The Tartered Dragon - Aegon, Son of Baelon)by mootjeman7)

Chapter 17

109 AC, Port Corinth

The ships arrived at the edges of the port on the wide deep river, the crowded harbour making it difficult to get further into the protected banks of port. His eight Galleons and his carracks, of both Corinth-make and Braavosi, were as far as the eye, well over a hundred of them docked and the sight of them stirred something great within him.

His fleet was amongst the largest in Westeros and Western Essos, only rivalled truly by the city-states though none owed an individual fleet like he did, and certainly no fleet could boast a make up of carracks which were the third largest tonnage of ships in this world…trailing only behind his galleons and the Ibbanese whaling ships.

And Aegon knew that he was only the facilitator of such marvel.

The people who chose to come with him, the people he successfully recruited, and the people who he gotten free and adapted to this new way of life, the success of Corinth and their soon-to-be homeland could be levied directly to them, those who worked with him and trusted in his ideas and his ambitions.

His knowledge and his ideas would have died an ignoble death without these people and Aegon was forever grateful to them as he gazed upon the very symbol of his people's burgeoning greatness.

The other ships that had come with Aegon made to moor at the edges of the port rather than follow Aegon's ship into the inner parts of the port when they saw they were being signalled.

Twin roars made him look upward and he saw Liāzmariña and Mīsaragorn flying over him. Over the past few days, Mīsaragorn had been accompanied in flight by his wife's dragon or by one or two of his children's dragons, as much a signal as any that Corinth knew of his coming.

And, as the ship traversed slowly further into the port with only fore-and-aft sails, towards the free piers by the inner part of the port, where the shipyard was as well, passing by lanes of docked ships on both side of the river, Aegon could see a crowd of men waiting by one of the few free piers and the ship made way to it.

The sails were cast off and the ship coasted and when they were close enough, the crew threw a line ashore at the bow before also sending down a longer line at the stern. The men at the dock reeled in the lines, pivoting and adjusting so that the stern would brought around to be parallel with the pier.

And, as the final adjustments were made and the Aegon eyed the crowd of men as the anchor was lowered into the water, many of whom had been the men who had fought with him amongst the men who were tasked to protect Corinth in their absence, and he saw the happy faces that were adorned on all of their faces.

Their happiness at simply seeing him was something he cherished greatly, seeing how much he meant to his people.

Ser Cedrick and Ser Galaenys were amongst the men waiting on the pier as they descended down from the ship on the gangway.

"My Prince." Ser Cedrick said with a bow, a bow that was followed by the rest of his men, and Ser Cedrick continued, with a smile on his face "Welcome home."

"Ser Cedrick." Aegon acknowledged with a ghost of a smile "It is good to be amongst you all." Aegon said before he looked to Ser Galaenys "No problems on the sail back?"

"No, my Prince. Trouble free." Ser Galaenys said with a savage grin on his face "The waters are scoured free from infestation."

Of course, there was quite likely a number of pirate hideouts that they managed to miss, or ships that gotten away, but for now, none of them would be emboldened to cause trouble for quite some time which was good enough for Aegon.

By now he expected the ship he'd sent to Lys to have arrived there and soon enough word would be spread about his evisceration of the pirates.

"And the freedmen and women? Have we gotten them all safety?"