3

You've got to be fucking kidding me," Harry mumbled as the ship he was on creaked and cracked under the relentless torrent of wind and rain. Waves as high as the Red Keep would lift the ship up before letting it fall, turning the faces of many on-board green with seasickness. Harry obviously wasn't affected by such nonsense, but he didn't enjoy the disturbing motions of the sea. The storm that slammed into their ship was particularly bad. In fact, it was so bad that Harry thought that it may be the work of one of these fucking two-bit "Gods" that the idiots of this world liked to pray to. Maybe that Drowned God or something similar. If Harry found it his hunch was true, he'd deal with that piece of shit personally. Even Death wouldn't be able to talk him out of it.

"Bluuuuuuuuuuurrrgh!" Harry sighed and pinched the area between his eyes. The past twelve hours were filled with the sounds of men vomiting and the stink of said vomit filling the hold. He should have just Faded. Sure, he wanted to experience things for himself, but even he had his limits. Harry reached into his bag and pulled out some dried meat. He stuffed a thick chunk into his mouth and chewed it up. One man looked at him like he was crazy, then promptly threw up.

By his estimation, they should reach land in the next couple of days. The storm did have one benefit, it provided an incredible amount of wind that cut their journey down by several days. Harry was certainly glad for that. Once situated, he would have his own ship built. He already had a plan for that but decided to wait until he reached Essos to put it in play. Once they left King's Landing, the merchant ship that he booked a ride on sailed due east, straight toward Pentos. That's where he would first be landing. Pentos was one of the closest Essosi cities, and as such, did quite a bit of trading with Westeros. Pentos was one of the free cities of Essos and technically outlawed slavery. Harry and pretty much everyone else knew that that was bullshit. Slavery was still a part of the city, though it wasn't openly flaunted as much, except by some wealthy merchants. Pentos was a large and fairly wealthy city with their main source of income being trade. Merchants could become very rich from doing business within the city. The city was mostly ruled by a group of wealthy merchants, though they did have some kind of puppet leader that didn't have any real power. Harry didn't really care much about the whole slavery thing. As time went on, he became more than a little jaded about the whole ordeal. Everywhere that he went had slavery of some kind. It was almost universal, and after a while, you just kind of became used to it. He wouldn't allow it in any land that he ruled, but wouldn't go out of his way to fight it. He was here on vacation, not to fix this world of its problems.

"Bleeeeeeeeeehggggg!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," he groaned, pulling out another small slab of dried meat.

"Ugg! How can you eat that in this storm?" one of the fellow passengers moaned in misery. His face was a pale green and was covered in sweat.

"I've been through worse," Harry replied, popping the chunk of spiced meat into his mouth. He swallowed it down and sighed. 'Nothing to do but try and get some sleep,' he thought, laying down on his bedroll and placing a silencing charm around his head. He closed his eyes and drifted off into dreamland.

The Dread Lord of Essos

Harry happily stood on deck as the old ship pulled up to the dock, a little worse for wear. The storm had done a number on it. The sail had ripped and had to be stitched up, several deck boards were ripped completely off, and a section of the railing had been lost at sea. Even so, it did its duty and made it to port. Harry looked around at the city before him. The port was as busy as he imagined. Being a city built on trade, he wasn't surprised to see people and ships coming and going at a constant pace. Harry couldn't see the city properly because of the high stone walls blocking his view, though he could see the square-shaped, stone towers rising above it. Once docked, Harry said a quick goodbye to the captain and made his way through the nearest gate.

His eyes feasted on everything that there was to see. The people of the city seemed like a happy bunch as they laughed and chatted. They carried their wares around attempting to do business at every opportunity. They spoke in what he knew was a bastardized form of Old Valyrian. It didn't bother him any. He could speak and understand any language on the planet.

"Excuse me, sir! May I interest you in a snack after your long journey?" came a voice from behind. Harry turned and spotted a man with a long beard that was painted blue holding a tray with some kind of food on it.

"What are they?" Harry asked, curious about the local cuisine.

"They are dried goat's meat, spiced and mixed with white cheese. It is rolled up in a soft, flat-bread," he told him, holding his tray up for him to see. Harry nodded.

"I'll take one," Harry replied, handing him a silver Stag. Harry received change then asked the man where he could find a quality room to rent.

"Down this road a ways, there is a large building with a blue painted door. Across from that, there is an Inn with moderate to expensive rooms," he told him before scampering off to look for more customers. Harry bit into his food. He immediately wished that he hadn't. He spat it out and tossed it aside. Harry squared his shoulders and went in the direction that he was instructed. Sure enough, he found the Inn that he was talking about. 'At least he's good for something,' Harry thought as he entered the small, lavish building. A clean, well-kept man wearing silks of light green and yellow met Harry at the entrance.

