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Thanks to everyone enjoying this story, I know I keep saying this but I really am delighted! Also, I made a tweak to the ages of Catelyn and Stannis' youngest children, just a small thing but I wanted to mention it.

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Chapter Thirteen

Aegon II

The Triarch's Tower, Volantis: May 18th, 298 AC

"Good luck, my love," Talisa smiled at him brightly as he smoothed down his black robes, embroidered with red dragons, preparing to enter the audience chamber to meet the Triarchs and plead his case to them. "My father is your ally, remember. Just remember the plan, and everything that we have gone over, and all shall be well, I know it."

"You'll do wonderfully, Brother mine," Dany added, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Just keep your composure and everything will be fine," Grandmother said firmly. "You are the blood of Old Valyria and the Kings of Winter, two of the oldest and most powerful lineages in the history of the world itself. You yourself are the rightful King of the Seven Kingdoms. You can do this. You will do this."

"The Gods are on your side," Ser Bonifer stated next, in the same uncompromising tone that his wife had used. "The Seven have given you the tools you need to succeed, but it is up to you to use those tools in the correct way, and I have complete faith in your ability to do so."

Everyone glanced at Viserys, who was the only one left in the family yet to speak. Joy and Joss had been left at home, deemed too young by their mother for the seriousness of the occasion.

"What?" his uncle shrugged. "Egg is Egg, he needs no advice from me. He was born for this sort of thing. By the time he's finished, the Triarchs will be as determined to see us returned to Westeros as we are. If only so they no longer have to deal with us nagging them for audiences and support." The last part was added alongside a grin and a cheeky wink, and made them all give various signs of amused and fond exasperation.

You could always count on Viserys to lighten the mood when it was tense.

"King Aegon?" the herald stepped out of the chamber and came over to their group. "The Triarchs shall see you now."

He nodded politely to the man and thanked him. He paused just long enough to kiss Talisa's lips and the cheeks of his sister and grandmother, shook hands with his stepgrandfather and Viserys, and then he followed the older man to the chamber.

"Aegon, Head of House Targaryen, the Sixth of His Name, King-in-Exile of the Rhoynar, the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Defender of the Faith, Protector of the Realm and Lord of the Old Blood of Valyria!" the herald announced him as he made his way down the elegant and soft red velvet carpet to the dais on which the three rulers of Volantis were perched on three ornate gold thrones, each placed to ensure that the trio were at equal heights. Technically, they were meant to seem equal, but in reality things were much more schewed.

He had needed to add the last part to his official titles as King in order to have this meeting. Only members of the Old Blood nobility were entitled to request personal audiences with the Triarchy. Everybody else had to go through intermediaries who decided whether or not they would be sent to meet with the rulers of Volantis. Falsely claiming to be one of the Old Blood was a serious crime here. Thankfully, the Targaryens had purer Valyrian blood than many behind the Black Walls, so Aegon did not need to be concerned. It had still taken years of first Rhaella and then in the past year he himself petitioning for an audience, as well as his marriage, for their requests to be granted at last.

As he approached, Aegon's eyes rested on each of the trio for a moment, identifying them and going over what he knew of them one last time.

First was Malaquo Maegyr, the oldest, most powerful of the three and Aegon's goodfather. He had been re-elected as triarch many times and was the leader of his party. Though he was old and toothless, he was a tiger still, eager for war and glory and firmly on the side of the old aristocracy remaining in, and gaining more, power. Aegon knew that he would be able to rely on the man's support due to the babe they had just learned was growing in Talisa's belly. Malaquo was eager for his future grandson to sit on the Iron Throne, and he could refuse his daughter, his youngest and only living child out of ten, nothing.

For Talisa and the babe's sake, Malaquo would support Aegon's cause, and Parquello Vaelaros, the second tiger in the Triarchy, would support his party leader.

Vaelaros himself was nothing special. He had gained his position due to the tigers working together for once and dedicating all of their efforts towards having a majority in the Triarchy. By only putting up two candidates, one of which was of course Malaquo, and pooling together their resources to make outstanding spectacles of their campaigns, the tigers had managed to gain a majority in the council for the first time in three centuries. Vaelaros had been chosen to be their second candidate because he was malleable and sycophantic, willing to obey others' wills so long as he was the public figure and received the accolades.

That did not mean that Aegon shouldn't keep a wary eye on the man, however. Vaelaros wanted to remain in power, and he had stepped over the bodies of his enemies to get to where he was. If he failed to find an advantage for himself (and for Volantis) in Aegon's proposal, then he would go against it.

The third member was the sole elephant in the Triarchy, Nyessos Vhassar. He would not be a problem. Had Doniphos Paenymion remained instead, there might have been trouble, but Vhassar was weak and Aegon was unconcerned about him.

According to Howland Reed, the Master of Whispers for Aegon's Small Council, the man was owned by a wealthy Pentosi magister, Illyrio Mopatis, eight times over. So long as trade with Pentos, which was where Mopatis gained his wealth, was unaffected, Vhassar would not go against the wills of the tigers. He was too eager to keep his position and his life.

