Bab 50: Chapter 50
From Daeron's perspective
"I expected to meet these two much later, and accompanied by the Golden Company," I thought, observing the pair pretending to be father and son.
Their resemblance was not striking, but the blue hair created such an impression. One would assume the son took after his mother.
"My name is Red, and this is my friend Garin. It's nice to meet you," I said, smiling warmly.
It was unlikely that Old Griff would recognize me as someone from Westeros, though my accent might give it away. However, my appearance certainly wouldn't lead him to think of the Starks, thanks to the skills I acquired from the Faceless.
"Judging by Jon's reaction, he must have sensed something in my voice," I thought as I observed the two standing before me.
"Likewise," the young man replied with a smile. "How do you know so much about this place?" he asked Garin.
"Haha, I just have an interest in my ancestors' history," Garin responded awkwardly.
Aegon was clearly pleased to hear this, as he said with a genuine smile, "Oh, do you also have Rhoynar blood in your veins?"
Garin just nodded, and after examining Aegon more closely, he continued, "I assume you do too?"
"My mother..." Aegon began, his tone less joyful and somewhat melancholic.
"Poor lad," I thought to myself.
"My condolences. I understand what it's like to lose someone close..."
An awkward silence ensued, which I wasn't sure how to break, but I didn't have to think about it for long. Three people approached us—two men and a woman.
"Oh, Old Griff, what are you doing here?" asked the woman, dressed as a septa.
Jon quickly explained what had happened a few minutes ago. After that, Jon and Aegon's three companions introduced themselves; while the two men were rather ordinary, the woman turned out to be named Lemore.
What was strange was why such a beautiful woman chose to become a septa. Even under such garments, one could see her incredible beauty—a beauty that could be described as Dornish...
"And those violet eyes... Could she truly be Aegon's mother?" I wondered, as everything seemed too coincidental.
"It can't be that this Aegon is the son of Elia... It can't be that a mother would choose to save only one child and not both..."
As soon as Lemore heard what had happened, she said with a soft smile, "I too carry Rhoynar blood... And it's comforting to see people who honor the history of their ancestors."
"Hahaha, you flatter me... You must be from Westeros?" Garin asked.
His suspicion was likely confirmed, as the Westerosi accent is quite distinct. The presence of a septa only reinforced this suspicion, as the Faith of the Seven is present in Essos, but its followers here are rare.
"What gave us away?" Jon asked with a smile. "Our accent?"
Garin just nodded and continued, "And the septa. It's rare to see such coincidences as a Westerosi accent and a septa here."
Jon nodded understandingly and then looked directly at me, "Did having someone from Westeros around help you identify us?"
"The accent as well?"
Jon just nodded silently.
"I can't seem to shake it," I sighed resignedly.
"I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't spent so much time in Westeros and here," Jon smiled. "Where are you from?"
"I was born in Dorne, but I've spent most of my life in the North... And I can call the North my home. And you?"
"I was born in the Stormlands, and my son was born in King's Landing. What brought you to Essos?"
"I'm dealing with some troubling matters... And a desire to see the world," I replied, unable to hold back my emotions. "What brought you here?"
"We couldn't stand the stench of King's Landing," Jon said grimly, his emotions a wild mix.
"Do you plan to return?"
Before Jon could speak, his protege confidently stated, "Definitely." His emotions were a mix of vengeance and anticipation.
"I too plan to return, once my journey is complete. After all, home is home..."
After learning what we intended to do here, Jon and his company suggested we walk together.
"Doesn't he see us as a threat?" I thought, analyzing Jon's proposal to strangers.
"Garin, what do you think?" I asked my acquaintance.
Garin just smiled and replied, "I wouldn't mind hearing stories about Dorne from Septa Lemore."
"In that case, let's not wait," Jon said as he led us forward. "Be careful with the stone men... If they catch you, you'll have to at least amputate the affected area, or worse, kill."
Garin and I just nodded as our group gathered. Aegon then asked, "Red, what cities have you seen?"
"Braavos, Norvos, Lorath, and Qohor. I just came from the last city, planning to head towards Volantis. What about you?"
"Heh, I spent my childhood in Pentos. After that, I traveled with my father to many places. In addition to the cities you mentioned, I can add Lys, Myr, and Qarth..." he finished discontentedly. "And the Slave Bay."
"Not a pleasant place?" I hinted at the Slave Bay.
