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198 AC
Qarth
Aerion Targaryen
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"Not as big as I thought it would be." I look down at Qarth from the back of my dragon, Moonfyre lets out a roar as if she is agreeing with me.
For how economically important Qarth is it's not as big as I was expecting, it is larger than Kingslanding but smaller than Volantis. The Red Waste is not a disappointment though, just looking at it makes my throat dry and my skin feel itchy. I can't help but admire Danny even more knowing she walked across this vast stretch of red hell shortly after giving birth and the babe dying leaving her mourning.
I am sure it helped that she gained three dragons who she loves dearly even if two of them are still dead.
But looking at the place she dragged her 'Khalasar' across while suffering... it really does put into perspective how shit her first life was. Makes me want to hold her tight and give her everything she wants, I might just say 'fuck it' and let her burn down the House of the Undying like she wants to. I thought it would be bad politically to make such a large move this early into our Essos expansion, we are not planning on putting 'boots to the ground' for at least five more years. But I know those creepy dried-up dead men pissed her off before and to see them alive again likely will make her very angry.
Hell, some of the ones if not all of the 'undying' that are around now are likely the same people who would have one day tried to steal her dragons and chain her up. Thinking about it like that makes me angry enough to want to burn the place down myself and throw all the caution I had out of the window. It's easy to forget this is the world of the 'Game of Thrones' when there is no one from the Game of Thrones that I know... except Danny of course.
""Take us down with Drogon."" I shout at my mount as Drogon makes to land inside of the city as if he owns the damn place... I suppose he remembers this place as well as his rider.
I just hope whatever we end up doing beyond killing the man who I came to kill and make an example of does not ruin my other plans in Qarth. I need a new middleman here in Qarth and I am certain I can find one even if all the 'high-end' people will be scared of me after today. But I also wanted to make a deal with the 'Sorrowful Men' and see if I could open another intelligence hub in Qarth using their help.
I guess I won't see until I talk to them, but for now, I need to deal with a man who ripped me off.
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198 AC
Qarth
Daenerys Targaryen
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"Having fun?" Aerion asks me as we walk through the market, my eyes looking for anything familiar from my time in this city more than a hundred years from now.
"Not really, I never expected to come back here until I was taking this place for myself." Looking up at the Hall of a Thousand Thrones I scrunch up my nose seeing men and women being carried out by servants and slaves. "The 'Pureborn' are still a bored people with little to interest them." I shake my head but Aerion pulls me against his side and kisses my head.
"There is nothing pure about those people, if you want we can go ahead and burn it all down." I snort and my eyes travel in the direction of the House of the Undying and I slowly start nodding.
"The Undying need to burn, the rest can stay until we are ready to actually rule over this place instead of just destroying it." I destroyed enough of Essos in my first life, I plan to make Essos better along with my husband and children.
"Alright, just let me deal with my friend and we can burn their little 'House' down and then leave if you are ready." I purse my lips and nod as I look over the slaves walking around with a pang of guilt in my chest.
They will be free soon enough, much sooner than anyone is expecting.
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"Cut the shit old man, you thought I would not make the trip over here and break you over my knee before burning you alive. You called my bluff and I am here to collect whatever will spill out of your corpse when I cut you down." I can't help but feel a heat run through me as my Husband gets violent with the man who blatantly robbed his business.
"I am not sure what it is you are talking about." I shake my head in clear disapproval as the man lies right to my husband's face.
"You are no man at all, you can't tell the truth even when it's presented right before you." Aerion reaches out and grabs the old man's neck and grips it tightly. "If you had begged I would have spared your family..." The man's 'bravery' flees him as he realizes what is at stake here and he quickly starts trying to speak but can only croak like a frog as Aerion crushes his neck. "I won't burn your Wife or children, they did me no wrong but they will die for what you have done. I want you to at least have the comfort of knowing I will make it quick and take their heads painlessly. It is the least I can do for all the good you used to do for me, but all the rights do not make the wrongs palatable." Aerion raises another hand and with a quick movement the man's neck is broken and he is dropped onto the ground.
"Will you really kill his family?" I ask not really minding if he does, but he never said anything about it and it seems a little sudden as I know he hates killing children.
"No, but his wife will tell me what I want to know or I will have to get a little violent with her." Aerion sighs and I nod with a small smile since that is what I expected of him, I know my Husband after all.
"I see." I lift the sweet wine from Yi Ti and taste it once more. "I look forward to the day when our ambition sees us cross the Bone Mountains... It is one of the few places I have never been." I was dragged around Essos by Viserys when I was a child and I have seen much of the Grass Sea when I was married to Drogo... I never got to see what is beyond the Bone Mountains.
"We will see it, even if it's not for conquest in our lives but to help prepare our Children to one day take it. There is an island not far south from Yin that has two volcanos according to what I have read and would make for a good 'Dragonstone' for our family when we expand East." I nod as he waves a hand and a man steps out from the corner of the room and drags the corpse away. "The west side of Essos will be trouble enough for many years though... not taking it but establishing an order like Westeros has. We need to establish Lords and Ladies which won't be too hard in the Great Grass Sea as there are old cities that can be brought back. There are many resources and many more abandoned cities even along the River Rhoyne. It won't be hard to get people to serve us but we will need to unify a faith under us and have them convert the whole of the continent to ease the rule over everyone as 'one people'." I hum and nod as he wraps an arm around my waist and sets his forehead against mine.
