Chaos across Essos

Valyria

With a pop, they appeared in a new place. Immediately he casted a disillusionment charm on himself and Marwyn.

"Here we are, at Oros." Marwin said.

Aryan nodded at that and started to look around. The whole place was in ruins with only a sparse signs of people living here and there. Oros was said to be second only in majesty to the city of Valyria before the Doom. But now it looked desolated and ruined.

Soon, they reached a very remote place where Aryan made sure that there was no one around. Then he took out the magic flying carpet from his charmed bag and laid it on the ground. He asked, "Where exactly are we now?"

Thinking for a moment, Marwyn said, "We are at the northern coast of the Smoking Sea."

"Good. Come and sit down here." He told Marwyn who did as he was asked. Aryan followed him. As both of them sat down comfortably, he willed the carpet to rise and started to fly.

Marwyn exclaimed, "No matter how much I am accustomed to your magic, every new trick you show, astounds me."

Aryan smiled, then taking his wand he cast, "Point me Valyria." The wand immediately pointed in that direction. They readjusted their course to that direction.

Soon they were over the Smoking Sea. Still boiling and smoking even centuries after the Doom. Filled with volcanoes and smoking stacks of rock, the steam started to make them sweat even at the height they were flying. The Smoking Sea was supposed to be just a strait. But after the Doom the sea waters claimed the Valyrian Peninsula and the strait widened to become what was now called the Smoking Sea.

On Aryan's insistence, Marywn started to tell him about Valyria. "The Valyrian Freehold was a great territory that spanned much of the continent of Essos. At its prime, the Valyrian Freehold encompassed most of the eastern continent, and reached as far as the current Free Cities and the island of Dragonstone off the coast of Westeros. The Freehold was an advanced civilization, and the dominant military and cultural power of the known world. Its capital was the city of Valyria. The Freehold was ruled by the lords freeholder, powerful noble families. The most powerful of these were the dragonlords.

Valyria was once a minor civilization of peaceful sheep-herding folk dwelling on the Valyrian peninsula, until the Valyrians discovered dragons lairing in the Fourteen Flames, a ring of volcanoes on the peninsula. The Valyrians tamed the dragons with magic and mastered the technique of raising and training the dragons into devastating weapons of war. They began expanding their influence, establishing the Freehold with Valyria as its capital. Magic flowered, topless towers rose toward the heavens where dragons soared, stone Valyrian sphinxes gazed down through eyes of garnet and smiths used spells to forge Valyrian steel weapons of legendary strength and sharpness.

Some five thousand years ago, in the early days of Valyria, the Old Empire of Ghis dominated and controlled much of Essos. The Ghiscari attempted to stop Valyria's expansion and the burgeoning freehold was involved in a series of great wars against the Old Empire. The Ghiscari lockstep legions attacked Valyria five times, but they could never defeat them - with the help of dragons, Valyria was able to defend and emerge victorious each time.

Finally, in the last of the Ghiscari wars, the Valyrians marched on their capital, Old Ghis, razed it to the ground, and sowed its fields with salt, sulfur, and skulls, obliterating it and thereby destroying the Old Empire of Ghis. Adopting slavery from Ghis, Valyria expanded its influence over the surviving Ghiscari colonies of Slaver's Bay, and continued to conquer and colonize further.

The Valyrian Freehold continued to expand and conquer further west, capturing many slaves from conquered lands and using them to mine great wealth from the Fourteen Flames, as well as build great cities and roadways that led to Valyria.

For many years the Valyrians were at peace with the Rhoynar civilization of the Rhoyne, west of the Valyrian peninsula. From the colonial freehold of Volantis, the Valyrians instead crossed the Rhoyne and marched west to wage war on the Andals of Andalos. Rather than be enslaved by Valyria, the Andals crossed the narrow sea and invaded Westeros. The Valyrians overwhelmed the remaining Andals of Western Essos and established colonies west of their peninsula."

"Then why did the Rhoynish flee to Dorne?" Aryan asked.

"Due to the Rhoynish Wars. The Rhoynish Wars were a series of wars fought between the city-states of the Rhoynar and colonies of the Valyrian Freehold.

The wars were concluded in the Second Spice War, when the Valyrian colony Volantis turned its eyes to the ancient and high civilization of the Rhoynar. Prince Garin of Chroyane led an army of a 250,000 men and defeated the Valyrian armies at Selhorys, Valysar, and Volon Therys, where they won their greatest victory by defeating an army of a hundred thousand men and killing two dragons in the process. However, the Valyrians responded with an overwhelming force of three hundred dragons, capturing Garin the Great and burning the Rhoynish armies. Princess Nymeria of Ny Sar led the exodus of the remaining Rhoynar out of Essos, eventually arriving in Dorne. The singers say her ten thousand ships were filled with women and children, suggesting most of the men of fighting age had died in the conflict with the Freehold.

