It had been a full week since Kevan Lannister arrived in Myr and he had dispatched his men to seek an audience with Lord Aeos. Finally, after days of waiting, a message had finally arrived.Kevan Lannister had been called to the mansion of Lord Aeos.
Kevan had fully expected his patience to be tested in the pursuit of Lord Aeos. And he had prepared himself for the indignity.
Even so, waiting in the city without any other purpose had not been pleasant for him. He was Kevan Lannister. The men who possessed the status and power to keep him waiting at their doors were few and far between. But now that the wait was over, he was satisfied. And pleased.
And, though he would never admit it aloud, a flutter of nervous anticipation was churning in his gut at the prospect of finally meeting the enigmatic Lord Aeos. It was something like causing butterflies to flutter in his stomach.
Kevan arrived at the mansion precisely at the designated hour. He was received warmly and with honour fit for him. They were clearly expecting him. He was ushered through the halls of the mansion and into a solar, where a lone figure was already waiting for him.
"Lord Kevan Lannister," the man said, rising from his seat to offer a wide, welcoming smile.
Kevan's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the man's features. It was a face he recognized. He had seen him years ago but had heard big news about him in recent times.
The man standing before him was Samwell Tarly, the firstborn son of Lord Randyll Tarly.
It had been roughly two years since news broke across Westeros regarding the sudden disappearance of the Tarly heir. It had caused quite a stir among the noble houses of the Reach and even Westeros as whole.
Even so, Randyll Tarly had hardly seemed to care that his eldest son had vanished in the night. The fierce warrior had put barely any effort into finding the boy. In truth, it was an open secret that Lord Randyll was quietly relieved to be rid of the family's black sheep. Samwell's lack of martial prowess and physical softness were traits his father had deeply despised. Kevan remembered the gossip clearly.
He also recalled that a few months after the disappearance, whispers and rumours had drifted across the Narrow Sea suggesting the boy had somehow found himself in the service of Lord Aeos. Kevan had paid the rumors little mind at the time. It appeared, however, that the rumours had been entirely true.
But the Samwell standing here was a changed man from the boy Kevan remembered, and certainly different from the descriptions circulated when he vanished. Kevan would not go so far as to say the lad had attained the hardened physique of a warrior, but he had undeniably shed much of the weight that had earned him his father's disgust, hate and scorn. He was dressed in bright yellow Essosi silks and he looked every inch a learned scholar or an esteemed magistrate.
"Samwell Tarly!" Kevan mumbled in genuine surprise, stepping further into the room.
"I did not expect that you would remember me, Lord Kevan," Samwell replied.
"You are hardly the kind to be forgotten. Your name had made a lot of waves a couple of years back in Westeros," Kevan remarked. "And I certainly did not expect to find you here."
Samwell did not comment on the remark and gestured for Kevan to take a seat in the chair in front of him.
"Have a seat, Lord Kevan," Samwell said.
Kevan nodded and obliged. Samwell too occupied his chair. A couple of moments of silence ensued between the two.
"So," Kevan said. "Will you entertain me with your tale about how you got here?"
"Or," he continued with a pause, "is there not enough time and very soon I will be coming face to face with Lord Aeos?"
Kevan, though interested to know about Samwell's tale, was more desperate to meet Lord Aeos.
"You will not be meeting Lord Aeos, Lord Kevan," Samwell replied with a shake of his head.
An expression of instant displeasure appeared on Kevan's face. He assumed that he had to state whatever business he had with Lord Aeos to his men. To men like Samwell Tarly.
"What do you mean, Tarly?" He questioned, his voice gruff.
Samwell obviously understood what was going through the mind of Kevan Lannister.
"You are taking it wrong, Lord Kevan," Samwell said. "Lord Aeos is not refusing to meet you. He is simply not in Myr."
"Not in Myr?" Kevan mumbled in surprise.
"Then where is he?" Kevan questioned.
"That I cannot tell you," Samwell shook his head.
"But it would not matter anyway," he continued. "By the time you reach him, he will be gone from that place too."
"Stop speaking in riddles, Tarly," Kevan said with gritted teeth. "Just tell me where I can meet him."
"If I can meet him that is," he added.
Samwell smiled mysteriously.
"The place Lord Aeos is going next is a place where I believe it would be far too easy for you to arrange a meeting with him," he said.
Kevan stared at him with raised eyebrows.
"In around a month's time," Samwell continued. "Lord Aeos will leave Essos and depart for Westeros. For the North, to be specific."
"He is going to Westeros?" Kevan mumbled with almost a shocked face.
"Why?" He asked.
"He has his family in the North," Samwell replied as a matter of fact. "He is a Stark, you know."
Kevan did not respond for a few moments.
"Are you speaking the truth, Tarly?" Kevan questioned, his stare hardening on Samwell.
"Yes," Samwell nodded his head. "Lord Aeos is going to Westeros."
Kevan fell into his own thoughts. It was true that arranging a meeting with Lord Aeos in Westeros would be far easier. But he could not comprehend the motive of his visit. True, he was a Stark. But his relationship with the Starks was fractured. Lord Aeos had run away from his family.
Also, he wanted to meet Lord Aeos as soon as possible, but now this seemed the only possible option. But he was not too worried. By taking Pentos under herself, Rhaenys had indicated that she was going to invest a little more time in Essos.
"Thank you for the information, Samwell," Kevan said. "I will take my leave."
They exchanged one last greeting before Kevan stood up and departed from the mansion. Meanwhile, Samwell continued to look in the direction Kevan had vanished with a smiling face.
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