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Nihilus Filius Et Sacerdos Chapter 10: Albaz II
🕑 Added 2025-01-09 21:45:12 +0000 UTCThe Dawn at Driftmark is regarded as one of the most memorable acts of magic during the Dance of Dragons. While some histories mark the start of the Dance with the death of King Viserys the First, we shall use the accounts of Archmaester Monterys, from his personal journals and in his tome Dragons, Blood and Magic, who marks the birth of the king’s son Aegon as the start of House Targaryen’s fracture, whose measurements have since been used by other historians and scholars.
In the 4th month of the 119th year since the Conquest, the isle of Driftmark beheld as one a light so scintillating it obscured the moon and stars. Maesters record that the light could even be seen from neighboring Dragonstone, such was its vividness. Shining from the shores near High Tide where the dragons of House Velaryon were said to roost, widespread panic was reported among the villages of the island and Spicetown. Many feared the dragons had gone rampant, and were on their way to burn the island to the last man. Were it not for the steadfastness of the Velaryon guards, riots would have broken out and caused great damage.
Yet just as quickly as the Dawn appeared, night returned once more, the light leaving no trace of its existence. Speculation ran wild in the streets and taverns of Driftmark, claiming that the gods had descended upon the earth to bless the King, who was welcomed to High Tide earlier in the day. Merchants of Essos spoke of Valyrian magic and foul rituals, and septons claimed the wrath of the Father. A minority spoke accusations against the Sea Snake’s foreign guests, having beheld them in Spicetown not days before.
In a rather peculiar twist, it would be that minority that would be proven half-right. A declaration came from House Velaryon by town criers, proclaiming the health and safety of their liege-lord, the king and their respective families. When anxious crowds asked why this sudden phenomenon occurred, they replied that an accident involving the dragons and their fire had occurred.
While no doubt Lord Corlys desired to maintain a measure of peace in his domain with this proclamation, whispers came from High Tide soon after, with tall tales of what truly brought the Dawn of Driftmark. Fortunately, Maester Monterys provides us a more accurate telling of the events in his journals, in which the minority of the rumor-mongers were proven half-right…
-On the Higher Mysteries and Their Shaping of the World, by Archmaester Marwyn
Albaz pushed white strands away from his eyes as he rubbed his head. He felt himself lean forward until a firm yet gentle hand pressed on his chest.
“Are you sure you’re fine? I can ask Laena to get more water.”
The dragon boy turned to Ecclesia, who stared at him with green eyes filled with worry. They both sat on a bench and she held his hand tightly. Her horned headdress was lying by her side next to a small bucket of water. Her dress was covered with sand and soot, but she had made no effort to clean it since they were rushed back to the castle.
He gave her a weak smile and squeezed her hand. “I’m fine. I just…didn’t expect that to happen.”
“Albaz, I don’t think anyone expected a dragon to attack you out of the blue like that,” she remarked, trying to reassure him. “Everyone looked as shocked as you.”
He couldn’t deny that, but those looks of shock never left even as they returned to the castle. “I think we’re in trouble.”
Ecclesia bit her lip, then shook her head. “I don’t know what happened, but that dragon attacked you first.” Her hand clenched around his. “I won’t let them hurt you for that, not after you almost…”
She trailed off and her eyes began to mist over.
“I-I’m fine though!” he stammered out. “I think that dragon needed more help than me.”
Giggling at his attempt at a joke, Ecclesia’s smile dimmed as she leaned closer and embraced him with one arm, the other still wrapped around his hand and whispered in his ear, though it came out more like a choked hiss. “Don’t you ever make me worry like that again.”
“...I’m sorry.”
He leaned against her and hugged her back, nestling his chin in her golden hair. Seeing his best and at times only friend so concerned about him made his guts twist up something fierce. Since they’d set out together, all she’d done was look out for him, even when he seemed to mess everything up. First her homeland, then his rampage against the Sand Serpent, and now this.
There were times he wondered why she stuck around.
“No - Albaz, I’m not blaming you!” she said, pulling herself back and adopting a firm expression as she looked into his eyes. “What happened wasn’t your fault, and don’t you ever think that!” Taking a deep breath, his friend continued. “It’s just that we both seem to have…interesting luck.”
