~~~Azrael Jaesyrian, King's Landing~~~
Flying with Endoxes was always a captivating experience, the loud flapping of his powerful wings, his steady breathing, the wind hitting my face, and the ground being far away.
While flying on my own was more than a captivating experience, there was something about flying with Endoxes that filled my being with life, though perhaps it was due to the screams of fear I could even hear at this altitude.
But nothing lasted forever, or so it was said. Instead, the screams of fear and the sight of people running through the streets and entering their homes became more visible as the two of us arrived at King's Landing.
The city loomed over the mouth of Blackwater Bay, and true to its name, the water looked completely dark, with the surface glowing faintly in the sunlight.
The city loomed behind the walls, and from the sky, I could see how poorly structured it was, dead-end streets, narrow alleys, unpaved or unbricked roads, poorly built houses, and even from the height, I could already smell the foul odor.
And he already understood why the people of Westeros did not live long, and only a few had the chance to die of old age. And the idea of ordering Endoxes to change course and take me to Xandar appeared in my mind.
But I was already here, and I wasn't about to let it all drop for the time being. "You know, when someone talks about capital, they mean the best a kingdom has to offer... Not this." Valka, who had come with me in Endoxes, commented with some distaste as she looked from the side at the city's appearance.
"Well, King's Landing was built during a period of wars; it was more intended as a fortress of conquest than a palace," I said to Valka almost in a shout, the wind carried my words away, so you could hardly hear what we were talking about.
"But that is also the case with Xandar, and yet it is the most beautiful city in the world, far above even Yin; to me, they were just short-sighted in the matter." Well, well, she was right about that, though it was also due to my use of the Minecraft menu, so I considered it cheating.
But as pleasant as the view of the sky was, and reluctant to the idea of having to go down into that foul-smelling dome, we had to land, so, urging Endoxes to get closer to what was formerly the Dragonpit, we decided to land.
For the construction of the branch of the Central Bank of Xandar, I left it to the command of the Civil Minister, Carlos, who was in charge of logistics, transportation of materials, and even the plan of the Bank. And I fell in love with the result, Carlos had captured everything that Xandar represented, strength, height, and power.
The building stands out among all, even before the Red Keep and the Sept of Baelor. It stood on the hill of Rhaenys, with a considerable height, circular in shape, and a giant domed roof, with peaks jutting upward, which added to its design, reliefs in the silver-gray rock, made the structure a complete beauty.
(Image)
Endoxes circled the bank, letting out occasional roars. The boy sure liked to show off. Once he visualized where he wanted to land, he moved his large body and began to descend, sending clouds of dust everywhere.
My Blood Riders, meanwhile, remained on the roof of the Bank, where their Wyverns had landed, reluctant to be near Endoxes.
Already in place was a group standing by, with a movable ladder set up that would help Endoxes not to crouch too low, and Valka and me not to descend a rope ladder.
And so, as if we were getting off a plane that had arrived at the airport, we both climbed down from the back of Endoxes, who didn't wait and moved his wings, almost making us fly as he propelled himself into the sky, and pushing a big blizzard that disorganized our clothes.
"Is it a good idea, my king, to leave him unsupervised? The locals won't feel safe with the symbol of Xandar flying over their heads," a boy, whom I didn't know, spoke to me disrespectfully, even approaching me with utmost confidence.
That made me look at him carefully; he had no Dothraki braids, no Unsullied symbol, nothing linking him to Xandar either, but the strange thing was that he called me king.
"And who are you?" Valka asked with a frown, clearly annoyed at the lack of protocol, something she liked to follow.
"I am..." "He's no one," a second voice chimed in, and as I looked, I noticed a man walking in the company of a group towards us, this one did look Xandarian, his tanned skin from years in the sun indicated he was Dothraki, and if that didn't expose him, then his braid did.
"Beat it," the man said to the boy, who furrowed his brows, "but Lord Charles gave me per"
"I don't give a damn who asked you for anything, you are in the presence of my king, and you will not sully his day with your Westerosi presence, so go away," ahh, with that being why he didn't look Xandarian, but why had Charles given him jobs?
"My king," the Dothraki knelt, as did the others, then, he rose, and in a desperate tone, laid out the ugly situation, "My king, please speak to Minister Charles, and make him understand that it is not right for him to use the Westerosi as bankers."
"He did what?"
~~~Third Person, Eleventh Moon, 277 AC~~~
~~~Highgarden, The Reach~~~
Pandemonium formed in Highgarden the moment rumors, stories, and gossip began to swirl through the kitchens, hallways, and courtyards of the castle, all spoke of a Faceless Man who had impersonated their Lord Mace Tyrell, the very one who had attempted to assassinate Lady Olenna.
The castle doors were closed, visitors were refused, and soldiers occupied every corner, intersection, and corridor of the fortress simultaneously. Lady Olenna, despite crying and screaming in her room for half an hour after what happened, decided to leave her room and face the situation.
The first thing she did was to order the capture and imprisonment of all the Greyjoys or Ironborn who were in Highgarden.
Mace, her son... Although at this moment she no longer knew when she had lost him, she had let the Ironborn go deeper into the Reach, so much so, that vandalism, robbery, murder, and rape in the outlying villages were common news all day long.
And the first thing Lady Olenna set out to do was to send out patrols of soldiers to kill or imprison these bandits. Mace Tyrell, or by now it was unclear whether it had been him from the beginning or that Faceless Man, had gotten the Reach into serious trouble, and Lady Olenna was desperately trying to correct it before it was too late.
"My Lady... My Lady Olenna," a man shifted uncomfortably in front of Lady Olenna. he had been called a few minutes ago to talk about the closing of the Rose Path, but since he had arrived, Lady Olenna had not spoken to him, but remained silent, her gaze blank and her eyes blurred.
The man couldn't take it anymore and tried to stand up, but that's when Lady Olenna reacted, her body contracted, and her brow furrowed, and for a moment, a startled expression appeared on her face: "Who are you?" She asked somewhat upset, even going so far as to raise her voice, which caused the guards outside to enter the room.
"Wao, I didn't do anything, she reacted like that," the man hurriedly explained, seeing how the guards had their swords drawn. The guards watched the situation carefully, not knowing what was going on. Lady Olenna, although she was up from her chair, on her face there was no emotion, as if she were gone.
"My lady, are you all right?" one of the guards asked, oblivious to Lady Olenna's condition, not knowing why she was acting that way, "eh, yes? I'm fine, we're having a conversation, aren't we?" Lady Olenna replied, but it looked like she was talking to herself,
"You... Go away, I... I have important things to talk about", Lady Olenna said between her teeth, without looking at anyone in particular. It seemed that the experience with the Faceless Man had left her scarred.
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