When I awoke next I did so with a grunt of pleasure. I opened my eyes to see the morning light reaching into the suite and the wonderful sight of Joanna's bobbing head going up and down on my hardened cock. I felt her sucking hard at my meat, her tongue swirling around my flesh trying to entice my seed out. Her hands were cupping and running over my balls, I could tell she had been at this for some time as within seconds I groaned again and spurted a stream of cum into her mouth. Her lips clamped down on my shaft and she drank all of my essence, only once I was spent did she release my cock with a loud pop.
"Are you looking for seconds?" I asked as she began stroking my member as she cleaned off a bit of my cum that had trailed down her chin. She eyed me with those sexy silted eyes as she licked her finger clean of my seed and kept up her stroking of my cock.
"Your kitty wants her milk… I didn't get any last night so I'm taking more this morning." Joanna said as if that made all the sense in the world.
"I recall you getting your milk last night." I said and Joanna just pouted.
"Lyarra stole it and I wanted a real taste." Joanna said before looking down and saw that her hands had done the job in getting my manhood back to full erection. With a smile she replaced her hands with her mouth once again and returned to trying to milk me for my cum. The sounds of her slurping and sucking however stirred awake the other woman in my bed. I looked to my side and found Lyarra cuddling close to me and slowly her eyes opened and then closed to the sunlight hitting them.
"Too early… sleep more." Lyarra mumbled as she buried her face in my shoulder. But then she sniffed the air and could smell the scent of sex and my discharge and shot up looking at Joanna with a betrayed look in her eyes. Joanna however just looked up from taking in as much of my cock as she could with as innocent expression as could in her current position. "You don't get to hog the master all for yourself." Lyarra dove down to the end of the bed and pushed Joanna off my dick before taking her place in sucking me off. Joanna fell off the edge of the bed when she raised her head back up and saw that Lyarra had added her enormous tits, wrapping them around my shaft in their pillow like softness.
"No fair, using those udders of yours." Joanna growled as she climbed back onto the bed, and took the position of straddling my body just so that my face was at her chest height. She pressed her bust together and gave one of the cutest begging faces I had ever seen. "Master~ you like my breasts more than Lyarra's right?" Joanna pushed forward and shoved her chest into my face, holding my head firmly in the valley of her beasts. That combined with the amazing feeling of the tit-job Lyarra was giving me, with even more enthusiasm to outdo her friend in a bid for my attention. I reached around and gripped Joanna's firm ass causing her to give a pleased moan as she felt my fingers dig into her flesh. She then looked down at me and had a dirty look in her eyes as she just thought of something. "You gave me your milk, now I want you to have some of mine."
Taking the hint I took one of Joanna's hardened nipples into my mouth and sucked, the taste of sweet milk hit my tongue and I heard Joanna moan even louder. The volume of her aroused state grew the longer I milked her, I think she might actually have a lactation kink. I tabled that thought aside as I felt my cock twitch hard in Lyarra's mouth. I gave a grunt before cumming into her mouth, and unlike Joanna she let go of my cock well before I finished spilling my seed. Lyarra's chest and Joanna's back were soon spattered white. Lyarra cooed as she enjoyed the warm sticky sensation of my cum on her chest and Joanna actually came over my stomach.
"Mmm… master's cum." Lyarra hummed as she played with the pools of my cum on her breasts, licking at my seed and enjoying the tastes. However she soon looked up and climbed over to clean off what had gotten on Joanna's back. The Lannister woman gave a soft moan as she felt her fellow slave clean her off. During all this I slipped out from under Joanna and as I left the bed to the women they began playing with each other. I grabbed a loose robe and put it on, only as a favor to the guard standing at Lyarra's door. With a wave of my hand and some Force persuasion I gave him orders for our breakfast to give to the servants coming to the suite. It was something that I did regularly and the only change was that it was now for three people. When I returned to the bedchamber I found Lyarra laying on top of Joanna, sucking at her leaking beasts and a hand between her legs.
"I see the two of you are perfectly able to get along without me." I said as I took a chair for myself.
"Of course master, Lyarra just needed to understand I don't blame her one bit for what happened." Joanna said as she ran a hand through Lyarra's hair, scratching behind her ears causing a pleased growl from the wolfen woman. Lyarra in response nibbled a bit at Joanna's teat, making the woman give a sharp gasp.
"Good, today the King will be holding court. I will be approaching him to grant me some trade rights with Essos, giving me a reason to be seen there." I said as I looked out the windows of the bedroom to the waters of Blackwater Bay. While there was a great deal that I could do here in Westeros, there were skills and people in Essos that I sorely needed. Prime among them were people that knew how to remove or fix dragon fire melted stone. Harrenhal's superstructure was supposedly intact but much of the surface was so damaged from Dragon Fire that any attempt to repair the keep was laughable. If there was anyone in the world that knew how to fix this it would be someone in the Free Cities.
"Are you going to be leaving us soon master?" Joanna asked and Lyarra stopped what she was doing to look at me. Both had such pleading looks, I couldn't decide if they were for me not to leave them or for me to take them with me.
"No, I'll leave once I have Harrenhal under Quinn's management and the Seekers out looking for the first crop of Acolytes." I said as my mind began thinking about the coming challenges. More than just the ruin of a castle that my order would be housed in. I was creating an entire new Force User order from the ashes of the Sith. The first generation of my new Sith would be interesting and experimentory. Sure many of them might fumble in the less than ideal state that my order was in but I'm sure that the beginning Jedi and Sith orders had their share of problem children too. Hehe… I'm funny.
Pierce looked over the hundred or so people gathered in one of the lesser halls of the Red Keep. These would be the Seekers of the Sith. The men and a few women that his boss, Lord Rhyhall or Darth Nagash as he named himself, had found with Jaesa. Pierce knew the power that the woman had with her eyes, he knew that with her say so that all these people were trustworthy. If they weren't, then they wouldn't be here to begin with. But that didn't mean they were ready just yet.
"Are you ready, gone over what we need to say for maximum effect?" Quinn asked as they stood at the back of the hall, the eventual Seekers were chatting among themselves or just waiting in their own ways for something to happen. He and Quinn would be addressing and training these sorry souls. Darth Nagash had given them the task of making sure that the Seekers were willing, trustworthy, and ready for the job they had before them. For the past month Pierce had been going on a plan for how the Seekers would operate and Quinn had been working on the various laws and oaths that Darth Nagash would hand off to the king for officiating.
"Yeah, I did my homework." Pierce grunted before he stepped forward and took the center spot on the raised dais at the end of the hall. "Ey! All of you lot! Listen up!" Pierce shouted and his voice carried all the way to the front of the hall. The assembled men and women all quieted down and looked to Pierce, he didn't flinch in the slightest. He was a soldier of the Empire and had been in command of some of the hardest sons of bitches the galaxy had ever seen. "You have all been chosen by Darth Nagash, Lord of Harrenhal and Grand Master of the Sith Order. I am his master at arms and he has asked me to make sure all of you will be able to do your job."
