When The Throne Bleeds

24. Mance and Melisandre

"And they arrested him." Remi adjusted his position a bit, looking over at Shae who was sitting opposite to him.

"But why? I don't see why the man was punished." Shae looked confused.

They were sitting on the wide parapet of the roof of the Common Stay, which was the name of the villa the crew had been staying in, as they had recently discovered. A breathtaking expanse of the port of Pentos spread before him, ships of all colours and all sails had docked there and the people doing business near the dock seemed tiny from such a height. The sun shone lightly on them and the wind weaved through their hair, it was still the morning.

"Because he slept with five wives of the region's lords! The lords were so enraged that they wanted to execute him, but their wives pleaded otherwise and so he was sold into slavery secretly. Put into chains in the free city of Braavos and sent off to Volantis. I never saw him again."

Remi had been recounting the tale of Petra Daime, his childhood friend who had been in the same orphanage as him. The slight throb in his heart was being avoided by his brains as he remembered their time together.

"He was like a brother to me. We used to run away from our orphanage to the streets and he would announce me as the best bard in Braavos in front of all those people." Remi chuckled fondly. "And then I would sing and he'd bring, no, drag passerbys towards me. I think the elders found two nine year old boys gallivanting around very amusing."
The slight throb had now stopped, being completely suppressed.

"But the wives slept with Petra too! Why weren't they sent to Volantis?"

That was a good point. Remi narrowed his eye distractedly, not having an answer.

Shae smirked. "Oh! Vazaar is dining with his friend Illyrio Mopatis this afternoon in his mansion. He has asked for you to sing for them while they eat."

"I feel like a performing monkey now."

"You are."

Remi rolled his eyes, as Shae started chuckling. He glanced over at her face, she had never looked so happy for all the months he'd known her.

"What about you?" He nudged her. "Any stories to share?"

Shae looked at the sky, thinking of something to say.

"I used to live and work in Usmet, it's a city north of Volantis. It has a very popular tale, one that all Usmetis would like to believe in. We treat it as a...makeshift reassurance for the dump that our city has become."

Shae widened her eyes unconsciously, perhaps remembering her hometown.
She began telling her tale.

"This was centuries ago, when the Andals had yet to establish their supremacy in Westeros. There was a traveller named Mance Olar from the island of Myr. Tired of the endless conflict between Myr and it's conjoined twin Lys," she looked at him knowingly, a small smile playing on her lips, "which is continuing even now, he decided to leave his home. He dreamed of visiting new fascinating places, places no one had ever seen before, places that no one had dared to see before. And on he went, on his little boat, battling sea storms and monsters. He journeyed east, and finally found a haven in a great forest. The forest had a different allure to it, and he soon found a woman there. Her name was Melisandre. She was beautiful, beautiful blood red hair, and a face as calming as the moon. To him, she was worth more than all the places he wanted to discover. He fell in love with her. And she, with him."

"She was a worshipper, and in the enchanted forest stood her temple. He used to visit her there everyday, and then when he couldn't stop himself any longer, he asked for her hand in marriage. Said that he wanted her by his side when he reached the edge of the world."