A/N: Miss me?
Not much in the way of feedback for this chapter, eh? T_T
That's unfortunate, but I suppose that's because the notifications are down.
As per the traditional rule for this story. We'll update again once this story breaks 1,000 reviews.
Been away for awhile, making plans for this story. Adventreader221 helped immeasurably with this chapter. Take the Girl has been delayed due to site glitches, but I'll be sure to post that when its ready. Rather soon, in fact.
I'm also preparing a bunch of Elden Ring and GOT updates -yes yes, Foxfire, Dance of the Dread, Claws of a Lion etc- given what's right around the corner, -to say nothing of the Boys- but this chapter fought me tooth and nail; in part because there's so much going on.
So bloody busy these days...
I finally seem to be shaking off the lingering effects of long Covid -lungs are getting better- but car repair costs are still skyrocketing, to say nothing of taking care of my sister, who, I've now been told, can't back to work until sometime in July.Meaning all the bills fall to me. Because of course they do. I hate being the oldest.
And of course, there are times when I look to the future and wonder what will become of things when I'm gone.
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~!
"Now, now, we all hate the Lannisters, don't we?
I mean, why else would we be here?
Hate is a powerful motivator."
~?
From the Deep
"Again."
Daenerys winced as a blunted blade crashed down upon her head.
The pain served as a reminder, not only of her weakness in a contest of arms, but of the bet she'd los and the torment she suffered now.
Grimacing, she pivoted and struck out with her own weapon, only for an open palm to slap it aside. She stumbled after it, unable to correct herself in time and was summarily smacked on the knee for her troubles. A rare frustrated noise parted her lips as she tried to strike at her attacker once more, all for naught. He swayed aside, easily evading her clumsy thrust before retaliating with one of his own that. A solid thump on the shoulders drew a pained cry from her.
"Again, Dany."
Bloody blasted bet!
Was that all Aegon would say to her today?!
Bad enough that he'd awoken her at the crack of dawn and dragged her out here to the courtyards of Dragonstone, bad enough that he was a merciless teacher, and bad enough that she was pants when it came to, but this...it was humiliating!
It certainly didn't help that she still somewhat...sore from last night.
Worse, their little fiasco had attracted something of an audience.
Worse still, her advisors were all smiling at her.
She had an inkling why, but she did not dare voice it; no she absolutely did not dare. To do so now would only reveal her own weakness and allow them to see just how she truly felt. Happy that is. Despite all of the trials and tribulations, all she had seen and endured, it felt...good to be loved. And if she walked with a slight limp, then no one dared comment on it. Not even Missandei.
Didn't stop them from staring though-
THUMP!
She yelped as the flat of his blade smacked her square between the eyes, causing her to see stars.
"Again." Aegon clicked his tongue and traced her thigh with the padded sword.
Daenerys drew in an aggravated breath. "You did that deliberately.
He winked. "Did I?"
She tried to thump him with her own practice weapon, only for him to nimbly sidestep her once more.
"So close!'
"You're stubborn, I'll give you that."
"I prefer persistent." He laughed at that, not at her, but for her.
Oberyn chuckled. "You see how she pursues him? Our queen is smitten.
Would that the rest of the day was so peaceful...
(.0.0.0.)
Come the afternoon, tensions had risen around the table once more.
A shame, really. She rather liked Jon, but it seemed the boy was hellbent on getting himself killed.
"If you want to end this war, then you need to make peace with Cersei, before it's too late!" Jon declared boldly towad Aegon.
The Forgotten Son looked to the Stark with a baffled expression, "Make peace? With Cersei? You're joking." he looked to Tyrion. "Tell me he's joking."
The dwarf cringed, "...I'm afraid not."
Aegon rose from his chair. Jon stood his ground.
In hindsight, that last decision might've bee... a mistake.
"I would sooner," he touched one hand to the side of his scarred face as he circled around to meet the young wolf, "Gouge out my other eye and hand it to you on a silver platter than make ANY sort of peace with Tywin Lannister and his psychotic bitch of a daughter. The only reason I don't count Jamie Lannister among that number is because he frankly did the world a FAVOR when he killed Aerys all those years ago. No." a finger swept forth and jabbed into his armored chest. "I'll kill every other Lannister I can get my hands on!"
Tyrion couhged.
"Present company excluded of course." He granted a quick nod to the dwarf.
"Your war won't matter when the dead march south!" Jon yelled at him.
"And how are they going to come South, hmm?" Aegon demanded fiercely, "Last I looked, there's a 700 foot tall wall of ice in the way. We have time. If your 'Night King' can raise the dead as you say he can, the last thing we want to do is dangle a damned dragon in front of him." he scoffed when the younger boy made to protest, "No, we need to be smart about this. You want a wight, send me over the bloody wall. I'll grab the first one I find, and come back!" he thumped a fist against the table. "No faffing about, no grand heroics, none of this stupid horse piss!"
