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CHAPTER 41- Stephen Silver Tongue

STEPHEN BARATHEON POV

"I like this city." He said as he rode through the wide cobble paths leading to the Citadel.

"Me too." Sarella said as she moved her horse around a horse carriage. "This place is crowded and chaotic, but it is organised chaos."

"I've never been to a city before." Tyene said, her voice barely audible above the hawking of the traders selling their goods in their stalls. "Seeing so many people in one place is weird."

He nodded, though those were not his reasons for liking this city.

Oldtown was clean. Its sewers worked properly as far as he could tell, and the citizens were fined if they threw their shit into the roads. Aside from that, the roads were larger, the city guards weren't as corrupt as the Gold Cloaks, and overall, the city was very well organised.

This is the kind of city that Kings Landing could've been but failed to be.

There was also the fact that the people living this city didn't knew him just yet, and did not crowd him as soon as he went out to explore the city.

This kind of freedom was… nice.

Just at that moment, a large hobo jumped right in front of their column. "Wait! Stop stop stop. I need to talk with you."

His guards tensed him and he could see the captain of his guard reaching for his sword but the Hightower guards loaned to him merely looked annoyed at the arrival of this strange man.

He used Observe on the man and immediately understood why.

This man was none other than Archmaester Marwyn. A man that he expected to meet in the Citadel. Though admittedly, he hadn't expected the man to be dressed like a beggar. Or to smell like one for that matter.

"Stay back stranger." Ser Theo Wells, one of his loyal Knights asked as he rode in between him and the Archmaester and glared menacingly at Marwyn, his palm on the hilt of his sword. "Do you even know whose path you are blocking?"

"Of course I am. I may look like a beggar but I assure you that I'm not one." Marwyn said with a bit of false bravado. "I would like to talk with your 'lord'. Five minutes in a nearby tavern will do."

"I don't think you understand-" Ser Theo begin to speak but paused when he rode forward and put a hand on his shoulder.

He stared at the Archmaester with mild amusement. "It's alright Theo. I would like to hear what this man has to say."

"But…" Ser Theo begin to say but paused at the determined look on his face. He leaned in and whispered. "Are you sure about this your grace?"

"Yes." He said as he looked at Marwyn. "Lead the way good man."

Marwyn stared at him in contemplation for a moment before he said "Your guards can't come. Only you and one or two people that you trust. The others must stay here."

"Preposterous." His guards immediately begin to hurl insults at the

Archmaester but stopped when he gave them a look.

It took a few minutes to assure them that he'll be safe before he was finally able to move forward with Sarella and Tyene.

"Go to the Citadel and wait for me in a nearby Tavern. I'll meet you guys there." He said as he he threw a purse full of coins to his guards before he rode after Marwyn the Mage.

Marwyn led their small group through a few dark and dirty alleyways, under an old bridge and past a small slum before their finally arrived at a dark and dingy tavern that looked like it would fall apart at any moment.

"Steph… do we really have to go in there?" Tyene whispered as she stared at the Tavern with clear disgust in her eyes before she looked at Marwyn who gestured for them to 'come in' as he opened the half rotten door of the Taven. "I don't like this place. Did you really have to follow this suspicious guy."

"Come now little sister. I thought you were more adventurous than this." Sarella teased as she got down from her own horse and started tying it to a nearby wall. He could see that Sarella was also a bit tense despite her carefree attitude, but she was also excited by this sudden 'adventure' and curious about their new hobo friend.

"I just don't like this place." Tyene complained.

"Don't worry Tyene. With Stephen by our side, nothing will happen to us." Sarella said with some assurance and Tyene was finally able to let go of some of her tenseness.

"Yeah, you're right. What's the worse that could happen?" She asked sardonically as she got down from her horse as well.

After tying their horses, they entered the tavern, and were mildly surprised to find that the Tavern was well lit despite its outside appearance.

It was empty though, and Marwyn was sitting on a table nearest to the kitchen area and was talking to an old woman who looked like the exact image of a stereotypical witch from the horror movies.

Marwyn noticed their entrance and made large gestures for them to come and sit with him. "Come, come, come. There is so much I want to talk with you about. So much I need to tell you about. So much I need to warn you about. I've crossed half the world to come and meet you."

"That's good and all but you still haven't introduced yourself." Tyene said.

"I will, I will. In just a moment lassie." Marwyn said before he started to rummage inside his large satchel, until he took out a jagged and twisted obsedian candle. "Ah! Here it is."

Then Marwyn put the candle in the middle of the table and waited.

"That's a glass candle." Sarella said as she gazed curiously at

Marwyn. "I didn't believe that you were a common beggar, or else Stephen would've never followed you. But who are good ser?"

"Not a Ser." Marwyn replied absently as he continued staring at the Glass Candle, his frown getting deeper and deeper when the Candle remained unlit.

"Are you waiting for it to start glowing?" He asked and Marwyn nodded.

"Yes! It should start glowing when it is brought in the presence of a person who has strong magic in his blood. I thought that, with you being who you are…" Marwyn paused and let out a sigh, his excitement turning into defeat as a slumped back into his chair. "I didn't think that it would not burn." Then Marwyn gave him a suspicious glance. "You are Prince Stephen Baratheon, aren't you? The guy who defeated the Ironborn."

He smiled. "I am."

"Then why is this not burning?" Marwyn asked in frustration and he chuckled.

"Because I've not willed it to burn yet." He said and finally let out a small trickle of his Mana which he then channeled into the Glass Candle.

And immediately, the tavern had yet another powerful source of light in it as the candle lit up and burned brightly under his magical power.

Marwyn stared at the Glass Candle in silent wonder, a silent tear streaming down his cheeks before he smiled.

"Yes, yes, yesyesyes. This is what I crossed half the world for. I was not wrong. Thank the world, I wasn't wrong." Marwyn murmured to himself and he stopped channelling his Mana into the Glass Candle.

"I think that's enough of a demonstration, yes?" He asked and Marwyn nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, it is. Thank you for showing that to me. Till this day, I've seen many a mages, warlocks and wood witches with Glass Candles of their own. But I've never seen anyone light one without using their blood as fuel. Thank you for showing me what I thought was impossible." Marwyn said, his eyes shimmering with tears as he got up from his chair and bowed to him. "My name is Marwyn, though some call me Marwyn the Mage. I am an Archmaester in the Citadel, and I would like to come under your service Prince Stephen Baratheon. If you'll have me."

He smiled at the hobo looking guy. "I would be honoured to have you in my service Archmaester Marwyn. Though maybe you should look into getting a bath and some proper clothes first."

—————

A few hours later

"And this… magic drug of yours can heal any infection?" Archmaester Ebrose, thin old man with a large white beard asked him with mild skepticism. "You would have to forgive me, but this all seems a tad unbelievable, Prince Stephen."

"I know why you would think that. But believe me when I say that this is real. And if you don't believe me, then you're free to test it yourself." He said as he handed a pouch to the Archmaester of Healing. "And no magic was used in its creation. In fact, even the most untalented Acolytes you have under your service can make it. With some very simple ingredients."

"Ingredients that you'll not tell us about." Archmaester Ebrose humphed as he opened the pouch and took out some of the white drug that he pinched and sniffed. "If this… Penicillin of yours truly worked as you've described, then keeping it to yourself would be a monstrous crime."

"That is why I'm trying to create it in a large Industrial scale." He said with a smile. "Once I've succeeded, I'll be able to sell Penicillin to the entirety of Westeros. At a cheap price at that. And you're not going to guilt me into giving away the monopoly on this drug."

The Archmaester shook his head. "I do not think your realise just how vital this drug would be for mankind, if it can do even half of the things you've promised. Are you sure I cannot convince you to tell me about how it is made."

"I am. Though… there is a way you can learn how to make it."

The old Archmaester's eyes narrowed. "And what way is that?"

"You can join me. Come into my service, and I'll tell you how to create Penicillin, as well as all the secrets of the human body that I've managed to discover."

The Archmaester raise an eyebrow at his words. "I'm not sure if I should be offended by your offer, or impressed by your impudence. Tell me boy, do you really think that you know more about the human

body than me? Me? The Archmaester of Healing?"

"We can put it to the test if you want." He said with a cocky smile. "In fact, how about we have a bet."

"A bet?"

