The Chronicles of Valyria,
Book 1 Resurrection
Chapter 19
As they sailed underneath the great statue of the Titan of Braavos, two hours after noon, the great statue roared, a sound that could be heard in the farthest reaches of the city. There was not enough wind in the lagoon, to properly propel their three ships, so the Forlorn manned the oars and with a perfect synchronism, they ploughed the oars through the water.
As they passed the Great Arsenal, half a dozen warships intercepted them and orders were shouted across the water. "Prepare to be boarded, all ships coming into Braavos must submit to a search."
At a word from Aurora, all three ships dropped their anchors and the oars were pulled out of the water. They calmly waited for the Braavosi ships to reach them and once they did, Aurora had the Forlorn signal the other ships to come aboard her own, and they did so.
A rope ladder was lowered from the side of their ship and a trio of guards climbed onboard first, followed by two officials and a second trio of guards. They were met by Aurora and Gabrielle, who struck an awe-inspiring sight, standing there in their armor and surrounded by the twelve axe-wielding Forlorn they had brought from Gray Gallows. Ashara and the girls were standing behind them and looked a little nervous. Saphirus and Violet had been locked up below decks, to their immense displeasure, but they had been given a sedative by Gabrielle to keep them quiet for the time being.
Aurora and Gabrielle took of their helmets and inclined their heads toward the officials, who bowed in return and Gabrielle said, "Good afternoon gentlemen."
The two men returned her greeting and one of them said, "Welcome to the great city of Braavos, what is the purpose of your visit?"
"We have come to meet with the Sealord and the Iron Bank, to discuss a very lucrative business proposal." Aurora replied. "Also, one of our ships was damaged during a fight with pirates, we wish to have it repaired during our stay in your city."
The men bowed and one said, "Do you carry any trade goods with you?"
Both Aurora and Gabrielle shook their heads and Gabrielle replied, "No, what we carry on board is for our own use. All we have is food and building supplies."
The man nodded and said, "Would you mind if we checked it? For you seem very heavily armed for a simple delegation."
"By all means," Gabrielle invited them, "but be careful not to make too much noise, we carry a pair of wild animals on board who are rather ill-tempered. We have given them a sedative but best not to wake them unnecessary." The two men nodded and followed by three of their guards, they made their way into the hold of their ship.
After about fifteen minutes, the men returned and one of the officials said, "Everything is in order My Ladies, I trust that the other two ships carry similar cargo?"
Gabrielle nodded and Aurora said, "That is correct, sir. If I might ask a question?" the man motioned for her to return and she continued. "As I already said, one of our ship suffered damage during a fight with pirates, we would like to get it repaired but we don't know where we can do that. I see great wharves on that fortress there, but are they strictly military wharves, or do you also repair other vessels there?"
"An apt question," the man replied. "They are indeed military wharves, but they also repair other vessels so if you want to make use of the facilities there, I will personally make sure that your ship is repaired to your own specification."
Aurora nodded in thanks and replied, "That is very kind of you sir, we would indeed like to make use of your offer. We need new sails, new railings, a new deck, and all the rope work needs to be replaced. Also, if possible, we would like to get all three ships to receive a new coat of tar, as we will be doing a lot of traveling in the future and we would like to make sure our ships are all in prime condition."
The man nodded and said, "Of course, my Lady. The docks on the right side are used for repairs, so if you want, you can moor your ships there and we will see to the rest. I can arrange for a ship to take you to the Sealord's palace. Your crews can stay here if you want, as long as they don't cause trouble."
"No worries sir, our men are superbly trained and well disciplined. If you show them a place where they can stay, I'm sure they will find a way to entertain themselves without bothering anyone." Gabrielle's reply satisfied the two officials and they returned to their own ships, while Aurora gave the order to raise the anchors and to row towards the arsenal.
They rowed the ships into three long basins, and the ships were secured with strong ropes to prevent any movement. When they were secured, everyone left the ships, including Saphirus and Violet who had been put into two large cages which were covered by large pieces of sailcloth.
Once they were all of, the Braavosi shipbuilders surprised them all by closing two large doors at the end of each basin. They next revealed primitive pumps, each one manned by four men, who pumped the water out of the basins allowing free access to the normally submerged parts of the ships. Thick stands were pushed underneath the hulls to offer extra support and prevent any tipping which could lead to dangerous situations.
