The Chronicles of Valyria,

Book 1 Resurrection

Chapter 22

Argyll Rivers was standing on the prow of the lead ship of the trio of carracks he had been given by the ladies Aurora and Gabrielle. It was 7 weeks after they had set sail from The Stepstones and they were approaching Astapor. They had passed the Isle of Cedars four days ago and where mere hours away from reaching the Red City.

For the umpteenth time during the trip he was amazed at the trust placed on his shoulders by the Ladies. He was still filled with pride when he remembered the orders he had received and the letter he was entrusted with. Though many in Westeros would frown on it, slavery was a deplorable thing after all, he knew he was doing the right thing here. As he was one of the few who knew the full plan.

When the ships ran into the port of Astapor and docked on one of the wharfs, they were met by an assistant of the harbor master and a translator.

The assistant was a bald man in his mid-thirties and the translator was a young girl, maybe ten years old, with a round flat face, dusky skin and eyes like molten gold. The assistant and the translator both made a small bow and the translator said in the Common Tongue, "Welcome to the Great City of Astapor. What is the purpose of your visit?"

Argyll made a bow in turn and replied, "My name is Argyll Rivers and I have been sent here as an envoy to discuss the purchase of a large number of Unsullied."

The girl translated it for her master and the man immediately looked interested. He said something to the girl and she translated for him. "This one's master says that if you are interested in buying Unsullied, you should seek out the Good Masters, and in particular the noble Kraznys mo Naklos. He is a young master but he inherited a great business empire from his noble father."

Argyll bowed again in acknowledgement and asked, "Is there a way you could direct me towards the noble Kraznys mo Naklos?"

The girl translated it again and soon she translated her master's answer, "My master will send you a boy who will lead you to the noble master's pyramid."

"Please thank your master for me and ask him if I could borrow you for the day, I need a good translator and I will of course pay him for your services." The girl got a gleam in her eyes and quickly translated Argyll's request for her master.

The man looked calculating and finally he nodded and said something to the girl. Who in turn translated it again. "My master agrees but he says I have to be back before nightfall and he wants 5 gold pieces for my services."

Argyll nodded and pulled five gold pieces from his money pouch, which he then handed to the man who put them away.

The man turned around and returned to the harbor office while the girl stayed with Argyll, who led her onto the ship. Once on board Argyll gave a series of orders before he left the ship again, now accompanied by the girl, whose name he found out was Missandei, and 20 of the Forlorn. The remaining would stay at the ships and prevent anyone from coming aboard.

Whent they passed the harbor office they found the assistant waiting with a young boy next to him. As a last thing, Argyll told Missandei, "Please tell your master that my crews have orders not to allow anyone on board of my ships, and they will fight to the death to follow those orders. If he should have to visit the ships, he'll have to wait until I return from the meeting with Kraznys mo Naklos."

The girl quickly told her master and though he obviously didn't like it, he agreed, as it was not uncommon for people who carried valuables on board of their ships.

The boy led them through the city towards one of the large pyramids that occupied the city. Around the pyramid was a massive walled-off area that housed barracks, training fields, forges, kitchens and everything else you could imagine from a military training camp.

Argyll and his escort were let into the walled-off area by two pairs of Unsullied who guarded the entrance. The boy left them there and ran back to the harbor since his work was done.

On the other side of the entrance they were met by a servant who, judging by the clothing he wore, was a free man. He greeted them in the Valyrian dialect they spoke in the city and Missandei quickly translated for Argyll.

"He welcomes you to the house of the noble Kraznys mo Naklos and asks what your business is here."

Argyll nodded in greeting and said, "Tell him I have come to speak with his master about the purchase of a great number of Unsullied." Missandei did as she was asked and the servant made a bow before leading them across the yard towards the pyramid.

As they were walking Argyll was careful to inspect everything he saw, so he would be able to give an accurate report to the Ladies. What he saw was both impressive and a little disturbing. He saw the fully trained Unsullied marching in disciplined lines and fighting mock battles under the watchful eyes of whip-carrying slavers.

He saw teens, no older than 12 or 13 name-days, struggling to lift a shield and spear whilst standing in ranks upon ranks. He saw young children, no older than 5, who were playing with puppies.

