85
----
207 AC
Pentos
Aerion Targaryen
----
Looking at the large map of the known world I purse my lips and wonder if I should fly over Sothoryos one day and at least map out the general shape. Could be a fun pastime one day, maybe Ulthos as well if I get the chance, but for all I know Ulthos is a part of Sothoryos.
"What do you think?" I shake off my thoughts and look over at Aemon who is standing near the bottom left of the map while leaning over Dorne to point at Lys.
"I think it could go very wrong... as I have said numerous times before when you brought it up." He obviously is dissatisfied that I do not 'love' his plan, but I won't lie straight to his face just because he thinks he is fitting puzzle pieces together 'perfectly'. "It could work, there would need to be some political marriages but it could certainly work... but think of the long term." Aemon takes a deep breath and closes his eyes as his head bounces left and right, a habit he picked up from me.
"The Disputed lands would likely never know real peace... it would become a tradition to fight over different fertile and more valuable pieces of land. The 'old feuds' that started out between House Blackwood and House Bracken and carried over to 'Bloodraven' and 'Bittersteel' would likely see a lot of blood spilled." I nod in agreement with Aemon's words while also seeing Rhaegar looking thoughtful as he leans forward.
"What do you think?" I ask when Rhaegar meets eyes with me by chance.
"That could be a good thing." He smirks slightly as he points a finger at Myr and then drags it across the disputed lands and stops on top of Lys. "If they are at each other's throats always pushing one another down or trying to one-up each other for many generations to come... it gives time for the rest of Essos to settle. Blackfyre will no doubt stay out of any dispute between Bloodraven and Bittersteel, but between the two of them, they will keep each other busy once the Conquest is done. It will work out in 'our' favor if for the next few generations they are at each other's throats... they won't have time to grasp higher if that is the case. But this is assuming either of them actually have children to pass down there hatred to." I blink a few times in surprise before smiling at my studious son's 'calculative' side showing.
This is not what I wanted to begin with, I planned to support a puppet leader in each of the 'Three Daughters'. I did not want to waste much time or focus on them as my heart and desire lie in the Great Grass Sea and maybe even the outskirts of Valyria. I can't be everywhere and need to focus in on the things I really want to accomplish such as purging the Dothraki and freeing all the slaves. Making peace in the Disputed lands was going to be left to my successor or a way older 'me'... but my children each have their own plans and desires.
"You think-" I point a finger at Tyrosh. "Giving House Blackfyre Tyrosh with their strong blood ties to the Free City is the best plan?" I can't help but feel a small nudge telling me this is foolish, but I also can see the many upsides to it as well.
"I think if you want Tyrosh to settle quickly and support in any way it can during the Conquest... then letting the Blackfyres have it is the best plan. But I also think as you said before, they need to renounce all other 'potential blood claims' is a necessity. There will already be enough problems with having two branches of crowned Targaryens, if any other of the 'Great Bastards' are going to be given something as powerful as a Free City they need to renounce all claims to the Iron Throne." Tessarion speaks up for the first time in over an hour of back and forth and I find myself slowly nodding while thinking about how I would make this happen.
I already lined up different rich but otherwise powerless men who would have taken the 'Seats' I will soon establish in each of the Three Daughters. Much like the Prince in Pentos who rests solely in my hands and is supported by my own power, the new 'Lords' of the three Free Cities would be my men and my men alone. They would obey or find an early grave and their children would do the same until something else was figured out.
If I had more children I could give them each a free city but the way things will work out later into the Conquest I can't have my children spread out dealing with the western most free cities.
It also seems a horrible idea to have a branch of House Targaryen in each of the Free Cities, in the long run, it will lead to a Dance of Dragons part two. I would rather use an unrelated family to take control and pacify each of the Free Cites to make sure they don't individually grow in power. Especially while the Iron Throne itself does not have dragons, I may be doing my own thing in Essos but I won't screw over my family in the West. Easily a descendent of myself with a big dragon could randomly decide he or she wants to take the Iron Throne if the King or Queen does not have a dragon.
Maybe I am overthinking or even being too hopeful, but I can still do the minimum to make sure it won't happen the moment I eventually kick the bucket... unless I find a way to live far longer than I should.
"Aerion..." A muttered voice snaps me from my thoughts and I smile knowing who it is.
"Ser Richard." I look over my shoulder and see the aging knight in his scaled Valyrian steel armor with a dragon's head helm standing beside me.
