Chapter 49: The Sailor
'While many scholars consider Lord Tywin Lannister's death a turning point in the history of Westeros - some even going as far as to consider it the defining moment of the Succession, which, as any historian with a modicum of knowledge and intellectual honesty, is laughably wrong - a careful study of the facts known to us will easily disprove such a notion. For all his reputation as one of the most powerful nobles of his time, Tywin Lannister was, upon closer examination, not as influential as a cursory reading might imply. While the infamous Sack of King's Landing ended the reign of Aerys II Targaryen, the Mad King's fate had already been sealed at that point; the forces rallied behind the future King Robert were poised to take King's Landing, and even if House Lannister had joined the loyalists, they would not have been able to save either the city or the King - a fact that would have been obvious to Lord Tywin thanks to his experience in the field and as Hand of the King as well as the Warden of the West. His betrayal of King Aerys II was not a decisive military masterstroke but merely a blatant attempt to get into the good graces of the next ruler of Westeros. An attempt that was as successful as it was blatant, as the subsequent wedding between Lord Tywin's daughter and King Robert showed. However, despite the apparent influence of the Lannisters at King Robert's court, Lord Tywin was far from being the power behind the throne, as some scholars claim. Lord Jon Arryn managed to curtail his influence for almost the entirety of King Robert's reign, and while Lord Jon's death might have provided an opportunity for Lord Tywin to increase his influence at court, his window of opportunity was closed when the Ruby Order appeared shortly afterwards. At the time of his death, Lord Tywin was nothing more than yet another noble who had been outmaneuvred by the order because he had failed to adapt to the changes effected by the order in Westeros, and his death was mostly remarkable for the changes it heralded for his own family; the realm itself had already moved past him, as the notes left by his own surviving son show.'
A Treatise On The Ruby Order, by Maester Kennet Bracken
*****
The Red Keep, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC
"Do you understand what I am asking of you?"
"I am to carry Lady Ruby and her friends to Dragonstone in order to draw out the remaining Faceless Man," Ser Davos Seaworth replied to his liege. He had been clear about that task, after all. "And I will report to you if they do anything suspicious, my lord." That had not been said, but Davos understood the intent.
"Yes." Lord Stannis nodded and leaned back behind his desk. "You wonder if I expect them to do anything questionable."
It wasn't a question. Davos inclined his head anyway, confirming the statement.
"I don't." Lord Stannis grunted. "In their foreign ways, they are as principled as one could wish for. And incorruptible."
Davos nodded again. What could you offer to someone who could simply take everything they wanted, should they decide to do so, with no one able to resist?
What indeed, except for what could only be given, never taken or bought? Such as loyalty. Or friendship. Or love. Not that the Four Maidens were lacking in any of that - Davos hailed from Fleabottom, and while he was now a noble, he hadn't forgotten his roots; he knew how the smallfolk thought, and they loved the Four Maidens.
"If only they followed our laws, instead of theirs!" Lord Stannis exclaimed.
Once more, Davos nodded. If the Four Maidens would adhere to Westerosi law and justice, Lord Stannis would be the king of the realm. But that wasn't why his liege lamented the foreign customs the Four Maidens followed. Lord Stannis did not desire to be King; he only desired to do his duty as custom and law commanded.
"But they don't, and therefore, we have to bend. Until they leave, at least." Lord Stannis scoffed as he stood and turned towards the window in his office.
Davos tensed a little, then forced himself to relax before his liege could notice. He was aware of Lord Stannis's intentions - anyone who knew him would know he would never let a crime or injustice stand if he could help it. But was it truly a crime, or were the Four Maidens merely enforcing the will of the Seven? What better way for the Seven Who Are One to show who was the rightful king of Westeros than to send messengers graced with their power to protect the boy? Messengers who led by example and showed more restraint than anyone Davos had ever met.
He knew better than to voice this thought in Lord Stannis's presence, of course. That would be a betrayal of his loyalty, which Lord Stannis had earned ten times over. But privately, Davos couldn't help wondering whether the 'foreign laws and customs' that the Four Maidens followed were actually foreign rather than new.
With his back to him, looking out through the window, Lord Stannis continued. "They came to ask me for permission to travel to Dragonstone in an attempt to lure out that assassin. They asked me for a ship crewed by volunteers who could be trusted to keep their tongues shut." He snorted. "They clearly have no experience with sailors."
Davis chuckled. Indeed, there were no more than a handful of sailors, all in his crew, he'd trust not to let anything slip about such a plan once wine and ale had loosened tongues, shortened tempers and slowed wits.
Lord Stannis turned back to look at him. "I volunteered you."
As was his right and duty. There was no one else Davos would trust with such a mission, either. Not even his sons, though not because he didn't trust them, but because he would not let them risk their lives in his stead.
"They have proven their power. The danger should be minimal," Lord Stannis went on as if he had read Davos's mind.
He was correct, of course. Davos did not know of any threat on the seas that could present a danger to his ship, should even just one of the Four Maidens travel with him. But they were trying to lure out the Faceless Men. And while the Maidens had proven that no one could hurt them, the King's death had also proven that they couldn't protect everyone against assassination.
Lord Stannis knew that as well. He wouldn't ramble, in his way, about it otherwise. "We'll do our duty, my lord," he said.
