Sweet Mother:
Beyond the Wall:
Agmear brought over a waterskin that he had managed to save and passed it around the survivors of the Mutiny of Craster's Keep as well as the sudden ambush by wights. Only a few had managed to escape including Lord Commander Mormont who was badly injured. Bedwyck and Edd were also alive and a few others. They had set up a small camp and the hooded man was gutting and skinning a couple of rabbits that they had caught.
Gilly had wrapped her baby son up tightly to keep him warm from the cold. She looked at the man "I don't mean to sound ungrateful but why did you help us?" she asked
The hooded man stopped for a second and then answered "My Master sent me to help you. He told me to help you get back to the Wall. Besides, I always help my brothers."
"Brothers?" Agmear questioned "Who are you?"
The man slowly removed his hood and mask revealing a man with long brownish hair and a beard but he also had skin that looked like it was rotting.
Mormont gasped and groaned in pain when he saw who it was "First Ranger Benjen?" he gasped
Benjen smiled "It's been a while Lord Commander?"
Bedwyck looked confused "I thought you had been lost beyond the Wall." He stated
Benjen sighed "After the deserted my brother executed claimed that he had seen Wight Walkers, Lord Commander could see that something was wrong."
Mormont nodded "With an increase of Wildlings trying to get over the wall plus Rangers disappearing, I knew something was wrong."
"It's why he sent me on a ranging party deep beyond the wall to find White Walkers." Benjen added "They found us, a White Walker stabbed me in the gut with a sword of ice and left me to turn. I don't know why they didn't just kill me outright. But then the children found me."
"The children?" Mormont added
"The Children of the Forest." Benjen replied "It seems that the legends about them were true as well. They took me to a cave controlled by the Three Eyed Raven, some kind of hermit who has ancient powers. They stopped the spread."
"How?" Mormont questioned
"By stabbing me again with something that kills Walkers." Benjen replied "A piece of Dragonglass. That stopped the spread and saved me but not before I partly turned. I'm not fully alive or fully dead. I decided to try and spy on the Walkers and see what they're doing."
"And did you find anything?" Mormont asked
"They seem to be adding to their army by raiding old tombs." Benjen answered "The White Walkers are just part of the army. Their leader, the Night King is not the real threat."
"What do you mean?" Edd asked
"The Three Eyed Raven can see into the past." Benjen replied "Thousands of years ago, the World Eater, one of the first creatures created tried to destroy all life. The armies of men and elves joined to destroy him but in the end, all they could do was seal him away. Now the magic that binds him is fading, soon the World Eater shall return and only the Dragonborn can stop him."
"The Dragonborn?" Mormont questioned
"A being born with the body of a mortal but the soul of a dragon." Benjen stated "Different from the Targaryens, dragonborns are blessed by the Nine Divines or the Old Gods. The White Walkers serve the World Eater and are building their forces for when they return. As you cut off their access to their wights by bringing the Free Folk south, they turned to raising the ancient dead including the Dragon Priests, the loyal followers of the World Eater."
"We have to get back to the wall." Mormont stated "Things just got even more complicated."
"I will escort you to Castle Black." Benjen stated "Then I must leave you."
Mormont looked at him "You're not coming with us?" he questioned
"I can't" Benjen replied "The Wall was built with Ancient Magic; it keeps any undead from passing through. I'm half undead now so the magic will stop me. You don't need to worry about me; I've been evading the Walkers for a few years now. I know how to stay out of range of a horde of undead. We'll need to get going soon; it won't be long before more raiding parties find us."
Red Keep: Small Council Chambers:
The King had gathered all of the Small Council to discuss something very serious. Not long ago, the King as well as the New Master of Laws, Trystane Martell had received some very disturbing news.
"Grand Maester?" Martin questioned "Is it as serious as we thought."
Grand Maester Ebrose sighed "I'm afraid so your Grace." He stated "The news was true, the Mythic Dawn's Daedric forces have captured large parts of the Dornish Marches. Nightsong, Starpike and Horn Hill have fallen while Blackhaven is under siege. Stonehelm so far has been left alone. Lord Bryce Caron is dead, his surviving forces were able to flee under the leadership of his bastard brother Rolland Storm. He made it to Stonehelm and sent the raven."
"And they hit Dorne as well." Trystane added "I received word my Oberyn, they captured Wyl, Kingsgrave and Blackmount. Starfall is also under siege as well."
"In just a week, the Mythic Dawn have taken a huge chunk of land." Varys gasped
"These cultists are an even bigger threat than we first thought if they can do something like that." Thonar added "They've pretty much separated Dorne from us."
"There's more." Trystane added "I've also learnt that the Mythic Dawn have an ally in Dorne. Ser Gerold Dayne, the Knight of High Hermitage has turned traitor and joined the Mythic Dawn's ranks. He's why the Mythic Dawn had been able to spread throughout the Red Mountains of Dorne."
"Who's this Gerold Dayne?" Martin asked
"Gerold Dayne, also known as the Darkstar is the head of House Dayne of High Hermitage, a cadet branch of House Dayne." Trystane replied "He's also the cousin of the late Ser Arthur Dayne. He's also been a cruel and hateful man and was jealous of his the main branch. He was once a lover to my sister and she told me that he always desired to wield House Dayne's prized sword. That's probably why he is currently besieging Starfall now."
"Then I guess it's a good thing that Edric Dayne is currently with the rest of the Martell forces." Ebrose stated, after his former master Ser Beric Dondarion left for the wall, his squire Ser Edric was left to squire for Oberyn and now was back in Dorne with the rest of the Martell forces. "So what do we do now your Grace?"
