Stories of Tie Up Games

by chadmc90 » Mon May 05, 2014 7:59 am

End of Chapter 48 Organization

Arc 2: Survival of the Strongest

Chapter 49: The Wanderers


Five boys make their way across the forest floor. To an unknown destination, they scavenge whatever they can find from the land as they cling to their freedom. They know if they turn their selves in now, they could get food and a proper shower. But the thought of being enslaved once again drove them forward. Four of them were once a tribal camp, but that all changed when the team in blue took them by surprise. They were then escorted back to their camp and became slaves. It wasn't as bad as they were initially thinking, but nevertheless they didn't enjoy it either. It was something that they didn't want to live through again.

“Come on, guys, lets get to the next tribal camp” Josh said. They had been out here for several days. Every since the fall of the Starks, they were hiding and moving away from the other teams.

“Josh, we've been out here for so long. I'm so hungry. Can we please just turn ourselves in?” One boy said.

“If we do that, then we won't get a chance to overcome a team. We have to hold out!” Josh responded stubbornly.

“Josh, with the numbers we have, we wouldn't stand a chance! We are just starving ourselves for nothing!” another responded.

“No. now come on guys, we can do this!” Josh encouraged. But their ambition was running as empty as their stomachs.

“No, Josh. You might want to stay out here, but not me. I'm going back.” Troy said, who had been silent the whole time.

Troy started to walk off as Josh stepped in front of him.

“Troy, please don't go! Do you really want to be a slave again?”

Troy looked at Josh frustrated. He was hungry, tired, and dirty. Even if it meant giving up his freedom, those things were more important than this. “Move out of the way, Josh. I am not staying out here another night.”

“Troy..” Josh said as Troy pushed him aside. He walked off into the distance out of view. “You'll regret this! Just watch!” A couple moments later he heard something from behind him. He saw what looked like a monster. He was shirtless and had bulging muscles. He also had lengths of rope wrapping around his shoulders and waist. Unknown to the boys, it was The Hound.

“W..who are you?” Josh asked nervously.

“I am here to take you back to the Lannisters.” the Hound responded.

“W..what? Your joking, right? There is four of us and only one of you. You cant..” Josh said as the Hound swooped past him and grabbed Josh by the mouth. Josh struggled against the power of his grip, but his fatigue from hunger and exhaustion got the better of him. The other three boys jumped the hound from the back.

“Let him go!” One of them said as they held onto his neck.

“I have one of his hands!” Another said. But suddenly a crackling sound was heard and the three boys were thrown off the hound by an unknown force. Then Josh saw it. The silvery glow of the monster's eyes. Josh had never been this frightened before. He slowly backed away as the hound immediately went to work tying one of the boys, who was on the ground unconscious. He got to his feet slowly, shaking from the fear. One of the boys was wearily getting back to his feet. He was knocked close to Josh.

“W..ho is he? What is going on?” The boy asked Josh shaking.

“We..we have to run!” Josh said frightened.

“And leave them?”

“What choice do we have? We can't take on something like that!”

The boys immediately turned around and ran off not looking back .

Back at the scene of the attack, the Hound looked over the two boys that were still unconscious. He picked them up and carried them like they were dolls on his shoulders and then started walking back to the Lannister fortress.

---------------------

In the Brotherhood fortress, Berek and his advisers are all sitting at a table in the bar room. They are discussing their plans to win the tournament.

“First things first. I want to recapture Robb from the Frey team. They are much more powerful than us right now and also are aligned with the Lannisters. We need a way to break it up so we there is no alliance threatening us.” Berek explained. He was really adamant about rescuing his cousin.

“Yea, but shouldn't we at least take out the other teams first?” Bronn responded.

“I thought about that, but if we proceed that way then we will have to deal with the Lannister/Frey alliance. We would be outnumbered.” Berek replied back.

“Were outnumbered now.” Thoros added, “The Targaryens hold 20 members along with the Freys. The Lannisters hold 19 and we hold only 16.”

“But the Baratheons have 12 members. Shouldn't we take them out first?” Aryan suggested.

“We might could, but I have a better idea.” Berek said. The advisers all had their eyes on him now.

“What do you have in mind, bro?” Aryan asked Berek.

“We will form an alliance.” Berek replied.

“What? Are you sure about this? Look what happened to the Stark and Greyjoy team!” Thoros said.

“I remember all right, but at this point it may be our best option.”

“Ok, and who do we align with? Certainly not the Lannisters or Freys.” Bronn asked.

“Of course not.”

“Then who? The Targaryens would be hard to trust. And the Baratheons....do you trust Stannis?”

“No, but we have no choice. Stannis is closest to us and therefore the most immediate threat. If we align with them, we may can take out the Freys.”

The others sat quietly for the longest. They each knew that it was their best option. They couldn't hind in their cave forever if they'd hope to win. But they still don't know that Bran is hiding the key in his nightstand. Bran had slit open his team headband and stuffed the key inside, hoping no one would discover it.

“Ok, Berek. We will go along with it. But we better not end up like the Starks.”

Berek gave a big smile to his advisers. “Of course! I'll contact Stannis right away.”

Then suddenly, Rhaegar came into the bar room. Berek took notice and looked over at him.

“Berek, Bran wants to talk to you.” Rhaegar said.

“Bran?”

“Yea. He said it was important and it couldn't wait. He wanted to talk to you now.” Berek awkwardly rose from his chair and followed Rhaegar into one of the backrooms where Bran is still restrained to the bed. He looked on and saw Bran still where he left him.

“Bran? Rhaegar said you needed to talk to me.”

“Yea. I..i..” Bran said, obvious reluctant to say what he had to say.

Berek then walked to Bran's bed and sat beside him. “What is it you want to say?”

Bran looked down with a saddened expression. “Berek.... I lied to you.”

“Lied? What about.”

“Well, I didn't lie, but I didn't tell you something you should have known from the beginning.”

Berek looked at Bran confused. “Uh okay. What did you have to tell me?”

“Look in the nightstand. There you will find something.”

Berek stared at Bran with a confused expression for a moment. He then reached out and pulled open the drawer. He looked inside and saw Bran's old team clothes. He noticed two blue headbands siting atop the stack. He pulled both of them out and noticed something about one of them. His eyes widened when he realized what it was.

“This is..a Leader's headband!” he said.

“What?” Rhaeger responded as he walked over to where Berek was sitting.

“Bran, is this Robbs?”

“Yea. He forgot it on the dresser before he left to battle the Lannisters and Greyjoys. When I ran away, I grabbed it.”

Berek was staring at it in his hands.

“Bran..Why didn't you tell me before?”

“I..didn't trust you at the time. And there’s more. Look in my adviser headband.”

Berek picked up Bran's adviser headband. He didn't notice anything unusual except for the extra weight compared to most headbands. He then spotted a tear on the inside. When he squeezed it, Berek could feel something solid and hard inside of it. He then dug his fingers in it and felt something metallic. He grabbed a hold and pulled out a key. He noticed the silver emblem in the shape of a wolf for the base. When he recognized what it was, his eyes widened with disbelief.

“Is this...what I think it is Bran?”

“Yea, our team key.”

Berek took several moments to examine the key. He was in disbelief that this whole time one of the 6 keys was right here in this nightstand. He felt betrayed and anger at Bran.

“Why didn't you tell me this before?” he shouted furiously.

“I'm sorry, Berek. I didn't know what to do!”

“You should of told me right from the beginning. We're family, Bran.”

“I have never met you before now! How was I supposed to know if your lying or not?”

“He's not lying, Bran!” Rhaegar said trying to keep peace. “Berek, please forgive him. He was just being cautious.”

Berek stood there for a moment. The tension in the room was thick, and Bran was now worrying what will happen to him. But the worst never came. “Sigh. I guess your right Rhaegar. But with this we can get more headbands for our own teams.”

“What?” Bran asked, confused.

“Well, Robert has made another announcement. He is now allowing teams to trade in leader headbands for new team headbands. With this I can get three new member headbands for our team. He is trading three for each leader.”

Bran looked at him in shock. “Trade in Robb's headband? No, Berek! Please don't do that!” Bran begged. If they traded in their headbands, then that means Team Stark has no chance of returning. He didn't want that to happen.

“Why not? We have the opportunity to increase our numbers and secure our victory.”

“Because, Robb won't be able to win this tournament. Please Berek he's your cousin. Don't do this to him.” Bran pleaded.

“No, Bran. Your team has already lost. And if we did that we would be rivals. Do you really want that?”

Bran thought for a couple of seconds. “No, I guess not.”

Berek then smiled. “And besides, he can join our team when we rescue him. And you will be a member too.”

Bran looked up at his cousin. “Really?”

“Well yea. Your old team is gone, Bran. But this team will be here to stay. You, Robb, John, Rikken, Aryan; we will all be together again! We will all be on one team and we will take this tournament by storm. I've already taken steps What do you say, Bran?”

Just the thought of being together with his brothers was enough to cheer him up. He yearned to see Robb, John, and Rikken once more. He looked to Berek and smiled. “Okay!”

They all laughed as Berek scuffled Bran's hair. “Hahah. But right now it's time to decide your punishment!”

“What?” Bran said as their expressions turned from lively and warm to sadistic and mischievous.

---------------------

He sat in his cell, waiting patiently in the darkness. He had been a slave for a while now, shifting from one team to the coliseum games to his current team. His new captors weren't as bad, especially compared to the first. He really didn't want to remember the torment that he endured before the coliseum games. He was just thankful it was over. He laid down on his small bed, expecting nothing to happen anytime soon. But he was proven wrong as he heard footsteps walk down the stairs. Light filled his cell as the figure reached over and flipped the light on. He immediately noticed the figure as Walder Frey, the leader of this fortress. His eyes had to adjust to the sudden change in lighting as he peered away from the source.

“W..what can I do for you, sir?”

“It seems you won't be calling me that anymore.” Walder said as he opened the cell door.

The boy's eyes finally got used to the light and he looked up. He noticed that Walder was holding out...a headband!

“This is for you. I had managed to save up enough credits to buy one.” The boy took it and stared at it with awe. He never expected to wear any headband.

“Why me?” he asked still in disbelief.

“I don't know. I just chose someone on a whim.”

The boy immediately slipped the headband on his forehead with a smile.

“Thank you so much!” The boy said graciously. He adjusted the headband as Walder started to walk out. But he stopped before he completely left the cell.

“Oh, what was your name again.”

The boy giggled as he replied with “Anthony.”

by chadmc90 » Tue May 06, 2014 6:50 pm

Warning: Again another chapter I feel I should warn about, but not for the same reasons. This chapter is particularly dark and may unnerve you...

End of Chapter 49 Organization

Arc 2: Survival of the Strongest

Chapter 50: Nightmares in the Flames


Berek marches towards the destination marked on his map. He and the rest of the Brotherhood are to meet with Stannis and Team Baratheon to work out an alliance. Tensions are high as most are against the alliance. But nevertheless, they follow Berek, believing that he will be the one to lead them to victory.

“Berek, are you sure this is a great idea?” Thoros said as he nervously walked to their destination.

“We outnumber them now, but if we combine our forces, we may be able to take down the other teams.”

“Yea, but what if they betray us? Like Robb was.”

“I am not as naive as Robb, Thoros. Plus, I will be able to keep an eye on them, once I use it.”

“You mean THAT.”

“Yea.”

“But Berek, don't you think that's a little risky? You don't want to expose yourself like this do you?”

“We have to use every resource available. Our futures are all on the line here.”

“I guess.”

The conversation between Berek and Thoros continued as they approached the destination point. It was getting darker with each passing minute as nightfall neared. Just yesterday they had contacted Stannis to setup the alliance, and he was more willing than expected. They all gathered around a fairly large tree, one that has certainly seen many years and possibly centuries. This tree marked where the meeting would take place, but there was no sign of them anywhere. But then they saw some lights from deep within the woods. Berek assumed it was them as the lights got brighter, and sure enough it was the Baratheons. Stannis was leading them as the team came to a stop.

“We meet again, Berek.” Berek remembered the last time they met. It was back at the coliseum games at one of the food stalls. They had a decent conversation. To Berek, Stannis seemed like a genuine guy. A bit cheery and outgoing, they could have been friends if they weren’t rivals in the tournament. Maybe it could happen after this tournament concluded. But Berek noticed something off. The Stannis standing in front of him deemed much dark and uninviting. Not the cheery boy at the tournament that day.

Hi, Stannis.” Berek said uneasy. “So lets talk about this alliance. Both of our teams have the short end of the stick when it comes to team members. The other three teams outnumber us, and if the Lannisters and Freys attack any of us, we are screwed.”

“Yet no one knows where your hideouts are. You have a safe zone you can crawl in if the Lannisters come knocking.”

“We wouldn't be able to hide forever.”

“But why worry about you when they know exactly where another weak team is. We have been on our toes every since we lost our first member. First, it was the Lannisters that captured Clyde and Carlos along with that other boy I forget the name of. Then we lost two more to those Frey bastards. We have only been able to regain our former number since the conclusion of the coliseum games. I just assigned two headbands to two of our slaves. I left the Greyjoy in the dungeons where he belongs. Those a$$holes. But then do you know what happened. Those DAMN Targaryens break the rules and kidnap my younger brother. And my good-for-nothing cousin just gives them a pass. Therefore, we are at fourteen members now with one slave. I wander how many you have, Berek? Probably more than fourteen, I bet.”

Berek looked down in shame. “No wander why he's like this. I guess I would be like him too.” Berek thought. “We, have seventeen members, Stannis. Just three more than you.”

“And that is supposed to make me feel better, how?”

Berek was thinking this was getting nowhere. Stannis was not the same boy. His anger and illustration is making it hard to think straight. “Look, Stannis, I know you're upset. I'm sorry you lost your brother. But if we work together, I think we can get him back.”

“I plan to get him back with or without you.”

Berek was trying to come up with reasons to get him on his side, but none weren't working. “Stannis..”

“No I don't trust you! I don't trust anyone anymore! I have had it!”

Then Berek's eyes met Stannis for a second, and a bluish glow appeared in them. “Could he have..” Berek thought. But all around him debris such as small pebbles and sticks that have fallen off trees started to float in the air. Everyone on Team Baratheon was frightened and confused, the same as the other night. The Brotherhood didn't know that to think about Stannis. All except the Berek and Thoros who knew what Stannis was.

“Berek, he's..” Doros said in fear.

“I know, and this is dangerous. He doesn't know how to control it. And with his anger, we're in danger given the nature of this power.” Berek whispered to Thoros.

Just as Berek started to turn around and warn his team, he saw a pale kid walk up to Stannis and put his hand on the Baratheon Leader's shoulder. “Stannis, look at me!” the boy said loudly but calmly.

Stannis's eyes returned to normal and he fell on his bottom to the ground panting and sweating. “Haha! I did it! I did something! I can use it now!”

Mel smiled as he helped Stannis to his feet. “Not yet, Stannis. Your emotions made you lose control. You need to learn to control it.”

“But that was something, right?”

“Indeed it was.”

Berek listened on from an acceptable distance as Mel and Stan talked. He wandered how Mel was able to stop Stannis. Berek knew about the curses because he was afflicted with one as well. The curse was deeply woven into the Stark bloodline, and he had learned about the curses from his father. He knew that if a curse isn't controlled it can have severe consequences for those around. And curses are tough even for the person cursed to control, let alone someone else to stop it. But how this boy Mel did it was a mystery to be sure.

Mel then turned to the Brotherhood leader with a devious and snaky smile. “Berek of the Brotherhood, how nice to meet you!”

“Uhh, yea. Could you explain just what that was?” Berek wanted to know everything he knew.

“Don't worry about it, Berek. Everything's under control.”

Mel made Berek feel highly uncomfortable with that creepy smile. “Uhh, Stannis, completely ignoring what just happened here, hehe, are we gonna negotiate an alliance deal?”

Stannis looked at him without any hint of emotion. Just that made Berek unsettled. He was starting to regret ever coming out here to meet Stannis. But Mel was the one that spoke in Stannis's place. “As long as you fulfill our end of the bargain, we will accept.”

“And what would that be?” Berek asked.

“As you know, we requested ownership of one of your slaves.”

Berek remembered them asking that, but it just had to be more to it than a slave. “Why a slave?” Berek asked nervously. At first he was more than ready to hand over a slave. But now he was scared. Not necessarily of them but he was scared for the boy.

“Simple, we plan to use him for..an experiment!” Mel responded with an evil grin. A flash of lighting lit up the area for an instant.

“What are you planning to do with him?” Berek asked, again trying to get the truth.

“You will see soon enough. What? Afraid we will hurt him?”

That was Berek's thoughts exactly. He had every reason to be nervous. He looked over to the boy in chains and he was shaking frantically. He could see the fear on his face. Berek didn't know what to do? Give him over to this potential maniac or break the deal off and take them all by force? They might can outnumber them but that would hinder their plan. He had to think, and think fast!

“I'm waiting for an answer.” Mel said impatiently.

“Promise me that you won't hurt him. Swear it now!” Berek commanded.

Mel gave the same cunning and sadistic grin. “Of course. We don't plan on breaking the rules of the game, right?”

Berek hesitantly motioned for a couple of his teammates to bring over the boy. The boy started resisting the pull of his bonds. “No, please Master, I beg of you. Don't let them do this!” But he ignored the pleas the boy made as he was virtually dragged over like a lamb to a slaughter. The boy's leash was handed over to Mel as he stood there in fear.

“What are you going to do to me?” The boy asked nervously.

“Shh. Shh. It will be okay. It may sting for a moment, but you will be fine.” Mel said as he led him gently over to the Baratheon team.

Berek gulped as the boy was taken away. He started to second guess himself now.

“What do they have planned for him.” Thoros asked.

“I..don't know.”

The Baratheon team started shuffling around. They started picking up little sticks off the ground and arranging them into a large circle on the ground. They cleared the inner area of any other sticks and left only the bare earth. The circle was fairly large, roughly 15 feet in diameter. They then drove four long stakes at the center of the circle and tied one rope around the top of each one. After they were finished, they looked toward Mel for the next move. Mel then walked over to the frantic boy struggling against his bonds. “Undo his chains. Strip him of his shirt and shorts. Leave whats under him on.” The Baratheon members restraining the boy did just that. Humiliated and scared, the boy looked into Mel's eyes pleading for mercy. “Take him over to the stakes and tie him to it.”

They once again followed Mel's command and did as they were told. They wrapped the boy's arms and legs with ropes as the tied strict knots to each limb. The boy was stretched out spreadeagled on the ground in the middle of the area. “Now, we will begin.” Stannis and Mel stepped inside the circle. They each took a seat on opposite sides of the staked boy. And then one of the scariest moments in Berek's life happened.

“Oh, great god Indu! I call upon thee to take a part of this boy, in exchange for the power given to the one sitting before me!” Nothing happened for several seconds. But then the circle of sticks caught fire, blocking out any potential interference. The shock made everyone back away from the hot flames. The flames were unnatural. They danced as if they were alive around the circle. What came next was more frightening than even the flames. Ominous chanting came from within. Berek could see dark shadows moving around in the vicinity of the circle. Then he heard the boy screaming.

“No! Someone please stop this!” Berek begged as he tried to enter the flames.

“No Berek! You can't go in there!” The team members behind him were frozen in fear of the sight before them. Berek watched on as the chanting got even more intense. It lasted for ten minutes. Occasionally he could here the boy shout frantically. But as quickly as it came, the fires and shadows vanished within an instant. There wasn't even burn marks where the fires were ignited. They looked into the circle and saw the same scene as before. Mel and Stannis were sitting the same place and the boy was staked out in the same fashion. Berek slowly walked towards the center cautiously. He then noticed the boy was not moving. Berek rushed over to check on him as Mel rose from a sitting position.

“Don't worry about him. He's just unconscious. He will be bed ridden for a couple days, but he will be back on his feet in no time.”

Berek looked up at Mel, who had the same evil smile across his face. But Mel was looking over at Stannis, who was still in a sitting position. He was twirling his fingers eccentrically. But Berek noticed something even more disturbing. A small rock was following along the movements of Stannis's fingers as he twirled them around. Stannis also had an evil and demonic grin on his face. His eyes are glowing blue, but something was different.

“Mel, I can do it now! I can win this thing once and for all! See? I now have complete control over everything, Mel! I can get....my revenge!”

by chadmc90 » Thu May 08, 2014 9:32 am

Within a few chapters, this arc will be concluded. After taking some time off(Maybe a week), I will begin the final arc, which will consist of roughly 20 to thirty chapters.

End of Chapter 50 Organization

Arc 2: Survival of the Strongest

Chapter 51: A New Dynamic


A storm erupted as it sent light rain down onto the area. Occasional claps of lightning lit up the sky for a split second as Berek released the unconscious boy from his bindings.

The boy's name was Brody. He was a dark tanned 15 year old with scarlet red hair and blue eyes. He had a standard build for his age. Berek called out his name trying to awaken him.

“Brody, wake up!” Berek begged. But he never did that night.

“It's pointless. It will be days before he wakes up. And then he will have to recover his strength slowly.” Mel explained grinning. “He should be grateful!”

“What....are you talking about? What the hell did you do to him?”

“Oh, nothing too detrimental. Just borrowed some of his life energy. There are two ways to gain control over curses. One is through sheer training and perseverance. But we didn't have time for that, so I went with plan B. We used a ritual from the old ways to take a part of this boy's life energy and plant it within Stannis to awaken his power fully. Now he can use his gift fully!” Stannis rose to his feet as Mel babbled on. “You can take the boy back with you. Stannis accepts you as an ally now, but once we get rid of the other teams.”

“Why this boy?” Stannis asked. “Why pick him when you had slaves of your own?”

“Firstly, we had two headbands still left to assign, so we gave two of our slaves those headbands. We decided to not give that Greyjoy boy one, though. Renly has taken..a liking to him. Rather than put our own slave out of commission we wanted to test you. So we asked for one of your slaves instead. Now Stannis and I will use our gifts to win this tournament!”

Berek stared seriously at Mel. Stannis got up after playing with the rock. “It seems you were right all along, Mel. I can use it freely now!”

“You must limit yourself, Stannis. All gifts have a consequence for using them. Use it too much and you will suffer a true curse that there is no returning from.” Mel warned.

“He's right, you know. Our “gifts” as you like to call them can't be used whenever you feel like.”

Mels smile vanished within an instant. “What are you talking about you don't have a..” Mel said before he noticed the orange glow in Berek's eyes. “You...” Mel pointed. “Don't tell me YOU are cursed as well?”

“I can do more than see you. I can feel what you touch, taste what you can taste, hear what you hear, smell what you can smell, see what you can see, and know what you think. Right now, your heart rate is rising steadily. You are getting shivers all over your body from the realization that you two are not alone in this tournament. You're wanting to command Stannis to break off this alliance and attack us now, don't you? You're scared right now of me being here. You NEVER anticipated anyone else with a 'gift' to even be in this tournament.”

Mel started backing away in shock and fear. “You... how did you... you FREAK!” He exclaimed as he moved backwards.

Berek let out a laugh. “Haha! Wow your a bit hypocritical! And let me correct you one something: Me, You, and Stannis are NOT alone! There are in fact several curse holders in the tournament. Some it took me to realize quicker but I was able to pinpoint the presence of several at the coliseum games. Now I don't know who has them specifically for the most part but one did reveal himself to me indirectly.”

Mel's appalled expression grew. “No, so are you saying..”

“Your 'gifts' won't be as helpful as you think.”

It wasn't just Mel that was floored. Everyone watching and listening was shocked and confused as well.

“So, Stannis, I am only talking to you now. Are you going to accept this alliance or not. I won't accept anything Mel says.”

Stannis stared down Berek with bitterness and anger. “So, who exactly did you discover has a gift?”

“Ameon Targaryen.” Berek said calmly. Another wave of shock washed over the area.

“WHAT?” Stannis said. “You mean that lunatic also has one as well?”

“Yea. The day of the coliseum games I met Ameon and his team. We had some choice words that eventually led to him using his power on me. His eyes glowed a crimson red and my body started to heat up. I nearly passed out from his gaze. Any longer and I swear I could have caught fire.”

Stannis demented look vanished and was replaced with a look of genuine worry and fear. “So, he too.”

“And probably some of the other Targeryens. They're incredibly dangerous, Stannis. Rushing in there high with the excitement of using your curse will just get you caught too.”

Stannis's demeanor lightened somewhat. Berek could feel the madness rush out of Stannis a little. “I didn't know there were many others like me and Mel in this tournament. I...just want my brother back, Berek. Especially now that I know what Ameon is truly capable of. I accept your alliance, if you still willing to form one.”

Stannis held out his hand waiting for Berek to accept and shake his hand. Berek did just that, and the alliance was sealed. “Fine, but no more conditions.”

“Very well.” Stannis replied.
-------------------

As the Brotherhood returned to the comfort of their own place, the rain started to pick up. They arrived back to the cave and traversed it's caverns to get to their hideout. They went to bed early that night, not wanting to talk about what they witnessed. It was a lot to take in for everyone, and the rest of their team didn't know how to feel about it all.

The storms only lasted through the night as the next day was bright and sunny. The Lannisters were thrilled to have Jeoffery back on his feet, especially Tyrion. The rest of the team, however, wasn't as thrilled. Jeoffery and Tywin were in the conference room discussing what he had missed out on. He detailed the events of the Coliseum games explaining the new team member and why the Greyjoys were gone.

“So, Balon lost his chance to go free, huh? And we have one of the Starks? I guess you've been putting that oaf to use, huh?” Jeoffery summarized.

“And there was a surprise team present at the games courtesy of your brother.”

“Well, we will have to deal with them, won't we?”

“Yea, but we have another problem. An email was sent over the network saying the Brotherhood and the Baratheons have formed this morning. Apparently, it was formed last night. And the Targaryen's power has shifted. Ameon is no longer leader of the Targaryens.”

“What? So who is it now?” Jeoffery asked amazed at the revelation.

“Daeneric Targaryen. This wasn't revealed until this morning either. All the Targaryens except Daeneric are sitting below their dungeons in chains as we speak.”

Jeoffery couldn't contain himself. “Hahaha! That's hilarious! Ameon Targaryen, son of the former ruling lord, is in shackles! And more so by his own cousin. They must have each other even more than they hate us!”

“This isn't funny, there are three teams now that would like nothing more than to see US in chains too. But, one other thing Robert told me personally was that they have Stannis's brother, Renly.”

“Wait, that brat? How did that happen?”

“Well, apparently the Targaryens broke the rules and surprised the Baratheons the night of the coliseum games and grabbed the boy while he was urinating in the forest away from his team.”

“Bwaahahahha!” Jeoffery said. “Man, I wish I wasn't in that bed! I missed out on a lot!”

“JEOFFERY THIS ISN'T FUNNY!” Tywin said slamming his hand down on the table.

Jeoffery stopped laughing. “Okay, Tywin. You've made your point. I'll take it seriously from now on.”

“You better unless you want to be the next one in their cells.” Tywin warned. “But given that, Stannis is surely to target the Targaryens next. He has an attachment to his younger brother. We could use it to our advantage.”

“What do you have planned?” Jeoffery asked, confused.

“Eventually, they will attempt to attack the Targaryens, and that is when we will take them by surprise. Once their alliance takes down the enemy, Our team and the Freys will surround them and take them out all at once. We will have the last four keys in our grasp.”

Jeoffery looked at him confused. “Four? The Baratheons, Targaryens, and the Freys have their keys. But what about your alliance with the Freys? I doubt they would hand it over willingly. And then there’s that Stark kid. He has had it since we defeated them.”

“I have a way of prying the Frey's key from their hands. And as for the Stark key: that boy has been hidden for a week. He has had no food, no shelter, no fresh clothes, and no shower. Do you think he could last that long without anything to eat? Sure he could theoretically but he's a spoiled kid used to having meals everyday. He's used to having that warm bath and those fresh clothes at night right after he takes that refreshing shower. He will miss that eventually, and will be crawling to the nearest fortress. So someone now has that key. There are no more tribal camps so it has to be one of the other teams. Frey doesn't have it because he would have already reported it. So which of the other teams have it I wonder?”

“Man, you have this thing figured out, don't you? But what about Walder? Do you really trust him?”

Tywin looked at Jeoffery seriously. “I have work to do.” He said as he got up and left.

Jeoffery thanked Tywin under his voice as he got up and went back to his room. He entered the room and pushed the door towards the wall. Jeoffery didn't notice, but the door didn't completely shut. He looked over at Lane's bed and saw the boy right where he left him. Lane was shirtless, having on only boxers. He had three clamps on each of his nipples. He was blindfolded with a bandanna and had a sock stuffed in his mouth. He smiled at the sight as he walked over to his helpless captive. He crawled up on Lanes belly and sat right on it, mounting him as if he was a horse.

“Hey Lane, how are you holding up here?” Jeoffery said with a smirk.

“Mmph.” Lane grunted through the gag.

“I bet these clamps hurt don't they?” Jeoffery said as he wiggled one of them around. Lane reacted to it with a slight shuffle.

“Would you like me to massage them?” Jeoffery asked his captive. Lane let out another grunt through the gag.

Jeoffery pulled off Lane's bandanna and looked into his eyes. At that moment, Jeoffery wanted to do a lot of things to his slave. The ideas of what he could do caused a tingle in his pants along with seeing the boy near naked.

Lane just laid there and stared back at him. Jeoffery then reached for Lanes nipples and unclamped it, causing Lane to groan and twitch. Jeoffery then started to massage it. Lane twitched again but then started moaning in pleasure. Jeoffery massaged and played with the nipple as the blood flow returned. He then repeated the process with the other. After he finished, Jeoffery placed his hand on Lane's head. He slowly scuffled his hair as he slowly brought it down to the side of his face. Jeoffery then took off the gag.

“Do you like it?”

Lane hesitated for a moment, but he eventually replied with a nod.

“Good. I do too.” Jeoffery said. He grabbed Lane's nipples gently as he lowered his head to Lanes. He then slowly started to kiss the boy as he had done when he woke up the other day.

Tywin made his way back up the stairs. He needed to remind his cousin leader of something. He walked to the door rather quietly with his footsteps muffled by the carpet. He pushed opened the door. What he saw was revolting and disgusting in his eyes...

by chadmc90 » Fri May 09, 2014 11:56 am

End of Chapter 51 Organization

Arc 2: Survival of the Strongest

Chapter 52: Perils in the Tournament


Before his eyes, Jeoffery was atop Lane, burying his face in the younger, restrained boy. Tywin froze in horror as the two made out on the small bed. Anger brewed vastly in his head.

“WHAT...THE....HELL...” he said as he stood at the door.

Jeoffery turned his head to look at his older cousin. When he turned around, horror was strucken across his face as well. Jeoffery saw the anger and disgust in Tywin's face, and he knew he was caught. Lane was shaken, knowing his secret was finally out.

“T..tywin... What are you...” Jeoffery stuttered, trying to refocus from the shock.

“What the hell is this, Jeoffey! What the hell are you two doing?”

Jeoffery got off of Lane and stood beside the bed. He was shirtless and was wearing the standard team shorts. “Tywin, Let me explain...”

“THERE'S NOTHING TO EXPLAIN! YOU'RE GAY!”

Tywin started to walk towards Jeoffery as the blond haired boy backed away from him.

“Tywin...please...I'm sorry.”

Jeoffery hit the wall as Tywin rushed over to him. “I will beat it out of you!” He said as he punched his younger cousin straight in the stomach.

All Lane could do is watch in horror as Tywin slapped and hit Jeoffery several times. He wanted to say something to stop it, but knew that he would be next. So he just remained silent.

“You are a Baratheon AND a Lannister! No one in our family is...is..” Tywin couldn't bring himself to repeat the word. Jeoffery knew how Tywin felt about the subject. He knew Tywin had hatred for homosexuality.

