Lightur - I gave Rhaenyra Silverwing because Gael has Syrax. Sunfyre's egg as well, that has hatched for Castorys (sorry). And yes, thanks for the comment, re: consort. I think it is referred to King's Consort in ASOIAF which is quite different to medieval era Europe. On top of my head, I think that was what Daemon was referred to in the OTL.
14omega - By making it very unappealing to want to be a problem to Aegon and Elamaerys!
Please enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think. I always read the reviews even if I don't comment on them.
Note: If you would like to read ahead, the next three chapters after this chapter are available on P^A^T^R^E^O^N / Boombox117
Early 112 AC, Elamaerys
It had been almost indescribable, the feeling of fulfilment that washed over him when he'd set his eyes on Bazmionys, the eastern most island of Elamaerys, the first sight of land of his new home, of his family's and people's new home.
Nonetheless, that sense of fulfilment had yet to fully evaporate even after they sailed passed the huge island of Draconys, their fleet having taken the choice to take the scenic route that added days to their journey – Aegon may have pushed the choice in a certain way – and they'd gotten to see the towering volcano in the distance that the first explorers had taken to call 'Mont Draconys' in all of its impressive glory.
He'd shared the sight of Mont Draconys with Mīsaragorn through their bond and he'd felt the inquisitiveness – and animalistic desire to lay claim to a part of the volcano – his dragon had about the volcano and the lands.
Even the dragons of his wife and children were curious and eager as they likely felt the wonder and joy of their bonded, their roars having grown in strength and they themselves having grown antsy, eager to fly and explore above these strange new lands, to claim the skies of Elamaerys as theirs, his children only just about to soothe them, just about able to get them to be patient for just a few more days and he knew, that the dragons of his eldest sons, would not be alone in their first flight.
'We'll fly together over these lands and these waters too, Mīsaragorn' he thought to himself, the feeling of promise sent to his dragon who returned a feeling of his own to Aegon, a feeling that left Aegon amused at his pridefulness.
A day later, they sailed to the mouth of the river Sȳziarves, a name that could be translated to Common to mean 'the good luck bringing River', and that sense of joy bloomed into a prideful look as they were greeted by the presence of a dozen riverboats who waved them on, sparking a round of cheers and greetings on board of the ships, his own children leading the charge on their ship.
He thought the men would send a party after he'd informed them of their arrival to Bazmionys but he hadn't expected a party such as this, not this far from the settlement.
"Your mask is slipping, husband." Gael said in a whisper as she leaned into him and he realised he was widely grinning at the sight of it all. He glanced at her and saw that she was smiling beamingly at him with a touch of teasing and amusement mixed in her happy expression.
"My beard is protecting me for most of it." Aegon said in a chuckle and he did little to remove the grin that was on his face, a naked emotion he never showed in public and that none outside of his family and closest would see from him.
But…
The occasion allowed some leeway for such naked display of truly felt emotion – it helped that none were paying attention to him thanks to the men on the fishing boats – and he felt little pressure to deny himself this moment.
"Mmhmm." Gael hummed in an accommodating tone as she eyed him in a way that signalled 'sure, of course dear…'
A little while later, some of the men from the riverboats had come aboard the ships, his included.
"Ser Maros." Aegon greeted with a small smile as the man addressed them formally as the man bowed before him and his family. "Rise." He said to one of the leading men who oversaw the development of the main settlement.
"I am beyond honoured to be the first to welcome to you and the royal family to your lands, my Prince." Ser Maros said in a humble tone.
Aegon nodded at the man, his small smile still present. "I am pleased to see you, Ser Maros after all these years. I had not expected such a welcome."
Ser Maros smiled happily at Aegon's words before he spoke up. "We saw it proper to see to your welcome at the mouth of the river, ahead of the welcoming feast awaiting you." Ser Maros said humbly as his gaze swept across all of his family.
Aegon's smile deepened slightly before he stepped up to the man and grabbed him on the shoulder. "It truly is good to see you, Ser Maros. You look well." Aegon said as he looked over the man. The knight had thickened with muscle since he'd last laid eyes on him. Ser Maros was of Dragonstone origin, one of the first few hundred squires. Now, in his late twenties, he was the image of a seasoned man.
Ser Maros chuckled "Aye, my Prince. I can humbly say working wood and stone is more than equal to the body as training in the yard is." Ser Maros paused for a moment, his head bowing as he spoke once more. "It is also good to see you after so many years only hearing your voice through the candle."
Aegon smiled at the man and they exchanged a few more pleasantries before soon enough that made way for what Aegon could only call a vividly descriptive tour guide as they travelled upstream the river Sȳziarves and Ser Maros had the entire crew hanging off of his words as he described what lay beyond the grasslands, forests and hills on both sides of the river.
Aegon spent much of the trip just scrutinising all that he saw, alternating his gaze from one side of the river to the other, taking in the sight of hilly grasslands and wetlands and forests and distant jungles and distant mountains with great eagerness and curiosity, his mind mapping out what he'd been told and shown maps of with what he was seeing now.
All that he'd known before he laid eyes on these lands, he thought to himself, was incomparable to seeing it for himself as he was now. It was one thing to learn of how much potential these lands had from the mouths of his people, but now…?
Yes…he thought, a small smile gracing his face as he turned his gaze towards the river, a river that was dark turquoise in colour, a wide and deep river that could accommodate easily eight of his galleons aligned in a row, his eyes gleaming with promise as behind them, in his mind, he dreamt of what was to be of these lands.
Yes…
He'd chosen the name for these lands well.
This was a land set to be the foundation of greatness…of dreams.
A land… of pure hope.
Days later…
The first few days after arrival had been hectic and only now were things settle down somewhat, allowing him the time to inspect the main building site of the city.
One did not expect the arrival of ten thousand people that added a third of the existing settlement population to go smoothly, no matter how much you planned for it.