Martin sighed "I guess we have no choice now." He stated "Send word to Stannis, he has to relieve the siege at Blackhaven and then go after Nightsong. The Dornish will have to focus retaking their castles first. Send a message to Tarly, he has to know what happened to his family. It seems we're going to have to send all we can against the Mythic Dawn."
"It will be done your grace." Ebrose stated
"This concludes the meeting." Martin stated "I need to be informed if anything else happens." The small council soon left the room leaving Martin alone with Grandmaster Delphine and soon, Blades spymaster Caius joined them.
"What are we going to do?" Martin asked them "The Mythic Dawn are moving fast, the second largest city has fallen and they've captured a number of strong castles. They have a dragon plus magic that we understand little of."
"Their magic is their strength." Caius stated "But it's also a weakness. If we eliminate those mages then we eliminate their strength."
"And how do we do that?" Delphine questioned "They'll most likely be away from our forces."
"Well I was speaking to Brynjolf and the others in the Thieves Guild." Cauis replied "Delvin has said he could get us in contact with someone who may be able to help but he warned us that it may cost us plus these people don't have the best reputation."
Martin sighed "Right now, I'll take any help I can find." He stated "Where does he want us to meet?"
"Tonight in the Ragged Flagon." Caius replied
"Then I'll be there with Delphine and you." Martin stated "If there is someone who can help us take out the Mythic Dawn then I'm willing to speak to them."
"Understood your grace." Delphine stated
"I'll inform Brynjolf that we'll meet him tonight." Caius added
Martin nodded in response.
Raven Rock: Solstheim:
Jon and his group soon returned to Raven Rock after their mission at Fort Frostmoth. Jon was wondering if the White Walkers were responsible for this Ash Spawn rising but there were no sign of the White Walkers on the island and as far as he knew, they couldn't cross Water so unless there were other White Walkers on the island then something else was raising these Ash Spawn. Also the journal they found in the fort did speak about creating the ash spawn to get revenge, but who was it?
They soon came across Captain Veleth on patrol. When he saw them, he approached them "So, what happened at Fort Frostmoth?"
"It's done." Jon replied "Falx Carius is death. The Ash Spawn will no longer threaten Raven Rock. Falx was being kept alive by this and a journal." He brought out the strange stone they had found in Carius' body as well as the journal.
"I had a feeling he was undead." Veleth stated "How else could he had remained alive for over 300 years. It is a shame that it came to this, the Carius family has huge exploits including the founding of Raven Rock." He then looked at the journal and sighed "I don't know who this Ildari is but I have a suspicion that she may be involved with Master Wizard Neloth which won't be good."
"Why is that?" Serena asked
"Master Wizard Neloth live at Tel Mithryn to the West of Raven Rock." Veleth stated "He's a high ranking member of House Telvanni, another great house of Morrowind. There's not much I can do if he is connected to this as I could risk starting a war between the Great Houses. This may just be an experiment gone wrong but I'm just glad that Raven Rock is safe. I think you deserve this as well for your services." He handed them a bag of gold.
"Thank you Captain." Jon stated
"So what do we do now?" Tormund questioned
"There is another matter although this one is not as important." Veleth stated "In truth, there is no danger to the town, I just need someone to try and talk sense into old Crescius."
"Who's Crescius?" Grenn asked
"Crescius Caerellius is one of the few human settlers left in Raven Rock." Veleth answered "His family have lived here since Raven Rock's founding and he proud of it. They worked in Raven Rock Mine until it closed down after it dried up. Anyway, his grandfather Gratian was killed in a mine collapse years ago not long before the mine closed and now he believes that there's a conspiracy behind its closure. He wants to head down there and see for himself but he's in no shape to do that. His wife Aphia is worried that he's going to get himself killed, he already nearly starved himself one time that forced us to break down his door. There's nothing stopping him from going down there but no one wants to see him get himself killed. He won't listen to us but maybe you can try and talk some sense into him."
"We can try but he may not listen to us." Jon stated
"Better trying and failing than not trying at all." Veleth replied "Good luck, that man can be so stubborn sometimes."
Yunkai: Essos:
The Golden Company along with their Unsullied and Travis' men had set up a camp outside Yunkai in preparation for the upcoming battle. The scouts had reported that Yunkai had hired the services of a Sellsword company known as the Stormcrows which were a small company of about 500 horses. As was typical of a battle, a parley had been called and Yunkai had sent an envoy to negotiate. The Wise Masters seemed to believe that maybe they could bribe Aegon as they used to do with other warlords of the Dothraki when they would raid the region.
Aegon had gathered his sisters along with Jon Connington, Travis Thresh and Lydia in a tent to attend the parley. They watched as a bunch of slaves carried the envoy on a carriage over their shoulders while another carried a chest. The envoy was a man who was dressed in fancy robes and had a clean face. The slaves slowly lowered the carriage and the man approached them.
"Now comes the noble Razdal mo Eraz of that ancient and honourable house house." Missandei introduced, the Targaryens disagreed on him being honourable and Visenya was glaring daggers at him. "Master of men and speaker to savages to offer terms of peace."
"You may approach." Aegon said
Razdal stepped forward and one of the servants that Aegon brought with him brought out a chair for Razdal to sit on. The Wise Master did so and accepted a goblet of wine that was offered to him "Ancient and glorious is Yunkai." He said "Our Empire was old before dragons stirred in old Valyria. Many an army was broken upon our walls."
