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Rating:
Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warnings:
Graphic Depictions Of ViolenceMajor Character Death
Category:
Gen
Fandoms:
House of the Dragon (TV)Warhammer Fantasy
Characters:
Ikit ClawRhaenyra TargaryenJacaerys VelaryonLucerys Velaryon (Son of Rhaenyra)Baela TargaryenRhaena Targaryen (Daughter of Daemon)Daemon TargaryenCorlys "The Sea Snake" VelaryonHelaena TargaryenAddam VelaryonBackground & Cameo CharactersSilverwing | Alysanne Targaryen's DragonOriginal CharactersJoffrey Velaryon
Additional Tags:
Crack Treated SeriouslyCanon-Typical ViolenceThe Dance of the Dragons | Aegon II Targaryen v. Rhaenyra Targaryen EraAlternate Universe - Canon DivergenceCanonical Character DeathCharacter Turned Into a HumanIkit got isekai'd as Jace's twinSkaven Species (Warhammer Fantasy)Death to all GreensHuman ExperimentationScience ExperimentsIkit is his own warningSilverwing still has shit taste in male ridersPOV MultipleBackground RelationshipsBackground Character Deathshow canon onlyDragon RidersAnimal AbuseIkit is an abusive dragonriderTho he's fairly mellow compared to his SkavenselfGood Parent Rhaenyra TargaryenNo beta we die like LucerysDysfunctional FamilyCannibalismBlood and TortureCanon-Typical BehaviorBAMF Helaena Targaryen
Language:
English
Stats:
Published:2026-02-26Completed:2026-04-22Words:181,492Chapters:55/55Comments:1,270Kudos:749Bookmarks:160Hits:33,651
The Rat Prince of Westeros
SkilledWarriorKiwi
Chapter 21: Leld
Chapter Text
The air was thick with the stink of sorcery.
Leld waited patiently at the entry hall of the manse, along with a dozen other hopefuls. All budding sorcerers and warlocks, wishing to learn from a master of the higher mysteries. As always with Volantis the air was hot and humid, yet in the currently building the heat was increased by the presence of the great grey dragon lounging about.
At fifteen years of age Prince Ikit Targaryen was considered the greatest warlock in Volantis and, perhaps, the entirety of Essos.
Many had come to challenge him and none had left alive. Even shadow assassins had failed which Leld had never heard of. Perhaps a pyromancer of substantial strength could deny such a creature but as far as Leld knew the Rat Prince did not favour such a thing. Yet still shadowbinders could not fell him, their ghastly children could not kill him and those that tried died as well. Powerful and fierce, unlike any other.
Now he was requesting potential acolytes and Leld hastily answered. His family were more within the league of glamours, enchanted necklaces and chains, and certainly not of those within the Black Walls but they received a message he was accepted and so he swiftly departed to bring glory to his family.
Saera, the disgraced Targaryen princess, had taken the prince under her wing and she kept a tight control over everything. She had enjoyed a substantial increase in wealth, prestige and influence with having the dragonrider accept her hospitality and she flaunted it every chance she got. When the group finally began to be admitted, the woman checked them in through one at a time. Too many past assassin attempts for her to take risks, she said. Leld also noted the large amount of guards lingering about but was unbothered by their threat. He was here earnestly.
There was an older woman moving about the room offering sugared fruit and wine for those waiting, her expression downcast and quiet. She had honey-coloured hair and could have been pretty if not for the mixture of scars and brands upon her cheeks and how dull her blue eyes were. According to rumours she was the most hated of all of Saera's children simply due to having such a close appearance to the late Queen Alysanne, Saera's despised mother. Leld just declined the offered food, waiting as more and more of the group were taken away until he too was finally summoned by the lady Saera herself.
He had to sit and endure Saera's interrogation, answering her questions and demands and prevent his invitation. While he wasn't the most gifted in his family, he was the youngest capable and Saera hummed and nodded and he passed inspection. The smell of sorcery grew ever stronger as he was led down the hall to where a lone door was at the end, made of thick polished oak so dark it looked black. An upside down triangle had been etched into the middle and Leld felt nervous just looking at it.
"My sweet little darling, one of your new pets is here," Saera called in a singsong as she knocked on the door.
"Let it in," came the raspy reply.
Saera's painted nails bit into Leld's shoulder as she hissed, "Try not to disappoint like the rest," before she was gone in a swirl of silk.
