Chapter 27

"I don't know if this is such a good idea," Rhaegar said later that evening.

Currently they were standing in the upper corridors of the Great Pyramid on one of the balconies over looking the city. The sun was beginning to set over the ocean and its dying light had lit all of the buildings in a dusky gold and rose hue that was absolutely stunning. The ships had been docked for the night and even from this great distance he could see merchants taking down the canvas's over their booths in the marketplaces.

The general hustle and bustle of the city had come to an end for the day and Ginny loved watching the gradual slowing of movement and action until suddenly and almost all at once, the city went to sleep.

As Mereen ceased its activity however, the hustle and bustle of the Great Pyramid was only beginning.

A lavish feast had been arranged in honor of the arrival of Prince Rhaegar and the guests were just beginning to arrive now. Apparently Sirius had sent the invitations several weeks earlier allowing the necessary nobles and ladies to make the journey.

The sound of tambourines, harps and lyres could be heard from below them and if they were to walk back through the archway into the pyramid itself they would be confronted with a long square inner balcony that looked down into the enormous throne room which was ablaze with light and people dressed in exotic clothes.

Sirius and Vellaena hadn't arrived yet as the king was meeting Gulian before the feast and Vellaena had disappeared somewhere for the afternoon, citing a need to think.

Now that she thought of it, her stepmother had been acting very strange since they had received that letter.

The party couldn't officially begin until the royal guests arrived after all and the upper chambers had been placed off limits by intimidating members of the Creed.

Ginny wasn't worried about showing up on time to the feast however. She had been to so many since they had moved into the Great Pyramid that it was almost ritualistic at this point.

She could tell that Rhaegar wouldn't mind skipping it either but for the sake of appearances, they were obligated to show up at least for a little while.

For the moment however, they were simply killing time until the king and queen chose to arrive.

The sky itself had turned a lovely periwinkle blue, the same color dress she was wearing right now and clouds in hazy azure grip were fashioned in such a way that they almost looked as if they were rippling.

Ginny was suddenly possessed of the wonder that this was what it must have been look like to be deep underwater and looking up at the surface and the light of the sun beyond.

Rhaegar too had been admiring the view but not much had been said about the strange events of the afternoon after they had arrived at the Great Pyramid.

Until now that was.

"I don't either," Ginny said. "And if it were anyone else, talking about anything else I would think that it is a load of nonsense. But the words in that letter and especially from the place its' being sent….I think if I don't go…I'm going to regret it."

"I was afraid you would say that," the blonde sighed. "Might I ask what was in that letter that disturbed you so much?"

Ginny sighed. She was grateful he had refrained from asking about the contents of the message until she had time to think about it herself. But she had come to no true conclusions about how they knew about her dreams either which made the situation all the more frustrating.

"The only others who know about this are my mother and father," she said slowly and twisted her hands together. "I've never told anyone else because it's never been necessary for anyone else to know. However a few years ago, before all of this," she made a grand sweeping gesture about the pyramid and the city, "I was troubled by a series of dreams. I didn't know the source or the place for them but they simply kept coming, every night with the same events and vivid nature."

"What were they about?" Rhaegar asked, eyes narrowed slightly.

It was a comfort to Ginny that he seemed as intensely interested about her past as he did about her future and present. It reminded her that she seemed to have found one of the rare good men in this world who genuinely cared about her and what was going on in her heart. Whenever she spoke with him, she didn't have to worry about whether or not he was listening, he had a habit of making her feel as if she had his full attention whenever she opened her mouth.

He was going to be a good king.

"Well," she began, "they would always start in the same way. I would open my eyes and be standing in a long stone hallway with a torch in my hand. There would be nowhere else I could go so I started walking forward. It began to be very hot and then all of a sudden a dim light would appear up ahead.

"I would hurry towards it and then find myself on the threshold of a large doorway opening into another room also made of stone. It was completely circular and in the center of it was a tall stone altar. It was shaped like an octagon and on the opposite side of the room were seven doors leading to parts unknown."

"Go on," Rhaegar said.

"I chose the middle door and when I opened it, I felt a blast of cold air making me believe that I was free. It wasn't until I stepped through the door and pulled it shut that I realized I had entered another chamber. Actually it wasn't so much a chamber as it was…." She trailed off then, a sudden realization coming over her, something she had forgotten about but only remembered now."

Her face must have been a sight for Rhaegar reached over and took her hand. "Ginny? Are you alright?"

"Yes I," she paused. How could she have forgotten that detail. "I just remembered something…something important."

"What is it?" the prince asked.

The red head took a deep breath. "I was standing in a magnificent throne room. It was enormous and had thick tall pillars to hold up the ceiling on either side of the room, three on the right and three on the left. At least….it must have been magnificent once."

"Once?"

"I was looking at a ruin," Ginny said softly, the memories washing over her like waves now. "I could tell that something horrible had happened there as there was not a soul in sight. I continued looking around and noticed that at the far end of the room, high up on the wall was a window. It's glass was stained and upon it there was the effigy of a seven pointed star fashioned out of iron. Situated beneath this was a raised dais….and upon that dais…was a throne."

She glanced up at Rhaegar then and saw that his handsome face had gone pale and he had grown very still.

"Go on Ginevra," he whispered.

At the use of her full name, a chill descended upon the red head and when she spoke again, it was in a voice as soft as fresh fallen snow.

"The entire roof of the throne room had been torn open in places leaving gaping holes as if some sort of monster had swept down, taken hold of the roof in its talons and rent it in two. I wondered then why it was so cold but it wasn't until I walked down into the throne room that I realized that falling through the roof and coating every available surface was a blanket of fresh fallen snow."

"And there was not a soul in sight?" Rhaegar asked.

"Not one," Ginny replied.

"The prince seemed to be processing this like a man who was trying to convince himself of some impossible truth. The struggle must have been evident on his face for when Ginny didn't speak he looked up from the railing of the balcony. "And then?"

"I walked towards the throne and I remember thinking that I had never seen such a hideous looking chair in my life. It was clearly meant for a conqueror and appeared as cruel and empty as the rest of the throne room."

"And was it made of melted down swords by any chance?" Rhaegar asked, his violet eyes boring into hers."