Fortunately, much of the hecticness had not been in regards to accommodations.
On that front, things had been well in hand.
The builders and the rest of the settlement had strung up over a thousand and a half redwood cabins in preparation of their wave of settlers, all situated at the fringes of the main settlement which itself was some way away from the river and city where the main stonework was being conducted and where the first proper homes were located albeit for the present, a thought second to the matters of farming, housing and clearing land.
Another six hundred or so cabins were also completed but they were for the next wave just as the empty plots of land by it were, land that was set to have another thousand and a half cabins built in the next four to six months, likely sooner now with the addition – and freeing – of so many hands.
The cabins themselves, were nothing special. Four walls and a roof, averaging in 75 to a 100sqm in area, the cabins were fit enough to shelter and house four to ten people in each cabin with single bed bunkbeds.
His family's accommodations were a little better, larger and further away and made of concrete though much of it was in order to provide a sturdier – and safer – home for his youngest children and a place for his family guards to remain nearby. Plus, the need of separating the dragons away from the rest of the population, dragons who had taken to roost outside of their small home, had made it a simple choice.
Still, it was a stark difference to how they lived in Corinth just moons ago but it mattered little to him…or to his family.
Though his eldest sons were too young to remember the early years of Corinth, they were old enough to remember at least a little of the constant building and changing of Corinth as they added more and more people to their, well, people.
His youngest were less understanding but thankfully they were…distracted by their fascination of their new surroundings and they enjoyed their perceived new freedoms, such as it was that they were no longer surrounded by grey and dull walls and now always and fully in constant contact with their dragons.
In any case…
Much of the hecticness had come from moving the huge number of industrial equipment, wares and goods, which was far in excess of the previous waves, and moving them to their settlement – which was in excess of three leagues away from the river though this stretch of the river wasn't quite large enough to fit all the ships so they had to travel another league to get to the settlement – where they would at least somewhat protected from the elements, especially since there were few sites found that possessed iron ore.
Some of the cabins were used for that purpose.
It would be some time before they were up and running once again, he knew this. His people knew this too. Much of the coming years would be, in bold capital letters, pragmatic, to say the least.
But…
The good news was that his people were not unaware nor were they unfamiliar with their present circumstances.
After all, his people, particularly those of Dragonstone origin and, to a lesser extent the first former slaves, were familiar with building one's own home…one's own land, he thought as he stared upon the main building site, a site that was on both sides of the river.
There was very little here, at this moment in time, not that he expected anything else, he mused to himself. There were homes made of concrete, stone and granite, to be sure, some near enough thousand, a thousand that housed about seven thousand people, most of them being the first settlers and their families, but most of the work had been to lay the soon-to-be underground channels with stone and concrete on this side of the river.
He glanced at his surroundings, beyond the stone homes, which was dominated by cleared land on the mostly flat but with an outcrop of hills accompanied by a looming lone mountain to their east on their side of the river whilst on the other side of the river, beyond the flatlands, another range of mountains dominated the horizon.
But that would change soon enough, he thought as he looked at the collection of stone and white granite that were piling up not far from the banks of the river.
The steady but sharp increase of men – and to a lesser extent women and young boys on the cusp of manhood – had done wonders in expediting the process of getting the colony up and running.
Prior to the arrival of Aegon's wave, there had been seven thousand men dedicated to clearing of the city site and constructing homes and more where only a few years ago there would have been at most a few thousand with the majority of the men needed to clear the land for farmland and ensuring food security whilst the women tended to the animals and the production of miscellaneous things.
And all of that time and effort and manpower was beginning to pay off, something that would only increase with the arrival of another five thousand men, the majority of whom would aid these men in building their city.
Most of the riverboats, numbered now one and twenty, when they weren't used for fishing, sailed up the river – fortunately, the winds were favourable and greatly aided upstream sailing to a point whilst the flow of the water allowed ease of travelling the opposite direction – and loaded up the quarried stone from the stone quarry just under a league away – by the lone mountain on their side of the river – and less than a ten-minute walk from the riverbanks to the site.
It wasn't the only stone quarry nearby either which was to be expected, given how mountainous Elamaerys was. There were five different locations of easily mined stone quarries found within five league, mayhaps ten leagues radius whilst in the last few years, two different locations each had been found for granite and marble, one of the granite quarries located close enough to the river that the rest of the riverboats mined and loaded up as much of the white granite as possible on a frequent basis, much to Aegon's – and his builders – pleasure.
With the addition of another few thousand men, many of whom were shipbuilders, blacksmiths, jewellers, specialist guild members and so on by trade, yet would be manpower for the present time nonetheless, he expected the effort of mining to grow substantially.
They also located sites of the base ingredients they used for their concrete – which was already manufactured in small amounts – which they would largely make use of for outposts, lighthouses and other such structures though they'd also continue use it in these early years – if not first decade or two – to quicken the construction process of homes, sewer channels and so on.
All of that, adding to the readily available limestone at the north-eastern side of the mouth of the river, which was two and a half leagues from Elamaerys, they had ample supply of all the building materials they needed for their city.
"It's a good location." Illero Sorros, the Chief Builder, said to their party as he looked over at the construction site, a party that consisted of himself, Gael, Edywn, Bodrin the master of Agriculture, Banneth Stally the Master of Ships, Lazyros Anerohr the builder who'd helped locate most of the quarries and mines, and a few of his family guards.
"There are few suitable places for a shipyard or a wharf however." Banneth Stally said with a frown on his face before he gestured towards a particular location at the other side of the river, towards the shallower parts of the riverbank. "That is probably the best place for a wharf but for a shipyard of the kind we've been planning…we'll have to build a long slipway around…" he paused as he looked around, seemingly assessing the best location for the shipyard.
"There." He said pointing towards a very faint depression by the bank some three to four leagues away from their present location downstream on their side of the river. Stally continued, meeting Aegon's gaze. "We'd probably will have to work the land a little but…"
"It will lay outside of the present city limits, my Prince." Sorros commented with a frown.
