City of Myr
Fifteen days had passed since Lord Aeos had taken the city in one of his most iconic victories in the known history of Essos. The casualties, counting the dead on both sides, were only around one hundred, an insignificant number for such a great conquest.
In these fifteen days, Jon had established a complete hold over the city. As was the case elsewhere, the Magisters were allowed to retain their wealth, properties, estates, and trading establishments, but the authority and power they once had wielded over the city had been snatched away.
A few were retained as advisors, as they possessed the finer details and deeper knowledge required to run the city. But their services soon would not be required unless retained permanently.
The military, too, had been stripped of its power, and the soldiers were given the usual choice. Either join Lord Aeos's army or return to civilian life.
It went without saying that all forms and any kind of slavery had been banned, with its practice made a punishable offense.
After establishing firm control, which mostly involved weeding out defiant voices and extending administrative tentacles throughout the city, Myr was set upon the same path of transformation as the three Slaver's Bay cities.
Plans were drawn up for widening and paving the streets, beautifying the city, building a proper drainage system, and renovating or reconstructing houses and other buildings. A Myr City Centre, modeled after those in Astapor, Meereen, and Yunkai, was also in the works. Given that Myr was in much better condition than the Slaver's Bay cities, the task there was expected to be easier. Similar initiatives were also being undertaken in the cities of Lys and Tyrosh.
After capturing the city, Lord Aeos had taken up residence in the manor of a deceased Magister. The estate had been cleaned and altered to suit Jon's preferences. Melisandre, who had been deployed to oversee the campaign against Tyrosh, a spectacular success, had returned to Myr to resume her duties at Lord Aeos's side.
They were sitting in a garden under a tree, enjoying morning tea. A thick stack of parchment sat on the table next to them, filled with the administrative, economic, and developmental issues Jon had to address that day.
But now that Melisandre was back, his task had become much easier. She was fully capable of deciding on these issues on her own. She rarely needed to bring them to Jon unless a major matter was involved.
"With your arrival, I will again get some time to relax," Jon remarked cheekily. "These past few days, they have burdened me with so much workload and paperwork."
Melisandre chuckled in response. It was amusing for her to know that the greatest conqueror in the entirety of Essos was irritated by doing paperwork and did not want to do it unless absolutely necessary.
"What are our plans now, Lord Aeos?" she questioned, shifting the topic. "What city will we capture next? Pentos? Norvos?"
Jon shrugged in response with a neutral expression on his face.
"To be honest with you," he replied, "I have nothing in my mind as of now. Now that Lys, Myr, and Tyrosh are under my rule, I will think about my next plans."
Melisandre nodded.
"I think," she remarked. "You have already covered the hard part. Now, be it any city, I doubt anyone would be able to resist your onslaught."
Jon nodded. It was true. Even before capturing the three Free Cities, he had been monstrously powerful with a humongous army.
But now, with the resources of three more cities and Qohor in the background, his power would only grow. And it did not include the five dragons and his own magical powers.
But his ultimate target did not end with the capture of Essos. It ended with the capture of the Iron Throne in Westeros. And then, there was the great battle that would eventually be fought against the Night King.
If Jon were to be honest, if the Night King were only as powerful as he had been shown in the canon, at least in the later episodes, it was going to be a cakewalk for him.
But he had an instinct that it would not be that simple. The Night King had felled a dragon with a single strike of his spear, yet he was killed by a small girl he had been clutching by the neck. Yes, Arya was not really a simple small girl but even then it was absurd.
It just did not make sense, and therefore, Jon was not going to take him lightly. He was preparing for a Night King who could launch spears with deadly precision.
"What news do we have from Qohor?" he asked, pulling himself out of his contemplation.
"Lord Oberyn and Arianne Martell were a day away from the city of Qohor, according to the last letter I received from Lady Rhaenys," she replied. "They must have reached the city by now."
"They will surely try to reclaim Lady Rhaenys as a daughter of the Martells," she continued. "How do you think Lady Rhaenys will deal with them?"
"It is up to Rhaenys," he answered. "The Martells are her family, and she will be the judge and decide on what to do with them and how to deal with them. Whatever she decides, I will support her wholeheartedly."
Melisandre nodded at this. She had varying opinions but chose not to express them. What worried her was Lady Rhaenys getting too emotional, and the Martells making a fool of her or using her. She knew that even Lord Aeos shared these concerns, but no matter what, he was willing to stand by Rhaenys's decisions.
It seems Jon's industrial revolution is moving just as fast as his army! Providing high-grade steel to a world accustomed to bronze and basic iron is a masterstroke for funding a new empire.
"What about the metals?" he questioned further.
"The forging of weapons is in full flow," Melisandre responded. "Many traders have already been awed by these new grade weapons, and a significant number of bulk orders have already been placed."
"I think it will be a couple of days at most before the weapons begin to be delivered," she continued with a grin. "And soon, they will overwhelm all of Essos."
Jon nodded in satisfaction. With the capture of the cities, he needed a vast amount of capital before these territories could be turned productive. The wealth from the sale of these weapons was exactly what he needed, and he needed it urgently.
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