Time Flies

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(Circa 291AC)

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It was about two hours after arriving back in Sunspear. It’d taken time to handle the rituals of arriving back with a Prince of Dorne, but I now found myself walking inside the Tower of the Sun on my way to the throne room. In my arms, my young sister, Aliandra, cooed sweetly as she played with a loose strand of my hair. Oberyn had already teased me about that but fuck him. Alia was the cutest little thing I’d ever seen. Soft, slightly olive skin from her father but with my mother’s face and eyes. Already I was worrying about how I’d keep dumb fucks unworthy of her away. I couldn’t just go around cutting down trueborn men who sought her hand, but the idea was tempting as fuck.

I knew I’d do anything to protect any of my family from harm, but with Alia, that urge was far stronger. Something I’d have to watch as she grew, and my Wolfs-blood reared its head.

Around me walked Ashara and Oberyn – who were trying very hard to keep their hands to themselves while also watching me bond with my sister – and Ellaria, who was carrying her latest daughter, Dorea. Syrio was walking a few steps behind us, seemingly unconcerned about being behind a paramour and behind him, Nymeria was speaking in a quiet tone with Daemon.

The creaking of the large doors that led into the throne room drew my eyes away from my baby sister, though not her hand from my hair. Since I’d have to speak with Doran, I handed Alia back to my mother, though Alia whined about that, much to my mother’s amusement. I’d entered this room multiple times over the years, but this was the first time I’d done so after returning from somewhere outside Dorne and as a member of the returning ruling family. OK, I wasn’t of Martell blood, but that mattered little to Oberyn, and Doran himself also tended to treat me as family.

The first thing that jumped out was that there was no chair next to Doran for his wife. It was odd that Lady Mellario wasn’t present, and oddly still the chair was gone as even when she’d not been in the hall when Doran was, I’d seen the chair. Perhaps, since I saw Quentyn was also missing, Lady Mellario was away with him. Yet Trystane was present, being watched over by one of the Septas in Sunspear. And it was odder still when I saw that the rest of the court was here, including Castellan Manfrey Martell and treasurer Alyse Ladybright.

“Brother, I once again grace Dorne with my presence.” Oberyn’s loud proclamation drew laughter from around the room and made me shake my head. My stepfather enjoyed being the centre of attention at times like this, though I felt he often did it more to control the narrative than a simple need for attention.

Doran rolled his eyes and waved a hand absently toward one side of the room. “Apart from being able to see that, Manfrey informed me of your fleet’s arrival several hours ago.” While to an outsider the retort might feel like a challenge, the smile on Doran’s face – along with the fact I’d grown up around the pair – meant I knew it wasn’t. “Though both failed to mention you had brought a guest.”

Syrio slipped past me, his long cloak – embroidered with fine gold stitching and extravagant patterns – flicking up into my face. I heard Daemon chuckle at that, but I ignored it as I felt Syrio hadn’t done it intentionally. Unless he meant to anger me before he started training me. Oberyn had mentioned that while Syrio was staying in Sunspear he’d agreed to tutor me in Water Dancing which had me wondering if I’d have to chase cats as Arya had done or if he’d have some other seemingly random but likely useful things for me to do. I’d been wondering ever since the First Sword had wished to spar with me to take the measure of me. It seemed in that short spar - where I’d been spanked so soundly I felt like I was five again - I must’ve done enough to at least earn the chance for further instruction in the Bravossi style of fighting.

Once Syrio was in the centre of the room, having taken the attention away from Oberyn, he bowed deeply. His cloak fluttered behind him, giving the First Sword a larger-than-life appearance. “Prince Doran, I am Syrio Forel, First Sword of the Sealord of Braavos. I’ve been instructed by the Sealord to come here to ensure that the first order of ships was to your liking and, if you so wish, continue negotiations for the second order.”

Doran nodded and gestured to one side. A servant stepped forward with a tray. “I welcome you to my hall, Ser Syrio, with bread and salt.” Syrio nodded and took the offered food. “I grant you safety under my roof while you have business to attend to.”

“I thank you for the hospitality, Prince Doran. And while I look forward to speaking with you further on behalf of my lord, your time now belongs to your family.” As Syrio responded, a servant came over. The smell of blood oranges and lemons – the first time in years I’d smelt them outside of the single lemon tree in the Sealord’s Garden – made my stomach rumble.

Doran nodded. “I thank you for your understanding, Ser Syrio. My Castellan, Manfrey Martell, will escort you to a room befitting one of your standing.” Syrio bowed deeply once more then moved over to where Manfrey was. “Ah, young Cregan. It has been some time since we've seen you within our court.” I paused just before biting into a tantalising blood-orange as Doran addressed me. “I see you have missed the food of Dorne,” that drew some laughter from the hall, “but I hope you enjoyed your time in the North.”

I stepped forward while sliding the orange back onto the servant’s tray. My mother gave me a short glare, annoyed at me breaking decorum for a bite but I couldn’t resist. It’d been years since I’d had one. “Yes, my Prince.” I bowed deeply as I greeted him, then continued once I straightened. “Winterfell, while not Sunspear, is an impressive castle. One befitting a family that has ruled the North for millennia. That said, for all the North’s wondrous beauty, it’s sadly lacking in delights such as blood oranges.”

That set off another round of laughter in the room, one louder than before, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Oberyn smirk. “Understandable.” Doran’s smile had grown before he replied. “Though I am curious to hear your thoughts on the ship you returned from Braavos upon?”

I frowned. That was an odd shift of topic, and it took me a moment to compose my thoughts. “It’s an impressive ship, my prince. Different from any I’ve seen in Westeros. Smaller than most, but with a speed and manoeuvrability that few outside a swan ship could hope to match.” Movement in the corner of my eye meant I saw Asha Greyjoy, a few years older and looking uncomfortable in a dress, shuffle closer. Which, when you considered where she came from, made sense.

Doran’s smile shifted, taking on a look of him knowing something I didn’t. “I’m glad you like it. Has a name been chosen for the registry?”

My brow creased. “My prince?” Being asked about its name was an odd question. Unless…

“It appears my brother has chosen to not inform you of the ship’s owner.” Just before Doran spoke, my head whipped around to look at my stepfather. His face looked like the proverbial cat who’d caught the canary.

He shrugged and took a few steps forward to stand beside me. “I felt it would be worth more if the reveal came from you, dear brother. This was, after all, your decision.”

Doran laughed at that, though he cut it off as it slowly turned into a cough. While gout hadn’t yet limited his ability to walk, it appeared it had grown worse in the years I’d been gone. If I ever figured out how to use magic for healing – which, oddly, wasn't even showing up as a locked branch of magic – then learning how to heal Doran’s sickness would be a high priority.

“Cregan Sand, step forward.” Doran's voice boomed through the great Hall with me authority than I had ever witnessed from him personally and I instinctively found myself moving to the centre of the room “Two years hence, while travelling with my daughter, goodsister and nieces, you were attacked by Ironborn raiders,” a murmur of anger began to swell in the room and I wondered how Asha was feeling about that, “but through an act of unparalleled bravery, you didn’t just survive, but saved my, our, family.” Doran stood, though it took him longer than it would for most. “For that action, no amount of gold can convey just how grateful I, House Martell and all of Dorne are for what you did. Yet, to not reward you, even if it feels insufficient, would insult the deeds of the Bloody Wolf.” Well, it seemed that the moniker had reached Dorne. And probably spawned dozens of variant stories. “For this day forth, for all of Dorne, Westeros and the known world to hear, I Doran Nymeros Martell, Prince of Dorne, grant you the deed to the ship you travelled from Braavos. Upkeep and docking fees will be handled by House Martell while you are in Dorne, though once you are of age any journey you take outside the principality shall be on your head.” A round of applause broke out around the room. Some of it was likely only done to keep up appearances as this was a ruling by Prince Doran, but a lot of it, and the accompanying shouts of congratulations, sounded genuine.

