Bab 22: Chapter 18 (b)
Their time on the road seemed to pass in a blur over the next few days and before Caspian knew it, Ser Barristan was telling him that they would be nearing Yunkai within a few hours.
"Gods is it that near?" he asked.
The Lord Commander smiled. "We have made good time your grace."
So it would seem, Caspian thought.
When the great city of Yunkai came in sight not long after rising above the landscape to meet them, Caspian felt his eyebrows go up indicating his impressed state.
They had left the desert behind a few days earlier and had been following a shallow stream against a rather large rock face that rose high over the sands. There were trees scattered around the area that provided blessed shade from the heat and cool cover in the evenings when they halted the horses for a rest.
Yunkai was the same as Astapor in that there were effigies of the golden harpy everywhere Caspian looked and the whole city seemed to be arranged like that of a pyramid. The lower levels were arrayed in a circular sort of pattern around the perimeter of the city whereas the upper levels followed the same fashion until they reached the pinnacle which featured two rather large pyramids both of which were adorned with the golden harpy at the very top.
Like a large belt around the whole thing stood a tall stone wall with only one door that Caspian could see.
The color scheme of the entire area seemed to be nothing more than greens and browns and golds which twinkled in the light from the afternoon sun, making Caspian have to blink his eyes.
Orin muttered something under his breath and their entire party halted on the road so they might take in the sight.
"Well," Caspian muttered to himself. "That is not a sight you see every day."
There was a long winding narrow road that led out of the trees and up to the gates of the city, allowing those on the wall to see who was coming for miles.
That would be a detriment that he would need to include in his letter to Daenerys.
As they neared the gates of the city, Caspian could see that there were also several columns at the base of the wall which allowed for drainage and water to flow from the city when it rained into the shallow wide stream beyond.
That was interesting.
That might prove to be an adequate way to get into the city under cover of darkness, Caspian thought to himself. The trick will be how to remove the grates and get through them without being seen. The soldiers would need to do it one at a time which could prove risky.
He snapped himself out of his inner planning when Missandei drew her horse alongside his and touched his arm.
"We do not appear to be the only merchants arriving in the city today your grace," she said.
Caspian glanced up to see that she was right.
There were several wagon trains lined by men armed to the teeth nearing the city. They were merely one in a long line waiting to pass through the gates.
Because of the decreased space on the road, the wide circle the Unsullied had formed about the wagons they had brought with them had compressed to marching with their hands on the sides of the wagons.
Their spiked helmets and long spears could clearly be seen from the city walls and for a moment, Caspian panicked.
Though the Free Cities also employed Unsullied beyond Astapor, the city where the queen was residing was currently the only place where they could be bought and they had come from that direction.
What if the powers that be put it together that we have come from Astapor after the city was taken by Daenerys Targaryen? Would it not make them suspicious?
He thought about that for a moment before he decided he was being foolish. The road they were traveling on went back for miles and joined up with other paths. Plus the wagons ahead of them had taken the same road so someone figuring out where they were from was unseemly.
Caspian took a deep breath and pulled his hood more firmly over his head, determined to conceal his visage as much as possible.
Secrecy is to be our greatest ally in this endeavor.
Caspian glimpsed guards at the gate and then had another moment of panic in which he wondered if they would check the wagons to see whether or not they were carrying what they said they were carrying and discover Naelarion by accident.
Gods I wonder if my grandfather went through the same level of stress when he was planning the taking of a city.
After a moment the prince smirked. I don't think Tywin Lannister is one for doing things quietly at all. It is either all siege works and blood and brutality, or it is nothing.
"What are your orders when we get past the gates, your grace?" Ser Barristan asked.
Caspian focused on the wall that was drawing nearer. "Is it not obvious Ser? We follow the crowd to the market."
Ω
Fortunately, Caspian fears were unfounded and they passed through the gates of Yunkai without any trouble.
He could see the shadow of the guards standing on the walls over their heads, but he fought not to look up and appear as natural as possible.
Yunkai reminded him in some ways of King's Landing, though he had a feeling that the city itself was bigger. The smell of incense, spices, shouting and the general hum of people in a large street assaulted him the moment they all passed through the doors.
