Chapter 55 - Reaction from All Parties (V)

"Why did the gods make incestuous creatures so beautiful and me a monster in the eyes of men?" Tyrion Lannister thought as he surveyed the beauty of House Targaryen.

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As the giant titan of Braavos drew closer and closer, Tyrion felt even more insignificant than he usually did in his daily life.

(Note: I had to make that joke, I couldn't help myself...)

Tyrion looked around at the ship he was on, since he was representing a king, of course the ship couldn't look sloppy, and he was traveling on a new ship that had never touched the sea. Oddly enough, the name of the ship was The Princess Purity.

"She's no longer a virgin." Tyrion joked in an amused tone, thinking of the ship's name. But as he looked at the guards following him, he couldn't help but sigh. They were only young and immature, they had probably never seen blood in their lives.

The little Lannister lion could imagine that these young men wouldn't last more than a few minutes in battle against experienced warriors.

Each young knight had an arrogant expression on his face as he looked around, trying to appear calm in the face of the majestic and magnificent city that was approaching.

But as the city drew closer, Tyrion felt as if he were approaching a giant monster, ready to devour him at any moment.

 If he wasn't careful, this city could be his grave, something his father had hoped would happen as he died with honor in the service of the realm, finally becoming worthy in the eyes of all and no longer a stain on the glorious reputation of House Lannister.

"May the Seven help me, I still want to go back to King's Landing and visit all the brothels in that stinking city one more time in my life." Tyrion muttered to himself, preferring to be in the warm, soft arms of the whores of King's Landing than in this city that could become his tomb.

With a sigh, Tyrion watched the ship dock at the port of Chequy, where the customs officers were ready to inspect the ship on the orders of the Sea Lord of Braavos.

To the people, the Titan of Braavos was magnificent, but to Tyrion, the Arsenal of Braavos was the true wonder of this wonderful city. The armory could build a war galley in a single day, a true feat of Braavos craftsmanship.

Tyrion straightened his golden robes and flashed the most beautiful smile he possessed, though in the eyes of many, it wasn't a beautiful smile.

Hoguir, dressed in typical Braavos garb, climbed onto the ship, surrounded by guards wielding fine swords. His eyes scanned the ship quickly before focusing on the ship's likely owner.

A dwarf, a dwarf dressed in expensive clothes with the crest of a golden lion.

Tyrion Lannister, son of the Golden Lion of the Rock.

Hoguir quickly deduced Tyrion's identity.

As he motioned for the guards to begin searching the ship, Hoguir approached Tyrion and asked him directly about his purpose. "Why are you going to Braavos City?"

"Iron Bank." Tyrion replied without hesitation.

Hoguir looked deeply into Tyrion's eyes and spoke in a casual tone. "If you and your men break the law of Braavos, you'll be thrown in the dungeons and your father will have to pay a lot of gold to get you out."

"It's more likely he'll let me rot in the dungeons and forget I ever existed."  Tyrion spoke with an amused tone, though it sounded like a joke, it was very possible that this would happen and his father would announce that he had died on the journey to Braavos.

Hoguir looked at the Imp and didn't answer, waiting in silence for the guards to return from their inspection, which took no more than twenty minutes.

When he saw one of the guards nod and say that there was nothing wrong with the boat, Hoguir looked at the dwarf again and said. "Be careful what you do in Braavos." With that he left with the guards, leaving Tyrion alone again.

"Prepare to leave." Tyrion looked at his own guards and spoke in a calm tone.

Climbing down from the boat, Tyrion saw a crowd ahead of him and couldn't help but think that it was going to be a long day.

As he made his way through the crowd, surrounded by his guards, Tyrion suddenly felt that they were bumping into him more than they should, and as he looked around, his expression changed dramatically.

There were no more guards protecting his surroundings. He had been separated from his party!!!

Suddenly, Tyrion felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, his vision darkened and he lost consciousness. He could feel the hot, dirty ground as someone stepped on his body. In the last vestige of his consciousness, there was only one thought in his mind.

"I am dead... Tisha... my wife... I miss you so much..."

...

Tyrion awoke to the smell of rotting wood. He opened his eyes with difficulty and found himself in a very suspicious cellar with a strong smell of fish. Looking around, he couldn't help but think he was in the house of a fisherman or fishmonger.

In the next second, however, he gasped and felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Tyrion tried to get his hand around the painful spot, but noticed the restraints on his wrists.

Moving his body and finally managing to sit up, he was able to see their surroundings clearly and everything he saw made him sigh with relief.

As long as he was alive, he knew his captors wanted something from him. Whether it was gold or something else, he didn't care as long as he made it back to Westeros alive.

Suddenly he heard heavy footsteps coming from the stairs and soon saw a face he never expected to see in his life.

"Is that Barristan?" Tyrion asked in a tone of genuine confusion and disbelief.

Yes, standing before him was none other than Ser Barristan Selmy the Bold. A celebrated hero of the Kingsguard when those knights were still considered the strongest in the Seven Kingdoms.

"You seem to be awake, Lord Tyrion." Barristan said, crouching before Tyrion and helping him drink water from a wooden bowl.

Tyrion gulped down the water, feeling satisfied, and pushed the bowl away as he spoke. "I must say I'm surprised, Ser. I thought you were with Prince Targaryen right now."

Yes, Barristan had fled King's Landing during the first week of rumors about Prince Targaryen, and his departure had caused much surprise and shock among everyone, especially the Kingsguard, who had lost their Lord Commander.

"I wanted to, but I couldn't go to my future king empty-handed." Barristan replied as he dipped the hard bread in water and fed it to Tyrion with a deep, serious look.

Tyrion ate the bread without hesitation, understanding Barristan's intentions in an instant.

"You want to use me as a trophy for Prince Aenar, perhaps to forgive his sins and serve House Targaryen again." Tyrion said after eating the bread dipped in water Barristan gave him.

"You're right about forgiving my sins, but I'll die anyway if he wants me to." Barristan replied in a calm tone, as if death was no big deal to him.

"You realize the chances of your death are high, you let his father die at Robert's hands, and Queen Rhaella will want your head for it." Tyrion tried to change Barristan's mind. As much as Barristan's chances of dying were high, his own chances of dying were even higher!

"That's why I'll die without fear, my sins and my oath will be forgiven if death comes at the hands of the son I was supposed to protect and die for." Barristan replied in a quiet, deep tone. His blue eyes seemed to accept his death with a serenity that shocked Tyrion.

For the first time in his life, Tyrion was disgusted by Barristan Selmy's title of Bold.

The man could die with honor and quickly, but he, the son of Tywin Lannister, would die slowly and painfully. He had no doubt that Queen Rhaella would eat his flesh because of the pain House Lannister had caused House Targaryen.

Especially with the death of Queen Ellia and the princes and princesses, Aegon and Rhaenys Targaryen.

"Father, you really killed me..." Tyrion thought as a bitter, helpless laugh escaped his lips.

Barristan, seeing that he had given the son of Tywin food and water, stood up again and spoke in a calm tone. "We'll be leaving for Volantis in a few moments, I want to be there before Prince Aenar's coronation."

Tyrion said nothing and stared at the ceiling of the cellar, lost in deep thought.

"No!" he thought.

"I will try to live until the last breath is left in my lungs." He muttered to himself, regaining his confidence.