At the height of its power, the Freehold stretched over most of Essos west of the Bone Mountains. Many of the numerous cities were connected by dragon roads. The Free Cities, the self-ruling daughters of Valyria, are spread throughout western Essos. Volantis and Tyrosh began as military outposts, while Myr and Pentos were founded by merchants in Andal territory. Dragonlords established Lys as a pleasure retreat. Religious refugees founded Lorath, Norvos and Qohor. Essaria was founded as a colony near the Kingdom of Sarnor. Braavos was founded by slaves who rebelled against a Valyrian slaving fleet, and this Secret City did not accept the rule of Valyria.

The greatest remnants of the Old Empire of Ghis were Astapor, Meereen, and Yunkai as you know. They still like to refer themselves as Ghiscari. Some two centuries before the Doom, the Valyrian Freehold colonized the island of Dragonstone in the narrow sea and established a citadel there, with ineffective resistance from the local lords of Blackwater Bay. The island was the westernmost outpost of the Freehold"

Aryan said, "Hard to believe it. The Valyrians had a hand in the shaping of Essos directly or indirectly. And yet their great civilization came to an end."

"The Doom was sudden. In just a day everything the Valyrians achieved in thousands of years was gone. On the day of the Doom, every hill for five hundred miles exploded, filling the air with ash and smoke and fire, which killed even dragons. Earthquakes destroyed palaces, temples, and towns, while lakes boiled or turned to acid. The Fourteen Flames, the fiery mountains of Valyria, sent molten rock a thousand feet into the air, and red clouds rained down dragonglass. The cataclysm fragmented the Valyrian peninsula surrounding Valyria into numerous smaller islands and creating the Smoking Sea between them. East of Valyria, Velos and Ghozai on the Isle of Cedars were destroyed by a tsunami.

Much of Essos fell into chaos after the Doom. During the Century of Blood, the Volantenes unsuccessfully considered themselves the heirs to Valyria, often waging war against other Free Cities. Some dragonlords in Lys and Tyrosh survived the Doom, but they were soon killed along with their dragons."

"And pity the Targaryens brought their doom due their madness." Aryan said.

"Now that is what surprises me. The Valyrian nobility valued purity of blood. Therefore, the practice of incest was common in old Valyria as the Valyrians would customarily wed brother to sister. These practices were not limited to the Freehold; on Dragonstone the Targaryens continued to practice incestuous marriage and polygamy to keep the dragon bloodline pure. But I have checked all accounts that we have on the Valyrians. While the Targaryens suffered from madness when they ruled Westeros and which was said to be due to their practice of incest, there was no such problems before that."

"Huh? I don't get it. What do you mean?" Aryan asked giving Marwyn his full attention.

"I mean that neither the Valyrians of the Freehold nor the Targaryens before conquest suffered from madness even when they practiced incest. I had thoroughly checked the accounts at the Citadel. It was only after the conquest that the madness started to show." Marwyn said.

"In my old world, too, incest was seen as a taboo. In non magicals it brought physical deformations in some while in magicals it led to the birth of non magical children in extreme cases. But madness was not heard of. Maybe the old dragonlords had discovered the madness early on and learned to curb it. Perhaps that knowledge was lost after the doom." Aryan suggested.

"Another mystery to which I hope to find an answer in Valyria." Marwyn said.

After nearly three hours of flight, they could see land in front of them at a long distance.

Marwyn asked excitedly, "You do realise that this is the farthest someone has come near Valyria? Ships tend to burn in the Smoking Sea."

"It is also possible that the past explorers have set foot in Valyria but none returned to tell the tale." Aryan told him. And to prove his words, they saw a half sunk ruins of a ship near the shore. Aryan stopped to inspect it as the ship seemed familiar. The faded and ripped red sails showed the Lion of the Lannisters.

"A Lannister ship here?" Aryan asked surprised.

"So this is the fate of Gerion Lannister." Marwyn mused. Seeing the puzzled expression on Aryan's face Marwyn told him, "Gerion is the fourth brother of Lord Tywin. Gerion went on a quest to find House Lannister's ancestral Valyrian steel sword, Brightroar, and any other treasures that might have survived the Doom of Valyria. Almost a decade passed after his ship, the Laughing Lion, left Lannisport, but Gerion never returned. Lord Tywin sent men to look for his lost brother and they traced him as far as Volantis, where half his crew had deserted him because of his intent to sail into the Smoking Sea. He had been forced to buy slaves to replace them. Nothing has been known about him after that."

"So the Lannisters also had their own ancestral sword. I had always wondered why a Great House like the Lannisters did not have one." Aryan said smiling.

Marwyn laughed hard, then explained, "Oh yes. The Lions had their own valyrian steel sword named Brightroar. Brightroar came into the possession of the Lannister kings in the century before the Doom of Valyria, and it is said that the weight of gold they paid for it would have been enough to raise an army. But it was lost little more than a century later, when the King of the Rock Tommen II Lannister carried it with him when he sailed with his great fleet to the ruined Valyria, with the intention of plundering the wealth and sorcery he was sure still remained. The fleet never returned, nor Tommen, nor Brightroar. House Lannister has been searching for a replacement ever since. Lord Tywin Lannister attempted to buy a replacement from lesser or poorer houses, but was always rebuffed. He had even offered Lord Randyll Tarly two million gold dragons for their valyrian steel sword, Heartsbane."

