Two months had passed since the fall of Astapor.
Only two months, yet the city was no longer the same.
The chains had disappeared from the markets. The slave markets had been closed, and the mansions of the Good Masters had been transformed into administrative headquarters and military bases. The streets that had once been filled with screams and the sound of whips were now crowded with workers, merchants, and soldiers.
And yet, Tristan was not satisfied.
He stood before the palace window, looking down at Astapor from above.
Behind him, Tyrion stood holding a cup of wine, while several maps were spread across the table.
Tyrion said:
"You have accomplished a great deal in two months."
Tristan did not turn around.
"A great deal does not mean enough."
Tyrion gave a small smile.
"I expected you to say something like that."
Tristan finally turned around.
"Astapor is only the beginning."
He pointed at the map.
"Yunkai is here."
Then he moved his finger.
"And Meereen is here."
He paused for a moment.
"Three cities. Three powers. Three different ways of controlling Slaver's Bay."
Tyrion said:
"And you want all three."
"Yes."
Tyrion raised an eyebrow.
"That simple?"
"It isn't that simple."
Tristan approached the table.
"But I will not leave them behind."
Then he added:
"I want an army capable of conquering cities, ruling them after the conquest, and protecting everything we build."
Tyrion looked at Tristan for a few moments.
Then he said:
"Then you need a commander for your army."
Tristan nodded.
"And I have found one."
At that moment, the door opened.
A tall young man entered, dressed in black. His hair was black, and his expression was calm but sharp.
He stood firmly before Tristan.
Tristan raised his eyes toward him.
"Aegon."
The young man answered:
"My lord."
Tyrion looked at Jon, then at Tristan.
He knew the truth behind that name.
This man was not merely Jon Snow.
He was Aegon Targaryen.
A name that could change the future of Westeros.
Tristan said:
"I want you to command my army."
Silence filled the room.
Even Jon seemed surprised.
"Me?"
"You."
Jon asked:
"Why me?"
Tristan answered without hesitation:
"Because you know the meaning of honor. Because you have fought for men who were not your family. And because you do not seek glory."
Then he stepped closer to him.
"Most importantly… because I need a man who can command an army without turning it into a personal weapon."
Jon remained silent.
Tyrion said:
"A good offer, although it may eventually end with your head mounted on a spear."
Aegon smiled.
Tristan said:
"You will be responsible for my army and will have full authority over military operations, directly under my command."
Jon asked:
"What about the Unsullied?"
"They will be part of the army."
Then he continued:
"But I will not rely on them alone."
He pointed at the map.
"We will build a new army. Men from Astapor, the Unsullied, volunteers, and anyone willing to fight with us."
Jon asked:
"And what do you want from me?"
"I want you to turn them into one army."
Jon continued staring at him.
Then he said:
"I will."
Tristan nodded.
"Then from this day forward, you are the commander of my army."
After Jon left, Tyrion returned to the table.
"Well… now you have a commander."
Then he looked at Tristan.
"But you have a bigger problem."
"Money."
Tyrion smiled.
"Exactly."
Tyrion said:
"Nineteen million golden dragons."
"You will manage it."
Tyrion stopped.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"You trust me that much?"
Tristan said:
"No."
Tyrion's smile froze.
Then Tristan added:
"But I trust your ability to manage money."
Tyrion laughed.
"That may be the most insulting compliment I've ever received."
Tristan approached him.
"From this day forward, you are my assistant."
Tyrion raised an eyebrow.
"Your assistant?"
"My assistant and adviser."
Then he added:
"You will be responsible for the treasury, taxes, trade, salaries, military spending, and the reconstruction of Astapor."
Tyrion thought for a moment.
"And will you give me freedom to make decisions?"
"Within certain limits."
"I knew there was a catch."
Tristan said:
"Any major expenditure requires my approval. But the daily decisions are yours."
Tyrion smiled.
"That is better than being an adviser who has nothing but words."
"And I also want you to establish a trade network."
"With whom?"
"Everyone who wants to trade with us."
Then he pointed at the map.
"Astapor must become a center of trade."
Tyrion nodded.
"And the gold?"
"Part of it remains in the treasury."
"How much?"
"Fifteen million golden dragons."
Tyrion stopped.
"And the rest?"
"Four million for reconstruction, the army, the fleet, and infrastructure."
Tyrion looked at the figures.