"You think the faith of R'hllor is the best for that?" I ask with a raised brow as I remember the people whom I have seen burned in the name of the Red God.
"Fire and Blood are our words, it works well and elevates us to Gods even more than we already are as 'Targaryens'. But beyond that they actually preach good to the common folk, they promote life and light which are good. They just need to cut back on the burning of living people unless the people are criminals or enemies of the future 'Empire'." I snort shaking my head, but I also know no other faith that could spread like the wildfire we will need when trying to unite all of the people of Essos.
It helps they preached against slavery in my life, I know it will help if they do so again when we start breaking the chains. The common people who will mainly be made up of 'free men' once the chains are all broken will love the Red Faith for its preaching of all life having value. Not the value they grew up knowing with a chain around their neck but the value that they are a person and not a 'thing' to be bought and sold.
With House Targaryen using dragons and fire to forge Essos into one Empire... well the faith and the people will quickly melt along with the 'steel' and become one 'whole'.
"Let's go burn some old fuckers." I shiver hearing his words and a fire ignites inside of me as I quickly nod, Drogon's roar can be heard across Qarth no doubt as he likely feels my excitement.
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"Dracarys." The word comes out with great satisfaction as Drogon opens his mouth and black and red flames cover the House of the Undying.
For a moment nothing happens even as Moonfyre's silver flames join Drogon's black ones, but soon a cracking sound can be heard. Like hundreds of glass windows shattering one at a time the House of the Undying slowly starts to take damage until it is crumbling in on itself. Piercing shrill screams can be heard from the rubble as the tower comes down on itself.
A bright blue light burns for a moment and then dies leaving nothing but burning rubble and a satisfied smile on my face. No Undying will survive as my Husband already put out a massive bounty on any who were not in the tower when it came down. There people will be hunted until the last man or woman is slain and I can rest a touch easier knowing they are purged from the world.
Root and Stem with Fire and Blood.
Thanks for reading!!!
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198 AC
Harrenhal
Elmo Tully
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"They want us dead." My Father speaks up with conviction in his voice as he looks out of the window of the room he has been given for our stay at Harrenhal for a small tourney.
One of the Dragon seeds lived to see another name day and the acting 'Prince' of Harrenhal is throwing a small tourney for his little sibling. Not that these wasteful incestuous freaks need a reason to throw out gold, they seem to always be hosting some big event. Each time the majority of the Riverlands flocks to Harrenhal and it only serves to smear our names more.
We are the Lords of the Riverlands and yet the Targaryens annexed the Gods eye and more than a few castles into the Crownlands. This castle was meant to stay under House Tully and remain a loyal vassal but instead, it was long ago given to the Dragon Prince and he turned it into an eye soar. An eye soar that screams old Valyria and only grows worse with time as more and more dragon statues and carvings are added.
Hell, they even made the large gates into dragon mouths, and the 'tunnel' to get through the freakishly large walls has been carved to look like the inside of a dragon's throat.
I have heard it was done so all who visit Harrenhal remember it is now the home and nesting sight of dragons. It is meant to put fear into all who visit that they are in the 'belly of the beast' and should be on their best behavior. But I see it for what it really is, vain and quite honestly hideous to look at.
"Well, boy?!" My Father shouts and I jump up from the seat I was in and look around anxiously before remembering he was talking to me.
"Of course, they want us dead, they want to annex the whole Riverlands and grow the Crownland's influence and power. The Dragon Prince is hungry for more power than any Targaryen before him and he will eat everyone should he be given the chance." I smack my lips together and shake my head. "But they are being smart about it, instigating it to where we are the ones making a move, small slights, and taking favors with our allies to weaken us in the eyes of all of Westeros." The damn boy in charge did not even greet our part when we arrived and instead was attending to 'other matters of great import'.
Foolish and simply disrespectful.
"If we sit back then just like the North and the NiNight'satch we will find ourselves taken advantage of like the Prince already did." Ignoring that he already stole Harrenhal out from underneath us... which is something we will always be sore about seeing the town rapidly growing outside its walls.
This castle can hold the full force of the Riverlands army inside of just one and a half of its bigger towers. It has the stables to also keep all of the horses of said army with plenty of room as well, the Targaryens built this place back better than it ever was intended to be. The Iron Born built this place as a way to hold ground on the mainland and always have a place to be secure in... it is now far beyond that.
With dragons as well... Harrenhal is the hardest place to attack anywhere in the world.
That is not even bringing up the rumors of the Targaryens having their own secret assassin group like the Faceless men. I have heard they are using old Valyrian magic that was the original source of the Faceless men who were born in Valyria and was the second biggest religion before the Doom. Some nights I have even found it hard to sleep knowing that this is likely true with how they always seem to know things they should not. Every Lord I have talked to has had a similar circumstance where they have been approached about something by the King or one of his Sons and have been confused about how word got out.
