Daemon had just finished watching his uncle's body burn and the ashes scatter to the wind. He had stayed with his uncle the whole day and night, never moving, he stayed until he heard his uncle take his final breath.
One of his last remaining family members was gone, the only one he had left was Serra whom he had never met and was across the narrow sea. His first instincts were to take the first boat across and try to find her, but he hesitated. His uncle said he needed to become strong and perhaps he was right, he'd never gone as far as Riverrun his entire life and he barely had any coin, not a gold dragon to his name, just whatever the skins he had accumulated were worth.
He'd follow his uncle's advice and squire for someone and get stronger, he'd do whatever it takes to make it in this world.
For a while Daemon sat down and read his namesakes journal, to say it was interesting would be an understatement, it mentioned in his younger years after he was knighted he travelled to understand the secrets of Aura.
*While most believe that it is Aura's abilities that make a person strong they are wrong, if a person masters the basic aspects of aura they could become invincible. Most of the aura users in Westeros know to increase the amount of aura they have they need to practice intensifying their auras and holding it as long as they can. But what most neglect to do is meditate, while they do this to initially unlock their aura they don't realise the importance of meditation, as it helps increase the quality of your aura.*
Daemon read his ancestor's journal, it didn't surprise him why Daemon Blackfyre was feared so much, he truly was a genius when it came to fighting. Taking a deep breath Daemon focuses fully on opening his aura nodes and surrounding himself in his aura, he walked up to a nearby tree and clenched his fist before throwing a punch, his fist making a crater in the wood.
'Unreal' Daemon thought to himself as he looked at his fist, not a single mark marred his skin from the impact of his fist against the wood.
'It's no wonder knights are practically invincible when compared to the common soldier if this is just the beginning of their power' he thought as he looked at the soft rippling aura surrounding him.
Daemon headed back to the cabin and started to pack his stuff, it would take around 2 weeks to get to Riverrun, if he went slowly he could stretch that to a month. In that time he'd get familiar with the first aspect of aura which was surrounding himself with it not allowing it to flow away. He'd also need to attempt the meditation techniques in Daemon's journal.
After packing his belongings in a knapsack, he rolled together a few prepared deer skins and tied them up, he knew he'd need some coins when he arrived in Riverrun, so he hoped he'd be able to get a decent amount. The last thing he did was strip off some leather and cover the hilt of Blackfyre, it was arguably one of the most famous swords in Westeros and he didn't even want to imagine what the Tagaryens would do if they learnt he had it.
Daemon looks at his cabin, the place he'd spent his entire life for a final time. He was content to live here, he enjoyed the simple life. But perhaps life was not about being content, he'd obey his uncle's final wishes and live a life that will be full of adventure. He turns around and heads into the forest.
———————————————————
(One week later)
Daemon had been travelling towards Riverrun for the past two weeks, his cabin was close to Maidenpool so it would not be too long to travel if he went down the river road when he reached the trident. But he decided to take a longer route, in the journal it was written down that Daemon would swim against the currents to train the first aspect of his Aura where you open your aura nodes and control the flow of your aura.
While it gave information on what he did, it left out the how and why he did it, it seemed as if he wanted his descendent to figure it out for themselves. Which Daemon wasn't having an easy time with it, for a week he travelled upstream towards the trident with his aura active and he'd hardly made any progress in getting towards Riverrun. The river ran fast and was deep so every time he stopped swimming he'd lose progress.
For hours and hours each day he would do this, and when he couldn't keep his aura active any longer he'd meditate on the bank of the river and use the second aspect of aura control which was keeping aura inside his body. This came naturally to him, as a hunter he was used to making his presence harder to detect, it also allowed him to recover much faster than normal.
Daemon had just dragged himself out of the river for the third time that day, he was breathing heavily as he collapsed on the bank of the river. He clenched his fists in frustration as he hit the ground, he had barely made any progress today and he wasn't even sure that he was improving in his training.
"I have to be doing something wrong," Daemon said to himself as he sat up. He closed off his aura nodes in an attempt to recover. He opened his Knapsack and took out a piece of fruit, the water from the river actually made it taste better.
Daemon sat there eating as he tried to think of how to overcome this river, his ancestor had said in his journal that he swam the entirety of the green forks in a month, something that would've sounded impossible before he knew about aura but now just seems very unlikely.
He thought about giving up and walking, what did he have to prove? But every time he looked in the direction of the road his body became heavy, he'd never thought of himself as a prideful person but he couldn't allow himself to lose without doing everything he could.
After resting for a few hours and recovering his aura Daemon stood back up "Okay... let's try something else" he said aloud with determination.
