Aegon sat upright in the enclosed saddle on Balerion's back, his eyes drifting now and then to the map in his hands, checking carefully for any deviation from the planned flight path.
This route would take Balerion across the Westerlands, heading straight for Fair Isle.
After some time in the air, the rolling hills of the High Heart appeared on the horizon.
Thirty-one massive weirwood stumps were arranged in a perfect circle—seen from above, they resembled a mystical ritual array from some ancient ceremony.
During the past winter, Aegon had flown Balerion around the Crownlands on inspection and had become familiar with this region.
According to legend, the High Heart was haunted by the ghosts of the Children of the Forest slain by Erreg, King of the Andals.
Aegon had once ordered Balerion to land here to investigate, but found nothing unusual. Still, there was indeed an inexplicable spiritual energy lingering around the hill.
What purpose it served, Aegon could not say.
...
Balerion continued his flight, and soon they arrived over Golden Tooth.
The castle had once belonged to House Lannister, but was now part of the Crownlands.
Aegon had visited the place many times and knew well that the gold mines were incredibly rich in deposits, but difficult to exploit. The primitive mining methods used in the past had made the tunnels prone to collapse.
Buried within those mines were the remains of many Westerlanders.
Few people from the Westerlands were willing to work as miners. For this reason, House Lannister had long relied on purchasing slaves from Slaver's Bay to extract their gold.
The Westerlands was one of only two regions in Westeros known to use slaves—the other being Aegon's own Crownlands.
However, the Westerlands had always kept this a closely guarded secret. The gold mines were sealed environments, and House Lannister's use of slaves never had a chance to become public knowledge.
It wasn't until Aegon took control of the Golden Tooth mines that he realized the extent to which the Westerlands had been secretly using slaves, and how many lives the gold extraction had cost.
This, too, was one of the reasons Aegon was determined to conquer the Iron Islands through sheer force. Harsh and deadly labor would require lives—and plenty of them.
It might even explain why Loren Lannister had requested the royal order to conquer the Iron Islands.
House Lannister didn't want to sacrifice its own people, and so it looked outward, hoping to acquire a new source of free labor.
After discussing the Dragonlord's treasury with Loren, Aegon realized just how deeply the Duke of the Westerlands understood Valyrian culture. That prompted him to visit the historian, Archmaester Ollidar.
Their conversation brought clarity. The Westerlands and the Iron Islands sat along the Sunset Sea, bordering the Summer Sea. Before the Doom of Valyria, Lannisport and the Valyrian Freehold had been the Iron Islands' largest trading partners.
Back then, the Iron Kingdom ruled by House Hoare sold much of its stolen goods and iron ore to the Freehold.
Both regions had once been major beneficiaries of the Freehold's rise.
After the Freehold was destroyed, both the Westerlands and the Iron Islands lost their most important trade partner.
Tommen II, the King of the Rock, had once led a Golden Fleet to explore the ruined Valyria. After resupplying in Volantis, the fleet mysteriously vanished. Along with it disappeared House Lannister's ancient Valyrian steel greatsword, Lightbringer.
...
Aegon circled briefly over Golden Tooth, but chose not to land.
For a dragon the size of Balerion, his flight speed was unmatched—making the journey from Harrenhal to Golden Tooth relatively swift.
As the people below cheered, Balerion soared on, continuing the journey.
Past Golden Tooth, the landscape began to shift—from plains to rolling hills, and soon to steep mountains thick with jagged peaks.
By afternoon, Aegon and Balerion had arrived safely at Fair Isle.
Aegon had Balerion circle above the port to observe the Reach navy, which had arrived two days earlier.
The coalition from the Reach was vast—nearly three hundred warships, all large vessels.
This fleet alone was enough to overwhelm the Iron Islands, let alone the combined might of the Westerlands' several dozen ships and the hundred-plus vessels from the Riverlands and Crownlands.
The lords of House Farman, rulers of Fair Isle, had received word of the king's arrival in advance. They had prepared a flat landing area near the castle and even gathered cattle and sheep for Balerion to feast on.
Descending slowly through the sky to the roar of familiar cheers, Balerion landed with a thunderous but steady thud.
