Davos II

The rags and the cloths of a common sailor were what Ser Davos had adorned, in order to keep his presence unnoticeable to the citizens in White Harbor. It was a large port, with many people bustling through one place to another. It was a manner much different to what he originally intended, but it was necessary, to the secrecy of his mission.

"I will be rewarded greatly by the king, if I am able to secure this alliance. I know how difficult it was to find Jacob a wife, it wasn't the young man's fault he inherited the most unpleasant qualities of both his mother and father. The Manderlys would appreciate a man of high birth, not a social climber like a Frey."

In front of him, Davos caught on new fortifications, such as higher walls and more men on the grounds and along the shore. He has been in this place before, having taken a ship from here with Jacob and his son Devan, on their voyage back to Dragonstone.

It was at simpler times, and when things were not so complicated. The North was even more secretive than he assumed. Being in war made Davos more aware of the new jetty walls, which could be hiding warships. He shook his head, of how Lord Manderly could have any use for warships.

The Onion Knight thinks of Eastwatch, where the King Stannis commanded Queen Selyse and Princess Shireen were to stay for the duration of their time at the Wall. He remembered something a black brother told him how Lord Manderly would never ally with the Boltons, but Lord Borrell said it was what the merman lord was going to do.

As Davos sees the small galleys dock at the shores, a warship appeared at the corner of the knight's eye. It was a large ship, bearing the lion and stag sigil was proudly on the ship's flag. His heart sank, knowing what the robber lord told him of the Freys presence in White Harbor.

The Onion Knight strolls into the city, it was filled with refugees from the war. He kept his cloths on, as he didn't want to be discovered by any of the passing Manderly troops, whom held tridents instead of spears or swords, in which other soldiers of the Seven Kingdoms armed themselves with.

He walked through the Fishfoot Yard. It was seeming with people of all kinds were here and all did something. There was a young girl selling cups of fresh milk from her nanny goat, and others such herb women, scribes and moneychangers going some form of business with what looks to be a hedge wizard, it was something Davos wanted to remember for his youngest sons when he got back home to them and his wife.

Davos glimpses the gates of Old Mint were opened. Through previous visits, the iron and oak doors were always closed, but it was a huddled place where old men, women and children were housed, most of them were refugees of war. He wasn't sure of what Lord Manderly means to do with them, but they were seeking shelter from one of the only places in the North untouched by war.

The former smuggler stopped beneath the colonnade, not knowing where he was going through the crowded square. From his years of being a smuggler. He learned secrecy and deception, were the only things that kept him alive in those times.

"I am not that man anymore. Who never had a real purpose other than gold? I have a purpose, of serving my king and his heir. I owe everything I am today to the rightful king, and treated his son as if he was an eighth son of mine."

Trotting past an apple stall, Davos started to feel a little hungry. The meal from the robber lord satisfied him enough through his journey. Fruit wasn't something the Onion Knight enjoyed, but Prince Jacob enjoyed what the harvest of the Reach brought to him.

Davos began to miss him, and thoughts turned to his own sons. He was fortunate of his younger sons Stannis and Steffon were as far away from harm and war as he liked. His other son Devan was still at the Wall, as a squire for Prince Jacob.

"Originally, Devan was meant to be the king's squire, but the prince chooses him to be his squire instead. Not one to object his son's wishes, the king accepted. The prince's return made Devan happy, and not having to face remarks from the Florents anymore."

The Onion Knight trades a halfpenny for an apple, to the seller, whom owned the stall. The man was a stranger, but he was an inhabitant of White Harbor and must know of the tidings and news of what was happening in the city.

"Crowded square, I've never seen such before. Are most of the people Northerners?" Ser Davos asked.

"Most of them are smallfolk from up the White Knife, while others are from Hornwood, whom sought sanctuary inside the city walls. Who can blame them, with the Bastard of Bolton running loose, killing and harming whomever he wants." The apple seller replied.

"What becomes of them?"

"Most survive by begging and stealing. Some of the young girls become prostitutes, while any boy of descent height can find a place in Lord Manderly's barracks, as long as he can hold a spear."

Guilt sat within the Onion Knight. He had come on a singular minded mission to deliver his king's plea towards the Lord of White Harbor. The people around him were the casualties of war, and his presence of potentially bringing war onto Lord Manderly's doorstep wasn't what he had in mind.

"Are most of the troops guarding the ports?" Ser Davos asked.

