章節 61: mor1
Maegor XXI
4th Moon, 33AC
"Are you sure about this?" I heard Rego say from behind me and I merely nodded as I looked over my masterpiece. A real, honest-to-goodness body double.
"Indeed I am, if he is in this armor the Faceless Man will be none the wiser," I said as I attached the shoulder plate to my willing sacrifice. The armor was a little too big for him so I had to be meticulous with my help, thankfully, my quite experienced squire Dick Bean was also helping me.
"I get that, but are you fine with using a body double? He will almost certainly be poisoned," Rego continued and I could hear my willing participant's breath hitch a bit. I gave him a firm pat on the shoulder to try and calm him down. If his death was to be an agonizing one, I promised to mercy kill him already.
"Why do you ask? It is not like he is a slave, aren't you Donero?" I said and spoke to my completely still body double.
"No, m'prince, I'm a free man," he said quickly and curtly. I could not exactly blame him, he was in all likelihood about to die after all.
"Still, this seems a bit out of character for you. Shouldn't you go out and challenge this faceless fucker yourself?" Rego asked and I could only smirk at my friend.
"Ah I would love to give the fucker outside the same treatment I gave his brother," I said while making a crushing motion with my hands. It had long since become public knowledge that I not only killed a Faceless Man but did so bare-handed too. If the city was not so damn paranoid I think the singers would be making a mint.
"But?" Rego said, doing a once-over of my nearly complete plan.
"But I imagine he will be using poison, and will attempt to act more discreetly than his brother from the previous attempt. I am guessing a small poison dart. Which this plating, mail, and cloth will hopefully stop," I began before tacking on the last part. Speaking so nonchalantly about the man willing to die for me seemed wrong.
"The first used poison too right? Why fear poison this time?" Rego asked as me and Dick moved onto the shins, we were almost done.
"I mean, we suspect, he did. Given that I did not die, he might not have. Or maybe I burned it all away. Regardless, I would rather not test that again even if we have two dozen antidotes on hand," I said as I pulled tightly on the straps that held the shins in place. My body double was of similar height to me but he was probably twice as skinny as myself.
"Very well, as long as your conscience is clear. I wouldn't want your head to not be in the game. We have a hell of a lot of gold to make," Rego dismissed after a shrug and I merely smiled at him.
'Greedy asshole,' I thought with a smile. Rego Draz was undeniably greedy. He loved gold and little else, but it also made his allegiance remarkably easy to earn. All I had to do was clue him into my money-making schemes and ventures and I would get access to the greatest known economist, besides myself of course.
"You done over there, Dick?" I asked my squire, who was diligently working to keep up with my pace.
"Yes, my prince. I am just finishing up with the padding," he said as he also pulled tightly on the buckle inside of the plate male.
This suit of armor I had prepared was really a marvel. The goal of course was to make sure my body double survived. Mostly because finding another human who was even close to my size was a challenge in and of itself, but also because I would rather not waste the life of such a dedicated man.
"What about you, Donero? Are you ready to make the world a better place?" I asked my lowborn volunteer.
"I don't much care about the world, m'prince. I just want my family to be safe," Donero said in his usual quiet voice, I could hear the distinct echo that came from the inside of my helm.
"Right, of course. Then let us finish our deal so I fulfill my side of the deal, yes?" I said with more than a little excitement in my tone. The prospect of finally ridding the world of these freakish monsters was making me giddy. It also meant that I was one step closer to seeing my family again, including my pregnant wife.
"Yes, m'prince," he mumbled inside of his too-large helm again and I patted him on the back.
"Alright, Dick. You know your part in the plan right?" I had to double-check with my squire. He would help sell the farce.
"Yes, my prince. I am to converse with Donero here and lead him to Terrax," Dick said, clearly nervous. Not that I could blame him, he would be in grave danger.
"Right, Donero," I said as I pulled my surprisingly light body double to his feet. 'Damn I think the armor weighs more than he does,' I thought with a frown. If I were a bit more patient perhaps I would wait to fatten my body double up a bit more to make it more convincing but if the Faceless Man inside the city heard that my mother attacked Lorath he could flee into the wilderness, and we couldn't have that.
