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—
The Oldtown
Oldtown.
The sole center of learning in Westeros.
While the Citadel's history is not exactly clear, it is believed that Prince Peremore the Twisted, the second son of King Uthor of High Tower, invited wise men, teachers, priests, healers, singers, wizards, alchemists, and even sorcerers to Oldtown in his curiosity. Following Peremore's death, his brother, King Urrigon, granted land to "Peremore's pets."
Which became the center of learning that was known as the Citadel.
Another important part of Oldtown was the Starry Sept. Built by Lord Triston Hightower in honor of his mentor and regent, Septon Robeson, the Starry Sept was the seat of the High Septon, the leader of the Faith of the Seven, and the one who speaks for the Seven in the mortal realm.
Speaking of the Seven, Ei was beginning to think they did not exist.
The Andals, who had brought the Faith of the Seven to Westeros, were believed to originate from Axe of northern Essos, though there were also claims they came from south of the Silver Sea.
While septons and septas teach that the Seven promised Hugor and his descendants great kingdoms in a foreign land, the maesters believed that the Andals migrated due to the expanding Valyrian freehold, which was a threat to them.
After arriving in Westeros, they warred against the First Men and the Children of the Forest in the name of their god.
Ancient history did not concern Ei as much as the future, but it gave valuable insight into how the Faith of the Seven came to be, though it still did not explain the lack of any reaction from the Seven Who Are One.
Either they were bound to the lands the Andals had originated from, hence why she could not detect any sign of the Seven, or they did not exist in the first place, perhaps created by humans to unify the Andals and create a lawful society.
Though their morality system apparently did not tolerate other religions, and knighthood, an order meant to be chivalrous and protect the innocent, devolved to the point where oaths did not mean much to some.
Lady Alyra had ridden ahead to open the gates and waited for the host.
—
Once the host had settled in, her fleet was allowed to dock, and Lord Ian came to report that the Shield Islands had surrendered peacefully and had not encountered any dangers during their patrols along the coast.
The men were glad to be ashore after spending so long at sea.
Lucenor Hightower, the High Septon, had been summoned to Hightower with all haste to discuss the recent unrest caused by septs across the four kingdoms.
The council room of Hightower had been quickly prepared for the talks, and Lucenor had been brought in.
"High Septon Lucenor." Ei looked at the old man, who was walking with a cane yet had so much hatred in his eyes.
Was it truly because he believed the Faith of the Seven was under attack, or because she had weakened his position?
"Sorcerer." Lucenor responded, his gruff voice not hiding anything.
"I want you to put an end to the unrest caused by the septs across my domain. Tell them to stop inciting the people to rebel." The Martells had yet to be pacified, and she could not leave embers of rebellion behind her and cross into Dorne.
"We will never stop resisting the false god that is you."
"I do not need people's beliefs to be a god, just my power." Lightning crackled outside, loud enough to be heard through the thick stone walls of Hightower. "I will not have rebellions in my territory. You will order them to stand down, or I will hang each one of them like common brigands."
Lucenor did not back off, however, too old to be intimidated. "Your threats do not scare me."
I would actually have to agree with that, because Lucenor was far past the average age of living among the more well-off populace of Westeros.
Saiguu, however, was not going to let an old man think he could do as he wished toward gods. "I find it quite weird that the Seven did nothing to protect the Faithful. I mean, she just killed over a hundred thousand people with one swing of her blade, but the Seven did not even make a peep. Why is that, High Septon? I am sure you, as the voice of the Seven Who Are One in this world, can shed light on this."
The kitsune goddess' tone was innocent, as if she was actually seeking to understand and not mock the holiest man in the Faith of the Seven.
"The Crone did not share her wisdom with me." Lucenor hid behind a convenient excuse, and Saiguu nodded sagely.
"Quite understandable, since you sent thirty thousand people to their deaths with nothing to show for it except a hole in the Red Mountains." Her words shocked Lucenor, as if he was suddenly burned, and left the High Septon speechless.
