23 The Cult of Boash

Jon and Joffrey had been led into the Prince of Streets private Solar where they were both given food and something to drink, something Joffrey took to immediately as it had been a while since he'd been offered such fine food and wine. Jon however was ever suspicious so of course he let Joffrey indulge himself first to check whether the food and wine weren't poisoned, though he didn't tell that to the young king.

"Enjoying the food Joffrey," Jon asked with a side glance at the boy king, he didn't look sick but sometimes you couldn't tell. While he waited to see if Joffrey would fall over and die he thought about their current host, he hadn't revealed much to them about what his intentions were, only that they involved the maze on Lorassyon which annoyed Jon to no end as he no doubt wanted the Starlight crown so that he could become the true king of Lorath and unite his people blah blah blah. Jon had seen and heard this hundreds of times, when a young man comes into power and is quite popular with the lords or small folk they have delusions of grandeur, that they were put here for a higher purpose.

'Greatness comes from inside.'

He remembered the words that his father had told him when he was younger, he tried to impart those words on Aegon but he was determined to get the Sword of Hyrkoon not realising that even an artefact as great as that wouldn't change who he was. As sad as it is to think, Aegon was never going to be King and even if he did sit on the throne he would've simply been used by the people that put him there.

'Not like any of that matters anyway, I can always just steal it like usual.' He thought to himself, though it did mean making enemies in Lorath, a place that he hadn't visited properly. Jon looked over towards Joffrey who was still stuffing his face like it was the first time he'd seen food in weeks, though in all fairness Jon had been feeding him sea rations the entire trip which didn't taste the best. Jon started to fork his food into his mouth as he came to the conclusion that any poison would have killed him by now and any slow-acting poison would give him time to put something together.

He was in the middle of eating a piece of honeyed chicken when the door behind him opened and the Prince of the Streets came sauntering in with a cocky grin on his face. It was at times like this when Jon was glad he was born a bastard if he had lived as a Prince in the Red Keep he might have turned out the same way as this man, dressed flamboyantly and spending more time looking in the mirror than doing anything of actual significance.

"I hope the food is to your liking." The Prince said as he walked around the table and took a seat at the far end, as he did the servants that had followed him placed a platter in front of him as well as a lavishly designed goblet that they quickly filled with wine.

"The food is delicious, I've never had such exotic food even in Kings Landing, bring me some mo-" Jon slapped the back of Joffrey's head before he could finish the sentence.

"Show Courtesy to our host," Jon said sternly to Joffrey who swallowed his food before sitting up straight.

"Thank you for the feast Prince, I hope I may someday be able to repay the favour if you ever visit Kings Landing," Joffrey said in a charming voice, though to Jon's ears it was forced though he didn't much care for sincerity as most of the world thrived on fake smiles and honeyed words, though he hoped the boy wasn't stupid enough to reveal his title.

The Prince of Streets laughed heartily as he took a swig from his goblet "I am glad that I can introduce you to our cuisines," he said as he waved off Joffrey's earlier words before snapping his fingers signalling the servants to bring more food "And you Jon Snow? Or would you prefer Daemon Targaryen?" He asked as his gaze drifted over to Jon who was taking small sips from his cup.

"Jon is fine, most who know me by Daemon Targaryen are dead," Jon said in jest making the Prince smile in amusement.

"Very well, Jon it shall be, it is the name you built your reputation. Maester Snow, Bastard Adventurer... Thief." The Prince said with a smirk on his face.

Jon laughed slightly while shaking his head "I'd like to say that the last one was never proven." He stated while taking another gulp of wine. It did annoy Jon slightly that he'd earned a reputation as a thief, especially when he'd gone through so much effort to keep his involvement a secret 'Lords just hate to lose." He thought to himself.

Jon twirled his almost empty cup in his hand as he looked at the Prince across the table "So tell me, Prince of Streets, what is it that you want in the Labyrinth of Lorassyon that has you seeking my help." Jon asked as he leaned forward in his chair, enough courtesies and formalities had been issued and now he wished to get to the reason he was here.

"Please call me Qarlon, while it is customary for a Prince to give up his name when he takes office, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Especially when I was named after such a great person." Qarlon replied.

Jon raised an eyebrow "You wouldn't happen to mean Qarlon the Great? The supposed King of All Andals." Jon said with sarcasm in his voice as he leaned back in his chair.

