Arthur sat motionless on the bench, the mug of ale still halfway to his lips while the words settled over him like cold river water.
Targaryen... Targaryen... Cassie was a Targaryen.
He understood each syllable. He could repeat them inside his head in perfect order. Yet they refused to lock together into anything that made sense. Cassie, the woman who had shared his bed and his life, who had cared for him in the orphanage kitchen and cried against his shoulder the night the first pains of pregnancy woke her, carried the blood of dragons in her veins.
The same blood that ran through the man sitting across from him now. The thought looped and refused to land, like a sparrow beating against the bars of a cage.
Duncan kept talking, despite the small crisis Arthur went through. "I am so sorry, Arthur. I never found her again after I broke things off. If I had known she was carrying a child... if I had known she would leave this world so soon... Cassie would never have grown up in that orphanage. She would have had a home, protection, everything a father owes his daughter. I failed her before she even drew her first breath."
The prince's words washed over Arthur without sticking. He heard them but his mind kept circling back to the same impossible fact.
Cassie.
His Cassie.
The woman who had stood beside him through blood and fire was the daughter of a prince and the granddaughter of a King.
Duncan leaned forward and rested a hand on the edge of the table, his fingers brushing the wood as if to balance himself. "Arthur?"
The name cut through the haze and Arthur blinked hard and lifted his gaze to meet the prince's violet eyes.
"This is not a conversation you were supposed to have with me, Your Grace. You should be telling this to Cassie herself. She deserves to hear it from her father."
Duncan nodded once, the motion small but immediate. "You are right. I know you are right. I just felt so overwhelmed that I needed to speak the words aloud, but you are right. I owe her the words face to face."
Arthur reached across the table and closed his fingers around Duncan's forearm, the grip firm enough to make the prince pause. "Your grace let me tell you this... If she does not want to be your daughter, if she does not want to bear the burden of being a bastard of the Targaryens then I do not want you to force her. Do you understand me?"
Duncan's brows drew together in genuine confusion. "Why would she not want it?"
Arthur kept his hand where it was. "Because she would inherit every enemy you have ever made and have none of the protection that comes with your name once the realm learns she was born outside of marriage. You should not forget, either, that the Blackfyres have been stirring again in the east. The hatred against bastards runs hotter now than it has in a generation. One whisper in the wrong ear and she becomes a target. I will not let that happen to her."
Duncan sighed and rubbed a hand across his jaw while he considered the warning. "I understand..." whether he did or not Arthur couldn't tell as the Prince schooled his features perfectly.
Arthur released the prince's arm and glanced toward the window. The sky had lightened enough that the edges of the rooftops stood out against the coming dawn. He pushed his chair back and stood. "It is not quite dawn yet, but it is close. I will escort you back to the Red Keep and then make my way down to the harbour. The men from the brothel spoke of a boat at first light. I mean to see who tries to spirit those eggs away."
Duncan rose as well, shaking his head while he tossed a few more coins onto the table for the innkeep. "I will join you."
Arthur stopped mid-step. "Your Grace, it is too dangerous. It is not the place for a prince to do the work of a guard."
Duncan's mouth curved into a stubborn smile. "Why not call the Goldcloaks instead?"
"Because they might not dock or come off the ship if they see a contingent of Goldcloaks waiting on the quay," Arthur answered. "A lone man can watch without raising alarm."
Duncan ignored the logic entirely and stepped toward the door, already reaching for his cloak. "I see your logic good squire but I am coming anyway."
Arthur followed him out into the cool morning air. "You are only doing this because you are chickening out of the conversation with Cassie."
Duncan did not reply. Instead he slapped Arthur's arm once, the impact solid and companionable, and started walking toward the harbour. "Come on let's go. I am still a better swordsman than you, so I can lend a hand if things turn sour."
Arthur sighed, falling into step beside him while the first pale light of dawn crept over the rooftops. "Stay behind me, then."