Aegon smirked "My unsullied are untested. They need blood." He said "I was told to blood them early."
"If blood is what you desire then blood shall flow." Razdal said "But why?"
"My family once ruled the western continent." Aegon replied "With that land now united under a new ruler, it would be easier to try and conquer lands that are divided."
"If you wish to conquer, then there is plenty of land in the Dothraki sea." Razdal suggested "The might of the Dothraki have shattered, the days of the horselords are over. Plenty of land up there to conquer. You don't need to waste men and resources fighting us. We offer a gift for you." He had his slaves bring over a large chest which was opened to reveal it was flowing with gold "Yunkai is a rich city." He then looked at Visenya who was glaring at him. Razdal realized something then.
Aegon noticed this but before anything could happen, he spoke up "Tell the other Wise Masters that I must speak with my advisors to decide on what I do next." Razdal nodded and slowly got up but before his slaves could take the chest he added "You said it was a gift." Razdal nodded again and told his men to leave the chest, it was only a small amount anyway. He then went back to his carriage and was taken away.
When he was gone, Travis looked at him "You're not really planning on accepting his offer?"
Aegon shook his head "No, I just said that to get him to leave before something happen" he replied looking at Visenya "This whole parley was just a formality."
"If you ask me, we should have just sent that envoy's head back as a warning!" Visenya spat in anger.
"Whoa, calm down sister." Rhaenys hissed "I know you despise that man but we couldn't create a scene."
"Despise him?" Visenya hissed "Do you not remember what he did to me. What I went through. That man was responsible for so much suffering and he believes he is a great man! I would love nothing more that to slice that man's throat open with my dagger."
"Visenya, you need to calm down!" Aegon shouted "We're about to enter our first real battle and we need to stay smart! We can't be rushing things because you want revenge."
Visenya sighed "Fine!" he stated "I'll be in my tent if you need me calming down."
When she left the tent, Travis looked at them "I hate slavery just as much as everyone but she seems to have a particular hatred of this city." He said "Why is that?"
"Is best you talk to her about it." Connington replied "She wouldn't like us speaking about it to others. Besides, she's never really talked about it much."
"I thought she put it all behind her." Rhaenys added "But coming back here has brought back memories."
Travis didn't know what was going on but decided that he had to try and see why Visenya was so anger about Yunkai.
Raven Rock Mine:
Jon and his team entered Raven Rock mine and it was clear that no one had been here in a long time as there were cobwebs everywhere but it still seemed to be a well maintained mine. They walked forward and could hear arguing ahead.
"Damn it Aphia, I said leave me be!" a man snapped
"Crescius, the last time you explored the mine, you almost fell to your death." a woman shouted back "I'm not spending the rest of my life as a widow."
"And I'm telling you that I'll do anything to find my Great Grandfather's remains." Crescius replied "He's down there, I just know it."
"Crescius, he died nearly two centries ago, there may be nothing left now." Aphia begged
"Just let it go woman!" Crescius shouted
"Crescius, you're an obstinate old fool!" Aphia hissed back "You're going to get yourself killed
Jon and his team saw the arguing couple just as the woman who they believed to be Aphia walk away upset. They saw that Crescius had an old man wearing mining clothes while Aphia was a dark elven woman who wore normal clothes. They weren't wealthy but they weren't very poor either.
Crescius then saw them "And just who are you?" he demanded
"Captain Veleth asked us to speak to you." Jon explained "He's worried about you."
"Him and just about everyone else!" Crescius hissed "None of them understand what I'm doing."
"And just what is it you're doing?" Serena asked "Maybe we can help."
Crescius looked at them "You're the Outlanders who came here. I already heard you dealt with the Ash Spawn so maybe you can help."
"So what is it?" Tormund asked
"Well, my great grandfather Gratian actually worked for a trading company in the Free Cities. He helped sell the ebony ore dug up here at the markets for a good price since ebony was expensive." Crescius explained "But he was also a scholar of history, he loved exploring old ruins and learning. He died here in the mines in an accident they say but I belive differently."
"Why's that?" Grenn asked
"You see, my wife and I were clearing out my house and I came across an old letter that he never got round to sending to his friends in the Free Cities." Crescius explained "The letter explains that they recently found something in the mines and he was tasked with checking it out. It must have been important because they sealed that whole section of the mine off. I also found a key with the letter that must be to that locked off section."
"So you think there's something down there?" Jon asked
"I do?" Crescius replied
Serena looked at the others "Maybe we should go down and check this out." She suggested.
"Is that allowed?" Grenn asked
"Exploring the mines is just not recommended." Crescius replied "It's not illegal but there are dangers in the mines; rock falls, Frostbite spiders and Skeevers who have made nests down there."
"Alright." Jon said "We'll check this out."
"That's wonderful." Crescius smiled "See if you can find my great grandfather's journal, it may have the answers I require. Here, you'll need this key to enter the locked off section. It's at the bottom of the mine." He handed them the key "I'll be back at my house if you do find something." He then left them alone.
"Are we really doing this?" Jenassa asked
"We might as well." Jon stated "We've got nothing else to do. At he can't do it, he's far too old and he'll get himself killed if he's not careful"
"Alright." Jenassa groaned "I'll be right behind you."
The team then slowly went down the ramp that took them down the old mine shaft.
