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Stash of fics I am reading or want to read mostly uploaded to make use of the audio function Warning - Non of the uploaded fics here belong to me as obvious as it is the fics belong to there respective authors u can find original on Fanfiction.net or ao3 or spacebattles list of fics uploaded below :- 1 . Patriot's Dawn by Dr. Snakes MD ( Naruto ) 2 . How Eating a Strange Fruit Gave Me My Quirk by azndrgn ( MHA) 3 . HBO WI: Joffrey from Game of Thrones replaced with Octavian from Rome by Hotpoint (GOT) 4 . Kaleidoscope by DripBayless (MHA) 5 . Give Me Something for the Pain and Let Me Fight by DarknoMaGi. (MHA) 6 . Come out of the ashes by SilverStudios5140 ( Naruto ) 7 . A Spanner in the Clockworks by All_five_pieces_of_Exodia ( MHA) 8 .King Rhaenyra I, the Dragonqueen by LuckyCheesecake ( GOT ) 9 . A Lost Hero's Fairytale by Ultimate10 ( Ben 10 × Fairy tail ) 10. Becoming Hokage by 101Ichika01: ( Naruto ) 11.Bench Warmer (A Naruto SI) by Blackmarch 12. The Raven's Plan by The_SithspawnSummary ( Got ) 13. Tanya starts from Zero by A_Morte_Perpetua_Machina_Libera_Nos ( ReZero × Tanaya the Evil ) 14. That Time I Got Isekai'd Again and Befriended a SlimeTanJaded ( Tensura ) 15 . Heroes Never Die by AboveTail ( MHA ) 16 . The Saga of Tanya the Firebender by Shaggy Rower  ( Tanya the evil × Avatar : the Last Airbender) 17 . The Warg Lord (SI)(GOT) by LazyWizard ( GoT ) 18 . Perfect Reset by shansome ( MHA ) 19 . Pound the Table by An_October_Daye ( X-Men ) 20 . Verdant Revolution by KarraHazetail ( MHA ) 21. The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi by FoxboroSalts ( Naruto × Fairy Tail ) 22 . Fighting Spirit by Alex357 ( SI DxD ) 23. Retirement Ended Up Super By Rhino {RhinoMouse} ( Skye/Supergirl ) 24 . Whirlpool Queen, Maelstrom King by cheshire_carroll ( Naruto & Sansa stark as twins ) 25 . What's in a Hoard? By Titus621 ( MHA ) 26 . A Dovahkiin Spreads His Wings by VixenRose1996 ( Got × Elder scrolls ) 27 . our life as we knew it now belongs to yesterday by TheRoomWhereItHappened347 ( GOT ) 28 . A Gaming Afterlife by Hebisama ( Gamer × Dragon Age × MHA × HOTD) 29 . Children of the Weirwoods By Wups ( GOT ) 30 . Shielding Their Realms Forever by GreedofRage, Longclaw_1_6 ( GOT) 31. Abandoned: Humanity's by Driftshansome 32 . The First Pillar by Soleneus (MHA) 33 . Fyre, Fyre, Burning Skitter by mp3_1415player ( Taylor Herbert × HP ) 34. Blessed with a Hero's Heart by Magnus9284 ( Konosuba X Izuku Midoriya) 35 . Wolf of Númenor by Louen_Leoncoeur ( Got) 36 . Summoner by SomeoneYouWontRemember ( Worm Parahuman) 37 . I, Panacea by ack1308 (Worm ) 38 . A Darker Path by ack1308 ( Worm) 39 . Worm - Waterworks by SeerKing ( Worm ) 40 . Ex Synthetica by willyolioleo ( Worm ) 41. Alea Iacta Est by ack1308 ( Worm) 42. Avatar Taylor by Dalxein ( Avatar × Worm ) 43.The Warcrafter by RHJunior ( Worm × Warcraft ) 44.A Tinker of Fiction Story or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Suplex the Space Whales by Randomsumofagum (Worm × SI) 45.Welcome to the Wizarding by Wormkinoth ( Worm × Harry Potter ) 46.A Throne Nobody Wants by Vahn (GOT × Fate ) 47.Broken Adventure: Arc 1: Origin by theaceoffire ( Worm × xover CYOA) 48 .Well I guess this is happening by Pandora's Reader (Worm × Ben 10 ) 49 .Legendary Tinker by Fabled Webs (Worm × league of legends ) 50. Plan? What Plan? by Fabled Webs (Worm ) 51 . Slouching Towards Nirvana by ProfessorPedant ( MHA ) 52 .Look What You Made Me Do by mythSSK ( Marvel) 53. Mana worm ( worm fic ) 54. The Wondrous Weaving of Wizardry ( Celestial grimiore Worm × fate × multi cross ) 55.Teenagers Suck (Worm CYOA) 56.Nox by Time Parad0x ( Worm × Solo leveling )

