Chapter 627

To defeat a ruthless man, you must be even more ruthless.

Had Tywin Lannister remained holed up in Casterly Rock, clutching his gold within its unyielding stone walls, he might have been untouchable. Dragonfire could not melt rock, and large-scale artillery had yet to be developed. In such a scenario, even Daenerys might have been forced to acknowledge the limits of her power.

But Tywin had misjudged the situation.

He had marched his forces across mountains and rivers, bringing himself straight to Aegor—onto an open plain, with no natural defenses to shield him. He had abandoned the last barrier that might have protected him: distance.

Yes, he valued House Lannister’s honor above all else.

But even honor was secondary to something far greater: survival.

Aegor and his dragon queen had just executed two kings. Their hands were still red with blood. Adding a duke to the list would hardly trouble them.

And what did Tywin have to bargain with?

His eldest son was at the Wall. His youngest had already defected to Daenerys’ cause. His leverage was pitiful.

To fight to the bitter end, as Stannis had, would have been admirable—but Stannis had made that choice knowing that House Baratheon had no future.

House Lannister, however, still had a chance.

If Tywin made the wrong move—if he sacrificed these twenty thousand elite soldiers—his family would not only lose its place among the great houses but might not even be able to hold the Westerlands at all.

And so, after seventy years of unwavering pride—

As dragons circled above, as a single cannon blast echoed like a thunderclap across the battlefield—

Tywin Lannister bowed his head.
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No man had ever joined the Night’s Watch with greater ceremony.

Escorted by twenty thousand Lannister soldiers.

Hand-delivered by the Queen’s own Lord Commander.

Publicly swearing his oath before the assembled armies of Westeros.

Since the founding of the Night’s Watch, no recruit had ever entered its ranks with such spectacle.

The news spread instantly.

As fast as word of the battles at Blackwater and in the bay. As fast as the fall of King’s Landing itself.

To common folk, it was a tale to gossip about over ale and firelight.

But to the lords of Westeros?

It was a message.

Daenerys Targaryen does not tolerate neutrality.

The Vale, the Reach, the Stormlands—those who had already opposed her, those still waiting on the sidelines—all now faced a choice.

Some stubbornly fortified their lands.

Some sent envoys to negotiate.

Some began searching for a way out.

And yet, as all of Westeros held its breath, waiting for the Queen to march on the Reach—

She did not.

Instead, she halted at King’s Landing.

Because Aegor had convinced her to wait.

They had seized the capital. They held the moral high ground. The burden of urgency now lay with their enemies.

Westeros would come to them.

Their task now was not conquest—but consolidation.
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In addition to naming Aegor Hand of the Queen, Daenerys carried out a series of rewards and punishments.

The Unsullied and the Meereenese freedmen, her most loyal troops, were honored first.

Grey Worm was named Supreme Commander of the Targaryen armies and Lord Commander of the King’s Landing garrison. The soldiers under his command received promotions, land, and permanent holdings around the capital—ensuring that, in time, they would form a new standing force, replacing the Gold Cloaks, who had long been infiltrated by Crownlands nobility.

Beyond Aegor, the second most valuable contributor to the war had been an obscure figure: Victarion Greyjoy’s former lieutenant, the Ironborn warrior Nute the Barber.

After Victarion’s death in dragonfire, Nute had taken command of the Ironborn fleet sent to rescue Daenerys. In the naval battle at Blackwater Bay, it was he who had led the vanguard against Stannis’ fleet, buying time for the Meereenese ships to reposition. It was he who had forced Euron Greyjoy into direct engagement, setting the trap that led to Crow’s Eye’s death aboard the Invincible Ironborn.

Daenerys lavished him with reward—naming him Warden of the Iron Islands.

Of course, the Iron Islands had not yet surrendered.

His title was, for the moment, meaningless.

He would have to conquer it.

And then, there was Asha Greyjoy.

She had slain her own uncle.

For this, Daenerys granted her full pardon and officially recognized her as Lady Greyjoy, head of House Greyjoy.

From swearing her oaths to the Night’s Watch to being released had been a single week.

To some, it might have seemed absurd.

But in truth, it was a calculated maneuver.

When Asha had donned the black, she had still been a prisoner of war—a defeated invader, a captive of the North. Neither Aegor nor Daenerys had the right to pardon her past crimes.

Only by becoming a sworn brother of the Night’s Watch had she severed all ties to her previous sins.

Only then could she, as a Night’s Watchman loyal to the Queen, step forward, offer counsel, fight for Daenerys, and, with earned merit, reclaim her place.

Aegor had designed the process to shut the Starks up.

Now, the North had no grounds to object.

Between Nute and Asha, which of the two had contributed more?

It didn’t matter.

Asha was Aegor’s person.

Nute was Daenerys’ person.

Of course the Queen’s direct vassal would take priority.

For the first time in history, the Iron Islands would not be ruled by a Greyjoy.

As for Aegor’s personal reward for Asha’s gift of the dragonsteel armor? That was an internal matter, one his faction would handle.
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Daenerys then granted new titles:Edmure Tully as Warden of the Riverlands.Doran Martell as Warden of the South.Brandon Stark reaffirmed as Warden of the North.Tywin Lannister (in absentia) reaffirmed as Warden of the West.

Royal pardons were issued to Crownlands lords who had served the Baratheons, ensuring their titles and lands remained intact.

And yet, even as she restored noble rights, she took from them.

Two key fortresses—The Dreadfort and The Twins—were seized and declared Crown holdings.

As compensation, the Martells were granted disputed borderlands between Dorne and the Reach—land rich in agriculture.

Some rejoiced. Some seethed.

To balance it all, Daenerys introduced a new decree.

The Targaryen War Bond.

The Western Lords and Crownlands Nobles—those who had wavered—were forced to buy these bonds as atonement.

The Northern and Riverlords—who had already fought for the Queen but gained little—were granted bonds as reparations.

In simple terms?

Daenerys had handed out IOUs.

The bonds could only be cashed in three years later.

Aegor sweetened the deal.

The Night’s Watch Arsenal—Westeros’ only producer of gunpowder and artillery—would only accept Targaryen War Bonds as currency.

You want cannons? Gunpowder? Bombards?

Pay in bonds.

And by the time those bonds were redeemable?

Aegor would have another generation of weapons far beyond their reach.

The game was set.

And the Second Targaryen Dynasty’s war machine had begun to turn.