I slid my front foot back, ensuring the thrust of Edric’s blade wouldn’t strike my shin. At the same time, the blade I was holding – blunted for training purposes – crashed against Trystane’s shield. The Martell boy had seen the attack coming early enough that he could get the shield up to defend himself, but the angle wasn’t ideal as it allowed my blade to slice across the front of the shield. As the blade was blunted, no mark was left, but that was something I could exploit.
Pushing my weight into the blade, I drove Trystane’s shield, and the arm holding it down toward the deck of the Kraken. Around us, as we engaged in the training spar, the crew of the war galley went about their business. The blades might not be sharp, but after the first day when one deckhand had drifted too close and taken a smack from Edric’s blade, they made sure to maintain their distance.
Edric moved forward, trying to help his friend but my shield came around, slamming into the side of his blade and pushing him away. With that done, I moved toward Trystane, the shield coming around to strike at him. His blade was trapped behind his shield, unable to get around to help and as the flat of my shield rushed toward his shoulder, I saw his eyes widen under his helm.
I pulled my blow so it wouldn’t do lasting damage, but the force of it was still strong enough that the Prince of Dorne was forced back, stumbling badly in an attempt to keep his balance. As he worked to recover from my blow, I spun to Edric.
My blade flashed out, cutting the air to keep him back just far enough that he couldn’t exploit the fact I was moving and exposing my back to him. That had been an intentional flaw as I fought, wanting to grant Edric the chance to see it, but not leave him enough time to exploit it. As much as skill mattered, reactions were just as important which was what these training sessions were about more than teaching the pair to work together in battle, though that was the focus I told them to work on.
Edric kept his distance, having learnt to not overcommit against a bigger, stronger, and faster opponent who also had greater reach. My blade crashed against his shield, the Dayne boy doing a better job of angling his shield to deflect the attack. However, my shield came crashing into his shield moments after my blade slid away, driving Edric to the side, and right to where my blade was.
“And you’re dead,” I said gently, the blunted edge of the blade resting against Edric’s neck. The armour he wore ensured the blow didn’t do any damage, but the pain from the strike would serve as a reminder to keep his focus on both sword and shield at the same time. It was a difficult lesson to master, but one that mattered greatly in battle.
Edric’s shoulders slumped and I caught a slight grunt of annoyance. “There is no shame in losing to your better in training,” I said as I pulled my blade back, “only in not learning from your mistakes and continually seeking to improve yourself.” I turned to my side, seeing Trystane had recovered from my blow driving him back, but hadn’t managed to move to help Edric. “You both fought well, and you’re learning the keys to fighting beside the other to engage larger and more dangerous foes. That is what I wanted, and the more you focus on that, the greater your chances are of surviving the coming battles.”
Trystane nodded, taking in my words but it was clear he was as unimpressed with his performance as Edric was with his. I moved toward him, planning to go into detail about the things they’d done well in the most recent spar and discuss ways they might improve.
“Land sighted!”
The call had my head turning upward, toward the Crow’s Nest. There, the barrelman was extending his arm forward. I looked toward the bow, though even with my enhanced sight, I struggled to make out anything more than a faint ripple on the horizon. I already knew we’d be coming into sight of the southernmost of the islands that made up The Whores today, but it seemed that during the spars with my squires, I’d lost track of time.
After giving the boys a nod, I moved toward the foredeck, wanting to think about how I was going to handle matters in the next day or so.
The fleet, numbering over thirty ships and a little north of twenty-two hundred men had set sail from Northpoint about a quarter-moon ago. We’d spent about the same amount of time in the small but growing settlement as while I wanted to push on to The Whores and then The Shrouded Isle, I had matters to take care of first.
Everything of value, bar around a thousand Dragons, had been taken into Northpoint, and the Windchaser and Ilaerah’s Luck had departed for Sunspear with escorts the day before the fleet had set sail for The Whores. They’d not been able to take everything, but anything that was potentially perishable was gone, along with a few samples of other items such as rolls of Myrish silk, porcelain from Volantis and even a few casks of wine from YiTi. It would be interesting to see what those brought, but I suspected that much of it wouldn’t sell for as much in Sunspear as it might in other locations in Westeros. While sending my cogs on further to trade, there was too much risk in that for my liking. At least so long as The Shrouded Isle was under the control of pirates.
