NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 24: Temple of the Moonsingers
"He must never be allowed to go ashore!" Viserys felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead at the thought of the assassin's demonstrated abilities. Skinchangers are terrifying; they can completely control animals to assassinate or poison without leaving any trace. Their skills are as formidable as his own Dragon Dreams.
But Viserys quickly calmed himself. First of all, such a powerful assassin is unlikely to be at the command of just anyone. Otherwise, it would be a waste to use him for an assassination attempt on someone like himself. If the assassin worked for Robert, then why not use him to solve his debt problems first? Robert's bias against the Westerlands could have been exploited to get rid of Cersei and even the old lion, Tywin.
And if the assassin belonged to Littlefinger or Varys, it would be even more impossible. These two don't trust easily. Littlefinger has always been scheming to rise to power. To kill Jon Arryn, the foster father of Ned and Robert, he had to manipulate his mistress, Lysa. And who knows what Varys is up to? If Varys could control such a powerful Skinchanger, he would have already taken advantage of it.
So it is very likely that the true extent of the assassin's abilities is not known to others. This makes Viserys a little worried. Calming his emotions, he realized that since he had Dragon Dreams, he didn't need to worry too much. Although the assassin's methods are more bizarre, Viserys has the advantage of foresight. If the assassin does make it to Braavos, he can prepare in advance and even arrange an ambush. The odds of winning are still in his favor.
For now, Viserys decided to visit the temples of Braavos to see if there were any clues to increasing his magic power. His first choice was the Temple of the Moonsingers. Before Braavos was built, it was the Moonsingers who led the slaves escaping the Valyrian Empire to find this sanctuary of prophecy. And prophecy is real in the world of Game of Thrones. Since they can predict the future, it means that this group of people has some real power. In the original story, the Moonsinger taught Dany the “Song of Childbirth.” Perhaps there are other “songs,” so Viserys decided to take advantage of his free time and visit.
Dany practices swordsmanship very hard every day, so Viserys decided to give her a break and take her along. “Where are we going?” Dany asked excitedly. The last time she went out with Viserys was to buy fish. “Let's go to the Moonsinger Temple, bring some money.”
“Okay!” she replied enthusiastically.
She changed into a light blue dress, tied her silver-white hair into a pigtail, and let it fall behind her head. Viserys couldn't help but notice how well light-colored clothes complemented their hair and skin tones.
In a world where everything seems a bit 'dirty and dark,' the two of them quickly became the focus of attention wherever they went. The siblings got into the carriage and, after half an hour, passed an arch bridge, catching sight of the Temple of the Moonsingers in the distance.
Dany, sitting in the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked out with her purple eyes. She immediately recognized the white building as the Temple of the Moonsingers. The all-white temple stood out prominently among the other structures. It was the largest temple in Braavos, built to honor and thank the Moonsingers. The grand marble palace was topped with a large silver-white dome, surrounded by milky-white glass windows depicting the different phases of the moon.
As they stepped out of the carriage, they saw a pair of marble statues of maidens standing guard at the temple's main gate. The spotless stone slabs at their feet added to the feeling of tranquility and holiness.
A beautiful woman, accompanied by a maid, emerged from the temple and happened to meet the siblings. “What a beautiful girl. I hope my child will be as beautiful as her,” the woman said softly, touching her slightly swollen belly.
“That's for sure, Lady Methys. Your beauty will be passed on to your child,” the maid replied, bringing a pleased smile to the lady’s face.
Lady Methys then noticed that Dany was standing next to a young man. Observing their similar features, she guessed they were siblings. “That young man is also very handsome,” she remarked.
Viserys nodded slightly to the woman, and Dany smiled back, her purple eyes as bright as jewels, melting the woman's heart. She gestured to the maid standing beside her, who approached the siblings and said, “M'lord, Lady Methys would like to have a word with you. Is this a convenient time?”
“Of course,” Viserys replied.
The maid led them to Lady Methys. Viserys observed that the lady, likely in her mid-twenties, appeared pregnant. Her round face and flushed cheeks hinted at her condition, though there was a hint of grayish white on her blush. The slightly bulging belly suggested she was drawn to Dany by overflowing maternal love.
"So the so-called Temple of the Moon Singers is actually a temple for women, and this is where they tie up dolls," Viserys thought to himself. He then approached the noblewoman and said, "Lady, your beauty adorns this city."
“Oh, your praise is like a spring breeze,” she replied with a gracious smile, “but I must admit, the beauty of you and your sister evokes a bit of jealousy.”
Dany blushed shyly, realizing that the lady was praising her. This reaction only endeared her more to the noblewoman, who immediately removed a bracelet adorned with colorful gemstones from her wrist and offered it to Dany.
The bracelet, crafted from gold and studded with pigeon egg-sized gemstones, was undoubtedly expensive. Viserys initially wanted to decline out of politeness, but the noblewoman’s extravagance made him decide otherwise. Dany glanced at Viserys, seeking his approval. Seeing his encouraging nod, she lifted the hem of her skirt, bowed in thanks, and allowed the noblewoman to clasp the bracelet around her wrist.
For an eight-year-old, the bracelet was too large, and Dany had to bend her arm to keep it from slipping off. The noblewoman, seemingly pleased by the encounter, left shortly after, her servant helping her into a beautiful carriage. Viserys noted the depiction of two hands on the back of the carriage and recognized it as the Zalyne House crest.
Zalyne House was one of the three great houses of Braavos, along with House Antaryon, from which the current Sealord hailed, and House Fregar. Though the Sealord was nominally chosen from the entire population of Braavos, in practice, almost all came from these three houses.
'Who says good looks don’t pay the bills? This is how you pay the bills,' Viserys thought with a smirk. After checking the bracelet to ensure it was genuine, he took Dany's hand and led her into the temple.