บท 31: The Storm
Jon
This was really happening wasn't it? He thought he would have more time to work out his thoughts on the whole thing, more time to make sure he was making the right decision.
But the conversation they'd had tonight, the way they pretended that everything was right as rain, how they played happy family as the chatter ran freely. It grated on him, it annoyed him, it made him frustrated, it was like he was being shown what he could have had with the other half of his family, the half of his family that was stolen away from him.
That was what brought him to the decision, the decision to confront him finally, to let him know what he knew and to tell him what he intended to do with that information. He knew his grandmother wanted him to wait, to give her the opportunity to prepare things, whatever those things were, but he just couldn't wait anymore. It was slowly eating away at him and it needed to be dealt with.
He stood up from where he was sat and walked across the tent towards the jug of ale that had been put away, so much for taking a break from the booze today. As he made his way back to the table, he noticed that Ned was watching him rather anxiously.
"What's this about Jon?" Ned asked as he refilled both of their mugs, he sure as shit needed it and when Ned realised what he was talking about, he would be grateful for it as well.
He sat down and sighed before taking a big swig from his mug, the warm sensation running down his throat doing just enough to calm him.
"My mother." He replied. No point in pussy footing around the topic anymore, enough of that had been done in the past and it'd done nobody any good.
Ned sighed and closed his eyes, his head bowed.
"Jon, we've been through thi..."
"I know who she is." He interrupted. There was a calmness to him that had been dug up from the depths of his soul, just in time for what was to come.
His uncle's head shot up and his eyes bored into him, darting left and right, eye to eye, trying to figure out the truth to his claim.
Ned scratched his forehead, a nervous tick if Jon had ever seen one.
"Jon, whatever you think you kno..."
He shook his head "Don't do that, don't disregard this like its nothing. You of all people know this isn't nothing." He interrupted again, his calmness levels being tested but holding out for now.
Ned sighed and looked away as he took a sip from his ale, the way the brazier flickered in the corner of the tent seemingly more interesting than what he was telling him.
Rip the arrow out Jon...
"She's hasn't attended this tourney if this is what all this is ab..."
"Lyanna Stark." Was his final, devastating interruption.
You could pinpoint the exact moment of realisation on the man's face, he hid it so poorly. Lord Stark wasn't known for hiding his emotions well.
The next words that came out of his uncle's mouth would set the tone of this whole conversation they were about to have.
The tent was quiet for what felt like hours when in reality, it was only a minute or so. Ned spent the whole time staring into his mug and Jon just sat and waited for his reply, an explanation for everything really.
A heavy sigh exhaled from his uncle, his eyes closed like he was steeling himself.
Do it.
Confess.
...please.
The exhale in breath was almost coupled with tears at the sheer relief he felt when he saw his uncle nod, the confirmation that he needed was now in his hands.
Ned looked up from his mug and at that moment, he'd never seen his uncle look so old, the sheer pain and tiredness in and around his eye almost jarring to look at.
His uncle nodded again as he necked his ale and refilled his mug. It was only at that point did he feel a tear run down his cheek to take refuge in his beard. It was like his whole body was reacting to the relief he was feeling without him even knowing it was happening, his mind was feeling other things though, it needed details, it needed an explanation.
He rubbed his fist across his cheek to rid the evidence of his relief, Ned noticed the movement and looked, if it was even possible, more pained. The glassy eyed look he was receiving from his uncle showed just how close he was to breaking down himself.
"How did you find out?" Ned asked as he looked back down into his mug, the shame thick in the air around him.
He cleared his throat, swallowing whatever was in there with a swig of ale before answering.
"Uncle Benjen." He replied.
A humourless chuckle escaped his uncle "How did he work that one out." He said, mainly to himself really.
"The clues were there, it just needed a different perspective, somebody who knows you, me and my aun...my mother." He explained, the last part feeling truly surreal to utter out loud.
Ned just nodded, he seemed resigned to the fact that he now knew who his mother was, like all the fight had gone from him whenever they butted heads over the topic.
