Saera was snoring softly into the crook of Naruto's neck. His powerful arms wrapped around her creamy shoulders as he felt the heat between them, their naked bodies intertwined under the sheet. As the sunlight poured in, Saera's flawless skin almost glowed. A fine masterpiece that was given life, Naruto mused. She was akin to a song, a dream, or a whisper and he didn't know how he could have lived in solitude for so long without her.

The night they had shared together was like a fairy tale to him. Her mouths crafted a warm path to his, their tongues dancing to a rhythm, her hand slid up his neck as her nails grazed his skin, finding purchase in his hair, and tugging at the tangle. Shivers lanced his body, a sensation he had forgotten. Gone was the guilt that kept him from betraying his late wife with Saera. He was a man, and she was the woman he wanted.

Not so long ago, he was adrift, fearful of loving, and languished in the darkness. But now he saw a glimpse of light. Some semblance of hope to let him live for more. And he would be damned if he let that light be snuffed out by his own misgivings.

Untangling himself from Saera's grasp, Naruto managed to free himself. As much as he wanted to lie in bed and marvel at Saera's beauty, there were things for him to attend to. Delivering a soft peck on her lips and brushing a few strands of her hair over her ear, Naruto climbed out of bed, picked up his clothes from the marble floor, and gave his sore arm a good stretch.

So this was how home felt like?

Raking a hand through his coiffed back hair, Naruto sauntered out of his chamber.

A brilliant flash from a streak of lightning flickered across black clouds and the deafening booms thundered across Dragon's Keep, startling Naruto. Then came the lashing rains that hounded his mansion. For a moment, Naruto swore he saw the world was dyed blood red.

As he stepped into the hallway, a wind swept past him and a foreboding feeling almost made his stomach lurched. With his senses heightened, he picked up a stench of juniper and wet moss lingering in the air. After all these years, he would never forget this scent of evil that had once polluted his old home and filled him with dread.

The scent of Kaguya was leaking from Visenya's room.

No, no! No!

Horror-struck, Naruto's heart thundered in his chest as he rushed into Visenya's chamber.

When he kicked open the door, a gush of bitter gale swallowed him and his nightmare come true.

Visenya sat on her bed, still and motionless. White frost had painted all over the walls and her dead eyes were fixated at the window. In his peripheral, Naruto espied the mirror and gasped. In place of the beautiful visage of Visenya gleaming in the mirror, Naruto saw Kaguya and her cruel grin taunting him. His eyes widened in terror as realisation dawned on him.

"Why did you betray me, master?" The platinum gold of her hair had faded to white, her skin pallid pale, and her violet eyes illuminated a dangerous glow. This was no mere possession. The steel of Visenya's voice had turned into faux sweetness, resembling that of Kaguya's.

"I don't sleep very well. Or at all." The haunting image of Kaguya started to cackle in the mirror, but her distorted voice didn't go unheard. "I spent my days in the darkness, imagining ways of tormenting you. How to destroy Naruto Uzumaki, the man who took everything from me? I thought of corrupting your beloved dragons. Make them deranged. It would be poetic, I supposed, but unrefined. Too churlish. And then I found Visenya."

Naruto almost cursed out loud.

The air around Visenya had warped into something foul and the biting cold cut through his skin. Kaguya's sinister echoed rang in his ears. "You locked me up like I am an animal. But I will never return to that hole again! I shall be reborn once more. And this time, the world will burn as I rise. But before that, I will savour the pleasure of taking everything away from you again."

Regaining his composure, Naruto sat beside Visenya and took her hand. He could feel a maelstrom of madness and fury running rampant within her. But it's not too late. If only he could get hold of her. "Listen to me, Visenya. Whatever that is talking to you in your head, it's not real."

"Is it not?" Visenya slowly turned to him, her tone came as a twisted singsong. "She told me everything~."

"She is not real." Naruto gritted his teeth and cradled her face with his hands, his voice deep and sombre. "Listen to me, Visenya. Hey! Look at me. Whatever that is inside you, you have to fight it. I know you're scared and-"

"Scared?" A ghost of a smirk played about Visenya's wine-red lips. "I don't feel anything. On the contrary, why do I smell fear from you?"

Things were starting to make sense for Naruto.

Visenya wasn't possessed.

Who would have thought the Targaryens had the accursed blood of Otsutsuki coursing through their veins? In a twist of fate, Visenya was the perfect vessel for Kaguya, the madwoman whose insatiable appetite for violence almost broke the world.

"What good is power if you can't protect the ones you love? I told you, have I not?" Visenya's grin widened. "I will have such revenge on you."

A blood-curdling chill crawled up his spine. Hinata – nay, Kaguya had said the same thing to him after she murdered his children. In the midst of his mad fury, he had killed the woman who loved him unconditionally. Ever since that night, he thought of a thousand what-ifs. Could he have purged Kaguya's evil from Hinata without killing her? Was there something he could do to avert that disaster? A terrible weight compressed his chest, ensnaring him ever since.

