c11

Highgarden, the Reach…

Olenna Tyrell did not feel old.

Regardless of how many wrinkles she had and how much her bones ached she still had the fire that had driven her since she was a young girl to succeed.

Until the moment she opened the letter from Essos, then she really felt every one of her long and busy years. The reason was simple…it contained rather worrying information on her youngest grandson.

Ever since he had fled Hightower and gone travelling to avoid the betrothal that Mace had so foolishly set up with the now dead Lady Ashford, Olenna had done her best to track his movements. While not necessarily the most maternal of women she needed to know her grandson was well and if he might need her help. She had tracked him to Braavos where he had assisted the Whitehelms in gaining power and wealth, a shift in the balance of power that had concerned her at first but it had worked out with the family now building on the wealth her grandson had delivered them in a fight to the death and had good ties to the Iron Bank. A potential ally in the city that held greater power than any of the other Free Cities Olenna thought with a slight smile, something she could possibly exploit in the future.

From there she had tracked him to Lorath where he had worked as a port translator before joining the Golden Company for a short time before departing after killing the company commander and aiding a friend of his to ascend to their new leader. That had given her a start and she had worried for a while that he had the Golden Company as his enemy but it seemed that was not the case given Harry's recent interactions with them much to her relief.

He had started as blacksmith shop in Qohor that until recently at least had done very well and then he had reappeared in Qarth a couple of weeks later where the Tourmaline Brotherhood had suddenly risen too far greater power within the city. She was not stupid, given his actions in Braavos and Qohor she knew Harry was at the very least involved and again it had worried her that he might create more enemies for not just himself but House Tyrell as a whole but nothing had happened so she could soundly sleep at night.

Then something had happened that nearly made her old heart stop, Harry had gone to Yi Ti and for some reason she could not really understand had become commander of the God-Emperor's army. The title alone made her scoff, kings were arrogant enough but to actually consider yourself a god was enough to make her laugh at the sheer foolishness of it. But her grandson had surprised everyone by proving to be very good at leading an army, while she considered waving swords around a waste of time for the most part it was a source of relief at having a capable military commander in her family. She was weary of potential ambition that might be hidden by Randyll Tarly to usurp them as Lords of the Reach and given his reputation as a general being the only man to ever defeat Robert Baratheon, having someone who might have a chance of taking Randyll on would make her sleep better at nights. The recent assassination of the previous God-Emperor and the ascension of his daughter to his throne had soothed any worries she had of trouble from there.

Then had come his latest stunt and truly Olenna thought with real concern for Harry's welfare that he had outdone himself this time.

Her grandson had rallied an army of his own and sacked the city of Volantis.

When the news had reached her she had not believed it at first but now she was forced to accept it…and it terrified her. The position Harry had gotten himself in, the danger of those that were coming for him. Already other Free Cities where rallying armies to claim Volantis and its lands for themselves and not just the Free Cities, Slaver's Bay was also putting its forces together to make sure the slave revolt Harry had started was put down as soon as possible. Armies on all sides of city guarded mostly by sellswords that would turn on Harry if the price was right.

Then there was the matter of feeding the city that held well over a million people, without that the people would soon turn on Harry opening the gates of the city to whoever offered them food. She considered for a moment sending him supplies and men from the Reach but a bellow of anger from the great hall stopped that thought in its tracks.

Someone had told Mace what Harry had done, she realised with dismay. Olenna walked to the Great Hall and was just close enough to hear the voices of her son and two other grandchildren as they argued. Margaery was the first and her voice at least was controlled.

"Father he is your son…you cannot just abandon him!" The words were softly spoken but the desperation in them clear and what Mace said in response angered Olenna greatly.

"HE RAN AWAY LIKE A COWARD RATHER THAN DO HIS DUTY TO THIS FAMILY! LET THE FOOL PERISH FOR ALL I CARE!" Mace shouted acting like the proud fool he was and Loras only compounded that although he at least did not shout like Mace.

"He had his chance to be a lord here in the Reach Margaery, if he had more sense and just done as father instructed and married Lady Ashford. Now he has to deal with the consequences."

Olenna closed her eyes in despair, while she knew she could make/bully Mace into reversing the decision with his stubborn pride it would take more time than Harry had for the help she would send to arrive. Her heart sank as she realised the situation that left Harry in and she could only hope he could get himself out of the mess he had blundered into, in fact she did something she had not done since she was a little girl and went to the sept and prayed for her grandson to gods she was not sure she believed in anymore but ones she hoped would save her grandson.

-x-

The Red Keep, Kings Landing…

Jon Arryn was sitting at the table with the rest of the Small Council waiting for Robert to arrive. It was much to his irritation a long wait before the king of Westeros stumbled into Small Council chamber clearly hung over. The looks of exasperation were not even hidden as everyone looked on while Robert fell into his chair.

"So what is it Jon that you need to wake me at this ungodly hour?" Robert asked with his beard still wet in places from the wine he had been drinking only moments before. Jon gave him a stern look before explaining to his former ward.

"The city of Volantis has been taken by the forces of one Harry Tyrell, we need to decide what if any kind of response we are going to take." Jon said but Littlefinger who Jon had only appointed to the council at the nagging of Lysa then spoke with that annoying and vicious smirk of his.

"The rest of the Cities over in Essos are preparing to fight over the city, the Tyrell's days are numbered." Littlefinger said with certainty not caring either way what happened here as it had no impact on his own plans, Pycelle, Stannis and Renly did not care either but Robert suddenly got an excited glint in his eyes.

"We should send men to aid the young Tyrell then, a conquest like Volantis would be a great battle." Robert said thinking about leading men from Westeros to Volantis so he might finally get to fight again, the anticipation of battles and wars filling him with excitement only for Jon Arryn to spoil his mood.

"We do not have the coin to go to war Robert, none of the noble houses even the boy's own family will risk supporting him. And even if we did it would endanger relations with the Free Cities and peace of Westeros." A brief argument started between Robert and Jon Arryn over the matter but eventually much to Robert's annoyance Jon Arryn won.

Varys however was only half paying attention to the argument between the King and the hand, his main concern was that his backup plan had been compromised. He had pinned his main hopes on the pure born Valyrians, Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen to win back the Iron Throne while keeping the largely Dornish looking Rhaenys Targaryen in reserve just in case something happened. He wished he had time to find a suitable replacement for Baby Aegon as well but the Lannisters had struck the city before he could sneak the boy away leaving only his sister alive.

He could now only hope that no more surprises came his way, the chaos that this situation in Volantis was surely going to create would destabilise most of Essos as all the various factions fought to fill the void left by its largest city.

-x-

Casterly Rock, the Westerlands…

Tywin sat at his desk reading the news from Essos that a rather foolish Tyrell had started a slave revolt in Volantis and had seized the city with an army of sellswords. He stared apathetically at the words written on the parchment, handing it to the son he hated who sat across from him. Tyrion read it quickly before looking back to the father who he hated just as much and asked.

"What do you intend to do? Aiding the young Tyrell could give you the city of Volantis." Tywin merely glared before telling Tyrion in no uncertain terms.

"The boy is foolish if he thinks he can hold a city the size of Volantis with all the factions against him. He is a dead man or soon will be." Tywin said sure of his judgement that nothing could be gained from involving themselves in this.