They moved through the waking streets of King's Landing while the city stirred around them, not many people were out so it was an easy trek. By the time they reached the harbour the sky had turned the color of old steel. They then found a small alcove behind a stack of empty barrels and simply kept watch for anything out of the ordinary.
They sat on a wall there with their backs to the barrels, as the morning grew brighter around them. Gulls wheeled overhead, crying out as they dove for scraps and the water slapped gently against the hulls of the ships.
After a while Duncan shifted and looked over to Arthur. "I am sorry for being an inconvenience to you tonight, Arthur."
Arthur chuckled while he kept his eyes on the nearest ship. "It's fine your grace. I dont mind it so much if there wrre not a chance of the prince dying on my watch."
Duncan chuckled too. "I think I miss that..."
Arthur turned his head slightly. "What do you mean?"
"As a prince there is so little excitement left in lifr that you long for moments when your life might be at risk," Duncan said while he rested his elbows on his knees and stared out at the water.
Arthur raised his eyebrows at that comment. He couldn't imagine a time in his life where he was grateful for nearly dying.
"When I was a younger man I fought in the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion. That was truly a sight to behold—swords flashing under open sky, the thunder of hooves, the smell of smoke and blood and fear. But ever since then... nothing."
"Sometimes it feels like we are expected to sit here and rot. Or to simply breed. There is no excitement... no risk!"
"A life without any risk... how is that a life at all?"
Arthur looked at him. "You have a wife who loves you. A family that cares for you. A roof over your head and warm food in your belly. There are many people in this city who have to fight every single day just to keep those things. Myself included."
Duncan opened his mouth as if to apologize again, but Arthur raised a hand to stop him. "It's fine. But a lesson I learned when I left my home is that it is far too easy to look at what we do not have rather than what we do."
Duncan considered the words for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "There is wisdom in that. More than I expected from a man half my age."
He paused, then asked, "May I ask you a question?"
"Of course, Your Grace."
"Is Mira your sister?"
Arthur barely managed to keep his face still. His pulse kicked hard against his ribs while the question hung between them like a drawn blade.
Duncan continued without even letting him speak. "It is a strange question to ask, I know. But the similarities between the two of you cannot be ignored. If you were cousins you would have admitted it by now. Marriage between cousins is common enough among the smallfolk. Yet you purposely leave out any kind of familial connection and expect people to believe it is simply a coincidence you look so similar."
Arthur felt panic rise sharp and sudden in his chest. Admit it? Lie? Run? The thoughts collided so fast he could not pick one.
Duncan kept speaking, voice calm and without accusation. "Though the most damning piece of evidence was the rider I sent to Harrowfield. He asked around for Arthur and Mira of Harrowfield and was surprised to learn the only people around there who had those names were brother and sister."
Arthur stood up slowly his hand drifting toward the hilt of his sword out of pure habit.
"Peace, Arthur," Duncan said while he remained seated, palms open on his knees. "I do not tell you this because I wish for you to run or because I want to blackmail you."
"Then why do you tell me?" Arthur asked.
Duncan shrugged. "I suppose to let you know that I know and perhaps build some trust between us."
Duncan paused for a moment before he looked up at Arthur again. "At first I investigated you because I was concerned. Such a skilled swordsman being at the heart of the Red Keep. If you had nefarious intentions, not many could stop you before you did irreparable damage."
"But I learned the only secret you kept was your love for your sister. How could I, a Targaryen, judge that?"
"Then I suppose I started to feeel guilty that I investigated someone that has been so loyal to my family, I mean look at what you've done tonight? Those dragon eggs are priceless treasures and you did not hesitate to get them back..."
Arthur swallowed once. "Will you tell anyone?"
"No," Duncan replied without hesitation. "I will not. But I believe Cassie deserves to know if she does not already."
"The only reason I mention it is because I want there to be some trust between us... we are going to be bonded by blood soon."
