A/N: And here we have the words of my 24th novel-length work of fanfiction. Wow, the years have flown by. I'm happy some of you have joined me for this little jaunt-my first into the land of ice and fire. Any who've been following my works for a while might have detected a pattern-I like to establish an AU version of a character, and then use that character to explore new worlds. It's how I did my only ST:NG fic with an AU HP, and then Worm later. It's how I played galactic empire in the SG universe with my Broken Chains Harry Potter, and it's how I explored Planetos with my Quintessence Taylor. Such an approach may not resonate with some Worm fans who like the Worm setting, but it worked well for me. I've always been more about the characters than the setting. And I'm glad to have the company of any who wish to join me on the journey.

Thank you all for reading. For your support. And for your kind reviews.

Epilogue: By Her Word

"Did you see what Abi is wearing? By Her Word, I can't believe Master Harding hasn't sent her home."

Tobi sounded as if he were torn between scandal and fascination. And Barqi understood why, even if he leaned more toward fascination than scandal.

Abi wore a school skirt, yes, but one two sizes too small. Every time she stood to lean over the seat of her friends, Barqi could catch a hint of her pink underwear. He wasn't the only one to notice. All the boys in the autobus were fascinated.

She knows exactly what she's doing, Barqi thought to himself.

The autobus slowed

"And here, students, we come to the most fascinating site in South Kaling. My young friends, I present to you the infamous Kaling Keep."

Through the windows of the autobus, they could see the partially collapsed red stones of what once held the ruling dynasties of Estero. Barqi pulled his attention away from the alluring Abi and leaned forward to get a better look. The ruins had survived three world wars and the influence of skalek dab music. And he was going to be the very first person from his town to ever see it.

Not just see it.

The senior archeology class of the Estero Royal Academy piled out of the Autobus and gathered together before Master Harding. There were only ten of them, and all were technically adults, if just barely.

The masters of the academy did not bother with discipline. If a student chose not to learn, they were kicked out. Only the top students from around the world were admitted, and Barqi was the first person from the small town of Lobaq, in the Albontiq region of East Mortinis, to ever attend. In fact, he was one of only four from Mortinis itself to ever be admitted. Political tensions between Estero and its former colonies of East and West Mortinis across the ocean were not great, even half a century after their last war. For Barqi that tension had an even deeper grounding. His family was one of the few native families to survive the diseases the Esteroi brought with them and to fight them directly in the war for independence.

I am not my ancestors. And these people are not theirs. We'll never have a future if we can't learn to live with our past. It was his personal mantra, and one he repeated often when he got odd looks because of the bronzed tint to his skin.

"The Kaling Keep was built over twenty-four hundred years ago," Master Harding said as he led them into the ruins. "It was an engineering marvel of its time, built of red brick and marble quarried from nearby pits. Over its tenure as the heart of Esteroi power, it saw four separate dynasties rule before the last Esteroi queen, Queen Abieta Holdon Chaisenberth, abdicated the throne and formally abolished the monarchy. That was, of course, part of the negotiations to end the last world war. Her sacrifice set the stage for the first World Council, and has contributed directly to the last fifty years of peace."

The tour was long; they were all warned to wear good walking shoes and bring water. They were given access to chambers the public were not allowed to visit, both those parts that were maintained as museums, and those parts that were exhumed ruins.

As they walked down into the depths of the ancient castle, lit by long-lasting chemlights, Abi drifted closer to him. She was like some ethereal figure—white hair, purple eyes. Her skin was so pale it was possible to see her veins like blue lines tracing their way across the back of long, delicate hands. She was stunningly beautiful, and very aware of the fact.

"Think we'll see the dragon bones?" she asked.

At first he thought she was flirting, except the way her eyes widened at the mention of dragons made him second guess that first impression. "They moved the bones to the Natural History Museum in North Kaling ten years ago," he pointed out.

"Oh. I knew that, I guess I just let the place get to me. My ancestors used to live here."

"Really?"

"I'm descended from the Velaryons," she said. "I grew up just a few hundred miles away in Tomar."

The way she dropped the name meant it was important. Barqi mentally went through the ancient lines of heraldry. "Tomar. That means drift-mark in Classic, right?"

She smiled at him. "That's right."

It was easy to get distracted by the smile.

"And here are the deepest dungeons of the keep," Master Harding called out. "There are no good records on how many people died here, but there is no question that in the ancient days of Estero, war crimes and atrocities were committed on a daily basis. Take a look around. Legend has it there's a hidden chamber sealed by magic. If you can find it, you'll get an automatic pass and international acclaim!"