"It was."

The prince dropped his head and said nothing for a long moment. His hands tightened and then loosened a few times before he folded them together.

"Please continue," he said when he realized Ginny was eying him with concern.

"Very well," she said. "I suddenly began to feel a strong pull towards the throne, the source of which I had no idea. I reached out a hand towards it as I had drawn very near and I only stopped when all of a sudden, there came from behind me…a noise."

Slowly Rhaegar raised his eyes to hers. "What was the source?"

Ginny took a deep breath. "Standing a few feet behind me was a hideous creature….something out of a child's nightmare maybe. It was taller than me and its flesh was cadaverous giving the appearance of a living corpse with all of its skin fused to its bones with no flesh underneath. It had no hair but there appeared to be a crown upon its head but upon closer inspection I realized that the spires of the crown were coming right out of its skin. It had an expression of utter malic upon its face. It had icy blue eyes far brighter than my own and unnatural."

"And then?"

"I took a step towards me and I backed up until I was against the throne. I remember dropping the torch. It then uttered a curious screech and it moved closer until it was standing right in front of me. It reached out a hand towards me and I squeezed my eyes shut. And then another noise, a clanging one, jarred them open."

"What was it?" Rhaegar asked.

"I looked behind me and saw a sword sitting upon the throne. It is the same sword my father carried into battle when we were conquering this continent and the same sword he wielded when we fought the Dothraki. It was the sword of our house, the sword of Godric Gryffindor."

"And what did you do with it?" Rhaegar asked. His eyes were curiously bright and while it might have been from the light of the torches that in their braziers on the walls by the balcony or the light of the dying sun, Ginny thought it was something else.

"Without even having to think, I reached behind me, seized the sword and ran it through the creature's chest with all my might. And the moment this happened, the monster shattered into a million pieces…almost as if it were made of glass."

"You killed it," Rhaegar said softly. His eyes were wide as if he were in shock. "You killed it with a Valyrian sword."

"Yes," Ginny said. "But my victory proved to be short lived."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"When I looked around me again, I was suddenly confronted with over a dozen sets of glowing eyes around the throne room rising from piles on the floor.

They were all carrying weapons which seemed to be made of glass and as they started towards me I was sure I was going to die. But then…then there was a terrible roar and a thunderous crash overhead. I looked up…and that was when I saw a fully grown dragon hovering over the ruins. It roared again and I suddenly saw the white scales and wings."

"Septimus," Rhaegar breathed.

"Yes," Ginny whispered. "He fixed me with his large golden eyes and then he turned his head towards the army of monsters in front of me. And then he opened his enormous jaws and released a torrent of white flames that was so bright and so hot that I was afraid I would go blind. And then…."

"And then?" Rhaegar asked almost impatiently. "Then what happened?"

"Then I woke up," Ginny said shrugging her shoulders. "I flew up from the bed, heart pounding, panting for breath."

Rhaegar was silent for a good long while and Ginny began to wonder where his mind was. He stared out across the city with the intense focus of someone who was thinking long and hard about something of great importance.

He ran a hand through his hair a few times and tapped the railing with his fingernails as if impatient and then finally, finally he turned to her.

"It was the throne room in the Red Keep wasn't it?" he asked and she nodded. "I believe so. The throne and the window above it certainly look like a match."

"And the creature?" he asked. "Can you remember anything else about what it looked like?"

"That's all," the red head said. "I remember his face and his body and his crown of ice spires but that it all. Why do you ask?"

Rhaegar appeared to be wrestling with himself for a moment. Finally he reached the end of his inner tug of war and turned to her. "Have you heard of the Long Night?"

Ginny nodded, feeling a chill across her skin like an icy finger had trailed lingeringly across it. "I've read about it. There isn't a great deal of information here in the east but I have read what I can."

Rhaegar nodded and ran a hand through his hair again. He seemed quite shaken and Ginny reached out and took his hand prompting him to give her a small smile. He threaded his fingers through hers and glanced down at their conjoined hands as if they fascinated him.

"The Long Night is a myth in Westeros," he began. "A tale spun by the First Men. After all, no one has seen any of these creatures in thousands of years and no one is interested in what lies beyond the Wall other than the Night's Watch. Even the northmen have stopped caring."

He paused then and looked up at her. "But no one has seen dragons or magic in hundreds of years either. They were thought to be extinct as well, magic gone from the world. However I can't help but wonder…if dragons are real…and magic has returned to the world…how many other things are true too?"

The chill had spread from Ginny's bare arms to her shoulders and down her back now and she shook herself slightly.

"But it was just a dream," she said almost helplessly. "Wasn't it?"

Rhaegar gave her a severe look. "There is nothing "just" about a dream to a Targaryen Ginny. My family survived the Doom because of a dream, remember?"

She did. Daenys the Dreamer had been the one to bring her family to Dragonstone after a vision had told her of the Doom. She was the reason the dragonlords still existed.

"So what to I do?" she asked.

"What do we do?" Rhaegar corrected her gently. "I'm coming with you. This concerns me as well. What you saw was far too vivid to be any normal dream and for your mind to simply conceive of a being you have never seen before is almost unheard of. No…you had this dream for a reason Ginny. And if its an omen of things that could happen…"

All of a sudden Ginny wanted to scream. Why was life so complicated?

"We should make some time to return to Westeros and do some digging," Rhaegar said, already beginning to plan. There are several maesters in Old Town that I need to speak to and perhaps an expedition north to speak with Lord Stark. We will also need to – "

Ginny interrupted him by placing a hand on his chest. "All of that is good. But first we need to ensure that what I saw will indeed come true. Was it a dream?

Or an omen of things to come? And we will not know the truth until we speak with my father and mother and then make plans to travel to the City of the Winged Men. They wouldn't have issued this invitation unless they knew something that we didn't. And their knowledge of my vision is telling. You're right…we need to go."

"Need to go where?" asked a familiar voice.

Both prince and princess started and looked up to see Sirius and Vellaena standing at the balcony threshold arm in arm. Sirius was dressed in a deep golden tunic that shone like burnished gold in the light of the dying sun. Vellaena was dressed in black but the gown had deep golden threads woven into the fabric in elaborate patterns. Her hair was off her shoulders and piled atop her head. Embedded in those tresses were small golden butterflies and long golden earrings hung from her ears.

