"Your skills with the spear have suffered." Oberyn commented, followed by quick jabs that Harry struggled to defend.
"I lacked a good sparring partner." Harry said in his defence as he returned the favour by going in the offensive by poking holes in Oberyn's guard, but he didn't have much success.
"That is not a good excuse." said Oberyn before rushing in with a flurry of strikes.
Harry adjusted his grip on his spear while dancing around the training yard, dodging Oberyn's attacks. At one point, the spear nearly clipped his cheek, and only his timely intervention with the greaves of his forearm saved him. But he paid the price of getting a whack on his left leg when he failed to properly move owing to the awkward angle he was forced into while defending himself.
"I hear a tell that you might be engaging in a war with the Vale."
"A war with the Vale! I generally try to avoid wars with one of the Seven Kingdoms." said Harry as he recovered from the smack he received while looking for an opening.
"Then why do I hear that war is imminent in the eastern seas?" Oberyn asked as he spun his spear in one hand, making the air whistle.
"Sailors and their wild imaginations. You know how these things go." Harry shrugged before surging forward in a flurry of strikes, which Oberyn expertly dodged, utilising speed and his highly flexible body.
Harry expertly weaved in his spear and delivered a flurry of jabs that kept Oberyn on his toes. When he pulled back slightly, Oberyn tried to return the favour, but Harry was prepared this time. He locked Oberyn's spear between his spear and his right foot before breaking it with a quick kick with his left leg.
"Good one." said Oberyn while holding out his hand towards Nymeria, who threw another spear into his waiting hands.
"There is no smoke without a fire. So, why are you gathering your fleet in your harbour if not to attack an enemy?" Oberyn asked as they once again engaged in a bout.
Harry ducked as the butt end of the spear whooshed past several inches from his face. He immediately put more distance between them while keeping a close track of Oberyn's movements while preparing counters of his own.
"A pirate infestation in the Bite is bothering our shipping. We captured a couple of them, including the nephew of Lord Torrent of Littlesister. The Sistermen are involved, as is Lord Baelish, one of the lords in the Fingers."
"Baelish? I remember him. He is the Master of Coin, is he not?" Oberyn asked.
"Yes." Harry said shortly before he jumped into action by raining blows one after the other on Oberyn, who put up a display of unparalleled defence.
"Let me guess. Jon Arryn is dallying with flowery words and his usual bluster." Oberyn guessed as he danced around Harry's attacks.
"More or less." Harry admitted, letting out a huff as the strain set in after half an hour of continuous battle.
Still, he strengthened his hold on the spear while smacking away some of the dangerous strikes from Oberyn while dodging the rest.
"I'm not surprised. That man is a master of not doing anything." Oberyn said with a derisive snort.
Harry suddenly lunged forward, seeing an opening to sweep Oberyn's legs from under him. But his attempts were only partially successful. He managed to keep the Dornish Prince off the foot and stumble a little, but the cost was too high in the end. A distinct crack sounded in the training yard, and Harry found himself holding a broken spear right from the middle.
"Well, what can you do?" Harry shrugged before throwing away the broken pieces.
"Up for another bout?" Oberyn smirked at him challengingly.
"I think I'll let you face off against my brother, Prince Oberyn. He has been itching to get a worthy opponent in the training yard." Harry said with a snort.
Jon was eager to get into the field, and his brother showed that by happily skipping into the yard with an eager grin.
"I hope you don't mind, Prince Oberyn." said Jon, eagerly taking to the field with a blunted sword in hand.
"Not at all. I'm only too happy for the challenge." Oberyn grinned, spinning the spear before engaging in battle with Jon.
Harry watched from the sidelines as he sipped tepid water to quench his thirst. Nymeria joined him in watching the fight unfold.
"I take it there is a reason why Arianne is not with you." Harry commented.
"Why? Am I not enough?" Nymeria asked with a sultry undertone.
Harry felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as Nymeria leaned against him, pressing her ample bosom against his arm.
