The Invasion - Introduction & Overview

Hey guys, I've completed Book 1 and posted the parts on Telltale. I will start a new thread up for Book 2 here in a few days or so, after I've finished the epilogue for Book 1

Epilogue

Wyatt

Cloud-cover had rolled in with the easterly breeze of Essos, a warm touch to the Small Merman’s skin, but an indicator of bad weather on the way. While he lacked no concern for how the Mermaid’s Rage would fare in high swell and rough conditions, he had hoped for a smooth sail back to Merling Stone, and had wished to return to his wife sooner. Why I promised Bar Emmon a discussion when he returned from his siege I do not know, Wyatt remarked regretfully in thought, wishing he had just left on the day with him. It would have been a waste of a day, Wyatt recollected his rationales, yet this week had grown to become a waste as a result.

The Bar Emmon Fleet had just poked over the horizon, the waving flags of the blue swordfish barely visible in the distance. Wyatt stood like a guard dog on Sharp Point’s pier, awaiting Togarion’s return with impatience, yet his tolerance lasted longer than his comrade, Laura Thorpe. The captain of the Mermaid’s Rage had wished to leave Sharp Point on the day they arrived, and with each day of prolonging, her tolerance had thinned. She held a dark glare on her gaze as she looked out to the fleet.

“I can’t believe you proposed an alliance with him,” she muttered, her voice barely audible in the wind, partly in her own defence. Wyatt only sighed, maintaining a stern glare out to Blackwater Bay. “It’s undeniable the Andal’s are coming, I allowed Togarion to settle in the first place to plant the seed for friendly relations, I do not wish to lose that,” Wyatt explained, to which Laura only rolled her eyes.

“You wish to side with Andal’s here but slaughter them in the Fingers. Explain that, my Lord,” she spat furiously, evoking a frown from the Small Merman. “That’s different, and you know it. Togarion is a reasonable man, and I’m looking for what’s best for the Kingdom of the Seas. I won’t bend the knee to him,” Wyatt assured her, but Laura only shook her head. “I never wanted you to bend the knee, I just wanted you to open him up from stomach to balls and remove his entrails. These Andal’s are a curse on our land,” Laura spited, crossing her arms bitterly.

“And that is why we leave the negotiations to me,” Wyatt added smugly, patting her on the back, but she only pushed him away. “I’m returning to the ship. We leave by sunset, with or without you,” she bickered, not waiting for a response. Wyatt let out a heavy sigh, watching as she descended the steps down the jetty and ordered to the boatman to row her back to the Mermaid’s Rage. The flagship of the Eastern Fleet was far too large to tie to the wharf, it would sooner run aground then come within a mile of the shoreline.

As the Bar Emmon fleet grew closer, Wyatt felt the presence of another woman by his side, but this one felt much more fragile than the one that had just left him. Jemma Bar Emmon, he presumed, and as he turned to meet her, his assumptions were confirmed. The woman was of no grand beauty, nothing compared to his Lady Vera, but Wyatt acknowledged that Valyrian blood would outdo any First Men or Andal attempt in the realm of attraction. No, Jemma was no Valyrian beauty, nor even near an Andal beauty, but had the hard looks of the daughter of the First Men kings. A beauty in its own right, I suppose, Wyatt levelled, bowing to the lady.

“Lady Bar Emmon, I assume you await for your husband as I do,” Wyatt proposed nonchalantly, and as she took a step forward, he spotted a black and yellow mark that resided on Jemma’s neck, obscured by her long milky blonde hair. A love bite, he assumed, returning his gaze back to the Bar Emmon Fleet. “Naturally, Lord Manderly,” she answered laconically, her tone stripped of any life or emotion, and her blue eyes distant and alienated. She stared off to the Bar Emmon Fleet, or perhaps beyond, it was hard to tell with the wind in her hair.

Wyatt let out a sigh, dropping his gaze to his feet before posing a question. “Jemma, I have something to ask of you, about your husband,” Wyatt stated, but Jemma kept her distant glare focused out at sea, so Wyatt plainly continued. “Your husband wishes me to bend the knee to him, to become his Hand in his bravado kingdom and to abandon my family. He must know that is plainly not possible, my duty is to the Kingdom of the Seas, but will he accept an alliance?” Wyatt queried, though he knew his words likely fell on deaf ears, he did not expect the woman to have any valuable input to the Short Merman’s concerns.

