The room fell into an awkward silence.
After a moment, Varys finally spoke in his usual soft and submissive tone:
"Your Majesty, you've truly misunderstood me. I handed over my entire intelligence network—how could I possibly have held anything back?"
"Varys, do you know," Samwell said, his voice icy, "I had originally planned to spare your life. But now, it seems you must die."
"Your Majesty, please let me expla—" Before Varys could finish his words, he suddenly saw Samwell's eyes transform into pure gold.
In that instant, it was as if he had witnessed the sun crashing to the earth and volcanoes erupting. An overwhelming pressure surged forth like a raging inferno, scorching him from the inside out, leaving him immobile.
Boom—
Golden flames erupted from within Varys's body, consuming him instantly and reducing him to ashes.
"There's nothing left to explain," Samwell said coldly, looking at the pile of ash. "Whether this was the Antaryon family's scheme, Bruce's ambition, or your failed attempt to test me—it makes no difference to me. Whoever deserves death will meet it."
"Indeed, he deserved it," the bedridden Sea Lord suddenly spoke up.
The man who had seemed senile and on the brink of death now looked sharp and lucid. His eyes gleamed with intelligence.
Samwell raised an eyebrow in surprise, then chuckled:
"Quite the performance, Ferrego."
The Sea Lord sighed and replied:
"I had no choice. If I didn't feign this condition, they would've killed me long ago."
Samwell tilted his head, intrigued.
"And who are 'they'?"
"My brother, Denyo Antaryon, and his allies from Pentos."
Samwell nodded subtly, unsurprised by the revelation.
Pentos, one of the nine Free Cities of Essos, lay just south of Braavos. The two cities had a tense history. Braavos, founded by slaves fleeing the Valyrian Empire, abolished slavery from its inception. In contrast, Pentos had been a Valyrian colony and retained its reliance on slavery even after gaining independence.
Over two centuries, Braavos and Pentos had waged six wars. Braavos emerged victorious, becoming the most powerful and prosperous of the Free Cities, while Pentos was forced to abolish slavery. But Pentos clearly had not forgotten its defeat.
But clearly, Pentos was unwilling to accept its defeat.
It seemed their method of revenge was to infiltrate and manipulate the ruling Sea Lord's family, confining the Sea Lord himself and covertly taking control of Braavos.
Varys, who had long-standing ties with Pentos's Magister Illyrio Mopatis, was no stranger to such schemes. He had previously conspired to support Targaryen restoration efforts. No wonder that, after vanishing from King's Landing, he would hide in the Sea Lord's Palace.
In an instant, Samwell pieced many things together and asked:
"And what about your son, Bruce?"
"He's not my son at all!" the Sea Lord shouted furiously. "Seven years ago, I fell ill and was forced to step back from ruling to focus on recovery, temporarily handing over governance to my brother. I didn't expect my own brother, Denyo, would want me to remain sick forever so he could seize all the power for himself!
"While I was recuperating, Denyo replaced all my loyalists with his own people. He even swapped out my real son for some bastard child he picked up somewhere! The boy looked remarkably like Bruce, but how could he possibly fool my eyes?"
Samwell asked another question:
"And what about Toromo Fregar?"
"That was the response from Braavosi elites," the Sea Lord explained. "Denyo's machinations couldn't remain completely hidden. The Iron Bank and the city's nobility, of course, could not allow someone aligned with Pentos to seize the position of Sea Lord.
"So, they pushed Toromo Fregar forward as a figurehead. They hoped to leverage his reputation in the Westerosi war, gaining the support of the army and the public to replace me as Sea Lord.
"Unfortunately, they made the wrong bet."
The Sea Lord sneered coldly.
"I can't believe they thought it was a good idea to stand against dragons. It seems that, after fleeing Valyria for centuries, some people have forgotten the terror of dragons."
Samwell said,
"So the dragon egg was stolen by the boy pretending to be your son? It seems your brother's faction must now be under immense pressure; otherwise, they wouldn't resort to such desperate measures."
"Exactly," the Sea Lord confirmed, nodding. "You may not know this, but shortly after news of Toromo's defeat reached us, Denyo's body was found floating in the Long Canal. That sent his faction into panic.
"The boy impersonating my son fled to King's Landing the very next day, clearly hoping to seek refuge under your protection.
"But I never imagined that little rat would dare to steal a dragon egg!"
Samwell sneered.
"Perhaps they thought it would be easy to frame the Faceless Men."
"Not just the Faceless Men. Their goal was to destroy Braavos!" the Sea Lord declared angrily. "Your Majesty, it's fortunate that you're wise enough to see through their schemes. Please, do not act rashly. The dragon egg theft is clearly a plot by the Pentoshi. I can guarantee you that Braavos has no intention of opposing you."
Samwell smiled faintly and said,
"Ferrego, are you truly in a position to speak for all of Braavos?"
The Sea Lord sighed and admitted reluctantly:
"You're right. The Iron Bank, angry over the unpaid debts, likely won't be willing to compromise with you. The Faceless Men have already made an assassination attempt. And the nobles who supported Toromo Fregar won't bow to you easily."
"That choice may not be theirs to make," Samwell said calmly.
He walked over to the window, drew back the heavy curtains, and gazed out at the western sky. With a soft tone, he remarked:
"There's a legend that, when Braavos faces its gravest peril, the Titan will awaken. Its eyes will burn with flames, its stone limbs will grind and groan, and it will crush its enemies into dust."
"That legend has been told for centuries," the Sea Lord replied uneasily. "But the Titan has never moved since Braavos was founded…"
Before he could finish, the ground beneath them began to shake violently.
