Dragonlord Chapter 109: Tyroshi friends (Patreon)

Varys sat with dipped head at the small council table as he pondered the situation at hand. The last week had been hectic when he received word about the assassination attempt on Harrion Stark.

The Stark boy’s death would’ve changed little in the grand scheme of things. However, he disliked the time and energy he expended on the Stark boy to go to waste. If a marriage alliance between House Stark and Martell could happen, then the chances of Aegon claiming the throne would increase twofold.

For this reason alone, Harrion Stark was a valuable piece on the board in his eyes. The bond between a teacher and student was something special. That bond was why he was almost certain Harrion Stark would accept Princess Arianne as his betrothed.

But the news of the assassination attempt the Black Wolf suffered in Pentos had frightened him. It was only when his good friend Illyrio brought word that the Starks had left the city intact that he breathed a sigh of relief. He had immediately tried to unravel the benefactor of the mysterious assassins, but it was nigh impossible to find any information. All the assassins were dead, and the mess that was Pentos in the wake of the assassination had let the trail go cold.

But he now knew who was responsible. It was not his little birds that found the enemy in the shadows. It’d seem the Black Wolf was adept at finding the knives hidden in the shadows and tracking them down.

But simply a retaliatory action against the one who sent the assassins wouldn’t have made Varys request an immediate small council meeting. While he was expecting the Starks to strike at their enemy, he didn’t anticipate the intensity of that retaliation.

The council chamber doors swung open as the rest of the council members poured into the chamber. The first to arrive was the king himself. Compared to Robert Baratheon’s apathy, Stannis was punctual and interested in small council meetings. There was a marked difference in the running of the Seven Kingdoms and King’s Landing with Stannis on the Iron Throne.

Of course, it was too little too late in Varys’ opinion.

As of now, it was the Lannister gold that was keeping the Iron Throne afloat. He had no hope that the loose coalition of lords that supported House Baratheon would keep supporting them indefinitely. The lynchpin was Lord Arryn, who kept the different factions content for the time being. Without the lord of the Eyrie to hold the various factions together, everything would unravel at the seams, which was Aegon’s opportunity.

“Lord Varys. You were the one to request an urgent meeting of the small council. Please proceed.” Lord Arryn said cordially.

“Yes, please explain why we were summoned so urgently.” Lord Baelish leaned forward in his seat with a displeased frown. “His grace and I had planned to discuss some of the finer aspects of the treasury today, and we had promised to meet with the Artisan’s guild.”

“We also lack the Master of Laws and the Master of Ships. Lord Oakheart has unfortunately left for Old Oak, and Lord Redwyne has sailed for Dragonstone.” Grand Maester Gormon reminded them gently.

Varys doubted Lord Oakheart would return. The man was not fit for the royal court, and to his credit, the lord of Old Oak realised this fact. The position was given to the Reach lord as a reward for the man’s bravery in the field in holding the Lannister armies back and protecting the Ocean Road. He was a little surprised Stannis allowed the man into the Small Council despite his infamous grudge against all Reachmen.

“The Small Council has become smaller.” Lord Baelish quipped with an amused tilt to his face.

“It’ll get smaller if you persist in dragging this meeting with your incessant and useless comments.” King Stannis growled, shooting a displeased look at the Master of Coin.

Varys watched with amusement as Lord Baelish fell silent, looking properly chastised. The Vale lord had been hard-pressed to thrive under King Stannis’ kingship. His little birds brought him whispers the man was bleeding coin because King Stannis was forcibly shutting down brothels from the city's major streets.

“Lord Varys. What do you have for us?” Lord Arryn asked, avoiding the banter altogether.

“Your grace, I can now confirm all three Stark brothers have survived the assassination attempt.”

Now that got the attention of the council.

“They were spotted?” Lord Arryn asked.

“Yes, Lord Arryn. My little birds bring word from Myr.”

“Myr! Didn’t you say the glassmakers of Myr hold a grudge against Lord Harrion?” King Stannis asked with a frown.

“Yes, I did, your grace. It seems Lord Harrion and his brothers also think Myrish magisters hired the assassin. They retaliated against the city.”

