10th Moon, 8032

Sea of the Western Stepstones, South of Estermont

Nerissa Redune stood with her hands folded over the railing of her galley Sun Strider, her feet rocking due to the waves below, a light rain drizzling from the gray sky above the narrow sea.

They had been at sea for five days since departing from King's Landing with Hubert Cressey in tow, the King's Master of Laws, Lord of Mosborough and Overlord of the Blackwater Rush, a large fleshy man with blotchy pink skin,a bushy mustache and a jovial and amiable attitude.

For the first three days of their voyage they had kept in sight of land, passing by the beautiful island of Tarth and the misty coastal forests of the Rainwood. In those early days Lord Cressey had been a common sight above deck, laughing at jests with that booming laugh of his and sharing the cask of Arbor red he had brought with him with the crew.

These final two days in the open and choppy waters of the Narrow Sea he was a common sight above deck but for entirely different reasons, scarcely leaving the side of the galley, his favorite pastime of jesting replaced with retching. He even spurned dinner, a rare occurrence Nerissa guessed by the size of his paunch, His jovial and amiable attitude had largely left him the moment they lost sight of land, and it was clear to all aboard the Lord of the Blackwater Rush was not taking the voyage well.

‘’I shall be glad when these rough seas are behind us….your captain has assured me we shall reach Bloodstone by the morrow.’’ Lord Cressey declared, joining her at the rail, smelling of vomit and sweat.

Nerissa wrinkled her nose ‘’These are hardly rough seas, just a little rain.’’

‘’As you say my lady…but I shall be glad all the same…ah..pardon me.’’ He responded before hastily making it to the opposite deck to retch.

The Lady of Bloodstone rolled her eyes, in truth she would not have preferred to be escorting that tub of lard across the Narrow Sea, but when she had learned the Kings own Master-of-Laws was making a journey to Sunstone and Bloodstone on a councilors  progress to make sure the Kings laws were being kept and to hold court she had quickly seen the advantage in establishing good relations with the man, especially considering what his true purpose was.

She had offered to escort the man personally on the two finest of her six galleys Sun Strider and Blood Arrow both as a gesture of good will to the throne as this would free up the use of an escort from the royal fleet, as well as a show of strength that House Reddune was well and truly apart of the realm and not some irrelevant backwater.

Taking the initiative of establishing good relationships with the Kings councilors could greatly benefit her house since the man's other purpose, along with seeing the Kings laws upheld was to fabricate a claim on the pirate island of Dark Den, held by the Lysene Pirate family Saan.

Nerissa hoped that her efforts to serve the crown would be met with a reward, namely House Reddune being given ownership of Dark Den when it was conquered, increasing the family's influence over the new competitor in the region, Jorys Vunatis, the new lord of Bloodstone.

Myles Rowan, the old lord had died some months prior without an heir, and true to the agreement between the King and his kin, the island would not go to Myles’s brother, who could not govern an island all the way from Goldengrove.

Instead the King had granted the island to the Lyesene Ser Jorys Vunatis, a warrior who had rode with Orys Baratheon during the Lion's rebellion and was kin to the Vunatis family who had once owned Bloodstone before King Vaemond had conquered it in his youth, with the King stating that his connection with the local Lysene population would be a boon to the region.

An upjumped pirate Nerissa thought to herself.

The Lady of Sunstone was not exactly a saint herself, while pirates and piracy had been eliminated in Sunstone, Nerissa still maintained some contacts with the former pirates and had been known to overlook certain smuggling transactions on her own island for an appropriate tribute of course.

It was for that reason she was further pushed to escort the man personally, to get a feel for the man and determine what his price would be to overlook any breaches of the Kings Law he might find, though with their purposefully slow pace, Nerissa had hoped her people would have had the time to cover their tracks.

She was shaken from her thoughts by the smell of vomit once more as Lord Cressey joined her once more.

‘’Forgive the interruption my lady but….just a little rain you say?’’ The man said rather nervously.

True to his word, the light drizzle had been replaced with a more rapid downpour, and the gray clouds had darkened to a black, a deep rumbling coming from the sky.

The crews of Sun Strider and Blood Arrow had reacted accordingly and ran to their stations.

