"Lord Tarly," the voice of the ship's captain snapped Samwell out of his daze.
He opened the doors of his cabin and stepped outside.
"We are about to reach the port of ereen," the man said with a small bow.
"I am no lord," Samwell replied with a faint smile. "At least not anymore."
"If you are an esteed guest of Lord Aeos," the captain replied, "then you are a lord to us."
Samwell shook his head but did not say anything further. He walked toward the deck of the ship, his eyes turning to the approaching city of ereen.
After receiving the letter, Samwell had been left in a dilemma. All his intellect and reasoning told him that it had been nothing more than an over stretched prank by soone. Why would Lord Aeos contact with him?
He had been aware that Lord Aeos was the bastard son of Lord Ned Stark and was from Westeros. He had heard about it from the Maester at the Hornhill.
But even then, he did not see a reason for Jon Snow or Lord Aeos to contact him.
But sowhere deep in his heart, he could not suppress that desire, that question. What if the letter was true?
And with very little hope, Samwell decided at least to investigate the address ntioned in the letter.
The next day, when he reached the address, he was utterly surprised. Two n were indeed waiting for him there. And they convinced him, in no uncertain terms, that the letter was real and that they had been tasked with bringing him to ereen. They had no idea what Lord Aeos wanted with him.
Even so, Samwell agreed.
He knew he was making a foolish decision. It could all very well have been a trap. But then again, who would go to such lengths to kidnap him? He had no value.
If he died, his father would be more than happy. Lord Tarly would not pay a single gold dragon in ramson for his son. Later, he might hunt and kill Samwell's kidnappers but only to save his prestige. And so, Samwell took the risk.
The two n smuggled him out of Horn Hill and placed him aboard the ship that would carry him to ereen. All of it felt too surreal to him. He could not believe what was happening to his life.
It had been more than two weeks since he had sailed from the port of Oldtown. And he was nearing his destination and his heart was beating faster.
He had no idea what Lord Aeos wanted from him. Would he really be able to deliver what was expected of him? Or would he prove to failure once again? Would he receive that very sa treatnt of being a failure here again? He did not know. But now that he was here, he had no other option. This ti, he would die trying.
With a certain resolve in his mind, Samwell Tarly stepped down from the ship on the port. It was the beginning of a new life for him. A life which was going to change his fate. And probably of countless other individuals.
The port was quite crowded, and the number of ships docked there was surprisingly large. Samwell knew that just two days prior, the ereenese City Centre had been inaugurated along with the pleasure house, and most of the rchants who had arrived for the event were still in town. The crowd and chaos, therefore, were sothing he had expected.
"Lord Tarly," a man dressed in civilian robes imdiately greeted Samwell as soon as he stepped onto the port. "I am Ecson Cousela, an official in the Departnt of Internal Affairs."
The man was middle aged and had a portly stomach. His hair was showing signs of greying. Samwell was also slightly relieved to feel no disdain for him in Ecson's gaze. He had been unsure about how would be he treated when he would reach eren.
Samwell had also tried to gather as much knowledge as he could about Lord Aeos' administration during the past few days he had spent on the ship. Thus, he was already quite aware of the departnts and their divisions. And he was eager to learn more about it. The more he had learned about the empire Lord Aeos was building, the more fascinated he had beco.
Samwell bowed slightly, and though he wanted to point out once again that he was no lord, he held back.
"Samwell Tarly," he introduced himself. It felt a little awkward, since the man clearly already knew who he was, and Ecson chuckled in response.
"Nervous?" Ecson asked.
Samwell could only nod.
"Worry not," Ecson said, before leaning closer and whispering, "Lord Aeos is not a monster."
"In fact," he added as a matter of fact, "he is very polite. You will be fine."
Ecson patted his shoulder and turned around, "Follow ."
Samwell was quite fascinated and awed as they moved through the streets of ereen. A carriage had been arranged for him by Ecson, but Samwell had requested that, if ti was not a constraint, he would prefer to see the city for himself.
Ecson had been more than happy to oblige, as ti was indeed not a constraint. Samwell would be eting Lord Aeos the following morning, and thus he had the entire day to himself.
The clean streets, the neat and hygienic shops, even the people. The plants and flowers lining the roads, the well kept sewage system. Everything was so simple, and yet to Samwell, so profound.
He had never visited any place apart from Horn Hill, but he was certain there was no city in Westeros that could co close to ereen in terms of beauty and standards.
"It was a wonderful experience to see the city," Samwell remarked as Ecson led him to his quarters. "The city is truly beautiful."
"It is… it is," Ecson nodded. "All of this is possible only because of Lord Aeos."
"Rest well, Lord Tarly," he continued. "If you need anything, you may ask the servants in your quarters. Do not hesitate."
"Lord Cousela," Samwell said with slight hesitation.
"What is it, Lord Tarly?" Ecson asked.
"I was wondering if you could provide with soone who could tell more about the three cities and how they function. It would be great if I am at least sowhat prepared before eting Lord Aeos," Samwell requested.
"Truly diligent," Ecson said. "Freshen up. I will send a senior official to you in a couple of hours."
Samwell bead. "Thank you very much."
"Do not ntion it," Ecson replied, and departed after giving another polite nod.
#
#
#
[Add the book to your collection. Send it so power stones. Leave a rating and a review.]
[Access advanced chapter on P@treon. Replace @ with a. One additional advanced chapter each week on P@treon. ]
[email protected]/imaginarywriter
User Comments
0 comments from readers