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Readers who enjoy the premise of a strong main character like Ei will definitely like my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
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217 YA
Astapor
"My, is this the boutique I heard so much about? Quite cozy," a figure, one she had only seen in pictures, commented. She stood up so fast her head spun. All color drained from her face, and Mareza felt her throat dry.
Kitsune Saiguu, the fox-eared Goddess of Life, was in her shop. Not only that, the shadow of the God-Queen was with her.
She pushed her chair back to greet them, but Saiguu raised a hand with a smile. "Calm down, dearie; just think of us as ordinary customers."
She slowly sat down, not sure how to do that. Her head snapped down to her drawings, mind running empty. She kept glancing at them. Kitsune Saiguu was perusing the robes, ones that the Empire had taken inspiration from her red and white robes.
The literal goddess tried on many different colors and combinations, convincing her divine creation companion to try some as well. In the end, they chose over a dozen different dresses. She stood up again as they came to pay.
"Please, consider it a gift from me," she said, bowing her head deeply.
Saiguu laughed, a light, kind tone in her voice. "Your talents are enough of a gift. We will pay the full price," she said, laying down the golden coins on the counter. Before she could even count and offer the excess coins back, her royal customers were gone with an order to keep the rest.
Mareza decided to close her shop early today.
—
From that day forward, her shop began to earn more. There was an unusual stream of customers, not just for her but for the entire district. Gossiping with her neighbors revealed that Kitsune Saiguu had left a small fortune in the district. Astapor wasn't the only city either.
Every single city in Essos had received its share of her generosity.
She didn't know how much the total came to. Considering who it was, the amount could be nothing to her. It had made their day, though.
—
225 YA
Belis threw his cap to the sky, turning to hug his best friend. She returned the hug just as enthusiastically. The loud cheers of their entire graduating year drowned out their thoughts.
They both knew they were happy, though.
High school was finally over, and one of the many imperial universities awaited them. The only other person in his family to finish university was Zyra. She was in finance, working for their mother as an accountant. She offered him the same opportunity, but he wanted to do more with his life.
Together with Lara, they applied for Astapor Central University. The public management offered a variety of opportunities. He wanted to give back to the Empire as much as he had received.
—
He spent the next five years studying and working as an intern in the city hall with Lara. Over time, they got close enough to be lovers. He couldn't think of anyone else to spend the rest of his life with. Upon graduation, they started working as clerks in the city hall.
Lara's parents approved their relationship wholeheartedly. Her father, Sergeant Torren, was happy as long as his youngest daughter was happy. Her mother, Alys, already met up with his mother for the wedding plans.
Their marriage took place a year later.
They received an apartment, close to both their families, and a small stipend, a gift from Her Excellency to all newlyweds. Their lives were peaceful and happy. They worked, went on vacations, had children, earned promotions, and lived in peace and prosperity unseen anywhere else on the planet.
His tranquil life changed when he received an unexpected offer.
—
240 YA
"The mayor? Me?" he asked, pointing at himself with wide eyes.
The chairman of the City Council nodded. "Yes, you. You've been working here for fifteen years. You are just beneath the deputy mayor. You are capable, with no spots on your record. You are the perfect candidate. This could also open more doors for you."
"I accept," he said, feeling his throat dry at the words.
—
His family were overjoyed to hear the offer he had received. Belis was less so. He was aware of the scope of the responsibility he was being offered. He had worked as a clerk in filing and then registration and as a field manager and then overseer. Rising to the rank of deputy mayor wasn't easy.
The current mayor, Casterion Lannister, would be returning home since the city had already produced more than enough capable men and women. Belis would be that man to shoulder the responsibility of managing Astapor. His co-workers were just as good, but he was chosen because he had a spark they did not, in the words of the mayor. Still, he was given the chance, and he would not waste it.
He wasn't expecting the workload to increase so severely.
