The Edge of the Forest
The Following Morning…
At the edge of the forest, as the sun climbed higher in the sky, Harry and Kanoro with some of the guards watched as three large columns of men converged on the spot. Three different banners fluttered in the wind above each column; a pike with golden skulls tied around the head of the shaft, a broken sword on a grey background and the last one was simply forked blue and white.
The Golden Company was the easiest to spot with all their elephants while the Second Sons and the Windblown marched with only men and horses. Kanoro looked impressed at the large number of well-armed men, especially as they had horses and elephants to act as cavalry.
At the head of the largest column was a man who wore clothes similar to Summer Islanders. The man had white hair and wore an orange and green feather cloak. Harry smiled at the sight of Balaq, one of his first friends out of Westeros.
The man returned the smile of the young man who had made his ascension to the leadership of the Golden Company possible. He arrived first and swiftly dismounted his horse, walking up to Harry as he did so. The wizard greeted him with a tight warrior's hug and a slap to the back.
"Balaq, I trust you are well?" Harry said, greeting his old friend warmly. Balaq laughed in his big booming way before answering.
"We got gold and glory in abundance, what is there to be unwell about," he said with a grin. "Our coffers are overflowing with money these days. But I understand you wish to make a donation," Balaq said. Though now that he was here, he was unsure if Harry had enough gold to hire not only them, but also the Second Sons and the Windblown, none of them were cheap after all.
Harry nodded but they were not able to speak any further as the Second Sons approached and their leaders rode up to them. Harry noticed the leader was an older man with a natural grey hair and tanned skin. Beside him sat a young man with lighter tanned skin and a short beard of dark hair.
The older man was stuck up. It just took one glance for Harry to discern that. The way he had his nose up at the sight of them and the flamboyant armour he was wearing. The younger man on the other hand was smirking in self-assurance that bordered on arrogance. He had the air of a fighter around him. They rode up and dismounted their horses and came up to Harry, Balaq and Kanoro.
"I take it that you are the one who put out a contract for us?" The older man whose name was Ben Plumm asked while Daario Naharis stood at his side. Harry just gave him a cool stare and said.
"I am and if you want the plunder as well as the fee I suggest you listen rather than talk." Harry's sharp tone had him looking affronted while Daario laughed.
"Don't worry…as long as you can pay we'll fight for you," Daario said. Ben glared at younger man for interrupting the 'grown-up talk' but remained silent all the same.
Then the Windblown arrived and that was when Harry realised something was not right. Alongside the commander of the company—The Tattered Prince with his silver grey hair and cloak of many colours, was another man. He was dressed in fine silks and wore so much gold that it just gaudy to Harry.
The man was brown-skinned with dark hairs slicked back. His stance, clothes, and gold immediately put Harry, Balaq, and even Daario on edge. This man was no sellsword, what was his business here, Harry wondered. He was not happy with the Windblown, they had brought an unknown element with themselves that he didn't even know the name of.
The Tattered Prince rode up to Harry and without hesitating shook his hand. Harry nodded in greeting which the Tattered Prince returned before turning to glare at the man who had ridden with him.
"Who are you?" Harry asked, his hands subconsciously nearing his swords, ready to cut the man down if the answer failed to satisfy him. The richly dressed man merely smiled though Harry detected a touch of nervousness to it. The smile reminded Harry of a shark and the man's cold eyes bothered him.
"Please accept my sincerest apologises for the unexpected arrival," he said smoothly. "But I have an offer that will be of great interest to you, I imagine," he said.
"And what exactly could it be that would be of such great importance that you would come here to meet me? Whoever you are?" Harry asked. The mysterious man instead of answering kept smiling for a while, making sure people would hang on his every word when he would speak.
"My name is Parquello Vaelaros," the man introduced from where he was still sitting atop his horse. The nerve of the man, Harry thought. "And what I can do is deliver the city of Volantis to you."
-x-
Not surprisingly everybody heard the man and something had to be done.
Standing around the table in a hastily assembled tent, the commanders of the different forces joining for this task stared intently at Parquello who looked completely at ease, not bothered in the slightest that he was surrounded by warriors capable of killing him in the blink of an eye. Perhaps he thought his value was so great, though it remained to be seen.
"Who are you?" Harry asked.
"As I said before, my name is Parquello Vaelaros, I am the most powerful merchant prince of Volantis, the greatest of the free-cities," he introduced himself. Harry wanted to punch the man in the face for that smug smirk but refrained himself, for now.
