Chapter 14 - The Second Rider
Drogon swept in with surprising grace, landing in Daenerys's tent complex with a whoosh of displaced air. A huge draconic smile was the closest thing a dragon could replicate to the radiant one crossing his mother's face. The saddle had been a huge success, working with how Drogon pitched and yawed, letting her lean with him instead of clinging to his back. The two abilities with the saddle had also worked very well.
While doing laps around Yunkai with Harry, she accessed the two runes with different abilities. The first was the speed-increasing rune, which almost felt like a momentum enhancement. If Drogon was going a certain speed, then the activation of the rune would immediately send him to the next threshold, dramatically increasing the pace. The saddle had been designed so that the rune of speed wouldn't work if Drogon was touching the ground.
With a little practice, she could immediately give him a boost into the air. It started with one flap and the activation and in the next second they would be many times further into the sky. Thankfully the saddle kept her locked in and increased her speed along with Drogon, making the acceleration extremely effective and fun.
The next test was when Harry conjured a bunch of plain arrows and sent them at the rider and dragon pair while Daenerys activated the shielding charm courtesy of the other rune. It easily blocked everything, extending far enough to allow Drogon's wings to comfortably flap without fear of being hit by any sort of missile.
Daenerys had one last test that she wanted to attempt and that was a strafing attack. She hadn't seen Drogon blast his flame since they had bonded, and even she could feel the urge to release his fiery breath through their bond. They swooped down above the waters of Slaver's Bay and she gave him the cue to attack, "Dracarys!"
Harry immediately smiled as he heard her scream out in High Valyrian, followed by a wide-eyed shock as bloody red flames cascaded from Drogon's mouth. Even while floating from nearly a hundred feet away as he floated on his Firebolt, Harry felt the heat of the red flames. The torrent of fire impacted the salty water with the force of a falling train causing the surface to burst into steam. It was so hot and had so much force that the steam blasted outward like a shockwave of force.
As they landed, Harry hopped off his broom before shrinking it and placing it in his moleskin pouch.
"Bloody red flames...were they always like that?" Harry asked.
Daenerys slid off of Drogon's back willing the saddle to release her. She still had a flushed face and a massive smile below her purple eyes, "No! It must be from the ritual!"
Harry nodded, "The magical pool you two share is showing the secondary blood magic affinity, which you both also share."
She nodded, "What can I do with blood magic?"
"Quite a bit actually, but it is most effective in contracts and rituals."
"What kind of rituals? Like the bonding one?"
"There are probably an infinite number of potential rituals, and while they don't directly have combat potential, they can be extremely useful in so many situations."
Daenerys nodded, walking to the private tent that she slept in. "Would you come with me, Lord Hadrian?"
"Time for that chat you asked for?"
She nodded and walked away. Some Unsullied delivered some meat for Drogon while Rhaegal and Viserion finally woke up and trotted behind their mother.
They entered a surprisingly spacious tent, for a non-magical version. He thought about giving her an expanded one, then shook his head immediately. Got to stop that.
"Give me a moment," Daenerys said as she went behind a changing screen and put on a slight dress. Missendei and Ser Barristan entered the room after she changed, with refreshments and fruits.
"How was the flight, Your Grace?" The old knight asked.
"It was incredible. Unlike anything I have ever done. The bond with Drogon..." She turned to Harry, her eyes locking with him, "It's truly a gift."
Ser Barristan smiled and left to stand guard by the entrance.
Missendei left with the tray, leaving the food and drinks behind with a small smile of her own.
The queen drank some ice-cold water never taking her gaze away from him as she sat across from Harry, looking for a place to begin the conversation.
"What's on your mind?"
"A lot. Where would I be if you hadn't saved me in that Dream? Where my people and the freed slaves would be without your help? I feel like I don't deserve your help, your kindness...you."
"It's not about deserving. It's about what we both want."
She put her drink back on the table between them and stood up. Her face was regal as she took the few steps between them. "I know what I want."
Harry didn't respond as she came right up to him. He was sitting casually and he also put his drink down, "Oh?"
"Yes," She said with a slight smirk. "The problem is that I don't know what else I am getting into by following that desire."
"What do you mean?"
"I once told you that everything you say leads me to another question as if I have never been able to understand you fully. That isn't true in the Dream, and until recently I didn't understand what that meant. But I can feel you now," She reached out and cupped his cheek. "I can feel your power and magic, just like you feel mine. I feel like I can understand you now."
A single perfect leg found the slit in her white sun dress as she slides it over Harry's lap.
"I don't know if I am enough for you Hadrian Peverell. I don't know what else there is to know about you. I don't know the depths of your power."
Her slight weight landed in his lap as her arms wrapped around his neck. Her beautiful amethyst eyes held much within them: desire, vulnerability, fear, and affection.
He could feel her tremble as she moved her hips against him. She spoke again, "I don't know enough about you, but I want you to be mine. I want you to show me everything. I want to change the world and I want to do it with you."
She leaned in and their lips met. An explosion of euphoria and sparks ignited between them. The magic they shared seemed to wrap them up and Harry stood up as the two of them disappeared from her tent. They landed in Harry's bedroom in Peverell Manor.