"Your Excellency, if I may?" Lady Alyria, who had been watching silently so far, requested to speak. Ei gave her permission, and she approached the High Septon, glaring at him in the eyes.
"Lucenor, the war is over, and if you drag this out, we will elect a High Septon. Do not forget who rules Oldtown." She reminded the High Septon. With her word, the Starry Sept would find itself quickly running out of donations, and Lucenor would quickly be replaced.
The idea of being replaced and left in obscurity scared Lucenor more than dying in the name of the Seven Who Are One did.
He could not be seen as bowing to the threats of a false god, but the Regent of Oldtown was a different matter. "As you say, Lady Alyria, but do not think the Seven will forget your compliance."
"And do not think I will forget your rebellious nature, High Septon." Ei reminded Lucenor as he was escorted out of the room.
—
Riders were sent with the word of High Septon Lucenor, calling the local septons and septas to stop their efforts so peace could be achieved. Coupled with her previous decree, things should settle down on the religious front.
Now, it was time to march to Dorne.
—
She had left the Thunder Dragon to patrol the Reach, flying all over the land, making sure to be seen by the keeps while the host marched to Dorne, staying in Oldtown to prepare for the desert conditions.
Water had been stocked fitting for Dorne, and in addition, Ei would create clouds to give shade to the host. Saiguu was not coming, having been left behind with Kage to survey the situation of the Reach, especially where they stood with harvests.
—
Highgarden
Once Ei had left Oldtown for Dorne, Saiguu and her retinue made their way back to Highgarden. As the only person Ei could spare that could manage an entire kingdom, she was appointed as the Regent to address the issues the Reach faced.
But she had something more interesting in her sights now.
"Fascinating." Saiguu scratched her chin, examining the puppet created by Ei. Ever since she had learned just what the talented hands of her friend had created, she wanted to see them but only had the chance to examine the kagemusha now.
To a stranger, and to most people familiar with her, seeing which one was Ei and which one the puppet would have been impossible.
"So, Kage, tell me, how do you feel?" How close to an actual person, regardless of mortal or divine, had Ei made her to be?
Kage, assuming that the question was about her status, reported as she would to her creator. "I am fully operational."
Not the answer she was expecting, but perhaps a bit of candor would be more useful here. "Hmm, do you have the capacity to feel emotions?"
"I have not been fitted with the ability."
Pinching the puppet's cheeks, Saiguu pulled and pushed, marveling at how this supposedly wooden creation moved so much like flesh. The puppet did not resist, once again assuming falsely that the kitsune was checking her frame for any damage.
Having the powers of the Shade of Life, things could be very interesting with this puppet.
"Would you like to feel emotions, then?" She asked. This would be a very interesting gift for Ei and an even more interesting way of using her powers.
Could she use her powers on a puppet? Then again, seeing as humans were creations too, even if it was in a wildly different way, there was no harm in trying.
"I am unsure." Kage saw no reason to have emotions; after all, if her creator did not give her any, then they must not have been important.
Saiguu cupped Kage's face, drawing the well of power inside her. "Well, I am sure Ei will be fine if I tinker with you a bit."
"My body is not meant to be-be-be-be-be….." Kage began to glitch, her head stuck moving left to right in a loop while Saiguu's powers flooded the divine construct.
The puppet began to emit a golden glow that soon blinded the whole room.
—
Eyes snapped open, and Kage sprang to her feet, the replica Musou Isshin at the ready. Seeing no danger in the room, she sheathed the sword and began to pat her body for any changes done to her.
Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she sighed in relief.
Kage had been worried that the meddlesome kitsune goddess had done something to her.
Alarmed, she stiffened again. Ei did not create her with the ability to feel worry. Any damage done to her body could simply be repaired, and even in the worst-case scenario, her consciousness could be preserved and transferred to a new body.
She should not feel worried for any reason.