"What could you do that would deliver us the city?" Harry asked sharply, staring at the man with distrust but not letting his feeling known. Others around the table weren't so restrained though, and their eyes were trained on the man.
Parquello was looking down at the map which was thankfully blank of any useful information for the moment. The continuous dismissal had begun to chaff at Harry's self control, the air of superiority reminded him too much of his elder brother and Draco Malfoy.
"Half of the Tiger cloak captains are on my pay roll," he revealed. "I command them and the men under them as a result. Those thirteen thousand men that I control are the ones guarding most of the inner city gates and key roads inside the city."
"Once your men are past the outer walls they will be able to move across the western half of the city, which is where the slaves and low life live, with great ease. My men can also burn down enemy guard barracks while trapping the men inside. This I am sure would be helpful to your cause."
"I regret I cannot open the gates on the outer wall or to the eastern part of the city but surely what I offer would make the sacking of the city much easier." Parquello said with a smirk.
Harry was staring straight into the man's eyes when he asked the next question.
"And what do you want from this?" Harry scanned his thoughts, encouraging the thoughts he wanted to see with his carefully chosen words.
His main motivation was power and secondly revenge. He had stood in the last Triarch election but had been sabotaged by the Red Priests who doubted his faith. Even though the Old Blood of the city had allowed him to stand grudgingly, they had provoked the Red Priests in ensuring his defeat.
He was a very wealthy merchant prince but not one of the old aristocracies. He had adopted a more Valyrian name and had the blood of the Freehold in his veins but his family was not of those who had been rulers of Valyria before the Doom.
For that reason he could never hold any position of the authority in the city. It was his one and only chance, an exception had been made, and the Red Priests had taken that away from him. So now enraged by the prejudice, Parquello had decided to support Harry and his men in hopes of wiping out the Old Blood families and the Red Priests.
He had gone as far as hiding evidence of the growing threat from the Triarchs so they would not react in time to stop Harry and his forces. His plan was to help him.
At least for the first few phases of the fighting that is. He hoped that forcing their way through the outer walls and then the large reinforced dragonstone walls would weaken and deplete Harry's army enough for his own forces to easily destroy them.
The man wanted to claim the city for himself, he would portray himself as the hero who 'saved the city' from the 'savages and barbarian' attacking, the ones who tragically managed to kill their old leaders. Besides the city watch, he had his own private military.
He had fifty or so guards which was the maximum a merchant prince was allowed in the city. But he had close to four hundred slaves working for him. Half of them were warriors who worked odd jobs around the city, disguised as common worker while they were so much more.
The things he was sensing from the man made Harry's blood boil, treachery was nothing new to him but every time he was forced to face it, he felt burning anger course through his system. While he was ready to kill the man right then and there, something stopped him. He did not need a traitor in the army, one that would turn on him the first chance he gets, something his grandmother had once said to him came to in his mind.
'The only real ally you ever will have is your family, and sometimes even they turn against you. Everyone else is just useful for a while...use them for your plans, and make sure your goals are achieved. And get rid of those allies once they start proving more trouble than they are worth.'
She had been teaching Loras and him how to play the game of thrones at that time, as it was known infamously. The only way to survive was to gain power and win, if you had to betray people to win then so be it. Even with his family's tendency to play it safe there was always treachery involved.
He never really gained the hang of it. Treachery was something that he abhorred. Betraying someone who had done you no harm, had trusted you and helped you out. It was something that he could never do, would never do. He hated back-stabbing and it was beneath what his honour would allow.
However, that rule only applied to allies that were more friends than allies. And sometimes people that he respected. Enemies working towards the same goal would still be enemies, his grandmother had taught him that. But working with them till your goal is achieved is an art in its own, a skill that few were capable of developing.
He had never used that advice before but now it seemed like the time. Parquello was no ally but he was someone that Harry could use to accomplish his goals, and perhaps he would. While the honourable part of him was revolted at the idea of working alongside someone like Parquello, a person willing to kill even babes for his revenge, a voice inside his head that sounded a lot like his grandmother Olenna tried to convince him to for it.
'I only need him until the city is in my hands. Then he is disposable,' he thought, his thoughts unknowingly mirroring the ones of his enemy.
Harry's eyes narrowed in consideration, not sure if this was a good idea. 'But it would make the assault on the city far easier if half the Tiger Cloaks are with us and travel routes are open. But how long would Parquello stay loyal? How long would he wait before making his move?'