A huge smirk appeared on his face as he made his armor disappear. He kissed her again and pulled back, "We are going to do incredible things together, and nothing will stop us from breaking the wheel and rebuilding a paradise after."
Hadrian lifted her easily, pulling her into his grasp, "You are mine, Daenerys Targaryen, and I am yours."
~~o0o~~
The Dream.
A strange realm where passion and imagination meet. Magic was the currency for change within the realm, allowing one to mold it to their will.
Two spirits wandered, only seeing each other as the Dream passed by. The passion between them had manifested within the Dream and when they finally fell asleep, they were still making love.
It wasn't physical, it was magical.
The starry night sky around them glittered like jewels of starlight. Motes of light floated around them, reacting to the euphoric waves of energy that billowed off of them. There was no speaking, only passion.
They floated for days, traveled for years, and simultaneously never went anywhere.
There was no better definition of perfection than the experiences they shared that night. Until things started to change. Temperature wasn't exactly felt in the Dream, but it was perceived as a manifestation of another's will.
The spirits stopped their entangled dance as they noticed the peculiarities of things that began to change around them. It wasn't the icy cold of death or even the unyielding frost of undeath. It was the endless fathoms of the unfeeling oceans. They were underwater, or perhaps someone had changed the environment to look like that.
One red eye. One blue eye. Both gazed at them, followed by malevolent laughter.
"I found youuuuuuuu," a triumphant and creepy voice from two people said as one.
"You thought you could escape me." "You thought you were free." The two voices spoke simultaneously but they didn't say the same thing.
"What is happening? Who is that?" Daenerys asked nervously.
"This is who was attacking you when we first met, I think," Hadrian said, looking around at the endless depths.
As meager amounts of light landed on the newcomer's face, it was clear that it was in a state of constant change. An eyepatch moved back and forth between each eye, his facial expressions changing back and forth. The blue eye revealed a tired and almost sad-looking man. The red eye left a malevolent smile on his blue-stained lips, while madness made him seem other-worldly.
"Who are you? What do you want?" Daenerys asked, her voice filled with fear.
"I am Euron." "I am Anger." The man spoke as two voices at once. "I want to consume you." "I want to destroy you."
Harry began to release his magic and pushed back on the insane man. A wall of water that looked to coalesce from the ocean around them stopped it.
Two types of laughter followed by two overlapping statements, "I am unstoppable." "I am unkillable."
Harry let a devious smirk appear as his magic surged, the man was powerful but wasn't even close to Harry's level. A wave of pure magical force dispersed the wall of water, turning it into dust. The realm of the ocean began to change. The color went from deep, dark blue, to a pale green with hidden shadows as Harry's magic consumed and grew around them.
Beings of fathomless shadows wielding scythes began to appear. They stared at the insane man, wanting to challenge his claims of being unkillable.
"You aren't unkillable. Death doesn't need to find you, Death already knows where you are," Harry said.
The red eye appeared and lasted long enough for the man to scream and whisper, "I hate you." "I need you."
The two voices were split, one facing Harry and the other facing Daenerys.
"It doesn't matter," Harry said, a scythe of pure deathly energy reached out from the Elder Wand, "I am the Master of Death."
Harry swiped his incorporeal reaper scythe and a cut of pure deathly energy surged toward Euron and the Anger, and when a wall of water appeared again, the blade slashed through it and the man. Screams from somewhere behind him appeared and matched his own. He began to split up as if the two versions of himself had been further apart than ever before.
6 men with no hair and blue mouths appeared behind the screaming dual man. They were chained to Euron and the Anger. The scythe that cut through him, cut through the men behind him, but they were putting all their energy into him, through those ghastly chains.
This enraged the man, "NO...NO, I TOLD YOU TO REMAIN SILENT!"
He screamed and wailed into the realm of death around them, "NOOOOOOO!" He began to attack the floating headless corpses, an axe forming from a tentacle of water was in his hands as he cut into the dead men.
As he tried to tear apart the souls of the warlocks chained to him, the souls tried to leave but the chains kept them bound in place, even as their bodies fell away.
Euron and the Anger turned, split more than they had ever been. They were not two people, but almost looked like a hydra with two heads, one with burning red eyes and the other we deep ocean eyes. Blood covered them despite being in the water within the Dreamworld.
The constantly shifting man tried to ignore Harry who stared at him calmly. He looked past the Master of Death to Daenerys and spoke, "Mother of Dragons..."
"I will take you!" "I will kill you!"
"YOU WILL BE MINE!" A forest of tentacles, axes, and blood rushed outward towards them like a wave.
Harry was about to respond in kind, but he wasn't first on the draw.
"No," Daenerys said. The oceans began to burn.
Two bloody red eyes appeared behind her in the darkness with verticle pupils. A maw of swords and death growled enough to shake the very air and water around them. Drogon roared into the ocean, a thousand times louder than anything else around. Daenerys floated up, "I am fire and blood! I am the storm! YOU WILL NOT TAKE ANYTHING!"
Fear and rage appeared on Euron and the Anger respectively.
"DRACARYS!" Her voice rang through the Dream like a bomb. An angel's wrath.