Sunset Sea:
On board the Iron Victory, Captain Kaleen along with Victorian Greyjoy were in Theon Greyjoy's room as a new member called Neramo fixed a brace to Theon's arm. Neramo was one of Kaleen's crew and knew his way around Stros M'kai and new the island better than others. Neramo was also very different to others as he had pale green skin and pointy ears. Kaleen had explained that he was a High Elf from the Summerset Isles, an archipelago in Sothoryos which tended to keep to themselves. Neramo was a scholar of the Dwemer and had managed to make a replacement hand for Theon. He wouldn't be able to move the fingers but at least it didn't look like he only had one hand. Victorian also said he would start training Theon to fight with his left hand.
"This might hurt a little bit but I need to attach this." Neramo stated and handed Theon a vial "You'll need this for the pain, it's milk of the poppy."
"What are you going to do?" Theon asked
"In order to ensure that this hand stays on, I need to put a small spike through the stump. It will hurt which is why I've given you the milk." Neramo explained. Theon nodded and quickly drank the vial and Neramo quickly shoved the spike into Theon's stump. Theon groaned but the milk of the poppy dulled the pain and Neramo hammered the spike and then attached the metal hand.
"You're going to need that." Kaleen stated "We'll be arriving at Stros M'kai soon."
"And what is our plan when we arrive?" Neramo asked "Headman Bhosek is not going to let us take his fleet."
"Which is why we need to take him out." Kaleen stated "I have a score to settle with him but I'm going to need the help of old friends."
"I'll take us in pretending to be a pirate looking for a place to rest." Victorian stated "And afterwards, we'll look for a team to take down this Bhosek."
"I know who we'll need." Kaleen stated
Theon then looked at the them all "So what can you tell me about this Stros M'kai?" he asked
Kaleen smiled "Stros M'kai has a rich history." She stated "The island was once part of rising kingdoms in Essos and had a strong history of defiance against occupying powers."
"It's also rich in Dwemer history." Nermao stated "That was why I was there, Stros M'kai is home to the only example of an Orrey, a device used to study the starts. Sadly I was unable to finish my research on the device as Bhosek took over."
"For a while, Stros M'kai prospered since it had a strategic location for trade." Kaleen explained "It ended up becoming an ally of the Valyrian Freehold but when the Freehold collapsed, Stros M'kai struggled and became vulnerable to pirate raids. Eventually, the island became a pirate haven instead of a prosperous island. It has a rich history and soon, a major event will occur when we take over the pirate fleet. That fleet will be needed if we're going to take out Euron."
Theon looked over the horizon, he hoped that this mission would be over soon so he could go back and rescue his sister. Stros M'kai would be a test to see if he can handle the fight even with just one hand.
Raven Rock Mine: Solsthiem:
Jon and his team managed to make it to the bottom of the main shaft of Raven Rock Mine. The tunnels were like a maze and they had to be careful when walking on the wooden walkways as they had been abandoned for many years and not maintained so there was a risk they could collapse under their weight. They had to go through some narrow tunnels but soon they made it to the bottom of the shaft.
Tormund looked up and saw just how deep they were "I had no idea that men could dig this deep."
"This tunnel has been dug for many years." Serena stated "Over time, mines like this get larger and the deeper you go, the more likely it is you will find valuable metals."
Just then, they all heard a strange noise "What's that?" Grenn questioned
Serena looked around "I don't think we're alone down here." She stated "Be on your guard."
Everyone pulled out their weapons and looked around as they heard more noises. Then Ygritte spotted something creeping up on Grenn "Look out!" she yelled and fired her bow at the creature when it lunged at Grenn who jumped out of the way. The creature was a massive spider and then, more of them turned out and started attacking the whole group. Ygritte and Jenassa fired arrows at them while everyone else used their swords. The giant spiders were ferocious and made Grenn scream when he was knocked down by one but was saved by Jon. Soon the spiders were all dead.
"What the fuck were those things?" Grenn gasped "I've never seen anything like them."
"They're Frostbite Spiders." Serena stated
Everyone looked at her "You've seen these things before?" Jon asked
"Not for a long time." Serena admitted "These spiders used to live all over the world but mostly lived in caves. I guess they made a nest in here but this can't be why the mine closed. All it would take would be a team to destroy the nest."
"I've heard tales of Giant Spiders in caves by the Cave People." Tormund admitted "We all thought they were crazy."
"These spiders may indeed still live in caves beyond the wall." Serena stated "They're called Frostbite spiders as they can live in cold climates."
"We should keep moving." Jon stated "We still need to try and find the section of the mine that was closed off." Everyone nodded and they carried on walking through the next tunnel.
King's Landing: The Ragged Flagon:
Martin along with Delphine and Caius entered the Ragged Flagon tavern, home of the Thieves Guild hidden in the tunnels under the city. The bartender Vekel set up a table for them and went off to get Brynjolf and their guests. Vekel soon returned with Brynjolf along with another guild member who Martin recognised as Delvin, one of the senior members of the guild and a masked man who wore very different clothing to the others. He wore black and red light armour and wore a hood with a mask that covered his face.
"So this is the potential contact you told me about Delvin." The person spoke who was a man.
"Aye." Delvin answered "Your grace, this is Elam Drals, he's a member of a group that could help you with your war against the Mythic Dawn, though it would cost you."
"The Night Mother sends her regards." Elam spoke in a calm voice.
"The Night mother?" Delphine questioned and gasped and looked at Caius "Spymaster, you can't be serious, this is a member of the Dark Brotherhood, how can we trust him?"
"The Dark Brotherhood doesn't get involved in politics." Caius stated "A job is a job. Besides, these people have sneaked into the Citadel and killed Archmaesters, they can get into anything. If there's anyone who can get into the occupied Oldtown, it's them."
