CHAPTER 4

It had been over eight years since she left The House Of Black And White and Ivy was on her own ship sailing to Volantis. Her ship was a large four masted galley that worked well in the wind with a little boost of magic from time to time. She called the ship 'The Flaming Star' and it had a seven pointed star on a fiery tail falling as a symbol on her two biggest center sails. Ivy had her ship completely outfitted in top condition, her cabin was luxurious and very comfortable. She has fifty guards that were sellswords she had hired from different places. Her four servants she had saved from the slave auctions. Ivy, of course, freed them and paid them top wages treating them with respect. Her ship became known as where slaves go but never leave. She liked people assuming because it made her unpredictable to strangers. The ex slaves don't leave because they won't need to. Ivy had set some people free, giving them provisions, a horse and put down in any destination they wished. The forty crew, four servants, a cook, a captain and fifty guards knew she was a maegi (magic user) but they had no fear from her because she wasn't cruel or dark. She defended them as much as they were sworn to defend her over the years.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She had set sail from Asshai to Braavos. It took over four moon turns to get there. Ivy had found in the Mountains of Morn a few treasure caves and mines during her journey. She had a vast amount of gold, silver and copper ore, nuggets, and dust again. She also had a vast amount of uncut gemstones she had all in her pendant. Ivy added 10 large bags of uncut large stones.

She had added a stop to King's Landing. She sold all of her uncut gemstones in Lys and King's Landing. Ivy had vouchers totalling 12,477,231 gold dragons and 8,991,333 gold honors. She was extremely wealthy with a hold full of Saffron and spices.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Braavos, Ivy had 18,100,000 gold dragons and 8,900,000 gold honors in the Iron Bank, under her name Ivy Brightflame she had in a dream. Inside her pendant she had 136,773 gold dragons and 91,333 gold honors.

During her journey into the Mountains of Morn, she had accumulated some strange items. One she found out from a fellow magic maegi was a seer stone. It was a clear unbreakable glass globe the size of her fist and it had a cluster of crystals hovering in the center. You place the ball to the center of your forehead and visions that are relevant to you occur.

She also found a large box of jewelry with a few magical pieces in it. Ivy found out that a black tourmaline necklace with faceted ovals about an inch 18x25 mm set in silver that goes around your throat was a very strong protection against magic.

She had a moonstone ring in gold that was a large 22x30 mm oval that was a deflect of all objects. If she focused and held out her fist it would repel anything thrown in her direction like a shield. She wore the necklace and ring always with her pendant.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While in Braavos, she stopped at The House Of Black And White to see Jaqen H'ghar. One of her former instructors led her inside to the Hall Of Faces to wait for him. Ivy was looking at the faces curing on the head mounts in the alcoves. Jaqen walked into the room and saw Ivy standing and looking at the gallery of faces.

He asked, smiling upon seeing her, "A girl, Ivy, has come to see a man after eight years? A girl has grown up into a beautiful woman." She turned smiling to see him. He smirked looking at how beautiful she had gotten in those eight years at twenty and four name days old. Jaqen, who was approximately thirty four years old, felt completely smitten by her.

She said softly with a smile on her face, "A girl does not forget a girl's mentor and friend Jaqen H'ghar, no matter how far a girl may travel. A girl was in Braavos and wanted to see how a man was doing. A girl has been busy learning magic in Asshai and into the Mountains Of Morn."

He smiled and asked interested, "What has a lovely girl learned?"

Ivy walked closer to him and said, "A girl has been to Stygai and been with the red masked Shadow Men. A girl has also been to The City Of Winged Men and learned to fly. A girl has learned healing, skin changing, divination, illusion, elemental manipulation, including fire immunity, conjuration, transmutation and abjuration magics. Along with healing."

Jaqen's eyes got big and said, "A girl can do all of these things now?"

She smiled and blushed, "A girl has been very busy." He chuckled. She walked up to him, cupped his face with both hands, kissed him deeply and caressed his face.

