Game of Thrones : Winter Lord

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"This is Silk Street, my lord," Duran explained. "Here you'll find the largest and finest brothels in King's Landing."

They had been walking the streets of King's Landing for days. They had observed the silent sisters on Silent Sister Street beneath Visenya's Hill—women known as the Stranger's Wives who wore gray robes, covered their faces with hoods, and took vows of silence and chastity.

They had browsed treasures from across the world on Iron Street and admired the variety of weapons and armor on Coppersmith Street.

Silk Street was the most upscale entertainment district in King's Landing, where wealthy merchants and noble knights lingered. All manner of women walked the street, each beautiful in their own way.

There were Andals, Dornishmen, and women from every corner of the Seven Kingdoms. There were even dark-skinned natives from the Summer Islands, dressed in bright feathered cloaks. On their islands, these people believed that physical intimacy was sacred, and courtesans were respected.

The entire street was perfumed with the scent of rouge and powder, and the soft singing of women could be heard in the background.

"There's nothing to see here. Let's go," Cole said, turning his horse's head. He feared that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't be able to resist looking inside.

You're still too young, bastard. How can you think of such things?

Duran and José appeared unaffected. Though the chubby boy was younger than Jon, he was already well-versed in such matters.

This wasn't unusual. In Westeros, it was common for men and women to marry at thirteen or fourteen—Sansa herself was only thirteen at this time.

The crowd before them suddenly parted as men and women retreated to both sides of the street.

"Golden Spear Through the Sun!"

The sun banner cleared the path of pedestrians. Almost everyone on Silk Street had some standing and naturally recognized the emblem.

Duran whispered, "My lord, that's the flag of House Martell."

Cole nodded. He easily recognized Dorne's emblem of a golden spear piercing a red sun.

The leader wore a reddish silk robe with flowing sleeves and a jeweled belt. His armor was intricately decorated with polished copper, gleaming silver, and soft red gold.

He rode a coal-black horse with a red tail flowing behind it. The round shield secured to the horse was engraved with the image of a spear piercing the sun.

He was tall, slender, and elegant, with a long, melancholy face, coal-black eyes, a slightly pointed nose, and streaks of silver in his black hair.

He was a Dornish salt man. The salt men typically lived near the sea, primarily in the Broken Arm region near the Dornish Sea in the Red Mountains. Their skin was olive-colored. Besides salt men, Dorne was also home to sand men who inhabited the desert and narrow river valleys, their skin even darker.

Dorne also had descendants of Andals and the First Men who lived in the mountains and passes of the Red Mountains. They were called stone men.

The man seemed to become one with his mount as he rode, demonstrating exceptional horsemanship.

"Why are the Martells here?" Duran asked quietly.

"They must be here for Joffrey's wedding," Cole replied.

He was studying the man and noticed the man was watching him as well.

Cole asked Duran and Joss to leave. The arrival of the Dornish didn't surprise him.

"Where haven't we visited yet?" Cole asked Duran.

The plump man thought for a while and smiled wryly. "My lord, I've only been to these places."

Cole nodded and continued to wander.

They rode slowly, unaware of the pair of eyes fixed on their backs.

"What are you looking at?" Ellaria Sand asked her lover.

Sand was the surname given to Dorne's illegitimate children.

It was the first time she had seen Oberyn with such an expression.

The prince smiled and said, "Nothing."

The Red Viper—Prince Oberyn Nymeros Martell.

The younger brother of Prince Doran of Dorne.

Prince Oberyn was quite legendary. It was said that in his youth, he had traveled throughout the Free Cities, dealing with poisoners and learning various dark arts. He had studied at the Citadel and forged six links of a maester's chain before growing bored and abandoning his studies. He had served as a sellsword in the Disputed Lands across the Narrow Sea, first with the Second Sons before forming his own company.

Rumors told that at sixteen, he was caught in an affair with Lord Edgar Yronwood's paramour. The lord challenged him to a duel. Due to the prince's birth and age, they agreed to fight only until first blood. Both men were wounded, but days later, Lord Edgar died from his festering wounds. People believed Oberyn had poisoned his blade. From then on, both enemies and friends called him "the Red Viper."

In Highgarden, he had dueled with Willas Tyrell, heir to House Tyrell, leaving him crippled—an incident that strained relations between Dorne and Highgarden.

The Red Viper's legend was notorious. Rumors suggested he bedded both men and women.

His bastard daughters were scattered throughout Dorne, known to the Dornish as the "Sand Snakes."

Prince Oberyn had come to King's Landing representing his brother, Prince Doran. The Lannisters had promised justice for his sister Elia and her children, but the Martells weren't foolish enough to misunderstand who the true culprits were.

They wanted the Mountain, Gregor Clegane, brought to justice and forced to reveal who had given the orders.

Oberyn's hatred had never diminished, his anger never subsided. He needed to kill his enemies with his own hands to avenge his sister and her children.

Just now, he had glimpsed Elia's shadow in a stranger.

Perhaps her soul had been waiting too long, right here in King's Landing.

They returned to the Red Keep along the avenue. Cole had gotten a good look at the capital over the past few days.

Beyond being dirty and chaotic, the city had character.

Defensively, it was merely adequate. The larger a city, the harder it was to defend. It was impossible for defenders to watch every wall and gate.

Of course, attackers faced their own disadvantages. If they divided their forces, they would be easily spotted by the defenders in the castle. A well-timed sortie would defeat them.

With few soldiers, attackers could only target one side. With more, they could surround several points. If Caesar could observe enemy movements from above, he might find an opportunity to raid and breach the city.

But King's Landing had the Red Keep—the capital's heart. Attacking it was even more difficult than taking the outer city.

With insufficient troops, conquering King's Landing would be truly challenging.

A better strategy might be to surround the city without attacking. With 500,000 people in King's Landing, cutting off food supplies would quickly lead to famine and riots.

But for a prolonged siege, one must ensure no reinforcements would arrive.

Either someone would need to hold them back—just as Storm's End had once held back the Reach's armies—or the defenders in King's Landing would need to be isolated and helpless, or the city's defenses would need to be undermanned.

Such an opportunity would be rare indeed.

As Cole approached his quarters, he noticed more people nearby—all of them Dornishmen.