Tyrion however found himself admiring the young Tyrell, who had travelled the world and now had apparently taken a stand against slavery. Not necessarily a wise one Tyrion admitted but a stand all the same and actually managed to conquer Volantis, he would quite like to meet him if the boy survived the mess he had created for himself Tyrion thought quietly before decided to leave and find some willing whore and ale somewhere.

-x-

The Iron Bank, Braavos…

Tycho Nestoris was pondering over the situation in Volantis and the wider implications it had unintentionally created. While the Iron Bank was first and foremost a business it had never supported slavery, due to the fact the city it stood in being founded by escaping slaves and instead focused on other means of making money and had through those means become the richest and most powerful of all the merchant banks in the known world.

The coming war between all of the Free Cities would create a large number of opportunities for the Iron Bank while it was being fought and after during the reconstruction, Tycho was already in his mind planning ahead for this but also wondering about the Tyrell boy responsible for unsettling the balance of power in Essos. He remembered their brief meeting years ago when he had aided the Whitehelms and wondered if the risk taker could find his way out of the situation he had created. If Harry Tyrell could…then he might be someone worth reaching out to Tycho thought with a calculating look in his eye as he returned to work.

-x-

Pentos…

Illyrio Mopatis was watching the two Targaryens he had taken in, while he trusted his friend Varys he doubted whether they had a single hope of reclaiming their throne. While the girl Daenerys did show the occasional signs of being a capable and strong queen, she was still clinging to the lies of her brother and timid half the time.

The brother on the other hand was easily the most arrogant and conceited fool Illyrio had ever met and in his life he had known quite a few. Unable to accept that his family was flawed he had blamed all of their shortcomings on others and seemed to believe he was a king already and all he had to do was land on the continent and everyone would bow at his feet, doing anything he pleased. Illyrio shook his head, knowing a bad investment when he saw one and decided to press on with his plans to marry Daenerys to Khal Drogo. All those Dothraki would be a boon to their plans, his only real problem was he would have to wait a few years yet as Daenerys was not old enough.

Plans which he knew would need adjusting with the events happening near Volantis.

News had spread fast with nearly all of the Free Cities putting armies together to go and claim Volantis for themselves, along with the Slaver Cities. It would he knew be a great opportunity to expand his influence if carefully manipulated, he would however keep events as much as possible from the Targaryens, it would not do to give Viserys ideas to try something stupid.

-x-

Beyond the Wall, Westeros…

From his enormous Weirwood tree the Three Eyed Raven looked at the events unfolding in the world and pondered on how the future was shifting in response. It was he thought like trying to look through distorted water that had not settled yet, the threat of the Others was growing stronger every day and this interference was not helping his planning the Raven thought angrily but it might hopefully stop things from becoming as bleak as he had foreseen.

Volantis…

Unaware of the wider implications of his invasion of the city, Harry slowly woke with his head aching badly from a hangover. He had drunken more than his share of ale last night at the victory party and now he realised as he slowly got out of bed with his head pounding like a war drum. The cool air felt very cold after leaving his warm sheets but as he went to get a drink of water in hopes of clearing his head, he caught sight of other people in his bed. Blinking several times he realised much to his own surprise that he had; Rhaenys, Alys, Zara and Myria all naked in his bed. He froze momentarily and winced as he felt pain in his nether regions, he could only just recall one of the girls as drunk as he saying that he could not handle one woman let along more than one. He had refuted that strongly and she had then dared him to try and fuck all four of them.

Things were a bit more blurry after that but he could just recall their 'activities' and he could scarcely believe it, but one thing that did worry him was what the women would do when they realised what had taken place that night. Seeing that for the moment they were still sleeping soundly Harry got dressed and left them to rest, feeling nervous about what they might say when they eventually woke up.

He walked through the corridors of his temporary command centre, the Ryndoon bank complex. While it did not have underground vaults as extensively as others, the complex was large and had walls with defence towers making it possibly the most defensible structure in Eastern Volantis. The vaults had been cleared out by his men but Harry had managed to collect enough gold to replace the coin he had spent on the sellswords and there were a few interesting objects that had been found in the private vaults which he needed to talk to Rhaenys about later.

Going to get something to eat Harry was glad to see Kanoro and Jothos Velaryon coming the other way. He gave both men a smile but it was not returned, in fact both men looked rather disturbed by something. Harry's smile faded away as he came face to face with them and asked.

"Is something the matter?" Kanoro and Jothos looked at each other before Kanoro.

"A few of our men were just burned alive by Red God Followers."

Harry grimaced as he thought about the problem that faced them now.

-x-

A group of non-repentant Red God followers all sat in the cells glaring at Harry as he studied them, what worried him most was that they were freed slaves, the horsehead tattoos on their faces identified them as stable boys not Tiger Cloaks or in service to the Priests of R'hllor.

Just stable boys, ordinary citizens that they had freed from chains only for their actions to be rewarded with blood and fire. It was then that Harry realised what he was facing now, an enemy even more difficult to defeat than the former rulers of this city. Religious Zealots…fanatics with no goal in mind but to cause as much fear and destruction as possible for their supposed god, hiding in the homes of citizens and only striking the weakest points.

Killing these stable boys Harry realised with annoyance would accomplish nothing, they would just become martyrs to their cause and a rallying call for whoever was pulling their strings…Parquello and some surviving Red Priests no doubt Harry thought darkly as he left the men in their filth along with all the slavers and other prisoners that they had not had a chance to put to trial yet. Climbing the stairs out of the prison they established in one of the manses, Harry rubbed his temple as a headache was brewing. How in the hell was he supposed to deal with this? He asked himself but he could not think of an answer as he returned to the Ryndoon Bank complex to meet with the leaders of his various forces.

For obvious reasons Parquello had not been told about this meeting, but Kanoro and the rest of the former Pit fighters were there, the leaders of the Golden Company, Second Sons and the Windblown then finally Rhaenys and Jothos Velaryon. He did not even have time to share a glance at Rhaenys before Crixus and Gannicus spoke in furious voices.

"I WANT THEM DEAD!"

"THOSE FUCKERS NEED TO PAY FOR OUR MEN!"

"QUIET!" Harry shouted back, his headache getting worst as the problems mounted and the last thing he needed was an argument with his own men. Turning to Barca and Sula he said. "Get men to go and search the city for Red Priests, these zealots are being encouraged by those fuckers and I want them found." The two men nodded and went to attend to it but Harry then had a flash of inspiration and shouted out to them before they left the room. "On second thoughts, move one of our prisoners to one of the surface cells and let him escape." The roar from Gannicus and Crixus was so loud that Harry had to shout to be heard over them much to his annoyance. "THEN FOLLOW HIM, FIND OUT WHO HE RUNS TO, THEN WE WILL FIND THE REST OF THEIR BAND AND THE RED PRIESTS."

Barca and Sula looked around the room before nodding to Harry and left to follow their orders, Kanoro meanwhile was glaring threateningly at Crixus and Gannicus while they continued to stare hatefully at Harry. The Sellsword companies, Rhaenys and Jothos looked on, wondering who would win this battle of wills.

"WE NEED TO KILL THOSE FUCKERS FOR WHAT THEY DID TO OUR MEN!" Gannicus yelled, angrier than Harry had ever seen him and while Harry was able to rein his temper back in enough to speak in a normal tone but there was a sharp edge to it.