"Yes, m'prince," Donero said with his body now shaking more.
"Hey hey, stop shaking," I said as I steadied my impromptu friend. "You are going to be a hero, and you might not even die. But there is a possibility but remember our deal?" I gave him the best little pep talk I could, given the crowds outside of Illyrio's Manse would be expecting me very soon.
"Yes, m'prince. If I live, I get my family a farm out in Andalos. If I die, my family gets my weight in gold," he said with a little more confidence. All things considered, I thought it was a pretty good deal. Given he was a borderline gutter rat before I found him.
"Your weight in gold, and the weight of that armor too, now then. Get out there and drag the rat into the sunlight," I said as I patted him on the shoulders again.
As the door opened I quickly slipped from view but I could hear the cheer rise up from the crowd outside. I had made it known that I was healed and many gathered to see me, exactly how I wanted it.
This whole plan revolved around predicting the movement and actions of a faceless monster. So to draw him out, I spent the last moon preparing my trap.
First had come reports of my being back to full health. I had spread them far and wide amongst the city. Every slum house, every mansion, every market, every dock. All of them had people saying the words they all wanted to hear. Prince Maegor was back to full strength and would be flying to fight the Braavosi soon.
Then came setting the trap itself. I had decided to play into the symbolic meaning of my seaside manse. I sent Terrax there ahead of time and I declared publicly that I would walk there to prove the Faceless Men were of no threat to me. It was arrogance to the extreme but it would also hopefully either draw the Faceless Man into trying to prove me wrong or anger him into making a foolish mistake.
Next, I had acquired a body double. Which might have been the hardest part if not for Illyrio and Rego. My freakish size and body did me a few favors when looking for a body double. Thankfully they did not need to look like me or I would have been fucked. No, my armor obscured basically all of my distinguishing features so I just needed someone about my height.
Tasking Rego Draz and Illyrio with finding someone was the right play. They scoured the city and found a twenty-year-old man. With aging, ailing parents. Along with three younger sisters. A perfect target to be bribed.
Our deal was simple. He would put his life on the line and in return I would lift him and his family out of poverty. He agreed readily and I spent the last sennight preparing him for the role.
The real hardest part was organizing the death of the Faceless Man. There were easily three thousand people outside, crowding the edges of the clear street my body double was walking down toward my seaside manse, or what was left of it anyway.
Thankfully, I was rich and there were many soldiers and guardsmen who wanted gold. So I dispersed around five hundred men. From my own Black Company, to Rego's guards, to Illyrio's guards, to Pentoshi militiamen. I picked from many sources, and told them what to look for. Then I promised them the Faceless Man's weight in gold should they bring him to me, alive would be nice but so long as he was dead I did not really care.
Every house had at least two men on every level. Every window overlooking the pathway was either covered by a guard or sealed shut. Finally, there were dozens of small alleyways and paths between the buildings being watched. If the Faceless Man was inside of the crowd, he would not escape, and if I had to kill three thousand people to kill the last Faceless Man, I would do so with a clear conscious. It was for my family after all, and I would do anything to keep them safe.
So I looked on from the small, shaded window that Illyrio provided me and I watched as my slow, shambling body double made his way down the wide, paved streets of Pentos. Each step he took, wobbly but explainable given that I was apparently on bed rest for several moons, was met with applause from the crowds. Which were reaching in and trying to touch the armor.
'I'll have to make Dick clean it if this works,' I thought with a frown as hundreds of unwashed hands grabbed and wiped on my stunning black armor set.
I watched intently, waiting for the smallest sign of commotion. Any inkling of the Faceless Man being discovered. Before it happened, in an instant, the crowd screamed and my body double-recoiled in pain. But he did not double over, instead, he pulled a man from the crowd.
"What?!" I yelled, hastily rushing out the door. I did not need to fear for my life given I was wearing a spare suit of armor but I had to close in and figure out what happened. The guards on duty quickly tried to disperse the crowd as Donero grappled with someone on the ground.
The crowd seemed shocked to see me before it went eerily quiet. Soon enough the only sound that could be heard was the commotion on the ground as two dozen guards closed in and seized the attacker.
"Donero! What happened?" I asked, trying to pull him to his feet but it did not work.
