In Winterfell, Dumbledore and Grindelwald joined the assembly to discuss further actions. They made no suggestions, as Asmodeus requested. They simply sat and observed.
Meanwhile, somewhere on the outskirts of the royal harbor, Salazar Slytherin walked, cloaked in invisibility, covering his nose and pondering to himself,
'What on earth is that stench here! Even in the dirtiest village of my time, I never smelled such foulness as here! Asmodeus will have to pay much more than a liter of Athena's blood!'
Salazar was here at Asmodeus's request. Two days ago, roughly when Grindelwald was playing with Ramsay's internal organs, Asmodeus called Salazar and asked him to head to Westeros, to the city - the royal harbor, and save three people from death - Margaery, Loras Tyrell, and the High Sparrow.
Although Asmodeus is confident in his ability to make contracts, he decided to create a system of checks and balances in the newly-subjugated territories.
The Rose family fits this purpose.
By rejuvenating Lady Olenna and saving her grandchildren, he will secure enough cards for himself to gain faithful subjects. Of course, a magical contract is obligatory, but with such good deeds at hand, he won't even need to resort to threats. At least that's what he thinks.
Furthermore, the Rose family, or at least Olenna and Margaery, are perceived by Asmodeus as some of the pleasant and intriguing individuals in this world, on par with Tyrion. Hence, he had a certain desire to help. Loras was just a bonus.
As for the High Sparrow... Well, Cersei needs something to keep her occupied while they deal with the White Walkers.
How will Salazar determine who the Tyrells are and how will he reach the royal harbor in just a couple of days? Asmodeus took care of that.
He bought a map of Westeros in Meereen and also extracted his memories of the appearances of these three and placed them in a special thought jar. He also asked Albus to send Salazar a memory of the coordinates of the royal harbor they flew over while exploring the continent.
Opening the gates, he directly transmitted his part to Salazar, who had long wanted to receive a liter of Athena's blood from Asmodeus for experiments, especially after her evolution.
So Salazar apparated into the coastal areas of the royal harbor and found himself here.
Displeased with the stench, he wanted to quickly deal with this matter and take a bath. Why do you think the entrance to his classroom is in the bathroom? Because he's very clean! He can barely contain himself from sending a couple of Avada Kedavras at those scum who are now defecating right on the city streets!!!
Swirling his cloak, Salazar headed towards the Sept of Baelor. Thanks to the Imperius charm, he learned from a passerby that today they would be judging those whom Asmodeus had mentioned.
'The church as always, a gathering of rubbish...' - he thought to himself as he ascended the steps.
He didn't even need to discreetly open the door, as at that moment people were only being ushered in and seated.
Entering, he saw the two individuals Asmodeus had spoken of. The girl sat in the front row, while the boy stood in the middle of the hall awaiting judgment, and the latter was right in front of the one who was kneeling.
'Damn sectarians...' - Salazar thought to himself, deciding to first observe the spectacle.
By this point, everyone else who was supposed to be present had settled in the hall. The guards closed the doors, and the trial began.
Loras Tyrell stood in the middle of the sept, and his High Sparrow asked, "Loras Tyrell, are you ready to stand trial and declare your guilt or innocence before the Seven?"
"There is no need for trial. I confess before the gods and acknowledge my crimes..."
"What crimes do you confess to?"
"All of them... I have lain with men, with the traitor - Renly Baratheon. I have sworn false oaths to the gods. I am guilty of lechery, deceit, debauchery, and arrogance... Now I see it. I submit before the Seven, and I will accept whatever punishment they send."
With a big smile on his face upon hearing Loras's words, the High Sparrow turned to the crowd and said, "The justice of the gods is cruel... but fair! The warrior punishes those who consider themselves above justice! But the Mother shows mercy to those who kneel."
Upon hearing this, Loras knelt in the middle of the sept.
"I accept full responsibility for my sins and renounce all desires. I have but one wish: to dedicate my life to the Seven. May I be a living example of their greatness, so that others may see."
"Do you understand fully what this entails?"
"Yes... I renounce the name of Tyrell and all its riches. I renounce my holdings and rights to Highgarden. I will take no wife and leave no heirs..."
"Brother Loras, I ask you to dedicate your life to the Seven gods."
"Will you fight to defend the faith against critics and apostates?"
"Yes, I will..."
His High Sparrow nodded approvingly and looked at one of the fanatics standing behind Loras. They, in turn, lifted Loras and, drawing a knife, began to carve the symbol of the Seven gods onto Loras's forehead...
Salazar turned as he heard commotion to his right.
"No, I won't allow it!"
Someone from the front rows said quietly.
And a girl, whom Salazar followed, replied,
"Only in faith is there salvation, Father!"
'Father of these two...?' Salazar pondered.
At that moment, the fanatics finished disfiguring Loras, and he stood impassively in the middle of the sept.
Seeing Loras's condition, Margery approached his High Sparrow, displeased, and said,
"You've mutilated him. You gave me your word!"
