[Chapter Size: 4000 Words.]

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Third Person POV

Westeros, 298 AC.

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“Understand… so the Articans are passing in front of Dorne and returning to Artica with 50 ships…?” Doran Martell murmured as he read the parchment, immersed in his own thoughts, ignoring everyone around him.

“Yes, Prince Doran. When we were returning from Lys to investigate their actions in the city, we saw the ships. And they have even managed to secure a contract with Lys at last, and the Summer Isles have been included in their trade routes for moons. Artica’s commerce is stronger than ever,” Doran’s messenger and spy informed.

The fleet they referred to was Brynden’s, which had departed from Slaver’s Bay a moon ago and was advancing through the sea, rounding the Point of Essos, and heading directly to Artica. Meanwhile, the Artican ministers had been returning to Artica for the past two weeks after finalizing an agreement with Lys and some other cities outside the usual routes.

“That is impressive… They practically control the entire trade route from Braavos to Yi-Ti,” Doran murmured, reflecting. There was no more powerful group in trade than them—they had appeared just a few years ago and were already dominating everything, making voyages that would be impossible for all the houses of Westeros today.

After all, it was no longer a secret that Artica had also formed a powerful bond with Yi-Ti at this moment. Despite the many absurd stories circulating, some sources claimed that a princess from Yi-Ti’s royal family had been taken to Artica to consolidate military and commercial alliances. The news was shocking to everyone who had access to that information.

Although these nations were distant from each other, no one imagined that Artica could expand so much. It was undeniable that its influence was growing rapidly. Even without a strong military presence in some territories, its commercial dominance flowed uninterruptedly, with Artican ships crossing the seas from one end of Essos to the other with ease, establishing themselves as ships entered and left Artica fluidly.

So it was no longer a surprise to see Artican banners in the middle of the sea between Essos and Westeros every week, sailing with a minimum of 36 ships and up to 200 or 300 ships at a time, carrying goods that no one else in the world could trade.

This began to alert all the players of the game—a leviathan was rising in a way no one had expected. Artica was becoming rich and powerful, gaining trade routes and solidifying its military power with demonstrations never seen before.

For not only had they established trade with Volantis and Yi-Ti, but they had also attacked Slaver’s Bay, taken control of all the cities after returning from their journey east, and now ruled them. Reports indicated that the Red Priests had been aiding Artica since then, for reasons unknown to most, though it was clear it had something to do with what had happened in Volantis during their first visit.

“So, those ships must have come from that place… after killing all the slavers and plundering their riches, now they are managing the cities?” Doran murmured aloud, thoughtful.

“You may leave now,” Doran said to the man, who exited, leaving only him and his family in the room, as this was a somewhat private discussion.

He cast a glance to the side, where his brother, Oberyn, stood, observing the conversation.

“What do you think of this?” Doran asked.

Oberyn seemed to reflect for a moment before answering.

“Well… It’s hard to believe that those cities actually fell like that. I used to fight in the arenas when I was with the Second Sons, and I have thought many times about how to conquer Meereen or Astapor when I was there… but I never found an answer. Until then, Meereen was considered unconquerable. However, now, hearing these reports that have reached us late by a few moons… it’s surprising,” Oberyn said.

“Do you think the Articans want to increase their influence in the world?” Doran questioned.

Oberyn hesitated before answering, but before he could speak, a third voice joined the conversation.

“Perhaps Jon of Artica’s ambitions are even greater than we imagined,” said Arianne Martell.

Doran turned his gaze to his daughter, who had been attentively observing the conversation, and she continued.

“It seems that Nyra has done quite well in finding a suitor like that rising Snow…” Arianne murmured, crossing her arms.

“You need to calm yourself, Arianne. We’ve talked about this. Don’t let your jealousy take over your thoughts.” Doran warned.

After all, Arianne had always shown a certain envy toward Nyra ever since her unexpected pregnancy. Not that Doran could truly blame her. Doran had only been able to secure horrible suitors for Arianne in an attempt to preserve her.