Sirius was wearing his ceremonial crown of four gryphon feathers and in his hands were bedecked with jewels. His hair was oiled and gleaming and for a moment Ginny wondered whether or not he had thought about having his portrait done. The legacy of House Gryffindor needed to be remembered after all.

Upon seeing them, Rhaegar straightened cleared his throat prompting Ginny to hide a smile behind her hand.

It was amusing how stiff and formal Rhaegar was around Sirius and Vellaena but she knew that had much to do with a desire to impress them and it endeared him to her all the more.

"Your graces, Ginevra and I have been talking about the letter that was received earlier today from the City of the Winged Men and I feel that it is necessary that we go."

Sirius gave him a severe look and Ginny coughed slightly when she saw the prince nearly quail before that gaze. After a second however he seemed to recover himself.

"You do," Sirius said but it wasn't a question. "And why do you feel that way?"

Before Rhaegar could respond however, Ginny chose to speak up. "Father I have told the prince about the dreams I had a few years ago that spoke to the invitation. Obviously this high priest…Qassian, knows things about me that are important. We'll take some of the dragons but none of the army. That would take too long and I don't wish to make this a long journey. We'll see what they know and if it turns out to be wool fluff than we will apparate back, dragons included."

Sirius was silent for a moment before he turned and looked at Vellaena. A silent conversation passed between the two of them, it was an exchange only those deeply in love would know how to discern and Ginny felt warm as she watched it.

Finally Sirius turned back to them. "Very well."

"Do you think his message has to do with your vision in the House of the Undying Ginevra?" Vellaena asked softly and Rhaegar sent her a quizzical look.

"I do," Ginny said ignoring it. "One vision it seems is about to come to fruition and the other…well let's just say that we need to make sure that one never comes to pass."

"Indeed," Sirius said gruffly. "Then by all means if visiting the Winged Men is the way to go about doing that…than go."

"I must say one final thing before we go inside and enjoy the feast," Vellaena said as Ginny and Rhaegar took steps toward the inner hallway.

"What's that Mother?" Ginny asked.

Vellaena pursed her lips and then released a deep sigh. "I have thought long and hard about this since the letter was received today. And as I have done so, one thing becomes increasingly clear. I must go with you as well."

There was a breath of silence and then three voices spoke in complete astonishment. "What?"

Vellaena glanced up at a speechless Sirius and then surprised Ginny by rolling her eyes. "Oh come now. I have not left this city at all since the day I entered it and this is an opportunity that may never come again. The last time an outsider set foot in the City of the Winged Men it was in the days of Old Valyria. It was one of the few cities to survive the Doom nearly completely unscathed and not a soul has set foot over the threshold since. There is also the city of Carcosa located on the southeastern shore of the Hidden Sea across from it. It is said to be ruled by a sorcerer lord who is the 69th yellow emperor of Yi Ti."

Rhaegar looked somewhat bewildered. "I've heard that name before but I don't know its origins. What is it?"

"How quickly you Westerosi forget," Vellaena said with a sigh. "We in Qarth and the far east know the story well. Yi Ti is a nation and region east of Qarth and the Bone Mountains and bordered by the Jade Sea. The YiTish civilization is known as the Golden Empire of Yi Ti which according to legend, preceded the Empire of the Dawn. The very civilization of Essos was born there. It was known as the land of a thousand gods and a hundred princes. It is a civilization that was old when Valyria and Ghis were young. Carcosa and the City of the Winged Men is the very tip of its empire."

Rhaegar looked thoughtful. "Now that I am thinking it, I recall a story about one of my ancestors traveling there, Lord Corlys Velaryon, also known as the Sea Snake. It was said that he brought back enough rare and valuable spices that made the Velaryons the richest family in Westeros."

"Indeed," Vellaena said and when she spoke again, there was a fire in her golden eyes that Ginny had never seen before. "It is a place of legend, a place few have ever travelled."

"And what of this Sorcerer Lord?" Sirius asked. "I have never heard of such a man. The thought of another being having magic in this land that I don't know about is somewhat unnerving."

Vellaena appeared to be taking a deep breath and steeling herself to deliver a speech that she did not altogether wish to.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at the brunette. "Are you alright Mother?"

"Yes, Vellaena said. She turned to Sirius. "You have no cause to fear him my love."

Sirius frowned. "Why not?"

Vellaena straightened then as if she had replaced her spine with a rod of iron. "Because we are related. The Sorcerer Lord of Carcosa is a member of my distant family."

There was a long breath of silence where both Ginny, Sirius and Rhaegar stared at her for a moment. "What?!"

Vellaena held up both hands, no doubt to forestall the flood of questions she knew were coming. "Yes, I am descended through my mother's side to the Yi Ti civilization. She was from there and she and my father met in Carcosa when he was on a trip for his father who was the Spice King of Qarth at the time. They fell in love and he brought her back to Qarth to live with him."

Ginny, Sirius and Rhaegar exchanged long glances. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Because it has been years since I have seen that part of my family," Vellaena explained. "I am the youngest remember? And they were not born for almost a decade after my mother and father married which is why we are all so close in age. She wanted to have as many children possible before it was too late.

Decades upon decades have past since I have seen any member of my mother's family and I thought we had all lost touch as no letters have been sent since my mother left Carcosa. And then…I remembered this."

She reached into the folds of her dress and pulled out a strange looking piece of parchment. At least Ginny thought it was strange. It was completely black but utterly smooth and she frowned at the strange paper.

Her stepmother saw her staring and gave her a small smile. "It's not parchment Ginny. Its called oqer, it's made from a certain type of reed that grows along the rivers in Carcosa. All the writing material that Carcosans use with it is black."

"How long have you had that?" Sirius asked.

"My mother told me not long before she died that it came the day I was born. She didn't give it to me until I had turned eight and ten. My brother received a letter too but he either ignored it or were more interested in the running of my father's spice empire to care about legacies from the past."

Ginny was bursting with questions and her stepmother seemed to notice her impatience for she unfolded the letter and handed it to Sirius. He read silently for a moment and got to a certain part of the page before he raised an eyebrow but kept reading. He was at the middle of the page before the second eyebrow joined the first.

