CHAPTER 7
She said seriously, "I'm from everywhere and nowhere. I started floating in the ocean picked up by a ship of Ironborn pirates at eight name days old with no name and no memory. I escaped them and found a treasure cave outside of Myr. I went to Braavos and trained eight years as an assassin for the Faceless Men. Maybe when you give me your sworn oath for the job to keep my confidence and win my trust, I'll tell you more about me." She was done eating, picked up the bowl and put Nicodemus in the bag. Jorah was amazed if that was true.
Ivy stood up, put Nicodemus in a black bag on her hip and said to him, "Come on, follow me to my ship and we can talk over the particulars." He got up and went with her outside of the inn and they walked towards the docks.
They were about two blocks away from the district with the most brothels and three men stood in front of them and four behind. Slavers. Ivy pushed her bag behind herself.
She pulled her magical longsword and one of her four valyrian steel daggers. She loved throwing knives a lot.
The first big dark muscled man said, "You'll be coming with us. We need to add a few more slaves to our cargo for Myr."
Jorah spat with his sword drawn, "Not without a fight you won't."
Ivy threw her dagger so fast it went straight through one man's throat and said growling angrily, "Fucking slavers!" They started fighting back to back.
Jorah killed the first guy quickly. She grabbed her second dagger and threw it right in the eye of another guy. She continued to battle the one man. Ivy's sword was decimating his sword and deep cutting him if she touched him. She was blocking the other. Eventually, she kicked out and tripped the one guy stabbing him in the gut on the ground. She slashed upward and deeply cut into the next guy quickly disemboweled him. The next guy she beheaded. Ivy spun around and joined Jorah fighting the last one. She threw her dagger into the guy's chest at the same time Jorah lunged goring him in the chest cavity. Jorah quickly looked around them for more men, but all seven were dead. He realized that she killed five men to his two and did more than her share. He started cutting purses and taking valuables off their bodies quickly. She pulled, wiped off her daggers and sword sheathing them.
Ivy turned to him and said, "Let's get out of here fast." They took off the back way to the docks. She took him up the gangway, to her master's cabin and closed the door.
She turned to him and asked, concerned, "Any injury?"
Jorah shook his head no and asked, "Are you hurt?" Ivy shook her head no, smiling and turned around taking off her cloak. She turned to see him just standing there staring at her. She took her kitten out of his bag, undid his leash and put him in his litter sand box in the corner of the room by a window where she empties it out.
He was staring at her. Ivy smiled looking back at him and asked, shrugging her shoulders, "What?"
He said, amazed, "I never saw anyone fight like that before."
She said smiling, "I like throwing knives best. It evens the odds."
Jorah chuckled and said, "You're very good at it. It's just that you were so fast too. You killed five out of seven so quickly." She smiled at him.
Ivy said, raising an eyebrow, "It's not a competition, Ser Jorah. I told you I was an assassin. I was in the Faceless Men at The House Of Black And White in Braavos. I even carry my coin." She showed him her iron coin. He started to chuckle in amazement.
She stood up and took off her cloak and weapons belts sliding her emerald dagger and sheath onto her hip. He stopped her hand and looked at the dagger and asked, "Can I see that?"
It was the one from a cave in the Shadowlands. It had emeralds decorating the pommel and cross guards. Ivy handed it to him by the handle. He was turning it around in his palm admiring it. She poured them both a cup of wine from her cask in the corner. She brought it over to her table by the windows. Ivy sat down.
Jorah asked her curiously sitting down at the table, "Where did you find this, Ivy? You know it's valyrian steel, right?" He handed it back to her and took a drink.
Ivy smiled, sheathing the dagger and said, "I know, I have a set of four and another set of three. Amethyst, garnet, moonstone, emerald. And another set of lapis, jade and onyx. I found them in a couple treasure caves in the Shadowlands and above the Wall. They are pretty and useful but my sword is my favorite." She took a drink. Nicodemus waddled over to her and sat on her foot. She picked him up and cuddled him.
He asked her, "Can I see your sword?" Ivy sat the kitten on the floor, got up and took the sword out of the scabbard. Jorah's eyes got big because it glowed and had writing on it.
She said cautiously, "Be very careful with it because it is super sharp. Just barely touching it cuts. I believe it's enchanted and valyrian steel." He was completely fascinated turning it as he looked over it.
He took a piece of thick leather on his waist belt to it and it cut like going through butter and he realized she was right. It had to be magical to go through on a mere touch to thick leather and it glowed with writing on it. Jorah handed it back to her carefully. She put it inside the scabbard made of valyrian steel with black leather over it. Ivy went to sit back down at the table. She picked back up the kitten and put him in her lap petting him.
He asked curiously, "Do you know the language on it?" She took a drink of wine.
Ivy said honestly, "All I know is that it is a dead language and nobody speaks it anymore. I asked a very educated maester I met."
He asked wondering, "How can you be sure?"
She said, shrugging, "I trust the maester from the Citadel, because he was brilliant and I know if he had never seen it before probably nobody has in a very long time." Jorah looked at her dumbfounded.
He asked her, smiling slyly, "What else can you do than speak several languages and fight, Ivy?"
She said slyly back at him, "I can do so many interesting things, Jorah."
He chuckled and said, "I'm starting to believe you." Ivy began twirling the emerald dagger around her wrist and fingers until she held it up steady by the handle. She sheathed it and snapped her fingers with a fire flame dancing in her palm. Jorah leaned forward looking at her hand with a puzzled look on his face.
She got next to his face and whispered, "Fire magic, Jorah. It comes in handy in dark places and when you need a quick fire." Ivy turned her face smiling at him. She sat up closing her hand.