He looked intensely in her eyes and said, "This man has missed a lovely girl." Jaqen reached up and caressed her lips looking at them. He took possession of her lips and wrapped his arms around her body pressing her against his body.

Jaqen broke the kiss and said softly looking at her with his intense gray eyes, "A man wants to be with this lovely girl, Ivy."

Ivy said in his ear with her arms wrapped around him, "A girl wants to be with a man, Jaqen H'ghar. This girl knows how dedicated this man is to The Many Faced God. This girl would never ask a man to leave his work for her. This girl respects this man's purpose. This girl would like to share pleasure with this man because she will not be in Braavos very much longer. A girl will miss a man very much once again. This girl wants a man to be her first. A girl trusts only a man to show this girl how to give and receive pleasure." She nuzzled his neck as she was talking. He couldn't believe she hadn't had sex with anyone yet.

He let go of her and took her hand leading her down the back way to his sparse room. Jaqen opened the door and they walked inside. He turned, aggressively pressed her up against the door and started passionately kissing her. His hands began removing her clothes as she helped him by taking off her weapons, boots and dropping them on the ground in a pile followed by clothing. She began pulling up his robe and tugged on his lower lip with her lips. Jaqen helped her get her clothes off in a hurried frenzy of lust and worked with her to take off his own. He walked her backwards to his bed and laid on top of her as she caressed his body. They laid down with their pelvises together and he had his arms wrapped around her bent knees at his hips.

He said, panting, "A man wants to taste a lovely girl. A girl has a beautiful body to savor." Jaqen began licking, nipping and sucking on her skin slowly working his way down her body. It had been a long time since he had sex and he wanted to take his time with her being it was her first time. He wanted to give her as much pleasure as he possibly could.

Ivy was so excited and responsive, and said, "A girl wants to be shown how to pleasure a man too." He smiled, started opening her up and sucking on her clit as his two fingers slid inside of her getting wet. Her back bowed, she inhaled deeply as he began nipping at her clit and running the tip of his tongue over and over her. He felt her begin to flutter after a while and reached up pinching her clit which tipped her over the edge in stimulation. She came hard wiggling and was moving her head from side to side moaning. He climbed up her body and began kissing her as his hand was still stimulating her. Ivy had waves and waves of pleasure rippling like waves over her body. Jaqen muffled the sounds she was making with his kisses.

She said softly in his ear, "Oh Jaqen, I want to pleasure you also." He was so very ready for that.

He smiled, rolled off of her and said leaning against the headboard, "Come taste a man, beautiful Ivy." He held out his hand to her. She got on her knees at the foot of the bed and slinked up to him on her hands and knees. Ivy had a look of deep desire in her eyes like a lioness kneeling between his thighs. He got even harder watching her come to him like that. He just had to lean over and kiss her before.

She kissed him and took her hand and placed it on his cock. She wrapped her hand around it, breaking his kiss. He put his hand over hers to show her how to apply the right amount of pressure. He started moving his hips up and down in a rhythm. He said distractedly, "Yes, just like that."

Ivy leaned down and licked the tip and slid him inside her mouth. Jaqen sighed and groaned. She was rolling her tongue taking him to the back of her throat every time. He was getting into it and couldn't believe how fast she was picking it up. She wanted to step it up after a bit. Ivy was massaging his balls and applied the right amount of pressure to the perineum, which is the area between the scrotum and the anus. A whore had described it from her overhearing the conversation in a whore house she had gone to, to find a target before. She never tried it before until now. He bucked getting stimulated on his prostate from the outside as well as his cock. It made him go wild and he was panting hard saying, "A man never felt like this before. Don't stop!" She sped up and kept sucking him until he came.

