Lands of Volantis, Midnight…
A long line of caravans stretched back for nearly a mile moved slowly along the road. Each cart with a cage was filled to capacity with people wearing manacles and covered in filth, portraying the picture of most dejected and broken human beings one could imagine. At the side of these caravans, men from all walks of life rode proudly.
They imagined the coin these latest wares of theirs would fetch them in Volantis. Many were sure that it would be enough to make them rich for a while. Slavers from all over Essos were coming to Volantis for this very purpose.
The forest around them was dense and the occasional rustling did not disturb them too much, animals would not dare approach them and even if one would they had the numbers to repel it easily enough. That confidence lasted until the first man fell from his horse with a scream.
The slavers whipped around looking for the source of the scream, a man at the head of the convoy they thought. But then there was another scream from a man the opposite direction. Confusion gripped their minds and they started taking their weapons out. To make matters worse, the caravan stopped all of a sudden.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?" One of the men cried near the front cried and raced ahead on his horse, only to stop and see a number of trees blocking the road ahead. It was obviously left deliberately in the middle of the road. Unease began to replace confusion, this was no work of animals or elements, human hands were behind this blockade.
Then another scream echoed through the forest coming from somewhere near the rear of the convoy, followed by another from the same direction. Fear and panic started to flower in their frail hearts, and despite looking around as intently as they could, they could see no sign of the attacker, or attackers as the case might be.
"COME OUT, YOU COWARDS!" One of the smarter man cried out, hoping to draw his enemy out by provocation. But these were trained warriors, pride meant less than giving their advantage away.
He was rewarded for opening his mouth with two dead comrades. Living, breathing people who were less than couple of feet away from him were thrown from their horses by arrows that came out if nowhere and now they were dead.
More arrows came from the forest, striking men left and right without any sign of stopping anytime soon. They knew the direction now but it was useless when they couldn't even see their enemies. The Slavers darted from left and right and closed ranks at the head of the convoy.
They were ready to bolt and leave the slaves to their fate if the situation called for it. The slaves on the other had peered outside in confusion, wondering what these attackers had in mind for them. Most of them hoped that there death would be painless after their long torturous lives. These were morbid thoughts, but again they were slaves, this was the most they wished from their lives.
Then there was another cry of alarm and pain. But this time, it was accompanied by a loud roar of voices calling for battle. Hundreds of men rushed out from the forest, covered from head to toe in leaves and mud which had enabled them to blend in with the dark forest, and fell on the enemy like a pack of hungry wolves.
Spears and swords were twirled and thrusted with varying skill and men started dying on both sides. Some of the slavers tried to flee but the archers still hidden in the trees picked them off with ease. The leader amongst them, who had till now been sleeping, was about to turn around and run when he suddenly felt cold steel being thrust through his gut.
He looked down at the blade made of Valyrian steel firmly imbedded in his stomach before looking up to see green eyes looking straight into his. Even so near death he could not stop himself from admiring the sword. It was beautiful work from golden days of Valyria.
The man tried to get a grip at the throat of the man who was killing him, hoping to squeeze the life out of him, but his wrist was held firm and blood started seeping past his sealed lips.
-x-
Harry watched as the lead slaver fell to the ground, Orphanmaker stained with the man's blood. He dispassionately took a rag and wiped his sword clean of blood before turning to Crixus who had been cleaning up some stragglers at the rear.
"Get the caravans moving, we'll free them once we are off the road. Get those logs out of the way and get me a head count of the slaves in the convoy." Harry ordered, knowing they had to be off the road as soon as possible. For now no one in the city really knew what they were doing and why and Harry wanted to keep it that way, at least for now. Men on horses dragged the logs quickly out of the way and their men took charge of the caravans bringing them and the confused slaves along who had no idea of what was going on.
They found a very narrow dirt track that went on for a few miles before finally opening enough for Harry and his men to open the cages and break the chains that held the slaves bound to each other, men and women looked up in astonishment at the men that had apparently freed them. Crixus meanwhile came up to Harry and said.
"Nearly a thousand, most of them would piss themselves at the sight of battle though." The Pit fighter said and Harry frowned at the dismissive tone of the man.
"We all have to begin somewhere," he said somewhat sharply. "Besides, I can use able bodied men and women for things beyond fighting." If Harry had learnt one thing from his experience in Yi Ti, it was that logistics was an important aspect of war.
Smiths, food gatherers, cooks, healers, stable boys, arrow-makers, and any other man doing some odd job was useful. And right now they needed every person they could get. With that in mind Harry stepped forward and spoke to the newly freed men and women.
"I KNOW MANY OF YOU ARE CONFUSED, AS YOU SHOULD BE," he said loudly. "BUT LET ME BE THE FIRST TO TELL YOU, THAT FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, YOU ALL ARE FREE!" Harry said with his voice amplified slightly by his magic at end.
The former slaves looked at him in astonishment and confusion, not quite believing what they were being told. Some of them who had more sense than others started smiling. Harry saw and understood this uncertainty. After all what were they supposed to do, where were they supposed to go now that he had freed them?