"And I am Malavai Quinn, acting administrator of Darth Nagash's affairs." Quinn said after a short cough as he stepped up to stand beside Pierce. Given the looks and snorts Pierce knew who they preferred. It was no surprise as Quinn wasn't the most friendly to the common man to begin with. "You are to be the men and women sent out into the lands of Westeros looking for those born sensitive to the Force."
"You don't have to understand what the Force is, or what it is the Sith do with it. It's magic, just leave it at that." Pierce put it bluntly and many of them looked happy that at least one of them looked to be able to put things simply for them. These were the poor and the forgotten of Fleabottom, they weren't learned men and didn't have time for the higher questions of life. "When you find a child able to use the Force, if they are low born, then the family will be offered either a bag of Stags and a few Dragons or they can come to Harrenhal and be given jobs. If their High Born… just tell them the king has called upon them to send their children off to join the noble order of Sith." Pierce said with a mocking tone and many laughed at that. He knew they would find it funny and ironic that nobles got squat while the peasants either got paid or a new life under a new and reportedly generous lord.
"In the coming days we will be training you both in how to defend yourself and how to properly conduct yourself in your position." Quinn said as he continued to stand straight like any military commander and Pierce had to admit that they were at least responding with minimal respect to Quinn's behavior. While he might still have an air of arrogance, it wasn't like the haughty nobles of King's Landing. It was earned and Quinn carried himself as such. Plus Quinn was telling them he would be actually helping him in ways that weren't false promises like the nobles.
"Half of you stay here with Quinn and the rest I'll be taking you to train up a bit with the Gold Cloaks. Hopefully by the time we need to leave for Harrenhal you'll be able to fight off wild animals. Once we get to Harrenhal, we'll do some more intense drills that will make sure any bandit will soon be thinking twice about messing with a Seeker." Pierce watched as half the room began separating from the other. "Good luck captain… you're going to need it." Pierce chuckled, it was one thing to teach a man how to handle a sword it was another to teach him fine words and proper political speech when that man had been living in the mud all his life.
I stood back in the shadow of one of the overlooking arches, below me was the Great Hall of the Red Keep. The nobles all gathered around and talked among themselves, the King sat upon his throne and I narrowed my eyes… he was lucid. Far more aware of himself than I had ever seen him. So lucid in fact that I couldn't tamper with his mind unless I wanted to risk him noticing.
"Did he actually love Joanna?" I mumbled to myself as it was the only thing that I could think of. The shock of her death might not just be affecting Tywin but Ayres. I mean… It made a sort of sense. Given his insinuations that he had impregnated Joanna and hatred of his own wife, jealousy of Tywin… yeah I could see it.
"I would bet dragons on it." I snapped to the voice of the woman that had heard my musings. Next to me was the Princess of Dorne. The Dorish woman had snuck up on me… impressive for a normal person. She smirked before looking up at the Iron Throne. "Joanna was a beauty, no one denied that. And Targaryens have in the past, ignored holy vows of marriage. Won't be the first time."
"She didn't though, she stayed loyal until he wasn't." I knew I was playing with fire dropping a hint like that. But the woman was Joanna's friend and she deserved to have someone else confirm what she knew. If only to put down any nagging thoughts. Plus I want to make sure I'm in good with another Great House. I'm at two for two, the Starks and Targaryens love me but the Lannisters and Grayjoys both I think I can count as enemies. None of the others have really made their feelings show one way or the other. Pretty sure they're waiting to see just how the Sith will operate.
"Hm." Nysah hummed without any more comment and the two of us watched the many nobles in relative silence. I eventually looked back up to the King and resumed my frowning. Whatever was going on with the King was making his mind very still. Even my authority over the Iron Throne couldn't help me see or manipulate the man. Short answer: I had gotten sloppy and too used to having him as a puppet. Hopefully he wouldn't do too much involving me during this time. "That was an interesting request you made, trade rights with Essos." The Princess' voice drew my attention… I had honestly forgotten that she had even existed for a moment.
"Yes well, I looked into the history of dragon fire when I learned what had been done to my new keep. It's not the only structure in the world that was melted by the beasts, many exist in Essos. If there is a way to repair Harrenhal it will be there." She nodded and I could tell she was fishing for something. Waiting for either something to happen in court or for me to bring it up. Perhaps trying to find out my relation to Joanna or Lyarra or any number of other things. Whatever it was I was not in the mood for double speak. "I don't know what it is you want, spit it out or go bother someone else." I growled as the frustration of the situation with the king was grating on my nerves. I had been able to take a chunk out of the Dark Side tipping the scales in my mind but then I dropped it right back by chaining Joanna to me. I was not in the mood for this woman to be playing games. Thankfully she seemed more amused than offended.
"I would think that your little spy was able to tell you what we have planned for you." Nysah said and looked mildly shocked when I frowned and looked completely unaware of this insinuation. I wasn't denying anything but just confused. "Did Lyarra not tell you, Tywin means to get you married." The Princess didn't waste time on double words and meanings. She could tell I was not agreeable to that at the moment and we were alone and speaking quiet enough to speak plainly.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but as much as I adore Tywin we could never be." I joked and Nysah laughed as I looked back to Tywin who was standing at the base of the stairs leading up to the Iron Throne. Impractical, your number one adviser is too far to actually do his job. At least the TV show's Iron Throne was usable as an everyday throne. The massive beast of a chair I saw before was anything but. "A Frey no doubt."
"Had I been at the meeting then I would have warned them, but I think that would have been fruitless." Nysah said and raised an eyebrow when I didn't respond further. "Lyarra didn't tell you this last night after your lovers' tryst?"
"I am more interested in how you found out about us… no wait… your Dorish… there's my answer." I said and she had a smile that said it all. "Better question, why have you kept this to yourself. Why have I not gotten a letter from Lord Stark demanding answers about the nature of my relationship with his wife?"
"Lyarra is my friend, I have listened to her speak about her husband, dry, short, and terribly boring. But you, she can talk about you for days. A woman knows these things, and I know whom holds the She-Wolf's heart." I didn't know much about Oyberon, Elia, and Doran's mother. Beyond who she gave birth to. But she was quickly becoming someone I think I could respect. "I sent no word to Lord Stark because I understand that loveless marriages are common and without the acceptance of paramours that Dorne has many very unhappy lives. I also have no evidence to support this little theory." Once again I remained silent and Nysah simply stood by my side, likely wanting to see my reaction when the King announced his plans to have me marry some Frey girl. Not something I wanted in the slightest, it would be a sham and I would be up front about it to the girl. I would make sure she wanted for nothing and maybe we would have one child but that would be all. I wasn't willing to give much else. And soon enough the last of those here to see the king came and went, leaving the king to say whatever the hell he wanted.