The questions worried him as that was not how he usually dealt with cities. In Yi Ti whenever he attacked the city to conquer it, he seldom had help on the inside, and never a temporary one at that. It seems he would have to learn some new tricks for this campaign.
"Wait outside while I talk to the rest of my men. We will give your offer a fair hearing," Harry told Parquello who merely smiled in acceptance. He was so damn sure that he would succeed that Harry was tempted to deny him just to piss him off.
"Only a fucking idiot would trust a bastard like that," Daario said with derision, thinking him a fool for even hearing him out. Some of the men nodded in agreement though Harry saw many of the veterans thinking over it.
"Do you think me a 'fucking idiot' Daario?" Harry asked the sellsword with a cold glare that unnerved the man. "I have no intention of trusting him," he assured all of them. "But he will be useful all the same if he manages to deliver what we want."
"We would play his game as long as we need him. But when he becomes a threat, we cut him out like any other enemy we face on the battlefield." His words troubled some of the men around the table, especially Balaq and Kanoro who knew Harry best, but they thankfully said nothing. Harry meanwhile outlined the plan he had to assault the city.
"The outer gates are not as well fortified as some of the castles in Westeros but they still have towers and heavy gatehouses. A direct assault would cost too many men. Instead," he said, placing a small figurine at the gate. "We will send in a strike team of two hundred men disguised as slaves and their masters a few hours before the attack. They will enter through the northern gate they would make their way to the south western gate situated here," Harry said pointing to a particular place on the map.
Earlier feelings were forgotten in the planning of the battle ahead and everyone listened intently. "They would attack the guards from inside and open the gate and light a series of beacons to alert the main body of our army which will be concealed here, behind these hills." Harry said, having solved the problem of breaching the outer walls and concealing his men.
"A second smaller force, largely comprised of cavalry would enter the city through the opened western gates. They would secure the north western section with help of slaves. We would entice them with offers of freedom to get the job done," he said.
He concentrated at the harbour for a moment before turning towards Barca and Sula.
"The harbour is one of the largest in the world, very easily assessable for ships coming in. But it has an impressive system of gates that was installed during the days of Freehold to protect it from a naval attack."
"As the slavers and red priests would learn of the extent of our assault, they would try to escape using the ships in the harbour. I want both of you to sail the disguised Silence in there with as many men as we can pack aboard," he said.
"What about some fishing galleys?" Barca asked. "We can build some boats and the fishing villages nearby who helped us earlier would be willing to part with their boats for a price."
Harry nodded at that. "Excellent suggestion," he said. "We can hide weapons underneath fishes and other supplies while the galleys would enter the harbour behind the Silence. While it would be scrutinized any other day, I reckon no one would bother us due to festivities."
"You will dock the ship close to the gates while the galleys would make their way for the deeper docks. Wait until the alarm is raised and the gates are closed before attacking the gate. Break the mechanism responsible for its movement and prevent anyone from leaving," he said.
"The Windblown who will be part of the western forces will join them in securing the harbour," he said, moving pieces on the map to demonstrate. The Tattered Prince, Barca and Sula nodded in understanding.
Harry then turned to Kanoro. "Our men will secure the food stores and release the slaves held in the pens. Then our forces would clear out the part of the rest of west Volantis. We would push the enemy forces as far as Long Bridge before setting a perimeter here. Most of the region south is occupied by the docks, and the Windblown will already be there so we won't have to worry about that."
"The Second Sons would be the ones dealing with the main temple of the R'hllor," he said. He looked towards Daario and Ben when he said so. "I want every priest in there to be dead," he said seriously, unnerving a majority of those present. "No exceptions."
The two men nodded with hard faces. They didn't know why he wanted to commit something like that but they were fine doing it as long as there was plenty of gold to be had. Harry on the other hand was highly pleased by that, it was the reason why he was having the Second Sons attack the temple. They didn't hold to any god, any religion, gold was their only idol.
"But the hardest part would be played by The Golden Company," he said, glancing towards Balaq as he did so. "You would be the one assaulting the Old Volantis hidden behind the Black Walls," he said, shocking the lot of them.
"Are you out of your frigging mind, Harry? Those walls are two hundred feet high and so thick that you can run six horse chariots on their top, which they do mind you, every year to celebrate the city's founding," he said.
