The Chronicles of Valyria,
Book 1 Resurrection
Chapter 31
BANG BANG BANG "MY LORD!" Argyll shot up from his bed as he heard the voice of a Forlorn and the banging on his door. Quickly rising from the covers, he put on a silk bed robe before opening the door of his cabin.
Standing before him was one of his guards who saluted him and spoke on the familiar emotionless tone, "My lord, a group of warrior women have arrived at the docks and are requesting an audience, they claim to have been send by the Ladies Valaris."
This succeeded in waking him up and he said, "Wake the guard and have them stand by. Do not attack unless they do, I'll be up in a few minutes."
"Yes, my Lord," the Forlorn replied with a bow before he turned around and hurried away to follow his orders. Argyll closed the door again and quickly started to get dressed. He pulled on leather breeches, a padded undershirt and a steel breastplate, covering the whole with a tabard showing the sigil of House Valaris.
As he grabbed his sword belt, there came a knock on the door and shortly after, Missandei opened the door. She was dressed in the silk sleep gown Argyll had bought for her and practically ordered her to wear to bed, despite her protests that it was not allowed for slaves to be dressed in silks. He had said that as long as she only wore it to bed, no one would find out about it.
"What is happening?" she asked while wringing the sleep from her eyes. "I heard someone banging on the door."
Tying his sword belt around his waist, Argyll looked at her with a soft smile and said, "Nothing troubling, please go back to bed."
"If nothing is wrong, then why are you wearing your sword and a breast plate?" The almost accusing look in her eyes told him she didn't believe him one bit.
"Fine," he sighed. "We have visitors and I don't know if they're friendly or not. They claim to have been sent by my superiors, but until I'm sure of that, I would prefer to keep you out of sight."
Missandei nodded and turned around back to her cabin, which was located directly next to his own. "I'll go back go bed then, goodnight Argyll."
"Goodnight Missandei," Argyll replied, waiting for her to close the door behind her before he walked up the stairs to the deck. He was met by a group of 60 Forlorn, all in armor and with drawn weapons while a few lanterns lighted the deck and part of the gangway.
On the wooden docks below them he could see a sizeable group of women and horses. Three of the women stood on the gangplank, with the middle one slightly in front of the other two. As soon as Argyll stepped forward and into the light of the lanterns, all three approached him and they made a small bow before the middle one offered him a scroll.
"Apologies for the hour my Lord, but we reached the city after the gates were closed and the city guard proved hesitant in letting us in." Argyll accepted the scroll and studied the seal that held it closed. The black wax was unbroken, and the inlaid golden wax was pristine in displaying the seal of House Valaris, convincing him it was indeed send by the Ladies. Breaking the seal, he unrolled the scroll and started to read.
To his Excellency Sir Argyll,
Lord General in service of House Valaris.
Hello Argyll, we sincerely hope that everything is going as planned in Astapor and that there are no problems in acquiring the number of Unsullied we have requested. Please be advised that our arrival has been slightly delayed by some unforeseen events.
You may inform the Good Masters of Astapor that they can expect our arrival seven weeks after the arrival of this letter. Please inform yourself about the exact number of Unsullied the Good Masters expect to have raised by that time, so we can bring sufficient funds. Please pass the word of their reply to our envoy, who has handed you this letter. She has a way to reach us in time.
Besides the timespan, all preparations on our end go exactly as planned and we except to arrive with a proper entourage.
With regards,
Ladies Aurora and Gabrielle
House Valaris
Having finished reading the scroll, Argyll re-rolled it and placed it in the leather tube he was handed by one of the Forlorn. Turning to the envoys he said, "It is good to hear that everything goes as planned, what is your name if I might ask?"
"My name is Valaya, my Lord. Is there a place you know of where we can house our horses for the night?"
Argyll nodded and replied, "It is good to meet you, you probably already know but my name is Argyll Rivers. But to answer your question, yes there is. I have rented a stable near the docks to house a few animals I have acquired since my arrival here. Please, follow me."
Valaya nodded and walked back down the plank.
Turning to the Forlorn he ordered, "Thirty men with me, the rest of you stay here until we return." The Forlorn saluted as one and three squads stepped forward in formation to follow him. He walked down the gangplank and once on the wide wooden dock, he turned right in the direction of the harbor master's office.
