Chapter 5: Chapter 2: The Dragons Moot (Part 2)

Some Time Later

Great Hall of Pyke

 ‘’You cannot be serious!.’’ shouted the aged Sargon Saltcliffe ‘’It is our way of life….the old way our fathers and grandfathers have practiced.’’

Victarion Botley, lord of Lordsport’s keeps another of the elder Ironborn nodded ‘’Aye….you cannot ask us to give up our way of life…it is our custom….taking a salt wife is how a boy becomes a man, how he proves his devotion to the Drowned God.’’

‘’You misunderstand me my lord…I am not asking you….I am ordering you to cease all raids on my Kingdoms.’’ Aegon said.

‘’Dragons or no dragons you go too far with this.’’ Lord Victarion said stubbornly.

‘’You dare speak to your King that way.’’ Lyonel Mallister said heatedly, causing another cacophony of shouts to rise up through the hall.

It had been Rhaenys that insisted on it. On their way to Seaguard they had stopped at a small village that had lost almost all its women to Ironborn raiders over the years. Rhaenys had been so moved by this she promised the village elder she would make sure it never happened again.

 Prior to departing Seaguard, she had insisted that Aegon find a way to stop the Ironborn raids on Westeros’s western shores and the custom of taking what they called ‘’Salt Wives’’ or non ironborn concubines, to which Aegon had agreed and presented the ultimatum to the lords there.

It was not going well, with the debate having raged on for almost half an hour, mostly spurred on by the two traditional lords of Saltcliffe and Lordsport.

Vickon Greyjoyy raised his hands for quiet and eventually he had it.

‘’I don't think what you are suggesting will work……at least without some sort of compromise….it's ingrained within our people…the old ways are within our soul…and you can't rip out a man's soul as easy as his fingers.’’ Vickon said, earning several nods from the Ironborn lords.

‘’We can try Ironborn.’’ Lyonel Mallister said, venom in his voice.

Aegon put up a hand for silence.

‘’What do you suggest then?’’ Aegon asked.

‘’We raid away from Westeros, the Summer Islands and the Free Cities…..north to the Shivering Sea even.’’ Vickon continued.

‘’It takes weeks of voyaging to reach those far off lands….it would decrease the plunder brought back  threefold with the extra provisions and pay.’’ Lord Sargon Saltcliffe scoffed.

‘’Still it is better than nothing……and the plunder is greater to the east than some riverlander hovel.’’ mused Hilmar Drumm, the ruler of old Wyk, the holder of the Valyrian steel sword Red Rain which he had cleverly stolen from the Reynes of Castamere. For this feat he had been known as Hilmar the Cunning and was one of the most powerful Ironborn lords.

Aegon shook his head ‘’The free cities provide valuable trade to the realm, I wont have you intercepting contracted trade ships and stealing profits from the coastal towns….you can raid the Steppe Stones and Basilisk Isles.

Sigrin Harlaw, a young man with a brown beard stood ‘’King….I think you know that proposal wont work…frankly it is insulting.’’

‘’Would you prefer Dragonfire?’’ Lyonel Mallister said, and Aegon raised his hand once more for silence.

‘’Aye….looks like were in need of another compromise.’’ Vickon Greyjoy said.

Aegon raised his eyebrows ‘’You're in need of a compromise.’’ he corrected him.

‘’We won't raid ships coming west, only ones going east and to the other free cities…we want want to raid Dorne as well.’’ Vickon proposed.

Aegon hesitated a moment before answering, on one hand Ironborn raids could weaken Dorne for his eventual conquest, on the other he would be condemning people, mostly citizens that would one day be his own to death.

‘’You have leave to raid Dornish patrol boats as well as their trading ships, but only in the narrow sea…no fishing boats or coastal villages.’’ Aegon said.

‘’You drive a hard bargain.’’ Vickon said, crossing his arms.

‘’It is not a bargain.’’ Aegon said coolly, making it clear that the negotiation was done.

‘’Very well….I for one am agreed.’’ Vickon said and slowly the other Ironborn lords nodded their assent, though many did not look pleased about it.

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The next order of business was to decide on the fate of both Qhorin Volmark and his lands. Qhorin was respected as a warrior and the Ironborn were quite adamant that they wanted him alive, even though he pillaged some of Sigrin Harlaws lands in his pursuit of the Kingship.

‘’’’Black’’ Harrens brother, one of our own people leads the night's watch, and he does it well….send Qhorin there….the night's watch could use some real steel among them fancy knights.’’ Suggested Vickon, to which Aegon had nodded, he would send a ship with Qhorin to the Shadow Tower after this business was concluded.

Aegon did not take much council in regards to the castle of Volmark and the surrounding lands, deciding himself to give it to Sigrin Harlaw, as it was his demesne and thus his land by right.

