Chapter 11: What Are You Doing Here?
Viserys Ashtar
Jhala is easy to defend, only a single one of Victarion's landing parties have even reached the shore before I find them. Coppernicus' ash leaves the fleet of thirty ships drifting dead in the water, with the couple hundred being quickly overwhelmed by local defenses.
I don't let the cheers from behind the cities walls distract me and roar out the situation n the local tongue. "The slaving sack of shit Victarion, has finally grown stones big enough to face the heat of Summer!"
"Once we purge the pirates from our lands, I will follow them back where they came and show them smoke and screams in vengeance!" Roars of support come from the soldiers wielding golden heart bows and that sense of restlessness vanishes.
Vacation's over, time to get off my ass and finally deal with Victarion for good. No more simply harassing his ships… now it's time to make these seas safe for all to travel.
Besides, it's probably been long enough that I won't cause any problems between Arianne and Renly. She probably barely even remembers me anymore.
I leave the city to rally it's own defenses and gather it's fleet for retaliation, my mind racing as a sixth pillar of smoke rises on Omboru on the horizon. "How did that damned moron plan this attack out so perfectly?"
Getting to dark for me to really see anything. With a wince I scrap the back of my arm against Coppernicus' scales hard enough to draw blood. "Sylvie."
The High Valyrian word for wisdom makes me blood tingle as my senses are shared with my dragon. My suicidal bombing in Valyria jump started the waxing of the worlds magic by a few years. The few bits of ancient dragonlord magic I've found, have all started working for me as long as they use Coppernicus as the magical component.
The quick trips Gerion and I have been taking into Valyria the last five years have noticeably increased the Summer Isles wealth. I can only assume the temptation has finally grown to big to resist any longer. I'm going to show his fleet why only an idiot tries to steal from a dragon.
We bound across the island in a series of gliding leaps, Coppernicus crossing a mile or more at a time. Each time we crash down in the jungle he dashes forward and then throws him back into the air with powerful flaps.
He even manages to clear the entire four miles between the islands, the remnants of the afternoon's thermals giving him just enough lift to slam down on the white sandy beach. "Let's go boy, time to prove to everyone you're only scary to the bad guys!"
Howling his agreement, he charges towards the nearest settlement. The eight ships anchored off shore and the skeleton crews are easy targets, the shrieks of agony thankfully even briefer as Nicus' warm himself up.
We slam into the raiders at the city gates, his spiked tail sends them flying by the dozen as he thrashes wildly. Only a luck blow on one of his joints, his wing membrane, or his eyes, will be able to bring Coppernicus down with castle forged steel. After a few dozen skirmishes, I know most of the pirates are lucky to have serviceable iron.
"You want to live, you better be naked and face down in the sand before it's your turn!" My conditions of surrender actually make a few dozen comply, which leaves the rest suddenly far less sure of survival.
…
I'm drenched with sweat by the time the sun is coming up. An entire night's work and Walano is still smoking on the North shore.
"One more buddy and then you can sleep." He grumbles tiredly in response, his movements far more sluggish than when we began. "Oh don't give me that, you know I let you eat as much as you want from the days catch. You're the picky one who doesn't like tuna."
He belches out a cloud of sticky grey ash in retort, covering me in a gooey paste when it mixes with my perspiration. "Hey. What was that for Nicus?" I'm not the one who decided to attack.
When we arrive at the final town, it's shocking to find it no longer under attack. A dozen Reach ships flying Tyrell flags have trapped the Long-Cogs in the bay, the landing party rushing back to stop their escape from being taken.
"Well… I wasn't expecting that." Nicus whines his agreement, knowing full well we normally chase that kind of ship away from the islands. "Guess Olenna finally found me." Though I have no idea why Marywn kept this a secret… we had a deal.
Guess the vacation really is over. They have to have seen the forty foot dragon hopping around. So unless I want to flee to Sothoryos… time to say hi.
"Land us on the big one in the middle, we can wreck most of the other ships from it." I don't want to get the Tyrell forces thinking we're some wild animal, so we can leave the ones closest to them.
Climbing onto the town's sandstone walls, Nicus leaves deep gouges with each step forward. His weight cracks the wall down to the foundation, but it's just barely high enough for us to soar onto to Ironborn boat.
It rocks so hard it nearly capsizes, but Coppernicus shifts his weight before we flip. My eyes roam the deck and take in the shocked sailors in the midst of battle.
"Don't stop killing these lily livered cowards on my account!" Taking the chance to catch my breath, I grab an ax in each hand and ready myself for battle. "More than enough of them to go around."
I throw myself off off Nicus right as he swings his tail down into the neighboring ship. The wood splinters as if it was me snapping one of my kites and the force makes our boat rock back and forth again.
Rolling to my feet with practiced effort that I make look easy, I swing my twin weapons like a madman. Limbs fly through the air and warm blood splatters against the deck, leaving the wood slick with crimson as I hack mindlessly through the pirates.
None of them are more than decent with a weapon and that's just not good enough against as much Valyrian steel as I have on me. My axes carves right through any armor like it wasn't even being worn, while my chainmail and bullet shaped helm keep me safe from nearly every attempt to stop me.
I do feel a hot searing slash on my calf, but the dying man's last thrust got slowed down by my boot. It'll need stitching when I'm done, but the bleeding will stop soon. It's not even deep enough to reach the fat layer, I'll be fine.
"We got them all!" Someone yells at me as I whirl about for my next foe, only to find everyone hastily sheathing weapons. "… Or should I say you and your dragon did." I can kind of recognize the man's voice and I frown as a blond man approaches.
"… Willas?" I gasp in astonishment at seeing my friend for the first time since Edmure died. "Is that really you?"
He freezes mid-step and frowns. His green eyes narrow as they roam my face for anything recognizable. "Viserys?" Blinking a few times as he takes in my new hair and extremely tanned complexion, Garlan finally smiles in relief. "You look different."
"Killed some magically mutated people in Valyria and the blood wouldn't wash out." I shrug and slid my own axes back onto my belt. "What are you doing here?"
"We came to save you. Margaery thought Victarion was holding you prisoner here and the raid pretty much had me convinced." He frowns in realization and pushes me out of the brief hug. "Why are you here? Everyone thinks you're dead!"
"I died." My blunt response stops his rant in it's tracks. "Even having orgies almost every month didn't make me feel any better." I give him an honest look and don't hold any of my pain back. "I needed time before I could even think of going back to the shit hole called Westeros."
Disbelief is easy to see on Garlan's face and so I cut him off before he can start doubting. "Greyscale got cured around the world in a single day, didn't it?"
"… Yeah." His frown hasn't left completely, so I'm forced to explain what the cure actually was with an annoyed sigh.
"A dragon rider needed to give their life for the people sworn to them." I shrug as understanding finally seems to sink in. "Garen never thought a Valyrian would be able to do it and we've had a distinct lack of riders the last few centuries." I'll never forget your sacrifice Barney, but I'm not telling anyone about the wild dragons. Your babies deserve freedom from my family.
"Look, I'm going to war in a few days." I yawn and see his crew is nearly as tired. "How about you come stay with me and we can catch up."
Garlan starts to nod yes and then suddenly stops himself. "Wait. My sister Margaery is back on the 'White Rose'."
"I don't hate women or anything…" I smirk at my childhood friend. "She's more than welcome to come ashore with you."
"But you said…" The horror in his eyes almost makes me concerned. "Orgies."
It's hard not to laugh in his face but somehow I manage. "She may be as gorgeous as you with teats, but unless she strips down and shakes her ass…" I smile reassuringly at him. "She'll be left alone. We have lot's of beautiful and willing participants in the celebration."