Aryan laughed then pointing to the ruins said, "Accio Brightroar." Nothing happened.

"I guess Gerion failed." Aryan said. As soon as he said that something stuck hard at the back of his head and fell onto the carpet.

"Oww." He moaned in pain and looked behind. It was a sheathed sword with a golden handle and a red ruby at its pummel. Marwyn gingerly took the longsword and took it out.

"This is Brightroar." He exclaimed. "But where did it come from?"

Still rubbing his head and wincing Aryan looked around and said, "From the water, I am sure. That means Tommen Lannister also met his doom somewhere around here. So no one succeeded in setting foot here."

"It may be. But somehow I feel that this time we will be successful. And then I will be able to write a comprehensive book about Valyria till its Doom." Marwyn said while Aryan smiled at the old man's enthusiasm. After some time, they finally reached the shore. Valyria did not disappoint. The impact of the Doom was visible from there. Where there would have been sandy beaches, what greeted them was black beach covered by cooled lava but still smoking here and there. As they went forward, the scene continued. Geysers here and there along with cracks spewing magma was what greeted them. But most of all the air was full of ash and poisonous fumes. That was the powerful Doom which destroyed the Valyrian civilisation. Even after centuries the whole place was uninhabited and would continue to be for perhaps few millennia. Aryan had cast a bubble head charm on himself along with his companion. As they flew they reached a large ruin.

"Is this the place?" Aryan asked squinting his eyes.

After thinking for a moment Marwyn replied, "This must me Tyria. Valyria was said to be surrounded by mountains, The Fourteen Flames."

"In that case let us continue. No point in stopping here." Aryan said as the flying carpet speared forward. Soon, what Marwyn said came true. They encountered a big Mountainous Volcano. Aryan just flew over the Mountain. Visibility was low due to the poisonous fumes. Still with magic aiding them they pressed forward. When he was sure they had passed the mountains, he started the descent. As they lost altitude, visibility started to get better. Soon they touched the base.

"Congratulations to us. We are the first to set foot on this land in centuries." Aryan announced as they set foot on the blackened ground. Around them was the ruined buildings with their topless towers. Aryan took his wand and they began their exploration.

Two weeks had passed in the ruins of Valyria. With liberal use of magic aiding them they had explored Valyria. Aryan was now a proud owner of scores of Valyrian steel weapons including greatswords, longswords, bastard swords, spears, maces, axes, knives. Also he had aquired three Valyrian steel full body armors. Not to mention enough gold and gems which he was sure would easily be greater than the combined wealth of all the other Great Houses of Westeros. They had seen many dragon carcasses and fossilized eggs. But he was able to get hold of two dragon eggs which he found in a deep underground vault in stasis. The vault had been protected by some wards using Valyrian magic. So these two eggs were safe. Aryan had taken them after he sensed faint magic coming from the eggs indicating presence of life in it. They also got several vials of dragon blood.

Marwyn on the other hand was obsessed with knowledge. He was able to salvage many books and tombs from Valyria. But the magic of the Valyrians proved to be highly inferior to Aryans own magic. They had to perform elaborated rituals to perform magics that Aryan could do in a simple spell. So Aryan didn't bother to learn any Valyrian magic other than the method of fusing stones with each other in buildings. Marwyn was able to uncover the cure for the madness due to incest. Turns out that the Valyrians were given a potion made of dragon blood at the time of a wedding which ensured the removal of all negative traits from the offsprings.

But the biggest achievement was they learned the secret of forging the Valryian steel. It was a rather simple method. They had seen many forges where they saw dragons tied up to provide dragon fire. The steel was melted and beaten again and again using dragon fire for many months. To complete the process the final product was cooled in blood which was taken from the slaves which the Valyrians had in plenty. The magic of the dragon fire and forcible taken blood was what gave the Valyrian steel its unique properties. Later, the steal was made into weapons whose crafting also required its own unique skills.

Finally after packing everything they got in their bags they started their next phase.

"To Volantis?" Marywn asked.

Aryan answered with a nod, "To Volantis." And they started to return back the way they came at high speed. Due to their speed as well as their height they did not see a longship with its black sails sailing into Valyria.

~

Winterfell, The Northern Realms

While some would ask what a Faceless man was doing here and working as a steward instead of fulfilling the task of the many faced god, Jaqen would say he was doing just that. Because several years ago the Many-Faced-God had commanded them to serve Aryan Stark in a dream. This would have been met with skepticism and later dismissal had it not been that every member of the House of Black and White had the same dream. So when their spies in Bravos informed them of the arrival of the Northern party, Jaqen was tasked to seek and serve Aryan Stark, which the Lorathi felt honored. And since then he had been doing that and aiding his Master in his quests to achieve whatever he wanted to.

