Here is another chapter. Thank you for all the responses to the ealier question I had. It seems the majority thought option 3 was the best choice. I will definetly keep that in mind. I thoroughly enjoy reading your review, so if you have any thoughts on the story or where you think it should go, please don't hesitate to share.

I really hope you like it :-)

Chapter 13 - Progress

To empty 32 ships was an arduous process. It took two hours simply to unload all the carts and supplies. They had brought no horses as they needed the hull space. And also, Aerios didn't know how well animals that spooked would fare in Valyria's ruins.

After the experience on the ships the men were naturally anxious. But this turned out not to be a bad thing, as they began cutting through the overgrown ruins with an impressive vigor. Aerios guessed, they didn't want to spend a single second more in Valyria than they had to.

The king once again remounted his dragon and scouted the path ahead. This time all six of the kingsguard were leading the expedition but it went without incident. Other than bites from strange insects and a few of the carts getting stuck, they arrived at the entrance to the vault unharmed.

Many of the men gasped in awe as the massive construction that was the vault door swung open and they entered the mountain. The vault was an ominous place but it was better than the sickly moistures air of Valyria, so without much ceremony they entered.

After them came the king and his dragon. Ragnirion had been less than pleased when his master had jumped into the fog below to save the boats. He was beginning to truly despise the humans on the expedition and would have been enraged to see Aerios enter a place with them alone, where Ragni could not help him.

By this time, it had already become dark, so Aerios decided they would spend the night in the vault itself. Some of the men were nervous of being locked in but the king laughed and said "I slept here for 400 years. It is the safest place in the world." He created a large floating blue fire, that bathed the rooms in a dull light.

He spent the evening accounting everything there. It would be ages before anyone returned so he wanted to leave nothing behind. There were 268 spellforged swords in the armory. Along with 42 weapons of different kinds and 17 sets of full armor.

Even at the height of the Valyrian empires reign, spellforged steel was very valuable. A noble house like the Targaryen's only possessed a few swords and no armor in their family.

It was impossible to accurately count all the gold coins in the treasury but it amounted to tens of millions, Aerios was certain. What was perhaps even more valuable were the chests of cut jewels, which were an important component of artificing. Diamonds, rubies and sapphires of impressive qualities were kept in large stocks.

Discounting the ones, he had already taken, there were 14 items of power in the vault. All were incredible tools or weapons of magic but only one of them caught his eye. A pure white crystal shaped into a vase. He slowly lifted the top and saw a shining metallic fluid inside. His mother must have made a batch and put it down here. The world now had two units of liquid magesilver.

Then came the most important items in the vault. Dragon eggs. He counted 67 eggs. 4 were of the highest bloodlines. 9 of a medium, 19 of a lesser and 36 of a mundane quality. He smiled to himself. These beasts would turn the world on its head.

He had personally met Aenar Targaryen and seen one of his newly hatched dragons called Balerion. That had been a dragon of a lesser bloodline and it had conquered a continent.

After inspecting them, Aerios took all the items and stored them in his bag of holding. Even though he had mostly emptied it before coming, there was no space for all the gold and weapons. So the men began solemnly loading it onto the carts, baffled that so much gold existed in the world.

Aerios let his kingsguard direct the work and went to the third and final room of the vault. The only one he had not visited previously. The library.

It wasn't a very large room nor was it the main library of the family but it contained the most valuable knowledge the family possessed. There were books on magic, chemistry, construction, dragon rearing and many other subjects. Aerios personally stored the books that contained magic knowledge, but let the others be carefully secured and stored in the carts.

Seeing everything getting loaded up gave Aerios a heart wrenching feeling. This was the work of generations. Thousands of years of effort would be taken in a single day. The entire legacy of the Batorion family uprooted. It made him sick to his stomach but when he thought of the fate of the other houses, it lessened the pain. They were gone forever, their legacies dust. He would build upon the foundation of his ancestors, and create an empire that would one day rule the world.

After the work was finished the men ate their precooked rations and rested. The king sat by his dragon, leaning himself against the massive creatures' head. He was startled by Ragni growling softly in the dim light.

