2 The Tortured Man

P.O.V. Garin:-

How long has it been...

How long since I've been hearing my people scream...

How long...

It feels like years... or do I feel still, I know not.

I remember, a time when I used to have a face, filled with joy and life beyond measure, my hair lush and long, braided by my mother.

That is no longer the face I can see, in this pool of blood. No longer is my face a handsome one if it ever was, and no longer is my hair lush, just mere patches of white threads.

Yet, why do my people don't seem to age... Ah, I get it now.

It's only been 7 days... hehehehehaha," HahaHAHAHAHAHA."

"Calm down Garin, you seem to be enjoying it more than I do.", Aemond's words meant nothing, nothing at all, no emotion would they elicit out of me.

"... Oi Garin you there? Looks like he's done."

"No, not yet but he's not far from it. Let's give Garin his final gift, bring them...", I saw, with my own eyes, 'her' my love- "... your whore and your whore-son."

I felt nothing, as I watched them, my love, my son, be trampled and crushed under the hooves of their horses.

I felt nothing as I heard her whisper out to me, "I love you". And die covering my son.

I just sat there, in my cage. No different from a corpse.

"So anything to say? Something you'd like to get off your chest? Maybe shed a tear or two?", Aemond asked grinning, his poking in through the bars of my cage.

P.O.V. Aemond:-

"He's done.", truly a pathetic end, well it is what it is I suppose.

"Lord Aemond, we have stayed here for far too long. The Families won't be pleased, we lost six adult dragons in this war. Despite our win, we have lost more than we have gained.", the boy has the right to it, well now a Ysilla, but who told those idiots to provoke war with Rhoynar over a fucking TURTLE!

Truly a stupid move, the families knew well that that giant turtle meant something to these madmen. So much Valyrian blood was spent and for what? This could have been handled the way the Sarnori Kingdom was being handled, be great trade partners, weaken them from within, and overwhelm them with dragons. Land and slaves possessed without much bloodshed, and we can't even go for the Sarnori now that such indiscriminate nature sours our reputation.

"'Not pleased' would be an understatement, livid more likely. It's not as if I'm pleased to be here, I have my sister's wedding to look forward to.", truly the only thing worth looking forward to. Our own house isn't that high up among the dragon lords, still with this match the strength of our family will increase.

"I suppose the Sarnori is safe for quite a generation at least.", the young Ysilla surmised.

"Do not speak of it to me, it pisses me off that I lost an eye to this farce.", I replied. My eye throbbing with pain, covered by a white cloth.

"We will return under the darkness of night, hopefully, we'll be able to catch the fleeing princess.", I said trying to distract myself from my wounds.

"Ah, about that my Lord. The report is that Princess Nymeria has crossed the Stepstones and has most probably landed at the Coast of Dorne.", seriously what did we accomplish here? No slaves, an impressive land, and a threat escaping through our claws.

"Westeros huh? That backwater of magic-hating, petty barbarians. Serves them right. Heh, who knows maybe the faith of those lands will rid us of the remaining water wizards.", The Valyrian Freehold may not be as old as some of the barbarian kingdoms in those land but we are, and always will be more advanced than them.

'And now, no power can rival Valyria on this side of the Bone Mountain. Once the west is ours, we can finally turn our eyes to the East.', it had been one of the fundamental ambitions of the Valyrian Freehold. Absolute Magical Superiority, Limitless energy, and World Conquest.

Now one might say, these are merely fanciful ambitions, and to that I that you must be a mud man. The difference between the ambition of Mud-men and Dragon Lords is the same as a worm and a Dragon.

While it is true these ambitions won't be achieved in his lifetime, or even those of his children, someday it'll happen.

"But my Lord, why aren't we just burning our opposition to the ground?", he asked frustrated at what he might see to be a waste of time.

"Politics. Politics and administrative limitations.", despite our strength we are still beholden to political intrigue.

The nation of Yi-Ti is the premier power of the world due to its long long history and its alliance with Asshai. The blood mages, shadow-binder, and warlocks are the only legitimate threat to our superiority. Not to mention the weapons of black powder utilized by the Dragon Emperor of Yi-Ti.

"I'm tired of these mud-men Ysilla. They are like rats, spreading from one land to another, this magic-less filth... just looking at them fills me with disgust. Like parasites, they clamor to us, like those of Sarnor. All they are capable of is eating, shitting, and fucking.", I spoke in a low voice, looking up toward the sky becoming grey. 'It'll rain I gu—"

*mhbhsj*

Surprised by the muttering I looked back at Garin. His eyes, unblinking, stared at me. Lowering myself I put my ear near his cage.

" ... those... who... soar in the cloud... lose sight of the lives... below", I heard him whisper.

"It's not that I've lost sight of lives below me... it's just that your lives aren't worth noticing.", slowly I got up to my feet and started walking away and I heard him whisper, "... I'll make you notice..."