Chapter 121 - Before Departure, Bellam

Varys returned from his trip to Dorne. Honestly, the visit didn't go as planned. Although it couldn't be called a critical failure. He was more dissatisfied with the fact that when he was about to return, the captain said something devilish was happening at sea. Ships from Essos stopped arriving in Westeros, and vice versa. Honestly, it seemed to him that the journey back took twice as long, and they even saw some unknown island on the way back...

The captain wanted to stop, but Varys insisted on a swift return to Meereen. The captain and Varys were unaware that at that moment, while they were sailing back, there were still restrictions on international travel in England and Europe, except for teleportation gates. And any ships approaching the shores of England and Europe were being sunk.

Hence, although the world maps had changed, no one fully understood to what extent, and many were unaware of it. If simple traders - wizards captured them, they were placed in chambers. Of course, not prison cells; it was more like a hotel for those who were not allowed to leave the territories of the wizard council yet. Pirates who wanted to attack the new territories were instantly wiped out, leaving no trace behind.

So, the fact that Westeros had turned 90° to the left and landed over England, while Essos had shifted 15° to the left and moved under England, remained unnoticed by everyone except Daenerys' people. Therefore, as Varys sailed on the ship, he pondered not about the strange island that appeared in the middle of the narrow sea, but about how the meeting in Dorne went.

Initially, Varys intended to seek the Tyrells' assistance while discussing cooperation with the Dornish. However, upon Dorne's invitation, the Queen of Thorns responded with a refusal. Furthermore, a day after the refusal, he received news that Highgarden was preparing three main ships for departure... to Dragonstone.

He couldn't understand why Lady Olenna didn't agree to meet Dorne's new ruler. But then he received much more important news. Margaery, Loras, and Mace Tyrell, all alive! This news had already begun to spread throughout Westeros. Those who were supposed to perish in the Sept explosion somehow survived.

Receiving this news, Varys was able to connect all the dots together. He had already been receiving news from Tyrion about the wizards, although internally he was filled with disgust towards sorcerers and all sorts of rituals. The letter described that these magicians did not use any body parts to cast spells...

Additionally, he also received news about the fourth dragon. This both delighted and frightened him. It was already difficult to restrain Daenerys from reckless slaughter; if there were two such individuals...

Fortunately, negotiations with Dorne had at least been successful; the Dornish snakes had decided to agree to an alliance with the dragon queen. "They must sail to Dragonstone in two days," Varys thought as he descended the gangway from the ship to the shore.

Surveying the port, he saw that all available ships, albeit few, about 140 of them, were preparing to set sail. They were constantly being loaded with supplies, food, gold, and so on. Varys did not linger long upon seeing this; he headed towards the city, carrying the good news.

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Meanwhile, in the port of Meereen, there was another one guest from afar. It was Bellam, who had long sailed from Braavos. The ship's captain kept saying they had to sail along the coast, avoiding the islands and venturing too far into the sea, as something devilish was happening there, and ships disappeared like ghosts.

Hence, the journey from Braavos took a long time. But today, he finally reached Meereen. As soon as Bellam set foot on shore, he noticed that almost all the ships, except for some trading vessels, were preparing for a long voyage. Seeing this, he understood he needed to hurry.

Bellam adjusted his clothing once again to cover his face tightly except for his eyes and headed into the city. After spending some time in brothels and taverns, Bellam determined in which of the pyramids the queen resided.

He decided to wait until evening when it would be easier to sneak in and observe the dragon rider. What she was like and so on. The only thing that puzzled him and made him ponder were the rumors he heard in the tavern.

According to the locals, there were two people capable of controlling dragons. One was the woman for whom he came, who had three dragons. But people also talked about a man and his dragon with four wings. He also heard something about the man's dragon being much stronger than the woman's because it single-handedly sunk the invaders' fleet.

"All right, we'll see tonight," Bellam shook his head, and after paying five copper coins, he went to sleep in the room he rented at the nearest tavern to the pyramid.

Night quickly conquered the day and took its place. When the last rays vanished from sight, Bellam woke up. Once again dressing, this time more casually, he set off towards the pyramid.

Navigating the alleyways here and there, he managed to reach the pyramid unnoticed by the impeccable guards patrolling the streets. When he got close to the pyramid, he realized he couldn't enter unnoticed through the main entrances.

So, he began to wave his hands and mutter something. "Oluxmagna, ambireme!"

If any wizards were present there, they would have recognized that Bellam's spell bore a striking resemblance in its effect to the Disillusionment Charm of the magical world, but it wasn't as effective.

The blue skin gradually resembled a mirror. Torchlight seemed to avoid him, and if one didn't look closely in certain places, it would be extremely difficult to detect Bellam when he was not moving or moving slowly.

Ensuring that the spell had taken effect, Bellam headed towards the pyramid. Circumventing the impeccable guards and scaling the wall, he noticed a tail hanging from the pyramid's roof. It was the tail of a dragon.

Bellam wasn't particularly afraid of the young dragon, but the problem arose when, as he was about to pass by, the dragon's tail twitched, and from above came a sound as if something was stirring...

Bellam's instincts were correct. When he paused to enhance the effectiveness of the spell, a head appeared above, with brightly brown eyes scanning the area. The dragon slowly descended, clutching onto the roof.

Descending and sniffing, trying to understand what had aroused its instincts. The enormous head sniffed a spot a meter away from Bellam. Meanwhile, he stood still, hoping that his unique physiology, which didn't sweat or emit odors except for the scent of freshness, would prevent the dragon from noticing him.

