Astapor, 300 AC

Daenerys

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Dany dressed up and made her way to her office. The previous night had been pleasurable, and now it was time to leave this city. The gods however, had something else in mind.

"We will have to delay our mission, Your Majesty." Dutch told her as she entered. He was holding a letter, and Oberyn Martell was with him. "I just received this message from Mayor Matthews."

"Good tidings or bad?"

"Both, I'm afraid. Qarth was attacked a few days ago by troops from this New Ghis, ten thousand strong. The good news is, that the cannons and firearms made their planned invasion short-lived. Only a few survived and fled."

"How many did we lose?" she asked.

"Less than a hundred."

"I could not believe my ears when I heard of it." Oberyn was fascinated. "New Ghis has forty thousand soldiers, and your new weapons wiped out a quarter."

"Why do they keep coming after us? Have we not showed them that they cannot win?" Dany asked. Only a fool would face her army willingly.

"I don't know. Stupidity? Or perhaps a deep commitment to their cause. The point remains, that we cannot afford to leave right now, or we might face an attack when we least expect it. There have also been sightings of ships entering the bay. For now, they seem to have no intent on attacking us, but I wouldn't be surprised if they do."

It was inevitable. Dany had broken practices and customs that went back thousands of years, and everyone who benefitted from said practices would join the war against her, be it the Slaver Cities or even some of the Free Cities. Volantis would never attack head on, but the Triarchs would keep on sending coin to their friends. If the war went on long enough, more new players might end up joining the fray.

The Lord can guide us, but we must do the task ourselves.

"We can still use this situation to our advantage." she began, remembering Kinvara and her followers. "I received a group of Red Priests in my court when we liberated this city. They promised me something."

"Are the priests of R'hllor not loyal to Volantis?" Oberyn asked.

"That claim is rather dubious, Prince Oberyn, for when they came to me, they came with an offer of alliance. They proposed to incite rebellions in Yunkai and New Ghis." she said. "The slaves will revolt only if they felt that their masters have grown weak. The defeat at Qarth will no doubt encourage them."

"And more defeats will encourage them even further." Dutch understood. "Prince Oberyn, how many ships did you bring?"

"Twenty. Why do you ask?"

"I have a plan. The attacks will only grow as long as this war lasts, and considering the threat of ships, I feel that we need to add another element to our military might- a fleet equipped with cannons."

Oberyn Martell grew curious. "A Dornish fleet, with the power of fire. That ought to give the bards something new to sing."

"You approve then?"

"I have always had a fascination with fire and the arcane, since my days at the Citadel, so I would be a fool if I rejected your proposal." the prince said. "But would they pose any threat to my ships?"

"The Queen's men will operate the cannons, and if you take necessary precautions, there's nothing to worry about."

"There is merit in a fleet, but we would have to build more ships." she added. There was simply not enough time.

"There's no need for that, Your Majesty. We have fifty cannons, which means that that we can easily spare two for each ship. All we need to do is alter the ships a bit to accommodate the cannons. Our enemies will have none, and if the cannons can put holes in a wall, just imagine what they can do to a wooden object." Dutch smirked. "We'll send the scum straight to the bottom of the sea, with enough practice."

Every time Dany had listened to him, something great had happened. "In that case, let us wait."

"Well, that's settled then." Dutch concluded the talks. "I'll get straight to work."


When she needed time to think, Dany would often visit the roof of the pyramid, watching the entire city from above. The shipwrights could be seen with House Martell's ships, working on seeing Dutch's plan bear fruit. Drogon and Rhaegal were playing together again, while Viserion was nowhere to be seen. Had Viserys and Rhaego lived, they would both have a dragon, for they had the blood of the dragon. But now, she wondered if there would ever be someone who bonded with those two.

"Your Grace." came the voice of Ellaria Sand. The Sand Snakes, as they preferred to call themselves, let her through. Daario Naharis was out on patrol, and Dany preferred to keep him busy elsewhere, lest he show acts of affection in public.

"My Lady. What brings you here?"

"I just could not resist the sight of your dragons. One hears many stories in Westeros, but to see them with your own eyes is a different experience entirely."

Dany smiled. "They do have that magic on people. I suppose we both have fierce children."

The women shared a laugh before Ellaria spoke. "Your Grace, I love the girls, but they are not mine. Oberyn is a man of great appetite when it comes to pleasure, and he has planted his seed in every fertile ground, like Garth Greenhand himself."

"And you condone that?" she asked. Drogo had no doubt taken many women, but he was faithful to her after their marriage.

"The girls were born before we even met, and he has given me four daughters as well. We could not bring them with us, but their cousin Arianne will take good care of them. That being said, I share my paramour's opinion on pleasure, if you get my meaning." Ellaria winked at her, and Dany blushed. The Dornish were very wanton, she had heard.

"I hope I am not overstepping, Your Grace, but I heard you were once with child."

Thoughts of Rhaego came back, ones which she preferred to forget. The things she had dreamt of, which were cruelly taken from her. "A witch took him from me." she said. Her pain was in her voice, she could not help it. Dany seldom discussed this, but the presence of a woman, and a mother, made her open up to that. "I lost my child and my husband that day."