“What did they do?” Lord Arryn asked with some trepidation.

“They burned the city to the ground, Lord Arryn.”

“What!” Lord Arryn stared at him with wide eyes.

Varys expected the look of utter disbelief from the council members. Even he was struggling to reconcile with the fact that the Free City of Myr was now a burned-out husk. Myr was one of the wealthiest Free Cities in Essos, with a history dating back to the Valyrian freehold.

So, to claim that one of the free cities just got burned by a young boy was simply ludicrous. Even the dragonlords of Valyria had to wage bloody wars to burn an enemy city with substantial loss of dragons and men despite what the propaganda used to say.

Therefore, Varys was reluctant to trust the whispers his little birds brought forth from across the Narrow Sea. However, after careful consideration, he was reluctant to trust the information because he had heard similar claims from the Iron Islands. During the second Ironborn rebellion, there were ludicrous claims that the Black Wolf burned Blacktyde to the ground and turned the sands of the island into glass. He had dismissed such rumours as exaggerated talk, but perhaps he should’ve heeded the rumours and investigated the matter more closely.

In his defence, he was focused on Lord Tywin and foiling the Old Lion’s plans rather than worrying about what was happening in the Iron Islands.

“Are you certain, Lord Varys?” Ser Barristan asked.

Varys gazed at the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard with a keen look.

“I’m afraid my little birds are speaking the truth, Ser. Stark banners adorn the manse of Magister Aelux Araelor of Myr, along with his head on a spike. His manse was left untouched by the flames that wreaked havoc in the city.” said Varys.

“Clearly, the Stark brothers wanted others to know who is responsible.” Lord Baelish said with a troubled look.

Varys could see the Master of Laws was shaken by Myr's fate. Despite what the little Vale lord thought, he was not as masterful of his emotions. Varys could read the man effortlessly. He knew of Baelish’s little game of pocking and prodding at House Stark in his bumbling way. Sooner or later, the Vale lord would cross a line, and Varys would have the distinct pleasure of seeing the man’s head on a spike.

Considering what happened in Myr, he felt that day was not too far.

“Your grace, we should consider the possibility that Myr would blame the Iron Throne for the actions of House Stark. If we do not act expediently, we might find ourselves in war with Myr or even a coalition of Free Cities.” Grand Maester Gormon advised.

“That's a valid concern.” Lord Arryn muttered with a troubled look.

Varys also thought so. But he suspected Myr was in no shape to wage a war against Westeros. At least not without powerful allies.

“Their entire city was burned to the ground. Even as we speak, the Myrmen are counting their dead and praying to all the gods they know for survival. I think they’ll be worrying more about local rivals, warlords, smugglers, slavers, pirates and Dothraki raids rather than wage war against an entire continent on the other side of the Narrow Sea.” said Varys.

“That may be so, Lord Varys. But Myr may turn hostile against us in the future once they recover unless we punish the culprit responsible.” Lord Baelish said with a sense of rising confidence.

Varys saw a flash of slyness enter the man’s eyes, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came. Still, the man was woefully incompetent to shield his emotions whenever the Starks were involved. It sort of made his work easy to rile up the Vale lordling.

However, he had to agree with Baelish on one thing. When Myr recovers, it might turn its considerable powers to make a nuisance to the Seven Kingdoms.

“Punishing the culprit? There are no laws broken as far as I’m aware.”

Varys was a little surprised to see the Grand Maester come in defence of Harrion Stark. But the man also brought up an interesting point.

“I concur with the Grand Maester’s wisdom. This unfortunate event happened in Essos. I don’t believe the Iron Throne should involve itself in events that happened beyond our borders as it’d set a dangerous precedent.” Varys made his opinion clear.

“I also agree. If we act against the Starks in this issue, we’ll be held liable for everything our people do beyond the borders of the Seven Kingdoms. The implications of such a perception would harm the Iron Throne.” Lord Arryn said.

“But… surely your grace. You also see the necessity of controlling this menace. If the Stark boy can do as he pleases, we’ll be left to pick up the pieces of his misadventures. The disruptions in trade alone will affect us adversely.” Lord Baelish beseeched.