As the clapping died down, Doran sunk back into his seat, a look of relief coming over him. “As such, I think it would be advisable to consider a name suitable for your new vessel.”

“Ah-uh-, Yes, my prince.” I barely managed to get the reply out and then bowed deeply as my mind processed what’d just happened. As good-natured laughter echoed around the hall, an arm came around my shoulder and I allowed Oberyn to guide me to my mother and extended family.

It would be years until I’d be allowed to sail the vessel as captain, never mind outside of Dorne, but now I had a way to travel where I wanted in Westeros and into Essos and beyond. That, and the possibility that it might allow me to meet Dany when she took Slaver's Bay, meant I’d have to develop a new set of plans.

“I hope you can forgive an old man for trying to find some enjoyment in the rewards of others.” I barely processed Oberyn’s words, my mind being on the options that having a ship opened up for me. “However, I felt it wiser to wait until we’d returned so our family could enjoy seeing your moment of glory in court.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice as he continued. “And mayhaps this might help to ease your mother’s concerns about your new pet.”

I nodded at that as there was some truth in the matter. Still, that was a minor thing for now as I had to focus on my family’s happy reactions at my being rewarded. Yet underneath, I could see none were happy about being reminded of that night in the Sunset Sea.

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I moved slowly, being as careful as I could as I crept up on my target. The bird I was watching and hoping to catch continued to peck happily at the seed I’d placed on the tiles. Yes, laying a trap didn’t quite fit with Syrio’s instructions but if he expected me to somehow catch a bird from a tree, he either had insanely high expectations or had given me a task that was nigh-on impossible to complete.

I paused mid-step as the bird’s head popped up. The blue feathered skull jerked around as if trying to make sure I wasn’t a threat. I stayed perfectly still until it dropped its head back to the seeds. Relieved, I lowered the foot that’d been caught in mid-air to the ground, making sure to step quietly. To further help with that, I’d removed my sandals. The tiles were hot, but not unbearable.

Three more times the bird stopped and popped its head up, and three more times I managed to stay still enough to not disturb it and watch it fly away. Now, after nearly ten minutes, I was almost within arm’s reach. That didn’t mean I’d be able to catch it – a fact proven by the previous nine birds that had escaped my grasp when I’d been this close – but at least now I had a chance.

My hand moved out slowly, covering barely twenty centimetres in a minute. The bird paused, though it didn’t lift its head, and my arm stopped. As the bird lifted its head and looked around, I felt the muscles in my arm start to strain. The bird’s head tilted as it stared at my fingers as if confused as to what they were. My arm started to hurt as the bird continued to gawk at my fingers. I almost flinched as it suddenly hopped toward them. I’d rather it didn’t try and peck them, but if it kept coming closer, it’d give me a better chance to grab the little shit.

Another hop and now it was less than a hand’s-length from me. Another took it close enough that if I flicked my fingers, I’d likely hit its beak. I almost ha…

“What you doing?”

As the bird’s wings flapped I snatched at it desperately, not wanting to lose it. My fingertips brushed against the wings of the bird, but before I could close my hand, I saw it flutter upward past my skull.

“Gods dammit!” I spat out then sighed. Turning I saw Elia Sand, one of Oberyn’s younger bastard daughters, watching me, a confused look on her face. “Elia,” I sighed and took a breath. While she’d ruined this attempt, she didn’t know any better and was only five. Then again, I suspect her older sisters would’ve interrupted me as well, though they’d make fun of me for what I’d been doing.

“What you doing, brother?”

“It’s ‘what are you doing’, Elia,” I began as I stood up fully, dwarfing my young stepsister. “And I was trying to catch the bird.”

“Why?”

“Because Master Syrio tasked me with doing that.”

“But why?”

I looked skyward and rolled my eyes. Elia was curious, though not as book curious as Sarella. However, she loved asking why when she was told anything. For now, it was just a generally amusing trait, but if she was still doing it in five years, I’d likely be at wit’s end about how to handle her.

“He said it was part of my training in Water Dancing.”

“Why?”

I pulled my hand down my face. Perhaps I was underestimating the girl, as the smile she gave me hinted she knew how annoying she was being. But Gods was it hard to stay angry at a little girl. “I honestly don’t know. Why don’t you go ask him?”

“Hmm, okay.” With that, she turned and skipped away. My eyes followed her, and I saw Nymeria and Tyene enjoying the shade of a covered walkway. Elia was heading toward them, and as the pair smiled at me, I felt the urge to bend them over my knee for this.

I pushed that aside, though as I moved over to the bag of seeds to replace what the last bird had eaten, I promised that I’d find a way to repay them for this. Perhaps swapping their soap with those used for horses would work? Or adding something to their drinks at a future meal?

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“Well, you’ve got us all here, what do you want to say?” Nymeria asked as she, Tyene and Sarella sat around a table in my quarters. “Going to confess your undying love for all of us?”

I rolled my eyes at my elder stepsister. “Maybe in your dreams.” I looked around the room, giving it one last look over to ensure it was just us four before returning my attention to the table. Or more specifically, the small candle that was burning in the middle of it.

I reached out my hand and focused on the flame, finding the gentle pull of my magic as it touched the fire. Then, as I twisted my fingers the flame rose higher, pulling away from the candle and condensing into a small ball.

“Gods,” Tyene muttered as I made the ball float over the table, and all three gasped as, shifting my fingers around, the ball changed. In its place, a small dragon of fire appeared. After flapping its wings, it suddenly soared toward Nymeria.

“Ah!” Nymeria all but screamed as she pushed herself back, almost toppling over as she unbalanced her chair. The other two laughed at her ordeal, and that grew louder as the flame dragon tilted its head and looked at Nymeria. “Not fucking funny!”

“Yes, it was,” Sarella countered, earning a glare from her sister even as my smile grew. I twirled my fingers and the flame dragon turned. With flaps of its wings it didn’t need, it flew toward the youngest present sand snake, though, unlike her sister, Sarella didn’t jerk back in shock. Instead, she leaned closer, examining the creature I’d created with the fire. “It looks so alive.” As her focus turned to me, Nymeria got over her shock and joined her sisters in leaning closer. “How can you do this?”

“Time, effort, and a steady supply of candles which I’m sure my mother wonders about.” That earned an enlarged smile and a nod from the girl, and as her focus turned back to the flame dragon, my mind turned to my mother.

While I’d considered revealing this to her and Oberyn, in the end, I’d decided not to. Not because I didn’t trust them, but simply so they had plausible deniability should the worst happen and someone with strong anti-magic convictions – the most obvious being the Septons and Septas in Sunspear – learnt of my abilities. Hells, even revealing this to my stepsisters before Arianne returned felt like a risk, but since I’d shown Arianne that she might be able to use water magic, I felt it only fair I do so with the others.

I was drawn from my thoughts by the quiet mutterings of Tyene. It took me a moment to realise she was offering prayers to the Seven, which made me frown. “Tyene?” She stopped her mutterings and looked up at me, and for the first time, I saw fear in her eyes. it wasn’t strong, but it was there. “Are you ok with this?” I didn’t need to indicate the flame dragon for her to know what I was meaning.

Tyene looked at her sisters and then at the dragon slowly. “Yes, I think. I mean, we’d all suspected that you’d done something with the candle from what Arianne had told us, but… I, I don’t know.”

I dispelled the dragon, earning me a whine from Nymeria and pulled my seat closer to Tyene. She didn’t back away as I approached, which I took as a good sign. “I know you place faith in the Seven, and in their scriptures, magic is seen as consorting with demons, but remember when those scriptures would’ve been written. The Andals came to Westeros, found it full of First Men worshipping heart trees, and possibly had seen or heard the Children of the Forest had shattered the Arm of Dorne; or at least believed they did it. Given all that, it’s not a surprise they’d consider magic evil.” I reached down and took her hands into mine, ignoring how mine were already larger. “Am I evil?” It took her a moment before she shook her head, though I did smile at her doing that. “And when I used magic to save Arianne and then moved to help you and Nymeria, was I evil?” The shake came faster this time, and her eyes came up to meet mine.

