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(EM Vol. 2: A Wandering Melody) Chapter 26: Waves and Tides
🕑 Added 2025-06-29 14:00:07 +0000 UTCChapter 26: Waves and Tides
123 AC, Dragonstone
Corlys Velaryon was wary of magic. It wasn’t always this way. He had once been fascinated by it, hoping to find a magical treasure in one of his journeys, perhaps even a Valyrian Steel sword. And yet, he had learned through experience and hardship why people feared it so.
He was a scion of Old Valyria, a legacy of a Kingdom built on magic and dragons, and yet what he had seen in Asshai, what he had lost there, had forever shown him why people feared the Higher Mysteries so. He could also understand why the Faith had been so adamant to have it declared as a sin, because what he had seen, what he had experienced, had to be sinful.
Corlys shuddered at the memory of his time in Asshai and instead looked at his beautiful wife’s face as they made their way to the Potters’ manse.
There had been a distance between them ever since their children’s deaths. Corlys often blamed himself for much of what happened. He was one of the most powerful men in the Seven Kingdoms, and yet, he was helpless as his children perished, one through childbirth and the other through murder.
He was as angry as Rhaenys about much, but he had set this anger aside to focus on the future of his house, of his legacy, and that unfortunately, came at the cost of the support of Rhaenyra and her sons.
By the Gods, there was such an irony in Viserys insisting that Rhaenyra be Queen while having usurped Rhaenys of her throne, in the first place. Oh, how Corlys wished that Jaehaerys could watch it all from the Seven Hells, as his favoured heir, all but created a succession crisis all by himself.
He was too old, now. Corlys could feel it in his bones with every movement. He had resigned himself to supporting Rhaenyra and hoped that, at least, history would remember his name as the grandfather of the next King of the Seven Kingdoms. All this had cost him was his son and his daughter. What a waste, truly.
And yet, things were changing. Viserys was healed, through magic, Corlys could see the signs, and he had dismissed Otto Hightower as his hand and chosen Rhaenys instead.
Corlys did not know how to feel regarding this appointment. He was happy for her to finally get a taste of what was taken from her, even if it was too late. Rhaenys’ authority now eclipsed his own, despite him being her husband, which made him slightly uncomfortable, especially given the fact that she planned on being neutral in the feud between Alicent and Rhaenyra, which was all but admitting that she didn’t think of Rhaenyra’s sons as Laenor’s, which could ruin Corlys’ plans.
He would need to speak to her about this issue, but of course, the issue with Rhaena came first, and her disturbing closeness to the sorcerer of Dragonstone. Her tale did not make sense. There couldn't be a hidden magical world inside the Dragonmont, with the Children of the Forest and the Others. It was a volcano; there was only molten earth and flames inside.
They had comforted her after their confrontation the night prior. Corlys would be the first to admit that he had been too harsh, at first, in his impulsive wariness of magic. He had immediately done his best to ease her into telling them what she knew, but when he spoke to his wife privately, they both quickly agreed that her attachment with a stranger, let alone a sorcerer, was concerning, to say the least.
By the Gods, what had been Daemon and Rhaenyra doing, for the girl to be so desperate to see a man who, by all accounts, had only been on Dragonstone for less than a fortnight?
From the look on his wife’s face as they neared the manse, Corlys knew that she would petition Viserys to take the girl with them, perhaps even Baela.
There was also the concern of what the sorcerer had been doing to her. Magic was dangerous, but most of all, it was costly. What price did Rhaena pay, Corlys couldn’t help but wonder, to be given such treasures? He had to admit that the Valyrian Steel dagger and ring, the ‘Dragonsteel’ blade, a metal he had never heard of before, and the Dragonglass dagger were genuine, and he knew of no sorcerer who would so easily part with them.
He looked at his wife and saw the resolute expression on her face. He noticed Meleys fly over them, screeching loudly enough to wake the Potters, should they be sleeping, and he gulped, “Rhaenys. I share your anger and your worry, but I must urge you to be cautious when we speak to the sorcerer.”
“Do you think me incompetent, Corlys?”