"And when you die, then you leave the realms undefended when the war continues to tear the realm apart." Jon growled, "Have you no honor for your fellow man?"
All the heat bled out of the room at once. Daenerys winced despite herself. She knew she should say something -anything!- but she couldn't help herself.
Instead, she watched the fireworks that followed.
"Honor?" the very word was a hiss, a low feral rasp pushing past Aegon's clenched teeth. "You question me about honor, when all of you high strung Nobles call yourselves King's and Ruler's, and yet you make the people who should never even be at war suffer for your overinflated egos!" Jon made to protest at that, but the dragon snarled him into silence. "I would watch what you say very carefully before you question me, Stark, because the next time you dare make insult of my honor, you will not like me. I dare you, I dare you to do it, boy!"
"This boy, is getting tired of your mockery." Jon growled at the Dragon Prince, "You stand here trying to lecture me, and yet as we speak, people are dying because-"
Aegon seized a chair and whirled, dashing it to splinters against a nearby wall. speak boldly, his voice cutting him off.
"Stand amongst the ashes of a million dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters!"
"..." When Jon didn't respond, Aegon huffed out a breath.
"The silence, is your answer." he told him, "People die, yes, but it's because they are made to by those with authority."
"How do you know?" Davos piped up at last.
Aegon scoffed at him. "The God's don't determine whether a man lives or dies, people do. The God's only decree when...
She hoped that might be the end of it, that these two stubborn boys would see sense.
It was not to be.
"You don't know that, we live our lives the way we see fit." Jon told Davos.
Aegon wa"Then go. Go live your life 'cause you've got a good one." he told him.
Jon yelled, "It's what I'm trying to do!"
"No, what you're trying to do, is change what is." Aegon growled out. "You're denying a fundamental truth."
Jon blinked, baffled, "And what would that be?" he demanded.
Aegon stood straight and looked across the water of the sea, "That we're like animals! It's in the blood! It's natural!" he told him before scoffing, "Peace? That's an accident! It's what is! When you're pushed, killing's as easy as breathing. When the killing stops in one place, it starts in another, but that's okay... 'cause you're killing for your family. But it ain't your family who asks you, it's a few men up top who want it. Old men start it, young men fight it, nobody wins, everybody in the middle dies... and nobody tells the truth! Are the God's gonna make all that go away? No." He shook his head, "Don't waste your life, it's pointless for you to try. If you can't understand that, then go home."
Jon bridled.
"Really." Aegonr repeated. Go home. We're done here."
"I cannot-
The door to the council chambers swung open before he could finish that sentence.
Prince Oberyn poked his head in, regarded them all for a moment, and slipped inside. "I hate to interrupt this...entertainment your grace, but a fleet has been sighted on the horizon."
Daenerys tilted her head. "Who would be so bold or foolish enough to do such a thing?"
He offered her a furled piece of parchment bearing a familiar sigil.
...Euron Greyjoy."
(.0.0.0.)
Standing in the castle's throne room-what passed for one anyways-Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose and willed himself to be calm.
He knew as "Aegon" he had an image to maintain, but here and now, int his moment, he found he didn't care much for it.
Because you see, he was angry.
Downright furious really, not just with Jon, but himself. His head ached and try as he might, he couldn't banish that last argument from his mind.
Why couldn't Jon understand? Why couldn't he see? Why was he being so blasted stubborn?!
Shaking his head, he pushed that thought down and looked to his right with a sigh.
"What in blazes does Euron Greyjoy want...?" he demanded of Tyrion.
"To speak with her majesty, the Queen, about talks of uniting House Greyjoy and Targaryen in hopes of removing the Mad Queen in King's Landing to instate House Greyjoy as Master of Ship's and Trade." the Queen's Hand said before leaning over and whispering, "But I highly doubt his claims, the Greyjoy's are nothing more than pirates and thieves who claim anything that isn't nailed down to the floor in order to please their Drowned God as well as their overinflated egos."
Naruto hummed as he shrugged, "Well, he isn't exactly lying, Cersei has made his life all that much more difficult that his people are also suffering under her regime, but if we can take a potential ally from that cunt of a sister of yours, I'll hear him out. Keep your mind sharp, dwarf, wouldn't want him to outplay us now would we?"
Tyrion nodded his head, "On that we can agree, my Prince." he responded before humming, "Any chance we can't just have Ancalagon... burn him out?" the dwarf reconsidered.
Aegon bellowed out a hearty laughter, "Oh I knew there was a reason I liked you."