There was a time when he fell into the most terrible of human traps and was blinded by the grandeur of his power. At the pinnacle of his career as Hokage, countries would surrender if they made him their enemy. Army would lose their morale and flee if they encountered him in the battlefield. With all the ungodly powers he wielded, he was powerless to save his loved ones.

It wasn't Naruto's nature to sulk about what-ifs. When he wasn't tending to his dragons, he threw himself into research, hoping to decipher Kaguya's curse.

"I failed to save Hinata from you once." Naruto growled, his eyes radiated a bright crimson. "I won't make that mistake twice."

Visenya grinned from ear to ear, the harrowing symphony of the thunderstorm and her mirthless giggles flooded Naruto with consternation.

Fuck that.

It's just fear, he told himself. He had spent too long being afraid. Too long being diminished by losses. Too long being everything except what he needed to be. Without hesitation, he pushed her down on her bed, pinned her hands above her head, and ripped her velvet negligee to shreds. Black flames lit up from his fingertips and the whole of Dragon's Keep started to shake.

"Stay where you belong, Kaguya." Naruto slammed his hand on Visenya's tone stomach. Myriad of black seals etched itself around her naval, startling her in the process. Visenya's beautiful features contorted in agony and she thrashed about like a rabid animal. "In my memories."

"CURSE YOU, NARUTO UZUMAKI!" Visenya clenched her teeth, her voice turned hoarse and menacing. "Do you think you have won? No! You -"

"I took inspiration from my father's seal when I devised this. It is no simulacrum of its predecessor, mind you. There is no threshold for its capacity to hold its prisoner. No inflection point where you can spread your disease elsewhere. The seal is sublime. You made Visenya your host." Naruto leaned in, a dark grin flitted across his face. "I made her your cage. Your consciousness will be suppressed to the point where it doesn't exist."

Hate blazed across Visenya's baleful eyes as she glared daggers at Naruto. Her mouth opened, trying to flounder for words, yet nothing came out.

"Ah, I see. The seal is working faster than I thought." Caressing Visenya's face, Naruto heaved out a sigh. "You know what your greatest mistake is, Kaguya? You always fancy yourself as something… superior. Sadly, you are incapable of moving forward. Stuck in perpetuity from the past. A human mistake. No matter how many times you come back, I will always win. Not because I feel superior, but because I am determined. Disciplined. Prepared."

The writhing stopped. Visenya's face turned placid, yet Naruto could still see Kaguya's futile struggle in her eyes. "I designed every inch of Dragon's Keep. Every blade of grass. And when Visenya and Saera found their way here, I prepared contingency plans. To make sure that you will never get your hands on them, like you did my wife and children."

Waves of anger rippled through his face, yet his tone was barely audible. "Do you really think I will let you… take them from me?"

White light burst forth from Visenya's eyes as she let out one final scream before her body sagged.

-X.o.X.o.X

"Kill him!"

It started as soft whispers, seducing her with sweet promises, but it warped into something horrendous. The poisonous voices were like hammers, pounding viciously at Visenya's skull, demanding subservience and destruction. The more she resisted, the more relentless those voices became. Still, it was her battle – a fight she must overcome by herself.

When she saw Saera and Naruto together, she was heartbroken. Love was not supposed to hurt, but to heal and be the haven from her misery. So why did her chest hurt so much?

Aye, she loved him like a fool.

"He despises you!" That poisonous voice taunted her once more.

So why couldn't he acknowledge her?

"You are nothing more than a slave to him."

Did he not know?

"He knew, but he doesn't care."

Was he a fool for not knowing her love for him?

"Your love is his leverage."

Just how much more must she do to make him know?

"Slit his throat. Make him feel your pain."

This fool's love.

"If you can't have him, then nobody can!"

As she dashed her hands against the wetness in her eyes, grief overcame her.

Perhaps that was why she gave in to the darkness.

"Are you awake?"

Visenya's eyes fluttered open, awoke to the steady platter of rain upon her window – the sound was a natural lullaby. The voices and throbbing headaches… they were gone.

Naruto sat on the side of her bed, grasping her hand and fondling it with his thumb. He had watched her sleep, unwilling to leave her side. All this time, she had been fighting a war all by herself, but her bravery kept her going. Visenya was truly indomitable, not because she wasn't afraid, but because she was unmoved even when the odds were stacked against her. She was not some willowy creatures who sat up in a tower, brushing her hair and waiting for her some knight to rescue her.

"I'm sorry, Visenya."

"Sorry?" Mustering a weak smile, Visenya probed. "For what?"

