51

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112 AC

Stepstones - Grey Gallows

Daeron Nymeros Martell

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"So it's not as bad as it sounds when spoken in plain words." I get a flabbergasted look in return from my Father at my words.

"I knew she should not have told you all those damn stories of the conquest!" He grabs his hair in both hands and paces back and forth with his face darkening. "What have you done!?" He hisses with anger that fizzles out into helplessness.

"I just told you, I took Lys." He moans like a dying sheep choking on its own blood, I am intimate with the sound after being around Tyraxes long enough.

"Why?" He asks with a sigh as he wipes his forehead.

"I wanted it, I also kind of want the other two daughters." He shuts his eyes and stares up at the ceiling of the tent.

"What are you going to do with them?" Resignation this soon, I expected a much stronger resistance if I am honest.

Though I guess I made it obvious when I hinted at it like ten times, I even jokingly said 'I won't come back till Lys is mine' and then flew off. I suppose he had to take it with a grain of salt until I proved I was actually in the business of taking things that are not mine. Professional other people's stuff claimer, that sounds better than the other names for what I did.

"To be honest, I do not know what to do with all three with Lewyn taking Bloodstone. If I make them too strong then Lewyn will suffer the competition between them and that is not what I want. I also do not think it's a good idea for them to stay under Dorne in the long run unless we want to have a civil war when someone gets a little jealous of the other side of the family." He slowly lowers himself into a padded seat as he nods with his eyes still shut.

"Lewyn will prosper so long as he has the ships and men to maintain order in the Stepstones and keeps taking a toll. So long as he does not take too much people will be fine with a toll instead of prates taking their wives and daughters as they sail by. But I suppose he will have a harder time going into the Disputed lands if there is peace between the three daughters." That is the problem I saw as well, but it kind of keeps them all in balance when they check each other, Lewyn having a dragon just ensures he also gets some of the pie.

"We still have time, you said we secured Last Refuge and Shame Isle so we have a blockade to prevent anyone from the Narrow Sea out. With Lys taken out of play our back is relatively safe and we can slowly crawl our way forward, you told me Torturer's Deep and Wreckstone are soon to be held as well leaving four islands other than Tyrosh and little Tyrosh off its shore." I can go join the front with Gaelithox and speed the process up to clean off the islands so we can wrap this up.

I don't know if it was all the sexy skimpily dressed women running around or if it was the burning of the wall, but I have been feeling blue-balled since yesterday. I want this done as soon as possible to go back and see my wife, after Lys this all seems much more manageable. Dragons truly are a cheat code in this world and I feel bad for everyone else, to be honest, I could solo Essos if I had the right game plan.

If it was a fight to the death, I would stomp Essos two versus millions so long as I have my partner. Confidence or arrogance or even stupidity, probably all three if I am honest but I am also not wrong. If Volantis sent word to me right now we are at war the war would end the moment I arrive with Gaelithox and burn the black wall to slag. The slaves would pour in like ants and eat the Masters alive and the war is complete.

Qohor is too busy smithing and chopping wood while sending blood to their black goat god. I fear nothing about Norvos in the slightest, they have nothing of note other than nice beards and bells. Lorath is too busy trying to find out where the mazes that have come from, probably built by an elder god or some shit, they are no threat. Pentos is a joke, I could show up and tell them all to hand over all the maidens and I would drown in tit before the day ended, they're weak. So long as Daemon does not show up at least, the dude was crazy enough to fight against Vhagar so got to keep on my toes with him and burst his heart if I see him coming.

I could list every other city from Slavers Bay all the way to Asshai if I wanted to be truthful, the only one I would ever hesitate to hit is Braavos. Faceless men would come for vengeance if I burned Braavos so I will give them the respect they deserve. Unless I discovered a way to see through the illusions and keep my loved ones safe, Braavos is off the market.

Conquest is not the hard part but ruling it all and with Westeros finally unifying through my marriage it is not that hard to start expansion. The hardest part is the King of Westeros might get involved after this little war, he is going to be surprised when word hits him of what happened so far. His opinion of me might tank when people start whispering about how I am making a plan in secret for the Throne. This is yet another reason I want Lys to end up sworn directly to my firstborn in the future and not Dorne.

