Hello there,
If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.
—
3 YA
Storm Kingdom
Storm's End
Ei stamped another document for approval.
The kingdom was slowly, but surely, recovering from the war and the destruction the Ironborn had left behind in the Riverlands. The projects Ei had running all across the kingdom, from the canal management to the floodplains for rice cultivation, were the Iron Works popping up across the land along with other production facilities, including textiles, tools, and other export goods.
Ships passing through the canal, from Braavos, the Blackwater Bay, White Harbor, and Gulltown to Lannisport and vice versa, contributed greatly to the development of the Riverlands. The tolls and fees taken were directed to the Riverlands Development Fund, created for that exact purpose, with a certain percentage of the taxes from the river lords added to it.
The silk production in Blackhaven had drawn interest from the entire continent, for its deep and natural purple color, and the cheaper price compared to buying it all the way from the Free Cities meant that the small but growing business was earning a lot of coin.
Houses Bar Emmon, Brune, and Staunton were on the mouth of the Blackwater Bay, and Ei had sent a letter, informing Aegon Targaryen that half of these waters belonged to the respective houses, while the rest, in the interest of fairness, belonged to Dragonstone, and they would not be allowed to take any tolls from ships passing through the waters of her subjects.
The Targaryens had agreed, going as far as to drop all tolls, knowing Dragonstone wouldn't see trade otherwise.
Lords Bar Emmon, Massey, and Wendwater, who were close to House Targaryen due to this issue and had "questionable loyalties" in Sasayuri's report, were falling over each other to affirm their loyalties.
Queen Regent Shara Arryn had reached out months after the North had. The rumors were that as the most pious believers of the Seven Who Are One, the Vale had violent discussions on what to do. Half wished for peace, like the one the Storm Kingdom had with the North and the Kingdom of the Rock, while the other half wished to forbid any entry to their kingdom from the Storm Kingdom.
Reason had won, eventually, and while she could see that Queen Shara and her retinue were displeased to be parleying with a false god, the deal was signed, and they had no issues with the Vale, except that the merchants had a hard time finding buyers.
Loren Lannister and Torrhen Stark both were more respectful in their conduct, aware of her power, but did not compromise on their pride as rulers.
Another interesting situation was the immigration to the Storm Kingdom, mostly to the Riverlands and some to the Reach. The reason for it was simple. When Ei had driven the unnatural winter out of the Storm Kingdom, along with the Riverlands and the Reach once they were conquered, the smallfolk of the Kingdom of the Rock and the Vale of Arryn had begun to leave their lands. This winter, which had lasted three moon turns in the God-Queen Argella Durrandon's domain, was still raging in the domains of House Arryn and House Lannister after a year.
She also had another brother, Argos, who was just like Argall, an ordinary human. Her father was over the moon at having more children.
Maester Larry, who acted as more than just a maester these days, brought out a letter, holding it in both hands while bowing his head. "Your Excellency, our men at the border have sent a letter."
Ei took the letter, quickly reading through, and chuckled. "What is it?" Saiguu thought it might be finally time for Dorne to surrender.
"The Dornish wish to parley." She handed the letter to the kitsune.
Chiyo shook her head. "It only took them this long."
"Send a letter back; tell them I will be there in two months."
"Making them wait, huh? Good." The kitsune goddess grinned. The Dorne waited for two years; they could afford to wait a couple months more.
—
Storm Kingdom-Dorne Border
From Storm's End to Nightsong, Ei took her time, visiting the lands on the path and inspecting how the development efforts were going. There were hiccups, a natural part of the changes she was installing across the kingdom, with more than one person opposing her, mostly the religious class.
Septs had not been causing trouble, other than preaching that she was a false god leading them to ruin and eternal damnation, but for the first time in generations, the smallfolk had been living in better conditions compared to past years. The septons found their words were not as strong as before, with fewer and fewer people praying in septs each day, mostly the old stuck in their ways and the zealots.
However, prayers to the Electro Archon and the Almighty God of Thunder were growing, from wishes of health, prosperity, security, and abundance.
Now, walking to the edge of the barrier where the Dornish were already waiting, Ei found a woman, a member of House Martell, with Meria nowhere in sight.
The Dornish retinue looked ragged and a bit gaunt, and she could feel the hostility.
"You wished to parley?" Ei, with Saiguu, Sasayuri, and Chiyo on her sides, gazed at the Dornish envoys with disinterest. Whether these talks succeeded or not, she lost nothing.
"I am Princess Deria Martell, Princess of Dorne and Lady of Sunspear."