On the inside of the walls were wooden crosses, and upon them were boys, ranging from 5 to 16, what they had done he did not dare guess, but their fate was more than clear. Hundreds of crosses covered the walls and everyone upon them carried long thin wounds, made by the lash of a cruelly handled whip.

It took a lot of effort for Argyll to not order his men to cut them down, but he reinforced himself with the knowledge that, it was already too late for them. However, if he succeeded in his mission, then many of the boy's now in training, would be given the chance to live in freedom, and make their own way in the world, all he had to do was focus on his mission and see it done.

When they reached the pyramid they were told to wait and the servant hurried inside. It took maybe five minutes before the servant returned and he was now accompanied by a young man, not older than 22 and wearing a tokar. The young man was in turn followed by half a dozen slave girls and a pair of guards.

Argyll made it a point to make a respectful bow to the boy, even though he himself was nearly twice his age, and said, "Greetings O Noble Kraznys mo Naklos, I have been send as an emissary by my masters to discuss the purchase of Unsullied."

Missandei quickly translated and Kraznys looked immensely pleased by the respect he was shown. He invited Argyll to join him under the shade of a large piece of cloth that was hung between four poles to create a shaded area away from the scorching sun. He gave a few orders and two of the slave girls quickly entered the pyramid to return with refreshments and fruits.

Argyll ordered the Forlorn to stay outside while he took Missandei with him as he entered the shaded area. He sat down in the chair he was offered while the girl stayed standing beside him, to translate everything that was said.

Once they were both seated and Argyll had a large glass of fine red wine in his hands, Kraznys asked, "Who do you represent and how many Unsullied are you wanting to buy?"

Argyll grimaced a little uncomfortable and replied, "I'm afraid my masters wish to remain anonymous for the moment, as they have certain delicate matters to attend to first, but I have been given full authority to bargain on their behalf."

He snapped his fingers and one of the Forlorn entered the pavilion and bowed before handing him the letter from Aurora. Argyll took the letter and the Forlorn bowed again before marching back out of the pavilion. Handing the letter to Kraznys, Argyll said, "This letter contains everything my masters wish to tell you. It is written in the common tongue so I am unsure if you can read it, but I am more than willing to tell you everything that is contained in it and you can have it checked later."

Kraznys gave his consent and Argyll began his talk. "My masters want to buy every Unsullied you have to sell in the entire city. We know there are around 12,000 for sale right now, and they will pay the full price of 500 gold pieces for each of them.

However, they will be in need of more than 12,000, so if there is a way for you to produce more, maybe you can buy them back from other cities, they will pay you an additional 50 gold pieces for each Unsullied above those 12,000. That additional price will be raised by 5 gold pieces for every 1,000 more Unsullied you can sell by the time my masters arrive.

They will arrive four months from now, and if by then you have raised the number to 20,000, they will pay you a total sum of 12 million gold pieces, so that makes 600 for each Unsullied."

The eyes of Kraznys were shining with greed at the mention of so much wealth but he said, "That sounds very enticing, but how can I be sure that they are serious about this, what if they never show up with the promised money?"

Argyll grinned softly at that and replied, "My masters knew that would be an obstacle, so they have given me enough gold to pay for the purchase, and housing until they arrive, of 1,500 Unsullied. The holds of two of my ships are filled with gold and silver, which will be yours, if we can come to an agreement."

Now Kraznys' last reservations were removed and he said, "I myself have 4,000 Unsullied, fully trained, ready to be equipped and sold. The other Good Masters have combined another 8,000, bringing the total to 12,000 as you said. We have nearly 3,000 who will soon be ready for their last tests, bringing the total to 15,000.

The city guard is comprised of 1,500, making a total of 16,500 Unsullied, and I am confident that if we make an effort, we can fill that number to the 20,000 your masters desire. However, should we be able to gather more than 20,000, will your masters buy those as well?"

"An apt question," Argyll replied and making a show of opening the letter, he looked for any indication of that matter and found it in the final paragraph. "Ah here it stands, 'If the Good Masters are able to sell more than the requested 20,000 Unsullied, then we shall buy them as well, for the previously mentioned price of 600 gold pieces per Unsullied. However, we would like to receive a notice of this at least 4 weeks before our scheduled arrival, so we can arrange for more funds to pay for them.'"

