A/N: Not a lot of feedback this time around with the notifications down yet again. That really kills my mood to write. T_T
Can anyone see this chapter? Notifications are still down. Do let me know!
Sorry for the short chapter, shaking the rust off.
But here we are, as promised.
Shadow of the Erdtree's final boss has me at my wit's end; so much so that I had to put the game down and step away for a bit. Bloody second phase is downright absurd.
Don't get me started on the spoilers! Still, it worked out for the best, I'll get back to it later.
In other news, I have a vehicle again...I just owe a lot of money on said vehicle after the repairs. Now I need the bloody brakes fixed and the AC besides. I can live without the latter, though it'll be hot and uncomfortable. The former...not so much. Truly, the world runs on money these days, and this is what I get for having the same car for so long. Still taking care of my sister until mid-July, so that's eating into my time as well. But once that's done, I'll finally have more time to write...
...I hope. If not, I just might shatter like the Elden Ring.
As ever, I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. They're tributes to legends far greater than little 'ol me.
I'm just a humble author trying to make his way in this wild world, one word at a time.
Time and feedback will determine if this remains a story. Simple as that.
In other words...its up to YOU, the reader. Do let me know~!
And now...in the words of an infamous man...
Here...
...we...
...gooooo~!
Brace yourself. This IS Game of Thrones, after all...
""Our lives are the sum of our choices. Good. Bad. Blacks and Greens. This is going to hurt you, Naruto."
"Let it. Pain's an old friend. I've gotten used to it. Their lives means more to me than mine."
"Your fate is already written. You'll die. All men do...why are you laughing?"
"Because! I stopped being human a long time ago!
Fire can't hurt me! I can walk across water for crying out loud! Nothing can smother me! Whatcha gonna do, smite me with lightning? No? Didn't think so."
~?
Kill the Boy
He was dreaming yet again.
Dreaming or having another nightmare.
...given his luck as of late, it was likely the latter
Naruto suspected it the moment he heard those words; the second he opened his eyes and found himself in a bedroom of the Red Keep.
"Huh." he looked down at himself, frowned a little at his sleeping clothes, then some more now when he noticed the red on his hands and face. "This is new...
Lucid dreams were fairly rare, even for a Jinchuuriki like himself, but this was...different. He felt the cold stone floor against his bare feet, smelled the scent of burning torches, see...
.
..
...why was he holding a severed head in his right hand?
A man's burly bearded visage balked up at him, face fixed in horror.
He had a sickening feeling he knew why the poor fellow was looking at him like that.
Disgusted, he threw them away. Their skull struck a wall, bounded off loudly, bounced once, and tumbled into the shadows.
"Right," he dragged a hand across his face, only to scow when he wound up smearing more blood there. "You can wake me up any day now, Kurama!"
"..."
Not a peep from the fox.
That couldn't be good now, could it?
A whimper behind him caused him to pivot. Confused, he peered over the nearest bed for its source.
Much to his surprise he found a young woman huddled behind said bedframe; a girl with pale hair, clutching two children close to her breast. Were they twins? No, that didn't matter right now. Poor thing looked scared out of her mind and the kids with her.
"What are you doing?"
"Hiding." she tucked her chin into her chest, refusing to look at him.
He sighed softly. "I can see that, but why are you hiding in the first place?"
An awful feeling gnawed at his gut. Could it be him? Was she afraid of him after all?
"They wanted to kill the boy." she looked at him with wide, fearful, thankful eyes. "You stopped them. Thank you."
Something about her face and eyes reminded him of Rhaenyra. "Who the heck are you?"
"Helaena." The girl smiled for him suddenly; softly, sadly, sweetly. "Thank you for letting me have this. Even if you aren't real."
Confusion bloomed within him. Had he done something he shouldn't have?
"Whaddya mean I'm not real? I'm right here-
He tried to touch her shoulder, only for her to vanish in a swirl of mist and with her absence, the world rippled around him like oil through water.
In an instant he found himself thrust from the bedroom into another room altogether. He barely had time to take in his surroundings before a young man with pale hair bulled past him, shouldered him aside, drew his sword and drove his blade into a table with a bloocurdling howl. Again and again he struck down upon it and the monument within, each swing more savage than the last. He slashed down with an unyielding, fiery rage, howling imprecations at the world.
"Villains and traitors! They tried to kill my son! I declare WAR!"
Naruto found himself edging backward. An awful wrongness gnawed at him. He shouldn't be here.
