Only a few days had passed since the fall of Astapor.
And yet, the city had already begun to change.
The sound of whips no longer filled the streets.
Chains could no longer be heard in the markets.
And the Good Masters no longer roamed the city, behaving as though Astapor belonged to them.
But the change was not yet complete.
Astapor was a great city with a long history and enormous wealth, but it was also a city built on the slave trade.
And Tristan now had to decide what he would do with everything his enemies had left behind.
In the throne room, Tristan sat on a temporary chair.
He had not ordered a throne to be built for himself.
And he did not want one.
Tyrion, Aegon, and Arya stood before him.
Outside the hall, one of the Unsullied stood guard.
Tyrion said as he looked through some papers:
"I have a proposal."
Tristan looked at him.
"If it concerns taxes, postpone it."
"It concerns money."
"Then speak."
Tyrion smiled.
"That's better."
Arya placed her sword on the table.
"How much do we have?"
Tyrion looked at her.
"You care about money now too?"
"No."
"Then why did you ask?"
"Because you've been talking about it for an hour."
Aegon laughed.
Tyrion said:
"All right. The problem isn't how much we have."
He placed a sheet of paper on the table.
"The problem is how much they have."
Tristan frowned.
"The Masters?"
"Yes."
Tyrion continued:
"These men weren't merely slave traders. They controlled a huge portion of Astapor's economy. Lands, ships, warehouses, shops, gold, gemstones, weapons… some of them possessed enough wealth to feed an entire city for years."
Aegon asked:
"And what do you suggest?"
Tyrion looked at Tristan.
"Ending the problem at its roots."
Tristan fell silent.
Then he said:
"Gather all the information."
"About them?"
"About every Master who took part in the slave trade, exploited slaves, or attempted to resist our rule."
Tyrion understood immediately.
"You want to put them on trial?"
Tristan said:
"I want them executed."
Arya raised her head.
Aegon remained silent.
Tristan continued:
"I don't want to leave behind a group of wealthy men who have merely lost their power and are waiting for an opportunity to restore the old order."
Aegon said:
"That may be harsh."
Tristan looked at him.
"You saw what they did."
Aegon fell silent.
Tristan said:
"I'm not killing them because they're rich."
Then he added:
"I'm killing them because they built their wealth on selling human beings, and because they will never stop trying to restore the old system."
Tyrion asked:
"And their money?"
Tristan smiled.
"Confiscated."
Tyrion smiled as well.
"I'm starting to like this city."
Arya said:
"You love money."
"I love money that comes without me having to work for it."
Tristan said:
"Begin."
The Fall of the Masters
It did not take long.
The Unsullied possessed detailed records of their former masters.
And many of the Masters had attempted to hide as soon as Astapor fell.
But hiding in a city where ten thousand soldiers were now under one man's command was not easy.
One by one, they were captured.
Then the trials began.
They were not long.
Tristan did not want political trials.
The evidence was clear.
Records of human sales.
Names of slaves.
Contracts.
Seals.
Financial records.
And testimonies from people who had lived under their rule.
At the end of every trial, the verdict was the same.
Execution.
The sentences were carried out within days.
Then the second phase began.
Confiscation.
The soldiers entered the Masters' palaces.
They opened the warehouses.
They entered the cellars.
They broke open iron doors.
And they discovered that what Tristan had believed to be a great fortune…
was far greater than he had imagined.
Nineteen Million
Tyrion was the first to enter the main vault.
He stopped at the doorway.
Then he simply stood there.
The soldier behind him asked:
"My lord?"
He did not answer.
Before him were rows of chests.
He opened one.
Gold.
He opened a second.
Gold.
A third.
Gold.
Then he opened another door.
There were gold bars.
When Tristan, Aegon, and Arya arrived, Tyrion was standing in the middle of the chamber as if he had lost the ability to speak.
Arya asked:
"What's wrong?"
Tyrion raised a finger.
"Wait."
Then he pointed toward the chests.
"Look."
Arya approached.
She opened one of the chests.
Her eyes widened.
"All of this is gold?"
Tyrion said:
"Not all of it."
She pointed toward another room.
It was filled with jewels.
Then a third room containing weapons.
Then a fourth filled with armor.
Then an entire warehouse filled with rare fabrics.
And finally, a chamber filled with ancient Valyrian artifacts.
