As the 10-day celebration approached, Braavos grew busier with each passing day. Coachmen and boatmen worked tirelessly from morning to night, eating, drinking, defecating, and sleeping on their boats, all in a bid to make more money during this lucrative period. Prices of all goods soared, and the shrewd made a profit during the festivities. The temples and shrines saw an influx of visitors, adding to the city's bustling atmosphere.
Although the sale of human beings was not allowed in Braavos, it boasted the most developed sex and theater industries. The theaters were packed, and the girls were making substantial earnings. The sewers of various brothels had become nutrient-rich petri dishes. This vibrant scene extended beyond the city to the numerous ports.
The large and small sailing ships, adorned in various colors—black, white, purple, and green—seemed like lace on the land. When they lowered their sails, a forest of bare masts formed. Sailors and passengers moved back and forth on the ships, resembling fat maggots wriggling about from a distance. Some ships had particularly high bows, indicating they had come from Slaver's Bay, while others, bearing family crests, appeared more respectable, suggesting origins in Westeros.
The seagull, having finally escaped his first suitor, perched on the mast of a ship, surveying the scene. He noticed a ship with black sails painted with golden skulls—the symbol of the Golden Company, a group of sellswords founded by a bastard son of a Targaryen king.
After the founder's death, his head was boiled, plated with gold, and hung on the company's banner, a tradition continued by his successors, creating this unique emblem.
'A bunch of lunatics,' The seagull remarked.
He soon saw the banners of several other mercenary companies, such as the "Company of the Cat," the "Windblown," and the "Second Sons." Each large mercenary company had its own ship. Though not always big, they were branded and recognizable.
There were three reasons why these groups came to Braavos. The first was obvious: they came to have fun. Sellswords, who risk their lives to make money, naturally wanted to partake in the festivities. The second reason was to participate in the tournament. The third was to scout new recruits for their own mercenary groups, based on the performance of competitors in the tournament.
Viserys also had such plans. If he could achieve a high ranking, the doors of all the major mercenary groups would open to him. If anyone dared to mention the banquet of the crown, they would fight. These mercenaries were a relatively pure bunch. They didn't care who the recruits were—commoners, nobles, or fugitives. They didn't care about a recruit's lineage or which house they came from. Their business was only one thing—heads!
"Brothers! Can you kill? If so, the mercenary arena awaits!"
Viserys hadn't yet decided which mercenary group to join, and he had one major concern: Dany.
He considered leaving Dany in Braavos with Methys, but there were too many variables. Without him by her side, the risk of assassination attempts on Dany would increase. She was a key part of his plan, and losing her would be catastrophic. He might end up like Igor Rivers. Even if he had to abandon Dany, he couldn't bring himself to do it.
In Braavos, he had no one he could trust. Even if House Zalyne and the others decided to fight House Fregar, Dany would never be safe. Therefore, he concluded that he would have to join the sellswords with his family.
As he pondered all this, the seagull heard a familiar voice in his ear. "Brother! Brother! Wake up! What's wrong with you?"
The seagull looked around and realized it was a telepathic message from his main body. He tried to transfer his consciousness back. "Brother! Brother! Lady Kyla! Come quickly!"
Dany had remembered that Viserys was in the room, so she wanted to ask him a question. But no matter how hard she knocked, there was no response. Worried, she opened the door and saw Viserys lying on the ground. Her heart dropped. If she lost her brother, she would have nothing left.
Her voice grew more urgent as she called out for Kyla. When Kyla saw Viserys collapsed on the ground, she hurried over to check on him. "He's warging?! So fast!"
Kyla was shocked. She had managed to warg into a fish for the first time, but that was more than three years after she had first encountered warging. She looked around the room and noticed a basin of water on the table. She approached it and saw the tadpoles swimming inside.
"Lady Dany, don't worry, Lord Viserys is in the basin!" Kyla exclaimed.
Dany blinked in confusion. "?"
"I mean his consciousness is in the basin, or rather in the tadpoles," Kyla explained.
"??" Dany was still baffled.
Kyla, unsure how to make it clearer, shouted into the basin, "Lord Viserys! Lord Viserys! Do you remember what I told you? You have to imagine it! Feel it!"
She overlooked one critical problem—tadpoles have no hearing. Dany watched Kyla shout at the basin, finding her behavior incomprehensible. Helplessly, she called out to Viserys in her own way, over and over again.
"Lady Dany, I have an idea," Kyla said, carrying the basin to Viserys.
"What is it?" Dany asked, her face expressionless.
Kyla propped up the back of Viserys's head with her knee and opened his mouth. She scooped up a tadpole from the water and put it into his mouth.
"You... this..." Dany began, watching as the dark, candy-sized object disappeared down Viserys's throat. But after a long time, there was still no reaction.
"Lady Dany, let's try pouring water into Lord Viserys' mouth," Kyla suggested.
"Will this... work?" Dany asked hesitantly.
"Let's try it," Kyla urged.
Dany, uncertain and out of options, followed Kyla's instructions. Kyla held Viserys's mouth open while Dany prepared to pour the muddy water in. Just then, Viserys's purple pupils returned to focus.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Dany holding a basin, ready to pour water into his mouth. Horrified, Viserys struggled to sit up. "What are you doing?!"
Dany, overjoyed to see him awake, burst into tears and rushed into his arms. "I'm fine, I'm fine," Viserys reassured her, patting her back gently while looking questioningly at Kyla.
Kyla, calm and proud, explained, "You must have received a psychic message from the tadpoles. I fed you the tadpoles, and you woke up."
"What? Say that again! What did you feed me?!" Viserys exclaimed in disbelief.