"I am listening."
"What are your terms to remove the dome?"
"You will surrender your circlet and position as the ruler of Dorne." She offered the Dornish the same terms as the Reach, except for the next twenty years, a governor would be appointed by her before a Dornish noble could be elected.
Her reason for doing it? Punishment for the defiance of Dorne.
Princess Deria and her nobles were outraged, but once Ei turned back to leave, they had no choice but to fold. The growing dissidence among the smallfolk and their dwindling food sources decided their choice.
She allowed Princess Deria and the nobles to leave the barrier so they could swear loyalty.
And took her copper circlet, making Dorne finally kneel.
—
Essos
Across the Narrow Sea, the kneeling of Dorne was not an important matter compared to the ongoing Targaryen conquest. After the conquest of Pentos, the Targaryens were gathering their armies, which gave Myr, Tyrosh, and Lys time to strengthen their defenses. Lorath, another city that never practiced slavery, had bent the knee to the Targaryens, though their way of life did not offer much to their host.
Joining in an alliance, the three cities knew they had to put their rivalries aside.
They stood no chance against the Targaryen dragons, especially Balerion the Black Dread, whether on land or sea, and their only chance was the scorpions that they had spent fortunes to build.
Assassins sent for the dragonlords had no success, except for one that had managed to get close enough to wound Rhaenys Targaryen. An ugly scar had been left on her face, taking the dragonrider's left eye. The assassin had been tortured as a warning to all others, and it must have worked, for there were no more rumors of hired blades waiting in the dark.
Stuck between having to surrender or fight, the alliance sought to dissuade the Targaryens from attacking at all. Hundreds of scorpions dotted the cities, with slaves brought near the weapons to discourage any attacks, and more importantly, thousands of traps and all the men they could hire.
It started with Myr, the city closest to Pentos, when the ten thousand strong Targaryen host marched for conquest with three dragons in the sky. Hiding behind their walls, the Myrish magisters kept thousands of crossbows ready.
The Targaryen host, aware that another costly city battle would set their conquest further back, were more willing to attack the walls even at the cost of slave lives.
The walls melted under the intense flames of the dragons, while scorpions were useless against a dragon as massive as Balerion. Its scales alone were thick enough to take the shots and ignore them, and Myr found it out the hard way.
Once the walls were down, killing hundreds of men, the magisters fled the city, knowing that the battle was lost. Most of the sellswords had abandoned the battle, and the crossbows of Myr were useless against the overwhelming power of the dragons.
Myr, for all its preparations, fell quickly.
Tyrosh, the fortress city, was next. Its inner walls of fused dragonstone offered greater protection than the walls of Myr.
Unlike ordinary stone walls, they could not be melted instantly, and while Balerion's scales were thick enough that scorpion bolts couldn't pierce, his eyes did not enjoy the same protection.
Which is why, rather than melting the walls, the dragons burned down the palace of the Archon and the manses of the nobles, catching them unaware in a night raid. By morning, the rulers of Tyrosh were all but charred husks, leaving the city with none to take the reins.
It also had the unfortunate effect of reducing much of their wealth to ashes, or slag mixed with stone and steel. Tyrosh was conquered, but the Targaryens did not see much wealth flow into their coffers.
Lys, seeing its allies brought to heel so quickly, offered to parley.
The Targaryens were insistent on banning slavery, and Lys agreed to their previous offer of taking no more slaves. The dragonlords, however, weren't feeling particularly merciful and changed their offer. For every slave Lys had, they would pay twice the worth of the slave as compensation, a ploy by the Targaryens to either fill their coffers after Tyrosh or force Lys to free the slaves.
Stuck between losing their way of life and dragonfire, the Lyseni freed three-fourths of the slaves in the city, only keeping their most valued thralls, mostly whores, along with several craftsmen.
The conquest would continue with Qohor, but not before the Targaryens prepared their host and supplies for the march.
Qohor, the city of sorcerers, however, would be a much harder nut to crack.
—
Storm's End
4 YA
"These Targaryens sure are fast in their conquest." Saiguu commented, reading the letter detailing the latest events in Essos.
She had seen their dragons, which were nothing more than pests compared to Dragon Sovereigns, but still more than enough for the ordinary people of this world.
"As long as they are freeing slaves, I do not care." Ei would have, eventually, interfered and freed the slaves, but if the Targaryens were doing it first, then she wished them the best.
Preferably without having to kill more.
