The edge of the Smoking Sea…
Harry sailed his small boat to the edge of the Smoking Sea and gulped visibly at the sight of it, many men had tried to sail this sea and so far as he knew none of them had ever come back. Of all the things he had ever done or the risks he had taken…this was the most foolish at least in his mind. Aside from the danger of the smoke and the rocks that would be next to invisible in the water, there were legends of krakens haunting these waters and who knows what else, Harry was definitely hoping that the reward was worth the chance he was taking.
He however had the advantage of some other worldly knowledge from the Resurrection Stone, calling on people who had experienced the Smoking Sea before like Gerion Lannister he had discovered the air itself was thick with gases that choked them, that gave him the information he needed to plan ahead. He looked down at the mask he had created, runic enhanced to create an endless bubblehead charm so he could breathe with a near limitless supply of air and a glass visor to protect his eyes with unbreakable glass. Orion and Storm were both in stasis inside his packed up tent, given the conditions he would not risk them.
He slipped his mask on and took a deep breath, clean air filled his lungs and as he exhaled he felt slightly more confident about his chances but whether or not he was ready to enter the Smoking Sea the current took the decision from him, pushing him into the shrouded area until he could no longer clearly tell where he was. The Point-Me spell allowed him to tell he was being pushed north but that was the extent of it, so he would just have to keep going until he found something.
But as he travelled deeper into the smoke he saw the currents change is heading pulling him away from the north and towards a very sharp and close dense cluster of rocks ahead but he could only just barely see. Harry did not hesitate as he took a firm hold of the steering mechanism he pulled hard with all these might as the small boat was pulled forward by the current towards the rocks, avoiding them sometimes I narrowest of margins. His muscles aching he looked around to see where in the hell he was and it did not make him feel in the slightest better about the situation.
Bits of wood mostly rotted and occasional skeleton stranded on the rocks were grim reminders that clearly he was not the only person to fall into this trap and this went on for quite a while until finally the current delivered him into me large area of open water. It was still shrouded in smoke so he could not see how far it went but from what he could see there were many shipwrecks here, most of them broken beyond recognition but some were still identifiable. The current now dissipated enough for him to regain control Harry carefully steered his boat towards the larger rocks so he could hopefully beach his boat and then get a better view of the area in which he had found himself, it took a bit of effort for him to pull the boat onto the rock enough so it would not simply float away but with the aid of a little magic it was done eventually.
Once he was sure his boat was completely secure Harry began to climb rocky surface, it was slippery with the moisture of the sea but otherwise not impassable with good enough handholds for him to pull himself up. As he reached the top he looked around and saw what amounted to large body of open water surrounded by a ring of rough rocks, Harry could not see all of it clearly given it was mostly shrouded by the smoke but there must be Harry realised to his surprise well over a hundred shipwrecks here. Many of those that came to Valyira never got anywhere close, they ended up here and presumably were smashed to pieces on the rocks.
That was if they had the mercy of a quick death, Harry thought with sympathy. He could not imagine what earth it must have been like for any sailors who had found themselves here. No food, the air itself making it hard to breathe and no fresh water. He shuddered just at the thought of it.
But his thoughts were distracted from the morbid idea of what it would have been like to be stuck here he then noticed something on an adjacent rock. Forgetting his boat for a moment he slid down the rock and leapt the short distance between them so he could get a closer look.
It was a dragon skeleton, possibly hundreds of years old. Harry was taken aback at the size of it, while it was no when near the big as the sky dragons seen in Yi Ti it was enormous with a skull the size of wheelhouse. I was so surprised by the dragon he didn't really notice it had not been alone when it died, it had clearly once had a rider as a male human skeleton was tangled up with the dragons. Little remained to give his identity except for what little of his possessions remained; a strange looking horn that had been styled like a dragon, a torn and weathered cloak and a rather spectacular looking greatsword. Harry picked them up and put the journal and horn into his pouch to examine later while he took a look at the sword.
It was he noticed Valyrian steel, not surprising given it had belonged to a dragonlord. The styling of the crossguard and hilt was unusual, designed to look like arcing lightning bolts. He admired the craftsmanship before strapping it to his back and looking around the area again from his new position, he was now able to see even more wrecks and although he could not be sure there must have been a few hundred ships scattered around the area, some he realised hundreds of years old.
Many Harry noticed as he studied them were smashed to pieces in the middle of the large body of water but some ships were lodged on the rocks, Harry was about to return to his boat so he could dive the wrecks when he noticed things were rising out of the water. Large tentacles that must have extended thirty feet or more. Harry stopped and looked harder, desperate to make out what the creatures were when surprisingly one of them waved a tentacle at him in a friendly fashion. Harry was stopped still in surprise when he finally managed to get a good look at the creatures that inhabited the area. Giant squids or krakens as they were sometimes known, but unlike the vicious creatures of legend Harry knew differently. These ones at least were like the one in the lake at Hogwarts in the other world, they were friendly and Harry smiling to himself in amusement waved back, abandoning plans to dive the area. This was their place and while they might be nice to him while he was standing on a rock, they might not like it if he entered their home. He would keep to the rocks, study the wrecked ships there and head onwards to the ruined peninsula especially as he was not sure his anti-animal runic band would work against the intelligent krakens.
Taking a deep breath of filtered air, he set up his tent to retrieve an empty chest. He had some salvaging to do.