“I thought luck was supposed to be a good thing?”
“Well, it depends,” Ecclesia replied, tapping her chin with a dainty finger. “Sometimes bad things lead to good things, even if it doesn’t seem like that. Remember how we met Kitt?”
Albaz cracked a smile, the image of pink hair, fluffy ears and goggles clear in his mind. “How could I forget? We were walking through the Golgonda when suddenly something attacked and dragged us up to a ship.”
“I thought we were going to have to fight our way out again!” she giggled. “All the Springans yelling and questioning why we were there, then Kitt saw Mercourier flying around my head and stopped them!”
“Yeah, meeting Kitt was good luck.” Without a doubt it was; she’d become his other best friend, even if she called him ‘little bro’. He was taller than her!
Faint clamoring drew their attention to the massive doors of the great hall, sealed and flanked by two guards. After they were rushed back into the castle, Laena asked them to stay outside for a moment while they spoke to their king. The other visitors sealed themselves off inside the hall, and neither Laena nor anyone else had exited that room since.
Albaz glanced at the servants that stood next to the walls, noticing how their gazes flickered to himself and Ecclesia and their shaking hands. They had brought the water bucket per Laena’s request and she had told them to ask the maids for anything they might need until the king summoned them. For some reason, the white-haired boy twitched when he heard that word. They didn’t even know this king beyond today.
But Laena and her father were very kind to them, and they appeared to greatly respect this king. So for now, he accepted.
Ecclesia picked up the bucket and placed it between them. Gently guiding his hand to the lukewarm water, Albaz let her wash it, rubbing her fingers over his hand. There wasn’t any soap like back on the Springans’ ship, but he found that he didn’t care. It was the most relaxed he’d felt in the past couple of days. Since the announcement came, the castle had entered a huge rush to prepare for the king’s arrival. He’d seen people clean and dust everywhere, move furniture, polish vases and statues, and the smell from the kitchens never ended. Even Laena had little time to see them, insisting they don’t stray beyond the training yard. It was only this afternoon when Corlys and his daughter spoke to them in full and told them what would happen and how they would be introduced to the king. Laena had assured them that as long as they were polite and followed their lead, the king would gladly welcome their company.
Of all the events that happened today, he didn’t think they expected all of…this…to happen.
His dear friend gathered some water in her palms and rubbed his cheeks with the cool liquid. Her eyes focused intently at some spots on his face and rubbed her finger against them. A few seconds later, she pulled back and smiled. “That’s better now, isn’t it? There was a lot of ash on your face.”
“Really?” he asked and craned his head over the bucket. The torchlight wasn’t very bright and the water rippled, but Albaz didn’t see any dark spots in his reflection.
He felt a slight grimace come to him as he kept staring into the bucket. Truth be told, his reflection scared him. White hair, a lone red eye, pointed ears. Who was that face on the water’s surface? To whom did it belong to, truly? The Tri-Brigade’s faces were much nicer than his. The first time he saw his reflection was again, back on the ship, when staring at a polished steel plate meant to patch up the ship. He’d stared at it for a good while before Kitt dragged him off to continue her tinkering lessons. Even now, he had to remind himself that it was his face. Not that of a monster.
A monster who almost killed the only companion he ever knew.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
A soft yet firm push forced his lone eye to meet her twin blue ones. He made her worried again. No, he couldn’t do that, at least not now.
“Just thinking about our friends, it’s nothing,” he replied and put on a comforting smile, though Ecclesia didn’t seem convinced. She opened her mouth to speak when the loud creak of the doors drew their attention and out stepped Corlys and Laena.
“I apologize for neglecting you, my guests,” said Corlys, his voice as smooth as the day they met. “There are matters that cannot be ignored.”
Albaz felt heat rush to his cheeks and almost looked down, but Ecclesia’s hold on his hand weakened the urge. “Are we in trouble?”
Laena smiled and stepped closer. “You have nothing to fear. His Grace and his family are merely…concerned by what happened and are understandably curious. The king has many questions for you both.”
The older woman tried to sound comforting, but judging how Ecclesia was looking at her, it didn’t seem to work. “What about your husband? His dragon was the one that attacked Albaz.”