"It has come to my attention that many feel that our new Order, the Sith Order, lacks roots to tie it's loyalty to the realm. I have heard your cries and your moaning." Aerys said as he gazed a hate filled glare toward the back of Tywin's head. Oh… that's some brutal anger there. "And so I have decided that the founding Grand Master of the Sith should indeed have his own line here in Westeros. The House of Rhyhall shall be founded." People murmured various things, most of which I could tell were positive. I guess they assumed that this was a step in the right direction, a step toward the normal manner in which things were done. "Which is why I call for Naraiz Rhyhall to be married to Lysa Tully!" The stone railing under my hand cracked and everyone heard it. They all looked up to me and the room froze as I glared up to the King with glowing yellow eyes. The king however looked to me like he had done me a great honor… and I knew if I treated it in any other way it would be disastrous. Here was I, a foreigner being given the hand of the daughter of a Great House of Westeros.
"Thank you, your grace." Several people gulped as they were me grind out my words. Everyone in the room was without question aware that I had not orchestrated this. They were under no illusions on how I felt… well… the king was.
"Wonderful, you shall marry once she bleeds and I…" At that I could not allow, no fucking way was I marrying a child that just began puberty.
"I must refuse this offer, your grace." Now it was when I gave hell to caution and began using the Iron Throne to influence the King. Everyone was too busy watching the exchange between me and the king to notice the small ribbons of red and black that were dusting off the blades of the Iron Throne. "While I respect the manner in which things are done here in Westeros, I can not abandon all my homeland's customs. And under Imperial Law, no man or woman was to marry until they turned ten and eight. I will accept the marriage but I must ask that the date be pushed back until Lady Lysa is such an age." If all went to plan then Aerys would be dead and Robert would be on the Throne. He would be much more willing to let me operate marriageless.
"Ten and Five, that is when she will be ready for you Nagash and I will hear now more of it." The King snarled and while that normally was a sign of his faulty mental faculties, this was just normal anger. Though it wasn't directed at me, I was just the current target for it. I needed to get Tyrion out of here before the King came looking for the supposed killer of Joanna. But first thing first… I needed to kill something. Slowly. Good thing I kept a few of my master's toys around just in case.
Lyarra held down her extra ears to try and keep out the sounds of the screaming going on just beyond the door to the second bedroom in her suite. It had been unused since she had no other people living with her besides her master… and now Joanna. But for the last four hours her beloved had been in there with a man that he stole from the Night's Watch recruiter that had been in King's Landing. She never imagined she could hear the kind of sounds that were coming from that room. THere was no doubt in her mind that even a Bolten would be horrified.
"Please stop please stop please stop… huh?" Her prayers had been answered and the screams stopped and the door slammed open. Then she watched as her master dragged out the poor man… who she was sure deserved all of this but even knowing that she pitied him. He was dragged off to the balcony and then tossed him well across into the middle of the city with a Force Push. Then Naraiz just leaned forward on the railing staring at the stars. Lyarra carefully stepped back onto the floor from the chair she had huddled tight on.
"You're up there aren't you… laughing at me." She heard her master say and she knew it wasn't toward her. He did this sometimes, just stare at the heavens like he was having a conversation with something up there. Given that Lyarra knew he came from the stars she didn't think it was too strange. But sometimes she questioned it.
"Master?" Lyarra spoke, her voice filled with concern and fear. She knew Naraiz was not an evil man, but also not a good one. He had honor but sometimes discarded it when he felt the need to. Everything that a knight pretended they weren't, he was. A flawed man that lived with the reality that the world was awash in gray. Neither pure dark or light. Lyarra flinched when he turned his head sharply at her, his eyes still glowing yellow but then she felt his arms wrap around her and held her close.
"Sorry, I had to work some things out of my system and you got a little taste of that." His voice soothed her and his hand stroked her hair as she nuzzled her head deeper into his chest. No doubt he should have been covered in blood by the sounds but he was clean and his scent was just as it always was. Metallic yet that was overshadowed by a nice smoky musk. It was one of the most unique smells she had even experienced, and it was one she could never forget.
"No I am sorry, I should have warned you about what was coming." Lyarra felt guilty, if she had told him about the nobles' plans to have him married then maybe he could have stopped it. Even if it was at the time to just have him marry a Frey, she still should have warned her master.
"We had Joanna, she can be quite distracting." Naraiz chuckled and she felt more content than she ever had, a warmth spreading through her chest as she was in his arms. Lyarra knew this was love, it couldn't be anything but love. She loved her master, she wanted to stay with him forever and it hurt her to think that she would be spending years without him soon. "Lysa Tully… a jealous girl overshadowed by her older sister. It's not her that I'm angered by, I can twist someone like that into a monster loyal to only me easily, what has me angered is that it had to be now. The idea that a child can be married off to someone twice or even three times their age, disgusting."
"Does it really bother you that much?" It was hard for her to understand where he was coming from. Lyarra knew that her master knew what existed in the world, slavery and abuse of the young. These were not crimes that he would be blind to.
"It enrages me only if people ever think to associate me with it." He let her go and returned to his previous spot on the railing. She joined him and looked up at the stars, wondering if any of them were the one of his birth. "I wouldn't begin to know which stars are which. Mapping the night sky is different for each world." He answered her question before she even asked it.
"When are we leaving?" She didn't want to, she wanted moments like this to go on forever. Small quiet moments where the rest of the Seven Kingdoms didn't exist and she could just stay with Naraiz. The entire world was changing, she knew it and he was at the very center of it.
"Soon, I promised Joanna that she could be with Tyrion so long as he is in the city. Tywin won't be keeping him here much longer with the king acting so strange after her death. Once her son leaves, we will begin arrangements. You'll send word by raven to Winterfell of your return and come with me to Harrenhal where you then leave with Joanna for Winterfell." He explained and she grabbed a hold of his arm as he spoke. Lyarra held him close and felt like a maiden from a story unwilling to leave her prince before he left for war. It was silly, she was a grown woman with four children. She should not be acting like this but with Naraiz… she couldn't help it.
"Promise me you will visit, even in secret. I know you can." He could leave from the tip of Dorne and be far beyond the Wall in a day's time. She had been told such a trip was ill advised for his machine as they lacked the parts to fix it if it broke down due to strain but the trip between Winterfell and Harrenhal was not that far. He could make the trip easily and quickly.
"I will." He said softly before kissing her head. "But you need to be able to handle yourself without me. You will live so long as I do, and I still have a great deal of life left in me. There will be times in the future where I will be worlds away from you." She gripped his arm even tighter at such a future. Just him not being in the same kingdom was hard, let alone the same world, an idea that had not even entered her mind until now. But then he leaned back into and whispered into her ear. "And there will be times when we shall not leave our bed for weeks, just us and whoever we wish to join. Where nothing beyond our bedroom will deign to interrupt our happiness."
"Yes~" Lyarra purred as she pictured such a time. Their bodies intertwined as they made slow and passionate love.
"There will always be tradeoffs, my pet." He smirked as he pulled away and looked back at the stars and then frowned. "There will come a day when we look up at the stars and all of them will be ours."
