36-39
CHAPTER 36- Costly Bet
SARELLA SAND POV
"So go on. Introduce yourself mongrel." Prince Stephen said, and his words caused a pin drop silence in the Hall.
She frowned as she looked at the various people who'd come here to challenge Prince Stephen.
Gerold Dayne doing something foolish? That she could understand. But why the hell would Daemon Sand, the Dalt brothers and the others join him in this.
Did they hoped to impress Arianne by defeating the Prince? No, there was something more to it. In fact, this entire situation seemed… staged, for the lack of a better word.
She glanced at Arianne at the main table and wondered what she was up to.
The silence was broken by Gerold's dark chuckles that sent shivers down her spine.
"I knew that the northerners were an arrogant bunch. But to see it with my own eyes is really something else." Gerold said, and then in a burst of movement, he took out his sword and pointed it at the Prince.
This had the effect of every single one of Prince Stephen's man standing up on their seat as well. After all, someone just pointed their weapon at their prince. They didn't have their weapons at hand, but they were ready to fight with whatever they had in hand.
"Sit down." Prince Stephen told his men. His voice soft, yet powerful enough to reverberate throughout the entire hall. The voice of an army commander. "I would like to hear what this dog has to say
first."
Prince Stephen's men reluctantly sat down on their chairs, but she could see that they were still alert and ready to defend their Prince in case these 7 men decided to attack him.
"Dog?" Gerold Dayne chuckled once again. "I am Gerold Dayne. Men call me Darkstar. And I'm the Sword of the Night."
"Do they?" Prince Stephen asked, looking amused. "I didn't know that House Dayne made cheap replicas of the Sword of the Morning. And do tell me, what great things you've accomplished to get a name like that. Or is that always how you introduce yourself, trying to get a name for yourself since you have nothing else."
Gerold's face twitched and she knew that the Prince had touched a raw nerve of his. She didn't knew a lot about Gerold. Only that he was very sensitive about his title. And even more so about the Sword of the Morning since he was barred from taking 'Dawn' despite his
skills.
Gerold kept his sword pointed at Prince Stephen as he spoke up. "I, Darkstar, challenge you to a duel. I've heard a lot of rumours about your exploits in Kings Landing. I want to see if there's any truth to those rumours, or if you're simply hot air."
"Oh? You want to challenge me? You and what army."
"You think that I need an army to-" "Greetings Prince Stephen. I am Daemon Sand, and I would like to challenge to a duel as well." Daemon Sand said, cutting off Gerold's words mid sentence.
A look of anger crossed Gerold's face and for a moment, she thought that he was going to hit Daemon Sand himself. But then Andrey Dalt came forward and spoke up as we.
"I am Andrey Dalt. And I would also like to see if you're as skilled as everyone claim you to be."
Then another moved forward and challenged Prince Stephen until all 7 of them had done so.
She could see that Gerold Dayne was rather pissed off at the others stealing his show. But he'd already lost his momentum and there was little to be done about that. Though he still tried to take command of his little group.
"So what say you, Prince Stephen Baratheon. Do you have the guts to face us in the Sparring yard?"
The Prince remained silent for a moment as he gazed at all 7 men one by one before he chuckled. "Very well. Me against all 7 of you at once, in a duel to the death. How about it?"
"I accep-" Gerold Dayne started to say but was cut off by Princess Arianne. "Absolutely not!"
Everyone turned to look at Princess Arianne at her outburst and she floundered under their stares for a moment before she picked herself up and continued. "If Prince Stephen died while being a guest of House Martell, then that would cause a war between Dorne and rest of the Seven Kingdoms." Arianne said, sweating a bit at the prospect. "Do you want Robert Baratheon to come here and create a second Iron Isalnds"
"Bold of you to presume that I'll die to these men." Prince Stephen said as he got up from his chair as well. "These people barged into your hall, and bared live steel against your guest, and you did nothing. I would say that you lost your right speak on this matter a while ago, Princess. Now…" He said and turned to the 7 men. "Are you going to waste more of my time? Either accept this duel to the death, or run back to your mothers to hide behind their skirts. You Dornish are rather proficient in doing so, I've heard."
She watched with mild trepidation as 7 knights bristled at Prince Stephen's disrespect. As did every other Dornish in the Hall.
If the Prince had simply disrespected those 7 Knights then no one would care. But now he has insulted the Dornish people themselves. It'll be hard for the Princess to stop this now. And even harder for those 7 to back off.
'This is bad.' She thought to herself. 'If the Prince really died in this duel, then it'll cause a war between Dorne and the rest of the 7 Kingdoms. A war that Dorne will definitely not win.'
As things stood, she could only hope that the Prince was even a tenth as good as those rumours made him out to be.
"We accept." Gerold Dayne spoke up once again, a bloodthirsty look on his face. "Meet me outside-"
"No." Daemon Sand spoke up, cutting off Gerold Dayne once again. "The Princess is right. If any harm comes to Prince Stephen, then the entirety of Dorne will bleed. This entire thing was a folly. Please accept my apology Prince Stephen, but I would like to rescind my challenge."
"Like hell we will!" Deziel Salt spoke up. "He just insulted all of Dornish people. We can't simply let him leave after that."
"This entire thing is a folly." Daemon Sand said, standing up against his fellow knights despite the pressure. "I'll not let my pride lead to the downfall of Dorne."
With that said, Daemon backed off from the main group. He did got a lot of nasty stares from the other Dornish for his 'cowardice'. But she was personally grateful that there was someone in this place with a good head on his shoulders.
One more of the 7 Knights followed Daemon's lead and backed away from the main group.
"And then there were 5~" Prince Stephen said in a singsong voice. "So, any more who would like to back off?"
"The cowards have already been purged from our ranks." Gerold said as he spat in Daemon's direction. "We accept your challenge." "Very well." Prince Stephen said with a smile. "When do you-"
"Forgive me your grace. Princess." Ser Manfrey Martell said, standing up from his chair with some difficulty. "But I cannot allow this farce to go on any longer." Then the old man gathered himself up and spoke in a loud voice. "For the crime of bearing your weapons against Prince Stephen while he's the guest of Sunspear, I, Manfrey Martell, in the name of Prince Doran Martell, order these 7 miscreants to be arrested. Guards, take them!"
Immediately, the dozen or so guards in the Great Hall took their spear and started moving toward those 7 men.
"Put down your weapons." Ser Manfrey Martell said. "And no harm will come to you."
Gerold scoffed at Manfrey's words as he pointed his sword at the Martell guards, his other 4 collaborators looking unsure if they should take out their weapons or not.
"It was your princess who put us to this in the first place." Gerold announced as the guards approached them from all the sides. "I'll not be arrested for following her orders."
This caused another pin drop silence in the hall as everyone stared at Princess Arianne once again. The Princess for her part, looked betrayed and mortified at Gerold's words. Her reaction telling all of them that Gerold spoke the truth.
Even the guards looked confused now. Hesitant, on whether they should arrest these 7 or not.
She turned to look at Prince Stephen's reactions and if anything, he looked even more amused now.
"Princess." He spoke up, breaking the silence. "If you wanted to witness my abilities, then you should've simply asked me. There was no need for this charade."
Arianne for her part looked like she wanted to ground to rise up and swallow her alive.
"I… I thought that… that you wouldn't give it your all, in a normal fight." Princess Arianne said and Prince Stephen raised his eyebrows at the blatant lie.
Then he turned to look at the 7 knights who had challenged him. "Well, if you want me to fight these 7 in a simple duel, then I can do that."
"Really?" Princess Arianne asked, looking relieved. Though she had a feeling that the Prince wasn't done yet.
"Indeed. But there needs to price for this fight. A consequence. Otherwise, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would come and challenge me to a fight. And we can't have that, can we?"
The Princess looked unsure now but she nodded regardless. "What sort of consequences are we talking about?"
"That's simple, If these 7 managed to defeat me in a duel, then I'll bestow them 10,000 gold dragons each."
His words caused an instant clamour in the Great Hall and everyone started to whisper to one another at the extravagant price the Prince was willing to pay for his loss.
After all, 70,000 gold dragons was no small sum. In fact, only 3 houses in the entirety of Dorne were capable of producing such amount of gold without going bankrupt. House Martell, House Yornwood, and the main branch of House Dayne.
And even the finances of House Yornwood and House Dayne would be greatly damaged from giving away that amount of gold. The fact that prince was able to bet that much gold in a simple spar told everyone that he was either exceptionally rich. Or, he was exceptionally confident in his victory.
