Chapter 10: Somewhere, Beyond The Sea

Lysa Tully was the second daughter of Hoster Tully, Lord of Riverrun and Lord Paramount of the Trident. Most of her days were spent playing with her sister and their friend Petyr Baelish. She had spent seven years in this world and throughout all of them she knew one thing, she was never as good as her sister. Lysa loved Catelyn but it was just a fact of life for her that she would always fall short when compared to her sister. Already she knew that her sister was starting to show signs that she would be very beautiful as she grew, Lysa herself would be lucky to just be plain looking. Cat always got everything she wanted, charming the servants and nobles alike without even trying. Meanwhile Lysa had to beg for attention and try her hardest to even get the scraps. Now this might be taking things too far, but it was how Lysa saw the world.

"Petyr, why do you look like that?" Her sister asked as she noticed that Littlefinger, a horrible name given to Petyr by their brother Edmure, was holding a smug knowing look on his face. It was a face he always had when he knew something that they didn't. How he came by these secrets Lysa never knew but she always thought that Petyr was so smart for knowing all the things he knew. But of course he favored Cat instead of her… like everyone.

"Because sweet Cat I heard an interesting little rumor." Petyr said as he skipped a stone across the river that gave Riverrun its name. This was one of their favorite pastimes and Petyr always was the best at skipping stones. Catelyn was second and even Edmure was better than Lysa.

"Care to tell us?" Catelyn asked as she took a stone and skipped it nearly as far as Petyr.

"I could…" Petyr mused, and Catelyn shot him a look. Littlefinger shrugged, unable to deny Cat anything. "Very well. There is news from King's Landing, the servants are talking about it day and night." This perked both Tully sisters up. So many things have been happening in the capital lately. All surrounding the new mysterious new order of Magic using monks from across the Sunset sea. Their Septan had warned them that these Sith as they were called practice foul magics given to them by the Lord of the Seven Hells, but their father scolded her saying that the King has threatened anyone with burning at the stake if they were caught saying such things. He told Catelyn and Lysa that their uncle had met the leader of the Sith and while he was a foreigner and so lacked a Westerosi code of honor, he was a stranger in a new land and so should be given a chance. Their uncle had apparently spoken with the Sith leader and wrote back to them saying he was odd, charming, and very open minded.

The last thing that they had heard about the Sith Order was that they were granted Harrenhal and the lands around it. They had even been granted further land that had been long set aside for knights that had done some great deed and would be rewarded with said land. All of this made the Tully sisters feel a mix of anticipation and worry. This was something that would be spoken of for ages, a new order in Westeros. One that would be centered in the Riverlands, much like how the Maesters were in the Reach.

"And what happened in the capital Petyr that has you so interested?" Lysa asked and he gave her an odd look. Like one he gave when he was allowed to join the Tullys during a feast but then asked to be at the very far end of the table.

"It involves you Lysa." That made Catelyn look to her sister with a deeply confused face and Lysa did a good job of looking like their family sigil. "It appears that the King wanted to tie the Sith Order to the realm, and decided that the Grand Master of the order should have roots to the people." Petyr explained and it took a moment for both Cat and Lysa to begin to understand what that could mean. Lysa's face turned paler and paler as it began to dawn on her.

"Surely you don't mean Petyr…" Catelyn spoke as Lysa had no means to voice her mind. Her thoughts died in the water with the implications.

"No, it has been heard that Lysa is to marry the Sith leader on her fifteenth name day." Petyr finally said aloud and Lysa fell to her knees in seconds. Catelyn came to her sister's side and began saying all sorts of comforting things but Lysa could barely hear any of them. All she could see and hear was some grubby old man with a big long beard giving her a creepy smile as he told how excited he was for their wedding night. She has no idea what her new intended looks like but to be the leader of some order of monks, all she had was the old Maester of Riverrun to give an example. Her future wouldn't be marrying some pretty knight in shining armor or some gentlemen lord or even the boy she felt so strongly for but… she wanted to scream but could not. So instead she stood and ran back into the keep of her home and begged her father to stop this from happening.

She could faintly hear her sister yell after her but Lysa didn't pay attention. Running through the halls, tears flowing down her face, her mind pictured a worse and worse future for herself. Her father would stop this, he wouldn't let her be forced into a marriage with a foreigner that was rumored to be the devil among faithful men. Eventually she found herself outside the door to her father's solar and opened it, her face puffy with all the crying she had been doing. Normally her father would tell her to leave him be but seeing his child in such a state gave him pause.

"Lysa, what happened." Hoster Tully was an old man, still of strong body but it was clear that the years were starting to get to him. He was an intelligent and strategic man that played the Game well enough to keep the Riverlands relevant in the realm. When it could be easy for the other Kingdoms to bully the Riverlands into doing whatever it was they wanted. But that meant the Tullys had to be strong and careful leaders, and Hoster was the embodiment of that idea.

"Father please you must-"

"Milord! There's a rider at the gate demanding to see you." One of the guards said as he panted, clearly having just ran from the gate to the lord's solar. "He says he's Darth Nagash, the new Lord of Harrenhal." Lysa froze up as she heard what the man said, her future husband was here. Just as she learned of his relationship to her. Was this fate or some cruel joke?

"And just how do you know it is him?" Lord Tully asked, he didn't have time for any man claiming to be some important new Lord that few had seen before.