Jeoffery was on all fours on the floor, breathing hard and coughing from the beat down. “Please, Tywin..”

Tywin then grabbed his arm and dragged him back to his feet. He then removed Jeoffery's leader headband from his forhead. “You are not leader of this team no longer. In fact, you're not even worthy of it. Robert will hear about this, mark my words. You will stay in the dungeon where you belong.”

Lane saw Tywin drag Jeoffery out of the room presumably to the dungeons. He was shaking in his bonds now, fearing what would happen to him. “Maybe Tywin will pin it all on Jeoffery. Maybe he thinks it was him who forced the situation. It was mostly true, but it wasn't like I was resisting. No, Tywin saw both of us. He saw that I was into it just as much as Jeoffery was.” Lane thought.

------------

Tyrion had just finished a descent meal. He walked out of the kitchen whistling a fun tune as he saw Tywin and Jeofery pass into the dungeon. Jeoffery looked as if he was being dragged along. Tyrion felt something was amidst and decided to follow them. There were some of the other boys who saw them as well, and looked on confusingly as well. When Tyrion got into the dungeon, he saw Tywin push Jeoffery into one of the empty cells. Tywin pushed Jeoffery so hard that he knocked him to the floor.

“I will deal with you later.” he said as he locked the cell door and passed Tyrion on his way out of the dungeons.

“Hey, Tywin, what is going on?” Tyrion asked as he left the dungeons without answering. He then went over to Jeofferys cell and saw that he crawled to the bed. He had several bruises forming over his body where Tywin hit him and was whimpering.

“Jeoffery...what happened?” he asked his young cousin.

“Just go away!” was all Jeoffery could say.

“Please talk to me Jeoffery. Tell me what's going on?”

Jeoffery didn't respond. He just lay there and continued to whimper. Then he saw Tywin return with Lane in tow. He was in similar shape to Jeoffery, but not as bad. Tywin repeated the same process and threw Lane into another empty cell.

“They are not to leave the cell unless I give them permission. From now on I am leader of this team. I will choose an appropriate adviser and we will proceed with our plans. I will choose one of these slaves to take the vacant member headband later today.” Tywin left without another word.

Tyrion looked on to Lane as he saw a bruise mark appear on his left cheek. He sat on the floor and crawled into a fetal position.

“One of you needs to tell me what is going on.” Tyrion asked the two boys whose cells were on each side of the hallway.

“Just go away.” Jeoffery said. He had his head buried inside the pillow.

Tyrion used his key to open the cell door to Jeoffery's cell. He locked it behind him and sat on the floor beside Jeoffery's small bed.

“Like I said: I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on.”

It took a while, but Jeoffery eventually spoke up. “Tywin..saw us..” Jeoffery mumbled.

Tyrion was still confused. “Saw what..”

“He knows that I'm...” Jeoffery mumbled again. Then the realization hit him.

“Jeoffery...how...” He asked as he got to his feet.

“Lane, he is too. We were on the small bed, and were kissing.”

“Jeoffery...Why were you not careful. Out of all the places, right under his nose? You knew how he felt about it.”

Jeoffery said nothing more. He then left the cell and looked over to Lane. He then went to Lane's cell.

“Lane.” he called out. Tyrion saw Lane look up to him, his face filled with both anger and fear. “I'll take care of this. Don't worry.”

------------------

Daeneric and a group of boys were exploring down the shore of the lake. They had settled on a spot to relax and enjoy the beautiful summer weather. They all brought swimming wear, as they wanted to swim in the warm waters. They laid out a picnic area and setup a small place to relax. It was an open area with few trees. Drogo and the rest of the other boys were left behind at the fortress to keep watch. They were promised that they would switch with them on the next day. Daeneric was sitting on a towel watching his team wade and swim in the water when he heard someone call his name.

“Hey Daeneric! I found something over here!” the boy said as he came running to where Daeneric lay.

“What is it?” Daeneric asked.

“It looks like another treasure! I looks as if it were floating in the water this whole time!”

Daeneric and the others followed the boy to where he found the treasure. When they go there, they noticed a box on the ground that was connected to a buoy like device. It had a rope connected from the buoy to the box.

“Do you think it washed up from the storm last night?'

“It could have.”

Daeneric worked to open the box to reveal the contents. It wasn't what he had expected. Usually treasures that they've found contain either credits, cans of food, or other things that provide some use to them. But in this box resided what looked like...some sort of gun. It had a handle and a trigger like a gun, but where the barrel would be was instead occupied by a large, flat cylinder object with three rods extruding from it. Daeneric picked it up and examined it.

“What is it?” Jorah asked, standing beside Daeneric.

He didn't answer back. He stared at that device for a couple more moments until the realization dawned upon him. “Could this be what I think it is?”

“What is it?” asked Jorah, who had brown wavy hair and stood slightly taller than Daeneric. He was bony and had the causal white skin of the country.

Daeneric remembered back when one of the team members found that treasure chest containing a piece of paper.
“In this land, three objects that can turn the fate of this war are hidden. Paryl, the god of all chaos and change, created these three objects as harbingers of chaos.

One object is said to possess the power of lightning. It has the power to make even the strongest of man fall to his knees. The second object can subdue many enemies at once. It shoots a sphere that will expand into a net that restrains it's victims. And the third one can release an powerful gas in the air that drains it's victims of their sensory perception.

These objects were once the target of many wars, and those who claimed them were respected and feared. If even one of them was found, it could turn the tides for even the most hopeless situations.

There are three copies of this paper, each one hints at a location in which one of these objects rest.

The gift of lightning lays dormant in the waters, watching as fish swim by. 5 persons sit above the land nearby, unaware that out in between the two masses lies a power that can give them the means to win the tournament.”

Daeneric aimed the trigger away from everyone. Daeneric was hesitant to pull the trigger. He didn't know what could happen if he did.

“What are you waiting for? Do it, Daeneric.” said one of the boys.

Daeneric gulped as his finger tightened over the trigger. He then built the courage and completely tightened his finger, setting off the device. A lightning-like line shot across the lake. Branches split in all directions, releasing the electricity. The force of the shot knocked Daeneric to his feet.

With their jaw dropped and eyes widened, the boys were speechless. “What...the hell...was that?” Jorah asked.

Daeneric held the device in his hand, shivering. He never thought this thing even existed, let alone have that kind of power. He dropped it to the ground, not wanting to hold it no longer. He was afraid of it's potential.

“Daeneric, there's something else in this box.” Jorah said as he pulled out another piece of paper. He brought it over to Daeneric and allowed him to look at it.

“Congratulations! In this box lies one of the three devices of Paryl. It has the same effect as taking out 5 people at once. Despite what you may think, it will not kill or permanently harm anyone. It will act like a stun gun and incapacitate them for 10 minutes. After each use, it cannot be used again for 1 hour. Use it wisely, it may win you this tournament.”

Jorah read the note to everyone. After that, he asked “What do we do with it?”

Daeneric responded. “Put it back in the box. We take it back to the fortress.”

---------------

The Targaryens weren't the only ones that found one of these three devices. Two boys of the Baratheon team stumbled upon a suspicious mound of dirt that looked like something was buried there during their routine scouting missions. They immediately dug up the mound and saw the same box that the Targaryens found. They opened it to find another object of Paryl, which they had no clue to what it was. The Freys found the last one, hidden between two large stones on the ground. The huge coincidence in finding these objects was too unreal. But nevertheless, all three objects of Paryl were now in play.

by chadmc90 » Fri May 09, 2014 11:57 am

End of Chapter 52 Organization

Arc 2: Survival of the Strongest

Chapter 53: Fires of the Targaryens


Drogo was down in the dungeons. He was instructed by Daeneric to keep watch over the fortress, including their prisoners. He had prepared the former leaders, Ameon and his imprisoned advisers, their meal for the evening. He opened the metal hatch on the cell door and slid the food inside. As he walked back, he heard Ameon.

“I didn't expect to see you down here. Where's the boy that usually comes?”

“I'm not speaking to you.” Drogo replied to Ameon's question.

“I haven't been out of this cell in a while. I want a shower.”

Drogo didn't want to stay here any longer than necessary. “No. Daeneric said to keep you in here, and I intend to do that.”

Ameon then smiled lightly. “I know you, Drogo. You would love to get your hands on me, right?”

Drogo knew Ameon was speaking the truth. He would like nothing more than to drag Ameon out of that cell and show him what it means to be tortured. But he had to follow Daeneric's orders. Drogo started to walk away again.

“The screams of your comrades still echo in my head. All those times I dragged your fellow tribal boys to my special room, I took a piece of their phyche with me. I remember them begging and pleading with me to stop. Oh did I ever enjoy myself during those time. Hehehe. But you never broke, Drogo. You took anything I threw at you. From the whips to the candle wax to the torture racks, you never begged. But your team did, and I would do it all over again if given the chance.”

Drogo's blood was running hot now. It was one thing to supress the urge to just drag him to the torture room and teach him a lesson, but to be reminded why he feels that way by the same man was too unbearable. He went to the cell door and grabbed the bars.

“YOU BEST BE QUIET OR I WILL SHOW YOU HOW IT FEELS!”

Ameon chuckled. “You can't hurt me even if you tried. You just don't have it in you.”

Drogo had made his mind up. No more was he taking Ameon's mockery. He grabbed the key in the torture room and went to Ameon's cell. He opened it and grabbed the guy to drag him to the torture room. But when he got there, his eyes locked onto Ameon's and immediately felt a burning sensation across his body. Ameon's eyes glowed crimson red as his body started to sweat profusely. Drogo's head then started to ache as he fell to the floor. He felt like he was in a sauna. His body began to weaken and he slowly lost consciousness. Then Drogo collapsed on the floor. Then suddenly shirts and shorts folded on the dressers by the showers caught fire.

“Oh, sh*t! I need to get out of here.” he said as he grabbed Drogo's keys. The fires started spreading around the room and to the wooden supports.
----------------

Daeneric was returning with his team from the trip with the item in tow. He was going to lock it up in the safe in the leader's bedroom where their key is. He didn't want to use the item unless absolutely necessary. But what he saw before him when he arrived at the fort was horrifying. Smoke was coming out of the windows and he could see flames coming from the entrance. He saw a group of boys outside as he rushed over to them.

“What's going on?” he asked Aggo.

“One of the boys was cornered by Ameon and the other Targaryens. He collapsed immediately after the fire started in the hallway. They all rushed out earlier and escaped.”

“What? Who let them out?” Daeneric asked.

“I don't know. They just came rushing in the hallway.”

Daeneric knew that Ameon could have caused this, and he likely did. But who would let him out? He thought he gave specific orders for no one to unlock their cells.

“Come to think of it, Drogo did take some food down to them. I don't remember him coming back up.”

Daeneric then knew it had to be him. He was the only one that had access to the keys. He only let him borrow it for emergency purposes, but he never thought that Drogo would let them go. “Where's Drogo now?”

“I don't know. He isn't with us.”

Fear and concern came across his face. “If Ameon used THAT, then Drogo could still be down there. He had to go immediately and get him out. “I going to get Drogo out.”

Everyone looked at him surprised. “What are you talking about, Daeneric?” Jorah asked.

“There's no time to wait.” Daeneric said he began to walk towards the fire. Daeneric got up to the doorway, and the fire erupted from it. Jorah then came up to him and stopped Daeneric.

“Think about this, Daeneric. It's too dangerous to go on.” Daeneric turned around and shot him a look that startled him. From Jorah's perspective, Daeneric's eyes glowed a bright red. “Daeneric...” he said as the Targaryen leader continued into the flames. But to Jorah's amazement, The flames receded as Daeneric passed them, as if bowing to their king. Daeneric disappeared into the fire.

Inside, Daeneric ran to the tower door and stormed down into the basement. The flames that once filled the stairs now receded in Daeneric's presence. He rushed down into the basement and past the dungeons. He looked into the cells and saw no one. He then searched the interrogation room where the flames where most intense, but once again, they avoided Daeneric like the plague. And there he saw Drogo, laying on the ground. Anyone else would have burned alive in the flames, but a greenish aura formed around Drogo as if protecting him from the flames.

He then rushed over to where he lay and supported his weight against his neck. Drogo was heavier than he thought as he walked back through the flames. The flames didn't dare go near him, and he made his way back out of the fortress slowly.
The others were watching as the flames intensified, losing hope that Daeneric and Drogo will make it. But the flames vanished for an instant as Daeneric carried Drogo out of the fortress. Everyone rushed over, cheering the two's safe return as Daeneric dropped him on the ground. Daeneric collapsed as well.

“No, he's not breathing!” One kid said as he tried to revive Drogo.

Jorah and some of the others rushed over to where Drogo lay as the kid pressed against Drogo's chest. “Come on Drogo!”

As the boy performed CPR, everyone was starting to lose hope again. But Drogo finally caught his breath, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.

“That was heart wrenching! I'm glad he's alive!” said one of the boys.

Several workers eventually arrived on the spot to put out the fire. They were able to hook up to a nearby fire hydrant to put out the flames. All the boys were safe, including Stannis's younger brother. The Targaryens had to live in tents now as they couldn't return to the safety of their fortresses. They setup the tents provided free by Robert's workers, but they didn't expect to see Robert himself.

Daeneric was laying in a makeshift bed, exhausted from the ordeal. Drogo was in a bed next to his. He heard someone enter the tent.

“Hello, Daeneric.” Robert said as he walked over to where he lay.

“Robert, I never expected to see you here.” he replied as he sat up.

“Something like this needs my personal attention. I came here to talk to you about it.”

“What's there to say? Ameon started the fire and escaped with the other Targaryens.”

“But how?” Daeneric looked up at Robert, surprised that he would ask something like that.

“What do you mean how?”

“How did Ameon start the fire? I didn't think I gave team members access to anything that could cause flames. And tell me the truth.”

Daeneric looked down away from Robert's gaze. He didn't know how to tell Robert about the curses.

“It is the curse?” Daeneric looked up at him, surprised that he would know about them.

“How did you..”

“I know everything that goes on in this tournament. If you think that I don't know about you or Ameon's secret, your wrong. And I also know about Drogo's secret, too.”

Daeneric knew that Drogo was cursed When he found him in the fire, the green aura just had to be.

“What do you know about them?” Daeneric asked him.

“Enough to gain my interest.” Robert replied. “You were supposed to keep him under control, but you goofed up and let that fool in charge. Do you know how much those fortresses are worth?”

Daeneric looked up at Robert. Robert just stared back without any hint of emotion. “It doesn't matter. We couldn't pay you back now. Your family made sure of that.”

Robert then let out a cocky smile. “The fortress can be restored. But right now, I guess you need another. So why don't you take one?”

“Take one?” Daeneric asked.

“Well, there are two fortresses that are not occupied by a current team, and you could even take one that is. And you know you have the power to do so. Remember that thing you found on the beach earlier?”

“You like keeping an eye on everyone, dont you?” Daeneric asked.

“If I didn't, this place would be chaotic. Go on Daeneric, take a fort. And here is your key.” Robert said as he handed the dragon key to Daeneric. “My workers picked this out of the fire earlier. Good luck.”

Robert walked out of the tent. After everything was settled, the workers cleared out of the encampment and left Team Targaryens to contemplate their next move. Daeneric stared at his team's key that opened the entrance to the Wooden Throne. He then moved his gaze to the wooden box that contained the lightning gun he called it in the corner of the tent. He then decided what his next move would be.

He rose to his feet and walked outside to see a large fire started by his team. They were allowed matches to build one to heat up things over a campfire. They all turned their attention to their leader, who walked towards the fire. They all were seated around the campfire in steel chairs also given by Robert. Daeneric walked over and held out his hands over the fires. The fires once again receeded away from him. He then turned his palm upwards and then a piece of the flames were drawn into his hands like a ball.

“As you all know now, I am not exactly normal. I had swore to myself that I would never tell anyone else about my secret, but when I knew I could save someone's life, I broke that oath and plunged into the fires. You should also know that Ameon shares a similar fate as me. He can cause fires both physically and mentally. But I can control them, and disperse them if needed. But using these abilities I put myself at great risk, and so does anyone else that is cursed. Yea, there are others cursed like Ameon and me. There are some even in this tournament. I know this is hard to take in, as most of you probably don't even know what I'm talking about. But right now, we need to focus on winning this tournament. With my ability and the weapon at our disposal, we can defeat the rest of the teams. One by one, we will take their keys, imprison their leaders, and we will claim what is rightfully ours.”

Daneric closed his fist, causing the ball of fire to vanish. “We will win this game, and I will sit on the Wooden Throne. Tomorrow, we march onto the old Stark Fortress, and we will make it our new base. Who is with me?”

“YEEAAAAAAAAAA!” cheered the boys.
------------------

The formation of a new team, Stannis drastic change, Jeoffery and Lane's relationship, Daeneric's rise to power; The face of the tournament has changed once again. All around, the truth of the curse from the legend starts to surface. Freaks with the 'gifts' are met with confusion, and that confusion will lead to strife. Berek, Stannis, Mel, Ameon, Daeneric, Drogo, and The Hound have all proven to be touched by the Curse of Matthos. It's only a matter of time before another reveals himself; then another will after that. This adds a new level of complexity to the tournament; one that will have a major impact in it's conclusion. Eventually, all five teams still standing will have to face off against one another as the tournament comes closer to a conclusion. In the coming weeks, everyone will be fighting tooth and nail for the victory. Trust in this game is just an illusion, and eventually everyone will come to understand this.

In this Game of TUGs, no one is safe. No one is immune to the calling of shackles that seek to bind them into submission. Everyone's fate is intertwined together by the unseen ropes that slowly tighten around their freedom. That tightening is gaining speed, and gaining fast. Eventually, only one will prevail in this game.

Only...one....

-----Arc End

by chadmc90 » Wed May 14, 2014 1:06 pm

New Arc, new chapter! Hope you enjoy!

End of Chapter 53 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 54: The Cold Days


An odd thing happens in the summer. For a couple days or so the warm summer weather turns to the coldest of cold. Flurries of snow and icy rain fall upon the sky, and temperatures drop below freezing. Not a single soul has discovered the cause of this behavior, but nevertheless it makes it's presence known. It it impossible to predict when it happens, but everyone knows that it is guaranteed.

The following morning after the the burning of the Targaryen fortress, the cold days began. The Targaryens in their tents shiver as the coldness seeps into their bodies. Because of his curse, Daeneric is especially cold as he needs warmth to sustain himself. He can barely move as he tries to sit up in bed. Daeneric looked through his clothes that the workers managed to salvage from the fire and found his thick cotton red jacket and thick leg wear to go along with it. He eased on weakened by the cold and as pale as a ghost to the entrance. He had his coat's hood over his head as he walked outside. The wind was blowing heavily and with it flakes of snow were gliding toward the ground with it. “It's a blizzard” he thought as he immediately rushed from the outside back into the safety of his tent.

He sat at his makeshift desk in a corner of the tent and ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast. The team was given a cooler to store food in to keep cold, but with this weather food wouldn't be difficult to chill. He thought about the plans on invading the stark fortress where many of the former Stark teams were in exile. He figured that a couple of Team Frey were in place there to keep them in line. He just didn't know how many he was dealing with. On top of that, could Daeneric even make it to their fortress? He nearly collapsed from the cold outside. He couldn't survive standing outside let alone a long walk. His tent's door flapped open as Drogo and some of the workers entered. With them where five boys chained and bound with thick clothing on. Drogo was also wearing thick clothing. Most of the clothes that the rest of the team formally owned burned in the fire, so Robert graciously gave them each sets of summer and winter clothes.

“Were we able to save those headbands?” Drogo asked Daeneric.

“Of course. I kept them inside the safe. The thing is fireproof.” Daeneric responded as he went over to his bag and pulled out the three headbands.

“Good. Three of these guys will want them.”

Daeneric went over to where the five slaves stood, each of them eying Daeneric sharply. He chose three of the five for the team and the rest were escorted by the workers to the slave's tent. Renly was the only slave left before the new slaves arrived. Ameon never bothered with freeing him seeing as he in a rush to escape. It was luck that Renly was rescued as he was in his cell when Ameon escaped. Aggo noticed the key to the cells still inside one of the cell doors that housed the Targaryens when he went down to check on things. He didn't know Drogo was in the interrogation chamber passed out so he escaped with Renly from the flames. “Ameon” Daeneric thought. Since Ameon's curse is fire based, he should be having a tough time too. Daneric doesn't know if Viscerys, Aegon, or Aerys are cursed. They never showed any signs that they were. But even if they aren't, they are still going to have a tough time dealing with the cold.

“Are you okay, Daeneric?” Drogo noticed Daeneric's shiverting and paleness. He had a look of concern on his face.

“If I-I s-s-said I was, I'd be-be lying.” Daeneric replied shivering.

“You're bundled up from head to toe in thick clothing, you shouldn't be freezing with all that on”

“It's t-t-the curse. Our s-s-s-strength is f-f-f-fire, but o-our weakness is f-frost.” Daeneric said stuttering.

“Oh.” Drogo said, finally understanding Daeneric. He paused for a couple moments as the room fell to an awkward silence. “So, this curse of mine. Do I have a weakness too?” Drogo asked Daeneric.

Daeneric recognized it during the finals of the games. The final bout between each of the team's champions was seen with cameras on large displays around the edges of the coliseum. Everyone saw Drogo's impressive strength, but Daeneric suspected this as a curse, as he also Drogo's eyes light during one of Ameon's “Behavior Instructional” lessons. He confronted Drogo about it and eventually he Drogo was made to understand it.

“Yea, Drogo, you do. What that weakness is, though, I don't know. The curses are called curses for that reason. To use the power it offers, something must be sacrificed. For me, I am very vulnerable to low temperatures, as well as the rest of the cursed Targaryens. For you I don't know what your weakness is. I urge you not to use it until you know just what it is.”

“Yea. I get it now. So how will you move when you're effected like this? These blizzards can last the entire length of the cold days as you know.” Drogo asked Daeneric.

“I guess someone will have to help me along. I am not going to stay here while everyone fights to take the fortress.”

“Daeneric. You don't have to be there. We will be fine on our own.”

“You are going up against the Freys, which outnumber us if only slightly. And then there are the Lannisters. They will most likely jump to their ally's aid too.”

“Yea I know, Daeneric. But what can we do against them? If we stay here, they could ambush us here too.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

“How about an alliance with the Brotherhood.”

Daeneric thought about that already. But when he check the network email on the new laptop given to them this morning, he found out about the new alliance the Brotherhood and Baratheons made.

“Things have gotten worse, Drogo. The Baratheons and Brotherhood formed an alliance two nights ago.”

Drogo's eyes widened. “What? Oh man.”

“I know. We may have many team members, but that doesn't measure up to even their combined numbers. And I don't know how the Baratheons would feel about us asking to align with them. Stannis probably hasn't forgotten about us kidnapping his brother.”

“Yea I know. We can't make an alliance with the Brotherhood/Baratheons because of Stannis's brother and not with the Lannisters/Freys because they have both exiled forts. What do we do?”

“Well we could hand over the boy.”

“The boy? Do you think they will forgive us even if we do that?”

“It's not about forgiveness. It's about winning. If we three join our forces, then we can take down the Lannisters and the Freys.” Daeneric knew it was their only option. If they traded the boy for an alliance agreement, they could take the other two teams by storm. But what if one of the teams betrays them? Daeneric was especially concerned with the Baratheons. Stannis IS Robert's cousin like the Lannisters. It could be possible that they are working together secretly to take down the Brotherhood and the Targaryens. But what other options does he have? He didn't have time to mellow as any or all the teams could be marching right now.

“Drogo, I have made my mind up. I'm contacting the Brotherhood.”

--------------

Even inside the comforts of their fortresses, the Freys felt the frozen bite of the Cold Days. In particular, Robb and the other slaves in the dungeons froze through the night. They were only given thin sheets for their beds as there wasn't much need for it in the hot weather. But the unexpected arrival of the freezing weather left the prisoners shivering in their cells. The Freys were kind enough to bring some thicker covers to them in the middle of the night when they realized the change in weather. The following morning, one of the former slaves that was granted a headband the other day came down into the dungeon. Robb knew the boy as Anthony. He was a typical boy of Westora featuring brown curly hair and eyes set to match the color. He was shorter than other boys his age and had skin more pale than the typical Caucasian skin, but not by much. To Robb, he seems good natured and all. He also likes to giggle a lot. Walder had assigned the boy for taking care of the slaves that week.

“Did those blankets help?” Anthony asked, smiling innocently.

“Yea, loads.” Robb responded.

“Good. We wouldn't want our captives to freeze to death!”

Robb sat up in the bed still covered by the sheets.

“So, ready for today's torture session?”

Robb sighed as he left the warmth of his blanket and to the cell door. Anthony cuffed Robb through the bars and also commanded him to turn around to fit a shock collar around his neck.

“I really don't want to use this thing, so please don't give me a reason.” Anthony said.

“And what would I do even if I did get myself free? I would have to somehow make it through the rest of the team.”

“It's just something Walder makes us do.” Anthony replied.

Robb turned his back and leaned against the bars of the cell. Anthony slipped his hands inside and fastened the collar around Robb's neck. He then opened the door and allowed Robb to come out. He was lead into the torture room and saw the familiar setting before him.

“You're going on the rack this time. Don't worry. I won't stretch you out.”

Anthony undid the handcuffs that binded Robb's hands. He commanded him to strip his shirt off and get up on the table. As Robb laid down, he could feel the cold metal hit his back that sent a chill through his body.

“This thing is cold!” Robb said as Anthony locked in his arms and legs to the device. He pulled the levers enough times to keep his arms and legs stretched out but comfortable. Then the boy went over and grabbed some things out of the box. With him he brought a couple items Robb noticed from his last torture session. He had a feather, toothbrush, and paintbrush in his hands. He laid them to the nearby table and then giggled that same innocent giggle.

“So wanna guess what you're gonna go through today?”

“Oh, that's a tough one.” Robb said in a sarcastic tone. “Let me take a wild guess. Tickling?”

“Maybe I should gag you instead.”

“Well you did ask.” Robb responded. Anthony then began his tickle torture of his helpless captive. As Anthony's hands ran over Robb's torso, Robb laughed and shuffled uncontrollably.

“Please stop! Hahaha!” Robb continued to say. Anthony grabbed the toothbrush after a couple minutes. Robb realized that it was an electric toothbrush when Anthony pushed up a switch on it's length. The bristles started spinning as Anthony glided it across Robb's exposed chest. As he moved around Robb's nipples and down his armpits, another wave of laughter erupted.

“No, no more! Mercy! Hahahaha!”

“Sorry Robb, but I must go on. Hehehe”

It was roughly twenty minutes that the torture lasted Anthony put down the feather and then looked towards the door. He then whispered softly. “Good, no one's here. I have something to tell you, Robb. I am actually working with Berek from the Brotherhood!”

Robb's eyes widened when he heard this. “What?”

“Yea. I can't tell you the details now, but I will in time. Catch you later!” He said followed by a small giggle. Anthony walked away from where Robb remained restrained as he left the dungeon.

“Hey, aren't you gonna release me from this thing?”

-----------

Berek and Rhaegar sit in the bar room, enjoying a hot cup of cocoa. In the caves, the temperature doesn't change as bad as on the surface, so they don't suffer the same coldness that the others are going through.

“So the cold days have finally arrived, huh.” Berek said to Rhaegar. “I wonder how long they will last.”

“Last summer, they lasted almost a week.” Rhaegar replied, remembering the days he stayed at Bran's house.

“Yea, I know. They seem to get longer every year. So how's that boy doing?” Berek asked, wondering about the boy that was forced to take part in Mel's ritual.

“He's still unconsious. Don't know how long it will be before he wakes up.”

“I see.” Berek was very concerned about the boy. He still had regrets of allowing the act to happen. Mel said he would be fine after a couple days of rest but Berek still worried.

“We should of just rejected the offer and went to the Targaryens.” Berek stated.

“I would rather not deal with them, Berek. You know how my cousins are.”

“Trust me, I know.” Berek did indeed know. They had moved to the city where the Targaryen estate resided and became good friends at the school. They both learned of the connections they had with the other Starks and decided to help each other in the tournament. Berek knew about the hate Rhaegar had with his family. The only one he didn't hate so much was his older brother Daeneric, but he disappointed Rhaegar when he helps out Ameon.

“Did you ever get those new headbands in?” Rhaegar asked Berek.

“Just this morning. The workers dropped them off at the cave entrance.”

“Then we should give one to Bran right away.”

“Well we're in no hurry. Bran is still walks limply, but I expect him to be a hundred percent healed in a couple days. It's fun tormenting him, don't you agree?”

Rhaegar smiled sadistically. “Of course I do.”

The two laughed for a couple seconds. “We can give the headbands to Chase and Jojen. I guess we can go ahead and give one to Bran as well. But a little later on.”

“Agreed.” said Rhaegar.

“By the way.” Berek's expression changed from happy to serious. “When will you tell Bran you're a Targaryen?” Berek asked.

Rhaegar looked down away from Berek's gaze. “When I get ready to.”

“Tell him soon, Rhaegar. Better to hear it from your mouth than someone else. Especially any of the other Targaryens.”

Berek finished off his cup of cocoa and left the barroom and Rhaegar.

------------

Lane lay under the thick sheets of his cells. They were brought thick sheets as well to fight off the cold. He shivered not just from the icy air that surrounded him, but of the imminent torture that comes today. He was scared as a rat caught in a trap of what Tywin has planned for him. Tywin is clearly disgusted with them, but even more so of Jeoffery. Lane just wanted to be done with this whole tournament and away from this place as soon as possible. But even now he still yearned to be with Jeoffery. Those emotions still hadn't disappeared from his mind, and he feared that they never will.

Loud footsteps came down the dungeon stairs. It sounded like multiple people to him.

“Get up, now!” He heard the familiar stern voice all out away from him. Although the voice was not directed at him, he rose to see Tywin's towering figure facing Jeoffery's cell. He saw movement in the cell, where eventually Jeoffery stood out of his bed. Tywin without restraining him unlocked the cell and pulled the boy out. He dragged him into the torture chamber.

Lane heard soft sounds from the room that rattled and locked. He assumed Jeoffery was being locked up into some chain like device. Lane's heart beat faster as he listened from his lonely cell. But that silence broke with a loud yell.

“AHHHH!” Jeoffery shouted as Lane heard a swooping noise with it. A few more were heard along with pleads from Jeoffery. “Please! I'm sorry!”

It seemed like forever the whippings lasted. It sounded like Jeoffery was in tears after the thirtieth whip. Lane shuttered at each swap and feared he was next. A small tear came down his face as well just at the thought. Then he heard more footsteps from the dungeon stairs. Tyrion and Jaime were racing down the stairs and into the interrogation room.

“That's enough, Tywin!” Tyrion shouted. “Don't do it again”

“Don't you dare tell me what to do, little brother.” Tywin shouted back.

“What will Robert say to this? Surely he wouldn't approve.”

“He would if he knew what he was doing with that boy!”

“So Robert doesn't know yet!” Lane thought as he sat upright in his bed clutching his covers.

“Tywin this is too much! Stop this now!” Jaime commanded. “Jeoffery isn't hurting anyone with what he is. It's certianly better than what he used to be.”

Lane also realized that they knew about Jeoffery's change in personality as well.

“And besides, if Robert is right, then he is cursed as well. It could have...changed him”

Lane was now confused as ever. “What the hell are they talking about?” He thought.

“Not here, Jaime.” Tyrion said.

