Chapter 162: Ian's Scheme (Part 2)
"The Council Palace? You want me to go there? To walk into their trap?" Illyrio didn't understand Ian's meaning.
"It's just a calculated move. Because our people are participating in tomorrow's tournament, rumors are spreading throughout Pentos that you've allied with Prince Hazan, and only a very few people know about Hazan's plan to unite with House Tetrus against you.
"In other words, in the eyes of most magisters, you and Prince Hazan are allies, while Magister Tetrus is your common enemy, so..." Ian then whispered his plan to Illyrio.
"This plan is indeed ingenious," Illyrio nodded after listening, then questioned, "but the prerequisite for achieving this goal is that you first need to get Princess Daenerys and the others to the Red Temple, isn't it?"
"In fact, I've seen quite a few silver-haired, purple-eyed boys and girls of similar age to Their Graces in this manse."
"You mean to find two decoys for them? Won't Hazan and the others verify this?" Illyrio immediately understood Ian's meaning.
"Time is everything, Your Grace. If we wait until we reach the mountain temple before taking action, it will be too late for them.
"Therefore, my agreement with them is that as soon as their spies see me leaving your manse two blocks away with the princess, they will act immediately. The decoys will be in the carriage, so the spies won't be able to see their faces.
"Before leaving this manse, I will arrange for our Unsullied to move the true princess and her brother to the keep behind the manse to hide them. That keep is easily defended, enough to hold out until everything is over. So, what is your decision?" Ian said, looking at Illyrio.
"Let's proceed according to your plan. You handle the manse's side, and leave the rest to me," Illyrio agreed to Ian's plan, then instructed Ian, "Remember, don't reveal any flaws in front of Hazan. I will reward you handsomely after everything is over."
"You have shown me great kindness, Your Grace. I will always stand by your side."
"How is it, Celia? Did you win him over?" Hazan enthusiastically poured Celia a full glass of wine.
"When he left the temple, he was leaning against the wall. I'm quite certain he's already mine." Celia smiled as she accepted the wine glass from Hazan.
"Meow." The orange tabby that had been lying on Celia's lap suddenly jumped onto her shoulder.
"Is this your new pet? I've never seen it before." Hazan seemed to only then notice the cat's presence.
"Yes, a cat from the temple. Since I'm leaving Pentos soon, I thought I'd take something as a keepsake." Celia said, grabbing the orange tabby's paw, pulling it down, and hugging it back into her arms.
"But there's more troubling news," Celia continued. "I saw a new vision in the flames."
"What was it?" Hazan's attention was immediately drawn.
"I saw that after we began our operation, the Westerosi princess died in the chaos, and then Khal Drogo's wrath burned down the outskirts of Pentos."
"What?" Hazan's face paled instantly, and he gritted his teeth. "Shouldn't the Beggar King and his sister be under Illyrio's protection in the safest place?"
"Perhaps the manse's guards went into chaos after losing contact with Magister Illyrio. Perhaps they wanted to break out with the princess, or perhaps in desperation they wanted to take us down with them. The vision I saw was only a brief glimpse, but it would undoubtedly have disastrous consequences."
"Then what do we do?" Hazan forced himself to calm down while quickly considering a solution. "We can't give up now that we've come this far. We must—"
"Find a way to get Daenerys under our control first," Celia finished Hazan's sentence. "That way, the worst possible outcome won't happen."
"Yes! Control her first!" Hazan was about to agree, but he almost burst out laughing the next moment. "How is that possible?" he asked incredulously. "Everything we did before, all that preparation, was to make Illyrio misjudge our purpose when he discovered our actions.
"We went through so much effort to successfully avoid arousing Illyrio's suspicion! Now you want us to seize Illyrio's precious princess? Are you afraid that Illyrio won't see through us?"
"If it were just us, of course we couldn't do it," Celia smiled. "But don't forget, we just gained an ally who can freely enter and leave Illyrio's manse, and he also enjoys the deep trust of the Beggar King and that princess."
"You mean Ian?" Hazan seemed to have been enlightened. "If it were him..."
"If it were him, when Illyrio isn't at the manse, he could easily take the Beggar King and his sister out to visit the Red Temple without any hindrance," Celia added for Hazan.
"But will he help us? Are you certain? If we tell him the plan beforehand, will he tell Illyrio instead?" Hazan immediately bombarded her with a series of questions.
"So, we should tighten the timing even more. For example, after tomorrow's tournament, we can keep him there temporarily until Illyrio leaves for the Council Palace, then we can let Ian begin his operation.
"This way, knowing there's no time to inform Illyrio to escape, Ian will have to cooperate with us—it's his only option. Once Ian brings Princess Daenerys out of Illyrio's manse, we can begin our full-scale operation." Celia continued to offer advice to Hazan according to Ian's instructions.
"That's feasible, but what about the gap between Illyrio entering the Council Palace and Ian not yet bringing Daenerys out?"
"Let Magister Tetrus stall for time in the Council Palace. Isn't he an orator? Let him fiercely accuse you of your 'shameless acts' in the Council Palace. I guarantee Illyrio sitting in the Council Palace will never suspect that the two of you have formed an alliance."
Winterfell
"I've already lost Lyanna once—I don't want to lose her again." Robert grasped Eddard Stark's hand, his words earnest.
"She's not my sister, Your Grace!" Eddard said helplessly. "My sister has been gone for so many years. Have you even forgotten what she looked like? She's at most seven-tenths similar to my sister."
"Yes, yes, I've forgotten," Robert readily admitted. "Although they are slightly different in appearance, that bearing, that spirit, that fire—you know it, Ned. She can use a sword, ride a horse, just like Lyanna back then. The point is, she's also named Lyanna. What a wonderful coincidence!"
"So what?"
"So what?" Robert repeated incredulously. "Can't you see? This is fate, Ned. This is the Seven's compensation to me after Cersei betrayed me."
"So what if it's fate? The Seven Kingdoms will not allow you to wed a commoner."
"I don't care!" Robert roared. "A commoner, is that it? That's simple. Doesn't she have a brother? A knight named Loran. Well, there are no knights in the North, but I can bestow knighthood upon him now. He's formidable—none of my Kingsguard can match him."
"That's because Ser Barristan isn't in Winterfell," Eddard corrected.
"Oh! Seven hells, Barristan the Bold! Besides the Sword of the Morning and myself, who in this world can rival him? Must one defeat Barristan to be considered a truly great knight?"
"No, Your Grace. I do not deny Loran's prowess." Ned shook his head, speaking truthfully.
"That's enough. I believe that after this war, many empty seats will appear in the Westerlands. A great knight deserves a castle, and Lyanna will become a proper lady, and my queen."
"You're mad, Robert."
"Quite the opposite! This is when I'm most clear-headed! I was mad when I lost your sister!"
(End of Chapter)
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