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Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon, is 15 chapters ahead
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—
Storm Kingdom
Storm's End
8 BAC
With her position solidified among the lords that gathered at Storm's End, and the ten thousand strong host, along with the two thousand support units of cooks, healers, workers, engineers—which the kingdom as a whole sorely lacked—and more, ready to march to the Riverlands, Ei gave the order.
Selena and her father had a sweet moment, where the Queen Mother of the Storm Kingdom gave her favor to her husband, bound for war, and Argilac promised to return alive and victorious.
Not that Ei would let someone kill him in battle.
She too said her farewells and joined the march at the head of the host, riding a black mare that was gifted to her by Uncle Robert.
As for her grandfather, she had created a spot in the Painted Realm for him to rest, along with Maester Larry to keep treating him.
She was worried the laughing fit Lucan had over being magically transported inside a painting would kill him, but he had passed out before that.
Maester Larry had a much more muted, though no less fascinated, reaction, especially upon seeing the Thunder Dragon.
Speaking of them, with both Kage and the Dragon ready for war, Ei could respond to the reinforcements Harren would no doubt receive from the Iron Islands.
The next destination of the host was Bronzegate of House Buckler, and then House Fell of Fellwood, before crossing the Blackwater Rush and taking Hayford.
She kept the sky clear of any storms, though there were plenty of clouds to offer shade from the summer sun, and breezes kept the men and horses cool—the perfect weather to march.
Though, that might just be the only thing the host had in their favor.
Ei had not kept an eye on her father's host during the war with the Reach and meditated mostly while battering the enemy host with the storm, gazing briefly at their futile attempts to escape.
Meaning she had to teach the host many things, including how to set up and break camp faster, digging latrines, the importance of keeping the water sources clean, and dealing with spoilage as well as with vermin.
The distance between Storm's End and Bronzegate would take the host about two weeks to cross under the best conditions.
However, the support units would usually slow down the host, but with the improved roads and the hundreds of horses taken from Reach at the Battle of Summerfield, which Ei implored his father to keep rather than ransom back, the march would take even less time, but she decided to use the spare time for drills.
It was important for the host to have as much training as possible, since standardization of training, equipment, tactics, and communications did not exist in this world.
Each day, after the march was done and dinner was served, Ei had the men go through basic drills until sundown for two weeks, and slowly, they became more than just soldiers gathered together to fight.
Of course, the host would be doubled along the path to Riverlands as the forces at the border and the hosts of the lords closer to the enemy territory joined up with her main force, which would mean half of the host was better trained than the rest.
Better than nothing until she could constitute a standing army.
Lord Tommen Whitehead approached, bowing. "Your Excellency." They had started to call her that after Lucan bent the knee and referred to Ei with her official title.
When the old and proud Lucan of all people gave in without a fight, the rest of the lords did not question it.
"Yes?"
"Bards have gathered to sing to raise morale; we would be honored if you could grace us with your presence."
"Very well." It was better than contemplating the future and driving herself to depression.
—
The crowd gathered around the campfire fell silent and parted away for Ei, and after taking a seat, she told the bards to continue and made small talk with the lords in the meantime.
Cowing them to submission might have been necessary, but so was cultivating good relations.
Lords were hesitant, but eventually, some came forward to speak of the woes their lands faced.
Ian Tarth requested a loan to renovate and increase the size of his shipyards after the war was over, and as the Kingdom's lack of a navy was something that bothered Ei, it was an easy decision to make.
Lord Taryn Selmy was eager to report the discovery of an iron deposit in his lands, though it bordered the Reach, and the distance between the sole coal mine in the kingdom and Harvest Hall made the opportunity not an easy one to implement.
Regardless, it would be logical for an ironwork in the Marches, as it would increase the overall prosperity and military readiness of the land, a significant deterrence against both Dorne and the Reach.
Not that anyone would consider waging war against the Storm Kingdom after the Ironborn were dealt with.
She received the petitions in the presence of soothing music till it was time for rest
—
Dragonstone
"Are you mocking me, merchant?" Visenya's glare was as frigid as the winters of the North, a stark contrast to the fire that represented her house.
The merchant gulped, fear grasping his heart. Dragonlords were not to be trifled with after all. "N-no, my lady, I wouldn't dare."
"Hmph. We'll see about that." The merchant would have to be a fool of epic proportions to come up with a tale so outlandish as the one he weaved, yet Visenya found his words hard to believe.
Her brother-husband and sister-wife came just in time before she decided to have the man thrown into the dungeons. "Visenya, what is this I am hearing about the Durrandons?"
Visenya relayed what the merchant had reported, and both of her siblings had the same reaction as her.
"Is this a jest?" Aegon did not seem impressed by the merchant, which further terrified the man.
"There is an easy way to verify. I'll go with Vhagar and check what is actually happening." For if the man was indeed telling the truth, then their future plans would be in danger, and this could not happen, not after all the effort they had made.
