Chapter 19: Dreaming Sails
109 AC, The Narrow Sea
Laenor Velaryon found himself strangely relaxing as he watched Driftmark disappear in the distance. It had been a sad parting indeed, with Laena being very angry at him for what he planned on doing. Well, he hadn’t quite told her his plan, only that he planned on selling the porcelain that he had worked on in Braavos and set up a trade deal of some sort, though she hadn’t liked the danger that would come with such a trip.
She had eventually relented, knowing the extent of his plans for Castle Driftmark and the likely insane amount of gold he would need to see them through. Well, Laenor might have ended up bribing her by leaving her in charge of a few of his projects in Castle Driftmark, a sign that he trusted her in his absence, but he was still worried that she’d try to follow him atop Vhagar.
The war, Daemon’s war as the people called it, was quickly becoming something of a nightmare for most of the Seven Kingdoms, despite not participating in it. The price of most traded goods was rising as most merchants preferred travelling by land instead of by ship.
And to make things worse, there was a real fear for Dorne to join the Triarchy’s forces, if only due to the presence of a Dragonrider so close to their borders, and Sunspear. And it wasn’t even the Seven Kingdoms who were affected by this war; Braavos and Pentos were also especially hurt, as was Volantis, though that was to a lesser extent.
Yet, they all stayed their hands in involving themselves because it was, without question, a waste of resources, for the victory of either side of this war was not beneficial. On the one hand, there was a violent Dragonrider who burnt merchants and nobles without care, and on the other was the Triarchy, which everyone knew had spent far too much gold on this war for it to be profitable, at least not without charging extremely large tolls for passage through the Stepstones for a few decades, at the very least. The best strategy was to wait and see, but that was hardly beneficial to anyone, was it?
It didn’t help that Laenor’s instincts continued telling him that this war should not be, or at least, had not occurred as it should have been. It was a similar feeling of certainty as the one he had when he looked at Rhaenyra Targaryen, and one that he learned to trust over the years. He knew for a fact that there was someone or something that had sparked this war, likely on purpose, and yet, he did not know who it was. He would have the time to investigate it later, hopefully after this useless war was over.
Which was why Laenor Velaryon, having dyed his hair, was dressed like a merchant, as he sailed his way to Braavos, ready to set in motion the destruction of the Triarchy without anyone realising, and he couldn’t help but smile at how strangely right it all felt.
A familiar voice broke him from his thoughts, “Well, if it isn’t Addam of Driftmark.”
He turned and saw the form of Joffrey Lonmouth smirking at him and did his best not to roll his eyes, “Fuck off, Joff.”
That was Laenor’s monicker during the trip, Addam of Driftmark, a merchant under the Sea Snake’s employ, who was tasked to take expensive goods to Braavos to sell. It was not unusual on Laenor’s father’s part, as trade with the free cities needed to continue to ensure that some gold would still flow through Driftmark’s coffers despite the war. He invited merchants aboard, with ‘Adam’ being one of them, and sometimes even tasked knights and guards to accompany them and preferred to use the Galleons for their size and speed.
Laenor honestly did not mind being ‘Addam’. In fact, there was something freeing in it. He would never give up his position, not with what he could accomplish with it, but it was still nice to be unburdened by it, even if it was for a fortnight at the most. After all, no one knew that the heir of Driftmark was atop this ship, thinking him to have joined the Sea Snake in a patrol, which remained pertinent in case Tyrosh decided to attack Driftmark, Dragonstone, or even worse, King’s Landing.
His friend laughed, “Come, enough of your seriousness. The captain just said that we are to land in Dragonstone soon for the merchants who paid for passage on the ship. It should take some time before we sail again, as the crew would need to bring their merchandise aboard.”
Laenor raised an eyebrow at that, “You only wish to walk on land again, Joffrey. We have not spent even a full day at sea.”
The other boy scoffed but did not refute it. After all, he looked quite pale, and obviously not really used to sailing on a ship. Laenor didn’t particularly mind. In fact, it felt quite natural, to be honest.
Deciding that it was his fault that Joffrey was in this position in the first place, Laenor decided to agree, “Sure, I suppose that walking around Dragonstone would be nice. I haven’t been there since Laena claimed Vhagar.”
And so, after bribing the captain with a few gold dragons to ensure that he would not leave without them, not that he would have, given the fact that Laenor’s father had specifically told him to take care of them, they walked down to the small port that existed on Dragonstone and sat in an inn.