"That's interesting," Aurora murmured to Gabrielle, "I did not think they had already built pumps, this means we can actually do a lot more with our navy then we originally thought." Gabrielle nodded in silence and soon they were met by the official they had met on the ship.
"Ah good, you are ready," The man said before leading them and the Forlorn to a large courtyard. "Your men can stay here during their stay. Barracks are on the left and lavatories on the right. As long as they don't bother anyone, they are free to do as they wish.
Aurora nodded and turned to the Forlorn. "Stay here, and use the time you have, for training." As one the 349 Forlorn stood straight and saluted, before they went to the large open portion of the field and started to do a wide array of exercises. Ranging from push-ups, to sprinting, and hand-to-hand combat.
The Braavosi was clearly impressed by their discipline and said, "They are indeed superbly trained. I'd almost think they are Unsullied, but that is not possible as none of them are eunuchs. I hope they are not slaves though, as slavery is outlawed in Braavos."
"Don't worry sir, Aurora replied, "They are not slaves, just very well trained and disciplined. We have saved them from a life of slavery and hardship, and given them a new purpose in life. They are under contract for a set duration, and after that, they are free to go wherever they want. But most choose to serve for life, as we pay them very well." The small lies flew easily from her tongue and she did not feel guilty about it.
The man nodded and let Aurora, Gabrielle, Ashara, the girls and the 12 guards, who carried two litters which held the cages of Saphirus and Violet, towards a different part of the Arsenal where they all boarded a large barge.
The man left them on the ship and said, "This boat will take you to the Purple Harbor, the Sealord's palace is only a short distance from there. The work on your ships will probably take the rest of this day and part of tomorrow. If you want we'll feed your men, or they can get supplies from the ships, depending on your preference."
Gabrielle replied saying, "Please see to it that they are fed, we'll pay for it tomorrow, along with the costs of your work on our ships."
The man nodded in agreement and the crew of the barge picked up two dozen oars and started rowing them towards the city proper. After half an hour, they reached a large harbor which lay in the shadows of an immense palace. The captain of the barge told them that that was the Sealord's Palace, and they docked on a pier close to the entrance of the palace.
Their group left the barge and after Gabrielle tipped the captain a gold piece she said, "Thank you for your work captain, please buy your crew a drink on me." The man tipped his hat in thanks and the barge returned to the Arsenal while the group turned towards the palace.
During their short walk to the palace, their group drew a few curious looks, mainly because of Aurora and Gabrielle, who were wearing their helmets and towered above most Braavosi in their awe-inspiring armor. At the gates of the palace they were stopped by two ranks of fifteen men. Each man was dressed in flamboyant clothing and armed with slender swords used to thrust instead of the broadswords made for slashing and hacking which were common in Westeros.
"State your name and the reason for your visit to the Sealord's Palace." One of the men said and as Aurora was about to answer, she unconsciously put her hand on the short sword on her hip.
Immediately four of the men before them drew their swords and cried out, "I accept your challenge."
With a look of confusion and surprise hidden by her helmet, Aurora turned to the captain and asked, "Ehh, what challenge are they talking about sir?"
"Are you unfamiliar with the practices of the Bravos Ser?" the man said with a small grin and when Aurora nodded, ignoring the misconception of her gender, he explained. "When in Braavos, if you wear a sword on your hip and you touch it while meeting a Bravo, it is considered a challenge to a duel."
"Ehh, so those four men want to fight me, just because I put my hand on my sword?" the man nodded and Aurora asked, "What are the rules of such a duel?"
"Usually to the death, or until one of the contenders is no longer able to keep fighting. Also, the winner gets all the possessions of the loser. No doubt your armor had drawn their greed Ser, it is obviously of the finest make and would fetch quite a price if sold to right person."
With a dark laugh, Aurora said, "Very well, I will accept your challenge, but I would like to request the presence of the Sealord during the fight." The captain bowed and said, "No doubt that can be arranged, Ser, the Sealord is known to be fond of duels."
"Very good. Then is there a special place for such a fight, or do we do it just here on the street."