There was plenty of delegation to go around. However, he first had to be familiar with the general state of the city, mostly matters he wasn't privy to as a deputy. He went home at the same hour every day, but the days were more intense.
He pushed through with the support of his family.
Mayor Casterion was extremely helpful, more so than usual. His term could have continued, but the man naturally wanted to return to his home after having served five years. He was a well-liked man and mayor but, most importantly, an extremely capable one. His choice of a new mayor wasn't contested by anyone.
The day of his inauguration as the mayor for the next five years was one of the happiest days of his life.
—
His parents, sisters, nephews, good mother, and their side of the family waited in front of the crowd. His wife and three children were on the back of the stage, smiling at him. He smiled back, feeling his racing heart calm down a bit.
His youngest, Caleb, was bored with the ceremony. Marella was busy trying to control her younger brother, and her eldest, Torgen, named after his wife's late father, was telling both of them to be quiet. His wife shook her head and finally stepped in, stopping all three.
He winked at her and walked to the stage, fixing the red cuffs of his uniform.
The governor of the Freedom's Bay Prefecture began to applaud, neither too silent nor loud, as he appeared before the crowd, waving at them. He stood before the older woman in a more decorated uniform, waiting for her to begin.
Governor Tyanna shook his hand first, smiling, followed by the old mayor, Casterion.
"To honored citizens of the Unified Empire, I present to you the new mayor of Astapor, Belis Hazzar."
"I am at a loss for words. When I first set foot in Astapor, I did not know what awaited us. Life in New Ghis was hard from what I remember. Yet, within the day of our arrival, we were given a last name, a house, food, a stipend, and things that would be impossible outside our nation."
"I will forever be grateful to Her Excellency, the First Prince, the Cabinet, and everyone else who worked hard to make it so that we all lived as humans and not just as pawns of a lord."
"I wanted to work for the nation as a way to pay back for all that my family and I received. Now, I see how wrong I was. This is not about paying back but ensuring those who come after us have better conditions to live. So that one day, all may share in the light of the Divine Thunder."
The applause was so loud he flinched. Gathering his composure, he waved once again.
He was quick to take his oath, receiving the mayoral pin from Castarion. He would have a three-day period to put his affairs in order and take his seat.
—
His life as a mayor wasn't as glamorous as people thought it was. The endless meetings, paperwork, and overseeing the work on infrastructure—he had too much to do. It wasn't all bad. He finally felt he was doing more with his life when it came to working.
For the next five years, he endeavored to be a mayor the city would be proud of. He specifically focused on the matter of immigration. In the last five years, the numbers had been reduced dramatically. The surrounding nations and cities brought in tighter controls on who could leave the land and for what.
Much like in Westeros once upon a time.
He knew the reasons why. The land would face destruction without manpower to work. However, their measures would either end in a rebellion or they would join the empire, just as the Western, Northern, and Vale prefectures had done.
The current immigration system is great, even better than it was when his family stepped foot on Astapor. However, there was more that could be done. Not everyone could afford a ferry. Great numbers arrived by the road, often tired, sick, and hungry. The neighboring towns and cities, such as Hesh, Lhazok, Kosrak, Qarkash, and Qarth, didn't have proper roads connecting them to Astapor.
Working with the mayors of Yunkai and Meereen, they constructed a web of roads connecting the three cities to their neighbors, all funded by them. They also installed security gates on their side of the border to receive the immigrants. They were housed in the newly built border towns and taken to any of the cities they wanted in groups.
His border towns became popular, gaining interest in the eastern territories of the empire, mostly as farmlands.
His eldest son took to working in the government as well, starting as a clerk in the border town of Hesh. His wife, as the head of the Infrastructure Department, was a member of the joint task group, which built everything from roads to houses.
It wasn't even his greatest contribution yet.
The Summer Islands were a prime destination for a vacation. They enjoyed great trade with the Empire, mostly in exotic fruits. The lush, verdant fields, the golden beaches, and the pleasant weather made them a favorite of many, including Belis and his family.