Three Days Later…
Harry let out an exhausted but triumph cry as he finally managed to set foot on what was left of the Valyrian peninsula. It had taken him this long to transverse the rocks as his boat was continually swept back into the kraken den by the current but eventually he had found a path to the largest remaining part of the peninsula. His time spent searching however had been worthwhile; not only had he managed store the bones of the dragon but he had explored the other wrecks around the area. Most steel had rusted due to the salty air but some journals and maps from the ships had survived by being locked in a chest, like that of the Would-be-Emperor of Valyria Aurion whose skeleton he had found with the dragon skeleton. There had been little else of value on their ships but the map of the Valyrian Peninsula that Aurion had kept in his cabin showed where all the towns and cities where and any other places that might be worth a look. Harry had to thank the current loop now as it had given him something that would make his exploration of the ruins much quicker.
But when Harry finally got a good look at the environment he was taken aback at what he saw. Whatever he had expected could not compare to the devastation he was seeing now; the sky was dark with black clouds so thick they blotted out any sunlight with the only light at all was coming from volcanos that were erupting in the distance, the ground beneath his feet was completely broken and lifeless. Black dragonstone roads were still intact but along them was a sobering reminder of the cataclysm that had happened here. Scorched and twisted skeletons lined the road for as far as his eye could see, Harry swallowed beneath his mask trying hard not think about how those poor people had suffered in the Doom. Running for their lives in terror only to find there was no escape as the air itself choked them or they were burned alive in the eruption. He could tell the air was extremely dry and lacking in moisture from the way it felt against his skin where it was not protected by clothing.
He turned around to see if there was anything else, hoping not to look at the skeletons anymore and was a bit relieved to see a wrecked ship, beached not far from where he had come ashore. It was a Westerosi war galley, a big one Harry noticed at least a few hundred years old his curiosity distracting him for the moment. Ship design in Westeros had not changed much in the centuries since the Doom at least, partly due to the suppression or hoarding of science by the Seven or the Maesters respectively so Harry was able to tell it came from there but more so he could tell it came from the Westerlands…and the golden lion on its bow revealed just which House it had belonged too.
Harry walked towards the ship, trying not to step on any of the skeletons that surrounded it until he was able to get a good grip on the hull and hauled himself up. Part of wood broke away in his hand, nearly sending him back to the ground but he caught another handhold and continued to climb until he reached the deck. More skeletons greeted him and he grimly walked past them towards the main cabin, the door was ajar and fell off the hinge when he pushed it but the room beyond was still in good condition. He cast a lighting charm with his ring to illuminate the dark space and took a step back in surprise when he saw a corpse sitting at the desk. Dressed in lion styled black and red armour tinted with gold in places, an impressive greatsword lay on the desk at which he sat along with a journal, still open on the last page. Leaning over the sword, Harry looked at the single paragraph which judging by the rough way it had been written must have been done in a hurry.
If you are reading this, you are dead men. The air itself chokes all life here and it was my foolishness to try and steal the riches of this accursed land. An action that caused the death of myself and my crew, I only fear for my family and hope they will not mourn me or follow my course for as I have discovered it only leads to death. I King Tommen 2nd of House Lannister beseech you to leave while you still have air in your lungs and wish you find the luck I wish I had been given.
Harry picked up the journal and carefully placed it in his pouch, it would be preserved later and would no doubt be worth reading. Then he turned to sword that lay on the desk, it was a striking piece of work easily on par with the other greatsword he had found earlier but unlike that sword he knew this one's name. Brightroar, the ancestral sword of House Lannister lost centuries ago and the lengths that Tywin Lannister had gone to try and find a replacement were a legend in themselves. Harry examined the sword; with its large solid gold lion head pommel, intricate gold patterns and red coloured steel handle before he took it and its equally elaborate scabbard and strapped them to his back before he went to examine the rest of the cabin.
He was not shocked to find a large chest full of gold in the corner, after all the Rock was famous for its gold mines. He shrunk it and placed it in his pouch while going to find anything else worth salvaging. As he entered the lower decks he saw a large rack of armour and weapons, all in relatively good condition and made of high quality steel. He wondered what on earth he would need so much steel for but with a sigh he took the shrunken empty chest off his belt and expanded it back to full size ready to load it full of the steel when he decided to shrink the steel armour and weapons to save space. He could also enlarge them again later he reasoned, so he shrank the steel with a wave of his ring and then scooped it up into the chest. He then shrunk that and clipped it back onto his waist.
He looked around the ship one last time to make sure he hadn't missed anything before he left, climbing down the hull the same way he had come unsettled by this place even more than when he had boarded. He took out the map he had taken off of Aurion's wrecked ship and looked around to confirm where he was.
In the distance he could see two volcano's off to the right with a mountain on the left and a road that ran between them. Looking back at the map he realised he was not so far from the capital of the Valyrian Freehold, named simply Valyria after the peninsula. While he had no idea if it was still intact it was the nearest settlement but without Storm he was going to have to walk it which he estimated would take at least a day. Harry looked at the volcanoes nervously, worried about the glow that showed they were currently erupting but he began down the dragonstone road, not sure of what he would find at its end.
-x-
Valyria…
Harry was impressed at the strength of the dragonstone roads, considering how well it had held together. Without them it would have been far more difficult to find his way to Valyria and he did not want to spend any longer here than he had too, it was also better on his feet then trampling over the broken ground and he had made better time than he had thought with the city being just over the next hill.
Still Harry thought it was creepy as more of the distressed corpses lined the road like he was a grim parade. It went on for miles and there was now definitely more of them Harry realised as he got closer to the city, some even on the roads themselves which he carefully stepped around so as to not disturb them.