“No. Those… men that attacked, were followers of a dark and twisted god. You saved us, like the warrior reborn.” Tyene spoke with a conviction that’d been missing a few moments ago. “Or the First Hero.”

“I wouldn’t say I was on their level,” she smiled sweetly, “but can you see? Magic, like any skill or ability, isn't evil. It’s how, when, and why it’s used that defines if something, or someone, is evil. Not the ability itself.”

“I, I guess.”

“Right,” Nymeria cut in, drawing our attention from each other, “enough of this religious bullshit. Do you have something else to tell us, or can we go? I’m meant to meet Asha and head into the Shadow City.”

I chuckled at the image of those two shopping, even if I made sure to stay away from any curiosity about what they might be shopping for and opened my mouth to respond.

“He wishes to teach us magic.” That came from Sarella, and while the heads of her sisters snapped to her, I tilted mine. That earned me a shrug. “Confirming what we suspected about you having magic while needing privacy, wouldn’t need the level of it you’ve ensured for today.”

I nodded. “Aye, that’s true.” Before we’d begun, I’d made sure the corridor outside was empty, that there was no one below the balcony and that the servant’s doors and access tunnels – which I’d found inside the first moon back in Sunspear thanks to Kaa – were deserted.

“Wait, you think we can use magic?” Any desire to leave had left Nymeria as she leaned forward on the table, making the loose gown she wore drop down enough that when I turned her way, I was given an eyeful.

“Our father is Oberyn Nymeros Martell, direct descendent of your namesake, sister. If we can use any magic, it would be that of the Rhoynar.” Sarella deadpanned so brilliantly that I was surprised she didn’t roll her eyes.

“Aye, which is why I tried to help Arianne unlock her magic while in Braavos. Though she’d not succeeded by the time I left.” I added on quickly as all three looked at me.

“Hmm. In that case, how do we begin?” Nymeria asked. I frowned at her sudden shift, which drew a laugh from her. “What? There’s no way I’m letting her learn magic and not me.”

I shook my head and chuckled at her reasoning. With all three now watching me intently, though I did still have doubts about Tyene, I leaned back in my chair, planning to explain the thinking I’d shared with Arianne.

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My tongue flicked out of my mouth, tasting the air. When combined with the new source of heat entering my area, I knew food was nearby. My bond-brother had given me another meal. I sensed it scurrying away, trying to hide, to escape. Yet, within my hunting grounds, nothing ever escaped. Since the first warm food had been dropped in this area, I had been the master of it.

I slithered forward, moving cautiously to one of my higher resting places. From here I could see almost everywhere on my hunting grounds. Some places hid the heat of a meal, but even then, I could taste their scent, their fear as they cowered and hid from me. That scent of fear, of helplessness, was delicious and made the meal even more satisfying.

I moved along the branches, making sure to avoid the leaves. As much as I wanted to draw out the hunt, to bask in the prey’s terror, I hated having them run to a new hiding spot once I’d begun my hunt. The prey went silent, then shot off, leaving its spot in the very corner of the hunting area for a new place of false hope. Angered that I’d made a mistake, I went still. The only movement was my tongue as it flicked out, tracking where the prey was heading.

Oh Yes. That was even better. The spot it had chosen was one of my favourites to attack. I could move right above the prey, hidden by branches, then drop down on them before they knew what was happening.

The anticipation was invigorating as I slid. I could almost taste …

“Cregan!”

…

I blinked hard as someone shook my shoulder. It took my mind a few seconds to realise that I was no longer in Kaa’s mind as he hunted. After regaining a sense of where I was, I turned to see it was Tyene who was shaking me. Her face held some concern mixed with confusion.

“Damnit, Ty!” I growled out, which made her jerk her hand back as if it was on fire. I sighed and shook my head. “Sorry.”

Tyene blinked as if clearing her thoughts. Her eyes drifted from me to Kaa – yes, I’d named him after the snake in the Jungle Book simply because it was the first and only snake name that came to mind – in his large cage that he couldn’t escape from, which was a concern my mother had held about me keeping a venomous snake in my room. “Wh-what were you doing?” She sounded as if she was curious about the truth but likely didn’t want to hear it.

As I looked at the cage, I saw Kaa had reached the mouse. I’d dropped in it just before skinchanging into his mind as I wanted to see how he hunted. Yet, due to Tyene’s interruption, I’d now have to wait at least four more days before trying again as that was, according to Oberyn, how often Kaa needed to feed to avoid him over- or under-eating. With my chance to feel his mind as he pounced, which he did right then and there, I shifted my attention to Tyene.

Since I’d come back to Sunspear she’d spent at least an hour each day speaking with me about the Old Gods. I couldn’t answer most of her questions, but I enjoyed talking with her and, I hoped, helped her change her beliefs. Yes, she still went to the Sept to pray, but I’d seen her doing the same thing in the Godswood of Sunspear at the base of an old oak that served as the heart-tree.

While Tyene was the most uncomfortable about learning magic, she’d still sought me out for help with unlocking her abilities like Nymeria and Sarella. I’d seen Oberyn give me smirks and glances every time one of his daughters had dragged me away, but even if he felt something was going on, the exacts were, as far as I knew, hidden from him.

“Skinchanging.” Tyene pulled but slightly and blinked rapidly, but I took it as a sign of her evolving stance on magic that she didn’t gasp or call me a demon worshipper. Still, it was clear that a decade-plus of the Seven’s teachings were still running strong within her.

“S-sorry. I-I, I just wasn’t expecting you to say that.” Her eyes drifted back to Kaa, who was watching the mouse move around erratically. That meant he’d delivered the kill and was now just waiting/enjoying watching his prey die. “H-how does it work?”

I shrugged as the mouse moved one final time before keeling over. “When I’m in his mind, his senses, his thoughts – such as they are – are mine. I think, feel, and move as a snake.” I shook my head as I tried to collect my thoughts on the matter. “It’s, well, strange doesn’t do it justice, but it might be the best word I can think of. And interesting. At least in how he sees the world.” Ty leaned closer as I spoke, her attention on Kaa as he dislocated his jaw to begin swallowing the mouse whole. “Their world, or at least Kaa’s, is mainly blues and greens. And I’m not just saying that as his cage has a large bush in it. I’ve looked through his eyes at the decor of my room, and it all looks green or blue. Plus, they track by heat and smell the air with their tongue.”

“That’s… different.” I laughed softly at her words.

“Aye, that’s one way to put it. Plus, it takes time to get comfortable sharing his mind.” Kaa closed his mouth with the mouse now bulging out from inside him. “I was planning to be there when he ate that mouse, but then someone pulled me out.” I smiled and patted her hand to make it clear I wasn’t angry, even if I was. Her cheeks reddened at my action, but I didn’t comment on that.

“Sorry.”

“It's fine. So why are you here?”

Tyene’s demeanour shifted. Her eyes widened and she glanced at the door. “Oh! Right! Maester Caleotte was looking for you. Something about having found a book that might help with what you were looking into.” There was clear curiosity in her voice, which was understandable. While what I’d had Caleotte look up for me wasn’t a secret, the reason for it was.

“Ah.” I stood, though not before checking I’d locked the small cage door to ensure Kaa couldn’t wander while I was out. I didn’t offer Tyene any further information on what Caleotte had found. Since she’d pulled me out of Kaa’s mind at a bad time, I felt I could pay her back a little here by keeping her in the dark.