The final matter to be settled was the matter of who was to lead the Iron Islands as Lord Paramount. To which Aegon had allowed the Ironborn to vote one of their own to the title. The King knew that if peace was to be kept then whoever led the Isles would need respect to keep his fellow Ironborn in line and could not be seen as a puppet.

In the end it came down to Vickon Greyjoy and Hilmar Drumm, both had been expecting the opportunity and had prepared their speeches well. Hilmar was a few years older and was much respected for his capture of Red Rain, however his gifts to the electors were poor, not for the lord of Old Wyks lack of wealth but the lord was a man that kept his fortune close to him and was loath to part with it.

Vickon Greyjoy on the other hand had the much larger army and fleet, and his ownership of Pyke, the largest fortress in the Iron Islands and the Seastone chair gave him legitimacy, however there were lords present that had seen the act of Aegon sitting on the Sea Stone Chair as tarnishing the Greyjoy Lords honor.

It was dead even as the time for the last vote came, the aged lord Sargon Saltcliffe the only one to not have declared his intention. After a moment's pause, and a look at the pile of treasure Vickon Greyjoy had set out to be distributed among those that had voted for him, the Lord Saltcliffe and declared his support for Vickon, thus giving him victory.

It had been a fast ceremony, as the Ironborn were not ones for drawn out procedures, with Aegon naming Vickon Greyjoy the Lord Paramount of the Islands and taking his oath of fealty from the Seastone chair, to which the other lords had done the same, albeit reluctantly as the knees of the Ironborn did not bend easily.

There was to be a feast immediately afterwards in the Kitchen Keep, which was located on a separate island connected to the Great Keep by a large swaying rope bridge.

As the Lords of the Ironborn made their way out of the keep on their way to the feast, Aegon nodded to Vickon, signaling him to stay behind.

The hall was empty by now, except for Corlys Velaryon who stood at the heavy door, and Theo Tyrell, who waited at attention by the King.

‘’If your intention was to have a strong  and respected ruler for the Islands than you've weakened me by taking me chair King...It will take time to regain my reputation.’’ Vickon said.

‘’You won didn't you?’’ Aegon said coolly.

‘’I did…I was the more deserving candidate after all…but it shouldn't have come down to Sargon Saltcliffes love of silver.’’

‘’I have no doubt you shall regain your reputation…after all they have you to thank for being able to retain their rights to reave.’’ Aegon said.

Before Vickon could reply, Aegon continued ‘’Now enough about your chair….tell me Lord Greyjoy, this agreement as it pertains to reaving…you think it will hold?’’

Vickon paused ‘’It will be difficult…but aye…I can keep them in line…there will be no raids on your Kingdoms.’’

‘’You understand what will happen if one of your lords should break our agreement, I have been lenient with your people, much to my vassals' anger but if there should be one raid on the soil of my Kingdom, the man responsible shall pay in kind.’’ Aegon said sternly.

‘’Pay in Dragonfire you mean?’’ Vickon asked.

Aegon nodded ‘’if necessary.’’

‘’There won't be a need for that, any man breaks their oath i'll kill him myself…take his eyes….I won't have it said that Vickon Greyjoy of the Isles allowed any oath made in Pyke to be broken.’’ Vickon said.

‘’Good.’’ Aegon replied, standing up from the Sea Stone Chair.

‘’I shall return your seat to you Lord Greyjoy…keep the peace and act with wisdom and we shall have no problems.’’ Aegon said, making his way to the door.

‘’You will stay for the feast?’’ Vickon asked ‘’we've prepared you a seat of honor.’’

Aegon nodded ‘’I will but only for a short while, though I fear we will have to do without the company of Lord Mallister, he has made his way back to the ships.’’

Vickon chuckled’’A shame to be sure.’’

Despite Aegon's proclamation that he would only stay for a short time, he stayed for several hours in the feast hall of Pyke, hearing the tales and songs of the Ironborn, and despite himself, found he had gained some amount of admiration for this warlike people.

 Upon leaving the feast and making his way back to the ships, Aegon had tasked Aethen Velaryon with sailing the ships back to the Arbor, and entrusted Theo Tyrell to Corlys Velaryon, who would ride alongside Lord Mooton to Maidenpool, and from there the capitol. Aegon would fly on Balerion back to King's Landing and the Aegonfort, he had been away from it for over two years, and it was time to return…it was time to rule.

The Kings visit to Pyke would be remembered, both in song and in curse among the Ironborn, who while impressed with the sight of Balerion in the harbor of Lordsport also saw it as the day the Ironborn bent the knee and agreed to cease raids on Westeros…with the event being known ever since as ‘’The Dragons Moot.’’

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