The Smallest of Dragons, The Loudest of Roars (An ASOIAF Valyrian Adventure Quest)

[Alexander Sturnn]

The Other Side of the Coin


(Gaeliar POV)


"I am amazed that even after all of this madness the Eleanor's are still capable of demanding such respect", you said absentmindedly as you looked at the wine.


"Isn't it remarkable that a Dead Man's spirit, can endure and inspire such force in such a way," you continued, "and sway the thoughts of men in power even now? The Officers need a war, a TRUE war to gain land and conquest in order to satisfy the army. Even now, the shadow of the unpaid Gold is lingering over us like a plague."


"So what are you going to do about it, Ser?"


You narrowed your eyes as you looked at your fellow Senators that were together with you the Leaders of the Glory-Faction. You could tell that they regarded you with a certain measure of displeasure.


"What do you think? It it now more important then ever that we declare War and crush the Ghiscari as soon as possible! The Glory of such a Victory and the Gains in Riches and Lands will solve all of our Problems!", you said.


Briaeron Tarkaeos, one of the oldest and most influential People in the Senate, shook his head. "Except that we are not really ready for war yet either. We are still in the middle of establishing our Supply-Lines and Depots and the Army has yet to be organized."


You grit your teeth. "But we HAVE to strike now! You saw how displeased the other Senators were with us. With each passing day it grows more and more likely that the other Faction will bend together and take the Reigns again! We are running out of time!"


"Yes, we are. All thanks to the Fuss YOU raised with this foolish Law you tried to push through!" Briaerons eyes narrowed. "By the Gods, what were you even thinking?!"


You nodded. "I know the Cycle of revenge...leave it well enough alone and they will rise with a dagger in hand."


"That does not mean that you can turn the Eleanor's to nothing out of fear!", Briaeron growled.


"Why should I not? Why should I let the little Dragon have the means to grow into a Monster that can swallow the Sun? Leave something small enough alone...and it will grow into something we cannot stop", you countered. "It's the way Valyria rose...and now it faces this from within."


"But by doing this...you'll endanger us all", he argued.


Another Senator nodded. "Have you thought for even one Moment about the Implications of this Law? We already set a dangerous Precedent with the Execution of nearly one entire Family for the Crimes of a single Member! And now you wanted to give the Freehold a Law able to potentially rob any of the 40 Families of their very Base of Power?"


"In short", another Senator finished coldly, "we are beginning to Question if your hatred of the Eleanors is clouding both your Judgment and your Ability to look further into the Future then just the next War!"


"ENOUGH!!" You said.


The Senators quieted down.

"Did you think such actions were taken without forethought?! My hatred of the Eleanors does run deep, and you all know that. But I am not just speaking of the dangers of one Family...no I am speaking of the Dangers they could pose if united!", you said.


"I speak of the others plotting and scheming behind our backs...thinking of larger and grander ambitions then they are allowed. They claim to be Senators...but in their hearts they dream of being KINGS!! Our Ancestors formed the Freehold to rid themselves of such nonsense!! It is our responsibility to rule over all in a just and noble manner. This is not the first time men among us dreamed of being like a King. Nor will it be the last...and I know you men well enough that YOU DRAGON'S DREAM OF BEING KINGS!!"


Many Senators bristled at that, half in shock, half in outrage.


"We will not stand for such baseless Accusations!", one of them shouted. "You are going too far, Gaeliar!!"


You stood up. "I am not...I am merely acting on the ambitions you all dream of in your darkest dreams!"


Your eyes narrowed. "You...ALL OF YOU SCHEMERS AND WHORES WHO CALL YOURSELVES DRAGONS!! YOU WANTED TO BE THE ONES TO DO THIS!!", you shouted. "You wanted to KILL your rivals like this...to grind them into nothing!! None of you care about the Constitution or the Laws I tried to pass...your all just mad that it wasn't being passed on your own enemies, your own rivals! The fact that none of you are close enough to that dream of Kings..."


"We would NEVER betray the constitution of the Freehold!!", one Senator shouted.


"Ask yourself this... If you had the power to claim your ambitions, would you have done the same as I?", you asked with narrowed eyes.


The Senator were silent. Dumbfounded...and above all shame. They would have done exactly what you did, to the letter...some of them would have gone even further then you did truth be told.


"A Dragon does not care for the opinions of Lions. All of you dream of being THE Dragon of Valyria...but you cannot, for Dragon's kill other Dragons...for territory, for meat...or for the mating of blood", you said.


