Although they had not yet met Prince Pentos, the alliance had already been sealed. Kurland had sent his third son, Lightnere, and his fourth son, Dotnere, as envoys—a clear sign of good faith. The brothers did not sail with Viserys on the same ship but traveled instead on a merchant vessel belonging to the House Kurland, which followed the swan ship.
As they watched Viserys's ship ahead, they said to each other:
"That Viserys is something. He seems to have gotten the old man to agree to an alliance without even having to offer anything."
Lightnere had small eyes and a fondness for the color purple, so he always dressed in purple garments. He spoke without the slightest respect for his father. Dotnere, sitting next to him, remained silent, leaning over the railing and letting the sea breeze blow his long hair over his shoulders. He didn't care and had no desire to speak to his brother.
When it became clear that Dotnere wasn't going to respond, Lightnere asked, "Brother, what did you do when the old man sent you to Braavos six months ago?"
Dotnere glanced at him and replied, "Why do you think Father didn't tell you?"
"You must have gone to the Iron Bank," Lightnere said with a wicked smile.
Dotnere finally spoke: "I went to Volantis and got a lot of weapons. I don't know what the old man is planning."
The seagull perched on the mast behind them heard the conversation clearly, but Viserys had no time to figure it out.
...
"Right! The hardest time I had making money was when I was a hitman. Now, I get to travel around, not only with a ship, fifty Unsullied, but also with so much treasure."
When Viserys and the others left, Illyrio sent over another large pile of goods. The total value exceeded fifty thousand gold dragons. He also provided Viserys with twenty sailors to strengthen his defenses.
"Right, so you see, most do not venture out. Not even to places where they were born. They live and die in the same house, on the same plot of land, sometimes never going so far as to cross the nearest river. I really don't understand the point of it."
'The Red Viper,' Viserys thought, feeling a sense of familiarity. On second thought, he remembered that in the original story, the Red Viper had said something similar to the little imp. At that time, the little imp had remarked that the reason most people never venture out is because most people are "Fools".
Viserys didn't have the habit of ruining people's fun, so he just laughed it off.
"Well... maybe...," Feles hesitated, aware that he was merely a 'playmate,' so he didn't play his king's trump card. However, a large hand reached out from behind him, and the king's trump card was thrown onto the table. "Haha! The king's trump card!" Regis said proudly.
"I'm not going to play... anymore," Feles responded with some resentment.
Viserys knew what he was thinking, but chose not to expose him.
"We're almost at Myr. Are you ready to talk to the Magister of Myr?"
"Don't worry, my lord. I'll make sure Myr joins our alliance."
"Bring lots of gifts. Don't worry about the money. "
'I'll ask Tregar to reimburse me when we get back,' Viserys added to himself.
"Yes, my lord."
Soon after, everyone arrived at Myr. The ratio of free men to slaves in the Seven Kingdoms was about one to three, and Myr was no exception. Compared to the other two Free Cities, it was neither as noisy as Tyrosh nor as full of remnants from the Valyrian era as Lys. As the slave-trading center of the Seven Kingdoms, the Sea of Myrth was teeming with ships transporting slaves. Some came from Beyond the Wall in Westeros, and others from Slaver's Bay. Viserys saw several ships full of Unsullied, sitting like puppets at the bow of the ship. The man in blue and yellow robes was clearly a slave owner from Astapor.
In addition to the Unsullied, there were also gladiators from Meereen and bed slaves from Yunkai. However, these slaves with special skills were obviously more expensive and weren't shipped like common cargo. The ships carrying slaves invariably entered Myr, while Myr exported high-end handicrafts.
Soon, they docked at the pier. Viserys turned to Red Viper and Feles and said, "Okay, you two, take care of the alliance. Myr's spies are everywhere, so I can't be seen."
"Don't worry, Prince," Feles promised.
"Then be careful," Red Viper cautioned.
As she watched the two leave, Shinelli knew she would be left behind again, but she wanted to fight for herself. During the journey, Viserys had undoubtedly been the core of the team. In addition, Feles had been praising Viserys in her ear, and Shinelli had developed a lot of goodwill towards him.
Of course, the most important reason was that she, too, had to contribute to the revitalization of her house. She learned from Feles that from Sunspear to Pentos, everyone desired to marry the Prince.
Feles and Shinelli, knowing they lacked the status to compete, considered settling for a lesser role as his paramour. After all, if you capture a man's heart, you won't be treated any worse than the main wife.
As Viserys prepared to leave with Regis, Shinelli quickly said, "Prince, let me serve you."
Seeing this, Regis made a knowing smile, his expression playful.
To be honest, he really liked this girl who resembled Jennifer Connelly, especially today. Shinelli had carefully dressed for the occasion, her crystal-clear collarbone exposed like a masterpiece. But Viserys had already rejected Arianne, and if he didn't treat her fairly, it would create a rift with House Martell. Moreover, she was Feles' sister.
Viserys and Feles. Daenerys and Shinelli. The fates of these two sets of siblings were strikingly similar.
When Viserys sent Regis away, Shinelli suddenly became nervous, thinking he was about to make a move on her. However, Viserys stopped three steps away from her.
"Lady Shinelli, please convey the following to Feles."
"Prince, please speak." Shinelli squeezed her fingers and stood at attention, not daring to miss a word.
"Viserys II's wife came from House Rogare, and I am Viserys III. Isn't it interesting that we are destined to form an alliance?"
Shinelli felt her heart race and her ears burn. The sound of the waves, the bells on the docks, the cries of the seagulls—all the noises of the world seemed to fade away. She didn't even dare to look into Viserys' eyes and instead focused on his mouth, waiting for his words.
However, what came out of that mouth was not what she had expected.
"Lady Shinelli, I don't think I can ask you to be my wife, but our houses will remain allies. Tell Feles that I swear on my life and Dany's that I will always consider him my right hand, as long as House Rogare remains loyal."
Shinelli's eyes flashed with disappointment, but she still bowed slightly in response.
"Prince, don't worry. I will definitely convey your words to my brother."