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Explicit
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Creator Chose Not To Use Archive WarningsGraphic Depictions Of Violence
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Daemon Targaryen/Laena Velaryon (Daughter of Corlys)Alicent Hightower & Rhaenyra TargaryenRhaenys Targaryen/Corlys "the Sea Snake" VelaryonAlys Rivers/Edric Stark
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Published:2022-11-20Updated:2024-09-01Words:328,865Chapters:61/?Comments:5,091Kudos:6,170Bookmarks:2,718Hits:367,800
(Restricted) A Stranger in a Strange Land
A_Strange_Twist_of_Fate
Chapter 4: Negotiations
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Hariel #4
Breakfast was fish, some sort of tart, dried fruit that Corlys and Rhaenys had brought on their ship, and some hard, yellow cheese and soft bread that Hariel brought from her house. Artemis came with a large Firewyrm in her mouth that Meleys sniffed at and then summarily dismissed.
Rhaenys had no problem with their dragons spreading their wings out and taking a joy ride. Hariel was a little surprised by this in all honesty. The woman seemed like one who liked to be in control -- or at least that was the feeling she had gotten from their discussion yesterday. Patient and polite, and yet very controlled and ready to step forward and probe for information. It was all a little intimidating, really.
It was her turn to ask questions now, though. Hariel wanted to find out more about this place that she was in. Needed to find out more about this place that she was in.
They made their pleasantries first before Hariel tentatively started.
"Your ship…where did you sail from? I have traveled some, on this land and yet all I saw was death. Where do you live?"
She had found some signs of life -- or something like it, at least. She had found bones, not new or fresh but everything around her had been burned but the pile of bones and old cloth she'd found. These had teeth marks on them, and the golden scraps of clothing had also lasted -- although not well enough for Hariel to see anything but the color, and that only faintly. She'd even found a silver sword that was sharper than anything Hariel had ever felt with the head of a lion on its hilt. It hadn't even needed to be polished, or cleaned, after however long it had laid there among the bones and ash.
She hadn't traveled very far, mostly when Artemis was on the hunt for food, because she needed to spend most of her time trying to find a way to take Grimmauld with her. But other than the Jackalopes and Firewyrms that was all.
Corlys motioned towards his ship, still docked further away. "We came on Sea Snake, my ship, and have crossed the Narrow Sea, which is the sea behind us. We came from Westeros, specifically Driftmark, of which I am Lord."
"And you are Princess, yes?" Hariel asked Rhaenys, who confirmed this.
She tried to remember what she knew about royalty. England had a Queen, yes, but that was the muggle world. The Queen had no say in matters of the Wizarding world and so Hariel had never really thought of her before. There were no lords in the wizarding world, either. There was the sacred twenty eight that, to the purebloods, might as well have been -- but no actual lords. What mattered was blood and how far back one could trace magic in their ancestry -- like the Most Noble and Ancient House of Black.
The Potter House had been one, until they had mingled with half-blood wizards and muggles and were no longer on that list -- making it the Sacred Twenty Eight and not the Sacred Twenty Nine. But that had been generations earlier, far before Hariel's time.
"I will show you a map, later on. There are many things you will need to learn about the world." Corlys told her and Hariel had to resist the urge to sigh.
It was true, yes, but she'd never been much of a student. She had been going to continue her education after the war, because she loved Defense so much and didn't know what she wanted to do with her life.
Also, because Hermione had been determined that they would continue.
Hariel had only half argued. She wanted peace, she wanted to not stress about anything life threatening and she loved learning about Defense, even if she hated having to write essays. Since she hadn't known what to do with her life after the war -- why not? They had talked of it, often, as they lay in the tent late at night and tried to plan for their futures after the war.
The memory made her heart ache, though, and so she pushed it away.
"That is true. I do not know what it means to be Princess or Lord, I apologize. There was Queen where I lived, but she ruled those without…" She trailed off, trying to remember the word for magic. Magicae. "She ruled those without magic."
