Only the main ship was allowed through. The eight Dromons remained behind, anchored beyond the harbor line.
As the great galleon passed beneath the Titan's legs, Kartiga looked up.
A shadow among shadows.
The green-bronze colossus loomed above, sword raised to the clouds. Seagulls circled its rusted arms. Its feet, planted in the cliffs. The galleon moved slow, respectful.
Beside him, Daenerys followed his gaze, her silver braid fluttering behind her.
Once under the Titan's shadow, the view ahead opened.
Braavos.
The Free City.
The port was alive with movement. Ships of every shape and size lined the wooden docks—sleek trading vessels from Volantis, fat-bellied wine ships from the Arbor, even a few iron-hulled barges from Tyrosh. The sound of bells echoed across the canals. Voices shouted in Braavosi, Valyrian, and tongues he and she didn't recognize.
Compared to the crumbling docks of Maidenpool, Braavos was another realm altogether.
Kartiga leaned on the rail, eyes narrowing slightly as the harbor came into full view. He tilted his head, lips curving into a faint smirk.
"Well-fed city," he muttered.
He stepped closer to the railing, the scent of market place. His fingers tapped on the wood casually.
Then he saw it.
A figure in a hood.
Standing by the far end of the docks, just where the sunlight turned to shade. Still. Watching.
Kai appeared at his side a moment later, silent. His body tensed. Without looking, his hand drifted beneath his black sleeve.
Fingertips brushed against the hilt of a kunai.
The hooded man didn't move.
Then a few dockworkers passed in front of him—men using pulleys, ropes, and block-and-tackle to unload crates from the ships. When they cleared, the hooded man had vanished.
Gone.
As if he'd never been there.
Kartiga's smirk faded. His hand slid from the rail.
He lowered his head, muttering a single word under his breath.
"Faceless…"
Kai looked to him for command but received none.
Kartiga turned slightly, glancing toward Daenerys.
She hadn't noticed the figure.
She hadn't noticed his gaze, either.
Her eyes were still on the towers of Braavos, lips parted slightly, her shoulders drawn up. Not smiling. Not relaxed. Just taking it in, as though she'd stepped into a painting she never thought she'd see.
She looked… small. And young.
For a moment, Kartiga watched her.
Then he turned away and said nothing.
.....
The galleon creaked as it finally docked.
The great hull kissed stone.
With slow, measured steps, Kartiga stepped off the boards onto the dock. His black coat fluttered gently in the harbor breeze. Around him, the knights in white armor—Templars—followed. They moved without speaking, forming a wide circle. They looked calm, but their eyes were sharp.
Behind them, hidden in shifting black cloth, the shinobi moved, Inside the circle, they clustered, surrounding him.
Daenerys followed soon after, her steps slower. The boards beneath her feet groaned with each move. She descended the plank with poise, but her face showed unease—just faint enough to miss unless one looked closely.
She didn't speak.
Her violet eyes drifted over the figures in armor, the silent formation that now formed a wide circle around them both. A shield of bodies.
Kartiga stood waiting for her.
When she reached him, their eyes met.
"There was a danger," he said gently, voice just above a whisper. "Until it's over… I ask you to bear with this."
She said nothing.
But he could see it in her eyes—the worry. Not panic, not fear, may be tired of it.
"It's okay," he added, softer now. His eyes didn't leave hers. "Have you forgotten what I promised you?"
Her lips parted slightly. She didn't answer, but her brows pulled in, surprised. The words sat in the air like a held breath.
"I will protect you," Kartiga said, "with all I have."
For a moment, the world quieted—though the port around them remained alive with sound. Men shouting, ropes thrown, crates dropped, gulls screaming above the masts.
But not in that circle.
Between them, there was only stillness.
Daenerys blinked. She looked at him—not as a prisoner might, but like a girl unsure of the man standing before her. The same man who had taken her away from her only family she had. The same man who now trying to protect her.
The same man she now couldn't quite understand.
She looked away quickly, eyes flicking to the side with sudden embarrassment.
Then, without a word, Kartiga extended his hand toward her.
Daenerys stared at it.
Her fingers twitched slightly at her side. She glanced back up at him—saw nothing mocking in his face. No command. No smirk.
Only calm.
And something else.
Her chest tightened as she reached out slowly, fingertips brushing his palm. She took his hand. Firm, but not forced.
Her heart gave a quiet thud. Not from fear. From something she didn't know how to name.
So few men had ever touched her hand. So few had dared—or were allowed. Those around her had made sure of that.
But now—this?
Kartiga turned, still holding her hand, and walked forward without a word. She followed, steps unsure but steady, surrounded by the wall of armored men.
Farther up the dock, beyond the crowd, the upper echelon of Braavos waited—merchant lords, city envoys, guards in bronze.
They stood still. Watching.
Because one man had already stepped ahead.
Kai.
Dressed in simple dark robes, he walked to the officials, hands calmly folded.
They spoke in hushed tones.
No one raised a voice. No one stepped out of place. Whatever was said, it worked.
The Braavosi didn't press. They didn't question.
They simply nodded and stepped aside.
Kai gave a quiet nod and walked back toward his lord.
He said nothing. He didn't need to.
Behind him, the officials remained in place, watching from a distance. They wouldn't come close. Not after speaking with Kai. Not after sensing what kind of people had arrived.
Kartiga kept walking, Daenerys beside him.
She still held his hand.
Tanaka, from the edge of the crowd, watched it all. A real smile touched his lips.
No one else saw it.
[
For more chapters, access my patreon
link: patreon.com/AmouxCreationX
]