"Yes. We both test our knowledge on the subject of Healing, and argue on various topics. If you win, then I'll donate 10,000 Gold Dragons to your subject. But if you lose… then you leave the Citadel and come under my service. How does that sound?"

The Archmaester rubbed his beard for a moment before he gave a firm nod. "I do not believe that I'll be defeated by a boy who is still wet behind his ears. But if you somehow managed to defeat me, then it'll prove that you indeed know more about me in the matters of Healing, and I'll have no problem serving a man like that."

He smiled at those words. "Excellent."

—————

"This Four-field crop rotation method… how did you come by it?" Archmaester Castos, the Archmaester of Agriculture asked as he read through at the half completed notes he'd made on his voyage thus far. "What do you mean by that Archmaester Castos?" He asked curiously. "Do the peasants of reach not use Four-field crop rotation method as well?"

"We use the Three-field crop rotation, to a varying degree of success." Archmaester Castos said, his eyes never leaving the notes he'd made. "Some of the old Archmaesters of Agriculture had theorised a method of Four-field crop rotation but no lord has shown any interest in implementing those methods into their lands. And I admit that even I was skeptical of those methods."

"Are you still skeptical of these methods?" He asked and the Archmaester shrugged.

"I'm unsure. The numbers you've noted down here almost seem unbelievable. And we certainly do not know what kind of effect this method would have on the soil. Would the soil still be fertile a few years, a few decades from now? Would this method work in all types of soil? What about the climate? How much more work the peasant will have to do to take care of the crops? A lot of time and effort will have to put into studying it before I can come to a solid conclusion."

"Well then, how about you come to Dragonstone?" He asked. "I would allow you to test the Four-field crop rotation along with the various other new agriculture methods I've implemented in my lands."

"I see what you're doing here. I know of your tricks boy, and I'll not be as easy as Archmaester Ebrose was." Archmaester Castos said as he rubbed his chin. "But at the same time, I cannot say that I'm not tempted."

"Of course you're tempted. You're an Archmaester of Agriculture. Your place is out there, in the farmlands. Not cooped up in a building where you can't study your craft. Come with my Archmaester Castos and I'll show you a new world of Agriculture."

The Archmaester hummed. "You've a silver tongue boy. A silver tongue, I tell you. You're dangerous."

"So… are you convinced?" He asked cheekily and the Archmaester huffed.

"Give me some time to think on it. I don't want to make such a life changing decisions on a whim."

—————

"A small Arsenal you say." Archmaester Guyne, the Archmaester of Shipcraft asked as he stared at the plans in front of him. "And you're just… giving away its plans to me? Do you not fear that I'll sell it to someone else?"

"And who will you sell it to?" He asked with some amusement.

"The Redwynes? They've already tried and failed to copy the Arsenal multiple times in the past. The Hightowers? They've never held a powerful fleet and won't invest on such an expensive venture. The Lannisters? They've also never held a powerful fleet of ships in history and have no reason to start doing so now. And who else is there? Manderlys? The Arryns of Gulltown? The Velaryons? The Greyjoys? No, Archmaester. You may try to sell these plans, but you'll find no buyer for them."

The Archmaester hummed in his deep baritone voice. "Perhaps. But this… this is still a treasure. And I am deeply grateful that you'll share such an important thing with me, your grace. If there is something you want in return for it, then please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do my best to be of service to you."

"Well, you can leave the Citadel and come into my service. I have always need of good and educated men in my domain." He said.

"Plus, I eventually plan on creating a University. A place of learning. A place where someone like you can do a lot of good."

The Archmaester chuckled at his words. "I was afraid you would say something like this. But I'm afraid I cannot join you, your grace."

"And why is that?"

The Archmaester smiled warmly at his question and stared into the distance as he started speaking. "Unlike many other Archmaesters who came to the Citadel once they were boys, I've lived in this place my entire life."

"Your entire life?"

"Indeed. I was the bastard son of an Archmaester of some influence, who decided to take me in as a baby after me mother died of childbirth. It lost him some of his influence but he kept me close to him. My earliest memories are of the Citadel. I've lived my entire life in the Citadel. And now that I'm an old man, I wish to die in the Citadel."

"Well… your story is certainly unique." He said as he sat down on a nearby chair. "How about you come to Dragonstone for only a few years. Witness as the small Arsenal is built. Make notes on its construction and how it works. Then you can return to the Citadel, content."

"A tempting offer, your grace. But my mind is made up, and nothing you say or offer will change it." The Archmaester said with a warm smile. "With that said, I would like to introduce you to some of my students."

"Your students?"

"Yes. They're just as interested into learning about Ships and the Ship building process as me. They're smart and intelligent boys. A bit too curious for my liking but good boys. You'll not be disappointed if you decided to hire them."

"Is that so. Then please introduce me to these students of yours."

—————

Nighttime.

"I heard a rumour that you were kicked out of the Citadel earlier this evening. Is it true, your grace." Humfrey Hightower, the fourth and youngest son of Lord Leyton Hightower asked with curiosity and the rest of the table laughed. Even Asha joined along in that laughter, the traitor

"Aye. Those old farts said that I was abusing their hospitality and kicked me out." He said with a charming smile. "Jokes on them though. By the time they figured out what I was doing, I'd already done it."

"So you did abuse the hospitality of the Citadel?" Malora

Hightower asked, amusement dancing in her eyes and he smiled.

"Yeah, you could say that."

"You abused the hospitality of the Citadel?" Ser Baelor Hightower ask, his face serious, in contrast to the jovial atmosphere in the high table. "This is no laughing matter, Prince Stephen. Just what did you do in the Citadel?"

"Well… I didn't break their hospitality, technically. But I did do something that broke their trust." He said with a sigh. "And I don't think I'll be welcome back there anytime soon."

"Just what did you do Prince Stephen?" Malora asked once again, though she sounded genuinely concerned this time.

The high table has quieted down at this point as the main members of House Hightower realised that this was actually a serious issue.

"Well… I may or may not have filched over two thousand books from their vast library." He admitted. Though truthfully, it was mostly done by Sarella and Marwyn while he was busy talking with the various Archmaesters.

"You stole from the Citadel?" Lady Layla Hightower asked, sounding aghast.

"No. I did pay for those books. In fact, I paid twice, what those books were worth." He said. "Though I don't think that's what the Receptionist meant when he generously told me to take any book that I wanted from their vast library. In my defence though, I only took books which they already have a copy of, so they lost nothing from this."

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure that he only meant for you to take two or three books." Malora replied with some amusement, putting the table at ease.

"Why did you take these many books though?" Humfrey asked with some confusion. "I mean… books are boring."

"Maybe he just wants a large library?" Ser Gunthor Hightower, the Third son of Lord Leyton Hightower suggested.

"I actually wanted to read all those books." He said, silencing the murmuring in the Table. "I've already read all the books in the library of Dragonstone. And a lot of the books in the Library of the Red Keep as well. I wanted to have something to read during the rest of this voyage."

"The rest of this voyage… you mean the rest of your life?" Lady Alysanne Hightower asked and he simply smiled, not giving them an answer.

"What about all those Maesters that followed you back to Hightower?" Ser Garth Hightower asked. "Accommodating that many men is not a problem, but I don't understand why they left the Citadel and came to Hightower instead. Would you mind explaining their sudden presence here, Prince Stephen?"

"Oh yeah…" He coughed into his fist in embarrassment. "So you see… I might have filched some of the Archmaesters and maesters from the Citadel as well."

"You… filched some of the Archmaesters?" Ser Garth asked in confusion. "And how do you manage to accomplish that, Prince Stephen?"

"I asked them to follow me. And they did." He smiled.

"You asked them to follow you. And they did…" Ser Garth asked, giving him a disbelieving look.

"Yeah. I was very polite about it." He said.

Ser Garth stared at him for a long moment before he threw up his hands in defeat. "Nevermind. You know what, I'll go to the Citadel tomorrow morning and get to the bottom of this myself. I can only pray that you haven't angered those old men too much Prince Stephen. Because the Maesters know how to hold a grudge."

"Of course Ser Garth." He said with a smile, knowing well enough that the Alcove of Archmaesters weren't truly angry with him due to the generous donations he made in exchange for each Archmaester and Maester he took from their group.

