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118 AC
Volantis
Ormund Vaith
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"I can see why they surrendered." I hear one of my men speak up from behind me as we all watch the large black beast swallow an entire charred elephant whole.
"Keep your eyes peeled, I won't have any of my men missing anything." I clear my throat and speak up to my gathered men. "We need to make sure we check high and low, we don't want any more angered children shooting bolts at the royal family." I grunt and shake my head to try and shake off the memory of a small child trying to jump off a roof as the queen's dragon burned it alive.
That scream will haunt me.
But it's understandable I suppose... the young man tried to put a bolt through the Red Queen while the large dragon attempted to enjoy a different cooked elephant.
Turning to lead my men away from the feasting black dragon, I hear even more murmurs behind me but ignore them. It's to be expected at this point, everyone was ready and waiting for a fight, we expected to assault a burning city and swiftly kill all of its defenders. Instead, we arrived to a toothless city that had already disarmed itself for the most part, the tiger-striped tattooed soldiers seemed keen to surrender after the leadership was all burnt out.
Which made our part easy, we just had to walk in and collect all of the weapons.
With that done we easily took the city and captured its food stores and important defensive buildings like the guard towers and the roads in and out of the city.
The fleet outside will also stop anyone from just sailing into the port as well.
Volantis has been captured... with hardly any blood being spilled by blade.
Dragons.
Once more I am confronted with the power of the beasts of flame.
During the StepStone conquest and then the capture of Lys, I was not present to see their power.
I see it now though, my Father was right.
No longer do I feel insulted by the Dragon blooded Princess who married my Prince and gave him Dragon blooded children.
Qyle Nymeros Martell will be remembered as a brilliant man in time.
There was anger among many of his bannermen, me for example, but not any longer.
If anyone is angry any longer, they are too stupid to see which way the wind has blown.
The future of the world is firmly in the hands of the dragon riders.
Rhoynar blooded dragon riders.
Nymeria is either rolling in her grave or laughing at the Valyrians of old... I am not sure which.
But I think she would be proud of her descendants, King Consort Daeron is even pushing to reclaim the Mother Rhoyne.
I have seen the Orphans of the Greenblood myself upon his personal fleet.
"I wonder what they will do with the Red Temple." My left-hand man, Torric, muses aloud and I turn to see his gaze upon the large flame-colored temple in the distance.
"I heard the Prince Daemon is a follower of the Red God... his Second Wife was a Red Priestess." Torric snorts and I raise a brow at him as we head toward the large bridge that is one of the wonders of the world. "What's funny about that?" I ask and he shrugs with a glint in his eyes.
"I heard he killed her... a trader from Myr spoke of how he would loudly complain about her and shortly after she gave birth, she died." I snort and shake my head.
"Childbed is as lethal a killer as forged steel." Torric purses his lips and looks unconvinced but does not speak further.
I put the red temple out of my mind as I instead focus my gaze on the massive bridge ahead.
Good thing they didn't burn it.
It's covered in wooden structures and would have gone completely up in flames if they even let their dragons sneeze in this direction.
That would have been a pity.
For it is truly a wonder to look at.
----
118 AC
Volantis
Daeron Nymeros Martell
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"I think we should focus on the Dothraki and the Unsullied before we worry about who will rule over Volantis and how." I dryly respond to Daemon as he kicks his feet up onto the table we are all gathered around.
"I am just saying it would be a fitting seat to rule over the other Free Cities from." He smiles slightly as he looks around the room at everyone else, but soon the smile fades as he sees no one else taking his words seriously.
"Volantis is off the table." Rhaenyra glares at her Uncle. "You already have the lands from Andalos down to the Disputed lands, Volantis will go to someone else." I nearly roll my eyes at Daemon's mock hurt look, I don't even think he was being serious, I think it's just in his nature to try and pester, and try he did.
But he won't be getting Volantis.
I am getting Volantis... or rather one of my children.
Probably Aerys, but maybe Nymeria would instead use it as her seat to reconstruct the Cities on the River Rhoyne which she would likely give to her own children or maybe cousins.
"Anyway,-" I push through the awkward silence Daemon left in his wake. "-we need to scout out where the Unsullied are, the Dothraki have already been located but we need an accurate location for the real threat." Rhaenys almost perks up and I smile lightly knowing she wants to leave sooner rather than later.
She just doesn't want to be around Daemon, for some reason, he has been annoying her intentionally the past few days.
