[Chapter Size: 3800 Words.]
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Thrid Person POV
Essos, 296 AC.
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Magister Illyrio was having a difficult moment while sitting in his solar, with a letter before him. A strange raven had appeared at dawn and waited on its perch until a servant came to check it.
He had had such a peaceful night, thinking he had made a clever move, and that his next steps, along with Varys, would be to start sowing discord in Westeros, which was not difficult with the secrets Varys possessed. All he needed now was to figure out how to deal with the Articans.
Upon waking, he went to have his first meal, only to be interrupted by the news of a raven bearing a letter with the Artican symbol on it. He raised an eyebrow and quickly stood up to see what it was about.
As soon as he entered to read the letter, he was initially stunned. He had thought that he had gotten rid of them easily, the Targaryens, where their blood would mix with the Dothraki and disappear into the desert. He intended to wait a bit longer before arranging the marriage, especially as he was waiting for three petrified dragon eggs to arrive from the lands of shadow, as he had recommended.
'Perhaps it's better to give them to him,' Illyrio told himself at that moment, while thinking about the future.
Now he had come to see the letter from the Articans and opened it, but it was not at all what he had expected. The very thing he had most tried to avoid had happened, causing him to frown at the first paragraph of the letter.
"Hello, esteemed Magister Illyrio. This is the Arctic King. I'm writing to inform you that I've just encountered some interesting people in the desert, namely two Targaryen siblings. I've taken one of them, as I saw some strangeness in this situation, and I'm being direct, since I'm a king and you're a businessman. After all, we're both busy men, aren't we? Especially you, considering that you didn't even manage to properly receive our group."
This was the first part, and everything Illyrio feared was right there, as he began to continue reading the rest of the letter.
"But after what I saw and discovered... I believe you were trying to hide them from us. But I won't act against you... However, be warned: I will be taking the girl with me. After all, I sympathize with the fate you placed her in. It's quite sad, actually. Arranging her marriage to a Khal, which also seemed rather malicious on your part, as if you were trying to get rid of them.
Personally, I don't believe the Dothraki are a force considerable enough to make a difference in Westeros, even if they managed to cross the sea, which is quite unlikely as well. And I doubt Viserys would survive that long among the Dothraki with his personality. But anyway, I'll be taking the girl. I sincerely hope you inform your friend in King's Landing, Varys, that if the king finds out about the girl's whereabouts, bad things will happen to both of you.
It would be smart not to make any move against me now. Not that I would care about it in other circumstances, but I believe the king might take drastic actions, even against the Starks, to demand the girl's handover. I just don't want the headache, after all. I'd have to kill a lot of people if that happens, and frankly, it wouldn't be good for any of us.
But don't worry, I won't leave you completely at a loss. You'll still have a Targaryen. Feel free to do what you want with him. They should be arriving at any moment, after all, there were some survivors. As for Viserys... I was a bit harsh when I started hitting him, as he seemed to have never been struck in his life.
Well, to conclude... I'm ending all of our contracts, as I don't believe we can continue after what has happened. Good luck in your endeavors, Magister Illyrio. And until next time, for I don't think this will be the last time we meet. We'll meet one day, and pray that we're not enemies by then.
Sincerely, King of Artica."
He had finished reading and stared for a while at the letter before him, thinking about what to do next, until he quickly pulled another piece of parchment from one of the drawers, grabbed a quill, and began writing a letter to his friend Varys.
'Varys, something urgent has happened. Something much worse than we expected... I sent you some letters, but now I believe they were probably all stolen by the Arctic King. Let me explain my situation...'
He began to write everything in detail until he finally finished, still staring at it with a frown. He sent a new raven to King's Landing, and Jon let this one in particular go to its destination. After that, he locked himself in his solar... thinking about what he should do now, knowing his fellow Magisters would not be pleased with the cancellation of the Artican trade contract. After all, Pentos would not become the only city in Essos without their products, and he would have to come up with a good excuse and explanation.
Hours passed until the group of mercenaries he had hired finally returned from the desert. Initially, his group had at least 300 Unsullied and 200 mercenaries, but only 50 mercenaries had returned out of 500, along with some servants. They were not at all happy with what had happened.
As soon as they entered the mansion, with Illyrio going to receive them, the one who seemed to be the leader, who had accepted the contract and had survived only because he dropped his weapon after seeing his men being cut down like insects by the Articans, approached Illyrio with a face showing great anger.