"He uh… raised the gate… without touching it, milord." The guard was not lying, the paleness of seeing such a feat was evident on his face.

"Lysa, I'm sorry but whatever it is has to wait." Hoster said having been tossing and turning over the news of the king's orders to have this very man marry his daughter. Lysa somehow was able to move out of the way for her father as he stepped out of his office and follow the guard to the gate. Lysa stood paralyzed, as if a massive shadow was looming over her and threatening to engulf her should she move.

"Lysa!" She felt someone shake her and scream her name. Lysa blinked and found her sister holding onto her, Catelyn's eyes filled with worry. It was things like this that made it impossible for Lysa to hate her. Why did Cat have to be such a nice sister, why did she have to make it so hard to live an easy life of bitter hatred toward her. "Lysa… say something."

"He's here, father went to go meet him at the gate." Lysa said in a total monotone voice that was unlike her. Not saying another word, Catelyn dragged Lysa to the overlooking galleries that would give them the perfect view of the courtyard. They ran up until the stone archways, there they stopped and sneaked carefully out onto the balconies where they could peer out and see what was happening in the courtyard. There they saw several of their father's men surrounding a lone rider, dressed in black robes with a large hood obscuring his face. They watched as their father strode out into the courtyard with more of his bannermen.

"Darth Nagash, this is an unexpected surprise." Catelyn and Lysa listened as their father addressed the man. Lysa was shocked, the man on the horse looked to be anything but an old man like she feared him to be. But at the same time he did look to be the evil sorcerer that their Septan had told him to be. But then he pulled back his hood and both Catelyn and Lysa gasped at one of the most handsome men that had ever seen in their lives. He was not pretty like some of the Riverland knights were, but he was undeniably pleasing to look at.

"Apologizes, Lord Tully, but I have a trip to Essos that I would rather get to. I wanted to make sure I pay my respects to the Lord Paramount that rules over my Order." The man spoke and he had a deep yet soothing voice. Lysa could not believe this, all in one day she had gone through such a gambit of emotions. And she was coming out of it with her fears unfounded, she would not be doomed to a marriage with some old lecher of man. Far from that. "You'll be happy to know that the curse on Harrenhal is no more, the spirit of Harren the Black has been dragged into oblivion by the souls of those he damned in his keep's construction." There was a gust of wind that whined in the air, that was how silent that the courtyard was after Darth Nagash had gotten off his horse and said these words.

"I… thank you?" Their father barely was able to say that, he was so shocked. As were the Tully sisters. This man had just confirmed that Harrenhal was in fact cursed, then said that it was no longer, didn't fully take credit for it, and had done all of this was the casual speech of someone discussing the weather.

"You're quite welcome, but we have things to discuss. Shall we retreat to your solar?" Darth Nagash said with such a jovial tune that it just added to the strangeness of his character. Hoster first motioned for one of the stable boys to take the Sith's horse and then led the man inside the keep. Lysa and Catelyn both looked at each other and ran back inside toward their father's solar, they beat him to it and used it as an opportunity to hide away in a small corner that Petyr had told them of. It was out of the way and hidden well, Petyr had long used it to spy on their father and learn all sorts of secrets. The only reason why the sisters didn't tell on him was because of a situation like this, where they could use it. They watched from their hideyhole their father and Darth Nagash enter, their father closed the door but the sisters were sweating bullets as the Sith's gaze was squarely on them.

"I assume you are here to speak of the King's orders." Their father drew his attention away from their hiding place and Catelyn and Lysa quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Both thinking that they had been undiscovered.

"I am, or at least that is part of the reason I am here. The other was to inform you of my trip to Essos. The Citadel has yet to send a Maester to replace the old one so any messages will have been done through rider, expect a letter of introduction from a Malavai Quinn. He will be in charge of Harrenhal while I am gone." Darth Nagash explained and Hoster nodded as he sat back in his seat and the Sith took the one across from him.

"Just why are you leaving so soon after arriving in your new lands?" Hoster asked as he pulled up a bottle of wine and poured a glass for himself and his guest.

"I need to find a way to repair the damage done to my keep, I assume that I will find the answers in a land that has dealt with Dragon Fire far more than Westeros." Darth Nagash said as he took the goblet from Lord Tully. "But my travel plans aren't your main concern are they?"

"They are not. The king's orders, you and my daughter Lysa." Hoster was able to keep his rage entombed in his mind but a small portion of it bled through. "My brother has written to me saying you attempted to curb the timeline the king set before you. As a father, I thank you for at least trying to do what you did." Hoster said before he took a rather large drink of wine. The Sith just held his goblet and swirled the wine around a bit.

"It still doesn't sit right with me… fifteen. Sixteen was considered the age when boys and girls would start getting serious about their bodies back in the Empire. Or at least that's how it was supposed to be." Darth Nagash finally took a drink from his wine and downed the whole goblet in one drink. He then proceeded to hold the cup in the air by his powers and spin and flip it playfully.

"I can see how it might be difficult to adjust to how things are done here."

"I'm going to be blunt here Hoster, I'm going to do you the service of being completely honest with what I intended for your daughter." Lysa and Catelyn both held their breath as they watched their father's lip twitch slightly but he nodded for the man to continue. "When I marry your daughter… I will not love her. I have loved two women in my life. The first was young love, naïve and foolish but love nonetheless. The second… strange and complicated. Enemies becoming lovers. A story that would be a grand epic. But one that ends in tragedy. So, I have known love. I will not love a child in the way a husband should love a wife."

