The Dragon Has Three Heads - ASOIAF Quest

Omake: Laena V

The heavy iron doors are as imposing as ever. They're black, and embossed with mirrored images of a dragon headed ship being ferried on prevailing winds. Above them is fixed a large wooden placard, inscribed with bold lettering that reads 'Windblown Antiquities'. Then, in slightly smaller writing, 'A Purveyor of Strange Artefacts and other Curiosities for the Discerning Eye'. It's the first of several stops that Laena will have to make before midnight tonight.

Just as Laena goes to knock, a cacophony of clanking gears and sliding metal fittings assaults her ears. She lowers her fist as the sounds are punctuated by a loud thunk which fills the empty air of this quiet side street. The doors swing inward with an ominous creaking, and the strong aroma of incense washes over her. A beat of silence passes before Laena snorts and steps through with nary a care "Yep it's officially a pattern."

A slightly raspy voice calls out from behind a long purple curtain "What fresh nonsense are you spouting now girl?"

Laena moves up to the counter and begins to fiddle with the little knickknacks that Nelaehra usually has on display "Well Nelly. Lately I've noticed that whenever something interesting is about to happen, someone starts things off by openin' a door in an especially dramatic fashion." She pulls on one of the metal balls hanging from a small frame and smiles slightly as it swings back, sending the others click-clacking away in an endless repetition.

"If you break something, you have to buy it."

Laena rolls her eyes and mockingly mouths the much repeated warning. Honestly, you crack a few bits off some dusty old statue and the old bat never lets you live it down. "It looked better without the arms anyways."

"Don't you roll your eyes at me you little brat!" Nelly says sharply, showcasing that mysterious ability that all old women develop at some point in their lives. The ability to sense when someone young isn't behaving to their standards.

"Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. Anyway, ya done back there? I got a deadline to meet." She smirks viciously at the dual natured meaning behind those words.

Nelaehra finally emerges, dressed in her usual flowing robes, eyes narrowed suspiciously "What kind of deadline?"

"The kind that you'd be better off not knowing the details about." Nelly isn't fazed one bit by the vaguely foreboding tone Laena employs. Probably because she's the one who taught her to use it. Laena gives in under her elder's steady gaze "It's… a bit personal."

Nelaehra's eyes simply become more piercing before she nods "Fair enough. Just don't go getting yourself killed. I've put too much effort into making you a useful agent. Quality like yours is more of a rarity than you'd expect." Most would call Nelly a heartless old hag. But Laena had long since determined that the former Volantene simply didn't like to mince words. Her affection showed through her actions more than anything else.

"Trust me Nelly, I'm in no hurry to die."

"Good." The silver haired lady simply nods her head once then raised an eyebrow "So what can I do to help you with this mysterious task of yours?"

Laena takes a moment to remember Dany's description of the substance she needed to get her hands on. "I need ta find two vials of a specific poison. It's something that can kill a man quickly if taken in large doses, but that's usually slow to kick in when ya use it right."

"Oh?" Nelly smiles slyly "expanding your skill set to include assassination now? Last time I offered you a job like that you turned me down. Whoever your target is must have done something special to earn your ire."

A memory of her father's lonely grave flashes in Laena's mind "you could say that."

Her smile fades a bit "Careful not to lose your focus. Personal or not, keep your bearing professional until well after the deed is done."

With a slight hum of acknowledgement Nelaehra disappears once more into the back room and Laena takes a moment to see if anything especially interesting has come into the shop since last she visited. There's some more old looking pottery, exotic pieces of armor that Laena thinks came from Yi Ti, a strangely glowing substance in a glass container shaped like the number eight, and what looks like an assortment of shrunken heads… Laena shivers at the last. "What sick fucks came up with those things?"

Nelaehra returns with two small bottles. Each is about the size of her little finger and filled with a pale green liquid. "These are the concentrated essence of some mushrooms that grow wild in the northern part of Westeros. They'll do for your purposes. You're lucky. I sold most of my stock two days ago. These are the only ones left."

