[Edric's POV]
One squire was rather upset about not fighting in the battle, and the other was depressed. Two parallels… to Dickon Tarly, war was just a game. A way of winning glory, honour and fame. A way of living up to his father's expectations and the Tarly name. Yet, he was just a boy. As for Ragnor, he had seen the truth of it.
I called for them in my cabin.
"I heard from Ser Arthur that you sought to fight in the battle earlier." I looked at Dickon.
"That is true," Dickon nodded. "I did not want to sit around and do nothing."
"You'd rather die for nothing, then?" I raised an eyebrow.
"I..."
"You have educated yourself in the way of battle, but you are still a boy of thirteen. Too weak, too slow, inexperienced and fragile. You could be the greatest swordsman in the world, and any man on the other side would still be able to kill you."
"..."
He looked away, not pleased with my harsh words.
"Have patience, your day will come." I sighed, shaking my head. "You're the heir of Tarly. If you die in the middle of nowhere, what will your father be left with - a sorry from me? Don't be a fool."
"It's just... I hate being unable to do anything while people are putting their lives on the line."
"I understand that feeling full well," I nodded. "Even I had no choice but to put my faith in Ser Arthur and the rest of the Royal Armada. But... all this waiting will be worthwhile, I promise. You'll grow into a great knight and an even greater lord."
He nodded in reply. "I understand, Your Grace."
"You may leave now, Dickon."
He nodded, glancing at Ragnor.
"Sorry for your loss."
He left shortly afterwards, leaving just the two of us.
"As for you, Ragnor..."
He had been silent the entire time, almost unmoving. Poor lad had been through it.
"It was his finest hour... and his last," Ragnor stated, taking a deep breath. "I saw him slay seven men, and for a time, I wondered if he would gain the blessing of the Seven like the rest... but he hadn't."
"He was a fearless young man. Honourable, dignified, just, diligent and ever humble." I agreed with a solemn tone. "He was a true knight in all but name."
"We... shared a dream that someday we'd return to Mistwood as knights and take squires of our own, giving the younger boys an opportunity they'd never have otherwise. We'd also be so famous from winning tourneys, melees and competitions that everyone in the Seven Kingdoms would know our little village. Not only that... we'd also spend our winnings to build on it, making it a better place to live for everyone..."
Each word seemed more difficult than the last. By the end of it, he was teary-eyed.
"That dream... has fallen on me alone." He said, crying and wiping his eyes. "And I know that his spirit is telling me to walk away, to preserve myself and avoid the same fate... but I won't let that dream die so long as I'm alive."
"... You're not alone, squire." I managed a smile, patting his shoulder. His words have moved even me. "I will always stand by your side in whatever endeavour you seek. I could make it all happen upon our return."
"I... am forever grateful to you, Your Grace, but... this is something that I must do myself." Ragnor shook his head. "You've done enough for us already."
Of course, for me to improve the village and take a couple more squires from there is just as simple as sending a raven to Harrold Arryn. But, for him, it's a much greater, more difficult goal... and one that would feel cheap if I did it all for him.
"I understand this sort of stubbornness a little too well," I nodded, smiling slightly. "Even so, I will do my part and ensure that you live long enough to see it through."
"Fair enough," Ragnor agreed. "Also, I wish to formally join the Stormguard."
"... Is that so?" I raised an eyebrow. "I suppose it is a natural transition, given that you are my squire. But, at the same time, there is little need. You are already fighting by my side."
"I wish... to learn more regarding leadership, and I believe there is no unit of men more fitting than the Stormguard. Not because I think highly of myself, but... because we are of the same cloth."
"Yes... The Stormguard are a rather special bunch, I must say. Their enthusiasm and thirst for battle is one of a kind."
"They embody your fighting spirit, Your Grace," Ragnor stated. "The lightning behind the Storm."
"That is an apt way of putting it. Very well, you may join their ranks."
...
"Fire, eh? How are you adapting to it?"
"Fuck magic." Sandor Clegane scoffed. "I only used it because I had to."
"That is progress," I noted. "If anything, you have even less of a reason to fear it because you finally have control. Hone your skills, and no flame could ever burn you."
"Easier said than done."
"A lot of things are. Even so, every little step forward counts. Rejecting it will lead you nowhere. That fire is a part of you." I clenched my left hand slightly. It still felt so weak. "You have a gift that many others could only dream of, Hound. Harness it."
"..." He looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Did something happen to you?"