Then he said:
"If the rulers of Westeros knew about this treasury, they would start dreaming about how to steal it."
"They won't know."
Tyrion smiled.
"Then we must begin hiding our true strength."
"Exactly."
Only a few days passed before the first envoy arrived.
He wore expensive clothes and carried the banner of Yunkai.
He entered the throne room accompanied by several guards.
He gave a brief bow.
"I come on behalf of the rulers of Yunkai."
Tristan sat upon the throne.
Jon Snow stood to his right, while Tyrion stood on the other side.
Tristan said:
"Speak."
The envoy said:
"Yunkai does not want war."
Tyrion replied:
"A good beginning."
The envoy continued:
"But what happened in Astapor must end with Astapor."
Silence followed.
Tristan said:
"What do you mean?"
"We recognize your control over Astapor, provided that you do not interfere in Yunkai's affairs."
Tristan smiled.
"Is that an offer?"
"It is a peace agreement."
Tristan said:
"No."
The envoy was surprised.
"No?"
"I refuse."
"Why?"
Tristan answered:
"Because I will not leave a city that sells human beings on my borders."
The envoy said:
"Yunkai will not abandon its system."
"Then there will be no agreement."
The envoy tried to remain composed.
"If you refuse, Yunkai will consider it a threat."
Tristan stood.
"Consider it whatever you wish."
Then he said:
"Tell your rulers that I will not attack them today."
He paused.
"But I will conquer Yunkai."
The envoy's eyes widened.
"That is a declaration of war!"
"No."
Tristan approached him.
"It is a warning."
Then he returned to his throne.
"And when I reach Yunkai, I will not give it another chance to negotiate."
The envoy left angrily.
Tyrion looked at Tristan.
"You realize that you have made war almost inevitable."
Tristan said:
"It was inevitable from the moment they refused to change."
A few days later, another envoy arrived.
This time, he came from Meereen.
He was more reserved and more cautious.
He said:
"Meereen proposes an agreement."
Tristan said:
"Speak."
"Meereen will not interfere with Astapor, in exchange for your promise not to advance north."
Tyrion said:
"And what does Meereen get?"
"Peace."
Tyrion laughed.
"Strange. Everyone wants peace, provided the price is that we stop advancing."
Tristan looked at the envoy.
"And what will Meereen do with its slaves?"
The man hesitated.
"That is an internal matter."
"Then there will be no agreement."
The envoy said:
"Think carefully."
Tristan said:
"I have thought carefully."
Then he stood.
"Tell the rulers of Meereen that I will reach them as well."
The envoy asked:
"And Yunkai?"
"I will reach it before Meereen or after it."
"You are threatening two cities."
"I am declaring my future."
Tristan said:
"There will come a day when Yunkai, Meereen, and Astapor will no longer be three separate cities."
Everyone looked at him.
"They will be one city."
Then he sat down.
"And whoever does not want to be part of it can try to stop me."
The envoy left.
Tyrion remained silent for several moments.
Then he said:
"Sometimes I wonder if you understand the scale of what you are saying."
Tristan answered:
"I understand it perfectly."
A week later, something different happened.
A man arrived at the palace in the middle of the night.
He was one of Tristan's spies, planted within his intelligence network.
He bowed before him.
"My lord."
"Speak."
"We received news from Braavos."
Tyrion raised his head.
"Braavos?"
The man answered:
"There are people asking about you."
"Who?"
"Members of the House of Black and White."
Silence filled the room.
Tyrion's expression changed.
"The Faceless Men."
The spy nodded.
"It appears that someone paid them."
Tristan asked:
"Do you know who?"
"No."
"And we don't know who ordered my death?"
"Not yet."
Tristan stood.
"Let them come."
Tyrion stared sharply at him.
"This is not a game."
"I know."
"They are not ordinary assassins."
Tristan said:
"Which is why they will be the first real test of the palace's defenses."
Then he added:
"I don't want to hunt down whoever sent them."
Tyrion stared at him.
"What do you want?"
"I want them to reach me."
"That is madness."
"I want to know how capable they are."
That night, Tristan sat alone.
He closed his eyes.
The system appeared before him.
It had not appeared for some time.
Then a message appeared.
[New Mission!]
[Mission Name: Birth of the Empire]
[Requirements:]
[Conquer Meereen.]
[Conquer Yunkai.]
