A Song of Fire, Ice and Hearts

by Jebest4781

Venturing outside of the Heart of his Somebody, a Nobody enters a World where it's at the brink of self destruction. Will he be able to handle and survive the Game of Thrones. Rated M for language, violence, etc. Pairings hidden at current time. KHXGoT/ASoIaF CoWritten by free man writer. Cover Image by Carlos M. Please leave reviews.

47. The City of Bones

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Disney, Square-Enix, Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire or anything else. They rightfully belong to their respective owners.

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

Writing/Singing

"Foreign Language/Flashback"

-Scene Shift-

Chapter 47: The City of Bones

Steps echoed throughout the relative dark.

What was once crunching gravel gave way to crunching sand.

No more was the light coming from the fluorescent rocks in a seemingly endless cavern but from the far off full moon in the cloudy sky. In the foreground of the sight were large coral-like archways with faint blue and purple light coming from the cracks.

"This beach…" Mutters Riku as he gazes about the area.

"It's gone." Says Mickey, walking on ahead of his fellow Keyblade Master.

"Huh?"

"I'm positive Aqua was here." The king turns around to face Riku. "But now… her trail's gone dim."

That was rather troubling to hear. Either Aqua moved elsewhere or something else must've happened to her.

Putting such an issue aside, Riku brings up something else. "You know, I've been here. This place with Sora."

Mickey blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"After we defeated Xemnas, we found ourselves here." Riku clarifies. "And this was where we found our way back to the Realm of Light."

It was hard for him to forget. How the two islanders wound up from the unique void serving as their battleground against Xemnas to this beach in the Dark World. They rested here for a time while trying to figure out a way to return to the others.

Despite how things were before, Riku still voiced his grievances on a whole number of things. Sora accepted them all as they reconciled.

Even though things were bleak in their perspective on things as they gazed into the unique moonlit horizon, Sora and Riku were content that the Realm of Light was safe.

Eventually, a message in a bottle suddenly washed upon the shore with Riku being the first to find it. He read what was inside and surprisingly found it was written by Kairi of all people.

He could somewhat recall what it said as it was addressed to Sora.

-S-

"Thinking of you, wherever you are.

We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend.

Now I will step forward to realize this wish.

And who knows:

starting a new journey may not be so hard,

or maybe it has already begun.

There are many worlds, but they share the same sky —

one sky, one destiny."

-Kairi

After Sora had read the letter, strangely enough, a Door to Light appeared before them. The two soon entered and found themselves back to Destiny Islands as they reunited with everyone else.

Thinking about it now…

"Hey. Maybe Aqua did too!"

Instead of sharing Riku's hopeful suggestion, Mickey shook his head. "Aqua... has fallen into an even darker abyss- somewhere I can't see her." The king focused back to the moonlit horizon. "And I don't think we're equipped to dive any deeper than we already are."

The islander frowns in response. "So then…"

Before he could voice out what was on his mind, the shadows started to move. And from them a good dozen or so Shadow Heartless arose from them.

"Oh no!" Cries out Mickey.

Quickly being on guard, Riku was back to back with his friend. The two willed their respective Keyblades into their hands.

For Mickey, his depicted a classic skeleton key being roughly 3.5' long with a gold, three circle-shaped keychain extending from the hilt. Both the teeth, which were hollowed out into a stylized crown, and blade were gold with its cross-guard being silver. The handle was wrapped in black leather with the rainguard being red.

This was Kingdom Key (D).

For Riku, his resembles a falchion-esque sword that was stylized as a red, purple and blue demonic wing. Its handle bears a slitted blue eye which also consists of dark braids. The guard is composed of one angelic wing and one demonic wing. Also, a dark angelic wing serves as the weapon's teeth. Extending from the four-pronged star hilt is a Heartless Emblem keychain, but without the spiked bars crossing it.

This is The Way to Dawn.

"Riku… be careful." Mickey warns him. "Even the least threatening Heartless are stronger in this realm."

Riku got into his battle stance, eyes narrowed and tightened his grip on his Keyblade. "I got it."

The islander was ready to combat these Shadows before finding their next lead of Aqua's location. Or at the very least, exit out of the Dark World entirely and plan their next course of action.

However, instead of these lesser Heartless leaping into action, they instead moved away and converged to another part of the beach. The two Keyblade masters looked on in momentary confusion, only before it shifted to worry when more and more Shadows began appearing and converging at the very same spot.

It became very worrisome when they swiftly swarmed and formed into this Demon Tower.

For Riku, this was a new threat he will have to fend off against.

As for Mickey, this brought back old memories when he last fought alongside Aqua as they faced the same kind of adversary before their separation.

Without a moment's notice, the Demon Tower was the first to act. The swirling mass of Heartless barreled towards the pair and they had to jump apart to avoid the spiralling attack. Riku's eyes widened as the Tower sharply pivoted in the air and made a beeline straight for him.

He hastily threw his Keyblade up just as the Demon Tower impacted against him and he let out an audible grunt of surprise and pain. The teen felt his arms trembling as he held back the swirling mass of Heartless and with a quick use of his own strength and power, slashed at the Tower, diverting it away from him.

He landed on the ground, gritting his teeth at the ache in his arms.

The Heartless was far stronger than Riku expected, but he had to keep on fighting. His head snapped up, hearing the sound of sand getting kicked up into the air. Riku saw the Demon tower heading straight for him.

Raising his Keyblade, Riku called upon his own power of Darkness, feeling a significant boost in comparison to how he usually felt and delivered three successive slashes that damaged the Demon Tower. Seeing his chance, a dark-light aura flashed around him and he disappeared in a blur. In his wake, he quickly casted Thundaga to destroy a number of Shadows that fell from the Tower before moving once more in another blur.

Riku appeared above the Demon Tower and thrust his Keyblade forward, going right through it at such speed that he left an after image of himself. The islander didn't relent as he appeared once more on the side, repeating the attack before showing up on the bottom and a moment later, unleashing a full Dark Aura barrage.

He landed behind the Demon Tower, glancing back with a fierce gaze that shifted into a smirk upon the Demon Tower falling apart and disbursing. There was a feeling of satisfaction that was quickly wiped away as another Demon Tower took its place and instantly went after him.

It reared itself back before coiling upwards in a manner akin to a snake and was about to attack again when King Mickey swooped in, unleashing a volley of spheres made of pure light that bombarded the Heartless conglomerate, making it "shatter".

Even though the Demon Tower broke apart with its composed Shadows disbursing, more appeared throughout the beach.

"It's not over. Be careful!"

Riku was about to figure out his next best move before spotting a new Demon Tower coming at him from behind. He barely had time to defend himself when the Tower struck him-

"RIKU!"

-and everything went black.

-Pentos-

The smell of sea-salt was present among various other fragrances in the air. The sounds of bustling commotion were nearly constant. Amongst it all, a lone dark-clothed figure maneuvered throughout the crowds.

Upon entering the marketplace, she heard the plethora of peddlers shilling their wares.

"Pretty lady, buy a pot. No finer pot in brass or silver…"

"Sugar dates, sugar dates, and figs! Sugar dates and pistachios!"

"Would the lady like a necklace? A pretty necklace for a pretty lady."

It's honestly strange for Xion being here after all this time.

The last time she was here was the day after the wedding of Khal Drogo and Dany where the khalasaar made their way out of Pentos and over to Vaes Dothrak.

'It's been months since being here, but nothing seemed to have changed.' She mused internally.

All she was concerned about was the safety of the Targaryen siblings, well… more towards Daenerys. Along with wanting to learn the basic knowledge of the world she presently resided in. As such, she was heavily lacking in keeping up with Pentos' events and politics; only its basic knowledge and history.

What she could do now while conducting her business here in this city was just trying to listen to idle gossip and happenings to somewhat catch up.

Upon entering what was essentially the market district, or one of many, Xion started hearing a number of things.

It began when she went to her first food stall, which was filled with fruits and vegetables.

"You want to buy my entire stock that's here?" The vendor asked to make sure he didn't mishear her.

"Yes." Xion plainly said.

The vendor still couldn't believe it. "My entire stock?"

"I have the coin."

"...I'd like to see that coin."

The Nobody withdrew her Moogle pouch where she pulled out a sack of silver coins and poured them into an open box for the vendor to see. The skepticism partially gave way to confused disbelief. The man took some of the coins and inspected them to see if they were clipped, shaved, painted or had any other issues, even biting them to see if they were genuine.

"I'll take your entire stock, please." She said, now sporting a friendly and cheeky smile.

"Right away." Says the vendor as he scooped up the coins into a box. Once done, he started going to empty his displays into a container. "Didn't expect to be ending my workload for the day, or perhaps the week. You probably saving me issues right now."

Xion tilted her head at that tidbit. "How come?"

"Some people I've been buying my supplies from are charging me more as of late. Some shite of them spouting off about getting some of their products from Westeros being pricey as of late." The man barked out a laugh. "As if they're getting food from the other side of the Narrow Sea. I -along with many others- know they're mostly getting it from a number of farms outside of the city that we don't know of."

Xion didn't exactly know of the particular issues with what the vendor had with the suppliers. That wasn't much of her concern. However, she was a little curious about the subject of what lies beyond the Narrow Sea.

"Is something going on with Westeros?"

The vendor eyed her slightly. "You been living under a rock or something?"

"Or something." Was Xion's vague response to him. "Still, what's happening in Westeros?"

