Chapter 29:Tyrosh and Lys Battles(Karna's POV)

Something that happened at the official gathering really pissed me off, it was not Belandra flirting with me that sort of awkward thinks is common among us rhoynar, as our people are very hedonists. I was very thirsty as I talked a lot at the prom and on the way here, my wife helped me to relax a lot. I asked a servant to serve me water as I don't drink.

The problem is that I did not pay attention to the water that I was served. I thought the water was strange when I drink it but did not mind it much and so I drank a whole cup of Ly's tears, a transparent poison from Lys. Because of that bastard of an assassin, I could not enjoy the night with my wife but became busy with massive diarrhea. Thankfully none of my soldiers know about the fate that fell over me, thankfully my nation was not like a European Middle Ages and Renaissance court so I have privacy. I swore, that night, not only that I would be more pay more attention to things, but that I would have my revenge on Lys poison makers.

I love my wife, but she can be as stubborn as me, she is pregnant and she wanted to go to war with me, is she serious? If Jolar have not mediated the situation we would have stayed a whole week with her saying she would go, and with me saying she shouldn't. Our agreement was that she would go to war with me, guess she won, but if it started becoming hard for her she would immediately return to Anga. Sometimes she acts as a southern innocent maiden wanting a charming prince(me) others she acts to be a Hyrkoon warrior maid, at least she did not want to pierce her nipples iron rings, and cheeks with rubies. However, I will not deny that I love her dichotomic character.

We offered an alliance with Grohan Drohe, which was promptly accepted. They got all pentoishi land and thought a port city would be a nice collection for them, to which I agree. Sarhoy put an end to Volantis once and for all. The toughest to crack of the four cities even at this time is Tyrosh. So that was the one we attacked first. I and my wife were given command of our ship while our Sar Mell river sailors and soldiers merged with the sea navy of Sarhoy. All ships in the attack belong to Sarhoy. Both us and Sarhoy have only a river navy, different from Sarhoy, which has ships suitable for both river and sea combat.

We sailed into the orange shore and then went south until we were south of Lys, skipping "Lys strait", sneakily reaching Tyrosh islands, where we destroyed the scattered ship patrols. I fire some arrows and saw the ships burning to ashes and so we plundered the wealthiest merchants and nobles of the city. We are not taking over the tyrosh islands in other to delay an all-out war. Also, the major product from there is their sea snail purple and blue ink, which only valued is to shrink our blue ink market. We also think a ruined Tyrosh is a nice gift to Valyria.

But we still freed their slaves which we set freed and sent to the newly founded principality of Stepstones, which was a strategic nail we pushed inside the region not only to curb the rising valyrian piracy activities there but to secure our trade with Westeros because none of our three cities want to lose such a big market, especially considering all the Castamere gold that circulates there. In the case of Sarhoy, they want easier access to south Westeros wines and animal skins from the North, which can be resold in Essos at a high price.

So we built a trading company union which we called the Western Rhoynar Trade Company, it served as a mercantile navy to our trade with Westeros. It will be made with the combined investment of our three cities, which would also become for a while creditors of the Stepstones principality. The freed slaves were given land there and we contracted the willing ones to our company.

The company head would also be the prince and princess rulers of Stepstones, which would become a ship stop for our ships going to Westeros. The princess ruler is to be the daughter of my cousin grandfather Joss, which is already married to a prince of Sarhoy. After them, there will be only one ruler to succeed which was their eldest daughter. They already administer a trading company in Sarhoy, which shows they are already experienced in the trade. So they would make a nice addition to the company. Their capital and port town would be on the largest island of the stepstones Bloodstone.

We split our army. My army(commanded by Lhorulu) and Sar Mell one were left at what would become the disputed lands, so they could land attack Myr. While I returned with the Sarhoy navy to attack Lys because I feared that dragon riders would come in defense of their summer resort. Lys was prepared for an attack because they thought they would be de first target. I was not wrong. Lys navy was protected by fifty dragons, it was a perfect opportunity to train in archery, and so I did.

It was a little tricky to lift a fire inside a wooden ship without burning it. The solution was simple I lit a fire by putting wood over my head and lighting a fire. It did little to no damage to my hair. I pray to Surya and Sanjana and started firing. I felt sleepy probably because it was like counting sheep to sleep, first one dragon ripped apart, then two, and so on, until there was no dragon left. They would be burned to ashes if I use the bow power but I thought it would be a waste of bow material, I performed the ritual always even when I do not aim to use the bow whole power as a form of respect to my father and stepmother.

"How do you even do this?" Belandra asked me.

"This bow is the first to be completely able to bear with my strength. I guess I was just built different." I said.

"Thanks to Mother Rhoyne that you are our allies, not an enemy. But, why do you not want to be king with all this power?"Bellandra asked.

King is a very heavy title, especially to us rhoynars. We, in fact, have prince rulers because we believe no man has the right to be King. King to us does not mean only the ruler of a nation but the ruler of a kind. To be a rhoynar and properly call oneself King one must rule over all rhoynars. The Martells called themselves kings probably because of being an andal house that merged with a rhoynar one, and Nymeria did not mind committing heresy to quickly assimilate her people to Dorne. On the Long Night, according to our tales the Old Man of the River and the Crab King fought to rule over all life under the Rhoyne, which means they fought to be our king. King so is a title meant for only a god not a man to us. Ironically, it's easier for a rhoynar to call himself an emperor than a king.

"I want to give my children a safer and warless nation to rule over, not start a bloodthirsty conquest of my own people to satisfy my ego. I want peace for us rhoynars not more war. I hope that one day we can unite in a council as one nation to protect the future of our people, not with a king but with each of the big six joinings to rule and protect our homeland."I said.

"Quite a small dream and ambition, but surely much easier than making all the six prince families submit." Bellandra said.

"Yeah." I said, I also want to repay future mother Rhoyne that reincarnated me giving me this new life.

."I hope your dream comes true."

Dragonless the Lys navy was only prey to Sarhoy. We took over Lys, which will become a principality vassal to Sarhoy. I made the alchemist of Lys turn into history, as my revenge, and because they seem only useful to make poison. The city was given to Bellandra's younger brother. Lys makes red and white wine, as well as acceptable tapestries, and junk compared to the ones Anga does. Cheap perfumes are also made there, also junk compared to the ones from Sar Mell. I guess when Sar Mell was few, the Lysene bought every slave perfume artisan they found. The Lyseni also make fine long dirks. Poison and dirks, this show how the valyrians love assassinations indeed.

With the increase in trade between Sar Mell and Sarhoy, Lys only has one use for secure Sarhoy trade and passage over to the orange shore. Although the strait of Lys can barely be called a strait considering how far the main island is from the shore with a navy big enough it is still possible to tax coming ships. However, it would probably give no profit.

So after freeing Lys' slaves we ended up relocating them as land farmers into villages on the orange shores close to Lys, or Sarhoy to avoid them becoming slaves again due to pirate raids. Some free slaves preferred to say as pillow houses shared owners. I guess with rhoynar seeing trade Lys will become more and more dependent on its pillow houses as the products they produce are junk in general.

I hope everything is fine on the Myr front.