As for Caleotte, hopefully, the book he was claiming to find held records about family lineages. It wasn’t the same book Ned had read while Hand of the King, as that ponderous tome wasn’t kept in Sunspear, but Caleotte felt he’d have something else that could be used. If the fact Baratheon children were generally dark of hair and blue of eyes, then I could bring the point up with Doran and Oberyn. They might hide it, but I knew both were still working on removing Robert from the throne. After all, there was still no other more logical reason why Arianne had been sent to Braavos than to meet her future husband, Viserys Targaryen.

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The following year, a few moons after my tenth nameday, I, along with my family, were waiting on the docks of Sunspear. A small fleet of twenty ships – composed mainly of the same ships that had come back from Braavos with Oberyn and me – were dotted around the entrance to the docks. However, everyone’s attention was on the lead ship. It was a large galley, measuring around two hundred feet long and had a crew of, going by the oars, of around two hundred. Scorpions dotted the deck and small trebuchets were mounted at each end. Her sails flapped proudly in the breeze coloured the Martell orange and on its main sail, the Martell sigil simmered like liquid bronze.

A short while later the Martell flagship had docked, been secured and the ramp lowered. Down that ramp walked Oberyn, though my attention, on that of most people on the docks, was on the person he was accompanying.

It’d been just over a year since I’d last seen Arianne, but she’d grown even more stunning in the time apart. At ten and six, she was a woman grown, though that growth hadn’t come in the way of new height. She looked to be only around the five- and half-foot mark. No, the growth had come in other, more feminine ways. Her clothing wasn’t ideal for Dornish weather, but it did little to hide the outward growth her body had encountered over the last year. Nor the sheer joy she conveyed as she stepped down onto the docks.

Nor did it, much to my embarrassment, help the fact I’d just entered puberty. Because as she started walking toward us with my stepfather, I felt a certain part of me react and rise. Fucking bloody wonderful.

As she and Oberyn walked toward us, I closed my eyes and took deep, slow breaths. There was no way I was going to meet Arianne for the first time in over a year with that sort of issue. The embarrassment it would cause, especially if she or anyone else spotted anything – which, I’ll admit was unlikely since I was still young – was something I’d never live down.

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“Father.” Her greeting to Prince Doran forced me to open my eyes. I kept my focus on her face, her eyes, and my mind off the track it’d just embarked upon. How she looked was immaterial when compared to maintaining my dignity and composure.

“Daughter.” Doran embraced his daughter. While his gout was slowly getting worse, it wasn’t yet at the point he couldn’t stand from his chair. Still, he had Aero around to help him move about if he was required to move greater distances. Such as coming down to the city docks.

As the hug broke, Arianne’s eyes shot to me, and her lips twitched. I ignored it, but a less-than-gentle elbow from Nymeria at my side meant she’d seen the gesture as well.

“How was your time in Braavos?”

Doran’s question took Arianne’s attention away from me. Thank the Gods. “Enlightening.” Her eyes shot my way once more, though only for a moment this time. “While I’ve learnt much from you father, seeing how another ruler conducts themselves was a learning experience. As was understanding how the reins of power are transferred when a ruler is replaced.” Hmm, so that meant the former Sealord was no longer in power. That might cost Dorne some of their support in Braavos, but since the last of the fleet – now totalling around sixty ships, though about half doubled as merchant's vessels – had arrived, it shouldn’t be too big an issue. “One day, long from now I hope, when I have to assume the throne of Dorne, that will serve me well.”

“I’m glad you’ve learnt from your time away, and I’m sure you’ll find a way to apply those lessons long before I pass on.” Doran’s words would, to many, have sounded a little strange and Arianne’s brow knotted, showing her confusion. However, when looked at through the lens of why I felt he’d sent Arianne to Braavos, they made a lot more sense. Doran didn’t say anything to his daughter before turning to Oberyn. “Brother.”

Oberyn strode toward his brother even as Arianne stepped back, her confusion at her father’s words still evident on her face. The split-second glare she sent her father had me worried that Doran’s words had caused a rift between them, and I wondered if I should talk with her. I wasn’t keen on revealing my theory to her, mainly as there was no proof, so I’d have to find another way to, if not neuter, then refocus her distaste with her father’s words.

As I considered how to talk with Arianne about this, at least without being too direct, I ignored a lot of what was going on around me. With Emotionless Recall I’d be able to review things later to see if I missed anything else important, though that was unlikely. Before long I felt people around me start to move and came out of my thoughts.

The whole party was turning, meaning we’d be heading back to the Tower of the Sun and my stepsisters had all moved, going over to speak with Arianne. My mother was walking beside Oberyn with only Ellaria missing as she was with her latest daughter, Loreza, back in the palace. Before turning I saw Arianne’s face fall as Tyene spoke with her. Possibly that was from the learning that her mother, Lady Mellario, had left Sunspear. From what I’d learnt after Arianne was sent to Braavos, then Quentyn to Yronwood, Doran’s wife had boarded a ship and left the city. All that had happened before I’d returned.

Quentyn had been sent to Yronwood to squire for the current lord. Plus, it was a way to retie the houses after Oberyn killed the former lord during a duel over a paramour. That was where Oberyn earned his title of The Red Viper, the fact that they couldn't prove poison was irrelevant. While having Lady Mellario gone was going to be hard on Arianne, on a personal level, I was glad Quentyn was gone. We’d never gotten along, and with him gone, the noble and common boys who fostered in Sunspear and the Water Gardens had started being more accepting of me. Some more quickly than others. Though that did prove which were looser with their loyalty and friendship than others.

A gentle nudge as I started to walk with the procession caused me to stumble. As I regained my balance, I glared up at Nymeria, making sure to keep my focus on her face. “It seems our cousin is very happy to see you.” The smirk on her face turned into a smile. “Makes one wonder what exactly you and she got up to in Braavos.”

Annoyed at her implication, and at the nudge, I considered responding, only to close my mouth, shake my head and then just walk off. It wouldn't take long for her to learn the truth about what Arianne and I had done in Braavos. And while that wouldn't stop her teasing, it would close the circle I'd created regarding my magic. At least so long as Arianne didn't spill the beans to her father before I could speak with her.

… …

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… …

Later that day, after a large feast held in honour of her return, I was dragged down the corridors of the Tower of the Sun by Arianne. Several guards and household staff saw us, but beyond a few smirks and amused glances, none said anything as she led me into the private Martell quarters of the tower. Even if I was still too young to do anything, rumours would fly around the palace about her dragging me here during the hour of the bat. I just knew it.

When we reached one particular door, the guard outside simply opened the door for us, and then once I’d been dragged inside, shut it firmly. The room was large, decorated with paintings, and fine statues that looked centuries old, and had three doors leading to other areas. Arianne dragged me through one of those doors, and then before I could process where I was, she pushed me onto her bed.

The incredibly soft sheets – likely being made of some of the finest silk in Dorne – carried her scent even after her being gone for two years. As I tried to drag myself to a seated position and protest about her bringing me here – mainly for how it would look to others – I heard and then saw her moving a jug onto a table near the bed.

However, what had my mind focusing instantly was the way that, with just a simple-looking gesture, two balls of water rose from within the jug. Each was around the size of my palm and, as she brought her other hand, they began to fly between her palms. Almost as if she was juggling them and both were moving faster than any water ball I’d managed to create. Though to be fair, most of my attention since getting back to Sunspear had been on Skinchanging and Fire Magic.

“Someone’s been practising,” I commented with a smile, which only fuelled the smile on her face. And the look of someone high on drugs. Or in this case, magic. She giggled and thrust her arms toward me.

Before I could react, the two balls smashed into me, soaking my face, hair, and the front of my tunic. “How mature,” I muttered as I flicked a wet bang of hair off my eye.

Arianne giggled again as she moved closer. “You did that to me. It was only fair I pay you back for it. With interest.” I laughed at that, and at the way she was bouncing with each step she took. Knowing this now explained why during the feast she’d looked uncomfortable and always been fidgeting. She’d been waiting to show me what she learnt.