Aegon asked:
"How much do they have?"
Tyrion smiled.
"I don't know yet."
Three entire days were spent taking inventory.
At last, the number was reached.
Tyrion was holding the paper when he entered Tristan's chamber.
"We have the final number."
Tristan raised his head.
"How much?"
Tyrion looked at the paper.
Then he said:
"Nineteen million gold dragons."
The room fell silent.
Arya said:
"Nineteen million?"
"Yes."
Aegon said:
"That is an enormous amount."
Tyrion laughed.
"Enormous?"
Then he placed the paper before Tristan.
"This money is enough to pay off the Crown's debts in King's Landing."
Tristan looked at him.
Tyrion gave a sarcastic smile.
"And there would still be plenty left."
Then he added:
"I think it would even be enough to last until Robert and his dynasty are dead."
Aegon looked at him.
"Are you serious?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
Tyrion laughed.
"And the worst part is that my father would go insane if he knew I was standing on top of nineteen million gold dragons."
Tristan asked:
"How much are the other treasures worth?"
Tyrion shook his head.
"We haven't counted everything yet."
"Why?"
"Because we found things that cannot easily be given a price."
Aegon asked:
"Such as?"
Tyrion said:
"Jewels, weapons, armor, artifacts, manuscripts… and some things I don't even know the purpose of."
Arya asked:
"Did you find anything interesting?"
Tyrion looked at her.
"Yes."
Then he smiled.
"Something that may interest Tristan more than gold."
Three Dragon Eggs
Tyrion led them into a deeper vault.
The door was made of thick stone.
They entered.
In the middle of the chamber stood a stone chest.
Tyrion said:
"We found it beneath one of the palaces."
Tristan approached.
He opened the chest.
And stopped.
Three eggs.
They were unlike ordinary eggs.
They were enormous, their shells hard, and each one had different colors.
One was black mixed with red.
The second was dark green.
And the third was golden.
Aegon said:
"Dragon eggs."
Tristan said:
"Yes."
Arya approached.
"Are you going to hatch them?"
He looked at her.
"I'll try."
Tyrion said:
"I hope your attempt takes place somewhere far away from me."
Tristan smiled.
He took the black-and-red egg.
The moment he touched it, the System appeared before his eyes.
[Dragon Egg Hatching.]
The egg began to glow.
Then it started shaking.
Everyone stepped back.
The shell cracked.
Then broke apart.
A small head emerged.
A tiny dragon.
Black with red stripes.
It let out a sharp cry.
Tristan smiled.
"You're the first."
The dragon approached him.
Tristan extended his hand.
He touched its head.
Then he said:
"I'll name you… Aegnil."
The dragon made a small sound.
Arya asked:
"Aegnil?"
"Yes."
Then Tristan picked up the second egg.
The shell cracked.
A green dragon emerged.
It was much smaller than the enormous black dragon outside.
But it was incredibly quick.
Tristan looked at it.
"And you… Lucerion."
As for the third, it began moving before he even touched it.
The shell cracked.
A golden dragon emerged.
Its scales shimmered beneath the light.
Tristan smiled.
"You are Goldrion."
The three dragons released different cries.
Tyrion said:
"You do realize that you now have four dragons, right?"
Tristan looked at the enormous black dragon waiting outside the door.
"Yes."
Tyrion said:
"And this situation is becoming increasingly terrifying."
The First Dragon
Tristan stepped into the palace courtyard.
He raised his hand.
The enormous black dragon descended.
The ground shook when its claws touched the stone.
Tristan looked at it.
Then placed his hand on its head.
"From this day forward, your name will be Bahamut."
The dragon opened its mouth and released an enormous roar.
The soldiers stepped back.
Meanwhile, the three young dragons began crying out from inside the palace.
Bahamut raised its head.
Then looked toward them.
It did not attack.
Instead, it released a low sound.
As if something between the four dragons had begun to form.
Tristan said:
"Four."
He looked toward the sky.
"And that is enough… for now."
Freedom
After securing the Masters' wealth, the next decision came.
The complete liberation of the slaves.
Tristan stepped into Astapor's main square.
Tens of thousands had gathered.
Women.
Men.
Children.
The elderly.
Aegon, Tyrion, and Arya stood beside him.