"I didn't know you were carrying this burden all by yourself. If I have been more attentive, then you wouldn't need to suffer." Naruto clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. There was nothing to absolve him from his guilt if something terrible were to happen to Visenya. His stupor was disrupted when Visenya flicked her fingers at his forehead. "S-Senya…"

"I know what you're thinking." Visenya sighed and shut her eyes. "Don't shoulder the weight of the world on yourself and put on a brave face, master. It's not your fault. I chose to fight Kaguya by myself. Besides, I didn't want you to be worried about me."

Naruto averted his gaze. "D… Did I make you feel that way?"

"Hmm?"

"Am I that unreliable to you, Senya? All this time, you were fighting this battle alone. You didn't feel the need to consult your problems with me, even when it was killing you. How could you do this to me?"

"Since when did you care about me?"

"Since when have I not care about you?"

At that, Visenya felt fire burning her cheeks. "So… what is she? This… Kaguya Otsutsuki."

Naruto's eyes were downcast and morose. "A relic of the past, just like me. Many religions gave her different names. The Weeping Woman. The Great Other. The Stranger. The truth is, she is nothing more than a parasite. Ideas, inspirations, and forbidden magic – she has been whispering them in order to feed human's greed. The First Men slaughtered their way into Westeros because of her. The Children of the Forest inevitably created the Long Night because of her. The only thing I can do is to seal her away. Eventually, she will still come back. She always comes back."

"I don't hear her in my head anymore."

"Good." A small smile curled at Naruto's lips. "I have implanted a seal into you. It will notify me if Kaguya is influencing you, but I doubt it will ever occur again."

"Why didn't you tell me about her?"

Naruto drew out a long sigh, his eyes heavy with weariness. "I had hoped to spare you from her tale. Being immortal… it can be a lifetime of anguish and tragedy. Kaguya and I… we have killed many who were deserving. And many who were not. They say the road to hell is paved with good intention. Well, Kaguya did want to reshape the world for the better. Like you, she saw much suffering in the world and wanted to do something. And look what become of her. I wanted to bury the past, so I chose not to tell you. I wanted you to choose what you wanted to be, not those who have been."

Perturbed by ancient lore, Visenya's curiosity got the best of her. "Kaguya is feared as a goddess of death, so it seems. What are you then? I want to know the truth."

"The truth…" Naruto tasted the word with stifled disdain. Truth? How he loathed the truth. The truth hadn't set him free, not even in the slightest, but imprisoned him in a cycle of self-hatred. "When I founded Dragon's Keep, I chose to live as a man. But the truth is, like Kaguya, I was born a monster. The only difference between me and her is that I haven't gone mad with power. At least not yet."

By the quiver of Naruto's lips, Visenya could discern doubt and trepidation from him. It was as if he believed he might fall to depravity and become the monster he swore to destroy. A monster like Kaguya. "My love, you are better. I know it."

"Am I?" Naruto chuckled hollowly. "I have learned to close my heart to many things. I have closed my heart to the desperation and suffering of those who lived in Essos. Or Westeros. I refused to allow myself to feel for them, because they will not feel for me. Selfish, perhaps. But I believe that is the right thing to do. Our powers come with far greater responsibilities."

The most difficult of choices required the strongest will. It would be child's play for Naruto to conquer Essos, but he had seen what would become of those who abuse their power. Visenya could understand why Naruto vehemently denied her the opportunity to conquer Essos. The fate of those who slaughter and butcher in the name of justice had always been unkind, something that Naruto did not wish for her.

"Promise me, Senya."

Visenya opened an eye and saw something she had rarely seen. A tear had fallen from Naruto's ocean blue eyes. It was at that moment that she saw the fragile side of him – his vulnerability and fears were exposed for her to bear. If there was one thing the mighty Dragon Warden fear, it was loneliness. Naruto probably never got over losing the ones he loved and cared about. Then again, nobody could really get over something like that. "Master?"

"Promise me you will not hide anything from me again. I don't want to lose you." A sweet silence intruded between them as they peered into each other's soul. Words weren't needed to convey their feelings for each other. The past that shackled Naruto had shattered.

Man was no island, Naruto mused to himself. We need those who love us. We need those who hate us. We need others to tether us to life, to give us a reason to live, to feel, and to see the light in our darkest days.

"Say… you haven't really given me a reply, you know?" Visenya stifled a giggle. "I told you I love you, didn't I? You don't need to reciprocate my feelings. You don't need to refuse me or take any responsibility. But I just want to know…"

"I love you, Senya." Naruto offered her a bright smile – a smile that lit up like the morning sun. All the sadness, all the hurt in the past had made this moment all the sweeter. "More than anything."

It was those words that made Visenya realised how much of a fool she was. She was a warrior princess. He was a hermit. They were never meant to meet, yet life had a way of bringing people together. They fell in love, despite their differences, and once they did, something beautiful was created.