A man had approached him warily holding up his hands. Aerios softly patted Ragni and said to the man "He won't harm you, approach".

Ragnirion stopped growling and closed his eyes again and Darin came forward. He bowed and spoke: "I am sorry to disturb you, your grace. But there is something which has plagued my mind."

Aerios nodded slightly and said "Go on."

"I must thank you. You surely saved me from a terrible fate today. It was truly a sight I shall never forget." He said unconsciously straightening himself. "But after seeing how you wield magic and that strange metal, I wonder if you need a kingsguard for protection at all?"

"I never claimed to" the king said. "But a kingsguard does more than guard the king. He is a symbol and an aspiration for all other knights and soldiers. I will one day have a family and then you will have plenty to protect. But on that day I want you to remember. You are not the princes guard or the princess' guard, nor are you the queensguard. You are the kingsguard. Do you understand?"

"I do your grace" he said solemnly, once again sinking to his knees. "I swore the oath. And I shall keep it until the day I die."

"Good. Now rest, Ser Darin Barlon. Tomorrow will be a long day and I already have a guard tonight." Aerios said, smiling as Ragnirion grunted and shifted his massive body behind him.

The next morning, the soldiers left the vault in light spirits. They were finally leaving. Aerios closed the vault doors for perhaps the last time ever and walked back to the ships with the men.

A mighty cheer went up when the ships came into sight again. The king took no chances though and sent men to inspect the hulls for any surprises that might be lurking, before the loading process began.

After having inspected the lead boat himself he didn't want to simply stand around and wait this time. Instead, he commanded that the boat be sailed to the middle of the smoking lake that once was his mother's flame.

Unlike the men, he had seen where the odd creatures had emerged from. They came from the depths of this place. It was impossible to see the bottom of the lake, even through the eyes of Ragni.

Instead he prepared the same spell he had used to kill the scorching worms before. It was a spell his father had taught him personally. Something his ancestors had developed in the war with the Rhoynar. It relied on vibrations. He would forcefully fold the fabric of space in on itself. This causes massive tension to be built, which can then be released on command to create a powerful shockwave. The wave is perfectly safe to anyone on land but it will kill anything living in the water.

This time he let it sink as deep as he could, until he finally couldn't hold it and it snapped back. Once again the men were startled as thousands of grey eel like things floated to the surface. These ones were far smaller though, most of them barely a fingers length.

After this, the sailors could only stare in bewilderment as liquid metal seemed to appear from nowhere and form into a rope. One end snaked around the main mast, whilst the second plopped into the water.

Hours went by like this. Even after the ships had been loaded and were ready to lift anchor, no one dared to disturb the king, who was clearly in great concentration. Then the rope went tight. Hundreds of people watched in fascination as the entire boat began tipping slightly to the side, and the metal rope slowly coiled itself around the mast. An age passed before finally, something appeared out of the water. A large black boulder.

The king managed to pull the smoking rock unto the ship before nodding to Darin who commanded the expedition to begin moving.

This time Aerios did not fly ahead, instead he stayed and studied the strange rock. The men learned quickly to stay away, for even at a distance they could feel heat touch their faces. Before long they were out of Valyria, but they did not sail directly for kings landing.

Instead they turned north for the city of Pentos. After weeks more at sea, they were joined by the entire fleet of the Westerlands having come around Dorne. The great fleet split in half then. Most ships would return to kings landing with the treasures, but 10 of those carrying gold along with more than a hundred ships continued on.

The fleet had come to guarantee protection. Safety had been no issue before, as no ship in the world could approach without Ragnirion taking notice. But the king would ride ahead alone to Braavos. Every day the Iron bank earned enough money to buy a mansion simply from the crowns interests. Aerios did not want to waste a single day to get rid of the debt plaguing his mind.

On the back of Ragnirion the city was within sight after a few days. Aerios would never admit it, but he did hold some admiration for the city. They were truly a people who had started with nothing and in the time since the doom, they had grown far beyond anything he could have imagined.

