Chapter 65: A Strange Request
…
Richard POV
Looking around, I found myself once again in a familiar place—the void. Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, a boundless expanse untouched by light or sound.
Nothing stirred, save for my own body, suspended weightless in the sea of black.
I'd grown used to this place. Every so often, once a moon or two, I would return here—summoned by the strange man.
At first, I didn't understand why. But after four meetings with him, his intentions had become somewhat clearer.
We'd even struck a deal a couple moons back.
"Stop messing with me and show yourself," I said into the void. My voice was muffled, swallowed by the darkness—but I knew he heard me.
As expected, the realm shifted almost instantly.
The endless black gave way to color, the void transforming into a world of substance.
I now stood in a vast green field beneath a wide, blue sky. Vibrant hues swept across the nothingness, birthing an endless grassland beneath my feet.
The scent of wildflowers drifted on the breeze—sharp and sweet—mingling with the crisp tang of open air. The grass danced with the wind, each blade swaying like waves in a living sea of green.
It all seemed too real—too vivid—but I knew it was nothing more than an illusion.
I glanced around, searching for the man who had summoned me once again. It didn't take long to find him.
There, in the distance, atop the highest hill in this conjured realm, stood a lone figure.
Even from afar, I could make out the details of his back. He sat in a chair, his shoulder-length golden hair catching the wind, flowing almost theatrically in the breeze.
I continued toward him. This man—once a stranger—had shown me countless visions.
Visions of Alicent dying in the birthing bed, the fall of the Lionheart family, Braavos engulfed in flames, and Westeros drowning in chaos.
Each vision was a piece of a larger puzzle—one I had assembled on my own. His only hint was that the visions held the key to his motives, and his identity.
Driven by those glimpses and his cryptic clues, I immersed myself in them. I scrutinized every detail until, slowly, I uncovered the truth.
The more I reflected, the clearer it became. I started to believe he wasn't here to harm me—but to help. And beyond that… I uncovered his secret.
I finally reached him. Without turning, he gestured for me to sit—already aware of my presence.
Without a word, I moved to the seat across from him, avoiding his gaze. I sat swiftly—then looked up.
A familiar face met mine. So familiar, there was no room for doubt. In our last meeting, I had uncovered his identity—and his motive.
He was me.
Or rather, a version of me from the future. He seemed to have come back in the past, burdened by misfortune and regret, seeking to rewrite what had once gone wrong.
Once I learned the truth, he had no choice but to reveal his true form.
Same green eyes, golden hair, jawline, cheekbones, nose, and complexion as me.
The only differences were his height, he was shorter—and the maturity etched into his face. Subtle, but telling. And I knew they weren't accidents.
It's just a theory, but I believe he tampered with something to communicate with me, his past self.
Perhaps he made a deal with a god. Perhaps he became one. Perhaps he can manipulate time. This, I do not know.
But what I'm almost certain of is that he tampered with me.
It might explain the changes to my body—changes even the Wolverine template couldn't account for.
And maybe even my growth and the fire abilities that had previously manifested.
I snapped out of my thoughts.
Seeing as he didn't speak, I broke the silence. "I presume you've fulfilled your part of the deal."
The older me didn't reply. He simply lifted a cup and held it toward me with effortless finesse.
I immediately understood his gesture.
I picked up the teapot from the round table and poured the drink into his cup.
He brought the cup close, blew on it gently, and took a sip.
After a few sips, he set the cup down with deliberate calm.
Following a long pause—one that tested my patience—he finally spoke.
"I've finished your request. Thanks to me, Melisandre now believes you to be Azor Ahai."
I gave a small nod.
That was satisfactory. Melisandre was a necessary piece in my future plans—a future that required fanatical followers.
I reached for a cup and raised it toward him, echoing his earlier gesture.
Without hesitation, he poured tea for me.
Like him, I took a few sips before setting the cup down. My movements were strikingly similar to his.
"Since you've done your part," I said, "I'll only ask what you'd have me do."
The deal between us had only come to pass because I initiated it.
In return for converting Melisandre into a follower, I was to complete one of his requests.
He had chosen to conceal his request—only planning to reveal it once he fulfilled my request.
"Hmm… since it was fairly easy to win Melisandre to your side, I won't ask for much," he said, sounding thoughtful.