"The only reason you all haven't killed each other is that Dragons also understand that when working together they secure more. Each of you dream of being a King, but the Freehold was formed from that basic truth: 'When Dragons fight together they always win'", you finished.


Further silence reigned. Though while most Senators were looking chastised, shameful or avoiding your eyes altogether...others still glared at you in anger.


You shook your head. This would have to be dealt with some other time.


"And stand together, we must now. To truly overcome the Ire of the People and the other Senators, we NEED this War with Ghis...and we need it to be as soon as possible. Winning a glorious Victory will finally overcome the feelings of Resentment that is held against us for the Deaths of the Eleanors. If we win quickly and decisively, the Plunder and Lands we gain will finally enable us to pay off and placate the Soldiers. If we win, the last remaining Eleanor will soon be eclipsed and fade into Obscurity! All of our Problem will be solved!"


Most of the Senators finally nodded in Agreement. But despite your satisfaction about this, you could hear a small Voice of doubt whispering into your Ear.


If we win a quick and glorious Victory. IF...


You shook your head, silencing the Voice. You had worked too hard to let your Life's work be ruined by the last Struggles of a dying Empire.


The Harpy would fall...and the Dragons would rise!



A.N.: Another Omake by me and @Cyberphilosipher, detailing our Enemies back home this time.

 

[Alexander Sturnn]

The fault is not in our Stars



An Excerpt from the Play 'Eleanor' by famous Playwright Vycarion Teanebrus, Act I, Scene II: Senator Gaeliar speaks to the Moderate Senator Braegar to convince him to support his Scheme against the Eleanors


Gaenar Gaeliar:


"Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world
Like a Colossus, and we petty men
Walk under his huge legs and peep about
To find ourselves dishonorable graves?


Men at some time are masters of their fates:
The fault, dear Braegar, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves, that we are underlings.


Braegar and Eleanor: What should be in that 'Eleanor'?
Why should that name be sounded more than yours?


Write them together, yours is as fair a name;
Sound them, it doth become the mouth as well;
Weigh them, it is as heavy; conjure with 'em,
Braegar will start a spirit as soon as Eleanor!


Now, in the names of all the gods at once,
Upon what meat doth the Eleanors feed,
That they have grown so great? Age, thou art shamed!


Valyria, thou hast lost the breed of noble bloods!
When went there by an age, since the great flood,
But it was famed with more than with one man and Family?
When could they say till now, that talk'd of Valyria,
That her wide walls encompass'd but one man and Family?


Now is it Valyria indeed and room enough,
When there is in it but one only man and Family.
O, you and I have heard our fathers say,
There was a Braegar once that would have brook'd
The eternal devil to keep his state in the Freehold
As easily as a King!"




A.N.: Let's see if before this Quest is done, I'll be able to valyrianize the entire Julius Caesar-Play.

 

[Magoose]

Rhaegon III: The Golden Flyers

[X]A Letter from the Golden Flyers Dragon Racing Company: Your father… was a friend of one of the riders there… something about… needing to race your dragon for the good of the company. You knew your father was a racer before the Legion… but he was only ten…

You did not expect a letter from a racing team to carry too much in the way of significance for your future and that of your families… past love of Dragon races.

That was what this family was known for… the idea around the beginning of the first Dragon Races… That was your family's claim to fame, how you rose to senatorial status. Not through great conquests… through expanding the Freehold, or being great and powerful sorcerers and architects who built the entire grand cities that are among the greatest in the world…

No, it was because the bond to dragons was important to them, and was important to the Freehold… and it led to wanting to grow stronger, to grow better and more powerful.

Races were seen as training…

Before the use of magic wiped it all away, and through more intricate blood magics, the use of bonding and training your dragons fell out of favor, for just sheer dominance with power and guile.

But soon they developed into something far more grand… far more than their intended purpose.

And it allowed the best to rise to power, fame and glory that even the greatest of magics could not give to a Dragonrider.

Through the conquest of the skies.

But it was delivered, as was tradition… by a Dragon rider, a racer perhaps, or maybe just one of their fans. You didn't know really, but their silver hair was dyed, gold and blue… The Colors of the Golden Flyers.

You and Rhaerya were lazing around in your villa's large courtyard… you were playing with her hair, wishing that the moment would last forever… a moment of peace and bliss.

Of course the Dragon landing ended that moment.