But they mattered little to Aerion. The titan that so proudly pointed its sword and challenged any newcomers would crumble before Ragnirion and walls of wood are a poor defense against dragon fire.

Screams of fear and disbelief echoed around the city at the sight of such a creature of myth. Without announcing his arrival, he landed Ragnirion before the steps of the Iron bank and walked in alone.

After entering, it did not take long before an assembly of bankers sat before him. The account manager for Westeros was called Tycho Nestoris.

When Tycho inquired as to why the ruler of the seven kingdoms had blessed them with his presence Aerios could only sigh.

"You know why I am here. The crown owes you a debt, I came to negotiate its repayment."

Tycho only politely smiled "I see, but even if that is the case, such a debt was mutually agreed upon and perfectly legal." Even when a faint roar of Ragnirion could be heard through the stone of the building, Tycho didn't react and continued speaking.

"Ahh, yes. It is true that Braavos can do little to stop the fury of a dragon. No soldiers of iron or ships of wood can withstand its flames. But I remind you that Braavos has a long history, and is no stranger to the dragonlords of Valyria. If you attack, doubtless tens of thousands will die and no amount of our gold can bring down such a mighty beast. But there is a certain house not far from here. And although even our wealth cannot buy more than few deaths, those few could be chosen very carefully."

Tycho spoke the words with an air of certainty and calm, but his expression cracked by the end of his speech. A faint humming filled the air and the tension became so oppressing it was hard to breathe. It had been a long time since Aerios was threatened.

"You are walking a dangerous road, banker. Gold is worth nothing to the dead."

"We are nothing but instruments of the institution before you. We who serve the iron bank face death as often as those who serve the iron throne." He said almost like a mantra, calming himself. The provocation had irritated Aerios, especially because it was unfounded. But he reminded himself he had responsibilities to uphold. Doing something reckless here might cause him a lot of grief down the line.

Gritting his teeth, he spoke "I am not here to threaten you. I came as I said to negotiate. In less than four days a fleet carrying gold enough to repay the debt in its entirety will arrive. I am merely here to ascertain whether you would accept other forms of wealth to supplement the repayment."

For the first time in perhaps his entire professional carrier, Tycho felt foolish.

It turned out the iron bank would not accept repayment except in the form of gold, silver and copper. Aerios had wanted to pay with a number of the jewelry pieces he had gotten from the vault. They were gorgeous and masterpieces of jewel craft, but they held no magic and at the moment the kingdoms would need rivers of gold for the projects he had planned.

The iron bank was apologetic so in turn they offered to arrange a great auction. The bank would pay for both the auction and for expert appraisers to evaluate the value of the jewels.

Aerios accepted the first offer but he didn't like the idea of others picking the men who would determine the value of things they might want to buy themselves. Instead he asked for a list of the richest and most skilled merchants currently in Braavos.

He was given a list with more than fifty names but none of them meant anything to him. He then asked Tycho

"Is there anyone on this list who was not born wealthy?"

"There is no one on that list, no. But there is someone like that in the city. Though I do not know if he can be of use to you."

"Why?" Aerios asked, somewhat curious.

"The reason he is not on the list is because he was exiled from Braavos quite recently. He still has the better part of a month before he must leave, but he can never return here." Tycho said with a hint of regret.

"What did he do to get exiled?"

"Murder. The only reason he was not hanged was because he was so popular in the city."

"You seem regretful that he is leaving." Aerios said, wanting to know more.

"I must admit that I am. He came to us as a very young man for a loan to buy a ship. Normally we would not consider giving a substantial loan like that to a merchant of his status and wealth, but I thought he had promise. He was born an orphan with nothing, yet had built several successful businesses. I enjoyed seeing him rise to even rival the Sealords wealth. But then disaster struck. His wife and daughter died in an accident and in grief he lost control and killed an old rival of his."

"What is his name?"

