Dragonlord Chapter 126: The hidden princes (Patreon)

Edmyn Torrent was in deep shit. He knew that the moment his ship was sunken and his crew taken prisoners by the accursed northmen. His uncle would no doubt be mad that he got caught by the Northmen.

On the other hand, his father would be mad to learn what he was doing in the seas in the first place. The same could be said about his mother and elder brother.

Ever since his father had a falling out with his uncle over some issue, he was actively discouraged from consorting with his uncle, Lord Alesandor, the Lord of Littlesister. He’d have been content to do so if it wasn’t for the fact that his father was dirt poor. Despite being a scion of House Torrent, his father contended to lead the life of a fisherman.

What his father was doing was madness in Edmyn’s eyes. He was not satisfied living the rest of his life in the odorous shit hole of the Redpebble shore with his father and his fishermen friends. He thought his life would be better in the halls of Torrent Keep with his uncle.

He was welcomed into his uncle’s home quite warmly. He was even given a post aboard one of his uncle’s ships to prove his worth. The first few years were quite enjoyable as part of the crew of the Lady Wave. He had proven his worth in the sea by whaling in the deep seas and journeying as far as Braavos and Gulltown on many voyages.

But that good life came to an end when his uncle decided to consort with Myrish sellsails.

The Northmen were not held in great regard in the islands. But the Sistermen had no conflict with them in recent decades, especially with the Manderlys.

At first, his uncle had only hosted the Myrish sellsails in Littlesister. His uncle wasn’t the only one to do so, which made him realise the futility of protesting. He also knew his uncle had broad support from the Vale for some reason. The Myrish sellsails were not only based on the Three Sisters but also on scattered secret ports of the Fingers.

Initially, there was much profit in hosting the Myrish sellsails. Silver flowed like a river into the islands. The captured Manderlys ships proved to be quite profitable when they sold their wares into the Essosi markets.

But then Harrion Stark turned Myr to the ground, which shook every major lord of the Three Sisters. The Myrish pirates were also scared out of their wits, but there were also quite a few hotheads amongst them who wanted to attack the Starks.

Edmyn knew then those sellsails were morons. How were they supposed to attack the Starks? Winterfell was nowhere near the sea, and Avalon was on the other side of the continent. It was another one of those instances where he realised he was surrounded by madmen.

By then, the Manderlys had started providing their merchant ships with escorts, which changed everything. It became increasingly difficult to attack Northern ships.

Then, the most miraculous news came from the North about a canal being cut across the neck connecting the Bit with the Blazewater Bay.

Once again, Edmyn only got the feeling of danger from the North while his crazy uncle and his pirate friends were planning an attack through the newly cut canal. This stupid plan was concocted even though the Stark fleet from Avalon had been wreaking havoc on the pirates in the open seas.

So, it was unsurprising for the ships carrying Sistermen and pirates to start being lost in the sea soon after the canal opened. The Bite and the Narrow Sea were crawling with the Stark fleet.

Now, he had firsthand experience of why the Stark fleet was laying waste on their ships and the Myrish pirates in the sea. He had seen with his own eyes the sheer power of the Stark fleet. Not only were the Black Wolf’s ships faster, but they were also hosting some kind of weapon capable of making enemy ships explode. His own ship had its main mast destroyed by the exploding weapon of the Stark fleet.

The Stark fleet sank the pirate ships that accompanied his ship. The crossbowmen of the Stark fleet killed any survivors aboard those ships without mercy. Edmyn had feared the same would happen to him and the sailors in his ship, but they were hauled off by the Stark fleet from the sea and taken prisoners.

He supposed he ought to thank the heraldry of House Torrent for his survival. The enemy captain most likely saw the torrent of water on a yellow field and deduced it was the ship of House Torrent.

But now, Edmyn didn’t know what was in store for him.

He had seen Avalon when he was hauled off from the ship into the vast harbour of the enemy’s lair. He had seen ships upon ships as far as his eyes could see. The towering castle of the sorcerer of the North was also an intimidating sight.

