1.15 - Aelyx

Aelyx – 14 ​

The slave's face contorted uncertainly as he heard my introduction. With a guilty start, I realized I had put him in an awkward position by arriving unannounced. He was now having to calculate the potential ramifications of leaving a noble standing awkwardly in the hallway, versus the possibility of his master's anger should he allow me in without their permission. His expression firmed as he came to a decision.

Bowing deeply, he ushered deeply he gestured for me to enter the apartment.

"Please come in my lord."

Taking his invitation I stepped, through the doorway and found myself in a small but well-appointed foyer.

"My lord if you would take a seat, I will inform my masters of your arrival."

I settled into a chair as the man disappeared through another door, leading deeper into the set of rooms. Straining, my ears I could just make out a series of urgent whispers. After a short wait, the slave returned.

"My masters would be happy to receive you. If I could beg your patience, they will be prepared to speak with you in just a few moments."

"Of course," I dipped my head in acknowledgment. "I understand that my arrival was unexpected."

"Thank you for your understanding my lord. May I fetch you anything in the interim?"

"No, that will not be necessary"

He bowed again and left me alone in the room. I waited for another five minutes before the door opened again. The slave entered followed by two more men. Upon seeing them I rose in greeting.

"Ser Aelyx may I present to you Magister Ballapho Pahrinar" He announced gesturing to a tall, but slightly rotund man. "And Patricos Areo Nahaenor," he indicated a short and slender young man.

My eyes flicked between the two dignitaries. I dredged my memories of Pentos trying to place the family names, unfortunately between the fact that it had been five years since I left the city and only having been ten when I did live there, I came up blank. Magister could be a difficult title to parse, while on its surface it conveyed power, wealth, and privilege all magisters were not created equal. It did not help that there were subtle nuances between the functions of a magister in the different Free Cities. Similarly, while Patrios was a courtesy title it could be applied to both wealthy individuals who were not magisters or to male members of a magister's family.

So, while on the surface Pahrinar appeared to be the more important of the two if he was a first or second-generation magister while Nahaenor was a member of an older established family, he might wield significantly less influence than it would appear at first glance. Altogether it would be a careful balancing act to avoid offending either of the two by implying they were the subordinate, at least until I could determine who was actually in charge.

"Greeting Magister, Patricos. I am Ser Aelyx Targaryen, son of Prince Daemon Targaryen and the rider of Vhagar. I was hoping to speak with the two of you regarding the proposal that you had presented to my father."

"It was our understanding, that your father had rejected our offer," Nahaenor answered, his tone frosty.

I hid a wince. My father had evidently not been polite in his refusal.

"My father is a proud man and disliked finding the implication that he needed assistance in reclaiming what is rightfully his. However, I hope that we could come to some sort of agreement that I could present to him once his temper has cooled."

"Prince Deamon insulted both our persons and our glorious city. What makes you believe that we would be willing to work with such a man." Came the riposte from Nahaenor.

My eyes narrowed and I was unable to hold back a scoff.

"Because you need him or more specifically you need a dragon rider."

The atmosphere of the room changed even as the faces of the two Pentoshi remained blank.

"Twenty-four years ago, the Triarchy humbled Volantis, a city that many once believed would recreate the Freehold by force of arms alone. That was after the Three Daughters had spent a century tearing each other apart over the Disputed Lands. I am certain that more than a few in Pentos have spent many a sleepless night wondering about the armies they could muster after two decades of relative peace and prosperity. So let us not pretend that my father would be a mere appendage to your campaign, a helpful but unnecessary ally. I know as well as you do that no Pentoshi army will be marching into Triarchy lands unless it can call on the support of dragon fire."

Nahaenor's eyes flashed angrily, while Pahrinar's lips tightened minutely.

"Are you implying that Pentos, is weak?" Nahaenor's ground out, his tone barely civil.

"No, just that is a single Free City ranged against the combined power of three.

Nahaenor moved to speak again. But, as his mouth began to open, Pahrinar stepped forward slightly, touching his colleague on the wrist.

"Aero, Ser Aelyx let us not descend into unpleasantness. We are all here for the same purpose are we not? Why don't we take a seat and enjoy some refreshments so that we can speak of these matters as civilized men."

"That would be agreeable to me," I pronounced, sending a slightly challenging look to Nahaenor.

He begrudgingly nodded in acquiescence. I returned to my seat while the two Pentoshi settled into chairs across from me, on the other side of a low-lying table.

Once we were settled Pahrinar glanced over his shoulder at the hovering slave.

"Wine and the map, you know which one."

The slave nodded and retreated from the room. As soon as he was gone, Pahrinar leaned forward steepling his fingers.