He cried out, "Ivy!" Ivy sucked and licked him clean, popping him out of her mouth when done. He was panting heavily from coming down from his climax in a state of ecstacy. It happened so unexpectedly and he came so very hard. She kissed her way up his body from his groin to his neck nibbling on his nipples and flesh. His head was back and eyes closed. She straddled his hips and laid her head on his chest listening to his heart rate, as he was coming down. He wrapped his arms around her with one hand cradling her head against his chest. He knew he had feelings for this beautiful woman.

After he recovered, he rolled on top of her and pressed inside of her. When he got to the hymen, he said, "This man is sorry." He kissed her and pushed through making her groan until he was fully seated inside her. Jaqen began pumping slowly, picking up speed as she was so warm and slick. He was getting so excited and started thrusting in a rhythm. His hands were grasping her ass cheeks and began pounding into her in a sexual frenzy. They were both sweating from moving together. Ivy had her hand on his ass as he moved, feeling the muscles flexing in her hand. She was licking and biting his neck. Jaqen kissed her as she came hard muffing her sounds. She grasped him so hard inside it slammed his ejaculation into him following right behind her collapsing on top. They lay there panting trying to catch their breath.

He said catching his breath, "A girl is a beautiful giving lover." He kissed her softly while panting. Ivy's hand was caressing his body gently while the other was in his hair at the back cupping his head as he was kissing her.

Jaqen broke the kiss and was kissing and nipping at her neck and ear. She said softly, "This girl thanks a man, for always taking care of this girl under this roof. This man is a special man to this girl, Jaqen H'ghar." She looked into his eyes and caressed his mouth, kissing him slowly and softly. Ivy knew this was his real face being this close and intimate with him. She also knew that she trusted him as a mentor, teacher, lover or assassin.

He said, caressing his thumb across the temple on her head, "This man will always remember this girl and miss her when she is gone." He kissed her again and entered her body once again moving slowly. They made love several times.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours later, he walked with Ivy to the main door. Jaqen said as he kissed her goodbye, "A man has feelings for this girl, Ivy." She caressed his lips.

Ivy said softly looking in his eyes, "A girl, Ivy, has feelings for this man too. No matter where she goes or who she's with on her path, a girl will always leave this man a piece of her heart." He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose making her smile and giggle quietly. He opened the door, she brushed his lips with hers and left. Jaqen watched her go and vanish into the shadows of the darkness. He sighed and smiled as he closed the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She sold her entire hold that was packed full of saffron and spices at gold prices in Braavos depositing it into the Iron Bank with another 1,500,000 dragons. She kept enough for her personal reserves of an extensive supply of herbs, spices, and roots and dried plants for food and medicinal healing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Braavos she was walking with her guards back towards the ship sending goods she would spot for their own storage of provisions. A shadowbinder approached her with a gold tiled face mask of a woman with dark eyes. The shadowbinder said, "I have a message for you."

Ivy looked at the woman in the eyes and saw she was being sincere. She asked, "Where?" The shadowbinder led her with her guards to a tent. She had them wait outside.

The shadowbinder told her to sit and said, "You must seek the Great Seer across the Narrow Sea beyond the Great Wall in Westeros. He will enhance your sight to a greenseer and The Children Of The Forest will give you the knowledge of their healing. You will find a new path to travel there."

Ivy curiously asked, "How did you come by this message?"

The shadowbinder said, "Not all things are as you see it. You know that from your own seeking of magic. I am not what you see as a shadowbinder but as you call a 'harbinger' of the gods. Another shadowbinder will have more information to give you." The woman began to glow and got brighter and brighter until she got too bright to look at. She looked around when the light disappeared and the woman was gone.

She left the empty tent with her guards. There was an auction going on, she was standing in the crowd. A man who was speaking High Valyrian was auctioning off an animal, it was a small little black cat that he called shadowcat male only two weeks old. The bidding was for the fighting pits. The kitten was crying out frightened by the shouting and much too small to be away from it's mother. The bids were up to 1500 dragons or honors.

Ivy shouted out in High Valyrian, "Two thousand dragons!" Her guards looked over at her in surprise.

The man shouted, "Sold!"