Chapter 121: The Challenge
With the arrival of a new month, the three-month-long crackdown on the slave trade in Pentos finally ended.
Ian, as promised, received his remaining five hundred gold dragons as 'operational funds' from Illyrio.
However, to Ian's surprise, the factional strife in Pentos not only failed to ease with the end of the slave ban but instead intensified.
After a failed meeting at the Red Temple between Prince Hazan, Magister Haucot, and Magister Tetrus, Prince Hazan and Magister Haucot's daughter, Delora Haucot, announced their wedding date.
Before the Iron Bank offered double the price to bring House Haucot into the Braavosi faction, House Haucot had been close allies of House Tetrus, and Delora Haucot had been betrothed to Magister Tetrus's third son, Symon Tetrus, since childhood.
House Haucot's unilateral breach of contract, coupled with Delora's swift embrace of Prince Hazan, ignited Symon Tetrus's fury.
Shortly after the announcement of Prince Hazan's wedding date, Symon, accompanied by several companions, arrived at the great red temple atop Pentos's highest hill, where, before the sacred flames and a host of red priests, he swore to kill Hazan.
Unfortunately, before Symon could act, he was apprehended by his elder brother, Tetrus's firstborn son, who had rushed to the temple after receiving the news.
The matter was temporarily settled, but how it would end remained uncertain.
This information was shared with Ian by Quhuru, the leader of the 'Little Mice' (Ian had taken to calling him 'the Mouse'). After spending time together, Quhuru had come to consider Ian a friend.
Today, he came to Illyrio's manse to report to Illyrio, and afterwards shared lunch with Ian and the others.
During the gathering, Steward Mills also shared his opinion on the matter. He told Ian that Magister Tetrus was not one to suffer a loss quietly, and that having been so humiliated, Magister Tetrus would surely retaliate against the Braavosi faction, and even Prince Hazan himself, with even greater force.
Steward Mills's prediction was quickly confirmed.
The day after Symon Tetrus was taken home by his elder brother, with Magister Tetrus's approval, Symon Tetrus formally challenged Prince Hazan to a trial of seven.
The rules were that each side would send seven fighters, including Symon Tetrus and Prince Hazan himself, to participate in single combat to the death. The winner of each match could be substituted for rest, but must continue fighting until all participants on one side were eliminated.
After the trial, the losing magister would have to publicly apologize to the victor before the Conclave.
This proposal was highly advantageous to Tetrus, as his ally, Magister Cecito Morn, a fellow member of the Volantene faction and a slave trader, commanded a large number of slave warriors, several of whom were even champion pit fighters from Meereen.
Under these rules, Prince Hazan's side had virtually no chance of winning.
However, perhaps driven by male pride, Prince Hazan seemed unwilling to back down in front of his betrothed's former betrothed.
After persuading his father and future father-in-law, Magister Haucot, he chose to publicly accept the challenge, on the condition that the trial be held a month later, allowing him time to prepare.
Thus, Pentos was shrouded in even deeper tension.
Ian was also troubled, as a month later marked the arrival of Khal Drogo in Pentos.
Although the books provide little description of Pentos, if Khal Drogo's arrival coincides with Daenerys's first point-of-view chapter...
If such a grand trial were taking place in Pentos at the same time as the Horse Lord's feast, it's impossible for everyone to remain silent about it.
This means that in the current timeline, some players have influenced the factional infighting in Pentos, triggering a butterfly effect that led to this trial.
Of course, this doesn't mean the players are puppet masters; perhaps they're just opportunists like Littlefinger, or have influenced these important figures in Pentos through other means.
But regardless, this is something to be wary of.
Unfortunately, even though Ian has established relationships with Pentos's largest intelligence network, he still can't find a way to identify the other players.
So, in the following period, he could only ask the Mouse to help him investigate whether any new figures had emerged in Pentos in the last two months, while continuing to practice his skinchanging abilities and improve his strength.
During this time, Ian also asked Illyrio to bring him to his banquets, hoping to find a way to meet the Braavosi ambassador and the Iron Bank's representative in Pentos, but Illyrio refused.
Ian couldn't refute Illyrio's reason for refusing, as Illyrio stated, "Viserys wouldn't want his first bannerman to be under my thumb."
Illyrio was clearly right. If Ian had followed Illyrio and openly wandered around Pentos before pledging allegiance to Viserys, the news would have reached Viserys's ears, and the insecure and volatile Beggar King would have been furious.
Ian didn't want to take that risk, so he abandoned the plan and began to focus on improving his strength.
Half a month passed quickly. News reached Pentos that a Dothraki khalasar of one hundred thousand had crossed the Rhoyne via Ny Sar and entered the Dothraki Sea, and the atmosphere in the city began to grow tense.
According to the Mouse, rumors were circulating in the streets that the largest khalasar in history was marching towards Pentos, and that the mighty Khal Drogo was coming to wed the last princess of the Sunset Kingdoms.
Opinions varied regarding the exact size of the khalasar. Some said it contained forty thousand bloodriders wearing bells (a Dothraki custom where bells were added for each victory, and hair was cut for defeat), along with one hundred thousand other warriors, women, and slaves.
Others claimed the one hundred thousand figure only represented the number of screamers, and the total population of the khalasar exceeded five hundred thousand, with some even suggesting two million...
To welcome this 'friend,' the Magisters' Council swiftly passed a resolution to temporarily double the city guard by hiring sellswords.
However, this would increase Pentos's actual strength beyond the six thousand agreed upon with Braavos.
To gain the support of the Braavosi ambassador, Oranto, the Magisters' Council ultimately compromised, allowing the two thousand additional sellswords to be commanded by three different commanders:
Prince Hazan of the Braavosi faction, a close confidant of Illyrio who leaned towards Braavos, and Magister Tetrus himself of the Volantene faction.
It's worth mentioning that while scouting Pentos in his falcon's skin, Ian discovered that the Black Falcon company, which he had established in Pentos without any further contact, had also taken on private work and joined Pentos's 'city guard.'
(End of Chapter)
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