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(EM Vol. 2: A Wandering Melody) Chapter 54: A Nightly Tremor
🕑 Added 2025-08-17 14:00:14 +0000 UTCChapter 54: A Nightly Tremor
123 AC, Valyria
She saw the giant dragon’s eye finally close, but she could feel it slightly, the amusement that the god-like being felt, but she also noticed that buried deep down was a small spark of apprehension. Then everything turned black, and she fell unconscious in Lady Daphne’s arms.
When Helaena opened her eyes once more, she couldn’t help but wonder why her body felt so sore. She hadn’t felt this tired since giving birth to her children, not that long ago, even if she was thankfully spared the normal pain of childbirth. Slowly, but surely, she started to remember the previous affair before she fell asleep, hoping to understand why she felt this way.
Then everything came rushing back, the trip to Valyria, traversing the Smoking Sea, finding the Lannister Valyrian Steel sword, going to a volcano, one of the Fourteen Flames, and finding the Dragon God within, the strange words which left her mouth that gave her a headache each time and made her feel drained, before everything turned black. She sat up straight, worried about what had happened, before letting out a small gasp of pain. The familiar figure of Lady Daphne rushed towards her, muttering in some language that Helaena couldn't recognise, before relaxing slightly and speaking up in a soft voice, “Everything is fine, Helaena. Take a deep breath. Good. In and out. Now, again.”
The young princess did as she was told and found herself relaxing slightly, and she finally had the time to look around. They were back in the boat, far from the volcano, back near where they had landed when they came to Valyria, whose ruined tower she could see in the distance. The most glaring difference was the fact that Lord Harry wasn’t with them on the boat.
Still, she muttered, “What happened?”
“What’s the last thing you remember?”
“The Elder Dragon. He was the one who pushed me to join you, used my visions to convince me, all so that he could use me to speak to you. It was necessary, though. I could feel his desperation, his hope. Each word hurt, but he asked my permission before speaking that last time, the one that made me sleep.”
Lady Daphne hummed in disapproval, “You shouldn’t have accepted. We haven’t exactly seen anything like it, an Elder Dragon partially possessing a young girl, whose ancestor used his blood to enhance themselves, somehow using your divination to compress as many concepts into a single word. The first few words strained your magic immensely, but that last one could have ruptured your life force completely. If it wasn’t for Harry’s knowledge of soul magic and my healing, you would have suffered a terrible fate.”
“What does that mean?”
“Do you know the Cannibal, the wild dragon back on Dragonstone?”
Helaena nodded, remembering one of the reasons why her grandfather advised against taking their dragons to the island when the King decided to travel to the island, “He attacks other dragons and eats their hatchlings.”
“His life force is ruptured. He keeps dying at an accelerated rate until he steals the life force belonging to other dragons. That is how it has been survived and why it hunts other dragons down. It could have easily happened to you, and now that I think about it, it’s a bit too similar. I wonder…”
Despite the horror of the situation, Helaena couldn’t help but snicker. Lady Daphne sounded so much like her husband; even when she didn’t, they were much alike at the start. Lord Harry was the fun, impulsive one who liked to learn about everything around him, while his wife was the pinnacle of decorum, a woman who would easily turn anyone into an ice statue for speaking ill of her.
Speaking of which, she had another question, “Where’s Lord Harry?”
The golden-haired woman gave her a slightly sad look, “He was angry at the Elder Dragon. You could have died, Helaena. You should have died.”
“And I asked him to stop the Corruption.”
The older woman nodded, “You did, and that’s what he is doing right now.”
“Without us?”
“Kiddo, if it was up to us, we’d have taken you home, if only to stay out of trouble. However, given your condition, we thought it would be safer for me to stay with you, and I didn’t want to be too far away from Harry, just in case anything happens, which is why we’re here.”
Helaena felt herself glare at the woman, who was completely unimpressed, “Seriously, Helaena, we thought that Rhaena made a mess trying to steal things from Winterfell, but you practically killed yourself for a vague goal that you don’t even understand. You shouldn’t have sacrificed yourself, given up your life so easily. You have children, for crying out loud.”
The young princess couldn’t help but feel ashamed by the reminder of what would have happened to her children if she had perished, but steeled herself, “It’s for them that I did it. I would not let them live in a world corrupted by the monstrosity growing from our ancestral lands. I am not so selfish as to let Darkness swallow the world.”
