Along the winding coastline of the Disputed Lands, four light and long black ships of escaped slaves docked, their grey-white Wolf Pack banners fluttering in the wind, alongside the banners of the Free Army with broken shackles.
After leaving Volantis, these escaped slaves became pirates at sea or river pirates on the Rhoyne River, specializing in plundering Volantis's slaver ships, until they heard about the Butter-King, who liberated slaves, appearing in the Disputed Lands.
"We will serve you, for you have broken the shackles, you are the liberator and the abolitionist. Even if the Long Night is long, even if the Long Winter is coming." Four distant Volantis slave captains laid their longswords at Gendry's feet, then knelt to pledge their allegiance.
The faces of the captains and sailors bore ugly scars from healed wounds; they were once slave sailors from Volantis, with sail tattoos on their cheeks representing warships. When these slaves fled Volantis, they cut their faces to conceal the slave marks that had been dug out upon gaining their freedom.
"From this moment on, you are the Free Army's naval captains! All men are born free, and on my land, there are no slaves." Gendry accepted the captains' fealty, surrounded by the high-ranking members of the Wolf Pack and the Free Army. Unsullied in light armor guarded him, and not far from the camp were Free Army warriors armed with Longspears and crossbows.
Gendry liked this; the arrival of these men was a godsend, adding a navy to the army. Although it was still just a few black ships, not those massive warships.
"The slaves of Volantis are eagerly awaiting your arrival!" said Captain Harris, who was in the lead.
"I accept your fealty. Sooner or later, I will lead you back to Volantis, along with thousands of liberated free brothers!"
"Long live the Free Army!"
"Long live the Free Army!" The slave sailors of the black ships cheered!
"Many of your messages were spread to us in Volantis by the Widow of the Waterfront. I think the Commander-in-Chief should contact her!" Captain Harris whispered.
"Widow of the Waterfront?" From the name, Gendry thought she was a formidable character.
"She is a prominent figure in Volantis, but the Widow of the Waterfront has not forgotten her origins. The Widow of the Waterfront was once a bed slave, trained in Yunkai, skilled in seven arts of love. A Magister of Volantis named Vaggaro bought her. Later, Vaggaro fell in love with her, granted her freedom, and eventually married her. Magister Vaggaro owned docks and warehouses, and ran various businesses such as cargo transit, currency exchange, and ship insurance. When Vaggaro died, the Widow of the Waterfront took over his businesses."
Gendry noted the name; she was someone who could be contacted. However, attacking Volantis was a distant prospect, as Volantis still held its former glory, its population remained among the highest, and it possessed a large standing army.
Gendry led the four captains to Firegrass Manor. Along the way, the captains and sailors saw wheat fields, willow groves, and gunpowder herb plots. The slaves walked with their heads held high like Free Folk, and Free Knights or merchants passing through had to obey the head wolf's command. Free Folk labored, and the army composed of Free Folk maintained order; this was a new nation.
"We came to the right place!" the captain thought. The flourishing Free Army would surely cause panic and fear among the slavers.
The gate of Firegrass Manor had been transformed into a new, more formidable Wolf's Den. The manor walls were again heightened and widened, deep moats were dug around them, filled with sharp wooden stakes. Tents were arranged in the manor, leaving wide paths. Horses were tethered to the north, overseen by unified sergeants. Most conspicuous was a black steed, a gift from the Prince of Dorne.
Steward Luv had arranged everything for the captains; Luv's wife and Child were all in the manor. Although he was a Free Folk from Myr, he had never mistreated slaves and was always gentle with people. Even after the Free Army was established, the slaves were happy to let Luv continue as manager... In another part of the Disputed Lands, a secret meeting was also being held at the Golden Company's camp.
The Golden Company's camp was also very neat, well-organized, orderly, and impeccable. From barracks, tents, horses, Lookouts, patrols, and so on, the Golden Company, though called a Mercenaries, was equivalent to a regular army. Moreover, the Golden Company also had more than twenty Elephants, which were terrifying war beasts.
The Golden Company's Commander-in-Chief's tent was sewn with gold thread, surrounded by a circle of Longspears, each topped with a gilded skull. One skull was particularly large and strangely shaped, while the skull beneath it was only the size of a Child's fist. This was the ferocious Maelys and his unknown brother. The other skulls had no distinct features, except that some had been bludgeoned to death, their skulls cracked, and another had perfectly sharp teeth. This was Cold Iron's command and tradition: after death, their skulls were gilded, to be raised on banners when they returned to Westeros.
"This little bastard is really ruthless!" one of the Golden Company's high-ranking officers complained inside the tent. "He wants to overturn the homes of those slavers and turn the Free Cities into a burning battlefield!"
The Mercenaries of the Golden Company openly displayed all their worldly wealth, possessing a nouveau riche air, which was no different from other companies: they wore jewel-encrusted swords and carved armor, fine silk clothing and heavy gold collars, especially the priceless gold armbands on each man's arm, enough to serve as a lord's ransom. One armband represented a year of service in the company.
"This is indeed a ruthless move, but it's a bit too extreme!" Tristan Rivers said. "To contend with all the slavers, the Wolf Pack's little bastard seems truly mad."
The Golden Company had significant Westerosi elements; many Mercenaries captains bore bastard surnames like Flowers, Rivers, Hill, Stone, etc., but there were also more prominent surnames from the Seven Kingdoms. Two Strongs, three Peakes, one Mudd, one Roxton, one Mandrake, and a pair of Cole brothers. However, surnames were not important; in the Mercenaries, people could call themselves whatever they pleased.
"That being said, this little bastard's approach is indeed a ruthless move. As long as the banner is there, slaves will continuously flock to him, turning the world upside down. If we had these soldiers, we would do better." To be honest, this new path Gendry forged was indeed subversive and very dangerous. However, the Golden Company only thought of collecting commissions as Mercenaries for the Three Daughters. They did not, like Gendry, completely occupy the Disputed Lands and oppose the Three Daughters.
"Forget it, our goal is to go home. Not to stay here and fight the Three Daughters."
"What do you think of the Myr's proposal? The Magistrates offer us gold and slaves to attack the Wolf Pack Company!" asked Harry, the homeless Commander-in-Chief of the Golden Company. He was a very mediocre man, but thanks to the Golden Company's military prowess, even a fool could successfully lead this group.
"A foolish proposal!" Tristan said. "The Wolf Pack Company's fighting power has never been weak; the head wolf is fierce and cunning, hard to match. Think of those unlucky Unsullied and Brave Companions, think of the direwolf force during the Dance of the Dragons. Moreover, those slaves adore the head wolf; a man fighting for freedom will be very fierce, and I am sure that even if we win, it will be a victory scarred by losses."
"That being said, we can provide armed protection for Myr, so we receive gold without worrying about damage." Harry suggested.
"How about this: we contact the Wolf Pack Company. Anyway, they want the Disputed Lands, and we want Westeros, just like the Ninepenny Kings. Once they secure the Disputed Lands, they can support us in attacking the Stepstones or The Reach; we still have friends."
"You're too crazy!" Commander-in-Chief Harry immediately stopped his idea. "We should support a true dragon, wait for the opportunity, and then blow the horn to attack Westeros, not now." Little Aegon's secret was only known to a few people at that time and had not been exposed.
"Wait for a true dragon. Are you talking about the Beggar King and his sister, the poor little girl? Have you forgotten that the Beggar King invited us to dinner, and then we mocked him!" Franklin pouted. "What true dragon are we waiting for? The Ninepenny Kings could jump onto the islands back then; we can follow Maelys's example."
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