Chapter 40 - Departure
The next part of the plan was a little more complicated.
I had to take the two Targaryen children back to Westeros.
Right now, I could not keep taking them with me wherever I went. They could not help me in any way except being a burden. Daenerys is still small and Viserys is a waste. He can't even take care of himself, let alone be of any use. So it was better to take them back. They needed a safe and stable place where they could grow up and learn. That was far more important than dragging them across Essos.
As we left the magister's residence and walked towards the docks, I slowed my pace.
"Emma, stay back for a moment," I said quietly.
She nodded.
I asked Leaf and Val to walk ahead with Viserys and Daenerys until there was a little distance between us.
Then I looked at Emma.
"Emma, can you make someone unconscious without seriously hurting them?"
"Yes, Master Matt," she replied.
I smiled slightly.
"Good. In a little while, when I give you the signal, I want you to make Viserys unconscious."
She thought before clarifying, "Only Viserys? Not Daenerys?"
"No. Only Viserys. That will be enough."
"Understood."
"And don't call me master, just Matt is fine."
She nodded but I have doubts whether she would comply with it.
We caught up with the others and continued walking, towards the dock.
After some time, we turned into a narrow alley near the docks. There were only a few people around and after walking a little farther, the alley became completely empty.
I looked around once to ensure no one was nearby.
"Emma, now," I ordered.
By then, Emma had already moved behind Viserys and Daenerys as usual without drawing their attention.
The moment she heard my command, she stepped forward and struck the back of Viserys' neck with the edge of her hand.
Viserys collapsed instantly.
Daenerys gasped.
She hurried to her brother's side and dropped to her knees.
"What are you doing?" she cried, her voice filled with fear.
Leaf and Val looked surprised as well as this was abrupt but neither of them spoke. They simply looked at me, waiting for my next action.
I walked over and crouched beside Daenerys.
"Dany," I said gently, "listen to me."
She looked up at me. She was holding Viserys, tears already forming in her eyes.
"What we're about to do is something I don't want Viserys to know about. I don't trust him with what we're about to do. You already know how he is. So I need him to be unconscious for a while. He isn't seriously hurt, just unconscious. He'll wake up after some time."
She stayed silent and lowered her eyes to her brother but didn't interrupt me.
Then I asked, "Can I trust you with a secret, Dany?"
She looked up and studied my face carefully, as if trying to decide whether I meant what I was saying.
After a long moment, she gave a small nod.
"Okay," she whispered.
Her voice was barely audible.
"Good."
I looked at Emma and Leaf.
"Emma. Leaf. Make sure no one is watching us."
Emma disappeared down the alley without a word.
Leaf closed her eyes, quietly sensing the area around us for any life force.
A few moments later, Emma returned.
"No one is nearby, Master Matt."
I knew it, she won't listen so easily. I resisted the urge to sigh at the way she addressed me. But this shall be dealt with at another time.
I waited for Leaf for her confirmation.
After another moment, she opened her eyes and nodded.
"She's right. There's no one nearby."
"Great."
I looked at everyone.
"Now, everyone, hold each others' hands."
I stretched my right hand towards Daenerys.
She hesitated, looking at me one last time.
"Trust me, Dany."
Slowly, she placed her hand in mine.
With her other hand, she held onto Viserys.
"Val," I said, "hold Viserys' other hand. And hold Emma's hand."
Emma took Leaf's hand and Leaf held my left hand.
Within moments, we were all connected in a circle, with me holding Dany, then the unconscious Viserys, Val, Emma, Leaf and back again me. I took a deep breath.
"Everyone, close your eyes."
Everyone obeyed, except Daenerys who kept her eyes open.
"Dany," I said softly, "close your eyes. Just for a moment."
After a brief hesitation, she decided to trust me once again and closed her eyes.
In the blink of an eye, we vanished from the alley. The alley was now empty and silent. There was no one trace of us left there anymore.
I decided to use Teleportation instead of normal voyage through the ship as I did not trust the Magister enough. I had suspicions that he will play some tricks.
Even if he did not do anything, there could be other complications in the months long travel. If one considers the half-neurotic Viserys who would be travelling with us, it would be even more of a headache.
His reaction to going back to Westeros and lying low would be anything but a peaceful acceptance. It was better to take him back and then tell him, where there won't be any chance of turning back.
There was also the issue of spies and informers. Be it the Sealord, the magister or even other interested parties, their informants were present everywhere. This way, they would loose their lead and won't find the whereabouts of these two children and our group for a long time.
After I teleported with others from the alley, we appeared in the woods. The first thing everyone sensed was the change in temperature, which went from hot and humid of Pentos' coast to Cold in an instant.
Leaf and Val were now accustomed to us teleporting so they were not surprised. They even felt comfortable being back in the cold.
But Emma and Daenerys were different.
Emma had never travelled to the North and it was her first time here but she quickly adjusted, as she was already trained as an assassin and could keep her composure at such times. But Daenerys was still a child.
Poor Dany shivered up the second we got here. I quickly took out a cloak we had purchased for her and covered her up. Soon she got better, but she was still shocked by the change in environment.
"Where are we?", she asked with alarm and surprise evident in her voice.
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End of Chapter 40 - Departure