"Does this satisfy you Noble Kraznys mo Naklos," Argyll asked when he rolled the letter back up and replaced it in its leather cylinder.

Kraznys nodded and replied, "That it does, and as a gift to your masters, I will arrange for the equipment to be made by your preference. You have a number of options from which to choose, as our Unsullied are trained in the use of multiple weapons and several versions of armor.

They are trained in the use of the 3 spears, short, medium, and long. The use of the sword, dagger and axe. Tower shield, round shield and oval shield. As for the armor, you can make a choice of a range of different models, most of which are included in the price.

If you want the best, it might cost a little extra but not much, and also, some might take longer to produce, so you must take that into consideration as well, since I do not know exactly when your masters need their army.

Argyll bowed in gratitude and replied, "I believe I will have to see the different kinds of armor before I can make a choice, but for the weapons it shall be, the short- and medium spear, sword and dagger, and the round shield."

"Excellent choices," Kraznys replied, "and I shall see to it that you will be shown examples of all kinds of armor available as soon as we are done here. I will send someone to your ships with examples for you judgemet."

"That would be most kind of you O Noble Kraznys mo Naklos, I am most anxious to inspect them."

Kraznys inclined his head slightly in acceptance of the flattery and said, "Once you have chosen the kind of armor, please let me know about any decorations or markings your masters might desire, so they can be added in time."

"Of course, I shall have you informed as soon as I have made the choice." After those words, Argyll stood up and made a last bow as goodbye, before Kraznys escorted his group back to the gates.

Once the group was out, Kraznys turned to his assistant and said, "Have one of the leatherworkers sent to the harbor with examples of every kind of armor they are able to mass produce.

Next I want you to send envoys to the rest of the Good Masters, tell them I have just made the deal of a lifetime for all of us, and invite them for dinner tonight.

Once that is done, go to the harbor and send one of the pleasure barges to entertain our guest, it is of utmost importance that we keep him happy and content."

The assistant bowed deeply before hurrying out of the gates, with a pair of Unsullied guards on his heels.

Once Argyll and his company were back on the streets of Astapor he turned to the girls besides him and asked, "Do you know how late it is, I do not know how to read the position of the sun in this region."

Missandei looked towards the sky and said, "It is between two and three hours after noon, sun sets in about six hours."

As he thought, Argyll looked around and said, "Do you know the way back to the harbor?" Missandei nodded quickly and pointed in the proper direction. Making a decision he asked the girl, "What way are the markets?"

Missandei looked around to get an idea of where they were and replied, "The Plaza of Pride is that way," while she pointed in the opposite direction of the harbor.

Waging the options in his head he said, "We'll go there tomorrow, for now, could you please bring us back to the harbor, I have some matters to discuss with your master."

The girl nodded and said, "Yes sir, please follow me then." And she began to lead the group back to the harbor, where they arrived 15 minutes later.

They immediately headed for the harbor master's office where they met the same assistant as before.

Before the man could say anything, Argyll held up his hand and turned to Missandei, "I want you to ask him, how much it will cost me if I wanted to buy you." The girls' eyes went wide with surprise and she stared at Argyll until her owner lost his patience.

'SMACK'! the man delivered a flat-handed blow to her face, causing her to fall down on the wooden planks beneath them. He yelled her out but Argyll didn't dare intervene, if he did the man would be less likely to be willing to sell her.

Missandei quickly dragged herself back to her feet and hurriedly translated Argyll's question and why she was so slow to translate.

As soon as she finished speaking the man got the same glint in his eyes as he had seen with Kraznys mo Naklos, that of someone who smelled gold. He began bartering and Missandei dutifully translated everything.

"She is well trained and knows five languages, I will have to pay much for a replacement of equal skill. She is …"

Argyll interrupted his sales-pitch and said, "Yes, yes, I know how skilled she is, now get to business, how much do you want for her?"

The man was a little disgruntled to be interrupted but he got to the point. "300 gold pieces."

Argyll scoffed and replied, "Come on, that is more than half than the price of an Unsullied, I'll give you 200, which is more than generous."

"No to few, 275"

"No way, 225"

"250, or no sell." He held out his hand for Argyll to shake.

