From Westeros to Essos : The Crusader King

When her love told her what the triarch wanted to discuss with them about, she couldn't believe her ears. Yes, Konrad Arryn was to be the future lord of the Vale and the Lord Paramount of it, but for him to be betrothed to a Volantene girl… seven hells his old father would never approve of this.

But if what Oberyn had said was true, then this betrothal between them might turn the Vale into one of the most powerful kingdoms to exist. Volantis, despite all the slaves that lived in the city, was one of the most populated free cities in Essos, and with came the biggest army that could armed to fight.

Just thinking about the sheer power, the sweet little lord could gain from his engagement with the Triarch's daughter, made Ellaria shiver. Prince Doran, while caring for his family, was in her eyes, too stubborn to realize that a Targaryen on the throne, nevertheless a Martell one, would never be allowed to rule for long.

Almost as if he felt her worry, Oberyn who was sleeping beside her woke and hugged her, bringing her closer to him.

"What makes my love so worried early in the morning?"

"Prince Doran."

Oberyn smiled and kissed her neck softly. "Prince Doran? Are you dreaming of my brother, my love? Do you prefer his gouty feet to my strong arms?" He teased, nibbling her ear.

Ellaria rolled her eyes and pushed him away gently. "Don't be silly, Oberyn. You know I only have eyes for you. But I'm worried about how he will react when we tell him about what happened yesterday."

"Yesterday? Oh, you mean the triarch's plan. He's the one who wants to marry his daughter to the young lord of the Vale. My love, if I remember correctly my brother only wanted me to meet the young lord not to control him, not that I think I would have ever been able to." Oberyn said, sitting up and reaching for a cup of wine.

"Yes, but you're one of the men who agreed to it. You're the one who told Tyrek that it's a good idea. You and I, both know that your brother would not take kindly when he learns about this betrothal between someone whom he considers an enemy." Ellaria said, following his example and taking a sip of wine.

"That my dear, is true. But as we both know, we are nothing more than acquaintances with the young lord and his men. Besides, I highly doubt, the Lannister would take it kindly if I were to try swaying the little falcon into a pawn for my brother's plans. Doran might be my brother, but as I said many a time in the past, his mind remained on a fool's errand. The Iron Throne would never have another pure-blood Targaryen sitting on it, at least without all of the seven kingdoms bleeding themselves to extinction."

"You think so?"

"I love my niece as much as I love all of my daughters, but I'd rather gut myself than have her suffer the same fate the She-Wolf suffered at the hands of that crazy bastard. The reach would side with us, some of the sea lords, and what remained of the loyalists. But that's all against the rest of the kingdoms, other than the bloody krakens. We won't win this war."

Hearing what her lover said, Ellaria chose to keep her mouth shut and forget about this whole ordeal, as her love was right, they were nothing more than acquaintances with the young lord and what he did was not their problem to deal with.

While the Red Viper was burying himself in the Sand, the young falcon was looking with a murderous glare at the man who raised him ever since he was forced to flee his home.

Despite seeing the blonde knight as a fatherly figure, Konrad could not believe that the man dared to agree to a betrothal between him and some volantene girl he had never seen or met. Now, while he had no problem being forced into such a betrothal, as rarely one marries due to love, the least his father in all but blood could have talked to him before agreeing to this.

As for the girl… God almighty, she was just one name day older than him. If he was furious and didn't know what to do, how would the girl react when her father would inevitably announce her betrothal to him?

Letting out a sigh, Konrad got up from his desk and walked towards the window of the mansion, they had bought in Volantis, courtesy of the triarch who was going to be his goodfather. The man was more than happy with this betrothal, especially as it would help him trade with the Vale and the rest of Westeros more easily than it is now. While Konrad was in no way able to aid the man directly in his quest of becoming the sole ruler of Volantis, their raids against the slaver had reduced to a rather noticeable degree the influence of the other two triarchs in the city.

Trying to ignore these thoughts, for now, Konrad looked towards the docks. His uncle had succeeded in getting his hands on the man who had forced them to flee The Eyree. Petyr Baelish, known as Littlefinger would soon, in less than a week be brought here by Bronn and Nyssa and with that, would end the endless assassins coming after his head.

For now, though, he would have to live knowing that he is betrothed to a girl, one that he plans to meet today, after all, if they are to marry, the least he could do is to know her.

Taking one last look at his small sword, Konrad left his room. Despite the pain still being there, the young lord was more than able to walk by himself and while he could not hold a sword for some time, both Tyrek and Gendel made sure that their lord was always protected by at least two good and loyal men, which means that most of the times, those men were brothers of the order Konrad created. Even though their numbers had fallen thanks to the battle that they fought a few days ago, most of the knights still lived, which was more than the young lord could have hoped for.

