No matter what Tyrek said, nothing in this world could have forced Konrad from joining his men in one of the most dangerous missions they had ever been on so far. What started as a simple suggestion from the freed Unsullied leader, Broken Bull, now going by his new baptized name, Brodin, had, after more than two weeks since the army won their first battle in this campaign, turned into a crazy mission that would start their conquest of Slaver's Bay.
Right now, Konrad stood at the prow of the largest ship in his fleet, watching the endless sea stretching as far as the eye could see. All the navy that Konrad had under his command would sail towards Astapor with as many troops as they could carry. Despite gaining a lot of ships lately, it was only enough to transport fifteen thousand men as well as logistics necessary for such a force. While that was by no means a small number, Konrad feared it would not be enough for sieging Astapor, unless...
That's when the crazy idea appeared in the boy's head: take a small group and sail ahead disguised as a Westerosi merchant interested in buying a bunch of Unsullied—or at least whatever number Astapor still had after the losses they suffered.
With this crazy idea in mind, Konrad summoned all of the leading brothers of the order, as well as the officers in charge of the footmen, so that he could share with everyone his plan, which hopefully would pay off.
Almost four hours later, all of the men were on the deck of the flagship waiting for their lord to tell them the reason for this sudden summoning. Not wanting to let them wait for too long, Konrad with the help of a few sailors brought a large map of Essos including the seas around it before explaining to them his crazy plan.
"We'll split the fleet," Konrad began, tracing a path on the map with his finger. "The main force will approach Astapor under the cover of night and wait at this cove," he pointed to a secluded inlet a few miles from the city. "Meanwhile, I will lead a small contingent ahead. We'll disguise ourselves as merchants seeking to purchase Unsullied. If we can gain entry to the city, we can gather intelligence about what the situation is and if we could use that to our advantage, not to mention potentially open the gates for our forces."
Everyone exchanged wary glances, but none voiced the doubts written on their faces. They had seen the ingenuity of their young leader before, and while this plan was risky, it was not without merit. However, that meant that their lord would put himself in danger's way once again, something that none of these men were particularly keen of seeing, after all, despite his achievements, Konrad was still an eleven name days boy.
Thankfully, the first one to react was Brodin, who stepped forward. "I will accompany you, my lord. My knowledge of Astapor and the Unsullied will be invaluable. Besides," he added with a hint of a smile, "who better to pose as the leader of the bodyguards of a rich merchant than one who was one of the merchandises?"
Konrad nodded, grateful for Brodin's support. "We'll need a fast ship and a handpicked crew. No more than thirty men, all of them preferably veterans."
Having been promoted not long ago as one of the leaders, Osmund volunteered to gather the best knights they had brought with them for this suicidal mission.
After thanking the man, all of the officers dispersed to make preparations, meanwhile Konrad remained at the prow, thinking about what he hopes would happen. The success of this mission hinged on their ability to deceive the good masters and gather crucial information. If they failed, fifteen thousand men would be sailing into a death trap. But if they succeeded, the gates of Astapor would fall, and their second or third major victory in their campaign against Slaver's Bay would be theirs.
Konrad's thoughts were interrupted by Lady Nyssa, who approached him with a concerned expression on her face. "Are you sure about this, my lord?" she asked him quietly. "It's dangerous, and you're too valuable to risk on such a mission."
"Thank you, my lady, but I'm more than sure about this decision. I have no doubt that it would extremely dangerous, but if this crazy gamble of mine works…" But Konrad didn't' manage finish his sentence.
"We would take our first real step towards getting rid of slavery in these parts once and for all. Thought that doesn't mean, I'm happy that the young lord I swore to follow, is going to risk his life before he returns home and grants me some land to call home."
Lady Nyssa expressed her worry with a small joke, however Konrad knew that this joke was more than just a joke, after all, Nyssa had done so much for him, ever since she had sworn to follow him. From sailing in his name, to fooling idiots into selling their ships cheaper or even getting better prices in Westeros or Braavos, she done all.
Two days later, they made it out of the Gulf of Grief and were now in the bay, heading right for Astapor. Surprisingly enough, there was little to no pirate activity, which considering what he had experience and heard, was strange, not that anyone would complain about not having to fight for their lives.
As their ship slowly approached the dock of Astapor, Konrad's anxiety grew with each passing minute. What if the Good Masters saw through their disguise? What if they were walking into a trap? Despite the meticulous planning and the experienced men at his side, those thoughts were eating him alive.