-X.o.X.o.X

Power is the crown that eats the head.

The Sealord of Braavos – Viggo Loredan – was almost choked to death in his own power. After witnessing the terrible magic that the Dragon Warden wielded, he had become a shell of what he once was, easily frightened by rolling thunders and dark rooms. His insufferable son was met with a fate worse than death. Stripped from any semblance of sanity, his son was reduced to a catatonic state. Killing him would be mercy.

Downing his wine, Viggo slumped into his throne. In Braavos, no entitled locust could become the Sealord, for an empire had three stages – savagery, ascendance, and decadence. Braavos was conceived from savagery when the Dragon Warden burned the slave masters and freed the city of bondage. Through hardship, Braavos ascended to great power. However, like all great empires, a pernicious and subversive evil festered within Braavos. It was a cancer.

A cancer called decadence.

Iosef Loredan was decadence personified, a sloth who paraded his father's glory as his own. The Dragon Warden came, brought fire and fury with him, and eradicated the cancer. Braavosi cheered for the reckoning, and for the sake of his iron reign, he cheered alongside his people. It sickened him, because he traded the prosperity of his empire for the life of his son.

"My condolence, Lord Loredan." Kornak zo Pahl straightened himself and offered the Sealord a small nod. "Your son doesn't deserve his fate. The Dragon Warden must not go unpunished for his crimes."

"I'm sure you didn't come here to show me sympathy, Kornak." Viggo didn't bother to hide his blanch of disgust at the half-naked boys chained to Kornak's wrist. "It's not like you know what sympathy means anyway."

Kornak snickered. "There is no need to be crude, Lord Loredan. I bear you great gifts. A hundred pieces of gold slabs."

"I never took you as a charitable man. Surely you didn't sail your way to Braavos just to give me a hundred pieces of gold slabs." Emptiness was living chained by fear – fear of loss, death, and pain. Viggo saw only emptiness in Kornak's slaves. Those who dared flee would be flogged, those who dared defy would be whipped; the cruelty of men was beyond Viggo's comprehension.

What horrible atrocity did those slaves endured?

Kornak waved his hand lazily. "I heard that the Dragon Warden is no fairy tale. That he is dragon's incarnate. A man who can spits fire. A monster who consumes and destroys. Has he not spit fire in your home? Has he not consumed your son and destroyed your life?"

"Watch your tongue, Kornak. You may be the overlord of your city, but you are a mere guests in Braavos."

A tense and terrible silence stretched between the two men. Kornak studied Viggo with narrowed eyes, but he knew a raw nerve had been struck. "Gods don't come down in our lives to mete out justice for us. Only those with power do it. The Dragon Warden has demonstrated that, has he not?"

"If you are here to borrow my army to sack Old Valyria, then you can forget it. Braavos will not strike the home of the Dragon Warden."

"Have you grown weak and feeble? The Sealords of Braavos are brave men. No. Men are so very frail, weak! Men break and die. The Sealord is none of that. You are supposed to be a god of war."

God of War? It would seem that Kornak knew nothing about the Sealord's value. Every Sealord would whipped the back of their chosen successor with a hunting crop during the inauguration ceremony. Why? To remind themselves that Braavos was purchased with fire and blood and what their forefathers had sacrificed to bestow them such heights.

"Do not pretend to know what I want, Kornak."

Kornak clicked his tongue. "All man wants the same thing. Power. Wealth. Women. Are we not enslaved by our own basic instincts? But what's wrong with it?"

Viggo snorted. "In a storm, you don't tie two boats together. They'll drag each other down."

"Are you implying the odds are stacked against me?" Kornak let out a hoarse guffaw. "Never tell me the odds."

It was not Kornak's wrinkles or weathered face that made Viggo realised how small and foolish he was. Kornak had not seen the monster that he had seen, not felt the terror that he had felt. Perhaps not this day or the next, but one day, when the world came crashing down on Kornak, then he would panic as suicides did when they realise their folly.

To wage war against the Dragon Warden was to court death.

Heaving out a slow breath, Viggo looked away. "No form of persuasion is going to soothe me, Kornak. I will not join you in your crusade. My advice? Abandon this path and go spend the rest of your miserable life with your boy-toys. If not, only death awaits you."

Kornak weighed Viggo carefully. "Have you heard about the story of the jumping fleas? It is no tale from the smallfolk, mind you. You see, the flea enjoy jumping to heights unknown, but when a man came and upturned a glass of jar over the flea, it jumped and hit the top of the jar. Time and time again, it would not go any further. And when the man removed the jar, the flea did not jump any higher than it has grown accustomed to. It believed there is a glass ceiling."