She personally guessed that it was both. For the Prince didn't seem like a fool to her.
"And what if we lose?" Daemon Sand asked, focusing on the other side of the coin. For good reason.
"Then all 7 of you go to the Wall and become members of the Nights Watch."
That caused another commotion among the people in the hall and she could see the 7 looked hesitant now.
Even Gerold Dayne looked unsure about whether he should take this challenge or not. Apparently, death in a duel was a more welcoming prospect to him than spending the rest of his life in the cold Wall.
There was silence among the 7. And as time passed and they remained silent, the rest of the Great Hall started booing to them.
"What? You don't want to accept?" Prince Stephen asked, the amusement never leaving his eyes as he turned to the Princess. "It seems your knights are unwilling to fight me Princess. Alas, my abilities shall remain a mystery to you, and all else in Sunspear."
"How about another bet?" The Princess blurted out.
"Another bet?"
"Yes. Spending the rest of their lives in that cold hellhole seems like a rather harsh punishment. How about we bet on something… less valuable."
The Prince stared at Arianne for a long moment before he shrugged. "Very well. If those 7 are unwilling to take the bet, then I'll have a bet with House Martell."
"House Martell?" Arianne asked, sweating under the Prince's gaze.
"Of course. Since this was your idea in the first place, you should pay for it as well. Shouldn't you?"
Arianne looked even more hesitant now so the Prince continued speaking. "Don't worry, the penalty won't be anything harsh like that.
In fact, it'll only be 7 years of servitude."
Arianne looked a little relieved at those words and nodded.
"Please. Tell me about this bet."
"It's simple." The Prince said. "If these 7 won against me, in a 7 vs
1 fight, then I'll give all the ships that I've brought with me, to House Martell."
"Oh…" The Princess said, looking faint. "And what would you want in return, if you won."
"It's simple." The Prince said with a devious smirk. "If I won, then I want Sarella Sand," She jumped at her name being called, "and Tyene Sand to serve me for the next 7 years."
"Serve you?" The Princess asked while her heart started beating faster and faster at the Prince's words.
What did the Prince want from her? She wasn't even all that beautiful, unlike Nymeria and Tyene.
"Sarella and Tyene." Arianne said, looking in her direction for a brief moment before she looked at the Prince and asked. "Why do you want those two?"
"It's simple." The Prince said as he looked at her, a devious smirk on his face. "I'm in need of a diligent scribe and secretary. Sarella is diligent in her studies and I believe that she'll fill that role perfectly."
She wondered if her job as his secretary would include relieving his lusts whenever he so desired it of her.
Worse, she wasn't sure if she would mind it if he asked her to sleep with him. He was handsome, charming, rich, confident, and most importantly of all, he was extremely intelligent and valued knowledge just as much as her, if not more.
No, she would probably not mind sleeping with him, as strange as that sounded since she'd never shown much interest in boys before his arrival.
"And Tyene?" Arianne asked.
"I'm in need of a bedwarmer. And Tyene served me rather well last evening." The Prince said, eliciting some giggles and whispering among the people. "I was hoping that she would continue serving me, for the next 7 years."
Arianne looked like she didn't knew what to make of his requests but she nodded. "I'll not decided the fates of my cousins. But if they accept your bet on their own volition, then I won't be against it either." "Very well then." The Prince said as he turned to look at her, bringing the focus of the entire hall atop her. "What do you say Sarella? Do you want to come with me on my adventures, or do you want to stay in Sunspear?"
She squirmed under the eyes of so many people and licked her
lips.
She wasn't sure how her father would feel about her decision. If he'll laugh in amusement or be red with anger. But for the first time in her life, she was sure about what she wanted to do.
So she cleared her throat and answered.
—————
Tyene signed the contract with a big pout on her face.
"Did he really had to call me a bedwarmer and tell everyone that I slept with him." Tyene grumbled. "Now everyone looks at me strangely. So many years of effort to create an innocent and pious reputation. All gone because of that bastard."
"Are you really complaining about being fucked by a stud like that?" Nymeria asked, teasingly and to her great surprise, Tyene blushed.
"N-no. I just wish that he was a little more sensitive." Tyene said, the pout never leaving her face.
"Stop complaining." Obara said from her side as she held her spear and looked down at the training yard where the 7 knights were currently doing their warm ups. "Being the Paramour of Prince Stephen is great opportunity for him. Make him happy and you'll be
set for life."
"Make him happy, she says." Tyene said as she scrunched up her face and glared at Obara. "Why don't you try sleeping with him and see how it turns out for you?"
"Was he good?" She found herself asking before she even realised it, and blushed as all her sisters turned to look in her direction. "I mean, in bed." She squeaked.
"Would you look at that?" Nymeria said, suddenly looking at her with great interest. "Our dear book lover, finally coming out of her shell."
"I'm just curious." She said, trying to look stern though the blush on her face probably gave her away.
"I'm sure you are." Nymeria said as she sidled up to her. "After all, you're going to spend the next 7 years beside Prince Stephen… or, under him."
"He has Tyene for that." She retorted, though the lie seemed unbelievable to even her own ears. "I'm merely going to be his scribe."
"Yes, yes. I'm sure you'll spend a lot of your time near his desk." Nymeria said before her eyes narrowed in amusement. "Or under that desk. Or over her. So many options."
"Okay, that's enough. Stop teasing her Nymeria." Obara said and she sent a grateful glance to the spear wielder.
"Very well." Nymeria said with a sigh before she turned to look at Tyene once again. "You didn't answer Sarella's previous question though. Is the boy actually any good in bed."
Tyene gave an unimpressed look to Nymeria. "You would not call him a boy if you saw just how big his cock was."
"Is that so?" Nymeria asked, looking curious. "You still haven't told us anything about that night Tyene. How is it that you were able to seduce him, when Arianne went to him first?"
"He didn't want to take Arianne's maidenhead and then be forced to marry her by Prince Doran." Tyene said with a shrug. "There's no such problems with me. So he let me into his bed."
"Let you into his bed? From your screams last night, I would've guessed that he did far more than simple letting you into his bed."
Tyene blushed at that, and wasn't that a surprise. To see the girl who usually like to play the part of an innocent child being so flustered.
It made her thoughts wander.
Tyene opened her mouth to reply but before she could say something, the door opened and Princess Arianne walked in.
"Do you two sign the… document?"
"You mean the slave contract. Yes, we did." Tyene said, trying to appear annoyed even though everyone knew that she was anything but.
"It's not a slave contract. And you chose to sign it on your own." Arianne said as he took the contract and studied it. "Hard to believe that he really bet his entire fleet on this fight."
"It's not his entire fleet." Nymeria said, catching their attention. "I talked with some of his men last night, after they were sufficiently drunk, of course. They revealed that he has over 45 trade ships in total. And has ordered 10 more from Braavos. Aside from that, he's building a Shipyard of his own, and has made trade deal with numerous Crownlander Houses for wood, cloth and other raw material required to build a ship."
Arianne seemed surprised by that. "Where did he get the gold to buy all these ships from?"
"The rumours about acres of new spice farms popping up in Dragonstone are no rumours. The Prince somehow managed to grow spice in the barren soil of Dragonstone. And we all know just how lucrative the spice trade is."
"We can talk about all this at a later time. For now, let's go. I need to officiate this fight."
"You're sitting as one of judges?" She asked and Arianne nodded.
"Yes. Me, Septon Green and Lady Asha Greyjoy are to sit as the 3 judges. It'll be-"
"He's here." Obara said, pointing down at the training yard where Prince Stephen finally appeared. Wearing not a single shred of armour on his body. "Is he going to fight without his armour."
"I'll go and ask." Arianne said. "As for you, give this contract to Asha Greyjoy. We'll start this fight as soon as it is confirmed."
"Very well." She said as she took the contract and walked out of the building and toward the stands where Asha Greyjoy was sitting.
"You're Sarella Sand?" Asha asked as she took the contract and
read it.
"Yes." She said.
Asha read through the contract before she passed it to the Septon and nodded. "Welcome to the voyage. I hope you'll work with me to keep Stephen's worst tendencies in check."
She raised an eyebrow at Asha's confidence. "The contract says that I'll only become his scribe if he wins this fight."
Asha snorted at those words. "And you think these 7 chumps will defeat Stephen?"
"They're some of the best fighters in Dorne." She said with a shrug and Asha scoffed.
"They could've been the 7 best fighters in the world and it would not make a single shred of difference." Asha said, showing utmost confidence in Stephen.