"Was there no King?" Rhaenys asked. And then. "So you lived separately, those with magic and those without?"
"Yes, we lived separately. Ugh, no. The Queen had a husband, but he was Prince. He was Prince from another land, had to give up…ugh, title to marry. Became Prince, I think, of the land I lived. But the Queen, she was heir to previous King, and she took crown when he died." Hariel said, straining to remember what she knew of the muggle royal family.
Thank Merlin, for once, for Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon because it was only through them that she knew anything about the muggle royal family at all.
"This land you lived in is very peculiar." Rhaenys said, and Hariel struggled to identify what emotion she said it with. "Why did you live separately?"
She was so very controlled and put together, and she reminded Hariel strongly of Narcissa Malfoy. Regal, composed, and elegant. It was intimidating, and Hariel found herself trying to mimic that composure.
"They had a…a religion, that did not like magic. I think that the law was….ugh, do not suffer a witch to live? They tried to burn us. It did not work. We have ways to make fire not kill, or hurt us, and so they only kill each other. But we saw, and we did not trust so we separate and hidden ourselves, make them forget so that we do not have to fear or be angry. They stopped, eventually, did not hate witches and thought was not real but we kept secret."
It was a very quick summary of the events, but it would have to do since Hariel wasn't interested in giving them a full breakdown history lesson of her world. A world she wasn't in.
Besides, wasn't she the one supposed to be asking questions?"
Rhaenys -- was she meant to call her Princess Rhaenys at all times? -- nodded her head and shared a look with her husband.
"I see. We shall teach you what you must learn, when you return with us to our home. I believe that there are many things we can teach each other." Rhaenys said, and a stone dropped in Hariel's stomach.
"I do not mind sharing magic…but I cannot teach if you do not have. I am sorry. In my land, one is born with it." Hariel said, and winced. "But I think I may teach Dragontongue. If I understand Artemis well, her kind bring this language to my home. We thought it a…ugh, a birthright, originally, as one could only speak it if they born to same family, not learned. But I find that some of my kind do spell to learn it from dragon, and then put it in blood to pass down in family and then keep it secret. That is how we learned. But she told me that humans from Valyria once speak with dragons in their tongue. That you share blood with dragon, which is why you are not just human but dragon as well."
It had been difficult to put together when Artemis had told her this. Not all of her ancestors had been captured, and they had passed down the stories, knowledge, and ancestral dreams to their children.
But the goblins had only kept two dragons for a couple of months before they killed the older dragon, and they only let one of the eggs hatch. Maybe they were waiting for the new one to get big enough to guard the vaults before they killed the old one, which was the only reason for them to wait that Hariel could think of. Perhaps they didn't want too many dragons to deal with -- it was meant to be secret, a guard to protect their things. Maybe they thought if there was more than one they would fight, together, to get free. Their reasons didn't matter, though.
It was barbaric.
It was difficult to read either Rhaenys or Corlys' expressions, hard as Hariel tried. They seemed interested in what she had to say, at least, because she seemed to have their full attention. But this had to be disappointing, didn't it? They had lost magic in their line…although, perhaps it was still there, somewhere? Buried deep, deep within them.
"Let us try, at least, as magic was in our blood hundreds of years earlier. Perhaps it is still there? Your dragon seems to be able to teach us some of our history as well. And it would gladen my heart to speak with Meleys. A proper conversation, as you appeared to have with Artemis. A language for language is a fitting price, I think, as we may help you with High Valyrian in addition to the language that is spoken in Westeros -- Common." Rhaenys said.
Hariel nodded. Two languages to learn -- or maybe it was more like one and a half. Still, she did not look forward to it.
There was also the assumption that she would go with them -- Hariel didn't know if that irked her or not. She felt, now, as if it was a done deal. Yet, she hadn't agreed. She would mull that over later, but for now she pushed it away.
"I will try, we will try. I hope that magic will return to your family. I am sorry that it died." Hariel said, sincerely. If her magic died….she did not know what she would do.
