The Moon Behind the Tower

Hunting and Dark Truths

Rhaenyra was in the carriage, going to see Amata. Rhaenyra had seen Amata last week through the window that overlooked the doors and even seen how more mature Amata's body Rhaenyra had not even been surprised, it was her hair that caught the Princess's attention. Never had Rhaenyra seen such long hair before and wondered how Amata didn't have headaches. Soon the Princess was at Lord Ormund's countryside castle and when the carriage got to the gate Ser Cole, who was riding on a horse behind the carriage rode up to the guard of the gate and announced that Princess Rhaenyra was here to greet the Lady Amata. The guard looked at the young knight and sighed.

Guard: Good luck Ser, for the Lady has been hunting for almost... ten hours now.

Cole: I beg your pardon?

Guard: Her unbroken record is a week of hunting, so this is nothing. Raise the gate for the Princess!

Soon the gate was opened and Ser Cole rode in first, his mind reeling at the fact that Lady Amata was hunting for so long. Ormund was in his library, drinking water and reading by the fireplace, when a servant came to him, telling him that Princess Rhaenyra was here at the castle. Ormund was surprised that the Princess would be here, and he left the library to greet Princess Rhaenyra. Rhaenyra was happy to meet in a warm room that was more welcoming than most Lord's castles. Ormund walked down the stairs that were connected to the balcony that overlooked the greeting area, his steps still steady as he walked down the stairs.

Ormund: Princess! What brings you here?

Rhaenyra: My Lord, I have not greeted you since you arrived, and the Lady Amata. I feel bad that I have neglected you.

Ormund: No need to feel that way, it was chaotic with that incident with Joffrey Baratheon.

Ormund lead the Princess to the area where there was the second fireplace and a table in the spare room, where drinks and cookies were served to the lord and his guest of that day. Rhaenyra has always like the old lord; he was kinder and more levelheaded than his son ever was. Soon the two were eating cookies and milk and talking about the court and her future when Rhaenyra saw a ring on the lord's finger. Ormund was known to never wear rings, and this one was far too fancy for Ormund. The band of the ring was pure gold, and the mold at the top was a lion's calm face, with diamonds for eyes and real ivory fangs that just peek underneath the lips of the mammal, it was a beautiful thing to see, and Rhaenyra wanted to know why he had such a ring.

Rhaenyra: My Lord, pardon me but where did you get such a ring? I have never seen you wear rings before.

Ormund: Oh, this ring? It has a sad past.

Rhaenyra: Oh?

Ormund: The story I'm about to tell you will change everything, everything you know, and what you truly think you fear the most.

Ormund sat more upright in his chair, leaning in more on his knees and he looked at the Princess in the eye.

Ormund: Do you remember the day that I left Westeros to go to the land of the Two Empires? Well, four years ago the Empire was once whole. Imagen, Princess, and kingdom that is twenty times, yes TWENTY TIMES the size of our kingdom was the Star and the Cresent Empire once. If at the empire's peak, it can wipe out all of Westeros if it wanted to. I was there when Sultan Suleiman was in the last two years of his reign, I had never seen a family more divided in the struggle to control all of the power that Suleiman had created over his fifty years of his rule. I went there with Amata coming a year later so that she could see what a wonderful place it was, outside of the palace, and thank all of the gods that I made that choice, for those two years, were the bloodiest years I have ever known in my life. There was two Sultana's each from different power factions, the ones that got power because of their families, and after this incident, all of the women's families died, gruesome and painful deaths, the Sultana's deaths were the worst I have ever witnessed in my life, but we will get to that later. I was with the Sultan, helping him with his last campaign when a soldier came into the tent, we were reporting that two armies were in the capital, both of the rival power factions that are at the palace. The worst was in our minds when we rushed back to the capital, the center of the whole land and what we saw was the worst massacre that I still, have been haunted by to this day was horrible. There were bodies of guards, young teenage princes, and many more bodies filling the hallways, blood following in rivers down them. The Sultan's daughter and Osman's mother managed to hide the younger princes and their children in a sealed room that only his daughter knew of, and they survived the massacre. The two women were caught leaving the palace and were brought to the Sultan in his throne room.

Rhaenyra was horrified by the story, seeing how brutal it was at the Empire when Suleiman was alive, and he was one of the greatest rulers of his time. Ormund felt his eyes starting to sting from the pain of those memories, the words that described the pain, the shock, and the reality of the fight for the chair that stood above all, and the one to break all. He remembered the wails of the Sultan, as he weeps over his children, his sons from his wife, and their dead wives. The fear of the same fate for his family is what drove Ormund to this point, the incident with his beloved daughter had proved to him that Otto was the child that the witch had told him would be the end of his house, the black, brittle stone that will topple the tower in the sky into the pits of dragon's flame and blood. Ormund looked at the Princess, his eyes red.

Ormund: Those women and all of their families all ended tragically, the women, men, and children above the age of fifteen were executed by beheading, and the children under the age of fifteen were castrated, and sent to the slaver camps, never to leave, not even their bones. The Sultanas that was responsible for the massacre had the worst death that I could have ever seen. They were condemned to die by the fires that eat flesh, the worst of flames that were ever made. I watched the event, and I am still haunted by their screams of pain and their voices begging for death. The fire didn't burn on the skin, rather it burned underneath the skin, burning the meat, the bones, and your blood at the same time. The event lasted for half an hour. Their bodies were fed to the dogs, and their bones never recovered. That was only the first year. Then it was the last year of Suleiman's life. And I will tell you the truth here Princess, of how the Sultan died. It was the sadness and stress of the massacre of his family and the guilt of his choice of letting those women in the palace. That is what killed the Sultan, and before his death, he made a choice that would change history forever. He, before his last breath was taken on his bed went to his throne, and on it, he declared that the Empire would no longer stand as one, but as two. He was the first ruler to ever split his power, and he hoped that this action would discourage any power-hungry men and noble families, which it did, but now there have been rumors that there are factions that want to restore the Empire, but it's been only rumored.

Rhaenyra nodded her head, now thoughts running in her head. This was Suleiman, the greatest ruler, who would die such an end. If her father chooses her to be heir, will her children be safe? Would she have to suffer such heartache as well? Ormund looked at the Princess, seeing the stress on her face, so he took the ring off his finger and got out of the chair, and kneeled to her.

Ormund: I was at the Sultan's deathbed, and he asked me to bring Westeros and the Empires together, for the royal families to unite so that order and law will withstand all threats, together. This ring was not only a gift to me, from his finger, but a promise, a vow that I took on for the Sultan, to finish what he started. So, know, Princess, that if you are crowned heir, the Empires and my family, what is left of it, will stand with you.

Soon there was a servant's voice in the air, saying that lady Amata was here.