In the end, Nyra had secured a suitor who granted her great power. Arianne, despite being a princess of Dorne, had lived a freer and more promiscuous life—something that was not seen as a problem in her homeland but clearly did not help in securing advantageous political alliances. This was evident when Jon of Artica was offended by Doran’s proposal when he first came to Dorne.

However, regardless of what had happened, it was clear that the Articans were growing and becoming a power that even the great kingdoms could no longer ignore.

“Anyway, what will we do, father?” Trystane ignored his sister, who was about to protest at their father’s words, and asked Doran directly. After all, he knew that his father still had plans to seek vengeance and reclaim the Martell family’s rise.

Doran first looked at his brother, who merely lifted his head toward his daughter but said nothing.

“Nothing to declare,” the Red Viper of Dorne said, and Doran turned back to his son.

“Well, we have had no more news of Viserys Targaryen since he became a slave. He is probably long dead.” Doran spoke, unaware that Viserys had been killed just over a moon ago by an Artican sword. They also had no real news of Daenerys Targaryen, as Jon had managed to manipulate all information regarding her stay in Myr.

Nor did they know about the Artican army that had entered northern Essos, let alone the true whereabouts of Viserys, who had been captured and hidden by Khal Drogo for the past two years.

Doran sighed before continuing:

“Things are unclear, but I still believe we can use Nyra to gain some advantage with the Articans. After all, we are still her family. Even if their king treats us as enemies, we still protected her and cared for her.”

“But, in any case, we have another option. I am reaching out to the Golden Company, as there is something interesting that may present a new alternative for us.” He spoke while Oberyn raised an eyebrow beside him.

“What do you mean by the Golden Company?” Oberyn asked, showing interest.

“We will talk about it in the future. For now, I want to see how this game unfolds.” Doran replied in a mysterious tone.

At the same time, vague information from Yi-Ti and some confirmations about what had happened in Slaver’s Bay began spreading elsewhere. Slowly, Westeros was starting to learn about events that had taken place moons ago, due to the vast distance delaying the flow of information.

The Queen of Thorns could not help but furrow her brow upon hearing the news.

“Marrying the princess of Yi-Ti as his fourth wife?” she murmured, unaware that, in reality, Daenerys Targaryen was also with Jon, being one of five queens.

Olenna could not help but raise an eyebrow at the information.

“This man keeps accumulating wives… I wonder if this won’t become a problem in the future, when he has a horde of children, all of them vying for the throne of his lands.” She thought aloud.

With her mindset, and living in a kingdom like Westeros, she clearly saw this scenario as something that could cause great instability in Artica’s succession.

And if she knew about the existence of the dragons, she would be even more horrified—not only fearing a civil war in Artica but also complete domination over Westeros. However, since she lacked that information, she could only concern herself with the political future of the growing northern power.

“This could be dangerous for us, don’t you think, Grandmother?” The voice beside her pulled her from her thoughts.

Garlan Tyrell, who rarely took part in the family’s administration, was present. Normally, this role fell to his grandmother, Olenna, and his brother, Willas, the family heir, while his father, Mace, was an incompetent fool whom Olenna avoided involving in such discussions.

Margaery was also listening to the conversation, eager to learn more about the situation, but this time, Garlan was there as well, attentively absorbing the news.

After all, this was an intense military maneuver by the Articans—something that any great house in Westeros should take into serious consideration.

“Before that, what do you think of their military power?” Olenna asked Garlan.

He seemed thoughtful and sighed before answering. “I’ve never heard much about Essos, but I always knew that Meereen was an impenetrable city. It says here that they conquered it in just a few hours. I wonder how they wield so much power… But I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, Oldtown fell to their strength, even when they were almost hostages inside the city…” He responded, while his brother, standing beside him, also gave his opinion at that moment.