Lane then saw Tywin leave the cell and stomp up the stairwell. He then saw Jaime and Tyrion carrying Jeoffery out of the torture room. Jeoffery had absolutely no clothes on. “He stripped him naked?” Lane thought, shivering even more. He now knew who was the most dangerous of the Lannisters, and it wasn't Jeoffery. He feared Tywin now more than he ever had. They opened the cell door and drug Jeoffery into it. Lane was able to get a glimpse of his backside, and he was appealed. His back was a red as a sunburn with several lines going across his back and hips. It was a wonder that they weren't bloody.

Jeoffery was laid down into the bed by his cousins, whimpering as his back came in contact with the cold sheets. They covered him up with the thick sheets. Jaime and Tyrion locked the cell door behind them and left the dungeon.

“Is that going to happen to us?” Lane heard a voice from beside him. Rikken Stark was also up and sitting on the edge of his bed. He was shaken by the incident as well. “Why did he do that?”

The only answer Lane could formulate was pure hatred. But he didn't dare blurt that out. “Who knows. I don't understand these Lannisters.”

“Lane, you was with Jeoffery in his room. Do you know anything?”

“No, I don't” Lane didn't want to talk about it no more. He wished the boy would shut up. “I don't want to talk about it no more.”

Rikken then laid back in his bed and glanced up to the ceiling. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Rikken asked Lane.

“Only one brother. But he died a long time ago.” Lane responded.

“I'm sorry.” Rikken apologized.

“It's ok. I never knew him. He died when I was two my mom said. Don't you have three brothers?”

“Yea. One is in the Frey fortress and the others...well I don't know where the others are.”

“I see.”

Lane sat there for the longest, seeing he had nothing to do. But then he heard again footsteps from the stairs. Then suddenly, Tyrion reappeared in front of Lane's cell. This time he was facing Lane.

by chadmc90 » Fri May 16, 2014 12:52 pm

End of Chapter 54 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 55: The Caverns of Barathea


Two more days passed on the estate. The Coliseum Games are going on once again despite the sudden change in weather. Each team, like the last teams, left members behind to safeguard their fortresses. Bran, Chase, and Jojen, now full fledged members of the Brotherhood, were left behind along with Rhaegar in the caverns that house their base. Bran and Rhaegar decided to traverse the caverns in hopes of finding possible treasures hidden inside. There were several markers that directed the paths so that they wouldn't get lost.

“I never knew this cave was even here!” Bran said as he walked.

“I don't think anyone did. It was mere chance we stumbled upon it.” Rhaeger responded.

“Yea.”

They used flashlights to light the dark caverns. The caves were lined with unlit torches that were likely used in days of old to light the halls. They then came to a opening and saw a wondrous sight. A waterfall had formed below the ground, falling in a small spring on the floor of the cave. Water ran through the caves that created tiny streams.

“Wow...” was all Bran could say. He looked around the opening, seeing the pointy ceiling above. The caves had a reddish color to them. The ceiling was dotted with slender stones pointing down like icicles. Bran walked over to the spring.

“It is safe to drink?” Bran asked Rhaegar.

“We've done it before. Were still fine.” Rhaegar responded. Bran took a small puddle into his hands and pushed the water in his face. He gulped down the liquid he collected in his hands.

“Wow, that was refreshing!” Bran responded to Rhaegar.

“Yea. Natural spring water is the best!”

Rhaegar came over to where Bran was bent down on his knees and also took a small swig of the refreshing water. “So, Bran, now that we are alone we need to talk.”

Bran looked over at him. “What about?”

“About me leaving.”

“I thought we already discussed this. Yea I admit I was mad but you said you missed your family. Who was we to keep you away from your parents.”

Rhaegar let out a big sigh as he prepared to tell Bran the truth. “No, Bran, that wasn't how it happened.”

Bran looked at him with concern. “W..what are you talking about Rhaegar?”

Rhaegar paused for a moment as he prepared to tell him everything. He knew Berek was right, and he had to get this off his shoulders. “Bran, I'm...a Targaryen.”

Bran's face said enough about how he felt about the revelation. “W..what?”

“My cousin is Ameon and my brother is Daeneric.”

After a few moments went by, Bran began to chuckle. “Ha, your funny Rhaegar. You, a Targaryen! That's funny.”

“No, Bran! I am! Look at my hair and eyes! I have both of the Targaryen looks.”

Bran got up and backed away slowly. “No, Rhaegar. You can't be one of them. They're cruel and ludicrous. You're not them.”

“I'm sorry Bran, but I am. I ran away from them because of the way my cousins treated me. My parents saw me as a disappointment to the family and I just couldn't take it any more. Please, Bran believe me!”

Bran looked in disbelief of what he heard. Rhaegar stood up to walk towards Bran. “So why did you return then if you hated them so much. Why did you leave us if you never wanted to go back?” Anger was rising in Bran's voice.

“Bran, I...”Rhaegar said almost to the point of tears.

“Stay away from me!” Bran said as he turned around and walked back into the halls of the cave.

“Wait Bran!” Rhaegar called out, but his words fell on deaf ears.

-------

Bran had wandered the caves. He had not kept up with the markers and had come to a point in the caves that had a dead end. He decided to rest himself against the stone wall as he pressed his back against the hard stone. But he felt something shift on his back and looked over to see an opening appearing beside him. The crevices in the stone grew as a chunk of stone glided down the wall. It revealed a hole in the wall.

“What the...” Bran said as he shined his flashlight into the opening in the wall. Inside was another strip of cave. Bran reluctantly entered the hole and traversed down the hall. It wasn't a long hall as he arrived at the end in less than a minute. It opened up to a small room inside the cave. Bran shined his flashlight around and noticed a bed, writing desk, wardrobe, and other things that a bedroom would normally have. He walked around examining the room and noticed that there were no other ways to exit other than the way he came. He looked through the wardrobe and saw some set of clothes that looked ancient. He looked at the dusty bed and saw mangled sheets like someone had slept there before. There were cans and cups scattered around that looked as if they contained food and drinks once.

Bran then shined his light back onto the table. He noticed a small book with a brown color sitting on top of the table. He went over and glanced down at the cover and saw the title “My Diary.”

“Dairy?” he said out loud. He picked up the book and examined the front and back covers. He then opened it and saw several pages of written words. It would take a while to read through it so he decided to keep it. He glanced around the room one more time and decided to leave. The dark and cold room felt too eerie and he wanted to leave as soon as possible. He didn't find anything else of interest so he left the way he came.

-----------

Going back two days, Lane and Tyrion stood face to face. Lane was still inside his cell and Tyrion on the other side.

“Are you alright?” Tyrion asked the boy.

“I guess I am. But what's gonna happen to me? You saw what he did to Jeoffery. Will he do the same thing to me?”

Tyrion stood there silent for a few seconds. “I'll be honest with you Lane. I don't know what's going to happen. I knew how my brother felt but I never knew he would go to those lengths.”

Lane was more scared than ever. “If he could do that to his own flesh and blood what will he do to me” Lane thought. “Tyrion, please don't let that happen. I'm begging you.”

Tyrion once again remained silent for what seemed like a long time to Lane. Lane was shaking, and not just because of the chill from the extreme weather. “I'm trying my best Lane, but you will have to prepare yourself for the worst.”

Tyrion then walked off and back up the stairs.

Back in the present Lane was sitting in his cell, just like he had been for the past 3 or so days when he was put in here. He then heard some footsteps from the staircase. It was one of the team members that had brought a plate of food and drink. Lane noticed the turkey sandwich and potato chips in the plate and immediately began to eat after it was placed through the item hole and onto the floor.

“Thank you.” Lane said as he took a bite of the sandwich. The boy immediately left to leave the dungeons.

As he ate his food, Lane noticed something under his chips. He picked it up and noticed it was..a key! “What?” he thought as he looked at it. It had a note taped around the length. He opened the note and read it.

“This will be your only chance. Wait until tonight and escape with Jeoffery and Rikken, if you choose to flee. I don't care what you do but you will eventually face Tywin if you stay here. You can go to another team and become their captives or try to survive out in the weather if you dare. I left some things for you, Jeoffery, and Rikken in case you decide to escape. If you do, then be careful.”

Lane was shaking with anxiety with the note. “This could be his only chance.” he thought as he held the key in his hand. But what if this was a trap? He didn't want to give Tywin any more reason to punish him. Lane had to think long and hard about this as it could save him or make things even worse.

By nightfall the teams returned from the games. Tyrion and Jaime came down to check make sure things were ok. Lane was still there as well as Jeoffery in the cells. Lane hid the key under his covers so that no one knew he had it. No one except the boy that gave it to him.

“I see that everything's fine down here. Did the guard bring you food?” Jaime asked Lane from outside the cell door. Lane nodded his head in confirmation.

They left the cells to once again leave them in the darkness. Lane had to wait until everyone was settled down to make his escape. After what seemed like an hour or two he grabbed the key and slowly unlocked his cell door. He slowly unlocked his cell and crept inside to where Jeoffery lay. Lane then slowly nudged Jeoffey from his sleep.

“Jeoffery, wake up.” Lane said softly as he shook Jeoffery by the shoulder. Jeoffery opened his eyes and when he realized what was going on his eyes widened as he sat up.

“What going on...mmpph!” Lane covered Jeoffery's mouth and placed his finger on his lips.

“Be quiet. We can get out of here!” Lane showed Jeoffery the key and the note that was hidden in his food earlier.

“Ok.” The two got up slowly and walked quietly. They didn't want to wake the other slaves as they would want out too. But Lane did decide to free Rikken as well. Lane went inside and woke Rikken up. He immediately covered Rikken's mouth to keep him quite. Lane showed him the note he got and Rikken nodded, telling Lane he understood. Lane removed his hand and Rikken stood up. They tip toed out of the dungeons and up the stairs. The lights were out, which was a good sign that everyone was asleep. They tip toed past the kitchen and the members dorm until they made it to the exit. Lane slowly opened the large door to the outside and the freezing air entered the fortress.

“It's really cold out there.” Rikken said nervously.

“It's either this or torture.”

The three boys walked outside and to the side of the fortress. There they found a collection of things that the person left for them. There was a backpack filled with canned food with eating utensils and a can opener. There where three thick coats as well as three large sleeping bags.

They grabbed all the stuff and walked into the unforgiving weather to their freedom.

-----------

The following morning, Tyrion was awakened suddenly by Jaime. “Get up! We have trouble!” he said to the rising boy.

Tyrion yawned and asked “What are you talking about.”

“Jeoffery's gone! And so is Lane and that Stark kid!”

Upon hearing this Tyrion immediately jumped to his foot and followed Jaime to the first floor.

“Does Tywin know?” asked Tyrion.

“Oh yea. He was with me in the dungeon when we found out. He's furious.”

“I can imagine. Where is Tywin now?”

“He's in the entertainment room along with the rest of the team.”

They left the staircase and walked into the entertainment room where the team was gathered around the couch. Tywin was standing in front of them with Littlefinger and Chris at his side. Chris was appointed an adviser and one of the slave boys took his regular member headband and joined the team.

“Now let me make one thing clear. I will not tolerate betrayal of any kind, and you all best do the same. Someone has betrayed me by releasing slaves. Last night my cousin Jeoffery, that slave he kept, and the Stark kid somehow escaped their cells. Now if someone among us has the capacity to betray my trust, then that same person has the capacity to betray the team. If anyone has any information to give me then they best come forward.” Tywin paused for a moment to see if anyone spoke. But silence filled that time frame and no one didn't say a word. “Very well. I will do this the hard way. My first suspect is you, Logan.”

Logan's eyes widened when his name was called. “Me?” he asked.

“Yes. You have the motive for doing it. You were a member of the former Team Stark, were you not?”

Then several eyes moved to look at Logan, putting him on the spot. “No, I wouldn't do something like that. Honest.”

“I need more than honesty, boy. Until I get to the bottom of this take him to the dungeons some of you.”

The team immediately acted on Tywin's orders and grabbed Logan by the arms. As he pleaded for mercy they dragged him out of the room.

“Now, onto the next suspect.” Tywin said as he turned to his two younger brothers.

“W-what is it?” Jaime asked nervously.

“You two also had motive. You didn't approve of my punishment for our younger cousin. I wonder if any of you had anything to do with it?” Tywin eyeballed his brothers as he walked around them.

“Of course we didn't. Do you honestly think I would let him stay out in this weather without anything to survive on?” Tyrion snapped at his brother.

“There was food missing from the pantry as well as sleeping bags and jackets from the member bedroom.” Tywin snapped back. “Four more of you escort my brothers to the dungeon.” Tywin barked. Again some of the team members grabbed the two and took them into the dungeons. “I hope you don't get any ideas of sucking up to me to become a new adviser. When I find out who did this I will make that person pay. When those boys are returned to me I will beat the truth out of them!”

Then the door opened again and in walked the towering hound with a huge trench coat and a large baron hat over his head. “I am answering your summons, sir.” he said in a polite tone.

“Find Jeoffery and those boys and drag them back here!” he commanded.

by chadmc90 » Sat May 17, 2014 4:02 pm

End of Chapter 55 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 56: No More Secrets


Berek and Bran are seated in Berek's leader's room in the Brotherhood headquarters. It was like most of the rooms inside the underground structure but it had one bed, a writing desk, and other furniture normally found in bedrooms. It was smaller than the ones found in the fortresses but it was sufficient enough for Berek. Both him and Bran was seated at his desk discussing the previous day. Berek was angry that Bran left Rhaegar in the caves.

“What where you thinking?” Berek asked Bran who had his head down. “You can get lost in the caves easy, Bran, despite the markers.”

Bran continued to look down away from Berek's face. He was still angry with what Rhaegar had told him the day before.

“Why did you run off like that?”

“Because I was mad!”

“That doesn't give you any reason to run off like that. We don't wander these caves for a reason!”

Bran stared at Berek with intense anger. “You knew that he was a Targaryen and you didn't tell me?”

“That was something he needed to tell you, Bran.”

Bran's anger didn't waver. “We lived with a Targaryen for all those months!”

“Bran, why do you hate him so much now? Aren't you guys close?”

Berek's words struck sharp into Bran. “What?” he said half confused and half angry.

“Bran, I understand how you feel about the Targaryens, but Rhaegar isn't like them. He really isn't”

“And how do you know that!” Bran said with a raised voice.

Berek slammed his fist down on the desk. “BECAUSE!”

Bran was humbled by Berek's show of annoyance. He decided it was best to just let him talk.

Berek calmed down for a second before continuing. “Because I met him when I moved away!”

“What?” Bran had a mix of anger and confusion in his expression.

“Look, Bran. Ameon and his brothers went to your school so you only knew of them. But Rhaegar and his brothers lived in the same city I moved to. We met at the school and got to know each other eventually. But Rhaegar's parents decided to move to the capital where you guys lived to be closer to the main family. I will tell you this now: Rhaegar is nothing like Ameon.”

The anger slowly vanished out of Bran and was replaced with a regretful sadness. He now saw that he jumped to conclusions too quickly and he may have lost his friend. “Does the rest know about him?”

“No. Like you the rest will probably receive it negatively. Rhaegar wants to keep it secret but it won't stay that way for long. Eventually everyone will find out about it anyway.”

Bran was now felt shameful for his attitude the previous day. He had to go to his friend and let him know it was ok. “Berek, I need to talk to Rhaegar.”

“Sure. But there's one more thing we need to talk about, Bran.”

“What about?”

“Its about...well answer some questions first.”

“What is it?”

“So have you had anything strange happen to you?” Berek asked his cousin.

Bran looked at him funny. “Not that I can recall, why do you ask?”

“Uh, never mind. Just forgot I asked you that.” Berek said with a chuckle.

Bran then remembered his strange dreams and the night his team was defeated. “Well, now that you mention it, I did have some weird dreams. These didn't feel right, and I had the same dream night after night. But it was the night that my team lost that I had the worst. It was like I was there somehow, watching from the trees. But when I woke up I saw the same images on the broadcast Robert aired. I didn't have time to think about it any more because the Freys were on their way. I had to get out of there as soon as possible.”

Berek looked at him with amazement. Bran was a bit unsettled and embarrassed by Berek's gaze. “Do you think I'm crazy? You must think I'm crazy like Logan.”

“No, Bran, your not crazy. You're not crazy at all. Those dreams...are real.”

Bran was shocked and confused now. “Real? But...”

“But nothing. You're not alone, Bran. You can see thing others can't. You have visions of the future and the present. You are cursed, Bran, just like in the legend of Matthos.”

Now Bran was thinking Berek was the crazy one. “Wait I thought that was just a fairy tale.”

“Believe me...I wish it was.”

Bran was having a hard time taking in everything. He didn't know whether to believe Berek or not. “Berek, I don't want to think about this now.”

Bran started to get up and walk off. “No, wait Bran!” Berek said as he grabbed Bran's arm.

“Berek, let go of me!” Bran said as he pulled against Berek's strength.

“Stop and let me show you.”

“No, no. Berek let me go!” Bran pleaded with his cousin.

“Look in my eyes!”

Bran did just that and he saw the luminescent orange glow that Berek usually has when his curse is activated. At that moment everything was a blur as the room moved all around them. Bran's vision returned to him after a moment. But what he saw afterwards scared him severely. He was looking....at himself! What was most scary was the fact that his eyes were glowing a pinkish color. Then the arms that were attached to him shook Bran, making everything blurry again. Before he knew it he was back in his own body seeing Berek.

With his pounding chest and heavy breathing, Bran took a moment to collect his thoughts. “I..what the..what just happened?”

“Look at me, Bran. I'm sorry I had to force it like this but I had to make you understand.” Bran was now trembling with anxiety. He didn't know what to make of any of it. “I remember the nightmares and the visions. It happened to me too. We have the same curse, Bran. Our family has always been cursed, but it wasn't known even within the family. My dad was the one that told me about it, but I guess your dad never did.”

A tear ran down Bran's eye. Now everything made sense to him. The dreams and visions were no coincidence. “Do you know how scared I was to say anything? Every time I told my brothers of the nightmares, it made them feel uncomfortable. I have had so many sleepless nights and days where I felt genuinely tired. I felt so out of place at school.” Bran busted into tears.

Berek smiled as he grabbed Bran into a hug. “You're not alone anymore, Bran. You have me now, so stop crying. I will always be here for you no matter what.”

Bran pulled away as he wiped his tears. He smiled and said a “thank you” to his cousin.

“But you must know something else, Bran. You and me aren't the only ones in this tournament with curses.”

“Are you serious?” Bran asked once again stunned by his cousin.

“Afraid so. I know for a fact Stannis Baratheon has a curse that allows him to levitate objects. And Ameon Targaryen...”

Bran gupled with fear when he heard Berek say Ameon's name. “Him too?”

“Yea, and Rhaegar as well.”

“Rhaegar?”

“Yea him too. He only told me a couple days ago when he realized that I was cursed as well. I suspect there are many others in this tournament. It's like I have can feel the presence of the curse around me. I don't know if it's tied to my curse or if it's common amongst all the cursed, but you have to be careful from now on, Bran. Do you understand?”

Bran nodded his head in understanding. “Yea, I do.”

“Good. I think you need to go talk to Rhaegar now.”

“Right” Bran said before he left the room.

Bran went to Rhaegar and cleared the tension that had built up. They both came to an understanding about both about Rhaegar being a Targaryen and their curse. Things between them went back to the way they were. Bran then returned to his bed inside the Brotherhood member's room and opened the drawer on his nightstand. He took out the book that he found the previous day and glanced over the cover once more. “No more secrets. I have to show them this.” he thought.
-----------

The caverns under the estate was like a labyrinth. Tunnels dug under the ground as they intersected forming many different paths under the ground. These tunnels are connected to the upper world by few openings above the earth. The Brotherhood knows of one of these entrances, but they are unaware of the other two that were on the estate.

“Where are we going, Jeoffery?” Lane asked the blond boy as they walked though the winter weather.

“Yea Jeoffery. Why didn't we stay at that abandoned tribal camp?” Rikken added.

“Because it's too risky staying there. My cousin has something, or someone, that can find us pretty fast if were not careful.”

Lane was obviously confused but Rikken new exactly what he was talking about. “You mean the monster?”

Jeoffery turned around to look at Rikken. Then he let out a slight laugh. “Haha! That's a good name for him. I might just start calling him that from now on.”

“What are you talking about?” Lane asked still confused.

“Sigh. Well it's not like it's gonna remain a secret for long. Tywin has this guy that he uses to track down anyone on this estate. I guess you noticed something off about the guy didn't you?”

“'Off?' That's hardly a good word to use. How about 'freak' or 'giant?'”

“Well those things too but did you notice something else?”

“Yea I did. When Rhaegar tried to stop him with that stun gun it had no effect.”

“Rhaegar?” Jeoffery asked.

“Oh yea he stayed with us a lot a while ago. Hes joined this tournament too.”

“I see.” Jeoffery replied. “But anyway there's a reason it didn't work. He is one of the accursed people of the Matthos legend. Ever heard about it?”

“Wait what?” Lane said now with even more confusion.

“Yea. Turns out that it's in fact true. Those who are cursed have special abilities, but suffer from a defection of many kinds. These curses are mostly different from one cursed person to the next.”

Lane was still as confused as ever. “So your saying they actually exist.”

“Yea I am. What do you believe Stark boy?” Jeoffery asked Rikken.

Rikken didn't have the same look of confusion as Lane. Instead he looked as if he realized the truth of it all. “It would make sense. Lane if you were there that day you would understand. I was in shock of the brute strength and agility he had. He had me completely subdued in a matter of seconds.”

“Well the shock isn't part of his curse.” Jeoffery said.

“Wait what are you talking about? And how do you know so much about this?” Lane asked him.

“Well, I know because he 'belongs' to my brother Robert.”

“Belongs?” Lane asked appalled. “What are you talking about?”

“He's my brother's slave.” Lane and Rikken's jaw dropped. “He was enhanced by my brother to suit his purposes.”

“So your brother has slaves? What the hell?” Lane said in shock and anger. “Do you have slaves?”

“Sigh, yes Lane I do.” Jeoffery said annoyed.

“Oh my..So what were you planning to do with me? Make me one of your slaves?” Lane was furious now. But Jeoffery grabbed the collar of his thick coat.

“Maybe before, but now I want something else now.” Lane once again found himself staring into his deep blue eyes, and again his anger started to vanish away. “Lane, now I want you. And not as a slave. If I could have you, I'll trade everything!” As Jeoffery once again moved his lips toward Lane, but Rikken's voice put an abrupt end to it.

“What are you guys doing?” the Stark boy said with a raised eyebrow.

Jeoffery then let go of Lane. “Uh, well.”

Then Rikken's face lit up. “Wait are you two..gay?”

Lane wanted to crawl into a hole at that moment. “How many other people are gonna find out?” he thought.

“Haha. That's nice. You two look good with each other!”

Lane and Jeoffery looked at each other with amazement. “Wait, so are you not disgusted by it?” Lane asked.

“Why would I be? I mean I'm not like that but why should I hate others that are? You are who you are after all!”

Lane and Jeoffery made a faint smile. “Well, thanks Rikken.”

Then Jeoffery remembered the gravity of their situation. “We need to move and move fast. I have an idea of where we need to go.”

by chadmc90 » Wed May 21, 2014 7:51 am

End of Chapter 56 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 57: Rising Tension


The winds howled through the area continuously, bringing with it the chills of the winter climate. Daeneric and his team were still stuck in the tents with nowhere else to go. But now was the time to change that today. He had just sent the email to the Brotherhood this morning requesting the alliance. He was hopeful that they would consider, but he didn't hold his breath. Then Drogo walked into his tent.

“So has Berek responded?” he asked the boy.

“No, he hasn't.” Daeneric answered back.

“Daeneric, what if they decline? What do we do then?”

Daeneric had been thinking about that. If they couldn't secure an alliance with the Brotherhood and the Baratheons, then they couldn't take the Stark fortress. So where do they go from there? “I guess we await our fate, then.”

“No, Daeneric, there has to be another way. We have that thing, don't we?” Drogo said as his eyes floated towards the box on the ground. It contained the lightning device that they found washed up on the shore of the lake that day.

“Drogo, I don't like using it.”

Drogo went over to Daeneric and sat in the adjacent chair. “The note said it won't hurt anyone. Daeneric, I know how you feel about the thing, but we don't have many choices at this point. We are running out of options.”

Daeneric didn't say anything. He never trusted that device. The lightning aspect was just too much for Daeneric to use. He doesn't want to hurt anyone, so he had made a conscious decision to not use it.

“Daeneric, talk to me!” Drogo asked the depressed leader.

“Drogo, I don't want to use it. What if we end up hurting someone really badly?”

“If it was capable of that then why is it even in this tournament?”

Daeneric once again kept his silence. He didn't want to argue about it any longer. But then an email came in at that time. It was from the Brotherhood.

“What does it say?” Drogo asked after Daeneric opened the email on the laptop.

“It's from the Brotherhood. They said they will consider our offer. But the Baratheon boy must be returned to them as a condition of the alliance.”

As Daeneric typed an email, Drogo spoke “Well, we had already prepared for that. It's not that big of a deal, right?”

“Yea, I guess.” Daeneric didn't tell Drogo, but an unsettling anxiety was rising in his chest. He didn't know why, but he felt less inclined to make this alliance. Perhaps is was the fact that two teams were defeated because they put their trust in another team. Daeneric knew they had to be extremely cautious with this. Then the computer dinged again and another email arrived. It was the second one from the Brotherhood. This time both the Baratheons and the Brotherhood wanted to meet the Targaryens for the exchange. Daeneric felt even more concerned this time. Despite their large numbers, the combination of the Baratheons and the Brotherhood still outnumbered their own. This could be an ambush. Once they have Renly, they could try and take them down.

Daeneric reluctantly decided to meet them for the exchange. They are running out of time and options so it's the best chance they have. The Brotherhood gave the time and location of the meeting. They will meet in the Stark Lands. The Brotherhood and Baratheons can bring 6 team members but the Targaryens can bring 12 to keep it even. The meeting will take place at dusk, and all leaders are expected to be present.

Daeneric gambled everything on this deal.

-----------

Lane and Rikken were stunned as they entered the entrance to the cave. Jeoffery took out the flashlight that was inside the bag and lit the way.

“I would of never thought that something like this was below the estate.” Lane said as he glanced at the rigid walls. They followed the tunnel for some time, taking note of the sound of running water.

“I used to come down here often when I was younger. These caves have belonged to my family for a long time. They often used them for many things, such as secret meetings and parties. There are even rooms hidden by false stone all in here. It make the perfect hiding place for us.”

“So where are you taking us?” Rikken asked.

“It's a room that I found while exploring a while back. I had some of my father's men set up some things inside. It has beds and other furniture we can use to hide out in until we can figure out what to do.”

“Man, you're lucky to have all this.” Rikken said as he followed. Jeoffery didn't respond to that.

Jeoffery then led them to a place in the cave. He felt around on the wall for something. Lane and Rikken looked at each other in confusion. But Jeoffery rested his hand on a certain place and pushed in the segment of stone. The piece of the wall receded slightly as if it were a button being pushed. Then another part of the wall beside them started doing the same. It was much larger than the piece Jeoffery pushed in. It went back a short distance and then started to slide sideways. It revealed a dark hidden tunnel.

“Whoa.” Rikken said as he glanced down the hall.

“My room is down here.” Jeoffery said as he entered into the opening. They followed Jeoffery into the dark tunnel, which was now being lighted up with Jeoffery's flashlight. It wasn't but maybe a minute before they reached an opening. It was a rather large opening, but Rikken immediately noticed the bedroom-like setting. It had three small beds with a couple of wardrobes for storing clothes. It had a writing desk with shelves in one corner of the room and also had a long rectangular folding table set up in the room as well. It had magazines and books sitting atop a bookshelf. There was also a rug on the stone floor. There was also a refrigerator near the wardrobes. Some wires run up and down the walls in various places. There was another opening in the wall that was blocked with a door that lead to a bathroom. And beside the fridge was a sink and some cabinets. It was like a mini home down here! “This is it. This is my home away from home.” Jeoffery said as he went over by the wall. He then flipped a switch hanging down from the ceiling that illuminated the room with a bright light.

“I had those beds there for friends that might stay over, but I never really used them. There's enough for all of us to sleep in. There's the door to the bathroom. And there's also a sink with a cabinet above it for plates and other eating utensils. I made sure I had everything I needed.”

They looked around and then sat the their stuff on the bed. Jeoffery scrimmaged through the bag and was eventually surprised to find lots of bondage gear such as ropes and handcuffs. There were several other things in there as well, but he didn't think any of this would have been put into the bag. Other things like toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap along with other hygienic items were in it as well.

Lane and Rikken also noticed the bondage equipment in the bag. “Why would they put this stuff in here?” Lane asked as he took out the rope and examined it.

“I don't know.” Rikken said as he grabbed a pair of handcuffs. “It's not like were gonna capture anyone, right?”

“Well it's there if we need it.” Jeoffery said as he took it to the wardrobe. He started unpacking some spare clothes and put it into the wardrobe. Lane decided to put the canned food inside the cabinets above the sink.

“Jeoffery, what do we do now?” Lane asked him as he stacked the cans in the drawer. He knew they couldn't stay here forever. They had to think of something and real fast.

---------

Logan was near naked with only underwear covering his parts. He was strapped to the long table with his arms and legs pulled away from him, leaving him exposed to any form of torture. He shook against his bindings in a futile effort to escape his predicament. But the torturer that had tormented him for the past two hours returned once more to the dungeon. Tywin stood over him with a thick sweater and thick clothing covering his legs.

“Are you ready to speak, boy?” Tywin asked him.

“Please, I don't know anything!” Logan responded to him.

“You're lying! I can see it in your face, boy!” Tywin said as he grabbed Logan by the chin.

“Please, sir. I swear I don't.” Tears began to form in Logan's eyes as he whimpered.

“I don't believe you.” Tywin said as he went over to a nearby table. Logan tried to turn his head so he can see what Tywin was up to, but the angle made it impossible. Then Tywin came back with thick gloves on. He had his hand clutched as if he was holding something.

“One last warning. Tell me what you know!”

Logan shook his head and repeated what he said before. Then Tywin opened his hand and revealed an ice cube. “What are you planning to do with that?” Logan asked, scared to find out.

Tywin said nothing as he clamped his fingers around the ice cube. He lowered his hand closer to Logan's body. The cube came into contact with Logan's belly and caused an immediate surge of chilly pain over the area. It was bad enough that he was cold from the weather, but now this? Tywin glided the cube over Logan's naked torso, leaving a trail of water behind from the melting ice. Logan twisted and turned in his bindings as Tywin ran the small cube of ice all over Logan. He twirled around his belly button. He moved up to Logan's nipples and held it there for a minute, which caused them to shrivel up and go numb. He ran it over the pits of his arms. Logan's body was dampened by the melting ice as the cube shrank in size.

“Please, stop! Please!” Logan begged as the ice was pushed along the surface of his sides.

“Then tell me the truth!”

“That was the truth!” Logan said, now crying from the pain and fear of what comes next.

“You stayed behind that day to guard over the prisoners. I know you know something, boy.”

Tywin moved the now tiny piece of ice to Logan's belly button. He pushed it in there and it rested inside as it turned to water.

“I guess I will have to use 'it'” Tywin said.

“U-use what?” Logan said still whimpering.

“My younger brother said he mentioned the curses to you. You remember that Drogo boy, right? That luminescent glow in his eyes and that abnormal strength he had?”

“Y-yes I-”Logan said. But he was stopped when he looked into Tywin's own eyes. Just like that night, Tywin's eyes glowed brightly. They were a bright yellowish color that sent a new kind of chill down Logan's already shivering body. “N—no. Y-You, too?”

Tywin then responded “Yes.”

--

From within his cell, Tyrion sat quietly as he waited for Tywin to return from the room with Logan. But a horrendous scream from within there deafened his ears. It got the attention of all the other prisoners, including his other brother Jaime. They looked at each other with fear on there face.

