Game of Thrones: The Legend of Jon Arctic - ASOIAF/GOT

Chapter 161 - Artican Trade in Essos 16 (Rhaenys's tears.).

[Chapter Size: 3600 Words.]

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

Thrid Person POV

Essos, 296 AC.

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

"Is this Step Stone?!" Daenerys asked in awe, gazing at one of the islands in the distance while examining the map made by Jon, far more detailed than the original.

By this point, Jon had already scouted the entire territory and the chain of local islands with his eyes from the sky, detailing every city, village, camp, and even secret smuggling spots and hideouts where pirates were currently hiding from them. His eagles had mapped everything out, and Jon, with a memory far superior even to those renowned scholars from all over the world, including his own people from Artica, managed to convey all of it on the papers he had created.

"Yes... it's full of islands here, but they're distant enough that we can only see one. But don't be fooled; any direction is filled with islands," Arya said next to Daenerys, smiling while scanning the horizon.

"But..." Daenerys spoke again, looking at the sea around them. "Where are the ships? Normally, we'd see some ships on the water, but ever since we entered Stepstone... there's nothing on the water..." she murmured, wondering what had happened.

"Well..." Arya murmured, and even Wind, who had been silently listening to the conversation, now looked curiously at Arya as well. "Actually... everyone here, whether merchants or pirates... they all fear Jon," she said.

"What do you mean by that?" Daenerys, who didn't know the details, asked.

"Our ships have wiped out many pirate groups here, leaving no survivors in these waters. We invaded a pirate city and took it down without resistance after blowing up the entire dock. People here are afraid of us and don't want to cross our path. According to the wargs' reports, all the cities are in panic at this moment. It's not something we've intentionally controlled, but that's our reputation in these lands," Arya replied.

"That's... surprising," Daenerys murmured, not quite sure what to say. Meanwhile, Wind approached Daenerys' map, curious.

"Look... you knew this used to be a direct bridge to Essos, but we destroyed it... it was a little before I was born..." she said with a certain pride, not caring that Daenerys raised an eyebrow in surprise at this.

"What do you mean, destroyed?!" Daenerys asked, almost stuttering.

"My race destroyed it, silly snow hair! We may be small, but together, we have lots of cool abilities!" Wind said, causing Daenerys to chuckle at the nickname Wind sometimes gave her due to the girl's innocence about everything they experienced in Artica. Daenerys looked at her, trying to make sense of her words.

"That's true..." Arya confirmed as well. "It was during the first invasions of the First Men in Westeros, but that was even further back, over 8,000 years ago, when the conflict between the First Men, the Children of the Forest, and the giants happened..." Arya explained. "While that was going on... the dwarves were in their caves, eating and drinking without a care in the world..." she added at the end.

"Hey, we're hearing that, little wolf. We could've taken anyone back then, so we didn't bother and just relaxed in our mountain," one of the dwarves, who was passing by and overheard the conversation, said, disgruntled, while Arya stuck her tongue out at him.

"Is that true? But if it happened over 8,000 years ago and you said you were born a little after that..." Daenerys switched the subject, thinking of something else as she stared, shocked, at the Child of the Forest, who always seemed like a mischievous teenager, realizing that she was much, much older than she looked. "How old are you?!" she asked, bewildered.