In the distance, she saw Arianne talk with Stephen about something (probably his lack of armour) only for him to wave her away.
Arianne strode up to the stands and sat between Asha and the Septon. "He'll not wear an armour." She said with some worry. "I
talked with him and he decided that he didn't need any. Should we start this fight or halt it?"
"It is foolishness to go into a fight without armour." Septon Green declared. "But if the Prince is arrogant enough to do so, then who're we to stop him. It is my judgement that we go ahead and start the fight."
"And mine as well." Asha said, looking amused at the Septon's words.
"Very well." Arianne said and got up from her seat to announce the rules of the fight. The crowd went silent and listened to her speak.
The rules were simple. If you fall to the ground, then you lose. If you yield, then you lose. If your opponent has you at his mercy, then you lose.
"Now, let this fight begin!" The Princess announced and the audience cheered as the 7 knights spread out and advanced tower the Prince, intending on surrounding him from all sides while the Prince looked at them in amusement.
And thus started a fight that'll change the course of her entire life.
CHAPTER 37- Meeting Prince Doran Martell
STEPHEN BARATHEON POV
He was really glad that his Gamer System gave him the ability to lower his stats. Without that, he would be incapable of having sex with any normal woman due to his high Strength and Agility.
Turning a woman's pelvis into salsa paste was not his idea of a good evening.
It was also how he was able to spar with his men on a day to day basis without it appearing like he was holding too much.
Because while he did want people to think that he was special, he didn't want to take that to the point where people start to see him as abnormal.
He wanted others to recognise his exceptional abilities, but not to the extent that they start to perceive him as abnormal.
It was an constant balance of impressing the viewers while also showing off the barest minimum of what he was capable of.
So as he got surrounded by the 7 knights who'd challenged him, instead of defeating all 7 of them with a single swing of his sword, he took out his Valyrian sword and took a defensive position.
The first attack came from behind.
One problem with being as strong as he was, was that these people didn't even appear as credible threats to his Gamer System. Thus, when the one behind him rushed forward to attack him, it wasn't his 'Danger Sense' that warned him about the incoming attack but his superior hearing instead.
He pivoted on his feet, dodging the tip of the blade by a fraction of an inch before he brought his sword up, his movement as fast as a snake, as he put his own sword tip against his opponent throat.
The young man started the Valyrian Steel resting at his throat and gulped. But before he could say 'I yield', the other 6 jumped in to attack him from all sides.
Swords, and spears swung wildly through the air, their armour glinting in the sun as he deflected, blocked, or weaved around their attacks with a grace and elegance that made it seem easy despite his speed not exceeding that of a normal human.
In their defence, these young men weren't bad. Anywhere else and they would've stood a decent chance in winning a melee tourney. Especially Gerold Dayne and Daemon Sand.
But that didn't mean anything when they were faced up against him.
A-7-year old boy would have a greater chance of winning against these trained knights than they had of winning against him.
After dodging around their attacks for a brief moment, he managed to get out of their encirclement and decided to go on the offensive before they could surround him again.
His sword moved with lightning as he started striking his opponents with deadly accuracy. Not lethal attacks but small nicks and cuts that'll either hurt like hell, or cripple their ability to continue with the fight.
His movements were fluid and graceful, and his sword a blur as it cut through armour and flesh alike.
The Knights fell to him one after another. One went down with a cut to the thigh, another left the field once he was disarmed, the third one yielded after he made a casual cut to his face that was rather too close to his eyes, the fourth one went down with a punch to the chin, and the fifth one went down to friendly fire when he deflected a spear thrust to his shoulder.
In the end, only him, Daemon Sand and Gerold Dayne remained in
the field.
He stood with his back straight and his head held high. One hand behind his back while the other held his Valyrian sword with a casual grip as he smiled at them.
"You can quit now if you want." He said as his two opponents circled him warily. "You know you're not going to win. Might as well just give up and stop wasting my time."
"I cannot do that. I gave a promise." Daemon Sand said before he launched another attack at him.
It was as futile as any other before it and Daemon Sand fell to the ground with a casual swipe of his legs. Daemon yielded he put his Stag Song to his throat and then it was only him and Gerold Dayne.
Even if Observe hadn't informed him about what kind of person Gerold exactly was, he still remembered him from the ASOIAF book. As the person who cut off Myrcella's ears, and created problems for everyone.
Better for a person like this to go down than create problems for everyone.
Not that he'll kill Gerold. No, doing something like that will only make the people of Sunspear hate him. No, he had a better plan to deal with him.
"What about now? Wanna continue wasting my time? Or will you just yield already?"
Gerold Dayne glared at him, his fist tightening around the grip of his longsword. "Your arrogance…" He hissed, his eyes filled with malevolent rage. "It reminds me of Arthur Dayne. Thinking you're so much better than everyone else. Well, Arthur Dayne died. And so can you."
With that, Gerold threw himself at him with a series of lightningfast strikes. He blocked or deflected those attacks for the next few moments before an opportunity presented itself and he swung his sword.
A cry of pain left Gerold's lips as the sword went flying through his hands, courtesy to a deep cut in the web between his thumb and hand that left his thumb barely hanging by some muscle and bone. Gerold will recover from this wound but he'll not be able to use that thumb properly ever again. Meaning that he can't grip a sword properly from his dominant hand ever again.
It was an end to his carrier as a swordsman. And Gerold seemed to know of it as he fell to his knees and stared at the wound in shock and utter despair.
He rest his Valyrian sword on Gerold's shoulder and asked. "Do you yield?"
Gerold continued to stare at his hand for the next few moment, as if he'd not ever heard his words. Then, he slowly looked up, his face shaking and his expression contorted in utter rage.
Gerold used his left hand to take out a knife hidden under his clothes and lunged at him, intending on taking his life with this final move.
He moved his head to the left, dodging the attack with the barest minimum of movement before his right hand lashed out with a punch that folded Gerold in half.
Gerold went to his knees once again, vomiting his lunch on the sandy ground of the arena before he lashed out with a kick to the chin that finally knocked him out of his senses.
With the battle finally ended, he turned to look at the crowd on the seats, or more especially, at the three judges.
"This would be my win, yes?" He answered. Asha gave him a thumbs up. The Septon of Sunspear gave him a solemn nod while Arianne gave a reluctant one.
Immediately, cheering broke out in the stands. The cheering wasn't as loud as it could've been since he'd made the Dornish people look incompetent with how easily he defeated their 7
'champions'. But people still enjoyed a good fight so they the clapped and cheered for that.
That cheering came to a slow stop as someone else suddenly entered the arena.
He turned around and saw a large broad shouldered man surrounded by 6 others walking toward him. Observe skill informed him that this guy was Areo Hotah. The personal guard of Prince Doran Martell.
Hmm… Areo definitely look far different from the bald black dude that he was portrayed as in the show.
Regardless, he stood on his place and waited for Areo to approch him.
Areo eventually did and gave him a deep bow. "Prince Stephen
Baratheon. Prince Doran Martell would like to humbly invite you to the Water Gardens to share a lunch with him."
He already expected an invitation like this to come sooner or later so he nodded.
"Very well. I accept your Prince's invitation. Please lead the way."
—————
The Water Gardens were even more beautiful than they were described to be. There was something extremely peaceful and calming about being in a place like this. Especially with all the children playing around in these pools.
His thoughts didn't linger on the scenery or the children for long however, as he was soon brought in front of Doran Martell, the Prince of Dorne.
Thanks to his Gamer Power, his Shaper power was growing at a fast pace these past 2 years. And he'd finally gotten to the point where he could sense biology for about 10 meters around him.
This allowed him to get a sense of Doran's biology and realised that he was already affected with gout and that it was already hindering his mobility considerably as well as causing him slight momentarily bouts of pain and discomfort.
"Your sword." Areo Hotah said before he could get near the Prince of Dorne.
He thought about teasing them with how he didn't need a sword to kill all of them but felt that such an act would be needlessly arrogant and confrontational. So he simply gave a nod, took off his sword belt and gave it to the tall Naarvosi man.
After that, Areo performed a brief body search on him, and upon finding him lacking any more weapons, he was finally allowed to get into the balcony and meet the Prince.
He went to the balcony and inwardly frowned when the Prince continued to stare at the children playing in the water gardens instead of greeting him as was proper.
He immediately realised what this was.
Calling him all the way from Sunspear to the Water Gardens. Having him wait outside and be checked for weapons. And now ignoring him and making him wait for a conversation.
