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Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon, is 15 chapters ahead
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—
The Kingdom of the Reach
The Ring
Lands of House Roxton
The host crossed into the Reach, entering the lands of House Roxton. Their seat, called the Ring due to the high walls circling the city like a ring, stood before them. Sparsely manned, the walls could stop any host attacking it, except the literal god standing before them.
The gates opened, and a woman with graying hair came out, surrounded by her men, most likely the lady of the castle.
"Queen Argella, I am Alerie Roxton, lady of the Ring. I wish to parley in my son's name." She bowed her head, knowing that resistance was futile. The Ring was close enough to Harrenhal that riders had seen what was left of the greatest man-made castle in Westeros.
The Ring stood no chance in a siege.
Ei appreciated the lady's willingness to negotiate and avoid bloodshed. "Lady Alerie, if you surrender now, you and everyone in the keep will be treated with dignity and respect. No one will be harmed in any way."
Her terms were generous, but seeing as everyone else that had a part in the invasion led by King Mern was dead, there was no reason to harm their families.
"Then what will you do?" These terms were nothing like what she had expected, something no victorious force would offer.
"You will swear loyalty to me, and half the content of your coffers and foodstuff will be taken in reparations for King Mern's unjust attack on the Storm Kingdom." Her army needed food, and Reach might as well pay for it.
"And the future of the Ring?" The Storm Queen could take the keep away from them, and there was nothing she could do.
"You will rule as its lady until you feel ready to abdicate for your son."
Lady Roxton knew these were extremely generous and merciful terms, and not even King Mern would offer them to the enemy.
—
Starpike
Houses Footly, Shermer, Caswell, Kidwell, Rowan, Appleton, Green Fossoway, Ashford, Merryweather, and Red Fossoway had personally surrendered to her, while sizeable hosts commanded by Edmyn Tully and her father had been sent to the remaining houses, with Chiyo and Sasayuri supporting each host as a force multiplier.
Having succeeded in their tasks, the split-up hosts had rejoined her in the lands of House Peake.
The events at the Ring were repeated across the Reach until Starpike, where House Peake proved to be illogically belligerent. The reason became evident, as Armen Peake, along with most of his sons, was dead, leaving behind his last child, who was too young to rule.
The castellan of Starpike, Armen's one-armed uncle, had intended to surrender, but the local garrison had risen in revolt, instigated by the septon of the keep with the threats that they would all burn in hell if Argella Durrandon, the false god as they called her, took Starpike.
Ei, irritated at the profanities of the religious fanatics, was about to bring down the walls when Chiyo stepped forward.
"Hey, if Saiguu gets to solve a problem, so do I." Chiyo disappeared from sight and appeared behind the septon with Mistsplitter, given to her by Sasayuri, out, cutting his sentence and head off.
She was a deadly blur of grace and speed among the enemy, each swing of her blade taking a life and breaking the spirit of rebellion. The humans, who were definitely not green knights, were painfully slow and clumsy compared to the oni.
—
Chiyo ducked under the swing, pivoted on her feet, and stabbed the blade back, piercing the knight's steel plate. Rising with a flourish, one last swing of Mistsplitter relieved the knight of his head, killing the final rebel in the keep.
Swirling her blade to clean the blood, the oni maiden sheathed the sword. Now that the rebels were dead, Chiyo opened the gates for Ei and the army. The only living souls in the castle were either the servants or the imprisoned knights and the castellan loyal to Armen Peake's last son.
—
"Your Grace, I am Luthor Peake, castellan of the late Lord Armen, and now his son Roward's." The one-armed great-uncle of Armen Peake kneeled after he had been freed from the cells and treated by healers.
The rebels were not merciful, it seemed.
"Ser Luthor, as the only man of House Peake left to make a decision, I'll offer you the same choice I have offered to all the houses before you. Surrender and bend the knee; your grandnephew will be able to inherit when he comes of age, and your house will not face any punishment, except seizing half your coffers and foodstuff." Rather than tear the Reach apart and plunge the lands into chaos, she would play the long game and reduce their influence while ensuring their loyalty.