He entered the water and walked until the water touched his knees. He opened his aura nodes and allowed his aura to seep out of him, it clung to his body like a second skin. One aspect of his aura that he did improve on was maintaining it. In theory, if someone has perfect aura control they would have no leakage and they would be able to maintain it forever, but in reality, it's more complicated. Your aura is linked to your mind and body, If either is exhausted or compromised it becomes impossible to maintain perfect control and it will start leaking away.
Daemon stood there with his eyes closed and his aura enveloping his body. If he couldn't fight against the current with his strength he would just have to get stronger. He focused on increasing the amount of aura around his body, he wasn't prepared for it to flare up explosively sending ripples across the surface of the water. His aura expanded until it was a few inches away from his body. Using the first aspect of aura he brought it under control managing to keep it from dispersing.
He looked at his hands and arms, it was as if he were surrounded by a transparent cloud, it seemed to have worked though as Daemon felt a long stronger. He got to work swimming against the current, he noticed that his increase in strength allowed him to travel faster in the water, he was ecstatic that he had finally discovered a method to traverse the current of the river. However, what Daemon did not know as he had neglected to fully read the journal was that he was using the third basic application of aura. Once a person became proficient in using and controlling their aura they can intensify it and increase the amount they can use making them a lot stronger. However what Daemon didn't realise was by intensifying and increasing his aura he had reduced the time he could maintain it.
Daemon was too pleased with himself to realise the danger he was currently in. As he swam against the current of the river at a pace far faster than he was capable of before, he felt himself already getting tired despite it only being a few minutes since activating his aura.
Within another minute he could barely maintain his aura, he felt his muscles burn as he struggled to swim, he started to head towards the shore but he struggled as the currents were fast in this stretch of the river. With a scream, he pushes himself the final few metres before he gets to the river bank crawling to shore.
Daemon lay on the bank once again barely 5 minutes after he had just reentered the water. He felt a myriad of emotions, his adrenaline was still pumping through his veins at the near-death experience he just faced. If he had looked in the reflection of the water he would've noticed his eyes had changed from violet to an luminous red.
'Until I get a teacher I need to be more careful' he thinks to himself.
———————————————————-
(Two weeks later)
Daemon had fallen into a pattern of using his intensified aura to swim down the river until he found himself getting weak and then resting on the bank of the river. While at first, he could only maintain it for a couple of minutes before he started to struggle, he found that after two weeks his time using it increased to around 15 minutes.
But even so, he couldn't help but think that something was wrong, he felt as if this wasn't what the original Daemon had in mind, even if he was improving. So he meditated on the bank of the water contemplating the problem he faced.
'Perhaps I'm looking at this the wrong way, using more power doesn't seem to be the answer' he thinks to himself as he stands up and walks into the water.
Letting his aura surround him he goes until his head is the only thing above the water. He feels the push of the current and even from a standing position it feels like he could be knocked off his feet.
He lets himself feel the water flowing over his skin he concentrates on how it interacts with his body and how his aura feels. He noticed that his aura flowed similarly to water, he also felt the resistance that his body imposed on the river. It was at this point Daemon had an idea, concentrating on his aura he attempted to mimic the flow of water around his body.
To say it was difficult would be an understatement, the water flowed around his body in multiple directions therefore he had to adjust his aura the same way. When he had finally gotten adept at the process he slowly felt the current less and less until it felt like he was in a still pond. With his aura, he pushes against the water while allowing it to flow with the current.
Pushing off his feet he starts swimming, at first, he took it slow as he had to keep adjusting the flow, but it wasn't tiring, it felt like he was swimming in a lake with no current at all. Daemon couldn't help the smile as he seemed to have figured out his namesake's secret to traversing up the river.
Daemon figured out this must've been designed by his ancestor as a way to train your flow of aura. It was a difficult task focusing on different parts of his aura and controlling which direction they flowed, all while pushing back against the current.
Daemon continued for six hours, only needing to take one break in between. He couldn't help but laugh as he lay on the bank smiling and laughing before he fell asleep right there.
———————————————————-
(One week later)
A girl with long brown hair sat cross-legged on the bank at the trident, it was here where the red, blue and green forks flowed making one of the largest rivers in Westeros.
The girl sat still with her eyes closed, she had a pretty face with long features, her body was slim and she had small breasts. She wore a deep blue dress that seemed to clash with the leather boots she wore. She didn't even seem to notice the bottom of her dress being muddied as she looked to be concentrating.
Slowly an aura seems to form around her, at first it seems to be flowing outward and dispersing into the surrounding area but after a few seconds, it reins itself in forming a second skin around her. She opens her eyes, they are a light grey colour, almost the colour of molten silver.
She couldn't help the broad grin that appeared on her face as she managed to take the first steps to becoming an aura master.