"Yes, it will." Aegon agreed. Just about beyond the city limits. The city would wider than it was longer. "The shipyard is further than I'd like." Aegon added as he looked towards the site. 'Much further…'. He wanted the shipyard to be somewhat closer to the city. "Are you certain we cannot work the land nearer by?" he asked Stally.
Stally grimaced before he looked around, seeing if there was anything he missed, and he shook his head as he spoke. "We could possibly lay the shipyard by the wharf but we would barely able to have the space for a galleon single dockyard, let alone the space for repair and maintenance yards for galleons or carracks."
Aegon considered it for a moment before he nodded slightly. "Alright, I will agree to it though for now, we will push back the date of building the shipyard by another year. We have Dragonsgate Port for maintenance of our ships and we can build up the capacity of the harbour relatively easily there."
Dragonsgate Port was located in the Targaryen Islands on the Aegon Isle. The southern part of the island had deep bays, perfect for a port. Over the years, the port there had grown in size and in capabilities by design.
It took moons to travel between Elamaerys and the rest of the Known World so the islands were perfectly located to become the place to replenish supplies, repair ships and generally speaking, a decent place to recuperate after moons on a ship.
And so over the years, the islands had been slowly transformed into what they needed it to be…a safe port and a place where some food grew and supplies stored for emergencies. It wasn't the best of solutions, especially since it was moons away from Elamaerys, but…
All things considered with far more pressing matters that needed their attentions, a shipyard – and wharf – could wait for a little while. Plus, it wasn't as if they had a specific need for it anyway. Their trade would be with the East and Dragonsgate was always going to be used. For now, it was fine.
"The mouth of the river can suffice, for now, as the main mooring location of the fleet." Gael commented and Stally inclined his head though Aegon did see a flash of apprehension on his face at that. He understood.
The mouth of the river was, fortunately, free of reefs and dangerous seabed but…
It wasn't a place you'd want to moor your ships for a long period of times. Byrce had said that Elamaerys, particularly the western parts of the land, was prone to storms. Ideally, they'd bring the ships further upstream to a region better protected from the storms. He'd look into it a little better another time.
"Sorros." Aegon called out, drawing the man and everyone else's attentions and the man met his gaze. "Do you foresee the city plans changing substantially?"
Sorros considered his question for a moment before he answered "No, my Prince." He said before he looked away, and looked beyond, beyond the river, where at the edges of the cleared land it could be seen to boast many hills that had a mountain looming over it.
"Though I would have preferred it to be flatter and level, there is a great deal of flat space between the hills to allow for linear streets and grids."
Aegon hummed before he spoke. "It is not much of an inconvenience. The natural inclination of the land will allow easier transportation of waste through the sewerage system." Aegon commented as he looked upon the land and particularly towards the dug channels.
As they sailed up the river, he'd noted that the more upstream they were, the more substantial above sea level the lands on both side of the river were.
Further upstream, quite a bit beyond their current location, Bryce, Anerohr and the others had said that the land was significantly situated higher than the river and he'd considered that the river must have, over millions of years perhaps, carved through the land.
And with how flat, relatively speaking, this region was in comparison to the land tens of leagues away, it could have been the case that the sheer force of the water in a single cataclysmic event had flattened most of the land leagues on either side of the river, or at least helped somewhat, causing the current geography of the lands on both side of the river.
"Yes." Sorros agreed, a wry smile on his face. "It most certainly will though I will have to sit with a few of my men and rework the plans to account for this fortuitous circumstance and work carried out." He said as he glanced towards Anerohr.
Their current plan for the sewerage system was to have public latrines beside the bathhouse buildings – consisting of baths and swimming pools – which was intended to be within five-minute walking distance at the most across the city until they had the time – and people – to dedicate to building latrines in every home.
The latrines, the bathhouses included, would be connected by a network of dug canals underneath the city, connected to the river upstream which was at a higher elevation than the majority of the city location, and little streams of underground river water would carry the water away through a series of long sewage canals that exited far beyond the city walls.
Similarly, aqueducts would be pulled from the river upstream and provide the volumes of water needed for drinking and other needs.
Of course, the water wouldn't be consumed as it was, no matter how 'clear' the water from Sȳziarves appeared to be. Basins would be constructed on the aqueducts to remove the turbidity from the water whilst stainless steel punctured sheets would remove the largest of insects and other floating pieces from the water stream.
After that, his people were well aware of the additional steps they were to take to clean their water for the purpose of consumption once they had it. Though once the wine fields, apple trees and so on were up and running, he expected that it would serve as the main source of hydration…
"As you can see, Chief Builder, my Prince, my Princess, we've already begun the digging of the channels. We've even laid those channels with concrete and stone." Anerohr spoke up and after he drawn their attentions, he spoke further. "We've drawn up a few grids, Sorros and so you will be able to see how closely it relates to the rest of the original city plans." Aegon looked at the man. Bryce had complained more than a few times about the man and his…conduct.
Aegon still remembered vividly the man when he'd recruited him which had been at the same time as Sorros.
He'd seemed no more than an ordinary mason with a streak of architectural insight that was ignored by the Braavosi and had been happy enough to earn the chance to be more in his life when he'd offered him a place and over the years, there hadn't been much to see that change that perception.
Clearly though, he thought as he remembered Bryce's comments and the frequent disappearances into the wilderness of Elamaerys, such was no longer the case.
He'd have to see if that change was inspired by the finding of that strange skull…or if there was more afoot with this man.
Sorros nodded. "I will examine them."
Illero Sorros looked away from the horizon and turned around, back towards the main settlement site that lay leagues away, a look of concentration on his face as he remained quiet for a little while. "Yes…yes, this works well. Very well." He looked towards Bryce and Anerohr with an approving look on his face.