A hearty laugh escaped Viggo's mouth. "And you think I am the flea in your little tale? No, Kornak. The jar was never removed in the first place. The glass ceiling is there and it always will be. What you are after is tantamount to poking a beast with a rusty spear, you old, sleazy cunt! You have no idea what is coming."

"I have every idea what is coming." Kornak sat a little taller, but his dried lips had stretched thin.

"Do you now?" Viggo snorted. "You want to burn down Old Valyria and take its treasures. The dragons, I assume? Let me assure you this, Kornak. The stories you heard about the Dragon Warden. About what he did for Braavos? About what he did to Braavos's enemies? If nothing else, those stories have been watered down."

"I see." Kornak shook his head and stood up. "Then do not blame me when I come back and lay waste to Braavos. The treasures and secrets lying in Old Valyria will be mine. I will parade the Dragon Warden's body on the gates of Braavos. And I will rain down every agony, every violation imaginable upon you. When I'm done, you will regret not choosing my side. The winning side."

Hot rage almost consumed Viggo as he tossed his goblet at the wall. "You are a worm, Kornak! A worm who thought himself a serpent just because you can slither, but that power of yours is not real. You have no idea what you're up against. Parade the Dragon Warden's body? You are a fool! An old, stupid fool! You have no idea what's coming!"

Did curiosity kill the cat?

No, ignorance did.

Kornak laughed aloud and marched out of the Sealord's hall. "Even god can die, Lord Loredan."

-X.o.X.o.X

Weeks had passed and the colourful flora that painted Dragon's Keep seemed to glow even brighter. The morning fog blanketed the mossy hills, craggy peaks, grassy glens, and even the thick forest that laid like homespun quilts over the foothills. Visenya relished in the cold breeze – it purified her after tending to the herd of sheep on the highland.

"Did you have a good rest?" Saera ambled out of the farmhouse with a bucket of freshly squeezed milk. When she had heard that her lover was possessed, she darted mindlessly into her room and traced kisses on her neck. At nightfall, they would cuddle with each other to sleep. Saera had always been explosive with her emotions, never hiding her concerns behind subtle smiles. It was something Visenya had come to accept and love about Saera.

Flicking a lock of hair behind her ear, Visenya sighed. "Feeling much better."

With the menace within her purged, Visenya felt her focus sharpened, her strength rejuvenated, and her will burning. Vhagar trotted to her mistress's side, its amber eyes showing her reflection and the ground shuddered as the majestic beast moved. She reached out and stroked the dragon's iridescent scales. "How have you been, my dear?"

Vhagar crooned softly.

"It is about time you tame Midir, Saera."

For months, Saera had surreptitiously slipped out from home to engage Midir in duels. Each time, she came back beaten and broken, but overexcited as ever. The ruthless Midir saw Saera merely as a hindrance, yet chose not to kill her. Saera knew Midir had acknowledged her conviction, but not her strength yet. She needed to be stronger in order to be worthy. "Soon," she said.

"Where's master?"

"Usual place." Saera shrugged and skipped her way back to the mansion.

Through the thick boughs of the Forest of Death lie Old Valyria, the ancestral city of spires, fountains, and dreams, now its ruins had become the nests for a plethora of primordial dragons. Visenya resisted her urge to shudder when she recalled her encounter with the vicious dragon Shagaru Magala when she wilfully intruded its nest.

The dragon pretended not to notice her when she was hiding in shrubs, only to wheel and pounce at her without warning. The next thing she knew, Shagaru Magala's teeth were inches away from her eyes. When she stared down the stench and darkness of the beast's throat, bile rose to her mouth – it was a sight of death. Apparently, Naruto had caught the dragon's tail with one hand, hurled it over his shoulder, and slammed the beast on solid earth.

Shagaru Magala went blood-drunk, its rage a thing to move mountains. Needless to say, Naruto beat the dragon down with his bare fists relentlessly and unforgivingly until it rolled over, exposed its belly in submission, and whined pitifully like a puppy. It took an inexplicable trauma to remind Visenya crudely that dragons could never really be tamed.

If Vhagar were to turn feral, could Visenya discipline her dragon like Naruto did with his? Could she pummel Vhagar with hardened eyes and unrestrained strength? Vhagar was like a daughter to her. A child who she nurtured and raised. No. She could never harm Vhagar like that. There must be a way to sedate a dragon's bloodthirsty nature without resorting to violence. After all, violence begets violence.

"Ready?"

Visenya almost jolted in fright. "M-Master?"

Naruto beamed. "Saera told me about her wish. I aim to honour it. So, do you wish to come along with us to Westeros?"

"Wherever you go, I will follow." Visenya looked thoughtful then. "But Saera doesn't have a dragon. How is she going to get to Westeros? Are you going to turn into a dragon and let her ride on your back? Did our great and mighty Dragon Warden just turn into a horse?"

Naruto gave Visenya's nose a playful squeeze. "I'm an irresistible, handsome horse. But no. She can take Saphira."

