Hello everyone.

So, I am going to make a few changes in the way I write the story. Some of the story is going to be written almost as a historical narritive. Of course actual dialouge and action scenes are still going to be there, but I simply cannot write everything that is going to happen that way as I have before. It is simply too time consuming and there is so much to tell.

To put it more simply, read the chapter below and see if you notice anything different you like or don't like. I really hope you will enjoy this chapter, it was perhaps my favorite one to write. :-)

Chapter 12 - The kingsguard

"Why are you meeting lady Olenna Tyrell. It is lord Mace Tyrell who is warden of the reach, no?" Aerios asked Tywin. He was standing behind him in a room in the tower of the hand. Tyrion was there too, reading through an immense book that contained all the accounts of the crown.

"Mace Tyrell is slow minded and will bend whichever way Olenna tells him to. She is the real power in the reach and the reason for its current success." Tywin answered, distracted with the creature he was feeding.

"The queen of thorns" Tyrion broke in "She may just chew us into mush and spit us out, but I think it will be an interesting meeting." Although he had been reserved in the beginning. In the weeks after the first small council meeting he had grown used to the new king, and was even comfortable in his presence. Once it had been clear that his words were received without scorn or mockery, he had regained his usual spirits.

"Dracarys" Tywin said with a heavy accent, urging the golden lizard to produce a flame. It tried, coughing and wheezing but nothing came out. Even so, he rewarded its efforts and tossed it the meat. He called the dragon Vinyxia, after a god of wealth. He had named it himself, though Aerios had insisted it was to be a Valyrian name.

"Be careful with that" Aerios said, watching the spectacle. "His fire will not be your normal flame and it is difficult to fly with one hand. You may be a dragon lord now and the heat of the sun is no longer a bother, but you are no Valyrian. Its fire will burn you the same as any peasant or soldier"

Tywin only solemnly nodded. He petted the dragon before releasing it to fly out of the window. Affection like that did not come naturally to him and it was almost through gritted teeth he tried to strengthen the bond with it. It was not lost to Aerios how Tyrian looked at the little creature with a fearsome envy. When Aerios had promised him a reward it wasn't exactly what he had in mind but Tyrion was one of the only people in the world, whom he could freely give a dragon. Dwarf or not, he was the direct blood of Tywin. His dragon could be bound through the eternal oath so even if he died, it would not be lost.

He decided it wasn't urgent. Whether Tyrion deserved a dragon or not would be clear over time, though secretly Aerios wondered if he could even ride one properly. Maybe with a child saddle. (A little mean XD)

It bothered Aerios more just how little he knew of the actual inner workings of the kingdoms. The two lords had both spoken as if it was common knowledge, who the real warden of the reach was. He decided Tyrian and him would have a long conversation one evening, but that was not important now.

The plans for the expedition were preceding as expected. When the soldiers and sailors learned of the destination though, very few had been particularly eager to go. That changed abruptly when the king promised five golden dragons to anyone who would join the venture. Tywin had told Aerios that a skilled craftsman might expect to earn three dragons a year, if it was a particularly good one. It made it even more insane to think that the crown was tens of millions in debt.

Instead of simply picking the first soldiers to show up, Aerios had expanded the tournament. Any man or woman could join and fight was welcome. There would be 5 rounds of competitions and the ones who scored the highest would be selected for the expedition. The seven best in all the kingdoms would win a true Valyrian steel sword and get a chance to join the kingsguard.

Aerios smiled at the memory of the old kingsguards protesting. "Lord Tywin the oath of a kingsguard is for life. It cannot be revoked." Meryn Trant had said to him backed by his fellow members.

Tywin only snorted. "The kingsguard. The highest honor in the realm. The greatest warriors and knight. Ha." His words hitting them like a lash. "You are an embarrassment to your position. Meryn Trant the forgettable. Boros Blount the fat. If you noble knights want to retain your position, then simply join the tournament. It should be no trouble for the greatest swordsmen in the realm to win." He said while starring down Meryn Trant who shrunk back like a beaten dog.