“He's using that.” Tyrion thought as another scream beamed into the cells.

by chadmc90 » Fri May 23, 2014 2:50 pm

Note: I remerged the side stories back into the main topic

A Side Story: The Stark Chronicles 1


Ned Stark was on the bank of the nearby river, enjoying a warm sunny spring morning. Along with him was Bran, his younger brother. But Bran was not very happy. Tired of his brothers nagging and teasing, Bran was tied to a nearby tree. Much to Ned's displeasure, Bran followed him from home. At the time, Ned was 14, and Bran was 9.

“Ned, how long are you going to keep me like this!” asked Bran.

“As long as it takes for me to catch enough fish for supper tonight.” said Ned.

“Hmph.” Bran said.

“Be quiet, Bran! You're scaring the fish!” Ned softly asked. “Keep it up and I'll leave you here all night!” Ned warned.

Bran yelped as he heard Ned's warning. “I'll be quiet.”

Ned sat on the bank for a while, waiting for a fish to nibble on his bait. After a while, he finally saw the pole jerk. Ned immediately grabbed his pole softly and waited for the fish to get hooked. He then felt a big jerk on the line and started to reel in. After about a minute of pulling and reeling, Ned pulled up a catfish! It was fairly large, which looked like it weighed about 5 pounds!

“See, Bran! Patience and silence is key to fishing!” said Ned.

“Wow, Ned! You're awesome!” said Bran. It was no secret that Bran looked up to Ned. He always talked about him at school to his friends and teachers. Ned is a fairly athletic boy with the typical Stark hair. The only exception is that Ned has brown hair instead of black. Ned is a perfect mixture of all his brothers. He is a very intelligent boy and also has considerable athletic skills. Since their father passed away, Ned has been the man of the house.

“Thanks, bro. You know if you didn't get on my nerves today, then I might of let you try and catch one!” said Ned. “But I think I will leave you like that until I'm finished, Bran.” Ned explained as he rubbed his hand over Bran's head.

“Hmmph. Just you wait! I'll get out of this!” Bran said.

“Good luck!” Ned said laughing.

“By the way, I'm going to get a bite of lunch in a little while. I will bring you along if you stay like that and let me catch some fish!” Ned said.

“Really!” Bran said excitedly.

“Yep, and I will even get you some ice cream!” Ned added.

“Cool! You won't hear another peep out of me!” Bran said.

“Good.” Ned replied. He swung his bait back into the water.

Around noon time, Ned had caught enough fish for supper that night, and untied Bran and went back to his house. His mom was the only person there. Robb and John went out with Theon to play somewhere else while Rikken was staying at a friends house. Ned returned home to surprise his mom with his catch.

“Good job Ned! We are gonna eat well tonight!” said mom.

“Haha! Thanks. But if it wasn't for Bran, then I probably would have caught more!” he said.

“Bran, what did I tell you about bothering Ned when he is fishing. We have 6 mouths to feed in this household.” mom said sternly, but in a mild tone.

“Yea, yea.” said Bran. “But he tied me to a tree!” said Bran.

His mom looked at Ned, trying to keep a discouraged face. But she couldn't hold her laughter.

“Haha! Well, Bran, maybe next time you will learn to leave your older brother alone!” said mom.

“Yea, okay.”

“I am going to get cleaned up. I am taking Bran to get some lunch at Lothen's. You want anything?” asked Ned.

“Nah, I ate a piece of pie earlier. I think I will be fine until supper.” said mom.

“Oh, alright. Bran, you should at least wash your hands.” Ned said.

Ned went upstairs to get a shower, while Bran sat on the couch.

After about 10-15 minutes, Ned came back down, shirtless with denim pants on. His shirt was resting on his shoulder.

“Ready to go?” asked Ned.

“Yea! I'm gonna go up and wash my hands right quick!” said Bran, going up the stairs.

It didn't take long for Bran to finish washing his hands. He returned to the living room in about a minute.

“I'm finished, Ned!” Bran said. “Time to go get my ice cream!” Bran said excitedly.

“Of course, buddy!” Ned replied.

The two left their house and headed toward the local marketplace where the famous restaurant was built. Lothens, which had not been open long, was run by Valor and Mayla Lothen. They served the usual food that one could find in Westora, but it was delicious nontheless.

Ned was happy that there wasn't a line to wait at. He and Bran placed their order fairly quickly.

“I thought I was gonna get some ice cream!” Bran complained.

“After you finish your meal!” said Ned.

“Fine.” Bran replied disappointingly.

It took little time to prepare the meal. As Ned and Bran were eating, Bran asked Ned a question.

“Ned, are you planning to join the Crown Marchers?” asked Bran. “I heard you and mom talking about it. She didn't seem too happy.”

Ned knew he would have to talk about this to his brothers. He just couldn't find the right time to tell them. The country was not at war, but with the ongoing conflicts in other lands, Westora could be dragged into a war. The thought had certainly scared his mother.

“Sigh, I guess its no use lying. Yea, Bran, I am wanting to join. It's been my dream since I was your age. I've always admired and respected grandpa, and wanted to do my part as well.” said Ned.

“But, I don't want you to go! I may be 9, but I know what can happen. Grandpa was wrecked because of the Great War.” Bran said, trying to convince his brother otherwise.

“Bran, I have made my choice. I also plan to tell the others when the time comes, but I don't want you to say anything. Besides, I have 4 more years before I leave anyway.” said Ned.

“Ok, then. But I wont stop trying to convince you to change your mind!” said Bran.

“Haha! I know you wont” said Ned.

As Ned promised, he ordered ice cream for both himself and Bran after their meal. Bran got chocolate and Ned ordered a strawberry cone.

“Mmm. This is good. Thanks Ned!” said Bran.

“You're welcome!” said Ned.

When they left the market, Ned and Bran immediately saw Robb and Theon against the wall of a building. They were surrounded by a bunch of boys.

“What have they gotten into now?” Ned asked.

“I don't know, but I think we should help them.” Bran said.

Ned and Bran walked over to Robb and Theon. Balon and some of his friends from school cornered Robb and Theon, and looked as if they could jump them at any time.

“Robb! You're gonna pay for turning my brother against me!” Balon threatened.

“What are you talking about! You drove your brother away!” said Robb.

“No! I was just having some fun!” said Balon.

“You call tying your own brother upside down and punching me in the chest repeatedly 'fun'” Theon retorted.

“Well, I had to punish you for breaking my toy car!” said Balon.

As Balon and his goons drew near, Ned and Bran arrived just in time.

“Hey you kids.” Ned said.

“Uh, who are you?” said Balon.

“I'm Ned Stark, Robb's older brother!” said Ned. Balon began to sweat. He had heard rumors about Ned. He once beat up a bully at school for pushing Robb to the ground. He also heard that Ned had mastered martial arts.

“Uh, well, I guess we scared them enough! Let's get out of here!” Balon said, running off into the market area.

“Ned! Thank you for bailing me out of that! I thought we were gonna get beat up for sure!” said Robb.

“And why would Balon beat you two up?” Ned asked.

“Well, Me and Balon don't really get along. And Theon doesn't like his brother, so Balon thought he would beat us up for being friends!” said Robb.

“Sigh, you always find a way to get in trouble, Robb. Where is John?”

“He saw some other guys that he knew. I figured they are playing some ball somewhere.” said Robb.

“Well ok, just steer clear of that Balon. Don't cause any trouble.” Ned warned.

“Alright, Bro!” Robb said as he and Theon ran off.

“I'm going home, Bran! I have to help mom clean the fish.” said Ned. “You can go play with Robb and Theon.” said Ned.

“Nah, I think I am gonna go home!” said Bran.

“Well, okay” said Ned.

This is about how a typical day went before Ned joined the Crown Marchers. Sometimes, Ned would do other things, like hang out with friends to play sports. Bran wasn't as outgoing as his older brothers, but he did have other friends he occasionally played with. Robb and Theon grew over the years, much to the displeasure of Balon. Robb met Robert about 2 years later when he turned 14. Ned never really cared much for Robert, but didn't bother to tell Robb about how he felt.

One day, two years later, Robb, Bran, Theon, and John were out exploring the woods behind their house. It was getting dusky, and Bran was trying to get Robb to go home.

“Robb, we should go back already. We might get lost if we don't.” said Bran.

“Yea, Robb. Have you not heard about the reports. Slavers have been trying to capture kids around the area.” said John.

“You guys are scaredy cats!” Robb said.

Suddenly, they heard whimpering close by. They pinpointed the direction it was coming from and Robb decided to investigate. What they found was shocking. A boy with bruises and scratch marks was laying on the ground, shirtless and dirty. He had silver white hair and blue eyes. He looked to be about 13 years old. Upon looking closer, the boy's hands were handcuffed behind his back.

“Please! Help me!” said the boy.

“What happened?” Robb asked.

“Slavers! They captured me and tortured me to get me to sign the contract. But I managed to get away and ran into the woods. Please! I think my leg is broke! Help me get out of here!” said the boy. The boys knew what he meant by “contract.” The laws governing slavery were nowhere near perfect, and once any man, woman, or child signed a contract, they would be immediately bound by law to serve out the terms of the contract. It was a cruel and unfair law, but it was better than open slavery, where simply capturing someone was perfectly legal. Robb looked down at his leg. He saw a large bruise and also noticed that it had hit a large stone. Then the boys heard shouting in the distance. It sounded like older men.

“Come back here, boy!” said one of the voices.

“John, Theon, help me carry him. Bran, run back to get Ned and call for help!” said Robb as he grabbed the boys arm and helped him to his feet.

“Ok, I'm on it!” said Bran. “Be careful and hurry!”

Bran rushed off back toward the house to get Ned. Robb and John supported the boy on their shoulders and Theon kept a lookout for the guys.

“Come on!” Robb said. As quickly as they could Robb and John rushed out of the woods. But the sounds of the men were closing in.

by chadmc90 » Fri May 23, 2014 2:51 pm

Note: I remerged the Side Stories back into the main topic.

A Side Story: The Stark Chronicles 2


They straddled along the forest floor as fast as they could, with the boy's broken leg and chained hands, it made it difficult to move at a fast pace. With the shouts from behind getting louder, Robb and Theon tried to move as fast as possible. Darkness slowly falling on the area also hindered their ability to navigate the thick woods.

“Where's Ned at? What's taking so long?” Robb asked Theon softly, concerned that they may not make it in time.

“I hope Bran made it.” Theon replied.

For what seemed like hours, they continued along the path. Then the boy spoke up. “I can't go on any more!” he said as he pulled away from his rescuers.

Robb and Theon pulled the boy between some large bushes in an effort to conceal their presence. “Is it your leg?” Robb asked.

“Yea. I can't go on like this. Just leave me here!” said the boy.

“No way! You know what they are after!” Robb replied.

“Yea, but..”

“No buts! We will get you out of here too.” Theon softly said. The boy, still whimpering from the pain. He hesitantly nodded his head in approval as the boys helped him to his feet again. They continued to make their way out of the woods.

Eventually the shouting caught up again, and the boys stopped to hide in another set of bushes. They covered the boy's mouth to cover up his occasional whimpers. They then saw lights appear and got a glimpse of the two men. The light was from the flashlights they were carrying. The men were pretty well built. One looked as if he was in his forties and the other in his early thirties. Robb hoped they wouldn't find them here. But he had feared the worst when the flashlight was pointed at the bushes the boys were hiding in. They were able to keep calm and eventually, the lights disappeared as the men moved onto another part of the forest.

They continued to make their way out of the forest. It was nightfall already, but the full moon provided some light onto the forest floor. They were scared that Ned would never come.

“Robb, are we gonna make it back?” Theon said, with worry shown obviously in his expression.

“Just focus, Theon. We can do this.”

The two then saw the end of the forest. Their hearts started racing as they rushed towards the exit. But then two lights froze them in fear.

“Well, it seems like we finally found you! If you know what's best then you three best stop!”

Robb and Theon slowly turned around to see the two men from before, pointing two pistols straight at them.

“Drop the boy.” said one of them. They slowly eased the silver-haired boy to the ground, trying not to hurt him.

“Keep your hands where we can see them.” the same guy said as the older man approached them. He took out two pairs of handcuffs that made the boy even more worried. The man instructed them to hold out their hand, and they did so. But as he started to lock in Robb, Ned came flying out of nowhere, tacking the older man to the ground.

“Stay away from my brother!” Ned said as the two wrestled and rolled on the ground. Ned was able to roll the guy over and get in a couple punches. The younger guy aimed his gun down at Ned, trying to aim correctly, but a voice from behind prevented the worst.

“Don't you dare.” said Tate. Robb recognized the man as a local deputy. He pointed the gun at the younger slaver's head. Then they notice several others with flashlights pointed at the two. “Ned, that will do!” Several more deputies were there as well.

Ned then got off the man, who now had several forming marks across his face. He got up with his hands up slowly.

-----------

The boy was taken to the nearby hospital. Robb and Bran were allowed by their mother to go to the hospital to check on the boy. They entered the room and saw him lying on the bed with the standard hospital equipment in use.

“Hey, we thought we would come by and check on you.”

The boy smiled somewhat. “I'm fine, other than my leg being broken.” The bruises on his body have formed completely, which gave away just how bad the boy was beaten.

“Are you sure? Can we get you anything? We have some money saved up from our allowances.” Robb asked.

“Thanks for the offer, but I will be fine.” The boy softly spoke.

Robb and Bran looked at each other. They had decided that they need to know who this boy is.

“So, where are your parents at?” Bran asked.

“Dead!” The boy spoke in an annoyed tone. Normally when a kid says his parents are dead, they would have a more somber tone. But Bran didn't think he was being honest.

“Oh, uh sorry.” Bran said awkwardly.

“No, not THAT kind of dead. I mean dead to me. I don't want anything to do with them or my family!”

Robb and Bran looked at each other again, now even more curious about the young boy.

“So, wait why do you not want anything to do with your family?” Robb asked.

“Because I just don't. That's why I ran away from home!” Robb and Bran were a bit surprised.

“Wait, so you were out there all alone? No wonder why you were captured! Do you know how dangerous that was!” Bran said in a concerned tone.

The boy said nothing back. “But your parents will have to come! What will you do then?” Robb asked him.

“I'm not going to stick around. At least if you guys want to help me break out of here.”

Bran and Robb were surprised again. Just who is this kid? “Wait, what? You want us to break you out of here? Do you hate your family that much?”

“Please! I don't want to go back to them! Please let me live with you guys!”

“Do you know how crazy that sounds? Our mom would never approve!”

“Please don't let me go back!” Now tears started to form in those purple eyes of his. It was getting harder for Bran and Robb to deny the boy.

“O..ok.” Robb said reluctantly.

“What? Robb how are we supposed to explain this to mom! She would never allow it!”

“We talk to Ned first! He can sweet talk her.” Robb responded.

“Yea and what if that backfires? What are we supposed to do then?”

“I'll....figure something out. Hey let's get that wheelchair.” Robb said as he noticed the wheelchair in a corner of the hospital room.

The two boys were able to successfully sneak him out of the hospital. They were on their way back to their house.

“So, what's your name, man. If your going to be staying with us, we at least need to know that much about you.” Robb asked.

“Uh, it's Rhaegar.” The boy responded.

“Rhaegar? That's a weird name. How old are you?”

“Thirteen.”

“Oh, cool. I'm fourteen myself. And my brother here is twelve. I'm Robb and this is Bran. We have Ned, the oldest among us brothers, and John who is your age. And there is Rikken, the youngest.”

They continued to talk on the way back to the Stark house. They were somehow able to convince both Ned and their mother to let Rhaegar stay with them. They lived together for a while. Rhaegar slowly became a member of the family. After his leg healed, he proved he would be more help than harm by helping out as much as he could. Surprisingly enough, the police didn't pay much bother to the missing boy. Ned heard through Tate that the parents shockingly reported the boy returned to them, and dropped the subject immediately after. He wouldn't divulge any more information, but it did concern Ned for a while. Rhaegar was not willing to talk about his past, so he eventually had to give it up.

It had been 6 months since the incident. It was now summertime, and school had just let out. Rhaegar of course didn't attend school to keep from being discovered. On the day after, Bran had convinced Rhaegar to follow him out into the backyard. They went a small ways into the wooded area behind their house. It was fenced off as part of the land their family owned, so they didn't worry too much about being alone out there. Bran wanted to get Rhaegar involved into TUGs, but he didn't want to pressure Rhaegar. He had brought some rope and bandannas with him in a backpack.

“So, what are we doing out here, Bran?” Rhaegar asked a bit nervous.

Bran was nervous. He didn't know how Rhaegar would respond to what he was about to ask. “So, do you know about tie up games?”

Rhaegar was caught off guard by the question. “What? Tie up games?”

“Yea. Before you came here, we used to play them all the time. But we were afraid that you may think we were creepy if we continued those games. So we kinda stopped.”

Rhaegar's expression changed to a slight smile after a few seconds. “I...didn't know you guys were into it too. I used to have a couple friends a while back that played these games with me. But when I ran away, well you know the rest.”

The tension between them vanished, and Bran felt better now that Rhaegar understood. “Wow, if we would have known that....”

“Well it's not something people normally talk about, right?” Rhaegar finished. The two agreed with a nod, and Bran then opened his backpack.

“Well, now that we cleared that up, I did bring some things.” Bran pulled out the rope that was stuffed in his backpack.

“Wait, you want to play this now?” Rhaegar asked awkwardly.

“We don't have to if you don't want to. Frankly, I'm happy just to get that off my chest.” Bran responded.

As Bran started to put the rope back into the bag, Rhaegar grabbed Bran's arm gently. Bran looked up at him and saw a devious smirk form across Rhaegar's face. “I didn't say no, did I?”

by chadmc90 » Fri May 23, 2014 2:53 pm

Note: I remerged the Side Stories back into the main topic. From now on, I will place all side stories in this thread so people will notice them better.

A Side Story: The Stark Chronicles 3


Bran looked up at Rhaegar. He was both anxious and exited at the same time. He was always the one being tied by his brothers, but now he can tie up someone else for a change. “You really want to do this?”

“Yea! I've been longing to tie up someone for a long time now!”

Then the excitement Bran felt vanished in an instant. “Rhaegar wants to tie ME up” Bran thought. “Oh, I see.” Bran said with a frown.

“What? You didn't think you were going to tie ME up did you?” Rhaegar said with a smirk.

“Well, kinda.” Bran responded.

Rhaegar's smirk fainted when he realized Bran was serious. “Oh, ok. Well how about this. Lets play a little game.”

“A game?” Bran asked.

“Well not much of a game. So we take turns tying each other up. We flip this coin and whichever side it lands on will go first. Fair enough, right? Oh and one more thing. The first one has to agree to do everything the other says for an hour, provided it's within the bounds of reason.”

Bran didn't think about it too much. It was the best chance he had of tying anyone up right now. So he shook his head in approval. Rhaegar took a coin out of his pocket and chose heads, leaving Bran with tails. Since he chose his side, he allowed Bran to toss the coin. Bran then flicked it up into the air. It was less than a second before Bran caught the coin in his hand and revealed the result.

Bran was disappointed that it landed on tails. “Damn.” he said as he observed Rhaegar's cocky grin.

“Fair is fair, Bran. Let me see that bag.” Rhaegar sorted through the bag to see what all Bran had brought.

There was much more in the bag than Rhaegar thought he would find. He found several strands of rope, blindfolds, various gags, feathers, and clothespins among other things. “What were you planning to do with all this? Were you gonna use all this on me?” He asked as he sorted through the bag.

“No. Its a bag where we keep everything in. I didn't wanna waste time sorting though it.”

“Man, you guys must be really kinky!”

Bran blushed when Rhaegar said that. “Kinky? Really?”

Rhaegar laughed as he continued to look into the bag. Then he stopped. “Ok, Bran. No more talking. For an hour, you will be my slave. You do everything I tell you to or else you will get another hour added.”

“Hey you cant add..MMPH” Bran said as Rhaegar put his hand over Bran's mouth. “I said to not speak. That's strike one.” Bran played along and nodded his head. Rhaegar then pulled his hand away and Bran remained quiet. Now my first order: take off your shirt.

Bran hesitated on doing so. Taking off his shirt in front of Rhaegar made him a bit nervous. But he trusted Rhaegar and pulled his tight muscle shirt over his head. He trussed the shirt to the nearby ground, awaiting more orders from Rhaegar.

“Ok, then. Lay on your stomach.” Bran did as he told and turned around to lay on his stomach. Rhaegar then got up from a seated position and crawled over to where Bran lay and mounted his back. He then took coils of rope and started to wrap them around each of Bran's hands. After three tight but comfortable wraps, he brought his hands together and wrapped the ropes around both hands several times. After he was finished, he rolled Bran over to stare him in the eyes.

“Is that too tight?” Rhaegar asked, concerned about his friend.

“No. It feels alright.”

“Call me sir from now on. Got it.”

“Yes, sir.” Bran corrected himself.

“Good. Now if you feel uncomfortable or are hurting, then say Pop!”

Bran wanted to ask why Rhaegar would demand that, but chose to follow his orders and trust him. “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Rhaegar said as he grabbed the bag of goodies. He started looking through it once again, but only for a second. He pulled out a black blindfold. “Sit up” Rhaegar demanded. Bran did as he was told and sat upright. Rhaegar then tied the blindfold around Bran's eyes, sealing off any light from entering.

“Now I won't gag you unless you say something. Involuntary noises don't count. What do you say, slave.”

Bran thought a second about what he was asking. He then realized it and replied with a “Yes sir. Thank you sir.”

Rhaegar then pushed Bran gently back down to the ground. Bran couldn't see anything, but he trusted his friend. He stayed relaxed and prepared for whatever Rhaegar had planned. Then he felt hands at his shoes. “Oh no.” Bran thought as he knew what was coming. He felt his shoes being untied one by one. Each one was slipped off as the coming torture drew closer. After the second shoe was off, a finger gently scrapped the soul of his feet. Bran giggled as Rhaegar slowly tickled his feet. He sped up somewhat that produced small bursts of laughter. After minutes of the slow tickles, Rhaegar unleashed a full on assault on Bran's feet, causing waves of laughter and sliding along the ground.

Rhaegar then climbed atop the boy and faced towards his head. He then moved his fingers across Bran's armpits. He tickled various parts of Bran's torso, ranging from his chest to his belly and sides. It lasted off and on for twenty minutes.

“You sure are ticklish, Bran.” Rhaegar said after he stopped.

“Yea. I know. My brothers like to do that.” Bran responded.

-------------

Rhaegar stayed with them a while longer. They got even closer to him and they couldn't think of life without him. Bran turned thirteen a fey days afterwards. But when winter came, things changed. Rhaegar was walking to the store to pick up some things for the house. He was wearing thick clothing that consisted of a sweater and thick jogging shorts. He arrived and got the milk and bread moma stark requested. But as he was walking out, two strangers approached him. They then dragged Rhaegar into the nearby alleyway.

“Who are you guys?” Rhaegar asked nervously. They were wearing black outfits that consisted of a coat, pants, and a ski mask that covered their entire face.

“You know who we are, boy. Your family has requested your return.” one of them said.

“After all this time? Why now?” Rhaegar asked nervously.

“It doesn't matter why. If you don't return, then that 'family' you like to call them might meet their unfortunate end.”

Rhaegar was now fearful and worried. “No! Please don't hurt them. They aren't a part of this.”

“They will be fine, as long as you return to him. You have three days.”

The men walked off leaving Rhaegar. The walk back was rather uneventful, except the noticeable nervousness Rhaeger had. It was also noticeable by the others when he returned back to the Stark house.

“Rhaegar, is something wrong?” Bran asked.

“No, everything’s fine, Bran.” He responded, trying to keep his cool.

“Alright. Mom said she was preparing a meat loaf tonight. Not my favorite, but whatever.”

Rhaegar did his best to cover up his depression. He knew his family made good on their threats, and that his time here was coming to an end. The last thing he wanted was to see them murdered. That night, he decided it would be best to leave unnoticed. He wrote a letter that he planned to leave:

“I just wanted to say first hand that you have been so kind and generous to me. I will always remember our time together, and I will never forget what you guys did for me in the forest. If you wasn't there, then I might end up as a servant for some lord or being transported to some remote area of the world. But I have to return to them now. I don't want to, but I have to. I am too scared to do this in person, so I am leaving this note instead. Maybe one day I will reunite with you guys, and I can explain properly. Goodbye, and thank you.”

Rhaegar left the note on the table. He packed some things as quietly as he could and started out the door. But he stopped at the door for a moment, trying to fight back the tears. He knew that this could be the last time he would ever see them. But the tears moved down his face anyway. He headed out to the street and never saw the Starks again until the tournament.

----------------

Rhaegar arrived at the huge mansion. He remembered it like it was yesterday, and he missed it for not even a second. It was made of brick and had two towers on each side. It was more of a castle than a mansion. It had been his family's home since the formation of Westora. He rang the gate buzzer and declared himself to the speakerphone. The guy unlocked the gates and allowed the boy inside.

He was met by some servants as he entered the front door.

“Master would like to see you right away.” one of them said. They were wearing nothing but a speedo and had a large golden collar around their neck. A golden chain was connected from the collar to a golden colored leather belt around their waist.

“I bet he would.” Rhaegar responded. They escorted the boy up the stairs and to a room with a large door. “I don't need you anymore.” Rhaegar said to the slaves. They bowed their head and left Rhaegar standing at the doorway. He waited for a moment, not wanting to do this. But he had to get it over with anyway, so he turned the knob.

He walked into the large bedroom and saw the person he was expecting at the desk in the corner. He walked over to the desk and stood there.

“I'm here.” Rhaegar called out. The person sat there for a moment and didn't respond. “I said I'm here. What do you guys want?”

Then the chair swiveled towards Rhaegar and he saw the familiar face of his cousin. That same sadistic smile was something he could never forget. Those purple eyes and that medium length silver hair; it was those genetic traits that were passed down through his family.

“Rhaegar, so good to see you again! Go on, have a seat right here.”

Rhaegar did as the boy instructed him and sat into the nearby swivel chair.

“Again, why now of all times? Why didn't you guys come get me sooner? Why did you let me stay gone for all this time?” Rhaegar asked.

“Well, we wanted to give you some time to think things over. To blow off some of that steam in your head.”

“There's still a lot of steam inside my head.” Rhaegar responded angrily.

“Rhaegar, someone like you shouldn't be hanging out with filth like those Starks. We are one of the 6 ruling families.”

“I don't care about any of that! I just want to live my life the way I choose to!”

“You can't run and you can't hide from who you are Rhaegar. Remember your duty to your family, Rhaegar....Targaryen.” Ameon explained.

----End of Stark Chronicles

by chadmc90 » Sat May 24, 2014 11:31 am

End of Chapter 57 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 58: The Unwanted


Anthony braved the winter weather of the cold days. For his first assignment, he was to deliver some things to the Stark fortress and to get a report from Stevron, who is warden there over the prisoners. He didn't know what was in the bag and didn't ask any questions. Ike and Shane are sent to accompany him as well.

“Man, this weather is terrible.” Shane comments, shivering as he keeps his arms close to his body.

“No kidding. These storms can last for days.” his twin brother Ike replies.

The boys were covered head to foot in thick weather clothing for the occasion, but even that doesn't keep out the cold chill. They traveled passed the two boulders where the Starks and Freys met only weeks ago to form their alliance. They passed the abandoned tribal camp that was barely noticeable in the thick snow covering the ground. Then it was the icy river bridge that connects each side of small river that flows to the lake. Eventually they arrived at their destination: the fortress that once were occupied Team Stark. They wasted no time in arriving at the front door, ready to escape the cold air. They were greeted at the door by one of Team Frey's members. There were in fact four members keeping watch over the boys in the dungeon, including Stevron.

“Hello, Shane. Come on in.” the boy said. Anthony followed the others inside to the warmth of the fortress.

“It feels so good to finally be in warmth!” Ike said graciously.

“I bet. Follow me, Stevron is upstairs in the Leader's room.”

The three did as Stevron said and followed him up the flight of stairs to the second floor. They followed the hall to the leader's door that once belonged to Robb. The boy lead them inside and they immediately noticed Stevron sitting at the writing desk in the corner of the room. The jet black haired boy that was a miniature version of his brother Walder looked over at the 4 boys when he noticed they have entered.

“Stevron, the boys from out fortress are here.” the boy said. “I am going back to work now.”

“Very well.” Stevron responded. The boy left the room to return to whatever he was doing. “So, did you have any trouble on the way here?” Stevron asked Shane.

“Other than the weather, no.” Shane responded.

“Good. Let me see the bag.” Stevron said as he rose from his chair. He walked over to where the three boys stood and Shane handed him the bag. Stevron peered inside and smiled. “Yea, this is exactly what I needed. These goodies will come in handy when dealing with those slaves in the dungeons.”

Ike, Shane, and Anthony looked at each other. “Goodies?” Anthony asked.

“Yea. Some torture devices such as stun rods and these.” Anthony was horrified when Stevron pulled out...what looked like a penis.....but had a strap on it. It was purple and noticeably long from the circular base. Anthony was almost too scared to ask where it went.

“In case you're wondering, it goes on the face. It's called a penis gag, and it's really useful to keep someone quiet. This should give them something to complain about. With only the five of us, including that former Stark kid, it's been real tough keeping order around here.”

Anthony was happy he wasn't a slave no more. The thought of that thing in his mouth was put out of his head as quick as it came.

“In any case, that's all for now. You can stick around and help if you want. I don't blame you if you don't.” Stevron said as he walked towards the window. The boys followed him to it to finish their conversation before they left. “I honestly hope Walder changes us out soon. I'm tired of being here.”

They casually talked for a few minutes, staring out from inside the window to the now peaceful snowfall. Anthony and the twins left Stevron inside the room. As they reached the bottom of the stairs at the entrance to the first floor, they immediately heard talking. Immediately after a loud thump was heard against the wall. Then a yell came from inside the room that immediately prompted them to hide behind the stairwell.

“Someone, hel..MMPH!” the same boy that let in Anthony and the twins screamed.

“You best be quiet before I do something real bad, boy.” They heard in a much softer but menacing tone. “Now I'm gonna let go of your mouth, and you will tell me how many are at this fortress.” the voice said.

“There's...four of us and the Stark captives downstairs.” the boy responded.

“If your lying, I'll...” the menacing voice said as he was cut off.

“No, I'm not lying! I swear!”

“You better not be. Now where's everyone else at?”

“S..Stevron is upstairs, and the others are downstairs tending to the slaves.”

“You best hope your right. You, tie him!” Anthony head the menacing one say. Then they heard some scuffling and bumping near where the voices where coming from. The boy also made pleas for mercy, which Anthony assumed was ignored.

“Good. Josh! We can eat later. We need to get the rest of them!”

“Ok, Ameon! You don't know what it's like being without a proper meal for so long!”

Anthony's heart seemed as if it stopped at that moment. Ameon, one of the menacing Targaryens, the one that nearly killed that Drogo boy and set fire to their old fortress, was here now in this fortress in the very next room. Shane and Ike heard as well.

“HuuHh..mmPH” Shane yelped when he heard his name called. Anthony put his hand on Shane's mouth to muffle the sound.

“Did you hear something?” One of the voices asked.

Then the voices went silent. They heard footsteps approaching the entrance to the stairwell. A figure then opened the door and looked around into the dark, unlit tower. A ray of light from the hall almost but didn't touch the boys as it shined through the creaks of the wooden stairs. The figure, with his silver hair, entered the room quietly.

“I know you're in here. Come out now or else!” Ameon walked around the wooden base of the first floor of the tower but didn't notice them hiding in the darkness.

Then another silver haired boy came in. His hair wasn't as long as Ameon's, though. “Ameon, There is one upstairs and two downstairs. He could have heard us and went to hide.”

