17

Sometime later in the Crownlands, with Melisandre…

After having a rather lengthy discussion with Lord Beric about a number of things, most of which had to do with their duties as pieces for their liege to use in the greater game he would play in the future, it was decided, or rather accepted, that the Brotherhood Without Banners would make the journey to the Targaryen encampment that was stationed along the Gold Road.

At first, Lord Beric was rather insistent about going directly to their liege, who Melisandre could feel was more south, but after being reminded that they still had the task of retrieving one last champion, the man grumbled his agreement.

The champions.

That had been a particularly interesting piece of information to learn about even for an experienced red priestess like Melisandre.

On one of the nights after receiving the vision of R'hllor's chosen (though her lord implied that Perseus was so much more than just that) Melisandre had been given yet another revelation.

On the path toward the future where Perseus would inevitably lead the army of light against the army of darkness, he would nurture numerous champions who would become the unbreakable pillars to his strength.

She had already begun her given task by collecting two of the three champions she was to bring to her lord, those two being Edric and Arya.

Two champions that she knew would one day serve as both the sword that would courageously cut down armies and the dagger that would discreetly discard any would-be threats.

Though in all honesty, at the moment Melisandre was having trouble keeping faith in these two champions being able to fulfill their destinies.

"What's the point of having you on the hunt if you don't even have the balls to kill a single hare!" Arya exclaims loudly as she plops down next to the fire Melisandre was tending to.

The ever downtrodden Edric also took a seat by the fire next to his companion. "It's not like I can't hunt, Arya! I just don't see why we can't collect more berries instead." He murmurs, carrying a small sack of berries.

"Berries aren't going to fill our stomachs, fool. You're lucky I managed to trap something or we'd all be going to sleep hungry because of you!" Arya says bitingly as she begins using her dagger to begin skinning the three dead hares she had managed to catch.

As Melisandre carefully tended to the flames, she couldn't help but grow a small smile of amusement at the two's bickering which was as natural as the sun rising in the east.

"I understand that you can't bear to kill another living being. But what young Arya says is true, young Edric. We need to eat meat in order to grow stronger." Melisandre says softly as she looks at the small boy.

Edric's strawberry blonde hair shadowed his soft, blue eyes as he lowered his head in shame. "I know, but isn't there another way?" He asks quietly.

"There is another way actually, you can stop being such a crybaby!" Arya shot at her friend, before huffing at the chastising look the red priestess sends her.

Melisandre turned back to look at the boy who looked to be on the verge of tears.

It was somewhat concerning to see one of her liege's future champions be so soft hearted.

The many terrors they would face in the distant future would require them to be of such a high degree of strength, both physically and mentally, that nothing they faced would be able to break them.

But looking at the frail, soft boy in front of her for once made Melisandre doubt her ability to discern the champions of her liege.

Had she made yet another mistake?

The orange flames began to tinge red as doubt tried to settle its way in the red priestess's heart.

But as she intently gazed at young Edric, who aimlessly used a twig to draw a solid figure armed with a sword standing against many twisted figures in the soil, she realized the deeper meanings in the boy's actions that perhaps he himself was yet to be aware of.

"Arya, Edric, both of you come with me." Melisandre tells the two children as she stands up to begin walking off into the nearby forest.

The two of them looked confused but eventually followed after the priestess.

The distance between the brotherhood's camp and them grew more and more as they followed her deeper into the forest. Until eventually, they were well into the thick of it.

"Tell us where we are going!" Arya finally says to her, stopping herself and Edric from walking any further.

Melisandre stopped and looked around at the small clearing they had come across in the midst of the thick trees and shrubbery that surrounded them before nodding in satisfaction.

Turning toward the two children, who tightly held their torches and either looked around in wariness or glared at her in suspicion, Melisandre chose to ignore Arya for the moment and spoke directly to Edric.

"I believe I now understand why you have trouble doing certain tasks, Edric." She says to the boy who looks at her with a confused but inquisitive look. "It's not because you lack the ability to do those things. You simply lack the will to use that ability to harm what you deem is innocent."

A nearby bush rustled, making the two children turn sharply in the direction of the noise, their postures defensive and alert.

But contrary to their imagination, the only thing to emerge from the bush was a brown hare.

The tension that had built in the two children slowly dissipated as they looked at the defenseless mammal.

"Aw, it's so cute!" Edric carefully walked over to gently bring the fluffy hare into his arms.

"Yes, more food!" Arya says in an excited tone as she joins her friend's side, her predatory mind no doubt already filled with mouth watering images.

Edric grew an immediate frown at his friend's words. "We've already gotten enough meat to feed us for the night, Arya." He reminds her.

"So? We'll need to eat tomorrow as well. We can just keep it in a cage until then." Arya points out.

"You want to imprison it before slaughtering it?!" Edric says aghast before he gently sets the hare down on the ground, "No, we're letting it free!"

But before the two could start their natural back and forth arguing, another nearby bush rustled before suddenly a blur of fur shot out from the bushel.

The children barely had a moment to gasp before a rather large, black furred wolf dashed right past them and directly at the brown hare that had been gradually hopping away.

Only a single squeak escaped the hare as it was suddenly swooped up in claws and teeth.

Frozen in fear, the two children stared wide eyed at the hungry wolf who happily gorged itself with its newly acquired meal.

Unbothered by the newest arrival, Melisandre again spoke directly to Edric. "But as you can see, young Edric, there are creatures that do not care about the innocent." She begins.

(OST)

"Some creatures willfully prey on the weak. In fact, they prefer to do so." The wolf leaned its head back and gave an ominous howl, as if to celebrate its easy accomplishment.

"In this world, terrors lurk in every shadow. It doesn't matter how long it takes, they'll patiently wait for the moment when the innocent are no longer protected by the light." A dangerous growl reverberated throughout the clearing as the wolf became aware of the three watchers.

"At that moment, as either a protector or an avenger, it will be upon those who dwell in the light to vanquish those that live in darkness." The savage beast slowly crept toward the two younglings, its tongue licking its bloody maw menacingly and in anticipation of another meal.

Melisandre intently watched as Edric gulped at the dark visage the beast in front of him gave off before he briefly glanced at Arya who looked completely frozen, unsure of what to do.

Then, something very intriguing happened. Instead of turning tail and running away like most his age, or even much older, would do, Edric went forward to stand in front of his friend protectively.

A strong and unbreakable determination filled the boy's eyes as he drew the only weapon he currently had which was the short dagger he usually carried for hunting.

The wolf gave a vicious snarl in response to the boy's defensive posture as it continued to stalk closer.

"Is he mad?" Arya breathes in shock and even Melisandre's expression turns to surprise when Edric matches the beast's movements and begins slowly walking forward with his dagger set firmly in front of him.

It was a foolish decision, and yet it was nonetheless a decision filled with such absolute courage that she began to see just how the boy would be one of the few who would stand by her liege's side against the greatest terrors of the night.

Her faith now fully restored, Melisandre picked up the torch the boy had dropped earlier. "Do you remember some of the prayers I say at night, young Arya?" She asked the still frozen girl who suddenly blinked herself out of her stupor as if awakened.

"What?" Arya replied dumbly, still looking at the fearsome beast and her friend that crept ever closer to each other.

"Pray with me." Melisandre tells the northern girl who grew a scowl.

"But I don't know your lord. I'm from the North. I was taught to pray to the Old Gods." Arya tells her.

"It matters not what you've been taught, only what is true. Simply pray to the Lord of Light to help your friend and he will help him." Melisandre smiles.

After a brief moment of indecision, Arya gained a resolute look. "Lord of Light, look down upon us." The girl started.

Her smile growing further, Melisandre then turned back ahead. "Lord of Light, defend us." She followed.

Edric and the beast began circling one another as the tension in the air grew thicker.

"Lord of Light, protect us in the darkness."

"Lord of Light, shine your face upon us."

Their torches began growing brighter, chasing away the darkness that had been lurking closer around them.

"Light your flame among us, R'hllor. Show us the truth of this man."

"Give strength to his sword, give wisdom to his mind and fill his heart with your flame."

Both Arya and Edric were shocked when the blade in his hands began slowly glowing with light until it shone brightly like a star though the light didn't bother their eyes at all.

While the black furred beast on the other hand snarled in irritation and anger as it was forced to avert its gaze from the shining dagger.

The darkness which had surrounded the wolf nearly entirely receded, revealing just how starved it had been.

Now that the light had revealed just how weak the foul creature truly was, a bold fire lit in Edric's eyes and his grip on his dagger grew firmer before he sprung into action.

The sight made Melisandre think of the vision that had been shown to her once before.

A vision where her liege fearlessly charged toward the army of darkness alongside the brave champions of the light. It made a satisfied smile creep onto Melisandre's face.

"For the night is dark and full of terrors."

For many generations, young aspiring warriors and knights would hear and regale the tale of when a young Edric Dayne battled against his first monster and slayed it with only a dagger.

(OST End)

oOo

Near Bitterbridge, with Perseus…

Initially, Perseus was supposed to head straight to the location where the coalition's forward base would be built.

But after hearing word of Stannis's departure from Dragonstone and impending siege of King's Landing, he chose to send Oberyn ahead with the Dornish cavalry while he met up with the Reach army at Bitterbridge bridge.

At first the Dornish prince was rather adamant in staying by his side, but after Tyene, someone his uncle apparently couldn't say no to, promised to guard him on the journey the man finally relented.