Harry was well aware of that fact but remained silent. Best Balaq got it out of his system because they were taking the complete city or nothing. "The walls are well reinforced, forged by dragonfire. This won't be an assault, it would be a suicide mission," Balaq said. He was ready to leave right then and there; he would rather lose his friendship with Harry than sacrifice the men under him, trying to break through that monstrous barrier.
"I already have a plan to open the gates without casualties," he said. "I only need you to deal with the Tiger Cloaks and private forces of various nobles inside," Harry said. He would open those gates himself with magic while remaining out of the sight of his allies. Or he could try thumping the merchant and see what he coughs up.
So with that in mind, Harry called Parquello back into the tent. Despite the looks of suspicion being sent at the wealthy man from Volantis, he remained as confident and casual as ever.
"I am ready to accept your aid," he said, making many of the man nervous in the tent, "But on one condition," he said.
Parquello's eyes flashed in anger for a moment and Harry smirked at that slip of control. Finally something that flipped the bastard, he thought.
"And what is that condition?" he asked somewhat icily.
"That you open the gates of the Old Volantis for us," he proposed casually, as if trading for silk instead of a city.
The man quickly shook his head. "No, there is simply no way to do that," he said. "Even though I am allowed to live in Old district," he revealed. "I don't have any kind of pull with the few Tiger Cloaks inside the district," he said with gritted teeth. "Most of the nobles inside have their own forces and the Tiger Cloaks only man the walls."
Harry sensed that he was telling the truth. He sighed in disappointment making a huge of it as he did so. "And I thought you were powerful," he remarked. It was just to needle his opponent; he wasn't really expecting an easy way in. The man coloured but didn't talk back.
"Alright, when we attack the city, your men must wear something to separate themselves from the other Tiger Cloaks. A red armband perhaps," Harry suggested, waiting for a moment so the man could give him a nod before carrying on with the planning.
-x-
Later as Harry left the tent to get everything ready for the assault, he was greeted by a strange sight. The women of the camp were stitching banners of some kind. Confused he walked over to Rhaenys and her ladies who were also present. When they noticed Harry walking towards them, they proudly presented one of the banners to him.
"Well Lord Tyrell, what do you think?" Myra asked. "We thought that if the sellsword companies can march into battle with a banner then why should our people be any different?"
It was green, no doubt a nod to his familial roots. But there was a red and black hawk stitched in it which carried a small bloodied golden rose in its beak while the two talons clutched a sword each, their points away from each other. Words were sewed at the bottom which made Harry raise an eyebrow and sigh.
'Growing strong to the death.'
The twist of his family's words, which Harry knew his grandmother hated, didn't please him much. 'Growing Strong,' who the hell was that going to intimidate, she would say and Harry agreed with her, the Starks had 'Winter Is Coming', the Lannisters, 'Hear Us Roar'. And what did they have? 'Growing Strong.' It was oh so intimidating, he thought sarcastically.
Still the second part added context, and while it could have been better, he still appreciated the effort. Maybe he would come up with something better when he got the free time. The sigil however he simply loved. While there were too many colours in it and some of them clashed, it was still appealing.
"Who chose green?" Harry asked them.
"I did," Alys said with a smile. "For your handsome eyes, my lord," she said with a saucy grin. Her sister Zara did the same as she told him of her contribution.
"The Hawk was my idea. A bird of prey to show your free nature and survival instincts," she said and Orion chose that exact moment to return from his daily flight. The blood hawk perched itself next to Zara and Alys who then proceeded to make a fuss over him. He preened under the attention which made Harry grumble a bit.
'Even my bird gets more affection than me,' Harry thought good-naturedly. He shook his head in amusement as the girls fed him some meat chunks. He pitied the man they decided to love, the two of them very forceful in their dealings when they wanted to be.
"And the bloodied golden rose, the swords and the actual motto?" Harry asked, wondering who had added those features. Myria spoke first.
"The Golden Rose was mine, it shows your history and compassion," she said with a bright smile which Harry returned with a small one of his own. The girl was too bright to not be happy around. "I made it bloody to remind everyone that even though you are merciful, this rose is not without its thorns," she proclaimed, surprising him greatly with her insight.
While there weren't many Tyrell ancestors worth mentioning, he was still proud of what his family managed to achieve in the short time they had ruled Highgarden. The Reach was more united than ever before and his grandmother was a very able ruler. He then turned to Rhaenys.
"So by deduction, the swords and the words were your idea," Harry said and looked at her questioningly.