"Your words were provocative Ser Aelyx, but not entirely untrue. From the moment the Triarchy was formed many have worried that they would attempt to expand their influence beyond the traditional borders of the Three Daughters. That worry was only exacerbated when they moved to seize the Stepstones. While I know that many in Westeros initially saw their actions as a permanent end to the piracy problem that plagued the region, Pentos long feared that it was merely a prelude to further expansionism. That fear only grew as their fleets in the Stepstones revealed themselves to be no better than the pirates they drove out."

"Which is why you helped fund my father's war."

"Indeed" Pahrinar confirmed. "Your father's campaign in the Narrow Sea has kept the Triarchy's attention firmly fixed on that region for the past fifteen years."

"My father abandoned his kingdom five years ago," I interject. "And the Triarchy has made no move to retake the islands."

"That is part of the reason we are wary," Nahaenor spoke up, seemingly having mastered his temper. "When Prince Daemon first left most assumed he would return, especially after he wed Lady Laena. It wasn't until three years ago when the Velaryon fleet returned to Driftmark that we realized the prince had abandoned the project. Since then, aside from maintaining their occupation of Crimson Crescent and Shipwreck Sound the Triarchy has made no moves to expand their grip on the mouth of the Narrow Sea. This leads us to believe that the Triarchy is either undergoing political turmoil that precludes military adventurism or they are planning an offensive in another direction."

That caught my attention. Intellectually I had known that there would not be another organized attempt to seize the Stepstones until the Daughter's War when Tyrosh sent in the Admiral who promptly declared himself King of the Narrow Sea. However, I'd never really considered what that signified for the state of the Triarchy as a whole.

"Are you certain that's the case?" I asked. "The Triarchy bled heavily in their conflict with my father. Caraxe burned large portions of their fleet during the war. It could very well be that they just decided the expanse of raising an entirely new force was too great a burden."

"We have considered that," Pahrinar admitted. "However, we have kept a close eye on the finances of the Triarchy and we have not seen any indications that they are hurting for money. No significant tax increase, no austerity measures, no large loans from private citizens. To be fair no one on our payroll has gotten a look at the actual treasuries but when a state lacks currency the reserves the signs are fairly obvious."

"I would think that it would also be fairly obvious if the Triarchy was undergoing a large enough degree of political turmoil to preclude a renewed Stepstones campaign."

"The politics of the Triarchy can be fairly inscrutable to outsiders with even relatively minor factions within individual cities able to stall the internal politics of the entire Kingdom."

The conversation paused as a pair of slaves reentered the room. One carried a tray of goblets, while the other held a large roll of parchment. The wine was quickly distributed and the parchment was unrolled on the table revealing a map of the western coastline of Essos. With their tasks done the slaves took positions against the wall and Pahrinar resumed speaking.

"Regardless of the reasoning for their current inactivity, the fact remains that now is the best to attack. If they are planning an invasion, it is better to strike first. And if they are politically paralyzed, we should take the opportunity to hamstring them before they can recover."

The idea was tempting. Disregarding everything else I wanted to bloody the Triarchy and prevent the Battle of the Gullet and the burning of Spicetown. Even if the Pentoshi campaign failed in the aggregate, even if I never regained the Stepstones if I could savage the Triarchy badly enough that they would never dream of crossing the Narrow Sea at the invitation of Otto Hightower I would consider the entire endeavor a success.

"So, what exactly is your plan gentlemen."

"It is simple" began Nahaenor his grin bloodthirsty. "We assemble an army of our militia and sellswords just outside Pentos. And with your father's support march on Myr."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Do you intend to take the city?"

"No, we are not so arrogant. Instead, we intend to ravage the land up to the wall of Myr, and then when the Triarchy responds engage their forces, recreating your Westrosi Field of Fire. After that, we can force them to the negotiating table and force them to cede the borderlands to us."

"That might also seriously crack their alliance, as Tyrosh and Lys would come out in much better positions," I murmured thoughtfully.

"After that" Nahaenor continued. "We launch our fleets against the Stepstones. Many of the islands remain in the hands of men who once served your father and we believe that they would rally to his banner if he returned. It might take time but, with the Triarchy's armies having already been shattered in Myr, his eventual triumph is assured."

"You present a compelling picture." I allowed. Their plan was simply and brutally direct, relying entirely on the destructive power of a dragon. But I honestly believed that it could work. The Triachy would be forced to respond to an invasion and there were few things more vulnerable to a dragon than large bodies of men in the open.

"Please remain on Dragonstone for at least a few more days while I speak with my father. I would like to present my case." I didn't really believe that I would be able to convince him to join the expedition, but I did think I could sell him on the idea of me doing so.

The two glanced at each other, then at me. After a long moment, Pahrinar responded.

"We shall stay for the next seven-day."