"Lord Manderly is recruiting troops, it's all I know of it." The apple seller replied.

Ser Davos saw through the apple seller's suggestions. The sight of the heightened walls and the new soldiers in the city indicated what he already knew of Lord Manderly's intentions. The merman lord was hosting the Freys in his city, and the robber lord told him of how the alliance between the two houses were to be sealed with marriage with Manderly's two granddaughters marrying two upstart Freys, who were not good enough for such noble ladies of the North.

"The mission may seem hopeless, but I will do what I can for my king. He has intrusted me with arranging this pact with Lord Manderly. The king was content of keeping his son unmarried, so ambitious lords can fight each other for the chance of their daughters to be queen."

Ser Davos liked the idea of it. These pompous lords fighting for whatever can bring them closer to the throne, but he knew Prince Jacob was sort after, even hiding behind the Wall. After this mission was over; he hoped to see the prince again, even if he was for a short time. Davos has been away from Jacob for far too long, even though the prince was a man grown and can take care for himself.

The Onion Knight was curious to know what was going on, it had been a long time, since he departed from his king and much has happened. With the Lannisters weakening, it will only be a matter of time for when their allies will fall with them. Lord Manderly was the unknown; he could make the difference of this long mission being a success or a grievous failure.

Ser Davos made his way to Lazy Eel, a known winesink in the city. A place were unsavoury characters would enjoy the vilest wine and meat pies full of lard and gristle. At times, the pies were inedible to eat on their best gates and some were poisonous on their worst days.

"In my smuggling days, the Eel was known to those who would venture there. City guardmen and officers would not be caught there. It was only for saliors and fisherman whom didn't know any better. I only visited here a few times, but never came again, because of fear of being arrested."

The place was quite crowded, when the Onion Knight entered the winesink. The ceiling was barrel vaulted and stained black with soot on the walls. It was the same as he saw it years ago, as nothing had changed about the sink. The stench in the air was of smoke, spoiled meat from their pies and stale vomit that hasn't been cleaned for a long time. Ser Davos covered his nose with his cloths.

He could see many sailors and some fisherman drinking and enjoying themselves, others would be gossiping among each other. Ser Davos stuck closer to them, and maybe he might catch a few words from their mouths and those words could be valuable to him.

"I hear tiding of how Robett Glover is trying to raise men in the city to take back Deepwood Motte, but Lord Manderly refused to help him." One of the sailors said.

"What of the Dustins and Ryswells, they're joining Roose Bolton to fight the ironmen at Moat Cailan." A second sailor replied.

"A small portion of House Umber have joined the Boltons, led by Hother Whoresbane." A third sailor interjected.

"Manderly better join Bolton too."

"The lions have Lord Manderly's son."

"I thought the Freys killed his son." Ser Davos said, causing the sailors to face him and stop talking for a while.

"The Lannisters killed one son, Wendel, but the other son Wylis is still a prisoner of the throne."

The news dismayed Davos; he knew from a father's point of view of how he would do anything for his sons, if they came to harm. A sense of kinship made the Onion Knight sympathise with Lord Manderly for such circumstances. The former smuggler did not like the Queen Selyse much, but began to understand why she wanted to keep her son away from marriage; he was her only boy and would do anything to keep him with her.

"I hear of how dragons have some again, and the Mad King's daughter has tamed them." The first sailor said, with wide eyes.

"No one knows the name of the princess, she is half a world away." The second sailor wondered.

"The name of the Targaryen princess is Daenerys. I do not know what came of her; she might sail back one day." Ser Davos said, in a neutral tone.

"Sail back? I talked with the steward of the Sloe-Eyed Maid in Pentos, who told me of how a silver haired girl with three dragons tried to book passage with them to Westeros, but the captain turned her away." A Braavosi oarsman spoke out.

Ser Davos was intrigued, of how creatures from long ago have returned to the world. It reminded him of one of the books Prince Jacob borrowed from Oldtown, which was about the Valyrians and the dragons of the long age. The Onion Knight knew at the back of his mind of how the captain's voyage ended badly, refusing worldly royalty was something no man should have done, especially if the princess had fire breathing monsters at her command.

"One day, I would take Steffon, Stannis and Devan to see those dragons someday. They would be excited, still being children."

The thoughts of his sons turned to Prince Jacob, and what the robber lord said about him. Ser Davos didn't take insults to his prince lightly, even though what the Lord of Sweetsister said was true about the prince being almost like his father. Loyalty made Davos ignore Prince Jacob's flaws, such as lack of niceties, a hardened heart from battles and loss and an unpleasant demeanour towards women.