"They're having a war right now."

She frowned at hearing that. "A war has broken out? That ain't good."

The Vendor snorted humorlessly. "It is indeed not good. Exports from there are hard to come by now, from what I'm hearin' from some pals of mine."

She was curious now. "How'd it start?"

"Their king died. Assassinated by someone. Don't have the full details." The vendor began filling up another container once the previous one got filled up. "Of course, other troubles goin' on with these dark creatures roaming over there."

Xion's face turned more serious. "Dark creatures?"

"The same things that attacked this city months ago before they just stopped showin' up."

A frown now marred Xion's face. 'King Robert is dead. And the Heartless are present in Westeros? That is troubling to hear. No doubt the others will wanna hear about this.'

Thanking the man for the bit of information, Xion soon took the containers full of purchased food. It took some time to find a secluded alleyway before summoning several Nobodies, all Dusks.

The one in the center perked up at her and Xion gave it a small smile.

"It's good to see you too. You know what to do." She says, gesturing over to the bags and crates of food.

The lesser Nobodies nodded before taking them and disappearing moments later.

'Alright, first batch is coming right up.' Thought the former Organization member as she exited the alleyway. 'And some more to go.'

Now being in Pentos, she was here for two reasons.

The first was gathering supplies for the khalasaar.

Originally when first doing her grocery runs today, Xion was going back to Vaes Dothrak like times before. She knew the marketplace "district" in knowing which place to conduct business to trade the khalasaar's goods for food. The haggling and bartering was essential with what had to be done most of all.

On each trip with having the khalasaar's valuables in her possession, Xion had to make the best of it. Hopefully obtaining enough food and provisions for the others back in the Red Waste.

This time, however, Xion had to return to where her time on this World began.

She would've gone back to the Dothraki city, but Xion was convinced it'll be better to take care of several matters all in one place.

Now with her being in Pentos, this gave her some difficulty but at least prepared for what ordeal she'll need to overcome. But unlike Vaes Dothrak in trading much of these items, Xion had to be extra smart with her spending. Especially with the amount of coin she'll receive from what items she sold off. In the Dothraki city, the vendors were more honest… in a fashion. In Pentos, the vendors may cheat her out if she wasn't smart enough.

'Like the ice-cream vendor said a while back, I need to haggle like a bastard.'

Traversing through the streets of Pentos, Xion visited many stalls and shops to basically sell off as much of the khalasaar's valuables as possible. And from there, use what coin she has to purchase provisions. Yet she couldn't waste all of the money or else it may doom to the others back in the Red Waste.

'Hopefully this grocery run will last us long enough for Rakharo, Aggo and Kovarro to find a better place to get out of the sun.' She frowns in concern. 'More so with Illyrio's aid.'

This led to the second reason for her arrival in Pentos: Illyrio Mopatis.

It was upon Dany's request -along with Jorah's- to deliver several messages to the cheesemonger. The man served as the guardian of the Targaryen siblings since they were brought into his care. He did what he could to relieve them of their problems, even though more lied underneath the surface of his intentions. Afterall, Xion and Dany didn't know about the arranged marriage until the day prior to Drogo's arrival at Illyrio's manse.

Despite the issues, the man had to at least learn of Viserys' death. He needs to know Dany is requesting aid and seeks arrangements to be brought back to safer lands for not just her, but the rest of the khalasaar.

With the Magister's money and influence, he would be able to provide ships and send them to whatever city was closest to the khalasaar's present position. From there, they'd make their return to Pentos and figure out their next course of actions.

"-with the Red Moon in the heavens, it is a sign of our lord."

Coming across an intersection, Xion saw a small sermon taking place. And upon seeing the speaker, she saw it was a Red Priest.

"The time draws near when his warriors will conquer the night and bring in the light." The man said in the common tongue. "Amongst them will be the dragons, born again into the world and burn away its atrocities."

'Should've expected to run into one of these people. Would've preferred not to.' Thought the Keybearer.

She recalled when she was on the previous visits to Vaes Dothrak. Many visitors, residents and merchants were proclaiming different things about the same subject: the red moon. She was curious at first and wanted to hear how one religion viewed the occurrence. But it got very boring over time and began ignoring them as they all began muddling together with no discernible answer. To her, it was all ambient noise.

Moving away from the R'hllor sermon, Xion eventually came upon something a bit more pleasant for her to hear. Not by a religious figure, but by a bard's singing.

"He rode through the streets of the city,

down from his hill on high,

O'er the wynds and the steps and the cobbles,

he rode to a woman's sigh.

For she was his secret treasure,

she was his shame and his bliss.

And a chain and a keep are nothing,

Compared to a woman's kiss."

Xion would've listened to more, but she had business to attend to. Though before she left, the Nobody withdrew a silver coin from her Moogle purse and tossed it over to the man.

She couldn't exactly dilly dally with the bards. There was perhaps a bard or two at every block given how much the Pentoshi love their music.

'Demyx would've loved this place.'

Momentarily, she thought back to the Melodious Nocturne, who seemingly gave some life to the Organization with his music. He collected a lot of songs from the Worlds he visited and was inspired to write more.

Thinking more on the former No. IX of the Organization, Demyx was a lot like her and her friends. An oddball that was hard to believe as a member of such a group. The sitar-playing Nobody hated combat. He preferred doing non-violent work when out on the field, such as reconnaissance. Not to mention he'd rather sit and lay back to enjoy the scenery instead of being active at all.

'Can't recall if he and Axel would've gotten along with such traits.' Her eyes gazed about. 'Though I think they'd perhaps wanna take advantage of things in present circumstances.' Pondering a little, she could already imagine the redhead's actions. 'Axel would probably convince me to mix some business with pleasure right now.' She then smiled. 'And succeed.'

After all, she didn't exactly have a hard deadline on when she needed to make her return.

"Fresh fish! We catch them, you buy them!"

Just so long as she keeps providing provisions to the khalassar, then things will be alright.

"Hello." Says Xion as she approached the fish peddler. "What do you have in stock?"

-The Red Waste-

Under the grueling sun, it felt like days for many of Dany's khalasaar. It was somewhat hard to tell unless one focused on the position of the sun. Even then, it was agonizing.

In truth, it was roughly a few hours since Daenerys sent out her three bloodriders and Xion out to help save them.

In the meantime, many did their best to rest in the shade or whatever tents that were set up. The present water they had was used sparingly until Xion returned to cast more Water and Blizzard spells to replenish them.

Not wanting to idle about, Dany decided to practice her sword techniques.

The Valyrian steel weapon in her possession was once Drogo's before it seemed to be given to her as a parting gift. No longer was it stylized as a typical Arakh, but more of a long strip of metal; courtesy of the grand magical pyre which it was remade.

The original wooden handle it once had was burnt to a crisp. Presently she had a makeshift one out of some other wood tied together by cloth and leather. Hopefully once at a safer land, she could have a suitable handle and sheath made for it.

Not to mention a proper name.

Just about every known Valyrian sword out there had a name. Ones which helped differentiate them from the others, depicting their tales and history. But while what the weapon it once was had no known history, Dany intended to make one for herself.

Until then, it'll unfortunately remain nameless.

'Perhaps something akin to the red and blue flames it generates when I pour magic into it.' Thought the Targaryen as she went through her swings and movements.

"Now, your Grace, you need to adjust your arm slightly when dealing with the swing I demonstrated. From there, repeat the movements." Says the Forrester, who was her present instructor. He oversaw her form and nodded in approval. "Better. Now speed it up."

Outside of the sword styles Xion and Drogo taught her, Dany sought the teachings from Jorah, Asher and Beskha. Even her bloodriders gave some lessons as they wanted to help their late Khal's wife even further.

It was a little unusual to learn from multiple people, but it was good to know different ways to fight. Proper, civilized ways from a knight to the rough and tough of a sellsword and dothraki. In the end, it's fight and survive or else she is doomed to die in a real confrontation.

She didn't have a Master-at-Arms to teach her when growing up. She didn't have proper comforts, given she was on the streets for a good part of her life after being kicked out of the Sealord's palace. She didn't have maesters helping her learn about the world and preparing her for it. All she had was Viserys, his tales and his delusions before being taken in by Magister Illyrio and Xion coming into her life.

Now she was the khaleesi of her late husband's khalasaar. She had to be strong for them. She had to be strong for her people. She had to be strong for her friends and her dragons.

"Alright. I believe we can take a break now." Asher stated, halting Daenerys' actions. "Don't want to overwork you too much in this heat."

Just as he said this, plumbs of grey and white vapor eventually appeared and from them were an assortment of Nobodies under Xion's command. With them were varying containers, no doubt filled with food. And for an unknown period of time, more arrivals will appear.

After what happened with Viserys' attack with his Heartless army, Xion had to explain to the others about the Nobodies, especially since they made their abrupt appearance in assisting them back then.

It took some time convincing the others they didn't mean any harm, especially when they made their reappearances with Xion when arriving back with various containers of food from Vaes Dothrak. How the entities of Nothingness relatively serve her, which even led to more confusion in the process.

For now, they were very essential in this time of crisis for Dany's khalasar.

Many people practically swarmed the food-bearing Nobodies like locusts. Dany could not fault them, given how hungry they were. It was somewhat amusing as it was bizarre and intriguing in seeing the fluidity of the Nobody's, being able to appear completely unaffected by the near bulldozing crowd that came at them.

