The Age of Daenerys Targaryen

Part 82: The Age of Daenerys Targaryen

Dragonstone, Year 328 After the Conquest (Year 23 of the Imperial Calendar)

"Your Grace, my lords, my ladies, welcome to Dragonstone," said Colonel Pasha, commander of the westernmost outpost of the New Valyrian Empire, to King Bran, Queen Sansa and her entourage, consisting of Tyrion Lannister, Samwell Tarly, Arya Stark, a handful of soldiers from the Six Kingdoms and of the North, plus some servants and maids ... and Sansas and Tyrion's three children, Eddard, Catelyn, and Robb.

Eddard was born less than a year after Jon and Daenerys were married. The boy, now fourteen, reminded Tyrion a lot of Jaime, except that he had inherited his mother's red hair. Catelyn was two years younger and Robb was eight years old.

Pasha led the Westerosi from the landing stage to the gates of the ancestral home of House Targaryen. Not that Tyrion didn't know the way.

"Her Imperial Majesty and family are not there yet, but they should be arriving soon. Of course I had rooms prepared for you."

"Thank you, Colonel", Bran said from his wheelchair, which Ser Podrick pushed.

As they entered the castle, Tyrion eyed Pasha furtively. Even after all these years she was still beautiful, just like her twin sister. She had never known Tyrion murdered Shae. Thanks to Bronn's clever lie, she believed Tywin Lannister had hanged her.

According to the provisions of the Treaty of Braavos, the Empire was allowed to station four warships and three hundred soldiers (not counting the crews of the ships) on the island. That limit was maxed out, but Tyrion had only seen two galleys in the harbor, the others apparently on patrol. Since the Tyrosh disaster, the Imperial Navy has increasingly relied on sailing ships, but there were still hundreds of galleys in service.

To defend the fortress, however, the Empire relied on the most modern weapons. There were no contractual restrictions in this regard. There were racks on the battlements that could be used to fire rockets. Even cannons had been set up. These fearsome weapons, which fortunately were not developed before the end of the war, could sink any approaching ship in a short time.

To someone who did not have dragons, Dragonstone was impregnable - unless they could starve it through a naval blockade, but since the Imperial Navy was by far the most powerful fleet in the known world, it was of course impossible. Especially since the fortress stores were well filled.

The Targaryens came a day later. It was a foggy morning and so you could only hear dragon screams at first. Then the huge outlines of five dragons peeled out of the mist. They circled around the castle three times before they landed. It wasn't just about impressing, as Tyrion knew. It was also a routine precaution to ensure that everything was in order at the landing site and that there was no impending ambush.

Drogon, Joron, Barrion, Aemon and Missandex landed in a meadow in front of the castle walls. Colonel Pasha and the Westerosi came out to greet the riders.

Daenerys, Jon, Rhaegar the Younger, Viserys and Lyanna dismounted from their dragons.

"I hope you didn't have to wait too long," said the Empress while taking off her pilot's gloves. Even in her mid-forties, she still looked gorgeous.

"We only got here yesterday", said King Bran. "Colonel Pasha made us want for nothing."

Jon hugged Bran, Sansa, Arya, and Sam and shook hands with Tyrion. He looked more like his uncle and foster father Eddard Stark now than ever before.

Soon after the wedding, Daenerys had proclaimed him King of Sarnor, that province in the north of Essos long ago devastated by the Dothraki and which has now been repopulated. Most of the settlers were Westerosi. Social structures like in Westeros were already forming, some rich landowners had declared themselves lords, introduced their own coat of arms and started building castles.