“So, you unlocked your magic?”

Arianne’s head bounced so fast as she nodded that I worried she’d hurt herself. Then, instead of replying verbally, she rushed toward me. I barely had time to move my arms away from my body before I was sent crashing back into the bed and she slammed into me.

Her hair fell around my head, forcing me to look into her eyes. they danced with delirious joy, and I could smell the wine on her breath. A Dornish red from the Red Mountains if I had to guess. Her warm, intoxicated breath tickled my nose as her face shone with the light of a thousand suns.

Knowing how precarious this position was, and how much I didn’t want to react – at least not until I was older and was sure this wasn’t just her excitement talking – I kept my hands to the side. Even placing them on her sides to get her to move could, if I wasn’t careful, result in the wrong message being sent and me spending a week to two in the cells.

“Yo-you’re, uh, welcome.” My words came out weakly, barely above a whisper. I didn’t want to make any false moves. Nor have my body react as she lay upon me.

Her smile somehow grew, splitting her face in two and making her ecstatic state seem almost maniacal. She leaned forward, and my hands moved. I couldn’t let her kiss me. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I was too young to truly enjoy where it would lead. And because of our relative stations. Yeah, that was the main reason.

Before my hands could move much beyond touching the edges of her thin, silk dress, her head moved, and her lips touched my forehead. Of course, by doing that it meant another part of her body rubbed against my chest and my eyes drifted downward, only to widen in shock. Due to how loose her dress was with her position, it had caught against my tunic, leaving me with an unobstructed view of her chest.

“Um, ah, you’re, uh.” The words fell from my mouth without any order. Her brow rose in confusion, and I tilted my head as best I could and gestured down with my eyes. Her eyes followed mine, though instead of any shock or embarrassment, her lips twitched, and she kept smiling at me. And I had the sudden urge to go for a very long, very cold shower.

After seeming to enjoy my discomfort with her state of undress, she pushed herself up off the bed. As she fixed her clothing, I pushed myself to my elbows and kept my eyes on anything but her. At the same time, I silently prayed to the Gods that no one knocked on her door. Even with the plans her father and mine had for her future, I doubted I’d escape with anything less than a month-long stay in the palace’s cells.

“I see someone enjoyed the view.” My eyes snapped back to her as she spoke, confusion clear for her to see on my face. She laughed once then glanced down at my body with her eyes. Fear came over me, and as I followed her gaze, that fear came true as I saw a small, but prominent tenting in my breeches.

“I, uh, that is, ah, you see.” She laughed hard and stumbled back to the table as I rambled out an attempted apology.

“Cregan, there is nothing to be sorry for.” She cut me off before letting her hands slide down her body, letting them pull her dress tight against her chest and stomach. “When we were younger, others were close to me because of who I am, and will be, but not you. You never cared about how I looked, only caring about me. Now that I’ve grown,” at that, her hands slid under her breasts and my eyes followed their movements in a trance, “why would I dislike that you now enjoy the changes in me as much as I do?”

“It’s… just…” I sighed as any response I tried to come up with died on my lips. Arianne was, simply put, gorgeous. “Yeah, ok.” Her hands slid from her dress as I conceded I was enjoying the view even as I pushed myself to a fully seated position. “Just, can you, you know, never mention this to anyone? Like ever.” I added as I stood, regaining the high ground as I’d passed her in height over the last year.

She laughed hard and stepped toward me, shaking her head. “Sorry my bloody wolf, but there’s no way I’m not telling Ty and Nym about this.” I jumped as her hands drifted over my groin. After laughing once more, she lifted her hands to my cheeks and stroked them gently. "Cregan, I owe you… so, so much. You saved me from… then last year opened my mind to something so wonderful, so amazing that I can’t even explain it to others.” She leaned closer and, standing on her tiptoes, kissed the tip of my nose. “For either, I doubt I could ever repay you, no matter what I offered you.” The look in her eyes sent shivers throughout my body. “For doing both… All I can say is thank you, my bloody wolf.” As she pulled back, I felt the heat in my cheeks reach an uncomfortable level.

I really, really needed that cold shower.

“Now, I think it is time we return to the main hall. While our absence won’t be questioned too much, if we delay too long then rumours will start. Ones I don’t think you are ready to handle just yet. To say nothing of my father.”

I nodded even as I gulped. Yeah, Doran’s reaction to this… meeting wouldn’t be great if people got the wrong impression. Hells, even the rumours might be bad enough that he’d find a way to send me away from Sunspear, no matter how energetically my mother or Arianne protested.

Then there was the thought I held that Doran had betrothed Arianne to Viserys. While he’d not lived long enough in the book or show for that to be an issue, I couldn’t assume that would be the case here. Even minor changes here, like Aliandra’s existence, so completely changed things that I could no longer assume things would follow canon.

With that thought amongst others dominating my mind, I followed my princess from her room.

… …

----------------------------------------

… …

“Cregan, come here!”

I opened my eyes, a little annoyed at having my concentration broken while focusing on Wind Magic and turned to see where Tyene was. It took a second to see her, but I soon located her kneeling near a boulder not far from me. Beside her was Jelissa Fowler since, at the request of Lord Franklyn Fowler, Oberyn, me, and members of our family had travelled to Skyreach.

I’d been a little surprised that he’d asked for me by name. Yet, upon arriving with my family – which included my mother and Aliandra as we planned to stop by in Starfall before returning to Sunspear – I’d discovered why the Old Hawk wanted me specifically to come. While I hadn’t been able to save Jennelyn Fowler, his second child, from being taken by the Ironborn, by making it to shore with Princess Arianne, I’d given him a chance to save her. A chance he’d taken with gusto and while Jennelyn was far from healed – she was nervous around every male, including her younger brother and father – the Old Hawk was simply glad to have her back. As was her twin sister, and the heir to Skyreach, Jeyne Fowler.

I didn’t feel as if he owed me anything as if not for my existence, then the Dornish fleet wouldn’t have been in the position to be attacked by the Ironborn. However, I couldn’t say that to him, so I was forced to simply underplay my actions. Or at least try to. That hadn’t worked as Lord Franklyn had arranged a gift for me. A castle-forged steel buckler that was engraved with a wolf's head under a falling star.

It was the first time I’d gotten anything with what could be called a personal sigil upon it, and I liked the blending of my birth parent’s houses in the engraving. While I doubted I'd ever use it in battle, it was simply too much of a risk to lose it when it was such a personal gift by a Lord, I was grateful for it.

All that had happened four days ago when we’d arrived in Skyreach, and we’d depart in a few days hence. Coming with us would be Lord Frankyns’ two younger children, Barrian and Jelissa. Barrian, who was about half a year younger than me, would foster in Sunspear to improve relationships between the Fowlers and Martells, while Jelissa, who was Tyene’s age, and would serve as one of Arianne’s handmaidens to make up for the fact Jeyne and Jennelyn had left her side. As such, the pair had been spending time saying goodbye to their families and getting to know us. Which was why Jelissa was out in the hills near Skyreach with Tyene and me.

“What is it?” I asked as I moved toward them. As I came closer Jelissa shuffled to the side, letting me see that on the ground, with a broken wing, was a small bird. From the markings, it looked like a Sunfyre Eagle. The breed was semi-common in the Red Mountains and while not the biggest bird of prey in Westeros, it was a well-regarded one for its plumage. Or at least the adult bird was. Whereas an adult had black plumage over its body along with bright orange or red streaks down its back and body – from where the breed got its name – with dirty grey upper feathers on the wings, the chicks had none of the black feathers. Since this bird had a mixture of black and dirty-grey feathers on its body, I’d say it was maturing from a chick into an adult, though that was the best guess I could offer about its age. What was easy to tell was why it was on the ground, as one wing was bent back in such an odd way that it had to be broken.

