Game of the Dead
A Highschool of the Dead/Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice & Fire crossover
…
Chapter 1
The Narrow Sea.
Thunder cracked the night sky and arcs of lightning flashed across the clouds, striking down across the horizon as rain lashed the sails and hulls of a large fleet that sailed across the ocean. Ship captains shouted orders to their sailors who worked fast to batten down hatches and tie down loose cargo as the waves of the sea tossed and turned, the wind howling like a thousand wolf packs with a relentless fury.
In the flagship of the fleet, sitting in the captain's quarters was a young man with silver-blonde hair and purple-blue eyes standing with a group of older men around a table upon which a map of a country was spread across the wooden table. The men were all arguing and debating.
"This accursed sea!" one of the men cursed. "It's as though the Seven themselves don't want us to sail to Westeros!" he stated. He was a portly fellow with a large round head that had thinning grey hair atop it and mild grey eyes.
One of the other men at the table; he was thinner and leaner in frame with a fuller head of hair that had gone grey and a lined leathery face glared at the claim, saying, "Nonsense! It's a storm that will pass. Nothing more!"
"And yet many a ship has been wrecked at sea, have they not?" the portly man retorted. "How many other fleets like ours have tried to sail across the Narrow Sea for one thing or another only for a storm to come along and sink them?" he fretted.
The young man spoke up. "Even with the storm, we have come too far to back out now. We must press on towards Storm's End," he stated. Narrowing his eyes at the portly man, he then said, "If you're worried about a little bit of rain, then perhaps we ought to have a change of leadership?"
"Well said, my prince," the lean man nodded in approval. "We have all come too far to back out now. We would be known as craven if we sailed back to Essos with our tails tucked between our legs. No-one would hire the Golden Company again after that," he said.
The other men around the table all murmured in agreement. The silver-haired prince smiled at them all. "So, it's settled. We push on to the Stormlands," he said.
Everyone looked at the portly man who sighed and nodded reluctantly. The lean man then said to everyone, "I suggest we all retire for the night and hope that the storm passes." Everyone nodded and began to filter out of the room. The silver-haired prince, Aegon for this was his name, was stopped by the lean grey-haired man.
"I have something for you. With me, please," he whispered.
Curious, Aegon followed the grey-haired man, his foster father Lord Jon Connington to another room. Jon then walked to the bed where laying upon the mattress was a cedar and copper case. He then said to Aegon, "I was hoping to give this to you once we arrived in Storm's End, but Harry is right that storms have wrecked many ships at seas, so I do not wish to wait any longer than absolutely necessary." Opening the case, Jon showed Aegon what was inside it. Aegon's eyes went wide as saucers as he saw what lay within.
"Blackfyre!"
Indeed, for the sword of Aegon's ancestor and namesake, known by the epithet the Conqueror was nestled in the velvet lining of the box. The blade was smoky and dark indicating it was Valyrian steel, the spell-forged metal made famous all over the world by their creators the Valyrian Dragonlords. The quillons of the guard were wrought in the twisting shapes of dragons, their tiny eyes set with tiny rubies. The flat almost arrowhead shaped pommel was set in both sides with diamond cut rubies that gleamed in the light.
Aegon looked at his foster, asking, "How? How did you get this? I thought the sword was lost after the War of Ninepenny Kings…"
"It wasn't lost, merely hidden away," Lord Jon replied. "At least, that's what the Cheesemonger told me when he gave it to me before we set sail," he said. "Take it. It is your birthright!" he urged Aegon.
With shaking hands and apprehension, Aegon grasped the cord-wrapped hilt of Blackfyre. Slowly, he lifted it out of the case, a shaky laugh escaping his lips. "It's… lighter than I thought it would be," he remarked as he marvelled at the sight of Valyrian steel.
"Lighter and stronger than castle-forged steel, harder and sharper too," Lord Jon told him. "Flesh is like butter for it. And you'll cut through chain and plate like cloth," he said as he handed Aegon a black leather and wood scabbard with a black leather belt to go with it.
Sheathing the sword in the scabbard and tying the belt to his waist, Aegon looked at his foster father and asked, "How do I look?"
"A spitting image of the Conqueror," Jon complimented and Aegon smiled.
"Thank you, Lord Jon. I owe you everything," the young prince said sincerely.
"Don't mention it," Jon said with a watery smile. "Now, you'd best get to bed, boy. We have a long campaign ahead of us and we won't be getting much rest during it," he advised.
"Yes. See you on the morrow," Aegon said as Lord Jon left the room. After the exiled lord of Griffin's Roost left the cabin, Aegon took a moment to admire himself in the looking glass. He had to admit, he cut a dashing figure with the sword of his ancestor by his side.
As thunder cracked outside, Aegon sighed to himself. Deciding to get some sleep, the young prince climbed into his bed and lay back staring up at the ceiling letting the rocking of the ship lull him to sleep. Closing his eyes, Aegon felt himself drift off.
Then a moment later, an enormous crack of thunder followed by the sound of wood breaking and splitting apart roused the young prince from his slumber. Falling out of his bed, Aegon looked around and smelt burning wood. Water lashed his face as he realised that the ship had been broken apart by the storm. His vision becoming clearer, Aegon saw with dread filling his heart that the storm had wrecked the fleet as Harry Strickland had warned. All around the prince, he could see ships sinking into the depths of the ocean
"Jon!" Aegon shouted as the wind drowned out his yells. Then an arc of lightning hit the ship again and Aegon felt himself be thrown overboard. Hitting the water and nearly losing consciousness, the young prince swam up to the surface, gasping and spluttering, spitting out seawater. Treading water, Aegon looked around. A piece of wreckage drifted past him, and he latched onto to it. Clinging to the wood, Aegon felt a chill take hold of him and his teeth chattered as the cold waters of the ocean soaked him to the bone.
"Cold… so cold!" the young prince muttered through chattering teeth as he drifted through the burning ships. Drifting in and out of consciousness, Aegon barely registered anything as he clung to the wreckage like a stubborn barnacle.
…
Tokonosu City Harbor.
"Reloading!" Takashi Komuro bellowed as he began the process of reloading his shotgun with fresh shells. Carefully but as quickly as he could, the young Japanese man shoved fresh 12-gauge shotgun shells through the underside loading gate of his weapon. One of Them shuffled near, raspy gurgling groans issuing from its distended jaw, numerous bite marks and wounds on the ashen grey flesh, its eyes just milky white orbs. Gritting his teeth, Takashi loaded the final shell and prepared to actuate the slide of his gun when a loud crack and bang followed by the sharp whistle of something small and solid zipped past Takashi's head, mere inches away. The undead creature's head snapped back as a large golf ball sized was made in its forehead and it fell to the ground truly dead.