Drogon breathed in, a vacuum of air was only replaced by a sea of fire. Blood-red flames claimed the entire realm around them, leaving no other color behind. They split around Daenerys and cascaded down upon the intruder.
The heat was immeasurable.
Her burning purple eyes held only wrath.
Euron and the Anger answered in kind, the shifting and confusing wave of tentacles and axes clashed with the avalanche of dragon fire.
As she stood in the flames, she realized she wasn't alone. A steady hand embraced one of hers, delicate at first, their fingers and magic once again entwined.
"Let's do this!" Harry said.
Shimmer appeared on his shoulder and black and silver phoenix fire joined in with the bloody dragon fire. Harry wasn't finished with that either, the Elder Wand once again leveled at the fool, "Bombarda Maxima!"
He said it casually, but it wasn't some pink toad-lady casting it. This was the Master of Death, and his magic removed everything that stood in front of them.
~~o0o~~
"That was unexpected, to say the least," Harry said.
His mother's face split open with a terrible smile and Death spoke, "The woman or the Dream?"
Harry knew he walked into that one, "The Dream...You said he was a champion of sorts?"
Death nodded, "A man who can't help but rage against the world. He is the champion of the Drowned God, a tiny entity that dares to defy Death. He will fail."
Harry was leaning against his railing on the balcony outside his room as the dawn just began to crest the mountains in the Peverell Manor Trunk. A beam of sunlight fell across the naked silver-haired woman who lay in his bed. Regardless of the beautiful view, he had a frown on his face. They had a fantastic night together, and it ventured beyond the veil of sleep and entered the Dream.
But running into that psychotic squid man really pissed him off.
"Do I just go and find him now...and remove him?"
Death laughed.
"You don't think I should?"
"Euron is obscured from Divination. An artifact he found while looting Valyria."
"He survived Valyria?"
"He found a single fort before leaving, sustaining great losses. When you go, you must enter the city itself."
Harry had been planning on visiting the ruins, but it didn't seem like he would be doing so anytime soon. Death had only left ominous comments about the ruined city. The ruined land.
"But seriously, you know where Euron is, let me have his location and I will get rid of him today."
Death laughed again, "I prefer a good story. You will clash with him when the time is right."
"You mean he will keep appearing in the Dream until we find him?"
"We?"
Harry didn't answer, annoyed by Death's teasing. Daenerys began to stir and Harry felt Death leave. He sighed and walked back into the room, an extra steaming cup of tea in his hand. He sat on the bed as she yawned.
"Mmmm, that smells good," The queen said.
He held the extra cup out for her, "It's for you. Nothing like a good cup of tea in the morning."
She sat up a bit, keeping the comforter to her chest, even though her hip and leg were still revealed. She took a sip and a pleasurable moan escaped her lips, "This is delicious, what kind of tea was it?"
Harry shrugged, "Something Chancey grows, I always preferred it."
"Your little helpers have to be some of the most incredible creatures I have ever seen."
"Oh you have no idea, remind me to tell you about Dobby at some point. The little guy saved my life when I was young, going against direct orders. He was something special."
Daenerys smiled lightly and nodded. She took another sip and then decided to address what happened in the Dream. Harry filled her in on what he had learned about Euron and that he couldn't find him because of the anti-divination artifact that they held.
She sat in contemplation for a minute or two then spoke up again, "We leave for Meereen today."
Harry nodded, "I sent the Gold Legion back to their headquarters, but I can port them in when we get there."
"Yunkai is a large city, but Meereen is much bigger. They will have a serious defensive force...an army."
"It should be a good time to fully test the Unsullied. The Frost Legion won't be ready and don't even have their gear yet."
"How is the Frost Legion?"
Harry sighed, "To be honest, they are doing better than I expected. Many people in the north were either too old or too young, and while there certainly are some of both in the Legion, many of them are the strongest. There has been very little protest except on an individual basis. The sergeants I found in Braavos have been working out nicely. I expect them to be a competent force when the time comes. Oh, I have been working on some designs to arm the giants as well as some more portable siege engines."
"I don't think the use of siege weaponry in Meereen will be..."
"You don't want to deal with the collateral damage of siege weaponry, you mean."
She nodded.
"I don't think we will need it, to be honest. The hard part will be limiting the casualties of the slaves, but I don't know enough about the city to make the transition easy. There will be casualties, and we will be facing urban combat, something that is drastically more difficult to deal with than open warfare in the field."
"Because of how little room there is?"
"Partially, but also because of how easy it is to ambush. Something called Guerilla tactics where there is no direct and open combat. We will have to clear the city street by street. House by house."
A frown marred her perfect face, "I don't like that."
Harry nodded, "Clearing a city is a hard time."
"What if we incited a revolt of the slaves? Sneak people in at night, and by morning all the slaves have nearly freed themselves."
"Do we know what kind of forces they have? I was under the impression that they have a standing army in Meereen."
"I am unsure."
"I will send the Gold Legion against any standing army, but we should get the Unsullied into the city with teleportation. I can do that overnight and we can both free the slaves while causing a rebellion and have forces inside the city ready to engage places of import," Harry said.