She asked seriously, "So do you want the job managing my ship for me, Jorah? It's an easy job but pays well. We have sparring sessions to keep up on our skills. I even give prizes to make it fun for everyone. The food on my ship is excellent."
He asked her, "If you have magic, magical weapons and you're an assassin, why do you want me?"
Ivy said matter of factly, "Life's too short to be all alone all the time, don't you think? What's wrong with sharing the interesting things in life with someone else? I am also a greenseer. I saw you before I found you here." Her kitten had fell asleep on her.
He frowned and asked curiously, "What did you see?"
She said, sighing while petting her kitten on the belly, "I saw you at a tourney being knighted. You married a woman who led you into dangerous trouble over money. I saw her leave you anyway to be with another man who was a merchant while you were off fighting for money. I saw you wandering Essos for work since." He was frowning.
Ivy said seriously sorry to upset him, "It's alright, Ser Jorah. You tried to make her happy, but she was never the one for you because she caused you to destroy your life instead of helping you build it up honestly."
Jorah asked looking in her eyes, "So who is the one for me?" She took a drink.
She leaned forward and patted him on the shoulder saying, "Don't worry she will be coming along eventually." Ivy put her hand down.
He asked pressing the matter, "Why is it so important to you to have me swear my oath to you, Ivy?"
She said distractedly, "Because… I know what will happen to you if you give it to someone else and leave my offer behind."
He stared into her eyes curiously and asked, "What will happen, Ivy?"
She closed her eyes and opened them again. Ivy asked, "A man named Magister Illyrio Mopatis of Pentos, do you know him?"
Jorah said, puzzled with his furrowed brows, "I know of him."
She said seriously, "He will bring you a letter in about 298AC from Lord Varys. Lord Varys will offer you a pardon from King Robert Baratheon to spy on Daenerys and Viserys Targaryen." She turned her head looking out the window.
Ivy says sadly, "If you take the job, you will be sent on a fool's errand. The entire path's journey will get you infected with greyscale and killed in the end alone and unloved, wasting your heart on another girl that will never love you back. Your entire house will go extinct. If you come with me we can try and save your house and thousands of lives by stopping one war and preparing for another war like no other has been seen before."
She turned her head and looked in his eyes and said pleading, "I want you to come with me, help me by managing my employees and helping me in some of my tasks I must complete. In the meantime, I do go off by myself for several days or a moon turns. You will be in charge of my ship. First, all I need is your oath because I know your honor means everything to you. After all of what you have been put through it is important to you. I will then be able to trust you will stick with me and we can protect each other. I am on a journey. I will talk with you about it all as we get to know about each other." He was watching her closely.
He thought, 'It's like she is almost begging me to go with her. Nothing she said will happen for a year and a few moon turns. She came here looking for me, to save me from traveling the path to come. She is so different and strange but she is right. My honor is everything. I'm not the best judge of people but this woman feels so different but not harmful. Ivy is not like anyone I've known and worked with.'
Jorah asked, "Well I know you can fight now." She smiled and nodded her head looking up at him. He took a drink.
Ivy stood up and said, "You'll find out more soon enough, trust me." He smiled as he was starting to like this woman's confidence in herself.
He stood up, knelt and said, placing his sword before her on the floor, "Lady Ivy Brightflame, I offer my services. I will shield your back and keep your counsel and give my life for yours if need be. I swear by the old gods and the new."
She stood up and said, "And I vow you shall always have a place by my hearth and mead at my table, and pledge to ask no service of you that might bring you into dishonor. I swear by the old gods and the new. Arise." He stood up, sheathed his sword.
Jorah asked looking at her, "Now what?"
She was tired and said seriously, "First, I am no Lady. I am a Brightflame but not sure how yet. My guards have started calling me Mistress Ivy because they want to be respectful. I expect you to call me Ivy when we are alone. Go get your belongings, Ser Jorah. I'll see you here for the evening meal with me, ok? We will share our meals together to get to know one another. I will have a room prepared for you immediately." He nodded and left the ship.
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Ivy had them set sail a few days later for Lannisport from a vision leading her there. She had planned to get off the ship at Lannisport and have them sail around to King's Landing while she was journeying across land from Lannisport to King's Landing. Jorah was insisting on going with her but she needed to do this alone and keep him safe. He had not got a pardon yet, but she told him when she was done with this task, she would request his pardon from King Robert. He thanked her.
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When she arrived at Lannisport, she was ready to go. She said goodbye to her employees, leaving everything in Jorah's capable hands and proceeded down the Gold Road. Ivy had on her black cowl hooded cloak and black leather men's outfit with two packed horses. Nicodemus was along for the ride in his big bag in front of her. He was four months old and twenty five pounds. He sat like a good boy between her legs looking around or napping.
After traveling in the rain for a couple of days she came up on an army contingent camping outside of Deep Den. There was a little inn, stable and tavern in a small village off to the north of the road. She went there to procure a room hoping the rain would lift overnight. Ivy was drenched and luckily they had a room in the inn and bathhouse.
She got a room and stabled her horses. She went up to her room and strung up a rope in the room to dry her cowl cape. Ivy locked her room and went down to eat a meal with Nicodemus on his leash walking with her. She took off her waistcoat and sat down at a table, her cat sat in the chair next to her. She got an ale, two chicken pies to eat and a bowl of water. Ivy tipped the server well and made the girl smile. She started breaking up her cat's pie and sitting it on the floor to cool with his water bowl.
After a few minutes, a soldier walked up to her and said, "My Lord would like to have you come sit at his table." She looked around and saw a much older but handsome man with white blonde hair that was receding a bit. He was sitting in the corner with the most intense green eyes trained on her and looking right through her.