"I can understand that, I don't expect that from you. I don't even expect it in every marriage made for political reasons. Love is a luxury that isn't always afforded." Both Catelyn and Lysa were surprised to hear this from their father. They had always been told a wife should love their husband no matter who he should be. To not do so was an affront to the gods.

"Good… also know I won't be faithful." He said quickly and without warning, and the sister's could hear their father's knuckles clenching tight. Lysa herself felt her heart pain at hearing all this. That she would marry a man that would not love her and would not keep to their vows. "She doesn't have to either, I have the means to prevent bastards on either end. I don't go to whorehouses or so publicly display myself as a womanizer. It will be a secret and one that hasn't yet gotten out."

"That doesn't exactly make me pleased, Naraiz. You telling me you'll be dishonoring my daughter like this, even if in the shadows." Hoster growled but the Sith looked completely unfazed by this.

"On our wedding night I will present Lysa with the choice, her choice. She can dictate the rules of our bedroom duties to each other. I can be attentive or completely absent. I can give her no children or many. All of this is wholly up to her, and I will do it." Lysa's eyes widened at this. She barely knew about what went on in the bedroom with a wife and husband, her lessons hadn't gotten there yet. But the idea of her being in that much control, it made her happy. She never had been given something like this. All her life she watched as Catelyn was given everything and anything left was forced on her. This felt oddly nice to hear. "She will want for nothing, I plan on making my lands quite wealthy off both trade and technological advances I shall bring to Westeros. The king supports the Order but sooner or later the king will die and who knows how his son or grandson will feel about the order. I need to make sure that we can support ourselves and we are poised to be just that with our central position in Westeros. So with that wealth I will make sure she never knows want, she will be pampered and treated like a queen."

"That's quite a promise… one made by many men." Hoster said, still angry but calmed to a degree by these promises. This marriage was one that he could not break and so there would be no point in trying based on what was being said here. All that was being determined was the relationship between these two men going forward.

"I have stolen whatever life she might have had. If I never washed ashore in this land, who knows what sort of life she would have had. I owe her a debt, one I intend to pay." With that the room fell silent, neither man said anything while they sized up each other and the words spoken. The girls held their breath trying not to be discovered but relaxed as they watched their father stand up.

"It's as you said, you were honest. And with this being ordered by the king, I cannot fight it without risking being executed." Hoster said with a scowl on his face. It was clear to everyone in the room that he was not happy with this arrangement, he was satisfied by the brutal honesty of the Sith but he was displeased by that truth. "I wish you luck in your voyage, hopefully you make it back in one piece."

"Oh don't be like that, I was honest so you should be too." Darth Nagash chuckled as he stood up and walked out of the room with Hoster behind him. The Tully sisters slowly crept out of their hiding place once the door shut behind their father. Neither one said a word, they needed time to digest what they had been witnessed to.

Lyarra quietly slipped out of the master bedroom, her sleeping husband unaware of her missing presence. This was her first night back in Winterfell and it had been a mix bag for her. Seeing her children again after so long brought an unbelievable joy to her heart. She had missed each of them and had only been able to bear with their absence due to her master keeping her mind occupied. Then there was just being back in Winterfell itself. The ancient castle was her home, it had been for many years and there was something about it that she could not explain.

But then there was her husband. Just as her master had predicted Rickard was quite enthused for her return, had she not already dropped whatever feelings she had for him she would have found his affections endearing. But now they were just annoying. And the culmination of that was having to have sex with her husband, something that went on for longer than it used to. Much to Lyarra displeasure. But she finished Rickard off as quickly as she could, which ended with him falling like a rock to their bed asleep. She then cleaned herself of the event and dressed in only a nightgown left the bedroom that she supposedly shared with her husband.

Lyarra checked for any of the Stark guards and when the coast was clear, jumped from their window into the snowy courtyard below. Her enhanced body made her decent as graceful as a wolf running through the woods. Lyarra dashed through the courtyard, leaving an astonishingly small amount of tracks and traces of her presence. She moved through Winterfell until she came upon the room she had been looking for. Before she even grabbed a hold of the handle, the door shot open and two hands pulled her in. The next thing she knew Joanna had her tongue in her mouth and her hands roaming Stark flesh.

"About time you got here." Joanna growled in between kisses but then she stopped as she began sniffing Lyarra. She frowned as she pulled away and Lyarra groaned knowing that she had done her best and apparently it was not good enough. "You still smell like your husband. I thought we agreed you would bathe before coming here."

"I did! And I even did so with my Mask off so I could get everything." Lyarra said as she dropped her Mask. She had been wearing it for so long that changing from one form to the other had begun to feel as natural as breathing. Joanna still had to consciously change but it was becoming easier with each time.

"I'll just prepare a bath here and wash you clean myself." Joanna sighed as she glanced over to the now empty tub. Her room was rather spacious for just a servant. She had been introduced as Lyarra's handmaiden to the rest of the Stark Household. A gift from the now dead Joanna, she did love their Master's sense of humor at times. Lord Stark didn't like the idea of his wife having a Southern Lady serving her but couldn't refuse given the circumstances she had come into Lyarra's service.

