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~~~~Oberyn Martell, Sixth Moon, 277 AC~~~
~~~Xandar~~~
"Lord Oberyn, here is your entry pass, it tells you which cubicle belongs to you, and what you are allowed to do, along with what you are not," a beautiful woman, of Valyrian descent, with pale lilac eyes and almost white silver hair, offered me my entrance to one of the famous salons of Madame Fabiane, a Lyseni woman who had made a name for herself here in Xandar, the center of the world as it was called.
And that name was apt to describe Xandar, hundreds of thousands of merchants from all over the world came to Xandar to sell their wares, spices, jewelry, objects of entertainment, musical instruments from Yi Ti, silks from Myr, and wine from Arbor.
Likewise, these merchants would roll in piles of gold coins due to the high trade in the city, buy watches, colored candles, coal, wood, furs, good quality, and low-priced clothing, diamonds, and emeralds, and return home to resell these goods.
The clamor of the security that the civil guard offered, made that all exchange was done as the law dictated, without swindles, robberies, or much less danger of death.
There was so much security, and the confidence of the Xandarians in their neighbors, that some even slept with their doors open. No fear of theft or intruders.
But even under all that heaven of opportunity and blessings, there was never lacking the ill-intentioned, something I witnessed when a foreigner, apparently from Tyrosh, had tried to kidnap a child.
I remember the face of the watermelon vendor from whom I was buying one, watching his face distort and an unparalleled fury flood his being. Then he left his stall and ran along with all the pedestrians, vendors, shoppers, and visitors to the market.
That sight was amazing, watching as everyone stopped what they were doing to grab their swords, knives, hammers, and sticks, with the sole purpose of lynching the kidnapper.
The beating they gave him was unbelievable. , everyone charging like a pack of dogs at a piece of meat, with the civil guard only interfering when the man was about to die.
I thought that would be the end of him, a long one but an end in the end. Instead, it was there that I got my first glimpse of the effect of one of the most precious, expensive, and coveted things in the world: the famous potions.
Even the Valyrian swords had been left behind, with potions now occupying the number one spot in the pyramid of things everyone wanted to have.
And I saw why they were so coveted, when the guard interfered, he did it because the man was about to die, he didn't care that he was unrecognizable, nor that a mob had beaten him, no. What interested him was that he would live to be tried and sentenced.
And so, in front of me, I managed to see how the potion restored his broken legs, his torn hair, and his missing eye, leaving him as good as new.
I had learned the power of that measly glass vial, I knew how they had managed to reach out their hands to Aerys.
Last I knew, the man was sentenced to perpetual hard labor in the mines of Xandar, a place where fireworms were said to live.
Xandar was a harmonious place, but to the trained eye, it was quite the opposite, no foreign titles were valid here, no important positions from other cities, and even more so if you decided it was a good idea to speak ill of the king, or even say something about the king that the Xandarians would take as an insult. Something I learned a moon ago when I was about to die.
"Thank you, my beautiful lady, may I know your name?" I replied to the woman, wanting to have some sort of female contact, or even of the other sex if the occasion arose.
Since I hadn't found a single damn brothel since I had arrived here, apparently they were forbidden in Xandar, something that had made my heart and taste for the city wane a bit.
Fortunately, Romulu had stumbled upon information that there were love theaters, huge saloons under the control of a woman, a very dangerous one if rumors were to be believed, though I was no longer surprised, everyone in this damned city was dangerous.
"Merida, Lord Oberyn," Merida, oh what a lovely name she had, "would you like a walk to Central Park after you finish work?"
Merida, sporting a mischievous smile on her face and a calculating look, rested her index finger on my chest, as she shook her head; "you are not Xandarian, you have nothing to offer me." Merida replied. Walking away instantly and going towards the other guests to continue doing her job.
"Better luck next time, my lord," Romulus said at my side. Looking derisive as he observed how my charm had failed again. It was something I had been living with every attempt to get someone into bed, the moment I said I wasn't Xandarian, people would shy away from me as if I had grayscale.
"No next time my friend, at home Ellaria awaits me, there will be plenty of room to enjoy the lost time." I said, starting to enter the large amphitheater where the 'play' would be shown.
The place was huge, something I had been getting used to since I got here in the first place, the houses were monstrosities, the buildings were gigantic, and it was as if everyone loved to show off their gifts in receiving buildings bigger than the previous ones.
And the theater was not far behind, located in the Rose Zone, the building was situated in a good location, with high vaulted ceilings with handmade decorations in stone.
With columns made of gold and jewels, a sign of the wealth of these people. The building, illuminated by lights on the ceiling that shone like stars, was something still unknown and captivating to me, which illuminated each end of the place. Even if the place had no windows.
Not only that, but a cold wind was constantly blowing from the roof, which filled the place with a fresh and pleasant atmosphere, even with the hundreds of people gathered.
It showed the incredible knowledge of the Xandarians in construction, where they not only created huge buildings but also enjoyed the knowledge to make them comfortable to live in.
With bright lights at night, mechanisms to set spaces, water coming out of taps, boxes that played music, and huge carriages that crossed the city and made you get anywhere in it in a matter of minutes. Everything pointed to what ancient Valyria might have been in the past.
Minutes after entering my assigned cubicle, which was a secluded and private section, from which I could see the stage and most of the people gathered.
The theater was full, very full, mostly men, but I even saw some women in the company of friends watching the show.
With their spyglasses, as they called the distant eye, that tool with which they could watch the actors on stage closely.
Today's story depicted the forbidden love between a group of friends, who were in love with either one or several members of the group, but because of lies, teasing and grudges could not be together.
In between scenes, several had sex in the act, either between men and women or even between the same sex.
While in Xandar it was accepted that everyone's sexuality was accepted, and wanting to enjoy the body and human desire was well regarded. It was just that, to enjoy and please, since in Xandar, whoever did not fulfill the duty to the kingdom was branded as a traitor, which consisted of giving progeny to the kingdom, bringing more children to the kingdom, and creating more strength to the kingdom itself.
At first, I was surprised, since the crown was the one that encouraged married families to have many children, they even paid them for that, at the same time the Xandarians saw that as a method of serving the kingdom, so same-sex relationships were only passing relationships, nothing strong. For the fact that two women or two men could not create children.
Xandar was much like Dorne in that sense, with a level of freedom granted to all, only in Dorne they accepted bastards, whereas here in Xandar, if a woman became pregnant out of wedlock, the father would have to marry the woman before she gave birth since bastards were frowned upon by the Dosh Khaleen, the religious leaders of Xandar.
"ROOOOARG!"
With mere moments before the show was over, a roar rang out, a sound that caused my bones to vibrate, and my strength to leave my body.
Instead, the others in the theater were joyful and merry, walking briskly out of the theater and into the streets, as they shouted that their king, their god, had arrived.