With Selhorys falling into Maximus's hands, Valysar, and Volon Therys fell soon after. Unlike the Magisters of Selhorys, the Magister's of both Valysar and Volon Therys opted to fight the Imperial Union even with the dragon flying above. They figured that Maximus would not use the dragon to burn down the entire city as he needed it.
And they were right; but death by dragon, death by Uruk-Hai, death by magic or any other way didn't matter when in the end they died. The Magister's had underestimated the sheer might and tactical prowess of the Imperial Union's forces. Their resistance was met with an immovable force that did not hesitate to rain down cannon fire on the town, destroying its walls and killing dozens of defenders in the process.
The magisters of Valysar and Volon Therys had been so sure of Maximus's unwillingness to cause mass destruction, they had not accounted for the fact that he had other ways of taking the town without having to resort to burning it down. By the time they saw their mistake, the sounds of cannon fire echoed throughout the cities, rattling everything around them.
Once the dust settled and the smoke cleared, the destructive force of the cannons could be seen. The proud walls of the towns were shattered, lives were taken, and the strong resistance they had mustered was brutally silenced by the Imperial forces.
Many had died in the process, but in the end, Maximus and his army had emerged victorious over the two towns. However, as these two sieges were going on, messengers sent from the two towns prior to being under siege had reached Volantis.
-20 days prior to siege on Volantis-
"My Lord, the cities of Selhorys, Valysar, and Volon Therys have fallen to the Imperial Union," a courier reported, his face etched with fear as he stood in front of the three Triarchs of Volantis.
The triarchs of Volantis exchanged uneasy glances. For the Imperial Union to take down three cities within a span of two months was concerning and it made clear what their intentions were. Since letting the Three cities army through they hadn't heard much about their progress, but they assumed that the Three cities were probably still sieging the massive city of Heaven's Reach and dragging the emperor out in chains.
But now they knew that they were wrong. "Are you certain?" Triarch Kaelith Tyrris who is part of the Tiger party asked, his voice barely above a whisper. The courier nodded solemnly and handed him a scroll containing details of the sieges. Scanning through the information quickly, Kaelith's eyes filled with dread.
"Should we prepare for war, then?" Triarch Aeloria Varkos who is part of the Elephant Party asked while staring at the map laid out on the table.
The three cities which lay between them and the Imperial Union were under their Authority, and seeing the path that the Imperial forces followed it didn't take a genius to figure out who their next target was.
"We should negotiate first," Interrupted the third Triarch, Thorian Caldris who is part of the Elephant party. The Elephant part consisted of merchants and moneylenders advocating for trade. Their rivals, the Tiger party advocated for military conquest.
"We must be prepared to show our strength," Kaelith interjected sharply, his hand coming down hard on the table. He was a fierce advocate for the Tiger party, and it was clear that the threat of the Imperial Union was not one he was willing to ignore or negotiate with.
"Strength is not only shown by violence, Kaelith," Thorian replied calmly. "It can be demonstrated through negotiation and rational decision-making."
Kaelith scoffed at this, rolling his eyes in disbelief. "And what if they don't want to negotiate?" Kaelith asked, looking to each of the Triarchs in turn. "What then? We can't just roll over and surrender."
"You are correct, we can't," Aeloria admitted. "But we also cannot rush into battle unprepared and without any attempt at diplomacy."
The room fell silent as they contemplated their options. The courier watched as they debated among themselves. He had seen enough wars in his time to know that this one would not end well unless they could come to an agreement.
Deciding on a course of action, Triarch Thorian stood and began to write a message of his own. "We will send a message to this Maximus," he said. "We will offer negotiations and prepare for war simultaneously."
The other two Triarchs stared at him for a moment, then nodded. It was a sound strategy, one that played to both their strengths. "I'll begin preparing the military," Kaelith said, his hands already moving over the map, calculating favorable battle theatres where they could set up ambushes.
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A/N: I recognize that i made a mistake making Renly one of the diplomats to send an envoys to the Imperial Union since he is only about 6-8 around this time, so I replaced Renly with Lord Mace Tyrell to clear up any confusion.
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-Heaven's Reach-
Ser Davos and Lord Mace Tyrell were sitting across from Eonwe as they conversed about the relationship between the Imperial Union and the Seven Kingdoms. They had arrived 5 Months ago and were warmly accepted, but they never got to see or talk to the emperor. Instead, they had to talk to Eonwe who is the Vizier of the Imperial Union.
"Vizier Eonwe, we have been here for five months and have not once met with the emperor," Ser Davos finally voiced his concerns.
Eonwe calmly smiled at Davos, choosing his words carefully. "The emperor is currently dealing with other matters of state. I assure you; your presence has been noted and is much appreciated."
"But…" Davos began, only to be cut off by Mace Tyrell.
"We understand, Vizier Eonwe," Mace said diplomatically. "Of course, the Emperor has many responsibilities. We are patient men and are willing to wait."
Behind his courteous smile, Mace was churning with anxiety. It was clear that they were being kept at arm's length for some reason. But why? What was it that the emperor wanted from them?
As if reading his thoughts, Eonwe spoke up again. "For now, the emperor values a good relationship with the Seven Kingdoms."
The words comforted Mace Tyrell, yet they were not enough to fully ease his anxious mind. "And we value a good relationship with the Emperor and the Imperial Union," he affirmed cautiously.
Eonwe nodded appreciatively, while in his mind, he was thinking of how to use the two lords. "That's good to hear. I believe that the Seven Kingdoms and our Imperial Union can achieve great things together."
Ser Davos raised an eyebrow at the statement, looking at Eonwe shrewdly. He knew when he was being flattered, but it was hard to tell what the man's real intentions were.
"Indeed," Mace said in agreement, though his voice held a note of uncertainty. What exactly would those 'great things' entail? They already had a Trade agreement between the Imperial Union and Seven Kingdoms with Braavos acting as a third party to allow good from the Imperial Union to be stored and shipped to the Seven Kingdoms from their ports.
It was a mutually beneficial agreement for Braavos, where they would receive a part of the income while also getting more merchants coming to their ports, increasing their profits.
But now they wanted to see the emperor and speak with him, as their initial mission was to learn more about this Maximus and his Empire and see what they could gain by working with them. So far, they had only seen how great the Imperial Capital Heaven's Reach were, which is why the trade agreement was signed. But they have yet to speak with Maximus to see what type of person he was.