"I know," Lord Stannis replied. "And yet, I wonder… Why Dragonstone? They could have chosen any other destination. I doubt that they wished to flatter me as the Master of Ships."
Davos didn't think there was a convoluted reason. The pretext given - to look through the tomes on magic in Lord Stannis's library - might as well be true. And Dragonstone was the closest island. If they followed the coast, an assassin could easily jump overboard and swim to the shore after having done the deed. Not so when travelling to Dragonstone.
But Lord Stannis had learned early on, and through hardship, that few nobles were as blunt and honest as he was. He had, by necessity, become used to looking for hidden motives from most everyone. Even from the Four Maidens. "It might just have been the closest believable destination," Davos said. "As powerful as they are, patience is not the first amongst their many virtues."
Lord Stannis snorted at the poor jest. "Perhaps you're right. I might ask the priestess for her opinion; she has been studying them and their origins."
Davos made sure not to scowl. As much as his liege valued honesty, Davos didn't think anything good would come from it. His views of the Red Priestess had only grown worse for her all but complete abandonment of Lord Stannis in favour of aligning herself with the Four Maidens. Of course, that was, given her prior and still existing influence over Lord Stannis, an altogether good thing, yet the principle still stood.
"At the very least, I do not have to fear them hurting my family during their visit. And Cressen will like meeting the girls that are the talk of the Citadel." Lord Stannis shook his head.
"Yes, my lord." Davos would ensure that Lord Stannis's family was safe. He didn't have to say that out loud, either.
His liege knew.
*****
Harbour, King's Landing, Crownlands, Westeros, 298 AC
Davos stood on the aft castle of the Black Betha, watching his crew make the war galley ready for sailing, when the Four Maidens arrived on the pier. The lookout he had instructed beforehand signalled him from the crow's nest, but even a blind man couldn't have missed their arrival - the dockworkers on the pier, usually either busy working or lazing around, waiting for work, started to crowd them at once. Davos couldn't pick out exact words, but the drone of their comments reached him even across the pier. And it didn't take a lot of wit to guess what the men would be calling out - Davos had been in the crowd in front of the Great Sept once, when Lady Weiss had visited. It would be calls for blessings, praise, and some outright prayers.
And the Four Maidens would smile, wave, say kind words - and walk on. They were not the kind of people who basked in the adoration of a crowd. Davos had seen that as well. But knowing what kind of people they were not was not the same as knowing what kind of people they were. He had deduced a lot about them - or so he thought, at least - by looking at what they did and didn't, but he hadn't met them so far, nor exchanged more than a few words in greeting. He was a sailor, not a courtier.
This would be the first time he'd truly meet them. He checked his appearance as he descended to the main deck. He had dressed with more care today than usual, but any captain worth his salt knew that you checked and double-checked on a ship. It wouldn't do to greet the maidens while looking dishevelled; he was representing Lord Stannis, after all.
But his coat and breeches were clean and fit, and he saw neither stain nor tear, and so he smiled while he approached the plank leading to the pier.
"Ahoy!" Lady Yang called out before he could greet them.
"Yang!"
"What? That's how you greet sailors!"
"That's how sailors greet each other. You aren't a sailor, Yang!"
"Of course I am, Weiss! I grew up on an island!"
"That doesn't make you a sailor."
"Guys!" Lady Ruby hissed through clenched teeth before smiling at Davos. "Good morning, Ser Davos!"
"Good morning, my ladies." Davos bowed his head and hid his smile. The Four Maidens didn't sound that different compared to his own family. Although his sons couldn't smash a ship wth their bare hands, he reminded himself. "Be welcome on the Black Betha."
"That's a big ship," Lady Ruby commented as they stepped onto the deck. "I thought we'd take a smaller one. This seems a bit much for us four."
Humble as he had been told, Davos noted. Of course, that could be an act, but he didn't think it was. The four seemed earnest as they looked around. "It's the flagship of the fleet, my ladies."
"That's definitely overkill! The flagship serving as a transport for us?" Lady Ruby shook her head. "Unless you were headed there anyway."
"Or bound for an exercise," Lady Weiss added. "In Atlas, it's not unusual to combine training exercises with necessary trips such as to supply outposts."
Davos made a note of that. They didn't know much about the Four Maidens' mysterious home world. But now they knew that they had a fleet as well. He could only imagine how powerful their vessels were if crewed by people like them. "A good stance to have," he said. "Lord Stannis ensures the fleet is training hard."
"I bet he does," Lady Yang said. "But seriously, she looks great."
Lady Blake, who had been silent so far, nodded.
"Thank you, my ladies." Davos bowed his head again. He was proud of his ship. There was no better in the fleet, and he'd put her and his crew against any other ship on the sea. He gestured at Matthos. "This is my son, Matthos. He is my second on the ship."
"Hello!"
"Nice to meet you!"
"Yo!"
Matthos blushed at the smiles sent his way, and Davos reminded himself to have a talk with him later, in private. He should know that the Four Maidens didn't mean anything by being so friendly, but it was best to make sure; Davos knew how foolish he had been as a young man.
"So," Lady Ruby waved at the wagon on the pier. "We have a lot of baggage. Could you show us our cabin so we can store it?"
"We're carrying it on board, no need to strain your crew," Lady Yang said. "It's a bit heavy."
