In the estate of the Archon of Tyrosh, a round table had been set up in the manor. Nearly all the senior leaders of the Two Cities Alliance were gathered there.
The table was piled high with fruit from Highgarden, Tyrosh, and Myr.
Gendry, Qyburn, Handsome Man, Fletcher, Longspear, Steel Fist, Greywolf, Jorah, Hallis of the Narrow Sea fleet, Morosh of the Myr fleet, and the rest had all arrived.
With Tyrosh and Myr pacified, stability came first: comforting the people and establishing order. Gendry had no intention of expanding on a large scale. Whether it was Lys or the lands Across the Narrow Sea, once the fleet launched an attack, the entire situation would be thrown into chaos.
"Try these," Gendry said to the others. "The fruits from the fields of Highgarden are excellent. Melons, peaches, and fire cherries."
"Thanks to the Long Summer for bringing us so much fruit," Handsome Man said. "Ever since we left The North, the Wolf Pack has almost forgotten what winter feels like."
"You will feel it again," Qyburn said thoughtfully. "This Long Summer began in the 289th year after the Conquest and still hasn't ended. It may be the longest in living memory. Many claim this summer heralds eternal warmth, that winter will never return. But from what I have learned, long summers and long winters mirror one another. I hope I'm wrong. Otherwise, Westeros may face the harshest winter yet."
"Even if a long winter comes, Essos would probably feel very little of it," Morosh the Myrman added.
Westeros suffered the most from shifting seasons, for its northern reaches stretched deep into The Land of Always Winter, seemingly without end. By contrast, the northern edge of Essos lay only at the latitude of The Neck, so seasonal changes were less severe there.
"Commander, that may have been true before, but if winter lasts more than ten years, Essos will feel it too." Summer still lingered, but the approach of a long winter could not be ignored.
"No matter what, we must store grain and supplies. That's the only way to face what's coming."
"You will take charge of this, Treasurer."
"Yes, Lord Commander," Handsome Man replied.
The most terrifying prospect was the eternal night. Yet people were still consumed by the game of thrones, too distracted to notice the signs of winter and the coming darkness. The Others had already awakened, while the Night's Watch had dwindled to little more than a candle guttering in the wind.
The tide of the age was rolling forward. What Gendry needed was to guide it, to secure the right position in the coming new era. Grain, soldiers, commanders. That was the answer to everything. For the unseen yet dreadful eternal night, he had to be fully prepared.
Three great currents defined the present age.
The first was the Tide of Magic. The Long Night was slowly drawing closer. It could not be avoided. The Others were awakening. If Dragons were ever to return, the shadow of magic would only grow heavier.
The second was the power struggle in Westeros, born from the fragile foundation of the Baratheon dynasty. King Robert had no dragon-like trump card. Holding together such a loose alliance of power had always been difficult.
The third was the movement to liberate slaves. It was a hard and perilous road, but it was also a broad one.
"Lord Commander, I will now brief everyone on the current situation," Maester Qyburn said as he rose. "First, Pentos and Braavos. Pentos is relatively weak. Braavos appears to be keeping itself apart, likely because the Old Sealord is gravely ill. My informants will continue to watch them."
Gendry had expected Braavos's stance. In this turbulent era, Braavos seemed almost inactive. Perhaps the old Sealord was indeed near death. Or perhaps Braavos was quietly profiting while chaos engulfed the other Free Cities, which suited its interests perfectly.
"Next are our restless neighbors. The Lyseni may be stirring, but they are only a single Free City. Hardly worth concern."
"The sailors of Lys are decent enough, but they have little strength on land. You can't fight a war with pleasure gardens and pretty boys and girls. The Lyseni rely on sellswords. And sellswords alone would never dare trouble us," Morosh said confidently.
"The Lyseni lack the courage. They've already sent a great deal of gold to Volantis," Qyburn told the group.
Volantis was the one they watched most warily. Though it had declined, its population was still formidable. It had once been the foremost of the Free Cities. More importantly, its slave system was even more extreme. With a ratio of five slaves to every citizen, Volantis regarded Gendry's creation of the Twin Cities Alliance and his liberation of slaves as a grave threat.
"In Volantis, the Elephant Party still holds the majority among the Triarchs. The current Triarchs are Malaquo Maegyr of the Tiger Party, Nyessos Vhassar of the Elephant Party, and Doniphos Paenymion of the Elephant Party."
"As Triarch of the Tiger Party, Malaquo has always advocated attacking us," the Handsome Man said thoughtfully. "What about the other two?"
"Nyessos made his vast fortune through the slave trade. Though he belongs to the Elephant Party, he would also support an attack on us. The only one with a clear head is Doniphos. He opposes using force against us. But if Doniphos fails to win re-election, then next year the Volantis Triarchs will be united in their decision to march on us."
"Volantis is no weak foe. They are a formidable enemy," Jorah said. Having traveled widely across Essos, he was well-informed on such matters. "They maintain a standing army, the Tiger Cloaks, as well as the Volantian Fleet. Though the city has declined, its population base is still considerable."
"My lords, I've heard Volantis is one of the cities with the largest slave populations. The Tiger Cloaks are slave soldiers, marked with green stripes tattooed on their cheeks. And the Volantis Fleet employs many slave sailors as well. If we grant those slaves their freedom, the Volantene will soon understand what true cruelty means," Greywolf proposed.
"War with Volantis is inevitable," Gendry said. "But for now, we need to keep Volantis steady." He had confidence in his army, but a rushed war would drain the people's strength. They needed time to recover before they could fight a better-prepared campaign.
"We can fabricate false battle reports. Say the Dothraki are raiding Volantis's vassal towns, or attacking us, or that our fleet has landed in Westeros. In short, we spread a mixture of truth and lies to delay Volantis's response." Qyburn had his own way of dealing with Volantis, and bribery was part of his thinking as well.
To stir up Volantis and push them toward mobilization, Tyrosh and Lys had already paid in gold. Perhaps they could also make use of spies and meddle more deeply in Volantis's internal affairs.
"And the Dothraki," the commander of the Long Lances Company said, "we must set up enough outposts and be ready for the sudden appearance of the horsemen."
The fall of Khal Zekko near Myr might keep the khals quiet for a time, but the Horselords could still spark new conflicts at any moment.
Next came the most important and honorable appointments, concerning the redeployment of the army.
"The Wolf Pack Legion will be commanded by Longspear and Steel Fist, composed primarily of heavy cavalry and heavy infantry."
"The Free Company will be led by Greywolf, with the commander of the Long Lances Company assisting him. It will consist mainly of light infantry, supported by light cavalry."
"The Second Sons Legion will be commanded by Brown Ben, with Ser Jorah assisting. They will oversee the newly joined sellswords, the Second Sons, landless nobles, and adventurers."
"The Narrow Sea Fleet will be commanded by Hallis, responsible for the Narrow Sea and the Stepstones."
"The Wolf Pack Fleet will be commanded by Morosh, responsible for the waters off Tyrosh and Myr."