The silence ruled the tent once again as they both just sat there absorbing the situation. It was out now, Jon now knew who his mother was and Ned no longer had to answer that life long question anymore.
"What now?" Ned almost whispered a few moments later.
He already knew the answer to that question, the calm inside of him suppressed the rage that brewed when the question was put forward.
A calm mind would prosper over a raging one in this situation.
The burning rage of his inner wolf snarled at that thought.
...or was it the dragon within him?
"What now? Now it's time for you to explain." He replied back, his uncle nodding. It was as if he realised that the fight was over, something he secretly thanked his uncle for.
If he had started lying once again, he'd dread to think what would have happened.
"You know what happened during the rebellion." Ned started.
"Robert's?" He asked to which Ned nodded in reply.
"That war tore the realm apart and it tore my family apart." His uncle said, the creak of his mug showing how he really felt about that whole war.
"Aerys Targaryen murdered my brother and father in cold blood and I was made the head of our greatly weakened family at the ripe old age of nineteen." He started.
"At the time, we all believed that Rhaegar had kidnapped my sister and hid her away. For all we knew, she could've been dead already." He carried on with a sigh.
"Obviously, when the war ended and the truth came out, we all knew that Lyanna had gone with Rhaegar voluntarily, they'd even found the chance to wed in secret as well." He further explained, almost rocking Jon to the core.
He didn't know they'd married. And why would he, Ned never talked enough about her to know.
If they married, that meant...
"Wed? You mean..." He whispered.
His uncle's nod was like a balm on his soul.
"They married Jon...you're not a bastard." Came the verbal confirmation.
The years believing he was a bastard, the years of his childhood spent believing he was less of a person because of the way he was born, the years spent putting up with Lady Catelyn's vitriol.
...for nothing.
That burning rage within him was snapping and snarling through the bars of its confinement, his calm mind barely keeping it in check.
Calm minds prosper, calm minds prosper. Was like an endless chant in his head.
The adrenaline in his body needed to be cooled, so he stood up from where he was sat, not missing the slight flinch from his uncle as he stood, and paced back and forth across the tent. The mug of ale in his hand was downed in one before he relented in his pacing and moved back to the table, refilling his mug for what felt like the hundredth time tonight.
A heavy sigh, a large swig from his freshly filled mug and an aggressive head scratch was what he managed to achieve before looking back at Ned, an unimpressed look on his face was what he imagined his uncle was seeing right now.
Calm minds prosper...
With a deep breath, he uttered one word.
"Why?"
He needed answers and soon, the seconds were ticking away within him. As soon as he had what he wanted, he was walking out of this tent, finding Kireina and taking flight high into the night sky so he could be where nobody could hear him screaming.
"Why what?" His uncle naively replied.
A humourless chuckle left his mouth "Why did you do it? Why did you take me in instead of handing me to my family? I need answers, help me understand why you did what you did." He replied, just about keeping the volume in his voice from rising.
For the first time in his life, he witnessed Lord Stark cry. A small tear running down his cheek as he looked into his ale.
"Handing you to your family? Are we not your family?" He said as he looked up from his ale and stared into Jon's eyes. He couldn't handle how hurt the man looked when he asked that question.
He shook his head "That's not fair, you know that you're all family to me." He answered back, annoyed that he would even ask such a question.
He almost flinched with the way the man's face contorted "Not fair? I'll tell you what isn't fair, returning from a war with considerably less family members than the family that caused it." His uncle snapped out before taking a large sip from his mug and dropping it back down on the table with little care as he looked away from Jon and stared across the tent, fury evident on his face.
He'd never seen him like this, ever.
Was this the reason he took him? To spite the Targaryens ?
"I lost my father, my brother and my sister within the space of a year all because of that fuckin' war, what casualties did the Targaryen's suffer within their family? I wasn't able to marry the woman I fell in love with because of that war, a woman I dishonoured when I was unable to marry her." Ned carried on. He was on a roll, letting all his demons loose, and Jon just sat there and absorbed as much of it as he could.
