When Jorah Mormont stormed into the Black Wall of Tyrosh, he felt dazed, as if he had stepped into another lifetime. This was not his first dealing with the Tyroshi.
Back on Bear Island in the North, he had tried to please his wealthy Reach wife, Lynesse Hightower.
He bought her luxuries until every last coin was gone and he was left destitute. To repay his debts, he broke the laws of the Seven Kingdoms and sold poachers to the Tyroshi as slaves.
When it was exposed, his liege lord Eddard Stark sentenced him to death. Jorah neither took the black nor faced execution. Instead, he fled with Lynesse to the Free Cities.
"Perhaps it was my fault. I brought her, unprepared, to that poor, harsh, remote Bear Island."
The thought was bitter. Even now, he still found himself thinking of the woman who had abandoned him.
"The past is past!"
Jorah lifted his longsword as if cutting away those unbearable memories. He drew a deep breath, looked over the streets of Tyrosh's inner city, and steadied himself.
Leading the elite soldiers of the Wolf Pack, Jorah entered the Black Wall of Tyrosh through its opened gates. The once formidable stronghold now felt frail and powerless.
The Black Wall was solid enough, but the Tyroshi nobles no longer had the courage to defend it to the bitter end. The Myrmen had failed. The Dothraki Screamers had failed. Reinforcements had yet to arrive.
Gendry gazed up at the towering Black Wall of Tyrosh. Even now, Valyrian black technology continued to shelter the people within.
Most Valyrian fortresses were built as elliptical walls of fused black stone. It was said that the Black Wall of Volantis was the most magnificent of them all, far taller than Tyrosh's. The walls of Volantis rose two hundred feet high and were so broad that six wagons, each drawn by four horses, could race side by side atop them.
"Ser Jorah is a clever man. Letting him lead the assault on the Black Wall was the safest choice," said Maester Qyburn.
If the enraged, newly freed Tyroshi slaves had been the ones to storm the Black Wall, it would have ended in mad slaughter and revenge.
"I've heard his story," the Handsome Man commented. "He's truly a man ruled by love. A Northman marrying a woman from the Reach always feels strange. He should have taken a Northern wife. Perhaps he wouldn't have ended up in such a mess."
"He loved too deeply, and it left him covered in scars."
In Gendry's eyes, Jorah might well be the most "devoted" man in all Westeros. But he was no longer the destitute exile he once had been. He had a new life now.
Truthfully, Gendry thought it might be better if the Red Viper were the one to talk to Jorah. The Red Viper was a veteran in matters of love, while Jorah had only ever been the suffering fool.
"Once Tyrosh is pacified, we'll need to reorganize all our forces."
Gendry watched the noisy Black Wall of Tyrosh. High above, Tyrosh banners were already being torn down and cast aside.
"A standing army."
Handsome Man's interest was piqued. His sword hand was effectively ruined, and the recovery had not been promising. These days he served more as a strategist. With the wealth and manpower of the Twin Cities alliance, they truly had the capacity to form a standing army.
Gendry had been thinking about this for some time. Tyrosh and Myr, the Twin Cities, stood in a land of constant conflict. To the east were the Dothraki. To the south, Lys and Volantis. To the west, Westeros. Only Pentos was weak. Surrounded on all sides, they needed to gather their strength and establish a permanent force.
His plan was straightforward: one legion from the Wolf Pack, one from the freed slaves, and another built around the Second Sons. As for the Dothraki Screamers, they would serve as auxiliary troops and shock cavalry.
In truth, Gendry also wanted to form a legion of Unsullied. But Slaver's Bay was far too distant, and seizing them by force was not an option. If he wanted an Unsullied army without paying for it, he would have to wait until the dragons hatched, then head to Slaver's Bay and take them for free.
"Storms are brewing in Lys and Volantis. We need to be ready," Longspear said. "And across the Narrow Sea as well, if those lords decide to make war on us."
