DRAGONS REBORN: The Era After SI Ch.34 (Patreon)

Chapter 34

The parley of Braavos would end within a single day and is still considered to be one of the smallest negotiations in the world, yet the short duration of these negotiations doesn’t do justice to the sheer importance this would go on to have on the world.

The sale of Lys would be concluded as well, and the Tear of Valyria would once again fall under the control of Dragonlords. It is believed that this transaction cost the royal family nearly all of the reparations they had received from the triarchy.

Yet this would give them a perfect place to launch an invasion into the lands across the Narrow Sea, and this strategic point was not lost to the Free Cities. Many believe that had the Free Cities united with each other as they had after the Doom, they would have thwarted the Targaryen regime in the expansion wars that would take place half a century later.

Yet the cities were divided and would stand no chance against the might of the Targaryen regime, yet that is a discussion for a later time.

The Targaryens would return to Kingslanding triumphant in their negotiations yet cautious, for they had made new enemies, enemies that were highly dangerous. Yet the negotiations marked the true end to the conflict, and it was time for celebration, and celebrations they would be.

The Targaryen regime would leave no expense for Princess Daenys's wedding, and the whole realm would gather for what is regarded popularly as the Princess’s Wedding.

The loot from the cities sacked by the Targaryen army contained several items made of Valyrian Steel. The whole realm knew of Lord Tywin’s desire for a Valyrian Steel blade for his own House. House Targaryen would have a blade forged from this loot and would give it to Ser Jamie Lannister as part of the Dowry.

And so the Kingdoms celebrated as the favored Princess of the realm wed the heir of Westerlands.

0000

TYWIN LANNISTER

Tywin Lannister’s retinue entered the city of Kings Landing, or perhaps most accurately, one would say the new city of Kingsladning and a sense of accomplishment and pride rippled through him as he saw the new city around him.

The work which had begun under his watch, right at the beginning of Aerys’s reign, was now nearly complete. His vision had been grand, and many had thought it to be nothing but a fleeting fancy of the newly enthroned monarch, for even before many Kings had sought to rebuild the symbol of power of House Targaryen, yet had given up on the Endeavor for its sheer complexity.

Yet Aerys had persevered, and now, nearly forty years later, since the work had first begun his friend’s vision was complete. And it was magnificent.

Three sets of walls surrounded the city, each taller than the first. The area between them was divided into districts, each of which was further designed by expert architects. Small plots of land had been left empty and had been turned into gardens, and acted as a communal gathering place for the common folk, or the place to train levies in case of war.

The Walls were thick and had five massive gates to allow people to move from one city to the other. Yet, along with the wooden gates, there was also a Gate of Stone for each entrance, which could be used to seal the city entrances in the case of war or emergency. These same gates had been installed in Dragon Pit, something which had perplexed him when Aerys had first proposed it, yet now, with the return of Dragons, he understood his intentions.

Just how far had he seen, Tywin often thought as he saw the city watch patrolling the city, as children ran through the streets, which were very clean, a whole order of men was tasked with cleaning of the city streets and sewages.

As they entered the last set of walls, a retinue of Gold Cloaks stood there, with their Lord Commander, Ser Stannis Baratheon, Steffon’s second son, there to greet them.

The man rode forward and greeted him.

“Lord Tywin, welcome to Kingslanding,” the young man said. His face was as dour as it had been the first time he had seen him, yet he was a dutiful boy and, according to reports, had done a good job with his duties as Lord Commander of the City Watch.

They rode together, with the city guard leading them to the Red Keep, and Tywin realized that it had been years since he had visited the castle, and much like the city, the Red Keep had changed as well.

The city was filled with people, and he didn’t miss how a number of them carried the Targaryen coloring, immigrants he ventured from the Crown’s recent sacking of the Triarchy, or people from Dragonstone who had been settled here.

They entered the castle gates, and he smiled as he saw that the Dowager Queen had come to welcome him herself. Rhaella Targaryen, the Good Queen, could still rival any of the realm’s beauties, even in her forties. She had been a calming influence on Aerys, and though people never realized it held a considerable amount of power, the power that she was not afraid to use despite her seemingly cordial nature.

“My Queen,” he greeted her as he got off his horse and gave her a small bow. A servant stepped forward with the ceremonial Brad and Salt.

“Rise, Lord Tywin,” she said softly, and he stood up and took a small bite of the offered bread.

They moved through the Halls as the servant greeted him, and he finally decided to ask her.

“Any news from Braavos, my Queen?” he questioned, and the dowager Queen shook her head.

“NO, not yet. Though, I don’t believe it will be long now since word arrives,” she answered, and he nodded as they reached the Queen’s solar.

“I have heard that several swords spoke against participating in the parley and wished to continue the occupation of the Triarchy?” he questioned. Rhaella Targareyn nodded though she waved away the thought.

“Yes, but They fail to see the foolishness of the endeavor. The Free Cities are too distant and too united at the moment, holding them while possible would be a very costly endeavor, it is better for the Crown to leave them,” she said as he motioned for him to sit down, though he didn’t miss the quietly muttered.