Shivam_031 · Anime und Comics
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78

Chapter Text

"Once Pandora's Box is opened, there is no turning back.

-King Rhaenyra I Targaryen, the Dragonqueen,

112 AC, Red Keep

The sword came for my throat, a viper-quick stab that aimed to punch through the mail protecting my neck. The blade of the weapon was wood, though leaded to give it weight. It would still hurt to be hit with that.

I parried the blow, a quick tap of my blade turning it harmlessly to the side. Riposte now, a flick of my wrist and a half step forward sending my own practice blade thrusting towards the forehead of my opponent.

Daemon ducked under the blow, using his short height to his advantage, before lunging forwards in a counterattack. I blocked the thrust with the handle of my sword, having not had the time to properly parry with the blade itself. Still, it knocked the blade that would have struck my ribs aside, and opened up a path of attack. A flick of my wrist set a lateral cut towards Daemon, too low to dodge.

The youngest Dragonseed spun to the side, dancing out of the way of the blade like a leaf on wind. As he passed by me, he elbowed me in the ribs with his left elbow. His legs hooked around mine, and though I was stronger, Daemon had leverage on his side.

Down I went, though I was able to turn my fall into a spin, sword spinning around in a bifurcating slash that Daemon was barely able to block. I'd managed to get my left arm and foot under myself, so I was able to push myself back onto my feet, immediately turning said push into a lunge.

A reckless move, considering the capabilities of my opponent, but my spinning strike had knocked Daemon back. Not off his feet, for he had a ridiculously good grasp of posture and balance, but definitely off his equilibrium. As such he couldn't dodge my lunge, being forced to parry instead, my blade that would have skewered him in the face instead stabbing the air above his left shoulder.

Still, being some eight years older than Daemon meant that I was not only stronger, but larger than the kid. I tackled him, ramming my armoured body into his. Down we both went, wrestling in the dirt.

I pinned down Daemon's sword arm, but he socked me in the jaw with his other fist. My helmet dulled most of the blow, though I still felt the hit. In retaliation, I struck him in the head with the pommel of my sword, and went for my knife.

Daemon kicked me in the groin, which despite what a lot of men seemed to think, did actually hurt quite a bit for females. I winced in pain, and Daemon took the opportunity to get a foot under my sternum, before kicking out. I was propelled off of him, and the boy immediately sprang to his feet, helmeted head colliding with my chin in a rising headbutt.

I'd been gritting my teeth in pain from Daemon's previous blow, which saved me from biting my tongue when he headbutted me. Still, I was knocked off balance, and it was instinct and luck more than skill that let me block his follow-up sword strike, catching his wrist with my left hand.

Immediately, Daemon dropped his sword and grabbed it with his other hand. He stabbed at me, forcing me to abort my own attack. I dodged another kick, and tried to wrench his arm behind his back. But the little Fyre was good at hand-to-hand, and countertwisted. He struck my wrist with the sword, in a blow that would have left me short a hand had the weapon been made of steel.

I released his own wrist, and Daemon used that newfound freedom to thrust two fingers straight into the eyehole of my helmet. I barely managed to close my left eye in time, but the Dragonseed hooked his fingers inside my helmet, and pulled my face straight into his left knee. I stoically took the blow, swinging my sword blindly. It stuck him in the neck. A killing blow, had I been holding Dark Sister.

"Enough!" Ser Wingood called out, ending our practice spar.

My cousin and I separated, the two of us standing side by side as Bell's stepfather and our personal master-of-arms approached.

"Good job, Daemon." The knight praised. "Excellent work. You've done better against Rhaenyra than all your siblings."

