[3rd POV]
Appearing in Pentos, Alice and Lucifer had noticed pretty quickly that the free city that was well known for its trade and the fact that it did not have a standing army, was rather different than Braavos. Like, way different in several very noticeable aspects that caused both of them to pause in slight surprise.
For one, they noticed pretty quickly that the city was not nearly as safe as Braavos had been. Braavos had guards and security all over the place, regularly patrolling the city to make sure that no slavers were trying to sneak in, or no idiots were trying anything stupid. They had enough guards to safely patrol every street in Braavos, and were well trained.
They were sort of similar to the Gold Cloaks back when they were in their prime under Daemon Targaryen. But they are not as brutal, not nearly as aggressive, and aren't a potential danger for going rogue or something stupid.
They also had superior skill and better weapons and armor.
But Pentos? They didn't have that. They had private guards that the richer folk in the city hired, but no real guards. Because they were not allowed to have a standing army after the last time they had gone to war with Braavos and had gotten crushed by them.
Legally, if they ever tried to bring up an army again, Braavos would almost certainly restart the war and tear the current Pentos to shreds. As at this moment Braavos was almost certainly the most powerful of the Free Cities, with only Volantis itself being comparable in military might.
And Volantis was only close because they have a shit ton of slaves, more slaves than any other free city, and most other cities in the entirety of Essos. This meant that they had a lot of free labor and soldiers to use during times of war, and made life far easier for when they eventually do want to go to war.
The only reason Pentos even existed at this point, is due to their wealth. Pentos was a very wealthy city, and had a lot of economic power due to the men who run the city. The magisters of the city were the reason it was not conquered or destroyed yet, and were basically the lords of the city, with the "Prince" being a man that they chose.
The other reason that it hasn't been conquered or destroyed is the fact that Pentos is important for trade, and is very big trading partners with several other cities in Pentos, as well as Westeros itself. This meant that they were vital to the development of other cities, and were better off not destroyed, lest the other lands that need them start to decay thanks to the loss of Pentos.
That and whenever the rather problematic Khalasar's of the Dothraki come around, they just pay them a shit ton to make them go away. Basically, they're the type of city that has a lot of wealth but absolutely no security. They use all their money to solve all their problems.
Without their trade and the money they have amassed, they are absolutely nothing. Unlike Braavos and most of the other free cities.
Besides the lack of security that the two had noticed, they also noticed that they were being glanced at a lot more by the people of the city. Especially the men. As in this city, slavery was technically considered illegal.
But they could still have servants that are meant to serve them forever. Basically slaves, but with the title of "Servant" slapped onto it. As they also are not allowed to have slaves after their loss to Braavos in the war that happened a long long time ago.
Lucifer ended up just putting up a ward around them so they wouldn't keep getting glanced at, as it was annoying to see and creepy. She'd have to deal with those folk eventually, but right now they were both walking around the city trying the foods and buying even more souvenirs.
"The food here's not as good as Braavos, but it is still really tasty!" Alice said in surprise, finding that the food was a bit different than the Braavosi dishes they had tried. The foods here were mixed with more spices, and tended to taste a bit more spicy than that of the Braavosi ones.
They both found the spices were better here, but the food was overall better quality back in Braavos. But there wasn't too much of a difference between the two overall. It was pretty close.
"Hmm, feels like most of the stuff here isn't as good as Braavos, but it's all pretty close for the most part. The only thing they are really lacking in is security, because I've already seen several crimes happen around the city and we've been here for not even 4 hours" Lucifer replied, a little unimpressed with the city.
It was beautiful, but that was only on the surface. Once you look deeper, it really is kind of a shit hole. Not nearly as bad as what they imagined Kings Landing was going to be like, or most of the other cities in Essos for that matter, but still pretty bad.
There's a reason why they were not going anywhere near Slavers Bay.
"I feel like it's a little unfair to compare the other free cities to Braavos. Cause all of those cities are built off of slavery and cruelty. While Braavos is built off of...well, pretty much the exact opposite. Since it was a city made by slaves that escaped the tyranny of Valyria and all" Alice responded, she didn't like the other cities because of the slavery, but it wasn't really a fair comparison.
She doubted there was a single city in Essos that could compare, well, any city that wasn't in Yi Ti. They both knew that Yi Ti was basically like ancient China, in the fact that it is vastly ahead and superior to literally every other country on the planet at this point. With cities that make Kings Landing look tiny, advancements surpassing any other kingdom, and more wealth than all the free cities and Westeros combined.
"Yeah that is fair. Now c'mon, let's go get some more souvenirs for the girls" Lucifer said with a smile as she reached her hand out to her wife, the people around them acting like nothing was strange about them, as they began to walk through the streets once more, ready to buy their kids some more souvenirs to add to their personal collections.
The duo continued to explore the city for the next couple of hours, buying all sorts of foods to try, and Lucifer had of course done her part. She had bought a few new plants that she had never seen before, completely new and odd ones. She had even found some new fruits that she had never seen before that were quite delicious. They'd be growing back in her garden in the coming days.
While Alice had decided on buying some new dresses using the unique fabric that they had, as well as some other expensive jewelry that was made using the bones of some ancient creatures and other odd Knick nacks for the kiddos.
By the time the sun began to slowly go down, the two of them had thoroughly enjoyed their day exploring, and were ready to find an inn to sleep in for the night.
But as they began to walk to the nearest inn that was of a good quality, Lucifer stilled. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she looked to the side, sensing something. Alice looked confused, tilting her head as she followed after her wife.
Only for her to let out a sharp gasp of alarm, while Lucifer's eyes widened, before slowly morphing into an angry expression as they saw a small figure leaning against a wall. So malnourished that you can see their ribs, almost skeletal at this point. They had bruises marring their body, and she could visibly see cuts that were not healed properly and infected.
It was a child, unconscious, coated in dirt, sand, and blood. And more than that, they both looked surprised as they realized who it was. As the figure laying their unconscious half dead was...
Daenerys Targaryen
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That's the end of the chapter!
Next chapter will be the meeting with their next child and them helping her out.
Anyways, have a good day!