Chapter 1
Robb I - Aboard the Sunbearer
This entire situation was highly unusual, as were the circumstances that had led up to it. Apparently some strange people from a faraway land had arrived in King’s Landing, bearing greetings and the news of an entire continent not known about in either Westeros or Essos, and somewhere along the process of selecting representatives to send to this new land, after libraries across all the kingdoms were scoured to try and verify that this was not some hoax, Robb Stark and Theon Greyjoy were somehow made part of the group to be sent. Honestly two heirs of great houses sent off on what could easily be a journey to certain death, it didn’t make any sense! Not to mention that Theon is technically his father's hostage! Which made even less sense since the entire point of him being one is to keep his father in line, which he can’t be used for if he wasn’t in Winterfell and certainly not thousands of leagues from Westeros’s closest shore.
Robb reckoned he wouldn’t be as confused about all of this if he’d just listened better when his father explained all of this, but it wasn’t his fault! He was rightfully shocked and confused as to why he, the heir of the North, was among those chosen for this journey. This sort of thing just wasn’t normal, you don’t send heirs or Lords on these types of things and certainly not Princes!
Oh yes! Because Robb and Theon weren’t enough! Excluding them, also on this journey was Oberyn Martell, y’know the Red Viper, the man infamous for his poisons and tendency for putting them on his blades and in his enemies, and he wasn’t alone either, accompanying him was three of the man's daughters and his paramour, but it hadn't been so bad since they were on different ships until an outbreak of bed lice occured on in his ship ending in the burning of all of his sheets, pillows and furs, because somehow it seemed to have only affected him! He also had to spend a not insignificant amount of time checking up on and taking care of Greywind who had clearly not found his sea legs yet, and the amount of times he had spewed out his dinner was making Robb regret insisting on bringing the poor wolf along. The Martell Prince then generously offered to house him on one of the dornish vessels which turned out to be the same one he and his family were on and before he could decline Theon, the bloody arse that he is, accepted for him and he was too polite to try and decline, to make matters worse Theon decided to tag along citing that he didn’t want to risk the same thing happening to him. Lies, Robb knew, he just wanted a chance to enjoy the company of the Dornish.
But the worst part of sharing a ship with the dornish wasn’t the worry and stress he felt every time he ate or drank something but the endless offers and hints of private company! From nearly all of them, including the Prince! He suspected they enjoyed watching him squirm. How ashamed would his mother be if she knew how tempting some of the offers were? And Theon didn’t help him since he saw nothing wrong with it and kept whining about the fact the offers weren’t directed at him, not for lack of trying mind you. Luckily it actually seemed as if Theon had calmed down with his depraved japes and boasting of his prowess when he realized that they were on the open sea and was soon asking (pestering) the ship's captain for lessons, which gave Robb some time alone at least. This gave him time to try and make sense of all this but the only thing he succeeded in was nearly bringing himself to tears from how his head spun from his attempts at understanding how the discovery of a new land led to him being tormented by snakes on ship.
Other notable people with them on this journey was some Lannister he hadn’t learned the name of with three ships of his own flying the red and gold of his house, three other ships that flew the crowned stag of the Royal family carrying Lord Renly Baratheon if he remembered correctly, though one of those ships also flew a strange banner he didn’t know of a black ship adorned by a white onion of all things, he guessed it was probably some house sworn to the Stags of either Dragonstone or the Stormlands since he couldn’t think of any Crownlands house with a banner like that, unless they were a new house which he supposed wasn’t outside of the realm of possibility.
Excluding the two ships that flew the grey wolf of House Stark and the merman of House Manderly and the others there were three more, two of them displayed the grape sigil of House Redwyne and rose of the Tyrells whilst the last one carried the silver trout of his mother's house along with his uncle Edmure, not that he remembered the man beyond a few moments from when he visited Winterfell when Robb was younger. All in all their group consisted of fourteen ships, which in Robb’s opinion seemed a bit much but what did he know, this was afterall his first time on a ship.
While he did wish to tear out his own hair in frustration sometimes he hasn’t spent the entire time like that, he was after all still young and couldn’t deny the thrill and excitement he felt at the idea of going to an entirely new continent and the only one thing that could have made this better would have been his closest and not-so secret favorite brother with him, the thought of his dark haired sibling filled him with regret and darkened his mood.
