Chapter 221: Royal Decrees
The following day, as agreed, the Sealord and Albert arrived aboard Daenerys's fleet and formally submitted.
Of the ten million gold dragons in reparations, two million were paid immediately as an advance. The remaining eight million would be delivered to King's Landing within a month.
In addition to the massive indemnity, Braavos would henceforth pay annual tribute to the crown as a vassal city.
That very night, after the gold arrived, Drogon happily buried himself in a mountain of coins and slept like a king.
At last, he had gotten to experience what it felt like to nap on a dragon's hoard.
Once Braavos's affairs had been settled, Daenerys ordered Jorah to escort the fleet toward Pentos at a steady pace.
She herself mounted Drogon and flew ahead to rendezvous with Yara's forces.
Two hours later, as they approached Pentos, Daenerys and Drogon spotted an enormous concentration of ships spread across the sea.
From both the numbers and formation, it was obvious that alongside Yara's fleet stood another armada of more than two hundred warships locked in a tense standoff.
Landing aboard Yara's flagship, Daenerys quickly learned the situation.
The opposing fleet consisted not only of Pentoshi vessels but also warships from every Free City except Braavos.
All eight cities had united and gathered their forces, preparing to face the fleet she had dispatched.
Yara had been intercepted long before reaching Pentos.
Following Daenerys's instructions, she had refrained from launching an immediate attack and instead attempted negotiations, just as they had done with Braavos.
The reply she received was a request for three days to consider their options.
Seeing Daenerys arrive in person, Yara finally understood the reason behind the delay.
The leaders of the eight cities had clearly been waiting for news from Braavos.
After guessing their intentions, Daenerys wasted no time.
She immediately sent envoys across the water with a simple message:
Braavos has already submitted.
Surrender now, or I will crush your coalition fleet and conquer your cities one by one.
The Eight-City Alliance did not respond immediately.
Half a day passed before a joint reply finally arrived.
Their answer was short and decisive.
Like Braavos, they were willing to become vassal cities under Daenerys's rule.
When Daenerys read the response from the eight cities, a cold smile appeared on her face.
Everyone wanted the same deal Braavos had received.
Unfortunately for them, they were not Braavos.
A final ultimatum was immediately sent to the coalition fleet.
If they wished to become vassal cities, they would need to produce ten million gold dragons.
Otherwise, all eight cities would be fully incorporated into Daenerys's realm.
They were given half a day to decide.
If no answer arrived—or if they rejected the terms—Daenerys's fleet would launch its attack.
The ultimatum threw the leaders of the eight cities into chaos.
Forget ten million gold dragons.
Even Volantis, whose wealth and military strength ranked second only to Braavos, could not raise five million on short notice.
Daenerys's demands made one thing abundantly clear:
She was forcing them back into the position they had once occupied under the Valyrian Freehold—not independent city-states, but territories directly governed by a greater power.
Naturally, many wanted to resist.
But whenever they looked toward the horizon and remembered the immense shadow that had carried Daenerys back—the Black Dragon whose wings blotted out the sky—their courage quickly faded.
And when they recalled the divine might Drogon had displayed during the Battle of Dragonstone, a sense of helplessness settled over them.
As the deadline approached, no reply had yet arrived.
Daenerys had already begun ordering her fleet to prepare for battle when two small boats emerged from the enemy formation.
Representing the coalition was Fich, the newly installed Tiger Triarch of Volantis, acting as chief negotiator.
He came to discuss the terms of surrender.
Since none of the cities could produce ten million gold dragons, there was only one option left.
Their cities would become part of Daenerys's empire.
Additional reparations would then be assessed based on each city's contribution to the attack on Dragonstone.
The leaders of the Eight Cities now felt like lambs waiting for the butcher's knife.
While reviewing the representatives, Daenerys noticed the absence of the former Elephant and Tiger Triarchs of Volantis—the very men who had once welcomed her.
After asking about them, she learned that Fich had launched a sudden coup.
Two of the former rulers had been imprisoned.
The third had died during the uprising.
