Tinkering With Life (GoT SI)

Pentos

Illyrio frowned as he read the letter in his hands. The news from across the Narrow Sea was troubling, to say the least. The White Mage of Winterfell had long been a subject of gossip and intrigue, even in Essos. His healing abilities were legendary, drawing the desperate and wealthy from far and wide.

But this latest development was far more disturbing. The leadership of the Citadel had been killed in a gruesome and public manner. Illyrio could read between the lines - Varys clearly suspected the White Mage was responsible.

His musings were interrupted when Viserys barged into his study without warning. 

The self-proclaimed rightful king of Westeros was far from what one would expect of the last scion of an ancient and powerful line.

At one and twenty, he was more of a spoiled child than a king-in-waiting. 

Illyrio sighed inwardly, drawing on years of experience. "What can I do for you, Your Grace?" he asked smoothly.

"Is everything ready for today, Illyrio?" Viserys demanded.

"Of course, Your Grace. All has been prepared as you requested."

Viserys nodded, then noticed the letter. "You look troubled. What news?"

Illyrio hesitated, then decided sharing some information might be useful. "Disturbing tidings from Westeros, Your Grace. The Citadel was attacked by a swarm of locusts."

"Locusts?" Viserys's brow furrowed. "How is that possible?"

"My sources believe the White Mage of Winterfell may be responsible."

Viserys's eyes widened. "The healer? Why would he do such a thing?"

"That remains unclear," Illyrio said carefully. "But it seems his powers may be greater - and more dangerous - than previously thought."

Viserys paced, his mind clearly racing. "This could change things. Will he be a problem when I take back my throne?"

"Of course not, Your Grace. The people of the Seven Kingdoms do not take kindly to magic, so it shouldn't be hard to find the support needed to act against the mage," Illyrio reassured.

Viserys began muttering, "Yes... Yes, he will feel the wrath of the dragon if he stands in my way."

"You don't need to worry about all that for now, Your Grace. Here, I have a gift for the princess for today's ceremony," Illyrio said, changing the subject.

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Daenerys stood by the window, her eyes fixed on the shimmering waters of Pentos Bay. The midday sun cast a golden glow across the city, its warmth a stark contrast to the chill of anxiety in her chest.

The sound of footsteps made her turn. Her brother strode into the room with a lilac gown draped over his arm. His gaunt face was alight with a feverish excitement.

"There you are, sweet sister," he said, holding out the gown. "A gift from Illyrio. Feel how fine the fabric is."

Daenerys ran her fingers over the delicate silk, but found no joy in the beautiful garment. "He's given us so much," she murmured. "We've been his guests for a year, and he's never asked for anything in return."

Viserys scoffed. "Illyrio's no fool. He knows I won't forget my friends when I take back my throne." He hung the gown by the door, then turned back to her with a critical eye. "You still slouch. Stand up straight - let them see you're a woman now."

Daenerys straightened her back, trying not to flinch as Viserys adjusted her posture. His touch made her uncomfortable, but she knew better than to resist.

"Don't fail me tonight," he warned, his voice low and threatening. "You don't want to wake the dragon, do you?"

"No," Daenerys whispered.

Viserys smiled, an unsettling mix of affection and madness in his eyes. "Good. When they write the history of my reign, sweet sister, they will say it began tonight."

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The courtyard of Illyrio's manse buzzed with nervous energy as Daenerys, Viserys, and their host awaited the arrival of Khal Drogo.

Daenerys wore the lilac gown, her makeup artfully applied, though it somehow made her look even younger than her fifteen years. She fidgeted nervously, her eyes darting around the enclosed space.

Illyrio smiled at Daenerys, taking her hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. 

"She is a vision, Your Grace," he said to Viserys. "Drogo will be impressed."

Viserys frowned, eyeing his sister critically. "She's too skinny. Are you sure he likes his women this young?"

"She's had her blood, she's old enough," Illyrio assured him. "Look at her! Daughter of the past king, sister to the future king... he'll want her."

"I suppose," Viserys muttered. "The savages have queer tastes. Boys, horses, sheep..."

Illyrio's smile tightened. "Best not suggest this to Khal Drogo."

"Do you take me for a fool?" Viserys snapped.

"I take you for a king," Illyrio replied smoothly. "Kings lack the caution of common men. My apologies if I have given offense."

As the sound of approaching horses reached them she got a first look at Khal Drogo, Viserys leaned closer to Daenerys. "You see how long his hair is?" he whispered, nodding towards Khal Drogo. "When Dothraki are defeated in combat, they cut off their braids in disgrace. Khal Drogo has never been defeated. A savage, of course, but one of the finest killers alive. And you will be his queen."

Daenerys stared at the Khal, her voice small. "I don't want to be his queen. Please, please, I don't want to, I want to go home."

Viserys grabbed her arm, his fingernails digging into her skin as he dragged her into the shadows. "Home? How do we go home?" he hissed. "They took it from us. How do we go home?"

Tears welled in Daenerys' eyes. "I don't know."

"I do," Viserys said, his voice softening. "We go home with an army. With Khal Drogo's army." 

