The old mill stood silent once more.
Only the bloodstained earth remained as proof anyone had ever lived there.
Celebrimbor watched without comment.
By midday we reached the nearest holdfast.
A wooden tower overlooked a small market village owing fealty to House Darry.
Two guards stood outside the gate.
Neither spared me more than a passing glance.
Good.
The hood hid my face.
The plain cloak hid my armor.
And Joffrey's ornate sword remained wrapped in cloth and tied behind the saddle.
The less attention I attracted...
The longer Talion Rivers stayed dead.
The village reeve sat inside a modest hall.
An aging man with ink-stained fingers looked up as I entered.
"What brings you here, ser?"
Interesting.
Even wearing plain clothes...
People still recognized the way a knight carried himself.
"I found an outlaw camp."
His expression immediately sharpened.
"The old mill?"
I nodded.
"They won't trouble anyone again."
He stared.
"How many?"
"Eight."
Silence.
Then...
"You killed them?"
"I did."
He slowly stood.
"By yourself?"
"yes"
Half an hour later...
Several villagers returned with a cart.
They confirmed the bodies.
By the time they came back...
Word had already spread.
Men looked at me with equal parts gratitude and caution.
The reeve counted out the reward.
Five silver stags.
Exactly as promised.
He placed the coins into my hand.
"The roads are safer because of you."
I simply inclined my head.
"I was paid."
As we rode away, Celebrimbor spoke.
"Coin."
I tied the small leather pouch securely to my saddle.
"Eight silver stags now."
"Enough?"
"For a while."
"Not forever."
"No journey across the Narrow Sea is cheap."
The road stretched eastward.
Toward Harrenhal.
Toward Maidenpool.
Toward the sea beyond.
For the first time since waking from death...
I had a destination.
Old Valyria.
Celebrimbor rode silently beside me, though no horse carried him.
Finally...
He asked the question.
"Why there?"
I smiled faintly.
"Because I can't save everyone."
The words surprised even me.
Celebrimbor noticed.
"Explain."
I sighed.
"When I first woke here..."
"I thought maybe I could change everything."
"Save everyone."
"Prevent every tragedy."
I laughed bitterly.
"That was naïve."
He remained silent.
"Eddard Stark is already riding south."
"He'll become Hand of the King."
"He'll discover the truth about Joffrey."
"He'll confront Cersei."
"And he'll die."
The words tasted like ash.
Celebrimbor studied me.
"Can you not warn him?"
"I could."
"But he wouldn't believe me."
"And even if he did..."
I shook my head.
"There are too many moving pieces."
"Littlefinger."
"Varys."
"Cersei."
"Jaime."
"The City Watch."
"The Lannisters."
"The Baratheons."
I looked down the road.
"I'd spend months trying to save one honorable man."
"And even then..."
"I'd probably fail."
Celebrimbor considered that.
"So instead..."
"I prepare."
He nodded.
"For the greater war."
"The White Walkers."
"They're the real enemy."
"If I waste years trying to stop every political disaster..."
"...there won't be anyone left capable of stopping what comes afterward."
Celebrimbor remained thoughtful.
"You also mentioned dragons."
That made me smile.
"Ah."
"Daenerys."
His blue eyes met mine.
"Tell me."
"Across the Narrow Sea..."
"There's a girl."
"Only about thirteen."
"The last surviving daughter of the Mad King."
"Daenerys Targaryen."
"She's frightened."
"Alone."
"Used by her brother as little more than a bargaining chip."
Celebrimbor frowned.
"She becomes important."
"The most important person alive."
I looked toward the eastern horizon.
"She'll marry a great horselord."
"Her brother will die."
"So will her husband."
"And her unborn son."
Celebrimbor listened intently.
"By all rights..."
"That should be the end of House Targaryen."
"But it isn't."
"What happens?"
I smiled.
"Three dragons hatch."
For a heartbeat...
Celebrimbor didn't move.
Then every trace of calm vanished from his face.
His eyes widened.
The silver light surrounding his spirit flickered violently.
"...Dragons?"
His voice was barely above a whisper.
I nodded.
"Three of them."
The Elf-Lord took an involuntary step back.
For the first time since we'd met...
He looked genuinely shaken.
"You speak of dragons so casually."
"They're different here."
"Different?"
His voice carried centuries of bitter memory.
"In my world, dragons were the greatest servants of the Enemy."
"Living engines of ruin."
He looked toward the sky as though expecting to see wings blotting out the sun.
"One was called Glaurung."
"He shattered kingdoms through lies alone."
"Another..."
He fell silent.
When he spoke again...
His voice had grown quieter.
Almost reverent.
"Ancalagon the Black."
"The greatest dragon ever to live."
"When he fell..."
"...mountains broke beneath his body."
I blinked.
"I knew he was enormous..."
"I didn't realize he was that enormous."
Celebrimbor looked at me.
"There are few things I fear."
"Dragons remain one of them."
I considered that.
"Then you'll be relieved."
He waited.
"The dragons in this world aren't that large."
"Not even close."
"They begin small enough to perch on a person's shoulder."
Celebrimbor stared.
"...Small?"
"They grow."
"Over years."
"Eventually they're large enough to carry riders."
"They breathe fire."
"They're intelligent."
"But they aren't immortal monsters created by a Dark Lord."
The Elf-Lord's expression remained guarded.
"Are they creatures of evil?"
"No."
"They're animals."
"Dangerous animals."
"They don't exist to destroy the world."