"Legions alone aren't enough. We need a proper system of ranks to match," Gendry added.
He had no intention of adopting the manorial feudal system of Westeros. A standing army had to be built on rank and salary. Once he finished expanding the forces, they would have the strength to stand against any of these enemies.
Many mercenary companies, and even great houses, already used military ranks, though their systems were incomplete. Admiral was often little more than an honorary title. The Golden Company, for example, had sergeant ranks as senior positions, while soldiers held ordinary rank. Gendry intended to establish a clear path from soldier to sergeant, from junior officer to field officer, all the way up to general, largely casting aside considerations of lineage.
Maester Qyburn added, "In the Seven Kingdoms, the only house wealthy and capable enough to maintain a true standing army is House Lannister of the Westerlands. And they are also a potential enemy."
That was the reality. The Reach and the Westerlands were the richest regions in the Seven Kingdoms. Years ago, Tywin had crushed the Reyne-Tarbeck rebellion and completed the centralization of his power. The Reach had the larger population, but compared to the Westerlands, it was far more loosely structured.
Within the Westerlands, there were no powerful second-tier lords left. Any who showed promise had been eliminated by Tywin. In one stroke, House Lannister achieved true centralization. With their prestige and lack of serious rivals, they stood out sharply among the great houses.
"How strong are the Lannister armies?" Longspear asked Qyburn. "During the era of the Dance of the Dragons, weren't they once defeated by the Winter Wolves?"
"Oh, come on. A century is more than enough time for the gap in population and equipment between the North and the Westerlands to widen," the Handsome Man said. "The Westerlands have far deeper reserves than any other region."
"Wealthy and well-trained," Maester Qyburn replied. "Now that Great Lord Tywin rules Casterly Rock, and he is both iron-willed and ruthless, the Westerlands can muster at least thirty thousand men when war comes. Among them, ten thousand knights and fifteen thousand infantry, with no fewer than five thousand heavy cavalry."
Once we finish building our army, we'll have our chance to face that lion.
Gendry's grudge against House Lannister ran deep. Part of it was personal. Part of it stemmed from the old royalist cause. The conflict between them was irreconcilable.
Still, in terms of timing, it was only a secondary contradiction. With Old Jon dead, the Lannisters had more than enough troubles to deal with.
"Any secret letters from Great Lord Stannis?" Gendry asked Qyburn.
"None so far," the maester replied.
Gendry was unconcerned. With nothing but wilderness around him, was Stannis truly planning to hole up on Dragonstone forever? Unless the Red Witch appeared as some kind of miracle, Stannis was simply waiting for death.
A short while later, Ser Jorah returned with his men.
"Tyrosh has submitted, Lord Commander," Jorah reported.
"And the Archon of Tyrosh?" Gendry asked. "What about those on the list of traitors?"
"The Archon has been poisoned. A fitting end for his recklessness and stubbornness. As for those on the list, aside from the ones killed in battle, the rest are being arrested one by one."
"And the High Septon of the Three-Headed God?"
"He has been escorted back to the temple by the soldiers. His mood is stable."
"I told you we would meet again."
Gendry spotted Alequo in the crowd. The man looked hollowed out, his frame gaunt. He had clearly spent a long time in the dungeons of Tyrosh.
"I regret that I failed to see clearly and suffered humiliation twice," Alequo said in shame. After returning, he had indeed been dealt with by the Archon of Tyrosh and the war-hungry Magisters.
"Enough. Clean up that mess of hair and swear loyalty to me."
"Lord Commander, this knight fought bravely. He personally slew several masters of the Tyroshi garrison during the battle," Jorah added, recommending him.
Gendry studied the knight before him. His features were plain, with graying hair, a flattened nose, and a square jaw. His build, however, was broad and powerful.
"Lothor Brune, Lord Commander," the knight said.
"A fine warrior," Gendry praised.
He had some impression of this man. The one later known as the Apple Eater. Not a famous name, but undeniably a skilled fighter.