Story Arc Seven: Rise of the Dragonwolf

A/N: Hello everyone. Sorry for the long delay. I have been extra busy this past month and a half. Also, after reworking the Interlude chapter between arcs 6 and 7 that I originally had in mind about 3 times, I realized I simply didn't like where it was going. So, to avoid more delays, I decided to jump immediately to the first chapter of the Seventh Arc and just mention the events that happened in the interlude "off-screen" at a later date.

Anyway, this chapter will include a story from one of the books. Specifically, a story from the Fire and Blood in-universe historical volume, in case you are wondering. Just letting you know if you hadn't read it. It has some...relevant... setup for future content. I hope you like it.

Anyway, thank you for your patience. And like always, read, enjoy, and review!

The Narrow Sea: Northern Region

It has been a few hours since they started flying away from Braavos and King Jon still found the sight of the blue-wide sea quite mesmerizing. And given that when he had set out to Braavos it was his very first time crossing an ocean instead of bordering a coastline, he imagined it would take a while before the horizon started boring him. Especially from the privileged view that he had while soaring across the sky.

Feeling the arms of his sister wrapped around his waist, he smiled. He had only risked a few looks back to see her face once they reached the open sea but she had certainly seemed as delighted as he was, the wind buffeting their faces as they examined the Narrow Sea from above. And making his dear sister happy felt good, especially after all the pain and tragedy his family had endured in the last several years.

Suddenly, she broke her silence for the first time in over an hour. "Look!" She called, pointing with one finger at a spot of the waves below them.

Jon followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow when he saw the very broad, fat-bellied ship.

"Hmm," He mused. "That has to be the biggest ship I have seen. None of the vessels that Stannis lend me were that wide. And while I had much on my mind on Braavos, I don't think I saw any ships with such tall masts."

"Ah, yes," Bellegere said with a tone of dawing realization. "That's an Ibbenese ship. I have seen quite a few of them on Braavos over the years, and even on the Summer Isles the one time I visited the homeland of the original Black Pearl. They are renowned for their strength and resilience, as they are built to withstand ferocious storms while hunting the biggest of all whales; the enormous leviathans."

"Huh," Jon muttered. "Now that's impressive. After all, I have heard that leviathans surpass even dragons in size when fully grown."

Before them, they heard a brief but unmistakable snort. There was a moment of silence at that before Arya actually started laughing, her voice carried through the wind.

"Careful brother, I don't think your dragon likes to be reminded of such a thing," She said, amused.

The King of the North and the Trident titled his head in bewilderment before agreeing and started to affectionately caressing her neck. "Sorry girl, didn't mean to make you feel smaller."

The wide was blowing strongly so it could have been his imagination, but he could have sworn his wonderous she-dragon actually purred for a moment at that. Shaking his head, he gave one last look at the huge vessel before it left disappeared from view.

"I wonder how far you could get on a ship like that without making port," He mused. "Depending on where they set sail, perhaps they could even discover unexplored islands."

Behind him, he heard Bellegere chuckle. "Well, those are impressive ships, I will grant you, but they are built more for resilience than speed. So, if you ask me, my King, should you ever decide to build an expeditionary fleet to explore new lands, you could always commission the construction of ships inspired by the success of the fabled Sun Chaser."

Jon frowned. He believed he had heard Maester Luwin mentioned that ship at some point during his history lessons back at Winterfell but he couldn't remember many details.

"The what?" Arya asked in turn, her tone curious.

"Wait, you don't know about that?" Bellegere asked in such a flat tone he could almost hear her blinking. "I mean, sure, the Sun Chaser was built on Braavos but the expedition was lead by a Westerosi and it set sail from Oldtown. I would have thought it would be a very popular tale in your homeland as well."

Jon shrugged. "The North and its people have always been more isolated than the rest of Westeros and aside from the people of White Harbor, Bear Island, and Skagos, we don't usually venture far from our coasts. I do think I have heard that tale once during my studies but there my kingdom has such a long history that it can be hard to remember many details from my history lessons sometimes. But please, tell us more about it while we pass the time."

"Well," Bellegere said after a moment's pause, "The Sun Chaser was a Braavosi ship captained by Lady Elissa Farman, but if I recall correctly, she used the alias Alys Westhill at the time. The ship was constructed early during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen. From what I have heard, even before its construction, it had been the dream of Lady Elissa for many years."

"It was built for deep waters," She went on. "Unlike most Braavosi ships, she was not oared. Also, unlike the Ibbenese whaler we just passed, she was four-masted with a lot of sail, which would have made the renowned carrack a lot faster while keeping a similar size. It also had a much broader beam and a deeper hull than usual. By the time it was finished, the large and fast vessel was the greatest ship to have come out of the Arsenal of Braavos, before or in the two and a half centuries since."

"Hmm," Jon murmured. "Sounds like a very expensive ship."

The Black Pearl actually laughed merrily at that. "Oh, you have no idea. Lady Farman actually paid for it with the money she gained from 3 dragon eggs she stole from House Targaryen."