A pity though, that he was only able to get 2 Archmaesters and a dozen maesters into his service. He also wanted to get his hands on the Archmaester of Smithing, the Archmaester of Cattle and Livestock, and the Archmaester of Economy.

He'll have to see if Marwyn could get him into secret meetings with those Archmaesters.

"What about the Starry Sept?" Lady Leyla asked. "I heard that you went to visit the Sept today. Was it to your liking? And how was it compared to the Sept of Baelor back in Kings Landing."

He hummed and started telling them a made up story.

After all, it won't do for them to learn that he got into an altercation with the Most Devouts.

After the story, the rest of the Feast devolved into mundane talk and soon enough, the feast came to an end and he was able to retire back to his chambers at the top of the Hightower.

His chambers, where a gift was waiting for him in the form of a voluptuous woman.

CHAPTER 42- Great Master Stephen

STEPHEN BARATHEON POV

The nightgown that Malora Hightower was wearing wasn't even that provocative or erotic, but the curves of her body still held a natural attraction for him.

He couldn't help but think of last evening when he tore a similar nightgown from over her body before ravaging her through the entire night. Though he was sure that he would've been approached by Lynesse Hightower or some other woman, her presence wasn't unwelcome either.

"Good evening dear." He said with mild amusement as he walked over to the table and looked at all the ingredients that Malora had prepared for the lesson.

A choker with a red ruby to serve as a base for the spell. A pint of blood of the woman she wanted to Glamour into. A pigeon inside a cage to serve as a sacrifice. And a few other reagents.

She had prepared everything well in advance. Good.

"Is this everything, or was there anything else you needed?" Malora asked as she walked over to him and leaned against his back, her soft breasts gently pressing against his body.

"Did your father agree to everything I asked of him?" He asked in turn and Malora nodded, much to his surprise.

"He did? So quickly?" He asked. He had expected Leyton to negotiate a bit at least.

"The terms of the trade deals weren't unfavourable to House Hightower." Malora said as she massaged his arms. Despite her status as a spinster virgin until last night, she was quite good at this entire seduction thing. "Could we have gotten better terms if we negotiated? Probably. But father thinks that you're already being generous with your terms and doesn't want to push his luck."

A very profitable trade deal from House Hightower, given away to him because Malora and her father wanted to learn Glamour magic. He wasn't sure if he was lucky or not.

"Well, this entire deal rests on whether you're able to learn this magic or not." He said as he gently took her arm and pulled her to his side, already missing the her soft breasts pressed to his back. "So how about we get started already."

"Not would please me more." She said and he lightly swatted her arse cheeks.

"Are you sure about that? I can think of a few positions that would please you quite a bit." He said with waggling eyebrows but didn't make any other move and started preparing the ingredients instead.

Thanks to having put some effort into it, his Teaching, Training and Tutoring Skills were decently high. Meaning that he was able to teach stuff to other people with relative ease as long as they were paying attention.

Malora was a rather attentive student. So over the next hour, he took her through all the steps needed to set up a Glamour spell before they finally reached the last part.

Malora took a knife and sacrificed the Pigeon with a muttered chant, let its blood flow and collect itself in a bowl, the red liquid reflecting the moonlight coming through the window as she finished her chant.

Following that, she started another chant and put the Choker with the Red Ruby inside the bowl and watched with mild fascination as all the blood inside the bowl was slowly and steadily absorbed by the Ruby, the colour of the gem becoming more and more vibrant the more blood it absorbed.

It was rather amusing for him to see how many steps a normal person has to go through for a simple Glamour Spell. A Spell that he could now easily cast with a simple spoken words and a flew of his magic.

But that's what happens when people with little to no innate magical power try to delve into magic. They needed to go about it in a long way. Using sacrifices to power their spells and a powerful gem as a base to anchor and hold that spell among other things.

"Did I do it?" Malora asked with surprise and fascination etched onto her face once the process was complete and he smiled.

"Why don't you give it a try." He said even as he used Observe on the Choker to make sure that it worked as it was intended to.

The Choker was not the greatest magical artefact ever created. In fact, it barely even counted as a decent on. But for her first try, Malora did pretty well.

With shaking hands, Malora took the choker and raised it to her neck before she looked at him, a mischievous though nervous smile coming onto her face.

"Would you like to do the honours, my master?"

"Why not?" He shrugged as he took the choker and moved behind her.

Malora took her silky, and somewhat disheveled hair and held them away from her neck while he fastened the Choker around her neck.

The Glamour magic within the Choker took effect as soon as it was tied around her neck and her entire body changed within a second. Going from a beautiful lady in nightgown, to an ugly, old, servant that he remembered seeing in the lower levels of Hightower.

It was a pretty well done disguise, though the enthusiastic way in which Malora moved a moment later in order to check the result gave her away.

"It really worked!" Malora gushed as she looked at herself into the large full body mirror. She pulled her cheeks, played with her hair, and tried pinching the back of her hand. The Glamour magic held through all her initial check ups and Malora turned to him with a huge smile on his face. "It really worked. I did it!! My first magical spell! I did it!!"

Then she lunged at him with a hug only for him to hold her back at arms length.

"Sorry. Not in the business of hugging old women." He told her and Malora sheepishly removed the Choker from around her neck, the old lady in front of him immediately changing back into the beautiful middle aged woman before she rushed at him once again.

He didn't stop her this time and enjoyed the softness of her breasts pressing against his chest as she hugged him. His hugged her as well, wrapping his arms around her waist as he let her enjoy this moment.

They eventually ended the hug and he noticed that she had some tears brimming on her eyes. "Thank you your grace. You have no idea just how important this entire thing was to me."

He nodded. Thanks to Observe, he knew that she was not proud of her spinsterhood, or the Mad Maid nickname she had received from the servants due to her usual disheveled appearance.

Malora did not really regret spending her life in the pursuit of magic. But he knew that she sometimes looked at her married younger sisters, some of who now had children of their own, and wondered about the what-ifs of life.

Learning Glamour magic was the confirmation she desperately needed to make sure that her life has not been in vain.

With Glamour magic, she could finally call herself a magic user. Someone who can actually be of some help to her family. And not just a leech that everyone else saw her as.

Now for the hard part. "You still need of practice before you become somewhat good at it." He told her as he held the Choker in the palm of his hand. "As of now, the Spell within this Choker will only hold for a few hours before dissipating. You need to work at it until your Spell could hold for a week at least. I would actually prefer a moon's worth of time, but a week is a decent start."

Malora nodded hurried, her mature eyes following every movement of him with the enthusiasm of a child. "What more can I do, master?"

"Practice." He said. "You have remembered all the chants perfectly but you still stumbled at a few places as mispronounced some of the words. And your actions when going through the ritual also lack finesse. Both of which will improve with time and practice."

"Should I bring more ingredients. We can try again right now if you want?" Malora asked, looking like she was ready to dart to her room right away in order to secure those ingredients. But he shook his head.

"No. It might not be apparent at first, but Sacrificial magic taints the soul of the user." He told her seriously. "The effects are not visible at first. And they can become rather glaring over time. If you don't want to turn into an evil, cackling Witch like from the dark stories, then never, ever sacrifice something larger than a non-sentient animal or bird. And never do it more than once a day. Understood?"

Malora gave him a hesitant nod and he smiled.

"Good. I would prefer that you only use a sacrifice once every alternative day, just to be on the safe side. But I know that I'm here for a limited amount of time so I'll allow you to practice it once every day in my presence." He said.

Malora gave a slow nod at his words. "I understand. And thank you master."

"Don't mention it." He said with a wave of his hand before he took in the curves of her body and a smirk formed upon his lips. "Though, I think it is time that you give your payment to your teacher for the lesson."

"Payment?" Malora asked as she put a finger on her lips, trying to play innocent. "Isn't the trade deal my father signed good enough?"

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward him until her large bosom was pressed firmly against his chest. He took hold of her nightgown and slipped it past her shoulders, getting a better look at her soft, and pale flesh.

She was not the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Not even close. But there was a beauty to a middle age spinster that you knew you've deflowered yourself.

And he was a possessive man.

He took her soft breast into the palm of his hand and kneaded and played with her, Malora's breath getting heavy as he did so.

"I had… a more personal payment in my mind" He told her.