Though in hindsight, Perseus was sure that Oberyn had a very different view, at least when compared to that of his daughter, of what it meant to 'guard' someone.

A content sigh escaped Perseus's lips as he shifted on his seat and spread his legs wider in order to make more room for the blonde-haired Sand Snake that was currently kneeled between them.

Somewhere along the journey, Tyene had somehow gotten him to dismount from his horse at the lead of the march and into one of the carriages where she promptly unfastened his trousers and went to work trying to suck every bit of seed out of him as she possibly could.

…though to be fair, it was probably due to Perseus continuosly teasing her about how badly he had left her brain scrambled the night of the red feast.

He had heard of the fabled vengeance that the Dornish were infamous for, but who knew being the victim of said vengeance would feel so good.

"Ah, fuck!" Perseus groaned, when Tyene suddenly took him deeper into her throat than she previously had.

One his hands lazily shifted through Tyene's short locks as she continued working her magic. By now his spit shined cock was at full attention and gleaming in the sunlight that peered through the carriage window.

It had only been a couple nights since their first meeting and Tyene was already well on her way to one day being able to take all of him into her mouth.

Before, she had only been able to barely take under half of his cock, but now she could take a little over half of him if she tried hard to get his tip down her throat.

And try hard she did.

*Glurgh…slurp…glurgh*

"You weren't kidding when you said you loved sucking cock." Perseus comments as he leaned his head back, simply allowing the woman to continue slow fucking her face onto his cock.

The way the warrior-ess gurgled and slurped on his cock with such need made him start to think that she was becoming dependent on the taste of him.

And the obscene amounts of saliva cascading from her foaming mouth as she made it her mission to make the treatment as sloppy as she could seemed to be proof enough that she was.

Perseus knew he wasn't going to last much longer under such pressure. So after tightening his grip on the woman's hair and forcing her to gag in order to take another inch in her throat, his balls tightened before he began shooting a load of seed right down her gullet.

Willfully taking the roughness like the minx she was, only a few sputters came from the Sand Snake as she hungrily gulped down his virile seed, her teary blue eyes gazing up at him the entire time in endless wanton need.

When his release eventually came to an end, his grip on her head slackened, allowing Tyene to ever so slowly bring his cock from out of her throat, leaving behind a thick layer of spit.

As the woman began happily cleaning him with her mouth, Perseus grinned down at her. "I'm starting to think you only accompanied me on this journey for other reasons besides my protection." He chuckled.

Tyene gave him a downright lustful smile as she gave her cheek a few playful smacks with his cock. "I'd be a fool to pass up on the opportunity to have some of this magnificent cock." Her words made his manhood twitch.

In a flash, Perseus effortlessly picked the warrior-ess up by the waist and made her straddle his lap to which she immediately began grinding her bare cunt against his erection, making his throbbing girth slide back and forth in-between her slick lower lips.

Her stimulating actions made him growl and his hands went under her pleated leather skirt to give her bubbly ass a rough handling, before he wolfishly said. "And I'd be a selfish man not to share." They both knew that they were mere moments away from having another heated session until they were suddenly interrupted by the appearance of the second oldest Sand Snake.

"Sorry to interrupt, your majesty, but we're approaching Bitterbridge." Nymeria announced from the open side window of the carriage, the sly smile on her face making it clear that she didn't feel quite as sorry as she said she was.

Tyene gave a growl of frustration as she turned to her older sister. "But earlier you said that we were at least two hours away!" She said heatedly.

Unbothered by the venom in her younger sister's voice, Nymeria simply shrugged. "It seems we've arrived quicker than I anticipated." She said innocently, gaining an even more venomous look from her sibling.

Meanwhile, Perseus carefully lifted Tyene off of him. "I guess we'll have to finish this some other time." He says as he gradually begins fastening his trousers.

If looks could kill, Nymeria would be dead ten times over by the way Tyene was glaring daggers at her sister.

Leaving a grumbling Tyene to make herself presentable, Perseus stepped out of the carriage where he was met by Grey Worm and his horse which he swiftly mounted before riding out to the front of the marching army.

As Nymeria had said, it didn't take long for them to come upon the castle that sat some ways off the Rose Road.

He was greeted by Ser Garlan and a small contingent of troops who led them into the southern camp.

As they reached the command post, Perseus was met with the familiar sight of Willas, Lord Tarly, Margaery & Daenerys but also a Dornish woman who he hadn't met before.

And he certainly had to do a double take when he noticed just how gorgeous the woman was. She was easily one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, in both this world and the last.

But before he could think about the Dornish beauty for any longer as he dismounted his horse, Perseus was immediately forced to register the blur of silver that collided into his chest.

"Perseus!" Daenerys exclaimed joyously as she tightly hugged his midriff.

Unable to keep the warm smile from showing on his face, Perseus wrapped his arms around his aunt. "You nearly put me on my ass there, Dany. You've either been slacking off on your training or eating more while I was gone." He joked to which he promptly received a frown.

"I have not!" Daenerys pouted.

"Haven't been training or haven't been eating my meal portions?" Perseus grinned, receiving another glare.

"Flame brain!" Daenerys shot back, though without any real heat.

As Perseus continued to poke fun at his aunt, Willa's approached with a small smile. "It's good that you've arrived healthy and safely, your majesty. Word of your successful siege of Harrenhal spread like wildfire. Many believe that you secretly managed to hatch a dragon." He says with an amused undertone, most likely because he was one of the rare few that was aware of the fact that Perseus didn't need a dragon in order to rain down fire on their enemies.

"These rumors may be false, but they will certainly make our enemies more cautious to attack us. We could use their fear to our advantage and better consolidate our defensive positions, your grace." Lord Tarly advises him as he joins Willas's side.

Now admittedly Perseus hadn't planned on nearly razing Harrenhal to the ground, but after the deed was done he smartly took into account something like this happening. And so he fully intended to take advantage of the opportunity, but it was satisfying to know that he was around commanders who had similar trains of thought.

"We'll certainly be taking advantage of this opportunity, Lord Tarly. At the moment, I have Prince Oberyn Martell overseeing the development of our forward base. But before its completion we'll need to formulate a logistic scheme that will allow us to efficiently rotate our forces and supplies seamlessly between our bases. Go speak with our strategists, and make sure that no matter the method they come up with, we should be able to reinforce any of our bases with fresh troops and supplies at any time." Perseus told the brisk war veteran who simply bowed before departing to do as ordered.

Before he could tell one of the other present lords what he needed him to do, Margaery joined the conversation. "My utmost apologies for interrupting, your grace. But I can't help but wonder where my betrothed is?" She asks him.

Perseus stared at the woman for a moment and in the end he discerned that the concerned look on her face was genuine.

"Viserys is currently holding our position along the Gold Road. He'll be transferred to the forward base once a suitable replacement for his post is found." Perseus briefly told the girl who opened her mouth to speak once again but she was motioned to stay silent by her oldest brother.

"Worry not, sister. You and Prince Viserys will be reunited soon enough." Willas tells her before turning back to Perseus, "If it's not too much to ask, your grace, I was hoping we could go over some details about the joint naval operations that the Redwyne Fleet and Nymerian Fleet are going to be undertaking this week as well as go over a few options for potential allies."

Those subjects were certainly important matters that needed to be discussed sooner rather than later, but Perseus first wanted to see how Daenerys was doing.

"I'd be open to do that, but first I'd like to have some time with my aunt. It's been a short while since we've spoken." Perseus tells the heir who nods in understanding.

"Whenever is most convenient for you, your grace." Willas bowed politely.

As everyone went their separate ways, Perseus noticed that Tyene could be seen walking away with the beautiful Dornish woman from earlier.

Perseus and Daenerys began walking towards their tent, flanked by Grey Worm and Jon. "Who was that Dornish woman back there?" He asked.

"Her name is Arianne Martell, the princess and heir of Sunspear. Why?" An indecipherable look appeared on Daenerys's face as she sent him a side glance.

"Just curious." Perseus shrugged before first guiding her inside of their tent then nodding gratefully to Grey Worm and Jon, who both took post at the entrance.

Once inside of the tent, Perseus wondered if someone with OCD had done a checkup on the space and decided that the way things had been couldn't continue to be.

All of their belongings were organized into a far more neat and simple manner as opposed to it just being randomly placed together like previously.

Perseus's eyebrows rose as he looked at Daenerys. "Did you do all of this?" He asked his aunt, receiving a hesitant nod in return as if she was afraid he wouldn't like the way things were.

As if he would complain about someone cleaning up after him. Perseus had never been a slob, his old stepfather made him despise the idea of ever being similar to that, but he wasn't the most organized individual mainly due to his ADHD.

He gave her a warm smile."You did a really good job. Thank you, Dany!" He didn't have the time to make sure everything he owned was in the best and right place so he was genuinely happy that she had done something that she didn't have to do.

Perseus learned long ago that Daenerys was one of those people who enjoyed praise. So predictably, a red flush enveloped Daenerys's cheeks as she murmured a reply. "T-thanks." She cutely shifted on her toes, her hands fidgeting with each other.

Perseus couldn't help but chuckle at his aunt's endearing demeanor.

And perhaps it was because of his recent 'awakening' that had made him feel much bolder, but a grin grew on his lips as he stepped in close to her.

"Were you expecting more than a simple thank you?" Perseus asks, teasingly.

"N-no, I wasn't!" His aunt hastily refuted.

"Really?" The grin on his face grew bolder as he gripped her waist with both hands. "So you're saying that you wouldn't want me to thank you in another way?"