Eventually, he deflated right in front of him, slumping over his drink "My sister...your mother, made me promise that you'd be looked after by your family, that you'd be loved by them, that you wouldn't be blamed for the war happening. How could I have done all that without taking you home? How could I make sure that the little bit of family I had left wasn't blamed for the deaths of thousands without bringing them into my home and protecting them?" Ned explained, teary eyed through the whole thing.
"If you'd turned up in King's Landing after the war and people knew who you were, it wouldn't have taken long for a bitter man who'd lost everything in that war to pin the blame on you and do something stupid. I know Jon, I know what losing everything in a war can do to somebody. They make rash decisions." He explained further, face full of grief as he drowned his sorrows in his ale.
Jon looked down at his hands that were leant on the table, at some point during his uncle's explanation, he'd picked at the skin around his thumb to the point of bleeding, the numbness he felt as everything was laid out on the table in front of him enough to make him ignorant of the stinging sensation he was now just starting to feel.
Deep down in his mind, he knew his uncle didn't take him for purely selfish reasons. Yes, he was bitter, very bitter of what his family had left compared to others, there was no denying that. But there was more to it than bitterness, he'd not taken him away from his paternal family to hurt Jon, quite the opposite really, he'd done it to protect him from finger pointing, the scapegoating his uncle was sure he'd receive. Prevented a bitter individual from doing something stupid against his sister's son.
His uncle knew what a bitter man or woman would do, he himself was a prime example of that.
He kidnapped a trueborn son of the King without the King even knowing of his existence.
Is it kidnapping if he didn't know I existed?
Of course it was. His uncle had committed treason doing something he thought was the right thing to do for his family, all fuelled by love and bitterness.
How the fuck was he supposed to handle all of this?
His uncle scratching the side of his mug with his thumbnail broke him from his inner turmoil, a miserable look on his face.
"She named you Jaehaerys before making me promise to keep you safe. All your mother cared about was your safety, even on her deathbed. How could I deny her last dying wish? Please tell me how anybody could do that to their own flesh and blood? Please Jon, talk to me." His uncle pleaded as he dropped yet another truth bomb on him.
Jaehaerys. The name given to me by my mother, one of the only gifts I have left from her.
Another tear ran down his other cheek.
He'd not said anything to his uncle in ages, he's probably waiting for me to stand up, walk over to his side of the table and smack him.
How could he though? In a totally fucked up way, he understood why he did what he did.
In his own twisted way, his uncle was honouring his sister's final wish by keeping the world ignorant to his existence.
The flap of the tent moved open for a split second before closing again, Ghost being the culprit as his little friend moved over to him, stood on hind legs and rested his bulk on Jon's lap, letting out the quietest whine he'd ever heard, the only whine he'd ever heard from him.
He tried to stay strong but it was no use, Ghost's fur was the perfect place for him to bury his face into as he let the mixed emotions he was experiencing flood out.
The hand resting on his back as he let his grief out into his friend's neck made him jump somewhat, the instant urge to snap and strike at his uncle as he comforted him outweighed by the sheer tiredness in his body and soul.
"Know this Jon, what I did was never to hurt you. I kept my promise to your mother, you're alive and thriving in more ways than one. She'll be looking down at you with nothing but pride at the man you've become, I know it because it's the same way I look at you son." His uncle said as he rubbed his hand up and down his back.
"Whatever you decided to do in the future, know that I don't blame you for whatever happens to me. I made my bed..." He explained further before squeezing him on the shoulder and leaving the tent.
After a few minutes of clutching his wolf, Ghost nudged him in the neck with his snout and began licking the remnants of his tears up. With a sniff, he raised his head and looked around the empty tent, contemplating what to do now.
He rubbed both of his hands through Ghost's thick mane before reaching for his mug and downing the entire thing. His wolf decided that he wanted to sit his whole self on Jon as he struggled to fit his entire body on his lap, he eventually managed it though with a little help from Jon himself.
"What do I do boy?" He asked Ghost. The wolf's huff was the only reply he was going to get out of his furry friend.
His uncle's last words to him before he left the tent rang through his head.
"Whatever you decide to do in the future, know that I don't blame you for whatever happens to me."