Glancing over his shoulder, Komuro shouted, "Watch your fire, Hirano! You almost killed me!"
"You're welcome!" Kohta Hirano, the tubby sharpshooter of the group hollered back.
Giving a little grin, Takashi looked up at the nearby harbourmaster's office and yelled, "Takagi! Hurry it up in there!"
Saya Takagi's irate voiced shouted back muffled by the windows. "I'm going as fast as I can!" Saya blew a bang of pink hair out of her eyes as she searched the drawers of the harbourmaster's office for the keys that would open the harbour gates.
"Saya!" a small girl's voice cried out. Saya whipped her head to see the youngest member of the group, Alice Maresato, holding a set of keys in her tiny hands.
"Good job, Alice!" Saya praised her, taking the keys and began sorting through them. "Gotta find the one that opens these gates," she muttered as she flipped through the assorted keys and cursed aloud. "Why can't anyone label things?!"
Rei Miyamoto dispatched two undead with swift thrusts of her bayonet. Wiping her brow clear of sweat with the sleeve of her shirt, the young woman exclaimed, "This is endless!"
"Tell me about it!" Kohta shouted, having heard Rei's comment from his spot on the stairs leading to the office, using it as a vantage point to make use of his scoped rifle. Checking what ammunition he had left, the chubby boy shouted, "I'm running low!"
"Me too!" Takashi panted as he briefly checked how many shotgun shells he had left. "Saeko! Are you alright?!" he shouted over to the group's lead fighter/point(wo)man.
Saeko Busujima sliced cleanly through four of Them, their bodies falling to the floor in sprays of blackened oily blood. Flicking the gore off her katana, Saeko looked over at her leader and replied, "Never better." With a slightly chilling smirk on her lips, Saeko surged towards another group of Them, the silvery steel of her sword gleaming in anticipation.
"At least one of us is enjoying themselves," Rei said with a slightly disturbed look at seeing how calmly and eagerly Saeko was fighting the undead.
Saya gave a cry of triumph as she found the key that would open the harbour gates. "Got it!" she hollered to her friends.
"What are you waiting for, then?" Kohta asked as he aimed down the scope of his rifle.
"Don't get snippy with me, fatso!" Saya snapped at him. "Cover me!" she ordered as she ran over to the gate controls. Kohta made sure the pink-haired girl's route was clear of Them, sniping each one that threatened to waylay Saya's path.
Placing the key into the slot of the controls, Saya gave a firm turn and with a loud creaking groan of metal grinding against metal, the harbour gates slowly began to open until the way out to the ocean was open.
"It's open!" Saya shouted to everyone.
"Alright. Haul ass, everyone, and let's get the hell outta here!" Takashi shouted as he broke off. The rest of the group then made their way to the pier where Shizuka was waiting for them with a motorised yacht she had found.
"Miss Shizuka! Start the engine! We're getting outta here!" Takashi shouted to the nurse.
"Okay!" the somewhat ditzy blonde nurse replied with a nod of her head. With slightly shaking hands, Shizuka started the engines of the yacht, the engines giving a low growl as they rumbled and shook to life. "All aboard, everyone!" Shizuka yelled.
Everyone got onto the yacht and Takashi & Hirano quickly began untying the mooring rope as the ravenous hoard of Them shambled nearer. With a flick of her wrist, Saeko cut the mooring rope and upon the look she received from Takashi and Hirano, she said, "Didn't want to waste time."
Increasing the acceleration of the motor, Shizuka spun the pilot's wheel in her hands and with a surge of speed, the yacht hurtled across the water and out into the ocean. Everyone flopped into the comfortable cushions of the chairs in the hold below.
"We're finally out of that hellhole!" Rei exclaimed in relief and exhilaration.
"Yeah, but where are we gonna go?" Saya pointed out. "It's not like the rest of the world is any better off than Japan," she groused.
"You're just saying that to bring the mood down!" Rei snapped out.
"Takagi has a point, Miyamoto," Saeko said calmly. "We're safe for the moment, but we need to figure out where to go next," she added. Rei slumped at that, realising that Saya and Saeko had indeed raised a valid point.
Then Shizuka called out to everyone from the pilot's deck. "Umm, everyone? You might wanna come & look at this." Everyone climbed out onto deck and saw that a thick pea soup fog had surrounded them.
"Slow the boat down, Miss Shizuka," Kohta quickly advised. "We don't want to crash into anything out here unawares." Shizuka lowered the accelerator to a gentle cruising speed.
"Can't see anything in this fog!" Takashi cursed as he strained his eyes to pierce through the thick fog, but the misty vapor obscured everything. The air was mostly silent save for the sounds of the yacht's motor and the lapping of the ocean against the hull of the yacht.
Saeko calmly gazed around the ocean, trying to see anything that looked like land. Then a shape came drifting into view. "There's something in the water!" she cried out to her friends.
Kohta looked through a pair of binoculars and his eyes widened as he saw an unconscious young man clinging to piece of wreckage. "Man overboard!" he called out.
Going over to the portside of the boat, Takashi and Hirano then grabbed the unconscious young man and hauled onto the deck. Shizuka turned the engine onto idle and worked quickly.
"Starting compressions!" Putting her palms to the unconscious stranger's chest, Shizuka counted out each compression. "1! 2! 3! 4!" Then with a cough of seawater, the young man awoke with bleary eyes.
"Eurgh…"
"Sir? Are you alright?" Shizuka asked looking at the stranger with worry in her eyes. The young man stared up at her with purple-blue eyes, his expression one of confusion. "Sir, can you understand me?" Shizuka asked in a slow clear voice and the young man stared at her with a befuddled expression.
"Let me try," Hirano said kneeling in front of the stranger. Speaking in English, Hirano introduced himself, "My name is Kohta Hirano. We found you drifting out here unconscious. Can you remember your name?"
"Y-Yes. Aegon. Aegon Targaryen," the young man replied in English with an exhausted voice.
"Funny name," Hirano muttered to himself. "How did you get out here? Were you on a boat too?" he enquired.
"I was sailing with the Golden Company. We were sailing to Storms End in Westeros and then there was a storm. I was thrown overboard," Aegon said as he frowned in thought. Putting a hand to his hip, he gave a start and looked at his left side with a look of panic. "My sword? Where is my sword?!" he exclaimed.