"Fine, 250," Argyll shook the man's hand before he added, "I have to get back to my ships to get the money. I'll leave two of my guards here to keep an eye on her, while she gathers what cloths and belongings she has."

The man nodded stiffly and pointing to two of his Forlorn guards, Argyll said in the Common Tongue, "You and you, stay here and protect her, if he strikes out at her again, stop him but don't harm him."

The two soldiers saluted him and walked over to Missandei, taking up positions on either side of her. Directing his words at the girl he said, "Those two will protect you, until I get back. You go get your things and be ready when I get back okay?"

Missandei nodded quickly and rushed away into a shed that was located behind the harbor masters office. The two Forlorn followed her quickly and her former master likewise went after, probably to make sure she didn't take anything that didn't belong to her.

Quickly making his way to his ships, Argyll led his group across the harbor and back onboard. He considered himself lucky when he went to his personal cabin and pulled out a chest from beneath the bed. Gabrielle had thought this situation might arise, and she had given him a chest with 15,000 gold pieces for personal expenses.

Removing the required 250 gold pieces from the chest, made easier by the fact that he had divided the entire sum in bags with 50 gold pieces each. He spent most of the boring nearly 2 month-long journey with counting out and sorting the 900,000 worth of gold pieces he had with him.

He put the chest away again, after taking out an extra bag with silver, and made his way back to the harbor master's office. He took with him an additional 5 Forlorn, in addition of the 18 already with him, and hurried back across the harbor.

When they arrived Missandei was waiting for him along with his two guards and her former master, who held a scroll of parchment in his hand.

Not waiting for Missandei to translate, the man snapped his fingers and held out his right hand, which was empty. Argyll put the agreed sum in his hands and the man handed him the scroll.

"Those are my papers of ownership," Missandei said quickly. "It signifies that you are now my new master."

Argyll nodded to the girl and turning to the man in front of him he said, "Next time you see her, remember who she belongs to now. Touching the slave of another man is a criminal offence, if permission has not been granted by the owner of the slave."

The man nodded once and turned around heading into the city, no doubt on his way to find a new translator.

Missandei looked up at her new master, a man she had only met a few hours before but who had already done so much for her. "What would you have me do now master?"

With a soft smile, Argyll said, "First of all, call me Argyll, when there are no others around. Secondly," he snapped his fingers and motioned for the two Forlorn standing behind her, who immediately resumed their former place behind him.

Pointing to the five new Forlorn, he said, "Those five soldiers will follow you everywhere you go when you leave my ship. They will protect you and make sure no one hurts you. As long as you don't order them to do anything illegal, they will do as you say."

He looked at the rags she wore, a thin, filthy, yellow dress, and the thick leather neckband that signified her as a slave. Motioning to the small bundle she carried over her shoulder he asked, "Do you have any other clothes in there?"

She shook her head and replied, "No master, just some trinkets I found in the past five years."

With a gentle rebuke, he said, "I told you to call me Argyll without others around, but if you have no other clothes than we are going to visit a market as soon as possible. I will not have you walk around in those rags for much longer."

"Yes mast… Argyll." Missandei said enthusiastically, quickly correcting herself.

Argyll smiled down at the girl and said, "Good. But for now, let's go to the ships, we are getting visitors today." Missandei nodded again and followed Argyll back to the ships, with her new guards on her heels.

About an hour later a cart pulled by four male slaves stopped before the ships and a man in his mid-fifties stepped out. He was dressed in a tokar and accompanied by two slave girls who carried large fans made of ostrich feathers.

The slaves pulling the cart carefully put it down, not wanting to damage their master's property, and removed several large chests from it. They followed their master onto the ship, carrying the chests between them.

When they were stopped by a pair of Forlorn, the man said something to one of his slaves and the man stepped forward before speaking on an emotionless tone, "My master, Grazdan mo Ullhor, greatest of Leatherworkers, has been send here by the Great Kraznys mo Naklos, to show your master the armors he can choose from."

"Let them through," Argyll called from the upper deck of the carrack and the Forlorn stepped aside, letting the man and his followers aboard the ship. Once aboard the ship, Argyll met them with Missandei besides him, who translated everything.

"Welcome to my ship, Grazdan mo Ullhor, would you care for some wine during our dealings?" as he said this he let the man to a pair of chairs that had been placed under a piece of thick sailcloth to ward off the sun.

