11 The Sea Dragon

Aerion was so tired after the affair that he had to rest for a good while before leaving. He did not wish to stay in Arianne's chambers for too long as explaining the situation would be quite difficult. After dressing himself and adjusting his hair, Aerion left Arianne with a kiss on the cheek.

Aerion quietly opened the door and closed it behind him. He looked at Arthur as if nothing had happened... only a long private conversation. Arthur, however, was not deaf but neither was he disloyal.

"I will not speak of this day, my prince."

Aerion smiled. "I know you won't."

He returned to his chambers to sleep until the morning.

~

The eleventh moon of 294 AC, Sunspear.

It felt like a short while since he had returned to Sunspear from the desert. Time had gone at a swift for Aerion, who was enjoying his time in Sunspear. The desert had taught him to appreciate its wonders once more. Being a diligent young man, very rarely was he idle. He always had to do something whether it was practising swordsmanship with his Kingsguard, use magic outside of Sunspear, spend time with his family and read multiple books... among other things. Most importantly, he valued time with family more than anything else at this point since he was going to leave Sunspear for a very long time.

His encounter with Arianne was not a one-time thing... no, it was only the beginning. Although Aerion was as discreet as possible, in the end, it was Arianne who told her father about it. Knowing her father, she was not afraid of revealing the truth. Doran Martell saw it as a great thing, in truth, but he gave a very neutral reaction. This act would only strengthen the ties of the true King of the Seven Kingdoms and House Martell so he had no issue with it. Although they were cousins and four years apart, Targaryens of the past tended to marry their siblings so their relationship would be deemed more than acceptable.

Finding a suitor that Arianne would accept was also extremely difficult, if not impossible... unless that suitor was to be Aerion. It made matters much simpler for Doran Martell. Still, he decided not to spread this news to Elia... not yet, at the very least.

Aerion stood before his three ships and hundred men, all of whom were Dornish. Every man was a true soldier and simply incomparable to the average pirate that they would soon face. With the right advantages, these hundred men can equal several hundred. Along with the hundred men, he had his three Kingsguard. Those three alone equal a dozen men at the very least.

Lastly, Aerion had himself. His magic vitality had exponentially risen to 20 since he reached the Master stage and chosen which aspects to focus on. He was the very core of this force... with him, the small army's potential fighting strength was much greater due to the power of his magic. Not to mention that his own fighting ability was equal to that of a formidable Kingsguard. He was not in Arthur's or Jaime's league, but he was not too far from it either.

Before sailing away from Sunspear, Aerion said his farewells to his mother and the rest of the family.

"Stay vigilant and avoid any storms that may come near you," Doran advised.

"I was born in the storm." Aerion smiled.

Not long after, his three war galleys set sail.

~

2 weeks later, one of the Stepstone's islands.

Aerion had spotted his first set of potential recruits. Near the small island was a galley with a few men while the rest were on the island. There were several rowing boats placed on the sand so that they could easily row to the galley. It was likely that the pirates were taking a break of sorts before continuing to test their luck in the sea.

Aerion left with his three Kingsguard and ten good men, landing on the island on with his rowing boat. The Kingsguard did not wear their usual shiny armour, instead, they wore Dornish armour and blended in quite well so as to not instil fear into the pirates. It would be a great shame if they all started to run away immediately.

"Shit... they are armed men from Dorne!" One of the pirates exclaimed as he started to look back.

"Hold still you fool, we outnumber them by seven." The pirate captain commanded.

Although the three ships in the distance were quite worrying, it would take a while for them to matter so the captain was calm.

"Oh... right."

The pirates drew their weapons but did not engage Aerion's company. The pirate captain looked at Aerion. "Why are you here?"

"Why, to recruit some of your men, if not all of them." Aerion smiled. "I intend to become the next King of the Narrow Sea so your cooperation would be much appreciated."

"The next King of the Narrow Sea... hah, that title has been dead for more than a century."

"And now, it will resurface. Now whether you will see that day or not is the question." Aerion's violet gaze focused on the pirate captain.

"I do not even know who you are so why would I follow you? Your face tells me that you are only a boy."

"Good answer." Aerion nodded and opened his palm. A scarlet fireblast formed and was sent towards the pirate captain, incinerating him within seconds. "Now, all of you will be given ten good seconds to acknowledge me as your new captain. If you do not comply... you will be joining the last captain, as another pile of ash."

