Never had Konrad wished for an easier life. While Tyrek was slowly but surely hunting down and destroying the nearby Dothraki hordes, the far east had been hit by a slave army. And if that wasn't bad enough, the fact that more and more slave soldiers and sellswords were going to join the fray only made his headache worse.
Ever since they heard the plead of help from the messenger, Konrad, his men and his father-in-law were brainstorming for a decent strategy. After all, as much as he would have loved to march the entire army of Volantis, only a fool would leave such a city unprotected from the sea.
If his guess was right, and chances are that it was, then the moment he and his army leave the city, a naval invasion would commerce, one that Konrad believes would either cripple Slaver's Bay for good or one that would doom his campaign as well as all the people close to him, including his fiancé and her family.
Letting out a sigh, Konrad started massaging the bridge of his nose while starting to think of what he should do now. On one hand the plan they all agreed upon was good, and while only half of the army would march out to reinforce the eastern front, that would still leave a weaken Volantis behind to deal with whatever naval invasion. That was another can of worms that they have been preparing for ever since Konrad took over Volantis for different reason. Ballistae had been made and distributed to various position all over the city. The walls had been fixed and on parts, some were raised. What was once the slums, had been slowly turned into a proper place of living where most of the people learned how to fight from the knights thus creating a rather decent militia.
As Konrad sat at his desk, poring over the map of the region, Talisa's entrance interrupted his thoughts. She stepped into the study with a worried expression on her face as her eyes darted from the map to Konrad's furrowed brow. "Konrad," she began in a soft voice, "you've been at this for hours. You need rest."
He sighed, rubbing his temples. "I know, Talisa. But we're caught between a rock and a hard place. If we leave Volantis undefended, the city could fall to the naval assault. But if we stay, the eastern front will crumble."
Talisa crossed the room and stood beside him, before looking down at the map. "We've fortified the walls, more than a third of the population is being trained to fight and defend the city if needs be and above all, your ideas had turned the harbor into a death trap for anyone foolish enough to attempt a head on attack."
Konrad nodded, remembering just how much time he and the engineers spent creating a system that would raise metal stakes that would cut through the underside of a ship in case of an attack and while it wasn't a perfect defense, it was another layer that would at least cause casualties. "But if we march out with half our forces, we risk leaving our loved ones vulnerable. My father-in-law, your family, and—" He hesitated, glancing at her. "And you."
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find a way, Konrad. You always do. You are smart… maybe a little too smart for someone as young as we are, but you are smarter than many a man."
He gave her a smile before leaning back in his chair, as his exhaustion was slowly catching up to him. "I wish Tyrek were here. He would have been able to lead the forces to east while I would have remained here and coordinate the defense of the city."
"He's doing what he can in the west. We can't rely on him alone. You still have Gendel to lead the army if you really don't want to leave the city in someone else's hands."
"You might be right. I'll think hard about this today."
Closing his eyes slightly, Konrad felt her hands on his shoulders as she begun massaging them. In a way it was strange how despite both of them having being forced together, they did grow to befriend each other and mayhaps in time, even grow to have feelings for each other. That made Konrad think about how much pressure her father and his uncle put on them when they sealed the deal, after all for a boy so young as him and a girl so young as her to be forced in a marriage was not exactly normal.
"You know Talisa, I was thinking how despite us being forced in a marriage, we did become friends, which honestly, from what I've heard from Uncle Tyrek, is quite rare in Westeros."
Talisa paused, her hands stilling on Konrad's shoulders. She tilted her head, her brows knitting together in a gentle frown making Konrad wonder what she had on her mind. "It is strange, isn't it?" she mused aloud. "To think that two people thrown together by nothing but the cold calculations of politics could find a semblance of companionship… or even friendship." Her gaze softened, and she offered him a small, thoughtful smile. "But perhaps that's the very thing that makes it special. It's not the bonds of duty that hold us, but the unexpected ties of understanding and respect that grow in the most barren of soils."
Konrad opened his eyes to meet hers, earning himself a genuine smile from her. "Yes, it's the unexpected nature of it. In a world where alliances are forged and broken with the changing winds, finding a true friend is like discovering a rare gem among pebbles."
Talisa's smile grew, and she resumed her gentle massage. "Then let's not question it too much," she said. "Whatever this is, it's ours, and it's real. And in times like these, that's more than many can hope for. Besides we are too young to worry about such things just yet."
That made both of them laugh a little, before Talisa continue massaging Konrad while he just closed his eyes once again enjoying the peace and quiet atmosphere, as well as the massage.
Sadly for both of them, almost half an hour later, one of the order's knight knicked on the door and judging by his expression, both Konrad and Talisa knew something awful had happened.
"Grandmaster." The man kneeled in front of the desk before raising his head. "One of our scouts had spotted a fleet sailing towards Volantis. From our earliest report, we can expect a few thousand enemies, maybe more if the slavers manage to persuade some of the sellswords companies that had choose to watch for now. "
Hearing what the man had to report, Konrad wanted to curse out loud his luck, but he didn't want to temp fate. Instead, he took a deep breath before looking at the knight.
"Can you do me a favor and summon Gendal, Brother Jaq and Brother Osmund?"
Rather than saying anything, the knight nodded and quickly made his way out of the door.
< Just change "3" with "e" Patr3on Link : https://patr3on.com/meatbunkun>