"If we execute those murderers all we are doing is making them martyrs to their cause, dozens maybe hundreds would flock to their banner and then we will never be rid of them. So instead we use them to root out the entire network." Harry's eyes glinted hard and he stared at Crixus and Gannicus and they stared right back before both men left without a backwards glance, worrying Harry and as if to add to that weight that was pressing down on him they sellsword commanders excused themselves before he could speak to them.

That left a very worried and tense Harry in a room with Kanoro, Rhaenys and Jothos. They watched as Harry walked over to the table and poured himself a drink of water and sighed. Harry then finally admitted a truth that he had been hoping not to face.

"We cannot hold the city."

The four of them looked sadly on, knowing in their hearts he was right. Harry did not need to explain but as his depression started pouring out he explained how he had come to this conclusion.

"We haven't the men, not for all the forces that are arrayed against us. Outsiders wanting the city for themselves and there are still elements within the city that would betray us, Kanoro…how much food do we have?" Harry asked and his second in command answered with a worry that answered his.

"To feed the city, eight months at the most."

"And no one will be willing to sell to us, the Summer Islands perhaps but that would put them at odds with most of their trading partners. The Naath do not have the infrastructure to produce that much food and feed themselves and that is assuming we aren't blockaded by an enemy fleet. The Sellswords loyalty will always be suspect and without new men or equipment we will be overwhelmed."

Harry feeling the weight of his miscalculation put his head in his heads. He had overreached himself, risen so high only now was threatened with a huge fall.

The silence in the room after that was thick with tension as they all absorbed the information and felt the gravity of the situation that they were in. A voice at the side however shocked all of them to their feet.

"Fear and Despair are the weapons of your enemies, but they only have power if you let them."

They all looked and saw Jaqen H'ghar had entered the room while they were talking and Jothos and Rhaenys who had to their own knowledge never met the Faceless Man before became anxious and reached for their weapons but Harry and Kanoro relaxed slightly.

"You took your time. Where were you earlier when we needed information about the city?" Harry asked furiously, that had nearly stopped their plan in its tracks and if they had not encountered Rhaenys in the forest it could have delayed their plan for days. The Festival would have happened before they had the chance to stop it.

Jaqen however did not show any expression at all as usual which only served to irritate all of them, he spoke calmly but there was a seriousness to it, letting them know whatever had brought him here was important, so vital that he did not answer the question and went straight to business.

"The Cities of Slaver's Bay are sending a large army here to assist Parquello in the restoration of slavery here and the city of Qohor has hired a Khal with a large horde to attack you, both are being played against each other by Parquello for his own gain." He explained the dispensation of the enemy forces to them all but Harry was lost in thought, wondering if they could hold the city against two armies when suddenly he realised a number of things in his favour. There was no enemy navy, neither force would be willing to work together and Parquello did not know that they were aware of his communicating with their enemies.

A plan started to evolve in his mind, one that could save all of their lives and get them out of the situation that they were ensnared in. Key to it was Parquello and for a moment Harry was glad that he had kept him alive, he would be more useful than they had imagined.

With that in mind he turned to Kanoro and said with renewed confidence and determination.

"I think we might be able to use this but first how many ships are in the harbour?" Harry asked and Kanoro was shocked to see Harry was thinking of leaving so quickly but nevertheless he answered the question.

"Seven hundred ships of different sizes, too few to evacuate all of our people."

"Leave that to me." Harry said with a smirk surprising him and the rest of the people in the room, he grabbed a piece of parchment and a nearby quill carefully drawing a pair of shapes on to it before handing it to Kanoro. "Have all the stone masons you can find carve these symbols into small pieces of stone, about a thousand should do. Then have two months' worth of supplies moved to the harbour warehouses and put under guard as well as getting all ships ready to sail. Make sure their crews are with us, we will have a long journey." Harry said with a smile and Kanoro although highly confused did as his friend and leader commanded.

Rhaenys came up to him while Jaqen excused himself and Jothos looked on confused.

"I hope you know what you are doing." She said looking worried and uncertain but he kept smiling and mindful of Jothos being in the room whispered something in her ear that he thought would explain everything.

"Magic."

For a moment Rhaenys looked so annoyed that she might slap him but sighed a long suffering sigh and was about to leave to go and see her ladies when Harry stopped her.

"Hold for a moment, when we were checking the personal vaults of the bank we discovered a strange collection of objects that belonged to your former captor. I think you might want to take a look." Harry said suddenly becoming serious, he had meant to mention the discovery to her last night but the drink had made him forgetful. She nodded looking confused again but followed as he led her and Jothos to the vault in question, which was held in the basement of the building. The feet echoed loudly on steps as they went down the marble steps, the air becoming strangely cold as they descended making them unconsciously shiver.

The gate was locked shut but Harry easily opened it with his key, showing Rhaenys and Jothos inside. It was a large room, not a hall but certainly bigger than a normal dining room and on plinths around the room was a strange collection of objects. There was a few crowns glinting in the torch light alongside jewellery, a glided chalice, elaborate armour, a few weapons and a set of old journals. The interesting thing was that nearly all of them were styled after dragons.

Walking over to one of the crowns Rhaenys picked it up, not sure why Harry had thought to show it to her except that they would be worth a small fortune. Then as she turned the crown in her hands did she realise why he had shown her. This crown was the best example, made of red gold it was heavy and had dragons with jewels for eyes at each point. She remembered it vaguely, on display in the Red Keep turning around her eyes widened with recollection of the other dragon objects too.

She threw the crown she was holding to the floor with a vicious snarl and turned to look at Harry with anger.

"These are Targaryen treasures, they are nothing to do with me!" She said the hurt and pain inflicted on her so many years ago by her father and his family bring bitter tears to her eyes.

Harry knew of her hatred but felt he had to show them to her, Jothos however who had been trying for years to get her to be more open to her father's bloodline then said the worst thing he could have said.

"You are a Targaryen, these belong to you by right."

Rhaenys was quiet for only a moment before she started to turn red with fury and screamed obscenities at both men that would have made a hardened sailor blush before running clear out of the room. Jothos and Harry wanted to run after her but knew it would not be appreciated right now, so they took a detailed inventory of the contents.

Many Targaryen crowns sat in the vault, both kings and queens including the crown of Aegon 4th that Jothos returned to its plinth and that of Jaehaerys the 1st, not mention jewellery some of it belonging to Rhaenys' own namesake the original Rhaenys Targaryen sister to Aegon the Conqueror. The famed chalice of Aenys the 1st that had often been used at royal weddings, battle armour belonging to Daeron the 1st and Maekar the 1st, their weapons and finally some of the personal journals of different Kings of Westeros and a few of their queens too.

It was a great find Harry thought, much of it having been sold by Robert Baratheon to raise coin after the war after Jothos had taken and hidden the Targaryen gold. It had ended up here and Harry was beginning to suspect it was here in preparation for the day when the Targaryens were supposed to take back the Iron Throne.

Some of it however was not of Targaryen origin, looking over to the back of the vault two objects were out of place amongst the dragon pieces, one was a crown but it was not gold like the others in here or made of precious metals of any kind. It had a simple design with several sword like prongs around its coronet but it was the wolf emblem that gave its identity.