"W-well…" She couldn't seem to find her answer quick enough so Perseus's hands slowly lowered to her hips, his ring and pinky fingers coming to rest just on top of her backside.

He knew from experience that under her one-shoulder dress hid a waist-hip ratio that formed a visually pleasing ass that was pear shaped and plump.

All in all, Perseus would be lying if he said that he didn't want to know how Daenerys's delectable ass felt in his palms.

So it didn't take much acting for him to give his aunt a smoldering look as he drew her hips closer to his.

By this point, Daenerys was fighting hard to maintain his gaze. Her cheeks were practically on fire and her breathing out of rhythm as her eyes flickered down to the small space that was left between them.

"Would you not?" Perseus says, his husky tone holding a mixture of teasing but also of a genuine curiosity.

Before his awakening, he had always blamed some external reason as the problem for why he couldn't get closer to Daenerys as he wished to do.

But now he couldn't help but wonder why he had acted so hesitantly. It's not as if he were lacking in any department that wasn't based on subjective opinion.

Objectively, he was strong, good-looking and though there was much to be learned when it came to academics, his problem solving skills were world-class.

These thoughts had never occurred to him before his change but at the moment he didn't care about the how.

In the last week or so, Perseus felt the most comfortable he'd ever been since waking up on that fateful night in Myr. It felt good to not think so much and to be brash and simply go with the wind, like fire.

"…well, I-I mean-" Daenerys began to quietly murmur as she continued looking around at everything except him, an action he swiftly fixed by using his thumb and index finger to direct and tilt her chin up toward him.

Her purple eyes were filled with a maelstrom of emotion as they held gazes. "-I wouldn't mind." She finally managed to say.

All of the Valyrian steel in the world wouldn't have been enough to break the grin on Perseus's face at her confirmation.

His eyes flickered down to her full lips and just when he was about to lean down to answer a question that had been on his mind for quite some time, someone stepped into the tent.

Perseus was sure his eyes held murderous intent, because the soldier, who he recognized to be one of the Unsullied, immediately straightened up and saluted.

"Apologies, my king! But Lord Willas said that he needed to speak with you immediately about something very important relating to 'the goal'. He said you would understand what he means." The soldier reported.

To say that Perseus was annoyed by the interruption was an understatement. But the matter did sound rather serious since it was about their goal of unifying Westeros.

The tension he had, at first, jokingly built up with Daenerys turned out to be very real. He saw in her eyes too that she was feeling the intensity of the moment.

But before he could make his decision, he felt Daenerys gently place her hands on his chest causing him to look back at her. "It's alright, Perseus, go talk with Willas. " She tells him.

"I'd much rather be here with you." Perseus says honestly, which gained him one of the most beautiful smiles he'd ever seen.

"And so would I. But first, you have to uphold your duties to the people who put their faith in you." Daenerys says.

Her point was a rather good one, and unfortunately Perseus was never one to ignore a call to duty. Especially when that duty would greatly benefit the future of his loved ones.

"Tell Willas, I'll be with him shortly." Perseus ordered the soldier who nodded before leaving.

But he also would be damned if he let such a moment slip by without any action on his part.

So with a firm hand, Perseus cupped Daenerys's cheek before leaning down to gently claim her lips.

Before closing his eyes, he briefly registered her look of shock before her taken aback expression morphed into one of pure bliss.

Pulling her into his chest to deepen the chaste kiss, Perseus couldn't help but relish in the experience. Her lips tasted sweet like apples and felt softer than cotton.

Elysian.

It was the only word that came to Perseus's mind at that moment.

But unfortunately, Perseus eventually separated from Daenerys.

As both of them caught their breath, he could tell that they each felt that the moment was over far too quickly.

Still only a hair apart from each other's faces, Daenerys breathed out softly. "Recently, I've begun to favor you greatly. Does this mean that you favor me as well?" She questions.

"I do." Perseus says truthfully to which she gives him another one of her beautiful smiles.

"I thought this moment would never happen. I thought I wouldnt be able to make you see me as a woman." Daenerys admitted to him.

His hand still caressing her cheek, Perseus relied softly. "No matter who I meet or whatever may happen in the future, you will always be the most beautiful woman I've ever met in both body and soul, Daenerys Stormborn." As they were still chest to chest, he felt when her heart fluttered at his sincere words.

But a small glimmer of doubt ran across her face as well. "Your words warm my heart so much, Perseus. But I've heard something similar before. I can't help but be afraid that such words will prove to be false once again." She whispered, her voice cracking in a rare show of frailty.

Using his already suspended hand, Perseus held out his pinky finger with a warm smile.

Reminded of their oldest tradition, a joyful smile bloomed on Daenerys's face before she joined her pinky to his.

"Pinky promised." They looked warmly into each other's eyes for a moment longer before they embraced and their lips met once again.

Knowing that he meant every word that he had said, Perseus knew that after today their relationship would never go back to how it was before.

Daenerys Stormborn had been given a key to Perseus Targaryen's heart, and he would have it no other way.

oOo

Elsewhere in camp, with Arianne…

Arianne Martell was going to fuck Perseus Targaryen.

In reality, her mind had already been decided on the matter the moment she saw how powerful and handsome he looked riding into camp with a Dornish army at his back.

But once she saw how natural it looked for him to start giving out commands that he fully expected to be followed, she knew that the inevitable night of their coupling would be one to remember.

Hells, she nearly had to force herself to stop from jumping into his arms right then and there. Oh how she envied Princess Daenerys for having the familiarity to do that.

"He's everything I envisioned him to be." Arianne says, mostly to herself, though her favorite cousin, Tyene, who walked alongside her as they made their way to her tent, heard her words.

"Trust me, cousin. You've seen nothing yet." Tyene's cryptic tone made Arianne's head snap towards her, giving her view of the mischievous smile that she knew held secrets that would make her explode if kept hidden.

Unfortunately, Areo was accompanying them and he was the last person she wanted to hear the conversation they were about to have.

Practically biting her tongue the whole way, Arianne waited until she and Tyene had stepped inside of the tent before she immediately began questioning her relative.

"Have you fucked him?" Arianne quickly asks her cousin as they sit down on her bed.

A sweet smile adorned Tyene's face as she rested her chin on her hands. "What do you think?" She asks teasingly.

A slight frown formed on Arianne's brow. "Ty." She warns dangerously.

"Fine, fine. Don't go all scary princess on me, Ari." Tyene giggled. "Yes, I fucked Perseus. Or rather, he fucked me. At some point I had no choice but to just lay there and take it."

The first bit of information wasn't really surprising, after all the moment she knew her cousins were going to meet at Harrenhal she knew that them having sex was basically inevitable, but the second piece of information was very much surprising.

Because for as long as they had been sexually active, none of their past partners had been able to fully, or even halfway, keep up with their needs, so they were basically the ones doing all of the fucking while their partners had simply been getting fucked.

But now apparently that dynamic and dissatisfaction would soon change. Which was something she never thought she would ever hear.

So it was honestly hard to believe that her cousin had essentially been bested. "Was he that good?" Arianne said, some doubt in her tone.

"Gods, he's far more than just good. I wasn't even able to think clearly for most of it." A look of pure satisfaction was on Tyene's face.

Arianne hummed noncommittally, not yet wanting to get her hopes too high. "And his cock?" She asks.

At her question, Tyene closed her eyes with a sigh as she collapsed onto her back. "How can I even describe it other than that it was the best cock I've ever-no, will ever have. It was so thick and long and it stuffed every bit of space left in me." Her cousin practically mewled while rubbing her lower stomach area as if re-imagining that magical moment.

Meanwhile, a yearning feeling began warming Arianne's core at her cousin's testimony, making her shift on the bed.

She was getting so aroused at the thought of bedding Perseus that she was very tempted to just sneak into his tent at sundown.

But Arianne doubted she would be able to get past his guards without drawing unwanted attention seeing as how the Unsullied were supposed to be a bunch of stone cold, warrior eunuchs.

Also, the Targaryen princess would be in the tent and while she wouldn't mind a threefold session, she doubted the other girl would do such a thing so soon.

"How long is Perseus going to stay in camp?" Arianne asks.

Tyene put her finger to her chin thoughtfully. "I remember him speaking with my father about establishing the forward base before he makes his next move. So probably a fortnight? Maybe a bit more." She guessed.

Already planning on how to get Perseus into her bed, Arianne's silent musings were interrupted by the arrival of Areo, who entered her tent with his ever present scowl.

"A message from your father has arrived for you, Princess." Areo gruffly informed her, holding out a sealed letter for her to take.

Arianne tsked as she took the letter from the houseguard captain who promptly left. "What could he possibly want?" She huffed, feeling annoyed that her musings had been interrupted.

Opening the letter, Arianne began to read aloud so that her favorite cousin could hear as well.

To my eldest child and my only daughter Arianne,

I have been informed of your safe arrival at the Targaryen's encampment at Bitterbridge. This news has brought me much joy. I had been worried that our enemies would try to use this as an opportunity to strike at us.

Arianne stopped reading to let out a dry eye roll. "Who would even think to try and kidnap the Crown Princess of Dorne while she's being accompanied by an army of Dornishmen?" She asks rhetorically, drawing a giggle from her cousin.

Continuing, Arianne read.

But I must remind you that now is not the time to relax. When your cousin, his majesty, returns from his excursion to Harrenhal you must exhibit the utmost restraint and traits befitting of a princess of Dorne.

There is little reason for you to needlessly linger around others or his majesty, but if you two should cross paths, be reserved and modest.

