The envoys from Meereen and Yunkai fled Astapor in panic.
But the threats they left behind hung like dark clouds over this newborn city of freedom.
The blockade began.
Just as Jorah Mormont had feared, the waters of Slaver's Bay fell deathly silent.
In less than half a day!
Merchant ships flying flags of every color no longer sailed into the harbor with grain, cloth, and iron ore.
The merchants who had once made their living trading with Astapor chose to back down under the threat of swords from the fleets of Meereen and Yunkai.
Within just a few days, the mood in the city shifted from the jubilation of liberation to deep anxiety about the future.
"My lord, our grain will last another month at most."
"Even with Illyrio secretly giving us his full support, I'm afraid we won't hold out much longer."
In the hall, Jorah Mormont's voice was heavy.
He spread a parchment covered in figures before Lynn, his weathered face full of worry.
"Nearly three hundred thousand mouths. Even with rationing, the amount of grain consumed each day will be astronomical."
"The stores we seized from the Good Masters' mansions are barely a drop in the bucket."
"And rumors have already begun spreading through the city."
Missandei added this immediately, her delicate face carrying a worry beyond her years.
"Some people are saying the Dragonlord has only pushed us out of one hell into another."
"They say that once the grain runs out, they'll starve to death, or... be fed to the dragons."
"I suspect these rumors were spread by the other trading city-states."
Those vicious rumors bred in the city's dark corners, gnawing away at the confidence its people had only just gained.
Daenerys sat nearby, her heart clenched tight.
She looked at Lynn. The