Ginny was all but dancing on her toes with impatience by the time he finished and handed it over to her, almost as if in a daze.

Ginny cast one look at the queen who in turn nodded as if giving her permission before she turned her eyes to the page.

My Dearest Vellaena

You in whom the blood of god emperors resides. Blessed are you and blessed will be those who come from you.
There will come a time when you will be gathered to your people, the people of your mother in whom is the blessing of the Maiden made of Light.

Before this happens however, before the old bonds can be reformed, you will have met six gryphons. Two will come to you…four will come from you.

At a time when you feel your greatest happiness is upon you, it will soon be covered…covered in fresh fallen snow. And soon even the greatest happiness will not be enough to quell the coming cold.

There are gifts you have, legacies you bear that will aid in the prevention of such a future. Yet you must return to Carcosa to discover them, and you will have need of them cousin. You will.

Do not dismiss this letter as mere wool gathering for the ignorance of it will not delay what comes. Be sensible as your mother was. Return to Carcosa, learn your legacy and claim the blood you have.

Yours across the years…

Calisyn

Ginny opened her mouth several times to ask questions but found that words were all but escaping her at the moment. She cocked her head to one side and thought about the most appropriate way to respond when suddenly the prince, who had also been reading over her shoulder, beat her to it.

"What does it mean your grace?" he asked.

Vellaena sighed. "It means I need to return to my distant family and reclaim whatever legacy I have been given."

"Your mother said nothing of this to you when she gave you the letter?" Sirius asked.

The brunette shook her head. "But she died not long after I received it. All she told me was that she had left much behind when she followed my father to Qarth, much that I would not understand and that I would need to see it for myself. Not long after her death my father married me off to a man who was more interested in other men than me and who died before I could give him any children. The rest you know."

Sirius seemed to be wrestling with himself. "My love, this is – "

"It's insane, and crazy and absurd, beyond anything we could have imagined," his wife supplied. "None of my family on my mother's side have reached out to me since my mother left my father and this the only indicator that I have."

"Is this Calisyn even a real person?" Rhaegar asked shrewdly. "He may have heard you are now one of the most powerful women in Essos and has seen this as a change to take advantage of you."

"I had thought of that," Vellaena said. "However upon looking further back in my mother's genealogy, I discovered that there was indeed a Calisyn among the family tree. And he is one of my cousins."

Sirius ran a hand through his hair and Ginny could tell he was trying desperately to process all of this.

"Why now?" he finally asked. "The YiTi empire has remained silent for centuries, why involve themselves in affairs of the greater world at this time?"

Ginny thought back to her dream and shivered a little. "Perhaps they have seen something, they must have if they know about my dream. And it must be serious if they wish to see us. That's it then….we need to go."

"Aye," Vellaena said in a low and hard voice. "I need to see my family and we need to see if these…portents…become omens."

She seemed more driven and determined than Ginny had ever seen her and Sirius must have felt similarly because he paused for a few breaths before answering. "Very well then. When will you leave?"

Ginny exchanged glances with Rhaegar and her stepmother before the latter answered the King. "In two days. We dare not delay any longer. The tone and manner of the letter was polite but there was one of urgency there, I can feel it."

Sirius nodded somberly, "I see. And this dream of yours Ginny? Have you had it since in the last little while?"

The red head shook her head. "No, I haven't had it since before we sailed for Westeros months ago."

Sirius harrumphed again and then nodded.

Rhaegar seemed to decide he was going to take that moment to speak up. "Your graces, Ginevra has explained the manner of her dream to me and it is to that end that I feel it is most urgent that we go. In the past when we Targaryens have had dreams, they are never to be taken with a light hand, especially when they concern great matters such as this. I'm coming to believe that it might have been all Valyrians who were blessed and cursed with dreams. And they may have been dreams that turned into portents and omens."

The Gryphon King and his queen exchanged glances and Ginny swallowed hard. "I am inclined to believe you may be correct Prince Rhaegar. And dream such as this, especially a recurring one…cannot be ignored."

"Indeed," Vellaena said quietly. "And now I must tell you all the other reason for why I must go."

Ginny blinked and shared a look with her adoptive father who looked equally bewildered. "There's more?"

Vellaena chuckled. "Oh yes. You forget sweetling that many people of Qarth not just I were once descended from members of these old empires. As such we do have a similar blood to those from ancient times, weak as it may be. Perhaps that is why I have been having my own dreams lately."

Sirius blinked. "You have been dreaming as well? Why have you not said anything?"

Vellaena sighed. "Because I was not sure how to interpret it as it comprises of one single scene. In it, I am standing cloaked almost in darkness but after a moment of silence there appears in front of me a light streaming downward from some unknown place in the sky. It is as if I am standing in a cave with one hole in the ceiling that is letting an intense bright light through, more concentrated than the sun. And than in the center of that sunlight, there suddenly appears an altar and atop that alter….there is a blade. It looks like nothing more than an ordinary blade…but I feel that it is not. And as I stare at it….the blade suddenly bursts into flames but it doesn't melt. It remains there….burning. And then I awake."

A collective silence gripped the two couples and Ginny barely suppressed a shudder.

"Dreams," Sirius said darkly and he seemed to be looking at her then. "Dreams have power. You are correct my love, you must go. But isn't the way to the empire hidden? I had thought that only one who had been there before could find the way. I don't know anyone with physical memories of the place."

All of a sudden there was a clearing of a throat and all four monarchs whirled about.

Standing a few feet behind them was Orius. He had one of his swords clasped in front of him and he appeared to be suppressing some sort of emotion.

"Orius is everything alright?" Sirius asked.

Instead of answering the question directly, the captain of the guard appeared to be taking a deep breath. "You said you needed someone to guide this party to the empire your grace. But you didn't know anyone who could. But you do. That someone…is me."

"You?" Sirius asked incredulously.

"Me," Orius replied. He seemed to be gathering himself with each word he spoke. "Like the queen, I too am from the YiTi empire. But unlike the queen, I have seen it with my own two eyes. And as you know, only those who have seen the place can guide others there. The role it seems, has fallen to me."