"You did well in proposing and working this site." Sorros said to the two men before the man looked at Aegon. "I will need to adjust the plans for the city to accommodate the natural scape of the land but there shouldn't be too much of a change." Sorros looked away from Aegon and looked towards some of the hills.
"Particularly those hills." Sorros said with a gleam in his eyes.
"Good." Aegon said with a faint nod before he looked towards the other side of the river. He gestured towards it. "Most of the space for expansion of the city is on this side of the city so I suggest you keep factor that into your adjustments, Sorros."
"It will be many decades before we'll have a need to exceed the city barriers, Aegon." Gael said. He turned to her and shown her an agreeing incline of the head.
The city they'd drawn up, in scale, would be about twenty square miles in area, a huge amount of space for a population of their only eighty or so thousand people. Though much of that space was also to accommodate a great many things.
Centres of learning – schools, hospitals, judicial and arbitration buildings, buildings for civil servants and public service, buildings for the various Guilds and for the military and naval colleges…theatres, hippodromes, rugby stadia, and so on.
Yes…the space they marked out for their city was more than enough for their current population which would boasts main streets wide enough to fit five carriages side-by-side and with every other street at least wide enough to fit two…more than enough to fit twice the current population…
"I agree." Aegon said with a faint smile before he looked towards the distance.
"Yet this will be our capital, Gael, and for that reason alone, it will always draw people like moths to a flame. I'd rather make sure that we maintain the balance of people and space now, when we have the opportunity to plan ahead, rather than leave the city overpopulated with buildings of squalor." Aegon said with meaning behind his words, meaning that all understood.
Stally and Edwyn had been to Kings Landing so they knew how terrible the city planning had been. Gael, well, she'd grown up there just as he'd had. The rest knew enough during his discussions with him – or with others – to learn why he was so determined for their city to not become like the foul cities of Westeros.
When Aegon the Conqueror settled the capital there, he'd failed to account for the rapid growth of the city and ever since then, consecutive rulers and Small Councillors failed to solve the stinking shithole that was Kings Landing.
His own efforts with the housing and sewage system had done a little to solve the issue but he doubted anyone else had looked at the issue since then.
And yes, whilst he knew that it would many, many decades before such an population explosion could happen – after all, Kings Landing had drawn upon the peoples of an entire continent looking for opportunity and they would not have that – he was a firm believer of long term planning. Plus…he intended to make sure to facilitate circumstances for a population explosion.
They spent another few hours shoring up the order of construction – now with the majority of the guild leaders, builders and a few thousand more farmers to take up the slack from the rest of the men here, they could begin – before they returned back to the settlements.
There would be four main phases of construction, many of which would have concurrent parts to the phases being worked upon.
The first phase consisted of continuing to digging up earth and laying the stone for one complete section of the underground sewage system, the construction of two thousand homes on the outermost parts of the inner city, to be of an area around 150sqm on average and adequately enough to house a family of seven, using limestone, stone and white granite as primary building materials, constructing good enough roads to the quarries and beginning to prepare the land and locations of important buildings.
Another part was the construction of several schools, hospitals, a constabulary that functioned as much as a place of law enforcement as it did barracks, and other such vital services. With Ser Cedrick here now, it was time to reorganise a large fraction of the knights into law enforcement and an auxiliary wing of the army-to-be.
There was also going to be a more extensive searching of mining sites for iron ores, copper, tin and more, and he'd free up a hundred men to do exactly that. They already have decent maps of the surrounding lands of upward of twenty to thirty leagues in radius but that was quite superficial. Hopefully they'll find good ore deposits nearby.
The first phase was expected to be completed within a year's time.
The builders were familiar with the house designs – plus they held years of experience with large scale building projects – the construction of the first section of the sewage system was little more than digging and laying stone in those dug up linear holes, and they had more than enough men to rapidly build standard homes and other vital service buildings. Women would do all of the other available necessary activities such as repairing or making clothing and when needed when they weren't looking after the animals – including the horses – the children or cooking meals.
The second phase was more intensive.
By then, it was expected that there would be more manpower available with the reallocation of men from preparing the land for farms to the city thanks to his people having exceeded themselves, increasing the number from nine to ten thousand to near sixteen thousand men.
Presently, there were forty-five thousand acres of farm fields producing crops and a livestock count of thousands of sheep, cows, pigs and chickens providing meat for the settlement.
There was also another twenty-five thousand acres of farmland on the cusp of being ready to produce their first crops and another fifty-five thousand acres of land being flattened and prepared for farming whilst the fleet of galleons, excluding three of them on which he'd travel back to Corinth with, would make sail for Corinth a week's time and bring the bulk of the remaining livestock along with another five to seven thousand of his people.
With the forty-five thousand acres of land currently being tended to by the two hundred and twenty-five rightful owners who, along with their family, own their farmland in perpetuity, another hundred and twenty-five families tending to the almost ready twenty-five thousand acres of farmland, and in a year's time likely another thirty-five thousand acres ready to be handed over to hundred and seventy-five families and the rest of the land not following long after, that meant there would be a surplus of men – and boys – that would be ready for reassignment.
And, with the addition of another few thousand farmers – and their families – that had come with him in this wave, they could permanently even further reduce the men who were working the lands now and reassign them to the construction effort.
All in all, they estimated, seven thousand men and boys – many of whom were amongst the most recently freed Lysene slaves – many of whom would not be needed to do so in the next year, at worst half that and the rest a year after that.
Men and boys who had little interest in farming.
Of course, they'd have to make sure there were still at least a few thousand were available and assigned for flattening and preparing land for farming – there were in total twelve hundred families that wanted their plot of farmland and Aegon wanted to make sure the colony had well in excess of thrice the amount of food needed by the end of four years – whilst the rest of the lands earmarked out for those who either signed up for a plot of land in exchange of service but did not want to farm commercially or was part of the army would be left to the individual man to pay for construction services.
