you needn't worry. My wife and I have taken in some youngsters who are magical."
"Why… why would you do that?" Aegon asked in confusion. "Wouldn't it be better to turn in any magicals to the El family than risk courting their wrath?"
"Not all people who have magical abilities are dangerous. Some are much like you and me, just trying to get by in life," Jonathon replied. "And because I know an innocent person when I see one," he then said.
"I see. I apologise for offending you," Aegon said feeling a little embarrassed about his assumption of the man who had found him.
"It's alright, young man. I'd be suspicious too in your shoes," Jonathon said with a warm smile. "You feel well enough to stand?" he then asked as he stood up from his seat.
"I suppose we'll find out," Aegon said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. His feet touched the cool wood floor. Summoning his strength, Aegon lifted himself to standing position. He swayed for a moment before standing tall and he realised he was clad in only his smallclothes. "Where are my clothes?" he asked looking at Jonathon.
"Right here," Jonathon told him as he handed over a bundle of clothing that Aegon recognised as his.
Aegon quickly dressed himself and after doing so, he looked around for his sword. "Where abouts is my sword?" he enquired.
Jonathon pointed to the end of the bed and to Aegon's relief, Blackfyre was propped up against the foot of the bed. After tying the Valyrian blade to his belt, Aegon nodded his thanks to Jonathon who smiled and asked, "Feeling hungry?"
"Very much so. I could eat an ox I'm so hungry," Aegon said with a smile.
"Well, come along then. Come meet everyone else," Jonathon said to him as he led Aegon out of the room and into a larger room where a large oak table sat in the middle. Seated around the table, enjoying a meal were two young men, one with lime green skin and equally green hair and the other with dark skin and covered in what looked like armour to Aegon. There were three other occupants at the table, all of them women; two of them were young and very contrasting as the first young woman had deep golden orange skin and fiery red hair and her clothing was very minimal as she wore little more than shorts, a short shirt and boots. The other young woman was dressed far more conservatively, wearing a long deep purple cloak and black robes and her skin was a pale grey colour and her short cut hair was an inky purple-black colour and set in the middle of forehead was a diamond shaped ruby. The last woman at the table was an older woman with thankfully normal skin colour and could perhaps be Jonathon's wife.
"Good morning, everyone," Jonathon said with a wide smile. "Aegon, these are Victor," the metal armoured boy gave a nod. "Garfield," the green skinned boy gave a chipper smile. "Kory," the redheaded woman gave a cheerful wave of her hand and a bright smile. "Raven," the pale skinned girl gave a brief nod. "And this is my dear wife Martha." Jonathon's wife smiled as she stood from her seat to greet Aegon.
"It's nice to meet you, Aegon," she said offering a hand to shake which Aegon did. "Although you'll forgive me if I find your name to be a little foreign," she added kindly.
"Well, your names are equally foreign to my ears, Lady Martha," Aegon replied using the honorific. "Thank you and your husband for giving me shelter. It was very kind of you to do so," he said respectfully.
"I'm no lady, young man," Martha said with a gentle and amused smile. "Just a simple farmer's wife and caretaker to these youngster we've taken in," she added.
"You know we can take of ourselves by now, can't you?" Victor said dryly. "If anything, we take care of you and Jonathon," he added.
"We all take care of each other, Victor," Jonathon said kindly. "Now, I don't know about you, but I'm rather hungry. Got a lot of work I need to do today, so I need to keep up my strength," he added with a chuckle.
"Well, sit yourself down, dear," Martha told her husband and she looked at Aegon and asked him, "Are you hungry as well, Mr Aegon?"
"I am," Aegon admitted as he took a seat next to Kory who smiled at him brightly.
"Well, dig in. Don't want this food going to waste otherwise," Martha told everyone.
The selection of food wasn't anything lordly that Aegon knew of, but there was a good amount of fried bacon, toasted bread, boiled eggs and milk to wash it down with. Aegon bit into a piece of bacon and gave a groan of relief as the first thing he had eaten in however long was like heaven to him.
Kory then chose this moment to speak to Aegon, asking him, "So, where is it you come from, Mr Aegon?" Her smile was sweet and her green eyes were filled with an innocence that had Aegon blushing a little before he recovered his senses to give a reply.
"I was born in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, but due to some unfortunate events, I was raised in the Free Cities of Essos."
"West-Er-Ross? Where is that?" Kory asked innocently.
"Well, that's a long story and I'm not sure how I even got here," Aegon admitted.
"You're from another world," Raven said bluntly without even looking at Aegon.
"How… How did you know that?" Aegon asked her.
Raven looked at Jonathon and Martha who both sighed and reluctantly nodded. Raven then looked at Aegon and answered his question. "I can use magic. I simply read your mind," she told him. Her impassive face softened a little as she said, "I'm sorry to see that you lost your world."
"Lost my world? Is my…?" Aegon trailed off afraid to ask.