"Whatever do you mean?"
"... The ships don't have the strong winds behind them anymore, nor the waves. I doubt you'd want to be going slower."
"Fighting a god-sized Kraken does take a bit of wind out of your sails."
"... Just a bit." Sandor Clegane remarked.
"No need to spread doubt amongst my ranks... it's a temporary thing."
He nodded. "As you say."
[Daenerys' POV]
On the back of Drogon, she had felt whole. In the sky above, all of the woes of the world could not reach her. There was no place that gave a greater sense of freedom.
She had simply sought to gain control over her dragon, but... it was not so simple. She did manage to make him obey with words and a whip, yet not entirely. He refused to fly to Meereen where she wanted to break the siege. After a day, he had taken her to his lair instead and flew off on his own.
Now, she was in the middle of the Dothraki sea with nothing to her name. There was no obvious path to go. By all accounts, she was lost. Even so... she walked forward. Hunger led her to strange green berries. Her body grew weary as her thirst greatened.
She was... tired. When she took Meereen and rooted herself in the city, she sought to not only mend the mistakes she caused in the other Slaver Cities but also... rest. To walk away from war and conflict, to laugh, to plant trees and see them grow.
The Sons of the Harpy and Slaver Alliance gave no such opportunity.
"Looking to rest? You can rest when all of your enemies are dead," She saw Dorian appear from a pit of flames. "They will not stop, and neither should you. Remember your words, remember who you are."
Fire and Blood...
She saw Viserys, Jorah, even Khal Drogo... and each had their share of words. Then, last of all, was Edric Storm.
"Freedom? There is no greater lie in this world than true freedom," He spoke, looking just as weary. "Slaves are chained to their masters, a man is chained to his hunger and thirst, lords are chained to their duty, merchants to their greed, a father to his children, a king to his kingdom. Everywhere you look... no matter who it is, they are bound by something."
"Even I, for all the strength and power in the world... am a slave of destiny."
Afterwards, he withered with the wind.
She kept moving forward, seeking out a river.
If I look back, I am lost.
A Dothraki scout rode in the distance, eventually spotting her. Even in the tall grass, her hair was all too easy to see. He rode away, likely calling for others. She was too tired to care and continued the walk...
In time, the scout returned, only with fifty more men alongside him.
The group was led by a face that was familiar... one that she hated far more than most.
Khal Jhaqo, a former ko under Khal Drogo, who had declared himself Khal upon her former husband's sickness. Mago, his bloodrider, 'stole' Ereoh, who had been once protected by Daenerys and raped her alongside Jhaqo. Following that, he had six of his other men do the same before slitting her throat.
She had promised that they would pay for their crime then... and it was not one that she had forgotten.
Jhaqo rode ahead and around her.
"Khaleesi," He spoke, "Your place is in Vaes Dothrak among the Dosh Khaleen."
"My place is in Meereen."
Daenerys did not have any fear for the Khal, or any other Khal.
"I have heard of this. The Yunkai'i would pay much for the head of the queen of Meereen," Jhaqo remarked. "If he saw you now, Khal Drogo would not approve. You should have travelled to Vaes Dothrak and lived out your days... but it is not late. I, Khal Jhaqo, will make this right."
"I will not be joining the Dosh Khaleen. I will not be travelling to Vaes Dothrak." She stared at him. "I will be returning to Meereen."
"No."
Without Drogon, there was nothing she could do against any of them but accept her fate.
[Edric's POV]
I elected not to touch Volantis quite yet, avoiding it and sailing further east. The crazy idea to cross the smoking sea as a shortcut did come to mind, but I had put my men through enough turmoil as it was. I used Valaegor as a source of strong winds to push the fleet forward... but he was far weaker than I used to be, even when pushing a much smaller fleet.
My time as a 'cripple' did make me realise just how strong I had been... and something that I had taken entirely for granted.
I was a god amongst men, an unstoppable force of nature. The air brushing against me as I'd run like the wind, the inhuman, titan-esque strength in my arms, the sheer power behind my magic, being able to shoot arrows as far as the eye can see, the thrill of battle, dominating my foes, my heart pounding, burning with fury...
I missed that feeling dearly... perhaps more than anything else in the world.
...
Meereen had finally come into view, and the city had definitely seen better days. The port looked heavily damaged as if a battle had erupted not long ago. There was a wall of ships blockading the port, with several holes where the ships had been thrown aside. The port itself was covered with ships that had sustained damage, more than half seemingly not so far from sinking.
