"Marius?" I turned to the Pentoshi riding to my left. He brought his horse closer.
"Are there any important events that have occurred in recent years?" I wanted to know what point in this world's fucked up history I had landed in. It was clearly after the Doom if the Dothraki had crossed the Bones. And since Marius had been given away as tribute by Pentos of all places, it stood to reason that the time period was well after the start of the Century of Blood- the Dothraki weren't as influential or as feared in those early years. My canon information could also be way off or entirely incorrect in this world- as it was no longer just a fantasy book series.
Marius frowned and blinked, puzzled by my question perhaps. "Important events, Your Excellency?"
"Current events," I clarified. "Wars, alliances, treaties, assassinations or any upheaval that you can remember. We are not from this land, Marius." Farwan's eyes glittered with curiosity and Marius looked intrigued. "We shall learn of its history later- for now, I want you to tell me about the most recent happenings."
"Ah, I see." Marius scratched his beard, and hummed. "There hasn't been any of particular note this decade, however, when I was a strapping young lad," Farwan grinned widely and was doing his best to not burst out laughing. "I recall that Tyrosh and Pentos were at war. The war had escalated to such an extent that it had disrupted trade on both sides, ruining many masters and merchants. Thankfully our family survived due to my father's foresight." Marius grew melancholy.
"And when was this war?" I asked.
"Two decades past, Your Excellency," he replied.
That didn't narrow it down in the slightest, but then again, I wasn't the greatest timeline nut. "And what about the western continent- Westeros, I hear it's called- who rules over it?"
A glimpse of his surface thoughts showed that Marius was confused as to why I wanted to know who ruled the continent half a world away. Despite his confusion, Marius answered honestly, "Jaehaerys Targaryen, a dragonlord and rider of the Bronze Terror. His family is the last of the Valyrian dragonlords and have been ruling over the Seven Kingdoms for," he paused to mentally calculate the time, "five and seventy years."
Yes! I wasn't anywhere close to the doomsday clusterfuck of canon. "Interesting. And how many wives and children does this Jaehaerys have?" I knew he only had one wife, but might as well check if this world was massively AU.
"Only one, Alysanne, his sister by blood," Marius wrinkled his nose. "Valyrians are odd like that."
"I once heard from a Westerosi trader in Qarth that the Silver Queen pops out a brat every year," Farwan piped up.
"Surely that's not possible," Marius sounded horrified.
Farwan snickered, "Of course not, she only had fourteen brats, and out of those, only eight survived- or so I heard." So not AU then.
"And what of you, Farwan of Nefer?" I turned to the man in question who looked startled, "Your homeland's name is not one I've heard of in this part of the world. You sound like a well-travelled man. What brought someone like you from Qarth to the Grass Sea?"
"Ah, the Titan King is wise. This servant is indeed well-travelled," Farwan smiled, "I was born in Nefer. Nefer the Cruel, Nefer the Twisted, Nefer the City of Necromancers. Many ill names it has." I raised an eyebrow at that. I recalled a small paragraph from the World of Ice and Fire- of a city west of Mossovy. One that was infamous for its dark arts and shrouded in mystery and sailor's tales. It was such a short paragraph that I had nearly forgotten its existence. Carcosa, on the other hand, I remembered, despite the least amount of lore. Though that might have to do with the obvious reference to Chamber's King in Yellow.
"It was once the capital of the N'ghai Empire, an Empire that shattered long ago. It lies to the east of the Bones, where the great river Bo'hai empties into the Shivering Sea. Only a small part of the city is above the earth, all the rest is deep below where the sun reaches not," he paused and sighed.
"The Secret City, Great Titan, is one I would not wish for any child to be born into. The tales, while somewhat exaggerated, are to be heeded," he said, gravely. "It is home to some old sorcerers and witches, some old enough to have seen the glory of Valyria before its Doom. Much of the city does not practice the darker arts. Most just hope to live." He trailed off as if lost in some memory.
"Interesting," I muttered. "And these sorcerers are necromancers too, I presume?"
"Every sorcerer knows the black arts, my King, but few practice it as frequently as the Dead Lords."
"The Dead Lords?" A title I did not remember seeing in the books.
Farwan frowned, "Aye, the Dead Lords rule Nefer. Any who defy them are taken to them, any who steal are taken to them, and any who die of age or wounds are taken to them."
"And what happens to those who are taken to them?" I suspected but my morbid curiosity hungered for the details.