The wagons ahead of them were making their way through the winding streets and Caspian signaled to his party to follow them.
Yunkai had a rather large market district in which they would be able to set up and sell their wares.
Orin was looking around wide-eyed as if he had never seen the city before but Caspian wasn't sure his expression was one of excitement for the new place they were in.
"I am rather surprised at the lax in security your grace," Ser Barristan said as they moved further into the city both of them riding side by side. "Yunkai is the closest city to
Astapor, surely they will have heard of the siege we placed the city under and have taken proper precautions."
"These are the Free Cities Ser Barristan," Caspian replied quietly. "Here it seems that people rise and fall on their own merit. Also since we have taken over the city we have ceased sending ravens to any of the Free Cities. No one here has likely heard of what has happened."
Not much more was said as they followed the long line of wagons to the market district. It was much like the one in King's Landing with wide tables and brightly colored cloths hanging from the roofs of the buildings to block the sun.
Carts and wagons were set up in long lines of three rows where people could walk in between and assess the wares of those merchants who had come to sell.
Caspian spotted an area near an alley that was empty and directed the company to park the wagons there.
The Unsullied received some odd looks as they drew the horses and carts over to the spot indicated, but Caspian ignored them. He had a feeling these were not the first Unsullied to be seen on the streets of Yunkai.
He would just need to prepare himself lest someone begins to ask questions. Given the fact that he was somewhat more decorated than the rest of his present company, people were likely to think that he was in charge. The moment the wagons were settled, Caspian gestured for the Unsullied to gather in a circle so orders could be given.
He had been thinking about how they were to go about this on the road to Yunkai and knew that when it came to selling wares, Missandei would be the best option for this. Not only was she beautiful but the spices they had taken from Qarth to sell were quite opulent and worth a decent amount of coin.
They hadn't even taken a third of what was aboard the ships however and Caspian knew a good portion was being used back in Astapor as well.
A table was set up in which spices were placed and Caspian had the Unsullied take up positions around the wagon with their spears at the ready should anyone try anything.
He knew he was being somewhat paranoid but at the same time, they were in a foreign city where people would tend to be just as bloodthirsty as they had been in Astapor.
As the customers began to come by with their purses jingling with coins and Missandei displayed the different spices, Caspian kept a practiced eye on each one, ensuring that he would at least remember faces should it become necessary.
The sun rose higher in the sky as the day continued and Ser Barristan hardly left the side of the table when some of the customers cast Missandei leering looks.
One of them was particularly friendly and Caspian hand twitched towards StormBreaker on his back as he stepped forward. "Is there a problem?"
Missandei quickly cast her eyes downward and muttered, "no my lord."
Caspian raised an eyebrow at the man. He was quite tall, at least a head taller than the prince with dusted blonde hair and arms as thick as tree trunks. He had blue eyes and was carrying his own weapons. His beard was close-cropped and though there was a smirk on his face, his eyes were dangerous.
He gave Caspian a sneer before turning back to Missandei. "I'll come looking for you later love."
Before the prince could say anything else, the man turned and strode off through the crowd, but not before casting a leering look back.
It was only when he was gone that Missandei's tense shoulders relaxed and she let out a sigh.
Caspian wields on her. "Who the bloody hell was that?"
She sighed. "I haven't seen him in a long time but his presence here does not spell good news for us, your grace. His name is Mero, also referred to as the Titan's Bastard and he is one of the commanders of the Second Sons."
Caspian eyes narrowed. "What would a commander of the Second Sons be doing here in Yunkai? And where is his company?"
"Rapidly approaching the city my lord," same the small voice of Orin at Caspian side.
The prince blinked at him. "Where did you go to obtain that information?"
"I heard some of the guards discussing it as we passed through the city gates my lord," the small boy said. "It seems they were aware of what happened in Astapor and have hired the Second Sons to guard the city. Mero rode ahead of the company to meet with the Wise Masters, but the rest of the men should be here by nightfall."
Caspian cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his hair. "That complicates matters."
He turned to the small boy. "Did you hear anything else, Orin?"