"Your spymaster is right." Delvin replied "I've known some of them for years. They'll jump at the chance to take hits on some and they might agree to leave you alone."
"The Night Mother told me to come here." Elam added "Which means she's listening so she must believe that we must serve the King. If the Night Mother says we must do then we are sworn by our oath." He brought out a piece of paper with a black handprint on and then he stabbed a curved dagger into it. "So what do you need us to do?"
"The Daedric Cult known as the Mythic Dawn have occupied the city of Oldtown as well as the region surrounding it." Martin explained "We don't have much information on the local leaders so any information you can gain on them will be paid for and if they're killed, extra will be paid. Anything you can tell us will be useful."
"I will speak to my brothers and sisters about your contract." Elam added "This will be different from our usual business but we're up for it. I greet you good day."
Elam stood up and walked into the shadows and before they knew it, he was gone.
Delphine looked at Martin "I'm not sure this is a good idea." She stated "The people won't be happy that we've made a deal with a bunch of assassins. Captain Adamus Philida spent his life hunting them before his death."
"As a ruler, sometimes you have to do dark deeds in order to do the right thing." Caius stated
"Caius is right." Martin sighed "I don't like this either, hiring assassins goes against everything I believe in but the world isn't black and white and the Mythic Dawn are a major threat, more so that the Sparrows. Taking out the Mythic Dawn in this way won't create any backlash like it would have done with the Sparrows. They are a real danger not just to me but to everyone in Westeros."
"I suppose you're right." Delphine sighed "But I will be keeping a close eye on them after this."
Greymoor Keep: unknown:
Joffrey's new allies had brought him to a shocking location, an actual castle underground. The place known as the Greymoor Caverns were a series of underground caverns and large caves hidden right under the Westeros region known as the north. The cave was like a colony of vampires who lived away from the rest of the world. They ruled from a large castle known as Greymoor Keep and ruled over a small town known as Dusktown which was kept as a feeding ground for vampires. The castle and town had been hidden for many years and the people of Dusktown lived in fear. Any attempted uprising was put down by the vampires and the town would be punished for rebelling.
Greymoor Keep itself was impressive. It was made of black stone and had many spiked towers which gave the castle a terrifying look. The larva lake also made the castle look spooky. The inside of the castle was just as impressive, it was even bigger than the Red Keep back home and the people lived in luxury, their needs were also served by the ragged slaves from Dusktown. Joffrey could be as mean to them as he wanted and unlike back home, there was no one to stop him although he was told not to kill them as they were still needed.
Manimarco along with Ramsay had arrived at the castle and would be involved in the planning of their conquest alongside Rada al-saran. Joffrey wouldn't be involved since he knew nothing of war but would be trained in how to use his powers. Lady Belain would be training him; Joffrey loved being trained by her. She showed her how to use each of the Blood Magic as they were known which involved firing red balls at targets. The surrounding caves were full of dangerous creatures which gave Joffrey good practise. He soon learnt how to use Vampire Grip to pull an enemy towards him and then throw them aside and how to raise a weak dead creature to fight for him. He was also taught how to use the Night Powers as well. These were harder to use but he could turn into a swarm of bats to move across ledges. This one was hard to master as it was difficult to do it correctly, he still hadn't fully got the hang of that one yet. Joffrey also used Vampire Sight to help see better in dark places. That one would be a good one as he could see things that others were unable to see.
Right now, Lady Belain was teaching him how to use Mist Form, this was the hardest of the Night Powers to master and it involved turning into a cloud of mist that could protect him while he healed, good if he fell into a tough situation.
"Remember what I told you." Belain said "Feel the mist emerge from your body."
Joffrey tried to use the Mist Form power but every time, it only lasted a few seconds before he returned to his normal vampire lord form. Eventually, Joffrey was forced to revert back to his mortal form and he fell to his knees "Damn it!" he growled
Belain sighed "Don't be so hard on yourself." She said "The Mist Form is a tough ability to master. You also mastered these abilities faster than most have. It sometimes takes years to get to where you are now. Give it more practise and you'll master this one."
Joffrey stood up and smirked "And once I've mastered these powers, I'll be stronger than my traitor brother ever was!" he sneered "I'll force him to watch as I kill all those he loves and I'll ensure that he suffers. I won't even kill him, I thought about that but I have a better idea. I'll keep him as my slave like the people of Dusktown, I'll force him to serve my every whim. He'll be begging for me to kill him."
Belain smirked "We'll be enslaving the whole of Westeros." She grinned "Molag Bal is the Lord of Dominance, he enslaves mortals when he conquers the world."
Joffrey smirked "And when I take the throne, I'll need a queen." He then smirked at her "And seeing as how you've trained me, I would like you to be my queen."
Belain gave a smirk "I already have a huge castle here. But ruling a whole continent sounds fun. I'll leave you to get some more practise, I have a quick meeting with Rada." She then left leaving Joffrey alone as he carried on trying to master his new abilities.
Raven Rock Mine:
Jon and his team had to fight several more groups of Frostbite spiders and afterwards, they burnt the nests to try and prevent more spiders from breeding. Eventually, they came to a large metal door that was locked.
"This has to be it." Jenassa stated "This must be the section of the mine that was sealed off."
"There's only one way to find out." Tormund stated and looked at Jon "Try the key."
Jon got the key and placed it in the lock and it fitted. He then carefully turned the key and it was able to turn smoothly and locked into place, unlocking the door.