Volantene politics could be very bloody at times.

Mopatis himself was a contact and old friend of Varys, apparently, meaning that Vhassar's information on Aegon's family went first to the magister and then to the Usurper's spymaster. But that was being dealt with. Wargs intercepted any letters sent to the Spider by his Pentosi friend, and they were altered as necessary if there was any information on the Targaryens in it, and vice versa. After so many years, they had it down to an artform.

There were many advantages to having a greenseer and a warg as his spymaster.

"Honourable members of the Triarchy, I thank you for being so gracious as to meet me this fine day," Aegon began after clearing his throat. He inclined his head as he spoke, enough to be respectful and acknowledge their exalted positions whilst at the same time keeping himself from being overly subservient and giving them power over him.

They would help him, he was certain of that. But they would also want their investment to be worth the effort, and he couldn't allow himself to be tricked into giving them too much. This was Aegon's first real test as King, and he could not afford to fail it. Thankfully, he had prepared for this meeting with utmost care, taking into account the advice of his council, his family and most importantly his wife, who understood the politics of Volantis better than any of his company ever would manage to. Their plan would work. It had to.

"Welcome, Aegon of House Targaryen, Member of the Old Blood," Malaquo greeted him in return, also inclining his head the same amount. "What business do you bring before the Triarchy of Volantis on this day?"

"Business of war, my lords," Aegon responded. "I come before you to seek the aid of Volantis in regaining the Iron Throne for myself and my House, removing it from the grasp of the Usurper who unlawfully rose against his sworn liege lords and stole it from my line."

"And why should we grant this request, Your Grace?" Vaelaros inquired. "What aid do you have from your own kingdom, or do you wish for the army of Volantis to fight a war entirely on your behalf without aid from your own people? What benefits will we gain from this enterprise?"

"First of all, I shall address your question in regards to my resources and support," Aegon began. "I have the guaranteed support of the Crownlands, the Winterlands and the Reachlands for my campaign. My people have been in contact with them secretly for many years. Between the three armies, I have at least one hundred and twenty-one thousand, three hundred swords. I also have the fleet that fled with me to the Free Cities, some fifty ships with another two fleets to be supplied by the Reach and North upon the beginning of the campaign. I have also secured the support of the Company of the Rose, who add another two thousand men to my cause."

He could see that they were impressed, eyes flickering in interest. The amount was clearly more than they had expected, and Aegon was giving them the lowest estimated amount of numbers for the army, just in case. The two tigers had glints in their eyes, anticipating the possibility of glory. Vhassar was less interested, his expression cautious. But Aegon had something in mind to sweeten the pot for the elephant party also. After all, he was not naïve enough to think that he would have won his war for Westeros before the next re-election. Wars were not won in days, after all. Especially not when you had to sneak an army across the Narrow Sea into the enemy's territory, and given the importance of surprise in his battle plans, secrecy was very much a priority. As such, Aegon had come up with motivation for Volantis to continue funding him after the re-election, even if the balance of power turned back to the elephants' favour once again.

"As to what benefits you will gain by supporting me," he continued. "You will have a Queen of the sunset kingdoms of Volantene lineage. Our son will be half-Volantene. I am a Targaryen, that is true. But my mother was a Stark of the North, and there is a saying in the Seven Kingdoms: The North Remembers. When I have regained the Iron Throne I will remember my friends, the people who helped me and stayed by my side throughout my and my family's long years of exile and I will remember my enemies, those who drove us from our home fearing for our lives and those who hampered my efforts to regain what is rightfully mine.

This is my proposal: I intend to reform the Small Council on regaining the Iron Throne, expanding it. Should Volantis agree to support my efforts to reclaim Westeros, then one of the seats that I shall add will be a position of Ambassador for Volantis. Whomever the Ambassador will be shall be the choice of the Triarchy, and they will be one of the King's advisors, and be able to advocate on Volantis' behalf.

Volantis will be allowed to sell all of your products without paying customs taxes for period of three years after the war's end, or until such time as the investment you give me is repaid, and you can sell whatever you desire except for slaves, as slavery is illegal in the Seven Kingdoms. Trade with Volantis will be given priority for the same amount of time."

Vhassar looked pleased by this, and Aegon knew he had his full support now, instead of just his reluctant acquiescence. That was excellent, it meant that he would advocate on Aegon's behalf with the other elephants. Though the Triarchs were the rulers, the other politicians had varying levels of influence also, and Aegon wanted whomever gained the seats next year to be on his side as well.

Now they had come to the last part of his offer. Here, Aegon paused to take a deep breath in and then exhaled in preparation of what he was about to do. Once he said the words, there would be no going back. This was a controversial part of the deal, one that only a few people knew about.

They were all a bit uncertain about it, but eventually they had decided to go ahead with the offer. The desire for vengeance burned in their blood. The Lannisters had shown no mercy to the people in the Red Keep during the Sack, had been deliberately vicious in the way they had slaughtered the innocents in the capital, and so Aegon would show no mercy to the lions either. They would learn what it meant to wake the dragon.

