(POV/Vealor)
Ezio, Yue, and Inej stood in front of my thinking form, the two latter having arrived after being called a little while ago.
"This is madness, my lord," Yue whispered from where he stood, as I observed his worried form, nodding to him lightly in confirmation.
"It is, yet she is adamant in doing this. I will not stop her," I said, leaning on the table as my fingers drummed the surface. "But that said, I cannot let her be unprotected. That's why all of us will be going," I said, getting nods from both Ezio and Inej, but not from Yue, who shook his head.
"Are you with me, Yue?" I asked my closest confidant, who stood there, clearly weighing the dangers.
"You know that I'm always with you, my lord," he said, as I nodded, knowing that Yue was only worried for my sake. "Good, just make sure to tell Meredyth this time," I said, a crack of a smile gracing my lips.
Yue, hearing this, groaned. "Why do I get the feeling I will regret this?" Yue spoke, as I took a step forward and placed my hand on his shoulder.
"We won't regret it if we stick to the plan. Now, what was it again?" I asked, making sure they were all ready for this mission.
"Observe and protect, my lord," Inej spoke from next to Ezio, as I turned to observe her.
"Correct. Our job is to only make sure my mother gets there safe and gets out of the city safe, after which we will break into the Dragonpit and free Dreamfyre," I said, feeling the nods from the three people standing in front of me.
"But my lord, how do we get to Dreamfyre, and when we do, how do we make sure we make it out without being burned alive?" Yue asked, valid questions, as I hummed in thought.
"Let me worry about that detail for now. I want to know if the plan is clear?" I asked all three people, who all saluted by bringing their fists to their hearts.
"Yes, my lord."
"Now I want you all to keep one thing in mind. We will be stepping into enemy territory, so extreme caution is advised. Do you understand?" I asked just to be safe, considering Inej and Ezio were both trained assassins, so they knew how to blend in with the crowd. While Yue has had more than enough experience with espionage missions from our time back in Essos, so the warning was a formality.
And as I was going to dismiss the three individuals so they could ready themselves, I felt a presence approaching the library doors before there was a distinct knock on the other side, which made the three standing in front of me turn toward the door.
"Who is it?" Ezio spoke for the first time, turning to look at me as I stood there, a little surprised by the person standing on the other side of the door.
"It's... Lady Myssaria," I said, nodding to Yue so he would open the door.
Yue, who understood the command, went to the chamber doors before opening them fully, revealing the woman who had her nightgown on, standing there, eyes wide as she realized she interrupted something important.
"I'm sorry, have I interrupted you?" she said, looking between the face of Yue, who stood in front of her, and mine, which was angled, waiting for the woman to come closer.
I shook my head before motioning for her to approach with my hand, Yue closing the door behind the nervous woman as she approached to stand in front of me, steps faltering every time her gaze found my face.
I did not say anything, opting to keep leaning on the table as I waited for the woman to tell me what she was here for.
Not many could tell, but the three people who were in the room with me knew that I may have been presenting a calm exterior, but my interior was far from calm. If anything, the anger I was feeling was boiling.
She cleared her throat as she fidgeted with her fingers, clearly nervous before she took a deep inhale of air. "I... I have come here to tell you something, my lord," she stuttered out, looking behind her to see Ezio, Inej, and Yue, all standing there, each holding an unreadable expression.
I nodded for her to continue. "Go on," I said, Myssaria turning to face me once again as she steeled herself, before finally revealing what she came for.
"The queen came to see me a little while ago," she started, looking at my face, waiting for any reaction but not getting any, considering I already knew the full story.
Humoring her, I nodded for her to continue, to see how far in detail she would go.
"She came to me in question of Alicent Hightower's movements," she said, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them once more to continue. "She wanted a way to get to her so she could talk with her and maybe talk her out of the fighting that was to come," she said, saying the last part with one breath as she stood there, breathing a little labored, waiting for my reaction.
