The man sent by the Sorrowful Men guild had the misfortune of remaining alive after attempting to assassinate the lady of the castle.
Jaehaerys had never experimented on humans. He preferred other areas of science, such as chemistry. But at times, he was quite tempted to join Qyburn.
"What is your name?" he asked the Unsullied who had pierced the man's leg.
"Red Cockroach." The names of the Unsullied were linked to vermin, to remind them of their place.
"Before the slavers gave you that name, do you remember what you were called?" he asked again.
"This never had a name," said the Unsullied.
"What do you think of Rodrick?" asked the prince.
"This doesn't know any Rodrick..."
"I'm giving you a name. The man who saved my wife's life will not be known as Red Cockroach," said the prince. "Rodrick, is that alright with you?"
The man clenched his teeth. He looked confused and moved. He tried to appear indifferent but failed.
"This one doesn't need a—"
"But you want it," said the prince. "You will be Rodrick. The Unsullied are free men now. Please spread the word, they don't need to keep the names given to them by the slavers; they can choose their own. I can't give names to eight thousand people, I hope the others don't feel I despise them," said the prince.
The Unsullied stood still for a few seconds. He was still struggling to process what was happening. For a long time, he didn't even consider himself human. He was born a slave, trained as a slave, and lived as a slave. He even expected to die as a slave. Having a name had never crossed his mind; it was a luxury he never considered necessary.
Even when he entered the prince's service, he did not consider himself completely free. When he defended Daenerys, he did so because it was his duty as her bodyguard.
Of course, he considered the prince and princess to be better masters; they provided him with food and a place to rest. They did not send him on tasks he did not want to do. They did not order him to kill children or hurt the elderly, nor did they look at him as an object. But even with all that, he still considered them his masters. Having a name had never crossed his mind; it was a luxury he never regarded as necessary.
But somehow he liked it.
Now he was "Rodrick," he murmured the name; it tasted sweet on his lips.
"Is there anything you desire, Rodrick?" asked the prince. "You can ask for anything you want," he said sincerely.
"I... want... to protect," he answered like a machine.
He felt honored to have a name, to transition from being "It" to being "He."
He felt he should die protecting Prince Jaehaerys or Princess Daenerys.
"I will order them to give you a better spear," said the prince.
"It is unnecessary, my prince."
"With it, you will better protect my wife. I entrust her safety to you," said the prince.
The Unsullied stood up straight as an arrow. Previously, the Unsullied took turns protecting the prince and princess, but now he would be a permanent guard to protect the princess.
"I am honored."
"Just as you have honored my house, I hope to return the favor," said the prince humbly. "Daenerys is at the training camp with Rowena. You can start your duty right now," said the prince.
The man bowed deeply before leaving. It was not the first time he had bowed before Jaehaerys, but it was the first time the prince truly felt that he was doing so out of genuine respect and not out of habit.
He gave him a name and put him to work. That would help him earn more of his loyalty and that of the other Unsullied. Even if they never interacted directly with him, his goal was for them to feel valued and part of Argentstone.
That did not mean he did not feel deep gratitude toward the man. That was why he had decided to give him a better weapon than the one he had.
The Unsullied, renamed Rodrick, had saved Daenerys. If the man had asked for his weight in silver, he would have given it to him without hesitation. Jaehaerys was a proud man, and that included rewarding those who served him well.
"Sorrowful men," he knew that group of assassins. "I am so sorry" was the phrase they said before attempting to kill their target. In the canon, they had been seeking Daenerys' death.
Jaehaerys learned from his man in Braavos that Jon Connington visited the House of Black and White and left there quite angry.
Probably the price on Jaehaerys' head was too high for the crown to pay. That's why he had to resort to second-rate assassins.
The assassin had tried to kill Daenerys while several men-at-arms surrounded her. It might seem pretty stupid, but in reality, he had left him no other choice. Getting close to the princess was already quite an uncommon feat. The security around her was pretty good. He would have had few better opportunities.
He could try to poison her, but that would be useless. Or kill her from a distance, but the Unsullied kept a fairly tight watch. Besides, Daenerys rarely went outdoors; she usually only went to the weirwood, where a reasonably wide perimeter was formed.
That desperate attempt was his best option.
And what was most worrying was that he could have succeeded.
The necklace Jaehaerys had given Dany, the one that was supposed to detect evil intentions, had not worked.
Somehow, the Sorrowful Men could evade the detection of magic.
"I am so sorry," they always apologized.
Jaehaerys had two principal theories. One was that the amulet did not detect evil intentions because they did not exist. The man truly felt a deep sadness as he carried out his murderous goal.
Another was that they knew some kind of magic capable of nullifying the amulet's power. It can come from two different organizations: The House of the Undying, the main headquarters of the sorcerers, was in Qaarth. They were actual practitioners of magic, so it would not be unexpected for them to have some magic to hide themselves.
There was also R'hllor. But that seemed less likely, unless it were one of the priestesses who followed Rhaegar, they would not give magic to attack Daenerys. The red god wanted something from Jaehaerys' wife.
The second option was troubling because it opened up the possibility that these magical organizations already knew about Jaehaerys's ability to manipulate magic and create artifacts. That would take away his advantage and make him an even bigger target. However, it was also possible that the magic was to ward off the dragons.
Unknowns, unknowns.
Jaehaerys left his Solar; he needed to see Daenerys, not talk to her. He just wanted to see her. It made him a little uncomfortable not to see her and to know that an assassin could appear at any moment.
He had already begun to research the most advanced books on magic. If the detection artifacts did not work, he had to create better ones, and for that, he needed a greater knowledge of magic.
There was a small training ground near his mansion. Many men were there. Both the northerners and knights from King's Landing who had come with him, as well as the newly arrived mercenaries and Unsullied.
It seemed they were taking turns keeping watch. The discipline of the Unsullied appeared to rub off on the other men, who attempted to emulate their exact positions and behaviors.
"I can't be worse than a man without balls," they seemed to want to shout.
His wife was training with Rowena. The former captain was teaching her fencing with a small sword. Yesterday's assassination attempt had awakened in Daenerys a greater desire to learn how to fight.
Jaehaerys was not skilled with the sword, so he wouldn't be the best teacher, which is why he entrusted Brandon with the task, who, in turn, entrusted it to Rowena. The woman was a skilled swordswoman, despite her preference for her maze.
Dany didn't have a good foundation, but she did have a decent physique, at least much better than Samwell's, moons ago.
Rowena was not playing; she gave her no chances, correcting her posture gracefully, without resorting to the vulgarity that some male instructors might fall into. Perhaps because she was talking to a princess or because she was in a public place, she did not want to dishonor Daenerys.
Rowena had reached an agreement with Jaehaerys: her men and a group of Unsullied would go out to hunt bandits in the prince's lands. That would be their primary task at that time. The prince gave them some freedom so that their group could gradually integrate into the castle.
Daenerys looked at her husband and smiled. The smile was so genuine that the other men turned in his direction.
Brandon was nearby. He looked at the prince on the battlefield and turned pale.
"Brandon!" the prince shouted as the man turned to leave. "Shall we train?" The northern man's face fell.