"Calm down. What sword?" Kohta asked.
"My sword! Blackfyre! Lord Jon gave it to me! Where is it?!" Aegon looked frantic at the notion.
"Sorry, we didn't see a sword anywhere," Kohta informed and Aegon slumped his head with a look of despair.
"What's wrong with him?" Saya asked Kohta who replied, "His name's Aegon and he just lost sword out here. Must've been important to him."
"Did he say where he's from?" Takashi asked.
"He was sailing with the Golden Company, heading for Storms End," Saeko spoke up and everyone looked at her in surprise. With a small smile, Saeko said, "Because my father works in dojos overseas, he insisted that I learn to speak English and a few other languages in case I went with him."
"Huh, would've been nice to know you could do that," Rei remarked.
"You never asked," Saeko said dryly.
"Okay, so any idea where this Storms End is?" Takashi asked and Saeko and Kohta shook their heads in response.
"No idea. And I think our friend is dressed like a Renaissance cosplayer," Saya remarked as she looked at Aegon's water-soaked attire.
"He does, doesn't he?" Shizuka said with a giggle. "Well, in any case, let's get him into something warmer. He must be freezing!"
Kohta translated for Aegon who had been watching the exchange with some confusion. "We're gonna get you dressed into something warmer and maybe have something to eat too. Are you alright with that?"
Aegon gave a small smile and said, "That sounds very nice, right now." With Takashi and Kohta helping their new friend to his feet, everyone went into the hold below where Aegon was wrapped in a warm blanket. The silver-haired young man gave a grateful nod of thanks. Saeko brought out some cold sandwiches.
"Here, they might be a little stale, but they should still be edible," Saeko told everyone, handing a sandwich to each of them. Everyone ate the simple meal. Saeko sat opposite their guest and spoke to him. "So, where are you from?" was her first question.
"Westeros, but I grew up in Essos," replied Aegon politely.
"And where abouts are Westeros and Essos?" Saeko asked.
"Westeros is westward of Essos with the latter east of the Narrow Sea," said Aegon.
Kohta translated Aegon's for everyone else who didn't speak English and Saya spoke up. "Has this guy hit his head or something?" she wondered.
"I don't know," Saeko replied to her honestly. "But he seems like an honest sort," she said looking at Aegon.
Aegon then asked, "So, who are you all?"
"I am Saeko Busujima," Saeko introduced herself. "Kohta, who has already introduced himself. That's Takashi Komuro and Rei Miyamoto." Takashi and Rei gave a small smile and nod of greeting. "This is Saya Takagi and Nurse Shizuka Marikawa." The two mentioned gave a nod of greeting. "And lastly, is Alice Maresato and our dog Zeke."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr Targaryen," Alice said speaking in English which surprised everyone.
"You… can speak English?" Saya said looking stunned at this revelation.
"Yeah. Who said I couldn't?" Alice said with a little cheeky smile.
"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Alice," Aegon to Alice with a friendly smile and bow of his head. Looking at Saeko, the young man asked, "So where are you all from?"
"Tokonosu City in Japan. We'd just made our escape from it," Saeko answered.
"Escape? Is it under attack?" Aegon asked with a raised eyebrow.
"In a way, but not from enemy soldiers," Saeko said. She then gave Aegon a shortened version of what had happened in Japan and across the world. The day when They showed, killing and infecting the living with Their contagion, spreading rapidly across the globe. The subsequent downfall of civil order as people fell victim to mob mentality, acting on violent impulses and desires. Saeko also gave some brief but informative details of hers and her friends escape and adventures from Fujimi Academy to Aegon.
Aegon listened attentively, his eyes wide from the description of the ravenous undead hordes of Them. When Saeko had finished her group's story, the young man asked, "So, how is it I ended up here?"
"What do you remember?" Kohta asked him.
"I was aboard the flagship of the Golden Company, an elite company of sellswords and mercenaries. I had just retired to my cabin for the night, hoping the storm would pass and then it suddenly took a turn for the worse," said Aegon as he recalled. "The flagship was split apart by wind and lightning. I found myself thrown overboard and I held onto some floating wreckage. I must've lost consciousness," he recalled.
"And we found you out here in a deep fog," Kohta said with a thoughtful look on his face. He relayed his thoughts to the rest of the group, each of whom looked somewhat sceptical at this.
"Well, in any case, the least we can do is help you out," Takashi offered to Aegon with Kohta translating his words. "All we ask is that you don't do anything to cause us problems," the leader of the group of survivors said with a stern but compassionate look in his eyes.
Hearing the translation from Kohta, Aegon nodded and offered his hand to shake. "I shall endeavour to help you as well, Ser Takashi. At the very least, it's better than being out here alone," he stated. After Kohta relayed Aegon's word to Takashi in Japanese, Takashi smiled and clasped hands with Aegon.
Kohta then spoke up in Japanese to his friends. "I'm gonna go up on deck. See if I can spot any dry land, we can make port on," he said.
"Can I come with?" Alice piped up looking at the chubby sharpshooter hopefully.
"Of course, you can, Alice," Kohta said to her with a smile. "Miss Shizuka? Would you mind taking the helm again?" he then asked looking at the nurse who smiled.
"Okay, I'll be right up," Shizuka said with a nod of her head.
"I wanna get some sleep," Saya said with a yawn, stretching her arms above her head. "I haven't slept much these last couple of days," she grumbled.
"Me neither," Rei said with a tired look in her eyes.
"Alright. You two should get some rest," Takashi said in support of Rei and Saya's words. "I'll go up on deck with Kohta and keep a lookout." Looking at Saeko, he asked her, "Miss Busujima? Would you mind staying here and keeping an eye on things?"
"Of course," Saeko said with a bow of her head. "I'll see what else I can learn from our guest here," she added with a glance at Aegon who watched the exchange with innocent eyes.
"Thank you, Saeko. I appreciate it," Takashi replied before going above deck to join Kohta, Alice and Shizuka.
Looking at Aegon, Saeko spoke to him in English. "So, you said this Golden Company is a mercenary company, yes?" she asked and Aegon nodded. "What was your position or rank?"
As Saeko spoke with Aegon in the living space below, Kohta and Takashi kept a lookout. As they did, they discussed the matter of their guest.
"So, do you think this guy in on the level? Or do you think he's trying to pull one over us?" Takashi asked Kohta who shrugged in response.
"No idea," the chubby boy said honestly. "He's either a really good method actor, or there's some truth to what he's told us," he added.