Once outside, he decided to head towards the less fortunate part of the city where the daughter of the triarch was supposed to help the people alongside some of the women and men that had converted to Christianity. Speaking of his faith, only God knows just how hard it was to break the fire worshipers' influence on the poor people and slaves of Volantis, but once the first Teutonic knight made his way into the slums, the Temple of R'hllor lost their complete control over the people. Konrad smirked to himself as he thought about how many supplies and able-bodied men the fire worshipers must have lost, especially after attacking the very same people who were fighting against slavery and not demanding anything for the people who followed their faith.

By the time he arrived at the small building that was used as a place to treat the wounded and sick, Konrad was already being followed by a small army of men, women, and children of all ages thanking him and his people for helping them, the smallfolk of Volantis.

Even though his objective was never to force his faith onto others, the people, especially those who were followers of Christianity had found out that every week when they would pray, their bodies would heal by a small amount, something that not even Konrad could explain. But one thing was for sure, this miracle had saved the lives of many, be it from sickness or from wounds that would have otherwise claimed their lives.

Accepting the gratitude of another woman who had come to him and thanked him, Konrad walked inside what he calls a hospital or at least the beginning of one. The faithful didn't dare to disturb the peace inside and so they left, making Konrad let out a sigh of relief. Once inside he was greeted by what one could only describe as a scene of suffering and compassion. The hospital while not large, has quite a few rows of wooden beds covered with straw mattresses and linen sheets. The beds were separated by curtains to provide some privacy for the patients, but the air… the air was filled with the smell of herbs, incense, and blood.

It was not a pretty sight, but for these people, what his people are doing, is more than anyone had ever done to them in their entire lives. Many of them would want to learn from the women and men of the faith how to take care of their people to repay their debts.

Walking further into the hospital, Konrad stopped right behind a small girl with long black hair wearing some rather rarely seen tunics on a girl, helping one of the older women tend to a sick girl. Judging by what he heard from Tyrek about his betrothed looks, the girl did resemble her description, but until he asked her name he would not jump to conclusions.

After a minute of standing there observing them, the girl noticed Konrad and to his surprise, she decided to approach him. As soon as he saw her coming towards him, Konrad didn't know what to do. After all, most of his interactions were with men and boys or women, and rarely did he talk with a girl of his age. But to his surprise, the girl was equally uneasy as she too didn't know how to talk with him, almost as if she … that's when he realized that she too knew that they had been betrothed. When Konrad looked at her, he saw it in her eyes, a mixture of curiosity, nervousness, and fear, something that he too felt at that moment.

Thankfully, Lady Nyssa's lessons did wonders as he quickly recovered and introduced himself, praying to God that it would be enough to dissolve the awkwardness between them.

"Hello, my lady. I am Konrad Arryn." He bowed respectfully, with a smile on his face, though his pale skin, white hair, and red hair might have worked against him as the girl flinched slightly.

However, even thought his looks might have spooked her, she quickly hid it, before introducing herself.

"Hello, my lord. I am Talisa Maegyr."

"My lady, if I might be so bold to ask, how come someone like you is here helping the smallfolk and the slaves?"

"Does this bother you?" She glared at him before quickly adding, "My lord."

"I think you misunderstood my reason for asking that question, my lady. I'm not bothered, by God, I'm genuinely curious why would someone whose father is one of the rulers of this city, here, in the poorest place in Volantis, help the wounded and the sick."

When she heard Konrad's words, Talisa froze for a second before a sad expression appeared on her face.

"My mother… she loved helping people, and despite knowing that my father was in a way forced to deal with slavery, she did everything in her power to assure that the slaves our family had were better treated, taken care of, and fed. Every week she would buy food, clothes, and medicine and go to this area, giving away what she could, helping tens of people live a slightly better day in their lives. After my mother died, giving birth to my younger brother… I… I wanted to continue what she started, but now that…"

Before she could continue, Konrad completed her sentence. "Your father betrothed you me, you fear that no one would help these people."

Rather than saying anything, Talisa closed her eyes for a second, before looking right into Konrad's red eyes. "I always knew I would have to marry, and I wouldn't have a problem with it, but as you can see, both of us are too young to even think about marriages. I don't know why my father wants me betrothed to you so early in our lives, but I'm more than sure that your father, might not agree with this betrothal between us."

She was not wrong, thought Konrad, but he had to admit that he didn't know all that much about his father. Jon Arryn was just a fading memory in the young lord's mind, but from what both Tyrek and Andar told him, Jon would in the end understand that this betrothal between his heir and a Volantene girl could become the beginning of a long and lasting trade partnership between Volantis and The Vale.

"Well, my lady, we would have to wait and see."

"That we do, Lord Konrad, that we do. It was a pleasure meeting you and talking with you today, but unfortunately, there is too much that needs to be done around here. Please excuse me, but don't worry, my lord, we shall speak again, mayhaps on the morrow?"

"That would be lovely, my lady."

< Just change "3" with "e" Patr3on Link : https://patr3on.com/meatbunkun>