"Princess Rhaenys, if you want to handle that, I would appreciate it." Rhaenyra also seems to have noticed and quickly gives the opportunity which Rhaenys quickly agrees with a subtle nod.
"We should fly out and just burn down the horde, the fleet carrying the slaves as well." Daemon cuts in again with a direct but wasteful plan of attack.
"The Unsullied can be brought to our side, just like the Tiger Cloaks, they would be invaluable in keeping the peace in Volantis and its surrounding settlements." I quickly dampen Daemon's spirits but instead of looking all that bothered he instead smiles.
"The Dothraki?" Lewyn snorts in amusement at how Daemon locks in on a 'target'.
"We have no use for rapists and slavers." Rhaenyra coldly responds and Daemons smiles.
"Good... I thought burning those scum in the black walls made you go soft already." I rub my brow in frustration.
Just a few weeks ago Daemon was complaining about how wasteful it was to burn the Old Blood of Valyria inside of the Black walls.
Now they are scum.
I can see how he drove Viserys crazy, I feel a new wave of pity for my departed Good Father.
Poor Fucker had to put up with this nut house of a Brother for almost all of his life.
"What are we going to do after we settle the city and deal with the approaching armies?" Laenor asks from the far end of the table where he is sitting.
I look over at Rhaenyra and she discreetly looks over at me as well.
Is she going to say it?
I can't help but wonder.
The plan came to me in a fever dream the other night... I kind of sprung it on her last minute but she did not shut it down immediately.
It's her call if she wants to follow through with it though.
I will respect her decision regardless.
"Some troubling news has reached my ears." I feel my stomach almost flip as her words immediately show me what she has decided. "We might have more enemies than we originally thought." The mood in the room shifts instantly, though no one reacts outwardly.
This might be a stupid idea, or it might be a stroke of genius.
It's a coin flip if I am honest.
"What do you mean?" Daemon asks with clear interest in his voice.
Rhaenyra grabs my hand seemingly for support as she prepares to lie right to the faces of all of the world's known dragon riders.
"Norvos and Qohor." Rhaenyra smoothly dooms two Free Cities to Fire and Blood without even batting an eye. "Some of the survivors from the Black Walls decided to hand over valuable information in exchange for their lives." She takes a moment to look everyone around the table in the eye before she continues. "It turns out we were right in assuming Volantis had help in their assassination attempts, those that succeeded and those that didn't." She meaningfully alludes to the other two Free Cities having something to do with Lord Corly's death while looking Laenor and then Laena in the eyes before shifting her gaze over to their Mother.
Do I feel bad about this manipulation?
Not really.
Targaryen expansion into Essos has not been taken well by anyone who has slaves.
Norvos and Qohor within a decade or two or even less would have attacked directly or indirectly with cloak and dagger.
I will not pass a hot potato off to Aegon, the chains have already been broken and we have to commit at this point. When it was just the Three Daughters and Pentos it was already risky business, but after Volantis who is debatably the strongest of the Free Cities, the game has shifted. The power balance in Essos has shifted heavily in our favor and if we just sit back on our winnings, we are without a doubt setting ourselves up for failure.
I already have men who are prepared to make this lie look as believable as possible.
This might very well be one of the most black-hearted things I have ever done, but I don't regret helping to put this in motion.
I only feel guilty about pulling Rhaenyra into the muck with me, but I couldn't do it alone.
I mean, I could.
But I would confess to her long before we ever even reached either of the Free Cities that are now in our sights.
"We already have an army here and our Dragons, once we deal with the approaching threats, we will discuss what to do with the other... trouble makers." The stony look on Laenor's face lets me know all I need to know about how Lord Velaryon feels about this news.
No doubt if I asked him to use his fleet to help bring our men up river he would accept.
With the Dornish fleet added, we will have plenty of ships even if the other Westerosi Lords decide they want no part in what's to come.
Though I expect many will want to have a part in it.
They sailed all this way and got to do nothing.
If they hear a fight is up the river?
Many will be eager, I expect there to be just as many wanting to go upriver as there will be not wanting to go up the river.
But I expect all who participate will be happy in the end.
There will be a lot of land to give out after all is said and done.
Many Second Sons will be raised to Lords in the coming weeks.
The biggest red flag is Braavos, their Faceless men aren't a joking matter and despite the fact we are freeing the slaves, I expect them to be pissed we are taking even more land against their border.
I hope we can make a deal with them with Ink and Quill.
But Fire and Blood can go to the bastard Daughter of Old Valyria if she wants to have a problem.
The Titan would burn like any other.