They have people in everyone's castles and I do not doubt they are using vile magic to do it.
"We must do something to at least keep our family safe... maybe if we offer up your daughter's hand to one of his Sons. No doubt they will take multiple wives just as their Father has before them, it might save us from further insults and schemes." I grind my teeth imagining my sweet girl having to be wed to one of those vile incest spawns.
"We will attempt other means first... surely?" I ask and see a slow nod and deep down I know he is heavily leaning on using marriage to attempt for 'peace' with the Hungry Dragon.
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198 AC
Harrenhal
Cerelle Lannister
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"So you can take anyone you want onto your dragon?" I ask Princess Daenys as we sit in the Godswood and watch dragons feast on a large pile of fish.
"I do not have a dragon." I look at her in confusion and when I see her frowning I feel bad for even speaking up about the overgrown lizards.
"I am sorry." I hope I did not just make her angry at me, Mother told me to befriend one of the Princesses my age and try and earn some trust.
I don't know why, but I have no problem with making friends as it's my favorite thing to do back in Lannisport.
"It is not your fault, there were no eggs available when I was a babe, and when the next few clutches were laid the eggs did not call to me." I nod along pretending to understand but I suppose only a person with dragon blood would really understand what she is talking about. "I will get a dragon eventually, Father says it is only a matter of time before the other dragons approach egg-laying size. Rhaellas dragon even carved out a new cave not long ago and has been 'broody' inside of it so I might even have a dragon soon if she lays a clutch." Daenys looks more and more excited as her earlier gloom drifts away and I can't help but feel excited along with her.
"When you can fly on your dragon can you take me up to a cloud?" Daenys looks at me with a raised brow and I shrug helplessly. "I wish to see if the clouds are as soft as they look and if I can take a bite of one or not." Her jaw drops open before she shakes her head and starts giggling at me and I cross my arms with a small huff.
"Clouds are just water, they taste like water." My eyes widen as I realize she has already done what I have longed to do and I quickly grab her hands and lace my fingers with hers.
"What do they feel like?!" She giggles some more and I suddenly realize that I will certainly not mind if my Mother sends me off to be friends with Daenys as she is now my favorite person ever.
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198 AC
Harrenhal
Elaena Targaryen
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"That's cute." I mutter as I watch my Daughter have fun with a little Lannister girl who is a part of the Lannisters of Lannisport's family. "I was about to send for the girl's Mother and have her sent off somewhere else but it seems they are having fun and it's not fake." It's hard for little children like that to fake anything anyway, the girl seems kind and easily pleased so that might be why her family sent her, they knew she would hit it off with at least one of the Targaryen children.
I will keep an eye on them, but I do hope Daenys can find some friends besides her sisters and brothers. She could grow a lot more if she branches out and explores different people besides the people she was born around and has always known. I am a bit troubled with it being a Lannister and I have had my eyes open with Aerion and Daenerys being gone but this does not look bad.
"If you want to know what I know then I will tell you." Gwenys speaks up from across the little table that was carried out here by a guard.
"What do you know?" I ask almost wanting to roll my eyes at the 'Spymaster of Harrenhal' who loves to act cryptic like a prophet from Essos.
"Lord Lannister saw that his grandsons were gaining no ground in befriending the boys even when playing different games together for years. So he is taking a new approach with some of his Granddaughters and little Cerelle is apart of that." I nod having guessed as much but it does leave a sour taste in my mouth hearing it spoke aloud.
Should I send the girl off?
"Poor baby girl." I purse my lips watching my Daughter make fast friends with a girl who likely does not even know she is just a piece in a game.
"We could offer to foster the girl and remove the influence her family has over her, if they refuse they would be cutting any chance of strengthening ties with us and solving the problem for us at the same time." Daena speaks up after watching everything going on while sipping wine.
"That could work." I nod in agreement, It would be like a small test and if they failed they are taking two steps back but if they 'pass' they are still taking two steps back.
I smile liking the plan more and more.
"Why not, We have room and already have so many children here it won't matter if another is added to the hoard." Mya also seems to approve and after saying her peace returns to pressing kisses on Alyssa's head.
The youngest child has taken the absence of her parents horribly and cries if she is not smothered in love. The poor girl keeps repeatedly calling for her Kepa and Muna and I know if either of them could hear her they would turn their dragons around on the spot and return. But I am sure they will be back soon, a few days at most and we all have plenty of love to give to the youngest to hold her over until her Father and Mother both return to ease her worries.
I am personally more worried about Shiera giving birth before they get back, Aerion would be devastated if he missed the birth of one of his babes. He has sat beside each one of his wives each time they gave birth instead of sitting outside of the room and waiting for the screaming to stop. He even fights with his wives to be the first to hold the little bundles of sweetness even after watching all the pain they went through to bring the child to life.
I will always hold that against him... not that I am actually mad but it is a good way to get him to rub my feet and my back. Which always ends in blissful sex and relaxation, so I am not mad that he took our Daughter before I could even see her face. It is also nice to know just how much he loves his children and how far into the future he has planned for them. He is an even better Father than he is Dragon rider and combatant and as one of the best of both of those he is a damn good Father.
Thanks for reading!!!