When Jiemba heard Amanian ships were coming, she ran to the wharf. When Antakari and Kiaya came off the ships together, she was overjoyed. Many of the shipyard workers had also survived. They told the story of how Zon wiped out Thrain and then mounted an attack on Aman. They had gathered everything they could and stolen a Zonian ship to go with the four they already had. Under the cover of darkness, they fled Aman as its capital was destroyed. Five ships had made it to the becalmed zone, but only three made it through. One had sunk in a storm, and the other just vanished one night. They ran out of food and water before they saw the coast.
Room was made for them at the treekin and sandkin accommodations. A few were put in the dignitary building, and Jiemba took in several to her apartment in the Great Hall. Kiaya had once given her shelter, and she would shelter him now. Ming and Tse spent a good deal of time questioning them about the Zon's tactics and numbers. While none of them had been in the brunt of the fighting, stragglers had come to give information about the fighting to them. A royal group had come heavy with treasure. They loaded all they could on a ship they had, but the rest had gone on Kiaya's ship. The royal vessel had sunk in the storm, perhaps overloaded. One royal son who survived was on board with Kiaya to guard their share of the treasure. He kept a part of it for his new life and gave the rest to Arya to fund the war effort. He was roundly cheered, and folks bought him drinks whenever he went to one of the taverns. The Amanians all swore allegiance to Westeros, and quite a few of them got jobs in the shipyards.
An issue came up with Bear Island in the bay. Lady Maege Mormont had no interest in joining up with Brandon's Rest even though she was sworn to follow Arya's commands. No amount of bribes or cajoling would sway her. Then one night, Ming and Tse, along with several others, did a night raid on the island, dressed as Zonian troops. They knocked out the watchman and caught all the others in their beds asleep. They were ready to be conscripted after that. Their homes and castle were rebuilt with stone, and the whole island was fortified. Walls had 'flowers' on them, and a new wharf and docks were built. Bear Island was now an extension of Brandon's Rest and held the overflow of ships. Bran later sent 100 troops to hold the fort. Two of the Amanian ships and one of the treekin's ships docked there to free up slots on Brandon's Rest's wharf.
Finally, Elanor began to improve as her body produced antibodies against the Westeros bugs. She and Calancy said their goodbyes and headed back to the Treekin Lands. Beth stayed in town because the Amanians need language tutoring, and mostly because she and Gendry had started a relationship.
Wagons of stone from the stonekin would go through town and take the road all the way to the southern end of the North. They would unload there, help build if needed, and then load up anything from the area they could trade, use, or eat when they got back home. The trips got shorter as the forts went up along the coast. The palisade walls of Deepwood Motte were dismantled and used to frame and scaffold the new walls. 'Flowers' were installed, and the troops trained in their use. By mid-summer, all ten forts were in place and were being finished. All the troops from King's Landing marched in and set up their bivouacs, manning their positions, in the forts. The first and second lines of defense for the west coast of the North were in place.
In the homeland of Zon, the construction of a thousand ships began. The troops were being trained and would be ready in three years. Some of the ships were fitted with the new weapons. The invasion of the east was less than four years away. These ships and troops would be their beachhead for the full invasion to come.
In Essos, a Valyrian rider was found for Drogon, and the dragon was flown down to Valyria from the bone mountains, where he had been raiding. He stayed in a comfortable cave overlooking the sea. He was a defense all to himself.
The foundries in King's Landing turned out over one thousand 'flowers', but Bran had taken to calling them guns. The name "guns" stuck, and everyone began using it. Four ships of the line were built, with two decks worth of guns. They would be the mainstay of protection for the Narrow Sea. The Zonian prisoners were marched about so the people would understand who the enemy was. An enemy you can see is much more likely to stir participation in a war effort than some tale you hear.