"WE HAVE A SAFE PLACE FOR YOU TO STAY!" he told them, putting their momentary panic to rest. "YOU CAN GO THERE AND SEEK A PATH FORWARD FOR YOURSELF, OR JOIN US AS WE PREPARE TO BREAK THE CHAINS OF ALL THE MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN TOILING IN VOLANTIS!" he said.
"NO MORE WOULD BE PEOPLE KIDNAPPED FROM THEIR LANDS BY THESE VOLANTENE. NO MORE HOUSES DESTROYED, VILLAGES BURNT, AND FAMILIES LEFT IN TATTERS. WE CAN FIGHT THESE GOD DAMNED SLAVERS, I KNOW WE CAN. ARE YOU WITH ME?!" he roared and his own voice was joined with hundreds of others in a raucous cheer.
Crixus and Harry shared a slight grin at that. Unsurprisingly, many joined them rather than wander through the dark forest on their own. They would probably get recaptured if not killed by denizens of the dense forest, animal kind or otherwise.
-x-
The sun was peaking over the horizon when they and their new recruits finally reached their camp. Rows upon rows of tents and temporary structures littered the site. It only got more crowded with new participants joining them.
Some in the old crowd were cooking breakfast while others, mostly men, sparred in the makeshift training yard. There were female warriors in their midst as well, but most of them practised with a bow.
At same time some of the men were being turned into cavalry under supervision of Kanoro, Sula and Barca. Harry was sure his cavalry would only strengthen even more with this new batch of horses and men that were coming in.
The scale of the operation shocked the new arrivals who had not expected anything like this. Many had seen army camps but few were this organised and even fewer this expansive. While Harry could have kept the camp small initially, he decided to expand it before he started bringing survivors in.
Harry and Crixus led the march deeper in the camp and it was Gannicus who came out to meet them.
"So you got them?" he asked rhetorically. "Good. Kanoro got another couple of villages to join us which bring our numbers to seven thousand," Gannicus said while Saxa dressed only in a blanket, looked out from the entrance of the tent they shared.
Both Crixus and Harry rolled their eyes as they saw how anxious Gannicus was to get back inside and resume fucking his lover. However, they ignored it with long practised ease in front of a much more significant fact.
They let Gannicus return to his tent while they pondered on their current forces. Even though their numbers were far from even contemplating an attack on Volantis…they were certainly larger than what they had expected this early.
A lot of towns and villages in the area had been raided for children by the Red Priests who had taken them forcibly. Their families and people who were opposed to the burnings were easy recruits for Harry and his group's mission.
Once the sellswords arrived, hopefully in a couple of weeks, they would finally be able to attack. Besides, these raids against slave convoys were good practice for the men. 'While training is useful,' he thought to himself, 'There is no substitute for experience.'
Of course there were problems, food had been gathered from the towns and villages but keeping the movement secret from Volantis was virtually impossible. While they knew nothing about Harry's operation, they knew someone was in their land, trying to free the slaves or trying to get them for his own purposes.
Scouts had reported parties searching for them sent by the triarchs in the city, forcing them to move camp several times to avoid detection. The only good news being that apparently Volantis thought they were just a rather large group of bandits. So, their true purpose remained hidden as their forces grew in size.
However, there were still other problems. Finding enough steel to arm their new recruits was another major headache. He had already exhausted his supply of normal steel acquired from Valyria and from a few other places. He had ordered more weapons from his friends in Qohor but they were yet to arrive.
'Internal discipline however,' Harry happily remembered, 'is slowly gaining hold on the camp. Long were the hours it took for Kanoro and I to drill its importance in their heads.' Crixus and Gannicus didn't help much what with their wild nature, though he was pleased to see Barca and Sula following his lead and talking women up to task often for it.
Harry tired and hungry from the night's ambush, the fifth in a row and the third with slaves involved, decided to go and grab himself a meal. The other two involved convoys filled with foodstuffs heading for Volantis itself. Knowing food was scarce, he had gone for the convoys and that food was still feeding the camp.
He got his meal from Calla who was Kanoro's wife and had taken the position of head cook. She smiled and handed Harry his rations while he thanked her with a warm smile. It was only some dried meat and vegetables but it was better than what most of the slaves had known before coming here. Calla had even managed to improve the flavour with some local herbs.
He sat with his people and perhaps it was vanity on his part, but he truly felt that they also considered him their lord in return. He ate the same things they ate, sat where they decided to sit, and fought by their sides.
Many at first had only followed him for his promise to break the chains, to free all the slaves present in Volantis, yet they were now loyal to him. Earning that had been a top priority of his since the start, and he felt that he had succeeded well in that regard. It was just another lesson he learnt in Yi Ti that was proving to be useful.
He tucked in and ate his meal silently, enjoying it after a hard day of work. At least until his name was called out loudly. Looking forlornly down at his meal, he sighed but got up after taking a swill of his water and left to see what the matter was.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was only Brynden, the smith he had helped in Qohor only a short few years prior but seemed like ages ago now. His smile returned and he walked forward quickly, Brynden did the same and two men clasped their hands together with Harry resting his remaining hand on man's shoulder.
"Good to see you, my lord. All the steel you asked for, enough to equip three thousand men is here," Brynden said jovially but Harry noticed his haggard looks and that the carts filled with steel were not only accompanied by his fellow smiths and a few soldiers, but also their respective families. Harry knew something was amiss with his business associate.