"And I will keep my word. When the trial of the queen mother is over, Brother Loras will be free to go wherever he wishes."
"Then where is the queen mother!?"
At that moment, Lancel Lannister approached and said,
"Her litter has not left the Red castle."
"It seems the queen mother does not wish to attend her own trial... Go to the Red Castle and show her the way."
Lancel nodded and left.
His High Sparrow also stepped away from Margaery Tyrell and headed towards the other devout fanatics.
Meanwhile, Salazar felt it was time to act.
Cloaked in invisibility, he approached Margaery Tyrell. With a wave of his wand, the world around him seemed to separate.
Satisfied, he touched Margaery.
"Who are you!? Another priest of the church?"
Salazar: "???!"
"Ahem, actually, I'm here to save you, at a friend's request."
"It's too late to save, Loras is mutilated, and even if you were the best swordsman in the world, which I highly doubt since you don't even have a sword, you wouldn't be able to fight through the church fanatics."
"When did I say I'm a swordsman? I'm a wizard, and all this business with religions and gods is abhorrent to me to the core. My friend said you might be useful in the future, if you're alive, of course. That's why I've come to save your brother and you."
Margaery saw that Salazar was serious and inspected him once again. At first, she mistook Salazar for another fanatic because he was dressed in a similar black cloak...
But now, upon closer inspection, she noticed how different his attire was from those lunatics. His clothing was black as night, with silver embroidery everywhere and inserts of green. If you looked closely, you could see that the places with black color shimmered as if scales. And the silver thread wasn't just dyed silver, it was real silver.
Moreover, unlike the dirty churchmen, a pleasant scent emanated from Salazar, and he was very neat. Though bald, there were no spots or irritations on his skin. His beard was neatly trimmed and washed. Even the shoes of this man were impeccably polished.
Seeing such differences, Margaery understood that this man definitely wasn't from the church. During his High Sparrow's rule, all the churchmen began dressing modestly and miserably; they wouldn't tolerate such a finely dressed person among them. So she decided to ask quietly this time, trying to conceal her voice from the crowd.
"What kind of wizards are you talking about? Like the priests of the god of light? Can you see the future in the flames?"
"No need to whisper, look around! They can't hear us, I've already covered us with an illusion. For a short period, they'll see you standing here upset," Salazar turned and deliberately raised his voice.
At first, Margaery was startled and wanted to distance herself from Salazar, but she noticed something strange out of the corner of her eye. No one was paying any attention to the place they were in, as if Salazar hadn't just shouted a moment ago. Realizing the strangeness of what was happening, she began to believe a little in what Salazar had called magic.
"Then how do you plan to save us? Will we walk out through the doors under the cover of this so-called illusion?"
"No need. I no longer wish to stay in this wretched city; I will simply escort you and your brother beyond the city limits."
"What about my father?"
Salazar thought for a moment and asked, "Does your grandmother value him?"
Margaery was puzzled by such a question, but then she understood that this man's friend didn't ask them to save out of kindness of heart; they needed something from Highgarden. Thinking about it, she said without hesitation, "Any mother values her child's life more than his death."
"Hmm, smart girl... Alright, I'll save that fatso too."
Margaery didn't object to Salazar's harsh language; she just wanted him to truly be able to get the three of them out of this godforsaken place.
"So, once we have my brother and father, can we leave?"
"No, one more person."
"Who?"
Salazar didn't answer but simply pointed his finger at his High Sparrow, who was sitting in the corner.
"Why save him? From whom? You may not know, but that bastard orchestrated all of this!"
Salazar shook his head.
"Look at the crowd. I'll give you a hint: it's been half an hour since the churchmen went after the queen."
At that moment, Margaery understood the problem.
Neither Cersei nor Tommen were present at the trial, and apparently, they had no intention of coming, which meant that something terrible was about to happen here... But she still couldn't understand one thing...
"Forgive my stupidity, but may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead."
"You said you hate the churchmen, but then why save his High Sparrow?"
"Girl, my friend said you're quite smart... Think again."
".....!"
"You want to cause chaos in the royal harbor!"
"Bingo!"
"What's 'bingo'?"
"Never mind, in short, you got it right. Alright, it's time for us to go. I sense a slight danger, and my intuition has never failed me."
Margaery nodded and headed towards Loras. When she touched Loras, the illusion covered him as well. Margaery looked into his vacant eyes and said, "Let's go home, brother." She lifted him and dragged him towards Salazar.
At that moment, Mace Tyrell stood near Salazar, still not quite grasping the situation as Salazar hadn't explained it to him properly. But upon seeing Margaery and Loras heading towards him, he rushed to meet them and helped carry Loras to Salazar.
Handing Loras over to his father, Margaery asked Salazar, "Will you retrieve his High Sparrow yourself?"
"No need to retrieve. Accio his High Sparrow." With a wave of his wand, his High Sparrow fell before them. Before he could ask what was happening and how the Tyrell family ended up in another location within seconds, he heard Salazar's voice.