They continued speaking until Chancey dropped a full breakfast on the patio table for them. After breakfast, Harry apparated the two back to Daenerys' tent, and they found her closest supporters full of worry.
Ser Barristan was standing with a frown on his face. Jorah Mormont looked like he had lost everything as he couldn't find her. Missendei also appeared nearly hopeless as well.
Rhaegal and Viserion were also worried, looking restless as they couldn't find their mother. Wyverns seemed to be strange like that to some degree, their intelligence increasing as they grew. Drogon didn't care that his mother was gone for the night as he was in constant contact with her. He was resting after a delicious set of goats for breakfast.
Harry and Daenerys appeared with a crack and were surprised to be surrounded by her closest confidants.
"Oh, hello," Harry said.
Ser Barristan looked upset for a second, but relaxed, "It is good to know you are alright, Your Grace. You had us worried."
Daenerys looked nearly sheepish, "I suppose that I should have let you know that we would be leaving..."
Harry looked around with a smile until he met eyes with Jorah Mormont. The man went from worried to hurt, devastated even. He looked like he wanted to speak as he stared at Daenerys. There was way too much emotion in those eyes for him not to make note of it.
Daenerys decided to get control of the situation, "Ahem, how are our preparations for moving to Meereen today?"
Ser Barristan answered first, "Your Grace, Grey Worm reports that the Unsullied are prepared to move now. The Frost Legion has already started moving in that direction as they are still in training. The supply train will be ready to move in a few hours."
The Queen nodded, "And your Gold Legion?"
Harry smiled, "I sent them back the other day, they are ready to be summoned in Meereen."
Jorah Mormont spoke up, "Are we sure we should be trusting this Gold Legion, Khaleesi?"
Everyone in the tent went quiet as Harry's gaze snapped over to the knight, "The Gold Legion is bound to me...Mormont."
The knight bristled under the intense gaze of Harry. He only seemed to be more uncomfortable as Daenerys touched Harry with a bit more affection than he would have liked, "The Gold Legion is going to meet us in Meereen. It is beyond just a normal mercenary contract, we can speak about it later. For now, I want everyone to move out. Missendei, have my things packed and ready to go by the time I get back."
"Get back, Your Grace?" Ser Barristan asked.
She nodded, "You may stay with me Ser Barristan, but there is something I need to do first. Everyone else, you have your assignments."
Jorah bowed and walked off in a hurry. Missendei left to find more handmaidens to help break down the Queen's tent.
Harry didn't like the implication from Mormont, but let it go for now. He would have to investigate if there was more to the strange feeling he got when looking at Mormont. Something just didn't add up. His actions weren't consistent with a dedicated knight, too full of emotion.
Ser Barristan waited by the tent entrance while Harry was in thought. Daenerys picked up Rhaegal and Viserion, which was slightly difficult as they were getting to be about the size of a large dog. She brought them to her bed and set them down on either side of her.
Viserion nuzzled her side, leaning his to their mother's touch. Rhaegal just leaned against her thigh.
"I think it is time for you to bond with one of my children."
Neither Harry nor Ser Barristan were able to keep the surprise from their faces.
Harry spoke up, "You want me to form a mount and rider bond with one?"
Her purple eyes locked onto him, "It's something I have been thinking about for the past month since we met in the Dream. You and I both want to change this world and while you do have incredible power, you can't deny that bonding with one of them would increase it, wouldn't you?"
He didn't answer.
"If we are facing threats like that 2-faced man in the Dream..." She seemed to lose her words. "Then I want you to be as safe as possible."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "It's pretty difficult to kill me."
"Yes, but it isn't just about you. I want my children to be safe as well. You can protect one of them by bonding with them," She said.
"And who would bond with the third?" Harry asked.
She shook her head, "I don't know. We will find someone, or they can fly with one of us."
Harry nodded.
"I think you should choose Rhaegal. Aesthetically speaking, you both have the same sort of theme, black and green."
Harry laughed but quickly grew serious again, "I have to say that bonding with me will be exceptionally painful for them."
"Why is that?"
"Because of my magic."
She raised an eyebrow, implying that he should continue.
"Most of my magic is sort of...deathly. And while I do have phoenix magic courtesy of Shimmer, it will still be extremely painful for them. I also have a much larger magical pool, so to speak. When you bonded with Drogon, you were close to the same level of power as him, maybe a little less. But I have obscenely deep levels of magic compared to one who has just begun to use theirs. It will be painful, if not dangerous."
Daenerys frowned looking down at her young dragons, "Is there any way to ensure their safety?"
"They should be able to survive the ritual, and I can provide tinctures and potions for the pain afterward. That still doesn't account for the danger of them potentially getting hurt or even burned out."
Surprisingly, Death spoke into Harry's mind, "See which one is more drawn to your magic."
"Here, let's see if one is more interested in my magic, maybe having a bit of a connection could help?"
Daenerys nodded. Harry summoned a ball of pure deathly magic, suspended as a floating orb. Both dragons took note of it, but Viserion quickly went back to nuzzling Daenerys. But Rhaegal looked very interested.
Harry moved the flame closer and the green and black dragon leaned forward to sniff it, "That smell interesting little guy?"
Rhaegal made a silly gurgling noise and breathed in, pulling some of the magic in with the breath.