"A very good afternoon to you, my friend! May I help you?" he asked, leading Harry inside. Harry looked around. The place was nice enough with its Myrrish rugs and fine tapestries.

"I would like a room, please. The finest one that you have available. I'll need it for a week," Harry told him, pulling out his overstuffed money sack. Seeing that he could clearly pay, the man happily helped him.

"Of course!" he exclaimed happily. They had a little back and forth before Harry shelled out five gold Dragons. That was very expensive for a room, but Harry was paying for the safety. No one in their right mind would try to rob anyone here. It didn't matter much for Harry, but that was why the prices were so high. The wealthy Magisters kept this part of the city relatively crime-free. They didn't want anyone messing with their ability to trade. Being robbed while visiting the city would certainly turn people against them. It only made sense to keep the area clean and safe. Harry guessed that Inns further away from the area were dirtier and more dangerous. He was pulled from his thoughts by the man telling him that his room was ready. A lovely girl was to escort him. Another perk of paying so much. He received his own personal high-class whore. She was his domestic "servant" to use while staying here, but Harry knew the score. Inns in this part of the city needed to have a leg up if they wanted to do better than their competitors. What better way than to have a beautiful woman waiting in your bed. In Harry's opinion, it was a very smart business move. If Harry ever came back to the city, he would likely stay here again, so obviously the innkeeper's plan worked. They went up the elegantly carved stairs, and she ushered Harry into his room. Locking the door behind her, she turned to him and dropped her silk dress.

"Will you be having any need for me?" she asked, smirking as she stood there completely nude. After several weeks of celibacy, he certainly did. Hungrily, he dropped his bag and pulled her into his arms.

The Dread Lord of Essos

As it was already getting late when he first arrived in the city, Harry decided to call it a night after spending some time quenching certain urges with the beautiful, young girl. He woke up the next morning with a yawn and was about to stretch when he felt a weight on his chest. Seeing a shock of brown hair, he remembered that the girl was still there. His hand slid down her bare back, and he reveled in the feeling of her incredibly soft and smooth skin. His hand drifted over her bottom, and he gave it a soft squeeze, earning a cute groan from the sleeping girl. He really needed to get her name. Gently, he rolled her off of him so he could use the private privy that was connected to the room. The one thing that he hated most about this world was the god-awful plumbing. Any place that he owned or ruled would have decent plumbing, he promised himself. Once he relieved himself, he came back into the room. Looking at the worn-out girl, he smirked to himself. After weeks of not getting laid due to traveling, Harry gave her all that he had. The poor girl suffered through orgasm after orgasm as he took his pleasure from her nubile, young body. He chuckled to himself. He would make sure to give her a really good tip when he left. In the meantime, Harry put a temporary loyalty charm on her. It wouldn't do to be robbed by her or an associate of hers while here. The charm would wear off a few days after he left the city. Until then, he wouldn't have to worry about it. Harry decided to let her sleep. She had earned it after all.

Cleaning himself with a meer thought, he snatched up his expanded bag and disappeared. He reappeared thousands of miles away, hundreds of feet up in the air. Looking down, Harry could see a wide beach of yellow sand that stretched out past the horizon in each direction. Beyond the sandy beach was what appeared to be a vast rainforest that had no end in sight. This was a place that Harry had staked out before even leaving Casterly Rock. He was floating above the dark continent of Sothoryos.

Sothoryos was a continent of unknown size that resided south of the Basilisk Isles. The people of this world knew very little about the continent. Only the northernmost part was explored, and even that exploration was sparse due to the thick forests and dangerous animals and diseases. Legend has it that a Valyrian dragonlord flew her dragon south over Sothoryos for three years before turning back, never finding the end. What information that Harry could find on the place were few and far between. From what he could find, the continent was sparsely populated with near-human beings called the Sothori, or the Brindled men, named after the patterns on their skin. They were said to be big-boned and well-muscled with long arms. Their foreheads are slopped and they have large, square teeth. To Harry, it sounded like they were similar to cavemen from Earth's past. Rumors were that there was another group of intelligent beings that dwelled deeper in the jungles that were vicious cannibals.

There was more information about the wildlife that he could find. The most dangerous beast there were the Wyverns. Those things were similar to small dragons that couldn't breathe fire. Then there were the Basilisks, Vampire bats, Crocodiles, and carnivorous fish that would strip the flesh from a man's bones. There were said to be apes larger than giants that could kill an elephant with one blow. Further south was a place called the Green Hell, which was where Harry currently was. Here there were snakes that were fifty feet long, Velociraptors, and spotted Acromantula that would eat a human alive. Basically, this place was a holiday destination.