When he finally arrived at the top of the hill between him and the city of Valyria Harry stopped to see what was left and he could only gasped at the sight before him.
There had once been a great city and Harry had expected ruined buildings, even collapsed towers but instead most of the city was completely gone. In its place was a massive lake of molten lava that had apparently consumed most of the city. Only a few buildings and towers remained intact, protected by an incredibly large tower made of dragonstone that had fallen and created an unintentional dam, somehow after all this time holding back the lava. Some had even cooled adding a second layer of defence for the remaining buildings.
Harry was stunned, he had never imagined this. So much lost in those fiery depths but at least something had survived he consoled himself, deciding to investigate after a good night's sleep given how tired his feet were. So he took his tent out of his pack and with a wave of his hand it erected itself so he could enter.
Once inside he felt the bubblehead charm ward he had set up and with some relief took off the mask and took a deep breath, glad to finally have the uncomfortable mask off after wearing it for most of the day. He put the mask on the table and went to store Brightroar and the things he had discovered in the shipwreck, it was he realised as he entered getting rather full. Many of the chests were full of treasures and other high value things he could trade or barter with but there was still some chests empty that he could use. He put the chest of gold with the rest of stored treasures and the recovered steel aside in case he found anymore before retiring to the couch area where he could eat some preserved meat and plan for tomorrow.
He drew himself a primitive map of the buildings he had seen from the hill and so he could methodically explore them one by one, he smiled and looked up about to say something when he suddenly remembered he was completely alone. He had no travelling companions now Orion and Storm were in stasis and he had gotten into the habit of talking to them whenever he felt lonely but now he had no-one and it felt…odd.
He sat back on the couch, suddenly uncertain of himself. He had never been alone in his entire life and even on his journeys he had run into people he could talk to or had an animal he could have a rather one sided conversation with. He did not know what to with himself, he could delve back into reading the Chroyane lore he had acquired but who would he share his discoveries with? He finished his meal in silence and checked the runes and wards ensure their strength before retiring to bed. His mind constantly wondering what he might do to elevate his loneliness but aside from summoning up a spirit to talk to there was nothing, so he settled down to sleep.
-x-
When he woke and prepared for the day's work that was ahead of him, Harry was distracted. His dreams last night had not been pleasant, his isolation had influenced them letting him find no solace there but he was hoping that he might find something to distract himself with today. He left his tent where it was and after securing his mask to his face, left for the nearest of the surviving towers all of which were decorated with elaborate carvings and runes and made of dragonstone like the roads that had brought him here.
The closer he got to the lava, the hotter it became. Only numerous cooling charms kept himself from suffering a heat stroke as he arrived at the foot of the first of the three towers that were still standing. He got to the rather gaudy and elaborate main door which was solid steel with large dragons carved into it, it was expensive work and he could only imagine how much they weighed but thankfully a small banishing charm was enough to shift it open so he could enter, squeezing through the gap in the door before taking a look at what lay inside.
It blew him away, the incredible splendour he was seeing here. The tower was covered in marble which stretched high above him, a long winding staircase led into the upper levels and down to the cellars. The walls and ceilings were painted with intricate and colourful images of dragons and scenes that seemed to come straight from fairy tales and there was a coat of arms that must have belonged to the House that once owned this tower on the wall opposite, a black hydra on a silver shield. He marvelled at the sight before he decided to take a look around, first at the cellars and then work his way up the tower before moving on to the next.
So he began to make his way down the grand marble staircase, taking extra care so as to not slip on its smooth surface. It surprised him how long it took to get down to the cellars, almost five minutes but with a lighting charm from his ring he ventured in, wondering what he would find there.
The sound of his footsteps echoed loudly as he moved along the dark passages, seeing nothing in the light his ring was creating except for the occasional corpse. He frowned as he realised that these were probably the slave quarters, food storerooms and kitchens. Food long spoilt and corpses were all he would find here he thought until he nearly tripped on a groove in the floor.
Harry stopped and looked, only really getting a good look when he went to the far end of the room and saw to his surprise a runic array had been carved into the floor. He had only read about this particular one in the private collection of books he had acquired in Chroyane but it seemed that the array supported the tower and kept it upright, by drawing power from the volcanos themselves. Harry shook his head as he realised the folly of such a move, it would give the runes a near endless and incredible source of power but if too much energy was drawn from the volcano it could well trigger an eruption.
Perhaps he wondered if that could be what caused the Doom? After all if too many people drew power from the same volcanos it would have the same effect as someone drawing too much at once. He would look in the rest of the buildings and see if they had similar arrays but it was at least one idea he thought to himself as he made his way back up there stairs towards the atrium and then upwards towards the next floor.
A large banquet hall with a long table made of what looked like carved ironwood standing in the middle. The no remains of rotted food although the abandoned plates with knives and forks were still on the table along with fine crystal glasses, no corpses he was happy to say. But as he cast his eyes around the room and saw portraits of the people that had once owned this place, the sight of children made him gulp. He did his best to push it aside and see if there was anything worth salvaging; the utilities, chalices and plates were made of ornate gold, the fine crystal was beautifully crafted and should fetch a good price but there little else in the room was worth taking.
So once he had swept the golden objects into his pouch or the chest he had brought with him and more carefully collected the crystal glasses, he returned to the steps and continued up the stairs. The echo of his footsteps was so loud that it unsettled him, especially as the light from his ring cast long shadows that honestly he found spooky. He shook his head, forcing himself to remember that there was no-one else here and that he had a job to do.