"The raven that I received conveyed Arianne was also coming with you two." Harry said with a measured tone, refusing to give in to Nymeria's antics.
"That was the plan until Prince Doran changed his mind at the last minute." said Nymeria.
"Really!" Harry frowned thoughtfully into the distance, wondering why the Prince of Dorne suddenly changed his mind.
"That was my reaction as well. Arianne was also not amused with my uncle's decision. I believe we're back to the days when Arianne did stupid things to annoy my uncle." Nymeria chuckled in amusement.
Harry was not that amused. He wondered what changed Doran's mind. Either it was something totally unrelated to anything serious, or there was something going on.
'Maybe someone important is visiting Sunspear – perhaps a Dornish lord or an Essosi Magister.' Harry mused.
There were other reasons he could think of, considering the proximity of Jon Connington and Aegon Targaryen. The chances were that Prince Doran was ramping up the plan to declare Aegon king.
The temptation to just violate Nymeria's mind was there, but he held it back for two reasons.
Nym shared his bed, which meant if he searched her mind, the proclivity to look into her most intimate thoughts about him would be too tempting to ward off. The other problem was that he doubted Nym was in on any of the crucial plans in Sunspear.
Besides, he had a gold mine of firsthand information slumbering inside Oberyn's mind. All he had to do was to create a stable environment to pluck the plans out of Oberyn's mind.
"Hey, Nym."
"Hmm."
"Would you like to see the Sunset Canal and the Sunset Bridge?"
*****
Harry clapped along in a tune as Welling the bard sang the Bear and the Maiden Fair. He could see Prince Oberyn was enjoying himself dancing with his paramour, Ellaria Sand. There were others dancing around the bard, enjoying the fact that the man's skills were being appreciated.
He still remembered the bard fainting on the spot when he invited the man onboard the Liberator for the trip to see the Sunset Canal. After all, it was not every day a chance to fly so close to the clouds and the stars fell into the lap of a commoner.
His eyes strayed to Oberyn Martell, who was having the time of his life, going by the expression on his face. The Red Viper was an expert dancer as much as he was an expert warrior with a spear in hand. The man was also a good teacher with no queasiness about his magical capabilities. Out of all his teachers, Prince Oberyn was the only one who showed a level of excitement and intrigue when it came to his magic.
Even Ser Rodrick Cassell, who had watched him grow up, feared his magic on some level – rightly so, but magic was more than just a tool of power. It represented the finest and aesthetic aspects of life as well. Even now, the floating bluebell flames he had conjured were lighting up the deck of the Liberator in an ethereal glow as they cruised along the night sky. There was only a small crescent moon in the sky as the moon was waning these days. This left little natural light on the deck for the partying to continue past twilight.
Harry supposed the blame rested on him for weaponising magic to such an extent that he decimated a Free City and the Iron Islands, making ordinary people forget the nuances of magic. He had first used magic for fireworks to light up the gloomy skies of Winterfell, bringing wonder and laughter. But as he grew older, he left such aspects to his sisters. They still held fireworks by the clever use of runestones on special occasions.
'Perhaps I should promote more of such magic in the future.' Harry thought.
It was a provoking thought, and he made a mental note to talk with Kyla about the curriculum of Sea Dragon's Academy of Magic. The practical application of magic was as diverse as one could possibly imagine, and he didn't want to raise a bunch of soldiers from the academy.
"Come now, Harrion. Be merry tonight!" Prince Oberyn hollered with a cup of Dornish Red in one hand and Ellaria Snad in the other.
Harry just raised his cup in a silent toast, but he remained standing close to the door that led to the captain's bridge. He was the only one capable of steering the ship as all his Valkyrie were engaged in recruitment work across the North for Sea Dragon's Academy of Magic. This left him as the sole capable soul of handling the Liberator other than Jon, who was looking quite drunk right now.
Being the responsible fellow, Harry only kept diluted wine in his cup, sparingly taking a sip from time to time.
A pair of hands circled his waist.