"Yes," she said gently, "I used swords to show your warrior disposition and your battle experience. I have seen you fight and I know what a great warrior you are, both with and without your 'gift'," she said with a small smile on her face. "Two swords to represent the two Valyrian swords that you often use," her answer once again surprised him and Harry nodded in understanding.
It seems they knew him better than he suspected. 'Seems only fair that I get to know them as well,' he thought. 'And while I still want to maintain some distance, it is only right that I know at least some of their qualities and quirks.'
"The words to show the world how you would keep on growing for as long as you live, which I hope is a very long time," she said. "Starting as a mere traveller, you are now as powerful as any king out there. You have conquered lands and mighty cities, won glory, and earned respect. Anyone can be a prince in Essos with enough gold in their pockets but you have proven beyond any shadow of doubt that you are truly a king."
The passion in her voice not only surprised Harry but also her handmaidens. They didn't know their Princess had such strong thoughts about the mysterious warrior mage appearing in her dream. They looked at each other and smiled mischievously. There was definitely something going on between the two of them, they concluded.
Rhaenys herself was surprised when she realised how into it she had gotten. She had great respect and admiration for the young general before her which only grew when she heard true stories around the camp from the people who had been there to witness those great deeds.
Harry and Rhaenys both now red-faced said their hasty farewells and left for their respective tents. Once inside, Rhaenys got rid of thoughts concerning her handsome green-eyed friend and focused on the upcoming battle.
She would rescue the Velaryons and avenge the injustice done to her by killing the man that had kept her prisoner all these years, never letting her or her ladies contact their families. He still remembered well how he would visit her chambers every once in a while to leer at them.
He didn't like their features as much as he liked to make them uncomfortable. It had taken them years to learn how to deal with him and yet those scars would never heal. He was going to pray the price for what he did to her and her friends, just the first in a long list of many who would soon be doing so.
Volantis, the evening three days later…
The Silence…
The large ship, now painted more dull and unremarkable shade of brown, sailed into Volantis harbour with Barca at the wheel and Sula at his side. They were unopposed as they entered the harbour which was already packed with hundreds of ships of various sizes. It was hardly surprisingly given it was the second largest of the Free Cities, coming only after Braavos.
Even still they possessed the largest and one of the best harbours in the world. And there was a major festival about to take place in the city. Barca glanced back and saw a dozen or so longships following them like ducklings following their mother. It would have been obvious to anyone looking closely but thankfully no one was looking.
Below deck, while the sailors worked, nearly three hundred men were crammed in the large cargo hold of the ship. Silence was one of the largest ships out in the sea and its capacity was huge, something they were thankful for.
The tension was thick aboard as they docked to the nearest possible place in reference to the locking mechanism and Barca threw a bag of gold at the port official approaching them. It meant that they wanted to be left alone and the man left without another word. Now all they had to do was wait, wait for the signal.
The Northern Gate…
A long train of wagons filled with men and women draped in dirty sheets rolled up to the gate, the guards came up to the men riding at the head of the convey. A handsome man decked out in fine silks simply handed them some scrolls while looking at them imperiously. The guards read the document before handing it back and allowing the carts to enter the city.
Beneath his silks that covered his armour, Harry breathed a sigh of relief as they passed the first hurdle. The forged documents were as good as any original with Parquello's help. Kanoro who was dressed in his armour as a part of the disguise of the guard protecting convey, relaxed slightly.
While he and Harry were calm, the same could not be said about the men with them. They were a nervous lot, unsure whether this plan was a stroke of genius or a death sentence. The cage doors were rigged to look closed but they could be opened any time from inside.
The men and women in the cages were wearing baggy clothes but beneath it everyone was wearing their armour. Their weapons were concealed in the hollow boxes, under the floor of the cages.
Harry and Kanoro on the horses directed the convoy into a side street that was still wide enough for them to be comfortable in the stifling heat of the city. They stopped once they were out of the sight of the guards on the wall. Harry quashed the urge to remove his armour and take a long bath; humidity was making it hard for sweat to dry down.
They intentionally broke several wheels to ensure they had an excuse if any guards came by and started asking questions. Any curious onlookers had moved on quickly when the 'slaver's guards' glared at them. Harry meanwhile was waiting impatiently for the night and was glad when the sky became inky black with a bright moon shining in the night sky.
Full moon would be a night later, and the slaves were set to be sacrificed on that night. The significance of that didn't fail Harry's notice. He shrugged off his slaver disguise and others took his lead. They climbed out of the cages, pulling their weapons out of their hiding spots quietly, and Harry looked around the corner to see the position of patrols and enemy sentries.