He was glad when he got to the next floor, this one however contained bedrooms that were devoid of any personal touches although they were well appointed with silk drapes. Guest bedrooms Harry thought and he checked them any way in case something worthwhile hid inside them. For the most part there was nothing but the silk which was valuable but not really that much, however at the foot of each bed was a wooden chest for guest's clothes. That was useful he thought, taking shrinking them and putting them into his pouch, once modified with the space expansion runes it would help some of his storage problems.
Leaving the silks as they were not really worth collecting in their current state, Harry continued his walk up the tower. He soon arrived at the next floor which was rather bland when compared the floor below, guard's barracks Harry thought given the rough beds, sparring ring with archery targets and abundance of steel around him.
Normal steel he saw for the most part much to his disappointment but high quality and there was enough here he realised to equip at least a couple of hundred men. Not only that but to his excitement he saw bows made of dragonbone on racks in the far corner. Dragonbone bows were amongst the best and most scarce in the world, these were a valuable prize on their own. He smiled at his good fortune as he picked both the steel and bows with his magic and shrunk it all down, placing the lot into one of the chests he had brought before he continued up the stairs.
His legs were aching with all the walking but kept on until he reached the next floor where he discovered the family's private apartments. Here was the wealth that had been absent downstairs; expensive paintings and icons, drapes and banners made of silk of better quality that the guest bedrooms, well carved furniture it was astonishing. But the thing Harry was most grateful for was a chair where he finally managed to sit down. How had the family who lived here managed those stairs every day? He honestly asked himself as he rested his aching feet and legs, he was bushed and he had only done it once and still had some way to go.
Once he had a few minutes rest he got back to his feet and started scavenging, taking the artwork first, shrinking it down and placing it into one of his empty chests along with the banners and drapes. Entering the bedrooms he found the beds made and again no sign of any corpses, the wardrobes were only half full of expensive looking clothes and jewellery which he took put in the chest as he moved from room to room. It got a little monotonous but he endured, determined not to miss a thing.
Finally he arrived in the main study where he was blown away by the contents. Hundreds of books lined the wall while above the fireplace, eight swords made of Valyrian steel hung on display. Comfortable couches and seats were scattered around a large goldenheart desk. Harry walked forward eagerly, feeling very much like he had been blessed, the swords alone where a huge find and a quick look at the books showed several of them were on magic. He rushed over to the desk and read some of the papers on it. Apparently this tower had belonged to House Vaena, an old house with holdings in Lys. According to the missive he was reading they had had been attending too some issues there and would be gone for several months. A look at the date indicated they would have been there during the Doom, Harry smiled lucky them. Mere chance made sure that they were absent during the cataclysm, fate could be kind sometimes Harry thought with relief.
With that done he eagerly began summoning the books into a pile in the room where he shrunk them with all the good furniture and put it all into the same chest as he used for valuables. The swords however refused to be shrunk, their magic resisting him so he had to pick them up in a bundle and left them in the now stripped library to finish his exploration of the upper most floor.
He found a shrine of some kind and a few sitting rooms but the only thing with anything worth taking was the last room he discovered a vault which instantly made him excited until he realised that it was sealed and he had no idea what the combination was to open it. He studied it and while it was a complicated lock it should give way to his magic, so he focused the strongest unlocking charm he could and slowly the vault began to give way, the door crept open slowly revealing the contents. A mouth-watering pile of gold, silver and gemstones with a suit of armour made of Valyrian steel and books that looked positively ancient.
Harry smiled, there was no complete Valyrian steel armour anywhere in the world and now he had one. Men everywhere would sell everything for it if that was what Harry chose to do with it, he opened another empty chest and began gathering it all up. Then he realised with dismay he could not shrink the Valyrian steel armour which granted weighed very little but combined with the swords would be a nightmare to carry down all those stairs and back to the tent. He frowned really not wanting to so he returned to the library and picked up the sword bundle before going back up the stairs and carefully put all the pieces of armour into the large bundle.
He was about to turn again for the stairs when he stopped and nearly smacked himself when he remembered there was a quicker way. So cursing himself he took a firm hold and apparated finding himself back at the entrance to his tent and breathed a sigh of relief.
That was one less thing to worry about when he had to leave he thought with relief, but he had some chests to modify before he could continue his salvaging.
The next day…
Harry was tired as he opened the third tower. The second tower had been just as exhausting as the first to clear out, belonging to House Baelerys it had substantial wealth inside. Two full expanded chests of gold, silver, gemstones, silks, tapestries, silks, books, expensive furniture, artwork and six new Valyrian steel swords with ten daggers made of the same metal had now been added to his fortune. He had even discovered a Valyrian steel dragon staff that was apparently a sign of affluence amongst Valyrian noble women. He had even dared enter what he could of the collapsed tower and found some swords, gold and another staff had survived while everything that was not metal or stone had been destroyed by the intense heat. He had nearly passed out while inside even with the strongest cooling charms and been forced to leave rather quickly.
