Capítulo 84: Gathering some intel
After resting for an hour, Doran left his room and knocked on the door of the next room, where Ser Lothar was staying.
"Oh, it's you. Come on in." Lothar opens the door dressed in his night clothes, a shirt and underpants, and with a dagger in his hand.
"Are you ever unarmed, my good ser?" Asks Doran amused after entering the room. The prince looks around and sees that his knight's room is practically identical to his own.
"I would be a poor protector if I were not prepared to defend you in any situation, my prince."
"How diligent," Doran smirks and sits in a chair gesturing for Lothar to sit in the other chair.
"I presume your reason for coming to my room is because of that mysterious plan of yours."
"You know me well, my friend. Very well, indeed." Doran looks out the window, at this hour the sky is already dark and a sea of stars shine in the firmament, there are more than one can count and the colors vary so much that even the simplest of men could not deny their wonder . It really is a beautiful sight.
"I want you to go down to the common room and have a few drinks, invite the customers who are not from our entourage and the innkeeper, Toby I think his name is. Don't skimp on coins, invite them to the best liquors this inn can offer." Doran hands his knight a bag of coins.
"You send me to get drunk?" Lothar accepts the bag with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course, such is the generosity of your prince." Doran grins. "And while you're at it, make sure you talk to them: ask them where they're from, where they're going, how long they've been in these lands, what they do for a living, if anything interesting happened during their stay in these lands..."
"Ah, so those are your true intentions." Lothar's eyes gleam in recognition of the true purpose of his seemingly strange mission. "You want me to get information out of them."
"Yes, the inns are great places to gather intel. Whether it's the family that runs this business or a client, someone has to know if something strange is happening in these lands. But don't ask directly, invite them to drink with you and ask them about themselves first. Discretion is important, if you go straight to the point they will see your intentions immediately and may not cooperate."
"My prince, I have accompanied you on many of your secret missions so by now you must know that this kind of task is not my strong point. Give me a group of villains and I will take them down with my sword in no time, but these delicate tasks... Are you sure I'm the one for it?"
Doran straightens up and looks at Lothar with all seriousness.
"You are the only one I can trust for this task, you are my closest confidant Lothar. Fifty knights accompany me on this Tour and dozens of servants but only you know the true purpose of this journey, if that does not show my trust in you nothing will. "
"I don't doubt your trust in me, my prince. It's just that-"
"You feel inadequate for the task, I understand." Doran looks at him knowingly. "I have to confess, my friend, that sometimes I feel that too. I feel that I am not the best for this task, the mission that my grandmother entrusted to me is of vital importance. The future of Dorne, of my family and everything that I love, is at stake. One false step and a civil war will break out." The prince runs a hand through his hair and for the first time Lothar sees the stress that this mission caused his prince. "My uncle Jace, or uncle Andrey would be better for this mission..."
"My prince..." Lothar looks at his prince with new eyes. `Sometimes it is easy to forget that behind the most brilliant mind of the last millennium there is an eleven-year-old boy. A boy on whose shoulders rests an entire kingdom... The boy I swore to protect with my life, my prince, my friend. If he has to carry that weight, then I have to help him however I can, that is my duty as his protector!`
"Say no more, my prince. I will do my best to accomplish this mission, and I promise to spend more time developing these more subtle skills. So when you give me a similar task again, I will have the skills and confidence to accomplish it!" Lothar's blue eyes shine with iron determination.
"Lothar," Doran looks at him, touched. "I knew I could count on you, my friend. This is how you shall proceed-"
Doran explains in more detail how he should behave and what questions he should ask.
***
Lothar walks down the stairs dressed in brown pants, a blue tunic and boots that are well worn from constant use. At his waist, attached to a belt, he has a bag of coins.
`Not carrying any weapon is... uncomfortable, I feel naked without even my dagger.`
The prince told him that weapons make people involuntarily raise their guard, which would make it harder for him to get intel. For his targets to feel comfortable with him, he must appear as inoffensive as possible, that includes not carrying weapons and acting in a more casual way, not going with the typical rigid better-than-you attitude (as Doran called it) of most knights.
Unlike when they arrived, the inn main room is currently half full. The knights, servants, and squires of the prince's entourage mingled easily with the travelers already present at the inn. They were quite the view, at a table there were 8 knights, 2 squires and a servant exchanging stories with two travelers, at another some squires seemed to be questioning some travelers about the places they had been.
They were all mixed up like lifelong friends exchanging stories. The sight makes the nervousness leave Lothar's body and, visibly more relaxed, he walks to the bar.