But the most damning of all was the solitary imprisonment he was facing. Since landing on Avalon, no one had said a word to him. He was not allowed to talk or see his fellow sistermen sailors. In fact, he had no idea whether his men were alive or not.

Edmyn winced as his stomach growled in protest. He hadn’t been fed for days or perhaps weeks. He had no idea how many days passed since he was thrown into the dark cells of Avalon’s dungeons. He was only given water and that too sparingly.  

The accursed Northerners were starving him to death, which made him fear for the fates of his men. If he, a scion of House Torrent, were treated this way, his fellow sailors would most likely be treated far worse.

‘Or maybe they’re not suffering because they’re already dead.’ Edmyn thought grimly.

Such thought made him depressed, and he worried for his father and younger brother on the island. No doubt, they would’ve heard what happened, or his uncle covered that up as well.

Suddenly, his ears picked up on the sound of the locks being turned from the darkened corridor.

Edmyn immediately rushed to the steel bars that kept him prisoner in his cell and stared in the direction where he thought he heard the sound. At first, there was nothing but darkness that greeted his eyes. He became disillusioned again and thought his mind was playing tricks on him.

But then, a brilliant white light filled the dark dungeons, forcing Edmyn to shield his eyes.  Then he heard footsteps that made him stand back from the bars in fright.

The light thankfully dimmed somewhat, and he could only gape at what he saw.

Before him was a globe of light floating outside the iron bars of his cell.

“I must be going insane.” Edmyn whispered hoarsely.

“You’re not insane, at least not yet.”

A voice suddenly came from the corridor, making Edmyn crane his neck and squint his eyes. Footsteps echoed through the otherwise silent corridor, making Edmyn gulp nervously.

Finally, the footsteps stopped, and a young lad with dark grey eyes and curly hair as black as night stood before him.

“Harrion Stark.” Edmyn muttered fearfully and took a few steps back in fright.

He had heard many stories of the North’s sorcerer. Rumours claimed the sorcerer loved bloodshed and sacrificed his enemies to the queer gods of the First Men. There were songs sung across the Narrow Sea about the Ironborn being strung up in the Weirwood trees with their entrails out for the crows to feast.

While he wasn’t one to blindly trust the word of sailors, he knew the Stark boy was a dangerous foe. Anyone who could burn one of the Free Cities to the ground and cut a giant canal overnight was one to be feared.

“Fortunately for you, I’m not my brother. I am Jon Stark. If you value your life, you’ll tell me everything you know about the Sistermen and their collusion with Myrish pirates.”

“What will happen to me?” Edmyn asked with a shiver as he saw those cold grey eyes staring into his soul like a hungry wolf.

“If I were you, I’d be worried about what will happen to you if you don’t tell us what you know…” Jon said with a cold stare. “…right now!”

Edmyn flinched as it got further uncomfortable, and his eyes fell on the globe of light and then at the wolf standing before his cell. He hadn’t even met the infamous Black Wolf, and his knees were already shaking.

His thoughts went to his father, who threw away his life of comfort to live an honest life. Looking back, he could see why his father decided to lead a simplistic life amongst the fishermen.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to speak the truth in the hopes that he’d live to see his family again.

*****

Harry stood in what he liked to call the war room of Avalon, and the full map of the Bite flared up before him on the table. His fleet was present in the Bite only because of pirate activity in the region.

But those ships were in transit, escorting merchant ships to the Sunset Canal. They were not primed for an invasion of the Three Sisters. For now, those ships were based out of White Harbour and the islands of Blazewater Bay.

But a complete invasion of the Three Sisters was also risky. Harry knew he could not launch an invasion of those islands without the express permission of his father and the King. The islands were part of the Vale of Arryn, even if they were ruled by House Sunderland. The Sistermen had often rebelled against the Vale but they still remained sworn to House Arryn.

But his plan didn’t revolve around just invading the Sistermen. He didn’t have the men to hold those islands anyway. All he had to do was destroy their ports and burn their ships to knock those idiots out of the way and keep the Bite free of their miserable existence.