We already have assurance that you and he will inevitably be tied to one another in the future, but it would not benefit Dorne in any way to make his grace see us in a poor light.

I don't think I need to worry about you not understanding the importance of bettering our relationship with his majesty. But this matter simply can not be overstated. It is the will of your lord father and our people that you, Princess Arianne Martell, be devoted to the future of our kingdom.

As always, with boundless love, your father and Crown Prince of Dorne, Doran Martell…

Silence reigned within the tent after the end of the letter. But if one listened closely, they could hear the grinding of teeth and the crumbling of parchment as Arianne seethed.

For a man infamously known to beat around the bush, her father's message had been crystal clear.

Do. Not. Pursue. Him.

"Well, that was certainly surprising." Tyene mumbled.

"It's not surprising at all. My father has never once cared about what I may want. All he ever cares about is his image." Arianne scoffed as she tossed the letter into the nearby fireplace.

The tent fell into silence for another moment as Arianne absentmindedly nibbled on her fingernails, a bad habit she still had from her younger days on the rare occasions that she felt particularly anxious about something.

She understood why her father had ordered her to not pursue Perseus. After all, with their marriage already being approved by the betrothal contract, there was no reason for her to go out of her way to get his attention.

And had Perseus been anything like her past suitors, Arianne would've used this boon to her utmost advantage.

But this time that was not the case. Perseus Targaryen was a man that was genuinely worthy of her attention, of the effort and time she would give to seduce him.

She wanted him badly.

But it also wasn't something that was embarrassingly one-sided. It was made brief, but she had noticed the way her soon-to-be husband's eyes roamed over her face and body.

He, like any man, definitely saw the Dornish princess for what she was, the pinnacle of beauty.

"So, are you going to listen to your father?" Tyene asks, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I know how serious my father is about this situation so ignoring his words wouldn't be wise for me to do right now. Plus, Areo is also here as my chaperone so there's not much I can do without it being reported to my father." Arianne says her face still exhibiting notes of annoyance before her expression suddenly changed.

"I'm not being allowed to pursue Perseus." A devious smirk slowly grew on Arianne's face. "But my father never said anything about Perseus pursuing me."

"You're planning on making him fall in love with you, without actually telling or showing him that you're interested in him?" Tyene says, looking quite dubious.

"It'll be my hardest task yet, but I've got plenty of experience with gaining a man's love without giving anything in return." Arianne shrugs.

"But this isn't just any man, this is Perseus Targaryen. And trust me, Ari, he's just as much of a man as you envisioned him to be. And now you can't even be as open with him as you want. It'll be like taming a dragon without food."

Arianne moved to lay by her cousin's side, a smirk on her lips as she settled her hand on the other woman's thigh. "Do you remember the story of the First Dornish War and about how Princess Meria Martell managed to kill Rhaenys Targaryen and her dragon, Meraxes?" As she spoke, her hand slowly slid up the smooth underside of her cousin's thighs until she reached under her skirt.

Tyene's breath became laborious as Arianne's finger expertly traced her already dampening lower lips.

"The Targaryen's were arrogant. They thought they could have Dorne as easily as they had taken the other kingdoms. But Princess Meria devised a plan to make it known that Dorne would never bend or break. She used the mystery of the Dornish deserts to vanish the Targaryen's armies and when the dragons themselves came to take what they wanted, they were led right into Meria's trap. Sure, Dorne eventually made peace with Aegon and were essentially subjugated, but the Targaryen's greatest humiliation to this day was that they lost a dragon and one of their own at the hands of a Dornish princess."

Arianne slipped a finger into Tyene, who gasped at the intrusion, and began rubbing her sweet spot. "You don't tame a dragon by feeding it, Ty. You tame it by gaining its respect." She purred in her ear before moving down to put her tongue into play.

As Tyene's unhinged moans filled the tent, Arianne had one final thought before she focused fully on her cousin's pleasure.

Perseus Targaryen was more than just some strong knight or handsome lord whom Arianne wanted to have sex with. He was a different caliber of man altogether.

If anyone alive could be compared to The Conqueror, it was the young man who had the blood of not only him but two generations of nobility that spanned thousands of years.

Earning the respect and becoming the equal of the man who would reclaim the honor and glory of his ancestors seemingly against all odds would be Arianne's greatest achievement that would subsequently force history to see her as someone who went beyond her birth given role as Crown Princess of Sunspear.

Sure it would be a very difficult task, one made harder by the restrictions imposed upon her by her own father, but she was persistent if anything.

Arianne Martell was going to forge her own key to Perseus Targaryen's heart. And no one could tell her otherwise.

oOo

A while later in the Westerlands, with Robb Stark…

From atop the castle of Ashemark, Robb fired off one last arrow at the Lannister soldiers who at last began retreating away from the walls.

It had been awhile since Robb's taking of the Marbrand castle and ever since then Tywin Lannister had made it clear that he now refused to leave the North uncontested in his lands.

"My king, the Lannister's are retreating back to their base!" One of Robb's bannermen says to him.

"About damn time those fuckers got a clue! My arm was starting to get sore!" Another one of Robb's bannermen, Jon Umber, roared in laughter.

Already used to the antics of the boisterous giant of a man, Robb handed off his longbow to a nearby retainer.

He knew that they wouldn't show it in the face of their enemies, but the Northern army was beginning to fatigue.

Tywin's army of twenty thousand didn't outnumber his equally formidable army, which was the only reason they had lasted as long as they had against weeks of constant siege.

Sure, it has been Robb's plan to trap the Old Lion and his army in the west while Stannis attacks the capital, effectively breaking the power the Lannister's had over the kingdoms, but he didn't expect the rate at which the Lannister would reclaim his lands.

In quick succession, his lords that had originally been occupied with scouring the Westerlands were driven back to Ashemark where they were now hunkered down.

All hope wasn't lost though. After all, his current forces were only half of the North's full might after all. But those other forces wouldn't be ready until another moon turned.

And based on the reports of an additional ten thousand soldiers being gathered in Castamere, it was clear to Robb that they would soon be overwhelmed by the Westerners before their own reinforcements could arrive.

Despite his grim predicament, a warm smile formed on Robb's face as his direwolf companion joined his side without any visible signs of injury.

"You may be the only one of us that is happy about this siege, boy. This is all just more hunting practice for you." Robb chuckled, the sight of his giant bond's bloody maw and claws would've scared anyone away who couldn't tell that the direwolf was actually quite happy.

"Young wolf, how long are we expected to fight off these Lannister bastards?" Lord Umber asks, resting on his larger than normal greatsword.

"Too long. The rest of our forces are still being gathered in Winterfell. Without them, we can't hope to initiate a counterattack or survive against the Lannister's." Robb says truthfully.

Many a scholar would say that revealing their seemingly inevitable defeat was a foolish move that would result in the loss of morale, but Robb had grown up alongside his fellow Northerners and if anything could be said about the inhabitants of the North it was that they all hated those who beat around the bush and preferred blunt honesty over flowery words that meant nothing in the end.

This was one of the reasons his father, Lord Eddard Stark, had been so favored by his bannermen and the common folk.

So while the surrounding Northmen did become somewhat grim by Robb's statement, he could see that the majority were exhibiting behaviors of frustration and anger rather than hopelessness.

After attending to the many problems Robb needed to deal with after the successful defense of yet another siege, he was finally allowed to retire to his quarters for the night.

It was nights such as this in which Robb was starting to see why his best friend, Theon, had often enjoyed the company of courtesans back in Winterfell.

He was not a man solely driven by earthly desires, but he was also not immune to his natural instincts.

Even his father, renowned as the most honorable man in all of Westeros, had succumbed to his needs during Robert's Rebellion which gifted his family with a bastard, one who Robb loved just as dearly as his other siblings but still a bastard nonetheless.

Needless to say, Robb was beginning to feel the weight of war on his shoulders and most importantly in his groin.

And though he was a betrothed man, to a young Frey girl by the name of Roslin, whom he admittedly found to be quite beautiful, she was leagues away with her family in the Twins.

So as Robb began making his way down the corridor that led to his quarters, accompanied by his guards, his mind drifted to one of the healers he had seen earlier that was the prettiest woman present.

After a bit of prying, he managed to find out that the healer's name was Jeyne Westerling, a daughter of Lord Gawen Westerling, a minor noble of the Westerlands that Robb's men had managed to capture in their previous battles.

Words could surely describe the way the woman made him feel, but Robb was sure the septa back in Winterfell would wash his mouth with soap if he said such words aloud.

Jeyne had a pretty face, with a slender body but her well shaped hips made her stand out from others who might've similarly shared her common curly chestnut hair and soft brown eyes.

But it was her shy demeanor (and his forced celibacy) that truly attracted Robb to the woman.

Thoughts of perhaps visiting the healer in the morning crossed Robb's mind as he entered his quarters but they came to a cold stop when he noticed a flat object on top of his bed.

Scanning the room for any intruders, Robb slowly walked over before picking up the object which he came to realize was a letter.

Anxiety and a bit of fear crept into his heart when he saw the insignia used for the seal. A red, three headed dragon.

Robb immediately rushed outside of his door, startling the guards who stood on watch outside.

"Who has been inside of my quarters?!" Robb demanded from them.

The men looked confused and quite fearful at their lord's intensity. "Only maidservants have been allowed inside milords chambers." One of them replied.

"Have them all brought to the great hall, now!" Robb ordered the men who hastily ran off to do just that.