He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, speaking with an unsettling tenderness. "I'd let his whole khalasar fuck you, all forty thousand men and their horses too, if that's what it takes"

As Illyrio escorted Khal Drogo towards them, Viserys whispered nervously to his sister, "Smile. And stand up straight. Let him see that you have breasts. Gods know, they're small enough as is."

Daenerys forced a smile and straightened her posture, her heart pounding in her chest as she prepared to meet the man who would decide her fate.

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I finally emerged from my labyrinth with Vaylara in tow and began the long journey north. The plummeting temperatures slowed my progress considerably, but after several hours of flying, the Wall finally came into view.

And what a sight it was.

It took nearly an hour of high-speed flight to reach the damn thing after it first appeared on the horizon. I flew towards the top and landed, realizing I had missed someone quite close to where I touched down. I should have expected it, considering how near the elevator I had landed.

I smiled and waved at him. "Hello there!"

And he was running away. I sighed.

I didn't chase after him - there would be no point. He would be back, or at least send someone more important. Meanwhile, I took in the amazing view.

"Damn, I really should get myself a wizard's tower or something," I mused.

I immediately climbed up on the battlements, dangling my legs over the edge. Vaylara materialized next to me.

"Quite the view, isn't it?" she remarked.

"It is indeed," I agreed.

"It has quite the presence, doesn't it?" Vaylara continued.

"Of course it does. If what you said earlier about the Night King's return is true, then it has grown stronger over the years. It feeds off his power - quite a masterpiece in itself."

"Huh, neat," I said, continuing to stare off into the distance.

A noise drew me out of the silence. I turned around and saw the elevator start to work a few meters away. Nice - it seemed company was about to arrive.

Boy, was that a slow elevator. I had almost flown down to see what was taking so long, but as always, I restrained myself.

After what felt like forever, I saw a bunch of men in black walk out of the wooden elevator.

'Huh, no wonder it was slow,' I thought.

I pretended not to notice them as they spotted me and started warily approaching, hands on their swords, while I just continued to swing my legs and whistle.

"I can't even begin to tell you the number of people who have sat there and slipped to their deaths," one of them called out.

"Let me guess - new recruits?" I replied.

"Yes, but not the majority."

"Really? That's interesting. But thank you for your concern, Benjen. I assure you I'll be fine."

"If you say so," Benjen responded. "What brings you to the Wall, El?"

"Not something as simple as sightseeing, I'm afraid."

"I was afraid of that," Benjen sighed. "You want to take this inside? It's hard to speak with all this wind."

"Sure, lead the way," I agreed, standing up and following Benjen and his men towards the elevator

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It had been a quiet day as usual when he heard the bell signaling that there were intruders on the Wall. It didn't make much sense - maybe a few wildlings were able to scale the Wall. As far-fetched as that sounded, it had happened before.

He quickly gathered some of his men and made his way to the elevator to see what the commotion was all about. Things didn't get any clearer once he reached the top and questioned the man who had raised the alarm. He just kept mumbling about a man falling from the sky.

But he was at least able to get a rough idea of where said intruder was. He told his men to stay alert and made his way to the silhouette he could see sitting with legs dangling over the edge.

As he finally got closer, things started to make less sense. The person was barely wearing any furs, just a white co... oh. Things finally started to make sense, and he signaled his men to stand down. The White Mage of Winterfell had come to the Wall.

It was his second time meeting him, and as far as he could tell, he was an easygoing and reasonable sort. Once they reached the elevator, he asked, "You seem to have scared Pete here with your arrival. How did you do that anyway?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Pete, my bad," El replied. "I flew here. How else?" he said with a grin.

"Of cour... WHAT?"

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I was now in a room with Benjen and Jeor Mormont. The Commander and the First Ranger were the people in charge of this place, and the silence in the room was finally broken by the Lord Commander.

"Are you sure?"

I had just finished telling them what had happened with the deserter and what I had told Ned. I even passed along the official letter he had given me to pass along.

"About as sure as I can be without seeing one with my own eyes, and you can tell me you haven't come across odd occurrences."

The look they shared between them was enough to answer my question.

"You are right, there have been some odd sightings that have gotten more frequent in the last few years. So what do you propose?"

"Well, I was planning on going around and looking at the places that the deserter mentioned, talk to some wildlings, see if they know better. It would be easier if I had someone to help me navigate, but that's kind of up to you and a bit optional. Or if you have a detailed map by any chance, that works."

"I will come with you. No one else will be able to navigate with you as well as I can," Benjen said.

"You sure? It's going to be pretty dangerous."

"Of course. I doubt I will be in much danger while I'm traveling with the most prominent healer in Westeros."

"Aww, you're gonna make me blush."

"When do you wish to leave?"

"You think you can have everything ready tomorrow at dawn?"

"Yes."

"Perfect. That should give me enough time to look around Castle Black and do some sightseeing. Oh, before I forget, I need a horse, and since I don't want to feel like I owe any favors, if anyone in the castle needs healing, you can send them my way. I'll do it for free for today."

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A/N: If you wish to read ahead you can find 8 more chapters on my Pa treon