"No Ser, the Sealord has had a special arena constructed for these kind of duels, we will relocate to that location for the duel."
Aurora nodded and with a gesture of her hand, she indicated the captain to lead the way, which he promptly did after sending one of his men towards the palace, presumably to inform the Sealord.
They were led to a small arena; the dueling area was roughly 50 feet across and five rows of seats surrounded it. A small group of Bravo were already in the arena, fighting with training swords and they stopped when they were led into the arena.
"Men, please prepare the arena for a duel, we have several challenges to fight out." The bravos all cheered at the captain's words and they hurried to clear the fighting area of anything that could interrupt the duel.
Gabrielle and the rest of their group calmly sat themselves down on the lowest ring of seats, while Aurora went to the captain and asked about the rules of engagement. "Excuse me captain, but exactly what are the rules of combat? Is everything allowed or are there special rules that need to be followed?"
The captain laughed and said, "Ser, it is a duel to the death, there is only one rule, if you die, you lose. You can use whatever weapon you prefer, and use it in any way you see fit. The exception is ranged weapons as they offer an unfair advantage."
Unseen to the captain, Aurora grinned beneath her helmet and asked, "Is it one-on-one, or can I fight them all at once?"
With a slight raise of his eyebrows, the captain asked, "You want to fight all four of them simultaneously?"
Aurora nodded and said, "Yes, and if you can find any more volunteers who want to try their luck, let them, it's been a while since I fought a proper melee."
The captain looked a little disbelieving but after a muttering of, "It's your funeral." He went to his men and asked if there were anymore who wanted to try their luck against the unknown 'Ser'. Turns out, 13 more were eager to risk their own lives so Aurora found herself facing 17 Bravos in the duel.
Soon a second group came from the direction of the Palace, this one led by a tall man dressed in blue leggings and a brown leather vest. The vest was open and it showed his bare chest beneath, which was rippled with muscles and had a long scar going from his left collarbone across his chest and disappeared under the right end of his vest.
The man who walked behind him had a thick bush of dark brown hair and wearing beige pants, a blue shirt and a brown vest. He had a similar sword on his belt as the other Bravos and his bearing told Aurora that he was a lot more capable in combat than his amateurish and overconfident brethren.
When the new group had arrived, the man in charge introduced himself to Aurora. "Greetings brave Ser. My name is Ferrego Antaryon, Sealord of Braavos." indicating the other man, who had taken to stand on his right, he added, "This is my chief protector and the current First Sword of Braavos, Syrio Forel."
The now named Syrio Forel made an elaborate bow and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, 'Ser,' I am sure this duel will be one to remember." The tone on which he used the word, Ser, made it clear that he knew she was not in fact a man. "I must say I am quite impressed by the axe you wield, perhaps a demonstration would be fair to my fellow Bravos, as they have never fought such a weapon before."
Aurora nodded silently and turned around in search of an object to use. Her eyes fell upon a bench which had been made of a thick tree trunk which was split in half. The tree had been two feet in diameter and was split clean through the middle. Without any visible strain, Aurora picked up the bench, which must have weighed at least 500 pounds, and sat it upright.
Taking her axe in hand, she took a ready stance and then raised the axe for a strike. Striking from over her right shoulder, Aurora hit the split log at an angle and the hard wood splintered under the force of the blow. The axe went clean through the log and the two separate halves dropped on the ground of the silent arena.
Slamming her axe into the sand of the arena, Aurora picked a piece of the log from the ground and taking it in her left hand, she sliced at it with the knuckle spikes of her right gauntlet. The spikes left a deep incision in the wood and Aurora pressed her fingers in the incision. Grabbing it in both hands, she tore the piece in two and threw them at the feet of the awestruck Sealord.
"If any of your men want to reconsider their challenge, then now is the time to do so." Aurora's casual remark echoed through the silent arena until the Sealord regained his bearings.
"That was most impressive Ser, and unfortunately I must insist that all of your challengers recall their challenge. I do not wish to lose 17 good men over this." Most of his men obeyed, but five refused to reconsider and insisted to fight it out. Aurora's only reply was to shrug and step into the ring, leaving her axe standing in the sand.