Ellaria Sand did not say anything, perhaps sensing that the matter is too fragile for anything to be said further.


Back in her office, Dany went through the reports of the Council of Astapor. The Council had the freedom to take decisions for their people without her involvement, as long as they were within the bounds of the new laws. It was necessary in order to remove the tradition of lordship but could go very wrong if she did not have their loyalty. Fortunately, the loyalty gained would not run out for years. After the war, she would have to appoint a Mayor for Astapor as well, a position that would not be inherited, and the mayor would be a native of the city.

The report talked of progress in rebuilding the walls and resuming trade with the Free Cities, mostly Braavos and Pentos. Dany wondered what Arthur must be doing at this very moment. The delaying of the march meant he would have to wait a little longer for instructions. She also thought of her ancestor, King Jaehaerys, considered to be the greatest king of Westeros. Among his many achievements was the codification of laws for the Seven Kingdoms to follow. Something like that would be much needed for the United Cities as well. But what kind of laws to add? The new realm had abolished slavery and established the rule of Councils, but when it came to other laws, people in Qarth and Astapor still followed the ones that their forefathers did. For most of the part, they were harmless- marriage rituals, religious customs and so on. If what she had learnt in her lessons was true, the Essosi peoples were not as organized as the Westerosi. A new code of laws could truly unite them.

Dany decided to get a few matters out of the way when it concerned the Martells. Their arrival had confused her even since they set foot in Astapor. "Prince Oberyn, why did your brother propose that marriage pact between our houses? Rhaegar Targaryen dishonored your house as well, by choosing Lyanna Stark." she was fed lies about her family for years, and now she had finally accepted their true nature.

"He did, Your Grace, and now he lies dead. House Martell and Dorne have no love for Lannisters and Targaryens, but we decided that we hate the Lannisters more, which made Doran pursue a marriage pact between Prince Viserys and my niece Arianne. Once we got word that your brother died, Doran wanted to offer you the hand of one of his sons. I suppose it is out of the question now?"

"It is. I thank you for your honesty."

"How did he die, if you do not mind me asking?"

"What do the people in Westeros say?"

"They say that you had your husband kill him, making you a kinslayer."

"My husband did kill him, but only after Viserys threatened to kill me." she corrected the tale. "My brother was a kind man once, but the years changed him."

Dany then decided to venture into a new subject. "There is no use dwelling in the past. Since you volunteered to be my maester, tell me the laws of Westeros."

Oberyn thought for a while and then answered. "The foremost law is the King's Peace, which requires small lords to take all disputes to their liege lords. When it comes to the line of succession, all Kingdoms except Dorne prefer the male child over a female. Traitors and criminals are given the choice to join the Night's Watch, even if they partake in slaving. In religious matters, people of the North and the South are permitted to keep their own gods, and the Faith of the Seven allows nobles to have a trial by combat or a trial of seven champions. Taxes are collected from peasants, knights and lords alike. There are also many minor laws that are different in every kingdom."

"I understand that every law is built on the rules of lordship?" she asked.

"That is true. The lords that you seem to hate so much."

"Essos is different, and too divided. My new realm will be better."


In the next seven days, Astapor's mood became more cheerful. The merchants had arrived again, bringing various delicacies and required provisions they were lacking. The freed slaves were given accommodations and food shops like the ones in Qarth were set up. The Council solved whatever disputes came up and the Unsullied maintained order. Perhaps the city would not fall again.

Dany went to the docks to witness the ships. As promised, Dutch had placed forty cannons on twenty Dornish ships, one on each side. There were complaints from sailors that the fire from the cannons would burn the ships, but both Dutch and Oberyn Martell were quick to shut them down. "One has to take a leap of faith." they had said.

"Time for target practice." said Dutch, as they watched the Dornish ship from afar. In the middle of the harbor, there was another ship purchased from a fisherman, with the promise of building him a new one. "The boys have been told to aim at the sail and the waterline. Let's see."

The ship sailed towards the target, and when in position, the crew fired a shot which missed its target. The next one, however, managed to break the sail mast, sending the sail straight into the water. The next two shots hit the body, and watching from Dutch's binoculars, Dany saw that it sent splinters everywhere. The front of the ship was beginning to submerge under the water, and within a few minutes it was gone. Even the ships she had burnt in the Jade Gates took much longer to do the same.

"The Ironborn would even kill their sires for a cannon." Oberyn said as he took in the sight. "Tales of your weapons were not exaggerated at all, it seems."

"Trust me, there's more where that came from." Dutch told him. "Just imagine, a fleet of ships equipped with cannons and riflemen. We would rule the seas."

After this successful trial, the blacksmiths were at work making newer cannon balls, while the Dornish ships continued with their training, firing the cannons and filling the air with loud bangs. Dutch had been right. With a fleet like this, her realm would some day rule the seas, challenging the might of Westeros and the Free Cities. But for now, she planned a blockade of the Bay.

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