Even though almost all of the men noticed that their lord was starting to lose sleep, none of them knew what they could do to ease their lord's mind, and so, being voted in unanimity by everyone, Brother Osmund was the one who had to go to Lady Nyssa and ask for her help, after all, she was probably the only person on the ship, Konrad would listen to. Once heard what the poor knight had to say, Nyssa didn't waste and second and left her cabin heading right towards the prow where Konrad usually spent his time watching the sea. As she stepped closer, the young lord turned his head towards her and gave her a force smile before turning his attention back towards the sea. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around him in a gentle embrace.
In Westeros, such a gesture would have been frown upon, after all it wasn't proper for a lady to do show such an intimate action with her lord in public, but here, far from home, it was exactly what the one and ten name days boy needed.
"It's going to be alright, my lord," Nyssa murmured softly. " I understand why you are worrying so much, but believe me, my lord, if the slavers had even a hint that something was amiss, we wouldn't have made it halfway to the docks. They'd have attacked us long before now."
Konrad nodded slowly, taking in her words. She was right. The fact that they were still sailing calmly towards the docks meant that, for now at least, their ruse was working. It might have been foolish of him to worry about this, but at the same time, the lives of so many people were in his hands, and that wasn't a easy burden for him.
"Thank you, my lady," he whispered, allowing her to tighten her embrace before gently freeing himself from her arms. "You have no idea how much I needed that."
She smiled in response. "Always a pleasure, my lord. I might be your Captain, but I swore an oath to himself, and I plan on keeping my word until the day I die."
After that incident was resolved and Konrad finally managed to relax somewhat, Konrad called Brodin to talk about their plan.
"My lord," he greeted the young lord. "The Good Masters will be curious, but we have our story, and we've prepared well. I'm far from being a perfect diplomat or one at all, but from what I've seen, confidence is key. If we act like we are rich, don't care about how much he throws away, then I'm certain those monsters would be more than happy to do business with us."
"How many men do you reckon we should take when we meet them?"
"Not too many since that would look disrespectful, but not too few either as we don't want to look poor, so I suggest around ten men beside me and Osmund."
Konrad nodded thoughtfully. This plan was still incredibly risky, but they were now committed to it. The only thing left was for the fleet to reach the cove and for them to prepare. Osmund would act as the rich and overly friendly merchant, Konrad would be his son, while Brodin and the other knights would act as the sellswords defending the merchant and his son.
Once their ship docked, the group wasted no time and went right towards the dockmaster, who was the only one in the port who could allow them to get into the city. While, hopefully, the rest of their fleet continued their journey and would reach their destination in a couple of days,
As the group approached the only big building in the port, where the dockmaster was spending his day, the knights, dressed as common soldiers, took their place at the back. Meanwhile Osmund Konrad dressed themselves with their finest garments, thought, due to his "illness", Konrad had to hide his face, thought chances are that the Good master don't even know how he look, but it was better to be prepared for anything. As Konrad was tying his sword around his waist, he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.
"We are ready, my lord," Osmund said, and with a nod, the young lord ordered his men to move out.
When they were almost at the entrance, a group of Unsullied, accompanied by one fat richly clad slaver, came to greet them.
"Greetings, foreigners," The man said in a somewhat broken common tongue, looking down on them. "How may I help you today?"
"Hello, friends," Osmund said in a friendly tone. "I'm a merchant from the west, and I was hoping that your master would be interested in making a trade."
"A trade? Well, what do you have to offer, and what do you want?"
"What do I want? Well, the answer is pretty simple. What I want, are your Unsullied."
"The Unsullied?" The fat dockmaster blinked in surprised, not expecting such a straightforward response from a Westerosi merchant, and when Osmund nodded, the man laughed. "Why would a foreigner want these soldiers? Aren't your sellswords enough for your troubles?"
"Oh, but these bastards could leave me if the pay isn't good enough for their sorry asses," Osmun answered, shrugging. "And I don't care that much about them to pay them a fortune to keep them with me forever. Especially when, my gold could be used tong my hands on those famed loyal soldiers of yours."
"You want a lot of them, or just a few?".
"Let's say that I would like a lot. Say... all of them."
"All of them?" The dockmaster snorted. "We might have enough for you, but we would like to know what you have to offer in return. Mind you, Westerosi, the Unsullied are not cheap."
Acting like a proper noble from King's Landing, Osmund waved his hand dismissively. "I have enough precious gems and jewelry, and I can get more. Besides, money is not a problem for me."
"That's true, but let me remind you, we don't sell our goods to anyone without proof of having what they say they would pay with."