Fifty guards in all, twenty at ground level while thirty stood on the walls or in the towers of the gatehouse. 'It should be easy enough to overwhelm them,' Harry thought carefully. The two hundred men he had brought with him all moved up behind him as quietly as they could. Harry turned to Kanoro and began relaying details.
"Thirty on the walls, twenty on the ground, no patrols in sight" he said. "Ready?" Harry asked to which he received a nod. Harry crept forward, followed closely by his men. Armour was cumbersome when you were trying to sneak around, but using buildings as cover they made it to the square in front of the gate. The thing was only twenty five or so feet away now.
But they were soon spotted. A pair of guards turned around and saw Harry and his men as they moved forward. Harry thought fast and took two knives from his belt and threw them straight at them. One was caught in the neck and the other in the leg. He cursed as the one injured in the leg cried out in pain, alerting all of the other guards of their presence.
With their cover blown, Harry charged at the gate at full tilt. The rest followed his example and raised their shields in face of incoming arrows from the towers.
Harry pulled his swords from the scabbards on his back and blocked a clumsy blow from one of Tiger Cloaks before slashing his throat. He started running up the stairs leading to the top of the walls and the towers of the gatehouse. Behind him some of his men followed while others either attacked the group at ground level or moved up a second staircase that led inside the gatehouse.
Despite the weight of his armour, Harry quickly made it to the top of the tower and slaughtered the first two men he encountered while his men fanned out to secure this section of the wall. A few of their archers picked off the men fighting below before his men managed to kill them. Swords and spearmen worked in pairs and threes to overwhelm the Tiger Cloaks quickly, sometimes just throwing them off the wall.
Of course Harry and Kanoro needed no help such as that. They were each a one man army and no one in the entire strike team was capable of keeping up with either of them.
At ground level, the men could only watch in amazement as Kanoro moved swiftly through the Tiger Cloaks with Stormbringer in hand, cutting down men with often a single devastating blow. The towering figure seemed unstoppable till all the men at the gate were dead.
Someone lit up some kind of flair and Harry knew that bells would be tolling all around Volantis in no time. So, with greater urgency he began cutting down what remained of the Tiger Cloaks. Down below Kanoro began securing the gate while a portion of the men there fought off a patrol.
Harry was no less impressive, his two swords slashed with precision that only a master can possess. One sword would block the blow from the enemy while the other would strike back immediately, always fatally.
Given it was two hundred men against fifty and a few others from a small patrol, it took only a few minutes for him to secure the gate. But by then the bells were tolling and time was running out for Harry and his friends.
Harry quickly found the mechanism to open it, a large wheel which had to be turned by hand. Turning to three of his men he called out for them to help. Each grabbed a hold of some portion and began turning the wheel. A series of gears turned slowly, the gate itself moving in parts until it was fully opened.
Harry immediately stepped back and took a lit torch. He added some copper to it and it burnt slight green. He waved it in an arc once, twice, three times before throwing it down. With that done, he went over to one of the large ballista mounted to the wall and turned it around.
It took some time and effort but he successfully aimed it as high as he could. He quickly lit the end of the bolt on fire with his magic when no one was looking, and let it fly clear over the city sky line.
-x-
The Hills...
Crixus and the rest of the army stood ready to charge when they saw Harry's signal. He nearly snorted at the sight of quivering men. That would soon change, he thought with a smirk, once men were in a battle, survival drove their senses like nothing else.
In the distance he could only just see a tiny light waving thrice and falling from the wall and then a number of small beacons were lit by men left by Harry along the road who had seen the torch.
"THAT'S THE SIGNAL! CHARGE!" Crixus called out and the battle horns sounded to announce it to the large body of nearly fourteen thousand men.
With that, the thundering sound of movements of men, horses and elephants filled the night. The massive formation of men charged towards the city, reaching the large open gates in short time where the fighting was already heavy.
-x-
The Harbour…
The flaming bolt was spotted by the lookout in the rigging of the Silence, Barca saw it too through the Myrish glass and shouted out.
"IT'S TIME YOU LAZY ASS FUCKERS. EVERYONE TO ARMS!"
The few hundred men hidden below the primary deck and in the crew quarters rushed out of the moored ships. Led by Barca and Sula, they rushed towards the large mechanism that opened and closed the gates.