Grazdan bowed his head slightly in greeting and while he sat down in the offered chair, he replied, "Yes that would be most appreciated." Argyll snapped his fingers and one of the Forlorn came walking up carrying a wooden tray with two glass goblets and a large glass carafe filled with deep red wine from the Arbor.

After pouring one of the glasses he handed it to Grazdan before pouring one for himself as well.

As the two men were getting comfortable, the four slaves Grazdan had brought were unpacking the crates. They built 4 rough wooden mannequins, before dressing them up in different styles of armor.

There was no heavy mail or plate steel, only leather in different styles. The first set consisted of a simple linen tunic, leather brigandine and leather vambraces and greaves. It was supple and flexible, allowing for a great range of movement while still offering decent protection.

The second set consisted of the same as the first set, although this set was reinforced by sown-on bronze discs. This allowed it to offer more protection, but likewise adding more weight and stiffness, making it less flexible and heavier.

The third set was much the same, but instead of bronze disc, this one was two layers of supple leather, kept together by iron studs all over the armor. I was a good mix between sturdiness and flexibility offering both good protection and free movement.

The last set however was the one that immediately drew Argyll's attention. It covered the chest, back, shoulders, waist and hips. It was made of thick leather. A solid piece of hardened leather protected the upper chest, and attached to that were five leather bands covering the belly. It likewise offered full protection for the arms and shoulders, with an extra plate of leather placed at an angle protecting the neck.

Attached to the underside of the chest piece was a two-part skirt made of lamellar plates, which was split in the middle allowing a wider reach for leg movement. It covered the lower body down to halfway the upper legs. The lower legs are protected by thick leather greaves covering the leg from ankle to over the knee.

The set was finished by a pair of sturdy leather sandals and a helmet made up of a hardened leather cap with neck, cheek and face plate attached to it. On top of the helmet was the characteristic spike of the Unsullied soldiers.

Argyll handed his goblet to Missandei who held it securely, while he stood up to inspect the set. "This is amazing." He said softly, highly impressed by the craftsmanship. Missandei had translated it and Grazdan said proudly.

"This is our best set, it offers the best protection while still being flexible and light weight. It is the perfect armor for the Unsullied, and we can make it reasonably fast."

Argyll looked at Grazdan and asked, "How long will it take you to create 20,000 sets?"

Grazdan's eyes widened a little before he got the same look in his eyes as Kraznys mo Naklos had had, greed. "About four months, if we get everyone available in the city to work on them. But you must know, this set is more expensive than the standard equipment that comes with the Unsullied."

"How much more for each set?"

Argyll's question was short and direct and Grazdan made a few calculations on a piece of parchment before he answered. "Normally it would be 60 gold pieces extra per set, but seeing as we are talking about such a large order, we can do it for 45 gold pieces extra per set. Also, we will take in mind the mentioned possibility of an exceeding of those 20,000, and we can throw in those for free."

Argyll nodded thoughtfully, he was stretching the limits of his orders here, it really was a lot of money when you added everything together. However, he was absolutely sure that the ladies would be wanting this particular set of armor. After all, they had ordered him to arrange for the best of the best.

"We have a deal," he finally said after a few minutes of internal debate, "but you should know that you won't get paid until my masters arrive with the money."

"I was informed of that, and it will be okay, we have enough raw materials in stock to fill nearly three-quarters of the order, and the rest can easily be procured before it is needed."

Argyll nodded in acceptance and offered his hand, Grazdan shook the offered hand, sealing the deal.

When he let go, Grazdan clapped his hands and immediately his slaves started to repack the armors and the mannequins. Before long everything was packed up again and Grazdan made ready to leave.

He took his leave and stepped back into his cart while his slaves stored the chests away again before taking up the cart and turning it around towards the exit of the harbor.

Once they were gone, Argyll looked at the sky before asking the girl besides him, "How late is it now?"

Missandei likewise stood up and said, "Between four and five hours after noon. The markets close at sundown, so we have a while if you would like to visit the city."

With a small grin, Argyll asked, "Is that another way of saying that we have plenty of time to buy you some new clothes?"

With a cheeky look on her face Missandei looked up and with little sparkles in her eyes she nodded enthusiastically.