The goods that remained in Northpoint, including all the coin and the overwhelming majority of the gems and jewellery, were secured in the building I’d taken as my office and solar. I’d given Irryl Phenias leave to increase the size of the settlement’s watch, leaving four galleys and eight longboats and crew for most of them as a permanent defence fleet. All told, nearly four hundred men were staying in a settlement with a population a little north of two-fifty to protect it and my treasure. Yes, it might be wiser to have most of it transferred to Sunspear, but with only three vessels capable of trading under my control, I had to move the larger goods first and hope that none of the men left in Northpoint felt like helping themselves to my bounty.
If I’d just been using the men I’d acquired on Redwater, along with those who’d sailed there with me, for my forces, leaving four hundred men – that included the trade fleet – I’d have been shorthanded for assaulting elsewhere in the Stepstones. Thankfully, in the nearly two months that had passed since I’d set sail for Redwater, around two hundred sellswords and men interested in fighting for coin had arrived on Dustspear. Like everyone else who joined me, they had the charter read to them and then made to leave a mark beside their name.
With the new men, I had the crew for the thirty ships heading with me, but none was as fully crewed as it could be. Taking a fleet that could easily become short-handed if we suffered a few defeats was a risk, but the sight of so many ships moving as one would have most pirates turning tail to run, or where they couldn’t, dropping to their knees and begging for my mercy.
Now, I knew that others in the Steps would have larger fleets, something confirmed by scouting out Saan’s holdings as best I could with a few gulls I’d flown until they’d basically fallen from the sky, but those were generally spread out through various ports. I had the advantage, at least for now, of being an unknown factor and being able to concentrate my forces into a handful of larger forces that would overwhelm most ports in the region. I just had to be cautious to not spread myself too thinly.
Beyond the obvious danger of my forces being too far away from each other to offer support, my forces were by and large, pirates that had until recently fought against each other. The only upside to them, and one I was planning to exploit, was their number. What lay before me was the choice of moving against The Whores and finishing what I started here several moons ago, or sailing beyond them and striking at The Shrouded Isle, starting with Lucian Koros.
The Whores stood out simply because I disliked the fact I’d failed to cleanse them fully the first time around and wished to remove the small stain on my record of losing to whoever commanded Aeron Indarys’ forces in the chain. The problem with those seven islands was that even if I took them, I’d spend time, men, and vessels brawling as if in the fighting pits in the darkest sections of The Shadow City to not lose them. The Whores were, in every way, a death trap for any who entered, yet controlled a vital section of the sea near the Dornish coast.
The same was true of The Shrouded Isle, though while the island – one of the largest in the Stepstones – was closer to the Broken Arm than The Whores, it was also further from locations that might contain fishing villages. The coast of the Arm was jagged rock, which while useful for hiding a handful of vessels for ambushes, offered precious few targets of opportunity for pirates. Countering that was the fact the narrow stretch of sea between the southern tip of The Shrouded Isle and Dorne meant it was often ripe for targeting trade vessels heading through the passage to either the Narrow Sea or the Summer Sea.
That land was controlled by Lucian Koros, who would be the first target I moved against on the island, but both he and The Bloodhawk – along with the two minor pirate lords of Crann Snow and Garvy Pyke – would be more vicious fighters, used to regular combat not just with each other but any vessel, be it trade or military, that sailed through the waters they claimed.
Both men had numbers roughly equal to mine, with the Bloodhawk supposedly having fewer men but more vicious fighters. He and those men would be a challenge, but perhaps Koros and the disposition of his forces would work in my favour. I knew where his ports were from the men who’d bent the knee when I’d blitzed The Whores earlier this year, and once closer I’d be using Rian and the gulls to scout those locations and the rest of the island on the chance he had a hidden port. Yet, for all that I knew I could take my first two or three targets on The Shrouded Isle, doing so would commit me to a wider battle.
The moment I made landfall on The Shrouded Isle, I’d have to take the whole island, by the end of that I’d be under threat from Bloodstone, and the three pirate lords there. I had a score to settle with Aeron Indarys, but I was concerned that pushing onward to take Bloodstone as well, or at least clear it of pirates enough that settling up a permanent settlement on the west of The Shrouded Isle would place me in the crosshairs of Tyrosh at the very least.
In theory, provided the pirates on The Shrouded Isle and Bloodstone bent the knee at the same rate as one Dustspear and Redwater, then I’d be looking at a force of six or seven thousand men by the time the latter island fell. That was decent, but against the might – military and financial – of a Free City, it was nothing but a bump in the road. There was a chance I could pull back after Bloodstone was cleared, and leave the island unclaimed, but that was only a temporary solution to avoid drawing the wrath of a Free City.
