Sarella Sand POV
"Fascinating, isn't it?" Marwyn stated more than he asked as he stood beside her and stared at the Seastone Chair. "Absolutely wonderful. A one of kind throne that has been with the Ironborn for longer than recorded history. Built before the Valyrian empire even begin. Or the Ghiscar empire. Or the Yi Ti empire. Depends on which one you believe to be older, really." He said and then paused as he leaned in. "I would put my gold on Yi Ti, by the way." He whispered.
She slowly turned her head toward her sort-of mentor/friend and gave him a skeptical look. "How are you so sure that this Throne is that old?"
"Very simple. And it is because of the material this throne is made up of." Marwyn said as he went to the throne and gestured for her to come closer. "Touch it. And tell me how you feel."
She touched the arm of the throne and felt a shudder go through her body at the cold, slimy sensation under her fingertips. She immediately removed her hand from the throne and stared at Marwyn who had a huge grin on his face.
"Felt that, didn't you? Everyone feels it when they touch a Black Stone for the first time in their life. I certainly remembered my first time. It was when…" He paused and shook his head. "Not important. What is important is you understanding just what this stone is."
"A Black Stone." She said, the answer coming easily to her due to her own research. "I know what it is. I've read about it. It is a stone left behind from ancient times. It is said that the Yeen, an ancient ruined city in Sothoryos, is made out of stone like this. As are the buildings in Asshai."
"Indeed," Marwyn replied, his fingers tracing the contours of the chair. "And if you're familiar with Black Stone, then you're aware that anything crafted from it is virtually indestructible." He gestured towards the throne. "If you were to drop this chair from hundreds of feet above onto a stone floor, you'd end up with a shattered floor and, at worst, a few scratches on the throne."
She raised an eyebrow upon hearing that and gazed at the Seastone Chair with more interest. "That sounds unbelievable." She said, though she knew that Marwyn was probably right about this, as he was with most other things. "But then, how didanyonecarve a chair out of such hard material?"
"It's the same way that Valyrian steel is forged and reforged," Marwyn replied with a casual shrug. "Through the use of magical spells and rituals. This is why I believe that the Ironborn didn't construct this throne themselves. No, this was created by a civilization that inhabited these lands long before humans ever set foot on Westeros. Perhaps even before the time of the Children of the Forest and the giants. Isn't it fascinating to think that an ancient and powerful race once roamed this world, and to behold one of their masterpieces with your own eyes?"
"But why do you think that these people existed before our earliest civilisations?" She asked.
Marwyn proceeded to explain, "The reason why I find this so intriguing is because the YiTish people discovered the Five Forts - a series of massive fortresses along the northeastern boundaries of YiTi. They didn't build them, but rather found them already in existence. It's like if the First Men arrived in Westeros to discover the Wall already standing in the north. The YiTi have no historical records of constructing the Five Forts. Nowadays, some speculate that the Valyrians were responsible for their construction, but this claim is absurd since the Valyrian Empire didn't even exist at that time. There are similar historical records about the ruined city of Yeen and the Toad Statue on the Isle of Toads."
"So… if not our earliest civilisations was responsible for its constrution, then who built this Black Stone?" She asked, even more curious about this topic at this point.
Marwyn gave her a sardonic smile at that question. "That's what I want to know as well. As do many other scholars around the world. Though I doubt that anyone of us would ever find the answer. Or if it'll even be a good thing if we found the answer. Considering the almost… evil nature of this stone."
—
Standing at the head of the table, Stephen addressed the various Ironborn lords who had come to visit him and discuss the iron ores he would be obtaining. "I have a similar offer for you as the one I presented to Lord Rodrik and Lady Greyjoy," he began. "I can offer you advanced payment for five years in the form of gold, food, steel, and other supplies. Would this deal be satisfactory for you?"
She stood on the side and noted down the main points of the meeting as Stephen's scribe. It was slightly amusing for her to see all these 'bloodthirsty' Ironborn lords complain about not getting the 10 year advanced payment that Lord Harlaw and Lady Greyjoy received.
"Aye. But I do not know the other Houses as well as I do House Harlaw and Greyjoy." Stephen explained.
"You can take my daughter as your 'ward' as well if you give me 10 years of advanced payment." One of the lords spoke up, and she held the urge to facepalm herself as the lords started to bicker with one another, clamouring about whose son or daughter should be taken up by Prince Stephen as his ward.