It was a horrific day when they were stricken by a plague, targeting both the land and the people.
The source of it was a ship. The vessel had traveled to the ruins of Valyria, seeking treasure, but instead returned with a black plague that rotted everything it touched. The island quickly found itself dying while people tried to flee in droves. He had turned a small island into a containment facility for the infected and a search for a cure.
Though, by the time the scientists of the land succeeded, the island would be dead. Instead, he sent a message to Storm's End, to the God-Queen herself. This plague wasn't just an extremely deadly malady. The sorcerers were quick to figure out there was something greater at work.
The plague carried malice, one with intent.
Her Excellency was quick to respond, working with the kitsune goddess to cleanse the land and the people. However, one third of the population was dead by the time it was over. Learning the source of the plague, the God of Eternity rained down divine thunder on the shattered peninsula, burning the Sea of Smoke away and leaving nothing of old Valyria.
He was quick to bring relief supplies to the island, sending healers, food, clothing, and everything else the people would need to quickly recover. Eventually the remaining leadership of the island reached him, requesting a parley to join the empire.
Stumped by the offer and knowing it was a decision he couldn't make, he sent another message to his governor first and then to the First Prince. It eventually reached Queen Argella, who gave Belis the authority to negotiate.
The Summer Islands became a part of the Empire in three months.
It is also what made him the next governor of the Freedom's Bay Prefecture.
—
247 YA
He sat in his new office, taking in the atmosphere. The Government's Keep, the official building where every important matter related to his area of responsibility passed through, was thankfully built in Astapor, the first city to be settled.
Elyria, Tolos, Meereen, and Yunkai, in addition to the new cities and towns that grew in the last thirty-seven years, all looked up to him for guidance. A boy who was nothing more than the son of a crate hauler in the docks of New Ghis.
He wondered how different his life, his family's lives, would be if his late father had never taken the chance to leave their old home. He too would be hauling crates now or some other menial work. Perhaps he would have the chance to wed if he ever got the coin for it and lived in a cramped house with his parents.
Yet here he was, responsible for millions of lives, dozens of settlements, and the leader of one of the many thriving prefectures of the Empire.
"What are you thinking about?" his wife asked, hugging him from behind.
He put a kiss on her hand, looking up. "How different my life would be if my father never took us to Astapor."
"I know you would have been fine."
"Maybe, maybe not. At the least, I would have never met you."
"I remember how sullen you were when we first met."
He chuckled, remembering that day with a fond smile. "All my friends had made new friends, and I was alone."
"Now though, look at me. Son of a crate hauler who has more power than any lord or merchant in New Ghis."
"I should send a gift to the palace. Maybe several packs of sweets."
"How about we make the sweets at home? It would have more meaning than anything store-bought," she offered, her gaze softening.
He blinked, kissing her hand again. What would he ever do without her? "You know what, you are right."
"I always am."
—
Westeros
Storm's End
Ei opened the package, removing the paper around the five boxes. It was a gift from the new governor of the Freedom's Bay Prefecture. Each box had a different sweet in it: multicolored candies, chocolates, and of course, dango.
Their shapes were irregular, definitely not mass-produced.
She took out the small slip of paper, reading the note.
"Your Excellency, I owe you a debt I can only hope to repay by working for the betterment of the empire and the people. You gave everyone a chance, one that no other would do. May your divine thunder light our path for an eternity. Signed, Governor of the Freedom's Bay Prefecture, Belis Hazzar."
"Hazzar? I think I remember a Hazzar. She made some great clothing in Astapor," Saiguu said, throwing a strawberry chocolate into her mouth.
"I believe that's his mother," Kage said, reaching for the dango.
All her companions took one, enjoying the sweet treats.
—
Notes : This is the last chapter of the epilogue, which gives us a story about how the humble son of a crate hauler could achieve if he was given the chance, which only the Unified Empire provides.