"I still lost though." The seven-year-old boy grumbled, folding his arms with a huff. "I overcommitted towards the end. Didn't expect her to take the blow."

"A most valuable lesson to learn." Ser Wingood nodded. "Some opponents may choose to take the crippling of it means being able to set up a kill. You should never neglect your defences, even when you seem on the verge of victory."

"Especially when you seem on the verge of victory." I emphatically added, removing my helmet and trying not to wince from the pain in my body. "I learnt that lesson the hard way with Borros."

"You should have killed him on the spot." Daemon scowled. "Letting him live was a mistake. Once you wound a man, always finish the kill or it'll come back to bite you."

"Spoken like someone whom has never spent a day doing politics." I rebuffed, looking down at my small cousin. "But I don't deny that Borros blindsided me. Shouldn't have let my guard down."

"Bah, politics." Daemon spat to the side. "We have dragons. Just kill anyone whom stands in your way. There's no need to bend or compromise as a Targaryen."

"Tell that to Maegor." I glared. "Look where that got him."

Daemon raised an unimpressed eyebrow at me.

"Maegor shouldn't have left Jaehaerys or his siblings alive." He bluntly told me. "He should have murdered them all when he had the chance. That would have ended the rebellion right then and there."

"I'm of the opinion that rebellion would have happened anyway, Jaehaerys or no." I replied. "Fear is an unsustainable method of rule."

Daemon raised a dubious eyebrow but said nothing, accepting a waterskin from Ser Wingood and taking a long pull from it before speaking.

"Sometimes, ruling is about making a statement." He solemnly declared.

"Sometimes." I agreed. "But not all the time."

We left it at that, for my girlfriend had just sauntered up to the two of us. Laena wore a suit of polished armour. Silvered steel formed a lamellar resembling the scales of a fish, descending from her neck and ending in an armoured skirt around her knees. The cloak she wore was no mere wool, instead being leather fashioned from dragonskin shed by Vhagar, clasped by a platinum seahorse with turquoise eyes.

Tucked under my girlfriend's arm was her helmet, an open-faced bassinet engraved with a prancing seahorse on one side, and a rampant dragon on the other. A hatch atop allowed Laena's platinum hair to stream out of it in a ponytail, like a plume. A tad more exposed than I'd like, but then again, my girlfriend was an archer. She needed peripheral vision a lot more than a sword-swinger like me did.

"Well, someone's dressed to impress." I smirked, eyes roving up and down as I took in my girlfriend's figure. "I must say, armour suits you, coz."

"Just thought I'd join you two down here." Laena smiled. "Can't have our little rogue here stealing you away from me."

She winked at Daemon, whom immediately averted his eyes away from my girlfriend with a little huff. I was amused to note the rosiness on the youngest Dragonseed's pale cheeks.

"Some-one has a crush." I whispered quietly to Ser Wingood, my voice a cheery singsong lilt.

"Ah yes, the blessings and curses of beautiful women." He dryly remarked, chucking in amusement. "They make fools of all men."

Laena picked up a practise blade and levelled it at me.

"So, Rhae." She called out, twirling the sword in a needlessly flamboyantly showy manner. "Care for a match?"

"Why not?" I shrugged, pulling on my helmet.

My girlfriend and I stood at opposite ends of the duelling ring, and Ser Wingood signalled the beginning of the match.

I rushed straight for my girlfriend, thrusting mercilessly at her exposed face. Laena's sword swung up and parried the blade. A flick of the wrist later, and she riposted back at me.

I parried and riposted back, only for her to parry once more. Back and forth we went, attacking and counterattacking countless times before I forced a bladelock, the two of us pushing against each other in a contest of strength.

"Your bladework has improved." I noted. "Rhaegar always was a deft hand with a blade."

"The wonders of skinchanging." Laena smilingly mused. "To turn someone as incompetent as myself into a decent swordswoman after a week."

"Well then." I grinned. "Guess that means I no longer have to hold back."

At that, I shoved against Laena, bringing my full strength to bear upon my girlfriend. Sure she was taller and heavier than I was, and probably had greater strength than I did, thanks to her archery and intensive dragon riding, but proper grounding and leverage meant I could temporarily exert greater force.

I feinted high, then swept low, striking her ankle with my sword.

Her retaliatory lateral cut was halted when I caught her wrist with my free hand, immediately rapping her on the thigh with my sword.