“Caraxes is a…” Laena paused and chewed her lip. “Temperamental dragon. Daemon is understandably upset, but I got him to recognize that Caraxes attacked first. You gave us quite a scare, Albaz.”
“I daresay that no one other than Lady Ecclesia kept their composure,” added Corlys with some humor. “Though I must say, I too am curious by your…change.” He leaned in and there was an eager glint in his eye. “The dragon you changed into was different from the one on Valyria. How is that possible?”
Titaniklad.
Albaz didn’t know how he knew the name, just as he didn’t know why he knew Albion. They became seared into his memory the moment he transformed.
“I don’t know. I just…can.”
He didn’t think he gave a good answer, but Corlys didn’t seem deterred at all; if anything he looked more eager than before. Fortunately, Laena raised a placating hand in front of her father.
“We will have plenty of time to discuss that later,” she said. “But for now I must ask you not to reveal you can…turn…into more than one dragon. The king and his family might grow nervous.”
Ecclesia didn’t take that kindly. “But you said-”
“I spoke the truth,” Laena swiftly replied. “His Grace is a great admirer of dragons and is more curious than upset, but I fear for both your sakes. It is better he grows accustomed to you and your…gifts than reveal them all at once.”
“Yes, that would be well-advised,” Corlys said and turned to the door. “It’s best we don’t tarry. The king is expecting you.”
Albaz felt the twitch from before return, but he forced his irritation down. He looked at his friend, and after seeing the steel in her eyes, they both rose. Laena did the same, but what Ecclesia said next stopped her in her tracks.
“I want my hammer.”
The two Velaryons froze at her words and their smiles slowly dimmed. It was then Corlys who bit his lip and spoke. “Lady Ecclesia…I understand you are nervous for your companion’s sake, but trust my word as your host when I say the king merely wishes to ask you some questions. There is no need to arm yourself.”
“Maybe, but what about those knights that follow him?”
“The Kingsguard are bound by xenia as much as any guest in High Tide,” replied Laena. “This is not the sparring yard; they may be sworn to obey the king, but if they attack you, we will defend. Daemon has promised me as such.”
Daemon? Help them? Albaz frowned at the thought. Daemon didn’t strike him as the helpful type, especially after Ecclesia beat him. He also didn’t like the way he sneered at her during the dinner.
“I still want my hammer.”
“Lady Ecclesia, please -”
The glow emanating from her fists silenced them, leaving them frozen. From the corner of his eye, Albaz spotted the guards reaching for their swords.
“I trust you, Lady Laena and Lord Corlys. You’ve been nothing but kind to us since we came here,” she said, her posture unwavering. “But I don’t trust them. I know that people here are scared of us, but I won’t weaken myself to placate you. When people are scared, they do stupid things. I won’t let them hurt me or Albaz.”
Albaz stepped closer to her and held her hand. “Same here.”
Laena grew increasingly nervous, shifting her gaze between them and Ecclesia’s glowing hand. The guards were one step away from attacking them and Abaz braced himself.
“Daughter,” Corlys finally spoke with a measured tone. “Would you accompany Ecclesia to her room so she may retrieve her hammer? I fear none of our guards will touch it.”
Laena looked at her father with a shocked expression. “Father, this is not-”
“Lady Ecclesia makes a very strong point,” he interjected. “Even without his position as Hand, Ser Otto whispers in the king’s ear and our esteemed Lord Commander is the queen’s creature. There will be heated words, but they could descend into something much worse. If our guest wishes for a measure of protection to ease her mind, then I am willing to grant it. Her room is not far from here, so I can delay the king for a short while, but be quick.”
Ecclesia nodded with satisfaction and the light faded from her arms. She looked to Laena who, while looking unsure, eventually composed herself and hurried down the corridor with Ecclesia at her side. Corlys raised a hand and the guards calmed down, returning to their previous positions. Waving at the maids to leave, they bowed deeply and ran.
After he called a guard and whispered into his ear, he returned to stand by Albaz’s side, his hands clasped behind his back.
