"The First War of the Three Daughters ended almost a year after it began with the surrender of Myr. The terms that ended the siege were remarkably generous, given that a general sack had been expected; the Myrish fleet was confiscated by the Westerosi, save for twenty galleys to patrol the Sea of Myrth, a war indemnity of seventy-five thousand gold dragons was imposed, and Myr was forbidden from taking part in the slave trade. Slavery within the city and its domains was not forbidden, but any slave who claimed asylum with the Westerosi forces was transported to Westeros for emancipation. Westerosi traders within Myr were also given extraterritorial status, being given control of a borough close to the waterfront with rights to fortify and garrison it as they chose; the 'Andal Quarter', as it was commonly called, shortly became a haven for runaway slaves, who believed that their entry into the borough made them freemen.

Tyrosh was subjected to a harsher settlement. The Tyroshi fleet was entirely confiscated, the harbor defenses placed under Westerosi control, and the office of 'Warden of the Stepstones' was established, to be headquartered on Tyrosh. The Warden of the Stepstones was charged with maintaining the King's Peace in the Stepstones archipelago, as well as exerting command and control over royal forces in the Narrow Sea between Estermont and Lys. This amounted to establishing a military government over Tyrosh and the Stepstones, as the Warden was given veto powers over any act of the civil power that 'was prejudicial to the King's Peace and the security of the Realm'. The first Warden, therefore, would have to be a man of astute judgment, as well as a tried commander. Oberyn Martell certainly fit the latter part of the bill, having successfully commanded forces in both the Rebellion and the Siege of Myr, but he had little experience of civil governance. It has been suggested that King Aegon appointed his uncle to the post to do honor to the Dornish fleet that had done so much to conquer the Stepstones, but this author thinks it more likely that Aegon appointed Oberyn to the post to continue his exclusion from Court, as Oberyn's conduct during the war had significantly increased his reputation and led some to suggest that he deserved to be brought back to Court.

Lys, having not come under direct attack during the war, was let off with the lightest terms of all. A war indemnity of thirty thousand gold dragons was almost the only punitive measure, along with official abolition of the slave trade. When pressed on the impracticability of enforcing the abolition by King Aegon, Jon Arryn, who had negotiated the treaty, merely said, 'I know the Lyseni will break the treaty, Your Grace, just as Myr will. This makes them vulnerable in case we ever need them to be.' This has since been cited by almost every proponent of realpolitik as evidence of their doctrine's moral usefulness, as without such justifications, it is unlikely that further disturbances in southern Essos would have necessarily led to war.

Volantis, being deprived of their causus belli by the capitulation of the Three Daughters, came to their own terms with Westeros in the Peace of Pentos, which delineated the spheres of influence of the major powers of the Narrow Sea. Volantis was recognized as sovereign over the River Rhoyne watershed as far as The Sorrows, as well as the Orange Shore and 'points eastward of the city'. Westeros was recognized as sovereign over the Stepstones, including Tyrosh, and was granted power of intervention in the Disputed Lands to 'promote the safety and well-being of the King's subjects in those lands'. Braavos was recognized as sovereign over northwestern Essos, including Pentos, and concluded a separate treaty with Westeros regarding basing rights in Tyrosh and Dorne and mutual defensive action. This separate treaty, when it became known to the Volantenes, was almost the death of the Peace of Pentos, but the problems Volantis had encountered when trying to mobilize their military during the War of the Three Daughters precluded any irrevocable actions. The Volantenes did, however, issue a stern warning to both Braavos and Westeros against interfering with Volantene commerce.