Laena attempted to punch me in the face, but I twisted to the side to avoid it. I didn't like brawling at super-close quarters, but considering more than a few Dragonseeds were fond of using martial arts in conjunction with their blades, I'd picked up more than a few tricks.

My right elbow struck out, whacking Laena in the back of her helmet. While my girlfriend reeled, I released her sword arm, freeing myself to pivot fully around and strike her in the ribs with my sword.

I could have gone for her unarmored neck instead, but this was the training yard, not the battlefield. I saw no need to mar my girlfriend's flawless skin with bruises.

Laena snarled and spun around, slashing in the same move. But my sword parried her blade, before using it to springboard back up and whack her in the helm. Deliberately striking the metal and not her throat. Blows there hurt, and would leave people gasping and choking even with padding and or mail. I would know, having been an epee fencer on Earth once upon a time. I'd seen fencers surrender after getting stabbed there.

"Pooh. You're too good." Laena pouted, taking a few steps back. "I though that I could match you."

"Rhaegar is good—but not that good—with a sword." I shrugged. "I mean, his technique is textbook-perfect, but he doesn't have that… killer instinct? No the connotations are wrong. Battle knack, I guess. Rhaegar doesn't have that."

I paused, tilting my head to the side in consideration.

"I suppose it's more apt to say that he picked up the blade more to eliminate a weakness than to gain a new skill." I decided.

"So what made you decide to pick up the blade?" My girlfriend asked. "To pick up a new skill, or to eliminate a weakness?"

"A little bit of both, I guess." I mused consideringly. "I wanted to get fit, and to learn how to swordfight."

I'd been a pudgy and unfit boy at age thirteen, and had sought to gain fitness by learning how to fence. That kept me… while not necessarily fit, it kept me in semi-decent shape through my teenaged years, though it was only after I began dating Yuuki when I was eighteen that I seriously put in the hours at the gym to get fit.

While there were probably better sports that my thirteen-year-old self could have done to get fit—football or volleyball came to mind— the truth was that swords were just cool.

Where the conversation might have gone, I didn't know, for Viserra came up to us.

"What's up?" I asked the girl whom so resembled me.

"It's Daena." Viserra replied. "She wants to talk."

———

112 AC, Tower of the Hand,

That I'd smell something wrong the instant I stepped foot in the Tower of the Hand was not a good sign. There was trouble in the air. And by trouble I meant Trouble with a capital 'T'.

I didn't know what said Trouble was, but I could feel it looming over the horizon, like the ozone in the air before a storm struck.

"My Prince." Melisandre of Asshai bowed. "This is a long-awaited meeting."

What the fuck was she doing here? I mean, I'd always known it was her on the opposite side of that one glass candle vision I did way back in Oldtown. That was half the reason why I never again attempted another clairvoyant viewing. Didn't want to draw unnecessary attention from the Red Priests.

It had been many years since then—over half a decade—and I'd seen no hide or hair of her. To the point where I'd nearly forgotten, and managed to half-delude myself that she'd never show up. Alas, it appeared that I was wrong.

"Melisandre of Asshai." I greeted politely, inclining my head towards her. "You are known to me."

There was a ripple of surprise through the six individuals in the glass candle holocall with me. We'd never met, as far as everyone knew.

"Well met, my Prince." The Red Priestess smiled, bowing once more.

Stannis Baratheon's future court magician didn't seem inclined to talk any more, allowing me to turn my full attention to the leader of their little band.

"Daena, this had better be good." I glared at my cousin.

"But I didn't even tell you what I did!" The oldest Dragonseed protested.

"I just know." I tersely replied. "Call it parental instinct."

I'd always felt that as a child, my parents and occasionally a few of my old schoolteachers seemed to have an almost psychic knack for knowing when we kids committed mischief. It was as though our misdeeds were a cologne, one that clung to the skin of the wrongdoers and could only be smelled by the adults.

It was only later in life that I'd figured out said knack was due to a combination of a child's body language, aura and other subconscious behaviour. One could read so many things from said combination. But even so, as a father, I couldn't help but find that there was almost a sort of sixth-sense to it.

Sometimes, you really just knew.

"Alright fine." Daena petulantly sulked. "We may or may not be technically guilty of kidnapping a Princess of New Ghis."