Harry held it in his hand, the Crown of Winter he realised with awe. The oldest crown in here and had been given up by the Starks when they bent the knee to Aegon the Conqueror and held as a trophy. It was hardly a statement of wealth but instead of northern practicality and hardiness. Harry was suddenly struck by the desire to put it on but he resisted. This was not meant for him Harry thought with humility, he had never wanted to be a king and put it back down before turning to the other strange object in the room.

It was a mural, a very old one Harry thought with interest as he carefully studied it, the images seemed to depict some kind of war between men and white demon creatures in the midst of winter, showing the course of several bloody battles and the methods used by men to fight them. What its exact meaning was would take some time to uncover but what Harry asked himself was this thing doing here? In a vault full of Targaryen relics, it had little in the way of material value except in terms of being historically interesting. Rhaegar Targaryen had been obsessed with ancient mysteries Harry remembered as he took a careful look at the mural, maybe this was something to do with him, that and the Stark Crown.

Vowing to recover it and the Crown of Winter at least later Harry and Jothos left the room and secured the entrance and left the vaults.

-x-

While Jothos took the job of finding all the deeds to the ships in the harbour amongst all the different documents that they had seized not sure if he would be welcome with his princess yet, Harry finally caught up with Rhaenys. She was sitting in one of the solar's looking blankly out across the city, not really seeing any of it.

He body was prone, she might as well have been a statue for how still she sat, if fact it was only her breath against the glass window that told him she was alive at first glance. Harry sat beside her and said slowly, worried for her state of mind.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked her, not sure of what she might say if anything.

Rhaenys was slow to respond but she eventually turned her head to face him, saying in a voice that was so timid and uncertain it made her sound more like a child.

"I don't know." Harry was not sure what to say but one thing was clear.

"You need to deal with this hatred for your father's family, if you don't let it go it will only poison the rest of your life." Harry dared to say, knowing it needed to be said but was ready for an angry outburst but instead Rhaenys seemed to huddle up next to him and said.

"I wish my mother was here, she was so wise and understanding. She would know what to do." Rhaenys said as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Harry put his arm around her and they just stayed like that for a while, letting her draw strength from him. He knew how he could help her but was worried at her reaction to his suggestion, so he tightened up his resolve and looked her straight in the eye.

"I can make that happen but if I do then this will be the only time I will ever do it." He told her sternly while Rhaenys looked at him confused.

"What?" She asked not sure if he was joking or not but Harry took the Resurrection Stone off his finger and turned it over in his had three times, concentrating on Elia Martell. The ghost of the Princess of Dorne and Rhaenys' mother simmered into existence in the centre of the room, Rhaenys gasped at the sight and wanted to run over to embrace her mother, overwhelmed at the sight she was held firmly still in Harry's arms who stayed quiet so mother and daughter could talk.

"Mother?" Rhaenys said with tears running down her face and her voice shaking, Elia's ghost smiled sadly.

"My daughter, you're so beautiful." Elia said with sad pride. Their hands reached out and both were heartbroken when they found Rhaenys' hand went straight through Elia's, Elia pulled back and instead told her. "I am so proud of you, so strong and smart. I only wish I was there to help you now. Your uncles will if you let them know you are alive." Elia added.

Rhaenys was quiet for a while, not sure of what to say. She had no proof of her identity that she could present to her uncles Doran and Oberyn, why would they believe her Rhaenys thought sadly? Elia then said something that riled Rhaenys greatly.

"Your grandmothers and I have watched you from the very start. You could convince them, I know you can."

"GRANDMOTHER!" Rhaenys shouted surprising both Harry and Rhaenys at her sudden change of mood. "THAT BITCH RHAELLA LEFT ME, YOU AND AEGON TO DIE IN THE RED KEEP WHILE SHE RAN AWAY TO DRAGONSTONE WITH HER OWN BROOD! SHE IS NO FAMILY OF MINE!"

Elia's face fell as she saw the rage in her daughter that had built up against her own blood. However much she denied it, Rhaenys was a Targaryen and fighting against it was a futile struggle against her own nature, it would destroy her if she let it so Elia tried to tell her the truth that no one else had apparently bothered to.

"No, no your grandmother loved you! She was the first to welcome you into the world when you were born, proudly called you her little princess. She had not had a daughter of her own…not then anyway and delighted at having a girl to lavish her attention on. She wanted to take us all to Dragonstone with her but your grandfather would not allow it." Elia told Rhaenys quickly. "Do you not remember when she would put you on her knee and tell you stories of all the queens of Westeros? You loved those stories, clapping your hands and giving her hugs and kisses which she returned just as eagerly. Do you not remember?" Elia looked imploring her daughter to try.

Rhaenys was stunned at her mother's words and hazy images stirred in her memories, previously blocked out by anger and pain. She could just remember a silver haired woman pointing to portraits on the walls and telling her stories as she sat on her knee. It was hard to grasp it, slipping through her proverbial fingers like smoke.

"Did she?" Rhaenys asked, unsettled as the anger against her father's family warred with this reawakened memory.

"Not all of your father's family were monsters, your father and grandfather made have been terrible or neglectful men but your grandmother was not and there are ancestors of yours to be proud of. Make peace with your heritage, if not for your own sake then do for me." Elia said with a smile, she then turned to Harry and told him. "Take care of my daughter for me will you?"

Harry nodded, he had already sworn that he would protect Rhaenys and he would not allow any harm to come to her.

-x-

After an hour of talking Elia had returned to the afterlife and Rhaenys had needed some time to herself to absorb all her mother had told her. Harry had handed her the journal of Alysanne Targaryen, the queen of Jaehaerys the Conciliator the greatest of all Targaryen Kings. Never had the realm prospered as much as it had under him and his queen was said to have been a great advisor and a key to much of his success. She had looked thoughtfully at the journal and told him she would consider reading it, but still refused to shift her positon on her father and grandfather.

Harry hoped it would help but he had work to do, namely discovering if the sellsword leaders were still with him. Balaq he knew would be, they were still under contract and the Golden Company would never risk their reputation for gold they would lose too many customers if they did. That left Daario and the Tattered Prince.

He found Daario in a tavern enjoying some ale, the sellsword laughed when he saw him and jested.

"The king of Volantis, come to have some ale and be with the little people." Daario said loudly and Harry was somehow not annoyed at the jest and instead poured himself an ale, throwing it back without coughing. Daario seemed surprised but instead poured himself another and banged his cup against Harry's before taking a drink.

"Enjoying yourself?" Harry asked with a smile, taking a seat opposite Daario who cheerfully gestured around him.

"Why wouldn't I? I have more gold than I ever dreamed of, command of the second largest sellsword company in the world. How about you?" Daario said, not caring if Harry answered or not.

"Can't complain." Harry said, picking up his ale again got the man a few more rounds. They talked about their past exploits for a bit but it was more than enough to give Harry a good picture of Daario's personality. He would only kill a man that was trying to kill him first and never took a woman by force, good points in his favour Harry thought. Daario would not betray him as they were still under contract.

-x-

After taking a large hangover potion to sober up after his drinking session with Daario, he went to see the Tattered Prince. Unlike his counterpart in the Second Sons, the leader of the Windblown was drilling his men in swordplay to keep them sharp. Harry approved of this, making sure his men stayed strong and disciplined but he stopped when he saw Harry and dismissed his men so they could talk again.

