The Conqueror's Brother

Chapter 3

For almost a whole year Maelor and Cannibal stuck to just looting manses and killing the chimaeras. His initial plan was to settle on the peninsula so Cannibal didn't have to make continuous trips back and forth, and he had cleared one of the better-standing manses for this purpose. But that very same night they were attacked by those things, they had barely escaped with their loot. Neither of them could find the exact place the things seemed to sprout from, so it was safer that they returned to Volantis for the night and come back the next day for more.

But Maelor did settle in Essos. Close to The Valyrian Peninsula was Oros, a ruined city that sat on the northern coast of The Smoking Sea. Once it had been termed a second to Valyria in terms of majesty, but that had been before the Doom. It was founded by the Valyrian Freehold. People still lived there and word was that these were descendants of its original inhabitants. There were not many of them, barely a hundred people. When Maelor decided to settle there, the people protested. Another dragonlord, they had expected him to rule them and they did not appreciate that. Maelor assured them that he did not intend to do anything like that, but it was Cannibal's roar of warning that pushed them back.

Maelor took one of the moderate manses for himself, built for someone of higher status from the way the inside was decorated. Things were rotted from being abandoned for so long. He had them all burned and by ship brought in fresh ones with the wealth he had accumulated by selling the Valyrian Steel weapons, jewellery and other artefacts he collected on Valyria. After the manse was restored to what he assumed was its former glory, he bought around a hundred Unsullied to guard his manse. He did not doubt that given the opportunity the people of Oros would try to kill him and his dragon, and steal whatever wealth he makes from the continuous expeditions into The Valyrian Peninsula. Slavery wasn't to his liking, but with how things stood, he knew The Unsullied would listen to him without thinking about it.

After a base for him was set up, Maelor began the accumulation of his wealth. He had expected there to be some relics of the past in Valyria, but the amount he found was nothing short of astounding. From artefacts to jewellery to weaponry, he found in abundance the more he went inwards. He had found more than enough to arm his Unsullied, who now sported Valyrian Armor and Valyrian Steel spears and shields. He himself sported a Valyrian Steel armour that was reforged to his liking. The amour was black with hints of green, a similar colour to Cannibal. His helm was the same shade, looking like the head of a dragon. He now carried a Valyrian Steel bastard sword, the hilt installed in the shape of a dragon's head with jade for eyes. The cross guard looked like dragon wings and the blade was mostly black with subtle green hints added to it. He did not don his armour much but always had his sword with him.

Even after all that he had found enough to arm a whole army. So, he began to sell them. There was no lacking in the demand for Valyrian Steel weaponry. Once word had gone out that he was willing to sell these treasures, people came flocking to him. People from Volantis, Meereen, Yunkai, Astapor, New Ghis, The Basilisk Isles and even as far as Myr and Lys had come to sit with him and come to an agreeable deal for the weapons. They bought in bulk and Maelor was left richer every time. Eventually, he opened an 'account' with the Iron Bank of Braavos to store his excess wealth. The demand for Valyrian Steel was ever on the rise and Maelor knew that he wouldn't find endless amounts in Valyria. There was always a limit and sooner or later he would empty the "Valyrian Treasury" as he had begun to call it. When that happened, it was time for him to return to Westeros.

Staying in Essos was never a permanent plan for him. Even coming here had been more curiosity-sating than a solid plan. He did not expect to find so much here to remain for so long. He did not doubt that word of a sudden influx of Valyrian Steel weaponry across Essos had reached the ears of his brother and sisters. He didn't know how they'd react to it, but not seeing Balerion the Black Dread in the sky was a good sign.