Daemon looked out at the peaceful waves crashing against the rocks of the cliffs by the city. He hoped it would calm him somewhat, but no matter how much meditation he did or how long he stared his anger only kept building. It wasn't just anger it was pain and sadness, but most of all guilt. Guilt at his role in saving King Aerys from Duskendale, he knew it was a manipulation of Rhaegar but it was still him who was there and it was him who removed the cuffs. He couldn't help but wonder if all of this could have been avoided if he had struck down the king that day and if by now he would have his keep where he could live with those he loved.
*CRACK*
Daemon looked down and saw that his hands and cracked the marble balcony and he moved them away. While his anger seemed to be never-ending he had pushed it down, he needed to have a clear mind for what was the come. He would be invading Westeros with only a small number of men, and while he undoubtedly would have better soldiers and stronger aura users they could easily be exhausted and overwhelmed by the sheer numbers on the other side. He wasn't interested in the Throne or anything else happening, he only wanted to find Lyanna and Lysa and leave the cursed land, but before he did that he would make sure the Targaryens couldn't hurt anyone else ever again. 'Arthur Dayne, Aerys Targaryen...' those were the people he needed to worry about, while two or more Kingsguard could present a challenge it was those two that could beat him if he didn't plan appropriately. "Brother?" He heard Serra's voice echo from the entrance to his room.
Daemon turned, he tried to form a smile to match the one on her face but it only came out looking like a ghost of what it once was "Is everything okay?" He asked. She nodded before walking into his room and approaching him, she wore a loose white tunic that had a low cut v shape allowing him a generous look at her cleavage; she sauntered over to him before pressing her body against his and basking in his warmth. She had been lost for so long without her twin, she'd never realised how empty inside she was until he had filled her with his presence. "I spent so long thinking about you," Daemon said abruptly drawing Serra out of her thoughts.
"When I was younger I wondered what you'd be like, I wanted very much to hop on the next ship across the narrow sea to find you," He continued.
"Now we are together and I find that I make for poor company," he said apologetically.
Serra looked up at him and shook her head "You have no idea how long I've wanted this moment, nothing you do could make me any less happy for your company," she said before hugging him.
"I worry, my enemies will have nearly ten times as many men as we do and will have established supply lines and powerful aura users..." he said as he looked out to the ocean again.
"While nothing will stir me from my course I cannot help but worry if I'm leading everyone to their deaths and yet still won't accomplish my goals," he said.
Serra cupped his face with her hand and they made eye comments, two pairs of identical orbs gazing into each other. "Your enemies are my enemies, I will slaughter every last person in Westeros if that is your goal, we are the strongest Blackfyres since your namesake and nothing will stop us," she reassured him before going up on her toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Daemon actually managed a small smile on his face before he leaned his head down and pressed it against Serra's. She was right, he wouldn't let anyone get in his way, even if he had to kill thousands by himself; he had always been averse to killing even now, but he knew that it was necessary and that this world was not kind enough to allow certain people to live without consequences. Both Serra and Daemon disconnected as they looked towards the door to his room, it was just after sunset now and they both sensed something was amiss.
"I expected them to come later," Daemon said tonelessly.
"It doesn't matter when they come, at least this way we can get a good night's rest," Serra said brushing her hands against Daemon's arm one last time before heading to the door. Daemon followed just behind her grabbing a cup from the side before heading out with her to go and check on Howland. When they emerged from their room into the corridor of the palace there was nothing there, only silence and a gentle breeze; at least that's what it would appear like to a non-aura user. Daemon and Serra were both high-level aura users in their prime and so people who were trying to do their best to sneak up on them weren't very sneaky at all.
"Don't kill them all, we should save one so we can find out which Magister hired them," Daemon told Serra as he walked past her, he then let his aura emerge from his body before letting engulf the cup in his hand.
"I'll try my best, but there's no guarantee with people this weak," Serra said with a chuckle as she cracked her knuckles.