The man must've sensed him somehow, because he pivoted to face him. Belatedly, he glimpsed the crown upon his head. But the one wearing it was a stranger to him. This...wasn't Viserys. He didn't recognize them, had never seen the before in his life, eally.
Something was wrong here.
Something was very wrong indeed.
Something was terribly, horribly wrong.
"There you are!" without warning the young king dropped their blade and moved to meet him with a wide grin. "I understand you're the one who saved my son." he clapped him on the shoulder and drew him into a brisk embrace. "I'll see you richly rewarded for this!"
Before he could even think to speak, the scene shifted again, leaving him reeling but for an altogether different reason.
On and on it went, a storm of sound he could scarcely sense, a barrage of blows against his psyche.
Dragons danced high in the sky.
Fire fell from the heavens.
A voice rumbled to him.
"HUNGRY."
He whirled and for a moment, he could've sworn he glimpsed the Cannibal's draconic visage in the dream smoke, there and gone again when he raised a fist at him.
"Cut it out!"
As though spurred by those very words the dream wavered and the scene settled around him. He found himself gazing upon a young woman, her shoulders hunched, face stricken with tears and soot, leaning over a table in a room of cold stone, shoulders bowed and she considered the map carved within. She wouldn't look at him; didn't even seem to notice him, really. He waved a hand before her face. Nothing. Calling out to her drew no change, either. Her attention remained fixed on the table, a...rather familiar table at that.
Wait. He knew this place. Dragonstone?
And against all odds, he realized he knew this woman.
He stepped closer, noting her pale blond hair and familiar eyes, the little quirk in her lips when she scowled, the smile that made his heart flutter.
He took a chance and touched the dream woman's face. "Rhaenyra...?
His words were the catalyst to reactivate her; she jolted, looked up, saw him, and backpedaled with a start. "You can't be here. You're dead. You died at Harrenhal."
Naruto felt a frown tug at the corner of his mouth. "I've never been to Harrenhal...
The-dream-Rhaenyra slapped him, and he recoiled, surprised to feel pain.
"Liar!" she railed at him. "You died! I saw your body!"
"Stop that!" he caught her fist when she tried to strike him again.
His temper roiled and he stomped down on it.
This wasn't real. It was a dream.
Wasn't it?
An ominous rumble above caused his head to snap up; not a heartbeat later a great golden dragon tore through the ceiling above -not Syrax!- before he could think to respond, nearly bringing everything down upon them. It saw Rhaenyra and snapped at her, ready to devour her whole. He reacted accordingly, caught the beast by its open jaws and wrenched, snapping its neck. The beast turned to so much mist and smoke, vanishing before its great bulk could fall and crush them both.
"No more dreams!" he stomped down on the haze, to no avail. "I want to wake up!"
"You're too late, Naruto." a hand touched the back of his head and with it, the cruelest of cold chills shot up his spine. "Always too late."
He looked back, only to find Rhaenyra absent.
Something cold touched his nose.
He looked up, baffled.
Snow?
Why was it snowing...?
When had it grown so dark?
The stone room of Dragonstone had fallen away, leaving in the empty night.
Squinting into the shadow, he found himself unalone. Blue eyes glared balefully at him from the gloom. One, three, five; their number grew as he looked on, numbering in the dozens, then hundred, thousands now, each of them staring at him. Their numbers continued to swell as he looked, until they were all he could see. So many eyes. Blue, cold, dead eyes...
An old, rumbling voice filled his ears.
"Winter is coming."
"ENOUGH!"
Exasperated he spread his arms wide, flooding his body with golden chakra to burn the darkness away. Something screamed in the dark and recoiled from the light. In that moment he glimpsed the face of those who had been staring at him and dearly wished he hadn't.
He saw the Dead and the Dead saw Him.
Before he had a chance to process the horror of it all, he heard a sound akin to that of broken glass and with it, the dream shattered, taking the horde of azure orbs with them. He awoke with a shout on his lips, staring at the ceiling, a snarl etched into his face.
Yet despite that, there was no panic in him, only confusion. The latter melted into determination to make sense of it all.
"What was that...?"
"What was what?" this time, Kurama's voice answered him. "I've been trying to wake you for the last hour. You were dead to the world for awhile, there."
Rising from his bed, he dragged a hand across his face to wake himself up. "You didn't see that?"
"I just told you, no. What happened? You were having a fit."
