Robb
Tyrell private training grounds.
"What is wrong with him! Who does he think he is?! He is worried? I AM ALSO worried! WE ARE ALL WORRIED!" Robb attacked Domeric with his wooden sword, as the opposite young man merely deflected his strikes, deeply aware of his friend's frustrations.
"Robb, please stop" Jon tried to intervene, aware that his surroundings were not fit for that kind of discussion.
"STOP? WHY STOP? LEAVE ME ALONE!" Robb roared, his fury blinding his mind to the roses that were listening.
Jon looked hurt, his eyes lost in the immensity as he remembered something that he had tried hard to forget.
His eyes grew colder, and he stepped back.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Ser Cassel stopped everyone and told them to wash up and head to their rooms.
He stopped Robb.
"What?" Robb asked sharply, years of respect restraining the anger in his eyes.
Ser Cassel exhaled.
"I cannot tell you how you feel, what you are feeling, or what to do with what you are feeling. But lashing out at everyone who is worried about you is stupid. You are worried, I am worried, and everyone is worried about Theon. I watched the boy grow up, trained him, talked with him, and helped him grow up to be a man. But you will be a Lord, and the more anger you harbor, the stupider the decisions you will make in that state. Now breathe, take a bath, and sleep, you need more than anything" Ser Cassel offered, as Robb's breath became more even.
He took a bath, and by the time he was done and changed into clean clothes, he heard a knock on his door.
He opened it.
"Sebs is calling us to Theon's room, now" Jojen offered and quickly left to probably tell the rest.
Anger and frustration flared once again, but he had to put both of them aside, for Sebastian would not waste their time.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
They entered one by one. Jon took a corner, still thinking about the earlier exchange. Jojen and Meera sat near the bed, Jojen's eyes guilty for something that he had not been able to prevent himself. Domeric stood by the window and Robb joined him. They all looked at the now more healthy look on Theon's face, as Sebastian looked… slightly off.
Robb walked to Theon's bed, but a small black thing blocked his way by hissing.
"Raon, come back here" Sebastian offered, his voice marked with a deep tenderness reserved for small children.
The cat looked at everyone in the room and quickly positioned himself on Theon's chest in a protective stance.
"New cat?" Meera asked, surprised by the cat's reaction.
"Everyone, meet Raon Miru," Sebastian offered, as the group took notice of the small cat's deep blue eyes.
"What do you want?" Robb asked sharply, more aggressively than he himself intended.
Alas, the words, like arrows, had already been launched.
Sebastian sighed.
"I… I would like to apologize. To everyone…" Sebastian offered, to the group's and Robb's confusion.
He continued before anyone could ask.
"You were also worried about Theon's well being, and… I isolated him myself on the guise of protection. That was wrong, I was wrong, but what I had found has been… concerning" Sebastian offered, as the cat launched himself from Theon's feet to Sebastian's shoulder, purring for some comfort.
Sebastian scratched the black cat as he stood up from his chair.
"He has been afflicted with magic" Sebastian explained as the group showed varying grades of confusion and astonishment, Jojen being the most startled by the revelation.
"Does that mean that I was also affected by it?" Jojen asked, aware of his strange behavior on the night of the party.
Meera put her hand on Jojen's shoulder to support him.
Sebastian nodded.
"The correct course of action would be to travel north to the Neck and seek Lord Reed's help. Sadly, by the time we get there, Theon will die" Sebastian continued as everyone looked at him with shock on their faces.
Robb's mind was like a wagon led by horses without a rider, wild, untamed, and all over the place. Then, Ser Cassel's words resounded deep within, grounding himself in the process.
"And what… what can we do about it? Among us, your and Jojen's displays of magic have been the closest we ever got to magic, besides Nan's stories" Robb asked, while quickly directing everyone's thoughts in the right way.
"South of Westeros, in Dornish territory, there exists a tribe of people famed for their healing arts called the Orphans of the Greenblood. You will all travel alongside Theon to seek their help, for their services were once recommended by Lord Reed himself" Sebastian offered to the relief of most of the group.