"I guess we'll have to give him the benefit of the doubt then," Takashi remarked sagely as he resumed looking for dry land.
Shizuka who had been manning the helm looked ahead and spotted in the distance a faint light. "There's a light up ahead!" she called out to Kohta and Takashi. Looking to where Shizuka indicated, Kohta saw the light as well.
"A lighthouse?" he wondered. "Miss Shizuka! Head in the direction of the light!" he cried and Shizuka piloted the yacht in the direction of the light as the fog began to thin. What Takashi, Kohta and Shizuka saw next stunned them.
There was indeed a lighthouse, but the architecture was almost medieval looking, and the nearby harbour was much the same.
Kohta hollered to everyone else below deck, "Land ho, everyone!" Almost immediately, everyone else climbed onto deck and saw what was before them. Saya rubbed her orange eyes in disbelief and spoke.
"Where the hell are we? Everything looks so… ancient!"
"Where do you think we are?" Rei asked looking at Takashi who shrugged in response.
"I don't know, but let's hope the local are friendly," he said in answer to Rei's query.
Slowly piloting the yacht into the harbour, everyone saw the locals, be they fisherman or dock workers staring at them in open curiosity. Finding an empty dock, Shizuka turned off the engine. Then marching onto the dock came a column of soldiers that vaguely resembled Roman Legionnaires in Saeko's eyes.
"Stand by for trouble," she whispered to her friends, loosening her sword in its scabbard. Hearing their best fighter's warning for trouble, everyone readied themselves. Then marching out from the soldiers was an older man with shortcut grey hair and stern gaze on his lined face, wearing finer looking armour. Although he looked cautious, he was not acting hostile towards them, and he spoke in English with a stern commanding tone.
"My name is General Tullius, Imperial military governor of Skyrim. Who are you all?" he asked in an authoritative voice.
Kohta stepped forward and spoke for his companions. "I am Kohta Hirano from Tokonosu. These are my friends Takashi, Rei, Saya, Saeko, Alice, Shizuka and Aegon. We mean no harm to any of you," he announced.
"That remains to be seen, Kohta Hirano," General Tullius said firmly. "If you surrender your arms, I will bring you to Jarl Elisif so that we may learn of your intentions in Skyrim," he told them.
With some reluctance, the group handed their weapons over to the soldiers. Then the group were marched towards a walled city. Entering the city, the group's eyes gazed about the city in wonder and their eyes widened even more when they saw that some of the citizens going about their daily business didn't look human. Half an hour, the group was brought forth to what General Tullius informed was the Blue Palace, the acting home of Jarl Elisif the Fair, the wife of the late High King Torygg.
Brought forth into the courtroom of the palace, the group was introduced to Jarl Elisif who sat on her throne, her posture straight if a little tense.
Saeko then took it upon herself to act as spokeswoman for her group. "Lady Elisif, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Saeko of the House Busujima. My friends and I found ourselves adrift at sea before we arrived in your city's harbour," she began.
Elisif smiled softly and spoke in a calm regal voice. "You are no stranger to courtly manners, Lady Saeko," she noted with some approval. "But you will forgive me if I observe that your garb is rather foreign to my eyes," she remarked.
"Indeed. My friends and I come from another world entirely," Saeko replied with a respectful bow of her head.
"Then explain everything, and I will do what I can to offer aid," Elisif requested. Saeko then gave Elisif, General Tullius and the court an explanation of how her and her friends world fell into chaos when They showed up. Elisif listened patiently, her expression one of concern when Saeko described the undead that ravaged Japan and the world. How the infection spread like wildfire, leaving human society devastated and most of the living falling into an 'every man for themselves' mentality.
Elisif's advisor, Sybille Stentor, wearing her hood over her head, spoke after Saeko finished describing Them. "These undead creatures you've described; I daresay it is the work of necromancy or Daedric sorcery," she commented.
"Magic is real here?" Saeko asked in surprise.
Sybille nodded and replied, "Indeed. Magic is all around us, and those who can harness it are able to do great and terrible things with it." Holding up her hand, a ball of arcane flames flickered in her hands.
Saeko and her friends stared at the ball of flickering fire in wonder with Saya commenting, "This is impossible! It's got to be some kind of trick!" Being a student of science, Saya looked at the conjured flame in Sybille's palm with disbelief etched on her face.
Aegon who had been largely silent, remained composed but inwardly he was intrigued by the sight of magic.
General Tullius, being used to such displays and far more pragmatic about things, interjected. "Is there any chance that these undead creatures of your world could come here?" he enquired looking at Saeko and Kohta. Both Saeko and Kohta exchanged awkward glances with the latter answering Tullius's question.
"We have no idea, to be honest. Given how we arrived in your land, anything seems possible."
Tullius nodded, likely having expected such an answer and said, "Then I will have to ask that you and your companions tell us all that you know about these undead; their strengths and weaknesses, and how best to fight them."
Kohta and Saeko both nodded in acceptance of the request. Elisif then looked at Aegon who remained silent and asked him, "And what of you? You have been very quiet since you've arrived."
"I am Prince Aegon Targaryen, Sixth of his Name, heir to the Iron Throne," Aegon introduced with a courtly bow of his head. "The land I hail from is called Westeros, home to the Seven Kingdoms," he said.
"Seven Kingdoms? That would mean there are seven kings," Sybille Stentor remarked.
"The origin of Westeros was indeed that, but through the efforts of my ancestor Aegon the Conqueror, all Seven Kingdoms had been united under House Targaryen," Aegon replied. "But recent events have sparked what has been labelled the War of Five Kings," he said sardonically.
"A rebellion?" Saeko asked with some interest.
"In a way." Aegon shrugged before explaining. "Years ago, when I was but a babe in arms, my house was overthrown because of the actions perpetrated by my grandfather King Aerys Targaryen, known by the epithet the Mad King, and that of my father Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Robert Baratheon rose up in rebellion, killing my father in open combat and after the death of my grandfather at the hands of Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard, Robert became King of Westeros, but it was after his untimely death and his eldest son & heir Prince Joffrey Baratheon unjustly executing his father's boyhood friend and Hand of the King Eddard Stark, a new rebellion erupted," he described.
"So, a war of succession, then," Tullius remarked grimly. "We are familiar with such things in Tamriel," he then said.
"Yes, the war happened because Joffrey isn't King Robert's son, nor were his younger siblings Tommen and Myrcella," Aegon stated. "Joffrey and his siblings were the result of an apparently years long affair between their mother Queen Cersei Lannister and her own twin brother Ser Jaime Lannister," he said.