She expected Lady Daphne to be shocked or even accepting, but what she never expected was for the woman to give her a sad look, “Helaena, darkness or not, the spread of the corruption wouldn’t have left Valyria for thousands of years at the very least. It might be fast on the cosmic scale, but it’s very slow for a human one. Your children were never in danger. Your family line would have probably ended before anything would have escaped from Valyria. You were duped, my dear, used as a pawn to bring my husband here. The Elder Dragon likely knew that we would be able to heal you, but he also had demonstrated that he could hurt you through your connection as well, an implicit threat. And all of this, to convince my husband to face what started the Doom of Valyria, noble intentions or not. And believe me, Harry does not like being forced into things.”
Helaena opened her mouth and then closed it. She had to admit to knowing that the Elder Dragon had ensured her presence in Valyria, but she had thought that it was a desperate move from a very old yet powerful creature who wished for help on an urgent matter, not that it had used her to force Lord Harry into getting involved, something that made her feel slightly ill.
The horror must have shown on her face as Lady Daphne squeezed her shoulder, trying to comfort her, “It’s fine, but you need to understand that higher beings don’t quite think the way you expect. They see the world differently, and even if they wish to help, they rarely do so in a way that you’d appreciate it. You should always be wary when dealing with gods. Their goals and reasons are rarely as mundane as those of humans. But don't worry too much about it. If Harry wasn’t concerned about what happened to Valyria in the first place, he would have reacted very differently, and he'll find a way to get even. He doesn't like to show it, but my husband can be very vindictive when he feels wronged.”
As if summoned by the mention of his name, Lord Harry stepped onto the boat, having come almost out of nowhere. He was still wearing his odd clothes with the brown hat, all pristine despite being in Valyria when she was unconscious. However, the man looked far more serious than he had before.
He gave her a look, quickly scanning her over, then gave a single nod, “Good. You’re awake.”
The sorcerer turned towards his wife, “She’s recovered?”
The golden-haired woman nodded, “Enough that she can stay on her own.”
“Good. Let’s go back to Dragonstone first, and then I’ll finish dealing with what’s happening here. I’m still not exactly sure what’s happening, but I found the general area that’s spreading the corruption. The lizard was right. It’s growing.”
Helaena suppressed a snort at the way the sorcerer described the Dragon God that her ancestors once worshipped, then her eyes widened as she realised what the man had said. They were taking her back home. She would get to see how all of this would unfold.
In the privacy of her mind, the young princess knew that they had the right of it. She was the reason they were forced to be there, and her presence could only make things worse. Still, that didn’t make it easier. A part of her wanted to stay, to see it through. To witness the end of the story she had helped push forward.
As she said that in the depths of her mind, Helaena realised that for the first time in her life, she could see the threads in her mind twist themselves to aid her and not push her to experience more nightmares. It felt different, easy in some odd way, and more controlled. The wall that Lord Harry had set up had been blown away by the power of the Elder Dragon, yet she didn’t feel overwhelmed, not like before. Whatever happened, it had helped her rein in her curse, and perhaps she would finally sleep without suffering from nightmares even after eventually leaving Dragonstone.
Back to her inner tapestry, she could see a few of the threads fray over time and decay, while a few remained strong, and she followed them, speaking up, “You will only find Silence in your path unless a Child of Valyria walks it with you. The fire remembers its own.”
Both Potters froze at that. Lady Daphne blinked before joining her husband and narrowing her gaze, their posture tense.
Helaena stared at them both, then at Harry in particular, and for the first time, didn’t flinch. “You need me,” she said plainly. “You might not want me there, but the threads do. I’m not done with this. If what you said was true, if I were to die to bring you here, then I wish to see what I would have given my life to stop. I am meant to be here.”
Lord Harry frowned in response, “Perhaps, but I have defied Fate before. This would be no different.”
Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes, and she stepped forward despite the ache in her limbs. “I need to be there. Not for prophecy. Not because of some thread in my head. I need to see it. I nearly died for this. I deserve to see it through. Please. I will not ask to go anywhere else. I’ll just stay with my children and focus on them.”
The plea lingered in the air. Harry looked at her in silence. Then, slowly, he turned to Daphne. They didn’t say anything, but the young princess knew that a conversation had taken place in this silence. She could feel her heartbeat becoming louder with every second, but in the end, the sorcerer sighed and nodded reluctantly.