"How are your men shaping up?" Harry asked, needing to start the conversation somewhere.

"Good, some of them are former slaves who wanted to leave the city by joining us." The Tattered Prince said but he looked uneasy, not able to look Harry in the eye. Harry's suspicions were aroused immediately and he managed to use legilimency to look into his surface thoughts. Apparently Parquello had tried to bribe him and although he had not taken the gold just yet, he had not turned it down either. His sense of honour was warring with his greed and had nearly justified the betrayal by thinking Harry was doomed and it was the only way to save the Windblown.

Harry was not pleased at this to say this least and had to struggle not to react before he realised, he could use this to help make his plan far easier. It was a good opportunity, so he confronted the Tattered Prince.

"Parquello offered you gold to betray us, didn't he?"

The Tattered Prince had the decency to look ashamed but since he had not actually taken the gold, Harry judged he had some integrity. He altered his plan to accommodate for this and with a smile.

"How would like to get that gold and a Valyrian steel sword as a bonus."

The Tattered Prince looked at him surprised but intrigued…so he listened.

Three Hours later…

Parquello was smiling widely as he handed over the gold to the Tattered Prince who looked at him with steely calm, taking it without question.

"Thank you, I am sure our contract will give you and your men much in the way of spoils." Parquello said with his cold eyes, it made the Tattered Prince want to shiver but he stopped himself knowing to sell this deception he had to play his part to perfection. He surprised himself by managing to keep his composure and play the part of the ruthless sellsword out only for gold convincingly.

Once he left the palace he breathed a sigh of relief and got on his horse to ride back to the merchant bank building where Harry Tyrell and the other leaders were waiting. Looking around the city, he could feel something unpleasant in the air which had nothing to do with corpses or the like. It was the tension in the city, the freed slaves worried that they were about to lose their new liberty, the Red God followers plotting the downfall of the 'heretical invaders' and others plotting or worrying for their own reasons. It made him glad not to live like these people, but to fight for coin and that alone, no politics in that the only reason he had not betrayed Harry Tyrell was that they were still under contract. His own personal code of honour would not let him betray a client while under contract and this way guaranteed him the best outcome for him and his men.

Arriving at the buildings in question, he dismounted his horse and walked inside. The guards were vigilant and he felt their eyes on him as he moved, he nodded his approval as he passed. Reaching the main office he was greeted by his current employer Harry Tyrell with his men Kanoro & Crixus, Balaq of the Golden Company and Daario of the Second Sons. All looked at him expectantly but it was Harry Tyrell that spoke.

"Did he swallow the bait?" Harry asked his face blank of emotion. The Tattered Prince nodded, which made Harry nod.

"Good." Harry said before he turned to talk to everyone else. "Now he will communicate our supposed plan for the defence of the city to our enemies, they will expect us to hold up in the eastern side of the city since it is the most defensible and for now our people will stay in there for the next three days till the night before they arrive, we will use dummies to make the walls look fully manned to sell the illusion. Then we will move our people into the Western side and the sellswords will escape while our enemies fight it out at the eastern gate which the Windblown will 'compromise' for them." Harry said briefly outlining his plan, Parquello's playing of their enemies against each other might have been a master stroke if they were on the same page. But neither the Dothraki nor slaver army would be working together as they were hired by cities who both wanted Volantis for themselves. This would provide the distraction that Harry and his people to escape. "They also will believe that the harbour gate is still inoperable and cannot be opened, so we are unable to leave by sea."

He was about to say more but Crixus interrupted him.

"Most of the slaves and me will be going with the sellswords, most of us freed slaves feel the same that we still have work to do here. As long as men and women toil in chains there is still work to be done. Gannicus, Naevia, Saxa, Barca and Sula agree." Crixus said with a sad smile that seemed strange on the normally savage warrior, Harry nodded knowing better than to try and talk him out of it. How many people that left for him to evacuate he would need to look at but for now that did make he knew his job slightly easier.

"We strike at Parquello and his men tonight, once he has told our enemies what we want him too. We keep up the charade in case other spies are listening. Agreed?" Harry asked the men in the room who nodded.

Secrecy was crucial for this to succeed.

He handed over the sword he had promised later, nothing great just one of the simpler blades in his collection but the Tattered Prince was more than happy with his new weapon. With that done he went to his tent and retrieved some particular magical objects he needed for the next stage. The first of which was the chalice he had taken from the House of the Undying in Qarth, while he was loathed to use such a device it was crucial to his escape plans. Second was his rune carving kit and the third being one of the time turners he had salvaged in Valyria. While he still had days before the enemy arrived that was not really enough time for what he had in mind so he thought with a smirk, he would have to buy some more.

Later that night…

Parquello was slipping his wine with the supreme confidence that he would soon be the leader of this city and all the power which the position commanded. He had two armies he was playing against each other and a large force of sellswords at his command, everything was going as he planned. He carefully examined the delicate crystal flute he was slipping from, it was beautifully made, the work of glass workers in Qohor and styled with beautiful patterns. It had cost a fortune but it was a sign of status and wealth that he could show off.

He was about to go and enjoy one of his concubines or perhaps go down to the cellar to relive his latest hobby when he was alerted by a battle horn, the shock of the sound was enough to make him throw the crystal flute away to smash against the wall while he rushed to the nearest window to see what in the hell was going on out there. His shock was so great that he could not speak as he took in what he was seeing, his palace was surrounded by sellswords, freed slaves and other recruits all waving that hawk banner of Harry Tyrell. He was confused not understanding how this could be? How had they found out about him?

Then he saw the Tattered Prince standing at the side of fucking Harry Tyrell as they readied their rams to force their way into the palace, and everything became terribly clear. He had been betrayed, clearly getting a higher payment from Tyrell in exchange for making a mockery of him and taking his gold. He was steaming with rage at the treachery and momentarily forgot the situation right in front of him, until the gate was caved in by the elephant pushed cart.

The sound of wood shattering alerted him to the breach of his palace's elaborate gates, the sounds of screams told him that his guards were being overwhelmed quickly, not surprising given they were only a handful of inexperienced men against thousands of hardened fighters. He was shaking with fear as he realised his fate was certain.

-x-

Harry was with his men as they broke into the palace, the inexperienced and outnumbered guards were being overwhelmed really fast. He did not smile however as much as he wanted too, there was work to be done. He was one of the first to get through the doors and easily cut down two guards who tried to stop him, stabbing one through the gut and cutting the arm off another before finishing him with decapitation.

He rushed forward and started to search the building with his men, they had followed the Red Priests here and they were hiding somewhere in this building. Kanoro at his request rushed past him to the upper levels to secure Parquello so Harry went to the lower levels to see if the Red Priests were hiding there. Gannicus followed him, eager to fight and hoping there were more men below.

The two men crept down the steps in the cellars and they were greeted by a terrible smell, rancid and they looked at each other and they winced at the strength of it. They kept on going on down the stairs regardless wondering what could be creating such a horrible stench and it became worst and worst as they went further. Arriving eventually at the source of the smell with their eyes watering at the sheer strength of it, they kicked the door open and what they saw nearly made them…two battle hardened men vomit.