This fact had everyone raise their eyebrows in disgust and Kohta was the first to voice it. "Ew! Gross!" he exclaimed with a disgusted look on his face.
"Yes, but it isn't like my house didn't practice incest," Aegon said dryly.
"…What?" Kohta uttered with a horrified look on his face.
"My house did not originate from Westeros. They came from the Freehold of Valyria in Essos where to keep the dragon blood pure, those of the dragon blood wed brothers and sisters to each other," Aegon said softly. "I will freely admit that such a practice is frowned upon by many in Westeros and it has more than a few problems, but that's simply how it was," he added.
"So, does that mean your father and mother were siblings?" Saeko asked warily.
Aegon shook his head. "No. My father Prince Rhaegar was one of the few members of House Targaryen to marry outside the family by wedding Princess Elia Martell of Dorne, having me and my elder sister Rhaenys Targaryen. There have been a few other members of my house's history who married outside of their own blood, but they were uncommon occurrences."
"Very well, we shall reserve judgement on that," Elisif said with a nod of acceptance. "So, this Joffrey and his siblings were the result of this illicit affair between Cersei and her twin-brother?" she asked.
"Much of the evidence gathered points to such," Aegon confirmed. "Robert Baratheon and those of his bloodline are dark haired and possess blue eyes with little exceptions to the rule. Those of House Lannister are known to have golden hair and green eyes as their most prominent family traits. All three of Cersei's children have Lannister features, none of the Baratheon family features," he said.
"Thus, leading to a war of succession," Tullius remarked. "How is it you fit into this?" he asked looking at Aegon.
"When the capitol of Westeros was sacked by the Lannisters in Robert's Rebellion, I was smuggled out and raised in secret in Essos with the intention of reclaiming my family's throne," replied Aegon. "I was sailing across the Narrow Sea with the Golden Company, a famed army of mercenaries, to begin my campaign when a storm hit the fleet. I was thrown overboard into the sea, cast adrift and somehow I was found by Kohta and his friends on their boat," he explained.
"I see," Tullius nodded in understanding. "So, none of you know how you came to Skyrim then?" he asked.
"All we can tell you was that there a deep fog that came over our boat," Saeko said in explanation. "We saw a light and that light led us to your city harbor."
Tullius and Elisif both looked at Sybille who hummed in thought before speaking. "Whilst it is likely that magic brought you to our world, whom it might've been to bring you here is another," she said grimly.
"You mean like a god or something?" Kohta asked.
"Or something," Sybille parroted with a dark look under her hood.
"R-Right," Kohta muttered with a nervous look.
"In any case, it appears your arrival in Solitude was unintentional on your part," Elisif said moving the conversation along. "For the time being, I can offer you asylum in Solitude. All I ask is that you do not do anything to endanger my people when we already have troubles as it is."
"Are you at war?" Aegon asked.
"We are," Tullius confirmed with a grim look. "But you needn't trouble yourselves with that for the moment," he was quick to say.
Elisif nodded in agreement and spoke to her steward Falk Firebeard who was then tasked with helping the Jarl's new guests get settled in for the night.
The female half of the group were shown to some separate rooms, while Aegon, Kohta and Takashi were given a room to themselves. Sitting on the edge of a medium sized but comfortable bed, Takashi exhaled a sigh, muttering, "I can't believe this is happening."
"Hey, at least They aren't here," Kohta pointed out, looking on the bright side of the situation. "And that Tullius guy seems to know what he's doing," he added.
"Yeah, I guess so," Takashi said with a brief smile before he glanced over at Aegon who was perusing the selection of books on a nearby shelf. "So, his family actually practiced incest?" he whispered to Kohta with a look of revulsion.
"Apparently so," Kohta whispered back. "But on the bright side, he isn't playing a banjo," he added with a grin and Takashi gave a snicker at the joke.
"Is something funny?" Aegon suddenly asked looking over his shoulder at the two snickering young men.
"It's nothing," Kohta said quickly. "Just reminiscing about the good times back home," he added for clarification.
Aegon raised an eyebrow at this, but shrugged and resumed perusing the selection of books, the titles unfamiliar to him. "An interesting selection they have here," the silver-haired prince remarked, running a fingertip along the green of a tome.
"Anything that catch your interest?" Kohta asked meandering over to examine the books on the shelf.
"A Brief History of the Empire looks interesting," Aegon replied taking the aforementioned book from the shelf. "If we're going to be here for a while, we may as well get acquainted with the history of the land," he said as he walked over to the nearby dining table and chairs.
"Yeah, we may as well get comfortable," Kohta said sagely as he picked out a book for himself and sat opposite Aegon.
"I doubt any of those books are written in Japanese," Takashi said from his seat and he rose to his feet. "I'm gonna go find the others and see how they're doing," he declared as he left the room.
Aegon watched Takashi before looking at Kohta who translated what Takashi had said. "He's gonna check on our friends and see how they're holding up." Aegon nodded in understanding and opened the book to the first page and began to read the contents within.
As he silently read the book of the Empire's History, Aegon wondered to himself just how he had ended up in this land and for that matter, how he was going to get back home. His thoughts wandered to that of Lord Jon and his teachers; had they survived the storm that hit the fleet? Were they looking for him? Did they think him dead? Shaking his head slightly to rid himself of the errant thoughts, Aegon decided to busy himself by reading up on the history of the land he had found himself and then get a good night's sleep.
Perhaps this was all a dream and tomorrow, he would wake up in his own cabin? It was a nice thought, but Aegon had a sinking feeling that this was all too real.
The door to the room opened and walking into the room was Saeko Busujima who had changed out of her regular attire and was clad in a simple but elegant dress. Kohta looked up from what he was reading and spoke.
"Oh! Miss Busujima, what brings you here?" the rotund marksman asked the older girl.
"I thought I'd check up on you, while Takashi checked on the others," Saeko replied with a smile. Looking at Aegon who had watched the exchange, Saeko said to him, "And how are you, Princes Aegon?"
Aegon smiled politely and replied, "I am doing well, all things considered. I hadn't expected my day to go like this, but I'm doing the best I can." He then raked his eyes over Saeko's attire and commented, "You look lovely in that dress. Where did you get it?"
"Lady Elisif's servants were kind enough to offer a change of clothes and I accepted the offer," Saeko said. "It isn't what I usually wear, but it fits at least," she added with a self-deprecating smile.