"What… what's happening? An earthquake?" the Sea Lord asked, panicking.
"No," Samwell replied, pointing out the window. "Your Titan has awakened."
"What—?" The Sea Lord turned to look and froze, his mouth agape.
Before he could gather his thoughts, a dragon's roar shattered the night.
The walls of the room exploded. Samwell strode forward, leapt out into the night, and landed on the back of his white dragon.
At the same time, the door was pushed open, and Naho Demetis entered with a few guards.
He first glanced at the Sea Lord lying on the bed. Seeing that the man was still asleep, with sticky saliva trickling from the corner of his mouth, he immediately relaxed.
But one of the guards behind him pointed to a pile of ashes near the bed and asked,
"Sir, what is that?"
Naho finally noticed the strange pile of gray residue where the Sea Lord's attendant should have been standing, but he didn't pay it much mind.
"Likely something the Caesar used to vent his anger," he said dismissively.
Then, he walked toward the large hole that had been blasted into the wall. Staring out at the night sky where the white dragon flew westward, his lips curved into a peculiar smile.
"Who would have thought? Those superstitious lunatics actually managed to awaken the Titan."
---
"Four centuries ago, a group of refugees, unwilling to endure the slavery of the Valyrian Freehold, fled and found salvation. They were guided by the Moon Singers from the flatlands of Jogos Nhai. These seers foretold of a place, hidden behind a mist-covered hills and jagged reefs, where dragon eyes could not reach—a sanctuary for the oppressed.
That place was Braavos.
Today, as dragons soar through the mist to descend upon Braavos, the Moon Singers' ancient preparations come to fruition. The Titan of Braavos, forged of rock and fire, will annihilate all who threaten us!"
At the Purple Harbor, an elderly man wearing coarse robes stood trembling with excitement, his voice resonating like a religious sermon.
"The Titan! It will destroy our enemies!"
All around him, Braavosi citizens stared at the Titan, which had seemingly come to life. Their hearts surged with hope and defiance.
As the shadow of the dragon loomed over their sanctuary, the Titan's awakening rekindled a collective sense of invincibility.
High above, Cleopatra, the white dragon, circled the harbor. Her blood-red vertical pupils gleamed in the darkness, locking onto the colossal Titan below.
"Roar!"
The Titan raised its massive head, its rocky jaws creaking open as it bellowed an earth-shaking roar.
The sea churned violently. Waves towered and crashed against the harbor, surging inland and sweeping away onlookers who had gathered too close. The chaos was instantaneous, and soon cries of panic and despair filled the air.
Cleopatra spiraled downward, unleashing a torrent of searing orange flame. The blazing inferno poured onto the Titan, sending steam rising in dense clouds as seawater boiled.
The Titan, who was the first to be hit, had the pine grass on his body instantly ignited into flames. Even his body, which was made of solid rock, continued to crack under the scorching flames.
"Roar!"
The Titan retaliated with a deafening roar. From its rocky hand, it hurled a gigantic boulder.
The air screamed as the projectile shot upward like a catapulted missile. The boulder struck Cleopatra's belly, shattering on impact and sending shards flying.
"Roar!"
Cleopatra howled in rage and pain. Her vast wings snapped open, propelling her down like a falling comet.
Boom!
The Titan staggered backward and collapsed into the sea with an ear-splitting crash. The massive impact churned waves that flooded streets, knocking down buildings and washing away fleeing citizens.
The Titan, submerged beneath the waves, roared indignantly. It stretched out its colossal stone arms, grasping Cleopatra's legs and dragging her downward.
On Cleopatra's back, Samwell staggered as the dragon buckled under the pull. Before he could regain his balance, the Titan's second arm erupted from the sea. In its hand was a jagged bronze sword, shimmering with an eerie blue light under the starlit sky.
The blade slashed toward Cleopatra's neck with terrifying speed.
Reacting swiftly, Samwell drew the greatsword Dawn from his back. But as he prepared to strike, he felt resistance from the blade.
Crimson-gold runes crawled across the milky-white surface of the sword, forming intricate patterns that shimmered ominously.
Samwell's eyes darted to the Isle of the Gods at Braavos's center. There, a massive red temple stood tall, its square spire blazing with fire that resembled an enormous, all-seeing eye.
The fiery gaze seemed locked on him.
"R'hllor," Samwell muttered, his lips curving into a cold, disdainful smile. "Get out of my sword."
Golden flames surged from his body. His gray eyes turned molten gold, and golden veins etched themselves across his face, neck, and arms, extending into the blade of Dawn.
With a radiant burst of divine power, the crimson-gold runes vanished from the sword.
The Titan's bronze blade lunged forward—but a golden light exploded between them, as brilliant as a miniature sun.
Slash!
The Titan's arm was severed cleanly at the wrist. The massive stone hand, still clutching the bronze sword, plummeted into the sea with a colossal splash.
The Titan froze. Then, for the first time, it began to retreat.
But Cleopatra let out a vengeful roar. She dove forward, sinking her fangs deep into the Titan's neck. Flames poured from her throat, cascading over the Titan's rocky surface like molten lava.
Under the relentless assault, the Titan's stone body cracked and fractured. Chunks of rock fell into the sea, blackened and melting into sludge.
Thick steam billowed upward, shrouding the battlefield in a blinding mist.
Slash!
Another streak of golden light flashed across the sky. The Titan's massive head was cleaved from its body, crashing into the ocean with a thunderous impact.
(End of Chapter)