Tristan said:
"From this moment onward, there are no slaves in Astapor."
Silence fell.
"There will be no selling of human beings."
"There will be no buying of human beings."
"No person will ever be allowed to own another person."
Then he added:
"But I will not leave you in the streets with nothing."
Faces began to rise.
"Everyone who has a skill will be given the opportunity to use it."
"The merchant will become a merchant."
"The cook will become a cook."
"The blacksmith will become a blacksmith."
"The tailor will work in the clothing industry."
"The farmer will be given land to work."
"The shopkeeper will be allowed to run a shop."
"And those who have no skills…"
He looked at the people.
"Will learn."
The sound of crying began to spread.
Then applause.
Then cheers.
Tristan said:
"I will not pay you for your lives."
"Because your lives do not belong to me."
"I will give you the opportunity to build new lives."
Aegon was looking at the people.
Then he asked:
"And what about the army?"
Tristan looked at him.
"Begin forming it."
The Army of Astapor
The Unsullied would not be the only ones.
Tristan wanted to build an army from the people of Astapor themselves.
He forced no one.
But the number of volunteers was greater than he expected.
Men and women.
Young and old.
Some wanted to protect their families.
Some wanted a new beginning.
And some wanted revenge.
Aegon immediately stopped the idea of revenge.
He said before the volunteers:
"If you join the army only for revenge, you will become like the people you fought."
"You are here to protect Astapor."
"To protect your families."
"And to protect the freedom you have gained."
And the training began.
The Unsullied became instructors.
The new army learned to use spears, swords, and shields.
The workshops reopened.
Blacksmiths began producing weapons.
Women and men began working in the markets.
Restaurants, bakeries, and shops began opening.
Even the palace itself changed.
It was no longer a place where the Masters lived in luxury.
It became the center of the city's administration.
One night, Tyrion said while looking at the papers:
"We now have a city, an army, wealth, and dragons."
Arya said:
"Did you forget something?"
"Yes."
"What?"
He looked at Tristan.
"Our enemy now knows we exist."
Meereen and Yunkai
The news had already arrived.
In Yunkai, the Masters held an emergency meeting.
One of them said:
"Astapor is now under the rule of a single man."
Another said:
"And he has ten thousand Unsullied."
"There is also a new army."
"And the slaves have been freed."
Then another man said:
"And there are dragons."
Silence filled the room.
"How many?"
"Four."
No one spoke.
Someone said:
"Three of them are small."
"But one is large."
"Very large."
Then he said:
"Thirty meters."
They looked at one another.
One of them said:
"We cannot allow him to remain."
Another replied:
"And what will you do?"
"Attack him."
"With what army?"
He had no answer.
Everyone knew that Astapor was no longer the weak city they had once known.
And in Meereen…
the news was even more frightening.
Because Meereen was larger.
But it knew that Tristan was not content with defending himself.
He was building.
And building was more dangerous than war.
Daenerys Hears the News
Daenerys' camp was established far from Astapor.
The sun was beginning to set when Jorah Mormont appeared.
He walked toward her tent.
He stopped at the entrance.
"Khaleesi."
Daenerys raised her head.
"What happened, Jorah?"
He entered.
His face was serious.
"News has arrived from Astapor."
"Astapor?"
"Yes."
She said:
"What happened?"
"The slave city has changed."
"Because of whom?"
"A man named Tristan."
Daenerys fell silent.
"Tristan?"
"Yes."
"And who is he?"
Jorah sat down.
"That is the strange part."
She said:
"Speak."
"They say he is a Targaryen."
Daenerys' expression changed.
"A Targaryen?"
"Yes, Khaleesi."
"Are they certain?"
"No."
"Then why believe the rumor?"
"Because he has a dragon."
She fell silent.
"A dragon?"
"Yes."
"Have you seen it?"
"No."
"Then the rumor could be false."
Jorah said:
"Dozens of merchants have seen it."
"Describe it."
"Black."
"How large?"
"Enormous."
"How large?"
Jorah hesitated.
"They say thirty meters."
Daenerys said nothing.
Jorah continued:
"There is something else."
"What?"
"Tristan is not alone."
She raised her eyes toward him.
"What do you mean?"
"They say he travels with another young man of Targaryen blood."
Daenerys froze.
"Another young man?"
"Yes."
"What is his name?"
"They do not know."