"M'prince. You said that whoever captured him got his weight in gold. Do I get his weight and mine?" he asked and I realized he was practically whispering. I looked at his wrists and found there was a puncture hole.
"Indeed, your family will receive the gold and the farm. I thank you for your service," I said as I took his hand in my own. He died for me, I would happily keep my word.
"Thank you, m'prince," Doreno said as he lay on his back, his breath was haggard and I could almost hear him choking. Not wanting him to suffer any longer. I drew a small blade from my boot and drove it into the base of his skull, up through the neck, and right into the brain.
'Now then,' I thought with a frown on my face as my eyes rose to meet the false eyes of my would-be attacker.
"How does it feel to get captured by a simple beggar?" I asked the creature held down by close to half a dozen men.
"I feel nothing, you may kill me but more of my brothers shall come. You will never be safe, for our god has marked you for death. Chosen to give you the gift. You may not refuse," the creature said through muffled words as his face was firmly pressed against the pavement.
"That is where you are wrong, cretin. You are the last of your kind," I said kneeling down to look him in the eye.
"Your brother in Lorath? My mother killed him two sennights ago. He burnt to death on a fishing trawler. Your previous two companions were killed by my mother too. One got lucky, another got tortured to death. You are the last, fool," I spoke with almost glee on my tone. I could not help but take joy in watching this disgusting monster's life and world collapse before him.
He seemed to struggle after I told him that, but the guards did a wonderful job and kept him still. I moved my hand to my hilt and drew Dark Sister, the shining Valyrian Steel blade glimmered in the afternoon sun. Before I lowered it in a single swift motion and penetrated his throat. I would let him drown in his own blood. I would say a quick death would be too good for him.
…
Terrax touching down inside of the Black Company camp was met with a chorus of cheers resounding all across the camp. My army, which was on paper led by me, would finally follow me into battle.
'I suppose many have waited a while for this,' I thought as I slid down the wing of Terrax. I could not quite tell where my excitement for battle began and his ended. We were excited for different reasons, of course, I wanted to see my family again and he wanted to taste blood in his mouth and eat Braavosi but the excitement was the same.
The main recruiting drive for my army came from soldiers who wanted to serve under me. To fight beneath a dragon and earn glory and riches for themselves. I had so far failed to live up to that promise. Yet now it was time to fulfill it. A sack and looting of Braavos will make each and every soldier in my army richer than their wildest dreams, along with bathing them in so much glory they could coast off the achievement for the rest of their days.
The wealthiest and most powerful Free City. With enough gold and resources to make the Lannisters blush. With a population three times that of Oldtown. Defeated and humbled in just a year. Each and every soldier in this army could claim some of the loot and share in the glory, which is everything that they signed up for.
"I suppose it is time we finish this," I said as I walked up to meet with my lieutenants and tired-looking mother.
"Indeed it is, we are ready to march at your command," Aeron said with a light bow and I could not help but raise an eyebrow.
'Don't tell me, Mother got you too…' I thought with a momentary frown. First Shiera, and now possibly Aeron. I would be having a proper conversation with her and my wife after this war. I had been letting my mother act with impunity for the last few years and all it had netted me was a wife with criminally low self-esteem. It was a problem for the future, however, as we had a war to win.
"At my command huh," I said pondering what to do. Do I march my men through the night and then rest the full army in view of Braavos, and maybe get them to surrender? Or do I rest my army and march them in the morning? The sun was already setting, and there could be small forces of Braavosi in the hills leading to the lagoon fortress they must have erected in the last few moons.
"Tell the soldiers we march at dawn," I told Aeron, who nodded and then passed the command along. The men gathered around me quickly dispersed back toward their tents.
"So they are all gone then?" I heard Jasper say then and I simply nodded. With the Faceless Men out of the way, Braavos was all but defenseless.
"Yes they are, now let us focus on the war at hand," I said as I moved toward the command tent. I am sure they had one hell of a debriefing for me.
My lieutenants and mother walked with me. My mother looked exhausted, which was a new look for her. It honestly made me a little worried, I did not know if I had ever seen my mother actually tired.