"Hey, you damn merchant! You didn't tell us we'd be facing those Articans who were in the city! You deceived us!" he began to complain furiously.
"You knew, didn't you?" another mercenary confronted him.
Illyrio, coldly, responded before raising his voice. "Does that change anything for you? Do you think I knew where you would be attacked by them? Do you think you were the only ones who lost? Do you have any idea how much an Unsullied costs?" He spoke with a stern tone to the mercenaries, equally angry for having lost so much and not achieving the results he expected. "Take some extra coin, and that ends the matter," Illyrio said finally.
The mercenaries, frustrated, accepted the money, but not without grumbling. "Fine, but I'll never get involved with you or any business that involves those northern bastards again..." one of them commented to his companion as they left. It was terrifying to think about how they had been cut down by the men who attacked them, without even having a chance, while their arrows did not penetrate the armor, and their range and aim were unquestionable. Not to mention how they were cut down by men using spears and swords, invading the camp.
"We have this one who survived... but his face is a mess. Personally, I would've liked to have done it myself, but as you can see, that Artican got to him first." The leader of the mercenaries pointed to some men bringing Viserys, all bruised, on a stretcher, approaching Illyrio.
"Fine, you can disappear now," Illyrio said in the end with a hint of anger due to the loss, while the mercenary glared at him with equal anger before spitting and following his men out.
Illyrio returned to Viserys, who was still unconscious, thinking that his face must be completely destroyed, as the mercenaries hadn't even bothered to clean him up.
"Take him inside," Illyrio ordered his servants, who quickly took the Targaryen and began tending to his injuries.
Illyrio then handed a letter to one of his men. "I want this order delivered to some organizations in the city to have all the surviving mercenaries killed. After all, they can't spread the news that one of the Targaryens has been captured," he said as he watched his messenger leave.
Illyrio now had to deal with a very complicated situation. As he returned to his chambers, he didn't know what he should do now with Varys. He was practically useless at this point, and now Khal Drogo would not be happy to know that the wife he had requested had been captured by someone else.
"Despite everything, I might be able to use this to my advantage," he muttered, not dismissing the possibility of turning the Dothraki, or at least Drogo's Khalasar, against the Articans. So he went inside with this thought, where he would have to think more carefully about it and how he would explain the situation to the other Magisters of the city.
Meanwhile, at sea, the Arctic ship continued to sail along the coast of the continent, having been released by the largest ship in the fleet, where Jon and his family were aboard. In one of the rooms, Daenerys was just waking up that morning, opening her eyes to look at the ceiling of the ship, lying in a rather large and comfortable bed, in a room much bigger than the one she had in Pentos.
Only a day had passed since they had set out to sea and were heading south, and Daenerys was still trying to understand everything that was happening, trying to assimilate the new situation, the environment, and, most of all, the new people.
With a sigh, she got out of bed, wearing a robe for sleeping, and went to her wardrobe, where she saw several clothes left exclusively for her, made by some artisans aboard the ships. She couldn't help but notice the luxury of the place. She picked up the black dress with the symbol of her house, finding it so beautiful and realizing she had never worn anything like it before. What she feared most wasn't happening. On the contrary, she was treated well here, much more so than in Pentos, although things hadn't been so bad there either. It reminded her of the times with Ser Willem Darry, when they lived in Braavos. The man also treated her like a princess, as in addition to having her needs met, she had a say in what she could ask for.
After getting dressed, adjusting the three-headed dragon on her chest, she went to a large mirror above a table full of items that her supposed nephew had left for her. She picked up one of the combs to tidy her hair and glanced at the other items, unsure of what to do with them. Besides the beautiful and well-made clothes, there were perfumes and makeup — things she had never had the luxury of having so easily.
Her bruises were still visible, and she hated having to show them in front of others. But it seemed there was already a healer on the ship, named Laid, who visited her periodically to remind her to use the ointments. She said that in a week, she would feel much better, and in two weeks, it would be as if nothing had happened.
Daenerys picked up one of the makeup items and began applying it to hide her bruises. She looked at herself in the mirror to check if it looked alright, managing to conceal some of it. She felt as presentable as possible, and like any woman, she liked to feel beautiful.
After making sure she had concealed the bruises well with makeup, she took a deep breath, feeling a bit nervous about leaving the room. After all, she was still surrounded by strangers.