“That must be it!” Ameon responded. “Guys, come in here!”

Then five more guys rushed inside. Two more had the same silver hair as Ameon ans the other but the other three were different. The others were filthy looking that had looked as if they were out in the wild for days. The three of them had food in their hands, eating gluttonously as if they hadn't eaten in a long time.

“You three: go with my brother Aegon and get the two downstairs. If you need to, use this.” Ameon said as he pulled something out of his pocket: a stun gun. “We will take Stevron upstairs.”

Ameon and two of the silver haired boys rushed upstairs while the other four rushed down. After they gave them enough time to leave, the boys slowly crept out from the tower. They entered the hall to find the bound boy on the ground tied in several lengths of rope around his wrists and ankles. He was gagged with a bandanna and squirming on the ground.

“Come on, help me get him out.” Shane said as he rushed over to the boy. The other two followed suit as they undid the bindings. They undid the bandanna and immediately covered his mouth to keep him from talking.

“Shh. Don't say anything.” Anthony spoke softly to the frantic boy. After they undid the last knot, they helped him to his feet.

“Is your coat nearby?” Anthony asked him.

“It's upstairs. But I can use the one on the hangar in the member dormitory.”

“Ok. Hurry up and grab it. We can't stay here any longer.” Anthony warned.

The boy did just that and the three made their escape out of the Stark Fortress.

--------

In the dungeons of the Stark fortress, John was sitting in his cell as he heard footsteps coming downstairs. But when he saw the faces of the escaped Targaryens, he froze in fear. As the two Freys and the one Stark that was providing assistance to them exited the dungeons, one of the Targaryens pulled out something; it was a stun gun! John watched the scene unfold as the boy pulled the trigger that sent jolts of electricity into one of the Frey boys. The boy immediately collapsed.

“Let's get them!” The Targaryen boy said that prompted them to charge the two standing boys. It didn't take long for them to be apprehended as they tied several lengths of rope around their wrists and ankles. They gagged them with bandannas the same way as the other boy. Then John saw the mad boy himself, Ameon Targaryen, walk down the hall with more people and Stevron in hand. Stevron had some kind of gag in his mouth, but John couldn't make out what it was in the darkness. They threw the Frey brother over by the other three boys. Then Ameon lit up the room with an electric lantern. He glanced around the cells, pacing back and forth at the prisoners. Ameon was sporting that same sadistic smile that he always had.

“Well, well, well! Look here, guys, we have a plethora of prisoners here. I am itching to get you guys in the interrogation chambers. But that won't do me any good, no. I still have a tournament to win!”

John looked down from Ameon's gaze. He certainly didn't want to help this lunatic win, but he could play along if it meant getting out of here...

“I am willing to let some of you go, maybe all of you. But you have to do something first. That one thing is you have to swear unconditional obedience to me. You have to lick my feet! If you don't, things can get very nasty.”

Ameon then held up one of the bandannas similar to the ones he used to gag the five guards. Then, chills went down John's spine as Ameon's eyes glowed a bright red. Then the bandanna mysteriously caught fire instantaneously. “I am Ameon, bringer of fires and the heir to the Targaryen Seat. I am the rightful king of the Wooden Throne. I can all make you winners if you want to win. I have vengeance to carry out, and you guys can either help me get it or I will burn this fortress to the ground with you in it. Just like I did with my old fortress.”

John was now shaking in fear of the Targaryens. He knew the only way to get out of this mess was to accept his fate and join Ameon. Maybe he could still get the chance to run for it.

“So, for a simple foot cleaning service with your tongues, I will let you out of these miserable cells. What do you say?”

It was silent for a few seconds. Then one boy from one of the other cells spoke. “You can't kill us! That's against the rules!”

Ameon stared at the boy for a few seconds with that same twisted and evil grin, “He. Your right about that. I guess you guys are smarter than I gave you credit for. But I will make you wish you were dead otherwise. So I will ask one more time. Who wants their freedom for the price of licking my feet and helping me with this tournament? We can join forces and take the Baratheon's headbands. Then we can move onto the other teams one by one, taking them all down. What do you say?”

To John's surprise, all the other boys raised their hands in favor of Ameon's plans. He gave into his predicament and slowly raised his own.

by chadmc90 » Sun May 25, 2014 10:36 am

End of Chapter 58 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 59: Meaning of Fear


Running as fast as they could, Anthony, Ike, Shane, and the Frey boy made their way through to the Frey fortress to warn Walder of what happened. They ran past the boulder and to the fort atop the boulders. They ran up the flight of stairs to the top and into the fortress.

“Where's Walder?” Shane immediately asked one of the boys in the hallway.

“He's in the conference room last I checked?” the boy responded.

They asked no further questions as they ran up the tower stairs. They opened the door to the conference room and saw Walder and his brothers sitting around it. Their laptop was opened and noticed that a video call to Tywin is on.

“Oh, you guys are back. Is this important now? We're busy .” Olyvar asked them.

“We have trouble! It's Stevron and the other two Frey members!” Ike said, panting from the long run.

“What are you guys talking about?” Lothar asked them with a look of concern.

“The Stark fortress..it was attacked! They have Stevron and the others!”

Walder rose to his feet in shock. “What? How did this happen? Was it the Baratheons or the Brotherhood?”

“No, It was the Targaryen psycho, Ameon, his brothers, and three other boys. They captured all but us.”

Walder and the three Frey brothers were horrified by the news. They never would of thought that Ameon would be that bold. “What? Why didn't you help stop them?”

The three now felt bad. They were eight of them and only 7 of the others. They might have been able to do something. But the fear of Ameon was enough to drive anyone into hiding. Stevron was upstairs and the other three were downstairs. And one of them had already been caught by the time they realized what was going on. What could they have done.

“What's done is done. Right now we need to go and take back the fortress before something happens to it.”

Walder nodded his head in approval. “Tywin, send some of your guys to help.” Walder asked the boy on the monitor.

“I don't think you need any of us. Even with three down, you still have a large number. Do it yourself.”

Walder clenched his fist in anger. “Fine. But mark my words, I will make them pay when I get my hands on them.”

“Walder, we shouldn't rush them! We don't know what Ameon has planned. We should assess the situation first.” Lothar pleaded.

“Yea, Those Targaryen people are crazy! Just look at what he did to his old team fortress!”

“THOSE BASTARDS HAVE MY BROTHER!” Walder shouted in an anger highly unusual of himself; his calm and calculating demeanor on the verge of shattering.

Tywin, still on voice chat, spoke. “So something DOES upset you? You seem to care about your younger brother, Walder.”

Anthony realized the mistake Walder made. Walder was always patient and careful with dealing with enemies, but when it involves his brothers, his demeanor changes.

“When it comes to Family, your just like Robert's cousin Stan. You know he flipped out when Ameon took HIS younger brother?”

Hearing enough of Tywin's chatter, Walder closed the laptop lid, breaking the video connection with the blond leader.

“Walder, think this through.”

“I have thought it through. The time that we have spent in the shadows of this tournament are over. It's time we move out and show them what the meaning of fear really is. Ameon, you may think your dangerous with that “power” of yours, but you haven't seen anything, yet. Mark my words, you will come to know the meaning of fear like you've never before.”

Anthony then saw the familiar luminescent glow in Walder's eyes that shine a color of pale purple. “Bring me that thing you found the other day. I think it's time we give it a test run!”

----------

Ameon had setup the torture room in a way that cleared most the devices to one side. In the middle of it Ameon sat in a steel fold-up chair with his shoes off. At his feet was one of the Stark prisoners. He was licking and sucking Ameon's disgusting feet. Those same feet have not been washed in days. Having trampled through dirt and snow, they were moist and smelly. The boy was made to lick every crevice between his toes, effectively licking it clean. After about 5 minutes of it Ameon let the boy stop.

“Good boy. You can have your freedom now.” He said to the boy, who looked nauseous. “Bring in another.” Ameon commanded Josh and Troy, who Ameon found during his time as a fugitive. “And you: go stand watch above with my brothers. Tell them to hurry with that other boy upstairs.”

The boy wasted no time walking away from the room. But as soon as he left Viscerys and Aegon entered.

“We have trouble. That kid we tied up first is gone!”

“What!” Ameon said in anger. “How could that happen?”

“His ropes and bandanna were on the ground. Someone must of untied them while we were occupied with the other guards.”

Ameon rose to his feet in anger. “Grrr. Where is Stevron!”

“He's in one of the cells.”

“Bring him here!” Ameon commanded his brother and Viscerys.

A minute barely passed as they dragged Stevron inside the cell. He was wrapped with several lengths of rope around his body almost like a mummy rapped in rolls of cloth. They undid the ropes and dragged him over to the torture rack. They stripped him of his shirt and pants and left him naked with only underwear covering him.

“What are you planning to do to me?” Stevron asked his captors.

“I have been really starved of my favorite thing lately. Do you know what that is?” Ameon rested his hands on Stevron's bear shoulders. Then he moved it gently down Stevron's torso over his breast and down to his belly. It gave Stevron a creepy and unnerved feeling in his gut as Ameon caressed his belly. He didn't like where it was going.

“Stevron, do you know what I hate most in this world? People who lie. That's right....people who lie...like you.” Ameon then lifted his hand upwards in fury, clenched his fist, and forced it into Stevron's exposed belly as hard as he could, making him tense up and almost lose breath. Ameon then grabbed Stevron's chin and pulled it upward.

“Now you look at me, boy. I will get the truth out of you some way or another. Someone else was here earlier. You will tell me or else.”

Stevron was mentally gracious that Anthony and the others were able to escape. But now he was at the mercy of this psychopath, and he honestly feared for his well being. But what he did next surprised even himself.

“Hehehe. Well Ameon, your right. There were three here, in fact. I guess now they are on their way back to my brother, and when he finds you, you will know the real meaning of fear.”

Ameon held his head down for a minute. Stevron couldn't see his face to get any idea of what he's feeling. But when he raised his head, Stevron could of sworn he saw a demon. Ameon's eyes glowed a bright crimson red that looked as if they could pierce him. He had the most evil smile across his face that sent genuine chills down his spine. Then Ameon did something even more disturbing. His tongue slowly crawled out of his mouth and licked both lips.

“Ha..ha..ha. Boy, I....AM...fear.” He said as he grabbed the lever of the rack and spun it as hard as he could. Stevron's arms and legs were pulled away so quick he had little time to prepare himself.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Stevron yelled out as his arms and legs felt like they could pop out of their sockets. “PLEASE! STOP! MY ARMS ARE GONNA BREAK!”

Ameon then stopped, leaving the lever in place. “Get me that whip!” Ameon said as Aegon hesitantly handed his older brother the whip. “Ameon...if they are coming, shouldn't we be getting out of here?”

Josh and Trey looked on, horrified as Ameon cracked the whip over Stevron's exposed torso. Ameon didn't leave much time between each strike which made Stevron cry out in fear.

“AHHH.....AHHH....AHHH....AHHHH...” Stevron cried.

Josh saw the key there on the table. He motioned for Trey and the other boy with them and slowly picked up the key. He told them to stay watch as he went to the cells. He went over to John's cell and started to unlock it.

“What are you...” John said before Josh held his finger up to his mouth.

“Shhhh. I'm letting you guys free.” Josh said as the whippings continued.

Josh unlocked the door and let John out. He then proceeded with unlocking the rest of the cells to the other boys. Ameon and his brothers were too occupied to notice anything.

“Go upstairs and grab as much as you can. Walder could be on his way as we speak. We have to get out of here as soon as possible. And take the two Frey boys with us. If they resist, restrain them.”

They nodded as they all quietly went upstairs. As they gathered everything upstairs, Josh returned to the torture room where Ameon and the others were. Ameon had finally stopped. The shivering Frey brother was in tears with large red marks all over his body.

“Hahaha. That felt so.....good. Shall we have another round?” Stevron begged him to stop, but Ameon just smiled down at his captive.

“He's a genuine monster.” Josh thought as Ameon again stroked the whimpering boy's chest.

“That look of pain and suffering...I have missed that since I was overtaken by my own cousin. It brings real pleasure to me to see all these marks on you. It's real beauty.”

Josh felt a big lump in his throat. He really hoped the guys finish packing soon. He wanted to put as much distance between this guy as soon as possible. As Josh was standing in front of the doorway, he felt a gentle tap on the arm. “We're ready.” John said.

Josh then went over and alerted Troy and the other boy that they are leaving. The tip-toed out of the interrogation room and up the stairway to the first floor.

“Do we leave him down there?” John asked Josh in concern for Stevron.

“We don't have time. Walder is probably on his way now. The plan was to release all you and get out of here asap to go and free prisoners on the Greyjoy island. Ameon is too unstable to listen to reason. We need to leave, now!”

They all put on their coats that were stocked in the Stark Fortress for the occasion and left into the cold weather.

----------------

Back down in the fortress, Ameon was now dripping candle wax on Stevron's body and had vice clamps clinging tightly on Stevron's already sore nipples.

“Please, I beg you...” he said whimpering from the drips of molten wax.

“Ameon, they're gone!” Viscerys said as re reentered the room.

“What?” Ameon asked as he set the candle on the nearby table.

“All of them. Josh, Troy, the prisoners...They're ALL gone!”

Ameon looked in disbelief at his young cousin. “What..I thought you guys were watching them!”

“We didn't notice or hear anything. We thought they were here.”

“You fools! You were supposed to be watching!”

“Ameon, let's get out of here. If Walder really is coming...”

------------

Walder, Shane, Olyvar, Anthony and 5 more boys stand outside the old Stark Fortress. In his hand Walder is holding something...it looks similar to the object Daeneric found that day on the beach, but it had a wide barrel big enough to fit a baseball into.

“Open the door.” Walder said to Anthony.

Anthony walked towards the door. He placed his hand on it and slowly pulled it open. The wind was blowing hard and with it flakes of snow were scattered to the inside.

“Walder, what IS that thing?” Anthony asked the Frey leader.

“You'll see soon enough.” was all Walder said as he aimed the gun-like object at the entrance. Walder pulled the trigger and out of the barrel came a large baseball-sized sphere that flew into the fortress.

“Close the door. Quickly.” Walder commanded Anthony. Anthony did as he was told. After the door shut, Anthony walked back to his leader's side. Then suddenly they heard an explosion from within the fortress.

--------

Inside, Ameon went into the cell area and saw every one of them empty. “Grrr. When I get my hands on them I'll....” he said just before a loud pop was heard upstairs.

“What was that?” Aegon asked nervously.

Then they saw a cloud of smoke seep down from the stairwell. But it didn't look like it was from a fire. It was a purplish haze and quickly enveloped the area. The smoke filled the dungeon slowly as Ameon and the other boys started coughing.

“What....cough...IS...this” Ameon asked as he held his hand over his mouth.

“Ameon...I'm feeling dizzy.” Aerys said as he held his own mouth up and coughing frantically.

It wasn't long before they collapsed to the floor. Stevron, still on the torture rack, slowly lost consciousness as the orderless smoke filled his lungs. “What's....going...” he thought. But eventually, like the four Targaryens, passed out on the floor. It didn't take long for the smoke to fill the fortress.

------------

Stevron slowly regained consciousness. He was still laying down, but noticed his arms were free and he had something wrapped around his stomach. He rose up and felt around his torso. He noticed Olyvar and his other two brothers in there with him.

“What happened?” He said as he continued to gain consciousness. He noticed he was numb on certain parts of his body and could barely move his arms and legs. Olyvar pressed him back down to the bed.

“Don't move much. The gas hasn't worn off yet, Stevron.”

Stevron laid back down and noticed he had a busting headache.

“What's going on now? Where's Walder?”

“He's down in the dungeons....dealing with the Targaryens. What did they do to you?”

Stevron didn't want to think about it no more. He just wanted to move past the incident and put it out of his head. But he knew Walder wouldn't stop asking until he got the truth.

“My head still hurts. Can we talk about it later?”

His brothers looked at each other for a moment. They then threw his adviser headband on the bed beside him. “Here you go. Get some rest.” Olyvar said as they walked out.

----------

Robb saw Walder walk up to Ameon's cell. Ameon was housed right beside Robb, and hasn't spoken a single word since he was thrown in here by Walder and some of the other Frey members.

“When I walked into the dungeon after the smoke dispersed, I saw my little brother, Stevron, locked into that torture rack. His arms and legs were pulled so far apart I was worried they were broken. There were several dark red marks over his body where you whipped him mercilessly after I peeled off the dried wax. I carried my little brother through the snow, whimpering and shaking in his sleep. Tell me, Ameon: give me a good reason not to do the same thing to you now?”

Ameon stared up at his captor. But instead of pleading for mercy, the same evil smile appeared on his face that made Robb fearful of being this close to him, even with metal bars blocking them off. “I would do it again, given the chance.”

Walder looked down from Ameon's gaze for a moment. But when he looked back, his eyes glowed an eerie purple. The sneer on Ameon's face suddenly vanished as he fell into a trance.

“I....will show you....the errors of your ways.” Walter stated angrily.

Ameon then started shaking frantically. He held his hands over his ears, rolling around on the floor. “What is this? What is going on?” Ameon sat up and waved his hands in front of his eyes. “I cant...I cant...” Ameon was on his knees as his hands fell limp. His eyes were wide and his face looked dead. Then Ameon fell to the floor, his eyes matching Walder's own glowing eyes. He literally looked lifeless laying on the bare floor.

“Enjoy your stay....in my realm of fear.” Walter muttered.

by chadmc90 » Mon May 26, 2014 6:26 pm

End of Chapter 59 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 60: Slave Games


Berek flipped through the pages of the book Bran found the other day. Bran was sitting beside him in chair by the writing desk in Berek's room.

“What do you think it is?” Bran asked.

“There's a lot in this book. It seems like whoever wrote it was performing some kinds of experiments.”

“Experiments? What do you mean?”

“Hmm. From what can tell, it seems to be a record of some kind. It has many old dates and passages describing experiments..with the curses.”

“Wait, so there are people that actually experiment on people like us?”

“Yea, Bran. Like I said before, few people know that the curses are real. Those that do are usually cursed themselves. But I've heard of some that have made it a field of study, and are rumored to perform experiments on those that are cursed.”

Bran felt a lump in his throat when Berek mentioned the experiments. “W..wait, so are you saying people do those kinds of things.”

Berek looked at his younger cousin seriously. But then a feint but noticeable smile formed on Berek. “Don't worry, Bran. This book is old, and we don't know exactly how much of it is true.”

Bran shook his head in understanding. “Ok. Can I keep it? I want to read through it. I have nothing better to do in my time.”

Berek handed the book to Bran. After the boy left, Berek opened up his laptop. Daeneric had emailed him again to set a time to meet.

“Meet us tonight at the location we talked about earlier.” Berek typed into the email.

“Something tells me I shouldn't meet them.” Berek thought as he sat in his chair, thinking about the possibilities that could happen later on. He didn't know how any side would react. And then there was Rhaegar. “He shouldn't go.” Berek thought. If Daeneric sees him, it could cause trouble. But getting Rhaegar to stay could take some convincing. He had to choose his six wisely.

---------

Theon was on the floor, shirtless with only boxers on. He had a shock collar around his neck. His hands and feet were connected by shackles, and he had a dog muzzle strapped to his face. Ramsey had the collar in his hands, leading the poor boy around the fortress.

“I think I'm taking the puppy for a walk.” Ramsey told Malcom.

“Just don't venture too far. And keep that remote in hand. Don't want our cute new addition to the family to wonder off!” Malcom suggested as he petted Theon's head. This annoyed Theon even more, but what could he of done? He was in no position to defy any of them.

Ramsey put on a thick coat from the members dorm, not even offering Theon a coat. He was scared to go out in the cold with no clothing, but he knew he had no choice.

“Come on, dog.” Ramsey commanded.

Theon reluctantly crawled on his hands and feet behind his master, who walked at a pace fast enough for Theon to keep up. The chilly air immediately hit him as he stepped outside the door. The cold air stung and numbed his skin. Theon feverishly shook as he tried to keep up with his master. Already his hands and feet were beginning to get numb.

“Keep up, dog!” Ramsey commanded to Theon. Theon found it harder to crawl behind his master. If you don't I'll make you walk without underwear as well!”

The sheer thought was enough motivation to move faster. He didn't want to caught dead without anything covering himself down there, so he did his best to put the thought out of his mind. He followed along behind Ramsey. He was lead to a random tree after 5 or so minutes of walking.

“Stand up on your feet, dog.” Ramsey commanded. Theon did as he was told and stood straight up. “Now lean against the tree on your back!” Theon did just that and planted his back against the tree. Ramsey then revealed several lengths of rope in his pockets. He put the remote in his pocket and tied the rope around Theon's shackle chains. He then threw the rope around the branch that was above their head and pulled on it to pull Theon's hands above his waists. He tied the ropes together and let the ends hang. He then took another length of rope to tie one part of it to his slaves legs. He looped the rope around the base of the tree to the other leg and done the same thing. After he was finished, Theon was immobile against the tree.

“That should do it. We will be having some company in a few minutes. Don't you just enjoy the weather?” Theon didn't mention anything to his captor, mainly because he really couldn't with the gag over his mouth that was covered by the dog muzzle. But even a grunt could prompt punishment from him. Theon had been on the receiving end of many torments during his “slave training.”

Then a familiar face was seen walking towards them from the same direction as the Baratheon Fortress. He knew the guy as “Mel,” but other than the creepy demeanor he had, he knew nothing more about him.

“Oh, slaves aren't allowed to hear talk between members.” Ramsey said as he took out a couple ear plugs. He stuck one in the openings of each of Theon's ears. Now Theon couldn't hear anything but the ramblings in his body and the occasional gusts of wind that sent shivers down his exposed body.

“Hello, Ramsey.” Mel said, which was inaudible to Theon's ears. “Why do you have this boy out here with you?”

“Oh, pay him no attention. Dogs need some exercise, even in this cold weather. I've put earplugs in so he can't hear our conversation.”

“You best hope he can't hear us, or else he could tell the other.”

“If he does somehow hear, I will give him a good reason to keep his mouth shut.”

Mel smiled at that. “So, I came to tell you that the plans are working perfectly. I have him under my complete control!”

“I've noticed. You've always been able to get people to see the real picture, Mel.”

Mel chuckled at Ramsey's statement. “Yes, Stan's powers are much stronger than I initially thought. But those others do pose a problem with our ultimate goal.”

Ramsey smiled at Mel's words. “Of course it does, but we honestly should of expected it.”

“Maybe so, but I never thought that many would be here.”

“No matter what, we have to persevere, for our mission depends on this.”

Mel nodded his head with approval. He then pulled up his sleeve to reveal a marking on his arm. It was a marking of the head of a dragon on a shield two swords crossed under it.

“Never forget your mission, drake brother!”

Then Ramsey pulled up his own arm and revealed the same tattoo. “Never once, drake brother!”

Theon couldn't see the markings on their arms over Ramsey's shoulders. He only assumed they were talking about team business. They pulled back down the sleeves of their arms and turned their attention to the exposed Theon. Ramsey then placed his hands over Theon's exposed chest. He used his other head to take the earplugs out of Theon's ears.

“I bet your getting cold there, Theon. I'll tell you what. We're gonna play a little game. If you win, Mel here will give you that extra coat he brought with him. But if you lose...you lose these.” Ramsey said as he grabbed the latex of Theon's underwear, pulled it back, and released it, snapping it against his waist. “Do you wanna play?”

------

Lane, Jeoffery, and Rikken were sitting on their respective beds, reading some of the comics that were on the shelf. They really had nothing else to do. They knew they couldn't hide here long, but they tried to put that thought out of their heads. Then Jeoffery looked over at the two boys and let out a big smile.

Lane noticed this and was a bit concerned of what Jeoffery had on his mind. “Uh, why are you looking at me like that?”

Rikken looked over and noticed Jeoffery getting up off the bed and throwing down the comic book. “I've read through these several times already. Let's do something fun!”

“Oh, and what kind of “fun” did you have in mind?”

“Let's play a game of strip rummy!”

Lane was surprised by Jeoffery's suggestion. “What? Are you joking! No way!”

“Oh come on, Lane! You know you wanna. The first one to lose his clothes with the exception of his underwear will have to agree to be the other two's slave for the rest of the day.”

Lane and Rikken looked at each other. After thinking about it, it might not be such a bad idea at all. Especially if Jeoffery were the one to lose. “Oh, and do you have a deck of cards?”

“Of course I do! There is a deck up here!” Jeoffery said as he walked over to a shelf. And sure enough he pulled out a deck of playing cards. They each changed into a set of similar clothing so it would be fair. Their clothing consisted of yellow t-shirts and shorts that were the standard Lannister clothing. They also had on socks for extra chances.

“I'll start.” Jeoffery said as they sat down at the small round table in the room. Jeoffery shuffled the cards and dealt out an equal number to the boys.

They played the game several times. Lane and Rikken had lost significantly the first eight times. Lane and Rikken had lost their socks and shirts while Jeoffery on the other hand still had his shirt.

“I wonder which one will lose?” Jeoffery said as Lane dealt out the cards.

“Don't get your hopes up, Jeoffery. You can still lose this game too.”

One the next play, Jeoffery was the one that had lost, forcing him to pull off his shirt.

“What was that about winning?”

“Just luck I say. The next loser will be the slave.”

And so it was, but never did Jeoffery expect it was him.

“W..what?” Jeoffery said as he looked at his cards.

Now Lane and Rikken was the one smiling. “Go ahead, Jeoffery! Your masters command you to take off those shorts!” Lane said as they got to their feet.

“Ummm..hehe. I was just kidding about the whole thing! Best two out of three?”

Then Lane and Rikken grabbed him by the arms and took him to his bed.

“No guys! Please have mercy!” Jeoffery begged them as they dragged his shorts off, revealing his underwear beneath. Lane and Rikken then took the bondage gear from the bag and secured Jeoffery to the bed spreadeagled. Lane then looked down at Jeoffery's shorts. He grabbed them and then Lane's smile got even bigger.

“W..what are you gonna do with them?”

“I think you already know the answer to that!” Lane said. “Open wide!”

--------

While Lane and Rikken were having fun with their new slave, they didn't know that their fun would soon be over as inside the darkness of the caves, two silver glowing eyes appeared.

by chadmc90 » Wed May 28, 2014 11:08 am

End of Chapter 60 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing


Chapter 61: The Bonds of Friendship


Jeoffery shook his head as Lane and Rikken told him to open up. “Come on, Jeoffery! Don't make this any harder than it has to be!”

Lane loved the position he was in now. Almost since the tournament began, Lane had been at the mercy of this boy, who put him through hell until he fell ill. But despite the new feelings he felt, a little revenge was something Lane had wanted now.

“Come on Jeoffery! You were asking for it when you made the bet!” Lane told his new squirming captive. Jeoffery held his mouth closed to keep the filthy garments out. But Lane grabbed Jeoffery's nose and only mere seconds later Jeoffery's mouth opened, letting in much needed air. Unfortunately for Jeoffery, more than air went in, as Lane stuffed the shorts into his mouth. Rikken then took one of the bandannas out of their bag and tied it around Jeoffery's mouth to keep the shorts in.

“MMMMPHMM!” Jeoffery yelled through the gag.

“Hahaha!” Lane and Rikken laughed at their new slave. Jeoffery continued to yell muffled words, likely swears, through his new gag. Lane stroked and ruffled his short blond hair. “So, what do we do now?”

“Well, I've never really had the chance until this tournament to have a captive. But that one boy was my captive until our team fell.” Rikken explained.

“Well I most certainly haven't either. Hmm. What has Jeoffery done to me? That's a good place to start!”

Jeoffery now looked nervous. The once angry and swearing boy was now calm and pleading with eyes like a puppy. Lane had never forgotten what Jeoffery had done, and he new his new captive understood that.

“Well, Robb and Theon had done some things with some of the slaves they caught. First they would start off with some tickle torture. Then they would move on to the bigger tortures. I remember one time they lit candles and poured the hot wax over their slave's torso.”

Jeoffery was now whimpering, begging to not be tortured in that manner.

“That sounds painful...and fun!” Lane said as he smiled at Jeoffery, now shaking. “But I don't think there are any candles here. What else?”

Rikken had picked up the bag of bondage gear off the floor. He was rummaging through it to see what all was given. Rikken then pulled out various things, such as clamps, a whip, and... some kind of device that has a ball held in place by two rods on each side. Spikes are lined across the center, and the ball spins on it's axis where the rods hold it in place.

“What the..” said Lane as Rikken handed it to him. “Why was this in here?”

Jeoffery, as nervous as ever, stared at the device. Lane then brought the device close to Jeoffery's belly and spun the spikes along the surface of his torso like a wheel. Jeoffery's whimpers and struggling grew more intense as Lane rolled it along the sides of his belly button and then back up to his chest. He made circles around his nipples and even went across them, which cause even more yells from the bound slave. He then went across his armpits and on his sides. After some time with his belly Lane handed Rikken the device. Rikken then went to the soles of his feet and planted the device on one of them, causing even more struggling from Jeoffery.

Lane then took the nipple clamps and clamped them on Jeoffery's nipples. He struggled against his bindings as Lane then started to tickle him. He pretty much tickled the same areas he used the pinwheel on, causing Jeoffery to laugh, whimper, and struggle while Rikken ran the spike up his legs. This continued for twenty minutes. Rikken then got up from the bed and put the device down on the bed.

“Finished already?” Lane asked Rikken.

“I've gotta use the bathroom. Gonna take a shower too.” Rikken said as he grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe.

“Ok.” Lane said as Rikken opened the door to the bathroom. Lane then turned to Jeoffery and they both stared each other. Then Lane put a quick kiss on Jeoffery's gag. “We are alone now, Jeoffery.” Lane explained as he began to rub his hands over Jeoffery's body. Lane reached down and kissed Jeoffery's neck a number of times. Then he started to kiss his way across Jeoffery's chest, and eventually made his way right, closer to Jeoffery's clamped nipple. Lane grabbed the clamp and released Jeoffery's nipple from it. Lane then landed his lips on it, as he sucked it into his mouth. Jeoffery was making different kinds of sounds now, but instead they were moans. Jeoffery's eyes were closed as Lane suckled on the tips of Jeoffery's pecs. After a minute of that, Lane repeated the process with the other nipple. He made his way down his belly and then started to kiss and suck his belly button.

After some time doing that, Lane then moved back up to his head. He removed the gag and took out the shorts that were stuffed in his mouth. Before Jeoffery could speak, Lane covered his mouth. “How did you like that?” Lane asked. Jeoffery nodded in approval. Then, like times before, Lane and Jeoffery found themselves entranced into a deep kiss. Lane had now crossed all boundaries. At first, he could have put all blame on this relationship to Jeoffery, seeing as he forced the situation. But now that he was in control, he knew without a doubt that it was both ways. Lane wanted Jeoffery and Jeoffery wanted Lane back. There was no going back for them.

Unbeknownst to them, someone had actually found their hideout. As Lane and Jeoffery made out on the bed, the monster that has haunted the estate for a long time walks slowly, and quietly, towards the unsuspecting two. The Hound walked behind Lane, with him not knowing the imminent danger he was in. Jeoffery opened his eyes after Lane raised his head to catch his breath, but when he saw the towering figure leering over them, his eyes widened with shock and fear.

“LANE!!” Jeoffery screamed as loud as he could. “BEHIND YOU!”

But as Lane turned around, it was already too late. The Hound used his massive, clutched hand and knocked Lane off the bed, rendering him unconscious. Jeoffery backed up in his bed as much as he could to put as much distance between himself and the Hound.

“H..how did you find this place?” Jeoffery asked nervously.

The Hound looked at him without a hint of emotion. “Simple...Master Robert told me.”