How could he in good conscience throw his uncle to the dragons, they'd execute him without a second thought for what he did.
Deep down, Jon knew his uncle did what he did for his sake.
He let out a deep sigh.
He needed to talk to his grandmother.
Rhaella
Today promised to be an interesting day for Rhaella, the fresh smell of rain could be detected from the hallways of Harrenhal as she walked down them with her son, the King.
The morning breakfast they'd had just now had been rather interesting, talks of their plans for the day, mentions of dragon dreams and such. Most of it had gone over her head as she went through her plan of action for the day. At the top of her list was a meeting with Lord Stark.
"...Ser Barristan was telling me that the storm came out of nowhere last night." Her son mentioned as they made their way towards her room. Apparently, he wanted to have a private conversation about something, a delicate situation he'd described it as earlier.
What that situation was she wasn't too sure.
Rhaegar twisted the knob of the door to her room and pushed his way in, her following in behind him "Elia was tossing and turning last night, she's never been much of a fan of the thunde..." Her son began to say before he stopped and held an arm out in front of her.
The cause of such a reaction was sat at her breakfast table looking out of the window, in a world of his own.
"I'll get Ser Barristan." She heard her son say as she looked at her grandson, it looked like he hadn't slept at all.
She grabbed Rhaegar's arm before he could leave the room "No don't." She replied to him reactively. Something had happened to Jon and the last thing he needed was being chased out of the castle.
Rhaegar looked between her and Jon in confusion "What do you mean? He's trespassing, he shouldn't be in here." He whispered to her. She looked at Jon and noticed he'd still not looked in their direction.
Thinking on her feet, she decided to lie to him. She didn't like lying to her family but in this instance, she could forgive herself for this little white lie "He was invited my son, I invited him. I decided to see for myself if he's Kingsguard material so I invited him for morning tea," She explained before increasing the volume of her voice so Jon could hear the next bit "...it would seem he has the subtlety to sneak past guards in his arsenal so that's a point in his favour." She said as she looked at Jon who had still not turned away from the window.
Something has definitely happened.
Rhaegar looked back at Jon before looking at her "Are you sure?" He asked.
She nodded "Positive. I'll speak with you later." She said.
Her son nodded "Ser Barristan is right outside if you need him." He replied before kissing her on the cheek.
"Be sure not to sneak into the rooms of any other members of the royal family again Snow." Her son warned. Jon turned away from the window and nodded, an awkward look on his tired face.
Her son left the room after that, as soon as he did, she moved across the room and sat down at the table across from her grandson.
"What's happened?" She asked almost as soon as she sat down. She grabbed his hand that was balled up into a fist that was resting on the table.
Jon looked at their entwined hands "He knows." He said.
Her brow furrowed "He knows? Who knows? Knows what?" She replied, firing off question after question. The possibilities endless right now.
Her grandson visibly swallowed "My uncle, Lord Stark. He knows I know, he knows that I'm not his son, everything came out last night." He explained.
"He confessed?" She replied after a few moments later to which her grandson nodded. Inside she was elated at the confirmation of Jon's parentage, granted, she was pretty sure of it and so was Jon himself but the closure the pair of them got from Lord Stark's confession was extremely satisfying.
She gave Jon a few minutes to process, it gave her time to process as well. He sat there mindlessly picking at his thumb as the silence ate through the room. She decided to stand and pour each of them a goblet of wine.
"None for me thanks, I've had my fair share of booze in the past 24 hours. Water would be much appreciated thank you." Her grandson said as she went to pour wine into his goblet. She nodded and grabbed the water jug and poured him a healthy serving.
She back down in her chair and took a sip of her arbour gold, watching as Jon took a large gulp of water before wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
After giving him ample time to get his thoughts together, she asked him a pretty loaded question "What happened Jon?" She asked, her grandson letting out a humourless chuckle.
"It kinda just happened, after dinner when everybody left to get ready for bed. I kept him behind and we hashed it out." He explained, his tired eyes looking at her. The melancholy behind them reminded her of his father whenever he was in one of those moods.