"I'm surprised you're not joining the festive." said Nymeria, sneaking right behind him and pressing against his back.
"Who else is going to steer the ship?" Harry asked.
"That's true. But still, the Lord of Avalon not getting anything from the night seems unfair to me." Nymeria whispered hotly against his neck as her lips trailed across his skin until resting near his earlobe.
'If only she knew…' Harry thought.
It had been a productive day as he got all the time in the world to glean the plans Doran and Aegon were making from Oberyn's mind. He had wondered how Aegon was supposed to battle his way into King's Landing with only Dorne supporting him. But that doubt was now cleared as he found plans to bring the Golden Company to the shores of Westeros.
Even with that, he doubted it'd change anything much on the ground. The Golden Company might sound like a formidable opponent to the Magisters of Free Cities, but from a Westerosi perspective, they were a bunch of losers. The Golden Company had only known defeat in their quest to put a Blackfyre on the throne. They lost repeatedly until the Blackfyre line ended with Maelys Blackfyre.
How this would play out in the coming days had to be watched.
After all, Dorne and the Golden Company fighting side by side for a Targaryen restoration ought to be one of the most ironic incidents of this century.
For a brief moment, Harry thought of Aegon as a Blackfyre puppet, but he discussed that thought entirely. There were no known Blackfyres after the fall of Maelys. Maelys had culled House Blackfyre before he took charge of the Golden Company and formed the band of nine. The stories and records leading to that war were impeccable.
In the end, he supposed it didn't matter whether Aegon was a Targaryen or not. The Martells were choosing to believe his authenticity, which would be enough to convince the rest of the kingdoms.
"What are you thinking?" Nymeria asked sultrily as she nibbled on his earlobe, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Just thinking how beautiful the stars are tonight." Harry lied smoothly.
"Only the stars?" Nymeria asked, her teeth raking across the skin of his neck until she pressed down hard on his shoulder.
"What can I say? The sun is nowhere to be seen." Harry shrugged with a playful smirk.
"Not when you have a daughter of House Martell by your side." said Nymeria, her hands wandering beneath his tunic to trace his muscles to her desire. "Come dance with me."
As the song wound to its end, the call went out for another. The bard struck up a familiar tune and a new song flared to life. It was a recent composition that came after the canal became a reality.
In the age of the North's rise,
Where magic rushed through First Men blood,
The Black Wolf, with vision grand,
Sought to bind the seas by hand.
From the icy Northern lands,
He ventured forth with mystic plans,
To carve a path through rock and swamps,
With songs of magic and ancient gods.
By the Narrow Sea's cool embrace,
And Sunset Sea's warm, golden grace,
He dreamed a route where waters meet,
A channel where the seas would greet.
With moonlit nights and stars aglow,
He gathered songs from ages past,
An ancient tune, a whispered spell,
To craft the course where currents swell.
Upon the shore, by firelight's gleam,
He sang the seas's winding dream,
The words of power, the chants of yore,
To beckon waves to touch the shore.
The earth gave way, the stones did part,
As magic danced to the ancient song,
A channel formed from sea to sea,
A marvel wrought by the line of Winter Kings.
The Narrow Sea embraced the flow,
As tides and tempests ceased to grow,
And from the Sunset Sea's warm kiss,
The waters flowed to newfound bliss.
The canal, aglow with mystic light,
Wove through the dark of endless night,
A ribbon beneath the stars above,
A testament to the song of gods.
The Black Wolf, with a heart so bold,
Had bridged the seas with magic old,
A marvel of his craft and song,
A legacy where tides belong.
And so, the waters danced and played,
In harmony where dreams were laid,
A conduit of realms divine,
By the Black Wolf's enchanted design.
Harry barely heard the last few verses because he and Nymeria slinked into the captain's cabin
"A song in your name… you must be proud." Nymeria purred.
"As proud as…. the bear… mentioned… in the previous song." Harry whispered back in between the gasps, their lips disengaged from battle.
