22 Lorath

"Clang"

"Clang"

"Clang"

Jon stood on the deck of his ship as he fended off Joffrey who aggressively attacked him with a training sword "You have still not told us who those people are" Obara said as she watched the two from her set on the edge of the ship, she was not happy in the least as she expected this trip to be relaxing and to be done without much trouble. But it seemed that was too much to ask for as Jon most likely did something to piss someone off which she could wholly believe, had it been a few years ago she might've considered evening joining the group.

Jon turned to her and gave her a lazy smile which did not help in calming her down "I don't know..." he simply said as he blocked another strike from Joffrey without looking before sending him back with an easy push. Obara felt her eyebrow twitch as she looked at Jon with a frown on her face "What do you mean you don't know..." she asked trying to contain her anger.

Jon shrugged "They probably just don't want to kidnap me or maybe the King, there are too many reasons to state why they may not like me"

"Oh that I can believe" Obara commented making Jon roll his eyes "A lot of people hate me because of my family, while others because I've stolen stuff and quite a few because their wives liked me more" Jon replied with a smug smile. He then quickly moved his head and avoided a bucket being thrown at him by Joffrey, he turned to him with a sigh "You'll never improve as long as you keep that attitude" Jon stated.

Joffrey scowled as he looked at him, the past week at sea he had learnt that his outbursts would get him nowhere and that he had no choice but to obey, he also recognised he'd get hit less if he stopped shouting "What attitude!" He growled out with gritted teeth as he clenched his sword between his hands. Jon just looked at him with a bored expression "You think you're better than everyone else and that those around you are merely there to serve at your pleasure"

Joffrey bit his tongue at Jon's words 'Of course they're there to serve me!' He thought to himself though he didn't voice his opinion. Jon smirked at him "Let me guess you believe that people are around to serve you" Jon asked, but Joffrey said nothing and instead continued to scowl at him.

"As long as you continue to believe that you'll never become more than what you are now, you'll grow up to be a useless man-child that can not even dress himself" Jon said harshly which made Joffrey go red. Jon then threw his sword to the ground "Attack me, you can see I'm unarmed" he stated, and immediately Joffrey charged towards him and swung his sword at Jon's head, Jon sidestepped and backhanded him sending Joffrey to the ground "Slow and weak, a majority of the time in a fight if a person has a weapon and the other does not then he will win, but it seems you're doing well at fighting against the stereotype" Jon said as he laughed at the boy.

Jon then walked forward and grabbed Joffrey off the ground before shoving him into the mast of the ship "You're what three name days younger than me? And you've achieved nothing in your life, you only have what has been handed to you" he said bluntly. "When I was your age I was already diving into ruins and fighting for my life in Essos. So tell me boy do you want to be useless your entire life" he continued, Joffrey felt fear creep up his spine as Jon's imposing figure looked down at him "Your father is a great warrior, what a disappointment you are..." Jon said with a shake of his head.

Joffrey grit his teeth "I will become better than you..." he said in a low growl as he stared venomously at Jon. Jon looked at him with a smirk "Then you better get training otherwise you'll die long before then" he said before walking back and kicking his sword to Joffrey.

———————————————————-

(Two Weeks Later)

Joffrey had been put hard to work every day from dawn till dusk, Jon allowed him the right to refuse but also told him that he wouldn't be eating that day if he did not follow orders. It was for his good as the boy was painfully weak, a few months of hard Labour would build up the muscle he was so sorely lacking, Jon also took charge and started to train him how to use a sword properly.

Jon couldn't help but be amused as Joffrey had taken to it rather well, though it was clear to see why, he had a rather vengeful look on his face and was most likely pushing himself to beat Jon down to the ground 'Like that would ever happen' he thought with some amusement. Jon didn't want to seem too arrogant and prideful but he was practically the best, even if Obara said differently.