“No, my love. But I am sadly experienced with dealing with his kind. First of all, you must not give them any of your blood. Blood magic is a terrible thing, and I have seen curses cast from halfway across the world from a simple drop of blood. Do not make any promises or oaths. They can be far more binding than you can imagine. And do not threaten them. You have an advantage in the shape of Meleys. Sorcerers often revere and fear dragons, but yours is not always nearby. We are there to bargain, not push them into a corner and believe me, they are at their most dangerous when they believe they have nothing to lose.”
Their main priority was to remove Rhaena from the man’s influence without it costing too much. Corlys would gladly give his life in her defence, and he knew that Rhaenys was much the same. But he could tell from the way she walked that she was tense. Decades of marriage allowed him to recognise his wife's moods easily, and he knew without a doubt that she was extremely tense about the coming confrontation and the danger that Rhaena was in.
His wife’s expression morphed into a thoughtful one before nodding in agreement, “That sounds reasonable enough. But we still do not know if this Harry Potter has truly put Rhaena under a spell. It is better not to make any assumptions.”
Corlys suppressed the urge to snort at her words, knowing that it was unwise to anger his Dragonrider wife when she was very unsettled by the situation in the first place. She was trying to comfort herself, to convince herself that the danger to their granddaughter was not as severe. It was better than the alternative. Rhaenys had a temper that rarely came into effect. He still remembered calming her as she almost took Meleys to confront Rhaenyra after her marriage to Daemon, mere days after Laenor's death.
He didn't voice his doubt in her claim, but in his experience, sorcerers craved power, much like a man would crave drinking water in the Dothraki Sea.
Power was the only language that they understood. They traded it and would gladly commit abominable acts for it. A Dragonlord was a very powerful prize to have, and very few sorcerers would ever restrain themselves in front of someone like Rhaena. Corlys himself had barely escaped Asshai in the first place, and he knew that sorcerers valued his blood less than that of the last family of Dragonriders in the world.
The main oddity there was the fact that Rhaena seemed convinced that this Harry Potter was responsible for Solarys’ hatching. Corlys was doubtful of this, as the Sealord of Braavos had discreetly hired hundreds of sorcerers from around the world to hatch the three Dragon Eggs stolen by Elissa Farman. Of course, Braavos had denied having them, despite Jaehaerys almost going to war over them. Nevertheless, they all failed spectacularly at attempting to hatch the eggs, which was the only reason why Braavos was still standing.
If Harry was truly responsible for Solarys’ hatching, it would change things and would undoubtedly make him an asset for the royal family, should this ability be known to them, and grant him even more influence over the King, something that worried Corlys greatly, but not as much as his granddaughter being near this man.
As Corlys and Rhaenys approached the manse, Meleys landed with an intimidating thud and screeched loudly enough to shake the ground slightly. They cautiously approached the manse in question, and the Sea Snake had to admit that this manse did not look like it belonged to a sorcerer. In Asshai, they seemed to relish being around the oily black stone for some reason. The origins of these stones were lost to time, and they made him uneasy to be around, but if Corlys had to guess, it enhanced the powers of the sorcerers in some way.
Instead, the manse looked like a weird extension of Dragonstone, made of what looked like a single piece of stone, which melted into the mountain behind it. There were no markings or strange symbols, just a seemingly ordinary building, other than the infamous Valyrian Stone, which was supposedly lost to time.
As they arrived in front of the door, they found a small piece of parchment attached in front of them, which made Corlys freeze in his tracks, out of bewilderment at the utter madness of it.
Rhaenys grabbed it and snorted despite herself, “Gone fishing. Will be back when bored. If the matter is urgent, please use the boat near the shore.”
Corlys turned toward the shore, and there was a small ship that he was sure wasn’t there previously. Perhaps it was an illusion. The Warlocks of Quarth were known for their proficiency in them, after all.
However, as he approached, the Sea Snake realised that, despite its small size, this was no ordinary vessel. It was nestled where the sand met the tide, as if the sea itself had deposited it there like a trinket. The hull was long and narrow, tapered like a blade, made from a kind of timber he didn’t recognise, pale and smooth, without a blemish or barnacle to mark it.
