NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 30: 30
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186 AC
Harrenhal
Shiera Seastar
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After five nights of sleeping in Harrenhal, I knew I had to do something about the 'curse' that this place has. We have spent all our time here so far walking around exploring and lots of things have stood out to me. When a door nearly slammed shut behind knocking me off my feet I took it personally and swore to end this curse.
I have ignored the gift left behind by my mother for the most part, she in her last weeks wrote a lot of notes for me that were stored with the books she left. She told me to wait until I mature fully before I delve deep into the magic side of the world that she explored, it's dangerous she says. I believe her but she also is not the one living in this place where the dead don't seem to rest.
From what people say this place is cursed because of the man who built it, but I think it is mainly to do with all the weirwood. The Old Gods despise it when people cut their sacred trees and the ones who get revenge for them are the children of the forest. Harrenhal is not the only castle built with weirwood, but it has some of the most weirwood out of any castle and is located right next to the Isle of Faces.
Isle of Faces is also one of the most sacred locations in the known world for the Old gods and Children of the forest. So I believe the curse is entirely from them and they could also get rid of the curse if they wished. This is why I have been pouring over my books to find the proof I can show Aerion and he can help me cure this place. There is not much left from the time of the first men but old stories tell of the wrath of the Old Gods for cutting their trees. I will use this along with other research I have done to prove the children are real and show Aerion.
Then he can do one of two things, seek the Children and make a deal for peace or he can give them Fire and Blood. Approaching the Isle of Faces is said to be difficult as any who sail either get turned around in fogs or lose their ships in terrible currents. It's the magic the Children use to protect one of their last bastions in Westeros, and I can not blame them. I also in my time studying this subject have found similarities with the Isle of Faces and Skagos but that is for later.
For now, I need to present what I found to Aerion and help him come up with a plan so all his hard work is not for nothing. He would be devastated if the children randomly decided having dragons live near them is too dangerous and summon the wrath of their gods. It is lost to time but myth says that the children with the aid of their gods destroyed the land bridge connecting Essos and Dorne, 'The arm of Dorne'.
If they can do that and create the Stepstones with the help of their gods I would hate to see what they could really do to this castle if it came to it.
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"Aerion?" I am let into his room by Ser Richard who is wearing a new suit of armor that has dragon scales and a cape looking like dragons wings leather.
"Hello Shiera, you need something?" He is dragging a couch across the floor while Daenerys moves a painting on the wall.
"I wanted to help you with the curse of Harrenhal so I looked into some things, it was actually pretty easy if I am not wrong. Harren the Black made an enemy of the Old gods and the Children of the forest, if you can become their friend they should be able to undo what they have done." I get right to the point as he drops the couch and looks at me with amusement that makes me a touch angry.
I spent hours looking into this and he is going to smile at me like I just told him the sky is blue or something stupid like that.
"The children of the forest? You think they are still around?" He walks around the couch and sits on it before looking around the room and shaking his head before getting up and moving it again.
"They are still alive, some of them have to be at least and my guess is they are on the Isle of Faces. Boats have a very hard time getting there but I bet dragons would have an easy time getting there." He nods as he drags the couch back to where it was and sits on it one more time and nodding.
"I see, so is this your way of asking to go for a flight to the Isle of Faces?" I tighten my hands into fists and look at the floor.
"Stop messing with her Aerion, you just were telling me last night that the curse is done by the Children. Shiera we already planned on flying to the Isle and seeing for ourselves if his speculation is true." I look up with wide eyes as Danny shakes her head at Aerion who was trying to fool me.
"How did you figure it out?" I ask in a low voice.
"Well, the curse had to come from somewhere, and before I even decided for sure to pursue this place I looked into it. I came to the conclusion the children were behind all the strange magic stuff and the more serious stuff like deaths usually where assassinations. It was convenient for people to blame the curse but after I visit the Isle of Faces the curse should be gone. I even used the curse to my advantage to get the old House out of here, had people making spooky noises and stuff." I shake my head and feel a bit bad that I couldn't end up helping Aerion after all.
"I guess you got it handled then, I will go back to reading I guess." I turn and head for the door feeling like I wasted my time, my surprise wasn't even a surprise.
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186 AC
Harrenhal
Aerion Targaryen
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I jump up from the couch cushion and speed across the room seeing Shiera look like I kicked her puppy. I slide around her and flick the lock on the door before turning around and crossing my arms over my chest.
"Who said I didn't want you to go? You figured it out on your own before I planned to leave so you should go with us. Who knows you might be able to help negotiate a deal with them, I only know a little about them after all." I know they are real from the show so I just was guessing it was their fault.
I am not entirely sure if it is something they can just 'fix' anyway so the trip may be wasted but it should be fun to see the little island. Plus seeing the way her sullen mood flips back to excitement is worth carrying her along.
"I will get changed." Danny speaks up as she heads for the bedroom.
