52
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112 AC
Kingslanding
Rhaenyra Targaryen
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"How are you feeling?" Myriah asks as she enters my room after the Kingsguard opened the door to tell me who was there.
"I still feel miserable, but I want to know what you managed to find out." It has been almost a fortnight since we received word of my Husband taking Lys.
His sister was just as concerned as I was and after not getting word about anything else for nearly two weeks she left two days ago to fly down to Sunspear. She was told if she shows up in the Stepstones she will be harshly punished so she avoided heading to the source of our joint concern. But we both thought she might find something out if she went to the closest place to the source.
"You sure you are feeling well enough to even be out of bed? You were pretty rough when I left and I do not want to keep you from resting if you're still feeling unwell." I nod and prod her with my eyes to tell me what she knows about the war. "Ok, so my Mother told me that men coming back and forth running supplies gave her an update. She said they have secured every island except for the last three, which are Bloodstone, Dark Den, and The Skulls. Tyrosh and little Tyrosh are not included in that because Daeron already caused a mess with Lys." I roll my eyes and look back to the mirror in front of me before I start combing my hair again.
"So he is still alive?" I ask even though I know she would not be here if he died, I just want to hear the words.
"He is alive, my Mother told me that might change when he gets back to Sunspear to face her wrath though." I chuckle imagining Daeron facing off against his Mother but I have never seen her angry so I don't know what it would look like.
"Good, I hope she leaves enough for me to wring out for answers on why he took a Free City out of nowhere." I would have thought if he wanted to play at being the conqueror he would have told me or something.
I am upset he did not mention his intentions but it may also be that he did not know he was going to until he got there. They say he did little damage and got control of the city easily, order is kept by some Dornish men and Lys is open to trade and business once more. It almost seems like he just showed up and took it without a fight but I know that is not the case since he apparently burned a sellsword company to ashes... I think they went by Second Sons or something.
Either way, I want to fly down on Syrax and see him myself to get my answers but my Father told me to let my husband play at war without worrying for his wife. I was asked to stop being the cupbearer not long after being made into a wife and the heir so I have not really had much to do. So other than looking into the Long Night and planning my house's biggest royal progress ever done I have been lazing about. Myriah said I should still sit in on council meetings but when I asked my Father said there were other things I could be doing but did not actually say what they were. then add on my husband doing wild things down south and my body revolting every morning and I am left feeling hollow and just wanting to get out of here for a while.
"Do you think it would be too soon for me to fly down to visit Sunspear?" I already know the answer, I was told 'It's too dangerous right now' when I told my Father my desire.
"I made it there and back just fine but anything can happen, the Triarchy could get desperate and try to take hostages in Sunspear. They would have to get through the islands that already are claimed by Dorne but it's not impossible. I would like to go back, just the little time I was there made me ache to stay but I don't want to leave you with no one to pester you." I snort at her and she chuckles and it clears a little of the bad feeling I was having away but soon my stomach turns and I rush to a bucket I had delivered.
Heaving I hold the bucket and groan as my stomach tries to kill me and my head joins in with a splitting ache. I feel a cool hand on my back and it starts rubbing circles as I suffer and I wonder if I was poisoned or something.
"Maybe you should get looked at, it's been like a week since this started." I nod as I set the bucket back down.
"I got looked at when you were gone but the Maester acted odd and told me I would be fine and needed rest. He said if it keeps up for a while longer I should come back but it's only been a day and I don't think that is long enough." She pulls me back up to my feet and sets the back of her hand on my forehead with the coolness of her hand making some of the pain go away.
"I think he is full of shit, let's go see that healer woman we saw when we went out with Alicent not long ago." I raise an eyebrow at her rather rude way of dismissing the aged Grand Maester, though I agree he is full of shit.
"I might need to bring the bucket..." I feel dizzy as I step forward and Myriah helps me sit on my bed with my bucket in my hands.
"How about you just rest and I will go get her." Myriah seems set on me seeing this woman so I nod before a thought hits me.
"She runs a shop, how are you going to pull her here?" Myriah pulls a coin purse out of somewhere on her clothes and shakes it making the sound of coins clinking together.
