Word had spread throughout Essos regarding the massive camp established by the army of Lord Aeos and his own impending arrival. As the soldiers rested and recovered their strength, the Free Cities, particularly Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh, were holding their breath.
Everyone was in full anticipation, wondering which city Lord Aeos would target first. What had been inevitable for months was finally knocking on their doorsteps. And everyone had their heart beating.
In this tense environment, a ship anchored at the port of Myr. It had sailed from Sunspear, and traveling aboard were Oberyn Martell and Arianne Martell. Oberyn's paramour, Ellaria Sand, was also traveling with them. It had been an uneventful journey for them.
The plan was to make landfall at Myr, rest for a day, and then travel by horseback to Qohor. As the trio weaved through the streets of Myr, they could feel the palpable tension in the air. Although the streets were still bustling, the markets loud, and the merchants still hawking their wares, there was an anxious current beneath the surface.
Mixed with it, there was also a wave of expectancy. A large section of the population was secretly hoping and waiting for Lord Aeos to arrive and liberate them from their miserable lives under the Magisters. However, running parallel to this excitement was a deep dread of the destruction and chaos that the upcoming war would bring. They understood that for great change, sacrifices were necessary. They only hoped they would not be the ones caught in the crossfire.
"Have you been to Myr before, Uncle?" Arianne questioned as they finally settled into one of the inns for their lunch before they would take the rest day.
"Hmm," Oberyn nodded with his usual smile. "Quite a few times, in fact. When I was a sellsword in the Second Sons, we had quite a few commissions from Myr."
"Was the city always like this?" she asked, looking out the window.
"Like what?" Oberyn asked.
"It is hard to describe exactly," Arianne shrugged. "But it appears as if the people are excited and happy, yet fearful and afraid at the same time. There is a current of hope, but there is also an undercurrent of sadness and depression."
"Let me think about it," Oberyn replied, making an exaggeratedly contemplative face that made Arianne and Ellaria burst into small bouts of laughter.
"I think," Oberyn said, his tone turning serious, "they are happy about the impending arrival of Lord Aeos, but fearful of the death and destruction he will bring with him."
Arianne nodded and fell silent for a moment.
"Uncle," she questioned, "will Lord Aeos truly be able to take over the city?"
"If he brings all forty thousand of his men to the gates of Myr? Without a doubt," Oberyn answered.
"Even if Myr forcefully conscripts civilians into the army on a temporary basis, they cannot field a force greater than ten or fifteen thousand. It would take them months to teach those shopkeepers the basics of war. Unless the Magisters have been preparing for a long time, they are doomed. Not that they have much of a chance regardless; at best, they could put up a spirited resistance, simply to make the path easier for the rest of the Free Cities."
"Lord Aeos in all circumstances is conquering one of the free cities, most probably Myr," he concluded.
Arianne nodded in thought, while Ellaria seemed interested only in the wine in her goblet, though her ears were fully registering all the words being exchanged between uncle and the niece pair.
"Do you think the Magisters would surrender to him?" Arianne questioned.
"They might," Oberyn said.
"They must have a better idea than we do about how things unfolded in Yunkai and Meereen, and it could serve as a powerful example," he continued.
"Firstly, the public completely turned against the slave masters, which gave Lord Aeos a massive advantage in the invasion. The public was the one to open the gates for him."
"Secondly, those masters who surrendered were pardoned and not only did they survive, but they are probably doing better than ever in the business environment Lord Aeos has created."
"So," he continued, "a lot of Magisters will surely be considering that option of surrender and a few might actually do."
"But then again, the masters of Yunkai and Meereen were slavers, they were far more cruel and brutal than the Magisters of the Free Cities. Things might pan out differently here."
"Hmm," Arianne nodded thoughtfully. "Lord Aeos is truly becoming more and more powerful."
Oberyn chuckled. "You seem quite interested in this Lord Aeos. And fret not. It is entirely possible that by the time we return to Pentos, Myr would have fallen to Lord Aeos. And if circumstances permit, we could try to get a glimpse of him or even try to meet him."
Arianne simply shook her head but did not comment on the issue.
"So," she questioned, changing the subject, "when are we meeting my supposed betrothed, Viserys Targaryen?"
"First we will go to Qohor to meet this so-called Rhaenys, and from there we will go to Pentos to meet him," Oberyn said.
"But do not expect much from Viserys. And do not even think to compare him to Lord Aeos. You will be hugely disappointed."
"Viserys is hardly a man whom you could even call a man. He is arrogant, narcissistic and utterly incompetent. As far as I know, he cannot even wield a sword properly. I have seen him in his childhood and I am fairly certain that all these rumours and reports are true."
"I would not," she replied. "But Viserys is the uncle of Rhaenys. They have a blood reaction. And there are only two other Targaryens alive apart from her, at least as far as we know."
"So, do you not think Viserys would also be trying to contact her or perhaps has already? Maybe the Targaryens could unite. She has five dragons. Probably Viserys and Daernys might become dragon riders in the future"
"I doubt Rhaenys even spares a thought for Viserys," Oberyn said skeptically. "But we cannot rule anything out."
"Yes," she replied. "So, before we can confirm anything about what Rhaenys thinks about Viserys and if there is any chance of them coming together, I think I should continue to look at Viserys as my betrothal."
"If he can ride a dragon, then he does not really need to wield a sword," she concluded.
"Yes," Oberyn nodded.
"You are getting smarter and smarter," he said with a smirk.
"You will be surprised," she remarked with a smile.
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