"Oh," Arya said in a surprised tone as she gripped his waist more tightly. "I guess that explains why she went by another name then."

Jon just nodded.

"Indeed," Bellegere said in agreement. "And from what I have heard, King Jaeherys almost decided to attack the Sealord's Palace with his own dragon to make an example of influential people willing to get their hands on the eggs from their House. It seems the Iron Bank talked him out of it by forgiving the debt of the Iron Throne, though."

"Hmph, given that I hadn't heard stories of Braavosi dragonriders, I take it those eggs didn't hatch?" His sister asked.

"I assume they didn't, yes," The famed courtesan replied. "Although, I doubt anyone really knows for sure by now, given that a few years after the infamous Dance of Dragons, the Sealord's eggs, carefully guarded at his menagerie, were stolen."

"Really?" The young king asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Now that must have been the theft of the century, especially considering how rare the eggs would have been then and who had them."

"You can say that again," The Black Pearl said as the wind carried her voice to his ear. "I understand that the Sealord was beyond furious that he couldn't find the culprits. All he knew was that they fled north of Braavos somewhere but they were never found again after that."

"Interesting," Jon said slowly. "Given that, assuming they stuck to that direction, there isn't much to find north of Braavos aside from my kingdom. And I can assure you, I have never heard of anyone in the North owning dragon eggs, never mind in the not so distant past."

He felt a chain of movement from behind that he assumed was her shrugging. "Who knows where those dragon eggs ended up? But anyway, Alys desired to sail beyond the Sunset Sea, to find lands between the far eastern shores of Essos and Ulthos that no one had found before. That is why she commissioned her unprecedented vessel."

"Wait, she wanted to discover what was west of Westeros?" Arya asked, sounding very intrigued. "I have actually been dreaming about doing just that recently."

Jon blinked rapidly. That was the first he heard his little sister mentioning that desire of hers.

"And who can blame you?" Bellegere responded with an encouraging tone. "Now that would be a thrilling adventure. Besides, now that we can contemplate how wide this part of the Narrow Sea looks from the skies, I can't help but wonder how far would a well-supplied expeditionary fleet get if they could have a dragonrider accompanying them for protection and for scouting ahead; maybe with one of the ships being built with a specially designed deck for the dragon to rest when needed."

Arya's grip tightened around him and Jon assumed she was busy imagining such fascinating possibilities. Jon scratched his chin as the conversation took that sudden turn, contemplating the idea of finding new, valuable lands that could provide bright opportunities for his subjects. After all, there will come a time where he will have to focus on rebuilding the damage his domains suffered since the War of the Five Kings began years earlier, and if he were to find new lands that were rich in resources then that could certainly help improve the prosperity of his people, provided these lands wouldn't be too far away.

He was snapped out of his thoughts, however, when the Black Pearl continued with the story.

"At any rate, the Captain of the Sun Chaser departed Oldtown with her new crew of explorers, along with two other slower ships lead by a couple of members of the...Hightower family was it?" She wondered for a moment as she clearly, tried to remember. "Yes, I think they were Hightowers. Grandsons of the Lord at the time, I believe. Regardless, they had decided to join her expedition in search of fame and fortune. I don't remember the exact amount of time they traveled but from what I have heard, eventually, the Sun Chaser and her companions were as far south as the Summer Islands, and farther west than any ship had been before, according to the calculations the men on the ship, anyway."

"And did they found any new, undiscovered lands?" His sister asked.

"Actually yes," Bellegere responded. "According to the reports from the Hightower that survived the expedition once he returned to Oldtown, it took some time to get to that point and before then, one of the slower ships was actually dragged down to the depths by a massive Kraken but ultimately, they saw a trio of islands. Captain Westhill named them Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya, in honor of the famous Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives. And they remain, as far as I know, the most westerly lands ever discovered in the known world."

"Fascinating," Arya said, her voice thick with interest. "What did they discovered on those islands?"

"Well," The famed courtesan said after a moment's pause, "I may be forgetting a few details but from what I do recall, the islands were not particularly large. I do think I heard one comparison saying that, combined, they were around the size of the Westerosi island of Dragonstone for what it is worth. However, it was said that they were pleasant and bountiful. Springs and streams provide plentiful freshwater. The islands were uninhabited but for the wildlife, which I believe included wild pigs and some manner of huge, sluggish grey lizards as big as deer, whose bites could apparently cause severe infections," She explained. "The trees were heavy too, with edible nuts and fruits completely unknown in other lands."

"Alright, that definitely sounds like a remarkable discovery," Jon acknowledged, feeling more and more immersed in the story. "What happened next?"

"Next, the two remaining ships parted ways," The Black Pearl of Braavos responded. "The Hightower survivor...Ser Eustance was it? I am honestly not entirely sure but let's call him that way for now to save time. Anyways, Ser Eustace declared these islands were discovery enough and vowed to return to Westeros. Elissa was incredulous; arguing that, while the three islands were impressive, they were not going to justify the enormous cost of the trip or the ruinous loss of life. So, the Captain decided to press on. Ser Eustace wished her well but knew his crew would never tolerate a further adventure, having seen the fate of their sister ship at the tentacles of the enormous Kraken. As I understand it, the last Ser Eustace saw of the Sun Chaser it was fitting its name, sailing directly into the setting sun."