"While it is good to see that you and your families are well, Brynden, can I ask why you and others brought them here?" Harry inquired and Brynden sighed.
"Our smithy was burned down to ground by our rivals, my lord. The magister in their payroll won't let us even rebuild, let alone allow us to get justice. Only days later that incident our lives and that of our families' were threatened," he said much sorrow and anger.
"We felt it best to leave and seek our fortune elsewhere. We have Braavos and even Myr in our mind, but until then we thought it best to stick around here," Brynden said trying to put a brave face on but Harry could easily see how worried the man was about the families gathered and their survival.
Harry meanwhile was struggling not to show his anger at his friend's situation, anger that was directed not only towards the bastards in Qohor that had done this to Brynden but also at himself. He should have seen something like this coming when he set up the forge.
Now Brynden and his men along with their entire families were paying for his hubris. He would have to check on the Whitehelms in Braavos, the Tourmaline Brotherhood in Qarth and all the other allies and friends he had made along the way to ensure that his arrogance hadn't cost them too. But right now he had to help Brynden and an idea quickly sprang to mind.
"No need, we are in need of smiths here. Once we have taken Volantis, I will assist you and your men in setting up a new forge wherever you wish. Would you be interested?" Harry asked, hoping he would agree. Men of Brynden's skills with metal were rare and his own people could really benefit from having men such as him around the camp.
Brynden and the other newcomers looked at him in amazement. That would take a lot of money and resources for any man and yet here he was willing to do it just for friendship. They would remember this generosity well.
"If it had been anyone else, I would call them insane," Brynden said. "But I know you can pay through your nose to set up a forge. After all you did pay last time," he said. "Although it didn't last long, it gave us more than enough time to earn some money, hone our skills, and raise our families well. So we will stick with you for now, my friend."
Harry smiled and shook his hand firmly; matching his incredibly strong grip for a moment though he was sure his hand would be sore for a while.
As the blacksmiths set up their own tents and got a good meal after their long journey, Harry gathered his 'lieutenants', if he dared to call them that, to plan their strike on Volantis. A crude map of the city was stretched across the table which they all stood around.
"There are three layers of defences that we will need to penetrate," Harry began. "The first being the outer walls of the city. It is nearly twenty feet thick and fifty feet high. The five gates with portcullises and towers won't be making it any easier for us. While the walls are far from the highest, they are wide enough for a score of archers to stand upon them. And this is only the first obstacle."
He was pointing to the area in question on the map, not exactly keen on trying to force his way through that and judging by the looks, Kanoro, Crixus, Naevia, Gannicus, Saxa, Barca and Sula were against it as well. 'But,' Harry thought grimly, 'they need to know what they are against. There is no room for mistakes and they must be made aware of all the dangers in the city.'
"The second is the Long Bridge which connects the two sides of the city," he said and pointed it out in the map. It was rather famous structure all things told, and Harry would hate to see it destroyed. "Whoever controls it has access to all the areas of the city. But," he injected, "it is lined with many buildings and gatehouses. We would suffer heavy casualties for every foot we gain on it."
Now comes the most important part of the whole city. He pointed to the area east of the bridge and said, "The Eastern district of Volantis is home to the city's elites. Their palaces, manses, and offices are in this part of the city. There is also where the main Red Temple of the city is located."
"The impenetrable dragonstone wall is stuff of legends. Standing at two hundred feet, it is lined with guard towers and strong gatehouses. It is impossible to lay siege upon but if we don't take this part of the city," he said firmly, "Then we have nothing. They can sit us out while paying sellswords to attack us, maybe even getting in alliance with one of the other free-cities."
He looked around and was met with many grim faces. "Now you know what we are up against," he said. "These are the problems, but what are the solutions?" Harry asked and searched around the table, the looks that he received were not hopeful in the least.
There was a long silence where people either stared at each other or the map. Many felt like they had bitten off more than they could chew. Finally it was Crixus who spoke first.
"What about the harbour? Can we make a landing there?" He asked and Harry almost shook his head in dismay.
"An amphibious landing against opposition?" he remarked sarcastically before continuing in a more serious tone. "We would lose hundreds, maybe even thousands to the archers in just this attempt. Not to mention the fortified harbour entrance with a gate that can be raised and closed quickly, sealing off one of the largest deep water harbours in the world easily."
"And then another issue is finding a fleet that is big enough to carry us all," Harry said not just trying to find a way to breach such strong defences but also to teach his lieutenants something about larger strategy than small team tactics they usually employed in the fighting pits.
Crixus was suitably chastised, he would learn in time. But that was something they didn't have right now.
Kanoro spoke up after a while, "If we can get men inside the walls, they can possibly open the gates for us. At least we can breach the outer wall easily enough that way."
Harry nearly smiled at that having had the same thought himself, so he continued from where his lieutenant left. "Indeed, a convoy of 'slaves' for the upcoming festival would not raise any suspicion, a few hundred can easily enter the city that way."
"Then ambushing the guards would be the next logical thing to do, follow it by opening one of the gates, and that eliminates the first obstacle. Now the second can be solved, at least partly, by attacking the south-western gate during our first step," he said and marked the gate in question.