Inside was the desiccated, burned and mutilated corpses of children stuffed all over the place. In horror they shared a look before almost against their will went into the room to discover just what they had found.

Body Parts and blood covered the floor so they carefully moved, the sights would remain engraved in their memories for the rest of their lives. Unable to stay in their any longer they left the room swiftly not willing to see any more, Gannicus asked him as they move quickly back up the stairs.

"Who were they?" The proud and brave warrior was shaken badly by what he had just seen down there. Harry was not much better and could only guess from what he had seen.

"The children of the Old Blood, the silver hair and whatever traces of clothing they have left gives it away." Harry was struggling to control his stomach and had to out his hand over his mouth. In all his travels he had never seen something that brutal and vicious…ever. He knew Parquello's ambition was great but he had never dreamed the man would do that to children! They must have been so scared when he killed them, Harry realised and a fury began to build up inside him. An anger and need for vengeance that would not be denied so his face twisted with fury, he followed by an equally furious Gannicus.

They found Kanoro and Crixus in the solar on the top of the palace with Parquello and a Red Priest named Benerro tied to chairs. Gannicus was about to walked over and tear their heads from their shoulders with his bare hands but Harry stopped him with a sharp look and instead asked him with a cold voice that allowed no room for argument.

"Go and check the rest of the palace for any other prisoners, I will deal with these two myself." Harry told Gannicus who was about to argue back but the hard glare of Harry broke his resolve and he nodded leaving as fast as his legs would carry him. Harry turned to Kanoro and Crixus who looked at him with obvious confusion at his change in attitude so he told them.

"Go to the cellars, I think you will find what is down there as enough reason for him to be executed with the rest of the prisoners tomorrow in the main square now the scaffold has been put up."

"Tomorrow?" Crixus said surprised at the abruptness of the executions. They had taken many prisoners while invading the city, mostly slavers or supporters of the Red Priests. Two thousand in all that were wasting away in the city's jails. Why the sudden urgency they did not understand but regardless they left to see whatever Harry and Gannicus had found in the cellar.

With that done, Harry closed the door and locked it firmly with his magic so he would not be disturbed and turned back to the bound and gagged Parquello and Benerro, he face was as immovable as stone as he looked at them. His fury burning just below the surface but Harry did not let it out…yet.

He did not shout and instead prowled around his prisoners, he spoke slowly to them wanting them to know just what they had brought on themselves.

"I honestly had no intention of ruling this city, I still don't. I was going to set up a new leadership and move on but I got stuck here, fighting the corrupt in and outside the city with nearly a million people at risk. Then I found what you two had done in the cellar and as I stand here now I have had an epiphany, the victor is never the one with the most honour, or followers but instead the one with the greatest cunning, someone who will do anything they must to succeed." Harry said standing right in front of Parquello and looking the man straight in the eye. He glared defiantly back at Harry who did not hit him however pleasant he would have found it.

"Sometimes you have to give up honour, doing the right thing to win if that is what is best for everyone and get rid of whatever or whoever is in your way." Harry said with his eyes focusing into cold hard stone as he reached out with his magic and forced his way into Parquello's mind. The merchant prince felt it immediately as blinding pain erupted inside his skull, he screamed into his gag but could do nothing and Harry forced his way deeper and deeper into his mind pulling any information he wanted clear from Parquello's memories and thoughts.

A secret stash of gold Harry thought with distain that was the first secret he found, not useful Harry thought with venom and dived deeper to find more useful information. The names and locations of all his spies and those who worked for other powers that Parquello had identified, the size of the Dothraki horde coming from Qohor and the force of Unsullied from Slaver's Bay, evenly matched in numbers Harry thought that was helpful and the knowledge that both were going to target the eastern gate.

Pushing deeper he found many dirty little secrets but nothing really useful to the situation but when he found the memories of what had happened to those children, Harry stopped and retreated back out of Parquello's mind. Harry looked down at the man in disgust but no longer could he glare back and had long stopped screaming, Parquello just sat there staring into space, drool running down his chin as his eyes were blank and unfocused.

What he had just done to the scheming psychopath in front of him was the worst kind of mental probe, scanning surface thoughts was relatively gentle, most would never even know unless they were sensitive to such things or aware you were doing it. Deeper probes would hurt but often leave them with nothing more than a headache if done with great care. Harry on the other hand had simply ripped the knowledge he wanted from the other man's mind, given what Parquello had done to those children he had no sympathy for him and felt justice was done. The supposedly great game player reduced to a mindless wreck.

Turning to Benerro the Red Priest who was staring in horror at Parquello Harry stared impassively, he had partaken in that slaughter down in the cellar, burning several children in worship of his gods so he Harry thought with cold detachment would receive the same treatment as Parquello as anyone who could burn children alive and feel joy at their pain was not going to get any mercy from him Harry thought with cold fury.

-x-

When Kanoro and Crixus came back with their own faces twisted with rage at the gory scene in the cellar they were briefly rendered speechless when they burst in through the door to find Parquello and Benerro staring blankly at the ceiling of the room, whoever they had been no longer looking out from their eyes which were glazed and unfocused. Where it not for the fact you could see their chests move slightly with breathing, you could easily think them to be dead.

Harry was leaning against the wall nearby and did not hesitate to issue his orders.

"I have the names of their co-conspirators across the city and the Red God zealots that have been preying on our men. They and the rest of the prisoners are to be executed tomorrow in the main square." Harry said not caring how the two men were staring in shock at the state he had left their two prisoners in, they had important work to do and not much time to do it. The enemy armies would be here in less than three days and they still had so many elements of his plan to put into place however thanks to the time turner he had managed to get a lot more done than anyone else knew.

Flashback…Five Days Earlier

Safely inside his tent, Harry as his counterpart had once done with Hermione in the other world turned the time turner over as many times as he dared, taking himself back in time a full day. He looked quickly out of his tent to confirm he was where he wanted to be and smiled at seeing himself walking past with Kanoro. Returning inside the tent he wrote out his letter and stamped it with a wax rose seal.

He grabbed his cloak and pulled its hood over his head before putting the letter in his pocket and disappearing with a pop. He was instantly aware of the greater humidity as soon as he arrived, casting a disillusioning charm over himself he looked around with a warm feeling of nostalgia. It had only been a month or so since the battle with the slavers but Jhala was going about its normal business. Smiling Harry walked quickly through the streets to the palace of the prince. He passed the guards completely unseen and made his way to the solar of the prince, placing the letter on his desk. He thought it best not to show himself in case any awkward questions were asked as to how he had gotten here so fast.

He had to wait twenty minutes before the Prince finally arrived, he saw the letter and read it astonished at who it was from and what Harry was begging him for. But given the debt he and the other rulers in the Summer Isles owed him, the Prince started making the arrangements Harry had asked for, putting together the ships Harry desperately needed.

Harry felt instantly relieved, the three hundred ships he needed would come from the Summer Isles and carry them to where he chosen to settle the freed slaves and smallfolk who joined him, currently according to Jothos Velaryon numbering just over thirty five thousand. It would be a stretch but with magic on two ships to hold all the supplies they would need and strengthening rune stones on every one of the thousand ships so they could survive the journey it could be done. In a couple of days the rune stones would be finished by the stonemasons. Then all that would be needed was to charge them.