That had been the end of it. But the kingsguard were not alone in being replaced. With Tywin suddenly working solely to further the realm and not his own family, he had suggested many changes. Over the weeks, the new king had replaced more than twenty people in office under the crown. The chief steward, the harbor master, the warden of the king's mint, the horse master and the kennel master had all been changed. Corruption had seeped into the very bones of the capital and more than once did Aerios wish, he could simply burn it down and build from a clean slate. The corruption did benefit the new king in a single aspect.

The most pious man in the world, the high septon, proved not as devoted as the people thought. A few quite words of warning from Tywin was enough to have all his septons and sisters of the faith, praise Aerios Batorion at every opportunity. This greatly assisted his popularity among the common folk.

The most important roles had yet to be filled though. The small council still lacked both a master of ships, laws and a real master of coin. Tyrion was a clever man but it was as he said himself. A lifetime of wealth does not teach a man to save money.

Those changes would have to wait after to the tournament and expedition. Tens of thousands of people streamed to the city since the announcement of the tournament. Most were hopeful young men dreaming of becoming the next Arthur Dayne or Barristan the Bold.

It was a massive event. Every day, hundreds of warriors would duel at every hour of the day. The more exotic warriors drew large crowds who marveled at the ferocity of iron born reavers or Lysenes pirates. Countless copper and silver coins changed hands every day as people bet on the outcome of fights. Many of the more impressive and stylish fighters gathered roaring crowds of admirers. Usually those with a handsome face and fancy armor. But in the end the popularity of the fighters meant nothing.

The new kingsguard was to consist of seven champions. It had been Tyrians idea, who suggested that it might help him win further favor with the faith of the seven. It was not lost on Aerios that previous rulers of Valyrian decent had massive conflicts with this local religion. He could mercilessly crush any uprising but that would do little to help his plans, so he had agreed to at least publically support the religion.

Among the champions of the tournament only three of the seven where nobles, and of those only two were knights. To many, it might not sound very odd, after all there are far more commoners than nobles. But when one considers that many nobles train all day from a young age with skilled sword instructors, whereas commoners would have work and chores to take up their time. Furthermore, it is very unlikely for a peasant know anyone who even owned a sword, and much less one who was skilled with it.

Even so, the grand champion of the tournament was a common man named Darin Barlon, the son of the old harbor master's assistant. Though as of recently the new harbor master. He had fought in grubby chainmail and with a sword speckled with rust, yet he had beaten every single opponent soundly.

The second place was to the surprise of many a noble woman named Brienne of house Tarth. She had fought in full armor the entire tournament and had been massively popular for her raw strength and brutal sword style, earning her the title "the bear knight." It was only after the tournament she shocked the onlookers by revealing herself.

The third place was a young man named Samuel Brinker, who fought with a spear. Incredibly skilled he had won his battles with unerring precision and extreme speed.

The fourth place was a man who came to be known as Palon the ugly during the tournament. He was 57 years old and had lived his life as a sellsword. His face was riddled with scars and his foul manner of speaking earned him his name. Despite his age though, he would often win after exhausting his younger opponents and battering them to the ground.

The fifth place was by far the youngest. Ser Alfyn Dayne, a 17-year-old boy who apparently came from a family famous for producing great knights. Despite his skill he still hadn't proven himself worthy for his family's ancestral blade.

The sixth place had surprisingly gone to a previous member of the kingsguard, Ser Jaime Lannister. After arriving in kingslanding weeks earlier he had trained every hour of the day for the tournament.

