"The big hole is near the city walls. How did you think that got there?"
"People are saying that Alsana, the serpent mother, came through that hole to attack the city, but Lord Mather fought it and saved everyone."
"God bless the warlords. They killed all the monsters that came with the snow. Not a single human died, although we lost a bit of our land."
"And this snow everywhere; the farmers are having nightmares with this now."
The old folks dressed in torn garbs and pants talked noisily and freely while drinking their jugs of beer in the recently opened tavern near the city. A clock hangs on the wooden walls of the tavern.
"Another fucking jug of beer!" Arya slammed the glass on the table, smashing it to pieces.
He was so drunk that his eyes barely opened, so he didn't notice other people staring at him. He didn't show how messy his hair was, or how stinky he smelled.
That was the fault of the sewer where he had to hide. With how his past few days had been, stares would strike fear in his heart but Arya was too drunk to care at the moment.
"I said, another fucking jug of beer!!"
A dwarf, wearing a garb and chains around his neck, came running towards Arya. His flesh was human-like, but his body wasn't. Small and ugly in Arya's eyes.
"Honourable visitor, under my master's orders, I have to stop you. Even if you pay for the broken glasses, we can't afford to lose more of them." He spoke with his eyes lowered, never matching Arya's.
"Huh?!"
Arya, in a fit of rage, grabbed the dwarf's chain and pulled him close. Forcefully, making the dwarf match his eyes, his hand pressing against his neck.
"I have enough money to buy you and this whole tavern of your master. Bring me your master; I'll buy this whole tavern, bloody slave." Arya freed the dwarf from his hold, and the other gasped for air.
The dwarf gained his breath and lowered his gaze.
"I'll do as you say, honourable visitor. Claus, bring the Lord a big jug of beer and our best beef stew." The dwarf then bowed and ran away.
"Be grateful; I didn't cut your head for talking back to me." Arya scoffed and patted his pockets to make sure he had his gold with him.
Claus, the waiter came with a plate of beef and a jug of beer in his hands and placed them at Arya's table.
"Your payment, slave. Make sure to buy some good women for the night." Arya brought out some gold coins from his pocket and threw them at the dwarf's face.
"Thanks for the coin, your honour." The dwarf rushed at the coins on the ground, ignoring the fact that his nose was bleeding due to the impact of the coins on his face.
"Ahha..." The people sitting at the other table were laughing at the dwarf's state, or was it Arya, or maybe at both."
"Poor slave, still luckier than most." said a sharp voice.
"?!" Arya looked at the source of the voice.
"Hello there." A man with raven black clothes and a glistening white sword was looking intently at Arya with his green eyes and white face.
Snow was quite visible on his boots and coat, as was the stupid smirk on his face, which Arya couldn't digest.
But the weird part was that Arya couldn't sense him coming, nor were the old folk talking about him.
"Who are you?" Arya asked.
The young man sat right down beside him. He kept his blade on the table, right in front of Arya. The steel on the blade showed Arya's ugly drunken face on it.
"Don't you think Dragonsteel is beautiful? It cuts through beasts and men alike, and if the dragon were alive today I think I could cut them in half with this."
The boy smashed his hand on the blades and, the blade came spinning to him.
"I think you should consider yourself again, fool. Dragonsteel can't even cut a Warlord's armour. You think you can cut an ancient dragon with this." Arya laughed.
The boy smiled in return and moved his head towards the reception. Claus was standing there counting the gold coins.
"Claus, was it? Bring me some boiled eggs and pack some salted deer for my drunk friend?" The boy ordered and turned his face back.
"I think you didn't hear the conversation earlier, I am buying this tavern. I don't think you need to help me with food, have you?" Arya didn't like the boy earlier, but now he hated him.
"As if he knows how pathetic I am?" Arya thought to himself.
"Claus, don't bring a bite of food. You hear me?!" Arya shouted at the dwarf, and the dwarf nodded back. Arya returned the smirk with his own before taking another sip from the jug.
The boy's lips curled into a smile once again, and he sheathed his sword.
"I think I forgot to introduce myself, my bad. My name is Mercy Unsborn, I come from a small village near the north. My family had lost all their money in the attack. I am sword for hire and looking for work."
The boy stood up and bowed to Arya. Arya laughed
"Should have thought earlier before bragging your guts to me, idiot. Your family better die of hunger at this point. Little Mercy-" Arya's laugh stopped in between and cold wind touched him.
"Wait.. wait, I have heard this??!! Somewhere!" Arya's panic did not show on his face, but he was definitely not drunk anymore.
The boy was smiling, but it felt a lot more sinister and powerful than last time. Arya knew something was wrong.
"Please reconsider hiring me, I am fast and sharp at fighting multiple people at once, and this sword was passed down in my family."
The boy knelled and unsheathed his sword, showing its glimmer to Arya.
"This blade can cut even the mightiest of the dragons, my mother used to tell me."
Arya looked at the blade, the steel was greenish in colour. But it was supposed to be white or violet. Arya shook his head and took the blade from the sellsword.
"The blade is well-smithed and in good shape. The Edge is sharp, and it cuts my clothes beautifully. I think you are worth hiring."
The blade in truth, had actually cut through Arya's warlord armour. Arya was more scared than impressed.
" I.. Knew...it." Mercy slowly spoke as he munched down Arya's beef stew.
Arya watched him in surprise, he didn't expect to be disrespected like that.
"The old folks would be laughing their lungs at me." Arya looked towards the other table on his back and saw that it was empty.
"Assassins. That Mathers, exiling me wasn't enough he wants to kill me too. I am suffering because of that bloody bitch." Arya thought.
As Arya was thinking about what was going on, Mercy finished his food and wiped his mouth with his sleeves.
"Lord Arya, I thank you for feeding this poor peasant in your tavern. As a gift..." Mercy slowly leaned close to Arya's ears.
"There are five assassin outside this tavern. i think I can save you from them."
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