A latch atop the saddle unlocked, revealing a skylight. Aegon opened it and looked down.
As the dragon touched down, the Riverlands nobles and the head of House Farman knelt together in solemn welcome.
Aegon descended the rope ladder from Balerion's back, walked toward the assembled Reach lords, and helped them to their feet one by one, exchanging polite greetings as he went.
Head of House Farman respectfully asked, "Your Grace, would you like to rest for a moment?"
Aegon shook his head. "No need. Let's go straight to reviewing and discussing the strategy for attacking the Iron Islands."
Head of House Redwyne appeared visibly excited. His family had contributed the largest and most formidable fleet among the Reach forces, making him the strongest contender for the ducal title.
He extended his arm in invitation. "Your Grace, this way please. House Redwyne has engaged the Ironborn many times near the Arbor. There are still a few points in the strategy we outlined in our letters that could use refining."
Aegon gave a slight nod and walked beside him, conversing as they went.
Not far behind, Head of House Hightower, Manfred, frowned slightly. His family had committed everything to this campaign, fielding nearly a hundred ships, yet compared to Redwyne's navy, there was still a significant gap. Worse, they had virtually no combat experience. House Hightower had never been known for martial strength.
But as Manfred recalled that Aegon owed House Hightower a favor for helping with the relocation of the Maesters—and had promised them priority support—he felt reassured.
...
The Reach lords arrived at the main hall of Faircastle. In the center of the hall, several tables had been pushed together to form a large platform, on which a massive leather map had been spread. Wooden markers representing the various Iron Islands houses were positioned across it.
Aegon's attention briefly landed on Lady Raedelle, who stood among the Reach nobility. Perhaps because of her status as a bastard, she had not been permitted to formally greet the king.
Within the hall, Aegon watched as Raedelle walked toward him with elegance and grace, pouring him a cup of rose tea.
He acknowledged her with a slight nod. She smiled sweetly, then stepped back. Now was not the time for affection—this was a war council.
Head of House Manfred sought the king's permission to speak.
Aegon nodded his approval.
The Reach lords' eagerness to contribute to the campaign pleased him.
Manfred picked up a pointer carved from a grapevine branch and directed it at Fair Isle.
"Currently, our fleet is anchored at Fair Isle, which falls under Westerlands territory," he began. "However, the port is too small to accommodate a large number of ships.
"Therefore, once the campaign begins, Lord Loren's Westerlands fleet will wait until our Reach fleet has launched the initial assault on the Iron Islands. His ships will resupply here at Fair Isle before setting sail to join us in the siege.
"The Reach fleet will be responsible for attacking Pyke, while the Westerlands fleet will take on Great Wyk.
"Once Pyke is taken, we'll redirect forces to support the assault on Great Wyk.
"The joint Crownlands and Riverlands fleet will sail from Ironman's Bay to attack Harlaw, and then proceed to seize Orkmont."
"All royal fleets will eventually converge at Orkmont, from where we'll capture the remaining two islands—Old Wyk and Blacktyde."
Aegon gave a small nod. The strategy had been thoroughly discussed over the past year. Manfred had only elaborated on the Westerlands fleet's movements and coordinated roles—everything else was consistent with the original plan.
Manfred passed the pointer to Aegon.
Taking it, Aegon gestured toward Pyke, the seat of House Greyjoy, and said calmly, "I'd like an update on the Iron Islands' current situation. Has there been any shift in their power structure or strength?"
At that moment, the Head of House Hightower took the opportunity to speak. He bowed and requested permission to address the court.
House Hightower held a unique edge when it came to intelligence. Even the ironborn lords relied on Maesters or practitioners of black healing to govern. Though few Maesters served in the Iron Islands, they were enough to provide vital information.
Aegon raised his hand, giving him leave to speak.
Seeing this, Manfred frowned slightly.
House Hightower had always been a rival in his eyes—his most serious competitor for the ducal title.
The Hightower lord bowed in respect to the king, then began with practiced ease, "According to the latest reports from the Maesters on Pyke, over the past year, the Drowned God's priests have convened hundreds of kingsmoots at Nagga's Hill on Old Wyk.