The inn itself was quite cosy, obviously meant for merchants or maybe lordlings, given its cleanliness. The floor was swept, and the tables were sturdy oak, polished from years of use. A hearth burned steadily at one end of the common room, keeping the damp sea air at bay, and the smell of roasted fish and fresh bread lingered in the air.
Joffrey brought them some mead and some food, which was far better than what they would likely eat for the next Fortnight while they were at sea. Laenor pretended not to see Joffrey drink far too much mead, likely to calm himself. It seemed that the sea was not kind to his friend, though it came naturally to Laenor. Despite this, the boy had insisted on coming with Laenor, even including the dangers, and the young Velaryon had asked his father to knight the other boy, after this journey was over, for just that, as well as the fact that he would have helped in ending a war should their scheme prove to be successful.
And so, Laenor looked around instead and found himself drawn to a Maester, who was reading a large, heavy tome, while sipping on a cup of wine. He did not know why this scene felt important, only that it did, and despite wishing to stand aside, Laenor walked towards the man, “Do you mind if I sit here?”
The Maester’s eyes widened for a moment before nodding, though mostly out of curiosity rather than anything, “Of course.”
“Addam of Driftmark,” Laenor said as he sat down, “Might I ask your name, Maester…”
“Gerardys,” the man answered, and for some reason, the name felt familiar.
“Are you the Maester of Dragonstone?”
“Ha,” the man answered bitterly, “If only that were the case. I was to be one of Maester Volarik’s aides. Though the man is certainly getting with his age. I do not even think that he remembers asking for aid. The position of the Maester of Dragonstone is quite sought after, and the conclave would likely choose a more suitable man to do it.”
“A more connected man, you mean,” Laenor answered jokingly.
Gerardys snorted, “A truer statement has never been uttered, my new friend.”
Laenor looked at the man’s chain and spoke up, “Speaking of which, I couldn’t help but notice the five silver links on your chain. I have never heard of a Maester who had so many.”
“Healing is a passion of the mind, you see. There is much of the body that remains a mystery, even thousands of years after the Citadel began to stand, and I wish to discover it as much as I can.”
“It doesn’t help that a lot of it is wrong,” Laenor answered through pure reflex.
“How so?”
“There are so many practices that do more harm than good. Seriously, whoever suggested the use of leeches, outside of some very specific cases, is an idiot.”
Laenor had spent some time thinking of the human body, and many of his instincts regarding it felt right, at least to him. He was working on a possible Small-Eye, something that would let him see the tiny particles that he instinctively knew existed everywhere, but the war had distracted him in the last few moons.
What followed was one of the most fascinating debates that he had with… anyone… ever. It was clear that Gerardys was more intelligent than most, especially when it came to medicine, with a keen instinct and a sharp mind, which he couldn’t help but respect. Gerardys listened when Laenor questioned old practices instead of dismissing him outright, and that alone earned the young Velaryon’s respect.
At last, Laenor leaned back slightly and spoke up. “Tell me, Maester Gerardys,” he began, lowering his voice, “have you ever considered leaving Dragonstone?”
Gerardys raised a brow. “Leaving? For what purpose?”
“Well, it seems to be that Dragonstone is not the place of import for what you seek to achieve, that your talents are being misused here.”
Laenor steeled himself when he saw the man frown, “And you say that I would find my answers atop a ship, or in Braavos?”
“No, while the ship would benefit from a healer, especially given the war in the Stepstones, I am mostly speaking of Driftmark. Castle Driftmark, to be precise. It is said that Laenor Velaryon requires a Maester but has not requested one from the Citadel yet. He is rumoured to share your… passion. Especially regarding the human body. I confess that most of what I know is thanks to him, as he occasionally likes to speak to merchants in Spicetown. I believe I have earned enough of the young lord’s trust to recommend your appointment there, if that is what you wish. After all, He did task a few of us to seek out interesting people, though I believe that he had planned on making an agreement with the House of the Red Hands in Braavos, but I am unsure.”
Seeing some hesitation on the man’s face, Laenor continued, “It is but an offer, but it is a meaningful one. I can see your brilliance, and I can guarantee you that the only place that would use a mind as sharp as yours would be Castle Driftmark. You would have freedom there, freedom to pursue actual research, instead of the stagnation that the Citadel seemed to revel in.”
The Maester was silent, obviously contemplating this offer, and just as Laenor prepared to continue, he felt… something. The best way that he could describe it would be as a strange pull, something that he had not felt the last time he had been on Dragonstone, as brief as it was.
He did not know how to describe it, a humming, perhaps, an echo of something that felt eerily familiar and yet it was. He felt urged to go seek it, knowing that some of his questions would be answered should he do it.