Samaya walked next to Jon who was currently at the wheel of the ship watching Joffrey exercise, he could tell Obara took great pleasure in slapping him with the blunt end of her spear every time he slowed down. He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt Samaya press her large bust against him, he felt a shiver go down his spine when he felt her breath against his neck, Jon couldn't help but laugh nervously, he had done a commendable job over the past few years dealing with her advances but it was quite hard when they were on a small ship and it had been weeks since Jon had gotten any kind of attention.

"What will we do once we reach Lorath Jon..." she asked gently in his ear as her hardened nipples pressed against him. Jon was just thankful he had managed to convince her to cover them while in public as it would've made resisting her a lot harder, composing himself he turns to her their lips nearly brushing as he does "W-We will resupply and get the lay of the land before heading to the Labyrinth at Lorassyon" Jon said slightly stuttering.

Samaya nodded "Are you confident you will be able to navigate the labyrinth and find your prize?" She asked though there was no concern in her voice just curiosity, Jon shrugged "It should not be too hard to find, The most likely place it'll be is in the centre of the maze. Qarlan the Great was an Andal who wished to become their king but was quickly put down by the Valyrians, they said he built a fortress at the centre of the maze" Jon explained.

Samaya hummed in affirmation as she started to sniff his neck and then place a light kiss, Jon felt a shiver go down his spine when she did but before he could get her to stop she had already left and walked to the bottom deck. Jon sighed 'That woman will kill me one day' he thought to himself as he focused on back on navigating. For hours they sailed until it was mid-afternoon and they could finally see their destination in the distance. But there was something else they could also see which was quite disturbing, everyone came to the top deck where Jon was as they saw it.

"What're we going to do" Obara asked

"Perhaps they are friendly? It does not seem like a battle is occurring" Samaya stated.

"But why else would they be there" Obara said as she turned to Samaya.

Jon did not say anything as he looked out across the sea at the small fleet that lay just outside the harbour, he recognised the people immediately as they had uniquely crafted ships to hunt down and carry Leviathans 'Why would the Ibbenese be here' Jon thought to himself as he looked ahead. While the Ibbense used to be more warlike they're much more xenophobic now, they've mostly given up on colonising Essos and have stuck to their islands, to act so blatantly aggressive and station a fleet outside of the capital 'Something more must be going on' he thought to himself.

Though he did silently curse as he realised that his trip had gotten much more complicated than it had before, he just hoped whatever problems the Ibbenese had with Lorath didn't involve his destination 'I'm probably just paranoid, they most likely have a dispute over the fishing waters' Jon said to himself as he calmed himself down "Get ready for a fight but don't do anything unless they are the aggressor, we don't need to get our ship sunk thousands of miles from home" Jon commanded and then obeyed.

They all waited with bated breath as they sailed past the Ibbenese fleet station around the harbour. Jon was almost certain that they would try something but much to his relief and quite a bit of surprise they did nothing and they were allowed to pass unmolested. They all released a sigh of relief and allowed themselves to relax as they sailed into the harbour, Samaya quickly jumped off and tied the boat while Jon and Obara hoisted the sails.

When they finally got off the ship they could see that they were not out of trouble yet, the city was in turmoil as guards and soldiers marched down the streets, peasants rushed to their homes and ships were currently being loaded. Further up Jon could see the sea defence ballista placed on watchtowers surrounding the harbour were manned and to Jon's eye it looked like more had been hastily made and placed on makeshift platforms.

Jon frowned as he walked down the dock "Stay close, don't get separated" Jon stated and they obeyed, though Joffrey meant to ignore Jon but was quickly dissuaded from doing that by Obara who shoved him in the back. Jon left the docks and entered one of the main roads of Lorath that led to the main keep, it didn't surprise him much as nobles were pretty lazy. He turned to Obara and Samaya "See if you can grab any supplies, I'll head to the main keep and see if I can figure out what's going on" Jon said as he threw a pouch of gold at Obara which she deftly caught and nodded "I'll keep the crybaby with me" he added, Jon could practically hear the venomous growl that escaped from Joffrey's mouth but chose not to comment on it.