He sits down next to a traveler and gestures to the innkeeper, Toby, to attend him.
"What can I serve you, ser?"
"A beer, and whatever my new friend wants." Lothar points to the traveler sitting next to him, who smiles gratefully and also orders a beer.
"The seven blessings be upon you, good man. My name is Alastor of Ashford."
"May the gods bless you as well, I am Lothar of Shadow City." Not using his title as knight makes him seem more casual and approachable, at least that's what his prince told him.
The two men shake hands and before they can say anything else Toby places two mugs of beer in front of them.
"Cheers, to your good health, my generous friend."
"And yours." They both take a drink of beer. "The beer is good, but a bit bitter for my taste."
"Hahah I know what you mean." Alastor laughs and nods. "It was made by the Roswoods if I remember correctly. While I was further north I heard that the Roswoods sped up the harvests in recent years and used greener materials."
"Why would they do that? Lower quality product will make customers angry, which will make them buy elsewhere next time."
"Yes, indeed. The farmer who told me that didn't know why, but I suspect it's to earn more coins. Why else?"
"Aja." Lothar takes another drink of his beer. "And what do you do, Alastor. You sound like a well traveled man."
"I am an itinerant merchant, I travel through all the kingdoms selling my products."
"And what products do you sell?"
"Interested in buying something?"
"Maybe, I've been traveling in the desert for a long time and I could use some new boots." Lothar points to his worn boots.
"Unfortunately I don't sell boots, but I know another itinerant merchant who does, you see that man over there." Alastor points to a bald man with a neatly trimmed beard. "That's Elysar, he sells boots."
"I'll make sure to talk to him later." Lothar nods. `It will be a good excuse to start a conversation`
Doran noticed the car with a boot mark on the side earlier, so he told him to put on some old boots.
"As for me, I buy wares from one kingdom and sell them to another on demand. I am currently delivering five barrels of Arbor to Lord Santagar."
"By land? Wouldn't it have been easier for you to go from the island to Dorne by boat?"
"If I had bought the wine directly from the Redwynes, then yes. I have a friend who sold it to me for a cheaper price in Uplands." Alastor has an enigmatic smile.
`Ah, his friend acquired the wine illegally. Buying from a smuggler is cheaper than buying directly from the manufacturer. Normally I would be irritated by the illegal activity, but since the ones harmed are those Redwyne cunts...`
"Excuse me if I sound too abrupt but aren't you far east? Sandy Inn sits right on the border between the Yronwoods and the Jordaynes." Lothar looks at him curiously.
"Oh poor me!" Alastor empties his mug of beer in one gulp.
After finishing the jar he looks at Lothar without saying anything, the knight understands the gesture and calls Toby to pour them another round.
"A bunch of wretches are robbing every poor traveler in the south and center of the Yronwood lands, I had to travel so far north I could almost see the Sea of Dorne to avoid them!" The merchant bangs his fist on the bar. "Damn bastards! Because of them my delivery will be delayed by almost a moon! Lord Santagar will skin me alive!"
"Skinning people alive is a Bolton thing, my friend." Lothar smirks. "In Dorne we throw them in a snake pit."
"Are you making fun of my misfortune? And I thought we were becoming friends..."
"Peace, Alastor." Lothar raises his hands reassuring the merchant. "If you want, I could talk to my prince so he can write a letter to Lord Santagar on your behalf."
"Really?! That would certainly appease Lord Santagar and get me off the hook!" Alastor looks at him with great hope.
"Of course, asking my prince for that kind of favor won't be easy at all..." Lothar looks a little nervous and insecure.
"Ask me for anything, good man! Even if you ask me for my daughter's hand, I'll give it to you!"
"Could you tell me more about these criminals..."
***
"...and that's all he told me." Lothar finishes the report.
"Well done, ser!" Doran pats him on the back.
"After speaking with Alastor I spoke with the boot seller, Elysar, and with two other travelers, they all confirm that these bandits are terrorizing every poor soul they come across. They are cruel and ruthless, stealing, looting, killing and raping. The worst of the worst."
"The Dusty Brothers, huh? What a name…" Doran murmurs.
Traders said these bandits dominate the central and southern Yronwood lands. There are more than a hundred and they do not have a fixed camp, they move their base continuously and by the time the knights find one of their camps they are already in another.
"What does this mean for our mission, my prince? Bandits exist and are just as dangerous as Lord Yronwood informed our princess…" Lothar looks at the prince like a confused puppy.
"Both my grandmother and I were pretty sure that these criminals exist, I just needed to confirm it to be completely certain. What is not clear is if they are real criminals or if they work for the Yronwood. Either as their men, or mercenaries." Doran explains.