"A dream. Or a nightmare. Maybe a vision...? It felt so real...
Try as he might, he couldn't shake the lingering chill from his bones. It clung to him even now, lingering despite his best efforts. What had he seen? What did it mean? For awhile it felt like he'd been somewhere...else. Not here, not in this time. The past? The future? Somewhere else entirely? He couldn't be sure.
But at the end there...
No, dwelling on it would only hurt him.
Well, time to face the day. Sitting here shivering wouldn't change anything; the best way to banish one's fears was to face them head on.
He couldn't keep hesitating at such things.
Best to kill the boy. Yes, kill the by and let the man be born.
Kurama rumbled his approval. "Good. Do what you to best, tackle one problem at a time."
So he did just that.
Drawing himself up, he tugged on his trousers, threw on a linen shirt, and washed his face for good measure. The cool water brought him some small semblance of comfort, if only just, and allowed him to marshal the tattered threads of his thoughts once more.
Winter is Coming.
Those were the Stark words, weren't they? Maybe he should ask about them. It couldn't hurt.
The door creaked open, commanding his attention.
"Morning," Rhaenyra poked her head through, beaming at him. "Father wants you present at the next meeting of the Small Council and...what's wrong?" She saw his stricken expression and paused, taken aback not just by his silence, but by the way he suddenly stilled at the sight of her. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Maybe he had.
When he didn't answer, the princess took matters into her own hands as she often did these days. She entered the room quickly, not even bothering to lock the door behind her, and flung herself at him. He caught her by the waist to hold her close on sheer instinct; the moment he did, she threw her arms around his neck and drew his face down to hers.
Her lips were fire against his own, a searing heat to chase away the chill and he drank her in deeply as his mouth melded with hers. She made a pleased noise and tilted her head for a better angle, fingernails digging into him, but he wasn't satisfied with just that; instead he gathered her into his arms and held her close.
Rhaenyra squirmed, startled by the sudden embrace as much as the intensity of it. "Naruto?!"
His arms trembled. "Can I just hold you like this? For a little while."
She hummed into his chest. "Alright."
.
..
...
A moment passed before he felt her fingers fiddle with the laces of his shirt, drawing a sigh from him. "Rhaenyra!"
She giggled, even as his hands hiked up her dress in response. "You're just as bad!"
He grabbed her by the rear, drawing her closer. "Someone might hear us."
She kissed him, gasping as a hand delved lower and traced her inner thigh. "Then we'll be quiet."
That was...rather tempting in all honesty. He'd happily welcome a distraction after that gods-awful-nightmare. And he did want her. So very badly.
What was the harm?
"Kiss me," Rhaenyra crooned, dragging her lips across his neck, lingering at his chin. "You know you want to."
Naruto yielded with a growl and pinned her to the nearest wall. She wrapped a leg around his waist, then another, holding on for dear life as he railed her.
Within a matter of moments they were lost in one another and the blessed bliss of coitus.
Neither noticed the door she'd left unlocked, hanging ajar, open half a crack.
Nor the faint shuffle of footsteps as their voyeur slunk away...
A/N: Aaaand scene.
Next chapter title: Gone Crabbing. Gee, I wonder what that means...
Weeeell? What did you think? Should this remain a story? Would you like weekly updates for that matter? Yay or nay? Really need to hear from you, here.
As stated, this has a high chance of being upgraded to M later down the line, but I need to know if folks want to see that. Once more, we're sticking with the "Embers" rule for this story, and others. Meaning folks don't like this, it won't be continued. If the story itself ain't popular/well-received...well, I won't be able to continue it. I'm working two jobs, holidays are here too, meaning I barely have time to write; as such, I cannot afford to write something folks don't enjoy.
So by all means, speak up! Your voice matters! Make yourself heard! As ever, reviews are the fuel that sustain me. Without them I cannot write a single word. Simple as that. Working nearly all hours of the day keep me absurdly busy, and I can't bring myself to write something folks don't like.
So? Should this little tale continue? Or fall into oblivion?
By all means, speak up! Make yourselves heard!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas…
...Review...Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the Previews!
As ever:
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
PLOT DETAILS AHOY!
YE BE WARNED!
Read at your own risk!
As ever, these are from the far flung future...or are they~?!
Previews are mostly the same, wouldn't want to spoil things now.
(Previews!)
"Is the safety and security of the realm not worth one life?"