Barqi, Abi and the other students dutifully removed their Perdats. He noticed that Abi's was actually a really old model, with a crack in the display and lower data fidelity thresholds and memory. He didn't say anything

"So, you have old noble blood. Does that come with lands or money or anything?" Barqi asked as they began exploring the ancient catacombs. It was the first time he'd ever had a prolonged conversation with the young woman.

"I wish," Abi said. "Titles haven't meant anything in Estero for years. All it means is that I look like an albino with weird eyes, and the other kids in my precept make fun of me."

That answer really surprised him, so much so that he stopped and stared. "Why'd they make fun of you?"

She pulled at her hair. "They used to call us Valyrians. Purebloods are almost all gone. You haven't heard the jokes? What's the only creature in all of the Lord's creation with no soul? A blank."

"Well, I know you have a soul."

"And pink underwear," she added with a sly grin.

Barqi felt his cheeks burn. He quickly looked away as they continued exploring the catacombs. It felt good that she stayed close to him, because the place was creepy in a way he'd never felt before. North Kaling, where the academy was, had its share of haunted places, but this place was so old, and had seen so much blood and misery, he could feel it.

"So, I heard that you've registered in the Psionics Squad," she said softly.

Barqi almost tripped. "What? How do you…?"

She placed a finger on his lips. Under the light of their Perdats, it looked like a slender length of ice against the much darker tone of his lips. "I was signed up two weeks ago," she admitted softly. "The personality matrix tests were really rough. But…" She paused a moment. "It means that you have power. And that you're a good person. I wasn't sure."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "Granddad was stationed in New Aldon. I was raised listening to how evil your people were."

"New Aldon was…"

"I know," Abi said with a shrug. "At least, I know now. I guess this is me, saying sorry for all the bad thoughts I had about you for the past three years. The reason I mention it is because of something I read in some of the training manuals. You ever hear of latticed meditation?"

For a moment, it was hard for Barqi to breathe. "Yeah, but…isn't that kinda intimate?"

"Think about it, though," she said. "We're both psi-sensitive. If we latticed our senses, just imagine what we could find in a place like this?"

She held out her hand, and Barqi couldn't help but stare in fascination. "Are you sure?"

"I am now," she said. Her smile didn't look sly any more. It looked slightly shy, and worried.

Against her almost colorless skin, his bronzed hand looked almost black in the dim lighting of the catacombs. Almost immediately, he felt a surge of foreign emotions. She wasn't even shielding! Worry, fear of rejection. Feelings he would never have associated with the beautiful girl coursed through his mind. Then came memories, of an angry father lost in the glories and pains of the past. With a shock, he realized that his father and hers had far more in common than not.

She wasn't wearing a short skirt to flirt. Her roommates threw her fitted clothes away.

She must have been seeing and sensing the same thing about him; she stared at him with wide, purple eyes just as he stared at her. Her smile grew wide. "It's working," she whispered. Can't you feel it?

I can.

Holding hands, the two looked around the catacombs with new eyes. The other students felt like little sparks of life energy as they explored the various cells and chambers. The section of the keep was large enough they were almost alone.

Abruptly, the layered matrix of Abi/Barqi felt something alien. Two sets of eyes turned in unison and stared at a section of ancient brick wall that looked the same as all the other sections. And yet, they both knew with absolute certainty that there was something beyond the wall.

They let go of their hands; the connection broke. "That was incredible," Abi whispered. She then ran forward, kicking up dust as she did so. "My Perdat's reading metal!"

Barqi's much more expensive Perdat also picked up the metal, but something else entirely. "Master Harding!" His voice echoed through the chamber. "Master Harding! We've found a magnetically locked chamber!"

"What did you say?" Harding rushed across the chamber, and other students followed. The old teacher had a genuine Archeotype Perdat of a size and make specifically tailored to archeological and paleontological work. He did a scan of the entire door, frowning intently. "This is most irregular!"

"Sealed with magic, or magnets," Barqi declared. "Would people two thousand years know the difference?"

"A very good question," Master Harding said. "My friends, you can consider yourselves passed with full marks! Tobi, young ser, please run up to the surface and fine the grounds proctor. The Royal Conservancy Commission will need to hear about this immediately!"

~~Quintessence~~

~~Quintessence~~

She felt so perfect snuggled up in his arms.

It was a glorious, beautiful day one week later. A few clouds trailed overhead; he could see the Dona Two Station like a tiny blinking dot barely visible in the gentle blue of the sky overhead. The familiar golden domes of the academy surrounded them, and Abi Lyon was snuggled up in the crook of Barqi's arm, her own over his chest, while she read on her Perdat.