The moment he heard the dockmaster's words, Osmund turned towards two of the knights in disguise and nodded at them. The two men stepped forward, carrying a rather large chest between them. The chest, ornately decorated and reinforced with iron bands, made specially to look like it was expensive even before it was opened. When they set it down and unlatched the heavy lid, the dockmaster stared at its contents with his eyes wide open. After all, he didn't expect the chest to be filled to the brim with precious gems and expensive jewelry, the kind that would make many a noble lady swoon and offer her undivided attention in exchange for just a single piece.
"Is this sufficient proof for you?" Osmund asked with a smile on his face, almost as if he was expecting this kind of reaction from the man.
The dockmaster, still staring at the chest, nodded slowly. "Yes, yes, this is... most impressive," he stammered, barely able to tear his eyes away from the jewels. "This would indeed suffice."
"Good," Osmund replied, closing the chest. "Then take us to your master. We have much to discuss."
The dockmaster hesitated for a moment, as if he was still unsure whether he should leave the treasure unattended. But a quick glance at the unsullied standing nearby reassured him and he waved a hand towards the entrance of the building.
"Follow me, I will take you to the Good Master. But be aware, he will expect a... better demonstration of your seriousness than this."
Once again, Osmund smiled before pointing towards another group a little bit behind them carrying a few more chests towards the place they were. "Lead the way, my good man."
After a half hour or so, they found themselves before what Konrad could only describe as an open throne room for who he presumed would be the "Master" of this city guarded by the Unsullied. Once the guards saw their comrades, they immediately lowered their spears, and the dockmaster ordered them to announce his presence to the master. After a few minutes, another group of slave warriors followed a girl, no older than Konrad and judging by the fact that she was wearing a collar around her neck, she too, was a slave just like the Unsullied.
"Greetings, sir. I have been sent here on behalf of Good Master Krazyns mo Nakloz about your desire of getting the Unsullied. I am here to escort you to him."
Fearing that too many people might make the Good Master even more volatile than he was, Osmund wasn't exactly keen on letting his lord follow him, but Konrad walked before he could react, and so he could only follow, after all he didn't draw too much attention and send the wrong message to the Master. Both were armed with a sword for Osmund and a dagger for Konrad, thought in all honesty that wouldn't do much against the Unsullied if things go bad. With that in mind, the two of them were escorted through the city and over to the training areas where they met with Master Krazyns mo Nakloz, master and owner of the Unsullied.
"Allow me to introduce Master Kraznys mo Nakloz, one of the Good Masters of Astapor. "
Looking at the bald bastard, it was clear as day that the man was not even close to being a good master, then again maybe the name was ironically chosen for that reason.
"So, that idiot was right," Kraznys mo Nakloz sneered in low Valyrian. " A pity, I was going to have him killed if he was wrong. After all, it's not every day we find one of you Westerosi filth this far east. You must have grown tired of all your knightly and noble life to come to Astapor. Well, how am I to refuse some dumb dogs coming to beg?"
Kraznys' eyes gleamed with a predatory satisfaction as he glanced down at the group and the only thing in his eyes was pure distain for the "father and son" duo. The girl at his side, tasked with translating his words, paused for a moment. She took a deep breath, looking quite scared, before she began to translate into the Common Tongue. Her version, however, was significantly more polite than what her master just told them.
"The master welcomes you to Astapor, and hopes that your journey was pleasant and that you find what you are looking for in our city."
Hiding behind his veil, Konrad smiled, clearly amused by the girl's sanitization of her master words. Surprisingly enough, those people were talking in what Konrad could only describe a bastardized Latin.
Meanwhile the good master leaned back in his chair, watching the reactions of the Westerosi with a twisted grin, enjoying the power he wielded over them in this moment. His gaze shifted back to the chest of jewels, and his sneer softened slightly, replaced by a calculating look.
"Tell your master that our journey was indeed pleasant," Osmund replied, maintaining his act of a friendly rich merchant. "And we look forward to discussing our trade further."
The girl nodded and relayed Osmund's words back to Kraznys in low Valyrian. As she did, Konrad, still hidden behind his veil, watched the exchange with sharp eyes, his hand never straying far from his sword. The tension in the room was palpable, but Osmund stood firm, ready to face whatever insults or challenges the slaver might throw their way.
"Good. Keep up the pace, bitch. The sooner we show this idiot the Unsullied the sooner I get paid. I'd rather be anywhere else than in the presence of those dogs." The good master lashed at her, grabbing his gold Harpy whip before getting up from his throne and walking towards another part of the city.