Fucking inconsideret cunts.

You looked at the two, the Dragon and the woman who jumped off the back of her Dragon. "Are you Rhaegon Eleanor?" She asked.

"Yes." You replied with a growl. "What do the Golden Flyers want?"

The Racer just handed over a sealed letter with a Dragon breathing golden smoke as it's seal. "Don't know, my Race master just wants you to have this." She stated.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Rhaerya offered, making you very uncomfortable.

"Sorry My lady, but I've got a race tomorrow at Summerwind. Wish me luck." She replied as she ran back to her Dragon.

The Black beast then flew away, kicking up dust as it's great wings flapped. It was certainly older than Vhereon… but that was all it did.

A Very well trained Dragon… you knew from experience that sometimes Dragons… made a mess of things. Soot on the ground, scratching the walls… eating without being told or did not hunt themselves.

You looked to the letter, and found yourself very annoyed. "What could they want?" You muttered to yourself.

"Well, read it." Rhaerya stated. "It can't be any worse than what you've read before."

You nodded. It wasn't… nothing could be worse than the executioners orders you were forced to read out.

But you prepared for something like that… as you opened the letter.

"To His Eminence of the Senate, Rhaegon Elaenor,





We at the Golden Flyer Racing Team, are saddened by the death of our once comrade in the sky, and your father. He had worked with the team when he was a boy, same with your grandfather, before your father joined the legions.





He was among the greatest Racers that have ever been part of the team. Greater than even myself… the Greatest Racer alive.





But these idle words stir more sadness than pride in yourself and your name. We at the Team, wish to offer you a place among us. Your father owned a minority stake in the team when he retired from Racing, and if you wish to come claim your rightful place as that owner, we would gladly accept you as one of our own.





But it is not just an ownership position we are offering. We know about your… great skill with your dragon.





We want you to become a racer, and become a Brother of the Sky with us.





We will wait for your answer… and a place will be waiting for you, in Summerwind.





For all Dragons are Bonded through the Old ways… For we are all bound together.





Your most Humble of Servants





Rhaegar Swiftwind."​

You smiled. Maybe…

What do you do?:

[]Take a Position as an Owner: You will go to Summerwind, and become an Owner of the Team. You wish to make yourself known as a manager, and a leader… not a daredevil racer.

[]Take a Position as a Racer: You will go to Summerwind, and become a Racer. Something tells you that Rhaegar wants you to be a racer for a reason.

[]Ignore the Offer: You don't want to be part of the team… that is something you do not see yourself as.


If you ignore the Offer Only:

What do you do:

(Choose 5 Actions)

[]Eavnings of Dark and Light: Rhaerya wants to show you her magic… and maybe… something more.

[]Some Help: Rhaerya came to you with exactly one thing on her mind… Helping you see life as worth living.

[]Old Swords: Your Father's… old friends from the Legion have come… they have started to take positions to defend you? Why?

[]A Senatorial Affair: Your Regent wishes to Speak to you… and give you a warning?

[]An Adventure: You wish to go on an adventure… MAybe it was because the world was seen as something greater… Maybe because you think there are assassins out to get you… Which given your circumstances… might be more true than you think.

[]A Dish Served: You are going to… visit the Agaelor family. And make it clear… that if you were not… well, begged for mercy by their daughter… you would kill them all. But you were not Aegon… You were better.

[]A Scaly Conundrum: You have a Dragon Scale on your hand… a mark from your dragons bond with you… You know it is not rare. But you need to know what it does.

[]Swords and Sorcery: You see the new Valyrian blade… and realize something… it can be even better.

[]The Legion and the Senate: Why does the Legion want revenge on the Senate? And why did your father try to give it to them?

[]Join the Legion: You want to leave this place. To… go somewhere else. Home is not a place you want to be right now. And a Dragon Rider in the Legion is always welcome with open arms.

[]Choose a Hobby: You wish to have a hobby, something to take the edge off of all the stress. (Write in below of what that hobby is)

AN: enjoy.

 

[Magoose]

Alrighty...

So... Yeah. Lets just say that I have writer's block for this quest and after 20 drafts of this turn... I just can't write it. I'm clearly having problems and I need time to figure out... if I can write this.

It sucks... But I do not want to stare at my computer for 4 hours every day and see no progress.

So Long term Hiatus for now... but potentially canceled due to these issues.

I do not want to waste my time with something I cannot write.