“Your…friend…is quite protective of you, Master Albaz.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“A maiden saving the man is a rare case, even in the songs,” he joked and eyed Albaz with the same curious glint he’d seen in him every time they met. “Laena has told me she saved your life, correct?”
“She did more than that,” Albaz replied, staring into the corridor. “She stayed with me even when she shouldn’t have. She taught me so much about the world.”
She was everything to him. Even his name had come from her.
Ecclesia told him what Daemon had said after he laughed at her for challenging him, about how a woman shouldn’t be the one to save a man. He thought it was stupid and she agreed; her sister could, as Kitt would say, ‘whoop the sorry butts’ of everyone in this castle, even the dragons. He wanted not to feel useless - that’s why he asked her to train him - but he didn’t care she was saving him.
There wasn’t anyone alive he trusted more.
“My heart feels for you. I hold the same regard for my dear wife.” He stared at an ornate blue-and-green statue in the corner of the room. “Once a man travels beyond his home, what he believes to be true no longer holds. I have sailed to the furthest reaches of our maps, visited cities both wondrous and terrible, and met all manner of people and cultures. I thought I knew everything about the world.” He sighed wistfully. “But Rhaenys showed me just how narrow my knowledge was, during the day we wed and I rode on Meleys with her. The world I had spent my life scouring became so small, and in that moment I felt my voyages shrunk to the level of a morning stroll. Yet I only thanked her for enlightening me with that knowledge, and I do so every day I wake beside her.”
Albaz couldn’t help the small smile that grew at hearing his words. “Laena’s also great. She’s helped us out so much and she doesn’t look at us weird.”
“I am sure she will be delighted to hear that. I raised both my children as my father raised me. Westeros doesn’t have a fondness for foreigners I’m afraid, but Laena knows as well as me that we are not the center of the world and that it has much to offer us. To refuse its bounty on the basis that it is unfamiliar is for fools and lesser men.”
So people here didn’t like foreigners? That could be bad. Ecclesia told him Dogmatika hated everything that wasn’t Dogmatika, and it ended up with her being exiled. He didn’t think the people here were that extreme, but…
Corlys must have seen him grumble because he chuckled and raised his hand calmly. “Yes, that is a common reaction to this unfortunate mindset. My family and Driftmark welcome all who come as friends, no matter their place of birth. Our people just need to get used to you, and they will greet you with open arms.”
A part of Albaz remained doubtful at his words, but for now, he simply nodded.
Footsteps echoed down the hall and he saw Ecclesia speedwalking toward them and lugging her dragon-skull hammer on her shoulder. A few seconds later, Laena came running while clutching the hems of her dress. Corlys stepped back and eyed the hammer warily, and Albaz spotted the guards clutching their weapons again.
His friend looked at Corlys and with a stern face, she flipped the hammer upside-down and placed it on the floor. Albaz saw Rocky’s eye flash from inside the skull’s eye with surprise, but he managed to mute any whirring or screeching.
At Corlys’ raised eyebrow, Laena spoke up, albeit panting. “I convinced her to leave the hammer outside. Will that be fine?”
“A wise decision,” the silver-haired man replied after a moment. “Shall we then?”
Albaz and Ecclesia exchanged looks and nodded. With that agreement and a command from Corlys, the guards opened the door, and inside they went.
The mood inside the great hall was far tenser than it was during the feast. The tables had been pushed to the side, and upon the big wooden throne - the Driftwood Throne, Albaz reminded himself - sat the king. His eyes lit up when he saw them enter, though the knights at his side reacted like the guards outside, especially the black-haired one. The queen’s face bore no trace of emotion, but he could hear her breath hitch the instant she spotted them behind Corlys’ back. Her children stood below her, surrounded by guards, and at the king’s right stood his…daughter? Yes, Laena said she was his daughter. Her husband, a male version of Laena, stood next to his children and Laena’s children, with a large knight at their side. Rhaneys dipped her head to her husband from her position next to Laena’s brother. Finally, the old man who was with the queen stood at her side and the maester and translator were in the corner.
Everyone except the king was staring at them with open fear. The nasty feeling in his gut intensified as the Velaryons bowed to the king and both Laena and the translator went to their side.