Reaction to the treaty that ended the War of the Three Daughters and the Peace of Pentos was mixed. The High Septon proclaimed it as evidence of the favor of the gods 'that our holy faith should spread to the benighted shores of the east.' The influential Volantene tiger Malaquo Maegyr, upon reading the Peace of Pentos, exclaimed 'This is not peace; this is an armistice for ten years at most.' Tywin Lannister was heard to remark that he had underestimated King Aegon after reading the treaty and the Peace, while Ferrego Antaryon, the Sealord of Braavos, publicly expressed satisfaction to the council of keyholders and magisters that Braavos 'had so powerful a friend, and one so abhorrent of slavery, as His Grace King Aegon.'

Needless to say, the Peace of Pentos left unresolved the issue of slavery, merely affirming the laws that each power had on the books. It also said nothing about the Dothraki, despite their presence throughout Essos, epitomized by the khalasar of khal Drogo, which in 301 crossed the southern Velvet Hills into the lower Flatlands. Given the troubles that Volantis had encountered in the mobilization of 298-99, and the subsequent military reforms it had undertaken under the new tiger-dominated Triarchy, it was perhaps inevitable that they would try to seize the opportunity provided, despite the imminent onset of winter.

- Dragon Rising: The Early Years of Aegon the Sixth by Maester Hereyn, published 497 AC

Author note: To start off with, I want to thank you all for the reviews and the follows. That kind of positive reaction is what makes us authors better at our craft and it makes the hours of typing worth it. Thank you, all of you.

So that basically wraps up the Stepstones and the Three Daughters, for the nonce. With Tyrosh taken, Lys neutralized, and Myr surrendering, Volantis doesn't really have anything left to fight for this time around, so they accept the new status quo and start planning for the next go-round. Westeros and Braavos formalize their relationship, to Volantis' consternation, and the dust starts to settle.

Of course, the story doesn't end there; for one thing, we haven't seen the super-Unsullied (named the Untouchables per fan recommendation) in action and we haven't heard from the Dothraki yet. And there are problems brewing in Westeros as well . . .

Some questions/concerns from the reviews to address.

Firstly, some of you have commented on Bucky's relative absence from the story. That's partly deliberate, in point of fact. Bucky is supremely badass, but he's only one guy, whose particular skill set is pretty heavily biased towards the military end of things and who is pretty heavily dependent on the Starks for power and influence. And while Bucky is one of the most valued vassals the Starks have, he's middle management at best, so his influence on the world beyond the North is pretty limited. Mind, there are some areas in which his knowledge has made an impact (King's Landing's sewer system has been redone for one thing, and personal hygiene has become much more a hallmark of the elite) but he's still a minor influence on the world at large. The Westerosi aren't going to develop a modern industrial state simply off Bucky's knowledge alone.

Secondly, there's been some agitation for Bucky to lead a popular revolt. I'm afraid that's not in the cards, and it's a function of feasibility. For one thing, popular revolts don't really end well unless the revolting peasants have access to gunpowder weapons and even then it's a chancy thing. In point of fact, from what I've read of history, major powers didn't start to be violently overthrown by popular revolts until 1917, or thereabouts. Sure, Bucky's one hell of a force multiplier, but he's only one guy, he can't be everywhere and do everything. In addition to which, Bucky actually likes the Starks and while he doesn't care much for the rest of the Westerosi aristocracy, the fact remains that he has a lot more in common with them than he does with Joe Average Peasant. So Bucky leading a French Revolution-type scenario is unlikely at best.

Third and lastly, of course the Untouchables aren't a match for Bucky, but they're the best Volantis has at the moment. And honestly, if anyone has a chance of going toe-to-toe with Bucky and winning, they do. They'll kill the average Westerosi knight or lord without much difficulty. Some of the bigger badasses, like the Stark brothers, Robert Baratheon, Oberyn Martell, Victarion Greyjoy, most of the Kingsguard, the Clegane brothers, and some of the officers in the Royal Corps of Guides would be able to go one-on-one oreven two-on-one with them, but at odds greater than that, even Big Bobby B and the Cleganes would start losing.

As for family trees, look for those two chapters down the line, 'cos that's when the younger generation starts entering the story.

Cheers, all!