After that he had looked into the smaller buildings around the towers that were still standing. Most of the other buildings had yielded little worth salvaging with a single exception, one of the buildings had turned out to be a merchant bank. All of the Free Cities had one and it turned out Valyria was no different, its vaults were full of gold and gemstones that amounted to nearly twenty million gold dragons. There might have been more once but lava had consumed most of the lower levels forcing him to stop going any further and instead concentrate on the last tower. One thing he had confirmed though was the runic array that drew power from the volcano had a duplicate in nearly every building. It was proof that his theory about the runes drawing power from the volcanos might have been the cause of the Doom could have some truth in it. It gave him no pleasure to be right in this but at least it was a lesson in underestimating the power of nature. No matter how strong or smart you thought you were, Mother Nature should never be underestimated or you would pay for it with your life.
One thing he had not found rather surprisingly was dragon eggs. He had been so sure he would find loads of them here even petrified ones but so far not a sign. What the hell was going on? Harry asked himself, the dragonlords seemed lacking in any actual dragons around here. Plenty of steel, enough to equip two thousand men now sat shrunken in his tent but no dragon eggs. He could only hope that his luck might change here.
Turning his attention back to the tower when he had finally managed to open the door and enter Harry got a real surprise. A large banner greeted him on the wall opposite, a black field with a red three headed dragon on it… the very same symbol that had once flown over the Red Keep and the rest of Westeros. It still hung in some halls secretly across the continent even if the house it represented was nearly extinct and in exile.
'So not all the Targaryens left Valyria with Daenys the Dreamer and her father Aenar' Harry thought with surprise. There had never been any mention of the Targaryens retaining a presence in the Freehold after the supposed vision that had led to their departure, at least not anywhere he had seen and judging from the tower they were far from poor. He stepped further in and saw to his dismay that there were corpses all over the place, clearly trying to flee during the Doom that had choked them but none had made it further than the atrium.
He carefully stepped over them and looked over the bodies but none had anything worth taking so he ignored them, took the large banner and started walking up the stairs, his legs aching already. He collected any artwork, gold, jewellery or silks he could find before arriving in a solar at the very top of the tower where he saw a skeleton lent over a desk with another skeleton sat in its lap, both dressed in remains of fine silks with a quill in one of the hands. Harry looked at the parchment on the desk and read the message.
My brother…Aenar although I know you will never read these words I will write them anyway. It will be my last act in this world but you deserve this much.
You were right.
I thought you a fool for believing in the dreams of your daughter and giving up all you had to flee to that barren island. I sneered like all the rest of the dragonlords at what I thought was cowardice, now I wish I had heeded your caution as while your family is safe mine will perish here.
There is so much left unsaid, I wish that I could see you again but it shall not be so in this life. My dreams are not as useful as your daughter's Aenar but I think you and your children will do great things.
Sincerely, Vaegon Targaryen. The foolish dragon.
Harry put the letter down, silent as he absorbed its words. Two brothers at odds who had taken different paths when confronted with the same problem. It sounded oddly similar to him and Loras, always calling the other a fool while sneering behind their back. It made him question whether he should extend more of an olive branch to his older brother. It would be better to try than live in regret Harry realised as he looked down at the body of Vaegon Targaryen and the woman he presumed to be his wife.
Harry did not feel scorn for Vaegon only pity that he had not had more prudence like his brother. Harry finally looked around and saw a library of books and scrolls to collect but also swords similar to Blackfyre on the mantle. One great sword and four smaller longswords along with another Valyrian steel dragon staff coloured gold like the rest, he collected them all and any remaining treasures into his trunk before gathering the swords & staff under his arm in a bundle. Checking for a vault he discovered instead of just gold, Vaegon had stored Glass Candles, two pairs of communication mirrors, three time turners and a few other magical items that Harry would have to study later. It excited Harry more than any piece of gold, magical items that he could use and recreate in time. The unintentional pun actually made him laugh for a moment before he came to his senses.
Once Harry had collected everything worth taking he gladly apparated himself back to base of his tent, he entered and put the trunks and bundle containing his newest finds into the storage area knowing he was going to have to inventory it soon before going to sit down and decide what he was going to do next.
He looked at the map of the Valyrian Peninsula, he rubbed his temples as he thought on where to go next. The other city that looked to have survived the Doom was Rhyos on the north of the island which was a good few days trip away. On foot it would take him at least a four days to reach it but between them was a large estate of some kind which might be worth a look.
Harry sighed before turning the Resurrection Stone in his hand, intent on summoning a spirit to talk to. This prolonged isolation was starting to get to him and he was growing desperate for company, his mind ran through the possibilities of who he could call only to throw the stone on the table when he could not decide. He had started to have trouble sleeping and was getting increasingly paranoid, when he had been in the bank's underground vaults he had been sure for a moment that someone was watching him only for predictably him to find himself completely alone.
He picked up the stone again and looked at it for a moment before he decided to try and get some sleep, if he had a good enough view he might be able to use apparition in the morning to get to the estate quicker and then Rhyos and then hopefully he could leave Valyria for good.
He walked over and threw his clothes in the bin for cleaning before collapsing on the bed where his dreams would remind him of his isolation.
The Following Morning…
Harry woke early the next morning, eager to get started after the bad night he had experienced. He hiked up the highest hill that faced in the direction of the estate so he could get a good view and then apparated himself as far as he could. He reappeared on the dragonstone road and looked behind him to see he had managed a good few miles, smiling he took out myrish glasses or a telescope as it was known and took another look ahead before making another small jump.
A pattern that repeated itself over and over again as miles were hopped so he did not spend so long on the road. It was exhausting but a journey that would have taken two days normally walking had been completed in just an hour so in his mind it was well worth it.
