(A Month Later)
After a long and arduous journey of a month, Oberyn Martell, Arianne Martell, and Ellaria Sand were finally at the gates of Pentos.
"I am never doing this again," Arianne sighed as the walls of Pentos came into view. "My body is about to collapse."
The journey from Sunspear, to Myr, to Qohor, and then finally to Pentos, with hardly any rest in between, had taken a real toll on her body. Her face seemed devoid of any color, her shoulders were slumped, and sheer exhaustion was plastered across her features. She had been completely drained. And she was not alone in this. Every person in the convoy was in a similar condition, perhaps a little better, perhaps a little worse.
Oberyn was the sole exception. Though tired, he was still faring well. He had served as a mercenary in the Second Sons years ago and therefore he was a bit accustomed to the nomadic lifestyle.
"Agreed," Oberyn responded with a laugh. "I would not want to repeat this anytime soon."
"And the first thing I need after entering the city is a warm bath," Ellaria interjected.
"That is something all of us need," Arianne remarked. "A warm bath and a warm meal."
"Let us go," Oberyn said.
He was about to spur his horse forward, but the voice of one of his men gave him pause.
"What is that?" The man asked.
Everyone craned their necks to see the man pointing off into the distance. All eyes followed his finger. A few miles from the city, an army had made camp. The encampment was not overly large. Perhaps three to five thousand men. Hundreds of tents were spread across and the men were going about their work.
Oberyn narrowed his eyes to make out the sigils flying on the banners. He recognized them instantly.
"It is the Golden Company," he murmured.
"What are they doing here?" Arianne asked.
She too had recognized the banners.
"Probably taking on some kind of contract from Pentos," Oberyn said. "They have hardly been in the news since Lord Aeos handed them a devastating defeat and wiped out a huge chunk of their forces."
"But where is the rest of their strength?" Arianne questioned.
"Probably fulfilling another contract," Oberyn responded.
"Anyway," he added, "let us go. If there is anything important and worth knowing about the presence of the Golden Company, we will hear about it in the city."
He spurred his horse toward the gates, and the rest of the party followed. They faced no difficulties whatsoever entering the city. They found themselves a suitable inn and settled in. And, just as Ellaria had demanded, the first thing they ordered was hot water for baths.
"Uncle," Arianne asked. "Did you find out anything about why the Golden Company is camped at the gates of Pentos?"
After bathing, the entourage had gathered in one of the private halls they had rented. Hot, savory food in large quantities was being served to them.
"No," Oberyn shook his head. "I asked a couple of the workers at the inn. They know nothing of consequence."
"According to them, the Golden Company reached the city gates yesterday morning," he continued. "And it caused a small panic in the city. Most likely, even the Magisters were caught unaware by their arrival. They did not know about the arrival of the Golden Company."
"The Magisters rushed out to meet them and discover the reason for their presence," Oberyn said. "What happened after that, the workers of the inn did not know."
"But the workers did say that the new leader of the Golden Company is in the camp," he added.
"Their new leader?" Arianne murmured, raising a brow. "Is he not named Logan? The one who suddenly rose to power after Ser Harry Strickland and the other senior commanders were killed by Lord Aeos?"
"Yes," Oberyn nodded. "That is the one."
.
.
.
While Oberyn and the rest of the Martell entourage were enjoying a warm meal after a long journey, another meeting was taking place in the manor of Illyrio Mopatis. He was meeting with the leader of the Golden Company, Logan. Or rather, a man whose real name was Lagsan. A commander under Lord Aeos. An imposter planted by Lord Aeos to take command of the Golden Company.
"Five hundred men?" Illyrio said, his voice laced with shock. "Are you joking? Five hundred men is too many."
"Are they?" Logan asked with a raised eyebrow. "I do not think so. It is quite an optimal number."
"Commander Logan," Illyrio sighed. "I understand your concerns and where you are coming from, but what you are asking is simply too much."
"Your sudden arrival, your sudden camping outside the gates has already made most of the Magisters extremely nervous. For the first time in the years since I became a magister, I felt a little afraid of my peers."
"In fact, they have gone as far as blaming me for bringing this great catastrophe to the city of Pentos," he continued. "And if, in such a situation, I allow five hundred armed and trained mercenaries into the city, they will chew me alive."
"Commander Logan," he pleaded. "Please understand my situation."
"Also," he added hastily. "You do not need to worry about security. I give you my word, I will personally ensure that there will be no issues or problems whatsoever."
"Understand your situation?" Logan questioned. "It seems that you have forgotten that my organization lost all its top leadership and a large number of men due to an assignment issued by a group of Magisters that also included you and a few others from the city."
Illyrio remained silent. He wanted to scream at Logan that the Magisters had paid for the services and it was the failure of the Golden Company to complete the task that had caused the sword named Lord Aeos hanging on the neck of the Magisters. But he kept quiet. He did not wish to stroke an unnecessary conflict.
"How many men can you allow inside?" Logan asked after a moment of contemplation.
"Two hundred," Illyrio replied quickly.
"Two hundred and fifty," Logan countered. "No less than that."
"Fine," Illyrio agreed.
This was a bit more than he had estimated, but he could manage these numbers. Logan flashed a smile before he got up and departed away.
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