As we all made our way to the tent, I pulled my mother aside and whispered to her. "Do I need to be concerned?" I asked, knowing that she would not find my concern amusing.
"Not at all, this is merely the backlash for using the glass candle in the way that I did. After Braavos is defeated I would like to rest for a while, however," my mother said with a small smile and I shared her sentiments. I wanted nothing more than to hold my wife in my arms, take my sons into the sky atop my dragon, and be there with my wife when she welcomed our third child into the world.
The last was unlikely to happen, however, much to my chagrin. The business with the Faceless Men did not take as long as I imagined it would but it still took too long. Now we had at least three sennights of marching, and that was assuming good weather. By the time Braavos fell or surrendered, the army marched back to Pentos, and my full dominance of the city is secured. My son or daughter could very well be half a year old.
"Got it, so no more wars," I said with a small smile as we neared the tent.
"I did not say that. You should never take the threat of war off the table. Regardless of how tired of it you may be," my mother gave me her lecturing gaze.
"Right, right, I doubt I could even take it off the table as is. Unfortunately, it seems to follow me," I said with a frown. Honestly, this whole mess should never have happened. If the Dothraki were a non-issue. I would have contented myself with a house in Pentos. If the Braavosi did not attack me, I would have contented myself with being a wealthy magister. Yet now I was going to be the leader of a de facto empire. All because I could not escape war.
"Is it unfortunate that your enemies seek out their own destruction?" my mother said with a small smile on her face. She was clearly proud of her destruction of the Faceless Men, as she should be. That feat will long outlive either of us in the legends. Two dragonlords destroyed the entire order of Faceless Men. The songs and stories practically wrote themselves.
"You dabbling in philosophy now?" I asked with a small smirk and she returned one along with a shrug before I led my mother inside the command tent, after ensuring that she found her seat. I took my own and began the last war planning session until we reached the Braavosi lagoon.
A neat and orderly stack of papers was placed in front of me and I could only marvel at the fruits of my efforts, along with those of the ones who implemented my plans. I would need to applaud Aeron and my lieutenants later, the army was clearly running well. A clean camp, command held, and morale was high too.
"Right, number of soldiers seems right. Pentos will supply us by sea once we reach the Lagoon. Do we have enough supplies to get us there" I asked Aeron.
"Yes, we may have to ration some supplies but we should have enough," Aeron said with a curt nod and I returned one of my own. Rationing supplies was never popular but neither was starving to death. So I would accompany the soldiers on their march to Braavos for morale and then use either my or my mother's dragon to ensure that supplies got through.
"That is fine, let the commanders know. I have already prepared some supply ships and making regular shipments should be trivially easy now that the winter is gone," I said as I scanned another document. The handwriting was neat enough but it reminded me of my pet project.
I had been searching for an artisan with the skills required to make a printing press for a while now but I had yet to find one. I might just need to guide one along in the process as best I could.
I knew the basics of a number of inventions and how most of them worked. I simply lacked the skills or memory of how to make them. Thankfully the people of this world were plenty smart when they had the right incentives. Which was reassuring for my long-term plans.
"And the coastal fortifications?" I asked nobody in particular and was met by the voice of my mother.
"I destroyed them a sennight ago. Nothing but rubble and grass stands between us and the Braavosi Lagoon. We can march right along the coast," my mother said calmly and clearly. She was excellent in her ability to hide her tiredness.
"Excellent, supplies checked, equipment checked, fortifications wiped out, it sounds like we are good. Any questions before we begin our march?" I asked the table and was met with a few shakes of their head before Aeron spoke up.
"What will we do if the city surrenders?" Aeron asked quickly, which was a good question. We had been operating under the notion that Braavos would fight to the end, but if they surrendered...
"We loot the Iron Bank for everything it is worth. We scour the rubble of the House of Black and White for whatever payment Braavos made to the Faceless Men and we force them to sign a harsh treaty. Those will be our terms for their surrender," I said and was met with a chorus of agreement. Honestly, the Iron Bank was the main prize, everything else was trivial in comparison.
"Then shall we turn in for the night? We have a long march ahead of us," Ser Gawen said and his input was also met with an overwhelming amount of nods.
"Very well then, tomorrow the war with Braavos finally resumes," I said with a smile.
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