"What?"

"So um… yeah." Daena lamely continued. "If you ever get a declaration of war from New Ghis, well… oops."

"Daena, back up a bit." I raised my hands in a 'hold up' gesture. "Let's go back to the part where you said you kidnapped a Princess."

"Um… well… it's a long story." My cousin prevaricated.

"Well start spilling the beans, or I might be forced to do something deeply unpleasant." I hissed.

"We double-crossed Queen Zikhakha of New Ghis." Jaehaerys Junior spoke up.

It had been about a decade since I'd last seen the man. As always he looked the spitting image of his namesake, though he'd grown a handsome beard and moustache since I'd last seen him. He looked oddly like Obi-Wan now, I felt. Albeit one with light gold hair and purple eyes.

And he was quite handsome.

My preferences were firmly towards women, but that didn't mean I couldn't appreciate a guy's looks. I could see why Daena had taken a fancy in him.

"Elaborate." I ordered.

"Queenie was a real bitch." Gapeth Eelskin declared. "She refused to give us the supplies we needed unless we helped find her granddaughter Ezraa."

The scarred pirate jerked his thumb at the fifth member of their little group, a mousy blue-robed Ghiscari girl.

"But I didn't want to return." Ezraa spoke up, in perfect High Valyrian. "My grandmother was cruel and exploitative, and I couldn't stand serving under her any longer. I had to leave."

"So you guys didn't return her?" Laena confusedly asked. "I'm lost."

"Oh we returned her." Daena smirked mischievously. "We just kidnapped Ezraa again after we got the supplies."

"Queenie was pissed." Gapeth unrepentantly grinned.

And there it was. The Trouble. I pressed two knuckles to my forehead and muttered a few choice cusses under my breath.

I vaguely considered pulling on the leash and outright forcing Daena to return Ezraa, but caught sight of Melisandre. Chances were that she'd be able to counter the bindings I'd laid onto the Dragonseed.

"Please tell me we at least have plausible deniability." I all but begged.

"Considering that Caraxes was our getaway vehicle?" Daena mused. "Probably not."

I let out an extremely long sigh, not even bothering to hide my wince.

I wasn't too particularly concerned about New Ghis. They were far far away, making any declaration of war more symbolic than practical. The distance between King's Landing and the Ghiscari city-state was approximately a little under 4000 miles. Or roughly the distance between London and New York.

Now, it was one thing to wage and win wars halfway around the globe when you were a modern military, but in the era where wooden ships were the fastest means of transport in the world, it was impractical at best.

I mean, Daenerys proved that it was possible, of course, but that was because she had dragons, a massive armada and hundreds of thousands of men, and was facing a divided and weakened Westeros beset with infighting, winter and a fucking zombie apocalypse.

Even if they somehow managed to rally all of the Ghiscari, New Ghis had nowhere nearby as many men or ships and no dragons at all. I was confident in my ability to trounce them with contemptuous ease.

"Daena, remember what I told you about committing crimes?" I asked.

"…Yes." Daena petulantly pouted.

"What is it?"

"… Must we bring—"

"Say the words." I interrupted sternly.

"…It's not illegal unless you get caught." My cousin sulkily said.

"Yes, so don't get caught." I didn't raise my voice, but my disapproval and disdain for my cousin's sloppiness was obvious to anyone with half a brain. "I'm not angry that you kidnapped Ezraa. I'm angry that you got caught."

"The whole place was under lockdown!" Daena protested. "Security was increased tenfold after the first kidnapping attempt. A double-cross was the only way we could nab Ezraa."

"If the risks outweigh the benefits, then don't do it." I bluntly retorted. "I will not complain about your adventuring, as I know it's an exercise in futility. But remember that as a dragonrider, you represent not just yourself, but the entire family as well. While in the short term New Ghis can't do anything to the Seven Kingdoms, I fully intend on reigning until the long term comes to pass."

It was an unfortunate fact that due to having to sail the long way around Valyria, New Ghis was one of the largest layover ports in the known world. While no Qarth or even Volantis, it was an unfortunate fact that nearly all ships heading further east had to resupply at New Ghis. If that port was no longer friendly to us, any future expeditions undertaken by the Gold Fleet to the Far East—particularly the wealthy lands of Yi Ti or Asshai—would be essentially kneecapped.