In the male-dominated society of Westeros, women are very much placed under men in most regards, and the usage of Aura is not any different. it is up to the head of a woman's house on whether they are taught in the usage of aura, and while some do allow the basics to be taught for a woman to protect themselves from common criminals, a lot choose not to.
Lyanna Stark is one such person who
was denied the right to learn by her father. Lyanna very much disliked most of the subjects women are expected to learn and would much rather ride her horse through the wolf's wood. Her father believed that allowing her to learn aura would only make her worse and even more unladylike.
Unfortunately for him, Lyanna is one of the very rare people that are geniuses in Aura. Based on the little information she had, she was able to figure out the correct way to begin unlocking her aura nodes, it took her just a month to fully unlock her aura. However, while she was a genius in some aspects, in others she found it difficult.
She had the wolf's blood just like her older brother, she hated sitting still, she always needed to be doing something. Needless to say, this did not help her with meditation.
As her aura surrounded her she stood up a wild grin appearing on her face as approached a nearby tree throwing a few punches and cracking the wood.
'Just imagine it's fathers stupid face' Lyanna thought to herself as she intensified her punches.
"TELL!
"ME!"
"I CAN'T!"
"LEARN!"
"AURA!"
She says shouting with each punch as she creates a deep crater in the tree. Having vented out her anger she stood back on the bank of the river her aura still surrounding her. She'd need to spy on her brother's training so she could figure out what to do next. As there had to be more to aura than just meditating.
As Lyanna Stark stood at the bank of the Trident, her aura flowing around her hand like a second skin, she was lost in her thoughts, embracing the tranquillity of the river's edge. Suddenly, the peaceful ambience was shattered by the sound of rustling foliage behind her.
Turning around, Lyanna was taken aback to find herself confronted by a group of menacing men she had never seen before. Their faces were marred with disgusting smiles and leers, sending shivers down her spine.
The man at the forefront, who introduced himself as "Little Pete," exuded a malicious air. He was short and stout, with greasy hair and a scruffy beard. His clothes were tattered and filthy, betraying his rough nature.
"Well, well, what do we have here? A pretty little lady all alone by the river. Ain't that a sight?" Little Pete sneered.
Standing next to him was a hulking figure named "Iron Mark," adorned in rough, iron-studded leather armour. The scars on his face hinted at a violent past, adding to his intimidating presence.
"Aye, she's a pretty one, no doubt. But what brings a lady like you to these parts?" Iron Mark chuckled darkly.
Beside Iron Mark, a sly and cunning man named "Serpent Jon" gazed at Lyanna with dark, serpent-like eyes. His slender build and dark green attire seemed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding foliage, giving him an eerie aura.
"Looks like she's got some tricks up her sleeve, that one. Reckon she's hiding something?" Serpent Jon remarked slyly.
Lastly, "Wildcat Will," with his feral appearance and unkempt mane of hair, completed the quartet. Dressed in animal furs and carrying a crude bow, he seemed ready for anything the wilderness might throw his way.
"Aye, she's got a certain air about her, like she thinks she's better than us," Wildcat Will said with a snarl.
Together, the four men encircled Lyanna, their leering gazes causing her heart to race.
"You shouldn't be wandering about these woods alone, sweet lady. Why don't you come with us? We'll keep you company, heh," Little Pete said, stepping closer.
"Yeah, and we'll make sure you stay safe. In our own special way," Iron Mark added, leaning in intimidatingly.
Lyanna's mind raced as she assessed the dangerous situation before her. She knew she needed to be cautious and find a way to navigate this precarious encounter with these unsavoury characters. Luckily it seemed that none of them could see her aura meaning they were just common people.
Lyanna cursed as she realised that her father was right. He had told her not to sneak off while in the Riverlands as bandits are a lot more common. But she didn't listen and had done so anyway, their camp was over an hour away so she couldn't expect any help to come in time. So Lyanna resolved herself to fight, she'd die before she let herself get taken by these cretins.
As Lyanna stood her ground, Little Pete nodding towards Iron Mark, the menacing brute lumbered over to her. The foul odour of his sweat and breath filled the air, making her stomach churn. Just as he reached out to grab her, Lyanna acted swiftly, surprising them all with her strength.
With a swift and powerful punch to Iron Mark's stomach, Lyanna managed to wind him, causing shock to ripple through the group. Despite his towering height of over 6 and a half feet, Lyanna, at around 5 feet tall, had been able to make the man stumble.
However, Iron Mark's anger flared in response to being hit by a seemingly delicate lady. He reached for his wooden club from his belt, determined to retaliate. He swung the club with brutal force, striking Lyanna hard, and she was thrown back against a tree. Though the blow hurt, she was thankful that her aura absorbed most of the impact, providing her with some protection.
