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BRONN
"Ahhh..." I growled as I made love to my wife.
She was more beautiful than many women in Westeros. After being given Storm's End I had my pick of women. So many were interested in me because of who I was. Of the life I could offer them. My wife was the one I wanted the most. She was fine with my mistresses as long as I ****** her with the same intensity as when we first met.
After we were finished I thought of seeking sleep now. But tonight, like most nights, I was restless and not even a **** could calm my body.
"You are the hardest man to please." My wife chuckled.
"That's why you wanted me, Jayne." I teased as I got dressed.
"I wanted you for your money."
"As I recall you said something different that night."
"I would've said anything to you."
We both laughed at that. I had gotten involved with the Lannisters when Tyrion needed someone to defend him. That one choice had made my life spiral out of control for awhile. I was even knighted at one point for my 'good deeds'. Every time I helped that ******* family there was just more trouble. Having a castle and wife became a fantasy I appeased myself with. What was I supposed to do? Side with that ***** Cersei Lannister? She hadn't even had the decency to die at the end.
"You better have gotten me a child this time." Jayne said and watched me. "Or are you saving them for your whores?"
"You will get pregnant again." I promised her after I got dressed. "You will bear a strong boy."
I gave her a soft kiss on the lips before I started walking around. My feet walked while my mind wandered. Very faintly did I notice the hallways I walked through and servants that passed me by. Most nights, like tonight, I was restless but didn't know why. It was possible part of me still wanted to go on those bloody adventures. My life was relaxing after all the effort but it still felt as if something were missing.
No use trying to give credence to those thoughts. My present and future were with my wife and castle. No need to get into the wider world every again. Though being Lord of Storm's End meant I had to pay attention to what King Jorah Mormont and Queen Daenerys Targaryen were doing. There were duties that I had to endure every so often. The idiots had the good sense to leave me alone most of the time, luckily enough.
While Jon Stark was still an acquaintance, he was not my ruler. Him and Daenerys had made an agreement. Unbelievably their deal had worked out. Neither side had tried to undermine the deal. No one had tried to attack the other. No one had tried to find Cersei to help her establish another reign. This was a time of peace but it couldn't last. War always broke out. Hopefully I wouldn't be called on this time. I had done my work.
The waves could be heard even though I couldn't see them. Their sound should have calmed me enough to go to sleep. Yet still I walked around Storm's End in a vain attempt to find rest. This uneasiness had become a routine, but tonight was different. Would I be tasked with fighting another war? Would I find a way to fall asleep next to my adoring wife? Or was my fate to be to walk this castle until my dying days?
Tyrion would laugh at those questions. He might even be surprised that those thoughts came from me. There hadn't been many opportunities for me to meet with him. He had his duties as Hand of the Queen which meant he stayed in King's Landing. At least for the most part. I had few enough responsibilities here that I could visit more often than I did. I feared if I did travel too often some cunt would think to get me involved with another conflict. After all it had merely been because I had defended the Imp in one fight that my life had gotten complicated for awhile.
Yet if I hadn't help Tyrion then Storm's End would be someone else's and I a mere sellsword with no worth. While I could always find a woman for a good enough price, now I didn't have to pay. They came to me because of my wealth and the stories I could tell. Well, just enough of a story to get them naked. Usually I didn't have to force myself through an entire tale before words became useless.
This life of luxury was worth the years of pain. So why did I walk around for hours most nights? Why couldn't I just find sleep? Did I really yearn for my days of past adventures? That was pure insanity. It must be the fact I kept expecting things to go wrong. I kept expecting a large rebellion to pull me back into the battlefield. That Cersei would return from her exile in Essos to rain havoc upon Westeros. That Drogon or Rhaegal would burn up the countryside. This would cause many to be called upon to calm the masses.
Those were more pleasant ideas than longing for the chaotic yesterdays. I liked being able to drink and **** on my own terms. Not to be limited by who was fighting who at any given time. The only question that plagued Westeros in the present was the location of Jaime Lannister. It was presumed he was alive. While he had not been my favorite Lannister, I still cared for his safety. Like me he deserved rest but he was probably too stupid to find peace.
I leaned against a wall and closed my eyes. This was enough of a walk. My wife didn't mind these walks, but she had her limit as did every woman. I would lie in my bed and hours would pass before I drifted to sleep. At least Jayne would be in my arms as I lay awake. She was comforting even when her legs were closed.