"I could be having sex right now…" Joanna sighed as she watched the land slowly move beyond the small window of the wheelhouse that she shared with Lyarra. She gave a tiny glare toward the slumbering woman in her lap, the two of them could be having sex instead of not having sex but Lyarra was worried about one of their guards catching them. Joanna suspected that Lyarra just wanted to use this time to nap, they had been up all night having their last hurrah with their master and so they got very little sleep. "She is adorable when she sleeps." Joanna admitted as she ran her fingers through Lyarra's smoky brown locks, the wolf woman giving a pleased sigh as she nestled herself deeper in her friend's lap.
It had been exactly five days before she and Lyarra left King's Landing. After their master's marriage announcement her former husband had arranged for Tyrion and the twins to be taken back to the Rock. Likely thinking that since the king's favored sorcerer wasn't beyond touch in the king's depression over her supposed death, the Hand's children weren't even close to being protected. The truth was she had been more than irritated at hearing that and knew that her master felt the same. Naraiz didn't like that his promise to her was lessened by the machinations of the king, which she was thankful for him feeling this way. It was one of the ways she knew he cared about her.
Lyarra had been right, Joanna couldn't possibly know or understand how Naraiz Rhyhall showed his love. It was strange, the way he acted was like two different men. On one hand he was very attentive and knew the inner workings of a woman's mind like a very experienced romantic would. Yet at the same time he'd be rather naïve to his own feelings and even lack confidence to believe himself able to feel love. Joanna didn't know where this dichotomy came from but was happy to know she had the clarity of servanthood to fully be exposed to all of Naraiz's sides. As a woman that has known love, she knew the signs and Naraiz did in fact love her and Lyarra. Maybe not as deeply as she once loved Tywin or she him, but that was because these feelings were still young and slightly hampered by their less than normal origins.
And even with the time spent apart she was sure these feelings would grow. Afterall, absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that. Even if it would be years at a time with only sporadic visits in between. Joanna was thankful that Lyarra and her would have each other, both to make sure that they could have a friend that knew each other's secret but also so they could remain satisfied sexually. The Lannister frowned as she knew that Lyarra would be having to sleep with her husband to keep him unaware of what was really happening. Lyarra of course was unhappy at this but knew that she needed to do this. Naraiz had told her to avoid suspension but it was clear he disliked it all. Given what Lyarra had told her of Rickard's sexual appetite, Joanna believed that after an initial need caused by her absence the Lord Stark would go right back to his previous absentee ways. Which was good for Joanna because it meant that Lyarra would be all hers for years. The Lannister had quickly developed a great joy in making the wolf woman howl in pleasure.
The sudden feeling of the wheelhouse snapped Joanna out of her thoughts and woke and mildly annoyed Lyarra. It had been a few days since they had left King's Landing but it was too soon for them to be at Harrenhal. Lyarra had just fixed herself back up as the door opened and one of the Targaryen soldiers informed them that Darth Nagash was requesting Lady Stark. She thanked the man and they both were helped out of the wheelhouse and escorted to a hill overlooking the lands. It was a good distance from the escort of soldiers and the hundred Seekers of the Sith that were coming with them. The soldier was quickly dismissed and Lyarra and Joanna walked the rest of the way.
"No Vette… we are not moving the ship to Harrenhal… because there's no fucking way we can hide it." As Lyarra and Joanna approached their master they could see him talking to Vette via his Holo-communicator. Lyarra had seen the device many times and was still awed by it. Joanna however had only been told of the idea of it by Lyarra and couldn't stop staring at the small blue figure being projected by the metal disc. There was also the fact the figure was clearly not human.
"-Come on… you have to give me something!-" Vette demanded and Naraiz glanced back at them, acknowledging their presence before focusing back on Vette.
"The sooner that you are able to get the ship at least air worthy the sooner you can have your wish." He said before shutting the transmission off. He stowed the device away and looked back onto the rolling hills that made up the border between the crownlands and the riverlands. The grass went on and on, split up by the occasional rock or bare cliff. Lyarra and Joanna said nothing as their master looked on the empty grasslands until he finally spoke again. "You two will head on to the North without stopping by Harrenhal."
"But master-" Lyarra began but Joanna saw the wisdom in this. It was already a miracle that there weren't rumors about Lyarra and Naraiz's relationship. But if Lyarra spent even a night at Harrenhal before making her way to the North it would send a message that defied the story that they had built.
"No, after I and my host arrive I will place Quinn in charge of settling in. Then I will make a ride for Riverrun. There I will meet Lord Tully and try to do some damage control." They listened to their master growl and both knew that he was extremely displeased by the King's orders. Joanna knew that Lyarra was displeased and angered too but Joanna was just worried for the Tully girl. Both Naraiz and Lyarra were baying for blood in their own ways and Joanna wondered if they would unconsciously take it out on the poor girl. "Once that is done I will spend some time in my keep, making a more thorough report on its problems and then I shall head to Essos for a time. By the time I return the Seekers should have found a suitable amount of Force Sensitives." He finished before turning back to the two of them.
"And we will be working in the North, assisting the Seekers and watching for any sign that they are being hindered." Joanna said and Lyarra nodded, not finding her voice. The Lannister knew she was going to need to help her friend a lot these coming years if she was this broken up at leaving their master.
"If all goes as I believe then the realm should be quiet for the next three years. Then a Tourney will be held during which events will move various things along. For the next three years I will be preparing and laying the groundwork for many plans. I will have no time for fun and games, these last few months will look like child's play compared to this." He was being completely serious, and it honestly made her worried. Before her… reminded her too much of Tywin at his most cold. But she steeled herself and remembered that Naraiz and her former husband had completely different ways of getting what they wanted. Anything more he was going to say was put aside as they heard the sound of horse hooves clomping toward them.
"My lord, we are ready to split off from the king's men." Quinn said as he approached the three with an extra horse for Naraiz. The Sith nodded and took the reins from Quinn before looking back at his two lovers.
"I do promise that my plans have you two back with me in a more permanent fashion, it's just going to take a while." He sighed like he was pained by this, but he lacked the power to change it. Joanna thought that maybe he was waiting for events to unfold that were coming before he could take Lyarra from Rickard. Possibly Rickard's future death. "For now, Lyarra… keep Rickard unaware and the North strong. Joanna, stay hidden as Lyarra's handmaiden and maybe apply some of that Lannister bookkeeping to Winterfell." He joked as he took to the saddle.
"Yes master." Both the women said, duty and sorrow mixing in their voices.
"What is a few years compared to the centuries you shall live with me?" He said before taking the reins and dashing off back toward the mass of men that were his Seekers. Lyarra and Joanna watched both feeling their hearts long to join him. Lyarra had a hand to where her collar was and Joanna bit her lip. She didn't think that she could feel for someone so quickly but she supposed the details surrounding their relationship were the cause of that. But that still did not change what she was feeling right now, that she felt pain at the sight of seeing the new man in her life riding away.