Sirius blinked several times and seemed to do an excellent impression of a beached fish for a moment before he shut his jaws with a snap. "Very well. Then do so."

Ω

Two days later, Ginny found herself standing with Rhaegar in Mereen's enormous courtyard along with her stepmother, Ser Arthur Dayne and a few other of the Creed guards.

Ser Arthur would be coming with them as his duties to the prince were from the king himself but the Creed other than Orius would not be accompanying them.

Sirius wasn't too happy about that but Ginny had insisted that this journey was to be borne of speed and they couldn't bring their entire bodyguard with them.

Orius was the one they trusted most of all and so he would be there to take charge of her step mother should the worst ever come to pass.

They had decided to take two dragons, Septimus being one of them, but as for the other, Vellaena would be riding atop Arcturus and Orius would ride with her.

Ser Arthur would be atop of Septimus with Ginny and Rhaegar.

The Sword of the Morning was not particularly pleased with the insistence Rhaegar taken to going on this journey but he also knew when not to argue.

As for Rhaegar himself, he was more determined than Ginny had ever seen him, more so than the time they had argued about him coming with her against the Dothraki. An urgent and tense hardness had settled into his limbs that made him appear as a man driven. Driven by what she didn't know but she didn't question it. In her blood too there was an urgency awakening. This dream was beginning to feel less and less like a dream and more and more like a portent that must be avoided at all costs.

Even though Essos was scorching hot, she only had to think of that dream where she had been standing in the snowy destroyed court room to shiver.

Off to one side, Sirius and Missandei were standing along with another nursemaid who was holding the third twin. They had all come to say their goodbyes along some of the upper members of the court, Gulian among them.

Ginny was dressed in her riding clothes that were warded against the extreme heats of the desert. The sword of Gryffindor was at her back and she was wearing a pair of bracers similar to what the Creed wore.

Rhaegar was also dressed in dark red riding clothes with a silver sword belted to his waist. Its make was peculiar and Ginny wanted to ask where he had gotten it but there never seemed to be the time, especially with how fast this journey was taking place.

Vellaena was locked in silent conversation with Sirius, the both of them bearing almost grim expressions on their faces. Ginny knew enough not to go near when they bore those looks.

"Are you ready then?" she asked the Prince who was looking over Septimus and the Arcturus with a contemplative look on his face.

Arcturus was the next dragon to hatch after Faebian and of all of the dragons they possessed he was the quietest. Sirius said he had named him for his grandfather back in England because of the similar temperaments they possessed. Arcturus had always been a shrewd man and prone to plans and schemes before he acted. His reptilian namesake was ironically the same way. He very rarely made noises and when he did, it was only if he were angry or trying to get the attention of his fellow dragons.

He was the beast that Vellaena had chosen as hers because he was as calm and patient as she. Orius was standing quietly to one side with his armored arms crossed over his broad chest and a severe look in his eyes. When they had told him of their destination he had grown very still and had said no more about it.

He obviously had some history with the place but whether that history was good or bad, Ginny did not know.

What she did know was that the Captain of the guard was a brilliant tracker and hunter and knew the desert like the back of his hand. He would guide them to the city.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Rhaegar replied. "It isn't every day that you go to a city of legend with beings of legend supposedly living in it. But then I am becoming more and more aware of the fact that legends may be truer than my own reality."

Before Ginny could make sense of this cryptic statement she was directed by the image of Sirius beckoning to her and the prince. "I think we're being summoned."

He saw where shew as gesturing and then nodded and the two strode over to the small party who was standing in a tight circle.

Ginny turned to her adoptive father who looked rather tense. "Yes?"

It was then that she noticed the curious weapon that was at her step mother's back. It was not a sword, but rather a staff, a staff that was made of a curious substance that looked like glass but it was an opaque almost frosty sort of glass that looked as if it had been left out in the ice for a time before being taken in again. It was double edged and on each side the blades were curved and razor sharp, almost as if they were hooks. It was a dangerous weapon and she blinked at the sight of it.

"The journey will take you a week perhaps on dragon back," Sirius said and looked at Orius for clarity who nodded. "It would have taken weeks by horse and you would have had to pass through the desert. Orius has informed me that he is aware of where the oases' exist in the Dothraki Sea where you will be able to find fresh water and provision yourselves. Do not stay in the oases' for longer than you need to. The Dothraki may be gone but there are still other strange forces out there in the wastes that I do not know of."

He glanced at Orius and the Captain cleared his throat than and took over the instructions. "The city itself is on the edge of the Hidden Sea, the northwestern shore and hidden in the Mountains of the Morn, several hundred miles from any known civilization. The citizens made it so for a reason as they distrusted those who came to power after the Doom. But the rest of the empire well….that will have to be seen to be believed."

"Very well then," Vellaena said grimly. "We shall have to be the first in many a long year." She glanced at her step daughter and the prince. "Are you ready then?"

Rhaegar nodded looking particularly grim and Ginny did the same. "All that's needed is to say our goodbyes."

The queen then stepped up to Sirius and pressed what looked like a searing kiss to his lips. It was just long enough that Ginny blushed and looked down at her feet with Rhaegar looking away to the east, a curious half smile suddenly coming to his face.

"Be well," Sirius said to her fiercely when she stepped back. "Return here as swiftly as you are able. And above all else, be careful."

As he said this he placed a gentle hand on her stomach and Ginny was once more reminded of her step mother's progressing pregnancy. She wasn't showing yet, but it wouldn't be long before she was and she worried her bottom lip for a moment.

She would need to see about placing some wards on her to prevent any harm from coming to mother and baby. It also made Vellaena's demand to go to the City seem all the more ominous.

What is going to be waiting for us there? What are we going to find?

Ginny then gave Sirius a big hug to which he wholeheartedly returned and kissed all three of the triplets who babbled happily when they saw her.

And then they strode for the dragons.

Ginny stepped onto the foreleg of Septimus and hopped lightly onto the dragons back before she settled herself between the two large spikes protruding from his scales.

She glanced behind her, watching as Rhaegar did the same. He had ridden on Septimus' back a few times now and every time he climbed the dragon he did it as a man who was accustomed to it.