As if on cue, a dragon with scales of intense blue galloped to Naruto's side.

"Can Saphira fly across the Narrow Sea? It's a long journey, you know?"

Naruto stroked the line of Saphira's jaw and pressed his forehead against her hard snout. Though Saphira descent from a lineage of small dragons, she was blessed with great stamina and gifted at flying. "She will do just fine. Get packing, Visenya. We'll leave soon."

Gleeful, Visenya coiled her slender arms around Naruto's neck and pulled her into a warm, sensual kiss. "If we leave Dragon's Keep, then who is going to guard it?"

At that, Naruto scoffed. "Our purpose as Dragon Wardens is to prevent the dragons from roaming out of this realm, not to prevent invaders from coming in. There is no army in this world that can take Dragon's Keep, so there is no need for us to fret. Hell, I'll give Dragon's Keep to anybody who can conquer it."

"Then I'll go and pack my armours."

"Please don't bring your closet with you. It's just a sightseeing trip for us."

Visenya winked at Naruto and skipped with jaunty steps to the mansion.

-X.o.X.o.X

The Narrow Sea that separated Essos and Westeros was a vast turquoise with briny air. It took the Dragon Wardens a few hours to get across Westeros and they decided to find lodging near Storm's End. As Naruto set foot on the sodden soil of the stormlands, the brutal rain that battered the coast stopped and the granite clouds parted way for warm rays to seep through.

"There is a village nearby. We can stay there for tonight." Naruto rubbed Alduin's jaw, earning him a low croon. Letting the World Eater near civilisation would spell disaster, hence he would have Alduin stay in the woods. "Alduin, be a good boy and stay here. We'll come back in the morning."

Grunting with annoyance, Alduin merely nodded.

Dropping down from Vhagar's saddle in a loud thud, Visenya strolled to Naruto, her arm resting on the hilt of her sword. She dressed like she was about to go to war, a battle angel in black steel with the sigil of the Dragon Warden – a sunglow dragon enveloped by a maelstrom – emblazoned proudly on her cape. "Will it be appropriate for us to leave our dragons here? What if someone were to see them?"

"They will mistake them as the Targaryen's dragons." Saera interjected, her black cloak billowed along with the wind. "Besides, there are a herd of deer nearby, so they won't be razing any villages."

Grey fog permeated the forest, courtesy of Naruto's magic. "Do not meddle with anything you see. Stay low."

He gave Visenya a look.

"What? Do I look like a nosy person?"

Saera and Naruto flatly nodded.

"Hey!"

"Vhagar, Saphira." Naruto's sombre tone caught the two dragons' attention, whom suddenly stood still and tall. How inconceivable, Visenya and Saera mused, that these great beasts of destruction and death were subservient to a mere mortal. Well, Naruto wasn't a mere mortal, but nobody could tell. It amazed Visenya and Saera that dragons were instinctively fearful of Naruto, like gazelle would to a lion.

Legends foretold that the Dragon Warden was something beyond monstrous. Could it be that dragons were able to perceive Naruto's true form? "Keep an eye on Alduin. Make sure he behaves."

At that, Alduin grunted his disapproval, but mellowed when Vhagar snapped at him. It wasn't a secret that Alduin had been trying to court Vhagar for years but to no avail.

Naruto, Visenya, and Saera hiked over a rolling hill and spotted a tired, old town. Bony mules scampered away and hid under sweltering shade of tall trees when they caught Naruto's eyes. From afar, they could see the outline of Storm's End, a formidable castle that was built to withstand the rage of the moonlit sea. If Visenya's memories served her right, her half-brother – Orys Baratheon – was the Lord Paramount of the Stormlands.

How many years had it been since she last saw him?

Abruptly, the wail of a woman tore through the air, catching Visenya's attention. Righteous fury burned within her when she saw a haggard woman being dragged through mud by four brutes. It didn't take a genius to figure out that they were about to hang her.

"Don't think about it." Naruto chided, his attention was on the road ahead.

"But -"

"We don't meddle." Though the disgust and stifled fury in Naruto's eyes were evident, he chose to be indifferent.

"Help me!" The disgruntled woman yelped horribly as they kicked her in the gut.

Evil was evil. Lesser, greater – it made no difference to Visenya. The world was festered with malevolence, not because it harboured those who were evil, but because there were people who wouldn't do anything about it. If Visenya were to choose between one evil and another, she rather not choose at all. Whipping out the dagger from her boot, Visenya stormed towards the commotion.

"Should we stop her?" Saera grinned.

Truth be told, Visenya became unyielding and headstrong when she was on a warpath. Some might call her sanctimonious or even self-righteous, but when things went south, she wasn't the type of person to sit idly by. Naruto clicked his tongue in disapproval and folded his arms – there was no stopping Visenya now. "Make it quick, Senya."

