This chapter has been edited due to content. If you want to see the unedited version GO HERE.
Rin
I tested the ropes and looked down at the corpse of R'hllor, though his form was hidden by white sheets. This was the fifth time I had wrapped him up. The plan was for me to carry him in my teeth which meant whatever he was wrapped in had to be able to withstand minor pressure from my teeth.
Having an object in my mouth meant I wouldn't be able to breathe fire, but luckily that wasn't the only weapon I had while a dragon. I also had my wings and my claws. Claws that were now strong enough to rip off the roof of a building if I so chose. It was a good thing that I chose not to destroy or else various realities would have crumpled. There was still time, though, for me to go mad and show every living thing my wrath. With Jorah beside me, though, I had hopes my darker nature would never surface for more than a moment at a time.
My mouth uttered words that had originated in my House's homeland. From Alexander I had learned many spells such as one to make it harder to penetrate an object. No matter how finely I wrapped R'hllor, dragon's teeth wouldn't be stopped by them. Hence I had to use a spell.
The spell coursed through my body like a cold wind. The blood in my veins burned as power was unleashed through my hands. If anyone had been present, they would not have noticed anything extraordinary going on with me. The only outward sign of magic was a slight heat coming off of my palms. I was ice and fire, just like Jon was. Sarisa too was ice and fire: Stark father and Targaryen mother.
Once the spell was done I looked around. R'hllor's house burned bright in the noon day sun. Flames licked at the air and produced a roar worthy of a dragon. So much history would be lost, but nothing of value was burning today. He had fooled so many people and wished merely to have the world as his own. The Nieth had failed to bring him down which could have meant trouble years in the future, if their prophecies were honest.
I stood up and spread my human arms. No, Kaari arms. In some realities I had been able to continue my line while others saw it fade away in the blink of an eye. Hopefully when I died my ancestors would be proud of my deeds. That I did my best to expand our House as well as helping those in need. Though I highly doubted they would like me helping Targaryens.
My eyes looked down at Asshai and was glad my wings would soon take me far from this place. It was a place of evil where the most perverse things took place. No good person would walk its streets. It might be that even my vast powers could not cleanse this world of the wretched place. If my dragonfire could erase it, I would give the residents one day's warning and then destroy everything. Maybe next time I came this way Jorah would join me in my personal war.
I shook my head and reminded myself to let life go on as it would. It was not up to me to enforce morality to this world or other's like it. It was my job merely to observe and help whenever I was needed. I would not go down a dark path like that no matter how much I longed to sometimes.
It was time.
My legs took me a short distance away from R'hllor's corpse. I wanted to make sure my dragon head could simply pick the Nieth up and right after that my wings could take our bodies into the sky. In the blink of an eye my body had transformed from a mere human to a dragon that was as white as the clouds in the sky.
I spread my wings and bit down on R'hllor's corpse, the white sheets barely stopping my sharp teeth from penetrating them. I pushed down on the ground with my legs and jumped. Once my body was fully off the ground my wings flapped as hard as they could. Though someone watching might describe the process as effortless, that was hardly the case. There was so much exertion in that first moment all so I could get to an altitude I could ride the thermals on.
For a moment I closed my eyes and merely enjoyed the feel of wind underneath my wings. Being in the sky made me feel free as if nothing else mattered. In a place like this I could imagine leaving Sarisa to defend for herself. She had both Jorah and Daenerys as parents, nothing should be able to harm her. She would grow up a strong woman able to fight battles in the court as well as on the battlefield. If she was able to ride Rhaegal or hatch her own dragon, she would be one of the greatest of House Targaryen.
Turning my attention to the ground I saw it hardly change. My flight would only take me across the desert areas of Essos that hardly anyone traveled. It was a tactic I had used when my dragon had been alive. Now she only existed as a kind of spirit within me. On her back I had taught her how to keep hidden with only a handful of people able to attest to her existence. And even then I made sure their accounts were disputed. Thus it was wrongly claimed it was Daenerys, not me, that brought dragons back into the world.
Soon the salty scent of the ocean came to my nostrils as well as the faint sight of a beach. Dragon eyes were much more powerful than a human's as they hunted while in the air. The beach would be the last place I could rest before I arrived at Sothoryos. So I needed to make sure I'd have privacy. I had to accurately judge if the few humans I could see would reach me before I could fly away.