Once they left the wooden planks of the docks and stepped on the sand road of the city, Argyll turned left and walked down the road for about a hundred yards. He stopped before a large wooden building with an additional floor and large double doors. Standing guard before the building where a pair of Forlorn and two more pairs where patrolling around the building. All guards saluted Argyll on seeing him approach and he nodded to them before saying, "As you where." They all saluted him again before returning to their duties.
Argyll then led them around the building and they reached a large wooden gate leading to a reasonable sized and fenced pasture. He opened the gate and motioned for his guests to take their horses in. Once they were in, he turned to the Forlorn he had brought and said, "Five of you take positions at the front, two groups of five go patrol around the pasture and the rest of you help our guests in unsaddling their horses." Groups immediately split off while the remainder followed him through the gate.
Opening the large doors of the building, Argyll showed his guests a large wall with wooden shelves where they could store their tack and saddles. As the women and the Forlorn started to relieve the horses of their burdens, Argyll walked towards the three boxes that were occupied by his own beasts. First up where a pair of gentle natured palfreys called Grey and Pepper, for their coloring. The biggest box at the end was reserved for his snow white destrier, which he had named after his late wife, Alys.
He had come across the destrier while walking around the markets one day, the huge animal had a surprisingly calm and gentle nature, which was probably the reason she was being sold by her previous owner, the commander of the city guard. The two palfreys he had bought along with a comfortable carriage during his second week, when he became tired of using the elephants for transport around the city. Missandei had told him that he should try to minimize the distance he travelled by foot as much as possible, since the wealthiest and most important people in the city never travelled by foot, so the carriage was a useful means of moving around the city.
"She's a beautiful animal," A voice disturbed his thoughts as he slowly petted Alys' neck. Looking up he saw Valaya standing next to him.
"That she is," he replied with a fond look at the mare. "How do you intend to get word back to the ladies about your mission here? I suppose you know more than me about their current whereabouts."
"We intend to sell our horses and buy a small, fast ship." Valaya replied while letting the horse smell her hand before stroking its neck. "We need to meet up with the armada before they reach their destination in 3 weeks, otherwise it'll be impossible to reach them in time for them to then make it over here."
"I think I might be able to help you out with that," Argyll said with a smile. "I need to meet with the Good Masters first thing in the morning, as no doubt by then they will have been informed about your arrival and will want to know what you are doing here. But afterwards I'll take you on a tour around the docks, there are several ships in port that might suit your needs."
"Thank you my Lord," Valaya replied with a small bow, treating him as she would any other officer of a superior rank. "If you don't mind, we would like a place to sleep for what remains of the night. We have ridden hard this past fortnight and are rather tired. Shall we make camp in the pasture or do you have room on your ships for us?"
"Well if you don't mind sleeping in hammocks, I would prefer to have you on board and away from prying eyes. You have my word that none will disturb you while you rest until my return."
"You have my thanks my Lord," Valaya replied with another small bow.
Shortly after that, one of Valaya's warrior women came to them to say that all the horses had been unsaddled, rubbed dry, fed and watered, and set loose in the pasture to rest from their journey. Upon hearing that, Argyll nodded and led the group out of the stable and then back to the docks, leaving the Forlorn behind to guard the stable and the horses.
Once they returned to the ships, they all soon went to sleep after Argyll had shown them to the mid-deck cargo hold that had been repurposed as sleeping quarters with about 60 hammocks hung from the ceiling.
XXX
5 hours later, just after sunrise, Argyll was again woken up by someone knocking on his door, though a lot less noisome than earlier that night. "My Lord, a messenger from the Good Masters has arrived, they wish to be informed about the guests you received last night."
"Understood," he answered the Forlorn before groaning softly to himself. He stood up and started to get dressed, it was expected, but still he resented having to get up this early. Dressing himself in his 'official business clothes', consisting of loose black silk pants, a gold trimmed black silk shirt, sandals decorated with fine golden accents and a ceremonious curved dagger on a belt of golden chains.
So dressed up, he left his cabin and knocked on the door next to his. "What is it?" the sleepy voice of Missandei answered him from within.
"Get dressed pleased, I have been summoned by the Good Masters to explain about our midnight visitors."