Regardless of which target I moved against fully, and what my actions brought forth, I had to consider the new men under my command and ensure they remained loyal. The biggest example of that was Rakakz the Gilded Hand. The former pirate lord on Redwater had, in the moon since bending the knee, not given me any inclination to not doubt his sincerity in his loyalty, and had obeyed my orders well. Yet, for all that I trusted him about half as far as either of my squires could throw the man. At best.
I wanted him to prove himself in battle, but having him at my side created a problem as I found myself unable to trust one of my captains, which was what I’d had to make him to ensure he and his men came into my ranks peacefully. Having to place a man I didn’t trust in a position of command was a dangerous proposition, but it was one I was now faced with.
I had no intention of becoming yet another name forgotten to history who died in the Stepstones, yet if I granted Rakakz too much, or even too little, rope, that was what I risked happening. I just had to hope I could find that balance point and deploy him into battles where he wouldn’t have a great chance to betray me.
That should be more achievable as I had Rian and a dozen mind-broken gulls with me. Through them, I’d have every chance to scout The Whores, The Shrouded Isle, and the rest of the Stepstones without others learning how I knew of their positions. I’d already scouted The Whores, which was why we were sailing without much fear for the southernmost island.
The fighting in this group of islands was focused on the northeastern corner and no pirate had moved to reclaim the southernmost island, or even those that lay closest to the Dornish coast. That granted me a few options that I’d be considering over the next day or so before I decided on the path forward with my captains.
… …
----------------------------------------
… …
I stood on the quarterdeck of the Kraken looking southeasterly toward The Whores. The war galley was the last of the ships I had that was leaving The Whores, though some would be remaining behind. The longboats would be staying with three hundred men under Bronn’s command. His orders were to secure the island and thus hold a fallback and relay position for my forces in the event I had to either send the Pride of Saltbrook and other ships back to Northpoint or if I was forced to withdraw from my planned assault on Lucian Koros on The Shrouded Isle.
Bronn’s secondary orders were if it wouldn’t threaten his position, he was to move against the pirates in The Whores, either bringing them under his command or damaging their positions and forces enough that when I returned they’d be easily swept aside. From my recon flights of the islands, there were somewhere between four and five hundred men in The Whores. They were grouped on the northern, central, and eastern islands of the chain, controlling eight ports.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Those were the same eight ports that I’d failed to assault in my raid on The Whores earlier this year, however, I had no idea if the ports were still held for the same pirate lords as they were back then. Things were always fluid in the Stepstones, and in The Whores more so, but even so, I suspected that the biggest player in The Whores was Aeron Indarys.
It had been his forces that had attempted to trap and destroy my fleet nearly half a moon ago, and as four of the ports were meant to have been under his control, that left him in a position of power. I knew he’d not managed to take all the active ports, as through Rian’s eyes I’d seen ships clashing both inside The Whores and in the seas to the north and east. Those clashes had been minor skirmishes, as pirates were reluctant to commit to open battle unless they had overwhelming advantages, but the fact skirmishes were taking place suggested Bronn had a good chance of at least harassing and weakening the pirates near him.
Even if he couldn’t do much damage to the pirates in The Whores, I now, in theory, had a location to relay through and fallback to, and that was something I knew I’d need given the distance between The Shrouded Isle and Dustspear.
I heard footsteps behind me, and from the gentler sound of them, suspected it was one or both of my squires. “My Lord,” Edric began even as I started turning to greet him. “Wa… was it wise to leave command to a sellsword? Would not Ser Daemon have been a better choice?” As he asked that, I looked at Trystane, and the Prince of Dorne nodded in agreement with his fellow squire.
I chuckled, amused that Edric now felt comfortable enough to ask such questions openly. I had been teaching them that even as squires, they had the right to ask questions of my decisions – as it was a great way for them to learn the logic I was using and prepare for commanding men themselves – but this was the first time the heir to Starfall had done so.
Some men might dislike having others question them in front of the common men under their command, but I had some trust in the crew of the Kraken. Almost all of them had been with me since the raids on The Whores and had proven their worth in battle.
“I have my reasons,” I replied with a warm smile, my eyes drifting from the boys to the men moving about the main deck and then returning to the squires. “Something I am willing to explain over a drink.”