"Well, it looks lovely on you," Aegon complimented politely. "I might go for a change of wardrobe too, now that I think on it," he said with his self-deprecating smile as he looked at the attire he had been wearing aboard the flagship of the Golden Company fleet.
"I think we could all do with a change of clothes," Kohta said in support of Aegon's statement. "It seems like we're going to be here a while, so we should try to blend in with everyone," he added.
"Well, I could ask some of the servants to fetch both you and Takashi a change of clothes," Saeko offered. "What colour would you wear?" she asked Aegon and Kohta.
"Um, green or blue, I guess?" Kohta ventured.
"Black and red," Aegon said confidently. Upon the questioning glance from Kohta, he explained, "The colours of my house." Kohta gave a small nod at that clarification.
Saeko nodded. "I'll go find someone who can bring you a change of clothes," she said as she calmly walked out of them, leaving Kohta and Aegon alone again.
After Saeko left the room, Aegon commented, "She seems nice."
"Yeah, Miss Busujima's kinda like the big sister of the group. We can always count on her to get us out of a tight spot," Kohta said.
"Really? How do you mean?" Aegon asked as he stopped reading his book to look at Kohta with a curious look on his face.
"Miss Busujima's trained in the art of Kendo," Kohta said and after a blank look from Aegon, he clarified. "She can fight with swords. And she's really good at it too!" he added enthusiastically. "She's killed dozens of Them! I can kill more than my share, but I prefer long range combat than hand-to-hand. Saeko, though? She really gets into the thick of it and cuts them down like grass!"
"Really?" Aegon leaned forward in his seat slightly. "I've been trained to use a sword too. How good would Lady Saeko be against someone like me?" he asked.
Kohta gave an evil grin and replied, "She's probably make mincemeat of you if you ever decided to fight her!" He gave a little cackle as he said the words.
"Then all the more reason to challenge her and prove my mettle!" Aegon said with a boastful grin.
"Well, if you do fight her, don't say I didn't warn ya," Kohta said with an eerie grin.
And re-entering the room came Saeko bearing a bundle of clothing. "I asked some of Elisif's servants for the change of clothes. I didn't know your exact sizes, but hopefully they'll fit," she said with an apologetic smile.
"It's plenty, thank you," Aegon replied as he stood from his chair to take the clothes offered. "Black and red, my favourite colours," he noted with a smile. "And here's something blue and green for you, Kohta," he added as he handed the blue and green coloured clothes to Kohta who took them with a nod of thanks.
"I'll give you both some privacy," Saeko then said as she walked out the room and left the two young men to change.
Moments later, Kohta called out to Saeko. "We're done." The female ronin walked back into the room and saw Aegon and Kohta in their new attire. Aegon was dressed in dark red trousers with black leather boots, a crimson shirt and black leather vest over it. Kohta was dressed in green trousers with a blue tunic and kept his sneakers on. The chubby sharpshooter tugged at the collar of his tunic and said, "A little tight around the collar."
"You'll get used to it," Saeko said to him. "Try not to think about it too much, and after a while you won't even notice it," she added. Looking at Aegon, Saeko said to him, "And you look quite dashing, like a real prince."
"I am a real prince," Aegon said seriously but a small smile was on his lips as he spoke.
"Forgive my impertinent manners then, your highness," Saeko with an amused smile and a little curtsy which made Aegon chuckle a little.
"Well, don't expect me to bow and scrape to you," Kohta said to Aegon dryly. "I don't do that sort of thing with anyone," he added.
"How ever shall I cope?" Aegon jested. "Well, in any case, might we see about getting some food?" he suggested. "I think I could do with something to eat and perhaps something a little stronger as well," he said.
"What kind of food do you think they serve here?" Kohta wondered as he, Aegon and Saeko left the room to find the kitchen and acquire sustenance.
"I daresay the nearby ocean provides plenty of fresh seafood," Saeko said. "And given the semi-Roman and semi-Scandinavian people, we could expect what passes for Italian and Nordic cuisine," she mused.
"Italian? What is Italian?" Aegon asked as they wandered down the corridor passing by some of the servants.
"It's better if we show you," Kohta replied quickly. Following their noses, they picked up on the scent of woodsmoke and savoury smells. Soon reaching the kitchen, they found a portly man wearing a slightly grease stained cooks uniform and hat attending to a pot over an open fire.
"Excuse us, hello?" Kohta ventured hesitantly getting the cook's attention. The cook looked up from stirring the pot over the fire and smiled kindly.
"Ah, the Jarl's guests. Come to try some of my cooking, eh?" he asked with a gap toothed smile.
"Indeed, we have, good ser," Aegon replied politely and formally. "What do you usually cook for the Jarl on most days?" he enquired.
"Plenty of things," replied the cook wiping his hands on his apron. "Mostly we cook stews and roasts, but from time to time, I whip up some seafood chowder. For something sweet, sweet rolls are popular enough, along with boiled crème treats," he said listing off the typical fare he prepared and cooked. "I have some fresh oxtail stew over the fire right now, if you're hungry," he offered.
"That sounds lovely, thank you," Saeko said with a respectful bow.
The cook chuckled waving a hand dismissively. "No need to bow to me, lass. I'm just a cook, not some fancy nobleman," he said.
"Thank you, all the same," Saeko said with a smile.
The cook then gave each of them a bowl of freshly made oxtail stew. Taking up a spoonful of the dark and sticky meat, Aegon ate it and gave a groan of satisfaction. Chewing slowly to savour the rich and savoury taste before swallowing, he declared, "This is very good! My compliments to you, ser," he said to the cook.
"Glad to hear you're enjoying it," the cook said with a grin. Looking at Kohta and Saeko who both quietly eating their bowls of stew, he asked, "And you two?"
"It's making me very quiet to be honest," Kohta said with sauce staining his smile as he ate another mouthful of meat.
"It's rich and taste," Saeko said as she demurely ate her food.
Then some footsteps were heard outside the kitchen door and a voice suddenly said, "There you guys are!" Saeko and Kohta turned in their chairs to see their friends standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Oh, my gosh! It smells so good in here!" Shizuka exclaimed as she flounced inside and sat down beside Aegon. The blonde-haired nurse tentatively reached out a hand. "Can I…?" She looked at Aegon hopefully who understood what she meant despite not knowing her language. The silver prince slid his bowl of stew to Shizuka who smiled breathlessly and began to ate. "Oh, my goodness! It's so good!" She was almost crying at the savoury taste of the stew.
Seeing this positive, if slightly over-the-top, reaction to the food from their school nurse, Takashi, Rei, Saya and Alice joined the others at the table. The castle cook quickly served each of them a bowl of stew which were eagerly dug into by hungry mouths.