He tried to resist it as much as he could, but the urge was there, endless and great. He felt the need to leave the inn, and so, he looked at his companion and spoke up, “The offer stands either way. Should you decide to accept, come meet with us when we return to Dragonstone after our voyage, and we shall take you back to Driftmark with us. As for now, just think of this offer. Though I do hope that this will not be the last time that we will speak, Maester Gerardys, either way.”
It might have been quite rude to leave so quickly, but Laenor found it harder to resist the pull with every moment that passed. He quickly walked out of the inn, not even calling for Joffrey to come with him, though his friend was quite in his cups.
It was not long until he found himself walking down to the beach, not even taking the time to enjoy the sound of the waves crashing down softly atop the sand, a sound that he often spent time to relax and appreciate back on Driftmark. He had never felt this pull before, not even during his last visit to Driftmark, though that was years ago.
Instead, he focused on the feeling as to why this trip felt so crucial to him.
There were many benefits, of course, including securing his funding for Castle Driftmark and ending the war. However, there was also something personal to it…
He felt like this trip would bring him closer to finally having his questions answered. Since he was young, Laenor knew that he was different. There were certain instincts that he had, knowledge that he thought was obvious to him, that others simply did not grasp. And there were also things that he struggled to make sense of, traditions that he had grown up with, that simply felt strange to him, despite never learning the contrary.
To this day, despite seeing his mother and sister ride atop their dragons, he felt a sense of awe and disbelief at their existence, feeling as if he were waiting for a trick to unveil itself and prove the existence of dragons to be false, even considering the fact that he had grown up in a house of Dragonriders.
Those were but a scratch on the surface of his many questions, where Laenor only wished to make sense of his own existence, and he knew that the answer did not lie on Driftmark. This pull, this feeling, felt promising, as if it were the first step in his journey of self-discovery, and there was something right about it appearing at the start of this voyage.
Following the pull as it intensified, Laenor’s stride lengthened, and he did not even care to look at his surroundings, finally realising that he had reached his destination, as he stared at what seemed to be an expanse of rocks that signified the beginning of the Dragonmont.
The pull seemed to tell him that there was something nearby, and he walked forward, and as he took a closer look, he saw the hints of an entrance to a cave. It was as if it were hidden on purpose to stop anyone from entering. Laenor would have certainly not seen it had the pull not guided him towards it.
Honestly, it was nice to see that he had not gone completely mad, as this pull was obviously guiding him… somewhere. Perhaps it was unwise to just follow this strange feeling to a secret and empty location, and yet, despite it all, the promise of answers was simply too alluring to stop him from walking forward and entering the depths of the cave.
Eventually, the pull guided him to a large cavern, one that was somehow illuminated by a large crack in the ceiling that let some of the sun’s light inside. The light was reflected on the ground, as Laenor’s eyes widened as he recognised the form of a dagger on the ground, though it was entirely made of Dragonglass. He slowly knelt and grabbed it to examine. He had always been a fan of history, and as far as he knew, people stopped making Dragonglass weapons after the war between the First Men and the Andals, so this likely predated that… That made this little weapon likely older than most dynasties at the very least.
As he looked around for more signs or weapons, Laenor froze as he noticed the paintings drawn on the walls of the cave. Some were made up of runes, or at least some form of writing, but some were of figures that were immediately recognisable.
A few looked like men, armed with swords and spears, and besides them were shorter, darker-skinned creatures, with leaves in their hair, holding bows. He immediately recognised them as the Children of the Forest, and this was likely one of their most accurate depictions, as the Maesters often dismissed their existence altogether.
Alas, they were not alone. For opposing them were creatures, one whose malice made him shudder despite it being in a painting, specifically of creatures made of glass with blue eyes that seemed to glow despite them being painted and not true, sending an unnatural chill across the entire cavern.
AN: This story is still relatively new, so if you'd like me to continue it, please let me know in the comments what you think of the rewrite so far.
Well, this chapter was certainly eventful. I'm excited about the journey to Braavos, and also beginning to give glimpses to Laenor about magic (outside of Dragons), and the Dragonstone cave felt appropriate for that, especially the fact that it's a painting. It will also be pretty important in the future, so I decided to put it relatively early on in his 'magical journey'.
As I said before, I am planning on uploading more of this story (outside of normal uploads). I have a bit of a backlog of chapter drafts for this story that I’ll try to go through when I can. As usual, I don’t mind rewriting this chapter depending on your feedback, so please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions.