103- [Interlude] Snake Lurking. (I)

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~~~Oberyn Martell, Seventh Moon, 277 AC~~~

~~~Ischyros, Xandar~~~

~~~One moon before the arrival of the airships at Casterly Rock~~~

The steady murmur of hushed conversations reached my ears as soon as I entered a huge room. Like everything here in Xandar, all the constructions and buildings had gigantic scales, making getting from one place to another a martyrdom, but at the same time providing space, air, and natural light due to the huge windows located in every enclosed space with a roof.

After three long moons, I would finally meet with the king of Xandar, someone who was supremely busy, hell, even getting an audience with Aerys wasn't as torturous as this, though because Xandar was the size of the six kingdoms South of the Neck, I wasn't surprised. Because running something like this was an enormous task.

The huge hall overlooked the Throne Room, a place I had not had the opportunity to meet, but from what I had heard, it was a majestic place.

This time I was with my faithful friend Romulus, as well as two guards, apart from us, there could be more than two hundred people in the place, among merchants, envoys from the Free Cities, bankers from the Bank of Braavos, Yitians, men from the Summer Isles, and even some Northerners, judging by their attire and the sigil of House Manderly on their clothes.

The place was an amalgam of races, places, and customs that made my eyes dilate with the desire to still be here, in Xandar, where my titles didn't matter, the parties were grand, and the combat events in the giant coliseums surpassed even the tournaments held in Volantis.

Every half hour, a total of fifty men or women would pass into the Throne Room, being led by the famed Unsullied, who kept the huge hall guarded and free of bustle or disorder.

However, what made me tense were the huge statues that adorned certain parts of the room, such as the windows, doors, and resting places. Something about them made me uneasy, whether it was their perfect appearance and creation, or their red eyes.

But those worries were put on hold when one of those in charge of signaling the change of groups and the start to the Throne Room came, "Next group to seek audience with the king!" I immediately looked at a tag I had been given when requesting an audience with the king a few days ago.

The number read; H1435. From what was explained to me, that meant that there were 1434 people ahead of me on the day that would be my audience, but at the same time several more groups, that is, those that corresponded to the letters that came before the H. So I had to wait several days for the number of my audience group to arrive, so I looked at the newspapers, a paper that reported the general news of the city and the kingdom, looking for the sign, which consisted of a small frame on one of the initial pages where it said which way the list went.

So when the man said it was group 29's turn, I got up from the chair I was sitting in and walked over to where he was.

"All right, now listen, group 29 consists of numbers H1400 to H1450, everyone has their tag, so when The Prime Minister calls your number, you will approach the podium and make your situation known and your interest in being in front of the king. If you have not been called, please do not speak, do not raise your voice, do not make noises and I stress, do not obstruct the session, or the mines will be the least of your concern at the end of the day," the man's proud and haughty voice reached my ears, something that caused me pains every time I heard these Xandarians overflowing their pride in every damn sentence. It was like I was surrounded by Lannisters every second.

Still, I kept my thoughts to myself and followed the man, who led the way to two huge doors made of Valyrian Steel, a supremely coveted metal, but here, they even used it to make doors, something that would no doubt create a shock for all those pesky lords who longed to have a sword of said metal in their homes.

The doors were huge, possibly fifteen meters high and ten meters wide, and almost a meter thick, and the whole damn thing was made of the precious metal. Which made me increasingly believe the rumors that these Xandarians possessed the knowledge of metal creation.

The doors were opened on their own, by huge metal pipes protruding from holes in the wall, which pushed the doors open, but hell, the damn door was forgotten when the Throne Room greeted me.

The room had a wide and long suspended corridor that connected the huge doors to the throne at the end of the corridor. Next to that, there were several staircases connecting corridors that protruded from the walls parallel to the hallway, allowing one to exit through the corridors and up into the large central hallway.

Not only that but there were balconies on the walls, which allowed one to see everything, although these were occupied by those women they called witches.

The Throne Room was bathed in gray, dark, and black colors, but that did not make it any less luxurious or striking, since the railings of the central aisle were made of pure silver, and on certain columns, statues made entirely of diamonds or gold would be erected.

But the Throne itself, was the most beautiful and luxurious thing I have ever seen, to reach it, there was a final wide black tiled staircase, which then split in two and reached the high dais. Where the beauty and majesty of the sculpture was displayed in all its glory.

At the front and perhaps more than three meters high, a throne made entirely of gold stood, with mattress and red embroidery that made the golden color of the precious metal stand out, next to this, another throne stood, but this one made of a dark metal and shining before the light that came through the windows.

But the famous thing about the Throne of Xandar, and why it had earned the name of the Golden Tree, was in front of me, and it was that behind the two thrones, rose a structure made entirely of gold, wide and broad, like the foot of a tree, and which rose more than twenty meters until it reached the vaulted ceiling, where it extended like golden branches and covered the entire ceiling, looking like a golden tree. A huge one.

It was beautiful, intimidating in fact.

"You are in the presence of His Majesty the King, Azrael Jaesyrian, Khal of the Imperishable Horde, King of Xandar and its Surrounding Lands, Breaker of Yokes, Father of the Newcomers, Stallion Who Rides the World, King of the Great Sea of Grass, Conqueror of the Yellow Cities, Jhattar of The Jogos Nhai Hordes, Destroyer of the Great Winged City and rider of Endoxes, the Winged Destruction!" A tall man, with long hair, but not fastened in a braid, introduced the famous Xandarian king.

Although due to the distance, I could not make out much of the man, I could no longer try to catch a glimpse of him, as all the people around me knelt on both knees, with their gazes on the ground. And so as not to get into trouble, I copied the action. "And at his side, the future Queen, Valka of Xandar, Lady of the Arcane Order!"

At this, I looked up and could notice that, on the other throne, a beautiful, black-haired woman, sat in all her glory, signifying that the most powerful man in the world, was no longer free.

One by one, each person was called to the podium, an altar of sorts that was at the foot of the stairs leading up to the throne, where they would stand and state the reason for their visit to the court.

One thing I also noticed, was that the king never spoke, it was all handled by the man who held the title of Prime Minister, either he was not interested in the session or the man enjoyed enough knowledge to take whatever action the king felt was right.

Increasingly, the room was becoming empty, with those satisfied being ushered out of the room. Leaving only those who had been unable to speak. "Case number H1435!" The man called my turn, and stepping out into the crowd, I walked up to the podium.

"What is your name and why do you come to court today?" he asked, and in a serene and strong voice I answered without delay, "I'm Oberyn Martell, Prince of Dorne, and I seek a private audience with the king!"

At first, there was silence, until the man spoke again, "Prince or not, the king cannot have an audience with you at this time, Your Majesty to this..." The man was unable to finish when the king, still on his throne, raised his voice.

"Gallio, stop!" That was more than enough for the man, who I learned was named Gallio, to shut up and bow towards the throne, "In the day you will have your audience, don't disappoint me!" With the king's approval, I was led out of the room, a mischievous smile adorning my face.

"What happened?" Romulus asked me once I reached him, "Put on your finery, my friend, for we shall meet in person the king of Xandar himself."