"So I should have left Ezraa behind?" The eldest Dragonseed hissed. "Rhae, we had to rescue her."

"And why, pray tell? Do the benefits of associating with her outweigh the fact that New Ghis is no longer a friendly port to the Seven Kingdoms?" I raised a dubious eyebrow. "Because unless you can come up with a good reason why, I just might send Aunt Rhaenys over to personally return Ezraa to Queen Zikhakha."

"You wouldn't." Daena paled, shuddering in horror. As their dragon riding instructor, the Queen Who Never Was had garnered quite the reputation amongst the Dragonseeds. A relentless taskmaster, she was more than willing to bring down the lash of discipline, and was as dreaded as she was loved by my cousins. Even boys as wilful as Aerion or Daemon Junior were wary of crossing Aunt Rhaenys.

"Uh, Rhae would, and you totally know that. She never bluffs when making threats." Laena piped up, looking actually somewhat concerned at the Dragonseed. "And Mother is not going to be happy at being forced to fly halfway across the world."

"Ezraa is a natural healer, like Haegon!" Daena hastily said, the Blue Grace shooting her a betrayed glare. "Wouldn't it be good to have two of them?"

"I already have a second natural healer." I dismissed. "Her name is Naerys Fyre, and she brings with her far far less complications than Ezraa."

"Oh wait, really?" Daena blinked in surprise. "Good for her."

"Ahem, Rhaenys?" I pointedly reminded Daena.

"Okay okay!" Daena yelped, cowering back. "I have another good reason for this!"

She immediately turned to face Jaehaerys Junior.

"Please tell me we have a good reason for this." My cousin all but begged her beau.

"Moral concerns?" The handsome man offered.

"Morals have no room in the Game of Thrones." I scoffed. "Try again."

"My grandmother all but enslaved me!" Ezraa protested.

"And?"

The sheer dismissal in my voice took the wind out of their sails for a bit. Even Daena was stunned, looking at me like she was seeing me for the first time.

"I thought you Westerosi despised slavery." Ezraa slowly said.

"I don't."

Generally speaking, East Asians didn't really have that all-encompassing hatred of slavery and all its works. The Chinese, Koreans and Japanese peoples had never really been enslaved or had fought a war or freedom and liberty to end slavery. That wasn't to say that slavery didn't exist, it just wasn't that widespread.

It didn't help that essentially every single East Asian nation had essentially been destroyed and reborn in the 20th century. Imperial Japan collapsed in 1945. Korea was partitioned into two in 1945, then in 1950 fought a brutal civil war that would shape the rest of their modern history. China split into the People's Republic of China and Taiwan during 1949. Singapore didn't get independence until 1965, when we were expelled from Malaysia.

Slavery had been abolished in the 1800s. By the time our young fledgling nations got our feet under ourselves enough to begin contemplating matters higher than basic survival, slavery had long since been forgotten, left behind by the unrelenting march of time.

It was one of the reasons why every year, without fail, Japan pumped out dozens of wildly popular anime and manga depicting the hero acquiring himself a harem of sex-slaves. And while Japan was easily the worst offender, China and Korea were guilty as well, publishing plenty of cartoons and comic depicting slavery not as something wrong.

There really just wasn't the same stigma against slavery as compared to the West.

"But you freed the slaves of the Triarchy, and all but sponsored the sellswords whom are right now forcing Pentos to abolish slavery." Ezraa protested.

"The former I did mostly for the praise that I'd get back home, not because I actually cared." I drawled. "As for the latter, the Unsullied chose to leave by their own choice. They themselves chose to sign up with Braavos to fight Pentos. Lay that laurel at my feet if it pleases you, but know that I washed my hands of the whole affair the day they left my shores."

"Is this the sum of you, Rhaenyra Targaryen? Apathy? A lack of care for the suffering that goes on all around you?"

"My first priority as Prince is and always will be the people of my Realm." I retorted irritably. "Unless the benefits outweigh the costs, I will not send them to die in some meaningless crusade against slavery."

"We couldn't let Ezraa fall into the hands of the Warlocks of Qarth." Gapeth protested, cutting off Ezraa before she could continue the argument. "They could force her to make plagues like the one that ruined Gorgossos."

