Her Eternal Excellency (Raiden Ei reborn as Argella Durrandon)

[Samael61]

Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories you can read advanced chapters in my patreon page

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Geek's Guide to Thriving in a Low End Fantasy World a Robert Baratheon OC SI in an AU, is 9 chapters ahead

Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon, is 10 chapters ahead

and DCU:Blacklist, a Raymond Reddington inspired OC SI using his knowledge for his own advantage, as well as the rest of the world, is 10 chapters ahead.

By supporting me, you can read advanced and special chapters, as well as vote on how you want the fanfiction to proceed.

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Storm Kingdom

Blackhaven

8 BAC

The first power loom of Blackhaven was assembled, and before the gazes of the spectators, it had woven a wool fabric at a pace far surpassing what the human hands could do.

Lord Darren Dondarrion was ecstatic at the sight, already planning to invest the coin he would earn from the fabric sale into more looms and sheep flocks, as well as other enterprises Ei had suggested, such as training more carpenters, seamstresses, and other artisans, along with fruit farms and alcohol production.

He was pleased at the initiative the lord of Blackhaven had taken to further enrich his lands rather than spend the coin on frivolous displays of wealth. Her next step was to visit the lands of houses Mertyns, Rogers, Wylde, and Estermont to assist with their glass production facilities, as well as to see what other improvements could be made to their lands.

Diversity was important, for a single source of income did not ensure the security of the land, nor the kingdom as a whole.

She had done much the same in other lands she had visited in her progress and would continue to do it.

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Grain's Port

Two weeks later she and her retinue had left Blackhaven for Stonehelm, and from there she would head to the Crow's Nest of House Morrigen.

While on the lands of House Swann, she made sure to visit Grain's Port for an inspection.

People of the growing port had gathered on the road upon hearing of her arrival and were throwing flowers at her carriage.

"Long live the Princess!" Screams of adoration rose from the crowd as the knights tried to maintain order to avoid any accidents. Ei unlocked the hatch to pull down the small window in the carriage and waved her hand at the people.

Lord Calum Swann pulled his horse next to the carriage. "They adore you, Princess."

Ei gave the Lord of Stonehelm a dry look. "Truly? I couldn't tell." As well as an equally dry response. Calum Swann laughed it off, not offended in the slightest by the princess; in fact, he found her candid attitude to be quite refreshing.

She left the carriage before Lord Swann could offer to escort her, and surrounded by knights, Ei began to wander the port. There wasn't much to see other than the usual sights, such as the markets, stalls, and ships, except for one thing.

"Come, come! See this magical creature yourself, all for a penny!" A plump man with a cane standing before a cage covered with a cloth called out, hitting his cane on the ground to draw more attention.

Usually Ei wouldn't be interested in whatever faux creature the man claimed to have, but her senses convinced her otherwise. Whatever it was inside the cage, it had electro elemental energy, a slime most likely.

Handing a handful of silvers to the flustered man, Ei ordered him to open the curtain. Bowing at every step, the man hastily pulled the cloth down, revealing a small electro slime, which looked like it was going to slam onto the bars but stopped when it saw Ei, shaking like jello.

Ei turned her attention to the owner of the stall. "Where did you find it?"

"In the Stepstones, Princess, months after that storm killed everything on the islands." Pirate presence on the islands was wiped out, along with everything else down to the plants. A baleful, constant storm had also gripped the islands, and going anywhere near it was a death sentence.

Arlos barely made it out of the island after the ship he was on was beached, though he had managed to take the little monster as a trophy and made good coin out of it.

Ah, so it was formed as a result of the elemental energy she released on the chain of islands. Not unexpected when she thought about it now.

Ei considered buying the slime, but it was harmless enough in that cage, and without a source of electricity, it would dispel by itself soon enough.

"Fascinating." She turned and left the man to count his fortune, while Lord Calum watched her warily, because if the princess had nothing to do with that storm, then he was a Dornish snake. "I have never seen anything like that before." He commented to gauge her reaction.

Ei turned her head to the lord, her face not betraying her thoughts. "I wager many have not."

A non-answer.

Calum hated those, but the Princess was here to inspect his port and offer advice on how to grow it further, and hopefully invest coin as she had been doing, so the Lord of Stonehelm wasn't going to ruin anything by being too curious.

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The port was in an excellent position to export the goods produced in the Marches, so Ei had made a list of her suggestions, starting with increasing the size of the docks to accommodate more ships and widening the roads connected to the Marches, as well as starting a small shipyard that would eventually increase in size and scope.

Stonehelm did not have any shipwrights, so Ei would talk to Lords Tarth and Estermont to send some of their own in return for favorable prices for anything exported out of Stonehelm.

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Crow's Nest

Her next destination was the land of House Morrigen to see how the ink and paper production was coming along. By her estimation, these workshops should have started their operations around the time she was in Grain's Port.

Of course that was without any setbacks, which had happened in the form of a fire that burned down the ink shop, and the construction had to start from the very beginning.

The paper press was fine, as there was a good distance between the buildings, and the fire was extinguished before it could reach there.

Lord Morrigen was apologetic, having offered to cover the new expenses from his own coffers, though Ei instead told him to dig wells near the workshops and fill them with rainwater to be used in case of emergencies and to send orders to the rest of the lords of the realm to do the same.

It wouldn't do for all their efforts to be undone because they were not prepared for fire.