My eyes were suddenly drawn to a woman. Though that word did not explain why I stopped and stared at her. She held herself like her flesh was merely a mask hiding a storm. No person I had met held herself in such a way. Though one could be forgiven for passing her over as she seemed too small to cause any problem.
Her eyes were green but not a shade I had ever seen except in the Battle of the Blackwater. A few times I swore I saw them burning but then the illusion faded. Or could this beauty truly hold fire in her eyes?
The other thing about her appearance that hinted at a wild nature was her hair. The red had subdued strands of gold. When the torch light hit her hair just right it appeared as if her hair had flames on it.
She was a destructive force of nature, I was sure of it. Yet her classical beauty drew me to her. Skin that was white like the moon and not a blemish on her.
"Ser Bronn?" The woman asked.
Her voice as sweet as summer and as deadly as war. Each of her steps appeared meticulously planned but also made without thought. She seamlessly changed her footsteps to imitate a regular woman's once she realized the tension in my muscles.
"How does a beauty such as yourself know me?" I asked calmly but felt as if she could feel my nervous arousal.
"By pure accident." She replied. "And it is only by necessity I meet you again."
"You're going to have to be clearer."
"You wouldn't believe me if I started with the truth. If it hadn't happened to me, I would call myself insane."
I leaned against the wall to make myself feel comfortable. I didn't know whether to run from or get closer to her. I wondered if I should seek her embrace or think only of my wife's arms. While she was being ******* cryptic, a part of me knew she was telling the truth. No matter how hard to understand that truth was.
"I like the sea." She said with a faint smile. "It reminds me of more pleasant times. But everything good must end."
"Who the **** are you to tell me that I will get involved in any scheme?" I asked angrily. "I am perfectly comfortable with my peaceful existence."
"If you adore your existence, why are you walking around now?"
She said it as a simple fact. She did not indicate what her opinion on the matter was. That made me angrier as she didn't have the decency to tell me what she meant. It took me a moment to realize the subtleties in her voice and facial expression. She wanted me to realize this life had bored me as of late.
"How do you know me?" I asked.
"That will come soon." She replied.
"But not where someone will overhear us?"
"Yes."
I had already deduced this woman was dangerous. She might be one of the most dangerous people I had ever encountered. She didn't speak like anyone else I had ever met. If a wild animal could speak, it would talk like her. Yet to find answers I would have to risk my life by not having someone nearby.
"You don't want to give up your safety." The woman said. "If you must, have two guards close by but not in range to hear anything."
"Why the secrecy?" I asked. "Who are you running from?"
"I'm not running from, I'm running to. I need your help."
"There are others you could ask. Others who would be interested."
"Possibly, but I can't trust them. Others care about creating their place in the world, you've left adventure behind long ago. You still long for the past, but you're in no rush to leave Storm's End. If there is anyone I can trust not to get involved in Westerosi politics, it is you."
"You must be in a lot of ******* trouble."
The woman said nothing to my rhetorical statement. By the fact she didn't want someone who was involved with the constant scheming of Westerosi politics, I felt some comfort in knowing that her request would keep me safe in my castle. A castle I had risked too much for. Much too much.
"Why should I trust you?" I asked.
"You shouldn't." The woman replied with a shrug. "A stranger asking you for help in the middle of the night is not one to trust. Yet you have not tried to attack me. You haven't even cried out for help."
"Would that make any difference?"
"I only kill when there is a reason. There isn't a reason to kill you."
"I've done awful stuff in my past. I'm sure you can come up with a reason."
"I know you have. But I am not here to be the judge of your life. Maybe someday in the future that will be my part to play, but not now. Now I only need information and, in exchange, I'll tell you who I am."
It was an intriguing offer. If the woman was lying, this would be the last thing I ever did. But what was my life nowadays? Living in unending comforts while the world turned around me. Nearly every night spent wandering my castle for the hint of peace. I didn't want to die and yet I couldn't avoid risk. There had to be some excitement in my life for me to be truly happy. And the whore variety had lost its appeal.
"There are the maesters in Old Town if you need information." I retorted.
"They would find my questions odd." She replied. "And I don't intend to stay here longer than I need to. Westeros is not the place where I should be and I'll only act against logic if need be. If there is something giving me a reason to stay."