It was like the wheels that opened and closed the gates of the outer wall of the city in its design. But about three times larger, placed horizontally, and powered by beasts. Unfortunately, the few defenders that were there had killed the animals in a rare show of intelligence in times of peril.
Fortunately, they only needed to break it, not open or close it. So they removed a number of gears which would be easy enough to fix.
Parquello's men all over the city tied red bands around their arms. They opened the north-western gates where Daario and Gannicus were waiting with five thousand men under his command. They joined the invaders in their attack, meeting up with the Golden Company and the Windblown in the western district as they seized the city's elephant stables and harbour.
Food stores were seized by Harry and his men as they moved through the western parts of the city, determined not to let the slavers or soldiers burn them down. Following that slaves were freed from their pens all over the city and anarchy reigned supreme.
One of the biggest slave pens was visited by Harry himself. The pens were like gated societies but where people were not kept out, they were kept in. Instead of clear fountains and green gardens, waste filled pits littered the area.
The gate was torn open and the noise roused the slaves from their sleep. They walked out of their disgusting hovels, their vermin infested homes, confused at what was going on. Harry nodded to Kanoro and stepped forward to address them, his magic amplifying his voice so all could hear him.
"SLAVES OF VOLANTIS! FOR SO MANY YEARS YOU HAVE TOILED IN SILENCE WHILE FAT MERCHANTS ORDERED YOU AROUND. THEY SAW YOU AS THEIR PROPERTY AND USED YOU AS ONE. OFTEN TIMES YOUR WORK WAS CREDITED TO SOMEONE ELSE, SOMEONE WHO WAS COMPLETELY UNDESERVING OF IT."
"YOU WORKED HARD YET YOU GOT NOTHING FOR ALL THE BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS YOU GAVE FOR THEIR WEALTH! ONLY MORE HARDSHIP WAS YOUR REWARD. WORSE NOW THEY SEEK TO BURN CHILDREN IN CELEBRATION OF THAT WEALTH, YOUR CHILDREN," he emphasised. "THE ONLY THING THAT YOU OWN, THE ONLY THING THAT YOU CAN FREELYCALL YOUR OWN," he said.
"TONIGHT YOU TAKE BACK WHAT IS YOUR. IT IS GOD'S GIVEN RIGHT TO DECIDE THINGS FOR YOURSELVES! TO LIVE YOUR LIVES THE WAY YOU WISH TO! JOIN US AND WIN YOUR FREEDOM!" Harry's voice was filled with so much charisma that he didn't even need the compulsion charm he was thinking of using. The anger in the slaves towards the slavers and wealthy of the city was more than enough to do the rest of the work.
"FREEDOM IS YOUR RIGHT, AND TODAY YOU SHALL HAVE IT!" he roared.
A cry rose throughout the area as slaves, already filled with resentment towards their master rushed out to join them. Harry, Kanoro and Crixus all smiled before Harry cried out with as much command as he could muster.
"TO THE LONG BRIDGE!"
-x-
The Long Bridge was the one thing that connected the newer and poorer Western Volantis to the richer, powerful and older Eastern Volantis. Given that the bridge was so long and excessively wide, a row of buildings had evolved along its length over the years.
It was here though that the battle for Volantis was being fought now. The invading army had successfully trapped the majority of the defenders on the bridge. Fleeing guards from both sides found themselves boxed in by two equally powerful forces on both sides.
Harry's own men, sellswords, freed slaves and allied Tiger Cloaks forced their way along its length as the enemy Tiger Cloaks did their utmost to stop them, losing ground quickly as they were pushed back. The now freed slaves would pick up their dropped weapons to join in the fight. Sometimes they would just throw themselves at the Tiger Cloaks with nothing but their bare hands and teeth as weapons; such was their anger towards their foul masters.
It was like a raging tsunami smashing into the waterfront, thrashing it and moving inland. They fought hard, there was nowhere to run and if they were going to die, they were going to die fighting. But it didn't make a difference anyway. Some of the more intelligent and brave ones dived in the river water, willing to take their chances in the river rather than being cut down by the enemy.
Above Harry, Orion flew high in the sky and through his eyes Harry could see the layout of the city beyond the Black Walls. He led his forces to the gates of Old Volantis, some thirty thousand men behind him made largely of Tiger Cloaks from inside the eastern district and private armies.
After giving Balaq command of his forces, he ducked inside one of the shops on the side of the road leading up to the main gate of the inner city. Making sure no one saw him doing so; he concentrated on what Orion was seeing before apparating half a mile to the other side of the walls.