"That was curious."
"Did he just breathe it in?" Daenerys asked.
Harry nodded, "He did."
She smiled, "I guess we found your match."
~~o0o~~
Shimmer activated the ritual since they designed it for a third person to activate. The beautiful phoenix had no trouble conducting the ritual, however, and she easily guided her magic through it as the sequence started.
Harry felt her magic connect with him and watched as it reached across the infinity symbol that doubled as the ritual circle. Rhaegal was curiously sitting there, his mother just outside of the circle as she watched nervously.
The ritual fully activated and it turned from the silvery-back magic of Shimmer to the deathly green magic of Harry. Even the Wizard was watching Rhaegal nervously as they connected. As soon as their empathetic connection ignited, Harry sent feelings of comfort and concern over to the panicking Wyvern.
When Rhaegal was hit with the overwhelming pool of energy he nearly broke the ritual as he reeled back like he'd been hit.
"Rhaegal! It's okay!" Daenerys yelled out to him, but she knew she couldn't enter the circle.
Harry continued to send calming waves of emotion through the forming bond as their magic fully connected. Rhaegal passed out from the power differential but was able to remain in the ritual which allowed it to continue.
When the ritual was completed, Harry ran over and picked up the slumbering Wyvern, holding the draconic lad in a careful embrace.
"Is he alright?" Daenerys asked.
Harry nodded, "He's just asleep. I do not see anything wrong with him, but let's get him to the infirmary and have my Medi-elves take a look at him. Just in case."
Ser Barristan, Daenerys, Viserion, Harry, and Rhaegal all appeared in the Peverell Infirmary. The 2 medi-elves were dressed in their adorable mini-nurse gowns and quickly put their food down to address Harry.
"Masters Harries!" They said together.
"Hello loves, I need some help inspecting this little wyvern if possible," Harry said.
"Of course!" "Right away!"
Harry set Rhaegal down on one of the beds and cast a few diagnostic spells on him. Milly and Tilly summoned a few stools and climbed up to run some other diagnostics.
"Magic levels rising!" Milly said.
"Magic hasn't stabilized!" Tilly said.
"He was in a lot of pain due to the Bonding Ritual," Harry said. His diagnostic spell finished and the results were not worrying.
"Tilly will get a calming potion!"
"Milly will get a magic stabilizing tincture!"
Daenerys would have smiled at the two little nurses if she wasn't so worried about Rhaegal. The medi-elves quickly administered everything and Rhaegal's magic began to stabilize.
Then he began to visibly grow. Scales almost seemed to pop out of nowhere to accommodate the rampant growth. After a few seconds, he seemed to stabilize after gaining almost 50% more body weight. He grew almost another foot in length and his legs grew to match.
"Baby dragon needs rest!"
"He needs time!"
The medi-elves went and grabbed some kind of cream and began to apply it to his new scales and Rhaegal relaxed.
"He will be fine," Harry said. He would keep Rhaegal in the room for a few weeks as he recovered. The bond between them had fully formed and while he was asleep, Harry could feel many emotions from the growing wyvern.
Harry stroked the spikey head, "You and I are going to be the best of friends."
Watching Harry fuss over her child, Daenerys knew she had made the right choice. The Wizard would put all the effort and care into raising Rhaegal into a powerful and effective dragon.
~~o0o~~
"If they are in the city, working as insurgents, then we have to go in quietly. We show up in force and they just hide away," the Tattered Prince said.
Daario spoke up, "I agree, we take a small force into the city and have our men camp a day or so away, maybe approach at night once we know more about the Butcher."
Jon nodded, "Alright. What are your thoughts, Grayson?"
The former Blackfyre soldier sighed, "I have to agree with them. At the same time though, my men are all similarly geared. We can pose as an extra guard force to some degree, while you and the others bring a dozen or more men to work in the shadows. Then we could be ready to respond once you find something."
"I like that idea," the Tattered Prince said.
Daario nodded as well.
"Alright, and you have five thousand foot soldiers, Grayson?" Jon asked.
"Aye, I do."
Once the crazy wizard sent them through a portal, they hadn't been able to put roots down anywhere. Yunkai was overloaded with people and forces, and they had to quickly move South when the Windblown showed up. The Blackfyre forces, now part of the Ghost Legion, had 5,000 heavy infantry and 1,500 heavy cavalry, making them the most cohesive of the three different forces that came together. The Second Sons were almost entirely versatile fighters who could put up a fight on any front, though they preferred to act as light cavalry.
The Windblown had 3 divisions that split up into 4,000 soldiers, 2,000 longbowmen, and 500 light cavalry.
"Alright then, Grayson, his 5,000 foot soldiers, and Ygritte and I will approach the city during the day. We will meet with the council and quickly get your men working as guards. Hopefully, we can find a good place to requisition a barracks or build something to create the headquarters of the Ghost Legion," Jon began ordering. "Prince, Daario, you two will get your best 5 to 10 men each. I am talking about your best fighters or ones who are knowledgeable about the kind of fighting we will be facing, and ride into the city at night. We will try and sneak you in, but you might be on your own."