Brenos Inko lived in a great estate. Beautifully trimmed hedges and flowers filled the air with the scent of jasmine and summer. Freshwater streams supplied pools of water which cooled the gardens down. Brenos had no mind to enjoy it. In the middle of his fruit trees and imported flowers lay destruction itself. Until this day, he would have never believed anything living could be so large. It was inconceivable to him that humans could control such power, and yet its master and rider sat before him, sipping tea and enjoying the garden like he would have himself once.

Brenos did not doubt for an instance he spoke the truth when he called himself king. Everyone had heard of the new ruler of the seven kingdoms by now, but hearing was one thing, seeing was another.

"I hear you are a clever man." The foreign king said.

"I thank you, your majesty. I once thought so myself. But if I was truly clever, I would not have been exiled from my own city."

"Yes, that does make me ponder. What would drive a man who has lived a lawful life to murder?"

The merchant lord would have resented such a direct question before. His whole life had been a game of wits and lies. Protection layered on protection, so that him and his family would never have to live as he did once. But now none of it mattered. Since that day, he had lived in listless apathy. Like a living ghost, waiting to pass on. But under the pale blue gaze of the dragon rider, he felt his apathy unravel into curiosity.

"If I do not answer, will you have your dragon devour me?" he tested the king.

"That doesn't seem to bother you."

Brenos shrugged "Valar Morghulis." He knew it was foolish to test the young man like this, but he felt an odd sort of intoxication simply speaking to the boy. Like the children he would sometimes see playing with vipers on the street. At a single bite, and they would be on their way to the grave, and yet they did it anyway. It was the same for him, the rules he had known all his life were thrown away. If the dragon rider willed it, the city would be ash before sundown.

Aerios smiled "Of course, but most do not want to die. Most have something to live for. Do you not have a family?" He knew the answer, but he wanted to understand the man. He was both tall and fat, adorned with ostentatious displays of wealth that might even make a southern lord blush with shame. He did not look like the type who would kill a man with his own hands.

"No." the merchant answered.

"You mean not anymore." The king prodded, to which Brenos only starred at him.

"I am not here to antagonize you, merchant. But I need you to answer my questions. Was it an accident?"

"My wife fell from there" the large man said pointing to a balcony two stories above them. "And my daughter drowned in that pool down there."

"So not an accident but two. How far apart?"

Brenos sneered bitterly "On the same day. Only an idiot wouldn't understand. It is difficult to pay what the faceless men demand, and the price for a great merchant is colossal. The price for his family however, is much more manageable."

"I see. How did know who hired them?"

"Men lie, but the story of accurate numbers you can always trust. Such a hire would cost even the sea lord greatly. I simply listened to the accounts of those that hated me." Brenos finished.

To his surprise Aerios rose abruptly then. "Before you leave this town, I have a proposal for you."

Aerios had been afraid that Brenos would say no, but he seemed to crave the distraction of an auction. When he saw the Valyrian trinkets laid out his eyes shone. These were pieces meant for the high nobility of the Valyrian elite and they were made by the most skilled craftsmen in the world. Every type of gemstone imaginable was fused with gold and platinum in dozens of pieces.

It did not take long for three different appraisers to appear at the doorstep of the mansion. After having seen the jewelry, a heated discussion broke out to determine their price. The total value ended around three million gold dragons. Aerios promised the man one in twenty of every gold coin he would earn above the estimate price.

And so in the days that ensued, the markets were awash with rumors of the "lost jewels of Valyria". They promised to be magical to ensure prosperity, health and weather luck at sea.

At the day of the auction, Brenos had gathered such a crowd people could be seen on rooftops for a mile away. The size of the crowd mattered little though, only the richest of the rich in Braavos could possibly afford even a single piece.

Aerios had to fight not to blush. Brenos had invented grand stories about the more prominent pieces. How a red sapphire in a necklace had been the heart of a dragon and that a fight over another piece had led to a bloody civil war. The lords likely knew these were complete falsehoods, but the extraordinary thing was, it did seem to make them feverishly want the trinkets all the same.

Brenos orchestrated several bidding wars where he somehow managed to convince the lords, that their honor and prestige depended entirely on winning.

By the end of the auction, the jewels had sold for more than 9 million gold. When the ships finally arrived, not even half the gold aboard were necessary to pay back the loans in their entirety.