Did these people not understand the concept of advanced payment. That once they've received the pay, they'll have to provide the goods to Stephen for the next 5-10 years. That the only reason Stephen is even doing this, is to help the Ironborn stand up on their feet and to increase the productivity of mining their iron ores.
In the end, Stephen spoke up once again and denied the idea of taking any 'wards' for his house.
The meeting dragged on for much longer than necessary. Several of the Ironborn lords struggled to grasp basic economic principles and some even engaged in arguments with one another. Despite these challenges, Stephen eventually succeeded in persuading all of them to sign the agreement.
Handshakes were exchanged, documents were signed, and as Stephen's scribe, she diligently recorded every important detail of the meeting. It wasn't until the Ironborn lords had left the meeting room that Stephen finally slumped down into his chair.
"You're aware that at least one of them will likely try to withhold the Iron ores or even deny having made the deal altogether," she said as she set aside her quill and parchment and took a seat nearby.
"Aye, I'll eat my boots if at least three of them don't renege on their promise to send me the Iron ores this time," Stephen replied.
"Then why do it. Why give them all this gold when you know that they won't keep their word?"
Stephen's smile grew at the thought. "You know, when the houses in the Westerlands refused to repay their loans to House Lannister and even went so far as to insult their Lord Paramount, Tywin Lannister eradicated two of those houses as an example. After that, the other houses either repaid the gold or sent hostages until they could repay it. I may not approve of Tywin Lannister, but his method certainly worked in that particular situation."
"So what… you're going to destroy two houses in order to set an example for the others?" She asked, the words leaving a bad taste in her mouth.
"Of course not! Do I seem as cruel as Tywin to you? I'll have you know that I abhor unnecessary violence." Stephen said as he leaned against his chair and rubbed his chin. "One example will be more than enough."
She inwardly shivered at how casual Stephen sounded about the entire thing.
She didn't even question if he would be capable of destroying an Ironborn house. She was not aware of all the things he could do, but Tyene had seen some of his magical abilities, and was confident that he could destroy an entire army on his own without much effort.
"So what now?" She asked. "What else do you need to do in Iron Islands?" 'And when will we start our return journey to Dragonstone?' She thought.
"A few more lords, and a few more small stuff. After that, we should be free to-" The door of the meeting room swung open and Lord Rodrik strode into the room.
The old lord walked up to Stephen and stared at the young Prince for a moment before he gave a bow. A deep and respectful bow.
"Thanks for healing my sister, Prince Stephen." Lord Rodrik said as he got up from the bow and Stephen shrugged.
"Don't thank me for that. She was Asha's mother. I couldn't simply let her waste away like that." Stephen said before he hummed thoughtfully. "Though, it would be for the best if you take her away from Pyke and let her to live in the Ten Towers instead. This place will always be tainted for her because of her association with her children and this location. A new place will be good for her mental health."
Lord Rodrik appeared thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "I'll consider your words, Prince Stephen." The old lord then turned to leave the room, but paused at the doorway to glance back at the prince, a complex expression crossing his face. "Furthermore, I would appreciate it if you would end your... relationship with my sister. I don't want her heart to be broken by someone like you."
Then the lord walked out, closing the door behind him and she gaped at Stephen who seemed amused by this entire event.
"You fucked Asha's mother?" She asked, wondering if she should even be surprised by this or not.
"She didn't look half bad once I gave her my blessing," Stephen remarked without a hint of remorse. "A few glasses of wine, a few caresses, and a few songs were all it took to have her writhing under me on her marital bed. I'd call her an easy lay, if I didn't know the effect I have on women. It's a shame Asha couldn't join us, though."
She stared at his smug face for a long moment before she rubbed the nose of her bridge and shook her head. "You know what, never mind. I do not want to hear about what goes on inside that degenerate mind of yours."
"Oh, really?" Stephen inquired, his voice silky smooth and sending a shiver down Sarella's spine. She knew all too well what that tone of voice meant, having been around him long enough. It was his seductive tone, reserved for when he was trying to charm a woman into his bed. She gave him a wary look, which he returned with a predatory one of his own. "You seem... uneasy, Sarella. Why is that?"