The remaining workshops were not affected, so they were on track. Uncut jewels were bought with an initial investment by her and would be paid back slowly over a long period of time as they were turned into proper jewels and sold. Ei did not personally need coin and preferred to use what she earned for the betterment of her people, except when she was working on something and needed to buy raw materials.

Crow's Nest was an apt name for the castle, as it had high towers with battlements that resembled a nest, most likely as a defensive measure against any potential siege.

Ei only spent a handful of days in the castle. Lord and Lady Morrigen were extremely hospitable, having brought bards and mummers for her and a wide array of desserts.

She especially enjoyed pancakes that were prepared, much to her hosts' delight.

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Cape Wrath

Mistwood

Her next destination was the lands of House Mertyns. Mistwood had large, grey walls protecting it, and her welcome was calm compared to others, a refreshing change from the usual fanfare.

Lady Mertyns had passed away some years ago from an illness, so it was Lord Caden's eldest unwed daughter, Lady Lyra Mertyns, who was responsible for the household.

The Lord of Mistwood was a calm and collected person and an avid lover of books, a rarity among the nobility of the Storm Kingdom. After two days of resting and conferring with Caden Mertyns on the state of his lands, as well as on what subjects they read, Ei had left for the town that would house the workshops.

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The small town that was under construction near the shore where the glassblowers would work had received the interest of other lords, and already several buildings were ready for use, including two inns, a dozen houses, and a single glass blowing workshop where the man she had taught would practice his craft and train his own students.

Her carriage also had been surrounded by people again, grateful to see their princess.

The first sale of Glasstown's glass product, as it was called by the residents, was to Ei. She bought a series of glass cups and a large mirror to infuse coin into the town's economy, in addition to visiting several stalls.

Her shopping so far, from Grain's Port to Crow's Nest and Glasstown, had necessitated a wagon to carry all the load to Weeping Town to be shipped to Storm's End.

One issue she had with Glasstown was the roads. Whoever had paved them must have rushed, because the carriage had shaken more than usual, and Ei left it halfway to walk.

She had requested Lord Mertyns to have the roads fixed.

The town's planning had been done well to promote organized growth rather than the usual haphazard towns built with no thought for the future in mind.

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Amberly

The seat of House Rogers was named after the large deposits of valuable amber found around the forests surrounding the castle, from which they earned a small fortune each year.

Lord Eamon Rogers was as eccentric as his house' coat of arms, which was nine silver unicorns around a silver maze on black. Ei didn't have a problem with the lord's personality, and traversing the maze was a pleasant experience.

She had also visited the amber deposits, with Lord Eamon gifting her several valuable pieces. She could use them as ornaments on her clothes or turn them into jewelry to be gifted, depending on her mood.

The glass workshop had been completed ahead of her projection, as Lord Rogers had poured a good amount of silver into it, all due to the amber trade.

She had also received a letter from her father, who had sent it via a raven just in time for it to reach Amberly before Ei left. Her stepmother, Selena, was pregnant, and a celebration would be held in honor of that when she finished her progress and returned.

Her father's happiness could be felt through the letter, though whether it was at having a possible heir or another child was yet to be seen.

The news had the occupants of the castle already celebrating, hoping for a prince who would secure the Durrandon line. Ei would have been offended, but she didn't care, so she had simply shrugged at their words.

Having a sibling, on the other hand, even if he or she would be a mortal, and Ei, an immortal god, had made the Electro Archon restless. Her thoughts were conflicting; on one hand, knowing the child would grow old in the blink of an eye for her, yet having more family members sounded nice.

In her experience, sharing blood did not make family when the individuals had no bonds between them.

For now, Ei would just wait.

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Riverlands

Harrenhal

Harren "The Black" Hoare, King of the Isles and Rivers, frowned as the spy they sent as a trader reported back on the goings of the Storm Kingdom. With their Iron Works and new sources of coin, he had no doubt old Argilac was making preparations to take back the Riverlands.

At his own peril, of course.

He had another idea in mind for the Storm Kingdom. Argella Durrandon was the source of the Storm Kingdom's newfound wealth, and removing her from the table would put a damper on Argilac's ambitions.

However, her current whereabouts were unknown, as she was apparently on a trip, and only a select few knew where she would be.

Dismissing the spy, he focused on the map before him, plotting. If he could not kidnap Argella Durrandon, then he would weaken the Storm Kingdom through other means.

Turning to his eldest son, Harwyn, he ordered him to prepare a small number of ships consisting of the best captains and crews they had.



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In the next chapter:
Ei could have stood there to consider whether to reveal herself or not, to think if it was worth the lives of the people of Weeping Town.
But she did not.
Creating an electro platform to spare the ship, Ei jumped, the force sinking the front of the ship to the water before it rebounded, throwing a sailor overboard.
Realizing what had just happened, the sailors watched the figure of their princess fly off to Weeping Town with their mouths open.
Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.

 

[Samael61]

Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories you can read advanced chapters in my patreon page

Commander Shepard, The Greatest to Ever Live, a Mass Effect story where Shepard is greater than ever, is 9 chapters ahead

Geek's Guide to Thriving in a Low End Fantasy World a Robert Baratheon OC SI in an AU, is 8 chapters ahead

Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon, is 10 chapters ahead

and DCU:Blacklist, a Raymond Reddington inspired OC SI using his knowledge for his own advantage, as well as the rest of the world, is 10 chapters ahead.