The five challengers entered the ring on the opposite side and all took a ready stance. Aurora waited for them to make the first move, which came swiftly. The two men on either side circled around until they were spread out evenly around her and moved carefully forward. Even though she had left the axe outside the ring, she was still heavily armed.
The two men behind her moved as one and thrust their blades directly into Aurora's back, but their thin blades simply snapped of when confronted by the inch-thick Dragonforged steel of her backplate. Turning around, Aurora grabbed the one on her left by his throat while completely ignoring the others. The man in her hands trampled and managed to land a kick to her groin.
"That was rude," Aurora remarked coldly, before slamming her right fist into the man's face. The knuckle-spikes ravaged the man's face. Luckily for him, she really held back on the force behind the punch so he would survive, though it would leave him scared for life. She threw the man out of the ring and out of harm's way, before turning to the others.
The four remaining men were all shocked by what had happened to their companion, and two of them started to look around them so Aurora said, "Just step out of the ring and I won't harm you. I do not wish to kill you, and there is no shame in giving up against me."
This proved to be enough as the four men all ran out of the ring and to safety.
The Sealord and his entourage applauded her and he said, "A most impressive display Ser, I must admit to be quite curious as to who you are, would you perhaps reveal yourself to us, so we can be properly introduced."
Aurora nodded and grinning to herself, she finally removed her helmet, shocking her entire audience, except for Syrio Forel, who said, "Well played, my Lady, I must say I am impressed. I have heard rumors of your strength from the aftermath of the sack of King's Landing, but I now see that they are not nearly as impressive as you are in real life."
Aurora laughed heartedly and said, "It is good to know that my reputation has preceded me." And turning to the Sealord she said, "We have come to speak with you, Sealord, to propose a very lucrative endeavor. Perhaps we should retire to a more private area for this discussion?"
Ferrego Antaryon inclined his head in agreement and motioned for Aurora to follow him. While Aurora collected her axe, and put it back into the holder on her back, Gabrielle, Ashara and the girls joined her on the sand while the Forlorn spread out evenly around them, the four holding the cages of Saphirus and Violet were in the middle of the circle.
They followed the Sealord's group into the palace and towards a large solar, where the Sealord's guards stayed outside, along with the Forlorn, after a single order from Aurora, though the four with the dragons followed them inside, where they placed the cages on the floor before retreating out of the solar.
Once inside the solar, Ferrego motioned for them all to take a seat, which they did. Ashara and the girls took a seat next to the covered cages, while Aurora and Gabrielle sat down before the large desk behind which Ferrego had taken a seat.
"Now," Ferrego began, "What is this proposal you had for me?"
Aurora and Gabrielle, who had also taken of her helmet, shared a look and Gabrielle began. "Firstly, before we begin, it may be a good idea to have a representative of the Iron Bank present. We are going to make a similar proposition to them, so we might as well do it at the same time."
Ferrego nodded and he took a small iron bell from his desk. He ringed it twice and the door opened to reveal a servant who bowed and asked, "What can I help you with Sealord?"
"Ask Tycho Nestoris to come to my office at his earliest convenience."
"Certainly Sealord." The man bowed again and closed the door behind him.
While they waited for the servant to return, Gabrielle asked, "If it is not to presumptuous of me to ask, I'd like to ask you what is in your opinion the most despicable thing in the world?"
Without hesitation Ferrego answered, "Slavery." Which was exactly what they had wanted to hear.
After ten minutes the doors opened again and a tall, thin, and gaunt man entered. He was dressed in sober purple robes and around his neck he carried a large ornamental key, made of silver and inlaid with gemstones.
The man made a small bow to the Sealord and said respectfully, "Sealord, you had asked for my presence?"
"Yes, Keyholder Nestoris. These two women have a proposition for me that also involves the Iron Bank, so they thought it best to invite a representative of the bank to witness our discussions."
Tycho nodded and took a seat on the side of the desk, so he had a clear view of both the Sealord and Aurora and Gabrielle. Once he was seated, Ferrego motioned for Gabrielle to continue which she promptly did.
"What would you say if I told you that we plan to, and have the means, to end slavery once and for all."