Lord Harry didn’t look pleased, not even close. “You stay close to me at all times. You don’t wander. You don’t act on visions unless I say it’s safe. Do not make me regret this. Understood?”
Helaena nodded quickly, wiping her tears.
He adjusted his hat slightly. “Good. Things are going to get messy, and I want you to remember very clearly that this was your choice. Whatever consequences your presence will have will be solely on your shoulders.”
She agreed with a final decisive nod, and just like that, the oppressive feeling that she hadn’t even noticed before disappeared, and Lord Harry’s face changed completely. The serious man disappeared completely, and in his place the jovial adventurer returned with a wide smile on his face, “Alright, let’s get going then.”
Helaena couldn’t help but shiver at the change. She likely knew more about the man than anyone, bar Lady Daphne of course, and despite what her threads had told her of his nature, of his kindness deep within, surrounded by his endless curiosity. However, she couldn’t help but wonder which of his faces was the true one, the kind adventurer or the serious warrior. She hoped it was the former, but couldn’t help but shiver every time she saw the latter.
Despite the dichotomy of it all, she still trusted the man with her life, and so, the young princess stepped off the boat and followed the sorcerer and his wife.
Oddly enough, the moment they set foot onto Valyria, unlike what happened the last time, they were immediately attacked. It was like they couldn’t see them in the ship for some reason. A pack of wild birds, each one as large as a small pony, screeched and dove towards them, only to be sliced in two as Lord Harry waved his whip, releasing a loud crack.
He gave his wife a smug look, “See, I told you I’d use it!”
Lady Daphne rolled her eyes completely, and also waved her hand, which killed another flock coming from behind them, “I didn’t say that you couldn’t use it. I said that it’s useless.”
The grown man, who looked so serious just a few minutes prior, pouted, “You’re no fun.”
He used his whip again, creating a large gust of wind that threw a two-headed reptilian monster from attacking them from behind, then, with a wave of his hand, turned it to ash.
The ash then turned into a giant snake, which attacked every monster in sight, leaping into the air to even attack a small dragon that had been circling around them. The Potters walked forward completely unconcerned by the carnage around them, while Helaena winced with every screech and scream, “Would that warn the monsters of our presence?”
Lord Harry smirked as he created a hole in the ground that trapped a few odd scaly insects with four limbs, each about as big as a large hound, their backs pulsing with a black liquid, with a draconic jaw with blackened teeth. He then closed the hole, burying them alive.
Helaena normally loved insects, but what she felt for those things was wrong. The sorcerer then turned towards them, “These ones explode into a cloud of venomous spores when they die. I learned that the hard way. Oh, right, the element of surprise is somewhat useless. Whatever the source of the corruption is, it knows we’re in Valyria and is putting the monsters into a frenzy anyway. Don’t worry, though. I have a plan.”
Helaena accepted that and walked forward alongside the man. The initial swarm calmed down, but they were still attacked many times, but thankfully, the giant serpent of ash dealt with most, making them only have to deal with the occasional monster that snuck past.
Then, a pack of giant dragons, each one larger than even Dreamfyre, roared and flew down, only for Lord Harry to create a giant circle of magic that somehow made the dragons drop from the sky as if they were pulled in. They oddly all died from the impact, crumbling into stone instead of flesh. They must have been suffering from Greyscale as well.
A few stony vines, which were seeping some thick black liquid, tried to attack them sneakily. Helaena used her sword to cut a few which neared her, but thankfully, the rest turned to ash with a casual wave of Lord Harry’s hands.
He then pulled his hand up in a fist, and the ground shook, with giant leeches flying up from the ground, then somehow turning into birds with black, sharp wings that attacked the rest of the monster alongside them.
She didn’t know how long they spent in this place, fending off one monster after another. She understood why the Potters hadn’t wanted her there. Helaena felt quite useless, fighting off hordes of corrupted creatures, some even capable of spreading Greyscale with just a touch.
Then, finally, Lord Harry waved his hand and black fire appeared all around them, circling them like a storm, getting larger and larger with every second, before it exploded outward, destroying every creature and plant around them fully. The circle of magic pulled every single flying creature into the fire, destroying them all.
As he did this, he turned towards his wife, whom Helaena finally noticed had cut her hand and was bleeding on the ground. She nodded towards him, and a Weirwood Tree grew in the middle of Valyria. Lord Harry took control of the fire once more, grabbed it into his hands, and pushed it into the tree, which released a golden glow, and grew into a giant golden tree as large as the towers it surrounded.