"So I guess we'll be exploring this tunnel now." Jon stated
"Yes." Serena stated "I wonder where this leads. This tunnel was closed off for a reason."
"Why?" Grenn asked
"There are many reasons why." Serena stated "It may have been unstable or they were trying to hide something. I guess we'll find out when we see it. If the tunnel is blocked then it's likely there was indeed a Rockfall and the tunnel was deemed unsafe. If not, then I guess we'll be the first to see what really happened."
"Be on your guard." Jon stated "We have no idea what to expect." Everyone nodded in agreement and began walking down the unknown tunnel.
Summerhall: Stormlands:
The ruins of Summerhall were where Stannis had gathered his army to fight the Mythic Dawn. Summerhall was more like a palace than a fortress which made it stand out from the major castles of the Stormlands. Summerhall was also the newest of all the settlements as it had only been built during the rule of King Daeron II. It was used as a vacation home by the role family and would pass under the control of Prince Maekar who would later go on to become King and the ruler of the castle would become known as the Prince of Summerhall. This wouldn't last long as in 259 AC, a major fire broke out in the castle which killed King Aegon V along with his oldest son Duncan, Duncan's wife Jenny of Oldstones and the legendary Kingsguard Ser Duncan the Tall. The source of the fire was unknown and many rumours spread though none of them have been proven.
Summerhall had also been the site of a major battle during Robert's rebellion as here, Houses Fell, Cafferen and Grandison joined up and planned to fight against House Baratheon and march on Storm's End but Robert arrived at defeated each army one by one. It was a major victory but short lived as the next battle of Ashford destroyed the victory and allowed the Reach Forces to besiege Storm's End.
Still, even though it was a ruin, Summerhall was in a strategic location as Stannis intending on marching west into the Reach. However, that plan had now changed, Stannis had just received word that the Mythic Dawn had spread faster than they had thought they could and now they controlled large stretches of the Dornish Marches. Stannis had now been ordered to march south to recover the lost castles. He would march with his force and meet with the forces of Houses Swann, Wylde and Mertyns at Stonehelm before marching towards Blackhaven which was holding out for now. He would also question Ser Rolland Storm who had managed to escape from Nightsong to inform the King what happened.
Stannis looked at the map which he had placed half sun markers on the locations that the Mythic Dawn had conquered. "It's bad isn't it." Davos stated
"It is." Stannis said "I knew this war would be harder than we would think but I never expected something like this. Many of these castles have been the site of many battles over the years and no in just a week, the Mythic Dawn has taken most of them. If Blackhaven falls, we'll be completely separated from Dorne which is not a good image."
"At least your daughter is safe." Davos suggested
"She is for now." Stannis said "But if the situation gets worse, then I'm ordering her to go to King's Landing away from the fighting." He then sighed "Our plans have changed so fast, we were suppose to march west to help Oldtown but now we're marching south to help our own lands. I'm the Lord of the Stormlands and I can't even protect my own people."
"None of us expected this." Davos stated "No one can blame you, we had no idea that the Mythic Dawn would move this fast."
"Which is why we need to move fast and recover our lands." Stannis replied "I've already got reports that refugees are fleeing. Some are fleeing towards Weeping Town but they fear they won't be safe for long. Weeping town is close to the warzone."
"Weeping town holds the largest population in the Stormlands." Davos stated
"It does." Stannis admitted "And that's a worry, I've been hearing tales about what the Mythic Dawn have been doing in Oldtown to the population. I cannot allow that to happen to my own people. Already, villages in the Marches are burning and civilians are being slaughtered. We have to make sure that the Mythic Dawn don't get close to Weeping Town and the best way we can do that is to secure Blackhaven."
"We'll march right away." Davos stated
"We are." Stannis stated "We can no longer afford to wait any long. Each day we waste puts us at further risk of Blackhaven falling. Get the troops together, we march when ready."
Davos nodded and left the tent to gather the troops to march south.
Yunkai: Essos:
Visenya Targaryen stood on a hill away from the main camp with her Sworn Sword Lydia and a few other Targaryen guards. She glared at the city of Yunkai and she kept thinking about the things she wanted to do to this city and to the ambassador they had just sent.
"Hey." A voice called "Your brother told me you were over here." Visenya turned to see Travis Thresh approaching her and Visenya nodded to Lydia to let him past. "I just wanted to talk to you."
"About what?" Visenya asked
"I've been noticing the way you've been acting since we've arrived here at Yunkai." Travis stated "I was wondering why. I hate slavery just as much as you and your siblings after all, I've had personal experience. But you seem to have a particular hatred of this city. Why is that?"
Visenya sighed "I don't really talk about it much as it brings bad memories. But maybe talking about it would ease my mind. You're not the only one with personal experiences of being a slave. I was a slave once too."
"You were a slave?" Travis gasped
"I was briefly." Visenya admitted "When I was only ten and two namedays, the Golden Company took a contract in Volantis. Being young, I wanted to explore the city despite Connington warning me against it. But like a fool, I ignored it and went out into the city on my own with no guards."
"I guess that didn't end well." Travis said
Visenya shook her head "It didn't. I was grabbed off the streets by two Slavers. They had seen my white hair and saw that I could make a good profit. So they brought me here to this very city." She looked at Yunkai "I was sold for quite a forture, they saw that my Valyrian looks could make me desirable. I had to endure several years of humiliation here."