Doran was playing the status game with him. Like how Tywin did it when he continued writing a letter and making you wait for half an hour before he spoke to you. Or how Olenna Tyrell insulted you while hiding behind the facade of a weak old lady.
It was… slightly offensive.
No one else in Westeros has tried this tactic with him. Aside from that one time when the Queen 'summoned' him for a dinner in her chambers. But seeing how that ended, the Queen hadn't tried again. His own father wasn't interested in playing these games. And Jon Arryn held a slight degree of respect and gratitude for him and thus hadn't tried anything like this.
The only person aside from them, who held a higher position than him in the hierarchy of Westeros, was the King. Doran Martell was 'not' higher than him in the hierarchy. So to see him play a game like this was indeed slightly offensive.
"It seems that your prince is more interested in watching the Water Gardens than talking with me." He told Areo Hotah. "I'll be taking my leave then. If your prince wants to meet then he knows where I'm staying."
With that, he turned to leave. Only for the Prince of Dorne to speak up as soon as he was about to leave the balcony.
"I heard about your bet against my daughter Prince Stephen. One of you against the best seven young knights of Dorne. It was a wellfought victory."
He turned and saw that Doran Martell was now looking at him, his steely black eyes staring at him with full attention.
"If I wanted to hear compliments about myself then I would've hired a whore." He said as he walked to the Dornish Prince until he towered over the decrepit man. "You called me all the way here from Sunspear and then have the audacity to ignore me. You've not given me a chair to sit upon, nor offered me a drink. Tell me, Prince Doran, has sitting in this balcony for long hours really dulled your mind to the point that you don't even remember how to play a good host anymore?"
Doran Martell stared at him impassively for a moment before he nodded. "Allyrion, bring a chair for our guest. Benedict, go and tell the servants to serve us some refreshments." Doran then turned and looked up at him, his face calm and serene despite his Shaper power telling him otherwise. "I heard that the prize of the bet was the servitude of two of my nieces to you for the next seven years, is that the truth Prince Stephen?"
"You're asking me as if you don't know about everything that happens in Sunspear." He said as the guard named Allyson hurriedly brought a chair for him. He positioned it toward Prince Doran and sat down on it. "What do you want Prince Doran?"
The Prince stared at him, as if studying each and every single one of his movements as he spoke. "You're surprisingly impatient for someone who I've heard so many good things about, Prince Stephen."
"I'm surprisingly patient with people who don't disrespect me in the name of power plays." He said. "So, I'll ask again. So cut the bullshit and tell me what you want already."
At that moment, two beautiful maids brought them a palate filled with cheese, bread dry fruits, fruits, and other delectables along with some Dornish Red wine.
Doran waited until the servants had served them the wine in two glasses and left before he finally spoke up.
"Do you play Cyvasse Prince Stephen?"
He almost rolled his eyes at that question. He should've known that Prince Doran would be one of those guys who wants to play a game of chess while having a conversation so that they could show off just how intelligent they were.
"No."
Prince Doran raised an eyebrow at that. "Do you want to learn how to play it?"
He was about to say another 'No' when his Gamer System gave him a notification. A Quest to learn the game from Doran with some decent rewards.
So he gave a shrug instead. "It won't hurt to try."
So over the next five minutes, Prince Doran went through all the rules about the game. And he realised that the game was rather similar to Chess, even though some of the pieces and their moves were very different.
His 101 stat Intelligence immediately went to work and started creating a simulation of the game in his mind. What could he do to make the best use of his pieces. What kind of tactics will work the best with each group and combination. Which piece was the most important. So on and so forth.
By the end of his thinking session, he'd already gained a Cyvasse Playing skill.
And just like how his Lute Playing skill started at Lvl 19, due to him having prior experience with Guitar in his past life, Cyvasse Playing skill started at Lvl 11 due to him having prior experience with Chess that bled through in this game.
"Shall we start?" Prince Doran asked as he set up the game and he nodded. "Yes. "
CHAPTER 38- Mind Games
STEPHEN BARATHEON POV
"Oberyn will not be pleased." Prince Doran said as he started the game by moving his rabble. A Cyvasse piece that was the equivalent of a Pawn piece in chess. Though he didn't know why they didn't simply call it a Levy.
"By the fact that I took two of his daughters under my servitude for the next seven years?" He asked as he moved his own rabble forward.
"Yes." Doran said as he brought out his Trebuchets and his Hyper Intelligent mind began to make calculations and what kind of movements it could make and which moves will be the best to counter it. His Multi tasking skill activated and one part of his brain continued to focus on the game while the other part focused on the talk. "Oberyn has always put heavy emphasis on being free. He'll not be happy to learn about his daughter's forced servitude."
He tilted his head as he sent his Light Horse forward. "If you're worried about the girls, then don't be. I have no intention of harming them."
"Words are winds." Doran said as he took out his Heavy Horse to counter his Light Horse. "When Oberyn returns from Essos, he'll come to visit his daughters. Be prepared for that visit."
He rolled his eyes at that. "If you're trying to intimidate me by talking about your brother then don't bother. Unlike many others in Dorne and the rest of the seven Kingdoms, Oberyn has never intimidated me."
"Then you're a rare man indeed." Doran said as he moved another one of his rabble forward to give his other pieces more space to move around, a tactic that he followed. "Though I would still implore you not to harm any of his daughters. Oberyn is a vengeful man and won't sit idly if you hurt his daughters."
"Is that so?" He asked, feeling amused. "What about your daughter? What would you do if I hurt her?"
Doran raised an eyebrow as he took out one of his Elephants. "You're an intelligent man Prince Stephen. I do not believe that you'll harm my daughter. Not when you're under Guests Right. And not unless it benefits you greatly."
"Maybe the Lannisters paid me to get rid of House Martell." He suggested.
It was Doran's time to raise an eyebrow at that. "I do not believe that you're aligned with House Lannister."
"Oh, and why is that?"
"Because you've maintained your distance from the Queen ever since the Battle of Kings Landing. And rumours about the Queen trying to sabotage your business and properties in Kings landing have reached my ears."
"And you put a lot of stock on these rumours?"
"If the rumours come from the lips of the right man."
"Like the men you sent to Dragonstone?" He asked as he took out a dozen copper rings from his pocket and placed it in front of Prince Doran.
The man stilled as soon as the rings were brought out and then he slumped miniscully for a moment before he stared into his eyes. "I did wonder where all those people went." Doran said with words that held a barely concealed anger.
"They were good at infiltrators and spies, I'll give you that." He said. "If I was not already wary about Petyr Baelish, the Queen, and House Tyrell sending spies to Dragonstone then I wouldn't have caught them."
Doran nodded as he touched the rings with his fingers before he sighed. "Did they die quickly at least?"
He remained silent for a long moment before he said a single word. "No."
Doran closed his eyes. "They were good men and women. I hope that they'll find some peace in the afterlife."
"Afterlife seems like the only peaceful place these days." He said and they fell into silence as they made their moves in the Cyvasse Board.
This continued for a while until he spoke up once again. "Did you put her up to it?"
"Hm?" Doran asked, looking at him questioningly.
"Arianne. Did you ask her to seduce me, or was it her own idea?"
Doran looked down and the board and remained silent for a long moment. He thought that Doran was simply going to ignore this question when the man finally spoke up. "I told her that a union
between House Martell and House Baratheon of Dragonstone would be very beneficial to all parties."
"All parties?" He asked, feeling amused. "I believe that one of that party would beg to differ."
Doran stared at him. "House Tyrell is indeed more powerful than House Martell. But the King would never allow a union between you and Margaery Tyrell. Robert might be uninterested in ruling but he's not stupid by any means. And even if he were so inclined to let this happen, Lord Jon Arryn and the Lannisters would be heavily opposed to it. You'll make powerful ally but also gain powerful enemies."
"Your words hold some merits. But you're under the assumption that I won't gain the same enemies if I marry Arianne."
"Oh, House Lannister will still be opposed to you, there is no doubt about that. Our houses have a blood debt between us. One that won't wipe away anytime soon. But Lord Arryn would be more than happy to allow this marriage, if only to bring Dorne back into the fold. And I don't see why the King would oppose this marriage either."
"You make a good case but it still doesn't change the fact that
Dorne would only provide me with 20,000 spears at best." He said, "Or the fact that Dorne is at the extreme end of the Continent. An army from Dorne would have to go past the Reach and Stormlands to even reach the Crownlands."