She then turns to walk away with a wave over her shoulder and I sigh as she is set on doing what she wants. But I suppose that is one of the reasons I like her, she does what she wants and seems to never regret anything. I lay back on my bed with the bucket in my lap and try to ignore the stirrings in my stomach as I try to take a nap.
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112 AC
Stepstones
Daeron Nymeros Martell
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The Skulls is empty and Lewyn and Laenor are headed toward Dark Den so even if there is anyone on it they won't be for long. Looking around at the recently burned ships I wonder how many more I will burn before they give up. Their attack on Wreckstone three days ago doomed them when we caught them in the act with the dragons. Twenty ships went down and an unknown number of men drown or were burned.
After today it should just be Bloodstone and our ships will be sending men from Sunstone soon enough. The Stepstones will be 'cleared' and we will immediately start building a fort on Bloodstone. A ring fort with a tower constructed in the middle at the highest position on the island. The caves all over the island will be collapsed to the best of our ability and the beaches at key points fortified. Five thousand men will stay on Bloodstone for likely years, rotating out with fresh men from Dorne every half a year. I know for a fact these men would rather be on 'Lys duty' but it is what it is and we need to have a strong seat of power in the Stepstones to help hold it.
We have captured quite a few ships as well, roughly half the amount we have sunk have also been captured. I would like to capture them all but the dragons would serve no purpose if we did not use them. It even helps when we burn a few and the crews of the rest bail overboard to try and avoid the flames. It makes it easy to steal the empty ship and boost the size of our fleet, Lewyn will need a strong fleet to hold the Stepstones.
A large fuck off dragon is the key to holding it but collecting a toll which will be the lifeblood and fund this whole venture will take a fleet. So the more ships the merrier as far as I am concerned, my brother will need them so he will get them.
I am still a little depressed I was told to not capture Tyrosh to cut off where their supplies are coming from. I could have done it in less than a day after I scouted out how they have their defenses. But my Father said we would have to reach too far past the men on Bloodstone to send any ships and men with me. He wants to take no chances of getting attacked from the rear even though I would just burn any pursuers.
But I already will have problems enough with Lys for now and how to get it up and running in the new 'order'. Lys will be the project city and is going well so far but it's a long way from the vision I have for it. So grabbing Tyrosh might be a bit overeager, I need to prove I can strip slavery without collapsing a Free City before I go for another.
But if after this war the two remaining daughters cause me problems they will learn quickly I can and will take more than one even if it's too much to manage. I will adapt and overcome even if I come out bloody afterward, I will move on stronger for it.
""Let's go!"" I shout out for my partner to remove him from his hunting mood, it's time to head to see if my brother and Laenor need any help.
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Flying into camp on Sunstone after joining up with the other two dragons I see the ships being prepared and I already see some captured ships flying Martell sails. I shake my head at how fast my Father was to brand the ships with our logo so Corlys wouldn't get any ideas.
"You need a good scrubbing." I joke when I see Laenor walk up next to me covered in ash.
"You need a good scrubbing as well, I can smell you from on top of Seasmoke." I snort and punch his shoulder before narrowly avoiding a headlock from Lewyn.
"If you want to talk about smelling bad..." I point at Lewyn as I make a retching sound and he narrows his eyes with a dangerous look in them.
"How about I have Tyraxes give you some help with a bath, a good flame bath will clean you down to your bones." I look over at the large brown dragon who is sniffing after some sheep that is routinely delivered each time he arrives at camp.
Poor guy has to go days without a good meal and eats little small meals when he gets a chance. Lewyn will have to make him a sheep farm on Bloodstone or risk him revolting and flying off to find a field full of sheep on his own.
"I am fine, I will just bathe the regular way with some clean water." I shake my head and nearly break out into a run toward the command tent as I hear boots start sprinting behind me as they decide to team up to take me down.
That feeling when your own blood brother turns on you...
But at least we can relax a little before the ships set off to end this war and things can start unwinding as long as the two daughters bow out. If they press on and try to screw with us when they have no ground to stand on I will be more than happy to visit their homes. Lys is my example to them of what I will do and if they don't heed it, they will become it.