The Age of Daenerys Targaryen

Part 5: News from Westeros

"She's dead!", Nyessos Vhassar exclaimed enthusiastically as he entered the magnificent assembly room deep inside the Triarch Palace and held up a letter. Although the heat was scorching outside, it was pleasantly cool inside. "The damn whore is dead!"

"Which whore?", asked Doniphos Paenymion pointedly. "You have so many, Nyessos."

"The Targaryen bitch, of course", said Nyessos and sat down at the table with Doniphos. "The one who gave us so much trouble at Slaver's Bay. Those who had your relative Belichio killed."

Doniphos snorted dismissively. "I never liked Belichio anyway. Daenerys Targaryen is dead, you say? What happened?"

Nyessos Vhassar briefly summarized what had happened in King's Landing. Doniphos shook his head in disbelief when he heard of the destruction of the city.

"I just hope that the dragon that hangs around now doesn't cause us any problems", he said worriedly. "Why did it come here of all places?"

"Perhaps, now that its rider is dead, it is looking for proximity to Old Valyria. Or somehow it feels the Valyrian blood, which is still strong in our noble families."

 "Yes, I can already see that heaps of young fools try to become a dragon rider and end up as dragon fodder."

"Forget the dragon", said the third man at the table. Malaquo Maegyr was a toothless old man, and yet he was still a tiger through and through. Nyessos and Doniphos, on the other hand, belonged to the elephants, the party that focused on trade rather than war. "The important thing is that the bitch is dead."

The three men looked at each other. As triarches, who were each elected for a year and could be re-elected an unlimited number of times, they directed the fate of the Free City of Volantis. They all had a few terms in office, with Doniphos Paenymion temporarily losing his post some time ago. At that time, Volantis' fleet had gone into battle against the Targaryen-occupied Meereen and the whole city had been filled with enthusiasm for war. However, Volantis suffered a devastating defeat, and Doniphos, who had spoken out against the war, was re-elected triarch at the next election.

"Indeed", Nyessos Vhassar agreed with the tiger. "That should put a damper on this red rabble on the streets."

Malaquo nodded grimly. The Red Priests of Volantis had been a thorn in his side for some time. Most of the slaves in the city worshiped the Lord of Light, which gave the Red Priests a troubling influence over them. Since the Dragon Queen came into play, the priests stirred up further unrest with their sermons about the supposed chosen one of R'hllor. Since Malaquo saw the danger of a rebellion growing, he had wanted to hire the Golden Company to purge the temple and to execute Kinvara and her priests. He hadn't dared to use the slave soldiers for this, as the majority of them worshiped R'hllor.

Unfortunately, the Golden Company had already been recruited by Queen Cersei for the fight for Westeros - only to be wiped out by the Dragon Queen together with King's Landing.

"Yes, now they will be demoralized", said Malaquo Maegyr. "I'm going to hire one of the mercenary companies immediately so we can finally destroy the damned Red Priests."

"Is that really still necessary?", Doniphos wanted to know. "Their so-called chosen one no longer exist. The wind has been taken out of their sails."

"Yes, for now", Malaquo growled. "But at some point it's guaranteed to start all over again. The influence of the Red Priests on our slaves is far too great. That must finally be over."

"I agree with you", Nyessos Vhassar nodded. "Let's do it now. Do you want to raise an objection, Doniphos?"

The other elephant sighed in resignation. "What for? I am outvoted. Let's hope that everything goes well this time and that it doesn't lead to another disaster like the one in Meereen. It might take some time to find enough mercenaries, though, considering Tyrosh, Myr, and Lys are already starting to scramble for the Disputed Lands. The companies there now have enough to do."

"We'll get our fighters soon", said Nyessos and rang the little golden bell that was attached to the table. Immediately three slaves appeared and poured the triarches sweet wine.

"So Bran Stark is king now", Daenerys said flatly. She was sitting in her room with Kinvara, who told her about the outcome of the King's Landing meeting. Her belly was now clearly bulging, even the wide robe she was wearing couldn't hide that.

It was a mystery to her why the Lords of Westeros had chosen this strange boy to be their ruler. Maybe they thought he was weak because he needed a wheelchair. A weak king would mean more scope for their schemes and intrigues. Meanwhile, Tyrion Lannister had been appointed to Bran's hand. Daenerys had no doubt that the gnome was now the actual ruler of the Seven ... no, the Six Kingdoms. The North was independent now, with Sansa as queen. The scheming snake had got what she wanted.

Meanwhile, Jon Snow had been banished to the wall as "punishment" for killing Daenerys. The Dothraki and Unsullied had apparently contented themselves with that and withdrew from Westeros.

"The Starks have won across the board", the Dragon Queen continued bitterly. "The land of my ancestors now belongs to them."

"With all due respect, Your Grace", said Kinvara, "your ancestors come from ancient Valyria, not from Westeros."

"Valyria no longer exists", Daenerys replied. "I don't have a home."

"Maybe you will create a new one", said the priestess and smiled mysteriously.

"I have no other choice. If I gather the Unsullied and my bloodriders ... damn it!" Daenerys slapped her forehead with her hand. "The bloodriders! I had completely forgotten that they have to end their lifes when I am dead. I have to do something before they all commit suicide." She turned to the door. "I will fly to the Dothraki sea with Drogon. My bloodriders will surely want to die there. With a little luck I will find them in time."

"Think of your child", Kinvara interjected. "You have to take care of yourself."

"I will. It shouldn't take too long."

"Just a moment please, Your Grace", the priestess held back. Daenerys raised an eyebrow while waiting.

"Something is gnawing inside of you. It's Jon Snow." The Dragon Queen winced slightly when Kinvara said the name. "You wonder why he was able to betray you so much. You must know that the Lord of Light can show you the answer in the flames. But maybe you are not ready for the truth yet. To have it relentlessly disclosed will be a tough test for you. But I already know one thing: There is nothing in the world that Jon Snow loved more than you."

Daenerys Targaryen gave a bitter laugh. "Then he must really hate the world."