The seventh place was a dark skinned woman called Nesyliah. She was the only contestant not from Westeros and by far the most unpopular champion. Her name became Nesyliah the venomous and although thousands of contestant shouted and mocked her when she fought, it didn't seem to faze her at all. She used two short swords with a style that was common for those trained as assassins. Of all the champions she was the only one who refused the offer as a kingsguard. Instead, she requested a sword of Valyrian steel, which she was given and disappeared immediately after. No one really knew where she had come from, though years later a rumor told that she had travelled to Braavos and sold the sword for an enormous sum.

Instead of her, the eight place accepted the kingsguard position. It was a rather unusual man named Tom Blackwater. He had grown up as an orphan fisher and so had taken the name Blackwater. Tom fought with a wooden stave longer than his own height. His every victory was won by sweeping the legs out from under his opponents.

All seven of the new kingsguard where knighted if not already and received a weapon of Valyrian steel that suited them. Except for Tom, as the king simply didn't have a long stick made from Valyrian steel. Instead he commissioned a wooden stave lined with steel, and promised Tom that he would get one lined with Valyrian steel at a later date.

Ser Darin Barlon was named the lord commander of the kingsguard and received a seat at the small council. Furthermore, he alone received the first official new kingsguard uniform. A beautiful suit of armor crafted entirely from Valyrian steel. The others would have to wait until after the expedition.

The meeting with the Tyrells also bore fruit. It was agreed that the reach would provide the capital 1.25 million bushels of wheat, 750 thousand bushels of barley, oats and rye. 25.000 heads of cattle and 50.000 sheep. Additionally, 10 million gold dragons would be price for the Tyrells to maintain their position as warden of the reach and for lord Mace Tyrell to receive a position as master of ships on the small council.

Lady Olenna had insisted very vigorously of a match between her daughter Margaery and Aerios. Even to the point where the money she offered would be enough to cover the crowns entire debt and then some. Aerios had stanchly refused. He had many years to pick a future wife and he had no intentions of marrying someone whom he didn't even know. In the past he would never have considered the idea of his wife not being of a noble Valyrian bloodline, but in the current age there was only a single living woman who fit that criteria, and he had yet to meet her. For now, that would be a problem for another year.

Unfortunately, the other wardens were not proving to be so accepting of the new king. The wardens of the North, the Vale, the Riverlands and the Westerlands had all come to kings landing and formally sworn an oath. Although Aerios had a dwindling supply, he had all the wardens sign a simple contract of vassalage. But neither Dorne nor the Iron Islands had responded to his summons or even replied to his message. And the Stormlands were still in open rebellion.

To subdue those lands would be a large endeavor so Aerios decided that he would wait until after the expedition to do it. He wanted to see if they still held firm after knowing the majority of the other kingdoms had surrendered. It was incredibly irritating. The gold he received from the Tyrells and Valyria would only serve as a temporary aid. He needed a steady income from taxation and it didn't help that three of the seven kingdoms weren't contributing at all. It was frustrating that he might have to damage them greatly just to subjugate them.

If there was one positive surprise it was his kingsguard. Aerios had only accepted them as a formality, but they proved to be quite valuable to him. They were so honored by their new position they took their duty incredibly serious. Except perhaps Palon, who refused to refine the way he spoke even in noble company.

One of Aerios' most enjoyable parts of the day became to train with his kingsguard. He told them not to hold back and come at him at full force, though only with sparring blades. Always having thought himself a talented swordsman, he was proven wrong as every day they would batter him soundly to the ground. Often to the sound of Palon's roaring laughter accompanied by witty remarks by Jaime and Samuel.

It was something he hadn't realized he missed. The simple pleasure that was the company of friends. He didn't have enough contracts to spend them on guards but he trusted them oddly enough. Aerios had even found himself strangely proud when Darin had praised him after they had fought for more than an hour. "Maybe after ten years you could be a kingsguard" he said, as he levered Aerios up from the ground.

The day of the expedition came eventually. Thirty-two of the fastest medium sized war galleys and more than a thousand sailors and soldiers to man them. The journey would take two weeks and Aerios had personally come to the docs to wave them farewell. They would sail ahead and he would catch up on Ragni.