It would be heavy - the crates were larger than any sea chest Davos had seen, and he had seen what the captains from Essos used. Then again, the crates had to be large to hide a direwolf and its master.
He nodded. "As you wish, my ladies." He looked at the closest deckhand. "Matthos will show you your cabin." Which had been Davos's cabin until this morning. He would displace his first mate for this trip, who would displace someone else. But that was how things worked - when Lord Stannis travelled on the Black Betha, it was the same. His crew was used to it.
"Great! Thanks!" Lady Ruby beamed at him and then whirled, racing down the plank to the pier, followed by the others.
Davos noted that none of them showed any trouble with their footing nor any hesitation. That was very unusual, even for most sailors, but, of course, expected of the Four Maidens. If you could climb to heaven on glowing platforms, a plank was not much of a challenge.
His eyes still widened when he saw them pick up crates big enough to fit all of them inside as easily as a sailor would pick up a line - no, more easily, actually; they didn't show any strain as they carried the crates onto the ship, then followed Matthos down the stairs leading to their cabin.
And Davos turned and glared at his crew, who should have known better than to stop doing their tasks to stare at their passengers. To their credit, most of them quickly turned back to their work, looking embarrassed, and his first mate took care of those who were too slow with a piece of line folded in half that left a few yelping and rubbing their backsides.
*****
Blackwater Bay, Westeros, 298 AC
"...and this is Jon. Ser Jon," Lady Ruby said, gesturing at the only boy in the cabin. "And this is Ghost, his direwolf."
"Hello, Ser Davos. Thank you for agreeing to help us."
"Ser Jon." Davos eyed Ser Jon as he returned the greeting with a measured nod. The boy was younger than his four older sons, but he was a knight - and he was the master of the direwolf taking up a third of the cabin's floor. Both commanded respect, but Davos was focused on the wolf.
The beast was larger than some ponies Davos had seen, and he could only imagine what havoc it could wreak on the ship should it go out of control - or be ordered to. Sailors rarely wore armour, and few had the kind of weapons at hand that would keep such a huge animal at bay. Not that the teeth the beast displayed as it rolled around on its back while Lady Weiss petted its belly looked as if anything short of castle-forged steel plate would stop them.
None of the Four Maidens would have any trouble stopping the wolf, should he run out of control, he reminded himself. Then again, Lady Blake seemed to be eyeing the beast with some wariness, so perhaps Davos was mistaken about this…
"Thank you for dining with us, Ser Davos," Lady Ruby said.
"The honour is ours," Davos replied, bowing again. If there was one thing he had learned quickly after being knighted, it was that you rarely went wrong with bowing to nobles. Matthos followed his example, if a moment later than he should have. Of course, the Four Maidens were dressed for battle, as they called it, and up close, the sight was distracting, especially for a young man. As long as he remembered his manners, it would be alright. The cabin was large enough to seat quite a few more people than that, so they wouldn't be sitting too closely together.
"So, we're really grateful you volunteered for this despite the danger," Lady Ruby said after they had sat down at the table in their cabin for dinner - and after exchanging looks and nods with the others, Davos nodded.
"It's our duty," Davos told her. "We are sworn to serve the king." Even though there might still be some uncertainty about who was supposed to be the true king.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean you're expected to play bait for a face-stealing assassin," Lady Yang said. "We'll have to have Ghost search the whole ship, now that we're far enough from the city."
Davos nodded. "I will inform the crew, my ladies." That would upset the crew. The wolf as much as the news that there might be an impostor hiding among them wearing the face of a dead sailor.
"They probably expect it," Lady Ruby said.
Davos kept his face impassive.
"Uh…" Unfortunately, Matthos let slip a slight sound. He also winced, as Davos saw with a glance.
Lady Weiss frowned, followed by the others. "I was under the impression that everyone here is a volunteer."
"They swore an oath to serve," Davos replied. "As did I."
Lady Yang muttered a curse under her breath that would have fit any sailor under Davos's command.
"Whenever a ship leaves port, every sailor knows they might not come back," Davos said.
"That doesn't excuse this," Lady Ruby insisted. "They didn't expect that an assassin might come after them to steal their face!"
"I made sure to impress that danger on them when I told them we would be ferrying you to Dragonstone," Davos explained.
That seemed to mollify them, and he released a soft sigh of relief. If they had blamed Lord Stannis for this… He still couldn't understand how they had expected their request to work. Davos knew that you couldn't trust sailors with such secrets; half the whores in King's Landing would have been aware that this was supposed to be a trap after one night. And he didn't see the difference between telling the men they would be ferrying the Four Maidens and telling them they would be bait for the Faceless Men; everyone knew the assassins were after the Four Maidens, anyway.
*****
Ruby Rose took another bite from the grilled fish on her plate. She didn't recognise the fish - it must not be popular at the palace - but it tasted OK to her. Blake, of course, was all over it, already filling her third plate. Or, maybe it was her fourth - Ruby hadn't really kept count. It didn't matter, anyway. (As long as it wasn't poisoned. And it wasn't; they had tested that. By having Blake eat it.)
Anyway… "I'm still not happy to hear that they don't know this is a trap," she said, then took a sip from her glass. Which wasn't really full because, from time to time, the table tilted a bit when the ship hit a higher wave or whatever.
"If they honestly tried to keep the Faceless Man from sneaking onto the ship, then that will have made the whole plan more convincing," Weiss pointed out.
