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Game of Thrones: The Ruler- Chapter 71: Illyrio (3)
🕑 Added 2025-08-29 18:14:56 +0000 UTC“Yes, Lord Aeos,” Illyrio continued. “A plot against you.”
“It is hard to name just one person or one city. You could say that a few lords and magisters from several different cities have come together with a plan to deal with you.”
“First of all, they are trying to hire as many sellsword companies as they can. Secondly, they are attempting to strike deals with as many Dothraki hordes as possible.”
“What do they want?” Illyrio asked rhetorically, answering his own question. “They do not intend to attack you directly, at least, not yet.”
“But whenever your army marches into its next phase of invasion, they plan to come down heavily on two, or perhaps even all three, of your cities and utterly destroy your nascent empire.”
“Few thousand sellswords and more than forty thousand Dothraki warrior will pillage your cities and reduce them to rubble. The smaller number of sellswords will serve as the strategic brain of the campaign. They will work strategically to inflict maximum damage. While the large of Dothraki savages will be spearhead of the destruction. They will unleash terror on the three cities that you rule. A terror never seen before in human history.”
“It will be a warning to everyone across Essos. You will made an example. You must be careful, Lord Aeos,” Illyrio said in a serious tone.
Jon allowed a trace of surprise to flicker across his face.
“I see,” was all he murmured.
This, however, was news he already knew. His spy network in Essos was brilliant. In the past, he had invested heavily in spies. Nearly three separate companies operated across various cities in Essos.
More importantly, the whores he had first hired in Astapor, to serve as spies, and whose numbers had since grown were now a major source of information. These women had infiltrated the inner circles of many ruling magisters, lords, and wealthy merchants. There were quite a few magisters who were showering their wealth on these ladies. And the ladies were acting as the perfect gateway for the information for Jon.
Even a servant in Illyrio’s household was Jon’s spy. And thanks to the unique method of sending messages through the birds Jon had given them, it was nearly impossible to catch them. So, Jon was not truly surprised by Illyrio’s revelation. This plot was something which he was already aware of.
“You do not seem too surprised or worried by this information, Lord Aeos,” Illyrio mumbled in a confused tone, noticing his lacklustre and unexpected reaction.
“I am surprised, Magister Illyrio,” Jon answered. “But it is not something that should shock me.”
“In fact,” he continued, “I had been expecting some kind of reaction from the ruling elite of Essos. I have announced myself as their enemy. My abolition of slavery does not sit well with them. They can no longer get trained Unsullied from Astapor, nor can they get trained sex slaves from Meereen or Yunkai. A reaction, a counterattack from their side, I had been expecting.”
“Even so,” he continued, “I must express my gratitude towards you for bringing this piece of information to my notice.”
An awkward smile appeared on Illyrio’s face. This was not the reaction he had been expecting from Lord Aeos. He had been expecting more of a frenzied reaction. A panicked reaction. But even if Lord Aeos had been surprised, he did not show it on his face.
“It is my pleasure to help you, Lord Aeos,” he smiled.
“Naturally,” Jon responded. “But I know that you are a merchant, Magister Illyrio.”
“Tell me what you want from me in return,” Jon added. “I heard from Van Haos that there is something you wished to discuss with me. Speak.”
Illyrio chuckled, his fatty face shivering with laughter.
“There is one thing that I surely want to discuss with you,” he said. “And I only wish that you hear my words calmly and give them thought before reaching a decision.”
Jon nodded, beckoning Illyrio to continue.
“What are your thoughts about Westeros?” Illyrio asked.
“It is a beautiful place,” Jon answered, to which Illyrio chuckled.
“I believe you truly understand what I meant by that question, Lord Aeos,” Illyrio smiled.
“What are your plans regarding Westeros?” he asked again.
“Will you invade Westeros? You have a connection with Westeros, and you must have thoughts about it too.”
Jon shrugged nonchalantly.
“True, I have a connection with Westeros,” he said. “But it is not as if I have acquired the entirety of Essos. I believe I should focus on Essos. It is not yet the time to indulge in superficial dreams and ambitions.”
“Wise words, Lord Aeos,” Illyrio smiled. “But what if I say that I have a way to make your conquest of Westeros a lot easier?”
“Oh?” Jon raised his eyebrows, sounding interested. He already had a guess where this conversation was heading. Varys and Illyrio seemed to have only one ace up their sleeves. Daenerys and Viserys.
“Yes,” Illyrio continued, eager to unveil his plan. “I will be blunt with you and not mix my words.”
“The Targaryen siblings,” he said. “You can marry Daenerys Targaryen. True, Viserys is the one who claims the throne, but surely you understand that you cannot rule both continents simultaneously.”
“You could rule from Essos while still being the most powerful man in Westeros.”
“The Targaryen loyalists will rally as soon as you plan to invade Westeros with Viserys and Daenerys on your side. You would only need to muster a token army to land on its shores.”
Jon did not react for a moment.
“You speak as if you are equipped to make such a decision on behalf of the Targaryen siblings,” he drawled. “Last I heard, they were living the life of beggars on the streets.”
“True,” Illyrio nodded. “But trust me, I have enough influence over them to make them agree to this plan.”
“Not to brag, but it was through my indirect thread-pulling that the duo managed to survive on the streets. And Viserys would be quite eager to enter into this agreement. You can take my word on it.”
“You are still suggesting this plan despite knowing that I carry Stark blood within me,” Jon added. “Do you not think I would kill them before ever coming to an agreement with them?”
“I also know that you ran away from that very Stark household,” Illyrio responded. “And yes, you carry their blood, but not their name.”
“And this duo was not responsible for whatever happened in the past,” he continued. “You should think about this plan thoroughly.”
“And trust me, you will have a lot of help in Westeros,” he added.
Jon nodded and did not show any reaction.
“I will think about it,” he said, and a broad smile appeared on Illyrio’s face.
Jon gave a nod to Van Haos, who stepped forward to see Illyrio out. It seemed that Illyrio wanted to offer something more, perhaps more words of encouragement for this alliance, but he held back. He gave a polite bow to Jon before following Van Haos out of the mansion.
Comments
blaiz
Thanks for the chapter and for your hard work
