Chapter 146: Recovery Mission!

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

ASOIAF and all of its characters belong to GRRM

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 146: Recovery Mission!

The room fell silent after Melisandre's revelation.

Myrcella stared at the red priestess, her mind struggling to comprehend what she had just heard. "A portkey? What is a portkey?"

"A powerful magical object," Bran explained. "One that can transport whoever touches it to a specific destination. If Joffrey gave you such a thing, it would take us directly to him."

"Directly to Meereen?" Myrcella asked, her heart pounding.

"To wherever he is," Bran said. "The magic would find him." 

"Or at least, that's what we are hoping for," Melissandre added. 

Myrcella's hope, which had been flickering like a candle in the wind, suddenly blazed bright. "Then I can warn him. I can tell him what my mother is planning."

"That is why we came," Jon said. "The journey by sea would take months, and we do not have that kind of time. This is our best chance."

Myrcella nodded slowly, but then her face fell. "But I don't have the necklace. My mother took it and is keeping it for herself."

"We just need to get it back," Bran said. 

"Do you know where your mother is keeping your things?" Melissandre asked.

"She would have taken it to her own chambers," Myrcella said slowly. "She doesn't trust anyone. Not even her own servants. She keeps all her valuables in a steel safe in her bedroom. The key is always on her person…she wears it on a chain around her neck, even when she sleeps."

"Which means we cannot simply pick a lock," Melisandre said. "We would need to get the key from her directly."

"Or find a way to open the safe without it," Jon said.

Bran shook his head. "None of us is an expert thief or even knows how to pick a lock. We will need that key."

"We need to be smart about this," Melissandre said, as her mind became half-lost in thought. " There are guards everywhere. We cannot simply walk in. That's why we used Bran's abilities to get Myrcella out."

"And as soon as they find out that I'm missing from my cell…the castle will become filled with soldiers," Myrcella added.

"We do not need to walk in," Jon says. "We'll just have to rely on Bran again for this."

Bran nods slowly. "A rat should be able to do it. Small, quiet, able to slip through cracks and crevices that no human could. It can enter the Queen's chambers through a hole in the wall, climb onto her bed, and take the key from the chain around her neck."

Myrcella shivers at the thought of her mother waking up with a rat on top of her. Her fury would know no bounds. "You need to be extremely careful. She is a light sleeper. And the key is on a chain around her neck…she never removes it, so…"

"It's okay, trust me. I was always good at sneaking around. And I got you out of the castle, didn't I?. I can do it again." Bran said.

"Then we better get started." Kara said as she approached Bran.

Bran glanced over at the crow in the window… suddenly, his eyes turned white, his consciousness slipped away, and his body crumpled down.

Kara caught him just in time.

Myrcella watched him with shock, her breath catching in her throat, seeing his white eyes. "Is that…normal?"

"That's what happens when one wargs into another being," Jon pointed to the crow. "His mind is in there now. His body is just an empty shell."

"That is... unsettling," Myrcella murmured.

Kára snorts. "Everything about these Starks is unsettling, but get used to it."

The crow made some noises before flying off.

<><>

The crow flew through the night sky.

Bran felt the wind beneath his wings, the chill of the night air, the weight of his borrowed body. 

Soon, he reached the highest tower of the Red Keep, where the royals rested.

He landed on the windowsill of the queen's chambers, his claws gripping the cold stone. Through the glass, he could see her…Cersei Lannister, asleep in her bed, her golden hair spread across the pillow. The chain around her neck gleamed faintly in the darkness, the key hanging just above her heart.

'There it is,' Bran thought. 'The key to the safe.'

He sent out his call, reaching through the darkness to the other animals he had gathered. A dozen rats, hiding in the walls. A handful of cats, prowling the corridors. And his crows, circling above the castle, waiting for his command.

'Now.'

The rats moved first. They scurried through the walls, through cracks and crevices, until they reached the queen's chambers. They emerged from a hole in the corner, their tiny claws clicking against the stone floor.

Cersei stirred.

Bran froze, his borrowed heart pounding. If she woke now, everything would be ruined.

