The Dance of The Basilisk (HP x HOTD and F&B)

A Decade Later

x-X-x

127, Myr

"We are a strength of over eighty thousand with around fifty thousand on horseback and sufficient training; depending on the state of the realm and the opposition you will either be defending the Stepstones on ground or sea from all sides bolstering our own defenses. The other option, you would be guardsmen for someone or somewhere which you deem to fit."

Joffrey Lonmouth finished to the Sellsword captain named Feris Toltan; a heavy muscled brown haired balding man who had a green mustache. He commanded the modest company who were named the Sand Scalpers, who were five thousand strong while only a couple hundred on horseback.

Joffrey sported a light blue eyepatch with the scarred and uneven skin that while healed mostly, was still red and sank his injured cheek giving half of his face a hollow look. He was in a brown tunic and black trousers of a light material; they were seated in a small tavern that held about eighteen people not including the workers and owner.

Haedy sent him back to Essos again six months past to recruit allies and enlist men to the Targaryen, Velaryon, and Bloodstone armies and fleet. That has intermittently been his mission for the past decade; while they did pay the sellswords and sellsails similar to those would in a common contract, it slowly morphed into a wage, and then a job.

Especially at some times when the Prince would personally go to their decent number of fully furnished barracks to then conjure large slabs of solid gold larger than even the most royal of carriages, horses included, did the sellsword soldiers and captain know this man would shower and spoil them in riches if they did their job efficiently. They were far and few in between, but it got its point across.

That is why Lys is far more wealthy than they have ever been in their existence, rumours say the Prince flew to the island, demanded Lys to kneel, yield supplies and kidnapped men, women, and children to discourage retaliation.

The magisters of the other Free Cities believed they were next on the Prince's agenda and almost closed their gates from paranoia, until the worst happened. Lys, Tyrosh, and Braavos defected to the Stepstones Kingdom unofficially; immediately ceasing all shipments and communications with the other Free Cities while the trade flourished, even the smallfolk and freed slaves from Lys.

The Magisters, Archon, and other former slave owners weren't as abrasive to freeing their slaves in the face of the incalculable amount of gold he presented them; Hae's abilities had brung the Sealord and the Bankers of Braavos under his pseudo ownership.

The Prince even absentmindedly purchased several pillow houses, Haedryn only employed the most beautiful and clean women of all shapes, sizes, and colours from every reach of the world.

The establishments were of the utmost cleanliness and the guardsmen protected the prostitutes from the most aggressive clients; but the support for the Targaryen Prince heightened drastically when Johanna Swann, the Black Swan of Lys came to be in his employ as she presumably was the real control in Lys.

Braavos was by far the easiest to cement under the Prince's rule with his ability to create gold from nothing, he had the Iron Bank in his belt. An organization whose basis is to increase the flow of income and stay ahead of finances in all realms and lands surely took care to bridge and secure the relationship with the new Narrow Sea Paramount.

The Sealord and certain keyholders were still slightly coarse over the real power being handed over to a Westerosi Prince but their greed and ambitions were simmered from the numerous concessions Prince Haedryn presented them.

"Is this where some of the companies disappeared to? A Westerosi Prince? For what reason is he amassing such an army?" A bright orange haired man with a round face said. He sat beside Feris with a gruff voice.