He got a "Yes Argyll," in reply and moved up the wooden stairs to the deck. Breakfast was already set out for him and Missandei beneath the cloth roof spun before the aft castle. As he sat down, he thought about the young girl who had become a very valuable servant, but more importantly, a very dear friend not unlike a daughter. She had taught him about the customs of the Slavers, their rules and etiquette, the lay out of the city, who each of the Good Masters were and what they were like. She had even begun teaching him the Bastard Valyrian dialect that was spoken in Slaver's Bay, so he could enact his business without having to rely solely on her translating skills.
His thoughts were interrupted when Missandei pulled back the chair opposite him and sat down for her own breakfast. She was dressed in the black linen dress with golden trims she always wore when accompanying her 'master' to his meetings with the Good Masters. The black collar around her neck he so despised gleamed in the early sun light and trying to take his mind off of it, he grabbed the loaf of bread from the table and tore it in two pieces. Handing the smaller section to Missandei, he next helped himself to the plate with cheese and baked bacon before pushing it over to the girl across from him.
"So, what was it with the visitors last night?" Missandei asked between bites of bread and sipping the mug of milk in front of her.
"They are who they said they were, and they brought a letter from my superiors telling about their progress and their expected time of arrival." He picked up the leather tube from its place on the floor. "This letter to be precise. I'm taking it with me to prove my words with the Good Masters."
Missandei nodded softly before asking, "So when are they coming?"
"In about 7 weeks," Argyll replied before adding with a smile, "and from what I gathered from the letter, they are not coming alone."
"Are they bringing an army?" The girl asked curiously, she wasn't stupid, and knew that Argyll had an intense and burning hatred for anything even remotely related to slavery. And from what little he had told her about his mysterious superiors, they were even more averse to the practice. So, them buying tens of thousands of slave soldiers, was somewhat suspicious to her and she suspected some ulterior motives on their part. The fact that cemented this belief for her, was that she had on several times seen him look at her collar and heard him mutter, "If only they would hurry up, then she wouldn't have to suffer such a demeaning thing much longer."
"Why do you ask?" Argyll inquired a little suspiciously, he had always tried to avoid talking to much about the Ladies and their plans for Slaver's Bay.
"Because I'm not stupid Argyll," Missandei replied while rolling her eyes. "Did you seriously think that I hadn't picked up on your refusal to talk about your superiors or their plans. You obviously despise anything even remotely connected to slavery, so why buy the Unsullied unless you are planning to use them. So, I ask again, are they bringing an army?"
Being completely over bluffed by her blunt reply, Argyll nodded slowly and said, "I would think so yes. They didn't say so expressly, but it was heavily implied. I believe we should ask their envoy later today about that."
Missandei nodded softly with a thoughtful expression on her face. The rest of their breakfast was spent in silence and after it was done, Argyll ordered the carriage being readied for them and soon after they left for the palace next to the Plaza of Pride that was the seat for the Good Masters. Joining them was a guard of twenty-four Forlorn marching before and behind the carriage on foot and one more handling the reins of Grey and Pepper who were pulling the carriage.
The crowds automatically parted before them, since the black and golden tabards of the Forlorn, in addition to the two great standards that were carried before the carriage, made it clear to everyone who was approaching. By the orders of the Good Masters, their exalted guest was to be shown every form of respect possible, in order to keep him happy and favorable to them. The punishments for breaking this rule was very harsh, crucifixion for a slave, enslavement for a free born, and very hefty fines for the nobility. Argyll knew about this but was in no position to do anything about it, so he did his best to ignore the whole thing.
During the half hour ride to the palace, Missandei kept up the image of the obedient little slave girl, by kneeling on the floor of the carriage while Argyll sat in the soft, feather stuffed pillows of the carriage. When she had first done this, Argyll had been most upset, but she had convinced him of the necessity of it by telling her that if she was found sitting on equal height with her 'master', she would be whipped or even crucified.
Upon their arrival at the palace, they saw a pair of servants waiting for them. One hurried inside, no doubt to warn the Good Masters that their guest had arrived, while the other approached the carriage and bowed before opening the door of the carriage. Argyll stepped out and was followed by Missandei, who kept her head obediently lowered and carried the leather tube with the letter. She also carried a leather satchel with a writing box and several scrolls of empty parchment. Twenty of the Forlorn surrounded them as they went inside, while the other five, including the two standard bearers stayed outside to guard the carriage.