The Stark Children all were accepting however, minus Lyanna who disliked Joanna thinking that she was a prim and proper lady who she'd have to try and convert into such ways. Benjen was a child and too excited to have his mother back to really pay attrition to the new woman with her. Eddard had been sent to the Eyrie, something that had been arranged while Lyarra was down in King's Landing. And lastly Brandon… Joanna knew that she would have to watch him. The way he had been looking at her left the secret Lannister with no illusions of what kind of man he would grow into when he got older.

"Does this mean I have to leave?" Lyarra asked knowingly, her answer was another kiss from Joanna. The two pressed together, only separated by their nightgowns. Slowly they made their way toward the bed and fell back into its softness. Joanna laid back into Lyarra's ample chest as she held her sister slave's hand. Neither one was up for much activity tonight as the day had been both stressful and emotionally laborious.

"Tomorrow you should spend time with your kids while I see all the servants. Make sure they know my name and face." Joanna said as she snuggled deeper into Lyarra's bosom, she really did feel jealous at times for the Stark's massive chest but it was moments like this that those feelings were most absent. "I heard that your lord husband will be hosting Lord Bolten in the coming weeks." It had been something one of the servants said during the small feast lord Stark had to welcome his wife back. When Lyarra continued to not respond to what she was saying Joanna began to get annoyed. "I know you like to sleep Lyarra, but I could use some actual conversation here. Northerners, it turns out are a rather quiet lot."

"Sorry Jo… I just… is this how it's going to be?" Lyarra said as she tightened her hand around Joanna's. It wasn't the same as her master, but she still felt comforted by the other woman's presence far more than she did by her husband's. "With me sneaking out of my bedroom and into yours, waking early so I can sneak back before Rickard wakes. Hoping that no one spots us." Joanna let go and turned around on Lyarra, reached up to her face and cupped it.

"Yes." Joanna said with her best Tywin impression. It was scary how close it was. But then she burst out giggling and kissed Lyarra on the nose. "But, you as Lady Stark can advise your Lord Husband to take trips across the North. Have him visit his bannermen instead of hosting them here in Winterfell. Tell him to take trips to the Wall, Master did say we need to start gathering support there." Lyarra thought hard on this, it sounded like a good idea. It would give her some freedom from Rickard and more time with Joanna. "Plus, when he's gone we can spend our nights in your room. With that big bed of yours." Joanna had not lost her Lannister tastes and this room while one of Winterfell's larger guest rooms still felt tiny by her standards. The blond however felt a small rumbling beneath her and could tell that this wasn't enough for Lyarra.

"I might… have a plan." Lyarra started and Joanna raised an eyebrow at this. Lyarra was a follower and didn't tend to have her own ideas or plans. The Lannister had a great amount of respect for her sister slave but those were the facts, Lyarra just didn't take the initiative. "But I think we might need the Master's-"

"No." Joanna cupped Lyarra's face, smushing her lips closed to stop her from doubting herself and running back to Naraiz. "If you have an idea then tell me. You are smart and a proud Wolf of Winterfell. Master knows this and trusts you to be able to act on your own while is of doing Sith things." Joanna said as she held Lyarra's face shut, when she finished she let go and waited for Lyarra's brain to catch up. Soon enough Lyarra's features steeled a bit and while also glancing to the side uncomfortably.

"We're going to need the witch whore's help."

"None of you are good pirates… don't even have a monkey." I said, twirling Saarai in one hand and pulling Midwan out of the chest of some pirate scum. The chest wound festered and fell apart before my eyes and with a glance to the side I saw a man without arms.

These new swords each had their own way of doing things but they were both extremely deadly in their ability. Midwan would rot or corrode anything that it touched, armor or flesh. I had seen Force powers able to drain the life out of people before but this was sadistic but efficient in its speed. A man cut with this could lose a limb in a matter of a minute and the rot would continue to fester. Meanwhile Saarai was a bit more… clean. It just disintegrated anything it touched. Whatever came in contact with the white blade crumbled into flecks of dust though I did notice that the more dense an object the longer it took. But it never was slow enough to really put into doubt its combat effectiveness. Both were quite equal in their killing power, they just went about in different ways.

"AGGGH!" One of the pirates roared as he ran toward me with a sword in hand. With a slice I cut his head from his body, where his neck was now was just gone. Saarai's blade had turned his neck into little more than dust in the wind. Midwan was cruel and ravenous while Saarai was silent and certain. They were swords that embodied the deadliest aspects of their respective sides of the Force.

I stepped over the body of the last man brave enough to charge at me, the rest took a step back. They had thought that this small ship leaving Westeros would be good prey… it would have had I not been on it. But I was, so tough luck for them. I drank in the fear and desperation that these men were feeling. Midwan wanted me to kill them all and Saarai wanted me to spare them. Ah… it was good to have the Dark Side and Light Side choices so clearly stated to me at all fucking times!

"All of you! Thrown me your weapons and get back on your ship!" I shouted to them and they looked among themselves both confused and relieved. The clattering of swords and axes was followed by a mad scramble back to their ship. They would need to head back to whatever spit of land they called port before they could attack anyone else, without swords in hand they were nothing but a ship at sea. "Davos!" I shouted and the only sailor of the Cobblecat I gave a damn about ran up to me.

"Y-yes milord?" Davos asked, still trying to keep his lunch around the heaps of bodies I had created. He was still a young man at this time but he already had his loyalty and sharp mind. Sorry Stannis, I'm taking him. I had worked out a deal with the original captain of the Cobblecat Roro Uhoris to ferry me for the next seven months, only for the bastard to attempt to kill me and take my money. He died… with Midwan stabbed through just below his neck. I then convinced the rest of the crew to follow me as my personal ship for the time being. Promises of great pay were thrown around along when the voyage was over, I would name one of them captain. The previous captain didn't seem to inspire much loyalty so they went along with it easily enough.