“I shall translate the king’s words for you while goodman Maqarro will do the same for your words,” she whispered. The foreign man caught on to her words and nodded curtly, despite his eager expression. He was an excitable man, and while he always hovered around him and Ecclesia during their lessons, he’d stuck to speaking with the maester more often than not.
Then, with trepidation and excitement, audible even though Albaz understood little of his words, the king spoke and Laena translated.
“The king is aware you are guests of House Velaryon, but this event is impossible to ignore. He would have an explanation from you.”
Ecclesia stepped forward, her eyes never leaving the king. “There isn’t much to explain, King Viserys. That dragon attacked Albaz, and he defended himself.”
Daemon bristled once Maqarro finished translating and sneered, but Laena shot him a look and his grimace settled into something more neutral. ‘Great, there’s trouble already.’
“Yes… defended himself by turning into a dragon. A fact about Master Albaz that Lord Velaryon neglected to mention to us,” he replied while eyeing Corlys. “He was about to explain why.”
“I would never dream of hiding such a thing from you, Your Grace,” the lord replied. “I simply endeavoured to find the correct time to inform you of this…without sounding utterly mad.”
The old man - Otto, if Albaz recalled - sneered at Lord Corlys and spoke bitingly. Corlys responded with both a level gaze and tone. Clenching his robes, Otto was about to retort when Viserys cut him off. The king’s eyes flickered back to Albaz and the corners of his lips turned upward.
“His Grace supposes that would be a good reason. Knowing what we know now, he understands Lord Corlys’ reasoning. How did you two meet?”
Albaz winced at the question, and he saw Ecclesia’s forehead crease, marring the cross-shaped mark that used to be her blessing.
“I found Albaz…wounded near my home,” she said sadly. “My sister struck him down when he flew over our city, and when I went after him, I didn’t see a dragon, but a boy. I didn’t want to kill him.” His friend took a deep breath. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and grab her hand, to tell her she wasn’t to blame.
“My people didn’t like that and…we’ve been running ever since.”
Laena’s daughters gasped and stared at them with covered mouths. Her brother held his sons by the shoulders since it looked like they were about to rush them. Daemon was clearly intrigued, and even the queen’s gaze softened, if only for a fleeting instant.
“His Grace is sorry for your loss, Lady Ecclesia. He is sure it must have taken great sacrifice on your behalf to carry out such a task.”
The queen then exchanged words with her husband, her voice urgent as she sent not-so-discreet looks at both Ecclesia and himself. Ser Otto also chimed in and waved an almost dismissive hand at them.
“Her Grace and Ser Otto have…reservations about your tale,” Laena said with a frown. Albaz had a suspicion far more was said than that. Thankfully, the king cut them off with a remark that returned them to their previous postures, albeit with sourer faces.
King Viserys finally turned to Albaz fully, the eagerness in his eyes practically glowing. “He has never heard of such magic, even in all his books and scrolls about Valyria. Magic is a murky art, and these days it is far subtler compared to what you showed. To tame dragons is one thing, but to become one…is such magic common in your land of Dogmatika?”
Albaz took a moment to think about the answer before replying, recalling what Ecclesia had told him not long after they had set into the desert, about how some priests had magic that let them shapeshift into regular animals. But dragons? “No, I’ve never heard of anyone that can do what I do.”
Laena seemed pained when he finished the sentence even as Maqarro translated. Did he say something wrong?
King Viserys mumbled a word under his breath then returned his gaze full force. “How does it work? We saw Caraxes bathe you in his fire. Do you require a sacrifice or blood to change?”
“Blood?” Albaz asked, blanching. “N-no, I just…do it.”
He knew it wasn’t a good explanation. Hell, even Ecclesia looked puzzled. But how was he to explain it? The fire raging in his heart and hands, the one that sprang to life when that dragon’s flames touched him?
While Viserys did look a bit down from his words, he nonetheless perked up and was halfway through asking something when the old man spoke, his voice low and pointed. The queen also spoke in the same tone and kept casting them frightful looks.
“Queen Alicent and her father Ser Otto ask what are your intentions here,” Laena said.
Albaz tilted his head. “You mean why we’re in Driftmark? Your father invited us and we didn’t want to stay in that Valyria place anymore.”
