62 Chapter 62: Scenario
( Arianne POV )
The two old women walked towards Arianne slowly. "Don't make any noise girl or we will kill you!"
The red-eyed granny pulled out a dagger and licked it. "Come here now little girl~"
Arianne took a breath and was ready to scream. After all, when your enemy said to not make a noise, you should do the opposite of it.
"What's going on here?!" A group of guards suddenly came from around the corners and surrounded the women. "No servants are allowed to carry weapons in these halls!"
The elderly grannies looked frightened, and the green-eyed one tried to reason. "Wait, we-"
*Squish!*
She didn't get a chance to say anything as a spear pierced her from behind. The other one was killed too with a spear piercing her throat.
Arianne breathed a sigh of relief, till all of the spears turned towards her. A man who seemed to lead the guards stepped forward and pulled out his sword. "You are also under suspicion, what were you talking about with these women?"
She didn't know what to say, but she knew that from the guard's perspective things would have seemed suspicious. "I just walked in on them, and heard them say something about an assassination plan against Lord Oliver."
Though Arianne had heard nothing, she knew she had to make herself seem useful. No one here knew her real identity and the guards didn't seem the kind type who would spare a damsel in distress.
The head guard pointed his sword at her throat. "Tell me what you heard and maybe then I will decide to let you get out of here alive."
'As if… I can see it in your eyes. That sword will slit my throat instantly as soon as I become useless to them.' Contemplated Arianne, trying to think of the best decision she could make right now. The guards were very brutal in their methods, and security was tight around here. Anyone who was even a little suspicious got stabbed.
"I am someone who came in with Davos Seaworth, a man that even Lord Oliver trusts."
In response the head guard only drew the sword closer to Arianne's neck, piercing her skin, and a drop of blood slowly tailed down her breasts.
"I do not care who you came in with," said the head guard. "We only take orders from Lord Oliver, for all we know you could be some whore who charmed the sailor. Also, your strange Dornish accent is prevalent, those desert fùckers are known for their poison."
'Yeah, that is reasonable, but come on!' Arianne's thoughts were a mess. Her heartbeat skyrocketed. It felt like she was at death's door all again. Just like when she was about to be killed in that desert just outside the city she had grown up in. "How about you take me to Lord Oliver? That would be the safest way to prove things."
"I don't work on proving things. I work by killing people." The headstrong guard didn't budge even in front of Arianne's beauty. They were still ready to slit her throat. She assumed that the only reason why the guards hadn't killed her was that she didn't have a weapon in her hand.
Also, she was only one girl and couldn't fight against over a dozen guards that had gathered here.
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( Davos POV )
Seeing Lord Oliver smile as he put a sea map in front of him made Davos realize that he just got himself some more world to do.
They had just discussed the situation with Arianne, and Oliver seemed to understand her situation and agreed to help her.
Of course, that wouldn't be free though, as he had another job for Davos.
Lord Oliver pointed to some islands north of the Vale. "I need your help with these."
"You want me to help you take over the Three Sisters?" Asked Davos. "These places haven't been worth taking over, they have no value. Also, the pirates there have fleets that could contend with the royal fleet."
"No, I don't want your help to take them over. Instead, you should-"
Oliver was interrupted as the door opened and the guards came in with Arianne, her hands were tied behind her back.
"M'lord," the head guard came forward, kneeling in front of his lord. "This woman says that she heard a plot against you, but refuses to tell us what it was."
"Oh~ is that so?" Oliver narrowed his eyes in suspicion while looking at the young woman. "Arianne, already causing trouble?"
"No, my lord. I was just thinking of how to save myself from your bloodthirsty guards." She answered sincerely. "They are a little too quick on the draw."
"Better than being too slow at it," he added. Arianne couldn't figure out what the man in front of her was thinking. He just looked at her intently. "Still though, while I trust Davos with my life.
His judgment could have been wrong about you, so I will have you get two new handmaidens. If you are seen out of your designated room without them, the guards will have the permission to kill you."
"Yea, my lord." She nodded, understanding that from Oliver's view, he had to be careful about these matters. Though Arianne couldn't help but think highly of the bodyguards, they were all like mad animals that seemed to cut you up first and ask questions later.
The guards weren't the smartest tools in the shed, but they were trustworthy. Oliver could trust in their bloodlust to kill anything that seemed even remotely suspicious. They didn't have the mindset for betrayal, or anything else that wasn't killing.
Davos stood from the side and observed the meeting, he knew that Arianne was just like a caged bird wanting freedom. But she had to be careful against Oliver because the man was uncannily like his father. Arthur would kill without a second thought, it didn't matter how pretty you were.
Still, though, he couldn't take Arianne's side and say that she was unlikely to be a spy. Not only would that undermine Oliver in front of his men, but it was also something useless to say. After all, Davos was confident that Lord Oliver knew what was happening here.
But still, some spies were able to get in here? Davos couldn't wrap his head around that, this place had top-notch security. The background checks were very detailed and extensive. Unless Oliver had decided to bring them in himself, Davos didn't believe there was another way to get into the castle.
The guards were always like hunting dogs, just waiting for someone to show any sign of betrayal.
In the end, the sailor decided to stop wondering how the grannies were able to get in here. Instead, he was more worried about Lord Oliver's plan with the Three Sisters Islands and the role he would play.
Sometimes Davos felt like his lord's trust in him was unwarranted. By now the ex-smuggler knew enough about Oliver's plans that if spoken without care could bring the young lord down. Especially the scheme against the Reach, which would spike another trade with the most fertile land in the seven kingdoms.
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( Oliver POV )
Arianne, my dear Arianne~ it seems like she was way more naive than I thought. "Hope you can see things from my point of view and understand that these measures need to be taken."
She nodded in understanding. Undoubtedly she had a wild side to her, but that can be tamed with some good old mental manipulation. I won't change for others, but I have always been good at changing others around me to suit my needs.
Also thankfully the head guard killed those grannies, having them come here and pay them to say that around the hall Arianne was walking towards was quite hard to get. The whole scheme would have gone bad if Arianne had decided to go the other way, though that was where the Blood Zombies were and those things always give people the chills.
In the end, though, everything worked out quite nicely. Now I only need a reason to attack the Three Sisters and take over that place.
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A/N: Plans aren't 100% foolproof and even the smallest detail can set them over and make all the effort put into them amount to nothing.
Example: If Arianne had taken a different hallway route, then Oliver would have had to kill the grannies and get rid of them. That would have all been a wasted effort.
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PS : Don't forget to throw some power stones :)
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