"Unspeakable things. The screams are often heard in the dead of night if one places an ear to the carved cave floor." He finished and said no more. Marius looked creeped out and I would be too if I didn't have an image to maintain.
"How did you end up here then, Farwan? Nefer sounds quite far away."
Farwan nodded. "I did not wish to end up lying on the Dead Lords' altars and so I sought a way out of the city. It was not easy, Great Titan. If it were not for the small bottles of Evening Shade that I was able to scrounge up for my escape, I would not have made it out the twisting, winding tunnels that led upwards. The Shade showed me what the unopened eye could not see. It showed me what was to come and where to go."
Shade of the Evening? As far as Nefer? Was there a grove of black and blue trees thereabouts?
When asked, Farwan explained that the Shade was sourced from the dark, haunted forests of Mossovy. The Dead Lords paid a fortune in crystals and limestone to demon hunters for crates upon crates of the substance. A vial or two missing were hardly noticed while in transit.
"Did you see my arrival in those visions of yours?" I lightly pressed against his mind, I had to know if he was here because the magic weed guided him or if it was just dumb chance. The former would be very alarming, if true.
"Nay, I did not." He did not lie. "I would remember if I had dreamt of the coming of towering titans."
A deeper search through his so-called dreams had shown me what exactly he had seen. The Shade helped him cross the plains of the Jogos Nhai without being seen by the zorseriders, a nearly impossible task without magical foresight. It helped him foresee the dangers of Yi-Ti. Sadly, his supply ran out before he could reach Qarth and it was that need that brought him to Qarth's gates.
"Unfortunately, slavers caught me and sold me off to the cunts from Slaver's Bay- pardon my tongue- and there I remained serving one of the cruel masters until they gave me to the Khal," he finished.
"It was fortunate then, that you did not cross paths with the Warlocks. They are not an enemy to be underestimated."
He grinned. "Yes. It was fortune indeed, perhaps fate, that led me to you, my King." He hesitated but then gathered up his courage to ask the question that had been burning in his throat. "Titan King… what you did there, it was beyond any kind of magic I had ever felt or seen. If I may ask…?"
I motioned him to continue. "Such magic would beggar all the sorcerers of the world. Perhaps if they all joined together and brought out every slave in the world and slit their throats… perhaps then such acts might be possible. Yet… what I felt… sacrifice leaves its taint and I saw none of it on you or your queen."
"And that shocks you? Speak plainly, Farwan," I commanded.
He gulped. "It does, my King," his eyes shone with admiration, "to require no sacrifice and cast such spells as if it was nothing…"
"I am no god, Farwan, nor is my queen, if that is the conclusion to which you have arrived. But I am no mere man either. I am a Titan, and that is all you must understand," I spoke with finality.
Farwan bowed deeply, the admiration had not dulled but gained a new wind. "As you say, my King. This servant did not lie. He considers you worthy of following. To the ends of the world if need be."
We rode until the sun reached a low point to the west, and camped only so the people and the horses could rest. After half an hour of respite, our caravan set out once more. The Mother of Mountains could be seen on the horizon- a giant, snow capped lance punching into the sky. Its peak glittered like a horde of diamonds under the light of the low sun and I felt a strange feeling originating from my Red/Fire magic. How strange.
__________________________
The moon's light shone bright and silver, unhampered by any passing cloud. The wind was cool and fresh, and countless stars could be seen spread out like a canopy covering the clear skies wherever the eye turned. It was breathtaking, to be honest. For a city boy who had never seen the stars so bright and wonderful, it was really something.
And then I looked to the people beside me, Ymir included, and noticed that they were all equally unbothered by the sights. I shook my head. Some people had lived so long in the shadow of nature's wonders that they had become common to them.
Our caravan halted under the shadow of one of the smooth flat-topped hills. The Mother of Mountains was closer now, so much so that it took up much of the eastern horizon. It loomed over us, casting a long shadow to the south. The massive lake known as the Womb of the World, reflected the starlight and moonlight like a giant mirror.
The tent city of Vaes Dothrak could be seen from in the distance, its flickering orange campfires like fireflies, spread along the edge of the lake. A faint hint of bonfires, laughter and barbecue carried itself on the wind. The outlines of two large, prancing statues of horses facing each other, marked the entrance to the city.