Laena doesn't let her reaction show on her face but she has a growing suspicion as to where those other doses ended up. "Perfect." She reaches for her money pouch but is cut off by Nelly before she can unclasp it.

"No need to pay me for this one, girl. I still owe you for the work you did concerning that heretic Thomas. Truly, I could hardly stop myself from making a… let's say, imprudent decision. Listening to him butcher a sermon about the true gods of this world nearly drove me insane. It's why I had to ask for your assistance to begin with."

Laena takes a moment to decipher the statement "Wait… you mean to say that you're a follower of the Valyrian Gods?"

"Oh, don't act so surprised. I am originally from Volantis after all. I came to Braavos some 20 years ago now, because the followers of the R'hllor were starting to become a little too much of a nuisance. I prayed for guidance, and shortly found myself… pulled here. It was the strangest thing. Almost like a whisper in my head telling me to go north. Not to say that I actually heard any words, it was more like a subtle urge at the back of my mind. Something like migrating birds must feel I imagine..." She scoffs "Now it seems that I'll be moving once more because of that fool that calls himself the Sealord. 'Restore Braavos to its former glory' he says, like it's somehow lost it in the first place. Now the city is full to bursting with smoldering acrimony and pointless paranoia. It's even being threatened by Dothraki of all things. What's next? Will Dragons reappear, harkening the rise of a new Valyrian Empire?"

"And the wheel is complete. The Sealord makes his hatred for Valyrians known, Mecumber and others like him use that hate to gain positions of power, the little people suffer then fight back, breeding more hatred on both sides. An endless cycle leading only to violence and war. Perhaps the gods truly do have some plan for me, if they lead me to the Velaryon siblings just as tensions are about to boil over."

"What's got your mind all twisted up Brat? 'Personal Business' aside you've been staring at that wall for over a minute."

Laena blinks and realizes that, yes, she has been staring at a bare stretch of wall for a suspiciously long time. In a room filled by far more captivating objects no less "Would you believe that I'm admirin' the… solidness of your shop's construction Nelly?" The look Nelaehra levels at her is so flat that Laena can't help but wince slightly. "It was worth a shot?"

"Laena, tell me what has you so out of sorts."

The merchant's use of her proper name is what ultimately convinces Laena to yield the truth of her madcap adventure thus far. She starts with meeting Aegon at Thomas' church, mentions the trip that the Velaryon's took to the abandoned temple, reenacts Zaros' warning about the Dothraki and the subsequent meeting that she stumbled across. The audience she had in the Velaryon's home and the proof of their Divine Blessings. It all culminates in a recitation of the mission she got from Daeneys "So then she tells Zaros to go hire some men to haul out all of the shit Mecumber's got stashed in his vault." She reaches into a pocket sewn into the inside of her tunic "She also forged this letter. I'm supposed to plant it in Mecumber's study along with one of the poison bottles. The other has to be planted on the arse himself when he goes to the Sealord's palace tonight. After I empty it anyway since, ya know, he's supposed to have used it. I wanted more details about where I should start but Dany said I'd know what to do when the time came. That's about it really."

Nelaehra absorbs the entire litany with an impassive mask. Nodding every now and again and sometimes asking for some clarification. When Laena holds up the letter she calmly plucks it from her grasp and gives it a look over. She then folds it back up with care and passes it back to the younger woman. "Well, my girl. Interesting times seem to be upon us. It's a good thing I was already planning to move away from the city." She grabs a satchel from somewhere under the counter and moves towards the door with quick measured steps. "Come along then. You've still much to do, and I have my own preparations to see to."

Laena is astonished by Nelaehra's easy acceptance, but she follows her friend out of the shop regardless. The Volantene had been a fixture in Braavos' underworld for decades, and now she was ready to throw all of her support behind two strangers on Laena's say so? Laeana was simultaneously reassured and incredulous. "Why are you so sure all of this is true Nelly? I lived it, and I'm half expectin' to discover the entire thing is some sort of elaborate trap."