She gulped and looked for a way to dodge this talk. Ever since she joined Stephen in this voyage as his scribe/secretary, she knew that she'll eventually end up having sex with him.
She was not even against that idea. And Stephen has definitely been showing his interest in her in subtle ways over the course of this voyage. But he'd never made a direct move on her. And now that he was doing so… she suddenly felt very hesitant and self-conscious about the whole thing.
It's not that she didn't want to sleep with him. She did. But she didn't want to end up being just another 'conquest' in his great list of conquests. She wanted to have something special with him, like Asha did. And she wasn't sure if she'll have that.
So after thinking on it for a moment, she decided to deflect. "I went saw the Sea Stone Chair today, with Marwyn. He told me a rather fascinating tale about its origin."
"Is that so." Stephen said as he slowly extended his arm toward her.
Her gaze fixated on his arm as though it were a venomous viper ready to strike, until she bit her lip and reached out to clasp his hand.
Stephen's grip closed around her slender fingers, and he tugged her closer to him. But instead of toppling to the ground as she had expected, she landed in his lap, her heart racing as her cheek pressed against his doublet.
She shot Stephen a hesitant glance, which Stephen returned with an amused one of his own.
One of his arm wrapped around her thin waist and pressed her body close to his own while his other arm started to caress her thigh in a gentle, slow motion.
Then Stephen brought his face close to hers, and whispered in a seductive voice. "Why don't you tell me more about this fascinating tale that Marwyn told you?"
His voice sent a shiver down her spine and her body responded with a rush of heat as she took a deep breath, feeling light-headed, and gazed into his eyes. "Well, he had a theory about where the Black Stone came from." She said, and started telling him about everything that Marwyn told her about the Black Stone.
As she finished her explanation, her breaths came in heavy gasps, her body was aflame with arousal, and Stephen's gentle caresses had left her core slick with desire. Stephen, on the other hand, appeared deep in thought, almost as if he hadn't been teasing her body all along.
"You know… I've done some reading on this subject myself."
"You have?" She asked, her voice coming out in a pant.
"I have." Stephen nodded "And I have a few theories about what happened to the people that built all these Black Stone structures all over the world."
"What are these theories?" She asked as her hand unconsciously moved toward his crotch. But she suddenly realised what she was doing and changed its trajectory to his stomach instead.
Stephen seemed amused by her action, as if he'd read her mind and knew what she was going to do. But he didn't say anything about it as he started telling her about his theories regarding those ancient people.
"First of all, I'm not even certain if these beings were human like us." Stephen said. "It's plausible that they were an entirely distinct species, akin to the Children of the Forest. However, based on the research I've conducted on their structures, it seems likely that they were comparable in stature to typical humans. Their anatomy probably followed the same design as ours, as opposed to having four arms or ten eyes."
She shivered as imagined a being with ten eyes, pressing close to Stephen who held her in a gentle embrace.
"Well, my first theory is that those people got wiped out due to a world spanning natural catastrophe." Stephen said.
"Natural catastrophe?" She asked in confusion. Though her mind was clouded with desire, a small portion of her remained lucid and attentive to Stephen's every word.
"Aye. It could be have been something along the lines of an underwater Earthquake that triggered a colossal Tsunami. One large enough to swallow the entirety of Planetos." Stephen explained. "Think of a Thousand feet tall wave, moving fast enough to cover the entirety of Sunspear within a moment. Or… it could've a giant Meteoroid falling into the Planet. The possibilities are endless, really."
She nodded. She had no idea if waves could even get that large, or what a giant meteoroid even was. She noted down these things and decided to ask him about them further down the line, when her hand wasn't unconsciously inching toward his dick.
"What's your other theories?" She asked.
"My second theory, is that these people, who were possessed magical abilities, wiped themselves out with a massive magical incident. Similar to the Doom of Valyria, but on a larger, world-wide scale."
She hummed at his words and then gasped as his hand came to rest over her crotch. His palm pressing down upon her mound through her trouser, his fingers dextrously moving up and down her pussy lips in a torturous dance.
"My third theory, is that a god, or a demon, or a being of equal power, cast a curse upon them. A curse that either killed them, or degenerated their mind to the point where they became no better than common animals." He said, his words smooth as honey in her ears as he continued her slow, torturous masturbation. "If that is indeed the case, the species of humans like the Brindled men, the winged men, or the people in the Thousand Isles, might be the decedents of this once great Empire. I personally don't put much stock in this theory myself, but it is a possibility."
