Lynd and Daenerys' wedding was exceedingly simple, no different from that of ordinary folk.
Normally, Lynd's wedding should have been held in the Sept of the Seven, given that he was originally a chosen of the Seven. However, the Faith of the Seven only permitted monogamy, and polygamy was a violation of its doctrine.
While Lynd's reputation within the Faith was so great that he need not fear any real repercussions, he still chose to exercise caution, at least out of respect, to avoid putting the Faith in an awkward position.
The simplicity of Lynd and Daenerys' wedding left some feeling uneasy, especially Jorah Mormont. That very night, Jorah found a tavern, drank himself into a stupor, and ended up brawling with a few Braavosi patrons. He was caught by patrols and dragged back to camp, where he was locked up for several days before being released.
Lynd, along with Nymeria and Daenerys, stayed in Braavos for a few more days, mainly to handle the aftermath of the city's surrender. Thanks to precedents set by other Free Cities, the transition went smoothly.
Because preparations had been made ahead of time, officials from various departments were quickly installed. Soon, the foundational political structure of Braavos was rebuilt, with scholars from the Sphinx Academy and officials from the Kingdom of Lorne tackling the backlog of unresolved matters.
The first session of the municipal council was convened shortly afterward. The councilors were not elected by the public, but were personally selected by Lynd. They included high priests from the various temples, influential nobles from the city's compliant factions, representatives of merchant guilds, and a few well-known figures respected among the common people.
During those days, the city's defense forces were completely restructured. The original Braavosi city guard was dispersed and reassigned to other Free Cities. As for the fleet, only the ships were retained and handed over to the Miracle Fleet. The sailors and captains were sent to the Stepstones for specialized training; only those who completed the required training would be integrated into the Miracle Fleet. Furthermore, any returning captain would have to pass the trials of the Redemption Sept to regain command of a warship.
Although the former Magisters and Keyholders were reluctant to relinquish their power, once the city guard was gone and the fleet's crews were removed, they found themselves stripped of any meaningful strength. All they could rely on now were a few lowly gangs within the city.
In the past, these gangs had been used for dirty work, though the Magisters and Keyholders had always looked down on them. Now, however, these same gangs had become their only potential tool—a bitter irony that left them feeling helpless.
Unfortunately for them, even this last resort turned against them. Someone reported the gangs to the newly established Holy Court. The army responded with a citywide sweep, capturing all the gang members. Under interrogation, a slew of scandals was unearthed, dragging the Magisters and Keyholders into serious trouble.
Although many were eventually released due to lack of direct evidence, their reputation—already severely tarnished—plummeted even further, leaving them utterly discredited.
Those who had once been harmed or suppressed by these old ruling families sensed an opportunity and struck back from all sides, even proposing at the first municipal council to confiscate their properties and expel them.
Though this proposal was ultimately blocked by Lynd's intervention, it was clear to the Magisters and Keyholders that Braavos was no longer a place where they could thrive. Many quietly packed their belongings overnight, selling off whatever assets they could and relocating their families to cities like Pentos or Lys. Those who stayed behind became like hunted animals, hiding in their estates, afraid to show their faces.
Beyond political and administrative matters, Lynd also met with the high priests and leaders of various temples and shrines throughout Braavos. But his true purpose was not to stabilize Braavos' current situation, nor even to prepare for the coming war at The Wall—it was to prepare for the inevitable arrival of the Long Night and eternal winter.
"My lord, will the Long Night truly come?" After listening to Lynd's explanation, while others were still surprised, Lyra, the High Septon of the Church of the Storm God and the one closest to Lynd, couldn't help but ask. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized they might sound like she was questioning him and immediately added, "I just meant to..."
"No need to explain." Lynd raised his hand to stop her, then looked around at the gathered religious leaders and said, "I can confirm that the Long Night will come, and it will happen within the next few years. This time, it won't last just a few short years, but could stretch into decades, even centuries. It will be a very long and bitter winter. The White Walkers pouring south from the Land of Always Winter is one sign of it. You must have also heard the news—ice dragons have been appearing frequently in the Shivering Sea. That, too, is a sign of the Long Night's imminent arrival."
"Your Grace Lynd, it's not that we don't believe you," said the Moon Singer of the Temple of the Moonsingers, his Common Tongue thick with an accent. "It's just that the news is so shocking... we need time to understand."
"Have the White Walkers really emerged in force?" asked the High Priest of the Twin Temples gravely.
Lynd nodded solemnly. "I've personally investigated the Land of Always Winter. Not only have the White Walkers come forth en masse, but they've also built an ice fortress near Thenn, Beyond the Wall, to serve as a forward base. I couldn't approach it closely to scout all the details, but judging from the sheer size of the structure, there must be tens of thousands of White Walkers gathered there."
Perhaps realizing that words alone were not enough to convince them, Lynd, while speaking, used the power of his ice dragon rune to create a miniature model of the ice fortress for everyone to see. He explained that the base of the fortress was larger than the entire area of King's Landing, and its height even surpassed the massive stone statue that guarded the entrance to Braavos.
After hearing Lynd's detailed explanation, everyone present wore expressions of undisguised shock.
At that moment, the High Priest of the Red Temple of Braavos, who had remained silent until then, suddenly rose to his feet. He bowed deeply to Lynd and declared solemnly, "I am willing to dispatch the Temple Guards to join Your Grace at The Wall, to fight against the White Walkers and halt the advance of the Cold God."
Lynd nodded in approval without hesitation. Compared to the other faiths, the Church of R'hllor—the Lord of Light—had been preparing for the prophesied battle against the Cold God for thousands of years. Their knowledge of the White Walkers was extensive, and they possessed specialized combat techniques, as could be seen from the example of Red Priests like Thoros and the military forces of the Red Temple in Volantis. Their warriors required no additional training before joining the fight; they were already the best reinforcements available.