"Have the men clean this place up and collect the weapons. The best of them can go among the crew and the worst we can sell in Pentos for booze money." I said and many of the crew smirked at the idea of good steel and good booze. I was beginning to like these guys and I was already earning more favor from them than their last leader ever had.

"Yes milord." Davos nodded his head and began whipping the men into their task. I walked to the front of the bow and watched the sea for no other reason than it was a pretty sight. Pentos would be first, it honestly did not have much in the way of things I needed but I wanted to make a few contacts within the Magisters. Give them at least some idea what this new Order in Westeros is. I knew that Illyrio Mopatis and Varys were in Pentos but would keep my distance from them if I could. I doubted that I could avoid the Spider's attention but what can you do?

After Pentos I would stop by Myr, Tyrosh, and Lys. All of the coastal cities had little in the way of importance currently but I did need to make friends in all of them. Get my name out there and build a reputation. I was avoiding Braavos for the time as I planned on doing a few things that might get me stabbed in Braavos. Then after the smaller Free Cities I would be stopping by Volantis. And that was one of my main targets of interest. It was a city that had what I needed and possibly more. But what was really the prize of my travels came after Volantis. And that was Valyria.

Markas had been nothing but a Flea Bottom piece of trash, he didn't know who his father was and he was pretty sure before he was born his mother was a whore. He didn't care about that, since he was a little lad he had always tried to take care of his mother. He did nothing in this world but love her. When he was little he picked pockets so she wouldn't have to work at the tanners' every day and night. Then as he grew he did a fair more than pick pockets, was it honorable work? No but it was for honorable reasons.

"Are we sure that we can do this?" One of his fellow Seekers of the Sith, Corren, asked as they stood outside the gates of Acorn Hill, ancestral home of House Smallwood. They had been sent out by Quinn and Pierce along with the other hundred Seekers and this was their first stop. It wasn't too far from Harrenhal and their Seeker Stones were pointing right toward the keep.

"We have the King's blessing and protection. So long as we have these no one can touch us." Darna snapped as she hung up her Seeker Stone. Drawings of the stones had been made and sent all across the Seven Kingdoms. Every keep and market place had been given one and told that those that bore the stones had the King's Authority to do as they pleased to carry out their duty. Markas still didn't think they were completely protected as there was a reason why they were sent out in teams of five even after months of training.

"Let's just get this over with, I'm doing all the talking." Markas said back to the rest of his fellow Seekers and soon the large oak doors began to open slowly. This was their first time doing this, and all of them felt very nervous. Their stones were pointing to the keep of a noble family and the chance that their first Force Born was a noble was high. Markas was praying to the Seven that it wasn't, it was just some stable boy or kitchen rat.

"Wha' you lot want?" One of the two guards that came to great them grunted after looking the five Seekers over. They all wore black oil chainmail over boiled leather, plated graves and gloves, and a large great coat with a heavy hood. Armed with castle forged steel swords, the group of Seekers were well armed and they were decently trained with their weapons. The guard actually looked a tad jealous at the quality of their gear. It was a odd thing for Markas for a guard to be envious of him.

"W-we are the Seekers of the Sith, we believe that there is a child in this keep that bears the gift of the Force. By order of King Aerys Targaryen we are here to find this child and arrange for their collection to Harrenhal to be inducted and trained into the Sith Order." Markas said and after a moment of nervousness was able to collect himself and finish strong. This was his new life, a life that would make sure that his mother would be able to live a comfortable life in Harrenhal. She would not need to work, though she would still, being the stubborn old woman she was. And she would be cared for by the Order. That was what Darth Nagash promised him when he first approached Markas back in Flea Bottom.

"Ah… the Lord said somehtin' about to be on the lookout for peoples like you." The guard said and gave a nod inside the keep. The gate doors opened further and the two guards led the group of Seekers inside. So far everything was going smoothly, the Seekers felt a bit of their tension leave their bodies. But Markas still felt careful, after all… getting inside was guaranteed by the King's orders. Getting the parents of any Force Born to come nicely was another thing.

The Seekers followed behind the guards and the gates closed shut behind them. Markas noted that while those left to return to their duties, the eyes of every other guard was on them. So long as they were in Acorn Hill they would be watched. He took a breath and turned back to his fellow Seekers.

"My stone's pointing this way." Brack noted quietly as he held up the metal loop that held his stone. It was pointing off toward the granary, Markas noted that Darna's was also pointed there but his and the last two of their group were pointing straight at the main keep.

"You two follow your stones, the rest of us are going to see to the Lord and find the Force Born in the keep." Markas said, still hoping that it was anything but one of the nobles. And he preyed at his hardest that it wasn't the Lord's son if he had a son. Markas knew that a Sith wouldn't be asked to give up their name if they had one unless they wanted to go past a fully inducted Sith, something that was explained to all the Seekers. But this was a detail that was not yet common knowledge. It was supposed to be part of the letters sent by King's Landing detailing the new Laws around the Sith Order but… assumptions can still be made in ignorance. Ravens can be killed on the way to their destination or just get lost.