Now he did it as a man who didn't even have to think.

Ginny turned to watch as Orius mounted Arcturus, the tall silver dragon and then held out a hand to Vellaena as she did the same.

When both Sirius and Ginny had been in Westeros, she had flown the dragon about the city and the surrounding lands, ensuring that peace had been met. As such the queen was no stranger to dragons and how to ride them.

What Ginny hadn't known however was her stepmother's ability with a blade but apparently her father and the Captain had been teaching her a thing or two.

Good, Ginny thought to herself feeling pleased. That's a skill that will serve her well Every woman who has access to a sword should know how to use one.

When both parties had settled themselves onto the back of their respective dragons Vellaena sent a look towards Ginny who nodded.

"Fly!" the queen called out in a loud clear voice. "Fly now!"

There was a great susurration as both dragons unfurled their wings and a second later with the use of their powerful legs, launched themselves into the air.

Higher and higher they flew until they were rising above the pyramid and above the city itself. Far down in the streets, people were taking notice and pointing to the skies.

The moment Septimus levelled off, Ginny allowed herself to turn and look back. She could just make out the form of Sirius standing at the base of the Great Pyramid. From such a distance as they had quickly amassed he was beginning to look no larger than an ant on the ground. She could just barely make out the triplets and that was only due to their shocks of red hair.

The red head then glanced directly behind her and almost smiled when she saw the look of sheer panic on the face of Rhaegar's shield.

"Are you well Ser Arthur?" she asked with a laugh over the whistling wind.

"Yes your grace," the knight shouted back. "Although there's a reason we Dayne's have always kept our feet on the ground."

"And why is that Arthur?" Rhaegar shouted from his place in between them.

"Because I am of Starfall your grace! And unlike that star of old, I do not wish to fall to the earth!"

Ginny threw back her head and laughed, the wind catching the sound and carrying it away behind them.

"I think it's safe to say that you will have to become used to being in the air Arthur!" Rhaegar called to his friend. "I am beginning to find that flying is the only way to travel!"

Ginny smiled again and looked towards her step mother's dragon which was angling itself east away from the city.

It was a good day for flying, not a cloud in the sky, the sun baring down on them and a breeze coming from the west that was pushing them onwards.

Hopefully it would continue all the week through and bring them to their destination even faster. The sooner they could find out what was going on in the far east…the better.

Ω

Thankfully the decent weather and the strong breezes continued for the next few days as the small company flew over major cities, coasted between the clouds and soared above all other politics that might have grounded them before.

Ginny had never felt as free as when she was riding Septimus and she could tell that it was having a similar effect on Rhaegar as one night she had awakened to find him sitting next to the dragon while the two of them stared out at the desert. It was both the most humorous and most serious thing she had ever seen.

They had bypassed the last of the cities a few days earlier before setting out into the scorching desert and Ginny was very glad that they had Orius to guide them. The Captain of the Creed knew where every oasis was, every place where they might find water and shelter and every place of refuge.

Ginny was glad of it as she didn't know the desert as much as she would have liked but she kept a close eye on the Captain of the Creed the whole time.

He had been very quiet since he had volunteered to escort them to the city and it almost seemed as if in doing so he had some personal demons to exorcise.

Just what sort of demons those were, Ginny had no idea but she kept an eye on him all the same. He had proven to be a good and loyal friend these last few years and Sirius respected him immensely.

When she had been in Westeros, she had seen some members of the Kingsguard sizing the Creed up as they had walked with her and their eyes had spoken of a tale of confusion, some surprise and perhaps a little awe…but the awe part confused her.

She would need to ask him about it.

Orius had some vague connection both to the YiTi Empire and the City of the Winged Men…and before they landed in that place…she needed to know what it was. It was important.

In the meantime, Ser Arthur seemed to have gotten over his fear of flying and was looking about everything, the clouds, the sky, the sun and the desert below them with wide eyed amazement.

Ginny smiled, knowing he would have a take to tell his sworn brothers upon his return. She had a feeling both he and the prince would never be the same after this trip.

Later that night when the sun had descended behind them into the sea and both dragons were flying as close to each other as they could get, Orius called out to her from over the side of Arcturus.

"Your grace, there is an oasis about two miles from our current pace. Shall we land there for the night?"

How he knew that Ginny had no idea, but she nodded and called back. "So be it Orius. Lead us on!"

Vellaena cast an eye over the side of the dragon at her and the two shared a knowing look. There was a conversation that needed to be had, but Ginny wasn't sure how to broker it.

Up until now she had merely thought of her step mother as the only daughter of the Spice King, a rather pompous individual from Qarth who seemed in part like Cornelius Fudge.

She had never known that she carried this…ancient legacy.

Carcosa…she recalled there being a vague mention of it in the books she had read in Sirius' library when she first arrived in Essos but it was little more than a name drop along with the City of the Winged Men and the rest of Yi Ti. She had never heard it described in such passionate words that her step mother had used on the balcony.

Her connection to the place was obviously deep even if she had never been there before. Yes, they needed to talk.

Little was said as the sun continued its descent and the dragons continued to coast on the evening breeze.

Ginny peered out over the neck of Septimus and then suddenly in the distance she saw it. The tops of tall palm trees of an oasis were appearing and she smiled in relief that they would have some rest this night.

As they drew nearer to it, she was able to make out the form of a decent sized body of water where they would be able to refresh themselves for the time being before setting out once more in the morning.

Septimus seemed to realize what was happening also for he angled his wings into a semi steep dive causing the three riders on his back to lean forward and tighten their grip on his scales.

The two dragons hit the sands with a thump and Ginny gritted her teeth to keep herself from sliding forward too far and waited until the dragon had shuffled himself a bit and then refolded his wings.

The long ride must have stiffened Ser Arthur's legs for when he made to climb off the dragon, his misjudged where he was putting his feet and hit the sands in a near boneless heap.

Rhaegar began suddenly violently coughing and Ginny knew he was trying to hide his laughter at his friend's expense. He was also waiting for feeling to come back to his own legs before he moved.

Ginny waited for a moment and then swung her right leg over the side of Septimus' back and leapt lightly to the ground. She had better luck of it than Ser Arthur, but she still stumbled in the landing.