As the words left his mouth Jon knew he'd touched upon a sore subject as the smile famished from Qarlon's face was instead replaced with a scowl "My Ancestor would've conquered western Essos had it not been for the Valyrians, he and myself are descended from the Last Fisher Queen!" He shouted as he slammed his hand down on the table making Joffrey jump in fright, though Jon continued to look at him with a blank expression on his face not being affected by his outrage.

Ignoring his words Jon got them back on topic "What is it you seek in the Labyrinth?" He asked in a clear voice.

Calming himself down his welcoming smile returned to his face "I seek that which my Ancestor did long ago, The Crown of Hugor Hill." He said with bated breath.

Jon almost rolled his eyes but managed to stop himself from doing so "Why would you seek such an Artefact?" He asked knowing full well what the answer was already.

Qarlon stood up from his seat and walked to the closest window, a breeze blew through his hair as he placed his hands on the edge "I love Lorath, it is my home and it pains me to see how weak and pathetic it has become, it is supposedly one of the free cities and yet we barely even qualify as one," Qarlon stated in a serious tone.

"It was made clear to me that someone needed to step forward and do what needed to be done, so I shall claim the Starlight Crown and become the first King of Lorath in hundreds of years, only then can I lead this back to greatness." He said in an impassioned speech that would've moved Lords and Small Folk alike.

'It was made clear to me that someone needed to step forward and do what needed to be done, so I shall claim the Starlight Crown and become the first King of Lorath in hundreds of years, only then can I make us great again.' Jon was following along with Qarlon's speech in his head while he spoke. 'Almost got it exactly.' He thought with amusement, though he quickly realised that Qarlon had turned to him and was looking at him expectantly so he quickly cleared his throat and refocused "You've told me what you want, but you haven't told me why you need my help." Jon stated.

"For many moons, I have had our men searching through the Labyrinth, searching high and low for the crown but I have yet to find it, instead I have encountered... problems." He explained as he walked back to the table and sat down.

"Problems?" Jon replied.

Qarlon nodded his head "Have you ever heard of the Cult of Boash?" He asked making Jon raise an eyebrow once again.

"Religious dissidents from the Valyrian empire, they were the first settlers on Lorath before foreigners decided they liked their cocks and gold more than the people who welcomed them." Jon said as he regurgitated what information he could remember about the group "But they also died out a long time ago." He continued.

"That was what the general belief was, however when we first started to explore the labyrinth we found out that this was not the case..." Qarlon stated with a serious expression on his face.

"Both men and women who all worship Boash wander the labyrinth, they walk the passages with their eyes covered."

"Any of my men who come into contact with them are either killed or they simply return broken." He explained.

Jon couldn't help but laugh "You expect me to believe that you cannot arm your guards enough to defeat a bunch of blind cultists?"

Qarlon shook his head "Do not misunderstand, we have been killing them as well but at a certain part of the Labyrinth the sky is covered and Darkness reigns, with a dagger and the cover of darkness even a farmer can overcome a warrior." He explained.

Jon nodded conceding the point "What do you mean some come back broken?" He asked.

Qarlon sighed as he ran his hands through his thick black hair "Those of my men who have encountered the Priests of Boash are found broken and dribbling on the ground or spouting one word over and over again, some never return at all." He said ominously.

The atmosphere became dark and gloomy for a moment, even Joffrey felt it as he stopped shovelling food into his mouth and sat back in his chair. Eventually, it was Jon who broke the silence "I'm not a sellsword, I don't know what you expect me to be able to do about the cultists." He stated.

However, Qarlon shook his head "The cultists shall present no problem as I shall be leading reinforcements to Lorassyon, however, what I need your help with is navigating the Labyrinth." He stated.

"I've had learned men from every city this side of Essos and none can reliably do it, the Cultists have found a way to do so reliably as they can slit a guard's throat and quickly disappear amongst the passages." He continued.

"My ancestor Qarlon was said to have built a fortress in the centre of the Labyrinth, if their crown is to be anywhere then that is where it will be, and it is my wish for you to lead us there." He finally finished.

It didn't take Jon much time to consider his offer "What will be my payment." He asked almost immediately afterwards.

Qarlon laughed and snapped his fingers, two servants came in carrying a large chest bursting to the seams with gold "Will this suffice?" He asked rhetorically, which was why he was surprised when Jon shook his head.

"I want a choice of three artefacts from whatever we find in the Labyrinth." Jon retorted.

"One."

"Two."

"Done."

"Then I shall attempt to lead your men through the Labyrinth, but until I am there in person I cannot promise anything," Jon stated.

