Viserys had already gained the upper hand in the debate over whether to send troops to war with the Dothraki. After all, the thousands of people in the harbor could see the looming threat for themselves. Now, Drogo had come to them. He claimed it was for a tournament, but in reality, they needed to prevent the Horselord from launching a sudden attack. The Free Cities and the Dothraki, after all, did not follow the same rules.
Viserys had proven his abilities in battle, and placing his army in command was the best option. Myr and Lys provided 10,000 and 6,000 infantry respectively, along with all their cavalry. Combined with the forces from Pentos and Tyrosh, they mustered a total of 30,000 infantry and 8,000 cavalry, all to be deployed on the west bank of the Lhorulu.
The sight of Viserys not only challenging the Dothraki but also gaining significant military power made Tregar, Cassius, and the others anxious. Military power is something difficult to relinquish, especially when almost all the slaves and commoners knew that Viserys was fighting for their interests. But there was a catch—this army was made up of slaves and commoners. By the end of it all, this force might be called the Targaryens' Army.
As for the competition with the Horselord, little more needed to be said. Although they hadn't had much direct contact with Viserys, they recognized his martial prowess. Not to mention the infamous pirate incident; he had actually won the title of champion in Braavos. If Viserys truly triumphed against the Dothraki, his reputation would only grow within the confederation. This was the last thing the powerful men of Lys and Myr wanted, as it would mean further erosion of their own power.
Kambron, in particular, had a nagging feeling that once Viserys dealt with the Horselords, he would pursue an even more aggressive policy on slavery.
"Are we just going to sit back and watch this Westerosi grow in power?" Kambron asked wearily, waiting for the others to respond. His words were carefully chosen; referring to Viserys as "this Westerosi" subtly placed him outside their group, as if a clear line had already been drawn between them.
"Perhaps we could consider the Faceless Men?" Cassius suggested. The losses Viserys had caused them were no less severe than those of a full-blown war. Hiring the Faceless Men was extremely expensive, but given the circumstances, it wasn't an unreasonable option.
Cassius' proposal made Tregar a little excited. If they were to hire the Faceless Men, they would need to pool their resources. But on second thought, it seemed like a good deal. Viserys was powerful, but he had a fatal flaw—he had no heir to carry on his legacy and no house to support him. Once he was gone, his forces would likely collapse.
Moreover, Viserys controlled the lucrative tobacco trade. According to their estimates, the profits from this alone could cover the cost of hiring the Faceless Men and still leave a surplus. And then there were the dragon eggs Viserys possessed—they had learned through secret channels that he had at least three. Without strong backing, Viserys himself was an attractive treasure trove. They just needed to hire the Faceless Men to unlock that treasure.
The few of them covertly exchanged glances, as if they had reached a consensus. Hiring the Faceless Men was their last resort. The only question remaining was when to kill Viserys.
"Why don't we wait until he's finished off the Horselord before we kill him?" Kambron suggested with a crooked smile. It seemed like a perfect plan—Viserys kills the Horselord, and then they kill Viserys, taking out two threats at once. However, the ever-practical Cassius countered, "If we wait until he defeats the Horselord, we'll have to pay an even higher price."
Even for the same target, the cost of hiring the Faceless Men fluctuates with their status. Just as in the original story, when Daenerys transitioned from Princess to Queen, the price of hiring the Faceless Men would have risen significantly. The same logic applied to Viserys. The cost to eliminate him before and after defeating the Horselord would be drastically different. They wanted to kill Viserys, but that didn't mean they were willing to empty their coffers in the process.
"But there's only a month until the competition, and it'll take us time to raise the funds," Tregar pointed out.
"We can get a loan from the Iron Bank." Kambron, now resolute in his decision, wasn't about to let this opportunity slip through his fingers. He could no longer tolerate the idea of someone else sitting on the throne he believed was rightfully his.
Cassius had already gone a step further. Before coming to Tyrosh, he had secretly conferred with the nobles of Myr and hired the Faceless Men. With the right payment, they could arrive in Tyrosh within ten days, ready to take Viserys' life. At that point, not only could they extract a hefty sum from Viserys' assets, but they could also capture Daenerys, dress her up for the Horselord, and secure an alliance with him. They were deluded by their ambitions, lost in a world of fantasies.
...
"It seems to me that, given your character, you should have killed Kambron a long time ago. Why did you let him live until now?" Shiera asked Viserys curiously.
"You've lived for over a hundred years; can't you see what I'm doing?" Viserys responded, intrigued by her question. Surely, someone with a century of life experience could see through his strategy. But considering Shiera's tumultuous personal history, Viserys could understand her confusion.
Shiera had always been surrounded by men, all vying for her attention, often willing to go to great lengths just to please her. She seemed to rely heavily on her beauty to get what she wanted, leaving her little time for deeper contemplation.
So, he explained it to her.
If he had killed Kambron, Tyrosh's rule would never have been as smooth. Eliminating him outright might have caused the nobles of Tyrosh to panic, making it impossible to implement many of his decrees.
They could have become desperate and resorted to extreme measures. But by sparing Kambron and allowing him to live well, he reassured the Tyroshi nobles, avoiding the quagmire of a war—unlike the situation the Mother of Dragons faced in the original story.
After hearing his explanation, Shiera nodded thoughtfully and said, "Bittersteel is nowhere near as good as you." After a brief pause, she added, "Brynden too."
Viserys didn't let the compliment swell his ego. Instead, he shifted the conversation to his "Dreamer" ability. Shiera's response was direct. The more you trust someone, the easier it is to enter their dreams. The closer they are to you, the easier it becomes.
"That's why you could enter Dany's dreams from afar," Shiera continued, "and only after arriving in Tyrosh could you access the dreams of people like Connington."