The insects weren't any better with some that would burrow underneath the skin to lay their eggs and drive a man mad. If the animals didn't kill you, the diseases would. Blood boils, green fever, dancing plague, sweetrot, bronze pate, the Red Death, greyscale, brownleg, wormbone, sailor's bane, pus-eye, and yellowgum were just some of the things that you had to look forward to. All in all, Sothoryos wasn't a place that many people wanted to visit. That's exactly why Harry was here. He had discovered during his short exploration of the area that the dominant tree that grew in the Green Hell produced a very good wood. It was very dark, almost black, and was incredibly hard. Even harder than English oak or hickory back in his world. That made it very good for crafting ships. Ships were something that he needed. The area was a vast rainforest of never-ending trees that could be cut down and turned into ships or sold as lumber. Once the land was stripped, he could plant crops that he could sell to the many kingdoms of east Essos.

Of course, he wouldn't be doing the work himself, at least in a sense. No, he had a plan for that. Harry was going to use his Lower Powers to create a workforce. They weren't actually living beings, but more like animated sacks of flesh that Harry controlled with his mind. Being an Immortal, Harry's mind worked much better than a human's. He could easily control thousands or even millions of minions without any problems. He dropped down and landed on the soft, warm sand. Harry clenched his fists and concentrated. He thought about exactly what he wanted. He could feel the power within him churning, turning his thoughts into reality. Slowly, he felt power draining him. It wasn't enough to harm him, but the fact that he felt a drain at all told him a lot. He opened his eyes and saw at least ten thousand human men that looked somewhat similar stretched out across the beach. They were unassuming looking with brown hair and fair skin. Harry nodded his head.

This workforce would take care of the work here on Sothoryos. As meat puppets, they could work all day and night, never had to eat, and could even use magic. Harry controlled everything about them, and any magic that they used was pulled directly from him. He wouldn't use them as an army or anything like that. That was cheating too much in his opinion, but as a simple workforce, he thought that it was fine. The best part was that the animals and insects of this continent couldn't hurt them, nor could the diseases. The heat and humidity wouldn't affect them either. A normal human wouldn't last more than a few days in this place. There were simply too many resources here to leave it alone. He also had plans for the far North of Westeros, but one step at a time. Harry waved his hand and thousands of different magically enhanced tools appeared that would make their jobs easier. Since he could control them and even see through their eyes, there was no need to stay here. Harry Faded back to his room in the Inn. He smiled seeing the girl wake up by yawning cutely and stretching, causing her breasts to move in wonderful ways. Undressing, Harry knew how he was going to spend his morning.

Around mid-day, Harry made himself known in the merchant city. He left his bed partner to do whatever it was that she did and was determined to explore this new city to its fullest. As he first stepped outside, his heart began beating wildly, and he was nearly overcome with a sense of wonderment and joy. Finally, he was free to go on the adventure that he had been planning for so long. He could go anywhere and do anything. Right now, he wasn't too keen on visiting large cities or Kingdoms. No, he wanted to visit the less explored places of this savage world. Since he was already here, he figured that he may as well take the time to see what Pentos had to offer. From looking around, the Pentosi had a lot to offer. Wares of every kind were being sold here! Like a young boy, Harry excitedly ran toward the first blacksmith shop that he saw.

"This is a beautiful sword," Harry whistled, complimenting the owner on the craftsmanship. It wasn't as nice as the sword that Harry had, but it was still a fine piece of metal. Harry didn't stay long, he just chatted for a bit before moving on.

As he walked the streets he could see men selling fancy rugs from Myr, spices from Yi-Ti, glassware from Lys, and even women selling their bodies. Anything that he wanted, he could probably find here. In this part of the city, the lanes were wide to accommodate the street merchants, but the streets in other parts of the city were most likely much thinner. True enough, as Harry ventured further in, the houses and buildings were packed closer and the streets were much skinnier. Harry marveled at the sight of many walled-off compounds that the locals called Manses. These were mansions that were heavily guarded, sometimes by the Unsullied, and were owned and vacated by the wealthy elite of the city. He'd heard people chatting about a man named Illyrio Mopatis, who was a cheesemonger that rose up and became the most wealthy of all the Pentosi merchants. Harry snorted at the word cheesemonger. He found it funny. In truth, it was a derogatory term for a merchant of the city. The city dealt heavily in cheese, so it was no surprise that the term had come about.