By supporting me, you can read advanced and special chapters, as well as vote on how you want the fanfiction to proceed.

Note: Apple store payments will be refunded, because of the company's 75 day hold policy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm Kingdom

Rain House

8 BAC

The last foot of Ei's progress was the Rain House, the seat of House Wylde. Built at the northeastern tip of Cape Wrath, the castle had short but thick walls, and its lord, Allard Wylde, had a rather merry disposition, which was not shared by his prickly wife, though his children did not seem to take after their mother when it came to personality.

As he was downing his cup while saying "Yes, dear" without even listening every time his wife spoke, Ei guessed it wasn't a happy marriage.

But she wasn't here to be a marriage counsellor; that was more Mizuki's field.

The Shelltown, named after the myriad of colored glassy shells found on the beach, was built near the shore to make use of the sand, cutting down on the logistics costs, and was constructed outside of the guidelines. Construction materials used did not inspire confidence, and rather than being built in blocks with plenty of space between them, the buildings were clustered and unshapely.

She had a meeting with Lord Allard on that matter.

"Lord Allard, do you know why I wanted those towns to be built in an orderly manner?" Ei asked, pointing at the new plans drawn for the town.

He looked at the drawings before giving his answer. "So any growth in the future would be less costly?" Perhaps all that wine hadn't dulled Lord Allard's mind yet.

"That, and so the city would look orderly, movement of goods and people would be easy, and to avoid the risk of a fire. Now, please have this town rebuilt, and use sturdier materials. If it is a matter of coin, I'll personally give you a loan with no interest for this time and a long-term payment plan."

"I'll start it immediately, Princess."

The setback of having to rebuild the town not standing, Ei did not look forward to returning while Lady Wylde was alive. Even with her present, the woman did not stop her needling comments, while Allard Wylde drowned deeper in his cups.

She stayed longer than anticipated, having decided to oversee the reconstruction of the town to avoid any more delays. From ordering new and quality materials to personally inspecting the construction efforts, Ei spent a month in Rain House.

Against her better judgement, she also tried to have the Lord and Lady Wylde act civil towards each other, which was more challenging than having to rebuild the town.

Turns out, it was a willing match, but things slowly turned for the worse over time, as Allard went out to war and spent more time away from his seat, and the love they thought they had gradually extinguished.

Now, there were just two empty people left, one who was an alcoholic, the other, a bitter woman who made it everyone else's problem.

At least they were willing to be more civil towards each other by the time Ei left for Greenstone.

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Greenstone

Greenstone was an apt name for the castle, as the outer layer of the walls was an unnatural green, and seeing as the castle was ancient, the founders of House Estermont might have been aided by magic, much like Durran Godsgrief must have used magic to construct Storm's End.

Lord Cormack was waiting at the docks, dressed much the same as he was during the tourney celebrating her father's wedding. His family was arrayed in a single line with him at the head and had brought in bards, who started singing Blessed Argella as soon as she made it off the gangplank.

His efforts were admirable; if only they were aimed at training his knights to be honorable people, then Ei would have applauded him for it.

"Princess, you honor us with your presence." Lord Cormack curtsied perfectly, followed by his wife and five children, two sons and three daughters.

Nodding, Ei replied with her usual calm tone. "Thank you, Lord Cormack. Your castle does justice to its name." She could have complimented him or his family, but owing to the last time she had seen the lord of Greenstone, Ei chose a more diplomatic approach.

Beaming with pride, Cormack Estermont launched into a tale about the history of his keep while they walked at Ei's insistence. She had enough of the ship and the carriages and just wanted to walk.

The bards were a constant figure at Greenstone during Ei's stay, though after hearing the same song over and over again, Ei requested they sing something else.

Having had enough of merriment, she began her inspection of the glass workshop built at the port, which had started production days ago, and seeing as she was already more than a month behind on her program, Greenstone must have faced delays as well.

Ignoring it since there was no harm done, Ei inspected the small port in its entirety. There wasn't much to see in the first place, but seeing as House Estermont had shipyards, even though they were only able to build enough ships for their own use, it still was better than nothing.

Convincing the lord of Greenstone to expand the shipyards and start selling ships to other lords, with Ei promising to have ships as payment for her investment. In the Storm Kingdom, only Houses Tarth and Estermont had navies, though calling the dozen or so trade vessels Lord Cormack had a fleet was a stretch of the imagination.

Nonetheless, Lord Estermont was pleased at his fortunes, and Ei was able to broker a deal where House Estermont would send shipwrights to build a shipyard and train apprentices, and House Swann would send lumber as payment, with the details to be determined between the lords.

She couldn't be expected to do everything for them after all.

Deciding to do some sightseeing, followed by a retinue, of course, Ei trekked across the island, enjoying the greenery and the golden shores. While putting her feet in the water, Ei found an oyster that had been washed up to the shore and pried it open, seeing no harm.

And as luck would have it, Ei found a pearl inside. It was misshapen with bumps and cavities, so not that valuable. Deciding to check if there were more, Ei dove while no one was looking and saw that the sea floor was covered with oysters.

She could have ignored it, but then again, Lord Cormack would have to pay taxes on any pearl sale, so Ei brought the matter to him.

Turns out House Estermont did know about the pearls for a long time, but they didn't have divers capable of carrying the oysters out, leaving Ei to find a solution in the form of a hand-operated pump tied to a waterproofed leather tube, which allowed a diver to stay submerged long enough to gather a basket full of oysters.