The bird was clearly in pain as it squawked at Tyene and Jelissa. Yet, as I moved closer, its squawking died down as its eyes saw me. I slipped past Jelissa and knelt near Tyene, my eyes watching the bird as it watched me. For a moment I felt a pressure on my mind, and then the world became clearer even as it shifted.

…

I was looking up at Tyene, every slight imperfection in her face clear as day. The slightly darker colouring of one cheek over the other, the scattering of sapphire in her azure eyes, the way the muscles in her lips twitched as she looked down upon me. The beginnings of a dimple under her right eye, the way her hair parted to show the white of the skin underneath. All of it was crystal clear to me.

I also saw marks on my face I’d only ever seen when I’d all but kissed a mirror. The faint ripples of my scar where the various layers of tissue were severed by the blade. The way the grey in my eyes melted into the vibrant purple.

A screech from high above broke my focus and my mind knew who was calling.

Mother.

Looking up, I saw her high above us, her beautiful plumage shining in the sun. Her screech wailed through me, and I tried to call back, but my song was weak. Like my body, it was off, and she couldn’t hear me. I watched in terror as she angled away, giving up on me. Leaving me with the dirt-walkers.

The tallest dirt-walker, the one with strange crests as dark as my feathers, leaned ever closer as one of the sun-kissed dirt-walkers, the one closest, place a strange, featherless wing on the tall dirt-walker. Her eyes reminded me of my prey as they realised that I was diving toward them. For most, that look was the last I saw from them before I feasted on their flesh once back in the safety of the dwelling. A strange, mewing spilt from her flat beak, yet the tall dirt-walker ignored her. His eyes were locked on me as one of his featherless wings moved toward me.

I cried at him, dared him to stay back. But the dirt-walker kept approaching. I tried to scramble away, only to caw out in pain as my broken wing sent tremors of pain through me. I snapped at the dirt-walker as his featherless wing approached, and then the tips spread apart. Yet without feathers, what point did they serve? Though the tips came closer still. On one wingtip, I saw two small marks. Something had sliced him before, but what, I couldn’t say.

The wingtips came ever closer. A strange sensation passed over me and I reacted.

…

“Cregan!”

I flinched at hearing my name, then did so again as the wounded bird pulled its beak back from my fingers. On the tip of one, a speck of blood leaked from a fresh cut. However, that was minor compared to the blinking blue dot in the corner of my vision. I had a good idea what that was about, but with Tyene pulling my hand into hers, and Jelissa floating around nearby, it would have to wait a while.

“I’m fine. I just… wanted to touch it.” That sounded weak as fuck, but I had to hope Tyene understood what I was implying. After she’d gotten over her initial reluctance about it, we’d spoken a lot about how skinchanging worked so I hoped she’d get what I was suggesting. Sadly, given the glare she gave me, it seemed that in the moment, she hadn’t. that was confirmed as she gave me a none-too-gentle slap on the shoulder.

“You stupid idiot! You could’ve scared him!” as she stared at me in fury over that, I fought and failed to keep down a chuckle. That earned me another, harder slap on the arm. “What’s so funny?”

“Ty,” I managed to get out as she kept slapping me because I wouldn’t stop laughing, “I felt something from him. Like with Kaa.” The last part was whispered and stopped Tyene mid-swing. She blinked a few times, and then looked between the young bird and me.

“You’re sure?” She asked just as quietly as I’d whispered. At least she understood that Jelissa didn’t or couldn’t know. Seeing this as a chance to confirm the notification, I looked away and stared up into the sky.

Skinchanging Instinctual Bond Formed!

Bonded animal: ??? [Sunfyre Eagle]

Level 1 bond

Bonds remaining: 0

...

Congratulations, you’ve formed your second instinctual bond.

…

I’d gotten the second regular bond slot when I’d reached level twenty with Skinchanging and it changed to an instinctual bond at level twenty-five. I was at level twenty-seven now as levelling Skinchanging up was easier than even Fire Magic for some reason, though it was still behind Fire Magic, which was at level forty-seven. Still, even with the new bond slot, I hadn’t expected to find another animal to instinctually bond with. And certainly not when we’d left Sunspear for Skyreach. That said, an eagle, provided it could be nursed back to health, was an excellent choice. I could already see so many advantages of having a bird of prey as a bond animal; and not just for scouting an enemy force before a battle.

Now certain of the bond, I returned my focus to Tyene and smiled. “Yeah.” A large smile spread quickly across her face.

“Well, now we have to nurse him back to health.” Before I could say anything, like comment on how easily she believed me about my bond with the eagle, her hands moved to the hem of her dress. My eyes bulged as she ripped a long strip from it, exposing her leg to her upper thigh.

My eyes travelled up the leg before I realised what I was doing, and I whipped my head away. A soft chuckle made it clear she’d seen me though, meaning it would join the growing things for which she, Nym and Arianne could tease me about. Since that day in Arianne’s quarters, the three of them – along with a few friends – had enjoyed tempting me with subtle – or in Nym’s case, less-than-subtle – actions. Every time I reacted; they’d use it as new teasing material.

When I did turn back, she’d knelt next to the young eagle and was very carefully using the strip of dress to wrap up the bird. Jelissa had joined her but was far more apprehensive about it. While they worked on that, I let my mind return to having another bonded animal. I mean, one day I hoped I’d be able to bond with a direwolf or dragon, but that felt like a pipedream at best. At least until I met Dany and she, for some reason, trusted me enough to let me try and bond with one of her dragons. Or that when the Starks got their direwolf puppies there was an extra one. Though that would go to Beron now that I thought about it.

Still, when combined with Kaa, an eagle was a very useful bonded animal to have. I was already training with Kaa to sneak around my room in Sunspear – something I was doing even while in Skyreach as I could enter his mind with relative ease even from so far away, though it did take more effort than normal – learning the best ways to move and hide as a snake. I’d even let him once wander a few private corridors on Sunspear, with Tyene nearby in case a servant or guard came upon him. From that, I’d found the entrances to three secret passageways and while I hadn’t entered any of them, Tyene had confirmed that one of them led to the Martell quarters and near Prince Doran’s solar. Arianne had shown it to her when they were young so Tyene and Nymeria could sneak into Arianne’s quarters without dealing with most of the palace guards.

There was also the likelihood that this eagle, like Kaa, would grow to a larger-than-normal size. Kaa was close to fully grown and both Oberyn and Maester Caleotte had commented on how he seemed to be about half as big again as his breed was known to be. Both were confused as to why this was, though Oberyn for one was fine with it. Kaa’s larger size meant he produced more venom than a regular bloodflower viper, something he harvested at least once a week.

Plus, there was the fact a Sunfyre eagle was a rare bird for a noble to keep. Most nobles had falcons, hawks and the like for prestige and hunting. Few that I knew of had an eagle; certainly not a Sunfyre eagle as they were notorious for being bad-tempered; something proven by the way the young one was snapping at Tyene and Jelissa as they tried to slide the cloth under its broken wing. Provided it recovered and had a similar growth spurt to Kaa, this bird was going to draw a ton of attention from other nobles.

Still, as the bird squawked at the girls another time, I realised that first I’d have to get the bird back to Skyreach. Thus, I knelt nearby and, using skinchanging, did my best to calm him while the girls secured my newest companion.

… …

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… …

I woke one morning a few moons after my one and tenth nameday – or eleventh if I didn’t want to use the weird Westerosi way of tracking numbers in the teens – and upon seeing the hoped-for blinking blue dot in my vision, let out a quiet, “YES!!

I’d reached ten-thousand skill levels the day before, and when there hadn’t been an instant message from the Interface regarding new trait options, I’d been downtrodden. When I’d gone to bed, I’d hoped that it would appear this morning, which was confirmed as I opened the notice.

Standard Trait Point Gained!

Special Trait Point Gained!

You have reached 10000 skill levels. This means you now have 1 StTP and 1 SpTP to spend.

