章 23: A Proposal

—Dragonstone—

Queen Rhaella Targaryen had just given birth to her daughter, Princess Daenerys Targaryen. But during the birth, a storm had struck Dragonstone and destroyed the Targaryen fleet leaving the island defenseless.

In Kingslanding, the now crowned King Robert of House Baratheon had tasked his brother, Stannis with building a new Royal fleet to take Dragonstone. That was a few months ago, now Stannis had amassed a fleet and was preparing to invade Dragonstone after hearing of the Targaryen fleet getting destroyed in a storm.

Meanwhile, Faraday had delivered Princess Elia Martell and her children back to their home in Sunspear, the seat of House Martell. Upon arriving, they were greeted by Prince Oberyn Martell.

"My Lord Faraday" greeted Prince Oberyn. "Thank you for bringing my sister and her children home to us" Prince Oberyn's eyes, usually alight with mischief and fiery determination, held a softer look today as he embraced his sister tightly. Elia, worn out from escaping and the long journey, had a lot of anxiety for the unknown that hung over their heads like an unspoken curse, allowing herself a brief moment to collapse into her brother's warmth.

"My dear Oberyn," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Faraday has kept us safe throughout the shadows and storms." Faraday, standing a respectful distance away, inclined his head modestly at the acknowledgment. The journey had indeed been fraught with peril, navigating along secret paths and evading the ever-watchful eyes of the Baratheon loyalists.

Prince Oberyn finally turned towards Faraday, his gaze intense and probing. "You have my eternal gratitude," he said solemnly. "House Martell will not forget what you did. But now we must strategize. With Dragonstone falling vulnerable and King Robert's intentions clear, we find ourselves at a precipice."

Elia interjected, her tone carrying a sense of urgency. "Stannis will move quickly to secure Dragonstone, consolidating Robert's power further. We need allies, and we need them now."

Faraday raised his hand stopping the two of them as he had a message from Maximus for them. "I also bear a message from my Lord in Essos whom I'm sure you have heard of."

Prince Oberyn was handed a piece of paper by one of the people standing next to Faraday. "If House Martell is interested, my Lord offers an alternative to any plans that you might have." While bold, House Martell did owe them for saving Elia and her children and they had a mutually beneficial plan for the both of them if House Martell accepted.

"Dragonstone is about to be invaded by Stannis Baratheon and the new Royal fleet, but we have very strong… knights you could say, stationed there to protect and evacuate the Queen and her children before the invasion happens. After this, they would be brought to Essos and placed under My Lord's protection with permission from the Queen. Dorne has stayed out of the war for the most part, besides sending 10,000 troops to bolster Prince Rhaegar Targaryen forces and I'm sure you will be requested to come swear fealty to the new King soon enough." explained Faraday.

"Instead, My Lord would like to form an Alliance between House Martell and his House, and in the future, assist the Targaryens in reclaiming the Iron Throne." continued Faraday.

Prince Oberyn's expression shifted, the weight of the information causing a thoughtful expression to appear on his face. He paced slowly, hands behind his back, as he processed the proposition. "An alliance..." Oberyn murmured, glancing towards Elia who nodded slightly, signaling her cautious approval of considering any option that might ensure their family's safety and reinstate their rightful claims.

"I would have to discuss this with my brother, but considering the current state of things, I'm sure he will agree." stated Oberyn.

"Very good, Prince Oberyn. Also, I must warn you that House Lannister is not to be trusted, they are the ones who betrayed King Aerys and also attempted to kill Elia and her children, luckily, we were there to save them. But if what I know is correct, then house Lannister is a true threat and rival to House Martell."

Oberyn's jaw clenched at the mention of House Lannister, his dark eyes flickering with barely suppressed anger. "The Lannisters have always been snakes hiding in the lush grass of the Westerlands," he spat venomously. "Their treachery knows no bounds."

"I must take my leave now, Prince Oberyn, but remember our offer" Faraday stated as he turned around.

"I will Lord Faraday, indeed I will" said Oberyn as he looked back at the paper and looked at the name that was signed on the bottom. He knew this name as it was a name that was becoming popular in Essos as a rising power.

"Maximus" said Oberyn out loud as looked up to the sky.

Meanwhile back on Dragonstone, Queen Rhaella and her children were secretly escorted to a small ship that had just arrive on shores of Dragonstone. From there, sailed across the sea which a full day of sailing.

By the time Stannis and his forces attacked Dragonstone, the Queen and her children were long gone, leaving only the remaining Targaryen forces to distract Stannis and his forces from quickly catching on to what happened.

Stannis Baratheon, standing on the deck of his flagship, watched as his men swarmed the shores of Dragonstone. His expression was one of grim determination; the capture of Dragonstone was not just a strategic victory but also symbolically significant. Yet, as his men breached the gates and secured the perimeter, reports began filtering back to him, there was no sign of Queen Rhaella or her children.

"Secure every corner!" Stannis commanded. "They cannot have vanished into thin air!"

But even as he spoke, he knew it was in vain. The Targaryens were gone, they took too long and allowed the Targaryens to probably flee to Essos. This realization sat heavily upon him, for he knew that his brother King Robert would not take kindly to this news. Dragonstone had been taken, but at what cost?

———

Back in Essos, Heaven's Reach was turning into a massive city and was already the most populated city within Essos, having 2 million people living within the city. It had also turned into a major trading city thanks to it's proximity to Norvos, Qohor, and Pentos.

The influx of traders and settlers brought a ton of wealth to the city and was slowly turning the city into a metropolis. The Dothraki were truly evolving from nomads to a proper civilization. With his title as the High Khal, Maximus was seen as a King to foreigners because of his influence and how fanatic the Dothraki people were about him.

Numerous stories had spread about Maximus, some of which sounded crazy, but was true for the most part. The two main events that attracted a lot of people was the Arena which was used for hosting fights between people who signed up, and the Stadium which was used for Horse racing and other grand spectacles that drew crowds.

The wealth generated from these events filled the city's coffers and enhanced its allure as a place of opportunity and entertainment. Olorin and Eonwe had taken active roles in training people to become great leaders within Maximus's future Empire and finding hidden talents from within the Dothraki.

The first batch of teachers who had completed the requirements were placed within various schools around the city allowing more kids to attend school and learn various basic things such as history, mathematics, and language. This educational initiative was part of Maximus's broader plan to transform the Dothraki from warriors to well-rounded citizens capable of contributing to various aspects of society.

Maximus himself was deeply involved in the planning and expansion of Heaven's Reach. He frequently looked through the Kingdom building system for upgrades and new constructions that could benefit the city and its growing population. He found various things that sped up production of food, mining of resources, and even magical enhancements for crop yields.

He had also completed his mission:

[Mission completed: Maintain Balance. Do not provoke the Gods or the magic forces. Summoning only non-magical entities is advised for the time being. Time Frame: 5 years]

Rewards: None

But he was also warned that Magical forces were also starting to take an active role in the world now which meant that he might encounter more powerful people which he was not at all looking forward to fighting. Especially if they are stronger than the Great stallion, then he might have trouble fighting them.

Though he wasn't too worried because he had Olorin and Eonwe who are wise and have a great knowledge about a lot of things, but he couldn't always depend on them as there might be a time when they weren't around to help him.

Though with the restrictions lifted he could now summon more magical forces from his system. He had plans to set up a witch tower and a wizard tower bolstering his cities magical capabilities. Not only them, but there were numerous other armies that he could summon from the system.