Harry had a justifiable reason to attack the islands on account of pirate presence, but he needed proof beyond doubt of the Sistermen’s collusion with the Myrish pirates. Already, there was pressure from King’s Landing for peace and promises from Lord Arryn to deal with the Sistermen.

He knew a hollow promise when he heard one. Besides, he and the Manderlys had been extremely generous by never attacking the Sistermen despite their thieving ways all these years. Although he knew Lord Arryn had only nominal control over the Sistermen’s actions, he had given the man more than enough time to rein them in.

But now, it was time to take matters into his own hands.

Looking at the map of the Tree Sisters on the table, he wished the North had a larger population like the Reach. If he had more people, he would’ve confidently marched in with his army and forcibly assimilated the islands with a stronger immigrant Northern population cropping up.

Unfortunately, he knew from the experience of Blacktyde that such a plan would not work. The struggle of finding enough people in the North to settle in Blacktyde was a challenge. Then came the challenge of finding the right livelihood and homes for those people, which became an issue. He was forced to abandon that particular project when he realised how unrealistic it was. On paper, the plan to fill the island with honest Northmen sounded brilliant, but practicality on the ground was another thing.  

Therefore, he was intent on not repeating the same mistake.

Harry suddenly looked up when the door to his war room swung open, and Jon walked in.

“It’s done.” said Jon.

Harry raised an eyebrow, looking expectantly at his brother.

“Edmyn Torrent is helping us to mark the spots of pirates’ safe heavens in the Three Sisters.” said Jon.

“I see.” Harry grinned, nodding at his brother’s success, “You have done well.”

At first, Harry hesitated to send Jon to do the interrogation. While Jon was not that taken by the notions of chivalry and honour, there were still some misplaced notions of a knight in his brother’s mind.

But it’d seem his worries were for nothing. Jon was fitting in quite nicely into his role.

“There is one other thing.” Jon said, piquing Harry’s curiosity.

“Edmyn Torrent believes Lord Petyr Baelish of the Fingers is involved in bringing Myrish pirates into the islands. He says Lord Baelish provides sanctuary to some sellsails that harass Northern shipping in the Narrow Sea.”

“You trust the words of Edmyn Torrent?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

Honestly, he was not that surprised to learn the Andal weasel he met at the capital after the Ironborn rebellion had a hand in this mess. That man was one twisted rascal. He had only allowed the man to breathe a second more because the man would sow more chaos in the capital.

“I do. He seems genuine, and he is already helping our men out markers on the maps of the islands and the Fingers to find the pirate havens.” said Jon.

“What if our prisoner is intentionally deceiving us? After all, Lord Baelish is a bannerman of Lord Arryn and serves as the Master of Coin in Stannis Baratheon’s small council.” Harry pointed out, curious to see what his brother had to say.

“Are you saying House Torrent is intentionally trying to start a war between the Vale and the North by falsely implicating a prominent Vale lord?” Jon asked with a frown.

“I’m not, but it is a valid concern, is it not?” Harry said. “Whoever started this plan wanted the North to embroil in a war with the Vale. After all, the Three Sisters are a territory of the Vale. Any attack on the islands is an attack on the Vale of Arryn.”

“So… what do you mean to do?” Jon asked awkwardly as the silence stretched on for a while.

“What do you think we should do?” Harry turned that question around, making his brother squirm.

“I’m not a lord…” Jon started, but Harry cut him off before he could weasel out.

“You’ll soon be one once Moat Cailin is finished. So, tell me, future lord of the Neck. What do you think we should do?” Harry asked, putting his brother on the spot.

He saw Jon go into thought for a few minutes.

“My gut tells me Edmyn Torrent is telling the truth. We present him before Lord Stark and present the facts as we know it. Then, we ask permission to route these pirates from the Three Sisters and the Fingers. We capture the lords responsible and bring them before the Iron Throne with irrefutable proof.” said Jon, his voice becoming confident with each word.

“What if our father doesn’t want a war to break out and order us to ignore your findings and Edmyn Torrent’s confession?” Harry asked, stumping Jon, who looked worried for a moment.

