(Sorry, guys, I'm in the process of getting hired for a new job that requires a six-week training course literally on the other side of the country, so posting isn't exactly my top priority right now. Still, enjoy the chapter.)
𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 114: 𝕯𝖔𝖓'𝖙 𝕿𝖊𝖒𝖕𝖙 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖊.
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The laughter and applause continued for several more seconds until Daenerys finally seemed to remember that they were still in the middle of a tavern full of people watching them. She stepped away from Vlad and cleared her throat, trying to regain her composure, although the slight blush on her cheeks only provoked further teasing from several people present.
The barkeeper congratulated them from behind the counter with a satisfied smile; this alone gave him reason to believe the tavern would remain full all night.
—Gods, lad —Rodrik commented, shaking his head with a smile—. If you sang here every night, you'd end up filling my tavern all by yourself.
Vlad chuckled softly as he helped Daenerys down from the platform, gently holding her by the waist.
—Tempting offer —he admitted calmly as he settled the lute over his shoulder—. But I'm afraid we'll be moving on after tonight.
The tavernkeeper could only nod regretfully.
Daenerys settled beside Vlad in front of the counter again while the atmosphere remained lively after the performance. Vlad rested an arm on the wooden surface and gave a faint smile. He had a couple more songs prepared for that night, but above all, he was curious to find out what people really thought of the new government, so this seemed like a good opportunity to test the waters.
—But don't worry, I won't leave without making tonight memorable —he remarked with apparent innocence—. Would you like me to play something about your new lord?
The reaction was immediate. It was not as though everyone fled in terror or fear paralyzed the tavern, but several uncomfortable glances eventually shifted toward Rodrik, almost as though they were waiting for him to say something.
The barkeeper, however, seemed more amused than concerned.
—I wouldn't do that if I were you —Rodrik warned.
Vlad responded with a curious look, but Rodrik continued before he could ask anything.
—Look, suppose you entered the Vale tomorrow —he began, leaning against the counter in an almost conspiratorial tone— and someone told you there were demons in the woods. Would you believe them?
Vlad raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but the tavernkeeper continued speaking before he could answer.
—And what if two people told you? —he continued.— What if a dozen villagers solemnly swore to you that demons were roaming the fields?
Daenerys let out a little giggle before shaking her head.
—Of course I wouldn't believe them —she replied with amusement—. It's absurd.
—Of course it is! —Rodrik replied, laughing and raising one hand—. But here's the important part: would you enter the forest anyway? Ignoring warnings from half the village would be reckless, even if you didn't believe a single word they said.
Vlad merely watched him in silence, waiting to see where he was really going with his argument.
—If you're not afraid of demons —Rodrik asked with a smile—, what are you afraid of?
—Animals, I suppose —Daenerys replied with a shrug—. Bandits.
Rodrik nodded with some satisfaction.
—Reasonable fears for two travelers —he commented—. Every place has its little superstitions, and everyone laughs at the opinions of people living on the other side of the river.
He placed the clean cup on the counter and draped the cloth over his shoulder as he spoke.
—But tell me something... —he added with a knowing look—. Have you ever heard a tavern song making fun of the Lord Impaler? People have been talking about him for years, but I'd wager a coin you haven't.
Daenerys fell silent for a moment, realizing that there were hardly any genuinely unfavorable stories about them beyond the absurd tales spread by the Faith. But popular songs originating among the people themselves... there were none.
Rodrik gestured around the tavern.
—Look, I'm not saying the Impaler will emerge from the shadows if someone makes a joke about him —he clarified with a little laugh—. But people fear him practically everywhere, and usually, there's a reason for these things. Names are strange and dangerous things, and I know that because I'm an educated man.
—And if I'm a little superstitious as well —he added with a burst of laughter—, well... that's my problem. I'm old, so you'll have to be patient with me.
