"What news do you bring Jaq?"
Konrad turned his head towards the door, just as Jaq walked in, being closely followed behind by two of his brothers.
"Not good, grandmaster. Ser Tyrek and his men are still hunting down the khalasar to some various degree of success, but we have more pressing matter to deal with than some savages. Those slavers from the Slaver Bay had finally decided to interfere. As we are speaking, an army of around 20000 slave soldiers and sellswords are marching towards Volantis and will, if we do nothing to slow them down, reach us in less than two moons."
While unwelcomed, this news was nothing that Konrad or his men hadn't expected, especially after he had taken over Volantis, with the help of his father-in-law of course, but that did ended slavery in the oldest city standing. Truth be told, they had been preparing for such a situation, and while the numbers were surprisingly low considering the sheer number of slaves in the Slaver's Bay, Konrad was not going to underestimate those "good masters" greed.
However, no matter how much he thought, a siege would be the worst thing Volantis could go through right now, especially when not long ago, the whole leadership of the city changed drastically. And so, knowing very well that this would end with many a dead man, Konrad had to accept that he would fight yet another battle on the field.
"Jaq, I want you gather all the brothers that are in the city, no matter what their duties are. War is once again knocking on our door and we must be ready for it."
"As you wish, grandmaster."
After saying that Jaq turned around alongside his two men, but just as they were about to leave, Konrad called Osmund.
"Brother Osmund, you stay."
It did surprise the Westerland bastard, but who was he refuse the call of his grandmaster. Once Jaq and the other brother left, Osmund was left alone with his young grandmaster.
"I'm sure you are wondering why I asked you to stay behind, is that right, Osmund?"
Hearing Konrad's words, Osmund could only nod his head not wanting to say something that might sound too disrespectful.
"I know you are a spy."
Osmund felt a cold sweat run down his spine as he heard Konrad's accusation. Honestly, he had hoped that this dark part of his life would not come to light, and that he could serve the Teutonic Order with honor and devotion, and forget what he was ready to do in the name of the old lion. But now, he realized that his grandmaster had seen through his lies…
His first instinct was to feign ignorance, but he knew that despite the young age, Konrad was not a fool. He had proven himself to be a brilliant leader, a skilled warrior, and a beacon of the true Faith. He had earned the respect and loyalty of his men, and the admiration of the common folk by simply being himself.
"Grandmaster, I swear to God that I am not a spy," Osmund said, mustering all the courage he could. "I came to Essos as one, I will not deny that, but I no longer have no allegiance to the old lion, nor to any other lord in Westeros. I am a brother of the Teutonic Order, and I would die for the order and your cause."
Konrad looked at him with a questioning gaze, making Osmund felt like the young lord could see into his soul.
"Osmund, my uncle and I knew for a while you were a spy, but we waited before acting out, because you, unlike the other idiots hadn't exactly been doing a good job at being a loyal enemy spy.
Konrad reached into his pocket, and pulled out a letter, before throwing it on the table. Osmund recognized it immediately, after all it was the very same letter, he had read a few weeks ago from his supposed middle man between him and the old lion, no that he had actually sent anything back.
"How did you get this?" Osmund asked, more curious if the middleman had been killed than anything else.
"I have my ways, Osmund. I have my ways. Though I have to admit, I had never imagined that one of Tywin's own spies would betray him and choose to lie to him about everything going on over here."
"Grandmaster, I don't want to doubt your network, but I'm sure Lord Tywin has more spies around than just me…"
"That's not true, brother Osmund. You are the only one alive and the only one feeding the old lion false information about me and my goals. Every other spy has been dealt by my uncle. So, Osmund, how come the old lion picked you, someone who's considered a bastard back in Westeros?"
"One thing come to mind, grandmaster, and that is me being a bastard. Even if I were to be caught, he would not lose anyone important, and so I reckon, all the other spies were bastards too, just like I am."
Konrad's eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of a cold smile playing on his lips. "Indeed, most of the spies we uncovered were bastards, expendable in the eyes of the old lion. But there was one who was not—a knight of some renown within the Lannister ranks. It was Ser Alfred, a loyal knight, no doubt, but alas, one that was quite old for this kind of task."
Osmund's eyes widened in surprise, as he had heard about this knight… he even saw him with his father once, if his memory was serving him right.
"Ser Alfred was the architect behind the network of spies here in Volantis," Konrad continued, "He was clever, I'll give him that. But not clever enough to escape the eyes of my uncle. When we learned of his true allegiance, Tyrek confronted him. It was a swift but brutal end for the man and with his death, the network crumbled."
One good thing about this whole ordeal was that it served as a reminder that some people would try to meddle in your business even if you are a world away from them.
After a few seconds, Konrad leaned forward, towards the still unsure brother. "You see, Osmund, in this game of shadows, loyalty is a rare commodity that I was bless to see from many a brother. And you, you chose to forsake your past and embrace our cause. That is why you are still here, and why I am willing to trust you. But remember, I will not tolerate betrayal. Serve the Order, serve me, and you will find honor and a better life than anything a Lannister from The Rock could offer you. Betray the Order, and you will see what a traitor's punishment is."
Taking those words to heart, Osmund nodded before going on one knee. "Grandmaster, I swear in God's name, that my loyalty would always be with the Order and nothing, not even death would change that."
Konrad was surprised by Osmund's sudden vow, but he accepted it with a nod of approval. He could see the sincerity in the young man's eyes, making him pray to God he had made the right choice in sparing him. Without further ado, the young lord extended his hand and helped Osmund to his feet.
"Very well, brother Osmund. I accept your vows. Now, come, let us go meet the others."
Ever since those savages from Westeros came to Volantis, the great good master's profits plumed to the ground. No one was buying slaves on land because of the new ruler of that accursed place, and that was something he would never allow to continue.
Twenty thousand of the best slave soldiers from all over the Slaver's Bay had been assembled and sent to wage war against this new force, with five thousand more unsullied being loaded into ships and prepared to invade from the sea.
Just as he was about to take another sip of his drink, the good master heard a knock on his door, followed by the familiar voice of his loyal slave.
The good master paused, his hand hovering over the silver goblet, as he called out a terse "Enter."
Exactly one second later, the door creaked open, and the slave stepped inside. Once he walked inside, he moved with a quiet grace, the soft shuffle of his sandals barely audible against the marble floor, before he stopped at a respectful distance from his master's ornate desk.
"Master, the emissaries from the five sellsword companies have arrived in the city. They have agreed to convene later this evening to discuss terms of service."
The good master nodded, a slow smile spreading across his face. This was the news he had been waiting for. With the addition of these sellsword companies at his command, he would soon restore the proper way in Volantis while at the same time teach those Westerosi savages the price of meddling in the affairs of Slaver's Bay.
In that moment, Master Varyo Lashar leaned back in his chair, looking like the very image of contemplation. It would not be cheap at all to buy the services of those sellswords, but rather than going for the expensive known companies like the Golden Company, Varyo chose to enlist the services of the Crimson Reavers, the Riders of the Steep, the Silver Shields, the Black Mambas, and the Iron Wolves, five companies with numbers varying from 500 to 3000, all being proper warriors unlike most of the slaves he had sent to their deaths.
He imagined the streets of Volantis, the oldest and proudest of the Free Cities, bowing to his rule. The Long Bridge would be adorned with his banners, and the Black Wall would echo with songs of his glory. Such a close realization, he couldn't wait to see that happen. And with such a city under his rule, he would slowly take over the whole Slaver's Bay becoming the sole ruler over this gold mine.
< Just change "3" with "e" Patr3on Link : https://patr3on.com/meatbunkun>