She sighed and looked at him softly "Have you even slept?" She asked. Jon made a face and shook his head.
"Not really, I went for a walk after all was said and done and lost track of time. The sun was rising before I knew it." He replied as she shook her head and sighed.
"Have you had anything to eat this morning?" She asked. She wanted to find out what had happened last night but looking after him was her top priority. Maybe a belly full of food would help the pair of them out on this damp morning.
She sent a servant off to bring a variety of different foods and they returned with two plates full of sausages, bacon, fresh bread and a selection of fruits. It didn't take Jon long to get stuck in and destroy the bacon and sausage along with the fresh warm bread. He looked up at her and looked slightly ashamed at how quick he'd gotten through his breakfast but she just shook her head and smiled at him.
"Your father was the same when he was younger, always eager to get back to his scrolls and his books." She assured as she picked at the fruit platter that had been left untouched up to now.
The mention of Jon's father seemed to take him by surprise as he stopped chewing and looked at her before swallowing and clearing his mouth with his cup of water.
"You're not used to it yet, are you?" She said when she saw the look on his face. The pair of them knew what she was talking about, it was easily left unsaid, she knew it would take time to get used to the huge change in his life but she would be there for him all the way.
He shook his head "I will in time, It's just all a bit raw at the moment. I couldn't even look at him when he arrived with you." He had admitted.
She nodded "You just need time to adjust. When your father finds out, you'll be able to sit down and talk with him, and if you need it, I'll be there with you." She assured.
"And when Lord Stark is held accountable for what he's done, I'll be there to support you too. I know it will be a difficult time for everybody, especially for you." She further explained. Jon closed his eyes and lowered his head when she'd finished.
"That's one of the reasons I came to see you." Jon said as he cleared his plate before taking a sip from his goblet.
"Oh?" She replied as she popped a grape in her mouth "And there was me thinking that you'd come to see your dear old grandmother because you love me instead." She japed as she smiled at him. Unfortunately, her grandson either didn't find what she'd said funny or the situation was a little more serious than she realised.
Jon sighed "I spent a lot of time all night really thinking about everything I'd told, what my uncle had done and why he'd done it." He started to explain.
Something clicked and her face scrunched up in confusion "Wait, so you were outside all night? Just wandering about in the rain?" She asked.
It was Jon's turn to look confused when she asked that "Rain? When did it rain?" He asked.
She huffed and smiled at him "It poured it down Jon, you must have noticed if you were out in it all night." She explained "Even your clothes are dry, you must have changed before you came here. Did you really not notice?" She asked. He must have been really out of it if he didn't notice that downpour.
Her grandson sat there opposite her and seemed to be lost in thought until his eyes widened slightly, like realisation had struck him.
"Yeah...yeah, you're right. I must have forgotten, my mind was really all over the place last night." Jon admitted but it seemed like there was more to it.
"It's okay, understandable due to the situation." She assured before motioning him to carry on.
He then proceeded to tell her what his uncle had told him, how he'd taken him in on his mother's wishes, kept him away from King's Landing and all the bitterness that would've been aimed at him as a child and how his uncle wanted to return home with all the family he could, him included.
Jon explained how he knew what his uncle had done was treason and that he was genuinely regretful for what he had done and ultimately told Jon that whatever happened to him, he wouldn't blame him for it.
The worst of it though was that Jon was showing genuine signs of sympathy for his uncle.
She though, she was not.
"Jon..." She whispered out as she shook her head "You can't sympathise with him. He's clearly backed into a corner and is counting on your good nature to help him. He committed treason Jon, he stole a prince of the realm away from the royal family." She explained. Her voice was steady and precise but she could feel her ire rise by the second, that long resting dragon inside slowly awakening within her.
Jon shook his head "It's not that simple." He said as his eyes shut and his fist closed up on the table.
She put her hand on top of his closed fist in the hopes that her touch calmed him "It is Jon." She said.
A slither of fear shot through her when her grandson ripped his hand from underneath hers and raised his voice "No, it isn't!" He growled as he stood from the table and looked away from her.
