RM: Interlude: Prelude to a Coup

A pall hung over Tolos. Viserys Targaryen, as Archon, had been particularly brutal. Mind you, part of this brutality was necessary. The Slavery that the City was dependent upon to feed itself and to work the massive Saffron and Lavender plantations to the North of the Black Cliffs needed workers, but Viserys had outlawed slavery at the behest of his sister. To get around this new ban on slavery, Viserys directed the Magistrates to sentence Criminals to labor for the state as a priority, effectively turning the Archon into a major slaveholder, though of penal slaves.

The issue was that there were not enough criminals to replace the slaves, which necessitated frequent arrests to make up the shortfall. Viserys' constables were disappearing people for minor infractions, and now simply criticizing the Archon could land you with a sentence as a Penal Laborer. If that was the only thing, that would be one thing, but Viserys was not content to be a simple Slavocrat. No, he also had a bloodthirsty streak, and punishments that he handed out to suspected rebel leaders were quite brutal and included such things as impalement, being drawn and quartered, or being broken upon the wheel.

Something had to give, and swiftly, before Viserys ran out of people to enslave for the state or execute in one of a half-dozen gruesome and bloody ways. Danaerys Targaryen understood that much, and so she had spent the past several weeks speaking with various highly-placed people in the hopes that she could foment a coup. She had spoken with the Commander of the Tolosian Military, Strategos Endymion Valoris, and the Leader of the Largest of the Plantations that had yet to be converted to Penal Labor, Reghdez zo Ludhaq, who was a cousin by Marriage of Hizdahr zo Loraq, one of the most powerful of the so-called Great Masters of Mereen.

In truth, Danaerys did not particularly enjoy gaining or want to gain Reghdez zo Ludhaq's support. The idea of getting into bed, metaphorically, with a Ghiscari of the sort that consorted with one of the so-called Great Masters of Mereen was abhorrent to her. However, Danaerys was swiftly finding out that acting based on one's personal morals was not always completely possible. If her coup was to succeed, she would need Reghdez's wealth and connections. Those were the facts as they stood, and they would not change based on her wants. Perhaps when her Dragons were larger than the size of a medium-sized dog, she could force the issue, but that day had yet to arrive.

Now, Danaerys was meeting with someone she had not expected to meet. Mizhan zo Asni, a small but wealthy spice trader. Compared to someone like Reghdez, Mizhan was not quite so wealthy, his estates were small enough that he could afford to switch over to entirely voluntary labor, unlike the massive plantations that men like Reghdez owned. However, his network of trade contacts allowed him to make an outsized profit. One that would put most of the Smaller Lords of the Seven Kingdoms to shame in terms of wealth.

Mizhan now sat across from Danaerys, sipping tea as they met. He was an interesting person. His silk Tokar was fringed not in silver or gold, as were the ones favored by the Ghiscari Citizenry of Tolos. Instead, it was fringed in carmine dyed and malachite beaded cloth. It was also cut differently than normal, allowing him to move about more easily compared to the formal Tokar in use by people like Reghdez, who needed to be carried in palanquins to and from their destinations about the city. What Danaerys found most interesting, however, was the ivory-handled, short ghiscari sword that hung at his waist in a sheath of embossed leather. That was not something Danaerys had seen before.

"That is an interesting manner of dress you have, Lord Mizhan. The sword, especially." Intoned Danaerys.

"I am an interesting man who has traveled far in my youth. As to the sword, it is of the same sort carried by the Iron Legions of New Ghis, one which formed the sidearm of the Soldiers of the Lockstep Legions of Old Ghis. I find that it does wonders to discourage attempts on one's life." Intoned Mizhan.

"Is that what you believe? That I will make an attempt on your life?" Questioned Danaerys.

"You? Perhaps not. Your brother, the Archon, though? Definitely. After all, am I not sitting in the presence of the current most prominent rebel leader in Tolos?" Queried Mizhan.

"To the point, then?" Asked Danaerys.

"If you would, please." Nodded Mizhan.

"Very well, Lord Mizhan. Yes, I am indeed seeking allies to. . .remove my brother. His tyranny has done naught but harm to Tolos. I had not considered approaching you, though. Why have you come to meet with me?" Questioned Danaerys.

"I have come, My Lady, to give you a warning." Informed Mizhan.

"And what warning would that be, Lord Mizhan?" Queried Danaerys.

"You may yet succeed in your coup, but Reghdez zo Ludhaq and his kin in faraway Mereen seek to rule through you as a puppet. Their wealth funding your coup comes with strings attached. You may find yourself forced to wed Reghdez zo Ludhaq's cousin, Hizdahr zo Loraq, within months of succeeding your brother as Archon." Explained Mizhan.

"Is that so? Lord Mizhan, I must confess to being only a young girl, but I must also confess to some wonder as to your own motives. Why would you tell me this? Surely a puppet Archon controlled by Ghiscari would be good for your own interests as well?" Asked Danaerys.

"My Lady, you are more than just a young girl. You are mother to a trio of Dragons, and while Reghdez zo Ludhaq and his cousin in Mereen may think themselves able to control such beasts, those of us who have studied the Wars between Valyria and Old Ghis know better. I simply seek to earn the favor of the one who actually can control the beasts, that she might look kindly on the House of Zo Asni in the future, when her scaled children are grown." Answered Mizhan.

"I see. So you are a historian, then?" Questioned Danaerys.

"History is a hobby of mine. I find that many parallels may be drawn from History that can be useful in navigating modern times." Nodded Mizhan.

"So, then, tell me. How does this scheme of Reghdez zo Ludhaq's work?" Queried Danaerys.