"How long?" Travis asked
"Four long years." Visenya hissed "The first year I was rebellious but I soon felt like the only way to survive was to play along until I could make an escape. Those were the most humiliating years ever, they taught me how to seduce men, how to make them enjoy my body, I lost my virginity at 14 to a Wise Master's son as part of my initiation. I guess I was one of the lucky ones in terms of the brothel as they cared about the safety of their slaves. They weren't like the slaves in Volantis where any customer could do what they wanted with the slaves. The brothel owners were selective in who they let with me but I was still humiliated about the fact I had to let them use my body for their pleasure. I learnt to hide my feelings, hoping one day I could escape."
"And how did you escape?" Travis asked
"By luck." Visenya admitted "I prayed that one day the Golden Company would arrive and eventually they did. I was 16 at the time and the Company was on a contract. As part of a reward for their services, Aegon was rewarded with time at the brothel I was sold to. And it was me he was gifted to spend the night with. When we met, we discussed what happened and he and Connington came up with a plan to sneak me out. So when they left Yunkai on another contract, I snuck into a crate and we were gone before they found out."
"How did Aegon react when he saw that it was you?" Travis asked
"He was shocked and relieved." Visenya claimed "He begged me for forgiveness for taking so long. He had never forgot about me, after I was kidnapped, he and the others looked for me but were forced to stop when they moved on. Connington and my brother never gave up and neither did I."
"But you never forgot what happened." Travis realised.
"I didn't!" Visenya hissed "These people tried to make me someone whose body was lusted over which was humiliating. Of all of the Slaver Cities, this fight is personal for me. I want nothing more than to just wipe this city off the face of the world! But I know my brother will never allow that but when we take this city, I will find those responsible for what happened and I will make them pay."
"I also noticed the way that Envoy looked at you." Travis added "He knows you doesn't he?"
Visenya sighed "He does. The son that I entertained all those years ago was his. His son was the first man I was made to lay with. I was just 14 at the time. Too young I believed but here, some take pleasure in laying with underage girls. Not just young boys trying to be men but old men as well. Those men were always the worst, I could never stand them." She gave a deep sigh "Thanks for seeing me, I needed this, I've never really talked about it."
"Your story is just one of many." Travis stated "We will end this practice and put an end to the sale of human flesh. It may take a while but I will stop at nothing to end it."
"And I will be with you." Visenya agreed "If we do nothing then there will be even more stories like mine." Travis nodded and left leaving Visenya alone with her guards.
Fort Greymoor:
Lady Belain arrived in a large room where Rada al-saran was sitting at a large table. This table was a massive meeting table where the members of the Grey Host met to discuss their plans.
"I don't know why we even agreed to this." Rada groaned "I mean, that little brat seems to think he knows everything. I've planed things out carefully, I can't let that brat ruin everything."
"The Worm Cult have access to the forces of Molag Bal." Belain stated "We could use them and combined with our magic, we can enslave the world to our will. Together, we will be unstoppable, Lord Harkon's prophecy will make us immune to the sun, Mannimarco's Daedric forces will destroy the armies and our Harrowstorms will enslave the population. And that brat will have his uses, he actually thinks I'm helping him and I am in a way, just not in the way he will expect."
"What do you mean?" Rada asked
Belain smirked "If that brat gains the enough power, then he could restore power to the Dark Heart. With the Dark Heart under our control, our magic will grow even more." She stated
Rada looked at her and smiled "I see." He stated "And how do you plan on ensuring that brat becomes powerful enough to unlock the artefact?"
"Simple." Belain sneered "Training and giving him powerful relics to increase his powers. I've already spoke with Feran Sadri, he's looking into locating the Amulets of Night Power and the Rings of Blood Magic. With those, he will become even more powerful which is good for us. The more powerful he is, the stronger the Dark Heart will be."
"Plus, we will also have a well trained army to combat these Legions in Westeros." Rada added "Manimarco told me that he may be able to resurrect Legion Zero which will give us a strong undead army."
Belain smirked "I can't wait, I'll carry on playing the brat for now and when we reveal our plan, he won't see it coming. He seems to trust me enough so I will be able to lead him to the Heart when it's time."
Raven Rock Mine: Solstheim:
Jon and his group carried on through the tunnel and they had soon came into a large open space. They soon found out why the tunnel had been closed off. It turned out the miners had tunnelled into an old Nordic tomb from thousands of years ago. They had also come across some Stalhrim behind a waterfall and with help from an Ancient Nordic pickaxe that the Skaal had given them, they collected some. They soon carried on through the tomb and they were in a large room. They had jumped down from a small ledge but as soon as they did, they saw that they could not get back up.
"I guess we'll have to find another way out of here." Tormund stated
"Look around." Jon called "Maybe there's another way out of here."
There was a small stream but it lead to a blocked off tunnel so that was no good. There was also a massive wall that seemed to be glowing red.
"What do you think this is?" Ygritte asked
"It must have something to do with the ancient people of the island." Serena stated "But I don't know enough."
Jon looked at the wall. It seemed to have large red slots in places and had red paintings which looked like religious symbols. Then Grenn called "Jon, over here, I've found something."
The team ran over to Grenn who was kneeling by a skeleton with an open book "I think this may have some information but I can't read."
"Let me have a look." Serena asked and Grenn gave her the book "Hmm, it seems we've found Gratian, this is his journal?"
"Does it have any information?" Jenassa asked
Serena looked through the journal "He writes about how he believes that this Barrow was once used by a tribe known as the Bloodskaal, he describes a powerful blade that he and his assistant found but were then attacked by Dragur, it seems that was what killed them."