And as he took a look at whatever the estate was Harry blinked in surprised at the number of dragon skeletons that were around, there had to be at least twenty of them and not small ones either. Not as big as Balerion the Dread but they were no hatchlings either.
He would harvest the bones later he decided, going to the large manse at the centre of the estate that had the largest stable he had ever seen. Easily big enough to hold a thousand horses he thought wondering if this place had trained cavalry for the Freehold army.
He had no problem entering the large manse but it was rather more Spartan than he had thought it would be. More utilitarian with little thought given to decoration Harry decided as he walked through the structure, a barracks instead of bedrooms made him wonder if it was some kind of base for the military of the Freehold. Room after room only had teaching rooms or halls with large exterior doors, made Harry think as his curiosity rose that they were training not only animals but people as well.
When he finally found the library his eyes were drawn to the large tome on the elaborate dragon styled wooden stand. He walked over and read the title, written in fine print.
Dragons: Breeding and Training by Maekor Velaryon.
Harry was instantly smiling under his mask at the book, opening it without a thought to see what he might find inside. He opened to a random passage and read a passage.
Dragons are not wild animals. They are intelligent creatures in their own right who we humans have managed to bond with. They must not be confined or mistreated as they will wither and fade without the endless sky as their domain.
Harry was as excited as a small boy having candy for the first time at the find, a genuine guide to hatching and raising dragons. The Targaryens would kill for this he thought and his curiosity on how to hatch the egg he had discovered made him turn to the section on hatching.
There are two ways that a dragon can hatch although the second method is far better to use than the first if more difficult.
If you lack any magic or a dragon of your own then a sacrifice can awaken a dragon from its egg if the person being slaughtered has magic. This method while somewhat easier is detrimental to the dragon however as it will awaken as more a beast, its mind will not fully develop to the full intelligence that is natural to their species. Their aggression will be heightened and controlling them properly will require difficult training methods.
The second method however will allow a dragon to retain its own intelligence and bond closer with whoever hatches it. Their fire will be stronger and they will grow larger than a sacrificially awoken dragon. Magical fire must be used to heat the egg and give the infant dragon the energy it needs to break its shell, normally a dragon would do this for its own young but a human with magical powers can create the same effect with their powers.
Harry was so engrossed in the book that time passed very quickly. Eventually he brought himself back to the present and shrunk the book before slipping it into his pouch to examine it later. He had always intended to find how to hatch a dragon and finally now he knew how and the best part was he did not need anything special just his own magic. He would need somewhere he could raise it once he had learnt how to do it properly, a home of his own. Where that might be he had not decided yet but it would need large open spaces if he was going to train a dragon there.
He collected any other useful texts he could find before going on with his search of the building. His idea that it was a ranch for raising mounts for the Freehold had been correct except it was dragons they bred and raised here and dragon riders they trained, many of young lords came here to train once before receiving their dragon after training it. They might have left when they were ready but it was here they came to get started, which made him wonder if there might be some eggs somewhere. A look around the upper levels revealed nothing but when he crept into the cellar he found the hatchery.
It was a large round room with alcoves in the wall, in each was a small glass box with runes carved into it and inside each box was a large scaly egg. Harry was nearly in tears, there had to be twenty dragon eggs here and while he was nowhere near as stupid to think he could raise that many at once the sight nearly made him cry with excitement. He carefully took a box with an indigo coloured egg inside off the wall and felt the weight. It was heavier than he would have imagined but it was worth the feeling of having it in his hands. He put it back carefully in its alcove, nearly scared stiff of breaking it before getting an empty expanded chest that he had gotten in Valyria and return it to normal size. He slowly and systematically removed each egg and placed it inside the expanded interior of the trunk, now beginning to understand why the Faceless Men had wanted him to come here. The gold was not important but the dragon eggs and magical lore/items were, it was far safer for him to have them rather than whoever the Faceless Men feared might find them.
-x-
Once the eggs were stowed safely in his tent Harry packed it up and got back on the road towards Rhyos. He managed to apparate most of the way before having to stop for a night's rest and a good meal before carrying on the following day. The discovery of the dragon eggs had lifted his spirits and that night he actually dreamt of flying on the back of one. It was the most amazing sensation he had ever imagined. What had confused him slightly was that he was not alone, alongside him at least five people could be seen riding dragons of their own. He wondered who they might have been for a moment before shrugging it off. It was probably just a dream he thought to himself.
When he got up the next morning and took a proper look at Rhyos though he was in for another surprise, the city had been where the peninsula had broken from the mainland and over three quarters of the city had fallen into the sea. Some parts namely the forges on their version of the Street of Steel stayed above the water but most was long gone.
Harry was not however disappointed because the forges were intact, there was one secret he had been desperate to find but had no luck in the first city he had visited as their forges had been in the bottom of a sea of molten lava.
The method for making Valyrian steel. He had found a large number of weapons made of it but nothing about how it was made, perhaps his luck was changing he thought with a glimmer of hope.
So after a good breakfast he made his way to the large buildings and entered the largest, it was almost eerie at the silence where men should have been working, hammering metal into shape but Harry ignored this and looked around for anything worth taking. A lot of regular steel he noticed and some completed Valyrian steel weapons still fresh on the worktops as he went from smithy to smithy.
Soon he had enough normal steel to equip five thousand men altogether. It was more than he had thought and a little more Valyrian steel but it was not until the very last forge he visited that he found what he was looking for. Documents kept in a safe at the back of the building with several large bars of Valyrian steel, Harryv bnearly passed out as he read the documents which described in detail the method required to make the metal and as he looked through the process and discovered the procedure was actually far more complex than he had imagined. In fact it was two distinct processes.