“We are truly vulnerable after what we did. We cut all our business with them. Since they paid us in advance, we did not deliver the horse cargo we had promised.” Willas murmured, looking at his grandmother cautiously, while Margaery also expressed her concern in her gaze.

“If they attack us, I don’t think we can withstand an assault from the sea. We will have to be well prepared if we want to defend these lands. But I don’t think that will happen without a heavy price to pay, given our 100,000 men on the battlefield. Our position would be significantly weakened after a war against them.” Garlan added.

They still had no information about Vaes Dothrak. If they did, their concern would be even greater.

“We are in a difficult situation, I know that. But I don’t think they will launch such a specific attack. And, surely, Westeros would unite against the Articans if a full-scale war began here.” Olenna reinforced the idea that they would not be attacked so easily.

“I hope you are right, Grandmother.” Willas murmured.

“A perfect scenario would be a marital alliance.” She did not fail to comment on the matter.

“You want to marry Margaery to the Artican king?” Garlan murmured.

“No. I don’t want her to be just one among a half dozen queens, along with four others. I would rather see her take only the Iron Throne. Though, now I see that Artica is more powerful and richer than the Crown itself…” Olenna murmured before continuing.

Margaery watched her intensely, not protesting against Garlan’s suggestion.

“The ideal scenario I mean is for Princess Myrcella to marry Jon of Artica. I believe that, being the old lion that he is, Tywin Lannister would see this as a way to strengthen a peace contract between the Seven Kingdoms and Artica. Who knows, perhaps even, in the future, creating a bond that could make Westeros a unified realm of eight kingdoms…

At the same time, Margaery would marry Prince Joffrey, becoming Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. And Willas could marry Arya Stark. I heard that she is traveling with her family, visiting the Lords of the North after the commotion with the heir of Winterfell. Certainly, this scenario would further strengthen the bond between Artica and our house.”

“But that’s an almost impossible scenario, don’t you think, Grandmother?” Willas murmured.

The old lady nodded.

“Yes, it is difficult for something like that to happen at this moment. I heard that Princess Myrcella openly fears her potential marriage to the Artican king. It seems her mother has planted some rather dangerous ideas in her own daughter’s head… Perhaps out of jealousy, I don’t know.” She shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment, lost in thought.

“In any case, let’s see what your idiot father is up to now. He needs to review some business, as we are losing what little market we had in Essos to the Articans, after we started selling our food to Braavos.” She spoke as she got up as quickly as her age allowed.

The Articans had started selling food to Braavos more than two years ago. Although they had begun with a small supply, the food trade had exploded in the past few moons, following the return of the King of Artica to his kingdom. This had significantly weakened the trade of those who used to sell food outside Westeros, and House Tyrell, along with its allies, had a small share of that market.

Although they only sold the leftovers they couldn’t trade in Westeros, the situation was beginning to weigh on the pockets of many nobles who had a stake in this commerce and were used to earning vast amounts of gold from it.

So, the complaints started to arise while Mace Tyrell tried to handle the problems. However, as expected, he lacked the skills to manage his lords. Olenna Tyrell, as always, ended up dealing with everything.

In the end, they left the hall, interrupting yet another meeting. While their nobles demanded solutions, Mace Tyrell seemed more interested in drinking and discussing anything that did not involve problems.

Elsewhere, the news had also reached Casterly Rock a few moons earlier.

Tywin Lannister was sitting alone in his solar, immersed in his own thoughts. The old lion was frustrated, feeling pressured. The Articans had conquered Slaver’s Bay and taken the cities as their own, as his spies had reported. That, in itself, was already concerning. But what troubled him the most was the fact that his granddaughter, Myrcella, had developed certain ideas that put his plan to access Artica’s resources and establish an agreement with them at risk.

The Articans were not easy enemies to deal with, and this was becoming evident to the entire world.

“Their presence along almost the entire coast of Essos shows how things are evolving.”

In just a few years, Artica had gone from being a nation that no one cared much about, laughed at for being composed of savages, to something far greater.