The boy nodded his head so fast Caspian feared it might fall off. "Yes my lord. The Houses of Eraz and Qaggaz themselves met with Mero. I don't know what they were talking about as the guards didn't say."
"It's doubtful they would know anyway your grace," Ser Barristan noted.
"Yes, but if the Second Sons are nearing the city, why didn't we see them on the road?" Caspian wondered. "And so the Wise Masters must know of the siege of Astapor otherwise they would not be hiring a sellsword company to patrol outside of the city."
"The Second Sons are treacherous," Missandei put in. "They do not have the greatest reputation since they fled from the city they were defending all those years ago. Now the western cities will not hire them and they have had to travel even further east."
"Yunkai must be desperate if they are employing them," Ser Barristan muttered.
Caspian glanced around at the crowded marketplace and exhaled before turning back to the small servant boy. "I will need to send a message to the queen as possible about what we're facing. If I understand this correctly, this means we will not be able to leave Yunkai without arousing suspicion."
"So that means for the time being…we are trapped here," Ser Barristan said getting right to the point.
"I'm afraid so," Caspian said grimly. "And from now on we must expect that all eyes in the city will be watching for suspicious activity. This will require even more reticence."
And the air of grim realism settled over the whole party then and silence fell.
At the moment however none of them, not even Caspian realized they were already being watched.
Ω
Nightfall came all too quickly and Caspian had been tense the entire time. He had sent Orin off a bit of the coin they had made earlier to purchase a raven and find a place where he might send it so that no one would see it flying off into the night.
It had taken some time, but eventually, the small boy had returned with a small calm blackbird in a cage.
Caspian had decided on writing the message in the common tongue and writing it backward so that even if someone did speak the common language, it would simply look like gibberish. At the bottom of the page in the corner, he had written the Valyrian word for the mirror which ensured that she would need to hold the message up to the mirror to see what he had written.
He glanced down at the message and read it over one more time.
Your Grace
It would appear that we have hedged ourselves into a trap. A sellsword company has been hired to keep watch over the city gates arriving only hours after we did. The Second Sons will patrol the outskirts of Yunkai as long as there is a coin in their pockets from the Wise Masters. We are still searching for weak defenses in the city's walls but with the arrival of the aforementioned company, the need for secrecy and propriety has increased greatly. I dare not write more lest it is read but await further instructions upon my letters. Do not bother to respond as it will be far too risky.
R.S.
He sealed the message crudely with simple wax and then gestured for Orin to lead him off into the shadows of the city after giving instructions to Ser Barristan, StormBreaker still strapped to his back.
Orin led him down several streets and through several alleys almost into the heart of the city.
Torches were being lit inside of dark houses and the sound of talking in the streets had become very much less.
Orin led Caspian to one of the last houses before the city wall and the both of them crouched down in an alley.
"This area of the wall is not often patrolled my lord," the small boy explained. "No one will notice a raven in flight from here."
"I hope so," Caspian muttered before removing the bird from the cage and strapping the letter to its leg.
He paused a moment as if gathering his nerve before he grasped the bird in both hands and flung the creature into the air.
Both he and Orin watched as the bird took a moment to level itself in the air and then turned towards the direction of Astapor.
It was only when it was out of sight that Caspian breathed a sigh of relief and turned to his servant to thank him.
Only the words did not come before a new voice spoke up.
"A little late to be sending letters is it not?"
Caspian tensed and whirled around, yanking StormBreaker from the sheath on his back and pointing it at the person who had spoken. "Who's there?"
It was only when he said the words that he looked up to see a tall man at the entrance to the alley. He was dressed in somewhat opulent garments and there was a blue sash tied about his waist.
For a moment, Caspian panicked, wondering if this was one of the Wise Masters and if he would need to kill the man before he could report what he had seen.
"And who are you?" he demanded.
The man stepped more into the light from one of the torches that were visible from the window higher up in the house and looked the prince over with a smirk on his face.
"It seems my old friend Varys was right, you are resourceful."
"Varys?!" Caspian sputtered, forgetting himself for a moment. "How on earth do you know him and who are you?"
The man smiled. "My name is Orius. And you Prince Caspian Baratheon…are a long way from home."
Ω
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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