Ser Davos didn't blame the prince for his flaws, for his father and mother taught him to be strong.

The Onion Knight began to leave the winesink, with the stench getting onto his cloths. he didn't look back; a sit was den for the drunken fools and gossipers with nothing better to do with themselves.

The bustling of the people outside the Fishfoot Yard made the Onion Knight dwell on the diplomatic mission he had to complete on the command of his king, and if it was worth making the plea to Lord Manderly for King Stannis's cause to fight back against the Freys and Boltons.

"I cannot give up, if I did, then I would have disgraced myself, as Hand of the King, as a subject of my king and my family. I came all this way to plead my king's cause and I will. Of all the lords, I was chosen for this mission, to gain the Manderlys as allies for my king and find the prince a wife."

His mind thought towards the knight of Greyshield, a man Ser Davos didn't trust much, but the man was a worshipper of the Seven, which made him more likely to find friends among the King's Men.

Sorrell Grimm was a man capable of looking out for the prince, whilst the Onion Knight was away.

Ser Davos was far from the Lazy Eel, but he wouldn't have been in there for nothing. With some of the sailors' gossip told about how some of the Northern lords were coerced to serve the Boltons, only to fight a common enemy down at Moat Calian, to liberate the castle from the Ironborn.

Being so far from the Wall reminded the knight of a crude story told to the remaining Queen's Men at the feast before his departure from Eastwatch, by Ser Axell Florent, the last of Prince Jacob's uncles with Alester burned for treason and his Baratheon uncles Robert and Renly were dead.

The uninvited Florent man had slyly compared Davos to an ape in prince's clothing, which earned him the ire of Prince Jacob. Ser Axell was an arrogant man, who only obeyed Queen Selyse, but he would obey his great nephew and his king, when he was commanded to.

"Ser Axell should be careful with his words. He doesn't have the favour of the king and his heir. He proclaimed himself Leader of the Queen's Men, being alike with the men who worship the religion of the Red Woman. Underneath the arrogance, Ser Axell envies me'; I have the favour of the king and prince, whilst he only has the favor of the unforgiving Queen."

Ser Davos has been through too much to get to White Harbor, to at least attempt to fulfil his diplomatic duty to his king. He kept his letters to himself, with gold and black to symbolise the true sigil of House Baratheon, before the variation of flags and sigils during the War of the Five Kings.

The Onion Knight began to climb the hill, it is quite grand, but he had climbed it before. This time he was alone and wearing a disguise to keep him from being killed. The proud and pale castle of New Castle had thick white halls, with the merman of House Manderly flies from the towers and the gates of the castle were closed and had armed guards standing outside of the keep.

"King Stannis is no friend of Lord Manderly, calling him fat, useless and a coward. The man is weary from all the fighting and politics, whom can blame him when one son is dead and the other a captive of the enemy. A marriage pact with Prince Jacob might sway the lord to abandon his fruitless alliance with the Freys, for a suitable match."

Ser Davos cleared his throat, not knowing how this would end. Lord Manderly's living son was being held hostage by the usurpers, who hold Stannis's throne. It could dampen his chances of being able to persuade a high lord, weary of war and politics to put his house and his honour on the line with a possibility of being the grandfather of a Queen.

He had gotten to the top of the hill. The high castle made Ser Davos feel small, and he caught his eye on a guard, who had taken notice of him.

At the corner of his eye, the Onion Knight sees twenty-three new warships in the inner harbor. It was what the apple seller told him of the merman lord preparing for war, with new ships and recruiting soldiers to patrol the city of White Harbor.

"What is your business?" A guard asked; he emerged from the gate to address the man in common cloths.

Davos showed him the black and gold ribbon, baring royal seals. "I need to see Lord Manderly at once." He said, "My business is with him, and with him alone."

"Lord Manderly is hosting guests from House Frey. It would not be prudent to disturb him." The guard replied.

"My business is of urgency."

"You dress like a common peasant, but you carry royal seals."

The guards seized the knight, by more of the guard appeared. Ser Davos expected it, coming to the castle of a lord weary of strangers and those he views as traitors. The guards were not, as rough as the ones serving the robber lord of Sweetsister. He had gotten this far, to fulfil his mission to his king and now the knight would have to play the game of high lords for his own survival.