Like many times before, the Targaryen had to bark out orders to have them back off and wait. Everyone had to have an equal measure of provisions. Once the others got their share first, it was only then did Dany have her own.

It was a good choice of actions she made, which gained a good amount of approval from many.

For the two Westerosi, they thought of Dany's decision being quite similar to what Stannis Baratheon did at the Siege of Storm's End. How once Davos Seaworth smuggled salted beef and onions to the castle, Stannis gave out similar orders before being the last to partake of the food.

Fruits and vegetables were easily given out as it was well and good for everyone. Once the meat was eventually delivered, some challenges arose.

It was with this moment did Dany work her practice on her spellwork. More specifically using Fire to ignite a bonfire to help cook the meat. It took a few tries, but she got it to work.

'My control is a working progress. But at least it ain't shite like before… I think.'

Looking on, Dany bore a small smile in seeing the khalasar being fed with Xion's deliveries. It gave her some comfort in these troubling times and made her forget the worries of the future.

After feeding her dragons their little portions of food, Daenerys was about to partake of her own when something made it's arrival to the camp.

A clatter of hooves quickly drew her attention, making her turn to the source. Soon after, the Targaryen all but shouts "Rakharo, you've returned!"

The bloodrider smiled as Daenerys greeted him. "I have, khaleesi. I've found something. A city as pale as the moon we've known for years and lovely as a maid. An hour's ride from here, no more."

Hope blossomed in Dany's breast as she gave her bloodrider a happy smile. Not to mention a portion of food, which he accepted. "Good. Show us once you've rested."

Rakharo nodded. "There is something else; or rather, someone else."

Confusion set on Daenerys before seeing where the bloodrider motions towards.

Hanging off of Rakharo's horse from the back was a prone, unconscious body. Dany blinked, surprised that she missed this.

"Where'd you find him?"

"On my way back. He just appeared from a dark hole in the sky and fell before me." Says Rakharo. "That's not all." He goes to the other side of his horse and pulls out an item. "He had this in his grasp."

Revealing it to his khaleesi, she was presented with an unusual weapon that resembled a sword but a good part of the upper portion of it was cracked all the way up to the tip. But what truly drew her attention was from the handle and downwards when seeing a peculiar keychain coming off from the pommel. And there was only one other person that she knew of who possessed a weapon such as this one.

"He has a Keyblade."

-Pentos-

Going through the city for a good long while, Xion enjoyed a number of sites as best she could. Much of them reminded her of locations in Twilight Town with how idyllic they were. But they didn't feel quite right in her perspective, given she was here alone without friends to enjoy them.

'Perhaps once the others make their return here, we could.' Xion thought with a small smile.

For some time up till now, she went on with the task of buying as many provisions as she could and sending them out via Nobody delivery. For an added task, she listened to a number of happenings to inform the others upon her return.

Now, however, she needed to finally take care of the last issue of her time here.

Once getting onto a seemingly familiar set of streets, Xion drew nearer to her intended destination.

'Okay, remember to go over the following: Viserys' relative death, Drogo's death and Dany's request for aid. It's just seemingly three simple things.' Xion mentally lists off. 'Obviously the cheesemonger will want to discuss other things, but I'll just have to deal with them once brought up.'

He'll clearly ask where Daenerys is while questioning why she is so far away from her in such a way. The former Organization member will have to explain as best she could about her methods and limitations of her use of the Dark Corridor. And as for Viserys, it might be best for her to stick with what occurred in Vaes Dothrak that earned his "golden crown".

Of course, the topic about Dany's three dragons will be something that'll be difficult to get into. When they eventually head back to Pentos, it'll be truly hard to hide them. After all, by the time they make their trip back here, they'd probably be around the size of hounds.

Xion was nervous and rightfully so as she was acting as an envoy now. This was clearly a first for her and doesn't exactly have much experience. But she'll be doing her best.

About to draw nearer to Illyrio's manse, Xion paused.

It wasn't about her chickening out or anything of the sort. No, it was due to her spotting something.

There were a handful of people halted at the front of the gates. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Yet Xion was able to pick up on something in particular. One which made her give off a curious look when seeing the standard on the maroon colored shields two of the men carried with golden skulls hanging off of a spear.

'Now why are members of the Golden Company meeting with Illyrio?'

From what Xion recalled, the Golden Company were essentially ancient adversaries of the Targaryens due to them being Blackfyre supporters. Even after the War of the Ninepenny Kings, or the 5th Blackfyre Rebellion, they still stay true to their word of opposing the Valyrian family.

The Nobody even recalled Dany telling her one time when she was back in Braavos, she and her brother had met two of their representatives at the Sea Lord's palace. They would've attacked the two Targaryen back then if it weren't for guest rights. Even then, Viserys sought their services to eventually reclaim the Iron Throne.

Yet there was a factor one would need to remember about the Golden Company: they would never help out the Targaryens, due to old animosities.

Seeing them enter Illyrio's manse, Xion would've followed the same way but thought otherwise.

Originally, she would've. Illyrio was considered an ally to Daenerys. Yet seeing these Gold Company members made her wonder what was going on.

'I can't simply waltz in there now. Not after what I just saw.' Xion shifts her gaze. 'Time for another approach.'

Rounding to another part of the property's walls, Xion leaps over them and keeps herself to the shadows.

Upon glancing through some nearby windows, the Nobody did her best to follow after Illyrio's guests. Eventually, she realized they were heading to the central part of the manse. Xion makes some jumps and climbs to get on top of the building. She crept low so no one down below may perhaps see her. Peaking through the skylight, the Nobody saw she was peering down into Illyrio's private office.

"My lord," says one of the manse guards. "Your guests have arrived."

The cheesemonger stands as the one guard ushered one of the guests into the cellar.

"Myles. So good to see you again, my old friend." Illyrio greets the man.

"You as well, Illyrio."

"Wine?" The cheesemonger offers. "It's amber."

Myles nods, having the magister pour him a cup before pouring one himself.

"Tell me, who leads the company with you here? I recall you usually cycle through with the other captains when doing so."

"Homeless Harry acts in my stead while I'm away this time around. He wants the experience to eventually be captain-general once I'm gone from this world or step down, so I'm giving him the chance."

"And how is the conflict with Myr? I've heard a tale that war is on the horizon with Lys and Tyrosh?"

"We intend to take part until it's ready to end things."

"Yes. Though who knows how long that'll last before we initiate things."

"True, but we'll do all we can until the time arrives." Says Myles before taking a sip from his cup. "Would you perhaps know where the Targareyns are presently located? I, along with the other captains, are curious."

"With Khal Drogo's khalasaar. Beyond that, I do not know. However, I had received a letter from an agent who was stationed at Vaes Dothrak state of Viserys' demise."

This piqued the captain-general's interest. "Oh? How so?"

"To sum it up, insults and threatened to kill Drogo's unborn child within the city walls. Actions took place where his life was forfeited."

"Good. One less obstacle." Myles grunts out.

"He was never really an obstacle. He was merely a nuisance." Illyrio says with a tired sigh. "He wore out my patience throughout his time living in my home. But it was necessary."

"You have my sympathies. Though to be fair, I usually have the same treatment with many fresh recruits." The captain-general took another sip of his amber wine. "Now we must deal with Drogo."

"Don't worry. I'll be preparing for his downfall, especially for his child."

From her hiding place, Xion frowns. 'So they don't know the full tale of Viserys becoming a Heartless.' She muses. 'Probably word hasn't reached this far yet from the new khalasars. Not to mention Drogo and Rhaego's death.' Her eyes narrow. 'And Illyrio… you wanted them dead? Why?'

"With Daenerys eventually becoming a widow and childless, we will need to prevent her return to Vaes Dothrak."

"Oh yes. It would be wasteful to our plans if she returned there. It would make things much harder with the boy." Says Illyrio. "Speaking of, how is he?"

"He is doing fine." Myles speaks further of the topic. "We plan on holding a squire's tourney to see who will ascend to knighthood in the coming months. A means of preparation for what's to come."

The cheesemonger digests this with a nod. "Do you think he's ready?"

"He's already had his other training before joining us. Since he and his guardian joined, Griff is learning everything about being a soldier. In time, he'll learn how to be a leader."

"Good… Good…" Illyrio's mood shifts slightly. "I'm sorry I cannot be with him."

"I understand. We will still send him word of your support."

"Thank you. Serra would be proud of him, just like I am." A look of annoyance became present. "Though I wish he didn't have to stick with the name 'Griff' all the time."

"For the sake of the plan, he must. For his real name cannot be uttered beyond our encampment."

A queer look went his way. "You sure about that, Myles? I have no spies to worry about here."

"I'm just being precautious. Just like how we had to take the sword from you."

"Oh yes. It won't do him any good without that." Illyrio mutters. "Without it, then many potential friends and allies would not rally to our cause. And when the time comes, we can convince Daenerys to wed the boy. And with her, Xion will follow."

"You sure the Keybearer will?" The uncertainty was evident in his tone but Illyrio appeared assured.

"Most certainly. The two are close. Xion is Daenerys' only friend. She is practically instrumental to our plans now. With her on our side, the legitimacy and claimancy will be strengthened significantly. A hero of the Keyblade slaying the Heartless and liberating the Seven Kingdoms with the backing of the true king and queen by her side. And with her, she can perhaps convince the other Key in Westeros to stand aside."