Jaqen was busy these days. Without his Lord and Master here it fell to him to run the North. When he had first arrived here, the place though populated was still a town. In ten years everything had changed. Winterfell was now a huge castle surrounded by the city Wintertown. Thankfully, he was now assisted by two stewards in most things that gave him time to do his spywork. While officially it was Eddard Stark who was in charge of the North, it was him who advised the Regent Eddard Stark. Initially the Quiet Wolf was not trusting of him as he was a foreigner. But over the years it has changed. Now, once every two months, Jaqen used to visit Moat Cailin and report to the Regent. And today was also one such occasion.

"Regent Stark, Lord Aryan Stark has sent you this message." And he gave Eddard Stark the rolled up message, the contents of which he already knew.

(Flashback Begins)

"Hello Jaqen. I hope the North is still secure under your and uncle Ned's hands." Aryan asked through their communication mirror.

Jaqen replied, "The man is doing as the Master had asked. The Kingdom is still going on good with small problems here and there."

Frowning Aryan asked, "Problems?"

"The House Magnar of Skagos is planning a revolt." Jaqen said.

Aryan laughed. "Seriously? A revolt? with what support? I left them to rule Skagos when they declared that they would bend knee after we decimated the others in Skagos."

"It was the Boltons. I was able to recover letters in which Roose Bolton had promised them power if the Magnars assisted them when he launched a campaign against the Starks. It seems that the news of the Boltons decimation has not yet reached them."

"Fucking Boltons, causing problems even from their graves." Aryan said. "In that case don't do anything. When we bring the Free Folk south of the Wall, we will let some of them settle there. I will task them to take care of those traitors."

"As you say Lord Stark." Jaqen said.

"Now as the reason I called you, I want five thousand men with enough supply and weapons to reach Lys." Aryan said. He then proceeded to tell Jaqen about the deal in Lys.

"Tell uncle Ned about this. I am currently in Valyria as I speak to you. To some I am on a ship bound to Pentos while those in the Marauder think that I am still at Lys." Aryan told him.

"The man wishes Lord Stark to remain safe." Jaqen told him.

(Flashback Ends)

Before coming here, as per Aryan's instruction, he had requested William Dustin's presence too.

While Eddard started to read the message, William asked Jaqen, "Where is Lord Stark currently?"

"For the others Lord Aryan Stark is in the Marauder bound to Pentos. But actually he is still in Lys." Jaqen told him.

William raised an eyebrow at that. "Doing what?"

Jaqen then proceeded to tell William about Aryan's alliance with the Rogares, their plans about conquering the Disputed Lands for Lys.

"By the Old Gods !" Ned swore.

"What happened Ned?" William asked, worried.

Seeing his worried expression Ned chuckled and said, "I apologize. I did not mean to startle you. It seems that we all have more relatives across the Narrow Sea."

"Huh?" William asked confused.

Ned explained to him about the Company of the Rose and about the Northern descendants still serving in the sellsword company and about how Aryan had acquired the Company of the Rose for the North.

William listened patiently and said, "I am very happy to hear that news. Even more that there are more Dustins across the pond."

"Aryan wishes to aid the Rogares help Lys gain control of the Disputed Lands. The Lyseans had hired the Company of the Rose. He wants us to bolster them by supplying men, weapons and supplies. In return, we can set up a Trading Center in the Disputed Lands along with a large piece of land there for agriculture. " Ned explained.

William leaned back and said, "Essos, huh? Your nephew is really ambitious. What does he need land for?"

"The soil and climate of the North makes it difficult to grow certain crops like cotton, rubber and oil seeds. All of which can be grown in the warm climate of Lys." Jaqen said.

"We need to do what he requested. Any recommendations?" Ned asked looking at William Dustin.

With a small laugh William said, "Your nephew plays the Game better than many others. If I didn't know better, I was sure that it was him who killed Roose Bolton." Seeing Ned narrowing his eyes, Will reassured him, "I am not saying it is a bad thing. All the other Kingdoms play the game. Usually we abstain ourselves from playing the game, content with what we have. But Aryan Stark is the best thing that happened to the North. The world is a better place without the Leech Lord, a fucking traitor conspiring with the Lannisters."

"I agree with you on that Will. Even though I am Regent of the North, I realised quite early that Aryan knows what he is doing. He plays the Game of Thrones and plays to win it. That is why I left the North in his hands as soon as the Moat was ready. When he was small it was him who told me about many of the projects like the Strait of Winter and the Wolf Bay etc. At that time I did not see their importance. But today we do. Similarly many of the new projects he has started, I don't know the heads or tails of what he wants to achieve. But I have faith in him and I am sure that we will reap its benefits in the future." Ned said. Shaking his head he asked, "So what do you say about what Aryan asked?"

"We cannot just send our men directly to Lys. Other may take notice of such a movement. We will then have to answer unwanted questions." Jaqen warned.