Leld entered the room, which seemed to function like an office. Almost reminded him of when he had to go talk to the bank about his loan, where he was seated in front of a raised desk with the person looking down at him.
Even if in this case the person was a fifteen year old prince but Leld wasn't stupid enough to act out of sorts when he saw the boy. Because that was who the silver-haired green eyed warlock was, all smooth faced and narrow limbs, not even fully grown into his body, but one of the most powerful magic users alive.
The room was well lit, with light streaming in through the side window, but there were also odd glows throughout the room. On the back wall were great sheets of parchment showing designs of strange machines and upon the desk were several jars of black blood. Leaning against the desk was a halberd, a long sharp blade carried the dark slickness only Valyrian steel could possess.
Also upon the desk, just before an inkwell and quill, was a jar of what Leld was certain to be wildfire. Small, easily held in hand, and in the shape of an orb. Translucent, so the sickly green glow cast its own light upon things.
How the boy even came upon the secret of wildfire is beyond Leld, yet for all he knew the prince had managed to reverse engineer the substance himself. The fact he had managed to recreate Valyrian steel, not simply mould it like those at Qohor, proved he was beyond typical capabilities and assumptions. There were thousands of Valyrian steel blades across the world, yet not once had Leld ever seen someone clad in armour.
Apparently quite a few nobles in Volantis were begging for him to make them suits of Valyrian armour. Leld wasn't too sure the specifics of, but once the steel was forged into a weapon it couldn't be twisted into protection. Something to do with the smithing itself which Leld didn't understand, but it was why no one held any complete armour sets of Valyrian steel even with Qohor's interest. The Qohorik smiths had attempted to recreate the Valyrian method over the centuries, using blood sacrifices of slaves and perhaps came closer than any other, yet still none ever matched the glory of Old Valyria.
With Prince Ikit managing to recreate the original method meant that he alone, out of the entire world, could create a full suit of Valyrian steel.
Leld could see it parts, on the slick shimmering sheen of the boy's gauntlets and gloves, the links of his necklace, the hoop of an earring, but not yet armour. But then again he was still a boy, why would the prince waste time creating a suit when he wasn't fully grown and unknown of his measurements?
"So, you bother-annoy me because you think-believe you have potential in magic?" the prince suddenly said, not looking up from whatever he was writing.
"I- yes, I do, my lord. My family may not be as influential as others but we come from a very long and well established line. Many people don't understand the nuance, sacrifice and sophistication of glamour. It may not be as flashy as creating fire dragons or as potent as bloodmagic, but it is powerful all the same."
"Hm, yes. Illusions, trickery. Deceit. Useful. Tell me more-more."
Leld obeyed, explaining more of his art and that of his family. The most potent of glamours were those connected to living things- bones, hair, skin, mummified flesh, anything that had once been alive and could be used to store memory. Like how a crate could still smell of its harvest years later, a sack of spice still held that tang even after being emptied for so long. Red priestesses used it quite often, to appear young and beautiful and thus more to be trusted, but Leld and his family offered those services to noblewoman in Volantis, to glamour away their wrinkles and spots.
"But ultimately it does not change the thing below, it only casts the illusion. Beneath it is the same but that doesn't negate the trickery of it," he finished.
"You bind such things to objects, yes-yes?"
"I- uh, indeed, my prince. Necklaces, clothing, amulets."
"Free hand?"
"I don't know what you mean," Leld answered.
The boy rolled those bright green eyes, "Must you sit-tinker or can you simply wave a hand and use glamour?"
As if to illustrate his point, the Rat Prince raised his hand and waggled the armour-clad fingers. Leld went tense as he saw the green flickers of lightning dance across his hand, like jagged ripples that lit up the room in green and made the hair on his nape go on end.
He had seen pyromancers with their flames, aeromancers who could use small gusts of air, and knew of the ancient Rhoynar who had once manipulated water and rivers to fight the dragonlords of Valyria, yet never once had he witness someone command lightning.
Leld shifted nervously, before managing to answer, "No, my prince. It...requires methodical application, it can be taxing to weave such spells."
The prince hummed, tapping a finger on his chin before asking, "And you do not store this energy anywhere?"
"I-do you mean like in a...box? Or in blood?"
"No-no, a battery."
Leld stared at him blankly. He had no idea what the word meant.
"Bah, why is this world so primitive..." the Rat Prince complained, leaning back in his chair and looking down at Leld like a disappointed father. "I do not know why so many try to think science and magic cannot be together-one. So many think that here, so stupid-dumb. Even you with glamours stored within things you know nothing."
