farsickness | "I want to plant trees and see them grow"

"I want to plant trees and see them grow"

WHO: Daenerys Targaryen

thebrideoffire and OPEN
WHEN: June
WHAT: Exploring and settling
WHERE: Mostly the town and the forest
WARNINGS: None so far

There were not enough answers to satisfy her, but a life needed to be made here, for however long Daenerys would be forced to remain here. The environment was at least familiar in a sense. It was closer to the stories of Westeros than anywhere else she had been in Essos. The land was sweeping and beautiful, the forest being a particular draw for her. While Dany didn't have Drogon with her or her Silver, she could at least wander the woods and collect the herbs she would need for the local apothecary.

The apothecary shop was one of a few in this place, but the owner was willing to teach her in exchange for her running deliveries, errands and whatever else he might need. It also gave her an excuse to go out into the woods during the day and look for the plants he described for her. A chance to be outdoors, but also to work the land and earn her own way. It was exhilarating, no different than her dreams of being a sailor or a simple woman in Braavos.

In the evening, as she always did, Daenerys returned to the tavern for her meal. The food was better quality than the inn and something about being surrounded by so many pleased her. No more knives in the dark, only the people, as she always wanted to be part of. Open and warm, it was how she would greet anyone who approached her during her day.

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But even the woods could hold certain dangers if one was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It so happens that Geralt has already been in pursuit of a basilisk who has eaten five cows and 2 sheep across some a number of nearby farms. And normally, they should be taken seriously as an extremely nasty creature to get involved with but this one was turning out to be a pain in Geralt's ass.

Almost literally, if the bloody tear in his pants has anything to do with it.

Tracking the thing was proving difficult, especially when the Witcher smells the scent of a young woman who the basilisk is clearly heading towards now. He only has so much time.

So while Geralt stops to listen, the basilisk is slithering up behind Daenerys thinking she will make an excellent second course...

She can sense something close by, hearing the brush break under a creature's weight. She clutched her basket tighter, well aware that she was unarmed and vulnerable. Her violet eyes scanned the forest, searching for a broken branch or anything else that she might use as a weapon. The moment she moved, she would attract attention further, if whatever it was hadn't seen her already.

Seeing a nearby branch, Dany tossed her basket over her shoulder, hoping to distract as she darted towards it. She could hear the creature behind her, but didn't turn to see what it was, determined to get to the branch. As she rolled on the ground, raising the branch in threat, she finally caught sight of what it was...

...and it was something she had never seen before. Her branch wouldn't be enough, but she wasn't going to be killed without a fight.

A frightful noise sounds from the basilisk, something between a hiss and a growl that only grows louder the more the beast opens its mouth. It slithers closer, snapping its jaw once, then twice before straightening up to tower over the girl on the ground. Her death is imminent...

Another noise comes from it, a type of gurgling that sends one's stomach rolling in disgust. The creature recoils backwards, shifting around to face the other way as a long silver sword protrudes from its middle area. Geralt jumps down from a group of rocks, his amber eyes narrow as he watches the creature writhe, make another horrible noise and then slam down to the ground with a thud. He pulls the sword free but stands there watching it.

It's shriek makes her bones ache and her blood scrape against her veins. Her hand drops the branch involuntarily as her fingers try to cover her ears. She can't keep her eyes on the creature, well aware that it's going to kill her. She shrank down, curling into herself, unable to think or move, shocked that this would be the means and way she would die-

-it isn't until she sees the gleam of silver that she understands that someone had come to her aid. Her eyes went wide as the creature fell to the ground. She was quick to her feet again, backing away, as though it might strike out as it was dying.

"What was that?"

Even though he has his own quarters above the stables, and there's a small stove in them that could be used for cooking, Jon usually comes to the tavern for his meals. It's the best way to know what's going on in the town, and also means he can spend some time around people instead of horses.

He goes up to the bar first, to order a drink, and while he's waiting for it, he glances around to see who else is there. And catches sight of some very familiar silver hair.

Once he has his drink, he heads to find a table, but pauses by hers first. "A bit different than what you're used to?"

Jon had spoken to her a few times, but for the most part, she had kept to herself as she attempted to adjust to this startling new reality. Being pulled to a new world had left her disoriented and uncertain. Still, his kindness was recognized and repaid with as many smiles as she could give him, silent thanks for his concern.

She gestured for him to join her. Her food hadn't arrived yet, but they could at least share a drink together.

"Very," she answered. "When I was a girl, I was envious of those who could afford the treats from the market. The sausages, honey fingers. My brother and I could never purchase them, we were too dependent on others. Having supper at a tavern would have been impossible."