Jeoffery was now truly scared. In a last desperate attempt to escape the clutches of the monster, Jeoffery reminded him of who he was. “Remember who I am. I am Jeoffery Baratheon, the little brother of Robert. If you hurt me, you'll pay..OWWW!” The hound had landed a monstrous slap on Jeoffery's face that nearly knocked Jeoffery out cold.

“I...have already paid the ultimate price. What you masters have done to me already can't be toppled by anything further.” The Hound then grabbed the rope bindings that connected Jeoffery to the bed one by one and literally snapped them like a twig. Given the strength of the ropes, the strength of The Hound could easily be measured.

“P..please. I beg of you, hound. Take me and only me. But spare him. I will put up no resistance and will go with you back to my cousin. Just spare him.”

The Hound finished the last sentence as the final rope was broke. As always, no hint of emotion was present in his expression. “I find it ironic for a master begging his own slave. You know it doesn't matter in the end, Jeoffery. You know what this tournament is really about. You know your brother better than anyone else, and you know the what he most desires. You best count your blessings you are his brother. Otherwise, you would end up like them eventually. And who knows? Maybe the kid you seem to love might be given to you as a gift from your brother.”

“And what about that? I wouldn't think my brother approves of me making out with other boys.”

“Jeoffery, do you know...you are cursed...like me?”

Jeoffery's eyes widened when he heard this. “What? What are you talking about?”

“It's simple. The whole reason you got sick was because your curse was manifesting. When curses manifest, or become active, something happens to signal the change. It's different for everyone, depending on the type of curse you posses. For me..well I don't want to tell you that. Well, people that have curses have a higher chance of being gay. It's not always the case, but it seems to happen more often than normal people. It's one of those unsolved mysteries of the curses. Oh, why am I telling you this?”

All of this is now sinking in Jeoffery's head. “I'm cursed? But how...” He knew about the curses, and even the Hound's curse. But Jeoffery never thought HE could be cursed himself.

“You are cursed along with Tywin and many others in this tournament!”

Jeoffery's jaw dropped when he heard this. “Many others? How many?”

“Very many, I can assure you. When you've mastered a curse, you gain the ability to sense the presence of other curse users. As I walk around the estate, I've sensed many here. It's like a sound or something inside your head. But with this many, it's like a huge crowd of people at a gathering. I can hear them all. Whispers in my ears that only I can hear.”

“But why? Why are there so many here?”

But before the monster could answer that question, Jeoffery heard chiming from within the thick trench coat the Hound was wearing. He pulled out a fairly large device that had a screen and buttons on it. After the hound pressed a key, a familiar voice was heard. “Let me talk to him.”

The monster handed Jeoffery the device, and on the screen was his own brother, Robert Baratheon. “R-Robert?” Jeoffery said as he peered into the screen.

“Hello, Jeoffery. It's been a while, hasn't it?”

“Yea. I haven't talked to you since I woke up.”

Robert smiled. “I've heard you've been real busy. Tywin made sure to tell me everything.”

Jeoffery was shaking now. “So Robert knew everything about what's been going on?” he thought. He knew that he made out with Lane and that Tywin put him in the cells. “What are you gonna do to me?”

Robert then let out a chuckle. “Hahaha! Why would I do something to you, Jeoffery? If you like screwing guys, I most certainly don't have a problem with it. You heard the Hound, didn't you? He said it was much more common for people that are cursed to....swing the other way.”

“W..wait? How did you know that he said that to me?”

“Did you not think I wouldn't have cameras installed in that hideout of yours? Actually, it was father's idea to keep an eye on you to make sure you were safe down there. But I found an.....alternative use for them.”

“You've....been spying on us down here this whole time?”

“Yes I have.” Robert replied.

Jeoffery felt really stupid. Of course Robert would know where this place was. “What are you planning to do with me and the other two?”

“Well, I'll make you a deal. Quietly go back with my Hound and I'll spare the other two. Hell, even leave them a note and tell them that the Brotherhood's headquarters are in this cave somewhere. They could join up with them for all I care. Go back to the Lannister fortress and resume your role. I've already smoothed things over with Tywin, and he's agreed to let you return. Now Tywin insisted I keep him leader, but you will be giving his adviser headband instead. You will follow his orders and you will win this tournament.”

“So they are down here, then?” Jeoffery asked.

“Yea, I hid those headbands and guided them straight to that little bar house that was built down there. But don't tell Tywin that. I want to keep this tournament interesting.”

Jeoffery nodded his head in confirmation of his brother's demands. “Good. That boy will go to another team. He will not be a distraction for you no further.”

“Robert, you heard the hound. I am cursed, right? So what is my special ability then? And if that sickness was a way of my curse showing itself, then I know you are cursed, too. You even have the same curse as me, since your sickness was the same thing. Tell me, brother, what is our curse?”

Robert smile on as his brother spoke. “In due time, Jeoffery. You will eventually figure it out. Now I wil leave you and the Hound. Say your goodbyes to that boy.”

Robert's connection ended and the Hound grabbed the device from Jeoffery's hand. “Write that note and get your clothes on.” The Hound commanded.

The somber Jeoffery nodded as he got up from his bed. He undid the broken ropes from his wrist and slipped his clothes back on. He grabbed his coat from the closet and sat down at his desk. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from inside the shelf and began to write:

“Lane...no Klyde. I am sorry, but I am going back with the Hound to the Lannister fortress. When you wake up, I'll already be gone. You and Rikken should explore the caves and seek out the Brotherhood. There is an underground shelter much like this room in here. There is a map of the caves in this desk you can use to find your way. Whatever you do, don't come for me. It will only make things worse. In the little time I spent with you guys, you two have shown me that there is more to life than tormenting and giving commands. I now understand what it means to have friends, and know what it means to love someone. I've never had any friends, and eventually I turned to fear to get the same respect out of people. I wanted what my brother always had, but I never got it. Everyone always looked up to him, and no one payed me any attention. I was closer to my cousins than anyone else, but I pushed them away as well. But after meeting both of you, in the little time I've known you, I can say that I've made a terrible mistake with the way I've treated you and many others. I know I still have a lot to pay for, but I guess today was a start, huh? Hehe.

I guess I best stop here. I don't really understand these new feelings, but to me, they feel more right than the way I felt before my sickness. I will miss you, Klyde. Thank you!”

Jeoffery left the note on the table. A tear started to form from his eye as he picked the still unconscious Lane up from beside the bed and laid him down on it. Jeoffery then stared at him for a couple seconds, and then he pressed his lips against the sleeping boy's head and kissed it. He looked towards the bathroom and suspected Rikken might have heard and was trying to hide in there. The Hound waited at the entrance and Jeoffery left them. They left the two behind, knowing it could be the last time they would ever see each other again.

by chadmc90 » Thu May 29, 2014 7:46 am

End of Chapter 61 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 62: A Team without Headbands


John Stark, Josh, Troy, and several other Stark boys that were rescued from the Stark Fortress are now making their way to another fort in exile: the Greyjoy fortress on the island. They had searched the shore of the lake for a way across, and found the Lannister's boats that they used to get across the lake. They had neglected to bring it to their fortress.

“Let's get them turned over and into the water.” Troy said. Troy and a few of the other boys lifted the wooden rowboat and turned it so it would face upwards. They dragged it to the water and began mounting it. The rest of the boys did the same thing. They found the oars tied to the inside of the boat and undid the ropes to begin their trip over the cold and icy water. Luckily for them the weather was calm today.

All 13 boys climbed into the boats and pushed off from the shore. They planted the oars in the water and gently waved them to push them across the lake. John was at the front, keeping a lookout for anything that needed their attention.

“They've been on this island for....how long now? Two weeks?” Josh said.

“They were placed there the after they were captured, like us.” John responded, remembering how they won against the Greyjoys, only to get stabbed in the back by their own allies, the Freys.

“I wonder how many Tywin left to guard the place?”

“We'll know when we get there.” John said.

It took about 10 to 15 minutes to arrive at the Greyjoy fortress. The stone fortress had snow covering it's top, and looked lonely and eerie against the gray winter sky. He boys looked at each other, anxiously anticipating the meeting with the Greyjoy hostages. Most of the boys that were in the envoy were former Starks, and they were bitter enemies due to Robb's rivalry with Balon. They landed ashore the island, which was now covered in a thick layer of snow. They exited their boats and walked up to the fortress, which was in the center of the island on the summit of the hill.

John was in front of the others, and he was the one to knock on the door. No answer came, but John noticed the doorbell that had been installed, so he pressed it hoping for a response.

It was about a minute before a boy opened the door. His brown hair waved in the gentle breeze and his eyes matched the color of his hair. He had fairly dark skin that was freckled on his face. He was bundled head to toe in thick clothing, which was a common thing during this weather. He was surprised to see them as his eyes widened.

“W..who are you guys?” the boy asked John.

“I am John, John Stark. We were on the former Stark team until the Freys betrayed us. We come here seeking an alliance. Be honest with me: are there any Lannister guards here.”

Carlos was hesitant to talk to John, and for good reason. John understands this and patiently awaited his answer. “Please, you can trust us.”

“Okay. No there aren't any Lannisters here. It's just us. What's left of the old Greyjoy team.”

John looked at the others and turned back to look at the boy. “Wait, so why are you still here then?”

“It's Maron. They are holding his brothers hostage, and he can't do anything about it. We agreed to stay here until we can figure out what to do about it.”

Josh and Troy came forward. “The only brother they have now is Balon. The others have been moved to other teams. That's what that psycho Ameon told me happened at the coliseum games.”

“What!” Carlos said. “I have to tell Maron right away. Hold on!'

They stood there for a few more minutes waiting on the boy to return. When the boy did return, several others were with him. “So Carlos told me that all my brothers but Balon have escaped!”

“Yea, that's right.” Josh responded.

“So that means..” Maron said. “Oh, please come on in. We can talk in the entertainment room.”

They all gathered around in the Greyjoy's entertainment room. Along with the Greyjoy exiles, who were not being held in the cells, the total boys combined came to twenty two. Two of them, however, were former Frey members. They were tied with rope to keep them from escaping.

“So, what do propose you do?” Maron asked them as they sat down.

“If you notice, we have twenty boys here. These guys are Frey boys we captured. But if they're willing to give up their position on their former team, then they will join us and bring our numbers to twenty two. We will have the biggest advantage in this tournament. We can overtake the Lannister Fortress and take their headbands. Then we will have a place in the tournament!”

Maron was surprised at John's proposal. But nevertheless, he actually liked the sound of that. If Balon was the only brother of his they had, then he could leave here and take them down. Maron didn't really care what happened to Balon, seeing as he got them into this mess in the first place. “What do you think, guys? Should we go for it? I could care less about Balon. I say yes.”

The rest of the Greyjoys whispered into each others ear. They nodded and all gave their approval by raising their hands.

John stepped forward and looked around. “Then, not as an alliance, but as a team, we are now the leftovers the others brushed aside. We were forgotten about, but now we have come together to show them what 'leftovers' we are. We may not have any headbands, or are a formal team, but we will show them how much of a team we really are. Lets go...and kick their asses!”

They all cheered after John's speech. All except the Frey boys, that is.

“You two.” John said to the two restrained boys. The boys fell silent as they looked onto the former Frey boys. “You have a choice to make. Will you give up those headbands and join us or do you want to be thrown into the dungeons.”

The two looked at each other for a moment. “I guess we have no choice. If you guys really think you can do it, then we'll help. Together, we have the number advantage over all the teams.”

John shook his head in acceptance. “Take those Frey headbands off and release them then.”

Two boys did just that, and the Freys got to their feet.

“Now that we got that out of the way, what's our first move?”

---------

It was now getting closer to dusk. Daeneric and his team of twelve march towards the rendezvous point. He was carried by Drogo and Jorah. Aggo and Jhogo were left behind with the rest of the team. Renly was also with them for the exchange. The gray skies darkened all around them as Dusk drew closer.

“Daeneric, if you are effected by this as much by the cold weather, then how do you think Ameon is holding up?”

“I don't know. By now he should need some kind of shelter. I don't know if any of the others are cursed, but Ameon wouldn't have survived out here this long.”

Drogo and Jorah continued to carry Daeneric as they walked. Tensions were high as they didn't know what would happen when the three teams met. Daeneric had a lump in his throat and felt anxious to arrive.

“So, do you think the other teams will try anything. The rest of our team is on standby close by in case something happens, but they still outnumber us. What will we do if they gang up on us.”

“We have to trust them enough not to do that. At this point, what else is there to do?”

They did exhaust all their ideas. At this point, this alliance was their best option. Drogo knew this, and pressed the issue no further. They all continued to their destination to await their potential fate.

---------

Berek, Rhaegar, and Bran sat around a round table in the bar room of their hideout. Bran and Rhaegar both seemed disappointed.

“Please, Berek. Take us with you. You need us both there.”

“No, it's too risky. Nobody knows your here Bran. We have a vantage point in them thinking we don't have a key. But if they see you, who took the key from the Stark fortress that night, with us, then our advantage is lost. Just please stay here.

“And what about me? I want to go! My brother is there, Berek! You saw the email. He is now leader of their team. Ameon is gone!”

“And what of it. They are still our enemies, Rhaegar. Are you gonna have a big happy reunion? I thought you left that family behind.”

“But Daeneric is different.”

“But he's still our enemy. You can reconcile later if you want. But while you're on this team, you best choose us or them.”

Rhaegar looked down, ashamed that he even brought it up. “I'm sorry, Berek. I'll stay here.”

“Thank you, Rhaegar. I know it's hard, but it's better this way. I don't want us to be fighting.”

Rhaegar shook his head in understanding and left back to the backroom.

“Bran, trust me on this. Let me and the others it. They don't even know I'm a Stark. The only guys that do know are you and the team.”

The rest of the team were in the room as well. Rhaegar eventually broke down and told them the truth, but for the most part they were okay with it. They got to know Rhaegar enough to see that he wasn't a madman like Ameon.

Berek stood up and faced his team, Some were standing in the open area in the room while others were sitting on the stools at the bar.

“If this works out, we could easily take the Lannisters and Freys out of the equation. But nevertheless I don't trust any of the other teams at all. We have to be on our toes on this one if were gonna come out of this thing. Thoros, come with me on this one. Aryen, Edric, and two more of you: stay here and watch over things, including Rhaegar and Bran. They are not to leave here for nothing. If we don't return tonight, get out of here. Take the key and evade them as much as possible. The rest of us will go and split up into two groups. One will be a group of six members, including me and Thoros. The rest will stay behind and prepare for an attack if it comes to that. I'll be honest: I feel like one of the teams will betray us. Just call it a gut feeling, if you will. So stay on your toes and prepare yourself for anything.....Lets move out!”

Bran watched as all all but four of them left. Aryen came over and sit by his cousin.

“Nervous, huh?” Aryen asked Bran.

“Of course. I don't think I can sleep until they return. I'm just too anxious to rest.”

“Me too. Maybe we should play a game of cards to take our minds off it. Me and Berek always played with Rhaegar and another kid a while back these games. Rhaegar would often visit us when he needed a break from his family.” Aryen said as he went over to one of the shelves over the bar and pulled out a small box. “Rhaegar, Edric: Guys, we are playing a game. Come on and play with us!”

But as soon as they all arrived in there, a knock was heard on the door.

“Who could that be?” Aryen said as he wondered who could be here. Surely it wasn't Berek.

“Wait here. I'll answer it.” Edric said as he went up to the door. There as a small peep hole he looked out. Then he opened the door slightly enough to where he can greet whoever was at the door.

“Is this the Brotherhood?” a voice familiar to Bran called. When he realized who it was, Bran immediately rushed to the door.

“Hey stop!” Aryen said as Bran pushed Edric out of the way. He opened the door fully and once he saw his little brother, Rikken, he embraced him with the biggest hug he had ever given his younger brother.

“Bran!” The little boy said as he returned the hug back to his older brother.

“I missed you so much!” Bran said, as a small tear fell down his face.

“Rikken?” Rhaegar said as he walked over to them. Bran and Rikken broke their hug and Rhaegar smiled, astonished that Rikken was even here. “How did you escape that monster?” Rhaegar asked.

“It's a long story. But I did! Well me and Klyde here.” The boy that Jeoffery named Lane didn't pay them any attention. He looked somber, with his eyes red and watery.

“Klyde. We found them!” Rikken said, trying to cheer the boy up.

“Y..yea. I'm happy.” Klyde said in a obvious depressed tone.

“Can we come in? We don't have anywhere else to go!” Rikken asked.

“What kind of question is that? If you're Bran's brother, then that means your mine and Berek's cousins. Of course!” They let them inside their hideout. Rikken, Bran, Klyde(Lane), Rhaegar, Aryen, Thoros, and the others sat around one of the bigger tables in the bar area.

“Ok, Rikken. Please tell us what's going on.” Rikken did so as he recounted the time he got captured by the Hound and was imprisoned in the Lannister fortress. Then he went on to detail how he, Klyde, and Jeoffery escaped their predicament. He finally finished with his recount of what Jeoffery did and them finding this place.

“And that's the whole story.” Rikken added after he finished.

-----------

The fires once again circled Stannis and Mel. As same as that night with the Brotherhood, shadows dances and voices were heard within that included the screams of the slave boy they bought off the market. The rest of the team looked on in fear as the flames dance and floated away from the grounds. It was over after 5 minutes, and when the flames went out, Stannis and Mel rose up away from the unconscious boy, who was purchased from the Coliseum.

“Take him back to his cell.” Mel said to one of the team members.

They hesitantly picked up the unconscious boy off the ground and carried him back to the fortress.

“Now, witness the power of your leader!” Mel said as he waved his arm in front of Stannis as if introducing him on stage. Several coils of rope were scattered nearby. With an evil grin on his face that only Mel or Ameon could beat, Stan's eyes glowed and he raised his arms. When he did that, all the coils of rope started to rise to the air, unfolding and hanging from the top. The ropes moved upwards as their motions were similar to snakes trailing in a desert.

“From now on, I am Stannis...The Ultimate Manipulator! The Brotherhood and the Targaryens will see MY true power!”

by chadmc90 » Fri May 30, 2014 3:42 pm

End of Chapter 62 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 63: The Dark Flames Part One


Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 63: The Dark Flames Part One

The Targaryens were first to arrive at the meeting place. All around them, a light snow fell on the area, and it was rather peaceful. Drogo set Daeneric on the ground to rest.

“Are you sure you gonna be okay?” Drogo asked.

“Yea. I'm just ready to get this over with.”

They waited patiently for the rest to show. It seemed like fifteen minutes before the Brotherhood appeared with the Baratheons. Stannis and Berek stopped on the other side of the opening.

“Drogo, help me to my feet.” Daeneric asked. Drogo put Daeneric's arms around his neck and pulled him up. He walked Daeneric towards the center as the other two leaders did as well.

“Hello...Targaryen.” Stannis said rather coldly.

“Uh, hi.” Daeneric replied much more politely.

“For starters, I want my brother back. Right now!” Stannis demanded.

“You will get your brother back, provided you live up to your end of the bargain. We want an alliance with you, and we need to work out the terms of that first.”

“No! You guys took him when you shouldn't have. You blatantly attacked us on the night of the coliseum when you know you shouldn't have. If you guys don't follow the rules, why should we?” Stannis said angrily.

Daeneric looked over to Berek, who was rather quiet. He then focused his attention back to Stannis. “Look, Stannis, for one thing, it was my cousin Ameon that orchestrated that whole deal. I didn't know about it until the morning after. I tried to reason with him, but he wanted none of it.”

“And yet when you overthrew him, you didn't make any attempt to return him, didn't you?”

“No,” Daeneric looked down. He knew that reasoning with Stannis would be difficult. But he didn't expect this kind of out lash. This is a competition that involves capturing the other teams, after all. “And what would you have done if you had one of my brothers? I'm sure you wouldn't of returned him to me either if it was allowed.”

Stannis grinded his teeth in anger. “F-fine. We'll discuss the terms first, but I want to see that you have my brother, first.”

Daeneric motioned for some of his team members to bring Renly forward. They did so and Stannis got a long look at his younger brother. Renly was gagged and tied, but other than that, Renly didn't seem too scared or nervous. The fact of it is after Ameon left, Renly's life as a prisoner of the Targaryens was much easier.

“As you can see, Renly isn't hurt or anything. Now can we talk about the terms?”

Then, suddenly, Mel stepped forward. “Stannis, my leader. You're brother seems to be okay. We can give them what they want now. Let's for this triple alliance, now.”

“And..who..are you?” Daeneric asked, puzzled by the boy's actions.

“I am Mel! I have been aiding Stannis in his effort to win, and his training with his gift!”

Daeneric looked confused. “Gift? What are you talking about.”

Berek then stepped forward. “By 'gift' he really means curse. And I also know about Ameon's curse..and yours as well.”

Daeneric looked really nervous then. “Stannis has a curse?” he thought.

“And Stannis, what you did to that boy wasn't 'training.' It was cruel and wrong. He still isn't his full self yet.”

Daeneric was really confused now. He honestly didn't know what Berek was talking about. “Care to explain?” Daeneric asked Berek.

Mel had an evil sneer as he stepped towards the center. “Oh, Berek, you still label it as something undesirable, like it's an unwanted scar on the face. But you still misunderstand the great power it gives you. Those that don't see that still label them as such. Sure, it can hurt you use them abusively. But if used in moderation, you can really achieve things no normal person could hope to achieve! For example....”

Stannis was now sporting an evil grin on his face. His eyes lit up as he raised his hands to the air. Berek and the Brotherhood stepped back from the Baratheons, who were also stepping back in the other direction away from Stannis. “Now, I will show you what I'm truly capable of!”

Then the snow below the Targaryen's feet started to move. Then out of the snow burst what looked like long strings of rope. They danced around the Targaryen's heads.

“What is this..” Drogo asked, bewildered by the site of the floating ropes.

Daeneric felt a lump in his throat. He couldn't imagine that someone would have this much power and control over a curse.

“Stannis, what are you doing?” Berek asked nervously.

“Doing what needs to be done. I'm taking out a team.”

Daeneric and his team now started to move away. “Call in the reinforcements.” Daeneric told Drogo. But as soon as Drogo reached for his radio transceiver, the ropes then immediately attacked the Targaryens. The Targaryens struggled as the ropes wrapped themselves around the the team members like pythons around it's prey. Daeneric struggled to free himself, but his weakness to the cold air was too strong to offer any kind of resistance. The end of the rope binding Daeneric found each of his hands and forced them together, wrapping around each wrist. The other end wrapped around Daeneric's legs, completely immobilizing them.

“What are you doing?” Berek asked angrily.

“What does it look like? I'm using my power to take down the Targaryens. I can't believe how simple it was.”

“But Stannis, we need them to take down the other two teams! Think this through!”

“Oh, I have thought it through, Berek. You see, I don't need any other team to win. I'll just use my powers here. And that includes you guys!”

Berek's eyes widened as more ropes appeared from the ground. They darted immediately towards the six Brotherhood teammates and wrapped around them in a similar fashion. They all fell to the ground as the ropes tied their hands and feet.

“Stannis, no!” Berek begged.

“Ha..Hahahaha! I did it! I defeated two teams in one setting! Am I a genius or what?”

Mel smiled as he rested his hands on Stannis's shoulders. “You did good, my leader. But remember there's still more team members to capture. I venture to guess that the rest of the Targaryens are close by somewhere. With these twelve down, then it would be easy to take the rest.”

Stannis smiled evilly as he admired his handiwork. Daeneric looked over to where Drogo lay, and saw he wasn't doing any better with his struggle to get free.

“Drogo. Use your curse! It's our only hope!”

“I don't know how, Daeneric! It just happens spontaneously.”

“Curses activate off emotions. Remember that if we fall here, we lose. We become Robert's servants for 2 years. Do you really want that?”

“Of course not!” Drogo responded. But nothing was happening. Drogo continued to struggle, but no glowing eyes appeared.

“Well, what makes you the angriest? Think about that. Think about..” Daeneric thought for a moment, but he immediately remembered something. “Think about...Ameon! Yea remember what Ameon did, Drogo!”

It was the reaction Daeneric was expecting. Drogo stopped struggling as he was lost in thought. But suddenly, Drogo's eyes glowed a bluish color that was not as bright as Stannis's. His muscles bulged and he began to press against his ropes. He strained as he tried to break the bonds of his ropes with his sheer strength.

“Another curse user.” Berek thought as he watched Drogo.

Stannis and Mel were taken back by the revelation of Drogo's curse. “What..this one, too?” Mel said, now a bit nervous. Then with a sudden feat of strength that shouldn't be possible for no one, the ropes tore apart, and Drogo was released. With his eyes glowing, he stared into Stannis's own, now fearful, eyes.

“What do we do, Mel?” Stannis said, backing away.

“Bind him with more ropes!” Mel suggested. Stannis immediately raised more ropes into the air and hurled them at Drogo. Drogo then dogged them effortlessly as he ran towards Mel and Stannis. He then made a large leap in the air and drew his fist up, ready to pounce on the two. But Stannis wiggled his fingers, and several more coils of rope caught Drogo in mid air. This time, Stannis wrapped Drogo's entire body in several layers of rope with his curse. Drogo's entire body was covered in ropes.

This time, Drogo couldn't break his bonds. There was too much rope wrapped around his body.

“Whew! That was close. It would have been devastating if he hit one of us.” Mel said as he watched the glow in Drogo's eyes fade. Drogo then went unconscious.

“Now that we have them all where we want them, let's get them back to the fortress. We will need to make plans to recover the Targaryen's key, asap.”

But what they didn't see was that Berek's eyes were glowing bright orange.

-------

Some time earlier, Bran and the others were seen playing their card games. Having his brother Rikken back, Bran was in a joyful mood, as was Rhaegar and the other Brotherhood members that were keeping watch. But Klyde was in no such mood as he sat in the corner, watching the others enjoy themselves. He was still upset over Jeoffrey leaving him behind. He clutched the letter in his hands, not wanting to let it go.

“Klyde, come over here and play with us!” Rikken said to the somber boy.

“Yea. It will cheer you up!”

“No, just keep playing. I don't feel like playing any games right now.” Klyde said.

But then Bran felt weird. Something was happening in his head. He was getting a slight headache as he put his hand up to it. “Ow. It hurts.”

“What is it?” Rhaegar asked.

“My head, it..” Then Bran's eyes glowed a bright orange.

“Bran! What's going on!” Rikken said as Bran collapsed to the floor. Everyone gathered around Bran to see what was going on.

“It must be the curse. It activated!” Rhaegar said as he knelt down beside Bran.

“Wait, Bran's cursed too?”

“Yea he is. He's like many others in this tournament. Berek, that Hound, Daeneric are only a few. There are others we don't even know about.”

All Rikken could think about was The Hound. “So Bran's like him?” Rikken thought.

-------

“Bran....Bran...we've been captured. Escape with the others now!” The voice inside Bran's head said.

Bran didn't know what was going on. He was floating through the woods, which were distorting in his vision. He was being dragged by some unknown force, calling him to a certain place.

“Bran....we were betrayed....It was a trap!”

The pull on Bran strengthened, pulling faster towards a light in the unknown distance. When he got close he lost all sense of focus, and was pulled into the light.

When he regained focus, he was laying on the ground, covered in ropes. He looked around and saw movement around him. He noticed one of them as Stannis, as he and some creepy looking boy was walking beside him.

“Bran, see what I mean. Tell the others. You have to get the key and leave now.”

He recognized the voice as his cousin Berek, and was beginning to understand what was going on. Berek must of somehow pulled him into the cursed state.

“Go, Bran, and escape.” Berek said as Bran was pulled back out of Berek. He exited the light and was being pulled back the way he came through the distorted woods.

It was no time before he awoke from his state of unconscious.

“W...what..” he said as he woke up. But when he remembered what happened in his dream, he immediately got to his feet.

“Berek was betrayed by Stannis. We have to leave or else they will find us.” Bran explained.

“What? How do you know this?” Aryen asked his cousin.

“Berek pulled me into him somehow. He showed me what was going on. Both the Targaryens and the Brotherhood were in ropes all tied.

“But how?” Aryen asked.

“I managed to pull some of Berek's memories. Stannis is also cursed as well. He used it to capture them.”

“No..” Aryen said.

“We have to escape now! They will find us down here eventually. One of our teammates will eventually talk.”

“O...ok. I trust you, Bran.” Aryen said. He turned around to give out the command to pack everything up and flee, He was startled by what was happening to Rhaegar.

“R..Rhaegar!” Aryen said.

Rhaegar's eyes were glossed over in a black like mist. They really couldn't tell if his eyes were glowing because of the blackness of his eyes. Flames surround him as they twist his way up his body. But these were no ordinary flames. These flames were as black as his own eyes, dark as an abyss. Everyone started to back away from him in fear.

“Rhaegar...What's going on?” Rikken asked.

“I...won't let it end like this. I will see Berek win this tournament. Mark...my...words..” Then the black flames vanished, along with Rhaegar.

by chadmc90 » Sat May 31, 2014 7:03 am

End of Chapter 63 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 64: The Dark Flames Part Two


“W...what just happened?” Bran said, trying to make sense of the situation.

“He..just disappeared.” Rikken followed.

Klyde was pulled out of his sub trance by the incident. “Was that his curse?” he said.

--------

With the Baratheons now in control of the situation, Stannis walks around the clutter of tied Brotherhood boys in an arrogant and smug manner. “The worst thing you did was trust me, Berek. You should of learned from the Stark's and Greyjoy's mistake.

“Stannis, think this through. Even with your new power you can't hope to conquer the other two teams.”

“Oh, I beg to differ.” Mel said. “Bring it here, Ramsey.”

Then a boy with a similar smirk on his face walked up behind Stannis and Mel, carrying some sort of device. “Behold...the ultimate weapon!”

The Brotherhood didn't know that the thing was, but Daeneric did. It looked strikingly similar to the Lightning Gun he and his team found on the beach that day. The only difference was that it had a large barrel that something big could fit in.

“Another of those things.” Daeneric thought as Stannis grabbed it from Ramsey's hands and held it to where everyone could see.

“This is one of the three objects of Paryl. It has the capacity to entangle a group of people into it's nets, which shoot out as bullets. With this, taking down the Lannisters and Freys will be rather easy. We will go on and win this tournament. What do you think about that?”

Berek's head was in pain. He could barely tolerate it, as he held his head into the cold snow. Eventually, he felt himself losing consciousness. “I overused it I guess.” he thought as his mind slipped into a deep sleep.

“Now, the better you cooperate, the easier your lives will be from now on. We will untie you just enough to where you can walk, but no funny business. Even a hint of defiance will result in serious consequences.”

But suddenly, the wind pick up speed and something appeared in the center of them. Stannis looked back and he was struck with horror. To him, it looked like a black demon. Black flames completely engulfed his body. His eyes were as black as a starless night sky.

“I...will not..let..you..win!” a voice from inside called out. Then the flames extended themselves away from the body and formed into what looked like a phantom of a dragon's head. It had long sharp teeth and snout with large horns protruding out. It's eyes matched the eyes of the flames it came from.

“W..what is this!” Stannis said as he and the Baratheons backed away. The dragon then opened it's mouth, and several smaller versions came out like extended tongues. The circled around in the air for a couple seconds, then darted off in various directions. One dragon went to Daeneric, which slowly engulfed the boy in flames. Others went to Drogo and Berek and did the same. But the dragons that went to Stannis and Mel were much more malevolent. They spared no mercy in attacking the two, engulfing them in flames as well.

“AHHHHH!” Stannis said as he dropped to the ground, rolling in the snow in an attempt to put them out. Mel had done something similar.

But Daeneric noticed something different about his flames. Rather than causing him pain and suffering, his flames felt..nice. The ropes had burned away in the flames and Daeneric was able to get up, not effected by the cold no more.

