On the seventh day of the fifth month, 120 AC, the second volley of Aegon's diplomatic war hit the shores of Essos.
He issued a formal clarification: his quarrel was with Tyrosh and Tyrosh alone. To the other Free Cities—Myr, Lys, Volantis, and Braavos—he offered a cold peace. But the peace came with a dragon's shadow. "Should any city-state send so much as a single galley to bolster Tyrosh," the decree read, "the True Dragon will not waste time on your borders. He will burn your city centers, your palaces, and your docks to ash."
Aegon didn't need to preach the "liberation of slaves." By threatening the concentrated wealth of the merchant princes, he forced them to weigh the cost of a neighbor's survival against the incineration of their own counting houses.
True Dragon Port
The construction of the capital was a hungry beast. Aegon had poured every craftsman and the sailors brought by Loren Lannister into the foundations of the harbor, yet they were but a drop in the ocean.
"The port can wait a week for its stones," Ser Loren said, looking at the forty-five warships now bobbing in the bay. "But your 'refugees' cannot wait on Tyrosh. Let me set off today."
Aegon calculated the risks. He had effectively seized the Stepstones' choke points. By blocking the second and third channels with twenty ships, he forced all traffic into the First Channel, ensuring a steady stream of tolls. That left him with twenty-five warships and twenty massive Lannister cogs.
"Take twenty warships to escort the cargo ships," Aegon decided. "Keep the soldier count light on the cogs to maximize room for the people. And take Aemond."
"With Vhagar at our back," Loren smiled, "the Archon's fleet is nothing but kindling."
Aegon watched as the fleet prepared to weigh anchor. He pulled Aemond aside, the boy practically vibrating with the desire to prove himself.
"Aemond," Aegon said, reaching out to gently ruffle his brother's silver hair, his voice dropping an octave. "This mission is the heartbeat of our new home. If these ships come back empty, our city dies in the dirt. Take it seriously, little brother. And be careful."
Aemond looked up, his eye gleaming with fierce pride. "Don't worry, brother. When have I ever failed you?"
He mounted Vhagar, the ancient she-dragon letting out a rumble that vibrated through the very bedrock of the island. "Vhagar! Sōves!"
The mountain of leather and scale lumbered forward, her tattered wings beating the air into a frenzy as she rose to shadow Loren's fleet. They headed straight for Tyrosh.
May 9th: Tyrosh
Beneath the charred ruins of the Archon's Palace, in a damp, torch-lit cellar, the remnants of the Tyroshian leadership huddled in fear.
"Chief," a scout whispered, his voice echoing off the stones. "A fleet has been sighted. Twenty-five warships and twenty heavy cogs. They fly the Golden Lion of the West and the Three-Headed Dragon."
Nekania, the acting leader of the city, rubbed his temples. "And the dragon? Where is the beast?"
"We see nothing but clouds, Chief. But if the dragon hides above the mist, our eyes are useless."
Nekania paced the cellar. During the war against Daemon Targaryen, the Triarchy had held their own because Daemon was a traditional soldier; he fought for islands and forts. But Aegon was a terrorist in a crown. He didn't care for the "rules." He simply burned the docks and the markets.
"Elville," Nekania turned to his advisor. "What is the boy's aim? He doesn't have the men to garrison this city. If he lands forty ships of soldiers, we'll cut them to pieces in the alleys once the dragons leave."
Elville frowned, his mind racing through the intelligence they had gathered. Aegon was short on men—that was his greatest weakness. To occupy a city of three hundred thousand with a few thousand Westermen was suicide.
"He isn't coming for the city," Elville said, his eyes widening as the realization struck him. "He knows he can't hold Tyrosh. He's coming for the inventory."
Nekania froze. "The slaves? On the Lango Highlands?"
"The Rebel Army," Elville hissed. "He isn't coming to fight us, Nekania. He's coming to steal our labor force before we can put the collars back on them!"
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