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The Redfish (Edmure SI) chapter 109
🕑 Added 2023-09-08 12:48:00 +0000 UTCTrial of the Harpy
Edmure POV
I didn’t know what Asha wanted from me as she called me to her ship. Even though I didn’t have much to do, I wouldn't say I liked wasting my time. When Asha came before me with Theon by her side, I knew what she would ask. Theon looked pale and thin, probably side effects from being locked in the ship for so long.
“Theon,” I greeted the young man.
“Lord Edmure,” Theon did the same.
“Is there something you want, Asha?” I asked.
“Just to confirm our deal.”
I sighed. Asha was getting closer to Daenerys while I kept my distance. I could tell that she wanted to push me with her influence with Daenerys. It meant nothing to me, as I had already given her my word. I didn’t have any thought of breaking it. It was pointless to me, but if it gave her some satisfaction, I would play along with her.
“Once we return to Westeros, I will exonerate House Greyjoy of their crimes against the Iron Throne,” I said. “Letting you to return to your home and rule over Pyke.”
“I want it written down,” Asha said.
“I don’t have House Tully seal, but I will write and sign it,” I agreed.
I didn’t have anything else to say to her and her brother. I didn’t know why she insisted on it now; maybe it was to show something to Theon, but I didn’t care. My time would be better spent cleaning my sword than speaking to the Greyjoys. The trial would begin in a few days, and even though I didn’t have anything to do with it, I still wanted to watch it. I wanted to see the end of these Great Masters.
…
Even in the scorching sun, the fighting pits were full of audience, awaiting the arrival of the accused. I have told everything I managed to find out of them to Daenerys, and we knew that if the Sons of the Harpy were to attack us, this would be the perfect chance for it. How Daenerys was planning for trials to pass was up to her. I could tell she wanted me close to her to watch me but didn’t want to put her trust in me.
It was fine even if she didn’t tell me anything. Daenerys had capable people around her to protect her and do other things. I didn’t need to worry about someone like her. And seeing her dragons freely flying in the sky should put even the bravest of people in fear. The Unsullied surrounding the pits wouldn’t let through anyone.
Yet, Daenerys chose the center of the pits to hold the court, sitting on a high seat overlooking the convicts. Behind her was Ser Barristan, clad in his white armor and cloak, with a sword drawn and pointed down but held with both hands. Daenerys dared the Sons of the Harpy to come and try to get to her. Only those willing to die could challenge Daenerys.
“I glad to see all of you, the people of Meereen, here to witness the trial of these two men, who dared to challenge my authority and helped the vicious murderers, Sons of the Harpy.”
After having wasted all morning introducing herself and the men, it was refreshing to hear her announce the start of it so briefly. I watch it all from the stands with Tyrion by my side. He didn’t seem to be even a bit caring about it. With Daenerys as the sole judge, the trial was already concluded. Daenerys only wanted people to hear of their horrible practices.
“Do you think we will see a nice show today?” Tyrion asked.
“I would worry about it if I was you,” I replied. “It wouldn’t be difficult to trample someone like you. That is if chaos spreads and people panic and run around aimlessly.”
“Won’t you protect me?” Tyrion asked with a sly smile.
“I do not need you anymore,” I answered with a smirk. “Your death would mean nothing, only less work for me.”
“How cold,” Tyrion said.
Instead of listening to Tyrion’s nonsense, I focused on the people around us. For former slaves, some of them had quite a few cuts on their hands. They weren’t old wounds either. I remember having similar injuries when I was young and wanted to learn how to use blades as fast as possible. When you rush such things, it is easy to cut yourself.
Three, four, those two, too, had similar wounds. I counted nine people around me with cuts on their hands. They weren’t treated well, so it wasn’t hard to notice them. They wore long, loose shirts covering their hips, so it was hard to tell if they had weapons. Maybe I was overthinking it; those wounds might be from working in the fields. But it was better to keep watch on them to see if they did something suspicious.
For now, I focused on the ongoing trial. Daenerys did a great job of telling the accused what their crimes were and informing the public that she wouldn’t tolerate something like this. Trials began slowly, calling out previous slaves from their houses to tell the public how they were treated. There wasn’t a single one who said they were treated well while working for them.
A merchant would come next, telling how he was forced to provide weapons for the accused houses. The merchant recounted how the guards of these houses would threaten him if he failed to do as they told him. I heard murmurs in the audience as more and more witnesses would recount their encounters with the accused houses.
Yet I noticed, while watching the trials, that the suspicious people with cuts on their hands kept silent, even as shocking revelations were said. They kept focusing on Daenerys, but now I could tell they weren’t interested in the trials. Now, it went beyond my suspicion of them. As I kept discretely looking around me, I saw that those people were slowly nearing my position.