"A Stag on it will be a Smallwood." Darren chuckled and shook hands with Corren, Markas found the bet to be stupid. This was important and possibly dangerous. They had been taught to fight and to talk and he hoped that only one of those things would be needed here.

The three Seekers followed their stones through the courtyard and up the stone steps to the main keep of Acorn Hill. The entire fort was a small circle with high curtain walls, few buildings stood inside them but for those absolutely needed. At the center was a large stone foundation with oak wood keep rising from it. Markas didn't know the history of Acorn hill beyond that it was the seat of House Smallwood, a vassal of House Vance. Quinn had been keen on making sure all the Seekers had a basic understanding of the Houses of Westeros and who their current ties to were. Many in the Seekers brushed this all off as high born nonsense and they were quickly dumped and tossed out of those lessons. It quickly became clear that those remaining would become the leaders of each team of Seekers, Markas being one of them.

"I don't want either of you saying anything, just look big and tough." Markas mumbled back to his fellow Seekers before he knocked on the door to the great hall of the keep. The structure wasn't big enough to hold many rooms and so the central chamber acted as the great hall. "The Seekers of the Sith are here to speak to Lord Smallwood and to find a Force Born among you!" Markas called inside and the only reply he got was the doors opening for him. He looked back to Darren and Corren and gave them one last glare before they all walked into the keep.

The hall was empty save for several guards, a few too many given the size of the hall, Lord Smallwood and his wife who held a babe in her arms. There was also an older boy and man roughly the same age as Lord Smallwood. He could guess that the baby was his son and the other two were related to the lord in some way, perhaps brother and nephew.

"Seekers, it is the honor of House Smallwood to host some of the first to seek out those our King feels could play such a grand role in the realm's future." Markas' lip twitched at that greeting, it was oddly worded like he was trying his best to avoid giving real honors or give his true feelings about them. It honestly reminded him a bit like how whores spoke, lying but at the same time giving you what they thought you wanted.

"The honor is ours, Lord Smallwood, I trust that you received the King's new Laws concerning the Sith Order and our collection Force Users." Markas said after he and his fellow Seekers dropped to a knee. They were still small folk at the end of the day, and still needed to show the proper conduct toward a Lord.

"Yes I did." Lord Smallwood said as he shifted in his, clearly looking a bit uncomfortable with some of the things he had to do in compliance with the new laws. "I am to arrange and pay for the relocation of anyone found by you. And should their family also wish to leave them as well. If they don't wish to, I shall pay them two hundred and ten Stags. Any cost on my part will be given back to me by the Crown plus a small fee for my troubles." He still looked unhappy with this arrangement and Markas couldn't understand why the Lord was so grumpy at this. He was actually getting a small bit of coin for all this, he should be happy. Markas knew he would never understand how these nobles worked.

"Yes my lord, you are correct on all counts." Markas said as he stood up and with a quick glance to his Seeker Stone, something that all those in the room were doing now as it was floating up off his chest and pointing right at the young boy in the room. "That is the ruling for anyone of low birth." Markas said and the man standing next to the Lord moved his son behind him with a scowl on his face. Lord Smallwood frowned as he saw the magical stone and how it was pointed to his nephew, he had also read what happened to those of High Birth.

"You mean to take my brother's son from us?" That was it, there was no compensation for any noble for their children being taken to Harrenhal. By the King's Laws it was an honor to give over a child found able to use the Force. Nothing more than honor.

"The laws state that we must record who is found able to use the Force, and they must arrive in Harrenhal by their tenth name day or their parents risk the King's judgment." Markas explained and all of the Smallwood family stiffened as they had heard the horror stories of the King's Judgment. "We have found one among your keep beyond your nephew, depending on what their parents decide we might be leaving with them today. Given the distance between here and Harrenhal, we will likely not need an escort from your men my lord. If you wish to send men with your nephew we will not turn them away." Markas said, trying to remain as calm and collected as he could. He did not want to insult the lord in any way but they had found what they were looking for. The boy would need to join the rest of his future peers at Harrenhal eventually.

"Give me and my family a moment while we speak about this." With that the three Seekers bowed and left the hall with a small haste to their step. Once outside and the doors closed behind them… Markas felt the need to punch both of his fellow Seekers to passing a coin between them.

I heard her scream out in the bastardize version of High Valyrian as I rammed back and forth into her tight cunt, I didn't speak the Lysene tongue but I knew from the emotions she was feeling it was all genuine and dirty as fuck. Next to me was one of five bed slaves, she was just enjoying the sight of me fucking her fellow sex slave as she had been the first I had tested out and had recovered a bit of her breath. Nearby were two others who were currently eating each other out in a sixty nine position while the last one was still barely conscious after the mind blowing orgasm I had just given her. Damn did I love Force enhanced stamina and the sexual expertise that Naraiz had developed over his adult life.

"She is begging you my lord, she wants your seed so she can bear you many strong sons." The woman clutching my side whispered into my ear and again I could not sense a hint of dishonesty from her or the woman currently wrapped around my cock. Big red eyes were looking up to me and had such a pleading look that I could not help but find adorable. And with that I shot my seed deep into her womb causing her to stiffen and lock up, her body shivered in pleasure as my cum spilled through her insides and fueled her own climax.

