49

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112 AC

Lys

Lysandro Rogare

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Pacing around the room I bite my lip to prevent more curses from spewing out at the damn fools playing at King in the Stepstones. We had a good thing going but they could not be satisfied and wanted more and more. I told the men who bank with my family to limit the greed as best they could before we bring down the wrath of a foreign force not taking kindly to the ever-increasing tolls.

Instead, they got it in their head to start taking beautiful women as part of the tolls just as the pirates did before, to stock their pillow houses. I knew someone would declare war against the triarchy soon enough, it was only a matter of time. Now I hear the Martells partnered up with the Sea Snake to clear out the Stepstones with their new dragons. Things have been going from bad to worse recently.

With my Father falling ill and soon going to his grave people are also rising up to challenge me for the power my family holds. But as the biggest bank in Lys and growing even to rival the Iron Bank, it is not easy to shift our power. My Father may have died too soon but he left me in a good position thank the gods, I can still hold on to our family's life blood the bank and beat back any would-be challengers.

I have long since cut off support to the Stepstones and focused more on holding part of the Disputed lands but I fear that has left us open with the Martells making a move. Moving hand in hand with the partners of my family and those who owe us a debt, we only just managed to fortify the walls in hopes of preventing a direct attack. The sell swords we have hired are mainly here to prevent pirate attacks and were not happy to hear about a potential invasion of the Dornish. But promises of gold and the finest whores got them onto the walls and manning the Scorpions.

I just hope they will not be necessary.

----

"What?!" I stand pushing the chair behind me, and it clatters to the ground in my solar.

The messenger who came to deliver stories from fishermen shakes and looks around the room for an escape as the men at the door block his escape.

"There have been sightings of a black dragon, the fishermen who saw the beast said it landed on one of the smaller islands they usually fish off. It apparently was there for a few hours before it flew off and they rushed back after managing to hide from it long enough." Only the Gods know how long it took this to get to me, but I know exactly why it was there.

They are coming to Lys.

How many I can not say but the dragon alone is capable of devastating Lys should it spew its fire. Damn overconfident fools sailed off with most of our fleet to help fortify the Stepstones leaving only a portion for defense and transporting resources from the disputed lands. If word has already reached the sell swords, they will likely just throw down their weapons and hide.

I am sure the other magisters have also heard this tale, probably also trying to find a spot to hide from the coming storm. I would not doubt men are soon to storm Lys along with the dragon that was spotted, and we are hopeless to stop it. I need to think about preservation, we need to survive this and it will be hard. I expect them to want to sack the city and the family bank will be a huge target...

"Fuck!" I throw the cup of wine I was drinking at the wall. "Get out!" I shout at the man who delivered these damned words, I am likely to strangle him if he stays.

He scampers out of the room and the guards step out and close the door behind themselves. I am left alone among the burning candles and trickling water from the fountain on the balcony. Soon it will be burning buildings and trickling blood when they hit us, and I have no way to stop what will happen to my property.

Time and time again I tried to pull my fellow Lyseni out of the shipping lanes with the target that was being painted on it. Now we all will pay for the greed of the few, I curse those fools and hope they meet the dragons fire themselves.

I stand and pat down my clothes before heading for the door to go find my wife and get my children to safety. I do not know where we will be safe but we can try and wait it out in our palace. I would like to head to the bank and hide in the vaults but I am sure the dragon will melt down any metal door in its way.

----

"What is happening?" My wife asks for the fourth time and I sigh as the palace is fortified to the best of the abilities of the guards I pay.

"War is happening, I fear it won't be long and there will be flames spreading and men storming through the city." She stiffens and pulls our youngest babe tightly to her chest while looking out a window not far away.

"I-I See." I pull my oldest son Lysaro to my side and he presses his face against my leg.

I open my mouth to speak, meaningless words of assurances of our safety to calm her down but I stop as I hear something that makes my heart nearly stop. I feel my skin crawl as the roar from high in the sky echoes across Lys, the city going silent as a grave.

I rush to the window and watch with wide eyes as a black dragon dives toward the city. Easily spotted with not just its size but the contrast of its onyx scales against the blue skies. I take a deep breath as it gets close and close and its wings open stopping its dive as it starts to level out. Traveling far faster than I would ever expect of such a massive beast it soars over the balls with its mouth opening wide.

I am surprised to even still see some men on the walls, maybe someone kept the story of a dragon being near silent. But as blinding green flames cover the wall in their eerie light I know those men are dead. I see some of the scorpion's fire and bolts sail through the air before losing sight of them. They do nothing to stop the dragon as it follows the wall burning everything on it and melting the top fifth of it like a candle.

If the walls were not built by the Dragonlords of old I would expect nothing to be left of the dragon's hellish flames. It reaches the end of the southern wall and climbs back up into the sky with its massive black wings. I look over the walls that have always stood tall in defense of Lys, seeing them smoking and covered in green flames I feel exposed like never before. Stripped bare without even so much as a touch, just as easily as the walls burn so too will all of us trapped inside should the rider wish it.

