Mufasa, along with a hundred Lannister soldiers disguised as mercenaries, began their journey along the Valyrian Freehold Road.
However, after seven days of travel, Mufasa decided they shouldn't stick to the main road; they should take the smaller paths. The main road had too many people, and many were watching their newly formed Lionheart Society with curiosity.
Many people immediately associated them with House Lannister of Westeros.
They speculated that this might be a mercenary company composed of ostracized Lannisters or those not belonging to Casterly Rock.
"Starting tomorrow, we take the back roads and travel by night, resting during the day!" Mufasa announced to the members of the Lionheart Society at a supply stop.
"President, you truly are considerate of your subordinates!" Podrick said.
He surmised that Mufasa must have thought the daytime heat was too intense, making it easy to suffer heatstroke after long hours of travel, whereas the nights were much cooler and allowed them to navigate using the stars.
For the next month, they would find a shady spot or set up tents during the day to avoid the scorching sun. A few men would stand guard while the rest slept to conserve their strength.
At night, they marched quickly and were less likely to encounter enemies.
Led by Mufasa and utilizing a compass and a sextant, the Lionheart Society finally arrived within the territory of Volantis.
Their food, water, and most importantly, their rum, were completely depleted, and they needed to procure a large amount of supplies.
Mufasa left ninety men behind and led ten others into a small Volantene town called Sarhoru.
If they continued downstream along the Rhoyne River, they would reach Volantis at the river mouth—the eldest daughter of the Valyrian Freehold and the most powerful of the Nine Free Cities.
However, Mufasa's destination was not Volantis, but the ruins of Valyria.
Unlike others who sought to explore the Valyrian ruins, who typically departed by sea, crossing the Summer Sea and entering the ruins through the Smoking Sea where many became lost.
Mufasa was different; he chose to travel to the Valyrian ruins by land.
His map indicated that one of the forty Dragonlord families had a territory named Oros, located north of the Smoking Sea. That was Mufasa's destination.
After entering Sarhoru, Mufasa instructed the other nine men to purchase supplies while he and Podrick went to a tavern to gather information.
"Gentlemen, what drinks can I get for you? We have wine from the Arbor, ice-cold beer from the North, and Dornish Summer Red."
The silver-haired tavern maid asked.
"Two mugs of ice-cold beer, please!" Mufasa replied.
"Ser Mufasa!" Podrick exclaimed.
Mufasa immediately cut him off. "Remember to call me President here!"
Podrick quickly corrected himself.
"President, so many people here have silver hair! Are they all descendants of Valyria?"
Mufasa nodded.
As the first colony of the Valyrian Freehold, Volantis had been ruled for over five thousand years. Many people here possessed the blood of the Dragonlords.
Even the rulers of Volantis—those who lived inside the Black Walls—might trace their lineage back to bloodlines more ancient than House Targaryen's.
Mufasa and Podrick drank three beers here, only managing to find out that the Disputed Lands were on the verge of war again, as the fragile alliance between Myr, Lys, and Tyrosh had collapsed.
"I heard that Malakho of the Tiger faction is preparing to personally lead troops and cooperate with Lys to take control of the Disputed Lands," said a soldier whose cheeks were tattooed with tiger stripes. He had heard this rumor from his captain.
The Tiger Cloaks were already mobilizing, suggesting that war was truly imminent.
"That's impossible. The Tigers only hold one seat, and the Elephants hold the other two! They won't agree to war!" said another middle-aged man with dark skin and silver hair, who looked like a mix of Summer Islander and Valyrian descent.
Although Mufasa didn't comment on their discussion about the Disputed Lands, he was keenly interested.
After all, if war broke out in the Disputed Lands, the Stepstones would also be engulfed in conflict. This would harm the maritime interests of all Westerosi kingdoms except the North.
Mufasa realized he couldn't gather any more useful information; they were already too far from Westeros.
Just as Mufasa and Podrick were leaving the tavern to meet up with the others, a group of red-robed priests surrounded them.
"You are followers of R'hllor, what do you want?" Mufasa subtly drew the dagger Tyrion had given him, just in case.
Podrick, meanwhile, hefted two large axes and shielded Mufasa.
"Do not misunderstand, warrior from Westeros. Our High Priest, Benerro, wishes to see you!" one of the Red Priests said.
"Benerro, the High Priest of R'hllor, wants to see me? Why?" Mufasa asked, confused.
"You are the one the High Priest saw in the flames, and he sent us to invite you to the Temple of the Lord of Light."
Having no choice, Mufasa accompanied them to the Temple of R'hllor.
It had to be said that the Temple of R'hllor in Volantis was the largest temple Mufasa had ever seen; it was three times the size of the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing.
Mufasa also saw many private soldiers belonging to the temple; they wore red robes and had large torches painted on their backs.
Slender spires intertwined and spiraled upwards, looking like frozen flames reaching for the sky.
Crossing an aerial walkway, Mufasa entered the temple's towering spire and met Benerro.
Benerro was tall and thin, with sharp features and skin as white as milk, but his face, chin, and bald head were covered in flame tattoos.
Surrounding Benerro were many other red-robed priests whose status was not as high as his. Mufasa even spotted Melisandre among them.
"She hasn't met Stannis yet?" Mufasa wondered. Stannis was still in King's Landing when Mufasa left, so perhaps they wouldn't meet this time.
"Warrior from Westeros, welcome. I am R'hllor's servant," Benerro said in High Valyrian.
Mufasa only understood a few words, giving him a strange expression.
Seeming to notice Mufasa's discomfort, Melisandre, who was standing nearby, began translating for him.
"May I ask why you invited me here? I find it hard to believe that a servant of R'hllor would forgo preaching to spend time hosting me," Mufasa said.
"I know what you seek! We have something here that you desire, and I can give it to you," Benerro continued.
"What?" Mufasa asked.
Melisandre presented a longsword and brought it before Mufasa.
"Seeing this sword, you should understand," she said.
"Could this be the lost Lannister ancestral sword, Brightroar?" Mufasa asked, seeing the lion's head carved into the pommel.
"This sword passed through many hands before finally arriving in the possession of the Lord of Light. It is nothing short of fate, and our meeting was arranged by the Lord of Light long ago!" Benerro continued.
"A Valyrian steel sword is worth a fortune. How much gold do you want?" Mufasa asked.
Benerro shook his head and continued.
"I do not want gold. I only want you to embrace the Lord of Light."
This time, it was Mufasa's turn to shake his head.
"I am a knight blessed by the Seven. I cannot violate my faith and honor."
"The Seven are false gods; before the true Lord of Light, they are nothing. We do not require you to damage your honor, only that you embrace the Lord of Light. I will send a priestess with you; she will be at your command. Melisandre, Mufasa is now your master." Benerro declared.
Melisandre nodded and moved to stand behind Mufasa.
"Whatever you plan to do next, she will assist you, Ser Mufasa."
After leaving the Temple of R'hllor, Mufasa located the rest of the Lionheart Society members.
"President, are you alright? We heard the Red Priests took you away and were preparing to rescue you!" one of the members said.
"I'm fine. They just invited us over to make friends; they weren't trying to harm me. Even if they were, I could have pulled off a Temple Run," Mufasa replied.
"Let's continue toward the ruins of Valyria. Melisandre will be joining us and traveling with us. By the way, she is a priestess of the Lord of Light."
Although they were curious about the addition of a woman, especially such a beautiful one, no one dared to ask any further questions.
Mufasa and his group continued their journey toward the Valyrian ruins. This time, they could stick to the Valyrian Freehold Road, as the section running from Volantis to Meereen was rarely traveled and unlikely to pose any danger.