Instructing them to be gentle while opening the oysters and to release them back to the sea so they could produce more pearls, Ei was gifted several pristine pearls by Lord Cormack.

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It was time for Ei to return to Storm's End to carry out her end of the work, though she would stop by Weeping Town first to check the Iron Works, especially when it came to its security.

Boarding the ship with several more gifts from the Estermonts, with the bards singing Blessed Argella as a farewell song, the Windproud set sail for Weeping Town.

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Standing on the forecastle deck, Ei was watching the sea, lost in memories. It reminded her of Sasayuri, her tengu general, who was also responsible for the revolution the Imperial Fleet of Inazuma underwent. Rather than just troop carriers, they had become warships capable of holding their own against any other vessel in the sea.

Of course rebuilding the navy from scratch wasn't an easy affair, but with Sasayuri's disciplined approach and generous funding, it was an eventual success.

Now, all that experience would be used in this world.

Which made Ei wonder if she would be able to return to Teyvat. Mussou no Hitachi could cut through space, but using it to travel between different worlds, much less different dimensions, was not something she had ever considered.

Perhaps it would be possible in the future, but Ei had no idea where to start or if it was even possible in the first place.

Leaving the bothersome thoughts aside, she focused on the present to ground herself. There were several houses left that she needed to find suitable business fields to grow, overhaul the taxation system for a more just distribution of wealth, and create a legal codex to define the responsibilities of the lords towards their subjects, as well as limit their power and ensure they were held responsible for their actions towards the small folk.

The right of the first night might have been banned, but it didn't change the fact lords could act as they wished with impunity, only held back by their own common sense, and every once in a generation, a lord who believed himself untouchable would cause problems for the smallfolk.

She also wondered about Selena's pregnancy, wondering whether it would be a boy or a girl, and if the child would be healthy because the quality of healthcare in this world was appalling.

Admittedly, her knowledge when it came to human medicine was almost nonexistent, as Inazuma had plenty of healers and Ei didn't need healing herself, so the only thing she could do in that field, besides starting her own research, was to hire healers and have them do it.

Some of the Free Cities were more advanced in their treatments, owing to the unrestrained experimentation they did on slaves, which was sickening to her, so hiring any healers from across the Narrow Sea was out of the question.

What she wouldn't give to have someone capable of sharing her workload.

"By the gods." One of the sailors muttered as he leaned on the railings to get a closer look ahead.

Ei raised her head to look, eyes glued on the horizon, as smoke rose from Weeping Town. Straightening herself, Ei took a couple of steps back as the sailors crowded the forecastle deck. Summoning the Baleful Omen, Ei closed her eyes to see what was happening.

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"Put those fires out, and make sure these bastards don't get close to the Iron Works." Lord Tommen shouted orders, rushing with his knights and men-at-arms to push back the Ironborn.

Weeping Town had been caught by surprise when the Ironborn attacked, as a fire had started on the other side of the town, diverting their attention. They had already started fires on the docks and were pushing towards the Iron Works, which must have been the reason they attacked in the first place.

Thirty ships full of Ironbornslammed into the docks at full speed, slaughtering the depleted number of guards. By the time they understood what had happened, Ironborn were making their way through the town and setting everywhere on fire.

"Ready the archers!" Tommen screamed, but it was cut off when the skies darkened as storm clouds gathered for the first time in over two years. Purple lightning danced across the clouds, and a shower of rain poured, slowly dousing the fires out, shocking them as much as it did the Ironborn.

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Unknown to the people of Weeping Town, a purple eye in the sky was watching the battle.

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Ei could have stood there to consider whether to reveal herself or not, to think if it was worth the lives of the people of Weeping Town.

But she did not.

Creating an electro platform to spare the ship, Ei jumped, the force sinking the front of the ship to the water before it rebounded, throwing a sailor overboard.

Realizing what had just happened, the sailors watched the figure of their princess fly off to Weeping Town with their mouths open.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Weeping Town

Having morphed her clothing to that of Samurai armor and landed on Weeping Town, Engulfing Lightning was drawn and ready to fight.



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In the next chapter:

The battle stopped as both sides looked up at the princess, who looked way different than the last time Tommen had seen her, which was a couple of months back.

Rather than a child of two and ten, she was a grown woman, dressed in a foreign armor adorned with just as foreign symbols, holding a spear and looking down on the Ironborn with distaste.

She raised the spear, and purple lightning covered the blade until the metal could not be seen. "Close your eyes." The princess warned, though Tommen and his men were too shocked to listen, and she brought the spear down.

A dark-purple ray of light slammed into the Ironborn like the fury of a god, casting the world into a harsh glow, blinding the forces of Weeping Town temporarily.



Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me in Patreon.

 

[Samael61]

Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories you can read advanced chapters in my patreon page

Commander Shepard, The Greatest to Ever Live, a Mass Effect story where Shepard is greater than ever, is 9 chapters ahead

Geek's Guide to Thriving in a Low End Fantasy World a Robert Baratheon OC SI in an AU, is 8 chapters ahead

Her Eternal Excellency, a Genshin Impact and ASOIAF crossover, Raiden Ei Reborn as Argella Durrandon, is 10 chapters ahead

and DCU:Blacklist, a Raymond Reddington inspired OC SI using his knowledge for his own advantage, as well as the rest of the world, is 10 chapters ahead.

