In the Disputed Lands stood Free Port, a harbor established and controlled by the Wolf Pack. Grey-and-white Wolf Pack banners flew overhead. This was Wolf Pack territory.
Ships from all over the world lay at anchor here, crowding docks large and small as crews busied themselves loading and unloading cargo. Once the Wolf Pack took control of the Disputed Lands, a new port sprang up to facilitate trade with its Commander-in-Chief.
Garlan saw all manner of vessels: warships, whalers, merchantmen, ships from Lys, Tyrosh, and Pentos, and even some from Qarth. Though their numbers could not yet rival great ports like Volantis and Qarth, the harbor was thriving. The Wolf Pack had taken over some of the trade once handled by the ports of Tyrosh and Myr.
Garlan Tyrell watched the Free Army's customs officers and garrison with interest. These former slaves had been freed and were full of life, every one a warrior fiercely loyal to the Liberator.
Free Port's garrison wore lighter mail and maintained order in the harbor. Their shields and short spears recalled the Unsullied, while their Myr Crossbows bore the unmistakable stamp of the Free Cities. Whatever the case, the garrison looked alert and dedicated. If even this force was so disciplined, the elite Wolf Pack could only be more impressive.
Gendry had put Captain Harris, a runaway slave from Volantis, in charge of customs and naval affairs in the Disputed Lands, while Jorah commanded the harbor garrison.
"This way, my lords!" When the Redwyne Fleet's merchant ship reached port, a sharp but plainly dressed dockhand guided them to a special inn, the House of Freedom. It was Free Port's busiest and liveliest inn, though its true owner behind the scenes was the Free Army.
Highgarden's desire to purchase fireweed soon caught Gendry's attention. He was happy to receive the envoys from the Reach, though all of this took place in secret.
Curious, Garlan and Margaery entered the House of Freedom and climbed to its highest floor. Both wondered which senior officer of the Wolf Pack would receive them.
Outside the room, Jorah and Grey Wolf stood guard.
Grey Wolf gestured for them to enter. From his face and bearing, Garlan recognized him as an Unsullied. In the Wolf Pack Company's realm, there was perhaps only one great figure guarded by Unsullied. Delighted, Garlan pushed open the door with Margaery.
The silent Jorah watched Garlan and Margaery, his only grievance being that neither recognized him. Conflicting emotions filled his eyes. In a sense, he was related to House Tyrell. Fortunately, both children had been young when he married, and they failed to recognize their destitute uncle by marriage.
Jorah's wife and Lord Mace's wife were sisters, both from House Hightower. Lady Alerie was the second daughter of Leyton Hightower, Earl of Oldtown, and the wife of Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden. Jorah's second wife, Lynesse Hightower, was Earl Leyton Hightower's youngest daughter.
Garlan opened the door and saw a young man bathed in sunlight. Tall and lean, he had short, jet-black hair and deep blue eyes. He wore a grey-and-white wool tunic, the colors of the Wolf Pack. But a dark mask of rough iron concealed his face.
"Welcome, envoys of Highgarden!" Gendry said, his voice like steel.
Chapter 56: In the company of roses (please keep reading)
Gendry set down the map of the Stepstones in his hands to welcome his two distinguished guests, House Tyrell of Highgarden's second son and youngest daughter. He left his desk and approached the dining table.
"The golden rose upon a green field honors my humble home!" Gendry said. He gestured toward the chairs in his room, inviting his guests to sit at the dining table. "I expected an envoy from House Redwyne, not the children of the Lord of Highgarden."
"It seems you have already guessed our identities, Commander-in-Chief! I simply had not expected you to be so young and wise!" Garlan replied. Though delighted that the Wolf Pack's Commander-in-Chief had received them in person, he remained curious. Rumor claimed the Wolf Pack Company had already surrounded Myr. Was cooperation with Highgarden more important than taking the city?
"Thank you for your hospitality, Commander-in-Chief! We should have met you wearing Highgarden's traditional green and gold, but circumstances were urgent!" Margaery's laughter faded, and she removed her veil.
Gendry saw her long, curling brown hair, her eyes as gentle as a doe's, and her shy, sweet smile. She truly was a beautiful maiden, and she could bring the support of wealthy Highgarden as well.
"For that, I must thank my Master of Whisperers. He is a wise man." Gendry introduced Qyburn to Garlan.