The dragon was alive and well within him.
A knock on the door was heard before Ser Barristan was opening it and scanning the room, eyes locking with Jon accusingly before looking upon her. All of this was done with his hand tightly clutched around the hilt of his sword.
"Your grace, is everything okay? I heard raised voices." Ser Barristan asked as he eyed Jon who had moved near the window.
She collected herself quickly as she addressed the knight of the Kingsguard "Everything is fine Ser Barristan, nothing to worry about." She assured the knight as she smiled at him. She looked across the room herself at her grandson who seemed to have calmed himself down after his outburst.
Ser Barristan nodded at her "Your grace." He said before eyeing Jon one last time and leaving the room, the click of the door sounding through the chamber.
The silence of the room was broken a few moments later when her grandson spoke up.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to raise my voice." He said, his sincere apology already accepted.
She shook her head at him as he looked at her "There is nothing to apologise for, now come and sit back down, this mess needs to be resolved." She explained.
They must have sat there in that room for nearly an hour trying to come to a reasonable conclusion to the monumental mess of a situation they'd found themselves in. They even found themselves arguing to the point of near shouting when they disagreed on things. It was safe to say, she'd never met a more stubborn individual in all her life and in a sort of unusual way, she found herself enjoying the back and forth between them.
I'm going to really have my work cut out with this one, we all will.
Rhaegar won't know what has hit him.
She shook her head and sighed, they were getting nowhere with this discussion "It won't happen Jon, he'll never agree to that. I know my son, he'll want justice." She explained, he had to realise that his plan was foolish. She understood the reasons for it but it just wasn't a reasonable thing to expect to happen.
An annoyed look crossed her grandson's face "What about what I want? Shouldn't I get a say in all of this? Am I just a fuckin' bystander in all of this?" He snapped.
"Jon!" She reprimanded. Her grandson sighed and looked away. Every moment she spent in his presence, more and more of the famous she wolf of Winterfell made itself known. The numerous stories she'd heard from her son, his wife and Ser Arthur were enough proof of that.
A little refinement wouldn't be the worst idea in the future. She mused.
A knock on the door disturbed her from her thoughts, Ser Barristan popping his head through the crack of the door.
"Sorry to disturb you your grace, his grace, the King has requested your presence in his solar." The old knight announced, all whilst eyeing Jon.
She sighed "Thank you Ser Barristan, I'll be along shortly. Let me just finish up here." She explained with her royal mask on.
Ser Barristan nodded and closed the door behind him.
"He doesn't like me." She heard Jon say as she finished her goblet of wine.
"Ser Barristan is protective that's all, try to look at it from his perspective. Plus can you blame him? You did kind of mouth off at him the first time you met him." She explained with a smile. Jon just shrugged and finished off his own goblet.
She rose from her chair and Jon followed suit. Without any warning, she moved around the table and brought her grandson into an embrace.
"We are going to fix all of this, I promise you that Jon." She assured as she felt his hands embrace her back.
"Jaehaerys." Came Jon's odd reply.
She pulled away but still held on to each of his arms, she looked up at him in confusion.
"Jaehaerys?" She asked.
"My name, my real name. According to my uncle that is." He replied back with a tired smile.
Jaehaerys...
She smiled back at him "It suits you." She said with a soft smile. She could feel the moisture in her eyes start to build.
The gods took her Jaehaerys away when he was just a babe but they saw it fit to give their family one back.
Her grandson chuckled "I'm not so sure." He believed "I've grown used to my boring name." He carried on with a little grin.
She smiled back at him as he broke from their embrace.
"What are your plans for the day?" She asked as he picked up his swords that had been left next to the door and strapped them on to his back.
"I'm going back to my tent for a nap." He said without hesitation. She wished she could find him a room in the castle to use so he could benefit from a feather bed instead of what he would normally have in his tent.
But she couldn't, not yet anyway.
After one last hug, Jon...Jaehaerys...Jae left the room, leaving her to her thoughts before she went to see what her son wanted.
Things were about to get more complicated than she originally thought they would.