"Oh, my master is an evil old man lusting after my virtue~"

"You know. Your words would've been more meaningful if you weren't screaming and moaning like a two penny whore last night." He told her as he sat down on the bed and pulled her to his lap, his fingers continuing to dance across her breasts.

"Don't call me a Two-Penny-whore." Malora said amidst her gasp and he could sense some actual hurt in her tone. Seems like someone actually called her that in the past and the words were a bitter memory to her now. "It's… *haah* it's not… my fault… that you're so damn good at this."

"Of course my dear." He said as his other hand slid down to her thigh and up her pussy. Malora spread her legs, giving him open invitation to do what he wanted with her, and he slipped a finger inside her wet, glistening cunt.

Malora bit back a gasp as his High Fingering Skill got to work and he started playing her body like a guitar, making her dance to his tune as she squirmed, moaned and gasped in his grasp.

Eventually though, he decided that she was ready enough and pulled out his large cock from within its confines.

Malora took hold of his cock immediately and started pumping it with her dexterous fingers.

"You know… I know that you took my maidenhead yesterday, but it still surprises me that something that large can fit inside me." Malora said, her breath hot and heavy as one of his finger still continued to pump away inside her velvety walls.

"Well, let me surprise you once again then." He told her as he laid her down on the bed and climbed atop her, his giant member coming to rest over her belly.

Malora continued to pump his cock before she took some of the precum and pulled it to her lips where she made a show of tasting it and then moaned.

"How can your seed taste so good?" Malora moaned. And even though most of her moan was acting that he could easily see through, he knew that she still liked the taste of his cum. As she should.

"Maybe I'll tell you some day. Maybe I won't." He said with a shrug as he lined himself against her pussy before he pushed, the tip of his cock sliding inside her tight but wet folds easily enough.

Malora's back arched and she let out a gasp, her mouthing going wide open at the pleasureable sensation.

He leaned down and took her lips with his own, sealing their mouths with a passionate kiss before he thrusted again, and again, and again until his entire length was resting snugly within her hot confines.

"Oh master… please be gentle with your student." Malora whispered to him under the moonlight, though her eyes told him differently, all but begging him to ravish her and turn this into a night that she'll remember for decades to come.

He chose to listen to her eyes and started pounding into her tiny pussy with his monster cock.

—————

MELISANDRE POV

She hummed a soft tune as she went about doing her daily tasks through the ancient castle of Dragonstone.

Well… ancient to others. The castle was in truth, barely a few decades older than her. Not that it mattered anymore now that she was as healthy as any young maiden out there, if not more, courtesy of her lord.

Her lord's growing trade empire was a self running machine. His High Delegation skill meaning that he was able to delegate most of the tasks to the people who worked under him. But even the most well-run machine needed oiling, cleaning, occasional repairs, and other maintenance from time to time. And that's where she came in.

Over the course of the day, she met with ship captains who had grievances for one thing or another, Plantation managers who petitioned her for help with the most inane things, Port town manager who informed her about the ongoings of the Port Town, Construction manager who kept her informed about the various projects that were started under her lord's guidance, traders who came to sell their wares from far away places, and even an envoy from a Magister who was getting old and wanted to negotiate the price of a 'Blessing' from her for lord.

But today, she was holding a private meeting with a Trades person who came to her from all the way to Asshai, in order to sell something rather precious…

"I didn't believe them when I heard that Melisandre had come under the service of some Westerosi lord. But here we are." The Tradesman said in a language that is all but forgotten to all beings in existence, a black cloth covering his entire face except for two thin slits that he used for a limited vision.

But despite his black attire, his raspy voice and the pungent odour that would've turned anyone off, she couldn't help but feel a fond remembrance upon meeting this person.

"It is good to see you as well, Warlock Lavrock." She replied in that same, forgotten language, respectful but also slightly wary of the Shadow and Bloodbinder who was almost, if not even older than her own self. "Though I admit, I did not think that you would ever leave the safety of Asshai to venture out into the world."

"The safety of Asshai has served me well." The warlock said in his raspy voice. "But there is change in the world. Something… something I cannot explain. Something I wish to see with my own eyes… someone I wish to meet."

"You're talking about my lord." She said, her eyes narrowing as she gazed at the ancient man and thought about her odds of killing the man.

With how powerful she'd become recently, her odds were rather high. But she'd learned long ago to never underestimate a Blood binder. For even in defeat and death, they can lay a curse upon your blood that'll haunt you and your progeny for generations to come.

"The one who wields the blade of Azor Ahai. I've heard of him. I've seen him. I've… felt him, from across an entire world… such is his power." The warlock spoke, his gaze locked with her own. "You've grown under him Melisandre. Grown so much. Not a single Shadowbinder from Asshai can match you now. Grown so much. Under your master. The one who wields that blade."

"If you know that, then you must also know that if you so much as even thought about harming my lord, and I'll end you."

The Warlock chuckled at her words, his raspy voice echoing into the chamber, then chuckled, and chuckled some more.

"So loyal. So devoted. So… young. Hm… I'm not here to harm your lord. Only meet him. And I bring offerings." With that, the Warlock opened the head of the satchel he was carrying, and showed her three large, beautiful gems.

No, not gems. But rocks. Petrified rocks that once held life within them.

"Eggs of fire made flesh. Three. Lost to the time. Meant for someone else. Once. For your lord. Now." The Warlock said and then coughed a few times into his fist.

"You've brought dragon eggs with you? What do you want in return."

The Warlock remained silent for a moment before he took hold of the black cloth covering his face and tugged it downward, revealing a face that looked more of a skeleton than a face.

His skin was thin and pale to the point of almost being translucent. Black veins covered his face and pulsed with dark blood every so often. Lips that had turned purple, and then black with the over consumption of Nightshade. And milky eyes that barely hung from their sockets.

She wondered if this is how she looked to her lord when he first healed her. If she did, then he was deserving of even more respect from her than she'd previously thought.

A moment later, the Warlock covered his face once again and spoke in his raspy voice. "I want, what you have. O' Melisandre of the Shadow and Fire. Youth."

—————

QUEEN CERSEI POV

Jaime pushed her against the pillar, his lips meshing against her with in a passionate reunion as he thrusted inside her with wild abandon.

He did not last long, and she soon felt herself being filled with his hot seed.

Jaime leaned into her, his breath hot and heavy against her neck

and she bit her lips, trying to hold the sheer frustration and disappointment that this reunion turned out to be.

For while she made all the noises that Jaime loved so much, and matched his vigour with one of her own, she felt absolutely nothing from the start till the end of their sex.

Well… that's wasn't completely right. She did feel some amount of pleasure when his cock thrusted within her, but it was nothing compared to what she used to feel back when… back when she didn't meet that monster.

She pushed Jaime away from her and used a cloth to quickly wipe away the seed trickling out of her cunt. She didn't want to look into Jaime's eyes for fear that he would notice the utter disappointment she felt right now.

"I heard someone coming. Leave. Quickly." She said as she covered herself up.

"You sure you heard someone?" Jaime asked, and she knew that he wanted to spend more time with her. To fuck her once or twice more before he's utterly spent.

But she had no interest in doing that. What was the point when she could feel absolutely nothing during the sex.

"Of course. Do you think I would lie about something like this." She said, her tone a tad bit harsher than she had intended for it to be if the way Jaime flinched was any indication.

She wanted to apologise to him. To hold him close to her. To hug him and tell him what has happened to her. And who she suspected to be the one behind all this.

But she couldn't even muster the energy for that.

"Leave." She told Jaime and he opened his mouth to say something before he closed it and with a sigh, he turned and left. Once she was sure that he was gone, she fell down on the ground and stared into the distance.

She remembered the last time she felt any pleasure. When that monster played with her body and made her reach heights of pleasure that she'd never felt before, with his mere fingers.

The memory was hazy to her, but she could still feel the taste his member within her mouth. Within her throat. She could still remember just how large large and thick it was. And how tasty…

Her troubles begin from the next day, when she tried to pleasure herself in her chambers, and found herself utterly incapable of feeling any pleasure down there.

Well… she could still feel some pleasure, but the effect was so muted that she could never bring herself to orgasm from just that little stimulation.

She had been angry at that. At the monster in human skin for doing whatever it is that he did to her. And she had tried to destroy or harm his various properties in Kings Landing, only for her plans to be foiled time and time again by an invisible foe.