By supporting me, you can read advanced and special chapters, as well as vote on how you want the fanfiction to proceed.

Note: Apple store payments will be refunded, because of the company's 75 day hold policy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Storm Kingdom

Weeping Town

8 BAC

Ei stood up, watching the shocked Ironborn stand there with gaping mouths, watching her, and attacked.

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Harryn Hoare, Heir to the Isles and Rivers, did something he never had before.

He ran like his life depended on it.

Argella Durrandon had just slammed on the ground like the hammer of a vengeful god, a purple circle with weird symbols glowing at her back, and disappeared before his eyes, and in that instant, a dozen men were slain. The first one was sliced apart from shoulder to hip, and two more were stabbed through the heart before the first one's body fell. By the time he realized what had happened, all of his men were fresh corpses, and as Argella Durrandon stood there, watching him with a dismissive gaze, he turned tail.

Harryn didn't believe any of the horseshit that Argella Durrandon was blessed by the gods, but as he ran for his life, it seemed all too real.

Through the streets, Harryn passed by his still-fighting brethren, and with each step he took, one more Ironborn was slaughtered like a pig.

Holding one of the raiders under his command by the shoulder, Harryn threw him towards Argella Durrandon. "Stop her!" He screamed, continuing to run away, only for his face to be covered with the blood of the man.

Stumbling, he got up and kept running. "Help me!" His scream earned the attention of several Ironborn, including one that looked like a walking castle on legs. They didn't understand what was happening but charged at the woman at his back with screams.

She swung her spear, which left behind a trail in the shape of a crescent moon, and the Harryn was thrown off his feet. Groaning, he turned around to see what had happened, only to see all those men bisected in half at the waist, with their blood pooling on the ground, and the demon standing there as if they were not worth her notice.

Before he could react, she twirled her spear and slammed it into his stomach, denting the armor and knocking the air out of his lungs, before a hit to his head sent him to the realm of unconsciousness.

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Ei picked up the weapon from the still but breathing body of the Ironborn, pulling the sword from its sheath.

Mistsplitter Reforged.

A weapon she had bestowed to her Hatomoto, Takamine, a high-ranking officer in the Shogun's Army, and after his death and the sword's reforging, it had been passed to the Kamisato Clan, eventually ending up in the hands of Kamisato Ayaka, a loyal subject.

Now, sullied in the hands of pirate filth.

Pushing electro energy to the sword, which gave it a nice glow, Ei sheathed the sword, turning to the knights who were watching her, unsure of what to do.

Pointing at the Hoare, most likely the eldest, Harryn, but Ei couldn't be sure; she ordered the knights to take him prisoner before disappearing to deal with the remaining Ironborn.

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Lord Tommen raised his shield to block the Ironborn's axe, swinging his sword and forcing the raider to back off. "Keep pushing them off!" He shouted, slamming his shield into another Ironborn's face, sending teeth and blood flying off.

The bastards had pushed towards the Iron Works as expected, with a smaller number no doubt pillaging his town.

Tommen had no choice but to fight to defend what he could, rather than spread his forces out to counter the Ironborn at large.

He prayed for a miracle.

"What the fuck is that?!" One of the Ironborn screamed, mace pointing at the sky, and Tommen involuntarily looked up, only to see Princess Argella floating in the sky?!

The battle stopped as both sides looked up at the princess, who looked way different than the last time Tommen had seen her, which was a couple of months back.

Rather than a child of two and ten, she was a grown woman, dressed in a foreign armor adorned with just as foreign symbols, holding a spear and looking down on the Ironborn with distaste.

She raised the spear, and purple lightning covered the blade until the metal could not be seen. "Close your eyes." The princess warned, though Tommen and his men were too shocked to listen, and she brought the spear down.

A dark-purple ray of light slammed into the Ironborn like the fury of a god, casting the world into a harsh glow, blinding the forces of Weeping Town temporarily.

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Tommen Whitehead's ears were ringing, and he was blinded, though it appeared to be passing slowly.

Blinking to get rid of the white spots sooner, he slammed into someone and fell down. Deciding to lie down rather than walk anymore, he waited for his vision to return, letting the rain drench him, though it soon stopped, and Tommen could feel the skies clear up as sunlight warmed his skin.

After what felt like hours, but in reality was merely minutes, Tommen Whitehead stood up, the ringing in his ears gone, but small white spots still impeded his sight.

"Lord Tommen, can you hear me?" Raising his head up, he flinched at seeing Princess Argella floating, one leg crossed under the other.

He gulped. "Princess, is that you?" The Lord of Weeping Tower hesitantly asked, because he had no idea what to say.

"Yes, it is me. Your questions will be answered later. The Ironborn are dead, and the fires are out. I want you to do a damage assessment and have all your servants render aid to the townspeople as necessary." Princess Argella ordered,

Tommen stood there wordlessly, his eyes taking in her form now that she was closer. The purple circle at her back had disappeared, and her weapon was gone as well. Her armor of black metal with golden engravings was worn over a rather loose purple robe and covered most of her body, though there were plenty of openings in the armor.

Having seen what she had done firsthand, Tommen didn't think it mattered.

The ground was scorched, and where Ironborn once stood, there were only ashes flying in the wind.