"You father has a Fleet." Doran pointed out. "And you're building a Fleet of your own. A Fleet that can take a large number of men from another Kingdom and land them at the entrance of Kings Landing. You've done it once before, I have no doubt that you're more than capable of doing it again."
"Aye. But if this is really the best you can offer, then why would I not go for House Stark?" He asked. "House Stark can gather a larger army for me. And they're allied to House Arryn and House Tully."
"Their alliance with House Tully is more of a disadvantage than an advantage." Doran said. "And House Stark is even further away from the crown than House Martell. Not to mention that they take a far longer time to gather their levies. Most importantly, Dorne has a better economy than the North, something that you're no doubt well aware of."
"Dorne indeed does have a better economy. A good part of it due to their great relation and close proximity with the Three Daughters." He admitted. "But North produces a far greater number of raw resources. Leather, Wood, Wool, Coal, Iron, Snow, etc. I'm more interested in those raw resources than I am in the spices, dry fruits, and wine produced in Dorne. Besides, the Starks have one very important thing that House Martell lacks."
Doran raised an eyebrow. "And what is that?"
"Loyalty. House Stark is loyal to their own. If I marry one of their daughter, then I'll be well assured of their support. But I can't say the same for House Martell."
"You think that House Martell will not support you?"
"House Martell has a long history of treachery. Most recently, you only sent 10,000 spears to support Prince Rhaegar in Robert's Rebellion. Had you sent more who knows how that battle would've ended." He said with a shrug. "With allies like House Stark, I can be rest assured. But with allies like you, I'll always have to watch my back for the eventual backstab."
"You have a rather low opinion of House Martell." Doran said, his words calm and collected even though Shaper told him that the man was getting angry inside.
"I do. I mean, even now you're trying to sell me Arianne Martell, when you've already betrothed her to Prince Viserys." He said and watched closely as the man froze in his seat. He smiled. "Yeah, that deal in Braavos, made between Ser Darry and Prince Oberyn, and witnessed by the Sealord of Braavos. Don't tell me you've already forgotten about it."
Prince Doran slowly looked up and gave a sardonic smile. "You have a very active imagination Prince Stephen. "
"Really. Is that the best you can do? That I have an active imagination?" He asked and then looked at Areo Hotah. "Not going to have your guard try and silence me? I would even give him one free shot at him without attacking back. How about it?"
"That will not be necessary." Doran said. "You seem like you've had this information for a while. If you have not revealed it to his grace, then you have your agenda in mind. A betrothal may not be a possibility. But I don't see why House Martell can't support House Baratheon of Dragonstone in its endeavours."
"Wise words." He said with a sarcastic smile. "I don't see why House Baratheon of Dragonstone can't ally with House Martell either. Not like Viserys would ever want to sit in the Iron Throne."
Doran hummed at that. "If you accept this betrothal then House Martell would be inclined to support you."
"Would it?"
Doran nodded. "You have a Fleet, and are a capable army commander. And if rumours are to be believed, then you're capable of defeating an entire army yourself." Doran brought forward his Dragon inside the range of his Catapults, basically sacrificing it to him. "Viserys Targaryen has a name. But name alone do not win wars."
He smiled as he ignored Doran's offering of his Dragon piece and moved his own Dragon toward his Elephants instead. "A good offer.
But an offer like this is the main reason why I don't trust you Doran. You're too quick to discard your allies when they're no longer useful to you. Can you imagine what would've happened to Robert if he had allies like you instead of the Starks and Arryns?"
Doran frowned at his words but didn't rise to take the bait. "House Martell needs to make sacrifices to attain its goals."
"You say that while sacrificing your allies instead of something that belongs to you." He pointed out as he finally got a better understanding of the game and started going on the offensive. "Tell me. Did you ever had any intentions of supporting the Targaryens?"
Doran remained silent for a moment as he studied the board and then he made his move, throwing his rabble into the slaughter. "The future is uncertain. Anything could happen."
"Like Viserys suddenly gaining the support of the Golden Company?" He asked. "Or were you perhaps waiting for Daenerys to hatch a couple of dragons for their cause."
Doran gave him a strange look at those words. "The last time House Targaryen tried to hatch dragons their house almost came to an end. The dragons have been gone for over 160 years. Hoping for someone to hatch them is a folly. But if Viserys truly desires the Iron Throne, then gaining support of the Golden Company is the bare minimum of what he would have to do."
He nodded. "Aye. But as good as the Golden Company is, they're not enough to win the Iron Throne. History has shown that more than once. No, they'll need support here in Westeros. And what better support, than having an entire Kingdom where they can land their ships and launch their attack from."
Doran remained silent at his words, staring intently at the game so he spoke up once again.
"But even the Golden Company and Dornish troops would not be enough to win the Iron Throne. No, you need more. You need the other Kingdoms to already be divided. To fight amongst each other. To weaken each other until a victory is certain. Only then will you move. Most men would not be so patient. But you… patience is your strongest virtue, isn't it, Doran Martell?"
Doran remained silent. He was good at that. Remaining silent so that his enemies would continue talking and reveal more information to him. Not that he minded revealing this particular piece of information.
"Your daughter sucks at seduction." He revealed and Doran paused while making his move before he continued. "She tries too hard. Tyene was much better at it."
"Is that why you sent my daughter away?" Doran asked and he shrugged.
"I didn't want you to force me into a marriage due to this incident." He said. "I wonder how Viserys would feel if he learns that you sent his betrothed to warm the bed of one of his enemies. Is this another one of these sacrifices you need to make? Do you even care about your daughter, or is she just a pawn for you to use however you wish." "My children are precious to me." Doran said and he smiled.
"Precious you say. But you've alienated your daughter. Sent away your son Quentyn. And left your son Trystane without a mother." He chuckled and shook his head. "My father, Stannis, is a better father than you Doran. And I'm saying this when I only see him once or twice in an entire year. Is the future so precious to you that you would piss away your present in its pursuit?"
Doran looked thoughtful at his words before he went back to playing the game. "If you're quite mocking my skills as a father. Then I would like to move on to the main reason why I called you here."
He moved his Elephant to the side and took out one of his Trebuchets. Losing his Elephant in the process but giving more free range to his Dragon. "And what reason would that be?" He asked, even though he had a good idea of what it was.
"Rumours about your miraculous blessings have spread throughout Westeros. Blessings that can heal any wounds. Cure any disease or infection. Or even regrow lost limbs." Prince Doran said. "Yet, you've only given your blessings to House Penrose and House Tarth in your entire voyage. Houses that you've signed rather lucrative trade deals with."
He nodded. "House Penrose offered to supply me with a regular shipment of wood for the next 20 years. And Lord Tarth promised me something… even more valuable."
"Something even more valuable?" Doran asked, looking at him curiously but it was his turn to remain silent.
Doran stared at him for a long moment, searching for answers in his demeanour, but he found nothing and accepted his defeat with a calm nod. "I do not know what could be more valuable than a regular shipment of wood, especially since Tarth is said to be a rather barren Island but your secrets are yours Prince Stephen. Though it makes me wonder, what sort of deal would I have to sign to get these blessings for me and my people?"
"How about the rest of the Sand sisters?"
Doran stared at him for a long moment before he shook his head. "I will not sell my nieces for a trade deal. Even "
He smiled and raised his hands in surrender. "I was joking. Tyene, Sarella and Asha are already more than I can deal with. No, I do not want more women in my life right now."
"Then what do you want?" Prince Doran asked and he smiled, showing his teeth in a shark like grin.
"I'm glad you asked." He said as he took out a parchment from his pocket and put it in front of Doran. "Here are my 'requests'."
Doran took the parchment and started reading it, his eyes getting wider and wider the more he read until there was a visible veins throbbing in his forehead as Doran put down the parchment and glared at him.
"This is preposterous." Doran said.
"Is it? I would like to think that it's a fairly lucrative deal that'll benefit all of us."
"The part where you gain a complete monopoly of some of the most lucrative products and raw materials produced by Dorne." Doran said, some of his anger leaking through as he waved the parchment in front of his face. "The part where all Dornish ships would be 'required' to dock in Dragonstone when passing through that area. The part where your merchants would be exempt from paying any trade tax to Dorne. Should I continue?"
"And I assume you forgot to read the part when I promised to pay fair price for all your products. The part where I offered free docking and discount repair for your ships. Or the part where I said that I'll also remove any trade tax for products that I sell to Dornish merchants. Should I go on?"