When Aerios walked out of the bank, this time surrounded by his kingsguard, Brenos was waiting for him outside. He merely wanted to say goodbye.

"Are you sad to be leaving?" Aerios inquired.

"No, your grace. This place holds nothing for me anymore. I will go to Qarth instead. A number of new positions have very recently opened up in that city. I wanted to thank you before I left, your assignment proved both enjoyable and incredibly lucrative."

"You would surely do well in Qarth but I know somewhere that might be better. Since our work together went to well, I will gift you an additional reward. A lordship." The king looking at Brenos with interest.

When Aerios returned to kingslanding it was to great acclamation. The stories of the adventures in Valyria had spread like wildfire, and in each tale they grew in the telling. Immediately upon returning to the city, Brenos was confirmed as the new master of coin, to Tyrion's great relief.

Brenos spent his first month reforming the taxes and levies of the city. Braavos had neither gold, abundant fields nor exotic spices yet it was one of the richest cities in the world. Kingslanding was ideally places for trade but Brenos was disappointed when he read the accounts of income from levies and the number of annual trade ships.

He lowered the port levies by almost half and instead began taxing luxury goods significantly more. "Spices, fine wine and exotic foods the lords and ladies can live without, and yet they will pay dearly for it anyway." He would say at the council meetings. It had the intended effect and trade ships began to flock to the city. This was only the beginning though. When he wasn't working to reform kingslanding, he spent his time pouring over the books Aerios had brought back. He had hesitated when the king showed him his contract, but he signed it eagerly after hearing of the secrets he would learn.

The books contained manufacturing techniques, recipes for chemicals and substances long thought lost, even the secrets behind Valyrian silk, wine and glass. The king did not let his gold sit and collect dust in some vault. An army of stone masons, builders and carpenters came to the city, to help erect new buildings. Great refineries, forges and buildings for the production of alcohol, silk and glass were soon under construction. The largest of the projects was an enormous smithy capable of producing steel in massive amounts that was said to never rust. Although no spellforged steel was created there, in time that would change.

Not all the work was building new things. The king had ordered the entire dragon pit torn down. Every inch of the ruin would be broken down and carted out as rocks. Many thought this was an odd request, because there were no plans to build anything to replace it. But when Tywin asked Aerios had told him "I have great plans for it, but not until men can once again practice the art of fusing stone together."

He had brought back tens of millions of gold coins but the horde of gold was dwindling every day at a visible pace. Even so, it took no more than a few months before trade began to increase. First slowly, but soon every week would bring in record high numbers in port levies. And this was not even considering the wealth from the new Valyrian products.

Things were truly beginning to go well, but Aerios was in a foul mood nonetheless. Neither the Iron Islands nor Dorne had submitted to his rule. Balon Greyjoy had apparently flatly refused to believe that dragons existed and would not acknowledge the new king. Any messengers that went to Dorne never returned, and Varys had reported large cities amongst the coast beginning to prepare for evacuation.

The Stormlands had not submitted either, but that was because there was simply no one there in charge. Stannis had apparently gone north with his shattered army so the king ordered Robb Stark to track him down and finish him off. The north was large though, and developments were slow so any news on that front were long in between.

But it left a problem as to who was now warden of the Stormlands. The rightful heir was Joffrey, but for obvious reasons Aerios would not give power to the boy he dethroned. There was also the problem of heritage. Aerios had grown tired of his ignorance of the inner political workings of kingslanding, so one night he had visited Tyrion, and the two had talked until morning.

The issue of heritage was a real one. If it one day came to light it could lead to civil war in the region. What concerned him more, was that none of the official Baratheon children seemed to be suited for authority. Aerios had instead decided to take advantage of one of his kingly prerogatives. He would make a bastard a true born. Robert Baratheon apparently had plenty, so he decided he would find as many as he could, and pick the one he thought most capable.

That would have to wait until he found them though. There were wars to fight first. When he had first come to the land, he made a promise to Balon Greyjoy. He intended to keep that promise, and the year was nearly over.