He nodded to carry out her orders, because Tommen might be a lot of things, but he wasn't fool enough to cross someone who could do that, especially if it was the Princess of the Kingdom.

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The Ironborn had burned down at least a quarter of the town and killed over five hundred guards and more smallfolk. There weren't many wounded, so the maester and the healers were not overwhelmed, though that was cold comfort.

Iron Works was fine, as the Ironborn were slaughtered, for the lack of a better word.

Tommen was half there, half wondering if he took a hit to the head and was dreaming, and pinched himself to make sure he wasn't.

Magic.

Princess Argella had just used magic openly, rather than through the discrete means many thought she did.

And it was terrifying.

More so with the testimonies of the smallfolk who had seen her butcher the Ironborn with her spear through the town, as if a warrior straight out of the Age of Heroes.

At least he could confirm now that she was responsible for the lack of storms.

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After explaining how they were caught by surprise, as well as giving his report on the damages, Tommen stood there silently while the princess contemplated something.

"The Ironborn ships are now yours; have them crewed and ready to sail. This means war, Lord Tommen, and I intend to show the Ironborn the error of their ways."

"Yes, Princess."

"And do calm down; I am not going to suddenly strike you down because you said something wrong."

Tommen nodded, considering whether to ask the questions in his mind or not. "What are you?" Argella Durrandon was no liar, at least as far as he had known her.

"God of Thunder and Eternity."

"A god?"

"Yes."

The only gods he had ever seen, the Seven-Who-Are-One, were nothing more than statues in the Septs, and seeing as Princess Argella was the one who answered his prayers, who was Tommen to question that any further?

He began to kneel, but she held her hand out, stopping him. "I have no intention of forcing the people to worship me, so don't do it if you fear retribution." Tommen stopped to consider her words before kneeling down.

Ei nodded, bidding him to rise. "Keep your forces on the ready in case of another attack by the Ironborn."

"I understand." Tommen raked her brain for what to call her. "Your Holiness?" He said hesitantly, and Ei looked at him blankly. "Your Excellency will suffice."

"I understand, Your Excellency."

"Good, call your banners, Lord Tommen; the Ironborn have plagued this continent long enough." She could go and deal with them herself now, but war included more than just vanquishing your enemies. Castles had to be garrisoned, and the chaos during and after the war had to be controlled, and for that, armies were necessary even for the Archons.

Tommen "Yes, but with the repairs, it will take time."

Ei nodded; seeing the current state of the town, it was understandable. "We have time, especially with that hostage. Do you know which son of Harren Hoare he is?"

The Lord of Weeping Tower nodded. "Harwyn is the oldest and Harren's heir." He had seen that Ironborn bastard once before and itched to take a knife to his throat, but Harwyn was more valuable as a hostage.

"Excellent. In the meantime I will go and convince my father to abdicate the throne for me and declare war." It was time to come clean, and it's not like she had done a stellar job at being a mortal.

"Yes, Your Excellency." Tommen grinned. War against the Ironborn would be unadvisable right now. Storm Kingdom had Reach and Dorne on one side and the Ironborn on the other, so even with the prosperity the kingdom had seen in recent years, declaring war against the Ironborn would give the other two the perfect opportunity to rip into the kingdom.

But with a god on the Storm Throne, the Ironborn's days were numbered.

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Windproud approached the docks of Weeping Town after a message was sent saying it was safe to make land. Ei had nothing else she could do for the residents except send supplies and coin to soothe their wounds, so she prepared to leave for Storm's End.

"Keep me informed if a situation develops." She ordered Lord Tommen and lifted the hog-tied heir to the Isles and Rivers, taking him to Storm's End to inform her father of the Ironborn's attack.

"Yes, Your Excellency." Tommen wanted to see how she would make the journey to Storm's End, internally excited to see more magic.

Which came in a very weird way.

The handle of a sword came out of her chest, passing through the robe and the armor without damaging anything. She grasped the handle and pulled the purple and exquisite sword out, and a downward slash sliced the air open, creating a gaping purple hole.

She stepped into the hole, which closed after her, and disappeared from sight, to the shock and disbelief of the people.

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Storm's End

It was just another ordinary day in the seat of House Durrandon, the ruling house of the Storm Kingdom.

Before a purple, gaping wound split open the sky above the courtyard, where King Argilac was sparring with his new squire, and Princess Argella, dressed in armor and carrying a tied-up man by a rope, came out of the hole, slowly walking down as purple disks appeared under her feet.

The people stopped to watch, unable to comprehend what they were seeing—everyone except Lord Lucan Penrose.

"Father." Argella greeted with her usual tone, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

It took the Storm King some embarrassing seconds to come out of his shock to answer. "Argella." His tone, in a stark contrast to his daughter's, suggested that everything had gone completely out of the realm of reason.

"Weeping Town was attacked by the Ironborn in a surprise assault. I have dealt with the invaders and taken Harwyn Hoare hostage." She explained, completely ignoring the real matter at hand, and gently threw Harren the Black's heir at her father's feet.

The silence was broken when Lucan began to howl with gleeful laughter.

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Notes: I don't know if I wrote the feelings of the people in a fitting way, but sometimes its hard for me to turn my imagination to words.

As for Ei wearing armor rather than her usual attire, I felt it more fitting since she is going to war, and it would be better for her to set the image of warrior in addition to her divine might.

That and I didn't want a bunch of horny Westerosi a-holes having thoughts about our glorious Electro Archon.