"Most generous, Your Grace, I accept."
—
With Starpike pacified, their next destination was Highgarden, the seat of House Gardner, the Kings of the Reach.
"Your Excellency, forgive me, but there is a matter." Edmyn Tully seemed hesitant in whatever he had to report, and Ei knew it would be another bothersome problem.
"Speak."
"There are reports of septons causing unrest all over the Reach, the Riverlands, and even in the Storm Kingdom over your divinity."
"Prepare messengers for all the septs in my domain."
The message itself was simple and to the point. Every citizen in the Storm Kingdom was allowed to worship any god they pleased, whether the Seven, the old gods, or any other deity in the world, with the exception of the Drowned God and all the religions that had practices that went against the laws of the kingdom.
Any religion that practiced slavery, human sacrifices, cruelty in the name of their god, attempts to bar the citizens from practicing a different religion, and attacks on holy places such as septs, temples, and godswoods.
In the event that the law was broken, the perpetrators would be judged and punished, while the religion they belonged to would not face any retaliation.
If it was a coordinated effort by the authorities of the religion, then punishment would follow according to the weight of the crime, ranging from fines and executions to,in the end, banning the religion itself.
The decree was sent to all the septs in the kingdom, warning the septons to cease their insubordination before they faced severe punishment.
The fleet was already docked in the Shield Islands, ready to set sail to Oldtown and put an end to the religious problems by capturing the Starry Sept and the current High Septon, Lucenor Hightower.
If he proved to be belligerent, however, a new one could always be elected.
—
Highgarden
The keeps at this point did not have enough men for defense, so each was left with a couple hundred men to garrison the castles and keep them from rising in defiance after peace had been achieved.
Claims of chivalry and honor or not, Ei did not trust her new subjects yet.
Months after the start of their march, Highgarden was in sight. When she had seen the castle years ago, conquest was not in her mind at all, yet the Gardners had brought it on themselves.
As the capital of the Kingdom of the Reach, Highgarden was defended much better than the keeps of their vassals, though, with their depleted numbers, it was a paltry sum compared to her host.
Queen Merina, upon hearing that the Durrandon host was approaching, waited at the top of the outer walls to negotiate.
"Queen Argella." Merina had to shout to get her voice across, and Ei decided to spare her the trouble by flying to her level, scaring the queen and her men in the process.
It was one thing to see the effects of magic, another to see it with their eyes.
"Queen Merina."
"What are your terms?" She asked the woman that had killed her husband and sons. Even if it was in war, one instigated by Mern no less, it still felt bitter on her tongue to ask for terms, a sentiment shared by the ladies of Reach currently in Highgarden.
"Three quarters of your coffers as compensation for King Mern's unjust attack on my kingdom. You will surrender your son's crown and titles as king, but he will stay as the Lord of Highgarden."
"However, Highgarden itself will not be the ruling keep of the Reach anymore. That title will be given to whichever house proves to be most apt in ruling their lands for exactly ten years."
"That is unprecedented."
"A lot of my actions are unprecedented. I value merit, and both your husband and his father made foolish decisions that resulted in their deaths."
"Will House Gardener be given that right as well?"
"Of course. If your son proves to be a good ruler of his land, he too will have the chance to be the Governor of Reach, a ruler appointed based on merit."
"I accept your terms."
—
"A governor for the Reach? My, aren't you quite the cunning Archon?" Saiguu said, grinning as she put her chin on Ei's shoulder, looking at the setting sun from the throne room of Highgarden.
"If nobles start fighting for the right to be the governor of the Reach, then they are too divided to plan any uprisings. If they don't and leave it to House Gardner out of respect for their ways, which is unlikely because Mern's mistake almost led them to ruin, then their lands won't advance to challenge the Storm Kingdom." She explained Ei's plan as she saw it. For all of Ei's willingness to deal with troubles with the use of Musou Isshin, the Reach had surrendered, and slaying a surrendering enemy was not in her books.
The solidarity between the lords of the Reach was an enemy that required cunning to defeat.