I am a flawed man, I know this. Narcissism was not something I had back on earth and it was something that Naraiz tried to keep under control. He found that by committing himself to the goals of Darth Revan, it helped in keeping his ego in check. Placing the man on a pedestal of perfection that he could never reach. I thankfully don't have such a blind view on the galaxy and on the man that would inspire my new Force Order. But now I wondered if I was putting too much emphasis on myself, maybe it was just because no one else at this current time was capable of taking the spot of a hero. Jon, Dany, Tyrion, the Stark Children, these people would come later and hopefully grow into people that take away some of the spotlight from me.
"My lord, we are approaching Harrenhal." The sound of Quinn addressing me brought me out of my musings and with a blink I refocused to the titanic keep that dominated the hilly plains. The massive curtain walls raised high above the battered landscape but soaring above them were the five towers that made up the castle of Harrenhal. The idea of five fingers grasping the sky was very fitting. But beyond just visual sights… the Force was trembling. "Something wrong my lord?"
"I've felt something like this before… this fortress is much like the Dark Temple. The blood and pain of those that built this place dripped into every stone and became the mortar that bound it all together." I rambled to the Imperial who didn't know a lick of what I was talking about beyond the surface facts. Honestly I expected this to a degree but… damn if this place wasn't a little sister to the Dark Temple. Though by accident. Harren the Black had no idea what he was making and so the final product is rawer and rougher than it could have been. A challenge for me but I think if I can remove the curse I can refine the basic built in Force Presence in the stone into something marvelous. Harren the Black was a Dark Side user and likely did some crude rituals during the construction of this place, which would explain why he was so sure Aegon's dragon couldn't break it. But in his death his spirit latched onto this place in an attempt to curse the man that killed him and to try and avoid the hell that all Dark Side users go, Chaos. If I got rid of Harren… the curse would go away and I could mold the power imbued in Harrenhal into something fitting. "Tell the men to wait here… I need to go alone." At that I charged my horse forward into full gallop.
As I approached the great keep I tilted my head up toward the rim of the high walls, the gate was open as those few guards had seen my approaching host. The Maester of the keep was killed in Jaesa's little purge and apparently the gray rats had not seen fit to send a new one yet. So it was only a nameless small host of men that were at the gate. I sped right past them and dashed my way toward the very source of the hatred I could feel emanating this place. It brought me right to the Hall of a Hundred Hearths and to the central I stepped into the hall, all of the fireplaces lit up and began billowing smoke. Doubtful that this happened often. I continued to stride forward unheeded by the smoke, my respirator easily handling the work.
"THIS IS MY KEEP!" The smoke pouring out of the hearths began spiraling up and then tunneled its way around the hall and finally landing in a booming crash into the throne. And out of it came the burning visage of Harren the Black. An angry and towering Ironborn raider every bit as terrifying as a nurse maid made him out to be to unruly children. He was no mere man but a giant monster made in ash and rage, melted and jagged armor, it would seem his fixation on his death has turned inward and channeled those elements into his very soul. "This is no place for you, Dragon Rider! I built this keep! I am the sole ruler of the Iron Islands and ever spit of land south of the Neck!" He roared in fury as he raised his massive axe that no doubt any normal man could never hope to hold with one hand.
"Bring it you little bitch." I snorted as I pulled out my Vibrosword,big mistake. My eyes widened in shock and panic as the spectral axe broke through the blade, shattering the future sword into pieces. The next thing I knew I felt colder than I did a moment ago and was flying back through the air. Naraiz's instincts finally kicked in to compensate for my weakness and my body righted itself mid-air to land back on my feet and hands.
Once again I got cocky. Of course a Force Specter of this age and power could destroy a Vibroblade, even if it was of a higher quality fit for the crew of the Empire's Wrath. At the end of the day a Vibrosword is still just a piece of tech made with mortal hands. It breaks under pressure. Just like me. I'm not Naraiz, not truely. But need to be.
"Die in agony! Your blood shall soak the stone of my glory!" Harren bellowed as he jumped high in the air, a trail of fiery smoke followed him as he leapt up and came crashing back down. With a mighty swing from his axe he slammed down, intent on finishing me off. His blade instead met resistance.
The red and yellow glow from my lightsabers, one belonging to my former master and the son of the Emperor respectively. Now it was Harren's turn to be shocked and it gave me an opening to parry and knock the ghostly raider back. Harren stumbled back and before he could gather his feet I began my harassment. Honed combat instincts that existed ingrained in this body took control and I did my best to not impede them. This wasn't training with Jaesa where I could relax and let my surface memories of Lightsaber Forms carry me. Right now I was in a real fight for my life. The real Naraiz probably would have found this to be a light warm up but for me it was life or death.
I stuck fast and at every vital I could see. Pressing Harren back, he blocked all my attacks but with each of my moves he grew angrier and angrier at the fact I had him on the defensive. With a Force Push against the ground, I flipped forward in the air over the helmed head of Harren, kicking said head as I did so. A clang rang through the hall as my boot hit the faceplate of his helmet, I landed on my hand and pushed myself back into the air, spinning my arms and slashing at Harren's back. Like other Force Specters, he was vulnerable to the blades of a Kyber Crystal due to the crystal's innate Force connection.
The brute surprised me by a swift back hand sending me flying back into the air. In a mix of desperation and battlefield awareness, I grabbed a hold of one of the many hanging chandeliers. Using the moment of Harren's attack I swung around and shot back at him. We clashed again, as plasma met axe and a renewed duel of blades continued. This time a bit more even sided, with Harren able to get in a few strikes of his own. I however was the faster of the two and was able to duck and dodge all of his heavy swings and ham-handed grabs. There was also something else working against him, I was getting the hang of things. With every dodge, every strike and slash, every feint and counter, I was getting better.
"Stay still you Targaryen coward!" Harren screamed as I played a quick game of Find-The-Sith. Cloaking myself in the Force before reappearing just before slashing at Harren's joints. That ghost continued to take the cuts without any visible sign that it was doing anything but I could sense that something was happening. "Fight me like a man!" Harren roared before a build of fire under his armor grew blindly bright and then blasted outward. I had to jump back to the other end of the hall and frown behind my respirator at the damage this buffoon was doing to my new castle. There was now a huge hole in the floor, something I would have to repair.
"Oi! You don't have to live here anymore, I do!" I shouted half mocking half seriously pissed at what he had done. He stormed out of the smoke that had obscuring his position in a blind charge toward me. Oh joy… this again. I slid under his stride and threw myself back up into the air, slashing at his back on my way up and landing on his shoulders. And with a swift hack to his thick neck chopped off his head… only to be grabbed by his meaty fist and slammed into the floor. I choked on my blood as I felt bone crack under the repeated slams to the ground ending with him throwing me hard into the end of the hall, breaking the massive doors. "Ooorh… that did not feel good." I groaned as I pushed myself back up, looking up to see Harren's helmet reforming. Smoke and fire escaping the slits in the crude helmet.