Striding over to the knight, she helped him to his feet and gave him a grin which he reluctantly returned. "It's all in the timing Ser Arthur. All in the timing."

"Aye your grace," the knight replied. "I think by the time this trip is over I will be completely capable of mounting and dismounting from a dragon."

"Let's hope so," Rhaegar said dryly as he climbed down cautiously from Septimus' back, using the beast's leg as a brace.

Ginny smiled and turned away from the two men to her stepmother and Orius who had landed on the back of Arcturus a few feet away.

The Captain was helping her step mother down from the dragon and Ginny smiled at her as she joined the two of them.

"Have you been to this oasis before Orius?" she asked. "You seem rather familiar with it."

"Once before your grace," the warrior said. "A very long time ago."

He said no more and walked forward towards their dwelling place for the night. Ginny shot the brunette a quizzical look but the queen frowned and shook her head. "He's been acting so strange since he announced that he has been to the City before. I know Orius and the Creed have their secrets but I'm beginning to wonder just how big those secrets are and if some of them are going to be told on this trip."

"I agree," Ginny said. "I think he knows something about the city. Something he's not telling us."

There was no time for further conversation as they were too preoccupied with making camp at that point.

The oasis was somewhat large and consisted of a clear completely circular pool of water surrounded by several tall flowering trees that were in the full fruit bearing season. As the sun had gone down, the sand was now cool to walk on and Ginny wasted no time in talking off her shoes and sinking her feet into the earth.

She let out a sigh of relief and then hurriedly went about gathering stray fragments of wood on the sand and piling them into a pyramid shape so she might light them on fire.

"Here Ginny use these."

The red head looked up to see her betrothed in front of her with an armful of rocks. He knelt down and began placing them in even distances around the pile of twigs she had amassed.

Ginny watched him for a moment. She was a little impressed that the prince wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty and made a note not to underestimate him in the future.

Once Rhaegar finished, he looked out to the desert and then looked up at her with a smile. "It certainly is peaceful out here isn't it?"

Ginny felt the cool night breeze bear down on her for a moment lifting her hair off her shoulders and giving her some relief from the heat of the day. "It is. But I can't help but think that its merely the calm before the storm."

Rhaegar frowned and glanced down at the unlit fire. "I know. I feel as if we are standing on the edge of something, some great and terrible adventure that will alter me permanently."

Ginny pursed her lips at his words and then muttered the incantation to bring about fire. A moment later, the small pile of wood burst into flames and she beckoned to her stepmother who was conversing quietly with Orius to come over.

"Sit down Arthur," Rhaegar said beckoning to the knight who was looking the oasis over with a practiced eye.

"Your pardon your grace but I have been sitting for far too long and I would like to stretch my legs," the knight replied amiably. "I believe we also have a long ride tomorrow. The longer I can stand, the better I will feel."

With this said he continued on his stroll looking over the oasis. Ginny sent a quizzical look at Rhaegar who shrugged in turn. "Arthur likes to brood sometimes.

I know this journey has been a strange one for him."

"Strange for who?" Vellaena asked as she came over and carefully seated herself by the fire.

"Nothing mother," Ginny said quickly. "We were just talking about all the strangeness that has preceded this trip."

"I know," the brunette replied. "I don't like all the mystery either but we are going for a reason and the closer we get to the Hidden Sea, the more I feel this…urgency."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one," Ginny muttered. "Ever since we got that message, I've been feeling on edge almost all the time. It's as if there's this itch under my skin that I desperately need to scratch but can't."

Rhaegar smiled a bit at the metaphor. "I just wish we knew more about the place we're going to. As a child I've heard or read very little about the City of the Winged Men, Carcosa or the Yi Ti Empire as a whole. Why is it so secretive and mysterious?"

"There are a few answers to that your grace."

All three royals flinched at the sudden appearance of Orius who had been securing some of the saddle bags on the dragons.

For a moment the captain stood staring into the fire with his arms folded across his chest before he followed up his vague statement. "The Yi Ti civilization is very jealous of their written word and therefore no manuscripts or literature have ever passed the boundaries of the Hidden Sea. In a way I believe it because there is a massive amount of pride in their race, being the oldest civilization in the known world. Knowledge is power and the more who know details of their long standing civilisation, the more power those beings will have."

He sighed and leaned against one of the nearby palm trees as if he were gearing himself up for what he had to say.

"When your grace said that it is the land of a thousand gods and a hundred princes, you were correct," he said to Vellaena. "However it is much more than that. It is a land ruled by the God-Emperor and only he may wear the cloths of gold along with the green pearls and jade that tradition affords him. Although it was once a position of great power, now power has been divided to the one hundred princes throughout the realm."

Ginny glanced at Rhaegar and noted that he was soaking up every word. She couldn't really blame him. Orius had a way of speaking that made one sit up and pay attention.

"And this God Emperor Orius," she asked. "Are there any sort of…magical powers he possesses?"

"No your grace," the warrior said. "It is merely a long standing title which precedes from the Empire of the Dawn, the earliest known civilization."

"What does the land itself look like?" Rhaegar asked. "I know we can't visit the entirety of the empire as we don't have time but what is it like?"

Orius was silent for a moment before he answered. "It is a land of lush jungles and thick green farmlands. There are rumors that great snakes roam these jungles and they are filled with exotic flowers and fruits. Monkeys swing from the trees and elephant roam freely. The religion of the land itself stems from two primary dieties. The Lion of Night and the Maiden made of Light, of whom was born the first emperor. There are legends that this emperor amassed one hundred wives and reigned for ten thousand before ascending to the stars to join those who had gone before him."

At the mention of the stars, Ginny chose that moment to look up at the sky and she inhaled sharply at the scene before her. The desert was much cooler now but the sight of the dark blue deepness above them scattered any cold she might be feeling. Strewn across the deepness with random alignment it seemed were thousands upon thousands of diamonds. How they had all come out so fast she didn't know but she might have been content to look at them forever.

Why is it that one can see the stars so much more clearly out here in the wilderness than in the cities?

"Do you know any stories of the empire Orius?" she asked and again the warrior hesitated before nodding. "I do your grace."