Aegon nodded; none of them could leave this to chance, and sending Visenya with Vhagar was the more sensible choice. "Yes, but keep your distance; if Argella Durrandon is indeed a sorcerer of considerable strength, then you could be a target."
"I'll be fine." Visenya left to prepare, and Rhaenys chuckled, his husband's idea on what to do with Argella Durrandon coming to mind.
"And you considered offering Orys' hand to her."
Aegon rolled his eyes. Orys was his champion and deserved a fitting marriage, and the princess was worthy of it. "It was just a thought, and with the possibility of King Argilac's, well, former King Argilac's wife giving birth to a boy, it is unlikely her desire to not wed will change."
"You know, it explains a lot of things, her being a sorcerer." Orys finally made his thoughts known, tired of the two talking about him without asking for his opinion.
The Lord of Dragonstone hummed. "It does, but not even the strongest sorcerers we have seen could hope to conjure a storm of that size and power." The time they were offered an alliance by Pentos and Tyrosh against Volantis, the Targaryen siblings came across sorcerers, from those who could only conjure parlor tricks to a shadowbinder from Assai.
Orys nodded, remembering how the shadowbinder had summoned a creature to assassinate a Volantene noble. "Perhaps those tales of Durran Godsgrief wedding the daughter of the Sea God are more than that."
The legend of Durran was well known as a children's tale, but Argella seemed to be challenging that assumption.
Rhaenys smiled, amused at the thought of a half-god, half-mortal princess. "What? Do you think she is a demi-god?"
The Champion of House Targaryen shrugged, thinking about the many things the young girl—one who had just shapeshifted to a grown woman—did in the last decade, from bringing prosperity to the Storm Kingdom to curing greyscale.
"I mean, the events surrounding her birth are not natural; she has purple hair, a trait never seen in any house before, and not to mention, she is brilliant, practices magic, and apparently can change the shape and age of her body. I don't know about you, but even compared to that priestess of R'hollr, she is not normal."
Rhaenys couldn't disagree with Orys' reasoning. "Well, we shall see what Visenya learns." Hopefully, her sister would just find the matter to be rumors blown out of proportion.
Since any further talk was pointless without Visenya's testimony, Aegon simply chose to close the matter for now. "Indeed, in the meantime, he is to be a guest." He pointed at the merchant, who paled at the thought.
"But my lord, I have deliveries to make." Rhoswen would never return to Dragonstone and would go as far as he could once out of here.
"Send your trusted men to do it. I will cover any loss you might face." Aegon waved the man's worries away with his hand.
The merchant merely nodded and was taken away.
—
Kingdom of Reach
Oldtown
Starry Sept
The septons of the highest positions in all of Reach were gathered at Starry Sept for one reason.
Argella Durrandon.
Septon Elric of Highgarden spoke with such vitriol, one would assume he was personally targeted by the Princess of the Storm Kingdom. "This cannot stand. Brothers and sisters, we must gather the flock and strike the sorceress before she corrupts the land and the people."
Another voice, this one calm and cautious, rose over the mutterings of agreement. "Let us not be so hasty. We should let them fight the Ironborn and weaken each other. Once either side is defeated, both sides could be defeated with ease." Septon Oswynd served House Florent at Brightkeep and knew letting your enemies fight before striking was the wisest choice.
"We cannot cross into Storm Kingdom, not with that accursed storm keeping the border locked." Septon Norwyn was assigned to Ashford and witnessed the storm firsthand. He had known from the very first sight that it was a work of sorcery.
Septon Tolen served at the small sept of House Tarly, and he too had witnessed the storm. "Yes, but Argella Durrandon cannot keep that storm forever. Eventually, we will have our chance." The constant rain would eventually damage the land, and no sorcerer would have the power to keep something of that magnitude going forever, according to the Maesters, who had inferred that much from what knowledge they kept locked in the Citadel.
Elric was not swayed by the arguments of his brothers. "I say we push through the storm and strike while they are marching to Riverlands. If we can take Storm's End and Queen Selena hostage, they will have no choice but to surrender." Resorting to such means was unfitting for the Faithful, but these were desperate times.
Septon Arlan of Harbor shook his head. "That's provided we can. Storm's End has not been taken by a siege in its long history, and we have no means to change that." While the Faith Militia had many willing to lay down their lives, they also did not possess the means to build siege engines.
High Septon Lucenor, a distant member of House Hightower, finally spoke, having heard the arguments his brethren had made. "I have made my decision. For now, we wait while the Storm Kingdom and the Ironborn weaken each other and strike both at their weakest. We can shoot two birds with one stone and rid Westeros of this sorceress and the worshippers of the Drowned God."
King Mern would have to be called to raise his banners as well, and Lucenor didn't think it would be hard to convince him, as the young ruler still sought revenge for the death of his father at Summerfield.
"Aye!"