Vlad looked at him with some surprise. It was curious to see how he had become part of people's folklore and superstitions, but above all, he was surprised by how close the tavernkeeper had come to the truth.
All that superstition, all the theatrics and all the staging surrounding his reputation had a purpose beyond fear... It was an experiment, a gamble, to be precise.
—So we simply... —Vlad asked with amusement— don't tempt fate?
The tavernkeeper immediately burst out laughing.
—Ha! See? I knew you were clever —he replied—. Exactly. We don't tempt fate.
Rodrik continued laughing for a few more seconds before pointing at Vlad's lute.
—Well, since you've ruined the atmosphere, I suppose it's up to you to fix it now —he remarked—. You said you'd sing three songs, and so far, we've only had one.
Several people nearby immediately nodded, while some even began banging their mugs against the tables in approval.
Vlad gave a small, resigned chuckle before standing up again with the lute resting on his shoulder.
—I suppose an artist owes something to his audience —he admitted.
The next songs were quite different from one another. The first was about a poet, a soldier, and a king, each capable of changing the kingdom in a different way. The melody was light, swift, and strangely hopeful, with a rhythm easy enough to follow even for the drunkest men in the tavern.
[The Oh Hellos - Soldier, Poet, King]
It did not take long for the laughter, mugs clashing against tables, and applause from several sailors trying to keep up with the rhythm to return.
Even Rodrik ended up singing part of the chorus alongside several regular customers, while one of the serving girls moved between the tables, bursting into laughter at the spectacle.
The second song was entirely different.
The melody began slowly and softly, accompanied by long notes that seemed to stretch throughout the tavern as Vlad sang the story of a wolf who lost the woman he loved during a storm, all because of his bad temper.
[The Witcher 3 Soundtrack - The Wolven Storm]
This time, no one struck the tables or raised their mugs. The conversations gradually died away until all that remained in the tavern was Vlad's voice and the gentle sound of the lute.
The song was so sad that practically the entire tavern ended up crying in complete silence.
Some men remained seated with their heads lowered, discreetly wiping their eyes as they remembered lost loves. Several serving girls cried openly without even bothering to hide it, and even one of the drunkest sailors in the corner ended up sobbing against the table while another clumsily patted him on the back.
Even Rodrik listened in silence, his eyes moist.
Daenerys fared no better. At first, she tried to maintain a serious expression, but tears eventually began rolling down her cheeks as she watched Vlad sing from the platform. Fortunately, thanks to the enchantment concealing her appearance, those tears no longer looked like blood beneath the warm candlelight.
When the lute's final note faded, no one spoke immediately. For several seconds, the tavern remained completely silent, as though none of those present wanted to disturb the atmosphere the song had left behind just yet.
Then someone began to applaud slowly. Little by little, the others followed, and soon the entire tavern was filled with applause once more, although this time it was neither as loud nor as exaggerated as before. Even the drunkest men seemed to applaud somewhat awkwardly as they finished wiping their eyes or silently emptied their mugs.
Rodrik remained leaning behind the counter, trying to regain his composure after crying along with the rest of the tavern.
Vlad chuckled softly as he observed the general state of the room before finally rising from the stool, the lute still in his hands.
Gradually, the atmosphere relaxed again. Conversations resumed, several serving girls returned to their work among the tables, and some sailors ordered more drinks, although the tavern's overall mood remained much quieter after that.
Daenerys approached Vlad again and settled beside him as she discreetly wiped away her remaining tears.
The night continued with music, drink, and much less intense conversations until the hours passed without anyone noticing. Eventually, just as everything had begun, Vlad and Daenerys left the Drunken Lion together beneath the moonlight, ready to return once more to the responsibilities and life awaiting them at the palace.
Vlad resumed his work almost as soon as he returned to the palace. He had greatly enjoyed the experience, and Daenerys even more so. He had even considered making those outings a regular occurrence, but for the time being, he had too much pending work to relax excessively.