“Yes, but I believe the queen meant what you intend to do in Westeros.”
What did they intend to do here?
He met Ecclesia’s eyes, and she sported the same uncertainty as he did. They never intended to come here. It was only thanks to that sudden hole that they were sent tumbling through the Abyss and hurtling into that wasteland. Dogmatika or any of the neighboring lands Ecclesia told him about weren’t on any of the maps they had seen.
When looking at it that way, the answer was obvious.
“We were on our way somewhere important when we ended up in Valyria. We have to find a way back there.”
“Where?”
Should he tell? Would they even know of it?
“My sister called it Swordsoul Peak,” said Ecclesia. “She sent us there to find people who would help us.”
Maqarro started to translate and then paused, his brows furrowing. “What do you say it was called? Swordsoul Peak? Is it a mountain?”
“That’s what my sister said.”
Maqarro hummed before resuming his translation. The king leaned back with a hand on his chin.
“His Grace has never heard of a Sword Soul Mountain,” Laena translated and looked to her father who shook his head. “Neither has Lord Corlys. How did you plan to venture there?”
“We were leaving Gol - a great desert and were flying over mountains,” replied Ecclesia, correcting herself midway. The eyes of everyone in the room landed on Albaz again once she finished the sentence. “A storm was brewing over us so we looked for shelter. We were about to find one when a Hole opened up in front of us and drew us in. Next thing we knew, we were in that ruined city.”
The king blinked and Albaz saw both Corlys and Daemon raise an eyebrow. Otto and the queen’s faces grew more incredulous than before.
“What do you mean by a ‘hole’?”
Ecclesia paused momentarily before her eyes widened. The dragon boy quickly caught on. Did they not tell them about the Holes? No, they kept that fact hidden…but they didn’t have much of a choice now. They haven’t found Dogmatika, Golgonda or the Land of Iron on any of Corlys’ maps. Both Ecclesia and Kitt told him no one knew exactly where the Holes led to and from where the treasures and monsters they spewed came from. Chances are…
…their friends are farther away than they had thought.
“A Hole is like a…magic door. It lets things travel from one place to another in an instant.”
Otto scoffed, the disbelief clear on his face, even as the king’s eyes widened, his expression mirrored by the rest of the room. Corlys and Laena were the same, although much more composed. Corlys spoke to Otto with a similar accusatory tone, to which Otto politely replied. From the tightening of Corlys’ face at the mention of his name, it was no compliment. The two children turned to Laena for answers, but she turned her head with nary a word. What was going on?
Then Rhaenyra, the king’s daughter, spoke with a narrow face. Not at him though, but at Corlys, to which he bowed and quickly responded.
“Princess Rhaenyra is further concerned that as heir to the Iron Throne, she wasn’t informed of this beforehand when she arrived, and that she could not properly greet you. Father is using the same reasoning he gave to the king, so he wouldn’t appear to be a madman.”
Rhaenyra didn’t appear satisfied with that remark, but she pursed her lips and directly addressed Albaz.
“So you wish to find another…magic door…that will take you to this mountain? Or some other way?”
“Yes,” said Ecclesia. “Lord Corlys is helping us look through maps to see if we can find anything.” To no avail, but Albaz kept silent.
Corlys perked up at the compliment and began speaking quickly to the king. “Father says that he wouldn’t leave his honored guests in such a plight and that he has asked his sailors to bring him more maps and books that might help.” Laena’s expression quickly softened as she kept translating. “He will also send missives asking for any known source of magic, to the very shores of Yi-Ti if necessary.”
The priestess and dragon were startled by Corlys’s declaration. Even the king seemed impressed, though his wife and her father kept giving Corlys the stink eye. Rhaenys’s lips turned upward, evidently amused by her husband’s proclamation.
“Is Lady Ecclesia knowledgeable in magic as well?”
“A little,” she replied after some hesitation. “I wasn’t the best spellcaster back home, but I know enough.”
“Would you care to demonstrate?”
Ecclesia looked pained by that question and Albaz couldn’t help but scowl. Nonetheless, she opened her palm and the faint glow from before came to life, burning for a few seconds before she snuffed it out.