She didn't dislike them, but she had only been with them for a short time amidst all the sudden changes, especially dealing with the man who claimed to be her nephew — someone whom, at this point, much of her wanted to believe.
So she went to the door, opening it and feeling a bit surprised to see a guard waiting. It was an Artican woman, wearing the greenish steel armor that all the royal guards wore.
"Princess Daenerys," the woman greeted her.
"H-Hi," Daenerys responded, a little nervous.
"Your nephew, our king, requested that as soon as you awoke, I accompany you to the main table, where he awaits you for the first meal," she said calmly.
Daenerys simply nodded. The woman began walking through the ship, which Daenerys still didn't know well, until they reached the place after passing some guards keeping watch by the door. It was a more open area, where they had had lunch and dinner the day before.
She saw Jon, his wife Ygritte, Arya, and the Child of the Forest called Wind, eating at the table. Jon looked up and smiled.
"Hello, aunt. It's good to see you here. Please, sit and join us," he said.
The guard who had accompanied Daenerys stepped aside to give her space to pass. Quickly, Daenerys advanced to the table and sat across from Arya. Although she had already had a few meals there, Daenerys always ate in silence, merely listening to them converse without interacting.
"Good morning..." she greeted everyone.
"Good morning, Daenerys!" Arya smiled.
"Good morning, white-haired woman!" Wind said, laughing.
Ygritte looked at her for a moment and greeted her. "Good morning." Ygritte was more cautious than Seryna, for if it had been Jon's other wife, she would have greeted Daenerys with a broad smile, but each had their own personality.
They ate quietly while Jon talked with his family. "Jon, it was so unfair that I had to stay on the ship while you all went to fight..." Arya was complaining about being left behind.
"I wanted to settle it quickly, so I brought my aunt along, and I needed someone to take care of Wind," Jon responded.
"What do you think I would have done?" the Child of the Forest protested.
"As you were about to sneak past the guards, luckily I'm a different kind of Warg than the others, or it would have been hard to find you. I'm also lucky that you can't change into other people yet... otherwise, it would have been even more troublesome to catch you..." Children of the Forest had some special gifts, and they could even deceive animals and those who control them.
"But it was fun!" she said with an ironic smile while Jon rolled his eyes.
"Anyway..." Jon ended the conversation before turning to Daenerys. "How have you been, aunt? I hope your room is to your liking." Daenerys had been paying attention to the giant wolf lying on the floor with its tongue out when she suddenly realized her nephew was addressing her.
"Hm? Y-Yes. I'm fine, much better than I could have asked for... nephew..." she stammered and gave her answer, caught off guard, while the last part came out in a weak tone.
"That's good... soon we'll be heading to Myr, but I would prefer if you stayed on the ship to avoid drawing attention. However, if you'd like to come, it's alright," he said with a small smile.
"I... I'll think about it," she said in the end, as she did want to see Myr, but didn't have the courage to say it aloud, while Jon raised an eyebrow at her, knowing her intentions.
"Are your wounds any better?" he asked.
"Yes..." she murmured.
"I'll talk to you later, and I intend to get rid of them," he said, leaving Daenerys confused as Jon got up from the bed and left. "For now, I have some things to take care of. Let's go, Ghost." Jon called the giant wolf.
Ygritte also got up. "I'll go with you, Jon." She followed him, leaving only Daenerys and the younger ones at the table.
"He's going to lock himself in that cabin and stay there all day..." Arya complained, wanting to train with Jon, but today wouldn't be the day.
"Or make another baby," Wind commented, covering her mouth and laughing.
"Wind, stop saying those things... besides, Ygritte wouldn't want to get pregnant in the middle of a journey. She got sick the last time," Arya replied, then looked at Daenerys, who was watching her curiously.
"If you're wondering what Jon is doing in there, he's making a map of the coasts of both continents. He can see through his birds in the sky and create exact and perfect drawings," Arya explained with a smile.
"I see..." Daenerys murmured, feeling more open to talking with Arya, as they had already had a conversation in Pentos. "What did he say about being a Warg and this thing about seeing through his eagles... What is that?" she asked, curious.
"You haven't learned yet, but Wargs are people who can enter the minds of animals. Arya is one; she can do it with her wolves, and many other Articans can as well... but Jon is special. After all, most need to stay conscious in their original bodies to take over the animal, but he can do it with just a thought and control multiple bodies... it's incredible..." Wind explained.