The servant brought them to the council chamber where they found the Good Masters assembled and waiting for them. All eight of them were arrayed on their gilded seats around the half round table, and Argyll walked towards the ninth across from them where he sat himself down. Missandei obediently stood behind and slightly to the left of him.
Kraznys mo Nakloz and Grazdan mo Ullhor sat in the middle, directly opposite Argyll, showing their position as the two richest members of the Good Masters. It also happened that these two were the only ones who's names he had remembered and even cared to know as the others never spoke to him.
"Welcome, my Lord," Kraznys greeted him with a nod of the head while Missandei as always translated everything faithfully for Argyll. "I assume you already know why we asked you to come here?"
"I do," Argyll replied with a small nod before holding up his hand, in which Missandei placed the leather tube. "My superiors have sent an envoy with a letter to me, detailing their expected arrival in your great city and asking me to confer with you about your progress in gathering Unsullied."
"Ah that is good to hear," Grazdan remarked with the beginnings of a smile. Just as all the others at the table, he to would not be getting paid until Argyll's superiors arrived. "So when can we expect their arrival?"
"In seven weeks," Argyll replied calmly while pulling the scroll from the leather tube. "They have suffered a small delay during their preparations, but everything is still moving apace as planned. If you can give me the numbers of Unsullied you have gathered up until now and how many you expect to have gathered by the time my superiors arrive, I will write a letter to them and give it to their envoy to deliver."
Kraznys nodded and snapped his fingers, sending a servant standing a few paces behind him scurrying out of the chamber on a hurry. While they waited, Missandei placed a scroll before Argyll, followed by the wooden box containing the writing set. She opened the box and began preparing everything for Argyll to write the promised letter. She opened the ink pot, placed two long and richly decorated black marble stones on the scroll of parchment to keep it flat and opened and placed two white swan feathers next to the inkpot to write with.
She also put a small pan with solidified black wax on a stand above a lit candle and removed his personal seal from the locked part of the box with the key Argyll handed her. His seal was a variation of the sigil of House Valaris, it showed the dragon skull, but instead of the chain, it was surrounded by a ring of waves to show his descent from the Riverlands.
Mere seconds after Missandei finished, the servant came hurrying back into the room with a thick scroll under his arm. With a bow he handed the scroll to Kraznys, before retreating back to his previous place. Kraznys unrolled the scroll and placed two similar stones on the ends to keep it open while he read the list out loud;
"So far, we have gathered,
16,500 Unsullied from Astapor,
1,500 Unsullied from Yunkai,
2,000 Unsullied from Mereen,
800 Unsullied from Kosrak,
400 Unsullied from Tolos,
400 Unsullied from Elyria,
400 Unsullied from Hesh, and
500 Unsullied from Lhazosh have been procured butare still on the way. They are expected to arrive within two weeks. We have some 3,800 still in training, but they are still between 2 and 6 years from completing their training. So that brings the grand total to 22,500 Unsullied. As previously agreed upon, the price per Unsullied has been set at 600 gold pieces, minus the 900,000 gold pieces we have already received, this makes for a grand total of 12,600,000 gold pieces."
Kraznys finished his summary with an expectant look at Argyll, who was minutely writing down everything the great slaver had just said. They waited politely for Argyll to finish before Grazdan mo Ullhor took over.
"As for the progress on the armor you have chosen, we have 19,800 Unsullied fully equipped, with the remainder expected to be done within the next 5 weeks. Just two days ago we have received the last shipment of leather we needed to complete the full order."
"Very good," Argyll replied after finishing writing it down, "When we made our deal, you mentioned that you would charge an additional 45 gold pieces for each of the first 20,000 sets, and the remainder you would not charge for. Does that still stand now that there are 2,500 more?"
Grazdan looked a little uncomfortable, as they were talking about a total of 100,000 more gold pieces. Seeing his look Argyll smiled understandingly and said, "I am willing to meet you halfway. In consideration of your promise but also with an eye on your situation, I will pay 50,000 gold pieces for those 2,500 extra sets. Is that agreeable to you?"
Grazdan's look immediately turned to one of relief and he said quickly, "Yes, that would be very generous as I try to be a man of my word, and this way it will cover the costs."