It was an odd sight at the dock, as hundreds of the men were still sporting light bruises and even black eyes from the tournament that had earned them a spot. Anyone who were seriously injured had not been permitted to come of course, but Aerios thought it was amusing nonetheless.

6 of the kingsguard joined the expedition and only the young Alfyn Dayne remained behind. Part of an agreement Aerios had accepted with the small council was that he was to be accompanied by a kingsguard at all times, whilst moving outside the red keep in the capital. They had initially wanted the deal to extend to the entire realm but that was impossible, as Ragnirion would except no other rider. Ever. Even if it was simply a guest.

When the time came, Aerios left kingslanding on Ragnirion and flew ahead of the fleet to Valyria. He wanted to scout the path ahead and kill anything that might threaten the boats. But when he arrived at the shattered peninsula, the only thing that greeted him was mist.

The mood was somber aboard the boats. The men had cheered the king as he rode his shadow of destruction above. But when they had reached Valyria, when the sickly fog of the ruins had embraced them, did the explorers realize where they were.

Three days had passed since they sailed into the forgotten city. It would be a six-day journey by the end according to the young king. Darin stood with his hands on the railing at the front of the lead boat. The new lord commander of the kingsguard had been named the captain of the expedition in the king's absence, as he had sailed the blackwater all his life. He was wearing his new splendid armor, but other than a few stone men who had deliriously attacked, he had not yet tested it in real combat.

He would get the chance. The morning of the third day, the mist around the ship started growing thicker. The rivers in the shattered Valyria are deep and wide, but it became increasingly difficult to navigate the waters. First Darin had to order the ships to take down the main sails, but as the morning drew out it became impossible to see even the ship behind him.

There was no choice and he ordered the ships to toss anchors. The fog became deadly quite after that as every man on the boats seem to hold their breath. Then it began. At first it was just a gentle splash, like a fish briefly caressing the surface of the water. Then another. And another. Steadily increasing.

Darin roared an order to "GET READY! STAY TOGETHER!" that was repeated by officers, but as he spoke the water itself seemed to become alive. It was impossible to see anything in the mist. Darin could barely see the railing of the ship but the splashing became so loud and violent, it consumed all other noise around them.

After what felt like an eternity of noise and fear, Darin noticed something. To his right, a strange creature had managed to flap itself onto the deck, unnoticed in the noise and fog. Darin only hesitated for a moment before he charged at it. With a single swing he cleaved the thing in half, and only then did he truly look at it. It was unlike anything he had seen before.

A long grey mass almost like a worm. Smoke or steam was streaming of it, though Darin could not tell which. It looked completely deformed. It had several mouths and odd fat and short limbs protruding from it. His sword of Valyrian steel had cleaved it like any flesh, but to his horror tiny creatures seem to emerge from its body, though they couldn't really move well on their own.

Despite the deafening noise around him a scream from directly behind him drew his attention away. He turned in horror to see dozens of the things flopping themselves lazily onto the deck from all sides. Without thinking, he started chopping the disgusting worms to pieces and seeing their commander take action, the men started to follow suit.

The demonic things died easily enough but they flopped over the sides in endless numbers. After some a time of fighting, Darin saw one of his men step in a pile of guts from dead worms and slip. The instance he fell to the deck, the surrounding things reacted and leapt onto him. He screamed as his fellow soldiers tried to cut the things of him, but they all seemed to converge on him. Darin watched as smoke started rising from his skin until it turned black and began cracking.

He didn't have time to worry. More and more worms were constantly flinging themselves onto the deck. He swung and swung his sword to the point where he was close to collapsing from the extreme excretion, but the things kept endlessly coming, faster and faster.