Daemon was glad of this if he was honest, he hoped that maybe taking his anger out on something —or someone— would help the rage he was feeling. Spinning his aura around the cup rapidly he threw it down the corridor at an incredible speed; the entire palace seemed to shake when the cup impacted the wall and flew right through it.
*Thump*
At the end of a corridor, a man who was camouflaged to look like stone appeared —his aura having failed him— and he fell forward collapsing to the floor as he had a massive gaping hole in his chest. "Come on let's not waste any time," Daemon said as his aura flared dangerously around him giving those who were attacking him pause.
As if by magic a dozen or so men appeared detaching themselves from the wall and floor. He had heard about this assassin troop that based themselves out of Myr, they only practised an Aura ability that allowed them to camouflage themselves against any surface; it might've fooled a lesser man, but Daemon was another situation entirely.
The first assassin charged him, his footsteps made barely a sound as he ran towards him with an aura-enhanced dagger. Daemon sidestepped the first swing and backhanded the man with enough force that his head spun almost a full circle; by the time he did that the second and third assassins had already reached him, but Daemon simply extended his aura making it sharp like a sword. He sliced through their aura like butter and cut them both in half.
While this assassin's troop was famous they were not as dedicated to the craft as the Faceless men. They paused when they saw Daemon kill two of their most skilled members in less than five seconds; Daemon turned to look at his sister who was slaughtering the others as easily as he was. "Serra, being the company, we are going to occupy the city until we leave," He instructed. She turned around with a wild grin on her face as she impaled a man through his chest, ripping out his heart as she did. "Rules of engagement?" She asked.
"Leave the Food and Small Folk, take anything valuable," He replied before raising his hand and catching an assassin's arm as he tried to stab him. He ripped the man's arm off before slamming his other fist into his chest and shattering his aura —making him fly down the corridor.
Daemon looked down at his hand and clenched it. He needed to fight more, he'd been holding back so long, that he'd never gotten much chance to fight at full power. He wanted to be at his peak when he met Aerys and Arthur on the battlefield; he had no doubt he'd meet Rhaegar too, but he wasn't as strong. He had no doubt the Prince could be counted in the top ten best fighters in Westeros, but the difference between the top ten and top five was the difference between the earth and the sky.
He shook himself out of his thoughts when he realised he'd slaughtered all of the assassins sent for him. 'I better check on Howland,' he thought to himself before stepping over their bodies and heading towards where he felt his apprentice. When he arrived it seemed he needn't worry; the assassins had thought only a couple of them would be enough to kill his squire, but that was their mistake. He saw Howland impaling one of them on his trident while the other tried to run away, but unfortunately for him, he ran towards Daemon and he could barely react before his head was removed from his body. "Are you well?" He asked Howland who breathed a little heavily but nodded nonetheless.
"Good, we are sacking the city so stay alert there may be more fighting," Daemon said before walking past him. He climbed the stairs and went to a higher balcony that overlooked the city with Howland in step behind him. He could see his camp in the distance as well as his men moving from camp towards the city; unfortunately, it seemed the defenders weren't as incompetent as their Magisters and they quickly managed to get ready for the oncoming battle.
'I'm sorry... but I can't let you get in my way,' Daemon thought as he felt slight pain and guilt at what he was about to do; however it was all overshadowed by his resolve, he couldn't afford to lose anyone before he had even set down on the shores of Westeros.
'Aura Mimicry: Aerys Targaryen'
As if he were covered in oil his aura was set alight turning a deep orange colour that only seemed to turn lighter by the second. "Stay back," he warned Howland as his aura started to grow and expand with incredible intensity.
Holding his hand up his aura started to crackle and pop as a small spear made of his flames was summoned into existence. An ember at first, the spear only grew larger and larger until it was bigger than Daemon himself, but it continued to grow; three, four, and five times larger than a man and almost twice as wide. The intense heat coming from it made Howland feel as if his water form would evaporate. Daemon continued to condense his aura onto the arrow making it grow larger and larger until it looked like five wagons lined up end to end. Then all of a sudden it shrank into the size of a normal spear.