Eventually though, she felt Joffrey getting sick and decided to start focusing on her sweet little baby, pushing the thoughts of revenge back in her mind in order to focus on her son's needs.

Then, that monster had waltz into the city once again. Brazen as brass and not a care for the world as he lived within the same roof as her, taunting her with his mere presence.

She had thought of assassinating him, but the Red Cloak she selected for the task had refused. He had died for his insolence, obviously, but she hadn't tried a direct assassination method after that.

Next, she tried to poison him, with the Grandmaester's assistance. But when the time came, the monster sat in the great hall and looked into her eyes as he drained the cup of wine filled with poison, and remained utterly unaffected by it.

She tried other methods to assassinate or harm him for the rest of the week, but all her attempts were neatly sidestepped, seen through, or utterly ignored as the monster remained unaffected by the attempts on his life.

And then he was gone… having run back to the pile of rocks he called home, and she started to making plans to harm his growing trade network in Dragonstone.

Only… something happened to her. No, something was done to her, and since then, she had lost almost all her motivation.

She didn't want to plan, she didn't want to scheme, she didn't even want to insult the fat fuck when he returned from the war. No, all she wanted to do was lay down and spend her day away on her bed.

It was difficult for her, to even muster to energy to go on with her day to day activities. And she found herself short on temper more often than not.

The lack of sexual relief didn't help and at this point, she felt like she was fraying on the edges. Simply wasting away.

She was almost desperate enough to apologise to the monster, and beg for him to heal her. But the monster had run away in the nick of time. Having set out on a voyage to Iron Island of all places.

At this point, she could only hold on, and wait for him to eventually return to Dragonstone. Then, she find some excuse to summon him to the Red Keep, find some way to get leverage over him, and have him remove whatever dark curse he'd put on her. Or whatever numbing poison he'd used upon her.

She'll find a way, and she'll return back to normal, like how she was before that monster did this to her.

She just hoped that she'll be able to last until he eventually returned from his voyage.  

CHAPTER 43- After Oldtown

ASHA GREYJOY POV

She stood in the main deck of the ship and watched as Oldtown became smaller and smaller in the distance until it finally vanished into the Horizon.

She let out a sigh at finally getting away from that place, though she still felt some trepidation about where they were going next. To the Arbor, where her fellow Ironmen had raped, and killed and pillaged to their heart's content.

Admittedly, she was not treated with outright disrespect in the Oldtown. Probably because she was with Stephen. But that didn't mean she was spared either.

Snide remarks where she could hear them, curt looks from the servants and guards, hostile glares from those who had familial connections with the Redwynes, cold water baths, clothes that weren't cleaned properly, food that she was sure had been spat upon, and a thousand other minor inconveniences that added on top of one another over the course of a day.

It was slow torture. And in hindsight, this was exactly the kind of thing she feared would happen to her in Dragonstone.

And it was only now that she had gotten of taste of life in Oldtown did she realise how well she was treated in Dragonstone.

Yes, Lady Selyse still looked at her like she was a savage barbarian who doesn't know anything about civilised people. But aside from that, life had been pretty damn comfortable in Dragonstone.

She had the freedom to go wherever she wanted, do whatever she pleased, talk with whoever she desired, and it was now that she realised that she hadn't appreciated that enough.

She hadn't told Stephen about her treatment in Oldtown since she didn't want to bother him. Not with how busy he had been talking with all those merchants, traders, ship captains, maesters, lords, ladies, etc.

But she had a feeling that Stephen found out regardless, which was why he cut their stay in Oldtown short by 3 whole days, citing excuses to Lord Leyton Hightower and other prominent figures who wanted him to stay longer.

She could be wrong, but right now, she was merely glad that they were away from that horrid place. If she could stay away from

Oldtown for the rest of her life then she will.

When the burning tip of the Hightower finally vanished into the horizon as well, she left the main deck in order to search for Steph.

She found him at the prow of the ship, talking with two of the Maesters that followed him on his journey. She recognised one of them as that crazy guy Marwyn, but she didn't know the second one. Sarella, was there as well and was currently listening intently to his words.

"…a lot more to food than we know." She heard Steph speaking as she went closer. "A piece of meat and a loaf of bread of equal weight do not provide you with the same energy or benefits."

"That seems like common sense, Prince Stephen." The unknown Maester spoke up, a warm smile on his face.

"Aye. But why is that? Why does meat provide more energy than wheat? Why do rich people who consume a lot of meat and wine are the only ones who suffer from Gout? Why is it that Sailors who do not eat dry lemons out in the sea, start losing their teeth? Why do people who rely on only one type of food are more likely to develop diseases than people who eat many different kinds of food?"

She saw that words had stumped his three listeners, though she didn't know why. Food was food. Different food gave different things to the body. Meat gave more meat to your body. Bones gave more bones. Wasn't that simply common sense?

"Your words are valuable as always Prince Steph. And since you've broached this subject with us, I believe that you have an explanation to the mysteries of the food that we eat." The unknown Maester said.

"Glad that you asked. And yes, I do have explanation to the mysteries of the food. I've written it all down on a notebook. But let me give a basic explanation of how it all works. I'll start with the concept of energy. Or Calorie as I call it. I'll explain how much Calorie is needed by a man or woman every day, and how much do we get from the various food we eat." Steph said and she realised with some horror that he was about to go in one of his hours long lectures.

"Steph!" She called out and ignored the annoyed look his three companions threw her way as she walked up to him and leaned on the railing beside him before looking at the unknown maester. "Who's the new guy?"

Steph raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her blatant interruption but then nodded at the maester. "That's Qyburn. A new Maester under my service."

"Greetings Lady Asha." The Maester said with a bow. "I have six links of Silver healing in my chains. Second only to Archmaester Ebrose. If you have any trouble in regards to your health, then please, feel free to come to me."

"If I have any problems with my body then I'll go to Steph." She said before she added a seductive tilt to her voice as she side glanced at him. "And he can bless me with his holy water all he wants."

"Down girl." Steph drawled out as he gently slapped her ass. "And don't dismiss Qyburn out of hand. He might not be an Archmaester of Healing but he is almost as good as the Archmaester if not even better in some aspects."

"Really now?" She asked as she looked at the old man with slightly more interest. "And why have you followed Stephen instead of going to Dragonstone like so many of your fellow Maesters did?"

"I believe that I'll learn far more by working directly for the Prince." Qyburn said. "A sea voyage might not be good for an old man like me but I'm more than willing to make that sacrifice if it means I get to learn more from his Grace."

"You're really good at brown-nosing, aren't you?" She asked and the man simply smiled at her. A humble but fake smile.

She ignored him and turned to Steph. "Come." She said as she took his hand and started to pull him along with her.

"And where are you taking me?" He asked as bid farewell to his companions.

"You have not fucked my cunt a single time while we were in Hightower. I intend to change that." She told him as they descended down the stairs and started moving tower his cabin.

"Very well then." Steph said and the next moment, she found herself being picked up and thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potato before he entered his cabin and threw her on the bed. "Let me make it up to you."

Then his lips descended onto hers and she lost herself in pleasure.

—————

Steph shoved his hips forward, his large and girthy member slipping deep inside her asshole one last time before she felt his balls twitch against her hips.

One of his hand held her in place by the hips as he drained his balls inside her while the other continued to play with her cunt.

She moaned and gasped in pleasure as she felt his hot seed filling up her bowels. "By the drowned god!" She gasped as the pleasure intensified and triggered her own orgasm.

Her pussy squirted out its juices as Steph pumped forward, his cock digging deeper into her arsehole, pushing his seed deeper within her before he groaned in pleasure and fell on top of her, utterly spent.

Of course, she knew that this relief was temporary and that he'll be hard within moments but for now, she could relax in her lover's arms, knowing fully well that she had satisfied him. Even if it was only temporary.

They spent the next few moments in silence, with Steph humming a soft lullaby while she took deep breaths, the sex being far more intense for her than it was for Steph.

Then Steph pulled back, his dick slipping out with a satisfying 'pop' before she felt him put a cloth near her arsehole, absorbing all the seed that trickled out of her well fucked ass.

