Chapter 20: Curse and the Red God

*There is a spooky(?) story in this chap and below are some key points, which will make sense when you read this chapter*

Author = The one who wrote the story in this chapter.

His friend = Author's friend (By whom the author got to know about this.)

His friend's friend = Author's friend's friend (The story is about this guy)

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"This is a true story that happened in Pentos," Viserys began, holding a thin storybook and narrating the tale, "The events took place at the port of Pentos, as recounted by the author, who went to great lengths to learn this story from a friend. This friend insisted on remaining anonymous, so the author will not mention any names of those involved.

"One night, my friend heard heavy knocking on his door. When he opened it, he saw his lifelong friend standing there, looking rushed and terrified, begging for help to save his life.

"My friend, being a warm-hearted and just man, did not hesitate to let his childhood friend into his house and asked for the reason behind his distress.

"His friend claimed that his life was in danger: a merchant house providing insurance for merchant ships was trying to kill him to avoid paying the shipwreck insurance. Before coming to my friend, his father—the ship's captain, his uncle—the first mate, and his uncle's business partner had all been murdered.

"Everyone knows that the merchant houses of the Free Cities are reputed for their business integrity. If it weren't his lifelong friend telling him this, my friend would have dismissed such accusations as drunken ramblings or the ravings of a madman.

"According to his friend, their merchant ship was scheduled to sail from Pentos to the Summer Isles, a route they had traveled countless times. Purchasing an insurance contract from the merchant house in Pentos was a routine practice for peace of mind.

"But this voyage went awry. During the trip, their ship encountered a hurricane. The ship hit a reef amid the violent waves, breaking its keel and shattering the ship. The broken vessel held together for half a day before sinking into the sea along with all the cargo. Many crew members died, and the survivors drifted on lifeboats and dinghies for four days before being rescued by a passing merchant ship.

"After suffering such misfortune, his friend's family was heavily damaged, and their only hope was the shipwreck insurance they had purchased before the voyage.

"Anyone with common sense knows that when a merchant ship and an insurance company sign a contract, it often takes a long time to verify the claim. After all, ships on the vast sea are unsupervised, and conclusions can't be drawn based solely on the insured's account. The insurance company needs a complex procedure to ensure they aren't being defrauded. Therefore, long negotiations between the insured and the insurance company are normal, often taking from a month to a year.

They were prepared for prolonged negotiations. Since their home was not in the port, they left the task of waiting for the company's response to his friend's distant relative after the initial negotiations. However, during this period, his friend's relative suddenly died in the city.

At first, they didn't think it was murder. The cause of his relative's death was very clear—he drowned in a canal after getting drunk at a tavern one night. In Pentos, such incidents are common every year. City guards often find drowned drunks in the city's canals during morning patrols. So, they didn't pay much attention to it and had his friend's uncle continue the negotiations with the insurance company.

Two weeks later, another accident happened. His friend's uncle also drowned in a city canal, with the same cause as his friend's uncle. The city guards reported it as another routine case of drunken drowning.

At this point, his friend's father began to suspect foul play. He knew his brother well and knew he was meticulous and would never have such an accident. He shared his suspicions and fears with his son, the same friend who came to my friend for help that night.

With no evidence, the process with the insurance company continued as usual. After much consideration and careful preparation, his friend's father decided to continue negotiations with the company in the city.

His friend's father had connections and, upon arriving in the city, stayed in a gang-controlled area with two crew members by his side at all times. He chose safe, daytime locations for negotiations with the company, abstained from alcohol, and never went out at night.

"But even so, two weeks later, one night, my friend's friend's father still met with an accident.

It was the day after a storm from the Narrow Sea landed in the port of Pentos. Two days and nights of torrential rain caused flooding in the city. The low-lying port area was severely affected; many warehouses and houses collapsed under the assault of wind and water, causing numerous casualties.

Needless to say, my friend's friend's father also perished in this disaster. According to the surviving crew members, the experienced old captain was unfortunately trapped under a collapsed house during the disaster, with his legs pinned and unable to free himself. He ultimately drowned as rainwater flooded into the city.

It was deemed an accident, everyone said so.

Now, my friend's friend had become the inheritor of the insurance contract.

The insurance company informed my friend's friend to follow the procedure, but he didn't dare to go. The previous accidents led him to suspect that the insurance company was behind them.

This was the story my friend heard.

Despite his friend's firm account, my friend didn't entirely believe it. He arranged for his friend to stay in a safe place, sent someone to investigate, and personally handled negotiations with the insurance company on his behalf.

As expected, the reputable insurance company had not committed such vile acts and was following the procedure to fulfill the contract. The deaths of his friend's three elders showed no signs of foul play.

His friend's actions seemed like a farce.

Weeks passed, and everything seemed normal, or so my friend thought.

But soon, an unexpected event occurred.

"One day, a servant came running in a panic to inform my friend that the friend he had hidden in his secret courtyard had unexpectedly died.

'He went swimming in the sea with the maid who was looking after him, insisting that he could breathe underwater,' the servants told my friend. 'He got tangled in seaweed, and by the time we pulled him out, he was already dead, with his stomach full of seawater.'

This news caught my friend off guard. Hearing about such events is one thing, but when it happens right under your nose, it's quite another. With his friend's entire family drowning one by one, my well-traveled friend couldn't help but recall some bizarre stories he'd heard in his youth. He immediately set off for the temple of the Red God to report the matter to the priests.

Upon hearing this, the temple quickly dispatched a Red Priest to investigate.