There was a fleet outside of Meereen blocking the way as well... from the Slaver's Alliance, no doubt. It was quite the fleet as well, similiar to my own in terms of sheer size. Even with all of the new magic users, we would take heavy losses trying to contest it.
I had a gut feeling... it was so close. I just had to reach out.
I rallied all of the magic users on the Robert's Hammer.
"Using all of your gifts, we're going to break through their blockade with only this ship." I declared. "Afterwards..."
"Using our gifts?" Ser Jaime questioned. "Where is your lightning? By now, you should've long since recovered. You need only raise your hand and watch it burn. Unless..."
"That's precisely why we're doing this," I sighed. "I've... lost my magic."
"... I see."
"It all makes sense now," Loras Tyrell nodded. "I thought something was strange..."
"But how could that be?" Valaegor questioned. "You are Azor Ahai-"
"The purpose of this strategy is for me to recover my strength... and to accomplish that, I need the best out of each of you. We could, of course, combat the fleet now, but the losses would be too great. I've lost too many good men for my own ambitions as it stands." I shook my head. "I'll destroy the fleet singlehandedly without a single loss. This... I promise."
"Are you with me?"
"You know the answer to that," Ser Arthur smiled, drawing his sword. "My life is yours to wield as you wish."
"So is mine," Brienne added.
"It is our duty, as Kingsguard." Ser Balon Swann nodded.
"You've sacrificed yourself for us far too many times," Loras remarked, smiling slightly. "It is about bloody time you let us do our duty and rely on your Kingsguard for once."
"He's damn right," Arthur chuckled.
"I might not be a Kingsguard anymore, but I am a man of my word," Jaime said, raising a few eyebrows. He ignored them. "I will do what I can to see your strength return. We cannot best that so-called Night King without it."
"That is true..." Valaegor nodded.
"Fuck you," The Hound sighed, "... I'll do it."
"I'm glad," I chuckled. "Well, let's get started. Inform the rest of the fleet of my strategy. They will need to keep their distance and stall if necessary."
It was a crazy strategy, even I could admit that much... but I had scores to settle. With the Slaver's Alliance, with Lys and Volantis... and myself, perhaps most of all.
Once the news spread and everyone was aware of the task at hand, the Robert's Hammer sailed right in. Valaegor was the first to use his powers, shifting the winds and pushing the ship forward while creating a gap in Qarth's fleet by pushing their vessels aside. Then, once he grew weary, Ser Arthur drew the flames from the Hound and added it to his own, unleashing devastating slashes that cut entire ships apart.
This was very draining, however, and they were exhausted before long.
However, we had already passed half the fleet by that point. Ser Jaime would follow, freezing part of the sea and stopping several ships from moving entirely. Loras, meanwhile, would do his best to manipulate the waves and slide their vessels apart - giving Robert's Hammer a clearer path forward.
There were only a couple more blocking their path...
We needed some elemental reactions to get through this.
"Hound, strengthen Arthur. Valaegor, you will use your wind to bolster Arthur's flames further. Brienne, I want you to strike that ship and leave a residue of lightning... where Arthur will strike."
"Yes, Your Grace."
It all happened as I said, Arthur unleashing a swirling wave of fire... meeting Brienne's strike of lightning and exploding in brilliant fashion - breaking apart the ship blocking the way. There was a fountain of blood, too, some of which sprayed onto the deck of nearby Qartheen ships.
The next one in the way was crushed by a pillar from the skies that Balon Swann had summoned.
There was still one more...
By now, however, they were all beyond exhausted... and I didn't want them to 'cripple' themselves. I needed as many magic users as possible for the future.
"ROW, ROW, ROW," I commanded, willing the oarsmen to go even faster. "Robert's Hammer will not be stopped by a single fucking ship - BREAK THROUGH! RAM INTO THE FUCKER, SPLIT IT IN HALF IF NEEDED, WE'RE GOING TO MEEREEN!!!"
"OOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAH!"
"OOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAH!"
"OOOOOOOORAAAAAAAAAH!"
Robert's Hammer suddenly got a burst of speed, unlike anything before, with the oarsmen turning into demons. Meanwhile, the opposing ship aimed to ram us as well... but it was much smaller.
WHOOSH... BOOM.
Our ram crashed through theirs, breaking it and tossing their ship to the side.