Meanwhile, Robb looked back at the blood red seal that gleamed almost malevolently in the light of the nearby braziers.

After a moment of deliberation, he finally decided to break the seal in order to read the message it held.

To Robb Stark, Lord of the North

Your mother is safe.

She is currently being held at Storm's End in the standard conditions afforded by her status as Lady Stark. Please be at ease knowing that she will remain in these fine conditions until I can find the time to make it my personal responsibility to assure her safety and health when I return her to you.

I find it is important to say that I sympathize with the suffering and humiliation that your family has endured at the hands of the Usurper's blood. My house has also experienced a similar fall from grace though ours admittedly came about due to varying reasons.

But as two young men thrusted into the position to lead their family from certain ruin, I believe we both can find a common ground in the fact that all of our current woes have come about from a single source.

The lions of the west have grown arrogant in their acquisition of the throne. They no longer care about the needs of the kingdoms, only about the gold that lay within their coffers to either collect dust or multiply.

Such audacity was the reason for my family's ruthless culling and the wrongful execution of your lord father.

And yet, our families still stand despite the attacks on our sovereignty.

But alas, it would be foolish to not see the lions as the dangerous and formidable enemies that they are.

An enemy that will require the utmost determination, effort and resources to crush completely.

Both of us understand the importance of these values and have made our choices with them in mind. But it has come to my attention that you no longer have the capability to continue to wage war against the lions.

And though you may perhaps find some relief from any leftover troops your bannermen can scrounge up, the lions will have overrun you in that time.

So now I ask you as a fellow man who prematurely carries the burden of leading his house, do you wish to disappear into the night without so much as a howl? If your answer is no, then the house of dragons would gladly welcome its old companion, the house of wolves, with open arms.

With honest intention and hopes of a brighter future for all kingdoms, King Perseus Targaryen

…

Robb was silent for a long while. Long enough for the men he had ordered to have returned with news of the detainment of all of the castle's maidservants.

He knew that the other youth was offering him an olive branch of sorts. And he knew that accepting such an opportunity was probably their only chance of coming out of their current ordeal alive.

But he also didn't like how the young dragon purposely bolded his writings when referring to Robb's title of King of the North and the supposed Usurpers.

It was obvious that the Targaryens still considered themselves as the rightful and only rulers of the Seven Kingdoms, something that his North was staunchly opposed against.

A great sigh escaped Robb's lips as he brushed his thick, red-brown locks back in frustration.

At least now his worries of coupling were well placed in the far corners of his mind. He had a feeling that he was going to be experiencing a lot of deliberation and potential placating in the coming days.

oOo

Near Blackwater Bay, with Stannis…

The night was eerily calm and the sea was even calmer.

A deep frown adorned bushy brows as a broad shouldered man stood at the helm of his flagship, Fury.

It hadn't been long since he set sail to King's Landing after going through the needed preparations for his siege of the capital.

The dream of his ascension to the throne that was rightfully his, by both line of succession and divine right, was just a short while away from being made into reality.

And yet, Stannis couldn't stop the well of unease that stirred in his gut.

One of his most trusted aides, Ser Davos, joined his side at the helm of the ship.

Stannis's steely gaze continued to observe the dark sea before him in silence.

"If I may advise, milord. I think it would be wise to wait for sunrise before continuing on. The fog is thick and the waters are too calm. We won't be able to see any incoming fleets until it's too late." Ser Davos advised.

"I will not cower in the face of the unknown." Stannis says.

"But if-" Ser Davos was cut off with a sharp look.

"We will continue to sail to King's Landing, Ser Davos. I care not for your wariness of the sea." Stannis told the knight.

Though obviously not agreeing with the path his liege had chosen, Ser Davos did as any loyal supporter would do and simply accepted the fact that they would be continuing to their destination.

This was one of the things Stannis liked most about Ser Davos. Despite more often than not disagreeing with him, the Onion Knight would always follow his lead while making sure any potential mishaps were quietly taken care of. It was a trait that made him become one of his most trusted followers.

"How is the morale of the men?" Stannis asks his trusted knight.

"They are eager and excited to finally fight for milord's cause. Many were beginning to lose faith that the war would soon end." Ser Davos says truthfully, gaining a nod in satisfaction.

No matter how many times the red priestess, Melisandre, spouted that it was his destiny to sit on the throne and lead the kingdoms against the darkness that was coming to all, Stannis too had begun to doubt his ability to ascend to the Iron Throne in a timely manner.

After all, nothing seemed to have been going in his favor ever since those damned Targaryen's landed on Westerosi soil.

Just remembering the arrogant smile of Perseus Targaryen, the head of the house of dragons, and how he mocked both him and Renly by parading the head of his brother's, Robert, bastard made him grind his teeth in barely concealed fury.

He may not have been on the best of terms with his brother, either of them, but he was always loyal to his family.

Seeing his brother's bastard, who may very well have been Robert's only true born son, being used a tool for the amusement of a boy who foolishly dreamed of reclaiming his family's lost honor made Stannis swear there and then that he would one day bring retribution down upon the trio of dragons as he should have done all those years ago when they had barely managed to escape from his grasp.

No one disrespected his family in such a manner. And for that, the arrogant Perseus Targaryen would one day soon be executed by his own order.

Stannis's thoughts of his inevitable clash with the Targaryens made him think about the admittedly competent Perseus.

The young man, who proved himself to be more than just a boy when it came to matters of war, was annoyingly intuitive in war games.

His achievement of absolutely crushing Renly, who had the vastly superior army, was proof enough to that fact.

As a twice renowned war veteran, Stannis begrudgingly had to respect the young leader's ability to use his disadvantages to his own benefit.

The war he would wage against Perseus Targaryen would surely be an exciting and revealing one.

"Milord, I think-" The words of his most loyal knight, and perhaps even his only friend, were cut short when a double-sided axe suddenly found its place in the knight's shoulder from seemingly nowhere.

As Ser Davos collapsed to the deck with a cry of agony, Stannis was suddenly forced to jump back from his perch at the helm of his ship when a dozen more axes flew out from the thick fog ahead, most landing right where he had been previously standing.

"For the Drowned God!" This fierce battle cry commenced an attack that Stannis and his men neither had the foresight or quickness to truly meet with readiness.

A startling amount of grappling hooks soared high into the air and over the sides of the ship before doing its job of anchoring itself onto the ship.

Moments later, countless men, some of whom wore ragged armor but all were armed in some form, began climbing over the reinforced rails.

Based on the earlier zealous shout and the fact that he was one of the leading commanders during the Greyjoy Rebellion where Stannis was made to be quite familiar with the residents of the Iron Islands, it didn't take long for him to realize just who was attacking him and the very dangerous situation he and his fleet was now in.

"Men to arms!" Stannis roared to his ship's crew and men as well to any other ship that could hear his cry to battle the Ironborn enemy.

The ensuing chaos that followed was one that he was used to seeing but never truly gotten used to being in.

After all, anyone who felt comfortable amidst batte, or war, was someone who was either mad or spent their entire life from youth to adulthood on the battlefield. And Stannis couldn't claim to be, or have done, either.

His broadsword having long since been drawn, Stannis made it his mission to cut down any of the Ironborn scum in his view.

All around him were the sounds and sights of his men battling valiantly for their lord as well as their lives.

They had obviously been caught off guard, but they were quickly beginning to counterattack by having some men man the sides of the vessel in order to fend off those still trying to board using the grappling hooks while others began rushing to kill the enemy combatants that had already boarded their ship.

Stannis was proud to say that his men were more than capable of fighting off a surprise assault. He was nothing like his brother, Renly, who hadn't drilled or disciplined his troops regularly.

"Baratheon!" After cutting down another Ironborn, Stannis looked to see a large, powerful man lumbering toward him.

The familiar man, dressed in heavy iron plated gray armor, used his broad steel axe to separate the arm from one of Stannis's soldiers before using his thick, oak shield to bash the screaming, dismembered soldier in the face.

"Victarion, I thought I'd never get the chance to cut you down when I heard that the Dornish conquered the Iron Isles." Stannis says as he faces one of his old enemies.

"And you never will, Stag. Today's the day you die!" Victarion snarls as he readies his axe and shield.

"You couldn't defeat me during the Siege of Pyke, so what makes you believe that tonight will end with anything but your own death?" Stannis asks the brute.

"Because my uncle isn't alone and outnumbered this time." A feminine voice calls out to him, making Stannis look to see a young, dark haired woman with a lean build, long legs and a wicked smile.

Her weapons, throwing axes, were already dripping with blood as she made her way over to him in a gait that was part saunter and part sway.

"Today is the day you die and I avenge my brother, Marion's, death!" The leather-clad woman proclaimed confidently as she flipped one of her axes into the air, catching it effortlessly as it came back down.

A scowl formed on Stannis's brow as he looked to the two Ironborn who had squared against him.

Despite his earlier bravado, Victarion was not an easy enemy to defeat at all. And now with this second woman, whom he believed to be the only daughter of Balon Greyjoy he had heard of, and who was undoubtedly quite skilled in the art of combat in order to fight alongside such extremely patriarchal men like the Ironborn, he was beginning to realize that tonight may very well be his end if he didn't get serious from the start.

Raising his broadsword up, Stannis took on the sword formation that all able men of House Baratheon knew, Stormbringer.

It was a form that seemed as calm as a blue sky but it held a furious storm within that could be unleashed at a moment's notice.