‘’Shall I escort you down below?’’ Lord Cressey, ever polite offered.

‘’I believe I can find my own way down.’’ Nerissa responded, forcing a smile, she could think of few things worse than sharing a cabin during a storm with the ever seasick lord.

The storm lasted nearly two hours, thrashing them about before the winds and thunder finally abated.

Nerissa made her way above deck slowly, they were still afloat at least but she dreaded to see the damage to her two finest galleys, the pride of House Reddune.

Sun Strider was dead in the water, her mast and sail at the bottom of the Narrow Sea, Blood Arrow was in better shape, but was blown several hundred meters away from its companion and was  listing to one side with a small hole in one side though her sails were intact.

‘’We shall have a long and grueling trip back to Sunstone my lady but at least the gods have left us with use of our oars….we shall repair the damage as best we can and continue on our way.’’ Her captain had told her.

Two hours later both ships were as fit as they would like to be to begin the trek back to Sunstone when several sails appeared in the distance, belonging to nearly half a dozen small yet swift galleys, cutting through the now calm waters.

‘’Traders?’’ Lord Cressey offered hopefully, but Nerissa did not answer him, a feeling of dread growing in her stomach as the brown canvas sails bearing the white tree of the Lysene pirate family Saan came into view.

‘’No my lord…..pirates…..seven save us.’’ Her captain replied finally before turning to the crew and bellowing for them to man the oars, with the crew of Blood Arrow similarly preparing to flee.

It was not much of a chase in truth, both of her ships were battered while the pirate galleys were freshly launched from some hidden island cove as they were likely to do in the aftermath of a storm.

They were on them within half an hour, boarding the ships with grappling hooks or simply jumping from deck to deck, fair haired pale Lysene, black skinned summer islanders and Westerosi outcasts were visible from Nerissa's spot crouched behind some barrels at the back of the ship, the pirate crews of the Stepstones were as diverse as the fish of the sea and had a smell to match.

Hubard Cressey had armed himself with a Longsword and was trying in vain to scream above the sounds of battle, offering to pay ransoms for every man.

The sounds of steel on steel filled the air, along with screams and men hitting the wooden decks.

She saw one of her sailors with an oar in hand, poking it forward to dissuade the pirate boarding party from leaping onto the deck from their other ship, but a summer islander with a large bow and a cloak of soiled gray feathers put an arrow in his stomach, clearing the way for the boarding party to attack.

A pirate with a fiery beard dyed red, a bulbous broken nose and yellow teeth appeared to be leading them, spreading red ruin with a steel falchion.

Her captain, busy pulling his dirk out of a pirates gut did not see the man approach until it was too late, the falchion blow taking nearly half the top of his head off in a spray of red, and it was all Nerissa could do not to scream out.

Turning, she saw that Blood Arrow had managed to repel the pirates and was free of their boarding ships.

Yes…..save us She thought to herself with a twinge of excitement that quickly turned to dread when she saw the ship was headed away from the battle, fleeing west…abandoning them to their fate.

All caution forgotten Nerissa got to her feet from behind her hiding spot and screamed at them until her voice was sore, the battle raging on behind her, she yelled every curse she knew, insulted their fathers and mothers, cursed their children and damned them all for sons of whores, and yet the ship continued its flight.

By the time she turned around the melee was almost done, what crew remained alive was being roped and chain, no doubt to be sold as slaves while the wounded were being finished off and the dead looted.

Lord Cressey stumbled towards her, bleeding from a heavy gash that ran from his eye to chin.

‘’My lady…..save yourself.’’ He gasped before collapsing to the deck, a throwing ax visible in his back.

How in the seven hells am I supposed to do that you damned fool She thought with despair and rage as she noticed several pirates had taken notice of her and were advancing.

She grabbed Lord Cresseys Longsword, which surprisingly was bloody, hefting it with two hands.

‘’Come then you sons of whores!’’ She screamed, if she was to die she would die as her father had, a sword in hand.

One of them chuckled ‘’Aye….we will be…in more ways than one.’’

‘’ How about you give us that sword of yours and well give you ours.’’ Another laughed.

‘’Stop……stop.’’ A voice wheezed and the men turned to identify it.

