With the five hundred Unicorn Brave Companions led by Dax and his brothers stationed there, even the most vicious criminals had no choice but to obediently work as laborers. Otherwise, they would suffer beatings as well as hunger. Some of the most heinous had even been fed to Hound.
Dreamfyre Island now had a population of over five thousand, but more than four thousand were young or able-bodied men. Thus, many women exiled there turned to selling their bodies rather than enduring the hardship of manual labor.
Although the laborers sent there arrived penniless, those who performed well could earn a proper job after passing an assessment. The pay was modest, but they could still save a fair number of copper stars each month.
Those selected to work at the salt pans, in particular, along with anyone who already had a useful skill, soon saved up several silver stags after reaching the island. With refined sea salt serving as a readily tradable commodity, more merchants had begun visiting Dreamfyre Island lately.
As a result, brothels sprang up across Dreamfyre Island like mushrooms after rain. Even pirates from the Kingdom of the Three Daughters and the Stepstones visited during lulls in the fighting.
With the arrival of the Long Night and winter, more and more people resorted to crime to fill their bellies, and the great houses' prison cells were nearly full. Even sending them to the Wall, as was customary in the Seven Kingdoms, became difficult because of the harsh weather.
Thanks to the preceding Long Summer, which had lasted over a decade, most houses had built up substantial grain reserves. The other kingdoms therefore remained fairly stable in the short term. Although localized unrest broke out from time to time, the overall situation remained under control.
Under King Jaehaerys's