Stannis may not have reached the same level of renown for his combat ability that his oldest brother, Robert, had attained throughout the rebellion, but that was mainly due to his brother being born with an innate strength and his personal development of a unique style that better helped him utilize said innate strength to its fullness by using a two handed war hammer.

But that wasn't to say that Stannis wasn't skilled with his family's fighting art. In fact, he was able to use his family's sword art better than Robert had and definitely far better than Renly had.

It seemed his enemies also instinctively noticed the danger they were now in because they suddenly lost all traces of their previous overly confident attitude as they slipped into their own battle forms.

"My fate was foretold and my end will not be here." Stannis Baratheon proclaimed to all and himself with utmost resolve as he stood against his two enemies.

No more words needed to be said. They all knew that the resulting battle would spell the death of either one or two of them.

So as both sides charged at each other, the only thoughts in their mind was to make it so that the battle wouldn't end with there death.

oOo

At Bitterbridge, with Perseus…

*Thwack* *Thwack* *Thwack*

Perseus stood off to the side as he silently watched his aunt go through basic sword formations on a training dummy.

It had barely been a month since he started training her and he was already beginning to see the potential of her not only being a warrior, but a great one.

If he were being honest, the rate at which Daenerys was learning was kind of alarming, though not in a bad sense.

The only others he had seen pick up sword fighting so quickly in the past were children of the Big Three or demigods from the Ares and Athena cabins.

A particularly well placed series of slashes made Perseus focus back on his aunt and his eyes began to roam her body, making a mental note of the minute details of her form that he would have her correct later.

As this was being done though, he couldn't help but notice a few things that weren't exactly related to the task at hand.

Like how her perky breasts could be faintly seen underneath her shirt with every volatile moment or the way her ass and legs filled out the tight leather trousers she wore quite nicely.

And despite her forehead being drenched in sweat, Daenerys's fierce look of determination and focus was strangely arousing to him.

He had a feeling he would have to visit Tyene later in order to relieve some tension.

Because despite his and Daenerys's relationship entering a new phase after their first kiss, he didn't want his aunt's first time to be during a war. She meant far more to him than just a means of relieving his manly desires.

So until the day they officially consummated their relationship after the war, he would use other ways to sate his natural instincts.

Speaking of which, Perseus's thoughts came to a halt when the Sand Snakes suddenly entered the training ground, along with the Dornish princess, Arianne Martell.

Yet again, his arousal came blazing back to the forefront of his mind as his eyes casually swept over the beautiful princess.

She wore a stunning dark red, sleeveless maxi dress, equipped with a cape and intricately placed jewels that dotted her rather spectacular form.

To say the least, Arianne's body had to have been sculpted by a love goddess for the sole purpose of testing the limits of a man's discipline because Perseus currently felt like a big, juicy steak was dangling in front of him after having been starved for weeks.

Her breasts were large enough to make for a more than comfortable head pillow, and her hips and waist were so bountifully curved and round that he genuinely believed that if he tried he could see her ass from the front.

But that wasn't all there was to the allure of the Dornish heiress. Her smooth medium beige skin, round dark brown eyes and full plump lips, that were all further enhanced by dark makeup, permanently maintained a mysterious and alluring visage.

She knew exactly how gorgeous she was and how luring her body was in the eyes of men.

An air of enchanting sexual confidence that Perseus had seldom seen exuded from her. If there was a goddess of love in this world, Arianne Martell would surely be one of her physical representations in the mortal world.

"Your majesty!" Tyene greeted him first with a bright smile and excited hand wave that made her sisters roll their eyes.

"That's enough for today, Dany." Perseus told his aunt before he fully turned toward the small group and returned their words of greeting.

"How long have you been training the Princess, your majesty?" Obara asked him as she curiously looked at the exhausted Daenerys.

"It's only been a month since I've started training her." Perseus tells the older woman, handing his aunt a cloth to wipe her sweat off with as she joined his side.

The brows of the Sand Snakes rose a bit. "That's quite impressive. She looks far better than I did one month into my training. You'll become a capable warrior one day, Princess Daenerys." Nymeria complimented.

"Thank you. If only my trainer had some kind words of his own to share." Daenerys says pointedly looking at Perseus.

"If I started giving you compliments the company smith would have to craft you a new helmet every week." He said dryly, gaining a shoulder punch in return.

For the first time since her arrival, Arianne spoke. "I don't think there's anything wrong with a bit of encouragement, your majesty. I rather enjoy cheering from the sidelines whenever my cousins fight." He idly noted how nice the princess's naturally languorous and husky voice sounded as he met the Dornish woman's eyes.

"See, everyone agrees!" Daenerys exclaims.

"Compliments should only be given in light of one's accomplishment in exceeding expectation. And so far Dany hasn't done anything that I wouldn't expect of her." Perseus lied to the woman who took his words with an unfaltering gaze.

"This is true. Giving unneeded rewards promotes complacency." Obara agrees with a nod as does Nymeria.

"Oh come on, I thought you guys were on my side!" Daenerys whined childishly.

"I still think you're being mean!" Tyene pouted at him with equal amounts of childishness.

Truly, if Perseus hadn't literally glazed her face with his semen and spent hours railing her into a state of postcoital bliss at her demand, he would've thought the youngest Sand Snake was genuinely as pure and childish as she hoped to portray.

"Since we're on the topic of accomplishments, I admit that I was rather curious if the rumors of your stellar swordsmanship were true or not, your grace." Arianne stated.

Before he could respond, Daenerys spoke. "Perseus is the best swordsman I've ever seen. No one can beat him." She says with a certainty that admittedly filled his chest with pride.

As if expecting the response, a small smirk that left as quickly as it came found its way onto Arianne's red glossed lips. "That may be the case for you, Princess Daenerys. But I have witnessed some of the greatest warriors of our time win against disparaging odds, while I have yet to see his majesty so much as swing his sword. So you'll have to forgive me if my opinion on the matter isn't as sure as your own." She says with an innocent expression.

Perseus saw right through the faux. Unless he wasn't in the right state of mind, his ability to discern people's true intentions was nearly infallible.

After all, the very nature of some of the cabin kids he had grown up around was centered around lies and trickery. It was very obvious to him that the princess wanted to goad him into proving himself.

But Perseus couldn't discern why she was going about it in such a deceptive manner. If she was genuinely curious and just wanted to see if he really was as good as some people thought he was then he wouldn't mind showing her why such a belief had come into being.

Perhaps she was just used to vain braggarts who were easily offended due to their own insecurities. Regardless, it wasn't much to him to give the princess a little demonstration of his ability.

"Would you like to see how good I am then, Princess Arianne?" Perseus offers.

Another smirk flashed across the woman's face before she put back on her mask. "Only if your majesty wishes to, I wouldn't dare to ask you of anything you aren't comfortable with." Her honeyed words did little to lower his growing suspicion of her nature.

Regardless, Perseus took the training sword that Daenerys had been using. "Do you have anyone in mind that I can have a spar with? Perhaps your guard over there?" He gestured to the large, armored Dornish man who stood stationary beside Ser Jon a small ways from the group as an obvious guard for the Princess of Dorne.

"Oh, I don't think Areo would be comfortable with having a spar with you, your grace. He may look grumpy but he used to adore looking after your sister whenever she would visit Dorne with Aunt Elia." Arianne explains to him, making Perseus look at the scowling man through a new lense.

"Perhaps, a match between you and one of my cousins would be better?" Arianne suggested, causing the Sand Snakes to perk up.

"I'd like to be the one to spar against his majesty." Obara immediately offered.

"Actually I think as the best fighter among us that respect should go to me." Nymeria says.

"I for one don't care since I'm sure I'll be having a rather fierce fight with his majesty soon." Tyene threw him a downright smoldering look.

Pointedly ignoring that last comment, Perseus cleared his throat before he spoke. "It's fine. I'll just have a spar against all of you." He says casually.

…

Silence reigned for a long moment as the Sand Snakes and Arianne all blankly stared at him, as if waiting for him to come out and say that he was just joking.

But when he returned their blank gaze with a serious one, they each began reacting to his words in varying ways.

Obara gave a loud snort. "His majesty may want to reconsider this." She chortled.

A rather angry and audacious look had made its way onto Nymeria's face, as if he had just disrespected all of her beliefs.

And Tyene burst into fits of laughter with genuine tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

The only ones who didn't give such an extreme reaction were Daenerys, which wasn't surprising since she had seen firsthand how good he was with a sword, and Arianne who intently gazed at him with a curious and calculating look, as if weighing the possibilities of him actually being able to fight against all three of her cousins at once.

"Are you being serious, your majesty?" Arianne asks him.

Perseus shrugged before replying. "If any of you are able to land a clean hit on me, I'll make you all knights of the realm." His words immediately had the effect that he had been looking for.

All three Sand Snakes gained deadly serious expressions, even Tyene who says in a low and dangerous tone. "Your grace, this game isn't funny anymore." The way her short, blonde hair shadowed her eyes enhancing the pair of bright blue irises, giving them an almost snake-like gleam, would've scared the shit out of many men.

Unfortunately for her, Perseus wasn't like many men. "Do you see any dice?" Within his gaze held a fiery will and it smoldered with an intensity that none in this world could ever hope to match.

After a long and tense moment between Perseus and the Sand Snakes, it was the oldest sister who finally diffused the situation.

"You must be very confident to make such a promise, your grace. So what would you like in return from us if we…fail to land a hit on you?" Obara asks him.

"Nothing much. I only want a favor in return from each of you." Perseus says simply.