"Does that really exist?" Daenerys seemed shocked by this.
"Of course, pay attention," Arya replied, and in the next moment, her eyes turned white, leaving Daenerys slightly startled.
Suddenly, the door opened, and a two-meter-tall wolf entered. They seemed like children before the wolf as it walked around the table and sat next to Arya, looking at Daenerys, who shrank back as if the wolf were laughing at her, while Wind burst into laughter.
A moment later, they left the main table and went to the deck, with Daenerys still thinking about everything she had heard and seen. She stayed with the girls, not knowing what else to do, and watched Arya training with the Dark Sister sword while Wind caused some mischief, as the Articans around the ship interacted with them.
Daenerys observed everything in silence as the day passed, watching men and women, dwarves and giants, walking back and forth. Eventually, Laid appeared.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"I'm fine... it doesn't sting anymore..." Daenerys replied with a small smile.
"That's good. I heard the king is going to heal you; it seems this will be faster than I anticipated," Laid said.
"What do you mean by that?" Daenerys couldn't help but ask.
"You'll find out soon," Laid replied simply, with a smile, before walking away.
Around midday, they had a meal, but Jon and Ygritte didn't appear for dinner. In the afternoon, Daenerys went to a quiet corner of the ship just to feel the ocean breeze while watching the hundreds of ships following theirs. Each of those ships carried other men, dwarves, and Artican giants...
"How many Articans must be out there... how does he manage to control all of them and give orders..." she couldn't help but wonder aloud, admiring how organized they were.
"There are more than 22,000 Articans. Each ship has over 50 of them, and it's easy to organize and give orders to them." Suddenly, Jon's voice came from behind her, surprising her in the middle of the afternoon as she saw him approaching alone.
"Do you see the birds circling us in the sky?" Before she could answer, he pointed upward, and she looked with a curious gaze, indeed seeing several birds flying back and forth in the sky.
"Are they possessed by other people?" she murmured, and Jon almost wanted to laugh at how she thought of the Wargs.
"Exactly. I mean... we call that ability Wargs. There are several Wargs on every ship. My command system is through them, while an order is passed to the leaders and sub-leaders, who quickly organize their people for any decision I would make. It's much easier to handle the Articans this way than to concentrate everything in a central power," Jon explained, and Daenerys nodded, impressed.
Jon stood by her side at that moment, his gaze falling on her. They were the same age, but she felt even a little less mature than Arya, while Jon was someone who could command all those 22,000 men whenever he wanted.
"I know you're still very shy about expressing your thoughts on certain things, but rest assured that anything you ask will be heard by me and the others, as long as it's within our reach. If you want to go to the city of Myr, that's perfectly fine. You can visit it with royal guards who will accompany you, while I'll be negotiating with their Magisters," he said.
"Alright," she said before looking at him. "I would like to visit the city. Viserys always said that my mother had the desire to visit many cities on this continent, and Myr was one of them," she said, and Jon nodded, pleased to hear her true wish.
"Very well, then. You will see the city," he said with a smile, before looking at her injury. "That's not as good as I had imagined..." he commented, even though her bruises were covered with makeup, while Daenerys shrank back, trying to avoid his gaze, thinking he was judging her.
"Look at me," he asked, and she obeyed, seeing him place the palm of his hand over her hidden black eye.
"I told you I would heal you, didn't I?" he said, and before the Targaryen girl could respond, his hand began to glow.
She felt warmth and was stunned by the glow in the next moment, almost pulling away instinctively, but it was quite pleasant, and she tried to stay still. Jon stood there, touching her face for a few seconds before removing his hand and smiling.
"Now it's much better. You truly bring out the Targaryen beauty, aunt. I hope my daughter is as beautiful as you," he said kindly, boosting his aunt's self-esteem, not that he was worried about his daughter growing up unattractive. After all, his children would all be beautiful, with mothers as stunning as theirs, surpassing even Daenerys.
"Now you're fine... I came to see you quickly just for that. I hope we can talk more later. Now I need to organize a few things and maybe even train a bit with Arya. She always insists I train with her," Jon said with a smile, beginning to walk away, taking advantage of the last hours of the day, leaving Daenerys there, stunned, touching her face and realizing all her bruises were gone, unable to believe what had just happened.
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