Ruby frowned at that. Her partner was right, but having people risk their lives under false pretences (as Weiss would say, and had said) wasn't right. "It's still not right."
"But, my ladies, it's done, right?" Matthos, Ser Davos's son - the fourth son; Ser Davos had a family as large as Jaune's! - poined out.
Ruby frowned at that as well, even though her friends nodded. "Anyway!" she spoke up again, "we should now search the ship with Ghost." She still thought they should have done that right after leaving the harbour, but Ser Davos had argued for waiting a few hours, until the crew had settled in. He claimed they might spot an impostor more easily, and that it would be easier to search the ship when the sailors were not too busy.
"Yes, my lady." Ser Davos nodded.
"After dessert!" Yang added with a grin.
"Dessert?" Ser Davos looked surprised, then smiled in that 'silent apology' way of his. He was a pretty quiet and - what was the word? Right, reserved! - man. "I am sorry, but we hadn't planned dessert."
"And you shouldn't have," Ruby said. Even though she would have loved some honey cake. Or those little lemon cakes. "We're not here to stress the cook. This is a warship, and we're grateful you're transporting us." Really! Huntresses needed to know how to rough it in the field! Or on the sea! And they shouldn't impose - as Weiss would say - on the crew when the crew was helping them at the risk of their lives!
"Yes," Blake said with a firm nod.
"You've eaten so much fish, you wouldn't be able to eat dessert anyway," Yang told her with a toothy grin. "Might have emptied the sea just for you."
Blake didn't deny that - she blushed a little.
"We are aware of how much you need to eat, my ladies, and provisioned accordingly," Ser Davos said. "Although we apparently failed to consider dessert."
"As I said, we don't need dessert!" Ruby reassured him. She wouldn't refuse to eat it if they offered, of course. A growing, active girl needed food. "Anyway, is Ghost willing to help us, Jon?"
"Yes, my lady." Jon nodded firmly. He hadn't said much so far. At least, he wasn't still pining after - or was it for? - Yang. Ruby hadn't seen him sneaking glances in a while now. Sharing a cabin with him would have been awkward otherwise. Well, for him. More awkward, actually - he had been all worked up about it. Something about appropriate and stuff. Bah! Huntresses were used to bunking with boys. JNPR did it, and they had no trouble at all, and they weren't the only mixed team, either.
"So, since Blake has sated her hunger, should we start to search the ship, then?"
"Yes, my lady." Ser Davos stood and headed for the door.
Ruby and her friends followed. "Oh. Stick with us, Jon. The sailors don't know yet that you and Ghost are with us." They might mistake him for a Faceless Man otherwise. And Ghost might scare them, even though he was such a fluffy puppy.
"Yes, my lady."
"I'll instruct the crew," Ser Davos said. "Matthos, inform the first mate."
"Yes, Father."
"Ghost, look for enemies!" Jon snapped, and Ghost trotted ahead. "Stay close!" Jon added, but Ruby already heard one sailor gasp and cry out.
Oops! Ah, well.
"Jerno! The wolf's with the Four Maidens!" Ser Davos snapped.
"Yes, Captain!"
They started searching the ship Top to bottom, it seemed - so the sailors would hear about Jon and Ghost. Well, Ruby doubted anyone could miss Ghost! The gasps (and sometimes shrieks) proved that.
But they didn't find anyone on the deck, or in the 'superstructure', as Weiss called the parts above the main deck. That left the belowdecks. The hold and the - yuck! - bilge.
Ghost apparently didn't mind the smell; he jumped down the stairs with an excited bark.
Ruby smiled. Until Jon drew a sharp breath and said: "Ghost has found something."
Oh? A moment later, Ruby was next to Ghost, Crescent Rose unfolded. Ghost was staring and barking at a crate in the hold. Had an assassin hid in the crate, just like they had hid Jon and Ghost?
Her friends, followed by Ser Davos and Matthos, arrived, and she pointed her scythe at the crate. "Come out with your hands up! We have the crate covered!"
Ghost barked again, to make a point, but there was no reaction from the crate.
"This… It smells like smoke! Something's burning!" Blake snapped.
Ser Davos and Matthos gasped at that. "Fire?" Ser Davos hissed.
"It's a faint smell," Blake said. "I almost missed it." She stepped closer to the crate and peered at it. Ghost barked again. "It's coming from here. Something's burning inside."
"We need to remove that crate before the fire spreads!" Ser Davos stared at it..
"On it!" Ruby yelled, stashed Crescent Rose and quickly moved forward. "I'll have it out in a second!"
"Open the hold!" Ser Davos yelled. "At once!"
Others took up the call - Ruby heard them yelling on the main deck. She eyed the crate. It was a bit larger than she had thought. But she could still pick it up easily. It wasn't a shipping container or whatever.
"Wait with picking it up until they have the trapdoor open, sis," Yang said.
"It's called a hatch on a ship, not a trapdoor," Weiss cut in.
"Same thing," Yang shot back.
"Quiet!" Blake snapped. "There's something…" She bent down and sniffed again.
Ruby did the same but couldn't smell anything. But she trusted Blake, and Ghost agreed.
"Whose crate is this? And what should be on it?" Blake asked.
"The markings of the crate show it belongs to Master Dundas. Wine merchant," Ser Davos replied.