After sharing a few glances, the sisters all nodded in tandem. "Very well, your grace. We accept your challenge." Nymeria says with a clenched jaw.

As the three sisters walked off to grab their preferred weapon, all of which were blunted for training purposes, from the arms rack, Daenerys followed after Perseus who went to stand in the middle of the training area.

"Erm, are you sure about this, Perseus?" Daenerys asks unsurely, gaining a snort.

"Just a moment ago you were talking about how no one could ever beat me. What changed?" Perseus says with an amused expression.

"I still believe in that. But this isn't exactly a fair matchup. And also, the Sand Snakes are pretty much known for being practically unbeatable when they're fighting together." Daenerys points out to him.

Perseus patted the top of his aunt's head. "Just stand to the side and watch how a master does it." He chuckled at the extremely dry look he received.

"Ook, master." Daenerys drolled before walking over to where Arianne stood.

Facing the now armed Sand Snakes, he quickly made note of the chosen weapons of the three women.

The simplest of the three, Obara held a spear and a wooden shield. Nymeria, on the other hand, seemed fine with dual wielding daggers. And lastly Tyene wielded a vicious looking weapon which was a leather braided whip with three metal blade tips.

All in all, the trio of sisters looked about as formidable as the rumors said they were.

"Are you sure you'll be fine with only a toothpick, your grace?" Tyene smiled dangerously at Perseus as they came to a stop a few paces in front of him.

Perseus looked down at the beat up wooden sword in his hand before looking back. "Are you sure you'll be fine with that back scratcher?" He met her smile with a confident smirk.

"If you're able to land a clean hit on any of us before the end of the match then that person will forfeit the fight. To make things more fair of course." Nymeria comments, a confident smirk of her own.

Perseus shrugged. "You're just making it harder on yourselves." He said, uncaring of the new stipulation.

"Enough talk." The mannish Obara states bluntly as she raised her spear and shield in readiness.

No more words were said as the four fighters stood head to head, an intense pressure was beginning to cause unseen friction in the air.

It was broken with a simple word. "Begin!" Arianne called out.

Nymeria was the first to spring into action, suddenly flinging both of her daggers at Perseus with a well practiced flick of her wrists.

As her younger sister set the opening, Obara moved straight forward with her shield raised and her spear raised even higher.

Meanwhile the youngest, Tyene, darted off to the side seemingly on track to position herself in order to attack from a side angle.

All of these actions happened in the gaps between moments, but to the battle-hardwired Perseus this had all happened in the span of a single moment.

And even more importantly, his body had already begun to instinctively move before his mind had even fully registered the events.

Perseus's sword arm shot up from his side and expertly using the flat side of his wooden sword, he redirected the course of one of Nymeria's daggers off to his side before shifting his body to the right and bringing his unarmed hand up to latch onto the hilt of the other dagger, that would've hit his shoulder, before he flung said dagger back in the direction where it came from.

These two, split second actions had two effects.

Firstly, the dagger that Perseus had redirected came to sink in the dirt, blade first, a few inches off of Tyene's lead foot who froze mid-run at the sudden, harmful obstruction.

And second, the dagger that Perseus had flung back had found its chosen destination which was being embedded in Obara's shield, which was the only thing that had protected her chest from being hit.

A wave of shock flashed across the faces of the Sand Snakes, their minds momentarily coming to a halt in order to process the feat that had just occurred.

And in that moment of disarray, Perseus had already sprung into action.

Obara inhaled sharply as she was suddenly overshadowed by Perseus who had impressively jumped high enough to where he could be seen above her shield, his sword raised to strike.

Raising her shield higher to block the incoming attack, Obara let out a grunt of exertion. But this wasn't due to any attack. No, what she withstood had been the feet of Perseus who used her shield as a platform to launch himself completely over the oldest Sand Snake and toward the currently defenseless Nymeria.

"Nym!" Tyene shouted in alarm, already running back in a hopeless attempt to reach her sister's position before him.

The moment his feet touched the dirt, Perseus darted toward the middle child of the Sand Snakes with a swiftness that few could match, his sword held at his side.

Though she certainly looked surprised by the shown dexterity and speed of Perseus, Nymeria remained steadfast in her position.

And as Perseus came close enough to attack he realized why this was as the seemingly defenseless Nymeria suddenly drew two more daggers from somewhere beneath the folds of her warrior's garb.

As Nymeria lashed out at him, Perseus's body twisted, his feet switching and shifting with unmatched skill and poise as he avoided each and every slash or stab of the Dornish woman.

It was a far-cry from being on the same level as someone like Annabeth, but Perseus couldn't help but admire Nymeria's dagger skills.

She was both ferocious and deadly in her multiple attempts to slice the meat off his bones, never letting him have even a single second of rest in order to make up a plan of counter.

If he hadn't had as much experience as he did dealing with such traits, he would've been in serious trouble.

Unfortunately for her, Perseus had quite the lengthy experience in dealing with fighters of her weapon type.

All it took was a few, well placed and lightning quick flicks of his sword arm to bat away the daggers from Nymeria's hands, leaving her defenseless yet again.

But much to his surprise, Perseus was forced to avoid yet another series of blade attacks. Though this time, the attacks hadn't come from something hand-wielded.

"…well that's rare." Perseus couldn't help but remark after he made some distance between him and the now smirking Nymeria.

Though somewhat hidden within the confines of her dark, almost waist-long hair, one could distinctly make out the glint of polished steel.

This warrior beauty had strongly braided in two small blades in order to use her hair itself as a lethal weapon.

"Did you really think all I had was my skills with a dagger, your grace?" Nymeria laughed cockily as she drew two more daggers from somewhere on her person. "For the purpose of defending my home, I've made my entire body into a weapon."

Perseus now knew why the other two sisters had chosen to remain idle during the last exchange. They knew very well the dangerous amount of weapons that their sister secretly possessed.

Tyene rested a hand on her cocked hip as she smiled. "Looks like this is it, your grace. Once Nym brings out her Grass Viper style it's usually over in a few seconds." She remarked, Obara grunted in agreement.

Meanwhile, as lax as ever, Perseus blinked. "…was that seriously the best name you guys could think of?" He deadpanned, drawing a shrug from the fair skinned woman.

An indignant look flashed across Nymeria's face at his words. "It matters little about the name and more about the results, your grace. Allow me to show you!" She exclaimed before dashing forward.

Nymeria came at him in a whirlwind of hair and steel as she attacked him with the absolute intent of defeating him.

Perseus quickly realized that whatever time he had that was not spent deflecting her daggers, was spent avoiding the small hair blades that sporadically lashed out at him.

A brief lapse in concentration made him inhale sharply when had just barely managed to move his body out of the way of a roundhouse kick; the glint of steel from the front of her shoe as the kick passed made him aware that the woman had held even more blades hidden on her person.

Now he was sure, this woman was one of the most skilled and deadly warriors he'd encountered since arriving in this world.

With textbook technique, Perseus lashed out with a push kick which cleanly caught the woman square in the chest, causing her to stumble backwards.

"I'll admit it. You're good." Perseus compliments as he and Nymeria circle each other.

"Compliments won't make me try any less to beat you, your grace." Nymeria remarked with a smile making him chuckle in good humor.

Perseus's eyes flickered over when he noticed a smirking Arianne lean toward a nervous looking Daenerys and whisper something in her ear that made his aunt redden.

"Perseus, I believe in you! Whatever you do, don't let them win!" The sudden enthusiastic cheer that came from Daenerys, who for whatever reason now seemed fiercely competitive, made him smile before he returned his attention to the task ahead.

"Looks like I have someone relying on me now. I guess I should pick things up." Perseus grinned as for the first time since they started fighting, he entered a battle form that he was quite familiar with.

"It doesn't matter what you-!" Nymeria didn't have time to finish what she was about to say due to Perseus blitzing forward and beginning a series of wild sweeps and slashes.

Nymeria barely had time to think as she desperately moved and dodged herself out of the way of the sudden onslaught.

She tried to flick her hair blades out in order to catch him by surprise but after the last few tries which resulted in him no longer even reacting to the movements, sheer shock donned on Nymeria's face as she looked at the ground to confirm that Perseus had cut off her braided blades somehow despite having such a dull wooden blade.

Barely moving away from another sweeping attempt that would've perfectly separated ankle from shin if he had a real weapon, Nymeria quickly realized that she wouldn't be able to handle his unpredictable Greek style of fighting on her own.

"Are you idiots gonna stand there or help me!?" Nymeria yelled at her sisters who had been gaping at the blatantly one sided exchange in disbelief.

Their sister's distressed words finally breaking them out of their stupor, Obara and Tyene both clutched their respective weapons and ran over to help. But it was far too late.

Perseus's sword arm blurred, a split second later both of Nymeria's daggers flew from her grasp and she shockingly found herself horizontally afloat in the air as he made use of one of his legs to catch her unaware with a lightning quick back spinning sweep.

His sword now raised high above his head, Nymeria's mouth opened in a pained cry as Perseus gave a strong downward swing with the flat of his sword that connected with her midsection, slamming her into the dirt.

"Nym, are you okay?!" Tyene called to her fallen sister who simply lay groaning on the floor, obviously out of commission.

Perseus turned to the remaining sisters, his sword raised and in position. "That's one." He states with a grin.

Resolve visibly flowered within the sister's. "You may have beaten our sister, your majesty, but you won't beat us." Obara swears resolutely while Tyene just stares at him with a deadly calm look.

"Mm, I doubt that." Perseus remarked lightly before springing into action.