The pair nodded their agreement, not that they had much choice in the matter if I wished to push, and I walked toward the short flight of stairs leading to the main deck. My squires fell into step behind me, though they stayed silent as we moved. After a nod to Miltar, as he manned the helm and a few more to other members of the crew, I reached the door of my cabin and pulled it open.
Inside, Ymir raised his head, though that was the extent of his movement. He’d enjoyed a few short runs on the islands we’d stopped at, but that was all the time off the Kraken he’d had. With there being little wind today to generate a breeze, he was staying in my cabin out of the sun.
“Hey boy,” I said as I moved past, running my hand along his back. The fact that I could do that, even with my height, while he rested on a rug in the centre of the cabin was another small reminder of just how large he was. Yet, when I compared the image of him now to the body of his mother when I’d found him and Quicksilver, I knew he still had some room to grow; perhaps more than a little if the males of the species were the larger of the pair.
As I moved toward the table in the cabin, my thoughts drifted to Quicksilver and Robb. The last missive I’d received from my cousin stated that many in the North saw the direwolf as a sign Robb was destined for greatness, even before he became Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. So much so that he and Ned had received offers of marriage from several of the Great Houses in the North, and even from a few south of the Neck.
Remembering the hints of desperation in his words brought forth a chuckle, and I wondered which of the houses had offered daughters for him. The only ones unlikely to do so were the Manderlys, as they already had Wylla betrothed to Beron, but I could see Lord Wyman chancing it and offering Wynafryd as a bride for Robb. The girl’s uncle, Ser Wendel was the spare to House Manderly after Ser Wylis, but having options for others to take over White Harbour if the worst happened would be a smart move.
Each time a letter came in from Robb or one of his siblings, I wondered if there was any way I could warn my northern family of the dangers slowly growing on the horizon. However, I had yet to determine any way that I could do so without sounding like a madman, or if someone intercepted my letters, drawing attention to myself from threats I wasn’t yet ready to engage. The best I’d managed to do was hint at the idea that with Jon Arryn getting up in years when he died it was likely that Robert would seek out Ned to become Hand of the King. Robb had said his father would consider that an honour so in my last letter, sent before moving against Redwater, I’d made clear the dangers of what happened when a Stark headed south.
I knew Ned would accept the offer from Robert, seeing it as his honour and duty to replace the man that they had fostered with as Robert’s Hand of the King, however, that enraged me. Ned was acting like a Gods-damn Andal from the Vale instead of a wolf of the North.
As I reached the table, I pushed thoughts of the North and elsewhere aside because, as things stood, there was little to nothing I could do about future political events in King’s Landing. Perhaps, if my actions in the Stepstones went better than even my most optimistic projections, then I might be able to intervene as an outside force, but that was a pipe dream at best.
“Be seated,” I said to my squires as I moved to a side desk. There, I pulled the cork from a flagon of ale and began pouring three mugs. There was some fresh water onboard, but I saw no need to drink that, nor the watered-down ale and rum that the crew had. While young, my squires were used to drinking to some degree, and with little to do until after lunch, I saw no harm in letting them have something to drink. I did, however, only fill their mugs about halfway whereas mine was filled close to the brim.
After passing the mugs to the boys, I settled a chair at the table and took a long swig of the ale. While not as tart as a Dornish red, it was a decent drink and far less offensive to the senses than the rum onboard and nowhere as sickly sweet as anything from the Reach. “I have many reasons for choosing Bronn to command the garrison over Daemon, Cadye, or Jaeronos. Can you, perhaps, determine what those are?”
The pair frowned. As they considered the matter which was what I expected. Since taking them on as my squires, I’d spent regular time in a cabin discussing my decisions. I was training them to be more than simple knights, but commanders for the wars to come. Edric would one day inherit Starfall, so the lessons on command would filter over into how he ruled, and while it was uncertain what Trystane’s fate would be, I made sure my words and reasons were clearly defined so that they could learn and adapt my thinking on how to lead and rule.
There was nothing wrong with being kind and considerate, but that should only be applied at the right time and in the right way. In war, command had to be hard and clear, though room for spontaneity should also exist; at least among knights and those of similar skill as one didn’t want a common foot soldier or levy acting out in ways that might compromise the entire force.
“Do you not trust him and thus wish him left behind?”
I chuckled at Edric’s suggestion and shook my head. “If I did not trust him, I would not leave him with three hundred men and eight vessels under his command. No would I have tasked him with leading strike forces on Redwater.”
“The vessels you left with Bronn are the smallest you have, and best suited to combat in The Whores.