"What does he look like?"
"Black hair."
This time Daenerys said nothing.
She placed her hand on the table.
"Black?"
"Yes."
"Is he truly a Targaryen?"
"We don't know."
Then Jorah said:
"But there is also a young girl with them."
She looked at him.
"A girl?"
"Yes."
"Who else?"
"A dwarf."
Daenerys froze.
Then she said:
"A young girl… a black-haired young man… a dwarf… and Tristan."
She looked at Jorah.
"There is something that doesn't make sense."
"What?"
"Perhaps it is not a coincidence."
Jorah asked:
"What do you mean?"
She did not answer immediately.
Then she said:
"I want to know everything about him."
"I'll try."
"No."
She looked at him.
"I want real information."
Jorah said:
"I'll send men."
"I want to know where he came from."
"Yes."
"Where he got the dragon."
"Yes."
"Why Astapor?"
"Yes."
"And who the other young man is."
She fell silent.
Then she said:
"And I want to know something else."
"What?"
"Is his name truly Targaryen?"
Jorah said:
"If he is, then there is another dragon in the world."
Daenerys said:
"That is not what worries me."
He looked at her.
"Then what does?"
She said:
"If he truly is a Targaryen…"
She stopped.
"He is of my family."
Jorah said:
"He could be an ally."
"Or an enemy."
"True."
Then he said:
"But he is freeing slaves."
She looked at him.
"And that is a good thing."
"And he controls Astapor."
"That is also good."
"And he has an army."
"That… is less simple."
Jorah said:
"And it is said that he executed all the Masters."
Her expression did not change.
"What did he do with their wealth?"
Jorah smiled slightly.
"Confiscated it."
"How much?"
"Nineteen million gold dragons."
Daenerys' eyes widened.
"Nineteen million?"
"Yes."
She said:
"That is enough to finance a war."
"Or a kingdom."
Jorah said.
Daenerys fell silent.
Then she asked:
"And how many dragons?"
"Four."
"Four…"
"Three of them are young."
"And the fourth?"
"Thirty meters."
Daenerys looked outside.
Drogon was nearby.
She knew the power of a dragon.
And she knew that owning a dragon was not simply owning a weapon.
It was possessing something capable of changing history.
She said:
"If this man is truly a Targaryen…"
Then she fell silent.
Jorah asked:
"What will you do?"
She looked at him.
"I will meet him."
Jorah raised an eyebrow.
"That quickly?"
"No."
She smiled.
"First, I will find out who he is."
Jorah said:
"And what if he wants the throne?"
Daenerys' expression hardened.
"Then I will find that out too."
Jorah said:
"And what if he wants to bring down the Free Cities?"
"I will not allow him to harm innocent people."
Then she said:
"But if he truly is of my blood…"
She looked toward the horizon.
"Then perhaps I should not consider him an enemy before I know him."
Jorah fell silent.
Then he said:
"Wise, Khaleesi."
Daenerys smiled.
But inside her, the questions continued to grow.
Who was Tristan?
Where had he come from?
How had he obtained a dragon?
And who was the black-haired young man traveling with him?
And why was there a young girl and a dwarf in the group?
Then came the most troubling question.
How many Targaryens had actually survived the fall of the dynasty?
Daenerys raised her eyes toward the sky.
Her dragons were nearby.
She placed her hand on one of them.
And quietly said:
"If he has a dragon…"
Then she gave a small smile.
"Then I will want to see him."
Meanwhile, in Astapor, Tristan was standing atop one of the city's towers.
Bahamut was flying above him.
Aegnil, Lucerion, and Goldrion were inside the palace.
Tristan looked down at the city.
There were no slaves anymore.
The Masters' wealth was no longer hidden.
The new army had begun training.
And Astapor was changing day by day.
But Tristan knew that every change came with a price.
Tyrion approached him.
"I've received news."
Tristan looked at him.
"From whom?"
"Meereen and Yunkai."
"Frightened?"
"Very."
Tristan smiled.
"Good."
Then he looked toward the horizon.
"Let them be afraid."
But somewhere far away…
a woman with silver hair and the blood of the dragon was hearing his name for the first time.
And she was waiting for the day she would meet him.
Tristan Targaryen.
Bearer of Nerath.
Ruler of Astapor.
And descendant of the dragon.