They split up with Jon and Joffrey heading up the main road and Samaya and Obara heading the other way to try and find the market district. Jon and Joffrey passed large squads of soldiers marching as they walked but it seemed as if they were not interested in the two of them and had more important things to do "What are they all doing!" Joffrey asked in his usual whiny voice, it didn't help that everything he said sounded like a command, but Jon ignored it "I'm not sure, perhaps they're preparing for the Ibbenese" Jon replied as they got closer and closer towards the main keep.

They eventually reached the square in front of the main palace, it was a lavishly designed place with exotic trees that were planted and a large waterfall in the middle, what seemed to ruin the scene was the large procession of short hairy men that were grouped outside the gates to the keep. With them was another large squad of Lorathi soldiers that protected the gate. Jon looked at the scene curiously before grabbing Joffrey by the arm "Hey!" The boy whined but Jon just put a finger to his lips and dragged him off to the side, they slipped through the alleyway of a building and walked a bit further before coming to an unguarded part of the wall he grabbed Joffrey and threw him over the wall before bending his knees and jumping himself.

He landed perfectly while Joffrey was sprawled out on the ground with mud on his face. Jon saw he was about to launch into a rant about how much better he was than Jon and that he wouldn't take the lack of respect any longer. Jon holds his hand to his mouth "If you shout or give us away, I'll knock you out and when you wake up you won't have a tongue... nod if you understand me" Jon said in a cold tone sending a shiver through Joffrey's spine. The boy king quickly nodded and so Jon removed his hand before dragging him to his feet, luckily for them the majority of the guards were at the gate protecting it from the Ibbenese so they were able to sneak up to the castle without any trouble.

Jon then removes his grapple hook from a hoop on his belt, he can see on the third floor there is an open window so he swings it around before throwing it. He then hands it to Joffrey who takes it from him but not before giving him a look of confusion "Well you can't do this" Jon said before crouching and jumping and grabbing onto the ledge and hauling himself in. He looked ahead and saw two guards that were now looking at him, Jon smiled at them sheepishly "I don't suppose you'd be willing to look the other way if I promise we aren't doing anything bad" he said in a light tone.

The guards drew their swords and rushed at him seemingly aiming to kill first and ask questions later, Jon sighed "I thought not" he said right before ducking under a swing from the guard on the left and then sliding around him and putting his arm around his neck, the other guard backtracked and was about to swing but Jon kicked off the wall and sent his foot into the guards face sending him flying to the other wall and then spun around and threw the other guard out of the open window.

Jon wiped his hands together 'Hopefully that won't have been too loud' he thought to himself 'Though knowing my luck the entire army is already on their way' he walked to the window and looked over the edge and saw that Joffrey was still only halfway up 'Has he never climbed anything before? He's not even using his feet' Jon thought as he inspected Joffrey's form. Not wanting to wait he grabbed the rope and started hauling him up which surprised him and he let out a loud squeak, a few moments later Joffrey was standing by Jon. As amusing as it was to let Joffrey suffer, they were now on a time limit as once the guards woke up they'd sound the alarm.

Jon told Joffrey to be quiet and to stay low, they snuck through the corridors of the castle avoiding the guards and servants as they went, Jon was curious why the hallways were so bare as a place such as this would usually be bustling with guests and servants. They quickly walked into a large room, though since they were on a high level they were on the balcony. In the room were three thrones and in front of the thrones was a very wide and long red carpet on either side were two areas for seating reminding Jon of the types of seating they use in Tourneys.

In the centre of the red carpet was a group of Ibbense men who were facing the three people who sat on the throne "What is happening" Joffrey whispered, though it was still a bit too loud for Jon's liking "The three on the throne are the Princes of Lorath and the ones in the seating are the council, the ones in the centre must be the leaders of the Ibbenese fleet stationed outside" Jon explained before listening in close.

"What you are asking us to do is unreasonable Captain Ebon" The Prince in the centre stated, above the throne he sat on was the image of a man making Jon surmise that he was the Prince of the Streets.