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In the next chapter:
Ei, Argilac, and Lucan sat inside the king's solar in silence, with the king nursing a cup of wine.

"What are you?" Not long ago, the answer to that question had not satisfied him, not entirely at least, but he took it nonetheless.

Now, the cat was out of the bag, and he wanted answers.

It was Lucan who answered instead. "She is a god, reborn as you and Joy's daughter."

The incredulous look on the Storm King's face was very expected. "And you believed her?"

"I can split this continent, or the Narrow Sea, in half if it would convince you." Ei replied dryly, pointing out to the sea with her thumb.



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Storm Kingdom

Storm's End

8 BAC

Ei, Argilac, and Lucan sat inside the king's solar in silence, with the king nursing a cup of wine.

"What are you?" Not long ago, the answer to that question had not satisfied him, not entirely at least, but he took it nonetheless.

Now, the cat was out of the bag, and he wanted answers.

It was Lucan who answered instead. "She is a god, reborn as you and Joy's daughter."

The incredulous look on the Storm King's face was very expected. "And you believed her?"

"I can split this continent, or the Narrow Sea, in half if it would convince you." Ei replied dryly, pointing out to the sea with her thumb.

"I don't think that will be necessary." Lucan would rather see that kind of destruction brought down upon the Ironborn.

"No, just explain, please." Argilac didn't remember the last time he said please to someone, even if it was Argella.

Was she even Argella in the first place?

He didn't know.

Ei explained the situation of her rebirth in this world, with how she placed her own consciousness inside Musou Isshin, and the death of the Heavenly Principles damaging the sword and sending it to Westeros, through tears in reality, leading to her being reborn in this body.

Argilac swirled his cup, watching the wine inside, before putting the cup on the table.

"A god? And you knew about this, old man, and didn't tell me?" The Storm King turned to his good-father to vent his fury, since he couldn't do that to his daughter.

Lucan held out his hand in peace. "I am old Argilac, not senile. I wasn't going to spill the secrets of a god like that. I advised her to tell you, but she didn't want to."

So this was the secret Argella was keeping, the one she would tell "in time." "I, I don't know what to do or say now." Argilac downed another cup of wine to soothe his mind.

"Perhaps we should focus on more immediate matters, such as the Ironborn." Owing to the manner Ei arrived in Storm's End, Harwyn was taken to the dungeons immediately, without even the chance for him to be brought before the king and the court.

"Yes. It won't be long before Harren learns that his heir, Harwyn, is in our dungeons and some of his greatest raiders are dead. He will have no choice but to fight us, lest he look weak." Lucan coughed as he finished his sentence, taking a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

Ei wanted to ask if it was something important, but Lucan wouldn't say anything even if it was.

"What do you want to do?" This was going to cause problems, many problems in fact. Everyone had seen Argella appear out of a wound she opened in the sky and walk down the air as if on stairs, as a fully grown woman rather than the twelve-year-old child she was.

The High Septon and the Faith would call her divine nature foul sorcery since they didn't know better, and if they did learn Argella was a god, or at least claiming she was one, then the Faith Militant would rise against the Storm Kingdom.

Then again, without the Seven themselves descending on Westeros, the Faith Militant wouldn't be an obstacle for a god.

"Abdicate the throne for me." It was time for Ei to start ruling directly, rather than just propping up the economy.

"Why?" Not that Argilac was particularly opposed to the idea of relinquishing the Storm Throne to a god.

"Because I intend to eliminate the Ironborn, and being the queen is the best way for me to prepare the kingdom for the war."

"Lords won't like a woman on the throne, even if it is you, not unless you reveal yourself or cow them into submission." There would no doubt be someone foolish enough to cross her, but at least Argilac didn't have to worry about the future of the kingdom anymore.

"I know how to deal with the nobles. In the meantime, order them to call the banners. We should be able to gather at least twenty-five thousand soldiers." It was time to go to war, and this time, Ei would lead it herself, since she didn't have a general to lead the army in her name.

"That is if we pull the men defending the Marches against the Dornish."

At that moment, lightning strikes were heard, and Lucan looked out the window, seeing a massive storm roll out as far as the eye could see before it abruptly disappeared, leaving the sun shining in the sky.

"I shall cover the Dornish side of the Marches in a violent storm to discourage any raids." She also considered sending the Thunder Dragon Puppet, but a mobile platform like it would be more useful in an active war theater, with the Ironborn being spread all over the Riverlands to keep the local lords and populace under control.

"I am not the most religious person out there, but what if other gods, mainly the Seven, try to stop you?" Lucan always worried about a possible clash between Argella and the Seven.

"They did not respond to the prayers of Reach's host when I summoned a storm to batter them, nor did they interfere when I ruined the Stepstones. They either don't exist or don't care about what happens in this world." Unlike with the Old Gods, Ei received no communique from the Seven, and seeing as they did not respond to any of her actions, she was curious.

What kind of gods were the Seven that the actions of a god in their domain were tolerated?

And if they did not exist, how did the religion come to be in the first place?

She would have answers, eventually.

Ignoring the possibility that the religion the majority of the Seven Kingdoms worshiped for thousands of years might just be fake, Argilac wondered if his daughter—and he wasn't sure if he could call her that any longer—was all-knowing too. "How did you know they prayed in the first place?"

"I was there to watch the battle and interfere should something happen to you."