"Who's dad will be more angry?" she asked randomly.

"Probably yours," Barqi said. "My dad will be mad I didn't settle down with a nice, big-chested Ochoto girl. But you're really pretty, and he was pretty sure I was flagrant, if you know what I mean. I didn't look at the big-chested Ochoto girls. So, you know…"

She laughed into his chest. "Ochoto. That's one of the ten tribes of Albontiq, right?"

"Yeah. Kind of like your Valyrons. We're the ones that forced the Esteroi to stay in the coastal regions when they first invaded."

She nodded, and then sighed. "Politics suck."

A shadow fell over them. Master Harding stood blocking the sun. He wore the silver chain of his tenure over his wool and santic shirt. "You two look comfy," he said gaily. "May I interrupt you?"

Abi sat up, and then helped pull Barqi up into a sitting position. "Of course, Master. What's wrong?"

He knelt down on their picnic blanket. "I wanted to be the first to let you know that you are both being named as Class 1 Scholars, with all tuition to be paid retroactively on your behalf, with a Parliament Declaration of Appreciation and a rather sizable endowment for you both."

Abi jaw dropped. Barqi cleared his throat. "Master, I don't understand."

"That's the good news. The bad news is that you are both to be bound under the National Security Act. What we found cannot be discussed, ever. There was even talk of detaining you both, but I was able to argue because of your psionic inductions and general character that you should be brought on board."

"I don't understand either," Abi said, echoing Barqi. "What was in the chamber?"

Harding stared at them both intently. "My friends, you found the most important, revolutionary archeological find in the history of the world," he said. "You found the personal meditation chambers of the last Targaryen, the Prophetess herself."

Beside him, Barqi saw Abi drop back to her knees and make the wing symbol with her hands. Her eyes watered, and only then did he understand that Abi was a member of the Church of the Holy Word.

Harding removed a small privacy pad from his robes and activated it on the grass between them. The air took on a slight hum as privacy dome cut them off from the rest of the world.

"Rhaenys Targaryen, the first Queen of ancient Esteros. And the first queen of the modern era. Her teachings did not just found the most wide-spread monotheistic religion in the world, but also the governing structure still used largely today. She is credited with forming the first parliament; the first railways. The first modern sewers. The Royal Bank. She introduced gun powder and modern standards of hygiene. She founded the first modern schools. And according to her son, the Most Holy Saint Brandon, she introduced the seeds of what became psionics. Possibly the most important and influential character in human history, and she only ruled for three years. And you, my friends, found her innermost secrets. We believe, in fact, that you were the only ones that could. The chamber held psionic protections that only someone with your talents could find."

Barqi was not a Revie. His people traditionally worshipped Danu-Ba, the god in the sun. It was that very fact that led to the worst of the violence between Esteros and the tribes of Albontiq. But even if he could look at it objectively, just from Abi's reaction he knew the potential for chaos having the inner secrets of the world's most revered religious leader could have.

"I understand, I think," he said.

"I don't," Abi said. "We're talking about the most holy voice of God. Everything she wrote needs to be sent out across the world!"

"Abi, we didn't find the chamber of the Prophetess," Barqi said. "We found the meditation chamber of a person. It's been almost two thousand years. What if the person is not the same as Prophetess?"

Harding nodded. "And that, my friend, is why I'm bringing you onto the project. It's more than the risk of religious upheaval, though. There is technology in that chamber that exceeds even our own, despite being thousands of years old. That's why you are bound to silence, and that binding will be strictly enforced. Still, I received permission to give you a taste of what to expect."

He removed a perdat reader and handed them over. "Bio-locked to your eyes only, and it will auto-erase in an hour. We understand Northern Abyssin is already caught wind and is trying to infiltrate the site. Report to me tomorrow morning to begin your work. You two are going to have extraordinary careers, I'm certain of it."

With that, he gathered the privacy device, stood and left them on their blanket in the middle of the Academy commons. With a glance at each other, Abi and Barqi activated the reader. Abi's hand shook slightly as she snuggled up beside Barqi.

The text was in Classic. Though not spoken in centuries, Barqi could not have been a senior student in archology without being fluent in at least two of the ancient languages. He read it easily, though it was difficult to believe the words.

If you find this, then I have likely already left Westeros. I never meant to stay as long as I did, but almost from the first soul I met, the people of this planet compelled me, and made it harder to leave than it should have.

My name is Taylor Hebert. The people of this world know me as Rhaenys Targaryen. I crashed to this world four years ago. I'm telling my story for those who come after, so that maybe someone will remember the real me.

My story began in a school on a planet called Earth, which is over ten thousand lights years away…

~finis~