"Oh, so the threat came from below..."
Without a second thought, Salazar waved his wand, and a hermetic sphere formed around them, tightly protecting them from all sides. Salazar lowered his wand, grabbed his High Sparrow by the hair, pressed his nose against the barrier, and said, "See how your gods protect them from death!"
Just as Salazar's words fell, the floor of the sept of Baelor was engulfed in green flames.
His High Sparrow watched as the most faithful followers of the Seven burned in the fire within seconds. Their flesh evaporated before his eyes, and the roof of the sept and statues of the gods were destroyed by the explosion.
At the same time, Salazar felt the heat inside their shield and said, "Alright, look at it from the sidelines. Hold onto me, don't let go!"
The Tyrells nodded and quickly grabbed onto Salazar's cloak. Satisfied, he nodded and with a wave of his wand, they disappeared in a short spatial rift.
Without Salazar's mana support, the shield instantly shattered, and the place where they had stood was engulfed in flames.
With a light pop, the five of them found themselves outside the city walls. The explosion of the sept was visible from here, and pieces of the sept scattered throughout the city. The fire destroyed the areas closest to the sept.
While the Tyrells recoiled in horror, Salazar raised his High Sparrow's head towards the sept. "See, this is all your gods are. True gods don't need mortal faith; they are powerful enough to destroy worlds. Your gods, however, are nothing more than this. I could wipe my backside with them after going to the bathroom. But you, go, seek vengeance for your followers, for those who believe in your gods! IMPERIO COGITANTE!"
Salazar cast the Imperius Curse on his High Sparrow. It wasn't a simple Imperius curse that compels a person to obey the caster. No, it was much more elegant; it implants the idea that Salazar wants into the victim's mind.
But the conditions for the curse to work were too stringent. The person's mind had to be under stress, vulnerable. To trigger the curse, Salazar tried to shake the faith of his High Sparrow in the gods, making it easier to instill the idea that he needed to avenge Cersei for his followers.
Satisfied that the curse had taken effect, Salazar discarded his High Sparrow like a piece of trash stuck to his hand.
His High Sparrow would remain bewildered for the next 15 minutes; the idea needed time to solidify. Stepping away from his High Sparrow, Salazar took out wet wipes from his bag, which he always carried, and began wiping his hands. After some time, when his hands were clean and the Tyrells had somewhat recovered from the side effects of apparition, he pulled out a bag.
From the bag, he gradually started pulling out items: three horses, two strange stone statues, a compass, and another pouch similar to the one from which he extracted everything else. The Tyrells watched this action with empty eyes. They were still trying to comprehend how they ended up here, having just been in the sept of Baelor. But Salazar didn't have time to explain.
After pulling out everything he needed, he approached Margaery. "Can all of you ride?" Margaery didn't react at first, but when Salazar snapped his fingers in front of her face a couple of times, she said, "Yes, yes! We can, Your Excellency!"
"And? Your Excellency? Fine, let it be. So, in short. Here are three horses with complete sets of saddles and everything you need. Here's the compass; to reach the so-called Highgarden, you need to head southwest from here. This arrow will indicate between these two if you're going in the right direction. I'm giving you two guards. They'll obey only your orders. Don't worry about the speed; they'll easily keep up with the horses. Here's another bag; it contains a month's supply of food for two people. It'll last for two weeks for three people. You must reach your destination before the food runs out. Any questions?"
"Sorry for my audacity, great Lord Wizard, but won't you come with us? Perhaps you'd like to stay with the Tyrell family for a while?"
"No, I want to disappear from this continent as quickly as possible. The level of development of this district brings back unpleasant memories. Is that all?"
"Forgive me for asking, Lord Wizard, but may I inquire about your name so that we know our benefactor and can repay him when needed?"
"Oh, I almost forgot about that. My name is Salazar Slytherin, a member of the Supreme Wizard's Council, and one of the Hogwarts' Founders. Tell your grandmother that if she ever hears about the Wizard's Council, she should respond to the call. Oh, by the way..." Salazar waved his hand, and all of Loras's wounds healed as if they never existed.
"Goodbye," Salazar said, disappearing, leaving the trio wondering if they were hallucinating, or perhaps Cersei poisoned them...?
While Margaery and her father were in confusion, Loras, who felt changes in his body, rushed towards his High Sparrow, who lay on the ground with an empty gaze. He picked up a stone and wanted to kill the one who tormented him for half a year but heard a voice.
"Brother! Stop!!"
Loras hesitated, and in that moment, Margaery approached him. "Lord Salazar saved this bastard for one purpose: to bring trouble to Cersei. If his High Sparrow remains alive when Lord Salazar returns, I promise to convince him to let you kill him."
"But..."
"No buts! Cersei wanted to kill us all, and his High Sparrow's vengeance against Cersei will work in our favor. Right now, we need to return to Highgarden!"
Loras didn't want to, but still lowered the stone in his hand and said, "Alright..."
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