"After living on canned goods, this is like manna from heaven!" Rei said with her eyes closed in bliss as she chewed on soft tender meat soaked in gravy. "What kind of meat is this?" she wondered aloud. Kohta translated the question to the cook who gave the answer.
"Venison? That's like deer, right?" Rei asked.
"Yeah, that's what it is," Kohta told her. "Given that we landed in medieval world, stands to reason there'd be venison on the menu," he stated.
"And since Solitude is in proximity to the ocean, we might also see fresh seafood caught daily," Saeko put in as she finished the last dregs of stew in her bowl before wiping her lips with a nearby napkin.
"Wonder what kind of seafood they would fish?" Saya wondered thoughtfully.
"Given that we have things like deer, evidenced by venison in this stew, they probably have things similar to what's back home," Takashi replied. "So, we could see things like salmon, cod, trout or even bass," he said as he ate another spoonful of stew.
Alice then turned to look at Aegon who had been watching the conversation quietly. "What kind of animals are there where you come, Mr Aegon?" she asked sweetly in English.
Aegon smiled in response. "Oh, there are all kinds. We have common sort of animals such as deer, elk, cows, dogs; the usual fare." His smile becoming a little wider he continued, "But in the farthest reaches of the world, there are some rare and even terrifying creatures."
"What kind?" Saeko asked.
"Well, north of the Wall, there are creatures like Direwolves. Think wolves the size of ponies when full grown," replied Aegon.
"Direwolves? You have direwolves in your world?" Kohta asked in surprise.
"Only in the Lands Beyond the Wall. In the earliest ages when the First Men roamed Westeros, direwolves were more common, but due to the First Men hunting them, direwolves moved further northwards where they live among the ice & snow," Aegon said. Looking at Kohta, he asked, "Did your world have direwolves as well?"
"We used to, but they died out millennia ago," Kohta said. "We also used to have things like woolly mammoths and sabre cats too," he added.
"We have similar things in Westeros too," Aegon said with a nod. "A creature that used to roam the world were dragons," he added.
"Dragons? As in, wings, breathing fire, eating people and livestock?" Saeko asked with interest lacing her voice.
"Mhm." Aegon nodded. "Dragon were born from Old Valyria where the ancient Valyrians learnt to hatch, tame and ride dragons that lived in the caverns of the volcanoes of what would become the Valyrian Freehold. From there, their empire would spread across almost the entirety of Essos until the Doom lay ruin to them."
"The Doom?" Alice echoed.
"Aye, when the Fourteen Flames, the volcanic mountains from which the Valyrians mined copper, tin, and later iron for their fabled Valyrian steel, erupted and burned so hot that even dragons burned," Aegon replied.
"Fourteen volcanoes erupting all at once?!" Kohta looked stunned at such a thing. "Can't imagine what seeing something like that happening would be like," he muttered.
"Yes, and it left nothing but smoking ruins from which live only ghosts, the desperate and monsters such as Stonemen," Aegon said with a grave look in his purple eyes.
"Stonemen?" Saeko parroted that word. "What are stonemen?" she enquired.
"Well, that would lead to the story of Prince Garin the Great, the Prince of the Rhoynar," Aegon replied before launching into the story of the Freehold's conquest of Essos.
His audience listened raptly (with Kohta and Saeko translating for their friends) as he told of how the Freehold with their dragons conquered almost the entirety of Essos, but were met with resistance from the people of the River Rhoyne, called the Rhoynar. The Rhoynar had resisted the incursion of the Freehold by using their water wizards to send great tidal waves and surges to capsize the barges and galleons carrying Valyrian soldiers and supplies. When the Freehold responded by sending in their dragons to scorch the earth and boil the waters, Prince Garin gathered all the military might of the Rhoynar and fought successful battles until he threatened Volantis where the Freehold responded by sending two hundred dragons and their riders against two hundred and fifty thousand Rhoynish warriors.
"Two hundred dragons against two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers?!" Saya exclaimed in disbelief. "This Garin guy had to be crazy, right, going up against walking nuclear bombs. Especially that many!"
Aegon, whom Kohta translated Saya's words to, nodded and replied, "Yes, I suppose after his victories against Selhorys, Valysar and Volon Therys, as well as his confidence in the Rhoynish Water wizards, Garin must've felt he could win."
"But he didn't, did he?" Saeko asked narrowing her eyes in scrutiny.
"No. He did not," Aegon said gravely. "After his army was wiped out by the dragonlords of Valyria, Garin was hung from a golden cage and made to watch as his city of Chroyane was burnt to the ground and his people enslaved. Garin then called out to the Mother Rhoyne to grant him vengeance on those who destroyed his city and his people. His captors laughed and mocked him for it, but that very evening, the rivers of Rhoyne flooded out season, drowning many of the invaders. Afterwards, a thick fog fell over Chroyane where those caught in it became afflicted with is known as greyscale."
"Greyscale?" Shizuka tilted her head at this. "What's greyscale?"
"Greyscale is a terrible disease where patches of an infected person's body begin to harden and turn grey like stone. It slowly begins to spread across the afflicted's body until they almost resemble a living statue of sorts," Aegon explained. "Worse still, the disease affects the mind, turning those who have completely succumbed into savage creatures attacking anything that isn't like them," he said darkly.
"How is the disease contracted?" Kohta asked.
Aegon pursed his lips at this and said, "Usually by touching the infected limb of another already infected with the illness is enough to contract the disease. It usually starts from the extremities such as fingers and toes with loss of feeling and the nails beginning to turn black and from there the skin begins to turn grey and cracked like stone."
"Is there anything like that back home, Miss Shizuka?" Kohta asked looking at the nurse who had a decidedly focussed look in her golden eyes.
"There are some diseases that cause petrification limbs and organs, but those are usually caused by outside forces such as poisons like radiation, or even genetic disorders. I've never heard of any disease like what Aegon is describing, especially how it infects patient to patient," she said after a moment of contemplation.
"So, it could be similar to Them?" Rei asked in a hushed voice.
Shizuka put a finger to her chin in thought before she looked at Aegon and with Kohta translating her words, she asked, "What treatments are there for this greyscale disease?"
"There's no cure as such," Aegon admitted reluctantly. "Maesters says that the disease could be halted with limes, mustard poultices and scalding hot baths. Septons would say that prayer, sacrifice and fasting are the cure. Most believe that severing the infected limb will stop the spread of greyscale, but often times when a man hacks off a foot infected with greyscale will find his other foot infected as well. Ysilla claims that washing the infected areas with vinegar will stop the disease from catching, but my teacher Haldon always doubted that claim."