"All of you, damn good at what you do." I smirked as I pulled out and laid back on the headboard of the bed I had been given. The five bed slaves all soon crawled to my body and cuddled up as best they could. I could feel their minds, they felt contentment and pleasure but also confusion. Likely out of the fact this was the first time they had been satisfied by a man sent to them by their owner. They didn't want me to leave, a needy sense of longing was already forming in them. I was not that good, as much as my ego demanded I say so. No, this was caused by the fact these women were treated poorly by their owner and longed for someone to treat them with the least bit of kindness.

"Your smile my lord, it is devious and cunning as a snake. What is it you planning?" The eldest of the bed slaves asked, the one that I had taken first. She was a true woman of Lys, silver hair and faint blue eyes like many of the Lords of Valyria once had. I could feel her mind, sharp and ambitious but also the most closed off to the world. She was hoping that I would fall for her charms and marry her. Take her from this place and lavish her with love and wealth. Clever girl… she had eyes like a raptor.

"I'm going to play a game with Tregoquo, and he's not going to like it." I said as I lazily made circles on the back of the most needy and broken of the five bed slaves. She came from the Summer Isles, ebony colored skin and dark brown hair braided, her eyes were closed now as she rested on my chest but they were a dark green. I could sense a broken soul, the type that came from someone that had once had a fiery spirit but no more. Sad, and something to change.

"The master does not like games." The first of the twins spoke up.

"He does not, it is known." I chuckled lightly, twin Dothraki girls that loved each other more than anything and loved each other in all the wrong ways. Sisterly love at its finest, but I certainly was able to share in that love if the way they curled up to my crotch was any indication. Fun and adventurous, deadly and cruel… These two would be fun.

"Oh… I not meaning to change that." The last of the bed slaves said something again in the Lyesene language. Didn't seem like she could speak the Common Tongue but she understood it well enough. She was another native of the city but lacked some of the Valyrian features her elder had on her. Soft chestnut hair drew down to her back and bright red eyes looked at with the same kind of love Lyarra had for me. It made me hungry for another taste of her. But that was for later. "What did she say?"

"She said that she will kill Tregoquo and follow you to the ends of the seas." The first bed slave said in a warm and amused voice. I could sense that they all shared that sentiment. Again, I had to state that it wasn't entirely on my skills with sex, it was more to do with the fact I didn't hit them or treat them like garbage for the last few days.

I had arrived in Lys a week ago after successful trips to Pentos and Myr. In both of the Free Cities I was able to make friends in both high and low places. My two primary goals of getting them to agree to recognize my order as legitimate and asking them to be on the lookout for any future wayward members of my order were successes. Plus I was able to secure some good promises for future work from the Order once things got rolling. Then I and my crew arrived in Lys and I began my work here. I made contact with the magisters of Lys who had already begun hearing of my exploits in both Westeros and the friends I was making in the Free Cities. They were happy to receive me and make the same deals as I had before, and as far as they knew I was long gone. My ship had left, I was sure I had won the loyalty of my crew by now, they would be waiting out at sea. I was going to find other means of leaving this city.

"My lord Dio?" That was still funny. The fact I looked and sounded like Dio at this moment only made it more funny. But the sound of the fat bastard that ran this little whore house came in after a creak of the door hit my ears. Then he came in, not at all hesitant nor stopping at seeing me in the state I currently was in. No, what had him stopping for a second was when he saw the girls, the sight of them curled up so close to me was not something he had been expecting. It was rare for him to see his wares so genuinely showing affection to his customers. "Uh… are you staying longer, that costs extra you know."

"I know." I said simply as my nerves began to spike at the stiffness that the women with me were feeling as their owner's eyes scanned over them. "I grow tired of this." I said much to all their confusion and raised my hand. There I extended out with the Force and slammed Tregoquo to the floor, the air taken out of his lungs by the force of impact. "Time to play a game."

"Wha… what are you?" He struggled to breath as he forced his eyes to look up toward the bed, watching me step off and onto the floor with the five bed slaves watching in awe and fear. I moved my other hand to my armor and out of the secret compartments came five knives. The slaver watched in horror as the wicked looking blades floated in the air and soon were posed above each of his limbs and neck. Before I spoke again I reached into Tregoquo's mind and pulled out the location of where he kept the rest of his slaves. About fifteen hundred of them were waiting to be taken to Meereen in a few days. Perfect.

"Here's the rules of the game. I'm going to ask each of these lovely ladies their name and a question. If any of them say yes, I stab you, I think you can see what will happen if all of them say the magic word." I said with a cheerful voice as I fingered the tip of hilt of the knife hovering above the man's neck. He looked back to the bed and couldn't see the women from his angel but knew he was in a world of hurt. "Good, now that we all understand the game let us begin." I said before pointing to the silver haired Lyseni. "Name and for your question, has this man ever struck you?" I asked and she gave me a smile that any Sith would approve of in a heartbeat.

"I am Serona Paenion my lord, and yes… he has struck me many times." She said after crawling to the edge of the bed and looking her tormentor in the eyes. She licked her lips as the blade plunged into his leg and he screamed in agony. The Sith Rune in my knife sure was working its magic, Hâsk was such a common Rune, but at the same time, if it ain't broke, why fix it?

"Wonderful, you… your next." I said pointing to Summer Islander. "Name, and did this man take your child?" I asked and the other women looked to her with shock while Serona just glared back at Tegoquo with even greater rage and glee at his current state.

