The Age of Daenerys Targaryen

Part 40: Under control

After order was restored in Myr, Drogon took to the skies with Daenerys on his back. The injury the dragon had sustained at Pentos hadn't been as severe as initially feared. Apparently his scales had hardened over time. Nevertheless, the Empress had stayed with the dragon in a remote place for a few weeks so that he could recover.

Before returning to the Imperial Capital, Daenerys wanted to pay Tyrosh and Lys a visit. The people there should see with their own eyes that the rumors of Drogon's death were false. The Empress hoped that they would then be less inclined to revolt.

In advance, two members of the Imperial Guard had set out for each of the two cities to ensure the safety of their ruler. Otherwise Daenerys would have had to take her bodyguards on Drogon's back. The dragon would tolerate it, but he didn't like carrying anyone other than his mother.

As soon as she approached Tyrosh, Daenerys noticed the destruction in the city. It looked particularly bad around the harbor. Almost like in King's Landing.

She landed next to the Bleeding Tower that dominated the port entrance, in the middle of an ash-covered desert of rubble. A bestial stench of putrefaction hung in the air. A delegation of Imperial soldiers and two warriors from the Imperial Guard were already waiting for Daenerys.

A lean, black-haired man with a hooked nose bowed to her. "Your Imperial Majesty."

"General Belano", Daenerys replied. She decided to get straight to the point. "I heard there has been some trouble here." Her gaze wandered to the countless gallows along the deserted streets with half-decayed corpses with signs around their necks. Hence the smell. "What exactly happened?"

"Well, as you can see, Majesty, parts of the city have been destroyed. On the one hand this comes from the explosion of the wildfire on board Grand Admiral Saan's ships as a result of the attack by the Alliance, on the other hand..." Belano sighed miserably.

"Yes, General?", said Daenerys.

"As you have probably already learned, a riot broke out after the attack. We almost got overrun. We finally managed to get the situation under control and drive back the rebels, but they also got stuck in the sewers. I saw no other option but to smoke them out with wildfire. Unfortunately, this resulted in considerable collateral damage."

"How many dead?", the Empress simply asked.

The general took a deep breath. "Fifty thousand, Majesty."

Daenerys swallowed. "Good R'hllor." She was horrified and at the same time felt like a hypocrite. In King's Landing she had slaughtered far more people herself. "How is the situation now?"

"Quiet, Majesty. None of the rebels survived; I hung the last of them as a warning to potential new troublemakers."

Daenerys wrinkled her nose and covered her mouth with a scented cloth. "Well, if they haven't understood the warning by now, nothing will help. Have the hanged men removed before a plague breaks out here. And let's talk elsewhere, I can no longer stand this smell."

At the headquarters of the Imperial Army in Tyrosh, Daenerys received a detailed report of the events. General Belano did not fail to emphasize the achievements of his subordinates. Daenerys liked that.

The Empress was not at all happy about the destruction and the many deaths in the city, but saw that Belano and his soldiers had done their very best to get the situation under control. She awarded a couple of Orders of the Black Dragon and agreed to the general's proposal that Major Wynosha, who had excelled in fighting the rebels, be promoted to colonel and transferred to the Central Army Group. Leaving such a promising officer in the garrison would have been a waste.

As for Belano, he seemed to expect Daenerys to demote him because of the disaster. Instead, she appointed him commander of the Western Army Group. This allowed the general hated by the people of Tyrosh to be replaced by another officer, without creating the impression in the Army that people who had done their best would simply be dropped when it seemed opportune.

The Empress took a few more talks with the civil authorities of Tyrosh and spent a night on the city, then climbed back on Drogon's back and set course for Lys.

From the air there was nothing to suggest that there had been any problems in Lys. Here, too, the news of Drogon's alleged death had sparked a revolt, which, however, could be put down quickly and without great loss.

In the port of Lys, the miserable remnants of Salladhor Saan's once mighty fleet anchored. The Grand Admiral offered Daenerys his resignation as soon as she got off Drogon's back. She refused.

"I lost a battle at Pentos too, Salla", said Dany, grasping the Grand Admiral's shoulder. "How could I make you a scapegoat? You have certainly learned from the defeat. Do you already have an idea how you can counteract the Alliance's new fleet tactics?"

"I thank you for your trust, Majesty", said Salladhor Saan. "As for your question: Above all, we need to install more artillery on our ships. We need specially trained crews for the devices, because firing a Scorpion at an enemy on dry land is a completely different thing than on a ship. These measures will take time and until then we should limit ourselves to defending our coasts."

"Then we should ensure that all new ships are equipped with more scorpions and ballistae", concluded the Empress. "It would be best if you follow me to Volantis and take care of it personally."

As in Tyrosh, Daenerys met with the magisters of the city before she flew back to Volantis with Drogon and left the western theater of war behind.