The first person he targeted was Tyene, seeing as how she was the one with a versatile mid-range weapon that could prove to be quite dangerous if he ignored her in favor of her oldest sister.

Unfortunately, Obara seemed to already know this and had quickly positioned herself between them, her spear and shield at the ready.

So with a new objective in mind, Perseus dashed toward Obara and sent a sweeping slash that was aimed at her feet.

Having somewhat figured out his style, Obara simply stepped back out of his range before using the length of her spear to her advantage to send a piercing thrust at him.

Tilting his body inward though, Perseus slipped the stab by letting it shoot directly over his right shoulder which allowed him to both step in range and let him use the twisting motion of his hips to to open up for his next attack.

Swinging his sword in an upward motion, Perseus's sword thwacked against Obara's shield which she had just managed to bring under her spear arm.

Unbothered, Perseus readied himself to continue his attack. But before he could, he was forced to twist away from the sudden attack that came from his side.

The resounding crack of a whip followed the attack and he looked to see Tyene with her usual innocent smile.

"Did you already forget about me, your grace? I'm starting to get jealous." Tyene's giggle sounded a lot more sinister when she was wielding such a wicked-looking weapon.

Never one to miss out on mid-fight banter, Perseus grinned. "How about you be a good girl and let me finish off your sister first?" He idly flipped his sword over his palm and back as he positioned himself back in front of the two sisters.

"Will I get a treat if I do?" Tyene questions coyly.

"I'm sure I can find a big bone for you." Perseus teased back, gaining a salacious smile.

He was glad his aunt wasn't in range to hear their current conversation. Her face would surely be burning brighter than any flame he could conjure.

Tyene put a finger to her chin and hummed thoughtfully as if she were genuinely considering the deal. Though to be fair she probably was seeing as how their last coupling had been ecstatic for both parties.

After Obara rolled her eyes at her youngest sister's antics, Tyene finally responded. "Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to take you up on your offer, your grace." She says apologetically.

"What a shame." Perseus sighed as he got back into battle stance. "I guess I'll just have to punish you later for misbehaving."

"I'll be looking forward to it, your majesty." Tyene gave one last teasing comment before re-initiating the fight by sending her bladed whip whistling in his direction.

Sidestepping the whip-strike, Perseus shot toward Obara who met his charge with a spear thrust which he swiftly avoided.

Though this time after avoiding the thrust, Perseus didn't immediately go for an attack on Obara herself but rather he did as he did against Nymeria and used the perfect combination of precision and force to decapitate her spearhead from the shaft, effectively leaving her with nothing more than a reinforced stick.

Jumping back in order to avoid yet another of Tyene's whip strikes, he watched as Obara observed her now headless spear with a blank expression.

Now, Perseus fully expected the oldest Sand Snake to either forfeit or go retrieve another weapon while he fought her sister.

But what he hadn't expected was for the mannish woman to drop her shield and get into a completely different weapon stance, which saw her now wielding her spear shaft with both hands instead of one.

"I think I'm starting to see a pattern here." Perseus remarks lightly, though he remains firmly focused on the warrior-ess.

If this really was a recurring pattern, then Obara was going to be significantly more deadly than before.

Obara gave an unamused grunt at his jape. "Be honored, your grace. Not many people have been able to witness my No Fang style. None who've lived afterwards at least." She tells him.

"Jeez, I feel so honored." Perseus deadpans. "But seriously, you guys need to make some better na-!"

His banter was cut rather short when Obara suddenly ran at him and began using both ends of her spear shaft to deliver a series of relentless strikes that were a lot more difficult to dodge.

Now generally, Perseus wouldn't have been having much trouble. After all, even though Obara was now fighting far better than before, she seemed to be slightly less skilled than her other sister, Nymeria.

But what she lacked in skill, she made up for with brute strength.

Every blow of Obara's that Perseus was forced to meet with his own was strong enough to make his teeth rattle and his arms were starting to already go a bit numb.

And what made things exponentially worse was the fact that he also had to watch out for Tyene's tedious whipping that came sporadically and when he least expected it to.

In all honesty, Perseus hadn't expected much from the trio of sisters, but he was genuinely starting to get fired up now.

"There's no shame in forfeiting, your grace! " Obara says as she continues her onslaught with brute efficiency. "Even my father has trouble beating one of us, let alone all three at the same time!"

Meanwhile, Tyene giggled madly as she continued trying to strip the meat from his bones. "Was his majesty just all talk?" She says.

Off to the side, Jon and Arianne's guard looked at the spar with a bit of concern on their face, no doubt due to the intensity of the bout. Because despite the weapons being blunted and far less fatal, they could still cause serious damage to someone.

The Dornish princess continued watching the fight with a keen expression, while Daenerys looked torn between shouting words of encouragement for him or calling for the fight to stop.

But all this mattered little to Perseus, because all he felt at the moment was a familiar tingle building in his gut.

Every time he blocked a devastatingly powerful blow, every time he managed to avoid a whiplash by the skin of teeth, the fire in his blood seemingly grew more and more frenzied as if he was becoming sharper, faster and stronger the more dangerous the situation became.

Until finally, a joyful (and slightly terrifying) laugh slipped out of Perseus's mouth as he finally reached the point where he no longer felt the need to hold back as much as he had been doing.

And to say the least, his previous self imposed restraint had been rather…extensive.

What also occurred, though unbeknownst to him, was how his pupils began to emit a dim red and orange glow.

In the next few moments, it was as if he had entered a room. A place where he alone could see and act without the varying degree of restraints that 'normal' people had to abide by.

In this 'room', Perseus witnessed two things: Firstly, he saw current events as if they were occurring in slow motion. But secondly, and more importantly, he witnessed events before they had actually occurred.

He was now able to 'see' the predestined paths of Obara and Tyene's attacks, and it was as simple as connecting the dots.

Ignoring the now obvious feint that Tyene had planned to initiate in order to make him react and therefore give Obara more chances to capitalize on his miscalculations, Perseus used one of the split second gaps in between the moments where the oldest sister would very briefly pause for a breath after her last two-to-six strikes, to deliver a lightning quick front kick right in the middle of her spear shaft.

By the time the reinforced wood had begun to fracture perfectly into two halves, Perseus's foot was already firmly planted on the ground and his body was already twisting to deliver an overhead strike.

He watched Obara, frame by frame, as she raised her arms up to block the incoming attack, unknowing that her weapon had been made defunct by the previous kick.

The outcome was as perfect as he had engineered it to be.

Perseus's sword easily broke through the already fractured shaft, catching the Dornish woman completely by surprise as it then connected hard across her chest.

Obara grunted in pain and shock as she was battered into the dirt, her defeat seemingly due to a single blow.

Shock flooded the faces of everyone present at the sudden turning of the wheel, but Perseus wasn't done just yet.

A moment after Obara's sudden defeat, Perseus had flung his sword at Tyene who had no choice but to turn her body away in order to avoid the precise throw.

But in the short time it took for her to re-center herself, Perseus was already in front of her.

The youngest Sand Snake grunted as he crashed into her, sending both of them tumbling onto the ground.

They tussled and rolled over each other for a moment, but as expected, Perseus managed to secure top mount position and quickly clamped down her wrists to stop her from going for any possible concealed weapon.

Breathing harder than he ever had since arriving in this world, Perseus grinned down at the shocked expression of the fair skinned warrior.

"Looks like I'm the winner." He stated.

For a moment, Tyene simply blinked at his claim of victory. But eventually she responded to him, though definitely not in the way he thought she would.

An affronted gasp and a few looks of intrigue bloomed when the youngest Sand Snake suddenly claimed his lips with her own.

And usually, Perseus would've been surprised at such an action. But after having experienced firsthand just how daring and forward the warrior-ess was, he wasn't exactly surprised.

And even though the kiss was swiftly ended by Perseus himself, he felt Tyene's skilled tongue quickly slip something past his tongue and down his throat.

Sitting upright in surprise and more than a little concern due to past experiences, Perseus quickly confronted her. "What did you just feed me?" He questioned with a frown.

He was admittedly worried about being fed poison and he was also concerned about the implications that came with his own cousin being the administrator.

Instead of looking guilty or confronted however, Tyene simply smiled up at him. "It's not what his majesty thinks it is. I just thought you'd enjoy a little…boost." She says suggestively.

Before a confused Perseus could question the woman on what she meant, a rather familiar sensation built-no, exploded in his lower regions.

Eyes wide in shock, he sharply looked downwards and was met with the sight of his cock that strained so violently against his trousers that the tip was poking out of his waistline, clear liquid already dripping from the bulging head like a leaky faucet.

"I-Is that-!?" A very flustered Daenerys gaped, her hands held to her face in an effort to block her vision, although the fact that she was clearly peeking through her fingers made the action quite redundant.

"I didn't think the favor his majesty wanted would've been of that nature." Arianne japes, though her eyes were practically devouring his raging boner.

Meanwhile the only other men present simply shook their heads in disappointment at his seeming lack of control. As if it were his fault!

"Seriously?" Perseus deadpanned at the woman below him who still had the nerve to put up an innocent front.

"What? I'm not as good at fighting as my sisters are. All I have is my poisons…and other stuff." A lecherous smirk formed on the blonde's face. "Don't worry, your majesty. I've played with snakes all my life, so I've become quite good at sucking out venom."

This was certainly not how Perseus envisioned his fight with the infamous Sand Snakes to end. But based on the long, leering looks from the women around him, he was probably the only one who considered it unfortunate.