Deciding he wouldn’t be good company for anyone like this he pushed himself upright from where he had been leaning on the ship's railing and retired to his rooms aboard the dornish vessel, seeking comfort in his furry grey companion and sleep soon claimed him bringing forth dreams of childish laughter and near-forgotten hopes and dreams whispered in the night between two young children.
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Dovahkiin I - Inside a nordic tomb
Blood splashed against his face as he slipped his blade through the ribs and pierced the heart of one of the undead creatures that had attacked him before ripping it out and quickly turning to meet the sword from another one with his own.
Turning his gaze away from the snarling, red-eyed creature currently trying to overpower him he saw a vampire he’d knocked off the circular platform earlier when they’d ambushed him, the redguard, drenched from the shallow water below them, seemed to have lost one of her scimitars when she got pushed off and was currently scrambling up to the platforms edge.
Knowing he had to deal with the one in front of him quickly he felt the familiar build up of warmth and energy in his chest before releasing it with the three words he’d become most familiar with in his time in this land, the Shout slammed into the wide eyed vampire and sent him flying towards one of the rooms walls where the force of the push snapped his head back with a sickening crunch, the man fell to the water covered ground below with several chunks of the wall following, burying the now truly deceased undeads body underneath.
Turning his attention to the redguard who had decided to stay back and observe him instead of rushing forwards with reckless abandon like she and the other, now dead, vampires had done at first, apparently having learnt from the past mistakes of herself and her fellows. He found himself copying the woman's movements which put them in a tense standoff where neither wished to strike first. In the end it was the redguard who broke the stalemate when she lunged forward with inhuman speed to slash at his face, he quickly ducked under the wild swing to avoid the blow and with obviously well-practiced movements began a series of quick thrusts and slashes forcing his opponent to devote all her focus on blocking or avoiding his attacks and putting her on the back foot as his strikes pushed her from his side to the edge of the platform.
The fight came to an end when he went for a one-handed overhead blow forcing her to bring her curved scimitar up to stop it from cleaving her head in two and for the second time that day he was in a struggle to overpower one of his vampire attackers. The difference now being that he was the one who with the upper hand and that this time one of his hands were free, a fact he used to draw the dragonbone dagger on his belt and plunge it into the vampire's belly, the woman gave out a gasp and her arms faltered which gave him the opportunity to shove her blade aside and slash his own sword at her throat causing a river of blood to seep down and give the front of her already wet leather armor a coat of red paint.
As the last of his ambushers fell dead to the ground Jon closed his eyes and took a deep breath before cleaning the blood off his sword on the cloak of one of the corpses that hadn’t fallen off into the water.
“You’re getting sloppy Dovahkiin.” A voice suddenly stated from across the room. Turning his head so fast his curly hair flew in the air he found a figure leaning against one of the room's wooden pillars, glowing eyes peered at him from under the dark hood. Relaxing as he realized who it was he replied in a slightly annoyed tone.
“Well I’d like to see you be at your best when somehow clearing out a nest of feral bloodsuckers ends up being the most relaxing activity you’ve had all week.” The unimpressed look on her face showed just what she thought of his argument and with a huff he sheathed his sword and dagger before taking a running start to cross the collapsed bridge connecting the platform he’d been standing on and the open room carved into the wall where his friend stood. “Don’t look at me like that, not all of us can enjoy those headache inducing courtly intrigues that you seem to thrive in, my lady.” He put a mocking emphasis on the last words in the hopes of drawing some kind of reaction from her but she simply stared at before replying.
“Speaking of, we should get back before they start worrying the dragonborn has died,” her cold voice took on a hard to detect warmth and her lips twitched upwards in an almost unnoticeable way as she added “after all we certainly wouldn’t want to worry the fine men and women of the queens noble court now would we, my thane?”
He gave her glare before replying with only grunt and then turning to walk away towards the tomb's exit. Oh how he would forever regret letting himself get dragged into this game of lies and hidden intentions, but at least he had a warm bed and a nice cup of spiced wine waiting for him at the end of the day so he supposed it wasn’t all bad. Mmmh… how sweet the thought of his warm bed was right now and how he wished he could ignore his duties and simply collapse in it under its many covers and furs.
Thoughts of his home in the city brought unbidden memories of his childhood home and he ignored the tugging at his heartstrings at the thought of the family he’d left there. The past was done and all he could do was plan for the future and make the most of the present.