The feast continued in full swing. Though cautious and awkward in Rhaenys's presence, the magisters and the elite of Pentos were having a grand time.
Not everyone, however, was bogged down by her imposing aura. Prince Oberyn was certainly one of the exceptions. He was having a marvelous time, seemingly without a single care in the world. He was drinking all the fine wine, flirting with the noblewomen, and thoroughly enjoying himself to the fullest.
When the feast finally passed its pinnacle and the festivities began to wind down, Illyrio invited Rhaenys to a secluded room for a more private discussion. Around a dozen other Magisters, including Lipis Liaz, joined them.
"Lady Rhaenys," Illyrio began, taking a slightly shaky and deep breath. "There is a matter we would all like to discuss with you. And this time, we would prefer a direct approach, rather than dealing in riddles and veiled signals."
"I hope we have your permission to speak plainly," he added tentatively.
"Speak freely, Magister Illyrio," Rhaenys replied with a calm smile. "I assure you all, I take no offense to plain words. At least, not unless they are intended to be abusive or insulting. You have my assurances."
A broad smile broke across Illyrio's face, and he nodded toward an elderly man seated next to him. He was the oldest magister in Pentos and widely considered to be a masterful negotiator.
"Lady Rhaenys," the old man said, his voice calm but firm. "We hope, we desire, and we propose that the city of Pentos might enter into an alliance with you. An alliance between the city of Pentos and Qohor."
"It is no great secret that, sooner or later, Lord Aeos's sword will turn toward us," he continued. "And we believe you are the only person who possesses the power to protect Pentos from him."
"In fact," he added, a shrewd glint in his eyes, "I believe your name alone would be a sufficient deterrent. Once word spreads that Pentos is under your protection, I doubt even Lord Aeos would dare to set his sights upon us."
"The might of your five dragons would be a successful deterrent against Lord Aeos," he added.
Rhaenys nodded slowly. The proposal was not surprising. She had been expecting this exact stance since that very afternoon.
"And what do I get in return?" She asked softly. "What price are you willing to pay?"
The magisters exchanged heavy glances. Nothing in this world was free. If they wanted a dragon's protection, they had to pay the dragon's price. And they had already agreed upon exactly how much they were willing to offer.
"In return for your protection," the old magister responded with a heavy sigh, "the city of Pentos will accept your suzerainty. We will surrender ourselves to you. We will kneel before you."
"I believe and please correct me if I am wrong," Rhaenys interrupted smoothly, "that what you are offering me is merely a nominal suzerainty?"
"Yes," the old man nodded. "You will not have a direct say in the internal governance of the city. In exchange, every year, we will pay you a substantial sum of gold as tribute for your suzerainty. Apart from this, you will also have an uninterrupted access to our cities for trading purposes. Qohor is too far away from the narrow sea. Pentos could be that outpost that it would need on the coast of the narrow sea."
"And why would I be satisfied with merely nominal suzerainty?" Rhaenys asked, her voice cutting through the quiet and thoroughly shocking the gathered men.
"I do not see anything of real value for me in this venture," she continued. "I hardly care for the gold you would pay me as tribute. And as for Pentos serving as a mercantile outpost, I doubt any city would refuse me. With the sheer volume of wealth my Dragon steel will bring, any city that hosts my trade will benefit immensely. It will be their privilege."
A stunned silence fell over the room. The magisters had never anticipated this outcome. They had smugly expected Rhaenys to be delighted, even jubilant, to accept their nominal surrender. Instead, she had not hesitated for even a second before brutally crushing their proposal.
"You mean... you demand the complete surrender and subjugation of Pentos?" The old man asked, his voice suddenly quivering.
"Yes," Rhaenys replied without a shred of hesitation. "If Pentos wants my protection, it must surrender to me just as Qohor has. I will have absolute control over the city, in both its internal and external matters."
"It goes without saying that you will all be permitted to keep your personal wealth," she added mildly.
"What is the difference, then?" The old magister demanded, his voice rising in a mix of panic and indignation. "If we are to lose all our authority, we might as well surrender to Lord Aeos himself! He would also allow us to keep our wealth. He has been doing so for every city he has conquered. There is no difference!"
"I never said I was any different from Lord Aeos," Rhaenys remarked coldly. "It was you who made that assumption."
The old man opened his mouth to retort, but Rhaenys simply raised a single hand, silencing him instantly.
"Magisters," she said, her tone almost patronizing. "Your proposal of nominal suzerainty would have worked perfectly on a ruler who lacked the capability to take your city by force, or one who would need to expend an enormous amount of resources and manpower to conquer it."
"I face no such obstacles," she continued. "For me, there is no practical difference between accepting nominal suzerainty over Pentos and simply conquering it. They are both the same to me."
"In fact," she added, a sharp smirk touching her lips, "with five dragons and more than two thousand hardened mercenaries of the Golden Company camped right outside your gates, I could conquer this city tonight."
"If I possess all these capabilities, why would I ever be willing to accept something as unworthy as nominal suzerainty?" She questioned.
The faces of the magisters turned ashen and drawn. The sheer, suffocating reality of their situation had finally dawned on them. A soft, amused smile played across Rhaenys's face as she took in their pale, terrified expressions.
"Relax," she said smoothly. "Just because I can conquer your city does not mean I am going to."
She pushed her chair back and stood up.
"You all have until morning to make your decision," she commanded. "If you want my protection, you will completely surrender your city to me."
"If not," she continued, letting the silence stretch for a heavy pause. "I will be on my way, and you can all wait for Lord Aeos's sword."
With those final words, Rhaenys turned and exited the chamber, leaving behind a room full of shocked, paralyzed, and horrified magisters.
#
#
#
[Add the book to your collection. Send it some power stones. Leave a rating and a review.]
[Access advanced chapter on P@treon. Replace @ with a. One additional advanced chapter each week on P@treon. ]
[email protected]/imaginarywriter