The member of the Golden Company hummed a little. "Sounds good on paper, but I hope you may be able to get this to work. Even then, we have other issues over in Westeros that may ruin everything. This Organization XIII I've heard about would upset the plans more than anticipated…"

As the two kept on conversing with one another, their unknowing eavesdropper was processing much of what was occurring.

'Why is Illyrio caring so much about this Griff taking the Iron Throne? There's something in this venture worth more to him than money and castles; like how it possibly was with Viserys. By the sound of it, he's connected to Griff on some personal level. And what is this sword? Sounds like something very important to them.'

Xion relatively stayed at her spot for the duration of the conversation before Ser Myles Toyne made his departure for other appointments. With him gone, the Nobody thought about some other bits of information that took center stage in her mind.

These two sought to use her and Dany for their plans in taking Westeros. And the other Key? Were they referring to another Keyblade wielder over in Westeros?

And most important of all, Organization XIII is somehow alive and active.

Opening up a Dark Corridor, Xion was leaving this place with more questions than answers. But one thing was most certain on her mind.

'I best tell the others.'

-The Red Waste-

When being born and raised in a certain climate for the majority of your life, you tend to have a tolerance for it.

For some, it's the heat. Others, it's the cold. If it's windy, it's more of a breeze. If it's humid, it's a mild nuisance.

So when one person ends up in a different environment than one they've grown accustomed to, they can feel it nearly right away. How they desire to return to the comfort from a place that unsettles them.

For Riku, master of the Keyblade, he was more of the tropical islander side of things. How the kind of heat was fine, whether it was stale or breezy. How the storms were understandable to make himself alright to deal with the kind of cold and unsettled warmth as they'll be only temporary.

And as for one who was raised as such, the desert heat didn't sit right all that well, even when he's asleep.

He was only able to register this when slowly coming out of his slumber.

The particular heat was unpleasant. It wasn't felt directly from the sun, but from the air. When he began opening his eyes, he was able to realize he was in a tent with its material filtering out the sunlight.

'Am… Am I in Agrabah?' Came the absent thought. 'No… the heat is… this feels… worse.'

The first time he came to Agrabah, under the service of Maleficent and her associates, Riku didn't like the desert climate all that much. Sure, he was an islander and loved the sun but that type of sun was that of the beach. This sun was of the blazing variety with its accompanying heat and breeze wasn't great as he sought the shade all too quickly. He only tolerated the environment to a degree, due to him being an tropical islander, but only helped him endure it so far. He even had such a reminder in Castle Oblivion when going through the memory floor of Agrabah.

When he began working with DiZ, otherwise known as Ansem the Wise, Riku was a tad more accustomed to the desert climate when wearing a Black Coat. The particular set of attire not only helped him deal with his time traversing through the Darkness, but relatively filtered out the heat one would typically feel without it. This was quite proven when traversing through the snowy mountain tops of the Land of Dragons.

As his senses finally started to return to him, he saw a person looming over him. He didn't know what exactly happened, whether it was from the exhaustion or something else, but his mind seemed to hiccup.

From underneath the tent's filtered light, Riku focuses a whole lot more on the young woman. Aside from some scrapes and dried-dirt smudges, there were signs of flawless, creamy white skin that appeared to be gradually tanning. Her silvery-blonde hair was rather short, perhaps being a few inches in length. Her attire was -for the better word- rough, with the painted vest and tanned riding leathers from what Riku could see so far. But all that did not take away how mesmerizing she was, especially with her amethyst purple eyes popped out a whole lot more from her heart-shaped face, making him seemingly drawn to them.

He had seen his fair share of beautiful women in his life ever since he first left Destiny Islands. However, this one looming over him seemed like she could beat them all. And for reasons he couldn't explain, he felt his face heat up and some weight on his chest made it hard to breathe.

*Hisss*

Oh wait, it wasn't a metaphorical weight, but a literal one.

Breaking his focus away from the beautiful woman, Riku's gaze went to where the sound originated from. There he saw a green-scaled lizard- scratch that, he saw wings, making him realize it was perhaps a dragon the size of a small cat.

"Uh…" Was his first response to the dragon on his chest that seemed to be gazing at him with intrigue. It let out a shrill cry, its head moving closer to him before it affectionately nibbled his chin.

Riku squirmed in surprise, a bit tickled by this, snorting in response and the woman gently chided the dragon. "Rhaenyras."

Hearing the tone from the amethyst-eyed beauty, the dragon backs away but still stays on Riku's person, resting its head upon his chest.

"Never thought I'd see her taking a liking to a stranger." The woman said in intrigue.

The Keybearer tried to get up, but winced as he did in which the woman with him in the tent helped him sit upright. The dragon remained clinging to his chest, much to the woman's amusement.

"Easy." The beauty told him softly. "You were badly hurt when one of my bloodriders found you."

The word 'bloodrider' made Riku give off a questioning look to her, being that he was unfamiliar with them.

She gave him a concerned look. "I know you must be confused… if anything, I am just as well considering how you were found."

He grunted, rubbing his eyes slightly. "How… exactly?"

The woman shifted about slightly with a look of concerned uncertainty as to how to tell him before just going for the blunt approach. "Simply put, you dropped through a dark hole in the sky."

Most would find this to be a shocking or crazy sort of explanation. But to the Destiny Islander, it was more of an annoyance as to how many times it's happened to him by this point.

Hearing this from her, Riku slowly recollected what happened to him recently. He was in the Dark World with King Mickey. They were looking for Aqua before the Heartless swarmed him. And then, nothing. Reaching the end of his memories, the silver-haired islander muttered "Figured."

"Figured?" The woman parroted in bewildered bemusement. "You figured?"

"Yeah, not the first time I've had that happen to me." He snorted slightly at her expression when his face shifted into one of concern. "Was… Was there anyone else with me?"

"It was only you. But as for anything else… well…" The short-haired beauty moved to the side, withdrew something that was out of his sight before placing it on his lap. "This was with you."

This ended up having Riku's mind blank out for the second time today within the span of minutes. It wasn't out of captivation, but of disbelief.

To simply put it, his Keyblade was broken.

"Wonderful." Was his response, clenching the handle of his Keyblade tightly in frustration.

"I'm sorry." Said the beauty and he found sincerity in her tone.

Riku grunted, giving her a brief, scrutinizing look before shaking his head.

"Not your fault. This happened because I was way in over my head where I last was."

"I can't imagine entirely but given the means in which you arrived…" She didn't finish yet her tone held strained amusement.

He was surprised and reminded by the dragon still clinging to his chest who moved to perch itself on his shoulder and lightly nuzzled its head against his cheek.

"Well now, appreciate the sentiment." He remarked, moving to scratch Rhaenyras chin. "Thanks, I guess."

"She seems quite taken with you."

"Yeah, yeah… er, I didn't catch your name."

"Ah. I'm Daenerys, Daenerys Targaryen." She bowed her head slightly. "Though I usually am fine being called Dany by those close to me."

"I'm Riku."

"No last name?" Was her inquisitive query with the silver-haired teen merely shrugging in response.

"Is it important?"

"No, no, it's just you're… you… nevermind." She quickly said, giving him an apologetic smile. "It's not important. Just an observation of mine."

Riku gave her a quizzical look when he heard movement in the tent, just behind Daenerys. He soon realized there was more than just the one dragon in the tent.

"Oh? And who are they? Rhaenyras' siblings?"

Dany blinked, looking back at what he was looking at and let out a small 'ah'. Reaching out with her hand, the other two dragons climbed on the outstretched limb, the black one crawling up to nestle itself on her left shoulder whilst the gold-scaled dragon opted to curl in her arms comfortably.

Rhaenyras let out a small chirp at her two brothers, the black-scaled one on Dany's shoulder huffing pridefully whilst the one in Dany's arms let out a content, lazy warble.

"These are my dragons: Drogon, and Roxaryon; or Roxar for short. You've already met Rhaenyras."

"Roxaryon…" Riku repeated, gazing intently at the sandy-gold, if not sandy-blond dragon that gazed back at him, chirping in curiosity.

Dany saw this and held the gold/blond scaled dragon up.

"You're allowed to touch them if you like. Just be careful of Drogon, he can be snappy towards others." She warned, glancing at the black scaled dragon on her shoulder. "Some associates of mine have experienced this often."

"Really now?" Riku gave the aforementioned dragon a piercing look. "Got a bit of an attitude, eh?"

"He only allows myself and my dear friend to pet him. Then again, my dear friend would likely smack him if he got out of line." Dany remarked in amusement.

"Sounds like you got a good friend." Riku commented, eliciting a hiss from Drogon, annoying the dragon at how he was unaffected by its threat. "Got an attitude, don't you?"

Drogon only narrowed his eyes, clearly irritated now by the islanders' nonchalant means of speaking to him. Did he not know to whom it was he was addressing?

"Drogon." Daenerys chastised, snapping the little lizard out of its one-sided glaring contest. "Riku here has been through a lot. Hostilities are the last thing he needs right now."

Properly scolded, Drogon lowered his head slightly, catching sight of the shit-eating grin Riku now held, getting an irritated tick mark from the dragon.

"And you," Riku raised a brow at the Mother of Dragons. "Do not mistake my generosity as a free pass to bother and irritate my dragons."

Though her voice came across as stern, Riku picked up on a playful tilt to them, something even Drogon detected, releasing a small chirp of protest that her warning was not mean enough.