"From there we should be able to reach the Long Bridge quickly, before it gets reinforcement from the Tiger Cloaks," Harry said, speaking of the city watch of Volantis which numbered nearly twenty six thousand with elephants and regular cavalry amongst their ranks. Once the sellswords arrived, he would be able to match that. But that still left considerable number of problems to overcome.
One of them would be hiding an army that large, and for such a long time, from the many many eyes that peer out of the city. He was pretty sure that the Red God would give his followers some vision or another and made a plan in the back of his head to counter that. Harry knew of their vision powers from his visit to Asshai.
"Another problem we have is that we would need to rally the slaves in the city otherwise we would never get the numbers. We also need to stop any of the Red priests from escaping the place by ship. Then we have to secure the food stuff in case we need to stay there longer and also to feed the freed slaves," he said and blew hot air out of his mouth.
"Aye, we gotta make sure the slavers and princes of the city don't get a chance to burn them," Gannicus said.
"Focus on them and forget about the inner wall, I have a way of rendering that one useless," Harry said all of them. However, Kanoro looked at him doubtfully even though he had an inkling of what Harry was planning, given he had been let in on his secret some time ago. He nodded nonetheless.
"The worst part is none of us know this city well enough," Harry said. "I don't know where the slave pens are, where the food stores are? How many towers are there, the guard stations, everything is up in smoke."
"We need to know more of the layout then," Sula said.
That was when Saxa spoke up from where she stood with Gannicus. "We can always send a scout in to the city to map it for us?"
Harry nodded although he had some reservations in that regard. Many of their people were freed slaves and would stand out as such in the city given how all Volantene slaves were tattooed on their cheek based on the jobs they do. Personally though, it would be an easy job for him as he could move easily around, but unfortunately he won't be able to make time for it.
Sula was about to say something when a guard came over, looking mighty worried for some reason.
"General," He said looking to Harry who had taken that title rather than lord. There were mainly two reasons behind it: first was that he didn't want to be associated with slave masters in any way and make the freed ones uncomfortable. Second was, that it was now kind of like a habit after spending so much time in the Yi Ti as one.
"What is it?" Gannicus asked looking slightly annoyed at the meeting being interrupted.
"Our patrol caught four women riding away from the city through the forest. They are well dressed and their horses are well-bred. We think that they might be someone important," The guard said.
Harry wondered if he might have potential hostages he could use as leverage against a figure in the city. Getting the information about the city might be easier that way. Sensing an opportunity he decided to act.
"Bring them here, I will question them myself," he said commandingly.
"Yes, sir," The guard said and shot off to get their prisoners while the others turned their attention back to the problem at hand. The wizard looked down the city map intently. While he knew he could get them in, he was seriously beginning to doubt this plan.
There were just too many holes in their plan, too many places where an unknown and unexpected factor can butt in and derail the whole thing. It wasn't looking good on paper and on the field, it would be even worse. If that wasn't enough, Harry feared what the repercussions would be once they conquered the biggest of the free-cities.
-x-
The four ladies on the other hand were thinking that they had grossly miscalculated their escape plan more and more. While they had managed to slip away from the city easily enough, they knew nothing of the roads outside and had gotten lost in the forest. And now they were captured by what appears to bandits.
To say they were fearful of what fate might have in store for them would be like saying why are you stating the obvious. The best being that they could hope for right now was that they would be sold back while the worst did not even bear thinking about.
Purple Eyes looked around and realised that these men were no mere bandits. Their equipment was too well maintained and clean. They acted with a certain professionalism that they had never seen before, well if you discount the Unsullied that is.
She did not know why this was but she hoped it was a good thing. Maybe they will think of her as an important political prisoner and leave her alone. She stroked the cat in her arms for comfort and hoped for the best.
Marched through the forest, their feet ached something fierce until they finally arrived at a clearing. The sight that greeted them only deepened the shock for all the four women. Any remaining thoughts that these were common bandits disappeared like smoke.
The camp was too well organised, with tents in strict rows and some temporary fortified structures in the centre. Regular patrols moved around the edges, men and women sparred in a training area under instruction of more seasoned warriors, and smiths were working their forges for steel armour and weapons. Most amazing of all though, were the children who were running around the area without a care in the world.
What on earth had they stumbled into? Purple eyes looked on and the mind behind them wondered as they were marched through the camp and towards deeper parts. She felt several eyes upon her, looking with suspicion as she and others of her small party passed them by. It didn't ease her in the slightest bit but no one was attacking them at least.
Then as they arrived in the centre of the camp, she saw was led to a large tent where a group of men and women stood surrounding a table. The rough looking men and women around the table didn't exactly reassure her but there was one amongst them that looked like an educated human being.
Her eyes moved from person to person and she had to admit honestly that she had never come across such a mixed group as this before in her life. But most of her attention was on the man who had his back to her. He was looking at something that spread out on the table but she wasn't sure what it was.
He was definitely the leader the way the others were turned towards him before she entered. And when he turned around to face her, her mind stopped working for a moment in surprise. She couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her. This was the green-eyed man from her dreams.