Saiguu shrugged. She and Chiyo saw the situation in Essos regarding the slaves, and if she had the power at that time, there would definitely be a calamity on the neighboring continent.
They continued to work in peaceful silence, and Sasayuri stopped using her typewriter.
"I do not believe Essos was their first target." They were not expecting the tengu general to mention what the Targaryens were planning.
But if she had, then Ei knew it was for a good reason. "Oh?"
"I think the Targaryens wanted to conquer Westeros, but your existence made their plans inapplicable."
Saiguu considered the possible reasons that made Sasayuri believe that. "What makes you think that?"
Rummaging through her desk, she pulled out several pages tied together, detailing the relations in the Blackwater Bay and the influence of the Targaryens. Sasayuri had written it months ago when suspicion arose that several lords might have had less than reliable loyalties to Argilac when he was king. "They kept good, almost friendly relations with the neighboring nobles, which is unusual if you look at their history of dominance. Reduced tolls, sometimes allowing ships to pass freely, offering protection, and the trade flowing between the Lords of Blackwater Bay and Dragonstone? They were making alliances and seeking vassals."
"Perhaps it explains why one of them was following us during the war against the Ironborn, and why Balerion was sighted at the Wound." Ei was too busy to inquire with the Targaryens since the dragons caused no trouble.
Chiyo agreed that there was a good chance Sasayuri was right. "They are smarter than the Gardeners and the Martells, at least."
"Still, if they conquer and unite enough of Essos, we will have a rival, not in military power, but perhaps in trade." If they could be allies, or at least be friendly enough, then perhaps this world could finally be steered in a more positive direction.
If not, Saiguu was always happy to see Ei solve issues her way.
"Good thing their artisans find the peace in our kingdom more desirable than staying in the Free Cities." With Myr, Tyrosh, and Lys conquered, the immigration had slowed down, but the Storm Kingdom as a whole still saw artisans and other talented workers arrive every other month.
"Their next target is Qohor, but do you think they will target Braavos?"
"If they are conquering Essos to free slaves, then no, since Braavos was founded by escaped slaves. However, it is more likely that the Targaryens are trying to carve an empire for themselves, and Braavos is too enticing as a target to not conquer." Wealthy due to trade and the Iron Bank, Braavos would be a prime target for any conqueror.
"They escaped from the dragonlords of Valyria; I don't think they'll surrender to them now." Kage considered asking Ei to offer support to Braavos, which would deter the Targaryens, but if the city felt itself threatened, the Sea Lord might just ask for it first.
"Sister!" Argall, dragging Argos with him, burst into the room, getting too rowdy as a child.
Ei smiled, raising both children up before Argall fell and pulled his younger brother down with him.
"Aren't you two supposed to be napping?" Cheekier than most four-year-olds, Argall was unapologetic in his actions, cute for a child, but hopefully, it would not follow him into adulthood.
Her little brother just grinned, showing his baby teeth. "I wanted to see you."
"And Argos?" Compared to Argall, Argos had a calmer disposition but was still willing to follow his older brother everywhere.
"He wanted to come too." Which meant Argall had dragged him here.
"Can we play, please?" He begged in that childish tone, and Ei considered what to do.
Right now she had work to do, and they were supposed to be napping in the first place. "I am busy now, but how about I give you something to play with?"
"What? What is it?" Argall asked, jumping in place, excited.
Reaching to her desk, Ei pulled out a small construct, one shaped like a hawk, and with a little electro, it came to life. Looking around as if confused, it took flight, and the children burst into giggles, following the puppet out of the room, where it would take them to Selena.
"How did you ever raise children? They seem to be so much trouble." Kage asked Chiyo, the only one among them to ever have children.
The oni just laughed.
—
In the next chapter:
Qohor, the City of Sorcerers, had prepared well for the Targaryen invasion. They had bought thousands of Unsullied to protect the city and brought sorcerers from all corners of Essos together.
The dragons of the Targaryens were the sole reason they had even conquered six of the Free Cities so quickly. The ruling class of the city, mostly composed of the priests of the Black Goat, merchants, and guilds, knew their salvation lay in repelling the dragons.
To that end, a sorcerer from Asshai had offered to lend his shadowbinding. When the Targaryen host showed itself in the distance, a black smoke rose to the sky, taking the shape of a skeleton covered with black robes. It flew at Balerion the Black Dread, the most fearsome of the dragons, and disappeared after striking the creature.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.
In addition, if you enjoy the premise of an overpowered genius protagonist, you can check Arrival : Ruptures, my original story for much of the same in sci-fi, action, technological wonders and romance.