Old Valyria: House Baelaeron

In a world like this, almost everything revolves around the same old stuff: power, money, sex – and the gods. He had enjoyed the first three in abundance, but the last was something he still struggled with after all this time.

He had already philosophized so much about why he was here and who had brought him here that he had given up. But what still occupied his mind were the gods of Planetos, who enjoyed great prestige and influence.

He had often come into contact with divinity, only to realize that the gods - or the beings - really existed. But he had never experienced such proximity to a god or gods around a person as he did now.

Kaelarys was sitting on an open balcony that offered a wide view over the entire city. The balcony itself was located in the part of the palace that only his family had access to.

Lost in thought, he swirled the wine glass ever so slightly in his hand and stared into it, while his other hand rested on Lysandra's back, caressing her back gently.

Lysandra sat on his lap and rested her head on his chest. She enjoyed the view and the silence as much as he did.

"What happened?" He shook his head and sought his wife's eye contact when he heard the question.

"What exactly do you mean?" He followed up as Lysandra sat up straighter.

She took the wine glass from his hand and put it on the table. "I've known you for quite some time and you love to brood and play mind games, but it's precisely because I've known you for so long that I know when something is really bothering you or when you're just mentally absent again. And this time it's the former."

Kaelarys sensed the warmth in her words, but still noticed the worried undertone. He sat up straight and took her hands in his. "Forgive me if I have worried you unnecessarily; that was not my intention."

His words brought a smile to her lips. "I know that, my love. You just sometimes forget that you don't always have to shoulder everything alone. But it seems that no matter how often I or Sera try to tell you that, you don't want to hear it."

"I guess I inherited my father's stubbornness," he joked, leaning forward as Lysandra wrapped her arms lightly around his neck.

"I'm pretty sure you brought this on yourself." She remarked with a devilish grin.

He put his hands on her hips and pulled her towards him until their bodies collided. She put her hands on the back of his head and pulled at his hair while his lips met hers. The kiss was hot and full of passion.

"But that's exactly why you two devils love me." He commented, his hands now on her voluminous ass.

"Among other things." She replied, breathless from the kiss, in which neither of them had any intention of pausing for breath.

With nimble fingers, he slid under her dress and took both breasts in his hands. She moaned as he kneaded them with his warm hands. One advantage of being a dragon rider was that you were always warm. Just as she was about to help him out of his clothes, the candle on the table ignited.

Like a child caught doing something naughty by its parents, Lysandra jumped from his lap and tried to make her dress and hair halfway presentable.

Kaelarys did the same, but with less effort. He ran a hand through his hair and put on a calm, composed expression. A moment later, a face appeared in the flame.

It was a face he knew only too well. It was the blood-covered face of his sister Dona. Her look was that of a woman who had just been given her way. But her look changed immediately when she saw the two of them.

"Oh, have I interrupted you?" she teased with a playful smile.

If the two weren't as old as they are, they would have been blushing with embarrassment.

"Not at all, dear sister-in-law," Lysandra replied before Kaelarys could say anything. "What news is so urgent that you had to visit us in such a hurry? I'm sure a bath would do you good."

Dona took her bloody hair, which was tied in a ponytail, and held it in front of her face to examine it. "You're probably right, but I was sure that my brother would want to hear the news as soon as possible."

"Which would be?" Kaelarys asked, his curiosity now piqued.

Dona symbolically raised a golden harpy in front of the flame before letting it fall. The impact on the ground reverberated through the great hall in which she stood. "Slaver's Bay has fallen. Astapor, Yunkai and Meereen are now and for all time under House Baelaeron. The proud masters who resisted have been dragged from their pyramids and will be executed in the central plaza at this very moment."

Kaelarys was thrilled when he heard his sister's words. He gave her a small bow of his head as a sign of his gratitude. "Thank you, sister."

"On the contrary, I have to thank you. This is too much fun." Dona clapped her hands together and smiled radiantly. He was grateful that Dona was on his side. Even though she is his sister, whom he loves more than anything, he is not blind in both eyes. She has one or two screws loose. Everyone is aware of that.

"I will soon appoint some of our offspring to rule as overlords over the cities in my name. Please ensure that order is restored in the cities by then. Now that these cities are under our rule, they should also reflect the glorious prestige of our empire," he told Dona.

Dona became serious again and her playful self had disappeared. She dipped her head. "As you wish."

The flame flickered briefly before disappearing along with Dona's face. Kaelarys and Lysandra were alone again, but neither of them had any intention of continuing the activity they had started earlier. There were more important things to do.

Lysandra used the armrests for support to pull herself up from his lap. She sat down on the chair next to him, took a medieval-style quill that was lying on the table, and began writing in a thick leather book. "Do you already have candidates for the positions?"

Kaelarys looked at her working with the pen. Lysandra was responsible for most of the bookkeeping when it came to finances, and thus played a very important role. One of the reasons why she often had no time for him.

Running such a large empire also means that he has to delegate some tasks to others, as there are too many decisions that he would otherwise have to make. He, the emperor, is ultimately only responsible for the most important decisions and has the final say in all matters in which he deems it necessary to intervene.

Otherwise, immortality would be more of a torment than paradise.

He pondered for a moment before revealing his thoughts to her. "I will place Meereen in the capable hands of Laenor. He has always been loyal to me and the family, unlike his foolish brother. As for Astapor, I hope to hand it over to Kaelon's second-born, Arys. If Arys does not want it, then one of his brothers or sisters will certainly be willing to take on his role."

Lysandra looked at him in shock. "Arys may not be my biological grandson, but he deserves more than Astapor."

The way she let the name of the city slide over her tongue with disgust said everything about her opinion of the city.

He snorted with amusement at her attitude. "And here I thought only Seraphine and Dona had such an extreme attitude towards the Ghiscari."

"You think the same." she accused him.

"Touché." Kaelarys raised his wine glass in her direction with a slight, mocking smile.

"But don't worry, the purpose of this is to see how capable these children are of running a city, not to punish them." He explained to her.

Lysandra raised an eyebrow. "Laenor is the same age as you."

"I didn't mean Laenor." He deadpanned. "I was talking about Arys and Nyssara. But this is beside the point. The children of our house are all talented, each in their own way, but I will not assign an important position or city to someone who cannot prove that he or she is capable of it."

Lysandra looked as if she was about to object vehemently for a moment. But instead of getting into an argument, she took a deep breath. "You must know what you're doing."

"I certainly hope so." He replied.

For a while, there was silence between the two. Whether it was because she was focused on her work or something else, he didn't know. Kaelarys has solved many a mystery, but the day he understands the workings of a woman's mind is the day he will be declared a god.

It was a little while later when one of the Warborn opened the door, knelt down and spoke in the dark, deep, gravelly voice one would expect from creatures of their appearance and stature. "A small fleet of 10 ships has been sighted near Gogossos. The ships are sailing under the flag of the Azure Emperor Bu Chi."

Kaelarys looked surprised for a moment before quickly returning to his well-practiced composure.

He rose and offered Lysandra his arm, which she accepted. "Let's see what the fabled Golden Empire of Yi Ti is here for."

---

I just wanted to let you know that I won't be updating as regularly as I used to. I will update when I have the time to write. I won't force myself to write, but I will try to keep the story moving forward.

Men scroll

Men see

Men smile

Men gifts Stones

Men leaves Review

Men leaves happily.

Yours,

Jasonenrick!