Valyrian steel was an alloy made of several substances including; dragonglass, regular steel (the purer the better) and bronze. Special potions had to be brewed for each of the hard substances to be broken down into a liquid form where a magic wielder could blend them together along with magic to ensure they did not rust or lost its edge later. Infusing dragon fire into the combined liquid before it was then rendered solid again with another potion, usually into a solid bar so it could properly set and the magic could properly be absorbed.
Then once that was done it was then melted down and smelted into whatever object was required, this was why the knowledge of reworking it had survived as it was while delicate work and needed special techniques to work it could be done by a normal smith who had no magic. The documents gave the recipe for each of the potions, materials required and the processes you needed to follow and were now right here in Harry's hand and he quickly shoved them into his pouch along with the bars with a sense of elation. He laughed and thanked whatever god/gods had given him this blessing.
Once he had calmed down Harry breathed out a sigh of relief, and returned to his tent to properly store his new gains and decided where he was going next. Once he had decided he would sail out with his small boat he had shrunken in his tent until he found a port.
-x-
When he left the following morning as he steered his small boat out of the Smoking Sea towards the shipping lanes, Harry was sure that he could see the black sails of another ship entering the Smoking Sea for a moment but then it was gone. He pitied whoever was daring to try it, he had taken anything of value and the air would surely choke them but there was no time to warn them so he looked sadly at where he had seen the sails.
When he finally cleared the Smoking Sea the light of the sun was harsh against his eyes after a month of artificial light or distant volcanic eruptions but its warmth against his body was so nice that Harry closed his eyes to enjoy it and smiled widely. He would never again take something as basic as sunlight for granted after a couple of weeks in Valyria. The cold and dead place was the stuff of nightmares and wherever he went next it would be full of life and with lots of people Harry decided, eager to finally meet some other people after spending so much time alone.
He took off his mask to feel the salty sea breeze against his face and it was glorious he thought, another simple pleasure that he had been denied while searching through the ruins of Valyria. His spirits soared as he sailed his small boat on the sea which was surprisingly gentle today. He even let Orion out of stasis so his bird could finally stretch his wings after being suspended for so long. The hawk screeched in pleasure as he cruised overhead. Dolphins jumped around him and he laughed in enjoyment at the sight, after so long in the dark everything he thought was right with the world at last.
Then after over an hour of seeing nothing but fish, dolphins and birds he saw a ship on the horizon. This was not unexpected after all he was on the shipping lanes but the smile dimmed as it came into sight, he was not sure why but he had a bad feeling about it especially as it seemed to be altering course to intercept him.
His mood did not improve as he connected with his magic to Orion and through his hawk's eyes, he could see the ship had the symbol of Volantese slavers on its orange sails. He began to frown and was about to call Orion to him so that he could just apparate away but then an arrow flew just past his hawk, followed closely by another. Orion screeched as he evaded them and flew down to shelter around Harry's small one man sail boat.
Harry was immediately furious enough to stop planning to run away, take shots at him if you wanted but no one tries to kill his bird. He let go of the wheel and waited for them to get closer, his hands going to his swords and the knives on his belt. Orion peaked out from behind him, trying to see if it was safe to fly again while Harry's face turns into an emotionless mask as the slavers approached.
The Slave galley is a large ship that easily dwarfed his own tiny little boat but Harry did not care as it came alongside. He just took one look into the eyes of the first slaver that caught his eye and read their mind, they had only shot at Orion for fun. To wound his bird and then if they could be bothered to capture it alive before tormenting it for a few days by breaking its wings and then plucking its feathers out one by one. With that all reason left Harry and he sneered as he apparated on the deck of the Slaver ship.
The slavers were immediately stunned by his appearance, so much so that two were easily skewered with Orphanmaker and Blackfyre. Harry wasted no time in pulling his swords free and moving forward along the deck towards the rest of the slavers who finally regained their senses and were drawing whatever weapons that had to hand. Mostly spears or curved swords but they were confident in their larger number, so they charged in like madmen or drunken men as half of them stank of ale.
Harry was glad he did not wear any heavy armour right now, it meant he was able move more easily and strike out it passing slashes and thrusts which his enemies where unable to block or evade due to half of them being drunk and the others were unskilled, deflecting or side stepping their clumsy attacks with ease. The first pass left six men dead and only twenty left on the deck, but as the slavers were reorganising Harry heard a voices talking.
Harry thought the noise came from below him so he briefly looked down and saw slaves peaking up from under the grating he was standing on. Harry became even more furious and stepped back so he could swing both his swords down on the locks that held the cage shut, it broke easily and he pulled it open telling the slaves.
"Your freedom is out there, take it!" He urged them and then charged the slavers himself. The male slaves in the hold did not hesitate and followed Harry without fear, they were all well-built fighters Harry noticed as they attacked the slavers with their bare hands or weapons dropped by dead slavers. They were handling the situation like experienced warriors Harry noticed and the slavers quickly began to panic as the slaughter continued.
One man stood above the rest Harry noticed, tall at least six foot seven and with muscles that looked as if they could bench-press people with ease. He was bald and dark skinned but the way he had in a flash disarmed a slaver and now with the man's scimitar was cutting through the slavers even quicker than Harry himself, well Harry was filled with admiration as they worked to clear the deck.