“…at least for some time.”

And he smirked as he realized he saw through the Crown’s plans. While he had no way of confirming, he had an inkling that the plan had either been made by Aerys or at least had been inspired by his teachings.

While Tywin preferred to kill all his opposition in a single sweep, Aerys preferred a different approach. An approach that aimed to first beggar you, then drown you in debt and then wage a war by manufacturing a just cause.

It was surgical and took time. Yet, it had its own benefits.

“Now let’s end the small talk and move on to the main reason why you came to the capital,” she said sweetly and he frowned, for he had an inkling of an idea of what this was about.

“And what would that be, my Queen?” he questioned as the servants poured them each a glass of wine.

Those amethyst orbs stared straight into his green as he heard her answer with the words he had imagined.

“Dragons.”

0000

RHAELLA TARGARYEN

The Dowager Queen didn’t miss the slight narrowing of Tywin’s eyes as he sipped his wine and saw his lips turn up as he nodded slowly.

“I had expected as much when your missive arrived,” he began, and of course he had, for none would doubt the wit of Tywin Lannister, something which his age would only have sharpened further.

“So, what has the Crown decided,” he questioned, knowing that he had little leeway in what House Lannister could demand. After all, this was a match with the Crown, and the Crown was most powerful.

“House Targaryen has seen its symbol of power lost once already to a civil war, and though I have little doubt that my children shall ever raise arms against each other, we must exercise caution lest the tragedy of the Dance may ever repeat itself again,” she spoke up and Tywin nodded.

“That is reasonable,” he nodded.

Unlike her husband, who blamed King Jaehaerys Targaryen for the Dance, she was of a different mind. She blamed Prince Aemon, the father of Princess Rhaenys, and his insistence on marrying his daughter to the Sea Sanke. Had he simply married Princess Rhaenys to Viserys Targaryen, the Dance would never have happened.

Though she disagreed with her late husband’s reasoning, his solution had been simple. The Dragon Rider’s accords would have ended the possibility of Dance, yet her children had decided unanimously on not restricting the ability of their children to inherit dragons.

And that led to this discussion with Tywin. She had had a similar discussion with Brandon Stark before the marriage between Lyanna and Aemon, and had an inkling that Tywin had an idea of what the man had signed.

“The terms are simple, Tywin. Any dragon eggs lain by Daenys’s dragon will belong to the Queen. If be you or any member of your house try and keep them for yourself or for your progeny, it would be taken as treason, and I don’t have to tell you what is the punishment for that,” she told him and saw him nod.

“The eggs shall be brought to Dragonstone, yet my children have decided that none of their children shall be stopped from claiming a dragon yet, there will be terms,” she spoke up and passed him the scroll that had been prepared already.

He saw him take the scroll and skim over it as she spoke up.

“The main point is that no dragon rider apart from the main royal line shall be allowed to hold lands while being a dragon rider. Any of the children who claim a dragon shall lose their association with their earlier House and would serve the Targaryen family. Only the first generation shall be allowed to claim a dragon. Daenys and Jamie’s grandchildren shall not be allowed to claim dragons for themselves,” she spoke up. She saw Tywin nod as he read through the scroll before he looked up at her and spoke up.

“You wrote these terms,” he ventured correctly, and she nodded.

There was no need to hide this.

“Yes, I did. Jamie and Daenys have already signed the agreement, and the Starks signed a similar accord when Lyanna Stark married Aemon,” she told him, and he uttered slowly.

“I had expected as much,” he said before he picked up the quill by his side and signed the accord, not that he had any other choice.

She smiled as she saw that.

“That is good. Now let me show you something,” she said and motioned for Arthur, standing in the corner, to step forward. Tywin frowned as he placed a covered object in front of him.

“The Crown knows that you and your House have long sought a Valyrian Steel blade for yourself,” and she saw his eyes widen at her words, and she smiled as Arthur unfurled the package.

“House Targaryen came into some Valyrian Steel articles, which Rhaegar had reforged. He plans to give it to Jamie. I knew you would want to see it,” and right infront of her was a long sword, one with a smokey pattern, with an elaborate gold lion etched into its pommel, with rubies adorning the hilt.

Rhaegar had taken inspiration from Bright Roar. And from the way Tywin’s eyes glinted, she knew the man liked the gift quite a lot.

0000

The mass migration of freed slaves from the Triarchy is believed to be a deliberate step by the Targaryen regime. It was a move meant to disturb the demographic distribution in the capital and various cities of Westeros, as the massive influx of people having Valyrian features, especially in the capital, especially people who were fiercely loyal to the Iron Throne and Iron Throne, would give the Crown more power in the coming years.

And this power would prove much useful in the times to come especially during the ‘Deposition of the Seven’ as the Crown moved to lessen the influence of the religion of the Seven, an act which would result in the decade long religious wars in the later part foruth century.