Lord Cressey had managed to get on a knee, blood pouring from his mouth.

‘’Thought you were dead.’’ A pirate said with surprise.

‘’She is a noble….the lady of Sunstone….she is worth a goodly ransom…but only if unspoiled.’’ Lord Cressey said, wheezing.

‘’That so?’’ One of the pirates asked , and the Lord nodded breathlessly.

The red haired captain had made his way to the scene, sparing a glance towards the two nobles.

‘’Id imagine you will be worth a ransom as well.’’ The pirate said softly, extending a hand towards Lord Cressey.

The mortally wounded Lord took the pirates hand, who pulled him…right into the tip of his Falchion, Lord Cressey gave a final gasp and slumped to the floor, dead before he hit the ground.

‘’He was done for.’’ The pirate explained before turning to the other reavers.

‘’Take the lady down below and set a course for Dark Den….loot what you can from the bodies then leave them from the Merling King.’’ He commanded, the pirates dragging Nerissa down below, cursing and kicking at every step.

 

10 Days Later

The Commander of the Gold Cloaks watched as the men were led to the scaffold, dirty and bound and full of fear.

Despite their crimes he felt a stab of pity for them, but he would not order the procession to stop, some would say he had shown the criminals too much leniency as it was in his decision to spare the woman.

She was poor, hungry and with child, desperate times…. He thought to himself, he had much in his life it pained him to think on, but his decision to spare the woman that had lured himself and Lucas Blackwood into the trap was not one of them.

‘’They are strung up my Prince….which one shall we start with?’’ One of his officers asked.

‘’All of them at once…..no need for them to watch their comrades die while they wait for their turn…kinder to finish it quickly.’’ he ordered, the officer nodding his acknowledgement.

As Prince Matarys watched the men go to their death, his thoughts turned to how life had begun anew.

His injuries from the ambush had been grievous, the thieves thinking him dead and leaving him to die next to the body of Ser Lucas Blackwood, and fleeing the scene with both mens valuables like vultures to carrion, stripping Matarys of everything, even his boots.

Shortly after two patrolling Gold Cloaks had come upon the scene and Matarys was rushed to the red keep. He remembered little of those first few days, the concerned looks of the maesters, the numbing of milk of the poppy and a terrible aching in his head.

It had taken almost a year to completely regain his strength and to recover from the terrible headaches that assailed him from the slightest movement, and his nose was so badly broken it would forever remain bent…but the effects of the mugging ranged far beyond the physical.

The blow to the head had changed something in Matarys……ever since he was a child he had been known as what the Targaryens called ‘’born touched’’ or with a sickness in the mind. In Matarys’s case it had made him prone to fits of emotion and tears, a fear of responsibility and a lack of understanding of the world.

It had not taken his family long to notice a difference about him, a calmness about him, a change in his eyes. For Matarys it was not so clear, he could remember very little about himself before the attack, his memories clouded and foggy as if they belonged to someone else's, a life lived in a state of dreaming.

Nevertheless, his brother had told him much of his older self when he visited his sickbed, and what Matarys heard made him cringe, he had been a fool, the family jester that all men japed about behind his back.

I am a new man Matarys reminded himself, as he often did when his mind wandered to the weak and childish man he had once been.

He did not have long to take in his new situation after his recovery as immediately when he was strong enough, Vaemond offered him the position as Commander of the City Watch and Lord of King's Landing, which had been held by interim gold cloak officers since Lucas Blackwoods murder.

It was not something that Matarys had wanted, but he had accepted, for far too long he had been a royal freeloader of little usefulness, he would do his duty for his house.

He was shaken from his thoughts by a sound from the scaffolds, the floors underneath the six men who had finally been arrested for their role in the ambush that wounded Matarys and killed Ser Lucas dropped to the floor.

Most of the men died near instantly, but one man, who he recognized as being the one that had slit Lucas Blackwood's throat, was thick of neck and survived the fall, choking and sputtering, his face turning a terrible shade of purple and red.

Seeing his own men were content to sit and laugh at the man's misfortune, it fell upon Matarys to end the man's suffering.

Walking over to him briskly, Matarys grabbed his legs and yanked down, ending the man's pain.