"Would Lord Yronwood really hire someone to cause chaos in his own lands?!" Lothar asks incredulously.
"Yes." Doran replies flatly.
"To be able to go to such lengths..." Lothar murmurs.
"That 's the game."
"Game?"
"It's just a pretty popular term, the game of thrones."
"The Game of Thrones sounds harmless enough."
"Ha!" Doran laughs amused. "I can assure you that it is anything but harmless."
"The nobles and their quirks." Lothar shakes his head, but a bit of amusement is seen in his eyes, undoubtedly Doran's influence.
"You have done a good job, my friend." Doran gives him another pat on the back before walking to the door. "Sleep well Ser Lothar. You earned it."
"Hm." The knight nods his head and as soon as his prince leaves his room he flops onto the bed.
`Not being armed was an unpleasant feeling. Perhaps I should ask the prince if he knows of any hidden weapons that I might hide in everyday clothing. What are you think Lothar, those are tricks of assassins. For a prince to know about such things... But again Doran Nymeros Martell is like no other prince.`
***
After leaving Lothar's room the prince goes downstairs to the common room. It's almost midnight and many of his entourage have retired to their rooms but there are still two dozen men celebrating.
`Inn food is better than travel rations, unfortunately Dorne has no forests so we can't send out a hunting party to bring back any boar or deer. Throughout the trip we depended on provisions that we bought in each settlement where we stopped. When we were near a river or oasis we stopped and caught quite a few fish, but nothing compares to a good stew and a good piece of roast meat. To that you add a cold beer and any man is happy, no wonder they find the energy to party so late after so many exhausting days of traveling through the desert.`
Doran loves his home kingdom, the deserts of Dorne have a rare beauty that warms his heart, but he has to admit that having lands with a wetter climate, with forests and green meadows, is something...
`Something I long for. Those islands... If what grandmama said is true then there is a possibility- Now is not the time, once I complete my mission I will think about that`
"Welcome, my prince!" Ser Loras greeted him from one of the long tables. "Would you like to join us? The beer is a bit bitter but it goes very well with meat. They also have good wine."
"Hahah I'm glad you're having a good time, ser." Doran laughs and walks towards them. "But you should be more careful when managing your coins." The prince advises them.
"Don't worry about us, Prince Doran! Our salaries are more than generous!" one of the knights sitting at the table yells.
"The life of a knight is dangerous, my prince. You must enjoy every moment of peace as if it were the last." Says ser Loras.
"I can not deny that." Doran answers with a smile, but if anyone were to look closely he would see a bit of tension in the prince's expression. `It is not known what we will face once we enter hostile territory, this could well be the last party for some of them`
"Well, to reward you for your good service I'll buy you all you can drink!"
"Prince Dorian!"
"The Bright Prince!"
"Prince Doran!"
The men begin to cheer his name, Doran smiles and leaves the inn.
Once he's out he takes a deep breath and looks up at the stars.
"How many of them will die for me?" he murmurs looking at the sky.
Doran has faced a lot in his two lives, but the idea of someone dying for him is something he's not used to, something he doesn't even want to think about getting used to.
After taking a few deep breaths the prince walks to the stables. The building that is the stables is as big as the inn, since this inn has about 30 rooms, the stables have to accommodate more than fifty horses.
Doran's group has a hundred of them, between the 50 knights, their squires, the servants who accompany them, the supplies carts... Needless to say, the stables are full to the brim, and several horses are tied outside because they don't fit inside.
Doran hears noises inside the stables and decides to go inside.
`Will that boy be here? I don't think he sleeps inside... `The prince knows that in many cases children hired to work in stables sleep in the barns or in the stables.
Opening one of the stable doors, he sees something that surprises him, and a lot.
The stable boy, Fred, was unsaddling a horse. Looking closer, Doran sees that the boy is drenched in sweat and his hands are red from working a lot.
`It can't be- Don't tell me he took care of all the horses by himself?!`
Doran trips over a shovel as he takes a step back, and the sudden noise startles the boy.
"Eh?" Fred turns and sees the prince staggering to regain his balance.
"Fred!" Doran calls out the boy's name and walks quickly towards him. "Did you take care of all the horses by yourself?!" The prince doesn't mess around.
"Y-yes. It's my job, you promised 10 Golden Dragons if I do a good job" Doran immediately notices how raspy his voice comes out and he is speechless.
Taking care of a hundred horses, removing their saddles, removing the harnesses from the horses that pulled the carts, brushing and feeding them... That is the work of at least 5 or 6 people.