Once it was done, he threw the cloth to the side and pulled her close to him. Her soft petite body meshing against his muscular and chiseled figure.

"You were certainly enthusiastic today." Steph said softly as his fingers started to trace lines into her back.

She nuzzled into his arms. "This is what happens when you don't fuck your girl for a week."

"It was only four days." Steph said as he tightened his grip around her waist nuzzled her forehead with his own. "And 'your girl'? Are you finally accepting the fact that you are mine."

She bit off the immediate retort that wanted to came out of her lips. Telling him to fuck off just… didn't feel right this time. Instead, she explored her actual feelings for him and realised that she did not want to hide them from him any longer.

She shuffled into his arms and raised her face to look into his eyes. The tender and loving expression in his eyes firmed her resolve and she spoke up.

"And what if I am?" She asked and Stephen blinked, looking confused for a moment.

"Are you confessing to me?" He asked as his eyes suddenly sharpened and he gazed at her with an unrecognisable expression.

She gulped under the intensity of that look before she gathered her courage and nodded. "Yes." She heard a 'buzz' rang out from somewhere in the room but ignored that in favour of staring at Steph, a man that she had come to love in the past few moons. "Yes, I am." Stephen continued to stare at her with that unrecognisable expression before he suddenly chuckled, his emotionless facade breaking into one of joy and happiness as he pulled her close and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.

"I love you too sweetheart." He said and her joy soared with joy at his confession. "But…" He said and she felt her joy start to crumble at the edge. "I'll not be able to marry you."

"Marriage?" She asked, confused.

"Yeah… you know, in case you were hoping to get married to me. I just wanted to make this clear before we go any further." He said as he gently caressed her face.

She scoffed at his words. "I may not be as intelligent as you or your Maesters, Steph, but I'm not an idiot either. I know that you have ambitions. And marrying a Greyjoy will be nothing short of a disaster from your dreams an ambitions. No, I never dreamed of marrying you." She lied. She knew that Steph won't marry her but that never stopped her from dreaming about it. "I only want to remain close to you. To be a part of your life as you achieved your dreams and ambitions."

Stephen hummed thoughtfully for a moment before he nodded.

"Storms End."

"Storms End?" She asked, confused about why he would mention that place all of a sudden.

"I'll not marry you, but I'll have you be my Paramour." Stephen declared. "The children that I have with my wife, with take the Iron Throne. But the children that I have with you… I'll eventually legitimise them and give them the Storms End."

There was… so much wrong in that statement. That the Storms

End was not his to give. Or that he was not the ruler of the Iron Throne. But the sheer conviction in his voice made her believe that he was telling the truth.

"So you'll give Storm Lands to my children?" She asked, and couldn't help but feel elated in her heart at what she now knew was going to be her future.

"Not all of it." Steph said. "I plan to add a large chuck of Stormlands, Riverlands, and some of Reach into the Crownlands.

Making it one of the largest and most powerful Kingdom in all of Westeros. But yes, the children I have with you will inherit the lower half of Stormlands."

Well… half of Stormlands was better than marrying some old lord in Iron Islands and inheriting an old, dusty keep.

There was only one problem with this though.

"Legitimising your bastards has never ended well for the Westerosi rulers of the past." She reminded him. She knew that it would hurt her if he decided to take the Stormlands away from her children. But she could not be a party in hurting him and his interests.

"Don't worry. I have contingencies against that." Steph told her and the confidence in his voice made her believe in him. "Making Crownlands the most powerful Kingdom in all of Westeros is just one of the many contingencies in my mind."

"If you're prepared for that, then I see no problem with this arrangement." She said with a soft smile before she remembered something. "What about Melisandre?"

"What about her?"

"Are you not planning to have any children with her?" She asked, knowing well enough how deeply Stephen cared for Melisandre.

"Melisandre is barren right now. But if ever do solve that problem and gives birth to my children, then I plan on giving her Dragonstone." Stephen said. "Seems only right, considering how she is the one who has contributed the most to its growth."

She hummed at his words. "What about Tyene and Sarella. Or any other other woman you might have kids with? Do you plan to give lordships and lands to them as well."

Stephen nodded. "By the time the war for the Iron Throne ends, there will no doubt be many houses that'll need to be punished for their rebellion. And if there is a lack of lands and castles to give, then there is always Step Stones."

"You'll give that hell hole to your children?"

"It is a hellhole that is sitting in the centre of the largest trading route in the entire world." Steph said. "It has the potential to be great. But it'll only achieve that potential if it is protected from the enemies as well as given a large amount of investment. Something that I'll eventually be able to do."

She nodded at his words. Before today, she had never seen the Step Stones in that light. But now that he pointed it out to her, she could see that he was right. That the Step Stones were indeed sitting in the middle of the largest trade route in the entire world. Perhaps only contested by the Jade Gates near Qarth.

But… she was really not in the mood to talk about trade or economy right now. She wanted something lighthearted to talk about so she looked up at him and asked. "So, how many of the Hightower girls did you fuck?"

Stephen blinked at the sudden change in topic and looked at her in bewilderment.

"Don't look at me like that. I know for certain that you fucked those Hightower girls. I just want to know just how many of them you pounded into a drooling mess."

Stephen stared her for a moment before he scoffed. "Only one."

"Only one?" She asked in surprise. She was sure that he would've fucked more. "Was it Lynesse Hightower?"

Stephen chuckled at her words and shook his head. "No. And the funny thing is that her father even gave me the offer to take her. Not as my wife but as my lover."

"And you didn't?" She asked with some surprise.

"No. Maybe in the future. But right now, you, Tyene and Sarella area already too much for me."

She hummed at his words. "If not her, then who? Was it Alysanne, or Layla?"

He gave her an unimpressed look at those words. "They're both married woman."

"Aye. And both of they would've still bent over and spread their cheeks for you if you asked. Especially after listening to one of your concerts." She said with a scoff.

"Perhaps. But I don't want to ruin their homes for a momentary bout of pleasure." Stephen said. "And before you ask me any further questions, it was Malora Hightower."

"That crazy looking woman?" She asked in surprise.

"That crazy looking woman has some of the largest teats I've ever seen. And her figure if nothing to scoff at either." Stephen said "And come to think of it, she offered me a threesome with her sister Lynesse as well."

"And you rejected the offer?" She asked in surprise.

"It was tempting." Stephen admitted with a smile. "But I Lynesse Hightower is the kind of girl who'll not be satisfied until she's the head of the house. The type of person who'll push others down if she can rise up in position. I would rather not bring someone like her into the family."

"Hmm… yes, if she is that kind of girl, then I can definitely see why you did not fuck her." She said as she sighed. "I'm still somewhat disappointed that you only fucked one of the Hightower girls."

"Are you?" Stephen asked with some amusement.

"Of course." She nodded. "You stayed in Hightower for 4 days. You should have at least fucked 4 of those 6 sisters in that amount of time. Shame on you Stephen."

"Shame on me huh…" Stephen said before he turned her around and climbed over her naked body.

A moment later, she felt his hot, throbbing member sinking into her tight pussy and she let out a pleasurable sigh as he started to fuck her in a slow and methodical pace.

CHAPTER 44- Situation in the Iron Islands

ASHA GREYJOY POV

It took almost 3 moons of Voyage but they were finally here. Finally at her home.

She stood on top of the Prow of the Ship and watched as the ship sailed closer and closer to the Island of Pike. And Island that once used to be her home.

Her home was now with Stephen but she still held some fondness for the place where she grew up.

Of course, her home had changed a great deal in the past year. To the point where it was almost unrecognisable to her at first.

Lords Port, the bustling town that used to be the trade centre of Pyke was now rubble. The buildings that once used to exist in the town had been torn to the ground and stones used in their construction had been thrown into the sea. Even the foundations have been removed in some cases.

The place that once held so many memories for her, was now a large muddy field, with a few stone foundations here and there to serve as a reminder of what used to be.

Without the Port town, there were obviously no ships in the Bay. Not that the Ironborn even had any ships any longer.

All their ships had been destroyed in the war. All their shipyards were torn apart, their ship builders slaughtered, and the few trees they had were razed to the ground.

She had seen only two Fishermen boats that transversed the waters of the Iron Islands thus far. And from the mismatched wood on those boats, she could only guess that they had been rebuilt from the ground up with the salvaged wood from other destroyed ships and boats.