"Eventually," She continued, "after a perilous journey extended by necessary repairs, Ser Eustace returned to Oldtown and reported all of what I just told you and more. The tale spread across Westeros and beyond, becoming the wonder of the moon. After all, it was a genuine voyage of adventure, discovery, and exploration. My mother also told me once that, for a time there was talk of claiming the three islands in the name of King Jaehaerys, or even sending other ships west after the Sun Chaser, but then the idea faded, replaced by some other news. It seems the Hightowers and Targaryens both considered further adventures and dismissed them since reaching the islands was possible but it would be too easy to founder in storms or suffer the fate of the sunken ship and its crew."

"Then that means, those uninhabited and bountiful islands are still unclaimed," Arya said slowly, and Jon could practically sense the determination in her gaze.

As the group fell silent once more, the new king had to admit the idea was intriguing.

"If I end up actually marrying Margaery Tyrell as well, then that would facilitate the expansion of my domains to encompass the Reach and by extension, Oldtown," He reminded himself mentally. "Maybe one day I can take advantage of my new contacts with the Iron Bank and the shipbuilding Arsenal of Braavos to commission a fleet of ships like the Sun Chaser. Any future discoveries could benefit my people in certain ways and the success on such naval expeditions would certainly make my newly minted rulership over the Reach more popular since Oldtown would probably be the best-positioned city in my domains to explore the Sunset Sea. Who knows, maybe we could even find an unknown crop that could grow in the middle of winter. Now that would be great news for my farmer subjects."

Suddenly, he noticed that Arya was trying to get his attention by shifting the position of her hand and touching a higher spot on his back, repeatedly. Before he could turn around, he noticed she opened her mouth for a barely noticeable whisper.

"Talk to me mentally," She told him.

Jon raised an eyebrow but hurried to make a wish so that his sister and he could communicate with their minds once more.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Do you think you could use your powers to find out if there really are other lands aside from those 3 islands to the west of Westeros?"

Jon blinked, scarcely able to believe he hadn't thought of that before.

"I should be able to, yes," He thought to her. "But like I told you before, I would have to include you on the sentence to make the wish function."

"In that case, please do so but when you make the wish, do not word it in such a way that I would learn that information at the same time as you," His sister requested. "I just want you to tell me if the answer is yes or no."

Jon paused at that, considering. "And if the answer is that yes, there are indeed other lands across the Sunset Sea?"

He could practically feel her mirth in their mental connection. "Then one day, you will have to get used to calling me, Captain Arya."

Despite everything, Jon almost couldn't contain the laughter that was threatening to escape his belly. But he managed in the end, which was good because he wasn't sure how he would have explained that outburst to Bellegere. Leave it to his little sister to prefer being addressed as a Captain rather than a Princess.

"Ah, I really did miss you," He thought to her, beaming his delight at her.

"The feeling is mutual, brother," She told him in silence as she hugged her body to his more firmly.

And after taking a deep breath, he started thinking for a few moments to determine how he wanted to visualize his wish. Eventually, he remembered a large map of the known world that he saw in the library of Winterfell years before. That's when it occurred to him to word the wish in such as way that he would picture any potential lands west of Westeros like a map in his head but on a similar scale. That way, he could get an idea about the size too by comparing any unknown landmasses to Westeros and more.

And so, he wished to gain that knowledge while specifying that if his sister Arya fell from his dragon before they reached their destination, she was to survive the fall completely unharmed.

In a matter of seconds, the image of the old map erupted in his mind but this time, the gaps to the west were filling across his mind's eye. It only lasted a few moments before the images faded but the meaning was clear to him and it made him blink.

Before his thoughts could race out of control while their mental connection was still open, he got her attention.

"Arya...the answer is a big, fat yes," He thought to her.

And just like that, he severed their mind link before he could say more.

There was a long moment of silence after that, where Arya's seemed to sit straighter in the saddle as if she had heard fantastic news which filled the depths of her passionate soul. Which, he supposed, was quite true under the circumstances.

"Thank you for sharing that story, Bellegere Otherys," He said aloud. "Those fascinating details have given us much to think about, I believe."

"You're welcome, your Grace," Was all she said.

The young god scratched his chin as his thoughts whirled around.

"Well, now that was a lot more unclaimed land than I expected," He thought to himself.

Then he shook his head before chuckling lightly, feeling the unexpected urge to have a drink in his hand so that he could make a toast...to a brave new world.

A/N: Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed it! I will certainly try to update much sooner next time. My current schedule is still a bit busier than usual but with the previous writer block bypassed, it should definitely be easier to update sooner. But like I always say, leaving a comment usually helps a lot, as it shows me that you guys care. So, until next time everyone. Sorry again for the delay and hope to hear from you soon.