"Then who was the one at Weeping Town at the time?" She was a god, so perhaps she could be in two places at the same time.

Argilac didn't know.

"Ah, that. Give it a second."

A shadow appeared on the sole window of the solar, and Argilac leaped to his feet. "What in the seven hells is this?" He kept looking between the twelve-year-old Argella and the grown one as the young Argella opened the window from the outside and stood next to the grown one.

"This is Kage, a puppet I built to take my place whenever I wished to leave without being discovered." She gestured to the puppet, which she had to upgrade to use in battle.

With Kage, the Thunder Dragon, and herself, three different fronts could be pushed with the might of a god, something that could have saved the lives of her friends in the past back at Teyvat.

"All those times I thought you were just bored, you instead switched places with her?" So many things made sense to Argilac now.

"Yes."

Argilac groaned, rubbing his forehead, feeling a headache settling in. "I need more wine."

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ei, Argilac, and Lucan did not leave the solar for the day, with Ei explaining more of her origins as the God of Thunder and Eternity and then plans for defeating the Ironborn once and for all.

Argilac, after strongly considering the matter, agreed to abdicate the throne for Argella, though she would have to deal with the lords herself, especially Garin, who wasn't going to be happy that his nephew wouldn't be the king in the future, though, with how scared he was of Argella, it was unlikely he would make too much noise.

Ravens were sent to the lords to call the banners for the war against the Ironborn and to retake the Riverlands and Blackwater Bay.

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Dornish Marches

Borders of the Principality of Dorne—Storm Kingdom

Storm Kingdom Nightsong Garrison

Ser Adrin hated patrol duty for the sole reason that either nothing happened and the soldiers had to ride horses in this sweltering heat fully armored and armed, or something happened and they had to fight the Dornish snakes for their lives.

At least everyone had steel plate armor these days and fresh supplies, all thanks to Princess Argella's inventions.

God bless her.

Seeing as there were no signs of any Dornishmen, he ordered the patrol to turn back to rest, as the sun was slowly setting down.

His horse, Blacksong, seemed to be distressed by something and kept stumbling around, and something in the air gave Adrin the goosebumps.

Suddenly, the sky over the Red Mountains darkened as storm clouds gathered with an unnatural speed, and Blacksong reared up as purple lightning suddenly struck the mountain range.

He barely managed to get his horse under control and watched with his mouth open in shock as the storm clouds grew and grew, covering the mountain range between Nightsong and Blackmont, with no sign of stopping.

Within what felt like the blink of an eye, the lands of Dorne and Reach bordering the Storm Kingdom were facing the fury of a storm, one that had everyone who witnessed it agree on one thing.

It had something to do with Princess Argella.

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Dornish Marches

Borders of the Principality of Dorne—Storm Kingdom

Blackmont

Ser Rymen screamed in pain as his horse threw him off, and he landed on his arm to avoid hitting his head.

They were heading for another raid in Nightsong when a storm appeared out of nowhere, startling the horses and drenching the lightly dressed raiders to the bone.

Gritting his teeth, he got up, trying to calm his horse while his arm throbbed in hot searing pain, most likely broken.

They were already close to Nightsong, and turning back right now would mean the men would be left under this accursed storm longer.

"Move, move forward; we need to get out of this storm." He screamed orders to his men, who were busy with their horses or saving their rations from the rain.

Slowly, they began to push forward, getting closer to the lands of House Caron, before a bolt of purple lightning struck one of the men ahead, searing the color into their eyes.

When he could finally see what had happened, the man and his horse were turned to ash wholesale, which dispersed into the violent winds.

The last thing Ser Rymen saw was the sky glowing purple.

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All along the border, the storm acted as a deterrent against the forces of Rech and Dorne, with the lords of the Storm Kingdom receiving letters calling them to war.

Ironwork orders for the foreign customers were delayed, with both installations working full time to arm as many soldiers of the kingdom as possible. Reparations would be made for the delayed orders in the shape of discounts for future purchases.

Bountiful grain, grown the way Princess Argella had taught and harvested with her machines, was transported to the soldiers going to war.

Fabric was purchased at a much lower price compared to other kingdoms to clothe the soldiers.

In the Storm's End, Lucan stood before the Shipbreaker Bay with a bloodlusty grin that not even the persistent cough could erase.

Long ago, as his wife had given birth to his youngest daughter, Lucan was out there fighting the Ironborn, while his dear Lyessa died in the birthing bed, and he wasn't there for it.

Now, he had the chance to see the Ironborn crushed under Argella, or rather, Raiden Ei's divine might, and could die without any regrets.

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Riverlands

A figure, fully disguised by a cloak, looked up to the sky, feeling the change in the air. The storm was far away, but even at this distance, and after centuries, it was easy for one familiar with it to feel the work of the Electro Archon's divine nature.

War was coming, and the Ironborn were going to be on the losing side.


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In the next chapter:
Ei took a sword from one of the knights in the name of making things fair, at least as much as it was possible, and stood before Beric Connington.

"No foul sorcery; face me like a warrior." Beric called out, and many thought he just forfeited his life.

"Your arrogance must know no bounds to think anyone, much less me, will need sorcery to defeat you." Ei replied dryly, insulted. At this point, even a recruit would be able to defeat the Lord of Griffin's Roost.

Beric must not have liked Ei's retort, for he charged like a mad bull, though no amount of animalistic rage would grant him victory.


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