This woman didn't consider Westeros to be her home. Yet the way she said the word made me believe there was something strange going on. The living had had to flee Winterfell before being able to win against the Night King. That had been strange and yet this woman's words promised her story to be odder than the dead.
"Let's get to the bloody beach." I said and found two guards to watch over me.
As we walked I didn't imagine the guards to be much help. It didn't matter if the woman was skilled or not, I didn't trust the skills of the guards. Of course they would do their best to protect me, but that might not be enough. At least a sword was at my side and my hands were still strong enough to wield it. Not unless my hair fell off would I think of using my weapon purely for show.
The woman's grace was more noticeable the longer she walked. It was as if she already knew the terrain, though it wouldn't surprise me if it was her first time here. With no torches to grace the thin blonde strands in her hair, her hair was like dark blood. I could imagine her being in battle with the blood of her enemies soaking into her hair. I wonder what her battle cry sounded like. I wondered how she would moan if I fucked her. Those ideas were much better dreamed about later. Not when I might be walking into a trap.
The beach was small but large enough for the guards to be out of hearing distance. The woman gave a signal and a tall man came from the shadows. His face was covered by a mask that hid the entirety of his head.
"My name is Rin Kaari." The woman said. "The man is my husband Jorah Kaari. He changed his last name as it makes living in some realities easier."
"Jorah Kaari?" I asked. "You're not telling me that is Jorah Mormont? I hate to tell you, but the bloody king is in King's Landing."
"That Jorah is with Daenerys. This one isn't."
Briefly the man took off his mask just enough so that I could see his face. The movement was quick but I was able to tell the truth of the woman's words. My blood froze as the impossibility of it was about to break my mind. Rin very well could have visited Storm's End but hadn't visited this Storm's End. She had met me before, just not this version of me.
"You get used to it." Jorah said in the voice I was used to.
"How long did it take you?" I asked but the man didn't answer.
This is why Rin hadn't wanted to be overheard. She knew the rumors would spread far enough to cause curious eyes to look. If everyone thought she was just a woman and he just a man then no one would care.
"How did we meet?" I asked. "The other version of me, I mean."
"I landed on Westeros ahead of Daenerys Targaryen's army." She replied. "Due to my pregnancy I risked giving myself up. You were attracted to me from the first. During my torture at King's Landing you gave me a way out from being raped. You ****** me until I had a child."
I could imagine doing that. Any excuse to make love to her. At least one version of me had enjoyed her. One version? I shivered at the thought of an endless army of me throughout different versions of Westeros. With all the control inside of me, my face showed none of the horrors my mind was feeling. But Rin seemed like she knew. That no matter my mask, she could see beneath it.
"How did you come here?" I asked and kept the fear out of my voice.
"That is a long story." Rin began. "If you need me to explain more later, I will. My mother died before I was a year old and I was raised by a pack of Direwolves. When they got rabies I had to kill them. My journey eventually lead me to Old Valyria where I became a Stone Man. With my own innate Kaari abilities I was able to retain my mind. It was with the help of my dragon and an Unsullied attack that lead me to being cured fully. I rescued Daenerys Targaryen and eventually got involved with her conquest."
"It didn't end with her alive, I take it."
"No, but that...that will take some time to explain. The moment I fucked Jorah I started to live in two realities at once. The other one involved a disease that had ravaged the entire populace. They called it the T-Virus and the infected zombies. I won the wars in both realities. Jorah and myself gave our Westeros two hundred years of peace. Then we decided for our people to truly prosper, that our remaining years should be exploring other realities so our people wouldn't continue to lean on us."
There was much Rin wasn't telling me. But I could understand why. My mind was trying to comprehend the truth of other versions of Westeros. Of the fact this young woman was centuries old. Later I would get the full story from her no matter how long it took. I wanted to know all I could about her.
"If you are so old and powerful, why can't you get your own fucking information?" I asked.
"I am not all powerful." Rin explained gently. "Sometimes I have to depend on mundane methods. Would you be willing to give us information on this version of Westeros and shelter until we decide our next move?"
"As long as you don't get me messed up in your meddling."
While part of me had noble intentions, another wanted to see if Rin would bed me. If any of her feelings for the...the other me still existed.
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