Doran shook his head. "I read all that. And on paper, the deal seems fair enough. But this gives you too much power over Dorne. Not to mention all the gold you'll earn from such a deal."
"Power that you can take away if I break the contract from my side." He pointed out. "And Dragonstone will not be the only one benefitting from this deal. Dorne will benefit greatly from it as well."
Doran shook his head again. "No. This deal is too heavily skewed in your favour. If you want me to sign it then you need to make some changes and additions in it."
"On the contrary, I would say that I'm already being very generous with that contract." He said with a cold face even though he was inwardly smiling.
Whether Doran knew this or not, they had already reached the negotiation part of the contract. And with how his high Negotiation and other supporting skills were, the fact that the negotiation would end up in his favour was a foregone conclusion.
Not that the contract would harm Dorne in any way. It would benefit them, really. But he won't provide them will too many benefits as Doran seems interested in getting.
"I want to buy a portion of the ships that you'll eventually produce in your new shipyards." Doran said as he put down the parchment on the table. "In discount, of course."
"That's impossible." He said and they dove into the negotiations.
…
It took over an entire hour of negotiations before both of them settled into an arrangement which wasn't that different from the one that he wanted Doran to sign anyway.
Doran was good at negotiation, but he was not a master at it. And he has been playing against Masters for over 2 years by this point.
Doran's gazed at him with a hint of respect as he signed the parchment while he did the same for himself.
"I'll have a servant make copies of these contracts." Doran said as he put the parchment away and went back to focusing on the game once again. He moved his Spearmen to take out his Rabble as he spoke. "You're really good at this. I can see how Dragonstone has prospered so much under your leadership."
"Flattering me will not get you anywhere." He said as he made his own moves.
Doran was really good at Cyvasse. But Doran had an Intelligence of 13, which, while impressive when compared to other humans, paled in comparison to his own Intelligence of 102.
That was a far greater difference in Intelligence than the difference between a toddler and an adult man.
If he knew absolutely nothing about this game, then Doran could've held a slight chance of winning the game. But with his knowledge of chess, his ability to hundreds of simulations in his mind, his multi tasking ability, and his other supporting skills made it so that Doran had absolutely no chance in winning this game.
"That was not my intention." Doran said as he sacrificed his rabble to protect his horse for two more turns. "Though I would like to know when you intend to hold your end of this deal." "This evening. At the Sept of Sunspear."
"You want to make this a public event?" Doran asked as he lost the last of his elephant to his Spearman.
"Yes. Healing only the Prince of Dorne would not look good for me. Better to heal everyone instead of just the Prince." He said as he manoeuvred his pieces around Doran's crumbling defence. "Bring in all the sick children, the crippled army veterans, and the decrepit old."
"I'll spread the word." Doran said and then tapped his fingers as his Heavy Horse took out Doran's Catapult and put his King in check.
"Death in two moves." He said and Doran stared at the game for a long moment before he stared up at him.
"Was this really your first time playing the Cyvasse?"
He nodded.
"You're a scary man Prince Stephen." Doran said as he bowed his head in defeat and started removing the pieces from the board.
As soon as Doran did that, he gained multiple notification screens in front of him.
he gained +1 stat to Int for learning Cyvasse. +1 bonus stat for
winning his first game of Cyvasse. +1 more for winning against a Master of Cyvasse.
A total of 3 Int points that took his Int stat from 102 to 103.
Noice!
"Then let's hope that we do not become enemies in the future Prince Doran." He said as he put his pieces to the side as well and got up from his seat. "This meeting has proved to be rather fruitful. I'll see you this evening in the Sept Prince Doran."
Doran nodded at his words and he turned and left the Water
Gardens, though not before taking his Sword with him.
CHAPTER 39- On God's Hammer
SARELLA SAND POV
She sat on the stairs leading to the main deck and went through the texts that Stephen had written for her. To give her a better understanding of the world.
Right now she was going through the chapter called 'Theory of Evolution', which explained how humans evolved from monkeys over the period of millions of years.
It was a hard concept for her to wrap her head around. Especially since she could not even imagine how long millions of years would actually be. But with well Stephen had explained this concept in this book she could definitely see it.
How those monkeys eventually started walking on two feet. How they started making use of their hands to make various tools. How such a thing led to the development of a more evolved brain over the period of a long time.
And despite Stephen not having any real proof on this theory, she certainly believed that it made far more sense than any of the other religious texts which gave an explanation on how humans came to be. Stephen also had chapters on how all life in the world came to be. How it all originated from the sea if you go back hundreds if not billions of years back into the past.
Hell, he even had an explanation for how the world came to be. About Earth being a hot glowing ball of magma which eventually cooled down enough to support life.
The notes he'd written for her were filled with things that she would have never even thought of if he hadn't told her.
About the smallest unit of any object being a thing called atom. The smallest unit of a living being is a thing known as a cell. About their planet being just one among many other planets that revolved around the Sun. About the law of gravity.
Stephen knew a lot of things. Things that he shouldn't know. Things, that in hindsight, made so such more sense.
She still didn't know how he knew all these things. And when she asked him, he refused to tell her.
In fact, he had made it a rule for her. If she wanted more of his knowledge, then she'll not ask him about its origin. Maybe someday he'll tell her but not today.
She was reading through the Natural Selection Theory part when Tyene came and sat down beside her, a wide innocent smile on her face as she started looking at the notebook as well.
She immediately closed the notebook at glared at her sister. "What do you want?" She asked, annoyed at her reading being interrupted.
"You're reading." Tyene told her with a pout. "You've done nothing but read ever since you came aboard this ship. You did not even leave it to visit Starfall. Edric Dayne was such a cute little boy. I even got to see the spot where Ashara Dayne is said to have jumped off from."
"I have no interest in cute little boys. Or Ashara's suicide spot." She huffed. "I would rather be reading and learning more about the vast and mysterious world every single day."
"But that's so boring." Tyene complained. "What are you even reading? Isn't that just something that Steph wrote for you. Is it really that interesting?"
"I find it interesting. It gives an explanation on why the world is round like a ball, instead of being flat like a plate." She said, hoping that Tyene won't ask to read the text since Stephen had strongly suggested that she doesn't show it to others.
Tyene scrunched up her nose at her words. "That's stupid. If the world was round then wouldn't we all just… fall off."
"Gravity keeps us in place." She explained. "Besides, the Dragonriders have known this for millennia before they were wiped out. As have the Maesters in Citadel. Though the Maesters simply keep this knowledge to themselves and don't reveal it to others."
Tyene gave her a very skeptical look but before she could continue bothering her, they heard the sound of steel clashing against steel.
She looked to the main Deck and saw that Stephen and Asha have started their evening spar.
It was only the both of them in the beginning but she knew that soon enough, the knights, squires, guards and even some of the sailors would come down to join him, a few at a time.
She and Tyene did have their mandatory spars in the morning. But they were exempt from the evening spars, since she was personally more interested in reading while Tyene was more interested in maintaining her figure and practicing with her poison.
"I don't get it." Tyene said, breaking her out of her thoughts as Stephen swapped out his sparring partner with three knights. "Why does he train so hard? He's already the best in Westeros, isn't he?" "He said that he is training is 'Trainer Skill'." She said, remembering what Stephen had told her all those days ago when she asked him the same question.
He had a strange way of talking about things like that. When he's singing, he'll say that he's levelling up his Singing skill. When he's playing a lute, he'll say that he's levelling up his Lute Playing skill. But successful people were allowed their eccentricities and no one had called out Stephen on his weird behaviours so far.
"I would rather that he spend more time with me." Tyene said with another pout as she leaned against her and put her head on her shoulder. "It is so boring on this ship. And the other knights are all so cautious around me."
"They know that you're their Prince's woman and don't want to do anything that'll offend Stephen." She said as she gently brushed Tyene's hair. She and Tyene weren't as close as Tyene and Arianne. But Tyene was still her little sister. "Plus, don't you always spend the nights with him."
"If you spending nights with him, you mean spending an hour getting fucked into oblivion and then being kicked out of his room, then, yes." Tyene said with another pout before she tried to bite her shoulder, getting a smack on the head for her attempt.
"Let me guess, you want to cuddle with him." She said as Tyene put her head on her lap and stared at the spar taking place in the distance.
"Yes." Tyene said, the pout never leaving her face.
She'd never thought that Tyene would turn out to be the kind of girl who'd want to cuddle with the boy she slept with.
"Maybe he just wants to rest on his own." She said and then cringed as she immediately saw a giant hole in her own explanation.