Only then did Garlan and Margaery notice the old man in the corner. He looked kindly and was well advanced in years. Still, as Master of Whisperers, he surely had plenty of tricks at his disposal.
Qyburn bowed to the young lord and lady of House Tyrell in welcome.
Mace is useless, but he has raised some fine children. Affectionate toward one another, certainly, and capable too. His eldest is clever, his second excels with both pen and sword, and even his flashy third son has strengthened their ties with Renly. As for the little rose, she understands her duties as a noble girl. Gendry studied the siblings. Families that raised their children as badly as the Lannisters and Tullys were uncommon.
Garlan and Margaery examined the furnishings: Myrish tapestries, books, battle maps, weapons, and chairs. The Commander-in-Chief's armor was perhaps the room's most conspicuous object, but the black scale-and-plate armor showed signs of damage and repair and bore no ornaments of gold or jewels. Then there were the weapons: a spiked warhammer, a Yew Longbow, and an Arakh. The Valyrian steel blade remained sheathed, so Garlan did not recognize its value.
This is a disciplined man! Garlan thought. The Free Cities had no shortage of money. If a man with vast lands and wealth shunned luxury, it could only mean that his ambitions were greater than Garlan had imagined.
"To come to the point, Commander-in-Chief, we would like to obtain some fireweed from you!" Garlan Tyrell said earnestly. He named no price, but wealthy Highgarden would certainly not disappoint Gendry.
"Highgarden's gold and grain would certainly please me, but there is another kind of assistance I want." Gendry looked at them both. "The Stepstones are a nest of slavers and pirates. Those pirates are always venturing out to prey on honest people. Better to have someone keep them under control."
"You want the Stepstones!" Garlan considered this. Seizing the islands would be a ruthless move, cutting off Tyrosh and Myr by both land and sea. The Wolf Pack Company's Commander-in-Chief was indeed a formidable man. "House Tyrell can provide gold and grain, but the Stepstones belong to Westeros and should fall under the Iron Throne's authority."
"The Iron Throne? The king barely concerns himself with King's Landing, let alone that godforsaken stretch of islands! Highgarden and House Redwyne are related by marriage. I intend to take the Stepstones, and I hope the Redwyne Fleet will carry on as usual."
"And the Royal Fleet?"
"You need not worry about the Royal Fleet, Ser Garlan," Qyburn answered confidently. Stannis had more important matters to deal with and no inclination to concern himself with this place.
"I will convey your wishes to my father," Garlan promised.
House Redwyne and House Tyrell were connected by marriage. In practice, House Tyrell's word carried greater weight with the Redwyne Fleet.
"We have plenty of time ahead of us, and many ways to cooperate. Before the long winter comes."
"The long winter!" Garlan stared at Gendry, wide-eyed. The man before him understood the changing situation in Westeros more deeply than he let on.
"Winter is coming! Our Wolf Pack Company comes from the North. We remember winter better than anyone." Gendry smiled.
"And the Golden Company! What do you think of them, Commander-in-Chief?" Garlan asked.
"They are a band of exiles, but also a powerful army."
"Quite a few men in the Golden Company are exiled nobles from the Reach," Garlan said carefully. "If the Golden Company wishes to return home, they will surely need your help!"
"I understand all of that!" Gendry said with a smile. Both the Golden Company and House Tyrell would try to win him over, but how matters unfolded should remain in his own hands.
Garlan breathed a sigh of relief. This was only a precaution.
Beneath the crisp, cold sky, Garlan and his sister stayed in the Disputed Lands for a time. Gendry invited Garlan to drink, hunt, and practice swordplay. They shared a similar understanding of the battlefield and both enjoyed mock battles fought one against many.
As for Margaery, she took considerable interest in Gendry. She studied his eyes, unable to see his face and left to imagine his appearance. The man beneath the mask was probably like a newly forged longsword, sharp and bright. After all, she rarely saw her elder brother admire a young man.
On the drill grounds, beneath the grey-and-white Wolf Pack banners and the Free Army Banners, the Wolf Pack Company's soldiers practiced their advance. The knights were like a raging wind, the infantry like steadfast mountains.
"What a powerful army!" Garlan exclaimed.
Long Spear led the Wolf Pack Company's cavalry. The riders carried longswords, lances, morningstars, great axes, and other weapons. The Long Spear Company's eight hundred knights had also surrendered to the Wolf Pack Company under their commander's leadership, greatly swelling its cavalry ranks.