They tumbled inside his cabin somehow. Harry absently locked the door behind him as Nymeria attacked his clothes while pinning him against the door.
Their lips met again in fiery passion while the reach of Nymeria's hands was no longer inhibited by his clothes. Her nails scraped against the skin along his upper torso while he comfortably took hold of her lush black hair.
However, their passion came to an abrupt halt when a knock sounded on the door. They looked at each other and decided to stay silent for a moment, but the knock came again.
Nymeria let out a frustrated whine as Harry collected his discarded clothes and made himself presentable. She had to do the same as her glittering yellow dress was halfway down her waist, leaving everything above her abdomen bare.
When Harry opened the door after the third persistent knock, he was not surprised to find Jon standing outside, drunk out of his mind.
"I won't have you hide away this night. Come, let's celebrate." Jon slurred towards the end and tried to pull Harry out with him.
"You are drunk. Let me take you to your…" Harry trailed off when Jon collapsed into his arms with a dopey smile.
"You're the best brother…" Jon moaned with his eyes closed while Harry struggled to hold his brother properly.
His brother promptly started snoring deep in sleep.
"Sorry. I should look after my brother." he smiled apologetically at Nymeria.
"No, It's okay." Nymeria rolled her eyes at Jon, who giggled suddenly for no reason.
It was not a sound Harry wanted to remember.
"Come to my chambers once we reach Avalon. I have something to show you. You'll be pleasantly surprised." said Harry before he dragged Jon into the captain's cabin and set his brother up in the bed he had in the corner.
'The things I do for my family.' Harry huffed whilst suffering Jon's snoring through the night.
*****
They were back in Avalon, but there were guests by the time the Liberator landed in the harbour.
"What does Lady Mormont want?" Harry asked curiously once he settled back in his solar, hoping to get some shut-eye before any official business bothered him.
"I'm afraid she never deigned to inform me, my lord. She only said she was asked to come to Avalon by Lord Stark." said Maester Marwyn.
"I hope she has been given adequate quarters."
"Yes, my lord."
"I wonder why father asked Lady Mormont to come here." Harry muttered thoughtfully as he sank into the couch.
"I shall ask the servants to prepare a bath for you, my lord." said Maester Marwyn.
"No. I don't think that'll be necessary." Harry shook his head.
"As you wish."
Harry sighed as he nuzzled into the couch, wondering why he was being visited by the lady bear of House Mormont now and all the time. The fact that his father just asked Lady Mormont to appear on Avalon without even informing him just made the whole situation intriguing.
Usually, his father was not someone for secret plans, but he supposed anything could happen these days. He tried hard to remember whether anything worth happened with the Mormonts or in their general area recently that'd warrant a summons, but he could not recall anything that stood out.
He'd have understood if his father had asked Lord Manderly to arrive at Avalon. Considering the volatile situation in the Bite, there were ample reasons to discuss some matters in confidence with the Lord of White Harbour.
His thoughts were interrupted when the door to his solar opened, making his eyes twitch in irritation. He was about to lay into the poor soul that disturbed him while resting from the long journey.
But the words caught in his throat as Nymeria slipped into his chambers in a shimmering gold silky dress that hugged her curves. A slitted black skirt hugged her waist, leaving most of her long legs exposed as she closed the door and moved to stand before him.
"Your brother is not here to interrupt us now, is he?" Nymeria asked, her wine-red lips curving with a silken smile while her hands were on her hips.
"No, he is not." Harry nodded, mirroring her smile as Nymeria settled into his lap with a grace worthy of praise.
"So, you promised to show me something in your chamber." Nymeria said, a finger trailing down Harry's cheek while her dark eyes glinted brimming with excitement.
"I'm only happy to show you." Harry whispered hotly against her lips as his hands settled themselves on her hips.
Nymeria crossed the distance, and their lips met with a fiery passion.
AN:
To read ahead of the update schedule; pat(r) eon. C (O) M/Dragonspectre.
For artwork related to the fic:
https://discord.gg/Nw2JH25fJf