9 Chapter 9

POV change- Alexander Baratheon:

I looked at Myr and I knew that I had to have the city and it took my Iron Legion all but two weeks to conquer the once great city and another two to quell all rebellion and disgruntled forces within the city. Once that was done, I spent three days compelling loyalty in all the people that held power in the city and after only a month the city was completely my own and soon my ships were filling the harbour dropping more forces into the city and some of my best artisans.

I soon had the technique to produce glass and had it refined from the milk-coloured glass to a crystal-clear glass, that took the world by storm and soon everyone was coveting our glass and I provided when the right price was set. And with Myr now under my control and ownership I had to make another deal with the Masters of Astapor for another 10,000 Unsullied and when they arrived, I freed them and charged them with the security of my city and its surrounding lands where I had farmers begin cultivating the land.

When Myr was settled I had the new glass we produced shipped off the Westeros and gifted the crown all sorts of new things made form the glass from sculptures to betters lenses for telescopes.

Even after Myr I was not done with my conquest, so I looked to the far South where the city of Lys stood and then I gathered the Iron Legion and all 200 hundred warships I had and sailed to conquer the island as well. And conquer I did, the city fell within days when I had my assassins make themselves known and to open the city and free all slaves causing chaos within which allowed for an easy victory for me and the Iron Legion.

With Lys under my control, I once again freed all the slaves and drew up contracts and plans that would integrate the freed slaves into society by giving jobs and establishing rules when it comes to employment. Once again, I sought the unsullied but this time, I only chose to purchase 5,000 as I felt that would be enough for the peaceful island, when the internal security was secured, I had 75 of my warships stay and patrol the island and ensure its safety.

With the bed slaves now freed I employed a few of them and sent them to Westeros to work in my establishments as whores and informants. Now that I had three cities under my influence, I placed my focus on the Iron Legion and began an aggressive expansion of the surrounding lands and recruitment.

With a lot of my time spent ruling and ironing out any problems in my city I left the Iron Legion under Apollyon and allowed her to start taking contracts again and I would join them now and again but less frequently than I used to. Soon I earned the epithet of 'The Bloody Merchant' and 'Prince of Death' from those in the Free Cities and apparently even the likes of 'Warlord' was gaining popularity as of late.

It was during my few contracts along the Iron Legion that we took a contract with Volantis that requested our protection for a few months from the Dothraki. There was nothing special about the contract, so I took 40,000 of the Iron Legion and left the rest to defend my lands but when we arrived at Volantis, we saw another sell sword company setting up camp. Something to take note of is that whenever the Iron Legion takes a contract we do so alone and never along other sell sword companies, but it seemed that Volantis was still sour about the three times I had sacked their city due to contracts I had taken with their competitors and rivals.

I would have walked away from this contract, but I had given my word and as everyone knew my word was my bond, so I grit my teeth and unclipped my oversized Warhammer tipped with Valyrian Steel from my back and rode out along with Holden Cross and Apollyon with my lions following close behind to meet the leader of this company I was forced to work alongside.

I met with the leader of the company but imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the Red Viper himself, Oberyn Martell. Now I knew that Volantis was fucking with me, and I swore I would sack their city again first chance I got, when I had walked into his command tent, I decided to act as if I did not know who he was and since he did not say I decided to leave it be.

The problem came in the form of his paramour who in her delusional mind thought it was a good idea to insult me a man who was fast becoming a man known as 'Warlord' after all my accomplishments here in Essos. Now if Apollyon and Holden had it their way, we would have ordered the Legion to slaughter Oberyn and his men before sacking Volantis for the insult but alas I was cooler headed than my trusted officers, not that I didn't entertain the idea for a while.

I was surprised when the Red Viper suggested bringing our forces under one command to ensure there was no unnecessary casualties, I had thought he would be more arrogant and suggest we work separately or that I follow his lead. My surprise did not end there though as he said that there were only two things he wanted for his cooperation and that was firstly he wanted to be allowed a role as an officer which I granted seeing as his men placed their lives in his hands and he was now placing those same lives in my own. But his second request was for me to lend him physicians to help cure a 'friend' of his that had been suffering for a while, I had told him that the first concession was easy and acceptable, but I would think on the second and although I saw he was not happy by my decision he accepted.

So, then I spent the next few months with the Red Viper fighting Dothraki and other sells swords bought by our enemies, I showed Oberyn my tactical genius by outmanoeuvring our enemies and cornering them to be slaughtered or dividing and conquering. Truthfully, there was no need for me to use so many different strategies, but I wanted to show the man just how hazardous it was to go to war against me as well as how dangerous the men under me were.

But it was not all blood and slaughter, we soon became close friends, and we drank together and slept around with the whores in my camp and those in Volantis and at some point, the man had managed to talk me into sharing a bed with him and his paramour. With Ligilimency it was easy to know how and what she wanted and then add in my own prowess in bed, and it was safe to say it was the best sex she had ever had. During our escapades we had even managed to get Apollyon and Mercy into the fun and then it had turned into an orgy for the history books.

When our contract had come to an end, I had given Oberyn my word that I would send my best physicians to his 'friend' to cure him of whatever ailed him, and it was then that the man came forward and told me his real identity and who he wanted cured. I had laughed his concern off and told him I had already given my word and that my word was my bond, I further told him that unless he hated me for crimes others committed then we had no problems between us. And that was how I became best friends with the Red Viper of Dorne.