-x-
Likewise Harry was struggling to control his facial expressions on seeing the Purple Eyes in flesh. It was the very same woman he had first seen in his visions in the Qarth, and then he had starting seeing her in his dreams every now and then. He didn't even know if she existed but here she was, right in front of him.
The similar look of shock on her face told him that she had seen him much the same way, in her dreams. Harry at first took a step back in surprise but he quickly recovered before anyone other than Kanoro could see it. He was quite thankful that the others were only facing his back.
Before the staring could get to an uncomfortable level, Harry decided to do some introductions. "I am Harry Tyrell, general of the army that you saw outside on your way." The woman's eyes widened in surprise at his last name and Harry noted that down for later.
"My congratulations on being the first high born ladies to visit our camp," he said dryly. "Though I have to wonder what possessed women of obvious wealth such as yourself to travel on these roads without an escort." His voice was cold and calm while his eyes looked straight in that of the purple eyed lady's.
Their clothes were made of high quality certainly and they were far too clean to have simply stolen them. The three ladies stood behind the one with the obvious Valyrian features and looked at her, clearly she was the leader, Harry thought to himself.
Purple Eyes meanwhile looked intently at him, suppressing any fear she might have had quite well. Unbeknown to her, she gained a small amount of respect from Harry in that moment.
"We were escaping Volantis where we had been prisoners for quite some time now. We had hoped to make our way to Braavos and seek our fortunes there but your men interrupted our journey," Purple Eyes said like it was a matter of fact while she petted the black cat in her arms. It seems to share its owner's look of annoyance, Harry noted in amusement.
'She is so stubborn and sure of herself, its borderline arrogant really. But she is telling the truth about escaping Volantis, her surface thoughts easily tells me that. She showed intelligence and a lot of bravery in planning their escapes, but she is reckless as well. To attempt such a journey by land with unarmed women for company is short-sighted and foolhardy. She not only placed her life in danger but theirs as well.'
He had honestly not met a woman like her in this world, and in some ways she reminded him of himself in his previous life. A bleeding hearted Gryffindor who was incredibly brave and caring, yet very reckless and short-sighted at same time. He was about to say something when she dropped a fucking surprise on them.
"Besides, we all don't have your ability to 'travel', my lord," Purple Eyes said with a slight grin, not mocking like she had something over him but more like they were sharing a private joke. It would have been amusing to him as well if not for the fact it was a big secret and only a select few knew of his powers. 'And now this woman, who quite frankly came out of blue, knows about them!' he thought in slight alarm.
"We will do this questioning in private now," Harry all but barked. When no one made to move, Harry said sharply, "Now!"
Kanoro got the hint and looked concerned at what she might reveal to the others who did not know his secret. Even now they were looking suspiciously at Harry as Kanoro marched them quickly out of the tent and took the watch at the entrance. Meanwhile, Harry glared at them, his anger particularly directed towards the Purple Eyes.
While he did not like the idea of outright killing them, he would if a memory charm didn't work. The women were all startled by his almost violent reaction and huddled even closer to each other. Purple Eyes realised what kind of impression she must have made with just her small remark and tried to mend the situation quickly.
"Your secret is safe with me and my friends, I assure you of that, my lord," she said with a short bow. She then looked hesitant but took Harry's silence as permission to go on.
"I know it sound all so fantastic but I have been having dreams about you lately," she said. "Nothing incriminating," she tried to assure him, "Just every now and then I will see you performing wondrous things with your gift."
One of the ladies behind her came to her leader's defend, "Besides she didn't tell us much about them either." Purple Eyes turned to glare at her friend who now had a mischievous look in her eyes. "She said that visions of handsome wizard were hers and hers alone."
Both Harry and the woman blushed at that. Harry pushed his embarrassment aside and frowned slightly. She was telling the truth as were the ladies behind her but he was still unsure if he could trust them with his secret.
Kanoro was the only person he had admitted his powers to and now there were four unknown women who knew about his magic. They had no previous connection to him, none of them he remembered ever seeing. There was no reason for them to go against him, at least right now, but it didn't mean it would always be so.
'Dreams though, I am not sure of what to think anymore. A true seer was incredibly rare even on Earth, and here they have gone extinct after fall of Valyria. I am not sure if I believe that completely but it's my own reservation on the matter more than anything.'
He continued looking at them but didn't let his thoughts be known. 'She is not revolted in the least by my powers as most in Westeros would be given the bloated hypocritical things the Faith of the Seven teach them. Only North and Iron Islands who have their own gods don't shun magic and abnormality.
'In fact she seems to be pretty fascinated with magic. I won't be surprised if she wanted to know more,' Harry thought. 'And I won't have to deal with a bigot at the very least. Her ladies are of a similar mind as well from what I can read of them.'
'Perhaps this is what I need, someone I can share my secrets with. Lately, I have been feeling burdened by all this hiding. Maybe having someone to share my ideas and my abilities with is all I need.'
He shook his head minutely. 'No, don't think like that, Tyrell!' he chastised himself. 'It's too soon for me to feel comfortable around them. They are unknown factor here and I need to tread carefully.'
But first, some trust needed to be built between both parties. He decided, they won't be staying in the camp if the next question he asked had a problematic answer.
"Who are you?"