"Xhola Xama and… and…" Tears began forming in her eyes but that's not how the game was played. I waited for her to say it, she needed to say it. Not for me but for her. So she knew she played a part in this man's death. ".. yes… yes! He took my Sollal from me!" Xhola screamed and was soon comforted by the two Dothraki twins. The renewed screams of Tegoquo filled the room but would not escape beyond. My power would not allow it.

"Two down Tegoquo… all you need is one to save your life and it's not looking so good." I chuckled and Tegoquo was gritting through the pain and trying very hard to blow up my head with his eyes alone. "On to the next, you two, time for the double trouble round…" I pointed to the Dothraki sisters still holding Xhola. "Names and did this man force you two to fuck horses for his customer's entertainment." At those words my eyes turned a bright yellow and glared down at the piece of human trash that I held captive. I had originally planned to just ask if he raped them but in my delving of his mind to find his slave stores I found… other things. Memories of various debauched acts that went beyond normal or even advanced tastes in sex.

"Emmi, and yes! Now gut that spineless pig!"

"Felli, yes! Cut off his manhood and throw it into the sea!" Oh I liked these two a lot. With their answers both resounding yeses I slowly pushed the daggers down into the scum's flesh, twisting it a bit as I went. We all looked to the last one that had yet to give her name and a yes to my question. This one was blown away by even more, not because of how horrible it was, but because of many times I would get this answer if I asked other slaves belonging to this man.

"Name… and is this man your father?" I asked and I knew she understood me. She was ready for this but couldn't stand the sight of blood. So innocent, so pure… incorruptible. I could try, but that would ruin the charm. I already had a Jaesa. Why would I want two? One was a handful already.

"Vaera… y-yes." She answered and threw herself into Serona's arms and the woman held her in such a way that I needed a moment before refocusing back onto my captive. I circled the blade around his face, the tip dragging across his cheeks making all sorts of crisscrossing scars.

"Your own daughter… I chose completely at random where I would find my stock of bed slaves for my blossoming castle. The thing is so damn big I need to find a suitable population for it, what better one than that of former slaves. Loyal to me for freeing them. I chose randomly… but it seems the Force guided my hand to bring me here so I could end your disgusting life." And with that I shoved the knife into his mouth and watched him gag and bleed out slowly and most painfully. The sad thing was, he knew of many other slavers that practiced similar things. I looked up to see Serona calming and soothing Vaera as she cried, Felli and Emmi were both still with Xhola but she looked to be doing better now. "So… did we enjoy my little game?"

"Yes, a great game." Emmi giggled as her sister crawled to the edge of the bed and gazed at the dead form of their former master.

"A great game, yes." Felli repeated after her sister as she was mesmerized by the sight of the blood pooling beneath Tegoquo. Xhola couldn't find the voice to agree verbally but nodded as she continued to hold onto Emmi's arm.

"You were right my lord, Tegoquo did not enjoy it but I sure did." Serona's warm smile returned to her and she kept up her words of comfort to the still crying Vaera, though it was now only small sobs where before they were rivers of tears. "But what now my lord, you have murdered a well-respected member of the Lys' elite." At that moment I dropped the Mask that I had been using, one that made me look like Dio from part one… I wasn't going for something totally unrealistic. The women all gasped at my true form… or at least the Mask that I used that made me look as I did before I dipped too deep into the Dark Side.

"I did no such thing, they won't be able to trace me back to this nor will they be able to do so to the freeing of all of Tegoquo's slaves." I said as I began collecting and cleaning my daggers. They were handcrafted by the real Naraiz and I wasn't going to have this scum's blood sully them any longer than they had to be. "All five hundred of them, I shall take them aboard two galleys that I have procured and ship them back to Westeros. There my men will bring them to my castle and there they will live, work, and prosper." I said as I carefully wiped the blood of my first dagger.

"And what of us my lord, are we to prosper as well?" Serona asked and I knew that it wasn't enough for her. She wanted far more than the simple life I would be giving many of these slaves. I smirked and they all shivered at the sight.

"No, you five have proven interesting to me. You shall join my personal household, I will find duties worthy of your talents and desires." They all looked so happy, so hopeful for the first time in who knows how long. But it was those very looks of relief that allowed my anger to die down. I looked over to the mutilated corpse I had just created and despite everything I knew about the man couldn't help but feel disgusted at my actions.

Oh I have killed since getting this body, I've even threatened to do acts just as horrible before. But here I actually did it. Every time before I killed someone it was within a fight or was quick and relatively painless. This was the first time that I had done something undeniably cruel for cruelty's sake. I hadn't even planned on doing anything like this when I arrived in Lys, the plan was to just find a slave merchant willing to take my order and maybe have a little fun. But on whim, I decided to see just how horrible these slavers could be. And… It all becomes rather fuzzy after that.

Perhaps this was a bad mix of my morals and the real Naraiz's willingness to do terrible things to those that displeased him. Within hours I plotted and planned out this whole scheme for no other reason than this sack of meat had offended me with his sick sadism. The actual weight of what I had done only now really hit me and I seriously was frightened because of it.

Author's Notes

I wrote this chapter awhile ago so this is not a response to those that thought Naraiz had a wife-stealer fetish. All you need to understand that during this time period all the female characters, that are old enough, are already married. Now Naraiz is moving on from Westeros for the time being so he has the chance to pick up some other girls. They aren't going to be true romantic prospects like Jaesa, Vette, Lyarra, and Joanna are but they will be good for a few lemons, character development, casting rounding out, and allies for Naraiz's side.