Seeing that the master didn't even regard them, Konrad and Osmund followed the girl as they caught up with the master. As they walked towards the training area, Kraznys barked an order to the slave girl in low Valyrian, who then turned to Osmund. "The master wishes to know what you plan to do with the Unsullied once you have them," she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Osmund paused, his brow furrowing briefly, caught by surprise by this sudden question. But then, a slow smile spread across his face. "My trading ships and home need loyal men for protection, as you know, The Seven Kingdoms are not exactly safe, especially the waters near the Iron Islands," he said smoothly, lying so good that even Konrad could swear Osmund was sincere. "What better tools to use than the famous Unsullied?"
After hearing his words, the girl turned towards her master and quickly translated Osmund's answer which in turn made Kraznys laugh for some bizarre reason. "A wise choice, for a Westerosi."
Osmund's expression remained calm, but his hand twitched ever so slightly towards the hilt of his sword. Konrad, noticing the movement, shook his head ever so slightly making the young knight to relax a bit, moving his hand away from the hilt. They continued walking, and this time thought, without the good master feeling like making fun of them, which was a welcome change for both "father and son". The streets of Astapor were lined with slave warriors and common folk, who watched the small procession with wary eyes.
As they approached the training grounds, the clatter of weapons and the bark of commands grew louder. Rows and rows of Unsullied stood in perfect formation, their faces showing no emotion, as for their eyes… their eyes empty. Once they stopped, Kraznys gestured towards them with a wave of his hand.
"Behold, the Unsullied. The finest warriors in all of Slaver's Bay."
Osmund nodded appreciatively. "Impressive specimens as well as disciplined. Tell me of their training."
"The merchant is impressed but has not praised them yet to keep the price down. He wishes to know how they are trained." She told her master, who look uncomfortable being in the heat.
"Tell him what he needs to know and be quick about it. The day is hot and I don't have time to grace all dogs with my presence."
Doing as she was ordered the girl started. "They begin their training when they are five name days. Every day they drill from dawn to dusk until they have mastered the short sword, the shield and the three spears. Only the best of the best are here, and by that I mean that only one boy in four survives this kind of training. Their discipline and loyalty is engraved in their flesh and above all, these men fear nothing."
"My father told me that even the bravest man fears death. The dragons proved that." Konrad spoken out of nowhere surprising both Osmund and the slave girl.
Turning her head towards her master, the girl hesitated for a second if she should translate or not, before deciding to translate, fearing that the master might punish her. "The merchant's son says even brave men fear death and that the dragons proved that."
"Ha, tell the boy he smells of piss. Dragons died long before his father fucked his whore of a mother!"
Looking at her master, the girl felt that it wouldn't end well if she translate those words, and so she decided to do something else.
"My master says to tell you that the Unsullied are not men. Death and bones means nothing to them."
Maybe it was boredom or maybe it was the heat, but the good master started to get bored and so, he grabbed the girl's hair and force her to look at the merchant and his son. "Tell this filthy bastard to open his eyes and watch what perfection looks like." Kraznys barked before walking over to one of the Unsullied.
"My master begs you watch this carefully, he would prove his words." She told them just as Krazyns ordered one of the Unsullied to step forward and took the warrior's knife.
Seeing what the man was going to do, Konrad reached for his dagger, but before he could do something, Osmund quickly shouted at the girl. "Tell the Good Master there is no need for this, I don't a demonstration to feel like buying them. I was already ready to do it even without it."
"My master points out that men don't need nipples." She said as the Unsullied got back into position like nothing was wrong and didn't even mutter a tiny whisper of pain after the good master cut off his nipple. "To win his shield, an Unsullied must go to the slave market with a silver mark, find a newborn…and kill it before its mother's eyes. This way, my master says it would make them remove any weakness that might have been left in them over the years of training."
Upon hearing and seeing that, Osmund clenched his jaw, trying to maintain a neutral expression, not wanting to compromise his disguise when they were so close on getting their hands on those unsullied. The Good Master's casual cruelty, the detached way he described the horrific deeds these soldiers were forced to commit, made his skin crawl. He swallowed hard, taking a moment to steady himself.
"Very impressive," Osmund said dryly, forcing a smile. "Now, let's discuss the numbers. How many Unsullied do you have for sale?"
Kraznys mo Nakloz's face twisted in irritation after the slave girl translated. "Only four thousand left, you insufferable Westerosi," he spat out in low Valyrian.