"The High Steward is right." William said. "That is why we will send our ships in such a way that it will not attract attention. Lord Aryan had now set up small ports in each of our lands for the fishermen. But I am sure they can host one ship there at least. We need to transport our men in longships to Bravos, Pentos and a few other cities perhaps even Kings Landing. From there, we could use our Galleys and drop the men in the Disputed Lands."

"Quite ingenious, my Lord." Jaqen praised.

Ned agreed. "It seems we have reached an agreement. Now let us start the work."

~

Volantis, Essos

"You are back again." Marwyn asked sipping wine from his cup.

"Yeah." Aryan said as he plopped into a nearby seat. He swiped the sweat from his forehead.

The port city of Volantis was hot and humid. They had been sweating since they had arrived. Even after the repeated use of cooling charms it was tiring him.

"Any luck?" Marwyn asked.

"None." He replied frustrated. Since they had arrived in Volantis Aryan had been scouring through the city to search for an opportunity to make sure Volantis did not oppose Lys as he had promised the Rogares. So far he had failed to do so. It was frustrating.

"You are in luck. I found a way." Marwyn said smugly.

Aryan turned at him surprised, "You found a way? Really?"

"Yes. You sound surprised." Marwyn asked back.

"When did you find time? Since we arrived here you drowned yourself in those books we found in Valyria." Aryan asked him as poured himself a drink.

" I had my moments. So do you want to know the way?" Marwyn asked again.

"I am listening." He prompted.

"The answer is civil war." Marwyn said.

Aryan asked intelligently, "Civil war?"

"Do you see the sudden hustle and bustle along with the increased crowd in the city?" Marwyn asked pointing to the crowded streets. Seeing Aryan's nod he Marwyn said, "It is because of the elections."

"What does this have to do with us?" Aryan asked.

"Patience, my Lord. Volantis is ruled by three triarchs, chosen annually through festive and tumultuous elections. While foreigners might see the elections as chaotic, they are usually peaceful. All freeborn who own land, regardless of gender, are allowed to vote. They are chosen from amongst the noble families who can prove unbroken descent from old Valyria. The triarchs of Volantis are considered so elevated that they are not allowed to have their feet touch the ground during their year of service. The Volantenes feel that people of quality should not travel afoot, but instead by palanquin or on an elephant. Travelling afoot can taint a person in the eyes of both the native-born Volantenes and the foreign captains in the city.

The triarchs belong to one of two political parties, the elephants and the tigers. The elephants are the party of the merchants and moneylenders advocating trade, while the tigers are old aristocracy and warriors interested in conquest.

After the Doom of Valyria, the Volantenes considered themselves the heirs to the Freehold and rightful rulers of the world. Those in Volantis were divided on how to achieve conquest against the other Free Cities. Those of the Old Blood favored war, whilst the moneylenders and merchants favored trade. These two factions became known as the tigers and the elephants, respectively. The tigers held sway for almost a century, and Volantis called for war upon the other cities, with the tigers leading the city into a great conflict with the other daughters. They were successful at first, taking control of Lys and Myr. When they tried to take Tyrosh, however, Pentos joined the Tyroshi, and Lys and Myr rebelled. The Sealord of Braavos provided ships to aid Lys, and Argilac Durrandon, Storm King who held the Stormlands before the Baratheons, joined the conflict and led a host into the Disputed Lands. It was Argilac's host who defeated a Volantene host which had been attempting to retake Myr. Aegon Targaryen, Lord of Dragonstone, accepted an alliance with Pentos and Tyrosh against Volantis, flew to Lys, and set ablaze a Volantene fleet preparing to invade the city. Volantis was further defeated at Dagger Lake, where galleys from Qohor and Norvos destroyed much of the Volantene fleet which had been on the Rhoyne. Even Dothraki entered the conflict, falling upon the weakened Volantis.

In the end, the Volantene faction favoring peace, the elephants, took power from the tigers, and the fighting was at an end. Since then at no time has more than one tiger been named triarch."

"So how does this help us?" Aryan asked totally uninterested in the politics.

Marwyn said, "The last triarchs were the tiger Malaquo Maegyr and the elephants Doniphos Paenymion and Nyessos Vhassar. They are also the ones who are in the elections this time also along with another tiger Niquo Lhassis. Now the tigers are very volatile people. You light a fuse. They will explode. So simply kill those tigers. And then Volantis would fall into chaos which will take at least a few years to recover from. "

"Why you wasted your life becoming just a Maester? With such a brilliant and scheming mind you could have easily become one of the players of the Game of Thrones." Aryan asked Marwyn impressed by his idea.

"I found pursuit of knowledge and magics more suited to my tastes. Life is more secure that way." Marwyn said smiling. "But there is another problem. All the nobles live inside the Black Walls of eastern Volantis to which we cannot get access. Only those of the Old Blood can invite slaves, freedmen, or foreigners to enter."

"You forget Marwyn, I am a wizard." Aryan told him with a smile as he closed his eyes for a nap.

