The return of the trio, Jon, Melisandre and Grey Worm from the battlefield was uneventful. Jon had found a small stream of water to clean himself and then changed into clean clothes, using the spare set stored in his bracelet. He had erased every bit of evidence from his body that he had been part of a battle.
Thereafter, they took the entire day to return to the city of Meereen. This time, Jon had made special arrangements for both his departure from Meereen and his return to Meereen. He had neither left the city nor entered it in secrecy. He had done it in open and in full public view. His departure and arrival were witnessed by the local populace and also by the spies of different cities mixed among them.
Not only that, but the reason for his journey was also well known to the public. Everyone knew that their Lord Aeos had left the city to negotiate with the advancing army. An army which had reached as close at a distance of one day from their walls.
Therefore, as Jon, followed by his two subordinates, entered through the city gates, people began to gather on both sides of the street. Jon rode his horse with his usual expressionless face, though a faint smile rested upon his lips.
The eyes of the people were expectant, their faces filled with hope. It was obvious that they were awaiting news, hopefully good news, expecting their Lord Aeos to deliver it.
He had spent the past few days walking among them, keeping their confidence alive as the news of an army advancing towards their city was filtering towards them. And now, they longed for the fruit of that faith.
"My lord," Melisandre whispered from behind, "they are expecting you to say something."
Jon gave a small nod but did not speak. He continued riding until he reached one of the city's main crossroads, where four major streets of Meereen converged and the open space was vast.
Jon's horse came to a halt at the centre of the crossroad, and the people began to pour into the clearing. Within a few minutes, the square and the streets connected with it were packed with thousands upon thousands of citizens assembled to hear their lord.
"I know that you all have been waiting for the news that I carry," Jon boomed, silencing the hush among the crowd. "That all of you have been worried about what would be the fate of our city once the enemy army reached our walls. Thirty five thousand men. And it does not need a genius to figure out your fate if the savage Dothraki had invaded the city."
"I know that many of you might have even considered me a fool, an idiot or even an arrogant bastard for sending our massive army away, leaving not even a force sufficient to defend the city."
A wave of noise rose from the crowd, as if they were denying the very idea that they could have ever thought such a thing about their Lord Aeos. Lord Aeos had the status of a god for the majority of the residents. And thinking anything like that about him was blasphemy.
Jon raised his hand, and the crowd fell silent in an instant.
"And even if you thought this," he continued, his deep voice echoing across the clearing, "you did nothing wrong. Without knowing the full story, it was the most logical thing to believe. And I appreciate such thoughts if they came from concern for the city."
"But let me declare this now," Jon's voice grew louder, almost rippling through the air, "the threat that had been advancing toward our gates has been dealt with."
It took a couple of moments for his words to be registered with the people. And then a loud chorus erupted from the crowd, a roar of cheers and cries of joy. The people were ecstatic and why not? Jon let them celebrate for a few moments before raising his hand again. Slowly, the noise died down.
"Do not ask me what method I used to deal with this threat," Jon said firmly. "Was it the force of some hidden army? Was it some hidden ally coming to my rescue? Was it the use of gold? Or was it something else?"
He paused, letting the suspense hang in the air.
"This," he said finally, "is for the enemy to find out."
"But I assure you of one thing. No matter what happens, I will never allow any harm to befall my cities."
His gaze swept across the sea of faces before him, calm and commanding.
"All I ask of you," Jon said, his tone softening slightly, "is to do your duties honestly and contribute to the growth and betterment of our society in whatever way you can. Throwing your trash at the designated place and not letting your sewage on the streets is itself a great act of building our society. Continue doing such acts."
"And for those who sent this force to our gates," he roared suddenly, "to those who wanted to ravage my city. To those who wanted to plunder and loot my city and kill my people. To those who want to cling to their thrones built on the sweat and blood of the common man and the slaves. To those magisters and masters who thought to restore slavery and cruelty in my domain. Hear me."
"I have saved my cities," he boomed. "And I will save them again. But how many times can you send the army? How many times can you do it?"
"My army is halfway toward your cities," he said. "How will you save yourself? What will you do?"
"Unlike you, I will not kill the common people or the slaves. But you all… you are going to pay the price."
With those final words, and amid the loud roar of the crowd, Jon's horse galloped away, vanishing toward the pyramids of the city. The crowd there was roaring with full delight while certain presence intermixed within the crowd were standing in stunned silence.
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