Jemma clasped her hands as she stared longingly out to sea, and Wyatt swore he could see a nervousness build in her eyes, yet he shrugged it off. “My father proposed an alliance with Togarion,” Jemma then stated coldly, making Wyatt raise an eyebrow. “Look where we are now,” she muttered, turning sharply and returning to the castle. The other eyebrow followed in suit as Wyatt contemplated the girl’s answer, but truth was told that he had not heard much of the Massey’s other than their alignment with the Bar Emmon’s and war with the Durrandon’s. A war which they are sure to lose, Wyatt commented on personally, but he had made it clear he wished no part in the politics of Blackwater Bay. Perhaps I will have no choice now, Wyatt thought grimly as he watched the Bar Emmon Fleet enter reach the point.

-

Booming voices echoed through the halls of Sharp Point, boasting of their swift and effortless siege on Maidenpool, their cups raised in glory, yet Wyatt only saw fools. The Mooton’s were in a weakened state with their boy king, but they were close allies with the Darklyn’s, and with the Durrandon’s at the Massey’s doorstep, the Andal’s were doomed to face an inevitable defeat. Yet something about Togarion Bar Emmon made Wyatt feel like his judgement was on scrutiny; the man’s overwhelming confidence, his assurance, it was unnerving.

Wyatt found himself sitting at Togarion’s table once again, this time without the company of his seaworthy captain. Dusk was on the horizon, but Wyatt knew Laura would not abandon him, regardless of her fiery temper towards him at the docks. She is as loyal as they come, he admired, then glancing to those that sat with him at the Bar Emmon table.

Opposite of Wyatt was Syvvek the Skagosi, an awful grin paired with his beaming wide eyes as he relished in the celebrations of those around him. Beside him sat Maya Sisters, the navigator of the Mermaid’s Rage, who looked as uncomfortable as Wyatt was beginning to feel. At the head of the table sat Togarion, his son sitting on his lap, and two women sitting adjacent to him: one, his wife, and the second, a woman which Wyatt did not recognise.

Togarion grinned as he played with his son’s hair, a pale blonde in colour, just like his father’s. The lord still wore his armour from the siege, consisting of reinforced iron chainmail with light steel plating on his shoulders and chest; the blue swordfish displayed on his front. The gear was considerably light, it was armour designed to withstand slashes and jabs while being able to be as mobile as without armour, but any strike from a real sword would penetrate the man’s flesh with ease.

“Lord Manderly, I trust your stay was comfortable in my absence?” Togarion spoke up, a voice speaking what Wyatt heard as genuine concern and curiosity, to which the Small Merman responded with a courteous nod. “All was as to expected,” Wyatt replied graciously, to which Togarion flashed him a smile, messing his son’s hair before lifting the boy off his lap. “Run along, Monty,” he told him, kissing the boy on the cheek before sending him off. He let out a warm sigh, turning his attention back to Wyatt with a smile as he let out a warm sigh.

“Children, they’re our future, Wyatt,” Togarion exclaimed with a prophetic emphasis, caressing his wife’s hand. Wyatt nodded in agreeance, not entirely sure where the Andal was going with this. “Soon we will all be dead, and only our offspring will remain. It is our duty to teach them how to be their best; how to give their best, so that we may rest when we depart this world,” Togarion stated, pouring himself a glass of wine and taking a sip. “We are their foundations, and they will either build or break what we have made. If we wish for there to be anything good in this world, we must teach with example,” the man claimed, to which Wyatt awaited what he anticipated next.

“Have you thought on my offer?” Togarion predictably broached, to which Wyatt sighed and nodded. “I have,” Wyatt stated, to which Togarion smiled. “And?” he asked, awaiting Wyatt’s response eagerly, yet the Small Merman hoped that his compromise would not disappoint him. “And… I believe you already know that I cannot do what you ask,” Wyatt claimed cautiously, and Togarion held his gaze on Wyatt a moment without any words. Shortly after a sigh escaped him.

“Wyatt, you let me into this land and gave me a chance, you showed me mercy when you could have so easily have sent me and my people to the bottom of the sea. Can you not see I am trying to do the same for you? Soon more of my people will come, and if they see land that is not claimed by Andal sovereignty, they will take it, by force or otherwise,” Togarion claimed with concern, clasping his hands as he leant forward. Wyatt shook his head, crossing his arms.