"Sorry," Riku said, Dany giving him a skewed look, easily picking up on his lack of sincerity.

He gave her a cheeky smile, one that appeared to playfully aggravate her when her name came up in his head and the Islander now bore a confused frown.

Dany blinked at his sudden shift. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin', it's just…" Riku rubbed his chin. "Your name sounds familiar. I know I've heard it befo-"

"Khaleesi!" An unfamiliar man called out from outside the tent. "Xion has returned!"

Daenerys immediately brightened up, a sentiment shared by Roxaryon that flew out of her arms and out of her tent.

Riku felt himself still, his eyes widening. "Xion…"

Rhaenyras chirped up at him, jumping off his shoulder to follow her mother and siblings. There was a strange feeling of weightlessness as he slowly got to his feet.

He didn't know the name "Xion", yet there was this… feeling he couldn't quite place… somehow.

'It might be nothing.' He thought with a shake of his head..

Once he was out of the tent, Riku briefly flinched at the intensity of the sun before his vision adjusted to the light and his eyes landed on Daenerys embracing a teen around their age with jet-black hair and garbed in the cloak of the Organization. At first, he tensed up, subconsciously about to call upon his damaged Keyblade yet when he got a good look at her face…

And she pulled away from Dany to see him…

The ravenette's blue eyes were nearly the size of small saucers at the sight of the islander, her jaw dropping slightly.

"You…" Xion whispered, stunned at who she was looking at.

Riku stared back and a moment later, a painful migraine came over him. He grunted sharply, his hand going up to his head, one eye closed as he winced in pain.

"Riku?" Dany asked out of concern.

"Why… do I…" Riku grunted, clutching his head tighter now, his palm now over his eyes. "You… I… remember… I don't…"

The ravenette held a pained smile. "Of course you wouldn't. Not intentionally."

"Who are you?" The islander almost sounded like he was pleading. "Your face… you have her face but at the same time…"

"Xion, what's happening?" Dany asked, very much worried right now, the rest of the Khalasar all murmuring to themselves.

Her best friend let out a strangled laugh. "Figured he wouldn't recall me, even if it's forced."

The Targaryen wished to ask just what she meant when she heard a thump on the ground and she turned, gasping slightly to see Riku down on one knee, his hands on his head.

"Riku!" She was by his side. "Are you alright?"

"Khaleesi?"

"Give them a second, Jorah." Xion said, holding up a hand to the Mormont.

There was a flutter of wings, the black-haired teen turning to give a pleasant smile at Roxaryon, reaching out to scratch his chin. The dragon was clearly pleased, flapping its wings and landing on her shoulder, nuzzling against her cheek.

She smiled at the gesture, returning her attention to Riku and approaching him.

Looking at the former Organization member, Riku struggles to speak through the spiking migrain. "Why… do you look like…"

"Kairi?" Xion finishes. "Well, you should recall that particular detail."

Riku flinched once more, bewildering and worrying Dany.

"Is he alright?"

"Not now but he will be… hopefully."

"Xion."

"I'm just being honest. Regaining memories isn't always a pleasant experience."

"Sleeping beauty's awake, huh?"

Glancing over, Xion regards the two sellswords who just arrived on the scene. "Asher, Beska."

"What's going on?" Asher asked, glancing at Riku who was being supported up by Dany.

"He's remembering who I am." Xion plainly said, confusing everyone present.

"Remembering?" Beska parroted.

"It's not always a pleasant experience for one who was forced to forget." This only served to further confuse the group around them.

Memories were flashing through Riku's vision. Instances and circumstances he had with the ravenette, especially of his first encounter with her at Beast's Castle. How he uncovered her hood and saw her face once defeating her.

And with that memory, the damn spilled and it all came crashing down upon him. Her name, her origin, the purpose for her creation, what she inadvertently did to Sora during his slumber, her bond with Roxas and Axel that would have ended in tragedy leading to his eventual clash with Roxas.

He let out a strangled gasp, hunching over slightly as the pain subsided.

The silver-haired teen slowly looked up and what Xion saw was a look of recognition.

"Surprised to see me? Likewise, I suppose."

"Xion…" Riku slowly said. "How?"

"How I'm not with Sora anymore? Your guess is as good as mine."

"How are you here, is more like it." Riku said, grunting as he stood up. "I mean… not that I'm upset, I'm honestly glad to see a familiar face but… where even are we?"

"The Red Waste. But to be more specific, a World that's not as pleasant as the ones we've been to in the past."

As the others heard this, some reactions were given.

"What now?"

"World?"

"Xion, you know Riku?" Daenerys said, getting a strained look from her.

"He's someone I knew when I was once part of the Organization. He put me on the right path but it was one that was never meant to have a happy ending."

Riku's expression fell slightly, eyes glancing down. "I'm sorry."

"I know you are. And… I want to be angry at you but I know you were doing it for the right reason. The Organization had to be stopped."

"Doesn't make it any less worse than how it all ended for you and your friends." Riku murmured. The islander's gaze shifted over to Dany and while everyone around them were confused and bewildered as to what this discussion was all about, the Targaryen Princess was less so.

In fact…

Riku arched a brow, an expectant look directed at Dany before he turned to Xion. "She knows?"

The Ravenette nodded. "She's a close friend of mine. I told her everything. So yes, she knows."

"Knows what?" Jorah asks, also voicing Beskha and Asher's shared thoughts.

No. i felt like smacking herself on the head. "Right… I forgot to inform you guys of the deeper circumstances of my origins." Xion murmured. "Let's take this inside of a tent. There's… a lot to discuss."

They gave off questioning looks with curiosity blanketing them. Soon enough, the three went after Xion as Dany was quick to follow once all but dragging Riku with them.

Before entering the tent, Dany gave orders to her people to stand guard and keep up what they were doing before.

Within the confines of the tent, Xion eyed Daenerys, Jorah, Asher, Beskha and even Riku.

"Now, Xion, is there something you want to tell us?" Asks Beskha.

"Where to start." Xion muttered. "Well, to begin with, there are Worlds beyond this one…"

The discussion was rather lengthy with how Xion told the others about the existence of life beyond this World. Riku did contribute to the matter, even with some reluctance given he was a Keyblade Master. Yet circumstances had him let things slide as he informed the others about the World Order.

And suffice to say, half of the tent was never expecting such an afternoon to play out like this one today.

With this mind blowing reveal made to Asher, Beskha and Jorah, there was a lot to unpack. They could've been dismissive of such information, yet they've seen extraordinary things ever since Xion came into their lives.

As for Dany, it helped her know a bit more of what she lacked understanding, given Xion knew only so much.

Then, of course, Xion had to bring up the deeper origin of existence. The circumstance of her time in Organization XIII being far more complicated than the others would have imagined. It was a little difficult on Xion's part, especially when bringing up how she essentially had to die in order to fix Sora, but Dany was supportive and eased the burden.

"That would… explain how you command those Nobodies of yours." Was Asher's comment as he was rubbing his head.

"And how much are you able to understand the rest of what she said?" Says Beskha.

"Still trying to wrap my head on how we're not alone as there's life beyond the heavens." Her partner murmured.

"Here I thought our lives couldn't get any more complicated." Muttered Jorah.

"You're telling me." Daenerys let out a shaky laugh of sympathy, knowing their faces were the same she had not long ago. "I had it worse when I first learned of it." She snorts a little. "Now you share my pain."

"Glad you're enjoying our expense." Beskha retorted with Dany giving her a shrug.

Proper introductions were eventually made. Beskha's was quick and simple while Jorah and Asher's were a little more complex given they were raised in noble houses. As for Dany, she gave a more formal approach, to a degree.

"Mother of Dragons? Really?" Xion asks on her friend's sobriquet.

"What? I helped bring them to life." She defensively said, holding Drogon in her arms.

Xion rolled her eyes, scratching Roxar's cheek. "Yeah, with my help."

"I was getting to that."

"Sure you were."

"To be fair, you two being called 'Mothers of Dragons' would be a bit much of who would hold the actual title."

"No one asked you, Asher."

"Don't get snippy with me, Xion."

Said person merely stuck her tongue out at him. This had him grumble a little and mutter something about little siblings under his breath.

"Targaryen…" Riku muttered to himself. "Targaryen…"

The others all looked at the Keyblade Master quizzically, with the one who bore the name leaning forward.

"Is there something about my name that bothers you, Riku? Is there something familiar about it?"

"Yeah, I heard it before I ever met you or came to this place." He admitted, now rubbing his forehead when he recalled something important and now leveled a piercing gaze at the Mother of Dragons.

It actually startled her at the intensity behind his eyes.

"Do the names Rhaenys and Aegon mean anything to you?"

Most everyone froze in the tent, whereas Daenerys inhaled sharply.

"Wha-what?"

"Rhaenys and Aegon." Riku repeated. "Do they mean anything to you?"

"How would you know those names?" Xion questions him.

"Because I met the two back at Disney Castle. They've been living there for a while now with their mother, Elia."

"Elia Martell?" Jorah nearly demanded, eyes wide in shock and disbelief. "Do you mean Elia Martell of Dorne?!"

"Easy there, gramps, I don't know about any Dorne but I do know her. Met her a few times whenever I was at Disney Castle."

"But… How are they alive?" Asher all but demanded. "Everyone knows the story of their demise. They died at the Sacking of King's Landing."

