The Age of Daenerys Targaryen

Part 22: The greatest city that ever was and ever will be

With a fleet of twenty dromons and thirty carracks commanded by Grand Admiral Salladhor Saan, Daenerys, accompanied by Kinvara and dozens of Red Priests, had set out east. The ships sailed around the Valyrian Peninsula without incident, crossed the Gulf of Grief and made a stop in New Ghis. From there they went along the coast directly to Qarth.

The rapprochement of the Imperials did not go unnoticed. When the fifty ships reached Qarth at night, a significantly larger navy awaited them. But there was never a sea battle.

Like a vengeful angel, Daenerys, riding Drogon, came down over the Qartheen from the night sky and set their ships on fire one by one. The enemy fleet tried to defend itself with scorpions, but the dragon was able to dodge all bolts, especially since the darkness made aiming difficult. After Drogon destroyed the Qartheen flagship, the remaining opponents dispersed and the route to the city was clear.

Qarth was a huge, thriving trading city on the strait known as the "Jade Gates" that connected the Summer Sea with the Jade Sea. It was protected by three mighty walls, which Drogon could not stop. In front of the city walls, the Red Waste stretched to the horizon.

The target of the Empress, however, was the House of the Undying, the seat of the warlocks. She let the dragon swoop down onto the tall, narrow tower. The building had no visible doors or windows, which had to do with the magic of its residents. But the warlocks had no means against dragon fire.

At Daenerys's orders, Drogon turned the House of the Undying into a giant torch that could be seen from anywhere in the city. With a crash and a shower of sparks, the tower collapsed. Fortunately, there were no other buildings nearby for the fire to spread to.

After the Empress was certain that nothing was left of the House of the Undying but ashes, she gave cover from the air to her troops, who were just about to land in the harbor. The Qartheen tried to bombard the imperial ships with scorpions from within the walls, but Drogon quickly put an end to the threat.

As soon as Daenerys' soldiers were in the city, all organized resistance collapsed. If the Qartheen had wanted it, they could have put up a bitter house-to-house battle with the Imperials, but in the face of the dragon it seemed a bad idea to them. Thus Qarth, which was proudly called "the greatest city that ever was and ever will be" by its residents, now belonged to Daenerys.

No sooner had the Empress accepted the surrender than Kinvara and the other Red Priests fanned out to search for warlocks who might have escaped the destruction of their home. On the evening of the first day of the occupation, eight unmasked warlocks were burned at the stake in the name of R'hllor in front of the smoldering ruins of the House of the Undying.

"I think now is the right time to repay some of the debt I owe to the Lord of Light", Daenerys told Kinvara as the two women watched the executions. "I will sponsor the building of a great Red Temple here in Qarth. It is to be built on the spot where the house of the Undying stood."

Kinvara inclined her head slightly. "The Lord will see this with benevolence, Daenerys. And the permanent presence of His servants here will ensure that the warlocks can never rise again and threaten you and your children."

The Qartheen were glad to be rid of the warlocks who had ruled with cruel hands over the past few years, but not enthusiastic about the abolition of slavery and the incorporation of their city into the New Valyrian Empire. But in the face of the dragon they dared not argue.

So that no one rebelled even when she was gone, Daenerys intended to leave most of the soldiers she had brought with her as a garrison. On their behalf, Belor Paenymion, a relative of Imperial Chancellor Paenymion, would rule Qarth and its colonies as Imperial Governor. The man had excelled as a skilled administrator in the years leading up to the empire, and his mother was a Pureborn, a descendant of the ancient kings of Qarth.

Still, Daenerys had some work to do before she could return to the Imperial Capital. She had to ensure imperial rule over the island of Qal in the Jade Gates and the port cities of Qarkash and Yhos, which had previously been under Qarth's control. To do this, she first made a detour to Qal, where she also confiscated the scattered warships of the Qartheen. She then hired every former Qarth soldier for the Imperial Army who was willing to serve her. Daenerys immediately dispatched the new forces to the Bay of Dragons and Volantis. That was safer than leaving them in their homeland. It seemed unwise to her to deploy locally recruited occupation troops in newly conquered territory. The soldiers' loyalty would certainly not be so severely tested abroad.

In return, more soldiers would be sent to Qarth from other parts of the empire to further strengthen the garrison there. Under no circumstances did the Empress want to risk a rebellion at the eastern end of her empire, because due to the distance to the capital it would take a long time before she would find out about it and take action.

Finally Daenerys set sail west. On the way she captured Qarkash and Yhos, who put up no resistance. The eastern border of the empire was secured.

The Empress didn't know that in the north-west of Essos the first blood was shed in a war that would once go down in the annals as the most destructive conflict of this era...