"That's no trouble," The Tattered Prince said. "We've entered more fortified cities, none the wiser."
"Aye, Commander," Daario said.
The night before they had embarked on the trip to Astapor, Harry had introduced the various Captains to Jon Snow. Jon immediately challenged each of them to a quick spar, which Harry had agreed to oversee.
Jon went against the Tattered Prince, Daario Naharis, and Captain Grayson back to back to back. Jon's enchanted blade pushed him to defeat all of them in seconds. He didn't do it to cause fear or even a pecking order, but simply just to prove that he would be leading the fights, not directing them. The men all looked at him differently after that and were open to hearing him out. It would take much more to earn the trust of the soldiers beneath him, but he had been making steps in the right direction.
After the other Captains had left, Jon turned to Ygritte, "What do you think?"
"Not a bad plan, Jon Snow. The city is already ours so finding people in it is the hard part, right?" Ygritte said with a smile on her face.
"Mhm, should be easier than climbing the Wall, at least."
She scoffed, "Anything is easier than that! Now we find this fool butcher and I put a few of my arrows through him. That'll be the end of that, Jon Snow."
Everything she said seemed to fill him with warmth, "Alright then."
~~o0o~~
"A great Weirwood Tree on top of a hill. The burning sunset illuminated the leaves like flames in the wind," Jojen said. His eyes were wide and his pupils were dilated. Raven's cawed in his mind.
The group sat around a campfire in a desolate cave, the winds and snow ravaging the landscape around them.
"You have seen it too?" Bran asked a hint of excitement within him.
"Meera and I, even Hodor, are only here to guide you," Jojen said.
"We wait till dawn then continue," Meera said.
"No matter what happens, you must make it."
Bran nodded, "We will."
"The end of a journey, and the start of another," Jojen said, his eyes drawn back to the cave, falling on his right hand. "The end."
Bran caught a glimpse of what he saw, the flames that encased his hand reflected yellow light off of his face.
Meera spoke up, "How will we know when it's the end?"
Jojen didn't answer for a while. He saw the entire journey to the tree in his visions. They were on the right path. They were closing in on their goal. However, he would not be able to see anything beyond the tree.
They trekked for days on end, trudging through the unending blizzards. Meera was the strongest of them, not physically, as that was Hodor, but mentally, she kept them together like glue. His sister, the beautiful woman he had always been able to trust, is the only reason Bran makes it to the tree. The tree was just too far north, in the White Walker's territory. Those frozen blue eyes would spot them, and the dead would collapse around them like an avalanche of bone and frost.
Something happens when he makes it to the tree in his dreams. Something that stops the visions. They were so close! The door was just there! All they had to do was get close to it! He was so tired, the endless weeks of trekking through the snow with little to no water and food had left them all in a state of constant exhaustion. The mountain is always the steepest just before the top.
The tree was in sight...it was right there. They had made it!
A hand from the snow, not but bone and sinew grabbed him and he fell. Only to be dragged further away from the tree. It was a trap!
More undead would burst from the snow around them, a trap. That is where the many visions usually ended, him being pulled away from the tree, his final destination. The end.
His vision would go black and he would lose all knowledge of things to come. But something was different this time. His eyes stared at his burning hand within the cave and yet, his mind's eye was staring at his sister running to save him, the strength of Meera wouldn't be stopped by the treacherous north!
Everything went black, yet he saw more. Two piercing and burning green eyes split the darkness. They looked so familiar and so different at the same time.
Who's impossibly green flame eyes, were they? What did they mean?
The fire in his hand turned green as well. Jojen was truly lost. He knew they would make it to the tree, but what happened after was up to the Old Gods.
He was just along for the ride.
~~o0o~~
Harry spent most of the next 2 weeks working with Rhaegal, completing the armor and weapon copies for the Frost Legion, finishing the armor Gendry designed with enchantments for Ser Barristan, and preparing to assault Meereen.
The formerly little dragon had grown to be nearly the size of Drogon, who had also continued growing. Harry hadn't ridden him yet, waiting for him to get used to the new power coursing through him.
That didn't mean that he couldn't train him.
Rhaegal had been practicing his flying with Shimmer while within the vast expanse of the Peverell Manor. Daenerys had brought Drogon and Viserion in several times as they traveled to Meereen, allowing the three dragons to play together and hunt together.
They tried to interact with the local dragon, Jormandeza, The Cerulean Scythe. That being said though, she was much older and didn't have time or energy to deal with 'annoying young welps.' Harry pulled the other dragons away from her and let her be at peace.
Viserion was visibly depressed at not having a rider, and not growing like his siblings. The frustration was visible on his draconic face, and even Daenerys couldn't calm him down.
The Journal of Legions began with Jon Snow reporting on the tactics that they were planning on implementing when they got to Astapor. Harry and Maester Aemon both approved, later informing Daenerys about his plans.
The Frost Legion was starting to be a cohesive force, and the Quartermasters had been handing out armor and weapons for more advanced tactics and training. This is where the men of the North learned the difference between people who are tough and people who can fight. It was an enlightening day when they arrived at Meereen in their new armor.