Arthur nodded slowly, fear and relief twisted together inside him. She did deserve to know. But in truth he was terrified of how she would react, of the look that might cross her face when the truth landed. Before he could find words to answer, movement caught his eye down on the quay. One of the men from the brothel approached the harbour, glancing over his shoulder as he made for the trading cog tied at the far end of the pier.
Arthur's hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. "Your Grace. One of them is here."
Duncan rose at once, all traces of the night's drink gone from his posture, and the two of them moved forward together while keeping down behind the stacked barrels. While keeping the man in sight they crept closer until they reached the edge of a warehouse wall where they could see the full length of the dock without being seen themselves.
The man walked down one of the piers and was greeted by around two dozen people who waited on the ramp to the ship and along the dock itself. The man from the brothel hurried toward them, his silver hair catching the light for a moment before he pulled his hood lower.
Duncan muttered under his breath while he crouched beside Arthur. "The Goldcloaks must not have captured all of them."
Arthur nodded while he kept his eyes fixed on the group. "No it seems not."
Duncan shifted his weight and glanced back toward the city. "We should call the Goldcloaks now before they slip away."
Arthur agreed. "You should be the one to go, Your Grace. Raise the alarm and bring them here. I will stay and keep lookout. If they start to cast off I can slow them down until help arrives."
Duncan nodded while he rested a hand on Arthur's shoulder for a brief moment. "Be careful. I will not be long." He slipped away along the wall and disappeared around the corner toward the nearest guard post.
Arthur stayed where he was, pressed against the rough stone while he strained his ears. Luckily he had [Sharp Ears] the trait sharpened every sound until the slap of water against hulls and the creak of ropes became clear as spoken words. He edged a little closer, sliding along the wall until he could see the ramp more clearly. The man from the brothel reached the group and the captain grabbed him by the front of his tunic and shook him hard enough that the man's feet left the ground for a second.
"You failed," the captain snarled while he shoved the man back a step. "We sent you for the eggs and you came back empty-handed like a whipped dog. Our father will be disappointed. Hopefully he kills you this time instead of just breaking your fingers again."
The man from the brothel tried to argue while he rubbed at his chest where the captain had grabbed him. "We were attacked by this massive knight. He came out of nowhere, beat all of us like we were children. I barely got away with my life."
Arthur chuckled softly under his breath while he stayed hidden. He wondered how they'd feel if they found out he wasn't a Knight.
The captain spat on the dock and turned to the others. "It does not matter now. We were able to kidnap two of the women that father and the red priest wanted. That should buy us some mercy. Get the ship ready within the hour. We sail before the sun clears the eastern towers or we all end up feeding the crabs."
The men moved immediately, hauling ropes and checking lines while the captain barked orders. Arthur cursed silently as he realized he could not wait for Duncan. Whoever they had kidnapped, he would not let them get away with it. But he could not simply charge in either. He had no armor, and with two dozen men already spread across the dock and ramp he would be cut down before he reached the ship.
He looked around, his mind working fast as he tried to come up with a solution. A line of smaller fishing boats and skiffs bobbed along the near side of the quay, tied loosely to iron rings set in the dock. The gaps between them were narrow, but the rigging and rails offered suitable handholds.
Arthur took a breath then moved.
He slipped from the warehouse wall to the first boat, landing lightly on the gunwale while his [Hyper Mobility] let his joints bend without strain.
He pushed off again, crossing to the next vessel in a smooth arc that used the mast as a pivot point. [Acrobatics] was incredibly in helping him vault over coiled ropes, swing beneath booms, and in the end dropping silently onto the deck of a third boat before leaping to the fourth. Each movement flowed into the next, his body doing it as if it had been ingrained into his very core.
He swung and dropped down to a narrow ledge along the hull near the waterline, found a hatch used for loading cargo, and eased it open before he slid inside. He was now below deck on the ship, hopefully this was where they kept the women otherwise he'd end up with a fight anyway.