Unable to contain his mirth, Argyll chuckled softly and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Well then, shall we be on our way?"

Nodding again, the girl nearly ran off the ship in eagerness. Followed by the 25-strong guard, Argyll followed her until they were out of the harbor. In the busy streets Missandei quickly returned to Argyll's side and stayed besides him, so as not to be separated from her friendly new owner.

Argyll held up a passing elephant driver, and with Missandei's help, he hired the beast to take them to the market. Seeing as it was the first time for both of them, it was quite the operation to climb the wooden sports of the rope ladder up to the litter on its back. The Forlorn spread out on either side and behind the great beast before the driver prodded his great beast to walk.

It took them maybe half an hour to make their way through the busy streets and reach the cloth market. It was a great square with little shops around the edges and dozens of stalls spread out over it. The elephant stopped at the edge and after paying the driver, Argyll carefully descended from the wobbly ladder followed by Missandei.

The girl had been to the market before and on Argyll's prompting, she led them towards the stalls that sold clothes instead of fabrics. During the ride on the elephant, Missandei had explained a few things to Argyll, including the rule that slaves were not allowed to wear silks or any other expensive fabrics. Linen was all that was allowed but it was up to the owner to decide how expensive or decorated they wanted the clothes of their slaves to be.

The collar was equally subjected to rules as the clothes. They had to be locked, so the slave couldn't remove them themselves, and they had to have a ring attached to them, so a chain or rope could be attached to them. The material was free of choice, as several of the Good Masters displayed their wealth by having their slaves wear collars made of precious metals and decorated with pearls or precious stones.

The first stop was a stall manned by an old lady that smiled a kind, toothless smile to Missandei. The girl greeted her cheerfully, clearly, they had met before, and she eagerly began to tell the women about her kind new owner.

The woman made a respectful bow to Argyll, and he noticed that she didn't wear a collar, meaning that she wasn't a slave. After a few minutes of chatting, the kindly woman brought out a small fine linnen dress, just the right size. It was a clear blue color, sleeveless, and reached to her ankles. Judging by the look on her face, Argyll saw that Missandei loved the dress so he asked, "How much does she want for the dress?"

Missandei quickly asked and soon after she said, "She says 5 silvers for the dress."

Argyll nodded and fished the coins from the purse on his belt before handing them to the woman while saying, "Ask her if she has any more dresses for you, you need at least three in total."

Missandei quickly translated and the women accepted the money before pulling out two more dresses, one red and one green. They had the same design as the blue one, but only reached to her knees, instead of her ankles.

After Missandei said she liked them, Argyll handed the women another 9 silvers, and after saying goodbye, they moved to another stall that sold sandals and the like.

Argyll had Missandei fitted for a new pair of sandals, as her old ones were completely worn down, and he didn't want her to go barefoot.

With a new pair of sandals on her feet, Missandei led the group to another stall that sold collars, and Argyll picked out a nice one. It was made from soft, supple, black leather, with a silver ring, a small silver padlock, and fine silver decorations on the leather. After he paid 1 gold piece and 35 silvers for the collar, he removed the old collar and handed the new one to the girl.

She studied it for a while before she put it on and held it so that Argyll could put on the lock. With heavy hands, he did so, vowing to himself that he would remove it as soon as the Ladies arrived, for with them she would be safe from anyone who might want to harm her.

With their shopping done for the moment, Argyll asked Missandei to bring him to the food merchants, as he needed to resupply the stocks on the ships after their long journey.

It took her a while to find the food market, as she had only been there once before, but once she had found it, she immediately brought their group to the right merchant. It took a little haggling but soon Argyll had acquired enough provisions to last them until Aurora and Gabrielle would arrive.

The last stop on their trip was the steel market, Argyll wanted to order a new sword for himself, since the pirates had stolen his own and he now used one that had belonged to his former prison guard. Furthermore, Aurora had impressed on him the need to get himself fitted with a decent set of armor, fit for the rank he would receive once the army was ready.

After asking for directions when they reached the market, they were directed towards a small shop, said to be the workplace of one of the fabled Qohoric blacksmiths. When they arrived, Argyll knocked on the doorframe before they entered the dimly lit shop.