Night had fallen across the city as he walked through the streets of Volantis. Smell of sweat and elephant dung along with many perfumes greeted him. The people here and there mostly were slaves with tattoos on their face signifying their profession. Soon he reached the so called Black Walls of Volantis beyond which lived the Noble Elites of Volantis. He felt the weak remains of ancient magics imbibed among the fused black stones that used to alert the Valyrians of incoming hostiles. But since no more Valyrian mages were alive and the magics were so weak, this was just a small hurdle for him.

He had spent the day trying to learn about Malaquo Maegyr and Niquo Lhassis. Both were very aggressive and mean men who were bred to fight and kill. Even now they had made plans to defeat the elephants so that they could attack Lys which the elephants were not eager to support immediately. That said the elephants were also not so innocent. They had their own plans about harming the economy of Lys. He even came to know about a few plans to assassinate the Rogares. All these prompted him to accelerate his plans. So he cast a disillusionment charm on himself. The familiar feeling of something cold poured over his head came and soon he was invisible to others. And then he stepped inside the Black Walls totally oblivious to the guards.

The flames of the large pyre was lighting their faces and of the whole crowd were assembled to offer their prayers. The temple of R'hllor in Volantis even larger than the Sept of Baelor built of red sandstone stood at the background reflecting the light. Kinvara was conducting the prayers today as Bennero the High Priest of R'hllor of Volantis looked upon. Kinvara was one of the very few among the priests of R'hllor who were truly blessed by the Lord of Light as she was able to perform some magics something which the High Priest Bennero lacked. The Fiery Hand, the slave soldiers wearing ornate armor over their orange robes, and wielding spears with points shaped as writhing flames and flamed tattoos on their cheeks stood at the very back.

"Lead us from the darkness, O my Lord. Fill our hearts with fire, so we may walk your shining path... R'hllor, you are the light in our eyes, the fire in our hearts, the heat in our loins. Yours is the sun that warms our days, yours the stars that guard us in the darkness of night." Kinvara prayed loudly.

The other worshipers and followers chanted, "Lord of Light, defend us. The night is dark and full of terrors. Lord of Light, protect us."

She was about to continue when suddenly she felt a faint tug in her own magic. She stopped surprised at that experience. Never had she felt that and she did not know what to make of it. She looked here and there trying to find the reason but had to continue the ceremony as she saw Bennero staring at her. She continued embarassed, " R'hllor who gave us breath, we thank you. R'hllor who gave us day, we thank you. For the night is dark and full of terrors."

The others chanted, "We thank you for the sun that warms us. We thank you for the stars that watch us. We thank you for our hearths and for our torches, that keep the savage dark at bay. For the night dark and full of terrors."

As soon as they finished fire exploded in mansions in front of them and terror of the night began. Soon chaos began and people started to run haphazardly in panic. She heard Bennero and the others trying to calm the people but their efforts were futile. She had spent countless hours staring at the flames searching for visions from her Lord as well as to pray to her Lord of Light. She considered herself to be proficient in analyzing flames. But these flames before her which was blazing across the buildings and razing down everything in its path was emanating a magic of its own. She tried to get a feel of those flames but shuddered at the taint coming from it. She saw dragons, snakes and many other creatures she had never seen before in those flames.

"R'hllor give me strength. Show me the way. You are the Lord of Light and Fire. But what is this R'hllor?" She prayed ardently. She suddenly had a vision of a black haired man with purple eyes walking through the mansion as fire spread across from his hands. The vision changed and suddenly the same man was facing an army of ice demons in a cold wasteland. The man summoned a fire into his hands and pointed it towards the demons.

And just like that the vision ended. "Azor Ahai." She shouted.

By that time the fire died down. But the damage was done. Several mansions were burnt down. Kinvara immediately ran to Benerro. She told him that she wanted to go seek Azor Ahai. Bennero listened patiently and asked her some pointed questions to which she answered. He started to mull over what she said but was interrupted by the captain of The Fiery Hand.

"Many of the tigers, including the candidates for triarch, burned in the fire." The captain told him.

Shaking his head Bennero told him, "Then I am sure that Volantis will be plunged to chaos. The tigers will no doubt seek retaliation and most definitely it will be directed at the elephants. And soon civil war will break out in Volantis. Nobody will dare to attack the temple, R'hllor will protect us. The Fiery Hand must stand outside. Anybody who seeks asylum in R'hllor's abode must be given shelter. Nobody must be able to harm them. Make sure of that."

"It will be done." The captain bowed and went away to make his men ready.

Turning to Kinvara, Bennero said, "You must seek the one you think is Azor Azai immediately and personally aid him in his quest. From today that will be your duty. Offer your mind, body and soul to him."

Bowing deeply Kinvara nodded. "The night is dark and full of terrors. Let the Lord of Light protect us."

"Be safe. Find him fast. Chaos is going to erupt in Volantis soon. The night is dark and full of terrors. Let the Lord of Light protect us." Bennero blessed her.