Arthur moved between thee barrels that had been stacked up to the ceiling, with his sword drawn and held close to his body. The first sailor he encountered stood alone near a stack of crates, his back turned while he counted supplies. Arthur stepped in behind him, clamped one hand over the man's mouth and snapped his neck like his spine was drywood.
Two more men waited in the next passage, talking in loudly about the women in the hold and how the captain had given permission to use their mouths once they set sail.
Arthur took the nearer one first, sliding an arm around his throat while he pressed his blade against the other's neck in warning. The first man opened his mouth to shout; Arthur twisted hard and felt the neck snap with a pop. He then sliced the second man's throat from ear to ear and quickly caught him before he fell to the ground, he tried to scream but blood was filling up his throat and he could barely make a sound.
After putting them behind a barrel he continued through the ship and eventually found the women in a small cabin near the stern, their wrists were bound to iron rings set in the bulkhead. Both were young, no older than twenty, their fine dresses torn and stained with blood from split lips and bruised cheeks. Both had silver-gold hair, but what set them apart were one had blue eyes and the other green.
They looked like they were about to scream but Arthur quickly sheathed his sword at and raised both hands as he stepped inside and closed the door softly behind him. "Please don't scream I'm here to rescue you. My name is Arthur, I am a squire firm the Red keep and I'm here to get you out."
The woman with the silver hair spoke first while her voice trembled. "T-Truly... you're here to s-save us?" The woman with the blue eyes stuttered.
Arthur knelt and worked at the ropes with quick, careful fingers while he kept his voice low. "I am, these men are responsible for stealing a priceless treasure from the Red Keep, I assume that's where you were taken from too?" He asked.
The green-eyed woman answered while she rubbed her freed wrists. "Me and my sister were grabbed from our rooms barely a few hours ago, please get us out of here Ser, our father will greatly reward you if we are unharmed."
Arthur touched both of their hands, sending a small current of Hamon through them to comfort them. "Rest easy my ladies, I won't let any harm come to you, may I have the honour of knowing your names."
"Taera Velaryon."
"Vaera Velaryon."
Arthur's eyebrows rose up. He'd heard that Lord Vaemon Velaryon had come to the Red Keep but he had no idea he'd brought his two daughters. Why would two Velaryon women be targeted of all the people they had access to?
Arthur shook his head and cast those thoughts aside helped them both to their feet while he checked the bruises on their faces and arms. "Stay behind me and make sure to run the moment you get the opportunity."
Both of their women nodded though with how close they kept themselves to Arthur he didn't know if they'd actually follow that command. "Let's go," he said as he led the women through the ship. They had gone only a dozen paces when two sailors rounded the corner ahead, one carrying a coil of rope over his shoulder and the other wiping grease from his hands on a rag. The men stopped short at the sight of the women.
The first sailor opened his mouth to shout. Arthur moved before the sound could form. He lunged forward while his free hand clamped over the man's mouth and his sword drove up under the ribs in a single thrust. The blade slid between the man's ribs, punching through muscle and lung. The man convulsed once, then sagged as Arthur twisted the sword and yanked it free in a spray of hot blood that spattered across the planks.
The second sailor dropped the rag and fumbled for the dagger at his belt, but Arthur was already on him. He grabbed the man by the throat with his left hand, lifted him clear off the deck and slammed him back against the bulkhead hard enough that the wood cracked. The sailor's head bounced off the timber with a dull thud. Arthur then drove the sword through his chest before the man could draw breath to scream, pinning him to the wall for a heartbeat before ripping the blade free.
Taera gasped and pressed her face into Vaerra's shoulder while her whole body shook. Vaerra stared at the spreading pool of blood with wide eyes, one hand clamped over her mouth. Arthur wiped the sword on the dead man's tunic. "I know it is frightening, but we cannot stop. Come quickly now. We need to leave before more of them find us."