"By the Drowned God I am these lands' ruler. I am the tyrant! I am the overlord! I am the king!" Harren howled into the sky and I could only roll my eyes at his ranting. He was a dead and charred body that had long since dusted into the wind. Only by sheer force of will and pride was this soul clinging to this place. I hopped back to my feet and… oh… oh shit that felt good! I knew that this armor had auto-injectors for some stimms but this is the first time I've ever took them for a ride. Wow! I lived totally sober in my previous life so this is a experience.
THough, i also knew that many of these stimms would kill most people. The aftereffects would still hit me later tonight when my body would naturally flush the Alchemical toxins from my body. But that was then and this was now, I didn't have Quinn to provide me on the spot medical assistance.
I was not built to take hits. All my skill set was into avoiding them all together. My armor was made to deflect blaster bolts with some of the best shielding technology the Empire had, and it was made out of metals that provided a great deal of kinetic protection. However, my body itself was not strengthened like more heavy fighters, attacks like the one Harren just did were just too damn brutal. My armor meant nothing if the force of impact was strong enough to knock my body around inside of it. Essentially when it came down to it, I could give myself the best armor and shields possible but I was still only slightly more durable than the average man. Which was why I was going to end this now.
After a quick click of my tongue I began reciting a few passages from one of the books written by Darth Rictus. The old bastard and the real Naraiz loved to talk about the deeper meanings of the Force and at one point I just asked him how it was he lived for so long and still seemed to stay stagnant in power. He had smirked and showed me his true power, and it floored me. Literally. I was one of his favorites in the newer generation and he hated my old master so he decided to give the real Naraiz a secret of his. The power of locking away percentages of power. A simple idea, but one that was thought impossible by most. But Darth Rictus was a master of doing impossible things with the Force and I had to admit that without this technique I would have stagnated or had to have sought out other means to improve my power, like Nox ended having to do. It was thanks to this technique that I was able to push past limits that my normal growth would have placed on me. Downside was that I couldn't use all of my power the moment I needed it. There was also the fact that I wasn't the person that had locked this power away, I was barely used to using nerfed Naraiz's power but full scale? Nah. Just a little more power I think I would need.
"What are you doing Targaryen! Pleading to you worthless gods for your life!" Harren roared as he began to charge at me. I continued to recite passages and felt the mental locks on my body and connection to the Force clicking open. My Mask dropped, it could never hold back the power. My muscles tightened and loosened as sealed away strength began flowing back into them. The Force felt even deeper… I could feel the ebbs and flows of the cosmic energy so much more clearly. I was letting myself reach about twenty percent of my full power. The real Naraiz only ever once had to let himself go full overpowered… when he killed Emperor Valkorion. "DIE DRAGON SPAWN!" I raised my hand and in an instant I sent the hulking monster of Harren the Black flying back and crashing into Harrenhal's throne. Eh… I was going to dismantle it anyways.
"Please tell me that you are still kicking, I haven't been able to fight like this in a long time." Wow, this was an even better high than the drugs. Fuck did it feel good to let those chains loose a bit. I'm going to have to find a dead world and just go full on demi-god and smash some mountains. I know that Legends had some bullshit Force Users but I never thought that one day I would be one of them.
"Cowardly dragon whelp… can't even fight me like a true warrior." Harren taunted as he grabbed a large broken stone that had once been part of his throne and used it to stand back up. We both began walking back to the center of the hall and once he broke into a full charge again I just started running. The Force pushed me along, increasing my speed beyond human levels and Harren was getting pissed because of it. He began swinging at me only to miss, and swing again with the same result. I jumped up and began running on the walls and just as Harren swung his axe into one of the many fireplaces I leapt off and slashed across his shoulder. Now with my increased strength I was able to cut clean through the ethereal plates that protected parts of his body. I landed on the other side of the hall and jumped off again, this time dashing under his arm and cutting his side where his liver should be. I rolled over on the ground before his mailed fist made contact with the stone floor. "Enough of this!" I used the Force to pull myself as far from Harren as possible before out of every crack in his ghostly form came a torrent of fire and smoke.
"Damn fool is going to burn this place down if he keeps that up." While it was strange to say this given Harrenhal's melted state, the threat of fire was still a valid one. And Harren didn't seem to care if his glory was in a livable state or if it was a burnt out ruin so long as it was his. I needed to end this before he started spreading that fire around and caught this entire keep on fire. And I would do so by using an old Sith tactic. I was going to cheat.
"That fool Aegon the worthless shall never ARGH!" Harren roared in pain as arcs of Force Lightning ravaged his body. He dropped to a knee as he continued to scream in agony as lightning extending from my fingertips blasted pieces of his ethereal body apart. Was this the honorable way to win… fuck no! Don't care. I'm a Sith and I can do shit like this. Soon enough I felt like I had made my point and stopped. Harren panted heavy as his body slowly reformed itself. "I… I am…" He rambled defiantly and I raised my hand to give him another round but then stopped as I saw what happened next.
Hands began pulling at Harren from the ground. And out from the hands came bodies. Soon he was being swarmed by crying and rage filled pale bodies of starved slaves. The souls of those that had been forced to build this keep were taking their chance, their captor was weakened and they were going to take their revenge. I watched passively as Harren weakly tried to put up a fight, but was unable to stop the tide of clawing hands as they pulled him apart until he dusted away into nothing with the souls. Honestly it was a bit anticlimactic but I could feel the angry and oppressive air in the hall disparate. The power was still there but I could feel something purify it. Turning my head toward the source of that power I began my toward it. Walking out through the ruined great doors to the Hall of a Hundred Hearths. Ignoring the fact there was a crowd of servants that all had awe-shocked looks on their faces. Enough to where it was unlikely that they could be discounted as crazy, not all of them saying the same thing.
I walked through the keep until I came to the gates to the Godswood. They opened without much effort and the second I stepped inside I could feel the Light Side of the Force. It was pushing against the Dark Side that soaked the stone of the keep. In this very spot I could feel the powers of the Dark Side and Light Side begin to meld and fight. A swirling vortex was forming high above Harrenhal, unseen by those without the sight. Walking through the groves of the Godswood, I soon came upon the angry face of the Weirwood tree that stood at the center of it all. It was there that I found that it was not the tree that was bringing the Light Side, as itself seemed to be so infused with Harren's hate that it was more Dark than Light. At least it should normally be, but right now it seemed whatever power that was behind the Weirwoods was simply using this one as a conduit to seek out the darkness in the lands and purify it until it was no more.
"It is not as you think." I turned and I was… beyond shocked. There standing in the middle of the Godswood was The Son. The One that embodied the Dark Side. The very being that I really did not want to meet for a long time. Given the sneer he had on his face I knew my fears of meeting him were well thought through. "It seems that you recognize me, curious. Father was right… again."
"Less recognize and more guessed right." I had to be careful, it looked like this near god like being didn't know about my reincarnation. That had implications on what God was but that was later Naraiz to worry about. More immediate was the fact the Son was off Mortis. The Force was different than what I thought it would be coming here, and given the state of the Republic it's safe to say this is a full AU situation. Meaning the rules on the Ones could be different.
