"Mother Andalos, you have awakened, finding new vitality amidst the ruins. Let the Seven-Pointed Star illuminate the path ahead. Please bless the 'Warrior,' King Viserys Targaryen, and bless these long-suffering people."
High Septon Ebony led the congregation in prayer before the statues of the Seven.
"Andals shall never be slaves! Let glory return to Andalos!" Viserys raised his arm high.
"Let glory return to Andalos!"
"Let glory return to Andalos!"
The fervor of their faith and the unity of their conviction left the Andals entranced, their resolve to defend their homeland harder than iron. The gathered crowd erupted in applause, chanting the slogan over and over.
Observing from the sidelines, some of the Rhoynar elders furrowed their brows. The Andals and the Rhoynar had a history of fighting and loving in equal measure; both were essentially "poor brothers" who had fallen from grace together. But now that the Andals were rising again, it seemed the Rhoynar were about to face harder times.
Quellon and the Black Pearl exchanged a glance. This boy, who had managed to restore a kingdom in Andalos while still in his teens, was clearly no ordinary youth.
Viserys spoke like a zealous demagogue, yet his philosophy struck a chord with the reality of Andalos. His words left the Andal people intoxicated with hope.
"Your Grace," Earl Donnel Stone stepped forward. "To better manage the lands of Andalos and defend our homes, I petition that, in honor of the holiness of the Seven Heavens, Andalos be divided into seven administrative regions."
The Kingdom of Andalos needed a management system. The current Andalos, composed mostly of scattered villages, was ripe for centralized rule.
The people were surprised by Earl Donnel's tact. He didn't ask the King to carve out a massive fiefdom for himself; instead, he directly proposed a new territorial system.
"Indeed, Your Grace," Septon Ebony nodded in agreement. "We act in accordance with the will of the Seven. The vast lands of Andalos will be better governed through your wisdom."
"Granted!" Viserys accepted the petition—though, in truth, they had already agreed upon this script beforehand.
At his side, Aggo presented a map of Andalos to Viserys.
"Viserys Fort shall serve as the Central Andalos region. To the north, we shall divide the land equally into the three districts of Upper Andalos. To the south, the three districts of Lower Andalos. Each district will be governed by a magistrate appointed directly from Viserys Fort, and each shall raise its own auxiliary corps."
Viserys had no intention of restoring the feudal lordship system of Westeros here in Andalos. Under the feudal system, loyalty to the crown was too diluted. In Westeros, the history of the great houses ran deep, and even the Conqueror couldn't simply uproot them. The later history of the Dragon Dynasty was essentially a slow compromise with rebellious paramount lords.
But in Andalos, the grassroots structure had long since collapsed into simple villages. There were no powerful, entrenched feudal dynasties here—just Andals living hand-to-mouth, scraping by.
To unlock their full war potential, Viserys chose true centralization. These regional administrators would be royal officials, serving at the King's pleasure, not hereditary lords.
"Under the glorious light of the Seven, I hereby proclaim my Seven Decrees," Viserys said solemnly. "These shall be the foundation of the Kingdom of Andalos."
The crowd fell silent, everyone straining their ears to hear the King's laws.
"First: Andalos is a land of freedom and plenty. Slavery is an abomination in the eyes of the Gods. Slavery is prohibited in the lands of Andalos, and no Andal shall be a slave. Anyone who attempts to enslave an Andal is an enemy of the state."
Viserys announced the first law, setting the moral tone of the nation. This law was aimed squarely at the slavers of the Free Cities and the Dothraki horselords, who most frequently raided Andalos.
Viserys and the Dothraki were already mortal enemies. The horselords were accustomed to destroying towns and civilization; they would never tolerate the rise of Viserys City. And if the Andals established a country only to bow and scrape before the horselords, what was the point of restoration?
Unlike the "cheesemongers" of the Free Cities, the Andals were a martial people with the blood and pride of knights.
"Second: Andalos is a paradise of peace and believes in being a good neighbor. Those who respect the sovereignty of Andalos and its people are friends of Andalos and shall share in our peace. But those who trample on our sovereignty or harm our people are the enemies of every Andal."
Viserys felt this decree needed emphasis. His current development strategy looked eastward, toward the scattered and disorganized Rhoynar. Many Rhoynar in the borderlands were already showing signs of wanting to submit to his rule.
However, the newborn Andalos was destined to draw wary hostility from the Triarchy (the Kingdom of the Three Daughters), Pentos, and the Dothraki. Viserys was preparing for war. In this land of constant conflict, if you do not walk toward war, war will walk toward you.
"Third: In accordance with the auspicious number Seven, Andalos shall be evenly divided into seven regions. The King shall appoint administrative magistrates to govern them, and the King shall be responsible for raising the army. The Crown protects the subjects; the subjects obey the Crown's taxation and conscription."
This established the geographical and political system: seven great regions, dissolving the original tribal structures and unifying them under royal power. Since the Andals were mostly living in village systems, and with the powerful House Stone having submitted and the treacherous Greenvine family ruined, unification would be smooth.
"Fourth: A nation established must have a spear and a shield. Knightly training shall begin in childhood, and adult males who do not join the army must still undergo fixed military training. The First Legion shall consist of regulars and auxiliaries. Central Andalos will focus on selecting the elite for the standing army, while Upper and Lower Andalos will maintain a small regular force and focus on developing a large reserve of auxiliaries and peasant levies, who must frequently rotate to Viserys City for drilling."
This was the "Seven Armies" system Viserys had devised. Seven regions, seven military bodies.
In the future, the military power of Andalos would rely on the professional regulars of Central Andalos, backed by the six auxiliary regiments of the Upper and Lower regions, plus the peasant levies. It was a method designed for rapid mobilization. Central Andalos would house the strongest regulars—cavalry and longbowmen—while the auxiliaries provided support.
The Rhoynar onlookers seemed to hear the rumbling gears of a war machine. This new Andal King was going to thoroughly awaken the martial spirit of the Andals and start a new era of warfare.
Quellon listened to Viserys's speech, feeling as though he could see the King's burning ambition physically manifesting. Regardless of which direction Viserys chose to expand, once the beast of Andalos was awakened, war was inevitable. Essos was about to become a very busy place.
"Fifth: In the lands of Andalos, the people shall live and work in peace. In Viserys Fort, a hundred industries shall prosper. The Crown will build a new Royal Mint, wineries, and ironworks."
The winery was already in the works. Viserys had hauled back the distillation equipment seized from the Greenvine family. The next step was to go into mass production, churning out whiskey and golden rum to rake in money.
The ironworks also had a Master Smith ready: Hota, the Tyroshi blacksmith who had traveled with them from Braavos. Hota was a former slave who had escaped Tyrosh and held a deep grudge against his former masters—exactly the kind of talent Viserys needed.
"Sixth: All high crimes involving the penalty of losing a hand or worse shall be judged solely by the Royal Court at Viserys Fort. This includes treason, counterfeiting coin, and malicious maiming."
"Seventh: The Law of Retaliation and blood feuds are strictly forbidden. Those seeking justice must cool off for thirty days. If an Andal citizen is harmed, they must report it to the Royal Court and may not exact private revenge within thirty days. All private brawls, arson, and disturbances that disrupt the harvest are an insult to the Seven and the King."
Viserys delivered the seven laws in one breath, proving he was not just a madman on the battlefield, but a shrewd monarch.
These seven laws were designed so that, even when Viserys eventually returned to Westeros, he could use them as a template for total royal centralization.
"Long live King Viserys!"
"Long live King Viserys!"
The Andals cheered wildly. From this day forth, their reborn Kingdom of Andalos was officially a reality.