[Chapter Size: 1200 Words.]
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Tyrion received Theon's decree, and he knew that war was not far away.
At the same time, he also realized that he was the spark that had ignited this coming conflict. Had Theon not saved him, Cersei would never have launched a war against the Riverlands.
But what was done could not be undone, and there was no sense in dwelling on it. Tyrion felt that he had not disappointed Theon; at the very least, the Riverlands were prospering under his rule.
Meanwhile, Tyrion began preparing for that year's recruitment plan. He moved twenty thousand elite troops to the southern Riverlands to prevent Cersei from waging an undeclared war.
With this in mind, Tyrion wrote another letter to Theon, hoping that he could mobilize a shipment of cement to strengthen the southern castles.
Cersei, however, did not remain idle. She did everything in her power to stabilize King's Landing while competing with Margaery for Tommen's favor.
Now that Jaime had inherited the title of Lord of Casterly Rock, Cersei believed that the Westerlands were firmly behind her.
At present, Cersei could mobilize only a few soldiers. In truth, she could directly command troops only from the Crownlands and the Stormlands. Yet the strength of both regions had declined dramatically.
She wished to rely on the armies of the Westerlands and the Reach to attack the Riverlands, but she lacked a proper pretext. After all, Theon had indeed won the trial by combat, and by law Tyrion was innocent.
But if anyone could invent an excuse where none existed, it was Cersei.
So she picked up pen and parchment and began to write.
…
Slaver's Bay
Slaver's Bay in Essos was the world's center of slave trading, filled with bedslaves, craftsmen, and the famed Unsullied.
Theon had purchased many skilled slaves there, but everything changed when a woman arrived in Slaver's Bay.
The Dragon Queen shattered centuries-old traditions, created eight thousand undefeated soldiers out of nothing, and seized the entire bay in the name of freeing the enslaved.
Unfortunately, she understood little of politics and had no talent for governance, which plunged the three cities into chaos.
The Sons of the Harpy frequently stirred unrest in Meereen, where Daenerys ruled. While she struggled to maintain control in Meereen, Yunkai openly restored slavery.
In Astapor, the very freedmen Daenerys had elevated became new masters themselves.
Daenerys was too consumed with the disorder in Meereen to manage the other two cities.
She freed hundreds of thousands of slaves but provided no work for them. Once the euphoria of freedom faded, most found themselves idle, aimless, and unable to survive.
This was why Daenerys's liberation movement failed. Eventually, many freedmen rebelled against her, hoping to return to slavery.
In Astapor, where chaos was worst, a group of unexpected visitors arrived.
"Damn it, I've ended up in Essos!"
Bronn cursed, while Varys remained notably calm.
"What are you dissatisfied with? Gold, women, power, has His Majesty not given you enough?" asked Varys.
"I'm just complaining. Why are you talking so much?" Bronn replied indifferently.
"His Majesty granted you four thousand elite soldiers so you could establish yourself in Essos, not so you could whine," Varys reminded him.
By now, Varys's loyalty to Theon had reached its peak. As he said, he longed to serve a wise king, regardless of that king's bloodline.
The Riverlands under Theon's rule seemed to Varys like the ideal realm he had always imagined. He could no longer recall the last time he wished for Theon's sudden death.
As for Illyrio, Varys finally made his stance clear and severed ties with him on bitter terms.
Varys had originally planned to steal some money from Illyrio, but when he failed to provide much of the information Illyrio wanted, he was forced to reveal his true intentions.
It was unfortunate that no extortion took place in the end, but it hardly mattered. Riverrun was far from lacking in wealth.
The annual profit from various goods in the Riverlands amounted to at least six million gold dragons, enough to pay off the Iron Throne's vast debt within a single year.
The throne, it was said, was in dire straits. It had to pay interest to the Iron Bank each year, not to mention the gold owed to House Lannister and other lords.
Bronn, holding a woman from Qarth in his arms, said, "Don't worry. According to His Majesty, there are currently three rival factions in Astapor. But Butcher Cleon has already crushed the other two."
"That's right. What we must do now is eliminate Cleon, carry out His Majesty's plan to stabilize Astapor quickly, and then prepare for our advance toward the Raza Plains."
Bronn, stroking the frightened courtesan's hair, added, "The army certainly can't march straight into the city. Perhaps we should send a few men in first, then open the gates under cover of night."
His plan was straightforward: discover Cleon's quarters in the pyramid, seize the city gate at night, and then surround the pyramid where Cleon dwelt.
Varys agreed, noting that Astapor's defenses were weak and their chances of success were high.
After discussing the plan, Bronn turned to the terrified girl and asked, "Do you even understand what we're saying?"
The girl trembled even harder.
Bronn glanced at Varys, who tilted his head. "Why? Do you still mean to kill her? We are a regular army, we don't slaughter people at random. We buy them, and then we take them away."
In the end, Bronn spent a single silver coin to purchase the girl.
"So cheap, just one silver?" he remarked.
"What else did you expect? In Slaver's Bay, the least valuable thing is a slave, and the most valuable thing… is still a slave," Varys replied.
Within three days, Bronn had located Cleon's pyramid, the largest in the city, easily identifiable.
That night, Bronn led a handpicked force of thirty men and swiftly captured Astapor's gate, aided by a repeating crossbow device.
Soon after, four thousand elite soldiers surged toward Cleon's residence.
Cleon's response was swifter than Bronn had expected, but it did little to alter the outcome.
Bronn's men were clad in armor, armed with fine steel weapons and repeating crossbows. Against Cleon's rabble of poorly equipped soldiers, the battle became a slaughter.
Before long, Cleon's forces were routed, and the so-called Butcher was dragged trembling before Bronn.
Looking him over, Bronn sneered. "This one doesn't look like a butcher at all, more like a fat rat."
"My lord, please…" Cleon began, but Bronn swung his sword and took his head before he could finish.
"Hang his head in the Plaza of Slaves. Tomorrow, bring everyone there to see it."
Afterward, Bronn met with Cylor and informed him that Astapor had been taken and that he was ready to assume full control of the city.
Cylor had followed Bronn to Essos, appointed personally by Theon.
Bronn commanded the military, Cylor handled governance, and Varys oversaw the flow of intelligence.
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