On the dirt road winding through the Velvet Hills, the wind howled, whipping the black-and-red dragon banner fluttering from the tips of the cavalry lances.
Forty cavalrymen escorted Viserys Targaryen, serving as his honor guard.
Behind the cavalry came the wagons and the infantry, followed by the many Andals who had pledged themselves to the King, with more cavalry protecting the flanks.
The soldiers of Andalos were not glamorous; they seemed to carry the scent of the earth still on them, yet they were about to be baptized in blood and fire.
Viserys wore his black scale armor, leading his new Andal subjects across the Upper Rhoyne to Viserys Fort.
Viserys Fort, with its Privy Council and First Legion, would bring trade and prosperity, attracting a large influx of the Andalos population.
More importantly, it was a preparation for war, preventing the Tyroshi from burning the savings and food stores of the Andal villages.
Gathering strength was necessary for a decisive confrontation. Fortunately, the Andal elders were shrewd enough to agree to this defensive counter-attack strategy.
The armor left by the Tyroshi was distributed directly to soldiers who had distinguished themselves—nothing wasted.
Tyroshi craftsmanship was excellent, aside from their penchant for bizarrely shaped helmets.
Tyroshi artisans designed gilded helmets and gold-and-silver armor, shaping helms into birds and animals and edging them with precious metals.
The fierce wind snapped the banners of the marching column.
Since the custom of family sigils was not widespread in Essos, most Andal banners bore the seven-pointed star.
"What is your name, and how old are you?" Viserys asked the bearded Andal cavalryman who had been the first to swear allegiance. The warrior still had the seven-pointed star painted on his face.
"Argos Blackpine, Your Grace. I am eighteen," the bearded warrior answered seriously. "I was ready for a big fight, but Your Grace had already slaughtered those Tyroshi slavers."
Viserys looked at Argos Blackpine's rugged face. This is eighteen?
Argos looked like a brute of the same mold as the Mountain, the Hound, or the Greatjon—mature beyond his years.
Argos Blackpine stood about two meters tall, rippling with thick muscle. He looked incredibly strong and carried a shockingly ugly greatsword.
Given the current state of the Andals, this was Viserys's first SSR-tier warrior pull.
Behind every successful figure, there need to be a few hounds.
The more Viserys looked, the more satisfied he became. The Starks had the Umbers, Tywin had the Mountain, the Hound, and the Kingslayer. Now, Viserys had drawn his first top-tier card.
"Argos... that name," Viserys muttered inwardly, recalling whose name it was.
Argos "Sevenstar" was one of the many Andal warlords who attempted to invade Westeros during the Andal Invasion.
He was defeated by the allied forces of Theon "The Hungry Wolf" Stark, King in the North, and House Bolton in the Battle of the Weeping Water.
The Hungry Wolf led his fleet across the Narrow Sea to attack Andalos, with Argos's corpse lashed to the prow of his flagship.
It was said the Hungry Wolf exacted a bloody vengeance there, burning over twenty villages, capturing three towers, and executing hundreds.
Viserys felt the name was somewhat inauspicious, but perhaps the Andals still considered Argos a hero and named their children after him.
"Are you willing to serve as my bodyguard?" Viserys asked Argos Blackpine.
If Argos ever faced the Starks in the future, he would truly be the second "Sevenstar." Viserys found the mental image quite compelling.
"I am willing, Your Grace," Argos Blackpine nodded. "I've wanted to chop up Tyroshi and use their heads as balls for a long time. Our village elders wouldn't let me go out and fight, only telling me to protect the village. I was suffocating."
"I want a suit of fitted iron armor, and I want to eat my fill," Argos requested cautiously.
"In Viserys Fort, that is not a problem. Hahahaha," Viserys laughed. With Argos's build, he was a living, breathing mini-Mountain.
Even in the Seven Kingdoms, he would be a first-rate warrior.
Viserys was very pleased. Argos was an orphan of the village, raised by the community, possessed of immense natural strength, and served as the village protector.
The next wave of Tyroshi retaliation might come soon. The old ways of village warfare were becoming obsolete, and warriors like Argos needed to adapt to the new realities of war.
The wagons in the middle of the column creaked and groaned as they trundled over the dirt roads of the Velvet Hills.
Most Andals had fled to Westeros before the Dragonlords colonized the area, so there were no Valyrian roads in Andalos, only dirt and mud paths.
These wagons carried gifts from the Andal villages to King Viserys, along with their stockpiled supplies, food, and many of the elderly and weak family members of the Andal elders and warriors.
Viserys knew the Andal gifts were mostly wood carvings and handicrafts, which he hadn't examined closely yet.
The food supplies were varied: barley, wheat, oats, corn, apples, carrots, potatoes, lettuce, and smoked meats like wild boar and venison, as well as smoked trout from the river.
Since the Andals dared not venture to the sea, there was practically no sea fish.
Some of the best apples and oats weren't for humans but to feed the expensive and scarce warhorses of Andalos.
"What major powers remain among the Andals now?" Viserys asked Bishop Ebony of Andalos.
"There are two large families whose reputations prop up loose confederations," Bishop Ebony explained. "One is the Greenvine family, who made their fortune selling wine. The other is the Rock family, who rose through ironworking. They sell not only crude armor but, more importantly, iron farming tools. The Greenvines are to our south, the Rocks to our north."
Current Andal civilization was completely fragmented, scattered into disparate villages.
The Andals had no king or currency of their own. Besides using the coins of the Free Cities, they relied on wine and iron tools as hard currency.
Because of this, the Rock and Greenvine families held considerable influence.
"Greenvine, Rock," Viserys murmured the names. One controlled Andalos wine, the other held the ironworking technology.
To unify Andalos, Viserys would have to deal with these two families.
Listening to their styles and industries, the Greenvine family seemed naturally slick and greedy.
The Rock family sounded more traditionally Andal, possessing more chivalry.
"Your Grace, should we send someone to investigate their movements?" Bishop Ebony suggested in a low voice.
"No need," Viserys shook his head. "Smart people will choose to support our cause."
"Stillness counters motion." This was Viserys's strategy. He would pretend to be unguarded and see if the enemy would jump out on their own.
First expand his power in Andalos, then extend into the neighboring Rhoyne valley.