The one other building that he visited just happened to be one of the largest in the city. It was the Temple of R'hllor. The building was massive and made from brick that had a slightly red sheen to it. Harry didn't know much about the religions of this world. The one that he knew best was the Faith of the Seven, as that was mostly practiced in the Seven Kingdoms. Personally, he didn't care one lick about religion. Whatever people wanted to believe in was fine with him, as long as they left him out of it. As he crossed the threshold, two men with tattoos of fire emblazoned on their cheeks opened the large, wooden double-doors for him. Nodding, Harry entered the large temple. Immediately he was hit with a wall of dry heat. He could see why. Fires burned from many different spots around the large, ornately decorated room. Red Priests and Priestesses came and went, conducting business or simply praying to their fire god. Harry spotted a brazier in the middle of the room. It was much more ornate than the rest. All were crafted from a black metal of some kind. Perhaps it had turned black from all of the soot, he couldn't tell. The lower portion looked like a wok from his world, but the upper part was where it got fancy. On each side, bursting up was a phoenix with its fiery wings spread out, all shaped to be a circle. Inside the metal bowl, embers were dying out. He leaned over to get a better look. Instantly his mind was hit with images. He blinked at the audacity of this fire god. Sure, he could make the images stop, but he was intrigued by what he was shown. The Great Other, an ice demon from ages past sitting and waiting, slowly gaining power. Unbeknownst to him, the brazier exploded in a fiery blaze, bathing the area in glorious light.

Harry was pulled from his visions by excited chattering. He noticed everyone surrounding him and looking at him with reverence. Hands reached out to touch any expanse of bare skin that they could. Harry rolled his eyes. He had forgotten how simple it was to amaze the mundane. He put that out of his mind, not caring if anyone wanted to touch him. He was too busy thinking about what he had seen. This Other being was problematic. Not for him of course, but for the world in general. This was his vacation spot! He couldn't have this thing coming in and ruining it. Harry would wait and watch. Perhaps he wouldn't need to act on it, but maybe he would. He would prepare nonetheless.

The Dread Lord of Essos

A slim, gorgeous woman with flaming red hair and a sensually tight, silk red dress was walking down the street, her arms filled with her purchases. Ingredients that the Temple needed were getting harder to come by. Already in the past few years, the prices for such things had nearly doubled. Passersby could not see her face frown, as it was covered in a mask of lacquered wood. Such was the fashion in this particular area. Here, one never showed their face if it could be avoided. Her pale body shivered in the evening chill. Oh, how she disliked the cold, but she took heart in the fact that she would soon be back in the loving warmth of R'hllor.

What few people there were, passed by quickly, never stopping to talk or dilly-dally. The ever-present darkness was oppressive and could chill you to the bone. She sneered at the sight of the buildings made of oily black stone, which seemed to suck up any light that was lucky enough to make it down the valley. The stone was an affront to her God and an abomination to mankind. If it were up to her, it would all be destroyed. She continued the rest of her journey by keeping her eyes straight ahead and avoiding eye contact with the other practitioners of dark magic. Under the grace of R'hllor, she made it back to the temple safely. Upon entering, she immediately knew that strange things were afoot. A large crowd of Priests and Priestesses were gathered around the main fire pit in the center of their Red Temple. Loud, excited chattering could be heard as bright flames danced merrily ten feet above their heads. She gasped loudly and dropped her purchases, running over to the fire. A poor slave boy gathered her dropped supplies and placed them on a nearby table. As she approached the flames of R'hllor, she pulled the lacquered mask from her face, not wanting anything to block her Lord's radiance. As she looked into the flames, she received blessed visions from the Red God.

A man … young, but appearing to be a little older. Shoulder length hair as black as midnight. Eyes of emerald green that sparkled in the Light of R'hllor. She studied every inch of him. He was tall for his age and had a body that was better than most adult men. His face was very handsome, and he had a beautiful smile full of straight, white teeth. As a woman, she found those traits appealing, but as a Priestess of R'hllor, those things meant very little to her. All that she cared about was pleasing her God. No, what really caught her attention was the feelings she received while gazing upon him. He was important. How important? She couldn't say. Only R'hllor knew, and she would simply have to have faith that he would guide her in the right direction. If it was one thing that she had, it was faith. She wouldn't be in this godforsaken land if she didn't have it in spades. Her vision ended, and she was immediately pulled aside.

"Kinvara!" she gasped. "I saw a man … "

"Yes, we all did," Kinvara interrupted. "It is now your duty to the Lord of Light to find him. You must find him and protect him. You must love him as the Lord does, for he is the Chosen One," the seemingly beautiful Red Priestess told her.

"Azor Ahai!" she gasped excitedly.

"Perhaps … or perhaps not," Kinvara said with a look of concentration on her face. "Only R'hllor knows. It is not our duty to question him, but only to follow his will. Find him you will, and serve him faithfully."

"I did not see a location," she quickly added, already planning her journey.

"Through the flames, I recognized his location. Pentos. For how long he will be there, I do not know. Listen to our Lord and follow his guidance," the beautiful Priestess told her. "I must make my way back to Volantis. Times will soon change, and we must be prepared."

She nodded quickly and took one last look at the dying flame before turning to go collect her possessions.

"Melisandre," Kinvara called out. She stopped and turned to her.

"The night is dark and full of terrors," she chanted.

Melisandre smiled, "Lord, cast your light upon us." Kinvara smiled back and took her leave. Melisandre quickly scampered to her room to collect her things. She had a journey to make.