Good work!

…

Available Traits

Current skill level total: 10001

This grants you 1 StandardTrait Point (StTP) and 1 Special Trait Point (SpTP).

You have spent 1 StTP and 1 SpTP.

StTPs are listed normally.

SpTPs are underlined.

…

Traits available for purchase:

Bestial Bonds

Blood of the Dragon’s Flames

Boosted Book Learning

Boosted Martial Learning

Boosted Mana

Boosted Stamina

Earth Compatibility

Greensight

Gift of Tongues

Hints of the Lost (Free Cities)

Hints of the Lost (Planetos)

Hints of the Lost (Westeros)

Hints of the Lost (Valyria)

Magical Sonar

Necromancy Compatibility

Over-boost Mana

Over-boost Stamina

Prophetic Dreams

Shadow Compatibility

Water Compatibility

Wind Compatibility

...

WARNING!

Be aware that when selecting a trait, your body will go through some form of alteration on both a physical and mental level. Because of this, a time delay can be set for how long it takes for a change to initiate.

For Standard Traits, this results in a loss of consciousness for a period ranging from three to ten hours.

For Special Traits, this results in a loss of consciousness for hours to days, along with a varying but constant level of pain as your body undergoes some changes.

NOTE:

If two traits are chosen to activate at the same time, the timeframe for both is doubled and added together. If three traits are taken at the same time, then the timeframe is tripled and added together.

...

Well, that was a lot to take in.

Starting at the end, the fact I’d lose consciousness for a time regardless of what traits were taken and would endure some pain for Special Traits was discomforting. At least I could time when this would happen so that I could, I hoped, pass it off as nothing more than taking a very long sleep, though if it took days for a special trait that could cause major problems.

As for the traits themselves, the first thing that jumped out at me was that there were twenty-one in all. Seven Special and fourteen Standard. Which was an interesting choice since the Seven was, as far as I knew, the most anti-magic religion on Planetos. I then discovered that unlike with the initial trait choice, I could click on their names and learn something about them. Which was fucking wonderful as blind picking was not my idea of fun.

The Standard Traits were aside from a few holdovers from when I’d unlocked magic, and the other three elemental magic compatibilities, new. Yet all of them made sense. Shadow and Necromancy Compatibility were for two branches of magic I’d discovered but not unlocked. Or at least two of the four as oddly, Internal and Blood Magic weren’t listed. Which did make some sense. Fiddling with my body internally while I was still growing and lacked an excellent understanding of magic and biology made it feel like a risky proposition. As did using blood to manipulate things, to say nothing about how close that felt to me to be crossing a line I wasn’t sure I wanted to cross.

The Boosted traits were holdovers, bar the one for Magic, and from what I could tell, would improve things by between ten – for skills – and fifteen – for Stamina and MP – per cent. The Over-boosts were more extreme temporary versions of those traits, but with penalties to other facets. While potentially useful in battle, the fact both drained my health if ran for too long made them a dangerous proposition; at least until I gain control of my Wolfs-blood.

Gift of Tongues was an interesting one. If my ability to speak a language was high enough, though it didn’t indicate how high the relevant skill would need to be, then I could apply that skill when reading something written in that tongue. For the Common Tongue, that was useless, but the idea that I could read rare and obscure texts in High Valyrian, or possibly even the language of the First Men if I could learn to speak that, sounded very, very useful.

Yet however useful any Standard Trait was, the Special Traits were something else entirely.

Bestial Bonds would improve not only the depth of my connection to my instinctually bonded animals but the benefits that I’d get from them. Since I’d yet to see any benefit from my bond with Kaa, even though the bond was listed as a level 3 bond, that suggested I still had some way to go before that could apply. Still, this trait would give me more instinctual ease when bonding and skinchanging with an animal. Since I had two such bonds with Kaa and Rian, which is what I’d named the eagle after Tyene and I had nursed him back to health, then that’d be two big boosts to me. Eventually.

Blood of the Dragon’s Flames was, as the name implied, linked to dragons, though it also covered Fire and Blood Magic. In essence, this trait would lift my connection to those three abilities to that of a pure-born Valyrian from the Freehold. Perhaps not on the level of the highest of the forty dragon lord families, but certainly on par with the Targaryens. While I doubted that I’d ever get the chance to bond with a dragon – or at least the odds were small enough that I wasn’t giving it much consideration – and Blood Magic wasn’t something I’d unlocked, the boost to Fire Magic alone made this tempting. Fire Magic was my primary magic choice and would remain that even after the Others were dealt with (provided that happened) so having it improved felt like a logical choice. Plus, there was the fact that with this trait I’d likely not die of a disease or infection that would otherwise kill me.

Hints of the Lost would reveal on a mental map the location of lost, and likely magical, knowledge within the scope of the covered area. That, again, was highly tempting; to say nothing of the fact these traits should be the ones that caused the least amount of pain in choosing. The options for Essos and Planetos felt too widespread to be of much use for decades to come, but those for Westeros and the Freehold had great appeal, particularly the latter. The idea of discovering a lost cache of Valyrian magic, even if I didn’t know about the threat posed by the Others – or further afield – wasn’t something to ignore.

Magical Sonar was an odd one. On one hand, being able to sense magic nearby sounded super useful. Yet the limit of being able to only use it, at most, three times a day and only over three miles removed a lot of its potential. I did hope to one day go to Valyria but compared to Hints of the Lost (Valyria) the trait felt lacking. Plus, as I thought about it, I wondered if I could replicate the ability, or something close to it, using Wind and Earth Magic.

Still, since I had to wait until I was about to sleep to make a choice, there was no rush to pick new traits. Taking any before and sleeping through the day would do nothing but worry my family, which was something I’d rather not do. Mainly as it could lead to questions I’d rather avoid if possible.

Plus, there was the fact that all magic on Planetos seemed to come with a price. For elemental magic, that price was determined by my mana, but for other magic, the price would be higher. And that was an ongoing issue I had to deal with.

… …

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… …

I braced my body as the blade sailed toward me. I had my shield ready to deflect the strike and did so by rotating my wrist. That not only guided the attack away from me but left my opponent open to a counterstrike. I slid my back foot forward in a passing step and thrust, however, my opponent, being older and better trained, was ready.

Using his size and strength advantages, he used his shield to first push my blade up, and then once it was removed as a threat, altered the angle of his shield. As the edge surged toward me, I was forced to step back and brace my shield in a desperate defence. I managed to knock his shield away, but by over-committing to the defence, I’d twisted around enough that my shield side was exposed.

“That’s three,” Daemon called with enjoyment a second after his training sword clanged against the armour on my shoulder. That had me growling in annoyance. I knew he was going to win, I’d yet to even land a strike against him in the moons we’d been sparing, but did he have to be so fucking proud about beating a twelve-year-old when he was a knight at nine and ten? I could feel my Wolfs-blood and Blood of the Dragon’s Flames sparking to life as he stepped back, gave me a smile that I wanted to rip from his face and wipe my arse with, and then waved to those watching off to one side.

On the other side of the gallery, I heard Oberyn chuckle, but I didn’t glance his way. I knew he’d have pointers for me once the spar was over – he always had pointers – but seeing him find amusement in my struggles wouldn’t do anything for the growing fury I felt inside.

These spars – though I was beginning to think they were as much about controlling my anger as about learning how to fight – had started a few days after my nameday and occurred almost every day. The only time they hadn’t had been when Oberyn and Daemon had headed out for a half-moon to deal with bandits. That had been what earned Daemon his knighthood, a fact he kept throwing in my face – and that of others – whenever the chance presented itself.

So far Daemon hadn’t taken a squire of his own, but I knew there were options. Edric Dayne, who was currently serving as Doran’s page, was one Daemon wanted to take, but I know that wouldn’t happen. The heir to Starfall was too politically important to be allowed to squire with a bastard; even one as well regarded as a swordsman as Daemon. (Gods, did admitting that stick in my pride.)