The next day Aryan and Marwyn were walking through the streets of Volantis under a notice me not charm. True to Marwyn's word a civil war had broken out through Volantis. Blood soaked the walls and roads. Occasional violence could be seen.

"Most of the dead are actually slaves. You will not see the nobles actually dirtying their hands here." Marwyn said. "Now with our work done here, we could go Qarth."

"Yes, I need to pay the Sorrowful Men a visit." Aryan said.

Suddenly, Marwyn said, "There is a Red Priestess coming towards us. I think she can see us."

"I don't think so. We are under a notice me not charm." Aryan dismissed.

But the Priestess did indeed came in front of him and bowed. "Azor Ahai, the Lord of Light's chosen. It is an honor to serve you."

"How did you find us?" Aryan asked stunned that somebody was able to see through his magic.

"The Lord of Light gave me vision. You were fighting the Ice Demons." She said.

"Who are you?" Marwyn asked.

"This one is Kinvara, a servant of the Lord of Light. I am here to offer my mind, body and soul to Azor Ahai." She said with a smile.

Aryan nodded to Marwyn and Marwyn grabbed her arm and started to pull her with them. She obediently followed them without any protests. They reached their inn where they were staying. They entered their room and Marwyn pushed her inside and closed the door.

Aryan raised the privacy wards and turned his attention to Kinvara. "So what can you tell me about your Azor Ahai?"

~

Qarth, Essos

Qarth was surrounded by three thick walls of thirty, forty, and fifty feet in height, respectively engraved with portraits of animals, war, and lovemaking that looked stunning and imposing at the same time.

"Is there a particular reason we are here Azor Ahai?" Kinvara asked. After extensive questioning as well as a generous use of leglimency by Aryan they had allowed her to tag along. Besides she had extensive knowledge of Essos.

"I have a small score to settle here." Aryan murmered. "And stop calling me Azor Ahai."

"As you wish. Perhaps if you tell me what you are looking for I could help." Kinvara said.

At Aryan's nod Marwyn told her about the assassination attempts made by the Sorrowful Men. Kinvara listened carefully.

Then she said, "I have a contact here. Perhaps she can help us."

"I was hoping nobody knew of my presence here." Aryan said.

"I trust Quaithe." Kinvara said.

With a raised eyebrow Marwyn asked, "Who exactly is Quaithe? Is she a Red Priestess like you?"

"Not exactly." She disagreed. "Quaithe is a Shadowbinder."

"You must either be foolish and arrogant or dangerous and powerful if you are here to take down the Sorrowful Men." An ornately masked woman whom Kinvara has introduced to as Quaithe spoke.

"It must be done to take them of my back. Or I will have to spend the rest of my life in paranoia." Aryan said. "So can you help us or not?"

"I will."

"Good. Let us go bringing down the Sorrowful Men." Aryan spoke impatiently.

"If you are going against the Sorrowful Men that means you are going to face the Warlocks." Quaithe said. "The Assassin's guild is just near the House of Undying. A lone Sandstone tower."

"No time to waste then. I will go alone. Marwyn stay here." Aryan ordered.

"I will accompany you, my Lord. I had vowed to assist you in your quest." Kinvara said.

Seeing Aryan about to disagree Marwyn added, "I suggest you agree with her. The Warlocks are not to be treated lightly."

Aryan sighed and told Quaithe, "Lead the way."

Quaithe bowed and started to walk with out with Aryan behind her and Kinvara dutifully falling behind. They walked the streets filled with people. As they continued to walk, the crowd started to decrease. Soon the streets were deserted.

"These streets were the parts of ancient Qarth. Nobody lives here since a long time due to the fear of the Warlocks." Quaithe explained.

Soon they came out of the streets and Qaithe I said, "We are here."

The House of Undying was a grey and ancient ruin. A long and low building without towers or windows whose roof wass made of black tiles, of which many are fallen or broken, coiling like a stone serpent through a grove of black-barked trees. In front of the House of Undying was a single lone Sandstone tower.

"I will go alone to deal with the assassins." Aryan said firmly silencing Kinvara's protest. And he entered the tower.

In the end the annihilation of the Sorrowful Men, the famed Assassin's guild of Qarth proved to be ridiculously simple. Oh, they tried to attack him but they were no match against his magic. Unfortunately, The Sorrowful Men did not keep records. The orders were from mouth to mouth. And since no new assassin was sent his way Aryan was sure that there will be no more attack from the Sorrowful men. Unfortunately all he got from their interrogation was that the contract to kill him was from Kingslanding.

As soon he stepped outside Kinvara came running to him, "My Lord are you all right?"

With a smile Aryan told her, "I am fine. It is done." Looking at Kinvara, he said, "Thank you for you assistance."

"Thank you indeed." He heard another simpering voice.

They quickly turned around. What he saw repulsed him. Pale and bald men with blue lips wearing robes greeted him.

"Warlocks from the House of Undying." Kinvara spat.

Aryan saw one of the Warlocks flinging something at Kinvara. He, quickly apparated next to her and avoided the attack.