They can't really say I am trying to conquer the whole world for myself when I am giving things over to my children. They will be confused off their ass when they learn my true intentions, my motives are beyond their understanding.

"Alright if you are done worrying, I am off to join my brother and Laenor." He tosses his cup of wine at my head and I have to duck before bending what I can back into the jug.

"I am worried rightfully so! You do not even understand the sheer amount of work and stress you just dropped in my lap. I came to help my Good family clear some islands in return for Valyrian stock marriage partners and you took a fucking Free City." He pants heavily before bursting out laughing and shaking his head. "I am angry not because of what you did but because of how I feel about it, a mix of anger and pride. This is a new experience for me and I am not sure I want to feel it again." He waves me out and searches for the cup he threw as I head for the exit.

I wonder how he would feel if he knew I was planning world domination with no real motive other than just wanting to.

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112 AC

Kingslanding

Viserys Targaryen

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"Your Grace I have something of utmost importance to report to the council." I nod toward Otto as I wonder when Lord Lannister will be here to fill the empty position of Master of Ships.

It will be good to ease some of the wounded pride at him not getting to be Rhaenyras husband and we are missing a Master of Ships so it works. The Lannisters are not as known for their sailing skills as the Velaryons but Corlys little pretend war in the Stepstones should not keep him gone long.

"Just this evening I received a raven that something drastic has taken place." I sit forward in my seat as I wait for him to carefully pick his words as he always does. "Lys has been conquered by Daeron on his dragon during the war in the Stepstones. It is said he arrived and burned their walls down before thousands of Dornish spearmen took the city." I blink slowly and take in what I just heard.

"Daeron took Lys?" I ask and get a solemn nod as the rest of the council descends into whispers.

I sit back in my chair with an odd feeling in my chest, if someone told me this before I married the man to my daughter I would be worried. But to be honest, after seeing him with my daughter and how they care for one another in such a short time they have been together, I am not as worried as I should be. I think Daeron is a good man from what I have seen and surely he had a reason for doing what he did.

"I will be honest I am not sure what to say." I truly don't, do I hold celebrations for him when he returns, or am I supposed to mourn for the Lyseni?

"I believe this is out of hand for the Prince, he is married to the heir of the seven Kingdoms and he goes off causing foreign problems. This could cause the Free Cities to band together to attack Westeros as one, this could be the start of a new century of blood." I nod and agree with his words to a certain extent, but I am not ready to jump to the possibility of a century of blood.

"You said he just burned the wall, the fused stone wall built by the Valyrians, and then captured the city?" I ask and he nods putting some of the worries I had aside, it does not sound like he burned the actual city. "We can't discuss much about the matter until we know more, his motive and the extent of damage and lives lost." If all he did was strip their defense and then claim the city I don't even know what he did 'wrong'.

It is not like we have peace terms with Lys, nor does Dorne to my knowledge so it's just a case of common expansion. Though Dorne growing in size sounds like a dangerous prospect as they already have dragons and soon blood on the Iron Throne. I need to know more before I jump to Daeron planning something sinister.

I won't lie that he made a good impression on me after not only healing Aemma but how much Rhaenyra cares about him. She has not been the same since he left and is in a slump other than spending time with Alicent and Myriah. I should talk about his true motives with him in private and get to the bottom of it.

Otto looks taken aback at my dismissal as if it was Kingslanding itself that Daeron attacked. It makes me wonder if he is aware that the Targaryens ourselves conquered with Dragon fire or if he had forgotten. I personally think the dragons are dangerous and out of our control but if Daeron didn't burn the whole city but disarmed it, he seems in control enough to manage what he is doing.

Though it would be a problem if the Free Cites banded together so maybe he is on to something. I need time to think about what to do about this, other than sending a dragon to stop him there is nothing I can do. Daemon or Rhaenyra is the only two available to me as well and Daemon is still angry over me stripping his title as my heir. Rhaenyra would probably work, she could talk him out of it... or he could talk her into it.

I sigh and sit back in my chair with my head resting against it and my eyes closing. I wonder if this is what it is like to have a son, a good son who is causing me problems by conquering Free cities. I am just glad Daemon has never done this before, it is not something I see him being against if I am honest. It is just he would rather have something already built than to build something himself.