There were more of them than regular people. Some would keep glancing at me. At that moment, I knew that they recognized me. And whatever they wanted from me wasn’t anything good. I gripped the handle of my sword, but I didn’t move yet. Instead, I looked at the other side of the fighting pits. It was hard to see, but I could make out people moving to the edge of the stands.
As the trial progressed, witnesses and evidence painted a complex picture of the accused houses' involvement with the Sons of the Harpy. The audience in the Fighting Pits was already on Daenerys side. I couldn’t see anyone sympathizing with the accused and most already demanding justice. It was clear how the trial would end.
But with each moment, I felt the atmosphere growing tenser as the trial unfolded, as it became clear what would be the fate of House Merreq and House Ghazeen. The results of this trial would shape the queen’s authority and the city's unity against the other Great Masters. It was something that the sons of the Harpy couldn’t let happen.
“If I threw you over the stand, would you be able to run to the queen?” I asked Tyrion.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Tyrion looked at me, confused.
“It isn’t that big of a fall,” I said. “At worst, you would only twist your ankle. To avoid it, I would advise you to roll with the fall.”
“Are you mad or something?”
“Run toward Daenerys. You will be safer by her side.”
“Edmure, your jokes aren’t funny.”
I smiled at him, and instead of replying, I grabbed him and threw him over the rail of the stands. I made sure to throw him with enough force so that he could roll with the fall and wouldn’t injure himself. At worst, he would twist his ankle or wrist. As Tyrion screamed as he fell, getting the attention of everyone, I grabbed the wrist of the first man who approached me and pushed him into the crowd.
Seeing that I discovered them, the rest of the attackers stopped hiding themselves and threw their daggers. As weapons gleamed in the sunlight, the rest of the innocent people began to panic and run away. Before the attackers could get any advantage, I drew my sword and started slashing the ones closest to me. The blood splattered, and now the audience was in complete panic.
Soon, chaos erupted as the attackers rushed into the Fighting Pit through the stands. Panic spread through the Fighting Pit. People were trying to run away. Some would fall off the stands to the pit. The attackers mostly ignored the public but would push or stab them if they got in the way. But I could only give one glance around me before I had to turn my focus on my attackers.
I ensured my back was secure before deflected a dagger. There were nine of them, close to me, and who knows how many within the public. But my sword reached further than their daggers. Before they could come close to me, I would already cut at their arms and chest while backing off. I could tell they wanted to surround me, but I didn’t let them, as my Valyrian steel sword cut through them cleanly.
After cutting four of them, I noticed more were coming through the crowd. Seeing no choice, I jumped off the stands to the pit. There were already plenty of them in the pit fighting the Unsullied. A crowd trying to run away blocked the entrance to the Fighting Pit so no reinforcements would come soon. The Dragons above roared, but it would be the worst idea to reign fire on the crowd.
The goodwill Daenerys have earned through this trial and the bad will the Sons of the Harpy will gain in this attack would be reversed if she used her dragons now. Still, her dragons soon landed next to her as Tyrion reached her side, protecting her from harm, while the Unsullied backed off and made a protective circle to push the attackers away. Ser Barristan, seeing the Queen safe, stepped forward and started cutting down the attackers.
Even though their skills were lacking compared to ours, and they were mainly armed with daggers and shortswords, there were too many. The spears of the Unsullied could only stab one of them at a time. I narrowed my eyes as my Valyrian steel sword carved a path through the attackers. What was Daenerys planning? Had she underestimated the Sons of the Harpy that much?
If Daenerys is forced to flee, the Sons of the Harpy would count it as a victory. Who knows how many of them were outside the Fighting Pit? If she escaped while the Sons of the Harpy continued their attack, it would make her look weak. I didn’t have time to worry about that, as I cut down one after the other of the attackers. I wished I had command over the Unsullied, but all I could do was join them and fight together with them.
The outcome of this sudden and unexpected attack will shape the course of events in Meereen, testing allegiances, courage, and the queen's resolve to maintain control over the city. So, I was relieved when the Tattered Prince and Daario, with their sellsword companies, broke from the under of the seats in the stands, quickly surrounding the remaining attackers.
It looked like Daenerys had planned it through, hiding her men well. With them joining the scene, the fighting quickly came to an end. The Sons of the Harpy were quickly surrounded and killed or captured if they surrendered. I wish I had been informed of this, but it was probably my fault for not asking the Tattered Prince.
The Queen has taken a total victory in this battle. She quickly instructed her Unsullied to protect the innocent and maintain order as people still panicked. Now, she has won the affection of the people of Meereen. There won’t be any problem with forcibly investigating and taking down the noble houses. Even the Temple of the Graces won’t be able to interfere easily.
Tattered Prince and the Unsullied quickly left the Fighting Pit into the streets of Meereen to secure the order. The way Daario slipped with them, I couldn’t help but think that some of the Great Masters would die today. I pretended not to see it and walked up to the Queen. Even though I disliked being a target of the Sons of the Harpy, I didn’t want to do anything with them.