"I am fully confident in your abilities based on your... reputation," Qarlon stated with a wide grin. He then stood up and clapped his hands "We will be leaving at dawn, shall I prepare a cabin for you on my ship?" He asked.

Jon shook his head "That won't be necessary, I have my own ship that I can use to travel there." He replied.

"Very well, you are welcome to enter and leave the palace as you will but make sure to be on Lorassyon by tomorrow eve." He stated as he stood up and left the room.

Jon sighed as he rubbed his eyes 'This has gotten a lot more complicated' he thought to himself.

He then turned to Joffrey "Boy, what did you understand from that conversation I just had?" He asked.

Joffrey who had gone back to eating turned and looked at Jon as if he were a simpleton "He paid you to lead him through a maze, what is hard to understand about that?" He said his voice going slightly high-pitched as he did.

Jon sighed in resignation "So you understood nothing then" he said breathing out in frustration, it seemed to teach him was going to be harder than he'd originally thought "Get up we are going." He commanded, while Joffrey did not want to he had gotten used to obeying Jon's orders since they'd been together which Jon saw as progress "Grab the chest we are going back to the ship." He said as he walked to the door.

Joffrey looked at Jon incredulously "It took two servants to bring that in how do you expect me to carry it?!" He shouted.

Jon looked back at him with a smirk on his face "With your legs."

———————————————————-

It had taken a while for them to get back since Joffrey had to put the chest down and catch his breath multiple times but they managed to get there just before sunset. Samaya and Obara were already at the ship and had managed to get the supplies they needed.

Samaya jumped off the ship and onto the docks as she saw the two walking up towards the ship "A few more hours and I was planning to storm the keep myself, what kept you so long?" She asked.

"I shall tell you on the ship," Jon replied as he laughed at her comment, he suspected that she'd love nothing more than to storm a keep, and he doubted that there would be anyone who could stop her unless they managed to surround her.

Joffrey was still lagging as he carried the large chest, his muscles were burning and felt like they were about to rip apart, his shirt and face were stained with sweat and he felt like he was about a few minutes away from passing out. However, as easily as if he was lifting a cup, Jon took the chest off of him with a single arm and carried it onto the ship making Joffrey look at him with a stupefied expression "You did well, as a reward you don't have to scrub the decks tomorrow I'll teach you something." He said.

"He carried that from the keep? You're stronger than you look, boy." Obara said as she regarded Joffrey for a moment.

Joffrey felt something unfamiliar as he listened to the words spoken by Jon and Obara, but it very quickly unlocked a memory that he'd buried so far into himself that he had forgotten it was there.

*

(6 years ago)

Joffrey was in the sparring yard of the Red Keep where he'd been coming for many months to do the same thing, he'd try and use a real sword to train with so he could be just like his father.

For months he tried and struggled and for just as long people would look and laugh and murmur. But one day he did it, he lifted the sword and swung it at a training dummy with what Barristan Selmy had stated was passable form.

"Good job lad."

Joffrey remembered looking up and seeing his father watching him from above, those were the only words he'd said but they filled him with something warm, it made him feel pride for the first time.

*

Joffrey felt that old feeling come back, pride, real pride in himself for something he achieved even if it was simple. It did make him feel conflicted slightly as he still hated Jon, he was his father's killer but because of him for the first time in a while, Joffrey felt pride in himself. He decided to ignore these feelings for now and to continue onwards as he had been.

"So tell us, Jon, what problems have you managed to cause this time," Obara said lazily as she sat on the edge of the ship.

"Why do you assume there are any problems? Or that it was me who caused them?" He asked with an exaggerated expression of hurt on his face.

Obara just raised an eyebrow and he chuckled "You're right, we do have quite a few issues that we will no doubt have to deal with." He stated, his expression becoming serious.

Joffrey who had followed them onto the ship looked at him in confusion "What issues could we possibly have? Look at all the gold we have been given just to lead them through a maze." He said naively.

Jon sighed before grabbing a box and putting it down "Sit." He simply said and Joffrey found himself doing it. Jon squatted down in front of him "You're going to be King one day, the first thing you need to understand about being King is that most of the people you meet will try to lie and cheat you." Jon explained.

"Qarlon offered us gold because he likely has a fortune that makes a chest like this mean nothing to him, however, his negotiation with us was too easy, and he settled on me taking two artefacts that he believes are his birthright." He continued.