The second phase would involve the completion of the sewage system, the construction of at least seven bathhouses – and of course many more latrines – located in equidistance from one another, construction of ten thousand homes, construction of a city hall, the foundation laying of the Hall of Heroes and the Sept buildings, the bricking of the main streets and a few other such tasks.
The women, the ones who were not working alongside their husbands in the fields or providing important services such as tending to the animals, cooking meals or looking after the thousands of children in their settlement, would be tasked to intensify the production of textiles, clothing and other utensils and needed goods that did not need a man's skill or strength to make and produce.
The second phase was expected to last also a year…at the most a year and a half.
Given that by the end of the planned finish date of the second phase two years would have elapsed, the vast majority of their eighty thousand or so people would be in Elamaerys so there would be no shortage of available people working in getting their colony up and running.
By that point as well, their food production capabilities should be near enough one and a half times the amount their people needed.
The third phase would be the completion of all housing and all Key-One buildings such as the Hall of Heroes, the Sept, the Court of Arbitration, the Guild Buildings, the factories and shops.
This was expected to last two to three years and he'd be back then with an additional ten to thirty thousand people not including his army, a quarter of which he could assign to work on the construction efforts.
The fourth phase would generally be continuing the construction works and, of course, building roads to the farmhouses and the inevitable villages by the mining sites, construction of lighthouses, fortresses and castles at key defensible locations, mapping out Elamaerys and the surrounding islands and the creation of plantation fields for luxury foodstuffs on the other side of the river beyond the mountain range where the climate was wetter and warmer – not that the climate wasn't warm on this side of the mountain range.
This phase was expected to last decades and it would also include making plans and finding locations for towns on the coasts and further into the interior.
By then, he hoped to receive a steady stream of appropriate migrants from Essos numbering in a few thousands a year, particularly from Lys and Liberty Bay which would also include the slaves from the Disputed Lands he intended to free and relocate to Velos, increased the population density in his lands.
People who would mix with that of his own and populate these towns and villages.
By the time they left the city construction grounds on their horses, it was already fast approaching noon, and, as they made their way back to the main settlement, they were greeted with the sight of three dragons flying around in the distance.
His sons spent most of the days since they arrived flying on their dragons, hunting with them.
The northern sea, the sea that was encircled by Elamaerys, Draconys, Bazmionys and the Biareysian Islands, presently known as the Gulf of Dragons, was home to a veritable goldmine of sea life, the ones of greatest interest being whales, sharks and dolphins, the animals that would sustain their dragons for the most of their lives.
Byrce had confirmed that years ago.
The rest of the land's native animal population would not sustain them for very long let alone their livestock, especially once his youngest children's dragons grew, so having rich waters was imperative.
And, hopefully, the other waters around Elamaerys proper would also prove to be rich feeding grounds. Mayhaps they'd even find megafauna of some kind on the other side of the mountains far to the south…
Liāzmariña had flown too, disappearing away for longer stretches than his sons and their dragons, but she seemed to be well fed as well. Gael had only flown once since they arrived and that had only been because Liāzmariña demanded to be flown with.
Still, he mused, as he stared at his sons dragons. Their flights had been generally useful too. They saw a lot more of the land than the scouts had, seeing places of interest and lands that could be suitable for settlement, resource exploration and more.
And, as he looked towards his eldest sons dragons, he contemplated for some time.
His sons were fast approaching the age of manhood…in this world…and though his sons were not going to be left to their own devices – their studies and their martial learning would continue for years still – he'd been thinking of how they could…contribute to the colony in their own right.
It would serve several functions…
One, it showed that even the royal family did not falter or shy away from the task of building their home as many in their colony had not been there the first time when they built Corinth where he'd gotten stuck in alongside the men.
That in itself served many purposes.
People, especially people who had no privilege, who saw themselves as lesser, greatly felt more for their leaders when they saw them working in the same way they were…when they saw that they were not shying away from hard work and duty.
His sons already possessed good reputations as dutiful and capable boys but getting involved in the colony development? That would catapult their reputations to great heights and strengthen the bonds of loyalty and devotion to them.
Second…it would aid his sons greatly to take on some responsibility, responsibility that they can see contribute to the development of their colony.
Particularly Castorys.
In addition to feeling useful, it would also propel their learning and their leadership skills immeasurably. Much of what he'd taught them was examples and theory…and now…now they could have a taste of actual leading and leadership and duty that would stick with them for years to come.
"What are you thinking?" Gael asked and he broke out of his thoughts and turned to his wife. He saw that she was looking at him intently and he sighed before he glanced around, looking for who was around, and he saw that it was just himself and Gael with their guards not far behind whilst the others were a further way back still. He looked back at the dragons.
"I was thinking our sons could help a lot…and in turn help them too."
"You're thinking of getting them to work alongside the men like you did in Corinth?" Gael asked with a frown. "They're a little young still." She said contemplatively and as he glanced at her, he saw that she also looked towards the dragons, a considering look on her face.
"Mayhaps in a few years when they have developed more." Gael commented a little reluctantly and he turned to her fully, a faint little smile on his face.
The fact that she did not dismiss the idea was enough to tell him that she had been thinking on what to do with their growing boys as well.
"Not as much physically working alongside the men." Aegon said pausing a moment. When he saw his wife's raised eyebrow he continued. "A lot of energy and effort is expended in the transportation of building materials to the city construction ground." Aegon's had a glint of amusement in his eyes.
"Energy and effort that could be saved if our sons and their dragons helped."
Gael's eyebrows climbed "You want to use dragons as mules?" she asked with an incredulous note in her voice.
"Who is to say that dragons are only meant for war and pleasure?" Aegon said with a shrug of his shoulders. Personally, he was of the belief that dragons served a lot of functions than just war, power projection and pleasure. He was certain they were critical to Valyrian magic and to the Valyrian way of life in general.
"I'm not saying that." Gael said with a heavy frown as she recovered. "I'm just concerned for our sons and the dragons. They're young."