Murmurs filled the hall and the queen’s children blanched. A faint gleam slowly entered Otto’s eye that made Albaz almost growl. The green-robed man then cleared his throat and turned to the king. After the king nodded, he began speaking with a cautious tone, sending glances at the group assembled before him. A venom filled Rhaenys’s expression as he spoke, despite remaining rooted to her spot. Corlys’ expression mirrored his wife’s and Albaz saw his knuckles clenching white from how hard his fingers were pressing against his hands.
Viserys digested the statement for a moment before he broke into a full smile and clapped his hands. He then said something that sent his whole family reeling in shock, but none more so than Laena and her father. They looked like a sandworm suddenly jumped out of the ground before them. Nasty creatures, they loved surprising unwary travelers.
“Laena?” Albaz asked, worry pooling in his gut. “What did he say?”
She took a moment to find her voice, and when she did, it wasn’t nearly as clear as before. “H-His Grace has…invited you to the Red Keep.”
The Red Keep? What was that?
“Is that his castle?” asked Ecclesia. She glanced around and her hands clenched again, her worry further growing. Laena didn’t answer and Corlys asserted himself, taking a deep breath and speaking tightly.
“Father is pointing out that you are enjoying your stay here and it would be an inconvenience to his efforts to help you find your way home if you were to venture to King’s Landing.”
That was the capital of Westeros, Albaz recalled from the lessons. Wait, the maester did also mention a great red castle…
Otto then bowed and said something to the king that made him nod along and add to the flurry of words.
“His Grace thanks Lord Corlys for his help and wishes to…add the crown’s support to this endeavor.” The faint anger in Laena’s voice turned into disbelief.
“He possesses numerous texts hailing from the days of the Valyrian Empire in his personal library, and many of them contain records of magic that could help in your endeavor. Alas,” she stressed the last words through her teeth, “Ser Otto states that they are old and in danger of decay should they be transported, not to mention that they are Targaryen family heirlooms that have never left the confines of the Keep. Thus, it is safer for you to come to the Red Keep as honored guests where the full resources of the crown may be used.”
Otto further spoke and glanced at the queen, who despite her apprehension, nodded along. “He has also added that his own family, the Hightowers, possess an extensive library of old tomes dating back to before the Andals. Should the king wish it, he will send letters to his family to have any relevant books sent to King’s Landing for copy, and Father can direct the fruits of his search to the Red Keep.”
Viserys chuckled and nodded at Otto who bowed again. Daemon sent a cutting remark at Otto that made him glower and Corlys spoke to the king with a low head. The king responded with short questions that made the Velaryon pause, before sighing and nodding.
He then turned to Albaz and Ecclesia. “It appears the king is very insistent, my friends. I cannot refuse his command, and unfortunately, he has raised several points that are impossible to ignore,” he said wearily. “It will take time for my missives to reach their intended destinations and even longer for anything of value to be brought back. He would like for you to accompany him when they leave Driftmark in the coming days.”
The two children looked at each other before Ecclesia replied to him. “Can we talk about this for a moment?”
After their nod of consent, they turned away and leaned in, speaking in hushed tones.
“What do you think?” she asked him.
Albaz peered at the king’s family, who were now talking to each other with their voices growing progressively louder. “I don’t like them, any of them. The queen’s father looked at you funny.”
Ecclesia nodded at his words. “I don’t either, they’re hiding something from us. It’s like those gatherings of nobles back home in Dogmatika, the ones Fleur didn’t want me to stay in. I want to stay here, but…”
“It’s the books, isn’t it?”
“We need to get home, and so far we have no idea how to get through the Hole. If he has something that can help us, then we should take it.”
“What about the language here?” he asked. “Those books are probably written in the same language they use here, and we haven’t finished our lessons.”
His dear friend bit her lip and a troubled hum escaped her lips. The voices around them grew louder and he heard someone drawing their sword.
“Do you trust me?”
Albaz blinked, confused by the question. “What?”
“I think I have an idea,” Ecclesia said, looking at the open doors of the hall. “But it might come down to a fight.” She stared into his eyes. “Do you trust me?”
…
He reached out and grasped her hand.
“Always.”
Did she even have to ask that?