Rhaenys' head tilted to the side and she smiled, a small but genuine smile at her comment. "Thank you. Your compassion is appreciated."
"So, you are Princess…there is King then? I do not know if…" Hariel trailed off. The idea of meeting a King made her nervous. "Ugh, I do not know how to speak to one, will I need to meet him?"
"King Viserys, my cousin. Yes, he will want to meet you, especially once he learns of your magic. He has been delighted by the magic of Old Valyria since we were children. But you need not fear, we will teach you what must be taught, and the King is very compassionate and generous. Once we explain that you are learning our customs, he will not be harsh." Rhaenys said.
"You are willing to take me in, then, and to teach me? It will be a lot of work." Hariel said, and tried to remove the uncertainty from her voice, tried to mimic the regal and elegant Rhaenys as she spoke. "You accept my payment of Dragonspeech, of history Artemis remember, and that I will try -- and I do not guarantee success -- to reignite flame of magic as payment?"
"You said that your dragon has eggs, that they will hatch soon." Corlys leaned forward as he spoke, and Hariel frowned.
"I will not give dragons. They are not thing to give." She said, firmly.
Corlys titled his head in agreement. "I understand. But, you see, we have some difficulty with hatching dragon eggs. If yours -- if the eggs of your dragon are hatching, then either you or she must have some information on how to make them hatch successfully. We would like to know this, that we may have more success with the eggs our dragons lay."
Hariel softened a little at this. They were not asking for Artemis' children, then -- not that either she or Artemis would give them away.
"I accept this. This is knowledge Artemis will have, not me, but I will share this with you."
"You are bonded to Artemis, are you not? You will not object if one of these dragons bond with another?" Rhaenys asked.
Hariel shook her head. "No, not upset. Artemis not upset. If dragon bond with human, it is because dragon claim human. I cannot fight this. No one can fight this. Dragon hatchlings must stay close to mother, for, ugh," She tried to remember. "I must ask, but I think six months? Maybe longer, before they are taken from mother, though, so that they grow big and strong, and that Artemis may teach them history and such. But we will not fight if dragon choose human. They must wait for growth to take away, but we will not be angry."
"Then we accept your payment." Rhaenys said, and Corlys nodded in agreement.
"Are there any other terms you wish to discuss?" Corlys asked, and Hariel paused in thought.
She felt like she should say something -- but what?
"What do you expect of me in return?" She asked, slowly.
"We will take you in as a ward, and because of this your behavior will reflect on us. Any transgressions will be forgiven as you are learning, but after you are learned we expect that you do not bring us dishonor to our house. That means following the law and the customs of our land." Corlys said.
He didn't sound rude, or demanding, but stern -- like McGonagall giving a stern lecture about not misbehaving in Hogsmeade after she'd finally gotten permission to go.
It sounded agreeable…yet Hariel also didn't know the customs of their land.
"As long as custom does not bring….dishonor to me." Hariel started, slowly. She'd never had to negotiate like this and it was nerve wracking. "I do not kill unless attacked, I do not steal, and I will not be…" She struggled for what to say here.
She had been kept under the Dursley's for so long, voiceless and ignored. Then used by the Wizarding World as a mouthpiece to a war they had wanted to ignore, and also a scapegoat to throw the blame on for the war they didn't want.
"I am person, not thing." She finally settled on. It didn't fit right, not all the way, but it was all she could think of.
"We accept your terms." Corlys said, and Hariel turned her gaze to Rhaenys who echoed what her husband had said.
"Good, then I need gather things. Artemis and I will return. One last thing. I need time to…gather things, to prepare. I ask you wait until morning for us to leave, that I may have time to, to…to finish." Hariel asked.
She needed to resolve the issue with Grimmauld, and if she couldn't take it she'd need to pack so much.
"Understandable. We will wait, and meet you here again tomorrow at sunrise." Corlys said.