Nelaehra pauses at a fork in the road and glances at Laena with a small mysterious smile "Destiny awaits us both dear girl. Before we part, a word of advice?" At your hesitant nod she continues "We live in a time of revolution. When you find yourself perched upon the precipice of change do not hesitate to leap. For it is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly." Cryptic declaration made, Nelly melts into the crowd leaving behind a slightly bewildered Laena to blink after her.

The young bravo sighs deeply and wonders why the people she spends time with always feel the need to say shit like that "I mean what's wrong with some simple advice like… wear a cloak it looks like rain today, or don't eat those pies, the beef is a lie." But Nelly is right about one thing at least. She's still got a lot to get done before the meeting at the church. "Dally will probably let me stay at The Rose for a while. She did say that Mecumber keeps bothering some of her girls, so maybe she'll even help me with the plant. Even if the arse doesn't visit, he still needs to walk by there to get to the Palace." Plan made, Laena firms her resolve and starts off towards the Moonpool. More specifically, the most popular pleasure house in the entire city. Madam Delilah's Blooming Rose.

---

Dany is quiet all morning, but by high noon you know you cannot allow it to continue. If you don't confront her and talk about what happened she'll only remain depressed longer. After the noonday meal you pull her aside and return to your quarters. She at first insists that she is fine, but you know her too well to accept such an obvious lie. Eventually you get her to admit that she is bothered, but she knows that people are depending on you, both of you, and so she has to remain strong. You remind her that remaining strong is your job, and that being supportive is hers. The people rely on the dynamic that they are accustomed to. The strong but just Lord, who can push forward through even the most horrifying of experiences, and the also strong, but more importantly kind and understanding Lady, who tempers her Lord's strength with kindness and wisdom. A tale, yes; but one the people need to believe in, during these times more than others. But here, in your private chambers, here she can be weak, and so can you.

"Never lie to me Daenerys," you say as you look her in the eye. "Not even if you think it is for my own good, or because you don't want to burden me, and I'll do the same with you. We can't help each other if we don't know the truth. The people need you to be strong; I simply need you to be my wife." When you call her your wife her eyes widen and she suddenly remembers that the wedding was not finished being planned. Exactly the distraction you were hoping for.

"I know, but while it may have been put off, now it will be even better. In Volantis we can marry under our true names, before our true gods. And what's more, it will be a wedding fit for a King and Queen. The Triarchs and all the nobles of Volantis will attend. For there we shall be revered rather than maligned. It can be the wedding you deserve, rather than the one you accept." You've found a suitable distraction, because although her eyes still have a haunted look in them, there is excitement too, and as you talk the haunted look slips away more and more. You feel bad for manipulating her, but you know it is better this way.

---

The first two days of the voyage are clear, but on the third day sails are spotted on the horizon. Pirates. You are safe however, as they number only five ships, and give your fleet a wide berth. You do worry about encountering any larger groups however. Should the pirates learn just what is travelling on these ships, even if it is only through your assumed Velaryon name, they will band together in force and risk all to take you. The Royal Treasury of a wealthy Targaryen king is nothing to pass up, even at a healthy risk after all, and Jahaerys' treasury was full to bursting when he passed on, after putting 1/4 into the Iron Bank. This is probably the largest amount to travel across the sea since that time. You can only hope that by the time they figure it out, you are already long gone.

However the sight of the pirates gives you pause. They'll no doubt question what such a large fleet is doing, especially flying the Velaryon flag. If you pause in Myr to resupply and procure passage to Lorath for those who wish to go, you might give them time to get the information they need to plot against you and band with other pirates. On the other while you have enough supplies to make it to Volantis in a straight run, there is a chance those who do not wish to go there may attempt a mutiny.

Once again, you are faced with a choice.

---

What will you tell the passengers?
[] Tell the passengers you true destination, it's bound to come out sooner or later, and that way they can make an informed decision about either Volantis or Lorath.
[] Don't tell them. The whole point is that no one can know where to find you. You want to keep it hidden until you arrive in Volantis. If you lose some people because they can't handle the secrecy of an unknown destination, so be it.

Where do you make port?
[] Stop in Myr as planned.
[] Push on to Volantis. You can always get people rides from Volantis to Lorath if they wish.