“W..how?” Daeneric said as he looked at the black flames. He looked over and Drogo and Berek were recovering as well as the ropes were burned off their bodies. Then Daeneric's flames turned from black to blazing red.

Subconsciously knowing what to do, Daeneric activated his curse and controlled the flames. Daeneric shot off pieces of his flames in the direction of his comrades and the Brotherhood. The red flames attacked the knots in the rope and slowly burned them away, releasing the rest of the restrained boys.

“I'm free, and my headache is...gone!” Berek thought as he stood.

Drogo was also standing, just as amazed as everyone else.

Then the black flames wore off from them, including Stannis and Mel. The Baratheon leader and his subordinate were on the ground. Stannis was awake, but he couldn't hardly move. Mel, on the other hand, was shaking and holding his eyes.

“No..stay away from me..STAY AWAY!” he kept saying every time he would peak out of the crevices between his fingers.

They looked at the original black mass of flames, but they also disappeared, leaving a familiar silver-haired boy standing. But he didn't stand long, as he soon lost consciousness and fell to the ground as well.

“Rhaegar!” Berek said as he rushed over to check on his friend.

“Rhaegar?” Daeneric thought. He also rushed over and noticed his brother laying there. “Rhaegar....” he said aloud. “What's he doing here?”

Berek looked as Daeneric a minute. “You never knew he was here?”

“He's been missing for a while now. Our family has been looking for him.”

Berek ignored Daeneric and checked Rhaegar's vitals. “I think he just lost consciousness.”

Berek took him by the arms and started to carry him back to his team. “Where are you taking him?” Daeneric asked, worried about his brother.

“Back to our headquarters to get him some rest. Where else?”

Something was caught out of the corner of Daeneric's eye, and when he looked in that particular direction, he saw one of the Baratheon members walking over to the device. But from out of nowhere, Drogo came flying by towards the boy, knocking him in the head after he leaped. The boy fell to the ground unconscious.

“Daeneric, here.” Drogo said as he picked up the device and brought it over. His eyes that were glowing now faded to their normal state.

“Hold on to it.” Daeneric commanded Drogo as he chased after Berek. “Berek, I want to talk to him. He's my brother and I have that right.”

“He told me a while back what your family did to him. I don't trust you for anything, Targaryen.”

Daeneric was now confused. “Did to him? What did we do, exactly? All I remember is him running away.”

Berek looked to Daeneric. “He said you guys performed some kind of 'experiments' on him. He said that Ameon threatened him and he had to do whatever he said.”

“Experiments!” Daeneric said, shocked.

“Don't play dumb. I'm not the trusting type.” Berek responded sharply.

“Please! You have to believe me. I didn't know anything about any experiments. I swear!”

Berek stopped for a moment. “Sigh. Rhaegar said you probably didn't Daeneric, were still on two different teams. I just generally don't trust you. But...I'm willing to make an exception. If you agree to an alliance and give me that device, I'll let you talk to him. I'll even give you guys shelter for the night.”

The Baratheons went over by their leader. Davos and Matthos helped him to his feet. Renly rushed over to his brother. “Stannis!” he called out.

“Renly? What's going on? Why can't I move my hands and feet?” he said sickly.

Then the rest of their teams showed up from hiding. “What's going on?” asked one of the brotherhood members. “What happened here? When we got the call from Thoros, we came over here as soon as possible!”

“We were betrayed by the Baratheons. But thanks to Rhaegar here, we were saved.”

“Rhaegar? How did he get all the way out here?”

On Daeneric's team, Jhogo went beside Daeneric. “Man I was getting nervous.” he said as he followed Daeneric.

“Jhogo, give Daeneric some space.” Drogo said. “That's his brother that Brotherhood leader is carrying. I'll explain later.”

Jhogo looked confused as Daeneric walked away.

Over by the Baratheons, Ramsey went over to where Mel was. “Mel, we have to get out of here. Take this!” he said as he put something in Mel's mouth. Then Mel's shivering came to a stop. “Thanks, Ramsey.”

The two got to their feet and stealthily walked off in the woods, leaving behind their own team without anyone noticing.

The other Baratheons then helped Stannis to his feet, and tried to carry him away. But the Brotherhood and the Targaryen members surrounded them immediately.

“Where do you think your going?” Drogo said with the Net Gun in hand.

“W...what are you planning to do with us?” Davos asked nervously.

“You outright betrayed our trust. We can't trust you any further, so we are taking you out of the equation.”

Daeneric looked over at his team. He then saw them all rush the boys, effectively tying them with several ropes that were found on the ground.

“Daeneric, we have got the Baratheons and their leader. What should we do with them?”

Daeneric looked towards Berek. “We'll take them back to their fortress. I guess you guys can have it, but in return I want their key.”

Daeneric and Drogo looked at each other. “O...ok. I guess since you guys don't have a key, we will let you take it in exchange for the fortress. Drogo, radio for the guys at camp and tell them to pack our things and move to the fortress. Aggo, take some of the team members and help them get it packed. And Berek, come with me to the fortress. You can bring your team and you can get the key there.”

Berek nodded his head. “Very well. You two: head back to headquarters and tell them everything that happened here. I don't want them worrying about us.”

The two members Berek gave the orders to nodded their heads in confirmation. They left and headed back to the Brotherhood base.

“Come on, guys. Let's go.” Berek said as he followed the Targaryens to the now defeated Baratheon base.

---------

Jeoffery sat on his bed in the advisers room of the Lannister fortress, stirring at the adviser's headband Tywin coldly gave him. When the hound returned, he said nothing: not even a hello. Somber, all he could do was think about Lane. “Is he okay?” Jeoffery thought as he laid his head back on the pillow. He really wanted to be with him. He wanted to embrace his warm body, ruffle and stroke his red hair and press his lips up upon Lanes own. He was scared that he may never get to see him again. But his thoughts were interrupted as someone walked into the room.

Jeoffery looked over and noticed it was Littlefinger. Tywin's black haired blue eyed friend that he went to school with. He had a snarly smile as he looked over to Jeoffery.

“So you've returned to us! I was soooooo worried about you!” Littlefinger said as he came over to Jeoffery's bed.

“Just please leave me alone!” Jeoffery said as he turned on his side facing the opposite direction of Littlefinger.

“Oh, come on now! I really was! I mean I know we've had our differences in the past, but if you give me a chance, maybe we could be friends?” he again said slyly. Jeoffery ignored him. “what if I were to tell you who had the key slipped into your boyfriend's food?”

Jeoffery then turned around and looked at Littlefinger. “What do you know about it?”

Littlefinger smiled a most mischievous and devious smile. “What if I told you....it was me?”

by chadmc90 » Wed Jun 04, 2014 12:07 pm

End of Chapter 64 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 65: Trust and Treachery


Berek, Daeneric, and their teams all arrived at the Baratheon fort with their new captives: the Baratheons. They took them down into the dungeons and put them in their cells. It was a tight fit, but each cell had two occupants in it. The cells contained bunk beds for that purpose. Stannis, who was still unconscious, was placed inside a cell with his brother.

“You can have all the bonding time you want in there.” Berek said to Stannis as if he were awake.

“Is he going to be okay?” Renly asked.

“Maybe. If he isn't, it's not like he wasn't asking for it.” Daeneric replied coldly.

“But it was your cousin that started all this mess in the first place!” Renly snapped back. “It's just as much you and your family's fault as it is my brother. You guys kidnapped me!”

“And yet Stannis could of handled the situation better. We were gonna set things right until your brother got a bit too cocky with his curse powers.” Renly looked down in shame. “Look Renly, be good and your life will be easier.”

Just as they started to walk away, they heard groaning from the cell. “Where...am I?” Stannis said as he tried to get up.

“Stannis!” Renly said as he went to his side.

“Renly..what happened?” Stannis asked his younger brother. Then Stannis started to become panicked. “W..Wait...what's going on! Why cant I hardly move!” Stannis's arms and legs twitched, but not much movement at all happened. “Whats going on? Why am I here.”

Berek looked surprised as he watched and listened to Stannis. “What do you mean 'why am I here?' You know exactly why you're here.”

Stannis looked over at Berek. “Wait..you're Berek. What are you doing here? And Daeneric?”

Berek and Daeneric looked at each other. “Do you think he's lost his memories?” Berek asked.

“Could be a side effect of what happened with Rhaegar. His curse is very unique, especially to our family. From what we've seen, it seems that his curse has the ability to deter or intensify any side effects the curse places on the users body. I guess the paralysis Stannis is experiencing is due to the side effects of his own curse. It may also effect his memories, but I've never heard of a curse having multiple side effects. Its usually just one detrimental one.”

“Curses? what is he taking about Renly?” Stannis said groggily.

“Shh. Just get some rest.” Renly said, trying to calm his older brother down.

“Let's just leave them. He have other things to discuss.”

Berek nodded his head as he walked up the stairwell with Daeneric. They walked up to the first floor and noticed several of the Brotherhood and Targaryen team members walking back and forth between the hallways. They continued up to the second floor and entered Stannis's old leader bedroom.

“I guess all the forts have a similar architecture.” said Daeneric as he looked around. The leader bedroom matched his own back at the burnt Targaryen fortress.

“This is my first time actually seeing one of these fortresses. It's really amazing that Robert Baratheon have these just scattered on the estate.”

“Yea. And they seem old too. Very old.” Daeneric said. “I wonder when they were built?”

“Yea.” Daeneric looked at the paining of a lonely stag grazing grass near a couple trees. Daeneric lifted the painting from his hook and set it aside, revealing a metallic safe with a bar code scanner that was on all safes in the other fortresses. Berek walked over and pressed the headband's bar code against the scanner. He heard a clicking sound, and the door swung open slightly. They looked inside and saw several credits and what Berek was looking for: the Baratheon key. This one had the head of a stag at it's handle.

“Hmm. I guess all keys are different. My own key is a dragon.”

“I see.” Berek replied to Daeneric. But he already knew that. After all, he had the wolf key from Bran back at the Brotherhood fortress, which he wanted to keep a secret from Daeneric.

“Sir, what do you plan to do with all of the Baratheon slaves that we found when we arrived? We also noticed two former advisers, Theon and Victarian among the Baratheons.”

“Greyjoys?” Berek thought.

“Hmm. They had only two slaves, if I remember right. There are a lot that we simply don't have the patience to take care of. Berek, can you please take some of them off our shoulders?”

“Uh, yea. I will have Thoros to pick out some. I will take about half of them, if that's okay?”

“Very well, I ask that you leave Stannis and his advisers here, though.”

“Deal.”

“By the way, for defeating a team, we should get two headbands.” Daeneric said.

“Right. If an alliance is formed, then two headbands go to each team of that alliance. Because the Freys and Lannisters formed an alliance, they must have gotten four headbands after defeating two teams, if I read Robert's email right.”

“Right.” Berek added. As they were discussing this, two boys donned in thick black clothing entered the room, wearing ski masks over their face and thick black jackets for the winter weather.

“We come from Robert Baratheon with a gift of two headbands for the teams of the Brotherhood and the Targaryens.”

“Wow! That was quick!” Daeneric said as he was handed two black headbands of his team colors. Berek was also handed two brown headbands.

“And one more thing: Robert said you can trade over that Leader headband for one of two possible gifts. One gift is three headbands for only one of your teams, but the second gift is one more headband for each of your teams. What will it be?”

Daeneric and Berek looked at each other, and Berek sighed as he held onto Stannis's old headband. “I guess it's only fair for option 2. We will each take one headband in exchange for Team Baratheon's old leader headband.”

“Very well.” The workers said as Berek handed over the Baratheon headband. Daeneric and Berek were given one more headband each in return. The workers took their leave from the room.

“Well, we now have three more teammates. What does it bring your total up to?” Daeneric asked.

“Well, before these headbands, I had 20 members total. But with these, I have 23 members. You?”

“The same, actually. I guess we're even as far as team member go, then.”

“Yea. So, by that...that means we have an advantage over the other two teams!” Berek said with a cheery smile.

“Yea, but I wouldn't get cocky. Tywin is a shrewd and calculating man, and Walder Frey is much more intelligent than you realize. One of the teams could have one of those three devices.”

Berek then remembered the net gun that the Baratheons held up. “Oh...I've never seen something like that. What is it, exactly?”

Daeneric then began to explain everything he new about the devices; from the note to discovering his own on the beach.

“And that's all I know. There are three of them somewhere, and we cant discount the possibility that the other teams could have one.”

“R..right.” Berek said a bit nervous. He knew Daeneric had both in his possession, and he suspected Daeneric could keep them both to himself.

“Look, I'll have to be honest with you, those things scare me. When I shot the Lightning Gun, it sent chills through my spine. Even though the note said it wouldn't harm another person, I just don't like them at all. In order to build more trust between our teams, I'm giving you the Net Gun. I don't want you feeling nervous about us as we work together to take down the other two teams.”

“Right..Thanks Daeneric.” Berek replied. “Daeneric, your really not like the other Targaryens, are you?”

Daeneric then went towards the window and looked out it. “I don't think myself to be. But it really doesn't change the fact that I shouldn't have helped Ameon. Rhaegar was right to call me a coward. The only reason I overthrew him was because Robert told me he wanted him out of the way. He said he was too brutal and wanted him to stop with the merciless tortures. I should of done something sooner.”

Berek listened to Daeneric from the other side of the room. “You're more like your brother than I thought. Maybe not as brave, but you certainly are someone I could befriend. When this is all said and done, I would really like for us to become friends, regardless of the outcome. What do you say?” Berek said as he walked across the room to where Daeneric stood. He held out his hand to Daeneric.

Daeneric looked at him, shocked that Berek would ask that. But then he smiled. “Sure. I would like that.” They both shook hands and looked forward to their new friendship.

Then they turned around, and saw Rhaegar standing in the doorway. He looked tired and anxious.

“Rhaegar!” Berek said as he went over to his friend. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“I'm fine, Berek. I just came up to see you...and Daeneric.”

Rhaegar and Daeneric looked at each other, which made Berek nervous. Then Daeneric slowly walked towards him. “Rhaegar..I..”

Then, with tears streaming down his face, he embraced his brother in the biggest hug that they have ever shared. “I missed you, Daeneric.”

“I'm so sorry, Rhaegar. I should have stopped Ameon! I should have known what he was up to.” Daeneric said sobbing.

“D..don't worry about it, Daeneric. There was nothing you could of done against him. I shouldn't have blamed you for Ameon's actions.” Rhaegar said back, sobbing just like his brother.

Berek smiled a bit at the sight. “It's time to go, Rhaegar. Daeneric, we will talk tomorrow. I'm really give out.”

Daeneric nodded to Berek, and both Berek and Rhaegar left the fortress along with the rest of their team.

Thoros chose 7 slaves from amongst the new Baratheon slaves. Malcom, Parker, Nate, and Theon were chosen along with 3 more of the former Baratheon team. With the Net Gun and three new team headbands in hand, they walked across the snowy ground. Berek looked to Rhaeger, and never saw him as happy as he was now. He was whistling a light tune as they trekked through the snow. “Maybe things will work out somehow!” Berek said with a renewed hope for the future. But if he only knew what was to come.....

--------

Tywin had called Jeoffery and the rest of the team down to the entertainment room for a meeting. Littlefinger walked alongside him with the same evil little smile.

“Does he really intend to reunite me with Lane somehow?” Jeoffery thought as he looked towards the black haired kid. “But how?”

“Just trust me, Jeoffery. I am the only one Tywin trusts around her now, and I can make things good for you if you listen to me.”

Jeoffery knew he couldn't trust him for anything. Littlefinger was Tywin's partner in crime, much like Tywin was Robert's. He often used lies and cunning to trick others into doing exactly what Tywin wants done at school. But he waited to see what he was exactly up to.

As they left the tower, they immediately entered into the hall and then into the entertainment room. When they looked around, Jeoffery saw three boys tied and restrained on the floor. They had their hands behind their back and they were sitting on their knees with their legs pointing back as well. They had several coils of rope tied around their wrists and ankles, all linked together to create an effective hogtie. They were all shirtless and near naked with only underwear on. Two Jeoffery recognized right away as his blond haired cousins Tyrion and Jaime. The other he didn't know. But he was a brown haired white kid.

“I have summoned you all here because I suspect that one of these three boys have betrayed us. Now that Jeoffery has been returned, it's time to get to the bottom of this treachery.”

Jeoffery looked on, scared what Tywin has planned for the three.

by chadmc90 » Wed Jun 04, 2014 12:46 pm

End of Chapter 65 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 66: A Brat No More


Tywin looked at the three boys tied on the ground, sitting in a kneeling position due to their bonds. They kept their gaze to the ground, accepting their fate whatever it may be. If it had been before, Jeoffey would have laughed at his cousin's predicament, not caring that it was he was the cause of it. But now, things are different. He felt for them and didn't want to see them like this. He had to find a way to get them out. But he didn't know how.

“Now that you two are here, let's begin.” Tywin said.

Jeoffery waited anxiously to see what will become of his cousins. What if he told him that Littlefinger was behind it all? He just admitted the truth just some time ago. If Tywin knew, then he would release his cousins and they could take him to the cells. But would Tywin even believe him? Jeoffery didn't think so.

“Jeoffery, come here.” Tywin demanded his younger cousin.

Jeoffery nervously walked forward to where Tywin stood. “Yea?” he asked.

“You are going to tell me everything that transpired the night you escaped. Tell us know how you and your lover boy escaped with that Stark brat.”

Some of the team members chuckled while others looked away. Jeoffery guess the secret of what happened between Lane and himself was out.

“I..was in my bed..just laying there, seeing as I had nothing else to do, and the marks on my back were still hurting. I remembered someone coming down the stairs, but didn't look up to see who it was. After he left Lane's food, it wasn't long after that and Lane was in my cell.”

“Ooooh, he was in your cell? Did you two make out in there?” one of the boys said that brought chuckles from the others. Jeoffery paid them no attention, but noticed that Tywin was hardly phased by their mockery.

“That's when Lane showed me the key and note. It said that we were to take Rikken and leave the fortress. They had prepared supplies for us that was placed outside beside the fortress.”

“Did the boy tell you anything about the boy who gave him his food?” Tywin asked Jeoffery.

“No..we didn't ever bring it up.” Jeoffery responded.

“And how do I know you're not lying?”

Jeoffery didn't know how to answer that. Tywin's gaze was enough to unnerve anyone, and Jeoffery wasn't immune to it. He tried to avoid meeting his cousin's eyes as much as he could. “I'm not lying. That's the truth.” Jeoffery said in a nervous, but more submissive tone.

“So, I know that one of you took food down to Lane. I want all you that remained behind that day to guard the boys to step forward.”

Four boys did as Tywin commanded and stepped forward towards their leader.

“One of you took the food down to the slave boy. One of you gave the key to Lane. Which one was it?”

Then three of the four boys pointed at one of them. The brown haired kid was nervous as all eyes peered onto him.

“I..just gave the boy his food.” he said in a defensive but nervous and fearful tone.

“These boys have outed you, boy. It would be easier to speak the truth than to have me beat it out of you.”

The boy looked on the verge of tears. Tywin hadn't made his torture sessions discreet. When he was interrogating his own brothers and Logan, Tywin made sure he had his team in there to pay witness to his fury.

“Please, I honestly didn't give him the key. I just handed him his food, that's it.”

“Liar! You were the only one with access to that. You had the key and you let them out!”

“No” the boy said, now with an expression of fear and tears rolling down his cheeks. “Please! You have to believe me!”

“Restrain him, you two!” Two team members followed Tywin's orders and immediately pulled the boy's hands behind him. They locked on a pair of handcuffs and held the boy in position.

“Please! I beg you! I didn't do it! I swear!”

“Then who else could of possibly did it? If you are truthful with me now, your punishment won't be severe. Was you working alone? Or did someone tell you to do it?”

“Please...I don't know how he got the key!”

“LIAR!” the impact made a loud pop as Tywin's hand landed on the boy's face. The boy was now crying and whimpering, fearful of what was to become of him. He didn't say anything further. “Take him to the cells. I will deal with him later.

An anger had built up inside Jeoffery. He knew he had to say something to his cousin, to make him stop all this. He had to think, and think quick.

“Tywin!” Jeoffery shouted to his older cousin, attracting his attention.

Tywin looked towards Jeoffery. “Something to say?” he said. “Do you 'remember' anything else from that night?”

Jeoffery gulped as he was preparing mentally what he was going to say. “Why are you putting so much focus on all this? I'm back, aren't I? You got what you wanted, so just...just leave everyone alone now. We should just focus on this tournament and winning.”

Everyone around the room looked at each other. Tywin then walked up to Jeoffery and looked him straight in the eye. Then, something completely unexpected happened, and Tywin's expression produced a feint, but equally frightening, smile.

“Bwahahahahahaha! Hahahahaha!” Tywin laughed menacingly. “You...of all people...are now worried about winning this tournament now? You didn't give a damn before, and now you're suddenly interested! I guess the curse really does change some people!” Then Tywin's evil smile grew, and he punched Jeoffery as hard as he could in the gut.

Jeoffery looked up, shocked that Tywin even mentioned the curse...and in front of everyone at that. “What..are you talking about?” he said as he held his stomach.

“Robert told you that you were cursed, didn't he? I guess he didn't tell you that curses tend to change the way people think and act when they manifest. Tell me, doesn't it seem odd to you that you suddenly have no desire to torment and abuse others around you? Didn't you ever wonder why that was?”

Jeoffery didn't say anything. Deep down he knew that Tywin was right. He had lost all interest in torturing and hurting the people around him, and he knew that. “I guess so..” Jeoffery said as he was on his hands and knees.

“You know, it still makes me sick to look at you. You were really pathetic before, but now you are really a coward. You're dead scared of your own bother, and turned away from your lover boy because of it.”

Panting on the floor, Jeoffey just sat there, soaking in Tywin's words. “There was a time that I respected you, adored and idolized you, Tywin. I used to look up to you, and wanted to be just like you when I got older. In my eyes, you were the epitome of perfection; a Class A student that was rivaled only by Robert. You involve yourself in all sports and have every girl begging to be with you. You are Robert's wing man, and you two do a lot together. I am Robert's younger brother, yet I am no one to him but a snotty nosed brat that needs to be pushed off to the side. I don't even know why he wanted me in this stupid tournament to begin with.”

Tywin produced a slight arrogant chuckle and grin after hearing Jeoffery's speech. “Jealous, are we?” he mocked.

Then Jeoffery let out his own little chuckle. “Maybe before, but I now see you for who you really are: not a Class A student....but a Class A...asshole!”

Jeoffery rose to his feet. He stood there for a moment with his head bowed. Tywin gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, ready to punch again. Then, an expression of shock came over his face when Jeoffery looked up.

“N..no....you too?” He said frantically.

The rest of the room was now looking on, as clouds of pink smoke left his body and filled the air. His eyes were glowing a bright pinkish color when he looked up. The heavy smoke rushed away from Jeoffery, as the room started to turn to a purplish haze.

Tywin backed away from the smoke, not wanting to get caught in the . But it was too late for everyone else. As they breathed in the pink haze, something started to happen to everyone. Instead of collapsing or suffocating, everyone was smiling and looked as if they were breathing in a pleasant aroma. They were hypnotized by the smoke that filled the room.

When the smoke finally vaporized, everyone seemingly came out of their trance and looked around. Tywin was now sweating profusely with nervousness.

“L..lord Jeoffery. What do you want us to do?” said one of the team members. Tyrion and Jaime, in shock as to what they just witnessed, watched on as all their teammates now looked onto Jeoffery.

Jeoffery, still in a trance of his own and his eyes still pink, looked at the now nervous and angry Tywin. “Take...Tywin to the cells now!”

And without a hint of doubt, all the team members rushed over to where Tywin was and immediately restrained him.

“What are you guys doing? Let me go!” Tywin said. Jeoffery looked on at Tywin, without a hint of emotion in his glowing eyes. He then looked towards his cousins and Logan. He went over and started to undo the tie. He whispered in their ears. “As soon as I undo these bonds, rush and get as many things as you can grab. My curse won't last forever. And rescue that other boy. We're leaving as soon as possible.” Jeoffery explained softly.

Tyrion, Jaime, and Logan were too astonished to even speak back. He finished undoing them and then they immediately ran off to do as Jeoffery asked. Jeoffery then turned back to the hypnotized team, who stood ready for another command. Jeoffery then started to develop a headache.

“Ahhh” he said as he held his head. But he never lost focus. He had to keep his curse activated until the others were ready to escape.

“What else do you want us to do, master?” one of them said, eagerly wanting to carry out Jeoffery's commands.

“We can torture him like he did you!”

“Or we can let you do it! Wouldn't that be fun!”

“Come on Jeoffery! We want to serve you! What can we do for you?”

The headache was getting worse. Jeoffery didn't know how long he could keep it up. But suddenly, his problems only got worse when the tall monstrous Hound walked in.

by chadmc90 » Wed Jun 11, 2014 6:10 am

End of Chapter 66 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 67: No Escape


Jeoffery backed away from the Hound, but every step he would take, the monstrous boy took a step closer.

“I guess you never learn, master.” the Hound said.

The Hound grabbed Jeoffery's shirt and hurled him into the wall, nearly knocking the breath out of him. He then flipped Jeoffery over on his belly as he pressed the much smaller boy against the wall, seemingly to tie him, but to Jeoffery's surprise, The Hound was tackled by several boys.

“Leave him alone!” the rest of the team said as they pressed against the monster on the floor.

Jeoffery rose to his feet, still coughing and his head was still throbbing with a headache. “I have to get out of here, now!” Jeoffery thought. He pulled himself to his feet and walked out of the room. He heard a loud thump and some screams coming from the room behind him. “AHHHH!”

He didn't see Tyrion or Jaime anywhere in the hall. Another surge of pain struck him in his skull as he still had his curse active. He collapsed on the floor to his knees. He felt he was losing consciousness as he fell on his side. Then he finally gave in. His eyes dimmed to their normal appearance and he slipped into a deep sleep.

At times during his sleep, he could hear fighting and scuffling around him. It sounded like an all out war taking place right beside him. Jeoffery could hear screams and loud sounds all around him. He didn't know what to make of them, and he honestly couldn't care at the moment. The times he was partially awake he could feel the pain yet again. He felt something hit him pretty hard at one point. Then he felt himself being hoisted up and dragged across the floor. He didn't wake up again for what seemed like forever.

Jeoffery's eyes finally opened. There was a bright light and he couldn't open them completely until they adjusted to the brightness. The blurry image slowly but surely sharpened enough to make out his surroundings. He was surrounded by steel bars and he was laying in a familiar bed. “I'm in a dungeon cell.” he thought as he raised to a sitting position in his bed and looked out into the hallway.

“So...your Jeoffery.” a voice called out to him.

Jeoffery was still in the process of waking up, and didn't respond back for a moment.

“You know, you were really arrogant with that video you showed everyone. Now that we have you right where we want you, we should show you what it feels like to be tortured.”

“Knock it off, man! We can't do anything without Maron's or John's say-so.”

“W—who are you guys.” Jeoffery stuttered, still half conscious.

“Us? We are the...well...what did John call us?”

“I..need...food.” said Jeoffery, holding his stomach.

“I'm not at all surprised. Being out cold for three days can do that to someone. I guess I'll go up and get you something.”

The boy left to go up the stairs. Jeoffery's tummy growled as it demanded to be filled.

“Where am I?” Jeoffery asked.

“You're at the Lannister Fort, man. That Tyrion told us everything we needed to know: how Tywin put them on some sort of trial and then you used some kind of curse thingy. Gotta be honest. I still couldn't believe they actually exist. But when I saw that monster-boy, my doubts dampened.”

“Who are you?” Jeoffery asked again. “And what happened?”

“Easy there, man. You still look miserable. I'll answer one question at a time. I was imprisoned on the Greyjoy island after you assholes stabbed us in the back. Well the Stark leftovers came to us a few days ago, and we decided to pool our numbers together and try to take over a team. We managed to take this fort from you guys, so it worked out in the end. Sold a lot of the Lannisters to the coliseum for quick money. We sold 12 boys to there and we got 3 headbands for it. We kept you, Tyrion, Jaime, Balon, Sam, Chris, Logan, and one other I don't know the name of. He had on a Lannister headband but he was down here for some reason. We also found Team Greyjoy's old leader headband, so we sold it to gain 2 additional headbands. We almost had Tywin but he and that monster managed to escape. That boy has inhuman strength...”

“And where's Littlefinger?” Jeoffery asked, curious if he managed to escape.

“Who? We don't know that one. Was that the other adviser? We were missing one adviser headband..”

“So he must be on the run with Tywin and The Hound!” Jeoffery thought. “They most likely went to the Frey fortress.” Jeoffery then responded.

“Frey? Why would he willingly turn himself over to his enemy?” Hayden asked.

“It wouldn't help you guys any if I told you. Damn..” Jeoffery responded. Jeoffery was wondering what Robert thought about all of this. He shriveled at what he was thinking.

“Well, we did manage to get Tywin's headband before he escaped and we have your adviser headband along with 2 others. We have in possession all but one of the adviser headbands as well as the leader and all the members. We registered ourselves as a new team under the old Lannister roster.”

“So...that means you have 22 member slots on your team.” Jeoffery said as he remembered the number of headbands his team had before.

“Yea, we almost had enough for our group, but we only need one more. Sorry, but we don't have enough for you guys right now. Maybe after we take down a team we can let you in.”

“What are you planning to do with me?” Jeoffery asked the boy.

“Well, I don't know. Me and Carlos are just following orders. He will be right back with that food. You remember Carlos, don’t you? One of those three Baratheon boys you gifted to the Greyjoy team at the start of the tournament?”

Jeoffery now remembered. They had captured those three when they ambushed the Baratheon scouts. Then he heard footsteps come back down the stairs. The freckle faced dark red haired and tanned skin boy brought a plate of food with him. He sat it on the ground through the item hole on the cell.

“Here..” he said rather coldly.

Jeoffery immediately ate the bowl of chilli and gulped down the apple juice. Hayden and the other boy stood there and watched, which made Jeoffery rather uncomfortable. After he finished his food, he handed the trey back through the hole and Hayden grabbed it this time.

“I'm taking this back upstairs.” Hayden said to the other boy. Hayden left the dungeon, leaving the other boy, which Jeoffery presumed was Carlos, standing there with him. The boy glared at him coldly, which made Jeoffery a bit nervous.

“Uh, your Carlos, right?”

“I'm surprised you remember my name.”

“Yea..Hayden told me.”

Carlos stood there silently for a couple more seconds. “Where is he?” he asked Jeoffery.

“Where's who?” Jeoffery asked in return.

“My brother. We were on the same team, remember? The other freckled boy? He has lighter skin than me. …..Klyde?”

Jeoffery was surprised Lane had a brother. He had no clue the two were related.

“Wait...your his brother?”

Carlos grabbed the cell bars and shook them in anger. “Where's he at? He wasn't down here with you guys. I want to know where's he's at now! I've waited too long for this opportunity to see him again! Where is he?”

Jeoffery didn't answer back immediately. He had also missed him, and he also wanted nothing more than to hold him in his arms, see his smiling face again, and ruffle his red hair. Even though it hadn't been long, he had missed him like crazy, and he wanting him now more than ever.

“I...”

“Well? Did you sell him like some useless slave to the coliseum? Or did you give him to the Freys like some tool for your alliance?”

“NO!” Jeoffery yelled. “I kept him for myself. I would never give him away for anything. NEVER!”

Carlos was taken back be Jeoffery's out-lash. “You kept him for yourself?”

“He was my personal slave. I kept him in my room until that day. Do you know, Carlos, about his secret?”

“W..what are you talking about?” Carlos asked nervously.

“That...” Joeffery said. “That he is gay?”

Carlos looked at him like he was offended. “Gay? What are you talking about? How could you know that, even if he was?”