"We'll be careful of course. We can fashion nets out of ropes with hooks or hoops the dragons can wrap their claws around. If it gets too heavy, they can drop it." Aegon said to Gael. He too was concerned about the dragons would try to lift something too heavy for their bodies. His sons dragons were big enough to carry his children with little difficulty but carrying five or more times the weight of his sons?
Ensuring that they can drop the nets if they felt a need for it worked around it. Plus, he would work with Edywn to institute a weight limit that would be adhered to.
Gael contemplated it for a few moments before she nodded a little tentatively.
"Very well. I can agree to the idea."
Aegon inclined his head slightly before he spoke. "Do you wish for me to broach the topic with our sons?" Since he'll be gone soon enough, he wanted to give the initiative to his wife with their sons…and with any other issues regarding the colony.
"No, I'll do it." Gael said as she eyed him. "I will start them on something smaller first like scouting the western side of the island."
"A sound plan." Aegon agreed.
The dragons can cover far greater ground quicker than any other in this world's existence. Helping mapping their land was a good responsibility.
"I would suggest that you also have them sit with the cartographers and learn a little of their trade so that they do not rely on their words and memory." Aegon said and Gael nodded.
"Yes, that's a good idea." She agreed before she paused for a moment as she considered something. "I can aid in this as well as the transportation of the quarried stones. Liāzmariña will able to carry far more than each of the dragons…likely as much all three combined."
"You'll be needed to manage the colonial efforts in my absence with Edywn and the rest of the Council." Aegon said to her. She'd be leading the efforts. Major decisions and choices would ultimately be made by her. Not only that…there was another consideration. 'And I don' t want you to be away from our youngest children either' he thought to himself.
Though he was certain that his people would not turn against his family or harm them, the possibility still existed, no matter how minute. Having his wife and Liāzmariña standing sentinel over their still too young children and their pony-sized dragons would be a safeguard that he was not eager to be done away with.
Gael hummed as if to concede the point. "You may be right." She said before she smiled at him briefly a little wryly "I should mayhaps fly with Liāzmariña as often as I can whilst you're still here to look over the children."
Aegon chuckled quietly as he smiled faintly at his wife "If that is your wish, go fly as often as you like. Truly. I'll keep watch over the children. I know that Liāzmariña would welcome it greatly." Besides, he wanted to spend as much time with Rhaena, Solonys and Breannei as he still could to make sure they still remembered him well. Solonys was only four namedays old, so very young, and Rhaena and Breannei were not much older at six namedays old.
Memories were faulty still at that age and the last thing he ever wanted was for his children to see him as other…
Gael looked at him for a few moments, as if she was boring into his soul before she smiled warmly and nodded. "Alright. I will admit, I am curious what lays further upstream, beyond the edges of our maps."
Aegon was surprised and Gael saw it. She gave off a tinkling laugh before she spoke with a teasing lilt to her voice "I may not have your curiosity about all things but I am an adventurer like you." She said referring to his fancies of exploring the world and its mysteries. "It may not be the seven seas" she added, her tone of voice slightly more serious but the teasing on her face growing in strength. "but what lays beyond is as unknown to us as the seas to our West." She kicked at her horse and sped up but not without imparting one last comment.
"I do like the sound of the Gael Mountains or the Gael Valley or the lovely Gael Coast!" She said in a louder voice and Aegon chuckled quietly as he watched her go on her horse, his laugh petering out as he looked on fondly.
'If only you knew, my lovely flame…I intent to name the capital of Draconys after you…Gaelysia, the bright city beneath the flames.' He thought to himself as he continued to watch her go.
'And may its bright lights burn as brightly eternally as you do in my heart, Gael…'
One moon and a half later…
"Come on boys." Aegon shouted over his shoulder as he climbed up the rocks and carefully side-eyed watched his sons with half an eye. "Are you going to let an old man beat you to the top?!" he shouted with a tickle of amusement in his voice, an amusement that grew in strength at the sound of their groans.
He glanced towards the top of the mountain, the lone nearest mountain on their side of their river. The side that faced the river was slanted at about five and forty degrees angle with the other side of the mountain nearer to ninety degrees and perpendicular to the green land below.
The five and forty degree face was of course the best way to climb the mountain. This side of the mountain also had shrubberies and all kinds of plants growing on top of it though the nearer they got to the top, the more they became sparse. Feeling the ground too, he mused to himself, it wouldn't surprise him if in a few hundreds of thousands of years this side of the mountain was soft enough to grow forests, finishing the work the plant life was doing.
He glanced away towards the sides, taking in the sight of the mountain. Yes…yes this was a peculiar lone mountain that he was not entirely sure how it formed or why it was so alone but nonetheless, he liked it very much.
It overlooked the site of their city – about two leagues away of the not-yet city walls – whilst at the very top, the rock formations were strange to say the least. Pillar like peaks dominated the top of the mountain, arrayed in a circular fashion that almost made it seem as if there was a crown rested on top of the mountain.
It was fascinating.
And, the part that he liked the most, was that it overlooked the city like a sentinel watching over its charges, a symbolism that meant much to him.
He took mercy on his boys and he turned around and waited for them to catch up. There were some ways away and seemed to be waiting on one another and it brought a smile on his face, to see them so close.
When they caught up and he saw their tired little faces, he laid his hand on Valarr's and Polaerys' heads, scruffling their heads a little. "Come on, we're nearly there."
"Mayhaps in distance." Polaerys muttered as he eyed the mountain warily.
"We don't have to climb to the very top do we?" Castorys asked tentatively as he looked at the pillar like peaks with a look of trepidation.
'Definitely not…your mother would kill me.'
"No" Aegon said with a chuckle before he pointed towards a particular spot, a spot he'd visited about a week and a half ago. "We'll head there and that'll be it."