Harry had also been working on siege weapons that the giants could operate, pulled by their mighty mammoths. Along with that he also created armor and clothing for them by up-sizing already created gear. The enchanted armor would keep the massive humanoids cool despite the excessive heat thanks to the frosty aura enchantments.
The king of the giants, Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg asked that Harry provide clothing for the hundred other women who would be farming, or the 'growers' as they called them, including his mate. Harry nodded at that and upsized 200 sets of comfortable yet sturdy robes, mostly for females, along with massive sunhats for those who would farm the fertile lands around Meereen.
They were about a week out from Meereen and Death decided to let Harry know some interesting things.
"Champion," Death said. His mother's visage appeared in front of him. They were riding horses as Harry had decided to go along with the caravan of people moving to Meereen, which left Death to float along beside them.
There was an unsurprisingly large amount of Free Folk that were moving along with the caravan to Meereen as well, since the Frost Legion would operate out of the city, they wanted their families with them.
"Yes?" He said it in his mind. He and Ser Barristan were riding along either side of Daenerys and didn't notice him losing track of the conversation.
"Interesting things are happening, the Wise Masters of Yunkai were defeated. But the Great Masters of Meereen laugh at the Dragon Queen. They are about to crucify 163 slave children at each mile marker until Meereen," Death said.
She had a smile on her face, his mother's loving face, distorted by the fact that she didn't care whether or not he saved the children. But Death knew he cared.
"What?!" Harry accidentally spoke out loud.
This drew attention from everyone, guards went on defense and Daenerys looked at him with concern, "What is it? Is everything alright?"
"I have to go, it seems the Great Masters of Yunkai are trying to crucify slave children..." Harry said he turned to look at the Queen with rage and concern in his gaze. "I will stop it."
She was as shocked as everyone around at his declaration, but nodded, "Go!"
Harry nodded back and disappeared in a crack of magical Apparation. One of the guards quickly caught up to his spooked horse and grabbed the reigns.
There was a trail of slaves that had been taken and were being marched out of Meereen's southern gate. None had been sacrificed yet, but Harry went ahead and Imperio'd the guards working for the Great Master's holding off on doing anything just yet. He ordered all 30 of them to wait while he went through their minds.
Usually, searching through people's minds was akin to a sort of mental rape, and he would feel disgusted by it if it weren't for the 163 slave children that were about to be executed horribly. He thought that he could easily replace the children with the Great Master's who ordered it.
Meereen appeared to have a huge congregation of nearly 300 Great Master's that would meet and control everything. They had a hierarchy within that but it seemed like a waste of time to deal with. Harry followed a chain of orders through the minds of people he found and discovered the man at the top who had the final say in ordering the execution of children.
The hierarchy seemed fairly arbitrary, but it didn't matter, He found the top 163 men, and one by one, he stole someone precious to them. He didn't take children, but almost all of them had at least one wife. If not a close brother or sister.
Harry apparated back to the waiting children and had each of them returned to their families while switching them out with close family members. He would have to use the time turner at some point to continue his gruesome work, it would take much time.
He also did something he had read about a long time ago, having Death update him on the process of it. Something he called a Triggered Removal Charm. It probably had a better name, but essentially, Harry filled the mind of each Great Master with the knowledge that someone precious to them had been taken and crucified. He made them understand that it was their orders that had done it and that it was his actions that had switched the ones they loved for the slaves.
What is more, the triggered part of the curse was combined with an Obliviating Charm, so that none of them would know that something was wrong until he said the command word loud enough. By the time dawn arrived, the Great Masters were all oblivious to the theft of the one they loved. They had no idea, only assuming their loved ones were just away for the moment somewhere.
The men who he'd Imperio'd, the disgusting slaver-soldiers, who tormented and tortured children all were eliminated by Harry. The pile of what remained was burned outside the city.
"Mmmmm, such interesting souls you gift me, my champion," His mother's proud face said.
Harry nodded, "Cruel ends for cruel men, as you say."
Her smile held nothing on the inside, just an endless black abyss that surely could consume souls. It matched her pitch-black eyes, yet she still held that motherly pride for his grim work.
~~o0o~~
Harry drank a Wide-eyed potion after his work the night before. They began to find the crucified corpses which were supposed to be slave children. Harry stared impassively, if a little sad at the many men and women who had been killed so horribly.
"And you said that these are people who are important to the Great Masters, but they don't know it has happened yet?" Daenerys asked.
Ser Barristan had a grave look on his face, but he knew how war was. He knew how the lowest people were treated by slavers. What Harry had done was terrifying and sad all at once. Sad that it had to happen, terrifying that he could even know something that horrible had been planned. It was a dark night, and it showed on Harry's face.
Harry nodded, "I took what mattered to them, and returned the children to their families. Those that still had families, at least."
Daenerys stared at him, not judgmentally, but more concerned than anything. She seemed to realize how tired the Master of Death was, "You need rest, Lord Hadrian, it is showing on your face. We won't make it to the city until tomorrow. Please, go get some rest."
Harry nodded, looking down, but not seeing anything, "I will do just that. You know how to contact me should anything happen."
"Of course," She replied.
He disappeared, once again spooking his horse.
Ser Barristan spoke up, "That is a man that had two bad dark choices, Your Grace. He did the right thing, but still regrets it."