Fishing had been one of the primary sources of food for the people of Iron Islands. And without that… she could only imagine how the people were keeping themselves fed. If they were even eating something and not outright starving.

It was hard for her to see what her home had been reduced to. But little did she know that this was only the beginning.

They disembarked on their boats and soon landed on the stony beach of Pyke.

A small party of Greyjoy and Harlaw men had come to welcome them to Pyke. The party being led by Harris Harlaw, a a distant cousin of hers who survived the purge on the dint of being a Knight of the Seven.

There were few horses to go around, so most of Stephen's retinue, as well as the guards who'd come to welcome them, had to walk. And thus begin their slow march toward the Castle of Pyke.

On the way there, she witnessed the thorough destruction of the infrastructure of the Ironborn. Destroyed shipyards, broken bridges, entire villages that had been put to the torch, untended fields.

A cozy tavern that she remembered coming to a few times in her childhood was now nothing but a pile of rocks.

A sturdy stone bridge that she'd crossed countless times, now lay in a half broken state, with large wooden planks being used to cross the stream instead.

She did see a few people here and there, trying to rebuild their broken homes, but aside from that, Pyke seemed like a deserted

Island. A cursed place where no one lived anymore.

After riding slowly for a few hours, she finally witnessed the first settlement of Pyke, with actual people living in that settlement.

Calling this place a settlement was a bit of a stretch though, as the accommodations were made up of tents and huts that were placed around in a haphazard manner.

Pregnant women worked on a nearby field while unattended children played around in the mud. The same mud that was filled with faces and urine due to the lack of a proper sewage system, or any rules in regards to where the human waste needed to be thrown.

She had studied and talked with Steph long enough to realise why this place would be the perfect breeding ground for decease and infections and decided to come back here in order to talk with these villagers once she'd met her family.

There was one thing about this settlement that niggled at the back of her mind though. So she turned to her cousin Harris and asked him. "Ser Harris, where are all the men?"

Harris, who had been talking with her man up until this point turned and looked at her in confusion. "Pardon?"

"The men. There are no men in that settlement. Where are they?" Harris grimaced "Dead. A good majority of them. The ones that survived have either gone off to other major settlements like

Lannisport and Seaward in order to look for work, or they are working in the Iron mines."

"Iron mines?"

"Aye," Harris said, giving a side glance to her man. "We've been mining a lot of Iron Ore these past few moons. I didn't understood why seeing as no one is willing to Trade with us fairly, up until I saw Prince Stephen's ships arrive at our doorsteps."

"How much Iron ore have you mined up till this point?" She asked curiously and Harris grimaced.

"We've dug out entire hills of that stuff." Harris said with a shrug before he leaned in and spoke in a whisper. "Do you think that the Prince would buy all that Iron Ore?"

"He would." She spoke with conviction. Mostly because she already knew of all his plans in regards to all that Iron. But also because even if he didn't want to buy that Iron, she would find a way to persuade him to do so.

Her cousin nodded and the rode in silence.

An hour later, she witnessed yet another settlement. This one was larger than the previous one, and had at least a few men in it. It was also better organised, with a few stone and mud buildings being built at the centre of the settlement.

She could see a few Septons and Septas helping around in this settlement, distributing gruel to hungry, malnourished children.

Her eyes narrowed at the sight of those Faith clergies. A part of her rebelled at the idea of the Faith taking over the Ironborn culture. Displacing their Drowned God with their own false ones.

But then again, it was not like serving the Drowned God has served them well either. No, it has only led to their doom. At least the Faith of the Seven does not encourage piracy, or a revival of the Old Ways.

"How many Septons and Septas have arrived in Pyke?" She found herself asking and Harris looked thoughtful for a moment before he shrugged.

"Dunno. But there are definitely far more of them than Drowned

Priests. Especially after your uncle put the last remaining Drowned Priests to the sword. The ones who escaped the purge during the war anyway."

Her ears rang at those words and she stared at Harris in disbelief. 'The idea of her uncle using violence is strange on its own. But for him to do it against the Drowned Priests.'

"Why would he kill the Drowned Priests?" She asked, her voice filled with mild horror and Harris blinked in surprise.

"You don't know?"

"I haven't exchanged any letters with my mother, so no." She said, "But really, what happened?"

Harris grimaced at her words and looked away. "I'm not sure if it is my place to tell you."

"Well, you've told me this much, and I'll find out the rest soon enough anyway. So you might as well save me the trouble and tell me."

Harris looked uncomfortable under her gaze and sighed. "Things… have not been easy for the Iron Islands in the aftermath of the war."

"Obviously. But what does that have to do with my uncle killing the remaining Drowned Priests?"

Her cousin rubbed his chin, looking downright uncomfortable under her stare as he explained. "No, things have been 'really' bad here. The people didn't have anything to eat, a proper shelter to live under, and trade between the Islands has all by shut down." He sighed. "Worse part is, that the lack of power at the hands of the Lords, has given rise to banditry and piracy within these Isles."

Her jaw dropped at that. "What?" Like… she knew that her people were not much different than pirates. But for them to resort to piracy in their own homes. That was almost unthinkable to her.

"Aye. Chaos and poverty had been at an all time high in the aftermath of the war." Harris explained. "And it was then that the last few Drowned Priests convened at the Naga's bones and…"

"And…?" She asked, getting slightly impatient.

"And… they blamed House Greyjoy for everything wrong that has happened to the Iron Islands."

Her jaw dropped and it felt like heavy iron nail had been spiked into her chest. "…what?"

She distantly felt Steph putting a hand on her shoulder in a show of support as Harris continued. "Yeah. More specifically, they blamed your mother for being a weak regent. The claimed you and Theon Greyjoy were greenlanders now and… and called for a Kingsmoot so that the lords can select a better leader for themselves."

Her eyes widened in horror and rage at the blatant betrayal from those fucking Drowned Priests. How dare they!? "That's… that's madness!" She shouted, unable to help herself, though Steph's supporting hand on her shoulder calmed her down somewhat. "What happened then?"

"Madness is the right word, Lady Asha. Though I think that the

Drowned Priests were simply acting out in desperation at that point." Harris said solemnly. "Regardless of their reason, they outcry received little support from the lords. These lords had just fought and lost a war that devastated their lands and families. Selecting a new King at the Kingsmoot would be the declaration of another war. Something that no one wanted to take part in."

"What happened after that?" She asked. "What did my mother do?"

Harris grimaced at her words. "House Greyjoy suffered the most in this war, Lady Asha. Almost all your house guards were put to the sword. And even now, your House do not have enough men to guard the castle of Pyke, let alone send a group of men to chase down these Drowned Priests."

"I see." She said. She was not happy with this outcome but she could understand. "I take it that that this is where my uncle stepped in?"

"Just so my lady." Harris said with a smile. "House Harlaw suffered in the war as well, but not as badly as many others did. And when your mother asked her brother for help, Lord Harlaw sent a group of 500 men to chase down these Drowned Priests and bring them in to answer for their attempted rebellion."

"I take it that the Drowned Priests refused to come along in peace?" She guessed, knowing how proud and arrogant some of these men were.

"Just so my lady." Harris said with a sad smile. "Upon arriving at the Old Wyk, the Harlaw men found out that the Drowned Priests had spread misinformation about their presence. Telling the people that they were here to destroy the Naga's bones, to murder them, rape their women and take their children as thralls. With their propaganda, and lies, those Drowned Priests managed to gather up a small militia of some 200 men. As you can imagine, the battle did not end well for those Drowned Priests."

"I see." She said, feeling at a loss for words at the betrayal of those Drowned Priests. Not only did those bastards betray House Greyjoy but they also betrayed the common Ironborn men and women with their lies.

Any sympathy that she might've held for the Drowned Priests and the Drowned God died in that moment, as she asked. "What happened to the Drowned Priests?"

Harris shrugged. "Most of them died in the battle. And the few that managed to survive, were captured about brought in front of your mother. Their heads still decorate the pikes of your castle."

"Good!" She exclaimed, feeling vindicated at the death of those betrayers. Though she also wondered how this would affect House Greyjoy in the future.

Would the lords blame House Greyjoy for the murder of the last Drowned Priests? Or would they be respectful toward House Greyjoy and Harlaw for dealing so decisively with their enemies?