“They can try,” he muttered, but Togarion defiantly shook his head. “I do not wish to see you drown with this invasion, Wyatt. Please, reconsider,” Togarion pleaded to him, but Wyatt shook his head. “I have considered and reconsidered. I like you, Bar Emmon, you’re a good man. That is why I will ally myself with you, but I cannot renounce myself from my father,” Wyatt stated with a stern tone, to which Togarion frowned, leaning back and letting out a heavy sigh.

“So be it,” Togarion stated in defeat, resting against the back of his chair. “When the Andal’s come, I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to protect you. You will be destroyed,” Togarion claimed with an apologetic but also apathetic tone, making Wyatt raise an eyebrow. “Is that a threat?” Wyatt queried with surprise, to which Togarion sternly shook his head. “Only a fact,” he stated plainly. The Small Merman felt himself losing his composure, his fists closing under the table, but his good etiquette restrained him.

“Well, I would say the time for pleasantries is long past. I believe it time I depart back for Merling Stone,” Wyatt claimed, rising from his seat with Maya Sisters following in suit. Togarion nodded firmly, grasping his wife’s hand as he stared at Wyatt with unsettled eyes. “I wish you good fortune in the wars to come,” he bid calmly, to which Wyatt glared at the man momentarily before nodding, then turning his attention to the Skagosi.

“Come along, Syvvek,” Wyatt muttered as they took their leave, Maya walking silently by the Small Merman’s side as they egressed the hall. Wyatt felt every eye on them as they exited, knowing full well he had just made a new enemy, and feeling that there was nothing in his power he could have done to have avoided it.

-

The sun had just began to rise on the eastern horizon of the Narrow Sea, setting an orange glow onto the deck of the Mermaid’s Rage, which was absorbed by the obsidian that was crafted into the vessel. Wyatt let out a heavy yawn as he climbed onto deck from his quarters, reaching the helm where Laura Longthorpe stood diligently in silence with Maya Sisters by her side. When Wyatt came into their view, both of them gave him a firm nod.

“My Lord,” Laura greeted, to which Wyatt nodded back to her. “My Captain,” he remarked sarcastically, to which she sighed, reverting her gaze back to the sea. “You headed straight to your cabin and haven’t come out until now. I take it your proposed alliance with the Andal did not go as planned?” Laura anticipated, to which Wyatt turned his gaze to Maya, who kept her glance lowered. “Don’t worry, she refrained from saying a word. I think I raised her too well,” Laura glowered playfully, hitting the girl in the arm.

Wyatt sighed, reluctantly nodding in defeat. She was right, Wyatt thought bitterly, still in part disbelief that he had not managed to win an alliance over with a man he had considered just and compatible. Perhaps he thought his offer was truly just, Wyatt considered in hindsight, but as just as it may have been, it was an offer Wyatt could have never taken. He was loyal to the Kingdom of the Seas, and he would be until his death.

“How long until we reach home?” Wyatt muttered tiredly, to which Maya shrugged. “I’d say we’ll start to see Merling Stone in another hour or two, no less,” she assured him, to which Laura frowned. “If this breeze holds up,” she mumbled, glancing up to the sails. Wyatt let out a sigh, placing his hand on the Laura’s forearm and nodding to Maya. “Keep up the good work, ladies,” he farewelled, descending the steps back down to the lower deck.

Wyatt weaved through the crew to the starboard end of the ship, leaning himself against the railings to stare out to the sunrise. He had to admit, there was much beauty to awaking on the sea to glance out to the eastern morning light, yet so many connotations had been paired with the east now. Beyond the sunrise lay a land of invaders, and as Togarion had warned, soon they would come across the Narrow Sea to take all of Westeros, and the Merling Isles would suffer it next.

The Small Merman stared out to the sky with a stern look on his weary waking eyes. The sky was a vibrant blue, with only a few clouds in sight, all of them a light red in the morning sun. A sign of bad weather to come, Wyatt thought grimly as he felt the Mermaid’s Rage sway gently in the swell. The clouds pushed north with the same tailwind that pushed Wyatt’s vessel towards home, yet as the Small Merman stared at the sky for a long period, he noticed one cloud behaving irregular.