There were no guards stationed near the Horse Gate, nor had I sensed any scouts so far. No walls either. It was as if the horse savages did not care to guard the entry into their beloved city. Was it the assurance and belief that no army would dare march so far or was it plain arrogance? Perhaps a bit of both.
The people were anxious, their restlessness clear to see. Whether it was fear or excitement, none of them were willing to turn back, that much I could tell.
I closed my eyes and reached out to the minds inside the city. Hundreds of children below the age of ten resided here, and a few dozen above that. The teenagers that were set into the ways of rapists and murderers were ones that I marked for death. The pregnant mothers would be spared, while grown women who were not carrying any child were marked alongside the adult men.
The elderly were few and far between. Dothraki, apparently, killed their elders or sent them out into the steppes without any horse or rations to 'seek the sleep'. In their eyes, those who could not contribute or were infirm, were weak burdens.
How barbaric. Another reason to rip apart this travesty of a nation.
I opened my eyes and shared a look with Ymir, explaining my plan to her through our connection. She nodded and our bicorns vanished into steam. Now on foot, we walked until we stood before the bronze horses set upon thick and stout, squarish stone pedestals.
Ymir took in a deep breath, it was her first time compromising the molecular integrity of objects and mine to see it being done. Whatever she and I had done so far was quite blunt and rigid, only creating matter out of brute force will and imagination. The chains and manacles were something she could, unfortunately as it was, picture better than me.
I knew now, on some level, that the worm's titan-creation powers had more to do with matter manipulation than biological manipulation as I had first suspected. And so it was time to see how far we could take this power and what exactly we could accomplish with the knowledge I had, rather than what the worm could offer.
It was also an opportunity for Ymir to learn something that she had never thought existed. And so I remained a few paces behind, observing her work through the link.
With a frown, she focused, trying her best to picture and feel for the unseen bonds that held matter together, the bonds I had described to her.
At first, it looked like nothing happened.
Then there was a deep thud, and while the people behind us could not see it in the dark, I could and so did Ymir. Her lips split into a smile when she did. There was a large, uniform crack in one of the horse's flanks.
So interesting!
Ymir balled her fists up and closed her eyes. The cracks grew and the bronze moaned. The whispers of our people grew as they finally understood what was happening.
Suddenly, the horses shattered in on themselves and the broken pieces hit the ground with a thud. There was silence and then mutterings broke out. The prisoners seeing this, began sobbing and weeping in despair. Farwan smirked as if he had found a piece to a puzzle, while Marius was just awed like all the others.
I smiled and nodded when Ymir turned to me. If she was asking for a head pat, then I would have to postpone it, as this was not the time nor the place for it. And so I sent feelings of approval her way. Her smile brightened and she shyly turned her face away.
Sigh. I prodded her to carry on and deal with the other idols along the path, as planned. Leaving behind the Horse Gate's shattered remains and its dusty, stained pedestals, Ymir walked ahead and began turning the other statues into usable and manageable materials. With fleshy tentacles, she sorted the jewels embedded into them into one pile and shaped the other materials such as stone, bronze, steel, gold and silver into ingots.
I helped her avoid sorting the jewels that had some magical energy stored in them. Those were dangerous, since I didn't know how they'd react to being touched. I left them for later inspection. Thankfully, these magic gems were few and far between.
By my command, the caravan began marching through the Horse Gate like an army of elated conquerors or perhaps pilgrims returning to their homeland.
I did my part with a visible upwards jerk of my arms, as if I was the conductor of an orchestra that only I could hear. The earth rumbled and shocked exclamations could be heard from the city. Small critters rushed towards the lake with great urgency. Where there was nothing but a steady upwards slope, now stood a tall, sturdy, seamless wall made entirely of micro-interlocking, adaptive black crystals- enough to hold back the assault of most armies and sorcerers in this world. The wall perfectly encircled the tent city in a mile radius, ending only at a slope of the mountain that was the hardest to climb up or down.
A 6 m high gate made of white and blue diamonds glittered into existence, embedded into the 15 m tall walls and sealed itself shut once the last of the caravan had crossed the threshold.
Once close enough to the city, I pulled on the panicking minds and sorted them. There would be no blood spilled, except for that which I wished to spill.
I seized every mind within the camp, the power of the worm was plenty enough for such minor acts of mind control. No further shouts of alarm were raised. The Dothraki of Vaes Dothrak, calmly and quietly walked into their assigned camps. One for those who would be spared, and the other for those sentenced to death. The most influential faction currently in the city, the Dosh Khaleen- the wives of dead Khals- were among the latter.