"Balerion's sigil has been spotted on a sail approaching the port." I hum before nodding and turn back to look over the map once more, my eyes eventually rest on Braavos.
"I will think about it some more, I won't change my plans immediately but I do see the appeal of 'stabilizing' the Three Daughters in such a way." It seems my Sons have come together and want to push for this, I do not know if it's because they are all in agreement or if they are passing favors in exchange for later support in their own individual plans.
God... it is annoying and exciting to see them play their own little political games, I just hope I don't need to start knocking sense into their heads if they take it too far. The 'little boys' I used to have to teach to count to ten have each come a long way and it makes me look forward to how far they will go.
----
207 AC
Pentos
Daenerys Targaryen
----
"Did the boys have fun?" I ask Aerion as he enters our room and I roll my eyes seeing him reach out and smack Shiera on the rear as she goes through her wardrobe.
"Would have been more fun if you did not drag everyone else off to greet some random merchants." Aerion lets his displeasure be known but I shrug as I gained us quite a lot of support from those 'random merchants'.
Sure it might not seem like a lot when one considers our wealth and power, but having a wide net is never a bad idea in this kind of thing. We can't have ears in every room and the more people who 'like' us the better off we will be in the long run.
"Well, you can invite whoever you want to scheme in the dark after we feast with our Prince of Pentos and his family tonight." It feels good to already have a Free City declared for us even before the official crowning.
"Yeah yeah... throw on something pretty and let's go greet Balerion as he arrives, I am eager to see how his negotiations went." I perk up hearing Balerion is almost here, I also have been looking forward to seeing how his negotiations went.
"Think we got some time to-" I sigh and make my way over to my own wardrobe hearing Shiera whisper and blatantly try and seduce Aerion as she presses her abundant chest against his back.
I still do not understand how her chest can still grow with each pregnancy yet the rest of her stays roughly the same. I almost want to accuse her of hiding some of the 'good' magic from the rest of us, but I have no proof.
----
"-and this is my wife, the Daughter of the Sea Lord." My eyes widen slightly and it's not because it is plainly obvious how the negotiations went.
He got married... the man who more than once announced he would not wed after he tried to find a Wife and came back empty-handed. Not from lack of available partners but none of them fit what he wanted in a Wife, so it is surprising to see him take a Wife.
"I see..." Aerion clears his throat and seems to also struggle with the idea... he took to calling Balerion the 'The Bachelor of Harrenhal' after the long stay Balerion had over the Winter.
"We can discuss it more over wine but her Father agreed to almost everything I went to Braavos to oversee." Those words seem to spark something in Aerion and he quickly looks at the young woman as if she is made of gold.
"Welcome to the family!" Aerion cheers and a round of applause sounds off from all the children as if it was planned in advance.
"T-Thanks..." The Braavosi woman looks extremely out of her element as Aerion steps forward and embraces her. "It is nice to be accepted by my husband's family." I smile seeing almost a weight lift from her shoulders as she slowly comes to terms with the sudden acceptance.
It almost looked like she expected to get burnt alive or something... maybe our name is a bit too feared in Essos...
"Now we need to make sure the dragons don't eat her." Alyssa 'whispers' beside me but it's obvious she is attempting to be heard by the poor woman who looks at her in fear.
"They won't eat you." I clear any confusion up as I discreetly twist the small amount of fat on my daughter's hip causing her to yelp. "You can be at ease." The Braavosi woman nods slowly as Aerion wraps an arm around Balerion's shoulder and they lead the charge off the dock and back into the city.
"Come along, there is much to discuss." Narha and Bellenora each take an arm of their new Good Sister and pull her along after her Husband.
"So Braavos is supporting us?" Viserra asks Viserys as they walk side by side with Viserys playing with the Dragon bone hilt of his sword.
"No, they just won't support anyone else and once the Conquest is done they will 'bend the knee'." I almost want to slap the back of my son's head seeing him speak loud and proud about something that should be a secret, but after the public announcement of this wedding, it won't be a secret for long. "Now we don't need to worry about the Faceless men or the Iron Bank." Viserra nods slowly as she easily accepts her half-brother's words as fact.
We hid a lot of things from the younger children, not because they would not understand but instead because children have a habit of talking too much. But now that things are in motion it is probably time to let them all in on the future plans that are soon to be put into action. Many of them have 'tasks' that will be expected of them so it's only fair to let them mentally prepare in advance.