Despite the pain and danger, Lyanna refused to back down. Her resolve strengthened, knowing that she had to fight for her life in this perilous situation. Lyanna prepared to face the threat with all the strength and courage she could muster.
Lyanna stood back up, her determination unwavering despite the danger she faced. Little Pete's eyes widened in recognition, realizing that Lyanna possessed an aura. He muttered under his breath, "The little bitch is an aura user."
With a swift motion, Little Pete pulled out a sharp dragon glass dagger and approached Lyanna, a wicked grin stretching across his face. He lunged at her, slashing with the dagger. Instinctively, Lyanna lifted her hand in an attempt to defend herself, relying on her aura.
However, to her shock, the dragon glass dagger cut through her aura as if it wasn't there, leaving her vulnerable to the attack.
As Lyanna gasped for air, feeling drained and weakened, she fell to her knees, her breaths coming heavily. The recent confrontation had taken a toll on her, especially as she was still relatively new to harnessing her aura, leaving her with a painfully low amount of energy.
Little Pete's sinister smile widened as he approached Lyanna, relishing the thought of capturing her and fulfilling his dark intentions. However, before he could proceed, a sudden gasp for air caught everyone's attention.
All eyes turned to the riverbank, where a striking figure emerged from the water. Daemon, shirtless and wearing only his knapsack, stood with his silver hair dripping wet from the river. His presence was magnetic, and a sense of power emanated from him.
Daemon narrowed his eyes at the group, his expression unyielding. "What's happening here?" he demanded, his voice steady and commanding.
Little Pete stepped forward, trying to maintain an air of innocence. "Oh, sir, we saw this woman here all alone, looking troubled. We were just trying to help her, you see," he said with a false smile.
Serpent Jon chimed in, his tone smooth and deceitful. "Yes, that's right. We're just good Samaritans, offering our assistance."
Wildcat Will nodded vigorously, playing his part in the ruse. "Aye, a lovely lady like her shouldn't be left alone. We're here to keep her safe."
Despite their efforts, Daemon remained unmoved, his gaze fixed on Lyanna. He could see through their deception and sensed the fear in her eyes, confirming his suspicions that something was amiss.
Daemon spoke calmly but with an edge of authority. "I see. And what is it that the lady thinks of your 'help'?" he asked, his eyes never leaving Lyanna's face.
Little Pete glanced at Lyanna, his false smile faltering for a moment. "She's just a bit scared, you know, being out here all alone," he replied, trying to deflect the question.
Daemon's stare intensified, and he spoke firmly, "I didn't ask what you think she's feeling. I asked her."
Lyanna found her voice, her fear slowly giving way to determination. "They're lying," she said, her words steady but tremulous. "They attacked me and tried to capture me."
"Shut up you stupid bitch" Little Pete says as he backhands Lyanna, though she still had a bit of aura surrounding her so it didn't cause much damage.
Seeing him do this made Daemon glare at the man before flaring his aura in preparation to attack.
The display of Daemon's aura left Lyanna in awe, marvelling at the raw power and strength he possessed. As the confrontation escalated, she watched with both admiration and a hint of fear, realizing the extent of Daemon's capabilities.
Daemon's charged aura gave him an immense boost in strength, and he wasted no time taking on Iron Mike. He deftly caught the incoming swing of the wooden club in his hand, then delivered a devastating punch that left Iron Mike crumpled on the ground, gasping for air.
Meanwhile, Serpent Jon's attempt to harm Daemon with his sword proved futile, his blade unable to pierce Daemon's protective aura. The counterattack was swift and brutal, and Jon's face met a gruesome end as Daemon's fist turned it to mush.
When Wildcat Will shot an arrow at Daemon, the aura user caught it with ease, and then used the projectile to deliver a fatal blow, ending Will's threat.
With only Little Pete remaining, fear etched across his face, he attempted one last desperate attack with the dragon glass dagger. Daemon expected his aura to shield him as it had done before, but to his surprise, the dagger penetrated his hand, causing him to grunt in pain.
The dragon glass seemed to have an unsettling effect on Daemon's aura, drawing it away from him. He felt weaker as the dagger seemed to absorb his essence. Struggling to regain his composure, he yanked the dagger out, the sensation of his aura returning to normal.
By the time he looked up, Little Pete had already fled, the fear of Daemon's power prompting him to abandon his companions and the battle.
(AN: Our MC meets one of the Heroines of this story. Lyanna is supposed to be pretty sexy I mean she was enough of a Baddie to start a war so she must've been packing something. Anyway hope you enjoyed.)
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