Visenya twirled her dagger with her finger, her eyes fixated at the man who wore the emblem of the Baratheon – the Stag on his chest plate. Orys Baratheon was many things – a man of honour, pride, and loyalty. Once upon a time, under a starry night, he told her that he could never fathom the idea of siring a bastard, because he didn't want any children in this world to feel the way he did. Could her half-brother condone such unjust in his land? "What crime did she commit for her to be treated as such?"

One of the knights turned, his face was weathered by wind and sun. "Mind ya own business, tramp!"

"Please! It wasn't me!" The woman begged through hoarse voice.

"Shut the fuck up, you whore!"

Visenya felt her blood boiled and her hand trembling in rage. "Only murder and treason constitute the need for an execution. Was she a spy from foreign lands or was she a murderer?"

A lanky man stood forward, his dirty brown hair was salted with grey. "She murdered her husband, how does that sound for ye?"

"No!" The woman cried on her knees. "They raped me in my own home and murdered my husband! Please, I -"

"I said shut the fuck up!" They kicked her so hard that she threw up blood.

There comes a time when doing the right thing rises above duty. Visenya closed her eyes; this was such time. "I shall give you two choices. Swear on your honour that you will atone for your sins and serve her till her last. Or I shall execute you with my bare hands. Choose."

The cantankerous knights exchanged glances at each other before they broke into a fit of laughter. One of them imitated Visenya in a high-pitch voice. "Swear on your honour or I execute you! Hah! Are ya gonna poke us with that toy knife?"

Pitiful. The matter of fact was that people enjoyed cooking up stories of monsters, which made them seem less monstrous themselves. When they cheated, stole, beat their wives, raped a woman in her own house, starved an old man, or killed blindly, they liked to think that bears entering huts at daybreak was more monstrous than they were. They felt easier to live. Visenya gave up being civil to a bunch of remorseless animals.

She gave the woman a cold stare. "Close your eyes."

Things escalated too fast for anybody to process. In split seconds, Visenya threw her dagger right into the lanky knight's right eye. She didn't even spare them the chance to react, for she had morphed into a thunderbolt and closed up the distance between them. With a swift roundhouse kick, Visenya lopped off one of the knights' head.

The last two men were about to draw their swords, but it was already too late. With herculean strength, Visenya lifted those two men by their neck, her eyes aglow. Frost, like a disease, started to spread around their necks and turning their skin blue. She could see their lives slowly fading away from their eyes. "I pity you lot, for your father has not taught you the grace of power unused, and mother for not teaching you the joy of power used well. I, Visenya Targaryen, Dragon Warden and Conqueror of Westeros, sentence you to die."

Their legs were kicking in the air, but their struggle soon ceased and their bodies sagged. When Visenya dropped their cold corpses, they shattered into red blocks of ice. Plucking out her dagger from the eye socket of the dead, lanky man, Visenya puffed out a sigh. "I cannot undo what they did to you, but I have given you the justice you deserve. What you do from now on is up to you to decide."

With that, Visenya spun around and walked back to Naruto and Saera.

"Having fun yet?" Saera teased.

"I'm just doing what should have been done."

Frankly, Visenya was expecting to receive an earful from Naruto, but nothing came. He simply flashed her a warm smile and patted her head. "Keep this up and you might just be called Visenya the Busybody."

At that, Saera choked in her giggle, much to Visenya's annoyance.

It surprised Visenya and Saera when their impassive master strolled to the downtrodden woman and handed her a pouch of gold dragons. Perhaps they had mistaken his neutrality for apathy. The trip to the old town was a short one. It wasn't as colourful as Visenya thought or as lively as Saera would have hoped for. Peasants waddled in and out of stores. Nobody was in a hurry, because there was nowhere else to go, nothing special to buy, and nothing to see.

Most of the inns were either dilapidated or a façade for a whorehouse, something that displeased Visenya and Saera. If only women were given proper education and apprenticeship, then they wouldn't need to sell themselves like that. Saera could only look away with a heavy heart. They eventually found a decent lodging with whitewashed walls. "I'll go in first. Let's try not to kill any more people."

"Unless necessary." Visenya quipped.

Naruto stood in front of Old Stag's Inn, listening to the hubbub of voices. Too many unwanted eyes, he thought. As he sauntered into the tavern, the innkeeper raised his head above a barrel of pickled cucumbers and measured him with a gaze of disdain. Those who venture near the outskirt of Storm's End were either sellswords or bandits, neither one was pleasant company to say the least. "What do you want?"

"Three pints of fresh ale."

"Aye." The innkeeper wiped his hands on his apron, filled the tankards, and placed them on the counter. It was then he noticed two beautiful blondes in armour and cloak standing beside the enigmatic man. Targaryens, the innkeeper presumed. "Ye from King's Landing?"