Wyatt rested his cheek on his palm as he watched the anomaly in the sky. The cloud moved west, towards the Mermaid’s Rage, and at a greater speed than the northerly breeze. Wyatt considered it possible that there was a wind change occurring, but as he stared longer, no other clouds showed any signs of altering their course, while this one continued in its rogue direction with an increasing speed.

The Small Merman turned his attention back to the helm, where both Laura and Maya stared obliviously ahead of the prow, and as Wyatt looked around, he found himself to be the only one staring out into the oblivion of the sky. He sighed, passing the anomaly on for simply that. He pushed himself away from the railings, making his way back to his cabin for some more rest, yet the shriek of a familiar voice brought him to a halt.

“Starboard side!” Maya Sisters screamed, and Wyatt turned his gaze back to the east, yet the rising sun forced his eyes to take the time to readjust as the clouds parted. Wyatt spotted Maya and Laura come to the starboard end of the upper deck, but it was clear that the captain was as disorientated as the Small Merman. Regardless, Wyatt climbed the steps to their position, peering over the edge to try and follow Maya’s gaze. He saw nothing.

“I saw a splash,” Maya gulped, to which Laura rolled her eyes. “Probably a dolphin, silly girl,” Laura muttered, but Maya shook her head. “It was huge!” she claimed, to which Laura sighed. “A whale then,” she compromised, returning to the helm, but Wyatt was not so easily satisfied. “How large?” he questioned, to which Maya shook her head. “Larger than a whale,” she compared, to which Wyatt raised an eyebrow, then turning his gaze to the sky. He searched for his anomaly, yet little to his surprise, it was nowhere to be seen.

“Port side!” a crewmen then called, to which an ocean priest then shouted: “Starboard side, my Lord!” Wyatt glanced around them, witnessing as the sea came to life. A school of thousands of fish leaped from the water, coursing through the wake of the Mermaid’s Rage and surrounding the ship for miles in each direction. The Small Merman turned his gaze to Maya with raised eyebrows, to which the girl shrugged.

“Battle stations!” Laura suddenly ordered, grasping the attention of Wyatt and the rest of the crew. The obedience and haste of the crewmen never ceased to impress the Small Merman as he watched them convert the cruising vessel into a warship in the matter of minutes. “What is it, Laura?” Maya queried with concern, to which Laura scanned around them alertly.

“I’ve only ever seen this happen once, my Lord, and it was when there was a leviathan about,” Laura explained, to which Wyatt’s eyes widened. “If there is a leviathan about, not even our lady could stand against that,” Wyatt reminded her, to which Laura nodded. “Then let us hope I am wrong,” Laura exclaimed with a doubtful tone, not making Wyatt feel any confidence.

An anxious tension fell over the silent crew, the men were armed with pikes and bows, ballista turrets and catapults were loaded and ready to unleash at a moment’s notice. Wyatt’s eyes scanned the sea for miles around them, but he saw nothing. The fearful fish had moved on, submersing themselves to the depths where they had once been, and again it seemed all quiet as it had just been only minutes ago. Wyatt turned his glance to Laura, whose expression mirrored Wyatt’s confusion.

Wyatt let out a sigh, releasing the tension from his body as he took a step forward. “Alright boys, pack it-” Wyatt started, but his words fell short as the ship’s eyes all watched in awe at what emerged from the waters only a mile ahead of them. Scales, glimmering in the morning light and refracting a shadow of colours onto the deck as the beast sprung into the air.

“Merman’s beard, is that…” Maya started, finding herself at a loss for words. “Dragon!” one of the archers shrieked, and Wyatt noticed a few ballista turrets spinning into action. The words were barely in his mind before they uttered from his throat. “Hold your fire!” he yelled awkwardly, gaining the immediate disapproving glare of his captain, but Wyatt kept his assertion. “That’s not any dragon, gentlemen,” Wyatt announced, spotting the small figure clutched onto the back of the beast, his silver hair drenched from the dive.

Wyatt then turned his gaze back to Laura and Maya, a smirk spreading on his lips. “That’s Varys Velaryon, our invited guest,” Wyatt informed them, then turning his attention back to the beast that he rode. Psydon, Wyatt admired in thought, having only made the dragon’s acquaintance once before with his time in the Freehold. “Take us home, Captain. We have a feast to prepare,” Wyatt stated, watching as Varys rode his beast for Merling Stone. See how your friends fare against mine, Togarion.