He looked up and saw the men on the wall getting their bows and ballista ready to shoot at his forces. Harry sneered at the sight of it; it was not going to happen. He leapt into action with swords in his hands. Running up the stairs quietly, he reached the top a bit out of breath but without anyone spotting him.
The first archer that did manage to see him was impaled by Harry's swords. The others turned around and Harry decided to slip the Orphanmaker back into its sheath. He pulled the shield from his back and started moving forward with it in one hand and Blackfyre clutched in other towards the gatehouse where the mechanism to open the gate was housed.
Arrows pelted on his shield but it held as Harry rushed forward, cutting down the archers one by one and leaving a bloody trail of bodies behind him as he moved forward. He reached the gate at last, smacking the last archer over the side of the wall with his shield.
The man screamed as he fell two hundred feet down, on to the hard stone waiting for him. But Harry could care less in that moment. His heart pounding hard and his body shaking after performing such straining activities in such short time, he pointed his dragon ring at the enormous wheel that moved the gates and began forcing it to move with his magic.
-x-
Down below, in front of the gates, the men could not believe their eyes as the large Dragonstone gates started to open, revealing the many temples, palaces and manses that were present beyond.
Kanoro and the rest of the other commanders were open mouthed at what they were seeing but when they saw Harry waving from atop the wall; chocked laughter forced itself out of their mouths.
"Son of a bitch," Kanoro said to himself with a chuckle. He knew that Harry could do what he had promised but he could not help but doubt the man, but there he was. His magic opening the way for them and eager to take advantage of the opportunity, they all charged forward.
The dark night sky was lit up by battle fires and screams of the dying filled the air as the oldest and greatest daughter of Valyria fell to the greatest of the conquerors, Harry Tyrell.
The Second Sons charged the enormous Red Temple, slaughtering the slave army that protected it before entering the temple and either slaughtering the priests and priestesses inside or putting them in chains. Hundreds of children were found cowering inside, a sight that infuriated Daario who became the commander of the company that night when his old boss died in 'mysterious circumstances'. He rushed the children out before looting the temple off anything of value and burning it to the ground.
-x-
Rhaenys, accompanied by her ladies and a squad of Harry's men entered the manse which had been her prison for so long, coming face to face with her jailor Jumel as he tried to flee the invaders with as many bags of gold as he could carry. None of the men who were there to protect her had to do anything as Rhaenys took the bow Harry had given her from her back and notched an arrow, sending it straight into his back.
The man squealed like a pig as the arrow severed his spine, scrambling about like he was trying to crawl away from death. Rhaenys felt momentary pity for the man before she quashed it and left him to die.
Instead she went to the cellars of the building, her worry for the Velaryons beginning to show on her face as she looked for them. Eventually opening one of the larger store rooms she smiled in relief when she saw the small family of four huddled together, squinting from the light that was now coming in from the opened door.
The sun was slow to rise but as it did, the smoke that was rising from the city became fully visible. All over the city dead bodies were picked clean by looters as were the rich dwellings, Red temples and some of the government buildings.
Harry felt exhausted after fighting all night long as he descended from the steps of the Ryndoon Bank, the largest merchant bank of Volantis where the last elements of resistance had been holed up until he cleared them out. Honestly, he thought to himself, he could sleep for next hundred years if given the opportunity.
"Harry, it is over," Crixus said, "The city is ours."
Instead of happiness, all Harry felt was worry. He was sure Parquello would be plotting something and they would have to deal with it over the fallout that would come from their actions, which they had no idea about yet.
It was one thing to take a city, quite another to hold it and rule.
-x-
Harry was right to worry as Parquello smirked, sitting inside his palace. It was the only one to be left alone by the invaders in exchange for the aid he had provided in taking the city. Inside the palace the two Red Priests, Kinvara and Benerro were hiding. He had offered them sanctuary during the sacking and now he would use them to whip up the believers of the Red God against Tyrell and the rest of the naïve fools who followed him.
The man was a fool of the highest order. He had prohibited his forces from killing any child below twelve. He had still killed as many of them as he could but more than three quarter of the brats from noble families were still alive. He had no idea what Tyrell was planning but he would make sure those kids would die and their lines end before this year was out.
He was already drafting letters to the cities in the Slaver's Bay. They would naturally feel threatened by a slave revolt on this scale and would be eager to send men and steel to assist him in restoring things to the way they should be.