Purple Eyes stilled for a moment and then looked both resigned and afraid at the same time. 'Doesn't look good,' he said to himself. Her ladies looked at her with concern while Harry just kept his gaze locked into hers.
"Alright…if I know your secret…it is only fair you known mine," Purple Eyes said before taking a breath and before any of her ladies could stop her, she said it as quickly as possible, before she lost her nerve.
"My name is Rhaenys Targaryen, daughter of Rhaegar Targaryen and Elia Martell."
Harry was knocked for six as soon as he heard that. A Targaryen Princess was in front of him, and not any other princess either, one that no one in the Westeros knew still lived. He was not sure what to say while the newly revealed 'Rhaenys' and her ladies looked at him in trepidation.
Kanoro looked inside because of the sudden silence that had settled in the tent. He heard had everything but he did not understand the significance of what was being said given he was not familiar with Westeros or its history.
Harry controlled his features swiftly; there was a chance that these women were lying to him. His face became stern and his eyebrows rose slightly in a manner that mirrored his grandmother, not that he realised it as there was no one to point it out. He sensed her honesty, she really believed it was true but his own mind was unwilling to accept it without proof.
"Rhaenys Targaryen died in Kings Landing years ago alongside her mother and younger brother. She was only three and was stabbed fifty times by a Lannister knight." Harry said, not impressed that someone would raise a girl to believe she was a dead Targaryen Princess.
"I find it hard to believe that you are a Targaryen even though your physical features favour your claim," he said. And she did look the part, her skin was the same olive that all the Dornish people were known to have, and so was her black hair.
Her features were sharp and her violet eyes marked her distinctly as one with Targaryen ancestry. But that didn't make her one .The blood of Valyria was strong in Volantis and the city itself was very close to where the ancient Rhoynish empire used to exist. Perhaps she was a child of some slave and her Valyrian master, Harry thought wildly.
'Rhaenys' looked disheartened at this, but she had clearly expected it on some level as she started giving him an explanation as to how she survived. She had been told most of it by the ones who saved her but she did remember some of it herself.
"I was smuggled out of the Red Keep a few days before the sacking. I can't really remember much of the man who did it but I do recall he smelled like perfumes. He had me moved to Volantis in no time and I was held prisoner in one of the manses that belonged to a friend of his.
He even sent a man to educate me on my ancestry and heritage, Jothos Velaryon. He used his family as leverage to ensure that he stayed for as long as that bastard wanted him to. His whole family was a prisoner much like me and we got along well. They covered my escape," Rhaenys finished mournfully.
She hadn't wanted to leave him but they had insisted that for her own sake, she had to go without them. Jothos had been her sole father figure for as long as she could remember; teaching her how to read and write, her family's history on both sides, and being there for her whenever she needed him.
His wife Edmie had largely filled the void left by the passing of her real mother. Their son Aeron was like a younger brother to her and had often dreamt of becoming her sworn shield and their daughter Rhaella wanted to be her handmaiden.
"Why?" Harry asked. He had heard of Jothos Velaryon at least. He was the last Cofferer of the Red Keep, the keeper of all the wealth of House Targaryen under Aerys II. He supposedly disappeared with the entire royal treasury just prior to the Sacking of Kings Landing and to this day no one knew where it had gone.
Many believed that he had it hidden away when the time for restoration of the dragons came. He was known for his near unbreakable loyalty to the Targaryens. If the man was really alive and present in Volantis, then this was really the Targaryen Princess, he would never support a fraud.
Rhaenys meanwhile was coming to the part of the story that she hated the most, the reason for which she was hidden away. She spat at the ground, surprising all around her. 'Dornish indeed,' Harry thought in amusement.
"I was a…third option in case my uncle and aunt both failed to take the throne," she growled out and Harry was pretty sure it sounded like a dragon's. "My brother was too young to be separated from my mother and my grandfather had both of them guarded heavily day and night."
"Aegon wasn't good enough to be The dragon, not good enough to be sent to safety. Why? I'll tell you why, because our blood wasn't pure enough; because we were not result of some sick incest. Even now I am playing second fiddle to my aunt and uncle who by line of succession would come after me in claim for the throne."
There was some real venom in her voice that echoed her uncle Oberyn although she did not know that. Hatred burned through her gaze, "My brother, my mother, and I, all were left to die while my bitch of a grandmother took her second son and escaped to Dragonstone, never thinking of us."
"My kind and noble father…" she said sarcastically, "Ran off with another woman, humiliating my mother in front of the entire Seven Kingdoms and leaving us children behind like he didn't even care if we lived or died. If that wasn't enough, my grandfather, the mad king Aerys would regularly insult and degrade us, sometimes in front of the entire court."
The caustic anger burned in her heart, tearing away at the walls of logic and sanity she had built over the years. She tried to not think about the past because all she felt was pain and hatred for those who had betrayed her family. She certainly didn't count her grandparents or her father in that definition.
The years had taught her to hate the very name Targaryen. All they cared for was themselves and that fucking throne of iron. If she concentrated hard enough, she could still remember her mad grandfather sitting on the cursed thing, spitting on her and saying she smelt 'Dornish'. The fact that she was half-Targaryen herself made the truth even more hurtful.