"I will also rally our followers to support The Wall," Lyra said, standing up.
"There's no need." Lynd shook his head, declining her offer. Then he turned to address the others. "Not just the Church of the Storm God, but none of the other churches should send men to The Wall. You have not prepared for this war. Only the Church of R'hllor has spent millennia preparing for this battle. Their forces are ready. If you send your people, I'll have to spend time training them before they can be deployed—and until then, you would be doing little more than providing reinforcements to the enemy."
Hearing Lynd's words, all the religious leaders, including Lyra, looked embarrassed. Only the High Priest of the Red Temple showed a hint of pride on his face.
"Lord Chosen One, what can we do to assist you?" asked the High Priest of the Temple of the Lion of Night.
Because Lynd had once traveled across Essos wearing the lion armor of the famed dragonslayer Ornstein, and had even lived among merchant caravans under the name "Lion of Night," rumors had spread. The Church of the Lion of Night, which had a notable presence on Essos, took advantage of these tales to proclaim Lynd as the Chosen One of the Lion of Night, leading to their current manner of addressing him.
Lynd did not refute the title—accepting it as a tacit acknowledgment. After a moment's thought, he answered in a low voice, "What I need from you now is to stabilize the situation in Braavos, and to secretly stockpile all necessary supplies, in preparation for a future mass migration. After this meeting, each of you will receive a complete preparation manual from the Temple of the God of Calamity. I expect you to follow its instructions carefully. When the time comes for migration, I do not want to hear that nothing was done, or that you're causing trouble for me."
At these final words, Lynd's tone grew heavier, and an invisible pressure seemed to weigh on the room. One by one, the religious leaders instinctively shrank back in their seats.
The High Priestess Tysha of the Many-Faced God, who had been silently sitting with her hood up, suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Your Grace, when that day comes, where are we to migrate?"
Lynd answered in a steady voice, "To the continent of Sothoryos. I have already organized an expedition to establish settlements there."
Upon hearing this, Tysha responded without hesitation, "We of the House of Black and White are willing to mobilize our followers to join the expedition."
The other churches quickly followed suit, expressing their willingness to contribute manpower and resources. Only the high priests and septons of the Storm God, the God of Calamity, and the Faith of the Seven remained silent, as their churches had already joined the expedition initiative earlier.
With the religious matters now settled, Lynd's tasks in Braavos were nearly complete. He mounted his dragon and, along with Nymeria and Daenerys, returned first to Ny Sar. Barristan, Tyrion, and the others stayed behind to oversee Braavos' defense, and only after the Miracle Fleet and the Chosen of the Gods Corps had taken full control did they lead the army of the Kingdom of Lorne back home.
While Lynd and the others were still in Braavos, news of Braavos' conquest had already reached Volantis, stirring fierce debate among its Triarchs and nobility.
For them, the situation had grown critical, especially after learning that the Miracle Fleet was reinforcing its bases along the Orange Coast, and that large numbers of troops had appeared both at the ruins of Valyria and at Selhorys under the Kingdom of Lorne's banner. It was clear they might soon become the next target.
After an intense night of deliberation, Volantis sent an envoy to Ny Sar, who waited there to request an audience on the very day Lynd, Nymeria, and Daenerys returned.
The envoy Volantis chose was someone Lynd was already familiar with—Alios Qhaedar, Triarch of the Tiger Party.
Alios Qhaedar was on good terms with both Lynd and Nymeria. He was the sole distributor of the God's Gift elixir in Volantis, and during Lynd and Nymeria's wedding, he had gifted Nymeria a Valyrian steel long-handled battle-axe. Later, after the founding of the Kingdom of Lorne, he had become the main figure behind trade between Lorne and Volantis. Naturally, he also became the leading voice of the pro-submission faction within Volantis, making him the obvious choice for this mission.
"I didn't expect Volantis to send you. You're not exactly the most skilled negotiator," Lynd said with a smile when he received Alios in the royal gardens.
Hearing Lynd's teasing, Alios simply smiled without trying to argue. He was well aware that he wasn't a good negotiator; in past trade dealings with Lynd, he had never gained the upper hand, earning him the nickname among Volantis locals of "Curved Snail"—a fragile creature that spits out its own guts under pressure.
Alios replied with a grin, "It's true I'm not the best negotiator. But for this mission, perhaps I'm the best envoy Volantis could send."
Lynd nodded in acknowledgment. "That's fair. With you as envoy, I can't very well offer harsh terms." Then, glancing at Nymeria, he asked, "What kind of terms do you think are suitable for Volantis?"
"The same as Norvos." Nymeria answered quickly, as they had already discussed it back in Braavos.
When Norvos had submitted to the Kingdom of Lorne, it had been given the most favorable treatment among the Free Cities. Their form of governance remained unchanged; only the city's defenses were handed over to Lorne's forces, and a few new local taxes were imposed.
Lynd turned back to Alios and asked, "What do you think of those terms?"
"The conditions are very good. However, we hope to submit directly to Your Grace." Alios voiced the consensus of Volantis' council, then turned to Nymeria and respectfully added, "Your Majesty Queen Nymeria, it's not that we think submitting to the Kingdom of Lorne is bad. It's just that there are some stubborn old men on the council who look down on women, and so they feel uneasy about submitting to a queen..."
Nymeria smiled warmly and said, "It's fine. I understand your difficulties. Actually, there's no real difference between submitting to the Iron Throne or the Kingdom of Lorne. Once Daenerys and I finish dealing with Slaver's Bay, the Iron Throne, the Kingdom of Lorne, and Qarth will all be unified. At that point, Westeros and Essos will together form a single nation—the Tarran Empire."