Tyene turned her head to glare at her before she went back to glare at the people sparring in the distance. Or at one young woman in particular. "He doesn't kick that squid bitch out of his bedroom."
"Tyene…" She said softly, not knowing how to explain this to her little sister. That despite her status as a prisoner in all but name, Asha was still the daughter of a Great House. Even if that Great House was greatly diminished these days. While Tyene was merely the bastard daughter of a second son. Their status weren't the same. "Asha has been together with him for far longer than he has been with you." She said in the end. "Of course he'll have favourites."
Being this sympathetic to Tyene felt strange to her since Tyene always caused trouble for her back in Sunspear. But since there were the only two Sand Snakes in this ship, they needed to stick together. That's what their father would expect from them.
"Maybe I should poison that bitch." Tyene said conversationally and her heart skipped a beat as she quickly took Tyene's cheeks in her hands and forced her to look in her eyes.
"Tyene. You're the only poison practitioner in this ship. If someone poisoned Asha then it'll be clear to everyone that you did it. For the love of our father, please don't do anything stupid." She all but begged.
Tyene nodded. "I wasn't going to. Not in this ship at least. Though maybe once we're in Oldtown…" She pulled at Tyene's cheeks and Tyene immediately started to thrash around in her grasp. "Ow ow ow owowow."
"Will you do it?" She asked Tyene who gave her a teary eyed pout. She'd lived with Tyene for long enough to see through her facade though. "Will you?" She asked, putting some force in her pinch and Tyene sigh in defeat.
"Okay okay, I won't. I won't poison that squid bitch. There. Are you happy now?"
She nodded and let go of her sister who immediately moved away from her in fear of another cheek pulling session.
"I will poison you though." Tyene grumbled at her and she narrowed her eyes at her little sister. Her fingers inched toward Tyene's cheeks who immediately bolted away from the stairs and into the main deck while she got up and gave chase.
Their chase eventually came to a stop when they saw a large castle sitting on top of a rocky outcropping along the coastal line.
"That's Three Towers." She told Tyene who probably knew very little about the geography of the Reach. "Seat of House costayne. A vassal house to House Hightower. If it is here, then it means that we're only two or three days away from Oldtown."
Tyene side glanced at her. "You must be very excited. You've always wanted to go to the Citadel."
"Perhaps." She said, not sure if she still wanted to go to the
Citadel any more.
Sure, that place is bound to be a treasure trove of information. But she doubted that all the books and scrolls they held could teach her even a fraction of what she'd learned from studying Stephen's notes. "We'll have to wait and see." She said in the end before she noticed the sun finally dipping below the horizon and decided to go back to her room in order to escape the chilly winds.
—————
That evening.
"Aanh~ By the drowned gods Steph. Yes, right there, right there. Oh… yes~ yes yes yesYesYES!!"
She put a pillow over her ear and tried to muffle the sounds filtering through the wooden walls separating her and Tyene's shared cabin from Stephen's.
The sound of flesh slapping against flesh became faster and faster, and with a loud cry, Asha finally came and she was finally able to get some blissful silence. A silence that she knew would not last long.
True to her thoughts, the sound of flesh slapping against flesh soon started to filter through once again. Except this time, it was her sister who was moaning in pleasure instead of Asha Greyjoy.
The pillow was definitely not working so she threw it to the side, the sound of their becoming clear to her once again, and tried to distract herself with something else in her room.
Over in the Tyene's side of the room, she could see the three bamboo cages that Tyene had brought with her. The cages that held a Black Adder. A Horned Desert Viper, and a sandy Rattlesnake.
Aside from that, there were a few smaller cages which held poisonous spiders, toads, beetles, and a dozen poisonous plants that Tyene used in her poison experiments.
She had been really creeped out when Tyene first brought all that inside their shared room. And even now, she felt that having all these poisonous snakes and insects were merely a disaster waiting to happen. But she'd become better at ignoring them over time.
Right now, as she heard her sister being fucked by Stephen, she wished that those poisonous creatures would distract her even half as badly as they did on the first day.
Alas, it was all for nothing and she was forced to do her best not to imagine what was going on in the other room.
Her efforts failed when her mind started to conjure images of the various styles and poses that her sister might be getting fucked in right now.
She squelching sounds as Stephen's giant monster of a cock speared in and out of her sister's tiny pussy. The groaning of the wooden bed as it tried to keep up with its occupant's frantic sex sessions. The squeals and moans escaping her sister's lips. The slapping sounds as Stephen's hips slammed against Tyene's ass against again and again…
It was all too much for her.
And just like the last few nights, she eventually lost the battle of the will and her hand inadvertently slipped inside her trousers. Her fingers traced through her thick, fuzzy mons before they reached her slick, velvety folds.
The tip of her finger brushed passed her tiny nub and back arched in pleasure as she thought of Stephen hovering over her. She imagined how it would feel to have his strong arms wrapped around her thin waist. How it would feel to look into his crystal blue eyes as he gave her a smirk and shoved his thick hard cock inside her vagina.
She bit into her pillow and muffled her moans as she pushed one of her fingers inside her folds. Her ears picked up on her sister's cries of pleasure and she imagined that it was in her in that room, getting pounded by Stephen as she inserted another finger inside her sacred place, rubbing it against her pleasure points as her other hand slipped inside her tunic and played with her breast.
There was a time when she took a hidden measure pride in the fact that she was still a virgin. A pure maiden, unlike her other sisters who'd already lost their virginities.
Listening to her own sister getting fucked, using that sound to imagine being fucked by Stephen and then using that image to get herself off didn't make her feel like a pure maiden.
It made her feel like a degenerate. And she once again wondered if there was some truth to her father's words about being free with their desires.
Then she couldn't think anymore as Tyene's moans took on a new mewling pitch, and her own fingers started to move faster in response, overloading her brain with pleasure and images of Stephen pounding her needy cunt until it finally became too much she shuddered, her eyes going to the back of her head as she released all the tension and stress that had been building up in the back of her mind throughout the day.
In the adjacent room, Tyene let out one final cry of pleasure before all sounds died down in that room as well.
She took a few deep breaths before she took a handkerchief and started wiping her feminine juices from her pussy and fingers, blaming
Stephen for making her desperate like this.
He knew exactly what he was doing to her. He knew what she needed. But before the start of their journey, he'd told her that he won't touch her until she asked for it. And he'd held to his words, much to her growing annoyance.
Then she heard the sound of footsteps from Stephen's cabin and quickly covered herself with the blanket and pretended to sleep.
Soon enough, she heard the door to Stephen's cabin being opened, following which, the door to her room opened soon enough.
She heard Stephen's heavy footsteps and peeked out from within her blanket as he walked inside and then deposited a snoring Tyene into her bed.
Then he turned and was about to walk out of the door before he paused and turned to look in her direction. She prayed that he wasn't able to see her in the dark of the room, but his next words disabused her of that notion.
"You know, I can smell you from here. I can smell what you just did." He said, a humorous tilt to his voice and she just knew that the bastard was smirking at her right now. "You should join us sometime instead of staying hidden in your room."
She remained quiet, hoping that he wasn't aware that she was actually awake and that he was just saying these things.
As if reading her thoughts, he chuckled. "Very well. Good night Sarella." He said in a seductive voice that made her wet all over again before he walked out, closing the door behind him.
She took a deep breath as soon as she heard him enter his own room and looked out of her blanket to see that Tyene was still sleeping soundly.
Then she felt the growing heat in her core and sighed as she pushed her trousers to her knees so that he could get better access to her pussy.
Sleep won't come easy to her that night. Just like it hadn't in the past few days.
—————
Two days later.
She entered Stephen's office in the ship. A decent sized cabin without the excess gaudiness that she'd seen in the ship of her own mother.
The room had the bare essential of things, and was mostly filled with books, detailed charts, scrolls, old tomes, wooden chests, a few rudimentary compass, and other odds and ends trinkets.
Stephen was sitting behind his mahogany table, writing on an empty notebook before he noticed her presence and paused.
He looked up and silently gestured for her to take a seat before he went back to working.
She took a seat beside his own and deposited the papers she was carrying on top of the desk before she gazed at him.
Stephen, as always, was writing in perfect calligraphy. His handwriting was so clean, methodical and elegant that it made her somewhat decent writing look like chicken scrawl in comparison.
And instead of writing slowly, like all the scribes usually did, he was writing in a speed that was near blur to her eyes. Finishing entire paragraphs within seconds and entire pages in the time it took her to read that single paragraph.