He had a plan for that too but that would wait for now, he had to go and check out the Stepstones to see if it was a suitable place for his people to put down roots. So he apparated away to scout the islands out and find a place for them to land.

Flashback Ends…

Harry exited his memories and went to get his plan for charging the rune stones underway, getting on his horse and riding to the main city square where a large scaffold had already been set up for executions hence why they were using it. Once slaves had been killed here for trying to escape, now it would be used to kill the men who had held the chains, Harry felt it was poetic justice with a grim look.

The raised platform was large and boarded over, leaving a concealed space underneath which was perfect for Harry who carefully removed one of the boards and slipped underneath. A few charms and it was empty of rats or waste, so he climbed inside and using the light charm to begin carving the runic array he would need on the floor. It took quite a while as he was working in limited light and had to get everything just right otherwise it would not work and he really needed it too. For him to charge all those rune stones himself would take weeks and leave him nearly dead from using too much magic so he was going to take a really nasty shortcut. Once the array was complete and he had triple checked it just to be sure, he reached into his bag and pulled out the chalice he had taken from the Warlocks in Qarth. It revolted him just to have the thing in his hands, what it had been used for but he had little other option. The executions of all the slavers would charge the chalice and he could use that to in turn charge the rune stones for nearly a month which would be enough time to get his people to the Stepstones.

Harry stared at the chalice for a moment after putting it in place, wanting desperately to throw it back into a secure trunk but with time short he had to do this, for the sake of his people.

-x-

Back at the Palace…

While Harry was setting his plan into motion, Caelys walked annoyed into the palace that formally belonged to Parquello. She was furious at being 'summoned' at this time of night and having to leave her daughter with Jothos Velaryon and his wife because apparently her skills were needed and no other healer could be trusted. Infuriated at the lateness of the hour she marched up the steps making even trained soldiers' jump out of her way she appeared so angry.

She found Gannicus waiting for her, she was used to the former pit fighter flirting or joking with her but his angry face actually made her stop for a moment before she continued walking towards him.

"Gannicus. What is going on?" She asked unsettled by the anger of his face however it was not she realised directed at her. "What is so important that it couldn't wait till morning? Did we have many wounded from storming the palace?"

"No." He told her without any of his normal humour which only made her fell more unnerved. "We discovered some a lot of bad shit in there tonight, not least of which was some of the bastard's concubines who need looking at. Most won't let any of the men near them and you are our best healer. If anyone can reach them it is you, follow me." Gannicus said and the dark look in his eye stopped Caelys asking what else they had found here, if it was that bad that it reduced the normally humorous and flirtatious Gannicus to such a dark mood then she wanted nothing to do with it. So she followed him through the ornate hallways of the large palace until they arrived at the harem such as it was.

The women were covered with bruises and scars, some she could tell even at a distance went back years. The reason for their distrust of men now painfully obvious and her heart went out to them immediately so she pulled her satchel from her shoulder and got to work. Some of the women scrambled back when she approached, tugging on her heartstrings. She so wanted to help them but needed to gain their trust so she knelt down and extended her empty and open hands to them but for a moment nothing happened. She was so worried that no-one was going to come forward and let her treat them and allow her to prove she was trustworthy but then much to her relief one of the teenage girls moved forwards, slowly and cautiously ready to bolt backwards at the slightest sign of aggression from Caelys but she just smiled and let the girl come to her. She sat in front of Caelys and nearly bolted when Caelys pulled out a dittany infused wet flannel to clean the girl's cuts but Caelys stopped until the girl was calm again and carried on.

The girl was soothed by the gentle and pleasant feeling of the dittany, she smiled at Caelys who smiled back now able to look the girl right in the eye. But when their faces met properly, Caelys felt herself gasp and time seemed to stop as she came face to face with a girl that was nearly an exact duplicate of herself at that age. The girl likewise seemed shocked at how like her Caelys looked but as much as she wanted to question the girl about her origins, she reminded herself rather forcefully that she had a job to do and went on cleaning the girl's wounds before bandaging them. But she did ask one question that she hoped would answer the mystery of their similar features.

"Do you have a name?" Caelys asked and the girl was silent for a moment before she answered.

"Daena, my lady. Daena Baelerys."

Caelys at the mention of her own surname in connection to the girl stopped still and you could easily have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed that announcement.

The Next Day…

As Crixus handled the executions of all the slavers, red priests and others who threatened the safety of the people, Harry was watching the port where three hundred swan ships from the Summer Isles had just arrived. The harbour was so full that some ships had to drop anchor in the centre and send smaller boats to reach shore. Harry greeted the captains as they came ashore and briefed them on how many people that they would be carrying. It would be a stretch but with careful distribution they could now with their thousand ships carry all of the thirty five thousand people that would be coming with them to the Stepstones. Food supplies would be enough for the journey and rune stones to ensure that they were strong enough to make the journey. The Silence however would have a special addition to its rune stone, this one would increase the size of one of its cargo bays to carry additional food supplies and building materials that would be needed when they arrived in the Stepstones, shrunk with magic to fit the maximum amount possible.

Once the crews were all aware of how many people they would be carrying and when loading would begin, Harry waited until nightfall and the executions were over before he went to the stone masons to collect the thousand stones he had ordered. He sighed in relief to see that they had been completed all the stones he ordered and put them in bags ready to be used. He waved his hand and shrunk them down so he could hold one of the formerly large sacks could be held in the palm of his hand. He picked them all up and put them inside a satchel he had acquired carefully before apparating under the platform in the main square and collected the now fully charged chalice and erased the runic array.

Holding the cursed object in his hand Harry frowned, feeling all the life energy it had collected from the people executed. It disturbed him the sheer feeling of power it held, like a lightning bolt frozen before it could strike but he had work to do he thought to himself and apparated back to the harbour and hid inside one of the warehouses before going to work.

Setting the chalice on the ground, he picked out one of the shrunken bags of stone and lowered it into the chalice. It glowed a magnificent golden light for a minute as the power the chalice held charged the rune stones held in the bag making Harry smile briefly as he pulled out the now charged rune stone bag and retrieved another from his satchel and then repeated the process, glad that this was working otherwise he would have to do each stone individually which could take weeks to do on his own. This way it would only take a couple of hours to do all one thousand stones and then the rest of the night to install one on each ship. Easily concealable no one would even know they were there he thought with a smile and it would enable his ships to make the journey. Bloodstone was where they would land, the anchorage was a natural one like Volantis and would be a good base from which to launch their island hoping campaign to take over the others but Harry thought sternly to himself that was getting to far ahead right now, first they had to escape Volantis and get to the Stepstones.

-x-

Hours Later…

Harry sighed in exhaustion when he finally installed the second to last of the hidden rune stones on the ships in the harbour. The sun was now rising in the morning sky and while Harry dearly wanted a rest there was still things to do. So he pulled the time turner from around his neck and turned it several times, around him time moved backwards but to keep himself from getting sick Harry focused on his dragon ring and the time turner itself to keep himself from getting disorientated. Looking around once time had stopped moving back and it was now the middle of the night again, so with another exhausted sign and wondering why he had to do this by himself for a moment before getting on with his work Harry apparated to the warehouse which contained the food supplies set aside for the fleet once they landed in the Stepstones, enough for two months without resupply. It was already prepared for transport and ready for collection as he had ordered, he raised his arm and the dragon ring on his finger and began to shrink the barrels and piles down and storing them in boxes that he moved to the Silence's cargo hold. He installed the last rune stone while he was there after carving another rune into it and watched as the cargo hold tripled in size after he gave it a slight boost with the last of the energy from the chalice.

