Lagsan was sitting on a small stool just outside his tent. The sun had already set on the horizon, and darkness had already taken over. A small fire was burning near Lagsan's feet. Despite it being summer, the temperature used to plunge in the desert in the night and the fire was comforting for him. Lagsan was swirling a wine glass in his hands. Unlike the other Unsullied commanders, who had impeccable control over their habits, Lagsan was not vice free and wine was one of those vices.
The valley they were camping in was a narrow one, with only a single path leading inside. And even that path was not an easy one. Lagsan had no worries that someone would intrude into their temporary domain. Even so, scouts had been stationed to detect any spy, traveller, or bandit approaching their way.
Lagsan had just raised his glass and was about to take another sip when one of those scouts came running toward him.
"Commander Lagsan," the soldier said breathlessly. "They are here."
A sharp glint flashed in Lagsan's eyes as he quickly stood from his seat. The soldier immediately turned to lead the way, and Lagsan hurried after him.
Lagsan arrived just in time at the entrance of the valley to see around fifty men on horseback. They were standing silently behind the defensive formation line of Lagsan's men.
They were dressed in dark colored robes, but what immediately caught attention was their golden armor. Their attire alone was enough to reveal their identity. The Golden Company. These were soldiers of the famed sellsword company.
Lagsan squinted as he studied them. Even now, he could hardly believe he was actually going through with this absurd plan of Lord Aeos. And yet, despite how unbelievable it was, he felt fairly confident he could pull it off. He was confident.
He stepped forward as the man leading the Golden Company contingent dismounted his horse.
"Commander Lagsan," the man greeted with a polite bow. He had never seen the commander before, but he knew who would be leading this mission. He had been informed and briefed about this.
Lagsan gave a small nod and extended his hand. The man understood the gesture. It was not for shaking hands but something else.
The mercenary reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a folded parchment, handing it over to Lagsan. This parchment served as proof that he was indeed the person Lagsan was expecting.
Although arriving at this hidden location, known only to a handful of people, was proof enough that he was not an impostor, Lagsan could not afford to be careless.
He unfurled the parchment, and a look of relief crossed his face. The code was exactly correct, what it should have been and Lagsan even recognized the handwriting.
Although the message was written in Lord Aeos' name, it was not Lord Aeos who drafted it. It was Missandei, the girl who knew more than a dozen languages. She had a unique writing style, and Lagsan could recognize it anywhere.
Lagsan finally nodded as his men stepped aside, allowing the mercenaries to enter the camp.
As Lagsan led these men, his mind could not help but wonder how deep Lord Aeos' plan truly went. It was utterly beyond him to comprehend how Lord Aeos thought of these plans.
The men following behind him were mercenaries working for the Golden Company. But they had another identity, their original identity. They were spies of Lord Aeos, planted inside the Golden Company long before he had even captured Meereen and Yunkai.
In total, Lord Aeos had embedded two hundred spies within the Golden Company. Apart from the forty six men walking behind him, there were one hundred fifty four more hidden among the alive ten thousand strong Golden Company force currently wandering somewhere near Meereen.
When Lord Aeos had planted these men inside the Golden Company, he had not crafted a specific plan for them. It had just been a random plan but a great one.
Having two hundred spies in the most powerful mercenary group in all of Essos was bound to become useful sooner or later. And now it was proving useful, far more than even Lord Aeos might have anticipated and definitely not in this manner. Or perhaps he had anticipated it. At times, Lagsan truly felt as though Lord Aeos could see the future.
These forty six men had been ordered to escape from their company. And when their leader, Ser Harry Strickland, had gone for his meeting with Lord Aeos, this group slipped out of the camp. Their absence might have been noticed or would certainly have been noticed by their squad leaders till the morning but then the war had erupted, and it no longer mattered.
Lagsan continued moving until he arrived at the center of the camp. A small rock, almost six feet high, stood there.
Lagsan climbed onto the rock. Before he began speaking, he gave a small nod to one of his subordinates. The subordinate nodded back in acknowledgment and immediately rushed off to carry out his commander's orders.
Meanwhile, the commander of the battalion standing on the rock had already drawn the attention of every soldier. And the mercenaries behind him dressed in the uniform of Golden Company had even more of their attention.
But Lagsan did not speak immediately. He continued to wait.
A few moments later, the man Lagsan had nodded to, returned with several others behind him. These men were holding the reins of horses, and tied to each horse was a wooden carriage. Ten such carriages were brought into the center of the camp.
The soldiers looked on with curiosity. These carriages had travelled with them ever since they departed from Meereen, yet until now no one knew what they contained. They were aware that their mission was different from the forces marching toward the Free Cities, but they had not been told the specifics. It seemed they would learn the details today.
"Our plan begins tomorrow morning," Lagsan boomed, his voice echoing through the valley. "In a short while, your company commanders will brief you about the specifics of the plan."
"But before that," he said, gesturing to his subordinate. The subordinate moved and pulled the bolt of the nearest carriage.
As soon as one side of the carriage opened, some of its contents, disordered by the long journey, spilled out onto the ground.
The soldiers' eyes widened in mild surprise. What had spilled out were robes and pieces of armour. And these robes and armour were exactly identical to what the mercenaries of the Golden Company wore.
"Change your clothes and dress in these," Lagsan ordered.
Immediately, the company commanders began guiding their men into lines so they could collect their uniform sets. The soldiers were still in confusion but thanks to the discipline that had been drilled into them, they immediately obeyed orders. Very soon, they would learn of the plan.
Lagsan remained standing on the rock, a calm expression on his face.
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