It wasn't the big things about Stephen that clued you in to his… 'specialness'. No display of shining swords, or the slaughter of an entire army (mostly because he never displayed those abilities), but small things like these.
Small things that don't sound all that impressive when you hear it from someone else.
So he can write a little faster than other scribes? What of it? So he can write in perfect calligraphy without ever making a single mistake? What of it?
Yes, these things don't sound particularly impressive when hearing from a third person. So it's not until you see Stephen with your own eyes that you truly understand the magnitude of things.
"Is there something on my face?" Stephen asked and she blushed as she realised that he had stopped writing and was now staring at her instead.
"No." She said as she cleared her throat, trying to dispel her embarrassment. "I was just wondering what you were writing."
Stephen raised an unimpressed brow, letting her know that he won't be fooled by such an obvious lie. But he played along with her as he showed her some of the diagrams that he'd etched onto the papers he was writing on.
It looked like a strange mechanical contraption with multiple glass lens and a candle as a source of light. It looked similar yet very different from a conventional Fareye.
"What is it?" She asked.
"It's a microscope." Stephen said as he showed her a few more diagrams, each slightly different from one another. "If my calculations are right and it works as it should, then it should allow us to see tiny micro living beings with perfect clarity."
"So it's… like a far eye. Except instead of helping us see further things closer, it helps us see small things more clearly." She asked, surprised at the idea of someone creating something like this.
"Yes." Stephen nodded, a proud smile on his face as he stared at her and she tried not to blush once again. Why did the gods have to make him so handsome? It was unfair. "Once it is created, I'll be able to show you all the cells and micro organisms I wrote about in my notes."
"Those bekteria and vyruss things."
"Bacteria and virus. Among many other things, yes." Stephen said before he sighed. "Though all these diagrams are practically useless until I get my hand on a talented glass maker from Myr. Not to mention that fact that I'll have to set up an entire glass making factory for him as well. This is not going to be a cheap venture by any means."
"I don't think the Myrish people will just give away one of their Glassmakers to you." She pointed out. "They are very proud of their monopoly over luxury glass products."
Stephen shrugged. "I know. I'll probably have to sneak inside Myrish and kidnap one of their slave glassmaker. Probably an old dude who felt bitter for working under slave owners and had nothing to lose."
She opened her mouth to tell him that sneaking inside Myr glass factories and stealing a worker would be difficult and downright impossible. But then she shut her mouth as she remember him showing her the Glass Candles, and explaining how he snuck inside Citadel in order to steal them.
She had no idea how he was able to transverse the distance between Dragonstone and Oldtown and she decided to not to ask about it.
It was just going to be one of their many unspoken secrets. A secret that he'll probably reveal to her when she had gained more of his trust. But till then, she could only stay quiet and be patient.
"I see." She said instead before she remembered that she had been summoned here and asked. "Was there something you needed from me?"
Stephen nodded and gave her three different stacks of papers. "These are the outlines of three books I'm writing for uneducated children. The books are History, Geography, and Common Tongue. I want you to read these. And give me your thoughts on them from the point of view of a normal uneducated child. Are these books too hard? Is the concept too unique or difficult to grasp? Are any of the chapters unnecessary. So on and so forth."
"Books for uneducated children? You mean these are the textbooks that you'll use in your school?" She asked, feeling a little excited and Stephen nodded.
"Well, these are not for the 1st or 2nd class students as those students will mostly be learning the alphabets, or how to write in full sentences and paragraphs. But yes. This is the 3rd year curriculum. Please read them and give me your thoughts on them."
"Right here?" She asked.
Stephen shrugged. "You can do it right here or take them with you and give me a review later. I don't mind either way."
She nodded and quickly started to skim through the first stack of papers.
It was the stack of Paper called Common Tongue. And the stack mostly consisted of short stories, followed by a few questions at the end of each story in regards to that story.
The stories themselves were fairly entertaining and she found herself getting lost in between them.
The first story was about a man who dropped an axe into a lake. And when the crone appeared and offered him a gold, a silver and an iron axe, he chose the iron axe which actually belonged to him. Impressed by his honesty, the crone gave him all three axe.
The second story was about a race between a hare and a tortoise. A race which the tortoise win through continuous diligence while the hare lazed around.
the third story was about a boy who cried wolf. Who lost the trust of his villagers due to his continuous lies. The fourth about Fox and the Stork which showed the value of treating your guests with respect. So on and so forth.
She quickly realised a very common theme between all these stories. Not only were they were entertaining to read. But each one of these stories also taught lessons on the importance of having good values and a moral character.
It was a clever idea, she realised. For having an educated populace would not be very useful if that populace is not virtuous as well.
She was reading the story of a girl named Cinderella when
Stephen suddenly paused writing and sat up straight on his chair.
She looked at him curiously and he spoke. "Sarella, would you please close the door and tell the guards not to disturb me for the next half an hour."
She nodded and did she. Once she'd bolted the door, she turned and was surprised that Stephen had taken out a glowing Glass Candle from within his desk.
He was gazing at the glass candle, his eyes slightly dim and unfocused, his body utterly still. She wondered what he was seeing right now. Was he talking with Melisandre, who had one of the Glass Candles as well.
She had no answers to her questions and she knew better to disturb him so she quietly sat back down on her chair and waited for him finish his talk. Or whatever he was doing with the glass candle. About ten minutes passed by before the Glass Candle stopped glowing and Stephen blinked his eyes and shook his head. As if just waking up from a deep sleep.
She looked at him curiously, her mind burning with so many questions. This was the first time she's seen him use the Glass Candle
after all.
"Who was it?" She asked as Stephen opened a secret panel in his desk and put the Glass Candle inside it. "Was it Melisandre? Or were you doing something else with the candle. Were you spying on someone, or using it for communication. Can you truly use it to invade someone's dream. How does it-"
"One question at a time Sarella." Stephen spoke up, interrupting her tirade before he closed the hidden panel and glanced at her. "And yes, it was Mel."
"What was she talking about? How did you know that she was trying to communicate with you? Is it magic? Do you have a magical sense that tells you-"
"Please Sarella. One question at a time." Stephen said, giving her a mildly reproachful look. "Yes, I have a magical sense. That's how I knew that she was trying to communicate with my through the Glass Candle. As for what she was talking about. Most of it is secret. But the main topic was that King Robert and his entourage has finally reached Kings Landing."
"Wait. You're telling me that King Robert only reached Kings Landing today. Didn't they set out from Casterly Rock like… 3 moons ago? Does it really take that long for some to travel that distance?"
"Not really." Stephen said with a shrug. "But it seems like His Grace decided to feast and hunt in almost every single holdfast he visited on the way. Extending his time away from the city for as long as possible. With how much he hates ruling, I can't say I'm surprised."
"I see." She said with a frown. "I didn't know that King Robert hated ruling."
"Well, now you do. He spends almost all his time hunting, drinking or whoring and gives most of the duty and responsibility to Jon Arryn and his other small council members." Stephen said before he paused. "Oh, and he also loves to hold Tourneys, which is admittedly what he's doing once again now that he's back. Though it'll take a moon's worth of time for the participants to arrive and for the tourney to actually begin."
She gave Stephen a curious glance. "Do you not want to participate in that tourney. I've heard that the King is rather generous with the purses of the Tourney winners."
"Generous is an understatement." Stephen said with a scoff "Exorbitantly lavish is the word you're looking for. He gives a King's ransom worth of gold to the winner of the Archery contest. And the prizes only further increase in value from that point on for the Melee and Joust winners."
"I did not know that." She said slowly. "And you're sure that you still don't want to participate?"
"I'll participate in them once I'm a little older. And even then, I'll have to make sure that I don't participate in every tournament, lest the other knights and lords lose any of hope of winning, and start hating me for it." Stephen said before he paused and sniffed the air.
"Is something wrong?" She asked and he shook his head.
"No. But we're very close to the city. I can smell it from here."
His words made her flush slightly as she remember him talking about 'smelling' her two days ago.
she sniffed the air as well but couldn't find any difference in the smell. But then again, Stephen's sense of smell was supernaturally good, just like his everything else.
"How close are we?" She asked.
"A couple of hours." Stephen said as he gazed outside the window at the evening sky. "We should reach there before nightfall."
True to Stephen's words, it took an hour before the burning top of Hightower became visible to them over the distant horizon. And another hour before they finally reached Oldtown where a party led by Ser Garth 'Greysteel' Hightower was waiting to welcome them into the city.