Chapter 27 - The Queen and the Exiled Princesses (III)

"Are you by any chance a fool, friend? Know that I do not associate with fools, they usually die young, usually beheaded." Tyrion Lannister - Hand of the King.

----------------

Ten thousand of the twenty thousand men of the Fiery Hand Army took to the streets, all marching in order and discipline through the streets of Volantis like a sea of red flames. Their orders were simple: anyone suspicious was to be interrogated and, if necessary, arrested or executed on the spot.

The order was soon raised to a very high level throughout the city. Every foreigner was questioned on the street and searched without discrimination. Man or woman, child or elderly, all were thoroughly searched for any weapon, be it a dagger or even a hand crossbow.

In a bar, three men were drinking with their heads down, whispering to each other in voices they could only hear. Three of them seemed to have different ethinies. One was obviously of Dothraki descent, possibly the result of rape, which, believe me, was not uncommon.

The second man had white skin, blond hair and blue eyes, probably the son of Myr. Whether his mother was a prostitute or not, no one could ever know.

The third had more closed eyes and a more symmetrical face, black hair and dark brown eyes, his features were completely different from those of the free city dwellers. He was either from the Yi Ti Empire or descended from one.

"What is happening to this damn city?" The first man spoke with a strong High Valyrian bastard tone.

"Never mind, let's finish the mission and leave quickly, I don't want to spend another day in this city full of fanatics." The third man spoke with a slightly worried tone.

"Let's split up and finish the mission." The second man spoke, he seemed to be the handsomest and most gallant of the three, with a gentle smile and soft spoken, the favorite type of ladies in Westeros.

The three nodded and left one by one, leaving ten minutes between each exit without raising suspicion.

On the other side of the city, in a hotel, Daenerys looked at the streets crowded with red armored guards with obvious admiration in her eyes. A flame of ambition grew deep in her eyes as she watched the mighty army march through the streets of Volantis.

If she had such an army, she and her family wouldn't have to run away, would they? She wouldn't have to grow up in a room afraid of anyone suspicious, or be able to eat the delicious food on the street like everyone else. The desire for power in her grew silently, without her even realizing it.

"I wonder what happened?" Visenya asked, her eyes looking curiously at the army in the streets. After all, it was one of the most powerful armies today. And from what she'd heard on the way to Volantis, there was a rumor that all the soldiers had been blessed by the Red God, making them immortal.

Although she did not believe they were immortal, they were certainly stronger than any regular army.

She could tell by the coordination and discipline of each man. As someone who wanted to be like Queen Visenya, wife of Aegon the Conqueror, she wanted to be a general on the battlefield. That's why she studied the arts of war and other related things for more than ten years.

"That is not our problem." Rhaella replied without curiosity. One thing she had learned was that in order to survive, one must not interfere in other people's affairs. Nothing good comes from getting involved in something you should not be involved in.

Visenya rolled her eyes, but didn't ask any further, though she was still curious as to what had forced the Red Faith to mobilize its army in the streets of Volantis.

In the town square, Benerro watched the soldiers coming and going with prisoners and remained indifferent.

From the reports he received every few minutes, the number of criminals in the city was dwindling; thieves and rapists were being executed on the spot. Minor crimes such as stealing food were punished with five lashes, followed by a month's imprisonment.

He looked to the side and saw the heads of thieves, murderers, and rapists on a wooden cart, a pile taller than a grown man. The smell of blood was so strong on this hot day that it attracted an incredible number of flies and other animals.

A man in red clerical garb approached Benerro and reported, bowing his head, not daring to look directly into the eyes of the man before him. "Archbishop Benerro, there is still no news of the three women Your Excellency ordered."

Benerro sighed in disappointment, but he wasn't discouraged; it was better that the Son of Light's grandmother and aunts were hidden than that the assassins found them. Making up his mind, he ordered in a calm tone: "Intensify the search. Raid the hotels, pleasure houses, bars and mansions."

The man in the clerical robes was shocked by Benerro's order. "Your Excellency, that might cause an uproar among the nobles."

Benerro remained indifferent. "You will judge whether they are innocent or guilty. If there's nothing suspicious, just leave, but if there are hidden arsenals, the owners of the mansions should be arrested and interrogated."

Four years ago, the Red Faith's biggest obstacle was the nobles behind the Black Wall, the nobles who equipped enemy soldiers with weapons and armor. Without that, the Red Faith could have controlled the city in less than a month.

"May the Lord forgive us our sins." Benerro made the sign of the cross and muttered to himself, a gesture the man next to him mimicked.

In an alley, Bao looked at the guards patrolling the city and quickly did a parkour, climbing on top of the houses with surprising agility. He skillfully sneaked across the roof, hiding perfectly in the blind spot of the guards below, entering the brothels and mansions. Shouts could be heard in some of these places before silence returned to the streets.

It wasn't just on this street, it was all over the city of Volantis, except for the mansions behind the Black Wall, which were being thoroughly searched.

Ignoring the screams below, which were quickly silenced, Bao found what he wanted written on the roof of a white house.

Fire Pig Inn - Third room on the left from the second floor.

Bao's lips curved into a smile and he quickly moved across the rooftops, heading towards the northern part of the city. His footsteps were so quiet that you'd have thought you were standing in front of a street cat, sleek and silent.

Jumping the difficult distance to the rooftop of another house, Bao hissed at the burning pain in one of his knees, but after a moment's rest ignored it and continued despite the pain he felt.

"I want 40% of the money when I'm done." He muttered to himself, feeling that he was doing more than he was being paid for.

After avoiding all the guards on the ground, he finally found himself in front of a building larger than the others, it had three floors and was a mid-level inn in Volantis, the high-level ones being the Bordeis in the city. Bao entered the inn through one of the open windows and then crept close to the wall, carefully observing his surroundings.

He pulled out a dagger, adjusted it in his hand and looked down the corridor for a moment. When he saw that no one was there, he walked away as calmly as if he were a customer of the inn. The dagger was hidden in a blind spot in his hand that could only be seen if someone was behind him.

Suddenly, the door to the next room opened, making Bao's body tense, but he still showed a naturalness in his expression. His eyes quickly analyzed who had left the room at such an important moment. He was slightly relieved to see that it was an old man, bent with age, with a gentle expression in his eyes.

As the old man walked past him, Bao subtly shifted the dagger in his hand so that it would not be seen by those behind him, and moved forward.

However, as he took a step forward, the sound of a sword being drawn rang out behind him!

Hearing this, Bao lunged forward, but still felt something pass dangerously close to the back of his head. When he turned around, he saw the same old man as before, holding a shorter sword than usual.

"How did you find me, old man?" Bao asked, still confused as to how he had been discovered.

------------

Read more than advanced chapters in my Patre on!

Read more than 30 chapters ahead on Patreon. Two chapters are updated every day except Sunday.

P-atreon.com/GOTSW

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)