The humans were divided into many packs separated by miles. I doubted they could see each other. Three of the packs would be headed towards beaches and one of those groups had the chance to spot me. Even though it wouldn't make a difference to this reality if one of them saw me, I wanted to protect my privacy. Who knew how much even one pair of eyes could mean in the future? What if I stayed and them spotting me endangered Sarisa? It was a foolish thought, but one that invaded my mind nonetheless.
I headed towards my original destination since I would be able to spot the pack when they were within in an hour of me and it would take them two hours just to get that close.
Once I was just above my beach, I circled as to gently glide down. All the while my attention was focused on R'hllor. One mistake could destroy his body and make my journey to Sothoryos useless. If I did stay I wanted to be able to call on the Nieth. There was no telling what dangers Westeros could throw in her path.
My claws landed on the sand and I gently put R'hllor on the shore. Before resuming my human form I rejoiced in my dragon senses. This was what my people had once been. At one time we had flown like dragons until we had become something else. The Kaari's history began with a great change and that defined their history in every reality. Due to their advanced understanding of evolution, their line had remained pure even while hiding from House Targaryen.
Quickly the scenery around me changed as I became smaller. Things that had once seemed insignificant became much larger. Such as the cliffs behind me that had been nothing of note when I had been a dragon. I closed my eyes and stood still as the waves wrapped around my legs before receding.
With my mind I reached out towards Jorah. The physical distance between us didn't matter when we communicated with our minds. Before making the next leg of my journey I had to be reassured by him. The only way any of us survived was by being helped. I had powers to rival a demigod, but I was useless without my love and allies.
[You are about to make the flight to Sothoryos?] Jorah asked.
Instead of answering I sent him the feelings of the waves on my legs. It was warm and comforting. A sensation I thought would do my husband good. By the feelings he sent me I had been right. He couldn't wait until I returned to free him from Storm's End.
[I wish I was with you.] Jorah said. [The continent is a lovely place, minus the harsh rule of the Nieth. I can see why they don't like outsiders as they have such a lush land. It rivals even the North.]
[I never thought I'd hear such a thing from you.] I teased.
[You know I always praise Sothoryos whenever we have a chance to visit. Sometimes I think we should've retired there.]
[But the Westerosi people could still find us there.]
[And I doubt you plan to hide very well from them once you return.]
My love was more than right to point out my hypocrisy. The Westeros I had grown up in was put behind me in an attempt to allow my people to grow on their own. It was a selfless act that was to be my last before I began to avoid any large scale conflicts. Yet I could not stand idly by when others needed my help. Such as in my insistence in helping Sarisa even though no one would reprimand me if I just walked away.
[I do get myself in situations easily avoided.] I agreed. [But at least I know when my interference has gone too far. This Westeros is still healing from two major wars, it is not fully healed where I would only impede its progress. Nor do I intend to sit on the Iron Throne.]
[And if you're the only one able to claim that seat?] Jorah asked.
[Sarisa will be the one to sit upon the Iron Throne.]
[How can you trust her so fully without meeting her?]
[Because nothing from Jon's loins could ever be evil.]
Jorah sent me a wave of sadness. He had loved the man deeply unlike me who merely thought of the Stark as a dear friend. Someone I would throw down my life for but did not love. Friendships could be just as deep as a romance, something the Azor Ahai Prophecy had proved beyond a shadow of a doubt.
[I doubt Sarisa will become evil, but we were both wrong about Daenerys.] Jorah said and I could feel him sigh. [Who is to say you're not wrong about her?]
[Then I should stay to save Westeros from her.] I replied sadly. [Who else should have to kill her?]
It would be Daenerys all over again. We had both served her from the depths of our hearts, but she had turned into one of the deadliest enemies Westeros had ever seen. I had done my best to kill her so Jorah didn't have to so as to spite the gods, but I had just walked into their game anyways. If Sarisa followed her mother into madness, what would I do? Could I ever kill someone I adored ever again? Even if the fate of the world was on my shoulders?
No, it was easier to believe she would remain as pure as Jon. That under her leadership the South would prosper unlike any time before. If she would turn on Westeros it would be better for me to leave after returning to Storm's End. If she turned and was trained under me, she would be more than deadly.