"Would you tell one to us? The more I hear about this empire, the more curious I become."

The Captain nodded slowly. "Very well. Dominion of the empire after the death of this first emperor passed to his son, otherwise known as the Pearl Emperor which was then followed by the Jade and the Tourmaline Emperor and more rulers who's titles were given for individual stones."

"I am familiar with this story," Vellaena said. "The reigns of each emperor slowly began to grow shorter and shorter as the corruption and greed of mankind grew."

"Ah, that is what they said your grace," Orius said and there was a note of sadness in his voice. "But it is not entirely true."

Vellaena frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The emperors, so convinced of their own might began to dabble in powers too great for them, powers of the very earth itself. Man was not meant to control nature and as it is known as the land of thousand gods, one of the emperors, the Topaz Emperor accidently summoned a being of great power, but also great evil."

"What was this being?" Ginny asked.

"His name was Halfazar," Orius said quietly. "No one knew which realm or from which plain he had been summoned but he was a being of corruption. He corrupted the hearts and minds of men to terrible ends, and finally the Opal emperor realized with horror, that being called Halfazar had attached itself to his son, making him unfit as a ruler and as a man of integrity. He tried for many years before his death to exercise the being from him, but could find no way to rid his son of the curse.

"As he grew in years, the Opal Emperor began to be afraid that the being that had attached itself to his son would affect the empire in strange and terrifying ways and so before his death, he banished his son to the far reaches of Essos, into the jungles where he hoped he would never harm anyone. But his hope was in vain."

This time, Ginny didn't have to look to her mother or the prince to find out what their reactions were. She herself was hanging on every word.

"Upon his death, the kings older daughter took the throne and proclaimed herself the Amethyst Empress. However her reign had not been old before her brother returned from the jungles with an army and under the cover of night, he slipped into the royal palace and slew her in her bed. The following day, he usurped the throne. This later became known as the Blood Betrayal."

As he was telling the story, Orius' voice had gotten lower and lower until he was almost whispering, causing Ginny, Rhaegar, Vellaena and even Arthur who had returned from walking the perimeter of the oasis, to lean forward so that they might not miss a word of this strange story.

"Under the influence of Halfazar, the son named himself the Bloodstone Emperor and what followed was a reign of terror the like of which the empire had never seen before. He practiced dark magical arts and necromancy, opening the known world up to other monsters like Halfazar which blighted the crops and the animals, polluted the water courses and brought terrible diseases. He cast down the gods of the Empire and worshipped a black stone which had fallen from the heavens. Some speculate that it was this betrayal that led to what the Westerosi call the Long Night as it caused the Maiden Made of Light to despair and turn her face from mankind. It was seen as a punishment from the Lion of Night for the wickedness of the emperor, his followers and all of mankind. And in the chaos that followed this….the Empire of the Dawn collapsed."

His voice almost seemed to break on the last word and Ginny exchanged a look with Rhaegar who looked very confused. This story seemed a personal one to the captain of the guard and Ginny decided to find out why he had been acting so strange since he had volunteered to lead them to the City of the Winged Men.

"Orius," she began slowly casting a look at her mother. "You've told us that you have been to the old empire before but you relayed this story in the voice of one who has more than familiarity with it. Why is that?"

The captain of the guard hesitated for a very long and heavy moment in which Ginny suddenly felt uncomfortable. She had a feeling she was about to learn something important, something she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

She was just about to open her mouth and say never mind, when Orius spoke again.

"Because I was there your grace…I was there when the empire fell."

An incredulous silence followed these words and was only punctuated by a breath of wind. Ginny felt her own eyes grow wide and from across the fire saw her step mother turn pale.

The red head searched for words but found that even her own tongue was failing her and the only form of communication she was able to utter in that moment was the word: "What?"

Orius sighed and then did something truly unexpected. He reached for the hood that always covered his head…and pulled it down.

Orius had lowered his head so he was looking at the ground when he removed his hood but the moment he did so, he looked back up at them and she gasped in shock.

There were strange….markings….no not markings…stripes almost…all over his face but it appeared like the veins under his skin were showing through. But these…lines in his face were a starkly silver color looking strange against his tan skin. They went in all different directions, extending into his hairline or traveling down his neck to the rest of his body and Ginny wondered absently if the rest of his body was covered in these…lines as well.

And when she looked further, she saw that his eyes were silver too. How she had never been able to see them under the hood baffled her but perhaps it was just the light of the fire and the stars making them stand out.

In other words…he looked otherworldly, like a creature out some strange fairy tale in a world far different from this one.

"Orius," she breathed. "What happened to you? How is this possible? How old are you?"

He gave her a sad smile then. "I am far too old your grace. Far too old indeed and yet I am also cursed as are all my brethren. We are cursed to watch and above all to remember."

"Remember what?" Rhaegar asked. His violet eyes were enormous at this revelation but Ginny was certain that she bore a similar expression.

"Our failings your grace," the man of the Creed said. "We were given the great and glorious task to rid the empire of a steadily growing evil surrounding it…and we failed. The empire fell and for our failings my brothers and I left the ruins which are now the Yi Ti civilization…never to return. We served the Valyrians and then when their empire fell, we went into hiding, believing magic had gone from the world. Until you and King Sirius emerged."

Ginny's mind was whirling. "How is this possible? How is it that you are thousands of years old?"

"You should know your grace," Orius said sadly. "It was magic that granted me this gargantuan existence…and yet all magic comes with a price. And I have been paying it ever since."

Ω

While I love Game of Thrones, I have to say I am far more interested in Essos than I am Westeros. And the fact that there are so many ancient civilizations there is one that makes me so excited because I want to explore them. The City of the Winged Men holds so much fascination for me because so little is known about it than I can make up my own details. I've gone to the Game of Thrones information websites and all they have stated about the city is its geographical location and that its inhabitants are said to have wings and can fly like eagles. That's not very specific and I am going to hopefully fill some of those details in. I also wanted to flesh out Orius' character some as he is my own creation and his origins I can make up. So his immortality is something that will be explained in greater detail, along with Vellaena's legacy, in the next chapter when we reach the City and discover for what reason they have been called. After their trip to the City, the story is most definitely going to pick up. I hope you all enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review!