First, they surprised everyone with two hundred ships sailing south and expanding their routes. Now, the nation was becoming a true power, dominating all commerce in the west and south of Essos.

For the Lannisters, of course, this was extremely worrying.

Tywin believed he had brought his family to the pinnacle of this era like no one else. His daughter was queen, and his grandchildren would be the future rulers. However, an unexpected enemy had emerged from nowhere—a young northern bastard who had grown far beyond what anyone could have predicted.

The old lion still remembered how the Artican king had been firm with him during their negotiations, even after he had simply captured his son and treated him as a prisoner.

While most people cowered under his gaze, that boy had stood his ground. More than that, he had sold him a sword made of Eldenmetal steel, which now belonged to his son, who wielded it in the Kingsguard to distinguish himself.

The old lion sighed.

He knew he would have to watch the next moves carefully to understand what his best play would be. After all, he still wanted to maintain power and elevate his family to the highest position it could reach.

Even though now, something even greater than the Iron Throne was emerging on the horizon.

While the council in King’s Landing discussed recent events, many remained unsure of what to do. Artican ships were beginning to pass in front of the Seven Kingdoms, and no one could stop them.

In the North, Lord Stark was visiting various houses, following the route he had planned with Arya. The plan was being executed as agreed.

They passed through Icehill Farm, then Tower Square, where they spoke with the various families managing the place about Jon. After that, they departed for Deepwood Motte, where they were fiercely received by the Glovers, who considered it an honor to host the Starks in their home.

Following that, they traveled even farther north, visiting the mountain clans, where they stayed for a few weeks. Then, they made their way to Bear Island, under House Mormont, and afterward to Last Hearth, where Little Jon Umber joined the company after leaving his stronghold.

Like him, other lords also sent their heirs to accompany the Starks. Thus, a large company was formed, allowing the houses to give their future lords the opportunity to know the North better alongside the Starks.

After visiting the Karstarks in Karhold, they proceeded to Dreadfort, where they were currently staying. The company of nobles was numerous, and Lord Bolton received them with courtesy.

“So, about those bandits… Have you discovered anything?” Lord Stark asked, addressing Roose Bolton in the great hall, where some northern nobles were gathered along with their sons in Lord Stark’s company.

“I’m handling it, Lord Stark. Do not worry.” Roose replied in his cold, calm voice. “If we uncover anything, your report will not be in vain.”

There were rumors that the captured bandits had confessed to transporting women to that region, which greatly concerned Ned Stark. He nodded but decided he would discuss the matter more thoroughly in private, during a more discreet meeting.

“I don’t like this place.” Arya murmured, sitting among other ladies at another table.

One of them was Alys Karstark, who looked curiously at Arya before agreeing.

“I don’t like this place either… There’s something dark here.” Alys murmured.

Arya nodded.

Even some noble ladies were accompanying this journey, as many houses sought to secure favorable marriages. The Karstarks, for example, had sent their daughter, as she could become a potential match for Robb Stark. Her father, Rickard Karstark, was considering this possibility, suggesting that his daughter first get close to Arya Stark, as everyone could see that she had a certain influence over her father—perhaps even more than Robb did.

Arya Stark had become very popular in the North. Her firm and strong demeanor, yet at the same time soft and pleasant, made her admired by many. She was even considered “Lyanna Reborn” by those who had known Lyanna in her youth. They had even begun calling her “The New She-Wolf of the North,” which caused headaches for her father, as he started receiving numerous marriage proposals for his daughter. Of course, he refused them all. Arya belonged to herself and had already proven that. If she had real interest in someone, she would have gone to her father herself. No matter how much they tried to court her, she knew very well how to escape such situations.

“They still have torture chambers here. So don’t be too surprised.” Arya suddenly said.

Alys Karstark widened her eyes, as did three other nobles nearby.

Arya had used her skinchanging ability to enter the mind of a rat and explore the castle. In doing so, she discovered that Dreadfort still had active torture chambers—and judging by their state, they had been used recently.