He was silent for several moments.
Finally...
"Then they are unlike any dragon I have ever known."
I nodded.
"They're more like... incredibly dangerous predators."
Celebrimbor folded his arms.
"Predators capable of flight, flame, and reason."
"When you put it that way..."
"...they sound much worse."
For the first time since the conversation began...
A faint smile crossed the Elf-Lord's face.
"They are dragons."
"They are always worse."
I laughed.
"Fair enough."
His smile faded as he looked east once more.
"This Daenerys Targaryen..."
"If she commands three dragons..."
"...she will become one of the most powerful rulers in this world."
"Exactly."
"And that's why I don't intend to make her my enemy."
Celebrimbor nodded slowly.
"A wise decision."
"Even if these dragons are lesser than those of my world..."
"...three dragons are still three dragons."
The following morning, Celebrimbor began my training.
"You've been unusually quiet."
"I have been thinking."
"That's dangerous."
For the first time in days...
He smiled.
"Indeed."
He walked several paces ahead.
"Our bond has grown stronger."
"I've noticed."
"I can feel you more clearly."
"As can I."
He turned.
"It is time to see what else our union allows."
He raised one ghostly hand.
Silver light gathered around it.
The familiar glow surrounded my own body.
I felt...
Lighter.
Almost weightless.
"Run."
"What?"
"Run."
I obeyed.
The moment I pushed off the ground...
The world blurred.
Trees became streaks of green.
The road vanished beneath my feet.
Wind roared in my ears.
I covered hundreds of yards in seconds.
Far faster than my horse could ever hope to gallop.
I finally skidded to a stop.
Chest heaving.
My legs trembled.
"...Seven Hells..."
Celebrimbor appeared beside me.
"Elven Speed."
I could barely breathe.
"It nearly killed me."
"It exhausted you."
He corrected.
"Power has a cost."
The next lesson came moments later.
Celebrimbor extended his hand.
"Think of your bow."
I frowned.
"The one from the bandits?"
He nodded.
"Every weapon has a purpose."
"I merely teach you another way to wield it."
I closed my eyes.
The weight of the longbow on my saddle came easily to mind.
Then...
I imagined something more.
The same shape.
The same purpose.
Perfected.
Silver light gathered around my outstretched hand.
It flowed like liquid moonlight, weaving itself into polished wood that wasn't wood at all.
An elegant Elven bow appeared in my grasp.
Its limbs shimmered with faint runes.
The string glowed like starlight.
I stared at it.
"It isn't real..."
"It is."
Celebrimbor smiled faintly.
"Just not for long."
I drew the string.
There was no arrow.
Instead...
As I pulled, a shaft of silver light formed between my fingers.
It hummed softly.
I loosed it.
The spectral arrow crossed the clearing in an instant, striking an oak tree more than a hundred yards away.
The impact burst into silver light before fading.
The bow itself dissolved into mist only a heartbeat later.
I blinked.
"So I still keep my real bow..."
"...but if I don't have time to draw it..."
Celebrimbor nodded.
"You may call upon mine."
I grinned.
"And I never run out of arrows."
"No."
His expression became serious.
"But every arrow draws upon your strength."
Almost as if to prove his point...
A wave of exhaustion washed over me.
My breathing grew heavier.
My arms felt leaden.
"So that's the price."
"Nothing of power is freely given."
I looked back toward my horse, where the bandit's longbow remained secured beside the saddle.
"I'll use the real bow whenever I can."
Celebrimbor inclined his head.
"As you should."
"Reserve the wraith bow for moments when speed matters more than endurance."
That...
Made perfect sense.
Over the next several hours...
I learned more.
A spectral glaive.
Perfect for sweeping attacks against multiple enemies.
Throwing daggers that vanished moments after striking.
A one-handed smith's hammer.
Heavy.
Brutal.
Designed to crush armor rather than cut through it.
Each weapon appeared only as long as I willed it into existence.
Each one left me more exhausted than the last.
Celebrimbor watched every attempt.
"Never rely solely upon them."
"Why?"
"Because exhaustion kills as surely as steel."
The following day...
He taught me movement.
"Again."
I sprinted toward a fallen tree.
Instead of slowing...
I vaulted over it without breaking stride.
Then another.
Then the branch of an oak.
Landing lightly on the other side.
Celebrimbor nodded.
"Elven Agility."
"Your body remembers movements no human should perform."
I laughed.
"Damon would've called this cheating."
Finally...
Celebrimbor stopped before sunset.
"There is one last gift."
He reached toward my forehead.
The world changed.
Color drained away.
The trees became grey shadows.
The earth faded.
Only living things remained.
Birds glowed softly in the branches.
Rabbits beneath the ground shone like lanterns.
Far away...
A deer moved through the forest.
Its heartbeat pulsed like a beacon.
I turned.
Nymeria stood behind me.
Her life burned brighter than any ordinary beast.
"What..."
My voice barely escaped.
Celebrimbor answered.
"Wraith's Vision."
"Life cannot hide from death."
The world slowly returned to normal.
I blinked several times.
"I could see everything."
"Not everything."
He corrected.
"Only that which lives."
I smiled.
"No bandit is ever ambushing me again."
Celebrimbor folded his arms.
"Do not become overconfident."
"I won't."
Because I knew one thing above all else.
No matter how powerful these gifts became...
There was still one man somewhere in Westeros who had put a crossbow bolt through my heart.
And one day...
I intended to return the favor.