Hariel nodded, and called to Artemis. She had finally figured out the bond call, which was what she was calling it now, and was able to call Artemis to her without lifting her wand or calling out.
Artemis arrived shortly after, and she and Hariel made their way back to Grimmauld. She waited until they arrived back in front of the house before she tried to speak -- she could speak on Artemis' back, but sometimes the wind made it too difficult to understand and be understood.
" What did you learn?" Hariel asked, and leaned in to rest her hand against Artemis' warm scales.
" Swiftwind speaks fondly of her human. She enjoys the comforts of her nest. Not all of her eggs sing. She did not know humans can speak." Artemis lay, heavy on the ground, but Hariel could not mistake the joy in her voice. "She had heard, from other dragons, but thought it myth. It is good to fly with another, to taste ssky with another. They feed Swiftwind well, and let her sleep."
"Not all of her eggs sing? Rhaenys told me such. She wishes for your aid in this, to help their hatchlings sing. Will you aid them?"
"Yes, I will aid Swiftwind and Lighttouch, her human. I will make the eggs sing again." Artemis said. "You approve of Lighttouch, then? We will leave?"
Hariel nodded. " I will try tonight to make my cave move. One last, and then we leave at morning light if I cannot."
Hariel glanced up at the house, studied the outside. It was a plain, not really impressive from the outside: an old Victorian house with dark bricks and railing, a flower bed with no flowers, and a black door.
But she didn't want to leave it.
" I will get your eggs from the fire and work. May the sun let my hunt be successful."
She retrieved the eggs from the fire and brought them back to Artemis, who immediately curled around them to keep them warm. Hariel had one last idea, one last hope, but it was also something she dreaded to do.
She couldn't reduce the size of the house and simply put it in her pocket, or in a bag, because of the Fidelius Charm. Not only did it make the house unplottable, invisible, and secret it also prevented Hariel from working a number of different charms and spells on the outside and inside of the house itself. She could change its appearance, yes -- make the bricks a different color, change the railing from metal to silver. But she could not make it smaller, or move any of the rooms around, or add a room or anything similar.
But she thought she could tear down the Fidelius Charm. She was the Secret Keeper, now, and there was no one around who would be affected by this anymore. From the book on the Fidelius Charm that she'd found in the Black library, this was the only thing that would allow her to shrink the house safely and to move it.
It also meant that it would not be hidden anymore. If things went south with Corlys and Rhaenys -- and Hariel had no guarantee that it would not, she would not have a safe place anymore. She would have to put the charm up again, and there was no guarantee that could. Just expanding the area around the house had been complex, had left her exhausted for two days afterwards and she'd only expanded it enough for Artemis to fit in well enough to sleep.
It was an incredibly complex spell that literally placed a secret inside one's soul. It was so complex that not everyone could perform it. Taking it down was much less complex, but would she be able to reverse that if she did? Hariel truly didn't know. Even her parents had been unable to put up the spell -- they'd had Dumbledore do it for them.
It would make things so much less complicated because she could remove the house with a simple reducing spell, and Hariel almost felt ridiculous about how easy it could be done without the Fidelius. She'd spent so much time researching, desperately trying to find a way to make it move…and yet the Fidelius was a protection she may never be able to get again. It protected her from the creatures of Valyria, it had protected her from Deatheaters, it could have made this her safe spot from all of Westeros if she needed it to be.
But she could not leave it. Grimmaduld was too valuable, it's content necessary for her survival.
So, Hariel rolled up her sleeves and, with a grimace, she got to work.
Notes:
Thanks to everyone who is reading, left a review, made a bookmark, or left a kudos!!! <3
Quick mention: Artemis calls Meleys Quickwind and Rhaenys Lighttouch. I figured the dragons would have their own names for themselves and their riders. Meleys was said to be the swiftest dragon before she became older and a little lazy, hence her name: Quickwind :) I also figured dragon names would be practical and not floral or pretty or anything, just descriptive
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