"Indeed, we have put much time and coin into this endeavour to simply ask us to pack up and leave, preposterous" the Prince to the right stated, the symbol above him was a kernel of wheat so he was the Harvest Prince the prince in charge of the land.

"We have a right to the relics uncovered as the descendants of the Fisher Queen!!!" The Third Prince shouted, this one could only be the Fisher Prince the man in charge of the navy.

The Ibbenese man walked ahead slightly causing the guards at the door of the thrones to step forward "You know not what you risk!!" He shouted in a deep raspy voice that made it sound as if his throat was rumbling "That place is dangerous, old things lurk in-depth, and you doom us all if continue" he said speaking in the broken common tongue as most seafaring people spoke it.

"Simply preposterous! Things lurking in the depths? The only thing lurking down there will be riches that will bring Lorath back to prominence in Essos" The Fisher King stated angrily as he looked at the Ibbenese man before him.

Ebon scowled at them which even for Jon was quite intimidating "We warn you, if no listen we fight, my ships ready for battle" he said as he pointed in the direction of the sea.

The Prince of the streets laughed at this "An empty threat Captain, our fleet is only a day away and it outnumbers yours, you will not be able to conquer our city with your numbers or will end up a massacre for you. Now is there anything else you wish to say?" He asked with a smug smile on his face.

Ebon scowled again before turning around and shouting something in a raspy guttural language, he walked passed his entourage and they quickly followed him out of the main chambers slamming the door as he went. Jon watched the scene carefully as he tried to piece together what he had just heard, while the Prince of the Streets was right about their fleet not being able to conquer Lorath, Jon didn't think the man would give up so easily.

"Hey, you!"

Jon cursed as he turned around to see a group of guards being led by the one he had injured he grabbed Joffrey "Time to run" he said before they started to run towards an exit on the other side of the balcony, but before they could get there the door slammed open and a man who was 8ft tall and armoured crash's into Jon who fell through the wooden fence and down into the main throne room.

Jon grunted as he slammed into the red carpet in front of the Princes, the councillors in the stands started to shout in both fright and shock, the guards immediately got into action and surrounded Jon, encircling him and pointing spears at his body.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!!!" Shouted the Fisher Prince as he stood up from his throne grabbing a trident that was next to it.

"Calm yourself, Fisher Prince, give a man the chance to explain himself" The Prince of streets stated calmly as he watched Jon lumber up from the floor.

Jon simply smiled "Well met my Princes I am Jon Snow, I meant no harm by sneaking in I was just curious as to what the situation with the people of Ibb was," Jon said eloquently as he bowed to them.

The Prince of the streets sat up on his throne suddenly much more interested "Please tell me are you the same Jon Snow who is known for delving into ancient ruins?" He asked curiously.

Jon felt slightly concerned that he'd be known to him 'I hope I didn't steal or fuck him over in any way' he thought to himself "Yes I am" he simply stated much to the Prince's delight.

"Everyone out!!!" The Prince shouted and immediately they all started to file out of the room except for the guards who stood their ground making sure to keep Jon in check. The Prince stood up from his throne and walked down the steps, he waved his hand and the guards stood down. The Prince then put his arm around Jon and led him towards the table in the middle of the room where a large painted table resided "It seems the gods have answered my prayers by sending you here Lord Snow, I have been writing you for many moons and I had not heard word back" the Prince stated.

Jon looked confused for a moment before he had a moment of realisation "I apologise my Prince it has been quite a while since I've collected any letters from Pentos... may I ask why you wished to contact me" he asked.

The Prince smiled at Jon "All will be revealed in time Lord Snow, but let me ask you this" he said with a glint in his eyes.

"What do you know about the Labyrinth of Lorassyon"

(AN: So Jon is at Lorath and now we meet The Prince of The Streets who is leading the Lorathi expedition into the Labyrinth to find treasures of the Fisher Queen... at least that's what he's said. Anyway Lorathi speech is a pain in the balls so I won't be doing it these chapters would take forever if I did)

If you like my stuff consider supporting me

Patreon.com/Captainalfie78Works