[Merge Astapor + Yunkai + Meereen into one city.]
His eyes remained fixed on the screen.
Then the rewards appeared.
[Rewards:]
[All of the host's dragons will reach full maturity.]
[Ignil — 50 meters.]
[Lusirion — 50 meters.]
[Goldron — 50 meters.]
Then another line appeared.
[Bahamut — 80 meters.]
His breath stopped for a moment.
Eighty meters.
Bahamut was already his largest dragon.
But eighty meters?
Then another message appeared.
[Awakening of the Lightning Element.]
[The host and all of his dragons will gain the ability to control lightning.]
Then:
[All of the host's stats will increase by +300.]
Followed by:
[Upgrade of the host's Swordsmanship skill.]
[Current Level: Purple.]
[After completing the mission: Gold.]
Tristan stared at the rewards.
They were not merely an increase in strength.
They were a complete leap to another level.
The three dragons would become fifty meters long.
Bahamut would reach eighty.
On top of that, he would gain the ability to control lightning.
He closed the system.
He would not begin the conquest now.
Not yet.
He needed a plan.
Meereen alone was a massive city.
And Yunkai was not a city that could be underestimated.
Merging the three cities would require more than a military victory.
It would require administration.
An army.
A fleet.
An economy.
Roads.
Food.
And above all, the loyalty of the people.
Tyrion was suited for that.
Jon was suited for the army.
As for Tristan…
He had to be the force that brought everything together.
The following morning, Tristan summoned Jon and Tyrion to the war room.
Three large maps were placed before them.
Astapor.
Yunkai.
Meereen.
Tristan said:
"We will not attack yet."
Jon looked at him.
"Then why the maps?"
"Because we will plan."
He pointed toward Yunkai.
"I want to know the number of soldiers, supply routes, sources of water, ports, defensive positions, merchants, influential families, and everything else."
Then he pointed toward Meereen.
"And the same here."
Jon asked:
"And when do we begin?"
"When we are ready."
Tyrion said:
"And what about the idea of merging the cities?"
Tristan looked at him.
"I want you to start thinking about it from now."
Tyrion said:
"Then you are serious."
"Completely."
He pointed toward Astapor.
"I don't want three cities under three governments."
Then he moved his hand across the map.
"I want one center."
Jon said:
"A massive city."
"Yes."
Tyrion asked:
"And do you have a name?"
Tristan fell silent.
Then he said:
"Not yet."
Tyrion smiled.
"Good. Because I was going to object to whatever name you suggested."
Jon looked at him, then smiled for the first time.
Tristan simply continued staring at the maps.
The future lay before him.
But before the meeting could end, one of the spies rushed into the room.
His face was pale.
He bowed.
"My lord… new reports have arrived from Westeros."
Tristan raised his head.
"Speak."
"The king is dead."
Silence filled the room.
Tyrion said:
"Robert?"
The spy nodded.
"Yes."
Jon's expression changed.
The spy continued:
"There is unrest in the capital."
Tristan asked:
"And what about Ned Stark?"
The man hesitated before answering.
"He has been arrested."
Jon rose to his feet.
"What?"
"They say he is going to be executed."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Then came the second blow.
"And his daughter, Sansa… is being held in the palace."
Jon clenched his fist.
Tristan remained standing without moving.
Tyrion looked at him.
"It seems Westeros has caught fire."
Tristan raised his eyes toward the map of the continent.
He knew that everything was about to change.
Robert was dead.
Ned Stark was a prisoner.
Sansa was being held captive.
And the struggle for the Iron Throne had begun.
Meanwhile, in Astapor, he had an army, an enormous fortune, and dragons that would soon become far more powerful.
As for Yunkai and Meereen, they were already beginning to feel the danger.
Tristan said calmly:
"Send more spies into Westeros."
Then he looked at Jon.
"And you… prepare yourself."
Jon asked:
"For war?"
Tristan answered:
"For everything."
Then he looked once more at the map.
He would not conquer Meereen.
Nor Yunkai.
Not yet.
But the plans had begun.
And the countdown had started.
Above Astapor, the roar of a massive dragon echoed across the sky.
Far in the distance, lightning flashed between the clouds.
As if the sky itself were waiting for the day when something new would be born.
One empire.
One city.
One army.
And three dragons fifty meters long…
And one dragon eighty meters long.
But before all of that, he would have to survive those who rarely failed.