As if sensing his thoughts, the dragon abruptly lifted its gaze and looked directly at Bellam. Its huge, bright brown eyes met his not-so-large blue ones.

Bellam was already prepared to run in case of danger. Although he wasn't afraid of the young dragon, the creature was very dangerous at such close quarters, even at a young age.

Fortunately for Bellam, Drogon sniffed a couple of times and, with a snort, went on to sleep. Bellam wanted to exhale, but he realized that it might attract the dragon's attention again. So, he quietly continued his ascent, knowing that he wasn't far from his destination. Just one more floor to go; according to what he heard in the tavern, the queen resided on the top floor. People said she enjoyed watching the city from above. Additionally, lights were only on in the first two floors and the top floor of the pyramid.

As Bellam was already climbing onto the balcony of the upper main hall, he overheard a conversation among five individuals.

"Your Majesty Asmodeus, tomorrow we are heading to Dragonstone. The Dornish will also arrive there. Following your plan, we will strike at the forces of Westeros sufficiently to intimidate them and to leave them with no one to fight in case they decide to attack the North. But how severe should the losses of our enemies be to achieve such a result?"

"Your Majesty Daenerys, you may call me whatever you like – lord, emperor, Your Excellency, and so forth. Yet, I prefer lord. I care not for the title of the so-called Emperor of Magic. As for your question... What do you think if our enemies are left with not a single ship and fewer than 2,000 soldiers? Would they dare to attack the North, which will have an army that accomplished this feat and ten dragons?"

The room fell silent, and even Bellam pondered whether this individual was too harsh. After all, humans were of the same kind...

At that moment, Tyrion spoke up.

"Lord Morningstar, you speak of ships. But the Lannisters have no fleet..."

"The Greyjoys do, or rather Euron Greyjoy does. In truth, you need not worry. The war with Cersei will be swift and easy. I can guarantee that your people will not suffer significant losses. If they're lucky, they won't even have to step onto the battlefield."

"By the way, you mentioned the army of wizards coming to our aid, but so far there's been no word about them..."

"Your Majesty, it's pointless for my people to come here to Meereen. They will arrive at Dragonstone as soon as I establish the teleportation array."

"That's good to hear."

"Lord Morningstar, regarding the White Walkers in the North, shouldn't we..."

Before Tyrion could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Asmodeus, who gestured for silence and said, "Hey! Have you heard enough? Get here, show yourself, I won't attack you, at least if you show us who you are within 15 seconds! One! Two!"

Bellam couldn't understand how this man had found him; he had been sitting motionless on the balcony for five minutes. Yet, this young man had suddenly exposed him. He didn't know what to do: reveal his disguise and greet them, try to explain the misunderstanding, or flee and find a chance to speak with the Dragon Queen alone? But he overheard something about the Emperor of Magic, and as he understood it, this man was the Emperor of Magic.

Before his transformation, Bellam was a mage specializing in various forms of magic suitable for hunting. Simply put, his spells began to mutate after his transformation. That's why he knows many spells to conceal traces, scents, his presence, but he was never a spy or negotiator. He's good at fighting and hunting, just with the help of magic. Though in his time he could have been considered a very strong mage, certainly not one of the strongest, and he doesn't know how to behave in such situations. That's why he hesitated and didn't hear Asmodeus say, "15, sorry, man, but you didn't listen to me. Don't worry, I won't kill you until I find out who you are. Stupefy!"

The blue spell flew straight toward where Bellam stood. Asmodeus could easily find Bellam precisely because he contains Mana within him. He can sense Mana within himself, the dragon on the roof, even a bit within Daenerys, and naturally in his surroundings. But at one moment, a concentration of Mana with an ice element appeared on the balcony, and he sensed it. He was very curious about who this guest was and why the first Ice and Fire Mage in the world, whom Asmodeus could call a wizard, had never appeared in any book.

While Asmodeus speculated, Bellam felt the danger as he saw the blue spell flying towards him. He felt that it wouldn't kill him, but it would be very painful if it hit him. Therefore, without further thought on how to conceal himself or how Asmodeus found him, Bellam began to defend himself.

"Murusglaciei apparebit!"

A wall of ice appeared in front of Bellam, shielding him from the spell. Seeing that the man finally decided to reveal himself, Asmodeus asked, "Well, what? Are you going to continue playing silent, or shall we talk? I'm not against a third option - to fight, but I'm afraid you won't last long. You're at the level of a High Wizard and not far from advancing to a Master Wizard, but that's far from enough to fight an Archwizard."

Bellam decided that there was no point in fighting anyway, so he removed the wall and began to speak.

"You're a powerful wizard, you're right, I'm not your match, and there's no point in fighting. I came seeking help."

"?"

Asmodeus nodded, indicating to continue, but Varis, who was also present at the meeting, decided to ask.

"Forgive my ignorance, but can't the wizard who eavesdropped on the queen show his face? Is it really such a secret?"

Hearing this, Bellam nodded and began to remove his bandages. When Asmodeus saw what Bellam looked like, he said,

"Interesting, perhaps my information is outdated. I thought that White Walkers couldn't communicate in human language. Well then, tell your story. I believe it will be interesting to everyone present."

Bellam nodded and began to speak.

"My name is Bellam, and you're right, I'm a White Walker. Or at least, I should be one. Once upon a time, I was just a hunter with some knowledge of magic, but after the world's destruction, many things happened..."