"I bring the promise of greater plunder than you could ever imagine... so do choose wisely."

The pirates looked at each other and most of them agreed, except for a small few who were very close to the old captain.

"You just killed our captain... how could- AHH..."

Aerion made sure to weed out every pirate that was especially hesitant, instilling a sense of fear into the rest in the process. Fear was a powerful weapon and Aerion intended to use it well. However, using it too much would result in a few consequences such as lower morale so he did not go too far. His charisma handled the rest and he was able to gain twenty-five men in the process, losing only five. The four pirates who resisted him and the pirate captain from before.

Not too bad...

Aerion thought as the remains of the dead pirates laid on the ground. With his remaining fifteen vitality, he used greater revive dead twice and the basic revive dead thrice. The three average pirates resembled skeleton-like wights. They were, in fact, very terrifying to behold as the interior of their skeleton was filled with emerald flames. Meanwhile, the greater pirate captain and his subordinate resembled something else entirely. The skeletons had flaming emerald eyes much like the greater undead. However, the greater undead were stronger and capable of speech. The greater undead had their original bodies intact and looked human as well... a less terrifying sight, but they had a greater use than instilling fear. They could lead.

It seems that even ashes can be resurrected...

Aerion was most pleased with his new power, settling all of the undead on the pirate ship. He decided to captain the pirates, leaving his small dornish army to be commanded by Ser Arthur. This was because most of his human army would become pirates so it was better to get acquainted with them now. And, since they were pirates, their loyalty was uncertain so he had to assert his authority.

~

The early days of 295 AC, Bloodstone.

There were several bands of pirates gathered in Bloodstone and several ships to go with them. Aerion landed on the island with the majority of his force, leaving some to maintain the ships just in case. He had gathered a force that was nearing four hundred men; all one hundred dornish troops, a hundred and fifty pirates, sixty undead and twenty greater undead. His fleet numbered eleven total ships and was already the largest pirate fleet in the Stepstones as the other pirate captains rarely ever joined forces.

Due to his most recent rise, a few pirates became more interested in being a part of his company as they eagerly gathered in Bloodstone. It was almost too good to believe... the supposed crown prince and true King of the Seven kingdoms becoming a Pirate King. The first to create and bear the title 'King of the Stepstones and the Narrow Sea', or King of the Narrow Sea for short, was Daemon Targaryen, a great ancestor of Aerion's so it was quite fitting.

Although Ser Arthur disliked the thought of plundering, as he was a chivalrous man, he understood the need for it and followed Aerion's lead.

"I count five ships," Jaime remarked. "Five more for the prince."

Aerion nodded as he walked towards the pirates, followed by his forces. "I will have enough prestige and manpower to proclaim myself King of the Narrow Sea soon enough. I could even do it now if I truly wanted to... very few would resist."

And then... the Free Cities will face a true menace as I plunder and grow further.

The pirates noticed his army rather quickly. One captain stepped forward, representing the other six. "So you are the one they call the magical sea dragon and future King of the Narrow Sea. Some merchants from the nearby Free Cities hesitate to even set sail because of your presence while dozens of pirates flock to your cause... you have my, Sallello Pahren's, greatest respect. For a young man to be so ambitious and capable is extremely rare."

A name from the Free Cities.

"You flatter me, Sallello. Have you and the rest come here to answer my call?"

"Yes, we have." He bent his knee which was unusual for a pirate. "We intend on supporting you in your path to Kingship as faithful servants. As long as the reward is good enough, we will fight in your name and complete any task you may ask of us."

Aerion smiled. "You are wise. Indeed, the reward will be great as long as you side with me. Rise."

He is more intelligent than the average pirate captain.

"Of course, I dare not doubt your ambition. An ambitious man either dies early or becomes exalted among men at the very end. In your case, due to the powerful magic you wield, an early grave is unlikely."

"Then your first command will be to join my fleet."

"May I ask what you intend to do?"

"Ravage the Narrow Sea," Aerion replied. "Then, when the time is right, I will conquer the Free City of Tyrosh."

Sallello Pahren's eyes brightened as he said this. "Conquer a Free City..."

"Yes, but that will only be the beginning."

Aerion smiled.

Just a little longer, Viserys... and I will find you. House Targaryen will be united once more.