He took Taera's hand and Vaerra's in turn, giving each a brief squeeze of reassurance, then urged them forward past the bodies. The women stepped carefully around the blood and followed without hesitation.
They had climbed the ladder to the next deck, the narrow rungs slick under Arthur's boots, when a shout echoed from below. Someone had discovered the dead bodies. The alarm rang out and a man's voice bellowe "INTRUDER! They're loose!" followed by the thunder of running feet and the clatter of weapons being drawn.
Arthur cursed under his breath while he urged the women forward again. "Faster. Up the next ladder. Do not look back." He tried to get them to the hatch he had come through but it was on the next deck up.
They reached the deck above only to see dozens of men with swords coming toward them along the passageway.
Arthur walked forward slammed the door to the hatch room shut and threw his weight against it while he dragged a heavy crate across the threshold to bar it. The wood shuddered as fists pounded on the other side and voices roared for them to open up.
He turned to the women while his mind raced. "Can you swim?"
They both nodded quickly.
Arthur walked to the hull while he channeled Hamon through his body, keeping the golden energy tightly controlled so no visible sparks or glow showed on his skin. He drew his fist back and punched the planks with every ounce of strength he possessed. The wood exploded outward in a shower of splinters.
He pointed at the breach. "Jump out and swim the moment I go through those doors. Do not wait, get to the docks and find the Goldcloaks."
The women stared at the hole and then back at him, confusion and fear mixing on their faces. Taera's voice trembled again. "Why are you not coming with us? Can you not come with us? Please you cannot leave us alone."
"If they see us leaving from the top deck then they'll just shoot me and recapture you. I will keep them busy long enough for you to get clear. The Goldcloaks will be here soon and they will keep you safe. I promise."
Vaerra bit her lip, eyes darting between the hole and the barricaded door while her sister clutched her arm. They were reluctant but they agreed eventually after exchanging one last look and nodding to each other.
Arthur moved to the barricaded door while he drew his sword again. He took a quick count under his breath, then said, "Now," and kicked the door open with all his strength. The wood flew outward and crashed against the men who were holding it.
The women did not hesitate
They ran to the hole and jumped, bodies slicing into the cold water below with two quick splashes.
Meanwhile Arthur reached into his inventory with a thought and summoned Sunset in one smooth motion. At the same time the hidden blade slid from its sheath along his left forearm.
The first sailor lunged at him with a wild overhead chop. Arthur raised Sunset and met the blow with a ringing CLANG that sent sparks flying where steel met steel. He twisted his wrist, locked the blades, and drove his shoulder forward. The impact lifted the sailor off his feet and slammed him into the bulkhead with a wet crunch of bone against wood. Before the man could slide down Arthur drove the hidden blade up under his chin and through the soft palate. The sailor's eyes rolled back; blood bubbled at his lips.
Three more crewmen charged down the narrow passage. Arthur met them head-on. The first swung a heavy cut at his ribs; Arthur stepped inside the arc, parried with Sunset, and drove the hidden blade straight into the man's armpit where the mail gaped. The sailor screamed and dropped his weapon, Arthur kicked him aside and met the second attacker's thrust with a downward sweep that sheared the man's sword arm clean off at the elbow. The severed limb hit the planks with a thud and the sailor staggered back while blood jetted from the stump. Arthur finished him with a backhand slash across the throat that opened the artery in a hot spray.
The third man tried to circle behind him, but Arthur pivoted on his heel and caught the thrust on Sunset's crossguard. He used the man's own momentum to pull him forward, slammed his forehead into the sailor's nose with a sharp CRACK, and then drove the hidden blade up through the ribs and into the heart. The body jerked once and went limp. Arthur let it fall while he kept moving forward, boots slipping slightly in the spreading blood.