"It has to do with interest rates on those loans he has granted you, and the inability of Tolos to pay such when crippled by economic chaos, as is currently ongoing. Within months, before the turmoil and economic chaos have fully settled, even with the backing of the City's Treasury, you will swiftly find that there is just not enough money coming in to both run Tolos and pay the accumulated monthly interest. Reghdez zo Ludhaq will then come to you with a proposal to marry his cousin in exchange for the debt being forgiven. Such a marriage would tie the House of Targaryen to the House of Zo Loraq and Zo Ludhaq, and thus make Tolos an extension of Mereen in terms of the game of Grand Strategy that Hizdarh zo Loraq is currently playing from within the Brick Pyramids of Mereen." Informed Mizhan.

"Does Strategos Endymion know of this plot as well?" Asked Danaerys.

"I doubt it. He would not go along with it if he did, after all, his own family are cousins to the Old Blood of Volantis, and thus Mereen's interests are not his own." Refuted Mizhan.

"I see. And your own interests, no doubt, are also divergent from those of Mereen." Mused Danaerys.

"The House of Zo Asni has ties to New Ghis, though we are but a Minor House there. My own grandfather was privileged to be the Praefectus Classis of the Fleet of New Ghis, while my Uncle was Legate of the Second Iron Legion, though we only recently became landowners of any significant wealth during the time of my father. Our interests lie in New Ghis, Tolos, and Elyria, primarily, though I have a cousin who has begun making inroads in Mantarys and another who is seeking to recolonize the Isle of Cedars." Relayed Mizhan.

"Industrious for Ghiscari. I had thought you all to be cut from the same cloth as Reghdez zo Ludhaq." Remarked Danaerys.

"That may be the case for those of Mereen, Yunkai, and Astapor. New Ghis is cut from a different, older cloth, however." Informed Mizhan.

"It would seem so, though I must confess to some trepidation about the slavery that even New Ghis holds so dear." Offered Danarys.

"Such things are an unfortunate necessity in most of Slaver's Bay, My Lady. There just are not enough ways to eke out a living in deserts, hills, and jungles without it. Not without the Magics that powered such marvels as Old Valyria, and even they used slaves when expanding into the lands vacated by Old Ghis in the aftermath of the Wars." Pointed out Mizhan.

"Perhaps you are correct in that, though personally, I cannot see it. But then, I am still only a young girl. No doubt the realities of the situation will be made clear to me in time." Acknowledged Danaerys.

"And perhaps those magics of Old Valyria may yet rise again. Your Dragons prove that such lost powers may yet return. On that day, I will gladly champion abolition." Nodded Mizhan.

"I will welcome your change of heart if and when it should occur. For now, however, I will simply offer my thanks for the Warning about Reghdez zo Ludhaq and his cousin. It is good to have such friends in these dangerous times." Concurred Danaerys.

And with that, the course of Danaerys' plot had changed. She would still use Reghdez zo Ludhaq and his funds to bolster her coup attempt, of course. Even Mizhan zo Asni could not fund her efforts on his own, with his family so recently having come to prominence. However, she would be planning a second coup as well, to come on the heels of the first. In a meeting with Strategos Endymion, Danaerys laid out the facts she had become aware of, how Reghdez zo Ludhaq and his cousin were plotting to make Tolos a mere extension of Mereen's Will, and how such a thing would run counter to the interests of not only Tolos but also Volantis. Strategos Endymion listened and began to offer advice on how best to carry out this second coup. He was fully on board, and thus, so were the Army and Fleet of Tolos.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Danaerys moved pieces around the Cyvasse Board of Regional Politics, preparing forces here, stashing funds and weapons there, until finally the eve of her first coup against her brother, Viserys, arrived. By the time it had, her Dragons were the size of wolves, as she had fed them a steady diet of sheep and allowed them to fish the sea on a daily basis. Her Dragons would form the backbone of her second coup, as Reghdez zo Ludhaq had guard forces of his own that he used to guard his Plantation and Holdings. Vhagarion, Rhaenrys, and Aegal would be the force multiplier, as Strategos Endymion called them, that would serve to rout any forces that Reghdez zo Ludhaq could muster for a Counter-Coup.

When the day dawned, it would begin with strikes on Viserys' Constable Posts throughout the City of Tolos by Strategos Endymion's Troops. When it ended, it would end in fire and blood, but also something more.

It would also end in a declaration of War from Mereen, as Hizdahr zo Loraq convinced the other Great Masters to attack when his plots went awry. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we have the prelude to Dany's Coup. It turns out that there are more geopolitical interests in Tolos than just those of Viserys. No less than two other factions have an interest in seeing Viserys be overthrown and are willing to aid Dany, though of those two factions, one is doing so as a poison chalice of sorts, so that their extended family, and by extension Mereen, can gain ascendancy in Tolos. The other, of course, has ties to New Ghis, yes, but also in an odd way to Ricasso, as Mizhan zo Asni is the father of Rolena zo Asni, who Bronn is currently courting.

It's all going to end in fire and blood before things wind down, as expected of House Targaryen. It's also going to end in a declaration of war from Mereen, as Hizdahr zo Loraq isn't going to take kindly to his and his Cousin's schemes being upset. Of course, I wouldn't expect things to turn out like in canon this time, with Yunkai, New Ghis, and others joining forces to attack Dany. It isn't like she went about sacking Astapor or anything this time around, after all.

At any rate, the next chapter will be back to Ricasso's POV as he meets up with his reinforcements and begins the final stretch of his campaign in the Eastern Riverlands.

Stay tuned. . .