But she did not wake. She murmured something in her sleep and turned over, her hand falling away from the chain. The key swung freely, an easy target.

The rats climbed quietly onto the bed. One of them, the largest, reached out and grasped the chain with its tiny paws. It pulled, gently, carefully, until the key slipped free.

The rat scurried down the bed, across the floor, and toward the safe in the corner. The other rats followed, forming a protective circle around their companion.

The safe was massive, made of dark steel. The keyhole was small, barely visible in the darkness. Too big for the small rat to use, so it dropped the key on the ground, and it was promptly picked up by a large black street cat.

The cat glanced at the safe with its white eyes, inserted the key into the hole, and used all its weight to turn it.

The lock clicked.

The safe door swung open.

Inside, among the jewels and documents and trinkets, was a small crystal pendant on a silver chain. The necklace Joffrey had given Myrcella.

'There it is,' Bran thought. 'The portkey.'

He sent the crow.

The bird swooped down from the windowsill, its dark wings silent in the darkness. It landed on the safe, its claws gripping the cold metal. It reached out with its beak and grasped the chain.

And then…an alarm began to sound. A bell, louder than any bell he had heard before.

'Oh no…' His eyes went for the Queen.

Cersei woke up immediately. Her eyes snapped open, and the first thing she saw was the several rats who were still on her bed.

Then the cats, prowling across the floor. Then the crow, perched on her safe, a necklace dangling from its beak.

Her daughter's necklace.

"What is this?!" she screamed. "Guards! GUARDS!"

The crow launched itself toward the window, the necklace clutched in its beak. It was almost there…almost free.

"Come back here, you thief!! Cersei grabbed a candlestick from her bedside table and threw it.

The candlestick struck the crow in the wing. The bird cried out in pain, its flight faltering. It tumbled through the window, the necklace slipping from its beak and falling into the darkness below.

'No!' Bran thought, feeling the crow's pain as if it were his own. 'The necklace!'

But he could not dwell on the loss. His mind was still inside the rats and cats, still inside the castle walls. He could see the chaos unfolding in the queen's chambers, could hear the guards rushing in.

The door burst open, and several gold cloaks poured into the room with their swords drawn, their eyes wide at the bizarre scene before them…rats scurrying across the floor, cats prowling near the walls, the queen standing in the center of it all.

"Your Grace!" one of them shouted. "What has happened?"

Cersei spun to face them, her chest heaving. "Someone was in my chambers! Someone sent these creatures to steal from me!"

The guards exchanged confused glances. They did not understand what they were seeing.

"My queen," another guard stepped forward, his face pale. "There is... there is something else."

"What?" Cersei snapped.

The guard hesitated, then spoke. "The princess, Your Grace. Myrcella. She is... she is missing from her chambers."

Cersei's blood ran cold. "He did this," she whispered as her eyes moved to the animals. "It has to be Joffrey…this must be his sorcery." She pointed at the cats and rats. "Kill them!. Kill them all!. They are Joffrey's creatures!"

The guards hesitated, unsure of how to catch the rats and cats that seemed to move with unnatural purpose. But Cersei's rage was not to be denied.

"Do it now!" she screamed.

The guards moved cautiously toward the animals, their swords raised. But the rats and cats were too quick. They darted between their legs, through gaps in the furniture, always just out of reach.

Bran watched through the eyes of a rat, his borrowed heart pounding. He needed to keep them distracted. He needed to give his companions time.

But the alarm bells were still ringing. Soon, the entire castle would be awake. Soon, the entire city would be searching.

'I need to find the necklace and get back to them before it's too late.'

He sent the signal to his remaining animals…the rats, the cats, the other crows. They scattered, disappearing into the shadows, retreating to their hiding places. 

The queen's chambers fell silent, save for Cersei's ragged breathing and the distant clang of the bells.

"We will find her," one of the guards said, trying to calm the queen. "We will search every corner of the city."

"You will do more than that," Cersei snarled. "You will tear apart every building if you must. I want my daughter found, and I want her brought to me in chains. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Grace." The guards bowed and rushed out.