The passageway narrowed and turned. More men poured toward him from side cabins and ladders, drawn by the alarm. Arthur fought without pause. A burly sailor with a boarding axe swung at his head; Arthur ducked under the blow and rose inside the man's reach. Sunset flashed upward and opened the sailor's belly from groin to sternum. Guts spilled out in wet ropes while the man screamed and collapsed.
Arthur stepped over the writhing body and met two more at once. He parried the first blade with Sunset, caught the second man's wrist with his free hand, and twisted until the joint popped. The sailor howled; Arthur drove the hidden blade through his eye and out the back of his skull.
A thrown dagger whistled toward his throat.
[The World]
Arthur activated The World in the instant he saw the flicker of steel. Time froze. The dagger hung motionless in the air inches from his neck. He plucked it from the air and hurled it back at the thrower before time snapped forward again. The man's own blade buried itself in his chest with a meaty thunk. He looked down in shock, then toppled sideways.
Arthur pressed on up the ladder to the next deck. His breathing grew heavier now, he'd been awake for almost a full day now and had been active most of it, getting into so many fights and using the World was exhausting. A cut across his left forearm burned where a sailor had grazed him earlier. Another slash along his thigh stung with every step.
Eventually he reached the upper deck and found six men waiting in a loose semicircle, swords and axes raised. They had heard the fighting below and formed a line to block the way to the gangplank.
Arthur did not slow.
He charged the center of the line. The first man thrust at his chest; Arthur batted the blade aside with Sunset and drove his shoulder into the sailor's torso. The impact sent the man flying backward into two others. Arthur spun and slashed below, hamstringing a fourth man who dropped screaming.
The fifth swung an axe; Arthur caught the haft with his left hand, yanked the man forward, and rammed sunset up under the jaw. The sixth tried to flank him, but Arthur pivoted and met the attack with Sunset in a ringing parry . He followed with a knee to the groin that doubled the sailor over, then brought the pommel of Sunset down on the back of the man's skull with a crack that dropped him unconscious.
By the time Arthur burst onto the open main deck he had killed over a dozen men. His chest heaved, and sweat and blood streaked his face and tunic, his left leg dragged slightly from the cut on his thigh.
He stood at the top of the gangplank while the remaining crew formed a ring around him, blocking every escape.
"Thats him Craegor! He's the one who took the eggs back!" The man from the brothel spat out.
The captain looked at him and growled. "You're trapped, boy," the captain snarled while he stepped forward. "Drop the steel, return the eggs and we might let you have a quick death ."
Arthur raised Sunset in answer. "The day I surrender to scum like you is the day I deserve to have a slow death.
"You Targaryen loyalists are all the same... and you'll burn all the same," Craegor spat as he tightened his grip on his sword.
"Capture him, I want every strip of skin torn from his body until he begs for death!" He shouted, a moment later the men started getting closer to him.
Arthur raised his sword even more as he looked to the edges of the ship. He should be able to fight his way to the edge and jump off, but the question was would he be able to dive deep enough before they shot at him.
"Goldcloaks! To the ship! KILL THOSE BASTARDS!!!"
Arthur turned and his eyes widened as he saw Duncan running down the plank with his sword out along with a dozen Goldcloaks.
The crew turned towards the sound too, each of them looking more concerned than the last. Arthur seized the moment and lunged at the nearest man. Sunset flashed in a horizontal arc that opened the sailor's throat before the man could raise his guard.
Duncan charged up the ramp and met the first sailor with a thrust that punched through the man's mail and into his lung. He then ducked under a swing and launched himself behind the enemy before swinging backwards and cleaving the man's nape.
*Twang*
A crossbow bolt was loosed from the upper deck and launched straight towards Duncan only for it to be intercepted by Arthur who slashed it out of the air.
"You sure took your time," Arthur said as he blocked an overhead strike from a man who then kicked Arthur in the chest and straight into Duncan's back.
"Give me a break I'm drunk, I forgot where the closest guard post was," Duncan replied with a chuckle as he deflected another sword strike.