"I see." She said, her breath coming hot and heavy at this point as she unconsciously tried to rub her butt against his semi-hardened cock.
"Indeed." Stephen said as he trailed soft kisses down her shoulder, leading up to her neck and ending with a soft nip in her earlobe before whispering in her ears. "My fourth theory, is that these people chose to enter a prolonged slumber. That even now, they're sleeping somewhere in this world. Perhaps one day they will awaken to reclaim their dominion over the world.'"
She licked her lip and nodded at his words. Though at this point, she wished that he would just bend her over the table and fuck her already.
Stephen seemed to have heard her thoughts as his fingers stopped rubbing her crotch from over her clothes and his hand slipped inside her trouser instead. His fingers brushed against her pussy lips and she let out a throaty moan as she felt a jolt of pleasure go through her body at his tough.
At this point, she threw all subtlety out of the window, and started to rub her ass against his crotch faster and faster in an attempt to arouse him as well. Judging by the growing hardness she felt underneath her ass, she was succeeding.
Much to her frustration though, Stephen remained calm and steady through this entire event and he continued talking at the same pace as before. "My Fifth theory, is that these people were highly magical in nature, and that a sudden drop in the ambient magic in the atmosphere killed them off."
"Um hm." She nodded and closed her eyes as one of his finger slipped into her pussy and curled up inside her vagina, reaching her erogenous zone with ease before he started to pull it in and out of womanhood. Her pussy clenched tightly around his finger with each movement as he payed her like a lute.
"I have a few other theories about what happened to those people. But I think that those could wait for another day." He said before he picked her up and threw her over the table.
She heard the shuffling of his clothes and looked back at him to see him lowering his trouser, and taking out his monster of a cock.
She gulped.
Hearing about it from Tyene was one thing. Seeing it as it was about to go inside her was another thing altogether.
Would it even fit?
She was hot and aroused enough at the moment that she didn't really care.
She quickly unbuckled her belt and lowered her trouser and panties, present her dark black ass to her prince.
Stephen gave her an amused smile at her action but she didn't care about that right now. She took hold of both her ass cheeks and spread them wide open for him. Presenting her winking arsehole and and glistening pink folds for his viewing pleasure. "Fuck me Stephen. Please." She begged.
Instead of replying, Stephen took hold of her waist with one hand and lined himself up with another. She felt the bulbous head of his cock come to rest over her wet opening and shuddered at the implication of what was going to happen.
And then he pushed, and groaned in pain and pleasure as her tiny pussy spread around his thick, veiny member. She closed her eyes and tried to take deep breaths to deal with the pain. But surprisingly, the pain started to subside almost immediately and she let out a sigh of relief before she focused on the thick member resting within her.
She looked back at Stephen and saw that only a small portion of his cock was resting within her.
She bit her lip at the thought that he would have to put all of that inside her. But she reigned in her fear and gave him a nod.
Stephen nodded back at her before he slowly moved his hips forward, cautious about causing her too much pain and she felt herself being spread open by his member, a slight burn in place where she was stretched before the pain vanished and was replaced by please.
"It feels so good." She whispered, not knowing if Stephen could even listen to her, or if her words were even coherent at this point.
"I know." Stephen replied cockily before he shifted once again. She felt his dick penetrate her pussy some more. She groaned with pleasure as he continued to push into her pussy, deeper and deeper, until her pussy was fully stretched by his cock, and his balls came to softly rest against her thighs.
She took quick and shallow breaths and felt a measure of pride welling up in her heart at finally taking him fully within her. And for losing her maidenhead to Prince Stephen of all people.
A distant part of her mused at how her father would be so happy that she was finally having sex with a man that she liked and respected.
But then all her thoughts about her father were pushed to the back of her mind as Stephen pulled out. She felt his veiny length pull along her folds until only the bulbous head of his cock was resting within her.
She looked back and saw the blood coating his cock. It served as a reminder of what she'd just given to Stephen as he gripped her hips with both his hands and pushed inside her once again, sheathing his entire cock within her in one go.
And her mind blanked out in pleasure.