The looks of relief made him laugh a little and he moved his hands towards the top the shoulders of his youngest sons. "Come on, not much further." Aegon said before he glanced at his sons. "I should speak with Ser Derren about your training."
"What? Why?" Valarr asked in alarm and Aegon withheld a smile from his sons.
Ser Derren was one of the family guards and the one who overseeing the training his sons until he returned from the East. He was quiet but a stern man when he needed to be and few could be sterner about martial training than Ser Derren who expected the same efforts from those he trained and the same standard from the other guards that he himself held to…which was very high.
"If you're this tired after climbing up this mountain then your fitness is not as good as it should be." Aegon said to his sons calmly.
"No, no, we're not tired!" Castorys said quickly as he grabbed hold of his brothers' wrists and quickened his steps up the mountain.
"No, we're not!" Polaerys agreed and Aegon looked on amused as they began to climb faster than he. "See?! You don't have to talk to Ser Derren, father!" Polaerys shouted back whilst the shouts of agreement from Valarr and Castorys rang quickly after Polaerys' words.
Aegon said nothing though he kept his smile on his face as he climbed, willing to let his sons stew and dread the idea he put in his mind.
It was some twenty minutes later that they finally arrived at the destination, his sons' expression tired and red in the face. "You did well boys." Aegon said in praise as he dipped his hand into a kind of primitive duffel bag and took out three waterskins and he handed them over to his sons who drank it eagerly.
They did really well. The journey from base to where they were, not far from the top, was a three hour trek at a decent pace and parts of the trek were quite steep.
Aegon walked beyond his sons and took a seat a little further from them, just before the edges of a small cliff. "Come. Sit next to me." Aegon said before he dipped into his bag and pulled out a waterskin of his own and drank of it.
Valarr was the first to arrive and his marvelled gasp made Aegon smile a little at his son. "You can see everything from here." Valarr marvelled. The words peaked the interest of his eldest sons and they soon huddled over as well and he placed his arms around his sons making sure that they were seated well and carefully.
"I can see the city ground." Polaerys said with some excitement as he gestured to the location.
"And there are all of the farms." Castorys said as he gestured some ways away from the city ground much further inland.
"Yes…from here, you can see our world." Aegon said with a smile in his voice as he looked from one son to the other and then the other. They looked back at him and he continued, his smile broadening slightly as he nodded to the sights.
"From this place on this mountain, you will see all of our people…all of our efforts and wishes and dreams." Aegon looked away and turned his gaze towards the city ground. "From this place on this mountain…you will see how our world changes, my sons. You will see progress, you will see homes and farms and buildings and so much more take root and rise and flourish." Aegon said, his tone of voice quietening slightly and a moment later, he looked back towards his sons, a prideful smile forming on his face as he pulled in his sons a little closer.
"From this place on this mountain…you watch over our people. Their protectors. Their shield…do you understand?"
Castorys was the first to react, his expression solemn yet determined as he nodded. The other two boys soon followed suit and nodded too.
"Hmm." Aegon made out in the back of his throat, an approving noise, as he proudly nodded at his sons before he pulled them closer still.
"You boys make me proud." Aegon said quietly though the meaning and emotion in his words was far from reduced in strength. 'I am fortunate to be your father…'
And nothing more exemplified his luck as their father than how they conducted themselves in the past few weeks. His sons had taken to the task, of carrying nets full of mined white granite, their mother assigned to them with eagerness and dutifulness. Their efforts was quickening the construction process and it was widely appreciated by their colony and the men at the mines in particular.
He saw their pleased looks, a kind of look that looked so childishly innocent on their boyish faces and he smiled at them before he released some pressure on their shoulder and spoke further "When you fly your dragons…bring them here." Aegon paused for a moment as he made to look towards the city ground.
"Once a week at least. Keep an eye on how much things change so that when I return, you can tell me all about it." Aegon requested and his boys were quick to agree to his request.
"Father…" Castorys began and Aegon turn to meet his eldest son's gaze. "Will you really be away for two or three years?" he asked of Aegon.
'I have asked this question of myself many, many times, my son…'
Aegon was quiet for a few moments. By now, even the colony at large knew of his plans to wage war against their enemies…the Slavers of Slaver's Bay and Myr.
Enemies who had struck against them and who he'd repay in blood and all that they held dear…all that they recognised as strength and right taken away from them as easily as a torrent of dragon flame snuffed out lives.
"Do you remember my lesson that in the dragon stables? When you asked me about what the war in the Basilisk Isles was like?" Aegon asked of his sons.
"Yes." They all said and Aegon nodded slightly before he continued, his expression turning more serious. "You know what I have said to you before…what you have heard from your fellow squires about why I am going to war…" Aegon's expression shifted some more.
He often wondered how much he should reveal to his sons and his youngest children, how much he should let see of the kind of man their father was…how he could be…what he was capable of.
Much of what he'd taught them was centred on scepticism, cause and effect, responsibility and duty, and realism. Yet…when it came to him, when it came to letting them understand him…know him…he often failed to do so.
He knew where it came from.
He wanted them to be better than he was...to be greater, not only in achievement but most certainly as a human being. Yet…sometimes he wondered if he was failing them just as he was failing in making them know their father.
This world was a cruel one.
A bitter, cruel, awful world that set its eyes on kindness and charity and well-meaning and sneered in contempt at it before it took hold of that kindness, of that charity and well-meaning and twisted it into suffering and hopelessness.
And whilst Love-Craftian entities existed and lay in the crooks of this world, it cannot be said their existence was solely responsible for the cruelty of humanity.
Their little paradise here, no matter how he wished it not so, was still part of that world, still part of the gears that turned the wheel of such torpid existence, and his sons needed to be prepared to protect their family and their people from all of that.
"The truth of it is…I am going to war because it is in our benefit." Aegon said seriously to his sons who looked at him with surprise. He continued "The justification I am using, about repaying the debt of those who stole our people, is not false but it is a small part to the whole painting."