Barrian Fowler, who’d over the last year become my closest friend – or at least, closest non-female friend – was another that might take the role. He was of age and needed to become someone’s squire and as a third child, he wasn’t due to inherit Skyreach, meaning there was less issue with him squiring for a bastard knight. Well, at least in Dorne.

By the time I’d returned to my starting position and reset my stance, Daemon was already moving. While he wasn’t massively tall, he did have about a head over me in height (I was around five foot seven or eight) and slight edges in strength and agility. Yet it was the gulf in skill that was causing me the most problems. According to the Interface, I was in the Average tier (the third of nine tiers) for using a sword and fighting with a sword and shield. That was well beyond where the boys my age were but left me a long way behind the newly minted knight.

His blade thrust forward, though this time, instead of blocking with my shield, I shifted my feet around. His blade found nothing but air, though he was able to adapt and brought his shield around in another attempt. That I did need to block, and I took it flush with my shield. The hit rattled me, but I was able to take it and then jab my blade down low below my shield, angling toward his thigh.

He shifted his shield to block, which is what I’d been counting on as I didn’t have the arm length to fully reach his feet or lower legs. I rolled my wrist, hoping to guide the tip of my blade around his shield, however, he saw the move coming and my blade clattered uselessly against his shield.

Even as he defended my attack, he launched one of his own. His blade lashed against my shield, which I’d managed to move to block the attack, and then moved around to deflect another slash. All the while I was moving around, not presenting a static frame for him to target. A third slash came in and was blocked, making me wonder what his plan was as these hits had no chance to strike me.

The plan became obvious on the fourth slash as his blade moved higher, aiming for my head. On instinct, I lifted my shield, only for it to be pulled to one side as the guard of his sword caught the rim of my shield. That forced my arm to twist outward, leaving me exposed.

Yet that was when I tried something new.

My sword was still low to the ground, not in any position to directly attack Daemon. However, it was closer enough that it could flick up some dust. With some subtle application of Wind Magic, I made sure it rose higher than it usually would, heading toward his helmet.

Some of it must’ve gotten through the visor as he took an unexpected step back and shifted his shield around into a desperate frontal block. As I saw him blinking, trying furiously to clear his eyes, I made my move. I lunged forward, keeping low to use his shield to keep me hidden, and then side-stepped to the shield-arm side of his body. Seeing his sword arm up near his helmet, I knew he couldn’t block. My sword flashed around to ring out on his gauntlet.

I smiled as cheering went up from elsewhere in the yard, though the movement of his shield prevented me from enjoying the moment. I stumbled away, being hit by the flat of the shield as I was mid-step and off-balance. That only made things worse as to keep myself from falling over, I had to lower my shield. His shield then slammed into the elbow of that arm, driving my shield into the ground, and forcing me to a knee.

As my sword hand touched the ground to stop me from falling over, something slammed into my lower back hard. Yes, there was armour there, but the way I was bent over meant it was exposed and the blow hurt. I went face-first into the dirt, and as I lifted my head to cough out the dirt from my mouth another hit landed hard on the back of my shoulder.

“Hold!”

Oberyn’s voice rang around my head as my helmet was rattled. A second strike smashed my face into the ground hard. My eyes scrunched closed as dirt flooded in through the visor.

“Dameon!” Oberyn sounded furious as a third strike smashed into the back of my helmet. I began seeing multiple visor slits along with up to a dozen blue blinking dots.

As there was a furious scuffle of feet behind me, I groggily pushed myself to my knees then, eventually after failing to grasp the cord, got my fingers to the cord holding my helmet in place. Just then I felt arms slide under mine and I was forced back to the ground, though this time I was staring up at three slits of sky as three small blue dots appeared from the Interface in the bottom corner of my vision.

“Cregan?” I knew that voice and turned my head even as I felt fingers slide to the cord of my helmet. Nymeria was there, or two of her were, looking down at me; concern marring her beautiful face. I ignored the idea of two Nymerias, or two Tyenes as I saw her through the pair of visor slots, as those fingers at the strap for my helmet rubbed against my throat. “Cregan? Are you in there?”

“I,” I was cut off as my helmet cord was undone and someone, who I realised was Jelissa a moment later, pulled my helmet off slowly. “I think so. What the fuck hit me?”

I remembered scoring a hit against… something, and then getting hit in return. After that, things were blurry. Which suggested I had a concussion of some form. Fucking wonderful.

Nymeria’s eyes darted away from me before they returned, and she spoke. “Dameon.” The scowl on Tyenes’ faces looked like they could murder with a glance. “Fucker got angry you landed a hit on him…”

“Good going.”

“… and then didn’t listen to father’s or the master-at-arms’ commands to stop.” Nymeria finished, ignoring the soft words spoken by Jelissa.

A shadow appeared over me, mercifully blocking out the twin suns I saw overhead. “While Daemon is a knight, he serves House Martell.” Oberyn’s words were soft as if he was speaking to a child, yet there was an undercurrent of fury within them. “You may both be bastards, but you’re my son. Going after you like that was… undignified.” I couldn’t make out Oberyn’s expressions as the twin suns covered both his faces in shadow.

“He still won,” I muttered, still annoyed that my strike, in the end, counted for nothing.

“That was expected.” Oberyn moved and the light from the twin sons blinded me for a second. “The fact you managed to land a single hit on a knight, even one as new as Daemon, is something few squires can do. And at your age, I can think of none that might’ve been able to do so. Baring, mayhaps, your uncle Arthur Dayne or Ser Barristan Selmy.” That was a high bar to be compared to, and while it was flattering, I didn’t enjoy the continual comparisons. Even if, in Dorne at least, they made perfect sense.

“Aye, he’ll be smarting about that for a while.” I looked at the twin Nyms to see them smiling broadly at me. I also saw the two Jelissa’s turning my helmets over in their hands, letting me see the array of dents on the back of it from where I’d been hit. “Just be careful next time you spar with him, alright?” She gave me a gentle, for her, punch on the shoulder. “If you get badly hurt who will Ty, Ari and I tease?”

“I suspect it will be some time before Cregan spars with Daemon again.” I returned my gaze to the twin Oberyns. “Ignoring my considerable anger at his behaviour, Lady Ashara will likely be on the warpath for several days. Even after I soothe and redirect that fury,” his smirk at that was not something I needed to see, “for his safety, I think it would do Daemon good to head to the Water Gardens and work with the guard there.”

At the sound of something slamming into the ground elsewhere, I turned my head – slowly to avoid making the world spin – and saw Daemon at the far side of the yard. As if he knew I was watching, he turned back and I suspected glared at me, though I couldn’t be sure as his face was all over the place.

“Mayhaps that assignment should be for a moon.”

I ignored Oberyn’s comment as I considered Daemon and what, if anything, remained of our friendship. For the first few years in Sunspear, he’d acted like a big brother to me, but ever since I’d returned from Winterfell, he’d grown distant. With the worst coming after Arianne returned from Braavos.

After discovering that I’d sung at Obara’s wedding, she and Tyene had roped me into regular musical sessions. While Tyene sang with an innocence most Septas could never manage - even if it was an act – Arianne’s voice was far more tempting. There were subtle inflexions and movements that while not provocative, certainly stirred my blood. Considering that time, plus those with Nymeria, Sarella and the other young ladies in Sunspear, it was easy to see he was jealous. While understandable as he was, as far as I could tell, a good-looking bloke, it was also very petty. There was no way many, never mind all, of those girls would continue to look at me as it took me a few more years to mature enough to consider doing something with them.

Still, after today, I wouldn’t mind losing his friendship. Yes, it would make future spars a lot more dangerous, but that would only push me to get better faster, with the help of Boosted Martial Learning so I could show him how utterly outclassed he was; in both looks and combat skill.

… …