“Surely you jest, Lord Baelish. You can’t expect the crown to intervene in a lord’s freedom. We’ll have a rebellion in our hands.” Lord Arryn looked at his fellow Valeman, aghast at the suggestion.

“It’ll be like asking a lord or a knight not to use their sword or dagger.” Varys helpfully provided.

“I’m not suggesting anything of the like, your grace.” Baelish was quick to backtrack. “I’m merely worried that the trade will suffer in the Narrow Sea with Myr devastated. From an outsider's perspective, it might look like the crown approves of what befell Myr, which could be dangerous.”

“There is some sense to Lord Baelish’s opinion. We could send emissaries to other Free Cities to convey that we had no involvement. Or perhaps we could send some token aid to Myr.” Grand Maester Gormon suggested.

“The Faith! We could send the silent sisters and septons to help its people recover.” Gran Maester Gormon suddenly spoke with an excited gleam in his eyes.

“That’s, of course, assuming the rest of the Free Cities would even allow us to help Myr.” Varys quickly said that before such a ridiculous idea could take root in the minds of the council members,

The last thing he wanted was for religion to get involved in this matter. It was already delicate enough, and the chances of a religious war breaking out would be the worst scenario that could happen out of this incident.

“What do you mean, Lord Varys?” King Stannis asked with a frown.

“While Lord Baelish’s assumption that there’ll be trade disruptions, I think we might be ignoring the rivalry between the Free Cities.” said Varys.

“Go on.” King Stannis now looked intrigued.

“Myr has enemies in Tyrosh and Volantis. They’ve been in a three-way silent war over the Disputed Lands. With Myr getting burned, they’re most likely unable to project strength into the Disputed Lands. Tyrosh and Volantis might be celebrating as of this moment for the weakening of their rival.” Varys explained.

“But Tyrosh and Volantis are not the only Free Cities. There are Pentos, Lys and Braavos to consider. They all engage in trade with us. What will we say to them for the disruption in trade?” Baelish challenged.

“Why would we have to say anything? The Crown had no part in these unfortunate events.” The Grand Maester said firmly.

On and on the arguments went, and Varys realised no matter the size of the Small Council, there was no lack of bickering and politics.

‘The Game of Thrones never ceases.’ Varys mused amusedly.

****

Tyrosh remained a mercantile city since its founding by the Valyrian Freehold. Traders were revered in the city and considered the lifeblood that floated their society. Its unique geographical position, granting it access to the Narrow Sea and the Summer Sea, along with the abundant natural resources near the city, made Tyrosh one of the wealthiest free cities.

Therefore, Harry planned only to stay in the city for a few days and leave early once the city learned what happened in Myr. He feared the current state of Myr would make certain elements within the city angry at the loss of trade. After all, the Myr was the closest settlement to Tyrosh, which incidentally made them a favoured trade partner in some sense.

So, Harry and his brothers ran around the city in a rush to see all that they could see. The main attractions were the blue waters of the Tyroshi beaches and the white pearl necklaces sold by the merchants. The city's sunny disposition allowed them to enjoy their time at the beach, where they stayed for the remainder of the days.

Harry was reminded of the sunny beaches of France and Spain in Tyrosh. But their visit was not solely confined to leisure strolls on the shores of Tyrosh and buying up all the loud conches from the markets. There was a business aspect to their visit. Mostly, they met with the dye merchants and those few glass merchants who bought Avalonian glass from them.

However, when word eventually reached Tyrosh of what happened to Myr, the mood in the city was one of celebration. Harry had underestimated the rivalry between Myr and Tyrosh. The merchants and magisters he was in contact with suddenly reached out to him with an invitation from none other than the Archon of Tyrosh.

That’s how Harry found himself in a conversation with Maemyx Celiar in the manse of the Archon.

“I’ve known Magister Aelux of Myr. I’m not surprised he sent assassins after you, Lord Stark. The man was not sophisticated enough to deal with trade disputes. He was an unthinking brute.” the blue-haired Archon said with a derisive snort.