The Unwise Sailor
The night brought the quiet, the only sound that could be heard was crashing of the waves around them. He stood near the front of their vessel with his cloak wrapped tightly around his body and looked out into the darkness they were sailing into.
I hope I'm not making a mistake, I hope I haven't damned these men to a watery grave.
They'd been sailing for a few weeks now, close to a moon if he had his days right and ever since they'd entered open waters, not a single coastline had been spotted. A few comments had been made here and there, wondering if they should turn around and cut their loses.
But they'd been sailing for too long to just turn around and give up. To him, there was a method to his madness though, sailing into the unknown could be considered suicide but he had a hunch, it made too much sense.
It was the only explanation for how he'd ever ended up on that bloody island in the first place.
He moved off the top deck and headed back inside, a few crew mates nodding at him as he walked passed. Idle chatter could be heard as soon as he headed inside but he wasn't interested in getting involved, his cabin was the only place he wanted to be right now, hopefully a solid few hours of sleep waiting for him.
If his bunk mate allowed him that was.
He chuckled as he walked through the belly of the ship, he was honestly surprised when he first boarded the boat and saw him sat waiting in his cabin, full intention on joining him on this crazy journey.
He opened his cabin door quietly in the hopes that his friend was asleep but it was all in vain, he banged his elbow on the frame of the door as a voice echoed through the room.
"Ahhh friend! Where did you get to?" Master M barked as he took a sip of that bloody wine of his.
Gerion rubbed his elbow before taking his cloak off "Just some fresh air," he said as he shook his head and sat down on his bunk "...I don't know how you can drink that piss." He said. Master M just grinned at him before finishing the rest of his rice wine in one go, he grimaced before placing the small cup back on the table.
For a minute, he thought that was that and the old man was going to give him a chance to shut his eyes, until he opened his mouth again.
"What's with the misery friend?" M asked. He kept his eyes closed as he replied to him.
"I have no idea what you mean." He said, a small chuckle heard as he finished.
"I may be old but my eyesight still works just fine my friend. You've been walking around this ship for the past few days like...how would Jon put it...a miserable shit. "
Gerion couldn't help but chuckle at that.
Jon would say something like that.
Jon would think him a fucking idiot for doing what he was doing...and then probably laugh and tag along with him.
He opened his eyes and looked across the room "Have we made a mistake?" He asked.
Master M looked at him, eyebrow raised "Mistake? Is that what you believe?"
He shrugged his shoulders before putting his hands behind his head as he laid there "I fear I may have doomed everybody on this ship to an early grave. I have my reasons for doing what I'm doing but it seems like these men only joined me because they felt pressured." He explained.
"I wasn't aware that I'd been pressured." The old man replied as he refilled his little cup.
"I stopped trying to work out the reasons behind your actions a long time ago. It was wasted time then, it would be wasted time now," He explained with a huff "...I doubt anybody could pressure you into anything." he finished.
Master M chuckled himself "I have my reasons for joining you on this journey, you already know that." He said.
"Yeah, I know. You wished to see new lands before your time comes but I'm afraid you might have seen the last land you'll ever see when you left home." He said. It was a grim thought, thinking about Master M passing away, but the man himself would be the first to tell anybody he was getting old and that he'd already come to terms with his own mortality. He could respect that he wanted to see more of the world when he still could but he feared that he might have wasted his time tagging along.
The wind and waves battered the side of the vessel as they ventured further and further into the unknown, a storm brewing. A loud chatter heard above from the deck of the ship.
Master M looked at him and smiled "Have faith my friend, I'm sure our patience will be rewarded." He assured. Gerion smiled at his friend before frowning as voices above deck grew louder and louder, crew mates shouting as they passed their cabin. Eventually, a thumping erupted through their room as somebody banged against their door.
He stood from his bed and looked at Master M in confusion before heading to the door and opening it. Stood in front of him was one of the crew hands, he was looking a little spooked.
"Kaji! (Fire!)" The man said to him in his native tongue before running down the corridor.
Fire?