The slave girl translated, thought she did leave a few words out. "The master says there are four thousand Unsullied available for purchase."
Osmund nodded in response. "Four thousand will suffice," he said, glancing briefly at Konrad before turning his attention back to Kraznys. "I'll take all of them."
When the girl translated Osmund's words, Kraznys burst into laughter and after a short while he barked a command at the slave girl, who hesitated before translating.
"The master says that, that was a good joke. Now, please be serious about the quantity."
Osmund's eyes narrowed. "I want all four thousand. Tell your master that I have enough gold, jewelry, and precious gems to trade. A cart with all the chests waits at the dock. Once the transaction is finished, it will be yours."
Kraznys's laughter ceased when he heard what his slave said, clearly not expecting the Westerosi to have brought so much gold with him, then again, in his mind those people were dumb enough to carry a fortune with them.
"The master says he will like to inspect the payment before agreeing."
Almost as if they were expecting it, one of the Unsullied left to bring the cart. Within minutes, Osmund's men arrived at the training grounds, pulling the heavy cart behind them. Kraznys barked another order, and the Unsullied opened the chests, revealing the treasures within. As soon as he caught sight of what was in those chests, Kraznys's eyes widened and a smile appeared across his face.
Konrad stepped forward. "What about the girl? Could she be a bonus to the transaction?"
Upon hearing Konrad's words, the girl froze for a second and only when she heard the good master shouting at her did, she translated what the boy just said.
Kraznys considered for a moment, then nodded. "The bitch is yours."
"The master agrees," the girl translated, and for the first time since he saw her, Konrad noticed a spark of hope in her eyes, one that wasn't there prior to his question.
Osmund's tension eased slightly, after he heard the good master agreeing, and so did the rest of the men. "Very well. Let's finalize this deal."
While Osmund walked towards the good master to finalize the transaction, Konrad looked at the girl who stood beside him.
"Do you have a name?" He asked his new companion.
"This one is named Missandei, master." Missandei introduced herself, still unsure of what role she would have in the future.
Even thought he would have loved to get to know her more, Konrad turned his attention towards Osmund and Kraznys. Thankfully when he looked at the two, Kraznys just handed Osmund the whip.
"Will they obey me now?" Osmund asked Missandei who quickly translated to her ex-master.
"They would listen to the dog. He holds the whip." Kraznys spoke with such a tone that it was clear he didn't want spend even a second longer in Osmund's presence.
"They are yours to command now. The one who holds the whip, commands them."
Hearing her words, Osmund gave the bald bastard one last look before he walked until he was in front of Konrad, before giving him the whip. Right after Osmund gave him the whip, Konrad turned and looked at the four thousand men he just bought, all that while the good master was drooling at his new riches.
"Unsullied!" Konrad shouted in Valyrian or as he known it, Latin, earning himself a shocked look from Missandei, after all she didn't expect the son of the merchant to spoke this language , no from what she had just saw, the boy wasn't the son of that man who said was a merchant. While the young girl was trying to figure out what was going on, the unsullied snapped to attention, all looking at their new master. Same thing happened to the men that brought the chests to the training grounds, all were looking at their lord awaiting their command.
"Forward!" Almost like a well-oiled machine, the unsullied moved forward a few steps.
"Halt!" Konrad shouted his command and the unsullied executed. One of Kraznys's men was about to drag one of the chests of the cart when a sword pierced his neck, killing the man on the stop.
Maybe it was fear or maybe the Kraznys had a really good reaction, but right when the knight in disgused killed the slaver, Kraznys yelled out at his men. "Bastards! Those bastards are trying to kill me! Protect me, you worthless worms!"
Kraznys kept shouting while Konrad smirked under his veil before turning to face the good master. "Now, my good master, you just learned the first rule of dealing with the enemy: never trust them. I didn't trusted you even one bit, but you… you did."
He spoke in Latin shocking Kraznys who quickly reacted. "You speak Valyrian?"
Rather than humoring the soon-to-be dead man, Konrad turned towards his new army.
"Unsullied! Slay the Masters, slay the soldiers, slay every man who holds a whip, but harm no woman or child or anyone who surrenders. Strike the chains off every slave you see! Today we free Astapor! Forward!"
Before the good master could react(A/N: Poor guy, he was frozen in shock, anyways…), Konrad drew his dagger and cut the man's neck, leaving the bastard to drown in his own blood, while he commanded his men to open the gates, after all, today… today, Astapor would have a new ruler.
(A/N: I think this is the longest chapter or second longest chapter written so far - 4854 words)ided to do something.