"Is there anything that can help us get out of here?" Jon asked
Serena looked through the book "He thinks the blade is the key, the markings are the same on the blade as on the wall, but other than that, nothing. It seems we'll have to figure it out for ourselves but we'll need to find the blade."
"You mean this?" Grenn asked holding out a massive two handed sword with red markings "It was lying next to the body."
"Let me have a look?" Jon asked and Grenn handed the blade over "How could this be a key?"
"I guess we'll just have to try and figure that out." Tormund stated.
Jon swung the blade to see how well it swung and to his shock, a red wave shot out from the blade "What was that?" he gasped
"It must be ancient magic of the Bloodskaal." Serena gasped and looked at the walls again "Hey Jon, swing that at those red lines on the wall, maybe that's the key."
Jon looked at the wall and did as Serena told and to his shock, a section of the wall vanished. This was it, this was how they got out of the room. Jon swung the blade more times until a massive line appeared in the middle of the wall, with one massive swing downwards, the wall opened like a door.
"Right." Serena stated "Now we just have to get out of here."
"This blade may come in useful against the White Walkers." Jon stated
"I'm sure it will." Ygritte replied and then the whole group carried on going through the new tunnel.
Somewhere in the Westerlands:
The Dark brotherhood Speaker, Elam Drals returned to the base of operations of the Dark Brotherhood. The Dark brotherhood once had sanctuaries all over Westeros and even a few in Essos but over time, the majority of these had been abandoned with the Faceless Men taking over assassination in their place. But there were still some who believed in the Dark Brotherhood and fought to carry on the guild. The remaining members had set up headquarters in an old abandoned gold mine in the Westerlands which had been dried up for many years. The mine was in the middle of nowhere and was out of sight of most people.
When Elam entered the old Sanctuary, he was greeted by a child who looked to be 10 years old but on closer look, you would see her glowing red eyes. "Speaker Elam." The girl greeted "You've returned."
"I sure have Babette." Elam replied "Is everyone here?"
Babette was joined by a young woman who wore a flower in her head "Most of us are here, but Cimbar still hasn't returned from a contract in Oldtown."
"I think I may know why Hildegard." Elam stated "Gather everyone here, I need to inform them of our contract."
"You sound excited." Hildegard smiled "It must be a good one."
"It is." Elam stated "Now go and gather the others."
Soon, the two girls went and gathered all of the Dark brotherhood members in a large room in the middle of the Sanctuary and Elam stood on a wooden platform "My brothers, my sisters." He greeted "We have just been issued with a massive contract, one that could help us be remembered again."
"So who's the target." A smirking woman questioned
"There's more to this than just killing Antoinetta." Elam stated "You see, our contract has more than one target."
"What's the catch?" a Dornish man wearing a red hood asked "By the tone of your voice, it seems there's a catch."
"There is Nazir." Elam stated "First of all, this contract was offered by none other than the King of Westeros himself."
"Hang on." A gruff looking man called "You mean that little prince I met once is offering the contract. I never would have thought he would do something like that."
"Things change Arnbjorn." Babette called "It seems you old days in the Companions have allowed you to meet someone important."
"So what's the contract?" a blond woman sitting next to Arnbjorn asked "Who does the King want us to kill?"
"There's more to this than just killing Astrid." Elam replied "Down south, a cult known as the Mythic Dawn have taken over large parts of the Reach and Dornish Marches including Oldtown. It may have something to do with Cimbar's disappearance. Our contract is to identify the cult leaders."
"So we're just scouting for this King!" Arnbjorn spat "That is not what we do!"
"The Night Mother spoke Arnbjorn!" Elam spat "You'll do well to remember that."
"Why are we listening to the remains of a long dead person?" Arnbjorn hissed "How do we know what the Listerner says is even true?"
Elam and a few other people in Black Robes pulled out large glowing knives and pointed them at Arnbjorn "We could cast you out of the brotherhood for that attitude!" Elam hissed "You'll do well to remember our Tenets!" Arnbjorn snarled and sat back down grumbling. With that settled, Elam carried on "As I was saying, we will be paid for any information and if we take out any leaders of the Mythic Dawn, then we will be paid extra. We know two of the main leaders are Mankar Cameron and Viserys Targaryen but right now, they're untouchable but we can weaken the cult. This will mean going into enemy territory."
"So who will be going?" Nazir asked
"Since you're the best at organising, you'll be going Nazir." Elam replied "You'll need to get the old Oldtown Sanctuary ready for us as it will be our headquarters of operations. Babette will go as well as she can use her skills to catch everyone unaware."
Babette smiled "I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they realise I'm not a simple little girl." She smirked
"Kor and Tenek will join you as well along with Hildegard." Elam added "Now remember, if we do this, we will make the Dark Brotherhood a group to remember once again. We may once again take our place as the assassin's of Westeros and get those Faceless Men out of our territory. Hail Sithis."
"Hail Sithis!" the crowd chanted except for Arnbjorn and Astrid, both of whom had their own ideas on what to do.
Chapter End:
Notes: Well it's been a long time since I updated this story but judging how many new followers I've been getting, I'm guessing people still like this story. I've brought in the Dark brotherhood into the story now which has a mixture of characters from Oblivion, Skyrim and Online although I had to leave certain characters out as they would not fit into the story such as the Argonian characters. I will be starting University again soon so I won't be able to update often and so I can't say when the next chapter will be out and I need to plan things out for the upcoming chapters and tried to figure out a way on how to end this segment of the story. I hope to work on a chapter of Dragon X next and get more of that story done.