"Say what now?" I asked, baffled at the Ironborn man's non-sequitor.

"The Warlocks of Qarth?" Laena confusedly asked. "What do they have to do with anything?"

There was a bit of awkward shuffling.

"You didn't tell her?" Jaehaerys Junior scathingly asked.

"… I didn't want to worry her." Daena lied, unable to look any of us in the eyes.

"Oh Gods, you forgot to tell her, didn't you." Gapeth whispered, horror-stuck.

"My Prince, perhaps we should tell you the whole story." Melisandre interceded placatingly.

Five minutes later, and I was visibly itching for a bottle of something strong.

"So you five are basically warring against a whole gang of fanatic mages." I repeated, clutching my forehead in pain.

"Uh huh."

"Whom are led by a bunch of immortal liches."

"More or less."

"Whom are trying to steal our dragons for themselves."

"Yes."

"And you didn't think to even give us the slightest bit of warning?!" I demanded, wringing my hands in disbelief. "How? How in the bloody world did you think that was a good idea?!"

"Look, I forgot, alright." Daena protested. "I didn't think of it."

"You're damned lucky that nobody here has been attacked!" I snarled, stepping forward towards Daena. I wasn't that much taller than my cousin, but she still recoiled away as though I loomed as tall as the Wall. "I've been sending Shaeterys on errands to the Free Cities every other week! Laenor flies his father to Braavos on a fairly regular basis! And don't even get me started on Baela, your very own full-sister, whose been flying entire skycarts full of people back and forth across the Narrow Sea! You clearly didn't even stop to think on just what might have happened to them!

"You didn't think to warn us, oh I'm sure that will be a great thing to say at their funeral!" I shouted, Daena reeling back as though struck by physical blows.

I don't know for how long I read Daena the riot act, but by the end of it, my brash and tomboyish cousin was a broken husk of herself, curling up in shame and weeping.

"I… I…" The eldest Dragonseed sobbed, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Your Grace, I think that that's enough." Jaehaerys Junior interceded, holding Daena in his arms comfortingly as he imposed himself between her and I. "We've all made mistakes here."

"Yeah. I don't like Lady Fyre over here, but we shed blood together." Gapeth glared, stepping between the two of us as well, his scarred face twisted into a rictus of anger. "We're in this together, sink or swim. Her mistakes are our mistakes."

"My Prince, your cousin is still young." Melisandre said firmly, joining the line of people shielding Daena. "Though precocious, she is but a child. You cannot expect her to constantly make the right decisions."

"It was a mistake." Ezraa glared, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the rest of her companions. "We've all made mistakes that we'll have to live with for the rest of our lives, and raking us over the coals for making them serves no purpose but torment."

"What they said." Laena placatingly said, kissing me on the cheek before pulling me back away from Daena. "She's sorry already."

"Fine." I grumbled. "So long as she never makes it again."

God but I hated being the stern parent. It was a horrible feeling, to see your child, your very own flesh and blood, reduced to tears by a tongue-lashing. I'd always hated it when my parents scolded or punished me, but I'd never realised how much they too were hurt by the act as well until I became a father. Disciplining one's child was one of those necessary but unpleasant parts of parenthood that people didn't like to discuss.

We waited patiently before Daena recomposed herself, my cousin getting back to her feet with tear-stained cheeks and puffy eyes.

"I make no excuses." Prince Daemon Targaryen's firstborn child solemnly declared, standing straight-backed and looking me dead in the eyes. "I made many foolish mistakes, with far-reaching and irreversible consequence. I take full responsibility for my actions and will submit to any disciplinary measure you deem fit to impose."

Good girl. I really couldn't help but like people with that sort of attitude.

"You are forgiven." I allowed, keeping my voice measured and calm. "Everyone deserves a second chance. I shall not impose any consequences, this time. Take your failures to heart and learn from them, and be a better and stronger person for them."

"Thank you, my Prince." Daena bowed. "And about Ezraa…"

"Just make sure you don't kidnap another princess without due cause or at least plausible deniability." I curtly replied.

"Yes ma'am."

"But how do you intend on returning then?" Laena asked. "You won't be able to resupply in New Ghis now, will you?"

"Lord Jonas mentioned something about taking the Corsair's Road down to the Basilisk Isles. Then taking Nymeria's Route back home." Jaehaerys Junior supplied. "Depending on the weather, of course."