"You'll never stop at one!" he righted himself with a grunt, turned his head, and spat out a bloody tooth. "I'll take you all on!"
Ser Criston cornered Rhaenyra soon thereafter.
Your grace, please. This is folly.
She hadn't thought him fool enough to confront her; evidently she'd been wrong.
Whirling, she faced him in a swirl of silk. "It matters naught to you!
He's not even a lord! Not really!
The man adopted a mulish expression.
Where is he now?"
Otto's heart sank into the pit of his stomach. "This...complicates matters."
"You think this hurts? Compared to what I went through, being forced to watch you hurt innocent people, and even my own blood! This is NOTHING! Well? How does it feel? To be utterly hopeless and not being able to do a damn thing about it? Fools! How do you think they felt when you ganged up on them in the rain and they had no way out? Well now it's your turn. I hope you enjoy it. Do you feel defenseless? Scared? Good, now you know how they felt before you killed them!
EDIT: Possible scene. Take this with a grain of salt.
Naruto stared at the massive ebony beast before him, eyes narrowed as he waited for it to make its own move.
The people of Flea Bottom had already fled, the Gold Cloaks having done their duty to safeguard the people. The Dragonpit was locked up tighter than a ticks ass when the announcement had came, the emotions of hunger and rage swept over him long before them. And then, it happened, a roar sounded through the air as the Black Dragon charged, Naruto's own challenge was given as the blond Uzumaki rushed forth as well. He rolled under the snapping jaws, and he pushed his feet down, and jumped.
Senjutsu chakra channeled through his veins as he crushed the earth and filled the air with his vastly smaller body and slammed into the massive drake and tackled him not only away from the Mud Gate, but off the cliff and down to the beach, the snarl of the Cannibal filling the air as the sound of crashing rocks did. Crashing upon the sand, Naruto grabbed the massive horns and flexed, all of his Sage Chakra filling his muscles and straining them to their limits, and then he slammed the dragon upon its back, the earth shaking from the beasts crash, water spraying as its mass landed across the sand and water.
Flame filled the beasts maw, and Naruto acted before the Cannibal, smashing a powerful uppercut to the jaws of the beast causing it to miss, the flames blasting the cliff and burning away a majority of the walls of the city in which they sat. However, this didn't stop the Cannibal in the slightest, as he continued to roar, his fire burning down across the stone, ripping everything apart as it turned the roar that had been blocked upon the whelp of a human. Now clad in his golden shroud, he felt the insatiable hunger rise. He needed to FEED! NOW!
Naruto didn't hesitate, seeing the rage and fury-the hunger-of the dragon. He swiped his hand through the air, dispersing the flames,
"No more!" he called out, "This is the last time, I told you that if we met a third time, you were to be my friend..." he stated. With a leap, he stood upon the back of the startled beasts head, placing a hand to the scales beneath his flesh, and pushed chakra into the creature... wait... was that... HOLY SHIT, there was a reason for the mindless settlement upon the creature, the endless hunger and constant rage!
He'd been cursed by a former master, to never stop, to always feast upon those who could not defeat him...
A choice lay before him. Kill or save. He had mere moments to choose.
But could he save one so mad with hunger?
"If you do this you will make enemies. There will be nowhere left for you to run!
"Run?" he tilted his head to look back at them. "Who's running?" Blue eyes bled into red, snapping into furious scarlet slits. "Where?" Golden radiance flashed around him. "And why?!"
The world burst into light.
Visenya whooped, leaned back in the saddle, and flung up her arms. "Dracarys~!"
Her dragon answered in a rush of fire. The girl grinned.
Riding on dragonback was the best!
Pressing the hilt of the spear down on the back of his head, the attacker sneered at him, "Kneel..."
With a swipe of his hand, he knocked the spear of, and taking a trick from his nephew-in-law leapt up and struck out with a round house, "Not today!" Oh that felt good! And then, shock settled in, and turned to rage, "YOU!"
Naruto crashed into the wall a second later, ripping the blade out with his left hand while smashing his fist into the man's face, "That's for Daemon!" he roared as he spun around and slammed the hilt of his blade into the mans face-ripping the wall of the castle apart.
"Faster, papa! Faster!"
His daughter bounced on his back, grinning from ear to ear as she tugged at his hair.
Naruto smiled despite himself. "Feisty as your mother, I swear..."
EDIT: Hope you enjoyed! Have a great day!
Warm regards,
~Nz.
R&R~!