He looked back at Master M who was already getting up to his feet and looked at him in confusion before heading out of the door and down the corridor. Wherever the fire was, it hadn't flooded the inside with smoke just yet so it was possible for them to contain it.
The door to the outside was already open when they approached it, both him and Master M darting through it expecting to see a mess of burning sails and crackling wood.
But there wasn't, the boat was surprisingly...fine.
What? Where's the fire?
He looked around at the men on the deck who were still talking and noticed they were looking behind him. When both of him and Master M span around, they instantly realised what the crew hand had meant when he cried fire.
Piercing through the darkness of the night was a blazing inferno atop a great tower of ebony stone. The light it emitted highlighted the land around it, buildings, roads, walls and even a port, where a few boats were already docked.
Land. They'd bloody done it. They weren't going to die in these god forsaken waters.
The question was, where were they?
He scanned the port city in an attempt to work out where they could actually be, he had to squint because of how shrouded in darkness the city seemed to be intent to stay in.
He stroked his chin as Master M came up beside him "There's a darkness in this place friend." He whispered to him as the crew moved around the boat to make sure they docked properly.
"I'm in absolute awe with your observational skills old man, truly inspiring." He replied blandly, sarcasm dripping from every word. He carried on scanning the area as they got closer and closer to the shore.
He winced as Master M elbowed him "My eyes work just fine, I'm talking about the feel, the...what's the word?...atmosphere?" He said. Gerion knew what he was talking about, there was something off about this place. He was already questioning himself if it was wise for them to be approaching this place.
Too late now. He thought as their ship was slowly ferried into the dock. Men with faces covered with masks and veils helped secure the boat into the docks.
Odd, very odd.
The gangplank was dropped off the boat and onto the port but none of their men made any attempt to walk over it. To be honest, he really couldn't blame them, Master M is right, this place didn't feel right.
He huffed and walked off the boat, somebody had to make the first step and it fell to him. Master M along with a few men followed him off, the rest stayed on the boat.
Every single man in their group had their hand resting on their weapon as they made their way across the docks. They received looks of intrigue as they made their way through but thankfully, none of them seemed aggressive towards them.
He really needed to find out where they were.
He moved close to Master M and whispered in his ear "Tell the men to stay close. The sooner we find out where we are, the sooner we can plan our next move. I don't want to spend too much time here, you were right, this place is bloody creepy." He explained as he eyed the eerie surroundings.
The old man just nodded and carried on looking at their surroundings.
The moment it started to click with him was when they approached a small group of people, one of which was staring at him intently. The person was wearing a long hooded cloak and was of average height, the real odd thing about them was the dark red mask they donned.
Eyes were watching him intensely, it sent a shiver up his back.
He approached the group and cleared his throat, the mumbling between them came to a stop before he could decipher any sort of language. Before he could ask them where they were, the person with the red mask opened their mouth.
"The glass candles are burning, Lord Gerion." The feminine voice uttered to him, another shiver running down his back.
How does...
"How do you know my name?" He asked. His gut was telling him to turn and run but something in the eyes of the mysterious figure locked him in place.
Glass candles...
Sorcery.
"That is unimportant. What is important is your journey home, and the person who resides there." The mysterious individual cryptically explained.
"There importance is paramount in the wars to come, against the living and the dead...and the storm that he brings." She further explained.
Fucking riddles.
"Who is this, so called, person of importance? Who are you? Where are we?" He questioned. The look in her eye was beyond disturbing.
She looked at Master M before turning back to him "You have passed beneath the shadow and arrived here, in Asshai. This one is known by very few but goes by the name Quaithe." She answered as his eyes widened.
Asshai.
They were in Essos.
He was actually going to make it back to Westeros.
He looked back at her, his heart beating a bit quicker now due to the realisation that he was actually going see his family again, see Jon again, if he could find him.
I wonder if Westeros knows about his dragon?
"And who is this person of importance you speak of?" He asked. Now that he knew where he was, he was keen to resupply and set sail as soon as possible.
She looked him square in the eyes as the words came out of her mouth.
"The son of the dragon, of ice and fire."
...
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