In truth, he had considered it; it would be the mad thing to do, perhaps even the right thing, but that would upset Dany.
"On that we can agree my friend." Tyrion smiled happily.
Daenerys arrived not a moment later, and took her seat beside him.
And so the Game began.
(.0.0.0.)
Daenerys frowned as the doors swung open, admitting their...guest.
She would grant Euron Greyjoy, this much.
The man seemed quite confident.
Very much so.
He did not walk so much as he did strut, all but swaggering into the throne room. As though he hadn't a a care in the world; like nothing in it scared him. And perhaps it didn't. Some said the man was mad, that his time in the forbidden and unknown seas had changed him.
"Your grace." he considered the sky with a keen eye. "Gorgeous beasts."
"They are." she refused to allow herself to be distracted. "Why have you come here?"
Aegon watched him like a hawk, ready to pounce. There was certainly no love lost between these two.
Indeed the young dragon's gaze remained fixed firmly upon the man...and the horn hanging from his belt.
Euron sketched a bow and swayed low with a smug smile.
"I've come to bargain."
A/N: Aaaand scene.
Well? Should this remain a story? If so I'll endeavor to update it weekly with the rest. If not...well, I tried.
As ever, the Embers rule remains. If people don't like this story? If they don't enjoy it? Well...I'll not continue it. That's no joke, folks. I'm so busy these days with two jobs; basically, I don't have time off. Not anymore. My free time is limited and as such, I can't afford to focus on something folks don't like. Reviews keep me writing in these times, and keep the daily updates flowing. Silence...silence only hurts. I hate having to beg for feedback, but without it...well, it feels like I'm not making an impact.
By all means, speak up! Make yourselves heard!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review...Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the Previews!
Well, potential ones.
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~?!
They're most the same, don't want to spoil things...
(Previews!) AKA Season Seven...
Yes, yes, they're rough and unfinished, I know.
"What in the hells is that crazy Kraken doing here?"
Not quite the words Daenerys would've used, but an apt comparison nonetheless.
She swept down into the throne and sat beside her
About last night.
Daenerys swept in
Naruto went sitll. I enjoyed it very much. Later, then? He took hold of her han, lifted it to his lips and kissed her ring.
Heat flooded her face. It was such a simple gesture but now it had implicit meaning to it. Worth. Just outside she heard her children roar.
What's gotten into them?
They followed and she watched Ancalagon hurtle past,darkening the skies above. Sweeping across the bay, he dove low and belatedly she saw what he saw, a ship in the distance. And there upon its black sail. The sigil of a Kraken.
Aegon's dragon dove lower still but mercifully refrained from a strafing run or flaming the vessels. It was only the mone ship. How odd. She was surprised the Ironboorn would bring his entire fleet. But perhaps he was cagey. Wary, even.
Jon Snow wasn't the only one new arrival.
A dothraki stepped aside. "This man claims his your friend, Khaleesi.
He is indeed. This is Jorah Mormont. My dearest and oldest friend....welcome home, Ser Jorah."
We will not take Casterly Rock with the unsulied.
A pall fell over the room. Tyrion waited for the other boot to drop. Eventually, it did.
Surely you do not mean to burn it?!
No, it will fall.
It has no value. The matter is not up for discussion. I have heard your counsel and-
The doors bust open.
"You love her." it was not a question, though the words were pained.
Naruto lifted his chin and stared him down. "I do."
Jorah stared back. "And you will be true to her?"
"Of course I will."
"See that you are. If you are not, your neck will meet my blade.
"Heh, and here I thought I would have to travel the world entire to meet the overprotective father, how nostalgic." he muttered.
"Its too late now. Don't you see? Look at them. She loves him. And he loves her. We can't tell them."
"Tell who what?"
Sam nearly jumped out of his skin.
Arya quirked a brow. "You can fight?"
"When I must."
She drew Needle. "Show me."
"Why?"
"Because, you're honest. You see the world for what it truly is. You don't hide behind lies and deceit." she told him.
"Because, what does lying get me aside from failed plots and plans." he told her, "What are the wagers for this fight?"
"I win, you let me kill the Frey's for what they did to my House." she told him.
"And should I win?" he questioned, "I assume you must have something in mind?"
"You get me." she told him, "Tie our houses together in peace so as to make sure the North doesn't break away when the dead come south."
He laughed. "Nice try."
"You have spirit." he patted Sansa's head then laughed when she scowled and squirmed away. "I like that. Really, I do. But if I catch you trying to undermine my wife again...we'll be having words."
"You're content to be her mad dog, then?"
Dragon, actually." he tapped his eyepatch. "I never said anything about being sane...
EDIT: Hope this chapter put a smile on your face! Have a great day~!
Looking forward to chatting with you later!
Sincerely,
~Nz.