There was a single mast set toward the middle, low and raked slightly back, with several odd-looking sails furled in tight rolls along the rigging. A bowsprit jutted forward like a spear, far longer and thinner than any Westerosi design, no, it was more different than any design he had ever seen.
He climbed aboard, the deck low to the water and steady beneath his feet. The sails were light and thin. The lines and blocks were made of a pale metal, which couldn’t be steel, as it would quickly rust at sea.
Rhaenys climbed behind him, “This is unlike any ship I have ever seen.”
“This ship is either the most ingenious or maddest one I have seen,” he replied.
“Your obsessions aside, this is still a sorcerer’s ship. We should come back at a later date. Perhaps, they would be back then.”
Before Corlys could answer, the boat shifted and started to glide forward without making a sound. It was impossible, half of the vessel was on fully stable sand. He had checked it himself.
He didn’t get the time to voice the impossibility, as they both stumbled, hands grasping for the railing as the boat gathered speed, cutting through the water with impossible smoothness. The shore was gone in moments, Dragonstone shrinking behind them, a dark tooth on the horizon.
Corlys managed to right himself, blinking salt spray from his eyes. “That’s… not natural.”
Rhaenys said nothing, her hand clenched tightly on the rail, looking unsettled by what was happening.
Far ahead, a smaller vessel bobbed lazily, far smaller than their own. A man sat on its edge, legs dangling, a wide-brimmed straw hat casting a shadow over his face, and a metal fishing rod in his hand. He waved at them with too much cheer. Next to him, a woman reclined with a book in her hands, utterly unbothered.
Somehow, the boat seemed to push itself towards them, and they got up and walked up towards Corlys and Rhaenys. Other than the book in the woman’s hand, he had thought them to be normal fishmen, from a distance, but now that he could see them, he noticed that the clothes that the two wore were too well-made for smallfolk to own.
Other than the straw hat, the man wore a white, unstained cotton shirt, brown breaches, and black boots. Corlys also noticed the odd far-eye contraption on his eyes that the princes had told him of when they showed him their gifts, which immediately made him realise who this was, the sorcerer.
The sorcerer tilted his hat and spoke up, “Howdy.”
The woman who was supposed to be his wife answered back, “You’re wearing a straw hat, Harry. Stop acting like a cowboy.”
“Hey! Don’t diss the hat,” the sorcerer replied in a slightly childish tone, “And you wear hats all the time.”
“I wear hats when they’re suitable. You’re wearing it because you think it’s cool.”
“They are cool,” he protested.
“Whatever you say, dear,” the woman replied in a patronising voice.
The man glared at her before turning towards them, “Ah, sorry about that. I’m Harry Potter. This is my wife, Daphne. What brings you to our little fishing trip?”
Corlys had no idea what a cowboy was, and what a lack of heat had to do with hats, but he brushed it off as some sort of foreign culture. Instead, he took the time to observe the supposed sorcerer.
He did not look like the sorcerers in Asshai or the magic users in Quarth, whom he had met. There was always something unsettling when they were near, like the world itself baulked at their unnaturalness. Even wood-witches had this air of unnaturalness to them. Instead, aside from the odd clothes, Corlys would have never picked these two people out as magic users.
He didn’t know if this was reassuring or the complete opposite.
Rhaenys glared at them, “It was your cursed boat that brought us here.”
“Were the instructions unclear or something?” the man muttered, mostly to himself, “I’m pretty sure it said to use the ship if you needed to speak with us. What did you expect would happen?”
“We didn’t expect the ship to depart on its own,” Corlys answered with a calm voice, “We apologise for any offence given.”
“Meh, what offence. I thought I might have accidentally made a mistake or something. I don’t usually make magical mistakes these days, especially with something as basic as an animation charm or a conditional illusion.”
Corlys barely understood most of what the man said, and asked, “I’m afraid I’m not familiar with this kind of ship. Would you be able to help us return to shore?”
“Oh, of course. It shouldn’t take much… Sorry, I didn’t catch your names….”
