Links between Valyria/ Westeros before the doom

[Morienthar]

Trade/ exploratory teams seems likely,as there are a few pre-Doom VS swords around including LongClaw.

[TheCrannogDweller]

Third, we know that Aegon came to Westeros only after a series of local wars was fought in the area. Storm's End participated in the war against Volantis and may have been weakened considerably while Harren the Black was raiding throughout the Riverlands and building Harrenhal. Tyrosh, Myr, Lys, and Pentos were in no position to offer a coalition to help anyone in Westeros. Dorne was able to still hold off Aegon regardless of his three dragons so if a coalition was available it might have been able to push back. The Reach would have been glad for help against the Iron Islands while the North did not want dragons burning everything down, also the Starks appear to have ruled the North in all but name anyway during the Targaryen rule anyway so they really do not lose anything by signing on. Timing was essential to the conquest, we do not know what a united Westeros would have been able to do against a Freehold whose attentions were focused elsewhere (see point two).

Great post, but I disagree with this part. I have no doubts that even a unified Westeros could not have withstood against a full-blown assault by the Freehold. Aegon managed to conquer it with 3 dragons. The Freehold could've fielded at leasts 20 times that amount.

Aegon conquered Westeros when there was no Valyria anymore, and he only had the choice between sitting out his days on Dragonstone or subjugating Westeros.

That's not completely true. Before ever landing in Westeros, Aegon was offered an alliance by Volantis and rejected it, later appearing on the side of their enemies. Granted, that's info from the wiki, so it may not be completely reliable, but having the last living dragons in the world, he definitely had other options. He could've tried conquering the Free Cities and forging them into a new, Targaryen Valyrian empire, but he didn't.

[Blugenes]

We do not know much about Westeros and its situation at the time of the Doom nor about the specifics of the Freehold, we only have inferences and interpretations. Storm's End seems to have been a major player probably on par with at least Pentos if not equal to two of them or somewhere in between. Otherwise the seven kingdoms are still there save the Riverlands being occupied by the Iron Islands which they loathed. Dragons go a long way, but if somehow the Seven Kingdoms had come together under a council of some sort they would probably lose but give the Valyrians a nasty fight in the process. Never mind that even the largest fleets/invasion forces seem to lose resources to weather, bad navigation, disease, sabotage, and other factors even before they set foot on shore. Even if Valyria has the will to invade, at what cost would they tire and evacuate?

[Crowford]

That's not completely true. Before ever landing in Westeros, Aegon was offered an alliance by Volantis and rejected it, later appearing on the side of their enemies. Granted, that's info from the wiki, so it may not be completely reliable, but having the last living dragons in the world, he definitely had other options. He could've tried conquering the Free Cities and forging them into a new, Targaryen Valyrian empire, but he didn't.

True. What I meant was that the odds had shifted greatly at that point. With Aegon already having a solid power base on Dragonstone, expanding westward was the easier choice. Yes, he could have tried rebuilding something akin to Valyria in Essos, but that would have been a much greater risk, and also would have likely meant giving up Dragonstone and the Targaryan foothold in Westeros. Expanding in Essos was a more promising prospects for the rulers of Valyria. For the rulers of Dragonstone, without any Valyrian backing (on account of it being destroyed), the Seven Kingdoms were a more suitable target.