"And what about payment? We cannot expect a group like that to accept our request so easily, especially in the old ways when magic is at the center of everything" Domeric added, completely aware that nothing is truly free in this world.
"I will make a deal with Prince Oberyn myself to settle that. After all, it's his territory, and his help will prove useful in taking you all to heal Theon and continuing the journey to meet Prince Doran in Sunspear" Sebastian offered, as Jon pondered deeply each word that had been exchanged until now.
"You said, 'in taking us all.' Where are you going?" Jon asked pointedly.
Robb chuckled in frustration.
"He is going for Prince Oberyn's payment. After all, why would the Prince offer us his help for free? He will deal with the orphans, but something must be exchanged for this to work" Robb added, tired of Sebastian's wordplay.
Sebastian looked at him, a small tenderness escaping from his being despite the mask.
"That is part of the truth, yes. But there is a reason why I cannot accompany you to the Orphans. I will do what I have to, and when I am done with it, I will be waiting for you at Sunspear with Theon awake, loud, and completely pissed off that he could not visit Magnolia's brothel" Sebastian offered in good nature as small smiles formed in the group at varying degrees.
"And you will be taking this bad boy with you" Sebastian said lightly, the weight on his shoulders being lifted as he spoke.
The cat on his shoulders lifted his chin in classical feline arrogance.
The group laughed a little bit at the cat's antics.
"Ra0n My.rv right? It feels hard to pronounce. What does it mean?" asked Meera, trying to distend the room's tension.
The cat looked into Sebastian's eyes with betrayal and claws promising deep violence against his coat.
"I never told you, eh? Sorry about that—" Sebastian took the cat and positioned it looking back at him. "—Raon Miru. Just like the Targaryen dragons were named after Old Valyria's gods, this one was the name of a powerful, resilient and incredibly strong dragon. It means 'Joyful Dragon' in a forgotten language, and I gave you this name in the hopes that you will be happy and live a long life" Sebastian explained with deep affection, as the 'small dragon' could feel some water falling from his eyes.
They finally stayed in the room as Sebastian left to deal with the Prince.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Prince Oberyn's room
The door opened and the Viper smiled languidly, eyes betraying a deep awareness, prepared for any… unforeseen consequences.
"The maid that the Tyrells have graciously provided already left… and while unexpected, your company would be enjoyed… thoroughly" he purred slyly, luring his prey as he had done many times before.
Sebastian closed the door behind him as he chuckled slightly.
"Really, seducing me? Wouldn't it be more… tactful to at least invite me for a cup of tea?" he asked, half offended, half incredulous, for that special interaction tended to be the other way around.
A small and dark shape positioned itself in Oberyn's peripheral vision.
The Prince took notice and quickly ignored it.
Oberyn smiled roguishly as he stood up in the same clothes he had been brought into this world. He took a nearby long silk, put it around his neck, while the silk tried but failed to cover his more important parts.
He smiled.
"I thought that you as a Northern folk would give me a straight answer. A yes, let's fuck, or no, not interested. I have to say, your… choice of words has been quite the novelty" he said as he took a bottle of Dornish Red and served it in two cups. He took the opportunity to assess the black shape by the window, a small black cat with deep blue eyes.
"Good thing that I am not a Northern folk" Sebastian shrugged as he took a seat on a nearby chair.
Oberyn looked at him with intrigue, for this was new information for him. And as he was accustomed, he tried to probe deeper.
"That is quite the surprise, my friend, would you be interested in discussing it in a much… deeper way? You look young. I promise I will be… gentle" Oberyn took a seat opposite Sebastian, with a small table delimiting the distance between them.
Sebastian took the glass and took a small sip.
"Sadly, that would not be among the purposes of my visit, no" Sebastian offered as he whiffed at the cup of spicy and sweet Dornish delight.
"You come to my chambers in the middle of the night, as your friend is dying from unknown circumstances, and if I had to guess, the Northern lords will swear that you are among them. Add your complete lack of sound in your footsteps… you tell me, what would be the purpose of your visit?" he said, smile never gone, his body coiled ready to grab a concealed knife in the silk, and eyes now ready for violence.