I observed her a little while longer, hearing her heartbeat so hard on her chest that I was surprised she wasn't overcome by dizziness.
I decided to break the tension with a question of my own as I locked my pupils' eyes with hers. "I thought the deal was for you to keep this from me till sunrise... What changed?" I asked, feeling the confusion and shock settle in as she looked around the room, slowly starting to realize what it was she interrupted.
"You knew," she stated, in a matter-of-fact tone, as I nodded slowly, extending my hand in indication to Ezio.
"I commanded Ezio to tail the queen; he was the one who came upon this information," I told her, as she looked at the man in question for a moment longer than needed before she turned back to me, fear evident in her visage.
"So, tell me, what changed?" I asked, truly wondering what had changed her mind in coming to me after having told my mother she would wait until morning to tell me.
Myssaria stood there, motionless for but a moment, before her right arm crept up to her left shoulder, the place where I had squeezed after she helped Daemon with the blood and cheese stunt.
"Ah, I see. So, self-preservation," I said, nodding to the woman who stood there holding her shoulder, saying nothing, as the others in the room stayed quiet, watching the interaction with their curious gazes.
"Well, you did good in coming to me straight. This just means you've earned a little trust from me," I said, the woman turning up to look at me in surprise. "Only a little. That still does not mean I will let you anywhere near my mother or the council meetings. Know your place," I told her pointedly, as she nodded just as fast as the hope in her face disappeared.
"Now, tell me something," I said to her, gaining her attention once again, looking at me with anticipation.
"What was that about fishing boats and King's Landing...
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Kings Landing was hustling and bustling with activity as the smallfolk went about their daily routines, earning whatever little coin they could to feed their families. Whether that was running a food stall, working at the smithy, or being pretty enough to work in the flesh trade, attracting unfortunate souls who would readily part with their coin for their most inner desires.
Though the degrees of labor differed, everyone worked for the same reason—survival. And as the two hooded men walked through the city, they could not help but feel a sense of pity for the people, watching them struggle and toil for something a lord who had never worked a day in his life would earn while shitting and pissing.
Yue of Yi Ti was horrified as he looked around the city that was supposed to be the capital of Westeros.
"This is horrible, my lord," he whispered, walking beside the brown-skinned young man, whose face bore a terrible scar running through his eye. Yue himself had an unconscious frown on his face, smelling the rot and disease lingering in every corner and alleyway they passed.
"This is not how I remember the city," the young man spoke in a calm yet commanding tone—one that betrayed the helpless image a common person might assume he presented. "It has gotten much worse since I was last here."
These two were Yue and Vealor. They had infiltrated the city by smuggling themselves aboard a fishing boat that, surprisingly, had been allowed to dock within the city walls, sparing them the need to pass through one of the many gates guarded by the Gold Cloaks.
After the initial planning had been done in Dragonstone and Myssaria had told them of the fishing boats as an easy means of entry, Vealor had sent Ezio and Inej to keep an eye on the queen and her escort—Ser Steffon—the man she had trusted with her plans, who was accompanying her to meet the Queen Regent.
They had departed at the break of night, ensuring they arrived in Kings Landing with the morning sun, unaware that Ezio and Inej weren't far behind them.
After setting sail, Yue and Vealor, who had also been prepared for departure, received Ezio's message via his trusted companion, Arrow the eagle—an animal Vealor often used to send important words to his vassals.
Which brings us to this very moment, where Yue and Vealor stalked the queen and Ser Steffon, both disguised as the most pious of the Faith of the Seven—Ser Steffon as a monk, and the queen as a septa.
"Do you think the queen's plan will work?" Yue whispered to Vealor as they passed two Gold Cloaks who seemed on edge. Vealor, his hood pulled low enough to obscure his face, kept his attention on his mother and her protector while ensuring his senses remained sharp.
"I couldn't say, but experience tells me you can never be too careful," Vealor said. Yue briefly glanced at the Gold Cloaks as they walked by, turning the corner that led to the largest sept in Kings Landing.
