Yigo let out a string of Dothraki syllables that no one could understand. His arakh slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a metallic clang, jolting the already-stunned onlookers even further.
The people of Flea Bottom had seen their fair share of brawls and bloody street fights, knives in, guts out, but never something like this.
The force behind that sword slash felt like it carried the hatred of generations.
Yet the bald, black-bearded man who had delivered such a savage blow wore no expression of cruelty. On the contrary, he grinned cheerfully, one hand gripping his sword, the other extending a pinky to tap Yigo on the forehead.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He chuckled. "What the hell are the Bloody Mummers? Down. Down. Down you go!"
Boom!
Yigo fell flat on his back, eyes wide open. Though his breath had ceased, his body still twitched reflexively, spasming as the final sparks of life drained away. When a heart stops beating, it takes a while for the rest of the body to accept the fact.
Esther and her grandfather Buzz started, stunned, barely able to breathe.
Polliver remained calm and unhurried. He wiped the blood off his sword on Yigo's corpse, then sheathed the blade. From his pocket, he pulled out a black whistle and blew into it,
Peeeeeee!
The piercing screech was unlike anything the people of King's Landing had ever heard, sharp enough to cut through stone.
Moments later, a horse-drawn carriage came hurtling down the street. The driver was a master of his craft; the vehicle stopped abruptly, right in front of Polliver, with expert precision.
Polliver scooped Esther up and tossed her into the carriage.
Her grandfather, Buzz, panicked and fumbled for words, opening his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
Polliver smiled. "Old man, what's it going to be, stay behind and let the Bloody Mummers chop off your limbs, or come with us?"
"I, I don't even know who you people are…" Buzz stammered, instinctively stepping back.
Inside the carriage, someone had already clapped a hand over Esther's mouth, silencing her screams. Her outstretched leg was yanked inside beneath the curtain.
Polliver's right cheek twitching with excitement, that happened when he got worked up. He bent down, picked up the arakh, and retrieved its scabbard from Yigo's corpse.
The carriage curtain was flung open. A man who clearly looked like trouble leapt down and, without so much as a word, wrapped his arms around old Buzz, ran a few steps, and hurled him into the carriage with a thud.
The poor man felt like his back had shattered.
"Who… are you people? What do you want with us?" the old man groaned, gritting through the pain.
No one answered. No one even looked at him. The soldier jumped into the carriage and shoved Buzz roughly inside.
Polliver turned toward the stunned vendors nearby, about a dozen of them stood frozen, mouths agape.
"You lot, drag the body to the corner." he said, nudging Yigo's corpse with his foot. "Toss it into the garbage pile. And remember my name, I'm Ser Eron Grimm, of Greyshield Island, from House Grimm of the Shield Islands in the southern Reach."
He laughed heartily, leapt into the carriage, and slipped into the curtains like a cat.
Not a soul moved until the carriage had long disappeared down the street.
They looked at Yigo's body, chilled to the bone.
The Bloody Mummers was not to be trifled with, but whoever this knight was, he seemed even more terrifying. One sword stroke had killed Yigo. Even though it was a sneak attack, the sheer speed and brutality of that strike was unlike anything they'd ever seen.
….
A wide, luxurious carriage sped out of Flea Bottom, turned left onto one of King's Landing's major roads, Street of the Sisters.
At the end of that street lay the intersection of the city's four main avenues: Victory Square.
The carriage crossed the square and turned right, passing the grand gates of the famous Alchemists' Guild, where pyromancers studied wildfire.
It then turned onto another main road, Godsway. It passed the bustling Shoemakers' Square. The driver cracked his whip, and the horses surged forward, racing straight through the Gods Gate. Not far beyond the city walls, the road joined the famed Goldroad.
There, at the edge of the woods, Ser Gregor Clegane, "the Mountain", waited with eight rugged knights. Among them stood two battered figures with bruised faces: master blacksmith Tobho Mott and his apprentice Gendry. They looked drained and subdued, clearly roughed up and now completely obedient.
The carriage arrived. The curtain parted. Polliver hopped down, followed by two others.
They knelt before Gregor Clegane.
"My lord, we've brought the girl Esther and the old man Buzz." Polliver said, kneeling on one knee in salute.
Gregor nodded. "Well done, Polliver. You got Buzz here that fast?"
Polliver and the knights rose as Gregor gestured upward with his palm.
Polliver grinned. "My lord, the girl, Esther, has already had her first moonblood."
"Oh? You asked her yourself?"
"Yes, my lord. She became a woman last month."
"Good. Do you want her?"
"My lord, if you command me to marry her, I'll marry her." Polliver chuckled. "I'm a knight, she's a commoner, if anyone should feel unworthy, it's her."
Gregor snorted. All ten knights around him burst into laughter.
Tobho Mott and Gendry clenched their jaws but remained silent, their rage suppressed.
Gregor drew his massive greatsword. Though the blade was heavy as a log, he wielded it like a twig. He used it to lift the curtain.
Inside, the young girl Esther clung tightly to her grandfather.
Gregor spoke in a low rumble. "Esther, Master Buzz, do not be afraid. I am Ser Gregor Clegane. This is Ser Polliver Clegane. Esther's father has already promised her to him in marriage. Here, this is the betrothal contract. Take a look."
He pulled a parchment from his cloak.
"Buzz, can you read?"
Buzz nodded.
"Good. Polliver, hand over the letter."
Polliver took the scroll and tossed it at the old man. It landed on his chest and slid to the floor.
"Polliver, show some respect. Once you marry Esther, Buzz will be your grandfather-in-law."
"…Fine." Polliver climbed in, picked up the scroll, and handed it to Buzz.
Buzz read it, unable to speak a word.
"Don't blame your son, old man." Gregor said. "He racked up heavy gambling debts at the pit run by Fang and Rolger. Fang was going to snap his neck. I paid off what he owed."
Buzz and Esther were speechless. Their eyes filled with tears.
Gregor continued, "Buzz, Ser Polliver is a knight of House Clegane, loyal, fierce, and kind to his own. If you agree to this match, I'll take you and Esther to live in Clegane's Keep. They'll be married in the sept of the Seven. From then on, you'll be part of my family, and Esther will be like a younger sister to me."
He paused, his voice turning cold.
"But if you don't agree… I'll have Polliver rape her right here and now in front of you. Then we'll take you both to Clegane Keep for the wedding. So, do you consent, or not?"
Buzz looked at the leering Polliver, then at his frail granddaughter.
He nodded, mechanically.
Gendry clenched his jaw, veins bulging in his neck, eyes wide with fury. But still, he said nothing. He might be strong, but any one of these knights could kill him with ease.
⚔────────
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