“Then we seek like-minded allies to convince our father otherwise.” Jon said with a sudden spark of confidence, “We shall seek Lord Manderly’s aid and present our findings with a united front.”

“Not a bad idea.” Harry admitted after giving it some thought.

Jon was also happy that his suggestion was taken seriously. But that happiness was short-lived upon the following words that came from Harry.

“So, what is the strategy that you recommend to attack the Three Sisters and the Fingers without spilling into an outright war with the Vale?” Harry asked, staring expectantly at Jon.

“What?” Jon spluttered. “Strategy? I have no experience in such things.”

“This is how you become experienced. Like Robb and I, you’ve taken lessons from Maester Luwin and Marwyn. You’re ready.” said Harry.

He picked up a newly forged sword sheathed in a scabbard and presented it to Jon.

“What is this?”

“A new sword made of Valyrian steel. You’ll find it’ll compliment your magical power.” Harry said cryptically, handing over the sword to his brother.

Jon unsheathed the sword, making the blade sing as it cut through the air.

Harry immediately conjured a block of ice and banished it at Jon. Surprised by his abrupt attack, Jon placed the sword against the ice as if to bat it away. A magical shield sprung up around Jon in a protective cocoon. The ice block smashed harmlessly against the shield, turning it into vapour in an instant.

“That’s one little trick.” Harry patted his brother’s shoulder as he made to walk out of the war room, “I’m sure you’ll find the rest in due time.”

“Wait! How am I supposed to find a strategy to attack the Vale without causing a war?” Jon shouted.

“I’m sure your brilliant mind can find some way. You may seek aid from the Captains of the fleet and anyone you trust.” Harry shouted back before making himself scarce from his brother’s company.

*****

Arianne was wroth with her father for playing his stupid games with her. She had believed naively that her father had stopped messing with her life after her betrothal with Harrion was accepted.

It’d seem her father had no intention of keeping her confined to Sunspear like a prisoner without any agency to herself.

The latest bit of game from her father was by sending off Oberyn and Nymeria to the North while she was forced to stay back for some inane reason her father dreamed up. This was done after she was asked to prepare to visit the North with Oberyn and Nymeria.

Arianne tried her best to make her father see the reason and let her travel with her uncle and cousin. But her father remained adamant that she stay in Sunspear. She had watched the ship carrying her uncle and Nymeria sail away from Sunspear a few days back.

From that day onwards, she ceased uttering a word to her father and confined herself to her chambers.

All her plans to spend some time in the North and see all the marvels of the distant land of her betrothed lay in tatters. So, she couldn’t find it in her heart to care a whit what her father wanted to say.

But now, she was forced to approach her father because he had his guards escort her to his solar.

“Take a seat, daughter.” said Doran.

Arianne huffed and sat on a chair while the guards stood behind her. To her immense displeasure, the Tyroshi sellsword and his son, who had a ridiculous name, were also sitting to the side on a couch.

Her father dismissed the guards and ordered them to seal the doors.

“Arianne, there is a reason why I didn’t want you to go with Oberyn and Nymeria to the North. You’ll get to travel to the North soon, but before you do so, you need to learn some truths.” Doran started calmly looking at his daughter while steepling his fingers.

Arianne glared at her father and refused to let his words make her react. She had enough of his usual ploys that made her feel inadequate and less informed.

“You must be privy to a secret before you take Harrion Stark as your husband. It has to do with your late aunt.”

Arianne’s interest was piqued immediately as she frowned at her father curiously.

“A secret about Aunt Elia? What is it?” Arianne asked curiously, forgetting her displeasure with her father momentarily.

“It is about her son who survived the events of King’s Landing.” said Doran.

“Her son?” Arianne stared at her father with wide eyes.

“Yes.” Dorna nodded, “I’d like you to meet your cousin – Prince Aegon.”

Arianne watched with wide eyes as the Young Griff stood up and approached her with a slight grin.  

“Cousin – we meet at last without any need for this mummery. There is much we need to discuss about your upcoming nuptials.”