Vealor, whose senses were stretched to their limits, caught movement on the rooftops beside them.
'Ezio and Inej,' he thought, knowing it could only be those two who moved with such skill.
As Vealor and Yue lagged slightly behind the queen and Ser Steffon—due to the growing number of monks and septas gathering in the sept's courtyard, forming orderly lines to enter together—Yue couldn't help but comment.
"Hope we don't stand out with all these celibates around," he muttered, only for Vealor to nudge him sharply, silencing him as a group of monks passed, their gazes briefly flicking toward them before continuing on.
"You need to be more aware of your surroundings," Vealor admonished, and Yue nodded in understanding.
Vealor could sense his mother nearing the sept, ascending the stairs amidst the throng of heartbeats, while Ser Steffon remained behind, seated at the foot of the stairs leading to the entrance.
Vealor and Yue were about a hundred meters away from the sept's courtyard when the sound of hooves striking stone reached Vealor's ears. The gathered monks and septas shifted aside as a carriage approached, its lone occupant hidden within.
Vealor lightly grabbed Yue's arm, pulling them both against the alley wall as the carriage rolled past. He made no move, waiting to see the occupant step out—needing to confirm that his senses were not deceiving him.
And when the carriage finally came to a halt in the courtyard, and someone all too familiar stepped out, Vealor's grip on Yue's arm tightened in concern for his mother's safety. She was currently making contact with the Queen Regent, Alicent Hightower.
Aemond Targaryen.
That was the man who had stepped out of the carriage, climbing the stairs to the sept.
Yue, feeling his lord's fingers tighten, followed his gaze to the courtyard. There, a white-haired man with a scar running down his eye emerged—the reason behind his lord's sudden tension becoming painfully evident.
"My lord... is that—" Yue began to ask, but before he could finish, Vealor was already on the move.
"Let's go, Yue," he whispered urgently. Both men quickened their pace, slipping out of the alley and into the courtyard, maneuvering past monks and Kingsguard who were too distracted to notice the two robed figures moving out of place.
Ser Steffon, frozen where he sat, looked up at Yue in shock, immediately recognizing him. His gaze then shifted to Vealor, though with his hood concealing his face, Steffon could only assume who he was. And as he made to stand, Vealor subtly signaled for him to remain seated. They passed by him, ascending the flight of stairs leading to the sept's entrance—where Aemond had entered moments ago.
"Halt! Who goes there?" A Hightower guard standing at the entrance demanded, resting his hand on his sword as he eyed both Yue and Vealor.
Seeing the hostility in the man's posture, Yue took it upon himself to act. He bowed slightly, adopting the demeanor of a humble man.
"M-My lord, I only come to pray for my son's health," he stammered, gesturing to Vealor. The latter remained silent, allowing Yue to play his part.
The guard hesitated, clearly unsure what to make of the foreign man. Vealor, sensing the need for an added touch, lifted his hood just enough to reveal his scarred face.
"You see, my son is blind, and I only wish to pray to the Seven that they may bless him and restore his sight," Yue said, voice quivering with feigned sorrow.
The guard, rather than showing compassion, sneered and shoved Yue backward, causing him to stumble into Vealor, who caught him with ease.
"Listen here, you foreign filth," the guard spat. "We don't need your kind sullying this holy place. Be gone before I cut you down."
Yue, taken aback, tensed slightly.
But Vealor, attuned to what was happening inside the sept, had no patience for this. With a simple hand signal, two shadows dropped from above—one discreetly knocking the guard unconscious while the other ensured no one noticed.
"Let's go," Vealor muttered.
Yue barely had time to process what had just happened before following his lord into the sept—only for both men to stop in their tracks at the unsettling sight before them.
There stood Aemond, smiling from ear to ear, as he clasped the hand of the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms who stood there wide-eyed.
"I knew I smelled a whore," Aemond said, the room falling into silence.
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