Daemon hesitated 'I'll always be me...' he remembered the words he uttered to Rhaella what seemed like a lifetime ago.
'I wasn't enough to protect them...' he hardened his heart as he threw the spear with great force across the city to the gates where it impaled a guard and stuck to the ground. "What did you-" Howland began to ask.
*BOOM*
The crannogmans eyes widened as the spear exploded blowing apart the gate and a large chunk of the wall. The sight of the flames was beautiful, but it was ruined when the screaming started. They were on the other side of the city and yet they could hear the screams of people burning and those having been crushed by large debris that had been blown off the wall. With the defenders in disarray, the Golden Company met little resistance as they swooped in and slaughtered the rest of them.
...
"You are blinded by greed, in a month I would've been gone and the only loss would be your fleet, while substantial you would've recovered... and now look at you, you have nothing," Daemon said as he sat in the Magisters council room on the upper dais while all the Magisters were knelt before him.
What Daemon assumed was the leader crawled forward holding his hands up and begging "Please my Lord! We made a mistake, take the ships! Take our gold! Rule the city if you wish!" He said in a panic, but none of it motivated Daemon.
Daemon stood up and walked down the steps to the Maester before kneeling next to him. "It must be strange for you, to meet someone not swayed by your promises of gold and land," he said to the weeping man.
"I want a comfortable cabin in a beautiful forest next to a river, I want my loved ones with me... I still believe I can have that one day," Daemon said as he gripped either side of the man's head with his hands.
"But you got in my way, you tried to stop me from realising my dream, you tried to stop me from returning to my loved ones, and that is a crime I cannot forgive," he said as his eyes started to harden.
"No! Wait! My lord!!!"
*Squelch*
Daemon crushed the man's head between his hands exploding him into a mess of blood and flesh. "Kill the rest of them," he said to his men who did so without question. Daemon went to sit back on the upper dais where Serra joined him sitting on the arm of his chair. "What do you wish for us to do next?" She asked.
"Have Harry deal with running the city, he should have a little experience doing so. Go through the vaults and empty them, I want the ships ready by the end of the month," he said.
"I'll be training Howland, and I want us to train together as well, I need to be at my best when we return," Daemon said to Serra who smiled in excitement at the opportunity to train with her brother.
"Do not worry brother, we will bring all our enemies to our feet."
———————————————————
Lyanna didn't know how long had passed since she had been in this place. She wondered if perhaps she had died and this was one of the hells that the seven had mentioned; all she could do every day was think about Lysa and whether she was okay. She had managed to get stronger while avoiding the notice of Rhaegar thanks to the servant girl that seemed to be on her side. She had been worried that any lack of food would be harmful to the baby that grew in her womb so she was more grateful to the servant than she could express.
It was only thoughts of the baby that grew inside her that got her through the day, otherwise, she'd have given up and resigned herself to whatever fate had in store for her. She had failed Daemon and Lysa, but she wouldn't fail her babe; she would do whatever it took to protect her child even if it meant killing the prince 'Though I'd probably do that even if I didn't have to,' she thought as she clenched her fists.
"My lady," Lyanna heard the voice echoing from the door. Normally she'd pretend to be asleep, but she recognised the voice as her only friend in this place.
"Deanna!" Lyanna said with joy, being alone for long periods of time with only her thoughts had left her starved for attention and any time Deanna had come to see her was a good day.
"My lady we must get you out of here!" Deanna said in a slight panic as she started packing away a few necessities into a knapsack.
"What's wrong?" Lyanna said with a frown as she looked at the panicked expression on the servant's face.
"The Prince... he tyres of waiting and tonight he will force himself on you whether you are awake or not, he wishes for you to bear his child," Deanna said as she relayed what she had overheard.
Lyanna felt a scowl make its way onto her face as she thought about bedding the Dragon Prince. "Like fuck he'll do that!!!" She almost yelled.