One by one I had looked into their minds and what I saw were women so entrenched in their savage traditions and arrogant beliefs that I considered it far too much work to brainwash them and too much of a risk to let them live. Their end would be just like all those who followed the creed of slavers, thieves and rapers.
I had my men deprive everyone of any possible weapons, then twisted the ground to swallow their legs up to their knees. Only then did I allow them to come to their senses.
There were roars of rage, insults, and a common struggle to break free of the earth. Though, calling it a struggle was quite a stretch- it was more along the lines of pathetic wriggling. For five long minutes, the wriggling and screaming continued. Then one of the more rowdier lads was fully swallowed up into the earth, which stopped the fools from continuing down that path.
"Let me tell you what shall become of you savages-" I began, only to be rudely interrupted by a coarse shout.
"Savages?! Let me out gutter trash and I'll show you why weak whore spawns like you should stay in your pathetic cities!" A twenty-something year old, Dothraki jeered with a mocking grin on his face. The Dothraki who had heard his challenge laughed loudly alongside him. The prisoners did not join in, they were horrified at his daring.
Farwan stepped forward, his face twisted in rage, echoing my followers' rising hatred for this fool. The worst of all was Ymir's anger. Her little fists clenched and if it weren't for me raising a hand to halt any violence, she would've impaled him and then stomped on his broken body.
I calmly turned to look at the buffoon, saying nothing for two painful minutes. I did not break eye contact and watched his smile falter and expression turn from gloating to awkward and sheepish. My face betrayed no emotion as I slowly walked up to the foul-mouthed douchebag and he flinched, suddenly afraid. His animal sense of self-preservation warred with his pride.
I was curious and wanted to test my new powers on human flesh. I certainly didn't want to perform any tests on myself for my first go at it, so imagine my joy when a volunteer presented himself.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. No matter how much he tried to shrug it off or twist my arm, it did not budge or give, infused with a small fragment of titanic strength as it was.
I spoke softly, yet my voice reached every ear. "That was not a very nice thing to say. I do not like it when people insult my family." My hand lightly gripped his throat now, the little barbarian's eyes were blown wide with fear. "I heard that you savages take great pride in your horses. You ride them saddle-less from a young age. Groom them, feed them, wage war astride them. Horselords, you call yourselves." I paused, "I wonder, if you've thought of what it feels like to truly be one with your beasts."
He blinked confused at what I was getting at. He would understand soon enough.
With a force that could not be denied, my power seeped into his flesh. He twitched at first and then he screamed, trying to pull away. I held firm.
While he did so, I observed his insides. His blood, organs, mind, bones, and then once satisfied, dived deeper. I peeked into the cells that made up the structure of his biology. Going deeper still, I saw the molecular bonds and acid that held the cells together, vibrating in an erratic dance. Then I saw his atoms.
The human body was truly a work of art, even in the hands of a toadstool like this. Today, however, I was not here to admire the artwork, but to see what I could twist it into.
Inside the cell, the double helix columns of his DNA unveiled its secrets. The power to manipulate matter seeped and entrenched itself into his chromosome and the cell's mitochondria.
With the worm slowly guiding me through the, otherwise arduous, process, I began to manipulate the segments and groups of nucleotides. Manipulating the groups was easier when I understood which group had what role in the biological make-up of the being.
Once I had decided what to do, applying it in any meaningful and immediately visible capacity was the most difficult part.
I smiled, watching his cells shudder and his body jerk in confusion, the instructions for the body's make-up had fundamentally changed. The change in one cell was carried over to the other and the cell multiplication dealt with the rest.
I pulled my mind out of the man's body- not that it could be called a man anymore. I released his legs from the earth and watched with morbid fascination as he screamed and twisted. Bone and sinew tore and knitted itself back together again. His flesh bubbled and boiled as his body went through a vicious change that would've certainly killed him, had I not been constantly supporting it with my power.
His feet elongated into hoofs, and his hips widened and gained stronger muscle definition. His back bent and stretched, bowing into a familiar form, a long chestnut tail grew through a nerve-ending above the tailbone. His screams turned into high-pitched neighs.
My followers and the Dothraki all watched with horror as a crime against humanity was carried out- but then again, was it a crime if the Geneva Conventions did not exist?