Leld didn't really know what meant, beyond feeling it was dangerous. Then again everything about magic was, it had to be treated like fire itself. So powerful yet so easy to eat the one touching it.
"I would be happy to learn what you mean," Leld finally managed to say, remembering why he came here in the first place.
The Rat Prince gave him a sharp, considering look, "Truly?"
"Yes. I may not understand yet I will dedicate myself to understanding, if you let me."
The prince then got to his feet, grabbing the halberd with one hand while snapping, "Follow."
They left the room, Leld following along as the silver-haired boy exited the manse into a secluded back courtyard. High above the silver dragon lounged, head hanging over the side of the building so it was looking down at them. Leld tried not to flinch at the gust of hot air that blew over him as he walked under its snout.
"To create, one must-must destroy!" the prince declared as he gestured about the courtyard. "So you try. Right now. Show your strength to me-me and if you do then I will accept you."
"I..." Leld looked about the empty courtyard helpless; there were cracks in the stone, stains and splintered walls and a lone tree but otherwise it was empty. He managed to say, "You want me to do what?"
"Make illusion. Right now. Change what the tree looks like," the Rat Prince pointed. "Make it look like another one, yes-yes."
"I don't-"
"Don't lie. That is in the abilities you speak-squeak of."
"I've never done something like that before! It cannot be done so swift."
"Use this then, stupid one," Prince Ikit said, drawing something from one of the pouches at his belt.
Seeing the pebble of green, Leld went still with profound curiosity. It radiated a green light, pulsating softly. So easily held between a thumb and forefinger but even from several steps away he could taste the magic it in.
"What is-"
"Using the warpstone is its own danger, but is magic in pure form," the prince explained. Then he offered it to Leld, saying, "Take it and let it power you. Let us see how strong you truly are, yes-yes. It will bolster your power a hundred fold and then you can do as I command."
Leld's hand was shaking as he accepted the tiny stone. It was warm and smelled like nothing but even then he knew what the Rat Prince said was true. That this was a power source, beyond anything he could understand. The Valyrians had carved weapons of unparalleled sharpness with their magic, so it would stand to reason they had also had reservoir of energy to fuel their spells. Magic fed off the user, if there was a way to instantly replenish that fatigue...
Leld clenched his hand around the stone, feeling it throb against his palm as he approached the lone tree. Glamours had to be anchored, bound to something, but the Rat Prince was right; he felt as if he held a tiny sun in his hand, a warmth spreading through his limbs and making his bones ache. He felt the surge of strength, the sudden glimpse into everything.
He reached out with his free hand, placing it upon the tree trunk while the other clenched the warpstone tight. Prince Ikit remained by the doorway, watching intently, even as the dragon yawned widely, showing a faint green tint to its inner mouth.
Thinking to his years of training, Leld tried to imprint the image of another tree upon the current one. To make it become the cloak, the shadow that swallowed the rest until it seemed a truth. Usually it was something he had to spend months coaxing into being but with the heat of the tiny stone, oblivious to the way glowing green cracks began to mar his skin, he felt he could do it so he continued to push.
And then Leld could see.
The tree shifted and warped, changing from the brown trunk with delicate branches to one with ashy wood and black leaves. Then it shifted to one with scaly bark and wide flat leaves. Then another and another-
The illusions flicked past, like pages in a book. The burning in his hand grew greater and great, the warpstone flooding his body like heat from a never ending fire. Leld stepped back, no longer touching the tree yet it continued to change with the illusion shimmering around it like heatwaves. There was a beckoning with him, urging him to look deeper. To steep himself into the wild chaotic magic lurking within the stone, whispering to him of even greater strength as teeth hissed in his ear.
He was laughing, he was screaming, his face beginning to contort and lengthen into a beak even as the hand holding the warpstone withered like a starved root. Thick layers of fat began to ripple down his torso, sagging and pulling grotesquely as the screaming continued. Ropes of hard muscle twisted through his legs, bulging in unseeingly ways, and even then he laughed and screamed as Chaos mutated his body through the inexperienced touch of warpstone.
A grunt from Prince Ikit, jotting down his findings in a journal as what used to be Leld screamed and giggled before him as the tree grew flesh and a hundred eyes in the courtyard.
"Hm, another immediate mutation. Experiment ending in failure. Kill-kill it."
The dragon moved high above and then the courtyard was filled with fire even as a dull eyed woman watched from the window.
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