Jon and his entourage of one hundred one subordinates, which included Melisandre and the one hundred Supreme Shadows led by Grey Worm, had been on the road for a few days, and it had been an interesting journey so far.
Since they were all traveling on horseback and in a small group, their speed would be faster compared to the army that had been on constant march. They would be covering the same distance that their army had covered in one third time. This group would be joining their army before the final phase of the campaign. That is before they would launch their invasion against the free cities.
Because Lord Aeos' departure from Meereen had met with such fanfare and glorious display of his popularity, the entire world was aware of his movements.
Consequently, more than two dozen spies had begun trailing them from the moment they left the city gates. They were trying to follow him from a very safe distance.
It had not taken Jon even half a day to discover them, thanks to his warging powers. By using birds to gain a 'bird's-eye view' of the terrain, it was easy for him to spot the excellent and genius scouts who were trying to maintain a safe distance. It took him only another half day to eliminate them all.
Once free of prying eyes, Jon Snow abandoned the main path and wandered into the wilderness of Essos. He did not want to deal with the regular occurrence of encountering people who would recognise him easily on the road. And then it would again cause more spies to look out for him and then more hassle.
Now, it would be almost impossible for anyone to locate him. He did not quite understand what the spies hoped to achieve by trailing him. Even if they had been successful in following him, what benefit would it have brought?
It was not as if he were traveling to a hidden or a very secretive destination. Everyone knew he was going to join his advancing army.
Perhaps, had they known his exact location, the Magisters might have been able to lay an ambush for him. But then again how many men were they able to send? One thousand men against his one hundred odd? It would be a crushing victory but not for the thousand men but for the hundred men group. Such was the power of Lord Aeos.
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After traveling at a snail's pace for weeks, the army of Lord Aeos, led by General Sylvia, was finally getting closer to its destination. Forty thousand men on land, and more than ten thousand in the navy. That was the force marching towards the free cities. If these men marched in perfect synchronisation, the earth trembled from their sheer impact.
It would not be long before Lord Aeos himself would be joining the campaign, and at the thought of his impending arrival, Sylvia felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was confident in her abilities, and the strategies that had been set up by Lord Aeos were not something the Magisters would be expecting. Unless she committed a blunder, victory was almost certain.
Even so, this would be the first time Sylvia would be leading an army into battle and that too such a large army in such an enormous campaign. Naturally, that made her nervous and fidgety. Despite all her confidence, there was a lingering anxiety in her gut.
But now that Lord Aeos was arriving, she felt her tension begin to ease. Even when he arrived, not much would really change. It would still be she who would continue to lead the army. He would not really interfere in the chain of command. She would still be the general of the forces.
She had seen it during the capture of Meereen. Despite his presence, he had hardly made his influence known on the field. Apart from broad strategic decisions, all tactical military decisions had been made by Commander Asmund, the man who had been leading that campaign.
But Lord Aeos' mere presence would make things easier. Even if he did not interfere, he would be there to oversee it all. It gave her confidence. If she made any mistake, Lord Aeos would be there to stop her.
Sylvia was riding her horse at a slow pace. The entire army was marching in a crisp, disciplined, and organized manner. There was a massive circular formation made of cavalry which formed the perimeter of the army, and inside this formation, the rest of the troops marched.
Even when they camped, the perimeter was maintained. Horses and empty storage wagons were organized to form this perimeter during rest. Apart from this, there were two dozen squads of ten men each, the scouts who kept an eye in all four directions for a couple of kilometers.
With all these arrangements, it was almost impossible for any spy to get close to their main army. It was not that they actually feared an ambush or any sudden attack; it was almost impossible to believe that someone would actually think to launch an attack on an army this massive.
But Jon had wanted them to follow all protocols and strategies. Just because they appeared powerful and probably invincible, they could not give up on their safety measures.
Riding on another horse next to Sylvia was Jelerion. Jelerion had once been a bright star at Lord Aeos' side.
Sylvia knew that she had once Lord Aeos had even considered for her to receive one of his blood essences, and she might have gotten it after the Meereen campaign. But then Lady Rhaenys and Lady Melisandre arrived, and those two essences were taken. Now only two remained, and it seemed to Sylvia that Lord Aeos already had someone in mind for them. She did not really seem to have any more chances.
This did not mean that Jelerion had suffered a loss, however. She had once been a mere slave in Astapor and on the verge of being turned into a personal prostitute for one of the Good Masters.
From there, she had risen to become one of the most influential figures in Lord Aeos' empire.
Officially, she held the post of personal assistant to the General, and as Slyvia's right hand woman, she was incredibly influential. Jelerion's words carried a lot of weight, and she was immensely respected.
She did not have the advantage of the blood essence, but this did not mean she was a slouch in swordplay. For the last two years, she had given her all in training and had made rapid improvements. Sylvia had no hesitation in admitting that if she herself had not received the blood essence, Jelerion would surely be the better warrior.
The loud blare of a horn snapped Sylvia's attention as she looked ahead. It was the signal for today's journey to come to a halt. Slowly, but in a very efficient manner, the men came to a stop, and Sylvia dismounted from her horse with Jelerion following close behind her.
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