Riku shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I never asked Elia. All that I learned from her was that she was married to someone named Rhaegar Targaryen…"

From there, the Keyblade Master explained all he could to them of what he knew. Outside of this world, it's been a bit over eleven, going into twelve years since they came under the care of King Mickey and were guests at his home. Of course this ended up making more questions in response where that seemed impossible as the timeline didn't seem to match as the Sacking of King's Landing occurred seventeen going on eighteen years by now. This was cleared up -in a sense- of Riku explaining that time between each world is vastly different where not even he and his other companions knew all of the details and its mysteries.

However, amongst all this, one listener was having a whirlwind of emotions.

"Th-they're alive? My niece and nephew… are alive?" Daenerys' voice croaked, tears already glistening as a hand went to cover her mouth, nearly collapsing to the ground had it not been for Xion immediately catching her.

"Dany!" She worriedly said, helping her stand back up when her friend wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close.

"My family is alive." Dany happily cried out, hugging Xion tightly. "They're alive, Xion! Alive! I'm not alone!"

The Ravenette could only laugh, having tears of joy peeking out of the corner of her own eyes, just as overjoyed as her friend was.

Asher and Jorah themselves smile at the Princess, who just a moment ago believed herself to be the last living Targaryen in the entire world. Beskha, while uncertain and skeptical about it, couldn't help but give Dany a look of sympathy.

Now, to hear that she had a family that was alive and well… even though the Northerners hadn't been home in a long time, they still craved to see it once more as well as to see their families themselves, despite all the trouble they knew they caused for them.

The North exacted their revenge upon the Targaryens with the deaths of Aerys and Rhaegar. But like Eddard Stark and many other Northern Lords believed, the sins of the fathers should never be bestowed upon their children. The apparent deaths of Elia and her children was a blemish on Robert Baratheon's reign that despite holding the loyalty of the North, was not something they would forget so easily. It nearly tore apart the friendship of Ned and Robert, after all and drew Ventus to abandon and disappear from Westeros entirely.

Daenerys came forward, taking Riku's hand into her own and squeezed them with her lip trembling.

"Th-Thank you." She stammered out, a wide brimmed, teary smile. "Thank you so much for telling me this."

Riku let out a dismissive scoff, trying to play off his bashfulness. "It's not like I intended on bringing you the good news. It just sorta happened."

The Khaleesi only giggled at his response, seeing through his thinly veiled disguise. Nodding, Daenerys was digesting what she learned and surprisingly found herself with conflicting feelings.

Yes, she was happy she still had family that was still alive out there. Rightfully so as all she had throughout her life was Viserys and only him. Yet he lost that right after all that he'd done.

Of course, there was the saying that real family does not come from your blood. It is the people standing beside you when no one else is. And so far, Dany found that with Xion.

Yet knowing she had a family who is still alive out there gave her hope. Hope that she can relate with someone on another level.

And from a dark part of her mind, she suddenly wondered if they may be a threat to her in some form or fashion. But she quickly buried those thoughts, not wishing to have such negativity taint this moment.

"What… what are they like?"

Riku hummed to himself, remembering the interactions he had with them, limited as they were.

"Rhaenys is kind." He said with a fond smile. "Always near her mother or Queen Minnie and always rushing off to help however she can. All she wants to do is help, make people happy and all. Aegon is restless. Kinda like I was. He wants to be a knight but also wants to go out, see the Worlds the way Kairi, Sora and I did."

"Exactly like you did?" Xion knowingly said.

"Ok, not exactly how it happened to us, come on Xion, you know what I mean."

"We should probably leave you be." Beskha interrupts. "This sounds like a personal matter."

"I second that." Says Asher. "As much as I'd like to hear this, it's better for a relative one-on-one talk."

Jorah nods, silently agreeing on the matter.

Just when they were going to leave, Xion recalled something important. "Actually, guys, you need to stay." She says, halting them.

The three of them glanced at her in confusion.

"For what?" Beskha asked on their behalf.

"There's something else you need to hear. Something very important." She said seriously.

"Can it wait?" Asher tentatively asked.

"No, it cannot." Xion firmly said. "This is serious."

Jorah sighed, now stepping back further into the tent.

"Alright, what's this about?" The Mormont inquired.

Clearing her throat, Xion spoke of what she overheard of her time back in Pentos, giving them a rundown of all the most important matters.

To begin with, King Robert was dead.

The Heartless are present along with Organization XIII in Westeros to stir further strife on the present war.

And there was what she overheard at Illyrio's manse where another person with the Keyblade that Illyrio and Ser Mylos believed could be swayed to their side. All this would occur once their plan of killing Drogo and his child is successful. Following this event, this Griff person swoops in and court Daenerys in order for their conquest of Westeros.

Hearing all this, Dany did her best to detect any lies from Xion but found none at all. Disbelief washed over her. Unlike before when hearing the news of her relatives' survival and filling her with jubilation, this time made her feel with dread.

"Illyrio… How… How could he…"

Beskha let out a derisive scoff, sneering at all this.

"Course some cushy lord and rich bastard has an ulterior motive." She spat out. "Don't know what to tell you, Princess but you shouldn't be all that surprised."

"Beskha." Asher harshly said, giving her a look that made her back down.

"What's this Golden Company?" Riku brought up.

"They're the most infamous and arguably the strongest Sellsword Company in the World." Xion fills Riku in. "Founded by a distant relative of Dany nearly a century ago who swore to have the Blackfyres on the Iron Throne."

Asher voices his thoughts. "Speaking of, what I don't get is why Illyrio would have the bright idea of having this Griff person marry Dany and the Golden Company support them. It doesn't add up."

"How so?"

"They more or less have a blood oath to not support a Targaryen." Says Beskha. "Practically every mercenary, be they loners or working in groups, knows this. Just them having a contract with one is practically shitting in Bittersteel's gilded skull."

"I wouldn't use such wording, but she's not wrong." Says Dany.

"I was part of the Golden Company for a time." Jorah brought up, drawing focus towards him. "The man speaking with Illyrio is no doubt Ser Myles 'Blackheart' Toyne who I worked under."

"Would you know who this Griff person is?" Xion asked, getting a shake of the head from him.

"I'm afraid I do not. He must've joined after I left." Was his guess. "Whoever he is, Illyrio has a deep connection with him. From what Xion noted, it was far more than just monetary gain."

"I'm sorry, Dany." Xion said, placing a hand on her friend's back. "I didn't want to ruin such a happy mood with you learning about Rhaenys and Aegon-"

Dany took hold of her hand, giving her dearest friend a gracious smile. "No Xion, I thank you for remaining true and honest. It's why I trust you so dearly. Despite hearing such deceit and treachery, knowing it is coming from someone I can still trust alleviates some of my worries."

The mood in the air was awkward given the recent events. It was soon broken when Rahkaro came in to inform them that Aggo made his return.

It took some time for his arrival. He reported he found ruins of two more cities. But like Rahkaro, he didn't explore them as he only wanted to head back to state his findings.

And since Aggo made his arrival, another delay was made before they all headed out.

In the meantime, Riku informed the others of his circumstance of how he wound up in this World by traveling through the Realm of Darkness with King Mickey in order to find a lost Keyblade Master called Aqua. This soon results in his Keyblade being broken now, which he would need to get a new one.

Ever curious, Xion had asked how he would accomplish this and he took a moment to ponder on the question before shooting her an assured grin.

"I'll trust in my heart."

No. i had a strained smile in response. "I wouldn't know about that."

"Would you?" Riku shot back. "After all the lies and manipulations the Organization told you, you really don't think you have a Heart?"

She didn't respond for a moment. It was hard to argue against that. But… there was still that doubt needling in her mind.

"You know, thinking about it now, when you stated there is a Keybearer in Westeros, I wonder if it could be Master Aqua."

Xion blinked at the change in topic. "You're really hopeful about the prospect, huh?"

He nods. "I mean, one can hope, right? Dany just found out about her family so why can't the universe throw us a bone and let that Keyblade wielder be Aqua?"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Well, I already know it couldn't be Sora as he's currently with Donald and Goofy. As for Kairi and Axel-"

"Axel?" Xion sharply interjected, getting in Riku's face. "Did you just say Axel?"

This got the islander to widen his eyes a little. "Oh, right… forgot to mention him. Yeah, long story short, Axel or Lea or whatever, he came back to his original self after sacrificing himself when he was a Nobody. He came to our rescue, saving my behind with Sora and Mickey and now he's training with Kairi to become a Keyblade Mast-GURK."

Suffice to say, the others saw a comedic sight of Xion practically strangling Riku for more information compared to that comedically abridged tale.

Eventually, once everyone was properly fed and rested, Rakharo led the khalasaar to what he found earlier today.

After an hour's travel, which felt a bit longer due to the heat, they reached their destination.

There were buildings and towers with perhaps a decent fortification. It made many wonder if this was perhaps a small city or at least a large fort.

No one knew what this city was originally called. For all intents and purposes, it was dead to the world as it had practically faded away from any known maps.

How long the city had been deserted, no one could really know aside from the gods.

But while the white walls were so beautiful from afar, they were cracked and crumbling when seen up close. Buildings pressed close, their facades blank, chalky, windowless. Everything was white, as if the people who lived here had known nothing of color.

And there were bones as well. The skulls of the unburied dead, bleached and broken.

"Ghosts." Rakharo began, his hand gripping the handle of his arakh by his side. "We must not stay here, khaleesi."