Some screamed and fainted, while others emptied their bowels. Yet all saw, and they understood.
A horse-like creature scrambled up to its hoofs. I say 'horse-like' as atop its long neck, a human head remained. Its eyes were wild, watery and bloodshot. Its lips frothing, the chin, jaw and teeth having more in common with the Hapsburgs. I had purposefully let a major part of its human mind and consciousness intact so as to suffer.
"Now, he shall ride and live as a horse, henceforth. What a beautiful gift! Do you not think so?" I laughed and my followers laughed with me, though some were still too shaken to laugh heartily and so managed a few awkward chuckles.
"Aren't you happy, little savage?" I addressed the horse-thing. "You have left your human flesh behind and become something you have admired all your life. Now that you're part horse, it is my responsibility to help you experience all the aspects of being a horse. Farwan! Marius! Bring the best stallions! They have travelled quite a distance. It is only right that they receive some relief."
Farwan laughed loudly and skillfully brought two strapping, and aggressive stallions to the newly formed mare-man. The mare-man neighed, and tried to kick back in self-defense, but I did not allow it.
I chuckled, "Don't worry, pretty little mare. You will give birth to healthy horses. You need not fear for any of your taint being carried forwards."
I slowly met the eyes of every Dothraki, each emptying their guts in horror and disgust and and then addressed them, ignoring the horse rape in the background. "I have commanded my followers to not rape or enslave any conquered peoples. They will obey." My followers nodded vigorously. "But the horses have been given no such commands. They are beasts and shall do as beasts do."
"Do you understand?" I asked them simply. My demonstration was primarily aimed at those I'd let live, yet they all understood and bowed their heads as one. Perfect.
Then I walked up to the Dosh Khaleen who began begging for my mercy. "Silence!" They whimpered and ceased their irritating wails.
"I was told that this city is the heartland of the horselords." They nodded. "And yet… I noticed a very clear lack of prominent Khalasars. Why is that?"
A middle-aged woman wearing a red bead necklace hesitantly spoke up, "T-they are away. Riding across t-the Grass Sea to s-seek their f-fortunes."
"And when will they return?"
"In a weeks' time. T-they were all to c-come for the grand yearly m-meeting," she stammered.
Ah, so that's why Khal Jhogo was riding this way. "Good. That suits us just fine," I nodded. "I shall greet them the same way I greeted Khal Jhogo and his riders." While the youth had thrashed around, the Dosh Khaleen had seen the walls that had never existed, and noticed their people in cages and bound in chains. They had figured out what had occurred and my demonstration just now had ignited their worst fears. In their minds I was some demon come to torment their people.
With a snap of my fingers, every savage marked for death was impaled on stakes of white bone. One moment they were alive and well, and the next, their cries and screams filled the air. The slaver merchants who came to trade in flesh shared their company.
The Dosh Khaleen, seeing this began wailing in despair, scratching at their faces, and pulling at their hair.
"Please!" One of them yelled out of desperation when she saw me raising my hand to snap again. I stopped and raised an eyebrow.
Seeing that she had caught my attention the woman tried her best to bow as low as she could. "Please, Great Khal." I internally rolled my eyes. "Spare us! Mercy, please. This slave would offer you anything! Anything! Ask and I shall present it to you. If it is the lives of these old crones you want, I shall cut their throats myself," she vowed with a mad smile, uncaring of her sisters' insults and curses.
"Is that so?" I pretended to consider.
"Yes! My body? Yours, Great Khal! My womb can still bear you strong sons that would spread your great line through the world!" The madwoman tore at the frontal laces of her brown tunic, exposing her breasts to the world. Before I could laugh out loud and break her spirit in full, the chance to do so was lost to me.
A thick serrated bone lance spun and tore through her chest, making a mess of her insides.
I looked to my left, seeing Ymir breathing heavily. She searched my eyes for any disapproval and felt relieved when she found none. Nodding resolutely, she condemned the Dosh Khaleen to death.
"My servants, we have much work before us. In a week's time, the Khals will arrive with their Khalasars in tow. As the new residents of this city, it is our responsibility to warmly welcome them." I laughed and was met by a loud cheer.
Things were certainly looking up. Now all I needed to do was build an actual city, rule over it, maintain a tight grip on law and order, feed my people, protect them from external and internal threats, and figure out why the fuck was the mountain and the lake calling out to the two flavours of my magic.
There was no rest for Kings.