As for Pentos, its Magister, Illyrio Mopatis, had likewise been imprisoned after being overthrown by rival magisters.
Only after hearing that Illyrio was still alive did Daenerys finally relax.
Following lengthy negotiations between Daenerys, her advisors, and the city representatives, a final agreement was reached.
The eight cities would collectively pay eight million gold dragons in war reparations.
In exchange, they would submit to Daenerys's authority.
All of the Free Cities involved would become territories under her rule.
At that moment, the reconquest of the Nine Free Cities was effectively complete.
When news reached King's Landing that the campaign had succeeded without the loss of a single soldier, the entire realm erupted in celebration.
Some even proposed that Daenerys abandon the title of Queen altogether and follow the example of the legendary Dawn Empire of the East.
After all, the lands under her control now far exceeded those of any ordinary kingdom.
She ruled Westeros, Slaver's Bay, New Ghis, Old Ghis, the Nine Free Cities, and enjoyed the allegiance of the Dothraki.
By any reasonable measure, she already ruled an empire.
After returning from her campaign, calls for Daenerys to assume an imperial title grew louder with each passing day.
She refused three times.
Yet faced with the unanimous support of her ministers and nobles, she finally relented.
The title of Queen was abandoned.
Henceforth, she would be known as the Empress.
The new realm would bear the name of the dragon who had helped forge it.
It would be called:
The Black Dragon Empire.
Following her coronation as Empress, Daenerys issued a series of sweeping decrees.
The expansion of the Kingsroad would proceed immediately.
King's Landing's infamous sewer system would be completely rebuilt.
The currency used in Qarth and across the Dothraki Sea would be abolished, with the Gold Dragon becoming the empire's sole legal currency.
Old currency could be exchanged for Gold Dragons in Slaver's Bay, Volantis, or King's Landing.
Several new policies were enacted to encourage agriculture and maritime commerce, promoting easier trade between Westeros, the Free Cities, Slaver's Bay, and the Ghiscari territories.
Finally, Daenerys announced that the Imperial Academy of Westeros would officially open atop Visenya's Hill in ten days.
Qualified applicants from anywhere in the world would be welcome.
At the same time, Daenerys quietly issued another imperial decree.
Jon Snow was formally released from both his position as Lord Commander and from the Night's Watch itself.
Once a new Lord Commander had been elected, he was to return to King's Landing immediately.
One day later, at the Wall, Jon stood before a crowd of bewildered black brothers as a steward read the imperial decree aloud.
When it was finished, Jon removed his black cloak.
His longtime friend Pyp was elected as the new Lord Commander.
Meanwhile, at Winterfell, Bran revealed Jon's true parentage to Catelyn, Robb, and Sansa.
None of them had ever imagined that Jon was the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen.
Around the same time, news arrived concerning the establishment of the Imperial Academy.
Upon hearing it, Sansa immediately decided to travel south and enroll.
Despite Catelyn's attempts to dissuade her, Sansa remained determined.
Eventually, Catelyn could only watch as her daughter prepared to leave once more.
Shortly before Sansa's departure, Jon arrived at Winterfell accompanied by Ygritte.
With the truth of his birth now known, Catelyn, Robb, and the others fully welcomed him back into the family.
Catelyn even apologized for the way she had treated him throughout his life.
She had wrongfully doubted her loyal husband, Eddard Stark.
Worse still, she had spent years directing her resentment toward an innocent child.
Now that she knew the truth, regret weighed heavily upon her heart.
From Jon, the family also learned that Daenerys had removed him from the Night's Watch and ordered him to settle on Dragonstone in the future.
The decision left them puzzled.
Why Dragonstone?
What role did Daenerys intend for Jon to play?
No one could say.
Yet each of them found themselves speculating about what fate awaited him.
With Jon accompanying Sansa on her journey south, Catelyn felt considerably more at ease.
She assigned fifty guards to escort them.
Then, after offering her farewells, she watched her children ride toward King's Landing and the uncertain future that awaited them.
(End of Chapter)
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