Lady Daphne looked slightly tired but had a smile on her face. “It seems like it worked.”
Helaena followed the woman’s gaze and saw a strange golden barrier that killed every single monster that tried to cross it. She quickly realised what had happened. Lord Harry had killed every creature around them, even plants with his black fire, to wipe out the Corrupted things, and then Lady Daphne created the tree that stopped them from returning.
The sorcerer seemed especially proud of himself, “I told you that mimicking the Elder Dragon’s signature would work. I have no idea why it’s so corrosive to whatever this corruption is, but even a copy of it seems to work well enough.”
As if it were waiting for him to speak, a loud explosion shook the island, and a giant pillar of darkness appeared in the distance, pulsing into the sky. Helaena immediately spoke up and replied, “Is that the source of the Corruption?”
“Yep. That sounds about right,” Lord Harry casually replied.
“Do you think this barrier will stop it?”
“Of course not,” he replied.
Thank the Gods. The barrier…
Didn’t he say that it wouldn’t stop the corruption? The way he said it so confidently made her think otherwise. Her eyes widened as she looked at the man, who was doing his best not to snicker, “You should have seen your face. But yeah, the barrier wouldn’t hold, but it’s also not meant to do that in the first place. I told you I had a plan, didn’t I?”
Lord Harry grabbed his brown coat and touched it with a glowing finger. Immediately, Helaena shivered, feeling as if someone had put something cool around her, and she looked towards the sorcerer who had put back his coat, but it had some strange symbols on it as well.
The man gave her a wink, “It took me years to figure this trick out and share my cloak’s ability temporarily. Very useful, but I can’t phase with it while it’s on, unfortunately.”
The young princess didn’t even try to ask about how a cloak was involved, since he used a coat, and what abilities it had. She simply followed them past the golden barrier, and her eyes widened as she saw creatures far larger than before attacking it, but walking past them as if they weren’t there.
Finally, the idea came together: “You used the golden barrier as a distraction.”
“It’s harder to sneak on someone when they’re expecting it, but give them an enemy in their front and they’ll stop watching their backs.”
They kept walking forward towards the giant pillar of darkness, and oddly enough, they found it without any issues, and Helaena noticed that it wasn’t a beacon at all, but some strange sphere of something that released a black pillar into the sky. From it, hundreds, if not thousands, of creatures appeared, and to her horror, some of them looked vaguely human. Giant deformed men with giant blades in their hands, thinner creatures who seemed made of some shifting thing instead of humans, skeletal wearing tattered robes, their skulls split open, with some odd crimson fire coming from within.
Lord Harry spoke up quietly as he stared at the source of Valyria’s true fall, “Whatever started this is behind this singularity. It’s probably why the Elder Dragons’ magic didn’t do much. It’s like having a wound in reality, stopping anything from getting in, but still having enough of an active connection to let it out. It’ll be tricky to get in without accidentally making everything worse.”
Despite herself, Helaena found her strands aligning and her voice spoke up, “A soul tempered by flame and shadow will open the way.”
Lord Harry looked at her for a few moments before bursting into laughter, “I suppose that would work too. Who would have thought that the crimes of Valyria would end up helping? I guess that sometimes the idiocy of others can be useful.”
He waved his hand and the sword in her hand floated towards him, a Valyrian Steel sword which once belonged to House Lannister, spun in the air, as the man smiled and murmured, “A sword forged in souls, an abominable weapon, but which could reach every realm, through something hidden by a singularity even. I guess this should at least be interesting.”
Helaena barely understood what had happened before the spinning sword stopped and its point faced the source of the Corruption. He gave Helaena a small smirk, “Do you remember what I told you about sword fighting? Stick them with the pointy end.”
And just like that, the sword moved faster than Helaena’s eyes could follow and slammed into the sphere of darkness, and then the world screamed.
AN: Phew, this chapter was hard to write. The first part got away from me a bit, so I pushed to make it a bit longer to make up for it. I know that some of you didn’t like the past few chapters, especially since they weren’t that eventful, so I tried to make up a bit for it a bit and show the difference when the Potters are messing around and exploring, compared to exterminating something. I tried to make Helaena somewhat useful to explain why they wouldn’t send her home, but I’m not sure it came out like I wanted to. As usual, I don’t mind rewriting this depending on your feedback, so please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.
Comments
Marius Petrauskas
nice
Garri Sarkisov
Awesome