The old Matarys would have fled the scene immediately, but he did not have that luxury now, he was commander of the city watch and things were expected of him.

He forced himself to look at the bodies, swinging from the scaffolds, looking more creature than human with purple and black faces and bulging eyes.

My work….but necessary He thought to himself grimly before turning to one of his officers.

‘’Take them down from there….and give them to the silent sisters.’’ He commanded.

‘’Pardon my prince, but could be leaving them up there a few days could be a good warning to the peasantry….let them rot up there.’’ The man replied.

‘’That is not how my brother….your King wishes his city to be run…take them down…for all their crimes they are still men.’’ Matarys answered sternly before leaving the grim scene, an escort in tow to return to the red keep where he would inform his brother that justice had finally been delivered.

The large oak doors leading to the airy and spacious meeting chambers of the small council were guarded by the two newest members of the Kingsguard, replacements for the Late Lord Commander Corlys Velaryon and Duncan Lake, who had passed peacefully earlier that year.

Ser Theonald flashed him a crooked yellow grin through his bushy black beard as he approached. The man was of humble stock, having spent the last decade as a hedge knight in service to the clawman Lord Brune, but Vaemond was never one to care much of such things, stating that the Kingsguard needed good swords not good names, and Ser Theonald had fought bravely alongside the King at the battle of the Whispers all those years ago, leading the charge on the ruins that was instrumental in winning the victory.

The young lad next to him with the blonde hair was much the opposite. Where Ser Theonald was older, the knight Colin Fossoway was young, where Theonald was dark, Ser Colin was fair, and unlike his older companion, the young reachman had the benefit of a noble name.

‘’The King is inside my prince.’’ The young reachman said as Matarys nodded and pushed the heavy door open.

He found his brother inside deep in conversation with a tanned man with a drooping brown mustache wearing a gray tunic and salt stained cloak, seeing the prince approach, the two exchanged a final word before the man bowed and withdrew.

‘’It is done……justice has been delivered.’’ Matarys reported to his brother, whose face was etched with concern and tightly drawn.

‘’Done quickly I hope.’’ Vaemond responded and Matarys nodded his assent.

His brother sighed and poured them each a cup of wine, gesturing for Matarys to join him at the table.

‘’Three years ago if I had been told you would be presiding over an execution…well…I would have found it far fetched to say the least.’’ Vaemond said with a wry smile.

Matarys took a sip of his wine ‘’I never wanted any of this in truth….but I will do my duty.’’

Vaemond nodded ‘’I know you didnt….but who else could I entrust my city to than my own blood….our father would be proud of the man you have become.’’

Father knew me only as a weak and frightened child Matarys thought to himself, the thought causing him more discomfort than he liked so he changed the subject.

‘’Who was that?’’ Matarys asked, nodding towards the door the man had left from.

His brother's face grew serious, and he took a sip of wine.

‘’Hubard Cressey and Nerrisa Reddune, Lady of Bloodstone, you know of her?’’ He asked.

Matarys nodded, he remembered Lord Reddune from his youth, a proud old dornishman that had risen from King's Justice to a lord in his own right serving his father and mother, he had never met his daughter but he assumed she would be of age by now.

‘’That man captained one of her galleys….he says the ship carrying the Lady Reddune and Hubard was set upon and boarded by pirates south of Estermont, flying the banner of the Lysene captain Saan, his ship was able to escape but he does not believe they made it out.’’ Vaemond said, standing and pacing around the room.

‘’Hubard is a good man.’’ Matarys offered, he had enjoyed the company of the realms Master of Laws, with the two being very similar, both in attitudes and appetite.

‘’Aye….and it's a poor King who allows members of his own small council to be captured by pirates….Lord Cressey was traveling to the Stepstones on my orders…I feel responsible.’’ Vaemond said, stopping his pacing and grabbing the back of his chair with two big hands.

‘’What do you mean to do about it?’’ Matarys questioned.

The King was silent for a moment before responding ‘’Neilyn Reddune served my father well, he fought with me at the battle outside of Sunstone, my first victory….and he gave his life for my cause at Edgerton…..and Hubard proved himself a good man as you said, and a loyal councilor…..I mean to free Neilyns girl and Lord Cressey…if they are still alive I will rescue them.’’