But being 'Dornish' was something she was proud of, her kind and gentle mother's voice would still ring in her ears. She still remembered some of her lullabies and stories that were of Dorne and her family there. While she hated the Targaryens for what they had done to her mother and not sending her or her brother to safety when they had the chance, she loved the tales of House Martell, of Princess Nymeria, and of her uncles living in Dorne.
Harry looked at Rhaenys and nodded in understanding. He was finding himself believing her more and more as the tale continued. There was a way to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was who she said she was, a lineage potion would easily do that. But that would take a day or so for him to brew.
While he was thinking that, Rhaenys was getting her emotions back under control, rubbing a medallion she was wearing which previously had been hidden as she did so. It was made of gold with an engraved sun that was painted red and a golden spear that pierced through the sun. It was the sigil of House Martell and very intricately done. Harry knew that to right people, it was worth a fortune.
The wizard didn't try to focus on the events that happened in the princess' life but they were rather unavoidable, and they were unsettling. Harry got the distinct feeling that they had been engineered by someone or a group of someone, maybe the Faceless Men had done this.
He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts and decided to begin brewing the potion the same night. Until he was sure she was Rhaenys Targaryen, she and her ladies would have the hospitality of the camp as his guests. He was about to tell them that when he suddenly remembered something he had been worried about during the war council, such as it was, and wondered if she might be more useful than he had initially thought. After all she did find a way out of the city.
"Are you familiar with the layout of Volantis? Specifically what buildings are where?" he asked just to confirm that. They looked surprised by the unexpected question but one of the ladies looked at Rhaenys and with her nod of agreement, answered his question.
"Yes, as part of our plan to escape we learnt the city's complete layout. Why is that important?" The lady asking was Dornish like her mistress, the only difference being the dark brown eyes. The other two were more Andal or Westerosi in appearance with Caucasian skin that were slightly tanned due to the warm climate of Volantis.
They both had blue eyes and reddish blonde hair. The one thing all four women had in common had in common was their beauty. All had shapely but slim figures with full breasts and sharp faces that any artist would have loved to commit on canvas.
Before his mind could reach the gutter, he reasserted his self-discipline and started thinking about other matters at hand, like the planned assault of Volantis.
"While I work to ascertain if you are who you say you are, you have the sanctuary of the camp," he said to her. "However, you will have to do some work around the camp to earn your keep. Stay and decide what you wish to do next and I will help you if I can," he said seriously.
"All I ask in return is that you tell us all you know about Volantis," Harry remarked, wondering if they would take his offer. Rushing out as recklessly as they had, reeked of desperation, and Harry was completely willing to take advantage of that. But even if they decided against helping him, he would still allow them to stay here. His conscience won't allow him to leave them all alone in the forest.
He would protect them here, at least for a while, and if she really was Rhaenys Targaryen, Harry would make sure she had everything she needed to travel wherever she wanted. After all her father's family was the only reason the Tyrells became the Lords of the Reach, however much Rhaenys herself might hate them, his family owed a debt to theirs.
-x-
The following night Harry covertly took some hairs from Rhaenys, he only needed a couple. He dropped them into a cauldron which was already boiling a thick red liquid, it bubbled fiercely when he added the hairs and stirred.
When it was finally completed, he stepped back and took a ladle from the desk, carefully scooping some of the potion out of the cauldron and pouring it slowly upon a piece of parchment. It sank into the scroll without leaving a trace like it had never even been there. In a few minutes it would give him his answer. Whether Rhaenys was a Targaryen would be now decided by this piece of parchment.
But if she was the Princess then what where would she go? Harry asked himself sitting back, worried for the young woman. She could head to Dorne and her uncles there would help her, but once again she would have no proof of her identity, why would they believe her? The same could be said for Viserys and Daenerys, even if one ignores the danger that option entails.
If the Lannisters or Baratheons ever discovered of her survival, then she would be hunted down to the ends of the Planteos. And he wasn't sure her death would be any less haunting then the one in the stories if that happened. Better she stay away from her Targaryen relatives.
At least so far no one beyond her ladies, Harry and Kanoro knew she was alive. That meant she could live in secrecy for the rest of her life if she wanted. 'But would that be okay with her,' he wondered, 'hiding who you are from everyone and having family just out of reach.'
A slight glow from the scroll alerted him that the scroll was ready to be read. He tentatively opened it to see if Rhaenys was indeed right about who she was.
Rhaenys Targaryen –
Born– 280 AC, King's Landing
Father – Rhaegar of House Targaryen
Mother – Elia of House Nymeros Martell
The text stretched for a while, going back down the bloodline, but his eyes were only fixed on these letter. He pinched his nose in resignation and sighed. Truth be told, he had been expecting it, Rhaenys didn't come out like someone who would lie, but he needed to be sure. This flimsy piece of parchment would now decide the future of entire Westeros.
It would decide his too. For some reason he wanted to help her and the mere thought of someone hurting her boiled his blood. He calmed down and decided to keep his distance from the Princess for now. The attack on Volantis would need a lot of his focus.
He got up from the chair and left his tent, moving through the quiet camp towards her tent, not sure what he would say when he got there.
-x-
When he arrived at her tent, Rhaenys was still awake, reading one of the books he had provided her while her ladies and cat slept on cots nearby. Rhaenys looked up and stared at him questioningly, he stared back emotionlessly.