"I don't smell any wine, and bottles shouldn't burn," Blake said. "Or not that easily."
"They might be packed in sawdust to keep from breaking in rougher seas," Weiss suggested. Or if dockworkers were not very careful with fragile cargo.
"Sawdust?" Blake gasped. "If there's a dust explosion…"
Dust? Oh, sawdust. From wood. That could explode - Ruby had learned that in the firearms and other fire-weapons safety class at Signal.
"We really need to get it out!" She looked up. The hatch above the hold was pulled back. Good! "Alright, give me some space!" she said, bent down, grabbed the sides of the crate and heaved.
She heard something go 'click'.
"Ruby!"
"Watch out!"
"Stop!"
And then the crate was on fire. She was holding fire. And people screamed as smoke rose in the hold.
"Ruby!"
"Ruby!"
Ruby was OK. It was just fire. Not even wildfire. Just… Burning liquid was dropping on the floor. Alright, that was bad! "Out of the way!" Ruby yelled. "Weiss, Cover the floor!"
"What…? Oh, no!"
Ruby craned her neck, trying to look up - the smoke and the flames were making it hard. But there! She caught a glimpse of the open hatch,
And she moved. With the crate.
Then she was on deck.
"Watch the fire!" she yelled - more burning liquid was dropping.
"Ruby!"
Then she was in the air. Above the water.
And then she was in the water.
*****
"Put those fires out! Bring sand!"
"Clear the deck!"
"Get water! And sand!"
"Fire! Fire!"
"We're going to die!"
"Wildfire!"
Weiss Schnee clenched her teeth as she worked to put out the burning puddles of what looked like oil on the hold's floor. Ruby's abrupt departure, necessary as it had been, had spread them over half the hold, it seemed. And they were spreading.
"It's not wildfire!" Yang yelled as she was using a bag of grain to smother a patch of burning oil. "Just normal fire!"
"Fire! Fire!" another stupid sailor yelled.
Although, Weiss had to admit when she saw that parts of the hull were on fire, maybe they were more realistic than she had thought. How could a bit of burning oil cause this? The fire was spreading! "We need water down here!" she snapped. "We need to cover the cargo with it!" Wet wood wouldn't burn as quickly or easily as dry wood.
"On it!" Yang yelled, grabbing a barrel of…
"Beer?" Weiss blurted out, in between smothering another spot of fire.
"It's basically water!" Yang yelled back as she ripped the top off the barrel and emptied it on a bunch of bags. "And now I have a big bucket to fetch more!"
Blake apparently agreed with this plan since, while Yang jumped up through the open hatch, she lashed out with Gambol Shroud, the ribbon cutting through the remaining barrels of beer and drenching half the floor in more watery liquid.
That didn't mean the other half wasn't about to go up in flames any second now. And even if Blake and Yang fetched more water, it wouldn't be enough - this oil wasn't wildfire, but it burned well enough.
Weiss pressed her lips together and lifted Myrtenaster, Dust chamber cycling. Gravity Dust, lowest setting - she needed a bigger impact than her blade would normally leave, but not as big as to sink the ship.
Then she stabbed the hull, blowing a hole into the planks as large as her head. Water shot into it at once, and she hurried to create a glyph to block it and redirect it - letting it splash to the side. A few more Glyphs followed to redirect the water some more.
"Here we are… Oh. Weiss! Are you sinking us?"
"I'm back! Did you know I can run on water with my Semblance? Weiss! Why is there a hole in the ship?"
Wasn't it obvious? "I needed more water to drench the fires!" Weiss snapped as some fools on the deck above them clamoured about the ship sinking. "Now help me close it up again!"
"Well, sinking the ship is one way to prevent it from burning down, I guess," Yang said.
"It's not going to sink. Not from a single hole this size!" Weiss insisted, hoping she wasn't lying. A ship back home wouldn't sink. She had seen movies. Also, documentaries. But a ship here?
"Alright, I got it!" Yang announced, then pushed the bottom of her barrel against the hole, closing it. "See? No sweat!"
"You can't keep it there until we reach the next harbour, though!" Blake sensibly pointed out.
"We'll… nail it shut!" Ruby said. "Somehow!"
"Ser Davos! We have a leak to plug! Can you send someone down?" Weiss yelled. "In a lower voice, she added: "My advice is to leave that to trained professionals."
Yang grumbled something about questioning the professionalism of the crew, and, judging by the increase in panic she could hear, Weiss didn't think her friend was entirely wrong. But while she put out a few lingering fires and sparks, two sailors arrived, took a look, and yelled for more people and 'braces' and 'cloth'.
About half an hour later, the leak was plugged and the ship was saved.
And Weiss was wet and smelled as if she had taken a bath in a barrel of ale in the middle of a forest fire. In short, she stank. As did her friends. And, presumably, the entire crew, though, based on her impression from the earlier, and, unfortunately, interrupted and ultimately too late inspection of the ship, that merely meant that the sailors were a bit ahead of schedule. Though poor Ghost must have it the worst, with his sensitive nose. At least Blake could pinch hers closed.
"How could that crate be burning without anyone noticing it? And how could anyone start a fire without anyone noticing it?" Weiss asked as soon as the last embers had been snuffed out, and sailors started to take the remaining water out of the hold using buckets. "You had the hold covered, right?"
"And under guard," Ser Davos said.