"And if neither option works, you can always appoint a different ruler over the Reach." Sasayuri added. Politics, such as it happened in the Electro Archon's court, was not her field, but neither was she lacking in it.
Ei smiled. The lords of Reach may figure out this plan too; it's not like it was such a grand idea, but the greed of the nobles was a monster not easily satisfied.
Being the rulers of Reach, even for a decade, would be too much for them to ignore. "Indeed. I intend to do the same to Dorne. Over time, both kingdoms will lose their unity in the face of a common enemy and shared history."
"Still, we need to deal with the matter of the High Septon. The Faith Militant might be defeated, but if he calls for a new crusade, then there will be more bloodshed in the future." Inazuma was sparsely populated compared to Westeros, and she had already seen more death here than in her previous life.
Sasayuri might be a warrior, but there came a point when you just wanted the killing to stop.
"As soon as the letters are sent and a proper garrison is put in place, we'll march for the Oldtown. In the meantime, ensure the soldiers do nothing they are not supposed to." Ei ordered, suddenly in business mode.
"Understood."
—
When the Storm host marched again, it was with Lady Alyra Hightower joining them to surrender Oldtown, having left her nephew in Highgarden.
—
The Shield Islands
When the word of Hugh Chester's death reached home, the Shield Islands were quick to choose his son, Tomwell, as their next speaker and leader.
It was a good thing too, as the Storm Kingdom's fleet was sighted in the distance. Known for their speed in setting sail, the famous dromons were ready to defend the Shield Islands.
But not against the wingless dragon that had summoned a storm and sunk three hundred ships.
Nor the Storm Queen, who was seated on the dragon's head, taller than the stories, with four ethereal arms, a giant one on the right side and three smaller ones on the left, and two hands keeping her afloat.
She looked both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
When she demanded their surrender with one word, the Shield of the Reach broke like wet paper.
—
Once the dromons had docked and the crews landed, Ian had taken several of his ships to the docks as well to speak to the Shield Islanders. He had never imagined himself here, speaking as the leader of a conquering fleet, but Queen Argella had made it possible.
"I am Lord Ian Tarth of the Isle of Tarth, speaking in the name of Her Excellency, Argella Durrandon. As you surrendered without a fight or duplicity, per her orders, you will not be harmed and will be treated with respect worthy of your stations." Any other ruler, and there would have been raids, lootings, and rapes.
None would dare disobey the God of Thunder's orders.
"My thanks in the name of the Shield Islands, Lord Ian, but won't Her Excellency speak?" Tomwell didn't know if he wanted to talk to a god, but not being worth her attention stung.
Ian sneaked a glance at the puppet as she sat on the dragon's head, watching the sunset. "She is Lady Shadow, a creation of Her Excellency in her own image. Queen Argella deemed that it would be better if we spoke lord to lord." It still unnerved him to know something created out of wood had the power to crush these islands to dust.
"As she wishes." Tomwell's head could not grasp the idea, but Lord Ian had no reason to lie.
"Until Her Excellency decides otherwise, your ships will stay in the docks to avoid any misunderstandings while we sail out. Half of your coffers and supplies will be taken, but there will be no further punishment. Her Excellency does not wish to incite chaos."
—
Once the Shield Islands bent the knee and kept their ships chained in the docks, the Storm fleet sailed once again as directed by Lady Shadow to arrive in Oldtown at the same time as the host.
Ian's previous thoughts and beliefs on magic were hard to shake, but to speak to someone leagues away in an instant? It was doing wonders to change his mind.
A small garrison had been left in the islands, but the rest of the men had quickly sailed the next day.
The plan now was to surround the Oldtown on both sides to stop any escape attempts, not that the High Septon Lucenor could attempt something like this without destroying the reputation of his station.
And Lady Alyra Hightower had already bent the knee, as Her Excellency said when she spoke through Lady Shadow.
Still, it was best to be cautious, because any mistake could drag this conflict further. Most of the Faith Militant were dead, but the idea of rewards in the heavens could convince many men to raise their weapons against Her Excellency.
Now, it was time to see what the High Septon would do.