"This tells us that he will either expect us to die or he will kill us himself once he gets what he wants." He finished

Joffrey still looked slightly confused pissing off Obara "The prick doesn't want to share his toys so he'll kill us before he has to." She said trying to explain it simply.

"Then why did we accept his offer?" Joffrey asked.

Jon smirked "Because we are going to betray him before he can betray us, this is the world you live in boy, it is full of lies and betrayal, your job as king will be to figure out how to see through it." He said.

"Was there anything else of import Jon?" Samaya asked.

Jon nodded his head, both of the women were intrigued by the look of concern that Jon had on his face as it wasn't often he looked like that "Those that worship Boash are said to wander the Labyrinth." he stated.

"Boash?" Both Samaya and Obara said at the same time.

"He's known as the Blind God and was worshipped by the Old Valyrians that settled in Lorath, they believe in equality and that no life is above another, so it's easy to see why the Small folk eventually massacred them." He explained with a slight chuckle at the end.

"The Prince has said the Priests have a way of turning men into broken husks or simpletons, it worries me, though it also intrigues me as to why they are wandering the Labyrinth and what it is they seek." He continued.

"None of this is of any concern, we shall lead the Lord through the Labyrinth, betray him, then take what we want and leave," Samaya said in an overly simplified explanation of what they should do. Jon couldn't help but smile at her optimism as in his experience things were never that simple.

In the back of his mind, he also had to consider the two other factions at play, the group of people that ambushed him at sea were undoubtedly aware of where he was going and would probably arrive soon. He also had to consider the Ibbenese who were unhappy about whatever Qarlon was doing in Lorassyon, he just hoped he was being cynical and that he'd only have to do one quick betrayal and theft before being back on the sea with a crown in hand.

"Come we better get some rest I want to leave just after dawn," Jon said before standing up.

As Jon walked towards his cabin he heard footsteps behind him and sighed "To your bunk Samaya." He said, though he felt a shiver down his spine when she walked closely behind him pressing her breasts into his back "For now." She said whispering into his ear before lightly nibbling on it and walking past him going below deck.

———————————————————-

(Just After the failed ambush)

"AHHHHHHH," Edric screamed as he was held down by the crew so he could be treated by the healer.

Mya Stone sat on a chair watching as the healers they'd brought with them treated Edric for the burns that he'd gotten from her attack colliding with Jon's. She was in a foul mood ever since the ambush had failed, they had the advantage and yet things had not gone in their favour, though she supposed she could only blame herself. She had thought that perhaps their advantages in number and power would outweigh the environmental advantage that Jon had over them, but she was wrong and on Sea or anywhere with large volumes of water Jon was nigh unstoppable. Had he not been fleeing from them she wondered how the fight would've ended.

"AHHHHHHHHHH."

Mya was brought out of her thoughts by Edric's screams, half of his body was burned by the steam and it was quite an ugly sight. She couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face as she knew how much Edric would hate being considered ugly, had it happened to Gendry the brute wouldn't care but Edric was a lot more vain.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH."

"Can you not shut him up," Mya asked with annoyance in her voice.

The healer who was nothing more than a failed Maester looked at her with a pathetic expression on her face that served to make her blood boil "My lady these burns cause him quite a good deal of pain, we need more Milk of the Poppy." He said to her.

"And waste the little supply we have left? I do not think so, this will be a learning moment for him to not let his pride get the better of him, had he allowed Gendry to assist him then Snow might of been before me in chains." Mya said as she stood up and went to walk to her cabin having gotten bored of the sight of her injured brother.

However Gendry grabbed her arm before she could leave, something that proved to be a mistake on his part as he quickly removed his hand as if he'd touched a hot tray or put his hand in a campfire "Sister, we cannot simply allow our brother to suffer like this... please." Gendry pleaded with his sister.

Mya however looked at him dispassionately "You're welcome to give up your share, but remember if you're injured in the future I shall make sure you get none." She said with a warning in her voice.

Gendry however nodded his head without hesitation, he was not afraid of pain though he had a slight worry he may come to regret his choice.

"Once you've dealt with him get the men ready, we will follow Jon to Lorath and beyond, nothing will stop us from capturing him or at least delivering his head in a spike." She stated before walking into her cabin and slamming the door shut.

(AN: Next chapter the journey into the Labyrinth finally begins. I'm leaving hints for people who know the books and show well. Especially when it comes to the Cult of Boash. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the chapter.)

If you like my stuff consider supporting me

Patreon.com/captainalfie78works