Naruto blinked. "No. But I am looking for a room for the night."

"There's none," grunted the innkeeper. "I'm afraid ye have to ask elsewhere."

"We will prefer to stay here."

"Are ye deaf?" A pockmarked man who, from the moment Naruto had entered had not taken his gloomy eyes from him, got up and approached the counter. Five of his companions rose behind him, each fingering the truncheons on their waist. "I wonder why are there two lost, Targaryen beauties roaming in this back of the woods. How about you come with us and we can show you a good time."

Visenya sneered. "Leave us be, insect."

"Aww, don't be hasty, milady," rasped the pockmarked man, his breath reeked of garlic and anger. "When we're done with you, ye'll beg for more!"

A chortle broke out amongst the band of vagabonds, much to Visenya and Saera's disgust. One of the men reached out to Saera, but she was faster. In a blink of an eye, Saera grabbed his hand and snapped his fingers like twigs. It didn't end yet, for Saera's fingers were like a viper, striking his throat and shattering his trachea. Blood gushed out from his mouth as he fumbled his hands at his ruined neck, choking out a horrid death rattle before he collapsed like a ragdoll.

The pockmarked man's face contorted. "You're pay for that, bitch!"

Dark Sister hissed in its sheath and shone briefly in the dim light. The tavern seethed in chaos. There was a high-pitch scream, and one of the few remaining customers tumbled toward the exit. A chair fell with a crash, an earthenware smacked hollowly against the aged floor, and silence intruded. The innkeeper trembled as he stared at the horribly slashed face of the pockmarked man, who was clinging with his fingers to the edge of the counter and was slowly sinking from sight.

More outlaws poured in with their crossbows held high, roaring for mayhem. Saera drew Brightroar, the blade traced a glistening arc from her hip. When the bowstrings hummed, Saera and Visenya's swords flashed, and the barrage of bolts flew upward with a metallic whine, spinning in the air until it clattered against the roof.

Terror, like cold mud, was clear on the bandits' faces, paralyzing limbs and blocking throats. "T-They deflected it?"

Saera vanished into a black blur, darting towards three goons from the right. In an instance, she had slashed one across the chest, the other in the temple, and the beheaded the last fool, leaving them to hobble backwards and fall limply to the floor.

Lusting for blood and battle, Visenya pounced at her enemies, severing their tendons above their elbows and knees so she could relish in their screams. "Beg for mercy. Beg… and I might consider sparing your pathetic lives."

"F-Fuck you!" One of them spat.

How unwise.

Visenya swung her sword and five heads dropped.

Naruto placed a few gold dragons on the counter and offered the innkeeper a small smile. "I assume you have a room for us now, no? These should cover all the broken furniture and your labour."

"M-My labour?"

"Well, it won't be sanitary to keep the corpses here all day. Go dig some graves for them. It's the least you can do." Taking a quick glance at ravaged tavern, the innkeeper spotted a few bodies still convulsing in a dark, spreading puddle. Stifling a shudder, the innkeeper caught his breath and vomited. Just what in the world were these women? They were monsters! "W-What are you?"

Naruto paused for a moment, scrutinising the innkeeper with a cold gaze. "If anybody asks, tell them the Dragon Wardens have arrived to Westeros."

-X.o.X.o.X

Author Note: This chapter was difficult to write, but I managed to deliver. Work and all that really got into me. I was debating for a while if I should allow tragedies, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't bear to make Naruto any more miserable than he is. Also, have you guys read Fire and Blood? I respect George R.R. Martin very much, but he has degraded Saera's character too much for my liking. I initially picked Saera because there was little information about her, except for the fact that she went to Volantis. She was mysterious in that sense, and I really wanted to work something with her. I'm going to disagree with what George has planned for her, as it will go against my plan for Saera. I hope you guys don't hate me for that.

I also wished to address some of my reader's frustration – the Kaguya plot. I felt it was necessary, because as established, she is the source of most evil that has warped Westeros. Her relationship with Visenya, and Visenya's affinity with ice, should be a foreshadowing of what is to come. Don't worry, I love Visenya's character, so I'm not going to do anything stupid (I think). For some fans out there who, after reading Fire and Blood, wanted to know about what I have in store for Aerea Targaryen, I can safely tell you this: I don't like what happened to her, but I don't know what to do with her too.

Pairings:
1.) NarutoXVisenya (I guess this is very much confirmed.)
2.) NarutoXSaera (Pretty much cemented)
3.) NarutoXRhaena (Second daughter of Aegon the Dragonbane)
4.) NarutoXRhaenyra (Some of you wanted this, but this is a very tricky one)
5.) NarutoXAshara Dayne
6.) NarutoXHarem (Open to suggestion)

Please tell me what you think by dropping a review.