Chapter 16: The Culling of the Squids (139 AC)
The unified realm, forged by King Viserys I's iron will and brilliant strategy, had known an uneasy peace for several years. Dorne was subdued, its spirit broken by economic strangulation rather than blood, and the Great Houses bent to the Crown's ever-tightening grip. Viserys's economic reforms, from royal distilleries to the Dragon Bank, were filling his coffers and providing an unparalleled network of intelligence. Yet, in the cold, unforgiving waters of the Sunset Sea, an ancient, savage defiance festered. The Ironborn, worshippers of the Drowned God, whose very way of life was built upon reaving and raiding, remained an anachronism in Viserys's new order.
They had been quiet for a time, wary of the burgeoning Royal Fleet and the omnipresent dragons. But the lure of plunder, and an ingrained contempt for the "greenlander" ways, proved too strong. In the early months of 139 AC, a significant portion of Viserys's Royal Merchant Fleet, laden with precious silks, spices, and exotic timber from Essos – including several of his newly designed, high-capacity vessels – was returning to Lannisport. An audacious fleet of Ironborn longships, under the command of Lord Dagmer Greyjoy, launched a surprise attack. They swarmed the merchant vessels, their axes and cutlasses flashing, their war cries echoing across the waves. They captured dozens of ships, slaughtering their crews and seizing cargo worth a king's ransom. Even more galling to Viserys, they burned several of his prized, innovative ships, a direct affront to his vision of maritime supremacy.
The news reached King's Landing swiftly, carried by a lone, battered messenger ship. When the Master of Ships, Ser Desmond Duskendale, delivered the grim report to Viserys, the air in the Small Council chamber turned cold. Viserys listened in silence, his expression utterly devoid of emotion, a dangerous calm settling over him. This was not a minor piracy incident; this was a direct challenge to his absolute authority, his economic dominance, and the very foundation of his unassailable dynasty.
> "The Ironborn," Viserys finally spoke, his voice a low, even murmur that held more menace than any shout, "are a cancer. A parasitic element that preys on the prosperity I have carefully cultivated. They seek to undermine the peace I have forged. They will be excised."
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This would not be a campaign of attrition or subtle coercion. This would be a demonstration of raw, overwhelming power, a systematic annihilation designed to leave an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of Westeros. Viserys viewed the Ironborn not as a kingdom to be integrated, but as a pestilence to be eradicated. He would make an example of them so brutal, so absolute, that no House, no matter how proud or isolated, would ever again dare to question the Iron Throne's supremacy.
He laid out his plan to his council, including a now twenty-five-year-old Prince Aemon, who stood beside his father, his own eyes hardening as he grasped the chilling scale of the King's intent.
> "There will be no negotiation," Viserys declared. "No terms offered. No quarter given. The Iron Islands will remember this day for a thousand years. Every fleet, every stronghold, every holdfast that harbors these reavers will burn."
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The attack was meticulously coordinated. Viserys did not send a naval invasion first. He would lead with fire.
A fortnight later, the skies above the Iron Islands darkened, not with storm clouds, but with three colossal, terrifying shadows. Balerion the Black Dread, ridden by King Viserys himself, led the assault. Beside him soared Meleys, the Red Queen, with Queen Rhaenys, a fierce warrior in her own right, upon her back. And finally, Argentia, the Silver Fury, carrying Prince Aemon, his face grim but resolute. This was not a targeted strike; this was a widespread campaign of annihilation.
The combined dragon attack was apocalyptic. They descended upon the Iron Islands as avenging gods. Balerion's black flames, revitalized by the serum, turned stone to slag and ships to ashes. Meleys's swift, searing fire swept across coastal settlements, igniting longhouses and drying up wells. Argentia, with Aemon, focused on precision strikes, collapsing watchtowers and burning strategic choke points in the mountain passes, ensuring no escape.
Their primary target: the Ironborn fleet. Hundreds of longships, berthed in their harbors or scattered at sea, were caught in the inferno. Old Wyk, Great Wyk, Pyke, Harlaw, Orkmont – every major island saw its ports become funeral pyres. The Dragons flew low, their roars deafening, their fire washing over the ships, turning wood and sail to cinders in moments. The Ironborn, for all their famed seamanship, were helpless. Their longships, built for raiding, were tinderboxes against dragonfire. The entire Ironborn fleet was utterly destroyed, burnt to ashes in their home waters, eliminating their core strength and their very means of existence.
Then came the burning of the lands. Viserys had ordered no indiscriminate slaughter of smallfolk, but a systematic devastation of their infrastructure. Settlements, farms, fishing villages, and anything that could sustain their raiding lifestyle was put to the torch. They targeted fields, salt pans, and sources of fresh water, making the islands largely uninhabitable and economically unviable for a prolonged period. The stench of smoke and death hung heavy in the air for weeks. The message was unmistakable: the Ironborn way of life was to be obliterated.
After days of relentless, systematic destruction, the dragons returned to King's Landing, leaving behind a scarred, smoldering archipelago, a desolate monument to defiance.
Immediately following the devastation, Viserys issued a series of sweeping decrees, delivered by armed detachments of the Royal Army who landed on the few remaining, untouched strongholds. There was no negotiation, only command.
* Outlawing the Drowned God: The worship of the Drowned God was strictly forbidden. All septons of the Drowned God were to be immediately arrested and sent to the Wall, or executed if they resisted. The Faith of the Seven was mandated as the sole religion. Septs would be built on every major island, and maesters dispatched to teach the doctrines of the Seven.
* Abolition of Raiding and Thralls: The practice of reaving, raiding, and the taking of thralls was outlawed under penalty of immediate death for any Ironborn, regardless of rank, who engaged in such practices. The Ironborn were to become a peaceful, productive part of the realm, or cease to exist.
* Permanent Royal Garrisons: Massive, heavily fortified royal garrisons were established on Pyke, Great Wyk, and Old Wyk. These forces, drawn from the most disciplined elements of the Royal Army, would enforce the new laws with an iron fist. Any attempt at defiance would be met with immediate and overwhelming force.
* Disarmament: All longships, weapons, and armor not directly sanctioned by the Crown were to be surrendered. Ironborn castles were to be significantly scaled down, their defenses dismantled.
The political aftermath was profound and chilling. The other Great Houses, who had perhaps grumbled at Viserys's centralizing tendencies, now understood the full, terrifying extent of his power. The Iron Islands, once a nuisance, were now a desolate, eternally scarred reminder of the price of absolute defiance. No lord in Westeros would ever again mistake Viserys's cold pragmatism for weakness. He had made his example, and the message echoed across the continent: challenge the Dragon, and you risk not merely defeat, but utter obliteration. The consolidation of Westeros was complete, forged in fire and absolute power.