Trials of Fire

Chapter 11

Alyssa and Baelon walked around Norvos and talk. Deirys talks to Jaehaera about what is happening between her and Rhaegon. I hope you guys like it. 🥰

                                                  Alyssa Targaryen (16 years old.)

 

                                                        Baelon Targaryen (27 years old.)

Alyssa was enchanted as she looked around the city, Norvos was a beautiful city. The nobility and the small folk could be clearly distinguished. The nobility lived at the top of the tallest hill, and the beautiful fortresses where they lived were surrounded by mighty stone walls. The people walking around them looked colorful, their hair and beards were dyed with different colors. The buildings were beautiful, and she was just unhappy with the scratchy clothes she was made to wear, Baelon believed their Targaryen heritage should remain hidden from the rest of the population, so they were both dressed as peasants. They were using a mansion on the outskirts of the city, it was big enough for them to be comfortable, but not to call attention to themselves. The walls surrounding the mansion were high enough to keep their dragons hidden, which is why they had arrived under the cover of night, They were sure to stay hidden. All their servants had been brought from Westeros and no one was supposed to know they were here until it was necessary. Baelon had decided to take her around the city to show her some of the places they were supposed to visit. According to the information they had received there was a pleasure house Martyn visited most nights, and he was staying with one of the richest families in the city. They were allowed to go around since the Valyrian look was not so strange here in the Free Cities. Alyssa was thankful for that because there was no way she was dying her hair.
"What are we supposed to do?" Alyssa looked at Baelon. "I do not believe the magistrates will answer any questions we have."
"They will not, and we should not be asking them any questions." Baelon stepped behind one of the buildings and she followed after him. "I cannot allow him to see me, he has met me before so he knows what I look like."
"So we will have to stay hidden?"
"I will have to be careful when we leave the mansion, but you do not." Alyssa frowned. "Martyn does not know what you look like, the last time he saw you, you were a child. The fact that you have silver hair and lilac eyes is not so odd here. A lot of people have the Valyrian look."
"What are we going to do then?"
"For now we are just going to observe and see what he does and who he meets with."
"That sounds a bit boring." She would have thought that spying would be more exciting, but it sounded quite dull. "But we cannot get to him, where he is at right now."
"No, we cannot."
"So, does that mean we can walk around the city?" She gave Baelon a pleading smile. "Please, I have never been here before and the city looks beautiful."
"Yes, it is." Baelon gave her an indulgent smile. "Fine, we will walk around the city."
Alyssa's smile grew even larger at her brother's words. She had read stories about the free cities. Aemond had gifted Deirys with several books. Some of them were illustration books that had paintings of different cities, but the paintings did not do this city justice. The hills the city was surrounded by were beautiful, the river was also very pretty. She liked the city and wanted to see more of it since her brother had been here before he could show her the sights.
"Where are we going first?"
"I will show you the bells." Baelon took her hand in his and she felt her heart skip a beat. He leads her along the city towards the hills. "I believe you will like them."
Alyssa was not so sure, what was so important about the bells? He guided her through the stone roads and she could not help but look around. One of the few things she did not like about the city was the slaves. They could be differentiated easily from the other citizens, they were shaved bare, even the women. Things here were significantly different than at her home. Baelon guided her to one of the smaller hills, the only thing on the hill was a beautiful marble and stone bell tower. The building was white and gold, and Alyssa had to admit it was beautiful. The view from the hill was amazing, she could see most of the city from this point.
"These three bells govern every aspect of the lives of the people living in the city." Baelon guided her toward the entrance of the building. "The bells tell the people of Norvos when to rise, sleep, work, rest, when to take arms when to pray, and when they are permitted to have um.. well when they can have carnal relations."
"Wow, I cannot imagine my life being governed by bells." Alyssa looked up at the building, she had never seen anything like it. "But I can admit how beautiful it looks."
"Yes, the bells are very beautiful." Baelon was also looking up at the building. "Each bell has its own distinctive sound. The Room bell makes a deep sound, the Narrah bell sound is strong, and the Nyel bell makes this high pitch sound."
"I think I have heard about this before." Alyssa frowned in concentration. She could almost see it, but the memory was just out of reach. She turned to Baelon. "I feel like someone told me about it."
"Yes, it was me." Baelon turned to her, his smile gentle. "When you were six you insisted you wanted to go to the market street. You heard from one of the maids that you could find wonders from all over the world in the merchant stands. You begged me to take you."
"Yes, I remember." Alyssa could not help but smile at the memory. She had blocked a lot of her memories with Baelon, including the good ones. "You finally gave in and took me without our parents knowing."
"Yes, you dragged me to every stand for over two hours." He shook his head. "You made me buy you several trinkets from different cities around the world. You insisted you needed at least one thing from every city. Then you found a book called Wonders Made by Man, you would not leave until I bought you the book. Then you made me read it to you every night for a whole year."
"Ah yes, I remember the book." Alyssa let out a laugh. "It was written by the famous traveler Lomas Longstrider. I had completely forgotten about it."
"You did not lose it. You left it behind when you went to the Vale." Baelon looked back at the building. "I have it."
"You have it?" Alyssa frowned. "Why do you have it?"
"I took it with me after you left." Baelon shrugged but did not look at her. "For years you took that book everywhere. You used to write in the book, circle things and made small notes. So when you left it behind I took it with me."
"Why?" Baelon did not answer her, just stared at the building. "Baelon, why did you take the book? It is not as if you could not buy another one."
"It was a reminder of you." Baelon looked at her, his eyes filled with something she could not name. "It had your handwriting on it, it was almost like having a piece of you. It was a reminder of a time when you did not hate me, when I was not your enemy."
"You are not my enemy and I have never considered you that." She took a deep breath. "I am not going to lie and said that you did not hurt me, but the reason you hurt me so much is because I loved you."
"I know, just like I am aware you still have not forgiven me."
"It is not just about forgiveness, it is also about trust." Alyssa hated the feeling of being in between. It felt like something had been left unfinished, she wanted to be done with this, but knew it would not be so easy. "Where is the book now?"
"It is at the mansion. I always keep it with me." He shook his head. "I can return it if you wish."
"No, you can keep it."
"I have another gift for you."
"What is it?" She could not help but be excited about the prospect of another gift. "Come on tell me."
"I think I rather show you."
Baelon extended his hand and Alyssa looked at it for a moment before taking it. She and Baelon had some work to do, but things were getting better between them.