"We are finally here," Oberyn said to Arianne, who was riding at his side.
His paramour, Ellaria Sand, was riding on his other side. Standing tall before them were the majestic walls of Qohor. Even from a distance, Oberyn and Arianne could see the guards roaming the walls of the city.
Their entourage entered the city gates and they were welcod by guards quite warmly. Not only were they received with respect and honor, but even accommodations at the expense of the city were arranged for them.
Though Oberyn would have preferred to stay in the mansion in which Rhaenys herself had been staying, a kind of treatnt generally ted to the representatives of the nobles houses, he was still satisfied with the high end tavern that had been arranged for them.
"It seems that we are welcod here," Arianne remarked as they followed the two n designated to guide them through the city.
"Yes," Oberyn responded. "But do not take anything from it. This just shows that Lady Rhaenys is a very smart and intelligent woman."
"We have no hostility toward each other, and even if she does not wish to maintain any sort of relation with us, all the rules and regulations of statecraft dictate that she accepts all her guests with honor and respect," he explained. "And this is exactly what she has been doing. There is no useful outco she can get by not respecting and honouring us."
"And it is also a way for her to keep an eye on us," he added, his eyes on the two n leading them and he had spoken loud enough for them to hear.
Arianne nodded, but a response ca from one of the n who appeared to be senior among them. Little did Oberyn and his entourage know that this man was a forr Magister of the city, and even now he had been able to maintain his influence in the city thanks to the usefulness he had shown to Lady Rhaenys.
"We are absolutely not going to keep an eye on you, Lord Oberyn," he said with an amused smile. "At least, not more than we keep on every resident of the city."
"Our responsibility with you ends once we settle you into your accommodations," he continued. "After that, you are free to go wherever you wish. We, or any other man, will not be following you."
Oberyn nodded calmly, not thinking much of it. Even if an eye was kept on him, he did not mind. He was not here to do anything illegal or back handed. He was here to et Rhaenys and find her reality and her intentions.
"Do you think we can get a chance to see the dragons?" Arianne chid in, as she saw the man was willing to engage in conversation with them.
"Yes," the man replied. "Almost every evening, all the dragons fly at least a few tis over the city. And sotis, Lady Rhaenys is even riding one of them."
"Oh!" Arianne responded, her expectations shooting up; she could not wait for the evening to arrive.
"Do you have any news about the campaign Lord Aeos had started?" Oberyn asked.
"You do not know?" the man responded, as if in a little surprise.
"No," Oberyn shook his head. "It was difficult to get any information on the road, and as we reached closer to Qohor, we were hardly able to see anyone who knew anything about that."
"Lord Aeos has successfully captured all the three cities," the man replied. "And it has been a splendid victory. He has done unimaginable things."
"What did he do?" Oberyn asked.
Knowing Lord Aeos's reputation, the man's words had intrigued him to find out exactly what had happened.
"I believe that would be a long story, and it will not give you any thrill if I only tell you the summary," the man replied. "You can ask at the inn. They will describe it in great detail."
Although very curious, Oberyn simply nodded and did not say anything.
As they continued to move forward, the Martell entourage began to take notice of the streets and their surroundings. They could see that the streets were very clean, flowers had been planted throughout the streets and squares wherever there had been space. As they progressed further, they could see the infrastructure developnt work going on a massive scale.
Streets were being widened, for which many houses had been demolished, and new shops and establishnts were being constructed. They could not help but be amazed by all the work they were witnessing.
"Lady Rhaenys seems to be putting a lot of focus on the developnt and beautification of the city," Ellaria remarked.
To achieve such success in such a short ti was a truly remarkable achievent.
"Yes," Arianne and Ellaria nodded simultaneously.
"That is true," the man, too, responded. "Her Grace is very insistent on keeping the city clean and beautiful. And what you are seeing is just the beginning. There will also be drainage throughout the city to carry away wastewater and a lot of other things."
"In fact," he continued. "You all should visit the northern part of the city. In that direction, a lot of work has already been completed, and you can see all the developnt that has happened."
Although none of Oberyn, Ellaria, or Arianne responded, they made a ntal note to visit the areas this man had suggested.
The entourage had crossed one more street when Oberyn's attention was attracted by sothing. His eyes instinctively narrowed and focused, and he imdiately sprinted toward one of the shops at the side of the street. His hand reached for one of the daggers that was hanging just outside the shop. He took a few monts to look, inspect, and caress the dagger.
"My gods!" he finally mumbled in pure shock. "What is this?"
Ellaria and Arianne looked at him in confusion, while they failed to notice the prideful smile that had appeared on the face of the man leading them.
"That, Lord Oberyn," he said in a boasting manner, "is Dragon Steel."
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