He watched their expressions before he continued, his voice graver still. "Slaver's Bay…is a place ripe for the taking. Its people have languished under the yolk of slavery for thousands of years and in the past two hundred years since the Doom of Valyria, the Slaver nobility have grown lazy and arrogant beyond imagination."
"You want to free all of the people in Slaver's Bay." Valarr asked with wide eyes.
"I do." Aegon said to them with a heavy nod.
"But I do not do for their sake, not at all. The Slaver nobility have a great amount of wealth, resources and knowledge that I will take from them, all of which will enrich our family and our people for generations to come."
There was more to it, of course but this was what they needed to understand.
They were still only thirteen and eleven namedays old. Telling them about the importance of unbalancing and destabilising hostile nations/city states in the name of security and opportunity was a little beyond their age.
Aegon watched their reactions carefully as he'd spoken, wanting to know how much he affected them…how much he may have disappointed them.
"But the people there will be free?" Castorys asked of Aegon.
Aegon inclined his head.
"Aye. They will be. I will not be ruling over them as it could be seen as replacing one master for another. No, they will be independent and truly free peoples." Aegon said to Castorys with a serious look before he added.
"And the Ghiscari that have come over the past few years and learned from the scholars are those who will be instrumental in helping these cities become truly free and functioning."
"OK." Castorys said after he'd listened to him and Aegon saw a firm look on his face. Castorys continued. "You said 'The only reason you should go to war for is if you have the right reasons for war' that day."
"Aye. I did."
"Removing the slavers and freeing people are good reasons father but so is taking their wealth for Elamaerys." Castorys said quietly but determined. "Elamaerys comes first."
"Yes." Valarr said with an equally determined nod. "Our family comes first but if we are also helping others at the same time then that's even better." Valarr shrugged a little "And it's not like those won't deserve it. They deserve to lose everything."
Aegon scruffled up their hair before he silently sighed to himself.
He knew that they were good at heart, well beyond his hopes, but to see them prioritise what mattered most equally relieved him and saddened him. Relief because it showed that they were not naïve and saddened because how much it was needed that they were not naïve.
He glanced at Polaerys who he saw look at him strangely and Aegon raised his eyebrows inquisitively at the look. Polaerys shook his head and smiled at him before he noddingly said "I agree with them, father."
Aegon looked at Polaerys for a few moments longer before Polaerys too received a scruffle of the hair.
"I will try and come back as soon as I can." Aegon said to his sons after a few moments. When his sons looked up to him, he smiled a little as he gave them a pointed look. "And when I come back, I want to know everything you have learnt and accomplished."
Amongst their duties to aid the construction process and learning from their tutors and their martial instructors, he also gave each of them a bundle of journals to read.
Sixteen each.
About one and ten were copies of one another with the remaining five unique to each of his sons. For Castorys, the majority of the journals were related to leadership, perception, intrigue and more along those lines.
For Polaerys, much of it was more scholarly and of course stories and bits of magical knowledge that would lay the foundation for years later when Polaerys learned from him and the Alchemists.
For Valarr, the journals were a mixture of things that ranged from more advanced theory on navigation – the journal copies all had fundamental information – to advice on ship construction and more.
If they wanted more and had learnt the contents of the journals front and back – the journal copies in particular which had all of the wisdom and knowledge he remembered from his previous life – Gael would give them access to the stores of journals he had left behind with her. Journals that could revolutionise this world.
"Yes father" Valarr said with a look that was suspiciously expectant. "Will you also tell us of how the war really went?" Valarr asked. "We'll be men in three years' time after all."
"Tell you what." Aegon said as he got up. "I'll tell you about the war if you can last two minutes against me in the training yard." He said with a smile on his face.
To be truthful, he intended to let them know all of the filth and darkness of the war after they were of age and ready to hear more of what he was…what he needed to be.
"Ah…that's unfair. Only a few of the knights can even do that." Valarr groaned.
"And you know who those knights are so you should aim to beat them to stand a chance against me." Aegon said with a laugh before he helped his sons up on their feet.
"But if that is too much of a challenge for you…" Aegon trailed off leadingly as he walked away from his sons and he chuckled silently at their quick denials born from the boyish desire to prove oneself.
And, as they made good speed down the mountain, his sons chattering away with one another, him remaining quiet but ever listening, he couldn't help but smile at his sons.
Yes…
He was fortunate to be their father.
Two days later…
Aegon stared at the shores with a stony face, his eyes trailing across the faces of his family who waved him goodbye. It would be years before he'd see them.
Years where his youngest would shoot up in height, shoot up in awareness and curiosity and he would not be there to answer his questions. Years where his daughters would not have his trusted and available ear for hear them out.
Years where his eldest sons would go to be on the cusp of becoming men.
Years where he was leaving Gael alone to oversee the dream that they had come share into fruition.
He often thought about it. About if he was being irresponsible with this war of his.
What if Gael got sick? What if his children gotten sick? What if their crops failed?
What if that damn volcano on Draconys erupted?
What if those horned beings were not as extinct as he hoped they were?
All happening when he was not there. Here.
Aegon closed his eyes and took in a breath.
Moments passed as he calmed himself and let cold logic take root.
The benefits of this war were too great to pass up. He was nearing eight and twenty years of age, the prime of his life. His war was distant, far from home, with few avenues to strike at what matters most.
The wealth and all else he'd gained from this war would ensure Elamaerys would be secure…both from their enemies and from within.
Aegon reopened his eyes, a steely glint shining in his eyes as he stared at his family for a few moments longer. Moments later, he turned away.
"Raise anchors!" Aegon bellowed as he walked towards the direction of his cabin.
The sound of great clanking steel chains against wood sounded out as it was pulled from the riverbed, a sound that slowly morphed into a thumping sound, a thumping, thundering sound, a sound that began to drown all else.
And Aegon recognised it.
He recognised it for what it was.
For it was the drums of war.