Was this internal struggle because I wanted an excuse to leave or because I was worried? A part of me must have realized how insane it was to stay here and was doing anything to convince me to leave. At least the journey to and from Sothoryos would be long enough for contemplation.
[It is time for me to go.] I told Jorah.
[Return swiftly, my love.] He replied.
With our minds we shared the mental equivalent of a kiss. That was the only accurate way to describe the love and longing we sent each other. The happiness he felt at knowing me and the sadness of our time apart. After the kiss ended, I detached myself from the mental embrace we had shared. He would be waiting for me, as he always did when we were apart. There was no need for me to worry about his safety.
In the blink of an eye the waves felt much different to me. As a human they were able to affect me, but I hardly noticed them as a dragon. True the feelings of the waves never went away, but it was as if they were muted. I gently picked up R'hllor and spread my wings as far as they would go. The Nieth would listen to me and there would be allies waiting for Sarisa if the need called for them.
With a push from my legs and flapping of my wings, I was air born. In a minute my head skimmed the underside of a cloud. There was a saying from the Nightmare about home being where the heart was. While my soul would always be bonded to Jorah, the sky was where my heart was. It didn't matter that it was a struggle flying over a large body of water, this was where I was meant to be. The day I joined my ancestors, I would spend the majority of my time in the sky with Jorah on my back.
After many hours my wings became sore and each flap felt like they were being torn off. To add to my pain, I had to be constantly aware of how hard my teeth were digging into R'hllor's corpse. It took all of my strength not to bite him in two. If not for the slave ships, I could rest my wings and swim some of the way. But as they were far below me, appearing like ants to my dragon eyes, I couldn't risk it. I was sure no slaver would be believed if they spotted me, but what if the one person they told threatened Sarisa? I couldn't risk it.
Much too late the scents of the ocean mixed with those of a thick jungle. While most people believed Sothoryos had a large desert, that was just a lie fabricated by the Nieth. They liked their privacy and had created an intricate illusion to keep away the humans. Even the wyverns themselves hid away from the eyes of most humans. So the majority of those in Essos and Westeros thought there were far fewer wyverns than there actually were.
Soon after the scents started wafting to my nostrils, I saw Sothoryos. It appeared to just be an abandoned continent that was covered in a vast jungle and a large desert. But Sothoryos wasn't abandoned and the only ecosystem was a vast jungle. The desert had existed only briefly after a vast conflict between five warring factions of Nieth. Now the illusion of it was kept in place to make sure stray humans didn't alert Essos or Westeros to the Nieth's existence.
As no more free humans were around, I tucked my wings in and dove to a more comfortable altitude. I enjoyed feeling like I wasn't the one in control as the sharp wind tried to rip my scales off. It was with great reluctance that I spread my wings and glided the rest of the way to the center of the continent.
The flora and fauna of Sothoryos was more unique than anything in Westeros and Essos. A different kind of magic existed in this place that was formed by the unique connection the Nieth had with their wyverns. It was so different that many educated scholars dismissed the flying creatures as being capable of magic at all. Though if they had met a rider and his wyvern, their eyes might have been opened.
I resisted gritting my sharp teeth as I went through the illusion. To a regular human the landscape would look, sound, feel, taste, and smell like the Great Desert of the South. Their minds would do everything to convince them that they were in a desert and so they would be compelled to leave the harsh landscape. And if they liked the desert a nagging feeling would eventually compel them to leave. To me the illusion felt like a migraine as it was so strong and I hadn't yet been released from its grasp.
Soon after entering the illusions two wyvern riders approached on their mounts. Unlike dragons who were blessed with the element of fire, wyverns were extremely poisonous. Their tails were barbed and they were much faster than dragons, which made their smaller size much less of a disadvantage. The riders that were greeting me were both humans, which meant either this was a standard patrol or the Nieth were refusing to give me any respect.
[I have a gift for the Nieth.] I told the blind riders. [I have the corpse of R'llhor, the renegade Nieth you have been looking for.]
At first I worried that they hadn't heard me, but then the wyverns flew on either side of me to guide me to the ground. They directed me to land in a clearing that was surrounded by boulders and trees. The configuration made me assume this place was for large flocks of wyverns to land. While the clearing could hold two wyverns with room to spare, it could barely contain my dragon form.
To make more room, I gently put R'hllor's corpse down and changed back into my Kaari form.
No comments:
Post a Comment