"We must leave." Aggo says in turn.

Jhiqui, one of Dany's handmaidens, shuddered. "When the gods are gone, the evil ghosts feast by night. Such places are best shunned. It is known."

"It is known." Irri and Doreah agreed.

"Not to me." Says Daenerys. "I fear no ghosts. Dragons are more powerful than ghosts."

"Oh? And what about us?" Xion asks playfully, gesturing to Riku and herself.

The Targaryen said nothing, given she had no proper retort to that. All she did was move forward to properly inspect the place.

Despite the unique facade, there was something more once venturing further into the city.

It was an oasis that bore life in the bleakest of places.

The well they found was full of water and hopefully deep. It was quickly used to help quench the thirst of many before doing impromptu baths to help wash off the sand, dirt and grime. The tree near the well was rich with fruit, even with the signs of the countless fallen ones and had rotted over time. And through further investigations, more trees bearing fruit were found throughout other parts of the city.

Even though they had the resources Xion provided for them, having the fresh fruit plucked from the trees was all so satisfying. Even the peach Dany plucked from one of the branches tasted very sweet, reminding her of the slight contrast of the lemons she ate back in Braavos.

It was honestly the first time in a long while Dany bore a smile that almost threatened to hurt her face, due to how happy she was.

After what torture the khalasaar had undergone in this hard trek, this place of reprisal gave them much hope for the future.

Yet seeing the bones of countless people who died of unknown causes throughout various parts of the city made them question a number of things. Was there a plague that swept through here years ago? An attack? Or something in between?

Some of the Dothraki wondered if their ancestors had come here and took part in fighting the city's inhabitants. Yet Jorah, Asher and Beskha thought otherwise, given how fortified the city was.

"Perhaps this city was part of an in-land trade route." Asher thought aloud.

"Wouldn't be much of a surprise when thinking about it now." Beskha comments. "Venturing out in the wilderness for so long, a caravan needs to settle and rest."

"And how long ago was that? Before this place became the Red Waste?"

"Most likely." Says Jorah as he was scratching his bearded chin. "And with how far we are, perhaps this place was part of Qarth's territory until it was abandoned."

As everyone began to properly settle and celebrate their findings, the Khalasar ended up naming their new home Vaes Tolorro, the City of Bones.

Rather dreary on the name, but what can be done about that?

"Fruit and water and shade." Dany says happily, playing with her dragons in her tent. "The gods were good to bring us to this place."

"We should rest here until we are stronger." The Mormont urges her, with others agreeing in turn.

"Venturing out so soon will not be good for the khalasaar, your grace." Says Beskha.

"Even if this place is rather dreary in most places." Asher states, recalling the findings he and others uncovered so far.

Dany frowns a little. "The others say there are ghosts here."

"There are ghosts everywhere." Jorah says softly. "We carry them with us wherever we go."

"Whether it be those we have slain or seen fallen." Asher contributes.

"Some are stronger than the rest." Beskha includes, baring a look that showed personal experience on the topic.

'Yes,' Dany thought. 'Drogo, my son Rhaego… Viserys… our mother… and all those who perished under me.'

She briefly turned her attention over to Xion who was standing with Riku, the pair deep in discussion of something she couldn't quite make out. The duo held a serious demeanor and her eyes lingered on the newest addition to their traveling company. Despite having known him only for a short time, Dany was quick to recognize the air of maturity and wariness the Islander held, his eyes conveying age that was far beyond his current standing.

The Targaryen had only seen eyes like that on a select few and the other was her best friend speaking with the silver-haired Keybearer. There was a lot of innocence and kindness in Xion's eyes but like RIku's, there was a hardness and reserved undercurrent that she possessed that set her apart from the rest of the group.

Daenerys had heard a lot from the pair, learning much more than she could have ever anticipated but she couldn't but wonder what they hadn't told her.

What ghosts surround them, weigh on their minds and souls. Even a silly thought of if they could even fight those ghosts off…

On second thought, that last one might likely be true more literally than figuratively.

Those Keyblades and all that magic they have makes her wonder what they can't do.

But these were questions for another day and time.

Right now, rest was what they came for and rest is what she and her Khalasaar shall get. After that, the work and journey would continue.

-Days Later-

Bit by bit since arriving here, the khalasaar did their best in patching up the dead city. It was their home for the time being before it was eventually time to pack up and move out. So they might as well give it life after so long.

The day after everyone properly rested after their strenuous trek, Asher proposed to scour throughout the rest of the city with the others. He brought up that there may be some valuables left behind from the original residents. Not to mention gathering and sorting out whatever items they could uncover and collect in order to help mend their clothes, tools and other supplies.

Dany gave the approval, but wanted the scavenging groups be split into two and have a Keybearer in each in case of any Heartless popping up. She didn't want any chances while they were still recovering and in unfamiliar lands. She faltered momentarily, remembering that Riku technically wasn't really someone under her command but he waved her off, stating that she helped him when he didn't need to. He'd be sticking around to help however he can until otherwise, a sentiment she greatly appreciated.

In their search, the groups uncovered some areas that had been visited relatively earlier than them. Through some collective investigation and discussion, it was revealed this city was used by some mercenaries and smugglers in the past.

However, when seeing the unusual abundance of items still present, such as weapons, armor and treasures, it made them wonder if said groups were still here, nearby and in hiding.

That didn't seem to be the case when the Heartless appeared.

The respective groups had some trouble, but with Riku and Xion present they were taken care of. Especially when they regrouped at some points.

The former of which displayed a unique proficiency that amazed the others with him as despite losing his current Keyblade, his mastery with his original weapon, Soul Eater, was quite the sight. It was also troubling as it was awe-inspiring to see someone using Darkness like he did against the very enemies of which this power originated from.

Even Xion couldn't help but be amazed at this development but Riku brushed her off, stating her self-taught style was just as good as his. He also told her that him being a Keyblade Master always felt like a technicality despite succeeding in his Mark of Mastery test.

As Dany got the reports from them, there was an odd detail that was brought up more in particular by Xion and Riku.

The lack of Heartless. Well, to be more specific, the lack of Emblem Heartless.

All Xion and Riku had reported on their encounters were coming across batches of Pureblood Heartless here and there while eventually taking care of the Nexus spots where they spawned from. But not once did they see any Emblem Heartless at all.

This led to some unique discussions by the two Keybearers on ideas and theories. How Riku's arrival to this World came from the Realm of Darkness, which could've had this region be opened up to the particular Heartless. Xion, however, countered that with signs of previous life here should've spawned some Emblem Heartless. Yet none were present whatsoever.

Regardless of the one situation, the City of Bones was free of Heartless; at least for the time being.

Patrols were made by some Dothraki volunteers in order to protect the rest of the Khalasaar. And upon Xion's insistence, they were accompanied by some Nobodies under her command.

Riku had some issues with that, given past experiences with them. Xion countered it was the best they could do, given the others don't have proper means in fighting against the Heartless; such as Valyrian steel or magic to boot. The Keyblade Master was forced to concede on the matter, even if he didn't like it all that well.

Time passed and with Dany better rested, it was finally time for her to be properly trained in magic.

Without the stress of traveling in the Red Waste, there were fewer issues than before. The Targaryen was able to handle things better on her Fire proficiency while other magical elements were decent to some capacity. Like Xion, Riku did comment Daenerys was indeed like Axel as fire was his primary element, so the Keyblade Master did what he could to help assist on what she was lacking.

When Riku took over in teaching Dany magic, Xion went out and joined Aggo and others in inspecting the two other cities the bloodrider found the other day. Yet they weren't cities at all, but in fact forts. They were apparently smaller than Vaes Tolorro but otherwise the same. However, there were no hidden oasis', only true dead locations.

Regardless, they acquired what they could and brought the supplies back to Vaes Tolorro.

With the supplies the khalasaar gathered, Dany was able to refashion her Valyrian steel sword to be more presentable for a person of her station, even if it was mostly simple in appearance. Gone was the makeshift handle and cloth bindings as she now had a proper looking sword. The crossguard is thin but flares out around the tip to look like dragonwings. The two-handed, leather handle was a flattened hexagon, making it feel good in the grip. And the wooden pommel was flat with a carved depiction of a dragon's head so it wouldn't interfere when being held for functionality's sake. As for the sheath, it was basic with several leather straps to have it be more stable when strapped to the waist.

With her newly made sword, Daenerys needed to finally think of a proper name. After some time pondering, she thought of one.

"Dragonheart will be its name." Dany said at the time. "It was remade in the funeral pyre when Xion and I brought life to the dragons. And back then, when their eggs cracked, it was their first heartbeats to me."

"Sounds appropriate." Xion comments.

Speaking of her weapon…

Training with her Valyrian steel sword, Daenerys was able to do a better job with integrating magic into the mix. It helped out more against impromptu training dummies and targets set up in various attacks she was told to work out.

There was even some more control of summoning the unique flames that came with Dragonheart. However it was only for a short duration of time when in combat as opposed to being outside of it, like using it as a torchlight during some nightly walks. Hopefully it'll last longer with more experience and practice.

Presently, in an impromptu training yard, Dany was combating against Riku and Xion.

With Dany's hair growing back a bit more, she was able to properly have some bells braided into her short locks. It was a little difficult given their length. And on occasion, they bang against her head with her movements. It'll be something she'll get over, but for now, it was a mild nuisance.