Steel Fist led the Wolf Pack Company's infantry, the soldiers
Watching the scene, Garlan paid particular attention to their equipment. The most elite soldiers already wore plate armor or brigandine. The Wolf Pack Company fought in the northern style, bold, fierce, and willing to brave brutal battles, yet they wore the finest armor.
Garlan watched the Wolf Pack Company's cavalry and infantry surge forward like an iron fist, brave and fearless.
Then there was the Free Army. Garlan felt that even this subordinate force of retainers and auxiliaries had undergone considerable training. They knew Westerosi tactics and had learned some of the Unsullied's formations as well.
The Wolf Pack might be an even greater threat than the Golden Company! They have plenty of men, good morale, and fine equipment, Garlan considered. The Golden Company's numbers were limited, after all, while the Free Army would only grow like an avalanche. Whatever happened, preparations had to be made in advance for such a vast armed force.
Their time together was brief. Gendry had barely enjoyed his days in the company of roses before he saw the Tyrell siblings off.
"He resembles someone, brother!" Margaery said softly aboard the ship.
"You mean Renly?"
Chapter 57: King of the Narrow Sea (please keep reading on Tuesday)
"Renly! But Renly could not have a bastard this old!" Standing at the bow, Margaery Tyrell recalled the handsome young man whose outward manner was so carefree.
Lord Renly had slender limbs, broad shoulders, smooth, straight coal-black hair, blue eyes, and a faint, warm smile.
"People say Renly is as handsome as the king was in his youth. That is why so many lords flock to him!" Garlan reminded his sister.
"We cannot see the Liberator's face. His hair, eyes, and build resemble Lord Renly's, but he is far sturdier and stronger. Lord Renly is graceful and slender, while the Liberator is vigorous and powerful. If he is the king's son, everything makes sense!" The little rose's eyes lit up.
Caste Toughness: most members of House Baratheon were tall and strong, like Laughing Storm. It was much like House Stark's wolf blood or House Targaryen's silver hair and violet eyes.
"His bearing is entirely different from Renly's too. He is a fierce, formidable warrior. Renly grooms himself, wears perfume, and jokes with Littlefinger at court, but he is certainly no great warrior. He spends too much thought on useless things. The wolf king beneath that iron mask is like the king in his youth, with blood and warhammer ever at his side." Garlan considered it. Wise and perceptive, he did not see Renly through the same rose-colored lens as his younger brother.
"How could the king have a bastard this old?" Margaery found it somewhat absurd. Fathering a bastard was an ill-mannered act. Among great nobles, it insulted the marriage alliance. Fathering one before marriage was an even greater affront to the betrothal.
Lord Eddard's late elder brother, Brandon the Wild Wolf, had been very sensible about this. He liked bedding maidens and was known as the Bloodied Sword, but the Wild Wolf left no bastards behind and still courted Catelyn Tully out of duty. Like most noble sons, he drew a clear distinction between desire and obligation.
"That is simply the kind of man the king is. He does as he pleases and indulges his desires. Before his marriage, while he and Lord Eddard were wards in the Vale, he fathered a bastard daughter on a serving girl," Garlan explained. "Even after his marriage, his affairs never diminished. He fathered Edric Storm in his brother's marriage bed. I have heard the queen has been cleaning up after him all along, murdering those poor bastards in their cradles."
"Things are getting interesting. A new player will soon join the table in King's Landing!" Garlan smiled. "The Fireweed King is older than Joffrey and stronger than Renly, with a great many people across the Narrow Sea devoted to serving him. He will certainly be drawn into the game!"
"Then we should-"
"There has never been a place for the rose at the court in King's Landing. The family originally intended to give Lord Renly its full support. But now we need a position more advantageous to House Tyrell. Who becomes king does not matter. What matters is that you become queen!" Garlan mused. "Father dreams of having his grandson become king, but he needs to calm down. He cannot stake everything on a single wager."
House Tyrell envisioned taking House Lannister's role, regardless of whose queen Margaery became. The Lannisters wielded enormous influence at the current court in King's Landing. With House Tyrell's wealth and manpower, they too deserved a greater say.
"But the king is still alive! And a bastard..." Margaery hesitated. Lord Renly's ambitions already defied convention. Could there be someone with even greater ambitions?
"Times have changed, sister! Without dragons, armies, warhorses, and grain decide who holds the throne," Garlan reassured her. "King Robert won his crown through war, marriage alliances, and a heavy hammer, along with that little trace of dragon blood. Does his dragon blood compare to the Beggar King's? Robert's throne is not as sacred as House Targaryen's was!"