As soon as the Red Priest saw the body, he determined that something was amiss and strictly ordered my friend to purify the deceased with fire, including the bodies of the three who had died earlier.

'It's a curse,' the Red Priest declared, and then ordered all of the deceased's belongings to be brought to him for inspection.

It was then that my friend discovered that his friend's family had been carrying a bag of gifts to smooth their dealings, and this bag had passed through the hands of all four deceased.

The Red Priest eventually found a pearl necklace among the belongings, with the largest pearl stained with an inky blotch.

'This pearl has been tainted with impure blood,' the Red Priest said. 'Everyone who has touched this pearl must come with me if they wish to be saved.'

Even my experienced friend was taken aback, having never encountered anything like this. He sent the maid and the caretaking servants to the temple, and the matter was finally resolved.

Having witnessed such a bizarre occurrence, my friend couldn't help but ask the Red Priest, 'Are curses truly real?'

The Red Priest nodded solemnly. 'Curses are very real, my friend. The darkness within this world often hides in plain sight, waiting to ensnare the unwary. The pearl was a vessel for such darkness, and those who came into contact with it were marked. This is why the purification by fire is necessary—to cleanse the soul and break the curse's hold.'

'But how did this curse come to be upon the pearl?' my friend asked.

The Red Priest looked thoughtful. 'Such curses can be placed intentionally by those who practice dark arts or sometimes unintentionally through acts of great evil. The blood on the pearl speaks of a past crime, an injustice that has not been righted, and the curse lingers until it is avenged or purified.'

My friend was left with much to ponder, realizing that even in a world ruled by commerce and politics, there were forces far beyond human understanding at play. The experience left an indelible mark on him, a reminder of the unseen dangers lurking in the shadows."

Viserys closed the storybook and looked at Daenerys, who was listening intently, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear and fascination.

"Remember, Dany," Viserys said softly, "the world is full of mysteries and dangers, many of which are hidden from plain sight. One must always be vigilant and wise, never taking things at face value."

Daenerys nodded slowly, her expression serious. She might not fully understand the depths of the story or its implications, but she could sense the gravity in her brother's words.

The response he received was: "Of course."

He then asked, "Since such insidious curses exist in this world, how should we defend against them?"

The Red Priest told him, "By having faith in the Lord of Light. You can come to the temple; the sacred flames will purify everything and protect you. The long night is dark and full of terrors!"

From that day on, every evening, when the Red Priests lit the sacred fires in the temple and chanted their prayers, my friend would join them, offering prayers to the Red God, R'hllor, and beseeching him to bring the dawn."

As Viserys read this part of the story, he heard the chanting prayers of the Red Priests lighting the night fire outside the high walls, and he couldn't help but laugh at the coincidence.

Daenerys, puzzled, asked, "What's so funny?"

"It's just a clumsy proselytizing story, isn't it?" Viserys replied. The storybook in his hand was clearly from the Red Temple, compiled by someone to spread their faith.

There were many short stories, with varied themes, but they mainly fell into a few types: showcasing benefits—the protagonist prospers or avoids disaster by believing in the Lord of Light; showcasing threats—the protagonist suffers calamities for ignoring the Red God's instructions; and then there were the strange tales, which interested Viserys the most.

These stories often had poor narrative quality, with solutions typically involving divine intervention, but since they were recorded in a proselytizing booklet, Viserys paid special attention to them.

The booklet's descriptions of non-narrative content were very detailed and realistic, including how the Red God's followers performed their rituals, how they made offerings, the etiquette for entering the temple, the priests' ways of worship, and even the times and methods by which temple prostitutes offered their services to the followers.

In this light, these strange stories might have been a means to educate the faithful on how to handle such bizarre occurrences.

"And then?" Daenerys asked.

Despite her lack of interest in the story, she cooperated by asking her brother a question. Over the past few days, she had been compelled to adapt to this new way of interacting.

Viserys had been particularly relaxed lately, seemingly no longer prone to anger over anything, and acting as if he intended to stay here for a long time. He was patient and even enjoyed sharing the curious stories he found with her.

However, Daenerys found it hard to discern the emotions behind Viserys's words. Even when he did show emotions, she couldn't tell if they were genuine. She had a vague feeling that while Viserys disparaged the story, he was actually interested in it, but she wasn't sure.

"That's it," Viserys replied. "Let's take a break. My mouth is dry from talking."

They were currently in a pavilion in Illyrio's garden, passing the time while looking at the golden, sunset-lit view of the Narrow Sea. The table was set with sweets and drinks, and the cool, gentle sea breeze on his face made Viserys feel genuinely relaxed and content.

Daenerys glanced up at her brother, who was standing with a relaxed expression, enjoying the breeze, and she silently closed her mouth.

Over the past half month, with good food, drink, and diligent exercise at Illyrio's place, Viserys's physique had visibly improved. He was no longer the gaunt figure he once was. The natural determination and confidence in his expression made him look spirited, a far cry from the brother Daenerys had known.

Daenerys, however, remained thin and preoccupied. She couldn't understand what had happened to her brother or how he could be so composed in Illyrio's garden.

Since Daenerys's legs had healed, her brother took her everywhere with him, talked to her, and told her fascinating stories.

His attitude towards her was increasingly kind. Yet the closer she got to her brother, the less she could understand his calm demeanor and changes.

She had tried asking him several times, but Viserys always gave vague answers and changed the subject. Gradually, she began to sense his superficial attitude of care, which made her uneasy.

Lost in her thoughts, Daenerys glanced at her brother, who was looking out at the Narrow Sea with a serene posture. Following his gaze, she looked out at the ocean bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

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