“You knew him well then, Archon Maenyx.” Harry quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh, yes. He was one of the stubborn ones in the Myrish senate pushing for war and spending too much coin on sellswords for our disputes in the Disputed Lands. His fate fills me with joy. You have my thanks, Lord Stark. You might’ve unintentionally saved us from a bloody conflict.” said the Archon while enjoying baked honeyfingers in between with a relaxed posture.

Harry had to admit the local delicacy of Tyrosh was fast becoming his favourite, and the brandy, of course. He made a mental note to order a large batch of brandy from the city. There were several flavours to choose from, and Harry thought he’d be doing a lot of testing to pick his favourite.

“May I say that your city is beautiful, filled with colours and sweet delicacies. Fortune seems to be shining upon you, and may it never halt.”

“May it never halt indeed.” Archon Maenyx grinned, raising his glass of brandy for a toast.

The rest of the evening passed by with a sense of revelry and celebration in the palace of the Archon. Almost all important guests were invited to the party the Archon had thrown in his honour, and Harry took advantage of it in the Tyroshi way by talking trade.

In the span of an hour, Harry had negotiated deals worth millions of Tyroshi silver. Most of it was Avalonian glass and ice. The Tyroshi were intrigued by his offer of ice to supplement their phenomenal skill in quality liquor making. He also made a mental note to invite some of the liquor merchants to his manse and treat them to some cold ale and wine. Maybe he could even serve some cold Tyroshi brandy to showcase the potential of the ice trade.

But the most crucial discussion that night was Tyrosh’s interest in the Sunset Canal when he broached the subject with some magisters and Archon Maenyx. The interest of the Tyroshi on the canal stumped Harry as the city was so far away from the canal. Besides, they also had easier access to the Sunset Sea by sailing around Dorne.

So, Harry sifted through several minds until he found out why the Tyroshi were interested in his canal. They were having some difficulty with Lys as tensions were brewing because of their constant bickering over the Disputed Lands and even the Stepstones. With Myr in tatters, the chances of Lys getting emboldened to make a renewed push on the Disputed Lands were high. This state of affairs made a canal in the North and direct trade with Avalon far more attractive, and his promise of opening the canal within a month put a smile on many merchants’ faces.

Still, the Tyroshi economy was intertwined with trade through the Summer Sea. They’d have to sail the long route to the Reach and the Westerlands should hostilities break out with Lys. So, they were quite interested in diversifying their trade with the North.

Harry was also interested in fanning the new opportunities that presented themselves with Myr becoming a non-factor. He no longer had to fear the shipping lanes becoming hostile for Northern merchants. He had already learned tidbits of plans from the Archon’s mind about capturing Myr’s fleet and port in their weakened moment.

With Myr currently too weak, he deduced Tyrosh would soon dominate the region, provided Lys was a little late to act.

By the time the celebrations and the party concluded, Harry was ready to get a good night’s sleep with a sense of achievement in friendly relations with the Tyroshi. After all, it was not every day that he could call the Tyroshi Archon a friend.

But when he reached his chambers graciously provided by the Archon, he was greeted by the sight of one young woman standing outside the doors of his chamber. She had long, luscious silver hair and lilac eyes. It was not rare to see those with Valyrian blood in Tyrosh, but it was rare to see a beautiful one standing outside his door. Her shoulders were bare, and the rest of her body was poorly hidden by a thin, pinkish silk dress.

“My lord. My name is Alaenera. I’m tasked by Archon Maenyx to serve you tonight.” the young woman said demurely, with her cheeks flushing red.

Harry was about to dismiss her when he caught her eyes and slipped into her mind. Once he sifted through her latest memories, he knew he could not deny her and send her away. The last thing he wanted was for the young woman before him to get sold to some degenerate walrus as a sex slave because her master thought she underperformed before his guest.

So, instead, he chose to act in a manner that’d benefit the young woman.

“Come in.” Harry opened the door and welcomed her into his room.

Usually, he wouldn’t have cared about what happened to some strange girl in a strange land.

‘I suppose I’m feeling rather generous tonight.’ Harry mused, assessing his own actions.

With a shake of his head, he followed Alaenera into his chambers while sparing a thought to his brothers, who were probably met with the same treatment from the Archon.

‘Knowing them, they probably jumped into bed without a shred of hesitation.’ Harry mused with a shake of his head.