Pirates

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ashara standing quietly in the doorway. At twenty-two, her beauty was not that of a carefully tended rose in a palace, but of a wildflower growing freely on a cliffside, braving the salt wind and blazing sun, full of vibrant life.

She wore a plain dark-blue outfit in the Braavosi style, without unnecessary adornment. As the fabric rose and fell with her subtle breaths, it faintly traced the graceful contours of her youthful figure. When Viserys mentioned her name, her lashes trembled almost imperceptibly, and she turned her gaze toward him. For that instant, concern and promises seemed to intertwine in her eyes.

Her pale violet eyes glanced toward the sobbing Daenerys. She said nothing, merely giving Viserys the slightest nod. The gesture itself was an oath that needed no words.

Half a month later, on a moonless night, two ships flying no distinctive flags quietly slipped away from the secondhand clothes seller's little dock and melted into the darkness of the waters beyond Braavos. Viserys stood at the bow of the leading ship, looking back at the trading city, where scattered lights were still visible. His mind lingered on the kiss Ashara had given him just before he boarded, carrying a hint of the cool Braavosi night and a delicate fragrance.

In the third week after the ships left Braavos, the fog at sea grew so thick it would not lift. By day, the sun was little more than a dim yellow halo. At night, the world seemed reduced to silent gray gloom.

Such weather was ideal for concealing one's movements, but it also made it easy to stumble into shadows with ill intentions.

The lookout was the first to notice something amiss. Deep in the fog, a few faint lights drifted about. At first there were only two or three, but another seven or eight soon appeared, forming a loose arc as they moved across the course ahead. The experienced sailors immediately sounded the alarm.

"A fleet, Your Grace. Quite a few ships, and their course suggests they mean to intercept us." Arthur Dayne came to Viserys's side to report, his hand resting on his sword hilt.

Through the eyes of creatures beneath the sea, Viserys could see that the approaching vessels were a size smaller than their warships, with low hulls and pirate flags hanging from their masts. Unfortunately, there were no large sea creatures nearby, or he would have made the pirates suffer.

"Pirates."

Almost as soon as he spoke, a lingering horn blast pierced the silence of the fogbound sea. The small ships suddenly picked up speed and cut across their course from ahead and to the side. There were at least ten in all, and they quickly completed the encirclement. A slightly larger longship, its hull painted with some kind of coiled sea monster, pulled ahead of the others and blocked their path. A booming voice with a thick Lysene accent carried through the sea fog. "Friends up ahead! The weather's poor, and the sea is treacherous. Why not stop and let our lord Salladhor Saan, the 'King of the Narrow Sea,' treat you to a drink and discuss a little business?"

A short, barrel-shaped figure appeared at the enemy ship's bow. He wore a filthy studded coat, and a tangled beard covered nearly half his face. Beneath a crooked leather cap, his startlingly bright eyes greedily surveyed the cargo holds weighing Viserys's ships low in the water. In fact, those holds contained the soldiers' armor and weapons. If the pirates attacked, they would likely be in for a nasty surprise. Their equipment was poor, after all, and most of the soldiers were familiar with fighting at sea.

"Salladhor Saan," Viserys repeated softly, finding what he knew of the name in a corner of his memory. In the original story, he was the pirate captain who operated in the Narrow Sea and was later recruited by Davos, the Onion Knight, to provide a fleet for Stannis. A cunning, pragmatic man who valued profit above all.

"Tell him we have no wine and no business to discuss with robbers blocking our way," Viserys instructed a loud-voiced soldier beside him. "Tell him to move aside."

The soldier shouted the message across, drawing a burst of coarse laughter from the pirate ship. Saan wiped his beard, his voice dripping with undisguised mockery. "No business? Friend, isn't the cargo aboard your ships the finest business there is? Your ships and your men look very good to me. How about this? Leave half your cargo, one ship, and half your men, and I, Salladhor, will guarantee that the rest of you leave this fog safe and sound. What do you say?"

His answer, however, was the creak of bows and crossbows being readied aboard Viserys's ship, followed by the sound of swords leaving their sheaths. Saan's expression darkened. He clearly had not expected such defiance. He waved a hand, and the surrounding pirate ships began edging closer. Some pirates had already raised their curved blades and grappling hooks.

"So you'd rather do this the hard way." Saan spat. "Lads, prepare to board! Take whatever's valuable, and throw anyone who resists into the sea to feed the crabs!"

The battle erupted almost instantly. Relying on their small size and agility, the pirate ships closed in from several directions to board. Arrows began whistling through the fog, and flaming shafts trailing sparks struck the ships' rails and sails. Screams, clashing blades, and the shrill scrape of hull against hull shattered the sea's silence.

Viserys did not remain in the relative safety of his cabin. He took up Blackfyre and strode toward the starboard side, where the fighting was fiercest. Several pirates had just swung across on ropes and landed on the deck when they found him facing them. The hulking man at their head gave a wild yell and slashed at him. Viserys merely slipped sideways, and the heavy Valyrian steel sword swept out in a jet-black arc. The pirate's cry cut off abruptly as he was cleaved in two along with the curved blade in his hand. The movement was simple and elegant.

More pirates surged aboard, but Viserys was like a merciless killing machine. Blackfyre seemed weightless in his hand, every stroke carrying immense force as he parried attacks or severed weapons and limbs. Yet he did not simply charge blindly. His footwork also possessed the lightness of the water dance, always bringing him where he was needed most at just the right moment. Before long, he had cleared a stretch of deck around him. The mangled pirates and blood covering the boards sent a chill through the others.

Ser Arthur directed the fighting on the other side. His swordsmanship was even more seasoned and incisive; almost no pirate could last two exchanges against him. The other soldiers aboard were well trained too, fighting in formation and driving back the boarding pirates time after time.

The battle lasted less than half an hour, but it was fierce and bloody. Though the pirates were bold, they lacked organization and good equipment, and they gained no advantage against the elite force under Viserys's command. They lost six small ships and suffered nearly a hundred casualties. On Viserys's side, only a few men were seriously wounded, while some others suffered minor injuries.

Salladhor Saan himself was captured as well. When Viserys fixed his gaze on him, holding the blood-dripping Blackfyre, Saan felt a chill creep up his spine. The young man's eyes were terrifyingly calm, without the slightest ripple despite having killed so many people. Viserys himself was somewhat surprised. After all, this was the first time he had killed anyone with his own hands since coming to this world. Yet he felt no discomfort. Instead, something restless stirred within him, as though he thoroughly enjoyed it all. He blamed it on the madness lurking in his Targaryen blood. What Viserys did not know, however, was that this was merely the release of the darkness he had accumulated in that other world during his previous life.

"You've won, my lord," Saan called out. His former arrogance had vanished, leaving only defeat and a hint of ingratiation. "Please have mercy. I, Salladhor, failed to recognize who I was dealing with, and I'm willing to pay full compensation for all of this. I know these waters well, too. I can guide your ships. If you'll have me, I can even bring my men into your service."

The sea breeze tugged at his bloodstained coat. His unnaturally bright eyes remained fixed on Viserys, waiting for an answer that would let him live.