"Nearly every single one descended into bloody conflict.
"Three major factions—Qhorin Volmark of Harlaw, the so-called 'Son of the Drowned God' the Barefoot Prophet Lodos, and Vickon Greyjoy, leader of the raiders—along with their followers, have been fighting on land and sea for over a year."
At that time, the waters between the islands were strewn with corpses, drawing hundreds of Kraken, which fought among themselves over the remains.
After more than a year of brutal infighting, the three factions within the Iron Islands were severely depleted. Now was the perfect moment to launch a war of conquest.
Aegon frowned slightly, tapping the map with his fingers as he asked, "Hundreds of Kraken? There are really that many in the Iron Islands? How many can these three factions actually control?"
The Head of House Hightower replied with a smile, "Not a single one.
And most of those hundreds of Kraken that appeared were no bigger than common squids—nothing to worry about.
Originally, House Hoare possessed a well-established tradition of raising Kraken. But when Black Harren was besieged by Your Grace at Harrenhal, two of the three factions—the Barefoot Saint Lodos and Vickon Greyjoy, leader of the Raiders—joined forces to attack House Hoare's ancestral lands on Orkmont, sparking a rebellion that led to the fall of House Hoare.
The technique for raising Kraken was seized by the Barefoot Saint Lodos.
The dozens of Kraken that showed up near Old Wyk had actually escaped from House Hoare's breeding grounds.
Lodos claimed to the Ironborn that he had acquired the taming technique, and it seems the Kraken at Old Wyk were indeed brought there by him from Orkmont. But throughout the conflict between the three factions, no one ever witnessed him successfully commanding a Kraken."
Aegon pressed on, "So you're saying the Barefoot Saint Lodos really did obtain the Kraken taming method—but he doesn't know how to use it himself? He can only lure them with food?"
The Head of House Hightower nodded. "Highly likely. I suspect that, much like Your Grace's Dragonlord bloodline, Kraken also require a specific lineage to be properly controlled.
Lodos may lack the necessary blood, or perhaps he doesn't have it at all. So even if he possesses the method, he can only act like a Dragonkeeper—able to feed Kraken, but not truly command them.
That's why I believe we must adjust our conquest strategy. We need to capture both the Barefoot Saint Lodos and Qhorin Volmark alive.
First, because Lodos holds the taming technique.
Second, because Qhorin Volmark's grandmother was Harren's sister—he carries the blood of House Hoare.
If we want the Kraken taming technique, we need both of them."
The lords of the Reach all began to breathe more heavily.
Kraken were kings of the sea. House Hoare had ruled the oceans for centuries thanks to them.
Back when House Hoare reigned over the Iron Kingdom, every inch of Westeros' western coast that could smell the sea or hear its waves was under their dominion.
No one heard the name of the Iron King without going pale. Even Argilac the Arrogant, the last Storm King, had to seek an alliance with House Targaryen's Dragonlord to withstand the Iron Kingdom's onslaught.
Who wouldn't want such overwhelming naval power?
They might not rival the Dragonlords, but at the very least, they could reign supreme over all other seaborne forces.
Aegon said flatly, "Back in the days of the Valyrian Freehold, Krakens were nothing more than dragon snacks. Though most dragons soar through the skies, every dragon can swim. Their flames are just as deadly underwater."
The Head of House Hightower quickly agreed, "Of course. No Kraken could ever compare to a dragon. The strongest Kraken is only about ten meters long. Even underwater, a dragon would tear it apart with ease."
The other lords eagerly echoed their support for Aegon, showering him with praise.
Aegon gave a light cough, and the room immediately fell silent. Everyone waited for his command.
Aegon spoke. "Capture Qhorin Volmark and Lodos alive. Pass this order to the fleet of the Westerlands and the joint fleet of the Crownlands and Riverlands. I don't mind adding another Kraken family to the Targaryen dynasty—so long as they swear eternal loyalty to the crown."
"Your Grace is wise!" said Manfred, Head of House Manfred.
"Your foresight humbles us, Your Grace," echoed the Head of House Hightower.
"We shall carry out your divine will, my king," pledged the other lords in unison.
...
[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]
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