"In addition, at the end of the war, any of age male member of House Lannister will be given to Volantis as slaves. You will be able to do as you please with them, so long as they are removed from Westerosi lands, and are prevented from ever returning."

That surprised them greatly. Even Malaquo, who was an expert at hiding his true thoughts behind a congenial attitude, lost his small smile and his eyes widened in shock at the offer. That confirmed, in Aegon's mind, that his wife had not been giving her father (too much) information on his plans. It was reassuring to know that he really could trust her.

"You would indulge in slavery?" Vhassar demanded in shock. He himself had over three hundred slaves. One of them was ever present at his side, holding a tray of dates and a jug of wine, ready to refresh his master. "You? A Westerosi follower of the Old Gods?"

Aegon nodded. "On this singular occasion, for these particular traitors, yes I will," he confirmed. It made him smirk darkly to contemplate Tywin Lannister, the man behind his wonderful mother's murder, being reduced from the Warden of the West to a piece of property, and most likely a cheap piece of it as well, given the man's advanced age and lack of manual skills. Aegon's grandmother had known the Old Lion well, and she had told him that nothing mattered more to him than the legacy and power of his House.

Aegon laughed coldly to imagine the man's feelings when he learned of how Aegon intended to eradicate House Lannister, to grind its memories to ash. The adult males would become Volantene slaves, the women would be married to people that Aegon could trust. As for the children, it was regrettable that they would suffer, but Aegon could take no chances. The girls would be put in septs, the boys would be sent to the Wall, the Citadel or the University. All would be bastardized, and House Lannister would become extinct.

In the history books, it would be known only for its failures, the way it shamelessly murdered women and children and broke oaths, all in the name of gaining power. They would be an example of what happened to those who crossed the Targaryens.

One of the first sellswords who had joined Aegon's army was Lord Jason Tarbeck, the son of the late Rohanne Tarbeck and her husband, both of whom had died when Tywin Lannister had marched on Castamere. Rohanne had sent her son away to safety with a trusted maid, who had fled to the Free Cities with a great deal of House Tarbeck's wealth. The man was now grown with a family, aware of his heritage, and as eager for revenge for his own kin's death at the Lion's paws as the Targaryens were to gain justice for theirs.

Aegon planned to make him into the new Lord Paramount of the Westerlands and the Warden of the West as a reward for the past twelve years of loyalty. It was fitting, that the son of Tywin's first victims took his place when Tywin fell from power. And should Jason fall in the war before that could occur, then Aegon would give the title to his eldest son, Andros Tarbeck, instead.

He was toying with the idea of giving Casterly Rock to them as their new seat too, just to spite the lions even more, but on the other hand he could simply burn the place down to fully eliminate all traces of the family. He had yet to decide, but there was lots of time to do so. Tywin Lannister would see his precious legacy turn to dust and fall through his fingers for his sins.

As Dany had once said philosophically: somebody should have told the Old Lion that the higher you rise, the harder and longer you fall.

"What of the other the Great Houses that rose against your family?" Vaelaros asked, tilting his head like a bird. "Will you give us the Baratheons also?"

Aegon shook his head firmly. "The male Baratheons will be sent to the Wall if they are above age, or else to the Citadel or to join the Faith if they are below it," he began. "The women will all be either sent to motherhouses or wed to men I trust. Their House will be stripped of the Lord Paramountship of the Stormlands, and I will give it to my uncle, Prince Viserys, Lord of Summerhall. The same for the other Houses who refuse to bend the knee."

"Including the Martells?" Maegyr inquired slyly. Vhassar looked confused for a moment, evidently uncertain why the Martells were of particular note amongst the rebels.

Aegon sighed. This was a difficult topic. "The Martells are my kin," he explained. "The Usurper's Snake, Oberyn Martell, wed my mother's twin sister Alysanne after the end of the War of the Usurper, in order as to hold her hostage and keep my uncle from fighting back against the Usurper. She has borne him seven children, and my spies tell me she is with child once again. Though I fully intend to have the Snake's head for killing my father and fighting against my family, punishing all of us for the actions of one madman, I will not punish my cousins.

The suffering of my aunt at the Snake's hands are not their fault. For the sake of my aunt, I will spare her children any punishment for their father's actions, though I may remove the title of Lord Paramount from them and give it to the Daynes, who fought for my House in the war and have pledged their aid to my cause already."

He was almost definitely going to do that, actually. The Daynes had all suffered greatly for their loyalty to his House, and he intended to see them compensated for what the Usurper had put them through. The only thing that kept him hesitating was his kinship with the current Ruling House of Dorne.

"I will certainly be restoring the Wardenship of the South to the Tyrells, as the Usurper had no right to strip them of it in the first place," he finished.

The triarchs nodded in acceptance of his words, and looked at each other. Then they returned their attention to Aegon, who tried to hide that he was holding his breath in anticipation.

"Very well," Malaquo said. "Explain your plan to us, and tell us what part Volantis plays in it."

Aegon could not help but smile widely. He had done it, he had just passed his first test of kingship. Victory tasted sweeter than pure honey on his lips.