"I need to get changed as well, go get something for riding on and meet us out by the dragons." I ruffle her long silver hair much to her annoyance before following after my wife.
The dragons so far have been enjoying the move, I think the smell of Kingslanding must be even worse for them. I am sure they want to just burn the place down at times, but here they have nice clean air to breathe in. It's common to find them lounging in the Godswood or perching on one of the towers. I am fine with it now but once they are all repaired they will have to stop perching up there so they do not damage anything.
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Fog rises up almost like a wall as we get closer to the Isles of Faces, magical indeed. It shows just how on guard they are and they are ready to send up fog walls with little notice. Moonfyre flies right next to Drogon so we don't lose one another as we fly in a straight line to the Isle.
"We should be fine since it's a straight line but I wonder just how magical this fog is, could it possibly turn us around?" I muse out loud as I hold my hand up cutting through the blanket of fog.
"I don't think so, people can reach it but rarely do they even try as the currents can flip a ship. It is very similar to Skagos from what I have seen, probably their magic at work up there in the North as well." Shiera comments from the front of the saddle.
Before I can speak up we break through the fog and arrive at the heavily wooded Island.
""Land on the shore!"" Moonfyre trills and follows my order as she angels toward the shore, Drogon following closely behind.
Neither Dragon seems bothered so I don't know if it's because the children can avoid their 'detection' as I call it or the children mean no harm. The dragons on numerous occasions have been able to sense things that could hardly be explained logically. I chalk it up to a built-in magic radar inside of them that lets them know if they are in danger, Silverwing refused to fly beyond the wall with Good Queen Alysanne. That alone is enough to make my theory valid in my own mind, I will ignore my wife in her last life flying three dragons out there.
I help Shiera down before gripping Dark sister and taking the lead toward the wood line, a ominous feeling fills the air. I don't know if it's nerves or magic but I stop more than twenty feet before the wood line feeling the hair on my arm rise.
"Why did you stop?" Shiera peeks around me using me as a shield and I push her head back behind me when I hear footsteps.
Seeing a wide pair of animal-like eyes deep yellow stare back at me from behind a tree sends a shiver up my back. The eyes dip back behind the tree before the footsteps get louder, Moonfyre lets out a roar and whips her tail around. It seems more like she is angered by my feelings than by the approach of the small 'person' coming out of the woods.
'It' look more or less like I expected but the feeling of actually looking at one is unnerving, a physical reminder of the freaky side of this world.
"I sure hope you can speak the common tongue." I try to break the ice and get a nod in return.
"I do." The voice is soothing yet sounds slightly warped.
"I flew here with my wife and my sister to get to the bottom of some things, maybe make a deal as well. My name is Aerion and this is Shiera and Daenerys, I hope we didn't catch you at a bad time." A slow blink is his response and I can hear more footsteps move around on leaves.
"What do you want Valyrian?" A rumble from Drogons chest does not even draw the eyes of the child as he keeps his eyes locked on me.
"First I wanted to know if the cause of the 'curse' of Harrenhal was your people, and if so could we come to an agreement to lift it? I care not for any gods to be honest with you but I do care about my new castle and would like it to not be cursed. For the most part, it seems people are using the curse to hide assassinations and plots but there is some magical stuff to it as well." Danny grips my hand as the child looks between us and finally looks at the dragons.
"You are not the first dragon rider to come and ask us for help with something, what we want is to be left alone. Lots of blood had been spilled and lots of lives have been cut short, fighting is the last thing we want with what's to come. If you leave us alone we will leave you alone and that is the only thing we want. You can offer us nothing else for we seek nothing else, is that acceptable?" I almost feel like I am being tricked here but since they only want to chill on their island I have no problem with that.
"I agree to never purposefully cause you any problems, I can't promise to never cause any problems ever because that would be a lie. I might one day do something that inadvertently affects you and your people but I am willing to fix anything I mess up within reason." The child closes his eyes in thought before a loud cry from a bird nearby breaks the silence.
"We have a deal." He turns and walks off with no other words and the ominous feeling goes with him, almost as if a cloud blocking the sun finally moved.
"Well that went well, I didn't even have to do anything." Shiera who was peeking from behind me steps out and places her hands on her hips.
"Yea, almost too easy but I won't complain." How do they intend to 'enforce' if I did decide to fuck them over?
I mean I could burn this island to ash in less than an hour if I really wanted, what could they do to me other than hurl some fireballs? I feel this is more a deal on faith and honor than anything binding and I am grateful and also worried. I just hope they aren't prideful like damn elves in fantasy and blame me when more ships eventually sail through this lake. Their magic should keep curious people at bay, or they can roast them for all I care.
But if they blame me for the extra traffic I am not sure how I will deal with them other than just roasting them with Moonfyre's flames.
"Let's go." I turn around and head back to Moonfyre with more questions than answers but at least I can expect them to not screw with me.