She drew in a breath and for the first time in what seemed like ages since they arrived, she gave him a calm smile. “Then let’s go.”
They turned around to the sight of Daemon, Corlys, Otto and the queen’s knight standing before each other. Daemon’s fist was practically welded to his sword while the knight looked ready to bash his and Corlys’s face in within an instant. The two older men kept arguing and pleading before the king, who tried to raise his voice amidst the growing yells and accusations.
Leana saw them and shouted at the quarreling men, who sharply turned to them as one. Maqarro looked both excited and ready to bolt from the room as he wrung his hands together.
Ecclesia stepped forward and began to speak. “We’ve talked it out…and we’ll come with you to your castle.”
The whole of the Velaryon’s family looked utterly betrayed as Maqarro relayed the words. Viserys beamed at them and Otto hid a smile under his beard.
“But!” Ecclesia exclaimed and raised a finger. “We have conditions. First, Laena and Maqarro come with us.”
Laena finished translating, blinked and sharply turned to them, her eyes wide. Maqarro did much the same, to a lesser degree. Otto’s nostrils flared and he sharply pleaded with the king, but a raised hand stopped him short.
“They’ve both been teaching us the language here and we like them, so we want them to keep teaching us in your castle.”
The king nodded and a smile grew on Corlys’s face, even though it had the same gleam from the hall. Laena too didn’t hold back the smile as the king replied back. “His Grace sees no issue with it. He has no desire to tear you away from such fine teachers and acknowledges Lady Laena and Master Maqarro’s expertise.” A blush color her cheeks at the praise and Corlys’ smile stretched all over his face.
“Second, if we want to visit High Tide again, you can’t stop us. We want to read the books Lord Corlys asked for us.”
The contentment from the Velaryon pair was radiating like the sun. Even Rhaenys seemed to smile and Daemon switched glances between the groups, his lips twitching upwards with every shift of his purple eyes. The king opened his mouth with scrunched eyes, before they widened and then nodded. “His Grace accepts, considering your friend’s…unique nature. A trip by dragonback should barely take any time.”
“Third, if we don’t want to do something, you can’t force us to. We’re not your subjects.”
This time the queen responded with icy words and flaring eyes and her knight followed. Before Laena had the chance to translate, Ecclesia raised her open palm and squeezed the air. A roar came from outside the hall and in a flash of engine fire, her hammer came spiralling through the open door and into her waiting palm.
Everyone jumped back with surprise, with the Velaryons being affected the least, though Laena and Corlys took a respectful distance away. Daemon flinched with a hiss at the sight of her weapon, and the king’s knights drew their weapons as one and approached them with yells, the Lord Commander at the helm with his spiked club. Ecclesia grabbed her hammer and swung it down on the floor, breaking the polished stone with a ringing crash. They all froze at the sight of the crater, and the king looked at them both with astonishment.
Albaz clenched his fists and braced himself. He felt the fire inside him roar, itching to be released, even as Corlys yelled to the guards streaming in to back off. It reminded him of a conversation he, Ecclesia, and Kitt held once aboard the Springan’s ship.
“Sometimes the only way to make a point is by smashing stuff! Or make something that smashes stuff! When someone doesn’t listen to what you say, make them listen to what you do! Hm, most of the baddies we met don’t listen. Is that why we’re so good at smashing stuff?”
“We aren’t asking you,” his friend said and hefted the hammer over her shoulder, looking every bit the warrior-saint she’d been. “We don’t want to hurt you, but if you attack us, we’ll defend. If we have to, we will find a way back on our own.” She gestured with her head to the king, whose eyes were locked onto the dragon skull. “So what will it be?”
The hall waited with bated breath for the king’s answer. Then, the king barked out a command. The knights turned in shock, but after a warning look from the king, they sheathed their weapons and stepped back, though they never took their eyes off them.
“His Grace…accepts.”
The two nodded and Albaz felt his fire simmer down, though still roiling in his gut. Something told him this wasn't over in the slightest.
Ecclesia then turned to Corlys and…why was she embarrassed?
“Sorry about your floor.”
And why was Corlys so calm about it?
Comments
Cosmic Garou
LETS FUCKING GO!