He could not match the man's speed or precision, not a single wasted strike or a wrong step. With him and the other men's skill, the deck was clear within minutes. Harry his heart still thundering in his chest turned to ask the exceptionally skilled giant of a man.
"Any more?"
"No, the ship is ours." The man said in a voice that was deep and strong, Harry could almost sense the strong will and discipline that had made this man so good a warrior. He turned to Harry and gave a slight bow. "Thank you, this is a dream I have had many times. Slaughtering the swine that held the whip and lorded their power over us. What is your name?" The warrior asked. The other men all looked at his with both suspicion and interest.
"I am Harry Tyrell and from today you are all free men." Harry decreed and the men cheered wildly, as did the women that were now emerging from the hold. Harry turned to the man and asked. "What is your name? A man as skilled as you would surely be a legend."
The man laughed while his men smirked.
"I am Kanoro and unless you have been to the fighting pits you would never know my name or those of my associates; Crixus, Barca, Sula and Gannicus. All champion pit fighters who were told to fight to the death." Kanoro said and Harry looked at the four other men and he could well believe that they were pit fighters. Muscles that looked as hard as granite and the simplest leather clothing of a slave but each looked deadly with a weapon in their hand.
Crixus was the tallest after Kanoro, looking almost northern with his grey eyes and shaggy dark brown hair. Not to mention there was a fierceness to him that was more beast than man, his sword was dripping with the blood of slavers who had fallen in his sight and he was still snarling at their corpses hoping they would get up so he could kill them again. He then turned to Harry and of all the slaves so far was the one that looked at Harry with the most suspicion but said nothing glad to be free at the moment.
Barca was a spearman, Harry thought given the expert way he had slaughtered slavers with the one he had picked up. Tanned skin and long black dreadlocks, he was hard to place in origin. One thing Harry did notice about him that he was the most the glad of all of them to be free and grateful to Harry for that juging by his warm and friendly smile.
Sula was Yitish and had moved like a dancer, never still always in motion and cut them down with surgical precision moving fluidly from one to the next. His long dark hair was tied into a ponytail and while the slimmest and less muscular of the group, he stood shoulder to shoulder with them as an equal and looked to be the calmest of the group.
Gannicus meanwhile was the hardest to read, like Crixus he looked Northern in origin but he was far calmer than the former. He had the blue eyes that looked close enough to grey to be confused and wore his long brown hair in a ponytail like Sula but he was not looking as pleased to be free as the others. A quick look through his mind showed that he enjoyed the women and food which were given to him for being a champion but also wanted the freedom to control his own decisions, a conflict that had given him more than one sleepless night.
Harry was about to tell them that he would leave them to decide their own fate as soon as they made port but something stopped him. Perhaps it was being amongst people again but he did not want to part with them just yet. They would need to find somewhere safe to stay, or keep the ship going to stay ahead of slavers if they came looking for them and he himself still wanted to travel, so for a while at least their goals were aligned. With that in mind, Harry looked at the crowd of slaves that were emerging from the hold; men, women and children alike and spoke to them all.
"Aboard this ship, no one will live in chains." He shouted and there was an excited and shocked cry ran across the deck. "This ship…a former symbol of slavery will be our means of freedom. To sail this world as free men and women with no responsibility but to each other. To go where we wish, when we choose to. Are you with me?" Harry asked and the freed slaves cheered wildly at the idea, led by the pit fighters except Kanoro who nodded approvingly at Harry which he returned.
He had no idea where they were heading first, the Far East perhaps? Assahi even? Either way it was going to be a lot of fun Harry thought as he took the wheel of the ship. Kanoro stood at his side like a first mate would and that at least was one decision made Harry thought with glee as he turned to ship to head around the Smoking Sea and head to east.
The Silence, the Smoking Sea a few weeks later…
Euron let out a furious cry as he threw yet another piece of worthless junk away from him in disgust. Was there nothing worth taking? He asked himself as he smashed more useless clay and stone objects. He had spent much time torturing that alchemist until he had found the potion that when soaked into rags allowed you to breathe in the Ruins of Valyria, the man was currently tongue less in a box in the main hold well he would be missing more than his tongue when he was through venting is displeasure Euron thought to himself, he had been sur this would be his fortune to take only to be bitterly disappointed. But there was one thing he was sure of…someone had beaten him here.
He did not know who but there were signs that one person had been here recently and taken everything of value.
Euron became very still for a moment as he came to a decision, he would find whoever the fuck had been here first and gut him like a fish. In one last howl of rage he kicked at a broken wall, his rage sending the rocks flying and was about to storm back to his ship when a glint caught his eye amongst the rubble. He pushed the dust and rocks aside and saw something that actually made him smile.
A vicious looking double bladed battle-axe previously hidden by the rocks, the steel was so dark that it was as close to black as it could get with the distinctive ripples of Valyrian steel. Multiple sharp prongs added to its appeal in Euron's eyes but what really made him think the axe had been made for him was the tentacles that had been styled into the metal for decoration, connected to a staff of iron wood the strongest known wood in the world. He picked it up with madness burning in his eyes, he gave it a few test swings and found its balance was perfect deciding to call it Reaver in honour of his way of life that he fucking enjoyed every moment of.
Laughing all the way he returned to his ship without giving the worthless ruins a backward glance, ready to get back to sailing where he was he thought with pride the Drowned God incarnate. But at the back of his mind he remembered that someone had stolen the spoils he would have found here and he would take his bloody due Euron thought to himself, while swinging his axe into the head of the thief.