"If they started the fire, they have to be on the ship!" Ruby said.
Yes! Weiss doubted that Westeros or Essos had developed time bombs. Or time incendiary bombs, in this case. They didn't have clockworks, not even the most primitive ones.
"We'll have to search the entire ship again. After checking all the sailors," Ruby announced.
"Yes, my lady." Ser Davos agreed at once. He looked livid, of course - someone had almost wrecked and sunk his ship. Once they found the assassin, there would be words. And worse.
*****
"That's the last part of the ship, my ladies," Ser Davos announced.
Weiss could see that - she wasn't an idiot. She had kept track of the search. "And Ghost hasn't found anything. Or anyone," she added. They had ensured that there was no possibility of an assassin or saboteur evading their search by slipping past them.
"I'm sorry, my lady." Jon, of course, sounded contrite even though it wasn't his fault at all. And certainly not Ghost's; the brave puppy had done everything he could. He had noticed the fire-trapped crate first, too.
"You don't have to apologise, Jon," Ruby said.
"Looks like either the assassin jumped overboard, or they bribed someone from the crew to set the fire," Yang said.
"Who would set a fire to the ship they're on?" Ruby asked. "They'd burn or drown as well. And the money would be useless."
"Unless the assassin took a hostage to make the sailor comply with his demands," Blake pointed out.
Weiss nodded. That was a possibility. And since all the sailors had been exhausted and, in many cases, shaken, any such traitor would not have been easy to spot. Still… "That would have taken a lot of work to arrange such a situation. Would they have had the time?"
Blake frowned. "It wouldn't be impossible."
"But implausible?" Yang flashed her teeth in a tired grin. "We'll have to keep our eyes open; if someone is trying to kill us so their family gets saved, they'll try again. Desperately, probably."
Weiss and the others nodded. Yang was right. This had been a well-prepared trap. If the fire had broken out in the middle of the night, they might very well not have been able to react quickly enough to save the ship. It wouldn't have killed RWBY - between Weiss's glyphs and wood to make a raft, they would have survived and managed to reach the closest shore - but Weiss had no doubt that many sailors would have died.
"Uh…" Ruby bit her lower lip.
"Yes?" Weiss asked. Her partner and team leader and best friend had that expression she showed when she had either a genius thought or a foolish suggestion. Or both.
"The fire was burning slowly, right? It was burning for some time, and it only started really burning when I lifted it."
"Yes." Blake nodded.
"So… how long could it have burned?" Ruby looked around. "Before we noticed."
Weiss's eyes widened, then narrowed. "You think they had a way to have it burn for hours before igniting the oil?"
Ruby nodded. "I'm not an expert, but… it's possible, isn't it?"
"Not implausible, at least," Yang said. Her joke didn't work any better the second time.
"That would mean the entire crew is innocent," Ser Davos said. "As innocent as sailors could be, at least," he added with a bit of dry humour.
It was clear that he would like that, despite the threat such a capability implied for future attacks. Still… "We can't let our guard down," Weiss said. "We have to be ready for another attempt." Anything else would be irresponsible.
Her friends nodded in agreement. As did Ser Davos.
*****
Harbour, Dragonstone, Westeros, 298 AC
Blake Belladonna studied the harbour while the crew tied up the Black Betha. The assassin hadn't made another attempt during the rest of their trip. She wished he had; they had been ready for him, and on the ship, he would have had a much harder time losing pursuit or going into hiding, even as a crew member. With her Faunus advantage, she would have likely caught him before he could do any harm to anyone.
The sailors, of course, were relieved - she could see them smile now, when they had been nervous and twitchy for days, even though they should know better than that; now they were at risk of being murdered for their faces again. With the damage slowing down Black Betha, it wasn't implausible, for example, that the assassin might have made it to Dragonstone ahead of them. Especially if he had taken a faster ship and sailed before they left port - there were many ships in the harbour, and only half of them looked like warships.
Her team would have to keep an eye out for any assassination attempts during their stay here. And given that the Faceless Man apparently had no qualms about sinking an entire ship to get at them, they could not tolerate even the slightest mistake, or people might die as a result.
It was a pity; Dragonstone looked interesting. Not very inviting - it was a volcanic island, with scraggly trees and scarce vegetation, and the air smelt of sulphur and brimstone; she caught herself wrinkling her nose all the time at the stench. The castle was even worse; it was eerie, sculpted with magic to look like dragons, according to Ser Davos, and in the slight morning mist - it was damp as well - the castle did look like a group of giant dragons rousing from slumber. Or a bunch of giant Grimm. Certainly a place worth investigating.
She shuddered at that thought. They could take one Grimm of that size; they had proven that during Initiation, but several? At once? Even with the training at Beacon, that would be difficult; they hadn't been able to train against Grimm since they had arrived in Westeros, and while the entire team had learned much from Ser Barristan and other knights, it was all aimed at fighting other people, not Grimm.
She shook her head. This was not the time to hold such dreary thoughts. They might not have caught the Faceless Man yet, but their stated reason to visit Dragonstone, to look at the library here, wasn't merely a pretext; there was a decent chance of finding something here that would help them find a way home - especially if the claim that it had been created by magic was true.
And Blake might even be able to read some of the books after a year spent trying to decipher the local texts. Not to mention that the island ate more fish than any other region of the realm.