Deanna placed her hand around Lyanna's mouth urging her to be quiet. "I stole the key from one of the guards, she said as she removed the blanket from her body. Her feet were both chained together by dragon glass cuffs. When Deanna unlocked them and removed them Lyanna felt her aura return to her in a rush. The aches and pains of her body soon disappeared and she managed to stand up though her legs were still shaky.
"They should be gone for a while so we should have a significant head start," she said as she helped Lyanna to the door.
"Why are you going so far to help me?" Lyanna asked as they went through the door to the corridors and started to make their way out of the tower.
"Though my accent doesn't betray me I am Northern my Lady, I would shame my family if I did not help a Stark in need," she replied as they walked. Lyanna had been tied to the bed for a while and so walking was a bit difficult, but her aura was doing well in making it easier as well as helping her recover.
"We have to cross the main hall to get to the exit, it should be empty but we should hurry" Deanna whispered to the Stark girl before they entered the hall. Lyanna nodded before the door opened and they quickly made their way to the open door, she could see the sun shining through and she felt excitement rush through her as she would now be able to reunite with Lysa and Daemon.
"I told you she was awake Arthur." A voice echoed in the hall. All the excitement that Lyanna felt was dashed away as she heard the voice of the Prince and it was only made worse when Arthur appeared at the exit blocking their path.
"You did your grace," the Kingsguard replied.
Lyanna moved Deanna behind her as she saw the Prince move from behind a pillar with his arms crossed. "Stay away from us!" She shouted at him.
"I wish you would see the bigger picture Lady Stark, what I'm doing is for the greater good of the realm," Rhaegar said as he approached.
"Our son will be the Prince who was promised, you cannot fight prophecy," he continued.
Lyanna flared her aura, or at least she tried to. It had only just been unrestrained and so her control of it was average at best. She tried to throw a punch at the Prince but he caught her fist and pulled her arm toward making her stumble to the ground behind him.
"Accept your new life, you will be my wife and I will lie with you and my seed will sprout inside you," he said much more firmly as he turned to look at her.
Lyanna looked at him with a venomous expression, but she couldn't help but laugh. Her giggles echoed throughout the hall which did nothing to improve Rhaegar's mood "What is amusing!" He shouted at her.
"Your dreams will never be a reality, even if you force yourself on me!" She said as she laughed maliciously at him.
"I am already with child, Daemon's son grows inside me, he will be the only man I ever have children with!" She said, laughing at Daemon's expression of anger.
Lyanna had hoped that her words would make him give up. She didn't want him inside her, the thought made her sick. Unfortunately for the young Stark girl had neglected to think of the consequences of what she had just done.
"Arthur... hold her down," Rhaegar said and the Kingsguard appeared at Lyanna's side a second later grabbing her shoulders and forcing her down to the ground.
"I had considered this a possibility, that you'd be unfaithful, which is why I have insurance," he said as he removed a small bottle from his pocket.
"This will kill whatever spawn grows inside of you, after that I'll be free to fulfil the prophecy," Rhaegar said as he approached her. Deanna grabbed onto the Prince trying to stop him, but sadly for the brave girl she didn't have the same protections that Lyanna had and Rhaegars fist smashed into her face caving in her skull. Lyanna screamed as she saw her friend fall limply to the floor blood pouring from her head.
She flared her aura and used every bit of it to try and get out of Arthur's grasp but the man was simply too strong. Rhaegar mounted her and grabbed her jaw forcing it open before he poured the liquid into her mouth making her swallow it.
Fear invaded her mind, she had promised that she wouldn't fail her child and yet as the poison slid down her throat she knew she'd failed. 'Again...'
'No... not again,' she thought as tears fell down her cheeks.
'Take everything... but keep him safe.'
'I Vow...'
(AN: So haven't updated this in a while, but gonna try to change that. I do like this story a lot but sometimes it's a bit of a drag to write. Also I keep getting distracted by a dumb Goob. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the Chapter)
If you like my stuff consider supporting me.
Patreon.com/captainalfie78works