"I'm sorry," Raven said somberly.
Aegon suddenly lost his appetite and sat staring at the table, unsure of what to feel or say in this moment. He then felt someone take his hand and he looked up to see Kory looking at with a kind smile.
"You are not the only one who has lost their world, or is so far from it that return is impossible," she said to him gently.
"How could you know?" Aegon groused.
"I am not from this world either. I am from the planet Tamaran," Kory said.
"Planet?" Aegon echoed.
"Kory's an alien," Victor told him. "She might resemble a human being on the surface, but she's very much different to humans," he said.
"How?" Aegon asked.
Kory lifted a free hand and it was then glowing a bright emerald green colour. "I have powers derived from exposure to the sun," she said.
"Amazing!" Aegon said in awe. He looked at Victor and Garfield. "Do you two have magical powers as well?" he asked.
Garfield smiled widely and an instant a green furred dog was in place and gave a bark. "You can turn into dog?" Aegon asked.
The green furred dog then turned back into Garfield and replied, "Not just a dog. I can turn into any animal I've seen and I've seen a lot out there."
Aegon nodded in understanding and he looked at Victor who shrugged and said, "I'm part, part machine."
"So, that isn't armour you're wearing?" Aegon asked.
"I guess you could say I am the armour," Victor replied with a shrug of his broad shoulders.
"How did you become this way?" Aegon asked.
A grim and bitter look was on Victor's face as he said, "I'd rather not talk about it, to be honest."
"Fair enough," Aegon said in agreement and he looked at Jonathon and his wife and asked them, "Do you two have magical powers as well?"
"Wouldn't that be something," Martha said in amusement. "Nope. Me and Jonathon are as human as you are," she told Aegon.
"They both served in the army of the El Kingdom," Raven said casually.
"You were both soldiers?" Aegon said looking at Jonathon and Martha.
"Once upon a time, but those years are long past," Jonathon said. "Now we're just living and tending the land quietly. Or as quietly as it gets around here," he added grimly.
"Is there trouble brewing?" Aegon enquired.
"Something like that," Jonathon replied before he sighed and shook his head. "But enough about that, I got some work that needs doing around the farm today and I don't have time to waste," he said before finished his morning meal and stood from his chair and headed out the front door.
"Did I say something to offend your husband?" Aegon asked Martha who shook her head kindly and said to him, "It's nothing you did, Mr Aegon. There's trouble on the horizon and it's coming to a head sooner or later."
"What kind of trouble?" Aegon asked.
Martha looked at Raven who nodded and said to Aegon, "Do you believes in prophecies?"
…
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! First chapter of this is done and dusted. Sat down to write and this is what came out, so I hope it was satisfactory.
As you might've guessed, this story is set in Tom Taylor's Dark Knights of Steel universe and Aegon has found himself on the Kent Farm and comes face to face with the Titans. Now granted I don't know the full backstory of this version of the Teen Titans as it was only just recently that they made their entry into the Dark Knights of Steel series so I'm waiting (im)patiently for the next issue in the series to come out, but one I do know is that Ra's Al Ghul and Talia Al Ghul are searching for them and want them for some purpose. What the purpose is, I don't really know as Tom Taylor is keeping the details of the plot pretty close to his chest.
I have some ideas to bring in some other DC characters into this story and by extension the Dark Knights of Steel universe such as one of my favourite characters Power Girl and possibly Huntress, but I'm trying to decide which Huntress I want to use; Mafia Princess Helena Bertinelli Huntress, or Daughter of Batman and Catwoman Helena Wayne Huntress? Or I might have Atlee/Terra II take Huntress's place given that she is often depicted as PG's sidekick of sorts. I might even make a Dark Knights of Steel version of Zatanna Zatara, but until or unless Tom Taylor decides what to do with Zatanna, I might hold off on that idea.
I might even bring in a couple of Marvel Comics characters into the story such as Emma Frost and Laura Kinney/X-23, but how to bring them into the story is up for brainstorming sessions, so if anyone has any ideas on how to bring Emma and Laura into the Dark Knights of Steel universe, please leave them in your review or PM them, I'd love to brainstorm ideas for this story.
In other news, I've got an idea for a Game of Thrones/ASOIAF/Elder Scrolls/Fallout/Witcher crossover and I've set up a romance poll for the idea of which female character Aegon could end up with. Plot wise, I was thinking of Aegon in the Skyrim world, but I've been doing a little research on the Elder Scrolls Online game and it could be a change of pace for Aegon to be in the Elder Scrolls Online world and go through the DLCs such as Greymoor, Elsweyr, etc. but we'll have to wait and see. A very strong part of me wants to take the safe bet and have Aegon be in Skyrim, but a small part of me does want to try the Elder Scrolls Online storyline instead for a change of pace.
But before I go on a nonsensical rant, I should probably leave this here and get to work on other projects and even some rewrites of older stories, so I should go and do that.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.