Harry now dearly wishing for his bed got to his feet regardless and apparated to the next warehouse to collect the next consignment of food supplies, he nearly groaned when he realised that counting the building supplies and equipment in the other warehouses as well he was looking at least twenty more warehouses to clear. This was going to be a long day he thought with resignation and went back to work. It was his plan after all he thought hating himself for coming up with such an idea until hours later he finally managed to fall into bed after working none stop for the equivalent of two days, but finally he thought as sleep took him the last piece was in place. One day of rest and then it was time to see if he was right and if his plan would plan.

When the day finally came, the morning was one that the freed slaves and Harry's men and sellswords met with great anticipation and anxiety. The sun rose over the horizon and Harry watched it out of the window, he was feeling more nervous than he had in years. The fate of a few hundred thousand people hung in the balance those that were willing to leave the city, their lives dependant on his plan going off without a hitch and it worried him more than he would ever admit to anyone that he was afraid he might have missed something that his dreams had been filled with images of everything that could go wrong.

He felt a soft hand on his shoulder and turned his head slightly to see Rhaenys had woken and with a sheet wrapped around her curvaceous body had walked up to him with a look of concern on her face. Her three ladies were still sleeping in the bed he had shared with them, they seemed content to share him for now as one of the very few men that had peaked all of their interest and they had been most energetic last night due he suspected to their own anxiety about what was going to happen.

"Worried?" She asked him, her own voice was like a cool refreshing breeze. He took her hand and kissed it before nodding. She smiled and held her hand in his tightly.

"You have covered every angle you can, planned steps ahead and eliminated anyone in the city that could interfere. It will work." Rhaenys said with certainty, her belief in him brought a lump to Harry's throat and he pressed her wrist to his lips.

"Thank you." He said in a quiet voice to her, not able to speak louder at that moment as he tried to soothe his worries. Rhaenys seeing her approach was not entirely successful decided to try and distract him with a question she had.

"Why the Stepstones? Why not land in Westeros directly or somewhere in Essos? Wouldn't that be easier than conquering islands filled with pirates?" Rhaenys' question did work to some extent and Harry was able to distract himself a little by answering.

"The Stepstones might be claimed by many but are held by no-one, only the pirates live there and who would want to save them? Each den is a law onto themselves and the chances of co-ordination are very remote so our people should have no issue securing them one by one and settling our people instead. Then if we bend the knee to the Iron Throne then by law we are entitled to their protection and Robert Baratheon would love nothing more than another fight." Harry told her and although she nodded in agreement of his logic she was unsettled. Harry understood why given bending the knee to Robert Baratheon would mean accepting the man who had actually rewarded Tywin Lannister for murdering her mother and brother as her king. He did not like it either and from all accounts the man was a complete waste of space but in this instance, he would be useful to them.

"And besides." He said continuing his explanation. "Given how many slavers there are in Essos settling anywhere is going to be a difficult issue and a large group of 'foreigners' settling in Westeros all at once would rally the bigots in the local population. In the Stepstones we won't have that problem since we will be eliminating the pirates and turning their dens into our new settlements." Harry finished before putting his arms around her and she leaned into his embrace. The added benefit of their placement that he had not gotten in to was that if they did find some way to prove Rhaenys' identity to the Martells then they would have Dornish support to back them up.

-x-

What could be carried was being packed and loaded onto carts or held by people as the freed slaves and sellswords moved their supplies and belongings to the carts they had to hand and then to the western side of the city. The Golden Company brought up the rear now with three times the elephants that they had before given they had taken fresh ones from the city as well as more men who had wanted to join them.

Some of freed slaves and others in their ranks on the other hand moved towards the harbour, marching up gangplanks or taking small boats out to board larger ships. Many farewells were said as people took different paths, staying to fight against the slavers or seeking a more peaceful existence elsewhere across the sea. None of them thought they would see each other again so many tears and emotional words were said.

At the entrance to the harbour with Harry and his own inner circle it was no different, Harry gave manly hugs to Balaq and a friendly hand clasp with Daario and a more formal handshake with the Tattered Prince. Kanoro meanwhile was making his farewells with his family to Crixus, Barca, Sula and Gannicus. Caelys was saying a tearful goodbye to Naevia and Saxa while Noelle stood with her newly discovered aunt Daena.

As the sellsword captains left to join their men, Harry turned to face Crixus and the two men stared at each other with stern faces for a while before Crixus extended his hand to Harry, with a slight smile he clasped it and they shook in a firm handshake giving each other a nod before turning to go their own way. Harry accompanied by Kanoro, Caelys, Jothos and their families as well as Rhaenys and her ladies and Brynden and the smiths from Qohor made their way to the dock where the Silence was waiting for them now restored to its original black and gold appearance. They all walked up the gangplank and as it was withdrawn, everyone turned to look one last time at Volantis while the sea gate was opened.

-x-

The Eastern Gate…

Outside the City, the silk dressed slave master from Meereen stood with complete confidence as he looked up at the walls, knowing the Windblown sellsword company was going to ensure their unopposed entrance into the city. The Unsullied and quickly recruited slave soldiers behind him were quiet as they stood behind him but as time wore on, the slave master looked confused at the doors which were not opening as they should be. A furious expression crossed his face as he wondered if Parquello was going to keep them out while he angled for a greater prize, already in his head devising ways to make the jumped up merchant remember just who he was talking too.

As the slave master considered the different methods of torture he would inflict on their supposed ally in the city, Khal Jommo sat with his khalasar looking at the city in the distance and the army that was simply standing outside the gate as if it would open for them at any moment. He sneered at the arrogance of richly dressed fool before he raised his curved sword above his head to order his men to charge.

The slave army turned to see the large Dothraki horde coming straight at them, many of the conscripted slave soldiers were ready to bolt immediately and some did but the Unsullied without any fear at all dug their spears into to the ground at a forty five degree angle to stop the Dothraki charge and drew their swords for when the battle got up close and personal.

The Dothraki did not stop their charge however even when they saw the spears, many of them just kept on going their horses being impaled and sending them flying, some dismounted and met the Unsullied head on as the two forces clashed outside the eastern gate.

They were completely obvious to the hundreds of thousands of people sneaking out of the western gates or the fleet of one thousand ships leaving the harbour. When one force eventually proved victorious they would find a largely empty and gutted city with little to justify the effort it took to capture it. Only two hundred thousand stayed within the city walls, mostly those who worshiped the Red God or simply could not bear to leave the city that had been their home however they would soon regret it as chains and death was forced upon.

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On the Silence, Harry stood with Kanoro at the ship's wheel as their ship led the enormous formation. At their side was Kanoro's family, Caelys with her daughter and sister, Rhaenys and her ladies, Brynden and his family and finally Jothos Velaryon and his family. A smile graced each of their faces as they left the city of Volantis far behind, ready to take on the challenge of establishing a new home somewhere else, one that would truly be theirs.

But first they would have to take it.