She supposed that it'll be up to Theon to deal with this clusterfuck. And for her uncle to help him through it. She just hoped that her little brother would be up to the task of leading the Ironborn into this uncertain future.

The sun started to fall down the horizon at that point. And since there were no Taverns left in the aftermath of the war, they had to set up their tents or risk sleeping under the open sky.

She slept with Stephen in his tent, not even bothering to hide her relationship with him. She was not going to stop fucking him during her stay at Pyke, so they were going to learn sooner or later. Better they learn now than later.

Stephen listened to her and comforted her as she ranted about the Drowned Priests and went on graphic details about what she would do to them if she ever got her hand on one of them.

She eventually fell asleep in his arms and dreamed of the day when Stephen shared his power with her.

—————

FLASHBACK

"You called for me Steph?" She asked as she entered the room and was greeted with the sight of Stephen sitting on his chair behind the mahogany desk, with Tyene's blond hair bobbing up and done on his lap as he closed his eyes and groaned in pleasure.

He absentmindedly gestured for her to take a seat as he got a hold of Tyene's hair and used it as a make shift handle to hold her head in place as he started to hammer her throat with his cock.

Tyene gagged and spluttered at the sudden deepthroating session while she sat and watched them in amusement.

There was a time when she used to be jealous of Tyene. Of the time that Steph spent with the blond Sand Snake. Time that he could've spent with her instead.

But these days, she simply enjoyed the sight of Stephen fucking other women. The jealousy that once used to cloud her heart was all but gone, and she even went as far as to think up of ways in which she could help Steph sleep with even more girls.

It was bit strange about how her thought process has changed these past few days. But she has come to the realisation that as long as she loved Steph and as long as he loved her, everything else will be alright.

Her fingers slipped down her leather trousers and she rubbed the swell of her pussy lips, pleasure overriding her senses as Steph continued to hammer into Tyene's throat until he even came inside her throat.

It was beautiful thing to watch, as Steph release spurts upon spurts of cum down the blond's throat and into her mouth. And the blond consumed every single drop of that tasty, virile seed, not letting even a single drop fall to the ground.

It was unfortunate that she couldn't get herself off in the time it took for Steph to cum down Tyene throat… but there was always a next time.

"Good job girl." Steph said as he petted Tyene's cheeks before he dismissed her. Tyene gave her a somewhat annoyed look as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

She looked at Steph in there resulting silence and tilted her head. "You summoned me. It is very rare for you to do such a thing Steph. Is everything alright?"

Stephen seemed amused at her words but nodded. "Yeah. We'll reach Arbor by tomorrow morning. And I wanted you to stay back in the ship, for both your safety and for not wanting to piss of the Redwynes by bringing a Greyjoy to their halls."

There was a time when being asked to stay back like this would've pissed her off, even if the request was understandable. But since it was Steph asking her so politely, she simply nodded.

"Don't worry about me. You go on ahead and do whatever it is you need to do in Arbour. And then we'll set sail to North." 'To my home.' She thought.

"I'm glad that you understand." Steph said with a smile. "But admittedly, that was not the main reason why I called you here." "It wasn't?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. The main reason I called you here, is because I wished to share one of my powers with you."

"Your powers? As in… the shining sword thing. Or are you talking about your blessings?" She asked as she went around the table and sat down on his lap, her fingers coming down to tease and play with his semi-hardened cock. "Or maybe you're talking about how well endowed and virile you are."

Steph smiled at her words, as his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"It is a mix of things." Steph said as he took her hand and removed it from over his cock, making her realise that this was serious.

She looked at him in slight confusion and curiosity. "A mix of things?"

"Yeah. This particular power is the main reason why I'm as strong and as fast as I am. It is also the reason why I can use so many different kinds of magic. Or why I learn things so quickly."

"And… you want to share this power with me?" She asked, not sure if he was being serious or not. "What? Are you saying that you have more powers than one."

"I do. And the one I'm going to share with you today, is called the Gamer." He said before he proceeded to give her a brief summary about the Gamer System and how it worked.

After the explanation, Steph did something… and there was suddenly a blue flat thing in front of her. Steph asked her to press the accept button and she did, joining the 'Stephen's Harem' Party. A Party that she was the third member of, preceded by Melisandre and Stephen himself.

"Okay, now think 'Status' in your mind, and another screen will pop up in front of you." Steph said and proceeded to introduce her to the various aspects of Gamer System to her for the next half an hour.

In the end, when she well and truly understood just how the Gamer System, she looked at him with excitement and asked. "Okay, what next?"

Steph gained a mischievous smile at her questions and she felt a slight trepidation in her heart at that expression before he reached into his Inventory and brought out… a large stack of books.

Like… there must be 100 books in that stack, at least.

"Now… I want you to read through all these books." Steph said, an amused look on his face as he beheld her horrified one.

"No." She said with horror as she looked at him with a pleading expression. "Anything but this. My uncle made me read more than enough books in the Ten Towers. I don't want to go through that experience ever again,"

Steph, the sadistic bastard that he was, merely enjoyed her pleading before he picked up a thin book from the stack and forced it in her hands, asking her to start with an easy one.

She begged and pleaded with him but it was all in futile. He didn't budge from his position and she was soon forced to sit on the side and read through that book.

This is where she came across the first benefit of having a Gamer System when halfway through the first page, she gained the 'Reading' skill, which made it easy for her to read books and understand the contents within that book.

Five pages later, she gained the 'Speed Reading' skill and ten pages in, she gained the 'Memorise' skill.

By the end of her first book, her newly gained skills had already by

3, 2, and 2 levels.

Not only that, but she also gained a 2nd benefit from the Gamer

System, which gave her +2 to Navigation, +1 to Trade, +1 to

Deplomacy, and +1 to Long Distance Voyage.

All from reading one single book.

Steph rewarded her for finishing the book by making out with her for the next five minutes before he pushed her away and put another book on her lap.

And thus, her days as a scholar begun.

Her uncle would be so proud of her.

FLASHBACK END

—————

She woke up the next morning snuggled within the warm arms of Steph. She took in his musky scent, as well as the scent of their last night's love making before she buried her face into his chest.

The way Steph tightened his arm around her told her that he was awake as well but didn't want to go out just yet.

It wasn't long before the others in the camp started walking up though, and once the early rays of dawn started to filter in through their tent, both of them finally decided to go out as well.

She was greeted with beautiful sight of the red morning hew in the horizon as well as the sound of men breaking their camp and the smell of breakfast being cooked.

An hour later, they had packed their tents, eaten their breakfast, fed their horses, and had set out on their journey to Pyke.

They reached her home castle an hour before noon and the sight of the broken walls of her home was just as disheartening to her now as it was back when she and Theon were brought here to receive judgement from King Robert.

The fact that no attempts had been made to repair those walls even after all these moons would've revealed how dire the situation in Pyke was, if she had not already witnessed all the devastated villages and farmlands with her own eyes on the way here.

It was then that a group of people came out from within the castle, her uncle at that head of that group.

And while she was very happy to see her uncle Rodrik Harlaw once again, a book tucked beneath his arms as always, she couldn't help but wonder at the absence of her mother.

Shouldn't her mother come out to greet them in her capacity as a Regent?

Regardless, time to face the music.

The two groups moved forward to meet each other, but instead of looking at her, her uncle was busy staring at Steph, a deluge of emotions going through his eyes as he gazed at the murderer of his sons.

Her uncle then looked down at the sword in Stephen's belt. The

Valyrian Sword named Stag Song, that once used to be called Nightfall and belonged to House Harlaw.

She could only imagine how difficult it must be for her uncle to face a man who killed one if not both his sons. And now held the Valyrian steel sword of his house.

If it were any other man, then she would fear betrayal and an ambush. But knowing who her uncle was, she doubted that it'll come to it. Still though, this made her question the absence of her mother even more.

The stand off against her uncle and Steph lasted for a long while before her uncle finally let out a sigh, his expressionless face changing to reveal a tired and grieving man.

He then turned to look at her for the first time since their arrival and gave her a soft and sad smile, which she returned with one of her own.

Then her uncle turned to look at Steph once again, a defeated expression on his face as he spoke up. "Welcome to the castle of Pyke, Prince Stephen Baratheon."