"My, my, and here I thought you wanted to use the paralytic venom inside the wine to have your way with poor me" answered good naturedly Sebastian, mask betraying nothing of his real thoughts.
Oberyn shrugged.
"The plan was both, a good night for me and a warning for the North, or for whoever you are working for. If they are the Tyrells, let me give you a warning, my friend. You will be dead by morning either way. My venom is lethal, but theirs is much more ruthless in nature" explained Oberyn, sipping his wine, for it had been years since he had gained resistance to this kind of concoction.
"Lucky for both, neither of those are my goals" he said as he drank all the wine in his cup.
Oberyn lifted an eyebrow, surprised but not overwhelmed at the butler's action, for that was a personal concoction for these kinds of situations.
Men bigger than the butler had fallen with less than a sip.
Sebastian gave him his cup and Oberyn refilled it with more spiked Dornish Red.
Oberyn laughed at the absurdity.
"And what would you want by coming to my chambers?" he finally asked.
Sebastian played with his wine lazily.
"Safe passage to Plankton" Sebastian said casually.
Oberyn looked at him and easily connected the dots.
"The Greyjoy boy has been affected by magic, has he not?" Oberyn got to the crux of the problem immediately, years of world experience condensing into a single man's wisdom.
Sebastian nodded, for lying would be impractical.
"You are a well learned men" the butler offered.
Oberyn smiled, as this was not something important for him.
"And why would you need my help with that? Don't get me wrong, but from nearby accounts you are not exactly incompetent yourself, and I also need to deliver my lovely niece safely to Sunspear" Oberyn said while not explicitly contradicting Sebastian.
The butler interrupted the flow of the conversation.
"My Prince, would you be willing to satisfy a little piece of curiosity?" the butler brought forth his question.
The Prince's smile deepened.
"And what would be the answer that you need from me?" Oberyn asked back.
"If you had to choose, which one would you like right now under your blade? Amory Lorch or Gregor Clegane?" Sebastian's whispered question resounded loudly in Oberyn's mind.
He laughed with a cruel smile, befitting a man who had fantasized about that exact scenario thousand times before.
"To choose? I am a Prince, boy. A smallfolk would have to choose yes. I, I will have them all, tortured and killed by my own hands" Oberyn offered cruelly, now furious by the pointless talk.
He took out his hidden knife, blasted away the small table, and pointed the blade at the butler's neck.
The cat by the window jumped inside the room, easily scaling onto Sebastian's shoulder as he hissed menacingly at Oberyn's face.
"So we have a deal then?" Sebastian asked, completely unfazed by the situation, he even took a small sip from his wine.
Oberyn felt something cold touching him.
He looked down, as he could now feel a small pointedly coldness directed into his chest. A small needle glinted in the light of a nearby lamp, handled by the butler's other hand, positioned exactly between the third and fourth rib.
For in that small cat's distraction, the 'man' in front of him had acted.
Mutual assured destruction.
Oberyn laughed at the absurdity as he took Sebastian's cup and drank it all in one gulp.
"It seems we have a deal my friend" as his foot now rested on Sebastian's chair, too close to the butler's crotch.
"Try to surprise me, will you?" Prince Oberyn smiled roguishly with cruelty overflowing from his eyes.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A/N: I had exam season, now I have to wait for the results.
I realize that the problem with my fic is continuity. I can not write fast enough, and by the time I write, the people already forgot what was before (or only remember some parts).
I know because I had to reread my fic to understand where I left it before.
Sadly, I can't do much about it (for time is getting scarce for me, especially because it takes me about four hours to write a chapter).
The besto referencee in this chapter, Raon Miru (he is the small dragon in the Trash of the count's family. A korean novel, that in my opinion is PEAK).
Next chapter I need to adreess Theon/Sebastian's shared past (for which I will need to research some pirates novels or terms) and some reactions to the world (Olenna reaction to Marj's kiss with Jon, the kingdom's reaction to Gerion (and brightroar) from Old Valyria, Ned reaction at knowing that Jon will now be an squire to Barristan Selmy (and worry for Jon's true identity). I really want to be done with all of this and then to a timeskip to canon