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~~~~(Point of view: Azrael Sanchez)~~~~
~~~~(Date: 275 AC)~~~~
"Come on, that's right, it's much more docile than a horse, so don't be afraid," instructs a woman, who was learning to put the saddle on the camel.
Several had already learned, with the women who helped their husbands saddle their horses being the first to do so with the camels.
Although I summoned the saddles and could have saddled the camels myself, I decided not to do so, since I preferred that they do it themselves and learn to do it simultaneously.
That is why I still had several women to show them how to control, saddle, and get on and off the camel.
Once the woman had correctly saddled the camel, phase two came, which was to show her how to get on or off the camel.
So, giving her a wooden stick, I guided her on how to do it: "Take him by the reins, yes, not too hard, or he will bite you." I started telling her, watching her do as I said, "Now, with the stick, give gentle strokes on the lower part of the neck, just behind him.".
The woman, following my instructions, got the camel to sit up on all four legs, and although his back was still a little high, it was lower than that of an upright horse.
"Now climb into the saddle, being careful not to startle him, and once you are comfortable, pull on the reins without force so as not to hurt him."
Following the last step, the woman got the camel to stand up, starting from its hind legs. "Ahh!" the woman shouted, full of panic when she felt it going forward.
"Calm down! It's normal; once you get used to it and practice, it will be easier and more comfortable for you to get on it," I reassured the hysterical woman, getting her to calm down a bit.
"As you saw! It's not that complicated; you just have to do what I told you, and everything will be fine," I reminded them, leaving them to familiarize themselves with the animal.
Once I felt my part was done for the moment, I mounted my horse and headed towards the workshop where the carriages were being built.
"Blood of my blood, do you think the women will be strong enough to control those beasts?" On the way to the workshop, Zirqo asked me, fully believing that the women would not be able to ride the camels.
"The point is not whether they will be strong enough to control the camels, but I just need them to know how to ride them; that's enough," I replied, and it was partly true. Sure, I would love it if they could take the camels and annex them, just as the Dothraki had the horse, but I was not stupid enough to think that would happen only a few hours or days after introducing them both.
So, what interested me now was that they could ride them to lighten the pace to Astapor.
After a few minutes, I could see from a distance the large structure that served as a workshop, standing out in the sea of tents in the Khalasar's camp.
It wasn't until I got closer that I saw a long row of large carriages, one after the other, beautifully formed.
Entering the workshop, I was greeted by a mason, his nails dirty with paint and his hair matted; however, that did not hide his huge smile as he presented me with the progress.
"My Khal, welcome," he said as I dismounted from my horse. "We have made great progress; come with me."
The man did not wait to see if I would follow him, as he began to walk quickly towards outside the workshop, where the carriages were.
"My Khal, so far we have finished about one hundred and ninety-two carriages," he began to say, at the same time reading a report to make sure what he was saying was correct.
"And of the remaining eight, the lanterns need to be installed, and they will be ready; it will not take many minutes to do so" he finished saying, looking up from the report and looking at me.
"Would you like to see one?" he asked me once he saw how I did not take my eyes off the carriages. "I assure you that they all have the same design and the same proportions; they only change the colors of the tapestries and furniture.".
"Yes, lead the way," I said to the man, who nodded and, with a smile on his face, led me to the nearest carriage.
To call them carriages would be a lie, as they looked more like motor homes than carriages. With their ten meters long, eight meters high, and three meters wide, their ten oak wood wheels, reinforced with iron, made the carriage look more like a moving house than anything else.
"My Khal, at first we had in mind to make them smaller, mainly because we don't know what the topography of the place we will be moving through will be like, and you can run the risk of the carriages getting stuck on curves or tipping over," the mason explained to me, as he showed me the plans of how the carriage was divided.
The carriage was divided into two parts, the main one being the wagon itself, which had two floors. The first was a large space that acted as a cellar, where you could store either food, tools, or even small animals, such as sheep, chickens, ducks, or pigs, thanks to its good ventilation system.
(Image)
On its second floor, it had a large section divided into three, in which one climbed the stairs to find a small restroom with large windows, and on the left was a bathroom with a wooden toilet, a shower, and a sink, all being supplied with the help of dispensers filled with water.
The last section of the three, was the bedroom, a large room divided by an internal ceiling that divided the room into two small floors inside the wagon, connected by a spiral staircase, with several beds spread appropriately throughout the space, with a space in the middle to be able to walk.
It all left me speechless. I could live in such a carriage without needing to be situated in one place, traveling all over Essos and living a merchant's life.
Clearing those thoughts, I laughed to myself, at the thought of spending my life as a merchant.
The second part of the carriage was where it would connect to the Devastator, with two thick metal planks where the Devastator would be attached, along with a large enough chair to hold four adults without being cramped, and not only that, but that particular part had a mechanism just like a tractor-trailer, with a slit that connected to the carriage and gave it room to move from left to right when the Devastator changed direction.
"I'm beyond amazed, that's it..."
"A beauty" finished the mason for me, and boy was it a beauty. While I didn't fancy the merchant life, I could well use these carriages for my city's trade with the other free cities, the very famous peddlers coming to mind.
"My Khal, if you like, we can start saddling up and connecting the Devastators to the carriages." I heard the mason's voice next to me, bringing me out of my reverie.
"Um, yeah, let's do that; the sooner, the better." I replied, giving him a small smile, "And, my Khal, what do you want us to do with the carts that the women and children used to travel?".
Oh, right, "well, leave them; let the women take out their belongings and abandon those carts; they are no longer of any use to us anyway.". I said, and then I headed to where Amanda was with my blood riders.
"Amanda, Blood of my blood, let the Khalasar know that we will move, get the tents up and the important things, but to leave the wagons, as we will not need them."
"Blood of my blood," "My Khal" they replied, leaving to relay my orders, getting us to start moving in a few hours.