I mentally plotted the path in question, frowning slightly as I visualised it. The Basilisk Isles, then onto Naarth, then sailing to the Summer Isles before heading north to Dorne. They'd be going so far south that'd it would be easier to loop around the Arbor than take the Mander Canal back to the Iron Islands as initially planned.

It would add some three months or so to their journey, but given that the voyage was already going to take near 4 years, what was a little more time?

The voyage could have been faster, I well knew. Completed in two-thirds of the time, if not half. But like the Ming Treasure Fleets of China, my Gold Fleet was meant to spread and project Westerosi influence and wealth throughout the known world. It wasn't the destination, but the journey that was important.

"But that still begs the question though. What in the world do these Undying Ones want with Caraxes?" Laena asked, suddenly snapping my attention back to reality.

"To power their sorceries?" I confusedly replied. That was their whole goal when they kidnapped Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion nearly 200 years later after all.

"No, no, I get that, but it's not like there's any lack of magical power in the world."

I suppose that was true. Compared to Daenerys' day, the amount of magic in the world was practically overflowing. Even without one's own dragon, it was more than possible to cast just using the ambient power in the air.

"It's because of their immortality." Melisandre gravely declared, all heads turning to face her.

"Elaborate." I ordered, the Red Priestess nodding before speaking.

"The amount of magic left in the world… it's fading." Melisandre mourned. "The Doom of Valyria saw the near-extermination of dragons and the devouring of much of the remaining power left in this world. It might recover, given time or the right rituals, but not before contracting significantly first."

Really? I supposed that made sense. The tomes in Aenar's Vault made clear that in it's heyday, the number of dragons in Valyria was in the hundreds. Even now, including the hatchlings, House Targaryen only had 33 dragons.

"So the Undying Ones are desperate." I realised. "Their immortality, I assume it comes at a cost. Before the Doom, there were enough dragons running around to fuel their immortality indefinitely, but now, they can't replenish their stock fast enough."

"A most succinct explanation, my Prince." Melisandre praised. "They still have enough to last millennia, but their power is slowly but surely fading."

"You mentioned something about the 'right rituals'." Jaehaerys Junior spoke up. "Milady, what sorts of rituals are these, and can the Undying Ones not perform them instead?"

Melisandre was silent for a long while, which was rather distressing, but eventually, she spoke.

"It is called the Desolation." The Red Priestess gravely declared. "A grand ritual in which all life in an area is sucked barren and dry. Drained of all their life force, which is then converted into mana."

The tall sorceress began treading back and forth, pacing anxiously.

"The Red Waste was the product of one such ritual. The Shadow Lands past Asshai another." She faintly spoke. "All life was drained and consumed to create pure magical power. The same power which your ancestors threw into the sky as a bleeding comet."

"Seven Hells Below and Everburning." Daena cussed. "An entire land, drained of all life. With that much power, you'd be a god."

"You'd burn yourself to cinders first." The Red Priestess shook her head. "No one, not even the most powerful mage in existence, could tolerate such power. At best, you'd blow yourself up. At worst… I refuse to say."

I could tell that there was a story behind her words. An intimate and personal story, no less. Melisandre must have known someone whom attempted to achieve apotheosis and ascend to godhood, yet failed, with horrible consequences. And there was only one event I could think of within her centuries-long lifespan that fit the bill.

"And can these mages perform such a ritual?" Laena fearfully asked.

"Not easily. To trigger the Desolation, one must first perform a sacrifice." Melisandre hoarsely denied. "Death on a massive scale, and not even the Undying Ones hold enough power to enact such wide-scale massacre. And there can be no room for error."

"And what happens if you make an error?" I asked, morbidly curious. I had a good guess, and if I correct, it had many implications. And by implications, I meant implications.

"The Doom of Valyria." The ancient sorceress shuddered. "I speak no more on this subject. Search the glass candles for the last days of Valyria, if you wish to know more. But remember the costs of failure."

———

"Daenys, I have a task for you."

"Anything, Rhae."

"I want you to search the glass candles for any mention of a ritual known as the Desolation. I am told that it was what brought about the Doom of Valyria itself."

"And what should I do once I find it?"

"Improve upon it, of course."

"As you wish, my Prince."