Chapter 29: Chapter 29 - The Queen and the Exiled Princesses (V)
"When we make mistakes, we know we are imperfect, we must learn from them and never make the same mistake again, becoming more perfect as we grow older." Aenar Targaryen, observing Night's Watch recruits.
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Daenerys could only hear the cries of agony and mercy from the man who had tried to kill her; she didn't look away, staring directly at the scene. She didn't feel pity, on the contrary, she still felt that he didn't suffer enough, that anyone who threatened her family should suffer the greatest torment for eternity.
At the age of ten, she knew that kindness was a beautiful thing, but only fear could make you respected and feared. In this barbaric world, people didn't respect your kindness, they respected your power, and only your power. It was a reality she had been forced to face since she was three years old, forced to flee like animals.
That's why Daenerys didn't feel sorry for the murderer, on the contrary, she watched with a sick pleasure how he suffered, perhaps it was her way to vent about the constant murders she had suffered in her short, young life. Call her cruel and sadistic, but that was what the world wanted.
No longer hearing the screams, Benerro lowered his hand and looked at the charred body kneeling before him with an indifferent expression. The moment the man had spoken of the identity of the Queen and the aunts of the Son of Light, he had already condemned him to death; no one could harm the relatives of the Messiah.
Turning his gaze to the three members of House Targaryen, Benerro understood why he hadn't been able to find the women before. The dyeing of their hair might make it difficult for anyone to recognize them. Together with the fourth member of the group, it was really difficult to recognize the queen and the princesses. After all, it was Essos and a group of four was more normal than anything else.
Taking a deep breath, Benerro approached and spoke with a gentle expression, or at least he felt he was trying to show it. "Your Grace, I am Archbishop Benerro, and in the name of the Red Faith, Reverend Mother humbly requests an audience with you and your noble daughters."
Rhaella felt a tightness in her chest when she heard the respectful tone, she wasn't happy about it, on the contrary, she was worried. The more respect the man before her showed, the more suspicious she became. Even though she was a queen, she was a queen without a country and exiled to another continent. There was no reason for the Red Faith to show her and her daughters such respect.
"And I have the choice to refuse?" Rhaella commented with a slightly sad smile, but Benerro's next words surprised her.
"Yes, Your Grace can refuse and leave at any time you wish, Volantis will provide you with lodging, a mansion with servants if you wish, and anything else you ask for." Benerro spoke in a respectful tone as he bowed slightly forward. As a servant of the Son of Light, he was only sword and shield for the Messiah and nothing more.
Benerro's words left Rhaella speechless; how long had it been since she had been treated with such respect and reverence? And she could see that his words were true. Seeing people and trying to guess their intentions was something every king and queen should have, so as not to be so easily deceived.
Rhaella hesitated, Benerro's sincerity making her reluctant to leave. It was a chance for her to gain support, support that would help her granddaughter take the Iron Throne in the future. Though Dorne was powerful with its experienced and deadly warriors, it was far from ready to take on the Six Kingdoms.
Her granddaughter needed supporters, and having the Red Faith as a helper would improve her granddaughter's chances of ascending to the Iron Throne. As for what the Faith of the Seven would say, Rhaella didn't care. During the rebellion, the Faith of the Seven had done nothing to help House Targaryen, and had actually gotten in the way, so why should she care what the Faith of the Seven thought?
After hesitating, Rhaella showed a look of determination and spoke, looking at Benerro. "I will meet the Reverend Mother."
Benerro nodded and bowed again as he motioned for Rhaella, Visenya, Daenerys, and Ser Willem to follow.
Meryn asked nothing in the face of such an unusual situation, pointing at the two remaining assassins and asking. "Archbishop, what shall we do with these two?"
Benerro didn't hesitate to answer in a cold voice, completely different from the one he had used with Rhaella. "If they tell you who ordered the murders, you can give them a quick death, otherwise they'll suffer until the last moment."
Visenya looked at her mother and, for the first time in a long time, saw her acting like a real person. Her posture was upright and her face was slightly cold, but noble and elegant. You wouldn't be offended if someone talked to you with such an expression, but rather flattered that such a beautiful woman was wasting her time talking to you.
However, she could understand her mother's intentions; her mother wanted to help her niece, who was hiding in Dorne, gain support from the Red Faith, which unexpectedly seemed very friendly to House Targaryen.
Visenya fled King's Landing when she was seven years old and never again saw such a major power in Essos act so warmly toward House Targaryen. The Red Faith was the first.
Of the three women, only Daenerys had the least complicated thoughts, she looked at the Red Temple before her and couldn't help but admire the huge building that looked more like a gigantic castle.
The temple is an enormous structure of columns, staircases, buttresses, domes, bridges, and towers that flow into each other as if carved out of a colossal rock.
The walls of the temple are painted in a hundred shades of red, yellow, gold, and orange, so that when the sun's rays hit the temple, it seemed as if the entire temple was bathed in red and gold glory.
For some reason, Daenerys felt that something inside the Red Temple was calling to her, it was like an echo in her heart, a pulse coming from the core of her being, a call of fire and blood. She didn't know what it was, but she wanted to run to it and hold it in her arms.
But knowing where she was, Daenerys suppressed that feeling with all her willpower and silently followed the man named Benerro, who, despite his frightening face full of tattoos, seemed kind and compassionate, even though he had burned a man alive in front of her.
Daenerys didn't know how long she'd been walking, but she estimated it to be about ten minutes when she finally stopped in front of a pair of red wooden doors.
The dragon princess saw Benerro respectfully knocking on the door and concluded that whoever was behind it was one of the most powerful women in Essos.
And just as Daenerys had imagined, Benerro opened the doors to reveal a stunning woman in a red gown.
The Reverend Mother of the Red Faith - Kinvara.
What caught the attention of Rhaella, Visenya, and Daenerys, however, was that when the woman saw them, she quickly rose from her chair under the shocked eyes of everyone present.
The most powerful woman in Volantis knelt before Rhaella and greeted her with the utmost reverence and respect.
"Welcome to Volantis, Your Grace, your noble presence graces us with the greatest honor we can have."
All the words, respect, and possible terms of negotiation Rhaella had prepared vanished in an instant before the woman kneeling before her.
"What's going on?" Rhaella thought, clearly confused by what was happening. Kinvara's actions were no different than a vassal greeting his king on a visit!
Seeing the confusion on the faces of the three women and the old knight, Kinvara knew they were confused, but she couldn't appear so important in front of the Son of Light's family.
Who knew if one of the three women was the future wife of the Son of Light? How could she make herself look so arrogant in front of her potential queen? Instead of showing an arrogant face, she might as well bond with the three women before everything came to fruition.
Seeing the Reverend Mother kneeling, Benerro knelt as well, silently waiting for permission to rise.
"Thank you for your kind words, you may rise, Archbishop and Reverend Mother." Rhaella spoke with a strange expression of confusion.
When permission was given, Kinvara and Benerro rose.
"I know Your Grace is confused about what is going on, but I will explain." Kinvara smiled warmly and spoke in a gentle, warm, but respectful tone.
What could Rhaella say? She just nodded.
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