Nodding to himself Argyll pulled out a piece of spare parchment and added the numbers up for himself. "So that makes it 12,600,000 for the Unsullied, and 950,000 for the equipment. For a grand total of 13,550,000." The Good Masters all nodded, and Argyll noted the numbers in the letter.
Finishing it up with a few pleasantries and comments, Argyll rolled up the parchment and handed it to Missandei who held it securely at both ends. Picking up the wax pan he dropped a sizeable amount of wax on the edge of the scroll before pressing his seal on in. Following that he dropped two smaller puddles of wax near both ends and pressed his signet ring into it, leaving a stylized letter A surrounded by flames.
Shortly after that the meeting ended, and Argyll promised to send the envoys on their way at the earliest opportunity. As Missandei was re-packing the writing supplies in the box, Kraznys approached them and said softly in a somewhat terrible attempt at speaking the common tongue, "I… hoped… that… liked… you… gift… made… by… me."
With his eyebrows raised at Kraznys attempt to speak his language, Argyll thought back to the scantily clad teens that had appeared at his ships two days ago. He had known why they were sent, as the collars they wore were decorated with images of copulating couples. He had refused to touch them and told them to tell their master that he had been fully satisfied.
"Yes," he replied with a fake pleasant smile. "They were very lovely thank you." Kraznys completely missed the sarcasm in his voice and smiled elatedly before nodding in goodbye and leaving the room.
Looking at the retreating back of the slaver, Argyll muttered so softly that only Missandei could hear, "I swear, before this is all over, I'll put your head on a spike you disgusting little swine.
The small smile on Missandei's face went unnoticed but she grasped the small dagger she wore under her dress and thought, 'And I'll be glad to help you put it there."
XXX
Early the next morning, Valaya and her guards took sail on the Cinnamon Wind, a Swan ship from the Summer Isles that had agreed to ferry them to their secret destination, relying solely on Valaya's instructions in exchange for a reasonable fee. Their horses were left under the care of Argyll as they did not after all need to be sold to pay for their trip back to the armada.
They were waved off by Argyll and Missandei, and Valaya carried the letter Argyll had written in a leather tube that had been securely stashed in her cabin.
During the nearly three-week long journey, Valaya and her warriors stayed completely mute about their destination, though the crew of the Cinnamon Wind could obviously guess the rough destination by their heading.
XXX
By the time they reached the southernmost tip of the massive storm front that surrounded Valyria, it wasn't long before they began to see a sight that none of the sailors had ever held possible or could imagine. The seas were remarkably calm outside the storms as they reached the point they had been told by the Ladies, a gigantic pillar of rock rising from the seas. The battered ruins of an ancient watchtower were just barely recognizable on top of the rock.
Valaya ordered the captain to throw anchor and said, "Now we wait, if my calculations are correct, the fleet will arrive here tomorrow."
Barely an hour after they arrived the lookout gave a yell from the top of the main mast, "Captain, there is something on the horizon, to the west of us." Captain Quhuro Mo took out his Myrish eye and looked towards the direction the lookout had indicated.
He looked, then looked again, removed the Myrish eye from his eyes and rubbed his fist in it to clear out any imagined dirt before replacing his Myrish eye. "That's not possible," he muttered softly before looking at Valaya who had a very smug smile on her lips.
"I'm guessing you're seeing a mass of sails on the horizon and are wondering whether it is wise to stay here?" The captain nodded mutely and still smiling, Valaya added, "What you are seeing now is merely the vanguard of the Armada we are waiting for."
The Captain's eyes widened, and he asked softly, "If that is the vanguard, then how large is your entire fleet?"
"Around 1,800 ships give or take a few dozen." Valaya and the other warriors leaned back against the railing and made themselves comfortable for the night, as it would take at least till the next morning until the first ships would reach them.
XXX
During the night nothing of note happened, except that none of the crew of the Cinnamon Wind could catch a wink of sleep while the two dozen women slept peacefully when not on watch duty.
At first light the occupants of the swan ship were somewhat surprised to find that they were now entirely surrounded by warships. The Chain Breaker and the Titan's Pride were anchored just ahead of them with the Sapphire, the Emerald, the Kraken's might, and the Spear of Dorne close by.