‘’And how do you mean to do that?’’

Vaemonds hands tightened around the hilt of Blackfyre ‘’I will raise the fleet of Dragonstone and sail to Dark Den myself, I shall root out these pirates from their keep and expel them from the island, and rescue my subjects.’’

‘’Dark Den is likely to be well defended.’’ Matarys cautioned.

Vaemond nodded ‘’Maybe….but I have a dragon….Moondancer is large enough to fly into battle.’’

Matarys nodded, not for the first time feeling a sense of admiration for his brother's bravery.

‘’In my absence, Lord Tully shall rule the realm and sit on my throne, but I want you by his side….you will sit on the small council, a seat I should have given you long ago.’’ Vaemond said.

‘’Brother I….’’ Matarys began

‘’Spare me Matarys…I know you don't want it but I know you will do your duty….as you are so fond of saying, I entrust my city and my family to you and Lord Tully, and I do it with confidence.’’ His brother said, clapping him on the back before leaving to make preparations for the expedition.

 

Two Weeks Later

Vaemond urged Moondancer downwards as the arrows whistled on the air, singing their deadly song.

One glanced off of the white dragon's wing, clattering harmlessly onto the rocky grounds below where the levy of Dragonstone was engaging the pirates of the Saan family in front of the crumbling black stone keep of Dark Den, the small fortress of the Saan.

The royal expedition had been fortunate, they had been expecting to face the pirates at sea in a bloody naval battle in the waters outside of Dark Den, but a chance storm had destroyed much of the pirates' ships, forcing them to fight out of their element on land.

Moondancer had grown in recent years, and while still quite small it was now 15 feet long, large enough to get its first taste of combat.

Ordering his dragon as close to the ground as he dared and leaning down in the saddle to avoid the incoming arrows, Vaemond delivered a sharp kick to the dragon's side with a boot, and Moondancer did the rest.

A group of pirates were quickly bathed in a burst of white hot flame, beginning a terrible dance like puppets at a mummers show, shrieking and flailing about before Vaemond shouted in valyrian for another torrent of flame, giving them the gift of mercy.

Moondancer, flying above the battlefield latched on to an unfortunate pirate with its back legs and, with considerable effort made its way into the sky, bearing the weight of two men before dropping the pirate below with a scream.

Bad way to go Vaemond thought with pity, but nonetheless ordered Moondancer forward.

The pirates, more suited for fighting on a deck beneath them than a shieldwall, and wholly unsuited for combating a dragon began to flee for the hills or back to the crumbling black stone ramparts of Dark Den, the levy of Dragonstone hot on their heels.

Vaemond circled around on Moondancer, allowing his own men to place wooden scaling ladders and begin the assault before he too joined in, after seeing where he was most needed.

Not many had chosen to stand and fight, so it was a simple enough task for most of the walls to be taken by the armored knights and men at arms of Dragonstone, but nevertheless there was some fighting on the walls and in the courtyard.

Flying Moondancer above the courtyard of cobbled walkways and overgrown grass, he spied a simple unassuming wooden barracks.

Vaemond doubted that the pirate Lord Saan would keep his prisoners in the small squat keep of black stone alongside his own family, so this was likely the castle's small prison.

That must be where they are keeping them Vaemond thought, urging Moondancer to the ground with a heavy thud and sliding from the saddle to the ground, drawing Blackfyre.

He had learned from his melee all those years ago at the Whispers that it would likely be a poor idea to storm the barracks alone, so he waited for a few reinforcements, three men at arms joining him after finishing off some pirates in the courtyard while others stormed the keep. Vaemond, seeing the distinctive white enameled and cloak armor of one of his Kingsguard in the crowd shouted him over, Ser Ryon Wells bringing their party to five.

A bearded man at arms in a leather brigandine and mail coif set about the door with an ax and it fell to the ground with a thud, Vaemond rushed in with Blackfyre at the ready…..

And was greeted with the sight of nearly 15 pirates assembled in a half circle, ready to make a final stand.

The pirates, seeing their advantage in numbers,  rushed at them with a ragged cheer.