Even so, he always tried to spend enough time with his wife to ensure his absence did not become too noticeable. Fortunately, Daenerys spent much of the day occupied with Myrcella, between her lessons and her responsibilities as a future ruler.
The various disciplines required to govern a kingdom consumed almost all of the last Targaryen princess's time, leaving Vlad free to continue his work without Daenerys feeling lonely.
Vlad, for his part, was devoted to a project of great importance.
Beneath the enormous underground chambers of Casterly Rock, there was much more than a library administered by Clan Tremere. Alongside his progeny, Vlad had built an enormous laboratory from scratch, equipped with machinery and contraptions manufactured from the materials available in that era. Although many of its facilities still looked rudimentary, it contained the most advanced technology on the entire planet.
The runes he had developed were versatile and compatible with physical mechanisms, allowing magic and machinery to be combined in ways never seen before.
Thanks to this, enormous machines operated throughout the castle's underground chambers. Several metal coils discharged electricity into thick copper bars suspended above platforms covered in runic symbols. The discharges passed through matrices engraved into the metal and stone before disappearing into conduits connected by cables to the rest of the laboratory.
The coils designed to store energy were covered in runes that stabilized their structure and regulated their output, allowing machines to remain operational under conditions that would normally have required the power of an entire storm.
Several tables occupied the center of the main chambers, all perfectly organized and covered with surgical instruments and mechanisms connected by runic lines that glowed beneath the stone.
Almost every table held entire creatures or parts of different animals being examined by the Tremere progeny and several human apprentices of the clan.
The walls were lined with enormous shelves filled with books and alchemical tools, along with their metallic components, all carefully classified.
Vlad had understood long ago that, no matter how efficient his mind was or how useful the memories of his previous life proved to be, working entirely alone placed excessive limits on the speed of any research.
For that reason, he had created Clan Tremere.
Most of its members devoted themselves almost exclusively to research, experimentation, and the development of new applications for runes and magic. Thanks to their work, his projects had stopped progressing slowly and were now advancing at an absurd pace.
After all, it was quite efficient to have researchers who did not need to sleep and could remain active for entire days, feeding only on small vials of blood donated by the clan's human members.
The right-hand section of the laboratory was separated by enormous glass walls reinforced with runes engraved directly onto their surfaces. Behind them rested all manner of strange creatures.
As their progenitor, Vlad possessed control over blood that went far beyond simple physical manipulation and extended practically into the realm of genetics.
In one of the rooms, a wolf cub slept beside the glass. The only difference between that animal and a normal direwolf was its size: it was already more than twice as large as most adult direwolves. Its enormous paws rested on the stone as it breathed peacefully, oblivious to the constant activity of the laboratory.
In another chamber, a lizard-lion devoured several pieces of meat that had just been introduced through a small sliding door, while some of the clan's younger members recorded its behavior in various notebooks. The creature crushed entire bones between its jaws as it slowly swished its tail.
In the chamber closest to Vlad's laboratory rested the most unusual creature of all.
It lay on the floor, gnawing on a pile of broken bones. It showed no hostility when someone passed in front of the glass; it simply raised its head and examined the passerby with its yellow, reptilian-pupiled eyes before returning to the remains in front of it.
Its quadrupedal body vaguely resembled that of an enormous wolf, with broad, muscular shoulders, longer front legs than hind legs, and black claws capable of tearing an adult man apart with a single blow. However, it was covered in thick, dark scales and had a long, heavy tail that it slowly dragged across the stone.
Its head was entirely draconic, with an elongated snout filled with sharp teeth and two dark horns protruding from the top of its skull. Several natural bony plates protected parts of its face and neck.
At first glance, it might have looked like a small dragon, but it lacked wings, and its compact, agile body was clearly adapted for hunting on solid ground.
Despite its unusual appearance, all its features seemed to fit together naturally, as though the creature had genuinely undergone an evolutionary process.