Bran could still hear the Queen's screams resounding across the halls. 

"You think you can escape from me, Myrcella!. I will find you. And Joffrey…I WILL KILL YOU!"

<><>

The tavern was quiet when the gold cloaks arrived.

Jon heard them before he saw them, the clatter of armored boots on cobblestones, the murmur of voices, the creak of the tavern door swinging open. He was on his feet in an instant, his hand on his sword.

"Kára," he said, his voice low. "We have company."

Kára was already moving, her bow in her hand, her eyes fixed on the door. "How many?"

"At least a dozen. Maybe more."

Myrcella's face went pale. "They're looking for me. They must have found out I'm missing."

"Then we need to leave," Melisandre said. "Now."

They moved toward the back of the tavern, slipping through a door that led to a narrow alley. 

And then…they heard the bells ringing. 

"That's the alarm," Myrcella said. "They are ringing the bells. The entire city army will be on the move now."

It did not take long before someone spotted them.

"There!" a voice shouted. "The princess! I see her!"

Jon turned. A group of gold cloaks had emerged from around a corner, their swords drawn, their eyes fixed on Myrcella.

"Run!" he shouted.

They ran.

The streets of King's Landing were a maze of shadows and stone. They twisted and turned, ducking through alleys, leaping over walls, trying to lose their pursuers. But the gold cloaks were relentless, their shouts echoing through the darkness.

"There they are!"

"Stop in the name of the Queen!"

Melisandre raised her hands. Fire erupted from her palms, a wall of flame that roared across the street, forcing the guards to retreat.

"That won't hold them for long," she said. "We need to keep moving."

Kára was carrying Bran's limp body, his eyes still white, his face pale. "Can you carry him, Jon?. Then I can shoot at those soldiers with my bow."

"Put him on Summer," Jon said.

The direwolf appeared from the shadows, his grey fur blending with the darkness. Kára laid Bran across his back, securing him with a length of rope. Summer stood still, patient, waiting.

"Go," Jon said. "I'll hold them off."

"No," Kára said. "We stay together."

"There!" another voice shouted. "This way!"

More guards. More torches. More swords.

"Move!" Jon shouted.

They ran through the streets, turning corners, dodging patrols. Myrcella's lungs burned, her legs ached, but she did not stop. She could not stop.

And then they were cornered.

An abandoned building loomed before them…a ruined warehouse, its roof half-collapsed, its walls crumbling. They slipped inside, their breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Now what?" Myrcella asked, her voice trembling.

Jon looked at Bran's limp body, still draped across Summer's back. His eyes were white, his face slack. He was still warging.

"We wait," Jon said. "Bran is still searching. He will find the necklace."

"How do you know?" Myrcella asked.

"Because I trust my brother," Jon responded.

They waited.

The guards were outside, their torches flickering in the darkness. They were searching the buildings, kicking down doors, shouting orders. It would not be long before they found this one.

Melisandre stood by the window, her ruby glowing faintly. "They are getting closer."

"Can you hold them off?" Kára asked, her bow in her hand.

"I have a few more tricks, but…" Melisandre said. "But I cannot hold them forever."

Myrcella looked at Bran, at his white eyes. 

And then-

A flutter of wings.

A crow burst through a broken window, its wing mangled, its feathers stained with blood. It landed on the floor and dropped something…a small crystal pendant on a silver chain.

The necklace.

Myrcella grabbed it, her hands trembling. "It's here. It's really here."

"Everyone, grab onto each other!" Melisandre shouted.

"Say the words," Jon said. "Quickly."

Myrcella closed her eyes. She thought of Joffrey, of his voice, of the words he had whispered in her ear.

"Gryffindor."

The crystal pendant began to glow.

"Everyone grab hold!" Jon shouted.

They gathered around Myrcella, their hands holding onto each other. Jon. Kára. Melisandre. Summer, with Bran's limp body still draped across his back. And Myrcella herself.

The glow intensified, spreading from the pendant to envelop them all.

The door burst open. Gold cloaks poured into the room.

And then the world dissolved into light.

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