As for her attire, she still wore her riding leathers but added on some light armor pieces. Studded leather bracers, new sturdier boots, grieves and a better leather vest did some wonders for her once breaking them in. Not to mention having some metal plating tucked into several areas, such as her boots for better protection.

The two Keyblade wielders quickly took the Targareyen's attention as they quickly exchanged stabs, thrusts, twirls, parries and the like. On occasion in this training session, the two would switch up who would garner Daenerys' focus before going in together so she may experience fighting more than one opponent at a time.

It was a little unfair for Daenerys, but she had to face reality such moments can occur; more so with the Heartless ever present with their large numbers.

With this in mind, the Targaryen was quick to fall into a pattern of swiftly dodging and parrying against the two experienced fighters. She'd do a few counter attacks and short quick blows when possible, but they were avoided by Riku and Xion. When the two Keyblade wielders did retaliating moves of their own, Dany used her natural agility and flexible form to evade more and more.

It was becoming more of a dance for her. An exhausting one, no doubt, but one she'll memorize and take to heart in due time.

In the sidelines, Jorah was present and overseeing things. Asher and Beskha would've been here, but were assisting the other Dothraki in the patrols at the present time.

As for the three dragons, they were nearby and being taken care of by Daenerys' handmaidens as they were feeding and playing with them.

Dany had a slightly winded look as she faced Riku who stood before her, completely unbothered and untouched.

She felt a flash of frustration but she quickly pushed that away. He was an official Keyblade Master, meaning he was one of the absolute best. She could tell how easy he was taking it on her and after seeing a brief glimpse of him in action against the Heartless, Daenerys knew that the moment he would try, she wouldn't even have time to blink or register her loss.

Concentrating on her next sequence of attacks, Dany stepped forward, eyes on the silver-haired teen who stood motionless as he awaited her next strike. She got in close and before she could even swing at him, Riku had already taken a step back, her overarching attack missing him completely. She grit her teeth and went for a horizontal swipe that he flipped over.

She gaped momentarily at his athleticism before shaking her head and going for another attack.

Daenerys thrusted her sword forward, barely hanging onto her sword and stumbling slightly but managed to keep herself standing despite her uneven footing.

"Ease up there, Dany." Riku instructed, making her pause in her movements. "You're trying to emulate Xion there too much and it's not you."

"Not me?" She said in confusion.

"Yeah, what you're trying to pull off isn't your style." Riku elaborated. "I get taking pieces from other fighting styles and all that helps in creating your own means of fighting but you're trying to be like Xion in some of your attacks. Some of it works, like how there's a lot of fluidity to your movements but you lose a lot of power with the strikes that only Xion can pull off."

"He's right, Khaleesi." Jorah says from nearby. "Emulating another is fine for a time, but it would end up clashing with what will come naturally to you at a later day. Work with what fits best with you."

"You're also overextending yourself." Riku tacked on, going over to her. "Here, look."

He took hold of her arm, holding it up completely horizontally and extending it forward with her body leaning forward before he swept her leg, abruptly tripping her with ease. She let out a yelp but never hit the ground as Riku still had his hands holding her up.

"See that? The way you keep stretching your arm out, flinging your body open, a smart opponent like me, Jorah, Asher, Beskha and Xion would take advantage of that and trip you up."

"Did you have to do it like you did just now?" She couldn't help but grump out.

"Would you rather I had done it while we were sparring so you could fall flat on your face?" Riku rhetorically asked with a smug grin now in place.

Xion chuckled slightly, receiving a pouty glare from her friend that only resulted in a full-blown laugh.

"Xion~" Dany whined.

"You know he's right on that." She said with no shame.

The Targaryen let out an unqueenly 'hmph' when she was promptly dropped, the girl letting out a cry of indignation.

"Riku?!"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, my hand slipped." Was his "innocent" response.

Daenerys gaped at the islander, seeing him grinning down at him. She heard Xion laughing and before she knew it, despite her position, the Mother of Dragons found herself joining in.

"You are lucky that you're my best friend, Xion." Dany said between laughs, sitting up, seeing Riku offering his hand. She gave him a suspicious look, daintily placing her hand into his and he hefted her up with ease.

She straightened herself out, dusting off the dirt she got on her person. The Targaryen then snapped up, narrowing her eyes at the Islander who raised an amused brow at her face.

"As for you, Riku, you will eventually pay for this disrespect." She pointedly said, poking at his chest with every word she said. "It may not be today or tomorrow or even this week. But know this, insolence towards the future queen of Westeros will not go unpunished."

"Oh~~ I'm shaking in my boots." Riku taunted, making Dany uncharacteristically pucker her lower lip, squinting her eyes to the point it looked closed, mean mugging the Keybearer.

Her false anger broke and she cracked a smile, shaking her head.

"Why can't you be more like Xion?" She playfully complained.

"Because it's funny doing this to you." Came Riku's blunt response, getting Dany to gawk at him incredulously for such a statement. Xion snorted and Jorah had to duck his head to hide his laughter.

To the Mormont, the way Riku responded was so much like what a Northerner would say to someone close to them. And like that, his mood lessened slightly as he thought of home. Of his goal. Of his desire… and of his shame. His eternal shame. Jorah scrunched up his face to quash his emotions looking up in time to see Xion placing a friendly arm around the Queen.

"Don't worry Dany, at least you'll have me to be nice to you."

"Such joy." Was Daenerys' deadpan.

Riku chuckled. "Alright, since I've been so mean to you, it's Xion's turn to-"

*Patter Patter Patter*

Running steps quickly drew their attention, having them look towards the source. There were several Bloodriders, the lead one being recognized quickly by them.

"Khaleesi! Riders in the distance!" Called out Aggo, who looked a tad winded. "An armed caravan bearing a banner from Qarth!"

When this was announced Dany quickly ran from the training ground with Xion and Riku quickly following. After some time, they got to the ramparts above the gates.

Seeing the company in the distance, Dany ended up wondering how this group from Qarth found them.

As the armed caravan drew closer, the Targaryen saw that it was Jhogo who was the one leading them. Seeing him gave her relief.

He was gone for so long that Dany feared him lost or perhaps dead. At least that wasn't the case as he came back with more than expected.

Though she wondered how Jhogo was able to find them. Such curiosity was pushed aside for the time being as her one bloodrider ushered his horse to move forward before greeting her.

"Blood of my blood," called out Jhogo. "I have been to the Great City of Qarth, and returned with three who would look on you with their own eyes."

Dany stared down at three peculiar strangers who ushered their horses to move forward. "Here I stand." She says in the common tongue. "Look, if that is your pleasure… but first tell me your names."

The dark skinned man with fine cloth was the first to speak. "I am Xaro Xhoan Daxos, a member of the Thirteen, which is the ruling council of Qarth."

The pale, bald man with blue lips replied next. "I am Pyat Pree, a representative of my order of Warlocks."

Looking at this "warlock", something felt off about him, but Dany couldn't quite place it.

The woman in the lacquered wooden mask spoke last. "I am Quaith of the Shadow. We come seeking dragons."

Eyeing them, Dany eventually speaks. "I am Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen. Seek no more. You have found them."

-End Chapter-

AN:

Been a while since getting the story updated. Things happened, work was grueling, motivation was barely present and depression was an absolute annoyance.

Before getting onto chapter discussion, need to bring up a particular subject.

To all those "artists" that "read our stories" and are captivated by the absorption of the words of storytelling, if you are actually reading this, DO NOT send any more of these copy-pasted messages saying the same damn thing that makes it clear you have not read the story and are just sending out messages to get someone to be a sucker for your scam.

All the messages have the exact same text being used as if you just copied "insert story name" and pasted it in place.

We have more or less looked into several of these so-called artists, which were essentially AI images. That's not art, at all. It's just a cheap image generator that people are using in order to get money out of others and make themselves appear better at artistic skill than they actually are. Not to mention wanting to make an excuse with a comic approach, I doubt it'll work like that on such a translation.

And from what others have reported, they were going to be "charged" $300 per image? What a load of crap.

Its an absolute waste of time and annoying to see every so often in both reviews and PMs. So just stop and move on. It ain't gonna work.

FMW: Yeah, fuck off you bots, we know you're not real. We have our artists already and we don't want any of you dickweeds.

Now focusing on the essential story…

This was something I wanted to touch on for some time, more or less, since hitting season/book 2. Certain meetings, returns and whatnot.

For Riku, I wanted him to finally make his appearance in Planetos and have quite the number of run-ins with Dany and company along with quite the long awaited reunion between him and Xion.

FMW: We're also finally getting to more of our long term ideas and desires for this season since we first discussed the layouts and all for this story. Riku being here on Essos with Dany was one of the top priorities and now, that's accomplished. Axel and Kairi are in the Stormlands/Reach, Ned is with Ashara, Arya and Gendry are with Alucard, Sansa in Disney Castle and Roxas and Tyene are off on their own adventure with Robb and Jon's plans also still to be revealed.

Yes, the exposition dump of sorts was necessary to expand a lot of the stuff on Daenerys' side of things. After all, it's covering a lot of days before the eventual arrival to Qarth. In doing so, Dany needs to get into her proper training.

There is also the factor of getting the group a little head of the curve of certain plots back out East. It's not much, but a slight set up for later when said plots come back around.

Anyways, be sure to review this story guys! Would like the criticisms. Please and thank you!