“Because I kissed him! We made out in my room. And he enjoyed every minute of it. When Tywin caught us, we had to flee. We were given a key and we escaped with Rikken.”

“Rikken?” said another voice from behind. Jeoffery noticed that he had on Tywins...no his leader headband.

“So, I guess you won the game?” Carlos asked.

“Yea. I beat the others fair and square. But enough about that. You said my brother's name. Where is he?”

Jeoffery looked at them both for a moment. “After we escaped, we hid ourselves in the caves below the estate. Me, Klyde, and Rikken hid out down there until The Hound found us. You know? That monster you guys fought when you got here? I made a deal with....with Tywin and he let the other two go to find the Brotherhood. If they made it, then they are with them now.”

John and Carlos looked at each other for a second. “Why should we believe you? After seeing what you did to those boys, I have a hard time trusting you.”

Jeoffery chuckled for a moment. “I have no more reason to lie. If you want to punish me, go ahead. I probably deserve it anyway. But I guarantee you that Klyde and Rikken were able to escape.”

“You don't seem like the same person in that video.” John said.

“He. Thinking back, I guess a lot has changed for me. Yea, I was mean and cruel, but it just wasn't me. I wanted to so badly impress my older brother and Tywin. I wanted them to see that I was worthy of them. But I knew better. The only reason I did those things was because, in truth, I was scared of them. I was so afraid that I told myself to be cold and heartless like they are.......especially after what they did to him: my only real friend. Long story short, I did have a genuine friend at once, but my brother made sure it didn't stay that long. He took him to one of these dungeons and tortured and humiliated him. We never spoke to each other again. I still don't completely understand why Robert did that to me, his own brother. If you think I'm viscous, you haven't seen anything yet.”

“So, what are you trying to say?”

“I'm saying...there's no way out. Robert always gets what he wants. And he wants every single person here. Do yourselves a favor and flee. This isn't really a tournament..it's a trap!”

Hayden hid behind the door to the stairwell, listening as tears fell down his own face. “Jeoffery...I'm sorry.” he said as he remembered what Robert did to him that night.

---------

Tywin, The Hound, and Littlefinger had finally arrived at the Frey fort. Shivering and cold from the arctic temperatures, they immediately rushed in to the warmth. “They will all pay for this.” Tywin thought as they looked around. The fort was silent, all the lights were off as everyone seemed to be in bed. He went upstairs to Walder's bedroom and saw the boy sleeping as was everyone else.

by chadmc90 » Sat Jun 14, 2014 2:39 pm

End of Chapter 67 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 68: We all Stand Together!


The night the Lannister Fort fell into the hands of the Stark/Greyjoy team, Tywin, Littlefinger, and the Hound fled to the Frey fortress. Tywin looked onto the seemingly asleep Walder Frey. “Wake up.” he said rather loudly to the leader of the Frey team.

Walder Frey began to move around upon hearing Tywin's commanding voice. “Tywin?” he asked as he turned to see who was at his doorway.

“Yes. I've been driven out of the Lannister fortress and my team taken from me. So I'm here to take over as leader of the Freys. And I want to talk to Robert as well. Where is your laptop?”

As Walder stood up out of his bed, he stretched his arms and legs and let out a yawn. “And why would I do that, Tywin? Even with that behemoth behind you, my team and I could take you down rather easily.”

“You know exactly why you can't refuse.” Tywin responded frustratingly.

Walder smiled. “And do you really think Robert could trust you with leadership? Your own team fell before your eyes and all you did was run.”

“I had no choice! Jeoffery's little power caused the team to turn against me, and then while they were trying to escape several of the Starks and Greyjoys stormed and took over the fortress. And may I remind you it was your fault the Starks escaped as well.”

“Hmph. I still am not gonna hand over my headband so easily, Lannister. In case you didn't notice, I take my orders from Robert, not you. But you know what? You can talk to Robert. I'd imagine he would be wanting answers anyways.” Walder walked over to the writing desk in his room and pulled out the small shelf directly under the top surface and revealed the Frey's communication laptop. He handed it to Tywin, whom then left the bedroom and went over to the conference room. He plugged the laptop's power supply into the wall and powered on the device. After pressing some buttons, a video call was placed. Tywin was sitting in a chair with Littlefinger and the Hound behind him. Walder propped himself against the frame of the doorway and crossed his arms.

After a short few minutes, Robert's face appeared on the screen. After a short yawn, he said “It's a bit late for this Fre..oh, Tywin! Something wrong? Why are you at the Frey Fortress?”

Tywin's expression remained stern. “Of course there's always something wrong. This time I lost control of the Lannister team and fortress. It was taken over by those Stark and Greyjoy prisoners!”

Robert's expression remained calm for a minute, but then he let out a slight laugh. “Hehehe. So the Lannisters finally lost, huh? I warned you to keep an eye on those prisoners. But no...you had to put on that silly little trial, hunt my brother down, and waste time. You could have had this whole tournament won by now if you would have counted your loses and moved on.”

Tywin gritted his teeth. “This is not MY fault! Your brother used that curse power to turn the entire team against me. I didn't have control of the situation. And Walder here lost his grip on the Stark Fortress and let them run free.”

“Hey! Don't blame me for that! Those Targaryen brothers came and ruined that for me. Blame them.” Walder snapped defensively.

“And do we blame Daeneric for letting that brainless boy let Ameon out of his cell back in the Targaryen dungeons in the first place? Honestly..” Robert responded. “All I can say is cut your loses and fix this situation. Stop whining to me every time something doesn't go your way. Now here is what is probably going to happen. Since you've seemed to of lost your headband, they will re-register themselves as a new team with your leader headband. Then they will trade in the Greyjoy headband for an additional 2 member headbands, increasing the Lannister count by 2. So, I have decided to allow all teams trade in all captured headbands for headbands of their teams. I will probably hold off a couple days to see what really happens, but there are quite a few slaves in the Coliseum that are left...unattended. I will get back to you soon. For now Tywin, just relax and let Walder lead his team. No need to get frigidity.”

The monitor went off, and Tywin clenched his fist. “Damn him..what is his motive..”

Walder smiled at Tywin. “No use calling back. There are some extra beds in the adviser room for you three. Do take care and try not to wake my brothers. I'm returning to bed.”

Walder walked out of the conference room and returned back to the comforts of his sheets. Littlefinger and the Hound also left to seek out the beds in the adviser rooms.

---------

Back to the present, Berek and the Brotherhood all set around the bar room. From the slaves Berek brought back from the Baratheon fortress, he looked on the headbands that he had captured over the course of the tournament. Robert was now offering a deal to trade in 1 regular member headband of a captured team member for another regular member headband, and adviser headbands were worth 2 new member headbands. Berek had one adviser headband and eight member headbands from their capture of the Baratheons.

“So, Robert is offering to trade in all the headbands we captured from other teams to increase our rankings. We can gain 10 additional headbands with the numbers we own.”

The other boys looked at each other in amazement. “That will bring our team count to 28 total.” Berek continued. “So that will give all but 2 of our prisoners and guests a place on our team. I imagine Robert made the same offer to the other teams. So we will have to prepare ourselves. I also have some interesting news. It seems the Lannisters were usurped by their own prisoners. John Stark, former adviser to Team Stark, is now the leader of Team Lannister, if they even call themselves that.”

“What?” Bran said when he heard his brother's name. Rikken looked up at him in amazement as well.

Klyde was also surprised, and he wondered what happened to Jeoffery. “So they were all captured?” Klyde asked.

“Well, that much wasn't given. The brackets don't tell me who's been captured. It only says who is in possession of the headbands. John Stark is the leader and Maron Greyjoy, Hayden, and Josh sit as advisers. And they still have many headbands in their possession that once belonged to the Greyjoys. If they traded all those in, they will become the most fearsome team. Their numbers would soar to record heights for the tournament and we would be at a huge disadvantage. This is not a pleasant situation at all.”

The others looked around at each other as Berek talked. “Right now, though, they only have the headbands. I don't know how many credits they have, but they may not be able to fit those headbands around the heads of new members. Damn...this situation is hard to understand.”

“But John is their leader, Berek? Maybe we can form an alliance with them?” Bran asked.

“And that will leave only the Freys. We could take out the Freys and then the Targaryens and our team could take out them, and then we could dish it out to finally end this tournament once and for all. But that's pretty idealistic thinking. The one thing that has always been the problem with alliances in this tournament is trust. Bran, your team trusted the Freys, and look where it got you.” Berek looked towards the Greyjoy boys, Theon, Euron, and Rodrik. “You Greyjoys trusted the Lannisters, and look what happened. And we trusted the Baratheons, and you know what almost happened. If it wasn't for Rhaegar, we would have lost horribly.” Berek looked towards his friend and saw him holding his head down.

Berek then stood up and faced his team. “We have to make a choice, and we have to make it now. I have already applied for the new headbands, and they are on their way as we speak. Rikken, Klyde, Theon, Rodrik, Euron, Malcom, Parker, Nate, Brody” Berek looked onto the boy that was used in Mel's ritual and notice he was still somewhat angry with what happened. “And one more of you will become Brotherhood members as soon as the new headbands arrive. If we can win this, then we will get two more and all the headbands they own will become ours. This is a really delicate situation, so we have to trek carefully. We join our strength with the Targaryens and take out this new team before they have a chance to increase their numbers yet again. Then...Then we march to the Frey fortress and take out their members, and then it will be us. It's time to settle this..and settle this now. Now let me make one thing clear. I know some of you have brothers on the other teams. John Stark and Maron Greyjoy are on that new team and Daeneric Targaryen is leader of the Targaryens. So I want you to make a choice. You will be granted a place on our team but if I even see a hint of betrayal, I will not hesitate to make you pay. That goes for you too, Bran and Rikken. So, what are your answers?”

Bran stood up first rather hesitantly. “My brother Robb is captured by the Freys. And my other brother John is part of the new team. If we take them down, we can all finally be reunited again. That is my only goal. When I say I want my family back together..” Bran grabbed Rikken and pulled him in a hug, wrapping his arms around Rikken's neck. “..I mean you and Aryen too.”

Berek smiled and nodded his head.

Then the Greyjoys stood up, and Theon started talking first. “For a while, I could of cared less about my brothers. But even now that my anger has left somewhat, and I have made mends with these two, I swear my loyalty to you. I want to win this tournament, and if that means Balon and Maron losing, so be it.”

Rhaegar stood up next. “I..as you all know, I am a Targaryen by blood. My brothers are Daeneric and Viscerys and my cousins are Ameon, Aegon, and Aerys. But I owe them no loyalty and I don't like my cousins. My best friends have always been the Starks, and I owe them my duty and friendship more than anything. I came here for one purpose and one purpose only: and that is to win this tournament by any means necessary. I WILL do that and I will do that as a member of the Brotherhood. Berek, you have my support, that I promise you.”

And one more boy stood up. This time it was Klyde. He looked around the room nervously as he prepared to say what he wanted to say. “Umm. Well, my name is Klyde. I also have a brother on that new team. We were once members of the Baratheons, but then we were captured by the Lannisters. I became Jeoffery's prisoner and personal slave.” Klyde paused for a moment. “Up until a certain point, I hated it. But eventually, something that I couldn't explain happened, and I started to..like Jeoffery. I..”

Klyde hesitated again, but his new friend Rikken came over and place his hands on his shoulders. “Go on..no one will judge you.”

Klyde looked at Rikken, who was smiling brightly and warmly. “I..fell in love with him. Yea, I guess I'm gay. When Tywin found out, he imprisoned us and tortured Jeoffery harshly. But someone helped me, Jeoffery and Rikken here escape. We fled, but it wasn't long before the Hound found us. Jeoffery somehow managed to spare us by willingly handing himself over. Now I want to find my brother Carlos and Jeoffery, and whether that's to face them or rescue them, then I will do it as a member of the Brotherhood. You have my support as well, Berek! You can count on that!”

Berek looked around and noticed the smiles on all his team's faces. He put on a smile of his own, and he held up his hand in a fist above his head. “If you are true members of the Brotherhood, then show it and raise your fists. Say our motto and speak our goal.”

And with that, everyone raised their hand and said. “We are the Brotherhood, the most fearsome group the Baratheon estate has ever seen! We will gather our ropes and handcuffs, march onto your ranks and show you just how good we really are. We are the Brotherhood, and we will kick your asses!!!”

All 32 members, regardless of their position as slaves or members, started chanting the name “Brotherhood” for the battle that's to come. At one time all of the team was divided amongst tribals and other teams. But through sheer coincidence, this team has come together, and now faces the biggest challenge since stepping past the gates of the Baratheon estate. For them and the other teams, it was now or never.

--------

In the coming days, the fight for the Wooden Throne will come to an end. Only one team will rise to claim the title as the King of Tugs, but the big question still remains: who can claim such a title?

by chadmc90 » Thu Jun 19, 2014 1:41 pm

End of Chapter 68 Organization

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 69: Free at last!


Robert had sent out an email stating for all teams to hand in their captured headbands. And so they did as the Brotherhood traded in their captured headbands for 10 new headbands, the Targaryens also gained 10 headbands, bringing both the Brotherhood and the Targaryen count up to 33 members. The new Team Lannister also traded in the headbands the Lannisters had captured, bringing their count up to a staggering 46 possible members. Unfortunately, they can only fill 7 of those headbands, bringing their actual numbers up to 31. And then the Freys traded in their captured headbands. They were able to secure 17 new headbands with their trade, but unlike the new Lannister team, Robert had deposited enough credits into the Frey account, allowing them to rebuy all of the Lannister boys that were traded to the coliseum. They gave all 12 of them headbands as well as a headband to Tywin Lannister, Littlefinger, and even the Hound. Walder also gave another headband to one of his own unnamed slaves. That only left one headband unfilled for Team Frey,bringing their numbers up to 37, making their team the most dangerous team currently. Now that the final stage had been set, the act was about to begin.

The Brotherhood and the Targaryens marched together towards the Lannister fortress, planning to work together to take down the new Lannister team. They had left behind 3 members from each of their teams to guard their fortresses. The former members of Team Baratheon imprisoned at the Baratheon fortress were allowed membership with the Targaryens.

"Are you sure you trust them?" Berek asked Daeneric as they walked together. Berek shrugged as a chilly breeze blew by them.

"We needed the numbers. And besides, I believe Stannis was being manipulated by that boy somehow. I talked to his former advisers and members, and they seemed to think so, too."

"Yea, I guess. Stannis seemed off after the Second Coliseum games. And that Mel guy really unnerved me with those rituals. I wouldn't doubt it was the truth."

Stannis was able to walk again after being beaten several nights back. "Are you okay, Stan?" Renly asked his brother.

"Yea, I am." Stannis said rather somberly. "I..just really don't remember much of anything. It really bothers me that I've forgotten all that had happened."

"I'm just happy you're okay." Stannis's brother said.

"That we all are." The two brothers from behind. He saw his friends Davos and Sallador come up from behind. "You really had us worried for a while. I'm happy that Mel guy is finally gone." Davos said.

"Ha, he right! I always kept my guard up around that guy! He was a bit of a creeper if you asked me."

Stannis smiled wearily at his friends. "Thanks, guys."

---------

The teams continued to march upon the Lannister Fortress, eager to take them down before their numbers grow too much. But what they weren't expecting was that the Frey team was also en route to the Lannister fortress for the same purpose.

"I'm ready to take back MY team." Tywin said as he put on his new team Frey headband.

"Of course.." Walder said as his teams prepared to move out into the cold climate.

It didn't take too much more time for them to prepare for battle, gathering all sorts of bondage equipment such as ropes, gags, and handcuffs. Then they were ready to set out.

"I'm leaving you three here to look over the prisoners." Walder pointed to three of his members that included Anthony.

Anthony nodded his head in confirmation to his leader.

"We should be back soon. See to it that the prisoners are looked after. AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT RELEASING THE TARGARYENS! You know what they are capable of." The entire company exited through the door, leaving only the three there to keep guard.

So...what do we do now?" asked one of the Frey members. "We could go have some fun with Robb, couldn't we? We can't do anything to the Targaryens, but he's still available."

"Hehe. That would be fun, wouldn't it?" Anthony responded. They all decided on unanimously that they wanted to torment Robb to pass the time. Anthony then had the sudden urge to use the restroom. His bladder was craving much needed relief and it demanded it now. "Oh, guys, go on. I need to use the restroom!" Anthony said as he rushed to the first floor restroom.

As Anthony undid his zipper and relieved himself in the toilet, he started to think about how he was going to rescue Robb. "If I'm going to do it, now's the best time." he thought as he continued his business.

But suddenly, he heard talking from the hallway. The voices didn't sound like the other two Frey members, so he remained quiet.

"This is where they're supposed to be." One voice said as he walked down the hallway. Anthony needed to know who was out there, so he decided to use it. He kneeled beside the doorway and opted to not flush the toilet that would catch the attentions of whoever was out there. Then, Anthony's eyes lit a lime green. In his vision, he could easily see through the walls. He noticed two boys looking around in the hallways. One looked a bit snaky with red clothing on and red hair and eyes to match. He had on a green headband like his companion. The other one had brown hair and menacing blue eyes to match.

"Ok, so what to we do now?" the brown haired kid asked.

"They are likely in the dungeons. We need to sneak down there and get them out." the red haired boy replied.

They nodded to each other and walked past the door to the bathrooms and onto the dungeon stairs. Anthony didn't know what to do. He wasn't sure who they were and didn't want to get caught.


---------
In the dungeons, Robb was chained shirtless to the table. He was being tickle tortured by his captors.

"Ahaha..stop..Ahahha..please no more...Ahaha!" Robb begged as his captors tackled all exposed areas of his body.

What they failed to realize was that the two escaped Baratheons, Mel and Ramsey, had sneaked into the room. They looked on the table and saw two tasers sitting there. They smiled as they walked quietly over and grabbed them both. The laughter coming from Robb was making it easy for them to sneak quietly.

The two boys then suddenly felt an intense stinging sensation in their sides. Jolts of electricity flowed through their bodies as they fell to the floor. Robb looked on in fear and surprise as he struggled against his bindings.

"Looks like this one is already restrained." Mel said as he stroked Robb's chest with his fingers creepily.

"Here is some rope that we can use to tie up these two." Ramsey said as he came back to Mel's side with stands of rope.

"Yea, that will do." Mel and Ramsey began to tie up the two stunned team members. They wrapped the ropes around their hands behind their back and then wrapped the other ends around their ankles, pulling them close together to create an effective hogtie. "Too bad we don't have time to play with them." Mel said as he searched their pockets for the keys to the dungeon cells. Mel found what he wanted and then left the two and Robb in the torture room.

-------

Outside, Anthony had sneaked down to the stairs and hid behind the stairwell to get a better view of the action. He was using his curse power to see through the walls to get a glimpse of what was going on in the dungeons. He saw Mel opening...the Targaryen's cell doors!

"Wake up, you four!" Mel commanded to them.

Ameon stirred from his bed. "Who..are you two?"

Mel and Ramsey had on one of the most demented smiles that would make Ameon proud. Then they fell to their knees in a bow, kneeling before the Targaryen brothers.

"Master Ameon, we were sent to ensure the operation goes as planned." Mel said as he pulled up his sleeve, revealing the dragon tattoo.

Ameon then smiled evilly. "I see, I was wondering if they would send someone. You may raise your head now. What of the other three guards?"

"Three?" Mel said as he rose back to his feet. "I only saw two."

Anthony got nervous real quick. The headache in his head was pounding, and he knew he had to disable the curse before it got severe. He was now unaware of what was being talked about, and afraid. He was scared of the Targaryens, and he wanted nothing more than to escape from them. But he knew he had to keep his head down, or else he would get captured.

Then he heard footsteps come into the tower entrance. He was scared that he was about to get captured. They got closer and closer to where he was hiding. "Do they know?" Anthony thought as they seemed to be right beside him.

"Let's just get out of here. It's 6 on one anyway. If we run into him, we will capture him." He heard who sounded like Ameon said.

He heard the footsteps go up the stairs and disappear into the first floor hall. Anthony waited for a couple moments to be sure they were gone for good, and then sneaked out into the dungeon area. He looked at the lonely, empty cells of the Frey fortress as he walked by them. "I have to act now!" He thought as he entered the torture room. He looked over and saw his two fellow Frey members laying on the ground hogtied. They were still unconscious, so he tip toed over to where Robb lay.

"What's going on?" Robb asked as Anthony undid Robb's bindings.

"No time to explain. We have to get out of here now!" Anthony said as he helped Robb to his feet.

Robb grabbed his shirt from one of the tables in the room and put it back on. Anthony held his finger over his mouth in in an effort to keep Robb quiet. Robb nodded his head in understanding. They slowly creeped up the stairs and listened for any kind of movement. Anthony peered his head outside the door and looked onto the hall to see if anyone was out there. When he felt it safe to continue he and Robb sneaked into the member's dorm and grabbed coats and winter gear to survive the cold.

"Let's get out of here." Anthony said, and Robb couldn't agree more. They left the confines of the Frey Fortress, just as the Targaryens did before them.

"Where are we going?" Robb asked Anthony as the winter air blew snow towards them.

"I told you before," Anthony said as he removed his Frey headband. "We are going to the Brotherhood where my best friend Berek, your cousin, is the leader."

"But.." Robb said, confused.

"Look, we entered this tournament to make sure you guys won. Berek said that Robert was up to something, and we simply don't trust him."

"Robert? Why would he be up to something? He's one of my best friends!"

"Are you that naive? This whole tournament has been suspicious from the beginning. He puts his brothers and cousins in charge of two teams, and then there's Walder, who I fear has been working alongside Robert all along. I tell you, they are up to something!" Anthony explained.

Robb just couldn't believe that Robert was capable of betrayal. He was his best friend. They had known each other for a long time, and Robert was the best person in the world. At least, that was what Robb was thinking. "I...I..."

"I'm sure things will reveal themselves in time, Robb. For now, just trust me and follow me to the Brotherhood."

Robb had no choice but to trust Anthony. He didn't know why, but he seemed trustworthy enough to him. But Robb still refused to believe that Robert had other plans for them.

by chadmc90 » Fri Jun 20, 2014 10:19 am

Team Organization pending...

Arc 3: Last Team Standing

Chapter 70: The Ultimate Trap


Bran was excited to finally be part of the action again. Berek had decided to march onto the Lannister Fortress alongside Daeneric and the Targaryens. He made sure he had everything he would need to capture as many enemies as possible. He prepares several coils of rope and stuffed it inside his backpack alongside several pairs of handcuffs. Jojen was also with him packing.

“This is really exiting and scary, don't you think?” Jojen asked his new-found friend.

“Yea, it really is. I'm anxious to get it over with.” Bran said as he placed the final set of handcuffs in his backpack.

“Yea, I know. I'm just ready for this tournament to be over with.”

Bran brought his backpack to his bed, and then the book on his nightstand caught his attention. “I guess I'll never get to read about those experiments.” Bran said to himself. He picked it up and stared at it for the longest. Then something didn't feel right. Bran was starting to feel weary and weak. He felt like he needed to pass out, so he decided to sit on his bed.

“Bran, are you okay?” Jojen asked when he noticed something off about Bran.

“Y..yea, I'm fine. I guess this anxiety is getting to me.”

Then he felt a sharp pain arise in his head. “Ahhh!” he groaned. Then his eyes turned orange, and he eventually passed out on the bed.

In his dreams, Bran was standing in a strange place. He looked around and noticed all the color of the world distorted. The environment around him was fading from red to green to blue, among many other colors. He was in a wooded area with trees and shrubs all around him. He looked at his own body and noticed he was without any clothes. His body was pale white and his privates were covered with a bright light of the same color. "What's going on?" Bran asked himself as he walked around the eerie place.

Then, he was pulled by some invisible force as the world faded around him. The world then reverted to a new setting. This time, he was in what looked like a lab. There were many medical tables around the place and tables with beakers and such. The area was lit by bright fluorescent lighting. He then noticed along the wall opposite of him sections of rooms. He was able to move freely and went over to check it out. When he tried to walk into the area, something invisible but hard pressed against his hands. "Glass" Bran thought as he touched it. On the inside of the room, he could see what looked like a couple of people sitting around what seemed to him like a cell. They were boys that seemed to be around his age. They were sobbing as they were sitting against the wall.

"What is this?" Bran asked himself. Then he looked at another glass cell. This time, he saw older boys, and even some girls. The were dressed in the same all-white clothing as the young boys in the other cell. They looked dead and lost, as if nothing else mattered in the world.

Bran visited all of them, and noticed a similar pattern. All the cells contained prisoners, both boy and girl alike. He looked behind him and saw other people around him. They were also dressed in white, but they looked more like doctors in an operating room, having on masks over their face and hats holding their hair back. He noticed even more people on the tables, some of them unconscious and others seemingly awake. They were all near naked with the exception of their private area.

"Is..this the memories of the book?" Bran thought as he walked between the tables. He remembered Berek saying that their curses allowed them to attach even to nonliving objects, as they can allow them to relive the memories of nonliving things. "Maybe I'm experiencing the memories this book had written into it."

Bran then looked up and saw a larger room that was covered by glass. Inside, he could see a chair with someone setting in it, but he couldn't quite make out who it was. Then he saw someone being carried into the room. It was a small boy being gripped by the arm by two scientists.

"Please, let me go!" The boy begged, but his please were left unanswered.

He was taken to a section of the wall and was placed in some kind of device. Like the others, the boy was near naked and had on only something covering his genitals. They placed the boy in the device and pulled his wrists above his head. They locked his wrists in and his arms were suspended above his head. His feet were still placed firmly on the ground. Then something opened on the wall and what looked like several claws came across the boy's body, wrapping around him like the fingers of a giant. They held him in place as the boy cried out in fear.

Then, someone else came into the room. He couldn't make out who it was, but he was dressed in a large trench coat...the one from his other dreams. He gulped as he watched the figure walk over to where the boy was imprisoned.

"Quiet, boy." Bran heard the figure say. The voice was distorted so he couldn't make out what was said.

"W...what are you gonna do to me?" The boy asked him, now in tears.

"You are very important, boy. You know that, right? You will serve me as I need you to, and you will carry out the tasks I require. From this day forward, I name you my Hound."

Then one of the men dressed in white came over with a syringe full of liquid, and stuck the boy with it right in the arm. The boy cried out initially, but eventually he passed out.

Then Bran found his surroundings fading into obscurity again. The lab disappeared before him and then it was eventually replaced with another scene. It was an open field with trees dotting around and he could see buildings in the back. Upon further investigation, he noticed that he was in the middle of a park. Benches lined the small paved track and grass was neatly cut. Rain was also pouring down on the place, and he noticed the same trench-coat figure standing beside....Walder Frey!

Bran realized this was another "Memory" of the book, and went over to investigate. This Walder looked younger than his former self. He looked angry and distressed, and he even looked on the verge of tears, though the rain would hid them.

"Walder Frey, listen to my words and head them well. If you ever want to see him again, you will, from this day forward, do everything I command. It doesn't matter the command. If I tell you do something, you will do it. Do I make myself clear?"

"If I do these things, will I eventually get him back?" Walder asked.

"Of course! I'm a boy of my word, Walder. I would never go back on my word. But if you defy me, Walder, I will punish him worse than any of my slaves. Do I make my self clear?"

Walder shook his head in confirmation. "Yes, you have my word."

"Good. Now bend your knee and kiss this." The trench coat boy held out his hand. On it was a ring with an oval yellow jewel in it's place.

Walder did just that and bent his knee into the mud and kissed the boy's ring. A tear seemed to of fell down his face. Bran looked behind Walder and noticed two boys hugging each other, also whimpering and crying.

Again the scene faded, and now it was replaced back into the same room where Bran found the book. But it wasn't the same mess that he had found it when he explored it earlier. He went over to the writing desk and saw the book that the same book he was attached to was siting there. Then he heard someone walk in. The same trench coat boy sat in the chair and opened the book. He took his pen and started writing in it. Bran went over to see what he was writing.

"In a couple days, I will start the planning phase of the game. I have done a lot over the past couple years, just like Father wanted. He said it was time he started teaching me the ways of the family, and already I have learned quite a bit. Jeoffery has been kept out of the loop so far, but Father will have to introduce him as well one day.

I did as Father said. I ran the operations of the day as he worked to overthrow the Targaryens of the Ruling Lords. I simply supervised, making sure those scientists continued to work. When I found that boy, my own dog, I took him personally. He had an electric based curse, one of the more rare one. Physical curses are much harder to come by. So I molded and transformed him into the one I needed. I injected him with a chemical that caused rapid growth of his body, toning his muscles and making him unbelievably strong in the process. He will be my guard, my dog..my hound.

Then I was able to gain some blackmail material on one of the boys that simply refused to cooperate with me. He didn't sign the contract, but someone very close to him did. It's dirty work, but I have to keep him in line somehow. His curse is also valuable.

And now that Father is to become the next Ruling Lord in place of the Targaryen, my role will become much more important, and I will have much more power. Power...just the thought of it makes me yearn for more. I will use those fortress and the Coliseum as the stage for my master plan. Yea, I plan to lure all the boys in the area to this spot and trap them behind these walls. As they fight it out amongst themselves, I will observe from a distance, making note of any hints of the curses that appear. The scientist say that they have discovered a specific radio-wave-like frequency that agitates and makes curses more active, so I plan to use it as well. I will weed out the ones with the curse and trap them all. It will be the ultimate experiment...It will be MY ultimate feat."

Then, the hood of the trench coat came off, finally revealing the person behind it all. Bran saw Robert Baratheon, smiling as he plotted the capture of all the cursed boys in the tournament!

Bran stepped back in shock and fear as he now realized the plans of Robert Baratheon. He knew that the Baratheons had been experimenting on those of the curse, and he now needed to warn everyone, but how does he get out of here? He ran for the door and out to the cave. But he realized that he wasn't in the caves no more. The same fading effect happened again, and he was now in the middle of the field. He saw a fortress to his left, and all around him he saw several boys. He was now flying towards the window seal of the fortress, and he landed on the snowy covered edge. He looked down and saw everyone: Berek, John, Walder, and all the other teams, staring each other down.

Bran tried to cry out; to warn them of the coming doom, but all that came out was a chirping noise. He cried out again, but the same happened. Then, he realized his head was pounding, and he ws being pulled away. He was pulled straight out of the blue bird he had attached to, and he was now soaring backwards. He went straight into the ground but he was not harmed. He then landed right on his bed where he lost consciousness before.

Bran let out a large gasp as if the air was taken out of his lungs. He sat up in his bed and noticed the book he had read earlier was lying on his stomach. His head was pounding with a headache as he sat up in his bed.

"How long was I out for?" he asked himself as he stood up. "I have to warn the others." Bran said as he rushed out of the room. He went into the bar area and saw Jojen and Rikken sitting at the table.

"Guys!" Bran called out as he entered the room.

Rikken turned his head to look at his older brother. "Bran! We were really worried about you! What happened?"

Bran looked at them with fear. "Guys, we need to go, now!"

"What is it Brandon? Berek left us behind to watch over you." Jojen asked, now with slight worry.

"That book..this tournament...it's all..." Bran tried to explain it, but his panic made it hard to explain it well.

"Bran, calm down." Jojen said to comfort his friend.

"Please, listen to me. Robert is planning to capture all the people with curses!" Bran handed him the book for Jojen to read. As they read through the pages Bran pointed, their fears started to grow.

"If this is true.." Jojen said.

"Then anyone that is cursed will be enslaved. And I don't even know what will happen to the rest."

They looked at each other now with despair and worry. Bran should have read the book much earlier, but now wasn't the time for regrets. He had to warn Berek and the others of Robert's true motives.

“Then we need to leave then and warn the others.” Jojen said as he sat up from his chair. Bran nodded and the three of them left the Brotherhood headquarters immediately.