Both men looked surprised and intrigued and Ferrego motioned for Gabrielle to continue.
"You may or may not be aware that Westeros has recently fought a civil war between the Targaryens, and Robert Baratheon, who was supported by Tywin Lannister." Both men nodded and Gabrielle continued.
"Well, Rhaegar won that war, with our help. Robert Baratheon has been executed for his crimes, but Tywin Lannister and his two oldest children managed to escape, with the help of an attack force that was send by the Emperor of Ghiscar. They have taken refuge on the island of New Ghis and Tywin Lannister has been named supreme commander of the Ghiscari armies.
It stands without doubt that Tywin will use his position to conquer the rest of Essos, and if he unites the slaver cities behind him, he has a good chance of doing so. We know for a fact that there is already an alliance between Ghiscar and Qarth as a Qartheen fleet was sent in support of the Ghiscari force that attacked King's Landing."
Both Ferrego and Tycho nodded, they had indeed known of all of this, so Gabrielle got to the point behind their visit. "What we are planning is this. We are going to rebuild the old freehold, into the Kingdom of Valyria. We will begin in Tyrosh, as that city directly attacked us during our conquest of the Stepstones. The entire slave population of Tyrosh will be freed and given the chance to join us to Valyria, as Tyrosh will be completely destroyed to set an example for those that would cross us.
Using the freed slaves of Tyrosh, we will rebuild the great city of Valyria and from there extend our influence to the mainland of Essos. The city is easily defendable, as it is now an island and we have nearly 500 ships under our direct command. Using the forces we have readily available, around 20,000, we will make hit and run attacks along the coastlines, weakening the population there and hopefully, freeing many slaves that are put to work there.
According to the personal correspondence between Tywin Lannister and one of his former agents in the Red Keep, we know that it will take Tywin roughly five years to build up the forces he needs to begin his great conquest. So, that gives us an equal amount of time to do the same, and luckily for us, my wife and I know more about warfare than Tywin Lannister could hope to learn in a dozen lifetimes."
Ferrego nodded attentively but Tycho asked, "It would appear that you have everything well thought out my lady, but if I might be so blunt, what is it that you want from us?"
Gabrielle grinned but it was Aurora who answered, "Well, to make this endeavor a success, we need two things. Manpower, and resources. Manpower is easy to get, but what we do not have are supplies, and in particular food and gold. We want to request a loan from the Iron Bank, the money of which is to be used for the purchasing of the supplies we need to rebuild Valyria."
"How much?" was Tycho's sharp response, the banker had enough experience with fraud and swindle to be suspicious of their story.
With a calm and even face Gabrielle responded, "20 million gold pieces."
Ferrego choked in the goblet of wine he was drinking and couching loudly he sputtered. "Twen… twen… twenty million."
Tycho didn't respond for a while, but after a few minutes he said, "As much as I would want to, I cannot support you in this endeavor without some guarantee of success. You are going up against one of the mightiest empires that have ever been, with little hope of success should they decide to attack you before you are ready."
Gabrielle only grinned and Aurora said, "We assumed that that would be the position of the Iron Bank, so let me reassure you, we have a weapon that will decide the outcome of this war." And with those words she pulled the covers from the cages of Saphirus and Violet, revealing the two little dragons who instantly flared their wings and hissed at the sudden light.
Both Ferrego and Tycho were amazed at what they saw until finally Ferrego asked, "Are those what I think they are?" Aurora nodded and after a signal from Gabrielle, the twins came towards them and to the shock of the two men, opened the cages.
Both Saphirus and Violet calmed down instantly when they recognized their bonded riders and jumped happily out of the cages and tried to crawl up on their shoulders, which resulted in all four of them landing on the floor when Silvana and Lissena lost their balance.
Pointing to the dragons Gabrielle said, "Gentlemen, meet Saphirus and Violet, the first two dragons to hatch in over a hundred years. Our adopted daughters are their bonded riders and in five years' time, all four will be ready to take to the sky and wage war."
It was silent for a minute until Ferrego and Tycho looked at each other and nodded once. Turning to Aurora and Gabriele, Ferrego said, "Whatever you need, just ask. You have the full and unconditional support of both the city of Braavos, and the Iron Bank."