"So, it is like Them," Rei muttered darkly after Kohta translated Aegon's answer for them. "As in there's no cure, or at least not one that is known to anyone," she was quick to say.
"Maybe, but at least we don't have to worry about these stonemen coming back from the dead after they've been killed, right?" Kohta said with a shaky smile. "Right?" he looked at Aegon who contemplated the words for a moment before opening his mouth to answer. "D-Don't answer that!" Kohta cut him off quickly.
"So, you have dragons and stone zombies in your world," Saeko remarked to Aegon sardonically. "What other crazy things are there?" she asked.
"Well, there are-" Aegon began to say when Saeko cut him off with a hand over his mouth.
"I didn't actually want an answer to that," the samurai told him firmly with a slight smile on her lips. "I think we've had enough horror stories for a while after what we've all been through," she said tiredly as she gently moved her hand away from the prince's lips.
"Of course, I had no intention of causing you all discomfort," Aegon said with an apologetic bow of his head.
"I found them quite fascinating," a voice spoke from the kitchen entrance and everyone at the table turned their heads to see Sybille Stentor leaning against the doorway of the kitchen, her hood hanging low over her eyes giving her a mysterious quality. "Forgiving me for listening in. I was merely curious," the court mage said with a small smile as she sauntered over like a cat towards the group. "I've always found that the scary stories often impart a moral lesson on the audience," she added.
"As we all hope they should," Saeko agreed with a respectful nod of her head. "Some of the best known ghost stories were instructive in their storytelling," she said.
"Glad we're in agreement with each other," Sybille said with a small glimmer of red underneath her hood hinting at her eyes beneath. "So, how are you all finding everything?" she asked kindly.
"It's been very comfortable thus far," Saeko said speaking for the group. "We greatly appreciate your queen for giving us asylum here in her city, although we had not intended to come here," she added.
"Tis nothing, child," Sybille told her. "If you had landed in somewhere like Windhelm, you'd have gotten a far colder reception," she said grimly.
"Why is that?" Kohta asked.
"Because of Ulfric and his Stormcloak rebels," Sybille said dourly. "Those who aren't True Nords living in Windhelm are often ostracised and made to live in the Grey Quarter, a virtual slum in all but name. Not to mention some of the bullies and bigots that roam those streets treating non-Nords like lepers."
"If things are that bad in Windhelm, why don't they just leave?" Aegon asked.
"Most of them haven't anywhere else to go," Sybille replied. "Skyrim is a hard enough land as it is, even when you have a roof over your head. You should count yourselves lucky that the Jarl has given you asylum here as her guests," she said warningly.
"And we'll endeavour to repay her generosity and kindness to us," Saeko said solemnly.
"See that you do," Sybille said firmly. "Oh! Before I forget, I did wish to give you all something," she added.
"What is it?" Saeko asked.
"Put these on," Sybille said as she pulled out some necklaces, one for each of the group.
"I don't really do jewellery," Kohta mumbled awkwardly but a stern look from Sybille had the chubby marksman putting the necklace on albeit reluctantly.
A small wave of vertigo washed over the group before subsiding. "Urgh, what was that?" Saya muttered as the sensation passed.
"Tell me about it," Aegon said to the pinkette. It was a full minute before the prince and the others realised that Aegon had understood what Saya had said and that she and they too had understood him.
"What the hell?! How are you speaking Japanese?" Rei asked looking at Aegon in surprise.
"How are you speaking Westerosi?" Aegon asked her back.
"Oh, good, it worked," Sybille said with some amusement lacing her voice. When everyone looked at her questioningly, she explained, "A simple translation enchantment cast upon those necklaces you're wearing right now. You can now understand each other as if you were speaking the same language of your respective worlds."
"This is amazing!" Shizuka crowed. "Is there anything magic can't do?" she asked with almost childlike wonder.
"I'd be lying if I said that magic has no limitations, but it does have rules it must follow and for the darker magics, a price that must be paid in the end," Sybille said with an eerie calmness to her voice.
"Yes. In my world, magic is said to be like wielding a sword without a hilt; sooner or later, it will cut you," Aegon remarked knowingly.
"Oh, there is magic in your world?" Sybille asked interest.
"Well, there was, once upon a time," Aegon corrected. "But in the last couple of years, magic was said to have returned to my world with the coming of the red comet in the sky," he said.
"Red comet?" Takashi echoed.
Aegon nodded. "Aye, it happened a couple of years ago before I began to set sail to Westeros. As though the heavens themselves had been cut open by a sword and bled red into the night sky. And news reached my ears when I heard the rumours of my aunt Daenerys hatching three dragons on the pyre of her husband Khal Drogo."
"Interesting. You'll have to tell me more about this later," Sybille said to the prince. "For now, enjoy the rest of your day," she added with a smile and left the kitchen.
"So, what do we want to do with the rest of the day?" Takashi asked the group.
"Maybe we could explore the city a little bit?" Rei suggested helpfully. "We're probably gonna be spending a bit of time here, might as well get acquainted with the space," she pointed out.
"Then let's do that, then," Saeko agreed as she rose from her seat.
Giving their thanks to the kitchen cook for the food, the group then left the Blue Palace to begin exploring what would be their new home for the foreseeable future.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! Been working on this one on and off & decided to cut it off here. Now for those you who may be wondering, I have NOT abandoned A Song of Ice, Fire & the Dead! This was just something I thought I'd give a go and see if it goes anywhere; if it does and you all like it, I'll keep going with it, if not then I'll just get rid of it.
In other news, I'm working on the next chapter of my Skyrim/Outer Worlds/Witcher crossover and the next chapter of the story, I wanted Martin/Dragonborn and Triss to come across the Captain/Stranger (player protagonist of Outer Worlds) and I'm trying to decide whom I want the Captain/Stranger to look like. So to that end, I've set up a poll on my profile of some familiar faces of whom the Captain could potentially look like. Spoiler alert; they're all female characters from the Witcher series, the notable ones anyway, I couldn't be bothered looking up EVERY female character from the books and the games and putting their name on the list. Some friends of mines suggested that Yennefer be the face/appearance of the Captain for added laughter as Triss would be gobsmacked to see someone who looks exactly like Yennefer in another world, and dear old Yen is on the list of options, so we'll see how it goes LOL.
And that's about all from me, so I'll see you all next time.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.