141- The beginning of a change.

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~~~Third Person, Tenth Moon 277 AC~~~

~~~Lannisport, Westerland~~~

"Yes, that's the last one!"

"Organize those boxes right, we don't want any trouble being at sea!"

"Hey, Westerosi, stay away from the horses!"

Lannisport, one of the coastal cities and one of the most important ports in Westeros, was crowded with overflowing, docks, which were not designed for such a massive influx and in such a short time as the one that was taking place.

A single ship of the Xandarian Royal Fleet occupied two docks to itself, one on each side, due to the mammoth size, a single ship filled the entire space between the two docks, and while this could only hold eight ships per lot, it also served to bring supplies up on both sides.

As the Xandarian ships occupied the docks, the Lannister fleet was anchored some distance away. The other Xandarian ships, both those that had been prepared and those that had not, were closer to the docks due to their upcoming departure.

"Your Majesty!" a salute was heard over the shouts of the commodores and captains, causing the movement to stop, the normal hubbub of the place to hush, and everyone, who were mostly Dothraki or Ghiscari, knelt, no matter if they were leading horses, or carrying heavy crates, everyone knelt.

Not out of obligation or empty duty, but out of a joy of their own and a love for their monarch, the one who had brought them out of slavery, given them power, made them free, and given them a greater purpose than many could even hope to aspire to, which was to serve a greater good, one that would make Xandar, the place they called home, continue to grow, and as it now appeared, it did not matter if they had to travel to the other side of the known world to see that purpose done.

Azrael was dressed in no ostentatious garments, but black pants and a simple white shirt with long sleeves to protect himself from the sun, something that was rare to see on Xandar.

He had come to the docks along with Kevan Lannister, to leave everything ready for when the fleet departed, which would be in a few hours, and as Kevan remained attentive to what Azrael or Valka needed, he decided to accompany him when he learned of his visit to the docks.

With a simple movement of his hand, everyone got up, and those who did not have anything to do with Azrael continued with their predisposed work.

At the docks, a single person approached Azrael, with a modest but respectful smile: "My king, there was no need for you to come. If I wanted to know about the process, I would have come to you myself and informed you of the situation." Mikaela, dressed in civilian clothes without her armor, expressed her thoughts to Azrael, who dismissed her words with sympathy.

"No need, Mikaela, I wanted to see that all was well myself, and from what I see, they are doing a commendable job," Azrael said calmly, noting that it was now only a short time before all the horses were to board the last boats.

"Yes, my king, we have done all we could, and well, these are our results... With the... Work of... Everyone." Azrael frowned, noticing that Mikaela was distracted, something very rare for her. "Is something wrong?" He asked her, at this, Mikaela simply unclipped the spyglass hanging from her waist and passed it to him.

"You should look at that, Your Majesty," Mikaela explained, with Azrael taking the spyglass and looking through it, "it looks like a fleet, though I don't know the banner", she explained, and how she could see a fleet hundreds of meters away, was anyone's guess.

"The Ironborn," Azrael told her in High Valyrian, and Mikaela's expression hardened, "should I notify the captains to be ready for combat? And have them sound the quakes to summon the Guardians?" She, like a good strategist, brought up the most important thing, and that was countermeasures in case of an attack.

"Do it, hurry, I don't want any surprises." Azrael ordered, to which Mikaela bowed and left, "is something important going on?" Kevan, who had not understood anything due to Azrael and Mikaela speaking in High Valyrian, asked confused.

Azrael replied by offering him the spyglass, and showing him where he should look; "Ser Kevan, it would be advisable to ring the bells, for Lannisport may be under attack." The words fell like a bucket of cold water on him.

Tywin had already warned him, to keep sentries at all times all along the coast, but it was one thing to be alert and another to prepare for an attack. Kevan was not weak-minded, however, and upon seeing the gold-on-black Kraken, he did not hesitate to order the guards with him to go ring the bells.

~~~Crownlands, Westeros~~~

While in Lannisport they were preparing for an Ironbone attack, on the other side of the realm, King Aerys was already arriving at his destination.

It did not take long for the royal procession to reach the Crownlands, with favorable weather, and an unwillingness of Aerys to stop at every inn or fortress along the way, the travel time was reduced to only three days, with King's Landing being close at hand.

"Tywin, I will take Duskendale myself, Rhaegar will accompany me," only two miles from the Lion's Gate, Aerys informed Tywin, confident in his power as king of the Seven Kingdoms. "I don't think that's a good idea, Your Grace, let me go, I'm sure I can solve the problem by following your wishes."

"No," Aerys refused effortlessly, "you need to prepare the city for Azrael's arrival, use the City Watch as you please, I want every rapist, thief, and criminal arrested and sent to the Black Cells, the dreadful smell is not something we can solve at the moment, but I am content to have the city safe for his arrival."

"I will, but at least let a retinue of soldiers accompany you, Ser Barristan and Ser Arthur can also go with you," Tywin could do nothing but agree, Aerys was of strong mettle, and now that he was more lucid than he had been in years that trait grew, so no matter how much Tywin objected, Aerys would not change his mind.

"Only Ser Barristan will suffice, Ser Gwayne will also accompany me, and no, a small escort will suffice, we are not going to a war camp, Ser Arthur will help you in the matter of the city," Aerys explained, dismissing Tywin's caution on a matter such as this.

So, they rode on unhurriedly towards the Lion's Gate, a place that was welcoming merchants or travelers coming from the Westerlands.

And the place where the royal progression stopped, Aerys and Rhaegar, along with an escort of guards led by two Royal Guards, separated from the group and set off along the Rosby Road to their destination, while Tywin entered the city accompanied by the queen and Prince Viserys, where he would be busy for the arrival of Azrael, as well as bad news from the West, and days later, more bad news from the North.