A lyseni in brown robes rushed at the King, ax in hand, Vaemond raised his shield arm instinctively to defend himself, only to realize at the last moment that he had left his shield on Moondancers saddle.

The blow rang off his black armored gauntlet with a loud crack, sending a  ringing down his forearm and up his shoulder.

Vaemond stumbled back, thoroughly disoriented now, before he tripped on the remains of the door and fell on his back, the Lyseni advancing forward, Blackfyre slipping from his grasp, his eyes water from the smoky fire in the center of the longhall.

Around him, the melee continued, with the man at arms that had broken the door collapsing with an ax to the neck that nearly decapitated him, sending chainmail links everywhere like fresh fallen snow.

Ser Ryon Wells, surrounded by all sides, tried to fight his way to his King, but there were several pirates in between him and Vaemond and the man was trying to wrestle past a shirtless pirate and parry another axeman with his sword at the same time.

The lyseni in brown robes continued his advance, ax at the ready as Vaemond fumbled on the packed dirt ground for Blackfyre, clutching his fingers around the hilt in a desperate attempt to hack upwards at the man's groin from laying on his back.

Strong as he was, he knew his clumsy strike would never reach the man before the pirate buried his ax in his breastplate and caved his chest in, but he would try all the same.

I will die with a sword in my hand The King thought to himself as the pirate raised his ax.

Suddenly there was a deafening crash to the side of them, the remaining combatants pausing their fighting in surprise.

Moondancer had charged into the ramshackle wooden walls of the longhall, creating a hole large enough to stick his head in, no sooner than he had appeared blasting an inferno of white flame at the massed pirates who began the burning man's dance shrieking before bathing the rest, including the pirate that had been preparing to strike Vaemond, burning just feet away from the King.

Ser Ryon needed no further invitation and pulled a dirk from his grappling opponent's belt and drove it into the distracted man's eye before running to Vaemond and helping him up.

‘’Are you hurt your Grace?’’ Ser Ryon questioned desperately once he was on his feet, patting the King down, looking for any wounds.

Vaemond shook his head wordlessly, breathing heavily and dusted himself off, stumbling towards the back of the longhall, his ears ringing with the sound of  crackling flame.

It was there he found Nerrisa Reddune, dirty, frail and back against a post and hands tied above her head. In their wroth at her inability to provide a rich ransom, the pirates had clearly left her their for some time.

Ser Ryon Wells cut her loose and she collapsed into Vaemonds arms.

‘’You are safe now…..’’ Vaemond said, gently holding her comatose body to his chest but even as he said the words he knew they were a lie, she was clearly suffering from some sort of sickness and looked to be half dead.

‘’Im dying’’ The young Lady of Sunstone said weakly, though in question or statement he could not say.

There was a long pause before Vaemond found his words to answer, taking her hand in his.

‘’Yes.’’

She died in his arms shortly after.

He remained like that for some time before gently laying her body on the hard packed dirt floor and rising to his feet.

The adrenaline had worn off by then, and the enormity of the scene all hit him at once.

The smell of the burning flesh of the pirates, smoldering in the hall behind him, the sickly sweet scent of death mixed with the smell of shit and smoke, the closeness of his own death just minutes before, the open yet cold and unseeing eyes of Nerrisa Reddune.

Never again Vaemond thought to himself, the presence of death heavy on his soul.

Vaemond left the Stepstones the following day, forever changed by the experience and made it known to Nyel when he returned to her that he would never again leave her to go to war, his days of fighting and killing were done

The intent of the expedition had been to rescue Lord Cressey and Lady Reddune, never to expand the realms presence in the Stepstones, but with the Saan family fled and most of the pirates expelled from the island, annexation was a logical choice.

Vaemond granted the island to one Ser Elwood Elesham, a former petty lord in the Vale whose lands had been stolen by an ambitious neighbor. Not only did Vaemond wish to restore a former noble to a lordly seat, but House Elesham had prior experience ruling over one of the small islands off the Vales northern coast and would do well in the Stepstones.

Dark Den was no suitable name for a knight's lordly seat, so Vaemond ordered the island renamed to Nerrisa, and the castle to Castle Nerissa, the latest island to be purged of piracy in the Kingdoms easternmost  frontier.