"ONWARD... WE SAIL ONLY FORWARD!!!"
The Robert's Hammer continued sailing towards Meereen, breaking through one of the holes in the 'wall' of ships and into the port of Meereen. There was a familiar face waiting for him, backed with a company of Unsullied.
As if he had seen the future, he held a mostly black dragon egg with steaks of gold.
I was first off the Robert's Hammer, meeting an old friend I had not seen for what seemed a decade.
"Dorian Daggerhand," I said, eyeing the egg. "You've been saving it for me?"
"Straight to business, huh?" Dorian chuckled. "No - I miss you, my favourite sellsword. No embrace, no smile, no gratitude for all the work that I've done, not even the meagre wage I asked for... only cold, burning eyes."
"Daenerys is not here?" I questioned.
"Well, no... and she hasn't been for a good while. It is rather worrying-"
"I see." I stretched out my hand. "Give it to me. You will have my gratitude when I break the Slaver's Alliance."
"A baby dragon is not doing anything in this situation," Dorian remarked, raising an eyebrow. "Why didn't you face the fleet directly, unless..."
"A dragon will be born today, just not the kind that you think."
"You're going to do something mad, aren't you?" Dorian chuckled, planting the egg in my hand. "Well, go on then. Make the most of it."
"I will."
I nodded, turning away.
"Is there any place in Meereen that is mostly vacant... or do I need to sail out again?"
"I'll make space for you."
"Good."
...
The masters of Meereen led quite luxurious lives, so Dorian had led him to a large garden which once belonged to one. I had taken an entourage of all the magic users with me, along with Aegon Blackfyre. Dorian helped prepare a fire in the middle of it all, knowing what I planned to do. Aegon was put down and tied to the pyre - right where the dragon egg was placed.
"You're... going to burn me alive?" Aegon questioned. "Seven hells, you can't..."
"It is Targaryen tradition to be cremated," I replied coldly, before turning to Dorian. "You won't resent me for this, will you?"
"Why would I care for the life of an enemy?"
"... I see." I nodded. "Well, then."
"... They don't know, do they?" Aegon looked around, speaking in Valyrian. "Dorian is the most deceitful man in the world - he was the one who freed the dragons and then came along to 'save' Daenerys when he was the one who took her dragons away! He was the one who came up with the idea of stealing away the dragons in the first place... we never had such plans..."
I could hardly make out what he was saying, but the Unsullied were suddenly questioning him.
"Should've cut out his tongue first," Dorian remarked, glancing back. "Unsullied, do not listen to him. These are the lies of a desperate boy trying to tear apart his enemies for the last time."
"It is the truth! I have no reason to lie now..."
"Light the fire," I said, looking at Arthur.
Arthur nodded, lighting the edge of the pyre with his flames.
"I want all of you to drop some blood into the pyre," I looked at my group of magic users. I was no expert at blood magic, but it surely couldn't hurt to add more spices to the ritual. "I don't need much, only a little."
"I hope you know what you're doing," Jaime remarked. "Before Daenerys, the last time someone tried to hatch a dragon egg, Summerhall burnt down."
"Someone knows a bit of history," I remarked. "Do keep your distance once you finish. I wouldn't want any of you to burn."
The fire began to grow as they stepped forward and voluntarily added their blood to the fire. Arthur, Brienne, Loras, Balon, Sandor, Jaime, Valaegor... seven magic users. The flames continued to grow, eventually nearing Aegon.
I stepped closer.
"When we spoke, I did lie. It was... I who burned your Jon Connington. It was I who burned your fleet. It was I who dragged you away, for this very moment," I whispered to him. "And now... I want to see the burning heart of a dragon."
"Argh... I'll kill you... I'LL KILL YOU!"
The fire suddenly burst and doubled in size, burning Aegon in the process. His blood seemed to fuel it further. If I remained this close, I'd be caught in the fire...
My body instinctively moved a step back.
For a moment, I wondered... would I settle for an ordinary life with Raiden Shogun, the woman I believed that I loved dearly - if the price was living this way for the rest of my existence? Would that be enough? Would I be content with an 'ordinary' life?
I knew the answer to that... I've known it for a long time.
I've changed.
I seek absolute power.
The power to protect.
The power to triumph.
The power to dominate.
The power to conquer the world.
The power... to shatter the chains of destiny.
The power to forge my own path...
The fire ignited, as if inviting me forward.
I stepped forward, embracing the flames.
I seek...
The power of a God.