`And this boy did it all on his own...`
The prince looks around and sees that Fred did a good job, the horses are well groomed and look quite happy.
"D-don't tell me you're going to go back on your word." Fred looks at him with wide eyes and it seems that he is about to cry. "I should have known better than to trust the word of a noble…" he mutters under his breath as he turns to hide his tears.
`Tears of anger and impotence`
"No!" Doran grabs him by the shoulder and makes him turn. "My word is my bond." He assures him.
"Really?" Fred asks after furiously wiping his eyes.
"I promise, Fred. Stay here and wait for me. I'll be back in a few moments, you don't have to keep working. Sit down."
Doran quickly runs out of the stables.
He runs into the inn and yells at the innkeeper.
"A jug of hot milk sweetened with honey, a stew, roast beef, bread, cheese, and whatever sweets or pies you have! Put it all on a tray!" Without stopping he goes up the stairs three at a time.
After taking something from his room he goes back downstairs and to his annoyance the food is not ready yet.
`How much does it cost to prepare some dishes? It's not like they have to cook it either, the food I ordered earlier was enough to feed 120 people and there aren't that many in my entourage.`
Some knights walk up to him to start a conversation but seeing the irritation on his face they quickly turn around.
After a few moments the innkeeper, Martha, comes out with a tray overflowing with food. A plate of stew, several pieces of roast lamb, slices of cheese, and a little basket of round rolls. Next to it is a pie and various other sweets. And cutlery wrapped in a piece of cloth.
"Thank you." Doran picks up the tray and walks briskly to the stables, careful not to spill anything.
Entering the stables he sees Fred sitting cross-legged on a haystack fiddling with some straw.
"You have returned!" The boy opens his eyes very surprised when he sees the tray full of food.
"Do not get up." Doran is careful not to trip over the tools inside the stable and sits down next to Fred. "Here, eat all you want."
"Really?!" Fred was stupefy, never in his life had anyone offered him so much food!
"Yes," The prince smiles gently and hands him the tray.
"Wow!" Astonished, Fred grabs a piece of meat and begins to eat. "It's delicious!"
"I'm glad." Doran smiles warmly and ruffles the boy's hair before getting up.
The prince approaches one of the horses that still has the saddle on and begins to remove it.
"What are you doing? That's my job!" Fred reluctantly sets the tray aside and stands up.
"No, you are going to eat until your stomach is full and after that you are going to sleep. I may be a prince but I know how to work." Without admitting protest Doran answers him with his most firm tone, looking at him with such authority that it would make a grown man tremble.
"I have never seen a noble work..." Fred obeys and while he eats he watches as Doran removes the saddles from the horses, brushes them and gives them water and barley.
After finishing eating he gets up and starts working.
"What are you doing? I told you I will finish it."
"At this rate it will be morning before you're done, together we'll finish faster. I've left the pie for later, so let's hurry up so we can eat it. I haven't had pie in years!"
Principe and Stable boy work together for several hours and when the work is done they sit together on a haystack and share the pie.
"Fred, what do you plan to do with 10 Golden Dragons?" The prince curiously asks.
Doran knows that amount is a life-changing amount for a peasant. Most farmers earn between 1 and 5 Golden Dragons a year, depending on where they work and whether it's summer or winter. A farmer on his farms earns 3 golden dragons a year no matter if it's summer or winter, but a farmer on the Reach only earns a third of that, and so on.
"With that gold I will pay a knight to make me his squire!"
"Ah, so that's your plan." The prince nods understandingly. "Although you will find that your plan has a few flaws, Fred. Being a knight's squire is in many cases almost like becoming his son, the knight teaches you, (if you don't know how) to read and write, history, how to behave in different situations, manners... It is a serious commitment and if a knight is persuaded by coins then most likely he is not a good person. And that is something you have to know, not all knights are good men. For every honorable knight there will be another that will sell his oaths for a couple of coins."
"Are you saying that-"
"You may have the misfortune that the knight steals your coins and leaves you stranded." Doran finishes for him.
Fred looked stunned, as if he had never thought of that possibility.
"If becoming a knight is your dream then I will help you."
"How?"
"You seem to have forgotten that I am the future Prince of Dorne, Fred." Doran smiled. "Also here is your payment, 10 golden dragons as promised. And a couple more for your hard work."
`And this is how you gain a loyal follower`
***
NOTE: I have been working on this chapter for 3 and a half days. Phew… I want to advance into the plot in Yronwood but I don't want to rush the chapters, the solution I found is a huge chapter.
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