I nodded slightly, a flicker of relief passing through me. Having given my promise, I was bound to complete it.
"Isn't Cersei's name day coming up soon?" he asked casually.
The question caught me off guard. Why did he bring up the nameday of Cersei all of a sudden?
"Her name day is in three moons or so," I answered after a moment of calculation.
He closed his eyes and nodded. A faint smile touched his face.
Again with a strange expression of his, what was he thinking?
"Good. Then I want you to attend her celebration, and make sure to give her a valuable name day present." He answered as he reopened his eyes. He picked up his tea cup again.
"May I ask why you've chosen this request?" I asked, though I didn't expect a direct answer. Still, anything—his words, his body language—might offer clues.
Questions popped up in my head that needed answering after all.
For example, was Cersei an important person to me in the future? Are there also regrets that the future me have of her? Could her situation in the future be similar to Alicent's?
Hearing my question, he took a long sip till his cup was emptied.
Then afterwards he looked at me for a while, it seemed as though he was debating whether to explain.
If only my abilities worked in this moment—a heartbeat, even a flicker of tension, might reveal his reasons.
With a calm smile, he finally spoke. "If I told you, it would defeat the purpose…" then a short pause ensued as he thought of his words again.
"You'd only follow the path I would want you to walk—and that's not really what I want. I'll be truthful. I do not wish to make decisions for you, for I won't disrespect you by denying you your own path." He continued.
I listened carefully, parsing his words. As frustrating as his riddle words were, I somewhat understood where he was getting at.
He wanted me to choose freely, to walk my own path and make my own decisions.
Even so, in asking his request of me, he'd already somewhat shaped my path whether he knew it or not.
Still, a deal was a deal—being a man of my words, I would not take without giving.
Thinking on his request… I'd been in touch with Cersei. Thankfully, we'd kept our correspondence through Odin, my golden eagle.
I'd have let her know I'd attend her name day.
"Very well," I said. "I'll attend Cersei's name day. I'll make sure to give her a worthy present."
"Will that be all?" I asked, readying myself to leave this dream realm since there seemed to be nothing else to speak of.
"Yes," he said with a nod. "That will be all."I braced myself for the world to dissolve, anticipating my return to the waking world.
But instead of that, I saw my future self standing up.
"Before I send you off, there's something else you need to see," he said as he snapped his fingers.
The field vanished.
In an instant, we were then submerged in water. Darkness surrounded us as we floated, unaffected by the cold or pressure.
"Where are we?" I asked.
He answered me with his action, with a flick of his finger, the water began to glow. Golden light burst through the gloom.
And then I saw it.
Hundreds of massive chests surrounded the underwater reservoir—many broken open, their contents spilled and shimmering.
Gold, Crystals, Gems, Pearls, you name it, Jewelry of every kind could be seen.
This seemed to be a vault of some sorts.
It stretched endlessly, gleaming like a sunken trove.
"This was once Castamere's vault," he revealed. "As you can see, it's now submerged underground… House Reyne hoarded millions of golden dragons' worth of treasure. Too bad they met their end before they could enjoy any of it."
He grinned. "But lucky us, right?"
I nodded, taking it in. I didn't crave gold. After all, the Lionheart family alone had already surpassed this amount of wealth. But the more wealth helps, it'll provide me options in my future plans.
Still, I was surprised, since this wasn't part of our deal. What was his aim in showing me this? Did he want me to feel indebted?
"Do you want anything from me after showing me this?" I asked.
"No. You'd have found it eventually," he said with a shrug. "I'm just speeding up the process for you."
I glanced at him again and accepted his answer with a nod.
Then, for a moment—just a split second—I saw something strange.
His body flickered, as if dissipating. He quickly clenched his right arm, wincing slightly, though he tried to mask it with a smile.
I opened my mouth to ask what was happening to him—but he interjected first.
"It seems our time is over," he said softly.
And with that, the dreamworld began to fade and I awoke in my bed.
…
Author note: Sorry for the late chapter. I didn't like how the storyline was ending up, so I took some time to change and rewrite future chapters outline.
I also finished my exam and most assignments. Finals are coming up, but as of now I've got time to spare. In the meantime I'll try to pump out a couple more chapters.
As of this chapter there has been a little time skip, we're now in the 10th moon of 275 AC.