"We have been aware that at times the Force Sensitives of the galaxy has glimpsed into the workings of the higher ascended. But just how aware are you, Student of the Balance?" Hmm… this has to be important if a One is speaking to me. Which means that I'm royally fucked. What sort of colossal mess has occurred that would warrant them coming to me. Yes, Naraiz is a very powerful figure in the grand scheme of things and Anakin hasn't been born yet so… there's really not anyone else of my caliber they could go to. Maybe Yoda or Palpy?
"I was fortunate to speak with a Killik Hivemind during my younger years. They had much to say about the beings that oversaw their construction of Centerpoint and Sinkhole Station." Dear Force I hope that that bit of lore is still accurate otherwise I'm going to sound like a total moron. But from the look on the Son's face I was in the clear on that.
"Interesting, but convenient. Then you should be aware of why they were constructed in the first place too." No. No-no-no-no! Don't have this conversation go in that direction.
"I… am."
"Mother escaped again." Fuck! That… was bad. Very. Very bad. Shitting my pants bad. I could deal with a lot, a lot but not that. The closest thing to an actual Devil this galaxy had was loose. And thinking back on her lore… i caused this. THe bounds that kept the Mother contained were weakened by temporal disturbances. Like the one that caused me to end up here.
Abeloth was a woman that would be difficult to handle. For one thing this galaxy was in no shape to fight such a foe. Actually… the fact the Republic was as it was now… it might prove to be a challenge for the ancient being to do serious damage. The visions that were given to me painted a picture of an overly paranoid Republic toward anything that seemed out of place, secret police and Jedi spies were common.
"Why would you come to me? There is a difference between Vitiate and the Mother, one was a god hopeful and the other is the genuine article. This sounds like something you and your sister need to handle yourself with your father." I recognize that I was the closest thing to a protagonist this galaxy had on hand, save for any other surprises that God set up for me. But Abeloth was just too high level for me, especially with how I was now.
"Father… he's not doing so well." The Son said with conflict in his voice. Ooh, he wanted to do it… but I don't think he's there yet. The Light Side is stronger in the galaxy than it was in canon, as The One represents the Dark Side he doesn't feel bold enough to assault The Father. I can't help it, the asshole in me can't help the snark.
"From one son to another, and one who actually pulled it off… it's not really worth it in the end." Once I said this The Son vanished and reappeared in my face with a taloned hand at my throat. I didn't flinch as I knew I was indispensable to The Ones if what he said was true. He just stared into me and after a moment pulled away, seemingly satisfied with his threat.
"Me and my sister will be on Mortis with Father, we cannot leave and risk Mother finding him." Because she would do things far worse than what you could ever be capable of.
The Son walked back to the Weirwood, examined it for a moment and reached into the open mouth carved into the bark. I wasn't sure just what was the point until I saw him pulled out a sword. I couldn't help but smile at the design. In form it was nearly identical to that of the Daedric Sword from Skyrim but the blade was smooth instead of serrated. I carefully watched as the Son walked back and presented the sword to me. This was a great gift indeed… one that I had a sneaking suspicion was a two parter as I was primarily a duel wield type of warrior and the size was perfect for that.
I took the blade and strangely I didn't feel any sense of intrusive power coming from it when I touched it. There was an expectation that it would try and corrupt me to the Dark Side. To whisper to me to take the power it offered. But instead… nothing. It had power… oh… a lot of power and it was pulsing out the Dark Side in waves. But… I check my mind with all the paranoia of a Dark Council member who hadn't gotten a single death threat in a week. Given that Sith consider death threats as normal as breathing, the idea of no death threats was the gravest of bad news one could get. And still nothing.
"Huh, would have thought there would have been more of a fight." Usually when claiming a Dark Side Artifact, the thing fights back hard. Even more so if there was a pre existing consciousness behind it or the artifact was incredibly powerful.
"It was made for you, and only you. Do not doubt our powers so easily. Now go to the Isle of Faces, there it's sister and mine await you." And with that he vanished and did not return. I then looked toward where the Isle of Faces should be. A few Force Sprints, Jumps, and a stolen rowboat later and I was on the Isle of Faces and damn if this place wasn't peaceful. Very few places were saturated in the Light Side as well as this place was. I chuckled a bit when I reached out with my senses and found a certain adorable psychopath missing.
"Your apprentice left the second she sensed you arriving at the castle." I heard the voice of The Daughter as I approached the center of the Weirwood. I found the embodiment of the Light Side sitting peacefully under its crimson leaves and serene carved face. "What? No flirtatious comment or even a question for why these trees bring out the Light Side?" She asked as I walked past her and began circling the Weirwood. I didn't answer for a moment before stopping my pacing and looked her dead in the eyes.
"You know exactly who I would have preferred to be here instead of you." I said and she just smiled in a way that annoyed me greatly. In all honesty even with the cool end game gear drop I still would have rather gotten another visit from Marr and Satele. Because I was severely under prepared to handle anything remotely touching cosmic level threats. "Enough small talk, tell me what you're here to tell me and give me my other sword." I said impatiently, I have just been given some horrible news in the form of a cosmic elder Force god escaping from her prison. And here I just thought I would have to deal with an overly gun happy republic and hardcore Jedi Order. Now I have Abeloth.
"Very well." She sighed as out from her robes she pulled out a blade, nearly the same design as Midwan but cleaner and more rounded curves than sharp edges. She handed it to me and I could feel the Light Side pulsing from it. It was in every way the counterpart to Midwan. "Its name is Saarai."
"How much did it hurt you to call it Truth in the Sith language." I chuckled but it was fitting. Power and Truth… without truth power was nothing but vanity and without power truth was doomed to obscurity. I sheathed Saarai opposite Midwan on my hip and looked back to The Daughter. "Now… exactly how fucked am I? How long before Abeloth has her tentacles wrapped around the Republic's leadership and orchestrating the greatest societal collapse in galactic history?"
"She will be more concerned with finding Father than dealing with the mortals. She might take the time to plot and plan but I believe she will ignore them all in favor of seeking out her perceived foes… Father and The Chosen One." That made sense… but at the same time I doubted it would be as easy as that. Abeloth will be attracted to Dark Side users and will try to use them to grow her power. But in what form that power will be is up in the air. "She is also not fully free from her prison, we believe that she currently has one avatar out in the galaxy."
"And how long will that stay the case?" I was actually hoping that she made more, because the more of those fucking things out there, the easier it would be to take her down.
"So long as her prison and its chains are intact, she will be limited to one Avatar. But should Sinkhole Station be destroyed, she would be entirely free." Nothing I hadn't expected, but I still had a great motivation to get off this world and make contact with… anyone really. I should at least give a cryptic message to the Rule of Two Sith and the Jedi that a monster from the deep is on the loose.
"Before you go, can you at least give me a hint of what is up with this world?" I asked knowing that my time with the Daughter was coming to a close. She looked at me for a few moments before nodding.