"May I enter?" he asked, still standing at the entrance of the tent. Rhaenys raised an eyebrow before gesturing towards an empty chair opposite her.
"Please," she said simply. He sat down and neither of them said anything for a moment until Harry wanting to get this over with decided to speak.
"I used a potion I acquired in Chroyane to prove your identity," he said. "Your grace," Harry added given she was a princess. Rhaenys now looked annoyed at him for even doubting her but pleased as well. Though he wasn't as off the hook as she had first thought.
"However much I may hate my father's family, I take pride in what I am. I am daughter of Princess Elia Martell of Dorne. I will adopt the words of House Martell and hold them as my own creed regardless of what others may believe." She told him with a glare, "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken."
Her eyes were fierce and defiant. Although Harry had never seen an image of the great warrior Queen Nymeria, he could certainly say that in that instance, Rhaenys was every bit the queen her many times great grandmother was. He could envision her leading her ten thousand ships to Dorne and conquering the new land with help of her consort.
Harry smiled, not put off at all by her glare. He met her gaze unflinchingly before speaking again.
"Do not take it personally, Princess, but after the things I have see during my travels, the people I have met, I have learned to never take anything on its face value," he told her. She looked at his inquisitively, wishing for him to elaborate more.
"When I visited Yi Ti, and does it feel like a lifetime ago," Harry said his mind wandering slightly as he spoke. "I was forcibly recruited into the army of the God Emperor. I had no knowledge of that field. I didn't even know the lay of the land. And he wanted me to lead an army and fight a war."
"When things were not looking so well I made an ally, one who shielded me from the God Emperor's sinister plans and found me a teacher so I could learn all I needed to know. It was the Crown Princess," he said.
"Bathi was her name. She wanted to unite her lands again and restore peace. For that the Emperor had to go, because you see, much like your grandfather he too was insane," Harry told her and while she did not like the mention of her grandfather who had caused her mother and brother's death, Rhaenys continued to listen intently.
"I was to take prisoners of the defeated rulers and their families. The plan was then to wed them to the allies that the princess had at the court. It would give her the power that she needed to overthrow her father and ensure that the empire would be bound better as a whole."
"But that wasn't all of it. I didn't want the death of non-combatants. One thing she assured me of was that they would not be harmed, especially the children," Harry said, a sober look on his face as unpleasant memories came to the forefront.
"I trusted her, felt that she was sincere in her desire for peace and would honour her words. I led the armies to victory and one after another every independent state bent the knee to me. I took the prisoners she wanted."
"But upon my return to the capital," Harry stopped there briefly not wanting the images he had seen to rear up again in his mind but they did all the same. He shook his head in sadness and no little amount of anger, "I found nearly all of them had been tortured to death by the God Emperor. Even the children were killed without mercy while Princess Bathi saved only those she had some use for."
Rhaenys was shocked, but not much. She had lived her whole life in Essos where deceit and treachery is common. She was a victim of the cruelty that men can show when called upon. Her own family was brutally murdered by the Lannisters and she had heard stories even more disgusting. But she understood all the same.
"From then on, I always try to double check everything that is presented to me. People call me paranoid at times but I call it healthy amount caution after a betrayal of such magnitude," he said. Harry's head fell and he was unable to meet her gaze.
Rhaenys looked at him with sympathy. It was his shame and a great one to carry. He could not protect what he had sought out and ended up being the reason behind their death. The irony would have destroyed a lesser man.
"Alys and Zara both suffered a betrayal of their own." Rhaenys said sadly gesturing to the two young women with reddish blonde hair who now that Harry was really looking, were definitely sisters. "Their brother is the current knight of the Griffin's Roost in the Stormlands, Ronnet Connington. He gave them to a Merchant Prince as a 'gift' in return for the wealth needed to restore his house back to their former glory."
"The prince quickly grew bored of them and they were sold once again, this time to the man that held me a prisoner," Rhaenys said and Harry looked at the two girls, astonished that they were noble ladies from Westeros, but not so much that their brother had sold them. The destitution of House Connington was legendary after all. They had been on the wrong side of Robert's Rebellion and they were forced to pay the price for it.
Rhaenys then looked to her other lady with sadness. "Lady Myria Jordayne was seized by pirates on her way to Kings Landing for a tourney but once the pirates had their way with her, she was sold to my captor. The four of us have been together ever since."
"The Velaryons have been there with me for most of my life now. Jothos was being forced to use his marvellous intellect to help them make money while I was educated with his family, held at sword point. Jothos and others covered my escape, without them, we would have never made it," Rhaenys said.
She was worried about them, had they been already punished for her escape? She hoped they managed to escape and were on their way back to Westeros. Harry saw her concern for those she considered family, and unconsciously put a hand on hers in reassurance.
"We will help them. When we take the city I will find them and they will be set free once again," he assured her. Rhaenys seemed to perk up at that, giving him a slight smile which he returned easily.
The moment was however shattered when Harry and Rhaenys realised that his hand was still holding hers. Things became slightly awkward after that. They quickly broke apart and Harry retreated back to his tent while Rhaenys buried herself in her book, both of them trying to figure out why holding hands felt so nice.