She nodded, "He saved hundreds of slave children. I can only admire what he has done."
They continued in silence for a time, before Ser Barristan asked, "Your Grace, if I may, how did he know the slave children would be...executed?"
Daenerys had been deep in thought, not just about the crucified people every mile marker, but the disgusting people they were removing, "He once said that he could sense when people were dying. Something about this title of Master of Death. I admit the first time he told me his title, I didn't think much of it. But it seems that he can definitely do that, as well as see the souls of those who die near him."
"That seems like a heavy burden for anyone."
She nodded, "I couldn't imagine."
~~o0o~~
Harry rested for a while, Chancey fussing over him and making sure he ate food. He had expanded his favorite patio and reinforced it so that Rhaegal could sleep on it, even putting a bunch of comfortable bedding for the huge dragon.
"How are you feeling, Rhaegal?" Harry asked in Parseltongue.
The huge dragon lifted his head, "Good, Master."
"Please, just call me Harry. I told you this," Harry said helplessly.
The dragon laughed, a long hissing in bursts, "Are we ready to go for a flight yet?"
"I need to sleep a bit, but don't worry, we will fly soon. It looks like your magic has finally stabilized, and your growth has slowed down to a steady rate."
"Am I as large as Drogon now?"
"A little bit bigger now, it seems, at least the last time I saw him. That should be expected though, since I have been using magic my whole life."
Rhaegal grumbled something that translated into a curious sound but didn't speak further.
Harry ensured that he had food and water and went to bed after a long bath.
He must have slept nearly 15 hours before groggily waking up. He was so tired that he didn't even have the attention span to make it into the Dream. He was just out like a light.
The next day came and Harry geared up for battle. It was time to take Meereen.
~~o0o~~
The Unsullied and Gold Legions were lined up outside the Southern Gate, which was behind two massive harpy statues. Above them were the many Great Masters looking down with smiles and derision as slaves attended to them.
"They really think they are untouchable," Harry said.
"They will learn otherwise," Daenerys said.
The gate cracked open and only one person came through.
Jorah Mormont spoke up, "A single rider. The Champion of Meereen. They want you to send your own champion against them."
Harry smirked at that until the rider stepped off his horse and began yelling out words.
"What is he doing?" Daenerys asked.
"I believe he means to..." Ser Barristan said.
The man whipped his cock out and began peeing in front of everyone, to the laughter and applause of the Great Masters.
"He says that we are an army of men without...man parts," Missendei reluctantly translated. "He claims you are no woman at all but are a man who..."
"That is enough Missendei," Harry said.
"I have something to say to the people of Meereen...First, I need that one to be silent. Do I have a champion?"
Harry was going to respond but Grey Worm was first, "Allow me this honor, Mother of Dragons. I will not disappoint you."
"You are the Commander of the Unsullied. I cannot risk you."
"Your Grace, I have won more single combats than any man alive," Ser Barristan said.
"Which is why you must remain by my side."
Jorah Mormont spoke up, "I've been by your side longer than any of them, Khalessi, let me stand for you today as well."
Jorah didn't quite feel the piercing gaze of Harry, nearly boring a hole into him, but he still got the chills.
"You are one of my trusted advisors and long-time friend, I will not gamble with your life."
"This is pointless, I will end this in a second," Harry said.
The Hound, who was standing in support of Harry, snorted at the Wizard getting involved. This wouldn't be much of a fight at all.
"Very well, but don't prolong his death."
Harry shrugged as he stepped forward, "He doesn't even know he's dead."
The man got on a horse, brandished his lance, and began to charge at Harry.
"You sure you do not want a horse?" Daenerys asked. But Harry ignored the stupid question.
As the man hit his stride at full speed, Harry spoke out with his voice amplified, "FIENDFYRE!"
A cascading wave of cursed flame split from Harry's Elder Wand. The rider's eyes went wide in shock and fear as the echoing cry of a phoenix screamed out in rage. It wasn't Shimmer, but instead the manifestation of the cursed fire. The man tried to stop and turn, but there was no chance when the screaming phoenix engulfed him.
Less than a second passed before there was nothing left. No bones, no flesh, nothing.
Harry cut the curse and forced it to comply, the flames let out one last dying scream and they disappeared.
His voice was still enhanced and he held his hand into the air. Not 10 meters away, a massive black and green dragon appeared as if Apparating. Harry held his hand up and the dragon picked him up and flung him into the air.
Harry did a quick flip, covering himself in flame and he appeared standing on the saddle, perfectly balanced.
Rhaegal let out a cry of fury that echoed throughout the entire city, leaving the masters to cover their ears in fear. The huge dragon hovered just above the height where the Great Masters lounged.
"It is time for you to remember, what I TOOK from you!" Harry said, activating the memory trigger on his spell. Each of the Masters sat in stunned silence for a moment before horror crossed their faces. Tears and blubbering sobs left them as they had somehow crucified the ones they loved the most.
Harry turned around and landed Rhaegal to the shocked faces of those who followed the Queen. Not everyone knew that he had bonded with the Dragon. Others did know and finally seeing Harry riding the dragon, now massive in size, was surprising, to say the least.