"The answers you seek are exactly where you think they are." She said before raising her hands and transforming into her griffon form and flying off into the sky. While not the most helpful of hints it at least confirmed that I would be finding answers. Something that wasn't always a guarantee when it came to the Force. And it made my eventual trip to Essos all the more important.
When I returned to Harrenhal I found a crowd of small folk gathered at the gate swarming Quinn, Pierce and Jaesa. Word had spread fast that I had defeated the ghost of Harren the Black and sent him back to the Seven Hells or whatever. Quinn looked to be very pleased that these people were now giving me the reverence he thought I deserved. Pierce just looked amused by the whole thing and was keeping Jaesa back from the crowd. My darling apprentice would be in a similar spot as Quinn if not for her current annoyance at the mob of people demanding to see me. Deciding to end this I floated a nearby rock and slammed it down to get all their attention.
"Nice to be greeted in such a momentous fashion." I said and all the peasants that lived in Harrenhal looked on to me like I was Christ himself… or whatever analog was appropriate here. "I can assume that many of you have heard what I did upon my arrival?"
"I saw it!" One of the peasants shouted, an older man. Why was it always an old man? "Saw milord fight the ghost of Harren the Black I did. Saw you fight like the Warrior come alive, fighting the brute like it was nothing. No swing of his dreadful axe could touch you." He spoke with a mix of reverence and a strain to his voice that only came with age. It was comical how the others were lapping it all up like gospel. Which was ironic because that was not what happened. Harren probably would have won had I not unlocked more of my power and started cheating. Also there was the handicap he had in that I didn't have to kill him, just weaken him down enough for the vengeful souls to finish him off.
"Then you banished Harren away with holy lightning, sending him to the Lord of the Seven Hells." Another shouted and the rest all began to clamor for my attention. I had to stop them before they began trampling over each other. Thankfully all it took was a raising of my hand. Damn I missed that. It worked on Imperial officers and small folk alike.
"You're all wrong." I said and all I got was confused looks. "Harren the Black was once like me, a user of the Force. He didn't know it beyond that he had strange powers that none other had. And he used these powers to bind the pain, suffering, and blood of those that built this castle. But when Aegon the Conqueror came and burned Harren alive, he cursed all that inhabited what he considered his. And clung to this place so jealousy and greedily that his soul refused to pass on. All I did was summon the bastard to a central point, as he believed me to be a Targaryen of old due to my powers with the Force. An insult that he could not allow and so came to kill me himself instead of letting his curse take care of me. I fought him… yes. But it was not I that finished him."
"If not you then who milord?" One of them asked, I could feel that they were ensnared within the Force Persuasion I was lacing into my words. They hung off every word, awaiting each piece of my story with rapt attention.
"It was the small folk that he had bound to his keep. They defeated Harren the Black. Not Aegon Targaryen. Not I. But the peasants and servants that died building this great keep. They saw him weakened by our duel and took the chance to have their justice. Their long awaited vengeance against him denying them a peaceful rest." The mumbling began, all of them were bolstered by the idea that people like them had claimed the afterlife of a villain as evil as Harren the Black. I wasn't even lying to them, just playing down my impotence to them. I already had their devotion, it was more effective to give them some hope that they could be great too. Even in death. Especially in death. "Now, Harrenhal is no longer cursed. I'm sure many of you can already feel a change in the air."
"Yes milord, I have never felt so free and joyous in all my time here."
"Aye, it is as if a great dread has been banished."
"Harren the Black is no more! We are free!"
"So celebrate!" I shouted and looked at one of the wagons that the Seekers had brought. Three of the Seekers in training caught my intent and opened the back of one and showed the full stores of food they had brought. I had made sure to bring a great deal of food as I had intended to hold a fest regardless of what happened when I arrived. To help further endear myself to my new subjects. "Tonight the Hall of a Hundred Hearths shall be filled with rapture of more than the spiritual kind!" The peasants cheered and began moving to help the Seekers move the stores of food into the keep to prepare for the feast.
"Quite the show master, and I see you bound the power here into something usefull." Jaesa looked down at Midwan as she approached me. But she shrunk at my chastising glare as she recalled that I had ordered her not to leave the Isle of Faces until I told her to.
"Not exactly, this and it's sister came from somewhere else. I'll tell you more about that when you are ready for some… larger truths. But for now, you may now this blade as Midwan." I pulled the blackened blade off from his loop and held it out. There was small pull and probing in the force. Like a small creature poking its head out from under a rock to examine its surroundings. The Ones have certainly gifted me with something interesting.
Power… what a perfect name." Jaesa whispered and then reached out to touch the hilt of my sword only for me to move it away. "Aw… please master… I just want to touch it." She begged putting on her best puppy dog face while also crossing her arms under her breasts to feature them in her pleading.
"No, I have told you many times the Dark Side is never to be trusted. It is a rabid tool that will take any chance it has to sink its claws in you and never let go. What is the first Rule of the Dark Side my apprentice?" Putting Midwan back, I wanted this to be a good learning experience for Jaesa. Or at least a chance to reiterate a old lesson.
"We are Sith, we Rule the Dark Side. It does not Rule us." Jaesa recited clearly and without any hint of humor or sarcasm. This was the most important teaching that I had ever given Jaesa, while it was clear that she had abandoned the Jedi and all their teachings and had taken to the Sith perfectly… I still wanted to make sure she didn't fall to the Dark Side. There was a difference between embracing the Dark Side and falling to it. Jaesa had done the former rather than the latter. So it was a happy compromise between party psycho Jaesa and the boring light side Jaesa that no one liked from the MMO.
Nodding at her answer, I pulled Saarai and held it out for Jaesa to take. She could feel the Light Side radiating out from the blade and looked up to me with pleading eyes. I said nothing and continued to hold it out for her to take. Jaesa looked sick but reached out and took the grip from my hand and groaned before finally shouting in pain and dropping the sword. I caught it midair and looked down at Jaesa's hands, burned like she had handled hot coals.
"Spend more time among the Weirwoods, when you can hold Saarai without it burning you I will be satisfied." I said dismissively and Jaesa bowed and began her way back toward the Isle of Faces. It pained me to be so cold to her, but she needed to learn. She would never achieve the Balance in her soul but she still needed to purge the Dark Side from her system. "Quinn."
"Yes my lord." Quinn stepped up, he had been waiting for master and apprentice to finish and now knew it was time for business.
"I will be leaving tomorrow for Riverrun, while I am gone you are to handle any business in my stead and Pierce is to head the guard. I expect by the time I return to Harrenhal to be readying itself for a future refurbishing." I knew that any true rebuilding of Harrenhal would take much more than we had available. But Quinn knew that and would be working on surveying the keep to the last detail. He would find every hidden passage and every support beam. I expected a complete map of the castle by the time I got back. And with that I would begin planning out the rebirth of the future Temple of the New Sith Order.
Author's Notes
Wow... so now Naraiz is going to marry Lysa, he has Harrenhal, fought Harren, and now has to worry about a lovecraft Force devil. Thing will not always go his way and there will be times when things go to complete shit and he will have to deal with it.