Arthur and Duncan fought together now, back to back at the center of the deck. Duncan parried a wild swing from a tall sailor, then riposted with a clean thrust that dropped the man gurgling. Arthur spun and caught an axe blow on Sunset's crossguard, twisted the weapon from the sailor's hands, and drove the hidden blade through the man's eye socket. The body slumped while Duncan finished another attacker with a sweeping cut that severed the man's sword arm at the elbow.
A sailor tried to flank Arthur from the left.
[The World]
Arthur felt the movement and activated The World just as the blade would have opened his side. Time froze. He stepped aside and slashed the man's neck. Time resumed and blood burst out of his neck before he collapsed on the ground.
"Arthur, left side!" Duncan shoured.
Arthur pivoted and met the pair while Duncan covered his right. Sunset sheared through the first sailor's guard and bit deep into his shoulder; the hidden blade finished the second with a thrust under the ribs.
The deck quickly became a slaughter. Arthur and Duncan moved as one now, each covering the other's blind spots. The Goldcloaks surrounded and killed anyone who tried to run.
The captain roared and charged Arthur directly, cutlass raised high. Arthur met him with Sunset in a ringing CLANG that jarred both their arms. The captain was strong and experienced, but Arthur's reach and strength overwhelmed him. Arthur forced the blades down, stepped inside, and slammed his elbow into the captain's jaw. The man staggered; Arthur followed with a knee to the stomach that folded him in half. Duncan moved in from the side and brought the pommel of his sword down on the back of the captain's head and the man dropped unconscious to the deck.
"Your captain is down, surrender now and you will be spared!" Duncan called out to the deck.
The remaining crew threw down their weapons and raised their hands when they saw their leader fall. The Goldcloaks moved among them quickly, binding wrists with rope and herding the survivors toward the docks.
Arthur stood in the center of the blood-slick deck while his chest heaved and blood dripped from the cuts on his arm and thigh.
Duncan walked over and clapped him on the shoulder.
"You did magnificently Arthur," Duncan said while he wiped sweat and blood from his face. "I encountered Taera and Vaera Velaryon running through the city streets shouting for help, they told me that you freed them and got them to safety."
Arthur nodded as he sheathed Sunset and retracted the hidden blade. His legs felt heavy now and the wounds burned, but the ship was theirs. The captain lay bound at their feet, groaning as consciousness returned.
Duncan looked at Arthur and gave a tired but genuine smile. "Let's get you back to the Red Keep before those cuts fester. You've done more than enough tonight."
────────────────────────────────
[QUEST COMPLETED]
THEFT OF EMBERS
────────────────────────────────
Description:
Three Dragon Eggs have vanished without a trace. With only Rhaella seeing a shadowed figure spirit them away.
Find the eggs. Uncover the truth. And decide whether your suspicions are justified... or dangerously misplaced.
────────────────────────────────
Objectives:
• Locate and recover all three Dragon Eggs
• Identify the true culprit behind the theft
Optional Objectives:
• Recover anything else the Thieves might've taken
Rewards:
• Familiar Token
• +500 XP
• Otherworld Token (Legendary)
Failure:
• Dragon Eggs lost permanently
• Unknown consequences begin to unfold
────────────────────────────────
Arthur did wonder why the quest hadn't completed until this point. Now he knew it was because of the optional objective, he would've failed them if he hadn't saved the Velaryon daughters.
"Well at least everything's turned out okay..." Arthur muttered as he stood up and walked off the ship and followed Duncan and the rest of Goldcloaks up to the Red keep.
__________________________________
[Otherworld Token] (Legendary)
Description:
Gain a legendary+ trait, item or skill without triggering Nightmare Mode Rebalance.
___________________________________
(AN: meh not really happy with this chapter, but can't do much about it. Anyway hope you enjoyed.)
Support if ya want.
Patreon.com/captainalfie78works