"Morning. How are you feeling?" The one responsible for this, Kitsune Saiguu, entered the room without so much as knocking and started inspecting her face again.
This time, Kage slapped her hands away, gently, of course.
"What did you do to me?" She demanded, detecting something within her that made the puppet wish to inflict violence on the kitsune.
Saiguu clapped her hands, as if getting ready to explain everything. "I have no idea, but I think I gave you emotions and more autonomy over yourself."
"Why?" The puppet asked. She had not requested this, and the logic behind the kitsune's actions escaped her.
"Why not?"
Kage was taken back by the question, unable to find any reason to refute it.
It was strange to feel these things, emotions, well up inside her, but they also felt good? She wasn't sure what good felt like. The terminology existed in her memories, but the experience was nonexistent.
"Come on, we have work to do, and I am sure you can use the experience."
—
"How is Reach as a whole doing on the harvests?" Saiguu, sitting at the head of the table, asked the ladies acting as regents for their children. Having so many ladies ruling at once was just another part of the string of unprecedented situations Ei had caused.
Now that peace had been achieved, their greatest problem was harvest, and as the current governor—another foreign word uttered by Queen Argella—everyone looked to Merina for a solution. "Due to the losses at the Battle of Summerfield, the late King Mern had drawn more levies than usual, leaving farms across the land in need of manpower."
"Simple then, we'll have farming machines brought to Reach and reduce the need for manpower." Saiguu declared. When she learned of Ei's reforms in farming, it made her ask.
Why would she do that? Surely, after eight thousand years, the Seven Kingdoms would know how to farm enough to feed themselves, right?
Wrong.
The proposition had Maralyn Rowan interested, for just like the other houses, House Florent, under her husband's rule, was trying to acquire these machines. "The machines used in the Storm Kingdom? Will Queen Argella agree to that?"
"She appointed me as the regent; my word is her word."
"That is wonderful to hear, Lady Saiguu." At least, the harvests would not rot in the fields, and Merina could breathe a sigh of relief.
"How soon can we get the machines? The farmsteads of Reach are the largest on the continent, and we will need as many as possible." House Gardener's lands fed half the realm, and the loss of so many levies had thrown the harvest plans into chaos.
"Kage, any idea how many can be made per month?" The finer details escaped Saiguu since she didn't have the time to learn more, but hopefully the puppet did.
Kage, who was watching the horizon as if she were seeing it for the first time, jolted at being addressed, quickly composing herself to answer. "With both Iron Works working, a hundred of each should be possible a month; however, they will only need threshers and reapers, so a hundred and fifty."
"What about the farmers in the Storm Kingdom? Their harvests should have been gathered by now. We can take their threshers and reapers to use in the Reach and then give them new ones over time, which should not be an issue by the next harvest." That way, the immediate need of harvest machines could be met.
Running the numbers in her mind, Kage approved the idea. "Probability of success is deemed to be acceptable."
"Now I just need messengers and workers to bring the machines here."
—
Dorne
Where the Reach had cut their losses to survive, Dorne had chosen to resist.
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken.
However, they were also very well aware that they could not face the God of Thunder—as Argella Durrandon was named so now—and survive.
Which is why they were not going to fight at all.
The noble houses of Dorne would hide with supplies and men, lying in wait until Argella Durrandon left, striking when the garrisons she would no doubt leave behind had lowered their guard.
If they could not defeat Argella Durrandon, then they would make any invasion too costly to be worth it.
Already their coffers and everything of value had been removed to deny the Storm Kingdom the chance to loot. Taking as much food from the harvests as they could, the rest had been given to the smallfolk.
Water wells have been hidden, and what they could not hide was poisoned. Ships had sailed out; docks were damaged, not enough to make them entirely useless, but definitely troublesome for any invading force to make use of.
People of Dorne would be harmed by these precautions as well, but they would endure.
Supplies would be stolen from the enemy while wounding and killing as many as possible to reduce enemy numbers.
Patience was the key, and the people of Dorne were right at home.