She smiled as the plank was lowered and they started to disembark.
*****
Dragonstone, Westeros, 298 AC
Up close, the castle looked even more… impressive. And eerie. Blake wasn't an expert on castles, but she had visited a number, from Castle Black to Winterfell, then more, smaller keeps on the trip to King's Landing, and, of course, the Red Keep in King's Landing itself. But none of them looked like Dragonstone. The castle was a work of art, Blake had to admit it.
"Oh, wow! Look at that - the tower looks like a rising dragon! So cool! And that tower looks like a standing dragon! Oh, and the hall ahead looks like a sleeping dragon!"
And Ruby was almost bursting with excitement, which Blake had expected. Though she could see that Weiss, too, was impressed with the castle's design and aesthetics, as was Yang, though Blake's partner tried to play it off.
A woman and a girl, who had half her cheek and part of her neck covered with grey skin that looked like stone, she noted, both nobles judging by their clothes, were waiting for them in front of the 'Maw' that formed the entrance to the great hall. With them were an old man in a Maester's robes and a middle-aged man in armour, as well as two servants behind them carrying a covered basket.
Those would be Selyse Baratheon, Lord Stannis's wife, and their daughter Shireen. The girl had suffered from a local disease, Blake knew. And the men were the castle's Maester and probably captain-of-the-guard - the exact titles varied, according to her knowledge.
"Greetings, my lady." Ser Davos bowed deeply. "I hail from King's Landing, on your lord husband's orders. May I introduce Lady Ruby Rose, Lady Weiss Schnee, Lady Blake Belladonna, Lady Yang Xiao Long and Ser Jon Snow?" He gestured at Team RWBY and Jon. "The wolf is trained," he added.
Lady Selyse nodded with a firm expression, apparently not fazed by Ghost's presence. But Shireen was staring at the wolf - and at them - with undisguised curiosity and awe.
"My ladies, Ser Jon, these are Lady Selyse, Lady Shireen, Ser Axell Florent, the Castellan, and Maester Cressen."
So, Castellan it was. Blake made a mental note as the servants offered bread and salt for the formal recognition of guest right.
Good. She took a quick but subtle sniff, of course, before taking a bite, in case the bread or salt smelled suspiciously. It didn't. She had had better bread, much better, but she'd had worse bread as well.
But even with guest right granted, the formalities were not over yet.
"Thank you, My Lady, for receiving us," Weiss said with a glance at Ruby.
"Yes! It's very nice of you!" Ruby quickly added.
"You come recommended by my Lord Husband and Lady Melisandre." Lady Selyse bowed her head. A moment later, her daughter did the same.
"It's still kind of you," Ruby replied. "Especially since Ser Davos's ship almost got sunk because of us - well, because an assassin tried to kill us."
Lady Shireen gasped at that, but Lady Selyse merely nodded. "A foolish attempt against someone protected by R'hllor."
That was quite a casual attitude, in Blake's opinion. And Lady Selyse seemed very confident in Team RWBY's abilities for someone who hadn't met them before. Well, she could look into that later.
She let Ruby and Weiss handle the diplomatic talk and used the opportunity to look around. She didn't even have to be subtle about it - she was certain that such a reaction was expected for first-time visitors to the castle.
And the dragon theme was everywhere. Small decorations, candlesticks, door handles, watersprouts - everything looked like a dragon.
"It's so cool!" Yang said in a low voice, just loud enough to ensure Blake would hear her.
Blake snorted softly. Of course, Yang would like the theme. Well, she liked it as well. Although she wouldn't mind if it were a bit less ubiquitous. It was a bit overwhelming. And it looked more than a bit obsessive. Although she could understand why the Targaryens would obsess over dragons, given their origin and history.
Of course, she didn't let the decor distract her from looking for guard posts, patrols and blind spots as they followed Lady Selyse and the others into the Great Hall, Ruby chattering away at high speeds and Weiss making appropriate excuses and polite conversation.
She would have enough opportunities to study the decorations later, when she would be prowling the castle, looking for assassins.
*****
Dragonstone, Westeros, 298 AC
"...and thank you again for letting us peruse your library, Maester."
"I am merely obeying Lord Stannis's order, Lady Blake. He was quite clear about rendering you every assistance needed to find a way home to your world."
The old man didn't sound as if he was doing this merely because he was ordered to, in Yang Xiao Long's opinion, as he showed them - Blake and Yang, to be exact - around. Mostly Blake, anyway; Yang hadn't learned to read the local books, so she wasn't too invested in the library. Still, she agreed that the library here could have some useful books since it was such a damn magical castle - it looked like a cartoon castle in some children's show had come alive.
Maybe literally; if there was magic to form such creatures from stone, wouldn't there be magic to animate them? Oh, if the Castle towers could turn into stone dragons to defend it…. "Cool!" she said, then grinned at the expression on Blake's face - her partner was so serious about books, even the lewd novels she liked to read. Or especially about them; she blushed in such a cute way when Yang teased her about them.
"Although I fear I must caution you to temper your expectations, my lady," Cressen went on. "I have catalogued the entire library in the years since Lord Stannis moved his household here, and I do not recall many tomes covering magical ruins. Not unless you count those written before Valyria's Doom."
Yang chuckled at the wordplay. The old man had a nice wit; she wondered how he and Lord Stannis got along. The noble didn't strike her as particularly fond of wordplay and puns.