Corlys snorted and shared a look with his wife, “My name is Corlys Velaryon, the Lord of Driftmark. This is my wife, Rhaenys, daughter of Aemon Targaryen and rider of Meleys.”
He hoped that the implied threat of a dragon could give him any advantage over the coming conversation, only for him to be surprised as the man’s smile widened, “Ah, Rhaena’s grandparents. She speaks very highly of both of you. You, especially, Lord Corlys, are someone I’ve been meaning to speak with in some time.”
That response was both confusing as it was threatening. Corlys was used to be known as the infamous Sea Snake, Lord of the wealthiest house in the Seven Kingdoms, a man who had travelled the world and enriched his house with his daring and adventures. His wife was the sole daughter of the heir of the Seven Kingdoms; she had been usurped, often known as the Queen Who Never Was.
It was extremely unusual to be known as Rhaena’s grandfather, more than anything, and he did not know how to reply to this. It was also extremely unsettling that a sorcerer sought him out personally: “If I may ask, why would you wish to speak with me?”
“Oh, the stories you must have. I’m a bit of an adventurer, you see, and some of your accounts could be useful for a few of my future expeditions.”
Well, that was something that Corlys would happily share: “As flattering as this is, we are not here to share the tales of this old man.”
“Oh, then why are you here?” the golden-haired woman asked, while raising an eyebrow.
“It has come to our attention that our granddaughter, Rhaena, has spent time in your company without any supervision. As her grandparents, you understand our concern, of course,” Corlys replied.
“Sure,” the woman, Daphne, replied, “She’s a wonderful girl, Rhaena. I’m sure that she would grow up to be an amazing woman, in time.”
“She is, and we are very proud of her. Unfortunately, the lords of Westeros will not take kindly to her closeness to people so entrenched in the Higher Mysteries, and in my travels, I did see some very concerning applications of such unnatural powers, applications that I do not wish to see my granddaughter subjected to.”
The Potters looked at one another for a few seconds before the man replied, “I’m not sure what you think happened during Rhaena’s time with us, but we assure you that she was safe for most of it.”
That seemed to suck the last of Rhaenys’ patience. Corlys knew that she was quite emotional with the possibility of losing Rhaena to a sorcerer, likely afraid of losing more of their children’s legacies. She was usually more controlled than this, “Enough courtesies and aimless words. We wish that you free Rhaena from your influence.”
Corlys suppressed the urge to wince at Rhaenys’ directness, yet what surprised him the most was the fact that, for the first time, the sorcerer and his wife seemed taken completely off guard by Rhaenys’ words.
“Free her from our influence? What are you on about?” the sorcerer asked, genuinely bewildered, glancing at his wife as if to confirm he hadn’t missed something.
Corlys shared a look with Rhaenys at that, both silent, both frowning, realising, perhaps for the first time, that things might not be as they had feared.
AN: I’ll admit it. This chapter got away from me a bit. It was meant to have more interaction with Harry, but I guess I’ll pick it up in the next chapter. This was my first time writing Corlys, and I hope that I wrote his character somewhat accurately, his wariness of magic somewhat overshadowed by seeing a new ship, and trying to figure it out. Rhaenys being blunt in the end feels a bit off, to be honest, but I wanted to show her that she would be the more emotional one of the two if she thinks her family is in danger. 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
Abe 7
An English cowboy saying "Howdy", now that I'd love to hear what it sounds like.
athass_prkr
Magic in Planetos is different. I don't want to give too much away, since it's a pretty big thing down the line, but that difference has nothing to do with having a wand.
Cajun sS
Enjoy the interactions of Harry and Daph
Marius Petrauskas
nice
omiguh
Is the magic in this universe ultimately still the same from the hp verse? From what I understand, magic is like a muscle and the more you use it the better and easier it is. In the hp verse, they have wands which make using magic easier and they can grow it without problems. But no wands or foci have been created in this universe so their magic, even as adults, is still incredibly weak which forces them to do blood magic and sacrifices to have the power to achieve their goals with magic. But if they grew their magic like those of the hp verse would they not need to do all these sacrifices? Tftc
TypistTyphon
Great chapter, love the vibe