He pulls out a chair and settles in it with his drink. This is probably not the time to mention how easy it was for the Starks to visit a tavern -- the boys, anyway; the lord of Winterfell's daughters would never have been allowed there without an adult along -- and more frequently as they got older. It might be best not to mention Winterfell at all.

"There are many parts of Westeros I haven't seen, but this place isn't that much different from most of what I have seen. In the basics, anyway."

He doesn't need to say it for her to know that he likely frequented them often. Even her Great Bear, who ended in exile was able to enjoy luxuries that she couldn't imagine. Instead, she had to rely on the hospitality (or rather the pity and greed) of others. So much was dependent on her hosts. Honey fingers and silk came with a price.

"Not as cold as the North, as I imagine?"

"Not as cold as the North." The Northmen are used to the cold, of course, but even those of such hardy stock have their limits. He thinks unpleasantly of the result of the Starks' ominous warning. Winter is coming. No one had fully understood the significance of what it would mean when winter arrived this time. It wasn't just winter that had arrived.

"How much do you know of Westoros?"

She flushed, embarrassed to admit the truth to someone who had lived his life in Westeros. It had always been a distant dream to her, stories told first by Viserys and then by Jorah. She had dreamed of King's Landing and the Red Keep, but they were simply images that she conjured in her mind.

"Not very much. I know the history of my House and the Usurper's Rebellion. Viserys spoke a great deal about the Red Keep and Dragonstone, but I cannot say what might be true."

"I don't know much of those places either. I've spent a little time at Dragonstone, but have only seen the Red Keep from other parts of King's Landing." And he hasn't seen much of that, either, since they weren't there for sightseeing. "I don't know much beyond the North, though."

"Dragonstone was where I was born, but I never had the chance to form memories there. Viserys spoke of it often, as he did the Red Keep. It's difficult to know though what he embellished and what he did not." As he had embellished her father, leaving out his madness and only speaking of his generosity.

"What is the North like besides cold?"

"I've spent a little time at Dragonstone." Probably not enough to answer her questions about what's true and what's not. Certainly not enough to know it well.

"Big. It's the largest of the seven kingdoms." Which are now six, with the North being independent, but that's not the focus right now. "It's wilder than the other six, too, and we still follow the Old Gods up there." With a few exceptions; his siblings prayed to both because their mother was not from the North. "I think sometimes the rest of Westeros doesn't take us seriously."

"Ser Jorah spoke of Bear Island and how it is surrounded by trees. That it isn't an easy land to live in." But given the other places she has lived, she can imagine the beauty of it and wishes that she had some glimpse beyond her imaginings. "Perhaps they don't, but they are foolish for it. What little I know of the history of Westeros speaks well of the North. They seem practical."

They bowed to Aegon when so many others let pride rule them. Still, his father's support of Robert Baratheon did not sit easily with her, even knowing what her father was. "You must miss it greatly. Home is a wonderful thing."

"It isn't an easy land to live in, but it's some of the most beautiful country I've seen." Not that he's seen much, of course, and he may be a little biased. "Perhaps I've just been talking to the wrong people then. Or they just don't like having to deal with the bastard of Winterfell."

Which is too bad for them. A bastard, a cripple, or a woman, those are their choices.

"I do miss it. Although I'm not sure Winterfell was ever truly my home, it's the closest thing I have to one."

"I understand that," she murmured, toying with the mug of ale in her hand. "King's Landing is my home, but it is also not the home I feel drawn to. When I was a girl, we used to live with Ser Willem Derry. He was the one who looked after Viserys and me when our mother died and we went into exile. Every time I picture home, I imagine the place in Braavos that was his. A house with a lemon tree outside my window and a red door."

She didn't know why she was telling him. It wasn't something she really told anyone, not even Viserys. Jon was safe though. He might understand her feelings where Viserys wouldn't.

"I'm starting to think that finding a place where there are no other people and just staying out of it is the best option." Solitude. No one arguing with him or expecting a certain thing from him. These are his dreams right now. He shakes his head. "I don't know that that will ever be possible though."

"That seems lonely." She let her eyes linger on him for a moment, able to read some measure of weight about his shoulders. "Hiding away from the world doesn't solve the matters you are faced with, no matter what they are. There is only going forward."

"It would never happen anyway. Even if I didn't have people depending on me." All of Westeros, in fact, and it's his duty as a Stark and as a man of the Watch to keep the threat from making it out of the North. "It's appealing sometimes, but we don't usually get things the way we want them."

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"I want to plant trees and see them grow"

Vasari

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