I'm glad some people are enjoying this story! Unfortunately, between work, life, and my other two stories, I don't really have the time and energy to work on this one. I'll be putting this story on hiatus until I complete one of my other two stories. I already have the basic plot mapped out so when I do start again, it won't be difficult. If you have any suggestions to the plot or wish to help in any other way, please contact me.

Brynden

Brynden stood at the dock, waiting for his ship to drop anchor. The moon had already replaced the sun and all was quiet. A thin mist had begun to drop over the city and Brynden pulled his cloak tighter. It was getting cold.

Brynden looked up at the starry sky and sighed, it was near midnight and there was no sign of Lord Stark. He was probably not coming. It was just another disappointment to his already disappointing day.

Earlier he had gone to see his sister Shiera Seastar, the only woman he ever loved. The two of them have had a long and complicated relationship, which started when they were only fifteen. Aemon the Dragonknight had proclaimed his sister the Queen of Love and Beauty and Brynden wanted to do the same. He had spent countless times with her in bed. They flirted and fought, laughed and cried. They seemed like a normal couple – except that they weren't.

Brynden had stopped counting the number of times he proposed to her. She had refused all of them and rather than his wife she had become his mistress. Worse she occasionally took other lovers and beds other men. No matter how hard he tried, Brynden couldn't stop her.

So it was little surprise then that she once again rejected his proposal today. He had gone to her after he left the Tower of the Hand. When he told her she only stood there and smiled at him playfully, taunting him with her naked body. He stormed out of her room, his heart in pieces. "Do I even have a heart anymore?" he had asked himself afterwards.

Brynden sighed and shook his head. He was getting distracted. The last thing he needed was the thought of a woman interrupting his mission. The crew on the ship had lowered a plank onto the dock and Brynden walked up to the deck. "Lord Bloodraven," the crew said as he passed them. The ship, called Red Wind, was his own. He had paid for her construction with his own money and handpicked her crew to make sure they would stay loyal only to him.

Brynden made his way towards the stern, where his private room was located. It was a large room – taking up the entire stern – but it wasn't particularly roomy. The walls were lined with bookcases filled with old tomes and navigation charts. A table and several chairs occupied the center of the room and two beds were placed on the far side of the room. A single chandelier hung from the ceiling. Once inside, he closed the door and sat down.

Suddenly he voices outside; voices Brynden didn't realize. For a moment he considered the possibility that perhaps Daemon's agents had already caught up with him. Brynden moved closer to the door, his right hand making its way towards his back, where he had concealed a knife under his shirt. The voices stopped, replaced by the sound of footsteps. Brynden's hand tightened around the hilt of the blade and his heart began to pound. Trust no one…

The door opened and a hooded man entered. Upon seeing the man's face, Brynden let out a sigh of relief and released his hold on the dagger. It was Cregan Stark.

"Did I surprise you Bloodraven?" Cregan smiled as he took a seat.

"Lord Stark, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Brynden asked, joining him at the table.

The former Hand chuckled. "Curiosity got the better of me," he admitted. "So here I am. Now….tell me everything."

Brynden nodded and cleared his throat. "I do believe you are familiar with a man called Hyron Lannister?"

Cregan nodded, "He was a maester of the court and if I'm not mistaken, Queen Naerys Targaryen's teacher. But isn't he dead?"

"That's what I thought too," Brynden continued, "until words reached me from one of my agents. Hyron Lannister is alive and well, he is living in Pentos under the name Tymon Greywall."

"And Hyron Lannister holds the key to this mystery?"

"Precisely. Hyron was the only man Naerys trusted besides Aemon. It was said that after Aemon died defending King Aegon, Naerys told all her secrets to Hyron. After Naerys died unhappy, Hyron supposedly faked his own death and fled so he could keep her secret. He vowed to keep take her secret to the grave and we need to make sure that happens.

"You mean kill him."

"Sadly yes," Brynden said. "Even if the story is not true Hyron Lannister needs to die. We need to tie up these little loose ends before Daemon discovers them and uses them to his advantage."

"Alright, so where do we start?" Cregan didn't look too happy about it, but Brynden could tell he agreed.

"We will land in Pentos first. Apparently 'Tymon Greywall' made quite a name for himself as a healer so it shouldn't be too hard tracking him down," Brynden replied. "I just hope we get there before Daemon's men do."

"Does Blackfyre know about Hyron Lannister too?" Cregan asked.

"People talk Lord Stark," he said darkly. He drew his hidden dagger and looked at his reflection on the smooth, glassy blade. "You never know when someone might just let something slip. Shadows can take a life of their own. And when they strike, you fall." His hand opened and the dagger dropped to the ground with a thud.

"Are you saying we are being followed?" Cregan's voice dropped to a low whisper.

Brynden nodded. "There is an assassin on this ship. I know every single face onboard but the new attendant….."

"So what are we going to do?

"Don't worry Lord Stark, I have a plan."

They spent the rest of the night laughing and joking about the past. It was early morning when both men, having consumed some wine, fell asleep. The ship was rocking back and forth with the waves and all was quiet. The only noise came from the gentle taps of the waves and the cawing of seagulls.

One man onboard however was not asleep. He quietly worked his way from the crew quarters below to top of the ship, moving carefully as to not wake anyone. Slowly he tiptoed across the deck and opened the door to Brynden's room. As he walked in, he drew out a dagger and made his way towards the ship's master.

Brynden was well prepared and as the assassin neared, he opened his eyes and rolled down to the ground. He drew out Dark Sister from under the bed and slashed the assassin's shin. With a yell the man collapsed onto the ground. Brynden got up and kicked the dagger away from the man's hand. He pointed his blade at the man's neck. "Who sent you?"

At that moment Cregan charged in with three crew member and surrounded the downed assassin. Brynden repeated his question. "Who sent you? Tell us or we'll leave you here to bleed to death."

The assassin laughed as he retrieved a small brown bag from his belt. Then, before anyone could do anything, he stuffed the bag into his mouth. He coughed and gurgled as white powder began leaking from his mouth. Soon his eyes went blank and his skin paled. Brynden knelt down and placed a hand by the side of his neck. "He's dead."

"If he poisoned himself to death," Cregan said after the crew carried out the dead body and cleaned up the pool of blood, "it means he must be really loyal or really stubborn."

"It wasn't just any poison," Brynden replied. "He used Volantene White Powder; it kills within seconds by stopping the heart. This kind of poison isn't available on Westeros so this assassin must have spent time in the Free Cities before coming here."

"Do you think this is Daemon Blackfyre's work?" Cregan asked.

"No. I know Daemon. He might be a fool but he's an honorable fool. He would never swoop down this low," Brynden replied. "No it has to be someone working for him or advising him."

"Whoever this person is, he doesn't want us to reach Pentos," Cregan observed. "Any chance the other side has already reached our target?"

"I doubt it," Brynden shrugged. "If they're trying to kill us then it's obvious they're behind. If we make good time, we should be able to reach Pentos within three days. Let's just hope the gods are kind enough to make sure we're the first ones there."