I just pray to any god that will hear me that the complete destruction of Lys is not what the Dragon or its Rider seeks.

----

I feel a shove on my back and resist turning on the man to yell at him, this man is not one to be yelled at. The Martell sigil etched on his armor and a Dornish spear in hand, not someone to be yelled at indeed. The Martells have the run of Lys at the moment with thousands of Dornish taking control of the city. There are soldiers marching the streets and forcing people inside while dragging out anyone of real power, or in other words the rich.

I see quite a few of my fellow Magisters being guided to where the giant dragon landed in the middle of the city. Each step closer makes my heart leap in my chest as the size of the beast only seems to grow the closer I get. I still send thanks to the gods, only the walls felt the dragon's flames and then the Western gate for the Port was destroyed letting in the Dornish. It is not nearly as bad as it could have been but I suppose I do not know that for sure until I hear why we are being gathered.

Though I have a good idea...

I spot the silver-haired man standing beside the dragon's lowered head with his hand resting on its snout. I can guess exactly why we are being gathered, a fool can see the truth as the dragon did minimal damage and the men are not sacking but instead capturing the city. Maybe I am wrong but I have a feeling the man with the Martell sun and spear on the chest of his armor is here to do what many of us Magisters have longed to do. To claim Lys in her entirety, the Dragon Lords paradise firmly in his own hands at the threat of burning if she does not bend.

It is what I would do if I had a dragon, well the least of what I would do.

But if he thinks it will be easy he is in for a surprise, Lys may be famed for making her gold on her knees and on her back but she always rises from her knees and never lays for long. She always comes out of every interaction richer than she was before and people still throw themselves at her feet. Since the Doom of Valyria, no man has dared claim to rule Lys, even the Dragon Lords left her to do as she liked.

But I suppose I may be getting ahead of myself anyway, for all, I know he is gathering us not to inform us of his intentions to rule us but instead for something else.

----

"You all are likely concerned about what my plans are." The gathered Magisters all stand before who we now know is Prince Daeron of Dorne. "Well, I gathered the Magisters together to tell you all formally that Lys will no longer send aid or men to the Stepstones. The Stepstones will be claimed by House Martell and become a part of Dorne, this is not up for discussion. I could easily steal everything of value at this point and have my ships sail it away before burning this city to ash and slag. I did minimal damage and am being generous in not sacking this city for what it is worth and sailing away to do the same to the other 'two daughters'." He paces back and forth as he talks with his hands behind his back and eyes roaming to meet the eyes of all the gathered magisters.

I can see fear and anger on the faces of many of the men I know, they are split like a log when an axe hits it. Half look ready to plead for their lives and the rest look ready to spit at the Martell Prince but I find this situation... promising. He is not cutting heads and burning houses but instead firmly grasping the leading men of Lys to inform them of his decisions. I almost want to laugh at the absurdity of it, a boy compared to many here is telling them what they will and won't do, they will hate this.

But I suppose I am also considered a 'boy' for the most part as I am still yet to prove myself of the power my Father left suddenly in my hands. Though I think he 'proved' himself plenty with no need for the usual method...

I narrow my eyes looking at the image of old Valyria before his massive dragon, carrying the name 'Nymeros' almost like a joke to the histories of the Rhoynar and Valyria. But he neither strikes me as a Valyrian nor a Rhoynar, he fears not using the flames of the dragon but also held back from completely decimating as the Valyrians were known to do.

"My plans for Lys at this moment are to meet with each of the Magisters individually and discuss the terms I will be presenting. Business can go on as usual but my men will be responsible for the protection of the city and keeping the peace on the streets. Fear not, they will not be smashing in shops and stealing away your wife's and daughters... actually if your wife or daughter is seduced away by one of my men you can only blame yourself!" A round of cheers comes from some of the men surrounding us and the Prince smiles. "For now you can return to your homes and I will be summoning you one by one, a warning to those foolish enough to fuck with me." The Prince stops pacing and turns to face us with a cruel smile on his face. "I will let Gaelithox eat one hundred people for each dead Dornish man I see in this city. If you try to run, you will find there are no ships at port other than mine and you will be hanged from the wall and beaten to death upon being found. That is all, let's keep things nice and peaceful and everything will turn out just fine." He turns and walks off with his men following behind, his dragon lets out a ground-shaking growl before pushing itself off the ground and taking to the skies.

I gulp and look around to see the majority now looking like ghost's with only a foolish few glaring at the departing Prince. I recognize many of the same fools who pushed so heavily for slaving women found in the Stepstones to send back to their pillow houses. I grit my teeth and remember the words 'for each dead Dornish man' and I know I will have to do something before the dragon starts feasting on crowds of people.