[This is going to an intense week. Send power stones.]
It was a strange morning in the cities of Yunkai and Meereen. The people of both the cities had woken up as usual, expecting to go about their usual routine of the daily work. But something unusual had thrown both cities into chaos. Not a physical chaos, but rather a mental chaos. And even the physical chaos did not seem very far.
Parchments, hundreds of them, had been found posted all over the cities, pinned to doors, stuck on pillars, nailed to market stalls. Each carried the same message, and by the time the good and the wise masters could even think of getting them removed, almost every person in both cities knew of them.
To the smallfolk and the highborn, to slaves and freemen, to men and women, to the masters who rule and the many who are ruled. Hear me.
I am Aeos, The Monarch of Astapor, founder of an empire where no man or woman wears the yoke of slavery.
An empire where the necks of people are not clutched with a band of slavery.
An empire where wealth flows not only to the mighty, but to any who would work for it.
An empire governed by laws and order, and not on whims of rich elite.
An empire where no one is tortured or slaughtered simply for being poor, or powerless, or born in chains.
An empire where the daughters and sons are not snatched away from their mothers to be turned into slaves.
You may wonder why these words reach you now. What purpose lies behind them?
Know this truth.
My army, twenty thousand strong, marches even now as you read this message. Twelve thousand men will stand before the gates of Meereen while eight thousand before the gates of Yunkai
Six days from this very morning, my soldiers will be at your walls.
And what do my army carry with them? Liberation. Freedom. Dignity.
To the masters of Meereen and Yunkai, who are the perpetrator and protector of this order. Who pride themselves on their false sense of greatness. Do not resist.
As in Astapor, slavery shall end in your cities. Your cities will be reshaped as part of my empire. Whether you want it or do not want it.
So, hear my counsel. Open your gates when me and my men appear. Bend your knee. It shall not be your defeat, but it shall be your wisdom. Your foresight. Stand on the right side of history. Claim the prosperity and security my rule will bring.
Cling to your lives and let them flourish under new laws, rather than perish in useless struggle against me.
To the slaves, the oppressed, the humble and hungry of your cities.
A new dawn of revolution approaches. Let its fire smolder in your hearts. Let the seeds of revolution sprout in your heart.
But hold your hand. Wait for me.
When my army will stand at your gates, then the hour of your freedom will come. Then shall the revolution truly begin.
Then shall your fate be yours alone to shape.
For I am coming.
The message from Aeos had caused an uproar throughout both cities. Though Yunkai and Meereen were outwardly calm for now, heavy undercurrents of unrest were brewing beneath the surface. Undercurrents which were gearing to burst one Jon and his army would reach their gates.
And this was precisely Jon's strategy. To ignite an internal rebellion within these cities. This message was neither the first nor the last move in his carefully woven plan.
His preparations had begun over two months ago. One full company (500 men), from the Spy and Secret Services had been quietly deployed to each city.
While many of these were trained soldiers, a large number of them had been civilians, smallfolk, merchants, common wanderers.
They entered the cities under a variety of disguises. Some as merchants seeking new trade. Others as travellers or mercenaries looking for employment. Few even had posed as perverted nobles staying away from Astapor to enjoy the fine beauties of Meeren and Yunkai, so that they could also infiltrate the upper class of both the cites.
The news of Astapor's prosperity had already spread far and wide. Like countless other places, Yunkai and Meereen were not untouched by these stories. They too had heard how life had been flourishing in Astapor.
How every person there seemed to grow richer by the day, how the city itself had been transformed and beautified, with new roads, sewage systems and smell free and clean streets.
So, what did Jon's spies do? What was their true mission?
They stoked the desires of the smallfolk and common people and even the upper class merchants. They spoke at tavern tables. At inns both cheap and luxurious. In crowded markets and shops.
About how marvellous Astapor had become. How joy and wealth seemed to spill from every street. How milk practically flowed through the lanes of Astapor and how wine, vodka and rum seemed to sprinkle from its fountains.
They painted vivid and almost imaginative pictures of what it would be like if it was not Astapor, but Yunkai or Meereen that had been claimed by Lord Aeos.
How their own cities might have flourished. How they too might have lived in such splendour and happiness. How it would have been them who would have been enjoying all the wonders that Astapor now enjoyed.
Meanwhile, Jon and his men had setup their temporary camp. They would have their breakfast before they would begin their march once again.
"My lord," Asmund said, bowing before Jon, "a bird just arrived from Meereen. The parchments have been spread throughout the cities."
Jon nodded, then gave his next command. "Tell them to begin the next phase of the plan. By the time I reach their gates, I want every man and woman fired up."
"Yes, my lord," Asmund replied, before briskly walking away to dispatch another message.
As he went, he could not help but marvel at the wonder that was Lord Aeos. Training birds to deliver messages was a difficult task. Only crows had a temperament that allowed for relatively easy training.
But Lord Aeos had trained these birds by the hundreds. Eagles. Vultures and every kind of bird. These birds were much faster than the average crow.
Lord Aeos had trained so many of them that the spies who had infiltrated both cities were equipped with two birds for every group of five. That was the exact size of each small team operating together.
It meant they never had to worry much about the rest. Even if one or two groups were caught, it hardly affected their operations. The remaining could continue their work unhindered. Their chain was not broken.
Truly, Lord Aeos was a marvel. And when two more cities were added to his crown, Asmund knew his lord's greatness would only rise further.
#
#
#
[Add the book to your collection. Send it some power stones. Leave a rating and a review.]
[Access advanced chapter on P@treon. Replace @ with a]
p@treon.com/imaginarywriter