"Careful, Kinvara." Aryan said while observing the object and cringed. It was a manticore.

"Manticore Venom. Very effective." A leading Warlock simpered.

"Azor Azai. I apologise that you were the one protecting me." Kinvara rasped.

As soon as he got up and was about to address the Warlocks suddenly he was engulfed in darkness. Startled by the sudden move he looked around.

And then he heard a word he had long forgotten, "FREAK."

Before him was a vision of his aunt Petunia scolding him. He walked forward ignoring the memory. His paths forward was littered with many such memories of his old life. He kept moving forward shaking his head.

"Harry." "Son." He saw a feminine voice. He looked ahead astonished to see Lily and James Potter standing in front of him.

"Mom. Dad." He said as he went towards them.

Smiling radiantly Lily said, "Come to us Harry. We have been waiting for a long time." James gave him an encouraging smile.

As he walked to them another female voice called to him, "My baby, My Aryan has grown."

"Definitely. He has got best of both of us." A male voice agreed.

Aryan turned behind and saw Ashara Dayne and Brandon Stark looking at him.

"Mother. Father." He whispered.

Slowly the two memories started to combine and he saw both the couples standing near each other. And all of them started to speak at the same time.

"We are always proud of you. In this life or the previous life you have excelled against all odds. You have a task to complete. The task given to you by Death. These cheap tricks from these weaklings should not deter you. Shake yourself out of it."

Aryan nodded with tears in his eyes. Slowly they started to disappear.

Only Brandon Stark remained, "I did not have the chance to meet you. But know that I am proud of you. Looks after the pack will you." Soon he started to fade but his voice echoed. "A great danger is coming for the Starks. Protect the pack."

He released the breath he was holding and cursed himself. "You are a professionally trained wizard." He closed his eyes. He calmed his mind and raised his occlumency shields. And then he opened his eyes.

Gone was the blackness. He was standing in the ruins of the House of Undying. The Sandstone Tower of the Sorrowful Men could be seen at some distance.

In front of his he could see the leader of the Warlocks changing something.

"You should not have done that." He growled.

The Warlock opened his eyes. "How?"

"Let me show you how real magic works." He had discreetly cast a Homenum Revelio to ascertain the number of Warlocks. After finding them and fixing their locations, he smiled at Pyatt Pree, "Rest In Pieces. Bombarda."

And just like that Pyatt Pree exploded in gore before he could even utter a sound.

By then the other Warlocks started to cast their magics towards him. From the missed spells he found that they were low powered cutting cursed. But what annoyed him was that while the casting time was long unlike his the spells from the Warlocks were invisible. Only his instincts and experience helped. Some of the spells missed him by inches. But one lucky shot but him full on his face. He felt the gash on his right side of his face over the eye. Blood started to seep. Thankfully he his eye was safe. And the was not deep. A quick episkey took care of that. But he knew the scar would remain.

"You will never leave the House Of Undying cool. We will kill you and retain our list glory." He heard one of them saying.

"We will see about that". Then casting a disillusionment charm as well as silencing his sounds he started to walk. He approached each Warlock and killed them. He put to use all the dark curses he knew. Bone breaking, blood boiling, lunge rupturing, heart stopping and not to mention occasional killing curse too. He remained till life left each of their eyes and then went towards his next prey. In a couple of hours all of them were dead.

"Now for finishing touches." He pointed his wand and cast, "Ignis Infernum."

And the Fiendfyre started his work. He then walked outside exhausted and started to walk towards where Kinvara was and saw a few dozen bodies around her.

"Good job." He said while being impressed.

"I live to serve Azor Ahai" Kinvara answered.

He saw the Fiendfyre devouring the whole place and soon the flames started to pick the Sandstone Tower of the Sorrowful Men. There was no inhabitation nearby. So he was sure that the destructive fire would not spread. A wind started to blow and the ashes began to disperse away. Casting a last look at the place he turned on the spot and vanished.

He reappeared in the room at the Inn they were staying. Marwyn who was reading a book got up immediately. Aryan waved him away.

"What happened?" Marwyn asked.

Starting to change his clothes he asked, "Can you bring me some food and wine. I am very tired and hungry. I will tell as we eat."

Marwyn hurried outside while Aryan freshened up. When Marwyn brought the food Aryan snatched them and started to devour the food. He then started to tell him about the adventure. Marwyn listened patiently.

"So the Warlocks attacked you and Kinvara after you dealt with the Sorrowful Men. As of now the Sorrowful Men and the Warlocks of Qarth are no more." Marwyn summarised. "And you got a scar across your face, which I think is good. A warrior must have scars to prove it. Thankfully your scar is just perfect. It is just barely visible but at the same time cannot be missed."

"Essentially yes." He said running a finger across the scar. By then he had finished his food. Then he told Marwyn, "We will go to Yi-Ti tomorrow. I am sick of this place."

"Yi-Ti will provide a respite from all our hectic journey. Rest well, my Lord." Marwyn said.