He saw more and more of his men fall and die a miserable death. Entire sections of the large deck became completely covered in a solid blanket of grey flesh. Ever writhing towards him. At the brink of despair Darin raised his sword to his neck, intending to cut his own throat rather than get eaten alive. But a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

He whirled around, almost running the man behind him through with his sword out of instinct. It was the king. In his hand was a weird metal staff. The king waved it towards the largest mass of worms and in an instance, they were flying through the air as broken flesh. He then tapped the small bag he always carried with him and a stream of liquid metal flowed out. From the metal, a hundred strings started whipping around them so fast they were impossible to follow with the eye.

Worms turned to minced meat at an astonishing pace. Huge piles of smoking flesh started forming near the railing of the ship, yet the creatures continued to come. Both Darin and the soldiers could only stand, panting as they watched, hardly believing they were actually still alive.

The king was completely focused on something else. He was gripping his vectium so hard the veins in his right hand were popping. In his left, a tiny sphere began to form. At first it was imperceptible, but after a while it grew to about the size of a pea. Even the soldiers around him started noticing it. It looked like a hole in reality itself. A tiny spot of absolute blackness.

Aerios seemed to abruptly release the grip on his will and without ceremony, he tossed the tiny thing over the side of the boat. A moment later, a shock wave shook the world around them. Darin could feel it in his bones as it passed through him through his legs. In that same instance the splashing noise stopped completely. Instead the air filled with the voices of men roaring, screaming and even crying.

The last of the worms were killed with almost no effort. Without the constant press of the worm-tide they really weren't very dangerous. It took Darin hours to regain a semblance of order yet the fog still lay heavy on the water. Simply relaying the information by shouting, he eventually learned that although many of the boats were attacked, his was by far the worst. The ships in the very back had only seen a handful of the creatures.

In that time, the king had been studying the foul things. He had scooped a few of the remaining live ones up with his liquid metal, and was in the process of delicately dissecting one. Dozens of small strings of silver were gently cutting into a worm forcefully held in place by the metal.

Despite them all having a grey and slimy appearance they looked nothing like one another. Some of them were smooth snake like creatures where others had dozens of odd limbs and strange mouths. What they all had in common however were their deadly temperature. They were scorching to the touch.

Darin hadn't noticed before but during the fighting the air had become unbearably hot and thick. The fog had not been a coincidence; it was simply water vapor generated by those burning creatures.

When the fog finally did begin to lift it was to a scene out of a nightmare. Millions of the creatures were floating lifelessly on the surface. So many Darin feared the ships might get bogged down by the creatures.

They sailed for the rest of day, every man straining his eyes to detect anything that moved in the water. Evening came when they reached a calm lake but the men were nervously sweating when they wondered what might lurk beneath that tranquil surface. Darin ordered that they sail along the edges of the lake but they didn't get far before the king finally pointed to a spot on the shore.

"This is where we land. That is our destination" he said, now pointing at a small mountain in the distance.

So, I have a general outline for how the story will progress, but I thought I would ask you guys for your opinion on something.

From both reviews and a number of PM's I have recieved, I gather not everyone is a fan of the idea, that Aerios is going to start handing out dragons. Keep in mind that his goal right now is to create a civilization to rival Valyria in Westeros and that will be difficult if he cannot make new dragon lords. At the same time, he might give away his currently greatest advantage. So I want to ask you guys what you think of the following:

1. There is no choice but to hand out dragons. Even if they turn wild after the owners die, they are unlikely to be tamed by anyone who isn't of Valyrian decent. Therefore, Aerios should start handing out dragons of varying bloodlines to specific lords and ladies of Westeros.

2. There is no choice but to hand out dragons, but Aerios doesn't want to risk losing his advantage. So other than those under and eternal oath, he will only give dragons of the most mundane bloodlines. Bloodlines of a quality similair to those Daenarys currently have. Should an enemy of the crown or simply a political rival ever tame one, then Ragnirion will rip them from the sky.

3. Giving out dragons to those not under an eternal oath is too much of a risk. Dragons should remain only within the royal family and those under eternal magical servitude.

Please tell me which one you think.