"Even a bastard with sufficient power can aspire to seize the throne. Just like Daemon Blackfyre did."
"Your Highness, House Tyrell's wealth is renowned throughout the Seven Kingdoms," Maester Qyburn likewise remarked back in the room. "Perhaps you could gain more from them."
"The rose does have plenty of wealth and grain, yet it has always been excluded from court. No wonder all manner of schemes occur to them!" House Tyrell had its sights on House Lannister's place. The Lannisters threw their weight around King's Landing through their marriage ties; it was hard to imagine the Tyrells did not want the same.
"House Tyrell is powerful and greedy. Let them wait a while," Gendry said thoughtfully. "We will follow our original plan and sweep through the Stepstones."
Beneath the vast blue sky, grey-and-white Wolf Pack banners fluttered as the Wolf Pack fleet cruised the Narrow Sea.
The Wolf Pack fleet consisted of a wide variety of vessels, mostly riverboats and Black Ships offered by runaway slaves, along with some merchant cargo ships. They were not as large as ordinary warships, but their sailors had extensive experience at sea. In the narrow channels of the Stepstones, among the sea stacks, these ships sailed with ease.
"Join the Liberator!" "Join the kingdom without slaves!" On little islands in the boundless sea and among the ruins along the Rhoyne, many runaway slaves had become pirates or river bandits. As the Liberator's reputation spread, many brought their ships to join him.
While the Myrish watched trebuchets rise outside Myr in anxious dread, unable to find peace for a single day.
The Wolf Pack fleet's swift vessels and warships suddenly struck the pirates of the Stepstones, feinting in one direction and attacking in another. Ordinary pirates were no match for regular soldiers, especially when the Wolf Pack fleet had the advantage in ships and manpower. All the unnamed little islands had been conquered. The fleet cleared out the pirates' nests and killed those who refused to submit. Only two hard nuts remained to crack: the two large islands, Bloodstone Island and the Stepstones.
"Bloodstone Island and Grey Gallows Island certainly live up to their reputations!" From aboard his ship, Gendry watched smoke rise from Bloodstone Island. The Wolf Pack fleet had raided the pirates' outlying docks, plundered their shipyards, and carried off their ships, leaving the pirates on Bloodstone Island and Grey Gallows Island to fend for themselves. Hunger would be their only companion.
"Your tactics are excellent, Your Highness! Bloodstone Island and the Stepstones have intricate defenses built around rocky mountains. The pirates occupy deep, dark caves and tunnels. Earth-and-stone fortifications are relatively difficult to take. Even Prince Daemon, riding a dragon, needed considerable time," Maester Qyburn said.
"There are outside circumstances as well," Gendry said. "With the Collapse of the Three Daughters, the Ironborn still recovering from the Greyjoy Rebellion, and the Dornish keeping a steady, low profile, these pirates have little outside support. Without that help, and without fresh water or food, they will starve to death."
"Bring up my spoils!" At Gendry's command, the Unsullied guards brought forward the prisoners. Captured from the islands' pirate bands, they included adventurers from every city: Tyroshi with purple-red hair, fair-skinned Lyseni, olive-skinned Myrish, and even black men from the Summer Isles. Hemp ropes bit tightly into their arms, drawing blood in places.
"I want warships and sailors, but I do not want to pay for them!" Gendry told the captured pirates.
"Bastard! The Drowned God will punish you!" A grey-haired pirate with a prominent nose hurled abuse at him, most likely an Ironborn who had wandered from the Iron Islands to become a pirate in the Stepstones.
"Give the Drowned God my regards!" Gendry looked at the Ironborn. Two Unsullied stepped forward and punched him in the face. They first cut out his tongue, then nailed him alive to the bow.
Gendry had always appreciated men with useful skills, but some obstinate pirates truly had little value worth courting.
"These ships and this island are mine now. You have two choices. The first is to submit and obey my commands. The second is death. You can meet the Drowned God, just like this Ironborn!"
The Unsullied made the pirates stand in line. A short distance away, the crossbowmen began cocking their weapons.
"King of the Narrow Sea!" One quick-witted pirate was the first to kneel and shout.
"King of the Narrow Sea!" The pirates immediately began shouting, as though clutching at their last lifeline.
Chapter 58: The fall of Myr (please keep reading on Tuesday)
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