Dragonsmith

[bullhorned]

Characters: Gendry Waters, Daenerys Targaryen
Setting: A Song of Ice and Fire; Essos
Summary: Queen Daenerys has liberated Astapor and now continues her journey. But she's picked up a new wayward traveler from Westeros.

Comments

[bullhorned]

He was only vaguely aware of her brother, his importance, and that he hadn't met the most dignified of endings. A Dothraki woman who had smatterings of Westerosi tongue had told him something about being crowned, but it had made little sense to him.

"Seems more interesting that what I've learned," he said. "I ain't ever learned to read or speak any language other than the common one. Or how to properly ride, for that matter."

[ungentle]

It wasn't the sort of story she would want to tell a stranger (she had barely ever discussed Viserys with anyone -- coolly with her knights, vaguely with her maids, but no more than that) but she knew that someday, it would be less a secret to such strangers and more a piece of common knowledge. She tried not to think of such things often, in truth.

His comment caused her to shrug. "I've found that if you're around a language enough, you're like to pick up at least a bit of it," she said, meant as encouragement somehow. "And riding is much the same." The sentence trailed off there, but the implication was meant to be something like anything is possible in time.

[bullhorned]

"I've been learning a bit so far. There ain't many to talk to without knowing Dothraki or Valyrian." He shrugged. "Ser Jorah talks to me sometimes. But not Ser Barristan. He don't seem so fond of me. I reckon he's too busy for he likes of me."

In truth, Gendry was wary of the old man and he feared the old man knew his secret. The man seemed to show recognition when they first met, but had said nothing on the matter. But that look and expression was familiar. Jon Arryn had it, Ned Stark had it, and so had Stannis Baratheon. He liked the queen, but he didn't trust her with his secret. Not when he had heard how ruthless she could be.

[ungentle]

With the slightest of frowns, because she couldn't abide even imagined discord among her followers if she could help. "Whether or not Ser Barristan is busy likely doesn't reflect his opinion of you," she pointed out. "He's not the most sociable of men, nor the most demonstrative. But if he mistrusted you, I would likely have heard of it."

After all, that could be said of all of her counselors: any truly worrisome element was brought to her attention quickly, if not dealt with. Her knights were nothing if not diligent.

[bullhorned]

"Mayhaps," he said. There was not much to be gained in disagreeing with her, he thought. He could be blunt and brutally honest when called on it, but there was little reason to argue on this matter. And so, he shrugged. "If he did, what would you do?"

[ungentle]

The question gave her pause, though she couldn't say quite why. Perhaps it was that she wasn't used to being asked such things, or at least not in such a conversation as this.

Finally, she settled on: "Listen to what he had to say and what you did in turn, then make decisions accordingly." That was what she'd hope would be the truth, at least.

[bullhorned]

"There was a man that did that. An outlaw lord. He didn't know who to believe though, so he settled it with a trial by combat." Gendry glanced back at the camp and frowned. "I think I'd lose that trial."

Ser Barristan was an old man, but Gendry knew well he stood no chance against such a man.

[ungentle]

"How did his turn out, though?" Daenerys asked, unsure of whether he was telling some true story or a legend she just wasn't familiar with (she could never tell when something was obvious to those raised Westerosi and not her). "The trial, I mean?"

She'd get to his statement in due time, but the context of the story was important.