They were met by a man in his late twenties, the shop was to dark to clearly see his features but when he stoked the forge fire they saw him more clearly. He had brown hair that hung down to his neck, green eyes and a large nose. He made a kind impression, though a little sad perhaps.

"Welcome my lord," the man greeted his visitors respectfully in the Common Tongue, "What can I do for you?"

Argyll nodded in acceptance of the greeting and said, "I have heard that this shop is owned by one of the fabled Qohoric blacksmiths, is that true?"

The man nodded and replied, "That is indeed so my lord. My name is Kharbo Mott, and I was born, and learned my craft, in the Free City of Qohor."

"Mott?" Argyll asked curiously, "Are you related to Tobho Mott, the blacksmith who plies his craft in King's Landing?"

Kharbo nodded and replied, "Yes, he is my mother's cousin, blacksmithing runs in the blood of my family, but since so many of us ply that craft, there was no work for us in Qohor. So Tobho, myself and half a dozen of my family members spread out to seek our fortunes elsewhere."

Argyll nodded interestedly but asked, "But if you are such a skilled blacksmith, then why work in such a humble shop, surely your craft deserves something more than this?"

With a wry grin Kharbo replied, "You speak truly my lord, and touch upon a sore wound. My work does indeed deserve much better than this, but I chose the wrong city to work my craft. The people of Slavers Bay do not hold interest in heavy steel plate or longswords, and those are my fields of expertise. So unfortunately, I spend my days creating spearheads for the Unsullied and small trinkets for the wealthy."

With a small grin, Argyll asked innocently, "So are you busy at the moment or do you have time for a wealthy customer who wants to order a custom made set of armor, full plate and mail, in addition to a longsword, two daggers and a round shield."

Kharbo blinked a few times before his brain had worked out what his visitor was saying and as soon as he had, he nearly threw himself at Argyll's feet and said, "Of course I have time my lord, those other things can wait. I shall make you a set of armor the world has never seen before, just you wait and see." As an afterthought, he added, "It will not be cheap though, my work is without rival and once you see it, you will now it is worth the price."

Argyll nodded and asked, "How much?"

Kharbo starting scribbling on a piece of paper as he listed the things. "Full plate steel, 1,500 gold coins. Full mail, 800 gold coins. Longsword, 450 gold coins. Two daggers, 50 gold coins a piece. And a shield is 25 gold coins. That makes for a total of 2,875 gold pieces."

Looking up from his sheet, Kharbo searched his customer's face to find any indication of what he thought about his price, and was rewarded when Argyll nodded and replied, "That is acceptable. When can I expect it to be ready?"

Kharbo's eyes went a little wider before he said, "I will work as hard as I can, but seeing as I am alone, at the very least two months maybe even two-and-a-half."

Argyll nodded once more in acceptance before he said, "Then I will come by once a week to check on your progress. For now, however, I find myself in immediate need of a pair of knives for everyday use."

Kharbo bowed his head before quickly walking to a shelf and removing two simple, sheathed blades from it. One was 12 inches long and the other was 15. Both were made of simple steel but looked sturdy and sharp, they were good knives.

After inspecting both blades Argyll asked, "How much for both blades and a leather belt to hang them from?"

"For you my lord, only 1 gold piece," came the reply from Kharbo. Plucking the requested coin from his money pouch, Argyll handed it to Kharbo and after saying goodbye, he and Missandei left the shop again.

When they were back outside, Argyll hung the largest knife on his own belt, before putting the smaller on the new belt and handing it to Missandei with the words, "Here, this is for you. Even with soldiers following you everywhere, I would feel a lot safer if I knew you had at least something to defend yourself with."

With a grateful look in her eyes Missandei accepted the gift and tied the belt around her waist. She positioned the knife thusly that it hung horizontally on her back, allowing her to draw it right-handed in one move.

With all of their things done for the moment, and all plans set in motion, Argyll looked at the setting sun and said softly to himself, "And now all we can do, is wait."

Author's note: phew that was a long one, the longest for this story so far, hope you enjoyed it.

For an image of my inspiration for the upper part of the Unsullied armor check this link:

wiki/Polish_hussars#/media/File:Zbroje_

imagine this full set, but made of black leather and with the decorations replaced by Aurora and Gabrielle's coat of arms, in addition to the lower armor I described.