When Valaya moved to the bow of the swan ship, she could see admiral Uthero standing on a similar place on his own ship the Titan's Pride. Giving him a nod, she, him and everyone else could do nothing more than wait for something to happen. Everything now hinged on the Ladies and whether or not they could get the storms to recede.
For nearly two hours nothing happened until a sudden roar could be heard over the noise of the storms. It sounded similar to what they had heard at the siege of Tyrosh, but also a little different. A little less… impressive, as if the one who had unleased it was smaller than 'the beasts ridden by' the Ladies.
When the roar had finally echoed out of existence, something incredible happened. The storm front right before them began to recede, first slowly but then faster until a sort of tunnel appeared leading through the storm. And from the tunnel came, flying slowly and deliberately, came a gigantic blue and silver dragon.
The crew of the Cinnamon Wind stood stock still, shocked to the bone at seeing the magnificent creature approach. Of course, they had heard stories over the last few months, stories of dragons fighting in Westeros and later at Tyrosh, but hearing is far less than seeing.
Turning to the captain, Valaya softly shook his shoulder until he looked at her. His eyes were foggy for a few seconds more before they cleared, and a gleam was visible in them. "Do you now understand why we could not tell you where we were going or who we were headed to?"
Valaya's words caused the man to nod mutely and she smiled softly before slowly swinging her right arm around her indicating the fleet that lay around them and was preparing to follow the dragon into the tunnel and towards the clear blue sky on the other side. "If you want to meet them, then I suggest you follow them in. You will be safe in there and you have my word that you will be allowed to leave again when my superiors leave for Astapor to take possession of the Unsullied they have ordered."
The captain nodded, still with that gleam in his eyes before turning to his crew, all of which were still staring at the now retreating shape of the dragon. "You heard the lady, you gaping slack jaws, we follow them in. Raise the anchor and set half sail, the wind should blow us straight trough the tunnel and out the other side." The crew shot to action and soon after their ship followed the first dozen ships that had already entered the tunnel.
The journey trough the tunnel was not the most comfortable they had ever had. The tunnel was maybe a mile wide and half as high, but beyond that they could see lighting strikes coming down in scores, and waves higher than their ship. In a single frightening flash, they could see a long and thin creature that was bigger than a galley swimming in the waters below them, but luckily nothing came to the surface to threaten them.
Once they were out of the tunnel, they saw a land that could only be called a paradise. Long beaches with fine white sand covered the shores and beyond that were endless forests and wide green planes filled with herds of deer, wild horses and a myriad of other animals. The water below them was only 40 or 50 feet deep and was clear as glass, showing large schools of fish and a sea bed with crabs, lobsters and other bottom dwellers.
Ahead of them the dragon was slowly circling above them as they sailed towards a city in the distance. The city was built upon a series of hills and surrounded by high walls of black stone. A massive harbor could be seen below the city and they sailed towards it, the fleet clearly followed previously given orders, while the dragon entered the city and disappeared from view.
The faster warships went ahead of the slower transports and unloaded the soldiers on the stone docks that rose from the water. Once empty, the warships retreated back from harbor and rowed towards the beaches besides it and the galleys beached themselves, while the others dropped anchor near the shore.
When the warships were unloaded, the Cinnamon Wind made for the docks where the Chain Breaker, the Titan's Pride, and the Spear of Dorne were the only warships still docked. Captain Quhuro Mo managed to dock his ship safely and while his crew was securing the mooring ropes, two figures approached the ship.
Both were clad in heavy armor and while one was a woman of medium height, the other was a towering behemoth nearing 8 feet tall. Both were armed to the teeth, but their helmets were off and their faces stayed friendly.
As soon as the gangplank was dropped, Valaya led her warriors off the ship and bowed deeply before the two figures and offered them the leather tube containing Argyll's letter. "My Lady, my Lord, we have completed our mission and bring good news from the Lord General Argyll."
Francine smiled at the young woman and accepted the tube saying, "I'm glad to see that you are safe Valaya and seeing you here, all of you, successful in your mission lightens my heart. Come, bring the captain of this ship and follow me, the Ladies will want to see you as soon as possible."
Having said that, Francine and Ivan turned around and led the group down the docks, and towards a familiar group of people in the distance.