She would have to inform her father about this but would wait for a more opportune moment. Arya already suspected that Roose Bolton was involved in the abduction of women from other regions, possibly working alongside the captured bandits.

“You know, Lady Arya…” A young woman from House Flint, who had joined the Stark company before the Starks visited her home, suddenly spoke as she looked at Arya.

“I heard that a great number of Artican ships were spotted advancing north of Essos. Do you know what the Artican king is planning?” she asked.

The deeds of the Articans were one of the most talked-about topics in the North at the moment. No longer did Jon have the reputation of having kidnapped his own sister. After all, Arya was doing very well for someone who had supposedly been taken to the land of wildlings, and her actions always sparked great discussions. Lady Arya was often called upon to speak about Jon’s adventures and confirm rumors.

One of the most debated rumors was the conquest of Slaver’s Bay and the war in Yi-Ti. Arya was one of the few who could provide accurate information about what had really happened, as she had been present in Yi-Ti. This would leave many shocked when they heard her confirm certain facts or reveal new details—though she avoided sharing overly sensitive information.

In the end, it all boiled down to the fact that Jon had won the hearts of the people of Yi-Ti, who now called him the Great White Wolf Protector. He had fought against their enemies and helped drive them out. Meanwhile, the empire’s princess had gone to Artica as his bride and was now likely already his wife and queen of the realm.

“Jon must be dealing with some conflicts with the Dothraki. He’s probably waging war with them in the Dothraki Desert.” Arya replied, giving a brief explanation without going into too many details.

“Truly incredible… He fears nothing. And what happened in Yi-Ti is even somewhat romantic, don’t you think? He took his princess and brought her home after protecting her and defending her land.” Lady Karstark murmured.

Lady Flint laughed and gave her friend a light tap on the shoulder before pointing to another young woman beside them—a daughter of a Glover lord—who looked visibly uncomfortable hearing this.

Arya sighed. That girl had nurtured a fantasy since childhood that she would marry Jon, as he had saved her from wildlings when she was a child. However, Arya knew that would never happen. Even so, the girl still held onto hope, which ended up being a nuisance for Arya.

“Tomorrow, would you like to train a bit, Lady Arya?” A voice from an older woman came, and it was none other than Dacey Mormont, who was also part of the company.

Arya had truly formed a strong friendship with the Mormont women. Maege had greatly admired what she saw in Arya, considering her a true she-wolf, and some of her daughters had also joined the campaign. Arya and Dacey had become friends and sparring partners while traveling together, with everyone witnessing Dacey’s constant defeats. But she always laughed, saying she was learning even more and improving her skills with her axe.

Meanwhile, the young lords were discussing matters with Robb at the nearby tables. His name was slowly being rehabilitated in the North. Many no longer saw him merely as the boy who orchestrated his own brother’s exile to avoid punishment for his mistakes involving Theon Greyjoy. Gradually, he was beginning to be recognized for other qualities.

The Starks’ journey would continue south. There were still several houses left to visit before returning to Winterfell. After four moons of traveling, their final stops would be in the lands of the Hornwoods, Cerwyns, Flints, Manderlys, Dustins, Ryswells, and, finally, Greywater Watch.

After that, the escorts would take all the nobles back to their respective homes.

Meanwhile, far to the north, the Artican ships were finally arriving at their port.

The Artican king disembarked after his long journey through Essos.

Jon was finally home, and the kingdom welcomed him once again with the success of his military campaign.

And now, it was time to deal with the problems awaiting Artica after a little more than four moons of his absence.

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Raccoon Here:

 I will add the images later, as I don’t want to make you wait any longer. I also need to fix the date… After all, I have been copying and pasting since Jon saw his mother’s past.

————-Nexts Chapters —————-

Chapter 251 – Helping Mance’s camp.

Chapter 256 – The Eyes of Death.

Chapter 266 – The Assassin in Winterfell.

Chapter 275 – The Beginning of the Game of Thrones

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