I raised my mug, conceding Trystane’s point. I didn’t respond otherwise, choosing to take another sip of the ale and letting the pair think on the matter further. As the silence stretched out, I took a long drink of the ale, downing perhaps half the mug.
“You trust Bronn, but you also do not.”
I leaned forward. “Go on,” I said to Edric who had offered that comment rather hesitantly.
The heir to Starfall glanced at his fellow squire before doing as I asked. “Ser Bronn is a good fighter, better than either you or Ser Daemon,” I grunted, disliking that fact. “That makes him good to have at your side in battle, but you are uncertain about him as a commander. At least of any force large enough to not be under the command of another.”
“Bronn is a good battlefield commander, Edric. He spent over a decade as a sellsword before I hired him learning how to fight and lead men in Westeros and Essos. That is not a factor in why I left him in The Whores. Or at least any perceived distrust of his battlefield command skills. I’m testing him in another way.”
Bronn had hinted when we’d talked before I’d left him behind that he understood my logic on the matter, which meant the ball was now in his court as to how to respond. He would suspect that I might keep tabs on him via Rian and the gulls, but he had no way to be certain, so I was looking forward to seeing how he beached with the long leash I’d granted him. I hoped he wouldn’t betray my trust, but if he did, then I would handle the matter once I returned to The Whores.
Silence once more fell over my cabin, and I enjoyed some more of my ale.
“Your plans go beyond just clearing the Stepstones,” Trystane said slowly as if unsure of his words or at least the idea behind them. “You plan to hold some of the islands, and for that you need men to rule in your name. The Whores is a test for Bronn to see if he’s worthy of being one of those men.”
“That is the biggest reason why I chose Bronn to command the outpost, yes, however, it is not the only one.” I leaned forward, putting my almost empty mug down on the table. “Controlling all of the Steps is beyond me. Hells, it was beyond even the Targaryens, though Daemon Targaryen came close holding the area for two years before returning to King’s Landing. No, what I hope to achieve is to take every island near the Dornish coast, thus controlling the passage of ships through there. The problem exists in that it is a rather large expanse of water. If I rule from Dustspear, then that leaves The Whores and The Shrouded Isle alone; free for others to claim and disrupt my plans. The same is true if I rule from either of those places instead of Dustspear, and none of that considers what to do with Redwater.”
“If you intend to hold The Whores, then why not move to claim them now?”
I smirked at Edric’s question. I suspected he already knew the answer but wished to hear me voice it. “Because doing so would expose me to attacks from pirates on The Shrouded Isle, Bloodstone, and Grey Gallows. So many in fact that I suspect I’d be ground to dust by them.”
“Have you given any thought to who would rule where?”
I looked at Trystane, wondering if there was more than a passing interest in the question. As third in line to Sunspear, it was unlikely he would inherit anything. He could become like Manfrey Martell, and serve in the household, or become a wanderer like Oberyn, but I felt neither path held much interest to him. Perhaps, once he was knighted and experienced in command, he might have an interest in ruling somewhere in my name. If that were to be the case, I would not complain. By then he would be a skilled water mage and warrior, and finding land for him would secure support from Dorne regardless of whether it was Doran, Arianne or another of their family who sat in the Spear Chair.
“I have not, though if either of you have thoughts both on who should rule and where they should base themselves, I would be open to hearing them, though not today. For today, we will stay focused on Bronn and the other reason for my choosing to leave him in command of the outpost in The Whores.”
A third silence fell over my cabin, this one only punctuated by Ymir as he started snoring. It wasn’t loud, but with nothing bar the sounds of the men on the deck and the waves lapping against the hull to fight against, it was easy to hear. As the boys thought about what other reason I might have for my choice, I looked at the direwolf, the amusing idea of him acting as a steed for either of my squires.
For all he liked children, Ymir had yet to allow any bar my younger sisters – by blood or marriage – to rest on his back while he moved. Aliandra was his favourite to allow to ride him, which was something she enjoyed holding over our half-sisters, but he never denied any of them a short ride upon his back when they came looking. At his current size, he would be capable of carrying both my squires with ease, and while the idea of riding a direwolf into battle would be one I’d never let go of, I knew it wouldn’t happen, not even for the boys.
Having something that much taller on his back would mean many of the paths Ymir took through the forests would be lost as he’d have to watch for overhanging branches that would be an issue for his passenger but not himself. The other issue was that either of the squires would be in armour if they rode him, adding more weight to go along with the chainmail I had for the direwolf; armour that was slowly becoming too small as Ymir continued to expand.