Aegon just nodded darkly but then tried to find out what I do. In turn, I tried to learn what life is like as a sellsword.
"Should I kill them here?" I thought, watching Aegon's group. "What would happen if I did?"
"What would happen if I eliminated Aegon here? What are the pros and cons of such actions?" I pondered anxiously.
The most significant advantage would be removing a potential rival for the Throne and a possible problem in Westeros. I doubt Aegon would leave me in peace. My presence alone pressures his rule, almost guaranteeing another rebellion.
A definite downside is that by killing Aegon, I would lose precise knowledge of how Varys would operate. Varys's cryptic discussions with his allies do not provide a full understanding of his plans.
"Can I afford to keep an eternal watch on Varys?" I wondered. "Yes."
It's not too challenging for me now to keep an eye on this eunuch and all the influential people.
"Am I prepared for Varys to watch me? To hear rumors about my current guise and that I was the last person seen with Aegon—a fact. This eunuch could turn all of Westeros against me. It's not deadly for me... but it would be an exceedingly annoying problem..."
Another downside, which is most crucial, is that my conscience would eat at me... I would have killed an innocent boy...
"What a hypocrite you are..." Domeric's face flashed through my mind.
Looking at Aegon, I decided that this time, I would not attempt to kill the boy. And next time...
"Next time, I won't hesitate."
"What are you thinking about, Red?" Aegon asked me.
"Just pondering various things," I replied, giving him a smile.
Two days later
"Get back!" Jon roared, decapitating a stone man charging at him.
"Tsk!" With a click of irritation, Aegon also killed one attacking him. "How annoying they are."
The two men protecting the septa nodded, killing two more of the infected.
"As if I'd let you grab me," I said, dispatching two attackers.
"It's a shame there's no cure for this disease," Garin remarked, looking at the fallen.
"I agree, but right now, we can't afford to get infected. Be careful," John concluded sharply.
However, I agree with Garin's words, as it is indeed a dire fate... But we have no other alternatives at the moment.
Over this time, I've gotten to know the stone people well. The term "stone people" comes from their appearance: at the late stages of greyscale, their skin turns gray and hardens into a heavy crust resembling stone, making the afflicted resemble a living stone statue.
With their eyes affected, stone people go blind. Their bodies become hard but fragile, and an unlucky jump can easily break a leg. Stone people feel no pain. With sudden movements, their stone skin cracks, and blood seeps out. Seeing this is quite unpleasant, to say the least.
Most stone people are blind and insane, pathetic creatures that are clumsy and mindless; they constantly moan or mutter something, yet some can shout complete sentences.
Besides these stone people, another reason for my nervousness was that throughout my time here, I hadn't once heard that voice.
"Tun, do you sense anything?"
"You're on the right path... At least there's a huge source of magic ahead."
"Careful, Red!" Garin suddenly shouted.
SLASH
Another head fell to the ground.
"Don't worry about me, Garin," I said, my eyebrow twitching.
"Damn it! When will that damn voice contact me?!" I thought, exhausted from these damn infectious bastards constantly attacking.
For two days, I wandered these lands, getting closer and closer to the source of magic that Tun and I sensed. Yet, nothing changed, except for the increasing number of stone people we killed.
It was comforting to move forward with some company. During this time, Garin and I learned why Jon and Aegon were here. It turned out that the recent activity of the stone people had become quite suspicious.
The stone people seemed to be expanding their territory, attacking anyone in their path, thereby either increasing their numbers or reducing the human population overall.
Volantis thus sought help from the Golden Company, which in turn dispatched several small groups to investigate the area by dividing it up.
Likely, Jon and Aegon decided to come either because the boy wanted to learn more about his ancestors' homeland or to gain Volantis's support.
"However, what's to say it couldn't be both?" I thought, killing another attacker.
"How annoying they are..." I muttered.
It seemed someone above heard my call, as I then heard a familiar voice near my ear.
"Hello, Child of Fate..."
Hearing this voice, I immediately started looking around to identify how the owner of the voice had contacted me.
After checking several times with my magical sense and finding no source, I soon realized I needed to wait for another contact. To provoke this contact, I had to respond to the owner of the voice.
Knowing that shouting would make me seem insane, I whispered, "Who are you?"
"Do you really want to know?"
As I kept my magic active just in case, it felt as though the stream itself was the source of the voice.
"Are you Mother Rhoyne?"
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Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
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