Sadly, Cressen and Blake quickly got lost talking about a magic book they had in the royal library as well, and Yang felt a bit like a fifth wheel. Or a third wheel, if she was taking Bumblebee out.
She told Blake she was heading out and left the library; if there were anything useful in there, her partner would find out.
In the sunshine - for once, there was no mist covering the sun - she stretched. Now, what could she get up to while Blake was burying herself in books? She looked around and caught a glimpse of white near the local sept. Furry white. Ghost.
And where Ghost was, Jon would be. Probably praying in the Sept for one imaginary sin or the other - the boy was still far too hard on himself.
Well, as his friend, Yang owed it to him to drag him out of any gloomy funk he might have fallen into, so she marched over to the Sept's entrance. Ghost was lying on the steps leading inside, chuffing as he saw her - and making the two guards on the sides, one per side, flinch.
"Don't worry, he's a sweetheart," she told them, ruffling the wolf's fur and making him chuff in bliss, before she headed inside.
Jon was kneeling inside, praying silently. Disturbing him would be rude, so Yang looked around. The statues of the Seven were similar to the ones in the Great Sept, although much smaller. Still more than twice her height. And they looked slightly different, especially one god - the Stranger.
This statue made the god, or part of a god; Yang wasn't quite sure about the details, look as if he were a Faunus. Well, a Faunus with more than one animal aspect, so the resemblance wasn't really perfect or whatever. But the Stranger's statue in King's Landing didn't look like that. Weird.
"Lady Yang?"
Ah, Jon must have finished his prayer. "The one and only," she told him with a grin.
"Do you need to use the Sept? I'll leave at once."
"What? No!" She shook her head. "I just saw Ghost waiting outside and decided to check up on you."
"Oh." He slowly nodded.
"Praying before noon?" She tilted her head at him.
"Yes, my lady."
Ah, he wouldn't get the joke. They didn't have 'day drinking' here - well, technically, everyone drank alcohol, starting with breakfast, but that was normal for Westeros. "So, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, my lady," he replied at once.
She shook her head. "Try another one. You're not Lancel." The Lannister kid would spend half his life in a Sept if he could.
"Uh…" Jon blushed. "I merely felt the need to pray to ask the Seven to help me clear my head."
"Hmm?" She made a slight gesture to go on.
"I…" He looked around, then sighed. "This is the first time I am here, my lady."
"It's the first time for all of us," she replied with a smile, forcing herself not to follow up with the obvious innuendo that begged for.
He blushed anyway. "But… it feels familiar, somehow. No, not familiar - comfortable." He looked around. "I am probably just imagining it."
Wow, boys worried over everything. That was… Oh! She winced. She'd almost made a thoughtless comment. Of course, Jon would be thinking about his father and the other family members he had never met - this was the ancestral seat of the Targaryen! "Yeah, I get it," she told him. She knew better than to say anything about his origin. Blake hadn't been able to check the walls for passages here, but since both Dragonstone and the Red Keep had been built by the same family, they probably had placed such spy tunnels here as well.
"Yes." He knew it as well. "It's a beautiful castle," he added after a while. "Yet, so much has happened…"
"Yeah." Talk about complicated family relations. Not that Yang had much of a leg to stand on about that.
They stayed in the sept for a few more minutes, not saying anything. And Yang tried not to wonder where the Faceless Man still after them was hiding, and what he was planning.
***** Like Quote ReplyReport Reactions:Amrynel, frantichamster, 23btoz and 9 othersStarfox5Yesterday at 6:38 PMReader modeNewAdd bookmark ThreadmarksStarfox5Experienced.Yesterday at 6:42 PMNewAdd bookmark#355ATP said:Thanks for chapter.They knew that Tyrion did it - but,do they really need to punish him? all he said was true.If Tywin lived,there would be war lost by Lannisters,and here GRRM plotschield would not save him,like in book.
No way home found in books - i expected that .I hope,that children would found sometching.
P.S another way to kill them - bury them underground,they would die becouse lack of air.Or in burned building,fire would not kil them,but lack of air....Click to expand...
Well, on one hand, there's "cool motive, still murder". On the other hand, the law isn't a suicide pact. So, it's not exactly an easy or clear decision. But for RWBY, it's about upholding the rules since, in their view, and quite correctly, Westeros goes by "the King/the Lord is the law", and that is ripe with abuse. "I am doing this for the good of the realm" is an excuse many use, and not so many actually mean.
ThrowawayAccount said:Is Arya having warg dreams there?
Yeah.
Oddboy said:It's funny how the girls lived rent-free in Tywin's head while he barely rated as a concern in theirs, comparatively.
For all that he whined about slights and insults, I doubt he understood just how little they thought of him; it would have infuriated his massive ego to know they never really considered him, his wealth or his armies a serious threat to Team RWBY.
I'm torn between respecting the girls for holding to their values and feeling frustrated that they're fixating so much on Tyrion murdering his father; the man was a monster and while the excuses and justifications Tyrion offered weren't the real reason he poisoned dear old dad to death, he also wasn't wrong when he said those things.
Though actually convicting Tyrion for the crime is definitely going to be easier said than done. In this case, I'm rooting for him.
Because fuck Tywin. He had that coming for a long time.Click to expand...
Ty