“Is it because you trust Bronn less than Ser Cayde or Ser Jaeronos?”
I chuckled as I turned back to the table. “For all their skill, neither of them had been knighted,” I said as I responded to Edric’s question. “That said, you are correct in that they feel more trustworthy than Bronn simply based on their station of birth. Still, just like Bronn, their loyalty is secured currently with coin, meaning if someone offered them a large enough purse to stab me in the back, they would consider the offer. Something they know that I know, and we are comfortable with. At least for the time being.
“Leaving Bronn behind is more than just a test of his effectiveness as a commander. It’s a challenge for him to prove his loyalty extended beyond coin. He has enough men with him, men that for the most part had formerly served Rakakz, that if he wished, he could attempt to sail off and establish a pirate haven for himself. Hells, he could in theory even sail back to Dustspear and attempt to take it over and abscond with everything we took from Redwater.”
That was unlikely as not only had I left orders that if anyone bar myself and Daemon returned in command of a fleet it was to be considered hostile, but that if I saw him sailing southward from The Whores, then I’d push a gull to its limits to get a warning to Phenias of the treacherous inbound attack. What I wanted from Bronn, and I felt he knew this, was for him to prove his loyalty could extend beyond his next payday, into seeing value in staying loyal to my cause. I wasn’t expecting personal loyalty from the sellsword currently, but I hoped that developed in the future.
“What if he does not move, knowing that you are challenging him in this way?”
“Oh, I’m sure he is aware of most of what I expect him to do, or not do as the case may be. That, however, is part of the test in of itself.” Both squires frowned, slightly confused by my logic. “He will know I am testing him, possibly in every way I intend. The trick will be him showing me that I can trust him to command in my name without doing too much thus making it seem he is pushing too fast to gain my loyalty. I expect him to harass the pirates in The Whores, however baring something impressive, I see no way that he can take out all of them. If he does, or gets them to bend the knee, then I will be unable to trust him entirely; expecting a betrayal further down the road.”
The eyes of both boys widened as they understood my twisted logic. I chuckled at that and finished off what remained of the ale in my mug. “Now,” I continued as I moved to stand, “with that over, I believe it would be a good time for you to resume your extra training.”
They groaned at that, knowing I meant magical training in this cabin. Neither enjoyed sitting on the deck for hours nor had they managed to draw forth any magic that might flow through their veins. However, I was confident that before the year ended Trystane would unlock his affinity toward Water Magic. I wasn’t sure if or when Edric would learn to harness magic, but I felt he had to have some potential and even if that were to simply focus it inward, making him a better fighter, it was worth pursuing.
As the boys, after finishing the last of their mugs stood, and I poured myself another full mug of ale, my thoughts returned to Bronn. I expected Bronn to pass the tests I’d placed before him, even a few that I hoped he didn’t know existed and that I’d not mentioned to my squires. If he could, then he’d join Daemon, Jaeronos, and Cayde on the list of potential lords to rule in my stead across the western Stepstones. Yes, the latter two were sellswords like Bronn, but both had been born with some standing and thus received an education comparable to myself and Daemon.
Still, even Daemon, if offered a title and control of an area of the Stepstones, wouldn’t be immune to the offer to turn their cloak if a more powerful and better-financed player entered the picture. I didn’t fear any issues with King’s Landing, at least until Robert’s death, but the potential threats from Essos always loomed large.
The Archon of Tyrosh, followed by Magisters in Myr and Lys could pay almost any amount to buy the loyalty of someone serving me, and even if those I hoped to name lords stayed at my side, those beneath their command might not. That was why I intended to not move beyond Bloodstone and Redwater. If I stayed in the western and central areas of the Steps and made no move to take over the east – even offering favourable terms for vessels from the Free Cities to pass through waters under my control – then I hoped the Free Cities would accept my presence and the safer transit I would be offering.
That said, even if I hoped for that, I expected any, if not all, of the trio of cities to move against me. Each had a direct fleet numbering, according to rumour, of over a hundred warships. The smallest of those front-line vessels would match the Kraken and her sister ships, and that was ignoring that any or all of those cities could pay bands of pirates or sellsword companies to fight on their behalf. Still, I had committed to this plan not long after defeating the Grim Prince and would see it through to wherever it ended.
After all, if I couldn’t defeat a bunch of pirates, what hope did I have against a Wildling force that could number in the tens of thousands, to say nothing of the threat posed by the Others?
… …